Notes on: Pride & Humility

EDIT:
As salaamu alaikum
The lecture is up on Sunnipath, click here to listen to it InshaAllah.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

As salaamu alaikum

There was a live event on Sunnipath on Sunday called "Pride & Humility" by Shaykh Abdul-Kareem Yahya.
click here to view the poster...

Alhamdulillah I was able to attend the event...and took some notes of my own. So I just thought I'd post them up. The event was really good MashaAllah and a needed reminder too. Just ignore the grammar/spelling errors in it, and I hope it's beneficial InshaAllah :)

Pride and Humility

An online event with Shaykh Abdul-Kareem Yahya

Al Hasan Al Basri (ra) said:

“The son of Adam is amazing. He washes filth with his hand once or twice a day and then challenges the Compeller of the heavens!”

Abu Bakr (ra) said:

“Do not look down on any of the Muslims! Indeed the small Muslim is great with Allah.”

Al-Ahnaf Bin Qais said:

“It is amazing that the son of Adam is arrogant

- remember that your origin was nothing

- everything was given by Allah, and he brought you to this place so he could show you your place

- humbleness manifests in ones actions to the extent that these people walk like this on the earth.

*Kibr is seeing oneself as better than others

Rasulullah (S) said:

“Arrogance is rejecting the truth and despising people”

Humility and pride are qualities of the heart, but they have outward manifestations:

- Kibr is the inward characteristic

- Takabbur is its outward manifestation: acting haughty towards others ie. Liking people to walk behind you, thinking yourself above and not sitting next to those lower than you in knowledge

Causes of arrogance:

In reality if someone is arrogant in worldly things they are being idiots especially if they think that they are weighing out the wing of a mosquito

**Note: related to the Hadith concerning the blessings of Allah and how even one small blessing from Him does not amount to the weight of the wing of a mosquito**

If one is arrogant b/c of something of this world – then know that it is lowlier than that, and not worth it

If one is proud about some religious work – then know that this decreases one’s station with Allah **if it was not done for the sake of Allah**

If religious works produce contempt for others, then they are flawed – otherwise they would have produced humbleness

The remedy for arrogance:

Comprised of knowledge and action

Imam Ghazali said the remedy to uproot arrogance from heart are 2 things: knowledge and action

Knowledge is of two different types:

- Knowledge of la ilaha illalah: Allah’s manifestation and greatness

- Knowledge of knowing ourselves (surah abasa 80:17-22)

Imam Ghazali’s explanation of these Ayahs (80:17-22):

Beginning:

- He brought us from nothing, then earth, we were inanimate and this was our beginning. ie. ignorance b4 knowledge, deafness b4 hearing, etc…

- look at the beginning then the proportions Allah created us into after that

- His favour over us

Middle:

- Allah makes us live after having been earth and an inanimate object, be strong after weakness, limbs after we didn’t have them w/ signs from Allah, wealth after poverty, guided us after misguidance

- Allah formed us easy **w/ signs and blessings** and yet we are so ignorant and disbelieve

End:

- In the end we will decompose, and become earth again, then be resurrected to stand b4 Allah

- nothing except humbleness will help the slave then

Rasulullah (S) is the Imam of humbleness

As for the active part of the cure, it is to truly humble oneself to Allah and show humility to all of his creatures

- Rasulullah (S) used to eat on the ground and say : “I am only a slave, I eat as a slave eats.”

- He taught his companions humility until they became models of humbleness

- One should emulate the inward and outward appearance of humbleness through the eg. Of Rasulullah (S)

**Ridding oneself of pride is an obligation

Imam al-gazali said in ihya:

“Know that arrogance is from the lethal sins and no person is free from at least some amount of it. Removing it is a personal obligation (fard’ain). It does not vanish by mere false hopes, rather by treatment and by the use of medicines that overcome it.”

Question & Answer Session

Q: what is the excellence of humility?

- follow Rasulullah (S): his character is full of humility

- lower yourself to attain humility, don’t think of yourself to be better than others

Q: What is the difference between dignity and kibr? If a person acts dignified and wishes to have a sense of self-dignity - is that kibr?

- no it isn’t

- one should be careful

- kibr: to see oneself better than any other slave…as in if you see yourself better than what you think is lowly...ie. is it below you or is it humbleness

Q: But who does not have a weight of mustard seed of arrogance or pride? (except for really good Muslims). What about having a certain level of dignity and being proud of who one is (but not in a negative way) is this arrogance?

- what concerns us is ourselves only

- no one is free from it, therefore find and apply remedies for this

- being humble is an order from Allah, and so is walking on the earth humbly

Q: Should we see even sinful Muslims as being better then ourselves?

- we don’t know where everyone will end up in the akhirah and their secret of worshipping Allah at night

Q: If one feels scared of riya or pride, while discussing religious matters, is this just waswasa? How can one fight this?

- observe your heart

- seek refuge in Allah

- try to be sincere in actions

Q: Is it considered arrogance to let others know he/she is knowledgeable about something more so than others. As Ibn Masud's saying "I am more knowledgeable than you in Quran, but I am not better than you"

- not necessarily arrogance

- to see that Allah gave you a merit, but you think this merit is yours and is only for you, it’s self glory/pride

- same thing if you forget that Allah gave it to you, and if this causes you to think your better, it’s arrogance

- scholors say “what is ugly truth?” ans. “praising yourself”

- we have to remember that this was said by Ibn Masud…we are not to compare ourselves with Sahabah and scholors of Ilm of the past b/c of the levels of Imaan and understanding and knowledge

Q: Can you comment on how one should react to receiving praise, so as to prevent pride?

