Derision Purification of the Heart

 

Purification of the Heart

Signs, Symptoms and Cures of

the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

Translation and Commentary of

Imam Mawlud's Maṭharat al-Qulub

by Hamza Yusuf

Derision

POEM VERSES 167-69

As for derision, tend to it with the same treatment used for

arrogance, and with the knowledge that one's purpose in

[derision] is to humiliate someone.

 

Yet by doing that, a person actually humiliates himself with

God and is recompensed with misfortune.

 

Also treat it by knowing the severe warning that has come in

Sahib Muslim about showing contempt for any Muslim.

 

Definition and Treatment

The next disease is derision, ridiculing people, making jest at their expense. Musa  pbuh told his people that God had commanded them to sacrifice a cow. They replied, "Are you mocking us?" Musa pbuh then told them, "I seek refuge in God from being ignorant" (QURAN, 2:67). Mocking people is therefore a form of ignorance, whether it is lampooning, caricaturing, or name calling. Humor and levity are important in human life. But levity as a way of life harms the spiritual heart. And laughter and amusement at the expense of the dignity of others is wholly inappropriate, although it is the staple of the comedians of our day.

 

Imam Mawlud says that the cure for the psychology and practice of mockery is similar to that of arrogance, since a person who mocks another most likely sees himself as superior to his victim. Ali ibn Abi Talib said, "Do not belittle anyone, for he may be a saint of God." Even if one sees a man inebriated and bellicose, vomiting in the street, one should not ridicule him, for one does not know what his future holds. Imam al-Qurtubi once said, "When he was bowing down to idols in Makkah, Umar ibn al-Khattab was still beloved to God." Only God knows the seal of people and their destinies. Moroccan proverb says, "Never mock any creature of God, for it might be beloved to He who created it." 

 

In the Quran, it is said, O you who believe, do not let people mock another people; for it may be that these are better than them; nor should women mock other women, for it may be that these are better than them. And do not taunt one another nor insult each other with nicknames (QURAN, 49:11). God also commanded, Do not revile those who call upon others apart from God, for they may then revile God out of ignorance (QURAN, 6:108). This Quranic ethic guards against inciting people to do things that are sacrilegious and harmful to their own souls, for if people start to curse God the Exalted, they invite the worse kind of harm. Even in the context of triumph, being boastful and exulting is ignoble. The Prophet pbuh in his victories was never boastful. He was completely magnanimous and grateful to God the Exalted. When he entered Makkah in the final conquest of his beloved city—whose people tortured, mocked, and reviled him—he entered with his head bowed and granted clemency to its inhabitants. He was entirely beautiful in character and compassion.

 

Supplicating God against one's enemies is not forbidden; in fact, it is recommended that people ask for victory when under attack, siege, aggression, or occupation. Regarding the situation in occupied Palestine, its people are under great stress and awful occupation. It is their right to ask God to relieve them of the tyranny that takes away their sons and daughters. But there is a problem in creating enmity with world Jewry and falling into the habit of cursing them outright and calling them names. In fact, many Jewish thinkers have condemned the occupation and are among the most vociferous critics of Israeli injustice.

 

The opponents of the Prophet pbuh were particularly vicious against Muslims. Hind bit into the liver of Hamza when he was martyred at the Battle of Badr. But she later became Muslim, a Companion of the Prophet pbuh —a member of that special generation of humanity. She, in fact, narrated hadith that can be found in the well-known compilations. Repentance is a recourse that the Lord of the Worlds has given humanity. Reflecting on the ethic that the Quran communicates to us in the aforementioned passages reveals that there is strength in dealing nobly with people. It is simply a better way to live. The treatment for derision is to realize that the essence of mockery is to humiliate people. Those who mock people in this life shall be mocked in the Hereafter, for it is a divine law that God recompenses people with the like of what they have done.

 

Source: Purification of Heart
to be continued ....

 

Obliviousness to Blessings

 

Purification of the Heart

Signs, Symptoms and Cures of

the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

Translation and Commentary of

Imam Mawlud's Maṭharat al-Qulub

by Hamza Yusuf

Obliviousness to Blessings

POEM VERSES 164—66

Among the faults of the soul is obliviousness to blessings. Its

root lies in inattentiveness to [the statement],

 

"Whatever blessings you have [it is from God]." By simply

remembering this and keeping in mind other verses of admonition, such as,

 

"He does not change . . .", and "If you show gratitude . . .",

then this chronic disease can be excised from you.

 

Definition and Treatment

The next disease is obliviousness to blessings, a lack of understanding and acknowledgement, a noxious disregard that whatever blessing you have, it is from God (QURAN, 16:53). The blessings that come to us, night and day, are beyond numeration, as the Quran reminds. These blessings come in all forms—what we can see and touch (by way of material goods: food, clothing, shelter, wealth, and the like), as well as what we cannot see (like safety, friendship, love, health, and protection from harm and calamity).

 

The Quran begins with the phrase translated as, In the name of God, the Merciful, the Mercy Giving (QURAN, 1:1). Some scholars have said that "Merciful" (Rahman) implies the giver of the major blessings, while "Mercy-Giving" (Rahim) implies the giver of subtle blessings that are not perceived until they are removed. We blink, for example, thousands of times a day without thought. There are people, however, who require artificial lubrication because their tear glands do not function. There are countless blessings related to the eye, let alone other  aspects of our lives, like our ability to walk in balance without needing to consciously stimulate dozens of muscles required to take one step. Our thumbs permit us to do with our hands what most creatures cannot attempt. God has made food delicious instead of bland. And He has given us dignity in our nutrition, which is a tremendous blessing, especially when one considers the way carnivores devour their prey.

 

While we cannot count our blessings, we are charged to be grateful for having them: So let man reflect on the food he eats. Indeed, We have poured down water in showers. Then We split the land in clefts. Then We caused to grow grain therein, and grapes and fresh herbage, and olive trees and date-palms, and dense orchards and fruits and pasture—all provision for you and for your cattle (QURAN, 80:24-32). The fact that the Quran has been revealed to tell us to reflect on these blessings is in itself a great blessing, for the human being cannot on his or her own figure out how to live with guidance. To deny God's blessings can lead to outright disbelief and denial of God the Exalted.

 

God never changes any blessing He has bestowed upon a people until they first change what is in themselves (QURAN, 8:53). God will not take away a blessing unless people show ingratitude. A poet said, "If you are in a blessing, guard it, for disobedience shall snatch away." Gratitude to God protects one from having blessings removed.

 

There is an interesting concept called istidraj, in which God allows an ingrate to flaunt his blessings, while God does not diminish the ingrate's blessings in the least. In fact, He may increase them. The person then begins to think that God really loves him or her, and the only thing worse than a person who is misguided is the person who is  astray but believes himself to be favored by God. As for man, whenever his Lord tries him by honoring him and bestowing favors on him, he says, "My Lord has honored me." And whenever He tries him by restricting his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me" (QURAN, 89:15-16). Scholars of Quranic commentary say that this passage shows the confusion of people in the way people interpret the blessings they receive. When they are the recipients of great wealth, they see themselves as especially pleasing to God. And when their provision is restricted, they feel God is debasing them. But the reality people often miss is that wealth is a test: Will its recipient be generous or miserly? The same applies when wealth is restricted: Will a person be patient and content, or feel despair and bitterness?

 

There are things that benefit a person in the short and long term. Examples of this are knowledge and excellent character. There are also things that are harmful to a person immediately and in the long run, like ignorance and obnoxiousness. Then there are things that offer immediate gratification, but the long-term benefits are nil. Carnal desires (shahawat) are generally like this. If a person overeats, he experiences immediate gratification; but in the long term, it invites health problems. Things may be beneficial in the long term but somewhat uncomfortable in the short. It may be difficult for a person to stop himself from eating until he is filled, but the long term benefits are obvious. This is also true with sexual intimacy: being patient until marriage may be uncomfortable and even frustrating, but its benefit is far greater than any temporary pleasure attained in falling into sin.

 

Ignorance urges people to see only short-term relief as a blessing and to ignore the benefits of patience and temporary discomfort. Knowledge opens the eyes to the long-term benefit, which lasts forever. In a study on children, researchers left cookies out on a table and told the children that they can have either one cookie now or two later. Consistently the children who scored better on intelligence tests waited for the two-cookie option. After following these children for 30 years, those who opted for the long-term gain were better adjusted, better educated, and more successful in their marriages.

 

There is a necessary link between intelligence and morality, the willingness to put off a short-term gain for a long-term benefit that ultimately is greater and everlasting* This kind of intelligence is conditioned by Islam. Umar said, "We are a people to whom God has given dignity with Islam; but if we seek dignity elsewhere, God will humiliate us."

 

Blessings are either roots or branches. The roots are things like Iman, Islam, health, safety, and well-being. The branches are money, clothing, shelter, and so on. It is revealed in the Quran that the Children of Israel disputed with a prophet pbuh among them over the choice of Saul (Talut) as their king because he was not a man of great wealth. But their prophet told them that God has given Saul knowledge and strength (QURAN, 2:247), which are blessings greater than wealth.

 

Once the Prophet pbuh asked a man, "Do you know what the completion of a blessing is?" The Prophet pbuh told him, "Entering Paradise." The best of blessings are those connected with entering Paradise. Faith, patience, good character, swiftness in doing good, and promptness in worship are blessings of God and they are everlasting. Islam itself is the completion of God's blessings upon humanity: This day, I have perfected for you your religion, and I have completed My blessings upon you, and I have chosen Islam for you as your religion (QURAN, 5:3).

 

The ornaments of this life are such things as a house, furnishings, and clothing. The more that one has of these blessings, the more he will be accountable for them. The Prophet pbuh said that the meat, the dates, and cool water that we consume are of those things we will be asked about, even the sandals on our feet. To be zahid (ascetic) does not always mean a lack of material possession. There is asceticism of the heart, in which one is not attached to the material world and is indifferent to it. In other words, a person's character and level of faith will not change if he loses his wealth. That's the sign of a zahid. But if one falls apart and plunges into despondency when losing something valuable, it shows an inordinate attachment to worldly life.

 

Source: Purification of Heart
to be continued ....

 

Antipathy Toward Death

 

Purification of the Heart

Signs, Symptoms and Cures of

the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

Translation and Commentary of

Imam Mawlud's Maṭharat al-Qulub

by Hamza Yusuf

Antipathy Toward Death

POEM VERSES 155-63

Antipathy toward death is when one flees from it and becomes

annoyed when it is even mentioned—

 

as if he is completely ignorant of [God's statement that] each

soul shall taste death.

 

This is reckoned to be among the diseases of the heart. So be

content with what God, the Exalted, has decreed.

 

But if one detests [death] not for its own sake, nor for the loss

of pleasures that it entails,

 

but rather out of fear of being cut off from preparing for the

Day of Judgment by obeying God more, [then it is not blameworthy].

 

Also, if one completely entrusts his affair to his Master,

whatever He wills, either causing him to drop dead or giving

him respite, it contents him.

 

Both of these attitudes towards death are commendable and

praiseworthy. [Either way], disliking the reality of death in no

way distances you from its proximity.

 

The one who constantly remembers death is ennobled with

contentment, with his heart's activities directed toward obedience,

 

and with prompt repentance [when wrongs occur]. The one

who is heedless of death is afflicted with the opposite of all three.

 

Definition and Treatment

Antipathy toward death is considered a disease of the heart. It refers to strong aversion to death to the point that its mere mention causes consternation. Such a person, Imam Mawlud says, is in denial of the reality: Every soul shall taste death (QURAN, 3:185); Say, "The death from which you flee will overtake you. Thereafter you will return to the Knower of the seen and unseen. He will then inform you of all that you had been doing" (QURAN, 62:8). None of this suggests that one should leap into the throes of death. It merely disparages the ethic of chasing after the fleeting things of this world while rebuffing the imminence of death and what comes after. When death is mentioned, it is considered a morbid topic that is uncouth to discuss. And when it is discussed, it is turned into some deadline before which people are supposed to squeeze in all their life's pleasures. The Muslim view is completely different. To speak about death is to speak about life and the urgency to live a faithful and wholesome life before death overtakes us.

 

Shaykh Ibn al-Habib said, "In death there are 1,000 reposes for the Muslim. As long as you are in this world, there is not a cell in your body that does not experience pain and disease. Once you are out of this world, all of that ends." For the believer, there is comfort in death. It is being taken from an abode of difficulty and trial to one of peace and unfathomable freedom. In Islam, the mourning period is short and should not be prolonged. The irony of extending the mourning period is that it is rooted in the excessive love of dunya (the world). The more one covets this world, the greater the sense of loss when a loved one dies.

 

Everyone will experience the loss of a loved one. When the Prophet pbuh lost his son Ibrahim, he wept but also praised God, the source of life and death. People who believe in God and in the Afterlife handle death well. The same is true with calamities and tribulations. Maurice Bucaille, the well-known French physician, said that what attracted his interest in Islam was how North Africans in France faced death. As a physician exposed to disease and death, he observed many of his own countrymen not knowing how to die or handle death.

 

The fear of death is natural. Reflexively, one protects himself from it. When angels in the form of human beings visited Prophet Abraham pbuh he offered them food. When he saw that they did not reach for the food, he grew fearful. Scholars say that Abraham pbuh thought they had come to take his life. The Prophet  pbuh encouraged believers to desire a long life for two reasons: to make up for past iniquities or to increase good deeds.

 

The one who remembers death is ennobled by certain characteristics. One of them is contentment and a lack of covetousness. The Prophet pbuh said, "Contentment is a treasure that is never exhausted." He also prayed, "O God, provide for my family with what suffices them and grant them contentment with it." The wealthy soul is one that is content. This contentment is not the kind that originates from stupidity or not knowing any better. It is contentment that is informed by knowledge and by reflection on death and its meaning.

 

Second, the remembrance of death gives one energy to achieve good deeds: Wealth and sons are the ornaments of the life of this world, while enduring righteous deeds are better with your Lord in reward and better in hope (QURAN, 18:46).

 

Third, remembrance of death engenders seeking repentance when one slips or errs. Penitence rectifies wrong action, and that is the gift of remembering death. When one lives with this realization, he or she becomes prompt in seeking God's forgiveness. Those who are heedless of death have no compunction in doing wrong, since death is not a factor in their lives. They carelessly view the Day of Judgment as some distant event hardly worth worrying about or some ancient notion formed in a primordial epoch of human development.

 

Source: Purification of Heart
to be continued ....