Living Islam: A commentary on the “book of assistance” by Imam al-Haddad

1. presents Ilm Intensive Courses Living Islam:A commentary on the “book of assistance” by Imam al-Haddad Presented by MlnAbdurragmaan Khan

2. Book of assistance: Vigilance Imam al-Haddad says, You must, O my brothers/sisters, be mindful of Allah in your movements and times of stillness, at every moment, with every blink of the eye, with every thought, wish or any other state. Feel His nearness to you! Know that He looks and is Aware of you, that nothing you conceal is hidden from Him … رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا نُخْفِي وَمَا نُعْلِنُ وَمَا يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ (38) Our Lord! You know what we keep hidden and what we divulge. Nothing is hidden from Allah either on the earth or in heaven.

3. Book of assistance: Vigilance This does not happen over night and if you experience laziness or inclination to disobedience then Remind yourself that Allah hears and sees you and knows your secrets If this does not work … remind it of the two noble angels that record good and evil deeds, and recite to it إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ (17) مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ And the two recording angels are recording, sitting on the right and on the left.(18) He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by him, pen in hand!. وَإِنْ تَجْهَرْ بِالْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى Though you speak out loud, He knows your secrets and what is even more concealed.

4. Book of assistance: Vigilance If this reminder does not benefit, remind it of the proximity of death, that it is the nearest of all hidden and awaited things If this reminder is of no use, remind it of the reward and punishment that awaits, say to it, وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَادَى كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُمْ مَا خَوَّلْنَاكُمْ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ You have come to Us all alone just as We created you at first, leaving behind you everything We bestowed on you.

5. Book of assistance: Vigilance O soul! After death there will no opportunity to repent, and there will be, after this life, only the Garden or the Fire. Choose if you will, obedience, the consequence of which is triumph, contentment, immortality in vast gardens, and looking at the face of Allah, the Generous, the Beneficent; or else disobedience, the consequence of which is degradation, humiliation, mockery, deprivation, and imprisonment between layers of fire.

6. Book of assistance: Vigilance The fruits of Muraqabah He says,“… This is rare, and it eventually leads to that which is rarer still, whereby the servant is totally immersed in Allah, annihilated in Him and thus rendered unaware of all else, absent from creation through his contemplation of the True King, having arrived at a secure seat in the presence of an Able Sovereign.”

7. Book of assistance: Inner and outer The inner self here refers to the soul (nafs), heart (qalb), spirit (ruh) and intellect (aql) Imam Haddad emphasizes that one should place great emphasis on rectifying the inner self as it is the where the gaze of Allah falls. The Prophet sallaLlahualayhiwasallam prayed, اللهم اجعل سريرتي خيرا من علانيتي، واجعل علانيتي صالحة

8. Book of assistance: Inner and outer The one whose inner self is pure it will display on his outer. قال بعض العارفين: لا يكون الصوفي صوفيا حتى يكون بحيث لو طيف بجميع ما في باطنه على طبق في السوق ما استحيا من ظهور شيء منه A sufi is not a sufi unless, were everything that is in himto be exposed on a plate in the market place, he would not be ashamed of anything.

9. Book of assistance: Regular Devotions You must fill up your time with acts of worship so that no period of time elapses, whether by night or day, without being used in some act of goodness. This is how the barakah within time is made manifest, the purpose of life fulfilled, and the approach to Allah the Exalted made constant

10. Book of assistance: Regular Devotions • The most essential thing is SYSTEM • A haphazard life is the life of an animal, says Imam al-Gazzali • Your time is your capital; each breath is priceless and when it passes it never returns • You must assign to yourself some awrad (pl of wird) to persevere with at specific times.

11. Book of assistance: Regular Devotions • Awrad usually take the form of nafl or supererogatory prayers; Quran recitation; acquisition of knowledge; dhikr; and reflection • You must have a wird of salah over and above the textually established ones. • They include:(1) The Rawatib – 2 raka’at before Fajr; 4 before and after Zuhr; 4 before Asr; 2 before and after Magrib; 2 before and after Isha

12. Book of assistance: Regular Devotions (2) Salah ad-Duha / al-Ishraq. (3) salahaz-Zawal. (4) salah al-Awwabin. (6) salah al-witr and (7) salah al-Layl / Tahajjud.

13. Book of assistance: Regular Devotions • The tahajjud of RasuluLlahsallaLlahualayhiwasallam • The Prophet sallaLlahualayhiwasallamhad many practices. • It was common for the Prophet to spend the entire night in awake in acts of worship. • The most challenging practice was when RasuluLlah slept, prayed, slept, prayed, slept, prayed … • His most common practice, however, was that he would divide his night up in sixths.

14. Between Magrib and Isha Delegations;mashurah & family Tahajjud Sleep Tahajjud Sleep