Remedying the Heavy and Tight Chest

Remedying the heavy and tight chest

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

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Women in islam

Abu Arwa Ali/2 حفظه الله

sabr, qadr

Masjid as-Salafi, Birmingham Conference 2011

Patience And Gratitude By Abu Iyaad Amjad Rafiq

Points Covered:

• How were the people before the coming of the Prophet (ﷺ)?
• The Dire Need for the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ)
• What does the Sunnah actually mean? The Definition
• The Usages for the term 'Sunnah'
• What is considered to be a 'Fitnah'?
• Narrations showing the importance of Clinging onto the Sunnah
• What leads to Salvation? The Statement of Imam Malik (رحمه الله)
• Proofs from the Qur'ān directing us to follow the Prophet (ﷺ)

• Proofs from the Sunnah itself
• Who are those who refuse to enter Jannah?
• The Tremendous Hadith of Al-Irbād ibn Sāriyah (رضي الله عنه) & the 2 Affairs this hadīth makes clear
• Is the Sunnah only connected to the Prophet (ﷺ)?
• Did the Prophet (ﷺ) leave us upon Clarity or not?
• What can we do to save ourselves from the Vast amount of Differing that has occurred amongst the Muslims?

• The Warning against Innovation (Bid'ah) no matter what it may be
• The Statement of Abdullāh ibn 'Umar (رضي الله عنهما)
• The Statement of Abdullāh ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما)
• The Statement of Imām Mālik (رحمه الله)
• Is Islām a complete & perfected religion or not?
• What is not from the religion no matter what time or place a person lives in?
• The Statement of Sufyān ath-Thawri (رحمه الله)
• What actually is an Innovation (Bid'ah)? The Definition
• The 2 Types of Innovation (Bid'ah)
• Why do people invent these affairs?
• The Tremendous Narration of Abu Mūsa al-Ashari & Abdullāh ibn Mas'ūd (رضي الله عنهما) 
• Is intending Good enough?
• Who's understanding do we base our Deen upon?

• Ahadīth on Fitan (Trials & Tribulations)
• Being involved in matters of Fitnah
• Selling your Religion
• Those who do not make the Truth clear

• The Affair of Protests, Demonstrations & Rebelling against the Muslim Ruler
• The Matter of Palestine & the Muslims as a whole in the Dunya
• How do we attain the Aid of Allāh?
• Why are we in a state of Disgrace?
• The Tremendous Narration of Abu Dardā' (رضي الله عنه) & the Conquering of Cyprus
• The Current Trials the Muslims are facing is not solely due to conquering
• Statements of the Major Scholars concerning Palestine & what is our Obligation towards them and the rest of the Muslims?
• Measures we can take to help our oppressed brothers & sisters
• What do the diseased people scoff at & belittle when the people of Sunnah provide a solution to the problems the Muslims are facing?
• The Speech of Imam ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) from his book 'The Sickness & the Cure'
• What have the Ulamā' said concerning Protests & Demonstrations?
• In times of Calamity, who do we turn to?
• The Affair of 'raising awareness' & 'solidarity'? What is Unity actually based upon?
• What is Worship (Ibādah) bound by?
• The Challenge to bring specific proofs from the Qur'ān & Sunnah
• Did the Prophet (ﷺ) & his Companions (رضي الله عنهم) protest & demonstrate against the persecution they faced at the hands of the Kuffār of Quraysh?
• The Despicable Affairs that take place amongst the Muslims in Imitating the Non-Muslims
• The Imāms of the Masājid who call the people to Evil in the name of 'Support'
• The Silence of the False Claimants to the Sunnah & their cooperation with the people of Desires, Bid'ah and Ignorance
• The Clarity provided by the Actual People of Sunnah in Truth

• A Narration regarding the Young Man [from the people of Madinah] who faces the Fitnah of the Dajjāl & how the Sunnah saves him in the face of the Dajjāl
• The Statement of Imām az-Zuhri (رحمه الله)

• When does Allāh change/remove blessings He bestows upon people?
• The Reason why Allāh places upon us Humiliation & how this is removed
• What would the Prophet (ﷺ) do during troublesome times?
• A few reasons why your Du'ās may not be accepted

Clinging onto the Sunnah in times of Hardship - Ustādh Abu ʿAbdur-Raḥmān Hilāl (حفظه الله)

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

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

An in depth talk on the importance of patience in the life of the believer. 
Delivered at Masjid Bin Baz, East London, UK

Seek Help & Aid with Sabr(Patience)and Prayer - by Abu Hakeem

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

How to Remain Patient with the Harms of the People by Rasheed Barbee

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

No Shame by Abu Uwais Abdullah Ahmad Ali
The Prophet (peace be upon) stated, “...If you have no shame then do as you please.” (Bukhari)

No Shame by Abu Uwais Abdullah Ahmad Ali

Salafi Da'wah Tooting presents 'Remain Steadfast In Obeying Allāh And Seek His Forgiveness' by Abū Idrīs Muḥammad حفظه الله.

Recorded: 30/09/17

Remain Steadfast In Obeying Allāh And Seek His Forgiveness - Abū Idrīs Muḥammad

Poverty And Patience - Khutbah By Abu Idrees

A Blessed Righteous Wife

The ninety-nine names of Allaah
Taken from the lessons of Kitaab at-Tawheed of Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahhaab, rahimahullaah
Translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood Burbank, rahimahullaah

Transcribed PDF will be made available soon, inshaa' Allaah

Audio Series : Kitaab at-Tawheed of Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahhaab, rahimahullaah
https://abdurrahman.org/2017/07/01/kitaab-ut-tawheed-book-study-audio-series/

Explanation of Kitaab at-Tawheed 

The Ninety-Nine names of Allaah - Dawud Burbank

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?

[02/02/2018] The Cure to Worry, Sadness & Grief According to the Qur'ān & Sunnah - By Abu Khadeejah ‘Abdul Wahid حفظه الله. Khutbah at Masjid As-Salafi, Birmingham, UK.

Some points discussed during this Khutbah:

- Hardships that afflict the heart and soul, and their effects.
- Attaining nearness to Allāh in times of hardship.
- Realising the insignificance of the dunyā and looking towards the hereafter.
- The promise of Allāh for the one who believes and does righteous deeds.
- The recompense for the believer who suffered grief and sadness.
- Understanding the reality of this world.
- The outcome for those who make the hereafter their goal.
- The necessity of calling upon Allāh, and a mention of two supplications the Messenger ﷺ used to say.
- Trusting in Allāh.

The Cure For Worry And Sadness By Abu Khadeejah 02022018

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

Alhuda Bolton