tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67753222447233883742024-03-04T21:45:31.557-08:00Islam Is a Way of LifeEvery mistake is from me, and any Truth is from Allah, The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One,
I know nothing save that which He hath taught me.Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-30303996764822192912018-07-11T03:53:00.000-07:002018-07-11T03:53:04.576-07:00Fethiye Turkey 4 days Summer Holidays July 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Spending great time with Mustafa and Edibe with excellent group tour adventure World Ventures Turizm Istanbul. We went with private all Muslim family halal tour. Basically all forms of transportations from buses to cruise boat and ship and hotels are halal and free from mungkar. Alhamdullillah.<br />
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Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-6921036562903500322018-06-15T10:02:00.000-07:002018-06-15T10:04:17.663-07:00EIDUL FITRI/BAYRAM IN ISTANBUL USKUDAR 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-54848762098381858232018-06-10T09:39:00.002-07:002018-06-11T21:58:27.096-07:00LAYLATUL QADR NIGHT IN TURKEY 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>LAYLATUL QADR NIGHT IN TURKEY 2018</b><br />
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Allah ﷻ subḥānahu wa ta’āla (glorified and exalted be He) says in the Qur’an: The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn. [Qur’an: 97:3-5]</div>
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The blessed Laylatul Qadr can be found in any of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, which are the most blessed nights of the year. As such, we should increase our worship and devotion during this period.</div>
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Aisha raḍyAllāhu ‘anha (may Allāh be pleased with her) reported: With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work harder) and used to pray the whole night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. [Bukhari]</div>
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Abu Hurayrah raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu (may Allāh be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “Whoever stands (in the voluntary night prayer of) Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. And whoever spends the night of Lailat Al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i]</div>
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Subhan Allah! Such immense rewards are to be gained during these blessed 10 nights. How can we afford to miss out on them? Who is to say that we will live to see the next Ramadan? We MUST make the best of these 10 nights. If we cannot manage all of the 10 nights, then as many as we can manage, particularly on the odd-numbered nights: 21st, 25th, 27th and 29th. (Hadith of the Day)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To hear someone says '<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;">Istanbul is the best place in the world after Mecca, Medina and Al Quds. It is full of life and culture, May Allah swt protect the muslim countries.' That's true to the words. Its amazing country mashAllah.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">TRT World done a great job covering this holy event.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonight Sun 10 Jun 2018 is the night as we marked the 27th night of Laylatul Qadr in Turkey. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Tonight is the night of power, the last few nights till we complete our Ramadan fasting month this coming Thursday the 14 June. After fasting for 16 hours you will see many devoted Muslims will rush to all mosques to take advantage of this night starting with free iftars (breaking of fast) at the mosques and pray in congregation both the magrib n isha n teraweeh . And this night the Imam will do collective prayer dua May our prayer, fasts and good deeds be accepted. So if you’re wondering why traffic is crazy tonight this is it. For me I’m just walking down to my local big Mihrimah Sultan mosque in Uskudar. </span><span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fd8/1.5/16/1f60a.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px;">😊</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">Super excited inshAllah.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Alhamdullillah its 1.22 am just came back from Mihrimah Camii, we are so blessed to witness the blessed beard of rasullullah (saw) .</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The camii was packed with thousands of jemaah near, far and wide. </span></span><br />
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Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-6706083521603622952018-06-09T15:16:00.000-07:002018-06-09T15:18:11.677-07:00Who was Sultan Hamid the II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Abdülhamid II, (born Sept. 21, 1842, Constantinople [now Istanbul, Turkey]—died Feb. 10, 1918, Constantinople), Ottoman sultan from 1876 to 1909, under whose autocratic rule the reform movement of Tanzimat (Reorganization) reached its climax and who adopted a policy of pan-Islamism in opposition to Western intervention in Ottoman affairs.*Britannica</div>
Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-32875249595637938912018-06-09T08:41:00.001-07:002018-06-09T12:13:18.988-07:00DIY RECYCLE BOTTLESWhen you are so relax and got nothing to do and all these recycling bottles looking at you. So get creative and decorate them into an amazing vase for your interior decor. You dont need to buy any expensive flower vase/ Its great as gifts, Your personal touch. Try it out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajGnXTEskK0pafVOIAykBCwF5uo7l7pJVokert8vvT4XCRfnbrhP0h9Iw2188UC95g2Fj3tqDhP8Mzo-kyG1gVQXOrsqGZ7Q-bbuJO0CQWmOEpJASY0VSWKGMv6Bm4VJQw0V6v1aOtMNV/s1600/IMG-0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajGnXTEskK0pafVOIAykBCwF5uo7l7pJVokert8vvT4XCRfnbrhP0h9Iw2188UC95g2Fj3tqDhP8Mzo-kyG1gVQXOrsqGZ7Q-bbuJO0CQWmOEpJASY0VSWKGMv6Bm4VJQw0V6v1aOtMNV/s320/IMG-0136.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
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Alhamdullillah my dua has been answered as I always wanted to spend one whole month in Turkey Istanbul. Ramadan 2018 here started on May 15 and will ends on the evening of Thursday 14 June inshaAllah. Turkey we dont follow the moonsighting unfortunately. We live in Uskudar the Asian Side in Istanbul as you know Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the fifth-largest city in the world by population, is considered European, yet it occupies two different continents. One part of Istanbul lies in Europe and the other part lies in Asia. Istanbul’s European part is separated from its Asian part by the Bosphorus strait, a 31-km-long waterway that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and forms a natural boundary between the two continents. Two suspension bridges across the Bosporus - the Bosporus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also called Bosporus Bridge II, connect the two sides, yet many tourist prefer to visit the European side of Istanbul because of its historical significance. The European side is also the city’s commercial center with banks, stores and corporations and two-third of its population. The Asian side feels more relaxed, with wide boulevards, residential neighbourhoods and fewer hotels and tourist attractions. <br />
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Anyway Ive been to many masjids especially built by the Ottomans architects Mimar Sinan and others. Check out these magnificent masjids MashAllah. The teraweeh here I just love it 20 rakaats with 3 witr. Most masjids are usually packed with jemaah. Tourist and visitors are allowed to visit these mosques outside prayer times. Free entry and of course modest attire is highly recommended.<br />
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This is Mihrimah Masjid It is the first of two mosques built by Mihrimah Sultan, daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and wife of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha. It was designed by Mimar Sinan and built between 1546 and 1548. The picture below a dear friend from Melbourne visited us after Umrah and Im so glad to take them around Istanbul to show the amazing places here in Uskudar.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sCKCdrs28M/WxwEkmHGaQI/AAAAAAAACJw/YeGT0f2zuZQOJ4pWRD_KRgXPhTahQAazACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1446.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sCKCdrs28M/WxwEkmHGaQI/AAAAAAAACJw/YeGT0f2zuZQOJ4pWRD_KRgXPhTahQAazACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1446.jpg" width="320" height="320" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-15HE3QWDnkc/Wxu8g_mRXqI/AAAAAAAACGE/abcdkTI6S8sq3bZvEiyYANawIJ68nDdgACLcBGAs/s1600/mihrimah.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-15HE3QWDnkc/Wxu8g_mRXqI/AAAAAAAACGE/abcdkTI6S8sq3bZvEiyYANawIJ68nDdgACLcBGAs/s320/mihrimah.jpg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="720" data-original-height="960" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NWH1X_xRp8o/WxxEUEpasuI/AAAAAAAACLU/MAykh-KKs7ER_mfchNJbBKRN5eHdxIxWgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG-0143.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NWH1X_xRp8o/WxxEUEpasuI/AAAAAAAACLU/MAykh-KKs7ER_mfchNJbBKRN5eHdxIxWgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG-0143.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_zLVsWvY3c/WxxEUZb7A9I/AAAAAAAACLY/Y3HufTcbCBEYTT7ndjCnw42FDnG3Ks6QACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG-0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_zLVsWvY3c/WxxEUZb7A9I/AAAAAAAACLY/Y3HufTcbCBEYTT7ndjCnw42FDnG3Ks6QACLcBGAs/s320/IMG-0146.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fAYsRE5fzVA/WxxET-ePIII/AAAAAAAACLQ/gZiNpayVUrIdtscI3vaDGxFp4pW7jgOSQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG-0148.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fAYsRE5fzVA/WxxET-ePIII/AAAAAAAACLQ/gZiNpayVUrIdtscI3vaDGxFp4pW7jgOSQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG-0148.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krC3Xxdj51Q/WxxEXKCHwOI/AAAAAAAACLc/BUbKV0eXcNoUzLlELjLTVA8jdLP1K4lnACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG-0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krC3Xxdj51Q/WxxEXKCHwOI/AAAAAAAACLc/BUbKV0eXcNoUzLlELjLTVA8jdLP1K4lnACLcBGAs/s320/IMG-0149.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyH-w-MBk49wicwXKkFwYOSGuRU2mgl0s6Du1JGEnB5NG_FM0bpae2tQ-dVJemxY9ayMQdUh8gsTdoLE4vy8w1Oemd2M5nkcvKXsxadQGXbsJzcngczHBGQkwCDsFXnxpx2nGCJlzrcXzA/s1600/IMG-0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyH-w-MBk49wicwXKkFwYOSGuRU2mgl0s6Du1JGEnB5NG_FM0bpae2tQ-dVJemxY9ayMQdUh8gsTdoLE4vy8w1Oemd2M5nkcvKXsxadQGXbsJzcngczHBGQkwCDsFXnxpx2nGCJlzrcXzA/s320/IMG-0151.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u0pHpeB1-0I/WxxEXA9rH2I/AAAAAAAACLg/jWhFruwvTR01ZF5ytrsogezYmdMaIQfMACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG-0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u0pHpeB1-0I/WxxEXA9rH2I/AAAAAAAACLg/jWhFruwvTR01ZF5ytrsogezYmdMaIQfMACLcBGAs/s320/IMG-0155.JPG" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfEc4ag-mTXCsegFi-w7Ybj7uw3leh7z3UnXQIk_twAtDxMIYXkShesV7r1dtyyt-Hl-iON95GqRs37y6nLgX1oRMhHqONhInUMZT-dAcLaRQ8aWVRcG9Sr7AN-yybvy7ZciahbwIcVg-/s1600/IMG-0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfEc4ag-mTXCsegFi-w7Ybj7uw3leh7z3UnXQIk_twAtDxMIYXkShesV7r1dtyyt-Hl-iON95GqRs37y6nLgX1oRMhHqONhInUMZT-dAcLaRQ8aWVRcG9Sr7AN-yybvy7ZciahbwIcVg-/s320/IMG-0156.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WgEmUNac6Y/WxwFkfnyYFI/AAAAAAAACKM/OvodrEvnc8QnPB_8cG8WACJDqiNDVL3AwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1464.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WgEmUNac6Y/WxwFkfnyYFI/AAAAAAAACKM/OvodrEvnc8QnPB_8cG8WACJDqiNDVL3AwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1464.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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Name of Monument:<br />
Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque Complex<br />
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Location:<br />
Aksaray, Istanbul, Turkey<br />
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Date of Monument:<br />
Hegira 1288 / AD 1871<br />
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Architect(s) / master-builder(s):<br />
There are different opinions regarding the identity of the architect. Some researchers think it was the Italian architect Montani Effendi, while others believe the architect was Sarkis Balyan. It has also been suggested that Agop Balyan participated in the design, and that the designer Osep assisted with construction.<br />
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Period / Dynasty<br />
Ottoman<br />
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Patron(s):<br />
Pertevniyal Valide Sultan (the mother of Sultan Abdülaziz, d. AH 1301 / AD 1883).<br />
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Source: [http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;tr;mon01;30;en&cp]<br />
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Yeni Valide Camii Uskudar<br />
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The Yeni Valide Mosque is an 18th-century Ottoman mosque in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Turkey. <br />
Address: Mimar Sinan Mahallesi, 34664 Üsküdar/Istanbul<br />
Opened: 1710<br />
Architectural style: Ottoman architecture<br />
Groundbreaking: 1708<br />
Number of minarets: 2<br />
<br />
It was built between 1708 and 1710 on the iskele (pier) road by Emetullah Râbi'a Gülnûş Sultan, mother of SultanAhmed III. The main part of the building is square-shaped and covered with a flattened main dome and four half domes. The mosque has two minarets with two balconies each. Calligraphy inside the mosque is the work of Hezarfen Mehmet Efendi.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P0PsJGgAM2g/WxxGIsJNkGI/AAAAAAAACMI/W06sOzry4hU3SM8NMih5YyChZhJ_eA80ACLcBGAs/s1600/yeni.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P0PsJGgAM2g/WxxGIsJNkGI/AAAAAAAACMI/W06sOzry4hU3SM8NMih5YyChZhJ_eA80ACLcBGAs/s320/yeni.jpg" width="320" height="147" data-original-width="815" data-original-height="375" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUQBRKUTfPY/WxxGVCABylI/AAAAAAAACMM/NKEe4Wfue9QBJctEi_u3ksMMfhGSp8NqgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0821.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BUQBRKUTfPY/WxxGVCABylI/AAAAAAAACMM/NKEe4Wfue9QBJctEi_u3ksMMfhGSp8NqgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0821.jpg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-195qR9oTwcI/WxxGViBrp3I/AAAAAAAACMQ/UEvIFzApVkox0j0ofsD3eABPBRN96FLpACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0822.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-195qR9oTwcI/WxxGViBrp3I/AAAAAAAACMQ/UEvIFzApVkox0j0ofsD3eABPBRN96FLpACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0822.jpg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4RYttbyO5I/WxxGjVPYkLI/AAAAAAAACMg/rVdUqhCQVGo469WJlzx1YzQSQaR3LlwfQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0831.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4RYttbyO5I/WxxGjVPYkLI/AAAAAAAACMg/rVdUqhCQVGo469WJlzx1YzQSQaR3LlwfQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0831.jpg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEJDJzzojxiz8BtZQK2qdWdHvGdPrpnYYZpgJF9wOPoJg9bBy_j-KY34nrq8-a298uRLNEpMFZmFZ44nMcnN-i9fzOPoB6IKG3yzagXkw4vkryLC5ZANUMmfNM77y6Hi627i3qiY0DQzY/s1600/IMG_0842.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEJDJzzojxiz8BtZQK2qdWdHvGdPrpnYYZpgJF9wOPoJg9bBy_j-KY34nrq8-a298uRLNEpMFZmFZ44nMcnN-i9fzOPoB6IKG3yzagXkw4vkryLC5ZANUMmfNM77y6Hi627i3qiY0DQzY/s320/IMG_0842.JPG" width="180" height="320" data-original-width="900" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
<br />
Ortakoy (Ortaköy) Mosque<br />
Located just before the Bosphorus Bridge, the Ortaköy Camii, Turkey (Ortaköy Mosque Turkey) has to have one of the most picturesque settings of all of the Istanbul mosques. Indeed, Ortaköy Mosque photos, with the bridge the background are often used to demonstrate that particular Istanbul juxtaposition of traditional and modern.<br />
<br />
Built on the sight of an 18th century mosque (built by Mahmut Ağa, the son-in law of Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha), the current building was completed in 1855, to serve as the Büyük Mecidiye Camii (Grand Imperial Mosque) to the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid. It was designed by Armenian architect, Garabet Balyan, and his son Nigoğayos Balyanl, who were also responsible for the nearby Dolmabahce Palace.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBCGgAJrQEL0132zPRhMS63UwaHOE0l04BgW-yNuyK-B3toV0woByrTdM0mYVgs1EF9Vz5AnklewjGQ2ZUhuCu8ykBNciX7Y-mfm1TYCuV6SPW5mLKjpzBJixVSTi1dPR4zAW8hTkfYRx/s1600/istanbul_ortakoy_mosque_interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBCGgAJrQEL0132zPRhMS63UwaHOE0l04BgW-yNuyK-B3toV0woByrTdM0mYVgs1EF9Vz5AnklewjGQ2ZUhuCu8ykBNciX7Y-mfm1TYCuV6SPW5mLKjpzBJixVSTi1dPR4zAW8hTkfYRx/s320/istanbul_ortakoy_mosque_interior.jpg" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="640" data-original-height="426" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eITuf9Nxp0VCthuaWHPFH7PlWwIKWCSHdnGgLUbkURXn-ABsgWTBgPOEpBlZcdpywe5EtveZtZkBVKU8_MbX8ditlNjTUakye3_0LRC165vRjDQG0HTLHUW1x4G5hLmSQcycQh3gYj0t/s1600/a14ae2fe-d51d-404f-b128-cb1f953c28da.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eITuf9Nxp0VCthuaWHPFH7PlWwIKWCSHdnGgLUbkURXn-ABsgWTBgPOEpBlZcdpywe5EtveZtZkBVKU8_MbX8ditlNjTUakye3_0LRC165vRjDQG0HTLHUW1x4G5hLmSQcycQh3gYj0t/s320/a14ae2fe-d51d-404f-b128-cb1f953c28da.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="768" data-original-height="1024" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-65M7AD2emQE/WxxIdDypVxI/AAAAAAAACNI/5riybr2BHNMIOI7EmI6lXTDDEGUfYM5DACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-65M7AD2emQE/WxxIdDypVxI/AAAAAAAACNI/5riybr2BHNMIOI7EmI6lXTDDEGUfYM5DACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1062.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="450" data-original-height="600" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CP2VfSivYB0/WxxIdKSaemI/AAAAAAAACNM/73Hwff6gyPs5Tf5kP39vX2tW-o05I9G1ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CP2VfSivYB0/WxxIdKSaemI/AAAAAAAACNM/73Hwff6gyPs5Tf5kP39vX2tW-o05I9G1ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1063.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="450" data-original-height="600" /></a><br />
to be continued .....<br />
<br />
Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-35528340439896709182018-06-08T09:39:00.000-07:002018-06-08T09:40:00.209-07:00MADINA PRESTIGE HAJ AND UMRAH AUSTRALIAhttp://www.madinaprestige.com/haji-package-2018/<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ervdPOw6X0/Wxqww7SKVAI/AAAAAAAACE8/IXO0ebCTYdwkrRKPJFNJ3kTHkI0l8wV-QCLcBGAs/s1600/madina.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ervdPOw6X0/Wxqww7SKVAI/AAAAAAAACE8/IXO0ebCTYdwkrRKPJFNJ3kTHkI0l8wV-QCLcBGAs/s320/madina.jpg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLhpp8-zNJY/Wxqw7cx8tUI/AAAAAAAACFA/0Kvt_jBPEWErQWGMe4CRL2_FMsMnvxpJgCLcBGAs/s1600/PHOTO-2018-06-08-19-08-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLhpp8-zNJY/Wxqw7cx8tUI/AAAAAAAACFA/0Kvt_jBPEWErQWGMe4CRL2_FMsMnvxpJgCLcBGAs/s320/PHOTO-2018-06-08-19-08-40.jpg" width="320" height="227" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1137" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDN2QTNt_q0J8_fjRuagya3RI9WTQoo1SZGQIeXTO-jIgKarUxhPeMu227vEIijZNKpLoXgShW0XHWGbxNtdF0iRDkNKhM87xrFKFHDzghcMDnbcLmXDRu76WhSjKzu6nDNfeRCkCgnoZ/s1600/hajj2018itinerarynew.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDN2QTNt_q0J8_fjRuagya3RI9WTQoo1SZGQIeXTO-jIgKarUxhPeMu227vEIijZNKpLoXgShW0XHWGbxNtdF0iRDkNKhM87xrFKFHDzghcMDnbcLmXDRu76WhSjKzu6nDNfeRCkCgnoZ/s320/hajj2018itinerarynew.jpg" width="237" height="320" data-original-width="575" data-original-height="775" /></a><br />
<br />
Whats Included ?<br />
We are a select group, less then 40 people. We have been doing Hajj and Umrah service for the last 20 years under the guidance of Shaykh Mahmud Kurkcu .<br />
<br />
Please NOTE:<br />
Changes that came into effect this year:<br />
<br />
In Saudi Arabia, all the prices have gone up this year.. across the board (%20 – 200% in some cases).<br />
New rules and regulations came into place in terms of accommodation and food in Aziziyah and Mina tents..<br />
<br />
InshāAllah…<br />
<br />
We go to MADINA first 30th of July – 6th of August 2018. In Madina we will stay in Oberoi Madina 5 star hotel.<br />
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included. International cuisine.<br />
<br />
We then go to MAKKAH 7th of August – 15th of August 2018. In Makkah we will stay in Swissotel Al Maqam Makkah<br />
5 star hotel infront of Haram ash-Sharif. Breakfast and Dinner included. International cuisine.<br />
<br />
Then we go to perform HAJJ during the DAYS of Hajj 16th of August – 27th of August 2018 in Aziziyyah – Shisha. We will stay in private apartment building very close to Bin Dawood supermarket, next to Jamarāt. Maximun 4 persons to a room* (We can also arrange Double Share at a cost).<br />
<br />
In the past there used to be (8-14 people to a room). Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Turkish cuisine.<br />
<br />
THIS YEAR:<br />
<br />
Our prices include everything (except your spending money)<br />
<br />
Quad share* : $13,850<br />
<br />
Triple Share: $14,850<br />
<br />
Twin Share: $15,850<br />
<br />
Single (POA) those who wish to have a private room and stay alone in the hotel rooms.<br />
<br />
Please APPLY online<br />
or call me personally on +61409134363<br />
or Umm Mustafa VIA WHATS APP on +61400321786<br />
for further details.<br />
<br />
Fully escorted experienced English speaking staff.<br />
Return economy class airfares including all taxes from Australia to Hajj flying Emirates/Etihad Airlines. Meet and assist at Melb/UAE/Jedda/Madina airports<br />
All Hajj Visa arrangements.<br />
All Muassasah (Saudi Government) fees.<br />
Qurbān / Had’yi / Sacrifice fee.<br />
Five Star Hotels in Makkah and Madinah directly in front of Haram. Triple Share or Double Share in Swissotel Al Maqam Makkah and Triple Share or Double Share in Oberoi Hotel in Madina.<br />
Comfortable Azīziyah Apartments walking distance to Jamarāt and Mina,<br />
4 share in a room accommodation.<br />
Guided Ziyārah (visits) to historical Holy sites both in Makkah and Madinah.<br />
Full Board, open buffet Malaysian cuisine during Aziziyah. International cuisine in Mina and ‘Arafāt. Only Packed food and snacks in Muzdalifah.<br />
Full Board, open buffet international cuisine during Aziziyyah and Mina. Packed food and snacks in Arafat.<br />
Whilst in Makkah daily assistance with transfer for Hujjāj wishing to perform additional ‘Umrah.<br />
All transfers and transportation in air-conditioned upgraded coaches outside the Manāsik days. Muassasah buses or designated train rides during the Manāsik.<br />
Specially upgraded accommodation and extra services in Mina. Standard services in Arafat.<br />
Continuous educational programs held on the rites of Hajj and Ziyārah prior to and throughout the sacred journey of Hajj by Ust. Mahmud Kurkcu.<br />
5 litres of Zam Zam Water in standard official containers.<br />
24 hour religious guidance or personal assistance available from staff during stay in Saudi Arabia.<br />
Complimentary Hajj Souvenirs:<br />
1 Ihrām set or 1 prayer clothing set<br />
1 travelling bag<br />
1 Hajj Instructional DVD with<br />
Kitābu’l-Hajj Book<br />
1 Virtues of Hajj Book and<br />
Hajj Du‘ās Book<br />
1 Hajj Memories Photo DVD (after Hajj)Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-43273117285522810662018-06-08T05:41:00.000-07:002018-06-08T05:41:00.474-07:00Me-Travel SpecialistThe best thing of being your own boss you’ve control of what you do. 😊<br />
The perks of being a home based travel specialist.<br />
1. I’m happy n content of not earning a fixed monthly salary.<br />
2. I earn commissions from major airlines and hotels and travel insurance companies.<br />
3. I’m passionate about helping my customers getting the most of their travels from the moment they booked and I issued their etickets to the moment they arrived back safely home, so stressed free vacations. <br />
4. Share my passion and travelling experience with amazing cultures along the way. <br />
5. Making life long connections<br />
6. Working at my own time and phase at anytime around the world. <br />
7. Enjoy working with light minded people. <br />
And list goes on free to add if you’ve been my past customers 💕Jzk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UGB3DuOeVkM/Wxp5BJQ_z5I/AAAAAAAACEw/CQw7hyhl5IcZrPpvOqroaj3I3nDTNxI3QCLcBGAs/s1600/travel%2Bspecialist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UGB3DuOeVkM/Wxp5BJQ_z5I/AAAAAAAACEw/CQw7hyhl5IcZrPpvOqroaj3I3nDTNxI3QCLcBGAs/s320/travel%2Bspecialist.jpg" width="320" height="320" data-original-width="960" data-original-height="960" /></a></div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-56573507731967290822016-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:002016-02-08T15:05:26.072-08:00Hajj Package '16 with Ust Mahmud KurkcuHajj<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1FyshAFNDTw/VrkXQkmPR_I/AAAAAAAABs4/Q1Zzp-gn8FY/s1600/Hajj%2BPoster%2BMadina%2BPrestige%2B2016%2BA5OS.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1FyshAFNDTw/VrkXQkmPR_I/AAAAAAAABs4/Q1Zzp-gn8FY/s320/Hajj%2BPoster%2BMadina%2BPrestige%2B2016%2BA5OS.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
http://www.madinaprestige.com/package-inclusions/<br />
<br />
<br />
28 Day Premium Hajj Package 2016<br />
<br />
[Aus - Makkah - Hajj - Madinah - Aus] 05 Sept 2016 to 02 Oct 2016 / 1437<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.madinaprestige.com/package-inclusions/"></a><br />
<br />
What is included?<br />
<br />
<br />
Fully escorted experienced English speaking staff.<br />
Return economy class airfares including all taxes from Australia to Hajj flying Emirates/Qatar Airlines. Meet and assist at Melb/UAE/Jedda/Madina airports<br />
All Hajj Visa arrangements.<br />
All Muassasah (Saudi Government) fees.<br />
Qurbān / Had’yi / Sacrifice fee.<br />
Five Star Hotels in Makkah and Madinah directly in front of Haram. Triple Share or Double Share in Makkah Hilton/Hyatt and Triple Share or Double Share in Oberoi Hotel in Madina.<br />
Comfortable Azīziyah Apartments walking distance to Jamarāt and Mina,<br />
6-8 share in a room accommodation.<br />
Guided Ziyārah (visits) to historical Holy sites both in Makkah and Madinah.<br />
Full Board, open buffet Malaysian cuisine during Aziziyah. International cuisine in Mina and ‘Arafāt. Only Packed food and snacks in Muzdalifah.<br />
Full Board, open buffet international cuisine during Aziziyyah and Mina. Packed food and snacks in Arafat.<br />
Whilst in Makkah daily assistance with transfer for Hujjāj wishing to perform additional ‘Umrah.<br />
All transfers and transportation in air-conditioned upgraded coaches outside the Manāsik days. Muassasah buses or designated train rides during the Manāsik.<br />
Specially upgraded accommodation and extra services in Mina. Standard services in Arafat.<br />
Continuous educational programs held on the rites of Hajj and Ziyārah prior to and throughout the sacred journey of Hajj by Ust. Mahmud Kurkcu.<br />
5 litres of Zam Zam Water in standard official containers.<br />
24 hour religious guidance or personal assistance available from staff during stay in Saudi Arabia.<br />
Day stay in UAE Hotel on the way to Hajj to put on Ihram or special charter flight to Jeddah if instructed by the airline.<br />
Complimentary Hajj Souvenirs:<br />
<br />
1 Ihrām set or 1 prayer clothing set<br />
1 travelling bag<br />
1 Hajj Instructional DVD with<br />
Kitābu’l-Hajj Book<br />
1 Virtues of Hajj Book and<br />
Hajj Du‘ās Book<br />
1 Hajj Memories Photo DVD (after Hajj)<br />
<br />
<br />
Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-75150838777921141962013-01-20T04:37:00.000-08:002013-01-20T04:37:07.260-08:00Celebrate Rabiul Aw'wal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B0UF7Nv2LFs/UPvjHYSfGaI/AAAAAAAAAj4/s-mWxNQU_Js/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="114" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B0UF7Nv2LFs/UPvjHYSfGaI/AAAAAAAAAj4/s-mWxNQU_Js/s320/photo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Every year, when the month of Rabi al-Awwal comes around once again, bringing in its train the night of the twelfth, it seems to us as if the whole world is perfumed by the memory of the birth of the Final Messenger, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him. Countless millions of Muslims in every corner of the earth fix their thoughts on his birth, by re-reading his biography and learning from his unique values and qualities. For he was the Unlettered Prophet, in whose human essence were combined and perfected every noble and generous trait of character: the best of all role-models, of whom Allah Himself has said: "Truly, yours is a tremendous character."<br />
<br />
Without the slightest doubt, the best way of commemorating this most noble of all birthdays is in reciting the story of his life, to adults and to children, in order to accustom them to the love of Allah's great Messenger.<br />
<br />
My own mother, may Allah show her soul mercy, used to put us in the habit of sitting down and reading the sira books. Even though she herself could neither read nor write, she knew much of the sira by heart, and would constantly encourage her family and neighbours to become intimately familiar with the beautiful life-story of the Prophet.<br />
<br />
"No-one could deny that gathering to listen to the career of the Master of the Messengers is one of the most desirable of all activities. It can yield a whole range of blessings and benefits, as long as it takes place in a proper Islamic atmosphere without any reprehensible innovations or distortions."<br />
<br />
Needless to say, the life of the Prophet, upon him be blessings and peace, can and should be commemorated at any time of the year. Nonetheless, when he is remembered in Rabi al-Awwal, people's attachment to him grows even stronger, for the simple reason that it was in this month that he was born. At this special time, when the impulse to gather for this purpose is at its strongest, one feels an overwhelming sense of connection between our time and his, as the present reminds us of the past, and helps us to bring to mind and relate to events which took place many centuries ago.<br />
<br />
The love of the Prophet, and the joy which his birth and career have brought to us, bring every imaginable kind of good thing to a true Muslim. Even an unbeliever can benefit from his birth. The idolator Abu Lahab, one of the greatest enemies of Islam, was pleased when one Monday he heard the news that Muhammad had been born: and he freed his slave-girl Thuwaiba who had brought him the news. We are told that because of this deed his punishment in the grave is reduced every Monday. This hadith, which is narrated by Imam Bukhari, inspired Imam Shams al-Din al-Dimashqi to write:<br />
<br />
If an unbeliever, condemned by the Quran to eternal pain, <br />
Can be relieved every Monday through his joy at Ahmad, <br />
Then what must a true servant of God hope to gain, <br />
When with the truth of Tawhid he felt joy at Ahmad?<br />
The Prophet himself, may Allah bless him, used to commemorate his birthday, thanking his Lord for His great kindness to him. He would express this commemoration by fasting, as we are told in a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim. The methods by which his birthday may be celebrated vary widely, but the objective is the same: whether in fasting, giving food to the poor, gathering for the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah or calling down blessings upon His Messenger, and listening to the story of his virtues and mighty achievements.<br />
<br />
Allah has commanded us Muslims to rejoice at the things by which His grace and mercy comes to us. In the Holy Quran we read: 'Say, by Allah's grace and mercy; and let them be made joyful by this!' (Yunus, 58.) And we have never received any mercy greater than the Prophet himself: 'We sent you only as a mercy to the worlds.' (Anbiya, 107.)<br />
<br />
The Blessed Prophet was keenly aware of the connection of the flow of time with the great religious events of the past. Whenever the time of year recalled such an event, he would seize the opportunity to commemorate it, and call to mind its significance.<br />
<br />
There are many examples of this. For instance, when he first arrived at Madina, he found the Jews fasting on the Day of Ashoura. When he enquired about this practice, he was told, 'They fast on this day because Allah rescued their prophet on this day, and drowned their enemy, so that they fast it in gratitude to Allah for this blessing.' And the Prophet remarked: 'We have even more right to Moses than have they!', and ordered that the Muslims should fast on that day as well.<br />
<br />
For all these reasons, every year during the month of the Mawlid I devote my time to the great books of the Sira, spending some time enjoying their shade and cool breezes. I recall to my mind the episodes and events of his unique career from the time when the light of Muhammad first shone upon the world: the Arbitration at the Ka'ba, the Beginning of Revelation, the trials and sufferings endured while calling men to Allah, the Hijra, the great and heroic battles against paganism and misguidance, the creation of the Islamic State, the Farewell Pilgrimage, and finally, the moment when revelation to earth came to its conclusive end with the demise of the Blessed Prophet and his passing-on to the Highest Companion in Heaven.<br />
<br />
During this month, I spend as much time as I can in this blessed company. This is despite the fact that these astonishing and moving events remain in my thoughts and reflections during the entire year, forming a constant guide, reference and inspiration, as I remember the actions and deeds of him whose every action and deed had the purpose of educating the human race.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, my wife came to me while I was engrossed in my reading. She looked at the book before me, and saw that it was about the Mawlid, open at the page where the greatest of all sira writers Ibn Ishaq says: 'Allah's Messenger, may He bless and keep him, was born on Monday, during the twelfth night of Rabi al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant.'<br />
<br />
She asked me this interesting question: 'Why was he born during that month, rather than during Ramadan, the month when the Quran was revealed, or in one of the Sacred Months, which Allah rendered sacred on the day He created the heavens and the earth? Or even in Sha'ban, the month which contains the blessed Night of Mid-Sha'ban?'<br />
<br />
She stopped, and looked at me for an answer. I looked again at the book, and searched for a clue, but without success. So I asked her to give me a little time to allow me to read and do some thinking.<br />
<br />
I fell silent and began asking myself: Why did the Almighty Creator decree that this noble Prophet should come into the world on Monday the twelfth of Rabi al-Awwal? Why this date in particular? There must be some exquisite wisdom in this choice: but where and what?<br />
<br />
I pulled out the great works of Sira, and turned their pages. I read the words of the scholars and historians of Islam, trying to unearth the secret of this divine decision. After hours of reading and contemplation, the books gave me four subtle indications which together point to the answer.<br />
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Firstly, in a hadith we read that Allah created the tree on Monday. This can be taken to mean that the creation of sustenance, fruits and all the good things of the earth upon which the children of Adam depend for their life, and which give them medicines to heal them, and whose very sight brings them rest and joy: all this was decreed to come into existence on this day.<br />
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The Prophet, upon him be peace, also came into the world on this day, as a cause of rapture and joy. He is associated with it in other ways also: according to Ibn Abbas, 'Allah's Messenger was born on a Monday, became a Prophet on a Monday, and raised up the Black Stone on a Monday.'<br />
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Secondly, we should recall that the Arabic name of the month of his birth signifies the season of spring: the time of rebirth and renewal. Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Siqilli writes: 'Every human being is associated in some way with his name and circumstances in time. When we look at the season of spring, we see that it is the time when the Blessed Lord splits open the earth to reveal His bounty within, without which His servants could not subsist. Seeds split open and produce countless kinds of plant, which make all who see them rejoice. Though silent, they mutely proclaim the news of the imminent and delightful ripening of their fruit. Now, the Birthday of the Prophet, may Allah bless him, resembles this closely. His birth in the month of this name gives good tidings of the greatest forms of sustenance and protection for the believers. It proclaims Allah's mercy, the greatest of which is His granting guidance, through His messenger, to the Straight Path.'<br />
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Thirdly, Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Salihi writes: 'Can you not see that the season of spring is both the most beautiful and moderate of seasons, free of both bitter cold or stifling heat, or exaggerated length in its days or nights? It is the time of year when people feel most refreshed and whole, so that they can enjoy the pleasure of prayer at night, and of fasting during the day. All of this symbolises and resembles the moderation and healthfulness of the Sunna and the Law which the Prophet brought.'<br />
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Fourthly, it would seem to be the case that the Wise God sometimes wishes to ennoble times through events, not events through times. A time otherwise left vacant can thereby be filled with a special quality from which people can derive benefit.<br />
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Obviously, if the Blessed Prophet had been born in Ramadan, or one of the Sacred Months, or in the holy month of Sha'ban, some people might think that it was he himself who was being ennobled by these times because of their great merit. But it was Allah's wise decree that he be born in Rabi al-Awwal in order to ennoble that month, and to display Allah's care and good providence for His Prophet. As an Arab poet has written: <br />
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<br />
Allah gave good news of you to the heavens, and they were adorned, <br />
The soil of the earth turned to musk when it heard of you. <br />
A day whose dawn is part of history, <br />
And whose evening is made luminous by Muhammad!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hxQbRO-s3d_Q_JmJrso4BLoHu77gXm9fRAR9Tu6mMuL3D4_elQis4jM2ojh0ciHC0uHwOk70O60VTOHYiWAqHnfhBx2vn_wmTAYWsoTKRzpJdiWUTfjVBTVIvYUaJw286telnroi3Bo/s320/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hxQbRO-s3d_Q_JmJrso4BLoHu77gXm9fRAR9Tu6mMuL3D4_elQis4jM2ojh0ciHC0uHwOk70O60VTOHYiWAqHnfhBx2vn_wmTAYWsoTKRzpJdiWUTfjVBTVIvYUaJw286telnroi3Bo/s320/untitled.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<br />
To sum up what I have been trying to say: celebrations of the Mawlid are nothing other than a revival of the memory of the Chosen One. When this is done in the context of an Islamically-learned circle of knowledge and remembrance, in which the manners of our Islamic religion are observed, it is something which the great scholars approve of strongly. It provides a superb opportunity to link us to the Sira, to his miracles and beautiful character, and to the magnification of the Prophet whom Allah has commanded us to follow and emulate in all things.<br />
Only by knowing his virtues and good qualities can we have perfect faith in him. <br />
Only by listening to his life-story will we acquire a true and deep love for him. <br />
As Allah Himself has stated: 'We tell you the stories of the Messengers, in order to make firm your heart.' <br />
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O Allah, make firm our hearts in Islam! Make our faith true and deep, and bestow upon us real love for Your Prophet sallahu alayhi wassalam!<br />
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via <a href="http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/mawlid.htm"></a><br />
Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-30200336478967872942013-01-20T04:25:00.002-08:002013-01-20T04:39:01.455-08:00Intentions of the Pious<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Intentions of the Pious<br />
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ<br />
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At gatherings of remembrance; before reading about the Prophet and his life (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the scholars traditionally make a number of intentions, followed by a recitation of Surat al-Fatihah; donating its reward to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the hope that their remembrance and their intentions are accepted.<br />
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Here are some of the intentions that Sayyidi al-Habib `Umar bin Hafiẓ (may Allah preserve him and benefit us by him) makes at these blessed gatherings. The original Arabic is also provided below.<br />
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We recite the Fatihah..<br />
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with the intention that Allah—by us remembering Him and remembering His Messenger, our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him and his Family and Companions peace) and his birth and awesome attributes—opens the doors to attaining His support and assistance and guidance and to attaining uprightness and the speedy relief of the suffering of the Islamic Ummah..<br />
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with the intention that Allah deflects calamities from us and from all of the people of la ilaha ill’Allah in the East and the West..<br />
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with the intention that He grants us His guidance in all our movements and our stillness and that He makes us firm upon the truth in what we say, we do and we believe..<br />
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with the intention that He enables us to perfect our following of this Prophet, the Chosen One, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him and his Family and Companions peace) in our words and deeds and intentions and aims and desires and our movements and our stillness and in every state, inward and outward, and that He allows us to beautify our emulation of him and allows us to walk along his path and drink from the waters he has drunk from..<br />
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with the intention that by him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) He looks upon us, our families, our children, those dear to us and our descendants and upon those who are attached to us..<br />
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with the intention that He fills our hearts with the light of faith and certainty and knowledge of Him.. that He makes us among those He has chosen to bring close to Him and among those He has blessed with the realities of sincere and pure slavehood to Him..<br />
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with the intention that He protects us from all harm and that He rectifies the inward and the outward, and that He allows us to attain the realities of taqwa..<br />
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with the intention that He makes the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) pleased with his Ummah and that He makes us, our families, our children and our friends a joy to his eye..<br />
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and that He grants us the greatest portion of His remembrance and the remembrance of this Prophet, the Chosen One..<br />
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and that He grants us the greatest portion of His closeness and the closeness of this Prophet, the Chosen One..<br />
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and that He grants us the greatest portion of His love and the love of this Prophet, the Chosen One..<br />
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and that He grants us the greatest portion of His care and the care of this Prophet, the Chosen One..<br />
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and that He grants us the greatest portion of His pleasure and the pleasure of this Prophet, the Chosen One..inwardly and outwardly in every state and in every affair in this life, the Barzakh, the next life and that He gathers us together in the highest level of Firdaws while He is pleased with us.<br />
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with the intention that He gives us the greatest portion of being with him in the Barzakh and in the shade of the Throne and at the Pool and when he passes over the Bridge, and when he enters Paradise (may Allah bless him and grant him and his Family and Companions peace).<br />
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with the intention that He rectifies our hearts and our bodies, our inward and our outward and all our affairs, that He deflects all evil from us..<br />
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with the intention that He raises the ranks of the pious people of this Ummah and all the pious people and that we receive the blessings of the Prophets and Messengers and their families and those that follow them with excellence and that He gives them the greatest of rewards on our behalf and that He unites us with them in the Abode of Mercy while He is pleased with us, without any prior punishment or reprimand or trial or account..<br />
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with the intention of removing the tribulations that have befallen us and all the Muslims inwardly and outwardly..<br />
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with the intention that Allah blesses us with the most noble of attributes and unites us with the best of groups and that He rectifies every affair inwardly and outwardly in this life and the next..<br />
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with the intention that he gives us the best of endings in goodness, gentleness and wellbeing..<br />
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with the intentions that the pious people have made and will make and all pious intentions that the knowledge of our Lord, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, encompasses for us and the whole Ummah..<br />
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We donate the reward of the Fatihah to the spirit of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him and his Family and Companions peace) – al-Fatihah.<br />
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Please include the translator, Ustadh Amin Buxton (Allah preserve him and his teachers, and benefit us by them), in your prayers. #Dont forget to put your hands up and say Ameen :)<br />
via <a href="http://abdulkarimyahya.com/2013/01/19/advice-noble-intentions-at-gatherings-of-remembrance/"></a>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-79835374483864820392012-11-19T14:37:00.000-08:002012-11-19T14:43:16.672-08:00What Can We Do To Help Gaza/Syria & Other Oppressed Muslims?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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(An email Ive received in Dec 2009 from a dear brother of mine in regards to the situation in Gaza.).<br />
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Assalamu alaikum,<br />
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Insha Allah, my dear brothers and sisters you are all well. Not a day passes during which I don't think of you all. May Allah (swt) grant us all firmness in iman, during these times.<br />
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Subhan Allah, with all that is happening to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, some of us may be asking "what can I do to help?". Is it by way of protests, sending aid, making dua etc?<br />
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I have been fortunate to be in the company of the 'ulama and saliheen and so I will attempt, in my broken English, to summarise their advice to the Muslim ummah. I have selected some quotes of Habib Omar, said during an address while we were with him in the valley of the Prophet Hud (as), a couple of weeks back, and also a quote or two from Habib Hussein, taken from a class he gave recently.<br />
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Habib Omar, may Allah preserve him, no doubt acknowledged that the Jews just continue doing what they do, as they have been for centuries - nothing new and we shouldnt be surprised. The surprise is not in how the non-Muslims treat us. The surprise is how the Muslims have changed over time and how they have become distant from their Creator. He goes on to say, the Allah of today is the same Allah that has saved and destroyed many nations of old. He is the same Allah who destroyed Fir'awn, 'Ad and Thamud, and the nation of Nuh (as) etc. He is the same Allah who saved Musa (as) and his people from Fir'awn, He is the same Allah who gave victory to the Prophet Hud (as), He is the same Allah who gave victory to the Prophet Nuh (as) after he raised his hands to Allah (swt) as per Surat al-Qamar, Ayat 9 to 11:<br />
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كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ فَكَذَّبُوا عَبْدَنَا وَقَالُوا مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ<br />
Before them the People of Nuh rejected (their messenger): they rejected Our servant, and said, "Here is one possessed!", and he was driven out.<br />
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فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ<br />
Then he (Nuh) called on his Lord: "I am surely defeated: send your Victory"<br />
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فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاء بِمَاء مُّنْهَمِرٍ<br />
So We opened the gates of heaven, with water pouring forth.<br />
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Habib Omar explained to us, in the most eloquent manner, with force and conviction, in the three dimensional, eternal language of Arabic, that the fault lies with the Muslim ummah. He questioned, who of us is sincere in their dua to Allah (swt)? He questioned who of us gets up in the middle of the night and calls upon his Creator as was the regular practice of the sahabah, of the tabieen, and many of the glorious empires of Islam where even the common man got up in the middle of the night to weep before his Lord. <br />
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Habib Hussein put it another way. If the thousands of protestors around the world, screaming and shouting at the unsympathetic governments were to redirect their efforts towards calling upon Allah (swt) this would be far more effective and beneficial. Why? Allah (swt) teaches us in Surat Al-Muminun, Ayah 76:<br />
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وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ <br />
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We inflicted Punishment on them, but they humbled not themselves to their Lord, nor do they submissively entreat (Him)!<br />
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Habib Hussein explains the tafsir behind this ayah. Any time a people have had some form of punishment inflicted on them, two things are required:<br />
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Tamaskan in the ayah, the word اسْتَكَانُو is used. The root word is miskeen. Allah requires that we be in the state of a broken human being, brought to his knees in humility before Him. This is the first condition.<br />
Tadaraan in the ayah, the word يَتَضَرَّعُونَ is used. This is a form of dua. There are two types of dua. Firstly, there is the dua that we normally make everyday, possibly in a low voice, or in public such as at the end of a prayer etc. The second form of dua is that which Allah (swt) refers to in this Ayah. This dua is literally crying out loud, screaming out to Allah (swt), begging Him for help. Many of the ummah perform the first type of dua. Few perform the second dua. Perhaps none of us in the West have seen the second form of dua.<br />
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The scary part is that if we are not in these two states ie, being in a humble, sorry state before Allah and then calling upon Him in a sorrowful state, He will bring us to our knees through His creation. For far too long as an ummah in the modern times, we have been too arrogant to bring our selves to our knees before Allah (swt) in a sincerely humble state. So we are being forced to right now. How many of us have received text messages from someone who doesnt normally pray or make dua, requesting you to make dua, read surat Yasin for our Palestinian brethren or stay up in the middle of the night praying. <br />
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If the half a million protestors were to just get up in the middle of the night, pray two rakat and then throw themselves before Allah (swt) tadaraan this would be better for the Muslim ummah and more effective as we will be addressing our issues to the One who is the Most Merciful and sympathetic to our situation.<br />
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Do not misunderstand this advice. The Jews and other kuffar complicit in the murders of innocent men, women and children will be brought to justice by Allah (swt). The focal point here is what is our duty as Muslims now, in these unforgiving times, where the fitan increase by the minute. The archetypes of the eras of old are all lessons for us on how to deal with these situations. Remember, its the same Allah then as is now. <br />
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Habib Hussein also mentioned how some Muslims have chosen to boycott Israeli products. If it is known that certain businesses openly and actively support the war on the Muslims then this is ok. However to boycott Jewish products altogether is not a tool to victory. It was known that Rasul Allah (saws) openly made trade with the Jews, and even those Jews who were his enemies. Even at the time of his passing he had some of his goods with them and they with him (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, his family and companions).<br />
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Rather than boycott the products we should be boycotting the thoughts and ideologies that are invading our homes, through the television, the internet and other media. Why isnt anyone declaring war on the intellectual warfare that is being waged against our Muslim women, children, youths and men. That is the deadliest war. <br />
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As for what is happening in Gaza, Rasul Allah (saws) made dua that the majority of his ummah be shuhadah (martyrs). Remember : our dead are in Jannah, their dead are in Jahannam. He also opened our eyes to another scenario. What if both sides were Muslims attacking each other? The outcome would be that the killer and the killed would both be sent to Jahannam.<br />
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So lets not despair from the mercy of Allah. We need to look at the situation through the eyes of the arifin (the knowers of Allah). These are all events unfolding in the greater plan of Allah (swt). Sure, what is happening is gruesome and makes us all cry for our dead, due to the injustice that is occurring. Rasul Allah (saws) says whoever sleeps at night, and does not care about the affairs of the Muslims, is not from us.<br />
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We grieve over the injustice. Yet, let our actions and reactions be directed by the nur al ilahi (Divine Light) and the nur khayr khalqillah (The Light of the Best of Creation). This can only be done by taking advice from the heirs of the Prophets, the true ulama. <br />
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The real tools for victory are the following:<br />
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Turning back to the One who can give victory in an instant. As Allah (swt) uses the phrase in the Quran : just like the blinking of an eye.<br />
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Make a sincere tawbah to Allah (swt) and make a promise from this day on to reject all actions against the rida (acceptance) of Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saws) and promise to try to be a better Muslim each day by advancing yourself in your akhlaq and knowledge; <br />
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Being pure and sincere in your dua, by acknowledging in your heart to Allah that you are in need of Him and that you are nothing;<br />
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Being sincere and focussed in our salat;<br />
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Being in regular company of the true ulama and taking on their advice<br />
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Increasing our ibadat. The time has come to move on from being minimalists. Those of us just performing Faraid need to step up a notch and start performing Nawafil.<br />
Start getting up in the middle of the night and call upon the Most Merciful.<br />
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Try to minimise our interaction with those who dont carry La ilaha ila Allah in their heart. Limit it to what is necessary for dawah and daily business interaction. Start putting up barriers around your heart and only let in that which is loved by Allah and His Prophet (saws). Do the same in your homes. Protect your children and spouses from thoughts not originating from the Divine source. If your children go to public schools and spouses work in environments where Muslims are the minority then the following points become crucial;<br />
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Daily, read a portion of the Quran and ponder its meaning<br />
Daily, create a circle of knowledge in the home where the seerah, shamail, ahadith and personality of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) are studied;<br />
Fill your homes with the practice of the sunnah of the beloved Prophet (saws);<br />
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Increase your dhikr by reciting regularly and daily : lailaha ila Allah, salawat on the Prophet Muhammad (saws), <br />
Daily make a sincere tawbah to Allah.<br />
Daily give a form of sadaqah to advance the Deen of Allah (swt).<br />
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Once a month, or once a year or once in your life do something that benefits the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). This is what really makes Rasul Allah (saws) happy. He (saws) says the deeds of my ummah and shown to me. Right now both the good and bad deeds of the ummah are shown to our beloved Nabi(saws). <br />
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Be an ambassador to Rasul Allah (saws) by living his character.<br />
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Seek knowledge from the traditional mashayikh and avoid fringe groups who end up withering away just like todays fad.<br />
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Be a teacher of Quran, Seerah, Sunnah or other Islamic sciences and help spread the truth.<br />
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Be a forgiving servant of your fellow Muslim brethren and assume they are better than you. <br />
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I hope this puts things in perspective and allows us to be a little more focussed in our direction. By performing the above, insha Allah we will be working toward being an ummah, loved by Allah so that once we raise our hands and ask for the victory, He sends down angels from the Heavens to stand by our side. <br />
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Your faqir brother........ <br />
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Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-18282811335016529272012-10-24T01:16:00.002-07:002013-01-20T04:39:54.903-08:00What Should We Do on The First 10 Days of DhulHijjah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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"It befits each of us, having reached - by the grace of Allah - the first 10 days of Dhu 'l-Hijjah, that we praise Allah for that which He has bestowed upon us. . . Now that you have reached them, be avid in making excellent one's interaction with the One who gazes into hearts, until He graces you with clothes of His beneficence in such a way that befits Him... for He is the Most Generous: He gives without considering what He gives and who He gives to." ~ al-Habib 'Umar <br />
via Sidi Suleiman AlMuslim<br />
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Zulhijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar. Literally, it means “of hajj.” Obviously, this name of the month indicates that the great annual worship of “hajj” is performed in this month, which gives it special significance. Some specific merits and rules relevant to this month are mentioned below:<br />
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First Ten Days<br />
The first ten days of Zulhijjah are among the most magnificent days in Islamic calendar. The Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said, “One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship in the “Lailatul-Qadr”.<br />
Every Muslim should avail of this wonderful opportunity by performing during this period as much Iba’dah (acts of worship) to Allah as he or she can.<br />
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The 9th day of Zulhijjah<br />
The 9th day of Zulhijjah is called ‘Youmul – “Arafah’ (The Day of ‘Arafah). This is the date when the Hujjaj (Haji pilgrims, plural of Haajj) assemble on the plain of ‘Arafat, six miles away from Makkah al-Mukarramah, where they perform the most essential part of the prescribed duties of hajj, namely, the ‘Wuqoof of’Arafat (the stay in ‘Arafat).<br />
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The Fast of Youmul ‘Arafah<br />
For those not performing hajj, it is mustahabb (desirable) to fast on this day according to their own calendar. It sometimes occurs that 9th Zuihijjah falls on different days in different countries according to the sighting of the moon. In such cases, Muslims of each country should observe ‘Youmul ‘Arafah according to the lunar dates of their own country.<br />
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For example, if ‘Youmul ‘Arafah’ is being observed in Saudi Arabia on Friday, and in Pakistan on Saturday, Pakistani Muslims should treat Saturday as ‘Youmul ‘Arafah’ and should fast on that day if they desire to benefit from the fast of ‘Youmul’Arafah’.<br />
The fast of ‘Youmul ‘Arafah’ has been emphasized by the Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, as amustahabb (desirable) act. According to a hadith, the fast of this day becomes a cause, hopefully so, of forgiveness for sins committed in one year.<br />
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Takbir-ut-tashriq<br />
Beginning from the Fajr of the 9th Zulhijjah up to the ‘Asr prayer of the 13th, it is obligatory on each Muslim to recite the Takbir of Tashriq after every fard prayer in the following words:<br />
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,<br />
La Ilaha Illallahu, Wallahu Akbar,<br />
Allahu Akbar wa lillahilhamd.<br />
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(Translation: There is no god but Allah and Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest and to Allah belongs all praise.)<br />
According to authentic Islamic sources, it is obligatory on each Muslim, to recite this Takbir after every fard salah. For women also, it is commendable though not obligatory. Whether you are performing salah withJama’ah (collectively) or on your own (individually) makes no difference. You must recite the Takbir. However, male Muslims should recite it in a loud voice, while females should recite it in a low voice.<br />
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MV Editor’s Note: In addition to the above our scholars also recommend the following during this noble time:<br />
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1. Performing Hajj. One of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days is to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah. The one whom Allah helps to go on Hajj to His House and to perform all the rituals properly is included in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “An accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise.”<br />
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2. Doing more good deeds in general, because good deeds are beloved by Allah and will bring a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj should occupy himself at this blessed time by worshiping Allah, praying (salaat), reading Qur’an, remembering Allah, making supplication (du’a), giving charity, honoring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of worship.<br />
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3. Sacrifice. One of the good deeds that will bring a person closer to Allah during these ten days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality animal and fattening it, spending money for the sake of Allah.<br />
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4. Sincere repentance. One of the most important things to do during these ten days is to repent sincerely to Allah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin. Repentance means coming back to Allah and foregoing all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it up immediately and being determined never to return to it, but to adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allah loves.<br />
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We ask Allah, Most High, for success.via Muslimvillage.com<br />
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Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-10714600912606327772012-10-03T06:07:00.001-07:002012-10-03T06:31:00.526-07:00Sunrise and Sunset Ive Witnessed Alhamdullillah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-15776582700520373122012-09-20T15:49:00.002-07:002012-09-20T15:57:41.877-07:00Bitterness is a Killer!...Don't Poison yourself with it.!!
By Sister S Bemath
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We tend to think that circumstances causes us to become bitter, but this is not always the case. Bitterness is something that happens to us, it is a characteristic we develop. To swallow a daily dose of poison would be unthinkable. Yet this is what you do if you awaken each morning with bitter thoughts that belong to the past. You are poisoning your system.
Bitterness is a killer. But who does it hurt? Only you - for who else suffers that gnawing pain which twists and turns deep in your being? Certainly not the one who has wronged you!. He or she probably is not even aware of it. Bitterness depresses the spirits, stifles creativity, weakens the immune system, obstructs happiness and ruins health. As a carrier you are the only one who reaps its adverse consequences so why submit to it?
A bitter person always seems to find a good reason to be bitter: “After all I did, he or she left me...” “My parents all favour my brother - nothing I do will please them...” “That false rumour ruined my chances of promotion...” and the list goes on…Valid reasons, maybe. Painful, certainly! even worthy of some human emotion. But it takes only a little –yes just a little time and effort to work through the pain, hurt, disappointment, sadness or anger. You must process your emotions, regain your balance, change your attitude or seek counsel.
“Wonderful in theory,” a bitter person might say. “But I can't forget.” You can forget; but whether you choose to is another matter. It takes time and effort to re-pattern negative thoughts into the conscious habit of replacing them with positive ones. When we harbour negative emotions towards others or towards ourselves, or when we intentionally create pain for others, we poison our own physical and spiritual systems. By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. It disables a person’s emotional resources. The challenge is to refine our capacity to love others as well as ourselves and to develop the power of forgiveness.
“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”
ALLAH TA’ALA knows what's hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts. Those feelings of pain, anguish, resentment, hatred, bitterness, etc., that we so successfully hide from everyone else, including our closest family members and friends. So why not let it all out. Why not let ALLAH TA’ALA be your "therapist". Let your prayer mat be your "couch" while you reveal and ask the One who is in control, Who knows you better than you know yourself. From the very depth of ALLAH TA’ALA'S fountain of Mercy, bitterness will be cleansed and you shall blossom amongst the flowers of enjoyment. Subhaan-ALLAH !
Beloved Reader! It is better to live in peace than in bitterness and strife. I've known people to go through a lot of trials and hardships and maintain a grateful and gracious spirit throughout. I've seen others face similar trials only to become angry and embittered souls. In both the cases the hardship revealed the heart more than it formed the heart. If we are filled with sweetness and something jostles us, then sweetness spills out. If we are filled with bitterness and we get jostled then battery acid goes everywhere. Overcome the obstacles in your path, be determined, courageous and hard-working. Never be faint-hearted. Be resolute, but never bitter... be beautiful inside and thus you shall become an embodiment of love, joy and happiness.
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HOW TO DEAL WITH BITTERNESS:</b>
· Most important is to Turn to Allah by means of Dua (Prayer). Raise your hands in supplication, for, Du'a is a weapon of a Believer.
· Every time you think of a past negative situation, replace it instantly with a picture of a positive, happy life.
· When you feel resentful, bless and forgive the person who wronged you and do not stop praying for the best for those you love.
· Busy yourself with things you enjoy so that you have no time to brood. Plan something to look forward to. Give to someone who is worse off than yourself. In other words place every negative thought with a positive one until it becomes a habit.
Never allow bitterness to take root or you'll become a twisted, sour human being people will shun.
Bitter thoughts are like weeds. Pluck them out of your heart relentlessly…and in their place will sprout the seeds of joyful new life.
O ALLAH TA’ALA! Reform our character and bless us with cleanliness of the heart.
..AameenWelcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-62435762788172411362012-07-29T17:28:00.001-07:002012-07-29T17:28:31.273-07:00Islam Is a Way of Life: HAJJ 2012 with Ust Mahmud Kurkcu from Australia<a href="http://ummmustafa.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/hajj-2012-with-ust-mahmud-kurkcu-from.html#links">Islam Is a Way of Life: HAJJ 2012 with Ust Mahmud Kurkcu from Australia</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSWwxCGYoJ4&feature=plcp">Madina Prestige Haj Experience on Youtube</a>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-75248537871349747842012-07-17T18:10:00.001-07:002012-07-17T19:31:20.064-07:00HAJJ 2012 with Ust Mahmud Kurkcu from Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Check out this link for more information. <a href="http://www.madinaprestige.com/">http://www.madinaprestige.com/</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.productivemuslim.com/beating-procrastination-series-preparing-for-hajj/">Beating Procrastination Series: Preparing for Hajj</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">I know you might be thinking that it is a bit too early to talk about Hajj, especially since we are 3 months away, but by the end of this article you'll understand why you precisely do need to start preparing for Hajj now. Normally, people start planning for Hajj around Ramadan time. They feel closer to their deen during Ramadan and look forward for that next big spiritual buzz after Ramadan, the Hajj. Unfortunately, by this time, unless they have enough cash on them, it's very hard for them to make it to Hajj due to the expenses. Furthermore, those last 3 months between Ramadan and Hajj are hectic so that even if they are financially prepared, they barely plan well for Hajj and thus have a less than optimal Hajj experience.<br /><br />My goal with this article is to inspire one of you who is on reasonable income to start getting ready for Hajj from now both financially, physically and mentally insha'Allah.<br /><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">Are you ready? Here we go.</strong><br /><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;"><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">1. Take out your calendar and start marking key dates:</strong></strong><br /><br />Mark when Hajj is forecasted to occur this year, which dates Hajj visas applications open up in your country (you might need to call a few Hajj/Umrah agents to find out), when is the best time to do Hajj shopping, when do Hajj courses take place, etc.<br /><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;"><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">2. Have a Plan/Set Milestones:</strong></strong><br /><br />Set deadlines by which you want to achieve certain milestones. For example: By Ramadan, I'll be financially ready for Hajj. One month before Hajj, I'll prepare all my Hajj shopping, etc. Make this your "project" of the year.<br /><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;"><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">3. Start Saving Now:</strong></strong><br />Every dollar counts, so start saving for Hajj <em class="bbc" style="font-style: italic !important;">today</em>. Calculate how much you need to save up each month to purchase a reasonable priced Hajj package. If your income is not enough, try to think of where in your expenses you can reduce just for this year <em class="bbc" style="font-style: italic !important;">or</em> look for alternative Hajj packages.<br /><br />Set up a separate bank account and start depositing 10-20% of your income in this account (or however much you need to save) every month. No matter what happens during the year, try your best not to dip into your savings unless in emergency situations.<br /><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;"><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">4. Start Reading about Hajj:</strong></strong><br />Al-hamdulillah, Hajj is not a complex ritual, but it'll put you in good standing if you start reading about Hajj early. Don't just read about "how" to do Hajj, but read about the stories behind Hajj: The story of Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) and His son building the Ka'aba, the story of their sacrifice, the story of Hajar and Safa & Marwa, the story of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his final Hajj. Read, learn, and get excited!<br /><br />To get you started, here you can find a translated version of "<a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.islam21c.com/texts/208-the-prophets-final-sermon" rel="nofollow external" style="color: #0f72da; text-decoration: underline;" title="External link">The Farewell Sermon</a>" delivered by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on the day of 'Arafah, the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, 10 A.H. (632 CE), during his Hajj.<br /><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;"><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">5. Inform family/friends:</strong></strong><br /><strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;"></strong>Tell your family and friends from now that you're planning to go on Hajj. This public pledge forces you not to give up on your plans. Moreover, this way your family will understand that there may be no vacation trips this year, or you might postpone making that big purchase this year. Getting your friends and family's support is very crucial.<br /><br />In summary, if you start preparing for Hajj today, inshaAllah with the permission of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) you'll be going to Hajj by the end of this year. <strong class="bbc" style="font-weight: bold !important;">Do not procrastinate, and start preparing for the journey of a lifetime from now</strong>. </span><br />
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<br /></div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-44998701098189326602012-07-17T17:59:00.002-07:002013-01-20T04:40:27.826-08:00Habib Kadhim Lectures in Melbourne 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2AXihkTTmHs/UAYJmmisIkI/AAAAAAAAAcY/Zb5PXraomQ4/s1600/dvdsetslider-608x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2AXihkTTmHs/UAYJmmisIkI/AAAAAAAAAcY/Zb5PXraomQ4/s320/dvdsetslider-608x300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
For enquiries please place your order online at <a href="http://www.yma.org.au/">www.yma.org.au</a> or if you're Melbournian you may pick up from Coburg Islamic Centre. Please call Br Nazeer on 0400460662 to arrange pick up.<br />
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including a bonus pack of Ramadan Refresher Course (According to Hanafi fiqh) by Ust Mahmud Kurkcu.<br />
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</div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-8244761468859442202012-04-16T15:59:00.000-07:002012-04-16T15:59:37.064-07:00Munabbihat (The Counsels) of Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani with Ust Mahmud Kurkcu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Talking in Islam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TAPxOMUsdRw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>(Reminder: Please scroll right to the bottom page and pause the audio Nasheed to listen to Ust Mahmud's talk) For more info subscribe to <a href="http://www.ymatv.com/">www.ymatv.com</a> for livestreamings every Tuesday and Friday nights (Melbourne, Australian time).</div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-52999789447656529422012-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:002012-02-12T17:47:39.622-08:00What does it mean to be in the world but not of it?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="subHeader" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; position: static; text-transform: capitalize;">Interview</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="articleCopy" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 0.8em; padding-right: 0.8em;"><div id="headshotLocation" style="display: inline; float: left; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div id="hs" style="background-color: #f6f4f3; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 12px; padding-top: 18px;"><img height="60" src="http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j18/bayrak/headshot.jpg" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" width="60" /><div style="color: #444444; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9px; line-height: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px;">Sheikh Tosun<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />Bayrak<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />al-Jerrahi</div></div></div><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">What does it mean to be in the world but not of it?</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">SHEIKH TOSUN BAYRAK: </b>Let me answer that question by telling you a story. Ibn Arabi, who is considered to be the greatest sheikh in Sufism, was traveling to Mecca, and he passed through Tunisia. In Tunisia he was told that there was a holy man living there who he must visit. This holy man was a fisherman who lived in a mud hut on the beach and caught three fish a day, no more, and he gave the bodies of these fish to poor and hungry people. He himself boiled the heads of the fish, and just ate the heads. He did this day after day, year after year. He was living the life of a monastic person, a person who has divorced himself from the world totally, and, of course, Ibn Arabi was very impressed with this discipline. So he talked to the fisherman and the fisherman asked, "Where are you going? Are you going to pass through Cairo?" Ibn Arabi nodded and the fisherman said, "My sheikh lives there. Will you please visit him and ask him for advice for me, because all these years that I have been praying and living humbly like this, I haven't received any advancement in my spiritual life. Please ask him to give me advice."<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />Ibn Arabi promised him that he would, and so when he arrived in Cairo, he asked the people in the city where this sheikh lived and they said, "Do you see the huge palace on the top of the hill? He lives there." So he went to this beautiful palace on the top of the hill, knocked on the door, and was received very well. They brought him into a large, luxurious waiting room, gave him food to eat, and made him comfortable. But the sheikh had gone to visit the king. And Sufis don't normally visit kings or people in high positions. It's forbidden because they can become an additional curtain between us and God, an additional attachment to the world.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />While Ibn Arabi was in this luxurious room waiting for the sheikh, he looked out the window and saw a procession coming. The sheikh was riding a beautiful Arabian horse and was wearing a big turban, diamond rings, a fur coat, and had a whole honor guard of soldiers at his side, and he arrived with great pomp at the palace. But he was a very nice man, and came and greeted Ibn Arabi warmly, and they sat down and started talking. At some point in the conversation, Ibn Arabi said, "You have a student in Tunisia." And the sheikh replied, "Yes, I know." And Ibn Arabi said, "He asked for your spiritual advice." "Tell my student," the sheikh said, "If he's so attached to this world, he's never going to get anywhere."<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />So this was confusing to Ibn Arabi, but on his trip back, he stopped in Tunisia. He went to the fisherman there, who immediately asked, "Did you see my sheikh?" "Yes, I saw your sheikh," he replied. "What did he say?" asked the fisherman. And Ibn Arabi, looking uncomfortable, said, "Well, your sheikh, you know, he lives in great pomp and great luxury." The fisherman replied, "Yes, I know. What did he say?" So Ibn Arabi told him: "He said as long as you're so attached to this world, you are never going to get anywhere." And the fisherman cried and cried. "He's right," he said, "each day, when I give those three fish bodies to the people, my heart goes with them. Each day, I wish I could have a whole fish instead of just a head, while my sheikh lives in great luxury but doesn't care at all about it. Whether he has it or not, it doesn't touch him."<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />That's what it means to be in the world but not of the world. It means that, as Sufis, we are supposed to be out in the world participating in the world, but not falling in love with the world. There is a <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">hadith</i> [a saying of the Prophet Muhammad] that tells us: The world is your friend if it reminds you of God, and it is your enemy if it makes you forget God.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">One Sufi mystic is quoted as saying, "To leave the world is not to abstain from property, wife, and children, but to act in obedience to God and to set the things of God above those of the world."</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>Exactly. Another <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">hadith</i> tells us that when Allah ordered the world, he spoke to the world, saying, "World, the one who becomes your servant, treat him as the worst of slaves. Beat him. Make him work hard and when he dies, crush him. But if he becomes <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">my</i> servant, care for him well and when he dies, hug him like a mother would hug her child." <br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><img align="left" border="0" class="breaker" height="122" src="http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j18/bayrak/breaker.jpg" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 19px; margin-top: 10px;" width="122" />That means that if you are the servant of Allah, then the world is going to be your servant and obey you and make you rich and everything else. And when you die, it will hug you gently like a mother caressing you. But if you forget Allah and become the servant of the world, then the world is going to whip you, kick you, and make you work like hell. And when you die, it's going to crush you.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">What exactly do you mean by "the world"?</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>Your wife, your children, your home, your work, your money in the bank, your position in the company, your political aspirations or affiliations, your bed at night, your shower in the morning, your breakfast—everything!<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">There's a word in Arabic, </i>dunya,<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"> which also means "the world" or "worldly life." It seems that it's often spoken about as something negative or as something that tempts us away from the path.</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>You're right. Many people think in those terms, but let me make a correction, it's important to understand this distinction. If<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">dunya</i> makes you forget your Lord, if it makes you forget where you came from, what your function is, and where you are going, if it makes you a fool, then it is your enemy. But if it <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">reminds</i> you that this is just a passage, this is just a place for tests, this is just a place to prove that you are doing what you were created for, then it is a good place, a good thing, and a wonderful friend.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Would it be accurate to say that for most of us, the world tends to be the former, tends to be that which draws us away from God?</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>It is not the world's fault. It is <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">your</i> fault. It's not the devil's fault. It is <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">your</i> attachment to the world. The world is beautiful. Allah has made it beautiful. Every spot of it is a reflection of him. He has never created anything ugly.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />You see, the Sufis believe that creation is simply a mirror. When there is nothing in front of the mirror, it reflects nothing. But Allah is in front of it, so all of creation is a reflection of him. We see his attributes, the attributes of God, reflected in the mirror of creation. And that's what we are. Everything in creation is Allah's attributes. It's not Allah, but it is from Allah. So there is nothing wrong with the world. It is your fault that you make a god of it. It's not the world's fault.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Many Sufi sheikhs have had wives and families, owned businesses, and some are even said to have been great sultans. What is it that enables a sheikh or a dervish or any spiritual seeker to live amidst all the complexities and temptations of the world and still do the right thing? How can we act in the world in a way that expresses nonattachment to the world?</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>The answer to that question is very simple. A young German lady asked that question to my sheikh, Sheikh Muzaffer [Ozak] Efendi, and he said, "My daughter, we are very fortunate, because we have got a book in our hands, the Qu'ran, which we believe is from Allah, from the Lord." The Bible is equivalent to a <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">hadith</i>. In other words, it tells us what Jesus did and what Jesus said. But we believe that the Qu'ran was revealed by Allah and brought word by word, letter by letter, dot by dot, to the prophet Muhammad. Through his blessed lips it came out, and not a dot of it has changed for the last one thousand five hundred years.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />We actually have three touchstones to find out whether our actions are right or wrong. But you must act! You cannot sit on your behind, because then you're dead. Now if the action corresponds to what Allah tells you to do in the Qu'ran, it's definitely the right action. It is said that in the Qu'ran there are a thousand things to do and a thousand things not to do. I certainly don't know all of them. I know perhaps a hundred things, and even those often depend on interpretation. So this touchstone, this test to see whether your action is real gold or fake, is a difficult one.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />The next touchstone is the imitation of the prophet Muhammad. Although he lived one thousand five hundred years ago, the prophet Muhammad was never alone, and everything he did and said was recorded. None of it was inconsequential—the way he drank his water, the way he made love to his wives, the way he went to the bathroom. There are hundreds of thousands of <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">hadiths</i>of things which he said and did, and these are easier to understand, because no interpretation is necessary.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />The third touchstone is your conscience. You have to ask your conscience, "This action that I'm about to do, is the result going to be beneficial for the world—for him, for her, for me, for the grass, for the cat, for the turtle? Or is it going to be the opposite, is it going to cause pain and hurt?" If it is beneficial, it's right; if it is not beneficial, it's wrong.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" />What all of this boils down to is that we are here to ceaselessly do right action. I just returned from a trip to Iraq to help with some of the suffering there. I visited orphanages and hospitals and was able to donate money to help a great many people who are suffering, especially children. And while I almost never talk about my personal experiences, my experience there still lingers with me, because a strange thing happened. During my few days in Iraq, I was not there. Action was there, things were happening, but it was as if I was not there. And I felt that that was my great, great reward which I received. And for me that suffices.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Maybe that's the best kind of action in the world.</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>I hope so. Action without being there. We have a saying in Turkish. It is <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">hiç, </i>which means "nothing." And that's the goal.<br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">WIE: </b><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">Is it ever necessary to retreat or to step back from our involvement with the world in order to deepen our own spiritual contemplation?</i><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;" /><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">TB: </b>There are beautiful stories about the prophet Muhammad where he would be so lost and immersed in these intense spiritual states that he wouldn't even recognize his own wife Aisha. He would say, "Who are you?" and she would say, "Aisha," and he would reply, "Who is Aisha?" You see, he wasn't there. He was so far away that he didn't even know his own wife. But then there were other times when he would rest his blessed head on the thigh of his wife and say, "Aisha, caress my head." So even <i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;">he</i> needed a little comfort. You have to come back to the world. We are in this body, you see, and it needs things. You have to come back. </div><div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 0.8em; padding-right: 0.8em;"><a href="http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j18/bayrak.asp?page=2">http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j18/bayrak.asp?page=2</a></div></div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-87748123257295532652011-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:002011-07-20T04:51:50.366-07:00Welcome Ramadan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4hnNbet_Aw/Tia-IbZUTdI/AAAAAAAAAYg/xXSJdTVwqRU/s1600/2011rrc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4hnNbet_Aw/Tia-IbZUTdI/AAAAAAAAAYg/xXSJdTVwqRU/s320/2011rrc.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br />
<b>RAMADAN KAREEM!</b><br />
Young Muslims of Australia (YMA) invites you to a refresher course on the rites, virtues and benefits of the blessed month of Ramadan. If you wish the get the maximum benefit from your time in Ramadan, then this course will be of great value to you. It covers the basics for men and women, and explains some of the hidden virtues that can be taken advantage of by the Muslim who wishes to draw nearer to Allah SWT.<br />
Time: 27th & 28th of July 6:30pm – 9:30pm <br />
Cost: FREE<br />
Registration is essential @ <a href="http://www.yma.org.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.yma.org.au</a><br />
For all those interstate and who cannot attend, please note that this event will be LIVE STREAMED @ <a href="http://www.ymatv.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ymatv.com</a>.<br />
For more information please contact 0426 269 085. <br />
On the authority of Abi Mas’ood ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amr al-Ansaaree al-Badaree -may Allah be<br />
pleased with him- said: The Messenger of Allah -(saw) said:<br />
“Whoever directs someone to a good, then he will have the reward equal to the doer of the action.” Muslim (1893)<br />
<br />
Abdullah Bin Abbas narrates that the Apostle of God (saw) was superior to all men in generosity and the doing of good to the people in general, but in the month of Ramadan his benevolence knew no bounds. In Ramadan, Jibrail (as) came to him every night and the Prophet (saw) recited the Qur’an to him. During Ramadan the Prophet (saw) appeared to be faster than the wind in generosity and benevolence. [Bukhari and Muslim]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WYlMea37ISo/TGNdVR16WSI/AAAAAAAAAWI/5DMJDHAQg34/s1600/edibe+ram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WYlMea37ISo/TGNdVR16WSI/AAAAAAAAAWI/5DMJDHAQg34/s320/edibe+ram.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IQLCj_O8aI&feature=player_embedded">Ramadan Spirit</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?id=303">Fiqh of Fasting</a><br />
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Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.<br />
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is fard upon every Muslim, male and female, who is sane and mature.<br />
Almighty Allah has promised great reward for those that fast, whilst severe punishment is in store for those who do not fast in the month of Ramadan.<br />
Fasting has many physical, moral and social benefits. However, Allah has made fasting compulsory so that we become pious, God-fearing and God-conscious.<br />
Fasting in Islam means to stay away from eating, drinking and cohabitation from true dawn (subh sadiq, beginning of fajr time) to sunset with an intention of fasting.<br />
<b>TYPES OF FAST</b><br />
There are eight types of fasting. They are as follows:<br />
Specific obligatory (fard) fast: Fasting for the whole month of Ramadan once a year.<br />
Non-specific obligatory (fard) fast: The duty upon one to make up a fast missed in the month of Ramadan with or without a valid reason.<br />
Specific necessary (wajib) fast: To vow to keep a fast on a specific day or date for the sake of Allah, upon the fulfillment of a wish or desire (nadhr)<br />
Non-specific necessary (wajib) fast: To vow or pledge to keep a fast without fixing any day or date, upon the fulfillment of a wish (nadhr). Those fasts which are kept for breaking one’s qasm (oath) also fall under this category.<br />
Confirmed sunna fast: Those fasts which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) kept and encouraged others to keep. E.g., fasting on the 9th and 10th of Muharram, and the 9th of Dhul Hijja, etc.<br />
Recommended fast: All fasts besides fard, wajib, and sunna are mustahabb. E.g., fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.<br />
Disliked fast: Fasting only on the 9th or 10th of Muharram or fasting only on Fridays. Some scholars hold it permissible to fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram since distinguishing our fast from that of the Jews no longer applies, as the Jews no longer fast on those days.<br />
Impermissible fast: It is haram to fast on five days during the year. They are: `Eid al-Fitr, `Eid al-Adha, and three days after `Eid al-Adha.<br />
<b>THE INTENTION (Intention)</b><br />
The intention of fasting is necessary. If a person stays away from all those things that break one’s fast without an intention, the fast will not be valid.<br />
It is not necessary to express the intention verbally as intention simply means to intend. Thus, the firm determination of the heart will suffice. However, it is better to express the intention verbally also: Bi sawmi ghadin nawaytu (‘And I intend to fast tomorrow’)<br />
The time for intention lasts up to midday for specifically obligatory, specifically necessary, sunna and recommended fasts. This is mid-way between the beginning of fajr time to sunset (the beginning of maghrib time).<br />
The intention for non-specifically obligatory and non-specifically necessary fasts must be made before the beginning of fajr time.<br />
[F: The time for intention starts from Maghrib time of the night before.]<br />
<b>DU`A AT THE TIME OF BREAKING FAST</b><br />
Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika amantu wa `ala rizqika aftartu or<br />
Allahumma laka sumtu wa bika amantu wa `alayka tawakkaltu wa `ala rizqika aftartu<br />
(‘O Allah, I have fasted for You, believed in You, placed my trust in You, and broken my fast on your provision’)<br />
<b>MUSTAHABBS IN FASTING</b><br />
To partake of the pre-dawn meal (suhur) before fajr time enters.<br />
To delay this meal to a little before fajr time.<br />
To break the fast immediately after sunset.<br />
To break one’s fast with dry or fresh dates if available. If dates are not available, then with water.<br />
To make the intention at night.<br />
<b>THINGS DISLIKED WHILE FASTING</b><br />
To chew gum, rubber, plastic items or other such things (F: which are chewed, but not swallowed, and nothing reaches the stomach, for otherwise the fast would be broken).<br />
To taste any article of food or drink and spit it out (F: without anything being swallowed). If a woman has a very ill tempered husband, it is permissible for her to taste the food, provided it does not go down her throat.<br />
To collect one’s saliva in the mouth and then to swallow it, trying to quench thirst.<br />
To delay a bath that has become obligatory intentionally until after fajr time.<br />
To use paste or tooth powder to clean one’s teeth. It is permitted to use a miswak of any permissible fresh branch or root (tooth stick). [If one wishes to use toothpaste, one should brush one’s teeth before the fast begins.]<br />
To complain of hunger and thirst.<br />
To take the water too much up the nostrils when cleaning the nose.<br />
To gargle more than necessary (f: because if any water goes down the throat, even accidentally, the fast is invalidated).<br />
To quarrel, argue, use filthy or indecent words.<br />
To backbite, tell a lie and swear are sinful acts even when one is not fasting. Therefore they become even worse when fasting.<br />
<b>THINGS THAT BREAK ONE’S FAST</b><br />
Things that break one’s fast are of two kinds. Some make only a makeup necessary, whilst others make both a makeup and expiation (kaffara) compulsory.<br />
(A) Makeup: To keep one fast in place of one that breaks, or is broken intentionally.<br />
(B) Expiation: To fast for sixty consecutive days.<br />
However, if a person is genuinely unable to keep these 60 fasts, for a truly valid reason, such as continuous sickness (F: based on reasonable surety, which requires either clear signs, relevant past experience, or the reporting of a qualified and upright Muslim doctor), then one has the option of choosing from one of the following four:<br />
Feed sixty poor people to their fill for two meals, or<br />
Feed one poor person two meals a day, for sixty days; or<br />
Give sixty poor persons 3 lbs. (approx. 1.6 kg.) of wheat or its value in cash or food grains;<br />
Give to one poor person not less than 3.5 lbs. of wheat, rice or food grains, etc. or its value in cash for sixty days.<br />
<b>THINGS THAT BREAK ONE’S FAST BUT REQUIRE ONLY A MAKEUP</b><br />
Anything put by force into the mouth of a fasting person.<br />
Water going down the throat whilst gargling, (whilst being conscious of one’s fast).<br />
To vomit mouthful intentionally or to return vomit down the throat.<br />
Intentionally swallowing a pebble, piece of paper or any item that is not used as food or medicine.<br />
Swallowing something edible, equal to or bigger than a grain of gram which was stuck between the teeth. However if it is first taken out of the mouth and swallowed, it will break the fast whether it is smaller or bigger than the size of a gram.<br />
Dripping oil into the ear canal (F: such that it goes beyond the ear drum).<br />
Inhaling snuff into the nostrils.<br />
Swallowing the blood from the gums if the color of the blood is more than the saliva with which it is mixed.<br />
To eat and drink forgetting that one is fasting and thereafter thinking that the fast is broken, to eat and drink again. [F: There are three ways something can enter your body cavity while fasting:<br />
Deliberately. This breaks the fast;<br />
Forgetfully. This does not, because of the Prophetic (Allah bless him & give him peace) guidance that it does not. (Otherwise, legal reasoning (qiyas) alone would have indicated that it does.)<br />
Mistakenly/Accidentally. This breaks the fast. An example: what you mentioned; or if one ate thinking that fajr time had not come in or maghrib time come in, when the contrary was true.]<br />
10. To eat and drink after subha sadiq or to break the fast before sunset due to a cloudy sky or a faulty watch, etc., and then realizing one’s fault.<br />
N.B. Any fast other than a Ramadan one, whether broken intentionally or with a good and valid reason, makes only a makeup necessary [F: this is true even for non-obligatory fasts, because of the legal principle in the Hanafi school that, ‘. There is no kaffara for breaking any fast besides that of Ramadan.<br />
<b>THINGS THAT MAKE BOTH MAKEUP AND EXPIATION NECESSARY (WAJIB)</b><br />
(Note that this applies only to a current Ramadan fast only)<br />
Intentionally eating, drinking or breaking the fast in any other manner, such as smoking, without a valid reason (f: that is, deliberately, while aware) will make both qada and kaffara necessary (F: unless there is a legal excuse that wards off the necessity of expiation, such as it not being a complete offense, such as in the case of ejaculation through any means other than actual intercourse).<br />
Applying kohl (antimony or surma) into the eye or rubbing oil on the head and then, thinking that the fast is broken, to eat and drink intentionally.<br />
To drink any kind of medicine intentionally (when one is not seriously sick).<br />
<b>THINGS THAT DO NOT BREAK THE FAST</b><br />
To eat and drink something unintentionally.<br />
A mosquito, fly or any other object going down the throat unintentionally.<br />
Water entering the ears.<br />
Dust or dirt going down the throat.<br />
Swallowing one’s own saliva.<br />
Taking an injection.<br />
Applying of surma (kuhl: antimony) into the eyes.<br />
Taking a bath to keep cool.<br />
Rubbing oil onto the body or hair.<br />
To vomit unintentionally.<br />
Applying itr or perfume. It is not permitted to inhale the smoke of loban or agar batti whilst fasting. It is also not permitted to smoke cigarettes or inhale its smoke.<br />
Brushing the teeth without tooth paste or powder, e.g., using a miswak, etc.<br />
A dream which makes ghusl wajib (necessary) does not break the fast.<br />
<b>PEOPLE EXEMPTED FROM FASTING IN RAMADAN</b><br />
Sick people when their health is likely to be badly affected by fasting. (F: This needs to be established by reasonable surety of one’s actual or effective inability through manifest signs, relevant past experience, or the medical advice of a qualified and upright Muslim doctor.) They should make up the loss, a day for a day, when they recover after Ramadan.<br />
A traveller (one who is undertaking a journey of more than 77 kms (48 miles) and does not intend staying more than 14 days at his destination). However, it is better for him to fast in Ramadan than to fast later, provided the journey is not a demanding one.<br />
If it is feared that hunger or thirst will lead (F: during the fast) to death (F: or harm, by reasonable surety, as described above), it is permitted to break one’s fast.<br />
It is necessary (wajib) to makeup of a nafl fast that was broken before completing it.<br />
<b>THE EXPIATORY PAYMENT (FIDYA) FOR FASTING</b><br />
A very old person who does not have the strength to fast or a very sickly or diseased person who has no hope of recovering after Ramadan must make an expiatory payment for each fast missed in Ramadan.<br />
The expiatory payment for a fast is similar to that of a missed obligatory or necessary prayer:<br />
To give 3 lbs (approx. 1.6 kg) of wheat or 7 lbs (approx. 3.2 kg) of barley.<br />
Or the equivalent of the above in cash or kind.<br />
If, however, an old or sick person gains strength or recovers after Ramadan, he must keep the missed number of fasts and whatever was given as fidya will be a reward for him from Allah Most High.<br />
No one is allowed to fast for another (sick or fit) person. [Hajj can be made for another person (F: under certain conditions), but one it is not valid to pray or fast for another person.]<br />
NB: Children should be encouraged to fast, but should not be forced to complete the fast up to sunset if they are unable to bear the hunger or thirst.<br />
<b>I`TIKAF (retreat)</b><br />
I`tikaf means to enter the masjid with the intention of remaining therein (f: in worship).<br />
Mu`takif: One who makes i`tikaf.<br />
<b>TYPES OF I`TIKAF: WAJIB, SUNNA & MUSTAHABB</b><br />
WAJIB: To vow or pledge to make i`tikaf (on a fixed day) for the sake of Allah upon the fulfillment of some wish or desire. The least duration of a wajib i`tikaf is one day and night and it must be accompanied by a fast.<br />
SUNNA MU’AKKADA: To reside the last ten nights and days of Ramadan in the masjid is sunna mu’akkada `ala kifaya, i.e. If a person from the community fulfils the obligation of i`tikaf the entire community will be absolved of this sacred duty. Otherwise all the residents will be sinful of neglecting this sunna of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).<br />
MUSTAHABB OR NAFL: This i`tikaf can be for any amount of time, even for a few minutes.<br />
No fast is conditional for mustahabb or nafl i`tikaf.<br />
<b>CONDITIONS OF I`TIKAF:</b><br />
Islam.<br />
Sanity i.e. a person should not be mad.<br />
Tahara – to be free from hadath akbar (major impurity).<br />
Intention – intention.<br />
It is makruh to remain silent intending it to be a form of worship.<br />
A woman’s i`tikaf is in her area of prayer and `ibada (musalla) in her home. The middle of the house is better than the front part, and the back is better than the middle.Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-39969046096583140592011-07-06T09:46:00.000-07:002011-07-06T09:50:51.126-07:00The RAWHA with Habib Umar July 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://seekerofthesacred.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/nasim-hajir-of-imam-al-haddad/"><b>‘Nasim Hajir’ of Imam al-Haddad</b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b> </b><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dn-iHPW51mY/ThSQKT7WzSI/AAAAAAAAAYY/HC_p70wQ9p0/s1600/5015685516_f98db49b8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dn-iHPW51mY/ThSQKT7WzSI/AAAAAAAAAYY/HC_p70wQ9p0/s320/5015685516_f98db49b8a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/ziarah_yaman/">http://www.flickr.com/people/ziarah_yemen/</a><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The centre-piece of the Dowra is the Rawha. The word “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">rawha</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” linguistically is applied to an excursion at any time from midday until nightfall, as in the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim: “An excursion in the morning (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ghadwa</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) or an excursion in the latter part of the day (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">rawha</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) in the path of Allah is better than this world and everything it contains.” The word also has a connection to the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ruh, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the spirit. The scholars of Hadramawt traditionally used the name </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">rowha </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">for the lessons they would give after `Asr in which they would focus upon teaching the sciences of the heart and reading the books of the Imams of Tasawwuf. Imam al-Haddad says in his </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Adab Suluk al-Murid</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (translated as “Good Manners”): “the time following the `Asr prayer, if kept alive, has a powerful affect in attracting provision for the heart.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this year’s Dowra Habib `Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah preserve him) continues the commentary which he began two years ago on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Qut al-Qulub</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Imam Abu Talib al-Makki’s foundational work in the science of Tasawwuf. He will also comment on the poem of Imam `Abdullah ibn `Alawi al-Haddad, entitled “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nasim Hajir</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.” Using the book and the poem Habib `Umar lays out the foundations which every seeker needs on the path to Allah. He emphasises the importance of sincerity in seeking spiritual process during these lessons and often repeats that by reading the words of these great scholars we are in fact sitting in their presence.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The gathering is usually rounded off with the recitation of some of the poetry of the great Imams of the Path, and then with the poetic supplication mentioned in these pages. Those attending the session then shake hands with the Shaykh and with each other, physically reinforcing the bonds that have been established during the gathering.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What follows is a rough translation of Imam al-Haddad’s poem, along with the Arabic text, followed by a brief explanation. The explanation is mostly taken from Habib Ahmad bin Abu Bakr bin Sumayt’s commentary on the poem, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">al-Kawkab al-Zahir</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Imam al-Haddad needs little introduction. Born in 1044 Hijri, he was widely regarded as being the foremost scholar and spiritual guide of his time, and subsequently as the renewer of the 12</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 6.6pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Islamic Century. His </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">da`wah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, his teachings in the form of poetry and prose, and his invocations spread far and wide during his lifetime and continue to spread to this day. He died in 1132 and was buried in the Zanbal Graveyard in Tarim. In this poem he expresses some of his love and longing for Allah and His Messenger </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and alludes to the stations of certainty that he has attained. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Nasim Hajir"</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Imam al-Haddad (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:</span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">نَسِيمْ حَاجِرْ يا نَسِيمْ حَاجِرْ هَلْ مِنْ خَبَرْ تَشْفِي بِهِ الخَواطِرْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">عَنْ جِيرَةِ الحَيِّ الّذِي تُجَاوِرْ فَالشَّوْقُ قَدْ أَرْبَى عَلَى السَّرائِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O breeze of Hajir, O breeze of Hajir, will you bring me news that heals my troubled soul?</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 0.75pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">News of those that live in proximity to him, for intense longing has overcome my heart</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the opening verses Imam al-Haddad addresses the breeze (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">nasim</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) which blows from Hajir, which is a place on the road to Mecca. In mentioning Hajir there is an indication that he is addressing the Messenger of Allah </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. We see this at the beginning of poems such as the Burda of Imam al-Busayri, where the poet mentions places in the vicinity of Mecca and Medina that point to the Beloved </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. The Imam addresses the breeze because when it blows it brings with it the scent of the beloved. We see this in the Qur’an when Sayyiduna Ya`qub says: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I do indeed scent the presence of Yusuf</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.(as)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The commentators say the wind carried the scent of Yusuf to him from a great distance. The Imam asks if this breeze bears any news of those that live in the proximity of the Beloved because his longing has become so intense he is unable to conceal it. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَافَيْتَ رَبْعِي يا نَسِيمْ الأَسْحَارْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ما نَامَتْ عُيُونُ الأَغْيَارْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">عَسَى مَعَكْ لِي يا نَسِيمْ أَخْبَارْ عَنِ الحَبِيبِ النَّازِحْ المُهَاجِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="2"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You came to my resting place, O breeze of the pre-dawn after all other things had slept</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Perhaps, O breeze, you have news for me of the Beloved who left and emigrated</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Imam once again addresses the breeze. The pre-dawn is significant because it is the time at which Allah manifests Himself to those seeking Him and answers their supplications. For most it is a time of deep sleep and heedlessness and it only the true seekers who are awake. The people of Allah use the word </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">aghyar</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or “other things” to refer to veils in the heart that prevent the slave from witnessing his Lord and being present with Him. When these veils are absent the heart is ready to be illuminated. The Imam likens these other things to people with vigilant eyes trying to cut the slave off from his Lord. Thus when those eyes are closed there is no barrier between the slave and his Lord. The “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beloved</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” referred to in the next verse is the Prophet Muhammad </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">who said: “Truly I am the Beloved of Allah, and this is not a boastful claim.” He is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">al-Muhajir</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, who emigrated from Mecca to Medina. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">حُبُّ الأَحِبَّةْ فِي الفُؤَادْ خَيَّمْ لاَ بَلْ جَرَى مِنِّي مَجارِيَ الدَّمْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وكُلَّما بَرْقُ الحِمَى تَبَسَّمْ</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> فاْضَتْ دُمُوعُ العَيْنْ فِي المَحاجِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="3"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The love of the Beloved is firmly planted in my heart Or rather it flows in my veins like blood</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whenever lightning strikes in the valley (of the Beloved) it brings forth floods of tears from my eyes</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Imam describes the extent of his love for the Beloved which he says has become inseparable from his flesh and blood. In the Arabic the plural is used referring to the Beloved, which could used be out of veneration of the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, or it could imply his love for the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and those beloved to him among his Companions and inheritors. Even the sight of lightning bolts striking in the valley of the Beloved causes him to remember him and he cannot restrain his tears. (See appendix on Allah’s love for His slave and the slave’s love for Allah)</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">مَضَى زَمَانِي فِي الجَفا ودَهْرِيْ ومَدْمَعِيْ قَد خَانَنِي وصَبْرِي</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَضَاقَ بِالفُرْقَةْ فَسِيحُ صَدْرِي ما حِيلَتِيْ كَمْ شَا أَكُونُ صَابِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="4"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My time has passed and all I have experienced is harshness so I have been unable to remain patient and withhold my tears</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Being apart has constricted my chest... what can I do and how long can I remain patient?</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here the Imam complains of the bitterness of not attaining what he wishes for from his Beloved. He is thus unable to restrain his tears, remain patient and prevent anxiety filling his heart.</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">عَسَى عَسَى يا ساكِنِينْ نَعْمَانْ أَنْ يَنْثَنِي حالُ الصَّفا الّذِي كَانْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ويَنْكَشِفْ حالُ الأَسَى والأَشْجَانْ بِوَصْلِ لَيْلَى بَهْجَةِ المَسَامِرْ</span></div><ol start="5"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Perhaps, perhaps O inhabitants of Na`man the time of purity will return as it once was</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To remove the sadness and sorrow with a gift from Layla, a delight to the eyes</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here the Imam addresses the inhabitants of the Valley of Na`man, which is situated near the Valley of `Arafah. It was the valley in which Allah assembled the progeny of the Prophet Adam (as) in their spiritual state before those spirits were joined with their bodies. The inhabitants which he addresses are probably the pure spirits with he finds comfort and affinity. The Knowers of Allah use the name “Layla” to refer to their love for the Divine. In the famous Arab story it was the love of Layla that drove Majnun almost to insanity. The intense passion that he possessed was then used to measure the love of those that claim to love Allah, since his love was for a created being whereas the Creator is worthy of being shown much more intense love. Amongst the gifts referred to is for Allah to unveil realities to the slave and enable him to witness Him. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">أَنَا الّذِي فِي حُبِّها مُتَيَّمْ مَحْزُونْ مَشْجُونُ الفُؤَادِ مُغْرَمْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">فَهَلْ تَراها يا نَدِيمْ تَعْلَمْ بِما بِقَلْبِيْ مِنْ هَوَىً مُخَامِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="6"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am overcome by my love for her saddened, forlorn, completely absorbed</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you think, my friend, she knows the love which is infused in my heart?</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here the Imam describes how his love for “Layla” has dominated his heart. He asks despondently whether she knows of his love in the knowledge that only the one experiencing these emotions truly knows them.</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">يا ساكِنِينَ السَّفِحْ مِنْ فُؤَادِي وادِيْ النَّقا يا خَيْرَ كُلِّ وادِي</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">حَيْثُ المُنادَِي يَسْمَعُ المُنادِي يَا أهْلَ البَصائرِ حَدِّقُوا البَصائِرْ</span></div><ol start="7"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O inhabitants of the canyon of my heart the valley of purity, the best of all valleys</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Where the caller hears the caller O people of insight, fix your gaze</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Imam likens those that he loves to inhabitants of a valley or canyon which is in his heart to convey how deeply rooted his love for them is. The valley referred to is either the valley in which Mecca lies or the valley in which Medina lies, or both, since both were ennobled by the presence of the Messenger of Allah </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. The caller referred to is the one who calls people to Allah, the first of whom was the Messenger of Allah </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, who is referred to in the verse:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our Lord, we have indeed heard the call of the one calling us to faith, saying: 'Believe in your Lord' and we believed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Then those that respond to the call become themselves callers.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another interpretation is that the caller is Allah, who calls out to His slaves in the pre-dawn, as in the hadith: “Is there anyone seeking forgiveness?” In that case the verse would read: “The one called upon hears the Caller.”</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">هَذا جَمالُ الحَقِّ قَدْ تَجَلَّى ولَمْ يَكُنْ مَحْجُوبْ قَبْلُ كَلاّ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">لَكِنَّ قَلْبَ العَبْدْ حِينَ يُجْلى شَاهَدْ وكَانَتْ مِنُّهُ السَّواتِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="8"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The beauty of the Real has become manifest although it was not veiled before that, never!</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But when the heart of the slave is polished it witnesses – the veils were on the heart of the slave</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Imam indicates that Allah has manifested Himself to his heart and he has thus witnessed His greatness and His attributes of beauty. The Knower of Allah can be defined as the one Allah has permitted to witness His essence, attributes, actions and names. The fact that Allah has manifested Himself does not mean that He was veiled before that. Rather it is the heart of the slave which is veiled from witnessing him due to the attributes of the lower self. Ibn `Ata’illah says in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hikam</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: “the Real is not veiled but you are the one who is veiled from seeing Him.” The unveiling of the heart occurs when it is purified of base attributes and then beautified with praiseworthy attributes. The slave is then able to perceive Allah with his inner sight and reaches the station of witnessing or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ihsan</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. When the Imam refers to “the slave” here he is referring to himself, announcing the bounty which Allah has bestowed upon him and thanking him for it –</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">as for the blessings of Your Lord – proclaim them!</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">طُورُ التَّجَلِّيْ قَلْبُ كُلِّ عَارِفْ ومَهْبِطُ الأَسْرارْ واللَّطائِفْ </span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">والنَّفِسْ مُوسَى تَشْهَدُ المَعارِفْ مَهْما تَجَلَّتْ واثْبِتِ الظَّواهِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="9"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The mountain of manifestation is the heart of every knower the point on which secrets and subtleties descend</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The self, like Musa, witnesses realities when they become manifest.. but confirm the apparent meaning</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The heart of the Knower of Allah is the place in which Allah manifests Himself. The meaning of manifestation is for the lights of the unseen to be unveiled to the heart. Here the Imam likens the heart of the Knower to a mountain upon which the secrets and subtleties of Allah descend. It was to the mountain that Allah manifested Himself at the request of Musa in the Qur’an so the heart is likened to a mountain and the self to Musa who witnessed that manifestation. Allah says: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain He turned it to dust and Musa fell down unconscious</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.#</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Another interpretation is that the mountain referred to is Mount Sinai or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tur Sina’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, the mountain upon which the Tawrah was revealed to Musa.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then the Imam alerts the reader that he has used Musa and the mountain merely as a metaphor, whereas the manifestation of Allah to the mountain at the request of Musa in the Qur’an should be taken literally. This is why he says: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">confirm the apparent meaning</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.” In other words, confirm the literal meaning as it has been revealed in the Qur’an and do not fall into the error of denying the literal meaning and replacing it with a figurative interpretation. The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Batiniyya </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sect deviated in this respect which led them to deny many of the outward obligations of the religion. As for the Sufi interpretations of the Qur’an, they do not deny the apparent meaning of the text, but rather affirm it while pointing to other meanings to which the apparent meaning points. Habib `Ali bin Muhammad al-Habashi said:</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Its meanings continue to be revealed to the scholars although its revelation has ended</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">والنَّفِسْ مِغْناطِيسْ أَمْرْ الإلْهَامْ والرُّوحُ مِغْناطِيسْ كَونْ الأَجْسامْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وذاكَ مِنْ بَعدِ التَّوَجُّهِ التَّامْ بِكُلِّ باطِنْ وبِكُلِّ ظاهِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="10"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The self is the magnet which attracts inspiration while the spirit is the magnet which pulls the body</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is only after absolute focus with both the inner and the outer </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here the Imam likens the self (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">nafs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) to a magnet since it is pulled towards its inclination in the same way that iron is pulled towards a magnet. Allah says of the self: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then He inspired in it the ability to distinguish between corruption and piety</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.The self may either be animalistic, leaning towards bestial desires, or it may be angelic, leaning towards knowledge and lofty things. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the second half of the verse the Imam likens the spirit (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ruh</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) to a magnet since it has a magnetic pull over the body. This only occurs, however, after intense inward and outward struggle, which the Imam refers to in the second verse. Inwardly the seeker must attain abstinence</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (zuhd)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and remove any attachment in his heart to material things. He must purify his heart of blameworthy traits and replace them with praiseworthy ones. Outwardly he must strive against the body’s physical desires, reducing his sleep, food and mixing with people and being in a constant state of remembrance of Allah (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">dhikr</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) and being consistent in regular acts of devotion (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">awrad</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">). At this point his spirit becomes dominant over his body. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">اللهُ أَكْبَرْ هَذِهِ الحَقِيقَةْ قَدْ أَشْرَقَتْ مِن مَشْرِقِ الطَّرِيقَةْ </span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">فَامْسِكْ أَخِي بِالعُرْوَةِ الوَثِيقَةْ وهِيَ اتِّباعُكْ سَيِّدَ العَشَائِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="11"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Allah is most great! This is the reality which has shone forth from the spiritual path</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So hold fast, my brother, to the most trusty handhold which is following the Master of all peoples</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The “reality” referred to by the Imam is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">haqiqah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, or witnessing the Devine essence, names and attributes in every created thing. This is knowledge which Allah gives directly to His slaves without any intermediary: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">attain taqwa of Allah and Allah will teach you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">haqiqah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> can only reached by means of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tariqah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or the spiritual path which in turn can only be taken after first submitting to the dictates of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shari`ah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or Sacred Law. For this reason the Imam says in the first verse that the reality “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">has</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shone forth from the spiritual path.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Imam Malik said: “Whoever acts upon his knowledge Allah bestows upon him knowledge which he did not previously possess.” In this statement we find </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shari`ah, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">which is knowledge</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, tariqah, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">which is acting upon that knowledge and finally</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> haqiqah, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">which is the bestowal of new knowledge. The Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is the one who reached the highest of spiritual stations and attained all aspects of human perfection and he is the medium in attaining all goodness in this life and the next. He is the only door through which one can enter the Devine presence. Thus in the second verse the Imam enjoins the seeker, if he wishes to attain the stations previously mentioned, to follow him. Allah says to His Messenger </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Say: if you love Allah then follow me, and Allah will love you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. The love of Allah, which is the goal of every seeker, is attained by following the Beloved </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and it is thus “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the most trusty handhold.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The one who holds fast to it attains the highest levels of felicity. Through it the path is illuminated and the way is open to reaching the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">haqiqah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">مُحَمَّدَ المَبْعُوثْ بِالهِدايَةْ والحَقِّ والتَّحْقِيقِ والوِلاَيَةْ</span></div><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">إنْسَانَ عَيْنِ الكَشْفْ والعِنايَةْ وَرُوْحْ مَعْنَى جُمْلَةِ المَظاهِرْ</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ol start="12"><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Muhammad, the one sent with guidance, truth, clarification and high station </span></li>
</ol><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The pupil of the eye of unveiling and divine care and the spirit of every created thing</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Messenger of Allah </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> was sent with guidance, as Allah says: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He is the One Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This guidance is of two types. The first is general guidance for the majority of people which is following the Sacred Law which the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> outwardly embodied. The second is special guidance for the elite which is travelling the spiritual path which the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> inwardly followed. The second cannot be attained without attaining the first. What is meant by “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">truth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” is the Qur’an or literal truth, the opposite of falsehood. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Affirmation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tahqiq</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is affirming facts and supplying evidence to support them. This was the role of the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – affirming the realities of the existence of Allah and the resurrection which he did by reciting to them the Book of Allah: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He is the One Who sent amongst the unlettered ones a Messenger from amongst them who recites to them His verses, purifies them and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">High station</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">refers to the special station of the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> in the sight of his Lord, which no other prophet, let alone ordinary human, can come close to. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then he approached and came closer, and was at a distance of two bow-lengths or closer. Then He revealed to His slave what He wished to reveal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. In fact all the Prophets and saints receive their spiritual assistance and sustenance directly from the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Imam al-Busayri says in the Burda:</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All of them are seeking from the Messenger of Allah </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A handful from the ocean or a sip from the rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the second verse the Imam likens the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to the pupil of the eye to which realities are unveiled. The use of the pupil is appropriate because it is the opening in the eye which allows light to enter. Just as physical things are perceived by the eye, likewise the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">witnessed unseen things: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He alone knows the unseen and He does not make anyone acquainted with His secrets except a Messenger whom He has chosen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Along with receiving the greatest portion of unveiling he(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> also received the greatest portion of Divine care, manifested in the stations to which Allah raised him. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The second half of the verse points to the fact that the essence of the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> permeates all created things just like the spirit permeates the body. This can be understood from the hadith which `Abd al-Razzaq narrates on the authority of Jabir who asked the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">about the first thing that Allah created. He replied </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “O Jabir, truly Allah created before all other things the light of your Prophet from His light.” Allah then proceeded to create all things from that light. In this sense he is the “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">spirit of every created thing.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">May Allah send endless peace and blessings upon him and his family and Companions and all those that follow him until the Last Day. Give us the ability to hold fast to his handhold and enable us through him to attain the highest of stations. All praise is due to Allah Lord of the Worlds. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Appendix</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Allah’s Love for His Slave and the Slave’s Love for Allah</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is inconceivable that Allah’s love be in any way similar to human love, which may be defined as tenderness in the heart. Some scholars say Allah’s love is expressed in His actions such as showing His favour and bounty to His slave, or showing His slave special care by protecting him and drawing him close.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> As for the slave’s love for Allah it is expressed initially in his submission to Him, in his seeking Allah’s pleasure and in avoiding all that displeases Him. At a higher stage it is a lofty station that words cannot express, the product of the purification of the soul from all worldly attachments. Someone who has reached this stage is unable to part with his Beloved and finds comfort in constant remembrance of Him. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The means of attaining this love are numerous. Here are some of them:</span></div><ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reflecting upon Allah’s generosity in bestowing His blessings upon His slave, forgiving his wrongdoings and enabling him to do good works. </span></div></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not relying upon one’s actions and witnessing one’s shortcomings.</span></div></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Striving to perform compulsory and supererogatory actions to the best of one’s ability in accordance with the Sunnah until one attains the proximity mentioned in the hadith qudsi – “My slave continues to draw close to Me by performing supererogatory actions until I love him.”</span></div></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Remembering Allah and standing in prayer in the pre-dawn in a state of neediness, seeking the gifts that Allah bestows at such a time. The hadith tells us that Allah has “breezes” which He sends at blessed times and that we should expose ourselves to those breezes, at whatever time they may blow.</span></div></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Making abundant supplication, manifesting one’s neediness, in obedience to Allah’s command: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Call upon Me and I will surely answer you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.# As the hadith says: “Supplication (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">du`a</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) is the essence of worship,” since the person calling upon Allah has given up hope in all other than Him. He thus realises the oneness of Allah and attains true sincerity, which together are the greatest form of worship.</span></div></li>
</ul><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Allah is displeased if you do not ask Him</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whereas the small child of Adam becomes angry when you ask him</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Attempting to imitate the lovers of Allah and their states by, amongst other things, reading their works.</span></div></li>
</ul><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Keeping a good opinion of Allah, which is a noble station and one of the stations of certainty (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">yaqin</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">). The elect have a good opinion of Allah due to His possessing sublime attributes whereas the ordinary believers have a good opinion due to the blessings they receive from Him. If the believer is unable to reach the rank of the elect then he should witness the blessings that Allah bestows upon him, and trust that Allah will benefit him and deflect harm from him while being extremely hopeful that Allah will accept his actions and forgive his wrongdoings. The believer should have an especially good opinion of Allah at the time of death, since the Prophet said </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: “Let none of you die except having the best opinion of Allah.” Allah says in the hadith qudsi: “I am as my slave believes Me to be, so let him believe what he wishes.”</span></div></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Taking oneself to account and repenting from all wrongdoings since repentance (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tawbah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) is the first station of the path to Allah. The seeker should seek much forgiveness from Allah and weep over the time that he has wasted.</span></div></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Being constantly aware of Allah in all states.</span></div></li>
</ul><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Habib Ahmad bin Abu Bakr bin Sumayt</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Habib Ahmad bin Abu Bakr bin Sumayt , who wrote </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">al-Kawkab al-Zahir</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, the commentary on Imam al-Haddad’s poem to which we are referring, was born in 1277 Hijri (1861 CE) in the Comoros Islands. The Bin Sumayt clan is one of the branches of the Ba `Alawi Sayyids, who trace their lineage back to `Alawi, the grandson of Imam al-Muhajir (died 345/956). Imam al-Muhajir was the first of the descendants of the Prophet </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(saw)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to settle in Hadramawt, and his progeny then spread widely in Hadramawt, East Africa and South East Asia. Habib Ahmad received his early education from his father and then travelled to Hadramawt in search of knowledge in 1298. He lived in the city of Shibam and would make regular visits to Tarim and Seiyun and other parts of Hadramawt. He received inward and outward knowledge from masters such as Habib `Aydarus bin `Umar al-Habashi, Habib Ahmad bin Hasan al-`Attas, Habib `Abd al-Rahman bin Muhammad al-Mashhur, Habib `Ubaydullah bin Muhsin al-Saqqaf and Habib `Ali bin Muhammad al-Habashi, who was the shaykh from whom he received his opening. In 1300 he travelled to Zanzibar, where he was appointed Qadi by the Sultan. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">However, he had a longing to travel the earth and in 1303 he left Zanzibar, going first to Istanbul, where he was graciously received by Sultan `Abd al-Hamid, and then to Egypt, the Hijaz, Java and India. In 1305 he returned to Zanzibar and was reinstated as Qadi. He once again visited Hadramawt in 1316 but lived out the rest of his days in Zanzibar, where he died in 1343 (1924). He authored a number of works, some of them commentaries on the works of Imam al-Haddad, and some of his fatwas were collected. His son Habib `Umar went on to become a great scholar and caller to Allah. May Allah benefit us by Habib Ahmad and his progeny. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Du`a at the end of the Rawha</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the du`a which is read at the end of the Rawha, followed by its translation:#</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="247"></col><col width="96"></col><col width="247"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">رَبَنَا انْفَعْنَا بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنَا<br class="kix-line-break" />رِبِّ فَقِهْنَا وَفَقِهْ أَهْلَنَا</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">رَبِّ عَلِّمْنَا الَّذِي يَنْفَعُنَا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَقَرَابَاتٍ لَنَا فِي دِيْنَنَا</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">مَعَ أَهْلِ القُطْرِ أُنْثَى وَذَكَر</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">رَبِّ وَفِقْنَا وَوَفِقْهُمْ لِمَا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَارْزُقِ الْكُلَّ حَلاَلاً دَائِمًا</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">تَرْتَضِي قَوْلاً وَفِعْلاً كَرَمًا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَأخِلاءَ أَتْقِيَاءَ عُلَمَاء</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">نَحْظَى بِالْخَيرِ وَنُكْفَى كُلَّ شَرٍ</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">رَبَنَا أصْلِحْ لَنَا كُلَّ الْشُّئونِ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَاقْضِ عَنَّا رَبَنَا كُلَّ الْدِّيُونِ</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَأقِرَّ بِالْرَضَا مِنْكَ الْعُيُونِ<br class="kix-line-break" />قَبْلَ أَنْ تَأتِيَنَا رُسْلِ الْمَنُونِ</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَاغْفِرْ وَاسْتُر أَنْتَ أكْرَمُ مَنْ سَتَر</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَصَلاةُ اللهِ تَغْشَى الْمُصْطَفَى<br class="kix-line-break" />بِكِتَابٍ فِيهِ لِلنَّاسِ شِفَاء</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">مَنْ إِلَى الْحَقِّ دَعَانَا وَالْوَفَا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَعَلى الآلِ الْكِرَامِ الشُّرَفَاء</span></div></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَعَلَى الصَّحْبِ الْمَصَابِيحِ الغُرَر</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">اللَّهُمَّ أهْدِنَا بِهُدَاكَ ، وَاجْعَلَنَا مِمَنْ يُسَارِعُ فِي رِضَاكَ ، وَلا تُولِّنَا وَلِيًّا سِوَاكَ ، وَلا تَجْعَلْنَا مِمَنْ خَالَفَ أمْرَكَ وَعَصَاكَ ، </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">وَصَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلّمَ ، وَالْحَمْدُ للهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ .</span></div><div dir="ltr"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="188"></col><col width="57"></col><col width="181"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">يَا رَبَّنَــا اعْتَرَفْنَـا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَأَنَّنَـا أَسْـرَفْنَـا<br class="kix-line-break" />فَتُـبْ عَلَيْنَـا تَوْبَـهْ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَاسْتُرْ لَنَـا العَـوْرَاتِ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَاغْفِـرْ لِوَالِـدِينَا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَالأَهْـلِ وَالإِخْـوَانِ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَكُـلِّ ذِي مَحَبَّـهْ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَالْمُـسْلِمِينَ أَجْمَـعْ<br class="kix-line-break" />فَضَلاً وَجُـودًا مَنَّـا<br class="kix-line-break" />بِالْمُـصْطَفَى الرَّسُـولِ<br class="kix-line-break" />صَلَّى وَسَـلَّمْ رَبِّـى<br class="kix-line-break" />وَآلِـهِ وَالـصَّحْبِ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَالْحَمْـدُ لِلإِلَــهِ</span></div></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></td><td style="border: 1px dotted #aaa; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="rtl" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 20pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">بِأَنَّنَـا اقْتَرَفْنَـا<br class="kix-line-break" />عَلَى لَظَـى أَشْـرَفْنَا<br class="kix-line-break" />تَغْـسِلُ كُـلِّ حَوْبَـهْ<br class="kix-line-break" />وَآمِـنِ الرَّوْعَـاتِ<br class="kix-line-break" />رَبِّ وَ مَوْلُودِينَــا<br class="kix-line-break" />وَسَــائِرِ الْخِــلاَّنِ<br class="kix-line-break" />أَوْجِيْــرَةٍ أَوْ صُـحْبَهْ<br class="kix-line-break" />آمِــينَ رَبِّ أَسْمَـعْ<br class="kix-line-break" />لا بِاكْتِـسَابِ مِنَّـا<br class="kix-line-break" />نَحْظَى بِكُـلِّ سُـولِ<br class="kix-line-break" />عَلَيْـهِ عَـدَّ الْحَـبِّ<br class="kix-line-break" />عِدَادَ طَشِّ الـسُّحْبِ<br class="kix-line-break" />فِي البِدْئِ وَالتَنَـاهِي</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our Lord benefit us by that which you have taught us </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our Lord teach us that which benefits us</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our Lord give us and our families and our relations </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And the people of the region male and female </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Understanding in our din</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O Lord give us and them the tawfiq to do and say</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What pleases You out of Your generosity</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And give all of us lawful provision always</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And give us God-fearing knowledgeable friends</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grace us with goodness and protect us from all evil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our Lord rectify all our affairs </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And grant us the joy of Your pleasure </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And settle all our debts</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Before the Angel of Death and his helpers come to us</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And forgive and conceal our faults, O Most Generous of Concealers!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And may the blessings of Allah cover al-Mustafa</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The one who called us to the truth and good faith</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With a Book in which there is healing for people </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And may His blessings cover his honoured and noble family</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And the Companions, the shining torches</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O Allah grant us Your guidance </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And make us amongst those who hasten to seek Your pleasure</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And do not entrust us to a guardian other than You</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And do not make us amongst those who disobey Your commands.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his family and Companions. Allah praise is due to Allah Lord of the Worlds.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O Lord we admit that we have committed sins</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And that we have exceeded the bounds </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(Such that) we are on the brink of a blazing fire</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So turn to us with a repentance </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Which washes away every wrongdoing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And conceal our faults </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And calm our fears</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And forgive our parents and our children</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And our family, our brothers and all our friends</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And all those we love and our neighbours and companions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And all the Muslims </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amin! O Lord listen to us!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Out of Your grace, Your generosity and Your favour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not because of our own actions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Through the Messenger al-Mustafa</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grace us with all we ask for </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Lord send peace and blessings upon him</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The number of every grain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And his family and Companions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As much as rain falls from the clouds</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And all thanks and praise be to Allah</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the beginning and the end.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://seekerofthesacred.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/nasim-hajir-of-imam-al-haddad/">link</a> </span></div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-91606373032774606922011-07-03T21:14:00.000-07:002011-07-03T21:14:09.688-07:00Explanation of ‘Nur ‘l-Idah’ in Hanafi Fiqh, Part 1 (The Chapter of Purification)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCwkRApeNZ7kj780rJJcS6hEvkSNY2WjonC7guG_NHvC0ZWAQUu3VDgrF5pDYocEeRC-FUCD4orxEjapJ3FLnSZhqH1GoIRhoJJKWd7fNmKyR92lPyVlFYjqBm39GKXrWUmPv1tizWXHU/s1600/Wudu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCwkRApeNZ7kj780rJJcS6hEvkSNY2WjonC7guG_NHvC0ZWAQUu3VDgrF5pDYocEeRC-FUCD4orxEjapJ3FLnSZhqH1GoIRhoJJKWd7fNmKyR92lPyVlFYjqBm39GKXrWUmPv1tizWXHU/s320/Wudu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Courtesy of <a href="http://seekerofthesacred.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/explanation-of-nur-l-idah-in-hanafi-fiqh-part-1/">seekerofthesacred Blog</a><br />
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<div class="entry"> BismiLlah…<br />
as-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatuLlah,<br />
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This is the first installment of the Nur al-Idah notes, on Hanafi Fiqh.<br />
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In this section, the following topics will be covered:<br />
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1) Types of Water; 2) Used Water; 3) Water not permissible to make wudu’ with; 4) Being ‘overcome’ by a substance; 5) Definition of a Small Amount of Water; 6) Remnant Water; 7) Examining containers and clothing.<br />
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The Arabic is hard to read here, and the formatting is by no means perfect. The PDF is more suited in both respects:<br />
<a href="http://seekerofthesacred.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/nur-al-idah-full.pdf">Download PDF</a><br />
<div align="center">بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم</div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">An Explanatory Translation of the Classical Hanafi Primer, <em>Nur ‘l-Idah wa Najat ‘l-Arwah</em> (The Light of Clarification and the Salvation of the Souls) – relating to the jurisprudence (<em>fiqh</em>) of worship</span></strong><br />
All praise is due to Allah, and may the blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad, as well as his noble and pure progeny, family and righteous companions. As part of these note-sharing series, I hoped to share something on the Hanafi madh-hab. The notes are largely comprised of Shaykh Atabek Shukurov an-Nasafi hafizahuLlah lessons on the text.<br />
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<strong>Introduction</strong><br />
<div align="right">كتاب الطهارة</div><em>“The Chapter of Purification”</em><br />
“Kitab”, here translated as “chapter”, is derived from the root letters k-t-b, which originally bore the meaning of ‘to join’. It came to mean ‘to write’ as during the process of writing, the letters are joined, particularly in terms of the Arabic language. “Kitab”, therefore, may be taken to be a term signifying the joining of ideas.<br />
“Taharah” linguistically refers to “purification”, though in a legal sense, it refers to purification with the intent of being able to perform the ritual prayer (<em>salah</em>), e.g. making <em>wudu’</em>, <em>tayammum, </em>purifying oneself from <em>najasah</em> etc<br />
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<strong>Types of Water</strong><br />
<div align="right">المياه التي يجوز التطهير بها سبعة مياه</div><div align="right">ماء السماء وماء البحر وماء النهر وماء البئر وماء الثلج وماء البرد وماء العين</div><em>“The types of water permissible for purification are seven: Rain water, ocean/sea water, river water, and water from wells, water from melted snow, hail water upon melting and spring water.”</em><br />
As for river water, there is some difference of opinion outside of the Madh-hab. Those that opposed the permissibility of sea water to be used to purify include Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad b. Sirin. The latter is reported to have stated: “Making <em>tayammum</em> is more beloved to me than using sea water”. However, we as Hanafis, state that this is a weak opinion, citing the hadith of the messenger of Allah sallaLlahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam on the water of the sea: “Its water is pure and its dead (me: e.g. fish) is permissible” (narrated by Ibn Majah, kitab at-taharah wa sunanuha, bab al-wudu’u bi ma’ il-bahr).<br />
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Related to the dead of the sea being permissible, there is an exception for animals which are found floating on the water, up-side-down, provided we did not see the death. This is since we do not know if the cause of the death was natural, in which case it would not be permissible. If you killed it, or saw that its death wasn’t simply due to its natural lifespan, it would be halal.<br />
<div align="right">ثم المياه على خمسة أقسام الأول طاهر مطهر غير مكروه وهوالماء المطلق</div><em>Water is divided into five types: The first being that which is pure and purifying, not disliked, and this is known as ‘absolute water’ i.e. pure water</em><br />
This refers to normal, unaffected water. It is pure in itself, and can purify other people. “Pure” in this sense refers to ritual purity, i.e. with regards to wudu’ and ghusl.<br />
<div align="right">والثاني طاهر مطهر مكروه وهو ما شربت منه الهرة ونحوها وكان قليلا</div><em>The second being pure and purifying, but disliked and it refers to that which a cat or a similar animal had drunk from it, provided the water is of a small quantity. </em><br />
The natural question which comes up is what type of dislike (<em>karahah</em>) the Imam is referring to. As a rule, whenever the Imam states an action is ‘makruh’ without qualification, it refers to being <em>makruh tahriman</em> i.e. prohibitively disliked, and thus incurs sin if performed. However, this case is an exception to the rule, and thus purifying oneself with this type of water is <em>makruh tanzihan</em> i.e. the somewhat disliked, where sin is not incurred if performed but if left, one is rewarded. This was the opinion of Abu l-Hasan al-Karkhi, and is the <em>mu’tamad</em> (relied-upon) position of our school. Other scholars, such as Abu l-Husayn al-Quduri held that it was <em>makruh tahriman</em> based on the fact that the saliva of a cat was attached to their [impermissible] meat, as they do not have beaks. However, this is not the final position of the madh-hab.<br />
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Do note that this <em>karahah</em> (being disliked) is conditioned upon the statement “and it is of a small quantity”. As for the definition of a ‘small-quantity’, this was differed upon during the earliest stages of the madh-hab. Imam Abu Hanifah held the <em>usuli</em> (relating to principles of jurisprudence) position that one must not specify anything with figures, if this is not directly narrated from the Qur’an or Sunnah. Consequently, he held the opinion that a small quantity was defined as “that which its waves reach from one side to the other”. Imam Muhammad, however, differed with the Imam, giving us the more precise definition of 10 by 10 arms. Although Imam Muhammad himself later adopted the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah, his initial opinion of 10 by 10 arms is the <em>mu’tamad</em>, and was the position of the scholars of <em>Bukhara</em>. This is since there is a danger of imprecision – a cup of water could perhaps be made out to be a large quantity based on the fact that a wave would not reach the other side etc.<br />
<div align="right">والثالث طاهر غير مطهر وهو ما استعمل لرفع حدث أو لقربه كالوضوء على الوضوء بنيته</div><em>The third [type of water] is that which is pure, yet does not purify [others]. It refers to that which has been used to remove ritual impurity, or in an act of drawing closer [to Allah], such as an ablution over an existing one, with that intention</em><br />
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As alluded to previously, the clause ‘does not purify’ relates to <em>ritual</em> impurity, and not removing physical filth (<em>najasah</em>). Thus, this ‘used’ or <em>musta’mal</em> water as it is known as, is that which has been used to remove ritual filth (<em>hadath</em>), and cannot be used for <em>wudu’</em> or <em>ghusl</em> purposes. However, the question arises as to when we perform wudu’, yet we are not removing any type of <em>hadath</em> i.e. renewing your wudu’, without breaking it.<br />
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<strong>Used Water</strong><br />
<div align="right">ويصير الماء مستعملا بمجرد انفصاله عن الجسد</div><em>The water becomes used merely by its separation from the body</em><br />
Technically, water becomes used immediately upon contact with one’s skin. However, since it would still be flowing across one’s limbs, it cannot be considered ‘used’ until after leaving the body. This is the position of Imam ash-Shurumbalali; as for Imam an-Nasafi, he held that it only became used water once it had settled on the ground.<br />
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<strong>That Which Cannot be Used to Make Wudu’ With</strong><br />
<div align="right">ولا يجوز بماء شجر وثمر ولو خرج بنفسه من غير عصر في الأظهر</div><em>It is not permissible to [make wudu’ with] water from trees and fruits, even if it were to freely flow from the tree/fruit, independent of any squeezing – in the most apparent opinion</em><br />
The reason behind specifically excluding water from fruits/trees, even if they came out without squeezing, was because of the opposing opinion of al-Quduri (author of <em>al-mukhtasar</em>) and al-Mahbubi (author of <em>sharh l-wiqayah</em>). These authors held that water which came out independently of squeezing the fruits/trees could indeed be used for <em>wudu</em>. However, their opinion is not the <em>mu’tamad</em> opinion; rather, such water is impermissible to use with regards to wudu’. This difference of opinion is also the reason behind ash-shurumbalali mentioning ‘<em>in the most apparent opinion</em>’, which – as has been mentioned – is the mu’tamad position in this case.<br />
<div align="right">ولا بماء زال طبعه بالطبخ أو بغلبة غيره عليه</div><em>Nor [is it permissible to use, for the purposes of wudu] water which has lost its nature as a result of cooking, or by another substance overcoming it</em><br />
Water has two characteristics which form its nature: [1] <em>riqqah</em> – softness and [2] <em>sayalan </em>– being flowing, and three qualities: [1] taste; [2] smell; and [3] colour.<br />
The Imam goes on to define what exactly the overcoming of another substance refers to:<br />
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<strong>Being Overcome by another Substance</strong><br />
<strong><em>Solid Substances</em></strong><br />
<div align="right">والغلبة في مخالطة الجامدات بإخراج الماء عن رقته وسيلانه</div><em>Being overcome in terms of the water mixing with solids is by the water having its softness and ability to flow removed</em><br />
In other words, in terms of solids, the water is only overcome once its nature is lost (softness, and being flowing). Thus muddy water (which remains able to flow and soft), would be permissible to use in wudu’.<br />
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<strong>EXCEPTION</strong>: Water that has been mixed with a solid and retains its ability to flow and softness, <em>yet is known by a different name</em>, is no longer permissible to use for wudu’. For example, tea bags are solid, and they mix with water, and its flow and softness is not affected. However, the water is known as ‘tea’, not ‘water’, so it is not permissible to use it for wudu’.<br />
<div align="right">ولا يضر تغير أوصافه كلها بجامد كزعفران وفاكهة وورق شجر</div><em>The [three] qualities are irrelevant in terms of </em><strong>solid</strong> <em>substances [mixing with the water], such as saffron, or fruit/tree leaves. </em><br />
The Imam affirms the irrelevance of the three qualities of the water, when dealing with solid substances mixing with the water. These three qualities, as mentioned previously, are [1] colour; [2] smell; and [3] taste. Saffron, for example, when mixed with water, may indeed change the colour, smell and taste, yet this water would still be permissible to make wudu’ with, simply due to saffron being solid.<br />
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<strong><em>Liquid Substances</em></strong><br />
<div align="right"><em> </em>والغلبة في المائعات بظهور وصف واحد من مائع له وصفان فقط كاللبن له اللون والطعم ولا رائحة له</div><em>Being overcome in terms of liquid substances is by the changing of one quality of a substance which only has two qualities e.g. Milk – it has colour and taste, but no smell</em><br />
When talking about liquid substances, we focus on the three qualities, and not the nature, because by definition, liquids are soft and are able to flow. Not every liquid, however, has all three qualities: colour, taste and smell. Milk only has a colour and taste, for example. In this case, if one quality appears in the water from the milk, the water has been overcome by the milk and cannot then be used for wudu’.<br />
<div align="right">وبظهور وصفين من مائع له ثلاثة كالخل</div><em>[Being overcome] for a substance with all three qualities, like vinegar, is by the appearance of two of the three qualities in the water</em><br />
Vinegar has taste, small and colour. If only one characteristic is manifested in the water that has been mixed with it, e.g. smell, the water will be permissible to use for wudu’. If two characteristics or more are manifested e.g. colour <em>and</em> smell, it will no longer be permissible.<br />
<div align="right">والغلبة في المائع الذي لا وصف له كالماء المستعمل وماء الورد المنقطع الرائحة تكون بالوزن</div><em>For substances which have no qualities, such as used water (ma’ al-musta’mal) or rose water which has lost its smell, being overcome is assessed as a result of weighing</em><br />
Rose water is not permissible to use to make wudu’ in, since water known by a different name, as discussed earlier, is not permissible to use for wudu’. Once it is left for long enough, it loses its rose smell. It therefore has no quality which distinguishes it from normal water (al-ma’ al-mutlaq). We therefore have to rely on weighing.<br />
<div align="right">فإن اختلط رطلان من الماء المستعمل برطل من المطلق لا يجوز به الوضوء</div><em>Thus, if two </em>ratls <em>of used water mix with one </em>ratl <em>of normal water (mutlaq), wudu is not permissible with it</em><br />
This is since the majority of the water i.e. 2/3 of it is not permissible to use for wudu’. However:<br />
<div align="right">وبعكسه جاز</div><em>The opposite scenario, however, is permissible</em><br />
This is referring to if there was two <em>ratls</em> of normal water, mixed with one <em>ratl</em> of used water.<br />
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<strong>Note: This is the end of the discussion on types of water forbidden to be used for wudu’. We resume the discussion on the types of water (aqsaam al-miyaah). We have covered the first three ([1] Pure, purifying; [2] Pure, purifying but Makruh; [3] Pure, not Purifying). </strong><br />
<div align="right">والرابع ماء نجس وهو الذي حلت فيه نجاسة وكان راكدا قليلا</div><em>The fourth type of water is the “impure water”, and this is the water in which impurity has fallen, while the water was settled, and of a small amount</em><br />
Arabic note: “qalilan” is not a description of “rakidan”, rather both words are <em>Ism Kana.</em> Thus the water is settled (raakid), <em>and</em> only of a small amount, not that the water is only a little settled.<br />
That which defines being a ‘small amount’ is mentioned next:<br />
<div align="right">والقليل ما دون عشر في عشر</div><em>Being of a small amount is being under 10×10 arms</em><br />
There is a difference of opinion on this point: Imam Muhammad held the position mentioned by ash-shurumbalali, but retracted from this position later on, back to Imam Abu Hanifah’s position. Imam Abu Hanifah held the principle that one must not specify a certain number which does not have an origin in the Qur’an or Hadith, and thus defined ‘small amount’ as water whose waves reach from one side to another, when one takes a bath. Imam Abu Hanifah’s opinion is in fact the mu’tamad, and is narrated via the <em>dhahir ar-riwayah</em>. However, his definition may open up problems for the layman, and so the more objective definition of 10×10 arms was taken by the scholars of Bukhara, mentioned here by Imam ash-Shurumbalali and is the <em>mufti bihi </em> position of our times (the opinion upon which fatwa is given).<br />
<div align="right">فينجس وإن لم يظهر أثرها فيه</div><em>So, [by having an impurity fall in settled water of a small amount], the water becomes impure, even if one cannot see the impacts of the impurity on the water</em><br />
As long as water is settled, and of a small amount, and some impurity has entered, all the water becomes impure whether you can see it or not. If some urine enters this water, for example, and you can no longer see it, the water remains impure.<br />
<div align="right">أو جاريا وظهر فيه أثرها</div><em>If it is flowing, the water becomes impure if the impacts are manifested</em><br />
If the water is flowing, and impurity enters, and one cannot see it, the water remains pure. If stool fell in the Atlantic Ocean, yet was washed away by the waves, the water remains pure.<br />
<div align="right">والأثر طعم أو لون أو ريح</div><em>The ‘impacts’ refer to taste, colour or smell</em><br />
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<strong>The 5<sup>th</sup> Type of Water</strong><br />
<div align="right">والخامس ماء مشكوك في طهوريته وهو ما شرب منه حمار أو بغل</div><em>The fifth is ‘doubtful water’ in terms of its ability to purify (not in its purity), and it refers to water in which a donkey or mule has drunk from</em><br />
The obvious question which would come up at this point would be why the water would be doubtful, and why donkeys and mules have been specified. As we know, water in which mice etc have drunk from fall under the second category of water: pure, purifying but makruh. The answer lies in the practice of the Beloved Messenger sallaLlahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. He sallaLlahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam would often use a donkey which – especially in the hot climate of Arabia – would certainly have been sweating. Its sweat would be coming from its meat, yet there are no known instances of the messenger sallaLlahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam specially washing his blessed garments due to this; from this, we can conclude that the sweat must have been pure. At the same time, eating a donkey is Haram, so there is doubt about the water that it has drunk from.<br />
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<strong>Remnant Water</strong><br />
<div align="right">فصل في بيان احكام السؤر</div><em>Chapter: Detailing the Rulings of </em>as-Su’r<em> (remnant water)</em><br />
<div align="right">والماء القليل إذا شرب منه حيوان يكون على أربعة أقسام ويسمى سؤرا</div><em>If an animal drinks from a small amount of water, it shall take one of four categories, and will be known as </em>su’r<br />
The first point to note is that the rulings of <em>su’r</em> remain limited to the confines of ‘a small amount of water’ (<em>al-ma’ al-qalil)</em>. Thus, irrespective of how many and what type of animals drink from an ocean, for example, it will have no bearing on its purity.<br />
<div align="right">الأول طاهر مطهر وهو ما شرب منه آدمي أو فرس أو ما يؤكل لحمه</div><em>The first category: pure and purifying – and the water which has been drunk from by a human, horse or an animal whose meat is eaten (halal meat)</em><br />
The question arises as to why the author separated between ‘horse’ and ‘animals whose meat is eaten’ (i.e. halal meat), bearing in mind that horses are considered <em>halal</em> in the mu’tamad of the madh-hab. The answer is that some of the mujtahids of our madh-hab, including one opinion (out of two) narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah himself, considered it otherwise. However, this was not the position of his two companions, nor that of the other madha-hib, nor the mu’tamad.<br />
<div align="right">والثاني نجس لا يجوز استعماله وهو ما شرب منه الكلب أو الخنزير أو شيء من سباع البهائم كالفهد والذئب</div><em>The second category: filthy and impermissible to use – where water has been drunk from by a dog, pig or any predatory animal e.g. cheetah, fox or wolf</em><br />
Of course, predatory animals are singled out due to their eating other meat, and of course the dog and pig are impure.<br />
An interesting linguistic feature to note is that <em>najis</em> means filthy i.e. the description of filth while <em>najas</em> is the filth itself. This is according to the technical usage of the aforementioned words; as far as language goes, both words mean the same.<br />
<div align="right">والثالث مكروه استعماله مع وجود غيره</div><em>The third category: disliked to use while other water is present</em><br />
Here, naturally one assumes that if it is disliked to use when other water is present, it would not be disliked if other water is not present. This is correct in this case, and is known as <em>mafhum ‘l-mukhalafah</em>. In fact, this is always understood when reading through fiqh texts. When it comes to the source texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, this is not necessarily the case according to Hanafi <em>usul</em>. Just because the case for one thing is mentioned, we cannot assume the case for the other is going to be the opposite.<br />
A more important point relates to the type of dislike being referred to here. As a rule of thumb, whenever something is mentioned as <em>makruh</em> without specifying the type, it is assumed it is <em>makruh tahriman</em> being referred to. However, this is not the case here, according to the mu’tamad and the position of Abu ‘l-Hasan al-Karkhi.<br />
<div align="right"> وهو سؤر الهرة والدجاجة المخلاة وسباع الطير كالصقر والشاهين والحدأة كالفأرة لا العقرب</div><em>This is the leftover water of a cat, stray chicken, predatory birds e.g. eagle, falcon and glede, as well as animals that tend to be located by houses such as a rat or snake, though not the scorpion. </em><br />
As mentioned in the maraqi ‘l-falah, a stray chicken is specified because of the chance that it had eaten impure meat.<br />
<div align="right">والرابع مشكوك في طهوريته وهو سؤر البغل والحمار فإن لم يجد غيره توضأ به وتيمم ثم صلى</div><em>The fourth category: that which is doubtful in its purity – the leftover of the mule or donkey. If other than it is not found, then one makes wudu’ with it, then tayammum (dry ablution), then one can pray. </em><br />
One performs tayammum in addition to wudu’. This is a precautionary measure, as mentioned in the maraqi.<br />
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<strong>Examining Containers (Utensils) and Clothes</strong> and the purity thereof<br />
<div align="right">فصل في التحري في الأواني والثياب</div><em>Chapter: on examining containers and clothing</em><br />
This chapter concerns what one does when one knows a few of some clothes/containers are filthy, yet one does not know precisely which ones are filthy and which are pure.<br />
<div align="right">لو اختلط أوان أكثرها طاهر تحري للتوضؤ والشرب</div><em>As for containers, if they are mixed i.e. placed next to/near each other (between pure and filthy), with the greater amount being pure, then one estimates, and this is valid for both drinking and performing wudu</em><br />
<div align="right">وإن كان أكثرها نجسا لا يتحرى إلا للشرب</div><em>However, if the majority are filthy, one does not estimate except to drink</em><br />
This is due to necessity – drinking is necessary.<br />
<div align="right">وفي الثياب المختلطة يتحرى سواء كان اكثرها طاهرا أو نجسا</div><em>With regards to mixed clothing (pure and filthy clothing placed next to/near to each other), one estimates whether the majority are pure or filthy</em><br />
</div></div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-27052746180729752332011-06-29T18:53:00.000-07:002011-07-03T20:54:42.004-07:00Welcoming the Blessings Month of Sha'ban<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TZ8C9kZxsQw/ThE5VTwi2mI/AAAAAAAAAYI/jqrV4oz4DQw/s1600/sha%2527ban.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TZ8C9kZxsQw/ThE5VTwi2mI/AAAAAAAAAYI/jqrV4oz4DQw/s320/sha%2527ban.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://abdulkarimyahya.com/2011/07/01/welcoming-the-month-of-shaban/">Welcoming the Blessings Month of Sha'ban</a><br />
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Interpreter's Path<br />
July 1, 2011 at 7:30 am ·<br />
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Bismillah<br />
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We will shortly be entering Shaban. Allah give us the best ending to the month of Rajab and the best entry to Sha’ban.<br />
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<b>Merits of Sha`ban</b><br />
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The scholars say that the linguistic root of the word Sha`ban is a branch, because the month of Sha`ban “branches off” and leads on to many good things. It acts as a bridge between the two blessed months of Rajab and Ramadan. In spite of this, it is often neglected. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) alerted us to this fact when he was asked why he was fasting so much in Sha`ban. He replied: “It is a month that people neglect, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which actions are raised to the Lord of the Worlds and I love for my actions to be raised while I am fasting.”[1]<br />
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What is meant by actions being raised? The scholars say it is a symbolic displaying of our actions to Allah. Of course Allah is All-Seeing, All-Knowing and does not need for our actions to be displayed to him as He is constantly aware of them. However if the slave is not aware of Allah’s constant vigilance then he should at least strive to do good actions at times when his actions are displayed to Allah. If he is able to gain Allah’s pleasure at these times then he hopes that Allah will overlook his wrongdoings and shortcomings at other times. There is a daily display after Fajr and `Asr, and a weekly display on Monday and Thursday, and a yearly display which takes place in the month of Sha`ban. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was keen to do good works at all these times and was keen for his Ummah to do the same.<br />
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One of the greatest works we can do in Sha`ban is fasting, and this is what the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) loved to be doing when his actions were raised, on Monday and Thursday and also during Sha`ban. Sayyida `A’isha said of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): “I did not see him fasting in any month more than Sha`ban.”[2] She also said: “The month which he loved to fast the most was Sha`ban.”[3] Both hadith of course refer to voluntary fasting outside of Ramadan. Some hadith suggest that he would fast the whole of Sha`ban, although there is perhaps more evidence to suggest that he would fast most of the month and leave a few days. In another hadith he said (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), in response once again to a question about his fasting in Sha`ban: “In this month those who are destined to die are recorded for the Angel of Death. I love for my name to be recorded when I am fasting.”[4]<br />
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One of the wisdoms behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) fasting abundantly in Sha`ban is mentioned by Sayyida `A’isha, who said that in Sha`ban he would make up any voluntary fasts that he had missed during the course of the year.[5] At this time she would fast with him to make up any of the fasts that she had missed in Ramadan.[6] From this we learn the importance of making up supererogatory actions which we are accustomed to performing and also the necessity of making up any days of Ramadan which we have missed before Ramadan comes round again. The scholars also mention that fasting in Sha`ban before Ramadan resembles praying the supererogatory prayers before the obligatory prayer, while fasting in Shawwal after Ramadan resembles praying the supererogatory prayers after the obligatory prayer. Performing supererogatory actions makes up for any deficiencies in the obligatory actions that we have performed.<br />
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In spite of all this the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said: “When the first half of Sha`ban is finished do not fast.”[7] The scholars of the Shafi`i school understood that this hadith prohibits voluntary fasting in the second half of Sha’ban, except in certain circumstances.[8] The other schools, however, say that there is no prohibition on fasting in the second half of the month but say that it is disliked to fast a day or two before Ramadan.<br />
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We have mentioned much detail on fasting and this is due to the sheer number of narrations on the subject. Even if we can just fast the “White Days”[9] or any three days this would have a great effect.<br />
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Other than fasting, it is recommended to send abundant blessings and peace upon the Beloved of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). It was in this month that Allah revealed:<br />
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( إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلاَئِكَـتَه ُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِيِّ يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً )<br />
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Allah and His angels send their blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe send blessings and peace upon him in abundance![10]<br />
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Perhaps this is why the Prophet called Sha`ban “my month,” when he said in the hadith: “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha`bān is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.”[11] Sending blessings upon him is one of the greatest means of strengthening our connection to him in this life and also the next, as he informed us (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): “The closest people to me on the Day of Rising will be those who send the most blessings upon me.”[12]<br />
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It was also the habit of some of the early Muslims to recite the Qur’an in abundance during Sha`ban. This along with fasting gives us the best preparation for Ramadan, as it takes time for the self (nafs) to become accustomed to doing these things in abundance. If we are already accustomed to doing them before Ramadan it will enable us to do more when the month begins. Perhaps this is why Imam Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: “in Rajab you sow the seeds, in Sha`ban you irrigate them and in Ramadan you reap the harvest.”<br />
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Two momentous events occurred in Sha`ban. The scholars of Sira say that it was the month in which the moon was split in half for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). It was also the month in which the Qibla (direction of prayer) was changed from Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem to the Ka`ba in Mecca. While these events have now passed there is one momentous event which comes around every year, and that is the Fifteenth Night of Sha`ban, one of the greatest nights of the year. We intend to deal with it in detail closer to the time.<br />
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We end by asking, as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked:<br />
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اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا في رَجَبٍ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنا رَمَضَانَ<br />
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“O Allah bless us in Rajab and Sha`bān and enable us to reach Ramadan!”[13]<br />
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[1] Narrated by Ahmad and al-Nasa’i<br />
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[2] Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim<br />
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[3] Narrated by al-Nasa’i<br />
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[4] Narrated by al-Haythami<br />
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[5] Such as fasting Monday and Thursday and three days in every month, which he may have been unable to perform due to expeditions and illness<br />
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[6] Narrated by al-Tabarani<br />
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[7] Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim and Ibn Hibban<br />
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[8] Such as if someone begins fasting in the first half of the month and continues his fast into the second half or if someone regularly fasted on a Monday throughout the year. In these situations it is permissible to fast in the second half of the month. A make up fast (qada’) is of course permissible, as this discussion only revolves around voluntary fasting.<br />
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[9] The “White Days” are the days which follow nights in which the moon is full, namely the 13th, 14th and 15th days of each lunar month. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) encouraged his Companions to fast three days in every month and to fast these days specifically. The 15th day is regarded as being in the first half of the month and thus there is no prohibition in the Shafi`i school on fasting it in Sha`ban.<br />
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[10] Al-Ahzab 33.56<br />
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[11] Narrated by al-Suyuti<br />
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[12] Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban<br />
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[13] Narrated by Ahmad<br />
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compiled by Ustadh Amin Buxton (May ALlah reward ad preserve him and his teachers)<br />
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</div>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6775322244723388374.post-69752209608883357222011-06-27T15:30:00.000-07:002011-06-27T15:30:26.021-07:00http://muslimvillage.com/2011/06/28/isra-and-miraj-the-miraculous-night-journey/<a href="http://muslimvillage.com/2011/06/28/isra-and-miraj-the-miraculous-night-journey/">http://muslimvillage.com/2011/06/28/isra-and-miraj-the-miraculous-night-journey/</a><br /><br /> <p><a href="http://muslimvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Isra-Miraj.jpg" rel="lightbox[11206]"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11207" title="Isra & Miraj" src="http://muslimvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Isra-Miraj-e1309195021202.jpg" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></a></p> <p>June 28 2011</p> <p><em>The Israa and Miraj refer to, two parts of an miraculous journey that Prophet Muhammad <img src="http://www.islamicity.com/global/images/photo/Islam/saws3%7E21x10.GIF" alt="" /> took in one night from Makka to Jerusalem and then an ascension to the heavens.</em></p> <p>The Prophet liked to go to the Kaba enclosure at night. He would stand there in prayer for long hours. One evening, he suddenly felt deeply tired and in great need of sleep. He therefore lay down near the Kaba and fell asleep.</p> <p>Muhammad has related that the Angel Gabriel then came to him. Gabriel shook him twice to awaken him, but Muhammad slept on; the third time the angel shook him, Muhammad awoke, and Gabriel took him to the doors of the mosque, where a white animal (looking something like a cross between a mule and a donkey, but with wings) was waiting for them.</p> <p>He mounted the animal, which was called al-Buraq, and started with Gabriel toward Jerusalem. There Muhammad met a group of prophets who had preceded him (Abraham, Moses, and others), and he led a group prayer with them on the Temple site. When the prayer was over, the Prophet was raised with the Angel Gabriel beyond space and time.</p> <p>On his way, rising through the seven heavens, he again met the various prophets, and his vision of the heavens and of the beauty of those horizons permeated his being. He at last reached the Lotus of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha). This was where the Prophet received the injunction of the five daily prayers and Revelation of the verse that established the elements of the Muslim creed (al-aqidah):</p> <p><em>“The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the believers. Each one believes in God, His angels, His books, and His Messengers. We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers. And they say: ‘We hear, and we obey: [we seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the end of all journeys.” Quran 2:285</em></p> <p>Muhammad was taken back to Jerusalem by the Angel Gabriel and al-Buraq, and from there to Mecca. On the way back, he came upon some caravans that were also traveling to Mecca. It was still night when they reached the Kaba enclosure. The angel and al-Buraq left, and Muhammad proceeded to the home of Um Hani, one of his most trusted Companions.</p> <p>He gave her an account of what had happened to him, and she advised him not to tell anybody about it, which Muhammad refused to do. Later on, the Quran was to report this experience in two different passages. One is in the surah whose title, “Al-Isra” (The Nocturnal Voyage), directly refers to the event:</p> <p><em>Glory to He Who took His servant for a journey by night from the most sacred mosque to the farthest mosque, whose precincts We blessed, in order that We might show him some of Our signs: for He is the One Who hears and sees [all things]. Quran 17:1</em></p> <p>It is also in the surah “An-Najm” (The Star): Quran 53:4-18</p> <p><em>“It is no less than inspiration sent down to him: he was taught by one mighty in power, endowed with wisdom. For he appeared in angelic form while he was in the highest part of the horizon. Then he approached and came closer, and was at a distance of but two bow lengths or nearer. So did God convey by inspiration to His Servant what He meant to convey. The heart in no way belied that which he saw. Will you then dispute with him concerning what he saw? For indeed he saw him at another descent, near the Lotus of the utmost boundary near it is the Garden of Abode-when that which covered the Lotus covered it. His sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong. For truly did he see, of the signs of his Lord, the Greatest!”</em></p> <p>The Night Journey and ascension were to give rise to many comments, both when the Prophet recounted the facts and later among Muslim scholars. When Muhammad went to the Kaba and reported his experience, jeers, sniggers and criticisms quickly followed.</p> <p>The Quraysh believed that at last they had proof that this so-called prophet was indeed mad, since he dared claim that in one night he had made a journey to Jerusalem (which in itself required several weeks) and that he had, furthermore, been raised to the presence of his One God. His madness was obvious.</p> <p>The Night Journey experience, presented in classical accounts of the Prophet’s life as a gift from God and a consecration for the Messenger, the Elect (al-Mustafa) was a real trial for Muhammad and those around him. It marked the boundary between those believers whose faith radiated in their trust in this Prophet and his message and the others, who were taken aback by the improbability of such a story.</p> <p>A Quraysh delegation hastened to go and question Abu Bakr about his mad and senseless friend, but his immediate, forthright answer surprised them: “If he says such a thing, it cannot but be true!” Abu Bakr’s faith and trust were such that he was not in the least disturbed, even for a second.</p> <p>After that, he personally went to question the Prophet, who confirmed the facts; as a result, Abu Bakr repeated forcefully: “I believe you, you have always spoken the truth.” From that day on, the Prophet called Abu Bakr by the epithet As-Siddiq (he who is truthful, who confirms the truth).</p> <p>The trial that Muhammad’s Night Journey presented for his fellow Muslims occurred at a moment when they were struggling with a most difficult situation. Tradition reports that a few Muslims left Islam, but most trusted Muhammad . A few weeks later, facts confirmed some elements of his account, for instance the arrival of caravans whose coming he had announced (having seen them on his way back) and of which he had given a precise description.</p> <p>Thanks to the strength of this faith, the community of Muslims would be able to face future adversity. From then on, Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abu Bakr were always to stand in the front line of this spiritual force.</p> <p>Muslim scholars have, from the outset, pondered the question of whether the Night Journey was of a purely spiritual nature or whether it was also physical. The majority of scholars consider that the journey was both physical and spiritual. All things considered, however, this question is not essential in the light of the teachings that can be drawn from this extraordinary experience undergone by the Messenger.</p> <p>There is first of all, of course, the centrality of the city of Jerusalem: at the time, the Prophet prayed facing the holy city (the first qibla, or direction of prayer), and during the Night Journey it was on the site of the Temple that he led the prayer together with all the prophets.</p> <p>Jerusalem thus appears at the heart of the Prophet’s experience and teaching as a dual symbol, of both centrality (with the direction of prayer) and universality (with the prayer of all the prophets). Later, in Medina, the qibla (direction of prayer) was to change-from Jerusalem to the Kaba-to distinguish Islam from Judaism, but this by no means entailed a diminution of Jerusalem’s status, and in the abovementioned verse the references to the “most sacred mosque” (the Kaba, in Mecca) and the “farthest mosque” (al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem) establish a spiritual and sacred link between the two cities.</p> <p>The other teaching is of a purely spiritual essence: all Revelation reached the Prophet in the course of his earthly experience, with the exception, as we have seen, of the verses that establish the fundamental pillars of faith (al-iman) and the duty of prayer (as-salat). The Prophet was raised to heaven to receive the teachings that were to become the foundation of Islamic worship and ritual, al-aqidah and al-ibadat, which require that believers should accept their form as well as their substance.</p> <p>Unlike the field of social affairs (al-muamalat), which calls for the creative mediation of people’s intellect and intelligence, human rationality here submits, in the name of faith and as an act of humility, to the order imposed by Revelation: God has prescribed requirements and norms that the mind must hear and implement and the heart must love.</p> <p>Raised to receive the injunction of ritual prayer, the Prophet and his experience reveal what prayer must in essence be: a reminder of and an elevation toward the Most High, five times a day, in order to detach from oneself from the world, and from illusions. The miraj (the elevation during the Night Journey) is thus more than simply an archetype of the spiritual experience; it is pregnant with the deep significance of prayer, which, through the Eternal Word, enables us to liberate our consciousness from the contingencies of space and time, and fully comprehend the meaning of life and of Life.</p> <p><em>This excerpt was taken from “In The Footsteps of The Prophet- Lessons from the Life of Muhammad” by Tariq Ramadan who is a professor of philosophy and Islamic studies at Oxford and at Erasmus University in the Netherlands.</em></p>Welcome to Islamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224719556119937251noreply@blogger.com0