Persepolis

I watched the animated film Persepolis a few days back, and as expected, it raised several issues worthy of discussion. Set in the backdrop of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, this film centres around the growing-up life of a girl named Marjane. The film of course received some protests from Iran, much like what had happened when 300 was still popular.

As a pretext, I do not say this film is representative of life in Iran, because I have minimal exposure to Iran or Iranian media. This film is from the view of the producers, but nonetheless, there are several issues to digest.

The Shah took over from the last Qajar Dynasty ruler, and was pro-US. He became increasingly unpopular, which was one of the factors that sparked the Iranian Islamic Revolution.

For history, can read up online or in library.
As for the film:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis_(film)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808417/

one of the things I wanna bring up was how things rather drastically changed for the Iranian people after the revolution. Prior to that, they were still secular; after which strict laws begun to determine how they live.

In this film, they have religious police in charge of curbing anything indecent in public. While the objective may be good, but the ways of execution may not always enjoy total agreeable consensus.

For example, the religious police go so far as to infringe on private homes to stem out alcoholism and partying. In authentic Islamic tradition, we are not allowed to infringe on people’s privacy, and there was a narration during the time of Caliph Umar when a man was admonished for doing just that. We are not allowed to spy on our brothers to look for their sins, wa laa tajassasuu. If they sin in private, let it be between them and God.

There was a scene In the film when marjane was so easily able to trick the bigoted religious police into arresting an innocent man reading the papers in the street. Marjane was wearing a Michael Jackson badge on her apparel, and this was the initial reason that attracted the attention of the police to her, the police saw that badge as a symbol of Westernism, and was thus unhappy. To get out of the sticky situation, she just pointed to the man and accused him of ogling at her, allowing her the opportunity to escape. I was surprised how quickly the police took the accusation to be true when in fact, the man was so engrossed reading the paper and was oblivious to Marjane’s presence in the first place.

Another scene was when Marjane rebutted her teacher in school about unfair treatment of the sexes.
She claimed that Iranian women are too highly restricted in their choice of clothing, whereas the man can wear just about anything; need not be traditional or Islamic, as long as they cover up where necessary. This, she say, was unfair treatment. Marjane is definitely unhappy with having forced to wear the hijab, she curses under her breath. She then begins to think that the authority practices gender-favouritism.

While islam preaches unity, It never enforces uniformity. People are free to have choices with regards to what they wear, so long as they meet certain conditions.
Why must a woman be forced to wear hijab when she should actually be willingly doing so, out of love for the religion.

The system of the religious police seems to be sending a message of “since I (outwardly) do what Islam requires, and you do not, therefore, I am better than you”. That is definitely a wrong idea; and this is also not to say that outward acts of worship are not important. Imagine, how would a hardline state compare to one where the Tasawwuf is commonplace, and people are God-conscious and humble, not because they are forced to, but because they understand, appreciate and love God, the Prophet saw and Islam. Surely the entire atmosphere will be different!

The whole issue is about finding a balance, that thin line separating one entity from the other; societal obligation to establish amar ma’ruf on the one hand, and going overboard in finding faults in others, on the other.

In general though, we are enjoined to see the good in others, the bad in ourselves, and not the reverse.

May God forgive us all our shortcomings and guide us all to his Good Pleasure, Amin.
Wallahu ‘alam

Persepolis: The ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty

The First Time

I will now share a pathetic story; me first ever blood donation.

All these while I’ve refused donating my blood, not so much for fear of the needle, but more of losing blood, because I tend to get giddy and dizzy even when only 10ml of my blood is drawn. That was what happened during my initial screening for NS.

I felt giddy, both my ears were getting deaf, my eyes were opened big but I could only see black screens. That was 10 ml.

But, a few days back, I succumbed to peer pressure and went to donate. The needle was ok, although it is bigger than 16G, the lignocaine local anesthesia really worked. Fatter than yakult straw man! I looked and observed everything, how the LA was administered, the insertion of the super fat catheter and what not. All was ok, until after like 10 seconds, I felt pins and needles on my right palm. That was still ok. Almost immediately, that same dizziness was felt, my ears and eyes were slowly going deaf and blind respectively. Friends said I looked pale, then I was instructed to lie down and have my legs raised and the nurses there quickly plug off the catheter. (I did not feel a thing!) My own MO came to check on me. He looked at my pupils which he said was pale.

I was like the only one there to be in such a situation lah! The best part, the 450ml blood pack was nowhere near full! Perhaps just half! ( i really don't know what they would do with such little blood, i don't mind of they were to throw it away either) ;)

I rested for like 20 mins until another doctor came to check my blood pressure, rather low. I was then told to rest some more before I walked off to have some Milo and raisins.

They then specifically instructed me to take iron tablets 1/1 OM x 2/52. I told myself, I would have only ever dispensed iron tablets to….female patients.

PATHETIC KAN?! hehe

Be nice to me. This is my first donation – so says the sticker…

PS: this was not meant to deter anyone from donating blood. although as of now i guess i won't!hehe

Ader hikmah dia, i now better appreciate the Islamic Syi'ar of slaughtering with sharp knife, ensuring all blood vessels are cut. When you lose a lot of blood suddenly, your senses are numbed, you feel lesser pain. ;)

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just to side track; if halo is taken to mean light emanating from a source, or specifically Nabiy s.a.w. then perhaps this has deeper meanings:

Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound

I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You're the only one that I want
Think I'm addicted to your light

I swore I'd never fall again
But this don't even feel like falling
Gravity can't forget
To pull me back to the ground again

Feels like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
The risk that I'm takin'
I'm never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

Salawat Azhimiyyah

Salawat Azhimiyyah

O God, I ask You by the Light of the Visage of God, the Great,
That fills the pillars of the Throne of God, the Great,
And because of which exist the worlds of God, the Great,
To send blessings upon our Master Muhammad, whose essence is Great,
And upon the kin of the Prophet of God, the Great,
In accordance to the sublimity of the Essence of God, the Great,
In every glance and in every breath, inasmuch as they exist in the knowledge of God, the Great,

Being an everlasting prayer as God Himself is Everlasting and Great,
Being an exaltation of the truth of your message, Mawlana Muhammad, whose essence is Great,
Grant peace to him and his kin just as such.

Unite him with me, just as You unite the Soul with the Self, externally and internally, awake and asleep,
And make him, O God, a part of my soul in all of the moments in life of this world and before the Hereafter,
O God the Great.

Selawat Azhimiyah

Wahai Allah, daku memohon kepada Mu dengan cahaya wajah Allah yang Agung,
Yang memenuhi seluruh penjuru singgahsana Allah yang Maha Agung,
Dan berdiri dengannya seluruh alam Allah yang Maha Agung,
Agar Dikau berselawat ke atas penaung kami Muhammad,
Yang empunyai dzat akhlaq yang Agung,
Dan ke atas keluarga Nabi Allah Yang Agung,
Pada setiap pandangan dan nafas,
Sebanyak bilangan apa yang diliputi Ilmu Allah Yang Maha Agung,
Dengan selawat yang berkekalan dengan kekekalan Allah Yang Maha Agung
Demi mentakzimkan hak engkau, wahai penaung kami, wahai Muhammad, wahai pemilik akhlaq yang Agung
Dan kurniakanlah(Ya Allah) ke atasnya salam, serta ke atas keluarganya seumpama itu,
Dan himpunkanlah daku dengannya, seperti mana Dikau menghimpunkan ruh dengan nafs, zahir dan batin,ketika jaga dan tidur,
Dan jadikanlah dia wahai Tuhan, sebagai ruh bagi dzatku dari segala wajah, di dunia ini sebelum akhirat, wahai Tuhan yang Maha Agung

A recitation of Salawat Azhimiyyah as led by Shaykh Faiz bin Shaykh Ahmad bin Shaykh Muhammad Sai'd al Linggi:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=63345303083&oid=41983101953

This Post shall not have a title

I was on a half day one of the Fridays back, did my jumaah at ahmad ibrahim where i met Bro Shahrul who invited me over to his home and thus lent me the books. indeed, it was a half day well spent ;)

i have been wanting to read more about Ust Taha Suhaimi and the Aurad Muhammadiyah, my uncles have said a few times that my granddad is a student of Almarhum Ust Taha, he passed away when i was three. and my grandma memorized and recited verses of the Quran that make up parts of the Aurad Muhammadiyah every night on her bed.

so naturally, i became curious about the Aurad. now it does not help that certain controversies have risen regarding the Aurad and Shaykh Suhaimi, the grandfather of Ust Taha. like other similar issues, sometimes authentic information cannot be easily retrieved from the Net. i was thus fortunate to have with me now the books by Ust Taha himself(now i suppose out of print).

i sank through the 'jawapan bagi tuduh-tuduhan' and couldn't stop reading it. i finished it in one dayand found several issues very similar to the Ahmadiah-Idrisiah Order.

Especially on the issue of meeting the Prophet s.a.w. in a state of awakedness (yaqaza).many have claimed that such a thing is impossible and against Islamic teachings but Shaykh Suhaimi had it and so did Sidi Ahmad Ibn Idris ra. as to its basis in Islam, we should look at the meeting of the Prophets in jerusalem during the isra' of Nabi s.a.w. when he became Imam to all other Prophets, most of whom have already passed away hundreds of years ago. it is not an impossibility, rather a total possibility.

in fact, it is in the Salawat Azhimiyyah of Sidi Ahmad ibn Idris, the invocation to be with Nabi s.a.w. Unite him with me, just as You unite the Soul with the Self,
externally and internally, awake and asleep,
And make him, O God, a part of my soul in all of the moments in life.In this world and before the Hereafter, O God the Great.

Wallahu 'alam

Pengumuman, Majlis Zikir TAI pimpinan Shaykh Faiz next week!

Majlis Zikir akan diadakan di Masjid Hj Mohd Salleh, 22hb Mac 2009, Ahad, selepas solat Isyak dipimpin oleh Shaykh Faiz.
-Terbuka kepada semua-

of all things, i will be on duty, tak per, ni sumer ader hikmah nyer, increases my eager to ORD asap. ;0

Dr Dirks' Lecture

Having attended the talk by Dr Dirks entitled Stepping Into the Light at One Marina Boulevard, my fingers got itchy, and I really felt like blogging about it.

In a nutshell, the talk was about his conversion story into Islam, himself formerly a minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church. He holds a Master's degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver

The story of his conversion can be found here: http://www.welcome-back.org/profile/dirks1.shtml

Arguably, the central theme in his story of conversion would be his struggle to change the Christian identity or label that had for so long, been stuck with him, part and parcel of what Dr said defined his being. Having studied Christianity at a scholarly level, he came to know about the true history of early Christianity. How external, non-religious factors such as geopolitical concerns affected the decision-making at the Council of Nicea a few centuries after Christ; which was to define the many fundamentals of modern Christianity.

He also mentioned that the person Paul of Tarsus never met the historical Jesus, upon whom be peace, and that it was rather unfortunate that the Paul-ine Christianity was the one that emerged popular.

As to the title son of God, Dr Dirks mentioned that many in the Old Testament were given that title, among them, David, Solomon, the children of Israel. All these are understood in the context of the title ‘son of God’ carrying a metaphorical meaning, and definitely not a literal one. And the Disciples of Christ all recognized him as a Prophet, or a metaphorical son of God, since Christ was righteous and pious, and definitely not a literal Son of God.

Anyways, Dr Dirks was relating how he had an internal struggle to disagree with some things he was preaching as a minister. He constantly described himself as an atypical Christian whose beliefs are more similar to Islamic Faith.

Psychologically, his sub-conscious is reaffirming as to his muslim-inclinations, which led to several unusual self-denial kind of incidents which normally just simply shouldn’t be the case.

For example; while applying for his US passport, he had to fill up his religion. With ease, he had put Christian, but when asked by his wife what religion he had indicated, he replied that he put Christian and not Muslim. To this, his wife was rather shocked, for she was more of expecting an option of either Christian, Protestant or Methodist, so such a reply can unexpectedly.

Another one: while reading an English translation of the Quran at an eatery, he was asked by the waiter whether or not he was a muslim, to which he answered an irritated ‘No!’ He himself agreed that such a tone was uncalled for since the question asked was an innocuous one. So why the aggression? Of course, his sub-conscious was constantly telling him that he is a muslim.

He made a round-about apology by explaining to the same waiter later, this time he, perhaps “inadvertently”, repeated the Shahada, albeit rephrased or modified in his own words. He said something like “If you ask me whether or not I believe in One God, I do. And if you ask me whether or not I believe that Muhammad (saw) is a Prophet, I do.”

Subhanallah.

Dr Dirks declared that he was not the only Christian Minister, who having learnt the history of Christianity in depth, came to harbor some doubts about some of the fundamentals of Christian theology.

Even among the various Churches, the Doctrine of the Original Sin is not unanimously accepted. Eastern Orthodox Churches do not accept that doctrine.

That reminds me, the book Misquoting Jesus, by Bart D Erhman, a biblical schorlar, in it, many arguments proving the adulterated verses of the bible, in very much the same fashion as those that one would find if one were to study mustolah hadith. Both deal with the issue of securing reliability when transferring or relating verses/text. Various factors come into play, credibility of narrators, the written accuracy and copying of the texts which, at that time, was tediously done handwritten, geopolitical influences, or simply unintended mistakes during copying. Either case, it is different from the original.

An exact example in Misquoting Jesus: imagine a text that is old and not have the formatting style of today.

Iseeabundanceonthetable can be seen as 2 scenarios:

A miracle, whereby a bun dances on the table (perhaps upon recitation of dzikrullah)

OR

A feast on the table. (abundance)


The Injil, which means the Essence, is not the one that is called Bible today, but even so, it does contain some of the Injil (essence of essence huh, quintessence perhaps hehe), especially with regards to issues on ethics, morality and spirituality, and thus deserve our respect.

