Remedying the heavy and tight chest

A lecture on the disappearance of knowledge, a sign of the latter days, as the number of scholars diminishes and pretenders to knowledge become trusted. From the Canada Webinar Series, February, 2022.

The Scarcity of Knowledge in Our Times - Abū Khadījah

SalafiPublications 

Dealing With The Trials Of Life By Abu Idrees

Ustaadh Ahmad Fathi reminds us of the origins of Eid al-Adha and reminds of us of the our responsibilities with regards to observing this blessed day.

The Celebration of the Muslims

The Manners of Teachers & Students - Lesson 1

The Deviations of the Rafidah Shi'ah

Deviations of the Rafidah Shi'ah in the Foundations of the Religion--Raha Batts

[Summer Conference July 2024] Part two: Benefits from Kitāb al-ʿIlm of ‘Allāmah Ibn ʿUthaymīn - Abu 'Iyād Amjad Rafiq حفظه الله. Masjid Salafi, Small Heath, Birmingham, UK.

Some points discussed during lesson two:

- The two affairs that establish the dīn of Allāh and make it manifest.
- Sufyān ath-Thawrī (رحمه الله) on the thing that gives knowledge its excellence.
- Abū Ḥāzim (رحمه الله) on three qualities one must possess in order to be a scholar.
- A trait that is the foundation of knowledge.
- Āyāt that highlight the virtue and excellence of those who have knowledge over those who do not.
- The difference between a person who worships Allāh upon knowledge and the one who worships Allāh out of habit.
- Five virtues/benefits of knowledge.
- The definition of al-Ḥasad, and eight points regarding this destructive disease.

Pt 2 Benefits from Kitab al Ilm of Ibn Uthaymeen By Abu Iyaad

Part 3 of 3 | The Beneficial Means to a Happy Life by Imām al-Sa’di (رحمه الله‎‎) - Abu Ubaydillāh Faisal

12 - Perished Nations

📚Tafseer of Juz 'Amma by Shaykh Uthaymeen (رحمه الله)

Read by Ustadh Abu Inaayah Seif (حفظه الله)

Delivered on:
27th November 2024

Tafseer of Juz Amma Lesson 9 - Ustadh Abu Inaayah Seif

[07/04/2017] Means to a Happy Life - A Righteous Wife - By Abu Idrees Muhammad Khān حفظه الله. Khutbah at Masjid As-Salafi, Birmingham, UK.

Some points discussed during this Khutbah:

- How to attain a good life.
- The best enjoyment of this world.
- Four things that are from happiness and four things that are from misery.
- Characteristics of a righteous wife:
1. She has correct ‘Aqīdah, due to seeking knowledge.
2. She is obedient to her husband.
3. She aids her husband in his īmān and dīn.
4. She safeguards the honour of her husband while he is present and also in his absence.
- The reply of the Messenger ﷺ when he was asked who is the best of the women.

Means To A Happy Life A Righteous Wife By Abu Idrees 07042017

Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest

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

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

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

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

Alhuda Bolton

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