Ta’leem for the Jamaat of Daar-ul-Ehsaan, USA

Kitab al‑Amal: The Highway to the Sunnah | May 4, 1995

Kitab al‑Amal: The Highway to the Sunnah — New Series Begins
In this episode (Thursday evening meeting, 4th of May) we introduce a new series based on Shaykh Muz\'zilluhu\'s Kitab al‑Amal (also known as Kitab al‑Amal al‑Ma\'ruf / Kitab al‑Amal bil‑Sunnah / Tartib Sharif). The Shaykh presents the book as a practical, lifelong guide to reach Paradise by following the sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
The talk explains that the work is a carefully compiled collection of the Prophet's actions, duʿas, and nawāfil that require study and memorization. The presenter notes the power and beauty of the Shaykh\'s Urdu prefaces and the challenge of fully translating them into English, while assuring that the core sunnah and Qurʾanic citations can be rendered clearly.
Key themes include sincere tawfīq from Allah to follow the sunnah completely, turning fully toward the Prophet\'s example as the true highway to Allah, the importance of wasīlah (seeking means to draw near to Allah), and the spiritual hierarchy of guides (anbiyāʾ, ṣiddīqīn, shuhadāʾ, ṣāliḥīn). The episode closes with dedication and blessings for the Prophet and mentions continuing the series after prayers.

Reviving the Sunnah: Purpose & Practice from 'Itabud Amr al‑Sunnah' - May 11, 1995

Reviving the Sunnah: Purpose & Practice from 'Itabud Amr al‑Sunnah'
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In this episode dated 11 May 1995, Shaykh Abu Anees Muhammad Barakat Ali قَدَّسَ اللّهُ سِرَّه الْعَزِيز discusses the purpose and blessing behind his compilation Itabud Amr al‑Sunnah (also known as Kitab al‑Amal al‑Sunnah or Durti‑yusharif) and why it guides Muslims toward a strong, practical Islamic life.
The Shaykh explains the difference between dawah/tabligh (calling broadly to Islam) and ta'aleem (teaching those who come seeking knowledge), emphasizing that teaching seekers has precedence and that both roles are essential. He urges readers to internalize and practice the Prophetic sunnah, not only to read it.
He highlights the importance of authentic hadith (sahih) and the scholarly work behind verifying narrations (including asma al‑rijal), so that the Ummah can accurately model the Prophet’s life in daily routines and deeds.
The episode outlines how the book arranges hadith to form a practical daily routine and concludes with three keys to the health of the deen: enjoining good (amr bil ma‘ruf), forbidding evil (nahi anil munkar), and constant remembrance of Allah (dhikr).
The Shaykh closes with prayers of gratitude and dua for those who compiled and preserved these teachings, encouraging listeners to implement the guidance and invite others by example.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | The Mirror of the Ego: Finding Your True Self Within - June 22, 1995

The Mirror of the Ego: Finding Your True Self Within
This episode explores the nafs al-ammarah (the ego) as an illusion that makes us see ourselves backwards, like a mirror image, and keeps us searching outside for satisfaction. The speaker explains how the ego and a ‘parent mind’ voice create constant inner conflict, and how these false selves block our knowledge of our true spiritual essence.
He presents the practice of witnessing and muraqabah (watchful inward attention) as the way to recognize the silent observer within, detach from the ego and parental conditioning, and turn toward Allah found inside us. Ritual acts become true worship when they flow from the essence rather than mere outward doing.
Through examples, metaphors, and references to the Prophet’s ﷺ example, the talk emphasizes becoming rather than doing, the purpose of life as giving, and practical spiritual tools like sincere dhikr and imagining the Prophet ﷺ in the heart to develop inner presence and know Allah experientially.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | Breaking the Illusion: Understanding the Ego and True Self - June 29, 1995

Breaking the Illusion: Understanding the Ego and True Self
In this episode a speaker explores the ego as an idea and a false identity that emphasizes the physical self. He lists common ego traits—lust, greed, pride, arrogance, fear, aggression, possessiveness, criticism, laziness and deception—and explains how they build an inner wall that separates us from our true self.
The talk stresses that knowledge alone cannot remove the ego; purification (yuzakkihim) must come first, and wisdom (hikmah) is a gift from Allah received through the purified soul. The soul is described as the eternal essence that connects us to Allah, while body and mind are transient and must be guided by the soul.
The speaker warns against extreme mystical claims of merging with Allah and emphasizes responsibility, humility, and the danger of seeking external success symbols or specialness. He urges listeners to seek inner connection with the soul, cultivate communal bonds, and engage in the great struggle (Jihad al-Akbar) to attain inner peace and true worship.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | Breaking the Ego: Mastering Your Thoughts for True Freedom - July 6, 1995

Breaking the Ego: Mastering Your Thoughts for True Freedom
In this episode a teacher explores the illusion of the ego (nafs) and explains how it shapes our reality through repetitive thoughts. Using the apple-seed analogy, he shows how small positive seeds planted in the mind can grow into lasting change when nurtured with patience and effort.
The talk emphasizes human responsibility and free will: thoughts become intentions, intentions become actions, and we have the power to change our thinking. Practical guidance includes replacing negative self-talk with positive affirmations, practicing muraqaba (inner watchfulness), and using zikr and durood to strengthen the soul.
Key themes include living in the present moment, following the Rasulullah ﷺ as a model for transformation, seeking forgiveness, and treating oneself with compassion while persisting in spiritual practice. The overall message is hopeful: the ego can be transformed and true freedom is found in submission to Allah and inner growth.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | Discovering Your True Essence - July 20, 1995

Transcending the Ego: Discovering Your True Essence
This episode covers a guided talk from a Friday night gathering on the spiritual process of purification. The speaker explains that true purification means understanding and transcending the ego—recognizing what we are not so we can experience our real, formless essence.
Using a simple analogy of a defective radio, the lecture shows why external identities (name, profession, appearance, memories) prevent us from receiving and experiencing the Divine presence. The essence is described as eternal, silent, formless, and already complete—requiring no beautification, food, or validation.
The episode explores why we were given bodies and minds: to know ourselves by contrast and to learn through experience. As we eliminate false identities and identify with the inner witness, the speaker describes how inner life shifts so that speech, sight, and action become expressions of the Divine presence.
Practical warnings and guidance are given: beware procrastination, desires, fear, and attachment to results. The talk emphasizes living fully in each moment, cultivating inner awareness, and practicing detachment so the witness can watch thoughts and impulses without reacting.
In conclusion, the path is one of sustained inner work—recognizing illusions, strengthening trust in God, and aligning body and mind with the essence so the seeker may discover Allah and perform sincere worship.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | Facing the Ego: Fear, Consumption, and the Path Inward - July 27, 1995

Facing the Ego: Fear, Consumption, and the Path Inward
In this Friday evening talk on purification, the speaker completes the seven characteristics of the ego, focusing on three: the ego as cowardly (rooted in fear), as driven by consumption and external validation, and as essentially insane because it leads us away from what is best. He explains how fear thrives on generality and confusion, and how attaching to outward necessities perpetuates dissatisfaction.
The speaker urges turning inward to identify with the Ruh (the true self) rather than the body or mind, practicing silence to experience reality beyond words. When the Ruh governs the body and mind, a person finds rest and harmony with Allah; otherwise the body rules and one remains in toil.
Practical guidance emphasizes shedding illusory habits, seeking internal validation, harmonizing with the laws of Allah, and cultivating the Ruh so it may guide the body — a path toward lasting peace and spiritual authority.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | The Witness Within: Rediscovering the Ruh - August 3, 1995

The Witness Within: Rediscovering the Ruh
This Friday evening talk (6th in the series) explores how the soul (ruh) as a silent witness can transform the mind and body through unconditional love and compassion. The speaker explains the law of Allah governing influence, and why force breeds resistance while calm compassionate presence invites harmony.
Using vivid analogies—the calm surgeon in a chaotic ward, the mirror and the moon—the lecture contrasts the kingdom of the nafs (ego, mind, and body) with the kingdom of the ruh (soul, Aql Saleem, and Sukun). The ruh is described as peace, love, and witness; when it prevails the heart finds sakina and itminan.
The talk offers practical guidance: regularly witnessing thoughts without judgment, repeating “I am the witness,” and cultivating compassion for the body and mind as Allah’s gifts. With sincerity and patience, the listener is encouraged to gently clean the mirror of the heart so the ruh’s calm and healing presence can be seen and felt.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | Finding Your True Self in the Present - August 29, 1995

Transcending the Ego: Finding Your True Self in the Present
This episode explores the Islamic spiritual teaching on the ego, showing how our sense of personality is an illusion formed by memories and projections. It explains that the real self (the soul) is changeless, without memory, and only truly exists in the present moment.
The speaker describes how attachment to past pleasures, pains, guilt, or future fears binds us to a false self, while purification brings the mind (Aql-e-Saleem) and heart (Qalb al-Saleem) into harmony as aids to the soul. He emphasizes that our sensory world is a mental projection and that reality is timeless and found in Allah and the true self.
Practical guidance includes releasing cultural, ancestral, and ego-based identities, abandoning excessive desire and anxiety, trusting Allah for provision, and practicing witnessing of thoughts: reminding yourself "I am not the mind or body" and returning to the pure "I am." The result is inner peace, automatic right action, and the bliss of self-realization.

Purification - Transcending the Ego | The Benign Watcher: Unmasking the False Self - September 29, 1995

The Benign Watcher: Unmasking the False Self
In this episode a spiritual teacher explains the difference between the real Self (the benign, non-judging witness) and the false self (the illusion of an independent “I”), and why that illusion causes suffering.
He describes the natural state of mind and body as submissive to the Divine, how the false self hijacks that nature through desire and fear, and how this leads to sin, anger, and destruction when pleasure is pursued and pain avoided.
The speaker emphasizes acceptance and awareness as the cure: accepting pain without resistance, watching the mind without judgment, and uncovering the roots of fear and desire. This process dissolves the false self and restores access to true, abiding joy and compassion.
Finally, the episode reminds listeners that genuine help for others begins with inner purification: a balanced, purified presence radiates healing more powerfully than words or actions alone.