Messages

1

General Discussions / Turning To The Creator.

« on: October 15, 2020, 01:04:00 AM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,

        "WE HAVE MADE SOME OF YOU AS A TRIAL FOR OTHERS.
         WILL YOU HAVE PATIENCE?"  (Furqan- 25:20)

 For example, Allah Ta'ala tries the poor person by seeing the rich person and wondering why he is not like him; tries the ill by seeing the well; tries the lowly by seeing the noble; tries wives with husbands, and husbands with wives; tries parents with children and children with parents; tries teachers with students who go bad.

 All these tests apprise those tested that what they really want is not in the hands of other people to give, but only in Allah's.  Ibn 'Ata'illah said, "He has only made annoyance appear at their hands so that you might not rest contented with them. He wants to make you tired of everything, so that you may not be distracted from Him by anything" (Hikam (, 63;235)

 This is the point of all our pain and disappointment, whether from ourselves or others: that it be a means to Allah. Everything you want is found in the Entity of Allah.

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General Discussions / Re: Quran 42:51 talking to God from behind the veil & through Messenger?

« on: October 14, 2020, 11:55:59 PM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,

 About ayat 51 of Surat Shura quoted above, as I understand it, the verse/ayat states that all men do not have the faculty to talk to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, but some of His Special Servants do have it. Allah talks to them in 3 ways:--

 (1) Revelation (Wahyi directly sent to Prophets).

(2) By sending some angel as a Messenger

(3) From behind the veil.

 The first way above has ended upon the last Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, and the second way also... but the third way is still continued through which Allah converses with His Friends (Awliya)..."from behind the veil". Here, veil means our physical body behind which the soul is always talking to Allah.

Just as an alive body is blessed with  5 senses and other outward powers, similarly an alive soul also has senses and powers; infact its senses and powers are stronger than the physical body but are dormant due to the ignorance of humans towards the reality of their souls. A case to prove this is shown in ayat 172 of Surat A'araf (7:172) where Allah asked our souls...

     "Alastu bee Rabbikum... AM I NOT YOU RAB..?"... all souls replied: - "Yes! You are"! meaning that the souls heard the words of Allah,
     analyzed them, thought about the answer and replied by speaking. That was a time when physical bodies were not created, and all the senses and powers of the soul were active.
 Best Wishes.

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Islamic Duties / The 5 Daily Prayers: Are Regular and Prompt?

« on: October 14, 2020, 11:28:14 PM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,
 
 Abdullah Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, says that one day the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, was talking about prescribed prayers and he said:--

    "WHOSO IS REGULAR IN HIS PRAYERS IT WILL ILLUMINE HIS FACE, TESTIFY TO THE FIRMNESS OF
     HIS FAITH AND BE THE CAUSE OF HIS SALVATION ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT. AND WHOSO NEGLECTS
     THE PRAYERS WILL NEITHER ACQUIRE ANY GLOW NOR STAUNCHNESS OF FAITH NOR ANY MEANS OF
     SALVATION AND HE WILL JOIN, ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION, THE COMPANY OF KORAH (Qarun),
     PHARAOH, HAMAN AND UBAY BIN KHALAF."  (Ahmad, Baihaqi, Darimy)

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Islamic Duties / Re: A visit to Prophet's tomb in Medina after hajj

« on: November 28, 2017, 12:44:41 AM »

 Peace to one and all,
  Do VISIT the Prophet in his home in Madina, and do visit his blessed Tomb. The Noble Prophet himself, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:--

    "WHOEVER VISITS ME WITHOUT ANY INTENDED PURPOSE OTHER THAN MY VISIT, IT IS
     INCUMBENT UPON ME TO BE HIS INTERCESSOR ON THE DAY OF RISING." [Tabarani, No. 13149, Ibn Muqri in his Mu'jam page 80 No. 158]

 ... and he was also reported, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, as saying:--

     "WHOEVER (makes Pilgrimage then) VISITS ME AFTER MY DEATH, IT IS AS IF HE VISITED
      ME DURING MY (earthly) LIFE." [Sunan Bayhaqi, No. 10409].

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Discussions / Prophethood As A Circle.

« on: November 28, 2017, 12:24:09 AM »

 Peace to one and all,
  The Noble Prophet Muhammad, may Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said:--

  "TIME HAS NOW COME FULL CIRCLE AS IT WAS THE MOMENT ALLAH CREATED THE HEAVENS
   AND EARTH." [Bukhari and Others].

 From this it is clear that Prophethood is a Circle, or a ring of connected points, each point representing a Prophet, and that point which gathers and seals both arcs of the Circle represents MUHAMMAD, the Last Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. From the standpoint of his unique status of being that gathering point, this Noble Messenger of Allah, said:--

    "I AM THE LEADER OF THE CHILDREN OF ADAM, AND THIS IS WITHOUT BOASTING." [Tirmidhi, Muslim, Abu Dawud].

And if we view each point of the circle in itself, we see that each of them can be a connecting point, giving that sense of equality. Here, you may aptly quote Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, where he said:- "IT IS NOT FIT TO ELEVATE ME ABOVE MY BROTHER, YUNUS Ibn MATTA." [Bukhari, Tabarani, Ibn Majah]. And in the Holy Qur'an, we read it (2:285), where it says:--

    "WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN ANY OF HIS MESSENGERS..."  because discrimination would be a hole in the completeness of the Circle of Prophethood.

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Prophets and Messengers / Re: What is the concept of Wialath ?

« on: June 27, 2017, 01:38:15 AM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,
  The Arabic word Wali (plural- Awliya) is usually translated as 'Saint', but since this translation has Catholic overtones, one should avoid it.
A Wali is one who has a close station to Allah, receives an inheritance from one or more Prophets and is protected by Allah from major sins and kept in state of obedience.

 Certainly, Sayyadi Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, had inherited so much from the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. In this, one may recall that the Messenger of Allah, alaihis-Salaat Was-Salaam, once said:-- "I am the city of Knowledge and Ali is its gate''.

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General Discussions / Re: Purpose of Praising God. Self benefit or obligatory or expectation of favours.

« on: June 27, 2017, 01:28:35 AM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,
  On this question/issue of Praising Allah, Azzah Wa Jallah, again... We must realize that Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala does NOT become pure by our chant of, for example, SUBHANALLAH (Praise be to Allah). His Purity is ABSOLUTELY INHERENT.

 When we say: 'SUBHANALLAH', expressing our conviction of His Purity, then it is in its Sadaqah (benevolence) and in its wake that Allah purifies us. Aah!! How can one adequately express the essential grandeur and magnificence of Allah??

  ALLAHU  AKBAR!   ALLAHU  AKBAR!!    WA LILLAHIL HAMD!!!

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Discussions / Lesson In Contentment And Satisfaction.

« on: June 14, 2017, 10:30:29 PM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,
It was once said to Abu Bakr Siddiq, the first Caliph, may Allah be pleased with him, (during an illness), "Shall we call a physician for you"? to which he replied: He has already seen me."

 It was then said to him, "What did He say to you''? He replied, "...Verily, I do as I please".   And Usman, may Allah be pleased with him, asked Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud in his sickness, "What is your complaint?"  He replied: "the Mercy of Allah." It was then said to him, "Shall we not call a physician for you?" to which he replied: "the physician is the one who made me sick."

 All this is explained in the light of Ayat 119 of Surat Ma'eda of the Holy Qur'an which reads:--

    "ALLAH IS PLEASED WITH THEM AND THEY ARE PLEASED WITH HIM" (5:119) 

Thus when we are contented, satisfied with Allah Almighty, we relinquish all choice(s) and should anticipate Decrees of Allah Almighty with joy..... especially noting that He is the Arranger of all affairs (mudabbir amr), Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala.  One must never rsepond to Allah's bitter Decrees with either stoic indifference or dejectedness and despair. We must realize that the choice of Allah Most High is better than our choice for ourselves, since there are consequences for events which we do not anticipate in our short shortsightedness

 See more on this in:
 "BOOK OF RESOLUTION AND RETURN TO ALLAH", by Sheikh Muhasibi (d. 857).

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Discussions / Prophethood As A Circle.

« on: June 14, 2017, 08:41:30 PM »

 Peace to one and all,
  The Noble Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: "TIME HAS NOW COME FULL CIRCLE AS IT WAS THE MOMENT ALLAH CREATED THE HEAVENS AND EARTH." [Bukhari and others].  From this, we understand that Prophethood is a circle, or a ring of connected points, each point representing a prophet, and that point which gathers and seals both arcs of the circle represents MUHAMMAD, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam.

 From the viewpoint of his unique status of being that gathering point, the Nobel Messenger of Allah, alaihis-Salaat Was-Salaam, said: "I AM THE LEADER OF THE CHILDREN OF ADAM, AND THIS IS WITHOUT BOASTING." [Tirmidhi, Muslim, Abu Dawud]. And if we view each point of the circle in itself, we see that each of them can be a connecting point, giving a sense of equality.

 Here, one may quote the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, where he said:- IT IS NOT FIT TO ELEVATE ME ABOVE MY BROTHER YUNUS IBN MATTA." [Bukhari, Tabarani, Ibn Majah]. And in the Holy Qur'an (2:285) we read:--

        "WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN ANY OF HIS MESSENGERS..." because discrimination is a hole in the completeness of the circle of Prophethood...
             

