Advice of Scholars - TO BE A MAN OF WARÂ’

Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî says in the  66th letter of the second volume of his Maktûbât:

Our Prophet stated: “Allâhu ta’âlâ declares: ‘O My born slave! Do the fard that I command; you will be the most devoted of human beings. Avoid the harâm which I prohibit; you will be a man of wara’. Be contented with the sustenance that I give you; you will be the wealthiest of human beings; you will not need anybody.’ ” Our Prophet said to Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’:“Be a man of wara’ so that you may be the most ’âbid (devoted) of human beings.” Hadrat Hasan-i Basrî ‘rahmatullâhi ’alaih’ says: “Attaining wara’ as much as a mote is more useful than a thousand supererogatory fasts and prayers of namâz.” Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anh’ said: “On the Day of Rising, those who are valuable in the presence of Allâhu ta’âlâ are people of wara’ and zuhd.” Allâhu ta’âlâ said to Hadrat Mûsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’: “Among those who become close to Me and who attain My love, there will not be anyone who approaches as close as people of wara’ do.” Some great savants said: “If a person does not know the following ten things as fard for himself, he will not be a man of perfect wara’: he should not backbite; he should not feel sû’i-zân for Muslims, which means to distrust them and to think of them as bad persons; he should not make fun of anybody; he should not look at women and girls (that are forbidden for him by Islam); he should tell the truth; he should think of the gifts and blessings which Allâhu ta’âlâ has bestowed upon him so that he will not be self-conceited; he should spend his property in manners and for things that are halâl; he should not spend them for harâms; he should desire positions and posts not for his nafs or for his comfort, but because he knows them as positions for serving Muslims; he should know it as his first duty to perform the five daily prayers of namâz within their prescribed times; he should learn very well îmân and the deeds taught by the Ahlas-sunnat savants and adapt himself to them. Yâ Rabbî! Increase the light of the right way which you have bestowed upon us! Forgive us! You are the Almighty!”

My dear, merciful, and kind-hearted sir! If one is granted the lot of making tawba for all of one’s sins and having wara’ and taqwâ [that is, avoiding all the harâms and the dubious], the great blessing, the grand fortune will have been obtained.