Be not like sheep

"... If a man takes food for helping his learning and action and God-fear, his food and drink are considered as divine service.

For that, he should not spend his time uselessly remaining busy like a lower being which roams from field to field in eating and drinking..."

(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-id-Din, The Book of Worldly Usages, Rules of Eating and Drinking)

The days, meals and opportunities are many. Life and death (in this world) once. Use wisely.

Fear

Bombs fall but not a tear.

My heart is diseased.

Bombs fall but we will not tear.

Ours is a great affair.

Knight of the night

You do a sin.
You think,
"What's done is done.
I'll rise in the night to atone".

You sleep through.
It dawns on you,
"Prayer in the night is an honour,
for he who sins not in the day".

Practising Arabic

"Hazrat Maulana Syed Asghar Hussain Sahib (Allah's Mercy be upon him) was a man of extraordinary spiritual qualities, and I was blessed with his loving affection. One day I presented myself to him and he said, 'Today let us talk in Arabic'. This rather amazed me because he had never before expressed such a desire. He then himself stated the reason why he wished to converse in Arabic. He said, 'Neither you nor I are able to speak Arabic fluently and freely, so we will talk less'. He then continued, 'Our case is like that of a traveller whose money is about to finish so he spends every penny very carefully'."

(Source: 'The World Within' by Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Allah's Mercy be upon him))

This quote is about avoiding meaningless talk. But it got me thinking nonetheless: It's been a long time since I spoke in Arabic (beyond "kayfa haaluk" and "alhamdulillah"). Maybe over a year. I really urgently need to find me an Arabic speaking partner.

Snowflakes and Raindrops

When I look to the great Companions of the final Messenger of God Muhammad (upon whom be the Peace and Blessings of God), men and women, (may God be pleased with them all,) I see individual personalities with unique character, built of course upon Islam.

Today, like raindrops, each person is the behaviour of his group, devoid of thought. Missing is the realisation that each one of us, in his individual uniqueness, has the potential to become a beautiful snowflake whilst still remaining true to his Islam.

When sleeping

"When you want to sleep, lay down your bedding facing the Qiblah and sleep on your right hand side as a deceased person is laid in his grave...

and know that sleep is just like death...

and waking up in the morning is like the Resurrection...

be prepared to meet Him by going to sleep on Tahaarah (purity). Have Wudhu when you go to sleep and have your will written under your pillow."

(Mufti Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf quoting Imam Ghazali (rh), 'The Beginning of Guidance' (audio series))

Deeep! I have started doing this (all and more except the will under the pillow) and these past few weeks I have been sleeping and rising with clarity like never before, wallahu akbar wa lillahil-7amd.

Tune in to your heart

"... People who talk all the time, they don't have enough time to reflect on themself and listen to what their own heart is saying.

People who learn to be quiet and reflect and think, those people develop a connection with their heart in which they begin to hear their own state.

When your heart tells you your state then that is the true-est of witnesses because your heart will never lie regarding your state..."

(Shaykh Hussain Abdul Sattar)

Nice quote.

Sometimes, observing the extent we talk,
disavowing a single pause,
I think, perhaps
there is nothing we fear more than silence.
So much in need of comfort
and company, perhaps
there is nothing more suffocating than silence.
So fickle, perhaps
there is nothing that makes us more uncomfortable
and edgy, than silence.

It seems we will do anything;
let our tongue run free,
zone in to a movie,
load up a computer game,
shop, eat, drink, party,
read,
sleep!
Anything
but stop, pause, reflect,
and tune in to our heart.