Good Times

A Story on Scrupulousness

2011-06-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

بسم الله الر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الل

Asslamu'alikum Everyone, it has been a long while since I had anything to write on this blog of mine and I had been busy with other chores of life. Alhamdulillah, I got an opportunity to write about something I learnt in class yesterday. I have been following up on a religious class every Friday that is taught by a blessed Ustadh who received his training in Religious sciences from the blessed land of Hadramaut, Yemen. The book that we are currently learning is titled "The Book of Assistance" by the great Gnostic, Imam Abdallah Ibn Alawi al-Haddad (d.1720). The classes has been amazing and very insightful due to the knowledge of the Ustadh that is teaching this subject and he never fails to share stories with us from Hadramaut. Yesterday, we managed to touched on the chapter on Scrupulousness (ورع).

The reason for this write up is basically to share with the readers a story I found inside another blessed book and I hope for those who have attended the class, this can add up to our understanding of what being scrupulous means. The Imam al-Haddad begins the chapter by quoting a Prophetic Hadith that the one who guards himself against suspect things has protected his religion and his honour, and the one that falls into suspected things will fall into the prohibited. The definition of (ورع) can be said as, 'A man's scrupulousness is measured by his abstaining from anything suspect until its status is clarified.' The Imam goes on the explain that a religious man is not likely to indulge in something that is known to be illicit but that he may fall prey to ambiguities due to neglecting three things:

Not investigating thoroughly from where a thing comes especially from dealing with people.

Someone you know to be good and virtuous - you may eat their food and deal with them without inquiring.
Those who know nothing about - when dealing with them or accepting their gifts, then being Wara' obliges you to inquire about them but do so gently and if you know that this might hurt them, then silence is better.
Those you know to be wrongdoers - better not to deal with them, but if you must then be on the guard and if you know for sure that such a thing is unlawful/illicit then do not hesitate to refuse them.

Not safeguarding oneself from invalid transaction - basically one needs to know the law of Mu'amaalat to understand this and to be wary of anything involving interest.
Those that are engross in the world's craving and indulged abundantly in its pleasures. Lawful things do not bear extravagance.

The rule here is that whenever suspicion arises, then scrupulousness obliges you to abstain. There is an inward feeling of suspicion and hesitation regarding the matter especially in food for everything depends on food and when licit, has a great illuminating influence on the heart and gives the body energy for worship. We shall now move on to a story that exemplifies the inward state of hesitation in a man.

Shaykh Abu Abbas al-Mursi (رضى الله عنه) said: "The scrupulous person is one whom God Himself causes to abstain."

A certain man of Alexandria (Upper Egypt) once invited him and a group of elite to an orchard of his in al-Raml. However at that time, the owner of the orchard did not set out with them. Instead he simply described the location to them. On their way there, they had a conversation about 'scrupulousness' and everyone has something to say on that topic. As for Shaykh Abu Abbas al-Mursi (رضى الله عنه), he simply said what is mentioned above. When they got to the orchard, everyone made a beeline for the trees and began eating for it was the mulberry season.

However when the Shaykh approached a tree, a stomachache would overcome him and he would withdraw and the pain would go away. This happened again and again until the Shaykh sat down without having eating anything. Then, while his other companions were eating, someone shouted, 'How dare you eat from the fruit of my orchard without my permission!'. Sure enough they had come to the wrong orchard. So that Shaykh reminded them, 'Didn't I tell you that the scrupulous man is one whom God Himself, glory be to Him, causes to abstain?' - Lata'if al-Minan

Blessed is he whom God Himself causes to abstain and leads him to a path that leads to Him so that their entire beings are centered upon God, undistracted by other concerns.

A Prophetic teaching

2011-01-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

بسم الله الر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

There is a sickness in some of us if left uncured it kills. This is the sickness of conceit and thus one sees oneself as better than the other and when one see someone who is of a lesser 'practicing Muslim' doing something against the commandant of God, he/she will say even if not by mouth but deep in the heart - 'I am better than him', God forbid for these are the same words Iblis (may God's curse be on him) said when asked by the Lord why he not prostrate to our Master Adam and for that he was thrown out of the Divine presence and cursed till the end.

But there is a cure to such sickness and its very simple yet profound. I shall now share with you a story I read in 'The Book of Illumination' by the erudite Sufi Scholar Shaykh ibn Ata'Allah al-Iskandari رضي الله عنه (d 1309). This is a story of a Sufi master named Ma'ruf al-Karkhi رضي الله عنه (d 815 in Baghdad) was was one the first to discuss the importance of love and asserted that God's love for being was a gift that could never be deserved or acquired.

The story goes: One day Ma'ruf رضي الله عنه and his companions were crossing the Tigris river when they saw a group of Samarians frolicking in the water of the river; many of them were involved in frivolous games, dancing and licentiousness. On seeing them, his companions called out, "O teacher, pray for God to come down against these people!" Ma'ruf رضي الله عنه raised his hands in petition and said, "Dear God, just as you make make them joyful in this world, make them joyful in the next world." His companions reproved him saying, "O teacher, we had asked you to pray against these people!"

Ma'ruf رضي الله عنه answered them, "If God makes them joyful in the next world, it means that He has forgiven them, so how does this harm you in any way?" At that very moment, the Samarians headed for the shore, the men to one side and the women to the other. They stood on the shore, washing themselves, and they when their way, repenting to God of their former lives. Many of them became ascetics and devoted worshipers, all by the blessing of Ma'ruf's رضي الله عنه petition in their favor.

Shaykh Ibn Ata'Allah al-Iskandari says: So if you meet people enmeshed in the worldly pursuits and evil habit, don't be fooled and don't condemning them, instead be compassionate toward them. Instead of asking God to curse them, pray for God to favor them. That is the cure to conceit (according to me, I'm no Scholar but this story has taught me a great lesson), which is to love and desire for all what you would love God to do to you, mainly that He forgives you and shower His favor and mercy on you.

When you meet these people, know that they are living under a divine ruling that governs them, which is known before time in God's all-encompassing knowledge and willed by God's all powerful will. If you don't keep this in mind and don't bless them accordingly, you will be in danger of being afflicted with trails such as theirs and suffer the same alienation. - Shaykh Ibn Ata رضي الله عنه

To this effect Shaykh Abu Hassan al-Shadhili رضي الله عنه said, "Be generous and noble to the believers, even if they are rebellious sinners and given to licentiousness. Order them to do good and deny them the means to do evil. If need be, exile them. But do all this with compassion for them rather than as a display of your own power over them. (very difficult to do for we are weak and given to the wimps of the ego)

Prophetic Sandal

2010-12-28T05:56:00.000-08:00

بسم الله الر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

I shall kiss the image if I do not find

A way to kiss the Prophet's sandal

Perhaps the good fortune of kissing it

Will be granted to me in Paradise in the most radiant place,

And I rub my heart on it so that perhaps

The burning thrist which rages in it may be quenched.

(written by Sa'duna Umm Sa'd bint Islam al-Himyariyya (d.1242)

In Islamic tradition, the veneration of Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) plays a very important role in a Muslims's piety, for the interest in even the smallest details of his behaviour and his personal life are yearned by Muslims everywhere. The Muslim is ever wanting to know more about their Prophet's personality, his looks, his words and the things he wore, inorder to be sure that they are following him correctly. Of his personality and with regards to his behaviour there are extentsive work done on it especially the well-known Shama'il literature by the noble Abu Isa at-Tirmidhi also known as Imam at-Tirmidhi and also the Shifa of Qadi Iyad.

Among the things noteworthy about what our Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) wore, was his noble sandals (ni'al sharifah) with which our Master (صلي الله عليه و سلم) had touched the Divine Throne with them during his heavenly journey. One should rememeber at this point the saying of the noble angel Jibrel (عليه سلم) to our Master Muhammad (صلي الله عليه و سلم) at the Lote Tree in which he said, 'If I were to advance even a finger's length beyond this point, I would burn.' How is it then that our Master's (صلي الله عليه و سلم) turban, his clothes, and the sandal did not burn, and above all, the person himself? Isn't this a clear distinction that he (صلي الله عليه و سلم) was higher in rank with the noble angel Jibrel (عليه سلم). My Ustadh used to say, one of the reasons why his (صلي الله عليه و سلم) clothes, turban and sandals did not burn beyond the point was because it was with him (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and thus whosoever is with him (صلي الله عليه و سلم) will not burn.

The worth of the sandals was first mentioned in the 13th century in Damascus and soon after pictures of these sandals appeared and was common in the Middle ages, especially in the western Islamic world of North Africa and Spain and because of it a whole poetical genre developed describing these sandals or expression of longing for them. Of such poetical work was that of North African historian al-Maqarri (d.1644) who wrote on the subject of the Prophet's sandals which contained more than 500 pages containing prose, poems and even drawings of the sandals.

In our times, such veneration carry on and a new from of it has emerged in various form such as pins and badges. A website has dedicated its purpose to selling products having images of the Prophetic sandals : http://www.blessedsandal.com/. As such, I too wanted to partake of this barakah and brought myself a sandal pin.

Sam son of Noah

2010-11-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

بسم الله الر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

The disciples came to our Master Jesus and said, "Spirit and Word of God, show us our forefather Sam son of Noah, so that God might increase us in certainty." So he set out with them to the tomb of Sam and said, "Answer, by God's leave, O Sam son of Noah!" Sam arose with the aid of God, standing like a towering palm tree. Our Master Jesus said to him, "How long did you live, O Sam?" He answered, "I lived for four thousand years. For two thousand I was a prophet, and I lived two thousand more." Our Master Jesus asked him, "How who the world in your sight?" Sam answered, "It was like a house with two doors. I entered through one and left through the another [indicating its insignnificance]." Ibn Abi al-Dunya

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities : In Makkah

2010-10-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

سم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

Green Dome, taken on my last day there

It has been a month or so, since I've written anything on my blog relating my journey to the two Holy Cities. I was made busy with something else over that period of time and Alhamdulillah, He has given me this opportunity to continue on sharing my journey with you. Although it has been almost 3 month since I came back from my Umrah, the experiences that I experienced are still vivid in my memory up till now, and Insha'Allah till the end of my life. On my last day of stay at the blessed city of our Master (صلي الله عليه و سلم), I paid him a visit once more as it was the proper adab to visit him and ask for his supplication for a safe and accepted Umrah. I also made it a point in asking him (صلي الله عليه و سلم) to invite me again to his blessed city that I might pay him a visit in the near future. It was a teary farewell and seeing the Green dome for the last time, Allah made me recalled some verses from the famous Qasidah Burdah of Imam al-Busari (رضئ الله عنه) and that made me tear even more :( I kept asking him صلي الله عليه و سلم) to invite me again to this blessed city for truly I did not want to leave it.

I was already in my 'ihram' clothings then and as I made my way to the hotel to bring down the luggage, I saw that my fellow Umrah mate was at the lobby in his baju-kurung and I asked him why he hadn't changed to his 'Ihram' and he told me that the flight to Makkah has been delayed until the evening. It was only Zhur then. I was filled with inner joy knowing that he (صلي الله عليه و سلم) had once again called me to visit him. Allahu Akbar !!! and all Praises be due to Allah. And yet again I was given the opportunity to pay my Master a visit during the time of Asr and I felt contended inside of me and my heart felt easy leaving Madina al-Munawwarah for Makkah al-Mukkramah.

The Grand Mosque - Masjid al-Haram

There is now a transit flight from Medina to Makkah so you can save the 6 hours bus ride and instead just spent about an hour to reach Makkah via flight. Just for your information, pilgrims from Madina will have to enter into the sate of 'Ihram' on the flight itself. 'Ihram' is not the clothing you wear but rather its the 'state' you enter into to make the return journey to Allah. We arrived in Makkah close to 10pm and my Mother's first impression of the street of Makkah leading to the Grand Holy Mosque was that of Indian cities, with shops running on both sides and people moving around and bright light coming from the shops, basically a bustling town. When I first caught eye on the Grand Mosque, it seemed magical to me and I can't really elaborate more, you have to be there to experience it for yourself.

After making a quick check-in, it was time to perform my first Umrah, remember that we were already in the sate of 'Ihram' while on flight to Makkah. How my feelings were when I saw the Ka'ba al-Sharifah? That I leave it to the individual to experience it for themselves. I was not really satisfied with my first Umrah since, I did it in a state of tiredness and my concentration wasn't there. The Sa'i was really something, I didn't expect it to be that long a distance but Alhamdulillah, I completed my 1st Umrah close to 2am. I shall stop here for now. We shall continue in times to come...

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities : In Madina (4)

2010-08-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

After visiting Uhud and the martyrs there, we headed for the famous date market, anyone who goes to Madina al-Munawwarah must never give this market a miss. Sadly I didn't take any photo of this place. They have well over 50 shops selling nothing but dates. Competition is tough so you might get stall owners coming over to you and pulling you to their shop. It was scary but overall the experience was great. The softest in their approach are the Indonesian and those that come to you holding your arms are usually the Pakistani.

So just beware of your belongings but they mean no harm. Unfortunately we over spent out time there and we had to head back to the Prophet's Mosque for our mid-day prayers. As planned we were supposed to head to the place where the battle of the moat was fought but due to the time limit, we had to skipped it but that just gives me more reason to come back again. Insha'Allah .

Now back to the Prophet's Mosque. I had the honour of visiting our Master (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and his two closest companions after every prayer time. Our Master (صلي الله عليه و سلم) is buried in his very home which is indicated by the famous green dome that sits on the Mosque. This part of the Mosque is a separate building from the huge extension and it indicates the space of the original Mosque, the Prophet's house, the Rawdah and the bench of the 'ahli-Suffah'. In a famous Hadith our Master (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said, "Whoever visits me after my death becomes as one who visited me during my life time." And people should feel that way and always keep that in mind that they are in the presence of the most Noble of God's creation. I forbid myself from taking any photos inside the two grand Mosques as I felt the need to preserve its sanctity.

About the Rawdah, the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said: "What is between my house my pulpit is one of the meadows of Paradise, and my pulpit lies on my Pool." I managed to sit in the Rawdah only once in my 3 days stay in Madina due to the crowd. Its 24-7 packed with people. Description of where and how the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) is buried along with his two companions (رضئ الله عنهما) are written in the book titled Dalai'il Khariat by Imam al-Jazuli (رضئ الله عنه).

It is as follows: 'This is the characteristic of the Blessed Rawdah in which is buried the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and his two companions Abu Bakr and Umar (رضئ الله عنهما). So is it narrated by Urwah ibn Zubayr (رضئ الله عنه), he said: The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) is buried in an alcove (السهوت) and Abu Bakr (رضئ الله عنه) is buried behind the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and Umar ibn Khattab (رضئ الله عنه) is buried at the feet of Abu Bakr (رضئ الله عنه). The remaining empty alcove to the east is where Jesus the Son of Mary (عليهما سلم) shall be buried and this is news that came from the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) . Said Aisha (رضئ الله عنها), "I saw three moons landing on my apartment and I related the story to my father Abu Bakr (رضئ الله عنه) and he said to me that there shall buried in your apartment three of whom are the best of people on earth. When the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) passed on and was buried in my house, Abu Bakr (رضئ الله عنه) said to me that this is one of the three moons and he is the best (صلي الله عليه و سلم)'.

The proper way to enter the Rawdah is through Bab al-Salam (The door of peace) and from there you just have to walk straight until you meet the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and his two companion (رضئ الله عنهما) and you should then exit through Bab al-Baqi (The Baqi Door). The photo above is that of Bab al-Baqi. Looking ahead you can see the Baqi cemetery in which are buried many of the household of the the Prophetic family and the early generation of pious Muslims. Although our Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) is not physically present with us let us be reminded that he is alive in his grave and that he sees us.

To quote a Hadith from Ibn Mas'ud (رضئ الله عنه), The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said: 'My living amongst you is good for you since I am able to talk to you and my death is good for you in that your actions are displayed to me and if I see good I praise Allah and if I see other than that, I ask forgivness for you (Ad-Daylami). Therefore let us be mindful of what we do and try our level best to please our Master (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and give ye abundantly Salawat up him. I shall stop here from now to absorb what I have written. The best way to see it is for you to be there. Do stay tune....

Way to Baqi Cemetery - The fenced area that you see ahead

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities : In Madina (3)

2010-08-23T02:02:00.000-07:00

After visiting Masjid Quba, we headed for the date plantation. To my surprise, it seems that that plantation was owned by Indonesian since I saw no Arabs there and everyone that were there were all Indonesian. The iconic feature of Madina al-Munawwarah is the date tree and in a dream the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) had before migrating to Yatrib (the old name of Madina al-Munawwarah) he saw that he was to migrate to a land that was fertile with date trees. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) entered the oasis on Monday 27 September AD 622 - just for your information.

At the date plantation, you can buy all kinds of dates and Arabian sweets (halwa). And they even have dates coated in chocolate both black and white and various other variety. I couldn't wait to get my hands on THE ajwah dates as they were the Prophet's (صلي الله عليه و سلم) favourite. A kilo of ajwah dates cost you 80 Riyal so I just brought half a kilo worth of ajwah dates. Besides buying dates there are also people selling Misbah, Attar and other goods. I brought myself a coca Misbah, it is common belief that coca was the very same wood the staff of Musa (عليه سلم) (Moses) was carved out.

After having done our mini shopping, we are now headed to Mount Uhud. Mount Uhud was the battle site for Islam's second war to protect this fledging religion against those who wanted to destroyed it. In a famous Hadith, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) said that Mount Uhud is one of the Mounts in Paradise and Allah once asked His beloved (صلي الله عليه و سلم) if he wanted, Allah could turn the whole of Mount Uhud into gold, which the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سل) humbly decline as he wanted to live a simple life thanking his Lord for whatever little he received.

A short history: The battle of Uhud was fought mainly as a form of revenge by the non-believers of Makkah for the lost at Badr. This battle was fought by an army of 3000 from the non-believers side and 700 from the Muslims. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) in this war marched directly between the enemy and Mount Uhud for this was his (صلي الله عليه و سلم) objective, which was to have the slope of the ground in his favour. Another of his battle strategy was to place archers on a smaller hill towards the end of Mount Uhud to prevent the enemy from routing behind and coming from the back to attack. He (صلي الله عليه و سلم) place 50 men on that hill and placed Abd' Allah ibn Jubayr (رضئ الله عنه) as their leader saying, "Keep their cavalry from us with your arrows. Let them not come upon us from our rear. Be the tide of battle for or against us, stay at your post! If ye see us plundering the enemy, seek not to have a share in it; and if ye see us being slain, come not to our aid." Thus the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) commanded them by way of warning.

The battle of Uhud ended up with the people of Makkah having the upper hand, killing almost 65 of the Muslims while they only loss 22 out the 3000. The loss was attributed when seeing the Muslims driving away the non-believers, the archers thought that they could come down and par-take of the war-booty but their leader Abd'Allah ibn Jubayr (رضئ الله عنه) repeatedly told them not to abandon their places but it fell on deaf ears and from 50 men on that hill, only 7 remain. Seeing this weakness and great opportunity to strike, Khalid ibn Walid (رضئ الله عنه), who was yet a Muslim and a great planner in war strategies, routed around and came in from the rear and the tide of the battle changed to be in their favour. What we can learn from here, is to never disobey or underestimate the command of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) for he knows what is best for us and for the community. Thus all the Sunnah that has been related should be followed to the best of our capacities for they lost the battle not obeying the command of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) but what bigger lost if we fail in the hereafter. The photo that you see above is that of the small hill on which the archers stood.

Buried at this site are the martyrs of Uhud, including the Master of Martyrs - Hamzah (رضئ الله عنه) Abd'Allah ibn Jahsh (رضئ الله عنه) and Hanzalah (رضئ الله عنه), the famous companion who sprang up for battle while have intimate discourse with his newly-wed wife, Jamilah

رضئ الله عنهه)ه) . The photo below shows you the burial site of the martyrs but only the burial place of Sayydina Hamzah (رضئ الله عنه) is marked out as you can see with stones place around its circumference. It was said that a few years ago, this plain was flooded and due to the flood the body of Sayydina Hamzah (رضئ الله عنه) rose up. Those who saw the body and those who buried him again said that his body was in the condition like as if one was buried only yesterday! These is how Allah preserves the body of those who fought in His way. I shall stop here for now. Meanwhile do enjoy the photos and video and stay tune for more....

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities : In Madina (2)

2010-08-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

سم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

Alhamdulillah, I am back to write about my journey to the Haramian (2 Holy Cities) after a quite needed break. We are now in our second day in the Prophet's City and lucky for us, we are having a small tour around the Prophet's City to visit historical places and landmarks. Our tour guide brought us around some parts of Madina using his own car since there were only 4 of us. One first stop is Masjid Quba. Now this Mosque is of very historical importance to the Islamic civilization as it marks the first Mosque to be built in the Islamic History and thus signifies that the Hijara or migration of the Prophet did take place and it also showed that Islam was here to stay in the lands of Arabia.

The Prophet has said that whosoever makes a trip to Masjid Quba and therein prays 2 Raka'ats (Unit) of prayers, will be rewarded with a complete Umrah (Lesser Pilgrimage). Does anyone one to give that a miss? I don't think so, so if next time you are allowed to visit the Prophet's City, make sure to come to this special Masjid. Just a small history on this great Mosque. This Mosque was build when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and his close companion made the Hijrah from Makkah to Madina and before entering the city of Madina, the Prophet(صلي الله عليه و سلم) stayed in Quba for a period of 3 days and 3 night and while he was there he built this Mosque and prayed therein the first Salat Juma'at before heading for Madina. Although the Mosque that you see isn't the very Mosque the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) built some 1400 years ago but its at the very same site.

Here are just some of the photos that I took inside the Masjid. This is especially valuable for the ladies because you won't get to see this part of the Masjid since you will enter from another entrance. The security guards aren't as strict as before, so you can actually bring in your cameras and take photos. I'll stop here for now. Insha'Allah I'll continue on my day tour around the blessed city of Madina and the various places we went and what we saw and I have photos to share with you. So stay tune...

A Blessing, Gone...

2010-08-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

بسم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

Assalamu'alikum to whoever reads it blog entry. This will Insha'Allah be a non-religious entry for something compelled me to write this up. Yesterday on the 15th of August just slightly before 2pm, I lost a great blessing and gift from Allah (s.w.t). I lost a my pet cat which I fondly loved and cared for. It happened at around noon when my cat would go to her hang-out place outside the window. Somehow I had a bad feeling about her going out but deep in my heart I knew that she would come back inside for that was her wont.

As we were about to leave home around 1240pm, I called for her as I was missing her but there came no respond. So I thought she might have went off to sleep but even as I opened the door, by which time she would usually run to the door to see us off, she didn't come so I called her a second time and hearing no respond from her, I felt uneasy but nonetheless we made a move and my Mother shut the door to lock it.

Somehow Allah (s.w.t) put into my heart, telling me to look down and down I look and there she was. I heart sank and my legs become weak. I shouted at my Mum, saying: 'Ma, Girl is dead!' She was shocked and she asked me to point out to her and she too began to tremble. We made it for the stairs and we run down as fast as we could to where she was on the ground floor. I saw her and seeing that she didn't move I thought she was dead but just as I thought so, she moved her body and head, maybe from hearing us call her name. I rushed to my dad who was in the car with my brother and when I told him that Girl had fell down, he was as shock as I never seen him before and he too came running to where she was. He was in dismay when looking at the cat he brought home about 3 years ago. Again my Girl moved her body and head trying to tell us that she's O.K. and that she's alive and telling us to safe her.

By the time, some good kids from around the block and brought us a basket in which we could put my cat in, I was afraid to carry her inside the basket because being a medic in my NS days, I was sure a fall that high might have done something to her spine but hearing my Dads command to carry her, I muster all my strength and carried my baby into the basket. It was clear that she was fighting for a life. As she breath, blood came out from her nose and mouth. I knew that she had internal bleeding but nonetheless I kept my hopes high and prayed to Allah and made lots of Salawat while on the way to the vet somewhere in Steven Rd. As we entered Toa Payoh to make a U-turn into the Steven Rd, I saw my girl entered into a state of Naza' or death throes. I could see how hard she fought for her life. I was there all the while stroking her and she gave off her last breath in my hands. But even at that point I told myself, that she not gone and that maybe she's taking a rest although by now, I couldn't feel or see her breath.

Once we were at the vet, we rushed her in but the doctor said that she has no pulse and that she will try to resuscitate her. I waited the longest 5-10 minutes and when the doctor finally came out, she told us, 'Sorry, she's gone and there's nothing we can do'. After hearing that we call cried, including my dad, for the very first time in my life I have seen him cry. I knew that he too loved his pet. Tears roll down my eyes as I kiss my Girl for the last time, the smell of shampoo was still on her as we bath her the day before. As we took her body out to bury her in the cemetery, my tears just kept coming out and so was my brother, my Mum and my Dad. All the way to the cemetery, I stoke are soft body knowing that this is the last I'm going to see of my Girl.

My Girl, was a great blessing from Allah and a gift for she was a bundle of joy to the family and the house was always full of noise with her around. Now, the house is so quiet and its really heartbreaking. No more lovely meows and purrs and no more playing catching with her and carrying her and kissing her. She was the pest buster of our house always very vigilant of pest that run or fly around and putting an end to them. She was my alarm clock for dawn prayer (Subuh) coming to me at 5.30am everyday to wake me up with her meows and purrs and her paws gently touching and padding my face to wake me up. Now all that is gone. This great loss taught me a lesson and it was a lesson from the Great Saint Ibn Abbas al-Mursi (r.a) was told his student Ibn Ata'illah when the latter came to him complaining of some things he was going through. He then mentioned the 4 sates a human can be in and the appropriate respond to each sates. To me and my family she was a blessing and a gift and the Saint said when in a state of blessing give abundant thanks to Allah for if you don't Allah will remove it from you. While she was with us, I never thank Allah for giving Girl to us nor did I pray for her well-being, for I made it a small matter but now when she s' gone, I realized how BIG she was in our life. Now she's gone and will never come back.

I ask Allah to preserve her grave from any human activities and that may she be in her her grave till the commence of Judgement Day and may she be a witness for us, for all the good that we have done to her and I ask Allah that by His grace that He put her in Paradise although animal become dust after judgement but I hope that He will put her there.

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities : In Madina

2010-08-10T00:36:00.000-07:00

Finally, we reached the outskirts of the Enlighten City (Medina al-Munawwarah) and at this point the taxi driver unwind the windows and told us by way of gesture to smell the air of Medina al-Munawwarah. From the roads leading to the city centre, we could see signboards showing us the way to the Prophet's Mosque and also other signboard showing us the way to other places of historical importance e.g. Quba Mosque, Uhud etc.. At one point in our journey we managed to catch a glimpse of the Prophet's Mosque and from afar it seemed to be like a magnificent castle with tall minarets, well lilted and a Mosque the biggest I have ever seen so far.

Our place of stay in Medina was the Hotel Safir al-Saha which is just about a 70 meter walk to the entrance of the Prophet's Mosque. When I arrived at the hotel, I couldn't wait but to visit the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him. So I called upon my travel mate, at 62 years old man to follow me to visit the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم). It was nearly 11pm when we decided to make the trip there. Anyway friends the picture on the left is of the hotel that we stayed in.

Its basically a 4-star hotel and from the package we took, breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner are served buffet styled at the hotel's restaurant and they serve mostly Malay food to accommodate the mainly Malaysian and Indonesian guests that stays there. Now back to our late night trip to visit the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم). We had to walk a long way around the compound of the Mosque since the many gates were closed by that time but the area in which the Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) is at is opened 24 hours to the men. It was the first time I was there and I felt lost since we were looking for the Prophet's House - that is where he is buried. But due to the crowd and the time we were there, we just made a quick prayer there before we headed back to our hotel to catch up with much need sleep.

The next day, after having our breakfast, I headed down with my Mother and armed with a camera, we headed to the Prophet's Mosque. The entrance that is just in-front of our hotel is the ladies entrance so I told my Mother to go inside and take a look and to also do some prayers while I wait outside appreciating the beauty of the Mosque. The picture that you see is a photo taken from just outside the hotel and in-front of you is THE Masjid al-Nabawi and the entrance you see or the doors that you see are for ladies only, men have to enter the Masjid by another entrance to the right. Along the way, you can see people selling things from clothing, to prayer-beads and watches and even Quran.

The tall structures that you see are mega huge umbrella that will open up as you can see further down in the photo to protect the visitors from the heat of the afternoon Sun. You really need them. Temperature in Medina can go up as high as 45 degree Celsius but compared to Makkah al-Mukarramah, Medina was windy. Fortunately, the Saudi government has made the compound of the Masjid to be floored with marble and its anti-heat, so you can be walking in the heat but the floors will remain cool and at most just warm. There was once an incident about 10 years ago, a man when to the Mosque to pray and after having completed his prayers, he found that his slippers were missing and not wanting to take the slippers of others, he decided to make a run across the compound of the Masjid, which was back then not floored with marble but just bare land. He did manage to run across but after having reached the gate of the Masjid, his leg gave way and he fell down shout and crying in great pain. The impact of the heat, burnt his feet and those who run to his aid said that his feet were watery and they needed to bring him to the hospital immediately. So just image the heat of Medina al-Munawwarah my friends and how the people of the old used to walk around barefooted out of respect to the Noble Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم) . Once such person was Imam Malik (رضئ الله عنه), who out of reverence of the Noble Prophet (صلي الله عليه و سلم), never wore any slippers or shoes in Medina! Imagine then, how is feet were. Masha'Allah, may Allah be pleased with him. Imam Malik (رضئ الله عنه) never uttered a Hadith, except that he took purification bath, make ablution, wore the nicest clothing and best perfume and he used to sit on a special chair from which he would say a particular Hadith, no matter how short it might be. All this he did for the reverence of the Noble Prophet, our Master Muhammad (صلي الله عليه و سلم). I shall stop here, Insha'Allah I shall continue with my journey and stay in the Holy City of Medina.

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities : Taxi Ride

2010-08-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Continuing from where we were, our tour guide, waved down a taxi outside the arrival hall and we headed to the nearest bus station where we would catch another taxi that will bring us to the Enlighten City (Madina al-Munawwarah). Noticing the taxi, I realized that it had the steering wheel on its left-hand side, unlike here and most parts of South-East Asia we have the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the vehicle. Driving through parts of Jeddah was an eye-opener, with well-designed buildings and international brand names all over the bill-board, I was impress to see that Saudi Arabia was more advanced that I expected it to be.

When we reached the bus station, our tour guide flagged down a bigger taxi and we hopped inside and were on our way to the Prophet's city. The distance from Jeddah to Madina is approximately 400km, about a 4 hours drive. The journey to our destination was an interesting one as we got to see the plains of Arabia and its arid lands and in the near distance you can see rock formation, hills and mountains and it made me wonder how the early Muslims and our Prophet (s.a.w) made the Hijarah to Madina in those days. Its was said that the journey undertook by our Prophet (s.a.w) was approximately 2 weeks. The early people must have very strong and able to withstand great hardship. Unlike us.

As night approached, the full moon got brighter and her light shone its brightest that I have ever seen. It was as if Allah (s.w.t) was expounding the verse regarding the moon to be a bright lamp. Its very difficult to describe how that night was, but it was just so beautiful and again it made me ponder on the Prophet's Hijrah and how was it that they could undertake night journeys and see that moon on that night explained everything to me. The picture below is not one of my takings but this is the closest to what the night was and how its light fell upon the hills and rock formation - it was was day light.

One of the thought that came to my mine when I saw the full moon was the Hadith related by a certain companion when he was out with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) and it was a full-moon night. He said, " I look at the moon and then I look at the face of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w) and I did this trice and By Allah, the Messenger of Allah was more beautiful then the full moon. " Subhan'allah!!! What beauty was our Messenger and Master, Peace and Salutation be upon him who is most beloved to Allah. That was my amazing taxi ride and as it got late, so did my eyes got heavier and I felt asleep in the taxi. That ends my taxi ride story, Insha'Allah I will continue to share with you about my stay in the Enlighten City.....stay tune..

My Journey to the Two Holy Cities...

2010-08-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

بسم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

All Praises belongs to Allah for having decreed for this servant of His to be among the those who are invited to visit His House is the Ennobled Makkah and also allowing me to visit His most beloved and choicest of creation our Master Muhammad (s.a.w) in the Enlighten City (Madina al-Munawwarah) and also to have decreed for me in His Pre-internal Decreed that I shall be among those who shall visit the tombs of the blessed Companions and the placed of historical importance. I hope to share with my friends the places I visited and to tell them about some of my experience there in the hope that they long for those places and thus make preparation to embark on this amazing journey to the place of return.

We reached the international airport in Jeddah on the 25th of July just a little after the dawn prayers. We decided to establish our dawn payers in the airport where we were joined by a group of Arab men in Ihram clothing, the Imam read in a beautiful Arab mode of recitation from some verses of the Quran regarding Hajj, it was sure a reminder of the bounty of Allah (s.w.t). After having done our prayers, we went to clear our immigration but due to the huge crowd, it took us about an hour to get through the customs. While standing and waiting to be cleared, I saw people of different races and walks of life in their Ihram clothings and their different ways of wearing them but all in accordance to the Law for one purpose, to visit the House to Allah and to perform the lesser pilgrimage (Umrah) and to pay homage to the Prophet (s.a.w).

Once we cleared customs, we had to wait a little longer as we had booked for a transit flight to Madina al-Munawwarah. The photo above is that of my Mum and it was taken in Jeddah airport while we were waiting for the transit flight. Beside this huge painting is the airport's only food court on the ground floor and serves mostly western meals. It was hard purchasing a meal there as they spoke Arabic mostly so it was time to use the Arabic I had learn for the pass three years. My Arabic was bad but I managed to conversed with them with the little Arabic that I knew and thus brought us a meal.

Unfortunately, we had missed our transit flight due to the delay in customs clearance so we had to book for another fight out to Madina, altogether we waited for nearly 10 hours at the airport but being a journey to Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w), patience was all we could exercise and there was indeed great wisdom behind it. Having seated for a while now, I decide to take my camera and walk outside of the airport to feel the heat of Arabia and to see what the city of Jeddah looked an felt like.

So my friends, these photos were taken in the midday in Jeddah, the heat was welcoming although it was the hottest I had felt. It made me wonder that this was the very land and under this very same heat did our Master Muhammad (s.a.w) walked. After having waited for two successive flights, we were unsuccessful in obtaining seats on the transit flight and it was then at nearly 5.30pm that our tour guide, Ustaz Asmar, may Allah reward him, decided that we catch a taxi to Medina. Unknowingly to me, this taxi ride was going to be a taxi ride I won't forget. Alight fiends, I shall continue my story sharing in the time to come, do stay tune....:)

The Prophet's Nation Last Part

2010-07-06T00:34:00.000-07:00

بسم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

To continue...

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people whose gospels are held within their breasts and they recite them; let them be my nation!" But He answered: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people among whom, when one of them intends a good deed but does not perform it, it is written as one good deed for him, while if he perform it, it is written as ten to seven hundred times its worth; let them be my nation!" But God said: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation among whom, when one of them intends a sin but does not commit it, it is not recorded against him, while if he does commit it, it is written as a single sin; let them be my nation!" But He replied: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation who are the best of people, who exhort to good and forbid evil; let them be my nation!" But He said: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people who will be resurrected and brought on the Day of Rising as three groups. One group shall enter the Garden without reckoning, another's reckoning will be easy, and another will be rigorously judged, then made to enter the Garden; let them be my nation!" But He said: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! You have spread out all this goodness for Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم) and his nation; let me be a member of his nation!" But God told him" O Moses! I have chosen and preferred you over other people with My Message and My Speech; take what I have given you, and be one of the thankful."

With that we conclude the Hadith as narrated by Wahb ibn Munabbih on the 'Muhammadan nation'.

The Prophet's Nation Part 3

2010-06-23T03:57:00.000-07:00

بسم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

To continue.....

Moses (عليه سلم) said: 'O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people who fast the month of Ramadan for You, and whom You then forgive all they had done before; let them be my nation!" But He replied: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people who go on pilgrimage to the Inviolable House for Your sake, whose longing for it is never exhausted, whose weeping is loud and tumultuous, whose talbiya is clamorous; let them be my nation!" But He said: "They are the nation of Ahmad ( صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses said (عليه سلم): "What will You give them for that? And God said: "I shall grant them more forgiveness, and shall allow them to intercede for those who come after them."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people who ask forgiveness for their sins; when they raise their food to their mouths it does not reach their stomachs before they are forgiven; they start eating with Your Name and end with Your praise; let them be my nation!" But He said: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Moses (عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people whose members will be foremost on the Day of Rising, but are the last to be created; let them be my nation!" But He replied: "They are the nation of Ahmad (صلي الله عليه و سلم)."

Insha'Allah we have seen again the value of this community of our Master Muhammad (صلي الله عليه و سلم). Let us be thankful to Allah for this gracious gift that we are decreed to be his followers, let us make salawat upon him and make every effort to love him and support his cause. We shall Insha'Allah continue with the other traits of this magnificent community in time to come.

The Prophet's Nation Part 2

2010-05-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

To continue....

بسم الله ا للر حمن ا لر حيم

اللهم صلّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا ومولانا محمد خير البرية

وعلى آله في كل لمحة ونفس عدد ما وسعه علم الله

Musa ( عليه سلم) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people whose clothes are on their backs* and whose swords are on their shoulders, people of certitude and dependence [tawakkul]; they glorify God from menaret-tops, and they do battle against the Dajjal. Let them be my nation!" But He said: "They are the nation of Ahmed!" [صلي الله عليه و سلم ]

Musa ( عليه سلم ) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation of people who pray five times each day and night, at five hours of the day, for whom the gates of Heaven are opened and upon whom mercy desends; let them be my nation!" But He replied: "They are the nation of Ahmad [صلي الله عليه و سلم ]!"

Musa (عليه سلم ) said: "O Lord! I find in the Tablets a nation for whom the [whole] earth is a place of worship and ritually pure, and for whom booty is lawful; let them be my nation!" But He repiled: "They are the nation of Ahmad [صلي الله عليه و سلم ]!"

Look and at the immense rank and honor that Allah has given to our Master Muhammad! We should all be humbled and thankful to Allah for allowing is to be among his صلي الله عليه و سلم ummah. Let us then work towards the path that make us identify as one of his صلي الله عليه و سلم followers.

*what they wear is all they have

The Prophet's Nation Part 1

2010-05-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Wahb ibn Munabbih relates: 'When Moses ( عليه سلم), read the Tablets, he found mentioned in them the merits of the nation of Muhammad (صلي الله عليه سلم), and he said: "O Lord! Which is this mercy-given nation that I find in the Tablets?" God answered: "It is the nation of Ahmad, whose people are content with whatever little provision I give them, and I am content with whatever little good works they do. I make each of them enter the Garden by his testimony that La ilaha illah'Llah <لااله الاالله>.

And then Moses (عليه سلم) said: 'I find in the Tablets a nation of people who shall be resurrected and assembled on the Day of Rising with their faces like full moons. Let them be my nation!' But God replied: 'They are the nation of Ahmad; I shall gather them resurrected on the Day of Rising, when their foreheads and limbs shall be blazing white from the effect of their wudu - ablutions and their postration.' [Hadith]

Airborne visitors

2010-05-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

As I was reading the biography of Islam's most respected spiritual luminaries, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jaylani, I came across an amazing narration from one of his comtempories, Shaykh Abdullah al-Isfahani al-Jabali that would probably be seen on movies or heard in fairytale books. Shaykh Abdullah said: "I was at Mount Lebanon one brightly moonlit night, and I saw the local inhabitants teaming up with one another, then flying through the air in the direction of Iraq, group after group. I turned to one of them, a friend of mine, and aked: 'Where are they going?' He replied: Khidr (a.s) has instructed us to head for Baghdad, and to present ourselves before the Cardinal Pole [Qutb].' When I asked him: 'Who is the Cardinal Pole [Qutb]?, he said: 'Shaykh Abd al-Qadir (r.a).

'I asked my friend for permission to make the journey with him, and he gave his consent, so we set off together, traveling through the air. We arrived in Baghdad in no time at all, to find the rest if them there in front of the Shaykh, row upon row. The seniors among them were saying: "O our Master!' He was giving them instructions, and they were making haste to comply with his every commandment. Then he ordered them to depart, so they withdrew from his presence. They soon became airborne again, and I was flying with them, in the company of my friend.

Upon our return to Mount Lebanon, I said to my friend: 'I simply cannot see the point of your behaviour tonight, in the presence of the Shaykh, and the way you all rushed to comply with his every commandment. It did not seem proper to me.' To this he repiled: 'How could it not be appropriate, since he is the one who declared: 'My foot is upon the neck of every saint of Allah,' and we have been instructed to obey him and treat him with reverence.

Profound Words

2010-04-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

It is very rare that I write about myself or my life, usually most of my blog posting are based on books that I've read because simply the Imam and the Saints of the old are more worthy of being known and to learn from. Anyhow, I just found out something that was blog-worthy to write, about a class that I have been religiously attending on Imam Ghazali's Mihajul Abideen. Its basically a class on Taswwuf or Sprituality. During my class last week, the Ustaz, may Allah increase him in knowledge, spoke some very profound words that I would like to share with the readers.

He asked a the question, 'How do you know that your soul is getting better or gaining proximity to Allah's pleasure?' We of course gave various answers to show our participation in class. He then answered thus, 'When you see yourself as getting worse in your worship to Allah, then know that you are getting better and if you see yourself as getting better in worshipping Allah, then know that your are indeed getting worser in your worshipping'. I have yet to understand the essence of what those poweful words meant but God's Willing, we will all undestand it one day.

Reflect on these statements...

2010-04-19T02:41:00.000-07:00

The Shaykh Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi (r.a) said, "Sahl Ibn Abdallah said, 'Be not among the time-conscious, nor among those intent on counting and calculation. Rather, be among those whose concern is with eternity, and whether [they are among those destined to be] miserable or happy."

Then he continued, saying, "One of them might say, 'I prayed such-and-such a number of rak'ahs, I fasted such-and-such a number of times, I recited the entire Quran such-and-such number of times, I performed such-and-such number of pligrimages.' People who say such things are intent on counting and calculation. However, they are in greater need of counting their bad deeds than they are of counting their good ones.

"As for the time-conscious, one of them might say, 'I've been on the spiritual path for 70 years, 'or, I've been on the spiritual path for 60 years.'

"As for you, be among those whose concern is with eternity, and whether [they are among those destined to be] miserable or happy. In other words, focus your awareness on God's pre-knowledge; rely not on your own knowledge and works, but rather, on that which has existed from all eternity."

In other words, rather than taking pride in the knowledge we have attained or the good works we have perfromed, we are urged to remember that were it not for God's pre-knowledge - and hence, decree - we would neither know what we know nor would have been able to do what we have done.

Taken from Kitab Lata'if al-Minan by Ibn Ata

This reminds me of the advice that Shaykh Abu al-Abbas gave to Shaykh Ibn Ata when the latter complained to him of some heaviness the latter felt and the Shaykh told him of the 4 states in which a man can be in and the respond to which he should make. So know then that it is Allah who has allow you to obey Him and it is with His Power and Mercy that you worship Him. When in a state of obdience, then be humble and Allah will increase you in obdience to Him, Insha'Allah and Allah and His Rasul know best. For more on the 4 sates do look for my older posting under the heading 'Great Advice'.

The Hilya - the Adornment of the Prophet

2010-04-03T01:08:00.000-07:00

Descriptions of the physical beauty of the Prophet are found scattered in early tradition but being a religion that prohibits the representation of living being, particularly of saintly persons, no picture of the Prophet could be legitimately produced. Although there are representations of the Prophet in quite a number of miniature paintings in the Turkish, Persian, and even Indian tradition which showed him (s.a.w) either veiled or unviled espescially in early 14th-century painting, this practice is however vehemently attacked as heresy by Muslim fundamentalists and I personally think that these practices be left out since we can do no justice by painting the most perfect of creation by our imagination. But Muslims found another way to make him (s.a.w) present before their eyes: The Hilya.

Imam al-Tirmidhi, in the late 9th century, qoutes a hadith in which the Prophet promises: "For him who see my hilya after my death it is as if he had seem me myself, and he who sees it, longing for me, for him God will make Hellfire prohibited, and he will not be resurrected naked at Doomsday." The hilya consist of short descriptions of the Prophet's external and internal qualities, drawn from early Arabic sources. According to other popular traditions, the Prophet himself advice the first four Khala'ifah, before his passing away into the Divine realm to remember his shama'il nama, that is, description of his looks and qualities. One who stitches the hilya in his shroud will be accompanied on his last way by a 1000 angels who will recite the funeral prayer for him and ask forgiveness on his behalf until Doomsday. [1]

To execute a hilya in fine calligraphy was considered a work of great merit: one Turkish women, widowed and childless, said she regarded the nine she had completed during her lifetime as a substitude for nine children, hoping that they would intercede for her at Doomsday. [2] The Turkish Hilya by Khaqani, a poet of the late 16th century, is especially worthy of mention. The poet tell extensively the blessing contained in the hilya: not only will its owner be safe from punishment in the hereafter, but Satan will not enter his house; his recompense will be equal to the freeing of a slave and a Haj, "and the citadel of his body will not be impaired and he will not be afflicted by maladies." [3]

The Hilya often imitated are round, and beneath the circular frame that contains the description of the Prophet, the line 'Mercy for the Worlds' is written in large letters and after that a retangular frame that tells of the Prophet's inner traits.

[1] S.B Bukhari, Jawhir al-auliya, p.229

[2] Inal, Son Hattatlar, p.802

[3] M.Khaqani, Hilya p.12

With reference from 'And Muhammad Is His Messenger - Schimmel'

An anecdote of Shaykh Abu Abbas al-Mursi on his patient endurance

2010-03-21T01:20:00.000-07:00

He, Shaykh Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi was among those in whom this trait has been firmly ingrained. He was afflicted with a number of illness which, if even some of them was placed on the moutains, would cause them to melt away. He had kidney stones, suffered from pain in his kindney when the weather was cold, and had twelve hemorrhoids which casued him particular discomfort when he was sitting with others. However, he would not interrupt a session or moan as he sat. Hence, those who were with him would not even be aware that there was anything wrong with him. Nor did his illness caused jaundice in his face or any visible change in his bodily appearance. Hence, he used to say, "Look not at the ruddiness of my face, for the ruddiness of my face comes from the heart."

A paricular man went in to see him one day and found him in pain. The man said, "May God grant you well-being, Master." However, the Shaykh remined silent and made no reply. The man stayed an hour longer, then said, "May God grant you well-being, Master."

The Shaykh then replied, "I have asked God for well-being, and the condition I am in is, itself, perfect well-being."

The Messenger of God (s.a.w) asked God for well-being. However, he also said, "The food I ate in Khaybar still causes me suffering, and it has affected my aorta." Umar (r.a) asked God for well-being, after which he was stabbed to death. Uthman (r.a) asked God for well-being, after which he has his throat slit. Ali (r.a) asked for well-being, after which he was killed. Hence, if you ask God for well-being, ask Him with the realization that He knows best in which your true well-being lies.

He used to say, "The phrase, 'patient endurance' (sabr) is derived from the word, (asbar), which refers to the target used by archers. Hence, the person with patient endurance is one who sets himself up as a traget for arrows of divine decree." Morever, it was his custom to ask God to deal graciously with him, and rarely would he flag in his mention of it.

I, Ibn Ata, went in to see him one day and found him in pain. "Master," I said, "I think you are weak." "The weak person," he replied, "is one with neither faith nor consciousness of God."

Ibn Ata'Allah al-Iskandari's Kitab Lata'if al-Minan

The Messenger of God, the Best of Creation said: "Patient endurance is to be contented with God's will at the moment of the first impact of the calamity." [Hadith] and he (s.a.w) was the best of example of this and other traits of characters. May Allah grant us such patient endurance when faced with affliction for ours when compared to the Prophets and Saints are like dust.

High Esteem

2010-02-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

He is the master of all mankind. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, "I am the master of the children of Adam, and it is no boast." "The master" is whoever is characterised by sublime attributes and luminous qualities of character. This shows us that he is better than them in both abodes. As for in this world, it is becasue he is characterised by tremendous qualities of character. As for the Next World, it is because repayment is arranged according to one's qualities and character. Since he is better than them in this world in vitures and attributes, he is better than them in the Next World in his rank and degrees.

He (s.a.w) said, "I am the master of the children of Adam, and it is no boast" to inform his community about his position in respect to his Lord -mighty and exalted is He! As mentioning one's virtures is usually done out of pride, the Prophet (s.a.w) meant to dispel the illusion of any ignorant person, who might assume that he stated it merely in order to boast, by saying, "It is no boast."

BIDAYAT AS-SUL FI TAFDIL AR-RASUL BY IMAM IZZ IBN ABD AL-SALAM

Know that he (s.a.w) is our master and that we belong to him. Sahl al-Tustari said, "Whoever does not think that the Messenger (s.a.w) is his master in all states or think that he is under the dominion of the Prophet does not taste the sweetness of his sunna becasue the Prophet (s.a.w) said, "None of you shall believe until I am more beloved to him than himself."

AS-SHIFAH OF QADI IYAD

'LA ILA HA ILLA 'ALLAH NAHNU MUHAMMADIUNUNA WA ILLAH IL HAMD'

Traditional Qasidah - Ya Imam Rusli (Rabi'ul Awal Special)

2010-02-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

O leader of all Prophets, o you my Support,

You are the door to Allah, the one on whom I rely.

In this my dunya and in my afterlife,

O Messenger of Allah, take me by my hand.

An oath was sworn "By the star when it declines",

Good health and sickness are not alike.

So divest yourself of the two universes, except for

Love for the Master of the Arabs and non-Arabs.

He is the Master of Masters, from the people of Mudar,

The great helper of the people of desert and cities,

He was given signs (ayat) and Suras,

He is the source of wisdom and Sacred Law.

Like a moon, good and wholesome is his heart,

his character and his way of life.

He is the most pure and and select of all people,

A righteous witness for people of right and wrong.

No eye has seen, or ever will see,

A human being the like of TaHa.

He is the best who ever left traces on earth,

Pure in character and noble personal traits.

Do take this opportunity to recite this wonderful Qasidah during this chosen month, a month in which Allah chose for His Beloved to come into this Lower Life. Celebrate then with joy and singing praises to our Master Muhammad (s.a.w)

To Listen, click here

*Qasidah sung by Munshid has addtion to the lyrics which is not included in the above.

Coming of the Chief of Mankind to this world

2010-02-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

In a few days, we shall yet again enter the month of Rabi'ul Awal, the month in which the blessed Prophet Muhammad was born. Let us rekindled the importance of this great being in our lives by learning something about his nature and the amazing events that took place while the Prophet was yet in his mother's womb, our Lady Amina. It was related from her, that during the beginning of every month of her pregnacy, she would hear heavenly voices calling her saying: "Blessing upon you and tidings of joy! The felicitous advent of Abu-Qasim to the world has indeed drawn nigh!"

She said, "The whole duration of my pregnancy I felt none of the weight or pressure that pregnant women often felt. I only realized that I was pregnant from the absence of my monthly courses.

"From my belly there always emerged a beautiful scent, and at night, I would hear the voices of dhikr and tasbih (praise and invocation) coming from within. I heard angels's voices saying to me, "O Amina, you who are pregnant with the most excellent creature in all the universe, surely you are the most favoured of womenkind!"

Sahil ibn Abdullah reports: When the Lord applied His will to the creation of Muhammad (s.a.w), He commanded the guardian of Paradise gardens to open wide its gates and to give all inhabitants of Paradise the gald tidings of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). Messengers were sent out to spread the good news to all who dwelt in the heavens and the earth that this very night (Laylat-al-Raghaib) the concealed light of Muhammad (s.a.w) was to desend into his mother's womb. Thus the Mercy to the Worlds would be conceived and born to earth.

It was also related that a call went out in the spiritual kingdoms of the other world: "O blessed ones! Anoint your abodes with perfume and incense and prepare for the feast of holiness! Mark the coming of Muhammad (s.a.w) to the lower world with exuberant celebration and joyful festivity!"

Among other wonderous events that took place were that the animals in Mecca all spoke fluently in human speech saying, "By the Lord of the Ka'bah! Tonight the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is conceived in his mother's womb, the guiding light of all the world, the lodestar of the entire universe!".

Extracted from: Muhammad, The Messenger of Islam - His life & Prophecy by the late Hajjah Amina Adil

O people, these are but just some of the many wonderous and amazing events that happened during that night when the light of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) desended from his father to be settled into the womb of his blessed mother. It is a matter of wondement that we Muslims are not celebrating the advent of this great Prophet. Let us then, in this coming of 12th Rabi'ul awal, remember these events and fill our hearts with love and respect for this great being who was and is greatly respected by the angelic host and who is loved by the Creator Himself.

Let us conclued with some poetry from the great Imam al-Busari:

Discard what the People of the Book claim about their Prophet

Then decide and say what you wish in praise of him (s.a.w)

and attribute towards his personality whatever you wish of excellence

and attribute to his dignified status as much greatness as you wish

For verily excellence of the Messenger of Allah has no (limits)

Bounds, that a speaker might (be able to) express with his mouth.

The meaning of humbly submissive

2010-02-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

This is first and foremost a reminder to myself and a message to the rest. Concering Allah's words : Indeed, prosperous are the believers.Those who in their prayers are humbly submissive (khāshi'ūn). [Quran 23:1-2]

[Sahl was asked], 'What is humble submission?' He replied:

Humble submission (khushū') is openly [manifested] ('alāniyya). It is to stand before God, Exalted is He, while maintaining the conditions for the codes of conduct (ādāb) required by the One Who commands (al-āmir), which is to purge your [moments of] activity (ḥarakāt) and stillness (sukūn) from anything other than Him. The root of this is fear (khashya) within the innermost secret (sirr). If a person is given fear, humble submission will manifest in his exterior and this is one of the conditions of [true] faith.

It has been related of Ḥasan b. 'Alī (rḍ) that when he finished his ablutions, the colour of his face would change and he was asked about that. He said, 'It is appropriate that the face of the one who intends to enter the presence of the 'Master of the Throne' [God] should change colour.' It is related of the Prophet (ṣ) that he said to Mu'ādh, 'Truly, the Qur'ān has curbed (qayyada) the believer from much of what his lower self desires, and by God's permission has come between him and his being ruined by that desire. Indeed, the believer is a captive to whomsoever has a rightful claim over him. O Mu'ādh! The believer strives to liberate himself. O Mu'ādh! Truly a believer's fear will not abate, nor his unrest be stilled until he leaves behind him the Traverse over Hell. O Mu'ādh! Truly the believer knows that there are observers keeping watch over his hearing, sight, tongue, hands, feet, stomach and genitals, and even the blinking of his eye, the particles of mud on his fingers, the kohl in his eyes and every movement he makes. Mindfulness of God (taqwā) is his companion (rafīq), the Qur'ān is his guide (dalīl), fear (khawf) is his way (maḥajja), longing (shawq) is his riding beast (maṭ iyya), dread (wajl) is his emblem (shi'ār), prayer (ṣalāt) is his cave [of refuge] (kahf), fasting (ṣiyām) is his garden (janna), charity (ṣadaqa) is his source of liberation (fikāk), truthfulness (ṣidq) is his vizier, shame (ḥayā') is his emir, and behind all of these, his Lord is on the look out (bi-mirṣād). O Mu'ādh! I wish for you what I wish for myself. I have forbidden you that which Gabriel ('a) forbade me. I do not know anyone at all who will join me on the Day of Resurrection and who will be happier than you at what God has granted you.

We ask Allah for His help and aid and success comes from Him. Amin.

Tafsir al-Tustari by altafsir.com

Great Advice with a Story

2010-01-28T01:34:00.000-08:00

I heard this advice on youtube some months ago and it facinated me how simple yet so profound the advice was and I want to share it with you guys but somehow I couldn't find it on youtube anymore. It was a lecture/sermon given by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Basically it was an advice by Shaykh Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi to his student Shaykh Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari when the latter complained about some difficulties he was facing. By the gace of Allah, I managed to get this book entitled 'Kitab Lata'if al-Minan fi Manaqib Abi'l Abbas al-Mursi wa Shaykhihi Abi'l Hasan' - 'The subtle blessings in the saintly lives of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi & his master Abu al-Hassan.' - translanted by Nancy Roberts. As I was reading this book, I kept asking Allah to show me the advice that I heard on youtube and Praise be to Him, I did and I even got more, so do read all the way through and partake on the blessings of these luminaries and on what they have given this community.

Shaykh Ibn Ata'Allah said: One night when I was worried and anxious, I saw the Shaykh (al-Abbas al-Mursi) in a dream and complained to him of the state I was in. He said, "Be still, and I swear by God, I will most surely teach you a great science." After I woke up, I came to see the Shaykh, and I told him of my vision. He said, '"Thus will it be, God willing."

Before becoming the Shaykh's disciple, I denied that he had anything distinctive to offer and I objected to his message, though not on accout of anything I had heard him say or which he was reported to have said or done. I said to the man, "The only people I trust are those who profess outward knowledge. These people, on the other hand, make great claims which are refuted by the straight-forward meaning of Islamic Law."

After I, too had become the Shaykh's follower, this same man asked me, "Do you know what the Shaykh said to me on the day when you and I got into an argument?"

"No," I replied.

He said, "I went in to see him and the first thing he said to me was, 'People like that are like rocks" The ones that miss you are better than the ones that hit you!"

I knew then that the Shaykh had been granted supernatural knoweldge of what transpired between us that day. And believe me: I followed the Shaykh for 12 years, and contray to the things which he had been quoted as saying by those who wished to do him harm, never once did I hear him say anything which would be denied by the outward sciences.

What led me at last to meet the Shaykh was that after the altercration between me and this disciplle of his, I thought to myself: Let me fo see this man [Shaykh]. After all, those who speak the truth are marked by clearly recognizable signs. Hence, I went to his gathering place, where I found him speaking of the spiritual 'draughts' of which the Lawgiver has commanded us to partake.

"The first," he said, "is submission (islam), the second is faith (iman), and the third is virtue (ihsan)."
"If you will, "he continued, "you may say that the first is worship (ibadah), the second is servanthood (ubudiyah), and the third is servitude (ubudah)."
"If you will, you may say that the first is law (Shari'ah), the second is reality (haqiqah), and the third is realization (tahaqquq) or the like."

He kept on saying, "If you will, you may say....," and "if you will, you may say..." until he dazzled my mind, and I knew that this man was drawing upon the abundance of a divine ocean, a celestial storehouse. Thus it was that God caused all my doubts and resistance to flee. I went home that night. but felt none of my usual desire to meet with family. Instead, I experienced a perculiar sensation that meaning of which I was uncertain. Hence, I went somewhere to be alone. As I gazed at the sky and the celestial bodies and what God has placed therein of the wonders of His power, I felt moved to go back to him again. When I arrived, permission was requested of him for me to enter. When I came in to see him, he rose and received me with such warmth and enthusiasm, I was both astonished and abashed, feeling myself too insignificant to be worthy of such reception. The first thing I said was, "Sir, God knows, I love you!"

The advice starts hereon:

"May God love you as you have loved me," he replied, whereupon I complained to him of my cares and sorrows. Then he said, may God be pleased with him, "There are only 4 states in which the servant of God will find himself: blessing, affliction, obedience and disobedience. If you are in a state of blessing, what the Truth (Allah) requires of you is that you be thankful. If you are in a state of affliction, what the Truth requires of you is that you bear it patiently. If you are in the state of obedience, what the Truth requires of you is that you bear witness to His grace towards you [in Shaykh Hamza explantion is that the you should be humble]; and if you are in a state of disobedience, what the Truth requires of you is that you seek forgiveness."

As I got up to leave, the cares and sorrows which has burdened me seemed like nothing but a garment which I had now cast off. Some time later he asked me, "How are you?", "I look for something to worry about," I replied, "and I find none!"

This concludes the advcie given by the Shaykh to his student Ibn Ata'Allah. If in a state of blessing, one done not gives thanks to the Lord, then that blessing will be removed from you and when not patient in times of affliction, the afflication will increased and when one doese not humble oneself after being obedient to Allah, then one will feel 'great' and when one does not seek forgivness when disobedient then the sin will remain with him, and explaintion of thr above adivce by Scholars.

Books to Share

2010-01-19T01:32:00.000-08:00

A book that portraits the blessed lives of Shaykh al-Mursi and Shaykh Abu'l Hassan al-Shadhili. Written by Ibn Ata, he presents anecdotes, parables, spiritual advice and devotional litanies from direct experience with these luminaries of North African Islamic spirituality.

Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari the author of this book was both a Muhaddith and Maliki jurist in the 13th century. A student of al-Mursi, he was the 2nd to succeed Imam Abu'l Hassan, the founder of the Shadhili Order, which continues to this day.

For me and For you...

2010-01-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ali (may God ennoble his countenance) related that the Prophet (s.a.w) said, 'Two things fear I for you above all else: the pursuit of desire and lengthy hopes. For the pursuit of desire bars one from the Truth, while lengthy hopes are the very love of this world.' Then he said, 'Indeed, God (Exalted is He!) bestows the world upon the man He loves and the man He abhors; and when He loves His bondsman He gives him faith. Indeed, religion has its sons, as does the world; therefore be with sons of religion, and be not with the sons of the world. Indeed, the world has moved by and passed on, while the Afterlife has moved close and drawn near. Indeed, you are in a day in which there is action without reckoning, but have well-nigh come to a day in which there shall be reckoning and no action.' (ibn Abi'l Duyna)

Al-Ghazali - Kitab Dhkir al-maut wa-ma ba dahu, Ihya Ulum al-din

The Adversaries, and the Restoration of Wrongs

2010-01-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

Said Ibn Mas'ud, 'The Emissary of God (s.a.w) said, "The devil has despaired of images ever being worshipped in the land of the Arabs, but he shall be satisfied with you if you commit that which is less heinous: the degrading faults [al-muhaqqirat], which are the mortal sins [al-mubiqat]. Therefore avoid injustice as much as you are able, for truly, on the Day of Arising a bondsman shall come with righteous deeds like unto the mountains, believing that they shall save him, but bondsman after bondsman shall come forward, saying, 'O Lord! So-and-so dealt with me unjustly, 'and He shall say, 'Erase some of his good deeds!' ; and thus shall the matter proceed until none of this good deeds remain. This is akin to a group of travellers who rest in a desert place. Having no firewood, they scatter to look for some, and before long they have made a great fire, and prepare whatever they wish. Thus it shall be with sins". [Ibn Hanbal]

When His word Truly you will die, and they will die, then on the Day of Arising before your Lord shall you dispute[al-Zumar:30-31] was revealed, al-Zubayr asked, 'O Emissary of God! Shall the worst sins which passed between us in the world return to us?' Yes, ' he replied. They shall certainly return to you, until you return to everyone who has a right that which he deserves'. And al-Zubayr said, 'By God, the matter is hard!" [Ibn Hanbal]

Said Abu Hurayra, 'The Emissary of God (s.a.w) once said, "Do you know who is the bankrupt?" And we replied. "The bunkrupt among us, O Emissary of God, is he that has neither dirham nor dinar to his name, nor any property." But he said, "The bankrupt of my nation is he that shall come forward on the Day of Arising with the Prayer, the Fast and the Tithe, but having insulted this man, and abused that man, and having consumed another's wealth, and shed another's blood, and struck yet another. Each one of these shall be given a portion of his good works, and should these be exhausted before his obligation is discharged, then he shall be assigned some of their sins, which will heaped upon him. Then he shall be cast into Hell." [Muslim]

See, therefore, how your misfortune shall be on that Day, since you have not one good work that is free from the vice of eyeservice and the subterfuges of the Devil. Should, over every lengthy period , you gain one sound good deeds, then your adversaries will make haste to seize it. Perhaps if you were to call yourself to account while you presevered in fasting during the day and praying at night you might come to know that not a single day passes without there falling from your tongue some slander against a Muslim which cancles out the entirety of your good deeds; what, then, of your remaining sins, such as consuming what is unlawful or doubtful; and what of the insufficiency of your virtue? How may you hope to escape from your iniquities on a Day when the very hornless sheep shall exact retribution from the sheep that has horn?

Time to reflect......

Taken from Al-Ghazali's Kitab dhikr al-mawt wa-ma ba'dahu, Ihya ulum al-din

People of the Chambers

2009-12-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

Said Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, 'The Emissary Of God (s.a.w), once said, "The people of Heaven shall behold the people of the Chambers above them just as, you behold the morning and evening star when it lies above the horizon; so great is the discrepancy between them in merit." "O Emissary of God, "[the Companions] said, "Those shall be the mansions of the Prophets, who alone may attain to them." "But no," he replied. "By Him in Whose hands lies my soul, therein shall be men who had faith in God, and believed the Messenger."

