O questioner, if you observe
its faults with the eyes of your heart, you will be able to evict it from your
heart. But if you look at it with the eyes in your head, you will be distracted
by its charm instead of noticing its faults. You will be unable to evict it from
your heart and to abstain from it, and it will kill you as it has killed others.
Struggle with your own self [nafs] until it becomes tame. Once it has become
tame, it will recognize the faults of this world and abstain from it. Its
tameness [tuma'nina] consists in its taking instruction from the heart,
complying with the wishes of the innermost being [sirr], obeying both of these
in all they may command or forbid, and being satisfied when they give and
patient when they withhold. Once it has become tame, it will become attached to
the heart and will rely upon it. You will see the crown of pious devotion [taqwa]
on its head, and the robes of nearness clothing it.
You must develop faith [iman] and belief [tasdiq], and give up disbelieving the
people [of the Lord] and quarreling with them. Do not dispute with them, for
they are kings in this world and the hereafter. They possess the nearness of the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), so they possess everything that is
apart from Him. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) has enriched
their hearts. He has filled them with His nearness [qurb] and intimate
friendship [uns] with Him, and with His radiant lights [anwar] and His gracious
favor [karama]. They are not impressed by the power of those who belong to this
world and of those who exploit it. They do not pay attention to its beginning,
but concentrate on its final outcome ['aqiba] and its passing away [fana']. They
focus the eyes of their innermost beings [asrar] on the Lord of Truth (Almighty
and Glorious is He). They worship neither from fear of destruction [hulk] nor in
hope of dominion [mulk]. He has created them for His own sake and to perpetuate
His friendly company [suhba], and "He creates that which you do not know"
(16:8), for He is "Doer of what He will" (85:16).
"When the hypocrite talks, he lies. When he makes a promise he breaks it, and
when he is trusted he betrays." If a person is innocent of these vices mentioned
by the Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace), he is innocent of hypocrisy
[nifaq]. These characteristics are the touchstone and the distinction between
the believer [mu'min] and the hypocrite [munafiq]. Take this touchstone and this
mirror, and use it to examine the face of your heart. Look to see whether you
are a believer or a hypocrite, a monotheist [muwahhid] or a polytheist [mushrik].
Everything in this world is a temptation [fitna] and a distraction, except what
is taken with a worthy intention [niyya saliha] for the sake of the hereafter.
If one's intention is worthy in dealing with this world, it becomes
otherworldly. Any blessing [ni'ma] that is received without gratitude to the
Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) is a curse [niqma]. Secure the
blessings of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) by giving thanks to
Him. Two things constitute thankfulness to the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He): The first is taking advantage of blessings in order to perform
acts of obedience [ta'at] and to provide comfort to the poor. The second is
acknowledging the Benefactor [al-Mun'im] who supplies them, and giving thanks to
the One who bestows them, namely the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He).
A certain wise man (may the mercy of ALLAH be upon him) is reported as having
said: "Everything that distracts you from ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) is
unlucky [mash'um] for you." If remembrance [dhikr] of Him distracts you from
Him, it is unlucky for you. Prayer [salat], fasting [sawm], pilgrimage [hajj]
and all acts of charity–all of this is unlucky for you. If His blessings
distract you from Him, then they are unlucky for you. You have repaid His
blessings with sins against Him and resorting in important matters to others
instead of Him. Falsehood and hypocrisy have gained control of you in action and
at rest, of your outer form [sura] and your inner content [ma'na], by night and
by day. Satan has cunningly deceived you and has made lying and wicked deeds
appear attractive to you. You are lying even in your ritual prayer [salat],
because you say: "ALLAH-u Akbar [ALLAH is Supremely Great]!" But you are lying,
because in your heart you have a god [ilah] other than Him. Whatever you rely on
is your god. Everything you fear, or look to in hope, is your god. Your heart is
not in harmony with your tongue. Your deeds do not match your words. Say
"ALLAH-u Akbar" a thousand times with your heart and once with your tongue. Do
you not feel ashamed of saying: "La ilaha illa'llah [There is no god but
ALLAH]," when you have a thousand objects of worship [ma'bud] besides Him?
Repent to ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) for everything you are involved
in.
O you who impart knowledge, though you are satisfied with it in name alone,
without the practical application, what good can it do you to say, "I am a
scholar," since you are telling a lie? How can you feel at ease with yourself,
when you are instructing others to do what you yourself do not practice? As
ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
Why do you say what you do not do? (61:2)
Woe unto you! You tell people to be honest, while you are false. You tell them
to affirm the divine Unity [Tawhid], while you are a polytheist [mushrik]. You
tell them to be sincere, while you are a hypocrite. You tell them to give up
sins, while you are committing them. The sense of shame [haya'] has departed
from your sight. If you had any faith, you would feel ashamed. As the Prophet
(ALLAH bless him and give him peace) has said:
The sense of shame is part of faith [al-haya'u mina'l-iman].
You have no faith [iman], no conviction [iqan] and no loyalty [imana]. You have
betrayed knowledge ['ilm], so your loyalty has vanished and you been recorded
with ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) as a traitor. I know of no remedy for
you except repentance and persistence therein. When a person has genuine faith
in ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) and His decree, he surrenders all his
affairs to Him, and makes no one a partner [sharik] to Him where they are
concerned. Do not associate creatures or material means [asbab] with Him, and do
not be obliged to them instead of to Him! Once the person has really achieved
this, He delivers him from misfortunes in all his spiritual states [ahwal], and
he now progresses from faith [iman] to conviction [iqan]. Then saintship [wilaya]
will come to him, [then] Badaliyya, and then Ghawthiyya. Perhaps Qutbiyya will
come in the last of his spiritual states. The Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He) will glory in him [yubahi bihi] in the presence of all His
creatures, be they jinn, human beings, angels or spirits [arwah]. He will
promote him and draw him near. He will give him authority over His creatures. He
will grant him sovereignty and power. He will love him and cause His creatures
to love him.
The basis and starting point of all this is faith and belief [tasdiq] in Him and
His Messengers. The foundation of this business is Islam, then faith, then
putting into practice the Book of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the
law [shari'a] of His Messenger (ALLAH bless him and give him peace), then
sincerity [ikhlas] in action, together with the heart's affirmation of Unity [Tawhid].
With the perfection of faith, the believer becomes extinct [yafna] to himself,
to his work, and to everything apart from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He), so that he performs his deeds while he is in a state of
detachment [ma'zil] from them. He continues to struggle with his own self [nafs]
and all creatures, on the side of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is
He), until He guides him to His path. As ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has
said:
As for those who strive in Our cause, We surely guide them in Our ways. (29:69)
You must be abstemious in all things, since you are now ready to accept His
management [tadbir]. He turns them [His creatures] over and over with the hand
of His destiny [qadar], then if they conform to it He transfers them to His
power [qudra]. What bliss [ya tuba] for those who comply with destiny, who wait
for the action [fi'l] of the Preordainer [al-Muqaddir], who act in accordance
with destiny, who travel along with destiny, and who are not ungrateful for the
blessing of destiny's decrees [aqdar] ! The token [aya] of the blessing of the
Preordainer is His mercy [rahma], nearness [qurb] to Him, and satisfaction with
Him to the exclusion of all His creatures. When the servant's heart attains to
the contact with his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), He makes him so
satisfied with Himself that he has no need of creatures. He draws him near,
grants him power and sovereignty, and says to him:
You are today in our presence established and worthy of trust.(12:54)
He makes him vicegerent in His kingdom, as the Pharaoh of Egypt made Joseph
(peace be upon him) his vicegerent delegating to him the power to rule his
kingdom and its subjects and to administer his dominion and its resources, and
appointing him custodian of his treasuries. The experience of the heart is
similar. Once it is truly sound, and its nobility and its purity from everything
apart from its Master (Almighty and Glorious is He) are clearly apparent, He
puts it in charge of His servants and His kingdom, in both worldly and
otherworldly spheres, so that it comes to be like the Kaa’ba of those who seek
and aspire to follow the path to this knowledge ['ilm] and practice ['amal]
through outer knowledge [al-'ilm az-zahir].
Do not make a habit of idleness and laziness in obeying the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), because He will inflict chastisement upon you.
The Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
When the servant is lax in performance, ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He)
afflicts him with anxiety.
He afflicts him with anxiety over things that have not been allotted to him,
with the worry of dependents, family problems, lack of profit in his livelihood,
rebelliousness on the part of his children, and a discordant relationship with
his wife. All this will affect him, whichever way he may turn, as a punishment
for his laxity in obeying his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and for
letting himself be distracted from Him by this world and creatures. As ALLAH
(Exalted is He) has said:
What concern has ALLAH for your punishment if you are thankful and believe?
(4:147)
Nor is it permissible for anyone to argue against Him on the grounds that his
conduct and the verdict thereon were subject to His predetermination [qada'] and
His predestination [qadar].
He shall not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be questioned.
(21:23)
Woe unto you! How long will you go on being preoccupied with yourself and your
family, to the neglect of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He)? A
certain wise man (may the mercy of ALLAH be upon him) is reported as having
said: "When your son has learned to gather date-stones, leave him alone and
concentrate on your own self together with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is
He)." What he meant by this was that, once the boy has learned that date-stones
are useful for some purpose, and that they are worth a price, he has already
learned enough to fend for himself, so you should not waste your time and energy
on him, since he can manage very well without you.
Teach your children practical skills, and leave yourself free to serve ALLAH
(Almighty and Glorious is He), because your wife and children can in no way
enable you to dispense with ALLAH. Accustom yourself, your wife and your
children to being satisfied with bare necessities, while you and they devote
yourselves to your Master (Almighty and Glorious is He). If an abundance of
fortune [rizq] awaits you in the invisible realm [al-ghaib], it will come to you
at the time appointed for it in the presence of ALLAH. You must recognize it as
from the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), and steer clear of
idolatrous association [shirk] with creatures. If destiny does not hold such
abundance in store for you, however, you can do without things through your
abstemiousness [zuhd] and frugality [qana'a].
When a frugal believer has some worldly need, he enters the presence of his Lord
(Almighty and Glorious is He) with the feet of his begging, his entreaty, his
humble submission and his repentance. Then, if He gives him what he wishes, he
thanks Him for His gift, and if He does not grant his request, he concurs with
the refusal and patiently accepts His will, with neither protest nor argument.
He does not seek enrichment through his religion [din], his pretense [riya'],
his hypocrisy [nifaq] and his underhand dealings [tanammus], as you do, O
hypocrite [munafiq] ! Pretense, hypocrisy and sins are the cause of poverty,
humiliation and dismissal from the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). The hypocritical pretender gets the things of this world
through his religion, and by assuming the guise of the righteous [as-salihun]
without being worthy of it. He adopts their way of speaking and their style of
dress, but he does not behave as they behave. He claims to be related to them,
though he is no kin of theirs. Your saying: "There is no god but ALLAH [la ilaha
illa'llah] " is a mere claim [da'wa]. The hard evidence [bayyina] is your total
trust [tawakkul] in Him, your confidence [thiqa] in Him, and your heart's
rejection of any other than Him.
O liars, tell the truth! O fugitives from your Master, return! Direct your
hearts toward the door of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He),
become reconciled with Him and apologize to Him. In the state of faith [iman],
you take from this world by permission of the sacred law [shar']. In the state
of saintship [wilaya] you receive by virtue of the commandment of ALLAH
(Almighty and Glorious is He), with both of them bearing witness to it, meaning
with the testimony [Shahadah] of both the Book and the Sunna. In the state of
Badaliyya and Qutbiyya, you receive through the action [fi'l] of ALLAH (Almighty
and Glorious is He), as you leave things up to Him.
