Kalimatul-Ikhlas *LailahaillaAllah* part 3
Posted by: "darultawhid english" darultawhid_english@yahoo.com darultawhid_english
Date: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:02 pm

[Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (H 736-795)]

http://darultawhid.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/kalimatul-ikhlas-lailahaillaallah-imam-ibn-rajab-al-hanbali-h-736-795/

To read Kalimatul-Ikhlas *LailahaillaAllah* Part 1 check out URL below
http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Precious_Teachings_Of_Islam/message/4031

To read Kalimatul-Ikhlas *LailahaillaAllah* part 2 check out URL below
http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Precious_Teachings_Of_Islam/message/40

Second Type

The ahadith which jahannam being prohibited for those who utter this word (kalimah) is mentioned. Some of the ulama had understood from these ahadith that it is prohibited to stay in jahannam forever or they commented that it is prohibited for them to stay in a fire the ahl (jahannam) will stay in forever. This fire is a fire which is outside of the highest level of jahannam ‘Darki Ala / Jahim. Many among the rebellions of ahl-tawhid will enter into ‘Derki Ala / Jahim’ for the sins they committed. Then with the mercy of Allah, who is merciful towards His slaves and the shafaah of the intercessors they will be taken out of there (fire).

In a qudsi hadith mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim, Allah (awj) commanded: by My Honour, Glory, Greatness and Might, I would certainly take him out (of jahannam) who professed it: There is no god but Allah
Some of the ulama had said: The wisdom of ‘uttering lailahaillaAllah and making testimony to it’ which is mentioned in these ahadith is a reason which necessitates to be saved from jahannam and enter into jannah. This necessity will be effective if all the conditions[1] of the uttered word (kalimah) are gathered and there is nothing to invalidate it (kalimah). If one of these conditions of the kalimah of tawhid is missed or any expression or an act which invalidates it occur (found); this kalimah of tawhid will not prevent from jahannam and provide enterance into jannah to the one who utters it. This opinion has been narrated from Hasan (al-Basri) and Wahb b Munabbih. This is the most beautiful and the strongest view among the views (regarding the matter.)
When the wife of Firuzdak had died and was being buried Hasan (al-Basri) asked Firuzdak: ‘What did you preapare for this day?’ Firuzdak replied: ‘That which, I have been uttering for 70 years; LailalahaillaAllah.’ Upon this Hasan said: ‘What a great preparation. However there are conditions for lailahaillaAllah to be known and to be followed. Also beware of slandering the pure modest women.’

It was said to Hasan: ‘People are saying that whoever utters lailahaillaAllah will enter jannah. What do you say (regarding this)? Hasan said: ‘Whoever utters lailahaillaAllah and fulfills its requirements (meaning actualizing its necessities while keeping distant from that which invalidates it and performing its conditions) will enter jannah.

Wahb b Munabbih replied the one who asked him: â€Isn’t the statement of la ilaha illa-llah the key to Paradise?†He answered, “Yes, but every key has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. Yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open for you.â€

The hadith of ‘lailahaillaAllah is the key of jannah’ had been narrated by Imam Ahmad with a broken chain.[2]

Muadh (ra) said: “RasulAllah (saw) told me: ‘When the people of Yaman ask you about the key of jannah; tell them it is lailahaillaAllah’.â€[3]

RasulAllah mentioning salih amal (good deed) as a condition of entering jannah in the majority of the ahadith is evidence of the words of Wahb b Munabbih being sound.

As mentioned in the following hadith which is narrated in Bukhari and Muslim: “It is narrated on the authority of Abu Ayyub (ra) that a man came to RasulAllah (saw) and said: Direct me to a deed which draws me near to Paradise and takes me away from the Fire (of Hell). Upon this he (saw) said: You worship Allah and never associate anything with Him, establish prayer, and pay Zakat, and do good to your kin.â€

Likewise there is this hadith in Muslim: “It is narrated on the authority of Abu Ayyub (ra) that a man came to RasulAllah (saw) and said: Direct me to a deed which draws me near to Paradise and takes me away from the Fire (of Hell). Upon this he (saw) said: You worship Allah and never associate anything with Him, establish prayer, and pay Zakat, and do good to your kin. When he turned his back, RasulAllah (saw) remarked: If he adheres to what he has been ordered to do, he would enter Paradise.â€

