Such Words of Beauty
He was a man of great piety and immense knowledge, humble in his accomplishments and strong in his reliance upon Allah. He is Shaykh ul Islaam ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah ta’ala have mercy upon him and grant him Jannah-tul-Firdaus.
My eyes tonight fell upon such words of beauty. May Allah ta’ala reward my sister, as it was through her that I received this. SubhaanAllah, it is from amongst "Ibn Taymiyyah's Letters from Prison", this one specifically is addressed to his mother. SubhaanAllah, look at the status he grants his mother, the respectful way he addresses her, the many du'aas within, his fervent desire to be with her, the tawakul [reliance upon Allah] he exudes in a time of great difficulty, his sabr and kind words - wallahu ta'ala 'alim, an example for us all. His eloquence is profound, mashaaAllah.
Thus I defer to the said 'words of beauty', may we pay heed to them, ultimately realizing the rights of our beloved mothers, and in turn our parents, may we treat them with kindness and gentleness. Afterall, Allah ta'ala instructs us in Surah Luqman: "And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and to your parents, unto Me is the final destination." (Luqman 31:14)
In the name of Allaah, Most Merciful, Dispenser of Mercy
From Ahmad bin Taymiyyah to my dear and honourable mother, may Allaah bless her amply and grant her peace and comfort, and make her amongst the best of His servants, assalaamu 3alaykum wa rahmatuAllaahi wa barakaatuh
We praise Allaah, the most worthy of praise. There is no deity worthy of worship but He, and He has Power over all things. We ask Him to bless the Seal of the Prophets and Imaam of the pious, Muhammad His servant and Messenger salAllaahu 3alayhi wasalaam.
Indeed the bounties of Allaah come abundantly and His aid is never ending. We praise Him for it, and ask Him to increase His favour. It will not escape you, my contented mother, the fact that our stay in Egypt is for an important issue. The abandonment of such a task leads to the corruption of our deen and of our life.
Yet, it was not our choice to be far from you. Had birds been able to carry us, we would have come to you. But the absent one has his reason; and had you been able to look deeply into the affairs of the Muslims, you would not choose for me another place to the one I am in now. Nevertheless, I had never intended to reside here permanently. Instead, I pray to Allaah to guide you and I to the right choice and I pray for your well-being. I ask Allaah to bless us and the rest of the Muslims, with His goodness and what that goodness encompasses of safety and benefit.
Allaah had opened for me His gates of blessings, mercy and guidance in a way I had never conceived of before. Yet I am always considering travel towards you, making the prayers of istikhaarah. It is inconceivable for me, if given the choice, to favour any of this life’s mundane issues or of the lesser obligations of the deen, to being close to you. Yet there are great issues which I cannot abandon for fear of their general and personal dangers -and the witness sees what the absent does not.
I beseech you to supplicate to Allaah profusely. Ask Him to guide us to choose our best paths, for He Knows and we do not, and He is Able and we are weak. The Messenger of Allaah salAllaahu 3alayhi wasalaam said:
“It is from the happiness of the son of Aadam to practice istikhaarah and be pleased with what Allaah had ordained for him. And it is from the misery of the son of Aadam to drop the istikhaarah of Allaah and be displeased at Allaah’s Decrees.
[related by at-Tirmidhee, Ahmad, Aboo Ya3alaa and al-Haakim who said of it: saheeh al-isnaad {al-3uqood ud-Durreeyah, p.257}]
Indeed the traveling trader might fear the loss of his money, so he resides at a place until he is able to travel once again. The matter that we are in the middle of is too great to describe, but there is no power or ability but through Allaah.
Finally convey my salaam to the entire household, young and old, and the rest of the neighbours, friends and relatives one by one.
Wasalaamu 3alaykum wa rahmatuAllaahi wa barakaatuh
Praise be to Allaah, and may His Blessings and Peace be upon Muhammad, his family and Companions.
From: Ibn Taymiyyah’s Letters from Prison
Ibn Taymiyyah's Bio: http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0047.htm
Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu
My eyes tonight fell upon such words of beauty. May Allah ta’ala reward my sister, as it was through her that I received this. SubhaanAllah, it is from amongst "Ibn Taymiyyah's Letters from Prison", this one specifically is addressed to his mother. SubhaanAllah, look at the status he grants his mother, the respectful way he addresses her, the many du'aas within, his fervent desire to be with her, the tawakul [reliance upon Allah] he exudes in a time of great difficulty, his sabr and kind words - wallahu ta'ala 'alim, an example for us all. His eloquence is profound, mashaaAllah.
Thus I defer to the said 'words of beauty', may we pay heed to them, ultimately realizing the rights of our beloved mothers, and in turn our parents, may we treat them with kindness and gentleness. Afterall, Allah ta'ala instructs us in Surah Luqman: "And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and to your parents, unto Me is the final destination." (Luqman 31:14)
In the name of Allaah, Most Merciful, Dispenser of Mercy
From Ahmad bin Taymiyyah to my dear and honourable mother, may Allaah bless her amply and grant her peace and comfort, and make her amongst the best of His servants, assalaamu 3alaykum wa rahmatuAllaahi wa barakaatuh
We praise Allaah, the most worthy of praise. There is no deity worthy of worship but He, and He has Power over all things. We ask Him to bless the Seal of the Prophets and Imaam of the pious, Muhammad His servant and Messenger salAllaahu 3alayhi wasalaam.
Indeed the bounties of Allaah come abundantly and His aid is never ending. We praise Him for it, and ask Him to increase His favour. It will not escape you, my contented mother, the fact that our stay in Egypt is for an important issue. The abandonment of such a task leads to the corruption of our deen and of our life.
Yet, it was not our choice to be far from you. Had birds been able to carry us, we would have come to you. But the absent one has his reason; and had you been able to look deeply into the affairs of the Muslims, you would not choose for me another place to the one I am in now. Nevertheless, I had never intended to reside here permanently. Instead, I pray to Allaah to guide you and I to the right choice and I pray for your well-being. I ask Allaah to bless us and the rest of the Muslims, with His goodness and what that goodness encompasses of safety and benefit.
Allaah had opened for me His gates of blessings, mercy and guidance in a way I had never conceived of before. Yet I am always considering travel towards you, making the prayers of istikhaarah. It is inconceivable for me, if given the choice, to favour any of this life’s mundane issues or of the lesser obligations of the deen, to being close to you. Yet there are great issues which I cannot abandon for fear of their general and personal dangers -and the witness sees what the absent does not.
I beseech you to supplicate to Allaah profusely. Ask Him to guide us to choose our best paths, for He Knows and we do not, and He is Able and we are weak. The Messenger of Allaah salAllaahu 3alayhi wasalaam said:
“It is from the happiness of the son of Aadam to practice istikhaarah and be pleased with what Allaah had ordained for him. And it is from the misery of the son of Aadam to drop the istikhaarah of Allaah and be displeased at Allaah’s Decrees.
[related by at-Tirmidhee, Ahmad, Aboo Ya3alaa and al-Haakim who said of it: saheeh al-isnaad {al-3uqood ud-Durreeyah, p.257}]
Indeed the traveling trader might fear the loss of his money, so he resides at a place until he is able to travel once again. The matter that we are in the middle of is too great to describe, but there is no power or ability but through Allaah.
Finally convey my salaam to the entire household, young and old, and the rest of the neighbours, friends and relatives one by one.
Wasalaamu 3alaykum wa rahmatuAllaahi wa barakaatuh
Praise be to Allaah, and may His Blessings and Peace be upon Muhammad, his family and Companions.
From: Ibn Taymiyyah’s Letters from Prison
Ibn Taymiyyah's Bio: http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0047.htm
Wa Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu