11- USING FORBIDDEN MEANS TO OBTAIN WORLDLIES ( TAMA )

The eleventh of the maladies of the heart is "Tama". Seeking to fulfill worldly pleasures through forbidden means is called "Tama". The worst kind of "Tama" is expecting things from human beings. Performing supererogatory prayers (Nafila) which causes one to have conceit and pride is "Tama". Also, performing "Mubahs" which causes one to forget about the next world is "Tama". The opposite of "Tama" is called "Tafwiz". "Tafwiz" means striving to obtain permissible and beneficial things and expecting that Allahu ta'ala will let one to have them.

The devil tries to deceive human beings by showing hypocrisy as sincerity and "Tama" as "Tafwiz". Allahu ta'ala appointed an angel for the heart of each human being. This angel inspires good thoughts (Ilham) to that human being. The devil on the other hand conveys evil suggestions (Waswasa) to the heart of men. Anyone who consumes permissible (Halal) food stuff can discriminate between good inspirations (Ilham) and evil suggestions. Conversely, anyone who consumes forbidden (Haram) food stuff will not be able to distinguish between the two. The soul of a human being also conveys evil thoughts or suggestions or desires to his heart. These thoughts or desires are called "Hawa". Inspirations and evil suggestions are not continuous but the desires (Hawa) are continuous and furthermore they increase as time passes. Evil suggestions diminish and finally disappears through prayer and remembrance (Dhikr). The desires of soul could only decrease and finally disappear through strong self-fight (Mujahada). The devil is like a dog. It runs away when it is chased but comes back later on from another direction. The soul is like a tiger. Its attacks could only be stopped by its demise. The devil which gives evil suggestions to human beings is called "Hannas". If a human being does not follow an evil suggestion of the devil, the devil gives up that suggestion and starts with another one. The soul always wants to do destructive and evil things. Devil in order to stop the accomplishment of a very useful and beneficial deed advises men to do a less useful deed. In order to lead one into a grave sin, it advises doing a small good deed. The small good deed which is accomplished upon the suggestion of the devil tastes very sweet for that man and he wants to do it in a hurry. For this reason, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said "Acting in a hurry is due following the suggestions of the devil. Following five things are exceptions to that rule: hurrying while marrying one's daughter, hurrying while paying back one's debt, hurrying while making preparation for the burial of the deceased, hurrying to feed a guest, and hurrying in repentance upon committing a sin." The following hadith which is written in the section "We should not postpone performance of salat prayer from its early time" in the book Ashilat-ul-lamat communicates, "Oh Ali! Do not postpone the following three things! Perform the ‘salat’ prayer in its early due time! Perform the ‘salat’ prayer for the dead immediately when it is ready! Marry a girl or widow immediately when someone with proper qualifications asks to marry them." The phrase "with proper qualifications" in this hadith refers to a man who performs his "salat" prayers, who doesn't commit sin and who earns his money by permissible means. The good things that are inspired by an angel will be carried out with the fear of Allahu ta’ala without rushing and by thinking its final objective. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "An inspiration which comes through an angel would be compatible with Islam. The evil suggestions 'Waswasas' which are conveyed by the devil cause one to depart from Islam." One should strive to do the inspired things (Ilham) and fight (Jihad) against his soul and devil in order not to carry out the evil suggestion. Any person who follows the advice of his soul also follows the evil suggestions of the devil. Alternately, it becomes very easy to carry out the good thoughts or inspiration of an angel (Ilham) for those who do not follow the desires (Hawa) of their souls. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "The devil gives evil suggestions 'waswasa' to the heart. When the name of Allah is remembered, i.e., 'Dhikr' repeated, it runs away. When it is not remembered, it keeps on its suggestions. " [This hadith also shows us that it is necessary to perform remembrance (Dhikr). ] The thing which is remembered in the heart could be either an evil suggestion of the devil or an inspiration of an angel. One may try to sort it out by looking whether it is compatible with Islam or not. If one is not able to determine whether it is an evil suggestion or a good inspiration, one should ask to a pious scholar. One should never ask to those pseudo scholars who trade their religion for money and for worldly ranks. One may also ask to a real, devoted "Shaikh" or a perfect spiritual guide (Murshid al-kamil) whose teachers are all famous well known and devoted perfect spiritual guides themselves and their spiritual link like an unbroken chain reaches up to Rasulullah, peace be upon him. The friends of Allahu ta’ala who are called "Qutb al-Madar", even though they are very few in number, will always exist until the time of doomsday. Leader of enlightenment (Qutb al-irshad) who is an Islamic scholar and a perfect spiritual guide does not exist at all times at many places. They come to existence from time to time in order to enlighten the darkened spirits. One should not presume that those pseudo leaders (fake shaikhs) that exist everywhere at all times are like those real perfect spiritual guides. One should be very careful so that one will not be tricked by one of these pseudo leaders (Fake shaikhs) and lose his worldly and other worldly happiness. The things that are remembered in the heart will taste very bitter to the soul if they are compatible with Islam or if they are an advice given by an angel. Alternately, if the soul finds them very sweet and one wants to do them in a hurry, then let it be known that they come from the devil and they are evil suggestions .

The devil has many tricks. Ten of them are famous:

First one: the devil says to a person that Allahu ta'ala does not need worships. One should remember the 62nd verse of the chapter "Baqara" of the Qur'an which states, "Good deeds benefit to the performer of that good deeds.";

Second one: the devil says to a person that Allahu ta'ala is Compassionate and Gracious therefore will forgive you and let you enter heaven. One should remember the thirty-third verse of the chapter Lukman of the Qur'an which states, "Do not be swayed by the Graciousness of Allah," and 63rd verse of the chapter "Maryam" of the Qur'an which states, "We will allow into the Heaven only those who have the fear of Allah in their hearts."

Third one: the devil tells one that his worships or deeds are all defective and smeared with hypocrisy therefore, he cannot be an Allah-fearing person. Allahu ta'ala in the chapter Maida of the Qur'an says, "Allah only accepts the worships of the people who have the fear of Allah in thier hearts." Thus, his worships will not be accepted and he is doing all these for nothing and he is suffering like an animal which is beaten up by its owner for nothing. One should respond to devil by saying that he is doing his worships in order to avoid the punishments and in order to obey to the orders of Allahu ta'ala. And that his duty is to comply with what one is ordered, and that whether the performed worships will be accepted or not is the business of Allahu ta'ala, and that it is guaranteed that the worships which are carried out by observing its rules and its "Fards" will be accepted. Not performing obligatory duties is grave sin. One should perform obligatory duties in order not to commit the grave sin. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Anyone who has any intelligence will not follow desires of his soul and will perform worships. Alternately, stupids will follow desires of their souls and then expect mercy of Allahu ta'ala." The things that are necessary for the next world should be prepared in this transitory world.

Fourth one: the devil tries to stop a person from performing worships by saying to him that he should put his efforts now to earn money while he is young. Later, after obtaining a comfortable living standard for himself he could perform the worships. One should answer the devil by saying that no one knows when one will pass away. Everyone's time of death was determined by Allahu ta'ala in eternal past. One's death may be very near therefore, one must perform the worships immediately at their due times. In one hadith, Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "Halakal-musawwifun" which means that those who leave today's work to tomorrow are the losers.

Fifth one: when the devil cannot stop a person from performing his worships, it will tell him, "Hurry up! Don't delay the salat prayer!", or "Don't be late!" By doing so, it tries to prevent him from performing his worships according to their proper rules (Fards). One should answer the devil by saying that there are only a few obligatory prayers. Therefore, one should perform them by observing all of its proper conditions. One should go further and tell the devil that even performing non-obligatory prayers (Nafila) by observing their proper conditions in lesser amounts is better than performing much prayers without observing their proper conditions.

Sixth one: the devil tries one to commit hypocrisy by suggesting to him that he should perform his prayers in such a beautiful way so that everyone should see and appreciate how beautiful they are. One should answer these suggestions by saying that no one is capable of doing any goodness or harm to one's self. Since this is the case, doing any goodness or harm to others is out of question. Expecting such a behavior from that kind of persons would be absurd. Only Allahu ta'ala can give goodness or harm to the people. Thus, Allah's seeing his prayers is good enough for him.

