The first piece of advice is to correct the
belief in accordance with those which the scholars of (the credal Madhhab
called) Ahl as-sunnat teach in their books. For, it is this Madhhab only that
will be saved from Hell. May Allâhu ta’âlâ give
plenty of rewards for the work of those great people! Those scholars of the
four Madhhabs (in matters pertaining to acts and practices of worship), who
attained the grade of ijtihâd, and the great scholars educated by them are
called Ahl
as-sunna scholars. After correcting the belief
(îmân), it is necessary to perform the acts of worship which are named and
prescribed in (the books written on the Islamic science termed) fiqh,
i.e. to do the
commandments
of the Sharî’at and to abstain from what it prohibits. One should perform namâz
five times daily without reluctance and slackness, and with utmost diligence
concerning its principles and observing the (practical technicalities termed)
ta’dîl-i arkân. A person in possession of money or property amounting to (the
border of richness and termed) nisâb should pay zakât. Imâm-i a’zâm Abû Hanîfa
‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ says, “Also, it is necessary to pay the zakât of gold
and silver which women use as ornaments.”[1]
The human life is too valuable
to waste enjoying the (worldly pleasures and tastes which Islam tolerates and
terms) mubâhs. Then afortiori it should not be squandered by committing (acts
which Islam prohibits and terms) harâms. We should not busy ourselves with
music, singing, musical instruments, or songs. We should not be deceived by the
pleasure they give our nafs. These are poisons mixed with honey and covered
with sugar.
We should avoid ghiybat. Ghiybat is harâm. [Ghiybat means to talk about a Muslim’s or a
zimmî’s secret fault behind his back. It is necessary to tell Muslims about the
faults of the harbîs, about the sins of those who commit these sins in public,
about the evils of those who persecute Muslims and who deceive Muslims in
buying and selling, thereby helping Muslims to beware of their harms, and to
confute the slanders of those who talk and write about Islam wrongfully; these
are not ghiybat. Radd-ul-Muhtâr: 5-263)].
We should not spread gossip
(carry words) among Muslims. It has been declared that those who perpetrate
these two types of iniquitous acts will be subjected to various kinds of
torment. Also, it is harâm to lie and slander, and must be avoided. These two
evils were forbidden in all the previous dispensations. It is very blessed to
conceal Muslims’ defects, not to spread their secret sins and to forgive them
their faults. We should be compassionate towards our inferiors, those under our
command [such as wives, children, students, soldiers] and towards the poor. One
should not reproach them for their faults. We should not hurt or beat or insult
those poor people for trivial reasons. We should not violate anybody’s
property, life, honour, or chastity. Debts to everyone and to the government
must be
---------------------------------
[1] The first chapter of the fifth
fascicle of Endless Bliss
is allotted to the subject of ‘zakât’.
paid. Bribery, accepting or giving, is harâm. However, it would
not be bribery to give it in order to get rid of the oppression of a cruel
tyrant, or to avoid a disgusting situation. But accepting this would be harâm,
too. Everybody should see their own defects, and should every hour think of the
faults which they have committed towards Allâhu ta’âlâ. They should always bear in mind that Allâhu ta’âlâ does not hurry in punishing
them, nor does He cut off their sustenance. The words of command from our
parents, or from the government, if they are compatible with the Sharî’a, must
be obeyed, but the ones incompatible with Sharî’a should not be resisted
against lest we should cause fitna. [See the 123rd letter in the second volume
of the book Maktûbât-ı Ma’thûmiyya.]
After (learning Islam’s credal
tenets from books written by the scholars of Ahl as-sunnat and) correcting our
belief accordingly and (learning Islam’s commandments, again from books written
by those blessed scholars and called books of fiqh and) adapting ourselves to
the rules of fiqh, we should spend all our time remembering Allâhu ta’âlâ. We should continue
remembering, mentioning Allâhu ta’âlâ as the great men of religion have communicated. We should feel
hostility towards all the things that will prevent the heart from remembering Allâhu ta’âlâ. The better you adhere to the
Sharî’at, the more delicious will it be to remember Him. As indolence, laziness
increase in obeying the Sharî’at, that flavour will gradually decrease, being
thoroughly gone at last. What should I write more than what I have written
already? It will be enough for the reasonable one. We should not fall into the
traps of the enemies of Islam and we should not believe their lies and
slanders.