Renewal By The Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali's Ihya

إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ وَالْأَنْعَامُ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَخَذَتِ الْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَازَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَا أَنَّهُمْ قَادِرُونَ عَلَيْهَا أَتَاهَا أَمْرُنَا لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِيدًا كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِالْأَمْسِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

The Prophet, peace be upon him, invited us to think abundantly about the hereafter and reflect upon death. The reflection upon death should lead one to understand the importance of working towards it and remaining steadfast on the straight path. Shaykh Faraz advises that people read the translation of the final book of the Ihya which was beautifully translated by Shaykh Abdel Hakim Murad.

In this series Shaykh Faraz, and the other scholars and teachers will be looking at points of reflection from key verses in the Quran. The series will follow the thematic order of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences). The aim is to connect the key verses of guidance from the Book of Allah with the blueprint of renewal, the Ihya, so that we experience a renewal by The Book.

Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/

The post 25: Reflection & the End of Life – Renewal by the Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Shaykh Faraz comments on this verse saying, the major cause of people turning away from Allah is lack of love. That is why the love of Allah is central and important to our faith. Allah’s love is a subset of His mercy. Those whom Allah loves He chooses good for and grants honour and closeness to Him. The Prophet, peace be upon him, tells us that a person will be with whom they love on the day of judgement. Conversely, for one to love Allah that entails that Allah’s love for us precedes it. That is why we must always ask Allah for His love.

Lastly, Shaykh Faraz delves into the chapter on sincerity and explains the levels of sincerity that Imam Ghazali had described in the Ihya. Shaykh Faraz advises that one should begin by striving and that entails choosing what Allah chooses and what is pleasing to Him.

In this series Shaykh Faraz, and the other scholars and teachers will be looking at points of reflection from key verses in the Quran. The series will follow the thematic order of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences). The aim is to connect the key verses of guidance from the Book of Allah with the blueprint of renewal, the Ihya, so that we experience a renewal by The Book.

Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/

The post 24: Love of Allah & Sincerity – Renewal by the Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

There are verses that focus on hope and others on fear in the Quran and both are equally important to consider. The companions used to discuss the most hope inducing verses in the Quran and the most fear inducing verses in the Quran, so will this lesson. From each one can derive what this expresses about the Oneness of Allah and our relationship with him.

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ

Verses of Fear:

وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا

In sum, Shaykh Faraz concludes that this all returns to knowing Allah and the ultimate testament of faith is to know that there is no God and no one that we are in need of except Allah. Then one should live by the Prophetic Sunnah through their belief and action that emulates the Prophet, peace be upon him.

In this series Shaykh Faraz, and the other scholars and teachers will be looking at points of reflection from key verses in the Quran. The series will follow the thematic order of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences). The aim is to connect the key verses of guidance from the Book of Allah with the blueprint of renewal, the Ihya, so that we experience a renewal by The Book.

Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/

The post 23: Divine Oneness, Hope & Fear – Renewal by the Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

Often times these three qualities: repentance, patience and gratitude are thought of to be enacted at specific times, like repenting when one does something wrong. However, one should be in all three states at all times and shouldn’t tie them to life events.

Gratitude entails repentance, because whatever you have was given by Allah without you deserving it; then even when one does good because Allah will always deserve better. This also entails patience, because one needs to be patient on the way of Allah. To summarize, gratitude entails:

The truly grateful express their gratitude for what was prevented from them and not just what is given to them. For this reason, the scholars have listed three levels of gratitude:

Shaykh Faraz concludes by reminding us that true gratitude is directing every blessing whether blessing or displeasing to Allah with constant repentance because we recognize that Allah deserves better. Lastly, have every renewed patience and commitment to remain firm on all that is pleasing to Allah.

In this series Shaykh Faraz, and the other scholars and teachers will be looking at points of reflection from key verses in the Quran. The series will follow the thematic order of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences). The aim is to connect the key verses of guidance from the Book of Allah with the blueprint of renewal, the Ihya, so that we experience a renewal by The Book.

Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/

The post 22: Repentance, Patience & Gratitude – Renewal by the Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

This chapter is the only chapter in the Ihya where Imam Ghazali says there are too many verses to mention on this subject, as if hinting to the fact that most of the Quran points to this theme in general. The Dunya intended in this chapter is not to condemn one’s living in this world but the Dunya here is in reference to the heart’s love for appetites and desires. Thus the point is to question one’s relationship to the Dunya and be aware that you are in it but not of it.

Shaykh Walead explains that this is why at a time of calamity one is enjoined to say we are from God to Him we return as a reminder that this Dunya is not our final abode. As we go along in life Allah sends us reminders of the pershing nature of the Dunya.

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا ۖ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ ۚ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ

Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion. [Quran, 57:20]

The verse begins with an acknowledgement that the world is adorned with various objects that everyone wants to have some possession of that is not shared with others. Our love for beautiful things is part of our nature, however we can reorient that love towards the inner beauty of quality as opposed to the outward beauty of material things. The person with the most inner beauty is that of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

The parable given in the verse is that of a farmer who is happy with his crops but then it goes away with the change of seasons and then it turns into ash, such is the dunya, it may be pretty now but is inevitably destructed.

Shaykh Walead concludes by reminding us that the dunya is all which gets in your way from pursuing the afterlife. The dunya was made for you to take from it what you need to sustain your journey, not to make it the end goal in and of itself.

In this series Shaykh Faraz, and the other scholars and teachers will be looking at points of reflection from key verses in the Quran. The series will follow the thematic order of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences). The aim is to connect the key verses of guidance from the Book of Allah with the blueprint of renewal, the Ihya, so that we experience a renewal by The Book.

Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/

The post 21: Condemnation of Dunya – Renewal by the Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Walead Mosaad appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ

But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination, Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge. [Quran, 79:40-41]

It is of the mysteries of our time that we are now told to act upon all of our whims and desires, while every dignified society before us was based on withholding from your desires. However, those who constantly give in to our desires are always miserable. That is why Allah tells us that whomever purifies the self is successful and whomever doesn’t can enter very dark places. Ustadh Amjad reminds us that we were not created to give into our whims and that is why doing so makes us miserable. Instead, our freedom from the shackles of servitude to this world is through being a servant only to Allah to attain peace and tranquility. The result of disciplining your desires, is that that which was once bitter and difficult to do becomes sweet and desired by yourself.

Ustadh Amjad concludes by reminding us that our desires don’t always call us to what is in our best interest, that is why even in worldly matters, attaining success always requires sacrifice, such is the case for pursuing the spiritual path. In addition, remember the reward that awaits those who discipline their desires is felicity, salvation and paradise. However, remember that none of this is attained overnight, it requires patience, perseverance and continually asking God to allow us to continue down the path.

In this series Shaykh Faraz, and the other scholars and teachers will be looking at points of reflection from key verses in the Quran. The series will follow the thematic order of Imam Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences). The aim is to connect the key verses of guidance from the Book of Allah with the blueprint of renewal, the Ihya, so that we experience a renewal by The Book.

Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/

The post 20: Breaking Desires – Renewal by the Book: Quran Tafsir Based on Imam Ghazali’s Ihya – Ustadh Amjad Tarsin appeared first on SeekersGuidance.