IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL

ACADEMY OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT (AIT)

MODULE IIPERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:Illnesses of the Heart Part 2

Selfishness, Envy, Gossiping, Showing Off

SESSION 5Jihad Turk

THE QURAN ON ARROGANCE

Truly God knows all that they keep secret as well as all that they bring into the open [and] behold, He does not love those who are given to arrogance. (16:23) (Asad)

THE QURAN ON ARROGANCE

For, whenever Our messages are conveyed to such a one, he turns away in his arrogance as thought he had not head them- as though there were deafness in his ears. (31: 7) (Asad)

ARROGANCE And they swore by Allah their strongest oaths

that if a Warner came to them, they would be more guided than [any] one of the [previous] nations. But when a Warner came to them, it did not increase them except in aversion. [Due to] arrogance in the land and plotting of evil; but the evil plot does not encompass except its own people. Then do they await except the way of the former peoples? But you will never find in the way of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration. (35:42-3)

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) on ARROGANCE

God loves the strong believer:“The best of you is the one who is able to control his own anger; the worst of you is the one who gets angry quickly and holds onto that anger for a long time.

OATH OF GOD

By the sun and his brightness,

And the moon when she followeth him,

And the day when it revealeth him, the night when it enshroudeth him,

And the heaven and Him Who built it,

And the earth and Him Who spread it.

And a soul and Him Who perfected it

And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it.

He is indeed successful who causeth it to grow,And he is indeed a failure who stunteth it.

(91: 1-10)

God mentions these things to put humans in our place

As Muslims, our power and strength comes from relationship with God

Arrogance is the notion that you as the individual are more important than other people;

Arrogance closes the door to accepting any truth that may come to you.

THE TRIBE OF THAMUD•  Thamud gave the lie to this truth due to their

arrogance

• They were known for being an oppressive tribe

• They were so consumed with themselves, that they mistreated others and were oblivious to their own fate.

• There is a pattern here- the connection to arrogance and anger is a strong one (90:11-15)

PSYCHOLOGY AND GOD• Prayer and dhikr (remembrance) of God

strengthen neural connections in mind, allowing us to combat negative thought patterns

• Negative thoughts wont disappear but you can construct stronger connections that can serve as an alternative to negative thought patterns

• The Quran contains many references to dhikr and prayer

PROHIBITING SHOWING OFF

They had only been commanded to worship Allah, devoting themselves wholly to Him in full sincerity (98:6)

Render not vain your alms with reproaches or injury, like one who spends his wealth to be seen of people and believes not in Allah and the last day (2:365)

They join the prayer only for show, and thus remember Allah but little (4:143)

• Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: A poor one is not he who can be turned away with a date or two or a morsel or two: the truly poor one is he who despite his poverty refrains from asking. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Another version is: A poor one is not he who goes around asking people and who can be turned away with a morsel or a date or two. A truly poor one is he who does not find enough to suffice him, does not disclose his poverty so that he might be given alms, and does not stand up to ask.

Abu Hurairah relates that he heard the Prophet (PBUH) say: One of the first men to be judged on the Day of Judgment will be one who will have been martyred. He will be summoned and will be shown all the bounties that had been bestowed upon him. He will recognize them and will be asked: How did you employ them?

He will say: I fought in they cause and was martyred. He will be told: You lie, you fought so that you might be called a champion; and so you were known. Judgment will be passed on him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire. A man will be brought who had acquired knowledge and had studied the Quran.

He will be shown the bounties bestowed on him and will recognize them and will be asked: How did you employ them? He will say:

I acquired knowledge and taught it and studied the Quran to win Thy pleasure. He will be told: You lie. You acquired knowledge so that you might be called a savant and you recited the Quran so that you might be called a qari; and so you were called. Judgment will be passed on him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire.

A man will be brought on whom Allah will have bestowed plenty and every kind of wealth. He will be shown the bounties bestowed on him and will recognize them and will be asked: How did you employ them? He will say: I spent in everyone of the causes that Thou dost approve and did not leave out one, so as to win Thy pleasure. He will be told: You lie, you did all that so that you might be called bountiful; and so you were called. Judgment will be passed on him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire (Muslim).

