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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

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Milestones on the path of steadfastness.

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Not being deceived by the worldly life.

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Among the means of steadfastness is not being deceived by the worldly life.

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For many of those who have fallen away from the path,

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the world has struck them down in its arenas, leaving them prostrate,

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like hollow trunks of palm trees.

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Preferring the worldly life and coveting it over the Hereafter

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is the way of the disbelievers and the deceived.

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Allah the Exalted said, describing the Jews:

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“Say (unto them): If the abode of the Hereafter in the providence of Allah is indeed for you alone and not for others of mankind (as ye pretend), then long for death (for ye must long for death) if ye are truthful.” (2:94)

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“Say (unto them): If the abode of the Hereafter in the providence of Allah is indeed for you alone and not for others of mankind (as ye pretend), then long for death (for ye must long for death) if ye are truthful.” (2:94)

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"Then wish for death, if you should be truthful."

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“But they will never long for it, because of that which their own hands have sent before them. Allah is aware of evil-doers.” (2:95)

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And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers.

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“And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters. (Each) one of them would like to be allowed to live a thousand years. And to live (a thousand years) would be no means remove him from the doom. Allah is Seer of what they do.” (2:96)

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“And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters. (Each) one of them would like to be allowed to live a thousand years. And to live (a thousand years) would be no means remove him from the doom. Allah is Seer of what they do.” (2:96)

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“And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters. (Each) one of them would like to be allowed to live a thousand years. And to live (a thousand years) would be no means remove him from the doom. Allah is Seer of what they do.” (2:96)

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To live long.

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And Allah is Seeing of what they do.

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And He, the Glorified, said:

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“Whoso disbelieveth in Allah after his belief - save him who is forced thereto and whose heart is still content with the Faith - but whoso findeth ease in disbelief: On them is wrath from Allah. Theirs will be an awful doom.” (16:106)

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“Whoso disbelieveth in Allah after his belief - save him who is forced thereto and whose heart is still content with the Faith - but whoso findeth ease in disbelief: On them is wrath from Allah. Theirs will be an awful doom.” (16:106)

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“Whoso disbelieveth in Allah after his belief - save him who is forced thereto and whose heart is still content with the Faith - but whoso findeth ease in disbelief: On them is wrath from Allah. Theirs will be an awful doom.” (16:106)

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“Whoso disbelieveth in Allah after his belief - save him who is forced thereto and whose heart is still content with the Faith - but whoso findeth ease in disbelief: On them is wrath from Allah. Theirs will be an awful doom.” (16:106)

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And for them is a great punishment.

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That is because they preferred the worldly life

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over the Hereafter.

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They preferred the worldly life

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over the Hereafter.

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And indeed, Allah does not guide

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the disbelieving people.

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And He said:

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"Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light.

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The prophets judged by it..."

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“Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses. So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And My revelations for a little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers.” (5:44)

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"...and the rabbis and the learned men."

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“Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses. So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And My revelations for a little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers.” (5:44)

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And they were witnesses over it.

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"So do not fear the people but fear Me,

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and do not exchange My verses for a small price."

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And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed,

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then it is those who are the disbelievers.

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And He said:

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“And (remember) when Allah laid a charge on those who had received the Scripture (He said): Ye are to expound it to mankind and not to hide it. But they flung it behind their backs and bought thereby a little gain. Verily evil is that which they have gained thereby.” (3:187)

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"...that you must make it clear to the people

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and not conceal it."

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But they threw it behind their backs.

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“And (remember) when Allah laid a charge on those who had received the Scripture (He said): Ye are to expound it to mankind and not to hide it. But they flung it behind their backs and bought thereby a little gain. Verily evil is that which they have gained thereby.” (3:187)

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How wretched is what they purchase.

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And the Exalted said in describing the disbelievers:

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A. L. M.

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"A Book We have revealed to you..."

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“Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture which We have revealed unto thee (Muhammad) that thereby thou mayst bring forth mankind from darkness unto light, by the permission of their Lord, unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of Praise,” (14:1)

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“Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture which We have revealed unto thee (Muhammad) that thereby thou mayst bring forth mankind from darkness unto light, by the permission of their Lord, unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of Praise,” (14:1)

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“Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture which We have revealed unto thee (Muhammad) that thereby thou mayst bring forth mankind from darkness unto light, by the permission of their Lord, unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of Praise,” (14:1)

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Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.

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“Allah, unto Whom belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. and woe unto the disbelievers from an awful doom;” (14:2)

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“Those who love the life of the world more than the Hereafter, and debar (men) from the way of Allah and would have it crooked: such are far astray.” (14:3)

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And they avert [people] from the way of Allah,

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and seek to make it crooked.

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“Those who love the life of the world more than the Hereafter, and debar (men) from the way of Allah and would have it crooked: such are far astray.” (14:3)

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And He said in describing one of the scholars of the Children of Israel,

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who is the predecessor of those who deviate among the people of knowledge:

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“Recite unto them the tale of him to whom We gave Our revelations, but he sloughed them off, so Satan overtook him and he became of those who lead astray.” (7:175)

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"...but he detached himself from them,

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so Satan pursued him,

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and he became of the deviators."

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“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought.” (7:176)

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“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought.” (7:176)

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And he followed his desire.

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"So his example is like that of the dog:

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“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought.” (7:176)

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...or leave him, he pants."

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“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought.” (7:176)

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"So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought."

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"Wretched is the example of the people who denied Our verses

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and were to themselves unjust."

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Ibn al-Qayyim said in I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 'an Rabb al-'Alamin:

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"Allah, the Glorified, likened the one to whom He gave His Book,

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and taught him the knowledge which He withheld from others,

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yet he abandoned acting upon it and followed his desire,

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and preferred the wrath of Allah over His pleasure,

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and his worldly life over his Hereafter,

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and the created over the Creator, to a dog,

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which is among the most vile of animals,

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the lowest in status, and the most base in nature,

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whose concern does not go beyond its belly,

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and is among the most greedy and covetous."

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And in the comparison of the one who prefers the world and its fleeting nature

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over Allah and the final abode,

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despite the abundance of his knowledge,

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to the dog in its state of panting,

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is a wondrous secret.

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It is that this person, whose state is what Allah mentioned,

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of detaching himself from His verses and following his desire,

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was only due to his intense craving for the world,

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because his heart was cut off from Allah and the final abode.

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So he is intensely craving for it,

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and his craving is like the constant craving of the dog,

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in its state of being disturbed or left alone.

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And in the two Sahih collections, it is narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said:

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"It is not poverty that I fear for you,

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but I fear that the world will be spread out for you

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as it was spread out for those before you,

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so you will compete for it as they competed for it,

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and it will destroy you as it destroyed them."

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And when the magicians of Pharaoh saw the clear signs,

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they believed in their Lord.

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So Pharaoh threatened them with death.

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But they remained steadfast.

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They said, "We will never prefer you over what has come to us..."

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“They said: We choose thee not above the clear proofs that have come unto us, and above Him Who created us. So decree what thou wilt decree. Thou wilt end for us only this life of the world.” (20:72)

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"...so decree whatever you are to decree."

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“They said: We choose thee not above the clear proofs that have come unto us, and above Him Who created us. So decree what thou wilt decree. Thou wilt end for us only this life of the world.” (20:72)

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"Indeed, we have believed in our Lord

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that He may forgive us our sins..."

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“Lo! we believe in our Lord, that He may forgive us our sins and the magic unto which thou didst force us. Allah is better and more lasting.” (20:73)

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"...and Allah is better and more enduring."