Why do people have to leave each other? by Yasmin Mogahed

March 31, 2011 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , | 10 comments

I came across the following article which I thought was just…….. I really have no words to describe it apart from the fact that it has to be one of the best pieces I have read in a very long time as it really helps to put this life into perspective.  Thought I’d share with you all.

By Yasmin Mogahed taken from Imam Suhaib Webb’s blog

When I was 17 years old, I had a dream. I dreamt that I was sitting inside a masjid and a little girl walked up to ask me a question. She asked me: “Why do people have to leave each other?” The question was a personal one, but it seemed clear to me why the question was chosen for me.

I was one to get attached.

Ever since I was a child, this temperament was clear. While other children in preschool could easily recover once their parents left, I could not. My tears, once set in motion, did not stop easily. As I grew up, I learned to become attached to everything around me. From the time I was in first grade, I needed a best friend. As I got older, any fall-out with a friend shattered me. I couldn’t let go of anything. People, places, events, photographs, moments—even outcomes became objects of strong attachment. If things didn’t work out the way I wanted or imagined they should, I was devastated. And disappointment for me wasn’t an ordinary emotion. It was catastrophic. Once let down, I never fully recovered. I could never forget, and the break never mended. Like a glass vase that you place on the edge of a table, once broken, the pieces never quite fit again.

But the problem wasn’t with the vase. Or even that the vases kept breaking. The problem was that I kept putting them on the edge of tables. Through my attachments, I was dependent on my relationships to fulfill my needs. I allowed those relationships to define my happiness or my sadness, my fulfillment or my emptiness, my security, and even my self-worth. And so, like the vase placed where it will inevitably fall, through those dependencies I set myself up for disappointment. I set myself up to be broken. And that’s exactly what I found: one disappointment, one break after another.

But the people who broke me were not to blame any more than gravity can be blamed for breaking the vase. We can’t blame the laws of physics when a twig snaps because we leaned on it for support. The twig was never created to carry us.

Our weight was only meant to be carried by God. We are told in the Quran: “…whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Qur’an 2: 256)

There is a crucial lesson in this verse: that there is only one handhold that never breaks. There is only one place where we can lay our dependencies. There is only one relationship that should define our self-worth and only one source from which to seek our ultimate happiness, fulfillment, and security. That place is God.

But this world is all about seeking those things everywhere else. Some of us seek it in our careers, some seek it in wealth, some in status. Some, like me, seek it in our relationships. In her book, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert describes her own quest for happiness. She describes moving in and out of relationships, and even traveling the globe in search of this fulfillment. She seeks that fulfillment—unsuccessfully—in her relationships, in meditation, even in food.

And that’s exactly where I spent much of my own life: seeking a way to fill my inner void. So it was no wonder that the little girl in my dream asked me this question. It was a question about loss, about disappointment. It was a question about being let down. A question about seeking something and coming back empty handed. It was about what happens when you try to dig in concrete with your bare hands: not only do you come back with nothing—you break your fingers in the process. And I learned this not by reading it, not by hearing it from a wise sage. I learned it by trying it again, and again, and again.

And so, the little girl’s question was essentially my own question…being asked to myself.

Ultimately, the question was about the nature of the dunya as a place of fleeting moments and temporary attachments. As a place where people are with you today, and leave or die tomorrow. But this reality hurts our very being because it goes against our nature. We, as humans, are made to seek, love, and strive for what is perfect and what is permanent. We are made to seek what’s eternal. We seek this because we were not made for this life. Our first and true home was Paradise: a land that is both perfect and eternal. So the yearning for that type of life is a part of our being. The problem is that we try to find that here. And so we create ageless creams and cosmetic surgery in a desperate attempt to hold on—in an attempt to mold this world into what it is not, and will never be.

And that’s why if we live in dunya with our hearts, it breaks us. That’s why this dunya hurts. It is because the definition of dunya, as something temporary and imperfect, goes against everything we are made to yearn for. Allah put a yearning in us that can only be fulfilled by what is eternal and perfect. By trying to find fulfillment in what is fleeting, we are running after a hologram…a mirage. We are digging into concrete with our bare hands. Seeking to turn what is by its very nature temporary into something eternal is like trying to extract from fire, water.  You just get burned. Only when we stop putting our hopes in dunya, only when we stop trying to make the dunya into what it is not—and was never meant to be (jannah)—will this life finally stop breaking our hearts.

We must also realize that nothing happens without a purpose. Nothing. Not even broken hearts. Not even pain. That broken heart and that pain are lessons and signs for us. They are warnings that something is wrong. They are warnings that we need to make a change. Just like the pain of being burned is what warns us to remove our hand from the fire, emotional pain warns us that we need to make an internal change. That we need to detach. Pain is a form of forced detachment. Like the loved one who hurts you again and again and again, the more dunya hurts us, the more we inevitably detach from it. The more we inevitably stop loving it.

And pain is a pointer to our attachments. That which makes us cry, that which causes us most pain is where our false attachments lie. And it is those things which we are attached to as we should only be attached to Allah which become barriers on our path to God. But the pain itself is what makes the false attachment evident. The pain creates a condition in our life that we seek to change, and if there is anything about our condition that we don’t like, there is a divine formula to change it. God says: “Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.” (Qur’an, 13:11)

After years of falling into the same pattern of disappointments and heartbreak, I finally began to realize something profound. I had always thought that love of dunya meant being attached to material things. And I was not attached to material things. I was attached to people. I was attached to moments. I was attached to emotions. So I thought that the love of dunya just did not apply to me. What I didn’t realize was that people, moments, emotions are all a part of dunya. What I didn’t realize is that all the pain I had experienced in life was due to one thing, and one thing only: love of dunya.

As soon as I began to have that realization, a veil was lifted from my eyes. I started to see what my problem was. I was expecting this life to be what it is not, and was never meant to be: perfect. And being the idealist that I am, I was struggling with every cell in my body to make it so. It had to be perfect. And I would not stop until it was. I gave my blood, sweat, and tears to this endeavor: making the dunya into jannah. This meant expecting people around me to be perfect. Expecting my relationships to be perfect. Expecting so much from those around me and from this life. Expectations. Expectations. Expectations. And if there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations. But herein lay my fatal mistake. My mistake was not in having expectations; as humans, we should never lose hope. The problem was in *where* I was placing those expectations and that hope. At the end of the day, my hope and expectations were not being placed in God. My hope and expectations were in people, relationships, means. Ultimately, my hope was in this dunya rather than Allah.

And so I came to realize a very deep Truth. An ayah began to cross my mind. It was an ayah I had heard before, but for the first time I realized that it was actually describing me:  “Those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present, and those who heed not Our Signs.” (Qur’an, 10:7)

By thinking that I can have everything here, my hope was not in my meeting with God. My hope was in dunya. But what does it mean to place your hope in dunya? How can this be avoided? It means when you have friends, don’t expect your friends to fill your emptiness. When you get married, don’t expect your spouse to fulfill your every need. When you’re an activist, don’t put your hope in the results. When you’re in trouble don’t depend on yourself. Don’t depend on people. Depend on God.

Seek the help of people—but realize that it is not the people (or even your own self) that can save you. Only Allah can do these things. The people are only tools, a means used by God. But they are not the source of help, aid, or salvation of any kind. Only God is. The people cannot even create the wing of a fly (22:73).  And so, even while you interact with people externally, turn your heart towards God. Face Him alone, as Prophet Ibrahim (as) said so beautifully: “For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.” (Qur’an, 6:79)

But how did Prophet Ibrahim (as) come to that point? He came to it after being let down by other than Allah: the stars, the moon, and the sun. They were not perfect. They set.

They let him down.

So he was thereby led to face Allah alone. Like prophet Ibrahim (as), we need to put our full hope, trust, and dependency on God. And God alone. And if we do that, we will learn what it means to finally find peace and stability of heart. Only then will the roller coaster that once defined our lives finally come to an end. That is because if our inner state is dependent on something that is by definition inconstant, that inner state will also be inconstant. If our inner state is dependent on something changing and temporary, that inner state will be in a constant state of instability, agitation, and unrest. This means that one moment we’re happy, but as soon as that which our happiness depended upon changes, our happiness also changes. And we become sad. We remain always swinging from one extreme to another and not realizing why.

We experience this emotional roller coaster because we can never find stability and lasting peace until our attachment and dependency is on what is stable and lasting. How can we hope to find constancy if what we hold on to is inconstant and perishing? In the statement of Abu Bakr is a deep illustration of this truth. After the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ died, the people went into shock and could not handle the news. But although no one loved the Prophet ﷺ like Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr understood well the only place where one’s dependency should lie. He said: “If you worshipped Muhammad, know that Muhammad is dead. But if you worshipped Allah, know that Allah never dies.”

To attain that state, don’t let your source of fulfillment be anything other than your relationship with God. Don’t let your definition of success, failure, or self-worth be anything other than your position with Him (Qur’an, 49:13). And if you do this, you become unbreakable, because your handhold is unbreakable. You become unconquerable, because your supporter can never be conquered. And you will never become empty, because your source of fulfillment is unending and never diminishes.

Looking back at the dream I had when I was 17, I wonder if that little girl was me. I wonder this because the answer I gave her was a lesson I would need to spend the next painful years of my life learning. My answer to her question of why people have to leave each other was: “because this life isn’t perfect; for if it was, what would the next be called?”

Al-Jabbar- Mending the Broken Heart

March 28, 2011 in Al-Jabbar, Broken Hearts, Calamities, Hardship, Imam Suhaibb Webb | Tags: , , , , , | 16 comments

Al-Jabbar- Mending the Broken Heart by Jinan Bastaki

Taken from Imam Suhaib Webb’s blog

In our journey to gain tranquility of the heart, we explored what we need to know when faced with difficult situations. We need to understand that Allah has told us we will be tested, that these tests are for a reason, and that there will be relief insha’Allah (God willing). When we are worried thinking about the future, we need to work hard but have full trust in Allah that He will not leave us, and we must always think well of Allah because that is what we will find.

Yet in certain circumstances we just feel… broken. Perhaps it is the death of someone close, perhaps a hurtful word, or perhaps a reason we can not pinpoint. Yet this feeling of brokenness can be an invitation to be better acquainted with al-Jabbar.

But isn’t al-Jabbar one of the Names that indicates Majesty and Strength, not Mercy and Beauty?

The root of al-Jabbar is ja-ba-ra and has a wide variety of meanings indicating Allah’s strength and majesty, which Sr. Amatullah explained to us in this excellent article. One of the basic meanings of this name is the One who compels and restores, and demonstrates Allah’s Majesty and Strength over His servants. This is a Name for the tyrants and oppressors to be aware of, because their misdeeds will not go unpunished.

Yet this Name has another dimension: al-Jabbar is the One who is able to restore and mend what is broken. Some of the great scholars would supplicate “Ya Jaabir kul kaseer” when they were faced with overwhelming difficulty, meaning “Oh You who mends everything that is broken.” The Arabic word for a splint that is used to help an arm heal when it is broken is “jibeera” from the same root ja-ba-ra. Thus, when we feel broken, we need to go to the only One who can mend our state–al-Jabbar. Sometimes when we get this broken feeling, shaytan (satan) tells us not to go to Allah because we are being hypocritical by only going to Allah when we are down. Yet this is untrue– Allah has named Himself al-Jabbar and given Himself this attribute; you cannot go to the One whose attribute is mending what is broken, and not be healed by Him.

The example of the Prophet ﷺ is a beautiful one. Imagine being 50 years old, having just lost both your wife of twenty-five years and your uncle who took care of you as a child. Imagine walking into a town in order to ask people for their protection, and instead have them throw stones at you until your feet bleed. How would you have felt? How exhausted, both spiritually and physically, would you have been? And yet, the Prophet ﷺ calls out to Allah in one of the most beautiful and heartfelt du`a’ (supplication):

“O Allah! To you alone I complain my weakness, my scarcity of resources, and the humiliation I have been subjected to by people. O Most Merciful of those who have mercy! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are My Lord too.

To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?

But as long as You are not angry with me, I do no care, except that Your favor is a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descend upon me.

Yours is the right to reproach until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You.”

Read those words carefully. The du`a’ of  the Prophet ﷺ was not “O Allah, please give me x and y.” It was literally the call of someone broken– complaining to Allah of his situation and expressing to Allah how he felt. What did Allah give him? A young boy by the name of Addaas saw the Prophet ﷺ, came to him with some grapes and kissed his bleeding feet. That is al-Jabbar. Imagine how the Prophet ﷺ must have felt after that, the relief he must have felt after the cruelty he was subjected to. And al-Jabbar healed the broken heart of the Prophet ﷺ  in another way – He bestowed upon him the miraculous journey of al-Israa wal Mi’raaj (when the Prophet ﷺ traveled from Makkah to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to the Heavens in one night).

If we think about the journey, it did not accomplish a great victory nor did it help to convince the Quraysh that he was a rophet. Rather, Allah honored him after all the hardship he had gone through. Think of the resolve the Prophet ﷺ must have had in his heart and the tranquility he must have felt after such an experience.

Therefore, we have to always remind ourselves of this blessed name al-Jabbar; Allah will mend your broken heart. It may be through a kind word from someone that brightens your day or it may be a talk that you attend. It may even be something greater. But call on Allah like the Prophet ﷺ did, recognizing this attribute, and know that He will manifest this Name in your life.

Highly recommend reading “How to Achieve Tranquility of the Heart Series” on Imam Suhaib Webb’s blog.

Are You A Carrot, An Egg, Or A Coffee Bean?

March 26, 2011 in Stories | Tags: , , | 4 comments

Are You A Carrot, An Egg, Or A Coffee Bean?


A certain daughter complained to her father about her life and how things have been so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved another arose.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high. Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what he was trying to do. She had problems, and he was making this strange concoction. In half an hour he walked over to the stove and turned down the fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her he asked. “Darling what do you see?

“Smartly, she replied. “Carrots, eggs, and coffee.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Her face frowned from the strength of the coffee.

Humbly, she asked. “What does it mean Father?”

He explained. “Each of them faced the same adversity, 212 degrees of boiling water. However each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after going through boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid center. But after sitting through the boiling water, it’s inside became hardened. The coffee beans are unique however. After they were in the boiling water, it became stronger and richer.

Which are you, he asked his daughter? When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with the smallest amount of pain, adversity, or heat you wilt and become soft with no strength.

Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? A fluid spirit. But after a death, a divorce, an accident you became hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but you are so bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart, internally.

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean does not get its peak flavor and robust until it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better.

When things are there worst, you get better. When people talk the most, your praises increase. When the hour is the darkest, trials are there greatest, your worship elevates to another level. How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Taken from Qisas


Leave your problems to Allah, He will solve them for you! – Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi

March 24, 2011 in Hardship, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi | Tags: , | 5 comments

Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi (may Allah elevate his rank and allow us to benefit from him) narrated the following hadith in one of his talks a few years ago:

Abu Musa Al-Ashari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) said, “Say; There is no might or power other than Allah; because it is one of treasures of Paradise.” [Reported al-Bukhari, Muslim 4:2076]

Shaykh Muhammad then went on and advised:

  Say La hawla wa la quwata illa billah’, there is no power, there is no capacity but by Allah. ‘Hawl means ‘capacity’, and ‘quwa’ means ‘power’- there is no capacity nor any power but from Allah and by Allah. So if you do dhikr ‘La hawla wa la quwata illa billah’, it is a form of dhikr, and it is repeated for those people who can’t handle their affairs. If you have done all your best and you can’t get out of the problem then say ‘La hawla wa la quwata illah billah’ because you’re doing it by your own means, you have to refer to the means of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. You think you can solve your problems? This is why your problems are not solved, leave them to Allah, Allah will solve them for you, provided you do what He commanded you to do –with the ibaadat together.

 La hawla wa la quwata Illa billah – this sentence is a treasure ‘kanz’, was revealed to Rasulullah ṣallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa ṣalam from Al Jannah.

Seven Advice of Mevlana

March 19, 2011 in Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Thought for the day | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 comments

Seven Advice of Mevlana

1. In generosity and helping others be like a river
2. In compassion and grace be like the sun
3. In concealing others’ faults be like the night
4. In anger and fury be like the dead
5. In modesty and humility be like the earth
6. In tolerance be like a sea
7. Either exist as you are or be as you look

‘Al Kauthar’- traditional songs from Arabic Andalusian and Turkish sources

March 7, 2011 in Randoms, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 7 comments

‘Al Kauthar’ are a group of artists’ who sing traditional songs from Arabic Andalusian and Turkish sources. I first came across their live performance during the ‘Imam al-Ghazali’ programme with Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad and Shaykh Yahya Rhodus in Spain (2009). Ever since I heard them live, I always wanted to get hold of their album as I really liked their style and vocals.

I was really happy to finally discover them online and thought I’d share some of my favourite traditional songs here. They are good for the heart and soul…… Enjoy 🙂

 

Talama as-Gugarami (Nur al-huda)

Ayyuha al-‘Ashiq

Nur al-huda

Divine Decree- Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya

March 6, 2011 in Calamities, Hardship, Shaykh Abdulkarim Yahya | Tags: , | 2 comments

* The above is not a direct quote but paraphrased so please do not re-post using speech marks!

‘Weeping is a prayer that will surely be answered’

February 27, 2011 in Calamities, Companions of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, Hardship, Supplications | Tags: , , , , , , | 9 comments

A kind soul (may Allah bless this person) shared something a noble Moroccan Shaykh (may Allah bless and preserve him) said:

‘Weeping is a prayer that will surely be answered.’

SubhanAllah! When I read this statement, I was really moved and thought to myself that this again shows the Mercy of our Lord and how He has created so many different ways for our supplications to be answered. Alhumdulilah.

I was further reminded of the famous story of the passing away of the Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam’s son Ibrahim, when the Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam wept, and said to the Companions when they were surprised by this:

‘Not this do I forbid. These are the promptings of tenderness and mercy, and he that is not merciful; unto him shall no mercy be shown. O Ibrahim, if it were not that the promise of reunion is sure, and that this is a path which all must tread, and that the last of us shall overtake the first, verily we should grieve for you with a yet greater sorrow. Yet, we are stricken indeed with sorrow for you, O Ibrahim. The eye weeps, and the heart grieves, nor say we anything that would offend the Lord.’ (Martin Lings, Muhammad, p. 325)

So next time when we are overwhelmed by tears, we should remember that they are a form of prayer, and the All-Compassionate, All-Loving, All-Hearing is listening. He understands our tears, and the pain/distress/hurt/sadness/anguish they express. There really is no other comfort other than knowing He knows how we feel, and whether we express that through tears, words or deeds, He is aware.  Just like silence can sometimes be the most powerful expression of one’s feelings, so can crying- especially if it means one’s prayer is to be answered through that.

This is dedicated to all my brothers and sisters around the world who are facing tribulation and hardships. May the Most-Loving, Most-Merciful, Most Gentle be with you, ease your pain, remove your hardships and answer your prayers.  Amin ya Rabb!

The Virtues Tour 2011 (Notes from the Luton Event)

February 20, 2011 in Event, Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 comments

The Virtues Tour- 2011

Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa (UK), Shaykh Yahya Rhodus (USA) and Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya (US/Yemen)

16th February 2011- Luton

As-salamu’alaykum!

Please be aware that these are my notes; I was unable to write down everything, but what I have, I pray it’s of some benefit to the readers. Any mistakes, errors or misinterpretations of words are from me alone, so please do forgive and overlook my shortcomings! You are welcome to share these notes but *please* do not just copy and paste the notes without referencing where you got them from; I do not want my notes to be taken out of context or misinterpreted.  Also, the photos have been provided by Ahqib Hussain, please do not save and re-use them without his permission. Keep him in your prayers!

May Allah reward all those at Fountain Institute who assisted in organising and facilitating this blessed event. May Allah Most Merciful elevate the ranks of our Shayukh, bless and protect their families and teachers. Amin!

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Introduction by Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa

– Alhumdulilah, we praise Allah subhananhu wa’tala for the blessing He has bestowed upon us. (Shaykh Ibrahim then quoted the verse from surah Ibrahim) “And if you should count the favor of Allah , you could not enumerate them” [14:34]

– The blessing of Allah subhananhu wa’tala is the Prophet Muhammad sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, and from that great blessing, every other blessing that Allah subhananhu wa’tala extends towards us comes from him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam.

– It is imperative for each and every single one of us in this crazy age we live in, for us to become of those who are more acquainted and familiar with the prophet salla’Allahu alayhi wasalam. By that we do not just mean in terms of his great outward disposition and how how he looked in this world. What is more important for us are the attributes of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam came to complete his virtues. That is why the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam said, as quoted in the Muwatta of Imam al Malik, ‘that the only reason I was sent was to complete the noble virtues of character’.

– The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam praised the book of Allah, the Quran. He brought the sunnah himself. The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was the walking Qur’an, like our mother Aisha radiAllahu anha informed us. Hence when we approach the Qur’an, we should approach it in order to see what the reality of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was.

– Those great virtues Allah subhananhu wa’tala bestowed upon the Prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam were the cause of reason why the prophet was named Muhammad, sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, the one who possesses great and abundance virtues qualities. And for that reason Allah praised the Prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam and refered to him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam as someone who has tremendous character (surah Rum).

-What do we know about the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam? As Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, the project begins to understand the most important individual, sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam.

– We hope to share on this blessed night that we should understand that whenever we are in the praise of Allah subhananhu wa’tala it is blessed; whenever we are in the praise and remembrance of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, it is blessed.

– The purpose is to get to know the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. Not in an abstract sense just so we can get information about who he is, but in the real sense so we can embrace that which he came to complete, which are attributes that are beloved to the Lord of existence, subhananhu wa’tala.

– We will look at the nature of the virtues of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam from the perspective of the human character.

– Wisdom will be the greatest topic because it’s the property of the believer. Likewise, we will look at the great quality of temperance, which comes by desire; the appetite of the human being is placed into a state of moderation and becomes virtuous. And the third topic we will look at is the issue of anger, and how when anger is brought into a state of balance, it becomes a great prophetic quality. All of these will help us give a greater understanding of who the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was and about who Allah subhananhu wa’tala wants each and every single one of us to be. We ask Allah subhananhu wa’tala not to treat this gathering as a gathering of entertainment but we treat this as a gathering of sacred engagement. (Amin!)

Shaykh AbdulKarim Yahya

– Alhumdulilah for the blessing of Muhammad sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, that one part that encompassed all of Allah  subhananhu wa’tala’s creation of mercy. And he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was an example for humanity of magnificent character; such that Allah praised him – ‘And indeed, you are of magnificent character’ [68:4]. Allah revealed this verse in the context of reputation of a slander that was made by his sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam enemies who called him a madman. The understanding, which was understood from this is that a madman cannot have a magnificent character because no one has a magnificence character expect those who posses a magnificent ‘aql’- intellect or reason. And that is the capacity as Shaykh Ibrahim mentioned, the quality of the magnificent ‘aql’, which stems the quality of wisdom, and other qualities which also stem like courage and temperance. Allah praised the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam intellect as magnificent.

-Part of the make up of human character is the faculty of intellect or reason- ‘aql’, and also at times, Imam al Ghazali calls this ‘knowledge’. This capacity (aql), if it is refined by connection to revelation, bears the fruit of hikmah- wisdom. Its refinement is through learning. And if this quality of intellect is refined through revelation then it bears the fruit of wisdom and wisdom is the head of all those other noble characteristics.

– No one reached perfection in these noble characteristics except the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam is the example for anyone who wishes to be characterised by these qualities. To the extent to which we are near to him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam in these qualities, we are nearer to Allah; and to the extent we are distant to him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam in these qualities, we are distant from Allah.

– The refining of this capacity of intellect is through knowledge. In our case, it is through learning, and in his sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam’s case, Allah Himself refined him. The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam would say that ‘My Lord taught me adab and did so well’.

-If we look at many of the Qur’anic verses related to character which were directed to him, all of them were revealed to him initially and through all of these verses, Allah refined him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam and shaped him and he embodied the Qur’an. His sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam’s character was the Qur’an, and with the Qur’an he taught us sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam.

– Surah Hujarat- ‘The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not but strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allah . It is those who are the truthful’ [49:15]. In this verse Allah subhananhu wa’tala mentions these qualities; the quality of knowledge, and that is the belief in Allah and his Messenger sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam and that which is unshakeable; they believe in Allah and his Messenger sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam and then they have no doubt; knowledge of Allah and yakeen and certainty which is the extent of hikmah-wisdom.

– In the case of hikmah (wisdom), we want to look at the life of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam in which it shows his hikmah, his intellect which was refined, and directed and led by revelation, producing in him an excellent management and penetrating insight. Also encompassing things and seeing them through the light of knowledge, and seeing them through inner sight, and dealing all of that in context of his certitude and his certainty in Allah which was the extent of Hikmah. An example of this was the hijra of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. After 13 years in Makkah, a large group of the Ansaar came and gave an oath to defend him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam as they defended themselves, their wives and children. At that point, he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam gave permission to his companions to make hijrah. Until this happened he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam waited, and that was from his excellence management and complete certitude and reliance upon Allah subhananhu wa’tala. He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam himself waited behind until Allah subhananhu wa’tala commanded him to leave Makkah. When the Quraysh saw that the believers were making hijrah, they conspired to kill the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. At that point Gibril alayhi salam descended with revelation and informed the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam of their plan and instructed him to make hijrah. The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam took measures. He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam managed and organised, and used his penetrating intelligence, and told Sayyidina Ali to lay in his bed and gave him his shawl to wrap over him. Again he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam used his insight and connection to Allah’s book and he left his house reciting the verses of surah Yasin, from the beginning up until the verse where Allah says they see not:

‘And We have put before them a barrier and behind them a barrier and covered them, so they do not see.’[36:9]

He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam understood from this verse that it essentially blinded them (the Quraysh) from him so they could not see him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam when he exited. He then sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam went to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr. There were many measures of planning that were taken for the hijrah, for example Abu Bakr prepared two camel mounts that were in excellent condition for the journey. They  then departed from Makkah. The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, as he was departing Makkah looked at the Kaaba and spoke to Makkah. He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam said ‘Indeed you are the most beloved of Allah’s lands to Allah and you are the most beloved of Allah’s lands to me and were you people not to have driven me from you, I would not have left.’

They went to the mount Thawr in which there was a cave and they stayed  there for 3 nights. During their stay, again they had a well-organised plan. Things were placed in their proper places but their reliance wasn’t on the plan, but on Allah subhananhu wa’tala which is part of hikmah, that is connected to revelation and yakeen- that one plans and organises, but above everything is Allah!

As we all know, Allah willed that a spider created a web over the cave, and 2 wild doves laid their nests outside. Despite all of this, the disbelievers got very close to the cave. They got to the point where they were standing immediately outside of the cave. At this point, the person who’s aql is limited to that which is measurable and is material, and right in front of his 5 senses, they will feel that ‘now my plan has failed’. That’s is! However the person whose heart and insight is ignited and wisdom is connected to revelation, has certitude of Allah subhananhu wa’tala.

In a hadith we hear Sayyidina Abu Bakr say to the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam that if ‘they (Quraysh) looked at their feet, they will see us’ – the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam showed his yakeen (certainty) to the extent which is this hikmah, by saying that ‘what do you think of the 2 where Allah is their 3rd? So my plan isn’t because of this cave, or this mountain or the provision we brought, the mount we used etc, my plan is because I am dependant upon Allah and I know that He is with me!’ That was the response of the Messenger of Allah.

And this is a lesson for all of us in our mind and our planning, that we never divorce our relationship from Allah subhananhu wa’tala and that we do not depend or rely upon ourselves and our planning, but we depend and rely upon Allah subhananhu wa’tala.

The deeper wisdom is that the one who truly relies on Allah and is stripped of everything; the one who has knowledge and faith in Allah knows that this is his best state. The poet said- ‘From entrusting ones affairs to Allah, causes super abundance of what one would hope for.’ So this might have been the best state for the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam because he knows that this is not my plan, this is Allah’s plan and Allah is with us. That was how they were in the cave, in a state of absolute certitude and in a state with Allah and that was the fruit of his intellect, his wisdom that was defined by revelation and instructed directly by Allah. They stayed in the cave for 3 days. After the 3rd day, they hired a Bedouin guy, but it shows again the wisdom and management of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam because the Bedouin was  non-Muslim and he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam didn’t know if he would embrace Islam. Regardless, the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam took the means that were shown to him and hired a non believer to lead him because that person had skills in that area and knew the route well. He took the means but relied on Allah. Then they made their way to Madinah.

-We want to have Madinan hearts; hearts that the full moon rises over them!

-If we want our hearts to be refined, we have to embrace the Messenger. The Ansar sheltered the Messenger. We have to shelter him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam in our hearts and if we do that, then that will be the cause of noble character.

– This quality of ilm, or aql or wisdom, or reason, is Allah’s Messenger sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam!

-What about you and I? How are we going to refine this faculty of ours so we have hikmah?

– Imam al- Ghazali in the Ihya says that this is refined through learning, however through its proper conditions and etiquettes. We should follow him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam and look at him as our teacher.

– He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was taught by Allah directly. Allah gave him sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam knowledge but he still begged him for more knowledge – ‘Rabbi zidni ilma!’ O my Lord increase me in knowledge.

– Each of us need to be in active pursuit of knowledge. We can’t think about hikmah without knowledge. If we wish to have knowledge, we have to respect and adhere to the conditions which are iklaas, humbleness etc.

-Imam al- Haddad gave 3 counsels to strengthen our Yakeen (certainty) in the Book of Assistance:

1. Listening to His words and the sayings of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam where His attributes are mentioned. We have to not only listen to the Book, but to the one upon whom it was revealed to, sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. There has to be a connection to that initial heart and mind that was refined and illuminated, i.e the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam.

2. Reflection. Using our 5 senses to reflect on the wonders of Allah’s creation.

3. Striving and acting according to the knowledge we have learnt.

We ask Allah to grant us a connection to the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam! (Amin!)

Shaykh Yahya Rhodus

-Alhumdulilah. There are 2 blessings I would like to mention that Allah has given us in order to be here tonight and experience what we are experiencing:

1. Blessing of gathering together of this sort and if the only thing we were to do was to gather together and sit in this room and just look at each other without saying anything, we would benefit immensely from just that. When believers gather there are very powerful and important things that happening; some of them are related to the outward and some are related to the inward. But just the mere gathering of Muslims for the sake of Allah subhananhu wa’tala, and no one here came for any ulterior motive, except for the contentment of Allah is important; especially if we think about the great prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam of ours we are speaking of lived over 1400 year- the fact we are still here in Luton and are mentioning him!

2. The blessing that as Muslims, we still know how to live. That we are some of the only people left on the earth that know how to live. When we are talking about the different stations we are trying to reach as shaykh Ibrahim was mentioning early, about these different states and that in order to be religious people we have to be rational people, and to be rational people we have to be human beings and there is type of maqam, a station in our times to actually be human!

– We live in a time where we see a consumer society; you can sum up modernity as an economic system. From the time we wake up in the morning and go to sleep in the evening, we are susceptible and in this never-ending process of consumerism that is trying to captivate our mind, body and soul. Trying to subjugate that to turn us into a consumer. This whole idea which is being created that your happiness is through consumption! This is a complete lie!