THE IMPORTANCE OF INTENTION

Jundub Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sufyan relates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: He who acts so as to boast among people will have his defaults noised about, and who whose motive is to show off will be recompensed accordingly (Bukhari and Muslim)

THE IMPORTANCE OF INTENTION

• Correct intention is required. Being sincere and truthful to yourself is a very important element of your actions.

• Part of the good deed is the intention behind it; For example, the problem is not that you memorize the Quran, but the fact that you are showing off.

ON THAT WHICH IS NOT SHOWING OFF

Abu Dharr relates that the Holy Prophet was asked: What about a person who does some good deed and people praise him for it? He answered: This is an immediate appreciation of a believer’s good deed. (Muslim)

ON THE SUPERIORITY OF THE POOR AND WEAK AMONG

MUSLIMS

Continue thy companionship with those who call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and look not beyond them (18:29)

A RE-ORDERING OF PRIORITIES

• The Quran came down harshly against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he was preaching to the rich of Mecca.

• There is a different order of importance now– Importance has to do with character, not wealth

• • Don’t be dismissive based on

superficial things.

A RE-ORDERING OF PRIORITIES

Sahl ibn Sa’ad Sa’idi relates that a person passed near the Holy Prophet and he asked one sitting with him: What do you think of this one? He said: He is one of the noblest. He is worthy that if he should propose marriage his proposal should be accepted and if he should intercede for any his intercession should prove effective. The Holy Prophet said nothing on this. Presently another man passed and he asked: How do you esteem this one? He answered: Messenger of Allah, he is one of the poor

Muslims. If he were to propose his proposal would not be accepted, if he were to intercede on behalf of any his intercession would be rejected, and if he were to speak he would not be listened to. The Holy Prophet said: This one is better than an earthful like the former one. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Sa’id Khudri relates that the Holy Prophet said: There was a contest between the Paradise and the Fire. The Fire said: I shall compass the tyrants and the arrogant ones; and the Paradise said: My dwellers will be the weak and the lowly. Allah decided between them, saying, Thou art Paradise, My mercy, through thee shall I have mercy on whomsoever I determine; and thou art the Fire, My torment, through thee shall I chastise whomsoever I determine. It is for Me to fill both of you. (Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: On the Day of Judgment will be brought forward a great fat man whose value in the sight of Allah will be no more than the wing of a mosquito. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that a dark-skinned woman (or perhaps young man) used to take care of the mosque. The Holy Prophet missed her or him) and inquired about her (or him) and was told that she (or he) had died. He said: Why did you not let me know? As if they had not considered the matter of any importance. He then said: Show me the grave, and on being shown it he prayed over it and said: These graves cover those in them with darkness and Allah illumines them for the denizens in consequence of my prayers for them. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: Many there are with ruffled hair and dusty faces who are pushed away from people’s doors, but if they were to say in the name of Allah it will be thus and thus Allah would fulfill it. (Bukhari and Muslim)

ON KIND TREATMENT OF ORPHANS, GIRLS, THE WEAK, THE POOR, AND THE LOWLY

• Oftentimes our anger is invoked by people we feel are of lower stature than we are

• Continue to be kindly and gracious, towards the believers, oppress not the orphan and chide not him who asks…

Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas relates: Six of us were with the Holy Prophet when the pagans said to him: Drive these ones away, lest they should begin to venture against us. The six were Ibn Mas’ud, a man of the Huzail, Bilal, two men whose names I do not know, and myself. The Holy Prophet thought what Allah wished him to think, and Allah sent down: Drive not away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening seeking His Countenance.

Abu Hurairah ‘Aiz ibn Amr Muzani relates that Abu Sufyan came with a part of people to Salman, Suhaib, Bilal and these latter said to him: Did not the swords of Allah exact their due from the enemy of Allah? Abu Bakr said to them: Do you speak like this to the chief of the Quraish and their master? Then we went to the Holy Prophet and related this to him. He said: Abu Bakr, perchance you have offended them. If so, you have offended your Lord. Abu Bakr went back to them and said: Brothers, did I offend you? They replied: No. May Allah forgive you, brother. (Muslim)

Sahl ibn Sa’ad relates that the Holy Prophet said: He who takes care of an orphan and me will be like this in Paradise; and he raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration. (Bukhari)

(Muslim) Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: He who takes care of an orphan, whether related to him or a stranger, will be like these two in Paradise; and the narrator raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration.

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: A poor one is not he who can be turned away with a date or two or a morsel or two: the truly poor one is he who despite his poverty refrains from asking. Another version is: A poor one is not he who goes around asking people and who can be turned away with a morsel or a date or two. A truly poor one is he who does not find enough to suffice him, does not disclose his poverty so that he might be given alms, and does not stand up to ask. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: He who exerts himself on behalf of widows and the indigent is like one who strives in the cause of Allah; and the narrator thinks he added: and like the guardian who never retreats, and like one who observes the fast and does not break it. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: The worst food is that served at a walima from which those are excluded who would like to come and to which those are invited who refuse to come and he who declines an invitation disobeys Allah and His Messenger. Another version is: The worst food is the food served at a walima to which the rich are invited and from which the poor are excluded. (Muslim)

Anas relates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: He who brings up two girls through this childhood will appear on the Day of Judgment attached to me like two fingers of a hand. (Muslim)

Ayesha relates: A woman came to me begging with her two daughters; I could not find anything except a single date which I gave to her. She divided it up between her daughters and did not herself eat any of it. Then she got up and left. When the Holy Prophet came, I told him of it. He said: One who is tried with daughters and treats them well with find that they will become his shield from the Fire. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Ayesha relates: A poor woman came to me with her two daughters. I gave her three dates. She gave one to each girl and raised the third to her own mouth to eat. The girls asked her for it. So she broke it into two parts and gave one to each of the girls. I was much struck by her action and mentioned what she had done to the Holy Prophet. He said: Allah appointed Paradise for her in consequence of it; or he said: Allah freed her from the Fire on account of it.

Abu Shuraih Khuwailad ibn Amr Khuza’I relates that the Holy Prophet said: Allah, I declare sinful any failure to safeguard the rights of two weak ones; orphans and women. (Nisai)

Mus’ab ibn Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas relates: Sa’ad had a notion that he had a superiority over those who were not so well off as he was. The Holy Prophet said: You are helped and provided for because of the weak and poor ones among you. (Bukhari)

Abu Darda relates that he heard the Holy Prophet say: Look for me among the weak ones, for you are helped and provided for on account of the weak ones among you.

LYINGIf anyone argues with you, despite the knowledge you have received, then say, "Let us summon our children and your children, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then let us invoke GOD's curse upon the liars." (3:61)

And who could be more wicked than they who attribute their own lying inventions to God?' [On the Day of �Judgment, such as] these shall be arraigned before their Sustainer, and those who are called upon to bear witness [against them]" shall say, "It is they who uttered lies about their Sustainer!" Oh, verily, God's rejection is the evil-doers. (11:18)

CONDEMNATION OF ARROGANCE

We bestow the home of the hereafter on those who desire not self-aggrandizement in the earth, no corruption; and the end is for the righteous (28:84)

Do not tread haughtily upon the earth (17:38)

Do not puff up thy cheeks with pride before people, nor tread haughtily upon the earth. Surely, Allah loves those not any arrogant boaster (31:19)

Korah was of the people of Moses, but he oppressed them…Then we caused the earth to swallow him up and his dwelling (28: 77-82)

Abdullah Ibn Masud relates the Prophet (PBUH) said: He who has a particle of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise. Someone said: A person likes handsome clothes and shoes. The Prophet (PBUH) said: Arrogance means rejecting the truth out of self-esteem and looking down on people (Muslim).

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: Allah will not look on the Day of Judgment upon one who wears his loin-cloth low out of pride. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: There are three to whom Allah will not speak, nor will he purify them or look at them and who will be afflicted with painful torment: an aged adulterer, a lying ruler, and an arrogant beggar. (Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: Allah, the Lord of honour and glory, says: Honour is My loin-cloth and Greatness my cloak. Whoever contests either of them with Me, shall I afflict with torment. (Muslim)

Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: While a man was walking along clad in a mantle in which he took delight, his hair combed, his tread haughty, Allah caused him to be swallowed up. Now, he will continue to struggle and sink in the earth till the Day of Judgment.(Bukhari and Muslim)

Salamah ibn Akwa’a relates that the Holy Prophet said: A man continues to behave haughtily till he is counted among the arrogant and is afflicted with that which they are afflicted. (Tirmidhi)