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The First Principle: Purfiying the Vessel of Knowledge
(p.12) It is the heart. Everything which is sought after has a vessel, and certainly the vessel of knowledge is the heart. The uncleanliness of the vessel muddies it and spoils what is in it. Knowledge will enter the heart according to its purity. If its purity increases, its readiness for knowledge increases. The example of knowledge in the heart is like a lamp; the cleanliness of the glass is what causes its light to spread, and if it is covered in dirt, its light will disappear. So, whoever wants to possess knowledge, let him adorn his inner-self, and let him purify his heart from its impurities. Knowledge is a delicate jewel, and it is not appropriate for anything other than a clean heart.
Transclude of 29-49
- The heart is a place where knowledge resides, and if the heart is clean & sincere, then knowledge will enter it.
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- The word wiaa’ refers to a vessel that is see through like a glass
- Think about the place you cook food leaves a taste.
- So the source of knowledge, the cleanliness of the heart, is the first and most important principle.
- 2 things the heart needs to be purified from:
- Purifying it from shubuhat
- The word shubuhat comes from the arabic word meaning resemblance.
- The word shubuhat means a false notion, misguided idea that has certain resemblance to the truth.
- Typically this is more serious than shahwat because it is the root of shirk & bid’ah. Example, you see someone praying to the grave. Why is it that they are doing that? Is it because they like the vibe? No, it’s usually because they think what they are doing is not wrong.
- False notions have huge effects on the people, for example, the person who killed Ali Ibn Abi Thalib, Abdurrahman ibn Muljim was clouded by the misconception that what he is doing was correct. A khawarij poet Imran ibn Hitm said “What a strike from a righteous man…” and praised ibn Muljim for what he did. This is not because of his desires, it is not because his heart is attached to it, it’s because he became confused on what is right and what is wrong, and took a misguided principle believing the person who murdered Ali is beloved in the eyes of Allah.
- The answer to shubuhat is knowledge. Like water putting out fire.
- Purifying it from shahwat (desire)
- Major sins on the other hand, such as doing haram, is usually because their heart is attached to it.
- You don’t become a fasiq by doing a small sin once, but you can become one by doing it continously.
- The answer to shahwat is tazkiyatun nafs’, or purifying of the soul, controlling your nafs.
- Purifying it from shubuhat
(p.12) Since the purification of the heart is of such great importance, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded it be done from the very beginning of his call, based on the statement of Allāh, the Exalted,
Transclude of 74-4
- The ayah can be understood in 2 parts:
- وَثِيَابَكَ = your garment
- فَطَهِّرۡ= purify it
- The sheikh said since the word garment here is the garment of the inner-self, it means to purify the heart before preaching (something that entails knowledge) to people.
- Supporting evidence of the opinion the sheikh took:
- The statement of the poet Imru Al-Qais, one of the most renowned poet of pre-islamic time. He said
“If a mannerism of mine has displeased then strip my heart from your heart and I will depart from you.”
- The statement of the poet Antarah ibn Shaddad, another pre-islamic poet. He is known for poetry about bravery and war.
“I stabbed with a firm spear to his heart for the noble one is not forbidden to the spear.” - Both of the poet uses the word theeyab as heart
(p.14) If you are shy that a created being like you should see your dirty clothes, then be shy of Allāh looking at your heart while there is rancour, afflictions, sins and faults in it.
If you are ashamed if someone sees you with a dirty clothing, then why would you not be ashamed towards Allah when your heart is filled with impurities?
(p.14) Imam Muslim said, “‘Amr an-Nāqid narrated to us, saying, Katheer ibn Hishām narrated to us, saying, Ja’far ibn Burqān narrated to us, from Yazeed al-Aṣamm, from Abī Hurayrah, that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said (the translation of which is): ‘Indeed, Allāh does not look at your physical forms and your wealth; rather, he looks at your hearts and your deeds.‘”
Abu Ubayda Ibn Jarrah, a companion, a commander of the prophet said
“Perhaps one who whitens his clothing taints his religion”
Meaning, even though one’s clothing is so white and pure, could still have an impure heart. Ibn Jawzi mentioned that the people without knowledge suffers from this the most, a lack of resolute or firmness. The lack of purity in the heart can cause shakyness. As for the people with knowledge, we are more afraid of the shubuhat that might enter.
Beware of the hidden things within yourself which; whenever they come out about you, they break you with humiliation.
(p.14) Whoever purifies his heart, knowledge settles within it; and whoever does not get rid of its impurities, knowledge will bid farewell to him and move on. If you were to look through the circumstances of a group of the students of knowledge, in terms of this principle, you would see an obvious flaw - for how can the reverence of knowledge exist in a person who lets false notions and desires enter his heart morning and evening!? A forbidden image calls to him, and a deviant statement kindles his desire. Evil things fill him, as does finding pleasure in forbidden things; in him is malice and corruption, stubbornness and jealousy; hypocrisy and opposition - how can such people have knowledge, and where do they stand regarding it, and where does it stand regarding them!? Sahl ibn Abdullah (may Allāh have mercy on him) said, “It is forbidden for light to enter a heart when it has within it something which Allāh, Mighty and Majestic, hates.”
- The word haram can be used in 2 ways:
- Something which is haram by qadr like the statement of Allah
Transclude of 28-12
Here Allah makes it haram for Musa to drink milk from any other woman. Ibn Kathir said it was forbidden in terms of the decree of Allah. Other women’s milk is not haram per-say but Allah has made it haram. - Haram in terms of religion, to distinguish.
- Something which is haram by qadr like the statement of Allah
Further evidence of why the heart has to be pure
Transclude of 7-146Allah is saying that people who have arrogance in their heart, Allah will turn away from those people. And arrogance is just an example, it encompasses all of the sicknesses of the heart.
- Sufyan ibn Uyaynah said it means Allah prevents those people from understanding the Qur’an.
- Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Faryabi said it means Allah prevents the hearts from reflecting upon the matter of the religion. What about those who are arrogant but still memorizes?
- Ibn Hajj Al-Maliki said
“It is known for sure that some arrogant people memorise the Quran and other forms of knowledge but they are prohibited from the benefit of it; to understand and act upon it. That is what was being really sought so the common folk (those who did not study) are in a better situation than them in this and Allah is the one whose help is sought.”
- It could be used against them on yaumul qiyamah since the knowledge is there but they did not use it in accordance to how it is intended to be used.
Why quote some of the people from the sufi?
Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that these were zuhad from the early sufiyyah. They had poor clothing & left the dunya behind, but they did not have the same aqidah issues like the later sufis. It is also worth noting that not everyone whose biographies are written as sufi scholar is an actual sufi. Sometimes it is just false attribute given by what we know as sufis today.