TV Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor - pdf
Another excellent post on Seeker's Digest.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Allah is enough for those who believe...
On the patience and great character of the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), peace be upon him.
The medieval Muslim poet Rumi adds his own story, which explores how Joseph, exiled and imprisoned by his brothers, refused to take refuge in hate. He wrote this:
'For ten years Joseph never slept at night. That prince kept praying to
God for the sake of his brothers:
O God, if you forgive them, so be it. But if not, then I shall fill the
whole world with my tears.
Punish them not, O Lord, for they are full of guilt for the sin tha
suddenly overtook them!
Joseph's feet became blistered from his night vigils; his eyes full o
pain from weeping and wailing.'
Rumi continues as follows:
'The lamentation spread to the celestial spheres and the angels, and the
Sea of God's Gentleness overflowed, and broke his chains.
Fourteen robes of honour arrived, and God spoke to Joseph, Jacob, and the brothers: "All fourteen of you are prophets, messengers, and chiefs among My servants."
Such is the effort of the saints day and night, in order to deliver
creatures from torment and corruption.'
-- Taken from Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad's recent "Thought for the Day"
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Oh son of Adam...
Hadith Qudsi:
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness as close to it in measure.
Is The Majority Always Correct? - SunniPath Q/A
Shaykh Gibril Haddad on "Is The Majority Always Correct?".
Solid as always.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Alexandalus - Sufism of Putative "Salafi" References
Sufism of Putative "Salafi" References
"Evidence of Sufi affiliations for some of the authorities the "Salafis" purportedly respect"
Foundations of the Spiritual Path
Foundations of the Spiritual Path
By Sidi Ahmad Zurruq
Translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
A beautiful piece. Well worth the read.
Originally published in the Zaytuna Institute's Seasons Journal, Vol 1, Issue 1, Spring-Summer 2003
Thought for the Day - Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad
An archive of Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (T.J. Winter) 's BBC Thought for the Day Series.
Abdal Hakim Murad graduated from Cambridge University with a double-first in Arabic in 1983. He then lived in Cairo for three years, studying Islam under traditional teachers at Al-Azhar, one of the oldest universities in the world. He went on to reside for three years in Jeddah, where he administered a commercial translation office and maintained close contact with Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad and other ulama from Hadramaut, Yemen.
In 1989, Shaikh Abdal Hakim returned to England and spent two years at the University of London learning Turkish and Farsi. Since 1992 he has been a doctoral student at Oxford University, specializing in the religious life of the early Ottoman Empire. He is currently Secretary of the Muslim Academic Trust (London) and Director of the Sunna Project at the Centre of Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University, which issues the first-ever scholarly Arabic editions of the major Hadith collections.
Shaikh Abdal Hakim is the translator of a number of works, including two volumes from Imam al-Ghazali Ihya Ulum al-Din. He gives durus and halaqas from time to time and taught the works of Imam al-Ghazali at the Winter 1995 Deen Intensive Program in New Haven, CT. He appears frequently on BBC Radio and writes occasionally for a number of publications including The Independent and Q-News International, Britain's premier Muslim Magazine.
(Biography taken from Sidi Masud Khan's excellent site)
In 1989, Shaikh Abdal Hakim returned to England and spent two years at the University of London learning Turkish and Farsi. Since 1992 he has been a doctoral student at Oxford University, specializing in the religious life of the early Ottoman Empire. He is currently Secretary of the Muslim Academic Trust (London) and Director of the Sunna Project at the Centre of Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University, which issues the first-ever scholarly Arabic editions of the major Hadith collections.
Shaikh Abdal Hakim is the translator of a number of works, including two volumes from Imam al-Ghazali Ihya Ulum al-Din. He gives durus and halaqas from time to time and taught the works of Imam al-Ghazali at the Winter 1995 Deen Intensive Program in New Haven, CT. He appears frequently on BBC Radio and writes occasionally for a number of publications including The Independent and Q-News International, Britain's premier Muslim Magazine.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Tsunami Reflections and Dua Request
Tsunami Reflections: Theological lessons from the Sumatra earthquake by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. Now available at www.DeenPort.com in the 'Lessons' Section.
Also from DeenPort, please pray for Brother Osman Olof who has been missing in the mountains of Ireland for several days now. May Allah shelter him, and return him safely to his loved ones, and may He give all those who know him immense patience during this difficult time...ameen.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Diya' al-Mawlid
Celebrating the Birth of our Beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). Diya' al-Mawlid: A Special Presentation courtesy of SunniPath
Marriage...For Muslims...
Ruqayyah Waris Maqsood The Muslim Marriage Guide
Understanding the natures of men and women so you'll be able to deal with one another with wisdom and the best of character.Men...(yes, Women, too)
Great men talk about ideas; Mediocre men talk about things; Small men talk about people.
- Admiral Hyman Rickover
(and the best of men talk about Allah...)
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Tell me Oh Muhammad....
The Hadith of Jibril (Gabriel), relayed to, in the blessed words of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), “...to teach you your religion”...
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Al-Idrisi's Map of the World
Al-Idrisi's Map of the World
According to Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Al-Idrisi, a Muslim cartographer, knowingly drew the map as what we would consider being "upside down" because he refused to have Europe be placed above Makkah. Silly? - Not really, the Europeans picked up on the connotation, too, and refused to let Africa be above them on the map! Interestingly, Shaykh Hamza mentions maps oriented in this way are still readily found in Australia.
According to Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Al-Idrisi, a Muslim cartographer, knowingly drew the map as what we would consider being "upside down" because he refused to have Europe be placed above Makkah. Silly? - Not really, the Europeans picked up on the connotation, too, and refused to let Africa be above them on the map! Interestingly, Shaykh Hamza mentions maps oriented in this way are still readily found in Australia.
Islamic Children's Books
Books for Muslim Children by the Islamic Foundation
Go to "Children's Books" > The "Allah gave me..." series and others...
Go to "Children's Books" > The "Allah gave me..." series and others...
Monday, December 20, 2004
Qur'anic Recitation...
Seeker's Digest: Qari Muhammad Siddiq al-Manshawi - Qura' Al-Qur'an :: qquran.com
Beautiful, Subhan'Allah...
Beautiful, Subhan'Allah...
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Sustentance is from Allah...
He does not refuse sustenance to the one who speaks ill of Him. How then could He refuse sustenance to the one whose soul is overflowing with love for Him?
- Rabi'a al-Adawiyya (May Allah have mercy on her), Rabi'a the Mystic
Beyond the Lote Tree
When Ahmad passed beyond the lote tree at the boundary of Paradise, the Angel's frontier, he said, "O Gabriel, come fly with me." But Gabriel replied, "I cannot escort you. My wings beyond that point will be consumed. But the station of the pure before the Most Pure is nothing short of wonderment."
- Mawlana Rumi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his Mathnawi
Monday, December 13, 2004
Expressions of Longing for the Divine
Expressions of Longing for the Divine: The Art of Calligraphy...
Two, masha'Allah, very talented Arabic calligraphers:
Sidi Mohamed Zakariya
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang
...illustrative of the many-fold beauty and vast expressions of Islam...Subhan'Allah.
Shukr - Islamic Clothing
Shukr Online
Great Islamic clothing.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.” [Muslim]
And he said (Allah bless him and give him peace),
“Allah loves to see the traces of His blessings on His servants.”
[Tirmidhi]
Imam Zayn al-Din al-Razi (d. 666 AH), author of the famous dictionary Mukhtar al-Sahah, explained the essential rulings of dress in his beautiful work Tuhfat al-Muluk:
“The levels of clothing. Clothing has three levels:
1. Obligatory. This is covering one’s nakedness, and warding off the harms of heat and cold…
2. Recommended. This is wearing beautiful clothing, in order to look good and adorn oneself, displaying the blessings of Allah.
3. Prohibited. This is dressing out of haughtiness and arrogance.”
[Zayn al-Din al-Razi, Tuhftat al-Muluk, 277, Dar al-Basha’ir al-Islamiyya ed.]
And Allah alone gives success.
Great Islamic clothing.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.” [Muslim]
And he said (Allah bless him and give him peace),
“Allah loves to see the traces of His blessings on His servants.”
[Tirmidhi]
Imam Zayn al-Din al-Razi (d. 666 AH), author of the famous dictionary Mukhtar al-Sahah, explained the essential rulings of dress in his beautiful work Tuhfat al-Muluk:
“The levels of clothing. Clothing has three levels:
1. Obligatory. This is covering one’s nakedness, and warding off the harms of heat and cold…
2. Recommended. This is wearing beautiful clothing, in order to look good and adorn oneself, displaying the blessings of Allah.
3. Prohibited. This is dressing out of haughtiness and arrogance.”
[Zayn al-Din al-Razi, Tuhftat al-Muluk, 277, Dar al-Basha’ir al-Islamiyya ed.]
And Allah alone gives success.
Friday, December 10, 2004
The Burda - Imam al-Busiri
Introducing the Burda of al-Busiri
A documentary on Shaykh Hamza Yusuf's production of Imam al-Busiri's "The Burda" or "The Poem of the Cloak", an incredibly powerful poem that is famous across the world. Includes commentary by Shaykh Hamza, Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, and Daniel Abdal Hayy Moore.
Like Rain
Sidi Hakim Archuletta has studied, practiced and taught holistic medicine worldwide for the past 20 years. His practice in North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Europe earned him the title of hakim (a sage/healer). May Allah preserve him and allow him to continue to help people heal, ameen.
Like Rain
Do we feel for the world?
If the world grieves over
our arrogance while we
project ourselves onto it
are we given then the chance
to voice the sadness of the
sea or the pain of the tree?
Do we sing for the world?
Are we the mouth for the
centuries and the groan
and drum for its years of
war and strife and peace?
Are we the eyes for the stone
the storyteller for the plains
the advocate of the races
are we the tears of the cities?
Do we cry for the world?
As we listen to the song of
the flower the wail of
the wind or the melody of
the dawn and the moon
Do they cry for us?
...read the rest of "Like Rain"...
Thursday, December 09, 2004
The Bounty of Allah
Many years ago someone gave me a book for Eid called The Bounty of Allah compiled by Aneela Arshed. The book consists of an ayah and hadith/sayings of awliya for each day of the year. Arshed says she was going through an immensely difficult period in her life, searching for meaning, and each of the quotes in the book were words that moved her and helped her grow closer to Allah Most High - the Source of all peace, during that time.
This tiny book that can easily be overlooked at bookstores helped me make sense of things as a teenager, and was a means of great change for me. I return to it even today, and I never regret opening it... Insha'Allah, I will post sayings I find in the book from time to time. May Allah bless and reward her for this book...ameen.
He created me and guides me, He feeds me and nourishes me, and when I am sick, it is He who restores me to health. He will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life, and, I hope with all sincerity, He will forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgement.
- Qur'an 26:78-82
When a person calls upon the ailing, an angel proclaims, "Blessed be your journey through life, and Paradise be your final abode."
- The Prophet Muhammad, reported by Abu Hurairah, Al-Hadis, 1:286
Alhamdulillah 'ala kulli haal, All Praise is due to Allah, in every condition for His countless blessings upon us: those we are aware of and those hidden from us.
Wassalam,
Salikah
Each of Your Breaths is a Priceless Jewel...
On making the most of our lives...
"Know that no state can be sound in the presence of neglect, and no wealth useful in the presence of heedlessness. For if you abandon yourself to neglect and purposelessness, as the cattle do, and just do anything that may occur to you at any time it happens to occur to you, most of your time will be wasted. Your time is your life, and your life is your capital; it is the basis of your transactions [with God], and the means to attain everlasting felicity, in the proximity of God the Exalted. Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, and when it passes away it never returns"
- from Imam Al-Haddad's The Book of Assistance
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Every Breath...In This World...
A few of the Hikam of Ibn 'Ata'illah. Among the most beautiful works we have, and from which I will often post a few lines...
Every breath you breathe emerges according to a preordained decree.
Don't think that worry and sorrow are out of place as long as you are in this world. It only brings forth what its attribute and quality demand.
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