One Hundred Pieces of Advice

FIRST:

Recite the Qur'an with reflection, and understand its meanings and what is intended by it, like a book that someone memorizes in order to explain the author's intention to others.

SECOND:

Draw close to Allah by performing the supererogatory acts of worship after fulfilling the obligatory acts of worship.

THIRD:

Constantly remember Allah in every situation, with the tongue, the heart, and the actions. The person will attain Allah's love in accordance with his remembrance of Allah.

FOURTH:

Give preference to what Allah loves over what you love when being overcome by desires, thus ascending to what He loves even when the ascension is difficult.

FIFTH:

Contemplate the beautiful names and attributes of Allah with the heart, and roam in the gardens of this knowledge and its fundamental concepts. The one who knows Allah by His names, His attributes, and His actions will inevitably love Him.

SIXTH:

Observe and recognize His kindness, benevolence, favors, and blessings, those that are hidden and those that are apparent; this is surely from the causes of His love.

SEVENTH:

Completely submit your heart in front of Allah the Exalted, and this is from the greatest means (of acquiring Allah's love).

EIGHTH:

Seclude yourself during the time of the Divine Descent and turn to your Lord, and recite His speech. Contemplate with the heart and adorn yourself with the manners of a worshiper in front of Him, and conclude all of this by seeking forgiveness and repenting.

NINTH:

Accompany those who truly, sincerely love Him. Collect the best fruits of their speech just as one would pick only the best fruits. Remain silent except when you are certain there is more benefit in your speech and when you know it will better your condition and benefit others.

TENTH:

Stay far away from everything that will come between your heart and Allah the Exalted.

FIRST:

Knowing that sin is repulsive, despicable, and contemptible. And Allah only prohibited and forbade sins as a protection and safeguard against evil and vices, just as a caring parent protects his son from harm.

SECOND:

[Having] shyness from Allah the Exalted. When the servant knows Allah is looking at him, watching over him, and sees him and hears him, he will be too shy in front of his Lord to expose himself to Allah's wrath.

THIRD:

Contemplating Allah's favor upon you and His kindness towards you, for surely sins remove blessings, and this is inevitable. No person has ever committed a sin except that Allah removed a blessing from him due to that sin.

FOURTH:

Fearing Allah and dreading His punishment. This is only achieved by believing in His promise and His threat, and believing in Him, His Book, and His Messenger.

FIFTH:

Loving Allah the Exalted; this is the strongest way to remain patient and avoid transgressions and sins. This is because the person obeys the one he loves. The stronger this love grows in his heart, the more his willingness to obey Him and his unwillingness to disobey Him will grow.

SIXTH:

[Having] self-respect, a pure heart, and dignity. This will cause the person to refrain from everything that will debase or dishonor him and make him akin to the foolish.

SEVENTH:

[Having] resounding knowledge of the evil consequences of sins, their foul consequences, and their obvious harms. Sins kill the heart, cause humiliation after dignity, and lead to many other spiritual and worldly harms.

EIGHTH:

Lacking worldly hope and having certainty that he will soon depart this world, and the realization that he is like a traveler who enters a town determined to leave it.

NINTH:

Avoiding excess in eating, drinking, clothing, sleeping, and gathering with the people. This is because the strong temptation to sin sprouts from these overindulgences.

TENTH:

The tenth matter sums up all the previous matters, and it is for the branches to be firmly rooted in the heart. Thus, he is patient in avoiding sins, and this is only based upon the strength of his faith. The stronger his faith becomes, the more complete his patience will be.

FIRST:

Recognize the reward and compensation for patience.

SECOND:

Know that calamities are atonement for sins and they wipe them away.

THIRD:

Know that this calamity is from the preordained decree. It has been written in the Mother of the Book before the calamity was created, so it is inevitable that it would occur.

FOURTH:

Understand the right Allah has over you during this calamity. It is obligatory to be patient, and there is no difference of opinion in this.

FIFTH:

Understand that this calamity is a result of your sins. As Allah the Exalted said: "And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much." (Quran 42:30)

SIXTH:

Know that Allah is pleased with this calamity and has selected it for you, and servitude to Allah necessitates that the slave is pleased with whatever his Master is pleased with for him.

SEVENTH:

Know that this calamity is a beneficial medicine given to the person from at-Tabib (the Physician), who has full knowledge of what will benefit the person and is Most Merciful towards him.

EIGHTH:

Know that at the end of this medicine there is healing, curing, well-being, and removal of the pain which could only be removed by this medicine.

