Believe in the Qur'an

Bismillah.

O son, I simply could not put down Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani's al-Fath ar-Rabbani (The Sublime Revelation). You may have noticed that I've been quoting him a great deal lately. But you and I know it's worth it. There are 62 discourses altogether and these should provide sufficient antidotes for our spiritual illnesses. I intend to study and post them here on Lisan al-Din right through Ramadhan InshaAllah.

O my people! Believe in this Qur'an, put it into practice, and be sincere in your actions. Do not pretend and do not be hypocritical in your conduct. Do not seek praise from people, or look to them to reward you for your deeds. Only a few individuals among the people believe in this Qur'an and put it into practice for the sake of Allah s.w.t. This is why the sincere are so few and the hypocrites are so many. How lazy you are in obeying Allah, and how energetic you are in obeying His enemy and your own enemy, Satan the accursed! The people (of the Lord) wish never to be free of obligations imposed by the Lord of Truth since they know that in patience with His obligations (takalif). His judgments (aqdiya) and His decrees (aqdar) there lies much good for this world and the hereafter. They harmonize with Him in His operations (tasarif) and transformations (taqalib), sometimes in patience and sometimes in gratitude, sometimes in nearness and sometimes in remoteness, sometimes in weary labor and sometimes in repose, sometimes in affluence and sometimes in poverty, sometimes in health and sometimes in sickness. Their entire aspiration is to keep their hearts safe with the Lord of Truth. This is the most important thing of all to them. They wish for their own salvation (salama) and the salvation of all creatures (al-khalq) with the Creator (al-Khaliq). They never cease begging the Lord of Truth for the benefit of all creatures.

O young man! Be correct (sahih) then you will be eloquent (fasih). Be correct in law (hukm) then you will be eloquent in learning ('ilm). Be correct in secret, then you will be eloquent in public. The whole of well-being (salama) lies in obedience to the Lord of Truth, that is to say, in carrying out everything He has commanded, avoiding everything He has forbidden and bearing with patience everything He has decreed. When someone responds to the wishes of Allah, He will respond to that person's prayer and when someone obeys Him, He will make all His creatures obedient to that person.

O my people! Take instruction from me, for I am giving you sound advice. I am quite impartial toward myself and toward you. Whatever I have to deal with, my attitude is impartial. I am happy to observe the action (fi'il) of Allah in me and in you. Do not suspect my motives, because I wish for you what I wish for myself. As the Prophet s.a.w has said: "The believer does not perfect his faith until he wishes for his Muslim brother what he wishes for himself."

- Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani