...the conference is done...let the retreat begin!
Alhamdulillah, the convention was nice...saw lots of people I hadn't seen in a while as well as those I'm blessed to see regularly.
Insha'Allah, more on RIS after the retreat is over.
Allah Ma'ak.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Shaykh Ramzy on Forgiveness and Madinah
Bismillah.
I was looking through my notebook during the break in Shaykh Faraz's halaqa last week and started reading through previous notes I'd taken. I came across many beautiful words from our teachers and journal entries from Hajj.
On our second night in Madinah, once the entire group had arrived, Shaykh Ramzy gathered us all in the lobby of our hotel and gave us some advice. He spoke of forgiving one another for what happened in the past and what for what will come (especially given the intimate nature of the pilgrimage) -- in the city of our Noble Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), we should intend to forgive, as this is his sunnah. Allah pardons and loves those who pardon. We expect Allah to forgive us and yet cannot find it in our hearts to forgive others -- if we do not forgive, our hearts will have something in them that will interfere in receiving the forgiveness of Allah.
The Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) has the greatest heart for forgiveness -- on the yawm al-hashr, all Prophets (upon them be peace) will say, "this affair is not for me", but he (Allah bless him and give him peace) will say, "this is for me" and will not rest until each Muslim is forgiven -- and then he will ask for the pardon of other communities, Allah bless him and give him peace.
About Madinah, the blessed companion, 'Umar said, it is the holiest place on earth, and 'Uthman agreed with him (Allah be well-pleased with them both).
The soil mixes with his blessed living body, he hears each and every salam and responds, and Allah sends His salam on each person ten times.
As we watch what we eat and purchase despite knowing the waste they will eventually end up in, we should watch what goes in our hearts, for the heart and its deeds live on in the grave.
***
This last note that Shaykh Ramzy made is, I believe, of utmost importance. Far too often we neglect to realize, or we brush off, the impact of what we expose our senses to. I remember years ago Shaykh Abdallah Adhami said that whatever our ears and eyes and limbs are exposed to lives on in us forever -- he cautioned us to pay heed to what words we listen to and what scenes we watch. How many conversations to we expose our ears and soul to that our full of backbiting, tale-baring, vulgarities? How many lyrics and sounds to we listen to that perturb the heart and throw us into heedlessness? How many violent, vulgar scenes do we see, even for a split second on television and in movies, thinking we're unscathed, but they live on in the recesses of our hearts forever?
Food for thought.
I was looking through my notebook during the break in Shaykh Faraz's halaqa last week and started reading through previous notes I'd taken. I came across many beautiful words from our teachers and journal entries from Hajj.
On our second night in Madinah, once the entire group had arrived, Shaykh Ramzy gathered us all in the lobby of our hotel and gave us some advice. He spoke of forgiving one another for what happened in the past and what for what will come (especially given the intimate nature of the pilgrimage) -- in the city of our Noble Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), we should intend to forgive, as this is his sunnah. Allah pardons and loves those who pardon. We expect Allah to forgive us and yet cannot find it in our hearts to forgive others -- if we do not forgive, our hearts will have something in them that will interfere in receiving the forgiveness of Allah.
The Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) has the greatest heart for forgiveness -- on the yawm al-hashr, all Prophets (upon them be peace) will say, "this affair is not for me", but he (Allah bless him and give him peace) will say, "this is for me" and will not rest until each Muslim is forgiven -- and then he will ask for the pardon of other communities, Allah bless him and give him peace.
About Madinah, the blessed companion, 'Umar said, it is the holiest place on earth, and 'Uthman agreed with him (Allah be well-pleased with them both).
The soil mixes with his blessed living body, he hears each and every salam and responds, and Allah sends His salam on each person ten times.
"Allah and the angels bless the Prophet,
O you who believe, send peace and blessings upon him."
As we watch what we eat and purchase despite knowing the waste they will eventually end up in, we should watch what goes in our hearts, for the heart and its deeds live on in the grave.
***
This last note that Shaykh Ramzy made is, I believe, of utmost importance. Far too often we neglect to realize, or we brush off, the impact of what we expose our senses to. I remember years ago Shaykh Abdallah Adhami said that whatever our ears and eyes and limbs are exposed to lives on in us forever -- he cautioned us to pay heed to what words we listen to and what scenes we watch. How many conversations to we expose our ears and soul to that our full of backbiting, tale-baring, vulgarities? How many lyrics and sounds to we listen to that perturb the heart and throw us into heedlessness? How many violent, vulgar scenes do we see, even for a split second on television and in movies, thinking we're unscathed, but they live on in the recesses of our hearts forever?
Food for thought.
Love is All You Need
Love is All You Need
Strengthening Communal Ties
Wednesday, December 24th, 6.30 to 9 pm
Imam Zaid Shakir
Shaykh Jawad Qureshi (Chicago)
Shaykh Omar Qureshi (Chicago)
Shaykh Zahir Bacchus
Shaykh Ramzy Ajem
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
At the IMO (International Muslim Organization)
65 Rexdale Blvd, Rexdale, ON
Google Maphttp://www.imooftoronto.com/
IMO
Strengthening Communal Ties
Wednesday, December 24th, 6.30 to 9 pm
Imam Zaid Shakir
Shaykh Jawad Qureshi (Chicago)
Shaykh Omar Qureshi (Chicago)
Shaykh Zahir Bacchus
Shaykh Ramzy Ajem
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
At the IMO (International Muslim Organization)
65 Rexdale Blvd, Rexdale, ON
Google Maphttp://www.imooftoronto.com/
IMO
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Fatiha
Bismillah.
AsSalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
Verily, from Allah we came and to Him we are returning.
My mother's last surviving uncle -- my grandfather's brother, passed away a few days ago in Lahore, Pakistan. He was a righteous man in his mid-eighties, and I have fond memories from when I spent time with him as a young girl.
Please make fatiha for him. May Allah have mercy on Him, make easy the trials of the grave and the next world, and make his union with Him, one of intense sweetness. May we be united in Jannah. Ameen.
Wassalam,
Salikah
AsSalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
Verily, from Allah we came and to Him we are returning.
My mother's last surviving uncle -- my grandfather's brother, passed away a few days ago in Lahore, Pakistan. He was a righteous man in his mid-eighties, and I have fond memories from when I spent time with him as a young girl.
Please make fatiha for him. May Allah have mercy on Him, make easy the trials of the grave and the next world, and make his union with Him, one of intense sweetness. May we be united in Jannah. Ameen.
Wassalam,
Salikah
Monday, December 15, 2008
Welcome Back, Hujjaj!
Bismillah.
Insha'Allah, this is the week that many of our dear brothers and sisters who embarked on the noble journey of hajj are to return home to us.
Hajj Mabrur, insha'Allah!
In honour of the hujjaj, the monthly Burda and Dala'il Reading at Risalah will be taking place this Sunday Decemeber 21st, 2008 from 11am-1pm.
Insha'Allah, this is the week that many of our dear brothers and sisters who embarked on the noble journey of hajj are to return home to us.
Hajj Mabrur, insha'Allah!
In honour of the hujjaj, the monthly Burda and Dala'il Reading at Risalah will be taking place this Sunday Decemeber 21st, 2008 from 11am-1pm.
Please join us in welcoming back the hujjaj!
Wassalam,
Salikah
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
And which of your Lord's bounties, will you and you deny?
These trees, their leaves and flowers. Were they created to witness the filthy sight of sin?
This earth. Was it created so that we might sin upon it?
The sky. Was it created to watch our heedlessness?
How often have we gone about disobedience of our Lord and not once thought to how we have offended the nature that surrounds us?
How often have we neglected to think how are sinful acts, words, deeds must make the purity of trees, leaves, flowers, the sky, the earth...all cringe at our pitiful state?
How often have we not thought how nature must weep that its destiny was so poor as to be made witness to egos engulfed in sin?
Indeed we are taught that the trees lay in wait of someone to pass them who is in the remembrance of Allah so they may boast to the other trees of the good that they have been made witness to. And so do we not pause to reflect on what shame they must feel when not only is such a person absent, but in their place passes a person who is in opposition to the command of Allah?
On that Day, those trees, those leaves and flowers, that sky, that earth...all will be given a voice and all will cry out to their Lord as witnesses against us for having sinned near, below, or upon them. Pay heed, dear brothers and sisters. Pay heed.
We should not let time pass us by, we should not neglect a moment of life that Allah bestows upon us, but that we retrace those sinful steps, and in each place of disobedience, return in an act of obedience and penitence, seeking Allah's forgiveness and that of each witness. We must humble ourselves. We must weep. We must beg our Lord that He write us from amongst those who were penitent and remembered Him. We must beseech our witnesses to remember only the good that we did before them, and not the evil.
How Merciful is Allah, that not only did He not take us in such a filthy state, but that He gave us life. Life to repent. Life to learn. Life to return to that very place, a person transformed, a person realized, a person aware.
And which of your Lord's bounties, will you and you deny?
This earth. Was it created so that we might sin upon it?
The sky. Was it created to watch our heedlessness?
How often have we gone about disobedience of our Lord and not once thought to how we have offended the nature that surrounds us?
How often have we neglected to think how are sinful acts, words, deeds must make the purity of trees, leaves, flowers, the sky, the earth...all cringe at our pitiful state?
How often have we not thought how nature must weep that its destiny was so poor as to be made witness to egos engulfed in sin?
Indeed we are taught that the trees lay in wait of someone to pass them who is in the remembrance of Allah so they may boast to the other trees of the good that they have been made witness to. And so do we not pause to reflect on what shame they must feel when not only is such a person absent, but in their place passes a person who is in opposition to the command of Allah?
On that Day, those trees, those leaves and flowers, that sky, that earth...all will be given a voice and all will cry out to their Lord as witnesses against us for having sinned near, below, or upon them. Pay heed, dear brothers and sisters. Pay heed.
We should not let time pass us by, we should not neglect a moment of life that Allah bestows upon us, but that we retrace those sinful steps, and in each place of disobedience, return in an act of obedience and penitence, seeking Allah's forgiveness and that of each witness. We must humble ourselves. We must weep. We must beg our Lord that He write us from amongst those who were penitent and remembered Him. We must beseech our witnesses to remember only the good that we did before them, and not the evil.
How Merciful is Allah, that not only did He not take us in such a filthy state, but that He gave us life. Life to repent. Life to learn. Life to return to that very place, a person transformed, a person realized, a person aware.
And which of your Lord's bounties, will you and you deny?
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