It is the Proximity to Allah swt that matter in the end

It is the Proximity to Allah swt that matter in the end

To senior students, his words are more thought provoking.  One of his students recalls, “I remember once when I was accompanying him from his house to the mosque where he led the prayers.   

Ayt Behjat turned to me and asked:  “A student starts with “muqaddamat” (introductory lessons) and then studies the “ma’alim” and “mughni” and then where does he go next?”  I said, “lum’ah”.  He asked, “then what?”  I said, “makasib”.  He asked, “then what?”  I said, “kifayah”.  He asked, “then what?”  I said, “Dars al-kharij”.  He asked, “then what?”  I said, “He attains ijtihad”.  Once again, he asked, “then what?”

The student continues, “This was a great lesson to me. I realised that knowledge itself was not the goal; it was only the means (to achieve the goal) i.e. to gain the proximity of Allah swt.  If at every one of these successive stages, the student did not achieve even a little more proximity to Allah swt, then he has not progressed much at all.”

Getting the Seal of Approval of Imam al-Asr (ATFS)

Getting the Seal of Approval of Imam al-Asr (ATFS)

Ayt Behjat once advised the students of hawza: “We students should constantly be thinking about how we can earn the seal of approval of our master, the Wali al-Asr (AF). 

All students, whether junior or graduates or preachers, should be concerned about how they learn their lessons, what should their attitude be and how they should conduct themselves.

They should continually ask themselves if their attitude, conduct, speech and actions would please their master when they are presented to him and would he approve of them. 

Ayt. Behjat says that: “If this thought is always at the back of our minds, we will never stray in our conduct, speech or deeds.”

Not Considering one’s own Virtuous Deeds as ‘Significant’

Not Considering one’s own Virtuous Deeds as ‘Significant’

Ustad Khusrushahi relates: Ayt. Behjat always considers the virtuous deeds and the worship that he performs as insufficient.

He often says, “How good it would be that when a person performs virtuous deeds and acts of worship, he says to himself, “I have done nothing great”, but when he sees the virtuous acts of others, he admires them, thinking, “what a noble deed they have performed.”

The Ustad concludes, “In other words, his advice is to consider one’s own virtuous acts as insignificant, while regarding highly the good deeds of others.”

Reference:- “Bargi az Daftar-e Aftaab”, A Leaf from the Book of Radiance

so-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#00007F; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'> is al-dhikr-al-khafi (secret dhikr); i.e. it can be constantly repeated without anyone else being aware of what you are doing, because this dhikr can be pronounced without even moving the lips, unlike other dhikrs like “Subhanallah” or Alhamdulillah”!

Being in a state of Constant Dhikr

Being in a State of Constant Dhikr

Ayt. Behjat often advises his students to inculcate the habit of being da’im al-dhikr, i.e. remaining in constant remembrance of Allah swt.  He has said, “Someone who is constantly in dhikr, will always perceive himself in the presence of Allah swt and will be continuously communicating with Him.”

For those who want to combat waswasa, (constant suspicion of the motives of others), he recommends highly to continually recite the “tahlil”, which is the dhikr, “La Ilaha Illallah”.

Another great contemporary scholar, Ayt. Hasan Hasanzadeh Amuli has remarked that tahlil is al-dhikr-al-khafi (secret dhikr); i.e. it can be constantly repeated without anyone else being aware of what you are doing, because this dhikr can be pronounced without even moving the lips, unlike other dhikrs like “Subhanallah” or Alhamdulillah”!