Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his noble Folks, Companions, the trustees of his mission and the leaders of his banner, and be pleased with us and them, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
Security is the greatest blessing the believer is blessed with:
Dear noble brothers, Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ …And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance. ﴿
In another Ayah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat). Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha’ (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering (praising, etc.) Allah in prayers, etc.]. And Allah knows what you do. ﴿
Shirah (Scholars on Tafseer; interpretation of the meanings of the Noble Quran) said, "The meaning of 'the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed', is that remembering Allah is the greatest thing performed in Salat." This explains why Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Therefore, remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you… ﴿
It means that if you remember Allah the Almighty, He remembers you. When you remember Allah the Almighty, you actually perform your worshipping duty towards Him, but what will happen when Allah the Almighty remembers you? You will be granted the blessing of security, which only the believer is blessed with, and the proof is in Allah's following Ayah:
﴾ And how should I fear those whom you associate in worship with Allah (though they can neither benefit nor harm), while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah things for which He has not sent down to you any authority. (So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know." It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided. ﴿
The top and the greatest blessing is security (which means here inner peace and the tranquility of the heart). There is a linguistic indication in the above-mentioned Ayah. Had Allah the Almighty said "there is security for them", then this security could have been for them and for others, but Allah says, "for them there is security", which means it is exclusively for them and not for anyone else. Likewise, had you said in Salah, Allah forbid, "we worship You" instead of "You (Alone) we worship", it would have had a different meaning, but we say in Al-Fatihah, "You (Alone) we worship," [Al-Fatiha, 5]. To clarify, when the object in the sentence precedes the verb, then it indicates exclusivity and restriction in worship (namely worshiping Allah Alone). I repeat the Ayah:
﴾ …For them (only) there is security… ﴿
Security will be granted to them only, and thus just the believer is blessed with security. What does security mean? Safety is one thing and security is another. If you are not hurt by anything, then you are safe, and if you are not worried about being hurt, then you are secured. Therefore, there is a great difference between the two. A scholar said. "When you get worried about poverty, you are actually poor, when you are worried about illness, you are actually ill, and when are you worried about being afflicted with a calamity, you are afflicted with a greater calamity. A doctor once said to me, "Some heart diseases are caused by the fear of heart diseases!" Hence, the greatest blessing ever is security; the tranquility of the heart, and it is granted exclusively to the believer. Furthermore, the security that is casted into the heart of the believer is enough to the entire population of a country. The situation of the disbeliever, on the other hand, is mentioned in Allah's Words:
﴾ We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they joined others in worship with Allah… ﴿
Knowledge definitely matches reality, and this is a rule, because it is supported by a proof from real life. This rule is represented by the relationship between the pressure and heat which causes the expansion of solid objects (when they are exposed to pressure and heat). If knowledge is not supported by a proof, it turns into mere imitation, and if it does not match reality, ignorance prevails. Moreover, if the relationship between knowledge and reality is no more definitive, it becomes doubtful.
There is a relationship between things that is based on illusion, a relationship that is based on doubt, a relationship that is based on suspicion, a relationship that is based on the predominance of suspicion, and a relationship that is based on a definitive proof. I repeat, there are illusion, doubt, suspicion, predominance of suspicion, and certainty. The facts of the religion are definite. Therefore, the Almighty said:
﴾ Nay, they deny that; the knowledge whereof they could not compass and whereof the interpretation has not yet come unto them. ﴿
The scholars of the interpretation of the Noble Quran said, "The meaning of the interpretation of this Ayah is the Divine Reward and Menace." For instance, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."* He will say:"O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)."* (Allah) will say: "Like this, Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) came unto you, but you disregarded them (i.e. you left them, did not think deeply in them, and you turned away from them), and so this Day, you will be neglected (in the Hell-fire, away from Allah's Mercy)." ﴿
He was blind in the worldly life (he refuses to see Allah's Divine Signs with his eyes and insight), so he will be raised up blind in the Hereafter. Well, as I have just said, the blessing of security is only granted to the believer.
