Extraction from " What the Seeker Needs" by Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi......
1- Believe in
the oneness and uniqueness of Allah. … “Nothing is like Him” -
Write in your heart and mind this principle, this foundation of
faith, and believe in Allah’s prophet and the message that he
brought from the Devine Truth, and in Allah’s orders and
justice.
2- Do not debate with people who attribute partners to Allah.
If the mind has reached a state in which it is free from doubt
and the heart is safe and secure, it makes no sense to disturb
this peace with superfluous proofs.
3- You must accept and believe, even if you don’t understand,
the allegorical verses of the Holly Qur’an and the ambiguous
statements of the messenger concerning the unity and the
ultimate cause, as well as the declaration of the prophets,
which have come to us unaltered. Love their companions; accept
the truth of their mission. Think of them with terms of praise,
as they are described in the Holy Qur’an. Show respect, as did
the prophets, for the character that distinguishes the perfect
man.
4- Look upon the whole creation, and above all, mankind, with
good will accepting, approving, forgiving, serving, and loving.
Make that your nature in your dealings with the world.
5- Listen to your conscience.
6- Cleanse your heart. In that heart keep up prayers for your
faithful brothers. Help and serve, as much as you can. Do not
attribute to yourself virtue, goodness, and graciousness
because of your service to the creation. It is your duty to
lighten the load of those who are burdened. If they cause you
pain in return if their response, their ways, their habits are
dark and cast shadows upon you show patience and forbearance.
Do not forget that Allah says: “… surely Allah is with the
patient.”
7- Don’t spend your life in empty endeavors and your time in
idle talk. Instead, reflect and remember Allah, read the Qur’an,
guide the misguided to the enlightened path. Help others leave
evil and turn to doing good. Mend broken friendship. Help
others to help others. Work to serve the ones who are in need.
8- Find the right friend, who will be a support for you, a good
traveling companion on the path of truth. Beware of being close
to those who do not discriminate between the faithful and the
unfaithful not knowing either faith or the faithful; they do
not care about them. They are either strangers to or enemies of
the truth in which you believe.
9- Look for the perfect teacher who will lead you on the
straight path. In your search for a guide, be sincere, because
sincerity distinguishes the true seeker. It is certain that if
you cling to sincerity and truthfulness, the Lord will manifest
His attribute of the Ultimate Guide upon you and will guide you
to a perfect teacher. Sincerity is such a catalyst that it
turns lead into gold and purifies everything it touches.
10- Lawful sustenance, the lawfulness of all that you enjoy in
this world, is the foundation of your faith. So make sure that
the morsel of bread you put in your mouth is lawful.
11- To advance in this path you have to be light light in
worldly goods, light in your concerns about this world. An
unmistakable sign of the heaviness that will prevent you from
advancing is to be a burden on people.
12- When the love of the world fills your heart totally, it
leaves no space for the remembrance of Allah. The one who lives
for this world alone is bound to bear its pains and
difficulties - trying to resolve its problems by himself. His
ego whose appetite never knows satiation, whose ambitions are
endless, is always wanting, always hungry, always dissatisfied.
These are the rewards of the world to those who make the world
their lord, forgetting the Lord of all the Universes.
13- This does not mean that you should abandon the world, not
do your duties in it or participate in its affairs - retiring
to a corner, making no effort, doing no work. The Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) says, "The one who
earns his sustenance lawfully through his efforts is beloved of
Allah."
14- This means that man will attain peace of heart and the
level of Allah's praise and grace if he accepts and is content
with his lot in accordance with Allah's divine apportionment.
On the other hand, if you do not accept the lot that is your
fate, Allah will render the world, which you so desire, your
enemy
15- Do not exchange your spiritual peace and the possibility of
eternal bliss for the temporal, decaying goods of this world.
No matter how grand and secure they look, they will die when
you die.
16- Most people complain that this world, their work to secure
their sustenance, and their work as householders for their
families, take time away from their worship. Know that work
done heedfully, with consideration for others, in accordance
with proper behavior, for the pleasure of Allah, is also
worship.
17- Use your with intellect, knowledge, profession, strength,
and health to gather as much of your sustenance as possible in
the minimum of time.
18- Cleanse and beautify your days and nights with worship and
at each prayer make an accounting of your actions since the
last prayer. It is to be hoped that only good deeds and actions
befitting a Muslim are done between the times of prayer.
19- After you perform your morning prayer, stay with your Lord
until sunrise, and after your afternoon prayer stay in His
presence until sunset. These are two periods of time when
spiritual powers and enlightenment flow in abundance. Keep your
heart tied to Allah in humility and in peace.
20- Do not sleep until you are unable to stay awake. Do not eat
until you are hungry. Eat less. That will leave more space in
your heart and will increase your desire to pray and be
obedient It will make you more active and less lazy.
21- Cleanliness is an order of Allah. Keep your body and your
inner self clean at all times.
22- Make it a habit to read from the Holy Qur'an every day.
When you read, hold the holy book with respect. Read aloud, but
just loud enough that you can hear your own voice. Read without
haste, slowly thinking of the meaning of each word. There are
infinite meanings within the verses of the Holy Qur'an, within
every word - changing with your states and levels, knowledge
and understanding. Therefore you cannot possibly be tired,
weary, or bored in reading them.
23- What is essential for you is to be heedful at all times, to
be attentive to what comes into your mind and your heart.
Analyze these thoughts and feelings. Try to control them.
Beware of the wishes of your ego.
24- Think that each deed may be your last act, each prayer your
last prostration, that you may not have another chance. Have
conscience, shame, in front of Allah. It will be a motivation
for becoming heedful and also for becoming sincere and
truthful.
25- Give value to your time. Live in the present moment. Do not
live in imagination and throw your time away. Spend your time
in remembering, glorifying, and worshipping Allah.
26- First
perform the actions He has given to you as obligations. Then do
what He has given to you to do through the example of His
Prophet. Then take on what He has left you as voluntary,
acceptable good deeds.
27- What you need is high morals, good character, proper
behavior; you must identify your bad features and rid yourself
of them. Your relationship to whomever you come into contact
with must be based on the best of conduct. If something is done
to bring salvation, truth, comfort, and peace to others, to
oneself, and to as many people as possible, protecting them,
eliminating pain and hardship, it is good behavior on condition
that it is not done for personal benefit, but for Allah's sake.
Proper behavior is the means by which an intention becomes a
good deed.
28- Choose to forgive, instead of punishing, so that you will
be counted among the compassionate, the peaceful, and the
righteous, whose rewards are promised by Allah.
29- Anger and its manifestation are one of the great sins if
aroused by wrongs done to you personally. But it is permissible
and right and a part of correct behavior and good character to
become angry because of something done against Allah and His
divine precepts, to manifest it, and to fight for Allah’s sake.
30- It is best to separate yourself from people who do not
believe in what you believe, who do not do what you do, and who
are against your faith. Yet at the same time you should not
think badly of them or condemn them for what they are. Your
intention in ignoring them should be that you prefer the
company of believers.
31- Do not seek to be close to the heedless, to the ones who
are slaves to the desires of their flesh. If you are placed
with them in the same time and space, then face them and advise
them. If they turn their backs on you. Do not stab them in the
back.
32- Treat well those who are dependent upon you: the people who
work for you, your children, your wives and husbands, your
mothers, sisters, and friends, the animals in your care, the
plants in your garden. Show love, compassion, delicacy,
generosity, and protection towards those who depend on you -
and in fact, to everyone. If you wish His compassion and
protection, remember that you yourself depend on the One, the
lord and owner of all and everything. Allah will treat you the
way He has ordered you to treat others. So try to develop the
good qualities of being just, peaceful, helpful, gentle, and
loving. You will see that this character will spread from you
to others around you, creating harmony, mutual love, and
respect.
33- Teach Allah's words in His divine book and the good
behavior of Islam to your children. Secure for them conditions
in which they can exercise what you have taught them. Do this
without expecting any return from them. From the very
beginning, teach them to bear difficulty, to have patience, to
think.
34- Do not place in their hearts the love of the world. Teach
them to dislike the things of this world that will render them
proud - luxuries, beautiful clothes, delicacies, excess of
ambition - because all these, if obtained, will be subtracted
from the good due them in the hereafter. Let them not get
accustomed to good things; break their habits. Beware that
this, which may seem austere, should not bring forth in you the
ugly character of miserliness towards your children. Do it in
respect and attachment to your religion.
35- Do not be satisfied with your spiritual state; advance.
Advance ceaselessly, without interruption. With firm intention
pray to Allah to bring you from the state in which you are to a
state beyond it. In every state, in every move, while doing
something or while being inactive, be sincere and truthful. Do
not ever forget Him. Feel His presence always.
36- Learn to give, whether you have plenty or little, whether
you are happy or in pain. Try to satisfy the needs of the
needy. This is a proof of your trusting in Allah. Spend from
what Allah has given you. Do not fear poverty.
37- Avoid being negative and control your temper and anger. If
you cannot stop anger, at least do not show it. As you hold
your temper you begin to tame it, teach it how to behave, to
obey, so that it cannot hurt others or itself. For if you hold
your temper, the All Just Allah will also hold back His
punishment for your sins.
38- Wake before sunrise, remember Allah, and repent. When
repentance follows sin, the sin disappears as if it never
happened. When repentance follows a benevolent action or
prayer, it is like light upon light, grace upon grace.
39- Fear Allah both in your actions and deep in - your heart
and thoughts. The fear of Allah is a protection, the thing that
guards you from harm. Allah's protection is the strongest of
all armor, of all fortifications; no harm can penetrate it
40- Seek, learn about, and imitate the beneficent acts of your
Creator that manifest all around you.
41- Be chaste. Chastity is to be cautious, to try to abstain
from all that is unclean and sinful. It is protecting yourself
from all that is doubtful and suspicious in and around you. If
you are chaste, all your deeds will be pure and sincere
42- Follow the advice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him): Even if you feel in need of that which is doubtful,
even if you are unable to get anything else, do not take it;
leave it for the sake of Allah. This is chastity.
43- Choose less over more in it. Be satisfied with what you
have, even if it is less than what others have.
44- Death may come in your next step upon this earth, and all
your dreams of this world will evaporate. So do not leave your
accounting to the Day of Reckoning. There is no place to go
except Allah's door of mercy. Therefore, go and kneel at its
sill. Shed tears of repentance and beg for entrance.
45- There are three dangers, which may keep you from examining
yourself making the accounting of your acts, and being thankful
to your generous Lord. The first of these dangers is
unconsciousness, heedlessness. The second is the flood of
tastes and desires that gush from your ego, your lower self.
The third is bad habits, in fact all habits, which make one
like a machine. The one who can protect himself against these
three dangers, with Allah's help, will find salvation in both
worlds.
46- Spend all your effort to stay on the path of piety, and may
Allah help you.
May the Eternal Truth wake you from the slumber of
heedlessness. May He make you aware of the origin, to which we
will all return and in which we will all remain for the rest of
eternity.
May the Divine Seer of all and everything open your inner eye,
so that you can see and remember what you have done and said
all through your life in this temporal realm of experiments.
Then you will know and always remember that you must account
for it all and that you will be judged on the day of final
judgment. !
source:
http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/articles/wtsn.html
In
the Name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful