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.

When observing someone wearing new clothes...

Lots of people wearing new clothes yesterday.
I should have capitalised.

(1) May you wear new clothes,
(2) live well,
(3) and die a martyr.

(1) ilbas jadeedan
(2) wa 3ish 7ameedan
(3) wa mot shaheedan

(Source: Reflections of Pearls,
by Imad Uddin and Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf)

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

Seeing defects within one's self

"Hazrat Umar (ra) prayed: 'May God show mercy on the man who points out mydefects to me'."

"... mix with people and know their faults... a believer is a mirror to anotherbeliever. He sees his defects from the defects from others."

(Source: (Translation of) Ihya Ulum-id-Din, Chapter on Good Conduct)

Seeing things for what they are

"A throne is only a bench covered with velvet."

(Source: London Underground poster, attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte)

My kind of guy.

My death, imminent. My grave, too small for benches and materials.