(May Allah have mercy on the people of the Sunnah and a call to humility before Allah) If your Lord had willed, you would also have been like them*** For the heart is between the fingers of the Most Merciful, so beware of the ambushes of your own self
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The Shaykh : May Allah reward him for us, ... , in this passage "If your Lord had willed, you would also have been like them" like whom? Like those misguides who were led astray from the guidance. But if you are granted success in guidance, do not make that a source of pride over your Lord. Know the magnitude of Allah's blessing upon you with that, and know that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, has the greatest favor over you, for if He had willed, He would have turned your heart away. We ask Allah for safety.
"If your Lord had willed, you would also have been like them *** For the heart is between the fingers of the Most Merciful"
All the servants, their hearts are between the fingers of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and He turns them however He wills. If He wills, He turns them away, and if He wills, He guides them. But the turning away has a cause.[As-Saf 61:5] And if you triumph, yes, and beware of the ambushes of your self. In the self there are ambushes, meaning hidden things that no one knows except Allah, Mighty and Majestic, as al-Qahatani said: "And Allah, if they knew my secret, if they knew"
The student : Ugly
The Shaykh : Ugly
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, no, ugly is my secret, yes
"And Allah, if they knew the ugliness of my secret *** they would refuse to greet me when they meet me"
So in a person's self there are ambushes that no one knows except Allah. Beware of these ambushes. The ambushes are many; they may be associating partners with Allah, we ask Allah for safety. A person may love showing off, wanting people to see him doing good deeds. It may be envy of the servants of Allah, and that is one of the characteristics of the Jews. It may be hatred that the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, should triumph, or that the awliya (close friends of Allah), Mighty and Majestic, should triumph. It may be preferring the worldly life over the Hereafter. It may be preferring children and wives over the Hereafter.[Al-Munafiqun 63:9] So the important thing is that there are ambushes, my brothers, in the heart, hidden, hidden, hidden, that need to be scrutinized and the heart washed from its outward and inward aspects. Strive. All of us can pray a prayer with apparent humility; he says takbir and raises his hands, places his hands on his chest, bows completely, sends his back straight, reads completely, yes. But the matter is, what is upon him? The matter is upon the heart. Does the heart follow the limbs, yes, or to put it more correctly, do these limbs follow the heart in excellence of action, or is it just a form? This is a matter, as Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah reward him with good, said:
"And beware of the ambushes of your self, which when*** they come out against you, break you with a humiliating break"
Beware of these, and always make your intention reaching Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for He is the ultimate goal of all goals. If you make this your intention, and Allah, you will forget the worldly life and what is in it. If you make this your intention, to reach Allah, to support the religion of Allah, to love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah, then you will reach the goal where you forget the entire worldly life, and indeed you will find the pleasure of life in this worldly life and the good life. But if you follow your self with the worldly life and its adornments, you will tire, because the worldly life can never come to you as you wish, ever, it is impossible. But if you intend Allah, you will get what you want, and if you seek Allah, you will get what you want. He, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
"And if he seeks victory for her" means that if a person only loves to seek victory for himself, then this is a serious error. "Like one who tries to extinguish smoke by kindling fires". The one who says, "I will extinguish the smoke..." with wet wood, what will happen? It may be extinguished, or it may increase? It increases. Yes. Then he said: Allah has informed that He will support His servant with safety, and that whoever does evil will be recompensed with the like of it, and as for whoever does good, he will attain the Gardens. May Allah make us among those who do good.
"If your Lord had willed, you would also have been like them *** For the heart is between the fingers of the Most Merciful"
All the servants, their hearts are between the fingers of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and He turns them however He wills. If He wills, He turns them away, and if He wills, He guides them. But the turning away has a cause.
And when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.
فلما زاغوا أزاغ الله قلوبهم والله لا يهدي القوم الفاسقينThe student : Ugly
The Shaykh : Ugly
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, no, ugly is my secret, yes
"And Allah, if they knew the ugliness of my secret *** they would refuse to greet me when they meet me"
So in a person's self there are ambushes that no one knows except Allah. Beware of these ambushes. The ambushes are many; they may be associating partners with Allah, we ask Allah for safety. A person may love showing off, wanting people to see him doing good deeds. It may be envy of the servants of Allah, and that is one of the characteristics of the Jews. It may be hatred that the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, should triumph, or that the awliya (close friends of Allah), Mighty and Majestic, should triumph. It may be preferring the worldly life over the Hereafter. It may be preferring children and wives over the Hereafter.
let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.
لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ"And beware of the ambushes of your self, which when*** they come out against you, break you with a humiliating break"
Beware of these, and always make your intention reaching Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for He is the ultimate goal of all goals. If you make this your intention, and Allah, you will forget the worldly life and what is in it. If you make this your intention, to reach Allah, to support the religion of Allah, to love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah, then you will reach the goal where you forget the entire worldly life, and indeed you will find the pleasure of life in this worldly life and the good life. But if you follow your self with the worldly life and its adornments, you will tire, because the worldly life can never come to you as you wish, ever, it is impossible. But if you intend Allah, you will get what you want, and if you seek Allah, you will get what you want. He, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
"And if he seeks victory for her" means that if a person only loves to seek victory for himself, then this is a serious error. "Like one who tries to extinguish smoke by kindling fires". The one who says, "I will extinguish the smoke..." with wet wood, what will happen? It may be extinguished, or it may increase? It increases. Yes. Then he said: Allah has informed that He will support His servant with safety, and that whoever does evil will be recompensed with the like of it, and as for whoever does good, he will attain the Gardens. May Allah make us among those who do good.