NINTH:

Know that this calamity did not come to destroy you or kill you. It only came to test your patience. At this point, it will be made clear if the person can become a friend of Allah and from His party or not.

TENTH:

Know that Allah will cultivate His slave upon ease and hardship, favors and trials. Thus, He will bring servitude from him in every situation. The faith that is firm during adversity and ease is the beneficial faith.

FIRST:

Lowering the gaze is obeying the command of Allah, and this is the ultimate happiness for the slave in this life and the next.

SECOND:

Lowering the gaze prevents the effects of this poison arrow, this arrow that is the cause of the heart's destruction.

THIRD:

Lowering the gaze fashions a heart that is devoted to and focused on Allah. Letting the gaze wander distracts the heart and keeps it far from Allah.

FOURTH:

Lowering the gaze strengthens and delights the heart, just as letting the gaze wander weakens and saddens the heart.

FIFTH:

Lowering the gaze produces light for the heart, just as letting the gaze wander produces darkness for the heart.

SIXTH:

Lowering the gaze produces true discernment and insight, by which the person of truth is made distinct from the person of falsehood.

SEVENTH:

Lowering the gaze produces a firm, courageous, strong heart. Allah will gather for him insight, acumen, and strength.

EIGHTH:

Lowering the gaze will prevent the Shaytan from entering his heart. Surely, the Shaytan enters him by way of the look, and he penetrates the heart faster than the wind blowing through an empty space.

NINTH:

Lowering the gaze allows the person to free his heart to focus on what benefits him and busy himself with that.

TENTH:

There is a connection between the eyes and the heart — whatever one of them engages in, the other will engage in. When one is good, the other will be good; when one is corrupt, the other will be corrupt.

FIRST:

Sins are expiated by sincere repentance. Surely, the one who repents from sin is like the one who has no sin.

SECOND:

Sins are expiated when the slave seeks Allah's forgiveness.

THIRD:

Sins are expiated by performing good deeds that wipe away evil deeds. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds.

FOURTH:

Sins are expiated when the person is afflicted with calamities, because calamities are expiation for sins.

FIFTH:

Sins are expiated when the angels seek forgiveness from Allah on behalf of the person.

SIXTH:

Sins are expiated when the believers pray for the person.

SEVENTH:

Sins are expiated if the person suffers a difficult, agonizing death.

EIGHTH:

Sins are expiated when the person experiences the horror of seeing the two angels in the grave, the squeezing of the grave, and the difficulties therein.

NINTH:

Sins are expiated when those whom Allah gives permission to intercede, intercede on behalf of the sinners.

TENTH:

Sins are expiated when the Most Merciful of those who show mercy (Allah) has mercy upon the sinners.

FIRST:

The barrier of denying the reality of Allah's names and attributes, and this is the thickest barrier.

SECOND:

The barrier of shirk (polytheism). This is when the heart is devoted to other than Allah.

THIRD:

The barrier of innovated statements (bid'ah), like the barrier of the various people of desires and evil statements.

FOURTH:

The barrier of innovated actions, like those who follow the methodology of the innovators.

FIFTH:

The barrier of inner major sins (major sins of the heart), like those who are afflicted with the major sins of self-amazement, showing off, envy, pride, arrogance, and the like.

SIXTH:

The barrier of outward major sins (major sins of the limbs).

SEVENTH:

The barrier of minor sins.

EIGHTH:

The barrier of the virtuous people who overindulge in the permissible matters.

NINTH:

The barrier of those who are heedless of reflecting on the purpose of their creation, what is required of them, and Allah's rights upon them.

TENTH:

The barrier of those who strive and adhere to the path, but their actions distract them from the goal. This is the barrier of those who adhere to the religion but look at their deeds, so their deeds become a barrier between them and Allah.

FIRST:

The obstacle of insufficient knowledge. Thus, he has weak, inadequate knowledge of this affair.

SECOND:

The obstacle of an unsuitable heart. This is when his heart is not suitable to receive the purification. He may have complete knowledge, but the conditions are not suitable for him to accept the purification.

THIRD:

The obstacle of arrogance and envy. This was the obstacle that prevented Iblis from complying to the command.

FOURTH:

The obstacle of position, status, and leadership. Even when pride or envy does not prevent the person from accepting the truth, he may be prevented due to his fear of losing his position and status.

FIFTH:

The obstacles of desires and wealth. This obstacle prevented many of the People of the Book from faith.

SIXTH:

The obstacle of family. They believe that if they follow the truth and oppose their family, they will become ostracized, shunned, and blacklisted.

SEVENTH:

The obstacle of nationalism. Even if the person does not have family, he may be prevented from accepting the truth due to nationalism.

