Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Our Holy Prophetﷺ said, “One whose two days are equal is a loser, and the one whose today is worse than his yesterday is accursed …”
Al-Sakhawi (d. 902/1497)

A profitable Muslim is one whose condition today is better than his yesterday. This blessed one has improved in the ‘state-of-self’ as he made effort to draw closer to Allahﷻ today than he did yesterday.

Mankind’s need to progress is fitrah. It is placed by Allahﷻ both physically and spiritually in every person. Without physical growth, a person will not reach to the full capabilities of adulthood and without spiritual growth, one will not reach to the ultimate purpose of life, to be in Servanthood to Allahﷻ.

For a believer, there is no better motivation for self-improvement, than death.

The promise of death encourages one to seek beyond this mortal life, looking ahead to an everlasting life with Allahﷻ. Hence, visiting the graveyard is a Sunnah of our Prophetﷺ and heﷺ said that the wisest amongst people are those who are always in preparation for death. Every action of such a one is a worship and he lives a life in complete obedience to his Lord.

Awareness of death will lead to the awareness of passing time.

Mawlana said that any action irrelevant to help one in death, is useless. Hence, beware of the ‘thief of time’, and for people of today, there is no greater thief of time than the TV & mobile screens we spend hours with. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim named the television, ‘the shaitan box’, for that reason, it robs people of precious time. Unless used for goodness, it is detrimental to our spiritual progress.

A mureed in Tariqah must intently try to improve everyday.

To progress, one must take guidance from a Master who knows that physical maturity is not equal to spiritual maturity. No matter one’s age, as long as there is an atom of pride at heart, then it is not cleansed from idols of shirk khafi, the humongous but discreet association of partners with Allahﷻ.

Everyone is gifted different gifts of beauty, wealth, talent and special abilities from Allah The Most Generous. Mankind however are ungrateful to their Lord, lost in the world of self-worshiping, quick to take credit for the favours bestowed upon them, when in reality, all belongs to Himﷻ, including any good deed and special talent a person might possess.

Tariqah is the blessed ‘School of Smashing Idols’ of self-conceit, arrogance and all statues of self-admiration within one’s heart. With the help of a Spiritual Guide, the crucial breaking of the idol-filled heart begins, through daily trials, to cleanse it from all self-worship, preparing it for 'death before death'. Only when the egoistic-self has died, can a person truly live and reach Servanthood to Allahﷻ.

The Master will cleanse his mureed until he progresses to have only Allahﷻ remaining in Hisﷻ House, the heart of a true believer.

“Indeed My earth and My heavens could not contain Me but the soft peaceful heart of My believing servant can.”
Hadeeth Qudsi in Ihya ‘Uloom Al-Deen of Imam Al-Ghazali Vol. 3

May Allahﷻ make us to be sincere mureeds seeking to progress everyday, preparing for eternal life with Allahﷻ, holding on to the firm handhold of our Guide, until we reach to Servanthood, Insha’Allah.