Part One


Praise be to Allah, Who has honoured and bestowed upon whomever He wills the


blessing of the mind. I thank Him for whatever favours He has bestowed and lavished on


us. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, a testimony


that leads to the straightest path. I also bear witness that our prophet and master Muhammad


is His servant and messenger, who was favoured with the gifts of magnificent wisdom and


concise speech that carries the widest meanings, and with the treasures of knowledge,


forbearance, and munificence. May Allah bestow His peace and blessings upon him, his


family, and his Companions.


O Muslims!


Fear Allah, for fear of Allah is the best of all gains and obedience to Him is the


most honourable source of pride.


O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and


by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared.


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[Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die


not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission


to Allah)]. (Al ‘Imran: 102)


O Muslims!


The mind is the realm of thinking and reasoning. It is the basis of moral


accountability and the sign of honour. In the Arabic language, the word for ‘mind’ and


‘reason’ is “‘aql”, meaning ‘holding’ or ‘fastening’, because it is the mind that prevents


one from getting involved in perilous situations, restrains one from engaging in distasteful


words and deeds, and precludes one from falling into inappropriate conduct. The best gift


ever cherished by man is a mind that leads him to guidance or protects him from


destruction.


A man’s character is judged by his reason; his true esteem lies in his faith and his


true nobility lies in his good manners. It has been said that reason is the best that a man


should seek and that foolishness is the deadliest enemy that a man can ever have. It has


also been said that reason is the best natural endowment and that foolishness and ignorance


are the worst afflictions.


The sign of reason is quick understanding. Its energy is knowledge; its fuel is long


experience; its sound foundation is the laws of the Revelation; and its light is religion.


Indeed, reason and the Revelation are indispensible to each other, for reason can only be


guided with the laws of the Revelation, while the goals of such laws can only be grasped


and understood by reason. As the poet said,


Reason cannot dispense with the guidance


Of the Revelation, both in principles and in specific matters.


If you cannot see the light of the Prophet’s guidance,


Reason will never lead you anywhere.


The light of Prophethood is like the sun to the seeing eye,


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So let it be your guidance.


Blocked are the paths to guidance,


Except to those who follow the Revelation.


If you willingly swerve from the right path,


Know then that you do not intend to reach your destination.


O you who seek guidance with reason alone, doing without the Revelation!


You will by no means find any guidance with that alone.


Many before you sought it,


But lived in confusion and ignorance all their life.


Uncertainties and doubts kept assailing their hearts,


Until they lay dead in their midst.


Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “A sensible person


is not one who knows good and evil; rather, he is one who knows good and follows it and


knows evil and avoids it.” A man who reached 120 years of age was once asked, “What is


reason?” He replied, “It is when your forbearance overcomes your ignorance and desires.”


A Bedouin was also asked, “What is the greatest virtue of reason?” He replied, “Abstaining


from sins.” Abu Hatim said, “The judicious people with the best ranks [in the sight of


Allah] are those who most often bring themselves to account.”


Those who enjoy a mature mind, impeccable understanding, and acute discernment


will certainly obey their Lord and turn to Him in repentance. The more sense they have,


the more they will obey and worship their Lord. Allah, Majesty be to Him in His Loftiness,


says:


... And none receive admonition except men of understanding. (Al


‘Imran: 7)


Allah, Great be His praise, informs us here that admonitions and reminders will


benefit only those who possess reason and who are endowed with understanding and


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wisdom. The disbelievers and polytheists have the lowest degree of reason, perception, and


insight because they have rejected what gives them true life and looked down upon what


brings them salvation. The group of disbelievers and polytheists to be thrown in Hellfire


will sorrowfully and regretfully talk to the keepers of Hell:


And they will say: “Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we


would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!” Then


they will confess their sin. So, away with the dwellers of the blazing


Fire! (Al-Mulk: 10-11)


Explaining the meaning of this verse, Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him


and his father, said, “This means, ‘Had we but listened to the guidance or used our reason


by pondering on it’; that is, ‘had we listened thoughtfully and sensibly or used our reason


discerningly and wisely, we would not be among the dwellers of the blazing Fire.’” This


shows that the disbelievers are devoid of all reason.


It was said to a man who once described a Christian as being sensible, “Stop it! A


truly sensible person is someone who testifies to the Oneness of Allah and obeys Him.”


Allah, Exalted be He, says:


Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts


wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not


the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts


that grow blind. (Al-Hajj: 46)


Commenting on this verse, Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “Blindness


is not lack of eyesight, but rather it is lack of insight; for even if the faculty of sight is


sound, it cannot go beyond the surface and draw lessons and morals, nor can it realize the


truth of things.”


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Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “All people have immature


minds with the exception of those who rise to the level of the sensible and wise and realise


the truth in terms of understanding, action, and knowledge.”


A truly wise and sensible man is one who worships Allah alone without associating


partners with him; who keeps away from whims and desires; who avoids to sink to the


level of the immoral, the foolish, and the reckless and safeguards himself against the stigma


of ignorance, sinfulness, and disobedience to Allah; and who seeks to draw nearer to his


Lord, asks for His forgiveness, and turns to Him in repentance.


... those are (the ones) whom Allah has guided and those are men of


understanding. (Az-Zumar: 18)


O Allah! Inspire us with the right guidance. O Allah! Inspire us with the right


guidance, and protect us from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of Satan, the


outcast, O Most Generous! O Most Great! O Most Merciful!


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Part Two


Praise be to Allah for His great favours, and all forms of gratitude are due to Him


for His generous bounties. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no


partners. He whom Allah protects will never be in need, and he whom Allah guides will


never go astray. I also bear witness that our prophet and master Muhammad is His servant


and messenger, the last of His prophets and the best of His selected ones. May Allah bestow


His peace upon him, his family, and his Companions, and upon those among his ummah


who adhere to the truth until the Day of Judgment.


O Muslims!


Fear Allah, be watchful of Him, and obey Him:


O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are


true (in words and deeds). (At-Tawbah: 119)


O Muslims!


Foolishness is the very opposite of reason; it even indicates dullness and decay. In


Arabic, the word “hamuqa” (meaning ‘to become foolish’) is used to describe a market


that is dull and stagnant. Similarly, a foolish person is one whose reason and mind are dull


and stagnant.


A wise man once said, “A foolish person is known by a number of characteristics:


getting angry for no reason, giving undeservedly, speaking without gaining any benefit


whatsoever, putting trust in anyone, divulging secrets, failing to distinguish foes from


friends, saying anything that comes to his mind, and thinking that he is the wisest of all


people.”


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A foolish person has also been described as follows: “When he speaks, he becomes


tongue-tied; when he talks, he becomes frightened; and when he is prompted to do


something wrong, he just does it.”


The signs of a foolish person include carelessness and recklessness; ignorance,


obscenity, and stupidity; arrogance and self-admiration; heedlessness, negligence, and loss;


lack of knowledge; strong hostility to good people and keeping bad company; reporting


news without ascertaining the facts; and having excessive arguments and enmities. In


addition, a foolish person shows no respect for people of higher status, and his companions


are never safe against his treachery.


Therefore, avoid these reprehensible traits and follow the example of those who


have sound, pure minds that realize the true nature of things and who can thus benefit from


their merits and avoid their demerits. Beware of the path of people with heedless, confused,


and distracted minds, about whom Allah says:


Verily! The worst of (moving) living creatures with Allah are the


deaf and the dumb, who understand not (i.e. the disbelievers). (Al-


Anfal: 22)


Ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings on our prophet Ahmad, the guide and


the intercessor of all mankind, for whoever invokes Allah to bless him once will be blessed


for it by Allah ten times.


To all creation he was sent as a mercy and was indeed merciful,


So ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings upon him.


O Allah! Bestow peace and blessings upon Your servant and messenger,


Muhammad. O Allah! Be pleased with the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, whose way is to


be followed, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with all the Prophet’s Companions,


their contemporaries who did not see the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him


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(Tabi‘un), and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment, and also


be pleased with us together with them, by Your grace, generosity, and beneficence, O Most


Generous of all the generous!


O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and


glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims, subdue


polytheism and the polytheists, and destroy the enemies of the religion, O Lord of the


Worlds!


O Allah! Keep the land of the Two Holy Mosques secure, stable, prosperous, and


powerful, and guide its leaders to do that which gives power and glory to Islam and that


which realizes the good of Muslims.


O Allah! Guide our imam and ruler, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to


what You love and accept, and lead him to the way of righteousness and piety. O Allah!


Guide him and guide the Crown Prince to do that which gives power and glory to Islam


and that which realizes the good of Muslims, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Guide all Muslim rulers to rule according to Your Shari‘ah and to follow


the Sunnah of Your prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.


O Allah! Grant security, stability, and prosperity to all Muslim homelands, O Lord


of the Worlds! O Allah! Grant security, stability, and prosperity to all Muslim homelands,


O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Grant victory to our fellow Muslims in Palestine. O Allah! Grant victory


to our fellow Muslims in Syria. O Allah! Grant victory to our fellow Muslims in Burma. O


Allah! Grant victory to our fellow Muslims who follow the Sunnah and the way of the


Companions and their successors, everywhere, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Grant them


victory over the polytheists, the pagans, and the followers of superstitions, O Lord of the


Worlds!


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O Allah! Provide food for the hungry among them. O Allah! Provide food for the


hungry among them. O Allah! Provide clothes for the unclothed among them! O Allah!


Provide shelter for the homeless among them. O Allah! Heal the injuries of the wounded


among them.


O Allah! Cure the sick among us, relieve the distress of the afflicted among us, have


mercy on our dead, release our prisoners, and grant us victory over our enemies, O Lord of


the Worlds!


O Allah! Answer our prayers and supplications. O Allah! Answer our prayers and


supplications, O All-Hearer! O Near! O Responsive!