gt8145a@prism.gatech.edu (FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM) (05/20/91)
ALL TREATMENT IS ESSENTIALLY CONTROLLING ONE'S WHIM (HAWAA)
God subhanahu wa ta`aala said in the 40th and 41st ayaat of surat
al-naazi`aat (wa ammaa man khaafa maqaama rabbihi wa nahaa `an il-hawaa
** fa inna al-jannata hiya al-ma'waa)
(As for him who fears the station of his Lord and fobids himself from
following his whims, he shall have Paradise as his abode.)
FaDaala ibn Ubayd radiy allahu anhu said: The messenger alayhi ssalaam said,
"Stop hurting your soul, and don't follow its whims by disobeying God. If
you do, it will be an enemy to you on the day of Judgement, when parts of
you will curse each other, except if God forgives and chooses to cover up
your misdeeds."
Sufyaan al-thawri said: "I have never treated anything more difficult than
my soul. One time, I win, another time, it wins."
al-Hasan said: The wild animal is not in more need of a strict saddle than
your soul."
yahya ibn mu`aadh said: Mankind has three enemies: His world, his shayTaan,
and his soul.
Some of the wise people said: Whoever has become ruled by his own soul
becomes a prisoner in the love of his desires, and trapped in the prison of
his whims. He is defeated, enchained. Whims lead him where they want, and
they prevent his heart from obtaining any benefits.
ja`far ibn Hamiid said: "The scholars and the wise people have come to a
consensus that bounty cannot be gained except by forsaking bounty."
abu yaHyaa al-warraaq said: "Whoever pleases his extremities with desires has
planted in his heart the tree of regret."
wuhayb ibn al-ward said: Whoever loves the desires of this world, he should
prepare for humiliation.
Ali ibn abi Talib radiy allahu anhu said: "Whoever desires paradise should
avoid desires in this world."
Malik ibn diinaar radiy allahu anhu would be walking in the market and if
he saw something he desired he would say, "Be patient, my soul, for I do not
deprive you of it except because of your high place in my sight."
THERE IS DANGER IN THE MUBAAH (THE PERMISSIBLE)
al-ghazaali points out that some would say that desiring the permissible
(al-mubaaH) cannot be a bad thing. al-ghazaali responds by saying that the
desire which causes you to strive for the mubaaH is the same desire which
causes you to strive for the Haram (the forbidden.) Love of the world is
the beginning of every evil, and only by being able to ignore the bounty of
the world can we hope to succeed in the next life.
The wise ones know that they will be held to account for the permissible
things, punished for the bad things, and rebuked for those things which are
neither clearly Halaal nor Haraam.
SIGNS OF DISEASES OF THE HEART AND THEIR SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT
We say that an organ of the body is sick if it fails to perform what it is
supposed to. The purpose of the heart is to love and worship God `azza
sha'nuh. If the servant prefers anything over God's pleasure, then he knows
he needs treatment.
This is as God tabaarak said in the 24th aya of surat al-tawba: (qul in
kaana aabaa'ukum wa ikhwaanukum wa azwaajukum) ila qawlihi (aHabba ilaykum
min allaahi wa rasuulihi wa jihaadin fi sabiilihi fa tarabaSSuu Hattaa ya'tiya
allaahu bi amrih).
(Say: If your parents, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your properties
which you have accumulated, your trade which you fear its decline, and homes
with which you are please are more beloved to you than God, His messenger and
jihaad in His path then beware of the day when God comes with His command.)
As has been mentioned previously, most virtues lie between two distasteful
extremes. The way to detect whether or not a moral inclines to one of the
two is to know what kinds of actions they cause, and then see if the heart is
more inclined to these improper actions than it is to proper actions. For
example, should the heart be inclined to withold money from a worthy cause,
then the disease is miserliness (bukhl). If the heart is inclined to go
money for an unworthy goal, the disease which must be treated is tabdhiir
(unrestrained wastefulness.)
THE FOUR WAYS BY WHICH A PERSON MAY KNOW HIS DEFECTS
The first is by accompanying a wise shaykh and accepting fully his diagnosis.
The second is to request a truthful, religious friend to inform him of his
defects. Umar radiy allahu anhu used to say: May God have mercy on people
who guide me to my defects. He used to ask salmaan radiy allahu anhu about
his defects. Salmaan would decline to mention anything, but Umar would
persist in asking. Finally Salmaan said, "It has reached me that you have
two bread softening trays on your table, and that you eat two bowls, one
during the day and one at night." Umar said, "Have you heard anything else
that you dislike about me?" Salmaan replied in the negative. Umar said,
"As far as those two things, I'll stop doing them." In addition, Umar used
to ask Hadhiifa radiy allahu anhu if he saw in him any signs of hypocrisy.
Dawuud al-Taa'i removed himself from people, so people would come to him and
ask, "Why have you removed yourself from the rest of the people?" He replied,
"What should I do with people who hide my defects? The desire of those of
religion used to be that they be informed of their defects by somebody else.
It has now gotten to the point that the most hated of all creation is he who
advises us sincerely and points out our defects. This almost proves weak
belief since bad morals are poisonous snakes and scorpions. Consider if
someone warned you of a scorpion under your robe. We would bear with his
expecting favors from us, we would be happy with him, and we would concern
ourselves with removing the scorpion from the robe, distancing it from us and
killing it. The scorpion's attack is on the body, and the pain lasts no more
than a day. But the attack of bad morals is on the inner heart, and it is to
be feared more for it lasts forever and thousands of years. But instead we
don't become happy when someone points out our mistakes, nor do we busy
ourselves with correcting them. Rather we concern ourselves with responding
to the one who advised us sincerely by criticising him, saying, "Well, you do
this and that..." Our ill-will causes us to become unable to benefit from his
sincere advice. It seems that all of this is part of the hardness of the
heart which is the fruit of sins, and the source of it all is weak iimaan
(belief.) So we ask God `azza wa jalla to illuminate to us the path of
righteousness and make us see our defects and make us concerned with their
treatment. We also ask God to grant us the success of fulfilling our
obligation to the one who pointed out our defects by thanking him for his
gift and graciousness."
The third way to know one's defects is to listen to what your enemies say
about you. Most often, unfortunately, we attribute what our enemies say
about us to jealousy. But we can benefit more from a bitter enemy who
mentions our mistakes than we can from a companion who tries to make us feel
good by praising us. The seeing person does not neglect to benefit from the
criticisms of his enemies.
The fourth and final way to know your defects is to mingle with people and make
note of whatever you find to be blameworthy in their deeds. Then look at
your own deeds and see if you can find those same things there.
THE FOUR TOOLS OF TRAINING THE NAFS
sahl ibn abdallaah al-tasturi said: The ascetics (abdaal) did not become
ascetics except through four means: Starving their stomachs, going long
periods of time without sleep, silence and separation from people.
In addition, it is critical for the servant to perform what he intends to
perform. If he fails to fulfill his intention, he should punish himself as
a way of strengthening his resolve.
BRINGING UP CHILDREN WITH GOOD MORALS
The proper upbringing of children is an obligation for muslims. God ta'aala
said in the sixth ayaa of surat al-taHriim (Protect yourselves and your
families from a fire whose fuel is stones and people.)
The first thing the muslim must do is ensure that everything that the child
eats and drinks is Halaal, in substance and source of revenue. Then, as soon
as the father notices that the child has acquired powers of discrimination,
he must encourage him to avoid bad things and in general show him what is
good and what is bad.
The first place to begin the child's disciplining is at the table. The child
must eat only with his right hand, and he must say bismillaah before eating.
Nor should the child be allowed to eat before others, nor should he be allowed
to examine the food closely nor examine closely how or what others are eating.
The child should not eat quickly, and he should chew the food well. The child
should completely swallow his food before he takes another spoonful. He
should not soil his hands or his clothes. He should be made to eat hard, dry
bread at times so that he does not come to believe that all he eats must be
fresh. Eating a lot should be made to look undesirable in his eyes by
comparing those who eat too much to animals. You should criticize those
children he sees who eat too much, and praise in front of him those
well-mannered children who eat little. You should encourage him to give his
food to others and not to concern himself with food. You should also encourage
him to be content with any type of food, even if it is rough and unpleasant.
As far as clothing, the child must be made to like plain clothes, and he must
be convinced that wearing multi-colored, expensive clothes is unworthy of real
men. If the father sees any child wearing such clothes in front of his child,
he should criticize him so that his child does not desire expensive clothes.
