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Allah Ta`ala grants His chosen servants such honor and dignity that even the hearts of the kings and emperors tremble in awe of them. But this greatness is only attained when Allah Ta’ala has entered the heart. It should not be like the example of a sign on the outside of a tent, upon which is written, “This is Laila’s tent.” However, when one peaks inside, one realizes that instead of Laila, there is a dog tied up in that tent. This is exactly the example of a person who adopts the garb of the pious and in spite of this, he does not abstain from sins and evil deeds. He is wearing the title of a “Maula-Wala1” with a full shar’i beard and a round cap, but if one happens to peak into his heart then he will find it filled with the filth and defilement of ghairullah2.
If he has Maula in his heart then his face will interpret that which is within it. This is because the face is a reflection and an interpreter of what is in the heart. If there is the love of Allah Ta`ala in the heart then this love will become manifest on the face.
This is in fact, the explanation of a Hadith Shareef in which Rasulullah (
) has said:
“The friends of Allah are those who when they are seen, Allah is remembered.”
(Majma’uz Zawaid; Vol. 10, Pg. 78, Bazzaar)
Thus, he who has attained Allah Ta’ala in his heart has in fact purified his heart from ghairullah. On one occasion someone had come to Hazrat Uthman (
) after casting evil glances. Hazrat Uthman () said to him:
“What is the condition of such a people from whose eyes zina (fornication) is dripping!?”
(Tafseer Qurtubi; Vol. 10, Pg. 44)
The brilliant rays of Allah’s love shine from the eyes of the friends of Allah, and the stench of dead corpses come from the lovers of ghairullah.
Source: What is the Reality of Tasawwuf - By Maulana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahab (damat barkatuhum)
1 One who has attained a special connection with Allah Ta’ala.
2 Anything which takes one away from the remembrance and obedience of Allah Ta’ala. In this case referring to all Haraam (unlawful) pleasures and desires.
There was a time when the mansions of high ranking Nawabs1 filled Marris Road of Aligarh, India. About 40 years ago, through the blessings of my Shaikh, I compiled some couplets in which these Nawabs are being addressed. At that time, as a simple and poor student of Deen, I went with my Shaikh, Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb (r.a.) to visit Nawab Chatari. However, through the blessings of my Shaikh, I did not allow the greatness of those Nawabs to enter my heart. My Shaikh used to say that the mureed who did not attain the love of Allah Ta‘ala from his Shaikh, but rather enjoyed delicious foods and had a good time traveling around, became deprived of Allah Ta‘ala.
Allah Ta’ala had given me the taufiq (guidance and ability) that I had made no attempts to win the favor of the Nawabs and the rich people with flattery. On the other hand, these days, the condition of the mureed is such that if a wealthy individual comes to visit the Shaikh, then the mureed does not even look at his Shaikh. If the mureed happens to be a principal of a Deeni institution, then he will follow this wealthy person around with his receipt book, ready for donations and will attempt to show him his institution.
Listen attentively to what I have to say! There is no benefit in running after the creation. Only crying before Allah and humbling oneself before the Creator will benefit us. Neverthless, through the blessings of my Shaikh, I addressed those Nawabs with the following couplets which I had composed:
Very luxurious are these mansions of yours,
These multitude of expensive vases, these colorful sights.
Oh! by what support are you living your life?
That after death all those “supports” will step aside.
If you have not attained the closeness of the Lord of spring,
then you have attained dry autumn but not spring.
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (
) addresses the Ulama saying, "O Ulama who are qualifying from Deeni institutions! Before you take the responsibility of preaching from the mimbar, go and sit in the company of an Allah-Wala for 6 months to one year". Go and serve them with humility so that the Maula of the books you studied may become manifest in your heart. Then your heart will become the possessor of Noor (Divine Light) and thereafter you will be a different person altogether. You will spread the sweet fragrance of Dard-e-Dil 1 wherever you go; whether it is by the riverside, in the jungles, or by the mountainsides, even in the condition where your clothes are tattered out of poverty. The people of wealth and luxury will salute you and search for you saying, "Where is the one who was dispensing the tonic of Dard-e-Dil? Where has he set up his shop?" I have composed a couplet about this:
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In the lap of my poverty, the crown of Caesar is hidden,
A small amount of Dard-e-Dil is no less than attaining both worlds.
) says that the light of the ‘lamp of life’ is very weak and dim. Along with this, the “winds of death” are constantly blowing and could extinguish the ‘lamp of life’ at any time.
In the violent storm of death,
The lamp of life burns away.
The winds are strong and the lamp is weak,
Quickly we must find another lamp.
The lamp is weak and the winds are blowing furiously. O people of the world! Quickly make an effort in lighting another lamp. Jalaludeen is not a fool! Through the blessing of Shaikh Shamsudeen Tabrezi (), I have lit the lamp of Allah’s Nisbah1 by adopting the Sunnah and by abstaining from sins. Maulana Rumi () says that when death approaches and the eyes close, the divine lamp of Allah’s love is immediately set alight in the hearts of the Auliya2 just as the generator turned on, and the lights immediately came back. When the eyes close from this temporary life then all the buildings, bungalows, luxurious cars, business dealings and beautiful women will come to an end. We will all have to leave this world one day.
While in Hardoi, India, I had composed a couplet regarding the instability of this temporary world. Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi and I were traveling on a riksha at that time. I told him, “Hazrat, I have composed a couplet…” When Mufti Sahebheard the couplet he said, “Do present this couplet of yours to your Shaikh, Maulana Shah Abrarul Haq Saheb ( ).” This couplet, which the Grand Mufti of India approved of, is as follows:
This garden will one day become a desert, tell this to the nightingale,
So that it may think before sacrificing its life.
To serve the Auliya and to adopt their company does not mean that you continue to have your eyes fixed on their wealthy mureeds. Therefore, I urge you to attain the love of Allah from the Auliya. I take an oath by Allah Ta’ala that the people of the world will rush to serve you. Do not become like the grape worm, which went to eat the grapes but was deceived by the green leaves of the grape. Thinking a leaf to be the grape, it spent its whole life on the leaf and died on that very leaf and was deprived of the actual enjoyment of the grape. Similarly, many mureeds come to attain the love of Allah Ta’ala but become lost in the glamour and glitter of the world. In this way they leave the world deprived of Allah’s love. May Allah Ta’ala save us all. Ameen.
1 The strong connection with Allah Ta’ala which is attained through adopting the company of a friend of Allah Ta’ala and abstaining from all sins and punctuality in zikr.
2 Those pious, Allah-fearing individuals who have attained a special connection with Allah Ta’ala.
Just this morning, Allah Ta’ala inspired my heart with an incredible topic that, ‘who is the true mureed?’ The true mureed is the one whose muraad (aim and objective) is Allah Ta’ala.
Now, who is the true Shaikh? The true Shaikh is the one who guides his mureed to his desired objective. He supplicates to Allah Ta’ala and cries from the depths of his heart on his behalf. This is true TASAWWUF. Therefore, the true mureed is the one whose muraad (objective) is the Being of Allah Ta’ala.
(They desire Him) declares that the real objective of the true lovers of Allah Ta’ala is the Being of Allah Ta’ala. Thus, every mureed should take stock of himself in the light of this verse whether he is a true mureed or not? If our muraad is truly the Being of Allah Ta’ala then we will never look at ghairullah. As for that mureed who casts evil glances, and looks at ghairullah, then know that his intention is still deficient and he is still not fully matured. The kabab of his Nisbah is still raw. Whomsoever eats raw kabab will be tasteless and others who associate with him will also remain without taste.It is not possible that a true Allah-Wala has the love of the world and ghairullah in his heart. The question now arises as to who is a true Allah-Wala? The true Allah-Wala is the one who makes every possible effort to attain Allah Ta’ala and exerts himself in guiding his mureeds so that they may attain the same. He should not be treading the path alone because the guide who treads the path alone and overlooks his mureeds is not a complete guide.
On the other hand, a complete guide is the one who treads the path of Allah Ta’ala himself and is also considerate of those traveling with him. He continuously says to himself, ‘let it not be that they have lost their way.’ Thus, the true guide is the one who travels while keeping his companions also in mind.
So have you now understood what true peeri-mureedi is? That peeri-mureedi relationship which has become so commonly misunderstood is due to fake peers who, for the sake of mere worldly gain, teach a few wazifas to their mureeds but do not teach them how to live a life of piety. The mureeds of such peers always remain like raw kababs their whole life. On the other hand, there are other peers who are genuine Auliya. They continue to guide their mureeds on to the path of Allah with sincerity and heart-felt pain. However, it may also be that some of their mureeds do not pay heed to the advice of their Shaikh. Thus they remain raw and deficient their entire life as well.
This is their condition because he who flees from undergoing hardships and does not tolerate the pain of safeguarding his eyes and abstaining from sins, and he who does not undergo the grief of fighting his unlawful desires, then he is, in fact, prepared to bear the grief of separation from Allah Ta’ala. Such a person will always remain raw and deficient. Neither will he attain the enjoyment of life nor will anyone else become intoxicated by his fragrance.
Understand this properly! He who does not bear the pain of the path of Allah Ta’ala, will never attain Allah Ta’ala! In order for us to be able to tolerate such pain, Allah Ta’ala has revealed La Ilaaha before Illallah . In this way He is indicating that we must bear the grief of abstaining from ghairullah; only then will we attain nothing except Allah. Concerning this I have composed a couplet:
La Ilaaha comes first in the Kalimah of Unity,
When all besides HAQ vanishes, then only does HAQ come.
Ghairullah will destroy you, and you will attain nothing from them. What will these temporary beauties give you? When they do not posses any power over their own safety and well being then how can they guarantee safety and well-being for you? Leaving Allah for ghairullah is the height of foolishness.
For how long will you continue with such nonsense? After all, there must be a limit. When beauty fades away, then you choose to flee from it but for how long will you continue to flee in this manner? Why did you not flee from that which you were commanded to flee at the very moment that you were commanded to do so? This is the meaning of ‘
’. It is to flee from ghairullah, including all acts of disobedience, towards Allah.
Commenting on the ayat: "wasbir nafsak" 
"Make your nafs tolerate patience", my Shaikh Shah Abdul Ghani (
) used to say, "If Suhbat was not necessary then Rasulullah (
) would have been commanded to help the Sahabah reach Allah Ta’ala through his heart felt supplications in solitude". However, this was not the case. Instead, Allah Ta’ala revealed, "wasbir nafsak". In other words, O Our Beloved Nabi ()! Make your nafs tolerate the hardship of leaving your home. Leave the comfort of your home and sit in the company of the Sahabah. Have patience and tolerate this hardship, because we are not commanding you to sit in the company of just anybody.
Rather, we are commanding you to sit in the company of our lovers, who are busy in Our remembrance day and night. You are Our lover and so too are the Sahabah. I am sending one lover of Mine to work on the spiritual reformation and upliftment of My other lovers.
(Sura Kahf; Ayat No. 28, Juz No. 15)
My Shaikh, Hazrat Shah Abdul Ghani Phoolpoori () would say that Suhbat is such an important aspect that the Nabi of Allah () is being commanded to have patience and bear the difficulty upon his nafs. "No doubt, you are enjoying the remembrance of My name in solitude, but if you remain in that condition, then how will the Sahabah benefit from you? Therefore, you must come out of your home and sit amongst those who are remembering Us in your Masjid and make them Saheb-e-Nisbah through the method of prophethood which we have granted you. It is through them that Islam will continue to spread throughout the world".
So my Shaikh used to say that if Suhbat was not necessary then why would Allah have made his Beloved Nabi () undergo the hardship of making himself accompany them patiently? Can one find comfort in applying such patience? The implementation of patience is difficult but Allah Ta’ala had made this patience sweet for Rasulullah () because he was not sending him in the company of strangers but rather His lovers.
The purpose of my existence, The support of my life,
Is to live amongst Your lovers and die amongst Your lovers.
1 To adopt the company of the pious for spiritual reformation.
Allah Ta’ala is saying, ‘O My Nabi () ! I am not commanding you to sit with Aghyaar (strangers), rather they are your Yaar (friends) and My Yaar. To sit with Aghyaar is no doubt discomforting and difficult, but to sit amongst Yaar is enjoyable. Go to them and you will enjoy sitting amongst My lovers.’ I have expressed this in a couplet:
The intoxication of wine is increased when wines are mixed,
Let the wine of the Murshid1 mix with the wine of HAQ.
‘O My Beloved Nabi (
), the love that you have for Me is unparalleled, but the Sahabah also have love for Me.’ Thus, when the intoxicating wine of both love is combined (love of the Sahabah and love of Rasulullah (), then see what intensity is experienced.
) both pathways for the increase of his status. To remember Allah Ta’ala in solitude and to spread the love of Allah Ta’ala among His creation. In other words Allah Ta’ala is saying to His Beloved Nabi () ‘All those people who became Sahabah through the blessings of your Suhbat and those who became Tabe’een through the Sahabah and those who became Tabe’Tabe’een through the Tabe’een, then until the Day of Judgment, however much Deen is spread throughout the world, the perpetual reward of it all will return to your beloved soul.’My Shaikh, Hazrat Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb () would explain that when this verse was revealed:
(Sura Kahf; Ayat No. 28, Juz No. 15)
) was in one of his homes:
(Majma’uz Zawaid; Vol. 7, Pg. 89, Tabarani)
Immediately upon receiving revelation, Nabi () left his home in search of those who were remembering Allah Ta’ala and in whose company he had been commanded to sit. From this it is known that the Zaakir who is remembering Allah with intense restlessness and tear-filled eyes is at times visited by the Shaikh. In this way, sometimes, Allah Ta’ala sends the guide to the seekers.
1 Spiritual guide and mentor.
2 Spiritual guide and mentor.
) used to tell me the incident of a Buzurg2 who used to cry in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala in the seclusion of the jungle. He would cry saying, ‘O Allah! How will I find You? Where should I search for You?’ 
Tell me this, O Sustainer of the world!
Who was this Buzurg? He was Hafiz Sherazi (). Hafiz Sherazi had six brothers. Sultan Najmuddin Kubra () was inspired by Allah Ta’ala, ‘go and make the tarbiyat(3) of one of My servants who is the son of so and so and who cries in My remembrance.’ He was also shown the face of Hafiz Sherazi () in a dream. Ah! How this restless heart and these tear-filled eyes call the Shaikh to them.
My Shaikh, Hazrat Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb (
) used to ask why the word ‘Kubra’ is attached to Hazrat Najmuddin Kubra’s name. The reason he would ask this is because the word Najmuddin is masculine and the word Kubra is feminine. So how can a masculine noun have a feminine adjective? This is not grammatically correct (according to the Arabic language). So my Shaikh would answer that ‘kubra’ is not the adjective for Najmuddin because here, the noun is hidden. The full name is Shah Najmuddin Sultan Sahibu Munazira-e-Kubra. Therefore, ‘kubra’ is the adjective for Munazira, which is the noun, and both of these are feminine.Sultan Najmuddin Kubra went to Hafiz Sherazi’s father and asked him how many sons he has. His father replied that he has seven sons. Sultan Najmuddin then told him to call all of his sons but only six of his sons came forward (all being business and worldly-minded). Sultan Najmuddin did not see the one he was shown in the dream. He then asked the father if he had another son. He replied, ‘yes, but I consider him unworthy of being my son. All my other sons are business-minded and working, whereas he just wanders in the jungle crying like a mad man.’ Hazrat Shaikh Najmuddin Kubra replied, ‘That madman is exactly the one I am in search of. The Sustainer of your son, your Sustainer and my Sustainer has sent me specifically to this son of yours. He has commanded me to make his tarbiyat and guide him to Allah.’ Sultan Najmuddin Kubra then proceeded to the jungle and saw Hafiz Shirazi there. Meanwhile, Hafiz Shirazi was also informed about his Shaikh by means of inspiration.
1 One who is occupied with the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala.
2 A pious servant of Allah Ta’ala who has reached a high stage of Wilaayat.
3 Spiritual guidance and training.
) qamees (shirt) from Egypt to his father Hazrat Ya’qub ( ) in Canaan. However, when it was not the will of Allah Ta’ala, then even when Hazrat Yusuf () was cast into the well of Canaan by his brothers, Hazrat Ya’qub () was unaware of it. If kashf was within the control of Hazrat Ya’qub () then why did he not know that his son was cast into the well, whereas he was able to smell the fragrance of Hazrat Yusuf () all the way from Egypt? Thus, we come to know that kashf is only within the control of Allah Ta’ala. We should correct our belief regarding this matter.
There was one buzurg, Baba Najmul Hasan who was a Majaze-Suhbat1 of Maulana Thanwi. He personally told me that he sent a person to this fake peer. He said, ‘I told him to say to the peer in front of all of his mureeds, ‘I have heard that you are able to inform people what they have eaten. I want to put you to the test. Tell me the exact time that you will excrete that stool that is in your stomach! In other words, when is the exact second that you will defecate? I will spend the night here and in the morning I will check the time as to whether or not it conforms to that which you have claimed!
The fake peer thought to himself, ‘If I tell these people the exact time and I do not defecate accordingly then I will be disgraced. If on the other hand I take a laxative then I will end up going before mentioned time.’ He then said, ‘You are a wahabi! Leave from here!’ So when his disciples saw that he was unable to give a reasonable answer they all fled from there. In this way, Partabgarh was saved from the mischief of this fake peer.
1 Majaz-e-Suhbat: The one who is granted the permission by a Shaikh to conduct gatherings pertaining to spiritual reformation.
There was a one-eyed person in Punjab who used to claim that he is God. Nineteen people had brought faith upon this imposter. One of his disciples asked him, "My Lord, if you are God, then why do you only have one eye? Why do you not fix the other eye?" The imposter replied,"The Muslims believe in
![[Image]](/files/books/images/what_is_the_reality_of_tasawwuf/12-1.png){kind=small}
(belief in the unseen). I, on the other hand, announce the belief of
![[Image]](/files/books/images/what_is_the_reality_of_tasawwuf/12-2.png){kind=small}
(Belief in the ‘deficiency’) You must believe in this deficiency of mine, i.e. the fact that I am one-eyed. Believe in me in spite of my deficiency."
May Allah Ta‘ala save us all from such deviation.
) mentioned that in one village there was an imposter who used to tell people that he is God. Many people had brought faith upon him. One Alim told his wife to gather some 3 to 4 day-old food that had gone bad and bring it to him. He then put that food in a container and took it to the imposter. He presented the container to him saying, ‘I have brought this food for you.’ When the imposter opened the container, his head spun due to the horrible smell of the rotten food. He then said to that Maulana Saheb, “You have committed blasphemy to your lord by bringing this rotten food!” Maulana Saheb replied, “You have supposedly made the claim of god-hood and God is the giver of sustenance. Thus, whatever sustenance you have granted me, I have but presented that before you.”
So as I was saying, when the verse:
![[Image]](/files/books/images/what_is_the_reality_of_tasawwuf/15-1.png)
was revealed, Nabi (
) proceeded to Masjid Nabaawi.He observed those who were sitting there and saw three groups of people.
FIRSTLY:
Those who only possessed one article of clothing.
SECONDLY:
Those who had dishevelled hair.
THIRDLY:
Those who were dry and rough skinned.
(Majma’uz Zawaid; Vol. 7, Pg. 89, Tabarani)
Nabi (
) asked them as to what they were occupied with. They replied that they were busy in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala. Nabi () then asked them for what purpose they were doing so. They replied that they were doing so for the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala and they are mureeds of Allah and their hearts muraad (objective) is Allah. Now we know who the true mureed really is: the one whose muraad is only Allah. As long as your eyes are on ghairullah then you are a fake mureed. You are not ripe. You are still like raw Kabab. Neither have you attained the ecstasy of Allah’s love nor will you be able to give ecstasy of that love to anyone else. When you become intoxicated in the love of Allah and your heart becomes like a roasted Kabab (by burning your evil desires from your heart) then Allah will spread the fragrance of that burning heart throughout the world. Wherever you go, people will perceive the love of Allah within you.
Therefore, only make Allah your muraad, and in doing so, abstaining from sins is also necessary. When you become the mureed of Allah, then Allah becomes your muraad, then how can you look at ghairullah? So in this verse there are two lessons for the salikeen and mureedeen. The first lesson is to remember Allah and the second lesson is to abstain from ghairullah, sins and the disobedience of Allah. One is to please Allah and the other is to abstain from Allah’s displeasure.
To live and die for His pleasure is true love,
Neither to fear any blame nor to fear the world.
Now tell me, does love not have two rights which must be fulfilled? One is to please the beloved and the other is not to displease Him. He who makes an effort in pleasing Allah Ta’ala
but does not give any importance to abstaining from Allah’s displeasure, his love is deficient. From this verse of the Qur’aan Shareef it is established that the true lover of Allah, the true Saalik is the one who performs such deeds which please Allah Ta’ala and strictly abstains from those actions which displease Him, i.e. sins. He sacrifices his life in order to abstain from sins and casting evil glances.*
We will not look! We will not look! Never will we look!
Upon whom looking at displeases our Lord!
If you get enjoyment in committing sin then recite another one of my couplets;
We consider such pleasures worthy of being cursed,
By which, O friends! My Lord becomes displeased.
Therefore, make a serious effort and Insha-Allah, even the traces of the sin will be wiped out. Through the remembrance of Allah, the rose of the garden of love will start to bloom within your heart. Akhtar takes an oath on Allah that when the special closeness of Allah Ta’ala is attained then this entire world will become insignificant in your eyes! You will forget the stinking private parts that you were destroying your life for. Even if the desire of such obscenity comes about, then you will abhor it. Even if you try to forget Allah and commit sin, you will be overpowered with the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala and will not be able to sin.
Though I endeavor to forget, All the while
He is in my remembrance...
But only when the enjoyment of the pure and complete Qurb* of Allah Ta’ala is attained will sins be abandoned because sins are not left so easily.
Meer will repent when seeing a better substitute.
So Hazrat Najmuddin Kubra (
) went to the jungle, Hafiz Sherazi’s eyes met with his Shaikh’s eyes and said,
Your eyes are the alchemy of transforming earth into gold,
Cast upon me such a glance, transforming my baseness into gold.
O my Shaikh! You are of such a lofty status of wilayat that if you were to touch dust it would transform into gold. But it should well be understood that to become gold one has to be placed over fire and undergo struggles and hardships. Such lofty status is only attained after tolerating grief in Allah Ta’ala’s path and sacrificing one’s unlawful desires. Many strong and healthy-bodied people shiver at the thought of sacrificing their unlawful desires. Yet there are frail and weak-bodied people who by the grace of Allah Ta’ala, will sacrifice their unlawful desires for Him and undergo the pain and grief of abandoning unlawful enjoyments.
Some strong and healthy people who can easily take down other strongmen become the epitome of fox-like cowardice, and become weaklings. I plead to you in the name of Allah Ta’ala, do not become cowards! Attack and fight the evil desires of the nafs like a lion! So Hafiz Sherazi said to his Shaikh,
Your eyes are the alchemy of transforming earth into gold,
Cast upon me such a glance, transforming my baseness into gold.
O my beloved Shaikh! That glance of yours which transforms worthless dust into valuable gold, is it possible that you may cast that glance at me also? So Hazrat Najmuddin Kubra (
) said:
‘I have cast a glance! I have cast a glance!
I have cast a glance!’
Although we have cast a glance, however, a mere glance is not sufficient. After a considerable amount of time under the spiritual supervision of the Shaikh will something be attained. Thus, Hafiz Sherazi annihilated his nafs and made himself dust at the threshold of his Shaikh, Hazrat Najmuddin Kubra (
). Only then Allah Ta’ala granted him His special nisbat (connection with Allah Ta’ala). If a mureed is sincere in his search for Allah Ta’ala and has a true thirst, then the hearts of the Allah-Walas (pious servants of Allah Ta’ala) will, by themselves have an inclination towards such an individual. The Shaikh will cry and wet the ground of prostration with his tears for such a sincere mureed.
