Qur'an: The desires of the heart

"Beautified for people

is the love of that which they desire;

of women and sons,

heaped-up sums of gold and silver,

fine branded horses,

and cattle and tilled land.

That is the enjoyment of the worldly life.

And God has with Him the best return."

(Surah 3, Verse 14)

How lucky man is
to have in the desires of his heart

a means
to distinguish himself:

to realise the temporariness of his wants;

to act on them only in what is necessary;

to overcome them for deeds eternal.

Desire

Obeying desire
you'll see
is like watering a plant
or feeding a pet.
It grows!!

No alcoholic,
no gambler,
no banker,
ever had his fill,
ever consumed his want.

Consumed he was.

Congratulations resistant soul...

Congratulations for the one who never found pleasure praying,
never throughout his life,
yet he persisted
in obedience to God's command.

Congratulations on him who continued praying
through compulsion and heaviness,
finding no enjoyment,
of an increased reward.

Congratulations
for enthusiasm was never demanded,
nor a condition for the acceptance of deeds,
only sincerity.

O Allah, accept from us our deeds. Indeed You are the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

The one bathed by the angels

Sayyiduna Hanzala, raDhiyAllahu 3anhu, may Allah be pleased with Him.

"... When the call for the Battle of Uhud was announced, and the army was beginning to leave, he was having relations with his wife. In this state he heard the call for war, and heard the army leaving for the battlefield. He left everything at that moment and joined the army. He did not have a chance to do ghusl (bath). He was martyred in the battlefield. Because a shaheed (martyr) is not given ghusl, he too was not given a bath. Sayyidunaa Rasulullah sallAllahu 3alayhi wa sallam saw the angels bathing him. He made inquiries, and, on returning to Madinah Munawwarah, was informed by his wife of his condition..."

(Source: Shamaa-il Tirmidhi with commentary, published by Darul Ishaat)

Above story found in the chapter on the turban of Sayyidunaa Rasulullah sallAllahu 3alayhi wa sallam, in the commentary of the fifth Hadith, regarding the father of one of the narrators of the Hadith.

Free (in my bubble)

"... I would like to close this talk of mine by encouraging you to give that, which belongs to Allah (3azza wa jalla), but He decided to put it in your hands.

To give some of it for the sake of assisting and freeing and helping your brothers behind bars..."

(Source: Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki's half-hour pre-recorded message that was not allowed to be aired at yesterday's cageprisoners event, see link below)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/23/islamist-preacher-council-address

Subn7aanallah. Good deeds - giving in charity in particular - is a funny business. I always hesitate and start thinking ifs and buts before I do. But I have never regretted or felt my wealth has decreased whenever I have. And yet I don't give freely? The story of the Companion Abdur-Rahman Ibn Awf (radhiyallahu 3anhu) is recommended reading.

My needs

"... When Umar, the commander of the believers, visited Sham, he asked his receivers, 'Where is my brother?' They said, 'Whom do you mean?' He answered, 'Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.' Abu Ubaydah came to Umar, who embraced him. Then Abu Ubaydah accompanied him to his house, wherein Umar found nothing of furniture. He found nothing other than his sword, shield and saddle. Umar asked him smiling, 'Do you not take for yourself (of furniture) what the people have taken for themselves?' Abu Ubaydah answered, 'O commander of the believers, this is enough for me, since what I have satisfies my needs.'..."

(Source: Men Around the Messenger)

رضي الله عنهما

Make a wish

"Umar ibn al-Khattaab was sitting with a group of his companions and he asked: 'Let each one make a wish!' Someone said: 'I wish that this house was filled with gold, which I would happily spend in God's path.' Umar asked the people again: 'Make a wish!' Someone else said, 'I wish that this house was filled with pearls, chrysolites, and with every kind of precious gem that I would most happily spend it in charity in God's path.' Umar asked again, 'Make a wish!' They replied: 'O Ameer ul-Mu'mineen, we truly do not know what to wish for!' Umar then said, 'I wish that this house was filled with men like Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarraah.'"

"And there is no other than the blood of my heart for me to give
To wash humiliation off your sides, O Jerusalem"

Beautiful nasheed, 'sahmu al-ams' (yesterday's arrow), by Brother Abu Ali:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5lhIMOC4jE

The Help of Allah (SWT)...

... arrives in unimaginable ways.

An example (related to the event of Badr):

"... They (the believers) saw them (the disbelievers) with their own eyes twice their number (although they were thrice their number)..."

(Mohsin Khan's translation/meaning of the Qur'an, part of Verse 3:13)

"... their firmness, zeal, and discipline won them divine aid. Enemy prisoners stated that the enemy ranks saw the Muslim force to be many times larger than it was."

(Footnote accompanying verse 3:13 of Yusuf Ali's translation/meaning of the Qur'an)

Dodging the Haram

Turn away from the unlawful.
Face piety.

Step forward from the doubtful.
Approach piety.

God-fear within reach,
duck under the doubtlessly lawful,
that which clotheslines into the doubtful.

Spring up a final leap,
leaving all that is not for God,
landing in the company of the truthful.

Recommended Reading: Ihya Ulum-id-Din, Chapter of Halal and Haram

The mind in prayer

A couple of quotes about the mind in prayer:

(1) "... When the mind is not present in prayer, it does not remain idle and is concentrated to the thoughts of the worldly affairs with which it is immediately concerned. So there must be firm belief that prayer is a stepping stone to the next world which is everlasting..."

(2) "... The medicine of removing various thoughts that come to mind in prayers is to cut the root or to remove the reasons which cause different thoughts. He who loves a thing remembers that thing. For this reason, he who loves things other than God is not free from diverse thoughts in prayer."

(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-id-Din, The Book of Worship)

Signs of the Learned Man

"... Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that he has got no attraction for various kinds of foods and drinks, luxury in dresses, furniture and houses, but rather he adopts moderate courses in all these things following the other sages and he is best satisfied with the least of everything. The less a man is attracted towards luxuries, the more he will be close to God and the more he will be in association of the learned men of the hereafter and in rank...

... In short, use of ornamentation in permissible things is not unlawful but it creates fondness for these and to give them up at the end becomes difficult..."

(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)

Let us ponder:

The learning of the learned man goes back to whom?
The Companions of the Apostle of God.
The learning of the Companions goes back to whom?
The Apostle of God.

The Apostle of God erected palaces for himself where?
Not in this world.
The Companions erected palaces for themselves where?
Not in this world.

And so we ask:
Who is our master and our teacher?
The likes of Pharaoh and Namrud?
Nay, rather, in the Prophet of God do we find an excellent example, Sallallahu 3alayhi wa sallam.

Beneficial Knowledge

"Imam Shafi'ee said: 'The knowledge of one who does not make himself perfect will come of no use to him'."

(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)

Indeed I seek refuge from knowledge that does not benefit,
and I seek assistance in
steering clear from the debates of ignorance,
tossing away the magazines of idleness and
turning off the sitcoms of pointlessness.

O Allah, bestow upon me understanding of Your Deen
and guide me to its correct interpretations.

Food Glorious Food

"The Imam (ash-Shaafi'ee) said: I used not to take food with satisfaction for the last 16 years as a full stomach makes the body heavy, makes the hard heart, increases sleep and renders a man lazy for worship."

(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)

A simple formula: Minimal food, maximal productivity.

If you don't like your life...

"If you don't like your life you can change it!"

(Source: 'Art on the Underground' poster by Mark Titchner)

Not sure what exactly was intended by the artist, but if the intended message is as interpreted by my simple self (i.e. the path I choose in life is for none but me to choose), I like it. And indeed my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of all that exists.

I laughed, I cried, I had a good day?

Anas bin Malik (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered a Khutbah (sermon) to us the like of which I have never heard from him before. He (ﷺ) said, "If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much." Thereupon those present covered their faces and began sobbing.

(Hadith found in Bukhari and Muslim)

Really, how can I sit in fun and enjoyment
for the sake of fun and enjoyment,
when the time is so short, the duties so many,
the two abodes await
and my direction is for me to choose today.

