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Sufism: The Story Behind the Name

Ramadan Series 2014, Volume 4

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

2 July 2014 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.

Salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.

Those who are present and those who are far away, inshaa-Allah we can reach you for Ahl as-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah, those who are always praising the Prophet (s), and he is Intercessor for all Creation. His name is enough for us, his name is blessing for us, so what do you think about his presence and how much he gave to his Companions, as-Sahaabah (r), that we cannot compare anyone to them! Let’s go into the explanation.

Original Structuring of the Knowledge of Tasawwuf for Teaching

After the Prophet (s) left dunya, his Sahaabah (r) followed his footsteps and they were learning the teachings of good manners and good characters. When corruption began to appear in the following centuries after the Sahaabah (r), slowly, slowly corruption and bad character such as: hypocrisy, corruption, cheating, and all kinds of bad manners began to appear. Then some scholars, as we said before, began to organize a system to keep following the footsteps of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) by explaining what we have to follow and what we have to do, and that is how the Knowledge of Tasawwuf came. Why was it called “Tasawwuf” when we know it was called “Maqaam al-Ihsaan” by the Prophet (s) and “Tazkiyyatu an-Nafs” by the Holy Qur’an?

After the Sahaabah (r) and the Tabi`een of the first and second centuries, some claimed that they have Tazkiyyatu an-Nafs in themselves, and some claimed to have good manners, Maqaam al-Ihsaan. So scholars came and said, “Okay, we will put the structure of those who claim Tazkiyyatu ‘n-Nafs and Maqaam al-Ihsaan; we will put it together and we must follow that way in order to follow the Way of the Prophet (s).” Anyone who is on the sides is not considered, as he is not yet perfecting his good manners.

Various Assumed Origins of the Term “Tasawwuf”

So from these scholars and worshippers came the word “Tasawwuf” from the derivatives of some words:

1. First, these pious, sincere and wise men, awliyaullah, have been described as a “sponge”, soofat al-kaffa. The soofa is the sponge that comes from the sea. It isn't like today, where there is imitation in the sponge also, they make you plastic sponges. Before it has to be the real sponge they take from the sea, especially the Red Sea, which is very soft. So they extract the word as-Soofee, the one who is like the sponge, very soft, always surrendering and submitting to Allah (swt), fee Maqaam at-Taslimiyyat al-Mutlaqa, the Absolute Submission to Allah (swt) that was shown by Prophet (s) to the Sahaabah (r) and by the Sahaabah (r) to A`immah, those imams who came after. They showed them that you have to submit to Allah (swt) like a sponge: when you leave it, it will not move, it is there and anytime you need it, it is very soft and anytime you don't need it, it is still very soft, not like the plastic ones. Today you cannot call that artificial one a sponge, it is an imitation of the reality. So don’t be an imitation person, be a real one by following the good manners. That is one explanation, and it is necessary to know why it was called “Tasawwuf”.

2. Some scholars say it is from as-siffah, the attribute, the description of good manners. We say Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes, but what do we mean by ‘Attributes’? It is the “description,” so some of the Names are Names of Allah (swt) and some are descriptions. So you have to be always described as you can do the best in your life, in order to do better and better. So that kind of description do you give when you are describing someone with good manners? We can say he has good attributes, good behavior and good manners. So Sufism, Tasawwuf, or the name of the person following Tasawwuf is as-Soofee, can be said to come from the description of his good manners: that person is nice, he is shining like a spotlight from his good manners, that one is knowledgeable, that one is smiling always, that one has no hiqd, no hasad, no jealousy, no hate, no malice. So the description that you describe is as-Siffah, and from that word came the main word, at-Tasawwuf, as-Soofee.

3. some say it came from the word as-Safaa’, “clarity and purity”. When you say someone has clarity it means he is subtle, he has become subtle, like angels are subtle as they are infallible, so we describe them as subtle beings that Allah created from heavenly power; that they are transparent, they have nothing to hide. Min as-Safaa’, these people are subtle: you can see through them, not literally, but spiritually you can speak with them at any moment and you feel relaxed by the clarity in their answers, for their clarity in their worship, for their clarity in being friendly to everyone, for their clarity to promote you first and they follow you, to give you a chance of speaking and they try their best to have that description of clarity.

4.

تنازع الناس في الصوفي واختلفوا

وظنه البعض مشتقاً من الصوف

ولست أمنح هذا الاسم غير فتى

صفا فصوفي حتى سمي الصوفي

It is said, tanaza`u ’n-naas fi ‘s-soofee fakhtalafoo, “The people disputed about the Sufi person and everyone gave an opinion about how to describe a Sufi, wa zhannahu ba`dan mushtaqan min as-soof, they think that Sufi, Tasawwuf is coming from the word ‘wool’,” because in that time they used to wear wool cloaks. So everyone thought the ascetics wore the wool cloak, so they gave them the name of “Soofee” from soof, the wool, and Soofee is the description of that person, as-Soofee, but they were mistaken. The first one, people disputed who is the Soofee, the second thought he is from wool, i.e. he lives in a very hard way, but the poet continues saying:

For me, I describe that one from clarity,

he is clear, enlightened, pure,

that is why he is called ‘Soofee’

5. Wa minhu man qaal min as-Suffah, “and some of them said it is from as-Suffah.” So you see all these words are near each other. The first is as-siffah, the second is as-Safaa, the third is as-Siffah, and the fourth is the sponge, soofa, and fifth is as-Suffah. And these are the people who were all the night making dhikrullah on the Bench behind the house of the Prophet (s). So they are called, Ahl as-Suffah (r), “The People of the Bench” (r). Their days they gave to the Prophet (s), physically working hard, doing what the Prophet (s) wants, defending the country, doing what they are ordered to do. And at night they were always in dhikrullah. So they are called Ahl as-Suffah (r), the People of the Bench. So from that name Suffah also comes the name “Soofee”.

Listen to the People of the Bench and Follow the Instructions

The Ahl as-Suffah (r) were in the time of the Prophet (s) and they were making dhikr behind the house of the Prophet (s) and when Fajr came, they used to go to their prayer and when Prophet (s) came he used to go directly to the mihrab from his house, passing through the Rawda; it was a small space and he used not to give them an eye, these People of the Bench (r), and Allah called him through Holy Qur’an:

وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا

Wa ’sbir nafsaka ma` alladheena yad`oona rabbahum bi ’l-ghadaati wa 'l-`ashiyyi yureedoona wajhahu wa laa ta`du `aynaaka `anhum tureedu zeenata ‘l-hayati ‘d-dunya wa laa tuti` man aghfalnaa qalbahu `an dhikrinaa wa ’ttaba`a hawaahu wa kaana amruhu furutaa.

And keep yourself patient (by being) with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His Countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever (in) neglect. (Surat al-Kahf, 18:28)

Allah said, “Wa ’sbir nafsaka ma` alladheena yad`oona rabbahum bi ’l-ghadaati wa 'l-`ashiyyi, Keep patient. Look at them, they are behind your house, they are calling Allah morning and evening, yureedoona wajhahu, they want only Allah’s Way. Wa laa ta`du `aynaaka `anhum, and don’t try to avoid looking at them, see them, and look at them. They are the best as they are remembering Me. Why are you not looking at them, tureedu zeenata ‘l-hayati ‘d-dunya, do you want the worldly life? Wa laa tuti` man aghfalnaa qalbahu `an dhikrinaa, don’t look for the worldly life.”

Allah is telling the Prophet (s) and the Prophet (s) never looked to worldly life, so He is telling us, “Be with the pious ones, be with the sincere ones, don’t be with the ones who call themselves names but they are not the real ones. They do this to promote their egos and their desires.” Don't look at them. Look at these people who are sitting behind, don’t look at the dunya, wa laa tuti` man aghfalnaa qalbahu `an dhikrinaa wa ’ttaba`a hawaahu, “Don’t listen to the one that We have made their heart heedless.” There are too many today. In that time, look that time after Prophet (s) Allah is saying “Don’t look at those whom We made their heart heedless,” wa laa tuti` man aghfalnaa qalbahu `an dhikrinaa, “Don’t look at those and don’t listen to them, what they are saying is false, there is a question mark in it, wa laa tuti` man aghfalnaa qalbahu `an dhikrinaa, don’t listen to and obey those who are heedless of Our Remembrance. Anyone who is not remembering Me is heedless, don’t listen to them.”

Throw what they say in their faces! Today there are too many like that! Today they claim something they don’t possess, they claim something that is not for them, they claim something and they do something else! Allah knows them. Whatever they are saying, you have to look at their behaviors. If they are heedless of dhikrullah, drop them from your life. Wa laa tuti` man aghfalnaa qalbahu `an dhikrinaa wa ’ttaba`a hawaahu, they follow their desires, don’t accept them and don’t accept the one who does not fulfill the Shari`ah.

Today you cannot follow an imam who does not fulfill the Shari`atullah first; Shari`ah is first, then your opinion. But Shari`ah is what Allah wants us to follow and obey. We have to follow that and then Allah will accept us. In Shari`ah you study too many things, everything, including how to marry and how to live your life and to pray and fast and how to give inheritance and so many things that Allah (swt) wants you to do.

So in Surat al-Kahf, Allah mentioned to Prophet (s), “You listen to those who are sitting behind your house making dhikrullah all night and days, doing everything for your sake, O Muhammad (s)! Don’t obey those who are running for dunya, they are not the ones that you have to look at, look at those people who are ascetic, zuhaad, as these are the pious ones.”

And this was in the time of the Prophet (s). In the time of Prophet (s) was in its summit, that zuhd, and then it began to decrease, then going down, down, down, first century, second century, third century--corruption. Like when Imam ash-Shafi`ee (r) put his madhhab in Baghdad, and when he migrated to Egypt he saw lot of corruption that he had not expected to happen and so he modified his madhhab. So today, what do you think about corruption? So Tasawwuf came to keep you in line.

You know in a circus there are people who walk on a tightrope. We are walking on such a tightrope in this time, we are balancing ourselves and then falling for sure, but there are some who don’t fall because they follow the instructions so they don’t fall. Follow the instructions of Tazkiyyat an-Nafs, which is the State of Ihsaan, which is Tasawwuf, then it will save you from falling left or right as it will direct you to perfect your prayers, as it is mentioned. It is said, what is the importance of Tasawwuf? It tells you what kind of knowledge you have to follow, it directs you, it is a pamphlet with instructions 1, 2, 3, 4 that you follow, not haphazard.

The Two Types of Action: Physical and Spiritual

And it is said that actions, al-`amaal, the deeds are of two kinds: the physical deeds and the spiritual deeds. We spoke about it before, but in a different way, now it’s in a different way. The physical deeds are of two kinds: Awaamir wa Nawaahiyy, “Orders and Prohibitions” for physical deeds. Awaamir are like salaat, zakaat, sawm, Hajj.

The Physical Actions: The Forbiddens

And the Prohibitions, the opposite of the Orders, are the Forbiddens, like killing, like zinaa, like drinking, like eating pork. We do not eat except halaal food, where today they messed up everything for you! And I was observing that Prophet (s) said:

لا تأكلوا بالشمال، فإن الشيطان يأكل ويشرب بشماله‏

Laa ta`aklu bi’sh-shimaal fa-inn ash-shaytan yaakull wa yashrab bi-shimaalahu.

Do not eat with your left hand, because Shaytan eats and drinks with his left hand. (Muslim)

Prophet (s) said, “Don't eat with left hand as Shaytan will eat with you,” and today they made protocol on tables with important people that you have to eat with your left hand. Shaytan knows where to put his poison, to share in everything that they eat, to make them eat with their left hand. Now left-handed people, that is another issue, but for right-handed people making them eat with left, so everyone now eats with their left.

