Week Five: Blameworthy Traits I

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1 Contents Week Five: Blameworthy Traits I Incorrect Notions Regarding Reliance... 2 Arrogance (Kibr)... 3 The Cure for Kibr and ʿUjub... 5 An Objection Concerning ʿUjub and Its Answer... 7 Destruction of the Spiritual Wayfarers (Sālikūn)... 8 The Cure for Arrogance..9 Riyāʾ (Ostentation)..10 The Cure for Riyāʾ.11 The Difference between Ostentation, Conceitedness, and Arrogance..12 The Difference between Arrogance and Shyness..13 Arrogance in the Form of Humility..14 1

2 Incorrect Notions Regarding Reliance Today, some people have understood tawakkul (reliance) to mean the abandonment of all means and efforts and to sit idly. This meaning is completely incorrect. The tawakkul taught to us by the Shariah is that one should make use of the means and avenues as if they were a begging cup and believe that only Allah Most Exalted is the Giver. This means that the success of means is based on Allah grace. Consider those who regard tawakkul to mean the abandoning of means: do they not open their mouths to eat? Do they not chew their food and eventually swallow it? This is the means and avenue for food reaching the stomach. This shows that this meaning is incorrect. Similarly, for a person to be naturally uneasy when one s sustenance is delayed is not contrary to tawakkul. Despite having trust in Allah promise of providing sustenance, being naturally uneasy is acceptable, because the time and amount is not specified. One does not know when and how much one will receive. In fact, the benefit of this is that one will be granted the ability to make excessive duʿā. Logically, one will thus have trust in Allah Most Exalted. NOTES 2

3 Arrogance (Kibr) This illness is very dangerous. It is the same sickness that caused Shayṭān to become rejected. He uses this prescription (that he had tried on himself) on people with great ease and finds it very useful in leading them astray. This sickness causes a son to fight with his father; a student with his teacher; a murīd (spiritual aspirant) with his Shaykh; and a slave with Allah Most Exalted. The first to be rejected in the Divine court, Shayṭān, was destroyed because of this sickness. For this reason, the pious and righteous elders tell their friends and servants to be extremely cautious of it. Due to this sickness, a person regards himself to be greater and superior to others in knowledge, worship, piety, wealth, honor, intellect, or any other matter. He regards others as lowly and despicable. Such a person is despised by others in this world, even though they may praise him in his presence due to fear or greed. Such a person does not accept anyone s advice and will rather fight those who advise him. He does not accept the truth when someone tells him. The reality of kibr has been referred to in a hadith as, Rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Whoever finds these two signs within himself should immediately seek a cure for his illness, or else there is fear that all of his good deeds may be reduced to dust. A hadith states, Whosoever has in his heart a mustard seed s worth of arrogance will not attain even the fragrance of Jannah (Paradise), never mind Jannah. The Messenger of Allah s said, Whoever humbles and lowers himself for Allah, Allah will grant him honor and status among people, even though he regards himself as lowly. He who lives with arrogance, then Allah will disgrace him until he will be regarded as more despicable than a dog or a pig in the eyes of people, even though he regards himself as very great in his heart. (Hakīm al-ummah Thānwī (Allah have mercy on Him) has recorded this hadith in his book Khuṭubāt al-aḥkām.) If one does not despise anyone but only regards himself as being good, then he regards his excellences and good conditions to be his own perfection and not a gift of Allah Most Exalted. Thus, he does not fear the loss or changing of any bounty, whether it be knowledge, piety, steadfastness, spiritual exercises, worship, beauty, wealth, honor, or good character. This is referred to as ʿujub (conceitedness). In the Shariah, both arrogance and conceitedness are prohibited. Ḥakīm al-ummah Thānwī (Allah have mercy on him) said in Kamalāt-e-Ashrafīyyah, When a servant becomes lowly and despised in his own sight, then he is good in the sight of Allah Most Exalted; and when he regards himself to be good, then he is evil in the sight of Allah Most Exalted. 3

