Lisanu’l-Hal
“A believer will never be satisfied with the good he hears till he reaches Paradise.”
(Tirmidhi, Ilm, 19)
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The Qualities of the People in Charge
Shaykh Ahmad al-Haznawi (quddisa sirruhu), one of the murshids of the Naqshbandi tariqah, said in a letter:
“O brother! The ruler is like the heart in the body compared to his people. If the heart is healthy, the body will also be healthy. If it is corrupted, the body is corrupted. The goodness of the ruler causes the good of the people, and his corruption causes the corruption of the people.
So, from one perspective, you should be happy with your assigned task but pay close attention to it from another. You should thank Allah the Exalted for giving you such a blessing; in fact, you should rejoice in the love of Allah, who gave this blessing, more than this blessing itself.
It is obligatory for you to be grateful to Allah the Most High for the continuation of this blessing. Allah (jalla jalaluhu) says, ‘If you are grateful, I will give you more’ (Ibrahim, 7).
Whoever does not give thanks for a blessing will have it slip through their fingers. Being grateful is possible by fulfilling Allah’s orders and staying away from what He forbids. This is understood by the use of all organs in worshiping Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and the realization that blessings come from Him.
Another aspect that you should pay attention to in your duty is to always fear Allah because the responsibility of the people’s religious and worldly affairs has been placed on your shoulders. You should think carefully about whether you can fulfill this vital duty properly.
You can do this by following these two principles:
• Maintaining justice among the people.
• Acting exactly in accordance with the Qur’an and sunnah.”
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Who Will Hold Your Hand?
Hujjatu’l-Islam Imam Ghazali (rahmatullahi alayh) said the following about the importance of good deeds:
“O son! Do not deprive yourself of good deeds. Don't end up empty-handed when you can have wonderful ahwal. Believe with certainty that having knowledge alone is not enough to find someone to hold your hand and lift you up.
Imagine a brave warrior armed with various weapons. What would he do if a large lion attacked him in a deserted place? Can this brave man protect himself from that lion without using his weapons? Of course, he cannot escape from the lion's claws without taking action and using his weapons.
Similarly, if a man learns a hundred thousand truths of ilm but does not act on what he has learned, what he knows will not benefit him. In this regard, we can give the following example:
If a person falls ill with a severe disease, even if he has the medicine for it, would it be possible for him to get rid of the disease just by knowing the right medication and carrying it around without taking it?
Even if you study ilm for a hundred years and write a thousand books, you will not be able to reach Allah's mercy unless you act on your knowledge.”
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“The people who will be nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who supplicate Allah more often for me.”
(Tirmidhi, Salah, 352)
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The Silence of the Tongue and the Silence of the Heart
Shihabuddin Suhrawardi (quddisa sirruhu), the founder of the Suhraviyya tariqah, said:
“Silence has two parts: the first is to avoid speaking with one’s tongue. The second is to avoid speaking with one’s inner voice. Avoiding speaking with the tongue has two parts, with one being wajib (obligatory) and the other mustahab (non-obligatory recommended act). The obligatory silence is to avoid forbidden words. The recommended silence is to avoid even permissible words when not necessary in addition to what is forbidden.
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Part of the perfection of one’s Islam is his leaving that which does not concern him. ” (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 11)
What is meant by things that do not concern one are things that don’t pose any compelling reason for one’s involvement in them. It is a sin to withhold a word that has good in it. These include ones that serve purposes such as enjoining good and forbidding evil, or teaching people the rules of Islam.
Refraining from speaking from within the heart has two parts: wajib and mustahab. What is obligatory is to give up making critical, judgmental assumptions about other Muslims and abandon the bid'ahs in one’s aqidah. What is mustahab is to prevent oneself from demanding the world and worldly titles.
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Stumbling and Finding Your Feet Again
Abu Abdurrahman Muhammad as-Sulami (rahmatullahi alayh), one of the eminent Sufis from Khorasan, said the following while talking about the flaws of the nafs:
“One of the faults of the nafs is that he neglects worship and the rules of Islam and is lazy. Not being aware of his laziness and shortcomings in his servitude to Allah or taking them with a cavalier attitude is a far greater offense than his negligence. What's worse is that he doesn't see these flaws in himself.
The reason why these defects occur in a person is that he gives little or no thanks to Allah when he succeeds in fulfilling the commands of Islam. Whenever the servant fails to give thanks to his Lord, he is relegated from the level of competence to that of deficiency. He is veiled from seeing his shortcomings and flaws. Thus, he perceives the failures and low points in his character as commendable traits.
To dig oneself out of this hole, one must continue to take refuge in Allah, remember Him, and read the Qur’an. Likewise, one needs to pay attention to what one eats and drinks to ensure all the sustenance one takes in is halal. In addition, it is necessary to respect Muslims, not be unfair to them, and ask Allah's wali servants for prayers to return the person to their original state before the onset of these disturbances. It is hoped that Allah Almighty will open the way of service and obedience to Himself for that person.”
Eser Sazak