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General Discussions / Re: Ayat 65 Of Surat Nisa'i: We Owe This To The Prophet.

« on: January 11, 2016, 07:30:14 AM »

 As-Salaam alaikum,

 Looks like my above post on Ayat 65 of Surat Nisa'i (4:65) of the Holy Qur'an has drawn a lot of comments... some of which look like 'refutations'.  I would like to say and/or observe that I stand by that Post... every word, every phrase. And I do accept the 6 standard books of Hadith in Islam: Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu- Dawud, Nisa'i, and Ibn Majah.

 At the risk of 'standing in the way' again, I will have to cite another Hadith to make my point to which I am entitled, and will be held accountable. The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:--

      "LET ME NOT FIND ONE OF YOU, RECLINING ON HIS COUCH, WHEN HE HEARS SOMETHING REGARDING WHAT I HAVE
       COMMANDED OR FORBIDDEN SAYING 'WE DO NOT KNOW. WHAT WE FOUND IN ALLAH'S BOOK WE HAVE FOLLOWED'. [Abu Dawud].

 Again, this is a good reminder against today's casual attitude with which some Muslims, unfortunately, discard the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace be upon him. Allahu, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, repeatedly links obedience to Him to obedience of His Messenger.. for example, He says:--

              "AND WHOEVER OBEYS THE MESSENGER, THEREBY OBEYS ALLAH." (4:80) and "WHATEVER THE MESSENGER GIVES YOU,
                TAKE IT, AND WHATEVER HE FORBIDS YOU, REFRAIN FROM IT." (59:7)... there are many other Ayats of the Qur'an itself
               condemning having a 'Qur'an only' approach.

 To divorce the Sunnah from Islam is to reduce Islam ineffective... the Qur'an directs us to pray, but without the Sunnah, how would we know how to pray?  The Qur'an directs us to pay/give Zakkat, but without the Sunnah, how would we calculate and know the items from which to give/pay Zakkat?.....

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General Discussions / Ayat 65 Of Surat Nisa'i: We Owe This To The Prophet.

« on: January 03, 2016, 06:37:43 PM »

 Peace to one and all,
In Ayat 65 of Surat Nisa'i of the Holy Qur'an (4:65), Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, says:--

       "BUT NO! BY YOUR LORD! THEY WILL NEVER TRULY BELIEVE UNTIL THEY MAKE YOU (Muhammad) THE JUDGE OF
        WHAT IS IN DISPUTE BETWEEN THEM AND FIND WITHIN THEMSELVES NO DISLIKE OF THAT WHICH YOU DECIDE,
        AND THEY SUBMIT WITH FULL SUBMISSION."

 With this, it is as if Allah, Azzah Wa Jallah, is saying that this affair is not like they assume... that they can connect to Allah without the necessity of following His Messenger, alaihi Sallatu-Wassalam. "THEY WILL NEVER TRULY BELIEVE", in Me and in you O Muhammad, "UNTIL THEY MAKE YOU THE JUDGE", ie make you the criterion of judgement regarding their rights;  "...AND FIND WITHIN THEMSELVES NO DISLIKE OF THAT WHICH YOU DECIDE", ie they find no constraints or distress in what you have judged in your judgement; "..AND THEY SUBMIT WITH FULL SUBMISSION"-- ie that they confine themselves completely and perfectly to all your judgements throughly, and be guided in all they do by your decisions, as a covenant between you and them.

 This Ayat is an answer to those who claim that it is sufficient for them in their religion to follow the Book of Allah only, without following the Sunnah of His Messenger. They claim that the Sunnah and the Prophetic Traditions have weaknesses and obscurities. Whoever claims thus faces the danger of disbelief (Kufr) as this Noble Ayat clarifies. Beware!!
       

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General Discussions / Ayat 21 Of Surat Ahzab Analysed.

« on: January 03, 2016, 05:03:26 AM »

  As-Salaam alaykum,
Ayat 21 of Surat Ahzab of the Holy Qur'an (33:21) reads:--

      "YOU HAVE INDEED IN THE APOSTLE OF ALLAH A BEAUTIFUL PATTERN (of conduct), FOR ANYONE WHOSE
        HOPE IS IN ALLAH AND THE FINAL DAY, AND WHO ENGAGES MUCH IN THE PRAISE OF ALLAH."

 Thus since our object is Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and the Last Day, we are charged to follow the Prophetic guidance shown by Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam... the guidance referred to as "a beautiful example.." that Allah loves. Spiritual teachers have always told us that the Prophet's beautiful example primarily lies in in the inner qualities of his soul... designated by his Compassion, Justice, Generosity, Forgiveness etc

 We should imitate him in this, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, by obeying the rules of Islamic Shari'a and overcoming everyday forgetfulness of the Soul. This is closely related to the teaching in Ayat 31 of Surat Ali-Imran of the Holy Qur'an:--

      "SAY: IF YOU LOVE ALLAH, FOLLOW ME, AND ALLAH WILL LOVE YOU AND FORGIVE YOU YOUR SINS". (3:31)

 In otherwords, the way to become worthy of Allah's Love is to follow Prophet's guidance. The goal of following this guidance is explained by a famous Hadith Qudsi in which the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, quotes the words of Allah Ta'ala:--

    "WHEN MY SERVANT APPROACHES ME THROUGH GOOD WORKS, THEN I LOVE HIM. WHEN I LOVE HIM, I AM THE
     HEARING WITH WHICH HE HEARS, THE EYE WITH WHICH HE SEES, THE HAND WITH WHICH HE GRASPS, AND THE
     FOOT WITH WHICH HE WALKS." [Bukhari, Hadith No. 6502].

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General Discussions / Consider Ayat 2 of Surat Fatiha.

« on: March 29, 2015, 05:41:25 AM »

 Assalam alaikum,
In Ayat 2 of Surat Fatiha of the Holy Qur'an (1:2), the opening chapter of the Holy Book, Allah [Exalted be His Name], says:--

    "AL-HAMD LILLAHI RABB AL-ALAMIN" -meaning all Praise(s) be to Allah.

 About this Noble Ayat, it is related that Ja'afar al-Sadiq, may Allah be Merciful to him, said, "He who praises Him [Allah] with His attributes, just as He has described Himself, has indeed praised Him, because praise [hamd] consists of a ha, a mim and a dal.

 The ha comes from His Oneness (Wahdaniyya), the mim from His Kingdom (Mulk) and the dal from His Eternity (Daymumiyya). So whoever knows Allah Most High through His Oneness, Kingdom and Eternity, has indeed known Him.

 A man said 'Praise be to Allah' in front of Junaid al-Baghdadi, so the latter said, 'complete it as Allah Most High says'; that is say 'the Lord of the Worlds'. The man replied, 'And what are the worlds that they should be mentioned alongside the Real?' Junaid replied, 'Oh my brother, say this for when originated things are associated with the Beginninglessly Eternal, not a trace of them remains.'


   For further reading on this, see
   "Haqa'iq al-Tafsir", by Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami.

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Discussions / Glory To The One And Alone.

« on: January 10, 2015, 12:53:01 AM »

 The second verse of Surat Ikhlas of the Holy Qur'an (112:2) reads: "ALLAHU SAMAD". If Allah is SAMAD, then we are the SAMADIYYA of Allah. The SAMADIYYA of Allah [Most High] refers to 2 aspects, namely:--

    1) His absolute Independence from all things.

    2) The absolute dependence of all things on Him.

Thus when you lift up that cup/glass to drink water, it is only BY and THROUGH the Mercy of Allah [as Rahman and Raheem] that your thirst can be quenched.... this is the REALITY of things, and the WISDOM of our reciting the 'BASMALA when eating, drinking etc The way we understand and believe affects the way we bahave and act. Does water remove thirst? Does the fire have the power to burn or not?

 When Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was placed into the fire by his enemies, what happened? It became 'BARDAN WA SALAAMAN', a place of security and tranquility.... because Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, creates, controls and gives effect every single second, to every single creation, at any time He Wishes.

 

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Discussions / Re: Criticism of Hadith

« on: December 31, 2014, 10:01:58 PM »

 Assalam alaikum,
May I have the pleasure of contributing something on the topic posted above by Ijaz Ahmad, and observe that whoever we are... Students or Teachers, we should NOT be too critical of any Hadith reported from the Leader of Mankind and Messenger of Allah, Sayyidina Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.. on account of its being 'weak' or 'unrealiable' ISNAD. We should accept such so called weak Hadith out of respect for the Noble Messenger, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. If it is an incorrect Hadith, there is no responsibility on us for accepting it. This is high Adaab/good manners.

 And as Sayyid Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, says, we must allow/accept weak Traditions [Hadith] that encourage the practice of pious works and/or those that convey an indisputable spiritual teaching. Ibn Arabi considers that one of the specific traits of an heir of the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, is to apply Hadith, in as a broad a way as possible, whether they be authentic or weak, by regularly practising the former, and, even if only once, the latter, taking into account all nuances brought out by the different versions, without attaching himself solely to the exterior criteria of the validity of the Hadith, except obviously when it is a matter of LICIT or ILLICIT.

 The imitation of the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, in conformity to the Sunnah leads in effect, according to the Holy Qur'an, to Divine Love: 'SAY: IF TRULY YOU LOVE ALLAH, THEN FOLLOW ME, ALLAH WILL LOVE YOU.' (3:31)