In our times Muslims are corrupted to believe that exposing female’s hair or being clean shaven or consuming alcoholic drinks or improper sexual relations are truly the major sins of this religion and terrific amounts of our energies dedicated to hype and practice these aspects of our religion with little thought and understanding of what was said by the Prophet peace be upon him!

At this specific point of time, the root of most evil amongst the Muslims and the very reason for their perpetual devastation is the words they choose to utter!

When the Muslim is supposed to speak he or she stays silent, when the Muslim is supposed to be silent, speaks!

Millions are killed and displaced because of the criminal speech of few of us!

The Prophet said: (In Hell) Is there anything else that causes the people to fall on their faces, except the harvest of their tongues?

Our spiritual voyage has two extremes:

Of good:

22:24. And they are guided towards the best of the speech, and/while guided towards the path of the Al-Hamid (Most Praiseworthy, Allah)!

وَهُدُوا إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَهُدُوا إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ

Of evil:

The most evil amongst my people the evil scholars, said the Prophet.

This is the person who speaks of Allah and the religion and is most criminal in his speech, since he speaks for worldly gains (salaried) and fame(tenured).
الجامع الصغير – لجلال الدين السيوطي
المجلد الرابع >> باب: حرف الشين
4864- شرار أمتي [لفظ رواية البزار: “شرار الناس”]ـ شرار العلماء في الناس
التخريج (مفصلا): البزار عن معاذ
تصحيح السيوطي: حسن

And byproduct of these evil scholars, towards the end of times: when there is much talk and good deeds are scant!
كنز العمال – للمتقي الهندي
المجلد الرابع عشر >> الإكمال من أشراط الساعة الكبرى
38564- من اقتراب الساعة أن ترفع الأشرار وتوضع الاخيار ويفتح القول ويحبس العمل، ويقرأ في القوم المثناة ليس فيه أحد ينكرها، قيل: وما المثناة؟ قال: ما كتب سوى كتاب الله.
(طب – عن ابن عمرو)

Practical Guide to Cure the Excess of Speech

Know that improper speech is an ailment, like any other, as the cure of illness requires medical knowledge and actions, the cure of one’s tongue requires knowledge and action. One without the other will not remedy the ailing  disorder.

Knowledge: know that the foulest part of you is your tongue, not your sexual organ or nudity or consumption of alcohol, simply the worst you could do is speak foul words!

Knowledge: know that Allah taught you speech

55:4. IT/He (Allah) taught him (human being) articulation of speech

عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ

Allah taught you to write by pen

96:4 who has taught [man] the use of the pen

الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ

If you corrupt your speech or your pen, then you have offended Allah who neared you in closest proximity when you learned speech and writing.

Knowledge: know that the very good and beautiful end of the spiritual path is beautified speech:

22:24. And they are guided towards the best of the speech, and/while guided towards the path of the Hamid (Most Praiseworthy, Allah)!

وَهُدُوا إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَهُدُوا إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ

Azizam (My Dearest) you will not reach the end of the path by much prayers or warfare or charity or knowledge or acceptance of people or wearing some cloth on your head or growth of facial hair, but by beautification of your speech.

Knowledge: The most noble form of Islam is that of silence and proper use of language:

Most noble of Islam is to safeguard people from your tongue, said the Prophet.
فيض القدير، شرح الجامع الصغير، الإصدار 2.15 – للإمامِ المناوي
الجـزء الأول >> حرف الهمزة.

1066 – (أشرف الإيمان) أي من أرفع خصال الإيمان، وكذا يقال فيما بعده (أن يأمنك الناس) أي يأمن منك الناس المعصومون على دمائهم وأموالهم ونسائهم وأعراضهم، فلا تتعرض لهم بمكروه يخالف الشرع، وكل المسلم على المسلم حرام (وأشراف الإسلام أن يسلم الناس من لسانك) فلا تطلقه بما يضرهم (ويدك) فلا تبسطهما بما يؤذيهم (وأشرف الهجرة أن تهجر السيئات) أي تترك فعلها لأن ذلك هو الجهاد الأكبر، فإذا جاهد المكلف نفسه وأذلها وأكرهها على ترك ما ركز فيها وجبلت عليه من إتيان المعاصي حتى انقادت ومرنها على ذلك حتى اطمأنت وصارت بعد ما كانت أمارة مطمئنة تاركة باختيارها للسيئات داعية إلى لزوم الطاعات فقد حصل على رتبة هي أشرف من الهجرة الظاهرة التي هي الانتقال من دار الكفر إلى دار السلام

Action: Per saying of the Prophet, the silence is associated to the kindness for the guest and good behaviour with the neighbour:

Who believes in Allah and the the Hereafter, to say good or be silent, and not to annoy his neighbour and to be generous to his guest, said  the Prophet peace be upon him.

By association, not by inference, we cognize the importance of silence and association to the other two important said forms of conduct. Therefore for the persons intending to tie their tongue, practices of kindness to the  guest and neighbour are of paramount importance.

صحيح البخاري، الإصدار 2.03 – للإمام البخاري
الجزء الرابع >> 84 – كتاب الرقاق. >> 23 – باب: حفظ اللسان.
6110 – حدثني عبد العزيز بن عبد الله: حدثنا إبراهيم بن سعد، عن ابن شهاب، عن أبي سلمة، عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: (من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليقل خيراً أو ليصمت، ومن كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فلا يؤذ جاره، ومن كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم ضيفه).

Action: Silence and deep focus on studying and researching the Divine Gifts Allah has bestowed upon us in the nature and cosmos that are abound. Again by association:

وَخَشَعَت الْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرَّحْمَنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَّا هَمْسًا

20:108. and all sounds will be hushed before the Al-Rahman (Most Gracious), and thou wilt hear nothing but a faint sough in the air.

The Divine Name Al-Rahman was used in this verse, who is the giver of Divine Gifts, gifts from speech to life to this planet to the cosmos and etc. The verse tells us that when humanity appears in presence of Al-Rahman, everyone maintains silence, and therefore by association when we are in presence of Al-Rahman’s gifts of creativity and engineering, vicariously we maintain silence to study to research to cognize the vast artful engineering that surrounds us, for that is the only passage towards Al-Rahman. Thus silence to observe the nature and focused thoughts to understand these gifts.

Action: Talk about what is your business, if some subject matter is not your business avoid talking. For example, talk about your own woman and children, stop talking about other people’s women and children. Talk about your own affairs, not your neighbour’s affairs. Talk about correcting your own foul deeds, halt talking about your neighbours’ and friends’ foul deeds.

Action: If you are talking and suddenly a pleasure appears in your heart of what magnificent words rolling off your tongue, halt and maintain silence and bow out in shame! For that was your Nafs confusing you and misguiding you with pleasures of your own speech.

Action: Avoid using Facebook and any such criminal establishments. Avoid talking non-sense about all matters, specially about your religion. If you go to a bar and drink and  fornicate every night, is better for you than login to Facebook and talk ignorant words about Islam with total strangers, day in day out!

Action: Use the digital equipment e.g. MP3 players and headphones to listen to learned lectures, audio books, sounds of nature, melodic and pleasant sounds of non-offensive music, to avoid using your tongue. So when you feel the urge to backbite or talk nonsense or excessive petty talk, put on the headphones and listen to something better, thus tie your tongue by avoidance!

Action: Silence about what you do not do! Only speak about what you actually do, and do so repeatedly:

61:3 Most loathsome is it in the sight of God that you say what you do not do!

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ

If you do not spend time on nightly worships then do not talk about worship. If you enjoy the improper conduct with women then do not preach chastity.

One might be weak and cannot maintain proper relationship with women (as an example), but is a generous donor, so then talk about generosity and charity and leave chastity to silence.

One might be a good worshiper and very spiritual but suffers from ailment of alcoholism, then talk about worships and do not talk about Shariah.

Remark1: Silence of Mind, to silence the thoughts of anger towards others, plan aggression or offense to hurt others, envious thoughts, covetous thoughts and schemes.

Remark 2: Silence of Heart, to silence to dampen the anxious flip-flop of the heart when it is not content with one’s provision or destiny. Feeling injured and left out while others are prospering otherwise:

89:15. But as for man,  whenever his Sustainer tries him by ITs/His generosity and by letting him enjoy a life of ease, he says, “My Sustainer has been [justly] generous towards me”;

فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ

89:16. whereas, whenever IT/He tries him by straitening his means of livelihood, he says, “My Sustainer has disgraced me!”

وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ

To silence, even the prayers, asking what Allah bestowed on others. Except when it comes to knowledge, to be verbose and constantly asking for increase of one’s knowledge:

20:114. And say: My Lord increase me in knowledge

وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا

Remark 3: The most important Jihad is that of speaking against a unjust Imam or ruler! Even a religious ruler:
The most beloved Jihad for Allah is a true/just word said to a tyrannical Imam (Religious leader) or Sultan (Governor), said the Prophet in two versions of the same Hadith.

So speak against the religious Imam who corrupts our youth and sends them to certain death and sits at home enjoying his daily life!

© Dara O Shayda 2015

Ma’rifa

Discussion    Join

Azizam (My Dearest)

What this Rahi (Author) writes below is not Ma’rifa, it is the knowledge or description of Ma’rifa, something totally different, all that which constitutes Ma’rifa is inside you, it needs no explanation, from before you were born and after you expire, you need no one to unearth your Mar’rifa.

‘Arf

عرف

Fragrance, perfume, aroma, the original meaning. ‘Its ‘Arf hit me’ means I smelled its scent. Used both for pleasing or foul scents.

47:6. And will admit them to the Garden where her (Garden’s) aroma perfumed them
وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ

Garden’s aroma perfumed them: They were made to yearn for this Garden as if a great aroma hit them which caused them to seek the source of the great perfume!

Ishara 1 (Pointing)

Imagine the first time you smelled a rose. Years passed by and again you are brought a rose, you smell it again and the aroma immediately triggers the memory of the first sniffing of that particular rose’s fragrance from years back! While you could not explain anything of the rose’s odor, beyond the reach of words, however you could remember it by means of your thoughts and memories, as a form of knowledge by the instrumentation of the olfactory nerves in your nose and the neuronal processes of your brain (i.e. processes):

Isfahani
Mufradat
Ma’rifa, ‘Irfan

To grasp something by instrumentation of thinking and musing its effects and traces (intellection processes), it is a particularized form of ‘Ilm (Knowledge). You could talk about your ‘Arf/Ma’refa for Allah i.e. knowing of Allah by observing ITs doings and reminiscence of ITs behavior and existence. You could not say you know Allah since IT is unreachable, ‘know’ as in Ilm (Knowledge), instead you ‘know of’ Allah by the traces of ITs handcraft.

Remark 1: For English language we use the term to Know-of something vs. to know something, to particularize this form of knowing as in the language Arab applicable to the word Ma’rifa or ‘Irfan or ‘Urf. We know of what Allah does or builds or manages, we know of Allah’s way of conducting affairs, but we cannot possibly know or cognize anything of Allah’s actual being (Dhat).

Remark 2: Getting to know something or someone, or getting acquainted with something or someone as opposed to know.

Remark 3: Seeing the magnificence of the Divine Engineering around you on this planet in this cosmos, is like unto the second smelling of the rose above, you suffer from the amnesia of the bio-psychological birth, and yet observing this world triggers memories of infinite-past tryst with Allah prior to your descend to this earth. That form of knowledge and memory is Ma’rifa.