Fear and Hope

Umar bin al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
"If it is announced in the assembly [on the Day of Judgement] that only one person is to enter Paradise, I would hope that [that person] is me, and if it is announced that only one person will enter Hellfire, I would fear that that is me."

(Source: Imam Abu Hanifa's Al-Fiqh al-Akbar Explained)

Rightly so.
And why would I not be so fearful,
when my shortcomings are so numerous
and my submission so lacking?
And why would I not be so hopeful,
when I turn to my Lord in repentance
and He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful?

12.1, Uprightness and Steadfastness

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Who says in the Qur’an,

"Verily, those who say: 'Our Rabb is Allah (Alone),' and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): 'Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!

'We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask.

'An entertainment from (Allah), the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'

And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah and does righteous deeds, and says, 'I am one of the Muslims.'" (41:30-33)

The topic of this article is the mark of perfect of faith; uprightness and steadfastness. I intend to cover this topic in two parts: In the first part, to highlight the need to couple faith with actions. In the second part, to make clear that there is another element beyond faith and actions that is necessary to achieve salvation.

Sufyaan bin 'Abdullah (RA) reported: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something of Islam which I will not ask anyone else about it."

He (SAW) said, "Say, 'I believe in Allah' and then be steadfast." (Muslim)

The advice here is twofold: Firstly, to express belief in Allah and, secondly, to be steadfast upon this belief. But what does this mean, to be steadfast?

Steadfastness means to cling firmly to the instructions of Islam, to do that which we have been commanded to do and to leave that which we have been prohibited from doing, to perform dutifully our obligations and to avoid completely that which is unlawful for us.

It is important to understand that faith is not just an expression of the tongue. Real faith is that which is coupled with practice (i.e. actions). Indeed, the practice of religion is the fruit of faith. Just like a tree that it supposed to bear fruit but does not, has no value, similarly; faith becomes meaningless without practice. Steadfastness is the mark of perfect faith.

From Earth to Sky

Consumed, over the shoulder discarded
Buried in humble dust, trampled and retarded
Out of sight, out of mind
Non-existent, if defined

Deep in dirt, sunk underground
Alone, darkness does surround

Nourished by soil and earth,
Reflections and contemplations are given birth
Steadfastness and patience begin to grow
Wisdom and experience in abundance do flow

Spread far and wide the sky is reached
Providing fruit and shade, a parable is breached

Where are the discarders, where are the trampling feet
scratching their heads in bitter defeat

-----

The above poem was written by a young man currently going through a testing time. My interpretation of his words is as follows: It is a "parable" of a man (the author I would assume) gaining "nourishment" (developing as a person in many unimaginable ways) from the very plots and plans of those intending to defeat, "discard" and "trample" him. The closing two lines are a taunt to the "discarders" and "trampling feet" to let them know that his spirit has not been broken, not in the least.

May Allah alleviate his burden, pour forth upon him patience and make him firm in the face of difficulty.

Taqwa

"The root meaning of Taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Al-Khattaab asked Ubayy bin Ka'b about Taqwa. Ubayy said, 'Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it?' Umar said, 'Yes.' Ubayy said, 'What did you do then?' He said, 'I rolled up my sleeves and struggled.' Ubayy said, 'That is Taqwa.'" (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Guidance to know the path, Taqwa to walk its rugged stretch.
Struggling through, Shunning doubt.
Holding out, Having faith.

The Martial Artist and the Islamist

A similtude to be struck,
between the Martial Artist and the Islamist.

None more formiddable than the one well-rounded.

The one most strict, standing firm to the letter,
yet lacking any grounding in character
will be easily tripped.

The one versed in submission, kneeling much in prayer,
yet lacking the eagerness to wrestle society's ills
will be brutally pounded at the first encounter.

The one striking big, longing for quick result,
yet lacking the preparation for a lasting struggle
will feel himself wear with fatigue.

---
Note: My definition of "Islamist" here is "one who attempts to implement Islamic values in all spheres of his/her life". This is meant as a positive thing of course. I think it to be a good word despite the attempts by the right-wing press to mortify it from use.