Ust TM Fouzy delivered a very moving speech on the above subject, very enlightening and I would say impactful as well.
The world in my hands refer to our call of duty, that being our task of managing this world since we are the viceroy or khalifah of God on this earth. Meaning to say, we have resources entrusted upon us; wealth, family, trees, water and what have you. Our task is to manage them well, in accordance to His orders but never to have our hearts occupied by them.
Don’t get overly attached to the wealth of the world. This of course does not mean that a muslim has to shun away wealth. We need to work for our livelihood, that is halal. But don’t search for wealth at the expense of religion. A story to beautifully illustrate this is as such; a rich king, adorned with a crown splendid with jewelry, rings of varying colours of shiny gemstones, donning the finest clothing and riding on the most elegant white horse, whilst always escorted by a team of elite guards can be the shaykh and a simple, poor fisherman the student. Reason? Simple, the Shaykh does not feel sad even a tiny bit if all his wealth were to be stunted from him in an instant, neither does he feel any happiness when even more wealth is given to him. As for the student, the poor fisherman, he is pissed off whenever he catches a small fish instead of a big one. Zuhud is not to attach wealth to your heart, zuhud does not mean you have to be poor.
As a caution though, such things are always, always much easier said than done, many people can claim similar things but not many can say so with the truest meaning. That is why our Beloved Prophet SAW chose poverty as a lesson for his ummah, for verily one of the most trying things of the last ummah is wealth. Indeed the fear that many may not pass the test of wealth is very real.
some live for the bill, some kill for the bill...
As for God is in my heart, it entails the intense feeling of love for Him who has created us. How to achieve this? The only branch of islam dealing with love for God is tasawwuf and its practice is tariqah. It is a different experience to know only the external sciences of islam and neglecting tasawwuf, because the experience of love for God is not as strong. We only know as a cliché, that we ought to love Him and his Rasul. But that is not enough. Knowing and tasting is not the same. Tasawwuf leads to tasting (dhawq aka zouk). Personally, life as a muslim without this love is very dry.
God in my heart also does not mean that we neglect our loved ones, our spouse etc. it only means that we love them for the sake of God. This means we have to treat them superbly well,provide them the best upbringing, as exemplified by the Prophet saw. It of course does not deny us the right to enjoy our loved ones’ company. It means that we subdue our egos when dealing with them, meaning to say, control anger etc. that way, our love for our loved ones become strong due to the even stronger bond of the love for God and insyaAllah that relationship is showered blessings upon blessings; the recipe for a loving relationship is the mutual love for God.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Charity, the Biggest Protection
Nothing protects more than charity, even if you give five cents everyday, it can save you from ending up with a bad accident. Oh believers! Give charity daily! It will remove accidents from you. Keep a box near your door and when you leave put as much as possible inside. Charity uplifts the Kingdom of Allah and put down the kingdom of Satan. Every believer must give charity everyday.
- Adapted from Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani’s Princess Diana’s Death
Just off hand, the list of benefits charity brings:
- reward, material and spiritual, from God Himself ( it really works, just have ikhlas and don’t even bother about this reward, ironic isn’t it? Then why am I telling you?)
- Protection from bad mishaps
- Eases the burden of the community ( in our Singapore context, I guess it is much better to donate to organizations such as mosques than to stranger passers-by, because many people have cheated money by abusing people’s sympathy)
- Helps the community
- Lightens your mood, makes you feel good, not proud nor arrogant, and at ease, tranquility
- Instills in you the sense of wanting to help others in need
- Instills in you the sense of money management, savings etc ( it has been proven, in fact encouraged, to have little toddlers practise putting coins in piggy banks, that way they are more likely to be people with better sense of money management)
- Slowly washes away miserliness
- Barakah spills over to your close family and friends
- Your prayers get answered better and faster insyaAllah
- Sins are forgiven because of charity
- God is pleased with you
- AND MANY MANY MORE!
As to how much, it really doesn’t matter, what counts is the sincerity. Do with what is in your comfort. If you are a student surviving on allowance, then do away with a few cents! Nothing difficult at all!
Of course do not take advantage of this and donate only a few cents even when you are earning thousands! You yourself will know whether or not you are trying to manipulate things for your own personal gain.
Don’t trust what Satan says about being poor when you donate! Satan is our enemy and he lies through his forked tongue!
One thing about cheats who constantly take the easy way to just beg and not work even if they very well can afford to work and earn a living, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani gave a stupefying reply;
“Do you not feel ashamed of your hypocritical self? Do you not feel ashamed to beg from other than Allah when you are in the Presence of Allah AR-RAZZAQ!?”
In other words, beg only from God because He is the One Who Provides and if He tells you that your rezeki is already prepared and all you need to do is go get it, then jolly well go get it and work! Do not beg if you can work!
Yet another blow to the misconception that Sufis shun this world and survive in it solely by begging – from Sultanul Awliya, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani himself.
Even the Prophet pbuh careered as a merchant and trader…
- Adapted from Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani’s Princess Diana’s Death
Just off hand, the list of benefits charity brings:
- reward, material and spiritual, from God Himself ( it really works, just have ikhlas and don’t even bother about this reward, ironic isn’t it? Then why am I telling you?)
- Protection from bad mishaps
- Eases the burden of the community ( in our Singapore context, I guess it is much better to donate to organizations such as mosques than to stranger passers-by, because many people have cheated money by abusing people’s sympathy)
- Helps the community
- Lightens your mood, makes you feel good, not proud nor arrogant, and at ease, tranquility
- Instills in you the sense of wanting to help others in need
- Instills in you the sense of money management, savings etc ( it has been proven, in fact encouraged, to have little toddlers practise putting coins in piggy banks, that way they are more likely to be people with better sense of money management)
- Slowly washes away miserliness
- Barakah spills over to your close family and friends
- Your prayers get answered better and faster insyaAllah
- Sins are forgiven because of charity
- God is pleased with you
- AND MANY MANY MORE!
As to how much, it really doesn’t matter, what counts is the sincerity. Do with what is in your comfort. If you are a student surviving on allowance, then do away with a few cents! Nothing difficult at all!
Of course do not take advantage of this and donate only a few cents even when you are earning thousands! You yourself will know whether or not you are trying to manipulate things for your own personal gain.
Don’t trust what Satan says about being poor when you donate! Satan is our enemy and he lies through his forked tongue!
One thing about cheats who constantly take the easy way to just beg and not work even if they very well can afford to work and earn a living, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani gave a stupefying reply;
“Do you not feel ashamed of your hypocritical self? Do you not feel ashamed to beg from other than Allah when you are in the Presence of Allah AR-RAZZAQ!?”
In other words, beg only from God because He is the One Who Provides and if He tells you that your rezeki is already prepared and all you need to do is go get it, then jolly well go get it and work! Do not beg if you can work!
Yet another blow to the misconception that Sufis shun this world and survive in it solely by begging – from Sultanul Awliya, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani himself.
Even the Prophet pbuh careered as a merchant and trader…
Friday, February 8, 2008
2 Naqshbandi Engagements, VERY CUTE!
waaaah, i wanna get engaged also lah can!actually make that nikah as well hehe ;)
so cute lah the engagement, not to mention Shayhkh Hisyam with his classic humour.
when my munakahat going to finish????
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Awrad of the Most Distinguished Ahmadiyyah Idrisiyyah Sufi Order
For the Arabic and Malay Translation, refer to link Warisan Sidi Ahmad Bin Idris
Fatihatul Awrad
O God, I seek to approach Thee before each and every breath, look and glance which the people of the heavens and the people of the earth cast – everything which is in Thy knowledge, that which is and that which was. I approach Thee before all these.
