The Disease of Al Ghaflah

The disease of al-ghaflah – to be in a state of neglecting your duty to Allah is a disease that many, many people, unfortunately, of the Ummatul-Islaam have fallen into. It is to be in a state of forgetting the Day that you will be questioned by Allah. The Day He will ask you for the big and the small, the good and the wrong, the halaal and the haraam, the correct and the mistake – everything will be asked of you by Allah. 

We begin by warning myself and yourselves not to be from those who are in a state of ghaflah. Allah says: 

"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness. Comes not unto them an admonition (a chapter of the Qur'aan) from their Lord as a recent revelation but they listen to it while they play, With their hearts occupied (with evil things).." [Al-Anbiyaa' (21) 1-3] 

Many of the Muslim Ummah, they listen to the Qur'aan and their eyes will never shed tears, not once, living their whole life listening to the word of Allaah and not once in their life will they shed a tear from the fear of Allah. Muslims will live their whole life listening to the ahadeeth and the Sunnah of Muhammad (pbuh) and their hearts will never be moved: "their hearts occupied.." with other things. 

But the actual danger is not that the heart is pre-occupied but the danger is that there are people who know that they are committing mistakes: eating ribaa' , not praying, they know they are disobeying Allah but then they look around themselves and they see that they have cars, they have wealth, a career, an education, a job, wife, children and he says all of this is ni'mah (a favour) therefore Allah is pleased with me but actually it is a test and trial from Allah.

 

The Ulamaa from the Salaf and the Khalaf have said: To be tested by being given from Allah's goodness is a harder test for you than for Allaah to remove some of your goodness. Because when you have wealth, when you have goodness all around you, you are blinded, you are blinded, you do not actually see that you are committing sins because you think that Allah is actually pleased with you for giving you money, for giving you wealth, for giving you a job, in essence this is a greater trial than for Allah to take it from you. 

Read the words of Muhammad (pbuh): 

"If you see that Allah is giving a person everything that he wishes whilst you see that that same person is committing a ma'siyah (disobedient act) know that Allah is gradually going to bring him to punishment."

Allah is letting the rope go a little, until Allah cuts it and then Allaah seizes it. Allah says explaining this Sunnah: 

"So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows." [Al-An'aam (6):44] 

And the Prophet (pbuh) said as reported by Abu Musaa al-Ash'aree (ra): 

"Verily Allah, will give an oppressor time to keep committing more oppression until Allah seizes him and when Allah seizes him, he never lets him go" Then the Messenger recited: "Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, and severe" [Hud (11):102] [Agreed Upon] 

He lets them go until they are in the middle of their enjoyment and then He brings them to punishment. And listen to the Words Of Allah where He describes the people of ghaflah, what are their characteristics, what are their attitudes, what type of people are they? 

"And surely, We have created many of the jinns and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the (ghaafiloon) heedless ones." [Al-A'raf (7):179] 

And you may ask how can a human being be less than an animal? Have you not heard Allah where He said: 

"See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Dawaab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified. And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honor him. Verily! Allah does what He wills." [Al-Hajj (22):18] 

So Allah is telling you the sun, the moon, the mountains, the trees, the animals and many of mankind are better than those who do not submit to Allah. Those who are deserving of punishment, and whoever Allah humiliates none shall give him honor. Verily! Allah does what He wills. And you may ask yourself: eyes that do not see? A heart that does not see? 

Allah says: 

"Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind." [Al-Hajj (22):46] 

The eyes can see but the actual sight that it should be seeing is not understood by the heart – because the heart is not comprehending the blessing that Allah has given us. The heart is not understanding at-Tawheed, laa ilaaha illaa Allah, Muhammadur-Rasoolul-Laah. It is not the eyes that grow blind: 

"..but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind…" 

We ask ourselves: Why are we people who are in a state or condition where we are looking at the Islamic law or the orders of Allah and His Messenger as something light – it is not something important – it is not of much concern? 

During the last week my brother met a Muslim brother and as he was sitting with him speaking for an hour or so he came to notice that he was wearing a gold ring. Seeing that he was with him alone and in a polite manner he say: "yaa akhi, do you know my brother that the messenger has forbidden that a man should wear gold, maybe you may not have heard this?" 

He says: "No, I know, I know this." And he sat there astonished. You know yet you do not obey?

YOU KNOW YET YOU DO NOT OBEY??

Taking lightly the orders of Allah my dear Muslims, Taking lightly the orders of Allah my sisters. Yet at the same time if your boss ordered you to do something which is not in your job description - something which you do not have to do – you would follow and obey your boss. Even in many cases if it was to disobey a standard rule you wouldn't do it - you would obey your boss. Yet when Allah orders and forbids and the Messenger orders and forbids you, then you do not obey them: 

"O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), and fear Allah. Verily! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. [Al-Hujuraat (49):1] 

O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (pbuh), 

nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered 

fruitless while you perceive not." [Al-Hujuraat (49):2] 

Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr (ra) said, "After that,`Umar's voice was so low that the Messenger of Allah had to ask him to repeat what he said so that he could understand what he was saying to him.'' 

The Aalim and worshipper, Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim (rahimahullaah), says: 

"…if the sahabah were to have their voice louder than the voice of the Rasool (pbuh) their whole good deeds could be wiped out – what about when a person not just raises his voice but puts his intellect / opinions before the statements and actions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)?" 

And this is why Allah says: 

"It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that 

they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, 

he has indeed strayed in a plain error." [Al-Ahzaab (33):36] 

So we ask again: Why are people taking the orders of Allah and His messenger lightly? There is one main reason and that is that they have forgotten the purpose of creation. The Muslims have forgotten why they are here. Why they are allowed to walk on the face of the earth by Allah. Why they are allowed to breathe, go to work, go to school. And that is the true reason, the true calling of Islam - a single ayah from the Qur'aan where Allah says: 

"And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone)." 

[Adh-Dhaariyaat (51):56] 

This is your reason for being on this earth – it is not to fulfill your lusts or desires or to attain goals that are unislamic, it is to worship Allah. But do not think that this means that you do not need to go to school or work. Allah has not sent this Qur'aan to make thing difficult for us. He says: 

"TaaHaa. We have not sent down the Qur'aan unto you (O Muhammad) to cause you distress, But only as a Reminder to those who fear (Allah)." [TaaHaa (20):1-2] 

Allah has not sent this Qur'aan to make things difficult for us. Islam does not prohibit any individual from attaining wealth and richness – you just have to answer two questions: 

Where did you earn your money: Halaal or Haraam? and; 

How did you spend it: Halaal or Haraam? – two simple questions. 

Do not think that you have to become a hermit just praying to Allah, reciting Qur'aan and just hope for the rizq to come to you! Rather your Ibaadah is to be a fully functioning person in a society - while worshipping Allah. 

We ask ourselves what is the cure to our heedlessness? 

It is to firstly know the reason of your creation. Ask yourself, scrutinise yourself, analyse your life: Are you living for al-Ibaadah or for ad-Dunya? 

Secondly, remove yourself from anyone who is bringing you to the state of alghaflah – eliminate them out of your life. You are someone who carries the passport of laa ilaaha illaah Allah, Muhammadur-Rasoolul-laah - you cannot have stamped on it the visa of disobedience to Allah. 

Thirdly, you must repent for what you have done of disobedience to Allah – you can't just walk away from your disobedience and simply just start over by doing nothing – you have to make tawba, fulfilling the shurootut-tawba (the conditions of tawba). 

And fourthly, a hadeeth which we will not become tired of relaying, and that is the advice of the Prophet (pbuh) to Mu'aadh Ibn Jabal (ra) and in turn all of mankind and the jinn: to "fear Allah wherever you may be" – whether in seclusion or public. 

We ask Allah to protect us from being al-ghaafiloon and to make us from His sincere worshiping slaves – Ameen. 

"DRAWS NEAR FOR MANKIND THEIR RECKONING, while they turn away in heedlessness…" 

[Al-Anbiyaa' (21) 1-3]