In the Musnad of Ahmad b Hanbal (ra), it is narrated from Bashir b Hassasiyya (ra) stated the following: “When I came to give bayah to RasulAllah (saw); He (saw) asked me for some conditions: There is no other deity who deserves to be worshipped other than Allah, and make testimony that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, pray salat, give zakat, make hajj with the hajj of Islam, fast during ramadan and make jihaad on the way of Allah, as conditions. Therefore I told Him (saw): O RasulAllah! I accept all (of these conditions). However I am not able to perform two among them. These (two) are jihaad and zakat. (It is said that, the one who runs away from the jihaad field will deserve the punishment of Allah. If I come with you for fighting and I might follow my nafs while disliking dying and I might run away from the (field of) war. When it comes to the zakat; Wallahi (with the name of Allah) my belonging is only the amount of my right from booty
(ganimah) and the tithe (ushr) and also whatever my family and relatives give me.’ Bashir b Hassasiyya continued and said: RasulAllah pulled his hand back which he had extended for taking bayah (oath of allegiance) and asked me: ‘No jihaad no zakat, what will you enter jannah with?’ I said: ‘O RasulAllah (saw)! If it is like that then I am making bayah to you.’ Therefore I made bayah to Him (saw) with accepting all His (saw) conditions.â€[4]

This hadith shows that; jihad and sadaqa (charity) are also the conditions to entering jannah while performing with tawhid, salat (prayer), fasting and hajj.

In another hadith which is similar to those mentioned above, RasulAllah (saw) stated the following: “I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.â€[5]

From this hadith, Umar (ra) and a group among the sahaba (ra) understood that; the one who utters only shahadataiyn will be saved from the punishment of this world (war against them). However they hesitated regarding fighting those who witnessed lailahaillaAllah but did not pay the zakah. Abu Bakr (ra) understood that the one who will not be fought is the one who utters lailahaillaAllah while actualizing its meaning, from this hadith and he also brought the following hadith of RasulAllah (saw) as supporting evidence: “I have been commanded that I should fight against people till they declare that there is no god but Allah, and when they profess it that there is no god but Allah, their blood and riches are guaranteed protection on my behalf except where it is justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah.â€[6]

Abu Bakr (ra) said: “Zakat is the right of property.†This understanding of Abu Bakr (ra) had been narrated by Ibn Umar (ra), Anas (ra) and many other sahaba from RasulAllah (saw). RasulAllah (saw) said: “I have been commanded to fight against people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer, and pay Zakat.â€[7]

In the same manner; the ayahs which have the same meaning with this hadith are the following: Allah (swt) commanded: “But if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them.†(at-Tawbah 9/5) “But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity,- they are your brethren in faith.†(at-Tawbah 9/11)

The brotherhood in this deen can only be possible with the performance of other fard along with tawhid. Tawbah from shirk can only be possible with (actualizing) tawhid.

When Abu Bakr (ra) explained to the sahaba, what he understood from this hadith, they all accepted his opinion while confirming his view (on the truth).

When it is known that only uttering lailahaillaAllah Muhammadun rasulAllah will not exempt one from the punishment of this world, on the contrary if he invalidates one of the principles of Islam, he will surely be punished, then it will be known that one will be punished in akhriah for this (performance).

A group among the scholars had said that; those ahadith regarding the one who witnesses ‘lailahaillaAllah’ will enter jannah had been revealed before the (hukm) of hadd (criminal penalties) and fard (religious duty). Among these, Zuhri, Sawri and others (other than) these two can be mentioned. This view is very far-flung (to be correct). It is because after the reveleation of the hadd and fard; there are so many ahadith which were narrated in Madinah and during the Battle of Tabuk, which took place during the last era of Muhammad (saw).

Some among the ulama believed these ahadith were mansukh (abrogated) and some others said they were muhkam (has one clear meaning and not open for comments). Those ulama, who stated that these ahadith were muhkam, fell in ikhtilaaf (disagreement) regarding the conditions which were added to the ahadith (such as hadd and fard); if these additions were the aditions of the ahadith or the part added later was nash (abrogating) to the entire hadith. Among those ulama of usul there is ikhtilaf regarding this. Sawri and other ulama who thinks like him, said that these ahadith were mansukh and the thing which cause nash of the hadith were (ruling regarding) the hadd and the fard (in the hadith). Indeed the nash of the hadith which was mentioned by the ulama refers to the edition of the hadith meaning its explanation and interpretation. As a matter of fact that which they emphasized is an edition meaning its explanation and interpretation. Moreover the ulama of
salaf used nash in a similar manner to this in many occasions they’d use it meaning explanation and interpretation. The intention of these scholars is to explain that entering jannah and to be saved from jahannam is bound to performing the fard and refraining from the haram with (uttering) lailahaillaAllah.

These scholars intend to say: ‘these nass (proves) were mansukh (abrogated) meaning they were explained and interpreted. Fard and hadd are nasikh meaning they are explaining the nass and interpreting them.â€

A group among the ulama said the following: “These general ahadith had been bounded to some conditions with expressions later revealed. Some of these (expressions) are: Some conditions such as ‘Whoever utters lailahaillaAllah with ikhlas’[8] or ‘truely knowing it’[9] or ‘by confirmation by the tongue’[10] or ‘confirming it by heart’[11] or ‘by submitting with the tongue and satisfied with his heart’[12] have been mentioned with lailahaillaAllah.

All of these are a sign of the deed of the heart. Its actualizing will be possible by fully (comprehending and therefore) actualizing the shadataiyn. This will be as follows:

LailahaillaAllah: The heart not taking on any other deity (ilah) other than Allah through asking, inclining, submitting, seeking refuge, tawakkul (relying on), fear, hope, showing love.

Actualizing Muhammadun rasulAllah is; worshipping Allah in the way (method) Allah had informed His Rasul.

The meaning which had been explained above has reached us clearly, from RasulAllah.

RasulAllah (saw) stated the following: “Whoever utters lailahaillaAllah with ikhlas will enter jannah.’ Upon this He (saw) was asked: ‘O RasulAllah. What is ikhlas here?’ RasulAllah (saw) said: ‘It is preventing you from performing what Allah had made haram’.†This hadith had been narrated from Anas b Malik (ra) and Zayd b Arkam (ra) however neither of these two chains are sahih.[13]

The actualizing of this meaning and its explanations is like this: The slaves saying lailahaillaAllah will necessitate for him that their will be no other deity (ilah) to be worshipped other than Allah. Ilah is; the one who is made dua to, the one who is asked for, the one who is relied on (tawakkul), the one who is hoped from, the one who is feared, the one who is loved, the abstaining of the almightiness, the one who is not rebelled against, the one who is obeyed.

It is not permissible to attribute any other but Allah with these attributes. Whoever performs shirk (associate) by attributing any of the attributes of uluhiyyah to other than Allah, will have invalidated his ikhlas in lailahaillaAllah and will not have actualized tawhid. As much as he attributes these attributes of uluhiyyah to any creature, he will derogate that amount of his tawhid.

These are the types of shirk. For this reason, the majority of haram based on the obedience to the other than Allah, fear, hope and tawakkul are named as kufr and shirk. We can show as examples of shirk words (things) such as Riya (showing off), taking oath in the name of any other but Allah, tawakkul (relying on) and leaning on any other than Allah, equavilating Allah and another creature regarding requests as in the statement ‘as Allah and you wish’, and the words ‘for me, Allah and you are my helpers’.

Therefore practicing such acts will invalidate tawhid. In the same manner, believing in luck and unluck; making the impermissible ruqya (seeking cure for any ilnness by reciting/ incantation) and going to the soothsayers and confirming what they say and the beliefs alike will harm the belief of tawhid which is based on Allah being the sole authority to benefit and to harm. And also obeying the nafs and hawa (desire) which Allah had prohibited to be obeyed, will also damage the perfection of tawhid. For this reason Allah (swt) named most of the haram which are based on the obedience of the nafs and hawa as kufr and shirk. For example killing an indivudual who is Muslim, having intercourse while his wife was on regl (khayz) or having sex from anus or drinking khamr (alcohol) for many times[14] are amongs these.

However those mentioned here will not take one completely out of the fold of Islam. For this reason, the salaf (ulama) said: “This kufr is different kufr; this shirk is different shirk.

The hawa which had been submitted to is called as deity (ilah). Concerning this matter there is the command of Allah (awj): “Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire (hawa) his god (ilah/deity)? (al-Jathiya 45/23)

Hasan said the following regarding this: “The one who submits to his own hawa is such a person who performs only whatever he wishes.â€

Qatada stated: “The one who makes his hawa his deity is such a person who performs only whatever he wishes and wants to be the owner of everything. He has no fear to prevent him from doing this against Allah.

In a hadith which has a weak chain, from Abu Umama it is narrated: “Hawa which is obeyed; is the worst deity among the deities on earth which are taken as deities other than Allah.

Another hadith concerning the issue is: The word lailahaillaAllah will continue to protect those who utter it until they prefer the earth over deen. If they prefer the earth over deen, the word lailahaillaAllah will leave them and they will be told: ‘You are liers of this word (kalimah)[15]

The following hadith is known which is stated by RasulAlah (saw) regarding this matter: “Let the slave of Dinar and Dirham, of Quantify (Qatifa -thick soft cloth) and Khamisa (a garment) perish as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him.â€[16]

These nass are evidence against those who love dunya, obeys it, the one whose only wish is to reach the things his nafs asks, loves for the dunya and becomes enemy for it. This individual becomes the slave of whatever he obeys and those things which he obeys become his ilah which he worships.

As Allah stated in this ayah: “Did I not enjoin on you, O ye Children of Adam, that ye should not worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?-†(Yaseen 36/60) As informed in this ayah this is evidence that submittion to the shaitan is also called ibadah to it (the shaitan).

Allah (swt) stated the following while narrating from His Khalil (Ibrahim as) who said to his father: “O my father! worship not Satan: for Satan is a rebel against (Allah) Most Gracious.†(Maryam 19/44)

Whoever does not worship Allah in the manner He deserves and does not obey Him as He deserves, certainly this induvudual is worshipping the shaitan while obeying it. Allah (jj) stated regarding His slaves who worship Him in ikhlas and does not worship the shaitan: “For over My servants no authority shalt thou have.†(al-Hijr 15/42)

Those slaves, who worship Allah in the right manner, their word is lailahaillaAllah and they are with ihklas on it. They prove the truthness of their word with their acts. They will not incline to any other than Allah with love, greatfulness, obedience and tawakkul. So these are the real slaves of Allah who are loyal in their word lailahaillaAllah. However those who utter lailahaillaAllah with their tongue then obey their hawa and shaitan in rebeling and opposing Allah; their acts prove that they are liers in the word they uttered. With the obedience to the shaitan and hawa as much one rebels Allah, his perfection of tawhid is also corrupted that much (the same amount).
Allah (awj) commanded: “and who is more astray than one who follow his own lusts, devoid of guidance from Allah?†(al-Qasas 28/50) “do not follow desire, lest it should lead you astray from the path of Allah†(as-Sad 38/26)
O individual! Be a slave to Allah and do not worship hawa. Indeed hawa will take its owner to fire: “Are many lords differing among themselves better, or the One Allah, Supreme and Irresistible?†(Yusuf 12/39)
RasulAllah (saw) stated: “Let the slave of dirham and dunya perish.â€
Know this very well that; wallahi, no one who does not worship wahid Allah, as He deserves to be worshipped will not be saved from the punishment of Allah. Do not incline towards anything other than Allah while taking it as an ilah. Whoever knows his ilah as One (wahid), he will perform ibadaah solely to Him: “in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.†(al-Kahf 18/110)
The word lailahaillaAllah will necessitate not loving any other but Allah. It is because the ilah is the one who is obeyed due to his love, fear and hope and not rebelled against. Loving the things He loves, and not loving the things which He does not love are the things which complete the love of Allah. The one that loves what Allah dislikes and the things which Allah will not be pleased with; disliking what He commanded, (what) He is pleased with, (that which) He loves; the iman of such individual and the authenticity of his iman have not actualized completely. In this individual there are marks of hidden shirk from liking whatever Allah dislikes to disliking whatever Allah loves.
Allah (jj) stated the following: This because they followed that which called forth the Wrath of Allah, and they hated Allah's good pleasure; so He made their deeds of no effect.†(Muhammad 47/28)
Lays informed that Mujahid explained the ayah: “They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me.†(an-Noor 24/55) as: “They will not love any other but Me.â€
Hakim in his Sahih narrated from Aisha (raa) that RasulAllah (saw) said: “Inconspicuous Shirk (ash-Shirk Al-Khafi) in the Muslim nation is more inconspicuous then the creeping of black ant on black rock in the pitch – darkness of the night. The least of this is you bughz (cursing) something from dhulm (oppression). Doesn’t deen consist of loving and bughz (cursing/condemn/enmity/hatred)? Allah commands: “Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you†(al-e Imran 3/31)â€[17]
This nass shows us that: It is obedience to hawa to love whatever Allah dislikes and dislike whatever Allah loves. The enmities towards the things which Allah loves and the befriending things which Allah dislikes contain hidden shirk.

Hasan (ra) said: “Know this very well! Until you love the obedience to Allah you will never love Allah.â€

When Dhunnun (al-Misri) asked: “When will I love Allah?†he said: “When a thing which is disliked by Allah becomes harder then sabr (patience) for you, then you have loved Allah.â€

Bishr Ibn Sariyya used to say: “Loving those which the lover does not love is not among the signs of the love.â€

Abu Yaqub an-Nahri Jawri said: “The claim of the one, who claims to love Allah while not living according to the commands of Allah, is batil (untrue).â€

Yahya b Muadh said: “The one who claims to love Allah but does not watch over (protect) the hududullah (the limits of halal and haram) is a lier.â€

Ruwayim said: “The real love for Allah is practicing according to His command under every circumstance.†And then he recited this poem: If you command me to die I will say I hear and I obey. I will say welcome and hello to the caller of death.â€

In the same manner the following ayah of Allah also denotates these which have been said: “Say: ‘If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you’.†(Al-e-Imran 3/31)

Hasan said: The ashab of RasulAllah said: We love Allah at the most and they wanted Allah to specify a sign for the love of Allah. Therefore Allah (swt) had revealed the previous ayah.

At this point this reality comes out: LailahaillaAllah will be completed only with loving those whom loved by Allah and hating those who hated by Allah. For knowing the things Allah loves and dislikes there is no other method to learn other than obeying Muhammad (saw); who is the one which brought these from Allah and informed (tabligh) us, the matters he commands us and to abstain from what he prohibits us. It is because the love of Allah necessitates loving RasulAllah (saw), to confirm him and to obey him. Therefore Allah (awj) mentioned His love with the love of RasulAllah (saw) in the following ayah: “Say: ‘If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers…are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger†(at-Tawbah 9/24)

In the same manner Allah (awj) mentioned many times the obedience to Himself along with the obedience to His Messenger:
In a hadith narrated from Anas b Malik (ra), RasulAllah (saw) commanded: "Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness (delight) of faith: The one to whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else. Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake. Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire. â€[18]

When the love of Allah settled in the hearts of the magicians, they told Phoraoh (Firawn) while sacrificing their nafs: “so decree whatever thou desirest to decree†(Taha 20/72)

When the love of Allah settles in the heart, mankind will incline to obedience to Allah with all his limbs. This meaning is suiting the meaning of the hadith qudsi which was narrated by Buhkari in his Sahih: “And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks†In another narration it is stated: “He will hear with Me, he will see with Me, he will hold with Me and he will walk with Me.â€

The meaning of this is: When the heart is filled with the love of Allah and this love conquers his heart, the limbs of the individual will only incline to the things which may please Allah.

O individual! Worship Allah not with the wishes of your hawa and lusts but the way Allah asks you. Whoever worships Allah for something he wants is the same as the one who worships on a border. If a khair finds him he will be muain (satisfied). If fitnah (trial) finds him he will turn back and therefore both his dunya and akhriah will be perished. However when his ilm of tawhid and his love of Allah is strong then he will never incline to any other than things which will please his Lord.

The following is found in some of the books of salaf: The one who loves Allah will not raise anything above His pleasure. In the same manner the one who loves dunya will not raise anything above his hawa and lust.

Ibn Abu Dunya narrated from Hasan: “I have never looked at anything, I have never spoken anything, I have never walked anywhere, and I have never held anything until I know whether it is obedience to Allah or a rebellion. If it was obedience then I practiced it and if it was a rebellion I refrained myself (from practicing it/abandoned it).

This is the state of those who are loyal to the love of Allah and those who are close to Allah and they are the ones who most understand this.

This is one of the fine points of the tawhid not known by all. When RasulAllah (saw) arrived at Madinah, He (saw) refered to this in his khutbah: “Love Allah with your entire heart.†This was recorded by Ibn Ishaq and others.[19]

If an individual fills his heart with the love of Allah there will be no room left for the wishes of his own nafs and hawa. The poet refers to this in his lines of poetry like this:
I come to you with a seal of your love on my heart, so none other settles in but You. If I was able to I would close my eyes until I see you and never open them again.
I love you not little but with my entire personality and your love did not leave any power in me.
Some loves you to show off, and some associate partners in their love to you.
When their tears mix on their cheeks, the real cryer and the fake cryer will appear.
While the real cryer melts due to his love; the fake cryer just speaks with his desire.
For the lover, as long as there is a piece of his own nafs left in his love, his love will not surpass but a claim. The real lover is the one who is freed from the wishes of his hawa and nafs; and is solely with his lover, he sees with his lover, he hears with his lover.
The heart is the house of Lord.

In the israiliyyat it is mentioned that Allah (awj) said the following: “Neither My Heaven or My earth can contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant can contain Me."[20]

Whenever in a heart there is other than Allah, Allah will be distant from shirk many times and He will never be pleased to be held in the same place with the idol of hawa.

Tomorrow in the Day of Judgment those who do not reach Allah with a sound heart which does not contain shirk in it, will never reach salvation. Allah (swt) stated: “The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail. But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart.†(ash-Shuara 88-89)

The sound heart; is the heart which is cleansed from the dirt of rebelling against Allah. The heart which is infected by disliked things, except the rahmah (mercy) of Allah, only will reach salvation after being cleansed with the punishment of fire. Once the dirt goes away, the heart will become a sound heart.

RasulAllah (saw) stated: “Allah is Good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good.â€[21]

Clean hearts are entitled to be close to Allah without suffering from the punishment. Allah (jj) states: “Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience†(ar-rad 13/24) “Peace be upon you! well have ye done! enter ye here, to dwell therein.†(az-Zumar 39/73) “Those whom the angels cause to die in a good state, saying: Peace be on you: enter the garden for what you did.†(an-Nahl 16/32)

That day the fire of jahannam will be very severe towards those who did not burn their hearts with the fire of repentance and those whose heart does not burn with the longing of meeting with Allah.

The heart which needs to escape from the fire of jahannam is the heart which does not actualize the tawhid and does not fulfill its requirements.

Among the muwahhidun the first ones to be burnt in fire are those who mixed riya to their deeds. The first ones among them are; the alim who learns ilm to show off, the mujahid who fights (for show) and the one who gives charity (for show). It is because the lesser riya is also (a type of) shirk.

The doer of riya (one who shows off) seeking the pleasure of the creatures is because of not knowing the azamah (greatness) of Allah.

The doer of riya is the same as the one who does not know the king very well; takes bribe and makes a fake seal to show himself as a close one of the king. This doer of riya (one who shows off) will put the name of the kings on fake money to make it valid. This situation will only fool the careless ones. After the ahl riya, ahl shahwa (people of desire) who rebelt Allah, those who obeyed their hawa and became the slaves of their hawa will enter in to jahannam.

To those who became real slaves of Allah it would be said: “(To the righteous soul will be said: ) O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! ‘Come back thou to thy Lord,- well pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter thou, then, among My devotees! Yea, enter thou My Heaven!†(al-Fajr 89/27-30)

From the noor (light) of the muwahhidun the fire of jahannam will be put out. In a hadith it is stated: “The fire will say to the mu’min: Go ahead o mu’min. Your noor will put out my fire.â€[22]

In the Musnad of Ahmad b Hanbal, in a hadith narrated from Jabir (ra) RasulAllah (saw) stated the following: “Among the good or the bad ones of the Muslim, none will be left from entering jahannam. However same as Ibrahim (as) the fire will be cool and safe over the mu’min.â€[23]

A fire such that; it will fear the fire of love in the hearts of mu’min. Junayd said: “The fire of jahannam will ask: O Lord, if I do not obey You, will You punish with a tougher punishment than me? Allah (jj) will commanded: I will send over you My great fire. This time when jahannam asked: Is there a tougher and greater fire than I? Allah (swt) will say: Yes there is. It is the fire of muhabbah (love) which I emplaced into the hearts of My mu’min fellow.â€

If the tears would not put out the fever of the wajd (ecstasy) in the hearts of the mu’min, they would have been burnt with the fire of passion and longing.

One among the arif (who knows Allah) used to say: “I am surprised that I am still among you and alive. The love in my heart and the fire of longing should have burnt me and turned me into ashes along time ago.â€

The awliyaullah have no other business than their lovers and they only worry about pleasing Allah. They do not show any interest in any other than Him. They do not pay attention to other worries.

In a hadith it is stated: “The one whose business is pleasing other than Allah, his business is not from Allah.â€[24]

Dawud at-Tai said the following: “O my Lord! The worry of pleasing You made me forget all other worries. I sacrified myself to the sleepnessness for Your sake. For the longing of looking at You, I forgot all other tastes. Your love distanced me from my shahwa. I most likely locked myself into a prison which pleases You.â€

O my brother if you had been able to comprehend this very well you will be able to comprehend the meaning of this hadith of RasulAllah (saw) clearly: “He who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, Allah would prohibit the fire of Hell for him.â€[25]

There will still be a lack of loyalty in the words of the one who enters into jahannam although he utters this word. When this word is uttered while truly confirming it, the heart will be cleansed from everything other than Allah. If there is a little left in the heart after the utterance of this word, this is due to the lack of loyalty in his word of lailahaillaAllah.

The individual, who witnesses lailahaillaAllah while confirming it, will not love any other but Allah, will not expect from any other than Him, will not fear any other but Allah, will only tawakkul to Allah. In his nafs and hawa there won’t be any left from the things of jahiliyyah. Neverthless do not think that the one who loves Allah will be innocent from committing haram. Allah’s request from His slave is, to immediately make tawbah (repentance) and ask for maghfirah (forgiveness) of Allah and to lift the shame which comes to him because of committing this haram; when he commits haram.

Zayd b Aslam said: “The love of Allah for His slave will reach to a degree that to His slave He will say: Go do as you wish, I will forgive you.â€[26]

Shabi said the following: “When a slave loves Allah, the haram can never harm him.†The meaning of this is: Allah helps His beloved slave. If the foot of His slave slips into a hole of hawa, Allah will convey him to the place of salvation by holding him by His hand, and Allah will make his repentance easier, by ensuring he pays attention to the evilness of the haram and He will make his willing to ask for forgiveness easier and will test him with calamities to be an atonement for his (bad) deeds.

In some of the books it is recorded that Allah (awj) commanded: “Those who remember Me are the ones who sit with Me. Those who obey Me are the ones I gave karamat (extraordinary/supernature charismatic powers given by Allah) to. I will not make those who rebel against me abandon their hope from My rahmah (mercy). If they repent then I will become their lover; if they don’t only I can cure them. I will give them calamities to be cleansed from the haram they had committed.â€
In the Sahih of Muslim, narrated from Jabir (ra) that RasulAllah (saw) stated: “fever expiates the sins of the posterity of Adam just as furnace removes the alloy of iron.â€

In the Musnad of Ahmad b Hanbal and Sahih of Ibn Hibban there is a narration from Abdullah b Mughaffal as such: “A man come acros a woman who was a whore during the era of jahiliyyah. He made a joke by extending his hand to her to show his request to contact (intercourse). Upon this the woman told him: ‘Leave me! Surely Allah (swt) cleansed shirk and brought Islam.’ When he heard this, he left her and distanced from her. Until he hit his face on the wall infront of him; he turned his head back and looked at her repeatedly. This individual told his story to RasulAllah (saw). Therefore RasulAllah (saw) told him: ‘You are a man who Allah wishes well on behalf.’ Then he (saw) continued: ‘Surely, if Allah wishes bad upon one of His slaves, He will keep his bad deeds until He gives them back what he deserves on the day of Qiyamah (doomsday)’.â€[27]

“O People! The real place of cleaning is; in your hearts. If the dirt of haram splatters on it in small drops, sprinkle on it from your tears so that it will be cleansed.â€

Determine yourself to keep away from whatever your hawa is pleased with. Certainly determining is the beginning of cleansing from the haram.

When you wish for anything that pleases your nafs, tell your nafs the same as the woman who said to the man who offered adultery to her: “Allah cleansed shirk and brought Islam. Islam necessitates; obedience and the submission.â€

Remind your nafs about the praise of Allah: “In the case of those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah’, and, further, stand straight and steadfast†(Fussilat 41/30) Inform your nafs that the one who is nearer to him than his jugular vein sees everything. It might be shamed from the nearness and all-seeing of Allah therefore he might not contemplate to haram. “Knoweth he not that Allah doth see?†(al-Alaq 96/14) “For thy Lord is (as a Guardian) on a watch-tower.†(al-Fajr 89/14)

A man one night asked a woman to commit adultery in an isolated place however she rejected his offer. Upon this he said to her: ‘Who else will see us other than the stars?’ The woman replied to him saying: ‘How about the One Who created the stars? Does not He see us?’

A young man forced a woman to commit adultery and commanded her to close all the doors. Then he asked: ‘Is there any door left which is not closed? The woman replied to him: ‘Yes! The open door between us and Allah is left (open).’ Therefore the man did not touch her and he left.

One man among those closer to Allah saw that a man was talking with a woman about adultery and he told them: Surely Allah sees you. May Allah protect you and me.â€

It was asked to Junayd: “To turn face from haram with what will help be asked?†He replied: ‘Knowing that Allah looking at you comes before you looking at haram.â€

Muhasibi said: Meaning of the protection of Allah is; the hearts knowing that it is near Allah.

RasulAllah (saw) told a man: Be ashamed from Allah as you are ashamed when you commit haram in front of a salih man who is among your tribe and always with you.â€[28]

Some of the ulama said: “Be ashamed from Allah as much as He is near you; and be afraid of Allah as much as His power over you.

Some said to me: I have not taken a step to any other than Allah for 40 years. And because of being embaresed from Allah, I have not even looked at things which I found beautiful.â€


[1] A detailed explanation concerning a section of conditions of Tawhid will be added soon Insha'Allah.

[2] Weak hadith. Ahmad; Bazzar, Kahfu’l-Astar; Tabarani; Ibn Hajar al-Haiytami, al-Majma.

[3] Weak hadith. Bayhaqi.

[4] Ahmad; Tabarani; Hakim. Hakim and Dhahabi confirmed it as sahih.

[5] Muslim

[6] Muslim

[7] Bukhari; Muslim

[8] Sahih hadith. Ahmad; Tabarani; Ibn Mundih; Ibn Hibban, Sahih; Abu Naim, al-Hilya.

[9] Muslim

[10] Bukhari, Tarikh; Ahmad; Ibn Hudhayma.

[11] Ahmad; Ibn Hibban; Hakim.

[12] Bukhari, Tarikh; Suyuti allayali

[13] al-Khatib, Tarikh; Abu Nuaym, al-Hilya.

[14] Ibn Abbas (ra) stated the following: “When khamr had been prohibited; the sahaba spread to give the news to one another and they told this to eachother: khamr had been prohibited and it is held equal to shirk.†This is narrated by Tabarani. Al-Mundhiri also narrated this in his book “Targhib and Tarhib†and classified it as sahih.

[15] Weak hadith. Ibn Abi Asim, Zuhd; Abu Ya’la, Musnad; ash-Shajri, Amali; Aqill, Weak Hadith

[16] Bukhari; Ibn Maja

[17] Hakim; al-Bazzar, Kashfu’l-Astar; Abu Nuaym, al-Hilya. Hakim classified as sahih.

[18] Bukhari; Muslim.

[19] Bayhaqi. Dhayif, mursal hadith.

[20] This narration has no base.

Imam Ghazali mentioned this in his ‘Ihya Ulum ad-Deen’ with the words, "Neither My Heaven nor My earth can contain Me, but the soft humble heart of my believing servant can contain Me".

The Shaykh of Ibn Hajr, Al-Hafidh al-Iraqi said in his notes to ‘al-Ihyaa’, "I find no basis for it." And as-Suyuti agreed with him, following az-Zarkashee. Al-Iraqi then said, "but in the ahadith of Abu Utbah in at-Tabarani there occurs, ‘the vessels of your Lord are the hearts of the righteous servants, and the most beloved to Him are the softest and most tender ones’" Ibn Taymiyyah (ra) said, "it (the original hadith) is mentioned in the Israelite traditions, but there is no known isnad from RasulAllah (saw) for it." As-Sakhawi said, agreeing with as-Suyuti, "there is no known isnad from RasulAllah (saw), and its meaning is that his heart can contain belief in Me, love of Me and gnosis of Me. But as for the one who says that Allah incarnates in the hearts of the people, then he is more of an infidel than the Christians who specified that to Christ alone." Az-Zarkashi said that one of the scholars said that it is a false hadeeth, fabricated by
a renegade from the religion. He also said that Tabarani has related from Abu Utbah al-Khawlaanee from RasulAllah (saw) that, "Truly, Allah has vessels from amongst the people of the earth, and the vessels of your Lord are the hearts of his righteous slaves, and the Most beloved of them to Him are the softest and most tender ones" (Kash al-Khafaa # 2256)

[21] Muslim; Ahmad; Tirmidhi.

[22] Weak hadith. Tabarani; Ibn Adiyy, Kamil; Abu Nuaym, al-Hilya; Khatib, Tarikh.

[23] Weak hadith. Ahmad; Bukhari, Tarikh. Abu Sumayya among the chain of this narration is an unknown person therefore it is claasssified as dhayif (weak).

[24] Weak hadith.

[25] Bukhari; Muslim.

[26] The reason for this much love of Allah towards His slave is; his (the slaves) complete inclination of himself to Allah. So that even if Allah leaves him to do whatever he wishes, he (the slave) will not do anything Allah likes and pleases.

[27] Hasan hadith. Hakim; Abu Nuaym, al-Hilya; Bayhaqi.

[28] Hasan hadith. Ahmad; Ibn Abi Dunya.                    to be continued Insha'Allah...