Chapter on What Harms the Seeker in Supererogatory Acts
He leaves the acquisition of livelihood for his family, his children, and his parents, and he abandons what God, Exalted and Glorious, has made obligatory upon them to convey — while acquisition is possible for him — so they go hungry and become destitute. By this he intends tawakkul (trust in God) upon God, Exalted and Glorious, out of error and ignorance, and he seeks virtue by abandoning what is more rightful for him. His parents may become angry with him for that, «yet he does not care about their displeasure, and he neglects» their contentment and their guardianship, while that is more rightful for him and closer to him from his Lord, Exalted and Glorious.
Chapter on What May Be Detrimental to the Aspirant Regarding Supererogatory Acts Without Neglecting the Obligatory
I said: Is one also to be wary regarding supererogatory acts without neglecting the obligatory? Is this also an error?
He said: Yes, except that your error in supererogatory acts does not lead you to sin; however, you are cheated and diminished.
I said: I have no dispensation from knowing this, so explain it to me.
He said: The aspirant may also be deceived in the door of what is supererogatory, and the enemy causes him to slip. That is the despair of the soul regarding virtue, so the soul finds rest in what lies between them, or the enemy causes him to slip regarding the virtue of what lies between them out of envious rivalry with him over virtue.
And two matters may present themselves to him: one of them is more meritorious than the other, their time is the same, and the enemy causes him to slip and diverts him from the more meritorious to the lesser. Such as visiting a sick brother and visiting a healthy brother — both equal in love, obedience, and devotion — and he begins with the visit and leaves the sick-visit, while the sick-visit is more meritorious because it is an increase: both a visit and a sick-visit. Or like a brother who is self-sufficient and has sustenance, while another is in need, and he begins with the self-sufficient one and leaves the one in need. Or like visiting two brothers: one of them is more beneficial to him in his religion, while the other is of less benefit, even though he may
The nafs (self) diverts him from his intention, and the enemy diverts him from benefit out of envy toward him, so that he remains with it in hunger altogether, out of fear that he might benefit from what diminishes his pleasures, and that it forces him upon what is burdensome to the self, and in which there is merit.
Likewise, inviting wealthy brothers to varieties of foods — he intends by that not the reward and maintaining ties with poor brothers, but rather places what he spends on the wealthy among them — while it would be more fitting for him to place it among the poor, and that would be better for him.
Similarly with the funeral of the wealthy and the poor: he prefers to go with the funeral of the wealthy on account of past favors, wanting to repay the worldly favors through acts of obedience, and he considers that to be [appropriate].
[damaged]
Let him come to the poor person's [funeral] if he was a closer neighbor, or was more virtuous in religion, or there is no one else with her [the funeral] to attend to it. And perhaps he preferred going with the funeral of the wealthy person, after knowing that the poor person's [funeral] was more meritorious, due to the influence of his caprice. He has thereby neglected what was more fitting for him — and more urging for him toward the deed — in accordance with what he had committed to.
It may happen that two gatherings are presented to him with two speakers: one of them narrating hadith that is more beneficial for his religion, and attending it is safer from plunging into falsehood; yet he goes to the one that is less beneficial and less safe for him, while what is more fitting for him is to seek benefit and safety.
Likewise: seeking a hadith whose chain of transmission has become famous through several channels, while a funeral presents itself to him, or visiting a sick person, or going to attend to the need of a distressed or afflicted brother, or a weak stranger — and he goes to the hadith, considering that his going to that hadith is more meritorious, while what is more fitting for him is attending the funeral, or visiting the sick person, or visiting a brother from whom he may benefit something of goodness, or aiding the distressed. For he is only seeking these qualities for the sake of acting upon them; so if he abandons them, then to what end does he put the knowledge to use? He is not going to a hadith of which he is ignorant, or which he has heard only once or twice or [several] times, unless there would be an increase of general knowledge in it.
his guidance. If he would benefit from his going [to seek knowledge], and [the teacher] would dissuade him from a bad thing, and he feared missing it, then let him go at that time, for going to the scholar is more virtuous.
Leaving the Pursuit of the Scholar Regarding That of Which One Is Ignorant
It may happen that a matter of hadith (prophetic tradition) arises regarding which one is ignorant and which one needs — whether an obligatory duty one must fulfill, or a forbidden thing of which one is ignorant, or a sunna (prophetic practice), or some good by which one would benefit in what remains of one's life — yet there presents itself to him conversation with the brethren, and sitting in the mosque, or an increase of closeness [to others] where he does not fear being in difficulty if he leaves visiting them, since he did not make it lengthy. So he abandons the hadith and goes to all of that, saying: "Yes, we shall act upon it," and saying: "The sweetness of hadith has already passed." This is heedlessness and delusion — that one feigns ignorance of what one does not know and of that which pertains to the performance of His obligations, and deprives oneself of the commands of God, exalted and majestic, and the sunna (practice) of His Prophet.
Likewise, prayer presents itself to him in two situations. One of them: the nafs (soul) distracts itself by looking and listening to speech that is occurring therein. And the other: wherein the limbs become still, and diversion ceases therein, and the qalb (heart) becomes free , and comprehension increases from it. Then the nafs and the enemy divert him from that to what is lighter, so he prays where he is distracted and becomes heedless — either by an error in which he considers that place to be more virtuous, or he follows his caprice.
Chapter on What Presents Itself to the Soul of Familiar Temptations Regarding Fasting
It may be that one has already become accustomed to fasting, and it has not weakened him with a weakness that would cut him off from righteousness, yet the nafs and the enemy make him imagine that breaking the fast is more virtuous for him — so that he may have strength to help the weak and the brethren, or [damaged]
The one who is strong enough to fast but fasting does not benefit him except with a morsel or a gulp that would constitute breaking the fast. And likewise he fasts and becomes weak, so he is cut off from attending the funeral, from seeking knowledge, from visiting the sick, or from the prayer, and he can scarcely perform any act of righteousness (birr) during the day. In that case, breaking the fast is more fitting for him — unless it be that he is already cut off from some of these things and still performs others. In that case, fasting is then more fitting for him, because the fasting person is no less [in merit] than one who does not fast. And he may also be cut off from the like of those same things while not fasting, so breaking the fast is a deception — unless what he would be cut off from by fasting is more meritorious than the fast itself, and he would not be cut off from its like if he broke the fast.
And it may happen that two meritorious acts present themselves to him: one of them has a time that will pass, and the other's time will not pass. The nafs (the self) may have become vexed by performing one of them, so that one should begin with it, whatever it may be. And performing the other one afterward — the self and the enemy [i.e., Satan] seek to have him perform what whose time will not pass over what whose time will pass, such as a funeral that presents itself, or visiting a sick person for whom — according to the outward course of habit — one does not fear a hastening of death. Likewise the gathering of knowledge from which one cannot do without. And sitting for remembrance (dhikr) and conversation with brothers whose meeting will not be missed whenever he wishes — so he leaves the gathering and sits with them.
Likewise, going early to the Friday prayer, and visiting a brother whose visit will not be missed, or visiting a sick person for whom one does not fear death, and it is possible for him to come to him after the Friday prayer. But if he fears that death may overtake him, or if it is not possible for him to come to him after the Friday prayer, then visiting him is more meritorious — if he is a brother or a neighbor whose right is binding upon him. Otherwise, he should not leave going early to the Friday prayer, because that would cause him to miss it until the next Friday, if he lives.
Or like sitting in the mosque until the sun rises. And a visit or a sick-call may present itself to him whose time will not pass. So he begins with the visit and the sick-call and leaves the sitting whose time will pass. And it may be possible for him, after the rising of the sun, to visit and to call on the sick. Unless he has an occupation after the rising of the sun that is more fitting for him, so that he has no free time for that. Let him then consider the one he visits and the one he calls upon in terms of merit and benefit.