2. WHY DID WE JOIN DAWANET?
To make the world better
Bring about change
Continue the good work of others
Stand before Allah proudly
And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise a people
whom Allah is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they
[the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may
fear Him. (Quran 7:164)
3. VIRTUES OF SERVICE
Indirect
“For he who informs a ruler of the need of one who
cannot speak for themselves will have their feet
made firm by Allah on the Day of Resurrection”
(Hadith – Tirmidhi)
Direct
“The people who were close to him were the best of
people…and the greatest of them in his sight were
the ones who were most beneficent and helpful”
(Hadith – Tirmidhi)
4. NEGLECTING OWN SOUL + HELPING OTHERS = DISASTER
Hypocrisy
النفاق
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
“Do you order righteousness of the people and forget
yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not
reason?” (Quran 2:44)
5. PRIVATE = PERSONAL
Umm Salama – in relation to the Prophet
“His private and personal life are identical”
His character was the message
vs
Majoring in international relations but have poor
family relationships
6. STAY RESPONSIBLE
No matter what level a worshipper reaches he is
never free from needing to worship his Lord, nor is
he excused from any of the responsibilities of the
religion as long as he is alive and of sound mind
“And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty
(death).” (Quran 15:99)
7. PROPHETIC METHODOLOGY
Hard on yourself but easy on others
Removal of negative traits
Inculcation of positive traits
8. HARD ON YOURSELF VS. EASY ON OTHERS
Examples:
Prophet prayed all night until feet swelled but
dissuaded Fatima from following
Prophet returned loans by giving extra
Continuous fasting
Imam Ghazali:
“When people err we punish them, then why do we not punish
ourselves when we err ourselves”
9. REMOVAL OF NEGATIVE TRAITS
“What I have prohibited you from - avoid it, what I
have ordered you - do as much of it as you can”
(Hadith –Bukhari & Muslim)
10. NEGATIVE TRAITS
Remove in the following order:
Major sins
Minor sins
Things that waste one’s time
The lesser of two good options
11. POSITIVE TRAITS
The better of two good options
Voluntary actions
Actions recommended by the Prophet
Obligations
12. 8 INROADS INTO THE HEART
I. Eyes
II. Tongue
III. Hands
IV. Feet
V. Ears
VI. Stomach
VII. Genitals
VIII. Whole body
13. AREAS OF FOCUS
Prayer (heart as a whole)
Tongue
for 40 days
“The religion is accommodating, and no one attempts excessive
strictness in it without it overwhelming him” (Hadith – Bayhaqi)
14. WHY 40 DAYS?
Hadith:
Ribat of the believer is for 40 days (Hadith –
Tabarani)
While there is no specific number indicated by
science, there is some cursory evidence for
between 20-55 ish days –- to break a habit
15. GUARDING THE PRAYER
Central pillar of Islam
“Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out
of what We have provided for them” (Quran 2:3)
Focus on ritual purity (wudhu)
Try to pray in congregation
Pray on time
16. GUARDING THE TONGUE
I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me
into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hellfire.” He said, “You
have asked me about a great matter, yet it is easy for him for whom
Allah makes it easy:
Worship Allah alone; establish the prayer; pay the zakat; fast in
Ramadan; and make the pilgrimage to the House.”
“Shall I not guide you towards the doors of goodness? Fasting is a
shield; charity wipes away sin as water extinguishes fire; and the
praying of a man in the depths of the night.”
“Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar and its
peak?” He said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the
prayer and its peak is jihad.”
Then he said, “Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that?” I
said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” So he took hold of his tongue and
said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be taken to
account for what we say with it?” He said, “Is there anything that
throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces except the harvests of
their tongues?” (Hadith – Tirmidhi)
17. GUARDING THE TONGUE
Lying
Backbiting
Argumentation
Engaging in what does not concern us
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of
appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds
and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His
Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.” (Quran
33:70-71)
18. DAILY APPROACH
Morning
Set conditions (musharita)
Day
Vigilance (muraqaba)
Night
Accounting (muhasaba)
Self punishment (muaqaba)
19. TIPS
Every time you slip up start from the beginning
Get someone to help you
ْاوُن َاوَعَت َال َو ى َوْقَّتال َو ِّبرْال ىَلَع ْاوُن َاوَعَت َوِِّا َوُْْعْال َو ِِِّّْْاِإ ىَلَع
“And help one another in righteousness and piety, and help
not one another in sin and aggression” (Quran 5:2)
20. STAY STRONG WHEN YOU SLIP
َلاَقَف ، اًبْنَذ ٌْْبَع ََبنْذَأ:بيْنَذ يِّل ْرِّفْغا َُِّهَّالل.َت َلاَقَفالىَعَت َو َك َارَب:َعَف ، اًبْنَذ ِّيْْبَع ََبنْذَأُهَل َِّأ َِِّل
ِّهِّب ُذُخْأَي َو ، َبْنَّذال ُرِّفْغَي ، ًاب َر.َقَف ، ََبنْذَأَف َداَع ََُِّْلا:َارَبَت َلاَقَف ، يِّبْنَذ يِّل ْرِّفْغا ، ِّب َر يَأَك
الىَعَتو:ًابْنَذ ََبنْذَأ ِّيْْبَع.ال ُرِّفْغَي ًاب َر ُهَل ََِّأ َِِّلَعَفِّهِّب ُذُخْأَيو ، َبْنَّذ.َف ، ََبنْذَأَف َداَع ََُِّْلاَق:يَأ
يِّبْنَذ يِّل ْرِّفْغا ، ِّب َر:ىَلاَعَت َو َك َارَبَت َلاَقَف:ْبَع ََبنْذَأُرِّفْغَي ، ًاب َر ُهَل ََِّأ َِِّلَعَف ، ًابْنَذ ِّيْ، َبْنَّذال
ِّبْنَّذبال ُذُخْأَيو.َكَل ُت ْرَفَغ َْْقَف ، َتْئِّش اَم ْلَمْعا
A servant committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin.
And He said: My servant has committed a sin and has known
that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them.
Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And
He said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he
has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he
sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He said:
My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a
Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish,
for I have forgiven you. (Hadith – Bukhari & Muslim)
21. TRUST IN GOD NOT OURSELVES
We are weak but God is All-Mighty
ِّلَمَعْال َىَلَع ِّداَمِّتْع ْاال ِّةَم ََلَع ْنِّم–َّرْال ُِاَصْقُنِّلَلََّّْال ِّد ْوَُج ُو َْْنِّع ِِّاََج
“A sign of dependence on deeds is the lack of hope
when you slip into an error.” (Hikam of ibn Ata’llah)