Sincerity

Bismillaah

Innal hamdulillah ir Rabbil alamin wa salaatu wa salaamu ala
Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasooluhu wa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma'een, amma
ba'd......

The Beauty of Sincerity

How many of us take the time to beautify ourselves outwardly, ensuring
that our physical appearance is appealing to our spouse or loved ones?
Sure the answer would be many. On the contrary, how many of us take
the time to beautify and purify our hearts for the sake of Allah the
Almighty? Unlike our physical appearance, it is the heart of the son
of Adam that carries the burden of intention and thus is observed by
Allah Most High.
From Umar ibn Al Khattab (radiyAllahu anhu) who said that Allah?s
Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said, ?Actions are but by
intentions and there is for every person only that which he intended.
So he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, then his
migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was
to attain some worldly goal or to take a woman in marriage, then his
migration was for that which he migrated."
Sincerity is having an intention for all actions, words and states,
outward and inward: Allah Almighty says, ?They were only ordered to
worship Allah, making their deen sincerely His as people of pure
natural belief, and to establish the prayer and pay Zakat¬ that is the
correct deen" (98:5) and He, Azza wa Jal, says, ?Say, Whether you
conceal what is in your breasts or make it known, Allah knows it.'"
(3:29)
To achieve ikhlaas, we have to avoid insincerity; insincerity is
self-desire (al-hawa) and can fall under any of the following 7 types:
i. To make oneself appear good in the hearts of others
ii. To seek the praises of others
iii. To avoid being blamed by others
iv. To seek the glorification of others
v. To seek the wealth/money of others
vi. To seek the services or love of others
vii. To seek the help of others for oneself
Ways to obtain ikhlaas:
Perform righteous deeds - the more good deeds we do and hence get
closer to Allah, the more sincere we will be.

Before doing any deed, first seek ilm (knowledge) - our actions
should be guided by knowledge so that we do them in accordance to the
Shari?ah.
Do not give false impressions - do not make others believe that an
action we did was good when it was not.
Before you do anything, check your niyyah (intention) - ask
yourself before performing an action: Is it for the sake of Allah??

Allahumma innee as?aaluka ikhlaas fin-niyyah, wa as?aaluka khushoo?a
fil ?amal?
O Allah I ask you for sincerity in my intentions and I ask you for
tranquillity in my actions.

Ibnul al-Qayyim says: Any action we do is subject to three defects:
1. Being conscious that others are observin?g our actions.
2. Seeking a return (benefit/reward) for the action.
3. Being satisfied with the action.

There are four things that contradict ikhlaas:
1. Ma'siat - committing sins - this will weaken our ikhlaas
2. Shirk - associating others with Allah
3. Riyaa' - performing an ibaadah with the intention of showing off to others
4. Nifaaq - hypocrisy

Allah the Most High says, ?That He might try you (to see) which of you
are fairest in actions." (67:2).? It does not mean one of you whose
deeds are more numerous but one who is more righteous in his conduct -
and this rightness is nothing but fear of Allah and sincerity of
intention (niyyah). To persevere in an action until it becomes sincere
is more difficult than (performing) the action itself and sincerity of
action lies in this, that you should not desire anyone to praise you
for it except Allah, The Only One worthy of worship. As, ultimately,
our actions are undermined by our intentions - whether they be good or
bad.

"Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are
(all) for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.? (6:162).

Subhaanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ashadu alaa ilaaha illa Anta,
astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayka. Glory is to You, O Allah, and Praise is
to You. I bear witness there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek
Your Forgiveness and repent to You.

'Indeed those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of creation'.

AQL

AQL

Intelligence (in Arabic)

In Arabic there are three words meaning 'intelligence' which share a similar semantic development. All of them are derived from verbs meaning 'to stop'.

Of them, the most frequently used is ‘aql, a noun derived from the root verb ‘aqala, meaning 'to hobble a camel (so it will not run away); to arrest, detain'. A related word is ‘iqâl, the cord used for hobbling the camel, which the Arab also uses to hold his headcloth in place. The noun ‘aql means 'sense, sentience, reason, understanding, discernment, insight, mind, intellect, intelligence'. While it commonly means 'intelligence' or 'intellect' in the ordinary sense of the ratiocinative faculty, it is not limited to this level; in traditional metaphysics it also has the higher meaning of Intellect, the immediate intuitive understanding of the highest truths. This supernal meaning of ‘aql is borne out by a hadith that states: awwala mâ khalaqa Allâhu al-‘aql 'the first thing that Allah created was the Intellect'. Considering the highest meaning of ‘aql leads to a different analysis of its meaning, as Seyyed Hossein Nasr writes in Knowledge and the Sacred: "The Arabic word for intellect, al-‘aql, is related to the word 'to bind', for it is that which binds man to his Origin; etymologically it could be compared to religion itself, for in this case religio is also what binds and relates man to God."


