Factor of Anxiety : Vice

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

I had read some parts of my roommate magazine. He's not here anyway. Just having a glance. I found out interesting stuffs. I'm just sharing it and adapting it again for other brethren. Just a community service for English audience. It is also for me to take heed. If brethren have anything to share please suggest it to me. I would be glad to read them and trying to get into practice as well, inshaallah : )

Introduction

The article talks about the God knows what is harmful for His servants compared to servants themselves. When the God prohibit something whether in the form of articles, matters, or acts, there must be virtues and wisdom lies behind them. Prohibitions do not mean to burden or tyrannizing human-being but for the benefit of human-being itself.

The God reminds His creatures in surah Ta-Ha verse 124, whomever turns away from His reminders, indeed for them a difficult life. 

Says the God : "But whosoever turns away from My reminders, verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection."

Why the God prohibits vices? 

- It brings disaster to everyone not only in this life but also in the hereafter.

- A person who commits vices and crimes will be tortured in two hells which are the hell of the world and the eternal hell of hereafter.

- Human will lose blessings such as hidden from knowledge, sustenance fade away, lost the sense of humility, being shameless, always in doubt, feeling a burden to perform worship, always in doubt and anxiety, losing the blessings of natural health.

A person who commits vice will feel poor while he is rich. He will feel occupied while he is free. He will feel alone while he is surrounded by people who idolize and admire him. Ibnu Kathir elaborates more about the condition of those who commits vice by stating:

"He will never feel peaceful and never getting tranquility. His heart will feel anxious for going astray. Physically he looks like in pleasure, he can get anything he wants to eat, he can live anywhere he wanted to, but as long as he is not getting the guidance and faith, his heart will be in anxiety and doubt. This is the life which tortures."

Division of Vice

Vice is divided into two and both of them are harmful for health... They are:

1. Physical Vice

For example stealing, adultery, drinking liquor, gambling, robbing, killing, murdering, genocide, massacring, and etc. 

2. Spiritual Vice

These are concluded in the categorization of Mazmumah characteristics by honorable Imam al-Ghazali such as envious, arrogant, greed, attachment to the world, craving for praises, and others. 

Explanations on Physical Vices

Adultery vice for example, will cause direct diseases such as AIDS, syphilis, and others. Perhaps there are also contraceptives to avoid these diseases but the God knows what will happen. That is why we have preventive causes. Preventing is better than curing. Drinking liquor, drug addiction, and other stuffs which could make someone high or intoxicated will make someone lose his sanity and exposed to acts which are harmful to themselves, and most importantly, others.

Avoiding tithe will cause rifting in social relation and damaging the relation of the poor and the rich. It will cause higher rate of physical vice and crimes such as stealing, pickpocketing, drug dealing, prostitution and others. They directly harm health and the life of society. To explain this fact, there is a hadith narrated and reported by Abdullah bin Umar which says, the prophet Muhammad s.a.w said:

"Dear migrants, there are five things that will happen to your groups. I seek protection from the God when these will happen to you:

I. When a group committing adultery in the public, thus they will be attacked by diseases in which their ancestors had never experienced it before.

II. When they decrease scales and measurement, they will be punished with poverty and being tyrannized by the authority.

III. Each one of them who are reluctant to pay the tithe for poor people, they will be prevented from rain of the heaven. If not because of poultry and livestock animals, rain would cease away from the earth. 

IV. Each of them who breaks the commandments of the God and His messengers, they will be colonized and plundered by other nation who will steal some of their property.

V. And whilst leaders of society do not keep, observe and implement commandments of the God as what had been mentioned in His Words, they will never be in accordance amongst them." 

(Reported again by Ibnu Majah) 

Explanations on Spiritual Vices

Spiritual vices such as grumpy, envious, and grudge are also harmful for ones health. They silently kill as they cause many dangerous diseases such as hypertension, high blood pressure, cancers, and heart failure as examples.  

How these happen? To answer this, we have to look at what are the effects of sins (vices) on one self. When a companion was asking the prophet Muhammad s.a.w : "What is sin?" The noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w answered : "It is something which brings your heart into anxiety."

It means that those who commit sins will feel anxious haunted by the feeling of guilty. He is not only feeling guilty to the God but also to his self. This happens because the "nature" of human-being who are inclined to goodness and trying to be far from evil. When ones commit evil, he is not only opposing the God but also opposing his own "nature." This could explain why a sinful person feel not at peace.

The Effects of Restless Soul and Heart

When heart is not at peace, ones will have irregular heart beats and blood pressure. This is the same physiological change that happened to a person who is tested with foolin' around polygraph test. Fooling around is also a sin. Sin and vice brings effect to physiology. 

There are effects for other vice and sin as well. They effect blood flow and digestion system. Vitamins absorption and antibody will decrease. Nervous system will not properly function and the whole organs in ones body will be in pain.

Modern specialists are aware about this fact. Too bad that many are afraid and worried about diseases which are diagnosed but not at the root of the diseases which are sins and vices. AIDS for example, causing the world in anxiety and sparked panic situation worldwide. Everyone is told about the danger of this disease and campaigns were launched to tell everyone. 

However, the campaign for the danger of the root for diseases such as anti-adultery campaign is not as popular as the later. While the sacrifice of the disease is more than other diseases around the world. Curbing vices actually is more important than curbing physical diseases and epidemics. There are also cases of blood transfusion where innocent people being infected by HIV virus and affected by AIDS. Those who had commit vices and sins had also dragged others into disaster.

Everyone agrees that the factor which lead ones to vices is filthy heart and soul. Ironically, there isn't any serious effort to prevent this problem. These problems come from madzmumah characteristics. These characteristics bring human into vices and physical diseases.   

Dale Carnegie wrote in his book "Stop Worried" said that : "A businessman who doesn't know how to fight anxiety will die early." It had already proven that anxiety and feeling afraid of no reason become factor for cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, and dizziness. 

Diabetes is also related to anxiety, worried, and etc. Take this as an example. When economic recession happen and stock market crashed, sugar in corporate figures' blood will increase. They will experience joint pain, tooth ache or sore throat. Medical practitioners had cynically reminded that coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and digestive problem are "siblings" to anxiety. 

Famous Greek philosopher, Plato had said: "The error of most medical practitioners is that, they tried to cure a mass without curing its mind. Mind and mass is one and should not be differently treated." It means that if spiritual diseases or whatever is related to mind being first treated, then physical diseases will automatically being healed. That is why we also have psychosomatic treatment to treat both physical and mind problem.  

Attachment to the World

It is a fact which could never be denied that medical science had succeeded in curing diseases caused by virus and fungus. However, medical science had failed to prevent mental, soul, and physical destruction caused by anxiety, afraid, hatred, and etc. 

Until today, nobody really knows what specifically drives a person crazy. According to religious science, it is due to madzmumah (filthy heart) diseases and mind disorder. To cure them, mind must be attached to the strength of soul. Strength of soul is attached with faith. If mind and soul being detached from faith, destruction will happen like a spinning fan which is not attached to wall or ceiling.

Factors of Mind Disorder and Confusion of Soul     

If we ask men, factors perhaps are two which are women and money. If women? Main factors which cause stress and pressure is that they are too much focusing on protecting relationship with their couple, looking seriously at others perception toward themselves or their family, or workaholic to get employers' recognition or higher salary. They could also be in either way because both men and women are human-being, only different in function.

When we conclude all of these factors for stress and pressure, the real factor is actually the attachment to the world. Job, money, salary, position, employers' recognition, family, couple, and etc are considered as the world. Those who are attached too much on these matters will face this problem of mind disorder and confusion of soul. 

