Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali's Ihya

Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali's Ihya

By SeekersGuidance.orgReligion & SpiritualityIslam
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Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali's Ihya episodes

  • Migrations: Three Lessons from the Migration (Hijra) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎ – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    As we begin the new Hijri year, Shaykh Faraz reflects on the story of Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) migration (hijra). He focuses on three glimpses from that story and highlights some valuable and timely lessons. Among the lessons are: (1) how to plan and achieve goals, (2) doing the right thing with the right intention while relying fully on Allah, (3) displaying excellence in character, and (4) making all our choices for the sake of Allah and embracing the example of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
    The first glimpse Shaykh Faraz recounts of the story of Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) migration (hijra), is in the phase of preparation. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) had prepared well in advance by purchasing and equipping the camels for migration. He did not know the exact time of the migration, but was ready for it. In this we see the importance of taking the right means to achieve goals. Hope (raja') is a praiseworthy trait. Hope is to wish for something pleasing while taking the right means that will result in the outcomes you wish for. Otherwise it is false hope and blameworthy. We also see in this event that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused to take the camel he traveled on for free from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). He payed for it in full. We learn from this that one intends and strives to not be dependant.

    The second glimpse Shaykh Faraz highlights is whenProphet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) headed out for the migration. Abu Bakr (may Allah be please with him) had deep concern for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and feared for any harm to befall him. So Abu Bakr would walk around theProphet (peace and blessings be upon him) to protect him from all directions. He entered the cave before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to try to secure it. And when the men from Quraysh caught up with them and stood right outside the cave, he expressed his fear that they may see them. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said as is narrated in the Qur'an: "Don't worry, Allah is with us" [Surat al-Tawba, 40]. So when facing any trials and difficulties, remember Allah is with us. If you are doing the right thing with the right intention, even if things don't work out, then you are successful with Allah.

    The third glimpse covered by Shaykh Faraz is when theProphet (peace and blessings be upon him) passing by the tent of Umm Ma'bad in the middle of the desert. They were seeking milk to drink and found only a weak goat with her that didn't give milk. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was granted the miracle of the goat producing abundant milk when he rubbed its udder. In this story, Umm Ma'bad recounts the event to her husband when he returns to the tent. She describes the amazing character and excellent character of theProphet (peace and blessings be upon him). She describes the dignity, beauty and virtue in dealing of theProphet (peace and blessings be upon him). Umm Ma'bad and her husband later became Muslims because of what they witnessed of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) excellent character. As Muslims and followers of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) should display excellence of character. This is how we uphold our connection to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), by connecting to his character. The way to call to Allah starts with character not words.

    Finally, Shaykh Faraz narrates the hadith of intentions, which is connected to the story of the migration. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Actions are by their intentions, and each person shall have whatever they intended. So whoever's migration was to Allah and His Messenger,
    34 min
  • Believers and Tribulations: Faith Entails Being Ambassadors of Mercy — With Certitude and Contentment – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    As we see all the tribulations that have befallen the Muslims and humanity at large, one could be easily overwhelmed. On one extreme one could feel despair, and on another one could choose to ignore all these events. However, the believer's balance and the Sunna of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is to care and have sincere and deep concern. In this Friday khutba, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani tells us how believers should respond to the tribulations happening around us.
    This Friday khutba was delivered by Shaykh Faraz at the Bosnian Islamic Association “Gazi Husrev-Beg” (http://www.biaghb.com/) in Toronto, in September 2017.

    Checkout all of the SeekersHub podcasts by visiting http://seekershub.org/podcasts/.
    28 min
  • Tests and Tribulations Are Blessings: The Divine Promise That We Will Be Tested, Explained – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    Why do trials and tribulations happen in our lives? Why does Allah allow earthquakes, floods, and other disasters and destructive events?
    Shaykh Faraz Rabbani explains two verses of the Qur'an (2.155-156) on the Divine Promise that all people will be tested--with life itself being nothing but a test. Allah Most High promises, "We will certainly test you with some fear and poverty, and loss of property, life, and crops..." [Qur'an, 2.155]

    The key to right response to tests is to be steadfastly patient (sabr). Patience is not passiveness, Shaykh Faraz explains, but rather, "Remaining firm on what is pleasing to Allah."

    The reality of tests is that they are opportunities to respond with faith and good deeds. As such, tests are opportunities to seek Allah's Pleasure, Love, and Closeness. That is why Allah tells us, "And give glad tidings to the steadfast." [Qur'an, 2.156]

    This arises from consciousness that, "Truly we are Allah's, and truly it is to Him that we are returning." [Qur'an, 2.157]

    The consequence of such steadfast response to tests is true success: "They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are truly guided."

    وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

    We will certainly test you with some fear and poverty, and loss of property, life, and crops. But give glad tidings to those who remain steadfast —

    2:155

    الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

    who, when faced with a disaster, say, “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.”

    2:156

    أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ

    They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are ˹rightly˺ guided.

    2:157

    This Friday khutba was delivered at Sayeda Khadija Centre (http://www.skcentre.com/) in Mississauga, in September 2017.

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

     
    Cover photo by Julien Parent
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    27 min
  • The Great Intercession of Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    In this talk, Shaykh Faraz reads and explains the lengthy hadith on Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) great intercession in the hereafter. The hadith highlights the great rank of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the events of the hereafter of people seeking the different prophets' intercessions, and the care and concern of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for his people.
    This talk was given as part of the live series at SeekersHub Toronto: "The Rawha: Daily Guidance for Seekers". The Rawha is available on podcast here: https://seekersguidance.org/names/the-rawha-daily-guidance/.

    Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/
    31 min
  • Establishing Prophetic Communities Through Love, Peace and Joy – Ustadh Amjad Tarsin
    In this Eid al-Adha sermon, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin calls all believers to rejoice in the bounties of Allah. He reminds us of all the great blessings that Allah has granted the Muslim community. Ustadh Amjad highlights hadiths and the sunna of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) of establishing communities upon, love, peace and joy. He points out that gathering for the Eid prayer in itself is an expression of that sunna of community.

    Ustadh Amjad also encourages us to share that sense of community, love, peace and joy with others. We as Muslims have a lot to offer, give and share with the world, so we shouldn't let that good stop at us.

    This Eid al-Adha sermon was delivered in September 2017, at SeekersGuidance Toronto (seekersguidance.org/toronto)

    Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/
    16 min
  • Realizing the Meanings of Hajj in Our Lives – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    In this Friday sermon, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani highlights some key meanings and themes underlying the hajj. He gives practical means of how one could bring those meanings into their lives. Shaykh Faraz reflects on the specific acts of hajj and identifies how through these acts we are called to seek and turn towards Allah Most High. If one seeks and turns towards Allah, then they would have realized the meanings of Hajj in their lives.
    This Friday sermon was delivered in August of 2017 at the Jame Masjid Mississauga (http://blog.jamemasjid.org/).

    Checkout all of the SeekersHub podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/
    Cover Photo by oddyssey
    26 min
  • Building Communities, the NBA and Everything in Between – Interview with Imam Siraj Wahhaj
    In this interview, we sit down with visiting scholar Imam Siraj Wahhaj. We ask him about his community work, his comments on the last NBA season and everything in between.


    Imam Siraj Wahhaj is the Imam of Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the most senior, respected and much loved religious leaders in America. There isn't a major Muslim community that he doesn't know or have friends in so he is uniquely placed to give us a sense of where American Muslim communities are at.
    Imam Siraj talked to us about his experience founding and leading Masjid Al Taqwa, what it means to work in the inner cities and the lessons he's learned over the years. Through this community work, Imam Siraj also councils us on how he continues to have the have the hope and courage that he has to face the problems of our community today. He comments on how he views the severe racial divide in the US and whether he sees that playing out both from within the Muslims community in the North America at large.

    Lastly, Imam Siraj explains why he finds it vital for more Muslims to pursue reliable sacred knowledge and how that can make a difference in our daily lives as well as within the community and Ummah at large.




    This interview was conducted in June of 2017 at the Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga (http://www.skcentre.com/).

    Checkout all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/
    37 min
  • Beholding the Glory of Allah in All Things Through Remembering the Light of the Example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    In this Friday sermon, Shaykh Faraz reminds us that everything in creation glorifies Allah -- not just things, but also actions and events, both good and bad. In all matters, the believer beholds Allah's Glory (tasbih).
    How? By recognizing that everything is from Him, and in everything, there is the opportunity of turning and returning to Allah.

    In everything, one can find the light of Allah's Glory by considering the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and how he would respond--with beauty, mercy, justice, resolve, and excellence.

    Shaykh Faraz shared the beautiful example of Ka'ab ibn Zuhair who spent much of his life attacking Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with vicious poetry. Yet, after the Opening of Mecca, when he came seeking the forgiveness of the Prophet, the Prophet (peace be upon him) not only accepted but also enveloped Ka'ab in his beautiful mantle (Burda).

    This Friday sermon was delivered in August of 2017 at the Jamiat-ul-Ansar (http://www.jamiatulansar.ca/).

    Check out all of the SeekersGuidance podcasts by visiting https://seekersguidance.org/podcasts/
    32 min
  • 27: Sincerity, Vigilance, Meditation, Reflection on Death – Renewing Religion: Overview of Ghazali’s Ihya – Ustadh Amjad Tarsin
    In this lesson of Renewing Religion, Ustadh Amjad Tarsin, reflects upon the chapters from Imam Ghazali’s Ihya on sincerity, self examination, meditation and reflecting on death.

    Ustadh Amjad begins with the chapter on sincerity, explaining that true sincerity can lead habits to be acts of worship if they are done with the right intentions. Many of the companions would actually hide a lot of their acts of good and worship so that they would ensure its sincerity. Thus sincerity is the defining factor of our actions that determine whether our actions will be accepted or not.

    The second chapter that is examined in this lesson is that on self examination. Ustadh Amjad mentions that many of the righteous would remember their mistakes years after so that it would push them to improve to the better. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says if you do not feel shame then do as you will. Here, he points to the importance of self examination and understanding that all your actions have a consequence.

    Ustadh Amjad gives an overview of the chapter on the importance of meditation and reflection. Spending time in nature calms the soul and really allows our internal sounds to quiet so we can start to think about deeper matters. The second type of reflection that one should seek is reflecting on blessings and be thankful for them. The third, is reflecting upon the nature of the world, life, death and the hereafter. This allows a person to prepare for meeting their Lord.

    Lastly, reflecting upon death is the last chaper of the Ihya. Reflecting upon death forces people to get done now what they would have otherwise delayed. That is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, advises us to take advantage of our free time before we become busy. Imam Ghazali likens every breath one takes to a prescious jewel becuase it can never be brought back once it is taken. The fruit of all this will be realized at the time of death if one has lived their life preparing for it then they will welcome it when the time comes but if they have lived their life headless of it they will be terrified of dying.

    In this brief overview of Imam Ghazali’s opus magnum, Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences), this series will serve as blueprint for how the believer can bring to life their religion. It will aim to help the believer to not just practice the form of the religion properly, but to also practice it with excellence.

    Checkout all of the SeekersHub podcasts by visiting https://seekershub.org/podcasts/

     

    The post 27: Sincerity, Vigilance, Meditation, Reflection on Death – Renewing Religion: Overview of Ghazali’s Ihya – Ustadh Amjad Tarsin appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

    55 min
  • 26: Faith in Divine Oneness & Love and Intimacy – Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
    In this lesson of Renewing Religion, Shaykh Faraz gives an overview of the chapters on faith in Divine Oneness and trusting in Allah as well as the chapters on love, longing and intimacy from Imam Ghazali’s Ihya.

    Shaykh Faraz begins by explaining that knowing Divine Oneness in its true meaning entails certitude within your heart and trust and reliance upon Allah when it comes to dealing with all that happens. This begins by realizing that Allah is the necessary existant and everything else is dependent on Him. As such everthing in existance is necesserily in a state of slavehood to Allah; this is the essence of Tawheed and understanding Divine Oneness. This understanding should lead one to complete reliance on Allah.

    Shaykh Faraz reminds us that reliance on Allah is not limited to times of difficulty rather it is only if one relies on Allah in all their times including those of ease can they truly rely on Him during times of difficulty. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says know Allah at the times of ease and He will know you in difficulties. You can know Allah both through consciousness of Him and trust in Him. The action required to actualize this is to continually remember Allah in all of your actions and continually engage in words of remembrance.

    In this brief overview of Imam Ghazali’s opus magnum, Ihya Ulum al-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences), this series will serve as blueprint for how the believer can bring to life their religion. It will aim to help the believer to not just practice the form of the religion properly, but to also practice it with excellence.

     

    Checkout all of the SeekersHub podcasts by visiting https://seekershub.org/podcasts/

     

    The post 26: Faith in Divine Oneness & Love and Intimacy – Renewing Religion: An Overview of Ghazali’s Ihya – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani appeared first on SeekersGuidance.

    57 min

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In this brief overview of Imam Ghazali’s opus magnum, Ihya Uloom ud-Din (Renewing the Religious Sciences), this series will serve as blueprint for how the believer can bring to life their religion. It…