A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| The Se7en Signs |
|---|
| anon |
| 01/29/05 at 02:58:50 |
| [slm] From my favourite blog (which is not mine). ----------------------------------------------------- Why are you here? Al-Ghazzali sees the reason for being here (in this temporal world) is to love God. Know that love is a valuable jewel. Claiming love is easy so that a person may think that he is one of the lovers; but there are signs and proofs of love. One must seek the signs in oneself, and they are seven: (1) The first is that there is no loathing of death, for no friend dislikes the sight of the Friend. The Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Whoever loves the sight of God Most High, God Most High loves the sight of him, too." Buwayti said to one of the ascetics: "Do you love death?" The ascetic hesitated in replying. (Buwayti) said: "If you were truthful, you would love it." However, it is permissible that there be love and loathing at the hastening of death— (but) not at the principle of death—so that one who has not yet prepared his provision (for the Hereafter) may make (them). The sign of this is that one is impatient in preparing the provisions. (2) The second sign is that one prefers what is loved by God Most High over what is loved by oneself. He does not neglect anything he knows to be the cause of his nearness to the Beloved. He avoids all that causes his distancing (himself) from that. This is a person who loves God Most High with all his heart. As the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Say to whoever wishes to see a person who loves God with all his heart: 'Look at Salim, the client of Hudhayfah.'" Moreover, if a person commits a sin, it does not follow that he is not a lover (of God); instead, his love is not with his whole heart. The evidence of this is that Nuayman was punished several times for drinking wine. Someone cursed him in the presence of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). The Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Curse him not, for he loves God Most High and His Messenger." Fudayl said: "When you are asked if you love God, remain silent. If you say 'no,' you become an unbeliever; if you say 'yes,' your behavior does not resemble the acts of the lovers (of God)." (3) The third sign is that one always renews the remembrance of God Most High in one's heart and is eager to do that without taking pains; for whoever loves a thing remembers it frequently. If the love is complete, one never forgets (the object of love) itself. Yet, if one must force the heart to remember, it is feared that his beloved is that His remembrance dominate his heart. Consequently, it may be that the love for God Most High is not dominant, but the love for the love of Him dominates him who desires to love. Love is one thing and the love of love is another. (4) The fourth sign is that one loves the Qur'an, which is His Word, and the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) and all that is established by Him. When the loves has become strong, one loves all mankind, for all are His servants; indeed, one loves all extant things, for all are His creation, just as one who loves someone loves his composition and writing. (5) The fifth sign is that one is avid for intimate conversation (with God) in private and desirous for the coming of night. Crowds and hindrances depart and one holds conversation with the Friend in private. If one prefers sleep and idle chatter to solitude during the night and the day, one's love is weak. Revelation came to David (Allah give him peace): "O David, become the intimate of no one among mankind. No one is cut off from Me save two persons: one is he who hastens in the search for spiritual reward. When it comes late to him, he becomes languid. The other is he who forgets Me and is satisfied with his own condition. The sign of that is that I leave him alone and I keep him bewildered in the world." So, if love is total, affection for nothing else remains. There was a worshipper among the Children of Israel who would perform his formal prayer at night. He would perform his formal prayer beneath a tree where a bird with a sweet voice would sing. Revelation came to the messenger of the era: "Tell him: 'You have become accustomed to seclusion; your degree has fallen because you are not attending to anything of that." Some have achieved such a degree in their conversation (with God) that fire has broken out in the other side of the dwelling and they were not be aware of it! The foot of one of them was cut during (his) formal prayer on some pretext, and he was unaware of it. Revelation came to David (Allah give him peace): "A person who claimed to love Me lied and slept all night; does the friend not desire the sight of the Friend? Whoever seeks me, I am with him." Moses (Allah give him peace) said: He answered: "O Lord God, where art Thou that I may seek Thee?" He answered: "Whenever thou hast intended to seek (Me), thou hast found (Me)." (6) The sixth sign is that worship becomes easy for one and its burdensomeness falls away. Someone says: "For twenty years I forced myself to perform the night formal prayer; afterwards, I have taken delight in that for twenty years." When love becomes strong, no pleasure equals the pleasure of worship; how can it itself be difficult? (7) The seventh sign is that one loves all of His devout servants and one is merciful and compassionate to them, and one holds all unbelievers and rebels (against God) in enmity. As He said: (They are) hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. (48:29) One of the prophets asked: "O Lord God, who are Thy saints and friends?" He answered: "Those who are captivated with Me like small children are captivated with their mothers. And just as a bird takes refuge in its nest, they take refuge with the remembrance of Me. Just as leopard becomes enraged and fears nothing, they become enraged when a person commits a sin." These and signs like these are many. They are present in him whose love is complete. The love of him who has some of them in him is in accordance with that (amount). - Laleh Bakhtiar, Al-Ghazzali His Psychology of the Greater Struggle |
| Re: The Se7en Signs |
|---|
| Laila_Y_A |
| 01/29/05 at 08:53:58 |
| :o I thought, when I read the header, that this was going to be a list of things se7en had done! :-[ Silly me! :( :-) Laila |
| Re: The Se7en Signs |
|---|
| se7en |
| 01/29/05 at 20:46:23 |
awesome article, masha'Allah... but no relation ;) |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |