An Excellent Dowry
Written by Moulana Aashiq Ilahi Sahib

Preface
Marriage is a Sunnah
Overview of the Parental Home and the In-Laws Home
Parable of a Bride Compared with a Buried Believer
Behavior of a Virtuous Girl
To Propose and to Accept
What Lesson is Learnt From Marriage
Faith is like the Soul
Advice to Sisters
Who Ended the Oppression Against Women?
Love and Respect for the Prophet
The Testament of Abdul Qadir Jilani (Alaihir Rahmah)
Final Words

see also: The Need for Simple Weddings
Marriage

Preface

Hamidan Wa Musalian, The pip of a mango upon looking is an unremarkable thing. But when it takes root into the earth, and is exposed to sunlight and rain, it bursts forth with leaves and branches. It grows so large that it becomes a shelter from the heat for the passing traveller, who would gain joy from the aromatic scent of its flowers. Who could say that this tree possessed all this beauty externally and internally, when it was still just a mango pip? For at that time it was still only a part of its sap and its potential was hidden from sight. 

Similar is faith, when it becomes rooted in the heart. Heavenly counsel rains on one in the form of propagation, freeing one of the restraints of bad influences and foul education. One gains freedom as ones body begins to glow with the light shining from ones heart, ones tongue translates this light to be cast upon the travellers of the Hereafter, from which the souls of the Children of Adam find eternal joy from each letter and word. The complete achievements of the saints of the Ummah of Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him are the fruits of this same seed, which was also just a hidden potential in the days of their childhood. And this chain will continue until the Day of Reckoning as long as it remains safe from the stain of communism. And so it is my heart felt wish that wherever and for whatever purpose there is a gathering of Muslims, the exhortations of Allah and His Messenger Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  shower upon them like an autumn rain. On the occasion of my daughter's wedding, I noticed that there was a large congregation of men on the ground floor and women on the upper floor. I decided to relate an article, which I had penned the night before. All praises are to Allah; it had a great effect on its listeners. Now for the benefit of those who were not present I have had it published. I put forward a request to the devout to see to it that every male and female receive a copy of this pamphlet, and to keep in sight that it is Allah who makes these dried up seeds turn into lush and thriving trees. 

Aashiq Ilahi Mirti 

* * * 
We praise and send blessings upon the gracious Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him . . . . 

 Respected elders, brothers and friends. First of all I would like to thank you all for your attendance. Your arrival at this peasant's hovel honours the peasant. With great respect I ask of you a few minutes in anticipation that you out of your kindness will allow me this. 

Marriage is a Sunnah

Marriage is the tradition of our leader Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him .. There is no tradition as such which does not contain remembrance of the Hereafter and spiritual benefit. The Lord Almighty has given most of you gentleman, sons and daughters, and the opportunities to wed them and to send them away to their new homes. But most of you have interpreted this as marriage, or at the most as the continuance and survival of lineage and a paternal duty, and fulfilled it on the level of a custom. You didn't even imagine there to be any relativity to the Hereafter in this. Thus, I bring your attention to it today that a wedding, especially that of a daughter, is a time for the remembrance of ones death. Her sending off is, as images of ones own sending off from this world. We find the word death uncomfortable, upon hearing it we unconsciously say aloud, 'Don't talk of such,' or 'May the Lord not let this happen.'  At weddings especially, it is considered a bad omen and unlucky. But this is the command of the King of All and an incurable malady, which no man or woman, no adult or child can escape. 

 He who was here today will be gone tomorrow,
    Any breath may be his last breath,
 The rope is burning by the order of Death,
    The grave will eat each and all convulsions.

Whether it (the mention of death) is unlucky or blessed, it is certain that whoever has come into this world, he has come only to be sent off into the next world. The sending off of a daughter is known as the living funeral. My point, to remind people with this living funeral of the funeral of death. In doing so to replace ignorance and candour with a strong dislike for the wasteful pursuits of this world. 

It is another matter whether anyone takes a lesson from this regarding their own departure (from this world), but if you would just take a look at the contexts, its before and after. Where is the likeness between every detail of this girl's life (with her parents and her in-laws), with the elements of our own lives (in this world and in the Hereafter)?

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Overview of the Parental Home and the In-Laws Home

Fifteen or sixteen years have passed since the girl was born. She was raised in the laps of her parents and siblings. She had played in every single corner of this house. Not once did the thought occur to her that this is not my house, and if it is, it's only for a short while. She did not even imagine that she was just a traveller passing through, that she would be leaving soon, to be carried away on the four shoulders of poll bearers. The time is drawing near that her parents will seat her in a litter and send her away from this home. She will be crying and her friends will be hugging her as they send her off. She will be watching this farewell ceremony in a state of shock, silent, with the hem of her scarf covering her face. All around will be a crowd, who's chant will be, 'hurry, hurry.' 

 "O Allah, what is this transformation," she will be thinking, "the people who once thought me to be the balm of their eyes are now pushing me away. The people, who became restless the minute I was out of sight, now wish that the departure be over quickly. I am crying and close to screaming out aloud, and yet no one is willing to hear what I am going through." 

Who will listen to the cry of the dervish, to the injustice of the life of a dervish? 

And now the final goodbyes are done and she has departed. 

 When she arrives at her in-laws, it is a whole new house and family. She sees' a new way of life, where everyone, young or old, is watching her every step. She thinks to herself, "O Allah, I had no idea that I would be brought to account for my previous life and that I would be tested on how I lived it. The minute I stepped out of the litter, I would be questioned, 'Are you cultured or are you an oaf? Are you a blessing or are you misfortune?' Everyone here has become a supervisor of my etiquette and speech. Even the housemaid wants to know whether I can cook, or will I be depending on her. Today I have realised that my parent's home was my place of deeds (Darul Amal) and that my in-laws house is my place of reckoning (Darul Jazah). "If I am learned, skilled, wise, religious, intelligent, obedient, patient and optimistic, than I will be beloved to everyone, I will be the star of their eyes, and I will be the ruler and vassal of everyone young and old. If I am ignorant, unthankful, bad tempered and with a bad attitude, foul mouthed, chaotic, shameless, impatient, insubordinate, stubborn and a show off, then I will face the consequences of my neglect during my life with my parents. I didn't learn to sew or thread, I didn't learn culture nor etiquette. I will become wretched even in the eyes of a child. Everyone including the doorman and the cook will look at me in disgust. Some will ridicule me and some will tease. They will call me a savage, a barbarian, ill fated, and a burden on the household. I will sorely regret not having worried about this coming day in my previous life. Then will the lectures of my parents strike my heart like spears and arrows. And I used to sulk and stop speaking to them, nor eat. When they used to teach housekeeping in a gentle way, at that time it seemed like oppression. Why, to make bread would burn my delicate hands, and sawing would make my fingers bleed. How was I to know that they were not oppressing me, it was their way of showing love and aid to me? If only I had listen to them then and had thought of them as my selfless supporters, I would not have had to endure these calamities, now I can neither live, nor die under these hardships. I am no longer counted amongst the living or the dead. Now, neither are my parents prepared to help me, nor are my friends ready to support me, they are to busy with their own lives. What is passing, is only passing on me. It is passing in such a way, that even when I cry out and scream, it does not reach their ears. And even if someone hears me, no one can do anything about it. Whatever happens now, I will have to remain here, and I will have to endure." 
 

Whether pain or pleasure, it will all be mine,
The time gone past was a dream or imagination.

 My dear friends! This is a fist full of pellets from the harvest (metaphorically speaking) to show you the outlines. It has come in a Hadith that when a man is buried in his grave, the two deputies of Allah, in other words, Munkar and Nakir, come and take into account your belief and disbelief. If they find you in accordance to God, to the religion and to the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  they give you glad tidings and recite to you: "Go to sleep like the bride who will only be awakened by he who is her most beloved." 

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Parable of a bride compared with a buried believer

Understand why the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him gave the example of the bride to that of a buried believer. This world is like a brides parents house for the believer (Darul Amal) and the Hereafter is like her in-laws (Darul Jazah). But how is he like a newly wed bride and why the mention of him sleeping and awaking in the grave? In the same way that a well received bride is given a respectful sweet sleep, similarly an ill-fated bride, who is has come as a burden with her cursed face and arrives ill-begotten, she is out cast and ridiculed. In conclusion, the blackness of the grave is the darkness of the first night, or it's meaning and aim is more precise, (it could mean) the dark holds of a prison and the length of the first moment. The world was Darul Amal and this is Darul Jazah. The time gone past was to learn etiquette and skills, and this is the first day to see its consequences and results. Here you will find everything in accordance to your past actions. 

This isn't the future, it is the present; here you give by day and receive by night, 
What a fine bargain, what a deal; give with this hand and take with that hand. 

Behaviour of a Virtuous Girl

That is the lesson, which I presented to you concisely. Now cast your eyes upon the more practical element of the lesson, how does a virtuous girl behave and act? She gives precedent to her new home over her old home. She gives more consideration to her mother-in-law than she did to the mother that gave her birth. She holds her father in-law in higher esteem than the father who carried her on his shoulders when she was a child. She would mostly ignore acting upon the commands of her 'old' parents and she repeatedly crushed their orders under-foot. But with her 'new' parents, she doesn't even wait for a verbal command; a gesture of their hands is sufficient for her. She sits in wait, watching their face for the slightest expression of desire, so that she may complete it immediately. If her first home was a palace and her second home a hovel; she will love her second home more, for she knows that she will live here. She leaves her friends of thirteen years behind and she closes her eyes to the times she played with them in the corners of her home. She showers on her brothers and sister-in-laws affection several times more intense than that which she held for her own siblings. When her father comes to the door to meet her, she will remain silent in waiting until she has her husbands permission to call him in, otherwise even if her father screams, she does not have the courage to say come in. If there is enmity between her mother and mother-in-law, no matter how much it twists her heart inside, she will not go against her mother-in-laws wishes and talk or even look at her own mother. So young and yet such a large transformation. The princess, who was raised with tenderness in her father's house and bathed in the perfume of flowers, now eats stale bread at her in-laws and expresses happiness. The girl, who had never been addressed as 'you', but as milady and madam, now listens to the ranting of the cook and maids and does not express anger. 

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To Propose and to Accept

These are not rumours or tales, but are real incidents that happen in every country, in every era, in every class and culture, in tens of thousands and are still happening. Such noble ladies, the two eyes of the sky (the sun and the moon) have always seen and will continue to see. But have you my dear friends ever cast a glance at the reason for such a great change? It is for one life, which is known as the husband, and for two words, which are to 'propose' and to 'accept'. She shows her compliance not by words but with silence. That she will remain with this stranger in the bonds of marriage and she will remain with him not as a servant but as a slave. She will place his happiness over hers, his desires over hers, his dear ones over hers, his relaxation over hers. To the extent that she becomes prepared to give her life in lieu of his, that she will readily die in his place and call it life, and if it wasn't against the law she would consent to be burnt alive to be with him even in death. By Allah Almighty, this is the temporary bond of a human to a human, rather that of a young girl to a male of her own species. It is from this that I draw the strength to ask of you that I have you uttered those two phrases, not circumstantially but intentionally, and not just once but repeatedly? The first phrase is the Unity of Allah, i.e. La Ilaha Illallah (There is no God but Allah), and the second the Prophethood of Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him , i.e.Muhammadu Rasoolullah Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him is His Messenger). Are you not tied to someone with proclamation of these two phrases? Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  is the one who has delivered to us the commands of Allah as His deputy. For this reason to obey the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  is to obey the Lord of All Worlds, thus the declaration "Wa Man Yuti-ir-Rasul Fa Qad Ataa Allah." Thus even though there are two phrases, in reality it is only one admission, and the bond is to Allah, He Who has no partners. On one side we have the assent to Godliness with the words, 'Alastu Birabikum' and the taking of responsibility to feed and nourish, 'Wa Ma Min Daabatin Fil Ardee' (There isn't a living thing on the earth whose nourishment isn't on Allah). On the other hand we have the acceptance with the word 'Balaa', and the proclamation of servitude 'Shahidna Wa Aqrarna' (I bear witness and proclaim), and 'Sami'nah Wa Ataanah' (I hear and obey). Sirs, your spirits have resigned themselves to servitude on the Day of the Sabbath {Friday for Muslims, Saturday for Jews and Sunday for Christians}, upon which Allah, the Speaker of Truths and His innocent Angels have bore witness to. Your tongues have translated for your body in a gathering unlike the limited gathering at a wedding, but one held upon a vast plain in a massive congregation, beneath the far reaching sky, and have shouted out with great intensity the announcement that verily Allah is our Lord and Sovereign. We are his slaves and servants. My friends, perspiration will appear on our brows if we men in our might and glory try to compare with this young girl. Who in her silence has given herself over completely to a humble human and fulfilled her bond. How have we fulfilled our bond made in spirit and body, made not twice but a thousand times to the Lord of All Worlds, Creator of Man and Jinn? 

An infidel may say out of his impudence that neither did he ever vocally forswear to this, nor can he remember his spirit forswearing this. Since he cannot remember forswearing, then it is pointless in calling upon him to fulfil his bond. Or you can answer him by saying, 'Despite this being your physical form, and the physical world, you cannot remember drinking your own mothers milk, or the moment she gave birth to you, even though its been only fifteen or twenty years since then.' If his only defence is that it is only natural, then even in the naiveté of childhood one can differentiate between the lap of another and that of ones mother, for a child cries until it is returned to its mother. The Godliness of Allah is such that His evidence is in every drop of blood and every hair. If one is drowning, with not even a sliver of wood to hold on to, and all avenues of escape are closed off, then without any violation, he will say, 'O Lord, I am drowning, save me,' (without there being any need to lecture him or give him advice). What is this natural reflex, which today has drowned communism and thus left him helpless but to beseech his Lord? If you turn a blind eye to nature, then all you have is the words of the elders that this is your nurturer and giver of affection, who by putting you to her breast that very first time stated, 'My son, I am your mother. Forget me not when you grow older,' even though she herself did not see you birthing from her with her own eyes. And this from a people who are capable of conspiring together to make one lie seem like a truth. 

A hundred thousand strong is the host of prophets May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon them all upon whose truthfulness even their enemies agree upon, and witnesses have come in flocks, in many times and places one after the other. For all of them to agree upon one thing without evidence is unbelievable to anyone with intelligence. The infidels have forgotten the vow they made to God and claim it to be a childhood fantasy. But they have put matrimonial vows on a pedestal and wed children who cannot wipe their own noses and are not even allowed to make the pledge themselves. They give them no choice but to accept and to avow. Salutations to those noble girls who have put aside their dolls and married a complete stranger. All because their father's said, 'I have given your hand to this person without your permission and have given him my word that you will be as his servant.' They did not even voice their feelings and say, 'Why do you force me to do accept this pledge when you made this decision alone? Why do you force me to become the servant of a stranger?' Through the twists of evil they tried to bury this evidence of Godliness, but the sign of Allah stood, and no one can erase it. 

 These questions and answers are another story. My present listeners are all believers, who bear witness in the spiritual and physical worlds. Rather they have made it their mantra from the minute their eyes open in the morning. And it is them who I address to bring their devotion's to the acceptance of servitude and fulfilment of their vow, to the same level of devotion of their daughters, shown in acceptance of the pledge and the fulfilment of matrimonial vows. 

 What answer will you give your Allah when He brings your own daughter as evidence against you and asks you, "This weak of faith, and weak of intelligence has given complete surrender to fulfilling her vow of servitude which she made once only and that in the form of silence. She put aside her first home, her normal conduct, and her way of life, her culture and her friends just for one husband. How have you fulfilled your vow to Us in acting upon the Shariah We sent you? Which fatherly customs did you leave out? Which of the insinuated innovations did you reject? 

"A woman's trust in her companion is such that she readily gives up any pursuit of trying to earn money or filling her stomach but gives herself up completely in her husbands service. Just because he says that he shall take care of feeding and clothing her, even though he could be lying. We have promised you that We will make provisions for you, indeed We will provide for all your living needs. "Wa Ma Min Daabatin Fil Aradee Ilah Aa' Lallahee Rizkuha" (There is not a creature on this earth who's provisions are not upon Allah), a contract in the form of a bail bond given in your hands. In fact We have even shown you by keeping you for several months in your mothers womb. You didn't even need to ask for provisions, let alone earn them. And We have been providing for your needs even before they surfaced. But you, just because you moved your hands and feet have began to think yourself the provider for you family and yourself. Indeed you begin to say, 'If we do not work for living we will die of starvation, or will Allah come and place morsels of food in our mouths.' And even after you had earned your living and worked to achieve, you didn't become engrossed in my worship, but forgot who was God and who was His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him . You didn't look to differ between permissible and forbidden, or whether it was time for prayer or for fasting. My callers screamed for your attention with the words, 'Come to Salaah, come to Accomplishment,' but you turned a deaf ear to them. It was just you and your business, what of Salaah and whose Adhan?" 

 "The wife becomes oppressed when she comes into the hands of her husband. But she does not leave the corner of the house even to answer the door. After giving you years of blessings, if We for your own well-being or discipline give you a sickness or place you in difficulty and distress, you scream out aloud and turn your face away from Us and enter a opposing religion and complain of Us before Our enemies. You rant and rave and beseech idols and totems and seek help from charlatans and talismans. You grovel and make sacrifices before dependent and helpless creations like yourself. In conclusion you did all you shouldn't have done and didn't even feel the slightest remorse. When a woman steps on her husbands threshold, she firmly tells herself that come what may of famine, hardships or grief, only after death, on her funeral would she leave. And so she does, even if her husband grabbed her by her plaits and threw her out, she did not leave the doorstep all through the night, and didn't even try taking refuge in her neighbour's house. But whenever you have wanted to become enriched by Our Majestic Threshold, you turned to others for it. We granted the benedictions on you, you attributed them to others. We made the mosque Our home and permitted you seclusion there, but you thought it to much trouble to even place a foot within. Those who did enter to read you called them the sheep of the mosque and many other derivative names. 

"The lady acted upon her husband's slightest signal and you ignored Our direct commands. The lady held her husband's relatives and friends in great respect and you looked upon Our beloved ones and my obedient ones in disgust. Our friends were enemies in your eyes, and Our enemies were friends in your eyes. The scholars and students of Deen, you called mental, and the madaris, mental institutes. You believed it a great honour to follow someone as dependant as yourself, but thought it a disgrace to follow Our Messenger and Us, to such an extent that you ridiculed and reviled. The recitation of Our Words, the Quraan, seemed stale and bland to you, you refused to teach it to your children and called it a waste of time. You found taking out twenty-four minutes from twenty-four hours, for five concise prayers, a great burden. Fasting for a few days seemed like a famine, you said that he who has no food in his home should fast. If the husband sells all the jewellery from his wife's dowry and wastes it in unnecessary luxuries, not even the smallest twist of a frown appeared on her face. But you think it penalisation and damages when you have to pay a fortieth of all the wealth We have granted you. Hajj for you was to step into the mouth of death and an eminent loss of wealth. You didn't find the language of Our beloved Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him sweet, but to learn the tongue of the infidel you placed your children in their laps, so that it may flow from their mouths like their own mother-tongue. Your ears blister upon hearing the language of the Makkan people and of the Arabs, so much so that you wish to see it abrogated from the Friday Sermon (Jumah Khutbah)."The woman looks upon her husband's livestock with love, but you disliked the very face of the way of Our Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him scholars and deputies. Out of stubbornness, you changed whatever you wanted. Wherever they increased something, you decreased it. Wherever they decreased something, you increased it. You didn't relate with their lives and criticised them wherever you felt like it. You changed their way of life, their culture, and you changed their methods and uniform. You changed everything and whenever they brought your attention to this matter, you gave only one reply, that leave this talk of the olden day. The rules have changed, the times have changed, the needs and the country has changed and so (may Allah give us refuge) their Lord and Prophet have changed too." 

My dear friends! I do not mean to slander you or place objections upon you. I wish to announce the pain I feel in my heart. I am trying to reproach myself in this manner that, O' you who call yourself a man and yet are weaker than a woman, why where you sent here and what are you doing? And before you I give counsel to myself that, O' you who are accustomed to negligence, remember the place of Reckoning and step carefully in the place of deeds, remember that this world is just settling bubbles and a shadow that will end. 

Who can delay the inevitable,The life which is freezing,will be gone,
The soul will be taken, from vein to vein,   One day the ashes will be thrown on you,
We will die one day, in the end is death,   Do what you will, for in the end is death

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What Lesson is learnt from Marriage

In conclusion, the lesson that we should draw from marriage and the sending off is, do we think this world as our parental home and the Hereafter as our In-laws? And have we even completed a hundredth of the sacrifices and the loosing of oneself, which a woman does for the pleasure of her husband, for our Merciful and Generous Lord? What does the lesson given by marriage and the sending off tell us? It tells us the way a woman gives her chastity, her wealth, her continence, her dreams and her desires in the hands of her husband and becomes a pillar of complacency and agreement. In comparison, we should be ahead in giving our customs, our habits, our hobbies, our intelligence, our understanding, our verdicts, our methods, our worship, our etiquette, our issues, our society, our manner of clothing, our work, in short our complete body and soul in the capable of hands of Allah, and the reins of our issues, large or small, in the hands of the Unlearned Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It is saddening to see that instead of awakening us to this realisation, it is making us more negligent and intoxicated. It should have reminded us of our death and our leaving of this world and sobered our hearts, instead it has become the fuel of entertainment and stubbornness. It should have been that we took a lesson in obedience from it, but instead we do the opposite and become more deeply rooted in our sins and whatever vulgarities we want to do, we do them on this day. Who knows we may not get this chance tomorrow to celebrate Holy (Hindu festival of colours). Marching drums, trumpets, bass drums, flutes, dance, sarwad (type of trumpet), gramophone, harmonium and not to forget any new musical instrument, all played under the veil of a Sunnah. You take the name of a Sunnah, but your actions are those that have been forbidden. You take out loans and give interest but leave nothing to be desired. There is no time to go further into this subject nor is there a need. If you cast your gaze upon its contents you will see that Weddings have began to decay religion. Hosting and entertaining guests has become pure selfishness. Its objective was the remembrance of the Hereafter and it has become solely disobedience. Its goal was to teach obedience, devoutness and the way of submission, but it has become an ultimatum and a call to war against the Almighty Allah. 

Even if the heart of religion becomes shredded,
Customs must remain completely unmarred.
The commands of God can only be done by some,
Shout out loud 'long live the peoples customs'.

 My dear friends, the reason why I am giving this overview of the parental home and the in-laws home, i.e. this world and the Hereafter, is because I have grown old. I have one foot in the grave. I have already buried many of my friends and family. I am seeing that my time will soon be upon me. I have no idea if I will meet you gentleman tomorrow or not. Hadhrat Goath-e-Azam, Shiekh Abdul Qadir Jailanee (May Allah's Mercy be upon him) said in his speech, "O' stranger, the beast of death stands before you with an open maw, the serpent of the grave is in front of you with its fangs bared. It is possible that you came to this gathering on foot and that you will leave on a funeral pyre. Death stands with a naked blade in his hand, waiting for the command, that when you reach this point, he will chop off your head. Get a hold of yourself and come to your senses. Do not become forgetful of death for thousands have passed through this valley. Awake from these dreams of peace, and treat your present action as your last, as if death has you by the throat and you may not be able to do this deed again. 

 "There is a passage in the Torah, 'O Moses, it is strange, how one can remain happy with the knowledge that he is soon to die. It is strange that the person who knows that he will be judged still gathers wealth. It is strange that he who knows he is to go into a narrow and dark grave can still laugh. It is strange that he who knows this world to be limited and ending, can still endear it to himself. It is strange that he who knows that the Day of Reckoning and Eternity is coming, can still be negligent and search for rest."

 I have been so effected by this Goathi' counsel that I have no choice but to try and lift this burden off me in the courts of the Just Lord of the Day of Judgement, by quickly using this chance to elaborate for my friends and family upon this subject. If I remain negligent and untimely than more the sorrow for my ill fate and selfishness, but at least now you gentleman will have the chance to prepare yourselves. 

Even if I don't learn, you should learn from my mistake. 

Who knows, I may succeed through the endeavours of one of you gentleman. 

 Dear Elders! Any claim, no matter how small, without evidence and witness's does not even deserve a hearing. If one man's claim of ownership were enough to make him the owner of an object than this world would have become ravaged, life and honour would no longer be safe. When we make claims of faith and subjugation to Allah and to being the followers of Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him , we are duty-bound to prove it through our actions. The list of do's and don'ts that is the Shariah-e-Muhammadia and our deeds which encompass our lives from the womb of the mother to the womb of the grave, is our evidence to our claim. If we are supported in our claims to humanity and faith in the light of this evidence, then in this respect can our claim be accepted, otherwise we too are liars and our claims are false. 

 Dear friends! This case will be judged on the Day of Judgement, in the courts of the King of All Kings and there will be no 'appeals'. Wherever in the Quraan the words Alazheena Aamanoo (Those who Believe) have appeared, they are accompanied by Wa A'milus Saalihaat (And do Good Deeds). We must not be led to believe by our corrupting evil conscious, that our faith is sufficient and the lack of good deed will not harm our defence on the Day of Judgement. And how can it not be damaging when these very deeds will testify to our faith, and without a credible testimony, nothing can be gained. If a wife can not fulfil the aspects of a servant, then at least she can fulfil the aspects of being a wife. If by chance, Allah forbid, we have an unfaithful wife, who does not even obey one command of her husband (if she does, she does it without desire and is tardy and lazy in doing so), do you think that her assent to marriage and the word of the minister will be enough to make her into a wife? It wouldn't be surprising if her husband exercised his right to divorce and threw her out of his house. Even if she remained with him as a wife in name, but in reality a stranger, then she may as well be dead. In the same way we have a misfit Muslim who is in danger of losing his faith any day, it will be taken from him when he is dying. Like a divorced wife, he will not be able to even lay claim to faith. If this doesn't happen through the intervention of the Prophet's beloved name Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him , and the Lord doesn't make it so, then it's still dire enough that he should die with this pall of doom hanging over him. There they lie, without nourishment, without a gaze of kindness and compassion, without love and endearment, without peace and light heartiness, without a life of happiness and comforts. 

 Sirs, if taking a title was enough then many would have named their donkeys as Mohina (Prosperous), but no one would respect it any more than any other donkey. 

Faith is like the Soul

Dear friends! Faith is like the soul, and deeds like the body. If someone suffering from cancer or leprosy, or someone who is missing a limb, sits content with life, and says, 'My soul is intact and I am counted amongst the living. I am content with being disabled, maimed, blind or deaf and have no regrets or sorrow. I have no need in recovering those lost powers.' Then even a genius wouldn't have anything of use to say him. Compose yourself and open your eyes. The life in the womb of the mother is just a myth to us today and the world is what we can see before our eyes. The time is nearly upon us when our lives in this world will become just a myth, a dream, a passing thought, and the worlds of heaven or hell will become our existence. The accounts narrated by the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him , of all the events that will occur during the Reckoning and Judgement are facts and will definitely come to pass before our very eyes. That which is to be can not be changed or delayed by one's disbelief. Whether the world thinks it to be true or false, it will come to pass. The darkness will not be stopped from ending day and erasing the world. Our weakness of beliefs, our excuse for faith, has thrown us far from the love and respect of Allah and His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him . Its effects are shown in the nightmarish signs of our bad deeds, neglect and laziness in following Shariah. And it is stealing from our hands the coming blessings of faith along with the comforts of this world. 

 Muslims! Have respect for this name and give some dignity to your claim. Show some servitude to the threshold of the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  in the manner of true Muslims and true lovers. If you truly believe marriage to be the Sunnah of the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him , then make each part of it and each part of your life follow this Enlightened Personality whose tradition this is. Achieve that remembrance of death, and that relationship with Allah which is entwined in all of the Sunnah traditions, like butter in milk, sap in a fresh branch, scent in a flower and life in the body.  Otherwise do not dishonour the traditions by calling it Sunnah. A cow is either in a farm or on the butcher's hook. 

Always try to complain less, Do one thing out of the two, 
Either give your consent to your friend, Or end your bond to your friend. Fa Mansha'a Falyoamin Wa Mansha'a Falyakfur * Inaa A'atadnaa Lizalimeena Naara  (Whoever wants to may believe, and whoever wants to may disbelieve. But verily Allah has prepared the Fire for the oppressors). 

 I have taken much of your time, but I am hopeful that you all have benefited somewhat from my speech and have firmly gripped the Sunnah of our leader, the Noble Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him . A time will come when you remember the day that you gained a great bounty whilst attending a wedding. I excuse myself from you for a few minutes, that I may address my sisters, daughters and aunts, who are sitting on the upper gallery, to fulfil their right to propagation too. For I do not have confidence that I will get such a chance again in such a gathering 

* * * 

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Advice to Sisters

My dear sisters and women of this clan and family! Listen with great attentiveness, and please do not take offence. It is you mostly who convince the men or compel them to be disobedient to the Laws of Allah. Despite the fact that you are physically weak, you are strong in matters of vulgarity, notoriety and harm. You have limited in funds and depend on your men and yet you are ahead in wasteful spending. In these stale and starved weddings, it is  your hands that garland these doomed customs. You forget the Lord who created you and amerce your men-folk along with yourselves in sins. There is no doubt that you have done everything to fulfil the rights of your husbands, and taught men the way to practising obedience. But this is the very thing that can be used in evidence against you in the courts of the Almighty Allah. You have done so much in the obedience of a human being, but how much obedience have you shown to the Creator of humankind? You showed great deference to a limited vow, how much did you show to the eternal Vow? You forewent your paternal family for your in-laws, solely for the happiness of your husband, but did you forego this world for the Hereafter, for Allah's pleasure? You have sacrificed your own wishes and freedom for metaphorical master, what have you sacrificed in fulfilling your real Master's direct commands and your vows to Him? Whatever difference of status there is between God and husband, the same is the difference between levels of obedience, respect and love to each of them. You in your humbleness have shown that you are capable of eliminating selfishness when you became a wife to your husband. It was simple for you to bend your own wishes to match those of his, so you have no excuse to plead proxy from obedience to your Lord. Verily, you have taught the men and stood your actions to testify against them. But those very actions are ready to testify against you that you fulfilled your wifely duties but you didn't even think of your duties to your Lord. You may have dressed the wounds wonderfully but paid no attention to the actual wounds. You have worn clothes of great style, but failed to wash the grime from your bodies. You cleared away the dead leaves from beneath the tree, but you did not water its roots. Your are like a torch, you are giving light to others but are burning up and destroying yourself. You are like snow, you are cooling the hearts of others, but are melting and ending yourself. The amendment of men is mostly in your hands, for the Creator has placed in your hands the raising and nurturing of them in their childhood. To create purity in them in their teens and to draw them away from the hall of business so they may earn both the world and religion. Nature has placed in you such an allurement that husband and children are drawn to you and are absorbed by the power of your attraction. 

It has come in a Hadith: Kulukum Raa'in Wa Kulukum Masulun A'n Raa'iyati, everyone of you is responsible for someone, and all who are responsible will be questioned regarding those who are your responsibility. How much of your influence was used for the strengthening of their faith? In a way, the wife is both the master and servant of her husband, as is he her master and servant. But in the second sense you are the alluring and the influencing one and he is the attracted and the influenced. You are the beloved and he is the lover. You are his Lylah, his Shirih and he is your Mujnooh and Farhaad. That is why, when you will be asked regarding the raising of your children, you will also be asked about your husband and about all those you influenced in both your parents house and your in-law's. You will be asked, from all your sweet nature and allurement, how much did you use for the sake of Allah?Remember your history of old, when the Arab people despised your very birth. Your existence was considered a disgrace and a subject of scorn. Your lives rested heavy on them. Whenever they heard that a girl had been born in their house, they would go about with their face hidden in shame and anger. When the opportunity arose they buried you alive. There is a story of one innocent girl who was born whilst her father was away. By the time her father returned she had already began to crawl and say a few words. In the beginning her mother hid her identity from her father in fear that he would bury her. But after a few days, once the father had began to love the little girl, the woman felt reassured and she revealed to him that this was his daughter. The father remained silent, but in his mind he had already made the intention that whenever the opportunity arose, he would follow the local custom and bury the girl. Then one day, on the excuse of taking her out to play, he took her out into a jungle. He sat her on a pile of sand and began to dig. When the girl saw dirt falling on her father's clothes, she called out to him that his clothes were getting dirty, and she would try to clean the dirt away. She did not know that this pit was being dug for her. She continued to act with love and tenderness towards him and he continued to dig. When it was deep enough, he cast her into the pit and began to fill it in. The girl, thinking it still to be a game began to protest that the dirt was falling in her eyes. But the heartless father continued his work. Finally the pit was filled to the top and the last of the girl's screams had been buried. The father returned home laughing and told his wife that she had hidden her for so long but today he had done his heartless deed. He had buried that poor, innocent girl. 

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Who ended the Oppression Against Women

My sisters! Can you tell me who ended this oppressive custom? Who gave you a chance at life? Who saved you from being buried alive? Who helped you to live and exist? Listen, it was that Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  who is more loving than a mother. 

Re-examine your morality. Ask your nobility and your indignation, and ask that humanity which leaves you helpless but to out-do the generosity of your neighbour, how can you repay the great kindness that the Noble Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  has done you? It is a popular saying, Al-Insanu A'bdul Ihsan (mankind is the servant of kindness), and it is the requirement of Shariah, Hal Jazaaul Ihsani Ila Ihsan (How can you repay a kindness but with a kindness). It is my belief that if the command came from the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  to give your life, you should have no regrets and should reply, 'Yes! For him who saved us single-handedly from a father's oppression and with the other hand pulled us out of a tomb, we will willingly sacrifice our lives.' Even though any command given by this spiritual father would only be a renewal of life. Thus the Lord Allah states: Istajiboo Lillahl Wa Rasooli Idha Da'akum Limaa Yuheekum, O' Muslims, attend the call of Allah and His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him , they call you to such a deed which will give you life. So tell me, how much of Allah's and His Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  commands have you obeyed, especially in the case of weddings and happiness? 

Today you have totally forgotten your past. You are repaying the Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  kindness by wearing the Sari's of Hindu women, styling your hair like the Christian women and mark your foreheads like enterprising women. You love, as much as the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  hated, the dress of the infidel. You have taken hold of these things with the same firmness and strength used in forbidding them. You say this is the trend of this time, so we should keep with the times. But I say that those who believe in Allah should bring that trend back to ways of old. Do not forget that the burying of girls was also a trend once. If the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  followed the same principles as you do, then today you would not be on the face of the earth, you would be beneath it. The Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  stood against the flow of the times for your rights, the benefit from which has reached you. Today you are giving the same Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  hurt and heartache by your very appearance and dress. You are striking yourselves in the foot with an axe by answering that you are going with the flow of the times. That you will not walk on the path set by him and obey your own will and not his. Is this the way your nobility tells you to return a favour? Pay attention - the flow of the times is your servant and not the other way around. Whichever way and appearance you dictate, that will become the trend. Trends aren't like rain, they do not fall from the sky. Trends are in your hands. Whichever colour you accept, whichever style you make your own, that will be called the trend, the look. In the light of this statement, is the acceptance of the styles and customs of Non-Muslim nations a wilful action, or is it due to some external identity? There are still those 'civilised' nations who have an old tradition of selling young-girls, and even you pronounce you distaste and dislike of them. This is a tradition that your temperaments have denounced. But the things that are to your liking, you call them the trends of the times and plead yourself to be helpless. This helplessness is the worst of sins. We have heard that the first thing the Prophets Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  of Allah did when coming to the world was to demolish all the bad customs and dirty styles. Those who believed in the Prophets Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  offered their full aid in doing so. No one said that leave such a custom for it is a trend of this time. Flowing with the current of a river is the quality of shards and twigs. Strength is in fighting against the current, that if the current pulls you to the east, you swim in the opposite direction. Even though you are called the Mohammedan's, you all, young and old, bow your heads before the trends of the Enemies of Islam. You walk upon the customs and traditions of those who renounce the Prophethood of Mohammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  and those who disobey Allah.Discipline yourselves and take on the virtue of religion. If you want to be manly, then don't do it by going to parks and cinema like fops. Become like Hadhrat Khola and do it in the fields of Islamic aid and in battle against pagan customs and rites.My sisters! Pay attention to the fact that you are called Masturaat (the veiled), and that the Creator made you to remain veiled from head to toes. But you seem adamant on becoming known as Makshufaat (the naked), and think the four walls of your homes a prison, and those who live within as prisoners, and that your health falters due to captivity. But then it can be asked that since your mothers and grandmothers were Masturaat all their lives, their health should have been damaged from being captives in the prison of their homes, how did fit, high thinking and sharp sensed women like you birth from their wombs? 

