A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
The danger of the diseases of the heart.
Since the heart is the sovereign of the limbs,
and through its soundness the entire body is sound,
as has been previously explained regarding the actions of the heart,
then its corruption also entails the corruption of the entire body,
as mentioned in the hadith.
Therefore,
just as it is obligatory to attend to the inward actions of the heart
in order to rectify the outward actions of the limbs,
it is likewise necessary to pay attention to the inward diseases of the heart,
and to be wary of them so that they do not corrupt one's outward deeds,
and so that a person does not perish,
despite their scrupulous avoidance of some minor sins and doubtful matters,
due to their neglect of these destructive heart diseases.
Hypocrisy and the disease of the heart.
Hypocrisy is considered one of the most severe and dangerous diseases of the heart,
whether it is major hypocrisy related to belief,
or minor hypocrisy related to actions,
both of which are the two types previously detailed
in the concepts of creed.
What concerns us here
is to clarify that hypocrisy is among the most dangerous diseases of the heart,
to the extent that you will hardly find a verse in the Book of Allah
in which a disease of the heart is mentioned
without it being in the context of discussing hypocrisy and its people,
whether the term "hypocrisy" is mentioned explicitly
or not.
Among those where the term is mentioned explicitly
is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
"When the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is..."
“When the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said: Their religion hath deluded these. Whoso putteth his trust in Allah (will find that) lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise.” (8:49)
And His saying:
“And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, were saying: Allah and His messenger promised us naught but delusion.” (33:12)
“And when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, were saying: Allah and His messenger promised us naught but delusion.” (33:12)
Among those where the term "hypocrisy" is not mentioned
is the saying of Allah the Exalted:
“In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increaseth their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie.” (2:10)
“In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increaseth their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie.” (2:10)
And His saying:
"You see those in whose hearts is a disease hastening toward them."
“And thou seest those in whose heart is a disease race toward them, saying: We fear lest a change of fortune befall us. And it may happen that Allah will vouchsafe (unto thee) the victory, or a commandment from His presence. Then will they repent them of their secret thoughts.” (5:52)
The conflict between the hypocrites and the people of truth
is not a disagreement over a single intellectual issue;
rather, their entire faculty of judgment
is a diseased and ailing heart.
They have a disease in their hearts.
Whim (al-hawa).
Whim is the inclination of the soul toward what it loves and desires.
If this inclination contradicts what Allah has commanded or permitted,
it is one of the most dangerous diseases of the heart,
and the one with the most negative impact on the soul,
as it is the primary motive for every transgression, overstepping, and act of disobedience.
Who is more astray than one in this state?
As He, the Exalted, said:
“And if they answer thee not, then know that what they follow is their lusts. And who goeth farther astray than he who followeth his lust without guidance from Allah. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.” (28:50)
"Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people."
In fact, following one's whim continues to distance a person
from the command of Allah the Exalted,
until they take it as a god besides Allah.
He, the Exalted, said:
“Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire his god, and Allah sendeth him astray purposely, and sealeth up his hearing and his heart, and setteth on his sight a covering? Then who will lead him after Allah (hath condemned him)? Will ye not then heed?” (45:23)
“Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire his god, and Allah sendeth him astray purposely, and sealeth up his hearing and his heart, and setteth on his sight a covering? Then who will lead him after Allah (hath condemned him)? Will ye not then heed?” (45:23)
“Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire his god, and Allah sendeth him astray purposely, and sealeth up his hearing and his heart, and setteth on his sight a covering? Then who will lead him after Allah (hath condemned him)? Will ye not then heed?” (45:23)
“Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire his god, and Allah sendeth him astray purposely, and sealeth up his hearing and his heart, and setteth on his sight a covering? Then who will lead him after Allah (hath condemned him)? Will ye not then heed?” (45:23)
“Hast thou seen him who maketh his desire his god, and Allah sendeth him astray purposely, and sealeth up his hearing and his heart, and setteth on his sight a covering? Then who will lead him after Allah (hath condemned him)? Will ye not then heed?” (45:23)
"Will you not then remember?"
Whim becomes a god
because it diverts the person from the truth that Allah commands,
and it becomes that which is followed instead of Allah the Exalted.
Whim blinds and deafens,
and leads its possessor into follies.
If whim takes hold of a person,
it blinds and deafens them,
as mentioned in the previous verse,
and leads them into contradictions and follies
that a person of reason would never commit.
Whim blinded the insight of the Quraysh,
so they rejected the prophethood of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
on the pretext that he was a human being,
even though they took a stone as a god.
