Spiritual Health and Purification of the Soul (morals, punishment, reject)

[Cordoba]

The Remembrance of Allah (Dhikr)

Al-Ghazali said: "Know that those endowed with insight know that there is no salvation except by meeting Allah (in the Hereafter)
If there is no means to this except to die [while in a state of] loving Allah, while love and intimacy can occur only in the case of unceasingly remembering Allah, and being punctual and persistent in this.

One cannot know Him except through contemplating His creation, His attributes, and His deeds. There is nothing in existence except Allah and His acts. And unceasing contemplation will not be achieved except by abandoning worldly desires and taking only what is necessary of worldly sustenance, and by remembering Allah all the time ...

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"The most beloved people to Allah are those who remember Allah all the time"

(Hadith in Al-Tirmidhi)

( ... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ... )

[Cordoba]

Contemplation of Allah's Creation

Allah (SWt) says:

"Do they not look in the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all things that Allah has created ..." (7:185)

Reason cannot attain perfection unless contemplation of the remembrance of Allah unite. If we know that perfection in the heart is man's perfection, we come to know the status of remembering and contemplation in purifying the soul

Al-Ghazali depicts in his work how one should contemplate Allah's creation. The reader is required to ponder while reading any subject uniting remembering Allah and contemplation together so that he would realize the effects of them on his heart.

Both contemplation and the remembrance of Allah deepen belief of Allah within the heart.

This is the starting point of the process of purification.

( ... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ... )

[Cordoba]

Introspection, Accountability, Struggle and Rebuking the Soul

Both the heart and the soul need a daily revival, rather they require a revival every now and then.

Unless man quickens his heart every now and then he will stray from the straight path, not to mention his heart would grow harder and even more heedless

For this reason, those who seek what is with Allah have stipulated self-accountability, struggling against the soul, and self-criticism as means to purify the soul

( ... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ... )

[Cordoba]

The Nature of Accountability

Know that as the servant reminds his soul to do good in the morning, so too should he bring it to account at sunset, just as merchants do with their partners.

For merchants bring their associates to account at the end of every year, month, or day, out of love for this life and the fear that they might miss a worldly profit - though its benefits last but a short while. So then what of the deeds whose consequences are eternal - either eternal bliss or eternal despair?

How could a sane person possibly be heedless of rechoning his soul? ...

He should bring his soul to account with regards to the obligatory duties first. If he has performed them perfectly, he should thank Allah, and encourage his soul to keep this up ...

He should not neglect any word that issues from his mouth nor any deed he does even if it is trivial, for the soul is inclined to betrayal. Rather, he requires it to mend what evil it has committed, keeping in mind his standing before Allah on the Day of Judgement. So too should he apply the same stringency to his gaze, his passing thoughts, his food and his sleep. He should even bring his soul to account regarding his silence.

Setting the balance in this way enables him to know what he has done right and what he has done wrong, and what he has achieved of profit and loss; recording the balance in his heart as the business partner records the debts or the credits of his partner in the records

( ... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ... )

[Cordoba]

Serving Others and Modesty

Serving others and modesty are two means of purifying the soul, and are two signs that the soul is purified. For this reason, Allah and His Messenger have ordered us to practice them.

He (peace be upon him) said: (Allah will be in one's aid as long as he aids his brother)

Allah (SWT) says: "And lower your wings for the believers (i.e. be courteous to the fellow-believers)" (15:88)

Service is of two kinds: private and public. Both have their effects on the purifying process.

Public service entails patience, lenienecy and a readiness to serve others. Private service entails modesty and humility toward the believers. For this reason both types of service are some of the greatest means to purification - if one offers them sincerely and with patience. Service is based on modesty, which is a means of purifiying the soul from such vices as vain pride and haughtiness

(... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ...)

[Cordoba]

Knowing Satan's Deceptions and How to Overcome Them

Satan has great influence over the souls, except him that Allah protects. Satan prods the souls through their lust for material and non-material gains. He is a veteran in recognizing the weak points in man.

Knowing his tactics is one of the means to immunize the soul against them, and consequently of purifying the soul (Al-Ghazaly)

The Entrances of Satan [Satan's Tactics into] the Heart

Know that the parable of this is like that of a fort and Satan is the enemy who tries to invade and occupy it. Man will not be able to protect that fort except through guarding its entrances and weak points. Thus, none but he that knows its entrances can protect it. Protecting the heart from Satan's whisperings is obligatory - the duty of every individual. ...

We will not be able to repel Satan's machinations except by knowing them. Thus such knowledge is obligatory. The tools of Satan are the very characteristics of man - there are too many to detail them all, but we will refer to the most important aspects, which do not narrow for the multitude of Satan's hosts.

From among his tools are anger and lust

Anger is the ghoul of reason. When the hosts of reason weaken, the hosts of Satan attack. So when man becomes angry, Satan plays with him as the boys play with a toy.

Envy and miserliness are other tools of Satan.

When man becomes miserly, his miserliness blinds him. ...

Man's insight knows Satan's tricks well. But if it is covered by envy and niggarliness, it can no longer be seen. At this, Satan seizes the opportunity to beautify to the miserly person what is evil and repugnant, so as to encourage him to satisfy his lusts.

A full stomach - even one full from lawful food - is another tool of Satan. For filling one's stomach strengthens lusts, which are the weapon of Satan.

( ... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ... )

[Cordoba]

Understanding Satan's Tools (Cont.)

Knowing Satan's Deceptions and How to Overcome Them (2)

- The love of glittering things like furniture, clothes, houses, and their effects are some of Satan's gates. When Satan finds one of these gates, he rejoices and gets to work. He does not cease encouraging man to decorate the house more and expand it ...

- Another gate is coveting what other people possess. For when man becomes covetous, Satan does not cease to beautify for him other people's possession until they become for him a god. So man does not cease to search for a means to acquire it ...

- Other tools of Satan are haste in doing deeds before clearing up the facts.
The Messenger of Allah said: "Haste is from the Satan, while deliberation is from Allah." (Hadith related by Al-Tirmidhi) ...

- Accumulating wealth such as livestock or real estate is another entry of Satan. What exceed's man's necessities of life is Satan's abode. He that has strength is an empty hearted man. If he were to find one hundred dinars, many desires would arise in his heart, all demanding the money to fulfill their whims ...

- Misery and the fear of poverty are the wide gates through which Satan reaches the human heart. These two vices prevent man from giving charity and invite him to hoard his money. This leads to the Hellfire, as is well-known in the Qur'an. ...

- Bigotry, abiding by a specific doctrine, and disdain of disputants are other tools. They destroy both hermits and immoral people. ...

- Another tool of Satan is thinking ill of other Muslims. ...
Undoubtedly, if man were to succeeed in purifying his heart from these vices, Satan would mislead him by causing him to commit minor sins, such as passing ideas. This can be overcome by mentioning Allah.

( ... to be continued In-Shaa-Allah ... )