As soon as the child is able, he should begin to learn Quraan and the reports
of the companions and the pious, so that love of the pious can grow in his
heart.
Whenever the child does a good thing, he should be praised openly and given a
reward. If he does a bad thing once, it should be ignored so that his
privacy is protected and he is not embarrassed in front of strangers. Thus,
the parent will demonstrate that he does not believe the child will be so bold
as to do the same thing again. Announcing what the boy did might make him
reckless enough to ignore the consequences of announcing mistakes. This is
especially true if the child tried hard to keep his mistake a secret.
If he does it again, he should be criticized and made to understand that what
he did was a very bad thing. He should be warned not to repeat the same
mistake and threatened with announcing his mistake to others. It is important
not to overdo the criticism, for if overdone it will become a small thing in
his eyes and it will have no effect on his heart. Moreover, the father should
remain dignified in speech and posture the entire time he is instructing his
children.
The child should be prevented from sleeping during the day so he does not
become lazy, and he should be given a hard mattress so his body becomes
strong and he does not become addicted to bounty and ease. The child should
be prevented from doing anything he does secretly, for if he does it secretly
that is a sign that he himself considers it a bad action.
The child should be made to walk and practice a sport during the day so he
does not become lazy. He should not walk at a fast pace, and he should keep
his hands at his breasts and not let them fling about. He should be prevented
from bragging about any superiority he has over his peers, especially about
anything his family has given him in terms of food, clothing or personal
belongings. He should be taught to honor everyone and to speak kindly with
everyone. He should be made to understand that honor lies in giving, not
taking, and he should refuse gifts from the children of rich people.
The child should be warned of the dangers of gold and silver more often than
he is warned of the dangers of snakes. He should be taught to remain silent
in the company of others, unless asked a question and then only to respond as
necessary. He should sit still and be prevented from crossing his legs and
supporting his chin with his palm, for all these are signs of laziness. He
should be absolutely prevented from swearing or taking oaths, be they true or
false. He should be made to listen closely to whatever is being said. He
should get up to greet whoever is older than him, and make room for him to sit.
The child should be protected from those children with bad habits.
If the teacher chooses to strike the child, the child should be taught not to
scream and to be perseverent in taking his punishment. The child should be
given time away from the kuttaab to play and relax, however. Constantly being
in the schools will cause his senses to become dull and cause him to hate
learing.
The child should be taught to obey his parents and teachers and whoever is
older than him, be they relatives or not. He must stop playing when they
come before him.
When the child becomes able to discriminate between things, he must not be
allowed not to pray and not to obey laws of purity. He should be ordered to
fast some of the days of Ramadan, and in general should be taught everything
about the shariah that he needs to know.
When the child becomes more mature, he should be made to understand that the
dunya passes and is not permanent, and that all actions must be undertaken
for the sake of the next life. He should be made conscious that death is
near for everyone at any time.
sahl ibn `abdallaah al-tasturi said: When I was three years old I used to
get up at night and see my maternal uncle muhammad ibn suwaar praying, so he
said to me, "Do you make dhikr (remembrence) of God, the One Who created you?"
I said, "How should I make dhikr?" He said, "Say in your heart when you turn
over at night in your bed, "God is with me, God is looking at me, God sees me"
three times without moving your tongue." So I did that for some nights and
then told him about it. So he told me to say it seven times, and then eleven
times. So I would say it, and soon I began to find happiness in saying it.
After a year, my uncle said, "Remember what I have taught you, for it will
benefit until you enter your tomb, both in this life and the next." I
continued to do this for years until one day my uncle asked me, "O sahl, does
someone with whom is God and at whom God is looking and whom God sees disobey
God?"
--
FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt8145a
Internet: gt8145a@prism.gatech.edugt8145a@prism.gatech.edu (FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM) (05/20/91)
CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMANS WHICH HELP OR HINDER REFORM
The first characteristic is the length of time during which a bad
characteristic was allowed to flourish unhindered. Since every human is born
with desire, restraing desire is in general harder than restraining anger,
which usually emerges in the child at approximately seven years of age.
The second characteristic affecting treatment is the nature of a person's
error. The easiest type of person to reform is he who doesn't know how to
differentiate between right and wrong. All he needs is a teacher and some
motivation.
The next category of people is those who know what right and wrong are, but for
one reason or another has continued to do sinful acts. Reform in this case
is harder, for the person's soul has become accustomed to ill acts. It takes
a great amount of seriousness and determination to reform successfully.
The third category is those who believe wrong is right and right is wrong.
There is little hope of reform in this category, primarily due to the
overlapping and mutually reinforcing causes of error.
The last category is he who sees virtue in evil and destruction, and this
person is the hardest to reform.
THE MEANS BY WHICH A PERSON COMES TO HAVE GOOD MORALS
The first of the two means is God's beneficence and mercy in creating in some
people good morals from birth.
The second means, the one with which we are concerned, is the winning of good
morals through struggle and training. The only way to do this is to do the
actions which good morals dictate. For example, if someone wishes to acquire
the virtue of liberality with his property (juud), he must spend of his money
until it becomes a burden for him (takalluf.) With the passing of time,
spending money will become easier and more natural. Soon, it will become a
pleasure to spend money.
This is the meaning we should draw from the 45th aya of surat al-baqara (wa
innahaa la kabiiratun illaa `alaa al-khaashi`iin)
(Indeed, it is a great burden except for those who tremble at the thought of
God.)
Similarly, Anas reported that the messenger salla allahu alayhi wa sallam said:
I have made my greatest happiness in ritual prayer. (ja`altu qurrata `aynii
fi al-Salaa) With the passing of time, the obedient servant finds true
happiness in his obedience. Abu bikra reported that God's messenger alayhi
ssalaam was asked, "Which people are the best?" He replied, "Those whose
life was long and their works good."
We see that any repetitive action produces in the human being happiness in
performing that action. For example, the gambler finds his happiness in
gambling even though he might have lost all of his property. The trainer of
pigeons comes to find happiness at the mere sight and smell and touch of his
birds.
All of this is part of the strange relationship between the heart and the
extremities of the human being. Every characteristic found in the heart
shows itself in the limbs, without exception. In addition, every action the
limbs perform leaves its trace on the heart. It is a cyclical relationship.
An example of this is he who wishes to become an expert in penmanship. He
first burdens himself with the actions of penmanship experts, i.e. he practices
penmanship, but of course it is difficult for him. With the passing of time,
the habits of good penmanship become ingrained in his heart and he comes to
write well naturally.
Just as we swallow bitter medicine to heal our bodies, we should accept the
bitterness of perseverence and struggle (al-Sabr wa al-mujaahada) in the
treatment of our souls.
THE SPECIFIC TREATMENT OF THE SOUL IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY
INDIVIDUAL
Just as a doctor cannot prescribe the same treatment for every sick person, the
murshid or shaykh cannot prescribe the same treatment for every seeker of
reform (muriid.) The shaykh should look at the muriid's age, personality
traits, physical strenght and level of knowledge. If for example the muriid
is ignorant of basic rules of law, the shaykh should teach him the rules of
purification, prayer and other acts of worship.
RESISTANCE TO REFORM CAN BE BROKEN IN STAGES
If the muriid is unable to free himself of a bad characteristic all at once,
it is advisable that the shaykh try to replace that characteristic with one
less distasteful. For example, if the muriid is concerned with his worldly
position (jaah), the shaykh should first direct him to a lower position, in
order to facilitate the eventual jettisoning of the evil of attaching
importance to worldly position. Some of the muriidiin used to sense in
themselves cowardice, so they would swim in the ocean in winter during the
season of high waves so that they could prepare themselves for tests requiring
greater courage.
--
FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt8145a
Internet: gt8145a@prism.gatech.edugt8145a@prism.gatech.edu (FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM) (05/21/91)
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BELIEVERS IN THE PROPHETIC TRADITIONS
Anas radiy allahu anh reported that God's messenger salla allahu alayhi wa
sallam said: The believer loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
Abu ShurayH al-khuzaa`i and abu hurayra radia allahu anhuma both reported that
the messenger alayhi ssalaam said: Whoever believes in God and the Day of
Judgement should honor his guests.
They also reported that the messenger alayhi ssalaam said: "Whoever believes
in God and the Day of Judgement should honor his neighbors."
