Al Kawthar Academy | 'The Abundance of Good' We aim to preserve and promote the pure message and sublime values of Islam.
Seeking Advice (Naṣīḥah)
Delivered by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq on Friday 19th February 2021 at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester
We seek advice in order to help us make informed decisions. What are the qualities and characteristics we should look for when choosing someone to take advice from?
A good advice giver is said to encompass the wider meaning of nasihah; including being a sincere well-wisher. He should be like the one whom one can narrate dreams to, identified in the hadith as being a ‘beloved’ or ‘intelligent’ person. On the other hand, caution is given against taking advice from friends. These friends, often giving dismissive advice, or even playing out their own fancies in their advices.
As for the seeker of advice, he should be sincere; having an open mind and a clear objective with his consultation. The talk furthermore identifies istikharah as being a dua seeking good from Allah and that this should be done at the side of istisharah from the creation. Istikharah is said to be different from superstitious pre-Islamic practises and void of seeking dreams etc.
Towards the end of the talk, the three A’s for dealing with situations (amend, accept and abandon) are expounded upon.
Below are some of the timecodes and topics for this talk:
0:00 – Intro: Religion is Naṣīḥah
7:45 – Who to seek advice from
13:40 – Definition of a ḥabīb and labīb
23:52 – Problems caused by wrong advice
27:12 – Superstitions before Islam
37:15 – How to ensure sincerity when seeking advice
48:00 – Acting on the advice of friends
59:15 – The method of istikhārah
1:11:10 – Importance of taking naṣīḥah from the people of naṣīḥah
1:15:00 – The 3 A’s
FREE audio download available on SoundCloud
