Branch 6 - Belief in the Last Day & the Hereafter

Bismillah.

AsSalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Alhamdulillah, The Razi Institute's 77 Branches of Faith program held this past weekend at the University of Toronto was wonderful -- insha'Allah, some of you also attended. The Shuyukh all compliment each other very well -- Sh. Talal, Sh. Ramzy, Sh. Faraz, Sh. Jamal, Shaykh Zahir and his wife, Ustadha Saima...the dynamic between them all was one of wonderful reverence and utmost love for one another, with a shared concern for the ummah.

The program provided a lovely notebook with the text as well as space to take notes for each session. Insha'Allah, I will try to share small parts of the notes I took for branches that I feel are key or where something was said that may of be particular benefit insha'Allah. I pray that I convey the message of the Shuyukh correctly -- if anyone finds any error, please do correct me (and if any of the Shuyukh read this, please forgive me in advance for doing such injustice to the wisdom you were kind enough to share with us).

Branch 6 - Belief in the Last Day.

This includes belief in the questioning of the grave; resurrection; standing; reckoning; scales; bridge; Heaven; and Hell.

This session was led by Sh. Ramzy Ajem. Imam Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him), who wrote so much on the topic of death, said that "the Reality of death, is the Reality of Life". Our physical death is simply entry into the third stage of our existence -- the stage called barzakh (an intermediary between our worldly existence and the Day of Judgement).

Our first stage was before conception, when the Qur'an speaks of our testifying to the Oneness of Allah (the day of alast, as it is referred to in many texts). The second stage is our worldly life in this dunya -- the world of accountability and responsibility to seek God and obey Him. The third is the barzakh mentioned above. The fourth is the life of the Day of Judgement. And the 5th stage is the life in heaven or hell (may Allah protect us from the Fire and grant us Paradise, ameen).

He also spoke of the bridge that will be thinner than a knife, from which evildoers will slip and which will be made easy for the righteous to cross over, after which, they will be reunited with their loved ones and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), drinking from the fountain that will quench all thirst, and finally there will be ma'rifa.

• Remember often the destroyer of pleasures (death).
• Reflect on death and prepare for it. One who remembers death twenty times each day and night will be raised with the martyrs.
• Be in the world as a wayfarer.
• Love what you will, you will part it.

Finally, Sh. Ramzy shared with us, Four Keys of Help in preparing in this life for tawfiq in the next life insha'Allah. They are as follows:

1. Standing in prayer before Fajr when the angels and Mercy descend from the Heavens. Doing wudu and praying some rakats of salah. Some of the scholars say this is better than praying in the haram itself. Imam Junayd the great sufi (Allah have mercy on him) was seen in a dream after his death, saying that all that benefited him of his works in this world were the two rakats he always made before fajr.
2. Surah Tabarak (I believe after Isha).
3. Du'a (supplication), seeking refuge from the torments of the grave and Hell.
4. Developing a relationship with Rasul Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), turning him for guidance and intersession and sending peace and blessings upon him.

Also related to these Keys, Sh. Talal spoke of making room for Allah, His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), and prayer in our daily lives. Actually setting aside time in our schedules so it's not the first thing that gets cut when we're tired or busy. And Sh. Ramzy reminded us to make dhikr all day long, to start each act with the basmala, sunnah du'as, saying Alhamdulillah, Subhan'Allah, Astagfiruallah, Allahu Akbar, the shahadah, and salawat and to always have the right intention -- that everything we do is for Allah. As Sh. Nuh says, if you can't say Basmala before an act, you shouldn't be doing it.

Insha'Allah, I pray that Allah give us all tawfiq in applying these keys. By Allah, when we take time to consciously remember Him in the hustle and bustle of our day to day lives, He fills it with a peace and a light that we can otherwise never know.

And Allah knows best. May peace and blessings be upon our noble Prophet - the Chosen One, his family, companions, and all those who seek to follow him until the Last Day.

Wassalam,

Salikah

The Birth of the Beloved of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) The need to love, venerate,and praise him (SunniPath)

The Birth of the Beloved of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) The need to love, venerate,and praise him (SunniPath)

• Love & Praise of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & grant him peace)
  Shaykh Hamza Yusuf on BBC: In Praise of God - The Prophet's Birthday
  Beautiful Praise of the Beloved of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
  The Fiqh of Sending Peace
  Love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)
  Love of the Prophet - 2 (Allah bless him and grant him peace)
  On the Necessity of Loving the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)
  How much should the Prophet be loved? And: How?
  Superiority of the Prophet, upon him peace
  Decorating the Mosque for Mawlid Season
  


• Is the Celebration of the Mawlid Permissible?
  Is it permissible to celebrate the Prophet's birthday (Allah bless him and give him peace)?
  Should we celebrate Mawlid (The Prophet's (S) birthday)?
  RE: Milad (Is it permissible to celebrate the Prophet's birthday (Allah bless him and give him peace)?
  The Concept of Bid'a In The Islamic Shari'ah
  

Making Du`a for the Umma of the Beloved of Allah (peace and blessings unlimited be upon him, his family, companions, and followers) Ma`ruf al-Karkhi, one of the righteous imams of the early Muslims (salaf), said,

"Whoever says, 'Allahumma aslih Ummata Muhammad Allahumma farrij `an Ummati Muhammad Allahumma Rham Ummata Muhammad [salla Allahu `alayhi wa sallam]
(O Allah, improve the state of the Umma of Muhammad O Allah, grant ease to the Umma of Muhammad O Allah, have mercy on the Umma of Muhammad),'

ten times every day will be written down as one of the highest of elect believers (abdal)." [Abu Nu`aym, Hilyat al-Awliya , 8.366]

اللهم أصلح أمة محمد اللهم فرج عن أمة محمد أللهم ارحم أمة محمد

Why? The Prophet of Mercy (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

"Have mercy on those on earth, and the Lord of the Skies will have mercy on you." [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Bukhari in his al-Adab al-Mufrad from Abd Allah ibn Amr (Allah be pleased with him)]

GTA in March

Alhamdulillah, lots going on this March in the GTA.

• There's the Razi Institute's 77 Branches programme that I posted about earlier.
• RIS presents Race, Gender and the Future of Muslims in North America as a part of their Revival Series...featuring a lecture by Warith Deen Mohammed and a talk by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (I teach his story as part of a unit at school so I'm really excited!)
• Sh. Faraz is starting a new halaqa in Mississauga, Living the Light: Understanding the Qur’an & Sunna - Wednesdays (7 - 8.30) - Starts March 19th.

Plus, the Mawlid of our Blessed Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) should correspond to the 20th of March this year...and there are a host of Mawlid celebrations across the city on and around that date...so keep your eyes open -- and let me know of the ones you find by posting a reply to this post or emailing me.

Wassalam,
Salikah

The Razi Institute Presents...

THE RAZI INSTITUTE

From Allah we came and to Him we are Returning.

Bismillah.

AsSalamu'alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu,

Please recite fatiha for my father-in-law who went on to meet his Lord yesterday, may Allah have Mercy on him, forgive him, multiply his many good works, and unite him with those beloved to him that passed away before him. Ameen.

May Allah grant patience and certitude to all those he has left behind and may we all be united in the Shade of Allah and the company of the Chosen One (Allah bless him and give him peace) on the Last Day and forever in Paradise, insha'Allah. Ameen.

Wassalam,
Salikah

Hadra with Sh. Nazim

A beautiful Hadra with Sh. Nazim al-Haqqani led by a somali brother with a beautiful voice masha'Allah.

YouTube: Somali Hadra/Mawlid in Lefke with Shaykh Nazim Al-Haqqni

Enjoy!

Lessons from the Road (Din Seeking the Deen)

From Din, of Din Seeking the Deen, comes a wonderful and insightful post about the lessons we can learn about life, friends, and spouse selection, on...the road. The mu'min sees everything in the world as a sign.

A few observtions listed below:

1. Follow leaders carefully.

The people we follow on the highway makes a special difference on a long journey. I for example don't like to follow cars which break often for no reason or if it appears that the car is being driven by a distracted driver ( cell phone?). On the other hand if I see a car which is driving at a reasonable speed ( for the conditions, traffic etc), I will follow it.

Choose who you follow carefully!

Read all 25 lessons from the road.

Ode to Muhammad (The Wandering Troubadour)

I recently discovered the blog of a brother we met in Madinah, who, it turns out, is a talented poet, masha'Allah. Below is his Ode to Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace)...do check out his blog Trobador for his other work.

Ode to Muhammad

In praise of the Messenger of GOD, peace and blessings be upon, and in vindication of his noble character against the defamation of the disbelievers and a reminder of the miraculous events that took place during the Night Journey;may GOD bless and preserve him and his ummah.

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim.

The peace and blessing and mercy of GOD
Could have no target more worthy than he,
The orphan of Mecca, whose feet did trod
This hollow world for sixty years and three.
O honoured is he, the truthful merchant,
Who would sit upon the Mountain of Light
And emmerged from the dark cave with no rant
But Sacred Words for the world to recite.
Praise him, who gently turned the cheek from sin
And showed mercy to the foe who showed none.
Praise him, who guided the wayward man and jinn
And taught that Our LORD and GOD is ONE.

O the Glorious Journey of the Night!The night
GOD’s Favour became manifest
When HE called thee to Heaven’s Highest Height
And showed thee what no one else could attest.
Thou did surpass the best of every nation
In a night of wonders beyond wonder
When thou did ascend the highest station,
Where all mortal words are rent asunder.
Thou, ascendant to the Majestic Throne,
Did behold the KING of Kings without veil!
At the distance of two bows His Face shown;
O Imam of Imams, words cannot avail.

O the blessing of our Prophet’s guidance
And the sweetness of the gifts from his flight:
The complete prayer taught to us to enhance
The pious art of gaining inner-sight!
The fruit of the knowledge of prophecy
He delivered for those who do reflect
And through his guidance it is plain to see
The path of error and the path of the correct.
O ray of light against the darkness and rain
I honour and vindicate thy pure name!
May praise for thy nobleness never wane
And may praising lips never tire or lame!

-Rafi`

Sweet Madinah Sweet Madinah

When Sh. Faraz first brought our attention to this nasheed a few years ago it was hard just getting past the chuckles when listening to it.

Now back in a new and improved video format, I see that he was right...the passion of it really does grow on one...the lyrics are indeed packed with sincere love...that's for sure.

Click here and enjoy!

In the heart there is a void

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 al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya

Shaykh Habib Umar at Arafah (Hajj 2007)

Click here for a short clip of the du'a that Shaykh Habib Umar Bin Hafiz Dua made at Arafah during Hajj 2007.

Alhamdulillah, we were blessed to be a part of this mubarak gathering.

When the Beloved Drives You Away

Bismillah.

AsSalamu'alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu,

On my recent post about our Hajj Journey, nameeman (a reader) reminded me of a post I made last year when we were denied hajj visas...the poem by Mawlana Rumii beautiful and much worth reading:

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.

Click here for the entire poem.

Wassalam,

Salikah

Ibn 'Ata'illah on Gratitude for Your Current Position in the World

Your desire for isloation,

even though God has put you in the world to gain a living,

is a hidden passion.

And your desire to gain a living in the world,

even though God has put you in isolation,

is a comedown from a lfty aspiration.

Rest yourself from self-direction,

for what Someone Else has carried out on your behalf

you must not yourself undertake to do it.

Hikam, Chapter 1, translated by Victor Danner

Missings...

I'm doing the missings.

I miss Madinah,
I miss Makkah,
I miss the people that were with us.
And I miss the luggage that got lost between Saudi and NYC.

Please make du'a that going back to work goes well and that our luggage gets back to us!

Alhamdulillah 'ala kulli haal - it is as Allah ordained it to be.

Wassalam,
Salikah

UAE Suhba with Sh. Nuh in February?

Someone is looking for info about the UAE Suhba with Sh. Nuh in February. If you have information about it or a website, please post it here for them. Jazak Allah khayr.

Alhamdulillah, back from Hajj -- Hajj Mabrur insha'Allah

Bismillah.

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,


Alhamdulillah, we returned from hajj on Sunday afternoon -- going to sleep on the plane with a lasting image of the ka'ba from our farewell tawaf and waking up to New York City (where we had a stopover) was a rude awakening -- but as Shaykh Nuh often says, quoting the skipper on his ship, "life is a series of rude awakenings, if they're not rude, we tend not to awaken." NYC reminded us that keeping anything we had gained of spirituality, state, and character, would not be easy as we returned to our lives in Toronto -- returning requires heightened taqwa and a renewed sense of being wary of shaytan at all times and in all places.


