Millati Islami Step Five     

5. We admitted to Allah and to ourselves the exact nature of our wrongs.

 

Having had the experience of thoroughly working through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous several times, we can say from our own experience, that we, in Millati Islami, do understand why in Islam, Muslims are not to go about advertising their faults to other people.

 

We have had personal experience and have heard of others who have shared their personal stories with, what was believed to be a trusted person, only to later hear some of the most private details of their life being discussed publicly. And we are well aware of the AA saying that says we are as sick as our secrets, and this is not without some validity.

 

In Islam, there is no equivalent to the confessional of other faiths. Or rather, it should be said that we confess our wrongs to and beg for forgiveness from Allah alone, Who already knows our defects. We also are required to mend our ways, to repent, and to do good deeds. Our belief as taught by Rasulillah (the Messenger of God)(pbuh) is that one sin equals one sin, and we are rewarded several times over for the one good deed that we do. This is indeed mercy from the only One that can dispense mercy, Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Allah.

 

It is also viewed as a good deed for one brother to cover another brother’s (or sister’s) faults. This does not mean to not share a guiding word with any of our straying friends. It simply means that we do not broadcast theirs or our wrongs to anyone. The reason for this is to not allow justification for doing wrong to grow from having heard of so and so doing wrong. And then saying “well so and so has not been struck down dead from his wrong. If he was forgiven, then I will be forgiven also”

 

Of course there is a difficulty with this step, because the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says on page 72-73 that we must tell someone our entire life story if we are to stay sober. How can these two contrary views be reconciled is the question?  I would say with common sense we have our answer. In our faith of Islam we have brothers and sisters that we are close to. Or I should say we should make it our business to get close to the Ummah (community of believers). It is a command of Allah that we stand together as one unit. There is not much witnessed of great harmony among the Ummah today because of outside influences and of varying schools of thought, but as recovering Muslims, we have no choice but to tighten our ranks. We NEED each other. We NEED to share our experience and hope with each other. We NEED to strengthen and understand each other. It is in this way that we relieve and assist each other, where Allah allows us, in staying clean and sober. We then fulfill part of our Islamic responsibility and the command of Allah to stay unified and not allow division to appear in our ranks.

Under these life and death circumstances of active drug addiction and the very real need to stay drug-free, there is no one that we should be closer to, besides Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), than to each recovering/repentant Millati Islami brother or sister. To share our experience strength and hope with each other, in Millati Islami, is our Step Five.

 

 

Millati Islami Step Five Worksheet

 

 

1.       Muslims are not to go about ________  _______  _________ to other people.

 

2.       In Islam, there is no equivalent to the ____________ of other faiths. Or rather, it should be said that we _________ ____ _________ to and beg for forgiveness from Allah alone, Who already knows our defects.

 

3.       Our belief as taught by Rasullilah (the Messenger of God)(pbuh) is that ___ ____ ____ ___ ____, and we are rewarded _____ ______ over for the one good deed that we do.

 

4.       It is also viewed as a ______ ______ for one brother to cover another brother’s (or sister’s) _______.

 

5.       It is a command of Allah that we stand _________ ___ ______ _________.

 

6.       We NEED to share our ___________ ___ __________ with each other.

 

7.       It is in this way that we relieve and assist, where Allah allows us, each other in staying _____ _____. We then fulfill part of our Islamic responsibility and the command of Allah to stay _______ and not allow _______ to appear in our ranks.

 

8.       Under these ____ and _____ circumstances of active drug addiction and the very real need to stay _________, there is no one that we should be closer to, besides Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), than to each recovering/repentant _______ ______ _______ __ ______. To share our experience strength and hope with each other, in Millati Islami, is our ____ ____ .

 

 

Millati Islami Step Six

 6) Asking Allah for right guidance, we became willing and open for change, ready to have Allah remove our defects of character.

 

 

In Step Six of Millati Islami, we are presented with the opportunity to see Allah’s mercy in action. But first we are asked to do something. We are to ask Allah for right guidance. We as Muslims are given this blessed opportunity to ask Allah for guidance at least 17 times a day in our most sacred prayer, Al-Fatiha (the Opening). This prayer is THE PRAYER of the believers. It is this prayer that MUST be said if our obligatory prayers are to have any hope of being accepted by Allah, according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad  (pbuh). In Al-Fatiha, which is recited in each time of prayer, we are following the command of Allah, as stated in the following translations of these ayah (verses) of the Qur’an,  

1. "Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and establish prayer; surely prayer keeps one away from indecency and evil" (29 : 45).

2. "And establish prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds; this is a reminder to the mindful" (11 : 114).

3. "Establish prayer, from the declining of the sun till the darkness of the night, and the morning recitation; surely the morning recitation is witnessed" (17 : 78).

4. "Surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers" (4 : 103).

5. "Guard (your) prayers and the most excellent prayer, and stand up truly obedient to Allah" (2 : 238).

6. "Woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayers, who pray to be seen, and withhold alms" (107 : 4-7).

….and the Yusuf Ali translation of  Al-Fatiha,

Surah 1. The Opening

1. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

2. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

4. Master of the Day of Judgment.

5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.

6. Show us the straight way,

7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

 

Prayer, (along with the other pillars of Islam, shahada (declaration of faith), zakat (charity), sawm (fasting), hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), is how we prepare ourselves for the miraculous change that occurs as Allah responds to our true and sincere supplications. Allah says in Qur’an that He responds to each servant’s TRUE supplication.

We should be able to say that at this point in our journey on this road of life, that our supplications, that our prayers to Allah, are indeed true and from the heart. We should be long past the foxhole prayers that we all prayed in our active addiction. It should also be our realization that even then, during the worst days of our addiction, that Allah responded to our calls. 

 

Allah’s blessings never ceased. It is only after traveling to the precipice of destruction, could we, who have been saved, realize how blessed we truly have been. Our defects are automatically addressed when we pray, fast, give charity and remember Allah often. This is the miracle of Islam. This is the miracle of Step Six of Millati Islami.

 

Millati Islami Step Six Worksheet

 

  1. We are to ask Allah for _______ ________.
  2. We as Muslims are given this blessed opportunity to ask Allah for guidance at least __ _____ a day in our most sacred prayer, __ ______ (the Opening).
  3. It is this prayer that ____be said if our obligatory prayers are to have any hope of being accepted by Allah, according to the teachings of the _______ ________  (pbuh).
  4. Please write the  Yusuf Ali English translation of Al-Fatiha (the Opening).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

  1. What are the 5 pillars of Islam?

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

 

  1. Allah says in Qur’an that He responds to each servant’s TRUE ____________.
  2. What does supplication mean?___________________________
  3. Our _______are automatically addressed when we pray, fast, give charity and ________ _____ often.

 

 

Millati Islami Step Seven

 

7.) We humbly ask Allah to remove our shortcomings.

 

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

short·com·ing
Pronunciation:
'short-"k&-mi[ng], "short-'
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
:
DEFICIENCY, DEFECT

de·fi·cien·cy

Pronunciation: di-'fi-sh&n-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -cies
Date: 1634
1 : the quality or state of being deficient :
INADEQUACY
2 : an amount that is lacking or inadequate :
SHORTAGE: as a : a shortage of substances necessary to health b : DELETION 2b(1)

 

 

 

And now a few words about the tried and proven method of having Allah remove our shortcomings.

Fasting:

And now a word about the tried and proven method of having one’s shortcomings removed. Fasting.
(Cf. Surah al-Baqarah 2:183)

O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was
decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.

(Cf. Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)

The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was sent down, a guidance for mankind, clear proofs for the guidance, the Criterion; so whoever amongst you witnesses this month, let him fast it." (Cf. Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)

…And more words regarding the souls purification..

By the soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its inspiration as to its wrong and its right; truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it. (Surah 91:7-10).

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, "Fasting is an armor with which one protects oneself; so let not him utter immodest speech, nor let him act in an ignorant manner."

Besides the month of Ramadan (obligatory), there are other suggested times to fast. These are the ongoing fasts (voluntary) that are usually of very short duration, generally a day here and there, with notable exceptions such as six days of the month of Shawwal, and the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (the time of pilgrimage to Mecca), for those that are not on pilgrimage. All fasting is for the very same purpose, which is to learn self-restraint and to become better servants of Allah.

It is also realized that one just coming out of active addiction may find it difficult to fast even one day, though we do continue to work toward that end. In that case we are encouraged to feed an indigent person if at all possible. In other words, the objective is to move at the pace in your recovery in Millati Islami that best insure your continuous sobriety. We understand in Millati Islami that we are not all at the same level of recovery and iman (faith). That is why we must maintain close communication with each of our members. We strengthen and assist each other in maintaining our sobriety. Again, our best hope for the expiation of our sins, the increase of our good qualities and continuous sobriety is to hold fast to the prescription that has been so graciously given us in Qur’an and the Sunnah (way, path) of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). This, in Millati Islami, is the seventh step.

Millati Islami Step Seven Worksheet

  1. What is the definition of shortcomings?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

  1. Surah al-Baqarah 2:183  ---explain what this ayat is saying in your own words.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We are to keep ever present in mind that our whole objective is to become a better servant of Allah We are preparing ourselves for service to Allah and to our fellow men and women. We are preparing ourselves for service to Allah and to our fellow men and women.

It is imperative that we give back something of what Allah has so freely given us. In Millati Islami our whole thrust is to become better, SOBER thinking, SOBER behaving, and SOBER talking Muslims We must be the first to admit that we owe Allah even more than the soul that has not been burdened and then freed from addiction.

  1.  Surah al-Baqarah 2:185  ---explain what this ayat is saying in your own words.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

  1. What is the difference between obligatory and the voluntary fasts?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.       All fasting is for the very same purpose, which is to ______ ___ _________ and to become _______ ________ of Allah.

6.       In other words, the ___________ is to move at the pace in your recovery in Millati Islami that best insure your ____________ _____________.

7.       We ___________ and _______ each other in maintaining our sobriety.

8.       Again, our best hope for the __________ of our sins, the __________ __ ___ _____ _________and ___________ ________ is to hold fast to the prescription that has been so graciously given us in Qur’an and the Sunnah (way, path) of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Millati Islami Step Eight

8.) We made a list of persons we have harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

  1. mend   To change for the better; improve: amended the earlier proposal so as to make it more comprehensive.
  2. To remove the faults or errors in; correct.

We are taught in Islam that the very purpose for our having been created is to serve our Lord, Allah.  There is a similar parallel saying in AA. It is written regarding the 8th step.  To quote, “Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us”, end of quote.  We are also taught in Islam to reduce our business to writing, if at all possible. To a recovering/repentant servant of Allah, there is no greater business than sane, sober service to our Creator.

QUR’AN 3:134:  Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men;- for Allah loves those who do good;-

It is necessary for the vessel that contains “us inside”, to clean itself, by Allah’s leave, if we are to truly become the goodly servants of Allah that all Muslims should strive to become. There is no doubt that willingly or unwillingly, we are all servants of Allah. But when we are striving to be of the most excellent character, we must remove from our psyche the weight of unnecessary guilt, shame and remorse and then afterwards keep a  clean house”. I am sure that most of us that have been involved in the drug and drink culture have borrowed, stolen, lied, cheated and bam-boozled many of our friends, family and others. We have acted in a very UN-Islamic fashion for sure. We have often at times not behaved in just a regular humanistic, civil manner. Upon sobering up, we may eventually find that the remembrance of past ill deeds can begin to weigh us down, and hence slow our recovery. This is a very critical time in the recovery process, and if the work has not been thoroughly done prior to this step, some may falter. The very description of our Islamic 12-step program, Millati Islami, is recovery/repentance.

Repent:

  1. To feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite.
  2. To feel such regret for past conduct as to change one's mind regarding it: repented of intemperate behavior.
  3. To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.

Definition 3, best defines our goal in taking a thorough step 8. 

We are aware that amends cannot be made in some situations.  But as Muslims, we are never to forget that Allah knows the heart of HIS servant. The desire to amend a past wrong should always be there. Prayers for mercy to Allah are always the order of the day for true believers. The 1st objective is to become a sane, sober servant of Allah. Next, we should desire for our brothers and sisters what we desire for ourselves. These are very difficult orders to fill if we remain trapped in our own remorseful past.  We are then unable to reach out a helping hand in any good cause when it is needed. We indeed must first feel some remorse for our past deeds. That we can feel ill at ease about harm done to another is a divine gift from Allah. It is akin to compassion. BUT we are not to ‘stay stuck” in that guilty past. We are to do the very best that we can in “mending” that past. This “mending”, is the eighth step of Millati Islami.

Millati Islami Step Eight Worksheet (use extra paper if there is need)

1.       What is the definition of amend?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.       According to Qur’an, what is the purpose for man having been created?_________________________________________________________________________

3.       We are also taught in Islam to _____ ___ ______ ___ __________, if at all possible.

4.       QUR’AN 3:134  Those who spend (freely), ____________________, or in _____________; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men;- for Allah loves those who do good;-

5.       When we are striving to be of the most excellent character, we must remove from our psyche the weight of unnecessary ________,________ and____________ and then afterwards keep a  “clean house”.

6.       Most of us that have been involved in the drug and drink culture have ________, _____, ______ ____________and______________ many of our friends, family and others.

7.       The very description of our Islamic 12-step program, Millati Islami, is _____________/______________.

8.       For Millati Islami, what is the most appropriate definition of repent?______________________________________________________________________________________________

9.       Can an amend be made to the person or persons in every instance? (circle one) yes—no

10.     What does remaining trapped in our remorseful past PREVENT us from being able to do?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

 

 

Millati Islami Step Nine

9.) We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

 

We have now arrived at the “going forth” part of our “mending” steps. Action is required. Moving forth in positive action will have already become a part of our recovery/repentance program by the time that we have arrived at step nine. What is different is that we must actually involve other people in our recovery that may or may not be pleased to see us. Our faith is, if we have been as thorough as we possibly could be in working our Millati Islami steps up to this point, then Allah will make our way as easy as possible. Allah has promised that He will not put any burden on us that we cannot handle. Allah never breaks His promises. We can handle what is now before us to do.

 

We know that there are instances of past behavior that can possibly land us in big time trouble if we go and “stir the leaves”.  We are also well aware of what AA says in step nine. This is one of the most critical steps that we as Muslims attempting to follow our deen must observe. There are certain things of our past that Allah alone is suppose to know. There are also certain instances of just letting the past stay in the past that must occur. Allah has enjoined on the believers to often times cover the faults of one another. However this does not let us off the hook for correcting what is within our ability to correct.

 

Muslims are a people that are not left without an example of how to handle many if not all of life’s situations. We must ever turn to Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and prayers be upon him).

Some of the Prophet’s (pbuh) examples of repaying debts:

Volume 3, Book 41, Number 570:

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah:

While I was in the company of the Prophet (pbuh)  in one of his Ghazawat, he asked, "What is wrong with your camel? Will you sell it?" I replied in the affirmative and sold it to him. When he reached Medina, I took the camel to him in the morning and he paid me its price.

Volume 3, Book 41, Number 571:

Narrated Al-Amash:

When we were with Ibrahim, we talked about mortgaging in deals of Salam. Ibrahim narrated from Aswad that 'Aisha had said, "The Prophet (pbuh) bought some foodstuff on credit from a Jew and mortgaged an iron armor to him."

Volume 3, Book 41, Number 572:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever takes the money of the people with the intention of repaying it, Allah will repay it on his behalf, and whoever takes it in order to spoil it, then Allah will spoil him."

And in closing our discourse on Step 9, just a reminder of how merciful Allah is to the believer…………………

Volume 3, Book 41, Number 573:

Narrated Abu Dhar:

Once, while I was in the company of the Prophet, he saw the mountain of Uhud and said, "I would not like to have this mountain turned into gold for me unless nothing of it, not even a single Dinar remains of it with me for more than three days (i.e. I will spend all of it in Allah's Cause), except that Dinar which I will keep for repaying debts." Then he said, "Those who are rich in this world would have little reward in the Hereafter except those who spend their money here and there (in Allah's Cause), and they are few in number." Then he ordered me to stay at my place and went not far away. I heard a voice and intended to go to him but I remembered his order, "Stay at your place till I return." On his return I said, "O Allah's Apostle! (What was) that noise which I heard?" He said, "Did you hear anything?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Gabriel came and said to me, 'Whoever amongst your followers dies, worshipping none along with Allah, will enter Paradise.' " I said, "Even if he did such-and-such things (i.e. even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse)" He said, "Yes."

This, dear believer is Millati Islami’s step nine.

 

Millati Islami Step Nine Worksheet

 

  1. We now have arrived at the “____ ____” part of our “______” steps.
  2. Our faith is, if we have been as _____ ____ ____ _____ _____ be in working our Millati Islami steps up to this point, them Allah will make our way as easy as possible.
  3. Allah has promised to not put any ______ ___ _____ that we cannot handle.
  4. There are certain things of our past that ______ _______ is suppose to know.
  5. Allah has enjoined on the believers to often times _______ __ _______ of one another.
  6. We must ever turn to ______ and the _______of Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and prayers be upon him).

7.       While I was in the company of the ______ (pbuh)in one of his Ghazawat, he asked, "What is wrong with your camel? Will you sell it?" I replied in the ________ and sold it to him. When he reached Medina, I took the camel to him in the morning and he _____ ____ __ ______. 

8.       When we were with _______, we talked about mortgaging in deals of Salam. Ibrahim narrated from Aswad that '________ had said, "The Prophet (pbuh) bought some _________ __ ________ from a Jew and mortgaged an iron armor to him."

9.       The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever _____ ____ _____ __ _____ with the intention of repaying it, Allah will repay it on his behalf, and whoever takes it in order to spoil it, then Allah will spoil him."

10.    'Whoever amongst your followers dies, ______ ___ ____ ____ _____, will enter Paradise

Millati Islami Step Ten

10.) We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

We are now at a place in our Islamic 12-step program that should allow us to begin feeling some relief from our past addictions and the associated behaviors. We surely will want to do whatever is necessary to maintain AND retain our newfound sobriety. This brings us to Step 10 of Millati Islami.

 

We took a thorough inventory in step 4. We became aware of what has caused us so much of our dysfunctional thinking and actions, even prior to having become so submerged in the drug and drink culture. Having done this, we will certainly want to have some insurance from such behavior returning.

 

In Islam, there are suggested approaches to everything we to do in life. As recovering/repentant addicts, we are in a position to take an even greater advantage of some of these suggestions. Having gone down the ladder of despair more often than the non-addicted, we are well aware of the mercy that Allah has bestowed on us by pulling us back from the brink of the hellfire, and the great and double blessing of having made us Muslims. We will speak more about prayers and meditation in our last 2 steps of Millati Islami, but we shall mention just a few here for the believer who has arrived at step 10. Prayers for Patience, when we have seen impatience cause us so much harm,

Surah 7) 126. "But thou dost wreak thy vengeance on us simply because we believed in the Signs of our Lord when they reached us! (prayerà) Our Lord! pour out on us patience and constancy, and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will)!

Surah 16 ) 127. And do thou be patient, for thy patience is but from Allah. nor grieve over them: and distress not thyself because of their plots.

(cont.)128. For Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good.

 

perseverance, when we have truly come to learn that half-measures truly does bring at best half solutions

Surah 2) 250. When they advanced to meet Goliath and his forces, they prayed:

 ( prayerà)  "Our Lord! Pour out constancy on us and make our steps firm: Help us against those that reject faith."

 

and prayers for steadfastness, because we have learned through our difficult lives filled with weak resolve that we must work, have faith,

Surah 9) 129. But if they turn away, (prayerà) Say: "(Allah) suffices me: there is no god but He: On Him is my trust,- He the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme!"

 

 and stay steady on this Millati Islami, the Path to Peace.

 

 

Millati Islami Step Ten Worksheet

 

  1. We surely will want to do whatever is necessary to maintain AND retain our ____________ _____________. This brings us to Step 10 of Millati Islami.
  2. We took a __________ ________________ in step 4.
  3. Having done this, we will certainly want to have some _________ from such behavior returning.
  4. __ ________, there are suggested approaches to everything we to do in life.
  5. What would you consider the double blessing that members of Millati Islami have received from Allah (SWT)?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6.       Our Lord! pour out on us ________ and ____________, and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will)!

7.       And do thou __ __________, for thy ____________ is but from Allah. nor grieve over them: and _______ ______ thyself because of their plots.

8.       "Our Lord! ______ _____ ____________ on us and make our steps firm: …

  1. ….because we have learned through our difficult lives filled with weak resolve that we _____ ______, have ______….

10.    "(Allah) sufficeth me: there is no god but He: On _____ __ __ _______,- He the ______ __ __ ________ (of Glory) Supreme!"

Millati Islami Step Eleven

11.) We sought through Salaat and Iqraa to improve our understanding of Taqwa and Ihsan.

 

Salaat-Prayer

Iqraa-Reading and studying

Taqwa-God consciousness, to have proper love and respect for Allah

Ihsan- Even though we cannot see Allah, he does see us

 

We have already begun to approach the subject of prayer. As we state in the

“HOPE THROUGH MILLATI ISLAMI”, we recover from salat to salat. This is the Islamic way. The 5 daily prayers can be compared to a man (or woman) that bathes 5 times a day. How unclean can he/she become?  Not very is the answer.  We take the approach in Millati Islami that we can only know our Lord, Allah, through His revealed book, the Qur’an and the saying and reports of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and prayers be upon him), as given in the authentic Hadiths. We as Muslims, in particular, recovering/repentant Muslims, cannot afford to deviate from this. We have, in the past, deviated too far, for too long.  We have been saved from a living death, and are now preparing ourselves for the true service that has been given us by Allah. Our service is to bring recovery AND Islam, hand in hand, to our other suffering brothers and sisters. We, in Millati Islami, do not view one as independent of the other. For one’s service to Allah to be effective, requires clear and sober thinking. It is also our belief that we are positioned to be more than able to carry this message of Islamic Recovery/Repentance due to our experiences in the drug/drink culture and in Islam.

 

IQRAA, or reading and studying has been enjoined upon us by Allah and His Messenger (SAW).  This, so that you cannot be mislead

 

Volume 1, Book 3, Number 100:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al' As:

I heard Allah's Apostle (SAW) saying, "Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray."

…….and the study of the Book, is our protection from ignorance and misguidance…..

 

 

Volume 1, Book 3, Number 75:

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:

Once the Prophet embraced me and said, "O Allah! Bestow on him the knowledge of the Book (Qur'an)."

TAQWA-God consciousness, to have proper love and respect for Allah..

A True Muslim
The Believers must have Taqwa. The Taqwa means to fear and love Allah (SWT). The Believers must live as true Muslims and die as true Muslims.

"O Believers, have taqwa (God-consciousness) of Allah as much as is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims." (3:102)

"They indeed are the losers who deny their meeting with Allah, until the time when the hour (of death) comes upon them suddenly. They cry: Alas for us, that we neglected it! They bear upon their back their burdens. Evil is the burden that they bear." (6:31)

                  IHSAN  "It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and while you see Him not truly He sees you" (Saying of the Prophet, pbuh)                                   

The meaning of Ihsan is to do things in the best of ways, to perfect all acts of worship and to perform them as we were commanded to do so, while observing the rights of Allah within them. It is to be vigilant with an awareness that Allah is watching you. It is to have the presence of His greatness and Majesty in your heart, and in doing so to have a present heart.

Ihsan is thus a means through which, in worshipping your Lord as if you see Him, the servant is able to perfect his worship. For if you were to see your Lord before you, your performance would be to the best of your ability, with much greater care and attention being given to both your inward and your outward actions, attempting to perform them in the best of ways. As for the statement, 'if you can't see Him, then know that He sees you'. What is indicated here is that although a servant cannot see his Lord, Allah, Most High, can see Him and "He is," as the Prophet (pbuh) has said, "in truth present in the qiblah (center,direction) of everyone of you."

The state of separation in which we live is due to the veils which hide Him from our sight; but even in apparent separation we are never alone or unobserved; He sees not only our every action but our every thought; He is al-Khabir, the Totally Aware, from whose all-embracing consciousness nothing is hidden.  This concludes step 11 of Millati Islami….on to the worksheet…….

 

Millati Islami Step Eleven Worksheet

1.       As we state in the “____ _______ _______ ______”, we recover from ____ to ______.

2.       The 5 daily prayers can be compared to(please complete)____________________________________________________________________________________________

3.       We take the approach in Millati Islami that we can only know our Lord, Allah, ______ ___ ________ ____________ and the saying and reports of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and prayers be upon him), as given in the ______________ ____________.

4.       We have been _____ ____ __ ____ _____, and are now preparing ourselves for the true service that has been given us by Allah.

5.       Our service is to bring ________AND _______, hand in hand, to our other suffering brothers and sisters. We, in Millati Islami, do not view one as independent of the other.

6.       For one’s service to Allah to be effective, requires _____and ______thinking. It is also our belief that we are positioned to be more than able to carry this message of ___________________________ due to our experiences in the drug/drink culture and in Islam.

7.       Please define Iqraa. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8.       Please define Taqwa._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9.       Please define Ihsan.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10.     What does Step 11  prepare us for (in your own words)?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Millati