He who has memorized the Qur’an

Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (rahimahullaah) mentions in his book “al-Fawaid” under the chapter, “The Wisdom of Ibn Mas’ud”:

يَنْبَغِي لحامل الْقُرْآن أَن يعرف بليله إِذا النَّاس نائمون وبنهاره إِذا النَّاس مفطرون وبحزنه إِذا النَّاس يفرحون وببكائه إِذا النَّاس يَضْحَكُونَ وبصمته إِذا النَّاس يَخُوضُونَ وبخشوعه إِذا النَّاس يختالون وَيَنْبَغِي لحامل الْقُرْآن أَن يكون باكيا مَحْزُونا حكيما حَلِيمًا سكينا وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لحامل الْقُرْآن أَن يكون جَافيا وَلَا غافلا وَلَا سخابا وَلَا صياحا وَلَا حديدا

“People who have memorized the Qur’an should be known by the night when people are sleeping and he is awake, and by the morning when people are not fasting but he is, by his sadness when they are happy, by his crying when they are laughing, by his silence when they are slandering, and by his piety and humility when they are arrogant. He who has memorized the Qur’an should be tearful, sad, wise, patient, and calm, he should not be rude, inattentive, loud or cruel.”

Source: al-Fawaid of Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah), page 147 (Arabic Reference) and page 247 (English Reference).

Purification of the soul cannot be achieved except by way of the messengers

Purification (of the soul) cannot be achieved except by way of the messengers as stated by Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) when he said:

وَتَزْكِيَةُ النُّفُوسِ : أَصْعَبُ مِنْ عِلَاجِ الْأَبْدَانِ وَأَشَدُّ . فَمَنْ زَكَّى نَفْسَهُ بِالرِّيَاضَةِ وَالْمُجَاهَدَةِ وَالْخَلْوَةِ ، الَّتِي لَمْ يَجِئْ بِهَا الرُّسُلُ : فَهُوَ كَالْمَرِيضِ الَّذِي عَالَجَ نَفْسَهُ بِرَأْيِهِ ، وَأَيْنَ يَقَعُ رَأْيُهُ مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ الطَّبِيبِ ؟

فَالرُّسُلُ أَطِبَّاءُ الْقُلُوبِ . فَلَا سَبِيلَ إِلَى تَزْكِيَتِهَا وَصَلَاحِهَا إِلَّا مِنْ طَرِيقِهِمْ . وَعَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ ، وَبِمَحْضِ الِانْقِيَادِ ، وَالتَّسْلِيمِ لَهُمْ . وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ

(مدارج السالكين (2/300

“Purifying the souls is harder and more difficult than curing the bodies. So whoever purifies his soul through exercise, hard work and being in isolation – all of which the messengers did not come with – he is like a sick person that tries to cure himself based on his own opinion. Where is his opinion with respect to the expertise of a doctor?!

The messengers are the doctors of the hearts – there is no way to purify and rectify the hearts except through their way, at their hands and by totally submitting and complying with them. And we ask Allaah for His assistance!”

[Source: Madaarij-us-Saalikeen (2/300)]

Note:

• Tazkiyat al-nafs (‘purifying the soul’) involves following the Kitab and Sunna. These are the parameters.
• It has to be based on the example of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam).
• The point of proper organisation and actions to purify the soul is very important. Incorrect methods of purification of the ego-self/soul may lead us to avoid doing certain actions that we are supposed to in fact do.

None blindly follows except a bigoted Partisan

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him), said in I’Laamul-Muwaqqi’een, (4/177):

“Let the muftee beware, the one who fears standing in front of Allaah, free is He from all imperfections, that he answers the questioner with a verdict from his madhhab of which he is a blind follower, while he knows that in this particular matter, a madhhab other than his own is stronger and is more sound in its evidence.

But leadership teaches him to embark boldly in giving a fatwaa with something about which he knows, overwhelmingly, that the truth is in opposition to it. As a result he is a deceitful and dishonest to Allaah, His Messenger and to the questioner. Allaah does not guide the plan of the deceitful and He has forbidden Paradise to the one who meets Him while he has been dishonest to Islaam and its people. And the religion is but giving sincere advice.

Dishonesty is an opposite to the religion, just like the opposition of lying to truthfulness and falsehood to truth. And when a matter arises in which we hold an opinion which opposes (our own) madhhab, then we cannot give a verdict in opposition to what we believe (to be correct), therefore we quote the strongest madhhab (in that matter) and give it preference, and we say, “This is what is correct and it is more deserving of being accepted,” and Allaah grants success.”

Imaam at-Tahaawee (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, “None blindly follows except an ignorant person or a bigoted partisan.“

[Reported from him by Ibn ‘Aabideen in Rasm al-Muftee (1/32)]

It is also reported from him by Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee in his biography in Al-Lisaan (1/305), that Aboo ’Ubayd ibn Jurthoomah was revising some questions with him, so he responded to one matter and Aboo ’Ubayd said,

“This is not the saying of Aboo Haneefah.” So he replied, “O Qaadee! Do I hold everything that Aboo Haneefah said?!” So he said, “I did not think that you were anything but a blind follower.” So he said, “Does anyone blindly follow except a bigoted partisan?” So he said, “Or an ignorant person.”

Singing sprouts hypocrisy

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) said:

“Singing sprouts hypocrisy (nifaq) in the heart as water sprouts greens and herbs.“

[Ibn Battah, Al-Ibanah Al-Kubra Vol.2 p. 469, and Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Sunan Al-Kubra Vol. 52 p. 231.]

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyah (Allah have mercy on him) said :

“These are the words of someone who fully understood singing and its effects, for no one regularly sings or listens to song except that his heart falls into nifâq without him realizing. If such a person understood the reality of nifâq and its end he would see it in his own heart. Never do the love of song and the love of Qur’an come together in a person’s heart except that one expels the other.

I and others have witnessed how heavy the Qur’an feels to singers and song-listeners; how they coil when it is recited and how they get angry with a reciter when he recites too long for them (in prayer etc); and how their hearts do not benefit from what he recites: they are not moved to do anything by it. But when the Qur’an of Shaytân comes, laa ilaha illallaah! How they lower their voices and settle down! How their hearts feel at peace and how the crying and emotions start, how moved they are inwardly and outwardly and spend on clothing and perfume and staying up hoping for a long night ahead.

If this is not nifaq then it is certainly the way to it and its foundation.”

[Madarij Al-Salikin, Vol.1 p. 487]

The Sound Heart

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said,

“And the sound heart is the one which is secure from shirk, hatred, jealousy, envy, covetousness, pride, love of the world and leadership. So it is safe from every harmful thing which distances it from Allaah and it is safe from every doubt that contradicts His information (i.e., Revelation). It is safe from every desire that opposes His command and from every wish that competes (repels) what He intends (from His servants), and it is also safe from everything that cuts it off from Allaah. So this sound and safe heart is in a paradise in this world and in a paradise in the barzakh and in a paradise on the Day of Resurrection. The heart’s safety and soundness cannot be perfected, absolutely, until it is secure from five things:

(i)  From shirk which nullifies tawheed

(ii)  From innovation which opposes the Sunnah

(iii)  From a desire/lust that opposes the command (of Allaah)

(iv)  From heedlessness that contradicts remembrance (of Him)

(v)  From a desire that nullifies purity and sincerity (in intent and purpose)

These five are barriers to Allaah and beneath each of them are many other categories that contain unique issues which cannot be enumerated.”

[al-Jawaab al-Kaafee (1/176)].