Book Club - The Elixir Of Love

[Waiting for HIM]

Salam,

Br. WhySoSerious started a thread about this book in a different title. I'm restarting this thread with the intention of discussing the fine points in the book, the take aways, lesson learned, and our impressions on various anecdotes from the book.

This is sort of book club for the book "The Elixir of Love". If you have read the book in the past or recently, let's discuss this book here.

I read it after WhySoSerious's recommendation.

Let the learning begin -

[Waiting for HIM]

Here are couple more:

1. Certain foods (or certain enjoyment which are dear to someones heart) causes us our nafs to be distant from our ruh which in turn may affect our essence (ruh) to be distant from our Creator Allah(swt) .

2. Sheikh Rajab was an Aarif but so was Ay. Khomenie, Khoei', Tabatabaei' and others. Sheikh Rajab only signified one aspect of Irfan. He was among "muklesoon" was was not comprehensive, was just a part of the whole. Otherwise why he chose the tailoring as a profession as oppose to Ay. Khomenie who chose to burden the leadership of the Ummah.

3. This reminds me of a discussion with an Alim who said that Islam does not want you to compare against others in their perfections, but wants you to reach your own excellence in your own capacity. So no profession is more or less important than the other. You could be a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer, a scientist, a businessman etc. and still could reach the heights of your excellence in the irfan of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. As an example, there was this locksmith who was visited by the last Imam (as).

4. I think the bane of the book was to crush your nafs (ego, I, self, desire, longing, loves etc) and force it to get closer to your essence, the ruh, and take it towards Allah سبحانه وتعالى. I was reading last night the Sura Al-e-Imran ayat 92 which was revealed after an event when Imam Ali (as) bought a very nice piece of fabric and then immediately gave it away to show us to how to crush our nafs. Then I thought why Imam Ali (as) used to say that "I've given three talaq to the world" and that "I'm not taking much from this world with me". Meaning Allah (swt) has created this world for us, but the saleheen among us, use the least of that is available in this world for their existence and their goal is always to return this "amanah" of life and body in the best form they received from Allah(swt) and meet the creator in the most lofty from of their "ruh" cleansed of any contamination.

5. This also made me thinking that Shekih Rajab had significantly reduced his surroundings so he was eventually answerable for a very few things under his command, unlike our marajae' who have shouldered such huge responsibilities so imagine their status in the eyes of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

6. It also made me thinking the importance of Islamic political system. You must have noticed in the book that there are many good people living in our towns and cities but without this politics, the good always remained fragmented and dispersed. Politics started by Ay. Khomenei was an attempt to unite this good, congregate into giving it a voice of unity so it could play its role in making more good. [nahi anil munkir and amr bil marrof in action enmasse]

7. While I was reading the book, I was constantly thinking of the irfaan of our ulema. It also made me thinking of the hadith that "while an aabid only saves his soul, the practicing aalim saves the soul of himself and of the people who are benefiting from him", that is why "teaching is the profession of Prophets" and that is why it is said that "the ink of the pen of an aalim is 1000 times higher in status than the blood of the martyr" and that "one moment of preponderance in the creation of Allah (swt) is more weighty than the ibadat of 70 years".

8. One more thing, the basic thing which made Sheikh Rajab and the locksmith successful, that they got the audience of the last Imam (as), was their carefulness and consideration in their daily monetary affairs. I remembered an event from Bihar ul Anwar, when many Shias from Iran area sent their khums to Imam Hasan Al Askari (as). Once the camels loaded with Khums reached to 11th Imam, He asked Imam Al Mahdi (as) to collect the khums. After being shown all the "rich" khums, the last Imam (as) categorically asked for the small piece of cloth which a poor woman had sent as her obligation of khums. The last Imam (as) only accepted this small piece of cloth and returned the rest saying that "we do not need your money, we need your iklas and that no haram is interred into your wealth" which makes it unworthy of even taking the khums out from it. So carefulness in what we earn, how we earn, and how we spend it is a big portion in reaching to certain levels of closeness to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Always pray that Allah keep us so we can earn in halal way and Allah never test us with coming close to Haram earnings. This is another reason of selecting a spouse to be mother (father) of your children who has been raised on halal earnings and halal, zabihah food.

Overall it was a nice read, a lots of lessons learned, which could be applicable in our lives today. Bottom line is, none of us can be exactly like Sheikh Rajab or all the other personalities mentioned in the book. Some of us may even go beyond where the Sheikh had went. Important thing is let's attempt to attain the maxium which we could, based on the capacity Allah (swt) has placed in us.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Waiting for HIM

[Rohani]

Salam Alaykom

Where can i buy a copy of the elixir of love? or atleast if no one has that a link?

Edit: got the online version now, but will still favor a hard copy.

