almiskeenah

This is love: to fly toward a secret sky,
to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.
First to let go of life.
In the end, to take a step without feet;
to regard this world as invisible,
and to disregard what appears to be the self.
Heart, I said, what a gift it has been
to enter this circle of lovers,
to see beyond seeing itself,
to reach and feel within the breast.

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

…excuse the brevity but there has been a mishap with my glasses necessitating avoidance of ‘seeing’, especially screens!… hence choosing Rumi gems that seem appropriate for the situation…enabling one to plunge inner depths ‘to see beyond seeing itself’…Alhumdulillah…

…and Alhumdulillah for Fatima’s drawing…allowing us to journey to the Ka’abah through her expressive imagination, where she has captured the Hajarul Aswad, Hateem, Multazam, the curtain flung wide open revealing the Door and the faithful engaged in worship…SubhanAllah to how children’s innocence ‘sees beyond seeing itself’…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: Juma'ah Mubarak, Ka'abah, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi

Maghrib Symphony in Taqwa Major!

Cymbals crash,

a thundery pulse booms from the percussion instruments

orchestrated to accompany the falling sins as thousands wash, wipe, gargle and snuff

in preparation for meeting the One and Only to Whom we lower our lowly heads.

the strings hit notes of sublime majesty, coalescing with the celestial sounds of Angels’ wings

as they caress the Green Dome, dispatching Salam in numbers matching ocean bubbles,

to glide away with multifarious replies glittering as a concoction

of every shimmering dewdrop created, with the sparkle and twinkle

of the mass sum of constellations and the Milky Way.

thus is the lure of the Maghrib Symphony, played in Taqwa Major!

the lyrical grace notes suddenly slide into drums beating a marching, striding purposeful rhythm, mesmerizing and mobilizing feet of the devout.

wrinkled feet, white, black, brown feet. old, bare, painted, and stocking feet,

feet propelled;  dusty feet, cracked  feet, soft baby feet.

a maelstrom of patter, running, sauntering, shuffling magnetized momentum,

cymbals, timpani and tubular bells synchronize in surround sound.

the most blessed of earth records the identity of every present soul, witnessing.

every tiny pebble, every mote of dust, stretches of shiny marble, worn reflective concrete mirrors,

witnessing intentions of the reflective mirror of hearts protected in cages of ribs

as they beat on cue to an expected crescendo.

souls dance in anticipation of the ultimate bow of humility,

the bow to the unfurling of all veils

accompanied by a human chorus exalting …submitting.

a massed praising; a choral refrain of hushed mumbled glorifications

interspersed with delicate clicks of wood, stone, seeds and plastic.

the climax is imminent as sunlight weaves into twilight

sun slipping off stage behind a dusk curtain.

The Conductors baton is raised,

the giant tuning forks vibrate

the Universe vibrates……..

ALLAAHU AKBAR   A -L -L –A-A–H- U    A -K –B- A- R     A -L -L –A-A –H- U    A -K –B- A- R.

as-salatu wa salamu alaika Ya Sayyidy Ya Rasulullah

~*~

…YA RABB…Please answer all of the Du’as almiskeenah is making for all the very needy requests that have come her way these days….YA RABB PLEASE answer them favourably for all the ones asking and firmly plant Sakeenah in all hearts and lives. And for whatever outcomes You deem the best, through Your Wisdom, to be embraced with loving grace and submission …Ameen

~*~

…photos taken yesterday after Asr…words from a post way back when…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: devotion, Dome of Felicity, Dome of Peace, Du'a, Green Dome, Habibullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, Ishq, Madinah al Munawwarah, Muhabbah, pilgrims, Sakeenah, submission, Umrah, Ya Rabb

…AL MUQSIT…Allah Ta’ala is the One who acts and distributes in justice and fairness…the Equitable…

He gives riches to some and poverty to others. He gives power to some, weakness to others, valour to some, fear to others. He gives what He gives to the right ones…

Allah Ta’ala treats His servants equitably. Not a single good goes unnoticed. Each receives a reward. Mistakes, errors, injustices are corrected. When people tryannize each other, He takes from the tyrant and gives to the tyrannized one.

Its perfection lies in linking the satisfaction of the wrongdoer [resulting from the crime] to the satisfaction of the one wronged, for that is the ultimate in justice and equity, yet none is capable of it but God, may He be praised and exalted.

An example of this may be found in what is related of the Prophet, may God’s blessing and peace be upon him, that once while he was seated he laughed so that his teeth showed, and ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, said” ‘My father and my mother be your ransom, O Messenger of God: what is it that made you laugh?’ He said: ‘Two men from my community fell on their knees before the Lord of Power, and one of them said: “O Lord, let this one make restitution to me for the way he has wronged me.” And God, great and glorious , said: “Make restitution to your brother fro the wrong you did to him.” And he said: “O Lord, I have no good deeds left.” Sp He said, the great and glorious One, to the petitioner: “How will you manage with your brother since he has no good deeds left?” And that one said: “O Lord, let him relieve me of some of my burden of sin.” Then the Messenger of God began to weep, may God’s blessing and peace be upon him, and said: ‘What a mighty day that will be, when people will need others to relieve them of their burdens!’ He went on to say: ‘So God, great and glorious, said to the one who had been wronged: “Lift your eyes and look into Paradise.”

…a compilation from Imam Ghazali and Shaykh Tosun Bayrak‘s writings on the Glorious 99 Names, May Allah Ta’ala’s mercy shower them both…

…Shaykh Yahya Rhodus at this point in the lesson said (paraphrased) that to make another Muslim feel bad is worse than if you were to tear the Ka’abah apart stone by stone! And that true chivalry is to make Du’a for the one who has harmed you to enter Jannah, not, due to revenge, to make Du’a for them to enter Jahannam!

…Insha’Allah let us ponder upon the attributes of AL MUQSIT in relation to our state right now…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: 99 Beautiful Names, forgiveness, Imam Ghazali, Seekers Guidance, Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus

…the building on the left and below has gone…

…what was a colourful and distinct landmark for telling people where to turn off the main Qurban St, that leads out of Madinah, how to get to our place is history…along with so many other places…and with many more about to be reduced to rubble…

…the majority of visitors to the Kingdom wear expressions of disbelief when they realize that there are no street directories, no street addresses and no postal delivery…prominent landmarks are the only means of describing any location…finding places can be like a treasure hunt…often with the same elation of actually arriving at your destination being akin to discovering a treasure!!

…the demise of buildings along this very narrow congested stretch is preparing for roadworks that Insha’Allah will eventually improve the access from Haram towards the Quba area and the Hijrah Highway…

…meanwhile the disruption requires patience…

…and forbearance…especially for the elderly and the vendors, as no passing traffic means a slump in trade…

…interesting how previous little hidden abodes become exposed..but I guess not for long…lessons in how temporal life is…a sort of similitude to lessons on Tazkiyatul Nafs…as we ‘demolish’ one thing  another layer is exposed for attack, and hopefully conquer, by clearing the rubble away…before yet another and another is revealed…and so life goes on…Insha’Allah Allah Ta’ala gives us Tawfiq with this process of going going gone…

…looking across to Masjid Bilal…

…while a little further towards Haram this food outlet defies all the activity around it and still serves fired foods and tea…but how long can it last?

…the flimsy construction now sits on a precipice that is part of the works related to what will be the new Ring Road…

…it is now within the boundary of the work behind concrete blocks…within a very confined area…but still customers sit there…

…scenes from this same area last October…also photos of the ‘cardboard house’ (see below) which was just opposite this tea hut…

…and going…the overhead bridge that eventually will be demolished when the new section is complete…

…all that remains of the ‘cardboard’ house…backtracking to when it was ‘lived in’…1…2…a mystery why even these two items remain…

…and going…Dear Khala and Chacha who have been in this humble building in Awali, running a Madrassah for young girls and small boys for nigh on thirty seven years are moving this week…previous related posts…1…2…

…all those years living with a tree growing from within the kitchen and the open sky in one section of the house, SubhanAllah!! the Madrassah will continue as it benefits so many girls in that area and Khala and Chacha’s new abode is too far away for them to attend there…

…gone are the quirky features that have defined their home for so long…Insha’Allah make Du’a for a peaceful and relaxing adjustment in their brand new accommodation…

…may all who have been blessed to study here, or visit, continue to keep Khala and Chacha in their Du’a and may all their sacrifices made for the sake of Allah Ta’ala be as huge as mountains and as deep as oceans in their Akhirah…AMEEN!

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Awali, Awali Madrassah, First Ring Road, Masjid Bilal, Qurban Street, streets of madinah

…studying the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah with Shaykh Yahya Rhodus through Seekers Guidance has been incredibly enlightening, Masha’Allah…the course has been based on Imam Ghazali’s text, The Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God…there is a final intensive session later this evening, 8pm Madinah time, Insha’Allah…Allahu ‘Alum, I think it is open for all to log in…

…Imam Ghazali’s notes on the Beautiful Name AL HAKIM included the following which washed over the heart as soft silk fluttering in a perfumed breeze…

AL HAKIM…the Wise…is the one who possesses wisdom. Wisdom is equivalent to knowledge of superior things through the highest modes of knowing. But the most sublime thing of all is God…may He be praised. And we have seen that no-one other than He can truly know Him. He is the truly wise because He knows the most sublime things by the most sublime modes of knowing.

…he then offers counsel for this Name:

Whoever knows all things without knowing God, great and glorious, is not worthy to be called wise, because he does not know the most sublime and highest of things.

and then Imam Ghazali shares the following from our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam:

‘the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God’
‘The shrewd man is one who judges his soul and works for whatever comes after death, while the incompetent subordinates his soul to its passions and hopes in God’
‘That which is little yet sufficient is better than a great deal which distracts.’
‘For one who becomes healthy in his body, safe in his surroundings with his daily food, it is as thought the world in its totality belongs to him.’
‘Be godfearing (wari) and you will be the most worshipful of people; be content and you will be the most grateful of people.’

‘speech is responsible for misfortune.’
‘Part of the attractiveness of man’s Islam is to leave alone that which does not concern him.’
‘The happy man is one who is instructed by [the fate of] another.’
‘Silence is wisdom, but few accomplish it.’
‘Contentment is a wealth that will not be consumed.’
‘Perseverance is half of faith; certainty is the whole of faith.’

These expressions and their like are termed wisdom, and whoever is adept at them is called wise.

…Insha’Allah may we all gain a closeness to our Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala by pondering on His Attributes through His most Beautiful Names…let us draw nearer and nearer to Him by reciting His Name and His Attributes so that we begin to feel that we not only know the Name, but also the Named,  Ameen…

…click on these stunning art works for source…

…increase your bank of knowledge and Insha’Allah your wisdom by being a student enrolling with Seekers Guidance courses…where they promote Knowledge without Boundaries by offering all course free…with donations gladly received…SubhanAllah…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: 99 Beautiful Names, 99 Names of Allah, Al Hakim, Asmaa al Husna, Imam Ghazali, Salma Arastu, Samir Malik, Seekers Guidance, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus

…the joy in cultivating the Deen in our precious little ones has no boundary…the children of the Ummah are a trust and part of their Haqq on us is to provide for a creative and fun way of learning the essentials of the Deen…simple paper play that requires very little to arrange and is a ‘minimal mess’ activity lends itself to our tiny tots grasping concepts and understanding story lines and lessons from the Qur’an, Seerah, the endearing stories of the Illustrious Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum and the basics of what is deemed good Akhlaq…

…here you see the cutest of elephants representing the ones that came with Abraha from Yemen with the intention of destroying the Ka’abah…seen with some of the cruel army…the children ‘acted out’ this encounter using the characters they had drawn…as those who knew Surah Fil recited it with great gusto…with tinier ones making effort to sing along, mimicking sounds…

…with the birds flying above with the baked clay in their beak and in each claw…

…Insha’Allah, such vivid and active play has the potential to make the wonders of the Qur’an come alive in the smallest of hearts…and short verses can be chanted while they are immersed in their ‘art work’…

…groups of friends or families may be the focus for a specific lesson based on Hadith or any aspect of Fiqh or the Sunnah…topics are endless…

…the simple cut out figures are made to stand by using large paper clips stuck to the back…making the ‘character’ easily moved around and able to ‘interact’ with others…

…or ‘transported’ to a particular place for the purpose of ‘educating’…this is Masjid Hassan 11 in Morocco, beautifully illustrated by a very talented Yusuf, JazakumuLlahu khaira…may Allah Ta’ala guide him to use this gift in the best way to benefit others, Ameen…so with a Masjid as the background the learning could be about the Fiqh of children in the Masjid…or the etiquette of the Masjid…

…or taking some of the advices on visiting our Beloved Porphet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam from the etiquette of visiting the Haramain…

