Imam Ghazali: 99 Beautiful Names of God [Introduction]
15th August 2014
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Imam Ghazali: 99 Beautiful Names of God [Introduction]
Who was Imam Al-Ghazali?
Every century Allah (swt) gave
us a Reviver of our Deen, as through time mankind begins to lose its way
and forget about Allah. Imam Al-Ghazali was the reviver of the 12th
Century and had such an impact on the world, even today millions of Muslims and
non-Muslims are inspired by his teachings. His focus was Tassawuf and bringing
Muslims back to the true love and worship of Allah (swt). His full name is Abū Ḥāmid
Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī (c. 1058–1111).
Introduction to 99 Names of Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)
These
names ‘Asma’ are Allah’s Siffat;
His qualities and attributes as they describe Allah. We are forbidden to assign
names to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) other than the 99 he has himself
taught
us, and so we are also forbidden from assigning names to Allah except the ones
He Allah ta’alla has assigned to himself.
Allah
is Our Creator and Maker and our Lord, ‘Rabb’, so as his obedient servants we
need to learn who Allah is. We can know Allah through his names, in the Quran
and in Ahadith of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Allah
recognizes the needs of his creation. We are always in need of Him swt and we can
turn to him by calling on Him through His names. We are all in need of help and
guidance, and we cannot guide ourselves. Allah has the cure for all our
problems. E.g. if we need gentleness Allah is Al-Lateef, if we need protection,
Allah is Al-Hafidh.
“And
to Allah belong the best names, so call Him by them.” [Qur’an, 7:180]
“Whoever
humbles himself to God, Allah will raise him.” [Muslim]
Prophet
Muhammad (ﷺ) said ‘Allah has 99 names, 100 minus one,
single, He loves odd numbers and whoever enumerates will enter paradise’
When you name another person a
child, servant etc. you have power or authority over them and give them names
of your choice. Nothing has authority over Allah nor is there anything more
powerful than Allah, thus we do not give Allah names other than the names he
has ascribed to himself through the Holy Qur’an. The Prophet (ﷺ) himself compiled the names in order to teach
them to others and pass this tradition on.
Allah has more than 99 names,
Prophet Muhammad has taught us that Allah mentioned some names to us in the
Holy Qur’an and others through Ahadith. And some of Allah’s names are hidden.
Allah’s greatest name [Al-Ism Al-Azam] is hidden, only some prophets and holy
men knew this name. Prophet Muhammad compiled these 99 names and did so in
order to teach others. The most important belief in Iman Muffasal is Iman
Billah; belief in Allah. How can a Muslim have belief in something he does not
know or understand? How can a Muslim love and worship he does not have
knowledge of? For this reason it is important to learn about Allah. And the
best way to learn about Allah is through his names.
Tazkiyyah Lesson 1: Introduction
18th August 2014
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Introduction | Meaning and Importance
Purification of the Heart | Tazkiyyah Lessons تزكية
Definition of Tazkiyyah
Tazkiyyah comes from the word ‘Zakah’.
Zakah is to purify and to grow. Just like a plant is ‘pruned’ and the dead diseased parts are cut off, to allow the new shoots to grow and blossom into beautiful flowers. This is what Tazkiyyah does. It cleanses the heart and Nafs [self] from sin, and Taqwa and Imaan blossom. Therefore Tazkiyyah means to purify oneself and develop closeness to Allah.
Purification should take place every day of the life of the Muslim every minute and every moment. Many aspects of the human life need to be cleansed, hence there are different types of ‘Tazkiyyah’, such as ‘Tazkiyyah tul Jism’ Purification of the body, ‘Tazkiyyah tul Kalaam’ Purification of speech etc.
These lessons will concentrate on purification of the Self: Tazkiyyah-tul Nafs and Matharat Al-Qulub; Purification of the heart. The reason we speak of the heart is because it is the core of the human being, once the heart is purified the Nafs will be purified also.
