Remedies For Several Spiritual Maladies - Part V

Prescription for -

Ridding Off Oneself The Desire To Commit Evil &
Instiling The Inclination To Do Good.

1. Sit in solitude and perform muraqabah (meditate) over the following Ayat of the Holy Qur'an:

"Alam ya'lam bi annallaha Yaraa." (Surah 96: Ayat 14)

Translation: "Does he not know that verily Allah is watching."

Meditate over this as long as possible. There after, while busy at work, as often as possible, recite this ayat and ponder over its meaning. Allah Ta'ala will grant much benefit by means of this meditation, InshaAllah.

2. Read about the lives of the pious and narrate them to others as well. Sit in the company of the pious. When time permits, spend more time in a good environment e.g. in Jamaat or I'tikaf. When one has a good environment, one's actions and character also improve.


Generating The Love for Rasulullah SAW

One of the companions of Rasullullah SAW was Anas bin Malik RA. He was only ten years old when his mother left him in the service of Rasullullah SAW. He served Rasullullah SAW for ten years, until the demise of the Prophet SAW. He loved his master dearly and Rasulullah SAW also loved him dearly.

Once Rasullullah SAW said to him:

"O my beloved son! If it is possible that you could commence the day or night in such a condition that your heart is free of malice against anyone, then do so! (i.e. you should definitely try to acquire this)."

Thereafter Rasullullah SAW continued:

"This (Keeping the heart void of any malice) is from my Sunnah. The one who loves my Sunnah has indeed loved me. The one who loves me will be with me in Jannah."

This clearly indicates to us the way to acquire true love of Rasulluah SAW. By loving the Sunnats of Rasullullah SAW and practising upon them, ones love for him will instinctively and naturally blossom.


The Dilemma of Resorting to Sin After Taubah

There are many people who by the Grace and Mercy of Allah - perform Solatul Taubah and sincerely repent of their sins. After that however, the conscience of Allah Ta'ala is sustained only for a few days. Then suddenly they find themselves inclined to perform the old sin(s), and hence break their Taubah. Those who face this predicament must know how to tackle this problem so that they do not become demotivated or despondent.

The fact that a person is conscious of Allah Ta'ala for a few days after performing Solatul Taubah is itself a great bounty. Any person who experiences this must be grateful for this.

Allah Ta'ala declares:

"If you are grateful, I will increase My Bounties upon you."

To once again become inclined to sins after a few days - is like a person who fasted for the entire day and by the end of the day he felt extremely thirsty. As a result he gulps down some water.

What is the use of destroying our crops that is almost ripe before even getting the chance to reap it?

These analogies should be brought into the mind when such circumstances occur. Upon good contemplation, InshaAllah - we will be more sturdy in our endeavours to protect our Taubah and our Amals.


Lowering The Gaze

To begin with, if any glance to a non-Muhrim falls unintentionally, no sin has been incurred.

However, to continue looking and thus derive pleasure from that glance is an illness which requires treatment.

The treatment is very easy. A person suffering from the above problem will realise how simple the prescription is, up to the point that, if he is truly sincere in his efforts for spiritual reformation, he will become embarassed with the defence mechanism that Allah SWT has given to all of His slaves. The treatment is - to immediately close our eyelids, the shutters that Allah SWT has created - one above the eyes, and one below the eyes. Simple.

Furthermore, we should sit in solitude, close our eyes and meditate:

"If my Ustaz or teacher was present, will I cast any lustful glance? Never! How can I cast lustful glances in the presence of Allah Ta'ala – that Perfect Being who knows the deception of the eyes and what the hearts conceal."

Also we should keep in mind the warning that has been mentioned in Hadith for casting lustful glances. It is reported that molten lead will be poured into the eyes of such people.


Remedy For Illicit Love

Many people today, especially the youth and young adults are entrapped in illicit love affair. This results in much spiritual problems.

To tackle such maladies, one must first set his/her mind and be absolutely certain that nothing is achieved without courage. We will have to obtain the courage to get out of the predicament, irrespective of how agonising and difficult it maybe on the nafs.

If indeed one wishes to come out of this fix, he/she firstly must physically distance himself/herself from the person who is illicitly being loved. Thus there should be no chance of meeting or seeing one another.

In the last part of the night, the sufferer should engage in zikr. Among the best prescription for this is the Kalimah - "Laa Ilaha Illallah". The purpose here is so that one removes from the heart all forms of impermissible love and thrown it behind, and only the love of Allah remains, and becomes firmly established in the heart.

Again, it must reminded here that it is extremely important for the sufferer to disassociate from the person to such an extent that the person becomes unknown, a stranger. There should never be any form of correspondence whatsoever. Being steadfast in doing this will make the zikr more effective and have more weight.

With regard to specific zikr prescription, one should consult the Ulama of Tasawwuf or the Mashaaikh to obtain the types, and amount, for different amounts of zikr are prescribed to different people due to their varying conditions.


Stopping the Habit of Smoking

To give up smoking, a smoker may adapt the following procedure:

1. Immediately cut down the number of cigarettes smoked daily by one cigarette.

2. After one week cut it down by another cigarette.

3. In this manner, each week reduce it by one cigarette. InshaAllah, the smoker will be able to get rid of this habit.

When the urge to have a cigarette returns, the smoker should ponder on the fact that it will be easy for a person who make the habit of performing Miswak (cleaning the teeth with a toothstick) to recite the Kalimah - "Laa Ilaaha Illallah" before he/she dies. This is by virtue of cleaning the teeth, and giving the mouth a pleasant smell, which is Sunnah. On the other hand, the smoker should recall that cigarettes stain the teeth and give the mouth and body a bad smell.

We then inculcate the fear in our hearts that this habit of smoking may become the reason for Allah to paralyse our tongue to recite the Kalimah when we die. (Na'udzubillah).

If we equipt our hearts with this alertness and concern, then it will be easy to terminate the habit of smoking. InshaAllah.