Excerpts from Tareeq al-Hijratayn wa Bab as-Sa`adatayn

“O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy One.” (Qur’an 35:15)

In this verse, the Exalted One shows that the slaves’ need for Him is intrinsic to the slaves—just as being Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy are intrinsic qualities for Him.

His Self-Sufficiency and His Praiseworthiness are innate constants in Him, not caused by any external factors bringing about these traits. Everything else’s need for Him is also an innate constant not caused by external factors. So, this need is not due to a new occurrence or condition; rather, it is an inherent quality of the needy.

The creation is impoverished, needing its Lord because of its nature—not because of some external cause; and all the ‘causes’ mentioned for this need are evidence of the need, but they are not actually causes; for what is intrinsic does not require a cause.  It is impossible for the slave to be anything but needy, and it is impossible for the Exalted Lord to be anything but Self-Sufficient, just as it is impossible for the slave to be anything but a slave and the Lord to be anything but a Lord.

The Two Types of Need

If the above is understood, then the next point is that there are two types of need. The first is a compulsory, general need—one which cannot be evaded neither by a righteous nor wanton person.  This need does not require praise or disparagement and neither does it require reward or punishment, for it is as natural as the creation being created.

The second need is a voluntary need, and it is a result of two honorable pieces of knowledge: the slave’s knowledge of his Lord, and the slave’s knowledge of himself.  When a slave gains these two pieces of knowledge, they result in a need that actually becomes the source of his ultimate freedom, and the definition of his success and happiness. People vary in their degree of experiencing this need based on the variation in their understanding of these two pieces of knowledge.

It is from here that those who fail are let down and those who succeed are given success; for the one who fails is veiled from his true nature, and forgets himself and his need for his Lord. Thus, he dominates and transgresses and therefore becomes deserving of wretchedness.

“No! [But] indeed, man transgresses.  Because he sees himself as self-sufficient.” (Qur’an 96:6-7)

“As for he who gives and fears Allah

And believes in the best [reward],

We will ease him toward ease.

But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need

And denies the best [reward],

We will ease him toward difficulty.” (Qur’an 92:5-10)

The best of creation are the most complete in their worship, and the greatest witnesses to their need for their Lord and their inability to be free of needing Him—even for a blink of an eye.  This is why the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) made the following prayer: “Rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself, even for the blink of an eye, nor to any of your creation.” ((At-Tirmidhi 2140, Ahmed 3/112 and 257))

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) knows that his heart is in the Hand of the Most Compassionate, and he does not own any part of it, and that God the Exalted directs it as He wishes.  How would he not know that when he recites, “And if We had not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little.” (Qur’an 17:74)? His need ﷺ for his Lord is measured by his knowledge of Him, and his closeness to Him.

Contemplate Allah’s words in the verse: “[…] you are those in need of Allah.”  The use of the name “Allah” and not Rabb (Lord) allows for the inclusion of both types of need: a need for His Lordship, which is the general need of all creatures, and the need for Him as a deity (to worship)—which is the specific need acknowledged by His prophets, messengers and righteous slaves.  This latter need is the most beneficial need, and it is this specific not general need that scholars refer to and address the most.

By Huda Shaka

Whether it’s losing weight, quitting smoking, or memorizing Qur’an, I have recently learnt that developing a “well-formed goal” is half way towards achieving it ((I learnt this as part of the Whims-I-Kill program on ipersonalenrichment.com )) .  Not only that, the remaining half becomes easy and even enjoyable.

Too good to be true?  Try it out for yourself.

Below is a checklist describing a well-formed goal.  Think about an important (or even not so important) goal you want to achieve and invest some time in phrasing it according to the checklist below, then watch and see what happens.

A well-formed goal:

1. Is positive and phrased in the present

A well-formed goal is one which is worded positively; it does not include “don’t” or “without” or “stop”.  For example, “I’m not lazy anymore” is not a goal phrased in the positive; “I am efficient” is.

A well-formed goal is also one that is phrased in the present.  Instead of saying “I will finish my assignment” try “I finish my assignment” or “I am finishing my assignment”.

2. Is initiated and maintained by you

A well-formed goal is one that can be initiated and maintained by you.  In other words, it is one that is not dependent on other people acting in a particular way.  This is because, while we may be able to influence other people, we cannot really make them do anything.

So, rather than setting a goal for how you want your spouse to treat you, develop a goal on how you want to treat your spouse to encourage them to treat you in a certain way.

3. Is defined in sensory language

What will it look/feel/sound like to achieve your goal?  What will others see/feel/hear when you achieve your goal?  Include that in your goal.

For example: I am a non smoker; my lungs feel fresh and I have an extra $200 to spend on myself.

4. Takes into consideration the positive by-products of the current situation

What advantages does your current context/situation have?

For not memorizing Qur’an:

• I have time to read other topics;
• I’m relaxed because I don’t feel like I’m always getting ready for an exam;
• I have more time to spend with my family.

Now let’s take all of these positive by-products and include them in the goal:

I am memorizing Qur’an and have time to read other books and spend time with family, and I feel relaxed and in control.

5. Is conscious of ‘ecology’

Ecology here is meant to indicate context, the context in which we exist and with which we interact.  In other words, ‘ecology’ is the social system in which we live, which is influenced by us and which influences us.

This is similar to items 3 and 4, and is very important to remember.

When you achieve your goal, what kind of things might you lose out on?  Who might you annoy?  Who might you make jealous?

Go back to your goal and add to it a description of the ‘ecology’:

I am efficient whilst spending time with my family and relaxing appropriately.  My friends support and encourage me.

Note that “my friends support and encourage me” is not actually part of the goal, but a supporting phrase to relieve your anxieties.  As such, this part does not have to be maintained by you (in reference to point no. 2 above).

Let us go through a final example to illustrate the five steps.  Starting with “I do not want to disrespect my parents”, below is how the goal can be reworded based on the five steps:

I do not want to disrespect my parents

• I respect my parents (Steps 1 and 2)
• I respect my parents, and I am happy when I interact with them (Step 3)
• I respect my parents, and I am happy when I interact with them.  I have my space and feel in control of my life (Step 4)
• I respect my parents, and I am happy when I interact with them.  I have my space and feel in control of my life.  My classmates encourage me to respect my parents well. (Step 5)

By the time you are done with the above five criteria, your short and sweet goal may end up being a few paragraphs.  That is perfectly fine; write down that long and winding goal and keep going back to it.  You may even want to break it down into a number of shorter goals, especially if you realize that you actually want more than one thing.   Most importantly, once you’ve written your goals, enjoy the journey of achieving them.

Huda Shaka is Sustainability Consultant based in the UAE.  She is involved in a number of da`wah (outreach) projects and enjoys reading and tweeting. This article was inspired by tazkiyah (spiritual purification) concepts taught at ipersonalenrichment.com.