…or the etiquette of Juma’ah…

…so many inspiring ideas to engage the young flag bearers of our Deen are available online  …check here and here for a start…and Insha’Allah begin such play very early with those in your care…children are a trust, not only to parents but to us all…and Allah Ta’ala will question us as to how much we have satisfied the spiritual, social and religious needs of the little ones around us…make time to cultivate good Adab, pleasant Akhlaq and positive role modelling using creative play in addition to basic ‘telling or lecturing’…learning can be so much fun for all…and a manifestation of our mercy to children, and thus fulfilling the wisdom of the Hadith…and gaining the greatest of rewards…Insha’Allah…

We unite believers with their offspring who follow them in faith…We do no deny them any of the rewards for their deeds… (52:21)

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

…may Allah Ta’ala shower all who contributed to this post with His Choicest Blessings and Unlimited Bounties from His Treasury, Ameen…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: Adab, Akhlaq, Etiquette of Haramain, Etiquette of Juma'ah, Fiqh of children in masjid, Islamic activity, Islamic children, Islamic play

…like a prayer…mat…shares the touching story of Debbie’s year long devotion to hand stitching a gift of a prayer mat for a ‘friend’ using the dramatic Japanese Sashiko embroidery technique…(tutorial here)

…visit her account of this project…where one is moved not only be her crafting talent, patience and fresh honesty, but also by the purity of generosity and love…Debbie’s selflessness also embraces being a home schooling mother…dedicated to the wholistic well being of her two boys…devoting her time and energies in establishing a solid foundation for them…unlike mothers who have ‘spare’ time when children are sent to school, she sacrifices, along with managing a humble home where wholesome alternatives to many aspects of living are addressed…wander through her archives for examples…breadmaking, chemical free detergents, healing balms, hand knits and crochet, quilting, tackling spinning, gardening, preserving produce, thrifting…with the dream of running a farm…practical revival of skills that are fast becoming extinct in the fast lane that unfortunately dominates our contemporary lifestyles…that consumes the soul and flits away valuable resources…may Allah Ta’ala fulfill her dream and more, Ameen…

…and so…after admiring Debbie’s work on this prayer mat via her blog and wondering who may be the blessed recipient…one can only guess the euphoria of having a small package handed to me to find Debbie’s ‘prayer mat’ neatly folded inside…through tears and gasps of disbelief I was holding a piece of LOVE…a love that Allah Ta’ala has manifested between sisters who have never even met!! what a unique form of love this is…a love that so often shines through with others who visit this humble space…SubhanAllah! We usually define ‘friendship’ as being between people who have met…so what of friendship with those who have never met…SubhanAllah!! Allahu Akbar…so great is the Muhabbat Allah Ta’ala has blessed us with opening hearts to allow this love to surge through…SUBHANALLAH!

…this beautiful mat IS a prayer…as if each stitch is imbued with Dhikr…as the hands touch each stitch raised on the smooth cool linen it seems buds of love burst forth…and there is a fragrance…it is not earthly…as though generosity and dedication exude an elixir…without sounding weird…or exaggerating…it’s as though the tactile sensation is already touching something otherworldly…heavenly…when actions and intentions are pure…is this what we can experience??

…the gratitude…to Allah Ta’ala for His unlimited Bounties…seems to be immeasurable…His Divine Words say:

If you are grateful, I will give you more. (14:7)

…Insha’Allah…Insha’Allah…Insha’Allah…

…Junayd Rahmatullahi alaihi said: ‘Thankfulness is that you not see yourself as deserving of the blessing’…and that is part of the emotion rippling through this grateful recipient right now…

…words seem inadequate in expressing the gratitude and thankfulness Dear Debbie…Du’a has been and will continue to flow from this meek slave for you and yours…

…The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam used to accept gifts and used to give something in return, from Sahih Bukhari, which has an entire Chapter on The Book of Gifts and Their Excellence…SubhanAllah…the infinite blessings and inspiring accounts are abundant for the Ummah of Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to emulate and apply, Insha’Allah…

…JazakiLlahu khairan katheeran abada Dear Debbie for all that this gift means…so treasured…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

Tags: friendship, gift, Hadith, hand embroidery, My So Called Life And Other Lies blog, prayer mat, Sahih Bukhari, Sashiko embroidery, Sashiko thread, sharing