Requirements of the Journey
by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

One of the best ways of mutual support (in righteousness and piety) is to help one another on the journey of migration to Allâh and to ar-Rasûl (peace be on him) with hands, tongues and hearts, and by teaching, educating and caring. A person having the attitude toward al-`Ibâd (the worshippers) of Allâh will see prosperity rush to him from all directions. Allâh will move toward him the hearts of His `Ibâd, will open for his heart the gates of knowledge, and will make smooth for him the path bliss. Conversely, one with an opposite attitude will receive opposite consequences.

If one then asks,

“You have described a very great journey and a very important matter; but what provisions should be taken along? What’s the way to follow? And what are the means to be used for transportation?”

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The Supplication and Al-Qadar
Imaam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah

Here there occurs a very popular question and it is:

If the thing that is being supplicated for is already decreed for the servant, then there is no doubt that it is going to come to pass for him, regardless of whether he supplicates for it or not. And if it has not been decreed for him, then it will not come to pass, regardless of whether he asks Allaah for it or not.

There is one group that perceives this question to be valid and so they have abandoned the supplication and are of the view that there is no benefit in doing it. These people, along with their excessive ignorance and misguidance are in clear contradiction, for if we were to follow their opinion, it would require us to reject all the different means for attaining something (desired).

So it can be said to one of them:

If satisfying your appetite and quenching your thirst were already decreed for you, then there is no doubt that they are going to come to pass, whether you eat and drink or you don’t. And if they were not decreed for you, they will not come to pass, whether you eat and drink or you don’t.

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Enjoining certain Manners so that the Mothers of the Believers may be an Example; and the Prohibition of Tabarruj
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

These are the good manners which Allah enjoined upon the wives of the Prophet so that they would be an example for the women of the Ummah to follow. Allah said, addressing the wives of the Prophet that they should fear Allah as He commanded them, and that no other woman is like them or can be their equal in virtue and status. Then Allah says:

[فَلاَ تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ]

(then be not soft in speech,) As-Suddi and others said, this means, do not be gentle in speech when addressing men. Allah says:

[فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِى فِى قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ]

(lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire,) means, something unclean.

[وَقُلْنَ قَوْلاً مَّعْرُوفاً]

(but speak in an honorable manner.) Ibn Zayd said: “Decent and honorable talk that is known to be good.” This means that she should address non-Mahram men in a manner in which there is no softness, i.e., a woman should not address a non-Mahram man in the same way that she addresses her husband.

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Three Distinctions Often Confused
Ibn al-Qayyim al Jawziyyah

There are certain things that the soul often confuses and mixes up, and only those with deep insight and wisdom are able to properly distinguish them. Ibn al-Qayyim points out some of these fine details and distinctions that should be made.

i) Self-Respect vs. Vanity

“Self-respect is to make your soul rise above the petty and insignificant things that cause people to bend their necks pursuing. So, he prevents himself from this.

This is different from arrogance, which is a characteristic that is born from two things: being impressed with oneself and belittling others. So, arrogance is born from these two things, and the first (i.e. self-respect) is born from two things: honoring oneself and making it noble…

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Contemplating the Case of the Human without Senses
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Consider the case of the human who is deprived of the sense of sight. Think how grave is his bereavement. He does not see where to put his step, does not see what is in front of him, does not distinguish colours and agreeable and disagreeable sights; he does not benefit from the scholarship of books; he is unable to reflect and contemplate the wonders of Allah’s creation. He cannot take note of much of what is advantageous or harmful to him; he may not be able to avoid falling in a hole in his way, nor protect himself from a wild animal, or an enemy intent on assailing and killing him. He cannot flee if attacked, but will have to beat the mercy of his adversary.

Had it not been for special care from Allah, in some was similar to that given to the newborn, he would be much more likely to perish than to survive. He is like a mass of flesh and bones, and that is why Allah promises him, if he is resigned and patient, that he will be rewarded with Paradise. It is an illustration of the immensity of the Lord’s kindness that He compensated a blind person’s vision with a mental vision, so tat you see that he has the sharpest intuition and insight. Another grace is that he enjoys clarity of objective, so that he is not distracted or scatter-brained. In this way he can enjoy his life, and take care of what is good for him, and is not depressed, indignant or frustrated. This I true of those born blind. As for the one who lost his sight after he had been sighted, he is like all those who have had catastrophes, who have transferred from a state of well being to one of suffering. He takes it very hard, because he is barred from what e had always enjoyed of sights, scenes, and ways of using his vision; his case is different.

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