Tahlil Khusus
There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God; in every glance and every breath, to the number that only God’s knowledge can comprehend.
Salawat Azhimiyyah
O God, I ask Thee by the light of the Face of God, the Great,
Which fills the pillars of the Throne of God, the Great,
And because of which exist the worlds of God, the Great,
To call down blessings upon our Mawlana Muhammad, whose majesty is Great,
And upon the kin of the Prophet of God, the Great,
In proportion 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 virtue is Great,
Likewise, grant peace to him and his kin.
Unite him with me, just as Thou unite the spirit with the soul, externally and internally, awake and asleep,
And make him, O God, a solace for my soul in all of life’s moments in this world and before the End,
O God the Great.
* Just as Ayat Al-Kursi is the greatest ayat in the Quran, so too is Salawat Azhimiyyah which like Ayat Al-Kursi, begins with the kalimah Allah and ends with the kalimah Azhim
Istighfar Al Kabir, Major Act of Contrition
I seek pardon of God, the Great; of whom there is no god save He, the Living, the Subsisting, the Forgiver of sins, the Sublime and the Revered.
I seek repentance from all acts of disobedience – all of them, from sins and guilt and from every sin I have committed willfully, by omission, openly and secretly, by word and by deed, in my every movement, my tarrying, my thoughts, my every breath, always and forever eternally; from the sin of which I know and from the sin of which I know not, inasmuch as His knowledge encompasses them and which the Book records and the Pen indites; inasmuch as the omnipotence (of God) searches them out and the will of the ink of the words of God disclose them.
Just as it behooves the sublimity, the beauty, the perfection of the Face of our Lord, just as our Lord enjoins and approves.
Nak beramal dengan Tariqah ni tak susah actually, just have to do the 4 short, basic awrad and slalu2 lah repeat2. the rest is just Qur'an and Sunnah. Sidi Ahmad Idris once said, "Tariqahku adalah Al-Quran dan Sunnah Baginda Rasul saw." Arguably, TAI is the youngest Tariqah as Sidi Ahmad was just 6 generations ago(18th century), unlike other sufis like Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani etc. The silsilah is short because Sidi Ahmad got the Tariqah direct from the Prophet in a vision of him whilst still awake, (yaqaza), something which Sidi Ahmad so fervently asked for in his Salawat Azhimiyyah. Wallahu 'alam
Fatihatul Awrad
O God, I seek to approach Thee before each and every breath, look and glance which the people of the heavens and the people of the earth cast – everything which is in Thy knowledge, that which is and that which was. I approach Thee before all these.
Tahlil Khusus
There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God; in every glance and every breath, to the number that only God’s knowledge can comprehend.
Salawat Azhimiyyah
O God, I ask Thee by the light of the Face of God, the Great,
Which fills the pillars of the Throne of God, the Great,
And because of which exist the worlds of God, the Great,
To call down blessings upon our Mawlana Muhammad, whose majesty is Great,
And upon the kin of the Prophet of God, the Great,
In proportion 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 virtue is Great,
Likewise, grant peace to him and his kin.
Unite him with me, just as Thou unite the spirit with the soul, externally and internally, awake and asleep,
And make him, O God, a solace for my soul in all of life’s moments in this world and before the End,
O God the Great.
* Just as Ayat Al-Kursi is the greatest ayat in the Quran, so too is Salawat Azhimiyyah which like Ayat Al-Kursi, begins with the kalimah Allah and ends with the kalimah Azhim
Istighfar Al Kabir, Major Act of Contrition
I seek pardon of God, the Great; of whom there is no god save He, the Living, the Subsisting, the Forgiver of sins, the Sublime and the Revered.
I seek repentance from all acts of disobedience – all of them, from sins and guilt and from every sin I have committed willfully, by omission, openly and secretly, by word and by deed, in my every movement, my tarrying, my thoughts, my every breath, always and forever eternally; from the sin of which I know and from the sin of which I know not, inasmuch as His knowledge encompasses them and which the Book records and the Pen indites; inasmuch as the omnipotence (of God) searches them out and the will of the ink of the words of God disclose them.
Just as it behooves the sublimity, the beauty, the perfection of the Face of our Lord, just as our Lord enjoins and approves.
Nak beramal dengan Tariqah ni tak susah actually, just have to do the 4 short, basic awrad and slalu2 lah repeat2. the rest is just Qur'an and Sunnah. Sidi Ahmad Idris once said, "Tariqahku adalah Al-Quran dan Sunnah Baginda Rasul saw." Arguably, TAI is the youngest Tariqah as Sidi Ahmad was just 6 generations ago(18th century), unlike other sufis like Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jailani etc. The silsilah is short because Sidi Ahmad got the Tariqah direct from the Prophet in a vision of him whilst still awake, (yaqaza), something which Sidi Ahmad so fervently asked for in his Salawat Azhimiyyah. Wallahu 'alam
The Special Properties of the Dhikr of Laa Ilaaha Illallaah
As for the special properties of the Dhikr of Laa Ilaaha Illallaah, they derive from His saying: "to Him do good words ascend." (Qur'an 35:10) The words meant here are Laa Ilaaha Illallaah, and it is they (the words) that may attain the Mighty Presence. They contain both negation and affirmation, and the disease of forgetfulness can be repulsed by the medicine of negation and affirmation. For forgetfulness is likewise composed of negation and affirmation—negation of the remembrance of God and affirmation of the remembrance of other than God. A potion mixed like oxymel out of the vinegar of negation and the sugar of affirmation is therefore needed to eliminate the bilious matter of forgetfulness. By Laa Ilaaha, other than God is negated, and by Illallaah, His majestic presence is affirmed. When one pursues this Dhikr and persists in it, the attachments of the spirit to other than God will be gradually severed by the scissors of Laa Ilaaha, and the beauty of the monarch of Illallaah will become manifest and emerge from the veil of might. In accordance with the promise of "make remembrance of Me, and I will make remembrance of you," (Qur'an 2:147) that beauty will cast off the garment of letter and sound; and in the manifestation of the light of the sublimity of divinity, the property of "all things shall perish but His face" (Qur'an 28:88) will become apparent. The Dhikr of the spirit, together with its own being, will perish in the ocean of remembrance of "make remembrance of Me," and "I will make remembrance of you" will begin making remembrance on behalf of the spirit. It is then that pure remembrance of God alone will be attained.
Then does He hear from Himself, not from me or thee:"To whom belongs kingship? To the One, the Invincible!" (Qur'an 40:16)
The true meaning of "God bears witness that there is no god but He" (Qur'an 3:18) will become apparent; and Yusof bin Hoseyn Razi's cryptic saying that "none says 'God' but God" will be understood. It will also become evident why Islam has been founded on precisely these words-- Laa Ilaaha Illallaah. For in just the same way that deliverance from the inward association of gods with God is to be had only through the inner meaning of these words, so too the outward association of gods with God can be abolished only by means of their outer form.
Point to note: Do try to recite Quran 3:18 for the first surah for isyak's first rakaat everyday.
Syahidallahu Annahuu LAAILAHA ILLA HUU, wal malaaikatu, wa ulul 'Ilm, qaaima bil qisti LAAILAHA ILLA HUWAL AZIZUL HAKIM, INNADDEENA 'indaAllahil ISLAM. (A very powerful ayat)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Good Laugh
Was on my way to get some stuff from beach road and met a friend who said, “kau makin gelapnyer siswand!” hehe, what to do. This is the transformation. My bunk mates also told me, “first time I saw u ah, I thot u Indian one, now no need think alr confirm Indian!” Thanks ah guys hehe, some one else told me, “do you know how to use kiwi? Kiwi ur boots not your face!” and also “Siswand! Save money lah, no need buy black camo cream! Just leave that area of ur face untouched by green camo and it automatically becomes black camo!” waaah, pain pain, but nvr mind, I know they’re just joking. Even the mama at the mama coffee shop said "wah, awak sudah makin hitam ah, banyak SUNBATH ah?" I told him " Maan, kita sama naseeb maan, sama kulit."Hehe
All these on top of not considering the fact that my maternal granddad is a pure Bengali, it doesn’t help much does it?
Hehe, had a good laugh at all those comments they made, takpe lah, if MJ can turn from black to white, so can I! hehe
All these on top of not considering the fact that my maternal granddad is a pure Bengali, it doesn’t help much does it?
Hehe, had a good laugh at all those comments they made, takpe lah, if MJ can turn from black to white, so can I! hehe
One of the more meaningful conversations with my bunk mate
Quran : 16:125 Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.
My friend was on his bed reading the bible, so I came to him and said “You are a devout Christian,” With eagerness he replied “YES!”
So I decided to initiate a conversation with him and I asked him what is it about Christianity that he can tell me. He started telling me about the tenets of the Christianity and all that and in return I shared with him the Muslim view of Jesus upon whom be peace. We managed to lay out similarities and the few major differences. I was really glad that we did this is the spirit of mutual understanding and respect. My friend was a nice guy, really, got to give that to him.
So our conversation went on and we somehow chatted about diet, I don’t know why but apparently one of the most interesting things about a muslim to a non-muslim is his diet.
My friend asked, why can’t muslims eat pork? I said it’s the law. And I told him in fact christians too ought to abstain from pork because there is a verse in the Old Testament, in the book of Leviticus, 11:7-8 that says do not eat pork for it is unclean. I told him my answer to that question is in your own book.
He said “No, no, it’s not like that, Christians now can eat pork already, Peter had a vision in which he saw God showing him all the dirty food and told him he has no right to say the food as dirty, hence eat all you want.” I wondered why and I found out that Peter acquitted Christians from the prohibition of consuming pork. First of all, if you ask me, I seriously want to question the authenticity and the legitimacy of Peter’s authority to alter the religion founded by one of the greatest Prophets of all time. What gives him the authority to change the Law of Jesus? That aside, now assuming that Jesus truly allowed pork, in any case, you will have to agree with me that eating of pork is never obligatory in Christianity. So you have a choice, to eat or not to eat. What I suggest is that Christians ought to, out of respect and sharing vigil with other monotheists such as Jews and Muslims, abstain from pork. You don’t have to do it as an obligation in Christianity but rather as a voluntary act. Can you do that? Well if you cant, then maybe this piece of information can motivate you, Jesus never once ate pork, if you truly love him.
This clearly illustrates how the past authentic religions have been slowly altered by the hands of men.
Having said that, we went to discuss about modern muslim affairs and somehow we talked about the beard issue. Kind of sensitive perhaps but let’s be frank. I told him I don’t like it when Christians look with scorn at muslims who keep beard because doing so makes them one of two; either a hypocrite or a bigot biased against muslims. It has to be either of these two cases only, it cant possibly ignorance, because all the many available portraits of Jesus depict him with a long flowing beard. If a Christian is biased against a muslim just because of his beard, then I, as a muslim will want to question his standing as a Christian. Rest assured, I’m all for unity and understanding between the two greatest world religion.
Another issue is about sujud, some Christians say we pray like horses. Tell him to refer to this Matthew 26:39 which reads : “Going a little further, he(Jesus) fell with his face on the ground and prayed”
Finally, I complained to him about youths our age who are overzealous about being Christian. I have seen my JC friends, especially the girls, going to church in skimpy clothing, mixing amongst guys with minimal discretion, flaunting their well adorned crosses studded with rubies, sapphires and what have you, around their neck. It’s almost as if the symbol of Christianity has become a fashion scapegoat. I told him if this thing were to happen to muslims, there’ll be serious objections. I also told him why can’t modern Christians today have some dress code out of respect for places of worship? In contrast, I told him as well, Christians in the Holy Land are more like muslims! They dress like muslims, speak the same language, eat the same diet, look so alike to the extent that you can’t differentiate arab muslims from arab Christians.
NEW testament 1 Corinthians 11:6 reads “ for if a woman did not veil herself, she should cut off her hair.but if it is disgraceful to have her hair shaved, she should wear a veil.”
There are indeed many other things which Jesus commanded which are so much in line with the tenets of Islam. Technically speaking, Christians should be like us, dress properly, remove shoes in Churches, abstain from pork, wine, fornication, wear the veil etc. but are we seeing this? All these obligations upon the Christians seem to be removed by a person who came after Jesus. Bear in mind that Jesus indirectly foretold that someone was going to change the law of God.
Matthew 5:18-19 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
And here is the finishing blow
Quran 2:79 Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.
What I personally feel is that, most youths of today who are so proud about their Christian faith are just trying to copy the situation in the West. “oh, the west is Christian and America is Christian, oh so COOL to be a Christian!” why am I saying this? It’s because they know too little about their own religion and about how similar Christianity is to Islam and Judaism. Shameful you may say. Try asking them what is Jesus’s name in his own native language? Jesus is a name given to him by other people, not his real, birth name. I seriously find it shameful for Christians not to know who Yeshua or Isa is.
At the end of it, I was adamant about my stand as a muslim and I reiterated many times my veneration and respect for Christ the son of Mary and the Gospel and the religion he revealed. For I am not a muslim if I do not acknowledge all these. To end it off, my friend said, “ My Pastor told me Muslims are the hardest to convert, Chinese very easy, maybe because our religions very similar already,”
I smiled and in my heart I was saying “Ah, tau takpe”
My friend was on his bed reading the bible, so I came to him and said “You are a devout Christian,” With eagerness he replied “YES!”
So I decided to initiate a conversation with him and I asked him what is it about Christianity that he can tell me. He started telling me about the tenets of the Christianity and all that and in return I shared with him the Muslim view of Jesus upon whom be peace. We managed to lay out similarities and the few major differences. I was really glad that we did this is the spirit of mutual understanding and respect. My friend was a nice guy, really, got to give that to him.
So our conversation went on and we somehow chatted about diet, I don’t know why but apparently one of the most interesting things about a muslim to a non-muslim is his diet.
My friend asked, why can’t muslims eat pork? I said it’s the law. And I told him in fact christians too ought to abstain from pork because there is a verse in the Old Testament, in the book of Leviticus, 11:7-8 that says do not eat pork for it is unclean. I told him my answer to that question is in your own book.
He said “No, no, it’s not like that, Christians now can eat pork already, Peter had a vision in which he saw God showing him all the dirty food and told him he has no right to say the food as dirty, hence eat all you want.” I wondered why and I found out that Peter acquitted Christians from the prohibition of consuming pork. First of all, if you ask me, I seriously want to question the authenticity and the legitimacy of Peter’s authority to alter the religion founded by one of the greatest Prophets of all time. What gives him the authority to change the Law of Jesus? That aside, now assuming that Jesus truly allowed pork, in any case, you will have to agree with me that eating of pork is never obligatory in Christianity. So you have a choice, to eat or not to eat. What I suggest is that Christians ought to, out of respect and sharing vigil with other monotheists such as Jews and Muslims, abstain from pork. You don’t have to do it as an obligation in Christianity but rather as a voluntary act. Can you do that? Well if you cant, then maybe this piece of information can motivate you, Jesus never once ate pork, if you truly love him.
This clearly illustrates how the past authentic religions have been slowly altered by the hands of men.
Having said that, we went to discuss about modern muslim affairs and somehow we talked about the beard issue. Kind of sensitive perhaps but let’s be frank. I told him I don’t like it when Christians look with scorn at muslims who keep beard because doing so makes them one of two; either a hypocrite or a bigot biased against muslims. It has to be either of these two cases only, it cant possibly ignorance, because all the many available portraits of Jesus depict him with a long flowing beard. If a Christian is biased against a muslim just because of his beard, then I, as a muslim will want to question his standing as a Christian. Rest assured, I’m all for unity and understanding between the two greatest world religion.
Another issue is about sujud, some Christians say we pray like horses. Tell him to refer to this Matthew 26:39 which reads : “Going a little further, he(Jesus) fell with his face on the ground and prayed”
Finally, I complained to him about youths our age who are overzealous about being Christian. I have seen my JC friends, especially the girls, going to church in skimpy clothing, mixing amongst guys with minimal discretion, flaunting their well adorned crosses studded with rubies, sapphires and what have you, around their neck. It’s almost as if the symbol of Christianity has become a fashion scapegoat. I told him if this thing were to happen to muslims, there’ll be serious objections. I also told him why can’t modern Christians today have some dress code out of respect for places of worship? In contrast, I told him as well, Christians in the Holy Land are more like muslims! They dress like muslims, speak the same language, eat the same diet, look so alike to the extent that you can’t differentiate arab muslims from arab Christians.
NEW testament 1 Corinthians 11:6 reads “ for if a woman did not veil herself, she should cut off her hair.but if it is disgraceful to have her hair shaved, she should wear a veil.”
There are indeed many other things which Jesus commanded which are so much in line with the tenets of Islam. Technically speaking, Christians should be like us, dress properly, remove shoes in Churches, abstain from pork, wine, fornication, wear the veil etc. but are we seeing this? All these obligations upon the Christians seem to be removed by a person who came after Jesus. Bear in mind that Jesus indirectly foretold that someone was going to change the law of God.
Matthew 5:18-19 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
And here is the finishing blow
Quran 2:79 Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.
What I personally feel is that, most youths of today who are so proud about their Christian faith are just trying to copy the situation in the West. “oh, the west is Christian and America is Christian, oh so COOL to be a Christian!” why am I saying this? It’s because they know too little about their own religion and about how similar Christianity is to Islam and Judaism. Shameful you may say. Try asking them what is Jesus’s name in his own native language? Jesus is a name given to him by other people, not his real, birth name. I seriously find it shameful for Christians not to know who Yeshua or Isa is.
At the end of it, I was adamant about my stand as a muslim and I reiterated many times my veneration and respect for Christ the son of Mary and the Gospel and the religion he revealed. For I am not a muslim if I do not acknowledge all these. To end it off, my friend said, “ My Pastor told me Muslims are the hardest to convert, Chinese very easy, maybe because our religions very similar already,”
I smiled and in my heart I was saying “Ah, tau takpe”
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Tawhid, in the story of Pharoah and Moses
I came across an article about tawhid, which makes use of the story about Moses and Pharoah to illustrate the Exaltedness and the Sublimity of God Almighty. The article refers quite a fair bit to Ibn Arabi’s literature. Just as a word of caution, Ibn Arabi is very deep in his writing, so read the article slowly and try to comprehend. Sometimes Ibn Arabi’s content is not that difficult to understand, just that the phrasing and the language used is tough.
If you do not read his work properly with understanding, you may think that Ibn Arabi is a heretic, indeed people have accused Ibn Arabi of being a kafir; he is far from that, he is Shaykhul Akbar and Muhyiddin. In all likelihood, our lack of knowledge is what makes us PERCEIVE Ibn Arabi as a heretic. Just remember that one sahaba either Abu Huraira or Anas Bin Malik ra (I cant rmbr exactly who) once said something like this; “I’ve inherited a lot (knowledge) from the Prophet, only half of which I relate to the people, the other half I keep to myself because if I were to relate that other half, they would surely cut my head off.”
So Here It Is :
Pharaoh in the Qur'an is the epitome of the arrogant, unjust, and egoistic man of power, who calls those below him to worship at the altar of his conceit. Acknowledging the truth of tawhid in his heart, he deliberately suppresses this truth in order to arrogate to himself the attributes that rightfully belong to Allah. For the thirteenth-century Andalusian Sufi Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, (d. 1240) Pharaoh epitomized the perversion of the vice-regal function of man by attempting to rule in his own name and without the guidance of Allah's Law. By contrast, Moses epitomized submission to tawhid and the divine Law, without the intermediary power of self-reliance (tadbir). For Ibn 'Arabi, the great paradox of the Moses narratives was that Pharaoh was aware of the reality of Moses' Messengership, as well as of the truth of tawhid, but refused to acknowledge either of them openly. In a complex and counter-intuitive chapter on "The Wisdom of Highness in the Mosaic Word" in his book Fusus al-Hikam (lit. "The Ring-Settings of Wisdom Teachings"), Ibn 'Arabi depicts Pharaoh as playing the role of Moses' antagonist like an actor playing a role in a drama. He knows that his words and actions are false, but he persists in his creation of falsehoods, thus fulfilling the divine will by parodying in his conceit the true authority that God reveals through Moses.
For 'Arabi, the figures of Moses and Pharaoh are inseparable from each other, like conjoined twins, each representing a contrasting yet complementary aspect of the human condition. This is why Pharaoh can be understood as obeying the Law of Allah while flouting the tenets of divine justice. It is also why he can be understood as acknowledging tawhid at the very moment that he appears to reject it. For Ibn 'Arabi, the key to "The Wisdom of Highness in the Mosaic Word" can be found in the verses where Pharaoh mockingly asks Moses, "And what is the 'Lord of the Worlds?'" [Qur'an 26:23]. According to Ibn 'Arabi, Pharaoh was fully aware of the answer to his question, and only asked it so that Moses could give the answer that his role required him to give:
[Moses] answered:
"The Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and what is in between-- if you are among those who have attained certainty."
[Pharaoh] said to those who surrounded him: "Do you not hear?"
Then [Moses] said: "Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers, from the beginning."
[Pharaoh] said: "Verily this Messenger of yours who has been sent to you is possessed!"
[Moses] said: "Lord of the East and the West, and all that is in between, if only you had sense!"
[Pharaoh] replied: "If you take any god other than me, I will surely make you a prisoner!" [26:24-29].
In Ibn 'Arabi's hands, Pharaoh's words become pregnant with double meaning. When Moses affirms the identity of Allah as Lord of all things, Pharaoh exclaims, "Do you not hear?" appearing to rebuke Moses, but actually affirming the truth of what he says. When Moses next describes Allah as the deity of a specific group of people (in this case Pharaoh's royal ancestors), Allah rebukes Moses' apparent shortsightedness by making Pharaoh say, "Verily this Messenger of yours is possessed!" When Moses returns to divine transcendence by proclaiming that Allah is Lord of the East and the West and all that is in between them, his understanding of the true nature of tawhid is affirmed by means of Pharaoh's parody of the divine commandment: "Thou shalt have no other god before Me."
As a final irony, Pharaoh (in Ibn 'Arabi's interpretation) is both destroyed by Allah and "saved" by being drowned in the crashing waves of the sea as he pursues the fleeing Israelites. As his body is crushed by the waves, his soul is "drowned" in the ocean of divine foreknowledge. If only Pharaoh had known, says Ibn 'Arabi, of the true highness within himself! The highness of the human being as vicegerent of Allah, whose altar is lit by a miraculous fire within -- a theophany of the divine, like the burning bush that spoke the word of Allah to Moses:
Like the fire of Moses, which [Pharaoh] perceived in the extremity of his need,
He, too, was the divinity, but was not aware of it!
The problem with Pharoah is not so much about not knowing what is Tawhid or having a wrong concept of Tawhid. He apparently knew what Tawhid is about and what it entails, just that Pharaoh wanted that greatness Tawhid speaks about all for himself, instead of Allah alone who rightfully owns that Tawhid.
In this case, Pharaoh was not being just, not being fair when he chose to allocate Tawhid to himself. He was not putting things in their rightful place, he was zalim.
Pharaoh chose to struggle against God and compete with God for ownership over Tawhid. Why would you even try to steal something from God? We know that whenever anyone competes against God, God always wins.
If you do not read his work properly with understanding, you may think that Ibn Arabi is a heretic, indeed people have accused Ibn Arabi of being a kafir; he is far from that, he is Shaykhul Akbar and Muhyiddin. In all likelihood, our lack of knowledge is what makes us PERCEIVE Ibn Arabi as a heretic. Just remember that one sahaba either Abu Huraira or Anas Bin Malik ra (I cant rmbr exactly who) once said something like this; “I’ve inherited a lot (knowledge) from the Prophet, only half of which I relate to the people, the other half I keep to myself because if I were to relate that other half, they would surely cut my head off.”
So Here It Is :
Pharaoh in the Qur'an is the epitome of the arrogant, unjust, and egoistic man of power, who calls those below him to worship at the altar of his conceit. Acknowledging the truth of tawhid in his heart, he deliberately suppresses this truth in order to arrogate to himself the attributes that rightfully belong to Allah. For the thirteenth-century Andalusian Sufi Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, (d. 1240) Pharaoh epitomized the perversion of the vice-regal function of man by attempting to rule in his own name and without the guidance of Allah's Law. By contrast, Moses epitomized submission to tawhid and the divine Law, without the intermediary power of self-reliance (tadbir). For Ibn 'Arabi, the great paradox of the Moses narratives was that Pharaoh was aware of the reality of Moses' Messengership, as well as of the truth of tawhid, but refused to acknowledge either of them openly. In a complex and counter-intuitive chapter on "The Wisdom of Highness in the Mosaic Word" in his book Fusus al-Hikam (lit. "The Ring-Settings of Wisdom Teachings"), Ibn 'Arabi depicts Pharaoh as playing the role of Moses' antagonist like an actor playing a role in a drama. He knows that his words and actions are false, but he persists in his creation of falsehoods, thus fulfilling the divine will by parodying in his conceit the true authority that God reveals through Moses.
For 'Arabi, the figures of Moses and Pharaoh are inseparable from each other, like conjoined twins, each representing a contrasting yet complementary aspect of the human condition. This is why Pharaoh can be understood as obeying the Law of Allah while flouting the tenets of divine justice. It is also why he can be understood as acknowledging tawhid at the very moment that he appears to reject it. For Ibn 'Arabi, the key to "The Wisdom of Highness in the Mosaic Word" can be found in the verses where Pharaoh mockingly asks Moses, "And what is the 'Lord of the Worlds?'" [Qur'an 26:23]. According to Ibn 'Arabi, Pharaoh was fully aware of the answer to his question, and only asked it so that Moses could give the answer that his role required him to give:
[Moses] answered:
"The Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and what is in between-- if you are among those who have attained certainty."
[Pharaoh] said to those who surrounded him: "Do you not hear?"
Then [Moses] said: "Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers, from the beginning."
[Pharaoh] said: "Verily this Messenger of yours who has been sent to you is possessed!"
[Moses] said: "Lord of the East and the West, and all that is in between, if only you had sense!"
[Pharaoh] replied: "If you take any god other than me, I will surely make you a prisoner!" [26:24-29].
In Ibn 'Arabi's hands, Pharaoh's words become pregnant with double meaning. When Moses affirms the identity of Allah as Lord of all things, Pharaoh exclaims, "Do you not hear?" appearing to rebuke Moses, but actually affirming the truth of what he says. When Moses next describes Allah as the deity of a specific group of people (in this case Pharaoh's royal ancestors), Allah rebukes Moses' apparent shortsightedness by making Pharaoh say, "Verily this Messenger of yours is possessed!" When Moses returns to divine transcendence by proclaiming that Allah is Lord of the East and the West and all that is in between them, his understanding of the true nature of tawhid is affirmed by means of Pharaoh's parody of the divine commandment: "Thou shalt have no other god before Me."
As a final irony, Pharaoh (in Ibn 'Arabi's interpretation) is both destroyed by Allah and "saved" by being drowned in the crashing waves of the sea as he pursues the fleeing Israelites. As his body is crushed by the waves, his soul is "drowned" in the ocean of divine foreknowledge. If only Pharaoh had known, says Ibn 'Arabi, of the true highness within himself! The highness of the human being as vicegerent of Allah, whose altar is lit by a miraculous fire within -- a theophany of the divine, like the burning bush that spoke the word of Allah to Moses:
Like the fire of Moses, which [Pharaoh] perceived in the extremity of his need,
He, too, was the divinity, but was not aware of it!
The problem with Pharoah is not so much about not knowing what is Tawhid or having a wrong concept of Tawhid. He apparently knew what Tawhid is about and what it entails, just that Pharaoh wanted that greatness Tawhid speaks about all for himself, instead of Allah alone who rightfully owns that Tawhid.
In this case, Pharaoh was not being just, not being fair when he chose to allocate Tawhid to himself. He was not putting things in their rightful place, he was zalim.
Pharaoh chose to struggle against God and compete with God for ownership over Tawhid. Why would you even try to steal something from God? We know that whenever anyone competes against God, God always wins.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Reflections, Parallels and Lessons OUGHT to be drawn
well, let me recap, the 9th of Jan, or according to their format, 090108, went to every man's island and there i took the oath of allegiance to the nation. i was trying to comprehend what that entails, the swearing of allegiance. i guess for many of us it's just speech by the tongue. somehow i felt i am not doing things right, took the oath there but still until today i haven't took bai'ah(allegiance) to Sidi. i used to tell myself, don't take bai'ah yet, you are not ready for the strenuous path, there'll be loads of responsibility, it'll require a whole deal of consistency on my part etc etc. it's true that in tariqah sometimes the daily awrad can be strenuous, for example, there is this ijazah of invoking the Name Allah 10000 times every night or 1000 al ikhlas everyday. how to do? won't be easy right? but this is what tariqah teaches you, to keep constantly in mind, the remembrance of God and be disciplined in it.
In the army, discipline is a big thing, and once you are used to it, routine orders there become like a simple everyday kind of thing. so why cant this be applied to tariqah? those 'heavy' zikir can be done by anyone who wants to. if you don't mind, it don't matter. Mind Over Matter. Cast away hypocrisy NOW. if you can do routine orders, surely you can do zikir. maybe there is hikmah in the army anyway.
next up, the thing that touched me personally was how we had to greet and salute superiors, i have no issues with greeting or saluting them, that is the system, plus they have earned their status and deserves such treatment. but this pinpoints me to a very important concept of greetings and veneration for the Holy Prophet SAW. How much should we greet him? How much should we revere him? Some self proclaimed salafis/ wahabis out there say certain groups of muslims are greeting/praising the Prophet TOO MUCH. what gibberish! how can one possibly OVER praise or OVER greet the Prophet?! if God Himself has Greeted and Praised the Prophet, then no matter how we praise him, it will never be too much, too little being the more likely. For he is the Most Beloved and Most Preferred and Most Perfect of all Creation. if to the commanders we salute, then upon the Prophet we send our SALAWAT!
SallaAllahu alaika wa sallam Ya RasullAllah! fii kulli lamhatin wa nafasin a'dada ma wa sia'huu 'ilmullah!
the other thing that struck me was about patience, my superior was talking about how tiring field camp would be and he also talked about the fact that field camp is the time when you will see our friends' true colours. by then all will be very shagged and hungry and we shall see who cares only for himself. honestly speaking, i really don't know how i would do. and i can't stop to marvel at how the Prophet did it. the Prophet mingled amongst the poor and constantly put the poor ahead of himself, remember hijrah? He was the last to leave after everyone else. He survived on just pieces of dates for days (nice pun huh, dates and days) and he never failed to give them to the hungry first. such was the exalted moral character of the Prophet which i have yet to experience for myself, hopefully all goes well Amin, May Allah forgive us all and guide us and plant in us firmly, the love for the Prophet and for the Almighty Himself.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Hiatus
ok, so this blog will be going on a hiatus for at least 17 days coz im bookin chalet this wed 9 jan n book out only during the second weekend. it'll be a new env no doubt, with new challenges as a muslim. anyways, i do hope u ppl out there can selit me in ur prayers such that everything goes well and smooth for me, insyaAllah. i'm lookin for a win-win situation there, May Allah keep it easy for all of us.
to end it off, Allah says in surah An Nisa' , : "Athiullah wa Athiur Rasul, wa ulil amri minkum"
Obey Allah and obey Prophet, and those on authority. An-Nisa' (4:59)
so, i will have new "ulil amri minkum" and yeah, be a kambing just obey and follow ;)
to end it off, Allah says in surah An Nisa' , : "Athiullah wa Athiur Rasul, wa ulil amri minkum"
Obey Allah and obey Prophet, and those on authority. An-Nisa' (4:59)
so, i will have new "ulil amri minkum" and yeah, be a kambing just obey and follow ;)
Friday, January 4, 2008
The 4 levels of the Attitude towards Sin
This is by far one of the most influential pieces of information for all of us. It’s a practical, always relevant issue in our daily lives and it pertains to our weakness, namely that of succumbing to temptation and sins.
The First Level:
You commit a sin and you feel remorseful, regret and you lament it. You dye your hair, flirt lecherously around, imbibe alcohol, get yourself inked up but you are saying “Oh Allah, this is all my bad, my fault; I’m too weak to brush off the whispers of the Devil and the inclinations of my own Nafs. Therefore forgive me.” In such a case, God usually will have no qualms to forgive you, no matter how much or how big the sin, insyaAllah. He says in a hadith Qudsi, “O child of Adam, as long as you beseech Me and hope for Me, I shall forgive you whatever you have done, without minding in the slightest." But again, ourselves will know, do not take advantage of this purposefully.
That is why the Chief of Istighfar thought to us by the Prophet himself has this part,
“abou ulaka bi ni’matika alaiya, wa abou u bi dzanbii, farghfirlii,” which means
“I acknowledge the blessings showered upon me and I admit my sins, therefore forgive me”
The Second Level:
You commit a sin and you don’t feel bad about it. This one already has signs of the heart dying.
The Third Level:
You commit a sin and you are proud about it, you go tell everyone. This is bad for a few reasons; firstly it is a very impertinent and impudent thing on our part to feel good/proud about committing a sin. Very much like a sore loser, you are on the wrong side and you are happy, proud. The other thing is, you don’t even bother to cover your own shortcomings (‘aib), your own iniquities. Almost like throwing away your self-worth.
The Fourth Level:
You commit a sin, you are proud of it, and you condemn the Law of God as being backward, anti-modernity, and the likes of it. This is true sore loser. It is playing on the fences, with murtad and kuffar on one side. God save us from such things, Amin.
This is a serious issue especially today. In the western world the clash at this level mostly comes from the homosexual community. We do not condemn homosexuals as individuals; there is no right to do so. But we condemn their actions and their inclinations. This is because it is going against God. Science, medicine and even evolution, all prove that heterosexual is the way to go.
(Some people say homosexuality is common among animals and thus is normal; my foot! Since when do we take animals as our guides? Animals are also known to engage in necrophilia, pedophilia, fornication, incest. Are we going to condone all these as well?)
Right now there is no known genetic basis for homosexual tendencies, unlikely to be found in the future too, it is mostly psychological and this can change.
The thing is, homosexual communities tend to condemn the established Law of God as barbaric, backward and only fitting for backwater desert-dwellers. The condemnation of the law is absolutely unnecessary, totally a transgression. You have sinned, but why sin again by being a sore loser in front of God? What are you going to say to Him about rejecting His Favors upon you??? This is God asking a favor of you and you blatantly deny?
There is a reason why the verse “which of the Favors of Thy Lord do you deny?” is repeated many times in a surah called Ar-rahman, The Beneficient. It is supposed to appeal to our nature. Rejection only means the death of our hearts.
Such an issue is always much easier said than done, and I pray that God save me from hypocrisy as I type. Such issues are easy to understand but difficult to execute, hence the difference between knowledge and wisdom, between knowledge of paper and knowledge of taste. Each one of us inherently knows what is the right thing to do, that is our fitrah, which is why akhlaq exams, can just go in and smoke your way through, no need to mug. Knowing alone is easy but execution is hard and this is the test. You pass this and paradise is yours. This is precisely why we do not have paradise in hand, especially me. We pray to God for Support, Amin.
The First Level:
You commit a sin and you feel remorseful, regret and you lament it. You dye your hair, flirt lecherously around, imbibe alcohol, get yourself inked up but you are saying “Oh Allah, this is all my bad, my fault; I’m too weak to brush off the whispers of the Devil and the inclinations of my own Nafs. Therefore forgive me.” In such a case, God usually will have no qualms to forgive you, no matter how much or how big the sin, insyaAllah. He says in a hadith Qudsi, “O child of Adam, as long as you beseech Me and hope for Me, I shall forgive you whatever you have done, without minding in the slightest." But again, ourselves will know, do not take advantage of this purposefully.
That is why the Chief of Istighfar thought to us by the Prophet himself has this part,
“abou ulaka bi ni’matika alaiya, wa abou u bi dzanbii, farghfirlii,” which means
“I acknowledge the blessings showered upon me and I admit my sins, therefore forgive me”
The Second Level:
You commit a sin and you don’t feel bad about it. This one already has signs of the heart dying.
The Third Level:
You commit a sin and you are proud about it, you go tell everyone. This is bad for a few reasons; firstly it is a very impertinent and impudent thing on our part to feel good/proud about committing a sin. Very much like a sore loser, you are on the wrong side and you are happy, proud. The other thing is, you don’t even bother to cover your own shortcomings (‘aib), your own iniquities. Almost like throwing away your self-worth.
The Fourth Level:
You commit a sin, you are proud of it, and you condemn the Law of God as being backward, anti-modernity, and the likes of it. This is true sore loser. It is playing on the fences, with murtad and kuffar on one side. God save us from such things, Amin.
This is a serious issue especially today. In the western world the clash at this level mostly comes from the homosexual community. We do not condemn homosexuals as individuals; there is no right to do so. But we condemn their actions and their inclinations. This is because it is going against God. Science, medicine and even evolution, all prove that heterosexual is the way to go.
