What was the wird of ibn Taymiyyah? Ibn al-Qayyim mentions a practice of his in his Madārij as-Sālikīn.

When studying Ghazali and similar authors, it's important to understand the division of two types of the knowledge: Ilm al-Muamalah (علم المعاملة): The outward knowledge that can be taught and learned. It is the knowledge of transactions between us and Allah ﷻ, us and our hearts (ex: sincerity), us and other people (ex: being brotherly … Continue reading Ilm al-Muamalah and Ilm al-Mukashafah →

Imam Zaid Shakir said that his Sheikh, Mustafa Turkmani, used to frequently say: رجل واحد صاحب الحال يؤثر على ألف رجل وألف رجل بلا حال لا يؤثرون على واحد A single person who has a refined spiritual state can affect a thousand, but a thousand people who lack any refinement in their state cannot affect … Continue reading Refinement of Hearts →

One of the signs of the khawarij is they obsess over the faults of others--it's all they see. They never see their own faults. One of the signs of the awliya' is they are constantly preoccupied with their own faults, which seem endless. They hardly have time to see the fault of others, their schedule … Continue reading Seeing the Faults of Others →

There's a famous hadith in Bayhaqi that says:  الحديث الذي ورد عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال لأصحابه  لما رجعوا من الغزو : ( رجعنا من الجهاد الأصغر ، إلى الجهاد الأكبر ) ، قالوا : وهل هناك جهاد أعظم من جهاد الكفار ؟ قال : ( نعم . جهاد النفس ) .It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), … Continue reading Hadith: We Returned from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad →