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Everyone on the right path is sincere, but not everyone who is sincere is on the right path. ~Shaykh Afifi al-Akiti (may Allah preserve him)
Have you ever taken part in an activity called “Trust Fall”?
Basically, “Trust Fall” is a trust-building activity performed as a group in which a person deliberately allows himself to fall, relying on the other members of the group to catch him. This type of activity is very popular in team building away sessions where the emphasise is on building a trusting relationship with your colleagues.
It’s amazing how during those type of exercises, we can just easily relax and fall back! We have the complete confidence that the individual/group will catch us. We trust them.
When the trials of life overwhelm us and we find ourselves perturbed, worried, distressed etc, we should apply the same principle and have conviction that no matter what happens, Allah will not let us fall! He subhanahu wa’tala will catch us.
So relax, fall back and let Him catch you. Just like Mawluna Rumi says in one of his poems “Fall into the Safety of God”.
A story is told about a King in Africa who had a close friend that he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) by remarking, “This is good, Allah Almighty knows best”
One day the King and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the King. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the King fired it and his thumb was blown off.
Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good! Allah Almighty knows best.”
To which the King replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and ordered his soldiers to put his friend into jail.
About a year later, the King was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured the King and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.
As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the King was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So after untying the King, they chased him out of the village.
When the King reached his Palace, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
“You were right” the King said, “It was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”
“No,” his friend replied, “this is good…Allah Almighty knows best“
“What do you mean, ‘this is good’! How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?”
The King’s friend replied: “Remember that the Almighty knows best and if I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you on that hunting trip.”
“He knows what is before them and what is behind them: And to Allah go back all questions (for decision)”
Qur’an: Surah Al Hajj 22:76
Do Not Judge Things or Events by its Immediate Outcome!
Although the decisions of Allah Ta’alah may seem harsh to us, they are full of wisdom
Source:Qisas
A short anecdote which is very relevant to the times we are currently living in. We have so many remarkable individuals in our ummah who not only possess an incredible amount of knowledge and wisdom, but also exemplify the sunnah of the Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam in their teachings and demeanor. However, we constantly find ourselves questioning them, and fail to grasp and learn the wisdom which they are actually teaching us, despite being in their company for years or even decades!
Read on…..
The Stone and The Tree
There was once a dervish in Abadan, whose cell was always surrounded by disciples, people who had come from far and near to hear his wisdom and try to achieve knowledge and spiritual fulfillment. Sometimes he spoke to them, sometimes he did not. Sometimes he read from books, and sometimes he made them perform various tasks.
The disciples tried for decades to understand the purport of his words, to fathom the depth of his signs and symbols, and in every way possible to get closer to his wisdom. Those who understood what he taught were the ones who did not spend time trying to puzzle out things. They cultivated patience and attention, and refrained from looking for verbal associations from books and from what others had told them.
The majority, however, as is the way of the world, were sometimes elated, sometimes sad, and always covetous, even if it was only for wisdom and their well-being. They had all kinds of explanations for this way of thinking except the real ones.
At long last, after many years had passed, one of these disciples plucked up enough courage to approach the master directly and said: ‘There are a number of us, o wise one, who have been trying to follow the path of knowledge for most of our lives. Now, as some are old and others are getting older, we feel that we have to open our hearts to you, saying that we need a further indication of how we should proceed’.
The dervish gave a long sigh and answered: ‘Come with me to the seashore and I’ll show you something which tells you everything, if you can only hear it’.
At the pebble-strewn beach, the dervish took a stone from the water and asked a disciple: ‘How long has this stone been here?’
The man said: ‘It is worn smooth, so it must have been rolled back and forth, under the surf, for perhaps several thousand years’.
‘Now’, said the dervish: ‘Take this wet stone and crack it open, then tell me what you find’. They smashed the stone and saw that it was rough from the inside.
‘You observe’, said the dervish, ‘that although submerged in the sea for accounted ages, the innermost part of this stone is as dry as if it had never been near water. You people are like the stone. Surrounded by wisdom, you do not allow it to penetrate. Unlike the stone, there is a talisman, which will let the transforming quality suffuse you, to your innermost being. That quality is patience, forbearance and openness, things which you call three qualities, but which are in reality only one’.
Next the dervish took his followers onto a hill overlooking the sea, where in spite of the aridity of the place, a magnificent tree grew.
‘This tree’, he said, ‘can live and grow tall and fruitful where nothing else can. This is possible to it only because it has made worthy efforts, signaled by the inner quality of the seed which gave it birth, to penetrate deep into the earth to find water.
(Source:unknown)
The pencil Maker taught the pencil 5 important lessons:
1. Everything you do will always leave a mark
2. But you can always correct the mistakes you make
3. What is important is what is inside you
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpening which will make you a better pencil
5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the Hand that holds you.
The pencil Maker is Allah subhanahu wa’ tala and the pencil is you!
A short but excellent story….read on!
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s Hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his Days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child’s future. Let’s be wise builders and role models.
“Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference.” Take care of yourself, and those you love, …today, and everyday! That regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.
Remember that making a “living” is not the same as making a “life.”
Remember that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. Sometimes people just need a little something to make them smile.
People will forget what you said…
People will forget what you did…
But people will never forget how you made them feel…
(source: unknown)
A few years back, a student of knowledge gave me this great piece of advice. Thought I’d share because it’s something I reflect on quite often, and for me, it’s a refreshing reminder.
“Sincerity is the key to all good. Focusing the heart on Allah, and realizing that He alone is the source of all the happiness in this life and the next. Sometimes we think that this or that thing will be the “thing” that will bring joy to our hearts, then once we acquire it, the search continues. When will we realize that it is Allah that we are really looking for!?”
“Turn in the circle of your true Existence
Be in harmony with your capacity,
with your created nature
Be in active submission.”
“A secret turning in us
makes the universe turn.
Head unaware of feet,
and feet head. Neither cares.
They keep turning.”
“Rise. Move around the center
as pilgrims wind the Kaaba.
Being still is how one clay clod
sticks to another in sleep,
while movement wakes us up
and unlocks new blessings.”
“We long to disappear
To enter the moment when
we are no longer turning,
but are being turned”
“The Sama is peace for the souls of
the living.
The one who knows this, possesses
peace in her heart.
The one who wants to be awakened,
is the one who sleeps in the middle
of the garden…..”
“Dancing is not rising to your feet painlessly
like a speck of dust blown around in the wind
Dancing is when you rise above both worlds
tearing your heart to pieces and giving up
your soul.”
“Your dance just took me today
and suddenly I began to whirl.
All the realms spun around me
in endless celebration.
My soul lost its grip,
My body shed its fatigue.
Hearing your hands clap and your
drum beat,
I floated up to the heavens!”
Quotes of poetry by Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Dedicated to my dear Aunty Noor, and sisters Farah & Farhanah x
The Islamic year of 1430 is about to start in a day or so (depends where you are located on the globe!); so will the Gregorian calendar year of 2009. As the New Year approaches, it’s time to turn over a new leaf.
It’s good to leave each day behind,
like flowing water, free of sadness.
Yesterday is gone and its tale told.
Today new seeds are growing.
~Mawlana Rumi
The new Islamic year begins with the blessed month of Muharram. Our beloved Prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam said:
“The best of fasts besides the month of Ramadhan is the fasting of Allah’s month of Muharram.” (Sahih Muslim)
Aunty Noor has posted some beneficial information regarding the significance of this very special month- check it out!
May the New Year bring much joy, peace and serenity to our hearts. May Allah subhanahu wa’ tala bring ease, openings and success to all those who have been afflicted with hardships and trials. Over and above all, may we live each day, each second in His remembrance, and in gratitude to Him; and may we be closer to Him subhanahu wa’ tala, and our beloved Prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. Allahumma Amin ya Rabb!
…Be kinder than necessary, For everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle….
Or as Plato puts it:
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
Healing Hearts 
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