Said Jabir, "The Emissary of God (s.a.w) said to us, "Shall I not speak to you of the Chambers of Heaven?" "Please do, O Emissary of God, "we replied, "may God bless you and grant you peace, and may our mothers and fathers be your ransoms!" And he declared. "In Heaven there shall be Chambers of every kind of precious stone. Their exteriors shall be visible from within and their interiors from without. Inside them shall be joy, pleasures and happiness such as no eye has seen, no ear heard, and which has never occurred to mortal mind." "Oh Emissary of God!" we said, "For whom shall be those Chambers be?" And he replied, "For those who spread abroad the greetings of peace, who give out food, who fast at length and pray at night when the people are asleep." "O Emissary of God!" we said. "And who might sustain such a thing?" "My nation can sustain it," he said, "and I shall tell you how.

Whoever meets one of his brethren and greets him or replies to his greetings has spread abroad the greeting of peace. Whoever feeds his family and dependants so that they are satisfied has given food. Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and three days in every month has fasted at length. And whoever prays the Night and Dawn Prayers with a congregation has prayed at night while the people are asleep; meaning the Jews, the Christians and the Zoroastrians."

Oh relations in Islam, let us therefore strive in achieving the pleasure of Allah and His Perfect Servant. God is our Helper. Do not then be deluded by this World and what it offers, for to find solace in something temporary is but foolishness of the soul over that which is abiding. The scholars have identified three enemy of the humans and they are, the soul (Nafs), Shaytan and Duniya. So beware of them! Let us all support each other that we may attain to that which is best.

Revisiting the Hijrah

2009-12-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

Tala'al badru 'alayna

(The full moon has risen over us)

min thaniyat al wada'

(From the moment of departure)

wajaba ash-shukru 'alayna

(Gratitude is our duty)

ma da'a lillahi da'

(For that a caller summons us to Allah)

ayyuhal mab'uthu fina

(Oh you who are sent to her, i.e. the City of Yatrib)

ji'ta bil-amril muta'

(You have come with a command to be obeyed)

ja'ta sharraftal madina

(You have come and honoured the city)

marhaban ya khaira da'

(Welcome to you, Oh best if Callers!)

This song which was sung some 1,431 years ago by Muslims in Yatrib signifies their joy of the coming of God's Messenger into their city. The message of peace and unity had reached a people torn apart by strife and civil war some years ago and now that instrument of peace and stability has come! Reflect Oh readers!, on the very words used in this song and what they mean and meant to the Muslims of Yatrib. It was indeed a song that signified their joy and gratitude and their willingness to obey that which come from God through His Messenger. How great they placed the Messenger among them in that they attributed the honouring of the city through the entrance of the Blessed Prophet into their city. To those who migrated with the Prophet, it signifies also their willingness to forsake and suffer exile for the sake of Allah and His Messenger and to break free from oppression.

We as Muslims have lost sense of the magnanimity of the Noble Prophet and of his placing within out heats and community, Let this Hijrah be that of re-establishing our love and gratitude and our willingness to obey and follow in his Sunnah and his noble character traits. With that I wish all Muslims out there a blessed Muharram. !

Please feel free comment on this write-out....

Judge Not..

2009-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

It is related that a certain man deeply sunk in depravity once passed away in a certain district of Basra. His wife was unable to find anyone to help her carry him, since not one of her neighbours paid any heed on account of his great wickedness. So she hired some carriers, who bore him out to the prayer-place, where there was no-one to pray for him. Then she carried him out into the desert to bury him.

Now, on a mountain close by there was one of the great ascetics, whom they described in the aspect of a man waiting for a funeral. [Sure enough], he came and prayed for him. The news that the ascetic had done this spread throughout the city, and the people were greatly astouned that he should thus have prayed for him, but he told them, 'I was instructed in a dream to decend to such-and-such a place, where I would see a man's funeral attended only by a woman, and there to offer prayers for him, for he had been forgiven his sins.'

The people's astonoisment increased at this, until the ascetic summoned the women and questioned her about the circumstances and behaviour of the dead man. 'As people know, she said, 'his entire day was spent in the tavern where he occupied himself with drinking wine.' See now,' he said, 'do you know of any good deeds which were to his credit?' 'Yes, 'she replied, 'three things.

Every day at dawn he used to awaken for him drunknessness, change his clothes, perform the ablution, and offer the Dawn Prayer with the congregation. Then he would return to the tavern and occupy himself with vice. Then second thing is that his house was never devoid of one or two orphans, to whom he showed even more kindness then he did to his own children, and for whom he was greatly solicitous.

The third thing is that in the darkness of the night and in the very midst of his drunknessness he would awake, and weep, and say, "O Lord! Which corner of Hell do you wish to fill with this foul man?" - by which he meant himself. And so the ascetic when his way, the obscurity surrounding the affair having been cleared.

We must always have a good opinion of the deceased even if he had been corrupt, and to have a poor opinion of oneself even if one may outwardly be pious. This is because the last moment is a perilous thing the true nature of which is unknown.

Al-Ghazali, The Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife - Ihya ulum al-din

On Good Character

2009-11-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

A man once asked the Emissary of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) about good character, and he recited His statment (Exalted is He!): Hold to forgivness, and enjoin kindness, and turn aside from the ignorant ones. (Q7:199) Then he said (may God bless him and grant him peace), 'It is that you should seek reconciliation with those who avoid you, give to those who withhold from you, and forgive those who deal with you unjustly'. (ibn Abi'l Dunya)

A man said to the Emissary of God (may God bless him and grant him peace), 'Give me some advice'. Fear God, 'he replied, 'wherever you may be.' Give me more' ,he said. 'Follow a sin with a good deed, 'he replied, 'and you will erase it.' 'Give me more' ,the man said, and he replied, 'When you deal with people, do so with goodness of character'. (Tirmidhi)

And he said (may God bless him and grant him peace), 'I was sent only to perfect the noble qualities of character'. (Muwwata)

Al-Ghazali's Kitab Riyadat al-Nafs.

High Degrees

2009-11-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Said Ibn Ata', 'Those who have reached high degrees have done so only through good character, the prefection of which has been attained solely by the Chosen One (s.a.w). The nearest of all creature to God are those who follow in his footstep through [assuming the traits of] his noble character.'

Thus a man is close to God (Exalted is He!) in proportion to his closeness to His Emissary (s.a.w). For the Emissary of God (s.a.w) was 'sent only to perfect the noble qualities of character', as he himself said. So let us struggle in aquiring noble traits of characters and discard the evil ones.

Extracted from the book 'Discipling the Soul' by Imam al-Ghazali, tranlated by T.J Winter.

A Story of Great Forbearance

2009-10-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

It was told that Ibrahim ibn Adham, a predominent early sufi and was said to be a prince who renounced his kingdom, went out one day into the desert. There he met a soldier, who asked him, 'Are you a slave?' and he told that he was. 'Where is the inhabited country?' the soldier asked, and Ibrahim pointed to a cemetery. 'I meant the inhabited country!' the soldier said, but Ibrahim replied, 'The cemetery is such'.

At this the soldier lost his temper and struck Ibrahim's head with his goad, cracking his skull. Then he took him back with him to the town, where he was met by his companions, who asked him what had happened. And when the soldier told them, they said, 'But this is Ibrahim ibn Adham!' At this the soldier dismounted, and kissed his hands and feet, and tendered his apologies.

Later on, Ibrahim was asked why he had called himself a slave. 'He did not asked me whose slave I was, 'he answered, 'he merely asked me if I was one, and I said yes, for I am a slave of God. And when he struck my head I asked God to admit him into heaven'. But he did you injustice!, someone said. 'How could you pray for such a thing?' And he replied, 'I knew that I would be rewarded for my forbearence, and did not want to come by something good because of him, while he gained something evil because of me.'

These souls were made humble only through discipline which made their inner aspects cleansed of all dishonestly, rancour and ill-will. Ibn Ata' said: ' Those who have reached high degrees have done so only through good character, the prefection of which has been attained by the Chosen One (s.a.w). The nearest of all creatures to God are those who follow in his footsteps through [assuming the traits of] his noble character.'

May Allah guide us ever to the Straight Path which leads to His 'rida' and May He improved us in our characters that it might gain proximity to that of His Chosen One (s.a.w). Amin.

referrence from Qushayri, Risala, 499, taken from Imam al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al-din

Allah's immense favour to the Master of Messenger

2009-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Iman Izz ibn Abd al-Salam recounted, I requested my father, Izz ad-Din ibn Abd as-Salam, to dictate to me something about how the Prophet (s.a.w) is preferred over all men, and he replied instantly and without restraint saying:

Allah, exalted is He, says to our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) out of generosity to him and apprising us of his worth to Him: "Allah has sent down the Book and Wisdom on you and taught you what you did not know. Allah's favour to you is indeed immense." (4:113)

The Imam in his book entitled, 'Bidayat as-Sul fi Tafdil ar-Rasul' or 'The Beginning of the quest for the high esteem of the Messenger', states 40 aspects of how the Master of Messenger (s.a.w) was preferred over all men and we shall discuss some of those aspect for the benefit for all to read....

(Aspect 27). Another favour is that his Book contains what the Tawrah, Injil and Zabur contains, and he was granted the Mufassal as well.

Quoting a supporting hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa from the Prophet (s.a.w) who said, "In place of the Torah I was given the Seven Long Ones (sab'a tiwal), in place of the Zabur I was given the Hundreds (mi'in), and in place of the Injil I was given the Mathani, and I was given the Mufassal in addition." At-Tabarani tramsmitted it in al-Mu'jam al-kabir.

Now, The Seven Long Ones (Sab'ah Tiwal) refers to the 7 longest surahs in al-Quran, comprising of al-Baqarah, Ali Imra, an-Nisaa, Al-Maidah, al-An'am, al-A'raf, with the 7th surah being debated whether it is al-Anfal and at-Taubah being considered as one or surah Yunus.
The Mi'in or hundreds, refers to the surahs in al-Quran whose verses exceed 100 or naring to it.
Mathani are surahs whose verses are lesser than Mi'in and they are called Mathani because they are more frequently recited again and again in comparison to the Sab'a Tuwal and Mi'in.
The Mufassal are surahs in al-Quran starting from Surah Qaf or some scholars say its al-Hujurat, till the end of al-Quran, i.e. surah an-Nas.

Taken from the Book ' Bidayat as-Sul fi tafdil ar-rasul' and special thanks to MUIS for the help in commentries.

Great Books to read...

2009-10-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

AL-GHAZALI ON DISCIPLINING THE SOUL & BREAKING THE TWO DESIRE BOOKS XXII AND XXIII OF THE REVIVAL OF THE RELIGIOUS SCIENCES, is a must read book for all aspriants who wishes to acquire good character traits with the help of detailed sophisticated spiritual techniques adopted by classical Islam, and know the cure of the heart's sickness and also on question relating to gluttony and sexual desires, ending with the words of the Prophet that 'the best of all matters is the middle way'. Imam Ghazali's 'Ihya ulum al-din' is said to be a book of guide in the absence of a Shaykh becasue of its depth in detalils and methods. Allah knows best.

Words of Advice

2009-10-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

God revealed to Adam, upon whom be peace: 'Four things contain all that is good for you and your offsprings. One of these is for Me, one for you, one between you and Me, and one between you and My servants. As for the one that is Mine, it is that you worship Me and associate none with Me; as for the one that is yours, this is your deeds, for which I reward you; as for the one that is between you and Me, it is that your place is to pray and Mine to answer; and as for the one between you and Me servants, it is that you treat them as you would like them to treat you.' [Hadith Qudsi]

Taken from the Book of Assistance by Imam al-Haddad

On Reciting the Quran

2009-10-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Imam al-Haddad said: You must have a wird of recitation of the Mighty Book to be read every day. The least you should do is to read one 'juz [1/30 of the Quran] so that you complete it once a month, and the most is to complete it every three days.

Know that great merit attaches to reciting the Quran, and an influence in illuminating the heart. The Messanger of Allah (s.a.w) has said: 'The best of my nation's devotions is the recitation of the Quran. And Ali, may Allah ennoble his face, has said: 'The one who recites the Quran while standing in prayer receives one hundred rewards for each letter; the one who recites it outside the prayer but in a state of ritual purity receives twenty-five rewards for each letter; and the one who recites it without ritual purity receives ten rewards for each letter.'

Beware of concentrating, while reciting, on reciting a large amount to the exclusion of reflection and correct recitation. You must reflect and comprehend while you recite; slow, melodious recitation will assist you in this. Feel in your heart the Magnitude of the Speaker (Transcendent and Exalted is He!) and that you are before Him, reciting His Book to Him, in which He addresses His commands, prohibitions, counsels and exhortations to you. When reading verses on unification and glorification be full of reverence and awe, when reading verses of promise and threats be full of hopeful expectation and apprehension, and when reading the commands and prohibitions be thankful, acknowledge your shortcomings, ask for forgiveness and determine to show ardour.

Know that the Quran is the ocean wherefrom the jewels of knowledge and the treasures of understanding are extracted. Any believer who is granted the way to understand it, his Opening becomes permanent, his light complete, his knowledge vast, and he never tires of reading it night and day, for he has found therein his goal and his purpose. This is the quality of the sincere seeker. Shaykh Abu Madyan (r.a) has said: 'A seeker is not a seeker until he is able to find in the Quran everything that he desires.'

Extracted from The Book of Assistance by Imam al-Haddad

Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Ban Batin

2009-09-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Wishing all Muslim a very blessed Eid Mubarak!

Eaters...

2009-09-03T03:46:00.000-07:00

Sahl al-Tustari (r.a) said: "There are three types of eaters: one eats light and faith from the start of his food to the end; one eats nothing but food; and one eats dung (sirjin). The first one names Allah at the beginning, remembers Him with every bite, and thanks Him at the end; the second one names Him at the beginning and thanks Him at the end; the third one neither names Him nor thanks Him nor remembers Him."

Let us during the blessed month of Ramadhan not forget this important message at the time Sahur and Iftar and may we be among the first mentioned by this companion or atleast the second.

The Remembrance of God by

Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti

The blessed Ramadhan

2009-08-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

On the journey to the 7th Heaven, the Blessed Prophet (s.a.w) met an angel that would give him the good tidings of the blessed month of Ramadan and the fasting therein. Thus it was narrated by the Prophet (s.a.w):

"I went up to him (the angel) and greeted him and he rose in answer to my Salams. Then he spread his wings, and all the heavens and the Earth were covered by their expanse. He then kissed my face and said, 'Good tidings to you, and to your nation! The Lord Almighty has decreed that your nation might have a singularly blessed month so that He might forgive them their sins. This holy month is the month of Ramadhan and it is meant as a gift for you and your nation. For its sake your nation will find forgiveness. I have been sent here this very night to announce to you this great gladness.' Then I saw 2 boxes standing before him. On each of them there was a key of light. I asked the angel what was inside of those boxes. He told me, 'In one of these boxes there are the letters of release from Hellfire for those among your nation who fast the whole month of Ramadhan until the new moon, up till the Day of Judgment.'

The other box contained a precious gift that would released 70,000 people from the Ummat of Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w) on the Day of Judgment without reckoning. These in turn would be able to release another 70,000 Muslims from among his/her friends, relations and other disobedient Muslims. They too will be released without reckoning and the 2nd box contains the names of them all.

"Every day of Ramadhan, at the time of Iftar, the Lord Almighty frees from Hellfire 600,000 of His servants who have fasted. When Juma'at has come, He frees 600,000 prisoners every hour for 24 hours from Hellfire until the Night of Power ( Laylatu Qadar) comes. On that blessed night and day, this is to say, during the 24 hours making up that night and day, at the beginning of every hour the Lord frees from Hell as many of His servants as He has freed since the beginning of the holy month, including the Juma'at days. The last day of Ramadhan, at the time of Iftar, the Lord sets free as many of His servants as He has freed during the whole month, including the Juma'at days and the Night of Power.!"

The relation of Allah's Mercy to the sins of the Ummat is that of the vast sea (Mercy) and near its side there is a tree (World), and upon that tree, there is a bird the size of a dove (the Ummat). In its beak this bird bore a piece of clay as big as a lentil (our sins). So imagine then the vastness of Allah's Mercy -Subahan'allah!. Seek it in this blessed month of Ramadhan, it first 10 days being of mercy, the next 10 being that of forgiveness and the last 10 being that of freeing from Hellfire.

What a great month this is! This is the month where God Mercy and Forgiveness is at its Greatest! So seek it and Insha'allah we will find ourselves in the company of those of the 'Saved'.

Ramadhan al-Kareem

2009-08-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

The Prophet (s.a.w) said: A person who fast during the month of Ramadhan with faith and self -scrutiny, will have his past sins remitted. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Salat and Salam - In the Praise of Allah's Most Beloved

2009-08-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

Verily Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: Oh you who believe! Send blessings on him and salute him with all respect (Quran 33:56)

Abdullah ibn Mus'ud (r.a) relates that the Messanger of Allah (s.a.w) said, "The closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be one who invokes blessings upon me most abundantly (Tirmidhi).

The hadith master Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi (d. 902/1496) mentions a number of these benefits in his Al-Qawl al-Badi'fl 'l-Salat 'ala 'l-Habib al-Shafi' (The Eloquent Word Concerning the Blessings on the Beloved Intercessor), some of which are provided below:

Allah, His angles, and His Messenger send mercy on the one who invokes blessings. Such a person's worngdoings are expiated, his good deeds increased and purified, and his status elevated. The blessings [themselves] seek forgiveness for him and his sins forgiven. A qirat [measure equivalent to Mount Uhud] of reward is allotted to him. His rewards are weighted by a perfect scale on the Day of Judgment. For whoever makes it his complete regimen by day and night, his wrongdoings are wiped away. It is superior to freeing slaves and a source of protection from turmoil on the Day of Judgment. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) will testify on his behalf on the Day of Judgment, and his intercession will be guaranteed for him. He will be protected from the Wrath of Allah, gain a place in the shade of the Throne of Allah, and the pan of his good deeds will be heavier in the Scale. He will be honored with the presence at the watering place (hawd), protected from thirst on the Day of Judgment, will cross the bridge with speed. He is shown his abode in Paradise before his death, his wealth is increased, and more than a hundred needs of his are fulfilled. Sending blessings is the adornment of a gathering. It removes the hardships of poverty, and the suppliant gain closeness to the Messenger of Allah (s.w.a). Not only does the suppliant benefit through this act, but also his progency. It provides assistance against his enemines, purifies the heart from hyprocrisy and rust,and generates love for him in the hearts of others. One of the greatest and most noble of benefits is that he sees the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) in a dream. It is one of those actions that are considered to be the most blessed, exalted, and benefical for one's din and worldly existence.

Meraj of the Prophet to the 7 Heavens

2009-07-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

The story of the Prophet's ascension to the 7 Heavens is a story that gives us a peek in the lives of the angelic host and their respective Heaven. This post blog is such a small space to fill all that up so I would write out for the benefits of others a glimpse of each of the Heavens according to what our blessed Prophet (s.a.w) narrated during his blessed lifetime.

1st Heaven:

The name of its gate is 'Bab al-Hafiz', the Gate of Protection - made of red ruby stone, whereas its lock is made of pearls. The guardian of this Heaven is the Prophet Isma'il (a.s) who is seated upon a throne of light. One 100,000 angels surrounds him, standing in front, in the back, to his right and to his left. Each of these angels had another 100,000 soldiers at his command. This is also where the Prophet (s.a.w) saw angels worshipping the Lord in the 'Standing position' and it was thus included in our prayer after the supplication of the Prophet (s.a.w) to include it in the prayers. It was also here that our Prophet (s.a.w) saw the Prophet Adam (a.s) as he appeared on Earth and many other wondrous things.

2nd Heaven:

The Lord created it from red coral and called it Qaydum. The gatekeeper is the angle Mikha'il (a.s). Thus Heaven appeared to the Prophet to me full of light that he (s.a.w) had to squint. The door of this Heaven is made of pearls and its lock of light. The angel Mikha'il has with him 200,000 angels at his service and each of them has another 200,000 angles to assist him. It was here also the blessed Prophet (s.a.w) saw angels worshipping the Lord in the 'Ruku' position and with his supplication, ruku was added into the prayers. In the 2nd Heaven was also the place where our blessed Prophet met up with the Prophets Isa and Yahya (a.s), the angel of provision, name Qasim and it was here too where he (s.a.w) met the angel of death, Azra'il (a.s).

3rd Heaven:

The Lord created it from copper and has named it Zaytun. The guardian angel is Arina'il. Its gate is made from white pearls and its lock of light. The angel Arina'il commanded 300,000 angles. It was here the blessed Prophet (s.a.w) saw a group of angel in the 'sajadah' position and with the supplication of the Prophet (s.a.w), the sujud was included in the prayer. Here in the 3rd Heaven was also where he (s.a.w) met up with the Prophet Yusuf (a.s) of whom the Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Of all existing beauty, Yusuf was given half." It was here too he (s.a.w) met with the guardian angel of Hell, Malik and other 18 guardian of Hell. He (s.a.w) also witness the terror of Hell and the punishment therein.

4th Heaven:

The Seal of Prophethood said that the Lord created it from white pearl and called it Zahir. Its gate was of Light and so to is its lock. Upon the lock was written the words of Kalimat at-Tawhid. The guardian angel to this gate was Salsa'il (a.s) and under his command was some 400,000 angles of whom also had another 400,000 angelic lieutenants. In the 4th Heaven he (s.a.w) was the Prophets Idris and Nuh (a.s) and also the 3 foremost women in the sight of the Lord, Maryam, Buhayyid and Asiya may peace be upon them all. He (s.a.w) also witness the mansions they were living in. Each of them were given 70,000 mansions of white pearls, green emeralds and red corals respectively and other things not mentioned here.

5th Heaven:

The Lord created it from red gold and its name is Safiya. The keeper of the gate is called Kalqa'il and with him was 500,000 angles at his disposal and each of them had another 500,000 angles to assist. It was here the blessed Prophet (s.a.w) saw a group of angels worshipping the lord in the Qa'da or kneeling posistion and with the supplication of the the holy Prophet (s.a.w) it become included in our prayer. Here too, he (s.a.w) met with the Prophets Islma'il, Ishaq, Ya'qub, Lut and Harun upon them be peace.

6th Heaven:

The Lord created the 6th Heaven from yellow gem and has called it Khalisa. Its guardian angels is Samkha'il (a.s), he has with him 600,000 angels at his command and each had another 600,000 angels helpers. Here too the blessed Prophet (s.a.w) saw the angel Mikha'il and the things that he did.

We shall continue with the ascension to the 7th Heaven in another blogpost, Insha'Allah.

The Months....

2009-07-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Prophet (s.a.w) said:

Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha'ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of the entire Community... ad-Daylami and Abi Shaykh

Let this month be a month were we shall praise him, mention his blessed name, recite salawat on him day and night and Insha'Allah the love of the Beloved of Allah will come to our hearts that will enable us to be inheritors of his great sifat, that is to see the world with the eyes of mercy and to treat all humans with mercy.

Sha'ban is the month during which the doors of Paradise are opened. This is the time when God, the Exalted, for the love of Sayyadina Muhammad (s.a.w), will accept anything from His servants. Anything they ask God, the Exalted, will be accepted for the sake of the Prophet (s.a.w).

The Prophet (s.a.w) said:

Sha'ban can give protection from the Fire. Try to fast three days of Sha'ban.

Taken from the Banquet For The Soul by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

Choosing the Buraq

2009-07-18T19:08:00.001-07:00

The ArcAngel Jibra'il then when to the Paradise gardens where he beheld 40,000 Buraqs as they were grazing. Each one had the name of Muhammad (s.a.w) written across its forhead. Among them was one Buraq, which seemed sad and dejected; its head was bowed and tears were streaming from its eyes. Jibra'il approached that Buraq without hesitation and asked him the reason for its distress. The Buraq thus replied, " As I was prancing about in Paradise Gardens, a voice suddenly came to my ear, which said, "Oh Muhammad (s.a.w)! No sooner had I heard this name spoken than I became enamored of the bearer of this name. For 40,000 years now I have been burning with the fire of spearation and the hope of attaining union. Ever since I am weeping, in the sway of intnese longing.

Jibra'il (a.s) had pity on the state of this Buraq and said to him, "Your beloved Muhammad (s.a.w) has this very night been invited to ascend to the Heavens. He needs to be transported from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa by a Buraq steed. It is you I will select, so come now and attain fulfillment." Then he saddled the Buraq with a saddle of light and placed a bit in his mouth of green chrysolite. Next he went to the Chamber, where the Messnager of both mankind and Jinn, lay sleeping.

Dalail al-Khayrat Sharhi of Kara Da'ud. Muhammad, the Messanger of Islam by Hajjah Amina Adil

Isra and Me'raj series

2009-07-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

On the 27th night of the Month of Rejab, God, in His aspect of Majesty and Might, addresses Himself to the angel Jibra'il (a.s), saying, "My beloved whom I have chosen from amongst all My creation, the Best of them all, lies sleeping in the house of Umm Hani, aggrieved by the hurtful words of the unbelievers. Let your piety and obedience be an invitation to My Beloved. Go, adorn your dazzling wings with the gems of Paradise and enjoy the dignity of being at his service. Go and tell Mikha'il to leave off the weighing out of provision this night, tell Israfil to abandon this trumpet for one hour, and tell Azra'il for this one night to refrain from taking any souls. Tell the angels of lights and luminaries to festoon the heavens with lamps; tell Ridwan to embellish the gardens of Paradise, and admonish the angles to keep the gate of the pits of Hell firmly fastened and demons of Hell not to move from their places.

Tell the Huris to bedeck themselves and to set about scattering precious gems, preparing all the Paradise mansions. Say to the Throne-bearing angles: "Wrap the sphere of the skies in its blessed robes and equip yourselves each with 70 thousand angles. You, Jibra'il, repair to Paradise and there select a Buraq steed, then descend to the face of the Earth. All punishment in the graves shall be lifted for the duration of this night. Go to My beloved who fell asleep of sad and dejected mind in Umm Hani's house, and be his companion. Awaken him gently and explain to him that this night he is to be shown his great destiny and the station of nearness that excels all other stations of elevation and honor. Invite him to come along with you."

From the Dalail-al-Khayrat Sharihi of Kara Da'ud, The Messenger of Islam by Hajjah Amina Adil

Books that you should get

2009-06-26T02:36:00.000-07:00

O aspirant of the seekers of Allah! Do you wish to increase your love for the Prophet Muhammad upon him be the best of blessing and salutations? Go and get this wonderful book by the late Hajjah Amina Adil. In it you will find things never found before in the other English base biography of the Blessed Prophet (s.a.w). The deatils pertaining to his creation, his birth, his Isra and Mi'raj and his life and more.....You will find your love in the Prophet, Insha'Allah.

Reflections by Imam al-Haddad

2009-06-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

The attentiveness of a servant is equal to his love for his Lord. Love is consequent upon knowledge: in as much as God's servant grows more knowledgeable of Him, so also shall he love Him more and worship Him more abundantly.

It has been related that God the Exalted has said: 'Son of Adam! Give Me an hour at the beginning of your day and an hour at its end, and I will take charge for you, of all that is in between.'

It has also been related that the record of a servant is shown to God at the end of each day, and, if at its beginning and end there is goodness, God the Exalted says to the angel: 'Erase what is in between!' This is God's graciousness to us and all people, but most people are not thankful.

Taken from Imam al-Haddad's Book of Assistance

The Prophet and The Wooden Post

2009-06-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

When the Prophet (s.a.w) delivered his Friday sermon, he would lean upon a wooden post set upright in the ground. Over time, some of the Companions noticed that, as the crowds grew larger, it was growing more difficult for everyone to see him (s.a.w). They decided to build a minbar, a platform with several steps, so that the Prophet (s.a.w) would be visible to everyone during his sermons. When they delivered this minbar and the Prophet (s.a.w) ascended it, immeadiatly, everyone heard the sound of crying from the direction of the wooden post.

The post missed the touch of the Prophet (s.a.w) and, even though it was only an inanimate object, long since cut from its living tree, it so loved the Prophet (s.a.w), it began to weep. So the Prophet (s.a.w) stepped down from the minbar and put his hand on the wooden post and it stop weeping...Shahih ibn Khuzaymah, Sunan ad-Darimi, Sunan at-Tirmidhi

When you love your children you put your hand on them, you hug them, and that enery goes from them to you. That flow of energy is important. Imagine then the intensity of the energy that flowed from the hand of Prophet (s.a.w)

The wood was moaning and crying for all to hear, so the Prophet (s.a.w) stepped down from the minbar.

It is love and love alone that creates energy and sets it in motion. Remember how the Bur'aq was crying out of love of the Prophet (s.a.w). As its tears fell, they became gems. Pearls, sapphires, and diamonds dropped from its eyes, each larger than the Earth. These jewels will be fashioned into palaces for the believers on the Day of Judgment. This is the manifestation of a love so immense that it cannot be described. Grandshaykh Abdullah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (qadasal'Allahu Sharrah) relates:

When the Prophet (s.a.w) stepped down from the minbar and looked at the post he said: "Do you love me?"

The post replied: "Yes, Ya Rasullah. I love you and that is why I don't want you to use the minbar. I want the blessings in your hand resting on me. I cannot remain standing without it."

Prophet (s.a.w) said: "Would you like to be with me in this world, or the hereafter? The choice is yours. If you wish to be with me in this world, I will keep putting my hand on you, but if you wish to be with me in the hereafter, I will guarantee you that in Paradise."

The post said: "Ya Rasullah! I wish to be with you in this life and in the next, but as you like."

See how the Prophet (s.a.w) made a piece of wood come to life.

Finally, it said: "I prefer to be with you in the hereafter." With that the Prophet (s.a.w) ordered the wood to be buried as though it were a dead person.

The wood was not heedless - it wanted to be with the Prophet (s.a.w) always and Allah granted that honor. Becasue of its love of Ashab al-Kahf, the Prophet (s.a.w) even intervened for their dog to be given permission to reside in Paradise.

Banquet For The Soul by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

The Prophet of Wisdom

2009-05-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

The Messanger of God (s.a.w) said, "The Holy Spirit whispered into my heart: Live as long as you wish, you shall die! Love whatever you wish, you shall be separated from it! Do whatever you wish, yo shall be rewarded for it!"

And the Prophet (s.a.w) said, "Benevolence does not decay, sins are not forgotten, the Judge does not die. As you judge, so shall you be judged."

And he (s.a.w) relates on behalf of his Lord, "O My servants, it is but your deeds that I count for you, then I shall pay you in full for them. He who finds good, let him thank God and he who finds othewise, let him blame non but himself."

Imam al-Haddad's Two Treatises Matual Reminding and Good Manners.

The Prophet of Love

2009-05-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

In his holy grave, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is observing the deeds of the Community unti Judgment Day. He is responsible for the actions of every one of us until then. That is why he said:

From ibn Mus'ud (r.a) he said: Rasul (s.a.w) said: My life is good for you and my death is good for you. The actions of my Community are displayed to me (in my grave). If I see good I praise Allah, the Exalted, and if I see other than that, I ask forgivness for them.

.....(ad-Daylami)

Banquet For The Soul, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

The Tasbih - Prayer Beads

2009-04-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

al-Minha fil-sibha [The profit in dhikr beads]:

al-Suyuti recounts the story of Ikrima, who asked his teaches Umar al-Maliki about dhikr beads. The latter replied that he had also asked his teacher al-Hasan al-Barsi about it and was told: "Something we have used at the beginning of the road we are not desirous to leave at the end. I love to remember God with my heart, my hand, and my tongue." al-Suyuti comments: " And how should it be otherwise, when the dhikr beads remind one of God Most High, and a person seldom sees dhikr beads except he remembers God, which is among the greatest of its benefits?"

Remembrance of God by Imam Jalal al-din al-Suyuti (r.a)

Workshop for everyone

2009-04-06T03:53:00.000-07:00

Simplyislam.sg is organizing a workshop by Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, a visiting scholar from the U.S. Do see the workshop poster for more information and register fast. For more information do visit http://www.simplyislam.sg/.

A Beautiful Poem for our Habibi Muhammad (s.a.w)

2009-03-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

Dear viewers, please do take a moment to listen and understand what this blessed little girl is saying and let us all try to build the love of our Habibi Muhammad (s.a.w) in our hearts, Amin....

I apologise for the absences of subtitles but for a better understanding of the poetry, do look it up at http://www.youtube.com/. May Allah bless us all.

The Prophetic Teachings

2009-03-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Gentleness and kindness were the very essence of the Prophet's teaching. The Prophet kept saying: God is gentle [rafiq] and he loves gentleness [ar-rifq] in everything." He also said: "He (God) gives for gentleness what He does not give for violence or anything else." He declared to one of his companions: "There are in you two qualities that God loves: clemency and forbearance." He invited all his Companions to that constant effort of gentleness and forgiveness: " If you hear about your brother something of which you disapprove, seek from one to seventy excuses for him. If you cannot find any, convince yourselves that it is an excuse you do not know."

A number of new converts to Islam who had no home and often nothing to eat had settled around the mosque, near the Prophet's dwelling. They were destitute (sometimes intentionally), and their numbers kept increasing, and they were soon called ahl-suffah (the people of the bench). The Prophet was most concerned by their situation and showed them continuous solidarity. He would listen to them, answer their questions, and look after their needs. One of the characteristics of his personality and of his teachings, as much in regard to the people of the bench as to the rest of his community, was that he was asked about matters of spirituality, faith, education, or doubt, he would often offer different answers to the same questions, taking into account the psychological makeup, experience, and intelligence of the questioner.

The faithful felt that he saw, respected, understood and loved them. Indeed, he did love them, and he told them so. Moreover, he advised them to remember to tell one another of their mutual love: "When someone loves their brother [sister] let them tell them that they love them." He once took young Muadh ibn Jabal by hand and whispered: "O Mua'dh, by God, I love you. And I advise you, O Mua'dh, never to forget to say, after each ritual prayer: O God, help me remember You, thank You, and perfect my worship for You." Thus the young man was offered both love and spiritual teaching, and the teaching was all the more deeply assimilated because it was wrapped on that love.

The Meanings Of the Life of Muhammad by Tariq Ramadan

Advice that could never go wrong...Part 3

2009-03-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

O Son of Adam! If what you desire from this world is what should suffice you, a little should suffice you; but if you desire more than your sufficiency, the entire world will not suffice you. Do not ruin yourselves by persuing this world.

Control your egos by abandoning what the world contains, for you have entered it naked and naked you will leave it. Ask God for provision one day at a time and know that God has made this world brief; what remains of it is a brief spell of what was already brief.

Furthermore, what was limpid of it has already been drunk and only turbidity remains. And know that this world is a dwelling of punishment and illusion, so be in it as a man nursing his wound.

He endures the pain of medicine, hoping for cure and freedom from illness. Let not what you see of this world lure you away from the Hereafter that you do not see! .....Jesus (peace be upon him)

From Imam al-Haddad's Two Treatises Mutual Reminding and Good Manners

12th of Rabiul'Awal

2009-03-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Today marks the 12th day of the month of Rabiul'Awal, the day when the Most Beloved of Allah, our Beloved Prophet (s.a.w) was born. I would like to share a peom by Imam al-Busairi (r.a) concering the praises of Rasulullah (s.a.w) on this very blessed day.

I transgressed the sunnat of him (Nabi) who passed the night (in worship)

Until his feet complained of injury due to being swollen.

And he tied and folded on account of hunger, around his stomach

A stone beneath which is his delicate skin.

And high mountians of gold tempt him

Towards it, but he was disinclined due to his high courage

His piety increased inspite of his need

For verily need never prevails the infallible

How can the necessities of such a noble personality incline him towards this world

For has it not been for him, this world would not have come out of non-existence

Muhammad (s.a.w) is the leader of both the worlds and both creations (man and jinn)

And both groups, Arabs and non-Arabs

Our Nabi, the one who commands (good) and forbids (evil). There is non (parallel to him)

More truthful than him saying "No" or "Yes"

He transcends the Ambiyaa physically and in noble character

And they (Ambiyaa) cannot come near him in knowledge and noble nature

The all obtained from Rasulullah

Like a handful from the ocean or sips from continuous rains.

And they all stopped before him at their assigned limits.

Either of a point of knowledge or gain one wisdom from (his) wisdom

For he is the one with whom ended all outward and inward perfections.

And then the Creator of all creation chose him as (His) most beloved.

Then decide and say what you wish in praise of him

And attribute towards his personality whatever you wish of excellence.

The Month of Rabiul'Awal - Part 3

2009-03-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Benefits of reading the Maulid of Nabi (s.a.w):

Any of the Muslims who reads in his house the Maulid of Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w), Allah (s.w.t) will 'lift up' from that house all kinds of dryness, epidemic, conflagration, afflictions, misfortune, hatefulness, tears of that likness and from thieves and if death comes to anyone in that house/him, Allah will make it easy for him to answer the questions of angels Munkar and Nakeer (a.s) and he shall be in the promise seat with Allah.{Imam al-Shaykh Jalaludeen as-Shyuti (r.a)}.

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From Imam Sheehafudeen Ahmad as-Shafi'ee (r.a) in his book entitled: Excellent grace upon this world in the Maulid of the Master of the Sons of Adam in the chapter: Benefits of Maulid Nabi (s.a.w):

Said Sayyidina Abu Bakrin Siqdiq (r.a): Anyone who gives from what Allah has given, a 'dhiram' for the recitation of Maulid Nabi (s.a.w), verily he shall be with me as a team in Heaven.

Said Sayyidina Umar (r.a): Whosoever gives great importance to the Maulid of Nabi (s.a.w), truely he as revived Islam (Ahya al-Islam).

Said Sayyidina Uthman (r.a): Whoesoever gives from what Allah has given, a 'dhiram' for the recitation of Maulid Nabi (s.a.w), it is as if he has witness the battles of Badr and Hunain.

Said Sayyidina Ali (r.a): Whosoever gives great importance to the Maulid Nabi (s.a.w) and becomes the casue of its recitation, verily he shall not leave this world except with Iman and he shall enter Heaven without questioning.

******************

It is clear that celebrating the Maulid of the Habib of Allah (s.a.w) has been stress by all four of the Kahlifah ar-Rasheedun and of the Great Shakyh of the past. Just two days before we arrived at the birthdate of our Beloved Prophet (s.a.w), let us keep in mind what we have read today and do our part in the recitation of the Maulid be it at home, in the Masjid or in other majlis. Baraka'Allahufikum.

The Month of Rabiul'Awal - Part 2

2009-03-05T01:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a beautiful Nasheed for everyone on the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) specially for this month of Rabiul'Awal. Enjoy it!

The Month of Rabiul'Awal - Part 1

2009-02-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

Once again, by the grace of Allah (s.w.t) we have entered the illustrious month of Rabiul'Awal. This is the month, approximately 1400 years ago that the Chief of the both worlds (man and Jinn) was born. He is none other then the Most Beloved of Allah, Sayyadina Muhammad ibn Abdullah (s.a.w).

The Prophet (s.a.w) said: "None of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his wife, child, self, and all people." ...Related from Buhkari.

If we begin to examine this Hadith closely, we began to understand that Faith in Islam is never complete until this condition is met - that we love the Prophet more then anything else in this world but how does one love the Prophet (s.a.w) to the extend of excluding everything else in this world? I have been pondering long enough of this matter but I could not find the answer. I have read personal accounts of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) and of the great Shaikhs in the past of the intense love of the Prophet and of the people at present the likeness of Habib Ali al-Jufri, Shaikh Afeefudeen al-Jaylani, Shaykh Khalil Moore and ofcourse my Arabic Ustaz Malik.

But even so, the level of love of the Prophet (s.a.w) in each of them are manifested very differently but all so very emotionally. The question I put forward to myself is: "Why can't I have the same feeling of love towards the Prophet as them?". Is it my lack of knowledge? or it is more of a personal experience? One thing is for sure - I do love my Prophet and I'm thankful to Allah by making me of of his Ummah- but I just feel that the heart is not feeling enough of that.

Take for example Shaikh Sharafudeen Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Hasan Al-Busairi (r.a), the famous poet who wrote the famous 'Qasidah Burdah'. When one reads his poem of the Prophet (s.a.w) one immediately becomes aware of the intensity of his love towards the Prophet that he became very ill to the point that he ended up paralysed.

The effect of Allamah Busairi's love caused two streaks to appear on his cheek due to the excessive tears and made his face become feeble and withered. He says, had it not been for love, such tears would not have flowed from his eyes upon seeing something which reminds him of his beloved. When a person is in love or in grief (due to love), he no longer finds enjoyment in those things which he used to enjoy before being separated from his beloved. ...commentary from Qasidah Burdah

These are just some insights into the poem of this great man and already one can see his love of the Prophet to the extend that he got cured at the hands of the Prophet in a dream by the Will of Allah (s.w.t).

After reading such poem, I questioned myself, " How does a man love the Prophet to such an extend even when one has not seen the Prophet personally?". Well it an answer I hope to get and Insha'allah my brothers and sisters in Islam can also share in this love of the Prophet (s.a.w). We implore Allah (s.w.t) to enable us to love the Prophet (s.a.w) just as did the pious people in the past and now and grant us the way in finding that love. Amin. Do increase your salawat in this month of Rabiul'awal and may Allah show His Mercy upon us all.

Aishah - The Prophet's Wife

2009-02-13T01:48:00.000-08:00

Aishah (r.a), the Prophet's wife, nurtured by the Prophet's example and conversation is an invaluable source of information about the Messenger's personality, attitude in private life, and public commitments. She has told how the Prophet was attentive to her expectations and wishes when, while she was quite young, she arrived in his home in Medina.

Play was part of their lives, and the Prophet never refrained from sharing in it or allowing her to satisfy her curiosity, as for instance when a delegation from Abyssinia visited him. The Abyssinians performed various games and traditional dances in the courtyard of the Prophet's house, and the Prophet stood on the doorstep of his dwelling, thus allowing his wife to watch the performance discreetly from behind his shoulder.

Time and time again, she spoke of the particular nature of his attentiveness to her, of his expressions of tenderness, and of the freedom he allowed her in her daily life. In her presence, through the example of his behaviour towards her, he reformed the Muhajirun's and Ansar's customs.

The two Quranic verses dealing with women's dress were revealed around the 2nd year of hijrah. The khimar was a piece of cloth women wore on their heads, throwing its ends on their backs: the Quran ordered Muslim women to draw the ends over their chest, covering their throats. The Prophet's wives, like all other women, respected that injunction; not until 2 years later was their specific status as "the Prophet's wives" established, so that they could no longer address men except from behind a protective screen (al-hijab).

Before revelation of the verses enjoining the Prophet's wives to remained hidden from men's sight, Aishah behaved like all other women and was most present in Medina's public life. The Prophet involved her and wished his Companions to understand, through her example, the role that women, and particularly their wives, were to assume in their daily and public lives.

A Persian neighbour once invited the Prophet to a meal and the Prophet answered: "What about her?" pointing to his wife Aishah. The man replied negatively, implying that the invitation was meant for him alone. Rasulullah then refused the offer. This happended for a third time until the Persian neighbour answered in the affirmative. The Prophet accepted the invitation and went to the neighbour's with Aishah. Through steadfastly maintaining a position, the Prophet was reforming customs and practices among the Arabs and Bedouins in the Peninsula without attacking their conventions. All of the Prophet's wives and daughters, were present in his life, were active in public life, and never confused modesty with disappearing from social, political, economic, or even military sphere.

The Messenger had granted them the means to be and develop, to express themselves and be critical, and to avoid false modesty and speak of delicate subjects linked to their womanhood, their bodies, and their desires and expectations. She would listen, question, and attempt to understand the reasons and meaning of her husband's choices and attitudes. Thanks to her memory, intelligence, and critical mind, more then 2000 hadiths have come down to us through her, and she also repeatedly corrected the accounts given by other Companions. Aishah (r.a) became a reference as far as Islamic knowledge and science are concerned.

The Prophet advised his Companions: "Seek science from this red-coloured young woman." Aishah remained sincere in her faith and in her love for the Prophet, and she became a model, as much in her piety and devotions as in her intellectual and social commitment. She was a model in the light of the love shown to her by the Prophet: it was in her apartment that the Prophet wanted to breathe his last, and there he was buried.

Advice that could never go wrong...Part 2

2009-02-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Assalamualikum, we meet again. I'm going to continue from where I left off on the advice given by our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to a Bedouin on matters concerning this life and the Hereafter.

Bedouin: "I wish to be among those who do good"

The Prophet: "Adore God as if you see Him. If you don't see Him, know that He sees you. In this way you will be among those who do good."

Bedouin: "I wish to be obedient to God"

The Prophet: "If you observe God's commands you will be obedient."

Bedouin: "I'd like to be free from all sins"

The Prophet: "Bathe yourself from impurity and you will be free from all sins."

Bedouin: "I'd like to be raised on the Day of Judgment in light"

The Prophet: "Don't wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the Day of Judgment in light."

Bedouin: "I'd like God to bestow His Mercy on me"

The Prophet: "If you have mercy on yourself and on others, God will grant you mercy on the Day of Judgment.

Bedouin: "I'd like my sins to be very few"

The Prophet: "If you seek the forgiveness of God as much as you can, your sins will be very few."

Bedouin: "I'd like to be the most honorable of man"

The Prophet: "If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men."

That will all for the day...Insha'allah when God grants me the ablility to do so, I'll jot down the other remainding advices from our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). Till then keep sending your peace and blessing on the Prophet (s.a.w).

Advice that could never go wrong...Part 1

2009-02-09T02:09:00.000-08:00

I came across this Hadith a very long time ago and I've decided to share it with others because of the beauty and simplicity of the advise given by the Prophet (s.a.w). This Hadith is a dialogue between the Prophet (s.a.w) and a Bedouin. It is worthwhile to take note the amazing wisdom our Prophet has when answering those question -Masha'Allah.

The answers that you will find are amazingly easy to digest and follow and furthermore it allows each individual to explore and exercise these advice according to one's abilities. Insha'Allah we shall all try to follow these advice and become better people. I will do this in a few part series.

Companion of the Prophet (s.a.w), Khaleed ibn Walid (r.a) narrated the following:

A Bedouin came one day to the Prophet and said to him, "O, Messenger of God! I've come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter."

The Prophet responded: "Ask what you wish."

Bedouin: "I'd like to be the most learned of men"

The Prophet: "Fear God, and you will be the most learned of men."

Bedouin: "I wish to be the richest in the world."

The Prophet: "Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world."

Bedouin: "I like to be the most just of men."

The Prophet: "Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men."

Bedouin: "I want to be the best of men."

The Prophet: "Do good to others and you will be the best of men."

Bedouin: "I wish to be the most favoured by Allah."

The Prophet: "Engaged much in God's praise, and you will be the most favoured by Allah."

Bedouin: "I like to complete my Faith."

The Prophet: "If you have good manners you will complete your Faith."

Uswatun Hasana - Beautiful Pattern of Conduct

2009-01-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

The Prophet lived very modestly and despite that he kept helping the distitude around around him, especially ahl as-suffah, the people of the bench, who lived near his home. When he received presents, he had them given out, and he immeadiately freed slaves who were sometimes sent to him as gifts. In spite of his increasingly important role in Medinan society and of his many responsibilties, he kept this simplicity in his life and in the way he allowed the members of his community to apporach him. He owned nothing, and he let himself be accosted by women, children, slaves, and the poorest people. He lived among them; he was one of them.

His daughter Fatimah (r.a) was most devoted to the casue of the poor, including ahl as-suffah. When the Prophet was at home or in public and his daughter came to him or entered the room, he would stand up and greet her, publicly showing her great respect and tenderness. Both the people of Medina and the Meccans were suprised at this behaviour toward a daughter, who in their respective customs did not usually receive such treatment. The Prophet would kiss his daughter, talk to her, confide in her, and have her sit by his side, without paying attention to the remarks or even the criticisms that his behaviour could give rise to.

Once he kissed his grandson, al Hassan, Fatimah's son, in front of a group of Bedouins, who were startled. One of them, al-Aqra ibn Habis, expressed his shock and said: "I have ten children and I have never kissed any one of them!" The Prophet answered: "He who is not generous [loving, benevolent], God is not generous [loving, benevolent] to him." [Bukhari and Muslim]

In the light of his silent example and his remarks, the Prophet taught his people good manners, kindness, gentleness, respect for children, and regard for and attentiveness towards women. He was later to say: "I have only been sent to perfect noble manners." [Bukhari]

Fatimah received that love and teachings of faith and tenderness from her father and spread them around her through her activities with the poor. She was a model of piety, generosity, and love. She lived in the light of her father's spiritual teachings: getting by on little, asking everything of the One, and giving everything of herself to others.

Insha'Allah in the coming days, I shall share with you on how the Prophet (s.a.w) acted with his wives and the lessons that all husband and wives can learn from his life's edifying lessons. Stay tune......

Hijrah: Meaning and Teachings - Part 2

2008-12-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hijrah is also the experience of liberation, both historical and spiritual. Moses (a.s) had liberated his people from Pharaoh's oppression and led them toward faith and freedom. The essence of hijrah is of exactly the same nature: prosecuted because of their beliefs, the faithful decided to break away from their tormentors and march to freedom. In doing so, they stressed that they could not accept oppression, that they could not accept the status of victim, and basically the matter was simple: publicly speaking the name of God implied either being free or breaking free. This same message had already been conveyed by the Prophet (s.a.w), then by Abu Bkar (r.a), to all slaves in Mecca: their arrival in Islam meant their liberation, and all teachings of Islam pointed to the ending of slavery. Henceforth, a broader call was address to the Ummah: faith requires freedom and justice and one must be prepared, as was the case of hijrah, to pay the personal and collective price for it.

The spiritual dimension of those teachings in near at hand; indeed, it underlies them and endows them with meaning. From the very first Revelation, Muhammad (s.a.w) had been invited to exile himself from his persecutors and from Evil: "And have patience with what they say, and keep your distance from them in a good exile"(73:10). Then: "And all abomination shun"(74:5).

Hijrah is the exile of the conscience and of the heart from false gods, from alienation of all sorts, from evil and sins. Turning away from the idols of one's time (power, money, the cult of appearance, etc.); emigrating from lies and unethical ways of life; liberating oneself, through the experience of breaking away, from all the appearances of freedom paradoxically reinforce by our habits - such is the spiritual requirement of hijrah. Later on, questioned by a Companion about the best possible hijrah, the Prophet was to answer: "It is to exile yourself from evil." This requirement of spiritual exile was to be repeated in different forms.

Thus, the Muslims who performed hijrah, emigrated from Mecca to Medina, in effect experience the cyclical dimension of Islam's teachings, since they had to achieve a new return to themselves, an emigration of the heart. Their physical journey to Medina was a spiritual exile towards their inner selves; in leaving their city and their roots, they came back to themselves, to their intimacy with God, to the meaning of their lives beyond historical contingencies.

Physical hijrah, the founding act of the first Muslim community's and the axis of its experience, is now over and will not happen again, as Aishah (r.a) forcefully explained to those in Medina who wanted to relive the experience. What remains, and is open to everyone through ages and for eternity, is the experience of spiritual hijrah, which brings the individual back to him/herself and free him or her from the illusion of self and the world. Exile for the sake of God is in essence a series of questions that God asks each individual being: Who are you? What is the meaning of your life? Where are you going? Accepting the risk of such exile, trusting the One, is to answer: Through You, I return to myself and I am free.

....Taken from Tariq Ramadan's The Messenger- The meanings of the life of Muhammad (s.a.w)

Hijrah: Meaning and Teachings - Part 1

2008-12-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

It is not long before we welcome in the Islamic New Year and it would be good if we sat down and reflect on the lessons that can be learnt from the Hijrah and how can those lessons learnt be useful to us in our lives.

The Hijrah (emigration) is first of all the objective reality of believing women and men who were not free to practice their faith and who decided to make a clean break for the sake of their beliefs. Because "God's earth is spacious," as the Quran puts it, they decided to leave their homeland, to break with their universe and habits, and to experience exile, all for the sake of their faith. Revelation was to praise the courage and determination of those believers who, by taking such a difficult and humanly costly step, expressed their trust in God:

To those who leave their homes in the cause of God, after suffering oppression, We will assuredly give a goodly home in this world; but truly the reward of the Hereafter will be greater, if they only realized! Those who persevere in patience, and put their trust in their Lord...(16:41-42)

Hijrah is, then another trail of trust. All prophets and believers have intensively experience this trial of the heart, the former having experience more then the latter. How far are they prepared to go, how much are they prepared to give of themselves and of their lives, for the One, His Truth and His Love? Hijrah was one of the Ummah's answer at the dawn of its existence.

In effect, emigration was also to require that the first Muslim learn to remain faithful to the meaning of Islam's teaching in spite of the change of place, culture, and memory. Medina meant new customs, new type of social relationship, a wholly different role for women ( who were socially far more present than in Mecca), and more complex intertribal relations, as well as the influential presence of the Jewish and Christian communities, which was something new to Muslims. Very early on, the Ummah, following the Prophet's example, had to distinguish between what belonged to Islamic principles and what was more particularly related to Meccan culture. They were to remain faithful to the first while learning to adopt a flexible and critical approach to their original culture.They even had to try to reform some of their attitudes, which were more cultural then Islamic.

Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a) was to learn this to this cost when, after he had reacted most sharply to his wife answering him back ( which was unthinkable in Mecca), she retorted that be must bear with it and accept it just as the Prophet did. This was a difficult experience for him and others who thought that their habits and customs were in themselves Islamic. Hijrah was to reveal that this was not the case and that one must question every single cultural practice, both to be faithful to Islamic principles and to open up to other cultures and gain from their wealth. For instance, having leaned that a wedding was to take place among the Ansar - the Median Muslims -, the Prophet had two singing maids sent to them, for, he said, the Ansar enjoyed singing. Not only did he thereby recognize a cultural feature or taste that was not in itself opposed to Islamic principle, but he integrated it as an enrichment of his own human experience.

Hijrah was also, then, a trial of intelligence, spurring the need to distinguish between principles and their cultural manifestations; moreover, it implied opening up and confidently welcoming new customs, new ways of being and thinking, new tastes, Thus, the universality of principles merged with the necessity of recognizing the diversity of ways of life and cultures. Exile was the most immediate and profound experience of this, since it implied uprooting oneself while remaining faithful to the same God, to the same meaning, in different environments.

Giving Thanks

2008-12-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

This blog post is taken from the book by Imam al-Haddad titled "Mutual Reminding". After reading this chapter titled "Delight in Obedience", I began to have a better understanding of what it means to be a servant of Allah and how powerless we truly are.

Imam al-Haddad says: "Oh believer, when God grants you the good fortune of acting in His obedience, let you joy be great; thank God in abundance for honoring you with His service and choosing you to attend to Him; and ask Him to accept, by His grace, whatever He has made easy for you in the way of virtuous behaviour."

Reflecting of what the Imam had just said, I truly felt how ignorant I was and oblivious to the fact that I worship God only because He has enable me to do so - Subhan'Allah! - for without His granting me to worship Him, I would be one of the Lost.

The Imam continues in his book, "Always acknowledge your shortcomings in fulfilling your duties to your Lord, even when you are most determined and energetic in His obedience, for His rights upon you are immense: He created you from nothing, His favours overflow upon you; He treats you with His grace and generosity; you obey Him by His power and His ability; and you worship Him by His help and mercy.

Such powerful and true statements made by this Imam. We implore our Lord to continue us on His path and to make us steadfast in worshipping Him, for by Allah, it is only by His might that we pray to Him five times a day and it is only by His grace that we are Muslims. So let us then give thanks to our Lord as much as we can.

Ali, may Allah honor his countenance, said, "Be more anxious for your works to be accepted than for them to be done, for no accepted deed is small."

Eid-ul Mubarak

2008-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Wishing all Muslim a happy Eid-ul Adha and may Allah increase us in Taqwa and Fortitude.

With Non-Muslims

2008-12-03T23:33:00.000-08:00

"Ye have indeed in the Apostle of God a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of God." (Chapter 33:21)

Reflecting on these verses, one should come to mind that as a Muslim, one should conduct one's life as best as possible to the Prophet's (s.a.w) because truly the most beloved lifestyle in the eyes of Allah is that of His beloved.

One should also realize that the relations we have on Earth is not only with our Muslim brothers and sisters but also with people who do not share the same faith. Can one then foster a good and lasting relationship with a non-Muslim? For that we look into the life of our beloved Prophet (s.a.w) for the answer.

The Prophet has always retained very strong ties with the members of different clans and with his kin who has not accepted Islam. His uncle Abu Talib, whom he loved so much and whom he accompanied until he breathed his last, was one such example - always showing respect to his uncle be it in speech or actions.

Another of this uncle, Abbas, remained by the Prophet's side even though he has not yet converted. The Prophet's trust in him was tremendous, and he did not hesitate to confide in him or having him take part in private meetings involving the future of the community - the 2nd al-Aqabah meeting and what he said concerning those who were present from Yatrib about giving wholeheartedly to the Prophet's mission. His remaining a polytheist never prevented the Prophet from showing him the greatest respect and deepest confidence in situation where the Prophet's life was at risk.

It was a similar attitude of trust that had made it possible for the Muslims to emigrate to Abyssinia, under protection of a king whom the Prophet trusted even though he was not a Muslim. This attitude is to be found throughout the Prophet's life: he establish his relationship in the name of trust and respect of principles, and not just of the basis of similar religious affiliations.

The Prophet never restricted their social and human relations to their co-religionists and this same attitude were followed by his companions. Other examples in this aspect includes his receiving of important deposits from non-Muslim who wholly trusted in him and on the eve of his 'Hijrah' he asked Ali (r.a) to give back one by one to their respective owners the deposits he still held.

Whatever the situation was, the Prophet was never seen lacking in applying the principles of honesty and justice that Islam had taught him, whomever he dealt with, be they Muslims or non-Muslims. So let us follow in the footstep of our Prophet (s.a.w) to the best of out abilities.

And sucess comes from Allah

Do write in your comments on this blogpost. Thank You.

Knowledge

2008-12-01T02:19:00.002-08:00

"Ignorance is a fire that burns a man's religion and its extingushing water is knowledge"

....Shaykh Ali ibn Abi Bakr

Fortitude

2008-11-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

My teacher once told me that this life is but finding yourself back to fitrah - the natural disposition of Man. But I have soon learnt that this path is filled with preoccupations and distractions of this world that it seemed impossible for one to stick to the path.

One day while I was reading a book entitled "The Book of Assistance" by Imam al-Haddad, may Allah be pleased with him, I came across a chapter named "On Fortitude" and after reading this chapter, I found that the thing I was lacking in was indeed fortitude. I would like to take is opportunity to share with you some of what Imam al-Haddad worte about showing fortitude.

Imam al-Haddad said: You must show fortitude, for it is this matter's foundations and is inescapable as long as you are in this abode. It is a noble trait and a great viture. God the Exalted has said : O you who believe! Seek help in fortitude and prayer; for indeed God is with those who have fortitude (2:153).

The Messanger of Allah (s.a.w) has said: 'Fortitude is the commander of the believer's soldiers. And in his advice to Ibn Abbas (r.a): 'Know that victory comes with fortitude, relief with hardship and that with each difficulty comes ease'.

Now readers, pay attention to what Imam al-Haddad says next: Know that happiness deppends on the occurence of nearness to God, which in turn depends on always following the truth and avoiding falsehood. The soul is by its very nature inclined to detest truth and lean towards falsehood. The determination of the seeker of felicity is thus always in need of fortitude, sometimes to force the soul to follow the truth and sometimes to force it to aviod falsehood.

Here comes the interesting part, know that fortitude is of four kinds. I won't be going into details here as there is alot to write, I'll just share with you the main points of each of the four kinds of fortiude that one must have and be aware of.

Firstly: Patiently enduring one's preseverance in acts of obedience (e.g. Salat). This is realize inwardly through sincertiy and presence of the heart and outwardly through holding constantly to them, showing zeal and performing them in the correct and lawful way.

Secondly: Patient endurance in renouncing sins. This is realized outwardly by avoiding them and keeping away from the places where they might be commited, and by preventing the soul from discoursing upon them and from inclining to them, for the very beginning of a sin is a thought.

Thirdly: Patient endurance of unpleasant things. These are of two kinds:

The first comprise those which comes from God without any intermediary, such as illness, infirmity, loss of wealth, or the death of a dear one.

The second comprises those which are casued by other men, whether by way of offences to oneself and one's honour, or of some act of withholding.

Forthly: Patient renunciation of desires, which are all those boastfully worldly things to which the soul inclines. Sulayman al-Darani has said: To abandon a single desire is of more benefit to the heart than a year's worship.

The way to attain fortitude in to seek knowledge in Allah and in what He has sent and to make the Prophet's life an example to us. For more information about how one can attain fortitude, I recommend you this book - "The Book of Assistance" by Imam al-Haddad and till then make your salawats to our Nabi (s.a.w) in our daily lives.

Mutual Reminding

2008-11-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

God revealed to Moses (a.s), "O Moses! The first of my creation to die was Satan, for he was the first to disobey Me; and he who disobeys Me, I consider him dead."

One of the virtuous predecessors has said, "If you disobey God, knowing that He sees you, you are scorning God's vision, but if you disobey Him, thinking that He does not see you, you are a disbeliever."

He who persists in sin is destestable to the All-Mercifull he is the Devil's ally and the belivers's object of disgust. Should your soul incite you to sin, remind it of God's absolute awareness and sight of you. Place fear into it by recalling God's warnings of the painful torment and formidable punishment that awaits those who disobey Him

Taken from Imam al-Haddad's Two Treatises

The Quran

2008-11-10T01:48:00.000-08:00

The Quran is the divine word revealed to humankind and it is all at once a reminder, a light, and a miracle. The Quran presents itself as the mirror of the universe. The term that the first Westen translators rendered as "verse" - referring to biblical vocab- literrally means, in Arabic, "sign" (ayah). Thus, the revealed Book, the written text, is made up of signs (ayat), just as the universe, like a text spread out before our eyes, is teeming with signs. When the heart's intelligence, and not only analytical intelligence, reads the Quran and the world, then the two texts address and echo each other, and each of them speakes of the other and of the One. The signs reminds us of what it means to be born, to live, to think, to feel, and to die.

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......The Messenger: The Meaning of the life of Muhammad

Trail on Faith: The Abrahamic Legacy

2008-11-08T14:54:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered why in our daily prayers we utter the blessings upon Abraham (a.s)? Ever wondered why God points out to the 'religion of Abraham (a.s)' and ask us to followed it?......

Of all messengers, the most important figure in the Last Prophet's lineage is undoubtely Abraham (a.s). This is becasue the Quran points to a particular link with Abraham through the insistent and continuous expression of pure monotheism, of human consciousness's adherence to the divine project, of the heart's access to His recognition and to His peace through self-giving. This is the meaning of the word 'Islam' which contains the twofold meaning of "peace" and "wholehearted self-giving". Thus in this sense, Abraham (a.s) was the deep and exemplary expression of a Muslim.

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Let us look at one of Abraham's trail - the sacrifice of his first-born son, Ishmael. The trail is a terrible one: for the sake of his love and faith in God, Abraham must sacrifice his son, despite his fatherly love.The trail of faith is here expressed in this tension between the two loves. Abraham confides in Ishmael, and it is his own son, the object of sacrifice, whose comforting words to his father are like a confirming sign: "Oh my father! Do as you are commanded; you will find me, if God so wills, one of the steadfast." (Quran 37:102)

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Such signs, expressing the presence of the divine at the heart of the trail, have an essential role in the experience of faith and shape the mode of being with oneself and with God. When God casues His messenger to undergo a terrible trail and at the same time associates that trail with signs of His presence and support, He educates Abraham in faith: He doubts himself and his own strength and faith, but at the same time the signs prevent him from doubting God. This teaches him humility and recognition of the Creator.

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When Abraham is tempted by deep doubt about himself, his faith, and the truth of what he hears and understands, the inspirations and confirmations of Ishmael enable him not to doubt God, His presence, and His goodness. Doubt about self is thus allied to deep trust in God

Quranic Revelation tells the stories of prophets, and in the course of this narration it fashions in the Muslim's heart a relationship to the Transcendent that continually insist on the permanence of communication through signs, inspirations, and indeed the very intimate presence of the One.

The lesson to be leanrt here is that trails of faith is never done in absolute solitude. As we have seen, Allah with is Love, will always put people, signs, vision, inspirations around us so that we know of His presence and will not doubt Him.

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The trail of faith is an intiation into humility, understood as a neccessary stage in the experience of faith.

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......taken from Tariq Ramadan's

The Messenger : The Meaning

of the Life of Muhammad

Only Rasul'Allah by Ehab Tawfiq

2008-11-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

The arts as a tool for da'wah and bring the ummah together...COOL!!!

Books for life

2008-11-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

The Messenger : The Meaning of the Life of Muhammad

.....Draws lessons that are crucial for Muslims and non-Muslims alike' Financial Times........

A book that I highly recommend to all Muslims out there as is offers a new understanding of Muhammad (s.a.w)'s life and the lessons that can be learned from the life of this blessed man. The reader will notice constant movements between the Prophet's life, the Quran, and the teachings relevant to spirituality and the present-day situation that can be drawn from the various historical situations.......

Good Times

2006-12-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,
I have just created this blog. I don't really have anything to put inside it so please drop in some comment and improvements that you would like to see.