I have been studying ‘Riyadh as Saliheen’ with Shaykh Nuh Keller via Qibla.com every Sunday through live, interactive sessions. Today’s session was about the importance of halal (permissible) and haraam (impermissible). And it’s direct correlation with Taqwa (piety).
Piety or Taqwa is defined as noble behaviour and God consciousness. And sin is what you don’t want other people to know of. Our nafs (desires) has a ‘conscience’ too; so as long as we don’t enact upon a sin, then we would not be held accountable for it.
Goodness is what the mind is satisfied and content with. It doesn’t trouble our heart and soul. A lot of it is to do with the ‘tarbiyah‘ (upbringing) of the person. And the company one keeps.
Often the Shaitaan (devil) will whisper in to your heart how to make the non halal bribe, halal for instance. You will even find fatwa (non obligatory legal ruling) after fatwa to prove yourself right. But what about your level of taqwa? What about the state of your heart?
Truly Taqwa is an exalted state and can only be reached through sacrifice.
Hasan bin Ali RA narrated a hadith that RasulAllah sallalahu walayhee wasallam made him memorise: “Abandon that which gives you serious doubt” (Tirmidhi). Meaning if you are unsure of the legitimacy of anything – whether it is a relationship, edibles, job etc – leave it – for the sake of Allah. And He will reward you for taking ‘precaution’ and adhering to Taqwa.
Shaykh Nuh emphasised the importance of a believer’s life lies in having a defined “margin of safety”. Ask for Allah to protect you from confusion and to have a clear understanding of the Deen (religion). Ameen
Saad bin Waqas RA narrates the Messenger of Allah said: “Flee in utter desperation to Allah; unmistakeably, I’m a manifested warner for you all. Allah is sufficient for the slave that has taqwa, no need of anybody else (see attached screen shot) and one that is not after ‘being noted’ by others in the world” (Muslim, from the ‘chapter of solitude’).
I end the note with a famous Sufi saying: “Fix up what you have done in the past and fix up your future, Allah will forgive you.”
I would encourage everyone to explore the classes offered by Qibla.com. It’s ideal for mummies and housewives who would struggle to attend classes in person with teachers to broaden their horizons. I also got the added bonus of hearing live Maghrib adhaan (call to prayer) in the background from Amman! By using the text in Arabic but hearing his rendition in English, it’s really helping my Arabic grammar too. May Allah Kareem preserve Shaykh Nuh and his family. Ameen
mahammasood 