Commentary on the Last Chapter in the Book Al-Murshidu Al-Mu’īn 03

Assalāmu Alaykum Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على المبعوث رحمة للعالمين وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين وبعد

Assalāmu Alaykum Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh

Honored Brothers and Sisters on the Platform

You are welcome to this morning’s session of the Halqah where we shall continue, inshā Allāh, with our Commentary on the Last Chapter of the Book _Al-Murshid Al-Mu’īn_

We stopped at where the Imām said

وَحَاصِلُ التَّقْوَى اجْتِنَابٌ وَامْتِثَالْ           فِي ظَاهِرٍ وَبَاطِنٍ بِذَا تُنَالْ

فَجَاءَتِ الأَقْسَامُ حَقًّا أَرْبَعَةْ                  وَهِيَ لِلسَّالِكِ سُبْلَ الْمَنْفَعَةْ

_”The Definition of Taqwah is to refrain and to implement; Outwardly and Inwardly and by so is it attained_

_Thus it’s rightful types are really four; And they are the Paths of Rectitude for the treader of the Path_”

And we elucidated on it

Then the Imām said:

يَغُضُّ عَيْنَيْهِ عَنِ الْمَحَارِمِ                        يَكُفُّ سَمْعَهُ عَنِ الْمَآثِمِ

كَغِيبَةٍ نَمِيمَةٍ زُورٍ كَذِبْ                    لِسَانُهُ أَحْرَى بِتَرْكِ مَا جُلِبْ

يَحْفَظُ بَطْنَهُ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ                              يَتْرُكُ مَا شُبِّهَ بِاهْتِمَامِ

يَحْفَظُ فَرْجَهُ وَيَتَّقِي الشَّهِيدْ              فِي الْبَطْشِ وَالسَّعْيِ لِمَمْنُوعٍ يُرِيدْ

“He lowers his gaze away from the forbidden things , he precents his ears from this sinful things

Such as slander, fabrications, lies, His tongue more deserving of avoiding those sinful things

He protects his stomach from Harām, Abandoning in it’s cause what is ambiguous and doubtful

He protests his genitals from Harām and fears the Witnesses, While holding and walking toward a forbiddance that is sought”_

In these lines, the Imām began to mention the manifestations of Taqwah

One very critical aspect of Taqwah is protecting the organs from the forbidances

Here he mentioned the 7 organs which, if protected from Harām would imply Taqwah for the Believer

The first are the eyes. They must be protected from seeing the things that are not permissible to expose. For one to attain Taqwah, he must discipline himself to always lower his gaze from not only the Harām things, but also the glitters of this world that distracts the believer from focussing on Allāh’s Pleasure

Regarding the opposite sex and seeing them by accident, the Rasūl salallāhu alayhi wasallam said to Alī radiyallāhu ‘anhu – In the Hadīth that was recorded by Imām Abū Dāwud As-Sijistānī from Ibn Buraydah:

يا علي لا تتبع النظرة النظرة، فإن لك الأولى وليست لك الآخرة

“O Alī, do not follow one gaze with another. Given to you (without punishment) is the first but the second is not given to you”_

Al-Khattābī said, while commenting on this:

“The first Gaze is indeed given to him and he is not held responsible for it if only it was by accident without been intensional or deliberate. And it is not for him to repeat a second look or to deliberately set out to see look in the first instance or in the second”_

in the Hadīth of Jābir bn ‘Abdillah radiyallāhu ‘anhu that was recorded by Imām Muslim, he said

 سألت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن نظر الفجأة؟ فأمرني أن أصرف بصري

 _”I had asked the Messenger of Allah about the accidental look (at the Opposite Sex) and he commanded me to turn away my gaze”_

It is important for the Believing man to curb his gazes notwithstanding and to discipline himself to always have a lower gaze

By lowering the gaze is meant curbing what you seek to see that your eyes may not go into seeing what will be a source of fitnah

Allāh had said in the Qur’an

 قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ

 _”And say to the Believers, Lower your Gazes”_

As much as lowering the gaze applies to believing men, it applies to believing women too

Women may also not extend their gazes to the opposite sex

Aside withholding the gaze from what is Harām , it must also be withheld from the glitters of the Dunya that are sources of Fitnah to the Believer

For this reason, Allāh said:

 وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ ۚ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ

 _”And do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [some] categories of them, [its being but] the splendor of worldly life by which We test them. And the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring.”_

This is because when the eyes focusses on the glitters of the Dunya that Allāh has given to others, the heart is prone to be distracted from it’s focus and to seek the temporal things of this Dunya

Allāh forbade the Believers from doing this

*The Second Organ* which he mentioned is the Ears

And the Eyes and the Ears were given the preference of mention because they are mainly inlets into the heart

Whosoever allows the inlets into his heart to be wide open to things that Allāh has forbidden, his heart will become accustomed to sins and will yearn for them

Anything about which Allāh has forbidden the tongue from saying, he has forbidden the ears from hearing

Also forbidden to the ears are the private discussions of others and spying over their actions

As examples, the Imām mentioned Slander, Backbiting, falsification, false testimony and lies

And as a rule, the Believer is expected to distance himself from any place sins are committed to where he cannot hear them

Allāh said in the Qur’an

 وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ ۚ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا

“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book ( this Qur’ân ) that when you hear the Verses of Allâh being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; ( but if you stayed with them ) certainly in that case you would be like them. Surely, Allâh will collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell.”_

The Imams of Tafsir have explained this Verse succinctly.

Of them is Imām Al-Qurtubī, part of what he said concerning this verse is the following:

_”So Whomsoever sits in a gathering of sins and did not rebuke them should be the same with them and share in equally in their sins. So it is important that he rebukes them if they go into sins and/or act in it’s accordance. If he is not capable of rebuking and correct them, then it is required of him to rise and depart from them that he may not be considered as a part of those regarded in this Āyah”_

Let us all take heed in that regard

And avoid the gatherings of sins where the reputations of people are damaged, where the limits of Allāh are trampled upon and where the Legislations of Allāh are given no regard.

We ask Allāh for Tawfīq

We shall pause here for the week inshā Allāh

Bārakallāhu Fīkum

Jazakumullāhu Khayran

سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت أستغفرك وأتوب إليك

Assalāmu Alaykum Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh