, we wasn't created to follow nafs, we were created for 1 reason alone
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
And I (Allâh) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)
The Heart and its Enslavement (Uboodiyyah)
The Heart's Captivation and Imprisonment by Sin
Author: Ibn al-Qayyim
Source: Al-Jawab al-Kafi (trans. Abu Iyaad)
He (rahimahullaah) said:
And among its effects is that the disobedient (sinner) is constantly in the shackles of his Shaytaan and the prison of his shahwa (desires) and the chains/fetters of his hawaa (whims). So he is a captive, one who is imprisoned and who is tied up.
There is no captive in a worse state than the one who is captivated by his worst enemy and there is no prison which is tighter than the prison of hawa and there is no bond/fetter more strong than the bond of desire.
How, then, will a heart which is captivated, imprisoned and fettered travel unto Allaah and the Home of the Hereafter. How will a person take a single step forward when the heart is bound and harmful things approach it from every direction. The harmful things approach it to the extent that it is tied up [i.e. imprisoned by its desires and whims..].
The example of the heart is like the example of a bird. Every time is ascends it becomes distant from the harmful things and every time it descends the harmful things hurt it. In a hadeeth there occurs that Shaytaan is like a wolf to people. Just as when a sheep has no protector and is in between many wolves, they are quick in causing damage and injury; likewise the servant who does not have guardianship from Allaah, then his wolf [i.e. his desires, whims etc.] is to him a predatory animal.
[Thus] there is no escape for the servant from having protection from Allaah. Taqwaa is a safeguarding for him and a strong shield between himself and the punishment of this world and the Hereafter.
Every time the sheep is close to its shepherd it is more safe from the wolf and every time it becomes distant from its shepherd it is closer to destruction. So its sanctuary is when it is close to its shepherd because the wolf takes the lonely one from the flock and this is the one which is the furthest one of the flock from the shepherd. The basis of all of this is is that every time the heart is distant from Allaah the harmful things are quick in approaching it and every time it is close to Allaah the harmful things become distant from it.
Remoteness from Allaah has levels/degrees, some of which are more severe than others. Heedlesness distances the servant from Allaah and some acts of disobedience are greater than some acts of heedlesness. Some innovations are greater than some acts of disobedience and some things from Hypocrisy and Shirk are greater than all of what has preceded.
Taqwaa (Piety)
How To Attain Taqwaa
Author: Shaikh Saleem al-Hilaalee
Source: Hudaa Magazine
The concept of taqwaa is always linked to ibaadah in the Quran. 'Ibaadah can be defined as: to do what Allah has commanded and to avoid what He has prohibited. 'Ibaadah has also been defined as a concept that includes all actions that Allah loves and approves of, whether they are actions of the heart, the toungue or the limbs. So taqwaa is linked with doing what is correct and avoiding that which is wrong. Taqwaa is the fruit of doing the actions of 'Ibaadah. In other words, if one does what Allah has commanded him to do, and abstains from that which he has been forbidden, he will achieve taqwaa. Allah mentions in His Book ( that means ):
" O you who believe ! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become muttaqoon ( those who have taqwaa or piety )." [ Al-Baqarah 2:183 ].
In this aayah and in many others, Allah has shown us that taqwaa is the result or fruit of doing actions of ibaadah.
The meaning of Taqwaa
Now that we have clarified how to achieve taqwaa, we define what the concept of taqwaa means. Taqwaa means: to cleanse or purify the heart and the soul. This fact is proven by some ayaat in Suorat ush-Shams in which Allah (T) says (what means)
" By the sun and its brightness, by the moon as it follows it, by the day as it shows its brightness, by the night as it conceals it, by the heaven and its wondrous make, by the earth and all its expanse, and by the soul and He Who perfected it in proportion, then He showed it what is wrong for it and what is right for it - indeed he suceeds who purifies it, and he fails who corrupts it." [ Ash-Shams 91:1-10 ].
Allah begins this soorah by taking seven oaths. Whenever Allah begins a soorah or an ayaah with an oath, He (T) does so to bear witness to the fact that whatever follows this oath is very important and essential for us to understand. Therfore, we should pay very close attention to what is being said, and reflect upon its meanings. To cleans one's heart and to purify the soul, one must perform righteous actions that Allah has enjoined upon us, and our destruction lies in doing the actions that Allah has forbidden. As Allah is the Guardian and Protector of the Soul, we should do every good deed hoping for Allah's Mercy and fearing His Punishment, having full reliance and trust in Him (T).
Purification of the Soul
Among the missions of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) Allah sent him with the command to purify the souls of the Muslims in particular, and of mankind in general. Allah (T) says (what means)
" He it is who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His ayaat, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Hikmah, while before they had been in error." [ Al-Jumu'ah 62:2 ].
In this ayaah the word Hikmah is often translated as wisdom. Immam ash-Shafi', one of the greatest scholars of Islaam, said that when Allah mentions Hikmah in the Qur'aan it refers to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)In addition to this ayaah, we see that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)was sent with three tasks:
1) To teach the Qur'aan.
2) To teach the Sunnah.
3) To show the means of purifying the soul.
This purification is obtained by doing the proper acts of 'ibaadah and by avoiding sins and disobedience.
Conditions for Attaining Taqwaa
How does a person know that his acts of 'ibaadah are helping him to achieve taqwaa ? To develop taqwaa, one must fulfill the following conditions:-
1) Ikhlaas, sincere intention that the act is performed purely for the pleasure of Allah, out of love for Him, while hoping for His reward and mercy, as well as fearing His anger and punishment if He is disobeyed.
2) To do the deed in accordance with the authentic Sunnah. To have the necessary knowledge of the 'ibaadah that is being performed. To know how the Prophet ...performed the action and proper times for the performance of that action.
Concerning Ikhlaas, it must be present both before and after performing the deed, with no riyaa or sum'ah ( doing things to be seen or heard by people ). For instance, after doing a good deed, someone tells others, " Look at all the good I have been doing ", or " I'm such a marvelous person because I do such and such".
This formula, if used to achieve taqwaa, is scientific, in that if you follow it, while fullfilling all of its conditions and their rights, you will achieve taqwaa in shaa a 'Llaah.
masha Allah tabarak Allah, nice nasiah
Taqwaa is the fruit of doing the actions of 'Ibaadah <<<< subhanAllah, may Allah grant us beneeficial knowledge which we impliment ameen, make dua for me please, may Allah ease the believers hearts ameen
may Allah aid us and grant whats best for the dunya and akhirah may Allah purify our intentions and may they be solely to seek his noble face ameen
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