@asiasilvis
@EduAfs_
I'm concerned how western secular empowerment and growth narratives are in fact nurturing narcissism through individualism; that is, when the ego is confused as self, and self confused with image, then self-care is really an obsession, with that image
We attend the Friday prayer despite the
#Christchurch
massacre. But we're left wondering if there will be a copy cat shooter at our own mosque.
#MyMosque
The closer a thing is to us, the subtler it's presence. The subtler it's presence, the more elusive it is to us when we are absent minded, distracted. But when beheld, it is seen everywhere. Such is the nature of beholding God. Only in the stillness of night does the heart awaken
Shaykh Hamza made a very important point. A lot of people think that by believing in God and being a good Muslim everything will work out for you and go your way. Instead, the reality is that its usually the opposite, especially in the type of world we're living in today.
@Clout2k
@purpleinkxxo
@asiasilvis
@EduAfs_
Yes. Great insight. The more that image is reinforced, the more deluded you are in perceiving it as your true nature. You become dependent on validating it in order to regulate your psycho-emotional state, so then you become driven to validate that image, which is self-absorption
@MazMHussain
In a hadith it says "The Hour will not be established until the shadow of the clock is cast over the Ka'ba." Once interpreted metaphorically, now it's literal. It looks like the tower of Dajal, devoid of any true aesthetic as Saudis emulate the worst of vapid consumer capitalism
"The believer is able to see things in the context of eternity." - Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad
It certainly takes meditative training to achieve this state. Religion is not mere identity, it is composed of inner states as articulated beliefs that only become reality when cultivated
@eyesofwadjet
The Yogic concept, dvesha, explains this. Often what people profess to hate is really a hatred of not having it. Hate is projected onto the object of desire and attachment in order to create psychological distance thereby coping with the pain of not having.
@BFirstParty
Beautiful. It is a demonstration of the unity of Being as all people prostrate to the Creator. This is what is natural to the human being, and by returning to a state of nature, we harmonize. This is needed in these times where modernity has caused us to deviate from nature.
The smaller the person, the greater the God-complex. New Age self-help propels people to deify the lowest self, calling it empowerment. This is seen in the self-help trend from desiring to be identified as an alpha fe/male, to being a queen/king, to now being a god/dess,
@alishaehsaan
Today, education is more about status than it is intelligence. According to the sexual selection model of civilization, one of the main factors is 'female choosiness', so then we can see how civilizations decline whenever women compete with men for status.
@JournalismPopal
Some Japanese attire was influenced by Portuguese Muslims who went to Japan, such as the juban, which comes from the juba. Muslims should adopt the traditional clothe of various cultures. This would be an example of how Islam revives the beautiful aspects of different cultures
@Maryamhasnaa
Dr. Umar Faruq mentioned how there are metaphysical forces swirling all around us, which enter and mix within consciousness. Many of our thoughts are not really our own but find expression through us so without discernment we think they're ours or even identify with them
The greater the victim complex, the greater the capacity for evil, and the more deluded into perceiving themselves as good. Stay clear from such people regardless of what side they seem to be on. In reality, they are on their own side, appropriating a side into their own identity
@kloppfc24
It's important that Muslims return to their religion. Most Muslims have adopted secular progressive philosophies and their ways of life, abandoning Islam on a principled level. It is choosing the way of the colonizer over the colonized, which is civilizational.
@aamullanee
In the book of Futuwwa, one of the virtues is that men [Muslim or otherwise btw] should not look at women with lust but rather with mercy. It's a humanizing act, but the instigations of the animal ego presents therefore a growing challenge to the heart.
@Clout2k
@purpleinkxxo
@asiasilvis
@EduAfs_
In deep states of meditation, in the relaxing of the mind, beyond the contents of consciousness, in absolute silence, lies one's true reality of pure consciousness. It requires letting go of images, but most are unwilling because it eschews the drug of external validation
Every time you violate sacred law you lose something of your rational soul that can never be replaced again. That is why the pure life is also the beautiful life, the life of The Good. So if you wait till you're older to repent and become religious, you may not be able to repent
@lilkabobb
The problem is not attraction. Attraction is an automatic biological impulse, which is activated when tabarruj is perceived by the senses. In this way, men lowering their gaze is fundamentally important, but in the same way, so is modesty by women. Without this, then it is simply
@Maryamhasnaa
This is so important, we take on the "smell" of those around us, as the Prophet said. But at the same time, the Prophetic lesson is that it is possible to transcend our external environment by cultivating our inner environment. But this takes intense discipline and purification
All forms of trials, from loss to constant setbacks and disappointments are ways by which the heart is extricated from the dunya. When people have everything going their way, especially if it entails ill-gotten means, it's a sign that God is displeased with you.