Whim leads to disbelief, immorality, or fanaticism.
The harms of following whim vary,
ranging from falling into disbelief or immorality,
to fanaticism and factionalism.
The disbelievers are driven by their whims to reject the truth
and to be fanatical about what their forefathers were upon,
despite knowing the falsehood of what they are upon,
and that what the messengers call them to
is the clear truth.
As for the people of sin and immorality,
their whims drive them to defend their immorality
and their wickedness with weak interpretations
and false justifications.
Whim may even cause some students of knowledge
to reject the truth in some matters,
despite its clarity,
and that is only out of fanaticism for the opinions of their teachers
and their school of thought, even if they are false,
which causes factionalism and division
and conflict between the followers of the same religion,
instead of unity and harmony.
From the sayings of the salaf regarding striving against whim
and warning against it:
Al-Hasan al-Basri said:
"The best jihad is the jihad against one's whim."
And Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Do not be one who follows the truth if it aligns with his whim,
and opposes it if it contradicts his whim;
for you will not be rewarded for the truth you followed,
and you will be punished for what you abandoned of it,
because you followed your whim in both cases."
There are numerous reasons that drive a person
to fall into whim and oppose the truth.
Among them, firstly:
That a person sees that admitting the truth
necessitates admitting that they were upon falsehood,
or acknowledging that their forefathers, teachers, or leaders were upon falsehood,
and that there is a belittlement of them and oneself in that.
And from the previous point, or close to it:
Arrogance.
One becomes too arrogant to follow the truth because it was explained to them by someone else,
and they did not arrive at it through their own research and reflection.
Thirdly:
Also linked to arrogance is envy,
for one envies others for their guidance to the truth and their explanation of it,
and this drives them not to acknowledge it,
so as not to admit the virtue and knowledge of the possessor of the truth.
Fourthly:
That a person has already attained status, fame, and worldly benefits through falsehood,
so it becomes difficult for them to admit the falsehood and lose those benefits.
Most people are overcome by whim.
Among the clearest proofs that whim overcomes most people
is that you see them upon different religions,
varying doctrines,
divided schools of thought,
and clashing opinions,
yet you see them, as Allah the Exalted said:
“But they (mankind) have broken their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in its tenets.” (23:53)
"Each faction rejoicing in what they have."
From the signs of the claimant of knowledge who follows whim:
For one who claims knowledge but inclines toward whim,
there are signs by which they are known.
Among them:
First:
Creating confusion with falsehood against the truth and its people.
Whenever a proof is presented to them that contradicts their opinion and whim,
they strive to reject it in any way possible,
through obfuscation, slander, or deception.
Second:
Selecting the evidence that aligns with their whim
and abandoning what contradicts it.
If they see in a verse what they perceive as evidence for the correctness of their whim,
they hold fast to it;
but if they see in another what contradicts their whim,
they ignore it and turn away from it.
If they find two hadiths and do not know their authenticity from their weakness,
and one of them aligns with their whim,
they hold fast to it and neglect the other,
without considering the issue of authenticating or weakening hadiths.
Third:
Specifying or generalizing the ruling of an issue according to whim,
without the rules of generalization and specification used in the science of usul (principles of jurisprudence).
If the ruling was in a specific context,
but generalization achieves their whim,
they make it general,
and vice versa.
Like one who makes the verse of hijab specific to the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
even though its generality is clear from its wording.
“O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (33:59)
“O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (33:59)
"And Allah is Ever Forgiving, Merciful."
Fourth:
If two men dispute an issue
and ask for their verdict on it,
and they know one of them and their heart inclines toward him,
and they do not know the other,
or they know him and hate him,
they rule in favor of the one their heart inclines toward,
even if they have not grasped the ruling of the disputed issue and its evidence.
In summary,
the paths of whim are too numerous to count,
and the duty of the scholar or student of knowledge
is to search for the whims of their own soul until they know them,
then to guard against them with the utmost caution,
and to reflect deeply on the truth as it is in itself,
isolated from whim.
How does a person repel whim?
And the fruit of this repulsion:
The most powerful way a person repels whim from their soul
is the fear of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
and the fear of His punishment,
and keeping in mind the fruit of this piety and its reward,
for that is the solid barrier against the violent attacks of whim.
Let it be known that Allah did not charge them
that whim should not stir within their soul,
for that is beyond their capacity,
but He charged them to restrain their soul
from this whim and to repel it,
and He has written for them through this repulsion
and this difficult struggle
Paradise as a reward and a dwelling.
