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Sufism

Khuṭbāt-e-Ḥakīm al-Ummat, Volume 1

This World and the Hereafter

Ḥakīm al-Ummat, Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Muḥammad Ashraf ʿAlī Thānawī

The first volume of the addresses: what this world is for, what follows it, and how the two are weighed against each other.

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Contents

  1. Al-Murād: The Objective Nothing is intrinsically good or bad in itself. Whether a thing is good or bad depends entirely upon what it is directed towards, that is, upon the...
    Sections 15
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. Purpose of the Discourse
    3. Contemplation (Tadabbur) in the Qurʾān
    4. Standard Translations
    5. The Necessity of a Teacher
    6. Benefits of Recitation (Tilāwat)
    7. The Importance of Deeds
    8. The Fruit of Intention
    9. Resolve and Capability
    10. The Darkness of Sin
    11. The Importance of Intention
    12. This World and the Hereafter
    13. Subtleties and Nuances
    14. Subtleties and Nuances
    15. Method of Annotation
  2. Al-Dunyā: This World Women possess a great virtue: they harbour no doubt regarding the commands of Allāh and His Messenger . When they hear that something is the command...
    Sections 13
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. Love of the World
    3. The Virtues of Women
    4. The Importance of the Home
    5. The Reality of Ownership
    6. Man's Helplessness
    7. The Various Conditions of Man
    8. Everything is a Trust (Amānat)
    9. The Trial of Children
    10. The End of Nimrod
    11. Children as a Blessing
    12. Children as a Burden
    13. The Benefits of Speaking Little
  3. Gharīb al-Dunyā: A Stranger in the World It is difficult to remain detached from the world whilst living within it, so remain in the world. Do not trouble yourself with thoughts of soaring...
    Sections 29
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. The Reason for Choosing This Topic
    3. The Residents of the World are Travellers
    4. Everyone is Certain of Death
    5. But One Does Not Act on What One Knows
    6. The Example of the Strong-Hearted Elders
    7. The Condition of the Hard-Hearted
    8. The Story of Shaykh Chillī
    9. The Story of Shaykh Saʿdī
    10. Consider Death to be Near
    11. The Reality of the Abode of the World
    12. The Levels of Renunciation of the World (Zuhd fī al-Dunyā)
    13. The Secret of Iblīs's Error
    14. Man Possesses Free Will and Volition
    15. The Reality of Hope and Expectation
    16. Man is Naturally Greedy
    17. An Incident of Sayyidunā Mūsā
    18. A Detailed Explanation of Renunciation of the World
    19. Do Not Take Pride in Knowledge
    20. Maintain a Relationship with the World According to Need
    21. An Example of Misplaced Reliance
    22. The Station of Sayyidunā Jibrīl
    23. The Gnostics are the Linguists of Prophethood
    24. The Prohibition of Possessions Beyond Need
    25. A Malady More Prevalent Among Women
    26. Live in the World as a Stranger Without a Homeland
    27. The Goal is Actions, Not States
    28. Three Essential Lessons
    29. The Beginning and End of Islam
  4. Al-Riḍā biʼl-Dunyā: Contentment with the World There is a distinction between Divine pleasure (riḍā) and contentment (iṭmiʾnān). Divine pleasure is a matter of the intellect, and contentment is a...
    Sections 15
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. Introduction
    3. Praiseworthy Qualities Are the Foundation of Divine Pleasure
    4. A Sinful Muslim Is Better Than a Disbeliever
    5. The Punishment for Indifference Towards Religion
    6. The Meaning and Explanation of Imitation (Tashabbuh)
    7. Punishment and Purification in Hellfire
    8. Merely Expressing Love Is Not Sufficient for Salvation
    9. An Easy Method of Conveying Reward (Īṣāl al-Thawāb)
    10. A Detailed Explanation of the Punishment for Indifference
    11. The Difference Between Divine Pleasure (Riḍā) and Contentment (Iṭmiʾnān)
    12. The Lack of Appreciation for Religious Knowledge
    13. Encouragement to Acquire Religious Knowledge
    14. The Widespread Affliction of Being Pleased with Worldliness
    15. The Method of Removing Love for the World from the Heart
  5. Al-Iṭmiʾnān biʼl-Dunyā: Tranquillity in the World Engage in all the affairs of the world, but do not become content with it. Keep the Hereafter in view, and whatever time remains after your work, do...
    Sections 18
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. Love of the World is the Root of All Spiritual Diseases
    3. The Primary Disease Must Be Treated First
    4. How Love of the World is the Fundamental Disease
    5. The Levels of Faith (Īmān) Differ
    6. The Levels of Love of the World Differ
    7. Love and Hatred are Based Upon Actions
    8. The Secret of Eternal Punishment
    9. A Response to a Student's Difficulty
    10. Complacency in the World is Blameworthy
    11. The Categories of Journeying Towards the Hereafter
    12. Reflection and Its Obstacles
    13. Time is Extremely Precious
    14. The Condition of Gatherings Nowadays
    15. Seclusion and Its Reality
    16. The Pleasure of the Creator Must Be Preferred Over the Creation
    17. Every Action of a Muslim is an Act of Worship!
    18. A Practical Point
  6. Matāʿ al-Dunyā: The Provisions of This World Love of the world is a fatal disease whose cure is the remembrance of death, and the cure for the fear of death is the remembrance of the mercy of...
    Sections 12
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. Introduction, Objective, and Need
    3. The Denialist Attitude of Muslims
    4. The Need for Measures to Rectify the Hereafter
    5. Greater Concern for the Hereafter is Necessary than for the World
    6. The World and the Abode of the Hereafter
    7. The World and the Abode of the Hereafter
    8. The Worldly Person's Fear of Death
    9. The Effect of Keeping the Reality of the World in Mind
    10. The Meaning of al-Dunyā Sijn al-Muʾmin
    11. How Much Attachment Should One Have to the World?
    12. The Method of Reducing Love for the World
  7. Al-Fānī: The Perishable Longing for the Divine meeting makes it permissible to desire death, and so the people of Allāh do indeed yearn for it. Yet for us, even the name of...
    Sections 20
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. The Perfection of the Qurʾān and Ḥadīth
    3. The Consequence of Failing to Reflect
    4. The Effect of Frequent Hearing and Observation
    5. Heedlessness of the Perishing Nature of the World
    6. Heedlessness of the Everlasting Nature of the Hereafter
    7. The Need for a Perfect Guide
    8. The Illumination of the Sun of the Spiritual Path
    9. The Need to Ask from Allāh
    10. The Consequence of Not Asking from Allāh
    11. Everything We Possess Belongs to Another
    12. People Do Not Remember Death
    13. Longing for Death Out of Desire for the Divine Meeting is Permissible
    14. Practical Shortcomings Despite Belief in the Perishing Nature of the World
    15. Even Failure Can Be a Cause of Reward
    16. Women's Preoccupation with Worldly Matters
    17. Women's Preoccupation with Worldly Matters
    18. The Effect of the Gaze of the Pious
    19. The Practical Method of Treatment
    20. The Practical Method of Treatment
  8. Al-Bāqī: The Everlasting When a child is in the mother's womb, it takes that place to be the entire world. When it emerges, it feels that it had been confined in a narrow and...
    Sections 18
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. The Need to Proclaim the Transience of This World
    3. The Natural Proof for Worship
    4. The Wisdom Behind Reciting the Adhān in a Newborn's Ear
    5. The Laughter of the People of Insight
    6. The Self-Deception of Religious People
    7. Why the Friends of Allāh Do Not Worry
    8. The Foul Speech of Women
    9. The Reality of Love for the World
    10. The Need for Love of Allāh
    11. That Which Will Remain
    12. The Priceless Treasure of One's Lifespan
    13. The Example of the World and the Worldly Person
    14. The Blessings of the Hereafter
    15. The Special Quality of a Righteous Deed
    16. Those Who Long for Death
    17. The World as a Prison
    18. The Cure for Heedlessness
  9. Al-Dunyā waʼl-Ākhira: This World and the Hereafter The noble Qurʾān is a mirror in which Allāh the Most Generous is shown, and a stairway by which the Lord of Might is reached, so that whoever sets...
    Sections 39
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. The Question of the Return
    3. The Passing of This World and the Establishing of the Hereafter
    4. The Absence of a Present Awareness of the World's Passing
    5. Man Is Travelling at Every Moment
    6. With Every Hour a Man's Life Grows Shorter
    7. The Same Care for the Journey to the Hereafter
    8. The Trickery of the Lower Self
    9. The Effect of Backbiting upon Acts of Worship
    10. Insisting upon Interest and Evading the Obligatory Alms
    11. The Need for a Practical and Constant Contemplation
    12. The Promise of Allāh
    13. The World Is Nothing but Diversion and Play
    14. Belief Alone Is Not Enough
    15. The Objections of the Fashionable, and Their Answer
    16. The Duties of Spiritual Guides
    17. The Conduct of Unskilled Guides
    18. The Way of the Accomplished Guides
    19. Strictness and Concession in Deeds
    20. The Enabling of Gratitude, and How It Comes
    21. The Kinds of Affliction
    22. A Clear Illustration of Strictness and Concession
    23. The Effect of the Concessions of the Sacred Law
    24. What Acting upon the Sunnah Means
    25. Knowledge Is Always Intended for Action
    26. The Question of the Divine Decree
    27. One Who Denies the Decree Will Have No Patience
    28. The Secrets of Allāh
    29. The Will and Wisdom of Allāh
    30. The Noble Qurʾān Is a Manifestation
    31. The Effects of the Manifestation
    32. Belief in the Passing and the Enduring Is Necessary
    33. Nothing in the World Is Purposeless
    34. What the Independence of Allāh Really Means
    35. Understanding the Reality of This World and the Hereafter
    36. The Methods of Purifying the Self
    37. The Reality of the Circle and the Attention of the Guides
    38. The Kinds of World
    39. The Paths of Arrival unto Allāh
  10. Hamm al-Ākhira: Concern for the Hereafter Mere greed (ḥirṣ) for the world is not what is blameworthy; what is blameworthy is acting upon what that greed demands. In the same way love of...
    Sections 25
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. A Prophecy of Great Moment
    3. Allāh's Promise Never Fails
    4. The Covenant of Alast and Its Effect
    5. Allāh's Speech Is Free of Sound
    6. Children Need a Deeply Learned Teacher
    7. A Compelled Belief Does Not Count
    8. The Need for Miracles, and What They Really Are
    9. The Great Prophecy
    10. How Quack Physicians Treat the Sick
    11. How to Recognise a True Shaykh
    12. The Disease of Loving the World and Forgetting the Hereafter
    13. The Difference Between Earning the World and Loving It
    14. The Degree of Love and Greed for the World
    15. The Love of the World Prevailing over Women
    16. The Need for Reflection
    17. The Worldly Man Is Never Free of Worry
    18. The Degrees in Which the World Is Sought
    19. The People of Allāh Do Not Dread Death
    20. The Wealth of Faith Is Worth Prizing
    21. The Way of Turning Towards the Hereafter
    22. The Vastness of Paradise and of Hell
    23. Today Every Ignorant Man Is a Mujtahid
    24. The Etiquette of Conveying the Message
    25. The Way of Seeking the Hereafter
  11. Tijārat-e-Ākhirat: The Transaction of the Hereafter Progress is a most beautiful word, but what it amounts to at present is nothing more than long expectation and greed, and the pure sacred law has cut...
    Sections 21
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. A Shortcoming of the Muslims
    3. The Difference Between History and Ḥadīth
    4. The Progress of the Religion Was the Companions' Aim
    5. The Showy Sympathies of the Nation's Sympathisers
    6. The Reality of Objecting to the Scholars
    7. The Reality of Selfless Preference
    8. The Forms of Dividing Up the Religion
    9. The Meaning of the Verse on Pondering the Qurʾān
    10. The Separation of Bodily and Monetary Acts of Worship
    11. Distance from the Sacred Law
    12. The Feeble Excuses of the Wealthy
    13. The Shortcoming Concerning Spending
    14. The Conditions for Accepting a Gift
    15. An Illustration of False Spiritual Guides
    16. The Etiquette of Gifts
    17. The Conditions for Collecting a Subscription
    18. Encouragement Towards a Lawful Subscription
    19. An Illustration of Love for the Religion
    20. The Merits of the Students' Lodging House
    21. The Merits of Ongoing Charity
  12. Tadhkira al-Ākhira: Reminders of the Hereafter To take the noble Qurʾān for a book of science, to search in it for the problems of science and philosophy, and to carry out investigations into the...
    Sections 18
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. Introduction
    3. The Difference Between the Worship of the Man of Spiritual Realisation and That of the Common Man
    4. The Reality of the Knowledge of the Companions
    5. The Reason for Shame at Following
    6. The World in the Eyes of the Man of Spiritual Realisation
    7. The True Road to Reaching Allāh
    8. Everything Depends Upon Action
    9. The Effect of the Teaching of the Divine Decree
    10. The Researches of Science and Philosophy
    11. The Need for the Company of the Scholars
    12. Earning the World and Loving the World
    13. The Effect of Boldness Towards Minor Sin
    14. Religion and Progress
    15. The Shortcoming of the Religious
    16. The Shortcoming of the Sufis
    17. The Need for Remembrance and Spiritual Engagement
    18. The Reality of the Pledge
  13. Tarjīḥ al-Ākhira: Preferring the Hereafter The sacred law has not forbidden the enjoyment of this world. What it has forbidden is preferring this world to the Hereafter (tarjīḥ al-dunyā ʿalā...
    Sections 31
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. The Complaint of the Truth Exalted
    3. The Degrees of a Harmful Thing
    4. The Degree of Heedlessness
    5. How Prayer Bars the Way to Indecency
    6. The Result of Preferring This World to the Hereafter
    7. The Result of Being Unconcerned for the Hereafter
    8. The Effect of Perfect Divine Unity
    9. The Reality of the Divine Decree
    10. The Standing of Belief in the Sacred Law
    11. The Prohibition of Sinning in Reliance upon Repentance
    12. The Branches of Wealth and Status
    13. Using Another's Property without His Consent Is Not Permitted
    14. The Result of Sympathy and of Lending
    15. The Embezzlement of Collections
    16. Religion Made Subject to Interests
    17. The Faults of the Elect
    18. The Need to Correct One's Character
    19. Status Is More Desired than Wealth
    20. The Consequences of the Love of Status
    21. The Mere Form of Religion Is Not Religion
    22. The Connection of Soul and Body
    23. The Need for Sincerity
    24. The Hidden Guile of the Lower Self
    25. Seeking the World Is Not Forbidden Outright
    26. Following the Habitual Practices of the Prophet
    27. The Way of the Accomplished Guides
    28. The Kinds of Intending This World
    29. The Subtlety of the Word 'World'
    30. The Attributes of the Hereafter
    31. The Occurrence of the Hereafter
  14. Dār al-Masʿūd: The Abode of the Blessed Everybody is certain that he must leave this world, and yet for all that we have fastened our hearts to it. The reason for it is nothing but this...
    Sections 14
    1. The Transmitted Sermon
    2. The Connection between the Grave and the Soul
    3. The Reason for Dread of the Hereafter
    4. The Effect of Not Knowing the Blessings of the Hereafter
    5. It Is the Reward of Things That Reaches the Dead
    6. What the Blessings of This World and the Hereafter Share
    7. The Astonishing Fruits of Paradise
    8. The Hereafter Is Better than This World
    9. Paradise Is Free of Distress
    10. The State of the Souls
    11. The Reality of Felicity and Ill Fortune
    12. The Enabling Grace for Righteous Action
    13. Two Points of Learning
    14. Real Knowledge
  15. Glossary