Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!bu.edu!m2c!wpi.WPI.EDU!zahle.wpi.edu!shari From: gt8145a@prism.gatech.edu (FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM) Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam Subject: Training the soul (1 of 7) Message-ID: <1991Apr24.183415.24254@wpi.WPI.EDU> Date: 24 Apr 91 18:34:15 GMT Sender: news@wpi.WPI.EDU (News) Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Lines: 113 Approved: shari@zahle.wpi.edu Originator: shari@zahle.wpi.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: zahle.wpi.edu A PRESENTATION OF KITAAB RIYAADAT AL-NAFS WA TAHDHIIB AL- AKHLAAQ WA MU'AALAJAT AMRAAD AL-QALB (THE BOOK OF TRAINING THE SOUL AND IMPROVING ONE'S MORALS AND TREATING THE DISEASES OF THE HEART) IN THE BOOK IHYAA' 'ULUUM AL-DIN BY AL-IMAM AL- GHAZAALI Is it not strange that we spend so much of our time being concerned with the diseases of the body, when the worst that can happen is the passing of our finite life (al-Hayaatu l-faaniya)? Is not the treatment of the diseases of the heart, which threaten the lasting life (al-Hayaatu l-baaqiya), more worthy of our attention? It is with this in mind that al-ghazaali begins to instruct us on the importance of good morals (khuluq Hasan) and how to achieve them in ourselves and in our children. This, according to al-ghazaali, is the meaning of God's words (qad aflaHa man zakkaaha wa qad khaab man dassaaha) (surat ashshams, ayat 9-10) (Whoever purifies [the soul] is successful and whoever impurifies it is lost.) THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD MORALS IN THE PROPHETIC TRADITIONS God subhanahu praised the messenger alayhi ssalam by revealing (wa innaka la 'alaa khuluqin 'aZiim) (Surat al-qalam, ayah 4) (Indeed, you (Muhammad) are of high moral character.) 'aa'isha radiy allahu anha said, "The messenger's morals were the Quran." A man asked the messenger of God alayhi ssalam, "What are good morals?" The messenger responded by reciting the 199th ayah of al-a'raaf: (khudh al-`afwa wa'mur bil-`urfi wa a`riD `an al-jaahiliin),whose translation may be (Be forgiving, command that which is known among the people, and avoid the argumentative.) The messenger alayhi ssalaam added to this by saying, "Good morals are to renew ties with him who broke ties with you, give to him who refused to give to you, and forgive transgressions against you." The messenger of God alayhi ssalaam, on the authority of abu hurayra, radiy allahu anh, said, "I was sent to perfect the virtues of morality." abu al-dardaa' said that God's messenger said: "The heaviest thing that can placed in a person's scales on the day of judgement is God-consciousness and good morals." According to abul-`laa' ibn al-shakhiir a man came to the messenger alayhi ssalaam and said, "What is religion?" So the messenger said, "Good morals." The man moved to the messenger's right and asked him, "O messenger of God, what is religion?" He said, "Good morals." The man moved to the messenger's left and asked the same question. The messenger alayhi ssalaam replied, "Good morals." The man moved behind him and asked, "O messenger of God, what is religion?" The messenger alayhi ssalaam turned and said, "Do you not understand? It is that you do not become angry." According to abu dharr radiy allahy anh, a man came to the messenger alayhi ssalaam and said, "Enjoin upon me [a righteous act.]" The messenger of God alayhi ssalaam said, "Be conscious of God wherever you are." The man said, "And after that?" The messenger alayhi ssalaam said, "Follow up an ill-deed with a good deed to erase it." The man said, "And after that?" The messenger said, "Treat people with good morals." The messenger alayhi ssalaam used to say in his du`aa' "O God, you have created me beautiful so make my morals beautiful (Hassanta khalqii fa Hassin khuluqii). This hadith was reported by abu mas`uud al-badri. It is reported that the messenger alayhi ssalaam said, "The honor of a believer is his religion, his final recourse is good morals, and his manliness is his reason." (karam al-mu'min diinuh wa Hasabuhu Husn al-khuluq wa muruu'atuhu `aqluh) Abu hurayra radiy allahu anhu is reported to have said: The messenger alayhi ssalaam said, "The most beloved of you to me and the closest of you to me on the day of judgement are those of you with the best morals." Ibn abbas radiy allahu anhuma reported that the messenger alayhi ssalaam said: "There are three things if you don't find them-or at least one of them-in a person then you should not give any of his works any weight: God-consciousness such that it prevents him from disobeying God, wisdom (Hilm) with which he can word off the foolish, or morals by which he can live among people." Ali ibn abi Talib (radiy allahu anhu) said that the messenger alayhi ssalaam used to say at the beginning of his prayer, "O God guide me to the best morals. None guide to them except you. O God, divert bad morals away from me. Indeed, none divert bad morals except you." Anas radiy allahu anhu said that the messenger alayhi ssalaam said, "The servant may achieve by good morals some of the highest degrees in the next life and some of the most honored positions, even though he may have been weak in 'ibaada (formal acts of worship.)" ---Please note that i believe weak in worship refers to nafl (superogatory prayers, not fara'iD, or the required prayers.) Anas radiy allahu anhu said that the messenger salla allahu alayhi wa sallam said, "The servant may reach the lowest levels of Hell through bad morals." THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD MORALS IN THE SAYINGS OF ASSALAF ASSAALIH (THE PIOUS ANCESTORS) Yahya ibn Mu`aadh said: In the generosity of morals are the treasures of provision. (fi si`at al-akhlaaq kunuuz al-arzaaq) Wahb ibn munabbih said: "The parable of a person with bad morals is the broken porcelin vase--it can neither be repaired nor will it return to clay." -- FADEL,AYMAN HOSSAM Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt8145a Internet: gt8145a@prism.gatech.edu