If you are truly sincere in the claim of love,
Then you will be invited to the court of love.
Also, that peer who is an Allah-Wala will not teach you to become involved in worldly pursuits or to deceive people. This is because he will not be a worldly person himself. Therefore, he will prepare others for the hereafter and give the same advice that Hazrat Sufyan Thauri (
) had given.* To look at the opposite sex with or without lustful desires or
to look at the same sex or handsome young lads with lust.
* A closeness to Allah Ta’ala, after which one is granted the
bounty of steadfastness on Deen.
) was asked by someone to give him advice, but to be very brief and concise. So he advised him saying, 
“Make an effort for the world to the extent of your stay here. And make an effort for the hereafter to the extent of your stay there.”
Everyone knows that after leaving this world there is no return, and the life of the hereafter is everlasting. Therefore, one should make a great effort for that which is everlasting. The stay in this world is temporary. Thus, to make too much effort for it is foolishness. What a complete and comprehensive advice this is! Remember it and let it become imprinted in your heart.The person whose heart has become hard and has become habituated to committing sins should meditate upon death for 4 to 5 minutes daily. He should meditate: “I have just died and after washing and shrouding my life-less body, the people are taking me to the graveyard and burying my lifeless corpse in the grave alone. My wife, children, business and home all have left me, and now, none of these things are of any benefit to me. Only my actions have remained.” Death is a reality, it is definite, and how can there be any doubt about a thing which is definitely going to occur? Death is such a reality that even the kuffar (disbelievers) do not deny. Has any kafir (disbeliever) said that death will not come? Therefore, ponder over the reason for us not performing Salah, and not paying the Zakah. What is the reason for us watching T.V. and V.C.R? What is the reason that we are involved in these evil actions? The reason is to pass time and entertain ourselves.
But ponder over the fact that when we are lowered into the grave, what will enter the grave with us? What will we entertain ourselves with then? How many T.V.’s and V.C.R.’s will we take with us? There will be no V.C.R in the grave, rather there will be punishment. Therefore, wake up from this heedlessness and do not entertain yourself with the disobedience of Allah Ta‘ala. That slave who pleases his heart at the cost of displeasing his Master is in total loss.
Just the following statement is sufficient for the guidance of someone, ‘The slave who pleases his own heart (by living a life of disobedience) at the cost of displeasing his Master, is in total loss.’ i.e. at any time the punishment of Allah Ta’ala could descend upon him. Allah Ta’ala is giving us chance after chance in hope that we will rectify ourselves. Nabi (
) says, 
“Remembrance of death is a sufficient lecturer and preacher.”
It is sufficient for guidance. It recharges one’s spiritual battery. One should also sit in pious company. Wherever there is any beneficial Deeni talk, then go there. Look! How far our pious predecessors used to travel to learn Deen!
) and said to him, “O Ameerul Mumineen! Please teach me the ‘attahiyyaat’ dua which was taught to you by Nabi ( ). Hazrat Umar asked him, “For what purpose have you come to Madina?” The man replied, “I have undertaken this journey only to ask this question.”Hazrat Umar (
) said: “You mean that you have no other purpose for coming here other than to learn this dua?” He replied that he had no other motive and said, “Due to the fact that you are the companion of Nabi (), I thought that since you have learnt the dua directly from Nabi () himself, I should learn the very same dua from you.” Again Hazrat Umar asked: “Is this the only reason for your coming?” He replied, “Yes, this is my only purpose.” Thereafter, Ameerul Mumineen Sayyiduna Umar () gathered all the people of Madina and said, “If anyone wants to see a JANNATI (a man of Paradise) then let him look at this man.”
Suddenly a day will come when the Angel of Death, Hazrat Izra’il (
) will remove our souls and this life will come to an end. What benefit will it be to regret at that time? Neither will we be able to perform a single Salah in the grave nor will we be able to fast. In order to benefit ourselves beneath the earth, we need to perform good deeds above the earth. Since after going to our graves we will not be able to perform good deeds. Therefore, make an effort to attain Deen in your lives now. It should not be such that you say, ‘no one had told us.’This Deen was revealed over a period of 23 years. Therefore, I cannot teach you the whole Deen in 10 minutes. What I can do is guide you towards learning Deen and having some concern about the hereafter.
