Sahifat as-Sajjadiyya - Supplication 44 (Prayer for Ramadan)

Praise belongs to God who guided us to His praise 

and placed us among the people of praise

that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence

and that He might recompense us for that

with the recompense of the good-doers!

And praise belongs to God who showed favor to us through His religion

singled us out for His creed

and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence

in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them

to his good pleasure

a praise which He will accept from us and through which He will be pleased with us!

And praise belongs to God who appointed among those roads His month

the month of Ramadan

the month of fasting

the month of submission

the month of purity

the month of putting to test

the month of standing in prayer

in which the Qur'an was sent down as a guidance to the people

and as clear signs of the Guidance and Separator!

He clarified its excellence over other months

by the many sacred things and well-known excellencies

which He placed therein

for he made unlawful in it what He declared lawful in others to magnify it

He prohibited foods and drinks in it to honor it

and he appointed for it a clear time which He (Majestic and Mighty is He)

allows not to be set forward

and accepts not to be placed behind

Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights of a thousand months

and named it the Night of Decree;

in it the angels and the Spirit descend

by leave of their Lord upon every command

a peace constant in blessings

until the rising of the dawn

upon whomsoever He will of His servants

according to the decision He has made firm

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

inspire us with knowledge of its excellence

veneration of its inviolability

and caution against what Thou hast forbidden within it

and help us to fast in it

by our restraining our limbs

from acts of disobedience toward Thee

and our employing them in that which pleases Thee

so that we lend not our ears to idle talk 

and hurry not with our eyes to diversion

we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden

and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited

our bellies hold only what Thou hast made lawful

and our tongues speak only what Thou hast exemplified

we undertake nothing but what brings close to Thy reward

and pursue nothing but what protects from Thy punishment!

Then rid all of that from the false show of the false showers

and the fame-seeking of the fame-seekers

lest we associate therein anything with Thee

or seek therein any object of desire but Thee!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

in it make us attend to the appointed moments of the five prayers within

the bounds Thou hast set, the obligations Thou hast decreed

the duties Thou hast assigned and the times Thou hast specified

and in the prayers make us alight in the station of the keepers of their stations

the guardians of their pillars, their performers in their times

as Thy servant and Thy Messenger set down in his sunnah 

(Thy blessings be upon him and his Household)

in their bowings, their prostrations, and all their excellent acts

with the most complete and ample ritual purity

and the most evident and intense humility!

Give us success in this month to tighten our bonds of kin with devotion and gifts

attend to our neighbors with bestowal and giving

rid our possessions from claims

purify them through paying the alms

go back to him who has gone far from us

treat justly him who has wronged us

make peace with him who shows enmity toward us

(except him who is regarded as an enemy in Thee and for Thee

for he is the enemy whom we will not befriend, the party whom we will not hold dear)

and seek nearness to Thee through blameless works which will purify us from sins

and preserve us from renewing faults

so that none of Thy angels will bring for Thee 

the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness-seeking unless they be less than what we bring!

O God, I ask Thee by the right of this month

and by the right of him who worships Thee within it

from its beginning to the time of its passing

whether angel Thou hast brought nigh to Thee

prophet Thou has sent or righteous servant Thou hast singled out

that Thou bless Muhammad and his Household

make us worthy of the generosity Thou hast promised Thy friends

make incumbent for us what Thou hast made incumbent

for those who go to great lengths in obeying Thee

and place us in the ranks of those who deserve through Thy mercy the highest elevation!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

turn us aside from deviation in professing Thy Unity,

falling short in magnifying Thee in Thy religion

blindness toward Thy path, heedlessness of Thy inviolability

and being deceived by Thy enemy, the accursed Satan!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

and when in every night of this month's nights

Thou hast necks which Thy pardon will release

and Thy forgiveness, disregard

place our necks among those necks and place us among the best folk 

and companions of this our month!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

efface our sins along with the effacing of its crescent moon

and make us pass forth from the ill effects of our acts

with the passing of its days until it leaves us behind

while within it Thou hast purified us of offenses and rid us of evil deeds!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

and should we go off to one side in this month, set us aright;

should we swerve, point us straight; and should Thy enemy Satan enwrap us

rescue us from him!

O God, fill this month with our worship of Thee

adorn its times with our obedience toward Thee

help us during its daytime with its fast

and in its night with prayer and pleading toward Thee

humility toward Thee and lowliness before Thee

so that its daytime may not bear witness against our heedlessness

nor its night against our neglect!

O God, make us like this in the other months and days

as long as Thou givest us life and place us among Thy righteous servants

those who shall inherit Paradise, therein dwelling forever

those who give what they give while their hearts quake

that they are returning to their Lord

those who vie in good works, outracing to them!

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

in every time, in all moments, and in every state

to the number that Thou hast blessed whomsoever Thou hast blessed

and to multiples of all that, through multiples

which none can count but Thee!

Surely Thou art Accomplisher of what Thou desirest.

(ameen)

Examine The Examination

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

"Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion: and He over all things hath Power― He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving" [Qur'an 67:1-2]

In this verse of the Holy Qur'an, Allah (swt) says He creates death and life; two universal principles within the cosmos, to set up an examination of the finite time between these two universal states of being, existing and non-existing. Notice how He mentions death before mentioning life, this is fascinating because when we examine the contents of the entire observable universe we see that life is very rare in comparison to the non-living matter. It's important to remember that although matter exists it does not necessarily live. A dead body exists but is no longer living, for example.

Life indeed is rare in the universe, and death is the inevitable end of all things but they themselves are a means to the end or purpose behind which God created them - to test His creatures in their works, deeds or actions. This test has qualitative ranking and is not judged on purely numerical scoring. God knows that a numerical score of ones deeds would result in statistically skewed results where numerous groups of creatures would score high, median, and low based on certain deeds but would not necessarily reflect the true merit (or lack thereof) of those deeds given the context and circumstances in which they were performed, if deeds translated strictly to a numerical value. Rather, God tries us in quality because it is qualitative distinction that will really separate the classes of merits. [See Ch. 56, Surah Waqi'ah] And God, in that distinction of qualitative judgment, is merciful. "He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving" [67:2]

If life is meant to be a test or examination, then we should study the elements of examinations in general to understand the real truths about this life, afterall, if the true purpose of being is to undergo this examination of deeds then the resulting phenomena associated with examinations will be the hallmarks and truths of life itself. We will see if this is true. So let us begin our inquiry into what constitutes examination, testing, trials and the like by asking ourselves a few questions first. 

When we say we have an examination (exam, short) test or trial, what physical behaviors, emotional thoughts, and spiritual practices are associated with that stressful time-frame? The most obvious characteristic of testing is the aspect of inquiry, or asking of questions that will lead to answers. Every age group has questions about life, and each is profound for the time of development. The child asks, "who can I trust?" The teen asks "is this what I believe to be my identity?" The adult asks, "have I lived a meaningful life?" Each question is necessary, each answer as well if one is to live an informed life. Next we can say that one undergoing an exam or about to undergo one is likely anxious for good results. And are we not anxious in life for good results in nearly everything? The answer is obviously, 'yes.' We can also say that an examinee has sensibly prepared for the exam and that the anxiety he/she faces is dependent somewhat upon his/her degree of preparation. In other words, preparation is a key element in successfully passing an exam with good results. We can add to this by saying that one who prepares thoroughly differs in mindset from one who does not prepare, and that the former may have a degree of faith in his/her preparation over the doubts of the latter for the lack thereof in preparation. This we see commonly in the worldly life as well as preparation, training, and hard work not only becomes a source of reward but a source of comfort, security, and meaning for the one who achieves it. These people do not feel as anxious as those who do not prepare do, fear and doubt in expecting good results is something they need not experience. It comes down to trust or faith in their knowledge and belief in a good outcome that gives hope to the prepared ones. Another thing we notice about examinees is the tension, stress, and fatigue they experience as a result of that heightened state of demand where their minds and bodies must give them more to perform at higher levels. This too, is the central element of life, as expectations create demands that push our bodies and minds to their limits, resulting in fatigue, breakdowns, and tensions of all kinds. Further if we look at testing conditions, we see that the examinee is more or less isolated from others. In this world we are each born alone and die alone, set in our graves alone; companionship does not hide this fact for "companionship" is merely the presence of other students in the testing room- you are still left to take the exam yourself, so too in life. Testing conditions also have more stringent rules during examination times, this is to prevent cheating or unlawful advantages during testing and is a way to give every student a fair chance at passing the exam. The same can be said about life, as religious and civil laws are principles meant for creating justice within society and for allowing everyone the chance to be good, moral, and productive citizens of their states and countries. Another element to examine is the brevity of duration and discomfort that all tests share in common compared to non-testing states. Indeed, if we ponder not too excessively, we can already see that life is fleeting and is short, always presenting us with choices between lesser or greater discomforts. Finally, every test has a range of material that is being tested, presented within a certain format to help draw the correct answers from the examinee. Similarly, life tests a range of human 'material' if you will- our patience, generosity, forbearance, acceptance, tolerance, kindness, anger, jealousy, and in a nutshell, our humanity. 

These are just some of the analogous similarities between examinations and life in general. If one contemplates deeper they will find more interesting parallels and fundamental truths about life. To me, this is a valid argument for the case that life itself is a divine test and the heavens and earth are a testing ground to that effect. The biggest thing to realize is that one's faith plays one of the most crucial roles along with their preparation, in determining a good result on the exam. This is why in religion we are told to both have faith and good deeds because you can still feel good about the exam but fail if you didn't prepare well enough or still fail if you prepared but have no faith or confidence in your answers. The final aspect of examination that hasn't yet been mentioned is the desire to finish quickly and celebrate in relief once the testing is over. We all know that feeling of being among the last few students left in the room, finishing up that exam, anticipating the end, submitting the paper and walking out relieved regardless of any faith, preparation, confidence or lack thereof beforehand. The very same can also be said about life, since life is a test, we should be happy to finish our exam when our time comes, submit our papers with hope regardless of how much we did for the exam and just leave the rest up to merciful grading and prayer. And "He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving" [Ibid]

Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 16 (Mitchell)

Chapter 16: Divine Traits & Demonic Traits

"The blessed lord [Krishna] said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, persistence in the yoga of knowledge, generosity, self-control, nonviolence, gentleness, candor, (1) integrity, disengagement, joy in the study of the scriptures, compassion for all beings, modesty, patience, a tranquil mind, (2) dignity, kindness, courage, a benevolent, loving heart- these are the qualities of men born with divine traits, Arjuna. (3) Hypocrisy insolence anger, cruelty, ignorance, conceit- these, Arjuna, are the qualities of men with demonic traits. (4) The divine traits lead to freedom; the demonic, to suffering and bondage. But do not be concerned, Arjuna: the traits you have are divine. (5) The demonic and the divine are the two kinds of men in this world. The divine I have told you about; now learn about the demonic. (6)

Demonic men do not realize what should and what should not be done; there is no purity of heart, no virtue, no truth inside them. (7) They say that life is an accident caused by sexual desire, that the universe has no moral order, no truth, no God. (8) Clinging to this stupid belief, drawn into cruelty and malice, they become lost souls and, at last, enemies of the whole world. (9) Driven by insatiable lusts, drunk on the arrogance of power, hypocritical, deluded, their actions foul with self-seeking (10) tormented by a vast anxiety that continues until their death, convinced that the gratification of desire is life's sole aim, (11) bound by a hundred shackles of hope, enslaved by their greed, they squander their time dishonestly piling up mountains of wealth. (12) "Today I got this desire, and tomorrow I will get that one; all these riches are mine, and soon I will have even more. (13) Already I have killed these enemies and soon I will kill the rest; I am the lord, the enjoyer, successful, happy, and strong, (14) noble, and rich, and famous. Who on earth is my equal? I will worship, give alms, and rejoice." Thus think these ignorant fools. (15) Bewildered by endless thinking, entangled in the net of delusion, addicted to desire, they plunge into the foulest of hells. (16) Self-centered, stubborn, filled with all the insolence of wealth, they go through the outward forms of worship, but their hearts are elsewhere. (17) Clinging to the I-sense, to power, to arrogance, lust, and rage, they hate me, denying my presence in their own and in others' bodies. (18) Through all the cycles of birth and death, I hurl these depraved, cruel, and hate-filled men into demonic wombs. (19) Trapped in demonic wombs, deluded in birth after birth, they never reach me, Arjuna, but sink to the lowest state. (20) This is the soul-destroying threefold entrance to hell: desire, anger, and greed. every man should avoid them. (21) The man who refuses to enter these three gates into darkness does what is best for himself and attains the ultimate goal. (22) But the man who rejects the scriptures, chasing his own desires, cannot attain the goal of true joy or true success. (23) Therefore, guided by the scriptures, know what to do and not do; first understand their injunctions, then act uprightly in the world." (24) 

The Five Remembrances of the Buddha

"I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand." - (Pali Canon, AN 5.57)

My Thoughts on the M.E Conflict, War & Peace

I truly hope that I see real, sincere, and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians before I die. This is a global human tragedy that is solvable. I refuse to accept otherwise. My mother taught me that there is no problem in the world that cannot be solved except death. I believe that all the worlds' brilliant influential minds, beloved and charismatic personalities, powerful and affluent, and tolerant, open hearts can help achieve an agreeable settlement, overcome hatred, ignorance and politics. Sometimes the power of forgiveness, common good-will, acceptance and change is a stronger force than the threat of nuclear weapons, power struggles, persuasions of money, zealous religious beliefs, nationalism/racism etc. We've seen it before in our human history. The human family cannot allow this travesty to continue for decades more to come. This conflict is at the root of global antisemitism (yes, of both Jews & Arabs) and its resultant spillage of extremism, racism, and ethnophobia of other forms, the war on terror and other terrorist movements since the 20th century. War is not good business. Money is not the holy grail of life. Respect is not just achieved through fear and deterrence. Might is not always right. Power and control is not a sign of divine sanction. Religious faith does not equate with moral superiority and belief does not guarantee one is categorically correct. The freedom, peace, and dignity of ALL humans matters and affects us all. Enough is enough. It's time for a change- indeed it has been long since.

The Benefits of Studying Hypocrisy & Acting The Opposite

It is beneficial to study the qualities of hypocrisy (nifaq) and hypocrites (munafiqun) because it is by doing the exact opposite of hypocrisy that one can achieve the highest state of piety known as ihsan and be a muhsin, bi idhnillah. 

The hypocrites do not believe in God and the Last Day, they deceive themselves and they have a disease in their hearts [Qur'an 2:8] so believers should believe in God and the Last Day as well as as the divine mission of Muhammad (saw), not deceive themselves and seek a cure for the ills of the heart by seeking knowledge and the path of purity from those who have knowledge and achieved it. The hypocrites make mischief [2:11] have secret pacts with the disbelievers [2:14] and have bartered guidance for error by wagering on this life and being doubtful about the next [2:16] they are deaf, dumb, and blind, [2:18] so the believers should be making peace and having open alliances with the faithful and should barter error instead for guidance by wagering on the next life and being doubtful about the nature of this life, they (believers) should be paying attention by listening, observing, and being thoughtful and reflective of the signs of Allah. The hypocrites turn away from revelation and religious injunctions when they are invited to it [4:61] so believers should turn toward the revelation and religious injunctions when invited to and when there is no invitation. They (hypocrites) do not honor their oaths and promises so the faithful should honor their oaths and promises and take them seriously. Hypocrites do not struggle in the cause of God and show their backs (i.e- turn away) in the face of difficulties so believers should struggle in the cause of God and not show their backs when the going gets rough. The hypocrites make a show of their good deeds while anxiously hiding their bad deeds, so believers should conceal their good deeds as they conceal their bad deeds and not make a show of either. They make a dazzling display of speech but do not have any real substance (action) to back up what they say [2:204] so believers should be modest in their speech and put their substance in their actions instead. The hypocrites are afraid of being found out and discovered, they have an understanding with each other to enjoin evil and forbid justice and they have forgotten Allah such that Allah has forgotten them [9:64-7] therefore, believers must not be afraid of people knowing their true natures (because Allah already knows it) and they should have an understanding with each other to enjoin and promote good and prohibit/discourage evil and they must never forget Allah, lest He forgets them (God forbid.) The hypocrites obstruct people from the path of God, their exteriors are polished and pleasing as if to appear holy and pious, and when prayer is offered for them they turn away in arrogance (thinking that they don't need it) [63:2-5] so the faithful should never hinder anyone from the path of God- rather promote it in word and deed, and focus on rectifying their interiors more than making their exteriors pleasing, and humbly accept any and all who pray for them or on their behalf.

By using the hypocrites qualities and doing the opposite we can, bi idhnillah, safeguard ourselves from hypocrisy, inshaAllah ta'ala.  The Qur'an says the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire, [4:145] so then wouldn't the opposite of them be the people who will be in the highest heights of Jannat al-Firdos inshaAllah? May Allah (swt) grant us all ability (tawfiq) to implement good deeds over good words and help us to be true to God and to the prophets (peace be upon them all) and true to ourselves and the world around us, and to remove whatever qualities of hypocrisy we may have and replace them with the qualities of a sincere devotee of God ameen ya Rabb al-alamin.

On Muslim Crazies, Islamophobia and Real Islam

I am appalled by the tragedy met by U.S Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other Americans who died for no reason other than guilt-by-association for some anti-Islamic video that went viral and again, stirred up rage riots that took the life of innocents and diplomats. However, I am even more upset at the fact that these barbaric acts continue in the face of Islamophobia and indeed perpetuate the myths and stereotypes that Muslims are savages with no morals. Truly the lands of Islam are living in the dark ages where true guidance is forgotten, obscured or unknown and ignorance has taken precedence. As a practicing Muslim, I feel its my duty to not only condemn these attacks but explain how distant their reaction is to the prophetic model of patience and forgiveness in the face of bigotry, hatred, insults, and personal injury.

The Qur'an states: "Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the Heavens and of the Earth, prepared for the righteous - those who spend (freely) whether in prosperity or adversity; who restrain anger and pardon all men; for Allah loves those who do good." [3:133-4] further it states, "You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your [personal] selves; and you shall certainly hear much that will grieve you, from those who have received the Book (i.e-scripture) before you and from those who worship many gods. But if you persevere patiently, and guard against evil- then that will be a determining factor in all affairs." [3:186]

The Prophet Muhammad (S) endured countless insults, mockery, and injury at the hands of unbelievers but did not resort to violence over attacks on his person. [See Quran 15:6, 16:103, 25:4-5, 38:4, 68:51, etc.] One of the Prophet's own uncles and enemy (Abu Lahab) would torment him by way of insult and injuries: Tariq bin 'Abdullah al-Muharabi narrated that he wouldn't stop at simply insulting the Prophet (S) but would throw stones at him until his ankles bled. Abu Lahab's wife would tie bundles of thorns with ropes of twisted palm-leaf fiber and scatter them in the paths which the Prophet (S) was expected to take. One day when the Prophet noticed there wasn't any thorns in his way he went to go inquire about the health of his aunt to see if she was feeling ok. Abu Lahab's and Abu Jahl's households would even throw the womb of a sheep and entrails of camel upon his back while he prayed but he still did not retaliate and only removed the animal parts with a stick and continued with his business. At Ta'if he was mocked and pelted with stones again until he bled and had to leave the city. Still all he did was pray to God for their forgiveness even though the angels offered to punish them for their rebellion. (The Sealed Nectar 87-9, 124-5) We can also see from the following hadith how tolerant the Prophet (S) was in the face of seemingly blatant disrespect in a place of worship:

 Anas b. Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "While we were in the mosque with Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), a desert Arab came and stood up and began to urinate in the mosque. The Companions of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: "Stop, stop!" but the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "Don’t interrupt him; leave him alone." They left him alone, and when he finished urinating, Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) called him and said to him: "These mosques are not the places meant for urine and filth, but are only for the remembrance of Allah, prayer and the recitation of the Qur’an," or Allah’s Messenger said something like that. He (the narrator) said that he (the Holy Prophet) then gave orders to one of the people who brought a bucket of water and poured it over.” [Sahih Muslim Book 2, #559]

These are only a few examples in the life of the Prophet (S) of how he dealt kindly and justly with those who attempted to belittle him and how he always returned good for evil. [23:96, 41:34] If you read his full biography and life story you will find much more. There have been extremists in every faith who taint the image of the community for every faith-based group and Islam is no exception. The kharijites (an early extremist group) killed the Prophet's own cousin 'Ali ibn Abu Talib (ra) and were responsible for much discord in early Islamic history but that didn't stop the majority of peaceful followers from acting kindly and righteous, especially toward non-muslims [60:8] The Quran includes the People of the Book (Jews, Christians, Sabians) as those who will attain God's reward in the Hereafter: "Those who believe (in the Quran) and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve." [2:62, 5:69] God is not careless with words. This is stated twice in the Quran and those who argue it is an abrogated verse need to reflect on this point.

Prophet Muhammad (S) has stated: "Whoever hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys God." (Sahih Bukhari) In a historic document known as the Charter of Privileges (Achtiname of Muhammad) with the monks of St. Catherine Monastery, the Prophet (S) explains further the depth of care for non-Muslim citizens:

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them.
Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.
The Muslims are to fight for them.
If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.
Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

This is the Prophet of mercy we Muslims believe was sent as the "Mercy to the Worlds" [21:107] One who was peaceful with all who wanted peace and forgave offenses to his own self but fought to defend his community only when it was absolutely necessary after enduring 13 long and difficult years of persecution and misery in Mecca. So I say to those who claim to "defend" the Prophet's honor- there is no need, for God has already honored him above the creation. [68:4] I also say to them to remember our Prophet's love and commitment to all who sought peaceful relations, for they will be held accountable by God for killing those who do not kill and make war with them. If it were not for the U.S help in removing Ghadafi, Libya would still be under his boots. I also say to them that if they do hear anything distasteful - so what? Its not anything that hasn't been said or done before. Let them say what they will, its between them and God. And lastly, I quote the Quran, "So lose not heart nor fall into despair for you must gain mastery if you are true in Faith" [3:139]  

Notes

- Holy Quran

- Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

- The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet (Ar-Raheeq al-Makthum) by Safiur Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri

A Bedouin Came to Interview the Prophet (saw)....

SubhanAllah, this is one of my favorite hadith!
Narrated by Khalid bin Walid (May Allah be pleased with him):

"A Bedouin came one day to the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi was-sallam) and said to him,"

‘O, Messenger of Allah! I’ve come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter.’

‘Ask what you wish’ said RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi was-sallam)

‘I’d like to be the most learned of men.’ said the Bedouin

‘Fear Allah and you will be the most learned of men.’ replied Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi was-sallam)

‘I wish to be the richest man in the world.’ said the Bedouin

‘Be content, and you will be the richest man in the world.’ replied Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi was-sallam)

‘I’d like to be the most just man.’ said the Bedouin

‘Desire for others what you desire for yourself and you will be the most just of men.’

‘I want to be the best of men.’

‘Do good to others and you will be the best of men.’

‘I wish to be the most favored by Allah’ said the Bedouin

‘Engage in Allah’s praise and you will be most favored by Him’ said the Messenger (saw)

‘I’d like to complete my faith’

‘If you have good manners you will complete your faith.’

‘I wish to be amongst those who do good.’

‘Adore Allah as if you see Him. If you don't see Him, [at least know that] He sees you. In this way you
will be among those who do good.’

‘I wish to be obedient to Allah.’

‘If you observe Allah’s commands you will be obedient.’

‘I’d like to be free from all sins.’

‘Bathe yourself from impurities and you will be free from all sins.’

‘I’d like to be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.’

‘Don’t wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light’.

‘I’d like Allah to bestow His mercy on me.’

‘If you have mercy on yourself and others, Allah will grant you mercy on the Day of Judgment.’

‘I’d like my sins to be very few.’

‘If you seek Allah’s forgiveness as much as you can, your sins will be very few.’

‘I’d like to be the most honorable man.’

‘If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men.’

‘I’d like to be the strongest of men’

‘If you put your trust in Allah, you will be the strongest of men.’

‘I’d like to enlarge my provision.’

‘If you keep yourself pure, Allah will enlarge your provision.’

‘I'd like to be loved by Allah and His Messenger.’

‘If you love what Allah and His Messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones.’

‘I wish to be safe from Allah’s wrath on the Day of Judgment.’

‘If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow creatures, you will be safe from the wrath of Allah on the Day of Judgment.’

‘I'd like my prayers to be responded.’

‘If you avoid forbidden actions, your prayers will be responded.’

‘I’d like Allah not to disgrace me on the Day of Judgment.’

‘If you guard your chastity, Allah will not disgrace you on the Day of Judgment.’

‘I’d like Allah to provide me with a protective covering on the Day of Judgment.’

‘Do not uncover your fellow creatures faults and Allah will provide you with a covering on the Day of Judgment.’

‘What will save me from my sins?’

‘Tears, humanity, and illness.’

‘What are the best deeds in the eyes of Allah?’

‘Gentle manners, modesty, and patience.’

‘What are the worst evils in the eyes of Allah?’

‘Hot temper and miserliness.’

‘What assuages the wrath of Allah in this life and in the Hereafter?’

‘Concealed charity and kindness to relatives.’

‘What extinguishes Hell’s fires on the Day of Judgment?’

‘Patience in adversity and misfortune.’

{It was related by Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal RA}

Holy Qur'an - Surah (Chapter) 93 - Ad-Duha (The Forenoon)

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

I swear by the early hours of the day

And the night when it covers with darkness

Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor has He become displeased,

And surely what comes after is better for you than that which has gone before.

And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well-pleased.

Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?

And find you lost [that is, unrecognized by men] and guide (them to you?)

And find you in want and make you to be free from want?

Therefore, as for the orphan, do not oppress [him.]

And as for him who asks, do not chide [him]

And as for the favor of your Lord, do announce [it.]

                                         - Holy Qur'an [ch.93,] trans. by Shakir

Beautiful Dua

"O God, forgive me my sins of which you are more aware than me. And if I commit these sins again, even then forgive me. Whatever promises I had made with myself to follow Your commands have not been fulfilled. I seek Your forbearance if I have sought Your proximity with my tongue, but my heart did not keep pace with my tongue, overlook my lapse. O God, forgive me for my futile talk, vain desires and lapses of the tongue." (Ameen)
- Dua of Hz. 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra)

Eid-al-Adha - Meat or Sacrifice?

Food for thought. Unfortunately, the more humans that live on Earth, the more extinctions of predatory and other species will result from our activities, which means all-the-more "management" (i.e- slaughtering of other animals by humans) to balance and regulate the ecosystem. Besides, as the author points out, meat-consumption in a majority of the Muslim and developing world is well below that of the U.S, and therefore wouldn't necessarily qualify as extreme consumption like we have here in the States. Still, I find her proposition interesting and agree with what is said regarding the incompatibility of Islamic values with intensive animal-farming methods. Now pass me that corn-on-the-cob will ya?

http://farahakbar.blogspot.com/2011/08/eid-sacrifice-full-article.html

al-Futuhat al-Madaniyya

Verily all praise is due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Lord of the worlds, for having taken His servant from these lands to the Noble Sanctuaries. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad, salAllahu 'alayhi was-sallam, is His servant and final Messenger. I've been thinking for some time to write down my experiences traveling to the holy land and my time in the holy cities but never got around to doing it until now. Part of the reason initially was due to illness. May Allah grant me healing and protection (ameen.)

On to the matter, I chose the name "Medinan Openings" intentionally for the blessings associated with the title (for those of you who know what it is modeled after, [only at least in name to be clear***.]) The truth is though, that since my journey in the holy land actually did begin with Medina, it is from here I will recall my reflections of the trip. Astagfirullahul 'Adheem. My time spent in Medina was mostly of mild worship, as I was recovering from jet-lag and other sickness. However, the time that I spent there (4 days) I felt preoccupied with my own nafs - not my lowly desires - but rather the disgusting nature of the nafs in general. At times I felt like I didn't belong there because of the purity of those I saw around me. I felt shame and guilt, being in the Prophet's Mosque and having no dignity to show.

SubhanAllah, one of the realities of the holy cities is that there you will always find somebody better than you. My father and I prayed our first prayer at fajr time and my father was complaining about his back. Unbeknownst to us was a man standing in prayer next to us who could barely move or walk on his own yet completed his prayer like all the others. Next we saw a blind man exiting the mosque and I was suddenly made aware of the reality of that place; whatever your complaint may be, there is someone better who bears it more patiently than you. That was one of my first lessons there and subhanAllah, immediately as we arrived too. After we took some rest for several hours we went back for Dhuhr prayer, my father and I thanked God for having brought us there and prayed for my mother (may Allah forgive her and grant her peace in her grave) who could not join us as we had planned. We then took a casual stroll around the mosque from the inside which was so sheer in size that we were blown away. Unknowingly at the time, we walked passed the Rawdah al Jannah/Riyaz ul-Jannah and noticed the increased amount of people there. We suspected we were near the Prophet's (saw) original house but didn't know we were close to his burial grounds. As we walked passed, we saw a line of men paying their respects and suddenly I knew where I was and felt ashamed that I didn't come prepared to give my salam to the Prophet (saw). I made a casual salam and dua and we left. Afterwards I felt like one of those sahaba who didn't recognize the Prophet (saw) when they first met him, only to realize who he was later. After that event I felt ashamed of myself for not having known and felt a sense of sadness the rest of the time I was there. I realized earlier that everything happens for a reason and by way of invitation, and spiritual lessons are made more apparent in these cities for a reason. I knew that everything I did, was because of an invitation, and I was invited by the Lord to greet my Prophet and I didn't recognize him when I should have. Others there came fully prepared, dressed in their best clothes and scents, their best words and deeds, and there I stood with nothing but lame stupor. Indeed I was the lamest one there. The next time I went to say salam to the Prophet (saw) I wanted to go prepared so I waited until tahajjad time, his favorite time with His Lord, to greet him. We offered 2 rakaats inside the Rawdah al Jannah and made dua. I began to hear wailing, grown men crying like children, offering what they could for their beloved. We then left and my feelings of ineptitude were temporarily abated.  One thing I noted about my stay in Medina in contrast to my stay in Mecca, was that in Medina, I felt the degrees of separation between my own spiritual rank (maqam) and those of the several thousand lovers and devotees of Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) around me, and quite pronounced at that. There was no way I could compare on any level to any of them. I was simply a blight on this most holy sanctuary. In Mecca, there was the opposite feeling; that all of us were equal in every way, again quite pronounced. This was an interesting difference.

