Habib Ali: Spiritual Thirst

Habib Ali @ a gathering in Toronto last night:

"When you drink outwardly, your thirst is quenched. When you have spiritual drink, however, your (spiritual) thirst only increases."

Ice, slipping and life.

My friend and myself were walking on an iced area in a parking lot when I almost slipped. My friend asked if I was okay? I said I was okay and it wasn't bad as I expected to slip and was thus able to adjust immediately. The worse fall is when we fall when we don't expect to slip!

I was wondering how that is true for our lives too. We usually fall the worst when we think everything is under our control and things are going well. We usually do better when we take careful deliberate and considerate steps. This also made me reflect on the Quranic ayah:

"Turn not thy cheek away from men in scorn, and walk not in the earth exultantly; God loves not any man proud and boastful. Be modest in thy walk, and lower thy voice; the most hideous of voices is the ass's.'" Surah Lokman

Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad: Dua for Good Company...

"We ask Allah SWT to bring us to people who will bring us to Him"

From Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad's dua in this talk.

King and the Boy

Shaykh Talal covered this hadith at the monthly halaqa at Lote Tree. Shaykh Talal mentioned that even though the boy died in the end, it was he who won. Amazing. Read below:

Suhayb reported hat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Among those before you there was a king who had a sorcerer. When he was old, he said to the king, 'I am old, so send me a lad to whom I can teach sorcery.' He sent him a lad for him to teach. When the boy was on the way, he came upon a monk. He sat down to listen to his words and liked what he heard. Whenever he went to the sorcerer, he would pass by the monk and sit with him. When he came to the sorcerer, the sorcerer would beat him. He complained about that to the monk who said, 'When you are afraid of the sorcerer, say, "My family kept me." And when you are afraid of your family, say, "The sorcerer kept me."'

"While all this was going on, he came upon a great beast which was barring the people's way and said, 'Today I will find out who is better, the sorcerer or the monk.' He took a stone and said, 'O Allah, if what the monk does is preferable to You to what the sorcerer does, then turn this beast aside so that the people can pass.' He threw it and killed the animal and the people went on. He went to the monk and told him and the monk said to him, 'O my boy, today you are better than I am. I see the point that your business has reached. You will be tested and, when you are tested, do not point me out.' The boy used to heal the blind and the lepers and treat people for all their ailments. A companion of the king who was blind heard this and brought him many gifts. He said, 'All that I have gathered for you here is yours if you heal me.' He said, 'I do not heal anyone. It is Allah Almighty who heals. If you believe in Allah Almighty, I will pray to Allah to heal you." So he believed in Allah Almighty and Allah Almighty healed him. He went to the king and sat with him as he used to do. The king said to him, 'Who has returned your sight to you?' He said, 'It was my Lord.' He said, 'You have a Lord other than me?!' He said, 'My Lord and your Lord, Allah.' So he seized him and did not stop torturing him until he pointed out the boy. The boy was brought and the king said to him, 'O boy, your sorcery has reached the point where you heal the blind and the lepers, and you do such-and-such and such-and-such.' He said, 'I do not heal anyone. It is Allah Almighty who heals.' He seized him and did not stop torturing him until he pointed out the monk. The monk was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion.' He refused. He called for a saw and placed the saw on the centre of his head and split it until the two halves fell apart. Then the companion of the king was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion!' He refused, and the the saw was placed on the centre of his head and split it until the two halves fell apart. Then the boy was brought and told, 'Renounce your religion,' and he refused. He handed him over to a group of his companions and said, 'Take him to such-and-such a mountain, and take him up the mountain. When you reach its summit, if he has not renounced his religion, throw him off.' They took him and brought him up the mountain and he said, 'O Allah, save me from them in whatever way You will.' The mountain shook and they fell. He walked to the king and the king said to him, 'What has happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah Almighty saved me from them.' He handed him over to a group of his companions and said, 'Take him and put him in a ship and take him to the middle of the sea. If he does not recant, then throw him into it.' They took him and he said, 'O Allah, save me from them in whatever way You will.' The ship capsized and they were drowned. He walked back to the king and the king said to him, 'What has happened to your companions?' He said, 'Allah Almighty saved me from them.' He said to the king, 'You will not kill me until you do what I command you.' He said, 'What is that?' He said, 'You should gather the people together on one plain and crucify me on a palm trunk. Then take an arrow from your quiver and put the arrow in the centre of your bow and say, "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy," and then shoot it. If you do that, you will kill me.' So he gathered the people together on one plain and crucified him on a trunk and then took his arrow from his quiver and placed the arrow in the middle of the bow and then said, "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy," and then shot it and the arrow struck his temple. He put his hand on his temple and then died. The people said, "We believe in the Lord of the boy." The king was brought and told, "Do you not see that, by Allah, your fear has brought about the very thing you were afraid of! The people have believed." So he commanded that a trench be dug with openings onto it and had fires lit in it. He said, 'Throw into it, anyone who does not renounce his religion or tell him to jump.' They did that until a woman came with one of her children. She hesitated to jump into it and the child said to her, 'Mother, be steadfast! You have the truth.'" [Muslim]

SHaykh Zahir: Zuhd

Shaykh Zahir's defination of Zuhd:

"Zuhd is knowing what is important and what is not"

Subway Station and Beliefs

At the beginning of SunniPath's highly recommended Tahawi course, Shaykh Hamza used this analogy to make us understand the need to understand our beliefs:

"You woke up suddenly in a crowd of people at a subway station (These people were busy entertaining themselves in various activates).

You then notice that an underground train pulls up repeatedly (at random intervals), and station guards select people (seemingly) at random, tie them up, and shove them into the train. The train disappears into a dark tunnel and the people are never seen again.

This happens again and again.

The people's disappearance is strange enough but whats even stranger is that people who are busy entertaining themselves continue to distract themselves with their activities even though they know that they will also be shoved into the train one day.

Any sane human being would want to know:

What brought me here?

Where are all of these people are disappearing to?

What do I do to ensure my safety?"

Subhanllah.

David Rhode: Held by the Taliban

A really interesting insight into how the Taliban controls Waziristan, etc.

David Stephenson Rohde is a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban in November 2008. He escaped on the night of June 19, 2009, and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Rohde was part of The Times's reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He gives his account of his experience as a captive in a five part series, Held by the Taliban.

BBC: A Tale of Two Pakistanis

Mohammad Hanif comments on the Pakistani Psyche in his piece:A Tale of Two Pakistanis

"What we tend to often forget is that the cultural activities we want the world to focus on take place in a middle-class, affluent bubble, with electricity generators on standby, private security guards with scanners, and which are often bankrolled by mobile-phone companies or fast food chains.

Outside this bubble, millions try to eke out a living, then go home to watch the horrors of the day on their split screens.

Not too many of them get to go to the theatre to sing along with those jaunty Abba songs even if Money Money Money is the only anthem allowed at the bottom of hell." READ ON

Financal Times: School exams fail the office test

Lucy Kellaway on school exams and office:

"Last week, I promised my daughters that whatever they do in their working lives, nothing will ever be as bad as this. It was 10.45pm and they were sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by notes on exothermic reactions and quotes from Paradise Lost. When all this is over, I assured them, what comes next will seem a doddle. GCSEs, A-levels and finals are a hell that nothing in the office will ever match." READ ON

Graham E. Fuller on Pakistan Afganistan

Former CIA station chief in Kabul and author of The Future of Political Islam says:

"Only the withdrawal of American and NATO boots on the ground will begin to allow the process of near-frantic emotions to subside within Pakistan, and for the region to start to cool down. Pakistan is experienced in governance and is well able to deal with its own Islamists and tribalists under normal circumstances; until recently, Pakistani Islamists had one of the lowest rates of electoral success in the Muslim world"

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/graham-e-fuller/global-viewpoint-obamas-p_b_201355.html

Marriage Advice 2: A Wife-Shaykh Abdullah Adhami

"By getting married you are not just getting a wife, you are getting your whole world. From now until the rest of your days your wife will be your partner, your companion, and your best friend.

She will share your moments, your days, and your years. She will share your joys and sorrows, your successes and failures, your dreams and your fears. When you are ill, she will take the best care of you; when you need help, she will do all she can for you;" READ ON

Marriage Advice 1: Shaykh Faraz

As some of you know may know I had my nikah done a month ago. Alhamdulillah, as I tell people about this life changing step, I always ask for advice they have for marriage specially, if they are of age and married. To document this advice we will do a series of posts on this topic.

The first advice that comes to mind is advice from Shaykh Faraz who told me that people talk al kinds of theories, etc, but what it all comes down to at the end of the day is good character. if you have good character towards your spouse, you will have a good marriage inshahallah.

Rihla 2009 Quotes

Quotes from the Rihla 2009 Blog:

"It is astonishing how people can influence others, simply by keeping their company. Don’t take a companion unless their state elevates you, and that they take you closer to God. Don’t have friends that complain all the time. There’s nothing worse than to be around a complainer. Be around people that uplift you, that are positive, optimistic. Help people with their problems, but put yourself in environments that help you move forward. And don’t be of the people out there that don’t want to see others succeed.”

Taken from Shaykh Yahya Rhodus’ class onPurification of the Heart.

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“The dunya is the daughter of the akhira. If you marry it (the dunya), the akhira is forbidden to you.”

Taken from an Evening Session with Shaykh Yahya Rhodus

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“”You can’t reach everyone with your wealth nor your status, but you can reach everyone with your character.”

Taken from the Q & A session with Shaykh Yahya, Shaykh Faraz and Sidi Umar.

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“If you see people being like wolves, don’t be a lamb. And if you see people being like lambs, don’t be a wolf”

Taken from Shaykh Yahya Rhodus’ class onPurification of the Heart.

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“Be not content with stories of those who went before you. Go forth and create your own story.” – Rumi

Taken from Shaykh Yahya Rhodus’ class onPurification of the Heart.

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Imam Malik said, “I knew a people who had no faults, and they preoccupied themselves with faults of others; God gave them faults. And I knew another people and God gave them faults, and they preoccupied themselves with purifying themselves, ignoring the faults of others; God purified their faults.”

Taken from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s lecture on Israa Wal Mi’raaj.

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“Every single situation you are in is an opportunity to bring you closer to Allah.”

Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, during the Sister’s Q & A session.

Grape and Sadaqa

I heard Shaykh Hamza Y mention this in a lecture:

Yahya related to me that Malik said, "I heard that a beggar asked for food from 'A'isha, Umm al-Muminin, while she had some grapes. She told someone to take him one grape. He began to look in amazement. 'A'isha said, "Are you amazed? How many atoms' weights do you see in this grape?" (referring to Qur'an 99:7)

He and He

Sahl (al Tustari) said " O poor man! He was and you were not, and He will and you will not be. While you are today, you say: 'I, I'; be now as though you have not been, for He is today as He was."

From Imam Al Ghazali's Book XXXV of The Revival of the Religious Sciences, Ihya' 'ulum al-din. Faith in Divine Unity & Trust in Divine Providence- translated by David B. Burrell, C.S.C.

Carl Sandburg quotes........

• “Love your neighbor as yourself; but don't take down the fence”
• “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
• “Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep”
• Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.
• Let the gentle bush dig its root deep and spread upward to split the boulder.
• When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along.

......the great aim of education

"..the great aim of education is not knowledge but action" Herbert Spencer

What Mothers Teach

A beautiful story from Beliefnet/Chicken Soup:

Many years ago, when my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a life-gripping problem. As tears welled up in her big brown eyes, she began explaining her dilemma.

“Marcy hates me!” she cried. “She hates me because Kathy is my friend, too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else’s.” Sara choked back her tears and said, “She won’t play with me if I hang out with Kathy. But, they are both my friends!”

Read on.

Bottled Water

A informative presentation on Bottled Waters.

Please dont drink it!

As-salamaua Alaykum Warahmatullah Wabrakatahu: Auto Hot Key

Some of you have noticed my long salams for the last few months:

As-salamaua Alaykum Warahmatullah Wabrakatahu and Walaykum Salam Warahmatullah Wabrakatahu .

I only have to type three letters for the above words to appear in their full form. Thanks to Shaykh Faraz's suggestion I downloaded this software called AutoHotKey which helps my salams and other common expressions like ( *PUNCH*). Do go and check it out.