If a Muslim willingly does some action or says something which is unanimously reported to cause disbelief, he becomes a disbeliever, i.e., he becomes an apostate (murtad). All his previous worships, good deeds and earned rewards (thawâbs) perish. If he becomes a Muslim again, if he is rich, he has to renew the pilgrimage (hajj). But he does not have to reperform his previous acts of worship such as namâz, fast, and hajj (if he performed them before his apostasy). However, those prayers which he omitted before apostasy will have to be performed. A person’s apostasy will not absolve him from the sins he committed before apostasy. Yet it will annul his nikâh. The children he has had during the time between his apostasy and his renewing his îmân and his nikâh, will be illegitimate. If he kills an animal (during the period of apostasy), the animal he has killed becomes a mere carcass and cannot be consumed. A person who becomes an apostate cannot become a Muslim again only by saying the (special expression termed) Kalima-i-shahâdat or by performing namâz, unless he repents and renounces the deed which caused his apostasy. His denial of the deed which caused his apostasy should be construed as repentance. If he dies before making repentance, he will be punished in Hell-fire forever. For all these reasons, we should be very much afraid of disbelief and therefore talk very little. It is reported in a hadîth-i-sherîf, “Always say useful things or else keep silent!” One should have a serious character and should not be a person who plays or jokes all the time. One should not do things that are not compatible with religion, reason or humanity. One should pray much and seek refuge in Allâhu ta’âlâ so that one may be protected from disbelief. It is stated as follows in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Be mindful and avoid ‘shirk’. ‘Shirk’ is more sneaky than the sound produced by an ant walking.” “Shirk” in this hadîth-i-sherîf means disbelief. When they asked how one could avoid such a secret disbelief the Best of Mankind explained: “Read the following prayer: Allâhumma innâ na’űzu bika an-nushrika-bika shay’an na’lamuhu wa nastaghfiruka lima lâ-na’lamuhu.” One should repeat this prayer often during the mornings and evenings. It is reported unanimously that disbelievers will never enter Paradise and will be punished in Hell-fire forever. If a disbeliever would live in the world forever, he would intend to live as a disbeliever forever. Therefore, he deserves punishment forever. Allâhu ta’âlâ is the Creator and Owner of everything. He has a right to do anything He wishes. No one has a right to question Him why He does this or that. The owner of something can use that thing anyway he wishes and the method of using that thing cannot be called oppression. Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in the Qur’ân al-kerîm that He is not an oppressor and He does not oppress any of His creatures.

[Allâhu ta’âlâ has Names (Asmâ al-husnâ), which are eternal like His Self. One of these ninety-nine Names is “Muntaqim” and another one is “Shadîd ul-iqâb” and due to these two Names He created the seven pits of Hell. He also has Names like “Rahmân”, “Rahîm”, “Gaffâr”, “Latîf”, and “Raűf”. He created the eight Gardens of Paradise due to these Names. He discriminated those things that will be causes to go to Paradise or Hell, in eternity. Owing to His infinite Mercy, He communicated these to His slaves. He repeatedly warned them by saying, “Do not commit actions which will take you to Hell! Its fire is very strong. You cannot bear that fire!” He invited people to do the actions which will cause them to live in peace and happiness in this world and in the next and lead them to the eternal fruits of Paradise. He gave wisdom, freedom of choice and will power to his human creatures so that they may use these to accept or reject His invitation. Allâhu ta’âlâ did not decree in the eternal past that anyone should go to Hell or that anyone should do such and such actions which would take them to Hell. But, He knew in eternity who in their earthly lives would choose a way of life which would take them into Paradise and who would take a path which would lead them to Hell. His destiny (“Qadâ” and “Qadar”) is eternal as well as His knowledge (’Ilm). In the Qur’ân al-kerîm, He communicates that Abű Lahab will go to Hell. This communication is not due to His Decree in the eternal past but it is because He knew in eternity that he would choose the path of Hell.]

Having belief is very easy. It is necessary (wâjib) for everyone to think, observe and ponder about the existing order, balance and harmony among the created things and beings. The order that exists in an atom or in the solar system or everything in between and their relationships to each other clearly shows that these things do not exist by chance. They were created by an all-knowing, all-wise and all-powerful Being. A person who possesses the ability to think clearly can see, when he studies the subjects like astronomy, science, biology and medicine taught in high schools and universities, that the created things have a creator. It is impossible for such a creator to have any kind of defect. Prophet Muhammad ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ is His Messenger. Whatever he communicated was revealed to him by the Creator. This reasoning engenders belief in Him. When a person wise enough learns that disbelievers or people who die as disbelievers will stay in Hell forever and Believers will live among the blessings of Paradise forever, he becomes a Muslim willingly and lovingly. [Ibrâhîm Haqqi, ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ of Erzurum/Turkey, (died 1195 A.D., 1781 Hijrî at Si’rid/Turkey) states the following in the ninth chapter of his book Ma’rifatnâma:

“Knowledge of science and astronomy and machinery and factories are based on experiments and intellectual activity. Therefore, by the passage of time new information proves that the old information was wrong. Old or new, wrong or right all scientific knowledge points out that the universe was created out of nothing and that it is a necessity to believe in a Creator who has infinite knowledge and power.” Anyone who reads the beautiful moral character and miracles of Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ understands that he is the Prophet.]

2– IGNORANCE

The second malady of the heart is ignorance. Various types of ignorance and their harms are already explained in the first section.

3– GREED FOR WEALTH, POWER, RANKS,
OR POSITIONS

The third malady of the heart is greed for wealth, property, or a leading position in society. The following hadîth-i-sherîf enlightens us about this illness, which is called “Hubburriyâsat”, its identification, and its cure:

1– “The harm done to a person’s spiritual state by greed of property or power is much greater than the harm done by two hungry wolves when they attack a lamb flock.”

2– “A person’s being singled out on account of his worldly or religious eminence would suffice him as a harm.” In other words, attaining such a position of distinction in worldly or religious affairs may be very harmful for a man with respect to his worldly and other-worldly affairs.

3– “Fondness for being praised makes a person blind and deaf. He no longer sees his own faults and deficiencies. He is deaf to friendly criticisms and will not listen to any advice.”

The three reasons why one wants to acquire property or a leading position or ranks in social life are the following: The first reason: One wants to satisfy desires of one’s nafs. The nafs wishes its desires to be satisfied by forbidden (harâm) means. The second reason: One wants to protect oneself and others from tyranny of the oppressors. One wants to perform permissible (mustahab) deeds, e.g. charity or doing goodness. One wants to perform permissible (mubâh) things, e.g. desiring to purhase good food and attirements. One wants to have a family and live in a good house in a good neighborhood. In short, one wants to pursue happiness in life or avoid things that will be an impediment to doing the worships or to serve Muslims and Islam. Obtaining ranks or position in order to achieve the above-mentioned second group of desires is permissible (jâiz), and even “mustahab” with the following two conditions. The first condition is that one should not commit things that are forbidden by Islam, e.g. mixing the truth with falsehood or hypocrisy. The second condition is that one must not give up performing the wâjibs and sunnats enjoined by the religion. In case a person fulfills the above mentioned two conditions, it is permissible (jâiz), and even mustahab (very much blessed) for him to occupy a high position. For, it is not only permissible but also necessary to adhere to means and vehicles that will enable you to attain permissible and necessary facilities. Allâhu ta’âlâ describes the attributes of good human beings, in the Qur’ân al-kerîm, and states that they will desire to be leaders of Muslims. Sulaymân (Solomon) ‘alaihis-salâm’ entreated to Allâhu ta’âlâ as follows: “Yâ Rabbî (O Allah)! Give me such property as Thou willst never give to any other person!” That is, he wanted to be a leader and owner at the same time. The information which has been passed to us from previous religions and which is not rejected by Islamic scholars is also valuable information in our religion. It is reported in a hadîth that our Prophet said, “I would love and prefer to be a judge who practices within the bounds of righteousness and justice for one day than performing Holy War for the cause of Islam throughout the year.” And in another hadîth he said, “One hour of just management of the affairs of the people is better than sixty years of voluntary (nâfila) prayers.” It is not permissible to capture a leading management position in society by way of hypocrisy or by mixing right with wrong. It is not permissible even if it is done with good or pure intentions because committing forbidden actions or disliked actions (makrűhs) with good intentions is not permissible. In fact, doing some forbidden things (harâms) with good intentions worsens the state of sinfulness. Having good intentions are valid and useful when performing worships. As a matter of fact, some permissible acts and even some acts of worship produce sinfulness when the intention is not proper. Hence, the pretext, “You should look at my heart. It is pure. Allah will judge by the heart,” which is usually voiced by sinners, is wrong and harmful.

The third reason why one wants to acquire a ranking position in society is the desires and pleasures of the nafs. The nafs derives pleasure from wealth, property as well as from rank or a leading position. Even though it is not prohibited to satisfy desires of the nafs which do not involve things contrary to Islam, it would still indicate a lesser degree of piety and zeal. There is the danger that a person who acquires ranks to satisfy the desires of his nafs might commit hypocrisy or compromise his religion (mudâhana) or act ostentatiously in order to win the hearts of his constituents. There are even further dangers such as committing hypocrisy and mixing truth with falsehood, lying and fraud. One should not do actions which involve mixing of forbidden and permissible things. This third reason for wishing to acquire a leading position or rank in society, even though it is not forbidden, is not a virtue. Therefore, one should know its remedy and apply it. First, one should think that the position is temporary and has many built-in dangers and harms. In order to protect oneself from fame and from becoming proud and contemptuous because one acquires the respect of the people, one should do actions which are permissible (mubâh, jâiz) in Islam and which people generally do not think much of. In the past, a leader (amîr) visited a person who abstained from worldly affairs (zâhid). When the “zâhid” sensed that the visiting leader and his companions wanted to receive his favor, he gave a dinner for them. During the dinner, he ate the food in a fast and greedy fashion in order to give them a false impression, i.e., he is not a real “zâhid”. The visiting leader did not like the zâhid’s behaviour and left. The “zâhid” seeing that his tactic was successful said, “Alhamdulillah! My Rabb has saved me.” The best medicine which cures the desire of wishing to have a ranking position is seclusion (Uzlat). One should not engage in any unnecessary activity among the people other than routine religious and worldly duties and chores. This medicament is recommended in a hadîth-i-sherîf. This remedy was commanded in a hadîth.

4– THE FEAR OF BEING ACCUSED OF HAVING FAULTS

The fourth of the maladies of the heart is to worry and become sad because of ill treatment by other people, such as their unjust criticism or gossip. The third reason which causes “kufr al-juhudî” is being ashamed of other people and also being in fear of other people thinking that they will find you at fault and will gossip about you. This is the exact reason why Abű Tâlib stayed as a disbeliever. Abű Tâlib was the father of Hadrat Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ and the uncle of Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’. Abű Tâlib knew that Rasűlullah was the Prophet. He did not join the ranks of Muslims because he thought that people would blame him and talk ill of him. While Abű Tâlib was in the stage of death, Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ visited him and said to him, “O my uncle! Please say ‘lâ ilâha illallah’ so that I may intercede for you!” He replied, “O my brother’s son! I know you are telling the truth. But I don’t want people to say that I became a Muslim because of the fear of death.” It is written in Tafsîr Baydâwî that the fifty-sixth âyat of Sűra Qasas, which purports, “It is true thou wilt not be able to guide every one, whom thou lovest; ..,” (28-56) was revealed upon this incident. According to a narration, the following event is reported to have taken place: The leaders of the disbelievers of the Quraish clan came to Abű Tâlib and said to him, “You are our leader! We obey your orders. But, we are afraid that after you pass away, the animosity between us and Muhammad will continue. Tell him not to censure our religion.” Abű Tâlib sent for Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ and related to him what they had said. And, upon understanding that Rasűlullah will not make peace with them, he said some words which could be interpreted as he was ready to accept Islam, so Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ told him that he should declare his belief. Abű Tâlib answered, “I would have loved to make you happy by declaring my belief if I were not afraid of the people’s gossip and ill talk.” As he was taking his last breaths, he said some words which was very difficult to hear. In order to hear what he was saying, Abdullah ibn Abbâs drew near him and said that he was declaring his belief. The issue of his belief is among doubtful matters. According to “Ahl as-Sunnat scholars” he did not believe. Imâm a’zam Abű Hanîfa ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ said that Abű Tâlib had passed away as a disbeliever. Hadrat Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ came to Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ and said to him, “Your uncle who was in the wrong path passed away!” Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ replied, “Wash him, wrap him with special clothing ‘kafan’ and than bury him! We will pray for him until we are prohibited to do so.” For a few days he did not go out of his house and prayed much for him. When some of the Sahâba heard about this, they also started to pray for their relatives who had passed away as disbelievers. Upon this the hundred and thirteenth âyat-i-kerîma of Sűra Tawba descended, declaring, “Prophet and Believers should not pray or ask forgiveness for disbelievers even though they may be their relatives.” Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “On the day of Judgement, Abű Tâlib will be the disbeliever whose punishment will be the lightest. He will wear slippers made of fire and from their heat, his brain will boil up.”

The following reasoning is recommended as a medication against the fear of being blamed and mocked: If their blames reflect the truth, they are showing me my defects. I am resolved not to do these actions. In addition to the real solace inherent in this reasoning, one should feel thankful to one’s criticizers. They informed Hasan al-Basrî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ that someone was backbiting him. He sent a plate full of sweets to his backbiter with the following message: “I hear that you have been giving me your thawâbs. So I am sending you these sweets to thank you!” They told Imâm a’zam Abű Hanîfa ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ that someone was backbiting him. Imâm a’zam sent a bag of gold coins to the backbiter and said, “If he increases the thawâbs that he is giving us, we will likewise increase our gift of gold!” If ill talk is a lie and slander, it will harm the person who perpetrates it. A person who is slandered should think and comfort himself by saying to himself, “His thawâbs will be given to me and my sins will be given to him.” Slandering and carrying words between Muslims is worse than backbiting. [Please read the 2nd Volume, 123rd letter of the Maktűbât-i Ma’thűmiyya.]

5– FONDNESS FOR BEING PRAISED

The fifth one of the maladies of the heart is fondness for being praised and lauded. Psychology of the wish to be praised rests with the person’s self love and thinking of oneself as good and superior. Being praised tastes very sweet to this type of person. A person with this malady should think that this is not a real superiority and goodness or even if one presumes it as goodness, one should think that it is transitory. Broader coverage of this subject will be given later on while the subject matter conceit (kibr) is explained (see chapter 12).

6– HERETICAL BELIEFS (BID’ATS)

Sixth of the maladies of the heart is to hold a bid’at, which means to hold a heretical, wrong or aberrant belief. Most Muslims suffer from this disastrous malady. The reason which leads one into this malady is one’s attempt to rationalize or reason in the matters which cannot be sensed through sense organs and which cannot be reached or comprehended through calculations and believing in matters wherein reason errs and makes mistakes. Every Muslim should follow the teachings of either one of the two Madhhabs with respect to faith, i.e., “Mâturîdî” or “Ash’arî”. Following the teachings of any one of them will protect or save a person from the malady of heresies. For, in matters beyond the reach of mind, the scholars of (the medial and therefore the only correct path called) Ahl as-sunnat followed only the Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs, thus utilizing their mental capacities in delving into these two sources and trying to understand their meanings. They wrote, in their books, what they learned from the Ashâb-i-kirâm, who in turn had acquired their religious learnings from the Messenger of Allah.