The tongue is the mouthpiece of the heart; whatever is in the heart will be revealed through the tongue. When a person is calm he can maintain a facade, however the moment he becomes angry, passionate or embroiled in an argument, his tongue will reveal what is truly in his heart. If a person does not work on cleaning his …
Excerpts
February, 2012
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2 February
Solitude
In a hadeeth Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said: الوحدة خير من جليس السوء والجليس الصالح خير من الوحدة ”Solitude is better than bad company and good company is better than solitude.” [Bayhaqi – Shu’ab al Imaan] If a person cannot adopt good company, then he should remain in solitude. Nothing is more helpful in achieving sincerity of intention …
January, 2012
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27 January
The Power of Dajjal
This is an excerpt from Lesson 250 of al Tajrid al Sarih (The Abridged Saheeh al Bukhari) from the Book of Transactions by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq. Delivered on Friday 4 December 2009 at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester.
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19 January
Self-Conceit
Every Muslim has a responsibility to impart naseehah (advice) to his fellow Muslim. However when doing so, one should only speak about those points which are within the scope of one’s knowledge and not delve beyond that. When a person is asked a question by another person thinking him to be knowledgeable, he should never rush to answer whilst thinking …
December, 2011
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22 December
Sincere Repentance
In a hadeeth reported by Imam Bukhari, Rasūl Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said: والله إنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ الله وأَتُوبُ إِلَيْه في اليَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً By Allah I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him more than seventy times in a day [Tirmidhi] A person cannot progress on the path of tazkiyah (spiritual purification) without sincere tawbah (repentance). …
September, 2011
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23 September
The Test
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Quran: أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ Bethink men that they shall be left alone because they say: we believe; and that they shall not be tempted? And assuredly We have tempted those who were before them. So …
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16 September
Strengthen Your Heart Part 2
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Quran: وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ “And those who disbelieve say,’Why isn’t the Quran revealed to him in one go?’ In this way We strengthen your heart…..” [al Furqan 25/32] The Quran was revealed piecemeal to Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم over a period of …
July, 2011
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22 July
Aim for the Skies
Allah سبحانه وتعالى Says in the Holy Qurān, وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا “We shall guide those who strive hard in Our cause to the path leading to Us.” [al ʿAnkabūt 29/69] Allah’s hidayah (guidance) is proportional to one’s ṭalab (zeal). One should develop a yearning and desire to attain higher goals in life, beyond one’s mundane existence, in the …
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1 July
Signs of the Prophet in the Previous Scriptures
This is an excerpt from Lesson 296 of al Tajrid al Sarih (The Abridged Saheeh al Bukhari) from the Book of Transactions by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq. Delivered on Friday 18 March 2011 at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester.
June, 2011
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24 June
KAFIR – What does it mean?
This is an excerpt from Lesson 289 of al Tajrid al Sarih (The Abridged Saheeh al Bukhari) from the Book of Transactions by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq. Delivered on Friday 28 January 2011 at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester.
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16 June
The Difficult Part
A sahabi رضى الله عنه asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم for advice. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ‘Say ‘I believe in Allah’ and then remain steadfast’ [Reported in Muslim] It is very easy to say ‘I believe in Allah‘ but the second part i.e. ‘remain steadfast‘ (one word in Arabic – istiqamah) is very …
May, 2011
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12 May
Refine Your Speech
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Quran, يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً O believers, enter into Islam completely [al Baqarah 2:208] One of the greatest problems today amongst Muslims is that outwardly Islam is present, but the baatin (inner character and spirituality) is missing. A complete Muslim, however, is a Muslim not only externally but also …
April, 2011
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15 April
Strengthen Your Heart
وَكُـلاًّ نَّقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنبَاء الرُّسُلِ مَا نُثَبِّتُ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَجَاءكَ فِي هَـذِهِ الْحَقُّ وَمَوْعِظَةٌ وَذِكْرَى
March, 2011
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31 March
There is no Tazkiya without Shariah
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Qur’an: إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ Except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart [Surah al Shuaraa 26:89] The goal of tazkiya is to return to one’s beginning i.e. as a new-born child, pure and innocent, free from malice, self-conceit and pride. The dunya, however, makes a person’s heart hard …
February, 2011
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17 February
In Search of Barakah
Jabir رضى الله عنه reported that Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded the licking of the fingers and the dish, saying: “You do not know in what portion the blessing lies.” [Reported by Muslim] This hadeeth teaches us that when we eat, we should not assume that the barakah (blessings) will be in the main part of the meal. …
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10 February
Constancy in Solitude
Today is the final post in the series related to constancy in 8 things. Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said in a hadeeth ,”Solitude is better than bad company but good company is better than solitude.” [Bayhaqi – Shu’ab al Imaan] In this day and age especially, we should endeavour to stay away from bad company and remain in an …
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4 February
Contentment with the Decree of Allah
Over the past few weeks, we have been posting some brief points regarding constancy in 8 things which are necessary in the beginning stages of tazkiyah. Today’s post is the penultimate in this series concerning the decree of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Allah says in a verse of the Holy Qur’an: مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا …
January, 2011
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20 January
Constancy in the company of one’s spiritual guide
To be constant in maintaining a bond (of the heart) with one’s spiritual guide is a very important condition on the path of tazkiyah (spiritual purification). In Islam, there is a spiritual dimension and knowledge passes from heart to heart. Spirituality is gained through the relationship one has with one’s spiritual guide; the more clean and transparent this relationship is, …
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13 January
Constancy in Silence
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Qu’ran: مَا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ Not a word he utters but there is a watcher ready. [Surah Qaaf 50:18] For every word that we utter, an angel is ever-eager to record it. We should act on everything that we learn, especially with regard to remaining silent. The less a …
December, 2010
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30 December
Constancy in 8 Things
When a person reaches the stage of ihsaan, his walking, talking, sitting and so on all become ibaadah (worship) because he is conscious of Allah at all times; thus, his whole life becomes ibaadah. However before a person can reach this lofty stage he must firstly become constant in, and perfect, 8 beginning stages: 1. Constancy in purity and worship, …