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'The Barriers from Al-Mohaimen are four' (qasida 5:16) This is the motto of this section, which is for talking about the barriers that cuts off the Moslems' relations with Allah [Al-Mohaimen which is a name of Allah that means the Dominant who controls everything]. We need to know these barriers in order for us to be able to avoid or rectify them in our path to Allah. This section started with a question from one of our viewers, which he sent to the Discussion page. We then found out that it is a big issue that needs more extensive discussion. We found a book made out of a research conducted by a group of brothers which took them 2 years to complete. This book discusses this subject extensively from the point of view of sayyidi Fakhraddin because it was made with the help of some of his older companions. The book's title is "al-Morshid al-Wagis" which means [the summarized guide]. You can find all special expressions in the Glossary. We need your comments to develop this site for you.
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This is a continuation, from a previous issue, to the subject of the barriers from al-Mohaimen. we were talking about the first barrier which is the inner-self. We found that the the inner-self has seven selves, The first and lowest one of them is the "Evil-Inclined Self".
Reproaching self is characterized by conceit, pride, contentment, implicit hypocrisy, bossiness and fondness of limelight. Though this self does inhabit all those ugly traits, it can differentiate between what is true and what is not. It is known also for being aware of the ugliness of such traits, yet it can not get rid of them all together at a time. Nevertheless, it has this desire to fight scruples and to conform with the Islamic Law (Sharia). Moreover, the Reproaching Self has its good deeds, but pride and hypocrisy have a great effect on it. A matter that causes a person to tell people about the blessings conferred upon him, though he is keen not to show any of his good deeds. He aims at pleasing Allah, yet he likes to be praised for the good things he does. Implicit hypocrisy drives him to be showy and wanting all people to know what he does. Meanwhile, explicit hypocrisy is to work for the sake of people or with the aim of having something achieved for your own sake. A matter that is denunciated by the Islamic Law. If you have one of those traits, then you are in the second rank. In the second rank, selves are described as reproaching. In such rank one is surrounded with danger even if he is faithful. Thus a seeker must give up such rank and attempt to reach the seventh one. Such person can neither give up this disease, nor purify his heart from it. If he had such ability, he would be securely faithful. In fact, those who are faithful and sincere are facing a great danger, As Muhammad [PPBUH] says: “All people are to perish except those who are knowledgeable. Knowledgeable ones are also to perish except those who are workers. Workers are to perish as well except those who are believers, and believers are embraced with danger”. In the seventh rank a self is described as the Perfect Self. So, in the second rank, you face dangers and suffer from a continuous fatigue. It is a rank of which a seeker must be afraid, even if he is faithful. That’s because believers are always in danger. To sum up, a reproaching self is like a huge malicious tree. Each branch of which bears a kind of a deadly poison. Some people came and worked on cutting such poisonous branches, but they didn’t try to pluck it out or to dry it up as to have it fully suppressed and quashed. Had they done so, they wouldn’t then have to bother themselves with cutting its numerous branches, for every time they attempt to cut a branch, another one grows. One may spend his life like that and then he meets Allah ignorant.
Such tree
is like a belly, branches are like ugly traits of conceit, pride,
love of fame and Then, one can’t get rid of any of such bad traits in full. Even if some traits disappeared for a while, for being afraid of his end or on hearing something about the graves or the angels of punishment. Once such state is over, he goes back to what he is accustomed to. Some of those who knew such fact, did reduce the amount of food they eat, sleep they get and words they speak. For a hungry man is always up and always feels he is not in the mood to talk. If he is to continue like that, he shall get rid of all bad traits. This is because he would have nipped it in the bud. And because he has nothing left in him of such traits, his mind will be clear and he will neither be harmed, nor harm any one. He may envy others, but they can’t be envied. For Allah has protected him against the agonies of this world, and of the world to come. To get rid of such ugly traits, one is required to persist on repeating the name ‘Allah’ constantly. That is to be practiced by closing the eyes, concentrating on what you are saying and observing. You must as well utter the word ‘Allah’ by elongating the ‘a’ sound preceding the ‘h’ sound , silencing the ‘h’ and stressing the initial ‘a’. Imam Fakhraddin said, in this context: [O, my seeker, my satisfaction lies only, in the mentioning of Allah, O, my seeker, I have the treasures of 'Allah'] Be ware dear fellows of haste, that may lead you to say ‘hla hla’ instead of ‘Allah Allah’ as this will not happen if the initial ‘a’ and the second ‘l’ are to be stressed. Hence, if you mentioned Allah with determination, you shall rarely have scruples and obsessions, as this name works on burning all kinds of scruples. Also, take into account that you can’t get rid of all thoughts or scruples at a time, except through who you observe. Therefore, hold your strength towards him, because the heart is aiming at and bound for people. If a heart is aimed at people, it will have all their deeds impressed on it. Had you bound your heart for your sheikh, you shall have his picture impressed on your heart and any other picture shall gradually disappear. You shall see and hear nothing of them. Such goal can only be achieved by strong will and determination. If you aspired to higher ranks, you should be totally detached from people and be preoccupied with Allah, who shall get the effects of such traits out of you. It is important to know that Allah looks only to hearts; which are the core on which the eyes of the beholder are directed. Thus, purifying hearts is one of the individual duties or obligations. There are many who have overlooked and disregarded such obligations, so you should be thankful for having a sheikh that works on your refinement and helps you not to descend towards such low-level selves. Dear brothers and sisters, you should also know that the heart is in a continuous state of restlessness. It keeps rolling over and over all the time. That’s why it is called ‘Qalb’, as it keeps rolling over and over. Hence, one should say prior to the state of purity ‘ Ya musaref Al-qoloob esref qalbi ila taa’tuk ‘ i.e. ‘O, God direct our hearts towards pious deeds’. After the heart is completely purified one should say ‘Ya muqaleb al-qoloob thabet qalbi ala deenak’, i.e. ‘O, God command my heart to hold fast to the true religion of yours’. When one asks Allah Almighty to hold fast his heart to the true religion of his, he asks him to lift him from the state of inadvertence to the state of dhikr, from the state of sorrow to that of laughter, from the state of fear to that of security, and from the state of contraction to the state of expansion, in this context our sheikh says: [I kept what you deserted, away from you, So that you may delve and look into] (qasida 80:27) He says in another qasida: [Illuminated be it every heart With its colors is dyed] (qasida 73: 2) Thus your heart is to change from a state of inadvertence to that of remembrance. This is how your sheikh works on changing the state of your heart. He does that with the aim of driving away or expelling evil ideas insinuated by Satan and his followers in one’s mind. Sayedna Fakhr al deen says: ‘it is the hands of the most merciful that roll the hearts over’. After that, you may be granted a pinch of luminance, knowledge and even some secrets, in a way that may makes you forget about the pain of your endless battle ( with your self and Satan ). But bear in mind that if some of such secrets loomed to you with no real hard work, this means that your self is pretending of doing what it actually does not. Consequently, it fails the exam. To be continued…..
Written by Al-Morshid al-Wagis group Translated by Noha
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many others. Meanwhile, fruits are the end results or the actions
done by man such as snobbery, arrogance, contentment, insult and
assault or any other evil traits. Therefore, you should take into
your account, dear brothers and sisters that such traits are to
destroy man in this world and in the afterworld. He may try to get
rid of