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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Dajjaal is a man

Dajjaal is a man who will appear towards the end of time, and Jews will follow him. His appearance is a sign of the Last Hour, and he will bring with him immense Fitan (tests and trials) which will have an adverse effect on the Iman (of Muslims). Quite possibly many people may perish because of his Fitnah, except those whom Allah protects


From the virtues of Sooratul Kahf:

From Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, who said: "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the night of Jumu'ah, will have a light that will stretch between him and the Ancient House (the Ka'bah)." (Narrated by al-Daarimi, 3407. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6471)

(b) "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the day of Jumu'ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next."
(Narrated by al-Haakim, 2/399; al-Bayhaqi, 3/249. It was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 6470)
The soorah may be read during the night or the day of Jumu'ah. The night of Jumu'ah starts from sunset on Thursday, and the day of Jumu'ah ends at sunset.

Therefore the time for reading this soorah extends from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Friday.

Dajjaal is a man who will appear towards the end of time, and Jews will follow him. His appearance is a sign of the Last Hour, and he will bring with him immense Fitan (tests and trials) which will have an adverse effect on the Iman (of Muslims). Quite possibly many people may perish because of his Fitnah, except those whom Allah protects.
As for his attributes, he would be a Kafir man, blind in one eye. He will seek to divert people from their religion by whatever means possible. So his Fitnah and danger will be immense. It is obligatory upon us to seek refuge in Allah from his Fitnah, as we have been commanded (to do so) by the Prophet (peace be upon him).

– Sheikh Salih Bin Fowzaan; Al-Muntaqaa Min Fatawa, vol. 2, pg. 97.

There are saheeh ahaadeeth that indicate that the Mahdi (peace be upon him) will appear at the end of time. He is one of the signs of the Hour. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:

1. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "At the end of the time of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allaah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the ummah will become great. He will rule for seven or eight years. (Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557-558; he said: this is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and al-Albaani said: this is a saheeh sanad, and its men are thiqaat (trustworthy), Silsilat al-ahaadeeth al-saheehah, vol. 2, p. 336, hadeeth 771)

2. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is one of us, a member of my family. Allaah will guide him in a single night.’" (Musnad Ahmad, 2/58, hadeeth 645, edited by Ahmad al-Shaakir, who said: its isnaad is saheeh; Sunan Ibn Maajah, 2/1367. This hadeeth was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 6735). Ibn Katheer said: "This means that Allaah will forgive him, grant him help, inspire him and guide him, when he was not like this before." (Al-Nihaayah, al-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim, 1/29; edited by Taha Zayni).

3. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage, with a high forehead and a long, thin, curved nose. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice as it was filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule for seven years.’" (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Mahdi, 11/375, hadeeth 4265; Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557; he said: this is a saheeh hadeeth according to the conditions of Muslim, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. See also Saheeh al-Jaami, 6736).

4. Umm Salamah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) say: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage and family, from the descendants of Faatimah.’" (Sunan Abu Dawud, 11/373; Sunan Ibn Maajah. 2/1368. Al-Albaani said that it is saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6734)

5. Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will descend, and their leader the Mahdi will say, "Come and lead us in prayer," but he will say, "No, one of them should lead them as an honour to this ummah from Allaah."’" The version narrated by Muslim says: "… Then ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam (Peace be upon him) will descend and their leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in prayer,’ but he will say, ‘No, some of you are leaders over others as an honour from Allaah to this ummah.’" (Reported by Muslim, 225)

6. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "He is one of us, behind whom ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will pray." (Reported by Abi Na’eem in Akhbaar al-Mahdi. Al-Albaani said it is saheeh; see al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 5/219, hadeeth 5796).

7. ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood reported that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name will be the same as mine." (Musnad Ahmad, 5/199, hadeeth 3573. Another version says: "… whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s." Sunan Abi Dawud, 11/370).

You should be aware that some liars have fabricated ahaadeeth about the Mahdi, and others have even claimed to be he, or that he belongs to a group other than Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. Some of these "false mahdis" have tried to deceive the slaves of Allaah for some worldly gain and to distort the picture of Islaam. Some have started movements and revolutions and gathered those people and supporters whom they were able to deceive. Then they were destroyed, and their lies and falsehood were exposed. None of this affects the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah in the Mahdi, upon whom be peace, and that he will undoubtedly appear and rule the earth in accordance with Islamic Sharee’ah. And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Monday, April 12, 2010

Reliance On Allah



Relying on Allah is one of the greatest forms of worship. Allah says (what means):

"...And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers." [Noble Quran 5:23]

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Akon Ringtone Released

Akon Ringtone Released. To download the ringtone press this link.
އޭކަން ރިންގްޓޯން ޢާއްމުކުރެވިއްޖެ. ރިންގްޓޯން ޑައުންލޯޑްކުރެއްވުމަށް މި ފާލަމަށް ފިތާލައްވާ

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Maldivian Atheists worried because Dr Zakir is coming to Maldives

It seems that the so called fake Atheists of Maldives are very worried about the planned visit of Dr Zakir Naik to Maldives. Dr Zakir is a prominent Islamic Dhaaee operating from India. As a founder of Islamic Research Foundation, he has become popular as 'a man of peace" because of his mission Peace Tv. Peace Tv is an international channel formed for the propagation of the true message of islam.

Dr Zakir Naik,a master mind, with the incredible memory Allah has bestoed upon him, sacrifices all of this time in the cause of Allah, propagation of the true islam. Atheist hate him because he has helped many atheists to discover Islam. And He is a great hero who argues with atheists, all the time proving their false illogical claims and winning over them.

Here is what he often talks regarding atheists

PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH (SWT) TO AN ATHEIST
by Dr. Zakir Naik
CONGRATULATING AN ATHEIST
Normally, when I meet an atheist, the first thing I like to do is to congratulate him and say, " My special congratulations to you", because most of the people who believe in God are doing blind belief - he is a Christian, because his father is a Christian; he is a Hindu, because his father is a Hindu; the majority of the people in the world are blindly following the religion of their fathers. An atheist, on the other hand, even though he may belong to a religious family, uses his intellect to deny the existence of God; what ever concept or qualities of God he may have learnt in his religion may not seem to be logical to him.

My Muslim brothers may question me, "Zakir, why are you congratulating an atheist?" The reason that I am congratulating an atheist is because he agrees with the first part of the Shahada i.e. the Islamic Creed, ‘La ilaaha’ - meaning ‘there is no God’.


So half my job is already done; now the only part left is ‘il lallah’ i.e. ‘BUT ALLAH’ which I shall do Insha Allah. With others (who are not atheists) I have to first remove from their minds the wrong concept of God they may have and then put the correct concept of one true God.

LOGICAL CONCEPT OF GOD
My first question to the atheist will be: "What is the definition of God?" For a person to say there is no God, he should know what is the meaning of God. If I hold a book and say that ‘this is a pen’, for the opposite person to say, ‘it is not a pen’, he should know what is the definition of a pen, even if he does not know nor is able to recognise or identify the object I am holding in my hand. For him to say this is not a pen, he should at least know what a pen means. Similarly for an atheist to say ‘there is no God’, he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God would be derived from the surroundings in which he lives. The god that a large number of people worship has got human qualities - therefore he does not believe in such a god. Similarly a Muslim too does not and should not believe in such false gods.

If a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion with something to do with terrorism; a religion which does not give rights to women; a religion which contradicts science; in his limited sense that non-Muslim is correct to reject such Islam. The problem is he has a wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but at the same time, it becomes my duty as a Muslim to present the correct picture of Islam to that non-Muslim i.e. Islam is a merciful religion, it gives equal rights to the women, it is not incompatible with logic, reason and science; if I present the correct facts about Islam, that non-Muslim may Inshallah accept Islam.

Similarly the atheist rejects the false gods and the duty of every Muslim is to present the correct concept of God which he shall Insha Allah not refuse.

(You may refer to my article, ‘Concept of God in Islam’, for more details)

QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE
The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy some but not all.

Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.

If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a question is asked, " Who is the first person who will be able to provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’ Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’ What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the meaning will be same, therefore accept it.

SCIENTIFIC FACTS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN: for details on this subject please refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE – COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE?
THEORY OF PROBABILITY
In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%.

A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %.

Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct.

At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30.

The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60.

Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%.

The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it upto you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.

CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE QUR’AN
The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic language, ‘ALLAH’.

QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE
Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats. The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.

But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed 1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible with it.

SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD
Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’).

Surah Fussilat:

"Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?"

[Al-Quran 41:53]

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Smile to others, forgive them when you have the power to punish them

woke up suddenly one night and saw a strange light in my room.
The problem is that the lights are off I saw the clock, it was 3.30 in the morning
Okay…so where is all this light coming from??
I turned around and saw something very strange..My body was half way through the wall (??!)
I immediately pulled it out and sat down to see if i’m okay This is strange…

I tried to push onto the wall, but MY ARM GOES THROUGH
I heard a sound,I turned to my brother’s bed to see him sleeping
I was really scared of what was happening to me…so I tried to wake him up….but….he doesn’t reply!!
I went to my parent’s bedroom..I tried to wake up my mother…and father…I just wanted somebody to react to me… but nobody did.
I tried to wake my mother up again…she woke up this time…she got up … but didn’t communicate to me
She was saying “In the name of Allah, most Merciful, most Gracious” (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم) again and again…
She woke my dad up saying ‘get up, man, I want to check up on the kids.’
My dad replied in disinterest .. ‘it’s not time for this, let me sleep and inshAllah tomorrow i’ll get to that’ But she was insisting..so he woke up.
I was THERE. I was screaming..’dad’, ‘mum’ … nobody was replying.I held mother’s clothes to grab her attention..but she didn’t recognise my existence.I followed her ’till she got to my bedroom.They got into the room and turned on the lights…
it wasn’t making any difference to me anyway because there was a strong light there.
I then saw the strangest thing in my life…

my OWN BODY.…on my bed.
I was trembling…how can there be two of me??
how can that person look so much like me??
and what is he doing on my bed????
I started hitting/slapping myself to wake up from this nightmare…
but it was too real to be a nightmare.
Dad said ‘Yalla, see the kids are sleeping. Let’s go back to bed.’
but mother wasn’t at all confident…she went to the person sleeping in my bed and said
‘Khalid, wake up!! … WAKE UP!!’
but he wouldn’t reply.She tried again and again….but no reply.
Then i turned to see my dad tearing.Today witnesses the first time in my life that I have seen my dad’s tears.The place was shaking with the screaming,…
My brother woke up…“What’s going on??!”
In a very sad tone, with tears rolling down her cheek, mother replied
‘your brother’s dead! Khalid is DEAD!!’
I went to mother and said ‘please mum…don’t cry..I’m right here look at me!’

But nobody’s replying to me..WHY??
I turned to Allah and asked Him to wake me up from the nightmare!
quickly following my dua was a voice saying (Quran):

” You were in negligence from this, so We uncovered the blinds and today your sight is (like iron) “
لقد كنت في غفلة من هذا فكشفنا عنك غطاءك فبصرك اليوم حديد
Suddenly two creatures held my arm..they weren’t human!!
“Leave me ALONE! Who are you and what do you want from me??”
‘We’re your grave’s guards‘
I said ‘but I’m not dead yet! let go of me!!‘ I can still see, hear, touch, and speak..I’m not dead!

They replied with a smile : “You humans are fascinating! You think that by dying your life ends, while in fact life on Earth is a small dream compared to the Here after; a dream that ends at your death.”

