Islam's Reformers .pdf

moderate in eating. Eating too much will cause indolence andinertia. And eating too little will hinder you from work andworship. Khwâja Muhammad Bahâuddîn Naqshiband ‘quddisasirruh’ passed away in 791 [A.D. 1389], in Bukhâra. He used tosay, “Eat until you are fully satisfied, and then do your worshipwell!” [You should not eat before you become hungry or afteryou become fully satisfied.]. The important thing is to performthe worships well and enthusiastically. Everything conducive tothis purpose is blessed. And anything obstructive is forbidden.You should make a niyya (intention) in everything you do.You should never begin an act of worship unless you intendwith a true heart [because it is a command of Allâhu ta’âlâ]. Youshould not spend time doing useless things, [especially if theyare harmful]. [A person who cannot find pious Muslims whosebelief is agreeable with the teachings of the scholars of Ahl assunnaand who have learned the Sharî’at and adapted their lifestylesto these teachings], should seclude himself, [that is, heshould utilize his time working, earning halâl property, andreading books written by scholars of Ahl as-sunna. You shouldnot make friends with those who lead a religious life of their owninstead of learning Islam from these books or those uneducatedpeople who have fallen prey to the books written by such lâmadhhabîs.You should not allow into your home those radioand television broadcasts that spread viruses of irreligiousness,disbelief, Christianity, Judaism and immorality]. It was stated ina hadîth-i-sherîf, “Hikmat [beneficial things] consists of tencomponents. Nine of them are in seclusion and (theremaining) one is in taciturnity.” You should see your friendsas long as to teach and learn necessary things and spend therest of your time doing acts of worship and things that will purifyyour heart. You should treat everybody with a smiling face anda soft language, friend and foe alike, and should avoidsituations that will lead to a quarrel. You should accepteverybody’s excuse, forgive them their faults, and neverrevenge yourself for the harms they have done to you. AbdullahBelyânî states, “Being a dervish does not only consist in namâz,fast and spending your nights worshipping. These things areeverybody’s duties as a born slave. Being a dervish means notto hurt hearts. A person who can do this will attain Allâhuta’âlâ’s love. [He becomes a Walî].” They asked HadratMuhammad Sâlim, “How should it be known that a certain- 321 -