Character Archives - Page 6 of 6

Translation from Ibn Al-Jawzi’s Sayd Al-Khatir (Quarry of the Mind) | The Struggle Against Desirous Whim

I HAVE SEEN that the inclination of the ‘self’ toward what it desires tends to grow in intensity, until it leans forward to so great an extent that it pulls with it the heart, the rationality, and the mind of a person,…

The Inward Requirements of Fasting | Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

PRAISE BE TO Allah who has thwarted the hopes of Satan and frustrated his designs by making fasting a bulwark and a shield for his righteous servants; who taught them that the way of Satan to their hearts lies in secret lust;…

Translation from Ibn Al-Jawzi’s Sayd Al-Khatir (Quarry of the Mind) | The Veil of Life

A THOUGHT OCCURRED to me in a religious gathering—when the sitting became pleasurable, and the hearts were present, and the eyes were flowing, and the heads were bowed, and the souls felt remorse for their negligence, and the resolution to fix their…

Translation from Ibn Al-Jawzi’s Sayd Al-Khatir (Quarry of the Mind) | Judging with Deliberation

THE MOST IDIOTIC of people is the one who acts according to the present situation and neither envisions change nor anticipates possible scenarios. Take, for example, one who is deluded by political power. He acts according to his desires relying on his…

Translation from Ibn Al-Qayyim’s Madarij Al-Salikin (Steps of the Seekers) | The Station of the Sought (Al-Murâd) | Part 3

EDITOR’S NOTE: THE Station of the Sought is one of the advanced states of the heart for worshippers who are seriously striving for nearness to Allah, according to Ibn Al-Qayyim. It has three tiered levels, ascending from lower to higher: (1) Allah…

Translation from Ibn Al-Jawzi’s Sayd Al-Khatir (Quarry of the Mind) | Management of the Self

THE STRUGGLE WITH one’s nafs, or self, is the strangest of things. This is because it requires a surprising talent. Now, some people give free reign to their nufûs, that is, they “let themselves go” to whatever they love. This yields the…

Translation from Ibn Al-Qayyim’s Madarij Al-Salikin (Steps of the Seekers) | The Station of the Sought (Al-Murad) | Part 2

EDITOR’S NOTE: IN Part One of The Station of the Sought, Ibn Al-Qayyim states that this Station has three levels, the first level being Allah’s protection of His servant by way of the servant’s own compulsion against disobedience. Ibn Al-Qayyim further gives three distinct…

Translation from Ibn Al-Jawzi’s Sayd Al-Khatir (Quarry of the Mind) | The Nobility of Man

I NEVER CEASE to marvel at those who think that the angels are better than the prophets and friends of Allah (awliyâ’, sing. walî). If they claim that the angels are better based on their appearance, then the appearance of man is…

Translation from Ibn Al-Qayyim’s Madarij Al-Salikin (Steps of the Seekers) | The Station of the Sought (Al-Murad) | Part 1

The Seeker and the Sought Among the stations of iyyâka naʿbudu wa iyyâka nastaʿîn—You alone we worship and your help alone we seek [Sûrat Al-Fâti ḥah, 1:5]—is the Station of the Sought (Al-Murâd). The people [of sulûk, i.e. travelers upon the spiritual…

Translation from Ibn Al-Qayyim’s Madarij Al-Salikin (Steps of the Seekers) | The Station of Remembrance (Thikr) | Part 4

Heedlessness and Remembrance Dhikr Said The author of Manâzil Al-Sâ’irîn, Shaykh ʿAbdullâh Al-Anṣâri] Al-Harawi (d. 482/1089), said: “Remembrance (Dhikr) is to be rid of heedlessness and forgetfulness.” The difference between heedlessness and forgetfulness is that heedlessness is willful neglect whereas forgetfulness is…