بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

`Abdullah ibn Ghalib Al-Hadani. It is narrated in Mukhtasar Qiyam Al-Layl by Imam Al-Samarqandi that

When the enemy approached (in battle), he would say “What can sadden me in this world? By Allah, there is no happiness in it for the wise one. By Allah, were it not for my love of spending the night in prostration and placing my forehead down before You. O Master, in-between movement of limbs and joints (i.e. praying), in the depth of the nights all in hope of Your reward and Pleasure, were it not for this, I would have hoped to leave this world and its people.’ Then he would break the scabbard of his sword and go forth to fight until he was killed. When he was buried, they found the fragrance of musk at his grave and the people began to take the dust of his grave as if it were musk.

A man once saw him in a dream and said, ‘O Abu Faras, what have you done?’ He said, ‘The best of deeds.’ He asked, ‘Where have you gone?’ He said, ‘To Paradise,’ He said, ‘With what?’ He said, ‘By having conviction (yaqin) and standing for long periods in Tahajjud (night Prayer) and suffering from thirst in the midday heat (i.e. fasting).’ He said, ‘And what is this sweet fragrance at your grave?’ He said, ‘That is the fragrance of recitation and thirst.’ He said, ‘Advise me.’ He said, ‘Seize goodness for yourself; do not miss nights and days, for indeed I have seen that the righteous ones attain piety through piety.

May Allah make us people who enliven the nights with prayer and make it easy for us to persevere in it in the long-term (istiqama) and let us find peace & contentment in the tahajjud prayer. Ameen!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Sayyidina Ali krwj said, “The one who longs for Paradise will rush towards good deeds; the one who dreads Hell will put an end to his vices; the one who has a firm conviction in [the imminent arrival of] death will lose all his passions; and the one who really knows the dunya will find disasters easy to bear.”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Wow, its been a while since I’ve even logged in to this account of mine. If it was not for a friend who asked me when I would update again, I might not have visited this familiar WordPress dashboard in a long while.

In all honesty, when I started this blog, all I wanted was to record my thoughts and share my readings or what I learned in various classes and talks. It was a safe, comfortable place for me. Over time, it has garnered more attention than I had hoped. For awhile, I rationalised my decision to continue writing because I prayed that it would bring benefit to those reading.

But when people started coming up to me at talks and asking me “Are you alfaqeer?” or asking me for certain religious rulings hahaha, that kind of freaked me out. For the most part, the girls are really sweet and there are some beautiful souls that I have met through this blog and for that, I am truly grateful. But with all things, the good comes with its evil counterpart. Maybe I never should have included pictures in here, maybe I should take them off, maybe…. Maybe I shouldn’t complete that last line.

In any case, I still pray that whatever that has been written in this blog all these time still brings benefit to others. As always, I apologize if I have offended anybody. Everything here that was not from me, I have included its source so please hold your horses the next time you want to jump on me for “giving a fatwa”. MasyaAllah, I am in no position to do such a thing. Forgive me if I ever even remotely gave that impression. May Allah forgive us and help us towards goodness always.

Some of you may have read this from a link on my facebook, but I still think its a fantastic story and those of you who have not read it, should.

The Puppy

We had just finished dinner and had 20 genay [Egyptian currency] left over from the pool of cash we had put together. While discussing what to do with the money, one of the sisters suggested, “There’s a boy who sleeps outside Awlad Ragab [the local grocery store]. You know, he’s got that puppy! And whenever he’s with that puppy, he’s like the happiest kid in the world.”

I remembered who the sister was speaking of. There was a teenage boy who slept on the grass across the street from the grocery store. There was no trace of family, no trace of money, no trace of anything – just a boy, and the stray puppy who kept him company. “Let’s give the money to him!” the sister exclaimed. Our group began to head over.

