The Relief of the Heart and Body lies in the Obedience of Allah

[bamalli]

The Relief of the Heart and Body Lies in the Obedience to Allah

By Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

It is what the heart attains of tranquillity and satisfaction at the
onset of the calamity and the removal of unrest, confusion and
despair. Therefore the servant surrenders and submits himself before
his Lord and Master and he emerges in a state of complete rest and
tranquility - looking on at Him with his heart, and his soul at
peace. His witnessing His Kindness has distracted him from the
severity of the situation.

The servant continuously finds himself altering between the laws of
commandments and the laws of decree. Therefore he is perpetually in
need of aid to fulfil the commandments and in need of kindness and
leniency at the onset of the calamity.

In this lies a great secret from the secrets of Tawheed. This is
that the heart cannot become firm, it cannot find satisfaction and it
cannot find tranquility except by reaching out to Him. Everything
that is loved and desired besides Him then it must be desired for
other than His sake. The One Who is desired, the One Who is beloved
in and of Himself, with Whom all matters find their final goal is
only one. It is impossible that the final goal be to two destinations
just as it is impossible that the beginning of the creation be from
two sources.

So the one whose love, desire, will and obedience ends at other than
Him then it will be rendered null and void, it will disappear and
split off from him no matter how great his need be of it. However the
one whose love, desire, will, obedience, awe and reverential fear
ends at Him, far removed is He from imperfection, will find himself
winning His favours, bliss and rapture, magnificence and splendour,
and felicity for eternity.

The servant continuously finds himself altering between the laws of
commandments and the laws of decree. Therefore he is perpetually in
need of aid to fulfil the commandments and in need of kindness and
leniency at the onset of the calamity. It is the extent to which he
establishes the obligations that determine how much kindness the
servant will receive at the onset of the calamity. Therefore if he
completes his obligations both inwardly and outwardly then he will
attain kindness and leniency both inwardly and outwardly. If,
however, he merely establishes the outward form [of the commandments]
without establishing their reality [inwardly] then he will receive an
outward kindness and his portion of inward kindness will [greatly]
diminish.

So if it is asked: what is this inward kindness?

[I say in reply:] It is what the heart attains of tranquility and
satisfaction at the onset of the calamity and the removal of unrest,
confusion and despair. Therefore the servant surrenders and submits
himself before his Lord and Master and he emerges in a state of
complete rest and tranquility - looking on at Him with his heart, and
his soul at peace. His witnessing His Kindness has distracted him
from the severity of the situation. His knowledge of Allaah's
excellent choice and decision for him diverts him from feeling the
calamity just as does his knowledge that he is nothing but a mere
servant upon whom the decrees of his Master take effect, and he can
either be pleased with them or angry with them. So if he is pleased
then he will attain Pleasure and if he is displeased then his portion
is nothing save Displeasure. Therefore this inward kindness is the
fruit of this inward action [of being pleased with the decree of
Allaah], it increases with its increase and decreases with its
decrease.