Make Allah the Qiblah of Your Heart

                                                                             

Imaam Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The secret of the Prayer, its soul and essence is for the servant to give his attention to Allah completely while observing it. Just as it is not permissible for him to turn his face away from the Qiblah to any other direction while performing the Prayer; it is not allowed for him to turn his heart away from his Lord towards any other than Him while observing it. He should rather make the Ka’bah – which is Allah’s House - the Qiblah of his face and body; and make the Lord of the Ka’bah – blessed and exalted be He - the Qiblah of his heart and soul. 

Allah will turn towards His servant in proportion to the attention the servant gives to Him in his Prayer. If he turns his attention away from Allah, Allah will turn His attention away from him. You will be treated the way you treat others. Paying attention during the Prayer has three levels:

First: A servant should pay attention to his heart by guarding and rectifying it from the disease of lusts, whisperings and the dangers that will nullify the reward of his Prayer or reduce it.

Second: He should direct his attention to Allah by being conscious of Him while observing the Prayer so that he could worship Him as if he is seeing Him.

Third: He should give his attention to the meanings and minute exposition of Allah’s words, and the fact of the Prayer being an act of servitude so that he could give it its right such as humility, calmness and the like.

It is by perfecting these three levels that he would have discharged the rights of the Prayer, and the attention Allah will give to the worshipper will be in proportion to that.

Source: Asraar as-Salaah, p. 75 by Imaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Causes of Deprivation of Knowledge

Imaam Ibn Qayyim stated:  Deprivation of knowledge from these perspectives is six:

First: Abandonment of asking question

Second: Poor listening and lack of paying attention

Third: Poor understanding

Fourth: Lack of memorization

Fifth: Lack of spreading it and teaching it. This is because Allah will afflict whoever hoards his knowledge, not spreading it or teaching it, by making him forget it and lose it as an analogous recompense for his sort of action. This issue is supported by perception and reality.

Sixth: Lack of acting on it. This is because acting upon it necessitates remembering it, pondering over it, paying attention to it and carefully considering it. However, if a person neglects acting upon it, he will forget it. One of the pious predecessors said: “We used to seek aid in memorizing knowledge by acting upon it.” One of the pious predecessors also said: “Knowledge calls out to action; if one responds to it, it settles down, otherwise it goes away.” Therefore, acting upon it is one of the greatest means of its preservation and means of firmness whereas lack of it is a waste to him; knowledge is not evoked or attracted with anything as much  as action.

Source: Miftaah Daar as-Sa‘aadah wa Manshoor Wilaayah Ahl al-‘Ilm wal-Iraadah by Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Characteristics of the People of Desires in this Ummah

The people of desires are those who follow their desires and inclinations. They do not follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, they only follow their heart desires. If the Qur’aan and Sunnah contradict their desires, they abandon the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, and accept whatever agrees with their desires, not out of Iman in it but because it agrees with their desires.

This is the way of the Jews because they would only obey the messengers in what agrees with their desires and whatever disagrees with their desires, they disagree with the messenger concerning it. They either killed or rejected them as stated by Allah, the Most High:

“Verily, We took the covenant of the Children of Israel and sent them Messengers. Whenever there came to them a Messenger with what they themselves desired not - a group of them they called liars, and others among them they killed.”[Soorah al-Maa’idah:70]

He stated regarding the hypocrite in this Ummah:

And when they are called to Allâh (i.e. His Words, the Qur'ân) and His Messenger, to judge between them, lo! a party of them refuse (to come) and turn away. But if the right is with them, they come to him willingly with submission.” [Soorah an-Noor: 48 - 49]

This is the way of the people of desires in the past and present. According to them, the yardstick of the truth is what agrees with their desires and whatever disagrees with their desires is falsehood even if it was Jibreel who brought it to Muhammad: for them, its falsehood!

This is their way and this is what the misguided sects in this Ummah are upon; they do not accept what has been reported from the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam). In fact, they do not accept what has been reported in the Qur’aan and Sunnah that disagrees with their ways and desires. They either misinterpret, distort or reject it. This is their way.

Source: A Gift to the Reader in Annotation of Sharh as-Sunnah, vol. 2, p. 222-223 by Dr, Saalih bin Fawzaan bin Abdullah al-Fawzaan; translated by Abdus-Sami Abdus-Salam, published by Dar Makkah International.