The God says in His revelation : "It is made beautiful at human-view the love and desire for women, and for children, many properties of gold, silver and best horse, livestock, and farms. Those are the enjoyment of the world. And at the God is the better place to return (paradise)." (surah aali-Imran verse 14)  

The God remind every faithful servant with His revelation : "Their property and their children (of those hypocrites) do not be it amazing to you as the God is torturing them with the life of the world and they will be taken their life without any faith." (surah at-Tawbah verse 55) 

Judges and sages had said that attachment to the world is the chief of evil. Too much being attached to the world will make people afraid of lost. They will be dying to get and maintain it. The world should only be placed at the hand and not in the heart. The heart of human is only one and it can't hold two love. Love to other than the God is idolatry and polytheism : )

Those who hunt the world will be disappointed if they fail to get it, but will never get satisfied if they get it. They are like drinking salty sea water. They drink lots of water but still feeling thirsty. Soul and heart being exhausted, energy worn out. It leads to chronic diseases. 

Western researches themselves showing that corporate figures in majority suffered any of these diseases of coronary heart diseases, diabetes, or high blood pressure. Success in business always come in a package with these diseases. What for the success in this world when we are not healthy? No matter how rich we are, we could only have three times proper meal to not feeling hungry or sleep only on a bed in one time. 

John C. Maxwell emphasized that success in business or careers without any clear goal of life will lead ones into adultery and depression. How many celebrities in the Hollywood or in the West live in depression because of feeling empty, depression, boredom and lonely?

Somehow, I think life of ascetics like primitive people is better than today's life. If we live in the mountainous area such as Bhutan, we perhaps are much healthier than in the so-called urban area...

Everyone can humorously talk about 72 virgins beside the river for those who bomb themselves like we care. Why not spread this factor of anxiety widely to everyone no matter to Christians, to Atheists, to Gnostics, to Sceptics, to Communists, to Fascists, to Jews, to Terrorists and to everyone. It is public health. Make videos and fun about this too. We can laugh together. It is more beneficial than just laughing while we waste time and age : ) 

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!

Cure for Heart: Introduction

In the Name of the God the Most Merciful the Most Compassionate

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Ali bin Abi Talib k.w had also displayed almost the same state like this character when a Jew spit at his face during a battle in Khaibar. Please avoid cursing the Jew, we do not know what happened to him after he spit at Ali k.w face.

 

I present brethren this introduction chapter and the book which I had read during my heart is filled with sorrow and misery with the Divine Mercy of the Lord through the Light of Revelation and Prophetic Traditions may He Guides everyone into His pleasure. I am actually sickened when I checked political video posts and comments but we need to maintain patience. I have no choice but to be in this torture seeing them while doing my assignments and thesis. There are many slanders in the net and we need to also be very careful with our words not to affect our thinking and mental state with those sick people thoughts. 

This book entitled the "Cure for the Heart." It was edited by Sheikh 'Abdul Qadir bin 'Abdul Mutallib of Indonesia in the holy city, Mecca in Rajab of 1378 H. The copy that I have with me is in Classical Malay written in Arabic script, published by Sahabat Press of Phang-Nga Street, Yala Province, Southern Thailand region. I bought it in Baling district during a visit to pay respect for my respective brothers and sisters in faith and paying respect to the God at the district mosque. 

I do not know whether there are already translations for this part in English, Arabic, Persian, Japanese or Chinese and this book was collected on its lessons by a South East Asian Muslim. Since I was a translation student majoring in both Malay and English and I feel bored looking at the monitor for this boring thesis. I am doing a service for the pleasure of the Lord, the God the Most Merciful the Most Greatest, my King and my Savior. 

I have to translate this into English first before doing it again in Chinese and Japanese for my part of penance and asking forgiveness on my sins. Mum had also asked me to help her with kitabs translation into Japanese and I need to find good dictionaries too beside analyzing appropriate Chinese characters... The biggest problem is grammar which seems like taking me forever to translate kitabs. I don't want any credit nor profit for this. This is solely dedicated for my beloved One, the God for the benefit of my brethren whom I love with all of my heart. Brothers and sisters may use this for educational purpose with the light of Quran and Sunnah and help to circulate them if possible. I beg brothers and sisters to also translate this into your mother tongue and teach your family and friends. I can't do this alone because there are extensive things that need to be clarified regarding Shari'ah not only to non-Muslims but also to people who call themselves "Muslims."

