In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon His Beloved Messenger, his companions and folk.
Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad (Allah have mercy on him) (d.1132 Hijri) said,
‘The aim and spirit of spiritual routines (awrad) is presence with Allah.
Aim for it; you will reach it only if you travel the road that leads to it, which is performing the external activities and striving to be present with Allah during them. When you persevere in this you become immersed in the lights of Proximity, and the sciences of gnosis emanate upon you, at which your heart becomes wholly intent on God and presence becomes its nature and well-established quality.’ [The Book of Assistance]
Commentary on Imam Haddad’s Saying
A wird (plural: awrad) is any regular routine of worship, such as prayer, remembrance (dhikr), supplication (dua), fasting, and so on. One can also consider regular routines of religious study and reading to be a wird.
It is sunna to be consistent in one’s works; to take on only as much as one can sustain with excellence, without feeling overwhelmed; to focus not only on actions, but on excellence in one’s actions; and to strive for gradual, meaningful increase that is sustainable.
Prophetic Guidance on Consistency and its Consequence
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Take from actions that which you can sustain, for verily Allah doesn’t tire until you tire.” [Bukhari & Muslim, from A'isha (Allah be pleased with her)]
This means, as Imam Nawawi explains, that Allah doesn’t tire of rewarding and accepting your works until you tire of performing them; or that it is not Allah who tires (for He is exalted beyond imperfection) but it is you who tires.
And our Beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Verily, this religion is ease, and none will make the religion difficult except that it will overwhelm them. So remain steadfastly committed; do your best; and be of glad tidings. And seek assistance in the early mornings; the late afternoons; and something of the depths of the night.” [Bukhari and Nasa'i, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him)]
Making the religion difficult is to take on more than one can manage. Remaining steadfastly committed entails seeking knowledge of who to seek Allah Most High, how to act according to the Prophetic example of excellence, and to strive to act accordingly. Doing one’s best is to take on what one can sustain; to keep consistent; and to do the best one is able to manage if one can’t do everything completely. Being of glad tidings entails celebrating the favour of Allah Most High having gifted one with the urge to seek His pleasure; the knowledge of how His pleasure is sought; and for inspiring one to act accordingly. “Say, in the bounty of Allah and His blessings, in that let them rejoice…” [Qur'an, 10.58]
The three blessed times that are particularly beneficial for spiritual striving are (1) Fajr time and after sunrise, when there are few distractions (the early mornings); (2) Asr time, or during and after one’s return from work (the late afternoons); and a little of the late night, after having slept (tahajjud time)–the time for true lovers of Allah to stand with their beloved.
The Reality of Sincerity, its Manifestation in Consistency, and its Consequence
Sincerity is to seek Allah Most High alone in one’s actions. This meaning is manifest in consistently–as it affirms that one acts for the sake of Allah whether one have the inclination to or not; and it manifests the trueness of one’s yearning for Allah.
Consistency also strengthens one’s resolve to seek Allah; makes one’s efforts add up; changes the heart, polishes it, and directs it towards Allah. And if one’s seeking becomes consistent, then one will surely find Allah–and attain unto His closeness, love, and presence.
Walking to Allah and Allah Rushing to You
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) related that Allah Most High says, “I am as My servant thinks of Me. And I am with them when they remember Me. And, by Allah, Allah rejoices more in the repentance of His servant than when one of you finds their lost property in a vast space. Whoever draws close to Me by a handspan, I draw close to them by an arm’s length; and whoever draws close to Me by an arm’s length, I draw close to them by two arm’s lengths; and whoever directs themselves to Me walking, I direct Myself to them running.” [Muslim, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him); Bukhari mentions it with similar wording]
This means that anything the one does of the good for the sake of Allah is magnified in its reward and spiritual consequence–and that when one’s directing oneself to Allah becomes consistent and true, then Allah rushes to one by granting His closeness, love, beholding, and concern. [Ayni, Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, and others]
Imam Ahmad relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that Allah Most High says, “O child of Adam! Stand up for Me, and I will walk towards you. Walk towards Me, and I will rush towards you.” [Ahmad, Musnad, with a rigorously authenticated (sahih) chain of narrators according to Imam Mundhiri, in his Targhib ]
May Allah make us of the people of sincerity, consistency, trueness in turning to Allah–and of those whom Allah accepts, turns to, loves, draws close, and grants His spiritual beholding, such that we worship, submit, and live “as though we behold Him,” with every step and breath expended on the footsteps of His Beloved Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his folk).
