في سبيل الله

اللَّهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

Alhamdulilah. All praise to Allāh for another day, we pray to Allāh that he make us among the shakireen always and may he transform our hearts through the knowledge that he allows us to seek. 

In last week's class we went over the praiseworthy sciences. However we would be covering that in detail as there would be further covering the praiseworthy sciences in detail and it will be more comprehensive to also go over them altogether. However today we will be going over the adab with your teachers and with the friends of Allāh. 

Ustad Sameer highlighted on backbiting being one of the major sins in Islam and he also mentioned that one has to be really cautious to not backbite their teachers but rather have shuara(consultation) with them.

He also mentioned that one have to also trust the Ijma of the teacher and not question the Ijma of the teacher. For the teacher, would have much hikmah behind why certain has to be done a certain way. As he mentioned that it may take sometime to realise the hikhmah of the decision of the teacher as he always mentions, 'put things in your backpack' and the wisdom will unravel to you upon time. 

Upon the closing of the class, he highlighted something which I found to be very profound. 

The Four Stations of the Spiritual Path (Sulūk)

Towards the end of the session, Ustadh Sameer outlined a powerful model of spiritual growth — a path that many seekers walk, progressing from outer practice to inner intimacy. These are known as the four levels of sulūk, the spiritual journey of the soul toward Allah.

1. Al-‘Ābid (The Worshipper) – Striving Through Discipline

This is the entry point. The ‘Ābid is devoted in worship, consistent in prayers, fasting, Qur’an recitation, and dhikr. Their routine is full of righteous acts, yet their heart may still be veiled. Worship at this level is often motivated by hope for reward or fear of punishment. While the limbs are engaged, the inner self may not yet be fully present. Nonetheless, this stage builds the necessary discipline that anchors the rest of the path.

2. Al-‘Ālim (The Seeker of Knowledge) – Illuminating the Mind and Practice

The second station is that of the ‘Ālim, the scholar. This person carries sacred knowledge — memorising the Qur’an, understanding Islamic law, studying Hadith and theology. Their mind becomes illuminated by revelation. Yet even at this noble level, knowledge remains cognitive unless coupled with spiritual refinement. Without heart-work, it is possible for the ‘Ālim to speak of divine truths without having tasted them.

3. Al-‘Ārif billāh (The Knower of Allah) – Witnessing with Insight (Basīrah)

The ‘Ārif is one who truly begins to see. They have moved from knowing about Allah to knowing through Allah. Their heart perceives divine signs in the world — in people, in nature, in silence. A glance at their mother reminds them of Allah’s Raḥmah (mercy). Their remembrance (dhikr) is not mechanical but filled with presence. At this stage, the seeker experiences moments of fanā’ — the self fades as the reality of Allah comes to the forefront.

4. Al-‘Āshiq (The Lover) – Lost in Divine Love (‘Ishq)

This is the highest and most intimate level. The ‘Āshiq is not just a servant or a scholar — they are a lover. Their heart is overtaken by ‘ishq, a burning love for the Divine. Before this comes maḥabbah, a gentle and devoted affection. But in ‘ishq, the seeker becomes absorbed — they no longer see the world as separate from Allah. Every breath becomes part of a love story unfolding between the Lover and the Beloved. Their worship is no longer duty; it is yearning. Their presence is no longer for reward; it is out of nearness.

"Be patient with your soul. For your teacher needs to remove every thorn for the rose to bloom." - Ustad Sameer

Reflection 15/7 : Knowledge That Draws You Closer to Him

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ | اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

In our previous class, Ustad mentioned on the importance on consistency. He mentioned that istiqamah is a key when traversing the path to better oneself.

For our Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w) has mentioned that

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are those done regularly even if they are few.”

Source: Musnad Aḥmad 8600

He also highlighted the importance for a student of knowledge to focus on three key aspects of learning: Tawheed, Fiqh, and Tasawwuf. He mentioned how one should strive against his nafs and avoid living a careless lifestyle. He said one should not think, "If I can, I will improve myself. If I cannot, it's alright." — for such wishful thinking is from Shaytaan. One must instead adopt the mindset that life should be led with purpose and a willingness to make qurbiyah (sacrifice).

