Spiritual Health and Purification of the Soul

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Fasting & Willpower

Fasting strengthens our willpower. The Prophet has said:
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]'Fasting is a shield [or a screen or a shelter from the Hell-fire].' (Bukhari.) [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The regime of dawn-to-sunset abstinence from food, drink and sex, for the sake of Allah alone, internalises the lesson that we must never enter, acquire or even touch that which does not belong to us under the law of Allah. A man can no longer remain a slave to his own self-indulgence as he prepares for the arduous journey on the road to His Lord.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]For many, it is difficult to see the value of long hours of hunger, thirst and sleeplessness. Productivity losses are difficult to accept in an age that has tried to promote economic growth at all costs. According to Islam, however, we are created to live a life of total submission to the One and Only Allah, and this purpose must be paramount in all scales of values. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Fasting is crucial to this understanding. It shows that its purpose, like Allah's guidance through His Prophets and Books and all the rituals of worship, is to train us how we must live totally and unreservedly in submission to Allah.[/FONT]

 

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[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]HEARTS FIND PEACE IN THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH[/FONT]

According to research by David B. Larson, of the American National Health Research Center, and his team, comparisons of devout and non-religious Americans have given very surprising results. For instance, religious people suffer 60% less heart disease than those with little or no religious belief, the suicide rate among them is 100% lower, they suffer far lower levels of high blood pressure, and this ratio is 7:1 among smokers.

What is the reason for this connection between belief and the human soul and body? The conclusion reached by the secular researcher Benson is, in his own words, that the human body and mind are regulated to believe in Allah.

Modern medicine is now tending towards the realization of this truth. As Patrick Glynn put it: "Scientific research in psychology over the past twenty-five years has demonstrated that,… religious belief is one of the most consistent correlates of overall mental health and happiness."

http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_53.html

 

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Reflect upon your own life and you will find innumerable occasions when Allah's `hand' has been holding you and helping you.

So often, we subconsciously use the expression `thank God for this and that', without realising the full implications of our words. The Quran even reminded the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that in his early life, Allah's `hand' was holding him and guiding him:

Did He not find you an orphan and gave you shelter ​

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[and care]? And He found you wandering and He gave you guidance. And He found you in need and made you independent. Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness, nor repulse him who asks. [ad-Duha 93: 6-10.]

This exhortation is not only for the Prophet but for all people. From the moment that we open our eyes in this world until the moment our souls leave our bodies, and even beyond, Allah's mercy, compassion and protection remain with us. Continuously remind yourself then that your entire existence is dependent on Him. He is your Lord and Sustainer. He is nourishing and sustaining all that exists. From morning until evening, your tongue must be moist with continuous praise of Allah. In return, Allah has promised increased rahma or mercy for you: If you are grateful, I will surely give you more and more. [Ibrahim 14:7]

This is the cornerstone of your faith and the Islamic way of life. If you learn this first lesson, you will begin the process of `holding onto Allah'. And whoever is grateful, he is only grateful for the benefit of his own self. [Luqman 31:12] for surely if it was not for the grace of God on you and His mercy, you would have been among the losers. [al-Baqara 2:64].

 

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What is of most importance to us is not the outward form of our actions. Although we perform all our duties and conform to all the protocols, it is the sincerity of purpose and intention behind our actions that really matters. The Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, emphatically stated: 'Actions are judged only by intentions and everyone shall have what he intended.' (Bukhari, Muslim.)

Remember that purpose and intention are like the soul of a body or the inner capability of a seed. Many seeds look alike, but as they begin to grow and bear fruit, their differences become manifest. The purer and higher the motive, the greater the value and yield of your efforts. For all your daily actions, remind yourself of the motives behind your deeds. This may be the best way to ensure the purity and exclusiveness of purpose and intention.

