D e P r o f u n d i s

So after much contemplation, I’ve decided to leave MuslimPad and move on to Wordpress. I like MuslimPad but its down most of the time.. which gets frustrating especially when I want to blog. And Wordpress has all those nice dark themes that I totally love.

So yeah.. here’s my new blog addy -> http://ummkhawla.wordpress.com/

It was narrated from Abu Salamah that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast in any month more than Sha’baan, and he used to fast all of Sha’baan and he used to say: “Do as much of good deeds as you can, for Allaah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired.” And the most beloved of prayers to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was that in which one persists even if it is little. When he offered a prayer he would persist in doing so.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1869; Muslim, 782.

Ahmad (26022), Abu Dawood (2336), al-Nasaa’i (2175) and Ibn Maajah (1648) narrated that Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “I never saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fast two consecutive months apart from the fact that he used to join Sha’baan and Ramadaan.”

If it is asked, what is the reason for fasting a great deal during Sha’baan? The answer is:

Al-Haafiz said:

The reason in explained in the report narrated by al-Nasaa’i and Abu Dawood, and classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah, according to which Usaamah ibn Zayd said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any month more than in Sha’baan.’ He said, ‘That is a month concerning which many people are heedless, between Rajab and Ramadaan. It is the month is which people’s deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds, and I would like my deeds to be taken up whilst I am fasting.’” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 2221.

And Allaah knows best.

- Taken from Islam-QA.

Anas Ibn Malik (radiyAllaahu `anhu) reported that he and other companions were sitting with the Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), who said: “A man from the people of Paradise will enter now.” And a man from al-Ansar entered, with his beard dripping with water from Wudhu (ablution), and holding his sandals in his left hand.

The following day, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said the same thing and the same man entered.

On the third day, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) again repeated his statement and the same man entered with water dripping and holding his sandals.

When the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) left, Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn al-As (radiyAllaahu `anhu) followed the man and said: ‘I quarreled with my father and I swore I would not go to him for three days and night. Would you shelter me for these days?’ the man replied: ‘Yes.’

Anas said: ‘Abdullah said that he stayed with this man for three nights and he did not see him praying at night, but every time he moved and changed position in bed he would remember Allah saying, ‘Allahu Akbar’ Until Salat-ul-Fajr.”

Abdullah said: ‘I didn’t hear anything from him but good. When the three nights had passed I said: ‘O slave of Allah! I really didn’t abandon my father nor was I angry with him. But, I heard the Messenger of Allah speaking of you on three separate occasions, the Prophet had said that a man from the people of Paradise would enter, and you were the one to enter on all the three times. So, I wanted to stay with you to see what you do so that I could follow you. But I have not seen you doing much. So what is that you do for Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) to say what he had said?’

The man replied: ‘It is nothing more than what you saw.’ When it was time to leave, he called me back and said: ‘Yes, it is nothing more than what you saw, except that I have no place in myself for ill-intentions or Hasad towards any Muslim and what Allah has given them.’ Abdullah said: ‘This is what has made you deserving of the praise and this is what we cannot do.”

[Musnad Ahmad]

Ever seen a shooting star? I had the chance to see 3 tonight and MAN it was an AMAZING experience subhaan’Allaah. Even just laying down in my backyard with my friend and watching the stars in the sky was beautiful. You can get lost in wonder and amazement by simply staring at the beauty of Allaah’s creation. Not only does the beauty amaze you, but the sheer stillness and then the sudden movement of light in a split second sends shivers down your spine. Priceless.

Truly Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty. Just look around and above you. Allaah has created everything with so much perfection subhaan’Allaah. Yet, I wonder how anyone can disbelieve in Him after observing something as wonderous as this Universe.

Side-Note: One of the best meteor showers known as the Perseids takes place in mid-August. Its said to be the most spectacular meteor shower. Next one coming up is called the Orionids which will be in mid-October. So watch out for it!

Do you have those days when you’re back home from a hard day’s work and all you can think of is WORK? Do you find yourself planning your schedule for the next work day while having your dinner? When you eat, you think about work.. when you sleep you dream about work.. and there seems to be no escape from it.

Past two months have been extremely strenuous and mind-numbing, so much so that everyday by the time its 7 PM my brain is totally fried and I just long to get into my car and somehow, without moving a limb get to my bed. Work can be so draining.

But there is one thing that has the power to wash away all of that stress and tiredness. Nice, proper wudoo followed by two rak`ahs of prayer. Even during work at the office, or wherever else one may work, its almost surreal.. the rush of joy and solace that overcomes you when you take a short break amidst all the frenzy and stand before Allaah to pray.

Allaahu Akbar. Islaam is such a blessing. I swear by Allaah, us Muslims are the most fortunate of people on this earth - if only we were to take benefit from this blessing before its too late.

إن الذين عند ربك لا يستكبرون عن عبادته ويسبحونه وله يسجدون

“Those who are near to thy Lord, disdain not to do Him worship: They celebrate His praises, and prostrate before Him.”

“Kunn saahib al-kitaab, laa saahib al-kutub”

Transl. “Be a companion of the book, not a companion of the books.”

In other words, rather than have a massive library of books, dedicate yourself to one book in every field and master it.

Life can sometimes be such a drag. Things dont turn out the way you expect them to, people who you love so very much come into your life only to leave again, and then there are those who break your heart into a million pieces and think a simple sorry can make up for it. There are those who completely vanish from your life and then reappear as if nothing’s changed when all the while when they were gone, you hold onto every little hope and survive each day by numbing your heart to all the pain surrounding you.

Its times like these when you wish for even just a little comfort, be it in the company of a friend, a gentle smile, a loving hug, but when there is literally nothing and none of that, the one thing that is always there is the company of Allaah. Patience in trying times can be extremely hard and can even be mind numbing but its one of the sweetest and the most amazing feeling I have known.

Alhamdulillaah for Islaam, and alhamdulillaah for having faith in Allaah. Because it is due to Allaah, it is due to His Book and the guidance of His beloved Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) that we are blessed with this wonderful gift of reliance on Him by succumbing to patience no matter how hard. It’s this faith and belief that with patience things will start to seem a bit more easy, your path will become clear and your personality will mould into what your Lord wants it to become. And it is then, that you realise, if you continue on with patience you will gain what you seek with so much determination, in one way or another.

Like an arab poet said:

“Patience is the key to all hopes and aspirations and through patience all goodness becomes possible;
So remain patient even if the dark hours are long, sometimes even the unusual becomes possible.”

And the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam said:

“Whosoever is patient, Allaah will enhance such patience; and no one is granted a gift greater and more comprehensive than patience.”

I ask Allaah to fill our hearts with this beautiful gift of patience.

Ibn Faaris stated:

“They asked how I was, and I said, well, and thank you. A need fulfilled and another is neglected. When distress is such that my heart becomes constricted, I say perhaps one day will bring with it some aid. My comrade is my cat and my soul’s companions are my books, and the object of my love is my night lantern.”

Have you guys ever tried making out shapes from clouds in the sky? Its fun. Try it sometime, but not while driving!

Clouds have always fascinated me. I love the different shapes, the closeness you feel to them while standing on a mountain.. priceless.

So yeah..below are some amazingly beautiful pictures I came across:

^ Those are known as Mammatus Clouds.

^ Mount Rainier - Washington State - By Scott Hunziker

^ Wave CLouds

The letter of Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [rahimahullaah] from his prison in Alexandria to his companions urging them to turn to Allaah and be attentive to Him.

In the name of Allaah Most Merciful, Dispenser of Mercy

“And of your Sustainer’s blessings shall you always speak.” [al-Qur'aan 93:5]

I would like to inform my companions, may Allaah please and favour them in this life and the next, that I am in a state of bliss the like of which I have never seen or experienced before. Allaah has indeed opened wide for me the gates of His endless bounties. These blessings from Allaah will only be tasted by those who have acquired insight into the realities of eemaan and tawheed, and were granted a share in what all people endeavour towards: knowledge and faith. The subsequent pleasure and happiness, total joy and excitement, that are difficult to describe, are all found in and are a manifestation of, the higher spiritual wisdom and knowledge of Allaah the Exalted in Might, believing in Him and worshipping Him Alone in the true way.

One shaykh used to say, “I experience a state where I think to myself: Lucky are the people of Paradise if they are in this state!” Another says, “There are times when my heart dances with joy due to the blessing of knowledge and belief; since there is not one blessing in this life equal to that of the Hereafter’s, apart from those.” In the same vein, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) used to say to Bilaal:

Comfort us by Prayer, oh Bilaal.

The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) had never asked to be comforted from prayer, as the sluggish might say. As Allaah says in His Book:

“And seek help in patience and prayer and truly it is heavy and hard except for the Khaashi`oon.” [al-Qur'aan 2:45]

Attentiveness is the total surrender to Allaah. It is the inner peace derived from the confidence in Allaah in heart and limb. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) used to say:

“It has become beloved to me from this life of yours, women and beautiful scent,”

Until he said,

“And my total peace and ultimate delight are from prayer.”

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) did not just pronounce the first sentence of the hadeeth. Some people today pronounce the first sentence and stop, although it was not the way that Imaam Ahmad and Nasaa’ee had related it. Those Imaams explain the joy of attentive prayer, and the subsequent satisfaction, to be more significant than the other things mentioned.

It is the heart where the whispers of the inner-self dwell. The Shaytaan commands the following of desires, and makes them seem attractive. He whispers doubts and, thereby turns life into a miserable existence. He who loves any other besides Allaah is tormented in this life and the next. If that person attains his urges, he will then be punished for it. However, if he does not, he will be distressed and saddened.

There is no complete happiness and total delight but in the love of Allaah and in practising the acts instructed by Him. This love is attained through the rejection of all others, and this is the reality of Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah. It was the religion of Ibraaheem `alayhissalaam, and the rest of the Prophets and Messengers, may the peace of Allaah be upon them all. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) used to say to his companions,

“Say that we are on the fitrah of Islaam, the word of sincerity, the religion of our Prophet Muhammad, and the way of our father Ibraaheem who was a true believer, and never a mushrik.”

Yet man is wicked and ignorant, as his Creator, Allaah said:

“Verily, We did offer the trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it because they were afraid of it. Yet man took it up - for verily, he has always been prone to be most wicked, most foolish. [al-Qur'aan 33:72]

So the objective of those loyal to Allaah, His successful party and victorious soldiers, is repentance. And due to this, this religion is a mixture of affirming Allaah’s true Oneness and seeking His Forgiveness:

“Your God is one, therefore, take the straight path unto Him and seek forgiveness of Him.” [al-Qur'aan 41:6]

And so, the achievement of all the commands and abandonment of all the forbidden acts, are a part of the tawheed of laa ilaaha ill-Allaah. When the willing servant of Allaah is blessed with tawheed, and he has absolute confidence and conviction, then Allaah will bless him with safety, happiness, joy and mercy. Alternatively, the fear that dwells in the heart is ash-shirk as Allaah says: Into the hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth

“We shall cast dread in return for their shirk.” [al-Qur'aan 3:151]

Similarly, in an authentic hadeeth, the messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said:

“Grief unto the servant of Dinaar and grief unto the servant of Dirham. Grief unto the servant of ostentatious clothes, and grief unto the servant of beautified cloth. may grief and distress be on him, and if he was to feel pain, may he never be relieved.”

When the Prophet of Allaah, Ibraaheem was threatened with the idols of his people, he replied:

“And why should I fear anything that you worship which you set up beside Allaah, seeing that you are not afraid of ascribing divinity to others beside Allaah, for which, He has revealed unto you no warrant? [Tell me] Which of the two parties has a better right to be secure? [Answer me that] if you have knowledge!” [al-Qur'aan 6:81]

There, Imaam Ahmad said to one man, “If your belief is correct, you should fear no one.” Furthermore, every act that the Muslim does in accordance with the Prophet’s command has a share in Allaah’s saying:

“Grieve not, verily, Allaah is with us.” [al-Qur'aan 9:40]

We have seen and experienced this godly company many times. It is this company which was foretold of in Qur’aan, that will ultimately be victorious, and will exist until the Day of Reckoning. Alternatively, he who rejects what Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) came with will have a share of:

“Verily, he that hates you has indeed been cut-off [from all that is good].” [al-Qur'aan 108:3]

Aboo Bakr bin `Ayash says, “The Ahlus-Sunnah live and so does their fine reputation. Whereas the death of the people of innovations ends their mention. This is due to their dislike of what Allaah had revealed, and so they were cut-off accordingly.” Those who proclaim the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) will have a share of Allaah’s Promise to him:

“And We have raised you high in dignity.” [al-Qur'aan 94:4]

In conclusion, what Allaah had blessed me with whilst in this place has been enormous, and I am unable to even count His favours upon me here. Yet what pains me my distance from my ‘group’ [meaning the shaykh's followers and beloved brothers in Damascus] for I would love for them to attain the delight and happiness which they strive for. I would also love for them to be more obedient to Allaah, and to reach the highest level through participation in jihaad for His sake.

I aim to tell the group that, Allaah’s favours upon me are increasing. If I cannot be with them in person and to be of service to them, then I am supplicating to Allaah day and night for their well-being; thereby fulfilling part of my duty towards them. What I command every one of them, is to fear Allaah and be conscious of Him, to be reliant solely on Him, to be a mujaahid in His Way, and for his supplication and all other acts to be in accordance with Allaah and His Messenger’s commands.

Oh Allaah! Be merciful on the believers, men and women. Gather their hearts and resolve their differences. Make Muslims victorious over Your and their enemies, and distance them from sin, the apparent and the hidden.

Oh Allaah! Aid Your Religion, Book and faithful servants. Oh Allaah! Punish the disbelievers and hypocrites who desire to obstruct Your Path and change Your Religion.

Oh Allaah! Send Your unswerving might upon the transgressors. Oh Allaah, the Mover of clouds, the Revealer of the Book, and Striker of the confederates! Strike them, pulverise them, shake the earth under them, and assist us against them.

Oh Allaah! Aid us and do not aid others against us. Plan for us and not against us, and help us overcome our oppressors.

Oh Allaah! make us amongst the thankful, the obedient and those who return to You.

Oh Allaah! Accept our repentance, and cleanse us of our sins. Strengthen our reasoning and correct our tongues, and take out those dreaded diseases from our hearts.

And Praise be to Allaah, whose succor of the Sunnah is permanent, and His crushing of the people of innovation is plain and evident. May blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, his kin and companions.