The Translated Poetry of Imam Shafii in English

Need a favour?

2010-06-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Do not take upon the favour of the one who bestows,
Upon you a bounty then reminds you of it.
And choose for yourself what you have been given,
And be patient for verily patience is a shield.
The reminder of favours by people is, upon the hearts,
Is more hurtful than the tips (of swords).

Intention is a fundamental part of doing good in Islam. The Imam is saying that if one ever does a good deed it should only be done to achieve God’s pleasure and not to win the praise or favour of the person you are helping out.
This point is made clearly in the Qur’an when Allah says:
“O you who believe! Do not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. (2:264)
This also works the opposite way too. If ever you need help then you should go to someone who does it for God and won’t expect something back from you. This will save you from exploitation and make sure you are dealing with a God-fearing individual.

Diseases are from three things

2010-06-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

Three are they the causes of destruction for humans,
And call the healthy to diseases.
Alcoholism, too much lovemaking,
and eating food upon food.

The Imam was an accomplished doctor as well as a Jurist, and he was often mistaken as a doctor by other doctors who were always very impressed by his deep knowledge of the human body.
His advices of giving up alcohol and not overeating are easily acceptable and have vast amounts of medical research to back them up. As for his advice about too much lovemaking, there are different medical and psychological opinions on the matter, and the advice varies from person to person. But by and large, if lovemaking overtakes other more important things in ones life then this can clearly be from the "causes of destruction for humans". Medically the opinions are more murky but once again there is evidence to suggest that one can do more harm than good by over-stretching oneself.

The harvest of innovation

2010-06-07T15:37:00.001-07:00

Mankind don’t stay on the straight path for long without falling into innovation,
By inventing things in the religion from their minds that the prophets were not sent with.
To the extent that most of them didn’t care for the religion of Allah,
And were occupied with what they took up in its place.

The bad characteristics of society

2010-06-03T14:43:00.001-07:00

There is only plotting and flattery to be found in society,
They are a thorn if you touch them, and a flower if you look upon them.
And if necessity forces you to live amongst them,
Then be like fire perchance the thorns might be set aflame.

The meaning of this poem is that when one comes across evil people and is forced to live amongst them, then one should be constantly alert and not be afraid of being retaliatory to open animosity from someone.
The analogy used sums this up beautifully. If someone is like a thorn to you, and is causing you harm, then you should be like a flame to this thorn. If a thorn is placed in a flame then the flame is unaffected while the thorn burns to a crisp. Thus we should conduct ourselves in a way that we don’t leave ourselves open to harm from evil people.
But at the same time lets remember that fire is a vital tool in the hands of the adept. This means we must make ourselves useful and helpful towards those who need it as well as burning the thorns.

Visiting the Ill

2010-06-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

A man came to Shafi’i and told him that his friend was ill. Shafi’i replied: “By God you have done me good, and woken up my honour and turned away from me the lie-ridden apologies.” Shafii was referring to the case where he would later have had to apologise to his friend for not visiting him and his friend might have suspected that he was lying and had knowingly not visited.
Then Shafii said:

To walk barefoot full of pain, upon hot sand in Dhu Tawa, is easier than to give a friend a lie-laced excuse.

Then he said:

I find tranquillity in the correct upon doing it,
And it is a hard day upon me if I intentionally left it.
And you are well-blessed if you are not seen as a liar,
And your saying “I didn’t know” is very difficult.
And whomsoever fulfils the rights of the neighbour after the right of his cousin,
And his close friend, be he in any situation.
Then he shall live as a leader of the people and sweet will be his remembrance amongst society,
And if a calamity befalls him then they will come willingly.

Looking out for our brothers and sisters is an important part of being part of the Muslim Ummah and visiting the ill forms part of this duty.
And if we do this duty well, then we will be well-mentioned and well-remembered, and people will want to come to our help when we are in need.

Generosity

2010-05-31T08:16:00.000-07:00

If you are not generous and life is passing along,
And your hands possess surplus and the ability to give.
And what will be asked from you if you were to be sacked?,
And when the world was to bite into you with its canines.
And time will take back what it bestowed upon you,
For verily it is a habit of time to take back the loan.

Wealth is not something that will last forever. We all work hard and save up money, but by the time we have it saved up we are near to our death and it all passes on to our children. We don’t give charity because we want to save up and plan to give it when we have enough. But we should ask ourselves this: When is enough?

Never. Thus the Imam is saying that when money is coming in we should spend in the way of Allah as thanks because one never knows when all the wealth could disappear.

How to give a Fatwa

2010-05-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Strength

After giving a verdict on Islamic jurisprudence Shafi’i said the following:

If problems confront me,
I unveil its truths for the inspection of people.
The tongue is like the spittle of an expensive camel,
And like the Yemeni sword.
And I am not from the dull and unoriginal-of-thought amongst man, I ask different people about events.
But I am, by the two small pieces of flesh,
A bringer of good and a remover of evil.

The Imam was first and foremost a Faqih, or a Islamic Law Jurist, and this poem encapsulates what his primary occupation entailed.
A verdict would have to be clear and concise so people could understand it. But at the same time it would have to have intellectual rigour and razor-sharp analysis of the problem as well as being able to draw upon a large bank of life experience gained from talking to people.
But above all, the delivering of a verdict was to become a “bringer of good and a remover of evil” and the Imam did this by using the two most important pieces of flesh in our entire bodies: the tongue and the heart.

The value of the guest

2010-05-28T13:12:00.001-07:00

I am generous with what I have even if I had to spend the night hungry,
With a hungry stomach and feeling pain inside.
And I make myself appear rich amongst my close friends,
To hide from them my situation and verily I have nothing.
And between me and Allah,
The truth is for verily he is all-knower of situations.

This poem exhorts us all to give the guest his due even to the extent where we make do without things just so that the guest can have a good experience.
Guests are a blessing from Allah and we should treat them in that manner. They should be welcome in our homes and we should never feel distaste if someone should come around to our house.

Fame and reputations

2010-05-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

A man wins and then he is well mentioned,
Until he is ascribed things he didn’t even do.
And you will see the scoundrel whose defects are well known,
Is sad and held accountable for things he didn’t even do.

The poem is stressing the importance of reputations and how they affect the verdicts of people so much so that they will draw the opposite conclusion to a situation just because the person in question has a reputation for that response.
So for example if an Imam who is known for his piety is seen picking up something from a shop counter without paying for it then the first reaction of people will likely be to assume that he has already paid for it or that he was given it free on a prior arrangement. Of course this may not be true, but that is the power of the reputation.
On the other hand you have a known thief who also picks up something without paying for it. The first reaction of the onlookers will be that he is stealing that, though this may not be the case again.
But of course reputations are built over time and through substance. One cannot create a reputation from thin air. Good reputations only come through time and consistent good dealings and conduct.

scratching your back?

2010-05-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Nothing scratches your back quite like your fingernails,

So take upon yourself all of your affairs.

And if you are in need of something,

Then seek it with one who knows your worth.

This poem uses the analogy of how one who wants to scratch his back but uses someone else to do it for him, will never be able to perfectly pinpoint the itch to the person doing the scratching, however good his instructions are. The best scratch possible for him is only by his own hands. The Imam is advising us using this analogy to become self sufficient, as that’s better for us and as it means one isn’t encumbered by favours from others.

However if one really must get help, then the poem advises to get advice from one who knows your worth, or from one who won’t exploit the fact that he’s helped you. This is the one who knows that you too have skills and things he might later get help in from you, or he respects you for whatever reason and helps you due to that respect, rather than expecting any reward from it afterwards.

What to do when an idiot talks to you

2010-05-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

فخير من إجابته السكوت	إذا نطق السفيه فلا تجبه
وإن خليته كـمدا يمـوت	فإن كلمته فـرّجت عنـه

If a foolish person speaks then don’t answer him,

For verily silence is better than answering him.

And if you were to talk to him he would be happy,

And if you were to leave him then he would die sad.

The Imam continues to argue that silence in the face of those who are foolish or ignorant is the best way to respond. Often people who are arguing without knowledge and manners don’t have any credibility or following, but by the well-respected and followed leader responding to them, they suddenly get far more attention than they merit.
This teaching is also found in the Qur’an where Allah says “And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness.” (25:63).

This doesn’t mean one never speaks the truth, but rather, that one should not persist in arguing with someone who is clearly not interested about the truth, but in point scoring and pettiness.

The most profitable of trades

2010-05-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

إذا لم أجد ربحا فلست بخاسر	وجدت سـكوتي متجرا فلزمتــه
وتاجره يعلو على كل تاجــر	وما الصمت إلا في الرجال متاجر

I found silence something profitable so I held firmly onto it,

And even if I don’t find profit then I am not a loser.

And verily silence is for men but something profitable,

And its trader will rise above all other traders.

The poem is likening silence to a profitable transaction. It is a safe investment in that little harm can come to you when you have said nothing. It is a profitable transaction in the long term too, as eventually the one who speaks too much without thought will get bitten by something he or she said. As for the safe silent one, he will be able to gradually build up a reputation for speaking the truth and not being one who indulges in vain talk. His words will accordingly be given much greater respect.

Silence is golden

2010-05-18T13:58:00.001-07:00

There is no benefit in excess talk,

If you have already been guided to the best of a matter.

And silence is better for a young man,

Than speaking inopportunely.

And for the young man there is for his character,

A sign that is apparent on his forehead.

Silence is something we often view as a weakness or something that connotes negativity. This is not always the case. Silence is something precious in Islam and one should always be very careful with what one says with the tongue. It has the potential to make one enter the hellfire or be safe from it. This is shown by the hadith of the Prophet who said he would guarantee paradise for the one who could guarantee that he kept his private parts and tongue away from sin.[1]

Often when we argue or debate something, we are going around in circles and adding nothing new or constructive to the debate. In these cases the poem is advising us to be silent and expend our energies in something more useful.

