Notes on Hikmah

* Umar bin Khattab (ra) left to people 18 statements of wisdom:

1- When someone transgresses upon your rights (and in doing so disobeys Allah) the way to 'revenge' is to obey Allah in dealing with him. (use reason/rules instead of anger)

2- When something comes to you from your brother, accept it as something good, unless you have overwhelming evidence against it. (hush dhann- thinking good of people)

3- Don't take the word of a Muslim as ill. When there is a way of seeing it positively, take it that way. Find one good interpretation out of 10.

4- Avoid positions that will make others doubt you. (ie disobey Allah publicly, hang out with ppl who don't care, at all time and places)

5- Do not blame others. When you have a secret, its under your control, but when you tell someone else, that control is not yours anymore. People fall under different factors and pressures, so do not blame others.

6- Always take care of the brothers and sisters of truth. Be with them always. They will protect you. They are always a beautiful ornament. In good times you will have ease, and in time of difficulty, you will have protection and support.

7- Be strict and careful in choosing your friends.

8- Always be with the truth even against your own life.

9- Don't indulge in that which is meaningless. Every moment of our life is meaningful- use it to worship Allah subhanawat'ala

10- Don't ask about that which didn't happen. You already have enough to deal with, be practical, deal with immediate problems not the future of ghayb.

11- Don't ask for your need to be fulfilled from someone who wouldn't like your need to be fulfilled. Try to be self-sufficient as individuals and as an ummah, muslims of early generation were poor but didn't lower themselves. Always be with dignity.

12- Don't be neglectful or careless in swearing by the name of Allah. Otherwise, Allah will bring punishment for you.

13- Don't be in the company of fajaar (those who commit major sins openly and don't care) You WILL be affected. Your own behavior changes little by little. Be in the company of people who remind you of Allah.

14- Be aware of your enemy. Be careful, alert, and prepared.

15- Remember death. Visit the graveyards, try to be in kushuu'. If you can't cry, force yourself to. Try to be humble in front of the Creator, the One who gives life and takes it away.

16- Be HUMBLE in acts of obedience to Allah. No one will protect us but Allah. Seek protection from Allah in Allah.

17- Seek tawbaah. Immediately, be determined, have resolve.

18- Consult in your matters those who have kashiyaah (fear of Allah and always conscious of Him), because those who have kashiyaah are the ones that truly have ilm.

* Ibraheen ibn Adham was approached by a man who wanted to stop his sins. He asked for advice that will help him realize the consequences of his actions. He was told:

If you want to disobey Allah, you can, in 5 cases:

1- If you want to disobey Allah, then don't eat from His rizq (provision.)

The man said: Then where am I to eat when every provision is from Allah?

Ibraheem said: O such a person! Is it honorable and good to disobey Allah, and eat from His provision?

The man said: give me the second one.

2- If you want to disobey Allah, then do not live on Allah's property.

The man said: Then where am I to live if not on Allah's property?

Ibraheem said: Is it good then, to eat from His provision, live on His property, and disobey Him?

The man said: Give me the third one.

3- If you want to disobey Allah, then disobey Him in a place where He will not see you.

The man said: How am I to do this when He not only sees what others see, but what is in the hearts?

Ibraheem said: o you such a person, how do you eat from His provision, live on His property, and disobey Him openly?

The man said: Give me the fourth one.

4- If you want to disobey Allah, when the Angel of Death comes to you, tell him to come back later, after you repent.

The man said: He will not accept this from me!

Ibraheem said: O you such a person, when you cannot delay death, how do you expect a savior?

The man said: Give me the fifth.

5- If you want to disobey Allah, then after death comes to you, on the Day of Judgement, when the Angels of Hell come to drag you into Hell, refuse to go with them.

The man said: They will not accept that from me!

Ibraheem said: Then how do you expect to be saved?

The man said: Enough! Enough! I seek forgiveness in Allah and make tawbaah! AstaghfirAllah wa i'tubuu ilayk!

He made sincere tawbaah, and left all his acts of disobedience, and he died in such a state.

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