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Refining Character and Rectifying Thought
By: Al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Director, Dar al-Mustafa for the Islamic Sciences (Tarim, Yemen) Translated by: Khalil Abu Asmaa (of www.ReflectOnThis.com)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
PRAISE BE TO ALLAH, Lord of the Worlds. May
Allah send blessings and peace upon his servant, the
chosen and trustworthy one (al-Mustafa al-Amin), our
master Muhammad, the one sent as a mercy to all the
worlds, as a warner and a giver of glad tidings, a caller
to Allah—with His permission—and a light-giving
lamp.
Oh Allah, continuously send Your blessings
upon Your chosen servant, the deliverer of humanity
from the darknesses and misguidances of shirk
(associating partners with God), criminality (ijram),
division (shatat), separation from You, and all that
which necessitates perpetuity in Your anger. [And may
such blessings and peace] be upon his family and
companions and all those who tread his path. To proceed:
To our brethren from the members of this
religion and the way of truth (Deen al-Haqq) in all the
regions [of the world]: We send well-wishes for the
blessed Eid al-Adha. May Allah make it of the most
blessed Eid’s for us and for the nation of His Prophet
Muhammad (may Allah send blessings and peace
upon him, his family, and his companions altogether).
In the monthly word for this blessed month of
Dhul-Hijjah (1428) we would like to draw attention to
two main points: refining character (tahdhib al-suluk)
and rectifying thought (taqwim al-fikr). This is because
what is received and what is met with in the
educational system, in the society at large, and in
private gatherings, has proven to be be insufficient in
preventing people from being overwhelmed by bad
characteristics, outbursts (of passion, etc.), and the
causes of corruption (fisq) and dissoluteness (fujur)
that emanate from the nafs (lower-self) and from the
satanic notions of both men and jinn.
[This is happening] at a time in which there is
a densification of that which calls to disintegration
(inhilal) and disturbance (ikhtilal), to being carried away
with chasing after the causes of decline and ruin, and
to being overwhelmed by egotism, greed, and vain
desire. [This densification is also taking place with
regards to] that which promotes malice, hatred, and
the use of deception and trickery in order to obtain
selfish goals. At the same time, the obligation of the
refinement of character and the rectification [of
thought] has become crippled, weakened, or even
ignored in the lives of many of us, the Muslim nation.
As a direct result of this, there has been a
thrust in the presentation of things written, heard,
and seen, causing a crookedness in [character] and
conceptualization (tasawwur) and thought (fikr). Both
of these matters—that which concerns character and
thought—are threatened with great harms, if ignored,
and are directly related to the present state of the
ummah, which will have an impact on the various
aspects of its life, as well as on the affairs of this
world and those things that happen in it.
Therefore, this reality must remain actively
present in the minds of those in positions of
responsibility and the people of intellect and wisdom,
as well as anyone that has the power to influence with
noble and goodly means. They should constantly be
aware of this obligation—one that the ummah is in
dire need of—in order to protect the strongholds of
this Deen, to fill the gaps of those that wish to
corrupt, and to contribute to averting atrocious and
disastrous harms from reaching the ummah.
Even though this obligation is not limited to a
particular time, there is a greater opportunity during
school holidays—specifically with regards to the
younger generation. This is an opportunity to sit with
them, speak with them, and to organize their time in
order to converse with them in a goodly and balanced
manner, one that is comprehensive and effective and
addresses their convictions, minds, and hearts.
We wanted to remind [everyone] to take
advantage of these holiday times concerning these
two areas [i.e., the refinement of character and the
rectification of thought]. There are many ways in
which this can be done, such as dialogues, beneficial
gatherings, selecting the right kind of books and tapes
[and other recorded material for their edification],
organizing halaqah’s, and [providing] various types of
teachers and sitting companions.
We would also like to call attention to the fact
that it is necessary to see Eid al-Adha as a ripe time to
spread the realization of brotherhood, friendship, and
love between families and societies, and to bring life
to the meanings of Eid that are related to our final
destination [the Hereafter] and rejoicing in the
forgiveness of God, the Almighty, and His manifesting of vast generosity during this great Hajj
season, during which the Eid itself occurs (after the
standing on ‘Arafah), along with those things that the
Sunnah has informed us of from those divine
outpourings [of mercy]. All this is in order that the
emotions of the upcoming generation, and the Muslim
society [in general], may be focused on the lofty goals
of life and how the Muslims are unique in their view
of holidays from amongst all the other non-Muslim
groups, specifically with regard to how the latter have
fallen short of benefiting from this loftier view that is
connected with the very nobility of humanity itself
and the final and serious destination—matters of
permanence, perpetuity, and eternity.
Hence, the holidays (eids) of the people of this
religion are connected with salvation from those things
that necessitate the ‘great punishment’ and the anger
of the Overwhelming (al-Jabbar), the Most High (al-
A’ala), along with a hope for attaining His forgiveness
and good pleasure, as well as the causes for abiding in
His proximity with His beloved and purified ones. Not
to mention what the Eid contains of reminders of the
good and blessed efforts that are expended in the
sphere of noble service to humanity, dedication to
high moral principles, and all other such elevated
reminders.
We ask the Truth (al-Haqq), Blessed and
Exalted is He, to bring life to these meanings in the
hearts of the ummah; to make this from the causes for
the removal of the tribulations and hardships that have
befallen it; to free us from the evils that have seized it;
and to change our state to the best of states.
May Allah, the Exalted, make us of those
whom He grants long lives in His obedience, under
His good pleasure, those whom—during their long
lives—He shows a change to what is better on the
pages of the condition of the ummah, a removal of
affliction, a gathering of the hearts, and sincere
truthfulness with Him, Glorified and Exalted is He.
He is the knower of the unseen.
May Allah send blessings and peace upon
our master Muhammad, his family, and companions.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. |
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