Abu Hafsat

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: "Death is a blessing, sin is catastrophe, dependency (poverty) is tranquility, richness is a torment, intelligence is an Allah given gift, ignorance is misleading, tyranny is regrettable, obedience is coolness to the eyes, weeping in the pleasure of Allah is salvation, whilst laughing is (cause for) destruction, and one who (sincerely) repents from his sins is like one who has no sins." Source: "Expanding the Chest in Analysing the Condition of the Deceased and the Graves", by Imam Jalaaluddin Suyuti.

As-Salaam alaikum, Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, saying:-- "O People! Don't you see those who are taken by surprise and are disturbed while most secure, those who lived in error and followed their lust, until the messenger of their Lord came to them. So they could not accomplish (in their life) what they hoped for, nor could they return to what they lost. Rather they came to what they committed and they regretted what they left behind. However, regret did not help them since everything has been recorded. May Allah bestow His Mercy on a person who committed good deeds, spent his wealth moderately, spoke the truth, controlled his desires and did not let them control him, and disobeyed the urges of his false self so he did not perish." SOURCE: "Sermons of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), by Abu Nasr Muhammad Ibn Wad'an.

As-Salaam alaikum, The other day, I found a wonderful piece of soothing entry in a book titled: 'The Drowned Book'--Ecstatic and Earthly Reflections of Bah'uddin, father of the celebrated, Poet, Jalaluddin Rumi. That is where he said/wrote:-- "This is how Allah talked to the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam), saying, "We have given you victory" (48:1) "We have sent down to you a Book" (4:105) "Have We not expanded your heart" (94:1) They spoke like friends. Has anyone else had such an experience? And since the Divine Mystery is part of everything and everyone, must there not be such nearness inside everyone? An answer came to this wondering argument. There are ways unique to each soul. One gets handed pain, another love, another lust. One must go through terrible punishments, another extensive comforting... but the way of Allah with Prophets is on another level, where miracles, grace and visions of the unseen world come. Aspire to that plane, otherwise you will continue to speak with Allah about heat and cold, food, livelihood, sleep, waking and the various human theories about mystery. My prayer is...when I am alone with You, let me feel the pleasure of a surrendered Love. Give me the oneness as I sit by myself beyond the satisfaction of any desire".

As-Salaam alaikum, Allahu Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an:-- "Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you your sins." (3:31) "Whatever the Messenger gives you [then] take it and whatsoever he prohibits you from [then] refrain from it." (59:7) As observed by Imam al-Dhahabi in his Siyar A'lam al-Nubala (Beirut: Mu'assasah al-Risala, 1998) in order not to be "empty, hollow, a mere shell without substance, we must each have a serious regime of spiritual practices where prayer, fasting, Zikr and other religious practices are internalized; where true sincerity is cultivated and where the ego is tamed and trained." Further to this, the Imam advised that as Muslims conscious of being on a journey towards meeting Allah Ta'ala on the Day of Judgement, we must be circumspect in our food and speech, guard our tongue, make Zikr continuously, not socialising with people too much and be weeping over our sins. We should, also, be reciting the Holy Qur'an calmly, distinctly and ponder over it, detest our ego (nafs) and rebuke it for Allah's sake, engage in voluntary fasts, pray Tahajjud regularly; be humble with people; maintain ties of kinship; be tolerant and largehearted; smile a lot, spend on relatives and dependants, speak the truth even if bitter, mildly and without haste or frustration; eating only what is lawful at all times and seeking forgiveness of Allah (Istighfar) abundantly in private. Such are the characteristics of the Awliya, and the qualities of the Muhammadans... may Allah Ta'ala grant us the ability to adopt these qualities and keep us in them up to our last breathe...ameen. Best Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, A contemporary of Sayyadi Hassan Basri, Shaykh Maalik Ibn Dinaar, may Allah be Merciful to them both, once rented a room next to the home of a Jew. His room was adjacent to the entrance of the Jew's home. The Jew spitefully always deposited garbage and filth in Maalik's entrance. Even his musalla would at times be soiled. This continued for a long period, but Maalik Ibn Naadir never complained. One day the Jew came and said: "Does the garbage I deposit in front of your room not distress you?" Maalik: "It does distress me, but I wash and clean the place." Jew: "Why do you tolerate so much distress?" Maalik: "Allah has promised substantial reward for those who contain their anger and forgive people". Jew: "Truly, your Deen is beautiful. It commands toleration of even hardships presented by enemies." The Jew was so affected by the beautiful conduct of Maalik Ibn Dinaar that he embraced Islam. For further details on this, see: "SCATTERED PEARLS-SELECTED SAYINGS AND ANECDOTES OF ILLUSTRIOUS AULIYA", by Mujlisul Ulama of South-Africa.

As-Salaam alaikum, Find below some highly inspiring quotes from some fine minds of the Ummah:--- "Allah Ta'ala also has Paradise and Hell on earth. Paradise is safety and Hell is unsafety. Paradise is to assign all affairs to Allah. Hell is to assign all affairs to the Nafs-e-Ammaarah".- Sayyadi Abu Muhammad Ja'far Saadiq "Safety is in solitude. True solitude is that there is no room in the heart for thinking of others [besides Allah]. Solitude in which the mind is occupied with the thoughts of others is defective." - Sayyadi Uwais Qarni Once, Sayyadi Ibrahim Ibn Adham, may Allah be Merciful to him, asked a man: "Do you wish to enter the assembly of the Awliyaa of Allah? Have no care for either this world or the next. Become absorbed in Allah. Consume halal food even if you do not spend the night in prayer and the day in fasting." "No one has attained Sainthood by [only] Sallat, Hajj and Jihad. But he who knows what he is eating, attains Sainthood.." - Ibrahim Ibn Adham (We should be mindful of the food and drink we consume...avoiding haraam food and beverages) Culled from: "Scattered Perals-Selected Sayings and Anecdotes of Illustrious Auliya", by Mujlis Ulama of South Africa.

As-Salaam alaikum, If a man is not looking after himself and becomes ill and then says: What can I do, it is Allah's will- he is wrong. You can protect yourself. If one is taking care of the body and then becoming ill anyway, then Allah is sending the illness. A man who leaves his cows on the mountain to be eaten by wolves can't say afterwards:- 'It was Allah's will that my cows die' He must protect them and put them into pens', then if they die it is Allah's will. You have something to do with your willpower. It is not a general will, but it is enough for you, like the headlights of a car are not lighting up every place, but light enough for driving. We have such a will to arrange for our life. You may plow and plant the seeds, but you cannot rain, you cannot make the grains to sprout. Allah Ta'ala completes the plant. In order to go on Hajj one must get his passport in order, prepare with things connected with such trip/travel and then put the responsibility on Allah. We have a choice, and when we have choice, we have responsibility. One saying that he/she is not responsible is out of order; he is a sinner. When completing all the things you can do, then give it over to your Lord. The authority for this is in the Hadith wherein it was reported that a man once came to the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, and when asked what he had done with his camel, he replied that he left it to the trust of Allah. The Prophet, alaihi salaat was-salaam, told him "Aqil wa tawakkil...tie it, then trust in Allah". This gives a perfect arrangement for our lives-- if you are not trying then it is not true to say: I am trusting in Allah. When you know what you can do, you must do that. Do not neglect your responsibility. Adapted from: 'Mercy Oceans Book 2", Teachings of Sheikh Abdullah ed-Dagistani.

As-Salaam alaikum, Ayat 47 of Surat Anbiya of the Holy Qur'an reads:-- "We shall set up just scales on the Day of Resurrection..." (21:47) We should note that it is not flour or bread that will be weighed in these scales, but our words uttered with the tongue, what we touch, what we do with our hands and where we go using our feet... our stomach(s).. our genitals. Did we guard them? We must guard our bodily parts/limbs, so that we are not hindered from maintaining fidelity to Allah Almighty. And we can only apply proper discipline to our canal soul and the body by diligently observing the Islamic religious Law/Shari'a and Prophetic Sunnah.

As-Salaam alaikum, We traditionally say ameen or amin, when the last ayat/verse of Surat al-Fatiha is recited [Nor the path of those who go astray] during the canonical prayer, or as part of other prayers or invocations when one person make a Du'a (supplication) on behalf of and in the presence of others, it is likewise customary for the congregation to say ameen. As noted by Imam Sahl Ibn Abdullah al-Tustari, may Allah be Merciful to him, in his Tafsir al-Tustari, Muhammad Ibn Sawwar related from Ibn Uyayna from 'Amr Ibn Dinar on the authority of Jabir Ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, who related that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "Keep to the straight path [though] you will not be able to encompass [all good actions]. Know that the best of your actions is prayer, and [indeed] only a believer observes ablution carefully. Whenever the Imam says Nor [the path] of those who go astray [1:7], you should say ameen, for Allah is pleased with the one who says it, and He accepts his prayer and responds to his supplication." In another wording, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, Al-Zuhri related from Ibn al-Musayyab that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "When the Imam says, Nor [the path] of those who go astray, say Ameen, for truly the angels say Ameen, and the one whose pronouncement of 'Ameen' is simultaneous with that of the angels will be forgiven for all his previous sins."

As-Salaam alaikum, Thank you for the rather elaborate explanatory notes/post above on the Ahlul-Bayt... Members of the Household of the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, may Allah be pleased with them all. Sidi Muhiyidden Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, in his Futuhat Makkiyyah, observed tha "the Prophet's house has 2 doorways: the lower house (baytihi al-adna)- his biological family and his higher house (baytihi al-a'la)- Muhammad's spiritual family". In this regards, Ibn Arabi differentiates between the terms al and ahl: while ahl- points to the biological family of the Prophet (as in the expression ahl al-bayt), al designates his closest and most unique companions (Khassa)- the righteous ones, those who possess knowledge of Allah, the believers (al-Salihuna al-ulama bi-llah al-mu'minuna)- the mystics, who enjoy general prophecy (nubuwa amma)... to be distinguished from legislative Prophecy (nubuwa al-tashri). It may also happen, nevertheless, as in the case of Hassan, Hussein, Jafar al-Sadiq and others, that certain members of ahl al-bayt are also the al of Muhammad, that is, righteous believers who possess Divine Knowledge.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "The thing which has obscenity will be spoilt by it and the thing which has modesty will be beautified by it." (Tirmidhi) This hadith informs us of the secret of appearing truly beautiful. We especially need to be reminded of this hadith in current times, when modesty is attacked as lack of confidence and vulgarity is praised as boldness. Subhanallah!! truly, values are inverted as the Day of Judgement approaches.

As-Salaam alaikum, In ayat 41 of Surat Ahzab of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala says:-- "O you who believe! Celebrate the Praises of Allah, and do this often." (33:41) ..do this often.. what is meant by abundant Zikr? At all times a person is either lying down, sitting or on his feet. Abundant zikr refers to remembering Allah Ta'ala at all times in these states. A little zikr does us no good.. no benefit. "Little do they hold Allah in remembrance" (4:142)....as a result, "(They are) distracted in mind even in the midst of it, being (sincerely) for neither one group nor for another whom Allah leaves straying, never will you find for him the way" (4:143) A person whose Zikr is insufficient becomes a victim of doubt. You see him not treading the path with confidence... his feet falter and he constantly changes direction. On the other hand, abundance of Zikr eliminates the darkness of the heart... the filth of thought (fikr) is only removed by the abundance of remembrance of Allah (dhikr).. Jallah-Jalalahu. We must strive to remember Him, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala, lying down, sitting and whenever we are on our feet. Our hearts should be connected with our Lord in every situation until traces of sinfulness are erased from our veins and muscles.

As-Salaam alaikum, Welcome to the Muslim Believers drug store. It is very well stocked with what you need! Pill No. 1-- Say: "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad-r-Rasulullah" [ I testify that there is no God besides Allah; He is alone, He has no partner, and I (further) testify that Muhammad is indeed His Messenger]. Directions:-- Say it with belief and conviction. Effect:-- It will open for you the door of Power and Mercy. ...................... Pill No. 2-- Say: "La Haula Wala Quwata illa Billah" [There is no strength nor power save in Allah, the Exalted, the Magnificent]. Directions:-- Say it with belief and submission. Effect:- Your weakness will become strength, and if you are despaired, Light will fill your heart with hope and faith, as a result of this pill. ...................... Pill No. 3-- Say, "Alhamdu Lillah" [ie Praise be to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala]. Directions:-- Say it from your heart with a smile on your face in whatever situation you have. Effect:- The Creator will be pleased with you, and if so what else do you need? ....................... pill No. 4-- Say: "Inna Lillahi Wa inna Ilaihi Raji'oon" [ie Surely, we are Allah's and to Him shall we return] Directions: Say it with belief, submission and contentment. Effect:- The Almighty promises that He will shower you with His blessing and bounty. And He will bring His mercy over you and He will guide you. ............ Pill No. 5- Say: "Hasbia Laahu Wa Ni'emal Wakeeel" [ie Allah is sufficient for us and He is the Best Guardian] Directions: If a situation arises which you cannot handle, be patient and say the above with complete submission. Effect: The Creator, Allahu Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala, promises that He will be there for you and will take care of you. What else do you/we need? ALHAMDU-LILLAHI RABBIL ALAMEEN.

As-Salaam alaikum, In this matter of Remembering Allah always and/or Tazkiyyatu-Nafs, Dhikr (Zikr) is another name for Purification. As the Zakkat (wealth tax in Islam) purifies the wealth, similarly Zikr purifies man's self. As soap cleanses the piece of cloth, so does Zikr cleans the heart. As fire eats away the fuel, so the Zikr takes away the sins of a man who invokes Allah Ta'ala. As the rain makes the withered grass green and olive so does the zikr to man. What light does to darkness, so does zikr to man... it lightens darkness. So, let us be among the Zakirunallah Kathiraan. Don't you see that when the Qur'an was revealed, it was when Allah says:-- "Read in the Name of your Lord who created" (96:1).... thus the Qur'an was first revealed with the Name of Allah, that is, invocation of Allah. Even at the time of death, one should invoke Allah: La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah... all this is Zikrullah. In the grave too, the angels inquire about Name of Allah...... Jallah-Jalalahu.

As-Salaam alaikum, In his book titled 'Ameer-ul-Kaunain (The Master of Worlds)', Sayyadi Sultan Bahoo, reminded us that Imaan (faith) lies between fear and hope. How do we mean? The Sheikh explains that "fear means that one should keep his attention towards the Doomsday, rather, view it before him with open eyes, and should separate himself from lustful wishes of the nafs. You will understand this if you recall ayat 40/41 of Sura Nazi'aat of the Holy Qur'an:-- "He who prevented his nafs from lustful wishes. Then indeed, Heaven will be (his) abode." (79:40-41) So, it is evident that only those will enter the Heaven (Paradise) who have the right faith."

As-Salaam alaikum, In ayat 112 of Surat Baqra of the Holy Qur'an, we read it that:-- "Whoever surrenders his whole attention to Allah while doing good, his reward is with his Lord. And for them there will be no fear nor will they grieve". (2:112) Islam means surrender. Sufism or Tasawwuf is the way to surrender knowingly, willingly and lovingly in every action. Surrender is an an on-going practice. Just as there is no end to Allah's infinite grandeur, there can be no limit to our willingness to yield to our Maker.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "Whoever visits me without any intended purpose other than my visit, it is incumbent upon me to be his intercessor on the Day of Rising." (Tabarani No. 13149, Ibn Muqri in his Mu'jam Pg. 80 No. 158). And he, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, was also reported as saying:-- "Whoever [makes pilgrimage then] visits me after my death, it is as if he visited me during my [earthly] life." (Bayhaqi in his Sunan No. 10409).

As-Salaam alaikum, In a Hadith-Qudsi (sacred report), we have it where Allah Ta'ala says:- "Allah created Adam in His image (Khalaqa Allahu Adam Ala suratiHi)", narrated from Abu Hurayrah by both Bukhari & Muslim. The word image (sura) here refers to man's attributes, such as hearing, seeing, knowledge and so on. Hence, Adam was created possessing attributes by which Allah has also attributed to Himself with the difference being that those of Adam are contingent and relative, while the attributes of Allah are eternal and absolute. As we are aware, man in his creation, is also endowed with a heart in his body. This organ, the heart, is not simply the organ of emotions, feelings, desires, decisions or opinions, but also entails the soul, knowledge, bravery and more. As the seat of all cognitive activities, the heart is seen as the true essence of a human being, containing all levels of his inner being... and for the Prophets it is the place of Revelation itself. In view of this, we should strive to keep our hearts free, at peace and stable to always witness Allah, the Creator. Allah Ta'ala says, in Surat Ra'ad of the Qur'an:-- "Verily, in the Remembrance of Allah hearts do find their rest." (13:28) The Remembrance of Allah... Zikrullah, moisten the heart and cultivates tenderness in it. When the heart is bereft of Zikrullah, the heat of the nafs overtakes it, the fire of lust reaches it, the heart becomes barren and hard, and all the limbs refrain from obedience to Allah, Subhanahu WA Ta'ala.

As-Salaam alaikum, "O you who believe! Remember Allah! Continue to mention Him without limit, before sunrise and before sunset. He is the One Who encourages, appreciates and supports you all, and replaces darkness and tyranny with Divine Light." (33:41/43)- Surat Ahzab. So, we have to remember our Lord/Creator as much as we can.. Praise Him before and after work (before sunrise & sunset). Today, who remembers Allah when leaving or entering their house? Some do but not many, that is why it is said that everything is perishable except Zikrullah, which goes with you to Paradise. Zikrullah is necessary for us, because it will throw away ghaflah or heedlessness from us. Whenever we forget to remember Him, Jallah-Jalalahu, then we are heedless. It is said that when we have to guard or be careful of the moment of heedlessness, as in that moment Shaytan will come. You will be an easy target for Shaytan when one is in a state of ghaflah. Zikr is the Key for happiness, the Light of Souls and our backbone in the journey on the Way to Allah, Subhanahu WA Ta'ala.

As-Salaam alaikum, Anas reported that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, prayed: "O Allah, keep me poor in this life and let me die poor." When A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, asked the reason for this prayer, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: -- "The poor will take 40 year march over others in getting into Paradise. O A'isha, Let no destitute go disappointed from your door; give him something even if it be a date, love the poor and let him come near to you, for then Allah will let you come near to Himself." (Tirmidhi, Baihaqi) Note this Hadith and emulate its teaching(s) accordingly. Best Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, Abu Fayd Thawban Ibn Ibrahim Dhu'l Nun al-Misri, may Allah be Merciful to him, was asked about love. He responded:-- "It is to love that which Allah loves, to hate that which Allah hates, to perform all good, to reject anything that busies you from Allah, and not to fear any blame for the sake of Allah, while being gentle with believers, stern with disbelievers, and to follow the Messenger of Allah in matters of religion." ( Abu Nu'aym in Hilyatul-Awliya, 9/394)

As-Salaam alaikum, The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "This world is the prison of the believers and the paradise of the unbelievers." (Muslim, Zuhd 3: Tirmidhi, Zuhd 16) Just as penalties of those perpetrating small crimes are delivered locally and serious crimes are sent to the High Courts, so do small errors of believers and close Awliya are punished swiftly and in part in this world, so as to purify them. But the crimes of the people of misguidance are so great, they are referred to the Supreme Tribunal in the eternal realm; mostly they do not receive any punishment here. Thus in the above Hadith, because the believer receives partial punishment for his faults in this world, it is a dungeon for him, relative to his happiness in the Hereafter. And since the unbelievers will be in Hell and they in part receive their rewards for good works in this world and their large sins are postponed, this world is their paradise relative to their life in the Hereafter. For in reality and in meaning, the believer is also happier in this world than the Kafir, because a believer's faith is simply like a Paradise in his spirit; while the unbeliever's unbelief (kufr) sets a fire.. sort of Hell..in his being.

As-Salaam alaikum, Being the nearest to the Absolute, Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, is the nearest created being to absolute perfection. This is why the outpouring of Divine Mercy from Allah Ta'ala toward creation is concentrated on him and radiates from him to pervade all the degrees of existence. And this is what is meant by the expression Sallallahu alaihi, translated as 'may Allah's blessings be upon him'. As for Wa-Sallam, which means 'and peace be upon him' it is the ability to receive this influx of Divine Lights and yet remain firm and serene.

As-Salaam alaikum, Ayat 58 of chapter 36 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Ya-Sin, reads:-- "Salamun, Qawlan min Rabbun Raheem.. Peace!- a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful!" This will be said to the companions of the Garden of Bliss (Jannah). On this, Imam An-Nasaa'i mentioned a hadith Qudsi:-- "In the Hereafter, the Almighty Allah will say to the Angels 'Where are My faithful worshippers, those who had firm conviction in the unseen?' then, they (the pious) will come forward, their faces are bright like the full moon, they will ride horses of light, adorned with jewels. They will fly over the heads of others until they stand by the Divine Throne. Then Allah will say to them: 'Peace [Salaam] upon My faithful believers. Verily I have chosen you and provided you, enter Paradise without judgement [Hisab] there is no grief nor fear upon you today, then they will cross the Siraat bridge like a lightning while others are standing, terrified and waiting trial."

As-Salaam alaikum, After the obligatory prayers, Tahajjud ( the voluntary night prayers of 2, 4, 6 or 8 raka'a) is the best prayer to come closer to Allah Ta'ala and, thereby, improve our spiritual health. And the best time to pray Tahajjud is at the last part of the night. The blessings of this prayer is pretty self-explanatory from these 2 hadith, in which the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "The closest that a slave comes to his Lord is during the middle of the latter portion of the night. If you can be among those remember Allah, the Exalted one, at that time, then do so." (Tirmidhi) "Observe the night prayer; it was the practice of the righteous before you, and it brings you closer to your Lord, and it is penance for evil deeds and erases the sins and repels disease from the body." (Tirmidhi)