Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest

Remedying the heavy and tight chest

AQEEDAH | Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest | Abu Arwa Ali

Women in islam

students

driving

Characteristics of a righteous Woman I Mustafa George

by Abu Isma'eel Mustafa George  حفظه الله
 
@SalafiyaatUK 

Characteristics of a righteous Woman I Mustafa George

Lesson 1 of the Four Principles of Shirk (Al-Qawa'aid al-Arba'ah by Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abdul Wahhab (rahimahullah), which is a vital foundation Aqeedah (creed) book that every Muslim should study and know. Taught by Abdul Hakeem Mitchell. 

Lesson 1 - The Four Principles of Shirk

On Friday 5th February 2016, our Noble Shaykh ‘Ubayd al-Jābirī (ḥafiẓahullāh) delivered a beautiful admonition to the brothers at Muwahhideen Publications as part of our 8th Annual Islāmic Conference entitled “Traversing The Path of The Salaf aṣ-Ṣāliḥ”. Our Shaykh spoke on the topic “Islām is The Sunnah and The Sunnah is Islām”, wherein he beseeched us to hold fast to the pure, unadulterated Islām and he vehemently warned us against inclining to and following the deviant paths, particularly that of the Khawārij and Rāfiḍah. He also implored the Muslims living in the lands of the non-Muslims to openly display the beautiful characteristics of Islām and to honour and uphold their covenants and agreements and not be treacherous, as this is from the traits of the Khawārij. May Allāh preserve our Shaykh upon the Sunnah and reward him for this highly beneficial reminder. 

[Tele-Lecture] Islaam Is The Sunnah and The Sunnah Is Islaam by Shaykh 'Ubayd al-Jaabiree

A Message Exclusively for the Husbands Pt. 2--Rasheed Barbee

Fatwa For Women Hijab By Abu Uwais

The Ummah being built upon individuals and families, this great lecture discusses in 20 beautiful and practical steps on how to achieve a happy home upon the Prophetic guidance by our beloved brother Abdulilah Lahmami.


20 Steps on achieving a happy family life by Abdulilah Lahmami

Salafi Dawah Tooting presents “Has Not The Time Come For The Hearts Of The Believers To Be  Affected At The Reminder Of Allah...” by our brother Abu Humaid Salim Ahmed (May Allaah preserve him) from Bradford (Al-Baseerah) 
http://Albaseerah.com graduate from Imam Muhammad Islamic University. 

Recorded: 7th April 2017.

“Has Not The Time Come For The Hearts...” - Abu Humaid Salim Ahmed

The Monthly Sister's Class from the Book: A Woman's Guide to Raising a Family, by Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Read by: Jameel Finch. The topic of this reading was: "How to Have a Fruitful Discussion with Your Spouse." The date of this class was July 2, 2017.

Women's Class: How to Have a Fruitful Discussion with Your Spouse

The 6 Pillars of Eemaan
The third lesson from the "Important Lessons for the Muslim Ummah" of Shaykh Bin Baaz is the Pillars of Eemaan.
The 6 pillars are to believe in:
1) Allaah
2) His Angels
3) His Books
4) His Messengers 
5) The Last Day
6) Qadr (Divine Predecree) - its good and its bad

These are the principles that all of the Prophets were united upon. They all agreed in calling to these 6 pillars. 
The Prophet Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
"The Prophets are brothers from one Father. Their mothers are different but their religion is one."
Meaning; Their 'Aqeedah is one but their legislations may differ.
Allaah says:
"And for every one of you (of the Prophets) we made for him a legislation and a way to follow (i.e. a sunnah)"
You cannot separate the pillars from each other, you must believe in all of them. They go hand in hand. The one who believes in some and not in others cannot be called a believer.

In the Qur'an we find many ayaat affirming these six pillars, for example:

"It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophet's"

and also:

"The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers" - and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)."”
Belief in Allaah
The first, and most important of the 6 pillars, is Belief in Allaah. All other pillars stem back to this pillar. It’s not possible to have belief in the others without the belief in Allaah

Belief in Allaah consists of 3 pillars:
1) To believe in the Oneness of Allaah in His Lordship (Ruboobiyyah) - to single out Allaah in His Actions (Creating, Sustaining, Maintaining the Affairs, etc)

2) To believe in the Oneness of Allaah in His Names and Attributes - So the creation become aware of who they are worshipping. These Names and Attributes are found only from the Quraan and Sunnah, there is no room for us to derive names for ourselves. 
"And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them" 7:180

As it relates to the Names and Attributes of Allaah, we have 4 key principles; We do not 1) Ask "How?" (Takyeef); 2) Liken them to creation (Tamtheel); 3) Distort the meaning (Tahreef); 4) Render them futile (Ta’teel)

3) To believe in the Oneness of Allaah with His Worship (Uloohiyyah) - to single out Allaah with our actions
"And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat, and that is the right religion." (98:5)
This 3rd and final pillar (Uloohiyyah) was the reason the Prophets fought with the Mushrikoon. As this was the point of differing between the believers and the disbelievers.

In next week’s lesson we will move on to the Belief in the Angels bi’ithnillaahi ta’aalah. For more in depth notes from this lesson, see the post on learnaboutislam.co.uk. BaarakAllaahu Feekum.

03 - Explanation of the 6 Pillars - Abu Humayd Saalim | Manchester

A beneficial lecture delivered by Abu Humayd Saalim regarding the second pillar of the five pillars of islam – Prayer. Our noble teacher first explains how the prayer was revealed to the Messenger (peace be upon him) by Allah, the Most High. Abu Humayd Saalim then explains the virtues and reward of the prayer and its importance, that it is the first thing we will all be held accountable for on the Day of Judgement. 

Listen here for the full lecture to benefit more, jazakumullaahu khayran. 

Courtesy of al-Baseerah

Tarbiyyah Program for Youth

Salah - Do Not Abandon It | Tarbiyyah Program For The Youth | Abu Humayd Saalim Ahmed

A Blessed Righteous Wife

This talk is part of a three-lecture series by Abu Humayd Saalim. This talk goes through many topics, from them:

- The four meanings of the word sunnah
- The linguistic meaning of the word 'salafi'
- discussion of the hadeeth 'differing is a mercy'
- The differing levels of innovation

For more detailed notes, please visit learnaboutislam.co.uk and listen to the full talk.

Important Questions About The Salafi Methodology Part 1 | Abu Humayd Saalim | Manchester

The Purpose of Our Creation by Abu Hafsah Kashiff Khan

The Purpose of Our Creation

Introduction: What is the Basis of a Relaxed Heart?

Sunday 21 Jan

✏️ Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest
Lesson 2: Causes of weakness or strength in Eemaan, what happens to the heart when one sins? 

•	Brief Recap of lesson 1
•	Without Tawhid the heart cannot experience true tranquillity
•	No amount of wealth will grant tranquillity
•	How is it possible for a heart to have relaxation without that heart recognising the lord which has created it? How can one have peace without knowing the purpose for which he/she is created?
o	Anecdote of one waking up on an aeroplane, not knowing where he/she is going or why he/she is on that plane to begin with, the first thing one would want to know is “why am I here?” even before wanting to know how
•	Tawhid increases and decrease and this is affected by knowledge and patience
o	Your chest will be expanded in proportion to how strong your tawhid is and vice versa
•	Ibn Qayyim mentioned in another book concerning which group of people have the most perfect of Tawhid
o	NOTE: Tawhid has a basis/foundation, what is this?
o	NOTE: after the foundation of tawhid, there is the perfection of Tawhid, brief recap (see Lesson 1)
o	NOTE: the importance of staying away from the major sins, not persistently committing minor sins and accompanying that with seeking forgiveness
o	Recap of who are the best of the people in perfection of Tawhid, (see Lesson 1)
•	Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami says the above (i.e. Tawhid and Eemaan increasing and decreasing) is something a person is aware of by himself from own experience
•	Ibn Qayyim states a person’s soul fluctuates between commanding with evil, self reproaching and commanding with good. These are symptoms of strength or weakness of Eemaan
•	Causes of a person’s Eemaan and Tawhid becoming weak:
o	Turning away from Allah subhaanahu wata’aalaa. 
o	Allah will test you with situations where you have an option to obey or disobey Allah with your hand, eye, speech etc
o	NOTE: after disobeying Allah, the soul of a believer becomes regretful and tight
•	Causes of a person’s Eemaan and Tawhid becoming strong:
o	Obeying Allah
o	NOTE: this must be done in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Performing Bidah is not obeying Allah.
•	Note: in the above, when mentioning strength or weakness of Tawhid, Eemaan is also mentioned, why is this? Are the identical?
o	This is because the essence of Eemaan is magnifying and glorifying your Lord and having Love for your Lord
o	These qualities (i.e. magnifying and loving Allah), if they are present in the heart it will naturally produce Tawhid
•	Ibn Qayyim mentions the verse: “Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!” [39:22]
o	This is a favour and a blessing from Allah
o	This type of person, whom Allah has opened his chest to Islam and being conscious of Allah, he/she worships Allah as though he sees him (although one cannot see Allah in this world)
o	The one in whose heart Allah places light, then Allah gives him/her the sense of being close to Allah
o	When this type of person experiences sinning and weakness of eemaan, then this person will experience symptoms in his/her heart of a sense of loneliness as he/she has sinned against the one who was close to him/her and who placed light in your heart. The One you escape back to in such a situation is Allah as he is the only one who can save you from the evil of your own sin and the one who can restore that light in your heart.

For rest of Summary please go to AlhudaBolton.com

Lesson 2: Causes of weakness or strength in Eemaan, what happens to the heart when one sins?

Sunday 28 Jan
✏️ Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest
Lesson 3: What is Muraaqabah? What things cause a servant to be forsaken by Allah?
•	Brief Recap of lesson 2, what things weaken or strengthen a person’s Tawhid?
•	Recap of why Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami mentions Tawhid alongside Eemaan
•	What is Muraaqabah?
o	It is to worship Allah being conscious of him watching you, as though one sees Allah and so finds closeness to Allah and his chest feels opened
•	When a person sins or commits a mistake, the heart of a believer has certain symptoms
o	Every Human commits mistakes and sins
o	When the person who has Muraaqabah commits sins, he feels alone
o	Such a person as above should run back to Allah when that occurs
o	Why does he/she run back to Allah? = So Allah can save him/her from the evil of the person’s own self and own desires
•	Where are the acts of worship manifested?
o	The heart (e.g. fear, love)
o	The tongue (e.g. reciting the qur’an)
o	The limbs (e.g. prayer, hajj, fasting etc)
•	The acts of worship of the heart (e.g. fear, love etc), do they have levels or are they absolute/discrete?
o	The actions of the heart can increase and decrease and have levels#
o	How can the acts of worship of the Heart be increased?
	Ibn Qayyim says: Whenever Muraaqabah (Being conscious that Allah is watching you) increases, then this brings about shyness, shame, tranquillity, fear, hope and submission before Allah that is not attained by anything other than it (i.e. Muraaqabah)
	Therefore increasing Muraaqabahn will increase the acts of worship of the heart
•	Allah Says: “And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those who believe not.” [Surah An’aam (6):125]
•	Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami mentions that there are two types of guidance:
o	Guidance of directing and making things clear for a someone 
	Does this type of guidance mean a person is a Muslim? = No. This is because this type of guidance can occur by Allah but can also occur by others e.g. prophets and messengers etc.
o	Guidance of Allah granting success and inspiration
	This is when a person’s chest is opened to Islam as Allah mentioned in the verse above. This guidance can only occur by Allah and so if someone finds this in their heart, then this means Allah has guided him/her
	This type of guidance must come after the first type
	In this guidance the chest of a person is opened to sincerity in performing the worships and in accordance to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) 
	NOTE: Some Muslims say, “Muslims in the world are in a dire state, lets unite as a large umbrella group and not concern ourselves with what we believe (e.g. Sunni, Sufi, Shia, etc), let’s just get together”. This is FALSE and goes AGAINST the Sunnah of our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
•	The opposite of the above is one whom Allah misguides and so his chest becomes tight as though he is ascending in the heavens, see above verse.

For rest of Summary, please go to AlhudaBolton.com

Lesson 3: What is Muraaqabah? What things cause a servant to be forsaken by Allah?

