Someone once asked Hadhrat Shafeeq bin Ibraheem رحمه الله, "People call me a pious person. How can piety be recognized?"
The reply was, "It can be recognized by three factors. These are:
1. Explain your inner condition to the pious people. If they are satisfied, then you are pious, otherwise not.
2. Offer the world to your heart. If it refuses the world then you are pious, otherwise not.
3. Offer death to yourself. If you are pleased with it, then you are pious, otherwise not.
If a person has these three qualities, he should thank Allah سبحانه و تعالى and display humility. He should then never allow ostentation to infect his actions, for this will pour water over all that he does."
[Taken from 'Tambih-ul-Ghafileen' by Faqih Abu Lais Samarqandi رحمه الله]
1. Guarding the tongue from backbiting due to the saying of the Most High: "Do not backbite one another." [49:12]
2. Shunning suspicion due to the saying of the Most High:
"Avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin." [49:12]
And also due to the saying of the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam,
"Avoid suspicion, for airing suspicion is the most lying form of speech." [Musnad Ahmad]
3. Shunning mockery due to the saying of the Most High:
"Let not a people ridicule another people; perhaps they may be better than them." [49:11]
4. Lowering gaze from forbidden things due to the saying of the Most High:
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze." [24:30]
5. Truthfulness of the tongue due to the saying of the Most High:
"And when you speak, be just." [6:152]
6. Recognizing the blessings of Allah the Most High upon oneself in order to avoid conceitedness due to the saying of the Most High:
"Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful." [49:17]
7. Spending one's wealth on good rather than bad things, due to the saying of the most High:
"And those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly." [25:67] Meaning, they do not spend on sinfulness and do not prevent obedience, "but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate." [25:67]
8. Not seeking haughtiness and pride for oneself, due to the saying of the Most High:
"That home of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption." [28:83]
9. Maintaining with care the five prayers on time, with proper bowing and prostration, due to the saying of the Most High:
"Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle [`asr] prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient." [2:238]
10.Steadfastness upon the way of Sunnah and Jama`ah, due to the saying of the Most High: "And, this is My Path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous." [6:153]
I think if one starts to think he's pious then he's not really pious at all. Yes work towards it but don't start thinking you're there now and that's it so can take it easy now.
If men like Umar رضي الله عنه can think of themselves as Munafiqs and then be concerned about it, then who are me and you or any other ?
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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