A presentation by Inda Samsi

` Substantiating with the concept of Taqwa, the

authors laid out the importance of assessing
our current condition that has been impacted
by the western culture,
culture diverting us from the
way of the Prophet (pbuh) by focusing on the
tools to achieve change; g ; through
g family,
y,
education system, Quran and hadith, and the
basic principles of Islam with extra emphasis
on th
the iinner and
d outer
t struggle
t l off th f
the nafs.
1. Taqwa: Its definition and benefits
2. The heart and its treatment
3. Practical steps to change our condition
4. Exercises for attaining Taqwa
5. Civic involvement: an Islamic imperative
` How do we reach this state?
◦ Because of our disobedience (we exchange
guidance for misguidance).

` How do we get out of this state?

◦ W
We mustt consciously
i l move ffrom a state
t t off
disobedience to a state of obedience.
` Inner and outer transformation.
` y
Family.
` Prophetic traditions.
` Education system.
` Child rearing methods
methods.

~*~

They were only commanded to worship Allah with purity, making the religion
solely
so e y for
o Him (98:5)

He brought you forth from the earth and has caused you to cultivate it (11:61)
` The summation of Taqwa is avoiding prohibitions and
fulfilling injunctions both inwardly and outwardly.

` 4 Aspects
1. Fulfilling obligations outwardly.
2. g obligations
Fulfilling g inwardly.
y
3. Avoiding prohibitions outwardly.
4. Avoiding prohibitions inwardly.

` Applied to 8 things
1. The heart
2. The tongue
3. The eyes
4
4. Th
The ears
5. The stomach
6. The genitals
7. The hands
8. The feet
` 5 Stations
1. Station of Submission – guarding against
disbelieve
2. Station of Repentance – guarding against
forbidden things
3. Station of Scrupulousness – guarding against
doubtful matters
4. Station of Freedom(zuhd) – guarding against
extraneous matters
5. Station of Vigilance – guarding against other than
Allah occupying the heart
` The moral rectitude of one’s offspring
` Blessings
l come from
f above
b and
d below
b l
` Provision from Allah and a way out of difficult
circumstances
` Safety
` The divine presence, manifested as Allah’s
protection
` Victory
` A good end to life
` Paradise itself
` Spiritual Struggle.

“It is a move of the heart that begins to affect

the
h limbs
li b andd then
h resultsl iin sincere
i
repentance (tawbah), in which we seek to
purify ourselves of prior wrongs and remove
them from our present activities and make a
strong commitment to a future free of the
mistakes of the past.”
“Actions
Actions has two modes: The action
of the heart and the actions of the
limbs
limbs. As for the heart,
heart there are
two concerns: belief (‘aqidah) and
sincerity (ikhlas).
(ikhlas) ”
` 4 sources of the destructive qualities of the
tongue
1. Lying
2
2. Backbiting
3. Argumentation for its own sake
4. Mirthful jesting on serious occasions

~*~

If you avoid what has been prohibited for you from the
enormities, the We will cover over any other wrongs (4:31)
` Enumeration of the Enormities
◦ 4 enormities relate to the heart
◦ 4 enormities relate to the tongue
◦ 3 enormities relate to the stomach
◦ 2 enormities relate to the genitals
◦ 2 enormities relate to the hands
◦ 1 enormities relate to the feet
◦ 1 enormities relate to the whole body
` Recitation of the Quran with reflections
` Concern ourselves with the appropriate
supplications and dhikir in their respective
times and places
places.
` The 5 pillars
` Active Outreach
` F
Focus
` Cooperation
◦ “We should speak well of other organizations or be silent about them.”
pp
◦ “If some appear to be or actually
y are misguided,
g , then we should offer
counsel and pray for them.”
` Good Character
` Kinship
` Families
` Charity
` Qur’an
` Remembrance of Allah
` Commanding
d good
d and
d fforbidding
b dd evill
` Empathy
` Supplication
` Physical Health
` Commitment
` Time
` Attitude
` Devotion The Propehet (pbuh) informed us
that Allah loathes “he said, she
said” (qila wa qal) conversations.
` Guarding the Prayer
` Stages
◦ 1: the times of the prayer
◦ 2: ritual purity

“A sure sign of hypocrites is that when the prayer

time comes in, they lazy and procrastinate until the
time is almost out”
out
` Guarding the tongue
` Steps
◦ Musharatah – condition phase
◦ Murabatah – guarding the condition
◦ Muhasabah – account for your deeds
` Guarding the eyes
` Steps
◦ Musharatah – condition phase
◦ Murabatah – guarding the condition
◦ Muhasabah – account for your deeds
` Guarding the ears
` How?
◦ Turn away from vain talks
◦ Do not listen to lies,
lies slander,
slander backbiting
backbiting, mockery
etc
◦ Change the subject if people begin to speak ill of
someone
◦ Avoid all television programming which often
exposes believers to forbidden speech and images.
` Guarding the stomach
` Eat only what is prohibited
` Of eating less
` Fasting
` Guarding the private parts
` Avoiding places of temptation and possible
harm.
` Guarding the Hands

“The Muslim is one from whose tongue and

hands other Muslims are safe” (The Prophet
pbuh)
` Guarding the feet.

“O Allah, I seek refuge in You that I should go

astray or lead others astray, that I should trip
or trip up others
others, that I should oppress or be
oppressed, or that I should show ignorance
or be the brunt of ignorance.”
g
` The permissible is clear and the prohibited is clear,
and between them are grey areas; not many people
know their rulings. So, whoever protects himself from
them has kept his religion sound and free of blemish.
However whoever falls into them has fallen into the
However,
prohibited. His likeness is that of a shepherd who
takes his flock to graze near a king’s sanctuary, and
due to his proximity to itit, he inevitably falls into it
it.
Surely, every king has a sanctuary, and surely the
sanctuary of Allah on His earth lies in avoiding those
things He has prohibited. Surely, there is a lump of
flesh in the body – if it’s sound, the whole body is
sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt.
Is it not the heart?
` Abandon the world, and Allah will love You;
and abandon what people have, and people
will love you.
` From the excellence of a person’s Islam is
that he leaves what does not concern him.
` Surely, actions are [judged] by intentions, and
everyone has what he has intended.
` You are the best of communities brought
forth for mankind (3:110)

` The P
Th Prophet,
h “All
“Allah
h will
ill continue
i to assist
i his
hi
servant, as long as the servant is assisting his
brother ”
brother.
` The word “Civic” is derived from the word
“city” – civic involvement refer to the
meaningful ways in which a private citizen is
best involved in the life of his or her city.
city
` IMAN (chicago), ADAMS (Virginia), MSA, MAS,
MISG etcetra.
` Simple yet practical.
` Not only educate but also provide the tools
(realistic approach).