So the deeds that are physical are of two kinds: either good or bad. The good ones are worship and the bad ones are the ones that Allah forbade you to do, like killing. Today there is too much killing: Muslim to Muslim, Jew to Jew, Christian to Christian, Hindu to Hindu, then between all of them. There is a strategy for all kinds of situations to keep bloodshed on Earth. I think that is a corruption, is it not? What about zinaa? Now it is everywhere. It is corruption, the biggest corruption, it’s like killing and is not acceptable. And stealing. Did you see someone not stealing? Maybe in school he stole the pen of his friend or anything, up to stealing in government. And why do they fight? For money. To steal and to use that money for corruption, for killing, to keep them glued to their chair.

And another deed that is forbidden from physical deeds is drinking, shirb al-khamr. You go on a plane today and you find so many people drinking. They have to offer you wine or champagne on the plane. Forget about Western countries, when you go on a Muslim country plane there are muskiraat, alcohol, and not just one kind of alcohol, many! And they put it in nice packages and you look at the bottle and think, “Oh that is nice, why don’t I taste a little bit?” You think, “Let me try that.”

And the worst corruption today is they give you tablets to become high. You tried that? O Muslims! Don’t plant it, don’t do it, you will be asked. For non-Muslims, it’s up to them as Allah will judge them later, but you are Muslim and Allah is telling you, “Don’t do it!” Why are you doing it? Marijuana, ecstasy tablets, what else? Whatever! Don’t approach it. Don’t be with the people who are bad. As soon as you know someone using marijuana, say, “He is bad,” and don’t be with them and don’t give an excuse that it’s for medicine. May Allah forgive them and forgive us. So these are the forbiddens.

The Obligations

The things that are ordered are prayers. Why Allah gave us prayer? Why is it from the instructions in the booklet of Tasawwuf? Why do Muslims pray? Because when you say “Allahu Akbar!” you are between the hands of Allah.

حُبِّبَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ دُنْيَاكُمْ : النِّسَاءُ وَالطِّيبُ ، وَجُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ

Hubbiba ilayya min dunyaakum an-nisaau wa ‘l-teebu wa ju`ilat qurratu `aynee fi ’s-salaat.

The Prophet (s) used to say: Three things of your world have been made dear to me: women, perfume and the coolness of my eyes is in prayer. (Nasa'i)

“The best time is when I pray.” That is why he used to pray and pray until his feet were swollen, because he is between the Hands of His Creator and he is happy to show `uboodiyya, servanthood to his Creator and always he is in his prayers. “Yaa Rabbee, You created me and so I always have to be in servanthood.”

And He (swt) feels with everyone, so He ordered to give zakaat to the poor. These are from the good manners, the Five Pillars of Islam that we spoke about two days ago, from the good manners that Allah gave to us to reward us. Do you want to be rewarded? Then do these things. Pilgrimage, Hajj, imagine three-million people around the Ka`bah, what will happen to you? You will be exhausted, dehydrated, you might faint. What do you think on the Judgment Day when the Sun is over your head, burning, boiling, what are you going to feel?

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ سَبْعَةٌ يُظِلُّهُمْ اللَّهُ فِي ظِلِّهِ يَوْمَ لَا ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظِلُّهُ الْإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ وَشَابٌّ نَشَأَ بِعِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ وَرَجُلٌ قَلْبُهُ مُعَلَّقٌ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ وَرَجُلَانِ تَحَابَّا فِي اللَّهِ اجْتَمَعَا عَلَيْهِ وَتَفَرَّقَا عَلَيْهِ وَرَجُلٌ دَعَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لَا تَعْلَمَ يَمِينُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ شِمَالُهُ وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ

There are seven persons whom Allah will shade on a Day when there is no shade but His: a just ruler; a young person who grew up in the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosques; two persons who love each other, meet and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom a beautiful woman of high status seduces but he rejects by saying, “I fear Allah”; a person who spends in charity and conceals it such that his right hand does not know what his left hand has given; and, a person who remembered Allah in private and he wept. (Sahih Muslim, Book 5, Number 2248)

“There are seven whom Allah will shadow on Judgment Day,” seven whom Allah will shade, they won’t feel the Sun over their head. One is, shaabun nasha'at bi-`ibadatillah, a young boy or girl raised on obedience to Allah. That is important, especially to the young ones, especially for those who are 15 and above, someone who was raised on Allah’s obedience, as that one is under Allah’s Shade on Judgment Day and inshaa-Allah we are all young still! So from today we have the intention, inshaa-Allah, that we will be raised as under His obedience, because we are sitting with these young ones and Allah will not prevent His Rahmah from us as because of them, Allah blesses them and blesses us! Especially those who marry at a young age, because they don't look to others, only to their wives and their husbands. I got married young. I see some people looking for a wife the man is 40 years of age. “I need a wife.” Why did you not marry before? Or the lady. “I have to spend some time, to know each other.” This Western style of dating and to decide after that if we marry or not, to find the right person. So maybe they change from each other to someone else.

The Spiritual Actions: The Deeds of the Heart

The second category of `amal are the deeds of the heart, before were the deeds of the body, the physical ones. This category also has Awaamir wa Nawaahiyy, “Orders and Forbiddens.” Orders are what the Prophet (s) said, “I have been sent to perfect your manners”:

‏انما بعثت لاتمم مكارم الاخلاق

I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (Bazzaar)

الا وان في الجسد مضغة اذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، واذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله، الا وهي القلب‏

In the body there is a small piece of flesh; if that piece of flesh is rectified then the whole body will be rectified and if it becomes corrupt then the whole body will become corrupt, and truly that is the heart.

(Bukhari and Muslim)

He said, “Look, there is no in-between, there is something that Allah gave you from His Love, something small in the body, it is the heart. Alaa inna fi’l-jasadi, “There is in the body a small organ, a piece of flesh, mudgha, if it is healthy the whole body will be healthy. If it is not healthy, if it is corrupted,” he did not say sick, sick is something different, but he said idhaa fasadat, “if it is corrupted, the whole body will be corrupted.” How will it be corrupted? It is not saying you are mareed, a sick person, but rather, you are corrupted by other people, they corrupt your heart and then your whole body is corrupted. And what is that small flesh? It is the heart and it is mentioned in Holy Qur'an more than 100 times. If the heart was not important, it would not have been mentioned more than 100 times.

The Spiritual Obligations

This is from awaamir, orders, not from forbiddens yet, so in order to fix your heart you must perfect your belief, imaan. You cannot see it, but it is there. You cannot see Allah (swt), but Allah is everywhere: you can see His Touches, His Signs. So you have to believe in Him in the right way: don’t make any association with Him as He is the Creator and we are His servants. Don’t say He has a child! Why do we have to accept what they say, that He has a child? Then why not a girl? Astaghfirullah `azheem wa atubu ilayh. Why he has to have a boy and then He raised him up? Where He raised him? Where He raised him up? With Sayyida Maryam (a). Astaghfirullahu ’l-`azheem wa atoobu ilayh, say “Astaghfirullahu ’l-`azheem wa atoobu ilayh!” Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadu ‘r-Rasoolullah. Laa shareeka lah wa laa matheel lahu fee `uloowi shaanihi wa `azheem sultaanihi.

And we have to believe in His angels. Are there angels here? Yes, this is a gathering of dhikrullah, this is a circle for dhikr, so there must be angels here. We don't see them, but they are here. How many? No limits, Allah knows best. And we have to believe in His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day. When you believe in that, you perfect your `Aqeeda, your Belief, and when you believe in Allah’s Oneness, Tawheed, you perfect your belief. And when you believe in His angels you know they are with you, they control you, they know what you are doing. So what you have to do? You have to believe in His angels and when you believe in His angels, what do you have to believe in now? In His Books, wa kutubihi. Why did Allah put Books? Because these are the instructions. “You believe in Me and you believe in My Prophets, so these are the instructions, the constitutions that you have to follow.” The main four books are the Zaboor, Psalms for Sayyidina Dawud (a), and there is Tawraat for Sayyidina Musa (a), and there is Injeel [New Testament] for Sayyidina `Isa (a) and there is Holy Qur'an for Sayyidina Muhammad (s).

And Allah (swt) said:

إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُُ

Inna ad-deena `inda Allaahi al-islaam.

The religion in Allah’s view is Islam (submission to His Will). (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:19)

When Prophet came, he wrapped everything together under Islam. So when you read the books, the instructions, you can be sincere, be happy: al-ikhlaas (sincerity, loyalty); wa ridaa (happiness, acceptance); wa sidq (trustworthiness); wa khush`oo (to be aware); wa tawakkul (to depend on Allah). These are the good ones from the spiritual deeds from the heart.

The Spiritual Forbiddens

And the bad deeds that you have to take away from your heart are...what is the worst sin?

1. Shirk. Al-kufr and shirk. You have to take kufr from your heart, not only erase it, but tear it apart and throw it not in the dustbin but far into the depth of the ocean so it never comes back up.

2. Then an-nifaaq, to tell this one what he likes to hear and tell the other what he likes to hear and then you make them fight. Tell this one, “He hates you.” Tell the other one, “Love him, love him.” Then one hates and the other loves and then they fight. That is munaafiq (hypocrisy), that tells people what is not in his heart. Allah does not like that. Don’t be munafiqoon. O Believers! Try to avoid a lot of misunderstanding, doubt and hypocrisy.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ

Yaa ayyuhalladheena aamanoo ’jtaniboo katheeran mina’dh-dhanni inna ba`da ’dh-dhanni ithm.

O Believers! Avoid suspicion as much as possible, for suspicion in some cases is a sin.

(Surat al-Hujuraat, 49:12)

3. Wa ‘l-ghuroor, arrogance. Don't be arrogant, don’t walk like rich people walk and behind them are bodyguards. What are the bodyguards going to do? If Allah wants them to be killed, they will be killed:

لاَ يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلاَ يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

Laa yastaakhiroona sa`atan wa laa yastaqdimoon.

They can neither delay it by a single moment nor can they hasten it. (Surat al-A`raaf, 7:34)

They cannot extend your life one second, nor decrease it one second less because that soul is in Allah’s Hands. Sayyidina `Umar (r) did not have bodyguards, although he had a lot of enemies. Sayyidina `Ali (r) did not have bodyguards, he submitted to Allah’s Will and they killed him. They killed Sayyidina al-Hasan (r) and they killed Sayyidina Husayn (r). They killed Sayyidina `Uthmaan (r). Are you better than them? Don't be arrogant if you have a little bit money or wealth.

4. Don’t have riyaa, to show off. Don't show that, “I am giving to this masjid” or hospital. If you want to give, give secretly, don’t tell people that you are giving.

5. Don't hate, hiqd. Do we hate? We hate a lot. This one does not hate anyone, he is a very good one.

6. Don’t have hasad, jealousy, to people.

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَوَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِوَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ

Say, “I seek refuge with the Sustainer of the rising dawn, from the evil of aught that He has created, and from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends, and from the evil of all human beings bent on occult endeavors, and from the evil of the envious when he envies.” (Surat al-Falaq, 113:1-5)

May Allah make us avoid those who are jealous of us as it will hit us, because our hearts are not strong. If our hearts were strong then it would bounce off. You see when they play football, it hits their head and bounces off. So when your heart is strong, like a strong head, when the ball comes it bounces off. Make your heart strong enough that it makes everything bounce off and goes back on the one who tried to harm you. That’s why Allah said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدَافِعُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

Inna ’Llaaha yudaafi`u `ani ’Lladheena aamanoo.

Allah will always protect and defend those who believe. (Surat al-Hajj, 22:38)

If you surrender to Allah (swt), as we said before about Ahl us-Safa, Ahlu ‘t-Tasawwuf, because they submit, Allah calls them the People of Purity, of clarity, so submit. When you submit, Allah will defend you. May Allah (swt) defend us and give us from the best of this morning and to those who are everywhere around the world, if we made any mistake, forgive us.

Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

And we thank Ummah TV in UK for broadcasting this series, special thanks to them and special thanks to Arif for the honor of Ummah TV and those who are working hard on that channel to promote Islam. May Allah bless you all.

As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakaatuh.

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