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Part 3 Tareeqah Muhammadiyah

Itikaaf 2014
Monday 21st July 2014 (23rd Ramadhan)
Discourse after Zuhr by Shaykh Ahmad Dabbagh

People become motivated and then they lose that motivation. Why? Because the
motivation also needs food. That is why the Quran was revealed in parts. The kuffar used to
complain, "Allah does not need to think before writing a book. Allah knows everything,
because the Quran is being revealed in few verses, that means the Quran is being
collaborated with other people. If an author can write a book in one second why would he
take 23 years to write it." That was one if the objections. Allah answered (apply it on
yourself). Imagine this is a book written on hell or paradise. There will be motivation not to
go to those bad deeds. Or if it is about Jannah, then you will want to go Jannah. But once
you read it, your motivation will fade away day by day. Allah has created human being and
He is the one who knows the psychology fully, others are just studying. The other verse
might talk about hell fire then there might be a story then there might be a fiqh masla.
Kuffar today say there is no tarteeb (order) like a chapter on family law, international law,
fiqh, beliefs. It would have been better if they had been categorised. That is how the Quran
is structured. They don't know the kuffar of Makkah, they will know their foolishness. What
they are saying is not according to human psychology but the Quran is exactly according to
it.

If I read about one thing only after 1 or 3 days you will lose that affect. The Quran knows, so
the heaven and hell is mentioned thoroughly that is how motivation is kept alive.

Allah "we have revealed in parts to strengthen the hearts of Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe
wasallam) and sahabah. When there was one verse revealed and the Muslims were being
tortured, the Muslims got motivation that Allah is communicating with us.

In the first few months Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) used to get upset that he
was not getting wahi (revelation) and he would go to the mountain feeling upset. So if
Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) needed motivation what about us?

You need everyday or 2 days to read one story or Hadith and about hell and auliah but if you
read 1 book of 1000 pages then that will not benefit. Another example, if in 1 day you drink
10 litres of water and 10 chappattis and thinking I've eaten for a week and that I have
enough strength. What will happen after 2 days, you will again need to eat as you will feel
the hunger. To have small portion every day is healthier. Similarly one small portion of
reminder is better everyday.

That is why Allah said "reminder benefits the believers" Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe
wasallam) is being told to remind them. If you don't remind yourself you won't benefit from
Quran. If you still haven't understood, ponder on the marketing companies. Why are coca
cola and so on are still advertising? You may say "it is wasting money we know about them"
but they know it is human psychology that refreshes and people will buy it more.

If you read 2 pages of Quran you will find a mention of everything.
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Main discourse

We've done the foundation. You are building a house of closeness of Allah.

This temporal place of dunya even motivates you not to make it your permanent home. If
you say to kuffar who will give justice to these small babies that are being killed. We say
corruption is in some countries. But on international level, no one has to come to UN for
example. They (the leaders) can just walk away.

Allah "when the baby girl is asked for which crime you have been killed"

All Jewish are not bad, there are many good. Like good and bad Muslims like Yazeed was
bad. One should not always see any Christian and Jew and think they are bad. People say
they are surprised. They say they are bani Israel, they start from Hazrat Ishaaq
(alayhissalam). What did the brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (alayhissalam) do? So when they
could do that to their own brother, in spite of him being on truth. No wonder they are
people likely to follow Dajjal. How much they did to their own father that he lost his eyes.
Some of them (bank Israel) killed 30/40 Prophets in one day. It was not like one prophet for
all country. They were for their locality.

Who is going to give justice to all these children. If there is no day of judgement then who
will give them justice. You can only make sense of this world if you believe in the hereafter.

Allah "creating you all and bringing you all back for me it is like bringing back one person"

These Islamic beliefs are weaved in whole of Quran.

Moving forward, one thing about repentance. Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh
(rahimahullah) said once "do not judge or neglect yourself. We are not here to pass
judgement on ourselves or others but to carry on working." Judgement is for Allah. Even if
you are doing good deeds. Still you shouldn't judge and say I am going Jannah. If you are
pious it will make you arrogant and if you are sinful it will make you lose hope."

Some people are forgiven because of small acts and some are punished because of things
they never would've expected. Shaytaan judged himself. He said "I am better". Allah "I
decide who is better" now he has become the complete opposite, the shar (evil).

Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "we are sent here to carry on striving"

Allah "I created this cycle of life and death to see who is best in conducts"

We ask for guidance in surah Fatiha every day and then we judging ourselves.

Shaytaan is known as Iblees, that he has become hopeless of the mercy of Allah. He was in
this confusion.
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Allah asked both of them "O Iblees, what stopped you from following our command?" And
to Adam "didn't I forbid you from this tree and didn't I tell you shaytaan was your open
enemy?"

They didn't judge. But shaytaan thought I'm finished, "you misguided me now I'm going to
rebel against you and take everyone to hell with me"

But Adam alayhissalam said "I am wrong and hope in your mercy, with your mercy I will not
fail"

(If you believe) "I've lost it" then you become rebellious. Sometimes if the relationship
(husband and wife) is good then they don't want to criticise. And when they argue they
mention everything, "this is a good opportunity".

Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "what should be your approach?. What has
happened in the past has happened. We cannot change it. Do not worry about the past but
use the present to make the future better. We worry about the past and this affects our
present thus we ruin our future, " If you don't learn from Mashaikh you will harm yourself
from sins of the past.

Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "auliallah also do mistake sometimes. What
is the correct methodology? Auliallah look at the past to utilise the present to make the
future better."

What's going to matter is how you end your life, not how you started it (nor) the middle.
You will be judged in the state you die in.

Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "they look at the past to benefit from and
learn. We turn this into a negative thing" If it is making you lazy, shaytaan is playing with
you.

Don't live in the past, live in the future.

Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "look at the sahabah like Hazrat Umar
(radhiAllahuanhu) he made mistakes. He was the 40th person to believe and he excelled 38
people before him except Hazrat Abu bakr siqqique (radhiAllahuanhu).

Don't live in the past everyday when you get up, "praise for Allah who has given me life after
death" think you've not done anything and it's a knew life for you.

Don't carry all your baggage (of your past) with you to today because they will destroy
today. Think today you have been born, it's as though there's nothing against you and you
should achieve everything you can. Then that day will become better. We are living all life as
one piece. Whereas Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) mentality is that we have a
new life (each day)

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Quran "Allah is the one who possess the souls at the time of death and at the time of sleep
and He keeps those souls for whom He has decided death has come. Those who have yet
life to live, He sends them back for an appointed time. In this there is lesson for the people
of reflection."

People ask useless question, if spirit leaves how does the body breath. Sayidina Abdul Azeez
Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) said "when the ruh is far away it still had the power if it just keeps
it's attention to the body, it can keep the body alive. Just because of few rays of sun it is
keeping the earth alive. The ruh is more powerful than the sun, in heavens it can keep alive.
Now they're saying you can charge a phone without the lead (wireless connection).

You are dying and living every night. Read this verse today and reflect. How merciful I am
with you, I give you 365 lives in one year and you are asking for one (on the day of
judgement). You are not reflecting why Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) was using
the word "death" and "life" (before sleeping) and in the morning he said "all praise is for
Allah who has given me life after death"

Repent before sleeping and wake up to a new life and day by day your life will improve. If
you want to remember your sins take some positive lessons. Don't let it hold you down.

4th layer of foundation

Striving / mujahadah.

Person should not use their own mind (to interpret the Quran). Firstly they study then they
say what the Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) said and then sahabah and so on and
then if there is still room for adding they do in the light of all that.

Striving "to make an effort" steadfastness "to keep travelling even after one keeps falling"
steadfastness doesn't mean that you will never fall.

Steadfastness of prophets and angels is never falling. We can never achieve that.

If you fall you stand up. "Striving is to suppress the urge and desire by exercising the skills of
will power.
Steadfastness is to continue whilst disregarding the internal feelings."

1000 lessons can be taught from the story of shaytaan. This is what scholars have come up
with. Allah has chosen this story. He (Hazrat Adam alayhissalam lived for 1000 years life and
only a few stories of his are mentioned.

If the feelings become overwhelming then Allah discharges the responsibility eg fast when
travelling can be broken.

3 condition of mujahadah

Like there are 3 conditions for bath if a person doesn't know, (he doesn't know) the real
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bath.

Story I use to help explain (the conditions of mujahadah) is the story of Hazrat Yusuf
alayhissalam. Zulaiqa locked him in a room and invited him to an evil act. It was a difficult
situation for him. Allah "that is how we save our people from these shameful acts" obviously
the story of Sayidina Yusuf alyhissalam is not for him, it is for us.

1) he showed selflessness - to believe and show that you need Him, you are helpless, you
are powerlessness. From your powerlessness you find the power of Allah. You negate
yourself.
"Unless Allah has mercy"
Hadith "not even for a blink of an eye leave me to my nafs" a person can go astray in a blink
of an eye.


2) Hazrat Yusuf alayhissalam had a WILL to be saved from this sin.

You need to understand the difference between the "wish" and "will".

Wish mean you want a result, fruit, closeness to Allah, millionaire. But you are not willing to
pay the price. No climbing tree or paying for fruit so the result is, no fruit.

"Will" means you are willing to pay the price. I need to pay the price or climb the tree then
the result is fruit.

Sayidina Abdul Qadir Jilani (rahimahullah) "this is the paradise of fools (just wishing)"

Imam Ghazali (rahimahullah) "intelligent is the one who controls his nafs and makes effort
for what's after death. That person is a fool who follows his own nafs and desires and then
hopes from Allah that He will give him Jannah.