@Insidefeeling90
Imam Abu Hanifa was Persian, and he was among the greatest. It is the light of iman that makes a person great. One may be 'ajami but behold the light of the Prophet ﷺ in their heart while another may be Arab but hold the darkness of jahaliyyah in their heart
@SamQari
When many great shuyookh visited to Toronto to teach recently, I met Shaykh Mukhtar Maghraoui and asked him to make dua for my late father. He made a beautiful dua and then embraced me in a heartfelt hug. The people of knowledge are different from the people of ignorance
@eyesofwadjet
Due to an inferiority complex as a result of colonialism and its subtle messaging, people are driven by a hypergamy (egoic drive to marry up in social status) that is oriented around race and skin color.
@taintedstudent
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon. May Allah expand her grave and your wife's grave and fill it with the light of Divine Love, the manifestation of his beloved one ﷺ, and reunite you all in the highest paradise. Ameen.
@Maryamhasnaa
It's when we self identify with thoughts and energies that are not our own or of divine origin that we're shaped by them. I think this why exoteric religion is fundamental, it's a protection from these forces, based on a traditional understanding of the nature of reality
Many Muslims argue against tawassul and istighatha saying to go instead to Allah directly to receive His Mercy, but Rasulallah ﷺ was the manifestation of Allah's Mercy. By rejecting Rasulallah ﷺ in this way, you reject the Mercy of Allah that He has presented to you directly
@Terry_maximo
@showmetheyamz
Hatred is not a sufficient quality of racism, it is a particular. Racism has many particular manifestations, but is essentially premised on devaluation, which in turn is premised on dehumanization. Dehumanization is the universal aspect. Fetishizing is one way of dehumanizing.
Constant distraction leads to the lack of presence. The lack of presence leads to the lack of meaningful connection. The lack of meaningful connection leads to the lack of meaningful existence. The lack of meaningful existence leads to existential agitation.
@nytimes
NYT knows that most people don't read an article passed its headline, so by hiding the facts of the events behind an obscure and neutral headline, the actual news largely goes unnoticed. It's one of many Israeli PR tactics, to hide in plain site. An affront to journalism
Everything is a miracle because the only likely outcome is nothingness. Your very existence is a miracle, when you fail to see that then you fail to see everything as miraculous signs of God. Modernity is driven by a sinister plot to disenchant the world by profaning sacred Being
@DrShadeeElmasry
I am reminded of this verse when I see people convert:
"...If you were to turn away from God, He would simply replace you with another people, who will not be like you." [47:38].
Born Muslims should fear on account of this verse and reflect on how they are living their lives
@JoramvKlaveren
This is such a great plot twist. Market the book to Islamophobes, where the book begins off deeply xenophobic. By the time the reader finishes the book, the Islamophobe has become Muslim, still somewhat confused as to what has just occurred
To be present in the moment with the food that you are eating is to pay attention to Allah feeding you. To be absent-minded is to not pay attention to the One feeding you, which is disrespectful and a sign of ingratitude. And yet, Allah continues to feed us.
ibn Arabi ق was a disciple of Abu Madyan ق, and described him as "the teacher of teachers". Abu Madyan was a disciple of Shaykh Abdal Qadir al-Jilani ق. Ibn Arabi was born the year that he died, so he said "I am nothing but one of the karamat of Shaykh Abdal Qadir al-Jilani."
@Maryamhasnaa
God is the source of reality itself, to connect to God is to become realized. Separation confounds us when we cling desperately to the myriad identities rooted in the passions of the self. The way forward is to learn to prefer the hereafter, God, to the world, and thus the self
We inherit our parent's spiritual battles after they pass away. What they were struggling with, you will later contend with. Then you will finally understand them. Family members are like branches of a single tree, all connected to the metaphysical roots of their very existence
One of the greatest feelings from dhikr Allah is that sense of release. You become aware of how tense the heart always is simply from existing in the world, and then you let go and it feels quite literally as if it's expanding as your consciousness sinks deeper into itself
A strange feeling had washed over me not long ago. I can't remember when, or why, but it's a feeling of epistemological certitude in the prophecies related to us by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as if he were telling us directly. These are the times to hold fast to the rope of Allah
@YasminMogahed
Great post. The underlying intention to "leave that which does not concern you" describes the lowering of the gaze of the Heart, which is at the center of detachment. It is due to attachments within the Heart that we're compelled look covetously. To be compelled is disempowerment
While listening to this, I felt shivers go through my body. As Shaykh Lokman said, for these people, there is no judgement, there is judgment for us. We cannot even quote one ayat to them. When they say Allah and we say Allah, there is a huge difference.
Futuwwa: The tradition of the Ahl al-Bayt, the sacred order of Islamic knighthood and spiritual chivalry. It is the way of the Prophet ﷺ. The spiritual path is the way of the warrior, for all that desecrates the sacred soul must be overcome in order to become Muhammadiyun
@JonathanACBrown
When American officials comment, they always say as a matter of fact "we're the good guys" and "they're the bad guys". A childish view, but when you see the world this way, the good guys always have moral reason to commit heinous crimes while the bad guys are just inherently evil
@GFMindset
This is something I began to notice about 6 years ago as the trauma industry really began to take shape out of the developments of the self-help industry. The word industry is very relevant. Like all industries, it is based on supply and demand, a need and a solution. As is the
It's interesting because in the Qur'an, shaytan is defined principally by his victim mentality/state, which metaphysically, is rooted in blaming God of being unjust. Ontologically, since God is the first principle of Being, one becomes a self-imposed victim.
Pretty much all fascist regimes are built on some kind of narrative of victimhood. This is why embracing victimhood as an identity can be so debilitating and dangerous.
@sinseriously
@_habyasun
@nightwalkerrs
@YasminYonis
Typically people who say "fear God" when they feel personally attacked are really saying "how dare you", so then the word "God" becomes a reference to that part of them that feels attacked, ie., their ego. Without the ability of spiritual perception we inevitably deify the nafs
@ApostateProphet
@Yusuf_0v
For all practical intents and purposes they're the same. Disguising the meaning behind empty technicalities is cowardly and disingenuous. You want to make provocative statements while denying what you said. You've been around far-right extremists so much you dog-whistle like them
The ego is the greatest veil between you and God, and is said to be worse than seventy devils. It is the means of all the chaos in the world, for the world blows into you to fan the flames of the ego, producing narcissist after narcissist, hedonist after hedonist, closing the way
@The_Cling_On
@meyer_lucas
It wasn't ok when he did it, which is why he was held accountable, apologized for it and asked for forgiveness. He'a also put in the work towards showing support and solidarity during traumatic times for communities. He didn't get a free pass, but nobody is irredeemable.
When the edifice of gratitude [towards God] has been laid within you, then all difficulties in life can then be apprehended as trials and tests meant to cultivate you rather than as punishments meant to reject and devalue you.
It is only the gaze of love that gives a person value and meaning. If we give ourselves value through our external qualities, we become ensnared by the ego, driven constantly by the need to maintain its image. The higher our worldly value then, the more artificial we become.
@RichardDawkins
The difference between criticism and prejudice is that criticism requires requisite knowledge about the topic of criticism whereas prejudice requires nothing other than animus and antipathy; the prior is a civilized quality related to intellect whereas the latter is primitive
A grieving heart is fertile ground for the seeds of belief, so be careful what beliefs you plant therein. Poisonous seeds produce the fruits of disbelief that cause forlornness and despair. Lifegiving seeds produce the fruits of belief that fill you with light and hope.
@Slasher
This is why big money in politics always leads to fascism and authoritarianism. Government becomes a tool to secure the greed of the wealthy, which is why republicans also tend towards fascism.
Spirituality without accountability with regards to fulfilling the rights of God no more than the Left Hand path of occultism masquerading as spirituality. Most content creators talking about spirituality, especially in the context of self-help, are engaged in the Left Hand path
Great piece by
@EsmeLKPartridge
. The part on intention is very pertinent.
Everything in this world is a veil over the heart except whatever is blessed with the name of God. To say the name of God over a thing is to consecrate it, to sanctify it.
In the Qur'an, God made humans in outwardly different physical forms so that we may learn about each other. It is thus human nature that differences unite us, not separate us, due to the principle of Oneness, of seeing the One in the many. This is tawhid, which is in our nature
The pain of the heart arises due to the sudden awareness of separation and distance from God. But at once, as we turn away from the pain, we are turning towards the source of relief, the Divine embrace. The mystics, in their ecstatic poems of Divine Love, understood well how
@RealHasanSpiker
This is the same observation I've made to, sidi. It's like Shaykh Hamza wrote, when you accept for instance a civilization's science, which goes doubly for its entertainment, you unwittingly adopt their metaphysics, and thus their first principles, and thus its [hidden] religion.
The Prophet said, "Hasten to do good deeds before six major calamities occur: the anti-Christ, the smoke, the beast of the earth, the rising of the sun from its place of setting, and that special affair that each of you faces [death]."
@asiasilvis
@EduAfs_
To add, narcissistic individualism mainly results from an inverted self-concept that has incorporated into it the opinions of others as the basis of one's worth. It's not even one's own image, its manufactured by others. I wrote a bit here if interested.
By virtue of the fact that death is confirmed for us all, and because all hedonistic pleasures are rooted in the survival impulses of the ego taken to extremes, a hedonistic life is necessarily self-contradictory and self-defeating, and therefore meaningless.