Salik and I were indeed blessed. Not only were we invited as guests to both the House of Allah and the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), but we were invited with a hajj group that was absolutely amazing, masha'Allah. Organized by Sacred Tours, we were blessed to be led on our hajj by Shaykh Ramzy Ajem and Shaykh Zahid Ally, and the barakah that came with them wherever we went. Alhamdulillah, our group was truly amazing -- each person brought to the group something unique -- but all had in common a shared love of Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), a sense of shukr for being invited to Hajj, and alhamdulillah, an understanding that one must not complain or grow impatient when tested.





We started our hajj off in Madinah the Radiant where we spent six days, and as Sh. Ramzy put it, what better way to enter the House of the King, than through the doors of His most beloved slave? Those who have been to the city know that it has a feeling unlike any other, and many of the 'ulama' say it is the most sacred place on earth. The air in Madinah is light, one can taste its sweetness, and see its luminosity in the faces of the people. There is a feeling in one everywhere in Madinah that one must walk gently, for this very land may have once been trodden by the footsteps of the Best of Creation (Allah bless him and give him peace), his family, companions, and the awliya' -- and one is filled with an understanding of why so many believers, scholars, and awliya' came to the City and decided never to leave it -- how blessed are those who walked their final steps there, took in their last breaths there, and are now buried in Jannat al-Baqi', across from the Chosen One (Allah bless him and give him peace).


One morning of our stay in Madinah was set aside to visit Mount Uhud, the cemetery of its martyrs, Masjid al-Quba' (the first masjid), Masjid al-Qiblatayn (the masjid where, mid-prayer, the qibla was changed from Jerusalem to Makkah), and the well of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (where the ring of the Prophet, peace be upon him, fell -- now a fountain). At each point Sh. Zahid would remind us of the significance of where we were, tell us a story from the Sira, and help us realize the magnanimous nature of where we stood. Mubarak places indeed, where each breath is blessed, each step, a step toward Paradise insha'Allah.

We were blessed to visit the Rawdah and say our salams to the Rasul (Allah bless him and give him peace) everyday that we were in his city. When some of the sisters longed to be able to visit the front half of the Rawdah and be able to face the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), Sh. Ramzy reminded us that although it is an honour, it isn't necessary because the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is alive in his grave -- he hears us, he knows when we come to see him, and responds to every single greeting and prayer we bring to him -- and he reminded us that the adab of visiting the Chosen One (Allah bless him and give him peace) is to enter with eyes downcast out of shyness before him, to greet him, and to ready one's heart to hear and feel his response. Indeed when one visits the Rawdah and sends peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, one feels his love envelop one's entire being, one feels his prayers and intercession, one realizes his blessings upon them, and the things that happen are truly beyond all words. One of my favourite times in Madinah was walking around the entire masjid after the Rawdah closed to sisters at midnight -- the peace and serenity in the air was something of another world. And in a nutshell, this was what Madinah was for all of us. Allah bless our Master Muhammad, his family, companions, and all those who love him and seek to follow him until the Last Day. Ameen.


On Sunday December 16th we made ghusl, went to visit Rasul Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) to request his permission to leave the city, and then prepared ourselves to leave for hajj, setting out to Dhu'l-Hulayfah, the miqat of the people of Madinah, which Sh. Ramzy said we were now blessed to be considered amongst -- may Allah unite us with the people of Madinah on the Last Day, ameen.


When we got to Makkah, we made our tawaf al-qudum and sa'y for hajj. Seeing the ka'ba is such a surreal feeling, one cannot fathom how one is actually standing before this blessed centre. Sh. Ramzy had told us before we began that because the kabah is paralleled by the bayt al-ma'mur, when we encircle it, we should seek to imitate the angels that encircle the Throne in our reverence and obedience -- and it is the yaqin and love with which he would tell us such truths, that would bring another sphere to our hajj -- as it was in Madinah, it was in Makkah, that having his guidance brought light to our hajj.


After tawaf and sa'y we headed to our tents at Mina and all day Monday, we rested. Tuesday morning we set out to Arafat where we spent the morning in worship. In the afternoon those in our group who were able, set out to go up a hill from which one could see Jabal al-Rahmah and just as we were about to head back to the tent, Sh. Ramzy and thirteen brothers decided they were going to go to the foot of Jabal al-Rahmah itself -- and a dear sister of mine and I felt our hearts leap out toward the mount -- so timidly we asked if could come, and Sh. Ramzy said that if our mahrams accompanied us and felt it was okay, we could. Alhamdulillah, thinking we were headed down to the foot of the mount -- a roundtrip of about an hour -- our day was about to take a blessed turn we would never have imagined.


As we got to the foot of the mount, Sh. Ramzy got off his phone and told us that not only was Shaykh Habib 'Umar at 'Arafah, but he was giving a talk, and we were invited. Here we were in the most blessed place on earth, on the most blessed day of the year, with the opportunity to meet and sit with one of the most blessed men alive today -- a descendant of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)! We all agreed we were more than willing to walk to the Haba'ib tent to see Shaykh Habib 'Umar and amidst the flurry of pilgrims just started walking in the direction of the tent, and by Allah's Grace, arrived two hours later to an intense gathering of dhikr, du'a, and qasidas. The sisters tent had a television with a live window into the brothers tent, so we sat with the women and tried to absorb as much of the nur as we could and when it was over, went out to meet Sh. Ramzy and the brothers...and as we stood there, Sh. Habib 'Umar passed by us and Sh. Ramzy leaned over to have him bless a bottle of water from which we all then took a sip. Later we found out that all the brothers in the group had the opportunity to personally greet Sh. Habib 'Umar and kiss his hand, and that when Sh. Ramzy told him we had come from Canada and walked two hours to meet him, he had made a special du'a for us. That du'a would take us a far way. Subhan'Allah, the energy and feeling in that tent was from another realm and we could all feel the presence of other believers from those realms with us.


We stayed for about an hour, but by then were too far from our own tent and had no way of catching our bus to Muzdalifah. So on water, the few dates we had for breakfast, and a icecream bar from the Haba'ib tent, we started walking to Muzdalifah around 5pm. And we kept walking until we arrived at around 10 pm. A beautiful walk it was, one could hear trucks, buses, carloads of people going by shouting Labayk Allahuma Labayk! People on foot walking by, Labayk Allahuma Labayk! So unified, so powerful -- people from every corner of the globe, every colour, every walk of life, all dressed in simple, pure white, heading in the dark, to a place in the middle of the desert to pray, out of obedience to their Creator and in following the example of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) -- spectacular and awe-inspiring. Before we had left, Sh. Ramzy had said to us that for onlookers, the pilgrims are either insane or they're people who are absolutely in love and willing to do whatever the Beloved asks of them -- indeed that night, we were in the midst of a sea of lovers and oh, what a feeling that is -- a feeling that will never leave us, God-willing.


When we arrived at Muzdalifah, we had nothing with us and one of the older Persian brothers, a diabetic, expressed his desire for some rest and some hot rice, and Sh. Ramzy replied with a smile, "Allah has brought us this far and He has taken care of us, insha'Allah, you want rice, He'll give you rice -- just trust in Him and have a good opinion of Him". By Allah, it was a mere five or ten minutes further that we walked and met two men who offered us their sheets to pray on -- the kindness these men would show us would be inspirational. As the two of us sisters prayed, one of them came by and lay a blanket in front of us so our sajdah would be easy on our knees. We prayed Maghrib, 'Isha, and Witr, as subhan'Allah, as we made our final salams, the men returned with bags of food for us - hot rice, chicken, and snacks. There we sat on the ground on the sheets these kind-hearted brothers with, masha'Allah, illumined faces had decided to share with us, eating all together the food they had brought us -- fuqara' indeed! I could not help it, but feel that Allah was showing us something here -- here we were, as average Westerners, likely wealthy in comparison to the majority of the people at Muzdalifah, as well as these brothers, and were completely at their mercy -- we would take of whatever they would give us.


After that meal, we moved further ahead so as to not be any further burden to these brothers who had taken it upon themselves to be our gracious hosts. Tired, we sat down, and when I looked up, I saw that we were in front of some gutters -- subhan'Allah, how Allah shows us that when one's company is blessed, and one's heart content with Him, all things, all places seem like paradise. Feeling that we wouldn't lay down out of shyness, Sh. Ramzy then took it upon himself to purchase and assemble a tent with blankets for the two of us girls to sleep in for an hour until it was past midnight and we could continue on to the jamarat, while the brothers took rest outside the tent guarding us. Sustenance is truly from Allah, that one mubarak hour of sleep under the sky of Muzdalifah energized us like nothing else. We awoke, collected our stones, and walked to the Jamarat to stone the Jamarat al-'aqabah (the big one).


That night I understood something of what the sahabah must have felt. One often hears stories of companions -- even women -- who overcame the greatest barriers and challenges, endangered their lives, and even fought in battles to protect the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and these stories are awe-inspiring. That night we all had so much trust in Sh. Ramzy, we had seen something of who he really is, of how mubarak a person he is, and we all knew in our hearts that wherever he went, good things would come -- that if we followed him, we would only benefit, and with that came the strength and the ability to do anything he said and go anywhere he took us. Reflecting on that I thought, if this is how we felt out of reverence for Sh. Ramzy, then imagine what the companions must have felt having the Messenger of Allah, the Best of Creation -- a Mercy to the Worlds, the Chosen One himself (Allah bless him and grant him abundant peace), before them; seeing him get revelation from Allah Himself. Subhan'Allah.


As we got closer to the jamarat tunnel and began to walk into it, the vision was spectacular -- an army of white, thousands upon thousands, walking in unison, chanting -- it seemed like an army of angels, apocalyptic almost, coming in to oppose Shaytan, telling him we had enough of his interference in our lives. Alhamdulillah, the re-designed Jamarat is so well organized and safe, and stoning is really one of the rites of hajj that, gone into with the right state of mind and heart, is ever so fulfilling.


Once we were done, we went back to our tents at Mina, the brothers all shaved their heads, the girls cut their hair, and we all had a peaceful sleep. Anyone that can make this trip walking really should -- the shuyukh all recommend it, and its reward is great.


Thursday we went to the Haram in Makkah and performed our tawaf al-ifadah in a completely packed Haram, and spent the remainder of the day as well as Friday in our tents, did our own private 'ibadah and dhikrs, and had little mawlids here and there, and went each night to stone at the Jamarat. Saturday we woke up, went to stone at the Jamarat one last time and then headed to Makkah having completed all the rites of Hajj -- may Allah accept our hajj and forgive us our sins, ameen.





We had six days in Makkah and we were literally specs in a sea of people. Two and half million people feels like someone is always next to you on every side, sounds like a plethora of languages and accents, and looks like people as far as the eye can see in every single direction -- subhan'Allah, I remember repeatedly thinking to myself and commenting to Salik, that the lovers of Allah are many.

Salik and I often prayed fajr, maghrib, and 'isha on the roof of the Haram -- there was something so sweet, so tranquil about the sun rising or setting amidst a cool breeze, and being led in prayer aloud by a sublime voice that seemed almost as if it was coming down upon us from the sky. In Madinah we had been led in Fajr and 'Isha by my personal favourite, al-Hudhayfi and in Maghrib by Hussein Al Shaykh who Salik and I nicknamed "al-Samawi" because his voice had a powerful effect that had one feel as if they had passed away and the soul was rising through various stations in the celestial spheres, and in Makkah we were generally led by another gifted qari' by the name Maher al-Mua'qili. Getting to the kabah itself was always a challenge among so many people, but by Allah's grace we were able to touch the corner before al-Rukn al-Yamani, al-Rukn al-Yamani itself, and the wall in between, one day after Maghrib...although we longed to get to al-Hajr al-Aswad we weren't ever able to make it, alhamdulillah.

Perhaps the saddest moment was tawaf al-wida', the farewell tawaf which we performed on our last day in between Maghrib and 'Isha. Sh. Zahid had taught us that one should approach this tawaf with a sadness in the heart, that it should be the last act we perform in Makkah (unless circumstances called for something obligatory or necessary), and so I decided to completely lose myself in this final tawaf and close by eyes for most of it letting Salik take me wherever he went, and by Allah's Mercy I remember opening my eyes at one point and being right in front of Maqam Ibrahim, which I had been longing to get to in my heart. The farewell tawaf is heart-breaking...one realizes the blessing upon one for having been invited, one longs to stay, and wishes to return soon. Just as we finished our tawaf, the adhan for 'Isha came, we prayed 'Isha facing the doors of the kaba behind Maqam Ibrahim, made our final du'as, drank from the well of Zamzam, and walked off with eyes downcast in fervant prayer to return here once again. May Allah invite us to His Home and that of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) again, may He draw us near to Himself and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) in this life, and may He allow us to encircle His Throne in Paradise and be in the company of His Beloved (Allah bless him and give him peace), drinking from his blessed hand the drink that will quench all thirst. Ameen, ameen, ameen.


Makkah was also a time of personal devotion and contemplation of what had just passed and the challenges one would face constantly in the times ahead -- soon we would return home to our jobs, to a different society, and to all the difficulties and challenges of life -- and in a sense, the true test of hajj would be the rest of our lives. May Allah accept our hajj and make it a means of much good in our lives here and in the next world. May Allah grant us noble character and proximity to Him. May Allah bless us and our loved ones, and grant us much good. Ameen.


And finally, my favourite new quote is from the, masha'Allah, ever-jovial, but firm Sh. Zahid who said to a group of people, "rukhsahs are for the weak and the ugly -- I'm not talking about looks, I mean the spiritually weak, and the spiritually ugly".


Wassalam,
Salikah


*For Habib 'Umar's words upon returning from Hajj this year, click here*

Off we go, insha'Allah!

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

Insha'Allah, we're off to Hajj tomorrow. Please make du'a that we have a hajj mabrur, that the hajj be a lifelong transformation, and that we return home safely in good health.

May Allah always bless you.

Wassalam,
Salikah

Wisdoms of My Nanni Jaan

Bismillah.

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

I often share with Salik the wisdoms of my late Nanni Jaan (maternal grandmother), Allah have mercy on her. Each time I tell him a story of her his face lights up and he says he grows increasingly fond of her.

Nanni was a wise woman with a profound natural insight into the reality of things, and being well-educated in both Persian & Urdu, gave her the unique ability to express herself masterfully in a few chosen words. An inspiration to me, she was someone who without much formal Islamic learning (other than her own reading), lived Islam and was quite advanced spiritually. Much to her father's dismay, she gave up her many riches to help members of my Nanna Ji's (maternal grandfather) family get married and helped countless strangers, letting them into her home and nursing them back to health when they were ill and alone. She taught countless people to read Qur'an, and would herself complete one full reading at least once a month, and fasted Ramadan right up until she was 85 and suffered two strokes a year before passing on. Anyone who knew her, knew that she truly understood that the next life was better than this life -- she was indeed a salikah who lived in accordance to the saying of Isa (peace be upon him), "this life is a bridge...cross over it, but do not build your house upon it".

I thought I would share a few her sayings here (she spoke to all of us in Punjabi - and much is lost in translation, but insha'Allah, khayr):

Upon seeing a elderly person eating a large amount of food heedlessly, she would smile and say,

"oh ho, becharay da rizq anah likhaya hai, tai zindagi anih thori ragi hai"

"oh, the poor soul: he has so much sustenance alloted to him,

and so little of age left [to consume it]".

About prayer on time:

"valay di namaz, qavalay diyanh takranh"

"on time it is prayer, when late it is

merely the banging of one's head against the ground".

On behaving with the best of character:

"banda karay bandagi tai banda, nai teh ganday nalonh vi ganda"

"If man behaves humanely, he is a man, otherwise he is filthier than the filthy."

Upon seeing a person in their youth mistreat an elder, she would look sad and remark:

"Andah vaqt hai"

"It is her time [to be in power right now]".

When viewing a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, she would observe the shore and say:

"Vehkhya, ay jira pani hai, anoo Allah nai jithai takh ijazat diti hai, othay takh anda tai fehr jithai Allah the hukm onoo rok da hai, othonh oh vapus chala janda hai"

"You see this water. Up until where Allah has given it permission to come, it comes, and then where the order of Allah is to stop, it goes back".

Please make a fatiha for her.

Jaan J: Non-Silk Ties and Pretty Pins (for brothers and sisters)

Jaan J: Non-Silk Ties and Pretty Pins (for brothers and sisters)

Sisters: a nice gift ideas for husbands, brothers, fathers! :)

Hajj Tips?

Bismillah. Peace & Blessings Upon the Chosen One.

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

I'm creating a post to assist all those, myself and Salik included, who are intending to make the hajj this year, insha'Allah (or in the future). If you've made hajj, know people that have, or have advice to share...it would be much appreciated if you could post it here... Things including, but not limited to:

• How to prepare mentally, physically, psychologically, spiritually, what to buy
• What to pack (clothes, medications/first-aid, food, *anything important/useful*)
• How much to pack
• Tips to help make the most of time delays
• What to do during long commutes from place to place, esp. Madinah to Makkah
• Washroom tips (because, well...with that many people things can be a little messy)
• Health tips
• Anything you were glad you knew/were ready for
• Anything you wish you knew/were ready for
• Anything else...*anything*...
  