O young man! Have you no sense of shame? Weep for yourself, because you have
been deprived of right direction [sawab] and the help you need to succeed [tawfiq].
Are you not ashamed? One day you are obedient, then disobedient the next. One
day you are sincere [mukhlis], but the next you are a polytheist [mushrik]. The
Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
If both days are the same for a person, he is defrauded [maghbun], and if
someone's yesterday was better than his today, he is deprived [mahrum].
O young man! You cannot make something happen, but you must play your part.
Exert yourself and help will come from your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He).
Get moving in this ocean in which you are immersed, then the waves will lift you
up and roll you toward the shore. The prayer [du'a'] is from you, and the
response is from Him. The effort [ijtihad] is from you, and the aid to success [tawfiq]
is from Him. The renunciation [tark] is from you, and the protective zeal [hamiyya]
is from Him. Be sincere in your quest and He will show you the entrance to His
nearness. You will see the hand of His mercy reaching out toward you, and His
kindness [lutf], His generosity [karam] and His love [mahabba] all yearning for
you. This is the goal of the quest of the [Lord's] people.
What am I to do with you, O slaves of the lower selves [nufus], the natural
impulses [tiba'], the passions [ahwiya] and the devils [shayatin]? I have
nothing at my disposal except a truth within a truth [haqq fi haqq], an
understanding within an understanding [lubb fi lubb], a purity within a purity [safa'
fi safa'], a separation [qat'] and a connection [wasl]–a separation from
everything apart from ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) and a connection with
Him.
I shall not yield to your deluded folly, O hypocrites, O pretenders, O liars! I
am not ashamed to confront you. How can I feel any sense of shame before you,
when you have no shame before your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), but
behave insolently toward Him, and have so little respect for His care and for
His angels appointed as your guardians? I possess a candid sincerity [sidq],
with which I shall cut off the head of every unbeliever [kafir] and lying
hypocrite [munafiq] who does not repent and return to his Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He) on the feet of his repentance and his apology. A certain wise
man (may the mercy of ALLAH be upon him) is reported as having said: "Candid
sincerity is the sword of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) upon His earth. It
cuts through anything on which it is brought to bear."
Take instruction from me, because I am a true counselor [nasih] for you. I seek
you for your own sakes. I am dead to you and alive in the Lord of Truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He). Those who trust me in friendship will benefit and
prosper, but if anyone treats me as a liar and distrusts my friendship, he will
be deprived and punished both now and in The means to real knowledge [ma'rifa]
of Him include giving up arguing and remonstrating with Him, and a ready
acceptance of His management [tadbir]. This is why Malik ibn Dinar said to one
of his pupils: "If you wish for real knowledge of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious
is He), you must be happy to accept His management and His ordainment [taqdir],
and you must not treat your own self, your desire, your natural impulse and your
will [irada] as partners [shuraka'] with Him in these two."
O you who are sound in body! O you who idly neglect your tasks! What are you
missing from your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He)? If your hearts were aware
of this, you would feel sorrow and regret. Wake up!
O my people! You will soon be dead. Weep for yourselves, before you are wept
over. You have sins crowding an uncertain outcome. Your hearts are sick with
love of this world and greed to possess it. Treat them with the medicines of
abstinence and renunciation, and by approaching the Lord of Truth (Almighty and
Glorious is He). Religious integrity [salamatu'd-din] is the capital, and
righteous deeds [al-a'mal as-saliha] are the profits. Stop looking for things
that make you go to excess, and be content with what is sufficient for you. An
intelligent person takes no pleasure in anything if its lawful use must be
accounted for [halaluhu hisab], while its unlawful use incurs punishment
[haramuhu 'iqab]. Most of you have forgotten about the punishment and the
reckoning.
