Empathy And Your Face

[Parisienne]

When Going to Mosque

Allahumma ijAAal fee qalbee noora, wafee lisanee noora, wajAAal fee samAAee noora,wajAAal fee basaree noora, wajAAal min khalfee noora, wamin amamee noora ,wajAAal min fawqee noora, wamin tahtee noora, allahumma aAAtinee noora.,
‘O Allah, place within my heart light, and upon my tongue light, and within my ears light, and within my eyes light, and place behind me light and in front of me light and above me light and beneath me light. O Allah, bestow upon me light.’

[Parisienne]

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise; a person remains truthful until he is written as a Siddeeq (truthful person) with Allah. Lying leads to sin and sin leads to the Fire; a person keeps lying until he is written as a Kadhdhab (liar) with Allah.”* [Bukhari, Muslim]

Imam Malik records that Abdullah ibn Masud would say, “Each time someone lies a black spot appears on his heart until his whole heart becomes black and he is written with Allah as a Kadhdhab.” He also records that it was asked of Luqman, “How have you reached this level in excellence?” He replied, “By being true in speech, fulfilling trusts and leaving what does not concern me.”

Such is the importance of remaining truthful that the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said that a Momin could at any one time perform one sin or the other but he could never be a liar. Shaitan incites us to lie, saying it is only one lie. But that is how the habit develops and before a person knows it, each black dot has had its cumulative effect of blackening the whole heart. The complete blackening of the heart is the proof a person presents to Allah to have him or her written down as a kadhdhab -- a confirmed liar.

[Parisienne]

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “The world is a prison for a believer and Paradise for a non-believer.” [Muslim]

A believer is ever mindful of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). Therefore, he/she is not free to do what they please. They cannot wait to get to Jannah where they will have no restrictions of any kind, no suffering, no sacrifice, and no separation from their loved ones. That is why this world feels like a prison to them. Those believers who are even more cognizant of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) are in even more pain because of their separation from Him.

An ashiq/lover always yearns to join his Beloved (subhana wa ta’ala). This is the sole thought occupying his or her mind.

You are the true innermost desire of my heart,
Love of You is the deepest thought in my mind.
Whenever I glance at the world around me,
I find that today there was naught but You,
And that tomorrow holds naught but You.

When an ashiq looks around, he finds the heedless people of the world trapped in their desires. To him the world seems like a cage.

On the other hand, a person who is not mindful of Allah, does whatever they feel like, or whatever they think they can get away with. There are indeed many things that can be enjoyed in this world. A person who is not looking forward to meeting their Lord, would spend their every moment trying to maximize their enjoyment here, short-lived though it is.

Thus, the non-believer can find this world to be a Paradise. But the believer knows that no happiness here is everlasting and that they are always in danger of falling into the hands of Shaytaan. They, therefore, long to get out of the exam that this world is and into the safety of the grave.