And……..I finally got my hands on ‘Is the Bible reliable?’, although borrowed, by Almarhum Ust Taha Suhaimi! And I currently also hold some of Ust Taha’s other books ;)

Alhamdulillah! May God guide us all!

Sallallahu Alaik, Ya Nur

This, the Month of the Birth of our Beloved s.a.w. It doesn’t matter 9th or 12th, it is this month.

As a manifestation of the Love for Sayyidina Muhammad s.a.w, muslims all over the world celebrate the Maulid.

The Prophet s.a.w. has been referred to as a Light, in the Quran and in the fact that the First thing to be created was the Light of Muhammad s.a.w.

Allah says in Surah Maidah ayat 15
قَدْ جَاءكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ
Now there has come unto you from God a light, and a clear divine writ,

It is the consensus of the scholars of Tafseer that that Light specifically refers to Nabi s.a.w.

And I would like to mention 2 Salawats, that make mention Light.

Salawat Azhimiah:
Allahumma inni as-aluka bi Nuuri wajhillahil azhim…

Salawat of Sidi Abu Hasan Asy-Syadhili


Which means, in Malay; Ya Allah limpahkan shalawat, salam, dan berkah, kepada Muhammad– cahaya zat dan rahasia yang berjalan di malam hari–di dalam seluruh asma dan sifat.”

It doesn’t take much to realize that this has many secrets, plus it is very short.

And about the Love for the Prophet s.a.w;
Many love songs and poetry have been written, and although I am not a literature person, it is obvious to me that the Burdah outdo them all, in terms of the intensity of love reflected. Just the chapter one is enough to demonstrate the intense love the author had for Nabi s.a.w.

Let’s not talk about the subject of the Love, because in that case even a simple “I love the prophet s.a.w.” would have to carry more weight than any other “I Love You”s. But the style of the Burdah, its intensity is one of a kind.

The whole point of Creation is about the Prophet s.a.w.
In a hadith, it is said that if it weren’t for the Prophet s.a.w, God would not have created Creation.
And that He was a Hidden Treasure to be known, so He created Creation. The one who knows God best is the Prophet s.a.w. , for he s.a.w. has reached a station of seeing his Lord.
The first of creation to be created is the Light of the Prophet s.a.w.

It is like a story of two lovers. And if you talk about a portrait of a person, the person is the Prophet s.a.w and the rest of creation just forms the bits and pixels that make up the background.

We all must love him more and more!

Altruism

Definition: Altruism is unselfish concern for other people’s happiness and welfare. – Collins Cobuild Dictionary

On Thursday, 26 Feb 2009, the Straits Times ran an article titled ‘Altruism is all around’ in its weekly Mind your Body supplement, written by Gary Hayden.

Personally, I find that article’s contents have close parallels with what Tasawwuf is teaching. That article featured criticism of altruism by this psychological egoist, which can be likened unto our Nafs.

Some of the criticisms fired by the egoist, in refuting claims that an act of kindness done on our part is sincere and pure:

1. People do good to earn a good reputation. (Ostentation, or Riya’)
2. To earn rewards in an afterlife (not being sincere, to yearn for paradise instead of Allah)
3. To enjoy self-satisfaction that comes from regarding oneself as a ‘good person’. (Self-gratification, or Ujub)

These things were researched by psychologists trying to understand the Human Ego and trying to tweak things in favour of Evolution. Because theoretically, in evolution, there can never be such a thing as pure and sincere Altruism. Every individual is essentially selfish and wants to outdo others in survival.

But for millennia past, Sufi Shaykhs have already understood these diseases of the heart, and have diagnosed them, prescribed cures for them and even came up with preventive measures against them.

True enough, as found by the psychological egoist, these diseases to a certain extent are an intrinsic part of our nature, and that it is our struggle to cleanse our hearts of them.

The other thing mentioned in the article is Sympathy, to sum it up, it is said that sympathy is the quality that moves people to sincerely doing acts of altruism. And in Islam we are exhorted to emulate our beloved Prophet s.a.w., who himself is a source of Mercy.

This article raises questions about our intentions, when we do an ‘amal, what is it for?
Is performing an ‘amal with the intention of becoming a better Muslim different from doing it for Allah?
And other similar questions, such as when seeking knowledge, is our intention to become knowledgeable or simply to obey His commands? Or simply for Him?

In tazkiatun Nafs, by Said Hawwa, intention is by various degrees; it cannot be said that doing an ‘amal to obtain the reward of paradise is insincere and therefore rejected, since it is good. But of course doing it for Allah solely is better, and no doubt, this is the difficult part.

In contrast, any 'amal tainted by Riya', ujub, gossips, the lack of Mercy to creatures of God, Takabbur (pride), love for dunia and others will be rejected.

May Allah help us all.

Secrets of Letters…

Secrets of Letters…
(a rather lengthy post, to be read with Huge Gamma Ray Bursts; there is a subtle connection at the end).

Yesterday…all my troubles seem so far away…
Nah, I am just crapping.

Anyways, it was yesterday, that I jalan-jalan around suntec and then joo chiat. Didn’t have anything specific in mind, just wanted to visit some bookstores and be outdoors.

And I found one book that deals with a topic which for so long I have wondered about and searched for more insights.

In Malay; that book is Rahsia dan Khasiat Huruf-Huruf Hijaiiyah; by Abu Al Baqir Ad-Dusuqi of the Tariqah Dusuqiah, Kelantan, Malaysia.

The book i purchased.

To be honest, I have my own reservations about buying materials from kedai buku melayu, what I feel is that you got to be careful when selecting books from there; most of the time they are just sellers, I doubt content have been gone through via a sort of selection or filtering.

2 issues as to why I have those reservations:
1) Language; I am so not comfortable reading in the Indon language, or the old malay for that matter. Once, I came across the term ‘Kanjeng Syech’. (dalam hati aku, ape bende ala ni kanjeng?) then I found out it referred to Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani qs. ;)
2) Content; the content may not be mainstream or orthodox; some can be misleading or deceiving. I once found “Kitab Hitam Tasawwuf”; I was like, “Whoa, what is this doing here?” flipped through the content pages; typical wahhabi arguments ;)

Of course there are publishers that are recognized and authentic.

That’s one of the main reasons why I like English books on Islam; and hence shops like Wardah.
I give you two thumbs up! (Guwe kasi lu dua jempol!) Amcam? My indon pro ah? Haha, cmi lah!

