When a person ponders over the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ and he recognises that there is no contradiction, that there is nothing problematic and that it is not possible for anything contradictory or problematic to appear except as a result of his own intellect or due to a sin he committed or an unlawful gaze for which he is afflicted with difficulty in his understanding of the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. So when he repents and asks for forgiveness, that difficulty will be removed and the issue will become clear. So rust covers his heart and he is prevented from understanding the verse. Due to the enormity of his sin, the rust gets worse or it lightens So a person who’s sin is small or he commits something Makrooh (legally disliked) or Khilaf Al-Awlaa (lower than disliked), his difficulty becomes light and is easier to remove it. And the person who commits one of the major sins or indecency then the darkness obscuring his understanding of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ becomes great and weakens his understanding. This includes the light of insight and you know that the pious person has enlightened insight through his worship. There was a time when Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, wanted to understand the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. For a long period he remained in remembrance of Allah and he cut off from people. He did not speak to anyone. Then he said, “O Teacher of Dawood, teach me. O Giver of understanding to Sulaymaan, grant me understanding.” Then the difficulties were removed.
The one who engages in sins, a great darkness will surely cover his heart and he will be like the one who looks through black glasses. Everything he looks at will seem dark to him. We can take that as an example of his relationship with Allah and with people. His relationship with Allah will be covered in darkness so he is prevented from becoming close and familiar with Allah. His relationship with people is covered in doubts as Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi says, “When the deeds of a person become evil, his assumptions do too, he begins to affirm what he is accustomed to from his delusions, he makes enemies of his friends through his hostile words, he goes out in the morning doubtful if it is the depth of the night”.
So whoever wants to be endowed with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, he must illuminate his insight with the remembrance of Allah, “Only through the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace”. He must become one of the pious, from those who remember Allah profusely. He must spend time alone with Allah, the Exalted, remembering him such that his eyes flow with tears. He must become from those who are familiar with Allah, the most High. You know the saying of Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, in Sayd Al-Khatir (name of book), “The people tested the most are those veiled from Allah, the Exalted. And the people tested the most from those who are veiled from Allah are those who do not realise that they are veiled. They stumble, yet they don’t realise that they are veiled from Him.”
Therefore, the one who does not recite his daily litany of recitation of Qur’an and is not attached to it, nor is he attached to the Sunnah nor does he read it. How can he expect his insight to be illuminated or understand what others do not? And how will he be able to say what Ahmad Ibn Sulayman Al-Ma’arri said, “Even if I am the last of my era, I would be able to bring forth what those who came before were unable to.” It wouldn’t be possible for him to say that because there is an obstacle between him and his target. And it is blocking him like a large barricade or rocks that he is unable to remove. Therefore, the one who is considering illuminating his insight must take care to turn to Allah and be cautious. The one who excessively indulges in permissible pleasures, his enlightenment will lessen with regards to understanding the Book of Allah at this level.
We will mention the Hadith of Abu Talhah that the day the Prophet of Allah’s ﷺ daughter passed away, he left for her Janazah. When they dug the grave for her, he ﷺ asked, “Has anyone of you argued in the night?”. Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, I said, “Me”. So he ﷺ said, “go down into her grave.” We understand from this Hadith something amazing. And it is that whoever argues with his womenfolk or children in bed, his insight becomes dull even though there is no doubt that it is permissible. And the illumination of his insight increases whenever he cuts off from people. From engaging in his desires even if they are permissible. And the evidence for this is what is established in Sahih Muslim that a man from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ said to him, “We are with you the way you see, but when we leave you, we are different with our women and children at home.” So he ﷺ said, “If you remained the way you are with me at all times, the angels would shake your hands on the streets but time should be devoted to both affairs.” If the student of knowledge wants to be from amongst those whom the angels shake their hands in the streets, then it is necessary for them to be alone and turn to Allah, remember Allah profusely and to cut off from pleasures because they cause one to slip even if they are permissible. So the person should be frugal with it (pleasures), and limit oneself to fulfilling the necessary rights or close to that. And endeavour to minimise whatever he is able to. And to be particular regarding the times of consideration and contemplation. And the times of accountability.
It is necessary for a person to hold himself accountable for his daily litanies. So it is necessary that he is persistent in doing that. And these are from the practices which are necessary with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ. Like that he should have a commitment. The Qur’an is beloved, and with the beloved, it is necessary for a person to be persistent in meeting whenever you enter into the morning or evening depending how much love has cultivated in the lovers heart. And when the period lengthens, love diminishes. As Ghaylaan said, “Some desires, through separation, are forgotten then extinguished, yet my love for you is strengthened and grown. The desires of the hearts change, yet I don’t see your share in my heart given to anyone else. Some desires, through separation are forgotten then extinguished, yet your love for me is strengthened and grown.” So it is necessary that people have love for the Book of Allah and Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ in their heart whenever you enter into the morning or night. When you awaken, the first beloved face one should look at, should be the pages of the Book of Allah. And before one sleeps, the last beloved face one should look at should be the Book of Allah. At the time of ‘Ikramah ibn Abi Jahl’s, may Allah be pleased with Him, death, he placed the Quran on his cheek and he said, “The words of my Lord, and the Book of my Lord” out of love for the Qur’an. Whoever likes for himself this level of love then surely light will pass through his heart. And divine guidance will surely conquer it and he will be given ‘ilm al-ladunni (a special type of knowledge) from Allah which is hidden from others.