Sunday 21 Jan

✏️ Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest

Lesson 2: Causes of weakness or strength in Eemaan, what happens to the heart when one sins?

  • Brief Recap of lesson 1
  • Without Tawhid the heart cannot experience true tranquillity
  • No amount of wealth will grant tranquillity
  • How is it possible for a heart to have relaxation without that heart recognising the lord which has created it? How can one have peace without knowing the purpose for which he/she is created?
    • Anecdote of one waking up on an aeroplane, not knowing where he/she is going or why he/she is on that plane to begin with, the first thing one would want to know is “why am I here?” even before wanting to know how
  • Tawhid increases and decrease and this is affected by knowledge and patience
    • Your chest will be expanded in proportion to how strong your tawhid is and vice versa
  • Ibn Qayyim mentioned in another book concerning which group of people have the most perfect of Tawhid
    • NOTE: Tawhid has a basis/foundation, what is this?
    • NOTE: after the foundation of tawhid, there is the perfection of Tawhid, brief recap (see Lesson 1)
    • NOTE: the importance of staying away from the major sins, not persistently committing minor sins and accompanying that with seeking forgiveness
    • Recap of who are the best of the people in perfection of Tawhid, (see Lesson 1)
  • Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami says the above (i.e. Tawhid and Eemaan increasing and decreasing) is something a person is aware of by himself from own experience
  • Ibn Qayyim states a person’s soul fluctuates between commanding with evil, self reproaching and commanding with good. These are symptoms of strength or weakness of Eemaan
  • Causes of a person’s Eemaan and Tawhid becoming weak:
    • Turning away from Allah subhaanahu wata’aalaa.
    • Allah will test you with situations where you have an option to obey or disobey Allah with your hand, eye, speech etc
    • NOTE: after disobeying Allah, the soul of a believer becomes regretful and tight
  • Causes of a person’s Eemaan and Tawhid becoming strong:
    • Obeying Allah
    • NOTE: this must be done in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Performing Bidah is not obeying Allah.

  • Note: in the above, when mentioning strength or weakness of Tawhid, Eemaan is also mentioned, why is this? Are the identical?
    • This is because the essence of Eemaan is magnifying and glorifying your Lord and having Love for your Lord
    • These qualities (i.e. magnifying and loving Allah), if they are present in the heart it will naturally produce Tawhid
  • Ibn Qayyim mentions the verse: “Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!” [39:22]
    • This is a favour and a blessing from Allah
    • This type of person, whom Allah has opened his chest to Islam and being conscious of Allah, he/she worships Allah as though he sees him (although one cannot see Allah in this world)
    • The one in whose heart Allah places light, then Allah gives him/her the sense of being close to Allah
    • When this type of person experiences sinning and weakness of eemaan, then this person will experience symptoms in his/her heart of a sense of loneliness as he/she has sinned against the one who was close to him/her and who placed light in your heart. The One you escape back to in such a situation is Allah as he is the only one who can save you from the evil of your own sin and the one who can restore that light in your heart.
    • Q&A:
      • How do you define Tawhid (Islamic monotheism)? In can be defined in 3 parts:
        • It is the oneness of Allah in his Lordship:
          • This is in regards to his oneness in Creation, Ownership of everything in Existence, and his oneness in managing the affairs of his creation
        • It is the oneness of Allah in his worship, i.e. all worship belongs to him
        • It is the oneness of Allah in his names and attributes, we affirm them, we do not negate them or delve into them or make resemblances to his creation
      • NOTE: If Tawhid is the greatest means of expanding the Chest, then the opposite is also true in that Shirk (polytheism) is the greatest cause of tightening of the chest.

 

Next week insha Allah: what did Ibn Qayyim say about muraaqaba? The two types ofg guidance, What causes Allah abandoning his servant.