This is the third collection of short summaries of content from Shajarat al-Maʿārif which I post to my Twitter and Facebook accounts. See week 1 for more details; see also week 2. The numbers at the end of entries refer to the item number in the printed text in order to facilitate its reference.
This collection covers from 1 April 2014 through to 12 April 2014. Most of the entries here concern injunctions related to excellence in inward matters, such as intentions, attitudes, and perspectives.
Do not ignore contemplation. Q88:17–20 [#234]
Do not be negligent in fixing ignorance & doubts related to Allah & His attributes. They are the source of all badness. [#235]
It is not permissible to remain ignorant of fiqh related to the actions one performs; knowing it is a personal obligation. [#237]
Opening your heart & mind to falsehood leads to its acceptance. [#239]
Love of goals that are base leads to being distracted from goals that are noble. [#244]
Persisting in a sin renders a minor one [ṣaghīrah] an enormity [kabīrah] in its ruling & recompense. How, then, persisting in a major? [#250]
Thinking oneself above the Messengerﷺ is a cause to disobeying him & his command. Same w/thinking little of hisﷺ value. [#253]
Eliminate being heedless and forgetful of worship by removing their causes. [#276]
Do not be deceived by the current state of non-Muslims. Q3:196 [#283]
Being deceived by false hopes causes slacking off in one’s own works. [#284]
Longevity is better than shortness of life: allows fixing shortcomings & increasing worship. Wishing one’s death = less of both. [#287]
Abandon vain expectations of increasing one’s rank in the Afterlife in spite of being negligent in worship & obedience [#288]
Avoid assumptions, speculations & thoughts that have been shown to be incorrect falsehoods, like Q45:21 [#289]
Despair belittles the immensity of Allah’s mercy & forgiveness. [#290]
Impatience-induced distress often leads to leaving acts of worship & obedience Q70:19–20 [#297]
Compare your patience & capacity for acts worthy of the Flame with your impatience & incapacity for acts worthy of Paradise. [#299]
Keeping up with the Joneses leads to being preoccupied with worldly affairs & distracted from the Akhirah Q20:131 [#304]
Don’t be too concerned with the wealth, power & status given non-Muslims in this world Q9:55 & Q9:85 [#307]
False hopes & wishful thinking prevent one from preparing for the inevitable—death, accounting, recompense & reward are coming. [#309]
Do not consider poverty a humiliation nor wealth an honor. Poverty tests your patience. Wealth tests your thanks. Q89:15–16 [#310]
More #iḥsānology will be coming soon, in shā Allāh.