THE LAST LOVE STANDING
26 May 2012 39 Comments
in Islam, Love, Mercy, Uncategorized
Included are parts based upon a lecture of Shaykh Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.
Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon us all. Ameen. Alhamdulillaah by His will the site rolls fortnightly. It took quite a while to decide what a comeback post should be on. Some readers asked for ‘breaking up’ (u know your selves *smiles*) and I have promised to post it soon. All in all, the idea came up to me on a long ride home. There were quiet moments except for the wind and sound of friction from the tyres on the tarred road. I had something to eat and I had that happy grin on my face considering how much I had craved for it. So we drove miles and miles and calls from home kept coming in asking about our location and comfort. I would turn off my mobile at intervals to save up the battery till I got into town. Whenever I would switch on, messages and calls would come in again.
I enjoyed the attention and love of course having times I would go “aww sweety, aww maa to lol silly girl I’ll be with you soon in sha Allaah” and all that. Love is good I thought to myself. Be it from a spouse, parents, friends, colleagues or siblings. Not that I am much of a negative thinker but I like to do reality checks, it has helped me to worry less, expect less and most importantly trust God more. I imagined that I had no one to call me and check up on me. I pretended lonely, forcing thoughts of discreteness in my head. Asking all the questions, what if they were never there, what if I had no comfort, what if I had them at some point in my life and lost them….what if…..? The mobile phone, the money to call home, the ride, the people caring and loving .
I nursed silent Alhamdulillaahs as I stared out of the window. In my head I ran a slide show of faces and places I liked, adornments, gadgets and all that I thought made me happy. I couldn’t sleep though because of fear of highway circumstance. All the same I kept thinking, and I realised all that kept me smiling, the calls that kept me going on, my parents, friends, lovers and possessions would not be around for long. Day by day their life span decreases in health, wealth, love or devotion and it is not impossible to wake up to nothing someday, subhanallah. There is no guarantee. Everything and everyone I had and will ever have will come to an end someday except Allaah SWT. Why then should I love Him last, why then should I even love if I do not love Allaah. The attachment to Him is more necessary than the attachment to anything because He has forever and every other thing is just a moment in time. When one is attracted to something, one develops an attraction for that specific object or person. This attraction from the core of one’s heart or spiritual attachment is generally known as love. The nature and degree of this attachment determines the nature of the love. However, as there is no permanence to our world the nature of our worldly infatuations is also transitory. However Allah (swt) surpasses all barriers of time and distance and hence His relationship with human beings is also transcendental and eternal.
It is stated in Surah Maida (54) ‘O you who believe, whoever from among you turns your back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a person whom he will love and they will love him’. Allah (swt) is Deen (religion); therefore this verse is acknowledging the people who turn their backs on Allah (swt).
This verse proves that Allah (swt) possesses love for His believers. Some people have difficulty understanding this concept and only recognize Allah (swt) through His other characteristics, and overlook the fact that Allah (swt) is capable of unlimited and unconditional amount of love. Furthermore, we should realize that this love is beyond the comprehension of the human mind. This love cannot be quantified nor articulated, for it transcends speech. It is narrated in a hadith that if mankind knew how much Allah (swt) loved them they would lose all their senses in ecstasy with happiness and as a result their soul would separate from their body. Allah (swt) loves us seventy times more than how much a mother loves her newborn child.
Therefore the love of a believer for Allah (swt) must be more intense, stronger and far more superior than all other variables of worldly attachment and attraction.
The Holy Qu’ran states in Surah Baqarah (165) ‘The love of Allah in the believers is most intense’.
True lovers never feel that they have fulfilled the rights of love and always consider themselves lower than what they actually are. True lovers of Allah (swt) never feel that they have fulfilled the rights of worship like He so deserves.
The blessed status of becoming a Beloved of Allah (swt) is not necessarily ascribed at birth; it is possible for anyone to become an Awliya (friend of Allah). A ‘Wali’ (singular of awliya) can be translated as ‘nearness’, hence those who become ‘Wali’s’ of Allah (swt), are blessed with His nearness. That becoming closer too Allah is through performing Nawafil (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until Allah loves him so much that anything good that Wali does, Allah considers it done by His Grace. So Allah (swt), metaphorically speaking, becomes his hearing and sight, his hands and feet. And anything that Wali asks, even the forgiveness of others, Allah (swt) so grants.
Thus if one acquires nearness and love of Allah (swt) by means of performing religious obligations, supererogatory and voluntary prayers, Allah (swt) then becomes their special helper and protects their limbs and organs and does not let them work for His disobedience. This shows the invincibility of their faith as well as Allah’s (swt) infinite trust in them, a relationship of eternal secure mutuality.
Once an individual is blessed with the nearness of Allah (swt), he will receive His love. Allah (swt) then will bless him with the best personality, one that is loved by all the angels, and all the people.
Narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah the Prophet (saw) said: “If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel saying, ‘Allah loves so and-so; O Gabriel you love him too.’ Gabriel will then also love him and make an announcement amongst the angles ‘Allah loves so-and-so, therefore you should love him too,’ and so all the angles of the Heaven will also love him, and then he is granted the love (made popular)on earth.” This Hadith mentions the reward of love for the sake of Allah (swt). A person who loves for the sake of Allah (swt) is not only loved by Allah (swt) but also by the pious inhabitants of the earth as well as the heavens.
It is often the case that if one loves somebody dearly, he holds him close to the heart then the lover will always look for ways and means of hearing about his beloved. He will become happy if others praise his beloved and become delighted if they remember him. If onlookers are scattered, and busy in their own affairs, the lover will desire that they concentrate upon His beloved just as he himself has become engrossed in him. In order to demonstrate his love, he may wish that he alone should not praise his beloved but that it should be done by all of creation.
When an individual loves a Friend of Allah (swt), he does not love him out of his own accord but loves him because Allah (swt) has chosen him to do so. Hence only pious people are fortunate enough to possess the love of Awliya’s (friends of Allah), in their hearts. For instance if one wanted to pour milk into a vessel they would obviously choose a vessel that was clean, in the same way, Allah (swt) only instils the pure, untainted love of one of His favoured person into a person whose heart is clean and pure, and not dark and filthy due to the blemishes of the sins that he has committed. Dear reader who would you rather love, a finite or an infinite. Who loves you?
POEM TITLE: THE LAST LOVE STANDING
Anxiety slowly released my being
Replaced by calmness out of His will
I questioned and I answered
Acting as the subject and object of reality
The loss or the looser, I could be any
Goodnights are turning to goodbyes
The emergence of dawn is not certain at dusk
Promises are broken
Brothers are at war
Hearts are not pure
I just cannot be sure
Instead of this uncertainty I give my heart rest
Trusting the Almighty, the true lover of man
O Lord establish my confidence in Your reliance
My forfeiture was my weakness
Cried at disappointments and prolonged grief
Attached my heartbeats to the incidence of mortals
I would call some the air that I breathe
How could that be, I ask
Now that I have lost some
The air did not cease
And my heart beat I still feel
I stand still and praise the one who is worthier
I sand still and love the right one truly
As I remember Him I pray He remembers me
For in His remembrance do hearts find ease
O Lord reveal for me Your love that I seek
Some longed for progeny and wealth
In dozens He would give them
For ages He would bless them
In fleets and mansions He enriched them
Their outlay and earnings He expanded
But still no word of definite era
Look how orphans are made in a moment
Widows left in grief
Loneliness created and belated in its span
If I had loved Him since
I would have long been healed
Gotten out of this world
And into the safety of His expanse
O Lord release my heart where I love in bondage
It’s a realisation after self-confrontation
An exodus from a greedy past to a more content future
I had much, but still wanted more
I lived not wanting to leave
Even if granted all, nothing is forever
Nothing has the seal of eternity
Most of all I loved hoping on consistency It was love for finite luxury and fading amenities
Attachment to measurable and superficial soul pleasers
I call them the accessories of life
The appendages to be tested by
Avenues for heart break and disappointments in time
For that I relay on the one who made me
O Lord grant me the pill to the pain You permit
A certain shame surrounded my tranquil
Like spreading ripples from a pebble’s plunge
If I could hide from Him, I would
But I couldn’t
He knows me too well
In my imperfections He had loved me
Amidst my wrong doings He had guided me still
So how could I deprive myself of this security?
And expose me to a thing of uncertainty
To tainted love or life spanned commitment
How could I forget the sure expiration?
O Lord replace for me my now with Your forever.
Praise be to Allaah, after all is gone, He is The last love Standing.
FIVE QUESTIONS
26 Feb 2012 36 Comments
in Day of reckoning, Islam, Judgement day Tags: continue reading
Peace be upon you my dear brothers and sisters. Thank you for visiting this site as we together try to become better muslims. I would like to acknowledge the request of a dear reader to make posts longer as she enjoys reading even though i intentionally make it short hoping readers would manage to get to the end.
My inspiration for today’s topic is my forthcoming exams. I wish so badly that I would be granted a sneak peek on the questions I would be asked. That would be awesome! If that would happen I would just master the exam questions and one thing is for sure, I’ll definitely pass. So that’s the scenario of this dunya. We do not know what the exam questions would be but never the less we prepare day and night….because we know there will be an exam on an announced date. Now the day of qiyama, we very well know that it would take place, we do not know the date and thus a reason to be prepared always but amazingly we have the questions out of Allaah’s mercy.
It would thus be a shame to fail. But look at us, how ignorant we are. Dear sons of Adam, dear muslims what are we doing? Imagine the day when all of mankind and jinn will be gathered before Allaah az zawajal. Imagine your name is called to account for your deeds. Even if you did well the tension on that day would be unbearable. How much more of a wrongdoer? Worse on, a muslim who has failed in obeying! We are all sinners that can be forgiven because our Lord is a Lord of mercy.
Compare the length of life on this earth to that of the hereafter. Its a case of a moment against that of infinity. Is it really worth it? Abandon that which won’t benefit you for that which would. Goodluck in revising the five questions that hold the key to your eternity.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing among their deeds for which the people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels, although He knows best, ‘Look at My slave’s prayer, is it complete or lacking?’ If it is complete, it will be recorded as complete, but if it is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether my slave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he had done voluntary prayers, He will say, ‘Complete the obligatory prayers of My slave from his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be examined in a similar manner.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 864; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 770).
“A time will come upon people that a man will no longer care about whether he gets his money by halaal or haraam means.” (Al-Bukhaaree).
“It is unlawful for a Muslim to sell a defective ware to his brother without exposing the defect to him.”
“Whoever wrongfully takes possession of the right of a Muslim by (false) oath, Allaah has made the Hell his abode and has forbidden him Paradise.” A man then asked: ‘Even if it is an insignificant thing?’ The Prophet saws replied: “Even if it is (as insignicant as) a stick of Araak (a tree from which branches tooth cleaning sticks are plucked)”.
He said: ‘O (you) Messengers! eat of the Taiyibat [all kinds of Halal (legal) foods which Allaah has made legal (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk produts, fats, vegitables, fruits, etc.)], and do righteous deeds.’ (Al-Mu’minun 23:51).
“But teach (the Message): for teaching benefits the Believers.” (51:55)
Say (O Muhammad): “This is my Way; I do invite unto Allah with a certain knowledge.” I and whoever follows me (must also invite others to Allah, Oneness of Allah with sure knowledge). Glory to Allah! and I am not of the polytheists.” (12: 108)
Abdullah bin Umar (radhiallahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger(Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not wish to be like anybody except in two cases: The case of a man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way; and that of a man whom Allah has given religious wisdom (i.e., Qur’an and Sunnah) and he gives his verdicts according to it, and teaches it to others.” (Bukhari 9/419 and 6/543)
Abdullah ibn Abbas (radhiallahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Acquiring knowledge in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.” (Tirmidhi 256)
Rasul Allaah (SAW) said, “The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgement until he is asked about five (matters):
1. Concerning his life – how he spent it;
2. About his youth – how he took care of it;
3. About his wealth – how he earned it;
4. Where he spent it and;
5. About that which he acted upon from the knowledge he acquired.” [Tirmidhi]
POEM TITLE: FIVE QUESTIONS
Five questions I have to answer
As I rehearse I begin to stutter
From the start of my recall I perceive lapses
And before I reach a verdict fear grabs me and I keep shut
As I further question myself within these five questions
I playback the reality of my time spent
O my Dear Allaah please guide me
Before I get ceased and wish I had better answers…
My life …
My Allaah you granted me so much time
Given to me not in seconds but in years
Was the sunnah my way or did I push it away?
Who were my icons, sahabas or celebrities?
Have I achieved or did I let myself to be deceived?
Was I consumed in deviance?
Or did I consume myself in your remembrance?
Alerted by the adhan or hypnotized by western doctrine?
Did I rush to prostrate to You or rush through prostrations to leave You?
Were my manners right, giving importance to my parents’ delight?
Did I practice the shahadah or adopted practices far from this order?
Did I spend my life well? O Allaah will I pass?
My youth…
My Allaah You granted me the chance to reach my youth
Given to me not in sickness but in health
Devoid of all deformity but did I use my abilities well?