 

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Love of Allah

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The next character trait of those who 'hold onto Allah' is that they love Allah. The Quran says that those who have iman, love Allah more than anything else. [al-Baqara 2:165.] [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]It does not say that one must love only Allah. Love is a blessing given to us by Allah and is manifested in many aspects of life. In Islam, however, it must be foremost for Allah, our Creator and Sustainer.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]What is love? Perhaps it cannot be defined in terms which adequately reflect its nature and importance in a person's life. It is not possible to define it by a formula in a manner we define a scientific fact. But still each one of us knows what love is and can tell from our own experience the powerful force that it is. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]It is the overpowering force in life. It captivates you, it grips you, it moves you and you are prepared to do anything for the sake of it. Once love is there, what you do is not something which has to be imposed upon you, because you need imposition only for the things you do not love. Iman (faith) is something which must penetrate deep into your heart and generate love for Allah and His Prophet more than anything else. Unless this happens, you cannot experience the real iman.[/FONT]

 

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The Life of This World Is a Transient Shade

"Truly, the life of this world is nothing but a [quick passing] enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." [Qur'an, 40:39]

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

"My similitude and that of the life of this world is that of a traveler who took a rest at mid-day under a shade of a tree and then left it."

The Life of This World Is a Transient Shade

 

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Ihsan - The Essence of Worship

To entice us to remember Him and to love Him even more, Allah has used the beautiful words in the Quran: Wajh Allah or the Face of Allah. He says:

All that is on earth will perish, but the Face of your Lord will abide forever - Full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour​

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. [ar-Rahman 55:26-27]


Everything on this earth will perish except the `Face' of your Lord. His is the `Face' you must desire. The expression `Face of Allah' does not, of course, mean that Allah has a face like ours. But, again, if you love someone, you desire to look upon his face all the time, you always want to be in his company and you will make all the necessary sacrifices to earn his pleasure. So, when the Quran uses the expression `Face of Allah' it is really to make us conscious that Allah is looking at us and we should do the things which will please Him and abstain from things which will displease Him. Thus, when the Prophet was questioned about the true meaning of ihsan, he replied:

Ihsan ​

is that you worship and serve Allah as though you are seeing Him; for even though you do not see Him, He surely sees you. (Bukhari, Muslim.) ​

If you continuously remind yourself that Allah is looking at you when you are praying, when you are studying, when you are doing your job, when you are with your family and friends, when you are involved in dawa - then you are well on your way to attaining ihsan, the most excellent form of worship. Ihsan takes us to the highest station of nearness to Allah.

This is what gives real worth to everything we do and makes our actions acceptable in the eyes of our Creator and Sustainer.

 

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Love for Allah

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) loved Allah. He forsook all loyalties and obedience to any object other than Allah. He said: ‘I have turned my face [my entire being] to Him who is the Creator of the heavens and earth, having turned away from all else.' [al-Anam 6: 79.][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]He brought his entire life and being under Allah's rule, ensuring that he worshipped Him with heart and body. Ibrahim understood that Allah must rule everywhere: in homes as well as in hearts, in manners as well as in minds, in public life as in private. For him, the decision to surrender was personal and free. A ceaseless striving towards that end became the substance of his life so much so that Allah endowed him with the worthy title, Khalil Allah or Friend of God. [an-Nisa 4: 125] With utmost devotion and concentration, Ibrahim supplicated:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]My Prayer and all my acts of worship, my living and my dying are for Allah alone, the Lord of all the worlds. He has no associate: Thus I have been commanded and I am foremost among those who surrender themselves unto Him. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][al-Anam 6:162].[/FONT]

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Acquiring knowledge

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]In order to fulfill your mission in life as the khalifa or ambassador of Allah in the establishment of His way of life, you need to arm yourself with ilm or knowledge of Islam. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Prophet Muhammad has said: 'Whoever Allah wishes good for, He bestows upon him a deep understanding of the Din.' (Bukhari, Muslim.) [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Quran also exhalts those who possess useful knowledge and use it as an instrument to develop their closeness to Allah: [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]Are those who know equal to those who do not? Only those with insight can keep it in mind [az-Zumar 39:9]. God will exalt those who believe among you and those who have knowledge to high ranks [al-Mujadala 58:11]. Of all His servants only those who know fear God. [al-Fatir 35:28].[/FONT]

 

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Developing patience and perseverance

There will be many obstacles and hardships that may prevent you from fulfilling your obligations to Allah and you therefore need to develop sabr or patience and perseverance.

The Quran states: So [O Believers] endure hardship with beautiful endurance. [al-Ma'arij 70: 5] So, patience is beautiful. [Yusuf 12:84] And God is with those who patiently persevere. [al-Anfal 8: 66.]

Know that life is filled with tests and trials. Allah reminds us in the Quran:

Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, `We believe; and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false. ​

​

[al-Ankabut 29:2-3.]

