Lisanu’l-Hal

The Road to Pleasing Allah

One day, Bayazid al-Bistami (quddisa sirruhu) was asked in what ways one could reach and be together with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

He replied:

“Reaching Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is possible by truly adhering to His commands, holding onto ikhlas in all conditions and situations, and persisting in truthfulness.”

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The Fear of Reckoning

One day, Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rufai (quddisa sirruhu) saw a dog that was desperately in need of help. Yet people were shooing it away. He took the poor creature to a remote location and built a shelter for it. He fed and watered the dog until it recovered and worked hard to help it get better. When it regained its health, he gave it a warm bath and took it to his hometown.

- “Why do you care so much about this dog? What is the reason behind this?” they asked. The wise friend of Allah gave them an eye-opening response:

- “I was afraid that, If I hadn’t taken care of that dog, Allah (jalla jalaluhu) would hold me accountable and ask me on judgment day, ‘Do you have no mercy for my creatures in your heart?’”

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The Basis of Servitude

Imam Ghazali (quddisa sirruhu), one of the shining beacons of tasawwuf and a great wali, once said:

“Servitude is based on three things:

1. Abiding by the rules specified by Islam

2. Showing perfect consent to the fate ordained by Allah (jalla jalaluhu)

3. Abandoning the whims and desires of the nafs to attain the pleasure of Allah the Exalted.”

(Imam Ghazali, Ayyuha’l-Walad)

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Loving the Qur’an al-Karim

Abdullah ad-Dahlawi (quddisa sirruhu), murshid of Mawlana Khalid (quddisa sirruhu), loved reciting and listening to the verses of the Qur’an. He particularly enjoyed listening to recitations by Shaykh Abu Said Masumi (quddisa sirruhu), who was one of the grandchildren of Imam Rabbani (quddisa sirruhu) as well as one of his khalifahs. He would be overwhelmed by his recitation to such an extent that he would feel as if he was melting like a quick-burning candle, his strength rapidly draining away. He would eventually say:

- That’s enough for now; that is all I have the strength to listen to.

The great wali would also find utter delight in listening to the Masnavi of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi (quddisa sirruhu)  as well as poems by other famous poets. He would get caught up in wajd at times like this but would not show it due to his spiritual maturity.

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Giving Sohbah to Children 

Muhammad Diyauddin (quddisa sirruhu) used to give sohbah frequently. He was deeply fond of sohbah. Even if there weren’t adults nearby for him to give sohbah to, he would hold sohbah with children. His wife Medinah would find it unusual that he would insist on telling little children about religion:

- O Saydi, these are but little children. What would they understand from your sohbah? They are all around 5 or 6 years old.

Muhammad Diyauddin (quddisa sirruhu) said:

- Medinah, I know that too. Children at this age do not have the clarity to comprehend such things. But the mercy of Allah descends regardless. They are sinless, innocent. The help and barakah from Sadat al-Kiram is felt clearly. That is the true purpose of sohbah anyway; it is to benefit from the mercy of Allah and receive help and barakah from Sadat al-Kiram. That is what I wish to accomplish by doing this, not idle chatter.

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Reject the Sin, Not the Sinner

Shaykh Adbulqadir Gilani (quddisa sirruhu), a great murshid in tasawwuf, saw a drunk man swaying and tottering with an unsteady gait along the street. At that moment, the notion swelled within him that he was a better person than that drunkard. Noticing this, the drunk man bawled at him:

O Abdulqadir! The Almighty Allah is capable of turning you into someone like me and me into someone like you.

Upon hearing these words from the drunk man, Abdulqadir Gilani (quddisa sirruhu) lowered his head in regret and asked Allah for forgiveness.

After narrating this story, Imam Sharani (quddisa sirruhu) gives us the following warning:

“O brother! Do not embrace actions that Islam frowns upon. But let your loathing be not towards the sinners but the sins themselves.”

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The Key to Jannah

One day, someone asked Bayazid al-Bistami (quddisa sirruhu),

- What do you say about the hadith that says, “The key to paradise is witnessing that there is no god but Allah. ” Bayazid al-Bistami (quddisa sirruhu) explained:

- The hadith is authentic. However, a key cannot open a door without its notches. The notches on the words “La ilaha illallah,” which serve as the key to Jannah, are four things:

1. A tongue that never lies or gossips.

2. A heart that never betrays or deceives.

3. A stomach that never eats suspicious or haram things.

4. Good deeds that are pure and free from bid’ah (harmful innovations) and the whims and desires of the nafs.

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True Ikhlas

The great scholar Imam Ghazali (quddisa sirruhu) gives an invaluable lesson in his words below:

“The meaning of ikhlas is for a servant not to require any reward for the deeds they do. After all, it is said in the Qur’an:

“Allah created you and that which you do” (As-Saffat, 96).

If the act of worship is performed to gain rewards or avoid punishment, then the servant can’t be said to possess complete and true ikhlas. This is because such a person will have made this effort for their own nafs.”

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Admitting the Defects of the Nafs

One of the great murshids of the Naqshbandi path, Sayyid Sibghatullah al-Arwasi (quddisa sirruhu), once said:

“A Sufi should be like a peacock. A peacock looks at its black feet and doesn’t see the beauty of its body. Similarly, a Sufi shouldn’t notice their good sides, nor should they take confidence in their good deeds. Looking at oneself in a favorable light and trusting one’s good deeds leads to pride and arrogance. The entire sum of spiritual maturity within all of creation is but a reflection of the perfection of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). To think one bears the true merit for any worth or commendable quality would be a grave fault.”

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The Tree of Remorse

Abu Yahya al-Warraq (quddisa sirruhu) gives the following wisdom:

“Whosoever pleases their body’s limbs and organs by giving in to the whims and desires of their nafs; surely they will have planted a tree of remorse in their heart.”

Eser Sazak