@Quicktake
@viviannereim
Prince Fahad says this is a sign of progress and the measure of civilization. To each their own but it's problematic to define progress this way, that the western hyper capitalist conception of man as consumer be normalized is what's at the heart of the destruction of the Earth
@MDarcy_Tweet
@_Americanri0t
It's the same egoic-impulse behind why a rich person feels offended when a poor person greets them. It's rooted in judging one's worth by one's perceived position in a status hierarchy, which exists in relation to others. We need to remember the importance of disciplining the ego
@DrShadeeElmasry
Guenon was initiated into the Shadhili tariqa, and was by all definitions an orthodox Sunni Muslim. He became known as Shaykh Abdal Wahid Yahya.
From Egypt, in his letters to Schuon, Guenon rebuked him for corrupting the Traditionalist school, turning it into a perennialist
@NeuroMaliki
I remember Sam Harris saying "Everything I need to know about Islam I learned on that day [9/11]." The relationship between radical Atheism and scientism, and US imperialism through the War on Terror is inherently volatile. Today's climate is largely the child of all that.
@Mediaite
If you want to see how fascism works, it is like this. There is fraud that is allowed to happen publicly by the wealthy against classes that are astronomically poorer. It's like using cheat codes in a game, and then complaining that the other players are scoring points.
Knowledge does not arise from studying books, it comes from learning to let go, from learning to forgive. Reason is limited to causality and leads necessarily only to justice. But mercy transcends reason and thus the mechanism of this very world. It is connected to higher reality
The ‘Sufi’ is not the monk hidden away in the mountain of ignorant futility, nor the pragmatic warrior unfamiliar to the value of sincere silence, or even the philosopher enveloped entirely in his own thoughts — rather he is the necessary synthesis. He is the ‘son of the moment’.
@jalalayn
Conservative based supremacy is brash and obvious because its colonization method is through direct force and direct rule. Liberal based supremacy is more sophisticated in its manipulative tactics because it employs psychological and cultural colonization for indirect rule
When Allah blesses a person, He makes them worthy of what they have supplicated for before granting them it. And when Allah wishes to punish a person, He grants them what they supplicated for while remaining unworthy of it, and thus they fail to fulfill their responsibilities...
@ishmurrrx
According to narrations he ﷺ was the first one on the battlefield and the last to leave, which traditionally was a sign of a true leader. His prowess as a warrior cannot be ignored, neither can his bravery in the face of violent death.
Worshiping God frees you from worshiping your self. Then, everything stops being about you and that incessant need to confirm your value. Then too that need to incessantly consume distractions to feed the lowly appetites of the ego, which masquerade as something noble, ends too
After a loved one dies it doesn't simply feel like time has passed. It feels more like it was a different life altogether, or a dream. The marks of their existence, like the scent on their old shirts, are like threads that connect through time and space to a memory, to a reality
When God intends good for a person, He progresses them along the spiritual path. A major sign of such progress is that one's behavior towards one's parents becomes more excellent, one's inward states more refined, and one becomes adorned with positive patience and dutifulness
The Prophet ﷺ never swore nor used foul or obscene language, and said that the widespread normalization of such language was a sign of the end of times, which reflected spiritual degeneracy. In light of the Traditional way, we ought to normalize the eschewing of obscene language
@ArainGang
This basically tells you everything you need to know about Feminism. Unfortunately, many Muslim women, often without realizing, join the Feminist movement because they've been led to believe its simply about equal rights and female empowerment.
In reality, it's about
There are two important concepts in the self-help sphere that, when not understood in relation to the disciplining of the ego, become two severe spiritual poisons. The first is the concept of self-love, which becomes the poison of narcissistic aggrandizement.
"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."
Being satisfied with what you have is the cure for envy. But it is God who decides what you have and don't have. And so, being satisfied with the Divine Decree is the secret to being satisfied with what you have, and therefore, to envy. And this is why envy is considered a...
A sigil I made for a European style salawat on my channel, containing esoteric symbols that have spiritual meanings. Conceptually it is meant to represent the Ahl al-Bayt and their Prophetic inheritance of Futuwwa, described as the tradition of sacred chivalry and knighthood.
@HassamM_
You took a high road indeed, may Allah bless you. Allah sends tests and difficulties upon us to see how we respond, and when we respond with dignity and nobility, then we are elevated over the world, which is lowly in His regard.
@guppy27
@actionsj
@BigBertieT
@catturd2
@realDonaldTrump
If you guys cared about looting then you'd stop supporting a person and a party that enables and engages in tax evasion. The looting on the streets is nothing compared to the tax theft by the wealthy, which is at least 2 billion dollars a year
The essence of Ramadan is that one ultimately fasts from every desire except for the presence of God. That in the presence of this supreme desire, all others are rendered undesirable because the existential fear that underpins them, the defilement of the ego itself, is effaced
Men and women need each other. Unless this basic fact is accepted, men and women will simply use each other to meet their own needs in dysfunctional ways. Because these ways are dysfunctional, they're fundamentally pretenses, and so despite them, the needs persist.