(Some people say homosexuality is common among animals and thus is normal; my foot! Since when do we take animals as our guides? Animals are also known to engage in necrophilia, pedophilia, fornication, incest. Are we going to condone all these as well?)
Right now there is no known genetic basis for homosexual tendencies, unlikely to be found in the future too, it is mostly psychological and this can change.
The thing is, homosexual communities tend to condemn the established Law of God as barbaric, backward and only fitting for backwater desert-dwellers. The condemnation of the law is absolutely unnecessary, totally a transgression. You have sinned, but why sin again by being a sore loser in front of God? What are you going to say to Him about rejecting His Favors upon you??? This is God asking a favor of you and you blatantly deny?
There is a reason why the verse “which of the Favors of Thy Lord do you deny?” is repeated many times in a surah called Ar-rahman, The Beneficient. It is supposed to appeal to our nature. Rejection only means the death of our hearts.
Such an issue is always much easier said than done, and I pray that God save me from hypocrisy as I type. Such issues are easy to understand but difficult to execute, hence the difference between knowledge and wisdom, between knowledge of paper and knowledge of taste. Each one of us inherently knows what is the right thing to do, that is our fitrah, which is why akhlaq exams, can just go in and smoke your way through, no need to mug. Knowing alone is easy but execution is hard and this is the test. You pass this and paradise is yours. This is precisely why we do not have paradise in hand, especially me. We pray to God for Support, Amin.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Turn to You? Why?
Sometimes I wonder why should I turn to Him? Why does He even care? I’m nothing, I’m worthless. And why does He even care to govern my actions? For no sin, regardless how humongous, can harm Him and no merits, regardless how significant, can benefit Him.
Oh, so now I get it, it’s a love story. Disobedience and disappointment on my part is hurtful to You, O God. You loved me first, You Initiated this love and in return, and out of good manners, I’m supposed to reciprocate that love.
I’m so ashamed in front of You, Your obedience to me is greater than my obedience to You.
But above anything else, please O Allah, I want to love You for all You’ve done. Allow me my indulgence. I want You, don’t tell me anything about paradise, I want You.
Oh, so now I get it, it’s a love story. Disobedience and disappointment on my part is hurtful to You, O God. You loved me first, You Initiated this love and in return, and out of good manners, I’m supposed to reciprocate that love.
I’m so ashamed in front of You, Your obedience to me is greater than my obedience to You.
But above anything else, please O Allah, I want to love You for all You’ve done. Allow me my indulgence. I want You, don’t tell me anything about paradise, I want You.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The Praised Station of the Prophet. (Maqaman Mahmudaa)
God commands us to pray, but He Himself never prays!
He makes it obligatory for us to fast, but He never fasts!
He says we must pay the zakat, but He Himself never pays!
But when He enjoins believers to send peace and blessings upon the Prophet, He Himself sends His Peace and Blessings upon the Beloved Prophet s.a.w. and He Himself Praises the Prophet with “wa innaka laa’la khuluqin 'azhim”
And verily, thou (O Muhammad) art of an Exalted Character. - Al-Qalam [68:4]
Such is the Station (Maqam) of the Prophet in the sight of God.
And May God increase our Love for His Beloved s.a.w.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Trembling, yet peaceful and calm
Of ‘La Ilaha illa Allah’ and ‘Allah, Allah’
In any legitimate Sufi Order (Tariqah) you go to, these two zikir are always pinnacle to that Tariqah. This is because the most preferred of zikir is ‘la ilaha illa Allah’.
Afdhaludz dzikri, fa’lam annahuu, Laa Ilaha illaAllah
When you say “Laa ilaha illaAllah” (there is no God except Allah”), you are invoking an absolute truth that encompasses everything, seriously everything. Even in the material sciences when you question deeper, laa ilaha illaAllah will always be an answer. That is why when the Prophet talked about the Balance (mizan), laa ilaha illaAllah is always heavier than anything else.
Then the zikir shortens to “illaAllah” or just simply “Allah, Allah”, to satiate the desire of the murids or salik (seeker). By then, the seeker would desire more of the sweetness of the ecstasy, that spiritual tasting (zouk), such that they are saying, ‘Get to the point! I want Allah!’
I could still vividly recall one of the most powerful and most moving sessions ever. The lights were dimmed, we were all standing and imploring Allah Almighty for His Divine Grace and Mercy by repeating His Name, ‘Allah,Allah’, in a manner so dependant on Him!
It was then that I opened my eyes and I could see the silhouette of Sidi and the other ikhwans behind him, standing with hands raised, imploring Allah Almighty so fervently. Somehow it occurred to me that this scene was very reminiscent, very reflective of the situation in the hereafter when we all stand before Him, awaiting judgment, and then Sidi will represent us, asking Allah for His Mercy and also the Syafaah of the Beloved Prophet s.a.w.
How is it possible not to have khusyuk when you are doing zikir in a congregation and in the presence of your Shaykh or Mursyid? Allah Himself says in the Holy Quran that the Hearts of Believers tremble upon the mentioning of Allah (Al-Anfal, 8:2). In another verse He says “Verily, with the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace” (Al-Ra’d, 13:28).
Apparently, the two verses seem contradictory. Actually, these two feelings come together, making you feel something unique, something pleasant, something sweet, I just can’t describe it in words. Trembling, yet peaceful and calm. And as the zikir progresses, you just can’t take it any longer and you shout it out off your chest, “Allah!” Some find it too overwhelming and just faint. Moses (pbuh) himself fainted when the Light of God was manifested to him.
Standing, you look up into the sky and this is the moment when you truly appreciate and understand the Greatness of God. And as though following a nicely planned sequence of events, you just begin to cry, you just can’t control it. You are crying, weeping and sobbing, barely able to muster enough strength to even mention the Name ‘Allah’, with all these while sincere, powerful and emotional implorations of ‘Allah! Allah!’ still going strong all around you, it’s almost like hearing the zikir of nature itself, the zikir of the plants, the air, the water around you. You are literally engulfed by zikrullah, and at this instant you feel like you are ‘naked’, with no hijab (veil) between you and Him, nothing is hiding you from Him, nothing is blocking you from Him. He knows you inside out and outside in, you feel utterly helpless and virtually powerless in His Presence. You are like a piece of clay dough in the Hands of the Maker. This is when; again, you appreciate in totality, the meaning of ‘Thy Will be Done, O Lord!’ Only His Will counts, nothing else matters. Truly at this very instant you would have kicked everything else out of your heart and your mind, only God remains.
Such is the awareness of God that we ought to maintain, but Man is 99% of his time heedless. Therefore we should be thankful to our qualified guides, or murabbi, or mursyid, or shaykh, as not anyone can lead such a zikir. If scholars of this world have professors to get them to their Ph.Ds, what then, do you think is the case with subtle issues pertaining to the development of the human heart and the ruh? Surely there must be a guide! He who has no guide has Satan as his guide. May Allah guide us to see one of his saints, just like how Allah guided Sayyidina Musa to see Sayyidina Khidr.
In any legitimate Sufi Order (Tariqah) you go to, these two zikir are always pinnacle to that Tariqah. This is because the most preferred of zikir is ‘la ilaha illa Allah’.
Afdhaludz dzikri, fa’lam annahuu, Laa Ilaha illaAllah
When you say “Laa ilaha illaAllah” (there is no God except Allah”), you are invoking an absolute truth that encompasses everything, seriously everything. Even in the material sciences when you question deeper, laa ilaha illaAllah will always be an answer. That is why when the Prophet talked about the Balance (mizan), laa ilaha illaAllah is always heavier than anything else.
Then the zikir shortens to “illaAllah” or just simply “Allah, Allah”, to satiate the desire of the murids or salik (seeker). By then, the seeker would desire more of the sweetness of the ecstasy, that spiritual tasting (zouk), such that they are saying, ‘Get to the point! I want Allah!’
I could still vividly recall one of the most powerful and most moving sessions ever. The lights were dimmed, we were all standing and imploring Allah Almighty for His Divine Grace and Mercy by repeating His Name, ‘Allah,Allah’, in a manner so dependant on Him!
It was then that I opened my eyes and I could see the silhouette of Sidi and the other ikhwans behind him, standing with hands raised, imploring Allah Almighty so fervently. Somehow it occurred to me that this scene was very reminiscent, very reflective of the situation in the hereafter when we all stand before Him, awaiting judgment, and then Sidi will represent us, asking Allah for His Mercy and also the Syafaah of the Beloved Prophet s.a.w.
How is it possible not to have khusyuk when you are doing zikir in a congregation and in the presence of your Shaykh or Mursyid? Allah Himself says in the Holy Quran that the Hearts of Believers tremble upon the mentioning of Allah (Al-Anfal, 8:2). In another verse He says “Verily, with the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace” (Al-Ra’d, 13:28).
Apparently, the two verses seem contradictory. Actually, these two feelings come together, making you feel something unique, something pleasant, something sweet, I just can’t describe it in words. Trembling, yet peaceful and calm. And as the zikir progresses, you just can’t take it any longer and you shout it out off your chest, “Allah!” Some find it too overwhelming and just faint. Moses (pbuh) himself fainted when the Light of God was manifested to him.
Standing, you look up into the sky and this is the moment when you truly appreciate and understand the Greatness of God. And as though following a nicely planned sequence of events, you just begin to cry, you just can’t control it. You are crying, weeping and sobbing, barely able to muster enough strength to even mention the Name ‘Allah’, with all these while sincere, powerful and emotional implorations of ‘Allah! Allah!’ still going strong all around you, it’s almost like hearing the zikir of nature itself, the zikir of the plants, the air, the water around you. You are literally engulfed by zikrullah, and at this instant you feel like you are ‘naked’, with no hijab (veil) between you and Him, nothing is hiding you from Him, nothing is blocking you from Him. He knows you inside out and outside in, you feel utterly helpless and virtually powerless in His Presence. You are like a piece of clay dough in the Hands of the Maker. This is when; again, you appreciate in totality, the meaning of ‘Thy Will be Done, O Lord!’ Only His Will counts, nothing else matters. Truly at this very instant you would have kicked everything else out of your heart and your mind, only God remains.
Such is the awareness of God that we ought to maintain, but Man is 99% of his time heedless. Therefore we should be thankful to our qualified guides, or murabbi, or mursyid, or shaykh, as not anyone can lead such a zikir. If scholars of this world have professors to get them to their Ph.Ds, what then, do you think is the case with subtle issues pertaining to the development of the human heart and the ruh? Surely there must be a guide! He who has no guide has Satan as his guide. May Allah guide us to see one of his saints, just like how Allah guided Sayyidina Musa to see Sayyidina Khidr.
Humour, and its Beauty ;)
The Prophet s.a.w has a very good sense of humour, and this is what we should emulate. Humour brings light-heartedness, a great sense of camaraderie and it spices up relationships, be they with family, friends or even BGR. It is very heartening to read about the Prophet, how humourous he was. Reports say he is often spotted with a smile across his beautiful visage and that he would always spice up a conversation with an appreciable laughter. How sweet!
There was once when I was never more shocked to see an expression of humour, not to mention that it was from the venerable Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani himself. Shaykh Hisyam made the classic “rawr” kind of biting action when the emcee was trying to fix the microphone on his collar. Terperanjat seh aku! Haha, but it was funny indeed to see such a playful act from the Shaykh. What a humour!
Then there was once when an ikhwan was late for a majlis with Sidi. Out of respect, he called Sidi to explain. Here’s how the conversation went, to the best of me memory hehe.
“Maaf Tuan, saya tak dapat hadir awal. Saya kena jaga masjid.”
“Masjid tu tak lari,” replied Sidi cheekily
“Betul Tuan! Saya kena jaga masjid ni! Ni dah takde orang nih!” his voice panicky already.
“Ye betol, masjid tu tetap tak lari,”
By then all the other pakciks around Sidi started to kekek already, all started to laugh. Sidi just smiled away…
Oh ya, I can never forget the incident when we were playing at the stairway. We were playing at the stairway like childish kids and Sidi was coming down the stairway! We were like obviously blocking his way ah. Sidi then stood behind us, smiled a little and extended his right hand as though saying “Please, by all means,”
Pardon me, but at that moment the three of us were already panicked and we just cabut, tak salam Sidi pun.
This one ustaz also commented something about people who like to accuse shirik on other muslims. He said,
“Jangan, jangan mcm gitu, sepatotnyer kiter ni ajak seberape ramai orang2 lain yg kite boleh, masok syurge same2. Syurge tu luas, lagi besar drpd dunia ni, so kalau yg masok syurge tu korang ngan komplok korang ajer, nanti boring pulak korang kat dlm syurge!”
I was down there kekek already cannot tahan! The sarcasm he put forth so plainly and so sardine, really hit the bulls eye man!
I suppose one of the more classic examples of the Prophet’s humour was when he told an old lady that no old person will be in paradise. The old woman cried.
Chill ah mike, maintain ;) Everyone in paradise will be made young again. Sweet seventeen heh? 18 lah ah, im 18 now...
There was once when I was never more shocked to see an expression of humour, not to mention that it was from the venerable Shaykh Hisyam Kabbani himself. Shaykh Hisyam made the classic “rawr” kind of biting action when the emcee was trying to fix the microphone on his collar. Terperanjat seh aku! Haha, but it was funny indeed to see such a playful act from the Shaykh. What a humour!
Then there was once when an ikhwan was late for a majlis with Sidi. Out of respect, he called Sidi to explain. Here’s how the conversation went, to the best of me memory hehe.
“Maaf Tuan, saya tak dapat hadir awal. Saya kena jaga masjid.”
“Masjid tu tak lari,” replied Sidi cheekily
“Betul Tuan! Saya kena jaga masjid ni! Ni dah takde orang nih!” his voice panicky already.
“Ye betol, masjid tu tetap tak lari,”
By then all the other pakciks around Sidi started to kekek already, all started to laugh. Sidi just smiled away…
Oh ya, I can never forget the incident when we were playing at the stairway. We were playing at the stairway like childish kids and Sidi was coming down the stairway! We were like obviously blocking his way ah. Sidi then stood behind us, smiled a little and extended his right hand as though saying “Please, by all means,”
Pardon me, but at that moment the three of us were already panicked and we just cabut, tak salam Sidi pun.
This one ustaz also commented something about people who like to accuse shirik on other muslims. He said,
“Jangan, jangan mcm gitu, sepatotnyer kiter ni ajak seberape ramai orang2 lain yg kite boleh, masok syurge same2. Syurge tu luas, lagi besar drpd dunia ni, so kalau yg masok syurge tu korang ngan komplok korang ajer, nanti boring pulak korang kat dlm syurge!”
I was down there kekek already cannot tahan! The sarcasm he put forth so plainly and so sardine, really hit the bulls eye man!
I suppose one of the more classic examples of the Prophet’s humour was when he told an old lady that no old person will be in paradise. The old woman cried.
Chill ah mike, maintain ;) Everyone in paradise will be made young again. Sweet seventeen heh? 18 lah ah, im 18 now...
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