The best of people therefore are those who bear their tests and trials with fortitude and optimism and who see in every difficulty an opportunity to turn to Allah in remembrance and prayer. Remind yourself constantly that Allah shall make ease after hardship [at-Talaq 65: 7], and that on no soul does He place a burden greater than it can bear [al-Araf 7: 42].

Remember that He has all the power. He gives everything. No harm can come to Him, and no benefit can come to Him. Everything that is happening in life is because of Him and comes from Him for no power is there save with Allah, the Most High, the Great.

 

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Spiritual Provision from Ramadan​

The month of Ramadan comes and goes. We must examine ourselves now and see what we have learned and achieved during this month. The test of success of this month lies in the effects it has left upon us.

1. Discipline:
We learn in this month how to discipline ourselves for the sake of Allah. In our morning and evening, we follow a strict schedule of eating and drinking. We are constantly aware that even in our such mundane activities as eating and drinking, we must remain under divine injunctions. We change our habits in our daily routines because we learn that we are not the servants and slaves to our habits, but always the servants of Allah. Then after Ramadan, we have to keep this spirit of discipline in other modes of our life and must continue with our submission to the commands of Allah.

Spiritual Provision from Ramadan​

 

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Opposing Forces
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Psychologically speaking, every person has two forces at work within him or her. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]One is the "driving force", which [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]pushes him towards some actions, and the other is the "restraining force", which holds him back from others. Patience essentially harnesses the driving force to push us towards good things, and the restraining force to hold us back from actions that may be harmful to ourselves or others. [/FONT]

http://www.as-sahwah.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=337&pageID=159&

 

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The Treatment To Be Given To Souls And The Reform of Vicious Characters

If you look deeply into worldly matters you will become melancholy and will end by reflecting upon the ephemeral nature of everything here below, and the fact that truth lies only in striving for the hereafter, since every ambition to which you might cling will end in tears; either the goal is snatched from you, or you have to give the attempt up before you reach it.

One of these two endings is inevitable except in the search for God the Almighty and Powerful. Then the result is always joy, both immediate and eternal. The immediate joy is because you stop worrying about the things which usually worry people; this leads to an increase in the respect paid to you by friends and enemies alike. The eternal joy is the joy of Paradise

[URL="http://islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=557"]http://islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=557[/URL]

 

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Imam Tirmidhi related that the Prophet, peace be upon him said, on the Day of Judgment no child of Adam will move from the presence of God, unless he has answered the following five questions:

- In what pursuits and work did he spend his time?

- For what ends did he use his mental and physical energies?

- By what means did he earn his wealth?

- How did he spend his wealth?

- How far did he act according to what he knew was right?

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]These five points can serve as a useful self-analysis programme. They can assist in checking our moral motivations, God-consciousness and determination to work for the cause of Allah. This self-analysis programme, when implemented on a regular basis, will serve as an important measure of your readiness to meet with Allah.
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SELF-EVALUATION

The Prophet emphasised the necessary of lhtisab or self evaluation at every opportunity: `Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin'. (Muslim.) Umar ibn al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, also said in this respect:

Judge yourself before you are judged, evaluate yourself before you are evaluated and be ready for the greatest investigation.

At every Prayer time, especially in the early hours of the morning, when you are alone and can feel your own heart beating -seek forgiveness from Allah. The time of Salat al-Fajr, before the start of each day, is an ideal occasion to take account of yourself and plan for the day ahead.

 

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Meeting Allah

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The most important questions in life are those that deal with the meaning and purpose of man's existence. The Quran explains that the human being has been placed on this earth to utilise his enormous potential to conduct himself in a manner which will fulfill his purpose in life.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]It is He who has created death and life that He may test which of you is best in deed[/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]. [al-Mulk 67: 2.][/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]The Quran further explains that man's role on earth is to live as his Creator desires him to live: in surrender and worship to Him alone. This is not because Allah in any way needs his worship, but because man needs to worship only his Creator and none else so that his own nature is not perverted and corrupted, and so that he does not live in opposition to his intrinsic character. Only by so living will his earthly life be set on the right path and prosper, bringing him peace and happiness.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif]I have not created jinn and men except to serve Me. I desire of them no provision; neither do I desire that they should feed Me. Surely God is the All-provider; the Possessor of Strength, the Eternal. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial,Geneva,Verdana,Sans-Serif][adh-Dhuriyat 51: 56-58.][/FONT]

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FORGIVING OTHERS

The Quran states: Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury. [al-Baqara 2:263] Those who are generous forgive people for their mistakes. The Prophet reminded us: 'If one gives charity it does not diminish his wealth; if one forgives others, Allah bestows more honour on him; and if one humbles himself for Allah's sake, He exalts him higher.' (Muslim.)

