Positive and Negative Moral traits

Dedicated:

 to my deceased father

Even though he had many admirable attributes but there are two in particular which I want to mention here. 

The first one was his honesty and integrity. Even though he retired from the senior rank of Brigadier from the Army, but after retirement he spent his remaining life in a third floor flat with no lift, he kept working till the day he died because the pension was not sufficient as he still had to bear the education expenses of four of his children, and he never kept a more than 800 cc engine car after his retirement.

His second remarkable attribute was his selfless desire to be of service to everyone. I remember many such incidents that our father would get a phone call in the middle of the night that some relative, or friend, or even a distant acquaintance was unwell and was taken to hospital. Without asking any further questions, he would just get up, change clothes, and go to see this person in hospital, and didn’t come back till their condition had stabilised. And in the morning he would go to his day job as per usual. Some of these people caused him some harm as well, but I never heard my father complain that I did this for them, and now they have done this to me. 

May Allah Ta’ala enable me to become more like him, forgive his mistakes, and grant him the highest places in Jannah. Aameen

Introduction

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the messenger of Allah ﷺ, his family, and his companions.

This is an unusual book in the sense that not a single iota of knowledge in this books belongs to this writer. All the knowledge contained in this book comes from two people, and two books. Among the people, first and foremost, is my lifelong mentor and teacher Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him), who has been a source of light and guidance for me since the very first time I visited him in Darul Uloom Karachi nearly thirty-seven years ago now. And the other person is Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him). Since I started reading his books, published talks and transcripts of his teachings to disciples visiting him in the Khanqah(seminary) of Thana Bhawan, soon after I visited Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib for the first time, there probably have been very few days in my life when I don’t read at least a few pages of one of his published works. 

Among the two books, the first one is Arbai’in by Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) which is the book this book is primarily based on. If you find any statement in this book which is unreferenced, it would most likely be from Arba’in. The second book is Ma’ariful Quran, the 8-volume interpretation of the Noble Qur’an by Mufti Muhmmad Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him). I had read translation of the Noble Qur’an before, but I only started understanding Allah’s message that He has sent for us in the form of His book truly for the first time when I started reading the Ma’ariful Qur’an. It is one of those collection of books which I do intend to keep reading again and again till the day I die Insha’Allah.

Not a single statement in this book will Insha’Allah be outside the teachings gained from these four people and their books. However, if I have made any unintended mistakes in understanding any of these teachings, may Allah Ta’ala forgive me. Aameen.

Syed Ahmer

19 December 2024

Palmerston North

New Zealand

What is Tazkiyah?

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“… We have sent in your midst a messenger from among you, who recites to you our verses, and purifies you, and teaches you the Book and the wisdom, and teaches you what you did not know.” (2:151)

Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib DB said that in Shariah we have been commanded to perform some acts of worship (called Awamir, اوامر) which are performed by our bodily organs, for example, praying Salah, fasting, paying Zakat, performing Hajj, etc. Similarly, we have been forbidden to perform some actions (called Nawahi, نواہی) which are carried out by our bodily organs, for example, committing backbiting), telling lies, stealing, drinking alcohol, etc. 

In exactly the same way, we have been commanded to perform some actions, or to acquire some internal moral traits, which are performed by our hearts or minds. For example, it is Wajib (necessary in Shariah) to perform Shukr on the blessings we have received from Allah Ta’ala, it is Wajib to observe Sabr (steadfastness, patience) if we face any undesirable or distressing situation, it is Wajib to observe Tawakkul i.e. placing our trust exclusively in Allah Ta’ala, it is Wajib to adopt Tawazu’ (humility). It is wajib to develop Ikhlas (purity of intention), as no act of worship is acceptable to Allah Ta’ala if it is performed without Ikhlas. These desirable moral traits or actions which are actions of the heart and mind, and not performed through our bodily organs as a person cannot observe Ikhlas with his body, are called Akhlaq-e-Fadhilah, and it is as compulsory to try to obtain them as it is to perform bodily Awamir such as Salah and fasting.

Similarly, there are some undesirable moral traits and actions which are performed within our heart and mind, which we have been commanded to abstain from. These are called Akhlaq-e-Razilah. For example, it is Wajib to not harbour Takabbur (believing oneself to be superior to others, and other to be inferior to himself), it is wajib not to harbour Hasad(jealousy, envy) in one’s heart, it is wajib not to commit Riya (ریا, show-off, performing an act of worship with the intention of pleasing people, rather than pleasing Allah Ta’ala). These are all actions of the heart and mind, but they are as Haraam as telling a lie or stealing is Haraam. 

In summary, there are some desirable and commendable actions of a person’s inner-self, his heart and mind, which are called Akhlaq-e-Fadhilah, and it is mandatory in Shariah to try to perform and develop them, and there are some undesirable and reprehensible action and moral traits of a person’s inner-self which are called Akhlaq-e-Razilah, and we have been commanded to abstain from them and remove them from our hearts and minds. This process of developing Akhlaq-e-Fadhilah and removing Akhlaq-e-Razilah from one’s inner-self is called Tazkiah, and the body of knowledge dealing with these commandments of Shariah is termed Tasawwuf. 

Performing Taubah (repentance)

The first step on the path to Tazkiyah, i.e. improvement of one’s inner-self, is Taubah, and that is why it is important to learn about Taubah before embarking on this path.

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

“O you who believe, turn to Allah with a faithful repentance. It is hoped from your Lord that he will write off your faults, and will admit you to the gardens beneath which rivers flow… (66:8) 

Sayyidna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked as to what is 'Taubah'. He replied that it consists of six elements: 

[I] to regret one's past evil deeds; 

[21 to carry out Divine duties that were missed; 

[3] to restore the rights that were usurped; 

[4] to ask forgiveness of a person who has been wronged by him physically or verbally; 

[5] to make a firm resolve of avoiding the sin in future; and 

[6] to consume one's self in obedience of Allah as one thus far consumed one's self in His disobedience. (Ma’ariful Qur’an)

The three types of engagement with sins

Imam Ghazali RE has written in Ahya ul-Uloom that there are three different categories of engaging in sins.

The first category is that someone never commits a sin. This is a characteristic of either the angels or the Prophets (peace be upon them).

The second category is that someone commits sins, and perseveres with them. They never feel guilty upon committing sins, and never even think about giving them up. This is a characteristic of satan and his minions.

The third category is of human beings, that they do commit a sin, but then they feel guilty and resolve never to commit it again.

This tells us that not performing Taubah after committing a sin is a characteristic of satans, and it is a collective agreement (Ijma’) of the Ummah (community of Muslims) that Taubah is Fard (compulsory).

The three components of Taubah

Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi (may Allah have mercy on him) has written in Ma’ariful Qur’an that there are three components of Taubah.

The first component of Taubah is to feel remorse about the sin one has committed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَۃ ُ النَّدَمُ, meaning that repentance is only regret.

The second component of Taubah is that the person immediately gives up the sin(s) he had been committing, and makes a firm resolution of never committing it again.

The third component of Taubah is to make reparations for the sins for which reparations can be made. For example, in terms of rights of Allah, if he has previously missed Salah or fasts, then he should start keeping those fasts and praying Qada Salah after estimating how many Salah or fasts he may have missed. If he had not paid Fard Zakat in the past, then he should make an estimate of the amount and pay it immediately if he can, or start paying gradually if he can’t. If he had violated people’s rights, then he should start repaying their rights when he can, for example, for financial rights, and seek forgiveness for violations for which financial reparations can’t be made, such as hurting someone’s feelings unjustly.

However, do remember that if a person does not feel remorse for what he had done, or felt remorse but does not resolve to give up that sin, then this Taubah is not true Taubah.

Way of performing Taubah for beginners on the path of Tazkiyah

Once, when a disciple requested Mufti Taqi Usmani DB for bayt, he replied, “Bayt is neither necessary, nor the ultimate objective. The ultimate objective is Taubah and self-improvement. Bayt is a Sunnah, but there is no need to perform it in a hurry.”

In terms of performing Taubah correctly, Hadhrat said,

“First pray two Rak’at Nafl Salah (with the intention of Salah of Taubah). Then recite these two Tasbeehat.

۱۔ ربّنا ظلمنا انفسنا و ان لم تغفرلنا و ترحمنا لنکونن من الخاسرین

۲۔ استغفراللّٰہ ربّی من کل ذنب و اتوب الیہ

Then pray in your own language that “O’ Allah! I have committed a lot of sins. I want to perform Taubah in front of You, and I do not want to commit a sin ever again. However, my resolve is weak, therefore, I pray to You that please grant me steadfastness. 

This is general Taubah. After this perform detailed or specific Taubah.

The way of performing detailed Taubah is this. There are two types of rights, rights of Allah (Huqooq-Allah), and rights of people (Huqooq-ul-Ibad). For Huqooq Allah make an estimate as how many Salah you may have missed since reaching puberty. Make a record of that number, and with daily Salah, rather than pray Nafl Salah, pray a Qada Salah, and deduct it from the total number. Also, write a will that I have this many Qada Salah remaining. If I die before praying all of the Qada Salah, then Fidyah (compensation) should for the remaining Qada Salah from my inheritance. Do the same for any missed fasts. In terms of rights of people, make reparations and/or seek forgiveness for all the rights of people you have violated.”

Anger

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

Race with one another towards Forgiveness from your Lord and towards a paradise … It has been prepared for … those who control anger and forgive people. And Allah loves those who are good in their deeds, (3:133-134)

In the interpretation of this holy verse in Ma’ariful Qur’an, Mufti Muhammad Shafi (may Allah have mercy on him) has written that in this verse the three levels of Allah Ta’ala’s chosen people who keep their anger under control have been described. 

The first level is of those people who, when someone hurts them or causes them harm, do not lose control and do not take revenge. 

The second level is of those people who not only do not take revenge, but also forgive them and forget their excesses. 

And the third and the highest level is of those chosen people, who not only do not take revenge and forgive those who have harmed them, they do good to people who have tried to harm them and help them when they need it. This was the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and these are the people about whom Allah Ta’ala has said that Allah Ta’ala loves them.

Imam Ghazali RE has written that, along with greed, uncontrolled, excessive anger probably accounts for almost all the interpersonal violence that takes place in the world. When a person is able to express his anger, it can lead to physical violence, abusiveness, and causing financial and emotional harm to other people. When a person cannot express it for some reason, it can lead to Bughz (بغض) (harbouring resentment), Hasad (حسد) (jealousy to the extent that a person wishes/tries to cause harm to someone), Badgumani (بدگمانی) (thinking ill of someone without any just reason), backbiting(غیبت), disclosing people’s secrets, and trying to malign their reputation. 

Because of anger, a person feels unhappy with the target of his anger being happy and wishes unhappiness and distress upon them, and these are all great sins. That is why Sufi saints have said that when a person embarks on Tazkiyah(purification of inner-self) the first step is to bring their anger under control. It is because unchecked, uncontrolled anger leads to so many internal and external sins that a person can’t make much progress in Tazkiyah until he tames his anger.

The objective is to tame one’s anger, not eradicate it completely

Hadhrat Thanavi RE has said that Allah Ta’ala has not created anything in this world unnecessarily. Similarly, there is wisdom behind creating negative moral traits (Akhlaq-e-Razilah). Then, using anger as an example, he said that if a person is unable to feel anger at all, then another person may keep attacking his life, his honour, his wife and children, his wealth, and he would just remain unmoved and not raise a finger to protect them. In this kind of situation, it is not desirable not to be angry, a person has been commanded by Shariah to feel angry, so that he can protect himself, his family, his property, using his anger. The problem is not with anger itself, the problem is with its inappropriate, excessive and uncontrolled use.

It is not the purpose of improvement of one’s inner-self that a person never feels angry again. If that happens, how is he going to defend himself and what belongs to him? The goal is that with ongoing effort and practice he brings his anger so much under his control that he only expresses his anger in situations where Shariah wants him to express his anger, and only expresses as much anger as is allowed by Shariah. Hadhrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) was famous for his anger and his authority, but it was said about him that “he was one to stop himself before limits set by Allah Ta’ala”. It means that as soon as he knew that continuing to express anger beyond this limit will breach Shariah’s boundaries, his anger immediately subsided. This is the whole objective of Tazkiyah (improvement of inner-self), to brings one’s inner traits and desires within the boundaries of Shariah.

Treatment of anger

Imam Ghazali RE said that the first remedy for uncontrolled, excessive anger is to bring it under control by Mujahidah(sustained effort). A person has to work very hard so that if something happens that makes him very angry, he observes extreme Sabr (patience) so that he can stop himself from reacting violently immediately. He may be feeling like screaming, yelling, physically attacking the person he is feeling angry towards, but he stops himself from doing all that. Rather, he thinks that I will not react immediately, I will only express anger after considering whether it is appropriate for me to be angry in this situation, and if yes, how much anger can I express. When a person keeps trying to exercise this level of restraint again and again, then it does not mean that he stops feeling angry at all, but, with time, his anger comes so much under his control that he only expresses anger in situations where Shariah allows him to express it, and only to the extent that Shariah allows him to.

The second remedy for anger is that when a person starts felling angry, he should not express it immediately. Rather, he should try to employ different strategies which will be described in the next section. Employing these strategies gives him time to cool down sufficiently to start thinking again. When he then reacts, he does so after careful consideration and reflection, and not in the heat of the moment. 

There are two sorts of strategies which help a person bring his anger under control, some cognitive meaning relating to his thoughts, and some behavioural meaning relating to his actions.

Cognitive (thought) treatment of anger

In this treatment a person is supposed to change his current angry pattern of thinking with some other more helpful thoughts, and that is why it is called cognitive treatment.

Imam Ghazali RE has written that when a person starts feeling angry, he should reflect on it as to why is he feeling angry. People feel angry when things do not happen in line with their wishes. But before they start feeling angry, they do not consider that everything happens in this universe according to Allah Ta’ala’s will. So, if a person is feeling angry over why something happened the way it happened, he is actually objecting that things should have happened according to his will, and not according to Allah Ta’ala’s will (Ma’az Allah). The day a person starts accepting undesirable events as being Allah Ta’ala’s will, is the day his anger begins to subside.

The other very important fact to consider when a person starts feeling angry at someone else is that what rights have we got over the person we are feeling angry at, and how much rights doe Allah Ta’ala have over us? How much anger do we express when someone does something against our wishes? And yet we do not reflect on it that we disobey Allah Ta’ala so many times every day, but He does not express any anger at us. He neither takes away our sustenance, nor harm us or our family. He has granted us unlimited relaxation till the moment of our death arrives, that as long as you come back to Me before that moment, I will forgive all your sins.

So, when we start feeling extremely angry at someone, we should remind ourselves that we have not created the person we are feeling angry with, he is not our subject, we do not grant him his sustenance, we can neither give him life, nor take away his life. On the contrary, Allah Ta’ala has created us, we are dependent on Him for every single one of our needs, we are nothing compared to Him. And yet we still keep disobeying Him all the time. But despite His absolute power over us, He keeps tolerating our insolences, keeps granting us our sustenance, and keeps giving us chances that there is still time, return to Me, perform Taubah. But when another human being, who is our equal in every way, disobeys us in some way, then we lose our temper to such an extent that we are prepared to harm him in any way we can. Is disobeying us a graver crime than disobeying Allah Ta’ala (Ma’az Allah)?

Behavioural treatments of anger

Imam Ghazali RE has written that when you start becoming angry do the following; 

(Most of these strategies have been narrated in ahadith)

(1) say "اعوذ باللّٰہ من الشیطن الرجیم" (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan). This is beneficial because anger arises as a result of influence of Satan, and when a person seeks refuge in Allah from Satan, that influence will subside. 

(2) Change your position and go to a lower position, meaning if you are standing, sit down, and if you are sitting, lie down. When angry, a person tends to go from a lower to a higher position, meaning they sit up or stand up in anger. Doing the reverse of that intentionally reduces the intensity of anger.

(3) Perform wudu (ablution) 

(4) Put your cheek on the ground. Because anger stems from Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity), therefore, when a person adopts a subservient position intentionally, it crushes his Takabbur.

(5) Drink water. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, “the best sip a person swallows is the sip of anger.”

(6) Remove yourself from that situation.

(7) Occupy yourself by doing something else, like reading a book.

Remind yourself that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, “When a Muslim feels angry at his family or other people he can express his anger at and can reprimand, but he controls his anger and observes patience, then Allah Ta’ala will fill his heart with peace and Iman (faith).” (Arba’in)

Imam Ghazali RE has said that by observing patience and forbearance a person achieves the status of people who remain awake praying at night, who keep fasting, and who are Zahid (practice Zuhud).

Hasad

(حسد, jealousy, envy)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

Say, “I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak from the evil of everything He has created,…and from the evil of an envier when he envies. (113:1-5)

Hadhrat Zakaria (peace be upon him) said that Allah Ta’ala says that “the person who becomes jealous seeing My blessing upon one of My subjects is as if he is angry with how I have divided My blessings among My subjects.” (Arba’in)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 

“Jealousy burns good deeds just like fire burns dry wood.” (Arba’in)

What constitutes Hasad?

