Returning to God

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قِلَّةُ التَّوْفِيقِ وَفَسَادُ الرَّأْيِ وَخَفَاءُ الْحَقِّ وَفَسَادُ الْقَلْبِ

Lack of success, distortion of opinion, obscurity of truth, and corruption of the heart.

وَخُمُولُ الذِّكْرِ وَإِضَاعَةُ الْوَقْتِ وَنَفْرَةُ الْخَلْقِ

Fading of reputation, waste of time, and people's aversion.

وَالْوَحْشَةُ بَيْنَ الْعَبْدِ وَبَيْنَ رَبِّهِ

And estrangement between the servant and their Lord.

وَمَنْعُ إِجَابَةِ الدُّعَاءِ وَقَسْوَةُ الْقَلْبِ

And the blocking of answered prayers and hardness of the heart.

وَمَحْقُ الْبَرَكَةِ فِي الرِّزْقِ وَالْعُمْرِ وَحِرْمَانُ الْعِلْمِ

And the removal of blessings in sustenance and lifespan, and deprivation of knowledge.

وَلِبَاسُ الذُّلِّ وَإِهَانَةُ الْعَدُوِّ وَضِيقُ الصَّدْرِ

And the clothing of humiliation, the enemy's scorn, and tightness of the chest.

وَالِابْتِلَاءُ بِقُرَنَاءِ السُّوءِ الَّذِينَ يُفْسِدُونَ الْقَلْبَ وَيُضَيِّعُونَ الْوَقْتَ

And the trial of bad companions who corrupt the heart and waste time.

وَطُولُ الْهَمِّ وَالْغَمِّ وَضَنْكِ الْمَعِيشَةِ وَكَسَفِ الْبَالِ

And prolonged anxiety, sorrow, harshness of living, and worry of the mind.

تَتَوَلَّدُ مِنَ الْمَعْصِيَةِ وَالْغَفْلَةِ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ

They arise from sin and neglect of the remembrance of Allah.

كَمَا يَتَوَلَّدُ الزَّرْعُ عَنِ الْمَاءِ وَالْإِحْرَاقُ عَنِ النَّارِ

Just as crops arise from water and burning from fire.

وَأَضْدَادُ هَذِهِ تَتَوَلَّدُ عَنِ الطَّاعَةِ

And the opposites of these arise from obedience.

طُوبَى لِمَنْ أَنْصَفَ رَبَّهُ

Blessed is the one who is fair with his Lord.

فَأَقَرَّ لَهُ بِالْجَهْلِ فِي عِلْمِهِ وَالْآفَاتِ فِي عَمَلِهِ وَالْعُيُوبِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَالتَّفْرِيطِ فِي حَقِّهِ وَالظُّلْمِ فِي مُعَامَلَتِهِ

So he acknowledges his ignorance in his knowledge, the flaws in his actions, the defects in his self, his negligence in his duty, and the injustice in his dealings.

فَإِنْ آخَذَهُ بِذُنُوبِهِ رَأَى عَدْلَهُ

So if He takes him to account for his sins, he sees His justice,

وَإِنْ لَمْ يُؤَاخِذْهُ بِهَا رَأَى فَضْلَهُ

And if He does not take him to account for it, he sees His grace.

وَإِنْ عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً رَآهَا مِنْ مَنَّتِهِ وَصَدَقَتِهِ عَلَيْهِ

And if he performs a good deed, he sees it as from His favor and charity upon him,

فَإِنْ قَبِلَهَا فَمِنَّةٌ وَصَدَقَةٌ ثَانِيَةٌ

So if He accepts it, it is a further favor and charity,

وَإِنْ رَدَّهَا فَلِكَوْنِ مِثْلِهَا لَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُوَاجَهَ بِهِ

And if He rejects it, it is because something like it is not fit to be presented to Him.

وَإِنْ عَمِلَ سَيِّئَةً رَآهَا مِنْ تَخَلِّيِهِ عَنْهُ وَخِذْلَانِهِ لَهُ

And if he commits a bad deed, he sees it as resulting from His abandonment of him and His forsaking him,

وَذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَدْلِهِ فِيهِ

And that is from His justice upon him.

فَيَرَى فِي ذَٰلِكَ فَقْرَهُ إِلَى رَبِّهِ وَظُلْمَهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ

Thus, he sees in that his need for his Lord, and his injustice to himself.

فَإِنْ غَفَرَهَا لَهُ فَبِمَحْضِ إِحْسَانِهِ وَكَرَمِهِ

So if He forgives it for him, it is by His pure kindness and generosity.

وَنُكْتَةُ الْمَسْأَلَةِ أَنَّهُ لَا يَرَى رَبَّهُ إِلَّا مُحْسِنًا وَلَا يَرَى نَفْسَهُ إِلَّا مُسِيئًا

And the essence of the matter is that he sees his Lord as nothing but good, and himself as nothing but wrong.

فَيَرَى كُلَّ مَا يَسُرُّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَكُلَّ مَا يَسُوءُهُ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ وَعَدْلِ اللَّهِ فِيهِ

Thus, he sees everything that pleases him as from the grace of Allah, and everything that displeases him as from his sins and the justice of Allah upon him.