The Quran also mentions both giving and forgiving together: And compete with one another for your Lord's forgiveness and a Paradise as vast as the heavens and earth prepared for the God-fearing, who give generously whether in times of plenty or in times of hardship, and hold in check their anger, and pardon their fellow human beings; Allah loves such doers of good. [Ali Imran 3:133-134]

Spending in the way of Allah is closely related to controlling anger and forgiving people. All come from a big heart. The Prophet said: `Two of the qualities which Allah loves are gentleness and endurance.' (Bukhari.) When your heart becomes big enough to forgive the faults of others, Allah has promised for you the reward of Janna.

The wronged one who endures with fortitude and forgiveness indeed achieves a matter of high resolve. ​

[ash-Shura 42:43]

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Given freedom of will, judgment is inevitable

The human being must give an account of his conduct and must face the consequences of how he lives his life. Obviously, to be judged fairly, this judgment must be made only after his earthly life has come to an end, and only by the One who gave this life, who knows everything, and who is All-powerful and All-just. Only then can he be judged fairly, and duly rewarded and punished, for everything-from his innermost thoughts to the consequences of his conduct that extend far and wide, and beyond his life for generations to come.

What, did you think that We created you in mere idle play, and that you would not be returned to Us? But, high exalted is God, the King; the True! There is no god but He, the Lord of the Noble Throne. ​

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[al-Muminun 23: 115-116]
A person's ultimate destiny, therefore, lies in the Life to Come, in the Akhira Everyone will be judged there by due process of justice, fairly and equitably, mercifully and kindly. No one will be wronged or dealt with unjustly even by an atom's weight.

Surely God shall not wrong so much as an atom's weight​

​

. [an-Nisa 4: 40.]
This as only what you had sent forth, you are being recompensed only for what you had done before. [al-Kahf 18: 49]

 

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A Pure Intention

Only Allah knows our intentions, and on the Day of Judgement He will hold us accountable not only for what we did in this world, but first of all according to our intentions in each word or act.

Purity of Intentions (Part I)

 

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Three stages of spiritual development of soul are:

1- Nafsul Ammara - The Passionate soul.

"I do not absolve myself Lo the (human) soul is prone to evil, save that whenever my Lord has mercy. Lo, Lord is forgiving; merciful."
[Surah Yusuf; 12:53]

This soul inclines toward sensual Pleasure, passion and self gratification , anger, envy, greed, and conceit. Its concerns are pleasure of body, gratification of physical appetite, and ego.

Hadith "your most-ardent-enemy is your evil self which resides within your body" [Sahih al-Bukhari].

If this evil soul is not checked will lead to unusual stress and its resultant effects.

2- Nafsul Lawanunah - The Reproaching Soul.

"Nay, I swear by the reproaching soul"
[75:1]

This soul is conscious or aware of Evil, resists it, asks for God's grace, and pardon, repents and tries to ammend and hopes to achieve salvation.

"And (There are) others who have acknowledged their faults. They mix a righteous action with another that was bad. It may be that Allah will relent toward them. Lo! Allah is relenting, merciful." [9:102]

Hadith "These are two impulses within us. One spirit which calls towards good and confirms the truth. He who feels this impulse should know that it comes from Allah. Another impulse comes from our enemy (Devil) which leads to doubt and holds untruth and encourages evil. He who feels this should seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil."

This soul warns people of their vain desire, guides and opens the door to virtue and righteousness. It is a positive step in spiritual growth.

3- Nafsul Mutma'inaa - The satisfied soul

"O (you) soul in (complete) rest and satisfaction. Come back to your Lord, will pleased (yourself) and will pleasing unto him. Enter you then among my devotees, enter you in my heaven."
[89:27-30]

This is the highest state of spiritual development. The satisfied soul is the state of bliss, content and peace. The soul is at peace because it knows that in spite of its failures in this world, It will return to God. Purified of tension, it emerges from the struggle with obstacles blocking the peace of mind and heart.

http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/food/stress_quran.html​