Rabbana Zidna ‘Ilma!!

Asalaamu Alaaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu…

Four Poisons of the Heart Part 1
From the works of Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbabli, Ibn Al-Qayyim al-Jawziyaa, and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

Bismillaahir-RaHmaanir-RaHeem

You should know that all acts of disobedience are poison to the heart and cause its sickness and ruin. They result in its will running off course, against that of Allah , and so its sickness festers and increases. Ibn al-Mubarak said:

I have seen wrong actions killing hearts, And their degradation may lead to their becoming addicted to them. Turning away from wrong actions gives life to the hearts, And opposing your self is best for it.

Whoever is concerned with the health and life of his heart, must rid it of the effects of such poisons, and then protect it by avoiding new ones. If he takes any by mistake, then he should hasten to wipe out their effect by turning in repentance and seeking forgiveness from Allah , as well as by doing good deeds that will wipe out his wrong actions.

By the four poisons we mean unnecessary talking, unrestrained glances, too much food, and keeping bad company. Of all the poisons, these are the most widespread and have the greatest effect on a heart’s well-being.

Unnecessary Talking

It is reported in al-Musnad, on the authority of Anas, that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “The faith of a servant is not put right until his heart is put right, and his heart is not put right until his tongue is put right.” 1 This shows that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has made the purification of faith conditional on the purification of the heart, and the purification of the heart conditional on the purification of the tongue.

At-Tirmidhi relates in a hadith on the authority of Ibn Umar: “Do not talk excessively without remembering Allah , because such excessive talk without the mention of Allah causes the heart to harden, and the person furthest from Allah is a person with a hard heart.”

Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “A person who talks too much is a person who often makes mistakes, and someone who often makes mistakes, often has wrong actions. The Fire has a priority over such a frequent sinner.”

In a hadith related on the authority of Mu’adh, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Shall I not tell you how to control all that?” I said, “Yes do, O Messenger of Allah .” So he held his tongue between his fingers, and then he said: “Restrain this.” I said, “Oh Prophet of Allah , are we accountable for what we say?” He sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “May your mother be bereft by your loss! Is there anything more than the harvest of the tongues that throws people on their faces (or he said ‘on their noses’) into the Fire?”

What is meant here by ‘the harvest of the tongues’ is the punishment for saying forbidden things. A man, through his actions and words, sows the seeds of either good or evil. On the Day of Resurrection he harvests their fruits. Those who sow the seeds of good words and deeds harvest honour and blessings; those who sow the seeds of evil words and deeds reap only regret and remorse.

A hadith related by Abu Huraira says, “What mostly causes people to be sent to the Fire are the two openings: the mouth and the private parts.”

Abu Huraira also related that the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “The servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not realise, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the Fire further than the distance between the east and the west.”

The same hadith was transmitted by at-Tirmidhi with slight variations: “The servant says something that he thinks is harmless, and for which he will be plunged into the depths of the Fire as far as seventy autumns.” 7

Uqba ibn Amir said: “I said: “O Messenger of Allah , what is our best way of surviving?’ He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied: “Guard your tongue, make your house suffice for sheltering your privacy, and weep for your wrong actions.”

It has been related on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa’d that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Whoever can guarantee what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I guarantee him the Garden.”

It has also been related by Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Let whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or remain silent.”

Thus talking can either be good, in which case it is commendable, or bad, in which case it is haram.

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Everything the children of Adam say goes against them, except for their enjoining good and forbidding evil, and remembering Allah , Glorious and Might is He.” This was reported by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Ma’jah on the authority of Umm Habiba, may Allah be pleased with her.

Umar ibn al-Khattab visited Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them, and found him pulling his tongue with his fingers. Umar said “Stop! may Allah forgive you!” Abu Bakr replied; “This tongue has brought me to dangerous places.”

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: “By Allah , besides Whom no god exists, nothing deserves a long prison sentence more than my tongue.” He also used to say: “O tongue, say good and you will profit; desist from saying evil things and you will be safe; otherwise you will find only regret.”

Abu Huraira reported that Ibn al-Abbas said: “A person will not feel greater fury or anger for any part of his body on the Day of Judgement more than what he will feel for his tongue, unless he only used it for saying or enjoining good.”

Al-Hassan said: “Whoever does not hold his tongue cannot understand his deen.”

The least harmful of a tongue’s faults is talking about whatever does not concern it. The following hadith of the Prohet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is enough to indicate the harm of this fault: “One of the merits of a person’s Islam is his abandoning what does not concern him.” 13

Abu Ubaida related that al-Hassan said: “One of the signs of Allah ’s abandoning a servant is His making him preoccupied with what does not concern him.”

Sahl said, “Whoever talks about what does not concern him is deprived of truthfulness.”

As we have already mentioned above, this is the least harmful of the tongue’s faults. There are far worse things, like backbiting, gossiping, obscene and misleading talk, two-faced and hypocritical talk, showing off, quarrelling, bickering, singing, lying, mockery, derision and falsehood; and there are many more faults which can affect a servant’s tongue, ruining his heart and causing him to lose both his happiness and pleasure in this life, and his success and profit in the next life. Allah is the One to Whom we turn for assistance.

Part two coming up, insha’Allah
BarakAllahu Feekum
Wa’alaykum Asalaam wa Rahmatullah

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Assalamu Alaykum wa Ramatullahi Wa Barakatu!

This is a very good video, masha’Allah .

Info: Do we shed tears for our sins? Do we repent to Allah , desperate for Him to forgive us? Do we even acknowledge our sins?

Unfortunately many of us don’t, and we continue to sin without repenting, mindless that we will be questioned for every detail of every second we spent in this life. We will then be humiliated in front of all of mankind, but more importantly, in front of our Creator.

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The Sincere

Praise be to Allah who revealed to His servant the Book and placed therein no crookedness. He has made it straight in order that He may warn of a terrible punishment from Him and that He may give glad tidings to the believers who work righteous deeds that they shall have a great reward wherein they shall abide forever.

The Muslim ummah is eager and desires to acquire true knowledge; it desires to quench its thirst in the fountain of the Quran and Sunnah. The ummah passionately longs to bring its state back to the genuine foundation of true Islamic teachings. It is a quest that every student of knowledge has taken, it is a journey that every lover of deen wishes to endure, it is the sweetness of the fruits of knowledge that the seekers of truth wishes to taste. It is this knowledge, which every educated Muslim feels is the medicine, and remedy for the state of the ummah.

The answer to all the problems of this ummah is knowledge, as this is the answer given by the scholars of haqq. But, there is an aspect of knowledge that the majority of the seekers have abandoned, forgotten, and neglected. It is the most important portion of knowledge, for the one who memorizes the Quran and masters all the sciences of Islam but neglects this facet is surely destroyed. So what is this phase of knowledge that can destroy a man, even if the verses of The Quran flow from his tongue? It is the heart.

There are three types of student of knowledge; there is the one who seeks knowledge not to acquire the provisions of this world, rather the fruits Akira and the life to come, then it is he who will rejoice. It is he who will receive guidance from Allaah the most High to a Mansion of eternal life, such a seeker of truth is indeed successful, in his heart lies nothing but to seek the pleasure of his Lord.

Then there is the one who seeks knowledge for worldly gains, for power, wealth, and prestige. But at the same time his soul is content to the truth, his heart realizes his folly, and longs to attain the truth, knowing the wickedness of his aims. Such a man is in need of repentance, tauba, for if death approaches him in such a state, a state of confusion, a bad end is expected, for his fate depends only in the Mercy of Allaah. But if he repents before his appointed term, and acts upon that becoming the seeker of truth in the first category, quenching the thirst in his heart with the fountain of truth, such a man is saved and will rejoice in the couches of jannat.

And finally there is the man, who seeks knowledge for nothing more then to feed his desires.To achieve something for himself, to outshine his fellow friends, and to attract attention. Knowledge is only a means to pride himself, boast about himself, and to gain the wealth of this world. Such a man believes he has a lofty position in the eyes of Allaah, for he bears the stamp of scholarship, he maybe the grand mufti or alim of such docile followings. Such a man has destroyed himself, for he has sold an eternal reward for this temporary one. He is overcome by shaytan and his own stupidity that he will never realize the importance of his repentance, and leave such manners. They are the students and scholars of knowledge, who tell others what to do, but when it comes to them, it is as if the sayings from their own tongues do not apply to them. As Allaah The Most High says:

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Suraah As-Saff: 2

And as the Prophet (SAWS) said: “I fear on your account one who is not Dajjal, more than Dajjal, and when someone said to him (SAWS), “Who is that?” he replied, “An evil scholar.” It is Dajjal who will lead men astray, and it is the responsibility of the scholars to guide and direct the people to the truth. However it is this student of knowledge, this dawie, this scholar, who calls men to the truth, but his actions calls them to the falsehood, for a man’s actions is clearer, expressive, and more persuasive then his words. It is this man who is consumed by the love of this dunya, why because his heart was never inclined towards the pleasure of His Lord, it never submitted through Ikhlas, and sincerity to Allaah. Such a mans knowledge is of no use for this ummah, for his ignorant heart and soul remains convinced that he is treading the right path, a path which does not lead to salvation. Such a heart is surely destroyed.

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The Prophetic Reason

Praise be to Allah who revealed to His servant the Book and placed therein no crookedness. He has made it straight in order that He may warn of a terrible punishment from Him and that He may give glad tidings to the believers who work righteous deeds that they shall have a great reward wherein they shall abide forever.

The Prophet Muhammed (SAWS) said: “I was given the Quran and something like it. I fear lest a man will sit contently reclining and say: ‘You must follow this Quran. Whatever you find therein permissible, permit it, and whatever you find therein prohibited, forbid it.’ Nay, for indeed whatever Allah ’s Messenger has prohibited, it is as if Allah has prohibited.”

This is the statement of the final messenger, Muhammad (SAWS). A name which was not common at all before the final revelation, but a name that is called out five times a day in every corner of the globe, where the heads of every righteous slave is lowered to the lowest level of the earth, pronouncing the divinity of there Lord, and a name that is held by millions if not billions of Muslims through out the world. But why should we follow him? Is humanity really in need to inquire the knowledge of his life? Can mankind endure this life without his teachings? There exists in the heart of every man a sense of pride, a sense of superiority, a sense of dominance, that makes man believe that he is of the highest of intelligence, that the apparent world is in need of him. This is the principle of the man who is deaf, dumb, and blind. For it is man who is in need, for it is man who is helpless, for it is man who is destroyed. Humanity is in great need, which is why Allah sent Messengers, to quench that need, as He The Most High says:

And I (Allah ) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).
Surah Az-Zariyat: 56

If this is the purpose of our lives, if this is why Allah the Most Merciful created us, if this is His Command, then how can we fulfill this obligation? Who is there to inform us, who is there to teach us, who is there to guide us, it is non other then the Prophets (AS). Allah created us to worship Him, which is why we need the guidance of the Prophets, educating us about Allah , and teaching us how to worship Him. Imagine a life not knowing your parents, every part of your body, from your eyes to your arms would desire to meet those whom you call your mother and father, it desires to hold the hand of the one who breast fed you and held you when you opened your eyes to this world. Now what about you’re Creator, the One who gave you your life, the One who gave you this world, the One who gave you you’re parents. This is why the Prophets were sent, to educate you about your Creator, and to teach you how to worship Him. No one can know Allah ; their Creator without following the Prophet that was sent to them, for it is the Prophets who bring with them the truth. As He the Most Merciful says:

And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad SAW) Ruhan (an Inspiration, and a Mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We have made it (this Qur’ân) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will. And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e. Allâh’s religion of Islâmic Monotheism). Surah Ash-Shura: 52

What the prophets bring to humanity (Ruh) are like souls to the bodies, without it you have no life, this message sent by Allah through the Prophets is light and guidance for all mankind. And it is the scholars who say that the most important chapter in the books of akida is ‘To believe in Prophets and Messengers’, because it teaches us to know our Creator. So who was sent to us, who was the last and final Messenger, who brought to us the truth, and guidance, it is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Muttalib Al-Qurashee. He was unlike any other prophet, he was not sent only to his people, rather Allah says:

And We have not sent you (O Muhammad SAW) except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of men know not. Surah Saba:28

He was not sent to the Arabs of his time, but to all mankind that includes you and me, and it is an obligation from Allah upon us to follow his teachings, for Allah revealed more then 30 verses ordering us to obey and follow the Messenger Muhammad (SAWS). As He says:

Say (O Muhammad SAW): “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW).” But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers. Surah Al-Imran: 32

During the night of miraj, Allah ordered the Prophets to follow and obey him SAWS in prayer, now what about us. Today there is an epidemic that is in the hearts and tongues of the Muslims, today we question the sunnah, we try to avoid applying the sunnah in our lives, we have become lax in the prophetic traditions. This is truly a disease of the heart, for the Sahabas, his companions never asked if such and such sunnah is makroo or mustahab, they applied it without any doubts, but you and I have issues with it. When news came that the direction of the Qibla changed, many were already in prayer, many were already in sujood, but they obeyed the command of there Prophet, they turned in their prayer, they turned in there sujood. Another example, a sahabi was entering the marsjid, when the Prophet (SAWS) told everyone to sit, as soon as this sahabi heard the command of the Prophet (SAWS) he sat, and he sat with one leg in and one leg out of the masjid. This is the love they had for the Prophet SAWS, and this love is an obligation to reach, and place in our hearts, as the Prophet SAWS said: “None of you believe until I am more beloved to him than his parents, children and all people.” Now ask yourself, do we really love the Prophet SAWS, do we really uphold his teachings, the sunnah, and apply it in our lives, as those of our pious predecessors. The examples are in the likes of Imam Malik (RA), who in order to narrate a hadith, must first make ghusl, put on new clothing, pray two raka , put on incense, and then narrate the hadith. But when it came time for him to give his rulings, he would give it in any condition, why? Because it was only his opinion. Who are we compared to him.

This is the love for a Prophet, a Prophet who also loved us, a Prophet who did everything possible to give us what we have today, by the Permission of Allah , and that is emaan. He made dua for us, he cried for us, he bled for us, and on the Day of Judgement, his love for us will not end, for he will seek Shafa for us. So why do we not love him, what keeps us away from following him, the one who is a mercy to you and I, instead we have more love for our favorite singers, our favorite actors, our favorite athletes. We love them so much that we try to replicate them, we try to duplicate them, we try to look like them, and dress like them, we have their pictures hanging in our rooms, this is the meaning of true love, but it is only love in the wrong direction.

Humanity is in need of their prophet, for Allah sent the Prophet (SAWS) to establish justice on earth, for our own well being, for our own protection, to protect us from us. We the humans are our own worst enemy, we harm each other more then any plague or disease in history. We shed our own bloods, we destroy our own homes, and we confiscate and steal that which is not ours. So it is justice that the Prophet (SAWS) was sent to establish, and justice means to put something where it belongs, that is why worship belongs only to Allah . It is tawheed that is the greatest justice, it is tawheed that he SAWS was sent to establish, and it is shirk that is the greatest injustice, and it is shirk that he was sent to destroy. As Ibn Hazm said, “Allah will give victory to a secular just government over a religious unjust government.” This is what we the Muslims must return to, as he SAWS said, “Allah will never bless any nation, where a poor person cannot ask for his right.” And the only way to return back to this justice is to establish the sunnah first in our hearts, in our actions, in our lives, in our families, and then in our society.

Posted by: Brother Khatab

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Asalaamu Alaaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu and Welcome to Ilmcentral!!