Did I walk to the masjid when you granted my limbs strength?
Was I deceived by vitality to have lost all morality?
Was I a lost youth misleading and refusing guidance?
Who did I follow, preachers or singers?
This phase of vigor, did I exhaust it well?
Did I strive or stray in trying to please You?
And when I faltered, did I repent or persist in my sinning?
Have I wasted my time or sacrificed for the hereafter?
Did I use my youth well? O Allaah will I pass?
My earning…
My Allaah You granted me sustenance
Opened doors of provision and chances for enrichment
Was I blinded by currencies or conscious of its sources?
Knowing I would account someday, did that regulate my earning?
Did I receive to accumulate or disseminate for blessings?
And when I did earn, did I deserve it at all times?
Or was I just a glutton in consumption of all kinds?
Was it the halal of another man given to me in dishonesty?
Or did I reject appeals favored by such circumstance?
When interests topped, did I deduct?
Or did I disregard in ignorance thinking it was right?
Did I earn clean wealth? O Allaah will I pass?
My spending…
My Allaah You granted me resources
I have eaten to fullness and worn outfits with adornments
Was charity my worry or did I deem zakkah not worthy?
What did my hands give in bribery or in show?
Did I refrain from the needy or stretched my help to the orphans?
And if I did give, what did I invest in?
In sadaqatul jariya or in musings of seeds of jahannam?
Did I waste in extravagance?
Or controlled the urge to do such?
Did I supplement the poor to be enriched for tomorrow?
Where has my wealth gone? What did I spend on?
Did I spend in good? O Allaah will I pass?
My knowledge…
My Allaah you granted me knowledge
Not in questions without answers, but in answers without doubt
But my learning I did postpone and my teaching I did delay.
So many Hadiths to propagate if only I mastered them
Did I believe their teachings or supported some novelty?
What books did I open, what pages did I flip?
And when I spoke to reference, what was my source?
Words from the Quran or of best seller novelists?
Did I read them all or fiction was my preference?
And while I watched some seek in Your name did I rush to compete?
Or did I lay back thinking my purpose was complete?
Did I learn and teach right? O Allaah will I pass?
Oh you who believe, have the taqwa of Allah, and let every person look to what he has sent forth for tomorrow (Q 59:18).
May Allaah forgive the errors in this post. Amin.
In sha Allaah to resume posting soon.
THE AR-RAHEEM IN HIM
11 Feb 2012 43 Comments
in Asmaul husna, forgiveness, Islam, Love, Mercy Tags: continue reading
A’eesha BL
Peace be upon you all. I love Allaah (SWT), a love that has developed out of a realization of His love for us. So in other words I love The One who loves me and beyond all I love The One who loves me the most. An attribute of Allaah that makes me sink in myself is His attribute of Mercy- Ar-Rahim, The merciful. If not Allaah, who can I dare turn to after disobeying so many times in so many degrees? We are sinners, all born of sinners but Allaah still provides for us beyond what we can estimate. Allaah’s Mercy is the only compassion capable of readmitting us back to Him after we have chased ourselves out due to our very own doing.
Ibn Abbas says “Rahman and Rahim have similar meanings. One of them means ‘having more rahmah (compassion)’ than the other.” (Ibn Kasir)
Ar-Raheem is Allaah’s special mercy only for the believers while Ar-Rahman extends to all of His creation even the disbelievers.
We are so keen on fulfilling our desires that we sometimes forget that we do not deserve to be alive if life was given to the most pious. Take a look at your life and recap your deeds. Can you count your sins? If you were to judge yourself would you have forgiven some things you have done? Do you deserve half of what you have? Remember you have what you have because Allaah is full of Mercy. Which of Allaah’s favors can you deny? We have a Lord of mercy, Let’s praise Him.
As usual a poem in respect to today’s topic, let’s wear the same shoes.
POEM TITILE: THE AR-RAHEEM IN HIM.
Look at my limbs
Straight and outstretched
Sinned and forgiven
Still walking and committing
Daily I keep indulging
My Lord is still guiding
Look at my eyes
Seen and sinned in seeing
Wronged and trespassed in gazing
Glanced and looked
And now they are crying
My Lord is ever wiping
Look at my hands
These two have pleaded guilty
Ten fingers involved in crafting
Unique prints misplaced in service
Have tied and loosened
My Lord still accepts as they cup in prayer
Look at my mouth
Two lips together in frame
Encasing a tongue that spits some words lame
Have bitten bad fruits
Selfishly savored tittle-tattle
My Lord still awaits my saying Astagfurullah
Look at my ears
Have listened and deafened
Tuning up frequency to volatile speech
Tuning down from profitable substance
Two lobes of listening pleasure
My Lord’s words still speak if only I would listen
Look at my heart
My strength at the mercy of its weakness
In it I kept grudges
And locked in dark secrets
I long for relieve
My Lord would purify the moment I submit
Look at my body
Carved, toned and healthy
Yet greed admires cosmesis
Fashion remains the genesis
Have exposed the pearl enclosed
My Lord still sees my hijab’s beauty
Look at my life
Crawling back to cradle
Missed the peace of innocence
I’m pricked by my broken pieces
In shame I submit my pleading
My Lord Ar-Rahim fixes. I praise Him.
“Have Mercy on those who are on earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy on you”. (Tirmidhi)
FRAGMENTS OF MY TIME (part two)
29 Jan 2012 13 Comments
in Islam, The end times Tags: Faith, mahdi, naml, Time, Unity, warning signs
A’eesha BL
Say: Praise be to Allaah. He will show you His signs and you will recognize them. Your Lord is not unaware of what you do. (Surah An-Naml: 93)
What are they awaiting but for the hour to come upon them suddenly? Its signs have already come. What good will their reminder be to them when it does arrive? (Surah Muhammad: 18)
…these signs are good news to Allah’s servants. From the book “The end times and Hazrat Mahdi” by Haroon Yahya.
POEM TITLE: FRAGMENTS OF MY TIME (part two)
Like an overwhelming disease
Our world is now sick
Suffering from a syndrome of lack and too much
Lack of persisting faith and too much of strong hate
This should be no surprise to the people true to this deen
To us are revealed the warning signs so take heed
Let’s be cautious; be wise in our dealings with beings
For today or tomorrow the hour would come
A time when all deeds would be judged no doubt
But before we see our Lord this phase must take place
This is but a foreshadow of an unfolding fact
Be thankful for faith, or do we see signs for the atheists?
Fragments of my time
Put them together and you see truth
If not then can we be shown a revelation better in time?
More classic in language than it has been defined in this?
