Contents Week One: Praiseworthy Traits I Importance of Purification of the Soul... 2 The Essence of Sulūk: Attaining Sublime Character... Error! Bookmark not defined. Repentance (Tawbah)... 4 Fear(Khawf)... 5 Hope in the Mercy of Allah (Rajāʾ)... Error! Bookmark not defined. 1
Importance of Purification of the Soul [1] Allah Most Exalted states, Successful is the one who has purified his nafs (soul) and unsuccessful is the one who does not purify it [due to laziness and neglect]. (Quran 91:9 10) [2] Tazkiya (purification) of the nafs is individually obligatory (farḍ ayn) 2
The Essence of Sulūk: Attaining Sublime Character [1] Evil character should be removed and noble character should be inculcated; heedlessness of Allah Most Exalted should be removed and attention of Allah Most Exalted should be inculcated. [2] A person must possess the knowledge of praiseworthy characteristics (akhlāq hamīdah) and evil characteristics (akhlāq radhīlah). [3] The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, The most beloved to me and the one closest to me in the Hereafter will be the one whose character is good; and the one most disliked by me and the furthest away from me in the Hereafter will be the one whose character is evil. [4] The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said, He who is deprived of softness has been deprived of all goodness. 3
Repentance (Tawbah) ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, Due to sin, one s heart feels ashamed and sorrowful, and thus becomes restless. This is tawbah. Understand it in this simple way: When someone wrongs a great individual, then in what manner does he seek to excuse himself? He will clasp his hands, fall at the feet of that person, place his hat on his feet, speak words of flattery and weep. Similarly, when seeking repentance in front of Allah Most Exalted, one should at least adopt the same behavior. Such tawba, according to Allah s promise is definitely accepted! To attain the ability to repent, ponder over the punishments mentioned in the Quran and hadith. As a consequence of that the heart will begin to dislike sin. Starting today, along with verbal repentance, begin making up (qaḍā) any prayers and fasts that were missed. After consulting with ulamā (religious scholars), if you have not given a person his due right, or given an inheritor his or her inheritance, then do so. If you do not have the ability to do so, then ask those people for forgiveness. 4
Fear (Khawf) It is narrated that Muʿādh b. Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, The heart of a believer cannot be without fear and his fear can never become tranquil. The method of acquiring this is to remember at all times that Allah Most Exalted knows all of our actions and statements and is fully aware of our outer and inner secrets. On the Day of Judgment, He will take our reckoning. 5
Hope in the mercy of Allah (Rajāʾ) Allah Most Exalted states, Verily, the ones who are despondent of Allah mercy are the disbelievers. (Quran 12:87) This shows that having hope in Allah s mercy is a part of īmān (faith). The way to acquire this is to be obedient to Allah Most Exalted and worship Him and, using your courage, abstain from sins. It is natural that one has hope in the one to whom he is obedient, and that his heart becomes afraid and despondent of the one whom he disobeys. The meaning of having hope in Him when repenting is that one should look at Allah s unlimited mercy and be convinced that one s tawbah will be accepted. When a small stick of dynamite can blow a mountain into small bits, how much power must there be in Allah s mercy, by which mountains of sins break up into small bits? However, to become totally fearless because of overrelying on His mercy (and thereby becoming accustomed to sinning) is a dangerous and severe deception. Does anyone place his hand in a fire, trusting in a healing lotion which is one hundred percent effective? 6