Purification of Nafs

I have observed that many individuals in this period focus on completing the course of islamic sciences primarily to acquire certificates . These certificates can be used for job purposes or to show off to others, indicating that they have attained a position to get followers

This is why we should be cautious about seeking knowledge from them or their academies; they may corrupt your intentions. A person who understands the fundamental matters of Deen and whose heart is sincere in supporting it is closer to Allah than a donkey burdened with many books, merely seeking to win debates, acquire certificates, or please the tawaghit as a first priority.

So, how can we seek knowledge effectively? First, do not rely on social media platforms like TikTok or YouTube as main sources of knowledge. If you allow your nafs to scroll through these platforms mindlessly, you risk developing a disease of the heart, failing to distinguish between truthful scholars and those who are misleading. This is one of the main reasons many people have been misled.

Therefore, seek knowledge in a well-organized manner. You can study the fundamental matters of Deen in your native language; do not delay in understanding these important concepts. But it is essential to learn Arabic during this period because you should not rely on others to understand the reality of any matters. By learning Arabic, you can conduct your own research by reading Arabic books and listening to truthful scholars.

Remember, we cannot engage in deep learning without putting your nafs in discomfort. We can’t seek the knowleedge in a distracted environment. If you use the same phone for social media apps and also for the deep task, your mind won’t be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant things in your phone. This can lead to wasting a lot of time on a device that you have designed for distractions. If you are involved in online business or teaching or dawah, consider buying two phones: one for handling your online business and another for deep tasks. While you are studying, keep the business phone away

If you do not have an online business, consider uninstalling social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. If it is necessary to use them, access them on your laptop or tablet instead. The nafs does not like to wait for getting short-term rewards, so each time you want to check those platforms, it will require patience and effort. This way, you will only check them when necessary, rather than opening your phone and going to those platforms out of boredom.

It is wastage of time to study in an environment where both distractions and knowledge are easily accessible, as the nafs tends to seek mental comfort to escape from the pain of deep mental work - this is the main cause behind procrastination that will lead to turning away from studying asl-deen (The 10th nullifer of islam)

Rule : Therefore, design your environment in such a way that it becomes easy for your nafs to access knowledge while making it difficult to engage in distractions.

This is deception from shaitan. When a person repents after living a misguided life, shaitan tricks by playing with emotions: "Don't you have sympathy for your old friends? The person, now praying and reading Qur'an, may ponder meeting old corrupt friends. But how can those friends, once partners in committing sins, be pleased with him? Human shayateen are worse than shayateen from jinn. They will lure him to visit sinful places as how they used to vist before, and at the end he will become like them

Therefore, leave your old corrupt friends if they are insincere about seeking the truth. Do not show sympathy towards them; they are already drowned and want to drag you down with them

As for those who are addicted to desires or lust, claiming that this is love, there is no cure for your disease except to come out of this state of intoxication and face the reality of the person you are obsessed with. If you want to know whether this is true love or not, give yourself one month to spend in solitude. During this time, you will feel emotional pain. This is your reality. How can you emotionally depend on something temporary while leaving your Lord, who is first and last? And you will realize the true reality of that person you were obsessed with. Once you realize the reality, you will be cured.

So why do people insult their own brothers and sisters in deen when they want to correct them ? There can be many reasons behind it, but these are some common reasons:

1. Attention Seeking: This is a common trait among social media addicts who seek validation and attention with minimal effort, hiding their true personal identity because in the real world, they fear the negative image of their true personality, but in the virtual world, they can create multiple identities.

2. Belittling: One of the conditions of correcting someone is sincerity in advising. If the purpose is insulting, it indicates corruption in the intention to correct others. Allah will not accept such an act.

3. Diverting Attention: A deluded person thinks that insulting is a way to attack the self-esteem of a person to divert the attention of people from the main topic, so he can gain control over his “another distracted topic”.

Therefore, their end goal is to attract attention, belittle others and divert people's focus from the main topic. If we respond or pay attention to such an individual, he will achieve his goals and become addicted to it, seeking more reward by repeating the same behavior

Such behavior is what I have observed in individuals who do chain takfir. When they are unable to provide evidence for their extreme beliefs in matters of aqidah, they often resort to name-calling.

the knowledge that humbles a person cannot coexist with bad manners in a person's heart. Either knowledge makes him humble, or he will use knowledge as a tool to belittle others

Indeed, it is very difficult to find a person following the right manhaj who possesses good manners. It is even more challenging to find someone on the right manhaj with both good manners and a consistent pursuit of knowledge without engaging in arguments…

This is nationalism that leads people to supplicate (forgiveness) for the Rafidah leader. This is the reason we warn people about the consequences of nationalism. It is not just restricted to the anthem, but excessive love for one's country can lead him to do kufr and prohibited acts

Therefore, those who supplicated for the Rafidah leader have committed a grave sin . A person who is in a haram relationship may feel guilty during salah for engaging in forbidden acts, but a person whose love for nationalism leads him to seek forgiveness for such mushrik individual while crying in prostration, believing that Allah will be pleased with it, is a mubtadi and bidah is worse than major sin

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِیِّ وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوۤا۟ أَن یَسۡتَغۡفِرُوا۟ لِلۡمُشۡرِكِینَ وَلَوۡ كَانُوۤا۟ أُو۟لِی قُرۡبَىٰ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَیَّنَ لَهُمۡ أَنَّهُمۡ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡجَحِیمِ﴿ ١١٣ ﴾

It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's Forgiveness for the Mushrikun even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire

At-Tawbah, Ayah 113

A person living among Muslims who commits major shirk, believing it brings him closer to Allah, is capable of seeking the truth but instead turns away from it, prioritizing materialistic goals over seeking the truth.

How can we justify turning away from the deen as an excuse of ignorance when they have ample time for leisure activities? This is, in fact, the kufr of turning away from the deen, as it is the 10th nullifier of Islam.

One of the causes behind why some people abandoned the deen is because they were people pleasers. They didn’t forbid what is evil when they saw & heard it and they didn’t leave the company of those who were committing evil. Instead, they were arrogant, thinking that they had learned about tawhid and studied lectures, so they believed they had acquired a "protective shield". However, Shaytan deceived them by making their actions seem acceptable in their eyes. Ultimately, they ended up losing in both this world and the hereafter..

{ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَعۡبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرۡفٖۖ فَإِنۡ أَصَابَهُۥ خَيۡرٌ ٱطۡمَأَنَّ بِهِۦۖ وَإِنۡ أَصَابَتۡهُ فِتۡنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةَۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ }
[Surah Al-Ḥajj: 11]

And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge ; if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.

One of the punishments for abandoning enjoining good and forbidding evil is experiencing social anxiety. Another reason why some people abandon this obligatory act is fearing the consequences of it, such as how others will react to it. They may worry about losing friendships, which can lead them to become people pleasers.

Another punishment is showing off or ar-riyah (Minor shirk) because people pleasers seek validation from others for their acts of worship. if people approve it they will do it , if they disapprove it they will refrain from it

Never reveal your secrets to Murijiah or Madkhalis, even if they are your close family members. While they may show loyalty to you today, tomorrow they could ally with your enemy and expose all of your secrets.

If you observe someone disclosing secrets to family members who are on batil, be cautious, as an enemy is preferable to such a friend