Don’t consider yourself to be free

God willing more details about pride and self-complacement will be discussed in the second part of this book. Here we have to know in brief that as long as a man would consider himself firm and without guardianship, he would be proved of his existence. Such person cannot step forward in the field of knowledge. But when he uses his sense that he is not firm and independent then his naturals inherent changed and recognize his Lord in the light of mystic knowledge and becomes a friend of Him. O preserver! You have become a curtain of your own. Move away between your Lord and Your personality. As long as you would be proud of your knowledge you will not recognize mystic knowledge. I show you one point that you do not see at yourself because you are dust.

Beastly pleasures and desires

As all works of greed and sensuality and devotion of devilish desires, beastly pleasures for instance eating bellyful, to sleep more than necessity, to speak unnecessarily generally to conceal the natural inherent, become neglect from remembrance of Allah and become the cause of spiritual illness. In such excess actions of they are harmful for the body and this loss would worthy of attention then it is unlawful. And if it is not so much worthy of attention then it is also hateful. Now if that action is useful for instance one action is also this, that Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) draws attentions towards it. “Lustfulness is one of the poisonous arrow from one of the devi’s arrows: Lustful eyes is one of the Shaitan’s arrow that penetrates into the heart. A man who involves in doing wrong deeds from morning to evening, how much his heart becomes more sick? How can the brilliance rise in the heart to invoke of Allah’s name instead of such badness and pollution? How can be recognizing Allah and truths and facts!

Sinful eyes are far from beloved’s face. Now look at his face through your pure heart. Yes, if favour and grace are granted then licentious person will be sorry for his deeds. Repentance will drove away impurity of the heart and true repentance will wash the heart. I have plunged into tears and bathed and you also say like mystic because mystic people say first become clean and cast a look at pure angelic.

Every sin whether they are small, covers a man’s humanity and makes heart rusty and creates the distance of intimacy between Allah and him. This argument is present in many Ayats of Holy Quran and the traditions. For instance: Sura Mutaffin Ayat no 14/15. “Nay! Rather, what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts.” “Nay! Most surely they shall on that day be debarred from their Lord.”

In the same way Allah says in Sura Rum Ayat no. 10.

ثُمَّ كَانَ عَاقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاؤُوا السُّوأَى أَن كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِئُون

“Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they rejected the communications of Allah and used to mock them.”

(Surah Rum 30:10)

And Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) has said in Usul al-Kafi that each one has a white dot in his heart, when he does any wrong a black dot creates into the white dot and if he repents of his sin, the black dot removes. But if he remains in the impurity of the sins for a long time the blackness increases up to this it covers the white dot completely. Such person cannot turn to the right path. This is an explanation of Ayat 14 of Sura Mataffin. And Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said to Abu Abdullah that my father (Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) had been said that sins ruin the heart. Undoubtedly the heart involves with the sins continuously up till that the sins controls his heart and the heart turns down and no truth remains left and a man does not accept the guidance and does not obey the truth.

The dangerous pain of the heart

Hazrat Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) says that sins are more dangerous pain of the heart and nothing else. No more dangerous fear of anything more than death. Previous sins are enough to get worry and for guidance, death is enough. (From Usul al-Kafi)

Hazrat Amirul Mo-mineen (a.s.) also said “I am worried the two things for you. First to follow desires and secondly long-hopes. To following desires separates a man from the truth, while long hopes lose the remembrance of the hereafter. (Yes-long hopes and long desires lose the remembrance of the death. And if a man does not remember the death he forgets the hereafter also. A true believer should not fear of death. He should always remember it. It is mentioned in first Hadith “That nothing is dangerous except the death.” He feels this fear when he does wrong and does not repent for it. To protect from the fear of death he should not commit a sin and repent for the previous sins and hopes for Allah’s mercy.

Allah is the Manifests, but the veil of desires in intervening

In the supplication of Abu Hamza Thumali, Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) prays to Allah.

“Undoubtedly, the way is short to come towards you and you do not veil from your creations on the contrary the had deeds of your creation became veil between you and him. In one edition a word Aamaal is used instead of A’amal means desires are hindered being a veil, Imam (a.s.) says – I am very near of myself or You are nearest than this and it is very strange that I am very far from it.

Preoccupation makes negligent from remembrance of Allah

A man becomes occupied to fulfill his desires and lustfulness and long long hopes that he is committing sins one after another and becomes sinful by heart and draws the curtain between Allah and himself. His preoccupation makes him neglect from remembrance of Allah.

We have lost the way

We become pleased getting materialistic pleasures of the world. We become sad seeing loss of the world but we doubt worry about the loss. If the hereafter. We do not guess about humanity and spirituality in the mind. That is why we do not worry about for good dealing of our next life. Though there is no great danger from the danger of sins and no great harm from the harmfulness of the hereafter. The real investment of a man is his faith. Desires of sensuality and a thief like Shaitan steal from him and he sleeps in peace. He doesn’t worry that lies faith decreases or completes due to his sins. Would that his faith departs at the time of his death.

It is surprise that besides this condition they cry for their materialistic condition and remain in bodily sickness and also in spiritual sickness very badly.

All hospitals are full of these patients in every era and no place is vacant and the diseases increasing day by day but people do not take a lesson that are giving more importance to bodily sickness. They do not repent for it and do not leave the path of Shaitan. The best remedy is the remembrance of Allah but to remember Allah is whiter, they do not remember Him for a moment. Their soul remains in restlessness and in trouble but do not find remedy of it. Remember that remembrance of Allah satisfies the mind and the soul.

Afflicted time of today

Certainly, today the condition of a man is very miserable. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) says in Nahjul Balagah that you live in such period that would be ruined very soon and would rise up again. Shaitan is very anxious to misled people. This is such a period that Shaitan’s capitalism’s and equipment’s increased and his deceivefulness involve many people and they are ready to come into his trap. See whereever you like, you will see empty handed everywhere, means poverty and hunger, pain and sadness and wistfulness and anger. People are debarred from endurance and contentment. Richness is not counting as gratitude nowadays.

On the contrary it has been restricted in ungratefulness. People have become miser instead of generous. They do not like to spend money in the way of Allah and like to collect money and have become wayward to obey the Islamic law and have become deaf from hearing the guidance.

We come to know after surveying the mode of life today that there are four kinds of people in the society. Some are very poor who remain very sand and lamenting or some are very rich and ungratitude to Allah. Some are very miser and greedy. Some rich people who are not poor, miser or greedy but turn their faces from Allah’s invocation.

We have not to leave a social life also

Do we leave the social life and go to jungle? No, Islam is prohibited the manners of Sufis and Rahibs. We have to live in society. We have to remove obstacles from the way of Allah and the recognition of the hereafter. We have not to waste the capital of faith and belief and have to enjoy the pleasures and comforts of the society.

Mind and Shaitan

In knowledge of God, humanity and wisdom and Islamic law, there are two biggest obstacles. Mind of human being that tries to mislead him and Shaitan makes his mind’s beasliness restive. These two enemies try to mislead people everywhere and every time whether he is in society or in jungle. Therefore a man should oppose them. These enemies play a trick also that they show the bad deeds are good. I a man want to run away he should run away from following the evil mind and Shaitan and not from the society.

Congregational prayer and Hajj

The biggest duty incumbent on people from Allah is the prayer of five times everyday. Allah has emphasized for congregational prayer. Allah says in clear words in Sura Baqrah Ayat no 41. “And bow down with those who bow down.”

After Namaz, Haj is the biggest obligatory prayer that is performed in gathering. There are many benefits in it. If any one guides to stay alone far away from society, he is misleaded and he is talking against Islamic law. If one who himself is mislead, how can he guide the other people? One who takes a leadership holding a stick of a blind and if he himself is also blind then his blindness doubled.

Hence what to do?

Allah is the Wise, The Knower. He knows His people’s pain and remedies. He has send the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and His decendents for this reason. He has given a prescription of the guidance and has given guidance on account of each and every work. What to do and what not to do has showed in details? There are commands to speak a word from the tongue and to swallow a morsal of food into the mouth. Where to sit and where not to sit, whom to speak and where not to cast a look at, all orders are present in Islam for all big and small work. Every works like obligatory, unlawful, unbecoming, desirable and permissible are connected with one among these five. Each work of a man king is connected with one of the commands. This detail is present in Risala-e-Ambiya (i.e. Toziul Masae’l).

Islamic laws and act upon it

All have responsibility to act upon the religious law and a man will get benefit of it. First of all to learned about religious law. Of course, it is obligatory to get information about Islamic laws. It is necessary to be attentive at least obligatory and unlawful thing from these five commands. A man should be careful that obligatory thing would not miss from him and unlawful thing would not commit from him. The next stage after this, that he should accomplish all permissible work and avoid from unbecoming work. Undoubtedly one who is acquanted of all religious laws and also acted upon it, being staying in the dirty society, he is clean and pure. According to the Persian hadith, to clean the mind from all evils gives benefit. Islamic jurisprudence is alchemist that shows that how mind is softening in trial’s kiln and unripe thing is separated from the original. This matter will be very lengthy to go in detail. That is why we content with some shawls of alchemist.

Five times cleanliness in twenty four Hours

For instance one command of Allah is the prayer of five times. Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Magrib and Isha. One who performs these prayers of five times with manners especially with Jamat, all pollutions clean in this time? The famous saying of our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is “One who performs the prayer of five times, just as he dived five times into the water and cleans his body. Is any dirt will remain on the body of such person? The same condition is the heart of a pious man.

‘Special effect of each command’

There is a special effect of Fast, Zakat (poor-rate) Hajj and other obligatory works. There is a special effect on every obligatory prayer on account of purification of soul and disease of heart more than other obligation. If a man performs all obligatory prayers and gives up one from it, he will be deprived from the benefits of obligatory prayers and he will be involve in the disease of heart and his compensation cannot be make from other obligatory works.

The same thing is to give up all wrong things. If a man avoids all the unobligatory work except one, his heart becomes impure on account of this. And this impurity cannot remove without abstaining from particular wrong deeds.

“Remembering of death makes heart pure.”

The same thing is containing in permissible works. In connection of purification of heart effects by particular same permissible work and this effect cannot obtain by any source. To remove the obstacles in connection of purification of heart and knowledge of God we should remember knowledge of God we should remember the death in one of the permissible work. There are a very few sermons of Hazrat Ali (a.s.) in Nahjul Balagah that he has not warned us about the death. For instance he says – “I advice you to remember the death every time and decrease the negligence from it. How is your negligence about such thing (death) that doe not remain inattaintive from you”?

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) states in writing a letter to the governor of Miser, “When ever your mind disturbs you in connection of lustfulness, you increase your remembrance of the death. According to sermonizer death is sufficient. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) always advised his followers in connection of remembering the death and said – Remember the death more because it endeavours the pleasure of mind and it is a thing that stands as a wall between you and your lustness.

And the tradition of Imam Baqir (a.s.) is present in Usul al-Kafi that Hazrat Nabi Akram (s.a.w.s.) was asked that how is the momin wise and honest than others? Hazrat replied, one who remembers the death and is ready for every time.

“Every thing is bad beyond limits”

In connection of remaining abstain from unbecoming things, there are some permissible thing also. If does not remain abstain from one of becoming things, the disease of heart was removed will not be cured. Certainly whatever the loss is in from not abstaining from the unlawful things, not so much lost in giving up unbecoming things. In the same way there is much loss is in giving up all obligatory things and not so much loss in giving up permissible work. For instance one becoming work is to eat bellyful, in the same way bellyful food in the stomach is also disapproved. If to eat too much that becomes the cause of disease then it is not disapproved but it is unlawful. In the same way to sleep too much, to talk too much is disapproved to the point of being forbidden. If a sentence also that commits a sin is not disapproved but it is unlawful.

Sura A’raf Ayat 31 points towards this “And eat and drink and be not extravagant, surely the does not love the extravagant.”

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says:

Surely Allah does not like who sleeps and eats extremely.

And Tradition of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is recorded in Safinat-ul-Behar Vol 2 pg. No 50:

It is your duty to remain silent. Because silence is an implement to remove Shaitan and helpful to you in your religion.

There are many contemptible traditions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) such as too much sleeping, eating and too much praising. For the purification of mind, heart, in the way of natural inherent, necessary to adopt the middle way for sleeping, eating and speaking. Besides to see personally and investigate the fact is a big proof of our correct consideration

Pleasure of Supplication

You see by experiment that once you lessen in eating and sleeping in a night and get up early at dawn and pray a few rakats namaz, converse with Allah and again pray one or two rakats or become habitual of this, then you will come to know about the nearness of Allah and you will feel sweetness of prayer and you will know the stage of spiritual destination up till limit. A poet says (decrease in sleeping and eating ad take this gift for Him and join with such persons who sleeps less at night and beg pardon from Allah. Sura Zariyat Ayat no 17-18 points out towards it.???

كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

“They used to sleep but little in the night. And in the morning they asked forgiveness.”

(Surah Zariayat 51:17-18)

Worship discards the veil

Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) says in Safinatul Behar vol. 2 pg. no. 603 that there is no any other curtain between Allah and a person except the curtain of uncontrollable desires and soul and to slew both of them, he should consider himself helpless according to his personality, attribution and practice to fear of God, remaining hungry and thirsty at the day time and keep awaking at night are not any work like an arm is better than these. He says avoid following the mind because nothing is wild like this in the way of Allah that throw down people on the back.

This is very difficult but important work

Purification heart means to pure us from spiritual pollution according to the religious law. Though it is very difficult work. It is unbearable but this is the correct way of good fortune, deliverance and success and auspiciousness. The Holy Quran says in Sura Shams Ayat no. 9 that

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا

“He will indeed be successful who purifies it.”

(Surah Shams 91:9)

Allah says in Sura Nahl Ayat no 97

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

“We will most certainly make him live a happy life.”???

(Surah Nahl 16:97)

He is not getting a treasury without working hard. He gets his wages if he works hard. Certainly he gets reward in the hereafter if he works hard in the world.

Allah says in Sura Haqqah Ayat 24,???

كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ

“Eat and drink pleasantly for what you did beforehand in the days gone by.”

(Surah Haqqah 69:24)

Phycholoegical Analysis

Phychological analysis means after purification of mind whatever is needed is phychological analysis means it is the decoration of mind. And decoration of mind is imagination of Allah and invocation of Allah’s name. A thing that is necessary is, seeing the universe and worth consideration about Allah and to always remembering Him. Allah says in Sura Ale Imran Ayat no. 189/190.

وَلِلّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاللّهُ عَلَىَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ

“Most surely in the creation of the heaven and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men who understand. Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee, save us then from the chastisement of the fire.”????

(Surah Ale Imran 3:189-190)