بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
* The ideal is that we abstain from sins, out of love for Allah Ta’ala.
* Attend the talks of the learned Scholars of Islam whenever possible,
* Dress as a Muslim should – Wearing the pants above the
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
There are many, many Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the
world who due to various negative influences and bad elements,
find themselves ‘de-railed’ from Deen. Many others sit on the fence,
wanting to enjoy or benefit from both sides of the fence – engaging
in sins as well as being practical on certain teachings of Deen.
However, deep in their hearts is the desire to get back on track,
and once again become good, practical Muslims; to jump off the
fence and enjoy the green pastures of Islam. So they write, e-mail,
phone, fax seeking guidance and direction.
The main weakness is indulgence in sins; sometimes many sins and
excessive indulgence in those sins. A standard prescription that I
give as a reply, is as follows. Alhamdulillah, many who followed
through with the prescription have found a whole new life – of
peace, happiness, blessings and mercy. On tasting the sweetness
that comes with obedience, there is no desire to return to any
form of disobedience.
* The ideal is that we abstain from sins, out of love for Allah Ta’ala.
He has granted us so much – He has granted us everything and it
is the nature of human beings that we love the person that is kind
and generous to us. Then what of Allah Ta’ala who has provided
us with plentiful – with everything? The sight, hearing, speech, the
organs that are functioning in such an amazing manner, the limbs -
all in our service – for eating, drinking, walking, sitting, etc. The
gifts of wealth : the clothing, shelter, transport, food, drink, and
so many other comforts. …We use them all, but do we keep in
mind, the Generous Benefactor ? Do we give thanks for these
bounties or show any appreciation to the Giver ?
* Developing the conscious awareness that Allah Ta’ala is with us :
He is watching us, He is hearing us, He knows all and everything
about us; We cannot hide from Him; We cannot conceal our
actions from Him. Then should we not feel ashamed that in His
Presence, we are disobeying Him? Are we not showing
ingratitude to the Benefactor, when engaging in sins in His
very Presence ?
* Keep in mind that the angels too are witness to all our actions;
that the earth is recording our behaviour and that all of it is also
noted in our books of deeds – that we are accountable to Allah
Ta’ala on the Day of Judgement. Added to this, our actions are
also presented to Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم, so we should give
thought to whether our actions are a source of joy or grief to
him. …In this manner, we will develop that shame and modesty
which will make it easy to restrain from Haraam.
* Muraqabah is meditating on the actions engaged in during the day :
We should reflect over our deeds for the day and seek forgiveness
for shortcomings and resolve not to return to those bad deeds.
We should also express gratitude on good deeds and make dua
for an increase in them.
* Ponder over the fact that the Angel of Death does not give respite.
It must not be that whilst obeying the nafs in sinful pleasure, the
Angel of death visits; and departure is in disgrace, and return to
Allah Ta’ala is at a time when He is angry, and that death is an
embarrassment to the person, family and community who find
out that death came in sin. May Allah Ta’ala protect us all from
death in a state of transgression, but this is very much a reality.
…Death visits – more often, very unexpectedly, and no true
Muslim would want to be seized by the Angel of death when
Allah Ta’ala is displeased. I often say : We now have instant
tea, and instant coffee, and instant cereal and instant pudding
and so many other things on the market are instant – we are
also living in times when death is just as instant. So any sin is
too much of a risk in the face of the reality of death. …The
Hadith is explicit : That we will be resurrected on the day of
Judgement as we have died and we will die as we have lived. …
Would any Muslim want to rise up on the Day of Judgement
in sin, for all of mankind to witness what kind of life he led?
* Ponder over the fact that Allah Ta’ala has blessed us with the
gift of sight, hearing, health, wealth, and so much else – and
has also granted us the gift of respect. However, what He
gives, He can also take away. He has explicitly stated that
ingratitude for His Gifts will draw very severe punishment.
So is sin not abuse and ingratitude for the gifts of sight, of
heart, of mind, of limbs ?
A little contemplation on the consequences of such behaviour and
a little bit of mujahada – which entails ‘not doing’ and Alhamdulillah,
the sicknesses are cured.
Together with this :
* Attend the talks of the learned Scholars of Islam whenever possible,
or listen to recordings of their talks and read their books to gain
benefit of pious, righteous company. Join and participate in the
Deeni activities with those who follow the Qur`aan and Sunnah.
One will, Insha-Allah, find a great improvement in one’s condition
by keeping the right company.
* Make the effort to read Salaah punctually. Men should make every
effort to read their Salaah in Jamaat.
* Read good, Islamic literature. Abstain from magazines or books
that have filthy and indecent contents and pictures.
* Give up television viewing. …90% of the content is Haraam.
If a person offers a full glass of clean and pure water, and
mentions that there is just one drop of urine, would any
sensible person, drink it ?
* …Then when the major content of television is Haraam,
what would we then say ? When the gaze, heart and mind
are consuming and digesting so much of Haraam viewing,
what else would be the end result except indulgence in the
same Haraam.
* Lower the gaze from the opposite sex.
* Dress as a Muslim should – Wearing the pants above the
ankle and keeping the beard, one fist in length must not be
considered as insignificant actions. These are teachings of
Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم which he has emphasized.
Although it is permissible to wear the shirt and pants, the
dressing of the righteous (i.e. the kurta) has a speciality
which benefits in different ways. A person with this
appearance will think a hundred times before engaging
in an open sin, when he is being recognized as someone
who must be very pious. So this attire and appearance
will offer a protection, Insha-Allah. Women too should
dress modestly as is prescribed by Shariah.
* By doing these few things, you have won more than half
the battle. And it is not as difficult as Shaytaan and nafs
will whisper. A little courage, a little effort and a little
sacrifice are all that is required.
Of course, these are just basic aspects of Deen, which everyone can
implement immediately and easily. There is a need to fulfill the
Obligatory Injunctions such as Salaah, Zakaat, Fasting in the month
of Ramadaan, etc. and to fulfill the rights of family, neighbours and
others. There is a need to read the Qur`aan Sharief regularly,
together with some authentic commentary – a little at a time, as well
as giving time to studying some book on Islamic Jurisprudence and
reading the life and teachings of Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم , etc.
A reading of the books of virtues of actions such as Salaah, Fasting,
Haj, Sadaqaat, Zikr, etc. by Shaykh Zakariyyah Saheb رحمت الله عليه
will create enthusiasm in the heart for action.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us His Love and the Love of
Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم , such that it becomes
easy to give up all sins and submit to His Obedience.
May He protect us all from the mischief of nafs and Shaytaan.
May He fill our hearts with Love for this beautiful Deen
and inspire us in being a practical and
good Muslims and be true role-models to our community.
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