Means & Wisdom of the Wise

Allah gives His slaves through three ways, that is to say, through means, without the existence of means, and through the opposite means.

He gives through means so that His magnificent creation, and the strength, disposition, and benefits He puts in His creatures become manifest.

He also gives without the existence of means so that His slaves know that His ability is not in need of intermediary to realize it.

Moreover, He gives through the opposite means so that His slaves know that He is able to do all things. He does what He wants, and nothing, in the heavens, nor the earth, can stand before His ability. 

Furthermore, nothing happens in the universe except by His leave, and causes are effective only by means of His leave. 

Repent to Allah

O deprived of obeying Allah!

Repent to Allah.

Repent to Allah and taste the flavor of repentance.

Taste the sweetness of weeping before Allah.

Let your heart feel the pain of regret so tears flow, extinguishing fires of sins and disobedience.

The Best Monopoly

The believers monopolize prostration before Allah,
seeking forgiveness from Allah,
 weeping before Allah, and humbleness before Allah.

Indeed, it is the best kind of monopoly. 

Types of Crying

Yaziyd bin Mayysara said,

“There are seven types of crying:
crying due to happiness; 
crying due to sadness;
crying due to fear;
crying for showing off;
crying due to pain; 
crying of thanking;
and crying due to fear of Allah
and a tear of which is able to extinguish seas of fire.”

[Az-Zuhud, abû as-Sariy Hanãd at-Tamiymiy]  

Meeting the King

 Umar bin Abudl-Azîz said,

 “The prayer makes you pass through half of the way,

fasting makes you reach the door of the King,

and charity makes you meet Him.”

[Iḥyā′ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn ‘The Revival of the Religious Sciences’]

Truthfulness is Salvation (2)

Truthfulness is salvation, even if one thinks it will cause him loss. 

Sheikh Abd al-Qādir Gīlānī  narrated that he based his life on truthfulness. When I was going to Baghdad to seek knowledge with a caravan, my mother gave me forty dinars and asked me to promise her to be truthful. When the caravan reached Hamadan, a group of thieves attacked us. They took all the belongings of the people.

One of them passed by me, and asked me, “What do you have?”

I said, “Forty dinars.” He thought I was mocking him, so he left me.

Another man saw me, and said, “What do you have?” I said the same answer, therefore, he took me to their leader who asked me the same question, and I answered him the same answer.

He said, “Why have you said the truth?” I said, “I promised my mother to be truthful, and I fear to betray her promise.”

The leader cried, and tore his clothes. Then he said, “You fear to betray your mother’s promise, and I do not fear to betray the covenant of Allah.” 

After that, he commanded his men to give back to the people of the caravan their belongings.

Then he said,

 “I have repented to Allah because of you.” 

Then, his men said, “You were our leader in robbery, and you are our leader in repentance.” Then they all repented.

[Nuzaht al-Majãlis wa Muntakhab an-Nafã’s]

Truthfulness is Salvation (1)

 Rabi’î bin Jirãsh was a followers of the companions of the Prophetﷺ.
He was trustworthy and never lied in his life.
He had two sons accused of disobeying the commands of al-Hajãj bin Yusuf ath-Thaqafî.
Al-Hajãj was told that their father never lied in his life, and if you asked him their whereabouts, he would tell you.
Al-Hajãj ordered him to come to meet him. Then asked him,
“Where are your sons?”
 He replied, “They are at home.”
Al-Hajãj said,

 “I forgive them because of your truthfulness.”

[Tãrîkh Bagdag, al-Khatîb al-Baghdadî]