al_etidaal_gn

“Shall I tell you who is the next best after him?”
The Sahabah (Radiallahu anhum) replied: “Yes, do tell us!”
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “It is that person who goes to settle in
seclusion in a mountain cavern all alone, perfonns his Salaah, gives his Zakaat and is
saved from the evils of men.”
According to another Hadeeth: “How fortunate and good is that man who keeps his
tongue under control, remains secluded in his house and continues to cry over his sins.”
Sayyidina Uqbah (Radiallahu anhum) says: “I once asked Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam) what was the way towards salvation.”
He replied: “Keep control over your tongue,, remain inside your home and continue to
cry over your sins in repentance.
In all these things there is one thing we must stress once again. It is this when any
prohibited impermissible thing is seen one should dislike it and consider it bad. One
should feel sorrow at its appearance. Such evil should be intensely resented. This is that
which in the first Hadeeth quoted has been called the lowest grade of Imaan.
There is a Hadeeth which says that Allah commanded Jibreel (Alayhis Salaam) to destroy
a certain town and its people. Jibreel (Alayhis Salaam) said: “0 Allah, in that town there
is such-and-such a devout servant of yours, who has never ever disobeyed you.”
Allah said: “Destroy that town in spite of him because never once did a wrinkle appear on
his face on account of (the displeasure at the sins committed against Me.” (Mishkat)
In other words, he has continued to look on while my laws were disobeyed and never
once showed any dislike and resentment.
In another Hadeeth Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “Whosoever joins in
the doing of a impermissible act while he resents it (and only does so because of force of
circumstances) shall be as one who never joined in the act. And whosoever does not join
in such an act but likes it, is like one who participated in it.” (Majma-ul-Zawaaid)
It is indeed a very dangerous thing to be pleased with any sinful thing, no matter in whom
it be found. And the root of all sin is kufr. How much more dangerous is it not to be
pleased with kufr?
Hazrat Mujaddid Alfi Thani wrote a very frightening story in his Makaateed (epistles),
with a strong lesson for us. He says that he once went to visit a very sick man. When he
came there he found the man very near death. “1 concentrated my spiritual attention on
him and found that his heart was filled with darkness. Again I focused my spiritual
attention on his heart for a long time in order to drive off the darkness, but the darkness
Al- Eti’daal Fi Maraatibur- Rijaal 188