About tariqah Dusuqiah; I have heard about it prior to buying this book, but I know little about it. So searched online on it; and found out that it is one of the tariqahs brought to Malaysia by students who studied in Egypt:

To quote a website and a forum:

Diantara Tariqat muktabar yang dibawa ke Malaysia oleh pelajar Malaysia semasa menuntut di Mesir ialah Tariqat al-Ahmadiah, Tariqat ad-Dusuqiah al-Muhammadiah, Tariqat al-Naqsyabandiah, Tariqat al-as-Syaziliah dan Tariqat al-Khalwatiah.Tariqat al-Ahmadiah al-Ja'fariah kini dipimpini Syekh Abdul Ghani b Syekh Soleh al-Ja’fari ini di wakili oleh Syekh al-Mufti Syekh Murtadha di Negeri Sembilan dan Dr Ismail Mahmod, Tariqat ad-Dusuqiah al-Muhammadiah dipimpini Syekh Mokhtar ad-Dusuqi yang diwakili oleh Ustaz Mohd Fadil Ariffin, Tariqat Al-Naqsyabandiah oleh Syekh Mohamed Diyauddin diwakili oleh Dr Abdul Rahman Mahmood, Tariqat al-Naqsyabandiah pimpinan Syekh Judah al-Mahdi diwakili oleh Hj. Ahmad Syukri, Tariqat as-Syaziliah dipimpini Syekh Isomuddin diwakili oleh Ustaz Aminuddin, Us. Uthman Ibrahim dan Us. Radhi dan Tariqat as-Syaziliah dipimpini oleh Syekh Mahmud al-Khatib diwakili oleh Ustaz Ahmad Syukri Ghazali, Tariqat as-Syaziliah dipimpini Syekh Yusuf al-Bakhour diwakili oleh Ustaz Mustafa disamping ada kalangan pelajar Malaysia yang mengambil baih melalui Rektor Universiti al-Azhar Prof Dr Ahmad Tayyib yang juga merupakan Khalifah Tariqat al-Khalwatiah.

AND

Pengenalan Tareqah Dusuqiah. Tareqah Dusuqiah ialah tariqah yang dinisbahkan kepada pengasasnya, iaitu Al-Arif Billah Quthbul Aqhtab Saidina Wa Maulana As-Sayyid Ibrahim Al-Qurasyi Ad-Dusuki r.a. Sidi Ibrahim Dusuki dilahirkan pada malam 30 Sya€ ’²ban 653 Hijriah disebuah kampong yang bernama Dusuq di Mesir (di dalam Munafazah Kafar Syeikh). Beliau wafat pada tahun 696 Hijrah pada umur 43 tahun. Diriwayatkan bahawa maqam beliau itulah tempat beliau dilahirkan. Jika kita menziarahi maqam beliau, kita akan dapati pada salah satu bucu dinding didalam maqam tersebut terdapat batu besar yang terdapat padanya kesan telapak tangan Baginda Rasulullah SAW. Bapa Sidi Ibrahim ialah Al-Arifbillah Sidi Abdul Aziz yang digelar sebagai Abul Majdi pada zamannya. Sidi Abdul Aziz memang terkenal sebagai seorang Wali Allah yang mempunyai martabat yang tinggi. Beliau juga merupakan diantara sahabat akrab seorang Wali Allah yang amat masyhur pada waktu itu iaitu Sidi Muhammad Bin Harun As-Sanhuri. Para sahabat Sidi Muhammad selalu memerhatikan, setiap kali beliau melihat Sidi Abdul Aziz (Bapa Sidi Ibrahim) mesti beliau bangun memuliakannya. Para sahabat beliau merasa hairan di atas penghormatan yang begitu tinggi diberikan kepada Sidi Abdul Aziz itu. Pada suatu hari, mereka menanyakan hal demikian kepada Sidi Muhammad, beliau lantas menjawap : € ’³Sesungguhnya didalam sulbi beliau (Sidi Abdul Aziz) mengandungi seorang Wali Allah yang kemasyhurannya memenuhi timur dan barat€ ’´. Karamah Sidi Ibrahim sama ada zahir ataupun batin memang banyak. Untuk mengetahui dengan lebih mendalam, ikhwan bolehlah merujuk mursyid atau laman web tareqah Dusuqiah.

Now unto the contents of the book:

Extracts from the book:
Insert gambar here

#PERHATIAN PENTING#

1. Hukum berubat dengan azimat, tulisan ayat-ayat al-Quran, zikir, doa dan sebagainya adalah harus di sisi syarak. (Mubah, permissible)

2. Yang memberi manfaat dan mudharat ialah ALLAH, segala makhluk adalah sebab musabab dan ikhtiar semata-mata. Beriktiqadlah bahawa ALLAH sahaja yang beri kesan.

3. Menggunakan al-Quran, zikir, doa untuk tujuan perubatan atau tujuan baik adalah cara bertawassul dengan kalam Allah dan Asma Allah.

4. Setiap ilmu mempunyai Ahlinya, bertanyalah kepada ahlinya.

PENGENALAN TENTANG HURUF:

1. Dalam ilmu Tauhid, perbahasan tentang huruf adalah dikaitkan dengan sifat kalam makhluk dan sifat kalam Allah. (I remember attending Ust TM Fouzy’s class at Masjid Al-Kaff Peng Ghek Avenue, he was teaching kitab hikam then; Kalam Allah itu tidak bersuara atau berhuruf, sekiranya Ia bersuara, maka Allah berhajat kepada particles of matter that vibrate to carry the sounds. Sekiranya Ia berhuruf, maka Allah berhajat kepada dakwat atau ukiran yang membentukkan huruf-huruf itu.)

2. Dalam ilmu fiqh, persoalan huruf berkait rapat dengan bacaan sholat, batalnya sholat dengan huruf yang member makna dan sebagainya.

3. Dalam ilmu tasawwuf; persoalan huruf berkait rapat dengan isyarat dan makna huruf yang menifestasinya amat mendalam; kaifiat zikir dan sebagainya. Ahli tasawwuflah yang mempelopori bidang ini.

4. Dalam tajwid pula, huruf adalah berkaitan dengan makhraj dan hukum bacaan dan sebagainya.

Take a break for now.

Undoubtedly, some people may dismiss point number 3 as nonsense. And this book is mostly about point number 3. In contrast, everyone is enthusiastic and willing to accept point no. 4 about tajwid, no problems with that.

Adopting the rational scientist view of things, in order to verify the validity of any hypothesis, it should be tested. If it is true and constantly true, it is taken to be Law (ie. SunnatulLah). Similarly, do not dismiss point number 3 at surface value, just because we lack knowledge about it.

Rationality is highly regarded in Islam, even pertaining to issues of the unknown or unseen. Something initially seemed irrational to us only because we have yet to see the knowledge or insight into it yet. A classic example is the issue of Isra’ Mi’raj. Deemed very irrational in the past, but today modern physics are showing signs and tendencies towards verifying Isra’ Mi’raj, this is what we call RATIONALITY.

I have seen the use of (huruf)letters and numbers assigned to it in many Tariqahs, in fact in all tariqahs; the Rifaiyah, Qadiriyah, Naqshbandiah, Idrisiah, Syadhiliah and now Dusuqiah.

In fact, Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani have an entire topic dealing with secrets of letters and the numbers assigned to it. Shaykh Nazim also deals with such topics.

Also, in another book my bro purchased online, Alternative healing, the Sufi Way, by Shaykh Taner Ansari, of the Rifai Order, an entire collection of taweez and diagrams depicting ancient symbols (of the archaic Bahasa Suriani) representing Arabic letters.

The other book, Alternative Healing

Diagrams from the book, Alternative healing, the Sufi Way.

About Bahasa Suriani:
There is another arrangement of the Arabic Letters according to the Bahasa Suriani:

Conventional arrangement is as such:
Alif ba ta tha jim ha kha dal dza ….

The other arrangement according to the Bahasa Suriani:
Alif ba jim dal Ha wau zain …

Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abjad_numerals

Bahasa Suriani is the language given to Nabi Adam, Nabi Idirs, Nabi Nuh, Nabi Musa and Nabi Isa. In wiki, it says abjad has traces all the way to pre-Canaan times. God knows best.

In all honesty, when I first saw those ancient symbols, I thought of my childhood imaginations about alien letters etc. You shall see and be surprised.

It says: Inilah symbol-simbol tersebut yag mewakili setiap huruf, yang boleh dikiaskan apabila ditemui dalam wafaq, thalsam dan sebagainya. WHAT ARE WAFAQ, THALSAM? ANYBODY?

In the book Rahsia dan Khasiat Huruf-Huruf Hijaiiyah, the author included some explanation and tawajjuh about the individual letters, and the authority he quotes is Muhyiddin Ibnu ‘Arabi.


And this time I am not surprised, the kaifiat zikir of Ya lathif x 16641, an ahmadiah-idrisiah practice, also mentioned in this book!

Subhanallah, so many myeteries and secrets, and by that I really mean many! By Imam Sulaiman al-Jazuli on the secrets of Lam etc…

On the title Ummiy (Unlettered or Illiterate?) of the Prophet s.a.w.

I came across some Christian material challenging Islam.
“For a tradition that claims to highly value knowledge, illiteracy is definitely not something to be proud of.” Perhaps they say this with a little cynicism =) We are all smiles by the way ;) hehe

The Prophet s.a.w knew the letters, no doubt about that. He s.a.w. was asked what were the Alphabets, he s.a.w mentioned everything and at the end of it said that these are the letters of the Arabic Language.

He s.a.w. was reported to have said: I do not say Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but that Alif is a letter, lam is a letter, mim is a letter.

So how could he not know the letters, especially when there are so many hidden secrets to them, how could he not know them!

Ummiy is rather the non-practice of an ability, or more like a potential, because perhaps the physical mind/brain/akal did not recognize the letters, but his heart, by virtue of ‘ilm ladunni, definitely knew the letters!

Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani gave a different explanation for Ummiy, a more transcendent and heavenly explanation, goes all the way back to the first of Creation.

That the first thing God created was the Light of the Prophet s.a.w.
That Light was split into 4 that were to become the Throne, Tablet, Pen and everything else.

So the Light of the Prophet s.a.w existed before the Tablet and the Pen, and hence that Majestic Light was not recored or lettered before. That is why Unlettered, Ummiy.

Subhanallah. I read about Gamma Ray Burst and can’t imagine how glorious, how magnificent that Light of Muhammad s.a.w. must have been!

Sallallahu alaika wa sallam, Ya Rasulallah, fii kulli lamhatin wa nafasin ‘adada maa wa si’ahu ‘ilmullah.

Huge gamma-ray blast spotted in space

I praise and glorify God for yet another two things I have found intriguing.
(to be read with Secrets of Letters post)

1) Huge gamma-ray blast spotted in space.

An Article ran by Yahoo News on Friday 20th February 2009.

The US space agency's Fermi telescope has detected a massive explosion in space which scientists say is the biggest-ever gamma-ray burst, a report in Science Express said.
The spectacular blast, which occurred in September in the Carina constellation, produced energies ranging from 3,000 to more than five billion times that of visible light, astrophysicists said.
"Visible light has an energy range of between two and three electron volts and these were in the millions to billions of electron volts," astrophysicist Frank Reddy of US space agency NASA told AFP.

"If you think about it in terms of energy, X-rays are more energetic because they penetrate matter. These things don't stop for anything -- they just bore through and that's why we can see them from enormous distances," Reddy said.
A team led by Jochen Greiner of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics determined that the huge gamma-ray burst occurred 12.2 billion light years away.
The sun is eight light minutes from Earth, and Pluto is 12 light hours away.
Taking into account the huge distance from earth of the burst, scientists worked out that the blast was stronger than 9,000 supernovae -- powerful explosions that occur at the end of a star's lifetime -- and that the gas jets emitting the initial gamma rays moved at nearly the speed of light.

"Gamma-ray bursts as a class qualify as the biggest explosions since the Big Bang and in the measurements we reported, this is the most intense and the most extreme," Reddy said.
Astronomers believe gamma-ray bursts occur when stars run out of nuclear fuel and collapse.
They shine hundreds of times brighter than a typical supernova and about a million-trillion times as bright as earth's sun, NASA says on its website.
Long gamma-ray bursts, which last more than two seconds, occur in massive stars that are undergoing collapse, while short bursts lasting less than two seconds occur in smaller stars.
In short gamma-ray bursts, stars simply explode and form supernovae, but in long bursts, the enormous bulk of the star leads its core to collapse and form a blackhole, into which the rest of the star falls.

As the star's core collapses into the black hole, jets of material blast outward, boring through the collapsing star and continuing into space where they interact with gas previously shed by the star, generating bright afterglows that fade with time.
By studying gamma-ray bursts -- called GRBs -- scientists are trying to gain a better understanding of the origins of the early universe, "the parts we can't fully see yet," Reddy told AFP.

"Remember: these are single stars that we're able to see at distances where we can't even reliably see galaxies. This is our only signal from that far away," he said.
Last month, NASA announced that it had detected molecular lines in a GRB spectrum.
"That's the chemical signature of a galaxy that's extremely far away," said Reddy.
"That's the promise that the study of GRBs has held out for a long time and only now is bearing fruit: that you will be able to get these samples of extremely far cosmos. One day, we will see GRBs from some of the earliest stars," he said.

The Fermi telescope and NASA's Swift satellite detect "in the order of 1,000 gamma-ray bursts a year, or a burst every 100,000 years in a given galaxy," said Reddy.
Astrophysicists estimate there are hundreds of billions of galaxies.
The Fermi gamma-ray space telescope was developed by NASA in collaboration with the US Department of Energy and partners including academic institutions in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the United States.

End of Article

Subhanallah, you talk about brightness and energies trillions of times more powerful than our sun, you speak about distances traversed in billions of light years.

So is it now a wonder, that from one Pillar of the Throne of God to the other, would take an angel more than thousands of years of travel, and that angel will tire before finding the next pillar?