- see them as praising Allah’s beautiful veil

- look at it as if they praised them for the beauty He gave them

- Allah concealed what we know from them from what he’s given us

- He veiled people from viewing our faults

- we know we have feelings of arrogance or pride or other evils, and that’s a self-check or reminder…we cannot be ignorant of that fact and not leave these feelings over what other people may say **ie. If they praise us, we cannot forget we’re still sinners and we cannot let this build pride up in us**

- what matters is what Allah wants from us and that’s what we’ll have to face or deal with on the DOJ

Imagine

As salaamu alaikum

SubhanAllah...a very thought-provoking poem. Have a read...

Imagine
Author unknown

Imagine yourself after you pass away
Imagine your grave through night and through day
Wishing that you did not do as they say
Wishing that you had got up and had prayed.

Imagine, my friends, the day that you died
Imagine all of the tears that they cried
Remember how it felt when your body was tied
Remember how it felt in the grave which you lied.

Imagine the day you'll be called to account
Imagine the sum to which your life will amount
Think for a moment of the deeds which you mount
Think for a moment how much they will count.

What will they say of you when you are dead?
What will they say, what will be said?
Will they speak of all the poor who you fed?
Will they remember all the Qu'ran that you read?

Think not of them, but of Allah, Lord of mankind and jinn
Think of Allah when tempted to sin
Think of the paradise which you will dwell in
Don't wait till later to think what might have been.

"Crazy Coffins"

As salaamu alaikum

We are made of earth and that's where we'll return. The only thing entering our graves with us are our deeds; not money, fame, family, or friends. And some people want to have a "memorable sendoff" by creating "exotic caskets to be buried in to reflect their passions in life".......

Eh?

We're going to be dead and decaying...and our souls are either going to be punished or rewarded. We'll have so much to worry about no matter where or what we are buried in...why add to that? Yes that includes the ballet shoe, boat, aircraft, guitar and all the other kinds of "coffins".


"Crazy Coffins" A New Booming Business In England
Taken from: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_8061.aspx

There's one thing they always say about money - you can't take it with you.

So before you go, you can at least arrange for a memorable send off.

One company in England has taken that directive quite literally to heart, creating a bizarre new business that sits on the tentative border between creativity and extreme bad taste.

Vic Fearn and Company is a 160-year-old entity that makes coffins. That doesn't sound terribly exciting, but recent customers may make you think twice about that impression.

They've been coming in asking for exotic caskets to be buried in to reflect their passions in life.

It started with an odd request from a woman who was a big fan of the Royal Air Force's acrobatic team the Red Arrows. She wanted to be interred forever in a model of one of their fighters.

"So we constructed this plane with folding wings like they have on aircraft carriers," recalls company director David Crampton. "The cockpit of a plane is more or less coffin-shaped so that made life easier."

Once word spread about the custom casket, more people decided to plan for their own demise and do it Frank Sinatra-style - my way.

What other requests have they been asked to fill?

One man wanted to be laid to rest in a canal long boat. "That caused friction with his wife so we had to build one for her as well," Crampton reveals.

Then there's the hospice nurse who's having a pink ballet shoe made for her final exit.

A town crier will be buried in a coffin shaped like a bell. "He wants to go out with a bong," Crampton jokes, a punchline in an industry not known for its humour.

Another client is having a scaled down model of a 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost built. It comes with wheels so pall bearers can simply push it along.

Then there's the one in the shape of a giant electric guitar - with strings attached.

Another resembles a large sports bag (top left), a demand from a cricket fan. (It includes its own wickets.)

There's a box-kite shaped coffin that puts the dearly departed in the middle.

A skateboard container, complete with a skeleton-like rider on its surface, appeals to the crowd who may be too young to die.

The "egg" is self explanatory, although it might be hard to carry.

One that Canadians will no doubt appreciate is a giant beer can with a corkscrew on one end.

A sledge coffin comes with fake feet sticking out of the end of it.

And in the height of questionable appropriateness, there's even a coffin shaped like an industrial garbage container.

You'll pay a lot extra for these final resting places, of course, but they've become something of a sensation in Europe. So much so that many have been put on display in touring shows at art galleries.

And they've brought light to an industry normally filled with solemn gloom.

"Making an unusual crazy coffin is great for the staff," agrees Crampton. "It gives them a chance to test their skills and joinery expertise. It can create some fun in the shop."

Which just proves nothing is sacred any more - even in the coffin making business.

"We are less lugubrious nowadays,' the director admits. "It is a changing profession and I like to believe we are fashion-driven."

And it's one business that will never die.

To see some of the 'crazy coffins' for yourself, click here and here.

Melon Festival

As salaamu alaikum

check this out:
Melon man in headbutt record

"An Australian watermelon picker has set a new world record for headbutting and smashing the most melons in one minute."

*shocked* Headbutting and smashing...melons??? One part of the video shows people, er, melon skiing and others stomping on and squishing them. What a waste of melons! Send 'em here if you don't know what else to do with them...

Abandoning something for the sake and pleasure of Allah

As salaamu alaikum

First, I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates.....oh alright fine, and *maybe* so sumaiya doesn't murder me when she finds out I killed her blog lol. But in all truth I've been really busy with exams and school so haven't been able to come on as much, but InshaAllah will try to keep things rolling...I hope...

So, I was reading this story I came across on qisas.com (yes, I really like reading stories and poems...and...not to mention, they're easy to post :P...) after reading it I thought to myself that this was one lesson we all tend to forget. I mean, sometimes we become so selfish that we never want to give or sacrifice any of our belongings. We think that if we give it away, we're losing something. Physically we are, but spiritually we're gaining so much reward and happiness within ourselves that's difficult to come across at times. Not only that, but this way we can feel the gratitude we need to show Allah every day of our lives for everything He's blessed us with.

We forget that Allah is Most Fair and Just and when we sacrifice something for His sake, He's not going to let that go unnoticed. Rather, He'll give us something better in return. And if your thinking, "well, I sacrificed so much and I didn't get anything so far" just know that it may or may not be in this life. Allah might be saving that reward of yours for the Akhirah where it would be way more enjoyable for you...c'mon, a temporary reward, or a reward lasting for eternity? Take your pick.

Let me just take a wild guess here, you picked a reward lasting for eternity...? That's great. But you have to remember that it doesn't work like that. You can't just pick and choose and not do anything to earn it. Therefore, strive in the path of Allah and atleast sacrifice those extra things you've got, and sooner or later that too will increase. Just remember the Sahabah (ra) and how much they sacrificed for this Deen of Allah. They knew that this Dunya is only temporary and so is everything contained in it (ie. wealth). And they'd rather have and enjoy the everlasting reward in the Akhirah instead of perishable materialistic gains in this life.

May Allah (swt) take away all the selfishness and greed from our hearts and give us the ability to spend in His way and help others. Ameen.

Before I forget...here's the story. Enjoy :)

Abandoning Something for the Sake and Pleasure of Allah

Ibn Rajab relates an account of a worshipper who ran out of resources while he was in Makkah. He became extremely hungry and was about to die from lack of nourishment. One day, as he was wandering in the precincts of Makkah, he found an expensive necklace. He put it into his sleeves and headed for the Masjid. On his way he came across a man announcing that he had lost a necklace. The poor man later said, ” I asked him to describe it to me, and he did so, perfectly, leaving no room for doubt. I gave him the necklace without taking reward from him. I said “O Allah, I have given it for You, so compensate me with what is better.”

He went to the ocean and began a journey in a small boat. Only a brief period of time passed before a storm came with heavy winds crashing into the boat. The boat smashed into pieces and the man was forced to cling to a piece of wood. The winds were violent, propelling him to the left and to the right.

Finally, he was washed ashore onto an island. He found there a Masjid filled with people who were praying, so he joined them. He found papers with parts of the Qur’an written on them and he began to recite from them.

The people of the island asked him, “Do you read the Qur’an?” He answered in the affirmative. They said, “Teach our children Qur’an.”

So he began to teach them and he took a salary for his services. One day, they saw him writing and they asked, “Will you teach our children to write?” Again he answered in the affirmative and began teaching them for a salary.

A short time later, they said to him, “There is an orphaned girl with us whose father was a good man. Will you marry her?”

He agreed to the marriage and later related, “I married her and found that she was wearing the exact same necklace. She said that her father lost it in Makkah and a man found it and returned to him. She said that her father would always supplicate while prostrating, for her daughter to become blessed with a husband similar to the honest man. I then informed her that I was that man.”

“…O Allah, I have given it for You, so compensate me with what is better…”

LESSON: Abandoning something for the sake and Pleasure of Allah (SWT) - and Allah will definitely compensate with something that is better, either sooner or later, in this world or Hereafter. [Jaami’ul-uloom wal Hikam]

Seeking Knowledge

Imam Burhan al-Din (r.a), author of the Hidaya, recited this poem by an unnamed author:

An immoral man of learning is a great evil;
yet a greater evil is an ignoramus leading a godly life.
Both are a great trial everywhere
to whomever clings to his religion.

Imam Qiwam al-Din Hamad ibn Ibrahim ibn Isma'il al-Saffar al-Ansari (r.a) recited a poem by Imam Abu Hanifa (r.a):

Whoever strives for knowledge for the Hereafter
obtains great gain in righteousness.
But he who is in utter loss who seeks [knowledge]
to obtain advantage over people!

Randomness at Madresa

So I'm home for Ashurah, and I have several humorous stories (at least for us girls there) to share with you all. Note: Ignore the grammar/spelling mistakes I was in a hurry :)

-One of my roommates Salma, decides to scare some girls in another room (let's call it room B). So she sends a friend of hers (I forgot to ask her if it's ok to put her name so I'll call her...Nadia) Soo Nadia goes outside to room B's window and knocks once and all the girls inside room B got freaked out. They were all wondering if they actually heard it and if it was a knock at the window. Salma's there too, pretending to be freaked out. Then she sent Nadia again. Beside the window is Asfa's bed; she was sitting on it, with Layla, Lazeena and Anisa (the latter 3, all Americans). When Nadia knocked on the window again this time loudly and repeatedly, they all look at the window, scream and jump the to opposite end of the room simultaneously and everyone else in the room screams. All this happens while Salma is laughing out loud being entertained. And this isn't where the story ends, nope. Asfa, Layla and the other girls threaten to scare back Salma...

