Day 4 Introduction The Prophet (pbuh) used to begin his sermons with ( انا نعوذ بك من شرور انفسنا (اللهم Oh Allah, we seek refuge from the evilness of our selves. When a person acts upon the commands of Allah (swt) continuously, then his soul will be content, until the time of death. The angels at the time of death will come and call on the content soul to come out to a Lord not angry. Whereas the one who disobeys Allah (swt) continuously, then his soul will be wicked. And when the angels come at the time of death, they will call on this wicked soul to come out to a Lord angry. We ask Allah (swt) for the well-being. Ameen. The evil soul commands the person persistently to commit sin and to follow its desires. Many people could be following their desires because their self is telling them, while they are not even aware of it. Allah (swt) dispraised following desire profusely, to the point that He called desire a god, subhan Allah. Surah Al Furqan :43 ( أ ر ء ي ت م ن ٱت خ ذ إل ه ه ۥ ه و ٮ ه أ ف أ ن ت ت كون ع ل ي ه و ڪيلا ) (Have you O) Muhammad SAW) seen him who has taken as his ilâh (god) his own vain desire? Would you then be a Wakîl (a disposer of his affairs or a watcher) over him?) o This means he has preferred his desires over the commands of Allah (swt), as if he is worshipping his desires. أ ف ر ء ي ت م ن ٱت خ ذ إل ه ه ۥ ه و ٮ ه و أ ض ل ه ٱ لل ع ل ى علم و خ ت م ع ل ى س م عهۦ و ق لبهۦ و ج ع ل ع ل ى ب ص رهۦ غش و اة ( :23 Surah Al Jathiyah (Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilâh (ف م ن ي ہ ديه من ب ع د ٱ لل أ ف ل ت ذ ك رو ن (god)? and Allâh knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allâh? Will you not then remember?) o The person knew he was following his desires, so he is left astray, his heart is sealed, and his sight covered. Ibn Al Jawzy (may Allah have mercy on him) says desire is the inclination of the character or disposition or self to what suits it. To have certain desires is essential to our existence if we did not have desires towards food and drink, then we would die. It is normal to have sexual desires for one s legitimate spouse, otherwise there would be no pro-creation. However, there are limits set to all desires, excessiveness in food leads to bad health, excessiveness in sexual desire leads to adultery, excessiveness in love of money leads to usury. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said there are three saviors: o Fearing Allah (swt) in private and public o Justice at time of pleasure and anger o Spending moderately at times of richness and poverty Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said there are three destructive matters: o Severe miserliness o To follow one s desires o Self-conceit / self-admiration Page 1
The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said I fear for you your misleading whims. This means that desire is misleading. Following desires leads one to the hellfire. Desire can be in one s actions, advice, and thoughts. Sometimes a person may be going right, but becomes influenced with other s desires so he goes down that path. Every time Allah (swt) mentions (هوى) desire in the Quran He is dispraising it. Desire in the Quran و ل ن ت ر ض ى ع ن ك ٱلي ہود و ل ٱلن ص ر ى ح ت ى ت ت ب ع مل ت ہ م ق ل إ ن هد ى ٱ لل ه و ٱلهد ى و ل ٮن ٱت ب ع ت أ ه و ا ء هم ( :120 Surah Al Baqarah (Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with ) ب ع د ٱل ذى ج ا ء ك م ن ٱل علم م ا ل ك م ن ٱ لل من و لى و ل ن صير you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) till you follow their religion. Say: "Verily, the Guidance of Allâh (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism) that is the (only) Guidance. And if you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) were to follow their (Jews and Christians) desires after what you have received of Knowledge (i.e. the Qur'ân), then you would have against Allâh neither any Walî (protector or guardian) nor any helper.) o Had you followed their desires, then you would have no Wali, no protector. و ٱتل ع ل ي هم ن ب أ ٱل ذى ء ات ي ن ه ء اي تن ا ف ٱنس ل خ منه ا ف أ ت ب ع ه ٱلش ي ط ن ف ك ان من ٱلغ اوي ن )٥٧١( و ل و شئن ا ( :175-176 Surah Al Araf ل ر ف ع ن ه بہ ا و ل كن ه ۥ أ خل د إل ى ٱ ل ر ض و ٱت ب ع ه و ٮ ه ف م له ۥ ك م ل ٱل ل إن ت ح مل ع ل ي ه ي ل ه أ و ت ت رڪ ه ي ل ه ذ للك م ل ٱل و م ٱل ذين (And recite (O Muhammad SAW) to them the story of him ) ك ذ بوا ب اي تن ا ف ٱقص ٱل ص ل ع ل هم ي ت ف ك رون ٥٧١( ) to whom We gave Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), but he threw them away, so Shaitân (Satan) followed him up, and he became of those who went astray. (175) And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the parable of the people who reject Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect (176)) o Allah (swt) grants this person knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah, but he ignored it and threw it away. When he was in situations, he followed his desires and not the knowledge that was granted to him. o He has the skin of knowledge, but in situations, he sought his pleasure, and sheds the skin aside. o His example is that of a dog, a dog s tongue is always out, whether sitting or resting he is always panting. Allah (swt) gave him knowledge, but he preferred the lowly gain of the world for the great favors that Allah (swt) has bestowed upon him. ) و ك ذ للك أ نز ل ن ه حك اما ع ر ب ايا و ل ٮن ٱت ب ع ت أ ه و ا ء هم ب ع د م ا ج ا ء ك م ن ٱل علم م ا ل ك م ن ٱ لل من و لى و ل و اق ( :37 Surah Ar Ra ad (And thus have We sent it (the Qur'ân) down to be a judgement of authority in Arabic. Were you (O Muhammad SAW) to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which has come to you, then you will not have any Walî (protector) or Waq (defender) against Allâh) o When people want to judge, let them judge according to the Quran. But if you leave the knowledge that has come to you and follow your desires, then you will have no Wali, so who can protect you from Allah (swt)? No one. Page 2
و ٱص بر ن فس ك م ع ٱل ذي ن ي د عو ن ر ب ہم بٱل غ د و ة و ٱلع شى يريدو ن و ج ه ه ۥ و ل ت ع د ع ي ن ا ك ع ن ہ م تريد زين ة ٱل ح ي و ة ( :28 Surah Al Kahf SAW) (And keep yourself O) Muhammad ) ٱلد ني ا و ل تط ع م ن أ غ ف لن ا ق لب ه ۥ ع ن ذكرن ا و ٱت ب ع ه و ٮ ه و ك ا ن أ م ره ۥ فر ا طا patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, and other righteous deeds) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, and who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost) o Don t follow and obey those whom Allah (swt) made their hearts heedless from the remembrance of Allah (swt). إ ن ٱلس اع ة ء اتي ة أ ك اد أ خفيہ ا ل تج ز ى كل ن ف س بم ا ت س ع ى )٥١( ف ل ي صد ن ك ع نہ ا م ن ل يؤ من بہ ا و ٱت ب ع ( :15-16 Surah Ta Ha ("Verily, the Hour is coming and I am almost hiding it from myself - that every person ) ه و ٮ ه ف ت ر د ى ٥١( ) may be rewarded for that which he strives. (15) "Therefore, let not the one who believes not therein (i.e. in the Day of Resurrection, Reckoning, Paradise and Hell), but follows his own lusts, divert you therefrom, lest you perish. (16)) o What does about to conceal it mean? It means that Allah (swt) did not completely conceal the Day of Judgement from us Allah (swt) informed us of major and minor signs in order to be prepared, but people are heedless. o No angel or messenger knows the exact Hour, why? So that everyone may be recompensed for what he strives for. o Do not follow the one who does not believe in the Day of Judgement, for they are following their desires, and they will divert you. These ayat are showing us the seriousness of desires and following those who follow their desires. Either a person is following Allah s commands or he is following his desires, there is nothing in between, and whoever follows his desires, then Allah (swt) considers him a loser and there will be no Wali for him. و ل ٮن أ ت ي ت ٱل ذي ن أوتوا ٱل كت بكل ء اي ة م ا ت بعو ا قب ل ت ك و م ا أ ن ت بت ابع قب ل ت ہ م و م ا ب ع ضهم بت ابع قب ل ة ( :145 Surah Al Baqarah (And even if you were to bring to the ) ب ع ض و ل ٮن ٱت ب ع ت أ ه و ا ء هم من ب ع د م ا ج ا ء ك م ن ٱل علم إ ن ك إ ا ذا ل م ن ٱلظ لمي ن people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) all the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they would not follow your Qiblah (prayer direction), nor are you going to follow their Qiblah (prayer direction). And they will not follow each other's Qiblah (prayer direction). Verily, if you follow their desires after that which you have received of knowledge (from Allâh), then indeed you will be one of the Zâlimûn (polytheists, wrong-doers.)) o And if you follow their desires, then you have wronged yourself. Allah (swt) has granted you knowledge, so your attitude, behavior should be different from those who are ignorant. o If someone imposes on you to change your belief or ways, then you need to strive hard against your own self and themselves and follow what pleases Allah (swt). Different forms of following desire Following desire in judging people or among the people: Page 3
o There are people who have zeal / chauvinism for their nationality, tribe, background, that if someone else does wrong, they will criticize them, but if someone of their own nationality, tribe, etc commits the same wrong, then they turn and overlook it, and give excuses for it. o When a person of a certain nationality does something wrong, then people will say all of them are like that. The person will bear the burden for all the people on the Day of Judgement for wrongly judging. o This type of judging is according to desire because Allah (swt) says that all people are the same, same father and mother Adam and Eve, but verily the most honorable amongst you are the ones with most taqwa. ي أ ي ہ ا ٱل ذي ن ء ام نوا كونوا ق و لمي ن بٱل س ط شہ د ا ء لل و ل و ع ل ى أ نف سك م أ و ٱل و لل د ي ن ( :135 o Surah An Nisa a و ٱ ل ق ر بين إن ي ك ن غ نايا أ و ف ي ارا ف ٱ لل أ و ل ى بہم ا ف ل ت ت بعو ا ٱل ه و ى أ ن ت ع دلو ا و إن ت لو ۥ ا أ و تع رضوا ف إ ن ٱ لل ك ا ن بم ا (O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allâh, even ) ت ع م ل ون خ بي ارا though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allâh is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allâh is Ever Well Acquainted with what you do) You have to be a just person even if you are witnessing against your self, parents, and relatives. Whoever witnesses falsely or refuses to given it, then Allah (swt) is All-Aware of what is in the hearts. You could be called to judge between two people, one you like and one you do not like, if you judge according to your desire, then you have wronged yourself and wronged the others. Following desire in one s actions: o Prophet (pbuh) said that we should greet whomever we know and we do not know of the Muslims. Then he said, as the Day of Judgment approaches, Muslims will only greet those whom they know, subhan Allah. This attitude indicates following our desires in our actions. o People may use evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah in order to justify their actions, for example, a wife wants to entertain guests to her husband s displeasure, so she will quote the hadith that a true believer entertains his guests, and when the husband wants to have guests and she does not feel like it, she will quote from the Quran that those who spend extravagantly are the companions of the shaitan this is following desire. Following desire in one s reactions: o There are two types of anger: blameworthy and praiseworthy, praiseworthy is to be angry for the sake of Allah (swt), but to be angry because the helper burnt the clothes, or not getting promoted, or getting a bonus etc then this is following desire. Following desire in one s thoughts: o Whoever opposes the Quran and the Sunnah then he is following his desire. Page 4
o Those who are not accepting Islam after being told about Islam, then they are following their desires. At the time of Ibn Al Qayim, he called on a priest to Islam, and the priest said I know that Islam is the truth, but if I become a Muslim, then the people will shun me and will not honor me and give me gifts so this is following desire. Following desire in one s advice: o Iblis advised Adam (as) to what is not true. So we should not advise others according to our desires. For example, a friend might be facing marital problems, so instead of telling her to be patient, etc, she tells her out of jealousy or excessive love to divorce him this is following desire. o Seeking consultation is an act of worship, so you need to advise sincerely for Allah s sake, while following the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). And if you don t know, just say I don t know. Following desire in relationship with others: o For example ahusband and wife, this wife has to obey her husband this is the command of Allah (swt), but if he is being good to her, then she is good to him, but if he doesn t take her out, then no more good food, good dress, etc. this is following desire in a relationship. o The rights of a Muslim upon another Muslim: to greet with the salam, to say may Allah have mercy on you after sneezing, respond to the waleemah, visit when sick, attend janazah if pass away. o Or two sisters when they re good to each other, then they will advise each other, wake each other up for fajr, but if they get into an argument, then they won t wake each other up for fajr, one will say she is grown up, let her set her alarm clock, let her miss the fajr, subhan Allah. Following desire in speech: o Whenever we like someone, then we are smiling and talking so much to them, but if we are around those we don t like, then we don t even greet them, subhan Allah. Your tawheed, your belief in the Oneness of Allah (swt) is not complete until you do not follow your desires. You need to magnify the laws of Allah (swt). When you are in a situation, you need to magnify the laws of Allah (swt) and not your desires. For example, when it comes to inheritance, Allah (swt) has made it clear what is the share for each individual, but many people do not follow the law of Allah (swt), but rather follow their desire. If you truly believe that Allah (swt) is the True God and His law is the true law, then you would reject your desires. Shaitan and Desire Anyone who is following his desires, then he will give the shaitan the chance to overcome him and the shaitan will take him wherever he wants. The shaitan will be his friend. In sha a Allah next lecture we will discuss the remedy for following desire. May Allah (swt) protect us from the evilness of our desires. Ameen. Page 5