Another word for intelligence is nuhá, from the root n-h-y, the transitive verb nahá, 'to forbid, prohibit, interdict; to restrain, hold back, prevent'. Another verb derived from the same root is the intransitive intahá, 'to end, finish'.
The third intelligence word is wuqûf, derived from the intransitive verb waqafa 'to halt, stop, stand still'. An extended meaning of this verb is 'to get interested in something, inquire, investigate'.


What does stopping have to do with intelligence? Careful thought is posited in opposition to mindless activity. Consider the daimon of Socrates who did not tell him what to do, only what not to do. I first got some insight into the semantic connection when I was observing my three-year-old. She had learned to do all kinds of new activities; every day she was discovering new skills with increased muscular coordination. As every harried parent knows, the child's new-found physical ability to run around, manipulate objects, and get into all kinds of mischief develops first; the good sense that keeps her from causing havoc only develops more slowly. This showed clearly the difference between the ability to perform an action and the judgment of when and how to do it properly.

In the Arabic view, intelligence is not so much being able to do things as knowing enough to restrain oneself to do the right things at the right time. The word ‘aql implies keeping the lower soul on a leash, as it were, to keep it from running wild, so that the higher mind exercises control over it. The ‘iqal holding the Arab's headcloth in place symbolizes the ‘aql that holds the mind's thoughts in order and keeps one from becoming scatterbrained. The meaning of nuhá is implied in a verse of the Qur'an (79:40): wa-nahá al-nafsa ‘an al-hawá 'to restrain the lower soul from caprice'. The word wuqûf implies pausing, curbing one's impulses, to examine and ponder a situation carefully. All these semantic structures agree that intelligence depends on having the caution and prudence to still the passions, to stop and think before rushing ahead.
In this spirit, I must pause here to note that there is another Arabic word for intelligence that has nothing to do with the above! From the verb dhakâ 'to blaze up' (said of a fire), comes the noun dhakâ’ meaning 'acumen, mental alertness, intelligence, brightness'. The life of the mind is not limited to restraint but has an active side, vigorous as a surging blaze of fire. While mental energy powers thought, to catch fire, penetrate darkness and bring facts to light, reason knows enough to hold it in check to use it as a finely tuned instrument of knowledge.

Imam Ghazali's Last Words

Imam Ghazali woke up one early morning and as usual offered his prayers and then enquired what day it was, his younger brother, Ahmad Ghazali replied,"Monday." He asked him to bring his white shroud, kissed it, stretched himself full length and saying "Lord, I obey willingly," breathed his last. And underneath his head rest they found the following verses; composed by him, probably, during the night.

Say to my friends, when they look upon me, dead Weeping for me and mourning me in sorrow Do not believe that this corpse you see is myself In the name of God, I tell you, it is not I, I am a spirit, and this is naught but flesh It was my abode and my garment for a time.
I am a treasure, by a talisman kept hid,
Fashioned of dust, which served me as a shrine,
I am a pearl, which has left it's shell deserted,
I am a bird, and this body was my cage

Whence I have now floron forth and it is left as a token Praise to God, who hath now set me free

And prepared for me my place in the highest of the heaven, Until today I was dead, though alive in your midst. Now I live in truth, with the grave - clothes discarded. Today I hold converse with the saints above, With no veil between, I see God face to face. I look upon "Loh-i-Mahfuz" and there in I read Whatever was and is and all that is to be. Let my house fall in ruins, lay my cage in the ground, Cast away the talisman, it is a token, no more Lay aside my cloak, it was but my outer garment. Place them all in the grave, let them be forgotten, I have passed on my way and you are left behind Your place of abode was no deweling place for me. Think not that death is death, nay, it is life, A life that surpasses all we could dream of here, While in this world, here we are granted sleep, Death is but sleep, sleep that shall be prolonged Be not frightened when death draweth night, It is but the departure for this blessed home Think of the mercy and love of your Lord, Give thanks for His Grace and come without fear. What I am now, even so shall you be For I know that you are even as I am The souls of all men come forth from God The bodies of all are compounded alike Good and evil, alike it was ours I give you now a message of good cheer May God's peace and joy for evermore be yours."

From Jannah.org thanks

The Kalam Cosmological Argument

The temporal, kalam cosmological argument, dates back to medieval Muslim philosophers such as al-Kindi and al-Ghazali. It has recently been restored to popularity by William Lane Craig.
Like all cosmological arguments, the kalam cosmological argument is an argument from the existence of the world or universe to the existence of God. The existence of the universe, such arguments claim, stands in need of explanation. The only adequate explanation, the arguments suggest, is that it was created by God.

What distinguishes the kalam cosmological argument from other forms of cosmological argument is that it rests on the idea that the universe has a beginning in time. Modal forms of the cosmological argument are consistent with the universe having an infinite past. According to the kalam cosmological argument, however, it is precisely because the universe is thought to have a beginning in time that its existence is thought to stand in need of explanation.
This argument has the following logical structure:

The Kalam Cosmological Argument

(1) Everything that has a beginning of its existence has a cause of its existence.
(2) The universe has a beginning of its existence.

Therefore:
(3) The universe has a cause of its existence.

(4) If the universe has a cause of its existence then that cause is God.

Therefore:

(5) God exists.


The first premise of the argument is the claim that everything that begins to exist has a cause of its existence. In order to infer from this that the universe has a cause of its existence the proponent of the kalam cosmological argument must prove that the past is finite, that the universe began to exist at a certain point in time.

The crucial premise of the kalam cosmological argument, then, is the second: “The universe has a beginning of its existence”. How do we know that the universe has a beginning of its existence? Might not the universe stretch back in time into infinity, always having existed? The proponent of the kalam cosmological argument must show that this cannot be the case if his argument is to be successful.

Advocates of the kalam cosmological argument claim that it is impossible that the universe has an infinite past. In support of this claim, modern advocates of the argument often appeal to modern science, specifically to the Big Bang theory. Modern science, they say, has established that the universe began with the Big Bang.

Traditionally, however, it is mathematics that has been used by proponents of the kalam argument in order to establish that the past is finite. There are a number of ways of doing this; I’ll outline three mathematical arguments for the finitude of the past.

Maths and the Finitude of the Past

The kalam cosmological argument rests on the idea that the universe has a beginning; its second premise states as much. Advocates of the argument offer two kinds of argument in favour of this claim: scientific and mathematical. Here I will outline three mathematical arguments for the finitude of the past.

The first argument draws on the idea that actual infinites cannot exist, the second on the idea that actual infinites cannot be created by successive addition, and the third on the idea that actual infinites cannot be traversed.

If any of these arguments is successful, then the second premise of the kalam arguments will have been proven.

The Impossibility of an Actual Infinite
The first mathematical argument for the claim that the universe has a beginning draws on the idea that the existence of an infinite number of anything leads to logical contradictions. If the universe did not have a beginning, then the past would be infinite, i.e. there would be an infinite number of past times. There cannot, however, be an infinite number of anything, and so the past cannot be infinite, and so the universe must have had a beginning.
Why think that there cannot be an infinite number of anything? There are two types of infinites, potential infinites and actual infinites. Potential infinites are purely conceptual, and clearly both can and do exist. Mathematicians employ the concept of infinity to solve equations. We can imagine things being infinite. Actual infinites, though, arguably, cannot exist. For an actual infinite to exist it is not sufficient that we can imagine an infinite number of things; for an actual infinite to exist there must be an infinite number of things. This, however, leads to certain logical problems.

The most famous problem that arises from the existence of an actual infinite is the Hilbert’s Hotel paradox. Hilbert’s Hotel is a (hypothetical) hotel with an infinite number of rooms, each of which is occupide by a guest. As there are an infinite number of rooms and an infinite number of guests, every room is occupied; the hotel cannot accomodate another guest. However, if a new guest arrives, then it is possible to free up a room for them by moving the guest in room number 1 to room number 2, and the guest in room number 2 to room number 3, and so on. As for every room n there is a room n + 1, every guest can be moved into a different room, thus leaving room number 1 vacant. The new guest, then, can be accommodated after all. This is clearly paradoxical; it is not possible that a hotel both can and cannot accommodate a new guest. Hilbert’s Hotel, therefore, is not possible.

A similar paradox arises if the past is infinite. If there exists an infinite past, then if we were to assign a number to each past moment then every real number (i.e. every postive integer) would be assigned to some moment. There would therefore be no unassigned number to be assigned to the present moment as it passes into the past. However, by reassigning the numbers such that moment number one becomes moment number two, and moment number two becomes moment number three, and so on, we could free up moment number one to be assigned to the present. If the past is infinite, therefore, then there both is and is not a free number to be assigned to the present as it passes into the past.

That such a paradox results from the assumption that the past is infinites, it is claimed, demonstrates that it is not possible that that assumption is correct. The past, it seems, cannot be infinite, because it is not possible that there be an infinite number of past moments. If the past cannot be infinite, then the universe must have a beginning. This is the first mathematical argument for the second premise of the kalam cosmological argument.

The Impossibility of an Actual Infinite created by Successive Addition
The second mathematical argument for the claim that the universe has a beginning draws on the idea that an actual infinite cannot be created by successive addition. If one begins with a number, and repeatedly adds one to it, one will never arrive at infinity. If one has a heap of sand, and repeatedly adds more sand to it, the heap will never become infinitely large. Taking something finite and repeatedly adding finite quantities to it will never make it infinite. Actual infinites cannot be created by successive addition.

The past has been created by successive addition. The past continuously grows as one moment after another passes from the future into the present and then into the past. Every moment that is now past was once in the future, but was added to the past by the passage of time.
If actual infinites cannot be created by successive addition, and the past was created by successive addition, then the past cannot be an actual infinite. The past must be finite, and the universe must therefore have had a beginning. This is the second mathematical argument for the second premise of the kalam cosmological argument.

The Impossibility of an Actual Infinite that has been Traversed
The third mathematical argument for the claim that the universe has a beginning draws on the idea that actual infinites cannot be traversed.
If I were to set out on a journey to an infinitely distant point in space, it would not just take me a long time to get there; rather, I would never get there. No matter how long I had been walking for, a part of the journey would still remain. I would never arrive at my destination. Infinite space cannot be traversed.

Similarly, if I were to start counting to infinity, it would not just take me a long time to get there; rather, I would never get there. No matter how long I had been counting for, I would still only have counted to a finite number. It is impossible to traverse the infinite set of numbers between zero and infinity.

This also applies to the past. If the past were infinite, then it would not just take a long time to the present to arrive; rather, the present would never arrive. No matter how much time had passed, we would still be working through the infinite past. It is impossible to traverse an infinite period of time.

Clearly, though, the present has arrived, the past has been traversed. The past, therefore, cannot be infinite, but must rather be finite. The universe has a beginning. This is the third mathematical argument for the second premise of the kalam cosmological argument.

The Miracle of Iron

The Miracle of Iron

HARUN YAHYA

Iron is one of the elements highlighted in the Qur'an. In Surat al-Hadid, meaning Iron, we are informed:

And We also sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind… (Qur’an, 57:25)

The word “anzalna,” translated as "sent down" and used for iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical meaning to explain that iron has been given to benefit people. But, when we take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, "being physically sent down from the sky," as in the case of rain and Sun rays, we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle. Because, modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from giant stars in outer space.


Not only the iron on earth, but also the iron in the entire Solar System, comes from outer space, since the temperature in the Sun is inadequate for the formation of iron. The sun has a surface temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius, and a core temperature of approximately 20 million degrees. Iron can only be produced in much larger stars than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it, and it eventually explodes in what is called a "nova" or a "supernova." These explosions make it possible for iron to be given off into space.


One scientific source provides the following information on this subject:

There is also evidence for older supernova events: Enhanced levels of iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have been interpreted as indications that a supernova explosion occurred within 90 light-years of the sun about 5 million years ago. Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron, formed in supernova explosions, which decays with a half life of 1.5 million years. An enhanced presence of this isotope in a geologic layer indicates the recent nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space and their subsequent transport to the earth (perhaps as part of dust grains). 3
All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but was carried from Supernovas, and was "sent down," as stated in the verse. It is clear that this fact could not have been known in the 7th century, when the Qur'an was revealed. Nevertheless, this fact is related in the Qur’an, the Word of Allah, Who encompasses all things in His infinite knowledge.

Astronomy has also revealed that other elements also formed outside the Earth. In the expression “We also sent down iron” in the verse, the word “also” may well be referring to that idea. However, the fact that the verse specifically mentions iron is quite astounding, considering that these discoveries were made at the end of the 20th century. In his book Nature’s Destiny, the well-known microbiologist Michael Denton emphasizes the importance of iron:

Of all the metals there is none more essential to life than iron. It is the accumulation of iron in the center of a star which triggers a supernova explosion and the subsequent scattering of the vital atoms of life throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing by gravity of iron atoms to the center of the primeval earth that generated the heat which caused the initial chemical differentiation of the earth, the outgassing of the early atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the hydrosphere. It is molten iron in the center of the earth which, acting like a gigantic dynamo, generates the earth’s magnetic field, which in turn creates the Van Allen radiation belts that shield the earth’s surface from destructive high-energy-penetrating cosmic radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer from cosmic ray destruction…


Without the iron atom, there would be no carbon-based life in the cosmos; no supernovae, no heating of the primitive earth, no atmosphere or hydrosphere. There would be no protective magnetic field, no Van Allen radiation belts, no ozone layer, no metal to make hemoglobin [in human blood], no metal to tame the reactivity of oxygen, and no oxidative metabolism.
The intriguing and intimate relationship between life and iron, between the red color of blood and the dying of some distant star, not only indicates the relevance of metals to biology but also the biocentricity of the cosmos...


This account clearly indicates the importance of the iron atom. The fact that particular attention is drawn to iron in the Qur’an also emphasises the importance of the element. In addition, there is another hidden truth in the Qur’an which draws attention to the importance of iron: Surat al-Hadid 25, which refers to iron, contains two rather interesting mathematical codes.

“Al- Hadid” is the 57th sura in the Qur’an. The abjad of the word “Al-Hadid” in Arabic, when the numerological values of its letters are added up, is also 57.

The numerological value of the word “hadid” alone is 26. And 26 is the atomic number of iron.
Moreover, iron oxide particles were used in a cancer treatment in recent months and positive developments were observed. A team led by Dr. Andreas Jordan, at the world famous Charité Hospital in Germany, succeeded in destroying cancer cells with this new technique developed for the treatment of cancer—magnetic fluid hyperthermia (high temperature magnetic liquid). As a result of this technique, first performed on the 26-year-old Nikolaus H., no new cancer cells were observed in the patient in the following three months.

This method of treatment can be summarised as follows:

1. A liquid containing iron oxide particles is injected into the tumour by means of a special syringe. These particles spread throughout the tumour cells. This liquid consists of thousands of millions of particles, 1,000 times smaller than the red blood corpuscles, of iron oxide in 1 cm3 that can easily flow through all blood vessels.

2. The patient is then placed in a machine with a powerful magnetic field.

3. This magnetic field, applied externally, begins to set the iron particles in the tumour in motion. During this time the temperature in the tumour containing the iron oxide particles rises by up to 45 degrees.

4. In a few minutes the cancer cells, unable to protect themselves from the heat, are either weakened or destroyed. The tumour may then be completely eradicated with subsequent chemotherapy.

In this treatment it is only the cancer cells that are affected by the magnetic field, since only they contain the iron oxide particles. The spread of this technique is a major development in the treatment of this potentially lethal disease. In the treatment of such a widespread disease as cancer, the use of the expression “iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind” (Qur’an, 57:25) in the Qur’an is particularly noteworthy. Indeed, in that verse, the Qur’an may be indicating the benefits of iron for human health. (Allah knows best.)

Official statement by Scholars concerning Danish cartoons

"The events in Denmark concerning the Messenger of God represent an entirely unacceptable crime of aggression that has violated the highest sanctities of the Muslim people. Moreover it is devastating to the ideal of convivial dialogue between peoples, as enjoined in the Quranic verse, which reads, 'And We created you as nations and tribes that you might know one another'..."

Click on the link below to download the official statement of the scholars:

http://www.guidancemedia.com/downloads/articles/declaration.pdf

Human Being

On Being a Human Being

Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti


Oh the seeker who wishes to learn the chemistry of secrets and follow the path of the ones who have found salvation! If you wish to know yourself, know that the One who created you has created you with two sides. One is your outside and the other is your inside.: Your outside is visible, it is your form. Your inside is sometimes called your ego, sometimes your soul, sometimes your heart. Your truth is inside of you. Your outside, your eyes, your hands, your feet . . . . are the servants of your inside. Your heart is the center of it. It is not the piece of meat on the left side of your chest, because animals, even dead people have it. It is a piece of meat which is visible. Everything which is visible belongs to this world. The heart, the soul, which is the center of your inner being, is invisible, but to it, the beauty of the truth is visible. All the rest of your physical being is its servant.

What Allah addresses, His obligations, His prohibitions, His rewards and His punishments are all to your inner self. But when the heart is addressed, when it obeys or it revolts, all the rest of you follows it. To know it is the key to knowing your Lord.

Try to learn it, find it and be with it. It is also created and made out of matter, but of fine matter, from the same material which the angels are made of. When the beloved of Allah, our master says: "I am made from the divine light of Allah and the believers generate from me." He means with the divine light, that material which your heart is made of.

Know that your heart has come from the invisible higher realms of the angels, close to your Lord and has descended to the ruins of this world to be tested and will soon return to its Lord.
And our guide says: "Be ready for that day. Soon you will be on your way. Prepare your sustenance for the Hereafter, for the trip is long. Remember death always. It will take all the sweet seeming tastes of this world from your senses. For every ascension there is a descent, and life ends in death and Here ends in the Hereafter. Turn your face away from this world which attempts to fool you with everything it presents to tempt you. Your intelligence is given to you not in order to be fooled. Gather from here what will be necessary for you in the hereafter. You do not know what your name will be there. This is not your home. It is a passage full of trouble and pain. There is no peace in it. Your attachment to it is a key to everlasting disaster. Don’t you see that this world has turned its back on you, while death is looking in your face. Allah has given this world both to the ones whom He loves and to the ones whom He hates, while the felicity of the hereafter is only for the ones whom He loves. Don’t let the false jewels of this world tie you here and prevent you from the eternal paradise. Seek Allah’s pleasure in everything.

Enes Ibn Malik reports that a Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah and greeted him in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah asked him where he came from.

The Bedouin said: "I come from far seeking answers to some questions."

Our master told him to ask his questions.

"I wish to be an intelligent man, what should I do?" "Fear Allah."

"I wish to be a loyal servant to Allah and do what He wants me to do." "Read the Qur'an."

"I wish to be enlightened and have peace of heart." "Remember Death."

"I wish to be protected against enemies." "Trust in Allah."

"I wish to follow the Straight Path." "Do good to others for Allah’s sake."

"What should I do so that Allah does not abase me?" "Do not respond to the desires of your flesh."

"I wish to have a long life." "Praise and thank Allah."

"I wish for prosperity.""Be in a state of ablution at all times."

"How can I save myself from the hellfire?""Protect your eyes and your tongue and your hands and what is below your waist line against evil."

"How can I cleanse myself from my sins?""Shed tears for what you have done and repent by undoing what you have done wrong."

"I wish to be a respectable person.""Then, don’t ask for anything from anybody."

"I wish to be honorable.""Then don’t divulge the wrong doings of anybody."

"What should I do to protect myself from the tortures of the grave?" "Recite the Sûrah Mulk."

"What should one do to be rich?" "Read the Sûrah Muzammil."

"How should I calm my fear of the day of last judgment?." "Remember Allah before you eat anything and before you sleep."

"What should I do to feel the presence of Allah when I make my prayers?" "Give the utmost care in taking your ablutions and in being clean and pure."

Allah’s beloved, whom He gave us as our Master, Guide and Teacher, declares:"I was a Prophet when Adam was between earth and water."

"I am only a man like you and I need to eat just like you.""I was ordered to tell you only what you can understand."

"I was sent to teach you the best of character.""Allah is my witness that I am known in this world and in the heavens as the trustworthy one.""The untruth is farthest from me and I from it. The untruth will never be from me, neither I from it.""Allah sent me as His mercy upon the universe. I can not cause pain to anyone."

"My nights and days are passed with my Lord. He is the one who feeds me."

"My Lord, Himself, educated me in the best way.""I am the most courageous of men."

"No one has suffered as much as I have.""I am the answer of my forefather the prophet Abraham and fulfillment of the good news given by my brother Jesus and the realization of my mothers dream,"

"I have a time with Allah that neither any of the prophets which He sent nor any of the books which He revealed. neither angels can come between us."

"All the other prophets were sent to their nations. Only I was sent to the whole of humanity."

"Whoever sees me in their dreams let him know that whom he saw was truly I, because the devil cannot assume my form. And whoever saw me will see me on the day of last judgement and will enter paradise."

"My presence amongst you was a blessing when I was alive. I will continue being a blessing upon you after my death."

"On the day of last judgement I am the Master of all Adam’s children but I am not proud of it. The banner of mercy is in my hand and all the prophets are under my banner, but I am not proud of it. I am the first one who will intercede for the humankind and my intercession is accepted, but I am not proud."

The one who has been given the best character and was sent to us to teach us the best morals says:"The traces of my character will continue amongst my people until the day of last judgement. The only justification for honor and pride for any people is their morals. In their work, in their achievements, in their customs, in their actual state, true success is only realized by excellent morals, especially if that character is enhanced by justice."

He tells us that:
"Men are like the teeth of a comb, perfectly equal. All the believers are like one single human being."

"We are all the children of Adam. And Adam was created from the humble earth."

"Enough of being proud of your fathers and forefathers and the achievements of your tribes and nations. If you continue with this arrogance, your Lord will consider you worse than an insect."

"We are all the creatures of one God. Let us be brothers and sisters. Do not be hostile to each other; do not turn your backs on each other. Do not be envious of what the others have. Do not seek vengeance."

"Allah loves all His creation, but the one who is loved most by Allah is the one who helps others."
"We deserve the ones who rule us. The ones who rule us represent who we are."

"When Allah hears the screams and the moaning of the ones tyrannized by other men, he sends his lions to annihilate them and nothing and nobody can save them."

"Men should either know or seek knowledge otherwise there is no good in them. Learn what you need to learn. But as long as you do not act in accordance with your knowledge, there is no benefit in it."

"We should pray that the Lord enrich us in knowledge, beautify us with intelligence and gentleness of character and honor us by enabling us to choose the right over the wrong and preventing us from doing harm to others."

"Three follow a funeral: one’s family, one’s property and one’s deeds. The first two return to the world after one is buried. Only his deeds are left with the deceased."

Hadrat Abdul Kadiri Gaylani k.s. says, "My son, first educate yourself, put yourself on the straight path, then to the others. You know that you yourself, are in need, how can you satisfy the needs of others. Your eyes can see only the distance one step away, while you are trying to lead the blind."

Your whole goal is to eat and to drink and to have fun. It is fine, except these are not goals they are but means to help you to reach your Lord. Your goal must be that which you need most... our Creator. Seek Him. Everything has a price. The price of the hereafter is paid with your life in this world. The price of finding your creator is, you, yourself. It is only when you take this world out of your heart that your heart will be able to receive the truth. Think of every day as if it were your last. If you are truly able to do that, it is sufficient for you.

Come let us leave these desires of the flesh which really do not become us. What if we suffer a little, we regret a little, but if we get close to Him, we will forget all our troubles. Instead and running here and there, driven by the desires of our flesh, let us try to lead ourselves to the path to truth. All we have to do is follow our guide whom Allah has sent as His mercy upon the universe.

If the patient ones suffer a little in this world, Allah certainly sees it. If you hold on to patience for one moment, He will reward you for years. Don’t you see all those heroes which are honored all through their lives have received that honor with a moment’s patience and trust in Allah, facing death.

What is necessary for you is to love and fear Allah and to fear none other than Him and to do all you intend to do for His sake and in His name. ‘Tins can not be done erratically as you usually do things, nor by talking about it. No one believes the ones who talk but do not do anything. Even if you do not do the things which you tell people that on wish to do, do you re eat these intentions to yourself when there is no one to hear Do you really feel the wish to do them~ If you do, perhaps that is sufficient for you. Is it proper for you to pretend to be in unison with your Lord on the street and to be running yourself as partner to Him in your home? Isn’t that hypocrisy, isn’t that a sign of a dirty heart? Such a pitiful state. All these pure claims produced by such a dirty heart. Your tongue praises your Lord while your heart is in opposition to Him.

No promise to man and no prayer to Allah is acceptable if it smells of insincerity. The path of the Master of the worlds, may Allah’s peace and blessings by upon him, is nothing but sincerity.
When you say "La ilaha ilallah," "There is no God but Allah," you are making a very serious claim, a world shaking statement. A statement like this needs proof, witnesses. The witnesses which will prove your claim are two. One is to accept to suffer and to show patience. The second is to face all adversities, hostilities, trouble and pain which such a statement bring upon one, and the sincerity in your patience and your efforts


To obtain the approval and pleasure of your Lord, neither prayer nor deeds to show to others give any benefit~: neither wishes and hopes for greater achievements than your are capable of. Nothing could be obtained by the efforts of someone who’s exterior and interior are not one and the same, specially when your lie becomes known. What a disaster it will cause. If you have any of these faults, repent now and don’t break your repentance. What is important more than repentance is not to break one’s promise of not doing that for which one has sought repentance.
Do not dispute the truth, do not negate it because it is other than what you claim. How often you accuse the truth because men do not appreciate and agree with you or you loose what you had. Why don’t you look for the fault in yourself? You want every thing the way you wish it to be. Whose is the decision, whose is the power, whose is the knowledge, whose is the compassion? His or yours? Do not forget that you and every- thing else are His creatures. In everything which happens, it is His will which prevails. So, stop being arrogant. When you are arrogant towards His servants, you are arrogant towards Him. What were you but a drop of dirty water, a clot of blood and what will you be but a dead weight thrown into a hole. Make humbleness a rule of your existence. Don’t be a slave of your ambitions. When you gather the wealth of this world, do not behave like someone who is gathering wood in a dark night. You are so much like him, not knowing what will come to your hand, a poisonous snake instead of wood. Be heedful. You have to know what you are going to hold in your hand before you pick it up. Do not beg from men for the goods of this world. It does not befit you. What if nothing is given to you after you have abased yourself. Isn’t it better to look for your sustenance which is destined only for you, for no one could give that which is not destined for you. Haven’t you heard our Master say: "The worst trouble for you is to wish for and seek that which is not destined for you.
Oh the one who claims that he knows, where is your proof ? The proof of the ones who know is the tears which they shed, the tears of the fear and love of Allah, the tears of repentance for one’s faults, the tears of having failed in the battle with your ego. . . I don’t see any of this in you, with all the knowledge which you claim you have, you spend your time seeking recognition, fame, wealth" eating and drinking and having fun. Gather the thousand pieces which you are, use the mind which you claim you have. What ever will come from this world to you will come to you in spite of yourself.