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Love and Respect for the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam

My sisters! The truth is that love and respect turn a bowl of troubles into a glass of happiness. If you had love and respect for the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  in your heart, you would not worry about becoming prisoners and faltering health, you would be prepared to give your life in obedience to his commands and call it martyrdom and virtue. In the end, even those who found love for the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  in their hearts, left hanging out at the parks and cinemas and took on the veil. For the sake of their faith, they went to their graves wearing the veil. Those who don't have the love of the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  in their hearts are disobedient even when veiled. You may have heard that the coffin used in the funerals of women is the invention of the Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  beloved daughter. Whilst on her deathbed she expressed fear that the men who would be carrying her funeral, would be able to tell the shape and size of her body, despite the shroud covering her. So she put it in her will that her body be placed in such a case that it would seem as if a small house was being taken to the grave. You can estimate from this the extent that Hadhrat Fathima Zohra was the very flesh and bones of the Prophet Mohammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him . She was a great example of feminine virtue. I do not wish to go into a debate with you nor do I think it would be proper. A woman who keeps her husband happy does not wait for her husband's command, nor does she need an order to be placed into words. She is always working to fulfil his desires and knowing his characteristics and idiosyncrasies. These are Allah's virtuous women about whom Allah says: 

Wasalihaatu Kanitaatun Hafizaatun Lilghaibi Bima Hafizallahu. You should take heed of the extensive characteristics of the Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him daughter, that you shouldn't go about dressed like a bride in your youth unveiled in a gathering of men, may Allah protect, this is clear shamelessness. She couldn't even accept letting her body, covered with a shroud, be seen by men after death. By Allah, by Allah, the alms of heavenly women, have been named the handle of the wife's bowl and bottle. If the name of the Great Lady appeared on rice, the gaze of men would not fall upon it; for fear that Hadhrat Fathima would be annoyed. Then there are the girls, who are bursting with their own youth, hanging out about the parks and cinemas, but there will be no difference in the consent of Hadhrat Fathima. May this distance remain from whither impiety from whitherEither one excess or another.It is the statement of the Quraan: Wa Izha Sa'altumoohuna Mata'an Fasaloohuna Min Waraain Hijaabin - Zhalikum Atharu Likuloobikum Wa Kuloobihona. The 'Mothers of the Muslims', who are the excellent examples for the Ummah, say to the saintly Sahabah, that if you wish to ask for something, ask from behind a veil. This is more pure for your hearts and their hearts. Take note that if the Mothers of the Believers had to veil themselves from their virtuous children, and unveiling was impermissible for them, then who are you? For the woman who seeks success in the Hereafter and desires virtue, then this statement of Allah, this lesson of knowledge and this judgement of Hadhrat Fathima should be enough. For the women who have no use for deeds, for her a whole file of statements won't be enough.From the extent of my research, I have come to the realisation that all these afflictions are due to the lack of religious education. The strange thing is that the whole world is in an uproar regarding education, both men and women are screaming out that education is necessary. But it seems that nobody know of the existence of religious education. Or they do know of it but class it even less important than how to make bread. If this were only the case with Non-Muslims, then it would be understandable, for it is their mission to erase Islam. But if a Muslim, man or woman, living in an Islamic community, thinks the same, then it is worthy of astonishment, sorrow and regret. So please, my sisters, do not neglect the religious education of your children nor the practice the Islamic Shariah especially reading the Quraan, even if your husband tries to stop you, don't listen to him. The right and command of Allah and His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  far outweighs that of the husband.After this general address, I wish to directly address my departing, beloved daughter, for whom my shoulders were her support and my embrace, her cradle. She was only ten months old when her mother left her and went to the embrace of the grave. Dear daughter, go and may Allah shower you with glad-tidings, but first listen to your elderly fathers will and testament. Never forget your Creator even for a second of your life, nor His Powerful Eminence and lustre of Forgiveness and Vengeance. Your living and nourishing is only upon your husband in name, in reality it is upon Allah, the One who has no partners. Have patience in the face of trouble and hardships and show gratitude at times of peace and happiness. Put the love and obedience to His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  first before anything and never forget it in times of grief or happiness. Be punctual in your five time's Namaaz and fasts of Ramadhan. Be prompt in paying your yearly Zakat for your gold and jewellery, otherwise these bracelets and necklaces will become chains and manacles of fire. Hajj has become compulsory on you due to the jewellery I have given you, so complete it as soon as you are given a Muhrum (spouse or close relative). Don't hesitate to sell your jewellery, where better to spend that which Allah has given, but in His path. Then again, it is in my experience that the money spent on the performing of Hajj is a returning investment, which you will receive after returning from your pilgrimage. Keep your beliefs, routines, etiquette and manners in line with Shariah, and always keep in mind in every daily action what the Beloved of Allah ? said and did regarding it. Stay clear of Bida'at (innovations in Islam) and local customs, for in them you harm both your religion and worldly living. Fear from wasteful spending as you would from a snake or a scorpion and from taking loans, especially if it involves even a penny of interest. Run from them as you would from a mad dog or an ape, for I have never seen anyone who gives interest recovering. Obedience to and the pleasure of Allah and His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  is the way to success. If you seek the obedience and the pleasure of the entire creation, then be obedient to Allah and His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  and He will make the creation keep you happy. Allah has placed the capability to love in the human heart, that is why they are attracted to foods, drinks, jewellery, clothing, jewels and gems, fields and gardens, animals and birds, dancing, riches, palaces, mansions and many other things, like metal to magnets. But the Messengers of Allah come into the world to turn this love of things that will end to love for the Eternal, from the love of the creation, to the love of the Creator. Glad-tidings to that Mujnoon and Farhad, who's Lylah is the pure Propeht's Shariah, and who's Shirih is the sweetness of the Sunnah. It is not just my experience, but that of thousands and millions, that the lovers of worldly things are troubled during hardships and during peace, that the need for advancement lets them have no respite. But the lovers of Allah and His Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  are at peace during times of peace and hardship too. They gain pleasure from these hardships such as the pleasure of scratching an itch, to the extent that even if they start to bleed, they are not aware of it due to the release. This is called Hayat-e-tayibah (Pure Living) i.e. the pleasure of living given to one by ones beloved.  This counsel is my dowry to you, and it is my thinking that this is an 'ExcellentDowry', which no one in your family or in this land has ever received before. Go with Allah's blessings and may He keep you happy in religious and worldly affairs. I composed this poem for you last night even though I am no poet. I place this also in your dowry.Daughter, on your neck be necklaces of Namaaz,The seeds of fragrant flowers be your daily fast,Etiquette your ornament, love for truth your brooch,Garlanded with whole chapters of the Quraan.Your earrings be your servitude to the Lord,Your bangles be dependence on the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him .Ornaments of worship, earrings of deliberation,Bracelets of lengthy observances and prostration,With ringlets of devotion and a ring of belief,And an anklet that becomes punctuality in faith,Complete zeal, with your sight on Allah.Your ankle bells be steadfastness of the straight path,Affirmation, a jewel resting on your chest,Hanging down from a chain of good deeds,A necklet rich with thought and a garland of remembrance,Your colours, those of Allah, perfumed by the Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  time.If you lose your life let it be in Imaan, but don't let go,Evermore the Prophets Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him side nor his hand.If you have enthusiasm, let it be for knowledge and good deeds,The strengthening of faith the aim of each,Listen to my last testament and advice to you,Islam be your clothes, worship be your jewels,Only Allah is Eternal, and there the tale is closed.Respected ones! This is my Will and Testament which I give to my wife, my children, relatives, neighbours and friends. I clearly state that only that person is my friend and companion, who will act upon what I have said. Otherwise I have no regret of his distance from me, nor should he complain of mine to him.Now I pray to the Most Merciful, Most Beneficent, that he grants us the sweetness of His love and faith, and gives us a good ending, WasalaamWa Akhiroo Dawaana Anilhamdulillahi Rabil Alameen, Wa Salallahu A'la Muhammadin Wa Aalihi Wa Sahbihi Ajma'een.
Aashiq Ilahi Ghafralahu
31st March, 1941 A.D, Rabiul Awwal, 1360 A.H

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The Testament of Sayyidinah Abdul Qadir Jailani (alaihir rahmah)

"My son! My Will to you is that remain in fear of Allah, and think of the rights of your parents and mentors as compulsory, for it makes Allah pleased with His servant. Stand up for truth hidden and outright. Do not leave the recitation of the Quraan from your tongue and heart, quietly and aloud, with close attention and sorrow. Consult the Quraanic verses in all matters, for the Quraan is Allah's love for His creation. Do not stray one step from religious knowledge and study fiqh, do not become one of the common or ignorant mystics. Run from prostitutes for they are stealers of religion and looters of a Muslims right. Accept the beliefs of the Ahl-e-Sunnah, and stay clear of innovations in Islam, for all these new things are misleading. Do not mix with young men, women, harbingers of innovations, the wealthy and common people, for they will destroy your faith. Suffice upon a little worldly goods and embrace solitude and cry in fear. Eat only the permitted food, for that is the key to good deeds. Do not even touch the impermissible, otherwise it will become fire on the Day of Judgement. Wear pure clothes, for you will find worship and devotions more enjoyable. Fear Allah and do not forget that you will stand before Him. Excel in nightly prayers and daily fasts (and in other acts of worship) and do not leave the congregation of Muslims, be their Imam and guide. Do not seek leadership, for he who seeks leadership will never succeed. Do not sign any contracts and do not become the companion of rulers and kings. Don't disturb matters of charges, and run from the practice of people as you would from a lion. Become a loner, so that your religion is not ruined. Travel for the requirements of religion, for the Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  has said, 'Travel and you will remain fit and you will come upon wealth.' Be wary of the hearts of your saints (that they do not receive any grief from you). Don't be proud when someone praises you and do not be grieved when someone slanders you. Defamation and praise should be equal to you. Be well mannered with all the people and be humble at all times. The Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  has said, 'He who is humble, Allah will elevate, and he who is conceited, Allah will humble him. Be polite to all good and bad in all situations and think the entire creation to be better than you, whether they are big or small. Do not look at them but with affection. Don't laugh, for laughter is a sign of negligence and it kills the spiritual heart. The Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  has said, 'If you knew what I know, you would laugh less and cry more.' Do not become fearless of Allah's Hidden Will, nor lose hope of Allah's Mercy. Spend your life in between fear and hope. Son! Leave the world, for in seeking it you destroy your faith. Stay punctual in your Namaaz and fasting. When you are not fasting, stay clean, pure hearted, bound to the truth, God-fearing, learned, knowledgeable, stay clear of ignorant mystics and stay in the service of saints, mind, body and wealth. Be considerate of their heart, status and habits. Do not object to anything they say. If it is against Shariah, then do not follow them. If you object to them, you will never be successful. Do not ask for anything from anyone and do not confront anyone. Do not leave anything for tomorrow because Allah will give you nourishment according to your fate. In what Allah has given you, be generous with it do not be miserly. Stay away from jealousy. The miser and the envious will be cast into the Fire. Do not show your true state to the creation and do not beautify your appearance, for this is a sign of the emptiness of the soul. In the matter of provisions, rely upon Allah's vow, that Allah has made himself responsible to provide for all living things, for Allah has said that there is nothing that moves on this earth who's provisions I am not responsible for. Despair of all the creation and do not attach your heart to them. Speak the truth even if it is bitter. Turn each matter to Allah and do not rely upon any of the creation, otherwise the True Lord will push you away from His threshold. Take stock of your self (ask yourself how many good deeds have I done and how many bad deeds) because the Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him  has said, 'The beauty of a man's Islam is that he leaves that which does not benefit him.' Be a benefactor to the entire creation and cut down your eating, drinking, sleeping and speaking. Do not eat, but upon the point of starvation. Do not speak, but for a reason. Do not sleep, unless sleep overcomes you. Increase your nightly devotions and fast more often during the day. Do not sit in a gathering, even if is Simah (a gathering of mystics and saints in which the praises of Allah are sung), too often, this creates hypocrisy and so deadens the heart. But do not deny that it benefits some people, and only those whose hearts are alive (to Allah) and the self is dead. Then again those who have reached such a state, it is better for them to engage in fast, prayers and devotions (rather than in Simah). Your heart should be aggrieved, your body sick, your eyes bloodshot. Your deeds should be pure and you should pray with great effort. Your clothes should be old and your companions' poor. Your home should be the mosque and your wealth the knowledge of religion. Your adornment should be asceticism and your closest friend should be the Lord. Do not make anyone your religious brother until he has these five qualities, 1) He places being a destitute over being wealthy. 2) He places the Hereafter before this world. 3) He places humility above respect. 4) He pays attention to the open and hidden deeds. 5) He is prepared for death. 

 Son! Do not be fooled by the beauty of this world, that it is a green, fruitful and sweet thing. He who grows attached to it will remain attached to it and he who stays clear of it will remain clear of it. For this world is not eternal. Be ready to leave this world and to acquire the Hereafter. 

Final Words

My son! Choose seclusion, be a recluse and God-fearing. Be a comrade to those who Allah has given piety and spend your life on this world as if you are a traveller passing through. Leave this world in the same state that you entered it. For you do not know what name you will addressed by on the Day of Judgement.

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