In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
In the presence of Allah, happiness pours into the hearts.
Draw ever closer to the Most Merciful.
The Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Musa Mosque.
Proudly presents:
The Musk of Discourse.
By Sheikh Usama Bahr, may Allah preserve him.
For obedience to the Divine dissolves into the sweetest of feelings.
Piety (Wara').
Piety is a space of caution.
In which the believer stands before matters that are ambiguous to him regarding what is lawful and unlawful.
It is the attribute of the God-fearing.
Those who, when a doubt or suspicion arises in their souls regarding a matter,
Pause.
And say,
"Rather, we shall abandon what is harmless for fear of what is harmful."
Piety is refraining from what is harmful among the forbidden and the doubtful.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, summarized piety in a single phrase.
He said,
"Part of a person’s good Islam is leaving what does not concern him."
This is general, encompassing the abandonment of all that does not concern one, whether in speech or looking,
Or listening, or grasping, or walking, or thinking,
And all other outward and inward movements.
Piety is a sufficient and healing word.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
"O Abu Hurayrah,
Be pious, and you will be the most devout of people."
A servant will not attain the reality of God-consciousness (taqwa)
Until he abandons every doubt that might lead him into the unlawful without him knowing.
Thus, piety becomes his methodology in action and inaction.
Some of them said,
"We used to abandon seventy doors of the lawful,
For fear of falling into the unlawful."
Who does that now, when temptations are on every side,
And the forbidden is in every direction?
The pious are few, and the negligent are many.
Piety cannot be realized except through knowledge.
For how many people have practiced piety out of ignorance,
Making their piety like one walking down the wrong path?
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned
Important words on this subject.
He said,
"The perfection of piety is for a person to know the better of two good things,
And the lesser of two evils."
And to know that the Shari'ah is built upon securing and perfecting interests,
And nullifying and minimizing corruptions.
Otherwise, whoever does not weigh the Shari'ah-based benefit and
The Shari'ah-based harm in an action or omission,
May abandon obligations and commit the forbidden,
Thinking that it is piety.
Piety is among the greatest acts of worship.
The foundation of religion is piety.
The pious, ascetic jurist (faqih),
Who remains steadfast upon the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Shall have his great reward on the Day of Judgment.
A person should place himself in the correct position regarding matters of piety.
As al-Awza'i said,
"We used to joke and laugh,
But when we became people to be emulated,
I feared that such behavior would no longer befit us."
If a person practices piety,
He will not be deprived of the lawful.
Let no one think that through piety he is depriving himself;
Rather, he is placing a step between himself and the unlawful, standing behind it.
If he steps forward, he falls into the sanctuary of the forbidden.
If he steps back, it is a safeguard for his religion and his honor.
Happiness in the hearts.
Draw ever closer to the Most Merciful,
So that joy may embrace you.
Attach your soul to your Lord,
And fill the surroundings with light.
Everyone who obeys the Divine
Dissolves into the sweetest of feelings.
For there is darkness, then light, and revelation thereafter.
If Allah wills a thing, He says to it "Be," and it is.