And Allah alone gives success.
Faraz Rabbani
[Quote of Imam Haddad itself from: Ashrafiyya, with thanks.]
Tags:
Ten Adab of Seekers of Knowledge
by Ayaz Siddiqui
Recently, I’ve been taking an interest in learning about manners that every person, Muslim or Non-Muslim should adopt. Islam has a lot to offer in this area, through the examples of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as well as his Companions. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said “The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners”. What piqued my interest in this area was my interest in the topic of Tazkiyyah, which I have been interested in for a number of years.
In pursuit of learning more about Tazkiyyah, I bought “Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart.” In this book, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf provides commentary on Imam al-Mawlud’s Matharat al-Qalb. In this book, Shaykh Hamza provides commentary on the following verses from Imam Mawlud’s work:
“I begin by starting with the heart of beginnings,
For it the highest and noblest of beginnings.”
Commenting on these two lines, Shaykh Hamza informs us that, as is often the case, we have lost some intricacies of these two verses due to translation. Focusing in on “heart of beginnings”, the word for beginning in Arabic is ba’du and the word for heart in Arabic is qalb. Another meaning of qalb in Arabic is to reverse, so in Arabic this phrase can also be read as “qalb ba’du” or “reverse beginning”. If we take this literally, what happens if we reverse the word ba’du? In Arabic, we get the word adaab, which means to be courteous, but also to have good manners, morals, etiquettes, etc.
[Read more →]
Tags:
YouTube - Ya Arham al-Rahimin (O Most Merciful!) from Mawlid with Habib Munzir al-Musawwa
A powerful clip from the weekly mawlid of Habib Munzir al-Musawwa of Jakarta (Indonesia). Faraz Rabbani of SeekersGuidance (http://www.SeekersGuidance.org) was in attendance as part of the January 2010 Arus Damai tour. See: http://www.majelisrasulullah.org/ and http://www.arusdamai.com)
Habib Munzir al-Musawwa (http://www.majelisrasulullah.org/) focusses his call (da`wah) towards youth–particularly those in dire poverty, and those stuck in crime, drugs, and distance from the ways of deen.
Tags:
Alhamdulillah, we’ve finally uploaded Shaykh Hamza’s video from the “Help Haiti, Heal Haiti Online Fundraiser”.
Click on the screenshot below and scroll down:
Tags:Hamza Yusuf·Heal Haiti·Help Haiti·Online Fundraiser·SeekersGuidance
“Imam al-Ghazzali in his book “al-Arba’in fi Usul al-Deen” has enumerated ten forms which worship can take:
1. Prayers.
2. Prescribed Alms-giving.
3. Fasting.
4. Haji or pilgrimage to Makkah.
5. Reciting the Holy Qur’an.
6. Remembrance of Allah in all possible situations.
7. Earning one’s livelihood in accordance with the regulations of the Shari’ah
8. Fulfilling one’s obligations towards one’s companions and neighbors.
9. Persuading people to act righteously and dissuading them fromwhat is reprehensible and forbidden.
10. To follow the Sunnah, or the practice of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him an grant him peace)”
[p. 71 of Volume I of “Ma'ariful Qur'an” by Mufti Shafi Usmani]
Tags:al-Arba'in·al-Ghazzali·ibadah·worship
Tags:andalusian arts·calendar·longing for the divine·monthly donor campaign
Should Muslims be concerned about Haiti?
by Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown
(The National, Abu Dhabi)
Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown is director of research at the Tabah Foundation. He delivers the Friday sermon at the Maryam bint Sultan Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Eleven-year-old Anna St Louis was going to be a lawyer. For three days she lay trapped beneath the rubble of a building in Haiti, her right leg crushed by a steel beam. “Lord God save me. I don’t want to die,” she cried out. Far from the capital Port-au-Prince, far from assistance, neighbours tried desperately to cut the beam with a hacksaw, while others gave her water. Her final rescue was covered by international news agencies, the town celebrated, Anna was grateful. With nothing more than painkillers to give her, the Cuban doctor volunteering in that area advised that she must be taken three hours away where more sufficient medical care could be given. Anna was brave enough to suggest her readiness to have her leg amputated. “I may lose my feet, but I will always have my life,” she has seen saying. But within 24 hours of being rescued, Anna had expired due to severe internal bleeding.
The first statement of the Prophet Mohammed to be taught to every student of Sacred Knowledge is: “Those who show compassion to others, compassion will be shown to them by the All Compassionate; show compassion to those in the Earth and those in the heavens will show compassion to you.”
Some will inevitably say that this does not apply to the non-Muslim. “We should only give our assistance to Muslims,” they will say. But an analysis of the above mentioned narration does not bear this out.
[Read more →]
Tags:Abu Dhabi·compassion·Haiti·Jihad Brown·prophet·service·sunnah·The National
The following excerpt is from the book “Islamic Manners” by Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah (may Allah shower His mercy upon him). Although the book is short and concise, one can nonetheless acquire very deep meanings by reflecting upon its structure and themes. It is unlike other works of adab (etiquette) which often go into the particular details of the Sunnah.
Rather, “Islamic Manners” focuses on key principles and practices of the Sunnah and gives special attention to those that are often neglected by believers in the modern era. If each us were to live up to the lessons contained in this short work, we would witness remarkable transformations in ourselves, our families, our communities, and within broader society. This following section explains the spiritual importance of keeping appointments and the etiquette of dealing with delays and cancellations.
____________________
Keeping Appointments, Delays, and Cancellation
By Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah
In the first verse of Surat Al-Mai’da, Allah called upon the believers “O you the Believers, fulfill your promises.” In Surat Maryam Allah also praised Prophet Ismail (may peace be upon him) “He was true to his promise. He was a Messenger and a Prophet.”
To keep an appointment is vital to our lives, since time is the most precious commodity, once wasted it could not be replaced. If you made an appointment, whether to a friend, colleague or for business you should do your utmost to keep this appointment. This is the right of the other person who gave you part of their time and may have declined other appointments. Not only have you disrupted their schedule but you have marred your image and personality.
[Read more →]
Tags:Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah·Abu Ghudda·activism·adab·appointments·cancellations·delays·etiquette·good habits·manners·productivity·time management·workplace
Being Muslim - “Welcome to the Reading Room”
This following excerpt is from the forthcoming book “Being Muslim”. It is suitable for those who are simply curious about Islam, newly practicing, or lifelong Muslims who would like a refresher. It assumes no background knowledge in Islam and systematically covers some of the most essentials aspects needed to begin studying the faith.
(Note: all material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or printed without written permission by the author)
© Asad Tarsin 2010 Work In Progress – Do Not Copy or Distribute Without Permission
The Dimensions of the Religion
To better understand the final message from God to humanity, we will examine a concise yet comprehensive summary of the religion given by Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace). This took place as one of the most famous and significant historical events in Islam, one day while some of the closest Companions2(sahābah) were sitting with the messenger of God. The story is narrated by ‘Umar (may God be pleased with him), who tells us the following:
One day while we were sitting with the messenger of God there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the Prophet. Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said, “O Muhammad, tell me about islām3”.
The messenger of God said: “Islām is to testify that there is nothing worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad is the messenger of God, to perform the prayers, to pay the purifying charity, to fast in Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the Sacred House if you are able to do so.”
He said, “You have spoken rightly.”And we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly. He then said, “Then tell me about imān.”
He replied, “It is to believe in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof.”
He said, “You have spoken rightly.” He then said, “Then tell me about ihsān.”
The Prophet said, “It is to worship God as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you”.
He said, “Then tell me about the Hour4.”
The Prophet replied, “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.”
He then said, “Then tell me about its signs.”
He replied, “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsman competing in constructing lofty buildings.”
Then [the man] left and I stayed behind for a time. Then [the messenger of God] said, “O ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?”
I said, “God and His messenger know best”.
He said, “He was Gabriel (Jibrīl), who came to you to teach you your religion.”
With four questions, the Archangel Gabriel (Jibrīl), upon him be peace, brought forth a summary of the foundational elements of the religion from God’s final prophet to humanity. The religion, we learn, is comprised of three elements: islām,imān, and ihsān. The fourth aspect mentioned, namely the signs of the Hour, provides us with the understanding that there is a downward trend of the human story, and thus the believing community as well. There are many such statements from Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace) which indicate the moral decline of the latter days, and the consequent need for believers to hold more tightly to their principles, values, and beliefs, despite the increased difficulty in doing so.
These three elements are called the dimensions of Islam. The first of the three dimensions discussed was islām, which is presented as a sub-category within the religion itself, Islam. In Arabic, the word linguistically means “to surrender,” or “to submit.” We see from the definition laid out by Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace), that it is the dimension of our religion involving the external actions of our bodies, acts of surrender. To state the Testimony of Faith5, to pray, to fast, to pay, and to make pilgrimage are all acts we perform through the medium of our bodies. These are called the Five Pillars of Islam. We understand from them that actions of external conformity, which include ritual worship and more, are absolutely indispensable to a complete characterization of the religion.
Next, we heard about imān. In Arabic, the word linguistically means “to believe.” Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace) starts his definition by using that phrase exactly: “it is to believe….” What follows is a series of beliefs that a person must affirm in order for their faith to be complete. Unlike the dimension of islām, these are not acts, but convictions of the mind which settle in the heart. We thus learn that the affirmation of realities as they truly exist is also indispensable to the characterization of the religion of Islam.
Lastly, we learn about ihsān. The word in Arabic linguistically means “to make beautiful or good.” We are told that involves the internal constitution of a believer’s heart – his spiritual state. It is the basis of your relationship with God Almighty. Here, Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace) defines the dimension by telling us its very result. So, to attain a particular spiritual constitution, of complete awareness and reverence of God Almighty, is an indispensable component of the religion, the one that gives it purpose.
Each of these components speaks to an aspect of the human experience. The first is devotional acts – of the body; the second is faith– of the mind; and the third is purity – of the soul. And so Islam is a religion that speaks to every element of our humanity. It is essential to understand that these three dimensions must all simultaneously be fulfilled harmoniously in order to have a complete characterization of the religion. To neglect any one of these will lead to imbalance and misplaced emphasis, a sure path to misguided religiosity. For example, to neglect the affirmation of our beliefs would make Islam a kind of cultural tradition void of its main purpose. To neglect the external conformity to God’s commands leads to an abstract religion guided by personal whims with no arena within which to prove faith through application. And lastly, a neglect of the spiritual leads to a version of the religion that, void of reverence and love of God the Sublime, becomes rigid, cold, and legalistic. It is thus only with the complete surrender of our minds, bodies, and spirits to God that the complete vision of Islam can be realized.
Footnotes
2 – A companion (sing. Sahābī, pl. sahābah) is a believing Muslim who met the Prophet during his lifetime. A follower (tabi’ī) is a believer who met a companion of the Prophet. The companions are the best generation of believers overall, while the followers are the second best generation.
3 – For the purposes of the discussion presented, the Arabic terms have been retained and not translated, since their definition is the purpose of the dialogue and follows shortly thereafter.
4 – The Last Day and the Hour are other names for the Day of Judgment.
5 – Scholars explain that stating the Testimony of Faith (Shahadah) is a precondition to the other four pillars.
© Asad Tarsin 2010 Work In Progress
Do Not Copy or Distribute Without Permission
Tags:Asad Tarsin·Being Muslim·Gabriel·hadeeth·hadith·ihsan·iman·Islam·Jibril
Malik ibn Dinar
He was a companion of Hasan of Basra. Dinar was a slave, and Malik was born before his father’s emancipation. His conversion began as follows. One evening he had been enjoying himself with a party of friends. When they were all asleep a voice came from a lute which they had been playing: “O Malik! why dost thou not repent?” Malik abandoned his evil ways and went to Hasan of Basra, and showed himself steadfast in repentance.
He attained to such a high degree that once when he was in a ship, and was suspected of stealing a jewel, he no sooner lifted his eyes to heaven than all the fishes in the sea came to the surface, every one carrying a jewel in its mouth. Malik took one of the jewels, and gave it to the man whose jewel was missing; then he set foot on the sea and walked until he reached the shore.
It is related that he said: “The deed that I love best is sincerity in doing,” because an action only becomes an action in virtue of its sincerity. Sincerity bears the same relation to an action as the spirit to the body: as the body without the spirit is a lifeless thing, so an action without sincerity is utterly unsubstantial. Sincerity belongs to the class of internal actions, whereas acts of devotion belong to the class of external actions: the latter are completed by the former, while the former derive their value from the latter. Although a man should keep his heart sincere for a thousand years, it is not sincerity until his sincerity is combined with action; and although he should perform external actions for a thousand years, his actions do not become acts of devotion until they are combined with sincerity.
(Excerpt from Chapter XI of “Kashf al-Mahjub” by the Gnostic Ali Hujwiri)
Tags:biography·Malik ibn Dinar