From our dinner location, taking into account the number of girls who were with us and the fact that the streets of Cairo are crazy busy at night (Allahu Akbar – God is the Greatest – Egypt, I miss you!), it took us about twenty minutes to get to the location of the boy. But subhan’Allah [God is above all things they associate with Him], he was nowhere to be seen. His puppy, however, was there…and he was thirsty. The puppy had his paws around a closed water bottle, and he was unsuccessfully attempting to open it. Imagine the torment of intense thirst – staring at water at a paw’s length – and not being able to access it despite immense struggle. Realizing his dilemma, we quickly opened the bottle of water we had and began to pour it out for the puppy. The puppy came immediately, drinking the water in huge gulps, not stopping for some time. Finally, relieved, the puppy ran off to play.

We did not find the boy that night. As we walked back to our apartments I began reflecting on what had taken place. We had walked about twenty minutes in search of a specific boy. We could not find him but instead we found a puppy in extreme thirst, making a great effort to access water. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala had written for us to have extra money, helped us remember the boy in that moment, given us the strength, ability and time to take the twenty minute walk to find the boy, and guided us to a puppy who needed our help to drink water. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala had written for us, a group of foreigners from across the world, to have been in that place, at that moment of time, to help a puppy quench its thirst.

Ya servant of Allah who is struggling to please Him, stumbling upon blocks of heedlessness and difficulties… Ya Muslim or Muslimah who is trying to keep it straight, find a job, get married, do well in school, study overseas, deal with domestic issues at home or societal pressures all around… Oh one who struggles to make your prayers, makes effort to complete your fasts, fights to lower your gaze and preserve your chastity… If that is the Mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala on a small puppy, that He subhanahu wa ta’ala would put all these things into place to help quench the thirst of a creature amongst His Creation – then what about the Mercy of Allah, The Most High, The One in control of everything, on you, His worshipper?

“So flee to Allah…”

(Qur’an, 51:50)

From suhaibwebb.com

I am selling student tickets should anyone want to get them from me, especially those in NTU! Pass the word around please.

Original Spiritual Comrade

“Tamally maak
We law hata ba eed ainy,
Fe alby hawak.”

“I am always with you.
And even when you’re far away from me,
Your love is in my heart.”

/

Can you tell she’s smiling? :)

For the person closest to my heart,
who emulates the Prophet SAW in her mannerisms and akhlaq, masyaAllah how I will miss you so, and am already missing you now.

May Allah preserve you and your husband while you both travel in search of ilm for His Sake. We will meet again. InsyaAllah soon. ♥

Please keep Imran Anggulia & Fakhrunnisaa’ Firoze in your prayers. (And me too, because I am such a crybaby.)

:P

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

MasyaAllah, how apt is it that my last post was about a graveyard. I have just lost a man more important to me than I would ever admit it. I wish I had told him that I cherish him, that I miss him when I don’t see him in a while, that he had the best voice and the best laugh ever.

Please read al-Fatiha for Shaykh Zakaria Bagharib, who passed on on Friday morning, 6 Syawal 1430H. His absence is still yet sinking in. I know he is in a happier place. I didn’t go to the cemetery on Friday as the women stayed at his place but the men who did go said it smelt fragrant. :)

I’ve never lost anyone to death before. I know I’d find out one day soon enough, I just didn’t think it was going to be him. May Allah give us all the strength to live without him in our midst and be patient until we meet again insyaAllah.

For my spiritual father;

“If I could get another chance
Another walk, another dance with him,
I’d play a song that would never ever end
How I’d love love love, to dance with my father again”

♥

Am feeling undescribable peace in my heart while looking at the pictures of the tombs of saints. Like a sister once shared about her trip to a graveyard of awliya’ in Yemen, “you feel like you’re walking in a garden, not a graveyard.”

Ohh how beautiful True Life must be for them now…..

A heart-rending reminder of the ultimate love story from Umm Thameenah.

And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, are overflowing in their love for Allah. (Surah Al Baqarah:165)

If I asked you; have you ever felt true love, what would you say? Would you think about your spouse? Your children? Parents? Siblings? Or even friends? What would your answer be?

How many married sisters remember the day they glanced over at their husband and realised in that single moment, that they were in love? And how many sisters remember the day they gave birth and the love, joy and happiness that entered their hearts?

Although these examples are realities of life, the true love that I speak of is one that fills all hearts, without an atom’s weight left untouched.

Within our heart remains a void, one that can only truly be filled with love for The One who gave us life. The purest, most elevated and exalted type of love that exists is love for The One whom hearts were created to love. Hence, true satisfaction, true comfort and true love can only come from our Creator, Allah (SWT).

All except Allah (Swt) are loved for the love that they give in return. But He is loved for His own sake, in every respect. As a result, all goodness that occurs is one of its fruits and a branch from its roots. The love for Allah (Swt) is a love so great, it never ceases to be acknowledged, never exists without appreciation and brings about true blessings for the one that harbours such love.

When you love someone, you are willing to do anything to gain his pleasure. So what about our Lord (Swt)? Is He not worthy of having us please Him in all that we do? If the question of love was put to any Muslim, none would deny the love they have for Allah (Swt). However, the truth of the matter is, the love that is claimed does not truly exist in the heart, for if it did, the actions of the limbs would not be contrary to the claim. Thus, for a person to truly be a lover of Allah (Swt), their lives should show evidence of their love.

The true love that a servant feels for Allah (Swt) renders them completely at His service, and though a servant is fully aware that their Beloved is in no need of their actions, they continue to strive, nevertheless, so as to prove to their Lord the weight of their love. When one reaches the ultimate station of love: mahabbah, the heart becomes attached to Allah (Swt), to such an extent that it realises its complete need for and utter dependence upon its Lord (Swt). As a result, such a servant is constantly on guard to ensure that they hasten towards what is beloved to Him and leave that which might bring about His displeasure. When they speak, it is purely for Allah (Swt). When silence is observed, it is for Allah (Swt). They give for Allah and withhold for Allah. Never would their feet move, except for their Beloved and likewise their remaining still occurs only for His Sake (Swt). Such a servant is so overwhelmed by the love of their Beloved (Swt), that even difficulties and tests become a source of delight for them, as they remind themselves that it is from their Lord, thus should be accepted for Him.

Sisters, some may wonder why it is that they’ve never felt such a feeling for their Lord before, or why is it that their actions do not affirm their love for Allah (Swt). Let us remind ourselves that He (Swt) has not created anything that is sought after, without providing the causes and means that can lead to it. Thus, the question is: have we taken the time to discover what the causes and means are? If so, did we then take the appropriate steps to achieve this goal?

From some of the greatest ibaadah (acts of worship) outlined by Ibn Qayyim (rahimahullah), in his book ‘The Path to Guidance’, are ways through which, to gain love of Allah (Swt): “Increasing in the remembrance of Allah (Swt) with presence of heart, reflecting upon His Noble Words, acknowledging the tremendous bounty that Allah (Swt) Has bestowed upon you, standing before Him with presence of heart and due etiquette, attending the gatherings of the lovers of Allah (Swt), withholding from any statement, action or thought that will sever you from attaining the love and turning away from anything that may cut you off from any of these.”

Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim and other classical scholars (rahimahullah) have described Love of Allah (Swt) as the highest station that a servant will achieve, as it is the root of all good and the source of great blessings. So let us seek the aid of Allah (Swt) in acquiring this honourable characteristic, for it is only by His aid and assistance that such a quality can be attained.

Those who compete for this station find Allah (Swt) as their Guide and as is beautifully mentioned by Ibn Qayyim (rahimahullah):

‘It is the station for which the competitors compete;

To it do the workers fix their gaze;

for reaching its mark do the forerunners strive;

upon it do the lovers annihilate themselves;

and with its refreshing breeze do the worshippers revive themselves.

It is the heart’s strength, the soul’s nourishment and the eye’s splendour.’

Seek the love of Allah (Swt) by loving Him and strive for the ultimate goal, the best of all stations and the summit of all states.

