The Slumber of Ghaflah

“And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are (truly) rebellious.” (Al-Hashr, 19)

The sole purpose for all mankind’s life in this world is to be in servitude to their Lord until death. Whatever they may do, they must be conscious of their servitude, aiming for the pleasure of their Lord and always keeping this consciousness alive. In order to do well in the test that is this life, we must take refuge in the mercy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) against the tricks and deceptions of the nafs and the devil by following the most preeminent manifestation of His mercy, the path of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). To be on the road of righteousness, the path that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is pleased with, we have no choice but to follow the lifestyle of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

“There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah for the one who has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah profusely.” (Al-Ahzab, 21)

Otherwise, a person will be alone, following his whims and desires, going astray from the true path, and delving into the empty pleasures of this world. He will become a plaything for his nafs and the devil, forgetting his reason for being; his consciousness of the afterlife and the Day of Judgment will turn scattered and hazy. It is one of the most distressing problems of believers today: forgetting our Lord and the Hereafter and flailing after the whims and desires of the nafs.

Unaware of Themselves

After inviting the believers to taqwa and preparation for the afterlife, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) warns us:

“And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are (truly) rebellious.” (Al-Hashr, 19)

Mufassir Fakhruddin ar-Razi (rahmatullahi alayh) mentions that the first mufassir to do the tafsir of the complete Holy Qur’an, Muqatil bin Sulayman (rahmatullahi alayh) explained this ayah: “They forgot the rights of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), so Allah made them forget their own right. Thus they became unable to do what would be in their favor in Allah’s (subhanahu wa ta’ala) presence.” (Mafatihu’l-Gayb, XXIX, 292)

The reason for this forgetfulness and inattentiveness is ghaflah. It is one of the most dangerous spiritual diseases. Just as a virus that has entered the body may cause deadly consequences when left unchecked, if the illness of the spiritual heart ghaflah is allowed to run its course, it will cause the spiritual death of the heart, closing it off from receiving any truth of our Lord, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

The ghaflah of the non-believers who choose the life of this world instead of the Hereafter is explained in the Qur’an al-Karim:

“That is because they have preferred the worldly life to the Hereafter and that Allah does not lead the disbelieving people to the right path. Those are the ones over whose hearts and hearing and vision Allah has sealed, and it is those who are the heedless.” (An-Nahl, 107-108)

The State of Ghaflah

Ghaflah is the starting point of all mistakes that lead a person to disaster. According to dictionary definitions, ghaflah can mean “forgetting, leaving behind, making light of, inattentiveness, or absent-mindedness.” However, the true meaning of the term can be better understood by delving deeper into its specialized definitions, which include “following the whims and desires of the nafs,” “wasting time,” “being unable to recognize the importance of something in this life and the Hereafter,” “a heart devoid of dhikr (remembrance) of Allah,” and “a state of deep sleep.” (Süleyman Uludağ, Tasavvuf Terimleri Sözlüğü / Dictionary of Tasawwuf Terms, 141)

Though the main component of ghaflah is forgetfulness, the forgetfulness here is not by accident but through a conscious decision. Accordingly, we can name something left undone consciously, ghaflah, and name something left undone unconsciously, forgetting. Ghaflah, in a sense, is turning away from truth and reality and taking on an indifferent stance.

In the Qur’an Al-Karim, ghaflah is the adjective used to describe people who have denied the ayahs and have forgotten the afterlife, thus being subject to punishment. (al-Araf 136 & 146; Yunus, 7 & 92; Maryam, 39; Al-Anbiya, 97; Ar-Rum, 7; Al-Qaf, 22)

The non-believers' act of making a mockery of the call of our prophet to faith and then turning away from becoming believers is also attributed to ghaflah.

“[The time of] their account has approached for the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away.” (Al-Anbiya, 1)

“And warn them (O Prophet) of the Day of Regret, when all matters will be settled, while they are (engrossed) in heedlessness and disbelief.” (Maryam, 39)

In the Qur’an Al-Karim, it is also mentioned how mankind falls below the levels of animals due to ghaflah:

“And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless.” (Al-A’raf, 179)

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has given people the means to see truth, righteousness, and goodness, and to hear, understand, and absorb truth. Yet, some do not use these blessings provided by Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) for the reasons they were given. Therefore, they fall into deviant beliefs and acts that will lead them to Hell. The ayah provided above may firstly indicate the non-believers who were directly in contact with our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), but it contains universal warnings for us all. (Kur’an Yolu Tefsiri / Tafsir of the Path of the Qur’an, II, 630)

The furthest reaches of ghaflah are shirk (the sin of idolatry or polytheism), kufr (to be faithless), and nifaq (hypocrisy of the faith). Shaytan uses different methods to trick believers and have them fall from grace, such as making them rely on the unending mercy and grace of our Lord to the point where the believer starts to make light of sins and disobedience. He plants deceptive thoughts in people’s minds such as, “You’re still young; you can repent later on, and all your sins will be forgiven. Allah’s mercy is endless.” Yet Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)who has created man and knows all their weaknesses and vices, warns us:

“O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver [i.e., Shaytan].” (Luqman, 33)

The Cure for Ghaflah

The opposite of the illness that is ghaflah, which is to leave the truth and reality of faith aside and fall from the grace of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), is dhikr. With dhikr, a believer remembers Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and protects their faith and taqwa, and remains steadfast on the path of salvation. They will put distance between themselves and the state of ghaflah to the extent they preserve their iman, steadfastness, and taqwa. Likewise, they will stray further from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and become easy targets for shaytan.

“And whoever is blinded from remembrance of the Most Merciful - We appoint for him a devil, and he is to him a companion. And indeed, they [i.e., the devils] avert them from the way [of guidance] while they think that they are [rightly] guided.” (Az-Zukhruf, 36-37)

With this ayah, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)reminds us that dhikr will protect the believer from the devil. In another ayah, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)commands us to do dhikr day and night to heal from the illness of ghaflah.

“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear and without speaking loudly, in mornings and evenings, and do not be among the heedless.” (Al-A’raf, 205)

The heart that has grown numb with ghaflah comes to its senses with dhikr. The thing that awakens and keeps the heart alive is the dhikr of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). This ayah tells us so: “...the ones who believe, and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah” (Ar-Ra’d, 28). The prayer of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) “O Allah! Do not leave me alone with my nafs even for the blink of an eye” (Abu Dawud, II, 200), points to the dangers of ghaflah and the need for the heart to be awake and aware.

Being with people of ghaflah will subject one to the same affliction, while being with people of dhikr will move one to do dhikr. The most effective way of getting rid of ghaflah is to be with people whose hearts are awake with the dhikr of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) warns us through our Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) words, to be with people who work towards the pleasure of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), and to stay away from those who are in ghaflah from dhikr.

“And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and let not your eyes overlook them, seeking the splendor of the worldly life. And do not obey the one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who has followed his desire and whose behavior has exceeded the limits.” (Al-Kahf, 28)

Abdülkadir Alioğlu