  

The Prophet, SAW said: “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim”

The pious predecessors before us traveled to distant lands in search of this knowledge. Some traveled hundreds of miles just to learn one Hadith. SubhanAllah! Now, we are in an age where we do not have to travel far for knowledge, rather it is literally a click away! There are thousands of resources to learn from, especially online. In the internet we can find the works of many scholars who lived before, and also scholars who live amongst us now. We can find collections of Hadith; we can even find the whole tafseer (explanation) of the Quran. We can converse with the scholars of Islam, we can read their books and gain benefit from them. There are tons of resources that are there for us to use and take advantage of!

With this being said, I and a group of Muslims from all around the world have come together to use this resource, (the internet), as a tool to spread and share correct knowledge with the Muslim Ummah.

Our first project is this blog, called IMCENTRAL.

What is Ilmcentral?

Ilmcentral is a center (site) for learning correct knowledge about many subjects such as Aqeedah, Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, Seerah and History from the scholars of Ahl Sunnah wa Al Jama’ah.

Who runs Ilmcentral?

IlmCentral will Insha’Allah be administered by a group of dedicated Muslims coming from all over the world. However their jobs will not be to teach, but rather to gather and spread books, audios, articles and videos already on the net by trustworthy scholars and share them the Muslim Ummah.

Who is IlmCentral for?

IlmCentral is for every Muslim seeking to learn more about their deen from a trustworthy site and from those scholars who are on the Quran and the Sunnah.

About the Authors & Contributors*: The authors are various dedicated brothers and sisters coming from all backgrounds, and with one common goal which is to revive the sunnah, revive the learning/spreading of correct Islamic knowledge. More info to come later about each particular author.

About the Sections*: There are 6 main sections on this site (so far). Home, Aqeedah (Beliefs), Quran, Hadith, Fiqh and Seerah & History.

-Home-This will be the main section. There will posts here by the authors, and also will be the place for updates. There will also be categories such as “Nasheeha Corner” and “Book Review” made where authors will post articles and other things. insha’Allah

-Aqeedah- This will be the section to learn the fundementals! Our beliefs! This is the recommended place to start before anything else. There is one ilmseries for this section

-Quran-Recite, Read and Ponder upon the Quran, the Word of Allah SWT! Come to this section to find oinline translations, transliterations and recitations. There is two ilmseries for this section.

-Hadith- The sayings, actions approvals and disaprovals of the Last Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah, SAW. Come here to read collections of hadith books and to listen to lectures on various topics such as sciences of hadith. There is one ilmseries for this section.

-Fiqh- Fiqh, or Jurisprudence. Come here to learn about this great science, it’s foundations and principles. Learn about the different madhab (schools of thought). Learn also about the four Imams of these madahib (and those of others), the four main imams being Abu Haneefa, Malik, As-Shafe’i and Ahmed ibn Hanbal. May Allah have Mercy on them! There is one ilmseries for this section.

-Seerah & History- Come here to learn the seerah (or life) of the Prophet SAW. Come to also learn about other great people such as companions, scholars, leaders and fighters in our rich history! There are two ilmseries for this section!

 About the Ilmseries*- The Ilmseries which can be found in each section are study courses. Audio lectures (and sometimes notes) from Shayookh explaining a certain subject, topic or concept. For example one ilmseries on seerah (or life) of the Prophet SAW.

Posting will begin soon, insha’Allah ! And we will continue updating by adding materials (audios, books, videos, etc) to each section! And there are more *IlmSeries* to come insha’Allah

I ask you all to make dua that this project is sucessful insha’Allah ,and also try to help in any way you can to help this blog grow. Be sure to spread the word to others too so that they might benefit. I thank all the brothers and sisters who have agreed to helping out with the project whether by posting for the blog or by contributing in other ways. May Allah reward you, and May Allah accept this deed with a pure intention! AMEEN.

Rabbana Zidna Ilma!! AMEEN

Wa’alaykum Asalaam

Your Sister Anisa

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