– We believe Allah subhananhu wa’tala can provide for us in ways which are unexpected. Ways that don’t even come to our mind.

– The trait of temperance that we will be speaking about is very important and practical.

– As a believer you should realise you have something to offer to the world; that you can offer a practical example of the synthesis of this great trait in your life. This is the trait of temperance.

-The whole idea of temperance is self-restraint, it’s an idea of abstaining and moderation.

– Temperance as defined by one the scholars is a state that overtakes the heart, that forbids one from having desire overcoming them.

– Imam al Ghazali gives us a hierarchy of desires:

1. Base desire- first desire, which is eating and drinking. This begins when we are very young.

2. Desire for the opposite sex. This comes as we grow a bit older.

3. As one gets older, another desire is to have status, to be renowned.

4. Last desire is for us to want to know everything.

– The whole state of believers ,and to be of balance and exercise self- restraint, we have to understand all of these desires and how they relate to human being. We have to understand we were not created to be consumed. We were created a live uprightly and morally for the sake of Allah subhananhu wa’tala

– If you look at the life of our prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, you will find the most beautiful examples of someone who lived outwardly in the world but completely abstaining from it in terms of his heart.

– Hadith- where the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam never once ate bread and meat unless there were other people eating with him. He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam never ate like that when he was on his own. If he ate lunch he wouldn’t eat dinner and if he ate dinner he would not have had lunch. His poverty was by choice; the only time he indulged was when other people were with him. This life he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam lived of renunciation, if we believers have this understanding and just cut back, we will see the benefit of it.

– Temperance, when this quality is in a state of balance, it produces good qualities and when imbalance it produces bad qualities.

– When you see any picture of the grave of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam, you will see 3 verses written on the top right hand corner. Within that, there is a line of poetry from Imam al-Haddad. It says: ‘The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam whose character is the character that the All-Merciful has magnified in His book.’ It could have been about him praying or his struggles or knowledge, but what is there is about his character.

– No matter how much knowledge you have, if you do not have a state or know how to interact with people, you will never be accepted or successful.

– Every single person you come into contact with, it is an absolute obligation that you represent your prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam when you interact with them. You have to interact with them in a prophetic manner.

-One of the worst things you can do to someone is force them out of Islam.

– It doesn’t matter what they write about you, but if you interact with every single person in a prophetic way, none of that would matter because they would know regardless of what a Muslim is.

– Temperance is the ability to have self-restraint. It’s the ability to control your desires according to your intellect and the sacred law, which all comes from learning.

-We are an ummah of knowledge. We all have to learn from the cradle to the grave and we have to continue to learn.

– Zuhd- definition Imam al-Ghazali gives is: ‘Its’ for you to divert your desire for something to that which is better than it!’

– Direct your desire towards something that should be worth it. You will never be able to remove desire but instead you direct it elsewhere.

– When you have the ability to restrain yourself and attach your heart to Allah, then this is the way to attain Divine Love and become beloved to Him.

Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Efa

– Alhumdulilah. Any topic that we discuss that brings us closer to the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam is a topic that is worthy of discussion. Especially when that topic will in view inshaAllah in us the attributes that are not only beloved to the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam but are beloved to the Lord of the prophet Muhammad sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam.

 

– Hadith- the closest to me on the day of judgement are those in character. As we heard our dear brother and Shaykh Yahya allude to the various stages the human being, the soul of the human being goes through as it engages the physical realm, that there will be attributes that will manifest. The attribute of desire. It’s the first desire, this faculty of appetite. The need and want of man, we see that evident inside the child. The lower self, the nafs is similar to a child. The child is full of desire.

– We see the manifestation of anger in and around the age of 7. Many of us when we were youngsters had a fight in school because we wanted something. When we are pre 7, we are cute, we get everything we want. But when we are no longer cute, we realise we cannot get what we want, we throw tantrums. We get angry.

– The faculty of anger links to the faculty of intellect.

– The 3 faculties: faculty of desire, faculty of anger and faculty of intellectual and rational, these are the 3 essential elements of what we call character human character.

– Once we have developed the faculty of intellect, then we reach or attained that age they call puberty, Allah sends different types of forces. By this point, every single faculty is negative. At this point Allah sends 2 forces upon man; a good force and an evil force. The angelic forces are the good forces and the evil forces are the demonic forces. Both are going to seek to take control of the battlefield, the war begins and the war ultimately is a war that gives problems because the negative forces have already taken control of the battlefield. And usually the one who gets into the battlefield first, wins. And that is why we are fighting an uphill struggle.

– Our topic is the topic of anger. Topic of anger is important because by virtue of master over the faculty of anger, we thereby master all of what the virtues the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam came to complete.

– That is why when one of the sahaba (companions) came to the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam for advice, he said ‘do not get angry’. He kept repeating the question and the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam kept replying ‘do not get angry.’

– Imam al-Ghazali said that it is impossible for us to not become angry because anger is inbuilt into us. It’s a created inward reality and we cannot get rid of a part of you. What the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was saying was  CONTROL your anger.

– The sahaba were from an environment of intense anger, intense rage and jahiliiya, age of ignorance and wanton recklessness. Wanton violence, where anger is out of control.

– Arabs were not cowards. They were very angry people. Arabs were extremely violent people, therefore for us it is important to understand what the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam did and what he achieved?

– He tamed those who were believed to be untameable. He brought to a middle point those who where believed to be reckless, impossible to bring them to a middle point.

– The mission of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was to tame the intense rage and anger that Allah crafted the Arabs upon!

– Arabs still know how to get angry, just like we saw recently in Egypt and Tunisia.

– When the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam asked the sahaba about who is the strong and powerful one? The sahaba replied that the one who is skilled in the art of wresting, in fighting etc. He sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam said no, the one who is able to control his rage and anger and when his rage and anger is provoked is strong and powerful. That is why Allah not only praises the one who can suppresses rage, but the one who can suppresses rage, forgive and forget those who or what provoked the rage inside them.

– Allah does not give us abstract words, He wants to take us higher so each and every single one of us sees paradise! It’s a difficult task.

– Sayyinduna Umar was the personification of anger. He was a very angry man. He said that in the days of jahiliyya before he became Muslim, his anger was for his nafs, to gain the things he desires. But when he became Muslim, he became angry for Allah! That is the taming of the faculty of anger!

– Allah subhananhu wa’tala sends us a being who taught us practically how to suppress rage, his name was Muhammad sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam!

– We should ponder that; we should reflect on that. If we were to switch off the lights and sit and reflect, everyone would disappear. We don’t know how to go to the deeper meanings. How do we in relation to Muhammad sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam who came to perfect every single attribute for you, we should personalise the YOU.

– Allah’s pleasure will not be granted to someone who’s anger in out of control.

– When the sahaba asked the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam what is the most feared reality, he sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam replied that its ‘the anger of Allah!’. They asked, ‘Ya RasullaAllah how do we not occur the anger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘you control your anger. If you control your anger, He will control His anger towards you’.

– As you treat others, Allah subhananhu wa’tala will likewise treat you.

– And that is why we see in the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam himself was someone who came to teach us how to suppress rage. Because when we suppress rage and anger and we bring it to this median point between two extremities of excess and deficiencies, it brings forward a beautiful quality called courage.

– Why did Sayyidina Ali ibn Talib say the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam was the most courageous of people? It’s because the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam defined the reality of courage.

– People go into excess. We have on the one hand, people of extreme anger. Then we have the opposite extreme of cowards- we are people of laxity of anger, laxity of intellect, laxity of desire.

– But the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam came with balance, came with moderation and we are an ummah of moderation.

– The prophet was tested. The reality of bravery manifests when one is tested. One of us can claim we are brave but when we have to stand on a battlefield, we can be tested.

– Bravery can be tested. When we see the atrocities over the world, the blood of man is being spilt that manifest the negative qualities….

– We either have too much anger or we have those who are cowards!

– The intellect has to take control over anger. The intellect plays an important role in putting the anger in check.

– The prophet salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam was somebody who in each and every moment was in tribulation. How would you feel if you were born without a father? How would you feel if you were given to a stranger when just 2 weeks old and then taken to the dessert? Children become traumatic when placed in the hands of those they are not familiar or their natural parents- it’s a trauma for a child, how would you feel? Allah subhananhu wa’tala sent blessed beings to ensure the child (the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam) is not traumatic but something that is nurturing. but what was it that was nurturing him? In the dessert, in those early years, he was given the great blessed attribute which relates to anger, it controls anger. Its called Hilm, that is why he is Ibn Halima!

– The nature of hilm is the ability to control your anger and respond to the one who provokes anger in you by doing that which is beautiful. Somebody who does wrong to you and you only respond by doing good to them- that is prophecy. This was recognised by anyone who interacted with the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam.

– The prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam met Sayyidina Abu bakr  wondering the streets of Madinah and asked him what has brought you here in the middle of the night. He says I left my house just to see the face of the Messenger of Allah. I left my house in the middle of the night – Abu bakr couldn’t sleep! Abu bakr yearns for the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam in the middle of the night, not just crying and yearning in the house, but a yearning that forces him out of the house in the middle of the night just to see the Messenger of the Allah sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. He found him and gazed upon the face of the prophet sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam. “I’m yearning for the prophet” he used to say to his blessed wife.

– He came with the ability to control rage and anger. We see the difficulties of his sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam‘s life in each and every single moment but he responds to them in beautiful way.

– Clemency is the ability not to just forgive; not just to forgive and forget; but it is to forgive, forget and to act beautifully to the one who does you wrong.

– One of the beautiful names of Allah- He is al-Ghafir- the Forgiver, and al-Ghaffur, the one who forgives in abundance. Allah is also al-Haleem the One who when people do Him wrong, He only does them right. That is Allah!

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Jaza ‘Llahu anna Sayyidina Muhammadan sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam ma huwa ahluhu
Jaza ‘Llahu anna Sayyidina Muhammadan sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam ma huwa ahluhu
Jaza ‘Llahu anna Sayyidina Muhammadan sallaAllahu alayhi wasalam ma huwa ahluhu
Subhana Rabbika Rabbi l’izzati amma yasifun, wa salamun ala l’mursalin, wal-humdulillahi Rabbi l’alamin.

Thought for Thursday

November 25, 2010 in Forgiveness, Thought for Thursday | Tags: , , | 1 comment

“When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow
I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape
My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness
I found Your forgiveness to be greater”
– Imam Shafi’

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