Beginning of the Treatise

Be known to you o people, indeed the Science of Tasawwuf is the knowledge to analyze our heart and its characters. Either the characters of the heart is the praised one such as humility and patience or the disgusting characters of heart such as jealousy, envious, and arrogant.

The benefit of these lessons is to empty human heart from other matters except leading it only to the God. It is a science which teaches human to decorate hearts through opening the heart toward the Lord of the universe. In order to achieve this, human must try to eliminate ugly behaviors through the purification of heart. The legal notion for nations to know about this is obligatory and it is a responsibility. It is obligatory on everyone who reaches their maturity of age, and for those who are sane. The source for these lessons is the glorious Quran and the Sunnah which is the prophetic traditions. The name for these lessons to cure the diseases of heart through spiritual view is the Science of Tasawwuf. 

Be known to you, the meaning of the Science of Tasawwuf is to purify every physical parts of human-being from despicable acts and teaches human to analyze heart in order to clean it from elements of polytheism. What is asked for human to guard from sins for their physical body parts are seven altogether.

Those body parts are:       

1 - Eyes on what we see

2 - Ears on what we listens

3 - Tongue as a medium of articulation to make speeches

4 - Stomach 

5 - Genitals 

6 - Hands

7 - Legs

We must remember that these physical parts are the grace of the God on everyone of us. It is a responsibility for us to guard and protect them from sins and despicable acts. It is a responsibility of human-being to be grateful to the God. These physical parts will be witnesses in the hereafter after the Resurrection on what acts had been committed. 

Says the God: "The Day where We seal their mouths and their hands will be talking and witnessing their feet on what they had done." (Surah Yaasin verse 65) 

It means that the God will stop the voice from coming out from ones mouth but those physical parts of body will talk and telling the truth on what had been done with them by a certain individual during the Judgement. The feet will witness where had they bring the owner while he or she is in the world. Whether to prostitution house, to places to conspire against charity and penance, to places of vices, and etc. The hands will talk on what we typed now, and what we write now during the Judgement. Physical parts will tell everyone during the Judgement what we had done during our lifetime. This prophecy about the Judgement is also foretold in other scriptures as well and it is apart of the Pillar of Faith in Islam, we believe in the Resurrection where everyone will be resurrected for the Judgement on what they had done during their lifetime. Every consequence of deeds done during lifetime will be carried by every creature.

Says the God: "And you cannot hide from the testimony of your hearing and not from your vision and not from your skin but you think that the God does not know many things of what you had done." (surah Fussilat verse 22)

According to the al-Hidayah House of Quranic commentaries, those who obviously performing vice and sins thinks that the God is stupid like them and does not know what they are doing while they are in this life. Their hearings, their vision, their skin and others will be witness during the Judgement and the God Himself is the Witness over all. 

According to the book, nobody could hide their evil actions while he or she is in the world. The hearings and vision and skin will be the witness for those acts committed as these seven physical parts never are separated from human-being and it is always at its place when a person committing evil acts or other things.

This book is about ihsan which is mentioned in sunnah nabawiyyah about what is iman, what is the religion and what is ihsan... So, those who think themselves as the followers of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab don't quickly judge people just because people use the term tasawwuf to identify a branch of science to know what Allah expects from His servants. We follow and worship only Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. We do not worship teachers and other human-being no matter if they performed miracles or not!

Allahumma salli 'alaa Muhammad wa 'alaa aali Muhammad... Sealed with mercy, peace, and love, amin!   

Pillars of Faith: Angels of the God

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

I am so thankful to Allah. My relationship with Pak Adam, the Tuk Siak of our mosque growing better although last time I had bitter experience with him, hehe. He had done nothing wrong to me but maybe kind of over-reacted last time. He had reprimanded me and had few times mistaken my deeds in the mosque as disrespecting some rituals like adzan (prayer calling). 

He shouted at me at the time where I was holding my cellphone to off it down but he thought that I was messaging someone or playing with the snake in the phone, lol. I can't leave my phone because I wear no watch and I need to check the time at the phone. Time is gold for human who are framed in this creature of Allah : )

How it becomes good in my first impression today? He had reserved me some porridge although I never talked with him before. Maybe he had seen me many times before and trying to talk with me but I always avoiding anyone who sees me. He keep following me to talk but I just want to avoid crowds after reciting some holy verses because I need to return to my far away hostel on the hill crossing Bukit Gambir road to prepare some humble breaking fast meal before cleaning myself again for congregational 'Isya prayer service. I just don't feel comfortable for people to see me nor knowing me. Just want to be like a wind and I prefer to have no significance in anyone life. Last time it's quite boring but now I feel quite comfortable because I could feel Him close with me when I am alone : )

I always try not to take any food provided at the mosque although sometimes it can't be avoided, hopefully Allah forgives me. I actually had learned that we are prohibited from taking any donation because we have to avoid from violating other brothers and sisters right. So, I would try to avoid as possible as I can. I believe this is the reason why last time when I apply everything from our state government and federal government and our application got turned down without any answer.

Sometimes I would look from afar at the people eating around although I feel like I wanted to join everyone and just having some chat with them while enjoying the food. Not because I am hungry or I want those free food badly because last time I fast almost a full year after my repentance to punish myself before Allah punish me in the hereafter. When I read the story from the glorious Quran about our brethren, the children of Israel who have to kill themselves as they had strayed; I trembled to my knees and I thought that I must die too. But then I realized that Allah Mercy is also boundless so I choose to punish myself with fasts and also trying to obey Him with acts of penitence. Somehow, solitary is also the punishment I guess and I deserve that, haha. 

This is some of the excerpt of a reverted guy who had became a follower of lord Buddha. I actually observed strict Buddhist law too when I became his follower. Because a Buddhist must submit himself or herself under the protection of the Three Gems which are the Teacher representing lord Buddha, the Dharmma representing the Teachings, responsibility by incarnation or birth and karma law, and the Sangkom which is represented by the Monastic Community. 

I didn't want to talk or listen anything about God anymore but only about morality just like the Teacher had taught. It is not from blindly following others because I did my observation, listened and learned about Buddhists practices, Buddha's life, angelic beings like deities and concepts of the philosophy before making decision to properly observing practices. Not to forget lord Buddha's picture in my wallet to remind me of the noble paths and teachings. I still keep some pictures and Buddhism religious notes with me before the death of my grandpa. But after that, we had moved and most of the papers and stuffs are now lost. 

The reason I became like that was actually I felt so disappointed with Muslims as a community and how people whom are Muslims themselves looked at us as a hapless group of students. Nobody care about Islamic teachings although they talk about this when certain issues such as riddah (apostacy) or church assistance to Muslims being notoriously notified in papers. Everything has to do with government policy and politics.  As for me, I believe that I don't need worldly law. It is enough with His Law and His Supremacy that will eventually drives me to noble conducts.

There is no spiritual dimension in everyone, no morality, and people only care about themselves in contrary to brotherhood concept proposed in the scripture. I read about dark period called Kaliyug in Hindu-Buddhist sources and it fits this era too. Spiritual dimension in oneself being driven out by his lower self. Even until today I see this but I won't let myself being punished more because of these kind of people or behavior. Let Allah guides everyone with His Mercy and Guidance. 

I heard that there is almost a similar case currently happened and quite a hot issue in Facebook though I do not join it because I think it is just a waste for me to debate or argue about anything while faith is in the first place the matter of our heart after what had been taught through scriptures. On the other hand, I hate Facebook and other social sites, haha. I wish that no one simply judges the boy or his family and ironically he was also a religious stream student. It would be best to slowly advice and educate him because he is still a young guy who will also going through maturity when the time comes. Personally, I think that the boy just wanted to get some attention from others, maybe needs some love and that's why he is advertising it to others in 'Facepuke,' hahaha.

Sometimes some 'Muslims' born in Muslim family background just don't understand how does it feel when these people face this kind of situation because they never put themselves in others' shoes. They don't understand how does it feels when being rejected by their own community or society. So, they could easily mock people around without examining or sitting alone and thinking about themselves. People experience is different, so we don't simply mock people because we don't know what they had gone through in their life. 

Anyhow, after a long winding muqaddimah right from the bottom of my heart... We would learn basic things again. We would learn about angels of Allah. It is the second of the pillar of faith where we believe in angels of Allah. They have their functions and why Allah creates angels? Allah is the Most Almighty and He can execute His Will without anyone intervention. 

Those angels are the prove of His Might, Wisdom and His Dominion. Angels have no power at all, because they are also Allah slaves and creatures just like us human being, earth, and others. Angels are created from the light and they are invincible before ordinary human physical eyes. Some of them are His noble celestial emissaries to His human messengers for His teachings. They execute whatever is ordered and decreed upon them. 

Jibril 

His noble emissary to pour revelation to His prophets and messengers heart where these people are chosen human-being. Sometimes he is referred as the ruhul quddus (the holy spirit) or ruhul aamin (the trustworthy spirit).

Mikail

Distributing sustenance according to His Will. 

Israfil

Blowing the trumpet with His order to denote the Resurrection Day.

Izrael

Angel of the death.

Munkar and Nakir

These two will ask questions to the dead in his or her grave regarding deeds and faith.

Ridhwan

Receiving the dwellers of paradise.

Maalik

Receiving the dwellers of hell.

Raqib

The angel who takes note on human good deeds.

'Atid

The angel who takes note on human evil deeds.

These 10 angels we had learned during our evening religious class during our childhood. It is just a basic thing where every Muslim must at least recognize them. We believe in these angels according to their functions. Some of them such as Jibril (Gabriel) and Mikail (Michael) are mentioned in glorious Quran. 

Other than that, there are angels whom collectively known as Zabaniyah. Zabaniyah are angels who torture criminals in the hell and I guess they are countless because according to some narrations there are 70,000. Number 7 in Arabic always denote that certain thing is countless. There are also angels at human body parts, those who protecting human, areas and others.

Besides there are also those four angels who bear the "Throne." Their number will multiply to eight during the Day of Resurrection. We do not know how they look like or speculating about them. Some of the description is prophesied through hadiths but we have no authority to describe them in picture.

Why people today behave so out of the code of the law of life while they claim themselves as people who believe in Allah and born in Muslim family? Perhaps they only claim themselves as professing the faith at their mouth while their heart never feel the existence of Allah and these invincible creatures of Allah. 

The lack understanding of the pillars of faith and its relation to the pillars of the law of life would lead us to be disbelievers without we realize it though we claim ourselves as Muslim. It is just how we call ourselves but does not really describing our heart and our practices. It goes back to how we have faith in our heart toward what had been taught in the glorious Quran. Whether we really have faith that Allah is actually could see whatever we did or have in our heart and wherever we are. Either it is as clear as daylight or as dark as the night without moonlight. He sees everything while we can't see Him because our heart is closed. We are the one who choose to close it.

May Allah save us from hypocrisy and prevent us from being ingrates to Him without we realize it while we are just His lowly servants and creatures whom are dependent to Him. Our Lord, prevent us from being corrupted from our faith in You and in Your messenger s.a.w when we are nigh the death when the 'breath' is at the throat. May He makes our heart straight only for Him and pouring sincerity into it, His Will. Sealed with prayers for peace, love and mercy, for the faithfuls, aminn!