-Now the girls who got scared the first time, i think it was 6 or 7 of them, thought of ideas to revenge. While Asfa, the psycho genius, came up with a plan right there and then that would out do Freddy cooger, the chain-saw massacre dude and all the other scary dude's any day. So after I finish the “room checks” at 11pm, I go back to my room where all of my roomies where deciding whether or not the other girls would seek revenge on Salma. Because if they did it would be around 12am. so we talked to each other from our beds until 12, when we thought they must have forgotten, and then we fell asleep. at 12:30am Zainab and Lazeena (2 of the girls in on the scare) come outside to the door to check if we're asleep. They let us sleep for another half hour, while they got prepared, actually I should say, while Asfa got ready for action. And while preparing, they all scared themselves (A chill just ran down my spine as I remembered how Asfa looked).

Ok so this was their plan, all the girls (6 of them) get dressed in black., while Asfa wears black head to toe (can't even see her eyes), but with a huge white shawl draping over her head and carrying a candle. So all you could see was the white shawl draping with no face or body to hold it. AND THAT LOOKED FREAKIN SCARY IN THE DARK!!!!!! They come into my room, and let me tell you how it looked from my perspective, and remember I was asleep. I hear sounds of chanting, black things coming in and something glowing white glides to the middle (this is where I think I'm still dreaming) They all stand in front of Salma's bed, she gets up (the first thing that comes to mind to a madresa girl, when she sees anyone in white at night, is a jinn) she starts stuttering,

"Ma' ma' ma' maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (!X 10000000, and it was a high-pitch scream)

That's where I fully get up, gasp, hold my breath and pull my blanket to my chin. After she screamed she and everyone in my room (EXCEPT Naeema who did NOT hear a single thing, she didn’t even MOVE) realized it was them. Salma went back into her blanket and I was like, "what...huh...what's going on…(mumbled things that I don’t remember)?" then I fell asleep. The supervisor from the other end of the building heard the scream (and Naeema didn't!!!!!) she came running when the "scare crew" came out one by one. She thought they all went outside or something, and then she saw little miss Asfa (who by then took off the things from her face) and said,

"i heard someone scream?"
"Someone screamed?" The Mastermind innocently asks.

Well they told her what happened and even showed her how they did it, and our dear Supervisor agreed that it was indeed extremely frightening. It would cause any child to be scared of the dark and anything dressed in black for the rest of their life.

At fajr, I kept wondering if it all was a dream, but it wasn't. We have good laughs about that every time we remember...ok it just happened last week.

Oh yeah their original plan was to wrap someone in a white cloth and carry the body (the carriers in black) to Salma while chanting, "shaikh gupta (gufta?!)"

you gotta remember, the most popular talked about scary stories w(hen it comes to Madresa life) are about the Jinn.

- Another story, I wasn't at madresa for this one, but everyone described it to me pretty well. My roomies were all in bed getting ready to sleep. Salma, was listening to some anasheed on her mp3, Aamena was sleeping on my bed (since her bed was too close to the heater, and on top of her bunk Summaya J was already lying down) and on the top my bunk bed Naeema was cuddling in a soft spot against the wall. She usually sticks her hands down the side when falling asleep or just to annoy the person (usually me, but this time Aamena) sleeping at the bottom. The more she did that, the more her hand got stuck between the wall and the bunk. So in order to get out, she thought she could move the bunk bed by wiggling her legs, yes our Naeema is very clever indeed. The more she did that the more the mattress moved (instead of the bunk) from under her away from the wall and her self. at this point, Aamena decides to poke Naeema from the bottom bed through the bars, since half of her body was off the mattress and on the bars holding the mattress and her. So this is what it looked like:

Naeema's kicking her legs in the air and screaming because Aamena was guiltlessly poking her, Salma's listening to her loud mp3 since she thought they were all just messing about, and Summaya J tried to help Naeema but it wasn't working. Just then Anisa arrives to do bed checks and she sees all this happening, and she cracks up laughing at this hysterical scene. She then tries to help Naeema get free from torture while getting a good laugh.

- The supervisor has 3 daughters at with her at JAS. They're Arabs from Montreal, so they all have arabic-french accents. The youngest is our dear Salam. Salam is 12 (i think) and she is known for many good things like always waking up first for Fajr and waking up the rest of the girls (mashaAllah) and who's also very keen on seeking knowledge and becoming an Alima, InshaAllah. Well she's also known for her 5 famous lines.

"Serisly?" (seriously)
"Daaaaaamn Homie!!!"
"O Please"
"you're so eew man!"
"I joke I joke, I kid I kid"

Imagine all this said with an arabic-french accent.
It's cute, serisly.

She also has her own english dictionary. Asfa (remember...the psycho genius) asked her,
"Salam, what's hard drive?"
"What its mean like, like..uhh… it's hard to drive?!"

- Some of the girls who grew up in the "hood" or have friends from there, decided to teach me a thing or two. For example the different hand shakes...forget it, I won't even bother describing them lol I wouldn't be able to do justice to them. Maybe some other time...

-It snowed more in Bowmanville then in my hometown, most of the snow froze with the rain that fell on top. Sooooo on our way to the cafeteria Salma and I would run a little, and slide on all the smooth surfaces all the way to the caf and back. So if anyone ever drives by, and sees 2 niqabis sliding down the road as if they're on imaginary snowboards, you know who it is.

I actually have a big list of stories to share from madresa, but I think this is enough for now...

I guess, I'll share a poem that my roomies (who get really bored sometimes on the weekend...all the time I should say) wrote in Urdu. They wrote a whole lot of them, but for now I'll share one. Oh and just a note, urdu is not our (my roomies and I) mother-tongue, so this is pretty funny and interesting at the same time.

For some unknown reason, all of their poems are from a desi husband's perspective on his relationship with his wife…

Tere pyaar mein ro ro ke andha ho gaya
Tere baare mein bol bol kar gunga ho gaya
Tere baatein soon soon ke behra ho gaya
Tujhe maar maar kar lula ho gaya

-Naeema, Aamena, Salma and Summaya J

(I thank Allah I wasn't there that weekend)

Ok it’s not all fun and jokes there, I had to sit down with some of the girls in order to remember some of these stories. I’ve been saying so many sarf tables at madresa, that at home at random times and places like in the kitchen or car, I start saying “amr” tables and when I think I forgot a grammar rule I start saying things out loud. For example yesterday in the car, I randomly just said,
“mustathna, mustathna minhu”
And my sister (believeress) hears it and says, “Oh mustathna!!” (like it’s her childhood friend or something)
Then she thinks and says, “what’s that again?”
You would imagine me ranting on about it, but I went blank and thought to myself, “what’s mustathna??!?!” Then it came to me (alhamdulillah), and that’s when I started ranting out the rules until one of my family members’s (can’t remember who, I think it was my mum or all of them) told me to shut up.

Yeah so we’re having a nahw test on Tuesday on some of the Mansubat. Make du’a for me people, especially since our exams are coming up in March, I’m in great need of them!!!

Take care all!

Oh I just read the bottom post (posted by believeress), interesting...

Not on the label

As Salaamu Alaikum

I came across an interesting article on bbc and thought I'd share it...though it made me kind of sick because I started imagining all the things that were supposedly "not on the label".

Not on the label

By: Justin Rowlatt

Ethical Man has discovered a whole range of food additives don’t even get listed on the ingredients.

I’m spending a month as vegan to see how cutting animal products out of my diet will affect my environmental footprint. It is surpisingly difficult to avoid animals; you'd be amazed how many foods contain animal products in some form or other.

There was a huge response when I wrote about my concerns that an amino acid used as an additive in bread is sometimes manufactured from human hair. I was reassured to discover that it is possible to avoid the substance – called L-Cysteine or E920 – because it is listed on the ingredients.

Then last week Britain’s leading organic baker, Andrew Whitely, wrote to me to warn of what he calls of “baking’s big secret” – the use of enzymes.

Andrew describes the use of these enzymes as secret because they do not appear on the label. Industrial bakers use a loophole to classify them as “processing aids”. The problem for a vegan like me – or for that matter for Jews, Muslims and vegetarians – is that some of these enzymes are manufactured from animals, including pigs.

click here to read the rest

Beauty of the Beard

I read this poem ages ago when I was still in high school. I just came across it again today, and thought I should put it up.

Next week inshaAllah when I come home again, I’ll post some things going on with me at Madresa. That should be interesting I think…

An Acehnesse prays in the great mosque of Baiturrahman in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(AP Binsar Bakkara)

Beauty of the Beard

by Br Tushar Imdad-ul-Haque Bhuiya

Context of poem

I came to eat dinner in my halls of residence one day last year when two sisters started laughing at me; I had some food stuck in my beard. They went on to innocently and honestly mock my beard saying it was messy, unnatural and unhygienic. Little did they know the rage that I felt as a result of this and I channeled this rage by unleashing my anger through my pen and out came this poem.

I performed this poem in the Leicester University/DMU Islamic Societies and Eid Celebration and it was received with much laughter and acclaim - Alhamdulillah. Due to popular demand and many requests I have decided to type my poem up and email it to my friends in Islam. Let me remind you all not to be offended as this is no fatwa or religious statement - just a funny poem that spontaneously was produced as a result of my unfortunate experience...

Tushar (12th March 2001)

"Glorified be He who beautifies women with long locks of hair
And Men with long beards
There is beauty in the beard
Aye, there is beauty in the beard!

When the lion roars all the animals submit
For the lion is the king of the jungle
The lion with its glorious mane
And a Muslim man grows his mane in pride
Showing the rest of humanity that he is to be respected
Can one imagine a lion without its mane?
Nay, thou canst not!
Then imagine a man without his beard

Woe to worldly women who mock the beards so!
Desiring husbands with clean shaven faces
Woe to women who mock the Prophets Sunnah
In the name of hygiene, neatness and smooth texture
Indeed the women of this world cannot like the beard
But she who wants Paradise adores the beard!

A beard is a gift given to man
Something only he can grow; a woman never can!
When he ponders, he gently strokes it;
When he eats, it stores food;
When he is with kids, they play with it adoringly;
When he is with his wife, she fondles it lovingly;
When the enemy see it, fear is struck in their hearts!
Ah! there is indeed beauty in the beard!

All the Prophets had beards - yes they did!
Muhammad had a beard - so big! so big!
All the companions had beards - o yes! o yes!
All the sages had beards - I know! I know!
All the wise have beards - tis true! tis true!
All the pious have beards - you see! you see!
All the Muslims have beards!? - if only! if only!

Who did not have beards? The kafirun!
Who had clean shaven faces? The kafirun!
Who grew their moustaches? The kafirun!
"And what did our Prophet order?" I here you ask
He ordered us to lengthen the beard and trim the moustache!
Lengthen the beard and trim the moustache!
What greater reason that this can there be
The fact that our Prophet told us to see
That we make ourselves appear to the world
As full bearded men with honour untold

O Muslim brother! Why do you desire to look like a woman
When your blessed facial hair is the differece between you and the opposite gender?
O poor Muslim brother! Why do you imitate the kafir
Instead of following the Prophet of Islam?
O silly Muslim sister! Why are you so blind?
Infatuated with Bollywood actors who have no mind!
O wretched sister! Are you not scared of your choice?
You would rather have a feminine monkey instead of an exalted manly ape!

So indeed I love my beard
And adore the curls and tangles
Which no oil, gel or superglue can ever straighten
My glorious long, curly, messy, fluffy beard!
The playhouse for kids;
The envy of Malaysian people
And the beloved of Allah!
I maybe rejected by worldly women because of this hair on my face
But who care! For my Mum loves it and she puts all such sisters to disgrace!
Be patient Muslim brothers, who shun the trendy look for a Prophetic pose
Paradise with the wide eyed Houris is our final abode!!!!!"

Taken from here.

___


Narrated Nafi' (Radhiallaahu Án) "Ibn Umar (Radhiallaahu Án) said, The Prophet said, "Do the opposite of what the pagans do. Keep the beards and cut the moustaches short." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Hadith # 780]

Roadmap to Paradise

Roadmap to Paradise

Author Unknown


Take Adam and Eve avenue until you come to the intersection of Habil (Abel) road, and Qabil (Cain) street; merge right on Habil (Abel) and continue for the next twenty miles till you come to Noah's Ferry.

Take the ferry to Safety Land, ignore the majority of other travel agencies’ directions, and arrive at Abraham's Super Highway also known as High way One God Only (1).

Follow Abraham but avoid the exit of Sodom and Gomorrah townships until you get to Moses lane but pass Gold and Greed bridges and take it to Jesus' Mercy road. Here you will encounter a lot of confusion, streets are not well marked, and many peddlers along the road are giving away maps with conflicting directions to travelers. The Romans have renamed Pagans’ path as Jesus' mercy road.

If you are not sure about the authenticity of Jesus' mercy road, review your map. See if Jesus' mercy path is a continuation of Abraham’s Super Highway. If it is a continuation you are fine, but still proceed with caution. If you have diverged, make a U-turn and go back to Abraham’s high way (1) and re-try again.

Continue on True Jesus' road, if you do not see the following signs along the path, you should stop and review your map again. Maps for this path have been tampered with, we recommend the Barnabas edition street map to get to the Unity of God congregation, Immaculate conception corner, and Love thy neighbor community center.

Avoid to show the Roman Traffic police your Barnabas street map, it is banned, they will confiscate it and you will be forced to use the only authorized official map - the Paul street map which was drawn to direct the motorists to Rome. For that reason there is a lot of lost traffic on this road. On the other hand True Jesus road is found on the Barnabas street map, but only few people have access to this map.

Keep on Jesus' Mercy road until you find Muhammad’s (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) Sunnah Expressway. Stay on this expressway and do not be lured to rest areas along the expressway. Beware of the highway robbers, by insuring your vehicle with Dhikr security systems. All vehicles secured with Dhikr Security Systems will be protected from assaults by robbers (Satan).

Make sure that you have enough fuel. The highest grade fuel for this long and tiring trip is the Taqwa grade fuel. Make sure you demand this brand when you stop for refueling. Lighten the load on your vehicle, carry only the most important items for this trip: two meters of white cloth, good deeds and prayers of your kids is all you need. Excess weight is allowed only if it is more of the above. Other items will only slow you down or cause you to loose sight of where you are heading, and you risk losing the coverage of Dhikr Security systems, thereby becoming an easy target for the Robbers.

You need to check your vehicles safety features periodically by reading your vehicles manual - the Holy Quran. Your steering wheel must be calibrated by the Sunnah Calibration method, batteries must be charged with Iman, the engine needs to be tuned up with Ikhlas and your tires must be properly inflated with Ihsan. Most important of all, you must test the entire vehicle with the tawheed check list.

It does not matter if most parts of your vehicle are performing right, if a single part in your vehicle does not perform according to specifications of Tawheed (its conditions) your vehicle will break down and again the robbers will rob you of what is left. The overall performance of your vehicle depends on the performance of the weakest part in your vehicle, so routinely check these weak points, they may be detrimental to your trip.

There are many milestones on Muhammad’s road, and these milestones will assure you that you are on the right track. Do not worry that there are not any people on this road; just because you are alone on this road do not think that you are driving the wrong way on a one way street. Loving Allah more than anything else, loving the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam and his companions, who supported him when he was oppressed, following all his teachings, responding with patience and acceptance to lack of worldly goods, hunger, loss of family members are but some of the milestones and glad tidings that you are on the right track.

Also this road will be paved with pain, hard work, struggle with yourself and others and Iblis, the Robber, and all things that are not appealing to the soul. Never lay your guard, this trip is not over until it is over. Keep dhikr your guard, good deeds your luggage and do not lose to focus on where you are going, so you may endure the pain of this trip. When you finally arrive to your destination, Al-Jannah, you will forget all the pain.

Eid ul-Adha Pics

Ok so here are the pics from the farm on Eid. Both from Saturday and Sunday. I had a lot of fun, but it was quite stressful at the same time. I'm just glad to be home, and well tomorrow I'll be back at JAS inshaAllah.




This is Dodger, our guard dog ( a half German Sheppard and half Labrador). Oh did I update on Tiger, our previous dog, a bloodhound? Well he got sold because he didn't do a good job at being a guard, he thought everyone was a friend and family, he was a good dog...

Anyways my dad bought Dodger this summer and this little doggy takes his job seriously, and I mean seriously. He barked his vocals out this Eid (by Monday night he was making squeaky noises). He barked at every car that came in, and every person (excluding my family) that came near the house. Alhamdulillah he was chained so it wasn't that bad. He just got a lot of BBQ , cookies, cake and a whole lot of desi food, lucky him.

Ok this little dude here, the one in the middle was staring at me after I took the pic. So I "baa"ed at him and he baa'd back. I did it again, he does it too. It went on for like a min. until all the sheep and goats stop what they were doing and started staring at me. Yeah, that's where it's got really creepy...I realized then I needed food, since I hadn't eaten all day.

Ok this BBQ was on Sunday, and it was awesome! Seriously, there was a huge line outside the kitchen where the BBQ was, inside the ladies were making Biryani, and the kids were watching movies, playing games and having "marker fights" (I just saw kids with colourful marks on their faces and clothes). Sunday was mad crazy and fun all at once. Saturday was stressful with my mum getting injured and everything falling apart afterwards with some inpatient people...but Alhamdulillah, she's okay and doing well.

My mum's kabobs, mmmm I can still taste them.

My sister took these pics from a room on the top level of the house.

In the big living room, all we did was burn logs and paper in the fireplace since the heating in the house got busted. It was fun though, especially when we roasted marshmallows (halal ones) on sticks.

Well take care all and remember me in your du'as :)

Eid Mubarak

Early Eid Mubarak everyone! I'm in a hurry, leaving for the farm :)

oh and that "unfinished" business is DONE! Alhamdulillahx100000000

remember me in your du'as all.

So I tried uploading the pics from RIS5, it took forever so I did it in my xanga instead. Some of the images are blurry because of the digital zoom on the camera. Oh and my sister (believeress) took the pics, so credit goes to her.

So here's the link to the album. Those aren't all the pics, I've touched the uploading limit for this month, so inshaAllah next week I'll up load some more.

My xanga photoblog

Woman Puts Baby Through Airport Security X-Ray Scanner

Friday December 22, 2006

As millions of people go millions of different places this holiday weekend, they have to watch out for different hazards at airports.

There are thieves, snowstorms, crowds, and the ever present threat of terrorism.

And in all that confusion, it's easy for something terrible to happen - like this.

Authorities in California say when a woman who was traveling to Mexico went through security screenings at Los Angeles International Airport, she misunderstood what agents told her.

The passenger, who speaks very little English, was asked to put her possessions in a tray so they could be X-rayed. But along with her keys, change and other items, the grandmother also put something else in the plastic bin - her one-month-old grandson...

Read the rest here

Back for Holidays

hah, I'm back already, wasn't that too quick?

Well I was right about being loaded with work. I have a Nahw test when I get back, I have to say all my sarf tables at once which is the easy bit compared to catching up with all the exercises, the duroos lessons (1-9) in book 2, and over 160 verbs for sarf.

I was actually jumping up and down when I got into my room, I missed my roomies, my fellow classmates/boarders, teachers and their kids. When I got there I felt like superman who after a long time of being trapped in some dark place with kryptonite ( kryptonite being shaitan in my case) finally gets energy from the sun when he escapes to it. Okay so I suck at metaphors, but give me a break people. I felt so good being back there, in the "learning ilm" environment. I don't know what the feeling was exactly, but whatever it was I'm truly grateful for it, alhamdulillah.

Every time I go back, there's like 50 dramatic stories/scenes/events that I miss. Everyone has some story to tell me about what went on while I was away. It's quite scary and amusing at the same time. I'll share some stories next time inshaAllah. Right now I gotta get ready to finally close off my unfinished business, I'm in desperate need of your du'as.

Well today will be the first day for RIS5 and it's like RIS4 was just a while ago... man time flies fast. InshaAllah I'll put up some pics or something once I get back from that.

Oh and the reason why Kalimataan is back, is because 3 people (you know who you are :P) wanted me to put it back, so here it is again.

Finally Going Back!

Guess who’s going back to Madresah?

ME!!!

Honestly, I feel like a kid going to Disney land, only the place I’m going to is a whole lot more Halal (in like a gazillion ways).

When I come back it’ll be RIS5, then holidays (but for me, it’ll be loaded with work and homework) and then Eid at the farm. Wohoooo

Remember me in your du’as all.

Oh and check out the flyer for Eid and what not here

as salamu alaykum :)

Wiping the slate clean? Getting back to praying regularly

Wiping the slate clean? Getting back to praying regularly

Answered by Shaykh Gibril F Haddad

Q.If someone I know used to pray regularly 5-times a day, but then over a period of time, started to get less and less motivated about salat to the point where they seldom pray, what practical advice could I give them that would help them pray regularly again? They get discouraged when they actually sit down and write down which salats they have to make up because the list gets so long. So what practical steps could this person take to start praying regularly again?


A.

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim:

It is good to "count one's blessings" when one feels discouraged. Oftentimes the discouragement is not warranted and is lifted through certain mental habits that shoulder spiritual effects by permission of Allah.

Among these habits is to give thanks to Allah for creating us; to give thanks for creating us as a human being of sound mind and body; to give thanks for creating us as part of the last and best Umma; to give thanks to Him for cherishing and sustaining us at all times, even - or especially - in the depth of distress from which we call to Him.

Then to remember that this Religion is ease and good tidings. In difficulty, make istighfar and in ease give thanks. In other words, remember Allah at all times. The Qur'an calls the Torah and the sun a Diya', while it calls the Qur'an and the moon a Nur. The Ulema said, this is because the Diya' is a light that burns while the Nur is a gentle light. The Torah had harsh rulings while those of Islam are gentle and easy.

Another habit is to remember that a time may come when one's salat and fast will become physically difficult or impossible, through sickness or old age or "man-made" preventions; and that one's salat might be the last one, followed by death. What is the excuse for someone able, young, and strong who is offered millions of opportunities for success and happiness but insists on missing them all? We should strive not to be remiss then remiss then remiss before we face the grave. If we saw someone dear in such a situation we would shake them up by the boot-straps.

It is advisable to make istighfar so as to clear one's mind of worldly ties. 100x Astaghfirullah daily. Give sadaqa to the intention of lifting difficulties. Invoke blessings on the Prophet. These devotions will facilitate the above mental dispositions insha Allah.

We should also examine our daily routines for acts or habits that are unadvisable to someone who is trying to change. We should put those away and try and stay away from the people, places, and/or times associated with them, for example: smoking; staying up late at night; spending hours on the phone chatting; working endless hours; anything vacuous done to mindless excess.

In fact, one should seek excellent spiritual company at all times but at least once every week or month, to remember Allah together with others whom one meets for no other purpose. Such gatherings are an essential part of recharging one's spiritual batteries. The loner is an easy prey but the wolf keeps away from the group...

READ THE REST HERE
Q&A from Sunnipath.com

Whispers of the Night by Sh. Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq

Whispers of the Night
by Shakykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq

I pounded on the door of mercy as the world slept
And humbling myself before my Creator I wept

Hands raised high and head bowed I knelt
And dejectedly began to lament what I felt

With a torn heart I gave a tongue to my woes and fears
And in great anguish and sorrow I let flow my tears

With poignant emotions raging in me so fierce
I hoped that my prayers would the heavens pierce

Oh Maker of my destiny, Master of my fate I cried
Thou art the only refuge and succour for one so tried

'Tis before Thee alone that I bemoan
Sufferings of mine only to Thee known

Pains and torments that I can no longer bear
Hopes and wishes I can entrust only to Thy care

For 'Tis only the ocean of Thine infinite bounty that sustains all
And only Thy forgiveness that restores those that fall

'Tis to Thee alone Oh Benevolent that I extend my hands in plea
To whom besides Thee can this wretched soul flee

Forgive my sins and grant me my desires Oh Almighty
Reject me not, for nothing can redeem me save Thy mercy
-----

Taken from beautifulislam.net

Zhul Hijjah & Sacrifice - Jami'yyatul Ulama Canada, Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians (CCMT)

Zhul Hijjah & Sacrifice

Zhulhijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar. Literally, it means "hajj." Obviously, this name of the month indicates that the great annual worship of "hajj" is performed in this month, which gives it special significance. Some specific merits and rules relevant to this month are mentioned below:

First Ten Days of Zhul Hijjah

The first ten days of Zhulhijjah are among the most magnificent days in the Islamic calendar. The Holy Prophet (pbuh), has said, "One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship in the "Lailatul-Qadr"(Tirmidhi).

Every Muslim should avail of this wonderful opportunity by performing during this period as much Iba'dah (acts of worship) to Allah as he or she can...

Read the rest on the link below:

Zhul Hijjah & Sacrifice - Jami'yyatul Ulama Canada, Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians (CCMT)

Are We Worthy of His Mercy and Forgivness?

So for those of you who don't know, I'm at home, been home for a while now. I don't want to be, seriously and honestly speeking I'd rather be at madresa, the thought of all that I'm missing is literly killing me. So here's the post, the first part of this post was written on July 28, at 2:33 am. I guess I forgot all about it, Allah (swt) knows what was going on with me then, because I sure can't remember...

Do we put ourselves in denial of who we are and why we’re here, in this dunya? We blind ourselves and convince ourselves to hold on to this materialistic world. In we fall deeper and deeper in this dream. Trying to live every detail of this momentary life. Sins above sins are committed and still we induce ourselves that we’ll be all right. We leave the Sunnah because “it’s only a Sunnah”. It is only our words, and no more our actions. The way of life leaves us in front of our very eyes. It leaves us slowly and painfully, but we have numbed the body, mind and soul. No more do we feel, speak, hear or see the truth, the way and the reality. Sincerity and steadfastness leaves us in our Ibadah, are we really worthy of Allah (swt)’s Mercy and Forgiveness? I sure hope and pray we are…

May Allah (swt), the All Merciful and the All-Forgiving, forgive our sins whether it is the size of the biggest mountain or the size of an atom. May Allah (swt) guide us to the straight path and keep us on it till our death. May Allah (swt) take us with the kalimah on our lips and as Mu’mineen. May He (swt) save us from the torments of the grave, the Day of Judgment and from the fires of Hell. May Allah (swt) have Mercy on our souls so that we may all live in Jannatul Firdaws forever and always.

Ameen.