"He is successful who purifies himself, and remembers the name of his Lord, and so prays." (Surah 87:14-15)
“The day that neither wealth nor sons will be of any benefit except for he who comes to Allah with a pure heart.” [Holy Qur’an, Surah Ash-Shu’a’ara 26:89]
Success for the believer is purifying himself of all evil and sins, purifying all aspects of his life. His words, his actions, his thoughts and intentions, his inner and outer self.
The Messenger of God (ﷺ) was asked, "Who are the best of men?" He replied, "Every believer whose heart is cleansed." They asked, "What is the cleansed heart?" He answered, "It is the god-fearing pure heart, in which there is no fraud, nor wickedness, nor betrayal, nor hatred, nor envy."
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Cleanliness is half of faith (Iman).” [Sahih Muslim]
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Taqwa is here,” and he pointed to his chest. [Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad]
What is the Heart?
When we speak of the heart in Islam we refer to the spiritual heart which is within the physical heart. Man is made up of the body ‘Jism’, the soul ‘Ruh’ and his ‘Nafs’, the heart is connected to all three.
Many religions and cultures believe in a ‘spiritual’ heart. We often even use phrases such as ‘He has a hard heart’ or a ‘cold heart’ for cruel people. You will have also heard people say ‘soft hearted’, ‘open hearted’ or ‘big hearted.’ What we mean by this is how someone thinks, feels and responds.
In Islam our mind is within our heart; this is where we make decisions, think and feel.
Scientists have actually discovered the physical heart has its own intelligence and functions without the brain; it follows its own orders. The heart beats in the foetus before the brain is fully formed. And in surgeries where the brain has been removed the heart still beats. The heart is a source of knowledge and knows when you sin. Wrong actions irritate the heart.
Ibn Taymiyyah said ‘Doctors and philosophers have said that the mind is in the brain, so we think and understand with our brains and not with our hearts.’ He then said that the centre is actually the heart. Ibn Katheer said: The arrogant philosophers say that the mind is in the brain. [Tafsir ibn Kathir Vol 4]
Qalb is the general word for heart and the root word means something that turns around, something that changes easily. When Allah (swt) refers to Iman and the diseases of the heart, He uses the word Qalb. Sadr and Fu’aad are also used for the heart. There are over 30 words for heart in Arabic!
In Islam we actually believe this metaphorical heart to be real and very important to look after and cleanse. Allah swt describes certain evil doers in the Qur’an as hard hearted, black hearted, and similarly pious people with cleansed hearts.
Allah says, “Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness.” [Al-Baqarah 2:74]
Three Types of Heart
- Muslim’s heart; this is alive and constantly remembering Allah.
- Hypocrites heart; it is diseased.
- Kafir’s heart, this heart is dead and has rust over it.
References
1. The Holy Qur’an
2. Sahih Ahadith
3. Matharat Al-Qulub ‘Purification of the Heart’ [Imam Al-Mawlud]
Translated by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf
4. Iyha Ulum Udeen [Imam Ghazali]
5. ‘A Heart Serene’ course notes [Riadh Oarzi]
Tazkiyyah Lesson: Purifying Intentions
11th August 2014
بسم الله الرحمن
الرحيم
Purifying Intentions
Purification of the Heart | Tazkiyyah Lessons تزكية
The Niyyah for
Knowledge
We must purify our
intention before seeking knowledge as knowledge can lead us either to Jannah
or Jahanam. Knowledge is a weapon that even the devil uses. People gain
knowledge to argue, they memorise Qur’an Ayaat and Hadith to prove a
point or to show their opinion is right. People also use knowledge so others
can think good of them, or even so they feel good about themselves. These are
not correct reasons to seek knowledge. These are corrupted intentions. Wrong
intentions lead to the fire. Islamic knowledge is a blessing and is only given
to pure hearts.