Seventh one: when the devil realizes that it can't stop a person from performing his worships, it will suggest self-admiration of his worships. The devil will tell him how smart and alert he is as well as tell him that while everyone is unaware of the reality, he is performing worships. One should answer it by saying that the intelligence, alertness and awareness are not coming from himself but they are a favor of Allahu ta'ala. If Allahu ta'ala wouldn't favor him with these, he wouldn't be able to perform any prayers.

Eight one: the devil wants to promote secret hypocrisy in a person by suggesting to him that he should perform his prayers secretly so that Allahu ta'ala would place his love and honor into the hearts of others. A person who receives this types of suggestions should answer devil by saying, "I am a slave of Allahu ta'ala and He is my owner. He may either accept my prayers or reject it. It is not my business whether or not He places my love into the hearts of others."

Ninth one: the devil suggests to a person by saying, "Why one should perform the prayers? It is already determined in eternal past whether a person will be a happy person (Said) who will be delivered to heaven or an unfortunate person (Shaki) who will be delivered to hell. Hence, whoever is a happy person, his wrong doings will be forgiven when he commits sin by not performing the worships and he will still go to heaven. A person who is determined as an unfortunate person in eternal past will surely go to hell regardless of how much worship he performs. Thus, do not tire yourself needlessly! Be comfortable!" One who receives these types of suggestions should answer back by saying, "I am a slave of Allahu ta'ala and the duty of a slave is to carry out the orders of his owner." If the devil counters by saying, "If there is a fear of punishment for not performing the worships, in that case, it becomes a necessity for a person to perform the worships. But there is no fear of punishment for the happy person." One should answer by saying, "My Lord knows everything and He does whatever He wishes. He either gives goodness or troubles whomever He chooses. No one has any right to ask Him why He does this or that." The devil has shown himself to Jesus (Isa), peace be upon him, and told him, "Are you saying that those things that are determined in eternal past will come to pass?" Jesus (Isa) replied, "Yes, certainly that is the case." Devil then said, "If that is the case, go jump from the top of the mountain if it is determined in eternal past that you will not be harmed, no harm will come to you!" Jesus (Isa) replied, "Oh, accursed one! Allahu ta'ala tests His slaves. A slave has no right to test his owner." One should say the following to himself in order to guard himself against these types of suggestions: "If it is determined in eternal past that I am one of the happy ones then it is necessary for me to perform the worships in irder to increase rewards and degrees. If I am one of the unfortunate ones, I will perform the worships in order to avoid punishment for them." One should furter say to himself, "Performing worships do not bring any harm to me. Allahu ta'ala is absolutely wise (Hakim). Therefore, it would not befit His wisdom to punish a person who performs worships for His sake. Even though not performing the worships would not harm a happy person, it will not benefit him either. Hence, how a happy person could ever prefer not to perform the worships. Anyone who has any intelligence will perform worships that are beneficial and leave out those that are harmful. If it is determined in eternal past that I will be one of the unfortunate ones, it would still be better to go to hell by obeying my Lord than going to hell as a disobedient servant. Moreover, Allahu ta'ala promised that He will place those who perform worships into heaven and punish those who do not perform worships in hell. Allahu ta'ala certainly will keep His promise. It is reported by previous scholars with unanimity that He will not violate His promise."

Allahu ta'ala creates everything through cause and effect. That is the way He operates. Only in some instances He changes His rules like miracles granted to prophets and supernatural phenemona (Karamats) granted to His beloved ones (Friends.) He communicated to us that He made the worships as a vehicle for entering the heaven. In other words, He created the blessings of heaven as a recompense for the worships. In a hadith Rasulullah, peace be upon him, said, "No one can enter the heaven because of his performed worships." The meaning in this hadith does not conflict what we have just communicated in the preceding sentence because recompense is different from being a cause or being a vehicle.

Tenth one: the devil says to a person, "If it is determined in eternal past that a person will perform worships, then, that person will perform the worships. The Decree of Allahu ta’ala does not change. Human beings are forced to accept the Decree of Allahu ta'ala so that they either perform the worships or don't perform the worships according to the eternal Decree of Allahu ta'ala." These suggestions of the devil are similar to the previous suggestions. Namely, the ones who are determined as happy ones in eternal past will be able to perform worships, and it will be necessary for those who are determined as unfortunate ones in the eternal past not to perform the worships. One should reply to the deceits of the devil by saying: Even though Allahu ta'ala creates everything including the good and evil actions of human beings, He gave small amounts of will power (Irada al-juz'iyya) to human beings and animals. This type of will power is exercised by human beings but it cannot be asserted that human beings created these. Because, will power does not exist in the external universe (things other than human beings). It exists inside the hearts of human beings. Anything that becomes existent in the external universe is created by Allahu ta'ala. This type of activity is called "creation" or bringing into existence out of nonexistence. Allahu ta'ala's great will power (Irada al-kulliyya) is a force which manifests in the external universe. Allahu ta'ala made man's small will power as a means for creating his actions. Allahu ta'ala could create even without man's will power but it is His custom to create things through man's will power. Many a time seen that Allahu ta'ala creates things for His beloved ones, e.g., prophets and loved ones (Awliya) by changing His customs. Changing His customs for His belowed ones (Awliya) is called "Karamat."

Actions of human beings do not materialize exclusively through small will power. Every desire of human beings does not come into existence. Also, it is not the custom of Allahu ta’ala to create things without the intermediacy of the human beings' will on the subject. For this reason, human beings are not forced in their actions in any way. Human beings use their will power for something they want to do. If Allahu ta’ala also decrees it, that action materializes. The devil tries to deceive human beings by saying, "A human being performs worships if Allahu ta'ala desires it or he does not do the worships if allahu ta'ala does not desire it. Thus, he is forced in doing or not doing actions. It does not matter whether a human being works or not. The Decree 'qada and qadar' which is given in eternal past will materialize." It is true that actions of human beings materialize according to the Decree given in eternal past but, for them to materialize, human beings have to use their will power. In other words, a human being uses his option of selection and selects and wants to do a thing or chooses not to do a thing. The meaning of the eternal Decree is such that Allahu ta'ala knew with His infinite knowledge and wisdom how a person will use his small will power and decreed accordingly and has written these into the Guarded Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz). Since this is clearly the case, there is no problem of being forced to do anything. If someone would know what another person will do during a given day and decrees that he should perform those actions and write all his knowledge into a paper, the person who will perform those actions cannot claim that he is forced to do those actions. He cannot assert by saying, "You knew what I was going to do. You wanted me to do those actions. You even have written them into a paper. Therefore, you did all the actions I performed!," because he did all the actions by using his own will power. He did not do those actions because the other person knew them and wanted them to be performed by him and wrote them into a paper. Similarly, Allahu ta'ala's Knowledge and Decree and His writing these into the Guarded Tablet does not constitute coercion of His creatures. Allahu ta'ala knew in eternal past that a person will do such and such an action and therefore decreed that he should do those actions and wrote them into the Guarded Tablet. His knowledge in eternal past depends on the actions that are carried out by a person by using his small will power. Also, the person's actions materialize through His Knowledge, Will and creation. If a person does not use his will power, Allahu ta'ala knows in eternal past that he will not use his will power and thus He does not decree and does not create. Which comes to mean that the knowledge depends on the known things. If human beings did not have their will power and if their actions were only created by the will of Allahu ta'ala, then one could say that human beings were forced in their actions. According to Ahl as-sunnat school of thought (Madhhab), actions of human beings are created as a result of a joint effort of the use of human beings' powers and the powers of Allahu ta'ala.

[The spiritual heart (Qalb) of a human being is not made of matter. It is like electric or magnetic waves. It does not occupy a space. But, its power and effect are produced on the material heart which is located on the left side of the chest of a human being. Intellect (Aql), soul (Nafs), and spirit (Ruh) are also similar entities like spiritual heart. These three entities are have relationships with the spiritual heart. Sense organs of a human being such as eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin sense colors, sound, smell, taste and coldness or warmth and transmit these into the brain through the nerve system. Brain also transmits these into the spiritual heart as soon as it receives them. The wishes and desires of intellect, soul, spirit and devil are also transmitted to the spiritual heart. Spiritual heart uses its will power and makes a decision by selecting among them. It either rejects and annihilates them or accepts and relates its acceptance to the brain and the brain transmits these through action nerves to the organs. And the organs may move and perform the decided actions if Allahu ta'ala also wants and gives the power to these organs. Thus, the actions which are chosen or decided by the spiritual heart materialize.]