Don’t trouble yourself. Relax. Don’t expect, thus you will free yourself from the pain of expectation. You will free yourself from the heavy weight of ambition. If you don’t realize this, if you don’t do what I say, all you will get from that knowledge which you claim to have and from all your efforts is fatigue, trouble and pain and,. on the day of last judgement, a very long and hard accounting to give. What good is knowledge to you if there is no truth in it. Knowledge of anything else but the truth is nothing but trouble. So you learned. You also make your prayers and fast in Ramadan and appear as a Muslim, but your intention is to be seen, to be praised. Let us say that the people are really fooled and they think the world of you. What good will it do you at the moment of death? There will be in a deep chasm. They will be on the top and you will be in the bottom. what you have gathered during your miserable life will be left with them. Its accounting and the punishment will be left with you.


Woe to you. You hope for Paradise while all you do is pulling you to the fire. You pass your time with things which passes with time. You think they will stay with you, but they slip out of your hands as soon as you hold them. The One who created you gave this life of a moment as a trust to you, and He told you how to spend your time. But you spend it running after the desires of your flesh. Your youth, your health, your knowledge, your riches are only lent to you. You were supposed to use them the way the One who entrusted them to you asked you to use them. Who fed you in your mother’s womb? How helpless you were. Who brought you up and made you the way you are. You think it is you, your efforts your knowledge, your money, your mother your father, your teacher, your employer made you what you are today. But where are your mother your father, your teacher, all those upon whom you depend. Of they are here today, they will be gone tomorrow or they will abandon you, they will shut their doors to your face. When you will scream for help, no one will come. Whomever you depend on except Allah, whomever you love and fear except Allah is your god and you are running partners to the only One who created you, fed you, loved and cared for you however you are. Don’t do what He asked you not to do. Don’t do anything else but what He asked you to do. In everything you do you need two witnesses. One is Allah’s words in the Qur'an al Kerim and the other is the Sunnah of Rasulallah. But you ignore these two witnesses. Instead you count on your two witnesses. One is your ego and the other is your weak mind. They are your enemies and will push you into the Hell-Fire
Oh the one whose inner self is all rotten, soon you will die. You will be shown what you have done and you will regret, but it will be too late. Your tongue spoke well. It fooled others and you. You neither understood what you said nor others did under- stand. No word of truth entered your heart, nor did you do good to others. What would have saved you would have been if your heart would have spoken even a few words of sincerity. Oh the one who has made himself and the others into insurmountable walls between himself and the ones who truly were on the Path to their Lord. Shed tears. Sometimes you shed tears for the misfortune of others. I: you lament for them, lament a thousand times for yourself.


If you want to help others, and correct their errors, you can’t do it by yourself, you can only do it with your faith. Faults, errors, sin, can only be overcome by Faith. If you have enough Faith, then your Lord will be your helper. He is the friend of the ones whose Faith can erase the ugliness. But if you attempt to do that by yourself, for the glory of it, you will but destroy yourself and be no help to others.

Don’t ever attribute any success to yourself, or feel able and powerful. That will give you courage to attempt things which will kill you, away from the eye the care, the com- passion and the help of the One who has created you. Nor should you ever feel that what you say should be heard and accepted by the ones around you. How can you build on air. First you have to dig the foundations all the way to your heart then build a palace with your good deeds and sincerity to invite the people in.

But look at yourself. Your Islam which you wear like clothes is torn and dirty. Your heart is ignorant. Your existence is nothing but trouble and stress. But you put on the airs of a king, holding a book in your hand whose pages are black. While you have no care or love, you imagine that you care and love. Your beloved is only the phantom of this world. Right under your foot is the grave. The hereafter is a step away. Be aware. Now. There is no time.
Oh Lord, include us amongst those who have been born in Truth and lived in Truth and died to Truth, who gave but not took, who have been forgiven because they have forgiven, and who have been reborn in a life everlasting.

with permission from:
Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti, March 26, 1996 http://www.jerrahi.org/writings_english/human.htm

Ontological Argument

In theology and the philosophy of religion, an ontological argument for the existence of God is an argument that God's existence can be proved a priori, that is, by intuition and reason alone.

The argument works by examining the concept of God, and arguing that it implies the actual existence of God; that is, if we can conceive of God, then God exists — it is thus self-contradictory to state that God does not exist.

A modern description of the argument

Here's a short, and very general description of the ontological argument:

1) God is the greatest possible being and thus possesses all perfections.
2) Existence is a perfection.
3) God exists.

This is a shorter modern version of the argument.

1) God is the entity than which no greater entity can be conceived.
2) The concept of God exists in human understanding.
3) God does not exist in reality (assumed in order to refute).
4) The concept of God existing in reality exists in human understanding.
5) If an entity exists in reality and in human understanding, this entity is greater than it would have been if it existed only in human understanding (a statement of existence as a perfection).
6) from 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 An entity can be conceived which is greater than God, the entity than which no greater entity can be conceived (logical self-contradiction).
7) Assumption 3 is wrong, therefore God exists in reality (assuming 1, 2, 4, and 5 are accepted as true).