The Doors of Success Have Been Closed for 6 Reasons

Ibn ul Qayyim Al Jawziyah (Rahimahullah) mentioned in his monumental book
“Fawaa'id ul Fawaa'id” on the authority of Shaqeeq Ibn Ibrahim (Rahimahullah),


who said:The door of Tawfeeq (i.e. success) has been closed on the people because of six things:

The First: Because they (i.e. the people) busy themselves with the Ni'mah (i.e. blessing) bestowed upon them and
forget about the gratitude they should express to Allah, the One who bestowed the favor on them.

The Second: Because they have an ardent desire for knowledge however, they abandon acting upon it.

The Third: Because they hasten to commit sin but delay repentance for the sin.

The Fourth: Because they are deceived by the companionship of the righteous but fail to emulate their actions.

The Fifth: Because the life of this world is behind them but they are insistent on chasing after it.

The Sixth: Because the hereafter is in front of them but they turn away from it.

The source of all of this stems from a lack of Raja'a (i.e. hope in Allah's mercy) and Khowf (i.e. fear of Allah's
punishment and the fact that He may not accept any of your deeds). And the origin of this stems from a weakness in
Yaqeen (i.e. certainty). And the origin of this stems from a weakness in Baseerah (i.e. sound legislative knowledge).
And the origin of this stems from humiliation and ignobility and exchanging that which is superior for that which is
mediocre.

If the individual was noble and ambitious he would not settle for mediocre. The source of every good is by the Tawfeeq
(i.e. success) of Allah as well as by His will, the nobility of the soul, its magnanimity and exaltedness. Subsequently, the
source of every evil is the villainousness of the soul, its ignobility and lowliness, as Allah says:

قد أفلح من زكاها وقد خاب من دساها...
“Indeed he will be successful who purifies his soul and he who corrupts his own soul will fail…”

Meaning, the one who exalts his soul, multiplies it's good and nurtures it upon obedience to Allah, will be successful.
However, the one who disgraces his soul and humiliates it by exposing it to sin and disobedience to Allah will utterly
lose. Thus the noble souls are not satisfied except with the finer things in life, those things that reap the most
praiseworthy outcome. On the other hand, the ignoble souls loiter around the lowliest affairs just as the fly that only
lands on feces.

Hence the noble and superior soul is not satisfied with oppression, fornication/adultery, stealing or betrayal due to the
fact that he considers himself more dignified to commit such acts. However, the ignoble soul is the total opposite. And
every soul will incline towards what is in conformity with it’s desire(s) and what it deems suitable. This is consistent with
the statement of Allah:

قل كل يعمل على شاكلته
“Every soul shall act according to what it inclines towards…”

Meaning, every soul will act upon what is in conformity with it's desires. The soul will act upon what it deems suitable
and appropriate for it. Thus, every soul will proceed upon the path that is natural for it. So the Fajir (i.e. criminal) soul
will act according to what is natural for it, of welcoming the blessing(s) of Allah with sin while turning away from Al
Mun'im (i.e. The Giver of all bounty and blessing). Yet the believer acts according to what is natural for him, of gratitude
to Allah, the One who grants His bounty to whomsoever He wills. Also loving Him, praising Him, showing affection to
Him and being modest before Him, while the slave is conscious of the fact that Allah is evaluating his every movement,
coupled with magnification and glorification of Him.

Dead Hearts

Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahullaah
Taken from Al Jumuah, Vol 8 Issue

While thousands of Muslims are killed all over the world, and while tens of thousands are imprisoned and tortured for calling to the path of Allah and for enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, most Muslims remain remarkably silent and have no worry except for the material things of life. Their hearts have been filled with the love of this life and the forgetfulness of the Hereafter.

Allah says in the Qur'an: "You will indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life, even more than those who do not believe in Resurrection. Each one of them wishes he could be given a life of a thousand years. But the grant of such life will not save him even a little from due punishment. For Allah sees well all that they do." (Al Baqarah, 2:96)



Many Muslims today have become so much attached to their life that their desire is to dwell among their family, house, money and commerce. They have forgotten that matters of the Hereafter should come before matters of this life and that we must strive to follow the orders of Allah, not just those we find easy and convenient to follow. Some Muslims today claim that it is better to perform extra prayers and extra fasting rather than enjoin the good and forbid the evil or defend the lives of weak Muslims. Such people would even blame the Muslims who strive to perform these obligations.



This is what Ibn al-Qayyim had to say about such people: ''The Shaitan has misled most people by beautifying for them the performance of certain voluntary acts of worship such as voluntary prayers and voluntary fasting while neglecting other obligatory acts of worship such as enjoining the good and eradicating the evil, to the extent that they do not even make the intention of performing them whenever they are able to. Such people are considered by the scholars to be on the bottom of the scale of religion: For the essence of our religion is to perform what Allah ordered us to do. The one who does not perform his obligations is actually worse than the one who performs sins. Anyone having some knowledge about the revelation of Allah, the guidance of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, and the life of the companions would conclude that those who are pointed at today as the most pious people are in fact the least pious. Indeed, what kind of piety is there in a person who witnesses Allah's sanctities being violated, his religion abandoned, the Sunnah of His Messenger shunned, and yet remains still with a cold heart and a shut mouth' Such a person is like a dumb Shaitan! In the same way the one who talks falsehood is a speaking Shaitan. Isn't the misfortune of Islam due only to those who whenever their life and food are secure, would not care about what happens to the religion? The best among them would offer a sorry face. But if they were challenged in one of the things their heart is attached to like their money, they would spare no efforts to get it back. These people, besides deserving the anger of Allah, are afflicted with the greatest calamity without even knowing it: They have a dead heart. Indeed the more alive a person's heart is, the stronger its anger for the sake of Allah and the more complete his support to Islam and Muslims." (A'alaam al-Muwaqqi'een, volume 2, page 176).

Advice after the First 10 Days of Ramadan

This is a quick translation of Sheikh Salah al Fowzan's daily talk before Taraweeh Prayer in his Masjid in Malz, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.



In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of His Mercy. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger Muhammad, and upon Muhammed's family and companions.

For that which precedes,

Verily in the slow passing of nights and days are a sign and lesson for those who take heed. This is the reality of life, it begins, and then becomes shorter and shorter until it ends. There is nothing that is everlasting in the dunya (life), rather everything continues toward decrease and conclusion. This is because this life is a passing life. But Allah has made this life and means of planting (obtaining) for the hereafter. This life is a chance for the pious and righteous individuals to gain through their righteous actions. This takes place for the one whom Allah has given success to take advantage of this opportunity. But as for the one who wastes this opportunity and is negligent of it, then verily this life will end and pass while that individual is upon non-righteous actions and sin. He will therefore move to the hereafter while in a state of loss, we seek refuge in Allah from this state. This person will not have righteous deeds in his book. Indeed this is a terrible loss. As for the one who benefits from this life, then he alone will benefit from his hereafter. But the one who wastes this life, he will waste his hereafter. (Sentence that I can't make out)... So be aware of this matter oh Muslim! And take advantage of your time, race toward repentance and righteous deeds before this chance slips through your hands. If you do not do so, you will knock on the door of the hereafter without having any good deeds, and you will bite your hands out of regret and sorrow. Allah says:

{When death comes to one of them, they will say: Oh my Lord return me!

Allah responds to this by saying:

{NO}

Meaning: There is no return.

Allah continues to say:

{Verily this is a statement that he has said}

Meaning: This regretful, destroyed individual must say such a statement, and he must feel sorrow once his time (death) has come.

Allah says (in another verse):

{Oh you who believe, do not allow your children nor wealth to distract you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does so, they will be lost}

Even if this person possessed the wealth of this dunya, if he is negligent and distracted from the remembrance of Allah, he will still be lost. This is because salvation is not based on gaining wealth, rather it is based on working for the hereafter and its happiness. This is the true beneficial trading.

Allah says:

{Should I not inform you of a trade that will save you from severe punishment?! Belief in Allah and His Messenger, and fighting in the way of Allah with your wealth and bodies. Indeed this is better for you if only you knew. Allah will forgive you for your sins and enter you into paradise underneath which rivers flow, and grant you comfortable homes in this everlasting paradise. Indeed this is great success}

Therefore, this is the beneficial trade. But as for gathering wealth in large amounts, if this is not done in obedience to Allah and seeking His pleasure, and if one does not use this wealth to perform righteous actions, and he does not spend it in the way of Allah, then this wealth will become a means of loss for its owners.

Allah says:

{Spend from that which We have granted you before death approaches, and then a person will say: Oh my Lord delay my death until a later time in order that I may give charity and be from the righteous! Allah will not delay a soul when its time (death) has approached. Verily Allah is all aware of what you do}

The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salem) mentioned that everyone will regret once death approaches. If a person was righteous, he/she will regret that they did not increase upon their good deeds. Once a person sees the great, wonderful reward for these actions, they will regret not having increased in good deeds. And if one is negligent and wasted his life, he will regret what he has wasted and neglected in this life.

Verily death and the end is close!

You began The Month of Ramadan, and now the first 10 days have passed. Now you are at the doors of the 10 middle days, and whomever Allah gives life to will reach the last 10 days, and then the month will end. The question is: What will these days end upon, and what will the hours pass upon? A Muslim should think and reflect. The businessmen and those who possess large amounts of wealth constantly review and monitor their wealth. They monitor whether they profited and not, and if they realize that they did not profit in a business deal, they will abstain from the sort of dealing and focus on another (seeking profit). Therefore, those that work and trade for the hereafter should more so do such monitoring. They should always monitor their actions and see where they have gained or not. They should increase in righteous deeds and repent from evil deeds. Allah says:

{Oh you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul look toward that which it has put fourth for tomorrow. And fear Allah, verily Allah is all aware of what you do. DO NOT BE like those who have forgotten Allah and as a result, Allah made them forget themselves}

When these individuals forgot Allah and forgot that which Allah has made obligatory upon them, Allah made them forget themselves. How can a person forget himself?! This is amazing. Does a person own anything more precious and valuable then himself? But if a person forgets himself, Allah will make this person forget himself, and he will not seek good for himself, nor will he safeguard himself from evil. This is the major loss. Verily the lost individual is the one who has lost himself and his family on The Day of Judgment. Verily this is the major loss.

Therefore, it is upon us all to think and reflect. All of us are sinners and wrong doers, but upon us is to increase in repentance and seeking forgiveness. And doing so is not merely with the tongue; rather it (repentance) should be done with the tongue, heart and with our actions. We should correct our actions. Verily repentance only with the tongue has no value. Due to this, some of the Salaf used to say: "Verily our repentance is in need of repentance"
Why? Because this was only done with the tongue, and indeed this is evil. Repenting only on one's tongue is evil and dangerous. Therefore, if one does such an act, he needs to repent once more.

Upon a Muslim is to sincerely repent to Allah with one's heart. One should struggle with himself, monitor his actions, and look at them. That which is good, he should praise Allah for allowing him to do such good deeds, and he should increase in doing them. But that which is evil, the performer of those deeds should repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness; he should also stop those action and distance himself from them. As long as one is still alive, then he has the ability to do so, and he has the ability to repent and act, but once death approaches, then everything stops, as The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salem) said:

"If the child of Adam (mankind) dies, all of his actions stop except three..."

And once his time (death) has come, and the Angel of death rears, then repentance will not be accepted. The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salem) said:

"Allah accepts repentance as long as death has not approached"

Meaning: As long as the soul has not reached the throat. Once this takes place and nothing remains except the Angels pulling the soul from the body, at this moment Allah will no longer accept repentance. If it was accepted at this moment, then everyone would repent, even this disbeliever would repent at this moment, and the sinner also, but it is no longer accepted. Repentence has its specified time, which is before the approaching of death. And at this time a person still can think and reflect and knows that he/she has neglected his life, but he can no longer repent, and even if he were to repent with his tongue at that time, it would not be accepted from him. (In the ayat mentioned at the beginning of this talk) They will say:

{Oh our Lord, return us in order that we may do righteous actions!}

But this request will not be fulfilled.

Therefore, it is upon a Muslim to be aware of this matter, and reflect over the quick passing of days and nights. We have witnessed the passing of the first 10 days of Ramadan, at this point we should judge ourselves. What have we put forward in these 10 days?! And what have we left from that which we should have put forward?! We should judge ourselves and focus on the middle 10 days and the last 10 before those pass us as well and we waste this great month. Upon us is to judge and monitor ourselves. We should think about our direction, we should look at our faults. If you were to in fact count your evil deeds, you would not be able to count them all. There is no change nor might except with Allah. And if you were to count your good deeds, you would find that they are low in number and weak. Therefore, upon you is to repent to Allah. You need to repent! You need to seek forgiveness! You need to correct your actions! You need this life, it should not pass without benefit! This is your main source of wealth, your main wealth is not money because that will pass and end, rather your main source of wealth is your life and time in this life. This is your correct wealth, so preserve it and be diligent in increasing it and profiting. Verily this is the means of happiness or sadness on The Day of Judgment.

"A person's feet will not be moved on The Day of Judgment until he/she is asked about 4: His life, what did he do with it..."

Allah says:

{Did we not give them a life, where in it, the could have reflected, and reminders (Prophets and Messengers) came to them. Then taste the punishment, and the wrong doers will not have a helper}

Allah said in that verse: Did we not give you a life span? Allah gave you this life not for you to play, eat and enjoy like the animals. Rather, He gave you this life to work in it and with it. He gave it to you in order for you to work for your next life, and if you don't do so, it will be a means of torment against you on The Day of Judgment.