The next lines then discuss why silence is particularly pertinent for the young man. Arab and Islamic traditions teach that youth is something to be utilized in the best possible way. This is generally meant to take the form of gaining knowledge and piety. Imam Shafii shows this clearly by saying that a young man shouldn’t speak at inopportune moments such as when he doesn’t have the knowledge of the right thing to say, and that he should gain piety, which is a much greater way of distinguishing himself than speaking. This piety is visible through the mark of prostration that is found on the forehead of Muslims who pray regularly.

[1] Bukhari, book 82, hadith 799

The difference between the lion and the dog

2010-05-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

إن الجـواب لـباب الشر مفتــاح	قالوا سكتَّ وقد خُوصمت؟ قلت لهم
وفيه أيـضا لصون العرض إصلاح	والصمت عن جاهل أو أحمق شرف
والكلب يُخسى- لعمري- وهو نباح	أما ترى الأسد تُخشى وهي صامتة

They said you became silent and you were being argued with - so I said to them,

Verily the answer is a key to the door of evil.

And being quiet in front of someone ignorant or foolish is worthy of respect,

And in it also there is betterment for the protection of my affairs.

Do you not see that the lions strike fear in the hearts while they are silent,

While the dog is rejected, I swear by my life, and he is one who barks.

Imam Shafii was being shouted at by someone who didn’t have knowledge of what he was talking about, and the Imam observed silence in the face of this adversary. Later on his students asked “why did you do this oh Imam?” and he replied with this poem.

He says that it is better for one to avoid argument with someone ignorant, as you can never win an argument with them. Also, if he were to engage in a debate with such a worthless person, he would have further incensed that person and caused him to launch into an ad hominem attack as well as opengin the door to slander and backbiting once the meeting was at an end.

And the Imam strikes a powerful analogy. The lion is revered and respected yet he rarely makes a sound, while the dog is seen as worthless in Arab culture and yet he is one of the noisiest animals.

This analogy is also useful for one who wants to adopt leadership positions. People often think that leadership means one needs to talk a lot. This is not true. In fact the opposite is often much more effective, as then you are listening to your subordinates and when you do speak, your words carry weight.

How to become wealthy, and the end of the misers

2010-05-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

سوى من غدا والبخل ملء إهابه	بلوت بني الدنيا فلم أر فـيهــم
قطعت رجائي منهـم بـذبـابـه	فجردت من غمد القناعة صارمـا
ولا ذا يراني قاعدا عند بـابــه	فلا ذا يراني واقفا في طريقــه
وليس الغني إلا عن الشيء لا به	غني بلا مال عن النــاس كلهـم
ولج عتوا في قبيح اكتســابـه	إذا ما الظالم استحسن الظلم مذهبا
ستدعي له ما لم يكن في حسابـه	فكِلهإلى صرف الليالي فإنهـــا
يرى النجم تحت ظـل ركـابــه	فـكم رأينا ظالمـــا متمــردا
أناخت صروف الحادثات ببـابـه	فعـما قليل وهو في غفـلاتــه
ولا حسنات تلتقى في كتــابــه	فأصبح لا مال ولا جــاه يرتجى
وصب عليه الله سوط عــذابـه	وجوزي بالأمر الذي كان فاعـلا

I tested mankind and did not see in them,

except those with skin full’s of miserliness.

So I drew from my sheath the sword of contentment,

And cut my requests to them with the tip of my blade.

And he does not see me standing in his street,

And he does not see me sitting at his door.

Richer than all of society, without money,

And wealth is only by not requiring things.

If a wrongdoer decides upon wrongdoing as his belief,

And arrogantly persists upon his evil actions.

Then leave him to the passing of the nights,

For verily, they will bring him what he had not reckoned for.

And how many rebellious wrongdoers have we seen,

That arrogantly view the star as below the shade of their riding beast.

So after a short while he will, because of his ignorance,

Have lowered onto his door many adversities.

And he has become one who doesn’t desire money or life,

And no good deeds are there in his book.

And he allows (others) all the actions that he used to do,

And Allah poured upon him the scourge of his punishment.

The poem is talking about what our approach to wealth should be. The first part of the poem is aimed at the poorer person who may require monetary assistance. The second part is aimed at the one who has wealth and is stingy, and the poem describes what his end will be.

The poem states that for those who are poor (or even rich), man will never ever be happy with what he has and will want more. Thus the real wealth or “lack of need” as it is literally translated in Arabic, is to not desire things and be happy with what you have.

There are also two kinds of sustenance. One that is positive in that Allah gives you wealth, the other is the negative where Allah turns away a trial from you - and this is the greater sustenance. So once again, the message for the poor person is to be happy with your lot, as you don’t know how much sustenance you’ve really been getting.

As for the one who has money and does not give, then Allah can take from him as quickly as he gave to him. That is not an issue for him. This person will also have the misery of the afterlife to deal with too.

Success is about YOU not your age or status

2010-05-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

ترقّى على رؤوس الرجال ويخطب	أرى الغر في الدنيا إذا كان فاضلا
يقاس بطفل في الشـوارع يلعـب	وإن كان مثلي لا فضيلة عـنـده

I saw that the inexperienced in the world if he is outstanding, will ascend onto the heads of men and give address.

And were he to be like me and have no excellence,

Then he would be like the child playing in the street.

The poem is emphatically stating that experience is not the end all of everything, especially in symbolic or ideal-based leadership positions. If an individual is truly outstanding, then he will rise rapidly, and surpass those who used to be above him. The word “yukhtabu” which is translated here as “give address” literally refers to the Friday sermonizing that happens all across the world every Friday which nearly all Muslim men listen to. In other words the Imam is saying that if someone deserves such a lofty position and has the knowledge and temperament for it, then he will reach that position, or should be allowed to reach it.

The Imam then shows his humbleness by saying he has “no excellence” and describes the opposite of brilliance and leadership as children playing on the street. This is a fascinating analogy as the word “yalabu” “to play” has connotations of wasting time in Arabic texts. It says in the Qur’an that “And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement.” (6:32).
A child often doesn’t have any concerns or worries, even if their parents do, and is unaware of them. This unawareness or unconcern is being used as a simile to the unconcern and unawareness we have of the greater objectives in life, and the concern for the hereafter.

How to use setbacks to springboard to better things

2010-05-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

فأكره أن أكون له مجيبا	يخاطبني السفيه بكل قبح
كعود زاده الإحراق طيبا	يزيد سفاهة فأزيد حلمـا

The foolish one addresses me with all ugliness,

And I dislike to reply to him.

He increases in insolence and I increase in forbearance,

Like perfume is increased in its beautiful smell by burning.

The poem uses a powerful analogy to show how evil can be turned to good. In the poem something harmful like “burning” is turned into something beautiful and beneficial like a “beautiful smell”. We learn the lesson that we should use everything, both positive and negative, to grow and develop as individuals. All new experiences are an adventure and a new nugget of knowledge, information, or life skills that we didn’t have before. We should take them as such, and use them to develop, not complain about them.

How great people conduct themselves

2010-05-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

وما العيب إلا أن أكون مساببــه	إذا سبني نذل تزايدت رفعـــة
لمكنتها من كل نــذل تحـاربـه	ولو لم تكن نفسي عليّ عزيـزة
كثير التواني للذي أنا طــالبــه	ولو أنني أسعى لنفسي وجـدتني
وعار على الشبعان إن جاع صاحبه	ولكنني اسع لأنفع صـــاحبي

If a lowly man insults me then I am only raised in rank,

and there is no wrong except if I were to retort.

And were not my person dear to me,

I would have set it into argument with every lowly man.

And were I striving for my benefit then you would find me,

Very patient for what I strive for.

But I strive for the benefit of my companion,

And despicable is the full-stomached if his companion is hungry.

Explanation:

The poem starts off with a clear guidance on how great people conduct themselves when unworthy and unqualified people attempt to insult them. The Imam is saying that silence and aloofness is the best rebuttal to these people and that answering them only adds credibility to them and detracts from the great persons.

The Imam then talks about what one should put all their efforts in. Not in pursuits which only benefit oneself but rather in pursuits which benefit others.

Dignity of Man - how to win people over

2010-05-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

ومن حَقِـرَ الرجال فلن يهابا	ومن هاب الرجال تهيَّبــوه
ومن يعص الرجال فما أصابا	وما قضت الرجال له حقوقا

And whomsoever dignifies men then they will dignify him,

and whomsoever degrades men then he will never be dignified.

And whomsoever does the bidding of men then he has rights,

and whomsoever angers men then he has not done good.

The poem is fairly self explanatory. If you treat people well, then you will get treat well yourself. Some people might say, well we always do good and yet people still don’t treat us properly? Well the answer to this is two-fold. Firstly, look at your intention for treating people well. Are you just doing it for your own ends or are you genuine about your concern for others? And if you are genuine about your concerns, remember, God works in mysterious ways. You never know when that one good deed you did comes back and rescues you many years from now. None of us know what the future holds in store for us, or who will have power over us or will be our subordinate. The best policy is to be equally good to all.

The poem then claims that people will have rights if they respect others. What this means is that if you were to oppress someone by forcing him to sell you a car for cheap because he needs the money, and then later on expect the same person to help you out because you have run into difficulties, then you can expect a sharp rejection. But if you did good to that man and gave him a fair price, then you have the moral right to expect good to come from him. This doesn’t mean that you do the good with the expectation of return, but the Imam is making a general point that someone who is generally nice to people and treats them honourably and well, then he can expect to have helpers in his time of need.

Similarly, anger is a intensely negative emotion and rarely leads to positive outcomes. If you infuriate someone then you’re hardly going to be very popular with them are you? The best way to approach a conflict issue is to look for common ground, or to praise the person in some way, and then to clearly state your complaint and the way you have been affected. After that keep your head, and make sure your tone is level.

Turning away from ignorance

2010-05-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Turning away from ignorance

I turn away from the ignorant foolish one,

for everything he says he is in it too;

and the Euphrates river will not be harmed even one day,

if some dogs were to plunge into it.

Ignorant people have foolishness and ignorance already built in to whatever they say. Imam Shafii is saying that there is no point arguing with these people as they are not arguing based on logic, but rather lack of knowledge. It does not befit someone of knowledge (i.e. a scholar) to argue with someone who is clearly arguing for the sake of arguing and not to get to the correct opinion.

The example of the Euphrates river is very powerful. If dogs were to jump into the Euphrates, they would not make it impure. Similarly, however much shouting an ignorant person may do, he will never be able to destroy the truth at the end of the day.

Apologies for the lack of Arabic - I couldn't find the Arabic to go with the translation as I'm away from my copy of the Divan.

Please share.

How to achieve strength, contentment, and respect

2010-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

فإن النفس ما طمعت تهون	أمت مطامعي فأرحت نفسـي
ففي إحيائه عرض مصون	وأحييت القنـوع وكان ميتـ
علته مهانة وعـلاه هـون	إذا طمع يحل بقلـب عبـدٍ

Translation:

I killed my desires and freed myself,

For verily a person if he desires, becomes weak.

And I brought to life contentment and it was dead,

And in its resurrection there was protection for my affairs.

If desire is found in the heart of a person,

Then humiliation and weakness shall be upon him.

Explanation:

Man is inherently designed to follow some set of commands, be it divine commands, the commands of another person, or the commands of the desires. But if we manage to control our desires and do not follow their urgings then we have freed ourselves from the Hellfire, from wasting our time, from slavery to our bodies, and we become much more strong-minded as people. The Companions of the Prophet were from amongst the most strongest-minded people to have ever lived as they were the ones who had almost entirely defeated their desires. They would sleep little in order to worship Allah at night; they would eat little and fast in order to attain piety and not become unhealthy and abuse the body Allah had given them; they would fight with their lives for the sake of Allah; and they would strive with their minds to learn knowledge and to teach others. Their entire life was a struggle against their desires – as is ours – but they won their battle and ours is still being fought. As a rule of thumb, if your desires tell you do something, think twice about doing it, until you become absolutely sure it is allowed in Islam.

The word “Tama'” which has been translated as desires has negative connotations of taking from others, while “tamh” which also translates as desires, has positive connotations of wanting prosperity and striving without the detriment of others and it is not as lustful of wealth as “tama'” and is often used to describe the “desire for knowledge”.

Contentment is the main weapon against our desire for wealth and collecting possessions. And if we are content with what we have, then not only will Allah give blessing in what we have so that it becomes vast and plentiful for us, but also Allah has taken it upon himself to provide sustenance to his creation and therefore will guard our means of sustenance for us or provide us with other means, as he says in the verse:

“And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).3 And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.” (2-3:65)

All we have to do is rely on Allah after doing the best we can, and then Allah promises us that he will help us and bring us respite.

“Ird”, which has here been translated as ones “affairs” is another tricky word to translate as it literally means things related to ones person such as ones wife, property, and body; but it also means honour and dignity. So the Imam is saying that all these things will be protected because of the adoption of contentment.

The Imam concludes the poem by emphasising that acting according to ones desires will only lead one to do evil and despicable acts which will lead to disgrace and humiliation in this world and the hereafter; and this giving in to ones desires will only weaken ones self-resolve and one will become occupied with merely fulfilling ones base desires to the detriment of the greater and higher goals in life.

Why forgiving is better for us in the long term

2010-05-09T04:15:00.000-07:00

The noblest of characters

أرحت نفسي من هم العداوات	لما عفوت ولم أحقد على أحـد
لأدفع الشر عني بالتحيــات	إني أحيّي عدوي عند رؤيتـه
كما إن قد حشا قلبي محبـات	وأظهر البشر لإنسان أبغضـه
وفي اعتزالهم قطـع المودات	الناس داء ،وداء الناس قربهم

Translation:

When I forgave and envied none,

From the affliction of enmity did I set myself free.

Verily I greet my enemy when I see him,

To repel evil from myself with greetings.

And I express gladness to a person I am angry with,

As if my heart is full of love.

Humanity is an illness and its cure is propinquity,

And by forsaking them there comes an end to affections.

Explanation:

One finds that holding secret ill-thoughts about others derives from two things; either the person is an enemy who has angered us by an action of his, or he is someone we envy and wish to become like. The word “hasad”, which has been translated as “envy” here, carries connotations of wanting the property of the other to cease and that same property to be given to oneself. In other words envy here is not the average English meaning of the word “envy” where one desires the same property as another's, but of a more evil sort.

This occupation with negative thoughts about other people is something which is not only harmful to our own thought-process, as it instils negative thought-processes for all of our thoughts, but it also means we lose time and effort on things which can never benefit us. Instead of thinking bad about someone – perhaps wrongly – we could have assumed the best, or forgiven him, and kept our own mindset positive and uncluttered by a secret festering hatred for someone.

Islam teaches that one should find excuses for others and assume the best. We are instructed to find seventy excuses for our brother before we condemn him to a fault[1] but alas we almost always do the opposite and find seventy ways to condemn someone!

The Qur'an also makes this point emphatically through the ayah:

“And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give (any sort of help) to their kinsmen, the poor, and those who left their homes for Allah's Cause. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (22:24)

The exegesis behind this verse makes the point even more poignant and shows how much Islam ranks forgiveness of others. Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr and the wife of the Prophet, was accused of infidelity by a number of hypocrites in Madinah which caused great angst to Aisha, Abu Bakr's family, and the Prophet. From amongst the people spreading the rumour also happened to be a poor relative of Abu Bakr's whom Abu Bakr had been supporting financially. Naturally Abu Bakr grew extremely angry when he heard that this man, who was eating and drinking using the money Abu Bakr had given him, was going around slandering his daughter, and he stopped the man's stipend. When Abu Bakr did this, Allah sent down the above verse, and upon hearing this verse Abu Bakr not only reinstated that man's stipend, but he increased it to more than it was before!
And we are all sinners and were Allah to take us all to account for our sins then we would all be doomed as he says in the verse:

“And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving (living) creature on the surface of the earth; but He gives them respite to an appointed term: and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever All-Seer of His slaves.” (45:35)

In other words, we expect to be forgiven our mountainous amounts of sins and yet we cannot bring ourselves to forgive petty things that people do in everyday life around us.

Imam Shafii then goes on to advise that one should never be bad-mannered and visibly angry, even in front of someone who angers you or is your enemy. And indeed body-language research shows that there is a tendency for people to mirror the actions of those around them and to reciprocate in a like manner. So if we keep a happy exterior, then chances are people will interact with us positively.

The final verses advise us to keep in close contact with society so that we know how people function and so that we can start to judge them more accurately. If we were to stay away from them however, then we would lose the ability of social interaction and would suffer as a result when we need to interact. This can be clearly seen by the observation that salesmen, doctors, nurses, and other professionals who deal with people daily, possess much sharper social skills than desk-bound employees who have little to no customer interaction.

[1] From a saying of Jafar ibn Muhammad amongst other Muslim scholars

How to achieve contentment

2010-05-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

Contentment

فصرت بأذيالها ممتســك	رأيت القناعة رأس الغنى
ولا ذا يراني به منهمــك	فلا ذا يراني على بابـه
أمر على الناس شبه الملك	فصرت غنيا بلا درهـم

Translation:

I saw that contentment was the essence of wealth,

So I took firm hold of its robe-hem.

And you won’t see me at anyone’s door, and you won’t see me infatuated by anyone.

For I became rich without a dirham,

I walk amongst the people like a king.

Explanation:

The Arabic word that is used for “wealth” is actually more accurately translated as to “not be in need of” or “to be able to spare” or “to manage without”. And this really is the heart of wealth because money enables one to be self-sufficient and not have to rely on charity from others. And what Shafi’i is arguing is that if one is content with what one has and thus doesn’t ask for charity, then he is set free and has achieved the real wealth.

This person is also saved from any false ingratiating behaviour towards rich people which Shafi’i represents by the imagery of standing at someone’s door to beg.

Of course wealth gives a lot of confidence to the one it is bestowed upon because money makes most things possible. A rich man can walk down a street and know that he owns enough money to buy anything he can see. But a contented man feels exactly that same confidence and feeling of satisfaction because he doesn’t need any of those things. Of course the end result is the same. Neither rich man nor the poor contented man actually buy anything, but both share in the same satisfaction.

The characteristics of those who lead or become rich

2010-05-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

The definition of a jurist, a leader, and a rich man

ليس الفقيه بنطقه ومقالـه	إن الفقيـه هو الفقيـه بفعلـه
ليس الرئيس بقومه ورجاله	وكذا الرئيس هو الرئيس بخلقه
ليس الغني بملكه وبمالــه	وكذا الغني هو الغني بحالــه

Translation:

Verily the jurist is a jurist by his actions,

and no jurist is he by his words and sayings.

And likewise a leader is a leader by his character,

and no leader is he by his men or his nation.

And likewise the rich man is a rich man by his condition,

And no rich man is he by his wealth and possessions.

Explanation:

The jurist, someone like Imam Shafi’i himself, is not someone who says one thing and does another. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Do you enjoin the people with piety and forget yourselves while you read the book?” (44:2)

Hypocrisy between sayings and actions is a clear sign that one is not a true jurist and doesn’t have the fruit of knowledge - which is humility in front of Allah and his words. This can be seen from the Qur’anic verse “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving.” (35:28)

The ability to derive verdicts from a compilation of all the relevant knowledge is not something just anyone can do, and being a master jurist is truly a gift from Allah and not something one can become simply through hard study. For example, a person could learn many tomes of ahadith but, when asked for a verdict on a matter he knows all the texts for, he is unable to. This can be seen through a story of Imam Abu Hanifah. He was sat in his circle and a scholar from the circle narrated a hadith that the Imam didn’t have knowledge of. Shortly afterwards a person came and asked for a verdict from the scholar who had recited the hadith, but he was unable to answer. Imam Abu Hanifah however answered the man’s question, and when asked by the other scholar how he had derived the verdict, he said he had used the very hadith he had just heard from him! Because of his discernment he was able to use the hadith whereas the scholar who had narrated it wasn’t able to.

This discernment, this ability to summarise an argument, to be able to see the root of the problem, to make sound analogies, to make good decisions, and to keep the context in mind are all things needed to derive a good Islamic verdict, but are also all characteristics which mark out a person in his everyday life as well. This is what the Imam is getting at. He is once again arguing that the self (and anything that derives from it, such as actions) defines itself much better than what a person says.

The leader likewise is a leader not by the nation behind him or the men he has at his disposal, but by his comportment and his character. These include characteristics such as confidence, stature, strong presence, noble character, and the ability to inspire respect in others. A true leader will retain these characteristics whether he has a group of people behind him or not.

A leader has to earn the loyalty of his followers to be appointed leader in the first place, and this attraction to one’s character is the true essence of leadership, not the leadership per se. It is possible for a person to become a leader if he starts improving his own character and cultivating the characteristics that mankind love. And what are these characteristics? The Qur’an describes the best of leaders:

“ and were you harsh hearted …” (159: 3)

SubhanAllah! The man who’s name is mentioned by 1.5 billion devotees at least five times a day all around the world, won all that adoration just by his character. Indeed Aisha (rah) sums up the character of the Prophet by:

“His character was the Qur’an”. (Muslim)

The security and power felt by a leader with many men behind him, can be felt by anyone who truly espouses a Qur’anic character, for then he has Allah with him - better than any number of men.

Similarly a rich man is rich if he feels the fruits of wealth - contentment, security, tranquillity, and self-respect. This is the real wealth; an unhappy rich man is far poorer than a happy poor man in reality.

How to live a beneficial life.

2010-05-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Taking upon things that will benefit ones’ self:

تعش سالما والقول فيك جميـل	صن النفس واحملها على ما يزينهـا
نبا بك دهـرا أو جفـاك خليـل	ولا تـوليـن النـاس إلا تجـمــلا
عسى نكبات الدهـر عنك تزول	وإن ضاق رزق اليوم فاصبر إلى غد
إذا الريح مالت، مال حيث تميل	ولا خير في ود امــرئ متـلـون
ولكـنهم في النائبـات قليــل	وما أكثر الاخوان حيـن تعـدهــم

Translation:

Guard the soul and adorn it with thing that beautify,

For then you shall live wholesomely and will be well-mentioned.

And see society only for civility,

Even if afflictions hit you and your friends leave you.

And if the provision of today is straitened then be patient until tomorrow,

perchance there will cease to be long-standing sorrow.

and there is no good in the affection of a fickle person,

if the air bends then he bends as it bends.

And how many friends are there when you count them,

but how few were they in affliction.

Explanation:

This poem is a summary of a common theme that runs throughout the verses of Imam Shafi’i. The Imam exhorts mankind to look inwardly to solve our problems or to achieve our goals and desires. This can be seen in the previous poem on concealing a secret, as Imam Shafi’i, instead of addressing the person who spreads the secret, actually addresses the person who’s secret was spread. Initially this seems counterproductive until one realises that the actions of others are nearly always influenced by our own actions, and that if we manage to perfect ourselves and know how to behave in front of people, then we will be safe from the evils of the people. There is an Arab saying on this:

“Whomsoever learns the language of a people, is saved from their evil.”

Or, that we need to understand people and how they behave if we want to be free from their evil and want their praise. But before we can use this understanding, we need to understand ourselves and how we will use our understanding of others to influence our own behaviour.

Of course the praise or censure of mankind is but a fleeting thing and so, in the second verse, the Imam clarifies that one should not linger amongst society much, except that which is necessary to maintain a degree of civility, and to not even care if one’s friends become distant or if calamities befall one. This exhortation contradicts a poem that will come on later where the Imam encourages one to live with people if one wishes to understand them, but in reality this is not a contradiction at all, as the advices are for different sets of people and for different times. The first is for scholars and ascetics who choose to devote themselves to knowledge or worship, while the second is for those who wish to understand humanity. Indeed the Imam himself spent seventeen years living with the Bedouin tribe of Huzayl near the outskirts of Makkah and memorised ten thousand verses of poetry from their tribal folklore alone. This exposure was vital for him to gain the “farasah” or insight, and the ability to read the facial signs and body language of people. And yet at other times during his life he was extremely dedicated to gaining knowledge and memorised the entire Muatta of Imam Malik in just nine days.

Perhaps the most powerful advice is in the next verse. The Imam (who was an orphan and came from a relatively poor background) advises us that if the provision or sustenance of today is little or not to be found, then we should not become despondent, but rather should wait until the morrow perchance the straitening of the provisions of today are resolved tomorrow along with other calamities that might be hanging over you. This optimism is something a Muslim should always espouse within himself, and is indeed one of the things that beautifies the self, as the first verses of this poem advise.

But this optimism should of course be rooted upon something, and for a Muslim that is the firm belief that everything has already been decreed by Allah and that he takes it into his own responsibility to provide us sustenance. What is demanded of us by Allah is not to worry about our sustenance, but rather to be patient with the trial of poverty.[1]

The man who is nice one day and ill-tempered another is a man who vacillates in his emotions far too much and is, as shown by the verse “if the air bends then he bends as it bends”, too influenced by external influences. The Imam is once again advising us to become self-sufficient in our decision making and to arm ourselves with weapons that will make us capable of making these decisions for ourselves. This metaphor of “defence” of the soul is seen in the very first verse of the poem when the Imam says “Guard the soul and adorn it with thing that beautify”. The “Guard the soul” is an objective that can only be completed by the second part of the verse “and adorn it with thing that beautify”.

The poem finishes with a warning that friends are fickle and the true friends are only those who stay with you during times of hardship, and that the true measure of friendship is not by counting those who claim to be your friends but by looking at those who come to your aid in times of need.

The Imam advises us to arm our souls with four things in this poem: Not lingering with society more than necessary, being patient, being self sufficient and constant in our decision making, and finally, knowing that the true friends are only those who come to ones aid in times of need.

[1] poverty and wealth are both trials as seen by Qur‘an (134:2) and (40:27)

The purpose the Shafii Poetry Blog

2010-05-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Bismillah arahman araheem,

Recently I translated the divan of Imam Shafii from Arabic into English and I really found it a beneficial text for myself. Through this blog I hope to share it with the world. I'm currently editing the translation and adding the Arabic text to the English translation as well as adding brief explanatory notes wherever I think necessary.

I'll put up a poem and a translation and an explanation as often as I can - hopefully daily - so please subscribe to this blog and keep in touch!

The poems are all packed full of wisdom and benefit and hopefully some of that should trickle into our lives too.

Anyway, here is the very first poem:

Diwan al-Shafi’i

A translation and exegesis

Chapter 1: Good Character

Concealing a secret

ولام عليه غـيـره فهو أحمــق	إذا المرء أفشى سره بلسانـه
فصدْرُ الذي يستودع السر أضيق	إذا ضاق المرء عن سر نفسه

Translation:

If a man spreads his secret by his own tongue,

And blames another then he is a fool.

If a man’s chest is straitened by his own secret,

Then the chest of the entrusted will be even narrower.

Explanation:

If a man has a secret and discloses it to those he has no need to disclose it to, and who then spread the entrusted information, then it is the mans own fault that the secret got out and he should not blame anyone else for it.

The reason for this is because if the man himself, the person who most wants to keep the secret concealed, could not prevent himself from disclosing his secret due to the burden of it on his chest, then surely he should not expect someone else, who does not have any interest in keeping the secret concealed, to desist from disclosing it too.

Imam Shafi’i is advising one to keep his own counsel in matters that directly relate to him. Of course this doesn’t mean forgoing from advice from relevant people, but it means that one must not tell people more than they need to know. This is a principle taught again and again by the Qur’an and the Seerah (biography) of the Prophet (PBUH). In the Qur’an Allah (swt) says:

“And we said “Oh Adam, live you and your wife in Paradise and eat from it comfortably whatever you please; and do not approach this tree lest you become from the wrongdoers.”” (2:35)

Allah (swt) specifically doesn’t mention the type of tree that Adam was forbidden from eating from as it is of no relevance to the point he is trying to make. This information falls into the category of “ilm la yanfa’”, or “knowledge that doesn’t benefit“.

An example of this from the life of the Prophet is the famous hadith of Muadh, where the Prophet disclosed to Muadh that anyone who says the testimony of faith will go to paradise. However the Prophet insisted that Muadh keep the information secret lest the people become complacent.[1] But conversely, the Prophet openly gave glad tidings of Paradise to ten of the Companions[2] as he knew that these ten would not become complacent[3] and that the Muslims would need a pecking order once he left, as well as know who to trust.

It is also an established point of fiqh that concealment of ones sins is obligatory on every Muslim. This is firstly so that the sin does not spread throughout society, secondly, so that the person’s reputation and integrity remains intact[4], and thirdly, so that the person’s sense of doing wrong remains alive and so that he is ashamed of the sin and strives to leave it.

These verses do not mean that the one who spreads the secrets entrusted to him is blameless, for that is clearly not the case, rather, the advice is aimed at the person who has a secret.

We should try and make ourselves from amongst those who do not speak more than is necessary about ourselves, and stay away from sins that force us to have more secrets and guilt in our heart than we can bear.

[1] Muadh revealed this hadith on his deathbed, citing that the Prophet had also forbidden the concealment of knowledge and that he did not want to fall into that sin. (Bukhari book 3 hadith 130)

[2] These were: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali bin Abi talib, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Saeed ibn Zaid, Sa’d ibn muadh, Muadh bin Jabl, Talha, and Zubair bin awam

[3] There is a beautiful example in the form of Umar, when, despite knowing he was amongst the ten chosen ones, he still asked Hudaifah bin al Yaman (the one entrusted with the secret list of all the hypocrites by the Prophet before his death) whether or not he was in that list. A man such as that could never become complacent.

[4] Clearly there are exceptions to this, for example in a legal situation, or if one is going to seek medical or psychological help to cure oneself from the sin, in which situations he will have to admit to his sin if it is relevant.