O young man! If some worldly object is present before you, and you notice that
your heart is recoiling from it, you should leave it alone. But you have no
heart. You are nothing but self, natural impulse and desire. You must make
friends with those who do possess hearts, until you get a heart of your own. You
need a wise Shaikh, who practices the law [hukm] of ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious
is He), to train you, teach you, and give you good advice.
O you who have sold everything for nothing, and paid everything to buy nothing,
you have bought this world at the price of the hereafter, and you have sold the
hereafter for this world. You are a delusion within a delusion, a void within a
void, ignorance within ignorance. You eat as cattle eat, without investigation,
without consideration and without question, without conscious intention [niyya],
without [waiting to receive] an [inner] command or action. The believer eats
what is allowed by the sacred law [shar']. The saint [Wali] is ordered to eat,
or forbidden to do so, as indicated by his heart [qalb]. The Badal does not
concern himself with anything; things just work within him, while he is in his
absence [ghaiba] with his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) and his
annihilation [fana'] in Him. Thus the Wali stands by the [inner] commandment,
while the Badal is stripped of personal volition [ikhtiyar], and all of this is
accompanied by observance of the rules of sacred law [hudud ash-shar']. One who
becomes extinct [fani] to himself and to all creatures still observes the rules
of sacred law. Then he is cast adrift in the ocean of divine power [qudra]. Its
waves lift him up at one moment, and plunge him down at another. Sometimes they
roll him toward the shore, and at other times they let him fall to the depths of
the sea. He comes to resemble the Companions of the Cave [Ashab al-Kahf],
concerning whom ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:
And we turned them over to the right, then over to the left. (18:18)
They had no faculties with which to think or plan or feel. They were in the
House of Grace and Nearness, with their eyes closed outwardly [zahiran] and
inwardly [batinan]. In like manner, therefore, this nearness will have closed
the eyes of his heart to everything apart from his Lord (Almighty and Glorious
is He), so that he sees only for His sake and through Him, and hears only from
Him.
O ALLAH, make us extinct to everything apart from You! Cause us to exist in You,
and Give us in this world good, and good in the hereafter, and guard us against
the torment of the fire! (2:201)
Jala’ al-Khawatir-Removal of Cares
Introduction
In the Name of ALLAH, All-Merciful and Compassionate!
Praise be to ALLAH, the Lord of All the Worlds, and may ALLAH bestow blessings
and peace upon our Master Muhammad (PBUH) and his family and his companions.
The following discourses were delivered by the Shaikh, the Imam, the most
learned scholar, the pious abstainer, the dutiful worshipper, the knower by
direct experience, the avoider of excess, the Shaikh of sheikhs, the proof of
Islam [hujjat al-Islam], the axis of the human race [qutb al-anam], the upholder
of the Sunna, the suppressor of heretical innovation, the crown of those who
know by direct experience, the love of those who tread the spiritual path, the
pillar of the Shari'a [the Law of Islam], the mainstay of the Haqiqa [the
Experience of Reality] and the signpost of the Tariqa [the Spiritual Path], the
chief of the saints, the leader of the pure, the lantern of those who travel the
spiritual way, the guide, the captain of those who are devoted to their duty,
the lamp of the people of devotion and purity, Shaikh Muhyi'd-Din Abu Muhammad
'Abd al-Qadir, son of Abu Salih Musa al-Jili the grandson of 'Abdu'llah the
Hermit. May ALLAH sanctify his spirit and illuminate his mausoleum. May He
gather us at the Resurrection as members of his company, and may He grant that
we die in the embrace of his affection. May He allow us to enjoy the benefit of
his blessed grace and of his spoken words, both in this world and in the
hereafter.
And may ALLAH bless our Master Muhammad (PBUH) and his family and his
companions, each and every one of them, and may He grant them peace in great
abundance. And praise be to ALLAH, Lord of All the Worlds.
The first of these discourses [majalis] was delivered on a Friday, the 9th day
of the month of Rajab, and the last of them was delivered on the 14th day of the
blessed month of Ramadan, in the year [A.H.] 546.
The Third Discourse
The Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:
Part of the excellence of a man's Islam is paying no attention to that which
does not concern him.
To busy oneself with that which is irrelevant is the distraction of idle fools.
Deprived of the good pleasure of his Master [Mawla] is he who fails to put into
practice what He commands, and who occupies himself with things he has not been
instructed to deal with. This is deprivation its very self, death its very self
and banishment its very self.
O young man! You must carry out the commandments and observe the prohibitions
[laid down by your Lord]. Make sure that you are fully in compliance [with the
sacred law], then place yourself in the hand of destiny [qadar] without asking
'why?' and without asking 'how?' It is far better for you to be looked after by
ALLAH (Almighty and Glorious is He), with His knowledge of you, than for you to
be looking after yourself, with your ignorance of your Lord. Be satisfied with
what He has given you. try to be grateful for it and do not ask him for more,
since you do not recognize the best part of what you have already.
Abstinence [zuhd] is what gives comfort to the hearts of obedient abstainers.
the burden of abstinence is borne by the physical constitution. the burden of
intimate knowledge [ma'rifa] is borne by the heart. the burden of nearness [to
the Lord] is borne by the innermost being [sirr]. Be abstinent, be satisfied,
and be grateful. Be pleased with your Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He), and do
not be pleased with yourself. Think well of other people. Give up thinking the
worst of other people, and do not hold a high opinion of yourself. Refrain from
gratifying the desires of the flesh, for the effects of such restraint are
healing and purifying to the heart. to satisfy one's appetite for lawful food
[halal] is quite enough to blur the perception of the heart and render it
intoxicated, so how about the influence of food that is actually
unlawful[haram]? This explains the following saying of the Prophet (ALLAH bless
him and give him peace):
The right diet is the main part of all medical treatment [al-'imya ra'su
'd-dawa'].
You must accustom every physical body to what is normal for it, since in these
three [Arabic] words the Prophet (ALLAH bless him and give him peace) was making
a collective statement applicable to all bodies. Gluttony [bitna] extinguishes
perspicacity [fitna], the lamp of wisdom [misbah al-hikma] and the light of
sainthood [nur al-wilaya]. As long as you are still attached to this world and
to your fellow creatures, you must keep to the proper diet, because you are in
the hospital [maridistan]. But once your heart has attained to the Lord of truth
(Almighty and Glorious is He), the matter will be in His hands. He will take
charge of you completely, while you will be out of a job. How could He fail to
take you into His care, when you have become worthy of Him? As He has said
(Almighty and Glorious is He):
[Say:] "My Protecting Friend is ALLAH, who has revealed the Book, and He
befriends the righteous." (7:196)
O young man! You must not be alarmed about the fact that destiny's decree
[qadar] is sure to come into effect. there is no one who can turn it back, and
there is no one who can avert it. Everything that has been preordained [maqdi]
will come into being, without regard for those who may like it or for those who
may find it displeasing.
Your involvement in this world requires that you have a righteous intention
[niyya saliha], otherwise you deserve to be viewed with disgust. In all your
affairs and undertakings you must say: "There is no power, nor is there any
strength, except through ALLAH, the High, the Almighty." You should set aside
one hour for your worldly interests, one hour for your interest in the
hereafter, one hour for your personal concerns, and one hour for the benefit of
your family, then dedicate all the remaining hours to your Lord (Almighty and
Glorious is He). You must concentrate first of all on the cleanliness [tahara]
of your heart, for this is an obligatory duty [farida]. Then turn your attention
to deeper knowledge [ma'rifa]. If you miss the root, your preoccupation with the
branch will not be accepted of you. there is no benefit in cleanliness of the
physical parts of the body combined with defilement of the heart. You must
cleanse your physical limbs and organs by following the Sunna, and your heart by
putting the Qur'an into practice. Take care of your heart, so that your physical
body will be taken care of. Every vessel exudes its own contents. Whatever is in
your heart will ooze out from you through your physical parts