Lessons From Dua Makarim Al-Akhlaq - 3/3

 Al-hamdulil-Lahi Rabbi 'l-Alameen. Wa as-salat wa as-salam 'ala as-Sayyid al-Anbiya', wa khatim al-Mursalin, Sayyidina, wa Nabiyyina, Abil Qasim Muhammad [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'aali Muhammad] wa 'ala ahli baytih, at-tayyibin, at-taharin, al-masoomeen. Wa al-la'anat da'im al-baqi 'ala al-a'da'ihim min 'alan ila al-qiyam al-yawm id-deen.

Brothers and sisters in Iman, Salamun Alaykum . As I had mentioned, that the three nights ending with tonight we will be very briefly looking at some of the passages from Du'a Makarim al-Akhlaq. This is Du'a that we get the opportunity to hear about it and read it, only once a year on the Eve of 23rd of Ramadhan. My purpose here was just to make you familiar with some of the themes. With the hope that it will interest you and you will go back. And in some of the nights when you are sitting there thinking what to do, the name as-Sahifa as-Sajjadiyya will come to your mind. Even if you don't have the book at home, you can go online and you can actually read the Du'a or print it out from al-islam.org, the famous website that has the Shi'a material.

And the passage that I have tonight. Again, there's no time at all to go into any kind of discussion, but just to, you know, bring up this interest in this Du'a Makarim al-Akhlaq, let me go through the list of that passage where Imam talks about adornments of the righteous people and the ornaments of the muttaqin. There's even these words that Imam uses, you know, very powerful words. We don't really see this in other literature of the Muslims other than from the sources of Ahlul Bayt.

And this is the 10th passage of Du'a Makarim al-Akhlaq, where we pray to Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, of course, all these passages precede with Salawat end with Salawat. And after that 'wa hallini bi hilyati as-salihin wa albisni zinat al-muttaqin' look at the beautiful words, 'hilyati as-salihin' adornment of the 'salihin' righteous people, 'zinat al-muttaqin', the ornaments of the 'muttaqin', the pious people, and the Du'a is that O' Allah adorn us with this and clothe us with the zinat of the muttaqin. Imam gives the list of about 19 items under that.

What are these 'hilyati as-salihin' or 'zinat al-muttaqin'? If you look at the list, 'basti al-a'dl, kadhmi al-ghaydh, itfai an-nairah, dhammi ahl il-furqah, islahi dhati al-bayn' . You know, spreading of the justice, one of the important things, restraining one's anger and rage, putting out the flame of hate, wherever there is, you know, problems going on, try to put that flame and light out, the fire out. Bringing together the people of separation, those who are, you know, going in different direction, out of division within themselves, you know, trying to bring them together, making peace between individuals. 'ishar al-a'arifah', promoting good deeds by doing certain good deeds publicly. 'sattiri al-a'aibah', 'sattir al-a'aib' to cover the weaknesses of the people, rather than disclosing it.

'lini al-a'rikah', keeping the tempers mild. Now again, it's already number two is restraining rage. But again, Imam is putting that in a different form, keeping tempers mild. 'khafzi al-jinah', lowering the wings, being kind, being humble. 'husni as-sirah', demonstrating beautiful conduct and akhlaq. Going on. Imam continues the list of what is known as 'hilyati as-salihin wa albisni zinat al-muttaqin'.

Number eleven. 'sukuni ar-rih', The literal translation would be calmness of the air or the wind, there is no wind blowing. What does it mean? It means that, you know, to have very modest attitude. Not that wherever you come you're creating winds around, creating, you know problems. Be a, be a mild person, be a modest person. 'Wa tibi al-mukhalafah', now this word in the manuscripts of Sahifa Sajaddiyya has come in different forms. One is 'mukhalaqah', the way it's shown here. Another is 'mukhalafah', and the third one is 'muhalafah', and all has different meanings. The translation that I have done here is actually not what you see in Arabic. There is 'tib ul-mukhalafah', which means even if there is disagreement, be polite in disagreeing with one another, you know, don't use, don't use abusive language, don't put it down, put others down. Be polite, even in disagreeing with one another.

'Wa sabqi ila 'l-fadhilah', competing in excellent qualities. In Du'a Kumail we recite O' Allah give us Mayadeen as-sabiqeen. 'Mayadeen' is plural of Maidan the field and 'sabiqeen', those who compete with one another. So yes, there is a concept of competition, but competition for what? Competition for Makarim al-Akhlaq to compete against one another, to attain higher levels of Iman and Taqwa and Islam.

Number 14: 'ithar it-tafadhdhul' to prefer giving and charity over, you know, just withholding everything for ourselves, 'tarki it-ta'bir' or 'tarki at-ta'yir', it depends on how the nuqta's have been put. Refraining from condemning. You know Some people just have the habit. They only know how to condemn others. No, you have to have that balance. You praise whatever the praise is due, and you also, you know, admonish whenever it is a situation of admonishing.

'Wa al-ifdhali a'la ghayr il-mustahiqq', this might be difficult to comprehend, but what it means is that sometimes you can even be charitable to those who do not deserve charity. Now you will say, what does it mean? We're not necessarily talking about charity of money here, even Akhlaq, even you know, behaving, people sometimes their Akhlaq is such that they don't deserve your Salaam, or they don't deserve you being polite to them. But this is what it says. 'wa al-ifdhal', to be charitable in your attitude towards those who because of their own attitude, are not deserving of that.

But you don't look at their Akhlaq, look at yourself what you are doing, because that is what Allah is going to ask you. Allah is not going to ask me how, what did this fellow do to you? You know, Allah will ask me what I did to that person.

Number 17: 'wa al-qawl bi 'l-haqq wa in a'zza' ,speaking the truth, even it is, even if it's painful, and even if it's against the person himself. 'Wa istiqlal il-khayr wa in kathura min qawli wa fa'li', making little of the good in my words and deeds, even if it is much. This is what Imam is saying that, you know, when we talk about ' hilyati as-salihin wa albisni zinat al-muttaqin', that even though I might do quite a lot, but in my mind it should be just low, and the opposite of that, making much of the evil in my words and deeds, even if it is little, even if I do something little which is not right, oh Allah, make it such in my mind that I take it very seriously and as something which is, you know, of great importance where I have to deal with it and reform myself. Salawat [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad].

And then after listing these 19 items, part of the ornaments of the righteous people and, you now, the clothing of the muttaqin, Imam basically ends that passage with the Du'a 'wa akmil dhalika li, bi-dawami at-ta'h, wa luzumi al-jama'ah', O' Allah perfect these qualities for me with lasting obedience to you. And number two, by holding fast to the community. The unity of the community is very important. You know, we cannot always say, oh, things are not working according to the way I want it and therefore I will just separate my own different, you know, community. There's no need to go on that path of division. Be united, and if there are problems, reform within, not that separation and new form, you know, one organisation, one another organization or another jamaat.

'Wa raf-zdhi ahli al-bida' wa musta'mil ar-rayi al-mukhtara', and O' Allah give me this ability of obeying you till the last moments of my life and reject the people of innovation and those who follow their personal opinion. Salawat [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad].

There's a time for iftar or what? Still have five minutes. Relax! Salawat [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad]. We will end because I don't think we have another session of any discussion, tomorrow and Sunday we have competition. Monday is award night and Tuesday InshaAllah would be 'amal of shab e-eid. So we'll end with the last question for tonight. Can we see the question on the screen?

Many times we hear when our people go to other Muslims and when Maghrib happens, they say, you know, break your Fast. If you do not break it right away, it becomes, your roza [fast] becomes makruh. So the question is, does the Fast become makruh? If we don't eat Iftar immediately at Maghrib time.

We give three options: Number one, yes, it becomes Makruh. Number two, it's recommended to do Iftar at Maghrib time. And number three, it's recommended to delay Iftar till after Maghrib prayers. How many go for B? What about C?

Okay, that is the right answer. There is no concept of roza becoming makruh. Remember, roza depends on your niyat. What was your niyat? From Fajr till Maghrib. Once the time happens, the roza is gone. It's not there to become makruh. You know, so this concept is nothing like that. You must eat until Sehri then stop, and then the other end, when it ends, you must start eating. There's nothing like that.

There's no concept of fast becoming makruh. You know, actually, the recommendation in our fiqh is that you do the iftar after Maghrib prayers. Not after Isha, after Maghrib. Salawat [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad].