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How is your love for me?
By Hatice Baltacı Çolakoğlu
“O Messenger of God, whom do you love most in the world?” He did not always give the same answer to this question for he felt great love for many for his daughters and their children, for Abu Bakr, for Ali, for Zayd and his son Usamah. But of his wives the only one he named in this connection was Aishah. She too loved him greatly in return and often would seek reassurance from him that he loved her.
Once she asked him: “How is your love for me?”. “Like the rope’s knot,” he replied meaning that it was strong and secure.
Every so often ‘Aisha would playfully ask, “How is the knot?”. The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam would answer, “As strong as the first day (you asked).”
This is such an inspiring conversation. We know that the knot in a rope can be very strong so it is almost impossible to untie. Maybe this is what our Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam wanted to show us when he answerd Sayyidah Aisha that his love for her was like a knot. Unfortunately, these days we are not that patient in our relationships and do not pay a lot of attention to it, which is maybe the reason for the unhappiness that we go through.
I hope and pray for a better time for the Ummah, where we are trying to reach the love and mercy of our Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi waalam and his belowed wife Sayyidah Aisha.
© Hatice Baltacı Çolakoğlu, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
By Asma Gill
Allahumma salli ‘ala Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadin wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa barik wa sallim.
I wanted to share this poem that I feel inspires a love only a true ‘ashiq-e-Rasul can have:
Al-Qadi Yusuf An-Nabahani’s poem praising the Prophet salla-Llahu alaihi wa sallam
I am the slave of the Master of Prophets
And my fealty to him has no beginning.
I am slave to his slave, and to his slave’s slave,
And so forth endlessly,
For I do not cease to approach the door
Of his good pleasure among the novices.
I proclaim among people the teaching of his high attributes,
And sing his praises among the poets.
Perhaps he shall tell me: “You are a noted friend
Of mine, an excellent beautifier of my greatness.”
Yea, I would sacrifice my soul for the dust of his sanctuary.
His favor should be that he accept my sacrifice.
He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him
Not that he needs such following,
For he is not in need of creation at all,
While they all need him without exception.
He belongs to Allah alone, Whose purified servant he is,
As his attributes and names have made manifest;
And every single favor in creation comes from Allah
To him, and from him to everything else.
ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED
A du’a from the Dala’il al Khayrat: Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O beloved of Allah. Peace be upon you, O our master Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah. Peace be upon you and your pure, good family. Peace be upon you and your wives, the Mothers of the Believers. Peace be upon you and all your Companions. Peace be upon us and on the righteous slaves of Allah.
So, I ask Allah to make my love for His Beloved, a love that is a true love, a sincere love, an everlasting love, an uplifting love, a living love, a love beyond love. Amin!
© Asma Gill, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Loving the Beloved
By Tun Wildan
The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, said that “None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children and all people.” We hear of this hadith repeatedly and strive to achieve this. This is especially pertinent in this month of the birth of our beloved Prophet. We learn from our teachers that this love needs to shine from within ourselves and spread to its surroundings. Ibn Ataillah Al-Askandari mentioned that the things which are embedded in the recesses of our heart, are manifested in the testimony of our limbs.
Appropriate to this month of the mawlid, I leave you with this beautiful qasida which are sung as a lamentation of the lovers of the beloved throughout the muslim lands – Talama ashku gharami.
For so long I complained my yearning of you, O light of existence,
And I keep calling O Tihami, source of excellent and sublimity.
My hope, my utmost goal is to see you,
As i see As-Salam gate, O He whose essence is purity.
O my brothers, I am a lover, I am infatuated,
Guilty of it, and the praise not-befitting.
O Israfil what a death, the love exhausted me,
I have a strong expectation of the promise, O the loyal of promises.
O light of the prophets, O summit of purity,
O leader of the people of taqwa, my heart is one with you.
Allah invoked peace upon you,
My Lord, Master of all majesty.
It’s enough for me O light of Allah, the separation is too long,
My master, all my life you are my beloved, hasten my meeting with you.
© Tun Wildan, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
The Resplendent Birth
By Idris Kamal
In the Turkish tradition, the best-known early mevlût was written by the venerable Shaikh Süleyman Chelebi (may Allah sanctify his secret) of Bursa around 1400 CE. It is written in rhyming couplets, a literary form adopted from the Persian.
Its rhythm is simple; the meter is the same as that used primarily in Persian mystical and didactic epics such as Imam Faridu-d Din ‘Attar’s Mantiqu-t Tair and Mevlana Jalalu-d Din Rumi’s Mathnawi. The language is plain, almost childlike, and therefore the poem has not lost anything of its charm even today.
Shaikh Süleyman’s mevlût was often imitated, so that there are about a hundred different versions of mevlût poetry in Turkish; but no other Turkish religious poem can compete with it for the favour of all classes of society. Its first part tells the momentous story of the Prophet’s birth (Allah bless him and give him peace) as Lady Amina (may Allah be pleased with her) experienced it. Full of amazement, she recounts (using traditional imagery) what happened to her at the end of her pregnancy:
Amina Khatun, Muhammad’s mother dear:
From this oyster came that lustrous pearl.After she conceived from ‘Abdallah
Came the time of birth with days and weeks.As Muhammad’s birth was drawing near
Many signs appeared before he came!In the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal then
On the twelfth, the night of Monday, look,When the best of humankind was born-
O what marvels did his mother see!Spoke the mother of that friend: “I saw
A strange light; the sun was like its moth.Suddenly it flashed up from my house,
Filled the world with light up to the sky.Heavens opened, vanquished was the dark,
And I saw three angels with three flags.One was in the East, one in the West,
One stood upright on the Ka’ba’s roof.Rows of angels came from heaven, and
Circumambulated all my house;Came the houris group on group; the light
From their faces made my house so brightAnd a cover was spread in mid-air,
Called ‘brocade’ – an angel laid it out.When I saw clearly these events
I became bewildered and confused.Suddenly the walls were split apart
And three houris entered in my room.Some have said that of these charming three
One was Asiya of moonlike face,One was Lady Mary without doubt,
And the third a houri beautiful.Then these moonfaced three drew gently near
And they greeted me with kindness here;Then they sat around me, and they gave
The good tidings of Muhammad’s birth;Said to me: ‘A son like this your son
Has not come since God made this world,And the mighty one did never grant
Such a lovely son as will be yours.You have found great happiness, O dear,
For from you that virtuous one is born!He that comes is King of Knowledge high,
Is the mine of gnosis and tawhid [monotheism].For the love of him the sky revolves,
Men and djinn are longing for his face.This night is the night that he, so pure
Will suffuse the worlds with radiant light!This night, earth becomes a Paradise,
This night, God shows mercy to the world.This night, those with heart are filled with joy,
This night, gives the lovers a new life.Mercy for the worlds is Mustafa,
Sinner’s intercessor: Mustafa!’They described him in this style to me,
Stirred my longing for that blessed night.”Amina said: “When the time was ripe
That the best of mankind should appear,I became so thirsty from that heat
That they gave me a sherbet in a glass.Drinking it, I was immersed in light
And could not discern myself from light.Then a white swan came with soft great wings
And he touched my back with gentle strength.[As this verse is recited, every participant ever so gently touches his or her neighbour’s back.]
And the King of Faith was born that night:
Earth and heaven were submerged in light!”
Then begins the great Welcome, which all creation extended to the newborn Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), whose coming they had expected with such longing, a welcome to the Friend of God in whose intercession at Doomsday all can trust:
Welcome, O high prince, we welcome you!
Welcome, O mine of wisdom, we welcome you!
Welcome, O secret of the Book, we welcome you!
Welcome, O medicine for pain, we welcome you!
Welcome, O sunlight and moonlight of God, we welcome you!
Welcome, O you not separated from God!
Welcome, O nightingale of the Garden of Beauty!
Welcome, O friend of the Lord of Power!
Welcome, O refuge of your community!
Welcome, O helper of the poor and destitute!
Welcome, O eternal soul, we welcome you!
Welcome, O cupbearer of the lovers, we welcome you!
Welcome, O darling of the Beloved!
Welcome, O much beloved of the Lord!
Welcome, O mercy for the worlds!
Welcome, O intercessor for the sinner!
Only for you were Time and Space created…
Adapted from: Schimmel, A. And Muhammad is His Messenger. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, 2008.
© Idris Kamal, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Light Rhymes
by Nausheen Pervez
We hear of Heaven’s first lady and fair maidens frequently,
Of faith’s first martyr and faithful mothers stories we retell,
This month, the first of Spring, in which we celebrate joyfully,
Let our thoughts on the blessed mother of God’s Last Prophet dwell.
Through a pure, noble lineage Prophetic light reached Abdullah,
For a wise lady among the Jews that light was plain to see,
What she desired and was denied passed on to Amina,
Allah chose Amina to give birth to the Prophet of Mercy.
Four doulas from another realm came on that momentous night,
Out went a flame of falsehood lit since a thousand years before,
And the palaces of Basra could be seen there was such light,
Amina’s newborn baby knelt in prostration on the floor.
Amina has honour that no other woman ever can,
The baby she gave birth to became the greatest man.
Light Reflections
- Respect and admiration are given to people based on what they do and achieve, how they look, what they have, and what they know. Yet some people deserve them simply for being who they are.
- Destiny will bring you what is meant to be yours even without you foreseeing or pursuing it.
- In Sayyida Amina’s (as) birth story, she tells of four mothers of previous Prophets visiting her that night; one of them was Asiya (as) the wife of Pharoah. She did not give birth to Musa (as) but she was his mother. You don’t have to carry your baby in the womb and give birth to her in order to love her and be a mother.
- The Prophet, salallahu alayhi wasalam, was supported by miracles from before his birth.
- The Prophet’s, salallahu alayhi wasalam, first action upon entering the world was to worship Allah ta’ala; immediately demonstrating perfected ubudiyah.
- Remember the Prophet’s, salallahu alayhi wasalam, words when he was asked who deserves dutiful treatment more than any other: “Your mother… your mother… your mother.”
- What greater honour than a connection to the Prophet, salallahu alayhi wasalam?
© Naosheen Pervez, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/January 2012
Muhammad, the Beloved (peace be upon you)
Muhammad, the Beloved (peace be upon you)
Silently you came into this world and modestly you left.
Honoring the earth with each step you took and with every breath.
You humbled the sun and moon with the light emanating from your eyes.
You crumbled the mountains to grains of sand as they listened to your cries.
The stars were luminous until your smile captured their light.
The sky never felt such weakness until it saw your might.
The battlefield was intense with fear each time you rose your sword.
You were fearful of no one, but always in awe of your Lord.
You are worthy of praise, above any other creation indeed.
The door to success awaits us all and you are the only key.
No one has yet to cross this earth who can compare in any way.
You are the Beloved, Muhammad, peace be upon you, we pray.
© Hosai Mojaddidi, January 2012
Daily reflections, reminders and stories about our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam throughout the blessed month of Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433 on Healing Hearts.
Contributions by: Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Shaykh Walead Mosaad, Imam Tahir Anwar, Ibrahim Long, Idris Kamal, Aftab. A. Malik, Aaron Sellars, Mona Haydar, Umm NoorBilal Petersen, Hosai Mojaddidi, Mas’ud Ahmed Khan, Mazen Atassi, Adil Hussain, Asma Gill, Naosheen Pervez, Zakia Khan, Ata’ul Khabir, Naadiyah Ali, Zahraa Kazee, Sarah Soliman, Yousaf Seyal, Zeshan Zafar, Farhat Khan, Jamilah Bashir, Mohammad Ghilan, Asme Fahmi, Tun Wildan, Taslim Rashid, Hatice Baltaci Colakoglu, Nayyar Ddin
May we all benefit from this special series, and may it be a source and means of increasing our understanding, love and connection to the beloved Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam.
A big thank you to all the contributors! May Allah the Most Generous reward you all in abundance. (Please keep all the contributors and their families in your blessed prayers.)
Thought for Thursday- 12/01/12
“There are times when you just want to break it all down and start over. That is the reality of this thing called tawba.”
~ Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif
Healing Hearts is humbled and honoured to introduce you to one of our beloved teachers Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif, who very kindly accepted a request to contribute to this blog. Imam Abdul Latif will be writing the “Thought for Thursday” every Thursday inshaAllah. May we all find comfort, succour, benefit and healing from his words and reflections. Please keep Imam Abdul Latif, his family, teachers and us all in your prayers.
———————–
Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch is the imam at the Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland , California , and a teacher and program developer for Deen Intensive Foundation. He also works with SeekersGuidance and assists Zaytuna College ‘s annual Summer Arabic Intensive program in Berkeley , California . He is one of five students who comprised the first graduating class of the Zaytuna seminary program. Born in El Paso , Texas , and raised in the south, Abdul Latif embraced Islam in 1995 in Atlanta , Georgia , when he was 20 years old. He subsequently traveled throughout the Muslim world and, in 2002, relocated with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to take advantage of the resources of knowledge and the community that had formed around Zaytuna Institute. There, he spent his initial year of studies under the tutelage of Shaykh Salik bin Siddina. In 2004, he was accepted as the first of three initial students into Zaytuna’s pilot seminary program. He studied at Zaytuna with several teachers, including Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Taahir, Qari Umar Bellahi, Shaykh Abdullah Ali, and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, until he graduated in 2008 with an ijazah in the basic sciences of Islam. Since graduation, he has had the honor of tutelage under Dr. Umar Farooq Abdullah, Shaikh Mahi Cisse and Shaikh Abdulllah Ibrahim Niasse.
Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif website
Imam Abdul Latif Facebook Page
Thought for Thursday- 5/01/12
“Every moment is tailor made. My nafs is the only thing that doesn’t seem to fit.”
~ Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif
Healing Hearts is humbled and honoured to introduce you to one of our beloved teachers Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif, who very kindly accepted a request to contribute to this blog. Imam Abdul Latif will be writing the “Thought for Thursday” every Thursday inshaAllah. May we all find comfort, succour, benefit and healing from his words and reflections. Please keep Imam Abdul Latif, his family, teachers and us all in your prayers.
———————–
Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch is the imam at the Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland , California , and a teacher and program developer for Deen Intensive Foundation. He also works with SeekersGuidance and assists Zaytuna College ‘s annual Summer Arabic Intensive program in Berkeley , California . He is one of five students who comprised the first graduating class of the Zaytuna seminary program. Born in El Paso , Texas , and raised in the south, Abdul Latif embraced Islam in 1995 in Atlanta , Georgia , when he was 20 years old. He subsequently traveled throughout the Muslim world and, in 2002, relocated with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to take advantage of the resources of knowledge and the community that had formed around Zaytuna Institute. There, he spent his initial year of studies under the tutelage of Shaykh Salik bin Siddina. In 2004, he was accepted as the first of three initial students into Zaytuna’s pilot seminary program. He studied at Zaytuna with several teachers, including Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Taahir, Qari Umar Bellahi, Shaykh Abdullah Ali, and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, until he graduated in 2008 with an ijazah in the basic sciences of Islam. Since graduation, he has had the honor of tutelage under Dr. Umar Farooq Abdullah, Shaikh Mahi Cisse and Shaikh Abdulllah Ibrahim Niasse.
Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif website
Imam Abdul Latif Facebook Page
Thought for Thursday
“Admitting our weakness is a strength when it comes to the Lord.”
~ Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif
Healing Hearts is humbled and honoured to introduce you to one of our beloved teachers Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif, who very kindly accepted a request to contribute to this blog. Imam Abdul Latif will be writing the “Thought for Thursday” every Thursday inshaAllah. May we all find comfort, succour, benefit and healing from his words and reflections. Please keep Imam Abdul Latif, his family, teachers and us all in your prayers.
———————–
Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch is the imam at the Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland , California , and a teacher and program developer for Deen Intensive Foundation. He also works with SeekersGuidance and assists Zaytuna College ‘s annual Summer Arabic Intensive program in Berkeley , California . He is one of five students who comprised the first graduating class of the Zaytuna seminary program. Born in El Paso , Texas , and raised in the south, Abdul Latif embraced Islam in 1995 in Atlanta , Georgia , when he was 20 years old. He subsequently traveled throughout the Muslim world and, in 2002, relocated with his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to take advantage of the resources of knowledge and the community that had formed around Zaytuna Institute. There, he spent his initial year of studies under the tutelage of Shaykh Salik bin Siddina. In 2004, he was accepted as the first of three initial students into Zaytuna’s pilot seminary program. He studied at Zaytuna with several teachers, including Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Taahir, Qari Umar Bellahi, Shaykh Abdullah Ali, and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, until he graduated in 2008 with an ijazah in the basic sciences of Islam. Since graduation, he has had the honor of tutelage under Dr. Umar Farooq Abdullah, Shaikh Mahi Cisse and Shaikh Abdulllah Ibrahim Niasse.
Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif website
Imam Abdul Latif Facebook Page
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