Delivered in perfect divinity and upholding reign?
All truth be found in the 114 chapters that remain integral
So it is true that someday it will be the end
And a gathering will take place by Allaah’s own will
Don’t let the devil delude us for that is his aim
For these words are not words of a man like you and I
But ordered and guarded by the one who makes the sun shine
We know Him as Allaah the one who brought us to these times.
Fragments of my time
Put them together and you see clemency
He opened our eyes so we may see the signs lucidly
Permitted our hearing so we may receive news daily
Guided our hearts so we would believe it is all His doing
A token of Allaah’s love for those He has healed
All these in mercy, we need no more proof
For reasoning is given to those He has saved
Don’t forget amongst mankind are some so mislead
If we still turn away, then indeed our loss is deep
For we would have been left lost and not guided by Allaah
So as we grieve our lost souls we should still say ‘la ilaha illAllaah…”
Fragments of my time
Put them together you will see forgiveness
We are surrounded by mischief, treachery and murder
The more we fight these acts, the more our credence gets better
If not we will be with those in lining with those gone astray
O Ya Rabb help us as we swim in tides holding us back
It remains hard to counter and turn away from what this life bids
Remind us our Lord that in Your security there is the gift of forever
And forever is never the case in conditions encountered in this dunya
Help us stay firm and not succumb in concession for its transitory joy
Record for us successes for keeping off sins and not transgressing
Fragments of my time
Put them together and you learn to forbear
Our dear Islam being ridiculed as the religion of terrorists
How hurtful when we know our faith preaches all peace and further peace
This is the time to love ourselves
And defeat the baits that disintegrate us
Ya Allaah place us not among those who sell their faith for worldly gains
All forces may coalesce and come on us but our hold cannot be cleaved that way
Whatever is Allaah’s can never fall, in this one pledge we live to die
Ashadu an lailaha illAllaah
Wa ashadu anna Muhammad rasul Allaah.
Fragments of my time…this is what the Book shows.
May Allaah forgive the shortcomings in this post. Ameen.
FRAGMENTS OF MY TIME (part one)
22 Jan 2012 44 Comments
in Islam, The end times Tags: continue reading
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullaah wa baraktuh. Many details of what the Prophet (SAW) said would happen before the last days have reached us. These events are happening one by one in our own time, proving to be yet another miracle of the Prophet (SAW).
Taken from the hadiths:
The Last Hour will not come unless there is much bloodshed…
Near the establishment of the Hour there will be much Al-Harj, and Al-Harj means killing…
Are we seeing anything different?
POEM TITLE:FRAGMENTS OF MY TIME (part one)
A generation of pertinent existence
Look how time reveals the messages in our belief
One by one the days divulge
And yet some question if they would be judged
The waves of war have spread
Now earth is as half dead
The future told to come unfolds
Not a lot remains in sacred tomorrows
Our days are so borrowed
The buildings are tall
And liquor gulped under the sun
Embrace the end times for it is near
We are a scribble of the knowledge that once was
A shadow of the love we were taught
Just a linger of the fragrance of purity remains
Lying leaders and hypocritical preachers
Selective deafness to the voices that speak truth
What do we know of our rights?
How much more of responsibilities
Today our time is hurt
Broken dreams in bleeding hearts
Tell me how we could win
When we fight ourselves instead
Dining in the midst of hatred like bread
Fragments of my time
Put them together and the big picture is still small
Still we grow from diminished souls
So what can we teach?
When we barely have learned
Could what we get now be what our hands have earned?
O what a shame, what a hurtful shame
For if we leave now how about our sons
If this is our time then what time is left?
When the signs are defining the proximal termination
Who amongst us is waiting?
Who denies that we are ending?
Fragments of my time
Put them together and you will see pain
It is war in this place
I thought it was the black race
But no it’s the human face
We act like we have no hearts
Like our whole is a disguise
Orphaning our heritage
Greed is the feed
If not then we would be rich
Richer in faith and stronger in embrace
But love lost its redness in this time of mine
Fragments of my time
Put them together and you will see hope
If not then look at us cry while we pray
Go ahead make the devil frown
Tell Lucifer that his end is near
He fought the battles with us as we fought ourselves
Soon it would be that our Lord we will face
And watch an ego being dragged to hell
The author of mischief
We should fight to defeat
And collectively we would succeed
The pioneer enemy we must learn to resist
Fragments of my time
Put them together and you have a map
The roads are broken and identity is loosening
Courage shivers at the face of the law
Confessions are like folktales, who cares what they say
When they swear and turn around and loot
Clutch their guns, hold them out and shoot
We are but people of the end times I see
The times of struggle and tests of pain
If not then see how we die in our arms
Burying one another, we are fueling the wars
Spreading like wild fire that started in the hearts
We are showing our seeds now
What our trees have given us as shade
Passing on generations
And maybe we are the last
Maybe we still may be counted as the mothers of kings
Kings we don’t know how they would then rule
When their father’s rulings are not of old times of truth
Ya Allaah Ya Rahaman hold us to Thee dear
For verily it’s plain to see that our time is here
When we would rise from sleep and line up in rows
In between two extremes we wait for the eternal recompense
Fragments of my time, this is what The Book shows.
May the souls of the departed brothers and sisters killed rest in peace. Arise O compatriots…let us pray for the kano state victims and all victims the world over.
MY NEW GARMENT
11 Jan 2012 25 Comments
in Islam
A’eesha BL
Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon you all. Amin. It is my pleasure to post again after some time. Keeping it short and hopefully worth the read, unearthing4deen is an avenue for reminders about our dear religion Islam. If you happen to have any contributions not included in a post you are most welcome to mention what you know for the benefit of others. Spreading knowledge is the responsibility of each and everyone of us. May Allaah direct our wisdom to search and learn about Islam. Amin. Today’s post is about a garment. I would love that I have saved enough for it. In as much as it is so available it takes something special to possess it while still alive. This thought came to me out of the frustration of what my wardrobe looks like. Heaps of clothes in all shades of colours and fittings but still I could spend hours trying to look for what to wear. So what exactly is the point really? Human nature got the better of me, shamefully yes. That greed to own so much eats us up. Like this is not enough, let’s share what tailors do to us ladies especially. Tears have flowed I guarantee, not to talk of the money spent to wear one outfit for an occasion and its dumped. Ya Allaah forgive us. We go through so much while alive to wear expensive and really ‘it’ clothes and at death it doesn’t really matter . A strong irony. Its a good check to link whatever you do today with its benefits in the hereafter, and when it comes to clothes we need no argument to all agree that we get buried with NOTHING but a white piece of cloth on. After all the colours and fittings, it ends up like that. Plain and simple. This has belittled fashion in my eyes and all that could be truly beautiful should be what would help our iman grow. In a quest to actually know what I am going to wear while being buried, I found a lot. This garment, that if it were the only thing we would own today as clothes, it would be enough to transit us to our graves. May we have enough iman to make this garment a part of our wardrobe. Amin. I hope writing about this was a good idea although to purchase your burial clothe may be frowned at by some, it is the love for Allaah that would make us hasten our hearts to wanting to meet Him. Some things regarding the shroud I read and posted I really don’t understand clearly but we can clarify by asking Islamic scholars. It occurred to me that if I never read up about this I may never have imagined it right. For those of us that have witnessed shrouding been done, correct any mistakes as quite a number of pieces were included in making this post. Thank you.
PURCHASING THE SHROUD
In shrouding, the following practices are recommended and should be observed while preparing a body for burial.
1 The shroud should be nice, clean, and large enough to cover the entire body. This is based on a narration of Ibn Majah and Tirmizhi, who regard it a sound hadith from Abu Qatadah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “If one of you is a guardian to his deceased brother, he should give him the best shroud he can.”
2 A shroud should be white, as it is recorded by Ahmad, Abu Daw’ud, and Tirmizhi on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Wear white clothes, for these are your best clothes, and en-shroud your dead in them.” Tirmizhi considers it a sound hadith.
3 The shroud should be scented and perfumed. The hadith is cited by Ahmad and Al-Hakim, who regard it as sound, in accordance with Jabir’s narration that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “If you perfume a dead body, do it three times.” Abu Sa’id, Ibn ‘Umar, and Ibn ‘Abbas directed their heirs in their wills to perfume their shrouds with aloes-wood.
4 The shroud should be three wraps for a man and five wraps for a woman, in light of what is narrated by the group from ‘Aishah who said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was wrapped in three pieces of new white sheets of cloth from Yemen, without a shirt or a turban.”
Tirmizhi said: “The majority of the scholars among the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) and others hold this view.” Sufyan Al-Thawri said: “A (deceased) male should be shrouded in three pieces of cloth, or a shirt and two loose pieces of cloth, or (if necessary) three wraps of cloth.
One wrap may suffice if nothing else is available. Two wraps will also suffice, but three wraps are preferable for those who can afford it. This is the opinion of Ash-Shafi’i, Ahmad, and Ishaq. They hold that a deceased female should be enshrouded in five sheets.
It is reported from Umm ‘Atiyyah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave her a loincloth, a shirt, a scarf, and two pieces of cloth (to be used as a shroud for him). Ibn Al-Munzhir said: “Most of the scholars, our teachers, are of the opinion that a woman should be shrouded in five sheets of cloth.
A WOMAN’S SHROUD
Material 60″ wide (5ft)
1.Lifafah – Outer sheet 8 ft by 5 ft
2.Sina’band (Chest wrap)7 ft by 5 ft
3.Izar / Loin Cloth 7 ft by 5 ft
4.Qamis / Kurta or shirt 5 ft by 4/5 ft
Fold in half and from the center make a T-shaped cut for the neck front region without sleeves.
5. Orhni / Scarf 4 ft by 2 ft
3 strips of cotton material for keeping the shroud in place
A MAN’S SHROUD
(sizes same as above)
It has a
1. Lifafah / outer sheet
2. Qamis / Shirt
3. Izar / loin cloth
HOW TO LAY THE DEAD IN THE KAFN (SHROUD)
The method of shrouding
1. Place three thin strips of cotton material for tying the shroud.
The strips must be placed – one near the head, one in the middle
and one near the feet.
2. Spread the Lifafah outer sheet in the coffin or hearse.
3. Spread the Sina’band / chest piece from the shoulder position.
4. Spread Izar from the feet and upwards.
5. Spread the back of the Qamis / shirt & roll up the front and keep it near the head end. (From neck down to feet)
6. Leave the Orhni / scarf on one side which will be put on last.
HOW THE KAFN SHOULD BE PUT ON
1.Lower the body gently on to the Kafn / shroud. Cover the top part
of the body up to the calves with the folded portion of Qamis.
2. Remove the sheet used for covering the body.
3. Rub camphor mixture on places of Sajdah Forehead, nose, both
palms, knees and forefeet.
4. The hair should be divided into 2 parts, and put onto the right and
left shoulder over Qamis.
5. Cover the head and hair with Orhni/scarf. Do not fasten, but tuck in properly.
6. Fold the Izar the left flap first and then the right over the Qamis and scarf.
7. Now close the Sina’band (chest cover) in the same manner as above.
8. Close the Lifafah, the left flap first then right.
9. Lastly fasten the ends of the Lifafah at the head-side, Then the feet and then around the middle with the strips of cloth, to keep the complete kafn in place.
PROHIBITED ARTICLES IN THE KAFN
1. It is prohibited to enclose any chapter, or verses of the Holy Qur’an
or any du`a in the kafn.
2. It is forbidden to write the Kalimah, or any other du`a on the kafn or chest of the dead person.
POEM TITLE: MY NEW GARMENT
O my Allaah, the Lord of my life
Look how You adorn us in all colours and styles
You permit our existence in these end times
When beauty is the craft and fashion is like religion
We arch our backs in heels
And emphasise on trends
Red was the new black
And in silk some would march
New seasons, new styles
Our eyes on clothing line racks
As in much of these our elegance relays
What’s new, what’s the price
And oh both genders would find a thing to love
A trend to follow or a celebrity to imitate
No fashion crimes allowed, match this with that please!
A size larger and there goes the thread
A size smaller, O no! weight gain again
If only we remember at that point a shroud
A clothing specified and would fit just fine
O Allaah look at us, after all we spend
This white shroud we still do not possess
How poor are our wardrobes deprived of this vogue
For really we should own what in our transit we would be worn
If we are to spend fortunes to pamper our humane
Why not its change to step up our iman
For each time we see it amidst all cloths we own
It would be a reminder of our death to come
They say red is love and blue is royal, so wear
But loyal is the word to remain in our deen
For to be buried in white
Is a privilege ordained
All I want now is a heart to buy
My new garment, the only style in the grave.
MAMAA
20 Nov 2011 27 Comments
in Islam
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah dear brothers and sisters. I should let you know that this would be the last post until sometime in January In sha Allaah due to academic demands at the moment. I actually thought it would be easy writing about mothers and would not demand much but it did not appear so. It was not a problem of what to write but more of what not to write. The nine month burden alone would roll pages; think about the TLC involved after that. It is quite a long post and still only a part of what can be. A mother’s love is truly inestimable, may Allaah bless our mothers both alive and dead. Amin.
The Quran says:
“We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth” (46:15).
The saying of servitude to parents follows immediately after servitude to Allaah.
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say, “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.” (17:23-24)
A scholar, Abu Al-Faraj Ibn Al-Jawzî explained:
To be kind to one’s parents is: to obey them when they order you to do something, unless it is something which Allah has forbidden; to give priority to their orders over voluntary acts of worship; to abstain from that which they forbid you to do; to provide for them; to serve them; to approach them with gentle humility and mercy; not to raise your voice in front of them; nor to fix your glance on them; nor to call them by their names; and to be patient with them. (Ibn Al-Jawzî, Birr al-Wâlidayn).
“And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, “My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims.” (46:15).
The Hadith
The Prophet Muhammad may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him said: Your Heaven lies under the feet of your mother (Ahmad, Nasai).
A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim).
It is related from Talhah ibn Mu’âwiyah as-Salamî who said:
I came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I want to perform Jihad in the way of Allah. He asked, “Is your mother alive?” I replied, “Yes.” The Prophet then said: “Cling to her feet, because paradise is there.” (At-Tabarânî).
Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar saw a Yemeni man performing Tawâf while carrying his mother on his back. This man said to Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar, “I am like a tame camel for her! I have carried her more than she carried me. Do you think I have paid her back, O Ibn ‘Umar?” Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar replied, “No, not even one contraction!!” [Al-Adab al-Mufrad Bukhârî 1/62]
Zayn al-’Abidîn was the great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and also a renowned scholar. He used to treat his mother with so much kindness and love as seen in the following narration:
Once he was asked, ‘You are the most kind person to his mother, yet we have never seen you eating with her from a single dish.’ He replied, ‘I fear that my hand would take the what her eyes have already seen in the dish, and then I would be disobeying her’. [At-Tartushi, Birr al-Wâlidayn).
For our brothers and sisters who have lost their mothers the best you can do is to pray for them.
Prayers for forgiveness offered by both sons and daughters of the deceased bring great benefits, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man’s status will be raised in Paradise and he will ask, ‘How did I get here?’ He will be told, ‘By your son’s du’aa’s (prayers) for forgiveness for you.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, no 3660; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1617)
Another thing that may reach the deceased is sadaqah (charity) given on his/her behalf, because ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “My mother has passed away, and if she could have spoken, she would have given something in charity. Will she receive a reward if I give something on her behalf?” He said, “Yes.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 1388)
Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, my mother has died. Should I give charity on her behalf?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘What kind of charity is best?’ He said, ‘Providing water.’” (Reported by al-Nisaa’i)
Other deeds that may also benefit the deceased are Hajj and ‘Umrah on their behalf, after the living person has first performed Hajj and ‘Umrah on his or her own behalf.
‘Abdullaah ibn Buraydah reported that his father (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “While I was sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a woman came to him and said: ‘I gave my mother a slave-woman in charity, and now my mother has died.’ He said: ‘You have got your reward, and your right of inheritance has brought your gift back to you.’ She said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, she still had one month to fast – can I fast it on her behalf?’ He said, ‘Fast it on her behalf.’ She said, ‘She never went to Hajj – can I perform Hajj on her behalf?’ He said, ‘Perform Hajj on her behalf.’” (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Saheeh, no. 1149)
This shows that it is also permissible to fast on behalf of the deceased.
Another thing that may benefit the deceased is to fulfil their nadhr (vow), because Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that a woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “My mother made a vow to perform Hajj but she died before she could do it. Can I perform Hajj on her behalf?” He said, “Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf. Don’t you think that if your mother owed a debt you would pay it off?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “Then pay off what is owed to Allaah, for Allaah is more deserving of having vows fulfilled.” (al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 7315)
If u dedicated sometime to do the little things for your mother who is alive, you can make her giggle. For a mother can not be paid with all the wealth in the world.
Wake her up for salat
Put perfume on her clothes
Feed her like she did feed u (that would make her really laugh)
Make her bed with new sheets
Wear an outfit she says she loves to see on you
Kiss her forehead, kiss her hand
Sit on the floor in front of her and massage her feet
Oil her hair
Put makeup on her (if she will let you)
Recite that “my mother poem” we were taught in school
Take her pictures
Clean her kitchen
Call her on the phone just to say I love you
Make her a card
Write her name on the sand
Try cooking her favorite meal
Tail her around and tell her you don’t want her outta your sight
Cut her nails
Give her the biggest bear hug
Teach her a game and let her win
Take a walk with her
Call her relatives
Buy her something new
Open the door for her
Tell her a joke
Play hide and seek with her
Candle light dinner (she is your favorite girl)
Read her a story
Say a loud prayer for her to hear
Tell her she is the most beautiful woman in the world
Name your daughter after her
Tell her your looks or habits you think you got from her
Ask for her forgiveness
Tuck her to sleep
Slip a note of love where she would see
Do something you have never done for her before
POEM TITLE: MAMAA
Writing about her brings a cocktail of emotions
My words are mere trials to convey accolade
But really no composition would quantify her worth
O Lord forgive me as this ink inscribes
In respect to a mother, a concrete rose
Dear Mamaa, Dear love
You are the prestige that knows no bounds
The unrivaled being of unconditional love
A reflection of Mercy
From our Lord, its source
You are not a painter or an artist I know
But in you I find rich colors worthier than gold
You blush my cheeks with every kiss
Extending your arms to expand my glee
Bringing radiance not even the best painter’s brush can craft
You cleaned me up and put on me neat clothes
Fed me my meals and patiently waited for burps
You were my tutor, my succor and my strength
My mat you would lay and wake me up to pray
SubhanAllaah, Alhamdulillah, Allaahu Akbar I would say
Countless stars twinkle in the sky at night
Friends come and go
Sometimes a brother turns a foe
But only one mother in this whole wide world
One heart greater than the coalition of all
I know you as my mother
And not a poet of writing words
But your love and groom
Has drowned me into writing prose
An effort to express a fraction of thoughts of you
My childhood dreams were to build you castles
And even that would not give a bit of what you deserve
For on this earth I would surely fail in estimating your value
In paradise I pray to Allaah to admit you
With Him is the perfect recompense no castle of mine can be matched to
I know time promises to part us Mamaa
Still in time we hope to reunite in Jannah
Eternity with you, I pray Allaah says “kun fa ya kun”
For mothers that are deceased, may their graves be blessed with peace
Ya Allaah give our mothers Aljanntul –Firdous
Allaah knows best. May He forgive the shortcomings of this post. Amin.
TO HIM THAT MET MY WALI
05 Nov 2011 28 Comments
Who is deserving of your love muslimah? Call him the last man standing, the man who waited or the man who proposed with roses or rings.It may be the years of togetherness that matters to you, something about him that no one else matches. I read an article about true love by Aboo Thabit and it made me think. It made a lot of sense and with his permission I include it in this post. In a chunk, the advice is to hold on, wait, and put your feelings on pause. If you’re married then love on in peace, if you are not you have a chance to reform your target (wink wink), pray for a good man and do not let yourself be a victim of infatuation; a feeling we confuse with love. Here is the article.
True love?
In today’s world, a lot of young people are afflicted by a serious illness that is even more deadly than any virus or bacteria. It is an illness that affects the heart and will cause its death, if not treated.
This illness is none other than love before marriage, and it is with great sadness that a lot of youth fail to realize that in reality there is no such thing as “true” love before marriage, yes, there might be crushes, infatuations and the likes, but true love? No.
Some people might argue and say, how can you make such a bold statement? To that I reply, love is what creates happiness not sorrow, love is what gives you a peace of mind not worry and anguish but most importantly, love is that which brings you closer to Allaah the Most High, not that which will push you further away from Him and acquire His wrath.
Yet there are a few brothers and sisters, who truly love Allaah, only to find their hearts crippled by this disease, they have apparently fallen in “love” with the opposite gender (before marriage) and can’t seem to stop thinking about them, they lose their appetite, their sleep and become neglectful of life as a whole.
These individuals sometimes regret falling in love and want a way out, they want a cure for this illness, but is there really a cure?
Listen to what Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim has to say:
“And the cure for this deadly illness (i.e. love before marriage) is for the person that is afflicted to realize that this love is only due to his/her own delusions and ignorance.
So upon such a person is to first and foremost strengthen their Tawheed and reliance upon Allaah, and secondly to increase in worship and busy themselves with it, so much so that they do not have any spare time letting their minds wander and think about their beloved.
And they should call upon Allaah to protect them and save them from this evil, just as Prophet Yusuf called upon Allaah and he was saved. And they should do as he did, be as he was, in terms of ikhlaas (sincerity) and remembering Allaah in abundance.
This is because if the heart is filled with ikhlaas for the sake of Allaah, there will be no space left for any unlawful love to be present, rather this only happens to a heart that is empty and has no ikhlaas whatsoever.
And let such people remind themselves that whatever Allaah has decreed for them is only in their own best interests, and when Allaah commands something it is never to cause harm or misery to His slaves.
And let them also remind themselves that their unlawful love does not benefit them, neither in this world or the hereafter! As for this world then they will be so preoccupied with their love that it will cripple them and will cause them to live in a fantasy world. And as for the hereafter then it will cause them to be preoccupied with the love of the creation instead of love for the Creator!
These people need to be reminded, that the one who is emerged in something will never see its ill effects, neither will the person who has never experienced such things. The only people who will be able to relate to them are those who have experienced the same thing but have been saved. Such people can look back and realize how evil it is.”
[ad-Daa' wa ad-Dawaa p. 300]
SOURCE: www.khalduun.com
Some minds may choose to differ but whatever the case we pray to Allaah to guide us and protect us from all forms of evil that will take us away from Him; even love. The poetry is just some humor for the “husband”. The only one who deserves all the love. You are a rare rose, a pearl and a mother for this ummah.
POEM TITLE: TO HIM THAT MET MY WALI
Let this be a prayer Ya Allaah
That my man you will bless with faithful aura
That I may understand him forever
As we pass through time and live together
In this place of tests, bearing in mind its dunya
Lord, help us relate and live to discover
That indeed true love starts with the fatihah
I pray in this man of mine I find a teacher
Abiding by his rules like that of a preacher
I will stick by his side for I am the seeker
Of rewards and love from this sweet mister
Searching for his pleasers
I will learn sweet jokes and teasers
His laughter would be my sorrows cleanser
I thank Allaah for his creation
As I raise my lids and admire his reflection
Today we do not have to resist temptation
Yes yes yes this indeed is my mission
In his blessed grips may my heart find submission
And may each new day reveal good intentions
That proves we have for long left infatuation
And right in my eyes may he stare at for ease
As I would serve him meals just as he would please
For this man’s pleasure is my release
Even in displeasure my kindness must not cease
This thought felt like my heart was squeezed
Ya Allaah give me patience at times like these
And give me wisdom to heal such dis-ease
And when he sleeps at night
I will think of ways to win his heart
Like bake him cakes or pillow fight
Who says to play is not my right
When this good man has done the rites
I will put on me red dresses and pretty tights
I tell you he’s not getting me out of his sight
Lord for this man I have so much love
I will cherish him like a rare white dove
He is my gift from You above
The reason why from his side I won’t move
In sha Allaah our problems You will solve
No third parties shall we dare involve
Within our home differences shall dissolve
Now it’s halal for your eyes to screen my being
These five fingers can all have your rings
For you I can be adorned in bling-blings
Say the right words do all the right things
We are free from wrath for this is not a fling
SubhanAllah we can have our buds spring
A little prince and princess that would make you my king
The prophet (SAW) said “you have seen nothing like marriage for increasing the love between two people” Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 921
REMEMBERING IBRAHIM (AS)
05 Nov 2011 7 Comments
in Islam
Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullah wa Barkatuh. Eid-el-Adha is here!!! A season to come together as one and celebrate this time of the year again. But before then remember that last year’s eid was the last for a lot of our brothers and sisters. May their souls rest in peace. Amin. This year’s may be our last, Ya Allaah. May our souls rest in peace. Amin. Islam is a religion that encourages us to show gratitude to the Almighty Allaah at all times. This generation has made knowledge easy to acquire. We have it quite simplified by just punching buttons to find out whatever it is we want to. I mention this because on the course of writing this article I needed to clarify some doubts which I did shortly after consulting some books on the internet. So there is basically no excuse not to know. It is no more ignorance that is our problem but I believe it is deviance from what should really bother us. It takes longer to download a song than it takes to read about Prophet Ibrahim (AS), a man in whose obedience to Allaah gives us this day to celebrate. Let us pay homage to the man that makes us remember today by the permission of Allaah.
Hundreds of years ago Ibrahim (AS) had a dream that he was sacrificing his only son and in order to carry out his Lord’s command he prepared to do so without hesitation.
(37:102)”…O my son I have seen thee been sacrificed in a dream, what says thee?”