In the terminology of Shariah, Hasad means being so jealous of another person that if he sees that person happy or in comfort, then he feels really upset and unhappy, wishes for him to lose that happiness and comfort, and wants his good fortunes to be reversed. 

Hasad is Haraam (unlawful). It is as Haraam as lying or stealing. 

Why does Hasad arise?

Hasad usually arises either from Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity); the person thinking that it was his ‘right’ that all good things should have come to him, and how come did this other person get them? Or, from crookedness of his heart or enmity towards another person, that he feels miserly towards Allah’s blessings, and thinks that just like he does not give anything good to anyone, similarly, Allah Ta’ala should not have given anything good to anyone.

Hasad is different from Ghabtah (غبطہ) which means that a person covets what good things someone else has and wishes that he gets them too, but does not wish for these to be removed from the other person. Ghabtah is not Haraam because this person does not wish for anyone to lose their good fortunes, they just want to have those good fortunes too.

The three degrees of Hasad

Hadhrat Thanavi Re has said that there are three degrees or stages of Hasad. 

The first stage of Hasad is just an unhappy feeling in the heart that a person develops when he sees something good befalling someone he has an enmity with. To some extent this is beyond a person’s control, and is not a sin as long as the person does not actively start thinking about it.

The second stage of Hasad is that the thoughts are not passive anymore, rather a person actively starts thinking bad thoughts that why did these good things happen to this person, I wish he loses all these good things, I wish he comes to harm, meaning he now intentionally wants this person to come to harm. This is clearly a sin.

The third stage of Hasad is that a person not only wants bad things to happen to the person he has an enmity with, but he also starts acting on such thoughts, for example, he starts backbiting against him in front of people to ruin his reputation, plotting to make him lose his job or be denied a promotion, or takes more practical steps to cause him harm.

Hasad has a cognitive remedy and a behavioural one.

Cognitive (thought) treatment of Hasad

The cognitive treatment of Hasad is that the jealous person should reflect on the fact that his Hasad is harming only him, it is not causing any harm to the person he is jealous of. Rather, the other person is getting the thawab of the good deeds of the jealous person without making any effort. On the other hand, the jealous person is both miserable and unhappy in this world, and is harming his Aakhirat as well.

The harm to the jealous person’s Deen is that it destroys his good deeds, he loses the thawab of his other Ibadat to the person he is jealous of, and Allah Ta’ala is greatly displeased with him because he is being miserly with Allah Ta’ala’s blessings and does not want anyone else to share Allah Ta’ala’s blessings with him.

The harm in this world is that the jealous person is always unhappy and miserable seeing the other person happy, and is always preoccupied with the thoughts and wishes of the person he is jealous of coming to harm and bad times. His Hasadonly makes his own life miserable, having no impact on the life of the other person.

Behavioural treatment of Hasad (jealousy)

The behavioural treatment of Hasad is that even though his heart desires to malign the person he is jealous of, in front of everyone and bring them harm, but he should suppress this urge ad do the exact opposite of what his Nafs (inner self) wants him to do. He should praise the person he is jealous of, in front of everyone, he should behave with humility in front of him, he should express happiness and pleasure at all the blessings the other person has been granted by Allah Ta’ala, and he should pray regularly that Allah Ta’ala grants the other person even more blessings. When he does all of these initially, he would feel that his heart is being crushed, but when he keeps doing these for a period of time, then he would develop positive feelings for the person he was jealous of, and as his feelings of enmity towards the other person subside, the Hasad will subside too.

Difference between feelings for friends and enemies

Someone might say that it is natural that our feelings are different for our friends and our enemies. It is not in a person’s control that we feel as happy seeing an enemy in comfort, as we would seeing a friend in comfort. And if it is not in our control, we should not be held accountable for it too. This much is correct, and if it stays at this level, it is not a sin. However, we need to be very mindful that it does not progress to a level where it is under our control and for which we will be held accountable. We need to be careful about the following two matters.

The first is that regardless of how we feel towards somebody, we should not let it influence our words and our actions at all. It means that we should not start backbiting against them, and we should not deliberately engage in any effort to bring them harm. Rather, we should suppress our feelings of resentment towards them, and say and do things which are exact opposite to what our resentful feelings would have us do, for example, as described above, praising them and praying for them.

The second point is that we consider our feelings of resentment towards other people incorrect and improper, and remember that such ill feelings towards other people can harm a person’s Deen.

If after doing these two things you still involuntary have a difference between your wishes for friends and enemies, meaning wanting your friends to be happy and comfortable, and your enemies less so, then do not dwell on it as it is beyond a person’s control and therefore will not be counted as a sin. However, as far as is within your control, do not harbour ill feelings and wishes of harm towards anyone, and try to help people you are jealous of even if you hate to do so. All human beings are Allah’s creations, and if Allah Ta’ala wants one of His subjects to be in comfort and happy, then who are we to object? We should make our happiness subservient to Allah Ta’ala’s happiness and be happy and content with what He has given to us, and what He has given to other people.

Keenah/Bughz

(کینہ, بغض, Resentment, antipathy)

In a hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that deeds of all human beings are presented before Allah Ta’ala every Monday and Thursday when Allah Ta’ala decides whether they will go to Paradise or Hell. However, if there is resentment and enmity between two people, Allah Ta’ala defers the decision about their going to Paradise until they make peace between themselves.

In another Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that on the night of Bara’at Allah Ta’ala forgives as many people as there are hair on the bodies of the goats of the Banu Kalb tribe. However, there are two people who are not forgive even in that night, one of them being the person who harbours resentment and antipathy towards another Muslim in his heart.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that “I give the guarantee for getting that person a home in the middle of Paradise who gives up a dispute despite being in the right.” 

What constitutes Bughz

Bughz means harbouring resentment towards someone to the extent that the person remains preoccupied with and wishes for the other person coming to harm, being defamed, falling ill, incurring financial loss or being harmed in some other way.

Treatment of Bughz

Mufti Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said that Bughz usually arises from Hasad (jealousy), so to get rid of Bughza person first needs to get rid of Hasad. The treatment of Hasad has been described elsewhere in this book, but in short, the easiest and best treatment for Hasad is to start praying to Allah Ta’ala on a regular basis for the betterment and welfare of the person one is jealous of.

In terms of preventing oneself from developing Bughz, Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that “stop harbouring expectations from people. When you stop expecting from them, then Insha’Allah resentment and enmity will never enter your heart.”

The other treatment Hadhrat Thanavi RE recommended was that whenever you do good to someone, do it solely with the intention of pleasing Allah Ta’ala. If you do that, then you will never wait for them to return the favour to you. In that case, if they do not treat you well in the future, you will never develop resentment towards them or feel betrayed, because your intention always was to please Allah Ta’ala only, it was not to get a return favour from that person.

Bukhl

(بخل, miserliness)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“Those who withhold in miserliness what Allah has given them out of His grace should not take it as good for them. Instead, it is bad for them. They shall be forced, on the Doomsday, to put on what they withheld, as iron-collars round their necks. To Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth. Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (3:180)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 

“Save yourself from Bukhl because it destroyed previous nations.”

Imam Ghazali RE said that Bukhl is in effect love of material wealth. Love of material wealth makes a person’s heart turn towards this temporary life and weakens his love for Allah Ta’ala. When dying, such a person is so distressed by the thought of leaving all his beloved material possessions behind that he is not looking forward to meeting Allah Ta’ala. It has been narrated in a Hadith that “the person who does not look forward to meeting Allah Ta’ala at the time of dying, will go to Hell.” (Arba’in) 

Material wealth is not completely undesirable as it is the vehicle for a person to  travel through this life. It is completely permissible to earn as much wealth as a person needs. However, becoming preoccupied with earning more than that is a recipe for disaster. The Holy Prophet ﷺ had said, 

“O’ Aisha, if you want to meet me, then as much Dunya (material wealth) should suffice you as a traveller carries, that until your clothes need repair do not remove them. O’ Allah! Give the dependents of Muhammad only as much sustenance as they need, otherwise they will be destroyed.”

What constitutes Bukhl?

In the terminology of Shariah, Bukhl means having so much love for money and wealth that one does not spend it even on occasions when Shariah dictates that it should be spent. 

The three degrees of Bukhl

There are three degrees of Bukhl.

The first and lowest degree of Bukhl (miserliness) is that a person has so much love for money in his heart that he feels really distressed when he has to spend it. However, he suppresses his internal impulses and wishes and forces himself to spend it where Shariah says it should be spent.

The second degree of Bukhl is that a person spends money where it is made compulsory by Shariah such as paying Zakat and meeting the most basic needs of his dependents. However, he does not spend it on occasions where Shariah encourages and expects people to spend their wealth but has not made it legally compulsory, for example, spending to provide comfort and a good quality of life for one’s dependents, or spending it on voluntary charity. This second degree of Bukhl may be in keeping with the letter of Shariah but not the spirit of it.

The third degree of Bukhl is when a person has such love of money that he does not spend it even when Shariah has mandated it, for example, paying Zakat. This degree of Bukhl is Haraam and is a major sin.

The cognitive treatment of Bukhl

The cognitive treatment of Bukhl is that a person should reflect on it that Bukhl leads to both infamy in this world and destruction of his Aakhirat (hereafter). Whatever material wealth a person possesses, will remain in this world and will not accompany him to his grave. 

The wealth a person has been given, has been given to him to spend in this world to fulfill his and his dependents’ needs. 

If he chooses to spend it all on seeking his pleasures, then he would be empty handed in Aakhirat as he would not have sent any of his wealth forwards to the next life by way of charity. 

If he keeps saving it all and does not spend any of it, then he will just leave it to his inheritors at the time of his death. It means his children will be happy and comfortable, but what benefit would he have drawn from his own wealth, either in this life or the next one? 

If a person ponders on all this hopefully it will become easier for him to get rid of his Bukhl and spend money where he needs to spend it.

The behavioural treatment of Bukhl

The behavioural treatment of Bukhl is that a person should ignore and suppress his Nafs’ proclivities and force himself to spend money where Shariah demands or encourages to spend it. When the time to spend comes, the person should remind himself of all the benefits of spending money in accordance with Shariah’s teachings, both in this world and the next one, and then make himself spend the money even if his heart opposes it. If he keeps doing it over a period of time, gradually he will get rid of his Bukhl and his spending habits will fall in line with Allah Ta’ala’s wishes and commands. 

Israaf

(اسراف, Spending wastefully)

Islam preaches moderation in every walk of life. Just like being too miserly is a sin, similarly being too spendthrift and spending money wastefully has also been declared a sin in Islam.

While describing the characteristics of the subjects of Rahman, Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“- and those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, and it (i.e. their spending) is moderate in between (the two extremes,)” (25:67)

And

“…and do not be extravagant. Surely, Allah does not like the extravagant.” (6:141)

And 

“…And do not squander recklessly. Surely, squanderers are brothers to satans, and the Satan is very ungrateful to his Lord.” (17:26-27) 

Tabzeer (تبذیر) and Israaf (اسراف)

The Holy Qur'an has expressed the sense of spending wastefully through two words: (1)Tabzeer (تبذیر), translated as 'squandering recklessly.' (2) Israaf (اسراف): extravagance. 

Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib DB said that Tabzeer means spending money on heads where Shariah has forbidden Muslims to do so, for example, drinking alcohol, gambling, or other sinful activities. It does not matter whether a person spends only a little or too much money on these expenditures, it remains Haraam (unlawful) either way. 

On the other hand, Israaf means spending money on heads where it was permissible to spend money in itself, but a person is spending wastefully and extravagantly on it. For example, it was permitted to spend money on clothing and other material comforts commensurate with one’s income and was Halal. But if a person starts spending money on it extravagantly, just wanting to compete with other people and with the intention of showing off, to the extent that he ends up in debt, or puts his family in financial difficulties, then that degree of expenditure becomes Haraam.

How to judge if one is spending wastefully?

Hadhrat Thanavi RE has used the example of a house to illustrate which degree of spending is permissible, and which is wasteful and a sin. 

He said that the first reason a person spends money on buying or making a house is to seek shelter from the elements and animals. So, he can just erect four bare walls with a roof on top, which will protect him from rain, wind and wild animals. He called it رہائش (living).  

The second reason a person may spend money on a house is to make it comfortable, for example he puts comfortable furniture in it so that he can sit or lie comfortably, or puts windows in the house to get cool air. Hadhrat Thanavi RE called it آسائش (comfort). 

The third reason a person may spend money on his house is that while the house provided shelter and was comfortable, but the bare walls did not look good to his eyes. So he got the walls painted and planted some plants and grass in front so that the house looks good to his eyes. Hadhrat Thanavi RE called it آرائش (decoration).

The fourth reason a person may spend money on his house is to make it look so grand that other people would say “wow, what a grand house, the owner of this house must be a very rich person”. So, he didn’t spend so the house would look good to his eyes. He spent money to impress other people. This he called نمائش meaning show off.

Hadhrat Thanavi RE then said that is permissible to spend to meet basic needs رہائش, to obtain comfort آسائش, to make it look good to one’s own eyes آرائش, but it is Haraam to spend money on showing-off نمائش. These principles can be extrapolated to many other avenues of spending.

Treatment of Israaf

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that if a person thinks that he spends wastefully, or if another person has pointed out to him that he spends wastefully, he should do two things to stop himself from do so;

The first is that before spending, he should reflect whether he would come to any harm, whether of Dunya or Deen, if he did not spend on that occasion. The harm to Dunya (worldly loss) might be that if he got sick and did not spend money on his treatment, he might not be able to work and end up in financial difficulties. The harm to Deen might be that he has to spend money to meet some essential needs of his wife and children, and if he did not do so they would come to some harm, and it is one of the dictates of Shariah that a person should spend money to meet necessary expenditures of his family as much as he can afford it. 

Hadhrat Thanavi further said that it should be real harm, not imagined harm, for example, a person thinking that if he did not arrange a grand feast on his child’s marriage, people would think that he is a miser. 

If the person concludes that there will be no harm if he didn’t spend on that occasion, then he should not spend on that occasion. If he does think that there will be real harm if he didn’t spend on that occasion, then he should consultant someone, who is trustworthy and has good judgment with regards to money, as to whether and how much he should spend. If he keeps doing this for a period of time, then Insha’Allah (God willing) he will develop good judgment about spending money, and will stop spending wastefully.

Hubb-e-Jah

(حبِّ جاہ, love of status)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“As for that Ultimate Abode (the Hereafter), We assign it to those who do not intend haughtiness on earth nor mischief. And the (best) end is for the God-fearing.” (28:83)

The Holy prophet ﷺ said,

“Two wolves cannot harm a herd of goats as much as love of status harm a pious Muslim’s Deen.” (Arba’in)

What constitutes love of status?

Imam Ghazali RE has written that love of status means that a person wants to influence and control other people, and wishes that they become subservient to him, keep praising him, rush to fulfil all his needs, and be prepared even to lay their life down for him. 

Every human being has a natural desire that people respect him and honour him, to one extent or the other. But some people believe that they are so unique in their qualities and abilities that there is no one else like them. Imam Ghazali RE says that, in fact, this belief is true for Allah Ta’ala only, and only suits Him, because being the One and Only is His quality. So, the person who wants to be unique and better than everyone else, is actually wanting to be equal to Allah Ta’ala (may Allah forgive us). 

It is a fact that no one human being can become superior to every other human being, but they still wish that at least they conquer the hearts of as many people as they can so that people become subservient to them, start believing in theirgreatness, show them utmost respect and honour, and they become famous in all corners of the world. 

The outcome of love of status

Every human being has to die one day. When that day comes he will leave behind whatever status and fame he has managed to achieve in this life. So, even if he was successful in earning great fame and status, amassed great wealth, what would be the ultimate benefit of it, if it is going to be razed to dust when he dies? True success is earning something which will stay with a person forever and which even death can’t erase, and that is Allah Ta’ala’s approval, in that even after his death, Allah Ta’ala’s approval will stay with him. 

Cognitive treatment of love of fame and status

Imam Ghazali RE used to say that when someone praises a person, he should reflect on what they are praising him for. If they are praising him for his wealth or status, these are temporary attributes. We see people’s fortunes changing, and rich and famous people becoming destitute and losing their status, all the time. Even if it doesn’t happen to someone in this life, everyone is destined to lose their wealth and status at the time of their death and leave it behind anyway. 

If they are praising him for his piety, then are there two possibilities. Either he is truly pious, and their praise is correct, in which case he should have learnt that what is truly important is that a person earns Allah Ta’ala’s approval, and that what people say is immaterial. If he is not pious and these are false praises because people don’t know enough about him, then no one can be more stupid than that person if he starts believing in his own greatness because of what random people say about him, and does not judge himself according to how Allah Ta’ala wants him to behave. 

Hadhrat Thanavi RE used to say that all human beings are full of flaws and sins all the time. Who amongst us can claim that they have never committed a sin? If someone praises a person for his piety, he should immediately think of all his sins and should thank Allah Ta’ala that He has hidden his sins from everyone. Otherwise, if people came to know about all his sins, they would have spit on his face rather than praise him.

Behavioural treatment of love of fame and status

Hadhrat Thanavi RE used to say that if people praise a person to his face, he should stop them from doing so. He should not do it like the way some people say, “I am nobody” hoping that the other person would say “no, no Hadhrat, you are really a great person.” Rather, he should do it so firmly that it should stop the other person from praising him anymore.

The other behavioural remedy is that the person should deal very humbly and with great respect with people who are lower than him in status in some way, for example, in wealth, or being his employees or subordinates. He should stand up to greet them when they come, he should move forward to greet them, he should not sit till they sit, and he should accompany them to the outside when they are leaving. If he keeps doing this, he will Insha’Allah develop humility, and will get rid of his love of status and being treated as a special person by everyone else.

Hubb-e-Dunya

(حبِّ دنیا, love of material wealth)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

Translation: “Woe to every backbiter, derider, who accumulates wealth and counts it. He thinks that his wealth has made him eternal. Never! He will certainly be thrown into the Crushing Fire.” (104:1-4)

And 

“Surely, We have made what is on earth an adornment for it, so that We test them as to who among them is better in deeds.” (18:7)

In a hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 

“Love of Dunya is the root of all sins.”

In his famous Mathnavi Maulana Rumi said,

ہم خدا خواہی و ہم دنیائے دوں

ایں خیال است و محال است و جنوں

It means that if a person wants to have love of God in his heart, and also wants to have love of Dunya (material world) in his heart, this is impossible. 

Imam Ghazali RE has said that it is important to understand that this Dunya and its accessories are a vehicle for this life. When a person lives in this world, he needs food when he feels hungry, he needs water when he feels thirsty, he needs a roof over his head, and to obtain all of these he needs some source of income. How is it possible then that when a person consumes and needs all of these, he does not develop some degree of attachment or attraction towards any of these? Maulana Rumi has explained this with an allegory.

آب اندر زیر کشتی پشتی است 

آب در کشتی ہلاک کشتی است

Maulana Rumi said that a person’s heart is like a boat, and his material needs and wealth are like water. Just like a boat can’t float without water, similarly, a human being needs money, clothes, food, water, house, to live in this world. However, just like water is only useful when it is beneath and around the boat, but will sink the boat if it enters it, similarly, all these material possessions are useful only as long as they remain outside the person’ heart, but the day their love enters a person’s heart, they will destroy it.

The limits of love of Dunya

Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Usmani DB once narrated this story that during the Khilafat of Hadhrat Omar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) once the treasures of Kusra (ruler of Persia) were captured and send to Madinah Munawwarah, and there were mounds of gold and silver laid out in Masjid Nabvi. Upon seeing this Hadhrat Farooq Azam RAA prayed that “O’ Allah! We do not pray that You completely eradicate the love of this wealth from our hearts as You have Yourself said in the Noble Qur’an,

It has been made attractive for people to love the desired things; that is, women, children, hoarded heaps of gold and silver, branded horses, cattle and tillage... (3:14)

But we do pray to You that O’ Allah! May this love of Dunya not become a barrier for us in carrying out our religious obligations, and does not lead us to committing any sin.”

It has been narrated in Ma’ariful Qur’an that when migration from Makkah was made mandatory for all Muslims, there were some Muslims who did not migrate from there because of their love for their family, or their land or business. At that time, these verses of the Noble Qur’an were revealed in which Allah Ta’ala declared,

Translation: (O’ Prophet!) Say (to Muslims), “If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your spouses and your clan and the wealth you have earned and the trade you apprehend will recede and the homes you like are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and Jihad in His way, then, wait until Allah comes with His command. Allah does not lead the sinning people to the right path.” (9:24) 

In the interpretation of this verse, Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that look at Allah Ta’ala’s mercy that He did not forbid Muslims from earning Halal sustenance, and did not forbid them from love of Dunya which is less than their love for Allah Ta’ala and His Prophet ﷺ. He only forbade them that their love for Dunya should not exceed their love for Allah Ta’ala and the Holy Prophet ﷺ. 

How to find out which love is stronger?

Now, how to find out which of these two loves is stronger, love for Dunya, or love for Allah and His Prophet ﷺ? Hadhrat Thanavi RE replied that the easy way to identify this is that if a person’s love for Dunya leads him to disregarding and neglecting the commandments of Allah Ta’ala and His Prophet, for example, his love of wealth leads him to earn it through Haraam (unlawful) means as well, then it means that his love of Dunya has superseded his love for Allah Ta’ala and His Prophet ﷺ.

On the other hand, if a person tries to earn Halal income with the intention that he will try to fulfil his and his family’s permitted needs with it, and takes care that no amount of Haraam income mixes with his Halal income, then Insha’Allahhe will be following this hadith,

کسب الحلال فریضة بعد الفریضة

Meaning that earning a Halal income is the foremost obligation after fulfilling Fard (compulsory) obligations.

Cognitive treatment for Love of Dunya

Mufti Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) has said that the treatment of love of Dunya is that a person reflects again and again on the reality of this world. Referring back to the verse quoted at the beginning of this section, in that verse Allah Ta’ala has made a promise which is true beyond any doubt. And the promise is that the person who keeps accumulating wealth and keeps counting it, should not think that his wealth will make him eternal. He will definitely die one day, and then he will be thrown into the Crushing Fire. Hadhrat said that if a person should keep reminding himself frequently of that day, that is the Day of Judgment, it will greatly reduce the risk of him being so enamored by this material world that he forgets the Hereafter.

Imam Ghazali has written this hadith in Arba’in that once the Holy Prophet ﷺ was going somewhere with the Holy Companions. On the way, he saw a dead baby of a goat whose ears were cut, and its decaying smell was spreading. He pointed to it and asked his companions, “Who will buy this dead baby goat for one Dirham?” The Companions replied, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ, even if this baby goat was alive, nobody would have been prepared to buy it because of its deformed ears. Who will buy it when it is already dead?” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “This whole world, and all the wealth in it, is even more worthless to Allah Ta’ala than this dead baby goat is worthless to you.”

A person needs to keep reminding himself that one day he is going to die, and no one knows whether that day is going to be today, tomorrow, or the day after. No one knows if they will be alive even after one hour. And when that time comes, we will have to leave behind all the material wealth we have gathered and accumulated, as we will not be able to take any of it with us. Then why keep spending all our energies on accumulating something which is so fickle, and not spend it on accumulating good deeds for the life which is going to be forever?

Behavioural treatment of love of Dunya

Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that the practical treatment of love of Dunya is what Allah Ta’ala has described in the Holy Qur’an while narrating the story of Qarun,

“And seek the (betterment of) the Ultimate Abode with what Allah has given to you, and do not neglect your share from this world, and do good as Allah did good to you, and do not seek to make mischief in the land…” (28:77)

Qarun was one of the richest people at the time of Hadhrat Musa (Moses, peace be upon him). Allah Ta’ala did not order him to give away all his wealth. Rather, He commanded him to seek the betterment of his Aakhirat through that wealth by keeping his share from it but, (1) doing good to others by sharing his wealth with them, as Allah Ta’ala had done good to him by giving him that wealth, and (2) not using his wealth to create mischief, which refers to both earning wealth through Haraam means e.g. stealing, robbery, interest, gambling, and not spending it on Haraam activities.

Once, during a discussion, Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that not harbouring love of Dunya in one’s heart does not mean that a person should stop earning a halal income, and give away all his belongings. If a person can observe the following practices, then Insha’Allah it will lead to a great reduction in his love of Dunya.

-       He should make a firm resolution that he will never earn another cent through Haraam means.

-       He should make a firm resolution that he will never spend another cent on Haraam activities.

-       He should keep observing Allah’s Shukr on all the blessings that Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon him.

Giving Sadaqah regularly

On another occasion, Hadhrat said that a person should make a habit of giving away some money as Sadaqah in addition to the Compulsory Sadaqaat (such as Zakat). The best way of doing that is that it has been the practice of our wise elders that they separated a certain proportion of their income, for example, five percent, ten percent, or twenty percent, as soon as some income came in, and put it in a separate envelope with the intention of giving it away as Sadaqah. It was Hadhrat Thanavi’s practice to take out 20% of his income. The advantage of doing is that when an opportunity to spend on Sadaqah arises, then the person does not have to pressure himself to take it out of his expenses. Rather, that envelope keeps reminding him to find a purpose for it.

No money to give Sadaqah

Hadhrat further said that when people are encouraged to spend in the way of Allah, then they often come up with this excuse that I have no spare income to give away. I say to them that do you not even have one rupee to give away? If a person has one hundred rupees, and he spends one rupee out of those one hundred rupees on Sadaqah, Insha’Allah he will get the same thawab as the person who has one hundred thousand rupees and spends one thousand rupees out of that amount on Sadaqah. Allah Ta’ala does not value our amounts. He values our intention and our Ikhlas (sincerity of intention). 

Takabbur

(تکبّر, arrogance, grandiosity)

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah Ta’ala says that (Hadhrat) Luqman (peace be upon him) advised his son,

“And do not turn your cheek away from people, and do not walk on the earth haughtily. Surely, Allah does not like anyone arrogant, proud.” (31:18) 

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 

“A person who has Takabbur even equal to a grain of Rye in his heart, will not go to Paradise.”

What constitutes Takabbur?

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that “a person believing himself to be superior to others to a degree that he starts believing everyone else to be inferior to him, is Takabbur.” What it means is that if, because of one of his attributes, for example, his knowledge, his piety, his lineage, his wealth, or his appearance or health, a person starts believing himself to be superior to others, and others inferior to himself, then this belief is called Takabbur. 

There is a similar character trait called Ujub (عجب, self-love) in which a person likes himself and considers himself to be good and virtuous, but does not believe others to be inferior to him. It will be described in detail later.

The counter-trait to Takabbur is Tawazu’ (تواضع, humility) in which a person believes himself to be inferior to others, and others to be better and more pious than himself.

Once the write asked Mufti Taqi Usmani DB, “does developing Tawazu’ mean that a person should develop inferiority complex?” He replied, “No! A person who has an inferiority complex keeps complaining that he was deserving of more, but was given less (by Allah Ta’ala). On the contrary, a person who has Tawazu’ (humility) in his heart, believes that I really did not deserve anything, it is only Allah Ta’ala’s mercy that He blessed me with so much.”

What if a person does have more knowledge, or wealth, than someone else?

The question is that a person may in fact have more knowledge than someone else. How does then he believe the other person to be more knowledgeable than himself? Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that it is possible that a person may have memorized the whole Qur’an, and another person may have memorized only a few Surah. In that case, if the first person believes that he knows more Qur’an than the second one, then this is not Takabbur, this is a fact. Similarly, if another person knows that he is wealthier than some else, then this is not Takabbur. The reality of Takabbur is not that a person believes that he knows something more or has more wealth than someone else. It is Takabbur only if the person thinks that because he has more knowledge or more wealth than someone else, therefore, they are superior to them or better than them. 

Hadhrat Thanavi RE used to say that, on the contrary, if that person believes that he does have more knowledge and more wealth than someone else, but he has not earned it solely through his own efforts, it is a blessing from Allah Ta’ala, it is only through His mercy that Allah Ta’ala has granted him this wealth, He can always take it away from him and give it to someone else whenever He wishes, then there is great reward for holding such beliefs. Similarly, if he also believes that even though he has more knowledge or greater wealth than someone else, but his good deeds may be so much greater and weightier than mine that he may be much closer to Allah Ta’ala than me, then holding such beliefs is an act of great merit. 

On the other hand, if someone starts believing that whatever knowledge and wealth he has, he has earned it solely through his own efforts, as Qarun is reported to have said in the Holy Qur’an,

“He said, “This is given to me because of the knowledge (I have) with me…” (28:78) 

He starts feeling proud of his knowledge or wealth, and because of that he starts believing himself to be superior and others to be inferior, then this becomes Takabbur.

The three stages of Takabbur

The first stage of Takabbur is that of involuntary thoughts or cognitions. In this stage, a person unintentionally gets these thoughts in his mind that he has greater knowledge or wealth than someone else. However, as long as he does not keep intentionally thinking such thoughts, does not feel proud of his positive attributes, and does not act on such thoughts, he will not be held accountable for such unintentional thoughts, and they do not constitute a sin. 

The second stage of Takabbur is that a person starts thinking deliberately and actively about such thoughts, and starts taking pride in it, that he has more knowledge, wealth, or higher status than others, and therefore he is better than them. If a person starts deliberately thinking about such matters, then he would be held accountable for such thoughts. He should try his best not to think such thoughts and stop them from coming into his mind. 

The third and most severe stage of Takabbur is that his thoughts of pride and arrogance start having an impact on his behaviour, for example, he starts belittling and humiliating people, and starts acting as if he is superior to them, and everybody is inferior to him. This stage or degree of Takabbur is within a person’s control. It is a major sin, and it must be treated vigorously.

Signs and symptoms of Takabbur

There are no blood tests or X rays through which Takabbur can be diagnosed. The only way to find out if someone is suffering from Takabbur is through their speech or their behaviour. A person usually knows whether they think they are superior to or better than others. But because they actually believe this to be true, they have no insight that they are suffering from the spiritual illness of Takabbur. When a person embarks on the path of self-improvement, they need to keep informing their Shaykh about the sort of beliefs they hold about themselves and other people, and the way they behave with people, and on the basis of that description the Shaykh can then diagnose whether they are suffering from Takabbur or not.

Takabbur can be suspected when a person always keeps boasting about his knowledge, his wealth, his pedigree, and keeps trying to prove that his attributes are better than everyone else’s, and he keeps praising his abilities and prowess. Similarly, there are some behaviours which, if present, suggest that a person may be suffering from Takabbur, for example, he always makes an effort that people treat him much more deferentially than other people, he always walks as the leader of a group, he always tries to sit at the head of a table or a meeting and considers it his right, he looks down upon other people and treats them in a condescending/belittling manner, he always tries to put other people down, he gets upset if others don’t treat him with great honour, or he does not like it when someone tries to give advice to him, etc.

Treatment of Takabbur

Sufi saints have said that Takabbur is such a grave spiritual illness that unless a person gets it treated first, he cannot really make much progress on the path to self-improvement. That is why it is crucial to weaken and attenuate this trait of Takabbur right at the beginning of this journey of self-improvement, so much so that a person stops voluntarily thinking about being better than others, and such thoughts stop having an impact on his attitude and behaviour. 

The treatments of Takabbur are of two types; cognitive, meaning changing his thoughts and beliefs, and behavioural, meaning changing his actions and behaviour.

Imam Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) has written that people usually have thoughts of Takabbur in four areas; knowledge, piety, pedigree, and wealth or appearance and looks. Even though their treatment is generally similar, but the changes in thoughts and behaviour a person needs to bring in order to treat his Takabbur changes slightly based on which of these areas he is predominantly getting thoughts of Takabbur in.

Cognitive treatment of Takabbur

Imam Ghazali RE has written that one of the cognitive treatments of Takabbur is that a person should reflect on what his true reality is, and where he has come from. What was his beginning, and what is going to be his end? His beginning was a drop of dirty water. His end would be becoming dead meat and becoming nutrition for insects and bacteria. In between, he is carrying such filth within his tummy all the time that if it was outside, he couldn’t bear to touch it. If the cover of skin that is wrapped around him and hides all his waste is taken off and people can smell his internal smells, no one would come near him.

Humans make these tall claims that they have advanced so much, they can do so much now, they have such powers now, but the reality is that they are tiny orgasms on a tiny sphere among millions and billions of such spheres in a universe the width and breadth of which they have no idea about. They have no control over which moment they would be born in, and no control over the timing of their own death. And yet they make such boasts about their powers. A person can neither obtain knowledge or wealth without Allah’s will, as many people try to obtain these but fail, and they cannot keep them without Allah’s will, as many scholars forget all their knowledge once they develop dementia, and many rich people become destitute and beggars after a turn in their fortunes. How can then a human being be proud of such fleeting attributes?

The person who feels proud of his piety should remember that it is the state of a person’s Iman (faith) at the time of his death that counts, and no one can be certain which state of Iman they will die in. Iblis (Satan) was famous for his worship, and we all know how he ended up because of Takabbur. 

Hadhrat Thanavi RE used to say we know about our sins with certainty, but only have superficial knowledge of other people’s sins. How can then we think that we are better than them? He used to say that I believe every Muslim to be certainly better than me, and every non-believer to be possibly better than me. It is because only Allah Ta’ala knows how strong the Iman in someone’s heart is, and who is going to die on Iman and who on Kufr. How can then a person relax and start believing that his death will be better than that of others?

Hadhrat Thanavi RE used to say that I am willing to swear on it that I believe myself to be worse than dogs and pigs. It seems difficult to understand in the beginning, but when a person starts becoming more insightful about his flaws and sins, and realizes that one day he will be held accountable for every word he says and every deed he commits, while animals won’t be held accountable in this manner, he begins to realize that animals would be better than him on the day of Judgment if his balance of sins will be heavier than his balance of good deeds. It is Allah Ta’ala’s great mercy that He has hidden the inner thoughts and feelings every human being gets, from every other human being. If all our private thoughts, feelings and actions became public, we would have not been able to show our faces to anyone, and the people who treat us with respect today, would have spat in our faces. 

Behavioural treatment of Takabbur

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that the most important practical treatment of Takabbur is that the person should treat those people who he believes to be inferior to him, with great respect and honour in front of everyone. He should stand up when they come, should greet them with humility, should say Salam to them first, should praise them in front of other people, should humble himself in front of them. It would be really painful for him to do these things at first, but Takabbur is such a severe affliction that unless a person practices behavioural treatments along with cognitive ones, it is extremely difficult to get rid of.

The other behavioural treatment Hadhrat Thanavi has mentioned is deliberately doing things that usually crush a person’s ego, for example, putting the shoes of the people coming to masjid in order, but there are certain risks attached to doing so, including Takabbur becoming even worse if a person starts doing this following his own opinion, because he may then start thinking that he is so humble that he does such menial activities. Therefore, these activities should not be adopted without guidance from a Shaykh.

A preventative measure against Takabbur

One other preventative measure which protects people from Takabbur is that a person should live amongst people just like they live. He should not try to distinguish himself from other people, and should not try to distance himself from them. Some people become recluses, they try to avoid meeting people, and try to stand out from everyone else. Some people make an effort that everybody knows that their food, their house, their clothes, their ride, is better and more prominent than everyone else’s. These behaviours increase the risk of Takabbur.

On the other hand, if a person lives amongst people just like they live, behaves like everyone else, dresses like everyone else, lives like everyone else lives, and tries not to distinguish himself from other people, then his risk of Takabburdecreases considerably. Wise elders have said that the first step on this path of self-improvement is crushing one’s ego, and in this context crushing one’s ego means trying to lose oneself among the crowds, and trying not to stand apart from them that this person is someone special.

Ujub

(عجب, loving oneself, narcissism)

In the Holy Qur’an Allah Ta’ala says,

“…So, do not claim purity (from faults) for your selves. He knows best who is God-fearing.” (53:32)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

“Loving oneself (خود پسندی) destroys a person.” (From Arba’in)

What constitutes Ujub?

Ujub is closely related to Takabbur. However, while in Takabbur a person believes that he is superior to other people and others are inferior to him, in Ujub the person doesn’t compare himself with other people. Rather, he believes that he is perfect in every way. He believes he is someone important and worthwhile in this universe. He believes that whatever blessings Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon him, for example, health, wealth, knowledge, or ancestry, were his inherent right and he was entitled to them. He does not consider them to be a blessing from Allah Ta’ala, and has no fear that they might be taken away from him.

If this love of oneself elevates to a level that the person starts believing that he is someone important and has an exalted status in sight of Allah Ta’ala, then this called Naaz (ناز, I could not find an exact word to reflect this, the closest would probably be self- entitled). The effect of such beliefs is that he gets surprised when one of his supplications is not accepted. He wishes that Allah Ta’ala would destroy the people who oppose him, and when that does not happen, he gets surprised that how could it be that prayers of someone like ‘him’ would not be accepted and his enemies wouldn’t be struck down.

Imam Ghazali RE has said that it is great stupidity that a person starts feeling proud of his Ibadaat, and starts believing himself to be someone important to Allah Ta’ala and being important in this universe. 

On the other hand, if a person feels happy with what he has, while clearly recognizing that it is all a blessing from Allah Ta’ala, and that any of these attributes such as his wealth, his health, his knowledge, can be taken away from him at any time, then this is not Ujub. Having wealth or knowledge, or even feeling happy about it, is not Ujub, as long as a person keeps thanking Allah Ta’ala for it. What makes it Ujub is when the person starts believing that he has obtained these attributes entirely through his own efforts and his own abilities (as against being a blessing from Allah Ta’ala), he believes that he will always have them, and that they are his right, he is entitled to them.

Treatment of Ujub

In general, people feel proud of two types of attributes. The first type is those attributes which are beyond a person’s control to obtain, and Allah Ta’ala has distributed these amongst human beings as He saw fit in His infinite wisdom. For example, people feel proud of their appearance, or their ethnicity, while in reality they had zero control over whether they were born beautiful or not, or whether they were born in Europe or Africa. The same applies to which skin colour a person was born with, or which family they were born in.

The second type of attributes people feel proud of are those attributes which people have some control over obtaining, for example, knowledge, or wealth.

The treatment of feeling proud of both of these types of attributes is different.

Treatment of feeling proud of involuntary attributes 

None of us had any choice in whether we were born healthy or unhealthy, able or disabled. We had no choice in being born beautiful or not beautiful. Imam Ghazali RE has said that how stupid is it that one starts boasting about attributes he had no control over or choice in obtaining, and which were decided for him by someone else? If we do have any such attributes, it is purely Allah Ta’ala’s blessing upon us that He granted us those positive attributes without any entitlement on our part. 

Imam Ghazali RE has further said that it is very important to remember that all of these attributes are temporary. We can lose them for so many reasons, such as illnesses, accidents, or advancing age. Those who were kings become paupers. Those were immensely powerful get a stroke and can’t even move their hand. How can any wise person boast and feel arrogant about something which he may not possess tomorrow?

Treatment of feeling proud of voluntary attributes (e.g., knowledge or piety)

Imam Ghazali RE has said that it is true that human beings have been give choice through which they decide whether to do good deeds or bad deeds, whether to pursue knowledge or not.  But it is Allah Ta’ala who grants a person the ability to become a scholar, grants circumstance conducive to achieving that goal, grants him motivation and focus to keep pursuing that goal. All of these factors are totally under Allah Ta’ala’s control. How can a person ignore all those blessings all along the way, and start feeling proud of his accomplishments as if he has achieved them all by himself? How many people we know of who keep trying to gain knowledge, wealth, or status, but never succeed due to one reason or another?

What is wise is that a person expresses gratitude (says Shukr) to Allah Ta’ala, and acknowledges that it is Allah Ta’ala mercy upon him that He granted all these blessings to him, while he was no more entitled to them than anyone else. When a person starts believing that whatever he has is due to Allah’s mercy, then he will also remember that Who can give it to him without any reason, can also take it away from him without any reason. When a person has both these beliefs in his mind, then he will never feel too proud of or arrogant about his accomplishments, will always have Allah’s fear in his heart, and will easily get rid of Ujub.

Riya

(ریا, showing off)

“…and We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment, and (for) those who spend their wealth only to show people, and do not believe in Allah and the Last Day… (4:37-38)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever performed salah to show off, committed shirk; and whoever fasted to show off, committed shirk; and whoever gave in charity to show off, committed shirk.” [Ahmad, as cited by Mishkat]

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

“What fills me with grave apprehensions about you is the minor shirk.” The Companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah, what is the minor shirk?” He said: “Riya (i.e. to do a good deed just to show off).” [Ahmad, as cited by Mishkat]

In another hadith, it has been narrated that on the Day of Qiyamah, a Ghazi, a scholar, and a philanthropist will be presented in Allah Ta’ala’s court. All three of them will mention their Jihad for the sake of Allah, their learning and teaching of Deen, and the charity they gave away. Allah Ta’ala will say in response, “You performed all these actions solely with the intention of showing-off to people, so that people would say so and so is a great warrior, a great scholar, a great philanthropist. When you have achieved the objective for which you performed these actions, then what right have you got remaining?” And they will be sent to Hell. (Arba’in)

What constitutes Riya?

Riya means that rather than performing an Ibadat (act of worship) with the sole intention of seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval, a person performs an Ibadat with the intention of pleasing people and seeking their approval to earn some material gain, praise, name, or fame. Because the sole purpose of Ibadat should be to seek Allah Ta’ala’s approval, performing it to seek people’s approval has been termed minor Shirk (associating partners with Allah Ta’ala), because it is as if the person is performing an Ibadat to please human beings. (May Allah Ta’ala protect us)

Reasons why Riya is Haraam (unlawful in Shariah)

Imam Ghazali RE has said that Riya is Haraam for two reasons.

The first reason is that this person is deceiving other people into influencing their hearts by pretending to be a pious person, and wants to get some material gain from their misperception, and deception is Haraam. Shariat has laid down such strong principles about it that if a person is giving money to another person making it look like as if he is giving him a gift, but in reality he is giving the other person a loan, such deception is Haraam and a sin. 

The second reason is that committing Riya is a great disrespect to Allah Ta’ala. It is like a person is standing in front of Allah Ta’ala to fulfil His commandment, to show his subservience and servitude to Allah Ta’ala, but in reality, all this time his intention is not to seek Allah Ta’ala’s approval, but to seek human beings’ approval. (may Allah protect us all from it. Aameen)

Degrees of severity of Riya depending on Ibadat

The first and highest degree of Riya is when it is performed in core Iman (faith), like hypocrites at the time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ who did not have Iman in their heart but pretended to be a Muslim because of worldly gains or considerations, or social pressure. Even these days, sometimes people have lost their faith, but continue to pretend to be Muslim, so that their families would not get upset with them, or cut off relations with them. This is such a great sin that Allah Ta’ala has said in the Holy Qur’an,

“Surely, the hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire, and you shall never find for them a helper.” (4:145) 

The second degree of Riya is in Ibadaat, for example, a person praying Namaz when he is with people who are all praying it because of social pressure, but never praying it when he is alone. It means that this Namaz was prayed because of what people would say, and not because of what Allah Ta’ala would say. Even though this degree of Riya is less severe than the first degree of Riya described above, but is still a great sin and minor Shirk.

The third degree of Riya is that, for example, a person does pray Fard (فرض) Namaz regularly whether alone or with people, but performs more Nafl Ibadaat when people are watching so that people would say how pious he is, and also performs Fard Ibadaat differently in front of people from how he would pray them when alone, for example, reciting longer Surah, performing longer Ruku’ and Sajdah, and pretending to have more Khushu’. This degree of Riya is less severe than Riya in Iman and in Faraid (فرائض), but is still severe enough to destroy his Deen.

Variation in severity of intention of Riya

Imam Ghazali RE said that the severity of the sin of Riya can vary depending on the severity of intention of Riya. One situation is that the intention of Riya may be total or absolute, in the sense that the person never intended to perform an Ibadat, and he just prayed Namaz without Wudu because of peer pressure, or pretended to fast in front of people while eating and drinking when alone. Obviously all these acts of worship are being performed solely with the intention of making people happy, rather than making Allah Ta’ala happy, so are a great sin. 

The second situation is that a person did intend to perform an Ibadat, but this intention got mixed up with Riya. There are three degrees of severity of intention of Riya which can happen in these situations; 

The first degree of severity of intention is that his primary intention was to pray Namaz, and even if he was alone, he would have prayed it in exactly the same way as he is praying it in front of people. However, because someone saw him praying, he felt a bit good in himself and enjoyed praying Namaz more. If his primary intention and Namaz were unaltered, it is hoped that Allah Ta’ala will accept his Ibadat and reward him for it. 

The second degree of severity of intention of Riya is that the intention of Ibadat is secondary, and the intention of what people would say is primary, for example, a person does not perform nowhere near as much Ibadat when alone, as he does in the presence of people. It is unlikely that this Ibadat will be accepted if the majority and dominant part of his Niyyat (intention) is to seek people’s approval. This will be considered pure Riya and is likely to earn grave punishment.

The third degree of severity of intention of Riya is that the intention of Allah Ta’ala’s worship, and the intention of Riya, are about equal to each other. Only Allah Ta’ala knows how He will deal with a person whose intention is as much to pray to people as to Him, but carries a grave risk of His displeasure.

Treatment of Riya

Riya is such a grave spiritual illness that it puts the acceptance by Allah Ta’ala of all of the Ibadaat performed by a person throughout his life at risk. Therefore, it should be treated vigorously. There are three main reasons why people perform Riya; love of being praised by people, fear of being judged and criticized by people or being harmed by them, and greed for some material gains. The treatment of Riya performed because of each of these three reasons is slightly different.

Treatment of first cause of Riya i.e. love of praise

The treatment of love of fame or praise by people has already been described earlier under Hubb-e-Jah that this worldly fame and name are fickle. Imam Ghazali RE said that people’s opinions can always shift for any reason, or no reason at all, as we see all the time. Even if they don’t change, all this fame and praise will stay behind once we die. The only thing that will matter then will be what Allah Ta’ala thinks of and says about us, and not what people said about us. 

Once the writer asked Mufti Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) that “if someone has a desire that other people praise him, though he has no intention to obtain any material gains from it, is it still wrong?” Hadhrat replied, “It is still wrong. If a person gets a desire that other people praise him, then he should think that even if someone praises me, what would I really gain from it? What he said was a few words that disappeared in thin air. Now all he can do is that either he asks this person repeatedly that please say those words again and again, or keep reminding himself of what this person said and keep enjoying it. What benefit would he obtain from that? What benefit does a person really get from another person’s praise?”

Imam Ghazali RE said that the other treatment of Riya secondary to desire of being praised by other people is to remind oneself of the hadith that this craving for being called brave, knowledgeable or charitable will leave us empty-handed on the Day of Qiyamat, as Allah Ta’ala would say that you received the rewards you wanted for your endeavours, i.e. fame and name in that world, there is nothing for you here (in the Hereafter) now. 

Treatment of Riya due to fear of criticism or harm

Imam Ghazali RE said that we need to remind ourselves that if Allah Ta’ala is happy with us, then nothing that people can think, say, or do can truly harm us. A person may harm us temporarily, but that harm is nothing compared to the harm that engaging in Riya will cause us in the Hereafter. Also, people’s hearts are in Allah Ta’ala’s control. If we truly obey Allah Ta’ala with the intention of pleasing Him only, then it is likely He will turn the same people’s hearts towards us, and they may become our friends.

Treatment of Riya due to greed

Imam Ghazali RE said that a person must keep reminding himself that if we perform Ibadat with an intention to obtain some worldly gain, then it is uncertain whether we will achieve those worldly gains or not, but it is absolutely certain that we will earn Allah Ta’ala’s great displeasure. How wise is it to earn a definite, great loss at the risk of some temporary, uncertain gain? If a person turns all his wants and expectation towards Allah Ta’ala, then Allah Ta’ala becomes responsible for fulfilling all his needs, and the benefits he will get in the Aakhirat will be in addition to these worldly benefits.

Should we perform Ibadat publicly or privately?

Because of the risk of Riya, many people wonder whether they should offer all their Ibadat privately. Some even hesitate about going to the masjid for praying Namaz in Jama’at (congregation), worrying whether it would lead to Riya. 

Wise elders have said that, in general, it is preferable to perform Fard (فرض) Ibadat publicly, and Nafl Ibadat privately. One of the reasons for this is that most people do not feel proud after performing Fard Ibadat, as these have to be performed anyway. It is performing Nafl Ibadat that people take pride in, and think that they are doing what most other people are not doing, hence the risk of Riya. Therefore, it is best to pray all Nafl Namaz and give Nafl Sadaqah in private. 

It was the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he only prayed Fard Namaz in masjid with Jama’at, and prayed all theNafl Namaz at home.

Should we stop praying Salah if we get a doubt about Riya?

Hadhrat Haji Imdadullah Mahajir Makki sahib (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say that,

"ریا کے اندیشے سے عبادت کو چھوڑنا نہیں چاہیے، کیونکہ اوّل ریا ہوتی ہے، پھر عادت ہو جاتی ہے، پھر عبادت ہو جاتی ہے۔"

What it means is that people should not give up Ibadat because they develop a doubt whether they are doing it because of Riya. Rather, they should keep performing it, because if they keep doing it, it will become routine, and Insha’Allah they will eventually develop the pure intention of doing it to please Allah Ta’ala only.

Some other wise elders have said that a person should not start an Ibadat because of what people would say because that would be Riya. However, if they are in the routine of performing a Nafl Ibadat at a particular time privately, they should not stop because somebody else has come and will see it. They should keep performing it as per their routine. The reason is that just like it is Riya to start an Ibadat because of what people would say, similarly, it is Riya to stop performing an Ibadat just because of what people what would say. A Muslim’s only consideration when deciding to perform or not perform an act of worship should be what Allah Ta’ala would say. What people would say should not be a consideration.

Riya is an intentional act

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that Riya is an intentional act. It is only Riya if a person performs an Ibadat, or performs it differently from his usual practice, with the deliberate intention that people will praise him. However, if a person routinely performs an Ibadat, and someone just happens to see him, and he gets a doubt about what that person would think, but never develops the deliberate intention of doing it better, and does not alter what he was doing because of what people would say, then this is not Riya.

Riya and three stages of Tauheed (Oneness of Allah)

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that there are three stages of Tauheed. 

The first stage is Tauheed in belief (توحیدِ اعتقادی). It means that a person believes that Allah Ta’ala is the One and Only in both His being as in there is no one like Him, and in His characteristics and qualities in that no one has the powers that Allah Ta’ala has. 

The second stage of Tauheed is Tauheed in intention (توحیدِ قصدی). It means that a person makes Allah Ta’ala the sole and exclusive focus of all that he does and does not do. For example, if he does something, he only does it because Allah Ta’ala wants him to do that, and if he abstains from doing something, he only abstains because Allah Ta’ala wants him to stay away from doing that. If a person does everything only with the intention of pleasing Allah Ta’ala, and gives up whatever he gives up with intention of avoiding Allah Ta’ala’s displeasure, then he cannot be suffering from Riya.

The third stage of Tauheed is Tauheed in existence (توحیدِ وجودی). It means that a person believes Allah Ta’ala to be solitary in His existence, the impact of which would be that he should not be influenced by existence of anyone else in that he does not fear anyone else and does not have any expectations from anyone else. He should believe that there is no one besides Allah whom one can fear or expect from. Clearly if a person does not fear anyone beside Allah, and does not expect anything from anyone beside Allah, he cannot suffer from Riya.

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that the first two stages of Tauheed are required and compulsory. The third stage is of a very high degree and is not obligatory for everyone, though it does facilitate the first two stages of Tauheed in existence and Tauheed in intention.

Badgumani and Tajassus

(بدگمانی اور تجسّس, thinking ill of others and undue curiosity)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“O’ you who believe, abstain from many of the suspicions. Some suspicions are sins. And do not be curious (to find out faults of others), and do not backbite one another. Does one of you like that he eats the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful.” (49:12)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said;

“Harbour good thoughts towards believers.” (Islahi Majalis vol. 1, p 215)

What is meant by ‘Zann’ and ‘Tajassus’?

‘Zann’, the actual word used in the verse, which in Urdu can be translated as Badgumani (بدگمانی), refers to thinking ill of others, and believing that others have done bad things or are carrying bad intentions, without any real evidence.

Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that in Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ used two different words. “Do not do ‘Tajassus’ and do not do ‘Tahassus’.”

Tajassus (تجسّس, undue curiosity) means trying to find out another person’s faults, regardless of whatever means a person has to adopt to achieve that goal. 

Tahassus (تحسّس) means trying to find out someone’s secrets which the other person is trying to hide, for example, by trying to eavesdrop on someone’s private conversation. 

In this Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has declared both of these to be Haraam.

The two stages of Zann

Explaining a quote by Hadhrat Thanavi RE, Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that the first stage of Zann is that a person gets an involuntary thought against someone in his mind unintentionally. For example, a person sees someone coming out of a hotel in Ramadan and gets a thought that this person may not be fasting. As long as it is just a passing thought, this person does not start firmly believing it, and does not start acting on it, it is not a sin, and the person will not be held accountable for it.

The second stage of Zann is that, using the example above, the person starts firmly believing that this other person must have gone to the hotel to eat so he must not be fasting, or he must have gone there to break his fast. This degree of thinking ill of others in which a person starts firmly believing bad things about others without any evidence is Haraam.

Some people go even further and start expressing their baseless suspicions in front of others with certainty that this person is not fasting, and even start telling lies that I had myself seen him eating at a hotel during fasting times. This is an even greater sin.

Zann can lead to Tajassus

In the verse quoted above, Allah Ta’ala first says ‘abstain from suspicions’, and then says ‘do not be curious’. Mufti Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said that the sequence of these commands implies that people are being ordered not to hold suspicions against people without any clear evidence, but they are also being told that even if they do have suspicions, they should not start investigating other people’s flaws and weaknesses based on their suspicions. 

Treatment of Zann and Tajassus

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that,

“The core motivator behind Badgumani (thinking ill of others), Tajassus (undue curiosity), and Gheebat (backbiting) is Takabbur (arrogance). In fact, a Mutakabbir (a person harbouring Takabbur in his heart) feels fully satisfied only after performing backbiting. Badgumani and Tajassus are only its precursors. If a person commits Badgumani and Tajassus, but does not do backbiting, it will not serve its purpose. Therefore, backbiting is the gravest of these spiritual ills.”

It means that a person performs Badgumani and Tajassus only so that he can gossip about other people’s flaws, whether real or imagined, in front of everyone, and prove that he is such a good and pious person, and is better than everyone else. 

If a person keeps other people’s mistakes to himself, or finds out about other people’s flaws but does not tell anyone else about them, then his grandiosity and arrogance will not be satisfied. Therefore, his core objective, which is proving everyone else inferior to him and himself superior to everyone else, is achieved only when he commits backbiting, tells everyone about other people’s weaknesses, and tries to degrade and denigrate them in front of everyone. That is why, amongst all these sins, backbiting is the greatest one.

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said;

“The real treatment of thinking ill of others (Badgumani), undue curiosity (Tajassus), and Gheebat (backbiting) is to adopt Tawazu’ (humility), and remove Takabbur (arrogance) from one’s heart. 

But until one gets rid of these core spiritual illnesses, he should treat his illness of Gheebat in the following way; (1) reflect and ponder before he says anything, (2) fix some fine on himself if he does slip up (and commit Gheebat), and (3) divert his attention towards Allah Ta’ala’s Dhikr (remembrance) when he gets bad thoughts about others.” 

Developing Tawazu’

Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that the correct way of developing Tawazu’ is to develop a mentorship relationship with an established Shaykh, inform the Shaykh about any of his thoughts or behaviours that may make him think that he may be suffering from Takabbur, and then follow the Shaykh’s recommendations. However, until a person can find a suitable Shaykh, a person should reflect on his own reality. Do I have any positive attributes that truly belong to me? Or all these attributes a gift from Allah Ta’ala? If I am healthy, can I be sure that I will remain healthy forever? If I have knowledge, if I have wealth, can I claim that I can preserve these forever all by myself, without any help from Allah Ta’ala (Ma’az Allah)? Whatever good we have, whether it be money, knowledge, beauty or health, is a gift from Allah Ta’ala. He can take it back whenever He wishes, and we cannot keep any of those against His will. 

The day we truly come to believe in our hearts that everything good about me is a gift from Allah Ta’ala, I am nothing by myself, I am no one, that day we will develop true humility Insha’Allah.

Reflect and ponder before speaking

Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that it has been narrated in a hadith that people will be pushed face down in Hell because of the actions of their tongue. If a non-Muslim of seventy years recites the kalimah before his death he will go straight to Paradise. If a Muslim of seventy years expresses disbelief (kufr)in Allah Ta’ala before his death he will go straight to Paradise. That is why when a person is about to say something, he should stop for a moment and reflect whether what he is going to say will lead him to Hell or Paradise.

Whenever someone asked Imam Shafa’i (may Allah have mercy on him) a question, he remained quiet for some time and did not answer the question immediately. Someone asked him, “Hadhrat, when people ask you questions, you remain quiet for some time before answering.” He replied,

“I remain quiet until it becomes clear to me whether it is better to speak or stay quiet.”

Perform Allah’s Dhikr

Another treatment to get rid of bad thoughts about other people is to turn towards Allah’s Dhikr. Start reciting Astaghfirullah (seeking forgiveness from Allah), recite Kalimah, or some Tasbeeh, and divert your attention away from thinking bad things about other people.

Listening to other people’s conversations surreptitiously

Hadhrat Thanavi said;

“Listening to other people’s conversations surreptitiously is included within the meaning of ‘Tajassus’ (undue curiosity). If a person is sitting behind a screen or a partition where two people talking can’t see him, he should let them know that he is sitting there, or should sit where they can see him.”

It means that deliberately eavesdropping on other people’s conversations without their knowledge is Haraam and is a sin. If two people start talking and someone is sitting where they can’t see him and don’t know that he can hear what they are saying, he should let them know that he is sitting there, so that they do not say anything inadvertently that they wish to keep secret from him. Similarly, if two people start speaking in a different language clearly wanting to keep their conversation private from a third person but the third person knows that language, he should let them know that he understands that language.

Fear and Hope

(خوف اور رجا)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“…Only those of His slaves fear Allah who are knowledgeable…” (35:28)

And the Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

“Iman (faith) is between fear and hope.” (Arba’in)

When a person is alone and no one is watching him, or when he holds such a status that he has no fear of consequences of what he does, it is only Allah Ta’ala’s fear which makes a person do good deeds and makes him abstain from performing bad deeds. It is this fear of Allah which stops a person from committing bad deeds which is called Taqwa.

Fear means worry and distress about something undesirable or unpleasant happening in the future. A person can only develop Allah Ta’ala’s fear when he is cognizant of Allah Ta’ala’s exalted attributes and powers. When a person becomes mindful of the fact that Allah Ta’ala has absolute control over all human beings and all that happens to them, He can do as He pleases at any moment, and there is no being or entity in this entire universe who can oppose His wishes and desires, then he develops fear of Allah automatically. 

Imam Ghazali RE said that if we want to develop fear of Allah Ta’ala, we must reflect on Allah Ta’ala’s greatness and the fact that He does not need anything from anyone. We need to remember that Allah Ta’ala has created Paradise and has determined that some people will go to paradise. He has created Hell and determined that some people will go to Hell for all eternity. How do we know what has been destined for us, whether we will go to Paradise or Hell? How can then that person not be afraid who does not know whether he will go to Hell or Paradise? The only person who does not fear Allah is the one who has no cognizance or awareness that one day this decision is going to be made about what his final abode is going to be.

The people who have been one of Allah Ta’ala’s most obedient servants such as the Prophets (peace be upon them) and the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them), are the ones who have had the greatest fear of what will happen to them in the Aakhirah (Hereafter). Hadhrat Umar Farooq RAA used to say that “I wish my mother had never given birth to me.” Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq RAA said addressing a bird, “I wish I was a bird like you so that I would not have been held accountable for following Allah Ta’ala’s commandments. I wish I was never born.” Hadhrat Abu Dhar Ghaffari RAA said, “I wish I was a tree so that I had been cut down.” (all these quotes are from Arba’in)

People who have true awareness of Allah Ta’ala’s greatness, and the fact that Allah Ta’ala does not need anyone, can never be free of Allah’s fear. The only people who are free of Allah’s fear are the ones who are neglectful of the facts that they have to die one day, that they will be held accountable one day for all the deeds they have performed in this life, and that they need to do certain things in this life to make the next one better. 

Different degrees of fear of Allah 

Hadhrat Thanavi RE has said that there are different degrees of fear of Allah Ta’ala. 

The first degree is that a person believes that, on the Day of Qiyamat, if the balance of their sins is heavier than the balance of their virtues, they will be sent to Hell as punishment. This belief is a condition of Iman. If a person does not hold even this degree of fear of Allah, they are committing disbelief (kufr).

The second degree of fear of Allah is that when a person gets an impulse to commit a sin, he reminds himself of the verses of the Holy Qur’an in which warnings have been issued that if a person commits a sin he risks bringing Allah Ta’ala’s wrath upon himself, and thus stops himself from committing that sin. This is Fard (compulsory). If a person does not have this degree of fear of Allah, it is not Kufr (disbelief) though it is a sin. 

The third degree of fear of Allah is that a person immerses himself so much in Allah Ta’ala’s worship that he is mindful of Allah Ta’ala’s greatness and the verses about punishment for sin all the time. This degree is Mustahabb which means that if a person achieves it, it carries great merit, but it is not compulsory for every Muslim.

Excess of fear is bad too

Fear of Allah is a tool that drives a person towards making his Aakhirat better. Just like any other tool, it is only desirable up to the point where it facilitates a person obeying what Allah Ta’ala has commanded him to do, and abstaining from what Allah Ta’ala has told him not to do. Excessive fear, which leads to person to become hopeless and subsequently stops him from continuing to make an effort, is undesirable. 

In a Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Iman (faith) lies midway between fear and hope.” (Arba’in)

Hadhrat Umar Farooq RAA once said, “If Allah Ta’ala declares that among all the people there is only one person who will go to Paradise, I will hope that it would be me. If Allah Ta’ala declares that among all people there is only one person who will go to Hell, I will fear whether that would be me.”  This is the balance between hope and fear.

Which is more useful, fear or hope?

Imam Ghazali RE has said that when a person is young and healthy, he should try to keep fear of Allah predominant, because at this time fear is needed to crush and control one’s innate desires. On the other hand, in older age or poor health, especially when a person is near-dying, they should keep hope predominant. It is because in both old age and ill-health, it is difficult for a person to perform Ibadaat anyway. On top of that if they develop too much fear as well, it would paralyze them then they won’t even be able to perform the little Ibadat they would have been able to perform otherwise. 

In a Hadith it has been narrated that “at the time of dying a Muslim should harbour good expectations towards Allah Ta’ala.”

Difference between hope and wishful thinking

Imam Ghazali RE has said that some people do not bother to perform any good deeds, and still keep making flippant statements like “Allah Ta’ala is very merciful, Allah Ta’ala is very forgiving.” While in itself these statements are true, but not obeying Allah Ta’ala’s commandments, not abstaining from sins that Allah Ta’ala has ordered Muslims to abstain from, and still hoping that Allah Ta’ala will forgive them as He is very merciful, is unjustifiable optimism and wishful thinking. Imam Ghazali RE has likened it to a farmer who does not sow any seeds, but is hoping that trees will start growing in his land. This is because Allah Ta’ala has clearly said in the Noble Qur’an,

“As for those who believed and those who migrated and carried out Jihad in the way of Allah, they hope for Allah‘s mercy: and Allah is Forgiving, Very-Merciful.” (2:218)

This implies that the person truly deserving of remaining hopeful of Allah Ta’ala’s mercy is the one who first Allah Ta’ala’s commands, and then hopes for Allah’s mercy.

The required degree of Allah’s fear and love, and how to attain it

Hadhrat Thanavi RE has said that for both fear and love of Allah, the required degree is that which does not make a person neglectful of performing his other duties that he needs to perform. This is only possible when he is not preoccupied with fear and love to the same degree all the time. Rather, there should be times when he is preoccupied with fear and love of Allah and not thinking about his worldly chores, and there should be times when he is focusing on carrying out his other activities but in his heart, he is always attuned to Allah’s fear and love. An example of this is living during the times of an epidemic when a person is thinking about it to some degree almost all the time, but does not stop eating or drinking or performing other necessary chores. The way to achieve this state of remembering Allah Ta’ala all the time is to reflect on death frequently, and pray like a person who knows his life is about to come to an end.

Zuhud

(زہد, Asceticism, renunciation)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“Know well that the worldly life is but a play and an amusement, and a show of beauty, and exchange of boastful claims between you, and a competition of increase in riches and children. (All this is) like a rain, the growth of which attracts the farmers, then it withers, and you see it turning yellow, then it becomes straw. And in the Hereafter there is a severe punishment (for the disbelievers), and forgiveness from Allah and (Allah‘s) pleasure (for the believers and the righteous). The worldly life is nothing but a material of delusion.” (57:20)

And while narrating the story of Qarun (قارون) in the Holy Qur’an Allah Ta’ala says,

“Then (once) he came out before his people in his embellishment. Said those who are desirous of the worldly life, “Would that we had the like of what Qarun has been given! He is a man of great fortune indeed.” And said those who were given knowledge, “Woe to you, Allah’s reward is much better for him who believes and acts righteously. But this is given to none but to those who observe restraint.” (28:79-80)

What does ‘Zuhud’ mean?

Imam Ghazali RE said that true Zuhud is that a person has no love and attraction in his heart towards material wealth and possessions, and does not turn towards it despite having the ability to earn more of it. Zuhud does not mean that a person has no material possessions or does not earn a living, it means that a person endeavours to earn only as much wealth as he needs, and becomes content with what he has, just like a traveler carries only as much baggage as he absolutely needs during a journey.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever Allah Ta’ala makes a Zahid (a person who has Zuhud in his heart), He inserts wisdom in his heart, makes him aware of the treatment of illness of (having too much love for) Dunya, and removes him unadulterated from this temporary life to the house of safety.” Then he said to the Sahabah, “Observe modesty in front of Allah.” The Sahabah RAA replied, “O’ Prophet of Allah! We do observe modesty.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Why do you construct houses in which you are not going to live, and why do you accumulate what you are not going to eat? Remember! A person’s Iman becomes perfect when he prefers anonymity to fame, and loves the dearth of every worldly possession to its excess. Understand clearly! When a person becomes Zahid in this world, then Allah Ta’ala loves him, and when Allah Ta’ala loves a person, then His created beings also love him.”

Degrees of Zuhud

Imam Ghazali RE has written that the lowest degree of Zuhud is that a person’s Nafs (inner-self) is attracted towards material wealth, but he forces himself to remove this love of Dunya from his heart and to stop himself from earning more wealth than he strictly needs. This is the preliminary stage of Zuhud.

The second stage of Zuhud is that a person’s Nafs hates this material world so much that he has no attraction towards it. He understands that it is impossible to combine the pleasures of this world with the blessings of the next one. Therefore, he is happy to give up material comforts and possessions for the blessings of the Hereafter.

The third and highest degree of Zuhud is that the presence or absence of material wealth becomes the same for a person, and he starts thinking that these worldly possessions are a miniscule droplet of all the blessings Allah Ta’ala has created, therefore, there is no particular excitement if one gets it, and no regret if one does not get it or loses what one had. At this stage a person neither loves this material world nor hates it. This is the highest degree of Zuhud because one only hates something one gives some importance to. 

Once Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) received a hundred thousand Dirham. She did not hate it or decline it. She took it, and spent it all on deserving people the same day. Later on, her maid reminded her, “O’ mother of Momineen! You should have kept at least one Dirham so that you could buy some meat to do Iftar with it today.” She replied, “If you had reminded me earlier, I would have done it. Now there is nothing remaining.” This degree of Zuhud is called Ghina (غنا).

Imam Ghazali RE says that some ignorant people believe that increase of their wealth is Ghina (غناء), and claim that because there is no love of material wealth in their hearts, therefore, this excess of wealth is not harmful for them, but this is a fallacy. Just see how they react if someone suddenly steals all of their wealth. If they react in the same way to their wealth being stolen as they would have to a stranger’s wealth being stolen, only then believe their claim that there is no love of Dunya in their heart and it makes no difference to them if their wealth stays or goes. But if they get distressed upon losing their wealth, then their claim is not correct.

Difference between Zuhud and Fuqr (فقر, poverty)

Zuhud means that a person has the ability to earn wealth, but is so disinterested in it that material wealth chases him and he tries to avoid it. If the situation is on the contrary that a person wants to gain material wealth but remains unsuccessful, then this is not Zuhud, this is Fuqr. 

Even though Fuqr does not hold the same status as Zuhud, but it is also a blessing from Allah Ta’ala. 

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that “Allah Ta’ala protects His virtuous subjects from Dunya just like you protect a sick relative from eating unhealthy things. The Fuqrah (poor people) of my Ummah will enter Paradise 500 years before the rich people. When you see a Faqeer be happy and say ‘welcome, the person of the path of the virtuous people’.”

How to achieve Zuhud?

The primary objective of Zuhud is to eliminate love of Dunya (material wealth and possessions) from one’s heart. There are different pathways to achieve it.

Imam Ghazali RE has written that sometimes fear of Hell and its tortures become a motivator for a person to develop Zuhud. This Zuhud is called Zuhud of the fearful. It is the lowest degree of Zuhud. 

The second degree of Zuhud is that a person develops such attraction towards the blessings of the Hereafter that he loses any attraction towards the blessings of this temporary life, and this becomes a motivator for him to develop Zuhud. This is a higher degree of Zuhud than the Zuhud of the fearful.

And the highest degree of Zuhud is that a person gives up everything that is ‘not Allah’, meaning he has no attraction for anything besides Allah Ta’ala. This is true Zuhud.

Hadhrat Thanavi RE has said that to become Zahid a person should ponder frequently on the fact that this world is going to come to an end one day, should keep reflecting on the fact that he is going to die one day, and to spend in giving Sadaqah (voluntary charities) in addition to the compulsory charities like Zakat.

On another occasion, Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that the way to attain Zuhud is to cut off all expectations of gaining any material benefit from any human being. If a person does this, his heart will be at peace, as Zuhud brings peace and tranquility to both a person’s heart and his body.

Sabr

(صبر, patience, steadfastness)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“O’ you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient.” (2:153) 

Mufti Muhammad Shafi (may Allah have mercy on him) has written in Ma’ariful Qur’an that it has been narrated that on the Day of Judgment people will hear a call, “Where are the Sabirun (people who observe Sabr)?” At this, those who had been persistent in observing all three types (to be explained shortly) of Sabr will stand up, and they will be allowed to enter Paradise without having to present the account of their deeds.

What is meant by Sabr?

The Arabic ward ‘Sabr’ is usually translated in English as ‘patience’, but in Arabic it comprises of a much broader concept. According to Ma’ariful Qur’an, in the terminology of the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, Sabr has three modes: - 

(1) Restraining oneself from what the Shari’ah has declared to be illegal or impermissible (Haraam). 

(2) Forcing oneself to be regular in the observance of the different forms of worship, and to be steadfast in obeying the commandments of Allah and the Holy Prophet ﷺ. 

(3) To endure all kinds of trouble and pain - in other words, to understand clearly and to believe that it is the will of Allah to make one suffer, and to hope that one shall receive a reward for this suffering.”

Imam Ghazali RE has written that the true meaning of Sabr is remaining steadfast on Allah Ta’ala’s commandments while opposing one’s natural wishes and desires, and it is only human beings who can attain Sabr. It is because human beings have two opposing forces working on them and trying to control them. The first force is Allah Ta’ala’s army which comprises of angels, a person’s ability to reason, and Shariah, whose objective is to keep people steadfast on the straight path of guidance. The second force is that of Satan which comprises of a person’s innate desire to be angry and aggressive, his internal desires, and Satan’s minions. This force wants to keep human beings under their control and make him follow all his desires and wishes unchecked by Shariah. A wise person has to learn to be able to tell the difference between these two forces and oppose the armies of Satan and his own Nafs (inner-self). If he is able to achieve this objective and remain steadfast on Allah’s guidance, then has achieved Sabr. 

In contrast to humans, animals only have desires and do not have the ability to reason, and angels have only been created with the instinct to follow Allah Ta’ala’s commands and do not have inner desires of their own, therefore, neither can achieve the status of Sabr. Because human beings have been born with both innate desires, as well the ability to reason and find the right path for themselves, therefore, they are the only ones who can suppress their internal desires in subservience to Shariah, which is what Sabr is. 

The highest degree of Sabr

Imam Ghazali RE has written that the highest degree of Sabr is that a person is able to completely eliminate his innate desires and drives, to the degree that he no longer has the ability to oppose his wish to follow Allah Ta’ala’s commandments at all. These are the ones for whom it has been promised in the Holy Qur’an that it will be said to them, 

“(As for an obedient man, it will be said to him,) "0 content soul, come back to your Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing. So, enter among My (special) servants, and enter My Paradise." (89:27-30) 

The lowest degree of Sabr

Imam Ghazali RE said that the lowest degree of Sabr is that a person gives in completely to the desires of his Nafs and the impulses created by Satan, and all his actions are dictated by these two drivers. These are the ones about whom Allah Ta’ala said to Iblis (Satan),

“He (Allah) said, “Get out of here, condemned, rejected. Indeed, whosoever will follow you from among them, I will fill Hell with all of you together.” (7:18) 

There are two signs that a person has this lowest degree of Sabr. The first sign is that this person says that “I want to perform Taubah (repentance), but I don’t think I will be able to stick to it, and that is why I don’t even have the desire to perform it now.”

The second sign is that the person does not even want to perform Taubah and says that “Allah Ta’ala is very-Merciful and Munificent. He does not care about my Taubah. If He sends me to Paradise without me performing Taubah, then Paradise would not be overfilled, and there would be no shortage in His mercy.” This short-sighted person has preferred this meagre life to Allah Ta’ala’s nearness, and has become so enslaved to his internal wishes and desires that he has even lost interest in seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval and forgiveness. May Allah Ta’ala protect us all from this fate. Aameen

The medium degree of Sabr

The medium degree of sabr is that the battle between Allah Ta’ala’s army and the Satanic army keeps raging on. Sometimes one wins, and sometimes the other. Neither is able to totally defeat the other. 

The sign of this degree of Sabr is that this person is able to give up weak desires, but gives in to strong desires. Sometimes he succeeds in giving up sins, and sometimes he fails at it. However, he does regret it when he engages in sins, and keeps trying to overcome his undue desires. 

A person needs to keep observing Sabr his entire life as there are only two states in this world; either things happen in accordance with a person’s wishes, or they happen against his wishes.

Observing Sabr in good times

If a person has been blessed with everything according to his own wishes, for example, health, wealth, offspring, status, fame, then he needs to practice Sabr a great deal. It is because if he does not keep a tight rein on his wishes and just follows them without any restraint, then his Nafs will lead him astray. Imam Ghazali RE has written that the blessed Sahabah (may Allah have mercy on them all) said that we were able to do Sabr when we were poor, but when we got tested with excess and plenty, then we were unable to do Sabr. (Arba’in)

Observing Sabr in good times means that a person’s heart should not be too attached to this material wealth and comforts, and he should remember that everything he has, has been granted to him by Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala has entrusted him with these blessings, and they will soon be taken away from him. Therefore, while he has them, he should do Allah Ta’ala’s Shukr (expressing gratefulness) for those blessings, and should not feel sad if he loses them. And if this person forgot Shukr and Sabr, and started following the desires of his Nafs blindly, then he will be called neglectful.

Observing Sabr in difficult times

Imam Ghazali RE has further written that the second situation is that a person’s circumstances are not in line with his wishes. There are four different scenarios in which a person may be required to observe Sabr in difficult times.

1.     Remaining steadfast in obeying Allah’s commandments

The first type of Sabr in this situation is that a person obeys all the commandments which his Nafs (inner-self) finds burdensome and difficult to follow. For example, some people may find it difficult to pray Namaz because of their laziness, find it difficult to pay Zakat because of miserliness, and find it difficult to perform Hajj and Jihad because of both laziness and miserliness. In such circumstances, no matter how burdensome and difficult a person finds it to follow these commandments of Allah Ta’ala, he should force himself and suppress his Nafs’ innate desires, and follow these commandments. 

2.     Sabr on abstaining from sins

The second type in Sabr in this situation is to abstain from sins, especially those sins which his Nafs is used to and which he really enjoys. It is particularly difficult to abstain from habitual sins because in this situation Allah Ta’ala’s army, i.e., a person’s knowledge of Deen and his reason, have to battle two armies, one being the Satan, and the other being his own lifelong habits, and especially if it is habits of sins which are very easy to commit and do not require any money to be spent, such as Gheebat (backbiting), telling lies, fighting with others, and boasting about his own virtues. As a person only his to move his tongue to commit these sins, it takes great effort to stop oneself from committing these sins.

3.     Sabr on being hurt by other people

The third type of Sabr is to remain patient when things happen which are beyond a person’s control, but they can extract revenge for them. For example, a person gets hurt by someone he has the ability to take revenge from, but he observes Sabr and abstains from taking any revenge. This type of Sabr is Wajib (necessary) in some situations and Mustahabb(desirable, supererogatory) in others, and this was the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.

4.     Sabr in distressing circumstances

The fourth type of Sabr is remaining patient in circumstances which are completely beyond a person’s control, in that they have no ability for any remedies for it, for example, death of a close relative, losing one’s wealth, or developing a serious illness. Observing patience and remaining steadfast in all these circumstances is included in this fourth type of Sabr. Allah Ta’ala has promised in the Holy Qur’an,

“…Certainly those who observe patience will be given their reward in full without measure.” (39:10)

How to know if we were observant of Sabr, or not?

Once a person asked Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib (may Allah preserve him) that “Hadhrat! How do we do Sabr? I mean if we encounters difficulties in our life, we tolerate them somehow anyway. How do we know whether we did it with Sabr, or not?” Hadhrat replied, “The way of observing Sabr is that whenever a person comes across difficult situations and events he should reflect on it that ‘Yes, I don’t understand why I am experiencing these difficulties. And this situation is very distressing for me. But in my heart Alhamdulillah I am happy with what Allah Ta’ala has decided for me. I have no complaint towards Allah Ta’ala. I know that whatever situation I am in, is for my ultimate benefit, whether I understand its benefit right now, or not.’ A person should keep reminding himself of this. This is what Sabr really is.”

Shukr

(شکر, expressing gratefulness to Allah Ta’ala)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

“…and be grateful to Allah, if it is He whom you worship (in real terms).” (2:172)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

“Allah is pleased with His slave if, when he eats something, he thanks Allah for it, and when he drinks something, he thanks Allah for it.”

It was reported that the Prophet ﷺ stayed up all night, standing until his feet became swollen, and cried a lot during Tahajjud. Once Hadhrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him, “O’ Prophet of Allah! Allah Ta’ala has forgiven all your past and future wrong actions. Why do you cry so much?” He replied: “Should I not be a grateful slave?” (Arba’in)

Shukr is an endgoal in itself

Imam Ghazali RE said that the status of Shukr is very exalted, and higher than Sabr, fear, Zuhud, and Taubah(repentance). The reason is that all these other attributes are not the ultimate objective in themselves, but are the means to an end. For example, Sabr is required to crush the desires of one’s Nafs, fear is required to act as a whip to keep driving a person towards his ultimate objective, and the purpose of Zuhud is to cut oneself from all those attractions and relationships that detract a person from focusing his attention on seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval. One the other hand, Shukr is an attribute that is required all by itself and for its own sake, and that is why Shukr will exist in Paradise too and Allah Ta’ala’s subjects will perform Shukr for Allah Ta’ala’s blessings there, while Taubah, fear, Zuhud and Sabr will not be required to performed or practiced in Paradise.

Imam Ghazali RE further said that there are three components of Shukr.

The first component of Shukr i.e. feeling (حال) and action (عمل)

The first component of Shukr is knowledge, meaning learning about the blessings upon us, and the One who showers those blessings upon people. It also includes the understanding that all good things are blessed to us by Allah Ta’ala. All the means and ways for those blessings to reach us are in Allah Ta’ala’s control. Not even a particle can move without His will, nor anyone can acquire any good things unless He wills it. And two things happen as a result of this understanding, the first is developing love and affection for the One who has blessed us with everything, the second is becoming more active in obeying His commandment and will.

The second component of Shukr i.e. the blessing being an instrument of obedience

The second component of Shukr is that a person become happy with the good things he has been blessed with solely because they are a gift from Allah Ta’ala. There are three reasons for this happiness;

The first reason is that the blessings will fulfil his needs and make his life more comfortable. This is not true Shukrbecause it focuses only on the blessing, not the One who blessed that person with it.

The second reason is that these blessings show that Allah Ta’ala is happy with him, and in the future he may get even greater blessings. This is a weak degree of Shukr because while a person acknowledges the One who has blessed him with these good things, he is still focused on those good things and other good things he might get, and not focused on the One who blessed him with these good things.

The third reason is that he may use these blessings to further seek Allah Ta’ala’s approval. This is true Shukr because Shukr really means that a person becomes happy with the good things he gets because they will become a vehicle for him to earn Allah Ta’ala’s further approval and nearness. Its sign is that he does not get so occupied and happy with these good things that he becomes neglectful towards Allah Ta’ala and forgets performing Allah’s Dhikr (remembrance). 

The third component of Shukr i.e. using Allah’s blessings in His worship

The third component is action, meaning using every good thing Allah Ta’ala has blessed us with in His obedience. This can only happen when a person has a clear understanding of why human being have been created and what is the true purpose of each blessing that Allah Ta’ala has granted us with. For example, our eyes are a blessing from Allah Ta’ala, and the true Shukr for this blessing is that these are utilized in reading the Holy Qur’an and books that enhance our knowledge of Deen, and looking at and pondering over this world, the moon, the sun and the stars to appreciate Allah Ta’ala’s greatness, and to stop oneself from looking at those things that Allah Ta’ala has prohibited us from looking at. Similarly, our ears are a blessing, and the true Shukr of this blessing is that these are utilized in listening to Allah Ta’ala’s Dhikr and those things which will make our Aakhirat better, and we stop ourselves from listening to sinful and useless things. In the same way, keep the tongue busy in remembering Allah Ta’ala, performing His Shukr and praises, and refraining from complaining about any adversities we may be experiencing, and keep performing Allah’s Shukr. The Shukr of heart and mind is to keep them busy in pondering about Deen, attaining good morals, and keeping it pure and safe from bad morals. 

In summary, the true Shukr of all our organs, our wealth, our honour, is to utilize them all in Allah Ta’ala’s obedience.

Ikhlas and Sidq

(اخلاص sincerity of intention, and صدق absolute truthfulness)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

Say: “Would you argue with us about Allah, when He is our Lord as well as your Lord? For us our deeds, and for you your deeds! And we are faithful to Him.” (2:139) 

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

"Verily, the reward of deeds depends on the intention, and a person will be rewarded according to what he intended.”

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said, “Ikhlas is that if a person intends to perform a good deed, he performs it with purity of intention, and does not harbour any other intention besides that of performing that good deed.”

It means that when a person forms an intention to perform an Ibadat, for example Salah, he performs that Ibadat purely with the intention of seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval through it, and does not harbour any impure intentions, for example, that when people see him performing that Ibadat they will think he is a very pious person.

Hadhrat Thanavi RE further said that “Sidq means achieving perfection in the Ibadat a person intends to perform, for example, praying Salah in the way which Shariah has termed the perfect Salah (صلوٰة کاملہ), meaning praying it with all its internal and external etiquettes. Similarly, in all other good deeds, Sidq means performing them to the perfect standard as prescribed by Shariah.

Imam Ghazali RE said that the core of Ikhlas is a person’s intention (نیت), as it is a person’s intention that is pure or impure. Ikhlas means purity of intention in the sense that a person performs an action with a single intention alone, and there is no mixing of another intention with the one originally intended. When Ikhlas becomes perfect it is called Sidq.

Performing an action with the intention to seek Allah Ta’ala’s approval

Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’an,

“while they were not ordered but to worship Allah, making their submission exclusive for him with no deviation, and to establish Salah and pay Zakah . That is the way of the straight religion.” (98:5) 

This verse clearly tells us that the sole purpose of worshipping Allah Ta’ala should be seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

“Allah Ta’ala will make rivers of wisdom flow from the heart of the person who performed an Ibadat with Ikhlas for forty days.” (Arbai’in)

Imam Ghazali RE has written that some people’s good deeds will be presented before Allah Ta’ala and Allah Ta’ala will say, “throw these away because this person did not perform these good deeds with an intention to seek my approval.” When some other people’s balance sheet of good and bad deeds will be presented Allah Ta’ala will command, “add such and such good deeds to his balance sheet.” The angels would say, “O’ Allah! He did not perform those good deeds.” Allah Ta’ala would reply, “He had made an intention to perform those good deeds, and I am aware of it.”

It has been narrated in a Hadith that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

“People are of four types. The first person is he who Allah Ta’ala granted both wealth and knowledge and he uses his knowledge to spend his wealth in the way of Allah. The second person looks at this first person and says that if Allah Ta’ala grants me wealth and knowledge like him, then I will also spend my wealth in Allah Ta’ala’s way. Both of these people are equal in terms of the reward they will get from Allah Ta’ala. 

The third person has been granted wealth but not knowledge, and because of his ignorance he is wasting his wealth on pursuing his impermissible pleasures. The fourth person looks at this third person and wishes that if I also get wealth, I will also spend it on fulfilling all my desires and pleasures as this person is doing. Both these people are equal in the amount of sin they are accruing.” (Arba’in)

Intention determines whether a deed is good or bad

Imam Ghazali RE has narrated a story that there was a person in Bani Israel who passed by a sand dune in times of famine and said to himself, “If this sand dune turns into grain, I will distribute it among the people.” Allah Ta’ala sent Wahy(divine revelation) to the Prophet of the time and said, “tell this person that Allah Ta’ala has accepted this as your charity and valued your good intention, and granted you as much thawab as you would have received if you had distributed as much grain up to the amount of this sand dune among deserving people.”

Intention has a great impact on whether a deed is accepted as a good deed by Allah Ta’ala, or condemned as a bad deed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 

“If a person performs Nikah with a woman for a certain amount of Haq Mehr (dower) but has no intention of paying that Haq Mehr, this is not Nikah, this is adultery. If a person takes a loan from someone but has no intention of paying it back, it is not loan, it is theft.” (Arba’in)

The reality of Niyyat (intention)

Imam Ghazali RE has written that Niyyat means forming an intention to perform some action, or preparing oneself to perform some action. Every action first requires knowledge. After acquiring that knowledge, the person forms an intention to carry out that action, which leads him to moving his arms and legs and performing that action.

For example, a person had a feeling of hunger but because he was extremely busy doing something, he didn’t realize that he was hungry. Then he by chance looks at food and suddenly becomes aware of how hungry he is. Then he forms an intention to eat that food. This intention will then drive him towards carrying out those movements that are necessary for eating food. So, vision gives him knowledge, knowledge leads to desire, desire leads to intention, and intention leads to action.

In the same way, a person has the desire for the blessings and the good things he is going to get in the Hereafter. He learns about those blessings through reason and Shariah, and then he forms an intention to perform those actions which will make it more likely that he gets those blessings in the Hereafter. This primary driver that makes him perform those actions, is called intention or Niyyat. For example, when a person leaves his home for Jihad, look at what was the intention and primary driver that made him leave his home. If the primary objective was earning thawab for the Aakhirat, then that is his intention, and if his primary objective for leaving home was getting the spoils of war, or earning fame, then that will be called his intention.

Multiple intentions can earn thawab for multiple Ibadat

Imam Ghazali RE has written that many times a person can earn thawab for multiple acts of worship by performing a single Ibadat through harbouring multiple intentions for the same act. For example, going to the masjid and sitting in it is an Ibadat, but a person can do this with seven different intentions;

1.     Believing that masjid is a house of Allah, and whoever comes to the masjid, comes to visit Allah Ta’ala. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that whichever person visits a masjid, has come to visit Allah Ta’ala. (Arba’in) So form that intention when going to the masjid.

2.     Form an intention to wait for the next Namaz, meaning that you have formed an intention not to carry out another worldly activity waiting for the Namaz and thus have bound yourself for Allah Ta’ala. This will lead to obeying Allah Ta’ala’s command “ورابطو” and you will get separate thawab for it.

3.     Do Niyyat of Aitakaf. Aitakaf means that a person limits himself to the masjid that he will not leave its compound for a certain time, and in that time will spend all his time performing Ibadat, except for the time spent eating, drinking or going to the toilet, and will not perform any worldly chores. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, “My Ummah’s monasticism is that they come and sit in the masjid.” When a person goes to the masjid he already has an intention that he will not leave the masjid till he has finished his Salah. So, next time you go the masjid, form an intention that you will remain in Aitakaf for as long as you are in the masjid, and will only do those activities which a person is allowed to perform in Aitakaf. That way you will also get the thawab of Aitakaf when you go to the masjid.

4.     Make an intention of spending some time alone by yourself, with the intention of performing Dhikr and doing reflection. This gives a person an opportunity to reflect upon this world and the Hereafter, and makes him more likely to worry about the Hereafter.

5.     Make a Niyyat that if people see you going to the masjid, it may remind them about praying Namaz and they may follow you to the masjid. This will make your act of going to the masjid an act of امربالمعروف و نہی عن المنکر(bidding the fair, and forbidding the unfair), in that you encouraged them to perform a good deed and abstain from sins while they are in the masjid, and therefore you also get some of their thawab. 

6.     By going to the masjid you will get some benefit of Deen as well which will become a treasure for your Aakhirat.

7.     Also form an intention that by sitting in Allah Ta’ala’s house may Allah Ta’ala make you more mindful of Allah Ta’ala’s presence everywhere and this may stop you from committing sins.

In this way, a single act of worship can lead to multiple Ibadaat by adopting multiple Niyyat for the same act of worship. But a person should also remain mindful that in exactly the same way, a single sin can become multiple sins if a person performs it with multiple bad intentions.

What constitutes Ikhlas

Imam Ghazali RE has said that Ikhlas literally means that while performing an action, a person intends to achieve only one objective, meaning that either his objective is pure Riya (only seeking other people’s approval), or purely seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval. The literal meaning of Ikhlas fits both these objectives because a pure thing is that which has no mix of something outside of it. However, in the terminology of Shariah, Ikhlas means that while performing an action, a person’s sole objective is to seek Allah Ta’ala’s approval. If that action also had a partial intention of show-off mixed in it, then this will not be termed Ikhlas.

For example, a person fasts with the intention that it is a great act of worship, but also has an intention that it will help him lose weight as it is otherwise not easy to remain hungry, then this won’t be pure Ikhlas. Or for example, a person goes to perform Hajj with the intention that it is a great Ibadat, but also has the intention of sightseeing and seeking enjoyment from travelling, then this intention would not be termed as Ikhlas.

Because every human being is besieged with many such mixed intentions and it is difficult to get rid of them, Sufi saints have said that if a person manages to achieve Ikhlas even for one moment in his life, Insha’Allah it will be sufficient for his forgiveness. 

What constitutes Sidq (absolute truthfulness)

Sidq is the peak of Ikhlas. Sidq means that a person is truthful in every way all the time, both internally and externally, and he never says or does anything that is against the truth.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “A person keeps telling the truth and lives by the truth to the point that he is recorded as a Siddiq according to Allah Ta’ala.” (Arbai’n) 

The six stages of Sidq

Imam Ghazali RE has written that there are six stages of Sidq, and only a person who achieves excellence in all these six stages deserves to be called a Siddiq. 

1.     Verbal Sidq and its excellence

The first stage of Sidq is verbal Sidq which means that a person speaks the truth in every situation. There are two types of perfection in it.

The first is that the person does not say anything that may have a double meaning or may be misconstrued as meaning something else. Because doing so gets close to telling a lie, therefore, a Sadiq person must avoid it.

The second is that he should be perfectly truthful in things he says to Allah Ta’ala, for example, if he says in Namaz “I turn towards Allah Ta’ala”, then only if he does not have any thoughts in his mind about anybody besides Allah Ta’ala then he is truthful, otherwise he is lying. Or, for example, when he says “ایاک نعبد و ایاک نستعین” meaning “You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help”, if he has love of material wealth in his heart then he is lying, because he is verbally saying that he only worships Allah Ta’ala but in his heart he worships Dinar and Dirham. 

2.     Determination to remain truthful in one’s intention

The second degree of Sidq is that a person remains truthful in his intention, meaning that he has Ikhlas (purity of intention) to a degree that he has no intention and motivation for his Ibadaat except seeking Allah Ta’ala’s approval.

3.     Sidq of determination (ارادہ)

The third degree of Sidq is that a person remains truthful in his determination and resolve. People often get thoughts like if I get some wealth, I will give away so much of it in charity, or if I get power, I will treat people justly and fairly. This is determination and resolve. However, sometimes people are firm in their determination, and sometimes they waver in their determination. 

The higher degree of Sidq is that even at the risk of losing his life, a person does not waver in his determination, for example, like Hadhrat Farooq-e-Azam RAA said, “I would prefer for my head to be severed from my body than becoming ruler of a group which has Abu Bakr RAA in it.”

4.     Sidq in realizing one’s intentions

Often a person’s intention is firm when he first makes it, but he becomes weak-willed and lazy when the time comes to keep it and act on it. For example, a person made an intention to give a certain proportion of his wealth in Sadaqah if he received it. But when he did come into possession of such wealth, he could not bear to part with it and did not fulfil his intention, even though that would have been the true test of his resolve. Otherwise, how difficult is it to form an intention to give money in Sadaqah when one doesn’t have it? The true difficulty is in giving one’s wealth away in Allah Ta’ala’s way when a person does have it. That is why Allah Ta’ala says that there are some people who had promised to Allah Ta’ala that if they were given wealth, they will give it in Sadaqah, but when Allah Ta’ala granted them wealth through His mercy, then they became miserly and went back on their word. As a result, Allah Ta’ala created hypocrisy in their hearts. (Arba’in)

5.     Sidq in a person’s Haal (state)

(In the terminology of Tasawwuf, Haal refers to the person’s present state. For example, a person is going through difficult times, but he observes Sabr (steadfastness) and does not complain about it. This is called Haal which can be translated in English as state.)

The fifth degree of Sidq is that a person’s inner-self and outer-self are one and the same, meaning he is the same from the inside as he purports to be from the outside. For example, a person walks slowly and softly and pretends that he has Khushu’ (humbleness) in his heart. But, in reality, he may have no Khushu’ in his heart. If he does this to impress other people, then this is Riya. And, if he doesn’t do it with the intention of impressing other people but does it simply out of negligence and ignorance, then even though it is not Riya, it is also not Sidq and is a lie. That is why the Holy Prophet ﷺ has prayed that “O’ Allah! Please make my inner-self better than my outer-self, and give ability to my outward appearance.” (Arba’in)

6.     Sidq in Maqamat (مقامات)

(In the terminology of Tasawwuf, Maqaam (trait) means that, for example, if a person keeps observe Sabr (steadfastness) in difficult circumstances over a long period of time, then it becomes his second-nature. He now does not make have to make a big effort to observe Sabr which comes to him naturally.  It means that the Haal or state has now turned into Maqaam or trait.)

The sixth degree of Sidq is that of achieving it in the Maqamat (traits) of Deen, meaning that a person achieves perfection in the various desirable moral traits such as fear of Allah, hope from Allah, Tawakkul, Zuhud, and does not remain only in the initial stages of these traits. 

Allah Ta’ala says that true believers are those who believed in Allah Ta’ala and His Prophet, then neither did they bear any doubt, nor did they hesitate in sacrificing their lives or wealth in Allah Ta’ala’s way, and they are the truthful ones. (Arba’in)

A person truly becomes a Siddiq only after he has achieved perfection in all of these six degrees of Sidq.

Tawakkul

(توکّل) (placing one’s trust in Allah Ta’ala)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

“…Whoever fears Allah, He brings forth a way out for him, and provides him (with what he needs) from where he does not even imagine. And whoever places his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him…” (65:2-3)

And the Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

“If you place your trust completely in Allah, then Allah Ta’ala will provide you sustenance just like He does it to birds, meaning without any effort, that is they wake up hungry in the mornings and return to their abode with a full stomach in the evening.” (Arba’in)

Imam Ghazali RE has written in Arba’in that Allah Ta’ala says that Muslims should place their trust only in Allah. O’ people! If you are believers, then place your trust in Allah. Allah Ta’ala loves those who place their trust in Him, and Allah Ta’ala suffices for all the needs of the person who places his trust in Him. Those (entities) you worship other than Allah cannot provide you with sustenance, so seek your sustenance only from Allah.

The reality of Tawakkul

Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib (may Allah preserve him) said that Tawakkul means “placing one’s trust completely in Allah Ta’ala”. It means that a person firmly believes that the apparent causes of things cannot act by their own volition. Only if Allah Ta’ala orders these causes to be effective, then they will produce their effect. For example, a person becomes sick and goes to a doctor. The doctor prescribes a medicine. But the person places his trust neither in the doctor, nor in the medicine. He has this firm belief in his heart that it is neither the doctor, nor the medicine, that can grant him recovery. It is only Allah Ta’ala who can grant him recovery, the doctor and the medicine are only the apparent means and the vehicle to that end. 

Giving up worldly ways and means (اسباب) is not Tawakkul

Hadhrat further said that Tawakkul does not mean that a person gives up all worldly ways, means and efforts, for example, if he becomes sick he does not go to the doctor, or does go the doctor but does not use the medicine prescribed by the doctor, and just says that I only trust Allah Ta’ala, if He wants to grant me Shifa (recovery), He will grant me Shifa without any intervening means. This is not Tawakkul. Or a person does not make any effort to earn a living, does not strive to find a job. He just sits at home and says that if Allah Ta’ala wishes to grant me sustenance, He will send it directly to my home. Such giving up of worldly ways and means is not part of Tawakkul.

The reality of Tawakkul has been described by the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself in a hadith. Once a sahabi asked him that “O’ Prophet of Allah ﷺ! Sometimes I travel on a camel. During my travels I have to stop on the way for praying the Salah or other needs. At such times I worry that my camel might run away when I am praying the Salah. At that time, should I just leave my camel unrestrained doing Tawakkul on Allah, or should I tie my camel so that it does not run away? The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied, “Tie your camel, and then place your trust in Allah Ta’ala.”

The three components of Tawakkul

Imam Ghazali RE has written that Tawakkul is that condition which arises from believing Allah Ta’ala to be unique, Master of fate, and not having any partners in any of His powers, and then this condition leads a person to perform those activities which reflect complete trust in Allah Ta’ala. Therefore, there are three components of Tawakkul; first cognizance, second present state, and third actions. 

The first component of Tawakkul i.e. Cognizance (معرفت)

The first component of Tawakkul is cognizance or knowledge i.e. Tauheed (Oneness) of Allah Ta’ala. A person expresses his belief in this Tauheed by reciting the kalimah of Tauheed that there is no deity which can be worshipped beside Allah Ta’ala, He is unique and the One and Only, He does not have any partners, He is the Master of all that exists, true praise belongs to Him only, and He has power over everything and everybody.

The heart of whoever believes in this kalimah with Sidq (complete truthfulness) and Ikhlas (sincerity of intention) will be filled with true Iman (faith), and he will definitely develop Tawakkul.

The second component of Tawakkul i.e. Haal (حال present state)

It means that a person should place his trust completely in Allah Ta’ala for the outcomes of all his efforts, to the extent that he becomes satisfied and carefree, does not get into doubts whether the outcome of his efforts would be good for him, and knows that Allah Ta’ala will never let true harm come to him.

When a person know that his sustenance, his life and death, and the outcomes of his everyday concerns are completely under Allah Ta’ala’s control, there is no one who shares His powers, and there is no limit to His benevolence and His mercy, then why should he not become satisfied after placing his trust in Allah Ta’ala, and why should he look at other people as if they can do good to him, or bring harm to him against Allah Ta’ala’s will?

The third component of Tawakkul i.e. action (اعمال)

Imam Ghazali RE has written that ignorant people think that Tawakkul means that a person stops making all efforts to earn a living and just sits idly waiting for his sustenance to be delivered automatically to him, or to not pursue any treatment if he becomes ill, or to take unnecessary risks with his life deliberately claiming that he has trust in Allah Ta’ala that Allah Ta’ala will save him. This is completely wrong as doing such things is Haraam under Shariah. 

The truth is that a person makes efforts and endeavours to achieve something for four reasons; (1) he tries to obtain something beneficial that he currently doesn’t have, (2) he tries to keep safe something beneficial that he does have, (3) he tries to prevent some harm that may come to him in the future, or (4) he tries to remove some harm he is currently experiencing.

The first two reasons which are also termed جلبِ منفعت (seeking benefit), and there are three possible scenarios for it; the first is that if a person makes that effort, he will certainly obtain that benefit, the second is that if a person makes that effort, it is more likely than not that he will obtain that benefit, and the third is that even if the person makes all the effort, it is uncertain if he will get the benefit.

The first scenario: when benefit is definite

The example of the first scenario would be that if a person is hungry and has food in front of him, but he does not pick up that food and put it in his mouth saying that he is Mutawakkil (a person who has Tawakkul in his heart), or he wants a child but does not have physical relations with his wife, or a person wants to grow a crop but does not put seeds in the ground. Such thoughts are total ignorance and wishful thinking, because Allah Ta’ala has made some actions conditional for some outcomes, and we are obligated by Shariah to carry out those actions to achieve those outcomes. However, there are two ways of adopting Tawakkul in such circumstances;

The first way is to remember that it is Allah Ta’ala who has blessed us with the food, it is Allah Ta’ala who has blessed us with hands to eat it with, and it is Allah Ta’ala who has granted us the ability to eat and digest that food. It is Allah Ta’ala who has granted us the ability to have physical relations with our wife, and it is Allah Ta’ala who has blessed us both the land and the seeds, as well as the ability to farm the lands. 

The second way is that a person does not place his trust in these actions, and rather keep his trust in Allah Ta’ala for bearing the fruit of those actions. The reason is that even if a person undertakes all those actions, it is still possible that he may be struck by a stroke and not be able to use his hand to eat, or the food may turn sour and harm him rather than nourish him, or the weather may turn nasty and destroy his crops despite all his efforts. 

If the person bears the above two things in mind, then it is not wrong harm to make an effort to achieve the goals he wants to achieve in life, and making those efforts is not against Tawakkul. 

The second scenario: benefit is more likely than not

An example of this would be to take some food with oneself if traveling through a jungle. If a person does not carry food with him in such circumstances, it is not certain that the person would die of hunger, but taking food with him in such circumstances is highly likely to be more beneficial than not taking it. In such circumstances, it is not against Tawakkul to undertake preparations before embarking on such a journey, and it has been the way of our wise elders. However, even in these circumstances a person should place his faith and trust in Allah Ta’ala’s mercy that only if He keeps that food from being looted or going bad, only then this food will be a source of nutrition for that person, but not otherwise.

The third scenario: when the benefit from an action is uncertain

An example of this would be when a person makes an inordinate amount of effort to increase his wealth, but there is no certainty that those efforts will result in increased wealth. This condition is part of greed, and because of this excessive preoccupation with earning more and more money, sometimes a person ends up with doubtful (as in terms of possibly being Haraam) income getting mixed with his Halal income. Indulging in adopting means the beneficial outcome of which is clearly doubtful, is against Tawakkul. 

Love of Allah

Allah Ta’ala says that “Allah loves virtuous people and virtuous people love Allah.” (Arba’in) 

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Your Iman (faith) will not be perfect until you love Allah and His Prophet more than everything else.”

Hadhrat Siddiq Akbar RE said, “A person who comes to know the pleasure of love of Allah loses all yearning for material wealth and he starts avoiding the company of people.” (Arba’in)

Signs of perfect love for Allah Ta’ala

Imam Ghazali RE has written that Allah Ta’ala’s true and perfect love would be that a person loves Allah Ta’ala solely because of His perfect attributes, His greatness, His exaltedness, in which He is unique and has no partners or associates, and there is no other being or deity equal to Him. That is why Allah Ta’ala revealed Wahy towards Hadhrat Dawood (peace be upon him) that my favourite subject is that person who worships me purely because I am His Lord, and regardless of My blessings and mercies upon him. It has been narrated in Zaboor that that who would be more unjust than the person who worshipped me because of his greed for Heaven or fear of Hell. If I had not created Heaven and Hell would I have not been worthy of worship then? (Arba’in)

Inferior degree of love for Allah Ta’ala

If a person is unable to develop love for Allah Ta’ala because of His greatness and His perfect attributes, at least he should be mindful of His numerous blessings upon him, and love Him because of all the blessings He has bestowed upon him. If a person ponders over it, who is able to give him and sustain everything that he likes and enjoys in this world? He will come to the conclusion that there is no being beside Allah Ta’ala who can give him any of those things. 

This kind of love is weak because if a person gets more sustenance he will love Allah Ta’ala more, but if he gets less sustenance his love for Allah Ta’ala will become weak. 

Signs of love of Allah

A person who has Allah Ta’ala’s love in his heart gives preference to Allah Ta’ala’s wishes and commands over the desires of his own Nafs, and gives precedence to obeying Allah Ta’ala’s commands over carrying out all other chores. He develops Taqwa (fear of Allah) in his heart and is always mindful of the boundaries of Shariah. 

He is keen to meet Allah Ta’ala and is not afraid of death. Even if he wants life, it is solely because the more cognizance a person gets, the higher the pleasure in meeting the beloved.

He remains happy with fate and whatever Allah Ta’ala decides for him, so that he does not complain or object, either in his heart or with his tongue, about whatever desired or undesired circumstances befall him.

How to develop love for Allah Ta’ala?

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that while having love for Allah Ta’ala in one’s heart is involuntary (as love is an emotion and emotions are often beyond a person’s voluntary control), but the ways and means of developing that love are under a person’s voluntary control. These are;

1.     Frequently performing Allah Ta’ala’s Dhikr (ways of remembering Allah Ta’ala)

2.     Reflecting upon Allah Ta’ala’s blessings upon us, and our own behaviour in return

3.     Seeking companionship of and relationship with a person who is already close to Allah Ta’ala

4.     Being steadfast in obeying Allah Ta’ala’s commandments

5.     Making supplication to Allah Ta’ala

Radha bil Qadha

(Accepting fate, رضا بالقضاء)

Allah Ta’ala says in the Noble Qur’an,

“As for the first and foremost of the Emigrants (Muhajirin) and the Supporters (Ansar) and those who followed them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will live for ever. That is the supreme achievement.” (9:100)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, 

“When Allah Ta’ala like a person, He puts him into suffering. If the person observes Sabr (steadfastness), then He chooses him, and if he remains happy with destiny, then He brings that person close to Him.” (Arba’in)

Once the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked a few Sahabah, “Who are you?” They replied, “O’ Prophet of Allah ﷺ! We are Muslims and believers.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked, “Wat is the sign of your Iman?” They replied, “We observe Sabron sufferings, we perform Shukr on comforts, and we remain happy with what Allah Ta’ala has decided for us.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied, “By Allah! You are true believers.” (Arba’in)

It has been said in Iman e Mufassil (ایمانِ مفصّل) that “I believe in …Taqdeer, that all good and bad is from Allah…”

Hadhrat Thanavi RE said that “one of the things a person must have faith in is that whatever happened in our lives was meant to have happened that way, and no matter how hard a person tried they could not have changed it.”

Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that there are three types of places in which people will exist. The first is Paradise, in which there is absolute peace, absolute tranquility, in which there will be no pain and no distress. The second is Hell in which there is absolute pain and suffering, and in which there will be no peace and happiness. And the third is this worldly life in which pain and pleasure, tranquility and suffering, peace and distress, co-exist, and a person has to live with all of them.

Imam Ghazali RE has written that once Wahy (divine revelation) was revealed on Hadhrat Dawood (peace be upon him), “O’ Dawood! You form an intention to do something, and I also form an intention, and whatever I intend happens. If you remain happy and content with what I have decided and remain obedient to Me, I will compensate for what you wished and will remain happy with you, and if you remain unhappy with what I have decided, then I will put you through trials and tribulations, and eventually what is going is going to happen is what I decide, and you will put yourself in undue difficulties.” (Arba’in)

Imam Ghazali RE has further written that some people do not believe in Rada bil Qada. They argue that how can a person be happy with something happening against his wishes. The most that can happen is that a person just tolerates it and observes patience. But this thought arises from a misperception. A person who does not understand Rada bil Qada, does not understand love for Allah Ta’ala. 

There are three scenarios in which a person can be happy with what is against his wishes.

1.     Worldly examples of people being happy with their pain

We see even in this world that when a person falls in love with something, it lessens his pain. For example, if a person wants to obtain something he absolutely loves, he neglects caring about his hunger, his sleep, physical discomfort, because the thought of the pleasure of attaining what he loves supersedes all pain. When a human being falls in love with another human being, who he knows is going to die one day, the thought or presence of that person takes away all his pain. Then why should it be surprising that if a person truly falls in love with Allah Ta’ala, that he starts being happy with what happens against his wishes because Allah Ta’ala desires it?

Once Hadhrat Junaid RE asked his Shaykh Hadhrat Sri Saqti RE, “does a person who is in love with Allah feel the distress of painful events?” The Shaykh replied, “Never! Even if he is struck with a sword seventy times, he would not feel any pain.”

An Arif (a person who has cognizance of Allah Ta’ala) says that “Because I love Allah Ta’ala, I love everything He has created. If I knew that Allah Ta’ala loved Hell, then I would prefer to go to Hell.” It means that because of love of Allah Ta’ala, I won’t feel the pain of even burning in Hell.

Hadhrat Omar bin Abdul-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) says, “I have no happiness remaining (that I yearn for). If there is any remaining, it is being happy with fate decided by Allah Ta’ala, which I have all the time.” 

2.     The knowledge of a desirable outcome for distressing event reduces the pain

The second reason a person remains happy with his fate even if it is against his wishes, is that while he does feel the distress in distressing circumstances, but because he is aware that the ultimate outcome of such distressing events will be a reward from Allah Ta’ala, in that he will earn great rewards for those distressing events if he observes Sabr, therefore, he remains happy even in distressing circumstances. 

It is like when a person is sick, and the doctor tells him that to recover from that illness he has to get his abdomen cut open, or get some part of his body cut off, then he knowingly and happily agrees to get those procedures done and even pays the doctor for it and remains grateful to him. Similarly, a businessman takes all sorts of risks and bears all sort of difficulties in conducting his business, simply because he knows that if he is successful his reward will be great.

So, when a person willingly and happily bears pain for some worldly gains, why should it be surprising if another person happily bears distressing events because he knows that he will get eternal rewards for all the trials and tribulations he goes through in this life? 

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that a Muslim does not go through any difficulty, even one as little as being pricked by a thorn, for which he will not get great rewards in the Aakhirat. 

3.     Belief that whatever happens is in the best interests of the person

The third reason a person ought to remain happy with whatever Allah Ta’ala has decided for him, even if it is against his wishes, is that he should believe that whatever Allah Ta’ala decides for a person is in his best interests, even if he does not know it. It is because Allah Ta’ala is both Hakim (supreme authority) and Hakeem (the One with infinite wisdom). As Hakim He has absolute authority over what He decides for His creations. And as Hakeem, all His decisions are in the best interests of His creations, even if they do not understand it at the time. An example of this is the story of what happened when Hadhrat Musa and Hadhrat Khidr (peace be upon them) travelled together, as narrated in Surah al-Kahf in the Holy Qur’an. 

It is narrated in the Holy Qur’an that when they both boarded a boat, Hadhrat Khidr AS damaged a plank of the boat. Hadhrat Musa AS asked in surprise why he had carried out that injustice. Then further on in their journey, Hadhrat Khidr AS killed an underage child. Hadhrat Musa objected again that how could it be permissible to kill an innocent child. Then they entered a town where the residents declined to give them anything to eat. When they left that town, the next morning they saw a wall which was about to fall down. Hadhrat Khidr AS repaired it so that it wouldn’t fall down. Hadhrat Musa AS again wondered why Hadhrat Khidr AS had done such a favour for people who hadn’t given them any food. Because he had objected three times, their ways parted at that point as had already been agreed.

The Qur’an states that Hadhrat Musa AS had objected only because he did not know the wisdom hidden behind those actions. Hadhrat Khidr AS then explained that the boat belonged to poor owners, and the king of the time was unjustly confiscating boats in good condition. That is why Hadhrat Khidr AS had partly damaged the boat so that the king wouldn’t confiscate it. The young child Hadhrat Khidr AS had killed, had been born with a deviant nature who would have turned away from religion if he had grown up. There was grave risk that had he lived, he would have misdirected his Muslims parents away from Deen and because of their parental love for him, they wouldn’t have been able to resist him. Therefore, he was killed so that in his place the patient parents would get another virtuous child who would grow up to be pious and earn the rewards of Aakhirat for his parents. And the wall belonged to two orphan children whose pious father had hidden a treasure underneath it, so Hadhrat Khidr AS straightened it so that the treasure would stay hidden there till the orphaned children grew up and were able to take possession of that treasure. 

Thus, if a person truly believes and has faith that whatever Allah Ta’ala has decided for him is in his best interests, even if he doesn’t understand that wisdom at the time, and finds that event distressing at the moment, it will greatly reduce his distress about that event.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us with knowledge and wisdom by virtue of His Holy Prophet ﷺ, and make us put that knowledge into practice in our lives that He has imparted upon us. Aameen

Tafweedh

(تفویض)

What is Tafweedh?

The dictionary meaning of the Arabic word “Tafweedh” is “assignment, delegation, or relegation” of some task to someone else. 

Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib DB said that the word Tafweedh means delegation or allocation, and it is used to mean that a person has delegated his authority to such and such person. In the terminology of Tasawwuf, Tafweedh means that a person, rather than deciding what he wants to happen in his life, leaves all his matters in the hands of Allah Ta’ala, and says, “O’ Allah! I don’t know what is better for me in relation to this matter. You know what is in my best interests. Please decide for me what You know is best for me.” And in this way, a person leaves all his matters with Allah Ta’ala that I am happy and content with whatever decision He makes for me.

Difference between Tafweedh and Tajweez

The opposite phenomenon to Tafweedh is Tajweez. Tajweez means that a person decides in his own mind that in my life things should happen in this way or that way, for example, I should pass all my exams in first attempt, I should get a good job, a good salary, good health, get married, have (healthy) children, etc. 

The difference between the two is that, for example, a person is looking for a job. He submits an application for all the jobs relevant to his education and experience. Along with that, he prays to Allah Ta’ala that “O’ Allah! I have applied for all these jobs, but I do not know which one is better for me. You know what is best for me, so please make that happen for me which You know is in my best interests.” This is Tafweedh.

Contrary to him, there is another person who applies for the same jobs, but has already decided which job is best for him, and is his right. He presumes that he will get that job as he is the best candidate for that job. And when he doesn’t get that job he feels disappointed, starts complaining, and keeps feeling bitter why he didn’t get that job. This is Tajweez.

The degrees of Tafweedh

Mufti Taqi Usmani DB has said that there is a Wajib (necessary) degree of Tafweedh, and then a desirable degree of Tafweedh which is commendable but not obligatory. 

The necessary degree of Tafweedh

Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib DB said that there is a degree of Tafweedh which is wajib (necessary), and it is Haraamnot to follow it. This necessary stage of Tafweedh is that a person does not complain about what Allah Ta’ala has decided for him. As per the example above, a person applied for a job but did not get it. Now he is complaining that “O’ Allah! I had prayed to You so much for getting that job. I still did not get this job. Why did You not give it to me? Why did so-and-so get it? I should have got it.” (Ma’az Allah). Saying things like this encroaches into the realm of objecting against Allah Ta’ala’s decisions. When a person starts complaining like this, this is a contravention of the Wajib degree of Tafweedh, and becomes a sin.

The desirable (but not obligatory) degree of Tafweedh

Hadhrat said that there is another degree of Tafweedh which is not necessary for everyone, but is desirable and highly commendable. If a person is able to achieve it, it is a great blessing of Allah Ta’ala. Every Muslim should try to achieve it, but it is not a sin if a person is unable to achieve it. 

This degree of Tafweedh is that a person does not have any pre-conceived ideas or choices in his life that I should definitely get this or that in life. It does not mean that a person should not strive for anything. For example, everybody needs a source of income to sustain themselves. Therefore, the person should make his best effort to get a job or do a business, but he should not have a pre-conceived notion in his mind that I must get this particular job, or this much salary. He should form a Niyyah (intention) in his mind that I will be happy and content with whatever Allah Ta’ala decides for me. Similarly, if a person is sick, he should pursue treatment as that is a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, but should not harbour a pre-conceived notion that I must recover fully from this illness. Rather, he should form an intention at the time of seeking treatment that I will be happy with whatever Allah Ta’ala decides for me, whether I recover fully from this illness, recover partially, or do not recover at all and die from this illness. 

The person against whose wishes nothing happens in this world

Once someone asked Hadhrat Dhūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī (may Allah have mercy on him) that “Hadhrat! How are you?” He replied, “What do you ask of the person nothing in this universe happens against whose wishes. Whatever is happening in this world is according to my wishes. What would be the level of happiness and contentment of such a person?” People asked, “Hadhrat! How can that be? No one has been granted this status that whatever they wish happens.” Hadhrat replied, “I have submitted my will totally to Allah Ta’ala’s will. Whatever Allah Ta’ala wishes, is my wish. And because in this universe everything happens according to Allah Ta’ala’s wish, therefore, it happens according to my wish.”

How to achieve the status of Tafweedh?

Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Usmani DB said that not every Muslim is capable of reaching this level of Tafweedh, and therefore Allah Ta’ala has not declared it mandatory. However, it is mandatory that whenever a person sets out to achieve some goal, he parks the result of that effort with Allah Ta’ala, be happy with whatever Allah Ta’ala decides for him, and does not complain.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ has made a prayer for such occasions,

الّّٰٰلھم ھذا الجھد و علیک التکلان

Which can be translated as “O’ Allah! I have made as much effort as I could make. Now I leave the result to You. I place my trust in You. I will be happy with whatever decision You make.” This what Tafweedh really is.

This book ends with this prayer that this writer has made the best effort that he could. Now he leaves the result to Allah Ta’ala. Please enable this writer and everyone else to follow the wise teachings that we have received through the Noble Qur’an, the Holy Prophet ﷺ, his Holy Companions, and our wise elders and implement them in our daily lives. Aameen

و آخر دعوانا ان الحمد اللّٰہ رب العٰلمین