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّـيْ أَسْأَلُكَ بِنُوْرِ وَجْهِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ
O God, I ask You by the Light of the Visage of God, the Great
الَّذِيْ مَلَأَ أَرْكاَنَ عَرْشِ اللهِ اْلعَظِيْمِ
That fills the pillars of the Throne of God, the Great

Is it a wonder, that when God shone his Light upon the mountain, it crumbled into pieces, and Moses (pbuh) fainted?

So is it a wonder, that if Hell were to be opened the size of a pin hole, all of earth would perish?

Subhanallah! Doesn’t this add yet another dimension to the understanding and appreciation of “Allahu Akbar, Kabiiraa!”?

No wonder Louis Pasteur said: More of science takes you closer to Him, less of it distances you away from Him.

Muamalat Assignment, and my personal musing ;0

Anyone any recommendations of good resource materials for the topic Islamic Finance?I have to finish up a ten page essay on either of these five topics(aku gp paper pun tak sampai 5 page!)



1.What to do with interest Money?

2.Difference between Islamic and conventional banking.

3. Difference between Insurance and Takaful

4. How to improve the Malay/Muslim awareness towards Islamic Finance?

5. How to improve the economic situation of Malay/Muslim families in Singapore?



I find the last 2 very smokey, i dont think i will be doing that. either 1, 2 or 3. but i feel like doing all haha, no lah, crapping only. I know nuts about the very technical part of it, hence will appreciate as much help as possible, ie reference materials etc. definitely i cant do this alone.anyways, i have 2 months to finish this, hopefully i can; masyaallah, am so grateful for being able to go home almost everyday, a luxury not many received in ns.



I was having a chat with my friend a few days back:we shared about how God in His Grand Design, made Balance something crucial to be attained and worked for in this world: we are an ummatan wasata.So many things require Balance, to the extent that a hadith qudsi goes as such:I have created for this world a Balance, whosoever attains that Balance, attains Paradise.



The Balance between so many things:

Success in this world and Hereafter

Ilmu and Amal

Amal and Akhlaq

Zahir and Batin

Khauf and Raja' (fear, therefore despondency, versus hope, therefore complacency) Satan kacau both

Ikhtiyar and Tawakkal
and others.


My friend, Bro Lukman, who is himself married. hehe, gave me practical advice, to seek a spouse who is inclined towards tasawwuf.


he shared that Shaykh Nuh Keller identified a problem with muslim women these days;
That those who are inclined to tasawwuf are marrying men who are 'umum', not inclined to tasawwuf.


I mean, classifying muslims into pro-tasawwuf and not pro-tasawwuf is not exactly a legitimate measure, but, you know, you know what i mean. kulluna muslim. all of us are muslims, it is more of a matter of realization and emphasis put on tazkiyatun nafs.
It is, in a way, analogous to a muslim male being allowed to marry a lady from among the People of the Book. and disallowed the reverse.
So i asked: would it matter if she is from a different tariqah?
Of course not!
haha, i kept repeating, both on the chat window and to myself, good practical advice, very good practical advice...
Ini ilmu, pengalaman yang punya! ;)
and where can i purchase Ahmad Deedat's materials? eg books/videos

The Darwin Bicentennial

Yay, this year we celebrate majlis haul yang ke 200 bagi Darwinism ;)

Haha, jokes aside.

I read the Feb 2009 issue of National Geographic and it featured the main article entitled:
“What Darwin Did Not Know” as a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Darwinian idea.

The article started off with history; about Charles Darwin’s voyage to the South America, Galapagos included, on HMS Beagle in the early 1800s.

It was on this voyage that Darwin began to develop his incendiary idea, that was to challenge the Christian authorities back at home (England).

He maintained a personal diary, in which he jotted down his thoughts and early postulations. On the isolated islands of the Galapagos, he observed many different species of turtles with markedly different shell shapes. And who could forget, the legendary, Darwinian icon, the finches. Finches with different beak sizes, shapes, stripes etc. And he proposed one thing, that they all had a common ancestor and changed, evolved, transmutated, (Nat Geo says Darwin used the word transmutated instead of evolved) over time across many generations of progeny.

In the article, they claimed to have found a new revelation about Darwin’s history; that his ingenuity that beget Darwinism started earlier than the HMS Beagle voyage, which is generally accepted to be single event or episode that sparked the Darwinian idea. I felt rather disgusted at this; because they seem to champion Darwin even further, by claiming that he actually had thought of this brilliant theory years before HMS Beagle.

Anyway, they noted that back at home, Darwin had been studying fossils, although he was no paleontologist. Some of the specimens he mingled with included an extinct giant sloth, and the taxodon, an early mammal that had the features of other mammals. All these led him to the idea that some sort of evolution, or change, must have happened.

He sent the specimens of finches and armadillos to experts in England for examination. It was here that he surmised even more about his theory.

He did not immediately publish his groundbreaking work, The Origin of Species, for fear of resistance from the then powerful Anglican Church of England. But in his private life, he was already an established Darwinist.

Some years after the Beagle voyage, he published The Origin of Species, which is more of a scientific academic material. (I saw one version of the Origin of Species published by Penguin, which typically publishes works of literatue in the likes of Macbeth and Animal Farm).

The Origin is already controversial enough. And in it, Darwin did not tackle the evolution of Humans. He dealt with that only years later before his death, in his book titled The Descent of Man.

It is noted that the notion of the survival of the fittest/most well adapted/sexes was not from Darwin himself. It was from another person whose name I can’t recall at the moment. Anyway, that person saw that when animals give birth to a large number of offspring, few will make it into adulthood to reproduce. Hence the idea of survival of the fittest.

In Darwin’s time, he had a particular trouble with the male peacock’s feathers. It is too aesthetically pleasing to be a product of chance, randomness, that is inherent in evolution. Darwin said “ the peacock’s feathers make me sick.”

The Beautiful Feathers of the Peacock

So now comes the survival of the sexes. 2 views into this:
1. A nice feather to attract mate -> higher chance of mating and reproduction
2. A beautiful feather indicates fitness, health etc.

But then again, it does not answer the why aesthetically pleasing part. The wishy-washy answer is always as such: Due to our long exposure, from the time of our ancestors, we have viewed such feathers, an indicator of fitness, as beautiful precisely because it (feathers that are beautiful) reflects a healthy individual.

=) so amacam?

What has it got to do with us, how does this impact the Muslim?

We know for certain and with conviction that Adam and Eve were the first parents of all humans.

The issue of variation in organisms.

We need to understand the current accepted biological definition of Species:
A species in one which members can interbreed with one another to produce fertile, viable offspring.

Tigers and Lions are different species. Records of cross-mating between the two have produced Ligers, but Ligers are not fertile and cannot reproduce. Hence tigers and lions are different species. Same for donkey and horse.

We need to understand that variation exists even within a species. And we seriously need to tackle the question of when will variation be too much such that organisms are now two different species. This is the wishy-washy part.

In all likelihood, the finches Darwin saw were just variations of the same species, perfectly viable and can produce fertile offspring. We do see this today.

Variation seen in Finches

In humans, and in Islamic literature, biological variation is an accepted phenomenon. From one pair of parents, we now have so many races, all perfectly viable. It is absurd and unethical to assert otherwise, lest we be like some race who declare only themselves humans, and that the gentiles are animals (ooops! I have disclosed the race when I said gentiles, because gentiles are non-____).

Islam promotes the establishment of relationships (silatur rahmi) between different races, encourages marriage into different families or even races (usually done during conquests), and strongly discourages close-relationship marriages. At the very least, this is encouraged from the societal perspective.

But the wisdom of God and His Messenger is transcendent. We now see its significance/importance in modern biology, Down’s syndrome, genetic inbreeding etc.

Another one about variation.

A hadith about a man who came to the Prophet s.a.w. to complain. (exact hadith or reference I am not very sure, but I know this hadith exist)

The man complained to the Prophet s.a.w. that he suspected his wife was unfaithful and had had a one night stand with another man before. His basis for suspicion: he had a son who looked significantly different from the rest of the family(siblings and parents).

The Prophet s.a.w. replied to this effect:
“No, don’t talk nonsense. Have you seen the camels (or was it sheep, not very sure)? Have you noticed how one of their young can be very different from the rest? How one can be so much whiter etc?”

Subhanallah, it is so heartening to listen to the Prophet’s hadith, especially when he reveals his wisdom.
Maa yanthiqu ‘anil hawaa, in huwa illa wahyui yuuhaa…

So , quite clearly, variation is acknowledged in Islam.

The question now is, when does variation constitute Darwinism?
Also, we must bear in mind that Darwinists like to lay claims on so many theories; on our part, we must therefore be prudent in rejecting only that which contradicts the Quran. Darwinists lay claims to so many other theories, some of which are genuinely true and accepted in Islam such as genetic variation. As such, we cannot dismiss all these theories altogether.

Islam affirms that Man came from Adam and Eve, other explanations are wrong.

As for animals, it is never mentioned in Islamic literature that God fixed a certain number of species in this world. And that for every species there is their version of Adam and Eve. It could very well be the case that God allowed variation in animals such as finches, and that it is only us who want to see them as different species. So to assert that those different finches had a common ancestor would not be as rejecting of our aqidah as asserting that Man descended from Apes would be.

Another issue highlighted in Feb 2009 Nat Geo was that the same genes across different species control the same expressions. This, they say, is proof of evolution. That Man and chimpanzees are more than 95% similar was declared when the Human Genome was fully mapped in 2003. Again, purported to be evidence for evolution.

The same genes that control the expression of limbs in humans, when altered in stingrays produced predictable results of a differed set of fins. They have already, prior to this, established the fins of stingrays and our hands as corresponding or analogous parts in trying to come up with a relationship for evolution.

Very smacking against fellow creationists. Therefore we must have knowledge.

The striking similarity between Man and Chimpanzees is not to be wholesale accepted as solid evidence for evolution. Whales and earthworms are more than 90% similar. Relationships that go against the Darwinists’ Tree of Life also produced high percentages of similarity. Apes and cows are also very similar genetics wise. Reason: Organisms live in the same environment and thus have the same tasks of metabolizing the same kind of amino acids, sugars, oxygen etc.

Anyways, similarities can also mean another thing; One shared Creator who designed and created variation.

Like I said, this thing about variation is very wishy-washy.

But certain impasses to Darwin still stand:

How to account for the Origin of life? When in fact DNA itself is a highly complicated, organized structure?
Photosynthesis, a process we cannot replicate even till today, yet it was up and running millions of years ago.
How to explain fossil records of an explosion (sudden appearance) of complexed organisms fully formed?
Where are the supposed to-be-many intermediates?
Whatever happened to living fossils, which for so many millions of years have not changed from their fossil ancestors?
To assert that random mutations to an already organized, complex system can produce greater organization or enhancement is to go against the Third Law of Thermodynamics, that all organized systems tend towards disorderliness.
How to explain intangible qualities like intelligence, perceptions, emotions? Are they just results of hormones?

Stand unfettered in the face of Darwinism. Bear full conviction that Man descended from Adam and Eve, and not apes.

When coming up with Darwinistic ideas, Darwinists always have this conviction ready at the back of their mind, that this world is all material. Nothing immaterial exists, God does not exist.

And they have an undying propensity to herald and champion Darwinism, and extrapolate it into other non-related fields such as sociology and astronomy. All these in denying the Existence of God.

Richard Dawkins unreservedly declared that there is no Darwinism without Atheism.

But do not be afraid, truth shall manifest and falsehood defeated. Darwinism is not all of Biology, or science for that matter.

The Case against Sin and Disobedience.

Inspired by a Christian title I read before: The Case For God, by Lee Strobel. The author has another interesting book titles The Case for Christ, which I thought i wanted to read, but then again, I told myself I have other books to read.

A little bit about The Case for God;In it, the author made several interviews with experts on various fields as to their views about the existence of an All-Powerful Creator. He interviewed astronomers, botanists, biologists, chemists and they all presented a modern-scientific prespective on the Existence of God. Shall not go into the details.

one thing that struck me was the logical test, or the rational chain of thought first brought up by Hujjatul Islam, Imam Ghazali ra. Imam Ghazali's argument, in Lee Strobel's book

1. Everything that begins to exist has a creator.
2. The Universe began to exist;
3. Therefore the Universe has a Creator.

simple, three irrefutable steps. No one today denies no.1 and no.2, and so no.3 is the next,inevitable logical conclusion.

And so criticisms came from the skeptics who argued likewise:Who then, created God? Imam Ghazali's answer:The question is actually not a valid one;Because step 1 says Everything that BEGINS to exist has a creator.Traditional Islamic understanding of God is One who is Eternal(Daim), meaning not bound by time, and not, as commonly misunderstood, exist since the beginning of time. Since God cannot BEGIN to Exist, step no.3 is not valid or untrue for God. ;)

simple kan?

The Case against Sin and Disobedience. The Ramifications and Complications raised by Sin

1. On the part of the individual, he is to actively and consciously account for each and every action of his in this world. If he has a satisfactory answer, then he may pursue; otherwise he should leave the matter. The First Criterion in Sidi Ahmad Ibn Idris' Risalah Qawaid.

2. Sin and Disobedience distances one from the Good Pleasure of God.Criterion number 2 in Risalah Qawaid

3. Sin blemishes the heart; a heart blemished by sin is difficult to receive knowledge.

4. Sin takes khusyuk away from our prayers.

5. The shame that one ought to bear, for God witnesses everything we do.If we lose this shame, God will lose us. Your standing in God's sight is equivalent to His standing in your sight(in matters of how one regards God). If you have the compunction to forgo Him, He can do likewise.

6. Our commitment to the testimony of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. To what level do we take this?Do we take this world as Lord?Do we take our nafs as Lord?are we lying in our testimony?

