Weekly Classroom Themes – Secondary

Self Admiration

In the Name of Allah; Most-Merciful, Most-Compassionate.

“Self admiration is the most serious of problems”

The quote mentioned above was said by the Leader of the Believers Ali ibn abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Self admiration is seen as disastrous because it spoils good deeds as vinegar does to honey. And, it is contrary to being sincere. Abdullah ibn Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Self admiration means thinking that you have something others do not have” and ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) explained that this is different from showing off in that self admiration is including oneself with Allah whereas showing off is including others in motivation in doing deeds.

Imam al Ghazali explains that self admiration leads to arrogance and an overlooking of one’s own faults and mistakes. Such a person begins to think she or he is doing Allah a favour by virtue of righteousness. May Allah protect us from that. This person becomes so deluded that she or he neglects to notice the blessings of Allah and the fact that such pious deeds are done only by the Will and permission of Allah.

As such, al Qurafi said: “The reason why self admiration is forbidden is that it is a bad attitude towards Allah, may He be exalted, because a slave should never think of as great the acts of worship by means of which he seeks to draw close to his Master. Rather, he should think of them as little in comparison to the greatness of his Master, especially the greatness of Allah. Hence Allah says: “They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him” (39:67). This means that they did not venerate Him as He deserves to be venerated. Whoever develops self admiration and admires his worship is doomed before his Lord, Who is aware of him. He has exposed himself to the wrath and anger of Allah.”

Imam al Shafa’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “If you fear that self admiration will affect your deeds, remember the One Whom you are trying to please, what blessings you are trying to seek and what kind of punishment you are seeking to escape. The one who thinks of that will see his deeds as insignificant.”

Imam al Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The way to rid oneself of self admiration is to know that knowledge is a blessing from Allah and a complete favour.” Ibn al Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “It should be noted that when a person says or does something, seeking the pleasure of Allah, realizing the blessing that Allah has bestowed on him with regard to that, and he is doing it by the help of Allah and not by his own power, knowledge, thought and strength – rather it is Allah Who created for him his tongue, heart, eyes and ears – that He is the one who blessed him with what he said or did. When that becomes well entrenched in his mind, then self admiration will not develop in him, because self admiration results from focusing on one’s own self and not realizing the blessing and help of one’s Lord.”

May Allah protect us and guide us to what is best.

Questions: Write a reflection paper on a time you admired yourself.

How can we notice this in ourselves? And, how can we stop it?

How can we give advice to others about self-admiration?

What should you do if you fear that self admiration will affect your good deeds?

Who was Imam al Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him)?

Week 9

Speech of Ali ibn abi Talib

In the Name of Allah; Most-Merciful, Most-Compassionate.

The following is just one example of the beautiful speeches that Leaders of the Believers Ali ibn abi Talib gave:

"This world is coming to an end and will soon bid farewell, and the hereafter is coming and will soon begin. Today the horses are being kept in preparation, and tomorrow will be the race. Indeed you are living in the days of hope that will be interrupted by death. Whoever falls short during the days of hope before his death comes will be doomed. Strive hard for the sake of Allah in the hope of reward as you strive hard for His sake for fear of His punishment. I have never seen anything like paradise whose seekers could sleep, and I have never seen anything like hell, those who fear which can sleep. The one who does not benefit from the Truth will be harmed by falsehood, and whoever does not benefit from guidance will be lead astray by misguidance. You have been instructed to travel, and you have been told about your provision. O People, this world is a temporary convenience; the righteous and the immoral alike may enjoy its luxuries. But the hereafter is true, and it will be ruled by a powerful King. Satan threatens you with poverty and bids you to do evil, but Allah promises you forgiveness and bounty from Him, and Allah cares for all and knows all things. O people, do righteous deeds during your lifetime, and your offspring will be taken care of. Allah has promised His paradise to those who obey Him, and He has warned of His hell for those who disobey Him. Its fire will never be extinguished, its prisoners will never be ransomed, and the one who suffers therein will never be helped. Its heat is intense, its bottom is deep and its water is a boiling fetid liquid."

Originally recorded in ibn Kathir's al bidaynah wa al nihayah, and again in Ali ibn abi Talib (2010) by Dr. al Sallabi.

Questions: Who is Ali ibn abi Talib?

What can we learn from this speech?

Write a one-page reflection on how you can improve yourself from this.

Week 10

Communal Responsibilities (fard kifayah)

In the Name of Allah; Most-Merciful, Most-Compassionate.

Often times we may question ourselves: why am I studying this subject or doing this kind of work? Would it not be wiser for me to go somewhere overseas and learn the diin? First and foremost the pursuit of knowledge is an act of worship and when Allah wants good for a person He blesses that person with knowledge of the diin. An interesting point to consider here is what actually constitutes “knowledge.”

The seeking of knowledge in the Islamic Sciences is the most common thought we consider when thinking about what kind of knowledge is beneficial. However, that is not the complete answer: there is more to the story. Imam al Ghazali (may Allah have mercy upon him) gives an interesting discussion whereby this topic is addressed. Of course the time within which the Imam lived is much different than ours, however for those of reflection it will insha’Allah provide much food for thought. He explains that there exist towns wherein there are many scholars of jurisprudence, a great blessing. However, in such towns despite the abundance of knowledge in the field of fiqh there was no resident doctor. The latter of which he explains is a communal obligation (fard kifayah).

Communal obligations differ from personal obligations (fard ayn) in that personal obligations must be done by all people at all times. An example of a personal obligation is the prayer; everyone must do it at all times. Of course, a certain level of religious knowledge is required upon every individual. Communal obligations, on the other hand, are requirements that the community as a collective must fulfill. And, when that community responsibility is not done then the entire group is in sin. A common example of this is religious leadership; this is needed and required to call the community to Islam and assist in the performance of communal religious obligations.

Allah, by His Knowledge and immense Mercy, did not create an Ummah of religious scholars. Rather, we are diverse in our skills, passions, abilities and knowledge. At this point we can return to the point made by Imam al Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him). Those communities with many religious scholars were not fulfilling the communal obligation of having a doctor for the people. This is not the fault of any single person, rather it is the community which must recognize the need of a certain knowledge and/or profession and ensure that it is available for the betterment of society. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, knowledge is the lost property of the believer and wherever he finds it he is more entitled to it so the community ought also seek to master such a knowledge.

Communities, wherever they may be, require knowledge in a variety of fields – not only because they are of benefit since they are a communal requirement of Allah. Thus, as a reminder to myself first and foremost, seek knowledge in the field of your passion, make your intention for the sake of Allah and do it with excellence. Our community needs social workers, psychologists, authors, construction workers, welders, teachers, scholars, mechanics and so forth and so on. In doing so, the individual believer is alleviating the communal obligation, which if left unfulfilled would leave everyone in sin. May Allah bless us with knowledge. May He guide us to best utilize the knowledge we’ve been blessed with.

And, Allah knows best.

Questions: What is fard kifayah? Give examples.

What do you want to do in the future?

Does this change how you see yourself benefiting others?

Reflect on how important knowledge is, based upon this reading.

Why is it so important that the individuals in a community specialize in a variety of different fields?

Assignment:

Design a poster outlining the different job occupations needed in a community and how they can work together in order to make the community function effectively.

Week 11