Sunday 4 Feb 2018
✏️ Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest
Lesson 4: The Decree of Allah and free will of the slaves, the effects of Shirk, and the light of Eemaan
•	Recap of Lesson 3:
o	The believing slave of Allah has Love, Fear and Hope of Allah, what intensifies these things?
o	How many types of Guidance are there? What are these?
o	For Summary of Lesson 3 go to: www.Alhudabolton.com/2018/01/28/2147
•	Guidance which a person receives from Allah (Guidance for Success and inspiration), what is an indication that a person has received this?
o	Sincerity
o	Following the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
•	What are the signs that Allah has not bestowed success upon a person, and that Allah has misguided that person?
o	The person will find in his chest great difficulty when he wants to fulfil the commandments of Allah
o	He views the commandments of Allah as shackles from which he wants freedom
o	These are signs that Allah has forsaken the slave
•	Allah says: “Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him))?” [Surah Ash- Sharh (94) verse 1]
o	What did Shaikh Uthaymeen mentioned about this verse and the meaning of an opened chest? (See Lesson 3), what did the Shaikh say about the two types of Allah’s Judgements
o	The soul’s desires go against the commandments of Allah (e.g pray, fast, not to do haraam) and prohibitions and so it is important to strive against one’s desires and therefore having Allah’s help in opening your chest is needed. 
•	If a person finds it difficult do what Allah has commanded, he/she needs to run back to Allah
•	If Allah does not grant a person success in running back to him, then this is an indication that Allah has caused you to become lost and astray
o	The person who will be guided and the one who will not be guided, these are already written and decreed and is in the knowledge of Allah already. 
•	The Decree of Allah and free will of the slaves:
o	The perfection of the world we live in and the other signs of Allah, the creator, show us that Allah has perfect knowledge of what happened, what is happening now, and what will happen. This comes from sound reasoning and a person will naturally know this (that this perfect and complex world could not have come about by chance)
o	Yet also, when one does a deed, it is not by force and so everyone has a free will and a choice between doing good and evil. A person will know this from his/her senses, i.e. that the choices they make are theirs.
•	The cause and means of Allah saving you from your own evil could be just one dua
•	Ibn Al-Qayyim says therefore guidance and Tawhid are the greatest means of alleviating the tight and heavy chest 
•	Naturally, innately, you can know that you have a creator. This is tawhid rubuubiyya (Singling out Allah in his Lordship) in one’s reason and is the fitra of a person.
o	However, having this alone is not enough to cause the chest of a person to be expanded
o	One must also have tawhid al-uloohiyya (singling out Allah in his worship) in order for his chest to be expanded
•	The greatest Means of bringing about tightness of the chest is Shirk:
o	Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al- Jaami says the person who fears other besides Allah, calls others besides Allah, loves others besides Allah (in such a way only Allah should be loved) then his heart is distributed among the people. His heart is therefore in many places and is never in a state of peace and tranquillity. He is always in a state of uneasiness regardless of how calm or happy he may outwardly be. His love is fragmented, his fear is disseminated.
o	The sinner, but who is a person of tawhid (Islamic monotheism) and worships only one God- Allah, his heart is in a state of peace in comparison to the one who worships many gods or calls on the dead (e.g. Buddhists, Sufis, Shia etc).

For more of this summary go to AlhudaBolton.com

Lesson 4: The Decree of Allah and free will of the slaves, Effects of Shirk, and the Light of Eemaan

Ustadh AbdulHakeem Mitchell came to visit the students at the Salafi School Madrassah and gave them a beautiful advice relating to knowledge and it's importance in the religion.

Advice for Seeking Knowledge for The Children at Manchester Salafi School - Abdulhakeem Mitchell

Sunday 18 Feb 2018
✏️ Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest
Lesson 5: The Light of Eemaan Prevails over the difficulties of this World
•	Recap of Lesson 4:
o	The cause and means of Allah saving you from your own evil could be just one dua 
o	Tawhid is the greatest cause for alleviating the tight chest
o	Shirk is the greatest cause for tightening the chest
o	The noor (light) of Eemaan (belief)
o	For Summary of Lesson 4 go to: http://alhudabolton.com/2018/02/04/lesson-4-remedying-heavy-tight-chest/
•	Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami (may Allah have mercy on him)  says the light of Eemaan expands the chest and as a result of that, a person does not attach significance to this world and isn’t worried by the toils of it nor does he/she take delight in its luxuries
o	However, this must be correct Eemaan, free from shirk
o	Eemaan must be based on what the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) taught us
•	Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami continues that perhaps there is a person who has Eemaan but is in a state of poverty or does not have much wealth, or perhaps he has enemies whom Allah has placed in a state of authority (as Allah has done in the case of many Prophets, Messengers and those who strive to bring about rectification in order to test them). Such people, Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami says, they find within themselves love of Allah and being in a state of happiness
•	Shaykh Ibnul-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says the believer has an expanded and alleviated chest in this world despite the difficulties he faces, and when his Eemaan becomes intensified, then he will have an more expanded chest when facing the difficulties of life more so than what expansion he would find in a state of ease.
o	When such a person departs this world (dies), his/her heart becomes even more expanded, just as one who leaves a state of confinement as, in reality, this world is a prison for the believer
o	When the believer dies, he/she will experience bliss in the life of Al-Barzakh. However, when Allah raises him on the day of resurrection he/she will experience such a degree of relaxation which cannot be compared to what came before it
•	Allah may cause the enemies of those who strive to bring about rectification (e.g. the Propehts) to overpower them as a trail 
o	Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH may Allah have mercy on him), the teacher of Ibnul-Qayyim, was tested greatly however despite these difficulties Allah provided him with bliss, happiness and an expansive chest
o	Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (when imprisoned) said: “What can my enemies do to me? My garden is in my chest, wherever I go it goes with me, it does not leave me, my imprisonment is seclusion, my being killed is martyrdom, and my being driven out of my land is tourism”
o	Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami says can your enemies do any more than this (to imprison, to kill, or to expel)?
o	Ibn Qayyim reports regarding the imprisonment of Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in the fortress of Damascus that he said “If I was to spend this fortress worth of gold, it would not equate to the gratitude and thanks I wish to give for this blessing (of being imprisoned in this fortress)” 
•	Regardless of what others may do, if a person has the light of Eemaan then his/her heart is protected from the difficulties of this world
o	Ibn Qayyim says that he had not seen anyone live a life happier than Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah despite the difficulties he endured. Whenever fear increased with them they would go to Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, seeing him and listening to him speak would replace the fear with relaxation, certainty and tranquillity
•	Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: “Indeed in the world there is a paradise, whoever does not enter into this paradise, he will not enter into the paradise of the Hereafter”
o	The paradise of this world is the delight of obeying and worshipping Allah.
•	Eventually such a person who obeyed Allah will die and his/her soul will be in bliss

Lesson 5 The Light of Eemaan Prevails over the difficulties of this World

Lesson 10: The One who loves a thing/person besides Allah becomes imprisoned and tortured by it

Brief recap of previous lesson:
Ibn Al-Qayyim says from among the means of bringing about relaxation of the Chest is Inaaba (turning to Allah in repentance) and to love Allah with all your heart;
Different forms of Love, which is permissible and which is impermissible?
Love for Allah expands the chest in spite of the difficulties one may face in life
Look at the example of the life of Ibn Taymiyyah, see Lesson 5
Look at the statement of Shaikh Muqbil, see Lesson 9
Ibn Qayyim says a person in whose heart the love of Allah has settled, then such a person's chest becomes tight only when he sees the people who are idle, lazy and heedless in returning to Allah, those who do not relish in his Worship become an eye sore and mixing with them troubles him as though he has been struck by a fever.
Everyone makes mistakes, the type of heedless people mentioned here are those who do not turn in repentance to Allah
Why do such righteous people feel like this? because they realise it is not possible to guide everyone and so their heart becomes uneasy
For that reason you will find that prison was a form of seclusion for the likes of Shaykh ul Islam Ibn-Taymiyyah
Ibn Qayyim says from the greatest causes of suffocation of the chest is to turn away from Allah and the heart being attached to someone/something other than him, and being heedless of his remembrance
Whoever loves something besides Allah in a manner only befitting Allah (or in an impermissible form), then his heart will be agonised by it, his heart will be imprisoned by it and as a result of this no one will be in a more bitter and ill-tempered state than him
Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami  says Ibn Qayyim mentions a disease in order to describe the cure
Turning away from Allah could lead to apostasy
Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahhaab mentions that among the nullifiers of a person’s Islam is him/her turning away from the religion (NOTE: there are different levels of turning away, not all of them lead to Apostasy)
The proof for the above is the verse : “And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of his Lord, then he turns aside therefrom? Verily, We shall exact retribution from the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.).” [Surah Sajdah (The Prostration) verse 22]
Turning away from the religion of Allah to the extent that someone does not raise his head to study it may form  a basis for apostasy
Shaikh Muhammad Amaan Al-Jaami  says the one who becomes infatuated with his Imam (e.g. sufi “pir”), to such an extent that this love carries humility and debasement, then this is Shirk (associating partners to Allah, Polytheism) as only Allah deserves to be loves in this way
Shirk is the greatest sin of all in Islam
This is because Shirk decreases and makes imperfect the love of Allah
A person who does Shirk such as this, but claims to have eemaan, then this is merely superficial eemaan
Ibn Qayyim says that the one who loves someone/something, at the expense of being obedient to Allah, and turns away from Allah, then he will be tortured by it, grief and sorrow will eat away at his/her soul. Why is this the case?

Lesson 10: The One who loves a thing besides Allah becomes Imprisoned and Tortured by it

Calling to the Qur'an and Sunnah, upon the way of the Salaf

Lesson 10: The One who loves a thing besides Allah becomes Imprisoned and Tortured by it

Alhuda Bolton