The rule of having a life of hardship:
Tuning away from Allah's Remind causes a life of hardship. Someone asked, " What about the rich and powerful who turn away from Allah's Remembrance and who have everything in life, they have millions, such as Bill Gates whose fortune is about one billion Dollars. He is a rich and powerful man, so how do they live a life of hardship according to this Ayah?." One of the scholars answered him, "It is manifested in a distress in the heart." There is a health problem that is called a distress in the heart and those who have turned away from Allah the Almighty suffer from it. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."* He will say: "O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)."* (Allah) will say: "Like this, Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) came unto you, but you disregarded them (i.e. you left them, did not think deeply in them, and you turned away from them), and so this Day, you will be neglected (in the Hell-fire, away from Allah’s Mercy)." ﴿
The blessing of security is granted only to the believer, while the disbeliever will suffer from what Allah the Almighty mentions in the following Ayah:
﴾ We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they joined others in worship with Allah… ﴿
Allah the Almighty casts terror into the heart of every Mushrik (polytheist). No matter how powerful a country or a person might be, no matter how rich he might be and no matter how lethal his weaponry might be, Allah will cast terror into his heart.
My advice to you is to recite the Noble Quran as a set of rules, but why should we be concerned about rules? When you know the law of expansion very well, and you build a building, you put expansion joints. These joints expand in summer, while they shrink in winter, so when the building materials expand, the building remains intact, but if these expansion joints are not used in the construction process, the building will crack. This is what happened to the tiles of a Masjid in Damascus. The one who installed them on the ground did not leave expansion joints, so the tiles were completely stuck to the ground. In summer, the tile materials expanded causing the tiles to crack, because they were not separated by any expansion joints. Therefore, we learn the rules in order not to be surprised if things are contrary to what we expect and wish.
I hope that you search the internet for the rules in the Noble Quran, and you will find a book that contains about 50 rules. Accordingly, your relationship with Allah should be based on rules. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ "But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its orders, etc.) verily, for him is a life of hardship… ﴿
This is the rule of having a life of hardship. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision)… ﴿
Bringing others around you or make them break away from you:
The rule of having a good life is referred to in the above-mentioned Ayah, and I would like to move to the following Ayah:
﴾ And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you… ﴿
The rule indicated in this Ayah is how to bring people around you and how to cause them break away from about you. In fact, if you are a father, a mother, a head of a department, or whoever you might be, your connection to Allah the Almighty is reflected in having your heart filled with mercy which in its turn is manifested in your kindness towards others. As a result, people will always surround you.
This Ayah should be considered by all those who occupy a high position or a leading position, such as the father, the mother, the head of the department or even the one who occupies the highest position on earth. Bear in mind that being connected to Allah the Almighty fills your heart with mercy which turns into kindness towards people, making them surround you. In contrast, being disconnected from Allah the Almighty fills the heart with harshness which turns into rudeness towards people, making them breaking away from about you.
﴾ And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). ﴿
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
((Aishah narrated: "A bedouin came to the Prophet and said, "You (people) kiss the boys! We don't kiss them." The Prophet said, "I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away from it."))
[ Agreed upon, on the authority of Aishah ]
We studied at the faculty that the little child needs to be hugged by his father and mother twenty times a day. Hence, in addition to food, water, and hygiene, hugging the child gives him compassion and love. A teacher at our faculty once told us that the woman who breastfeeds her infant nervously, her bad manner will be reflected in his behavior and conduct when he grows up.
The main point is that your success lies in discovering these rules and dealing with them as rules. To elaborate, take this example from our daily life: the person who throws himself from the helicopter he rides will die the minute he falls down whether he believes in the law of falling or not, he is satisfied with this rule or not, or he respects this rule or not. This rule will be applied to him, and so he will fall down dead.
The following Ayah is another rule:
﴾ …And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance. ﴿
When someone jumps out of a helicopter, he may not know how big the parachute is, what color it is, how many ropes it has, whether the ropes are made up from natural materials or artificial ones. He might not know a hundred of pieces of information besides the ones I have just mentioned. However, he should know one essential thing, which is how to open the parachute, lest he will fall down to earth dead. This piece of information is important apart from the other pieces which he may have no idea about like the fabric it is made up from, its shape, and so on. Being ignorant of how to open the parachute will definitely cause his death. This example explains in one way or another why the scholars said, "There are facts one should know, because they are necessary."