They started pulling me towards my grave…On the way I saw people just like me, each had two guards like mine.Some were smiling, others crying, others screaming.
I asked the guards ‘why are they all doing that?‘
They replied ‘These people now know their fate…some were in ignorance so they–’
‘–so they go to Hell??!’
I interrupted They said ‘yes.‘ and continued.‘and those laughing are going to Heaven’
I quickly replied: ‘What about me..where will I go??‘
They said ‘you were at times a good Muslim, while other times not. One day you obey Allah, the next you disobey Him. And you weren’t clear with yourself and your fate will remain so: lost.‘



I replied, shaking: ‘SO AM I GOING TO HELL??‘
They said: ‘ Allah’s mercy is great, and the journey is long ‘
I turned to see my family carrying my dead body in a coffin..so i ran to them ..
I said: ‘make dua for me‘.but nobody replied..
I went to my brother and warned him .
‘be careful with what you do in this life… don’t be a fool like myself!’

I was really hoping that he could hear me…
The two angels (guards) tied up my soul on top of my body ..
I saw my relatives pouring sand over me ..at that moment I was hoping that I would be in their place…
that I can turn to Allah and do as much as He wants from me…
that I would ask for forgiveness and once and for all repent my sins that angered Him…
but unfortunately I couldn’t.
I shouted ‘ People, don’t let this life tempt you! Wake up to the truth… one day you will DIE, and you never know when..or how. ‘
I hoped for somebody to hear me….nobody there did

but YOU . DID YOU HEARD ME ??
Save Your Self.
Smile to others, forgive them when you have the power to punish them. Allah forgives those that forgive others. Do your prayers regularly with an open heart. Let Allah guide your life, not Satan. Read the Quran regularly and let the Prophet (p.b.u.h) be your role model in life.


Work in this timed life for your salvation in an eternal one.
And … make dua for me because I’m not perfect.
And I point the above to myself just as much as I do to my friends.


MARK THE WORDS,I DO SAY !

WHO KNOWS TOMMOROW COULD BE YOUR DAY!

AT LAST ,IT COMES

HEAVEN OR HELL




DECIDE WHICH NOW,

DON’T DELAY !

COMMON BROTHER AND SISTERS,FRIENDS…

LET US PRAY !


Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Why Allah thanked him

Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu Oppression - 14th Rabi' al-Thani 1431 (30th March 2010) Narrated Abu Huraira (Radi-Allahu 'anhu): Allah's Apostle (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said, "While a man was onthe way, he found a thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removedit. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him." Bukhari Vol. 3 : No. 652 --Ma'asalaam

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Garden of the Lovers

As for the desire for Allah (raghbah), wanting Him (lit. His Countenance) and yearning for the meeting with Him, then it is the capital of the slave, the foundation of his affair, the basis of his life of goodness, the source of his (true) happiness, success and bliss, and it is the coolness of his eye. For this reason he was created and for it he has been commanded. The messengers have been sent and the books have been revealed also for this purpose. There is no rectification or bliss for the heart unless its desire is solely for Allah, alone, Mighty and Majestic is He. Hence, He alone should be his desire, what he seeks out and his goal. As Allah, the Exalted, has said, “So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allah’s worship. And to your Lord turn your desires and intentions” (Qur’an 94:7-8). And He, the Exalted, has also said, “Would that they were contented with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and had said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us. Allah will give us of His Bounty, and so will His Messenger. We implore Allah’” (Qur’an 9:59).


Those who desire are three types:
1. Those who desire Allah,
2. Those who desire what Allah has
3. And those who desire other then Allah.

So the lover is the one who desires Allah. The one who is concerned with works is the one who desires what Allah has. And the one who is satisfied with this life, in neglect to the Hereafter, is the one who desires other than Him. The person whose desire is for Allah alone, Allah with suffice him from every concern, take on all of his affairs, deflect from him what he is not capable himself to deflect, protect him like the protection of a father to his child and preserve him from all afflictions. And whoever prefers Allah to all others, Allah will prefer him to others. And whoever is for Allah, Allah will be for him where he is not even there for his own self. Whoever knows Allah, nothing will be more beloved to him than Him and no desire will remain in this type of person for anything other than Him, except that which will bring him closer to Him or assist him in his wayfaring to Him.

From among the signs of experiential knowledge (ma’rifah) of Allah is veneration and awe (haybah). As the slave’s experiential knowledge of his Lord increases, so to does his veneration and awe increase. As Allah, the Exalted, has said, “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah” (Qur’ân 35:28), meaning, those who are knowledgeable concerning Him. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I am the most knowledgeable of you concerning Allah and I am the most intense in awe and reverence of Him” (Al-Bukhârî and Muslim).

So whoever knows Allah (has ma’rifah) his livelihood will be pure, his life will be sweet, everything will revere him and all fear of created things will leave him. He will find intimacy with Allah and will have an aversion for (common) people. Knowledge of Allah (ma’rifah) will bequeath to him shyness in front of Allah, veneration and reverence of Him, vigilance (concerning His vision), love, trust in Him, turning to Him, pleasure in Him and submission to His ordinances.

It was said to Junayd, may Allah have mercy upon him, “There are a group of people here that claim that they can attain righteousness by leaving all movement.” He responded, “Such ones have spoken of the removal of all action, and this is something very immense. The one who fornicates and steals is in a better state than the one who says that (as far as I am concerned). For verily, those who have experiential knowledge of Allah (the ‘ârifûn) have taken their actions from Allah and they have returned to Allah in them. If I were to live one thousand years I would not decrease in performing righteous works.” He also said, “One who knows Allah does not really know Allah until he becomes like the earth; the feet of the righteous and the unrighteous tread upon him. And (until he becomes) like the rain that waters what it likes and what it doesn’t like.”

Yahyâ ibn Mu’âdh said, “The one who knows Allah leaves this world (at the time of death) and he has not had his fill of two things: crying over his self and yearning for his Lord.” Others have said, “One who knows Allah will not really know Allah until if he is given a dominion like the kingdom of Solomon it would not distract him from Allah for even the blink of an eye.” It has also been said, “The one who knows Allah has found intimacy with Allah and has an aversion for other than Him. He has realized his poverty in front of Allah, so Allah has enriched him from His creation. And he has humbled himself in front of Allah, so He has ennobled him amongst His creation.”

Abû Salymân Ad-Dârânî said, “While (resting) in bed, the one who has experiential knowledge of Allah has openings that do not even come to the one who is standing in prayer!”

Dhun-Nûn (Al-Misrî) said, “For everything there is a punishment. And the punishment of the one who knows Allah (the ‘ârif) is being cut off from the remembrance of Allah.”

In summary, the life of the heart is with Allah and there is no life for it without that, ever. So when the heart is in agreement with the tongue in its dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and the heart is in agreement with what the Beloved wants from it; when he (the servant) belittles the many works and statements that he has made and regards even Allah’s subtle generosity and kindness as great; when he embraces obedience and leaves off disobedience, and has left all of it for the sake of his Beloved, so that nothing of it remains; when his heart has become full with reverence, awe, preference and pleasure in Him and his patience in yearning for Him has reached its last straw; when he cannot find repose except in His remembrance, desire for Him and yearning for the meeting with Him; when he cannot find (true) intimacy except in His dhikr, while maintaining His ordinances and preferring Him to others…Then this, this is the true lover (muhibb).

Junayd said, “I heard Al-Hârith Al-Muhâsibî say: “Love (mahabbah) is your inclination to something with all of your being. Then, your preference to that thing over your own self, your soul and your possessions and wealth. Then, your being in accordance with that thing inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly. Then, realizing your shortcomings with regards to your love of it.”

It was said, “Love (mahabbah) is a fire that burns in the heart. It burns everything other than what the beloved wants from the lover.” It was also said, “Nay, it is exerting all efforts in pleasing the beloved. And that could never be so until one no longer sees the ‘love’ anymore, but only witnesses the beloved.” It is mentioned in some of the Hadith Qudsi, “My servant, I am, by your right, a lover of you. So, be you, by my right upon you, a lover of Me.”

‘Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak said, “Whomsoever is given something of love and is not given its equivalent of awe and veneration (khashyah), then he is deceived.”
Yahyâ ibn Mu’âdh said, “A muster seed’s amount of love is more beloved to me than seventy years of worship without love!”

Abu Bakr Al-Kattânî said, “An issue concerning love (mahabbah) came up in Makkah during the days of the Pilgrimage. The sheikhs spoke on the matter. Junayd was present and he was the youngest amongst them. So they said to him, ‘Give us what you have O Iraqi!’ He lowered his head in humility and his eyes shed tears, and he spoke: ‘(How great is) a slave who has left himself, connected to the dhikr of his Lord, upholding His rights, witnessing Him with his heart. The lights of His Essence have burned his heart and his drink is pure from the cup of His pure love. If such a one speaks, it is by Allah. If he utters, it is from Allah. If he moves, it is by the command of Allah. If he remains silent, he is with Allah. So he is by Allah, for Allah and with Allah.’ So the sheikhs cried and said, “There is nothing that can be added to this. May Allah rectify you, O Tâj Al-‘ârifîn (crown of those who know Allah)!”

It was said that Allah revealed to Dawûd, peace be upon him, “O Dawûd, I have made it prohbited (harâm) for the hearts to contain the love of Me and the love of others at the same time.”

Those who know Allah (the ‘ârifûn) have all agreed that love is not acceptable without compliance (with the Sacred Law, sharee’ah), so much so that some of them said, “The reality of love is being in accordance with what beloved wants, concerning what pleases him and what makes him angry.” The People (of the Science of Purification; Al-Qawm) have also agreed that love is not acceptable without Tawhîd (belief in the Oneness of Allah).

Monday, March 22, 2010

Patience Preserves the Health of Hearts and Bodies

By Ibn Al Qayyim
Ibn al-Qayyim said in The Prophetic medicine regarding patience: Patience is half of faith; for this is a quality composed of patience and gratitude (Shukr).
As one of the ancestors (Salaf) has said:
Faith is in two halves:
one half patience,
one half gratitude.
And the Most High said:
"Indeed in that there are signs for each one who is patiently persevering and truly grateful" [Noble Quran 14:5]
Patience in relation to faith is like the head in relation to the body. It is of three types:

Patience concerning the obligations (Fard) laid down by Allah, that one should not neglect them;
Patience in abstaining from actions forbidden by Him, that one should not commit them;
Patience concerning His judgments (Qadr) and decrees (Qadar), that one should not resent them.
Whoever perfectly fulfills these three degrees has perfected patience. For the pleasure of this world and the next, their blessings, and victory and conquest can only be reached over the bridge of patience, just as no-one reaches Paradise except by crossing over the Path. 'Umar b. al-Khattab said: We attained the best of life through patience.

If you reflect on the degrees of perfection acquired in the world, you will see that they are all dependent on patience. And if you reflect on imperfection, which one is blamed for possessing, you will see it all stemming from lack of patience. Thus courage and purity, goodness and love of others, all this is the patience of an hour.

Most sicknesses of the body and heart arise simply from lack of patience. And there is naught like patience for preserving the health of hearts, bodies and spirits. For it is the great remedy, the mighty antidote, even if it were to contain only the company of Allah..

"..for Allah is with the patient" [Noble Quran 2:153]

....and His affection for them for indeed...

"Allah loves those who are patient" [Noble Quran 3:146]

....and His giving victory to His people 'for victory comes with patience'; and that it is a good for the people of patience,

"And if you show patience, that is indeed the best course for those who are patient" [Noble Quran 16:126]

....and that it is the cause of prosperity;

"O you who believe! Persevere in patience, vie in perseverance, be ever vigilant, and fear Allah, that perchance you may prosper" [Noble Quran 3:200]