No matter how much you wish to travel north if you travel south you will travel south.

You have to give up something, sacrifice something.

Hazrat Yusuf alayhissalam had an irada (will to sacrifice and pay the price)."I have no money
to give, no life to give, palace is not mine. How can I show Allah I had the will to be saved. I
am slave here. what I will offer is to be a slave in prison and hardship (that comes with it is
better) than this luxurious palace. If palace for me means disobedience then prison is dearer
to me. "

Some of the deviant Sufis (not really sufis) kiss head a of woman (or the women kiss them)
and say "this doesn't affect me". Look at the difference where Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe
wasallam) said to Hazrat Ali (radhiAllahuanhu) that the first (unintentional) glance is
forgiven but not the intentional (second) glance."

Allah commanded the sahabah to ask the mother of believers behind a veil.
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She made a resolve to come closer to Hazrat Yusuf (alayhissalam) and he intended for her
aswell. Here many mufasireen (commentators of Quran) became confused and attribute
wrong things to a nabi (prophet).

Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) was asked regarding this and he said
"Zulaika intended to do that evil act and he intended aswell but ......... he intended to hit
her, not to go closer to her for wrong things." Then Allah said "he would have done it (hit
her)" and at the end it was decided to look at their shirts, if Yusuf's alayhissalam shirt is torn
from back he is true and if his short was torn from front then he would've been accused. If
he hit her he would've been falsely accused in the end."

3) He knew Zulaika has locked him in the room even though he knew the door is locked he
ran (to the door). He showed us the third element is to do effort as much as you can,
whatever is in your capacity. When he went to the door, Allah opened the door with his
Power.

If you want Allah to make an opening for you you have to go to the door. An automatic door
you have to go to the sensor then it will open. "This is how I save my servants from bad and
abominable things"


If you do not have these 4 conditions, then your house will collapse.

[May Allah reward our brother Ansar who took time off work for these diagrams so you can
benefit.]

It is important to keep your doors and windows closed. Shaytaan is always trying to enter to
steal your house of closeness.

If you say "the real thing is what's inside the house and doesn't matter about the doors and
windows", then it's easy to steal it.

Iman (faith) is the treasure inside. That's why after 4 conditions we start with organs (doors
and windows).

The front door and back door are the most important. If you can close these doors, the front
and back door represent the tongue and private parts.

Hadith "if you guarantee what is between your jaws and what's between your legs, I
guarantee you paradise"

The 7 organs that you have is what Allah has given you. Heart is like a house and these
organs are the doors and windows (to the heart).

State of Kufr (disbelief) - heart is pitch black. If you commit a sin then darkness enters, when
you do any good deed light enters. You cannot see it but you can feel it. Imagine you are
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sleeping during the night and it is giving you comfort. You are putting your body in hardship.
Once you finish your prayer, do you feel happy or regretful. This happiness you experience is
the light that has entered.

Once you take the drug, the film, the zina is over. Then what do you feel? A regret, an
emptiness. That is the effect of the darkness that has entered.

The sin gives you enjoyment but not peace. Some will give you pleasure but not peace. You
did it for peace. You have been conned by shaytaan.

Good deeds may have hardship but it gives you peace in the end. All these people want
peace at the end. In good deeds there is hardship but at the end the peace will come.

People are doing Zikr and umrah but they're not storing the good deed. After they find
themselves in the same state. They make shaytaans job easy. (He whispers to you "your
heart is blackened, there's no use." This is very dangerous state. All your life you are going
to live according to this false idea.

Sheets make it easy. Tick means 100 marks and cross means 99 marks. (Who is going to be
upset with 99/100?) You've done more positive than negative. Why 30 days? Allah gave us
30 days of Ramadhan for taqwa.

You have stopped from negative usage of tongue. Now you use the tongue for positive.

No one will be able to feel your positivity if you only abstain from negative.

You cannot share your money with everyone. But you can share your akhlaq with all
creation. "I can only be nice to 10 people today" nothing like this. People value this treasure
more than money.

Once you've done these sheets there is a block in that pipe. No darkness will come only
noor will enter. Then eg you start purification of eyes then two channels are blocked. One
by one heart remains clean and the effect of prayer and Zikr shows itself.

If all air condition is on and all windows are opened then it is wasted. Some people are like
this, they are doing Zikr air conditioning inside their hearts but their windows (organs) are
opened (sinning).

If wudhu is not done, 1000 Salah is useless. Imagine physical purification is necessary then
what about spiritual purification.

Hadith "they didn't reach the status by excessive Nawafil and Salah. How? They are
compassionate on creation and they have no spiritual disease in them. They are generous.
They don't take things personally. They return evil with goodness. These things elevate the
auliallah."