He, the Exalted, said:
“But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust,” (79:40)
“But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust,” (79:40)
“Lo! the Garden will be his home.” (79:41)
Likewise, they must also remember the consequence of the tyranny of whim and its end.
"So as for he who transgressed and preferred the life of the world..."
“Lo! hell will be his home.” (79:39)
And included in what has preceded also
is to remember the nobility of the truth and the virtue of its people,
and the baseness of falsehood and the vileness of its people,
and what they deserve of the wrath of Allah and His punishment.
Among what helps in abandoning the whim
that inclines one toward the opinion of their predecessors and teachers,
despite its contradiction of the truth,
is to keep in mind that what concerns them
This is his state within himself.
It does not harm him before Allah to differ from his mentors,
as long as the truth has become clear to him in their disagreement.
Rather, what harms him is following them
in what he knows to be contrary to the truth.
His teachers may be excused,
and rewarded for the position they reached,
due to the lack of evidence for the truth being established for them in the matter,
or because of a valid interpretation they hold,
while the proof was not established against them
regarding that in which they differed.
Among the things that also help in opposing one's desires
is relying on adopting the most cautious approach in a matter,
rather than his desire and what he was raised upon.
If he finds among the people of knowledge those who reject some of
what his soul has become accustomed to and what his desire inclines toward,
despite their honor and high status,
he should take the more cautious approach for his religion,
and abandon what he was accustomed to, in order to preserve his faith,
and to choose safety.
Love of the world and reliance upon it.
Love of the world is ingrained in the nature of people,
as Allah the Exalted said:
“Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode.” (3:14)
"of women and children,"
“Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode.” (3:14)
"and silver, and branded horses,"
"and cattle, and tilled land."
“Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode.” (3:14)
“Beautified for mankind is love of the joys (that come) from women and offspring; and stored-up heaps of gold and silver, and horses branded (with their mark), and cattle and land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode.” (3:14)
There is no harm in this love,
if it does not exceed the permitted measure.
“Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath brought forth for His bondmen, and the good things of His providing? Say: Such, on the Day of Resurrection, will be only for those who believed during the life of the world. Thus do we detail Our revelations for people who have knowledge.” (7:32)
“Say: Who hath forbidden the adornment of Allah which He hath brought forth for His bondmen, and the good things of His providing? Say: Such, on the Day of Resurrection, will be only for those who believed during the life of the world. Thus do we detail Our revelations for people who have knowledge.” (7:32)
The blame is directed and the danger lies
when this love overwhelms a person's heart,
to the point that he prefers the world over the Hereafter,
as Allah the Exalted said:
"So as for he who transgressed,"
"and preferred the life of the world,"
“Lo! hell will be his home.” (79:39)
“Say: If your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth ye have acquired, and merchandise for which ye fear that there will no sale, and dwellings ye desire are dearer to you than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.” (9:24)
"and your sons, and your brothers,"
"and your wives, and your clan, and wealth"
"which you have acquired, and trade,"
"and trade you fear will decline,"
“Say: If your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth ye have acquired, and merchandise for which ye fear that there will no sale, and dwellings ye desire are dearer to you than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.” (9:24)
“Say: If your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth ye have acquired, and merchandise for which ye fear that there will no sale, and dwellings ye desire are dearer to you than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.” (9:24)
"then wait until Allah brings"
"His command; and Allah..."
When the matter reaches
the point of preferring the world over the Hereafter,
it becomes a disease of the heart.
If it spreads throughout the Ummah,
it causes the loss of both the world and the Hereafter.
As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"The nations are about to call one another against you,"
"as diners call one another to their dish."
A person asked:
"Is it because we will be few in number that day?"
He said: "No, you will be many that day,"
"but you will be like the scum of a torrent."
"And Allah will surely remove"
"from the chests of your enemies the fear of you,"
"and He will cast into your hearts wahn (weakness)."
A person asked:
"O Messenger of Allah, what is wahn?"
He said: "Love of the world."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and Ahmad,
and authenticated by al-Albani.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said:
"By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you,"
"but I fear that the world will be spread out for you,"
"as it was spread out for those before you,"
"so you will compete for it as they competed for it,"
"and it will destroy you as it destroyed them."
Agreed upon.
Preferring the world over the Hereafter
occurs by falling into the forbidden to obtain its pleasures,
just as it occurs by causing one
to slacken in the obligatory deeds of the Hereafter.
Let the person know
that there is a direct correlation today
between increasing one's worldly affairs
and frequently falling into doubts and desires.