7. Love for the Prophet s.a.w.If we have promised the Prophet s.a.w. to do good, imagine the burden we bear when we fail him!The Bai'ah that binds one to good deeds.

8. The shame that we have to bear in front of the Prophet s.a.w;Verily, the actions of his ummah are presented to him, if it is good, he s.a.w. praises God; if it is otherwise, he asks for forgiveness on their behalf.

9. The unbearable punishment for sin.

10. Satan's persuasions and inclinations towards sin and disobedience; like an addiction that grows worse with every sin.

11. The Istidraj that drifts one even further away.

12. The curse of every creature of God.

13. The issue of time, we just may not have enough time to repent, so do not risk it; don't procastinate in repentance.


Do a simple cost-benefit analysis; to sin is never worth it!Now, knowing is an easy thing. Putting into practice is a whole different story; therein lies the test of this world.To know and then still commit is likened unto hypocrisy.

Ya Allah, Ya Rasulallah...help me, now that i have known all these, i have no excuse to sin or to be disobedient, the ones who do not know can plead ignorance; but the one who knows and still sins risk being labelled a hypocrite, on top of sinning.

but my self is too weak, too weak to resist disobedience to You and Your Messenger...Your Divine Pardon is my only hope, for sins of the past, present and future...

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Great; about whom there is no god save He, the Living, the Subsisting, the Forgiver of sins, the Sublime and the Revered.

I seek penitence from all acts of disobedience – all of them, from sins and guilt and of every sin I have committed by intent, by omission, overtly and secretly, by word and by action, in my every movement, my tarrying, my thoughts, my every breath, always and forever eternally; from the sins of which I am aware and from the sins of which I am not aware, inasmuch as His knowledge encompasses them and which the Book records and the Pen inscribes ; inasmuch as the omnipotence of God searches them out and the will of the ink of the words of God reveal them.

Just as it suits the sublimity, the beauty, the perfection of the Visage of our Lord, just as our Lord is pleased and approves.

Ibn Arabi's Mishkatul Anwar

I was just browsing through one of the books I’ve read quite a long time ago; it seems that for most books, we need to, time and time again, refer to them to refresh our memories and put into practice the bezels of wisdom contained therein. Remembrance, and putting the right amount of emphasis.

One of my personal favourites, Ibn ‘Arabi’s collection of 101 Hadith Qudsi, the Mishkatul Anwar, Niche of Lights. Easy to read, nonetheless very impactful.

I have not typed everything very detailed to the letter, which would be rather taxing; I just typed the essence or the gist.

The veiling of Paradise and the Fire (5th)

God had made Paradise full of desirable pleasures, and thus ordered it be surrounded by unpleasant and hateful things.

God had made the Fire very undesirable, and thus ordered it circled by many pleasing and desirable things.

The cloak and loincloth of God (15th)

God, ever exalted is He, said: “Pride(kibriyya) is My cloak, and Grandeur (’azama) is My loincloth. Whosoever wrestles with Me over either of these, I shall cast him into the Fire.”

On the Station of the Child of Adam who gives to Charity (25th)

Angels asked “O Lord, is there anything in Your Creation more powerful than the mountains?”

He replied, “Yes, iron.”

“O Lord, is there anything in Your Creation more powerful than the iron?”

He replied, “Yes, fire.”

“O Lord, is there anything in Your Creation more powerful than the fire?”

He replied, “Yes, water.”

“O Lord, is there anything in Your Creation more powerful than the water?”

He replied, “Yes, wind.”

“O Lord, is there anything in Your Creation more powerful than the wind?”

He replied, “Yes, the child of Adam, who gives charitably with his right hand whilst concealing it from his left hand.”

As for the tafsir of this hadith, I am bewildered. I have yet to understand the relationships established in this hadith qudsi. Where or what is the link? Mountain, iron, fire, water, wind, the child of Adam who donates sincerely…


The servant-Master dialogue in Surah Fatihah (31st)

God, ever mighty and majestic is He, says: “I have divided the Prayer (Surah Fatihah) into 2 halves between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have that which he asks”

When the servant says “Praise be to God, Lord of the Universes”,
God says: “My servant has praised Me.”

When the servant says “The All-Compassionate, the Most Merciful”,
God says: “My servant has repeated My Praises.”

When the servant says “Sovereign King of the Day of Judgment”,
God says: “My servant has glorified Me; My servant has given himself over to Me.”

When the servant says “It is You whom we worship and You whom we ask for help”,
God says: “This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have that which he asks.”

When the servant says “Guide us along the straight path, the path of those whom You have favoured; not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who are astray”,
God says: “This belongs to My servant, and My servant shall have that which he asks.”

Subahanallah, what perfect flow of dialogue! Ijab and Qabul. Sidi Ahmad ibn Idris ra advised to pause after every ayat in Al-Fatihah instead of continuous recitation, in reflection of exactly this dialogue.

The rights of the Lovers (54th)

God, ever exalted and majestic is He, says: “O child of Adam, it is your right from Me that I be a lover for you. So, by My Right from you, be for Me a lover.”

The Treasuries are full (65th)

God, ever exalted and majestic is He, says: “O child of Adam, do not fear the lack of nourishment, for My treasuries and full and they shall never be exhausted.”

God is Time (79th)

God, ever exalted and majestic is He, says: “The child of Adam wrongs Me when he curses the time, for I am Time! In My Hand is the Order. I cause the night and day to turn, one upon the other.”

Subhanallah, what modern physics can reveal about the Nature of Time is truly fascinating…forever without end.

God’s orders to this Dunia (93rd)

God, ever exalted and majestic is He, says to this world: “O world, serve the one who serves Me, and wear out the one who serves You.”

May we all benefit, Amin!

My second Nephew!

On Monday 02 Feb 2009, at 0832 am...my second nephew was delivered! I am not going to type a lot in this post, it is meant to be more pictorial. Anyways, got an sms from my bro around 9 while I was still in camp. Got very excited and really couldn't wait to go to KK Hospital. So after i book out of camp, i took a direct bus straight to KK...and there i saw me 2nd nephew!

Izdiyad Rizq! He really looks like Izharul Haqq!

Izharul had some 'trouble' taking his medicine

A little heaty because his teeth are coming out

Nonetheless, still cheeky!

An opportunity never to be missed! a grave mistake otherwise!

The abang kisses his adik! Izharul macam giant lah!

Abah and Uncle Wan! aka pak busu wan ;)

honestly, i a lil bit kekok ah dokong a 2.4kg baby!

Nani and her 2 cucu boy!

hehe, it heartens me to see my second nephew sleep with his eyes closed, he looks so much like izharul some 17 months ago! gerrrraaaam!!!! Izdiyad can open his eyes big big lah! at times when i can't resist, i will touch his delicate cheeks with my nose or fingers! and as far as possible, i do not want to carry him, perhaps wait till he s a little bigger! hehe