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An Introduction by Shaykh Sulayman Van Ael
Travelling to Allah is one of the most beautiful and astonishing journeys one will ever go on during this life – and the next -. Ever since I embraced Islam 27 years ago my quest has been to find a structured path towards the Divine; one of transformative knowledge. A compass as it were directing the traveller in God’s direction.
27 years later I (Shaykh Sulayman Van Ael) present to you: the compass or at least a part of it. It has been designed in light of my model: Know-Implement-Transform-And-Become: K_I_T_A_B-Model®/™. I found knowledge to be too often limited to nothing more than adding to the cultural baggage we already have and found people who know very often to be the ones who do less than people with more knowledge – myself included -.
First step: Intention
It is not without reason or wisdom that Allah revealed mainly verses related to the Hereafter, the soul, the Creator, social behavior and spirituality at the very beginning. One cannot build his-her religion on crooked wants and mixed intentions. Exactly as is the case with many sciences today, the knowledge about ikhlas – the fiqh of pure intentions – is too superficial and its importance underestimated.
Religion and good deeds stand or fall with Ikhlas or the absence of it. The intention is the core of our deeds, without it we are bodies without souls. But the intention is invisible to the eye and too often we are betrayed by our ego’s and wrong impressions of ourselves or by ignorance about the intention and its reality.
Because of the importance of a pure intention and the many challenges on the detailed path of acquiring sincerity I have decided to teach the art of intention. I will teach this from the summary of the first book ever to be written about Ikhlas, as early as the third century! Imam al Harith al Muhasibi wrote an amazing oeuvre which he titled: “Ar Ri’aya li huquqillah.” (observing Allah’s rights). A masterpiece indeed. His works were so innovative and inspiring that al Makki Abi Talib based his well-known book: “Qutul qulub” on his writings, followed by Imam al Ghazali.
The great imam al ‘Izz bin ‘Abdissalam summarized al Harith’s Ri’aya and named it Maqasid ar-Ri’aya. Al ‘Izz’s student – al Qadhi Hibatullah al Barizi - on his turn summarized the work of his Shaykh al ‘Izz bin ‘Abdissalam and called it: ad-Diraya li ahkam ar-ri’aya. This book did not find the light of printed works until Allah allowed me to decipher this work meticulously. I then translated it into Dutch – which was printed – and then into English; with the help of a lovely and dedicated team of editors, whom I ask Allah to reward for their enormous effort and patience.
On www.imamvanael.com you will find more details of the manuscript and the three grand mashayikh.
May Allah make this beneficial Amin.
#imamvanael #intentions #karima
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