EIGHTH:

The obstacle of fearing disloyalty. This is when the person imagines that Islam and following the Messenger is belittlement and an insult to their fathers and ancestors.

NINTH:

The obstacle of animosity towards those who have preceded them in Islam. This has prevented many people from accepting the truth.

TENTH:

The obstacle of becoming accustomed to disbelief and raised upon it. A habit can become strong such that it overcomes the rules of natural disposition.

FIRST:

The greatest way to open your heart is tawhid. This is based on its completeness. Its strength and increase expand its owner's heart.

SECOND:

From the ways of opening the heart is the light Allah places in the hearts of His slaves; surely, it expands and brings joy to the hearts.

THIRD:

Knowledge opens the heart and expands it until it becomes wider than the world, while ignorance constricts the heart and restrains it.

FOURTH:

The heart is opened by devotion to Allah, loving Him with all your heart, turning towards Him, and enjoying worshipping Him.

FIFTH:

Constantly remembering Allah in every situation opens the heart. And just as remembering Allah has an amazing effect on expanding the heart, being heedless of Allah has an amazing effect on constraining and punishing the heart.

SIXTH:

The heart is opened by showing kindness to the creation and benefiting them with various acts of kindness, such as wealth and physical efforts. Generosity expands the heart and cures the soul.

SEVENTH:

Courage opens the heart; thus, the courageous have the widest hearts while the cowards have the most constricted hearts.

EIGHTH:

The heart is opened by removing the lowly attributes from the heart. If a person implements the means to expand his heart while not removing the means that constrict the heart, then he will not obtain the result of expanding his heart.

NINTH:

The heart is opened by avoiding excessive looking, talking, listening, mixing with the people, eating, and sleeping. These excesses cloud and restrict the heart.

FIRST:

The person protects himself from envy by seeking refuge in Allah from evil. This is the intent of Surah al-Falaq: "And from the evil of the envier when he envies." (Quran 113:5)

SECOND:

Taqwa of Allah by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions is a protection from envy because Allah protects those who fear Him.

THIRD:

Showing patience in the face of the enemy is a protection from envy. Do not fight the envier, don't complain about him, and don't think about harming him.

FOURTH:

Reliance upon Allah is a protection against envy. "And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him." (Quran 65:3)

FIFTH:

A protection from envy is to not busy your heart with it or focus on it. Rather, each time you think of it, try to erase it from your mind.

SIXTH:

A protection from envy is turning to Allah, having sincerity towards Him, loving Him, being pleased with Him, and contemplating your devotion towards Him.

SEVENTH:

A protection from envy is to repent to Allah from the sins that allowed your enemy to gain mastery over you.

EIGHTH:

A protection from envy is giving charity and goodness as much as you are able. This has an amazing effect on repelling calamities, the evil eye, and the evil of envy.

NINTH:

The most difficult way to protect against envy and the hardest upon the soul — and whoever is given the ability to do this has been given a great portion of good — is to extinguish the fire of the envier and transgressor by showing kindness to them.

TENTH:

This is a culmination of all the means: It is to know for certain that everything occurs only by the will and decree of Allah the Exalted. There is no movement, no benefit, and no harm except by His Will.

FIRST:

The person can protect himself from the plots of the Shaytan by seeking refuge in Allah from the Shaytan.

SECOND:

Reciting Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas has amazing effects in seeking refuge with Allah from the Shaytan's evil and repelling him.

THIRD:

Reciting Ayatul-Kursi is a protection from the plots of the Shaytan.

FOURTH:

Reciting Surah al-Baqarah is a protection from the plots of the Shaytan. The Shaytan will not enter the home in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited.

FIFTH:

Reciting the final two verses of Surah al-Baqarah is a protection from the plots of the Shaytan.

SIXTH:

A protection from the plots of the Shaytan is to recite the first three verses of Surah Ha-Mim (Ghafir) along with Ayatul-Kursi.

SEVENTH:

A protection from the Shaytan is to say 100 times: "There is nothing worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partners. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs the praise, and He has power over all things."

EIGHTH:

From the greatest protections against the Shaytan is to remember Allah much. The slave can only protect himself from the Shaytan by the remembrance of Allah.

NINTH:

Wudu and prayer are from the greatest protections from the Shaytan, especially at the times of anger or desires. Anger and desires are fire in the heart of the son of Adam.

TENTH:

A protection from the Shaytan is restraining the glance, avoiding excessive speech and food, and not mixing with the people excessively. The Shaytan gains mastery over the son of Adam through these four doors.