Monthly Archives: May 2012

…Hadramawt connections…

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…sitting here with blessed visitors the conversation was constantly glittered with SubhanAllah superlatives…the heart and soul tugging strings that were  anchoring us to how we were perceiving what was around us…however allowing these strings to be released one is able to descend beyond the real and to be free to be transported back in time…imagine…even  a thousand years before our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam a letter being stored in the area approximately corresponding to the right edge of this photo…the place marking where the house of Abu Ayyub Ansari RadhiAllahu anhu’s house was…imagine even then, of some one realizing the sacredness of the Mubarak dust of this Enlightened City (link to a moving five minute clip with Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa…a MUST watch!)….imagine a love so intense for one who was a thousand years away from entering this world, and yet believing in him and seeking his intercession…read of the incredible story of a Yemeni King who sent a letter to our Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam a thousand years before his birth, seeking his intercession! And Allah the Almighty knows best of the authenticity of this account…

They took the soil of Medina and smelled it…they wished to live in Medina and stated that if they were fortunate, one day they would meet the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. But if they didn’t, the dust from the Holy Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s sandals would land on their graves. This at least, they thought, would bring blessings and be their salvation.

~*~

…imagine hearing the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam saying: ‘I can smell the beauty of my friend from the land of Yemen’…and ‘I feel a sweet, peaceful breeze (naseem-e-rehmat) from Yemen’…while referring to the esteemed Owais al-Qarni who never sighted our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, but whose love was so intense and would invoke Allah Ta’ala:

“O Allah, You created me when I was not worthy of mention;
And You provided for me when I had nothing;
And I wronged my soul and sinned, and I confess my guilt.
If You forgive me, that will in no way diminish Your sovereignty;
And if You punish me, that will in no way augment Your authority.
You can find others to punish besides me,
But I can find no one to forgive me but You.
Truly, You are the most merciful of those who show mercy.”

~*~

…imagine the immense blessings and honour that Allah the Most High has bestowed upon the lands of Yemen and giving it a unique status that no other place, besides the two sacred cities of Makkah and Madinah, enjoys…read about these from the serene and tranquil Tarim, where the family of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam continue with teaching and living his  noble Sunnah… whose gems and treasures can be found in these pages: Habib ‘Umar, Habib Ali, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf…may Allah Ta’ala preserve and sanctify their secrets, Ameen…

…so vicariously sit right now…give freedom to the heart and soul to journey back in time and space and imbibe in Hadramawti love and belief…and then access the wealth of knowledge that continues to flow from this Mubarak land via the noble lineage of our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…and Insha’Allah make Du’a for them and for all students sacrificing for the Deen as they study there, Ameen…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

 

…an archival photo…

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.

…dream…

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Oh beloved of the Lord, hear my greeting, hear my call

 Bless this seeker of your love with the vision of you.
From Talib al-Habib’s Songs of Innocence

Abu Al-Qasim al-Subki narrated in al-Durr al-munazzam fi al-mawlid al-mu’azzam that the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: “Whoever sends prayers upon the soul of Muhammad among the souls, upon his body among bodies, upon his grave among graves, he will behold me in his dream vision. And whoever beholds me in his dream vision will behold me on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever beholds me on the Day of Resurrection shall receive my intercession and whoever receives my intercession shall drink from my basin [Hawd] and Allah will forbid his body from the Fire.”

…seventeen means of obtaining the blessed vision of our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam shared here, with additional inspirating narrations here…

ON THE MEANS OF BEHOLDING THE PROPHET SallAllahu alaihi wasallam IN A DREAM by Imam Yusuf b. Isma’il al-Nabahani…(click image to enter Ihsanica site)

This unique collection, taken from Imam Yusuf al-Nabahani’s monumental Sa‘adat al-darayn fi al-salat ‘ala Sayyid al-kawnayn (Felicity in the Two Abodes Through Prayers upon the Master of the Two Realms – may Allah bless him and grant him peace), details forty tried and true methods for seeing the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in a dream. Gleaned from the works of the early and later spiritual masters, this collection is a veritable treasury of Gnostic expressions of prophetic love and longing. Each supplication is presented in its original Arabic along with its translation and transliteration.

Whoever beholds the Chosen One (al-Mustafa) in a dream shall receive a good end at death (Husn al-khatima); he shall gain the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) Intercession and win unto Paradise; Allah will forgive him and his parents (if they were Muslims); it will be as if he completed the Quran twelve times; the pangs of death will be made easy for him to bear; the torment of the grave shall be removed from him; he will enjoy security from the terrors of the Day of Standing; and with Allah’s subtle kindness and generosity, all of his needs in this life and the Next will be fulfilled.