Anyhow, back to Medina, it's not clear to me when I encountered my first beggar but it was a daily occurrence. One thing I noticed is that I didn't see the beggars approaching anybody else, it seemed like it was only me. Every day I'd go out and at least one beggar would approach me, I didn't like turning them down so I would usually give them some money. I lost count of how many beggars approached me during my stay but I only turned down a handful in total. In any case, the beggars put me in an awkward position - they forced me to have pity on them but subhanAllah, something told me that it was not correct to have pity on anybody here but my own self. Afterall, no matter what their condition was, these were people invited to live in the holy cities and who was I to have pity on them? Where was I coming from? Who was I to be giving pity than receiving it? One day, I was coming back from the masjid and I was approached by three beggars one after the other. One brother took a photograph of me with him and suddenly it dawned on me that these people must think I'm a rich Saudi or government official (by the way I was dressed.) I began to dress normally and still I was being approached, and that's when I took it as a spiritual sign. The haramain do not accept sadaqa (charity) from the people but the people themselves accept sadaqa so I realized this was one of the best ways to give charity, then I was put at ease and gave happily whenever I was approached. I knew that I should be the one to give because what I gave I was really getting back in the Hereafter.

When we left Medina for Mecca, I was amazed at how beautiful the mountainous landscapes were to the left and to the right; it really felt like we were in another world. I can't imagine people walking the entire distance (i.e-hijra) what took us four hours to drive, (and that's a straight line,) and dealing with the open desert heat/elements- just incredible! We got to meeqat and changed into ihram and made our way to the Grand Mosque in Mecca. One of the interesting things I noticed about being in ihram was that I was (or at least felt like I was) almost naked. For men, ihram is just two giant towels you wrap around yourself and that's literally it. Everything is covered but boy does the wind blow over there and God help you if you didn't wrap that waist-cloth up tight! Anyway, so it struck me that I was going on one of the holiest journeys of my life and yet I was technically the most under-dressed I've ever been compared to any other mosque (usually you over-dress for modesty in mosques.) I felt almost naked yet I was going to the holiest mosque, and I suppose that is the point since ihram is meant to represent the funeral shroud we will all be in on the Day of Resurrection. We will all look like poor destitute pilgrims, all standing equal before God, awaiting His mercy God-willing. When we got inside the Grand Mosque and were making our way toward the Ka'aba, I remember what I was told about the first glance and the power of supplication at that time. With my first sight of the Ka'aba I was dumb-struck, I didn't know what to do or say but after collecting myself, I just made a good general prayer- whatever words came to my lips- may Allah accept it, ameen. Another thing I noticed about the Ka'aba during tawaf was that it accomplished its exact purpose - it brought all kinds of people from all over the world together, shoulder-to-shoulder, men, women, and children, young and elderly, worshipping God together - it's not a feeling easily describable through words, you just have to be there. It really does feel like a sanctuary of peace and love and you feel this magic in the air around you, its amazing.

Altogether we stayed in Mecca for 5 nights. We did a second umrah on my deceased mother's behalf and nafal tawaf as well along with other ibadah. In Mecca I learned that logic doesn't always apply. If you think something happened because of certain logical cause-and-effect relationships, you will be proven wrong at times. For example, you can eat something questionable and be just fine or eat the safest thing in the world and develop a stomach virus from it. You can rest all day and still feel exhausted or take a short nap and be completely energized. In other words, reality isn't what it appears to be. This lesson becomes even more apparent in the holy cities. The reason is because the spiritual reality of that place is greater than its worldly reality (i.e- its more apparent.) So instead of cause-and-effect logic guiding my decisions, I used a faith-logic based on the spiritual truth: la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahul 'adheem ("there is no might nor power except by Allah the Supreme.") When I did that, I felt like logic was restored and things were working the way I had expected them to because I got to the root of the matter- what I came to trust in cause-and-effect is really God's power in keeping the rule but since He makes the laws of physics He can bend them too.

There were many other observations and reflections I had while over there but it would make this post even longer so, suffice it to say that you never know what to expect until you're there. The expectations I had were different from the reality I experienced there but nothing less of what I had hoped. We left the US a bit nervous, thinking we might get stuck in turbulent times with protests brewing in the Arab world but once there we experienced 10 days of peace, serenity, and tranquility like I had never experienced before. It was only when we were preparing to head back that I was reminded about all the chaos stirring around in the world. It's my hope that I get to go back one day, if I am invited back that is, inshaAllah. And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

***Footnote - al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Openings) is a famous work in the Islamic tradition written by the 'Shaykh al-Akbar,' Ibn al-'Arabi. My entry here, obviously, is in no comparison to that great and monumental work, only the titles share similarity because of the kashf (unveilings/epiphanies) that occur in the holy cities.

A Conversation with Tariq Ramadan

Here is an excellent interview with Tariq Ramadan, a respected European academic and intellectual, speaking on contextual understanding, reformation, and man's propensity to violence and religion's role to appease tensions and promote peace through forgiveness.

Part I



Part II



Part III