Scholarly teachers in the past would not teach
students who committed sins even if they were minor, or if they missed Nafl
actions. As this clearly shows that those students are not seeking knowledge
with the correct Niyyah. They stayed away from those individuals and did
not spend time with them. Think! Are you worthy to receive knowledge?
Action is through
intention
Before opening up
your Qur’an, before picking up your pen, before leaving your home to travel to
Islamic classes, just stop for a moment and think. Make the Niyyah to
seek knowledge from your heart. Let your heart make the decision to come for
Allah swt only, so you see this Niyyah on Qiyama, the day all
secrets and veils are revealed. Does your heart want people in this Dunya to
be pleased with it or in the Akhirah? Ask yourself, why do I want to
become knowledgeable? Why do I want to become an ‘Alimah a Hafidha,
or an ‘Ustadha? Is it for Allah swt? Is it for people? Or is it for myself?
Some scholars will be dragged into hellfire as they did not practise what they
preached and they studied and taught to look good in people’s eyes. [Hadith Qudsi in Muslim, Tirmidhi]
Purifying Intentions
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said,
‘The intention of the believer is better than his deed.’
The intention is a secret that
only Allah swt understands. Actions are outward and only people see these. In
Islam actions done for the sake of God secretly are better.
The Prophet said (ﷺ) ,
"Seven (people) will be shaded by Allah by His Shade on the Day of
Resurrection……….a man who gives in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given." [Bukhari]
‘This is how you ought to understand the effect
of all pious acts what is sought is to solely change the heart and to convert
its attributes, and not the attributes of the limbs.’ Imam
Ghazali.
All actions turn to dust on Qiyama
except those that were done to please Allah ta’Ala.
‘And We shall turn to whatever deeds they
(disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) did, and We shall make such deeds as
scattered floating particles of dust’. Holy Qur’an [25:23]
All your hard work, revising, memorising and
seeking ‘ilm will have no reward if the intention is not present. And
vice versa, you might never achieve the things you want in this life. You might
never become as knowledgeable or pious as you desire. But Allah swt sees your
heart and He sees your desire and you will be rewarded for that. Prophet
Muhammad (ﷺ)
said ‘A good deed is written for the person who means to perform a good deed
but does not.’
How to purify my
intention?
If your heart
desires to please Allah ta’Ala the rest of your body will follow and your
intentions will also be pure. The heart is like the leader of your body, and
the rest of your organs follow it. Our hearts are the strongest organs in our
bodies, and it is true in a spiritual sense also.
Take for example a
person who has just found out someone has died. Their body reacts to that
internally and externally, tears emerge, their face drops, and they may even
fall.
We all have feelings and desires in our heart. We
study Islam and want to gain knowledge. Allah swt puts this desire in you, to
learn more about Islam, to attend Islamic classes. You being here shows what is
in your heart; that love for religious knowledge. The outward is a reflection
of the inward. As an Imam once said, ‘You are like a vessel, and a vessel
can only pour out what is poured in it.’
Our Niyyah is important as it is the key to
how our mind and heart will function. Our Niyyah will also affect how
well we learn and study. If the intention is corrupted, the rest of the body
will be corrupted, and instead of benefitting you will lose out and even gain
sins. Intention is vital.
THINK! Be conscious; be aware of what you are
doing. Muslims are encouraged to reflect. Think before you speak. Make your Niyyah
before you pray. Why? To consciously make a decision. Muslims should be
intelligent mindful people. Do you stop and think before putting the television
on and watching useless programmes? Do you stop and think before talking to
your friend? Do you stop and think before doing Ibadah? We live in a
world of dead people, who don’t think but simply follow what the world tells
them.
Make the decision now, to purify your heart and
make your Niyyah to seek knowledge only for Allah. One pure good Niyyah
can literally change your life.
{May
Allah ta’Ala purify our intentions, cleanse us of wrong desires and only make us
desire Him, love Him, please Him and seek knowledge for His seek. Ameen.}
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