So if I were to pose the question to you again: have you ever felt true love? Now, your answer might be different. But if I asked you: do you long to experience such a love? Without a doubt, your answer would be yes.

For love of Allah (Swt) is a sentiment, a sincere feeling of the heart that fills the servant with benevolence and affection for their Creator. When such an immense love enters the heart, it takes over the servant’s soul to the extent that one becomes overwhelmed and completely in awe of their Lord. It creates a realisation so intense, that comprehension seems too inconceivable, an honour so great, it almost renders it beyond worldly belief and yet it remains, most certainly, an achievable goal, by many means.

‘There is a servant, who has left his own soul behind,

who is attached to his Lord’s remembrance,

who is steadfast in fulfilling His rights;

who looks to Him with his heart,

his heart burning with the lights of His Divine awe.

The Almighty has raised for him the veils of the Unseen.

When he talks, it is for the sake of Allah;

when he utters, it is about Allah;

when he moves, it is by the command of Allah;

when he rests, it is with Allah.

He is for Allah, by Allah, with Allah.’

(Abu Bakr al-Kattani, sited in ‘The Exquisite Pearl: The journey to Allah & The home of the Hereafter’ by Ibn al-Qayyim)

Thus, with all the things we grow to love, never will we understand the meaning of true love until our hearts experience divine love – the greatest love of all: Love of Allah (Swt). With sincere striving we can become servants who, not only love Allah (Swt) with all their heart, but who have completely fallen in-love with Him (Swt).

Thus, let us love Him and sincerely serve Him more than anything. For lovers of Allah (Swt) are true servants of Allah (Swt).

Umm Thameenah is a postgraduate in Social Science, a qualified teacher, freelance writer and poet who incorporates life experiences, underpinned by lessons from the Qur’an and Sunnah into her writing to touch the hearts of readers.

//

Postgraduate in Social Science, teacher, writer, poet? Waaah sounds like what I might be! Amin amin! :P

I pray everyone is going through their days and nights of Ramadhan in endless bliss and tears and praise for Allah SWT. :D Keep the du’as coming ok!

Got the following article from Muslim Matters. :)

With Ramadan right around the corner, it’s time to start gearing up and adjusting our schedules accordingly. One of the things we have to plan for during Ramadan is Tarawih. Now I’m not going to delve into a fiqh discussion in regards to Tarawih (plus there’s some video coming your way soon InshaAllah). What I’d like to talk about is the potential impact that Tarawih can have, particularly on children.

One question most Imams, Shuyukh, Du’at, etc get asked is, “How and when did you know this is what you wanted to do?” Often this question is asked by parents in order to get an idea of how to get their kids interested in similar things. Well my answer to this question has to do with attending Tarawih in Ramadan. Alhamdulillah since the age of about 5 my father used to take me to Tarawih every night in Ramadan, even on school nights. Around the time I was 8 I remember being amazed by the Imam’s recitation of the Qur’an from memory in Tarawih. I even told my father that I want to be able to do what he does. So bi’idhnillah when the opportunity presented itself to go and memorize the Qur’an, I jumped at it and insisted that I be allowed to go. Keep in mind that this involved traveling overseas at the age of 10. Alhamdulillah, since then one thing Allah has granted me the ability to do consistently is lead Tarawih every Ramadan. This was the beginning of my journey down the road of seeking knowledge and serving the Deen.

So I recommended the same thing to my community and last year there was a family who regularly attended Tarawih all Ramadan and even stayed afterwards to listen to the Tafseer sessions. By the end of Ramadan they came to me with their 10 year old son saying that he insists he wants to memorize the Qur’an – and asking advice for how to go about doing it.

It’s really simple to understand, take your son to NASA and on the way home he’ll tell you that he wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. Take your daughter to the zoo and now she wants to be a veterinarian. Same thing goes for sports and athletes, Tiger Woods’ father starting taking him to the golf course at an early age. So if we want our children to develop a love for the Qur’an and knowledge in general and aspire to be students of sacred knowledge, then we have to introduce them to it. InshaAllah no time better than the present, use this Ramadan and Tarawih wisely.

The picture above was taken probably 3 years ago. The words I had editted were a result of me staying at hostel in my first year in uni & missing my mum.

For those who have met my mother, you knowww that she’s extremely cute haha. I always get amused by her ’silly’ questions and funny theories about life.

As she gets older, she really gets funnier. And not because she chose to, she’s just so clueless. Here are some of the funny scenarios that has happened recently.

Scenario #1:

Usually on Sundays she has class between zuhur and asr and would be back by 530-6pm. Today she was not home by 630 so I called her earlier and asked her where she was. She said: “Mee, I don’t know how I ended up at East Coast Park! After the mosque, diorang kidnap I bawak I pergi sini!” (They kidnapped me and brought me here!)

Hahaha. Okay this may seem strange but my mum says that I’m always ’scolding’ her, that I’m like the female version Sayyiduna Umar RA. Of course I am in NO WAY close to the character and demeanour of Sayyiduna Umar RA, but okay, I am quite erm, firm with her. Haha. Like I would stare at her if she talks during classes, stare at her if she complains about my dad, stare at her if she laughs too loud etc etc. Haha. So she has come to this state where she feels like she needs to explain her actions to me. Its so cute and I really don’t expect her to and I feel bad for making her be somewhat ’scared’ of me haha.

So anyway, in the previous conversation she was trying to tell me that she’s coming home soon and it wasn’t her idea to go East Coast etc. I was like “Omg Mak, please enjoy yourself. I was just wondering where you are, thats all.”

Really, you should see how my mum is with me. Makes you wonder who the mum is sometimes. :P
Scenario #2:

I’ve been looking for a plain black skirt and so one fine day, my mum was out and she called me.

Mum: “Mee, I found a black skirt like you wanted. You want me to buy for you?”

So we had a short conversation while I tell her no need unless its really cheap and don’t waste money, while she tries to convince me to let her buy it for me etc. When she’s losing an argument, like she was this time, she goes “Okay I buy now. Bye!” and hangs up before I can even say anything else.

2 mins later, she calls back.

Mum: “Mee, I bought for you already. You want long one right?”
Me: “Huh? You bought long one?”
Mum: “Oh nooo, you wanted short one is it? I’m sorry! I buy already. Okay okay I go back to the shop.” And she hangs up!

I was so puzzled! I called her back.

Me: “Mak! Of course long one la! What would I do with a short skirt!”
Mum: “Ehhh.. a’ah eh. *giggles away*”

In the background I could hear some Aunty asking “Lu tanak tukar ah?” which translates to mean “You don’t want to change?”.

SERIOUSLY LA!*smacks forehead*

Jokes aside, my mum is really Superwoman. She puts her family before anything else, even herself, and I’ve never met anyone more selfless than her. All her decisions are for the good of the family. I can’t think of the last time she wanted to do something that didn’t include the rest of the family. Her happiness lies in ours and I think thats the most noble thing ever. I can only pray Allah grants me HALF the selflessness that my mum possess, masyaAllah.

Recently a friend’s mother was hospitalised and I was around when they talked about delegating the housework etc. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mum. If she was ever hospitalised or God forbid, taken away from us, I don’t know how my family would survive. She truly is the rock in the family that keeps us all together and grounded. Sure, I can take over the housework from her, but I can’t ever replace her amazing organisational skills, and the way she takes into account everyone’s schedules and needs/wants before making any decision, and the way she tirelessly serves us when we really should be the one serving her. SubhanAllah…. Thank You Allah for this big blessing of a mother. I really can’t do justice to the kind of mother that she is.

In all honesty, I do think she’s an amazing woman. When I was younger and people asked what you want to be when you grow up, people my age always said ‘Teacher’ or ‘Doctor’ or ‘Lawyer’, you know, those run-of-the-mill answers. Mine was always ‘Mother’. Haha.

But now I realize that the answer was incomplete. What I meant to say was, “When I grow up, I want to be my mother.”

♥