 

 

Do not be saddened, dear reader, if you implement some of the means presented here and fail to behold the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam: it is enough of an honour for you that Allah has blessed you with the ability and pure intention to invoke blessings and salutations upon His Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Allah does not make one’s tongue moist with praises for His Beloved SallAllahu alaihi wasallam save that He blesses that person with more and draws him or her near. And what’s more, Allah has blessed you with the intense longing to see His Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, and that alone may be the wind in your sail to drive you unto him and be under his standard on the Last Day and to drink of his pure Pond.

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

…the above three photos are details the Qiblah Wall in Masjid Nabawi…they were received in an email so apologies for not giving credit where credit is due…

…the photo that adorns the cover of the above book is the decorative Mihrab marking the place where our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam led the prayer…the current Mihrab is directly behind this, recessed in the Qiblah Wall…the pillar directly behind the Prophet  SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s Mihrab marks the position where our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam would deliver the Khutbah whilst leaning on the date palm trunk which wept bitterly when a new Mimbar was made…it is called the Perfumed Pillar, as well as al-Hannana,

…off to dream, Insha’Allah…and please excuse this humble speck…a short Rajab hiatus is to begin…

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.

…today’s walk to Masjid Nabawi…

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O Allah! Bestow blessings on Sayyidina Muhammad,
who is the best among Prophets sent by You
and the most noble among Your chosen people,
the leader of the saints, and the Seal of the Prophets,
and the beloved of the Lord of the Worlds,
a witness for the Messengers of Allah (on the Day of Judgement)
and the intercessor for sinners,
the leader of all the children of Prophet Adam Alayhissalaam;
whose remembrance has been exalted among the highest angels,
who brings glad tidings (of heaven) and warns (against hell-fire),
a shining light, truthful, trustworthy, manifest truth,
most kind and merciful, the guide to the straight path,
whom You gave the seven often-repeated verses of Surah Fatiha
and the magnificent Qur’an,
the Prophet of mercy and the guide of the nation,
the first one to be resurrected and to enter paradise,
and one who is supported by angels Jibril and Meekaail,
whose coming had been foretold in the Torah and the Bible,
Mustafa, Mujtaba, the selected one, the father of Qasim,
Muhammad, son of ‘Abdillah, son of ‘Abdil Muttalib, son of Hashim.

Source

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.

…preparation…

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…so the Scared Month of Rajab is nigh…the month of preparation that leads to Ramadhan…time to exert effort on the heart…weeding out all that distances us from Allah Ta’ala…it is said Rajab is Allah Ta’ala’s month…

Rajab is Allah’s month in which He pours His Mercy upon the penitent and He accepts the actions that people have done for His sake. The Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, said, “Rajab is the month of Allah, and Sha’aban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.” (Imam Al-Suyuti in Al-Jami )

…Mercy POURED on the repentant…who doesn’t want Mercy poured on them and actions accepted?…purposeful actions that earn favours and reward and not chastisement…make the intention to prepare for a month of excessive Istighfar, fasting, polishing the heart…

…and Imam Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: “in the month of Rajab you sow the seeds, in Sha`ban you irrigate them and in Ramadan you reap the harvest.” He also said: “Rajab is like a wind, Sha`ban is like a cloud and Ramadan is like rain.”

…so what preparations are we willing to make…we prepare for so many events, occasions, celebrations that are of the Dunya kind…can we extend the concept of preparation to embrace all that will benefit our Akhirah?

…what is the distance between our tongue being motivated by our heart to be uttering copious Istighfar and the actualization of this during this month of forgiveness…

…this is the month when our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum travelled the enormous distance to Tabuk, it was the last battle Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam participated in…what distances do we travel for the cause of our Deen…what is the distance between us knowing what the Sunnah is and actually practicing it…

…the distance is but a few moments before Ramadhan…what distance lies between us and our readiness for this joyous visitor…the month of the Qur’an…the month of purifying…what distance have we stepped in preparation…

…the shortest distance between a problem and it’s solution is the distance between your knees and the floor… the one who kneels to Allah Ta’ala can stand up to anything…how much are we prepared to kneel this month?

…and what is the distance between the drop as it becomes the ocean…what distance are you experiencing right now??

…and recall it was during this month of Rajab that our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was conceived and when he rode the Buraq to meet His Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala…a distance we can only barely imagine…and yet Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam

was at a distance of two bows’ length or (even) nearer.
(53:9)

…Insha’Allah, may the distance between us all, and all that brings a nearness to Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam be forever decreasing, and may our Jannah be where there is no distance between us and our Rabb and our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, Ameen.

…from this previous post…

 …other entries for Rajab, 1,2,3, and practical reminders, advice and wisdom for welcoming the first of the sacred months at the Interpreter’s Path…and Habib ‘Umar’s (may Allah Ta’ala preserve and sanctify him and his) latest advice in Returning to Allah in Repentance in Rajab delivered in Tarim on 18th May…Masha’Allah!

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.

…to see beyond seeing itself…

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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.

…a symphony…

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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.

…AL MUQSIT…

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…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.