(37:102) “…O my father do what you are commanded; if God pleases thou will find me of the patient ones”
On the way to the place of the sacrifice, the devil tried to persuade Ismail but by Allaah’s grace he resisted and continued to obey his father. At the altar the soul of Ibrahim within himself was praying “My prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God, the Lord of the worlds”. Imagine the angels that surrounded them at this point in time. He then heard a voice that said to him;
(37:104-109)”…O Abraham thou has already fulfilled the dream; thus indeed do We reward those who do right. Surely this is a manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice. And We left for him among generations to come in later times. Peace and salutation to Abraham”
Allaah was not after the blood of the sacrifice but after the obedience by His servants.
POEM TITLE: REMEMBERING IBRAHIM (AS)
Eid-el-Adha Ed-el-Adha
A time to say Alhamdulillah
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah so blessed
Our fasting and worship may Allaah accept
Bonus prizes for today and the hereafter
O Ya Allaah give us the very best
Allaah loves you Dear al-ummah
Examine the sanctity of the Ka’aba
The eastern stone of converging prostrations
A center for concord
LabaikAllah… they chorus
Chanting in harmony
An experience to remain in memories
Beautiful white shrouds over shoulders of male congregates
Black hijabs on pearls
How adorned you are O women of faith
Abandoning differences and embracing brotherhood
A pillar of faith, God bless this sect of mankind
And seven times they go to and fro in rows
The famous walk of safa and marwa
In times gone by the well of richness surfaced
Zam zam remains a replenishing reservoir of Grace
The spot of mercy by Allaah on Bibi Hajar
SubhanAllah such miracles come from only The Highest order
O mankind don’t be sober
From the fire you can run further
All prayers said on Arafat day
Are prayers answered in sha Allaah
The pinnacle of Hajj, an assembly unmatched
Here comes the day for sacrifice and sharing
A day great in our Rabb’s sight
To commemorate Ibrahim’s act of bravery
Of living a dream revealing a command
In this dream he sacrificed his own flesh and blood
If it were you what would you have done?
To have a dream where you let go of your only son
And see in it his body turns perishing cold
My heart would bleed
I’ll hold him tight and cry
And pray to Allaah to let this dream just die
But Ibrahim, how faithful his heart remained
He knew he was servant to the greatest Lord
They set out to obey, both father and son
I imagine the walk to such depart O Lord
The birth of obedience from heart to heart
An unbeatable composure in such heavy task
The father on the handle, his son under the blade
But Allaah’s decree was soon seen to prevail
The most merciful, most kind without a doubt are His names
Relieving Ibrahim of this grand act of creed
He replaced Ismail with a ram; yes indeed
A lesson for us all, may our patience suffice
To allow faith lead us in this practice of ours
Today we meet, dine, smile and adorn
Celebrating through the years in distance and time
Salaam salaam spread the greeting of peace
Peace be unto you Ya Ibrahim (AS).
BEFORE WE DIE
22 Oct 2011 15 Comments
in Islam
Looking forward to travelling soon? Wow me too! If you were told to pack up for a trip to your dream spot what will you take? I see myself picking up a really cute bag, a pink one precisely and my headscarf should match that too. Lots of free flowing dresses, make up, acne prophylaxis… and O my Allaah! I hope I can use my blackberry there; I cannot do without my blackberry (tantrums already). I shouldn’t go deep into the contents of my bag, which will be quite embarrassing. It’s expected that I have my ticket, probably arranged airport shuttle and hotel reservations. I have read all about my holiday spot and got so many pictures too. That reminds me I need a camera, how can I forget that. My nights will be filled with fun living the days away from stress and all. What will you pack and where would you go to? Do a mental check.
It’s obvious I already imagined going on a vacation and the truth is the pink bag I planned on taking would be too small to put all my junk in. The excitement is to see new places, relax, shop, eat and probably make new friends. But the reward is temporary. I’d come back home in the long run and the routine would continue for as long as (or as short as) I am granted life. I just thought about how we plan to take a journey here on earth and really look forward to it. Do we realize someday we would embark on a journey that knows no planning, goodbyes or blackberries? It’s an eternal departure. What we should really pack up for. How little does my pink bag and matching scarf look next to a piece of white clothing my remains will be wrapped up in? It is either in the calmness of paradise or in the blazing hell that eternity starts. SubhanAllaah.
So let’s rephrase the question. Looking forward to dying soon? Would I really say “wow me too!”? Sincerely I don’t think I would say so today. That is because I fear that I am deficient in my deen. A lot of us may be sharing this feeling. Standing before Allaah is no joke; I ask myself have I earned the paradise that I so much pray for. For this trip you get your reservations before hand, no need to make overseas calls or pay for extra luggage when coming back…because you never will. Yeah, that hit me too. We should then ask ourselves “are we ready to meet Allaah?”. If you kept an account of your deeds what do you think it would look like? O sons of Adam what have our hands earned for us today? How many needy people did we feed? Did we rush our salats or did we practice innovations? The days are numbered, like a book. You may be living on the last page of a really short book or just on the preface of an encyclopedia long life. Either ways the back cover closes soon just like the sand will close over you someday. Ya Allaah guide us. Amin.
“And that the human being can have nothing but what he has earned (good or bad)” (53:39).
“We record that (deeds) which they have put forward and their traces (that which they have left behind)” (36:12)
Abu Hurayrah Rahimahullaah reported that Allaah’s Messenger (S.A.W) said “When a human being dies, all of his deeds are terminated except for three types: an ongoing sadaqa, a knowledge (of islaam) from which others benefit, and a righteous child who makes du’aa for him” (Muslim and others).
POEM TITLE: BEFORE WE DIE
Now that I am here
I defy postponing this
For I wish that I revise my acts of creed
Indeed I feel unsatisfied
By the words that I utter
And the dissimilar routine
That suggests some kind of falter
Why do I wax and wane in this faith that I believe in
I could make me better now
Before I die
Indeed we are a people
United in greatness
The ummah of the Prophet (S.A.W)
A revered identity
We should be a proud herd
Not ashamed of our history
But securely perfecting the feat of our community
Resurrecting practices replaced by novelty
We could make us better now
Before we die
For sure we have it easy
The book has been complete
The path steadily erected
Narrations still tutor
Footprints we can follow
We are not deserted in this world so shallow
Allaah found us and placed us in Islam so priceless
Gave us prayers and grants us forgiveness
We could say more Alhamdulillahs
Before we die
With you by my side
And the Book as our light
What more do we demand
To uplift this gift we have
Not a penny, not a dime we are charged
But we have Islam as our way of life
We could boost our pride
Say Salam with more delight
We are the Muslims of our time
Responsible for broadcast of this trust
Let us amend our minds
We could make more sacrifices
Before we die.
