بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Hadith Qudsi: Whoever has animosity to a wali of mine, then know I have created war on them.
Allah says: my servant doesn't draw near to me then the obligatory duties I have imposed on him.
This shows the actions Allah has given us. The most important are the pillars of Islam. When Allah imposes these obligations, it's to bring us closer to Him. This is one of the first step becoming a true wali of Allah. Unfortunately this concept of wilaya, many ppl have come up with different concepts. In reality, it's very simple. The basis is from love and closeness, so to be a wali it's to have a strong love for Him and Him for you. In particular, in the Quran Allah has given a definition:
أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Now surely the friends of Allah-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. [Yunus: 62]
They are the people who believed and have taqwa.
These are the key components; to have imaan and follow with taqwa.
We know this one of the best means to get closer to Allah.
Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil). [Baqarah:183]
One of the main goals of this month of Ramadan is to attain taqwa. There are many spiritual benefits that the person should leave this month with.
This month of Ramadan is a very important month. One of the aspect of taqwa is to have God Consciousness and that He will hold you to account to what you're doing. In this month, when we get hungry and thirsty, we obviously don't eat or drink because we remember that we are fasting.
This feeling of taqwa is not just meant for this month. If this taqwa is there, it should not be limited to food/drink/abstaining from sexual relations.
Allah has no need for someone giving up their food or drink if at the same time the individual is still making false speech and other things. If a person cannot realise that his fast isn't just of eating and drinking but his entire being, then as the Hadith describes, Allah is in no need of it. Most of the ulama say, this decreases the ajr and quality of his fast.
This feeling of taqwa to be complete and true, it has to go beyond food and drink and permeate through all your actions. This concept of taqwa is one of the most important aspects in the religion of Islam.
Allah says:
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَنِيًّا حَمِيدًا
And whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allah's and certainly We enjoined those who were given the Book before you and (We enjoin) you too that you should be careful of (your duty to) Allah; and if you disbelieve, then surely whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is Allah's and Allah is Self-sufficient, Praise-worthy. [Nisa:131]
Al Ghazali says: Allah sent different Prophets who advised people to have taqwa of Allah. This concept goes throughout all Messengers and Prophets. Does not Allah have more knowledge than any one? Is He not the most compassionate advisor than any one? Allah has advised His most dear servants to have this characteristic out of His wisdom. This is the message he has given to all of the Prophets and Messengers. Taqwa and it's related components mentioned at least 250 times.
What is taqwa all about?
Root word is: waqaya (protection) and closely related is the active participle (waaq)
لَّهُمْ عَذَابٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَشَقُّ وَمَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَاقٍ
They shall have chastisement in this world's life, and the chastisement of the hereafter is certainly more grievous, and they shall have no protector against Allah. [Ra'd: 34]
The verb ittaqa defined is he preserved and guarded himself exceedingly (from sin) and he put something in front of him and something else to protect him.
Taqwa is not just being cautious with respect to Allah but EXTREMELY cautious with respect to Allah.
You need the sound fitrah to protect yourself from shaytaan and this is what taqwa involves.
'It is the fear of Allah and acting to what has been revealed and being satisfied with whatever little you've been given and preparing for the day which we will be returning back to Allah'
The word taqwa is many times translated as 'fear of Allah' but fear is just one component of taqwa but if you also have love for Allah, this should be a driving force for taqwa. Fear is emphasised for it one of the components.
You want to put some kind of distance between you and the anger of Allah.
What is this distance?
Statement of Abu Darda and Hasan al Basri:
If something is clearly halal, you take it as halal. There are some issues that have some doubt and issues and were not completely sure. Therefore what these statements mean is that if you have real taqwa, then when you come to this kind of thing, and fall into these actions, you're opening yourself to the displeasure of Allah.
The real taqwa, the individual has a great deal of caution between him and the punishment of Allah.
There are many important issues re taqwa: many blessings that result from taqwa. Allah has reserved a great deal of blessings both in this life and the hereafter.
Reminder:
If you want a good overall definition of taqwa. There are diff levels of being amongst muttaqin
1. Protect yourself from shirk/kufr and punishment of the hellfire forever (performing the obligatory deeds and staying away from major sins)
2. Distance yourself from any kind of displeasure of Allah. Not everything that sends you to the hellfire is kufr.
3. Stay away from minor sins.
However like the word imaan and mu'min, to be described as a muttaqin, someone might have knowledge but before being described as a scholar, there has to be some level of knowledge. So similar, taqwa, every Muslim will have some level but that doesn't mean that he is deserving of being called a muttaqin. The same thing is to imaan. With respect to the muttaqin, among the scholars there's debate with regards to those commit minor sins, should they be called muttaqin or not?
Minor sins are a reflection of our taqwa
لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts -- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil). [Baqarah:177]
We can understand from this what it means to be amongst the muttaqin.
Hadith: fear Allah wherever you (whatever state you are) [Sunan At Tirmidhi]
This is the advice the Prophet gave and if you take it and live by it, inshaa'Allah you will be successful.
This month of the Ramadan is a beautiful training ground so we should leave this with an increase level of taqwa.
Mu'min, who are they?
Beginning of surah al anfal.
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
Those only are believers whose hearts become full of fear when Allah is mentioned, and when His communications are recited to them they increase them in faith, and in their Lord do they trust. [Anfal:2]
The one who is deserving to be called a true believer is the one who meets all the obligations of imaan.
With this the shaykh ended. May this Ramadan be a fruitful one and we reap in the rewards. May Allah bestow His infinite mercy on us and protect us from His punishment and the punishment of the hell fire. May Allah make us all amongst the Muttaqeen and Mumineen.
All good you take is from Allah and any mistakes are from myself
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