Ma’rifa Hali: State of Ma’rifa

There are two categories of Ma’rifa

1. Cognitive (‘Ilmi): As mentioned above intellection processes cause the person to remember or cognize some form of knowledge, it has an opposite i.e. ignorance
علمي

2. Situational (Hāli): The person finds himself or herself ‘situated’ in a ‘state’ wherein there is knowledge found, this knowledge was there at all times (i.e. no opposite of ignorance), and will be there for all times
حالي

Ishara 2 (Pointing) : Situational Ma’rifa

A person opens a cell from his or her body and within the cell finds chromosomes and within chromosomes finds genes, and within genes finds nucleotides and these compose some sort of alphabet, discrete units of ancient memory, sequenced in large chains, for example SCNN1A:

CCGGCCAGCGGGCGGGCTCCCCAGCCAGGCCGCTGCACCTGT … TGGAGCAAGTAGGCAGGAGCTCAATAAATGTTTGTTGCATGAA

As we know this is a language forming knowledge about the operations and structure of our bodies and our minds and also is a form of memory passed on from parents to their children.

This example ‘points’ at the  Situational Ma’rifa, a knowledge within us, born with it, and die with it, even if our bodies and minds destroyed, this Ma’rifa would go on living and could be stored in other life forms or machines. And yet we did not learn this knowledge, we do not even know where it came from, but it is therein, it is terrifically ancient, and we find it ubiquitously every which way inside.

There was no time, will be no time this knowledge was not there or will not be there, therefore it has no counterpart of ‘ignorance’.

And all the while this Situational Ma’rifa is hugely particularized per person, no two have exactly the same.

Therefore in the language of Sufis you might say: the genes inside every cell of your body point at the Ma’rifa within you! Unlearnt knowledge with no opposite of ignorance.

Ma’rifa: The Purpose for Being, Creation

51:56. And We did not create the Jinns and the humans except to serve Us (‘Ibada)

وما خلقت الجن والإنس إلا ليعبدون

It is clear that Allah does not need creatures to do something for IT or serve IT, for any purpose for any cause. So the verse does need thinking:

Qushairi Treatise

Ibn Abbas said: (except to serve Us) means ‘except to get to know Us’

Dara: No matter what they do or what is done to them (extant beings), reveals the Ma’rifa for Allah. Their birth reveals the Ma’rifa for Allah, their bodies and minds reveal Ma’rifa for Allah, their aging and death reveals Ma’eifa for Allah, they have no choice but carrying this Ma’rifa within them, extant or extinct the Ma’rifa is unaltered.

Qushairi Treatise

Allah said;

22:74. And they did not give Allah due measure, as IT deserves
وما قدروا الله حق قدره

Some said in Tafsir (Exegesis): They did not get to know Allah, as IT deserves to be known.

To know the Divine has many gradations. As a metaphor, to know of the fire by hearing from others that it destroys and reduces to nothing any object coming close to it. If something is removed away from its proximity, object remains as its original nature and such destructive entity is called fire! This gradation of knowing in regards to Allah, gives the knower the title of Muqallad or the imitator. This is the person who has listened to knowledgeable folk and accepted their sayings as truth.

The next level is that of a person that has been exposed to smoke, however has not seen the fire. They conclude from the smoke, as an item of evidence that there is a source that from it emanates the smoke and the smoke is just a byproduct, the real entity is that unseen fire. These are the theoretical people who understand Allah only by means of rational thinking.

The next level is that of a person who is exposed to the warmth of the fire, but did not see the fire. They feel the presence of fire by feeling its heat. In regards to Allah these are the Mu’min (Believer). They feel the presence of a Creator, but only from the other side of a veil.

The higher levels are those who could use the properties of this fire and provide beneficial services e.g. cooking and melting and so on. They find a special form of pleasure by being able to use this fire and make useful things. Still these are the folk who deal with the knowledge linked to the fire and use that knowledge for some good purposes.

Above this level of knowing is that of seeing: the person uses the light from fire to see all things! These folk are called ‘Arif (The knower of Unlearnt Knowledge).

…

The levels continue upwards however the highest level is: ‘Arif burnt in fire and is no longer! Evanesced.
Source: ‘Ausaf Al-Ashraf   by Naseriddin Tusi

Qushairi Treatise

‘Arif consumed by the sea of Tahqiq (Actualizations). Ma’rifa comprised of waves drowning: rise and surround (and hence drown the ‘Arif). (By Ali Daqqaq)

Remark: Tahqiq (Actualizations) when the realities of things are made patent for seeing.

Kashaf Al-Mahjub
Hujwiri

The difference between the ‘Alim (Scholar) and ‘Arif (The knower of Unlearnt Knowledge)

The ‘Alim (Scholar) subsists upon his own Nafs (Self) while ‘Arif subsists exclusively upon Allah.

Dara: Scholar relies on his attendance in schools and his reading and memorizing books and in general his personal effort. Not that ‘Arif does not read books or does not go to school and does not attempt to learn, but he or she exclusively relies on Allah to be taught:
2:282. And safeguard against Allah’s (wrath), and Allah teaches you

وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُڪُمُ ٱللَّهُ‌ۗ

© 2015-2002,  Dara O Shayda

Hur

Discussion  Join

See Also:
http://www.untiredwithloving.org/istiara.html 

The Orientalists have translated the Arabic word Hur in an erotic pornographic way, which suited the cultures they came from and suited the funding they needed to continue with their professions. The iconic imprint in the mind of the Westerner is particularly remarkable when it comes to the word Hur: images conjured of ‘virgins of paradise’.

This small note researches the origins of the word in Qur’an and Christianity in order to allow the readers a room to breathe some new thoughts and hopefully defeat the iconoclastic ceaseless tempest of attacks on Islam in American/Western media. As the reader follows the lexicon of meanings from ancient collection of quotes, discovers that the concept has no sexuality in nature, specially when applied to women.

All references from Lisan Al-Arab by Ibn Manzour Afriqi (African):

Ha-Wa-Ra anything that is intensely white and its dark (colors) is quite blackened e.g. white of the cornea contrasted against the black of the iris.

Originally applied to cows and antelopes with dark eyes and white bodies, by means of the construct of ‘Isti’ara (Borrowing) in the language of Arab, the word borrowed and applied exclusively to the female of human species.

The Bedouin called certain women Hawwariyyat (Plural of Hur) for their personal hygiene and cleanliness, as opposed to the untidiness of Bedouins:

والأَعْرابُ تسمي نساء الأَمصار حَوَارِيَّاتٍ لبياضهن وتباعدهن عن قَشَفِ الأَعراب بنظافتهن؛

Remark 1: White color does not necessarily mean white as the color of cotton, it means anything that is pure and has its original color:

وكل شيء خَلَصَ لَوْنُه، فهو حَوارِيٌّ

Remark 2: The purity of a woman can then be rendered by borrowing the word Hur contrasting the whiteness of cornea to blackness of the iris. From the dictionaries of the ancient Arab it is clear that the word does not refer to erotic women with black eyes!

Hawwary: Bleacher, follower of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him and his virgin mother)

Hawwary is the bleacher or the launderer who washes the people’s garments and makes them white (or clean) again. In linguistic context those are purified from all defects. Those who help others to purify themselves as well.

Remark 3: Perhaps this explains the Christian tradition of baptism and perhaps the fact that disciples of the Jesus were making a living working the river to wash garments (?).

Hawwary is also mentioned as the Chosen(s) by the prophets i.e. those exclusively preferred by the prophets, being so pure:

The Prophet Mohammad said: Zubair is Hawwary of my nation.

Therefore this word Hur, in another derivative form, applied to Christians and male Muslims, strictly in a spiritual context.

© 2015-2002,  Dara O Shayda