The Prophet continued to say in the aforementioned hadeeth:

"...and about his youth, what did you spend it doing, and about his wealth, where did he obtain it, and what did he spend it on, and about his knowledge, what did he do with it"

You will be asked about these 4 things on The Day of Judgment, so what will your answer be?!
In this life you were informed about these questions, so it is upon you to work for the answers and prepare them before you are asked. Children in school are taught the curriculums and they are informed that they will be questioned about what they learned, and as a result, the students study the materials word for word, they turn the pages and make certain they know the answers, and they prepare for the test, and this is in this life. But as for the next life and its test, rarely do you find a person preparing and focusing on it, except for those whom Allah has given success.

We ask Allah to make us and you from those who act for their hereafter and from those who make their religion sincerely for Him, and those who repent from their sins, and those who race toward good deeds before the ending of their lives and before the ending of their hours.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.


Translated by Mustafa George

Prayer and its effect on Purifying the Soul

by Hussain al-Awaa'ishah

Allaah the Sublime said: Indeed prayer restrains from the obscene and evil deeds.[ 1]

Allaah has explained in this verse that a correct prayer, performed with khushoo' undoubtedly prevents its performer from obscene and evil deeds and leads him to goodness. Therefore, you will see that the people of the mosque are the most superior of mankind and the best amongst them. The sins and shortcomings of others are many times more than the sins and shortcomings of these people.

If the prayer does not prevent us from obscene and evil deeds then it is necessary to carefully scrutinize the deficiency within it and to correct it. There is no escaping from correcting one's prayer and there is no fleeing from bringing about khushoo' within it. So let us look at the causes and let us strive to treat them with the cure. Just like we treat our bodies for their diseases, the treatment of the souls is more appropriate and comes first. And this is what will help us to understand the saying of the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam): "The first thing for which a servant will be held to account for is his prayer. If it is correct and sound, all the rest of his actions will be correct and sound and if it is corrupt then all the rest of his actions will be corrupt."[2]

So in the correction of the prayer lies the corection of all the other actions. The position of the prayer (relative to all the other actions) is like that of the head to the body. This is because the servant is nearest to his Lord during his prayer, he calls upon his Lord and seeks forgiveness from Him. He returns to Allaah and cries to Him, the Sublime.

The prayer cannot be corrected except with the correction of the aqeedah (belief), being observant of Allaah, having fear of Him, bringing oneself to account in front of Him, and trembling out of fear of His Fire. When he finishes his prayer and is put to trial with sins and disobedience, he finds strength in his heart to repel them. This is because he looks at the the temporary and vanishing pleasures and then at the bliss and joy which never ends and the happiness which is never cut off. So he puts the good which will remain (and last forever) ahead of that which is only transitory and vanishes.

The prayer of the servant is corrupted due to lack of the careful observance of Allaah and weakness in taqwaa[3]. He is, therefore, not able to produce such awe which will come in between him and his acts of disobedience.

There also occurs in the hadeeth: "Indeed there is in the body a morsel of flesh which if it be sound and wholesome, the whole body will be sound and wholesome and which if it be corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt. Indeed it is the heart."[4]

In the correction and purification of the heart lies the correction of the whole body and in the corruption of the heart lies the corruption of the whole body. If the heart is corrected, the hand will be corrected so that it does not steal or strike anyone or commit zina by touching what is unlawful. The feet will also be corrected so that they do not walk towards what is unlawful. The ears will be put straight so that they do not listen to musical instruments, slander or backbiting. The situation of the tongue will improve so that it does not speak except what is good. If the heart is corrupted, the whole body becomes corrupt and the limbs will not depart except towards evil conduct and mischief.

The matter of the heart is either set aright or corrupted by the prayer. If the prayer is good it is an indication that the heart has benefitted and that it is sound and wholesome. If it is not good, it is an indication of the heart receiving little benefit and of its corruption. Evil deeds then become manifest and overtake the limbs.

Know that every prayer which is performed with awe and humility enlivens the heart and stimulates it to do good deeds and also makes it adapt to good deeds, just as every good action which is performed outside of the prayer increases ones khushoo within the prayer. In a hadeeth there occurs: "Upon you is the Night Prayer (Tahajjud) as it was the habit of the righteous people before you, is a means of nearness to Allaah the Exalted, a prevention from evil deeds and an expiation for sins."[5]

The Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) has made it clear that the Night Prayer is a prevention from sins in that it stops the one who performs it from evil deeds and incites him to do good deeds. Therefore, it is necessary for us to establish the prayer and to increase in it and likewise we must perform the Night Prayer, standing awe-struck, humble and submissive to Allaah the Sublime. Our hearts weeping over what we have neglected and fallen short of while hoping for the mercy of our Lord. We seek nearness to him by calling Him by His Names and Attributes, asking Him by them that he establishes us (upon His path) and that He gives us benefit from our prayer and standing at night.