4 NOTES 4

5 The Cure for Kibr and ʿUjub The cure for arrogance is to reflect over Allah s greatness and to think of one s final result, by saying for example, I do not know how my death will be. It is possible that Allah Most Exalted dislikes some action of ours to the extent that He throws out all of our actions. Moreover, it is possible that the person that we are looking down upon had once done such an action in his life that Allah Most Exalted loved, whereby all of his sins will be forgiven. Our pious and righteous elders have mentioned an incident that will greatly assist in the cure of this sickness. The girls of a certain locality beautified one girl (who was getting married). She looked very beautiful with her jewelry and attractive clothing, and her friends complimented her, saying, Sister, you look gorgeous. When you go to your husband, he will really appreciate you. At this the girl began crying and said, O my friends and sisters, I am not overjoyed with your compliments and praises. When my husband sees me, likes me, and compliments me, only then will I be absolutely overjoyed. On hearing this incident, some pious and righteous elders sobbed and fell down unconscious, pondering how people praise them in the world while they have no convincing knowledge of what decision Allah Most Exalted will pass over them on the Day of Judgment when He sees them. Thus it is foolishness to regard oneself as good and as a pious and righteous individual in this world. We should take lesson from this girl s intelligence. Ḥaḍrat Shāh ʿAbd al-ghanī (Allah have mercy on Him) used to say, When our death occurs on īmān (faith), only then we can celebrate all the actions we had done in our life. To celebrate before that and to regard one s self as great due to people s praise is foolishness! The cure for ʿujub is that one should regard every excellence and bounty as a gift from Allah Most Exalted. Furthermore, one should continuously fear that it can be snatched away due to some evil action of ours. One should always fear Allah independence and quality of being Self- Sufficient. The pious and righteous elders have stated, Continue doing good deeds and at the same time continue to fear (whether they are accepted or not). This lesson is taught in the hadith where ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about the meaning of a verse wherein it mentions their hearts are fearing. (Quran 23:60) She asked: Are they the ones who drink and steal? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, No, O daughter of the Veracious (Bint al-ṣiddīq)! Rather, they are the ones who fast, perform prayer, and give charity, but despite all of this they fear that maybe Allah will not accept their actions. These are the ones who hasten to good actions. (recorded in Mishkāt al-maṣābīḥ) This hadith teaches us that our heads should not become so bloated on account of doing good deeds. One should fear and make duʿā that our deeds are accepted. One should have fear that it may not be accepted, while also maintaining the hope of acceptance. One should not have so much fear of it being rejected that he altogether abandons doing good deeds. For this reason, Allah Most Exalted mentions at the end of this verse, These are the ones who hasten to do good actions. The general people only seek forgiveness for sins. The elect servants of Allah Most Exalted seek forgiveness after doing good actions also. They say, How can we ever fulfill the rights of Allah s 5

6 greatness and excellence? As such, the Messenger of Allah s used to seek forgiveness thrice after every obligatory prayer. The wisdom underlying this, according to the pious and righteous elders, is that the right of Allah s greatness cannot be fulfilled by anyone. For this reason, the ʿĀrifūn (those who know Allah Most Exalted) seek forgiveness even after performing good deeds. Note One person asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), A person likes that his clothing and shoes are nice. Is that arrogance? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, Allah Most Exalted is beautiful and He loves beauty. Arrogance is to reject the truth and look down upon people. From this hadith, we learn that one should not have evil thoughts of or assume as arrogant those pious and righteous people and Shaykhs who wear beautiful clothing. Being a pious and righteous individual or Shaykh does not mean living at the foot of a mountain, making a hut, eating dry bread and wearing torn clothing. Even a person like this, if he has the world in his heart, is considered a worldly person. If there is no world in one s heart, even if he has a kingdom, then he can also be a Walī (friend of Allah). If together with wealth, honor, farming and business one s heart is connected to Allah Most Exalted at all times then he is an Allāhwala and a person in solitude This poem has been mentioned in Maẓāhir al-ḥaqq, the commentary of Mishkāt al-maṣābīḥ. If a person sits at the foot of a hill or in the jungle awaiting someone to come and bring for him some gifts or sweets, then this person is a fraud and a worldly person. In short, being a faqīr (dervish) and being Allah s friend along with having good food, beautiful clothing, and a spacious house can be attained through the companionship of pious and righteous Shaykhs but on the condition that one follows the Sunnah and is steadfast on complete piety! 6

7 An Objection Concerning ʿUjub and Its Answer At this juncture, one objection is that if Allah Most Exalted grants a person some excellence in a matter, but he does not regard it as an excellence, is this not ingratitude? The answer is that one should regard it to be a quality of perfection, but should not regard it to be his own excellence. Rather, he should regard it to be a Divine gift and be grateful for it. Instead of having arrogance, he should always fear that this special bounty may be taken away from him due to his evil actions. 7

8 Destruction of the Spiritual Wayfarers (Sālikūn) Shayṭān destroys the spiritual wayfarers very quickly by placing in their hearts objections against their Shaykh. NOTES. 8

9 The Cure for Arrogance Ḥakīm al-ummah Thānwī (Allah have mercy on Him) has prescribed these daily meditations which are highly effective in removing pride and arrogance from the heart: Reflect upon the following: 1. I have not created the excellence found within myself but rather it is a gift from Allah Most Exalted. 2. This gift was neither due to my being worthy of it, nor due to my capabilities. It has been granted solely by His grace and kindness. 3. The preservation of this bounty is also not within my control. Whenever Allah Most Exalted wants, He can snatch it away. 4. Even though the one whom I regard as low does not possess this matter of excellence currently, Allah Most Exalted has the power to snatch away this excellence from me and grant it to him. Or, alternatively, without snatching it away from me, Allah Most Exalted can grant him a higher level of this excellence and can grant him such a lofty status that I will become dependent on him. 5. Even if in the future he does not attain it, it is quite possible that at the present moment he has within himself such an excellence which is concealed from me and everyone else. Allah Most Exalted is aware of this quality, because of which he is more beloved and accepted in Allah sight than me. 6. If the possibility of any excellence does not come to mind, then think that it is possible that he is more accepted in the sight of Allah Most Exalted than I am, and Allah Most Exalted knows that my acceptance is far less or completely non-existent. On the Day of Judgment, how many people who used to be of very high status will be disgraced, and how many people who used to be of lowly status will be honored? If this is the case, then what right do I have to regard him as low when I am not aware of my own end result? 7. If contempt for anyone comes into your mind, then be good to him and treat him with kindness. Make a lot of duʿā for him. Consequently, love for him will be created and the natural characteristic of love is that whomever one loves, he does not regard him with contempt. For this purpose, ask that person how he is and speak to him. In this manner, a relationship will develop from both sides and the essence of contempt will vanish. 9

10 Riyāʾ (Ostentation) To perform good actions with the aim of showing people and receiving praise and honor is referred to as showing off and ostentation. In Arabic, it is called riyāʾ. On the Day of Judgment, such noble actions which were done for the sake of showing off will be a cause for punishment in the Hellfire, instead of a means of gaining reward. However, before death, if one repents then there is hope of being forgiven. Showing off becomes apparent in different ways. At times a person verbally shows off, Today, we have given so much charity, or We woke up at night and performed so many units (rakʿāt) of tahajjud (night vigil prayer), that is why I am so tired, or I am gifting you these prayer beads, which I brought back from my second Hajj. In this way, the reward of two Hajjs are destroyed in one sentence. At times, one does not utter anything verbally: in front of people, he sits with his eyes closed and his head bowed so that everyone can understand that he is a great pious person and lives by the ʿArsh (Divine Throne) and his relationship with the dunyā (this world) is only outwardly. Whereas in reality, he is drenched in this dunyā from head-to-toe. At times one shows his eyes to be closed so that others can know that he was awake the whole night, and now sleep is overpowering him. Another form is when one lengthens the bowing and prostration in his nawāfil (supererogatory prayers) in the presence of someone so that he will think of him as a great saint. All these sicknesses of showing off are created by the desire for attaining honor in the eyes of creation. 10

11 The Cure for Riyāʾ The cure for this is to ponder: neither will we remain nor will creation (i.e., the one to whom we show our good actions and from whom we desire recognition and honor) remain. All of us will become dust in the grave. Only the pleasure of Allah Most Exalted will be of benefit. In Mirqāt al- Mafātīḥ, Mullā ʿAlī al-qārī s (Allah have mercy on him) commentary upon Mishkāt al-maṣābīḥ, it is written that after Zubaydah, the wife of Hārun al-rashīd (the caliph in Baghdad), passed away, a pious and righteous individual saw her in a dream. He asked her, How did Allah Most Exalted deal with you? She replied, I was forgiven. He asked, Was it due to your work for social welfare [constructing a canal for the pilgrims and visitants to Mecca]? She replied, No. All of that went to its people. Our being forgiven was due to the blessings of noble intentions. This means that in social welfare work, due to desiring honor, fame and reputation all of these actions have gone to these false deities. All of these acts come to no benefit. For this reason, Allah s special servants, despite doing good actions, fear whether they are accepted or not. My spiritual guide, Shaykh Shāh ʿAbd al- Ghanī Phulpurī (Allah have mercy on him) used to say, Continue doing (good actions) and fearing (whether they are accepted or not). This weak servant (the author), makes this duʿā: O Allah! Forgive me by Your mercy; for our good actions have become mingled with show, evil, etc, because of our nafs. A duʿā for safety from showing off has been mentioned in a noble hadith. Read it in abundance. There is hope that Allah Most Exalted will protect us from this sickness through the blessing of it: Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika an ushrika bika shayʾan wa ana aʿlam wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʿlam ( O Allah! I seek refuge in You from knowingly associating any partner with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for that of which I have done unknowingly. ) May Allah Most Exalted grant all of us sincerity! I would like to mention one point of experience, about which all of the Shaykhs have written: The treasure of sincerity will be attained through the company and service of the friends of Allah Most Exalted. Companionship of the friends of Allah Most Exalted is a very important and necessary act of worship, by which the soul of sincerity is blown into all forms of worship. 11

12 The Difference between Ostentation, Conceitedness, and Arrogance Ostentation is always found in acts of worship and religious matters, while conceitedness and arrogance are found in religious and worldly matters. With arrogance, a person regards another to be low, while with conceitedness, one regards himself to be good even though he holds no contempt for anyone. With arrogance, conceitedness is binding, but with conceitedness, arrogance is not binding. Note If there is any person for whom it is obligatory to have hatred according to the Shariah, then do not mingle with him and show him love. At the same time however you should not despise him, since you should have fear for your own end. It is possible that in the future before his death he will repent and go to Paradise. Mawlānā Rūmī (Allah have mercy on Him) has said: Do not look at even a disbeliever with contempt because it is possible that before dying, he can become Muslim However, it is possible to have hatred in the heart for the action but not for the individual. For example, if a handsome prince has ink on his face, one will have hatred for the ink on his face, but will not have contempt for the prince because it is possible that he will wash his face with soap, and again become pure and clean. Subḥānallāh (Glorified is Allah)! Ḥakīm al-ummah Thānwī (Allah have mercy on Him) solved such intricate problems with examples. In short, he has said, Hate the sin, not the sinner. Just as every person is frightened of sickness but has the necessary mercy and compassion toward the patient. 12

13 The Difference between Arrogance and Shyness Shyness is a natural disinclination, which affects the nafs when doing any action contrary to habit, or because of a condition that overcomes one. Due to extreme precaution, the sālik (one treading the path to Allah Most Exalted) at times thinks this disinclination to be arrogance whereas, in reality, it is not arrogance. The yard stick to test this is that when one feels ashamed to do a lowly action, will he still feel this hesitation if someone greatly honors or respects him because of it? If he will, then this is shyness, and if will not then it is arrogance. Be careful of the interpretations of your nafs so that it does not include arrogance with your shyness. For a detailed cure, consult your Shaykh. 13

14 Arrogance in the Form of Humility Ḥakīm al-ummah Thānwī (Allah have mercy on Him) said, At times, arrogance comes in the form of humility. This means that at times a person displays humility so that people will regard him as being great. The sign of this is that after being humble, if people do not honor and respect him, he feels bad. A true Allāhwala does not regard himself worthy of respect. 14