Man's fate is based on his Islamic knowledge:
In some cases when man obtains a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, or a doctorate, he mistakenly thinks than there is no need for religious knowledge, for he is highly educated. Well, I have a delicate comment on this point: if I am given an ECG, I will understand nothing about it, while the cardiologist will say, for instance, "There is weakness in the function of the heart", so he discovers critical health conditions upon reading the ECG. Accordingly, who understands this ECG? The cardiologist does, but who understands religion? Whoever has sought Islamic knowledge does.
Just as I am illiterate in understanding the ECG, the doctor is considered illiterate in religion as long as he does not seek Islamic knowledge. In other words, the scholar is illiterate when it comes to reading an ECG, like him the educated man is considered illiterate in understanding religious matters as long as he does not seek Islamic knowledge. Therefore, being scientifically educated and having a higher scientific degree, such as BA, a bachelor's degree, a master's degree or doctorate are not enough for man to be considered literate. These degrees can never replaces the Islamic knowledge, so you should seek it. Islamic knowledge is essential, because your destiny is based on it. It is reported that Allah the Almighty says:
(O My worshipper, they left you alone here after they put you in the dust, and even if they stayed with you, they would not be useful. No one is left with you but I – Allah – and I am The Ever Lasting Who never dies.)
The prudent man is the one who prepares well for death:
The axiomatic fact is that all of us will die, so no one can say, "I will not die." Death is unavoidable, so what have you prepared for what comes after death? What have you prepared for your tomb? Is there an immortal person? When I was in America, I noticed they live luxurious life that is beyond imagination, and when I kid them by saying, "Do you know that you will die one day?", they simply replied, "Of course, we do." I said, "You will die just like us without being privileged."
Death puts an end to the life of every living person. Man should bear in mind that after his death, he will move to lie down in a grave no matter who rich he was. I have a female relative who used to live here in Amman. She died as a rich woman and was buried in a very deep grave like the other graves in here. Usually, the grave in Amman is 17 meters deep. She was buried in the grave and there were two walls of blocks, the height of which was 40 centimeters, and there were five tiles that were put, and then the soil thrown into the grave whose depth was about a meter and a half. She used to live in a 400 square meter house, she used to have 2 or 3 cars, and she used to be invited to feasts, evenings and meetings. She really enjoyed luxurious life, but eventually death put an end to everything. So, who is the real hero? He is the one who prepares himself for this inevitable hour (the hour of death). Listen to the following Hadith, please:
(O My worshipper, they left you alone here after they put you in the dust, and even if they stayed with you, they would not be useful. No one is left with you but I – Allah – and I am The Ever Lasting Who never dies.)
Man's success is to have a clean heart:
When you are steadfast, you get to know Allah the Almighty through the universe which manifests the Divine Signs of His Creation, and you get to know Him through His Actions. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth)… ﴿
How will the end of the denier of the truth be? Considering the end of the deniers of the truth is a delicate contemplation. Man should ask himself, "Why have I been created in this worldly life?", "What should I do in this worldly life?", "What comes after death", and "What is the Day of Resurrection?" All these questions are critical. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Nay! Surely, they (evil-doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day. ﴿
I would never consider any punishment more severe than being veiled from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Also, I would never consider anything more successful than having a clean heart, for Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail* Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)]. ﴿
What is the clean heart? It is the one that never yearns for a forbidden lust, never believes a piece of news that contradicts the news mentioned in the Noble Quran and that never worships any deity other than Allah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail* Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)]. ﴿
Our success is to have a clean heart
(( By My Greatness and Exaltedness, I will not take my believing servant's soul (embracing him in my mercy), before afflicting him against every sin he committed in his life, either by illness in his body, shortage in his sustenance, or adversity in his wealth and kids, till I cover all his sins, and if there is any sin left, I will afflict him with agony before death, till he meets me as pure as he was on the day he was born. ))
[ Reported in the relic ]
Success lies in having a clean heart, because it is the essence of your eternal bliss.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord (The One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest. O Allah! Increase us [in Your Blessings and Rewards] and do not decrease us, honor us and do not humiliate us, give us [from Your Gifts] and do not deprive us, be in favor of us and not against us, and make us satisfied and be satisfied with us, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah bless and grant peace to our Master Muhammad, his folks and companions.
