sufism, suluk & spirituality
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Sincerity: How to Empty the Heart for God?
A well-known hadith says that: ‘God declared: I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of any partner. Whoever does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine, will have that action renounced by Me to him who he associated with Me.’1 That God is in no need of partners brings us to the all-important virtue… Continue reading
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Beacons Upon the Path of the Soul’s Purification
The Prophet, peace be upon him, once said: kun fi’l-dunya ka’annaka gharibun aw ‘abiru sabil – ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or traveller.’ [Al-Bukhari, no.6416] Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali began his commentary to this hadith by stating: ‘This hadith forms the basis for having brief hopes (qisar al-amal) in terms of… Continue reading
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How Our Outward States Affect Our Inner Moods; and Visa-Versa
‘It was autumn, and the Indians on the reservation asked their new chief if it was going to be a cold winter. Raised in the ways of the modern world, the chief had never been taught the old secrets and had no way of knowing whether the winter would be cold or mild. To be… Continue reading
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The Five Degrees of Prayer
In the following extract taken from his monograph explaining the virtues and merits of dhikr – God’s remembrance and invocation, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (d.751H/1350CE) takes us through the ascending degrees of prayer (salat): ♦ ‘With respect to prayer (salat), people are of five levels: The first [degree] is of he who wrongs his own soul… Continue reading
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Loving Allah & Islam is Far More Than a Bumper Sticker
Faith (iman) isn’t just an empty verbal affirmation or assertion of the shahadah. One must also surrender wholeheartedly: Do people imagine that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe,’ and that they won’t be tried? [Q.29:1] By the same token, it isn’t enough merely to say ‘I believe in Allah and His Prophet.’… Continue reading
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You Have Wings to Fly, So Don’t Crawl
In January of this year, I had the opportunity (the good fortune) to accompany Shaykh Jaleel Ahmad Akhoon on one of his travels in the UK. My reasons for wanting to do so were simple: Shaykh Jaleel isn’t only a scholar of the outward shari‘ah sciences, he is a profound spiritual guide too. Keeping company with those who… Continue reading
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Seven Steps for Salvation
The Qur’an says: Whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has surely triumphed. The life of this world is nothing but the comfort of illusion. [3:185] Contrary to shallow-minded people – whose measure of success is determined by the size of their wallets or houses, or how far they’ve climbed up the… Continue reading
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Doing Good for God or Reward from God?
One famous hadith teaches us this prayer of ardent longing: ‘O God I ask You for the delight of gazing at Your Face and the ardent yearning to meet You (allahumma inni as’aluka ladhdhatu’l-nazar ila wajhika wa’l-shawqa ila liqa’ika).’1 ♦ Most Muslims satisfy themselves with the outward form and practices religion offers. They know that submission… Continue reading
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Ibn Taymiyyah’s Firasah
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah remarked: ‘O you who are defenceless! Beware the spiritual insight of the godly one, for he sees your hidden deeds from behind a veil: “Beware the spiritual insight of a believer, for he sees with the light of God.”1‘2 Spiritual insight, or firasah, is a faith-based insight that God casts into the hearts… Continue reading
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What Matters at Heart
‘A servant is not afflicted with any chastisement greater than a hard heart and of being remote from God. ‘Hardness of the heart comes about by four things, when the level of need is exceeded: eating, sleeping, speaking and socialising. ‘Hearts that are attached to carnal passions are veiled from God to the extent of… Continue reading