Edited October 4, 2011 by AlMuttaqi

[SD2]

Salam Alaykom

Where can i buy a copy of the elixir of love? or atleast if no one has that a link?

Edit: got the online version now, but will still favor a hard copy.

I just tried finding it to buy and I can't find it. inshallah someone else knows where you can buy it from, it's the best book I have ever read.

[Rohani]

Insha Allah

I seen just a little of what i could catch while watching a youtube video that was up of some of it.

Edited October 4, 2011 by AlMuttaqi

[Waiting for HIM]

Here is link to the book

http://www.al-islam.org/elixiroflove/

[3laweyaZainabiya]

Did anyone read elixir of love??

[Atheist27]

I think its one of the most dangerous books ever writen. To mental health.

[Shia_Debater]

Did anyone read elixir of love??

Yep :)

[-Enlightened]

it's the best book ever ! changed me a lot (positively of course ^_^ )

May god bless shiekh Rajab Ali Khayatt -

Edited January 13, 2012 by Enlightened_x

[Laayla]

Bismehe Ta3ala,

Assalam Alikum.

I have this book. The english was hard to follow. I'll try to reread it again and share my thoughts about the book.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN Allah

[Inception]

sounds like a nice book with alot of wisdom..thanx for the thumbnails, waiting for him

[Hasan0404]

Well interesting. I had come across this idea that food effects the soul depending it is halal or haram and makes the soul to evolve accordingly in a novel. Would like to know more as I already am convinced by the idea because Imam Husayn a.s on the day of ashoora said while giving sermon to the yazidis, that my word have no effect on you because of whatever you have in your stomachs ie haram food.

[Waiting for HIM]

You are very right. That is why halal method of sustenance and halal foods are so critical to consume.

Haram foods and haram acts stop your sole from accepting Hidaya.

Another reasons why wahabis can not receive Hidaya of Islam. They have fatwas from their Saudi mullas that they can eat non-zabihah haram meat of chicken and beef after reading Bismillah on cooked food.

[diracdeltafunc]

I am seriously thinking of reading this kind of stuff . However before I do so, could you guys kindly tell us if this book had any impact on your lives? Did it spiritually elevate you by any decree? Would you really recommend me to read this book? Is it a practical one?

[Shia_Debater]

I am seriously thinking of reading this kind of stuff . However before I do so, could you guys kindly tell us if this book had any impact on your lives? Did it spiritually elevate you by any decree? Would you really recommend me to read this book? Is it a practical one?

I didn't quite get round to finishing it, and a few months ago I questioned whether this book is authentic or not. What I mean is, many a time I hear stories about our scholars, or about people who lived in such and such city etc. but I don't think I've ever come across the stories that I hear being confirmed and thus I probably wouldn't read books such as these anymore, however from reading it, one thing (probably amongst other things that I cant remember) that I alhamdulillah thought more about how much food I ate (I used to eat too much, out of either boredom or the food being delicious) which I tried to cut down, due to a few of the experiences that Shaykh Rajab Ali Khayyaat went through (if what is in that book is authentic)

Edited June 5, 2012 by Shia_Debater

[guest022017a]

truth be told you can never confirm anything until you see it for yourself

and if you want to confirm anything in that book, then you better walk in the shoes off the Sheik who it is about

towards the end of the book some advice is given(in accordance with the beginning where the writer said he wants to make this book practical and not just a biography by giving examples throughout and towards the end about how individuals can strive to attain this which is talked about)

also the issue with the tea is not that it was haram, you guys missed the whole point of all that was said, it was that it was a comfort in that the tea satisfied his nafs, and when your at such a high level of spirituality, then these things become like haram for you

Tabatabai says in the light within me that as further you progress things which are halal for you become haram, and the reason is based on one something else, in that in the Quran it says anything which is harmful for you has been made prohibited, and as i said when you attain such a high level, then it directly affects you, your level of faith increases, then your circle of halal decreases its a simple trade off but absolutely necessary

Food plays a major part in the progress of the soul, and the more food the less spirituality because the more food, the more the soul becomes connected to the body, in that desires arise, person becomes seepy, tired, lazy,. even he cant think properly, so it affects all the senses of that person and makes him more "life" conscious and less akhira conscious or less God conscious

God consciousness at those levels is absolutely important, because if your mind is not on God then it is on something else, and every hair is split about your actions, because your not judged any-more for what you do, but what you think and what your intentions are

some off these states are highlighted in the Quran and from the top of my head i cant remember them now but they are all mentioned in that book

anyway hope i was helpful

also one more thing that book and those stories(as hard as it may be to comprehend) are definitely real

[Repentant]

Sallam Alykum,

I just finished reading this book and it is amazing! I will recommend this book to anyone if they ever ask for book recommendations.

[myouvial]

Here is link to the book

http://www.al-islam.org/elixiroflove/

Thank you for link, i wish you are rewarded, i will learn.