So let him be wary of that.
How does a person know that he is
preferring the world over the Hereafter?
A person must look at his concern for the world,
and the space it occupies within himself,
his thinking, and his work,
and his concern for the Hereafter and its deeds.
If he finds that his concern for the world and his striving for it—
from trade, employment, and so on—
is greater than his concern for the Hereafter and striving for it,
and this is the state of most people today,
except those upon whom my Lord has mercy,
then his world has overwhelmed his Hereafter,
and he has preferred it over it.
His heart has become diseased with the love of this fleeting world,
and he is in great danger and a bitter, grave state.
Let the person beware,
especially those who call to Allah,
against praying for expansion in worldly matters,
for that is a difficult and dangerous path.
And Allah knows best what is hidden.
How many have we seen of those who delved into the world,
and its waves carried them away,
and they relied upon it,
and Satan placed for them in every valley
of its valleys a preoccupation and a concern.
We ask Allah the Majestic for pardon and well-being,
and that He grants us the concern for working for this religion,
and supporting it, and calling to His path,
thereby transcending the love of worldly desires
in our souls.
Hardness of the heart and the lack of its softness and humility.
For the hardness of the heart and the lack of its softness,
there are several causes.
The primary cause is the weakness of knowledge of Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He),
and His Beautiful Names,
which results in a weakness of glorifying Allah the Exalted
in the heart and a lack of fear of Him,
(Glorified is He), and this results in
all other diseases of the heart.
Also, the heart being filled with the love of the world
and its desires; for how is it possible
for a heart scattered in the branches and valleys of the world
to reflect, or to soften and humble itself
before the majesty and greatness of Allah?
If, in addition to the love of the world, there is an abundance of sins,
the petrification of the heart becomes entrenched,
as Allah the Exalted said:
“Nay, but that which they have earned is rust upon their hearts.” (83:14)
"what they used to earn."
Meaning, their sins have covered and veiled their hearts.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"When the believer commits a sin,"
"a black dot appears on his heart."
"If he repents, desists, and seeks forgiveness,"
"it is polished; but if he increases, it increases until it covers"
"his heart, which is the 'ran' (rust) that Allah (Mighty and Majestic is He) mentioned"
"in the Qur'an."
Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi,
and authenticated by al-Albani.
If the heart petrifies and humility departs from it,
then perhaps only a false, hollow humility
will appear on the body,
which some of the salaf call the humility of hypocrisy,
while the heart is not humble.
The possessor of a hard, petrified heart
is not benefited by verses or admonitions,
and the saying of Allah the Exalted applies to him:
"Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an?"
“Will they then not meditate on the Qur'an, or are there locks on the hearts?” (47:24)
Nor are they deterred by calamities and trials,
but rather he becomes one of those who turn away,
as Allah the Exalted said:
“How many a portent is there in the heavens and the earth which they pass by with face averted!” (12:105)
"and they are turning away from it."
Hidden Shirk and Riya' (showing off).
Allah the Exalted says:
“And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners (unto Him).” (12:106)
"while they are polytheists."
This verse, just as it applies to major Shirk
that expels one from the fold of Islam,
it also encompasses the hidden minor Shirk,
from which many people are not free,
as it creeps into their hearts
without them noticing.
It is more hidden to them than the crawling of an ant.
Among them are those who associate with the power of Allah
a cause among the causes,
and those who associate with the hope in Allah
attachment to others among His servants,
even while striving in the path of Allah,
as Allah the Exalted said to the Companions on the day of Uhud:
“Allah verily made good His promise unto you when ye routed them by His leave, until (the moment) when your courage failed you, and ye disagreed about the order and ye disobeyed, after He had shown you that for which ye long. Some of you desired the world, and some of you desired the Hereafter. Therefore He made you flee from them, that He might try you. Yet now He hath forgiven you. Allah is a Lord of Kindness to believers.” (3:152)
And the most emphasized type of minor Shirk,
the hidden one, and the most dangerous,
is Riya' (showing off).
This is as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"The thing I fear most for you is minor Shirk."
They said: "O Messenger of Allah,"
"what is minor Shirk?"
"It is that Allah says on the day He rewards the servants"
"for their deeds:"
"Go to those whom you used to show off to"
"with your deeds in the world,"
"and see if you find any reward with them."
It is sufficient regarding the danger of Riya'
that it nullifies the deed, as in the previous
hadith,
and as in the Qudsi hadith also:
"Whoever performs a deed in which he associates someone else with Me,"
"I leave him and his Shirk."
The harms of desiring the world
through the deeds of the Hereafter are not limited to nullifying the reward of the deed
on the Day of Resurrection,
but it is also a cause for the loss of the world
at the level of the Ummah as well,
for if some believers make the world
the primary director of their actions,
as happened on the day of Uhud,
“Allah verily made good His promise unto you when ye routed them by His leave, until (the moment) when your courage failed you, and ye disagreed about the order and ye disobeyed, after He had shown you that for which ye long. Some of you desired the world, and some of you desired the Hereafter. Therefore He made you flee from them, that He might try you. Yet now He hath forgiven you. Allah is a Lord of Kindness to believers.” (3:152)
“Allah verily made good His promise unto you when ye routed them by His leave, until (the moment) when your courage failed you, and ye disagreed about the order and ye disobeyed, after He had shown you that for which ye long. Some of you desired the world, and some of you desired the Hereafter. Therefore He made you flee from them, that He might try you. Yet now He hath forgiven you. Allah is a Lord of Kindness to believers.” (3:152)
although it precedes it,
and is a cause of it.
'Ujb (self-admiration) is to see that you possess something others do not,
which causes you to despise
those you consider beneath you,
and to be arrogant toward them.
'Ujb is based on looking
at the self and its characteristics,
and it is a grave disease of the heart,
While arrogance involves looking down upon people,
self-admiration in worship
may lead one to overestimate one's deeds and eventually abandon them,
being content with what has been achieved of them,
and it may even nullify them entirely.
Al-Hasan said regarding the interpretation of the words of Allah the Exalted:
﴾And do not confer favor to acquire more﴿
meaning: do not consider your deed a favor to your Lord in order to seek more.
This is the view favored by al-Tabari in his Tafsir.
Mutarrif Ibn 'Abdullah said:
"That I spend the night sleeping and wake up regretful
is more beloved to me than that I spend the night standing in prayer
and wake up feeling self-admiring."
He is pointing here to the danger of
a person’s self-admiration regarding their own self and deeds.
The difference between self-admiration and joy
in a good deed is that one should
not confuse the joy
of one's good deed and obedience with self-admiration for it.
For the believer’s joy in their good deed
is merely joy at Allah’s granting them the success to perform it,
rejoicing in its reward,
and hoping for it from Allah.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever is gladdened by his good deed and saddened by his evil deed,
that is the believer."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and authenticated by al-Albani.
As for self-admiration,
one is deluded by one's self and relies upon it,
and prides oneself on the good deed, believing that one
deserves the credit for performing it.
Protection from self-admiration and its cure:
Self-admiration is a hidden disease
that may secretly seep into the soul.
Therefore, one must seek protection from it through the following:
First, to be constantly
remembering and acknowledging Allah’s favor upon oneself,
while knowing one's own shortcomings toward one's Lord,
and failing to give Him His due of gratitude
and worship, no matter what one does.
And that if one were left to one's own self for even the blink of an eye,
one would go astray and be lost.
Second, to remember one's sins
and faults, and forget one's good deeds and acts of obedience.
So do not be deluded by the strength of your faith
or the abundance of your deeds.
Third, to look at those whom one considers oneself better than,
realizing that they may possess hidden
righteous deeds that one does not know of,
but which Allah knows.
And that these deeds may be greater and more significant
than what one does, or that the person one deems
inferior to oneself
may be looking at their own self
and forgetting their own good deeds.
Or that the person one deems inferior
may indeed not perform as many righteous deeds as one does,
but they excel in performing their deeds,
and are sincere in them with a sincerity
that the self-admiring person lacks.
Fourth, to remember that
one's self-admiration for one's deed may nullify it,
so that on the Day of Resurrection, it becomes scattered dust,
at the very moment one is most in need of it.
Envy is hating the blessing of Allah upon others
and wishing for its removal.
It is a chronic heart disease
that afflicts many people.
Its reality
is objecting to the decree of Allah the Almighty
and His wisdom in giving and withholding.
So one must be wary of being among the envious without realizing it,
and must struggle against one's self in this with the utmost effort.
One should arm oneself with faith
in the decree of Allah and His wisdom,
to repel any feeling of grief
or constriction of the heart from Allah’s bestowing
a blessing upon others,
or feeling joy at its removal from them.
Instead, one should strive to feel joy and relief
for Allah’s bestowing of blessings upon other Muslims,
whether they are people one knows or not,
peers, superiors, or subordinates.
Causes and motives of envy:
A person falls into envying others
for one or more of the following reasons:
First, prior enmity
toward the envied person and hatred for them.
Second, the envious person’s disdain for the
envied person rising above them in worldly matters or religion.
Third, the love of leadership,
seeking status and praise,
or arrogance and contempt for others,
and the desire for them to always be
submissive and followers of oneself.
So if one of them receives a blessing, he envies them,
fearing that he might lose their subservience to him.
Fourth, that the envied person is a peer
to the envious person in a worldly matter
or religious matter, so he envies him if he surpasses him in it.
Competition to attain a specific interest,
such as a job or an award,
leads one to envy a competitor for any blessing
that might help them attain the interest instead of oneself.
That one’s own nature is inherently malicious,
stingy with goodness toward the servants of Allah,
and joyful at misfortunes befalling them.
So one should be careful not to let
envy harm the envious person before anyone else.
Envy bears no fruit in the heart of the envious
except malice, hatred, and resentment
toward the one they envy.
All of this weakens the heart of the envious person,
afflicts them with anxiety and turmoil,
and distances them from the reality of faith in Allah.
Unlike the possessor of a sound heart,
who is free from envy and other ailments,
you find them calm in spirit and tranquil in heart,
content with the decrees of Allah,
loving goodness for all Muslims,
and Allah knows that from their heart,
so He rewards them for it with bliss and serenity
in this world, and loftiness and high status
in the Hereafter.
How does the envious person treat their own self for this chronic disease?
In order for the envious person to rid themselves
of this chronic disease,
they must follow two paths:
one theoretical and the other practical.
As for the theoretical path,
it is to learn and understand the meaning of divine decree and predestination
with true knowledge and understanding,
and to delve deep into understanding the Beautiful Names of Allah
and His Exalted Attributes related to this subject,
such as the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, and the All-Wise.
The reality of Allah’s power and His effective will
in giving and withholding,
and His perfect knowledge of what every human deserves,
and His profound wisdom in that matter.
As for the practical path,
it is to treat one’s desire for envy
with beneficial action,
by tasking oneself with the opposite of one’s intent.
If envy drives one to desire to disparage the envied person,
one should strive to praise and commend them
instead of disparaging and criticizing them.
And if one finds arrogance in one’s self,
one should compel it to be humble and pray for the one they envied,
and exert efforts to bring goodness
to them and repel evil.
Thinking ill of Allah:
Thinking ill of Allah is a dangerous heart disease,
and it is originally a trait of the polytheists and the hypocrites,
as the Almighty said:
﴾And [that He may] punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women,
and the polytheist men and polytheist women
who assume an assumption of evil about Allah.﴿
“And may punish the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the idolatrous men and the idolatrous women, who think an evil thought concerning Allah. For them is the evil turn of fortune, and Allah is wroth against them and hath cursed them, and hath made ready for them hell, a hapless journey's end.” (48:6)
“And may punish the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the idolatrous men and the idolatrous women, who think an evil thought concerning Allah. For them is the evil turn of fortune, and Allah is wroth against them and hath cursed them, and hath made ready for them hell, a hapless journey's end.” (48:6)
“And may punish the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the idolatrous men and the idolatrous women, who think an evil thought concerning Allah. For them is the evil turn of fortune, and Allah is wroth against them and hath cursed them, and hath made ready for them hell, a hapless journey's end.” (48:6)
And evil is their destination.
Those who follow them in this disease are also included,
as they fall under the generality of His saying:
“That, your thought which ye did think about your Lord, hath ruined you; and ye find yourselves (this day) among the lost.” (41:23)
﴾...about your Lord has brought you to ruin,
and you have become among the losers.﴿
The people of innovation are also considered among those who think
ill of their Lord, as will become clear
in the forms of thinking ill of Allah the Exalted.
The cause of thinking ill of Allah:
No one falls into thinking ill
of Allah except due to a severed connection
of their heart to Him, the Glorified, and a lack
of true knowledge of their Lord,
the Glorified, and His Beautiful Names,
and what they necessitate of love for Him, the Almighty,
contentment with Him and His decree,
and fear and hope in Him.
And a lack of realization of the value of constantly thinking well
of Allah in times of ease and hardship,
and in all matters.
Allah the Almighty said in the Hadith Qudsi:
"I am as My servant thinks of Me."
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Ibn Hibban added at the end:
"So let him think of Me whatever he wishes."
But this is from the narration of Wathilah Ibn al-Asqa', may Allah be pleased with him.
Narrated by Ibn Hibban
and authenticated by al-Albani.
The one who thinks ill of his Lord has his heart attached
only to the outward appearances of things,
and builds his judgments upon them,
so he expects evil and harm
without reliance on the ways of Allah the Exalted,
nor trust in His decree and His power, the Glorified,
and His hidden, subtle management.
Most of creation think ill of their Lord.
Most of creation,
except those whom Allah wills,
“Then, after grief, He sent down security for you. As slumber did it overcome a party of you, while (the other) party, who were anxious on their own account, thought wrongly of Allah, the thought of ignorance. They said: Have we any part in the cause? Say (O Muhammad): The cause belongeth wholly to Allah. They hide within themselves (a thought) which they reveal not unto thee, saying: Had we had any part in the cause we should not have been slain here. Say: Even though ye had been in your houses, those appointed to be slain would have gone forth to the places where they were to lie. (All this hath been) in order that Allah might try what is in your breasts and prove what is in your hearts. Allah is Aware of what is hidden in the breasts (of men).” (3:154)
think thoughts of evil and ignorance.
For many of the children of Adam believe that they have been denied their rights,
and that they deserve more than what Allah has given them,
And his inner state declares:
"My Lord has wronged me and withheld my due,"
while his own soul bears witness against him in that,
even if his tongue denies it and he dares not
openly express it.
None is safe from this except one who has truly known Allah,
and has understood the meanings of His Beautiful Names
and His Exalted Attributes with precise and sound understanding.
Among the forms of thinking ill of Allah
is any thought that does not befit Allah the Exalted,
His wisdom, His mercy, His knowledge, His justice,
and His truthful promise which He does not break;
for all of that is thinking ill of Allah
and an affront to His Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes.
There are several forms of this,
the first of which is:
Despairing of the mercy of Allah and losing hope in His relief
is thinking ill of Allah the Exalted.
Second:
Pessimism is thinking ill of Allah,
just as optimism is thinking well of Allah the Exalted.
Third:
Thinking that Allah has left His creation to no purpose,
idle, without command or prohibition,
having sent them no messengers and revealed to them no books,
but rather left them neglected like cattle,
then death without resurrection or reckoning;
all of this is thinking ill of Allah the Almighty.
This is the claim of the Dahriyyah (materialists) who say:
“And they say: There is naught but our life of the world; we die and we live, and naught destroyeth us save time; when they have no knowledge whatsoever of (all) that; they do but guess.” (45:24)
“And they say: There is naught but our life of the world; we die and we live, and naught destroyeth us save time; when they have no knowledge whatsoever of (all) that; they do but guess.” (45:24)
"It is only time [that destroys us]."
They have no knowledge of that; they are
only guessing.
Fourth: Thinking that Allah will not grant victory
to His Messenger and His believing servants,
nor support His party,
nor exalt them over their enemy;
all of this is thinking ill of Allah the Exalted.
For Allah the Almighty has said:
“And verily Our word went forth of old unto Our bondmen sent (to warn)” (37:171)
"Indeed, it is they who will be the victors,"
“And that Our host, they verily would be the victors.” (37:173)
and other such verses.
Fifth:
Denying or being ignorant of the fact that whatever Allah decrees
for His allies in terms of trials or afflictions
is only for a profound wisdom,
a praiseworthy end, and a good outcome;
and claiming that their affliction
is a will devoid of wisdom,
and an inevitable decree that does not change;
that is thinking ill of Allah.
Sixth: Thinking that it is possible for Allah
to punish His allies despite their righteousness
and their sincerity, and that He treats them
the same as He treats His enemies.
Seventh: Thinking that Allah loves disbelief,
wickedness, and disobedience, and is pleased with them,
just as He loves faith, righteousness, and obedience,
based on the claim that Allah
is the Creator of all that, so He must desire it;
yet Allah, glory be to Him, says:
“If ye are thankless, yet Allah is Independent of you, though He is not pleased with thanklessness for His bondmen; and if ye are thankful He is pleased therewith for you. No laden soul will bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return; and He will tell you what ye used to do. Lo! He knoweth what is in the breasts (of men).” (39:7)
“If ye are thankless, yet Allah is Independent of you, though He is not pleased with thanklessness for His bondmen; and if ye are thankful He is pleased therewith for you. No laden soul will bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return; and He will tell you what ye used to do. Lo! He knoweth what is in the breasts (of men).” (39:7)
“If ye are thankless, yet Allah is Independent of you, though He is not pleased with thanklessness for His bondmen; and if ye are thankful He is pleased therewith for you. No laden soul will bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return; and He will tell you what ye used to do. Lo! He knoweth what is in the breasts (of men).” (39:7)
Eighth: Thinking that what is with Allah
can be attained through His disobedience and opposition,
just as it is attained through His obedience
and drawing near to Him.
Ninth: Thinking that Allah punishes a person
for what they had no part in.
Tenth: Thinking that Allah
might waste a person's righteous deed
in which they sincerely sought His Face, glory be to Him,
and that He might nullify it
without any cause from the servant,
while Allah, glory be to Him, says:
“Thus We have appointed you a middle nation, that ye may be witnesses against mankind, and that the messenger may be a witness against you. And We appointed the qiblah which ye formerly observed only that We might know him who followeth the messenger, from him who turneth on his heels. In truth it was a hard (test) save for those whom Allah guided. But it was not Allah's purpose that your faith should be in vain, for Allah is Full of Pity, Merciful toward mankind.” (2:143)
"Indeed, Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful."
Eleventh: Thinking that if a person
leaves something for the sake of Allah,
Allah will not compensate them with something better.
Twelfth: Whoever thinks that
there occurs in the dominion of Allah what He does not will,
or that He is unable to bring it into existence,
has thought ill of Allah.
Thirteenth: Whoever thinks that Allah has
a consort, a child, or a partner,
or that anyone intercedes with Him without His permission,
or that there are intermediaries between Allah and His creation
who raise their needs to Him,
and that they are His allies to the exclusion of other people,
and that people draw near and seek them as a means
to Him, glory be to Him;
all of this is thinking ill of Allah, glory be to Him.
Fourteenth: Whoever thinks that
Allah informed about Himself,
or His Messenger informed about Him, in a way that is merely apparent,
and that He abandoned the truth regarding His attributes
and did not state it clearly,
but rather hinted at it with remote symbols
that only the philosophers and the theologians understand,
according to their claim—whoever thinks this thought
has stripped Allah’s Beautiful Names and Exalted Attributes
of their reality and the meaning intended by them,
and has thought ill of Allah the Exalted.
It has appeared among the innovators
those who claim that Allah does not love, nor is He pleased,
nor does He become angry, nor is He displeased,
nor does He befriend, nor does He show enmity,
and so on.
Exalted is Allah above what they say.
So everyone who thinks of Allah
contrary to what He has described Himself with,
and what His Messenger (peace be upon him) has described Him with,
or strips the realities of what He has described Himself with,
and what His Messenger (peace be upon him) has described Him with,
has thought ill of their Lord.
Fifteenth:
Among the innovators who think ill
of their Lord are the Shia Rawafid;
for all of their beliefs
are thinking ill of Allah the Almighty,
such as their claim that most of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)
conspired against the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) during his lifetime,
and usurped the authority after his death
instead of his successor, Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him),
as they claim,
and wronged the family of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and deprived them of their rights;
all of this is a fabrication against Allah,
His Messenger, and His noble Companions,
about whom Allah said:
"And those with him are forceful..."
“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward.” (48:29)
"You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer],
seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure."
And He said at the end of the verse:
"Allah has promised those who believe..."
“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward.” (48:29)
"...and a great reward."
And they take a portion of the verse
so that the innovators may cling to it,
but the intent is to clarify that this forgiveness
and that great reward
are for the Companions to the exclusion of all other believers;
their reward is not like the reward of others,
and Allah’s forgiveness for them exceeds His forgiveness
for anyone else.
And among their thinking ill of their Lord
is their slanderous fabrication against the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her),
thereby belying
Allah the Exalted’s exoneration of her,
as He called the slander against her a "great falsehood" (ifk),
saying: "Indeed, those who came
with the falsehood are a group among you."
And He exonerated her, glory be to Him, by saying:
"Good women are for good men,
and good men are for good women.
Those are innocent of what they say;
for them is forgiveness and noble provision."
Despite that,
the Rawafid persist in their falsehood,
thereby disparaging the status of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and thinking ill of Allah
by claiming He did not honor His Prophet
with good wives,
and even by permitting that there be buried beside him
(peace be upon him) the "Jibt" and the "Taghut,"
as they claim that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
and Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both),
who are the best of the Prophet’s Companions
(peace be upon him),
are the "Jibt" and the "Taghut."
We seek refuge in Allah from the misguidance of the people of innovation,
and we disavow ourselves to Him, glory be to Him,
from their thinking ill of Him, glory be to Him.
A summary of the concepts of the Ahl al-Sunnah.