The Salikah Guide to the Greater Amman Area

AsSalamu'alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu,

Alhamdulillah, back from our trip to Jordan, Syria, and Paris. Hoping to capture some of the experience over three posts (one for each place) -- insha'Allah, I hope to complete my blogging of this trip, although unfortunately, I never completed my posts of Turkey or California.

Our Jordan trip consisted mainly of seeing Shaykh Nuh and Umm Sahl, and visiting the maqams of various sahaba and awliya, and historical places (some of which are contested, I know), for a week.

Of course, the beautiful Zawiya:

Masha'Allah, modern architecture at its best. Beautifully decorated and well-maintained is the mubarak zawiya in which our Shaykh, Sh. Nuh Keller teaches almost daily in addition to daily dhikrs.

Shaykh Nuh mentioned that among the benefits of visiting the graves of righteous people are the following:

• Paying heed - creates less of a desire for dunya.


• Take admonition of one's own impending death.


• Softens the heart, making way for tawbah and thus, change.


• The haal or spiritual state of the one burried.


• It is sunnah.


• Recite surah Fatiha and/or Ya Sin to benefit the person.

Our daily taxi driver, Muhammad, took us to visit various places in and around Amman. Below are photos that give a glimpse into what we saw:

Dirar ibn al-Azwar (Allah be well pleased with him), Sahabi

A simple little masjid, with the beautifully simple tomb of one of the companions of the beloved of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace). Very peaceful, masha'Allah.

Abu 'Ubaydah (Allah be well pleased with him), Sahabi, One of ten promised Paradise

One of the most beautifully done masjids we saw, complete with a little courtyard garden. The place had a very tranquil feel to it that had us not wanting to leave it, despite the fact that our taxi driver Muhammad told us "Quiggly, quiggly!!" when we were going in.

Sharhabil ibn al-Hasana (Allah be well pleased with him), Sahabi

If you look out across the hills from the front gate of this masjid, you see the hills of a Palestinian town. Being so close and yet so far away is really sad...especially when our phone got a text message saying "Welcome to Israel" -- Muhammad got a real laugh out of that when Salik translated the message on his cell phone for him. For the photo of the Palestinian hills, see below.

Palestine in the hills:

Amar ibn Abi Waqas (Allah be well pleased with him), Sahabi

Amidst beautiful palm trees was the resting place of this great companion. Muhammad took our coke bottles here and placed them nicely in the corner so that the local children could come pick them up and get a few cents in exhange for them at the store - a simple act of love that really resonated with us.

Mu'adh ibn Jabal (Allah be well pleased with him), Sahabi & his son, Abdul-Rahman ibn Mu'adh ibn Jabal (Allah be well pleased with him)




Shaykh Muhammed Sa'eed al-Kurdi (Allah have mercy on him) who gave ijaza to our grand-Shaykh, Sh. Abdul-Rahman al-Shaghouri (Allah have mercy on him)

Tucked away in an alley in the city of Irbid, was a small masjid that is the final resting place of our master, Sh. Kurdi. We met an old Shaykh here whose face, masha'Allah, was so illumined by the dhikr of Allah that it was inspiration just seeing him. What I love most about some of these small towns in the Muslim world is that you meet some people you've never heard of that are just living their lives away from everything, and yet their luminosity tells you they are anything but ordinary in their spiritual states.

Ja'ffar ibn Abi Talib (Allah have mercy on him), the cousin of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and Zayd ibn Haritha (Allah have mercy on him), the adopted son of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)

Abdullah ibn Abi Rawaha (Allah have mercy on him), poet to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)

Karak Crusader Castle:

Karak castle is not far from where we went to see the tombs of Ja'ffar ibn Abi Talib, the cousin of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and Zayd ibn Haritha, the adopted son of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The castle was definately worth the stop -- not only did it offer a beautiful view of the mountains, but it's in good condition so we were able to walk around it, see the view from the "look-out" points, and even go inside and walk through the tunnels. Very cool :)

Site claimed to be that of Ahl ul-Kahf:

One of at least three sites said to be that of Ahl ul-Kahf (the others being in Turkey and Syria), Allah knows best of its authenticity, but what we found worth coming here was the new masjid :)

Husseini Masjid in Amman:



The inside of this masjid reminded Salik and I of the masjids we saw in Turkey (but not really as nice!)

Abu Darwish Masjid:



This masjid actually made it's way into my Lonely Planet guide to Jordan for it's peculiar choice of colours and design...the book describes being there as an 'Alice in Wonderland' experience. It really was a strange place, but as you'll see below the view of the city from inside is quite nice.







Jabl Nebo - The site where Seyyidina Musa (Peace be upon him) is said to have gotten the vision of Promised Land. Beautiful view. The site seems to have more significance for Christians - there was a project by the Pope done a few years ago and at the top of the mountain there's an ancient Byzantine church.

King Abdullah Masjid in Amman.

A stunningly beautiful masjid, complete with a beautiful garden, some Cordoban arches...absolutely beautiful...unfortunately, there's very high security here and the guards are very serious about not letting anyone take video or photos. When we asked why they said it's because it's near a military base and the King's offices are nearby. After all the explaining one guard told us to go ahead and take a shot or two as we left, from the outside.

The Dead Sea:

The lowest (and hottest!) point on earth was also worth coming to. The water felt like nothing else we'd ever been in, no worries about drowning :) and we found little salt crystals all over the place.

Bedouins:

Along the highways of Jordan we saw many, many Bedouins. There's something about nomads that is inspiring: their distance from the rest of society, their total reliance on and trust in Allah for provisions...their...simplicity of being. Muhammad sang a Bedouin love song to Salik for humour that translates rougly as (a man saying to his wife), "I love you more than the sound of the hooves of my mule" :)


So comes the end of the Salikah guide to the greater Amman area.

Fatiha for all those burried there...and a du'a for my family and I, please :) and that I actually get around to posting about Syria and Paris!

Something of a Confession...

Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. And see, you were within me and I was in the external world and saught you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had no existence at all. You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrent, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.

(St. Augustine, Confessions)

Born in 354, St. Augustine was before Islam and here utters words that speak well to us as Muslims. It is rare that I quote a non-Muslim figure on this blog, but Allah indeed puts beauty on the lips of whomsoever He wills.

Salams

AsSalamu'alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu,

I pray you are all well. Just wanted to post a message sending you greetings of peace...very few posts this past year, for a number of reasons...my apologies.

The greatest intellects are stymied in the face of love.
(Unknown, Longing for the Divine calendar)

Wassalam,
Salikah

The Truth - Spiritual Tendencies

The Spiritual Tendencies Blog is back after a year off...

Sayyidinā Alī Ibn Abī Tālib—may Allāh exalt his face—said:

Your cure is within you, but you do not know,
Your illness is from you, but you do not see.
You are the “Clarifying Book”
Through whose letters becomes manifest the hidden.
You suppose that you’re a small body
But the greatest world unfolds within you.
You would not need what is outside yourself
If you would reflect on ’self’, but you do not reflect.

Zaytuna Institute - Hayward, California

Bismillah. Salla Allahu 'ala Sayyidina Muhammad

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah,

Photos of the Zaytuna Institute...unfortunately, pictures cannot capture the immensely mubarak feeling one experiences by being there.

A poem outside the classroom:

"As minutes and seconds pass by and times takes its toll on a place

An age brings an end to all things built upon stones without grace"

The outside of the classroom/musalla:

The seat of the scholars, may Allah preserve them and allow us to benefit by them:


The inside of the classroom/musalla:


The beautifully kept Zaytuna grounds:



Zaytuna flower:

Masha'Allah, a beautiful place with beautiful people. Anyone that can go and visit/study there, really should. May Allah bless the people at Zaytuna. Ameen.

Wassalam,

Salikah

Busy? Evaluating Your Time: Food for Thought.

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

Apologies for the lack of blogging the last little while...had too much on my plate. Recently, Salik and I took a week long trip to the San Francisco Bay Area -- we wanted to go somewhere close for Spring Break and just enjoy good weather, beautiful nature, dhikrs, and see some of our shuyukh. Alhamdulillah, we got a good dose of all of that and some yummy organic crepes made with nutella to top it all off :)

All kidding aside, the trip really threw me into an introspective state. We attended a dars with Ustadh Yahya Rhodus on Prophetic Characteristics -- it was a beautiful lesson in which we learned du'as, learned about the character and habits of the noble messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), and grew in our love for him. Ustadha Yahya, reflecting on the days soon after his conversion at the age of nineteen, commented that in attending some of the lessons Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was delivering at the time along with visiting shuyukh, he thought to himself, "the stuff I'm studying in college, if I die today, it doesn't matter if I know it or not, but this stuff [knowledge of the deen], this is what matters -- I can't go to my grave without knowing this".

Simple enough, but reminders are indeed beneficial to the believer and this was definately the case for me that day. Like many of you likely are, I like to 'do' as much as I can with my time -- work, study, take courses to upgrade my professional standing/qualifications, be a good wife/ daughter/sister/friend/person, serve the ummah, and still be a devoted to Allah on a personal level. People often ask me how I manage to do so much all at the same time and look so calm -- my answer is always that I use all my time productively...but Ustadh Yahya's words got me thinking.

What is the value of everything I'm doing? And how are my job and the extra courses effecting the quality of my life and my being and my worship? How is it hindering the internalization of all that we hear from our Masters? I'm still pondering over these questions -- and it's made me even quieter than usual, prompting family and friends to ask "what's the matter, you miss California that much?". I've also been reading In Praise of Slowness and the combination of all of these things has led me to conclude that I need to cut down on my load. Advancement in the world is never-ending -- you finish one course, and there's another, and another...and before you know it, you've spent your youth and vitality for that which is parishing and lost all that time that you could have spent walking towards your Creator. Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) says in various writings, that one should spend one's time with what they would do if given a week to live -- everything else really doesn't matter all that much. This is what Ustadh Yahya was talking about. This is what Shaykh Nuh is talking about when he says, may Allah preserve him, that in the end, it's all about You, Your Grave, and Allah Most High.

Food for thought insha'Allah. Pictures to follow.

Wassalam,
Salikah

Walk on Water - The Wisdom of Jesus (Sh. Hamza Yusuf)

Walk on Water - The Wisdom of Jesus (Sh. Hamza Yusuf)

Once someone asked Jesus (peace be upon him), “How are
you able to walk on water?”
Jesus replied, “With certainty.”
Then someone said, “But we also have
certainty!”
Jesus then asked them, “Are stone, clay,
and gold equal in your eyes?”
They replied, “Certainly not!”
Jesus responded, “They are in mine.”

(for the full article, please click on the link above)

Knowledge without Action

O disciple, knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge is void. Know that the knowledge which does not remove you from sins today and does not convert you to obedience, will not remove you tomorrow from hellfire. If you do not act according to your knowledge today, and you do not make amends for days gone-by, you will say tomorrow on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Send us back and we will act virtuously!’ And it will be replied, ‘Fool! You have just come from there!’

- Imam al-Ghazali in Letter to a Disciple

Serving others...

From the new SunniPath Blog, a reflection...

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah is in the assistance of His servant as long as His servant is in the assistance of others.” [Muslim (2698) and others, on the authority of Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him)]

This is one of the tremendous Prophetic hadiths about the virtue of service others. The scholars have mentioned, however, that the degree of Divine Assistance (`awn) for a person serving others is to the degree that this service is purely for the sake of Allah.

Serving others is often a seemingly thankless matter, as people often don’t appreciate what is done for them or even respond to the good with the bad or unreasonable conduct. This often discourages people from continuing their service, or weakens their resolve.

However, this should not be the case. Why?

Because one’s service of humanity and creation should be solely in pursuit of the pleasure of Allah. This is a key to consistent, fruitful, excellent, and transformative service.

May Allah bless us with the rank of being of those who serve His servants for His sake alone, in the spirit and light of the radiant example of His Beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace).

Characteristics of Traditional Diets - Even Unto China

Even Unto China - A new blog on acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, organic farming, traditional dietary wisdom, somatics and body-oriented psychotherapy...

Characteristics of Traditional Diets

1. The diets of healthy primitive and nonindustrialized peoples contain no refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar or corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or low-fat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils; protein powders; artificial vitamins or toxic additives and colorings.
2. All traditional cultures consume some sort of animal protein and fat from fish and other seafood; water and land fowl; land animals; eggs; milk and milk products; reptiles; and insects.
3. Primitive diets contain at least four times the calcium and other minerals and TEN times the fat soluble vitamins from animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and the Price Factor) as the average American diet.
4. In all traditional cultures, some animal products are eaten raw.
5. Primitive and traditional diets have a high food-enzyme content from raw dairy products, raw meat and fish; raw honey; tropical fruits; cold-pressed oils; wine and unpasteurized beer; and naturally preserved, lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages, meats and condiments.
6. Seeds, grains and nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened in order to neutralize naturally occuring antinutrients in these foods, such as phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, tannins and complex carbohydrates.
7. Total fat content of traditional diets varies from 30% to 80% but only about 4% of calories come from polyunsaturated oils naturally occurring in grains, pulses, nuts, fish, animal fats and vegetables. The balance of fat calories is in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.
8. Traditional diets contain nearly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.
9. All primitive diets contain some salt.
10. Tradtional cultures consume animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone broths.
11. raditional cultures make provisions for the health of future generations by providing special nutrient-rich foods for parents-to-be, pregnant women and growing children; by proper spacing of children; and by teaching the principles of right diet to the young.

A ship never sails upon dry land

Yahyaa Ibn Muaadh said: "
In my view, the worst kind of self-delusion is to greatly sin, yet hope for forgiveness without feeling any regret; and to hope to draw close to Allah - the Most High - without obedience to Him; and to await the fruits of Paradise, by planting the seeds for Hell-Fire; and to seek the abode of the obedient ones, by doing acts of disobedience; and to expect a reward, without doing any worthy action; and to hope in Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - after overstepping the bounds." "You hope for salvation but do not tread its path. A ship never sails upon dry land."

[Related by Ibn Hibbaan in Rawdatul-'Uqalaa (p.284), from the poetry of Abul-'Atiyyah]

Worn out by the world (unknown)

"Do you not see how the two renewables (night and day),

Wear us out, while we jest in secret and in public?

Trust not this world and it's pleasures,

For it's homes are not real homes.

And work for your benefit before your death.

And be not decieved by the abundance of friends and brothers."

Denied Hajj?

Bismillah.

Peace and abundant blessings be upon our Master, Muhammed, the Messenger of Allah.

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

Many people I know, myself included were not permitted to make Hajj this year. What our Shaykh told us, and what I've been hearing, is that the Saudi government was in the midst of massive construction at mina and muzdalifah in order to accomodate larger numbers while ensuring the safety of all hajjis, but they miscalculated timing and weren't able to finish in time, thus the Hajj Ministry is allowing fewer people in for Hajj this year (and more have applied because of the holiday season). This is the outward reason for our being denied the hajj this year.

Before we went to the hajj meeting to find out whether or not we got the visas, Salik asked me to pause and promise that regardless of what happened, our hearts would not change with Allah -- that we should be content with whatever He has ordained, and if it is that we cannot go this year, we should pray that Allah make us worthy of such a sacred journey of purification.

I know a lot of people that were intending to go this year, but have been denied have been down...so I thought I'd post something to remind us all that the invitation to Allah's Home is when He wishes to have us, not always when we want to go...and ultimately, the time He ordains is the best of times for us.

Mawlana Rumi, who we had the honour of visiting at his resting place in Konya this past summer, writes:

Do Not Despair

Say, do not despair because the Beloved drives you away; if
He drives you away today, will He not call you back tomorrow?
If He shuts the door on you, do not go away; be patient
there, for after patience He will seat you in the place of
honour.

And if He bars against you all ways and passages, He will
show you a secret way, which no man knows.
Is it not the case that when the butcher cuts off the head of
a sheep with his knife, he does not abandon what he has slain,
but first slays, and then draws?

When no more breath remains to the sheep, he fills it with
his own breath; you will see whither God's breath will bring
you!

I spoke this as a parable; else, His generosity slays no man,
rather it rescues him from slaying.

He gives all the kingdom of Solomon to a single ant; He
bestows both worlds, and does not startle a single heart.
My heart has travelled round the world and found none
like Him; whom does He resemble? Whom does He resem-
ble?

Ah, silence! For without speech He gives to all of this wine
to taste, He gives to taste, He gives to taste, He gives to taste.

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

May Allah make us all worthy of the Hajj and bless us with the journey of purification and return. May He Most High grant us and all those we love, long, healthy, happy lives of 'ibaadah spent in the service of the deen and the ummah of the beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him, his family, folk, and all those who seek to follow him until the Last Day). Amin, Amin, Amin.

Wassalam,
Salikah

The High Levels of Those Who Strive to Meet Their Brothers' Needs

The High Levels Of Those Who Strive to Meet Their Brothers' Needs
Dr. `Umar Al-Ashqar

One of the greatest things that will relieve a person's distress on the Day of Resurrection is his efforts in this world to relieve the distress of those who are in distress, and to help those who are in need, and to make things easy for those who are in difficulty, and to overlook the mistakes of those who err.

In Muslim it is narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever relieves a believer of distress in this world, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easy for those who are in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the next. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim in this world, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah will help the slave so long as the slave helps his brother."
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/71, hadith no. 204.]

Bukhari narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

"The Muslim is the brother of his fellow-Muslim; he should not mistreat him or let him down. Whoever meets the needs of his brother, Allah will meet his needs, and whoever relieves a Muslim of some distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and the next."
[Bukhari: Kitaab al-Mazaalim, Baab laa Yazlim al-Muslim al-Muslim, Fath al-Baari, 5/97.]

Emptiness of the Heart

"Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah.

And in it there is a sadness that can not
be removed except with the happiness of
knowing Allah and being true to Him.

And in it there is an emptiness that can not be
filled except with love for Him and by
turning to Him and always remembering Him.

And if a person were given all of the world and
what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness."

-Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya

A Reader on the Fiqh of Hajj

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate

The following links are sorted under five headings: General Questions, Making Mistakes in Hajj, Financial Issues, Women’s Issues, and Types of Hajj/Performing Hajj on Another’s Behalf. Please pray for the needy compiler of these links.

May all those making Hajj have a blessed journey and may their Hajj be accepted by Allah…ameen. Please remember all those suffering in the Ummah and in the world, and all those Muslims unable to make Hajj this year, in your duas.

Please see the following links, sorted by topic:

General Questions

Various Questions
Hajj Questions
Hajj Question: Toothpaste, Deodorant, Soaps, and Suntan Lotion
Hajj: Books/Resources?
Mobile/Cell Phones during Hajj in Mosques
Using Zamzam for Wudu During Hajj
The Current Spirit of Hajj
The Day of `Arafah: The 9th of Dhu'l Hijjah

Making Mistakes in Hajj

Is it permissible for one to do the pelting of stones, during the hajj, on behalf of one's parents, if one fears that they wont be able to do it themselves [due to the crowd]?
The consequences of leaving tawaf al-ifada Prayer while traveling: (Qasr Salah) and its conditions
Penalties in Hajj
Performed Hajj, Are Make-Ups Excused?

Financial Issues

Performing Hajj with a debt
Hajj questions and unlawful wealth
Does Hajj funded by parents fulfill one's obligation?
Hajj on an interest-bearing loan?
Hajj as a Team Doctor
Hajj On Free Transportation?
Can I pay for my father and mother to go for hajj?
Claiming Hajj Expenses as Educational Expenses
Hajj on parent's money which may involve interest
Hajj questions and unlawful wealth
Debt, brothel, and Hajj

Women’s Issues

Hajj and Menstruation
Would it be permissible to take birth control to stop her menstruation in order to avoid menstruation during Hajj?
Hajj: Can an elderly lady perform Hajj alone?
Hajj without a mahram?
Adopted Girl: Covering
Marriage: The Father-in-Law - Hajj & Hijab
Niqab in Ihram

Types of Hajj/Performing Hajj on Another’s Behalf

Is there any preference between the modes of Hajj, i.e. tammatu and qiran?
One Page Hajj Guide (Tamattu)
Can some one do Hajj for their love ones who died and couldn't perform Hajj?

Patience in adversity...

So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief.

Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.

(Qur'an 94:5-6)

After a difficulty, Allah will soon grant relief.

(Qur'an 65:7)

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak!

May Allah accept our fasts, prayers, charity, and all good works done this month, and help us bring those good habits into the rest of the year until we are blessed with another Ramadan. May Allah forgive our many shortcomings and sins. May Allah Most High bless us in abundance, give us long, healthy, happy lives of 'ibaadah and have rahmah on our parents, siblings, spouses, children and loved ones today and always. Ameen Ameen Ameen.

Wassalam,

Salikah

The City of Masjids

For some time now since I've been back I've been wanting to post about Turkey. The truth I've come to realize, is that I fell in love with Turkey and its people, and love that is for the sake of Allah is Infinite. It cannot be expressed in words that are finite.

In Istanbul every block we would walk we would see a beautiful Ottoman masjid. Each one had the same Ottoman architecture, yet each one was unique in some way. One would go inside a small masjid tucked away amidst stores or in a corner off of a street, and find that it had its own keeper(s) -- people tending to the masjid as if it were their home -- ensuring everyone that entered was dressed appropriately for entering a home of Allah Ta'Ala, that there were ample misbahas available, that things were kept neat and tidy, and each worshipper or visitor was greeted with a warm smile. And in each masjid one's heart would long for Allah with such intensity that words are not sufficient to express that longing, to say the least.

Looking out from the hotel each day and night, we would see the breathtakingly magnificent view of the Sultan Ahmet and Aya Sofya on the shore of the Marmara - no photo, no words can capture the site - how strong an Islamic presence the Ottomans made here...ya Rabb...



This evening Salik and I were sitting at Tim Horton's sipping away and I couldn't help, but say to him that I felt as if we must have dropped somehow in Allah's eyes, for He took us from sitting on a rooftop viewing the Sultan Ahmet, Aya Sofya and countless other majestic masjids, sipping on herbal Turkish chai made especially for sick Salikah with nobody around, but a lovely Kurdish waiter who soon became a friend of Salik's and who refused to let us pay for chai that I was drinking to help calm my cough...to a commercialized, capitalistic franchise serving food that was mass produced without any particular customer in mind, which we sipped away sitting in a crowded Tim Horton's on a main street in Toronto. Perhaps it's true, but what's definately true is how superior the former was and how ugly and pale the latter is in comparison. Ya Rabb. Ya Rabb. Ya Rabb.

The courtyard of Sultan Ahmet (the Blue Mosque)....

Inside the Sultan Ahmet ...the main domes...


After Friday Congregational Prayer...

Salik and I would often sit for a long time just trying to take in all the detail...one thing that really struck us was the purpose with which everything was done...we started to notice that calligraphy that was hung up or on painted always had to do with where it was placed...for example at the entrance....

...and above a tap of water on a pillar inside the masjid...


I could go on forever about this masjid alone, but I'll just put up pictures of some other sites. Below are some photos of the Aya Sofya (now a museum) which was really one of the oddest places we visited. Odd in many senses -- the heart feels odd when it's inside it -- no doubt some inward reflection of the external -- all the hallmarks of an Ottoman masjid complete with mihrab, mimbar, and the standard in Turkish masjids: eight huge circles containing the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), Abul Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Hasan, and Hussein (Allah be well please with them all)....but then paintings of Jesus and Virgin Mary peaking out from beneath the paint...


More to come soon...photos of masjids, historical sites, and something about Turkish hospitality...

**NOTE: All images on this blog are copyrighted and cannot be used without the express permission of Salikah Al-Tariq. All rights reserved.**

Bosphorus meets the Black Sea - Istanbul, August 2006

Muhammadan Art

A good friend of mine sent me a link to a site called Muhammadan Art. Beautiful work masha'Allah, a very talented sister indeed.Calligraphy is the tongue of the hand, the delight of the conscience, the ambassador of the mind, the inheritor of the thought, the weapon of knowledge, the companion of absent friend, the converser with them over long distances, the depsitory of secrets, and register of events."

- Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Ash-Shaybani

Desiderata...beautiful!

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;f
or always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

A Must Read - Being Muslim by Haroon Siddiqui

Being Muslim is a short work by journalist Haroon Siddiqui, a writer for the Toronto Star. I have often linked to his articles (for recent articles, click here). I really believe he is one of the ummah's greatest assets, especially here in Canada -- a clear thinker, he has a real talent for simply presenting the facts in a way that is understandable to all. Journalists with integrity are harder and harder to find, but Haroon Siddiqui is definately among the best.

I wholeheartedly recommend that everyone buy this short book...a good digest of what has led to current world dynamics.

Salik and I were looking at the cover and wondering why it is what it is. His theory (and it makes good sense to me) is that the young Muslim girl is shown in a dark scarf, positioned such that we cannot see her facial expression -- she represents the hidden, the unknown, the mystery that Islam and Muslims are on the current global stage. The other girl however, looks like a typical young western girl, smiling -- only she is positioned such that she can see what to us is hidden -- and seeing what is unknown to us in its true light, the young girls is smiling -- she is enjoying the company of the young Muslim girl. They can co-exist, they are friends, and they are happy.

Anyhow, do get yourself a copy and read it...

To benefit from changes in life...

To benefit from changes in life, spiritual travelers must be with Allah, not their own story line. When a young woman marries, for example, she suddenly finds herself not only with another ego in the house to live with, but within a short space, that the comparative ease and calm of her younger days have been swept away by the sheer work needed to keep up and think of everything in a real home. When she has her first baby, she must manage for another life even more dependent on her personal sacrifices. By the second, third, or fourth child, her days and nights belong almost entirely to others. Whether she has a spiritual path or not, such a mother can seldom resist a glance at the past, when there were more prayers, more meanings, more spiritual company, and more serenity. When Allah opens her understanding, she will see that she is engaged in one of the highest forms of worship, that of producing new believers who love and worship Allah. She is effectively worshipping Allah for as many lifetimes she has children, for the reward of every spiritual work her children do will be hers, without this diminishing anything of their own rewards: every ablution, every prayer, every Ramadan, every hajj, and even the works her children will in turn pass on to their offspring, and, so on till the end of time. Even if her children do not turn out as she wishes, she shall be requited in paradise forever according to her intention in raising them, which was that they should be godly. Aside from the tremendous reward, within the path itself it is noticeable that many of those who benefit most from the khalwa or “solitary retreat of dhikr” are women who have raised children. With only a little daily dhikr and worship over the years, but much toil and sacrifice for others, they surpass many a younger person who has had more free time, effort, and “spiritual works.” What they find is greater because their state with Allah is greater; namely, the awe, hope, and love of the Divine they have realized by years of sincerity to Him.

To summarize, the traveller who is grateful to Allah for everything cannot be veiled from Allah by anything, whether living in the world or doing without it, and it is such a person who most benefits from the spiritual path. Abu Yazid al-Bustami was once asked, “Can the servant reach Him in a single moment?” and he replied, “He can, though he is returned with profit and benefit in the measure of his journey.”

To read the entire commentary on Hikam No. 3 by Shaykh Nuh Keller, click here

Fasting & Ramadan: A Course on SunniPath

...and upward we shall go...

On our way to Turkiye, we had a short stopover in Athens. At the airport in Rome Salik turned to me and said, "I say we have to check out the Acropolis in Athens" -- "you're serious?" -- "yes! come on, it'll be great!". So with that enthusiasm, how could I refuse to see one of the most famous buildings in all of history? On the plane I asked the lady sitting beside me if this was a plausible idea, and she told me that if we got a cab we could do it...

...So the second we landed, we went straight out to the cabs, cut a deal with a cabby who drove us to the Acropolis, waited over an hour there, and drove us back -- showing us sites along the way!

I spotted a church on our way there that seemed as though it may have once been a masjid because it had what looked distinctly like a minaret that was topped with a cross when it was transformed into a church -- likely after the end of Ottoman rule...but that is just my theory...see for yourself...

...and then when we got to the Acropolis, we looked at one another..."and upward we shall go...again!" A long climb later, having avoided dog after dog for fear of our wudu and our lives, we made to the top of the Acropolis! Again, how amazing it is to stand in a place that one has seen so many a time in textbooks, movies, photos...

...tired, dehydrated, and sun-burned...we made our way all the way down and to the airport to head to Turkiye!

NOTE: All images on this blog are copyrighted and cannot be used without the express permission of Salikah Al-Tariq. All rights reserved.

...one long ascent...

Next we went to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City...the place is huge! One's immediate feeling as a Muslim is how different the atmosphere becomes with the addition of statues everywhere....aside from which architecturally it is beautiful, especially the courtyard.

...just prior to entrance you have to pass a security check...

...sadly, many women would temporarily cover their skin with a handkerchief and remove it once they were allowed in and they were out of the eyes of security. That really had us wonder how much respect some people actually do not have, for the very place they deem so sacred. Perhaps another wonder of the modern world, "no one shall tell me what I will wear!". In any case, the main reason we went in was to climb to the top of the dome to see the spectacular view of Rome that it has to offer. In the two hours that it took, there were many contemplations of turning around and just leaving...but we stuck it out...and well, the view, as our Lonely Planet guidebook promised, was well worth it...

After that two hour climb, we made our way to the Sistine Chapel. As we were going up the road, I turned to Salik and said, "why is it that everywhere we go, there's a long, steep, upward climb of one sort or the other?"...he looked at me with a smile and a raised eyebrow, and before he could answer, I put forth my own theory, "I suppose all the ancients, when they made these sites that were of religious significance to them, they wanted to put them as high up as possible. That way, when pilgrims visit, they feel as though they are going up towards that which is Good, Holy, and Pure. I mean, imagine if all these sites were downhill, it would feel as though one was going to the 'underworld'. Yeah, that's probably it." That won be the biggest smile yet from Salik, who exclaimed "did you read that somewhere?" -- "No? Why?" -- "Do you know that that theory has been put forth by some of the greatest of scholars?" -- "No, but I guess that means someone's probably beat me to publishing it, eh? :)". Then we got into a discussion about how if one looks at modern architecture, it consists of flat buildings, whereas older ones always had something pointing upward because they believed in a Higher Reality, but in the modern world, there is this feeling that this is it, that there is nothing higher.

La hawla wa la quwwata illa bi'Llah.

Then came the highlight of our tour of Roma...the Masjid -- the biggest masjid in all of Europe! What we got from the Arabs living there was that the Saudis funded the building of this HUGE Islamic Centre which houses a masjid, a library, a school, board-rooms, and more...plus beautiful lush green exterior grounds.

Earlier we found our way to another tiny little masjid tucked away behind some stores. The sisters' side was empty, but Salik managed to make a few friends on the brothers' side -- the Muslims there seemed always pleased and excited to see fellow Muslims.

...and our last stop in Roma were the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, a nice place to just sit down and have some yummy Italian icecream!

...and that was it for our time in Roma!

NOTE: All images on this blog are copyrighted and cannot be used without the express permission of Salikah Al-Tariq. All rights reserved.

Roma...!

Bismillah.

We started our journey in Roma, Italia and it turned out to be quite different from what we had imagined. No fancy villas, just apartment buildings and streets that were quite littered for a nation with the reputation that it has...the subway trains had so much graffitti that we couldn't see out the windows to know what stop we were at! The odd part of the transportation system was that aside from the underground metro, we never saw people pay a fare, there was nobody collecting a fare (in fact, on the buses the driver was sealed off from the passengers)...there were just these odd yellow ticket 'stampers' that everyone ignored...so it was pretty much a free ride -- it wasn't until we got back home that we found out Italy's been running on an 'honour system'...and all that time we thought the yellow ticket stampers were just some guy's really bad idea that the country gave up on!

The first place to see was, of course, the Roman Colosseum...and oh, what a site! It's quite the feeling to stand inside something so ancient, so large, so famous -- something one has seen many a time in photos and history textbooks -- and suddenly one has been transported to it and is standing in it! We could not help it but wonder how human beings could have built something so sophisticated, so long ago, without any of the technology we have today...and yet they produced a far better architectural piece than anything in the modern world...

A view from the outside on a clear, blue summer day...

A magnificent view of the interior. In the centre are what used to be dungeons that held gladiators and animals...the floor has eroded to expose the place of much cruelty that lay beneath it...in the far back one can see the floor being restored.

To be continued, bi idhnillah

NOTE: All images on this blog are copyrighted and cannot be used without the express permission of Salikah Al-Tariq. All rights reserved.

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