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What is Meant by dinul-Islam?

Excerpts from this discourse by Bawa Muhaiyaddeen were printed in The Resonance of Allah.

Questioner: What is meant by dïnul-Isläm?

M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen: Dïnul-Isläm is the perfect purity that fills both this world (dunyä) and the hereafter (äkhirah). It is the absolute certitude of faith known as ïmän, the steadfastness of worship, the compassion of Alläh, the qualities of Alläh, the truth of the prophets, the pure, untainted benign gaze of the sincerity (ikhläs) of the saints (auliyä'), the beauty of patience, and the justice that never fails to heed the conscience. It is to accept, within the innermost heart, the Thiru Qur'än of truth as the Truth; to discard that which is evil from all that is heard by the ears and to take (through the ear) the good word into the innermost heart and enjoy it there; to eliminate the entrancing, illusory sights seen with our eyes and instead to see with the sight of Alläh's grace; and to relish and take in the exquisite fragrance of Alläh, the fragrance of His prophets, and the musk-like fragrance of the qalb of Muhammad (SAL.).

It is to relish only the sayings of the prophets of Alläh and the sweet taste of the Qur'än and to exclude all other tastes relished by the tongue; it is to see that every word spoken by the tongue melts in constant remembrance of and reflection upon the divine sayings of Alläh; it is to be forever chewing and chewing the sound of the resplendence of the grace of Alläh, which is ten times more richly matured than the sweetest honey, to constantly speak those sounds to the contentment and fullness of the mind, the inner being, and the innermost heart, all the while relishing the taste of that pure honey this is dïnul-Isläm.

Further it is:

to abstain from imbibing toddy, intoxicants, spirits, and anything else that can dull the wisdom,
to abstain from slandering your neighbors and to love them as much as you love your own life,
to abstain from lending money on interest,
to abstain from robbery and murder,
to refrain from spoiling the chastity of women,
to avoid speech that will cause pain to the hearts of others,
to abstain from dirty, immoral speech,
to avoid wicked acts, like harassing and beating those smaller than yourself,
to abstain from immoral acts,
to respect elders and to accede to requests from them (for good things),
to regard everyone as your brethren and honor them,
to help poor people to the extent of your ability,
to abstain from ever speaking lies,
to avoid claiming to have seen things that you did not see clearly, or, with the quality of satan, speaking treacherous lies,
to avoid carrying tales and backbiting,
to avoid underpayment of just wages,
to avoid going against your conscience,
to show the same sympathy to all lives as to your own life,
to investigate and analyze every matter thoroughly and to extract the truth that emerges from it,
to avoid vilifying others for self-gain,
to avoid concealing the justice of Alläh for the sake of partiality toward someone,
to avoid bragging about yourself,
to avoid concealing Alläh's truth for self-gain,
to eliminate from the heart thoughts of ruining others in order to further your own glory thoughts of malicious intent, such as treachery, black magic, and other satanic traits,
to avoid using Alläh's commands to cause pain of mind to others, while fattening your own body thereby,
to avoid selling the word (kaläm) and the secret (sirr) of Alläh as your means of livelihood,
to avoid concealing the truth of Alläh's Thiru Qur'än for the sake of bettering your own life,
to avoid treachery to any human being,
to abstain from beating a human being with your hands or kicking him with your feet,
to abstain from ridiculing others on the basis of religious differences,
upon seeing or hearing of the death of someone, no matter which religion he may belong to, to pay your respects to the corpse, following it for at least seven steps before going your own way, even though you are in a hurry to get somewhere,
to offer your own food to satisfy another's hunger, even when you are extremely hungry,
to deliver the just verdict of Alläh, even if it is upon your own father or mother,
to consider any situation carefully with patience,
to eliminate evil qualities and acquire Alläh's qualities,
to follow, by day and by night, the path that is beneficial to the life of insän,
to discriminate between what is permissible (haläl) and prohibited (haräm),
to discard what is prohibited, search for food that is permissible, and eat only that,
to make one's wisdom grow only within ïmän (absolute faith) and bloom only within the truth, and to totally dedicate your life to Alläh,
with your body, mind, and spirit, to respect and pay obeisance to the divine word of Alläh,
to have faith and certitude in Alläh's Holy Prophet (SAL.), to accept the kalimah (affirmation of faith) with unshakable steadfastness of heart, and to follow and accept the Prophet (SAL.)and honor him and his followers,
to bow in acceptance of the justice of Alläh and not waver from the justice of His truth,
to worship Alläh with firm determination and to purify your innermost heart, your qalb,
to know the innermost heart of the poor ones, the miskïns, who are without pride or praise among the creations of Alläh, to respect them in the right manner, and to offer them food,
to help young orphan girls through charity (to the extent of your ability),
to analyze the things commanded or prohibited by Alläh, and to take what is good and abide by it,
to worship and praise that Lord, the Rabb, who has no equal, without ascribing equals to Him,
to understand the truth in the five prescribed duties (furüd) with the clarity of your wisdom and to accept the truth that you see in them and abide by them,
to know the secret (sirr) of Alläh's grace through the secret of your wisdom,
to have compassion on all lives, and, analyzing discriminatively with your wisdom, to know their nature and treat them as bets their wisdom,
to observe the expressions on the faces of all creatures those that speak and those that do not speak, to analyze them through your wisdom, and to satisfy those of their wants that arise from good intentions.

Such is the nature of dïnul-Isläm.

My son! The power that resplends as unblemished, spotless purity with millions upon millions of similar good thoughts, actions, and prayers is what is called dïnul-Isläm. The form of Alläh's compassion that has eliminated all the evil forces of illusion in this world is dïnul-Isläm. His qualities are what is called dïnul-Isläm. Those who have acquired these qualities shine variously as mu'minün, muttaqïn, ambiyä', and olis, and theirs is the state called dïnul-Isläm.

M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

Notes: Mu'minün: true believers; muttaqïn: pious, devout ones; ambiyä': prophets; olis: illumined beings.