Du'as, please. For a beneficial, successful, mubarak and accepted hajj.


May Allah facilitate the journey for all those whose hearts yearn to go, and may He Most High, accept our efforts out of His Mercy for His creation. Ameen.

Peace and blessings upon the Beloved of Allah, his family, folk, and all those who seek to follow him until the Last Day. Ameen.


Wassalam,
Your Sister,
Salikah

Fall...into health :)

Autumn is here!...Go out for a walk among the fallen leaves and expose your soul to nature's spectacular show of colours, courtesy of Allah Most High.

Reading material on healthy living -- a list from our dear brother, Sidi Hakim.

Imam Ghazali on Health

800 Years of Mawlana Rumi

The roar of Rumi - 800 years on
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Balkh, northern Afghanistan

For many years now, the most popular poet in America has been a 13th-century mystical Muslim scholar.
Translations of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi's - better known as Rumi - verse are hugely popular and have been used by Western pop stars such as Madonna.
They are attracted by his tributes to the power of love and his belief in the spiritual use of music and dancing - although scholars stress that he was talking about spiritual love between people and God, not earthly love.
Rumi, whose 800th birth anniversary falls on Sunday, was born in 1207 in Balkh in Central Asia, now part of Afghanistan.
I came here to see whether he has much resonance in his native country which, under the Taleban, went so far as to ban music.
Still standing
A young Afghan archaeologist, Reza Hosseini, took me to the ruins of the mud-and-brick-built khanaqa - a kind of madrassa or religious school - where Rumi's father taught and the young boy is believed to have studied, lying just outside the old mud city walls and probably within yards of his birthplace.
It is a quiet and melancholy place, the structure eroded and encroached on by shrubs and bushes.

An amazing amount of the madrassa is still surprisingly intact
But an amazing amount of it is still standing - the square structure, its four arches with pointed tops, in the Islamic style, and half of the graceful dome.
Mr Hosseini says the floor was originally constructed of baked bricks and lined with carpets donated by those who came to share the learning.
Sufism - or Islamic mysticism - was already enshrined here before Rumi's time and Mr Hosseini imagines that this corner of the town, by the madrassa, would have echoed to the sound of Sufi singing and prayer.
But, he says, it is unclear how widespread, or acceptable, practices such as music and dance were in the wider population.
When Rumi was barely out of his teens, Balkh was reduced to rubble by Genghis Khan's marauding Mongol invaders.
Rumi had fled in advance with his family and settled in Konya, now in Turkey.
After the murder of his close friend, a Persian wandering dervish called Shams-i-Tabriz, he was depressed for years but later wrote his greatest poetic work, the Mathnawi.
It describes the soul's separation from God and the mutual yearning to reunite.
With his injunctions of tolerance and love, he has universal appeal, says Abdul Qadir Misbah, a culture specialist in the Balkh provincial government.
"Whether a person is from East or West, he can feel the roar of Rumi," he says.

To Read Entire Article, Click Here

The Wisdom of Creation

In his intimate conversation with God, one of the early Sufis said:

'My Lord, what is the wisdom behind my being created?' He replied, 'It is so that you may behold Me in the mirror of your soul, and have love for Me in your heart."
(Tamhidat, 272).

Ramadan Mubarak!

Ramadan Mubarak!

I just wanted to take a few minutes to wish you all a joyful and heartfelt Ramadhan Mubarak. May Allah Most High open for each one of you the doors of mercy, forgiveness and reward in the month we all cherish and look forward to. May we emerge with enlightened hearts, refined characters and experience an ever-increasing closeness to Him. May He grant you all a forgiveness from today to the last day....and may the doors of Janaah be opened for you and may you all be granted eternal bliss in the company of those whom you love. May Allah accept and increase in a measure only He can all your works this blessed month and may you all be granted the taufiq to continue your works for the rest of your lives.

I ask those who know me to forgive me for my shortcomings and mistakes and please remember me and my family in your dua's.

UK Suhba Notes

Alhamdulillah, some of the UK murids compiled their suhba notes and posted them online. Excellent for those of us who couldn't be there.

Click here to read them.

Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor (CE 121-180), was also a philosopher with no intention of publication...

"In writing and reading you must learn before you can teach. Yet more so in life."

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!