He emphasized that the path of making life decisions should be based on taking into account the preferences of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).

Ustad also explained the concepts of ‘Ilm ‘Aqli and ‘Ilm Naqli.

‘Ilm ‘Aqli refers to rational knowledge — the type that relies on human reasoning, logic, and observation. Examples include:

Logic (Mantiq)

Mathematics

‘Ilm Naqli refers to revealed or transmitted knowledge. The unanimously accepted sources of ‘ilm naqli are the Qur’an and the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).

Ustad Sameer also mentioned how a true seeker of knowledge does not merely seek knowledge for its own sake, but rather seeks Allah and His pleasure. He stressed the importance of doing mujahadah (striving against the self) to bring about internal change. May Allah grant all of us the resolve and tawfiq to achieve this.

He also emphasized the importance of giving naseehah (sincere advice) and quoted the hadith:

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "Ad-deen is naseehah (sincere advice)."

He highlighted the need for seeking tarbiyah (spiritual nurturing) and getting sincere counsel from our teachers.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ | اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ Praise be to Allah for the bestowal of faith and Islam. Enough [for me] are they as a bestowal. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا، وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ All praise is for Allah Who has made us alive after He made us die (sleep) and unto Him is the Resurrection. We thank Allah for the life that He has bestowed upon us. It is not just another day but another time for us to turn back to Him. Ya Allah, I seek forgiveness for my shortcomings. May you accept this reflection of ours.

On last Tuesday’s class, Ustad Sameer mentioned the immense blessing of the life we have and the health that Allah has bestowed us. We came to dawn upon this once again on how truly weak we indeed are. Our breath can stop any moment yet we think we know everything. We can’t even cause the breath to stop for more than a few minutes. What more for the mind which thinks, how is it facilitated? How about the legs in which he walks, who makes it walk? Who establishes the connection between the brain to the legs? How does this happen in a matter of milliseconds? For what would happen if there were just delays in the matter of milliseconds? How about the vessels which deliver blood to the brain? Every second God is creating a miracle. Yet we ask “oh God oh God please show me a miracle” as if the very fact that we have to ask has to go through so much processes within us isn’t a miracle within itself.

Ya Allah, we seek your forgiveness for the moments in which we didn’t remember you for blessing you offered us or the moments in which we misused the blessing that you have bestowed us! Ya Allah, we seek your forgiveness for all our shortcomings ya rabb! For you give and give! Ya Rabb, make us among the grateful ones and make us among the Mukhlaseen (the sincere ones).

On this week’s Tuesday class, we looked into the Hierarchy of Human Activities in which Imam Ghazali mentions the importance of worldly order as a prerequisite for one’s spiritual pursuits. Imam Ghazali describes that without fundamental activities like agriculture (food), weaving (clothing), architecture (shelter) and politics (social harmony), society descends into chaos. When this order is looked into, it would allow humankind to focus on higher goals:

As Imam Ghazali states that “Human interests extend to both the material and the spiritual worlds, and no order exists in the latter without existing in the former because this world is a preparation for the next..." Imam Ghazali explains this as the Material activities (farming, building, governing) would help to enable one to embark on the spiritual activities such as learning knowledge and to perform ibaadah.

Sometimes we also realise that in some form or so, some of the works that we do indeed contribute to much of the material activities mentioned above even if they may not contribute in totality. We can come to agree that we are indeed a node in the graph of the upliftment of a person’s life in a way. In such case, how can we transform the work that we do into ibaadah? When we strive for our livelihood thinking about the greater good we are striving for which is for the higher pursuits of Seeking Knowledge and attaining closeness to the Most High and following His commandments, such strive would also become worship bi-idhnillah!

May Allah strengthen us in our pursuit to know Him and attain Him and may He grant us goodness in this world and the hereafter.

We would like to close with two statements we came across, which we want to reiterate to our own self and is indeed something we hope to achieve in totality.

(Paraphrasing from Ayyuhal Walad) Imam Ghazali states the litmus test of true and beneficial knowledge is its tangible effect on the heart: it must increase one's consciousness, reverence, and awe of Allah (taqwa). Knowledge that fails to produce this spiritual fruit is, in his view, deficient or potentially spiritually harmful if it leads to arrogance or neglect of God.

We also heard the following that “And whoever does not act according to his knowledge, his knowledge becomes a proof (hujjah) against him”.

Our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) also said, “If someone increases in knowledge, but does not increase in guidance, he has only increased in remoteness from Allah.”

The following above reminders are for oneself firstly. We also sincerely seek your dua for Allah’s guidance for us to truly and sincerely benefit from the knowledge we learn for His sake!

May Allah increase us in Taqwa of Him and may He benefit us from everything that we have learned and heard! May Allah through this allow us to perform much amal for His pleasure and inspire others to gain His closeness as well!

Reflection : 27/5 - The Excellence of Knowledge: Part 2 بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بِنِعْمَتِهِ تَتِمُّ الصَّالِحَاتُ | اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

Praise be to Allah for the bestowal of faith and Islam. Enough [for me] are they as a bestowal.

Alhamdulillah, we thank Allāhﷻ for giving us another day to live, and we thank Him for the opportunity to grant us each breath. For time is capital, and each breath is capital.

We thank our teachers for motivating us to strive along this journey, and we thank Allāhﷻ for sending us a teacher. Jazakallahu Khairan ustad Sameer.

Last week, we highlighted once again the excellence of knowledge and how the one who seeks it is exalted in goodness, and how it stands firm in earning eternal happiness—a happiness no eye has experienced and no heart has felt.

We looked into how knowledge, unlike other precious resources in the world, contains intrinsic value in itself. Unlike gold, silver, or diamonds—which are often used as means to seek other objects—that which has intrinsic value is known to be nobler and more excellent. For example, the physical health Allāh has blessed us with—Alhamdulillah, yā Rabb! May Allāh bless barakah in our health and allow us to be in a state of shukr always. So, the physical health Allāh has bestowed upon us has both intrinsic value and serves as a means to an end. Good health is sought to guard against bodily pain and because it helps man reach his ends and meet his needs.

Likewise, knowledge is in itself delightful; therefore, it is sought for its intrinsic value, and it is also a means leading us to the hereafter. It is part of the journey through which we earn the highest of pleasures, the most noble of delights: to earn the pleasure of Allāh.

As the book states: “The greatest achievement in the opinion of man is eternal happiness, and the most excellent way is the way which leads to it.” One cannot achieve this happiness except through the pursuit of knowledge and its works—and the works are impossible without knowledge of how they are done.

The book further states: “The fruit of knowledge is drawing near to the Lord of the Universe, attaining the rank of the angels, and joining the company of the heavenly hosts. Its fruits in this world, however, are power, dignity, influence over kings, and reverence from all.”

Alhamdulillah that Allāh has made us take this path of knowledge. May Allāh blossom our path with sincerity in seeking His pleasure, purify our hearts, elevate our states, and imbue in us gratitude and noble character! May Allāh grant us istiqamah on this path.

Insha’Allāh, with the best of days entering upon us—the Day of ‘Arafah—I pray Allāh gives us strength and accepts all our du‘ā. For this day forgives our sins of the past year and the present year. Let us not miss this opportunity. Yet, it is indeed Allāh who enables us to perform the deeds we intend.

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّيْ عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

(O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner.)

Virtues of Dhul- Hijjah

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There are no better days in the sight of Allah than the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah” (Ibn Hibban) The Prophet ﷺ said: "No days are greater to Allah in which good deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days" (Bukhari 969)

Don't forget to fast on the day of Arafah (Falls on the blessed day of next week Friday)

On the authority of Abee Qataadah رضي الله عنه who said that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was asked concerning fasting on the day of ‘Arafah so he said: "It expiates sins of the previous year as well as the following year."