The example of this is like a disobedient son. The father has no concern to look after his needs at home nor when he is away from home. But if he pleases his father, then the father gives him plenty of spending money and provisions so that his son may be at ease while away from home while at home he has even more concern for him to be comfortable and live at ease.
Similarly, he who pleases his Allah, then Allah Ta’ala gives him comfort and ease in this world (away from home) and in the akhirat also, which is already the abode of peace and comfort. This is the mere example of the love of a father, who is Makhlooq (creation). What then can be said about the love of the Khaaliq, Who is our Creator? We can never fathom the greatness of this. Therefore, understand that the slave who pleases his Master in this very world, is a very blessed individual. He attains a good life in this world as well as comfort in the hereafter. For this reason we must abandon being slaves to the nafs.
This nafs is our enemy, do not be enslaved by your enemy. If you obey your enemy you will regret it. However much sweets and candies the nafs shows you, then know that there is definitely some jamalgota1 also mixed with it. It will give you temporary enjoyment and then leave you in such a ‘burst’ of discomfort that no sweetness will remain.
In Ilaahabad, there was a doctor who told us his incident when he was in medical college. Some students had broken the lock on his cupboard and stole the food he had kept inside for breakfast. It was special food cooked in dhesi ghee 2 which his mother had prepared for him. He thought to himself that it was the mischief of the college students and this is the manner in which most college students behave. It is very rare that you will find a pious college student. That is because most of them are khalifas (deputies) of shaytaan. To some he gives ordinary khilafat (deputation) while others receive special khilafat.
Anyhow, that doctor decided to get even with them so one day he bought some gulabjaman 3 and laced each piece with a couple droplets of jamalgota. He then placed the gulabjaman in the cupboard and placed a small, weak pad-lock on it. Since the students were in the habit of stealing, they arrived on the scene and broke the lock and mischievously ate up all the gulabjaman. After an hour or so, they were overtaken by severe diarrhea. They would enter the toilet to relieve themselves and before they could come out, they would have to rush back again. It was such severe diarrhea that the principal had to immediately contact the health authorities to inform them that an epidemic had spread. It seemed as if students were going to die in the process. Little did the principal know that this was the suitable reward for their conniving action. The health officers came and quickly treated them with cholera injections, not knowing that they were all thieves. So anyway, after that, they all became well.
Similarly, to dream of peace and tranquillity in the disobedience of Allah is total foolishness. The one who dreams of attaining tranquillity in the disobedience of Allah Ta‘ala- there is no person more insane than him in the world. The past, the present and future of sin is nothing but restlessness. Those who are habituated to sinning, even when they are in the midst of sinning they are in constant fear of being seen. When their nafs plans to sin, even at that moment, they are inflamed in the fire of restlessness.
This flame of restlessness can be felt from the heat emanating from their foreheads. Their future also becomes ruined in fear of disgrace and in fear of revenge from those they have sinned against. So there are 3 time periods in a person’s life; past, present and future. By committing sins, all three periods of a person’s life is destroyed. It is as if he invites the wrath and anger of Allah Ta’ala in lieu of a few minutes of enjoyment, thereby destroying his entire life in the process.
One should also know that one is never satisfied through committing sin. Salty water does not quench the thirst, rather the more salt water is consumed, the more thirst is increased. In a like manner, committing sins only increases the desire to commit more sin. One sin will lead to committing another sin, as a result, to completely leave sinning becomes difficult, and he will eventually die in this pitiful condition of disobedience. What will his condition be at that time?
His dunya is also lost and he will have to suffer the consequences in the grave also. Therefore, if you want to attain the life of Jannah in this very world, if you want to attain a blissful life, then please Allah Ta’ala. I pose this question to you; what does the nafs want to gain from committing sins? All it wants is enjoyment. That is why I say that enjoyment is only in pleasing Allah and in taking His name.
1An extra-strength laxative which makes a person “get the runs”
in a matter of minutes.
2 Pure homemade butter.
3 A special type of sweet meat.