They also reported that he alyahi ssalam said: "Whoever believes in God and
the Day of Judgement should say good things or remain silent."
It is reported that the messenger of God alyahi ssalam said: "If you see a
believer who is silent and respectable in his manner (Samuut wa waquur) then
get closer to him, for he teaches wisdom."
THE SALAF'S DESCRIPTION OF GOOD MORALS
Some of them tried to give a listing of good morals and they said: "Good
morals is to be quick to feel shame, to hurt people as little as possible, to
reform as much as possible, to be truthful in speech, to speak rarely, and to
work hard. Good morals is to make few errors and have little curiosity in
the affairs of others. It is to be righteous, to mend that which has been
torn (waSuul), to be dignified in manner, to be perseverent, and to be
thankful. It is to be content, forebearing, gentle, undemanding, and full of
pity for others. It is no to be one who curses others, or one who insults
others, nor one who backbites. Nor is it to be hasty, petty, miserly or
envious. It is to be friendly in greeting and happy to be asked to help
(bashshaash wa hashshaash). It is to love for God and hate for God, to be
content for God and be angry for God.
Haatim al-aSamm said: "The believer is busy in thought and pondering, while
the hypocrite is concerned with material things and hopes false hopes. The
believer has lost hope in all but God, while the hypocrite hopes from all
except God. The believer feels secure from everybody except God, while the
hypocrite fears everyone except God. The believer will sacrifice his money
before his religion, while the hypocrite will sacrifice his religion before
his money. The believer will do a good deed and cry, while the hypocrite
will do a bad deed and laugh. The believer likes empty places and being
alone, while the hypocrite likes mixing with people. The believer plants for
good, yet fears corruption, while the hypocrite stirs things up and hopes for
a good harvest. The believer commands and forbids to ensure the correct
policy is implemented, while the hypocrite commands and forbids in order to
become the leader, and thus he causes corruption.
yuusuf ibn asbaaT said: "There are ten characteristics of good morals: to
disagree rarely, to be just and fair, not to ask about the mistakes of others,
to explain away what appears to be bad deeds of others, to seek out excuses
for others, to blame oneself, to busy oneself exclusively with finding our
one's own shortcomings instead of others', to have a smile on one's face for
both the young and the old, and to be beautiful in speech to those below you
in station as well as those above you."
sahl ibn Hasan was asked about good morals so he said: "The least of them is
to bear the hurt caused by others, not to ask for compensation for a good
deed, to have mercy on a transgressor, to ask for his forgiveness and have
pity for him.
EXAMPLES OF THE PRACTICE OF THE COMPANIONS AND THE SALAF OF
GOOD MORALS
`ali bin abi Taalib karrama allahu wajhah was reported to have called to a
servant, but he didn't answer. He called a second time, and then a third.
So he went to him and found him lying down on his side. He said, "Did you
not hear me?" The boy said, "Yes, I did hear you." He then asked, "Why
didn't you come then?" He replied, "I feel secure from your punishment so I
became lazy." He then said, "Go away, for I free you for God's sake."
It is said that a man was insulting al-aHnaf ibn Qays. Al-aHnaf didn't
respond to the insults. Then, when he approached his neighborhood he turned
and said, "If you have anything else you want to tell me, say it here and now
because I'm scared that if some of the foolish people in the neighborhood hear
you they might hurt you."
`umar ibn `abd al-`aziiz was asked, "When should I speak?" He replied, "Speak
when you desire to remain silent." He was then asked, "When should I remain
silent?" He replied, "Remain silent when you desire to speak."
THE POSSIBILITY OF REFORMING MORALS THROUGH TRAINING
Some have said it is impossible to reform a human's morals. They have used two
arguments. The first is that just as you cannot change a person's outer
appearance, you cannot change his inner appearance or structure, i.e. his
morals. The second is that anger and desire are matters of personality which
cannot be surpressed.
If the first argument was true, then what is the value of injunctions,
admonitions and lessons in manners? Moreover, if wild animals can be trained,
then certainly humans can.
As far as the second argument, it is true that you cannot surpress completely
anger and desire, for both are present in the human being. However, it is
possible to guide them in accordance with reason and law. In addition, their
total supression is not good, since without a desire for food, for example,
the human would die.
--
FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt8145a
Internet: gt8145a@prism.gatech.edu