Sickness of the Heart
The temptations to which the heart is exposed are what cause its sickness. These are the temptations of desires and fancies. The former cause intentions and the will to be corrupted, and the latter cause knowledge and belief to falter. Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Temptations are presented to the heart, one by one. Any heart that accepts them will be left with a black stain, but any heart that rejects them will be left with a mark of purity, so that hearts are of two types: a dark heart that has turned away and becom like an overturned vessel, and a pure heart that will never be harmed by temptation for as long as the earth and the heavens exist. The dark heart...
Read MoreWho is the Strongest?
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The strong man is not the one who can overpower others (in wrestling); rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/236; the hadeeth is agreed upon) . The greater the anger, the higher the status of the one who controls himself. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The strongest man is the one who, when he gets angry and his face reddens and his hackles rise, is able to defeat his anger.” (Reported by Imam Ahmad, 5/367; Hasan) Anas reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed by some people who were wrestling. He asked, “What is this?” They said: “So-and-so is the strongest, he can beat...
Read MoreJihad al-Akbar (The Greatest Jihad)
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: al-mujahidu man jahada nafsahu fi ta`at Allah `azza wa jall The real Mujahid is the one who makes Jihad (strives) against himself for the sake of obeying Allah. [Ranked authentic. Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Tabarani, Hakim, etc.] Sufyan al-Thawri said: “I have never dealt with anything stronger against me than my own ego; it was one time with me, and one time against me”… Yahya ibn Mu`adh al-Razi said: “Fight against your ego with the four swords of training: eat little, sleep little, speak little, and be patient when people harm you… Then the ego will walk the paths of obedience, like a fleeing horseman in the field of battle.” Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (rahmatullahi alayhi) said: “There...
Read MoreForbidden to look down on others
Tawaadhu’ (humility) was an outstanding attribute of Hadhrat Hasan. He considered himself inferior to everyone else. One day while walking along the bank of the river Dajlah he saw a Habshi (Abyssinian) with a woman and a wine-bottle. A thought crossed his mind: ‘This man cannot be better than me because he is with a woman and consuming wine.’ As the thought crossed his mind a boat with seven occupants appeared on the river. Suddenly the boat began sinking. Seeing the plight of the boat-people the Habshi dived into the water and safely brought out one person. He returned and brought out a second man. He continued his rescue until he had saved six people. Turning to Hadhrat Hasan, the Habshi said: “If you are better than me, then save the seventh one. O...
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