Wie man Ikhlaas erlangt

Sheikhul Islaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Ikhlaas (Aufrichtigkeit) kann nicht mit der Liebe zum gelobt werden und der Gier für das, was die anderen Leute haben, im Herzen vereint werden, außer in der Art und Weise wie Wasser und Feuer vereint werden.

Also wenn dein Bewusstsein dir mitteilt Ikhlaas zu suchen, dann wende dich erst der Gier zu und schlachte sie mit dem Messer der Hoffnungslosigkeit[1], dann wende dich der Liebe zum gelobt werden zu und gib es auf, wie jene, die dieses Leben auf dieser Welt anbeten, das Jenseits aufgeben. Wenn du erfolgreich die Gier geschlachtet und die Liebe zum gelobt werden aufgegeben hast, dann wird Ikhlaas leicht für dich.

Und wenn du fragst:

„Und was wird das Schlachten der Gier und das Aufgeben der Liebe zum gelobt werden leicht für mich machen?"

So antworte ich: Was das Schlachten der Gier angeht, so ist das, was es dir erleichtert dein Wissen mit der Gewissheit, dass es nichts gibt, was auch immer begehrt wird, außer dass seine Schätze allein mit Allaah sind, niemand besitzt sie, außer Ihm und dem Sklaven wird nichts von dem gegeben, außer von Ihm.

Und was das Aufgeben der Liebe zum gelobt werden angeht, so ist das, was es dir erleichtert, dein Wissen, dass niemands Lob nutzt und ziert und niemands Schmähung schadet und jemanden hässlich machen, außer der Lob und die Schmähung von Allah, alleinig. Ein Beduine sagte zum Gesandten Allaahs (sallallahu 'aleihi wa sallam):

„Gewiss, wen auch immer ich lobe ist geschmückt und wen auch immer ich schmähe ist ungeschmückt."

So sagte Allaahs Gesandter (sallallahu 'aleihi wa sallam):

„Dies ist (für) Allaah, ‘aza wa jal, (allein)."

So gib den Lohn derer auf, deren Lob dich nicht schmückt und deren Schmähung dich auch nur irgendwie verschlechtern. Und ersuche das Lob Jenen, Dessen Lob all den Schmuck hat und Jenen, Dessen Schmähung all die Hässlichkeit hat. Und es ist unmöglich dies zu erlangen, außer durch Geduld und Gewissheit und wann immer du auch Geduld und Gewissheit verlierst, wirst du wie jemand, der den Ozean ohne ein Bot überqueren will.

Allaah, der Verherrlichte, sagte (in der ungefähren Bedeutung):

„So sei standhaft (o Muhammad). Gewiss, Allahs Versprechen ist wahr. Und diejenigen, die nicht überzeugt sind, sollen dich ja nicht ins Wanken bringen." [30/60]

Und Er, der Allhöchste, sagte (in der ungefähren Bedeutung):

„Und Wir bestellten unter ihnen (den Kindern Israels) Vorbilder, die (sie) nach Unserem Befehl leiteten, als sie sich standhaft gezeigt halten und von Unseren Zeichen überzeugt waren." [32/24]

[1] Die Hoffnung auf die Habseligkeiten dieser Welt aufgeben.

From The Journey To Allah by Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali

"Maybe a small action is made great by its intention, and maybe a great action is made small by its intention"
Attributed to Ibn al-Mubaarak  

May Allah subhaana wa ta'aala endow our hearts with taqwa and humility.  May He make us of the thankful/grateful, and of those who do everything with ikhlaas.  Ameen.

From this lesson, we can conclude that our spiritual life is not (nor is it intended to be) independent from our daily life - the two are intertwined and inseparable. In sight of this verity, this article shares my experience in driving.

Having grown up in NY, I am not accustomed to exemplary cases of good driving habits and manners. However, I had the opportunity to work for a large corporation in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In my six month stint in the area, I noticed a few differences between life in NY and life in NC.

I admit, I was not by any means a safe driver nor a polite driver - I frequently cut other vehicles closely, refused give others space to cut me, tailgated cars to tell them to get out of "my" lane and always tried to be in the fastest lane at any given time in an attempt to get to the destination as quickly as possible. This is something I feel silly about now considering the time I saved would probably not even be equivalent to a bathroom break, and secondly, being 15 minutes early to work is an accomplishment I regret accomplishing. What I noticed about people in North Carolina though, is that for the most part most people were very polite and passive (aka defensive). Most drivers would try not to block lanes unnecessarily, I rarely exhibited tailgating or rude cutting of other vehicles. People were not only polite and patient on the road, but not surprisingly they were polite and patient at work, in stores, and in other environments. I will not argue that polite drivers are necessarily polite people, however, this shows that going back the earlier point, there is natural consistency inherent in each of us as human beings. Our behavior as drivers on the road inevitably affects our behavior elsewhere.

Practical Steps for Change

The title of this article is "Driving While Muslim" and the intention is to start using driving as an arena where we can practice and implement our deen. Here are some practical steps to implement the ideas discussed above and improve our driving habits which inshaAllah will rub off on our characters.

1. When driving, exercise patience. Try not to change lanes, if you are in the slowest lane, just relax and wait. Its possible that your lane is about to become the fastest lane. If that’s not the case, don’t worry. Changing lanes and trying to figure out which is fastest is just a burden on you while you drive. Try sitting back in your seat, relaxing and going with the flow.
2. Instead of mindlessly listening to music and filling the heart with junk, listen to Qur'an and lectures (excellent source of lecture CDs). Some people listen to music to keep them awake and they may feel that Quran doesn’t give them enough energy. In this case, try listening to an interesting lecture on Islam. There are many CD Sets that discuss contemporary issues in Islam on a wide range of topics. Not only will this help you learn, but its dhikr (remembrance). May Allah reward you for remembering him while you drive.
3. Over the span of a two hour drive, we can calculate how much time going 70mph instead of 80mph saves you. Here is some simple math to tell us how much time you saved in 1 hour: 10 Miles/Hour * 2 Hours = 20 Miles
   How much time is 20 miles worth? Even if you were traveling the slower speed of 70mph, 20 miles takes 17.14 minutes to travel. Is saving 17.14 minutes over the span of a two hour drive really worth it? What is 17.14 minutes worth to you? A phone call? A coffee break? A better question - is it worth breaking the law? A speeding ticket? Endangering the lives of others?

4. Control your emotions when dealing with poor adhab (manners) and show restraint. Islam teaches us that the strongest amongst us aren’t those with great physical strength but those who can control their anger.
5. Our behavior in any particular environment has an impact on our behavior outside of that environment. If you attend public schools, just watch the behavior of students who are on the football team. You will find that members of the football team are not only the most vicious on the football field, but also tend to be the most vicious off the field – readily getting into confrontations and being more prone to exhibiting aggressive behavior (and I assure you its not just because of the steroids). Show good behavior while driving and it will help us show good behavior while not driving, inshaAllah.
6. We need to avoid looking at those ladies on the billboard and the girls crossing the street.

Please leave comments and suggestions, even and especially if you disagree.

Please make dua that Allah forgives our sins, beautifies our character, and grants us Jannat-al-Firdous.

"The mere existence of an action does not prove its acceptance. Sincerity plays a very significant role in its acceptance. Hence a person should make sure that his intention is sincere before doing any action."