When I stand to perform my Salaah,
Placing the Ka'bah between my brows,
The bridge over Jahannam (Hell) beneath my feet,
Jannat-ul-Firdowse (Paradise) to my right and Hell to my left,
and the Malikal-Maut (Angel of Death) behind me,
Thinking all the while that this is my final prayer...
Then I stand between Hope and Fear
May the Almighty accept your Dua'as on the Day of Jummah, Aameen
TAKABBUR (PRIDE)
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Allah Ta'ala says: "Verily, Allah does not love the proud ones."
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said: "He who has a grain of pride in his heart will not enter Jannah."
Takabbur is to consider oneself superior to others in attributes of excellence. There are many kinds of Takabbur. Most kinds are subtle, concealed and difficult to detect. Takabbur is to voluntarily and consciously regard oneself superior to others in religious or mundane excellence in a way which engenders contempt in the heart for others. This is the reality of Takabbur and this is Haraam. Takabbur consists of two ingredients, viz.,
* The feeling of superiority--considering oneself to be great.
* Contempt for others.
Takabbur not induced voluntarily, but entering the heart involuntarily is not sinful. Such non-volitional pride is merely the external dimension or form of Takabbur. Up to this stage Takabbur is not sinful. But when one voluntarily entertains the feeling of pride which had initially crept in involuntarily, then it will be sinful Takabbur. In this case the mere form of Takabbur is transformed into the reality of Takabbur.
Where the condition of contempt for others is non-existent, Takabbur -- will not be applicable. Mere belief in superiority and inferiority greatness and smallness -- is not Takabbur. For example: an old man regarding an infant to be small without the notion of contempt for it. But, the one who intentionally considers himself better than others, becomes arrogant. His Nafs swells up with pride, the consequences of which then manifest themselves.
Examples of pride are: to regard others with contempt; to take offence when others do not greet one first; to be offended if others do not offer you respect; to be annoyed when someone admonishes you; refusal to concede the truth even after having realized it. May Allah Ta'ala keep us under His Protection and save us from Takabbur, for indeed, it is the severest of maladies. It is the root of all spiritual ailments.
It was takabbur which made Shaitaan a deviate. The Hadith Shareef therefore sounds dire warnings in regard to Takabbur. Allah Ta'ala has warned that the abode of the proud ones will indeed be vile. Pride is the exclusive prerogative of Allah Ta'ala. Allah Ta'ala will destroy all those who desire to participate in this exclusive Attribute of greatness. Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that the Mutakabbireen (The proud ones) will be encased in trunks of fire of Jahannam.
THE REMEDY
I seek refuge in you O Allah!
From eyes that are not restrained and from a tongue that is not tamed
From a heart that is complacent,
and from a mood that is not patient
I seek refuge in You O Allah!
From a soul that is not grateful,
and from a thought that is not lawful
I seek refuge in You O Allah!
From a limb that is not humbled,
and from conviction that begins to stumble
I seek refuge in You O Allah!
From hoarding every pence,
and slowness in obedience
I seek refuge in You O Allah!
From love of material life,
and from ignorance of Eternal life
I seek refuge in You O Allah!
From the trials of life and death,
and from the punishment of the grave
I seek refuge in You O Allah!
From the trials of Ad-Dajjal,
and from the torment of the blaze
Grant me wisdom, O Most High! And understanding and strength
Grant me fortitude, O Magnificent! And humility to repent
Grant me light, O Most Merciful! To penetrate my heart
Grant me your Love O Creator!
Jummah Mubarak
Abdu'l-Qadir al-Jilani RA
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Abdu'l-Qadir al-Jilani is one of those scholars and geniuses who came to this earth to give light to humanity and guide them to the true path. He practiced Islam and conveyed its message to all Muslims after having himself drunk deeply from the hearts of humanity. The place where he lived and chose for the spread of his message has become one of the blessed lands on this earth.
It is very difficult to give a correct evaluation of his personality because several of his followers have given descriptions of his life and personality. Some have painted him as one of the greatest Sufis, rather the greatest Sufi, and have alleged that he performed several unheard-of karamat, or miracles, while others have described him as one of the greatest ‘Ulama', that is, scholars, of Islam. From a neutral point of view we can say he was a great reformer, a great idealist, a great scholar, a great preacher of Islam and a great Sufi. His unbounded scholarship of Islam was so great that the great scholar and philosopher, Ibn al-'Arabi gave him the title of Qutb, that is, the focal point of Islam.
In the sixth century AH, Muslim civilization, under the lavish rule of the Abbasid khalifate, was going under and the Muslims in general were losing their attachment to religion. There was real moral bankruptcy and the people were indulging in luxury and the pleasures of this life. However, in the background there was a reign of corruption, a reign of injustice and a world of indiscipline. People were steeped in irreligious activities and there was hardly any regard for moral scruples. From the Khalîfah to the common man, all had gone away from religion.
Under this extreme decline of morality ‘Abdu'l-Qadir al-Jilani used to stand up boldly to address the people to remind them of their moral responsibility. The Khalîfah, the Qadhis, the governors, the public, the merchants, the Ulama – all sections of people were the target of his addresses or Khutbahs. He would criticize their defects and shortcomings very boldly and would suggest the measures and remedies of the Quran and Sunnah. At first his voice was hardly heard and his audience very small, about ten or fifteen people. But gradually, in the course of time, his audience became sixty to seventy thousand people. They would listen to him with all their heart and mind and would drink deep from the fountain of his scholarly lectures.
This distinguished and ever-respected scholar, Sayyid Abu Muhammad ‘Abdu'l-Qadir, was born in Persia in the province of Jilan in the year 1077. He was called al-Jilani after the name of his birthplace. His father, Abu Salih, was a very religious person and a great ‘Aalim. Abu Salih was a descendant of Fatima’s son, Hasan and his wife was descended from her other son, Hussein.
From his boyhood, ‘Abdu'l-Qadir was very calm, quiet, thoughtful and a keen seeker of knowledge. In his childhood he studied Arabic and Persian in the local Madressa. When he was eighteen, he was sent to Baghdad to study the Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, theology, logic (Mantiq), history and philosophy in the famous Nizamiyya Madrasa of Baghdad. When he was setting out for Baghdad, his mother gave him forty gold coins and hid them by sewing them in his undergarment. On the way, his caravan was attacked by bandits. When they asked him if he had anything, he showed them his forty gold coins hidden in his undergarment. The bandit leader rebuked him for having admitted this. At this ‘Abdu'l-Qadir replied that this mother has asked him, when she bade him farewell, never to tell a lie, even at the risk of his life. The bandit leader, having heard this, was greatly moved, and he along with all the other bandits accepted Islam and vowed to live an honest life henceforward.
Having reached Baghdad, ‘Abdu'l-Qadir started swimming in the ocean of knowledge of the Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, and other related subjects. Soon he showed his genius as an excellent student by dint of his sharp memory and deep understanding. But he was more attracted to the spiritual side of learning, and Sufism made its full impact on him. Side by side with his studies in the Nizamiyya Madressa he freely mixed with all the renowned Sufis of his time in Baghdad. In this way he got very closely acquainted with the famous Sufi of Baghdad, Hammad, who accepted him as one of his favourite disciples.
He dedicated himself to attaining the depths of Sufism by his constant devotion and association with the Sufis. After his studies were over, he preferred to live in loneliness away from the public, and to meditate on his Lord. He took on a strict and rigorous life of abstinence and austerity and used to spend his nights in prayer and meditation. He would complete one reading of the Quran, almost every night, by keeping himself awake; and it is said that with one Wudhu' (ablution) he used to say the Esha' and Fajr prayers. Then he left Baghdad and went to a lonely desert where he spent twenty-five years in meditation and self-purification. At that time he had the look of an ascetic, unworldly, man. The goal of this long course of Sufi self-purification was to know his Lord and he was successful in his quest.
From his Khutbahs and messages, anthologists have succeeded in collecting a comprehensive anthology under the title of Futuh al-Ghayb or the Openings from the Unseen. A part from this, another anthology of his Khutbahs, al-Fath ar-Rabbani and an anthology of poems are said to be of very superior literary and spiritual merit. They speak of his deep insight into the spiritual world as well as of his profound sympathy for people and for all the creatures of Allah. His knowledge of this world and of the spirit is unbounded. His scholarship of the Quran and Sunnah was both intensive and extensive and his self-purification and sacrifices for the cause of his Lord were truly remarkable. It is for this that Allah has granted him the honour of the title of Ghawth al-A'dham and the title of Muhyiddin.
He was undoubtedly one of the greatest ‘Ulama' of the world and one of the greatest scholars of Islam. He is said to have written more than forty books on Islam, but unfortunately none of these invaluable books is available in any library of the world. It is quite possible that during the Hulugu holocaust in Baghdad in 1258 all these books were burnt along with the destruction of the historic city.
‘Abud'l-Qadir al-Jilani with his profound knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and with his limitless belief in Allah and by his countless sacrifices and struggles, served his people and his Lord. Indeed he deserved to be called the Ghawth al-A'dham.Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon
Yeah, sure we say this statement when someone dies. Also some of us may say this sentence when they lose something, suffer a setback or harm.
But………..do you know what it means?
Sure, everyone know that it obviously means 'To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.'
But that's not what I am talking about.
I mean ….do you REALLY, TRULY understand these words and their implications in a Muslim's life?
It means …whatever we have is not really ours. It belongs to Allah.
Take a look around you; everything you see, all that you have and all that there is….in you, on you, around you….belongs to Allah, alone.
It is Allah Who has given you all the property and goods you possess, and that He is the true Owner of them all.
So the cars that you own, the houses that you live in, the businesses you possess all truly belong to Allah
The kids that He blessed you with, the health that He gave you, the time that He has allowed you are all Allah's property.
Even the bodies we live in and the life that we have belongs to Allah alone.
"And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth…." (Surah Aal-Imraan:180)
"The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things." ( Surat al-Ma'ida: 120)
'Say: 'To Allah belongs the East and the West…' (Surah al-Baqarah:142)
Now, since everything belongs to Allah, then we have to include even our souls in that list. The very souls that we think of as our "self"; our "nafs"; our "being" -- whatever you want to call it -- that very thing that distinguishes you from the rest of the world, belongs to Allah. It's not YOURS.
In fact, YOU are not YOURS.
You belong to Allah.
And this is the essence of the concept of slavery to Allah in Islam.
And since He is the true Possessor of everything, and everything is His property, He allots what He wills to whomever He wills…….and then He takes it away. After all, it was Allah's to begin with.
So He may give you some thing and then take it back after a while.
He will bless you with a precious child that you love dearly…and then He may take it away.
He will grant you money, honour and status….and then He may take it away.
He will give you youth, vitality and health and then surely He will take it away.
In fact everything you have will only be with you for a very short while.
And then the Owner will claim His Right.
So when Allah does reclaim what was rightfully His, WHY MOURN OUR LOSSES?
Just like a friend who lends you his book. And then after a few days, he wants it back and you give it back to him…no regrets…..no sorrow….no questions asked.
Similarly, if Allah takes back some of His blessings upon you for some reason….so be it.
Say Alhamdulillaah.
Don't grieve. Be patient. Submit to the will of Allah, being pleased with His decision for you. For surely He will only do what is best for you.
Just think…..The Owner came and took it back.
Remember….that you're not the real owner…..you were NEVER the real owner to begin with. You only had everything because it was Allah who gave it to you in the first place. If He didn't give it to you, you wouldn't have had it in any way…in fact, you couldn't have had it.
Remember….man enters into this world empty handed…and leaves it empty handed.
Remember….that everything we have, all the blessings we enjoy, are gifts from Almighty Allah...gifts that we enjoy for a limited period until He takes them away whenever He deems fit.
They are a trust from Allah…a loan to you…to see how you respond to these gifts from Allah and how you use them….in the obedience of the Almighty, thanking Him and worshipping Him……OR……..to the disobedience to the One Who gave then to you in the first place.
Take note of the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) on the occasion of the death of his son, Ibraahim:
'Our eyes are filled with tears, our hearts with grief, but we say nothing with our lips except that which pleases Allah.... Verily, to Allah we belong, and to Him we return.' (Bukhaari)
And we all know the famous incidence about the companion Abu Talha and his wife when one of the sons died and Abu Talha was not at home. She washed and shrouded him and when Abu Talha came home and asked about his son, she said, 'The child is quiet and I hope he is in peace….' (Bukhaari)
Subhaan Allah….such patience!
And such Imaan in the statement "Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon"!
She truly understood its meaning and the affect it should have on her life as a Muslimah, submitting to him and being pleased with whatever He has decreed for her.
She knew that whatever she has, is not truly hers. Rather, it is Allah's….and He took back whatever He owns at its appointed time.
And it is because of this Imaan so strong, this understanding, that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) made dua for them and Allah blessed them immensely.
"'They (i.e. Abu Talha and his wife) had nine sons and all of them became reciters of the Quran (by heart)." (Bukhaari)
"Be sure we will test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives, but give glad tidings to those who are steadfast, who say when afflicted with calamity: 'To Allah we belong and to him is our return.' They are those on who (descend) blessings from Allah and mercy and they are the ones that receive guidance." (al-Baqarah: 155)
The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
AISHA RA
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The Life of Aisha RA is a wonderful Illustration that a Muslim woman can be a scholar and a teacher. Aisha RA exerted a Powerful influence in the early Islamic community and provided many others with inspiration and leadership. Her talks are still read in literature courses, her legal pronouncements are studied in law schools, and her life and works have been examined by students of Muslim history for nearly 1,400 years.
In her early childhood Aisha RA was brought up by her father, Abu Bakr RA, a man of wide knowledge and the closet friend of the Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam in her youth, Aisha RA was known for her striking beauty and her extraordinary memory.
Aisha RA married the Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam in 624 C.E, during the second year after the migration to Madinah, when she was about 14 or 15 years old. This was considered a normal age for marriage at that time. Before and after her wedding, Aisha RA maintained a natural gaiety and innocence. She was not overawed by her marriage to the Messenger of Allah SAW). Whom all his companions, including her own mother and father, treated with a level of love and reverence they gave to no one else. As his wife and close companions, she acquired from the Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam great depths of knowledge and insight.
Aisha RA lived for almost 50 years after the passing away of the Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam. She had been his wife for nearly a decade. Much of his time was spent in learning and acquiring knowledge of the Qura’an and the Hadith. Aisha RA became a Hafitha, one who memorized the entire Qura’an. She was one of four persons who transmitted more than two thousand Hadith. Many of these pertain to some of the most intimate aspects of the Prophet’s Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam life, which only someone in Aisha’s RA position could have witnessed.
Aisha RA was knowledgeable in law, mathematics, medicine, and poetry. Scholars regard her as one of the earliest legal experts of Islam along with the caliphs Umar and Ali RA. The Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam Referring to her extensive knowledge of Islam is reported to have said: “Learn a portion of your religion from this lady.”
Aisha RA also took an active part in education and social reform. She trained many boys and girls, and her house became an Islamic academy. As a teacher she had a clear persuasive manner of speech. One of the early Muslim said, “I have heard speeches of Abu Bakr RA and Umar, Uthman and Ali RA up to this day, but I have not heard speech more persuasive and more beautiful from the mouth of any person than from the mouth of Aisha RA.”
Aisha RA was the most respected woman of her time. Men and women came from far and wide benefit from her great knowledge. She died in the year 680 C.E. and was buried beside other companions of the Prophet Sallallahu Alyhi Wa Sallam.South African dock workers refuse to unload Israeli cargo
It follows the decision by dock workers there to strengthen the campaign in
The pledge by union members in
Last year,
In 1963, just four years after the Anti-Apartheid Movement was formed, Danish dock workers refused to offload a ship with South African goods. When the ship docked in
Last week, western Australian members of the Maritime Union of Australia resolved to support the campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against
“This is the legacy and the tradition that South African dock workers have inherited, and it is a legacy they are determined to honor,” the statement said, “by ensuring that South African ports of entry will not be used as transit points for goods bound for or emanating from certain dictatorial and oppressive states such as Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Israel.”
The union added that applauds “the millions of workers all over the world who have openly condemned and taken decisive steps to isolate apartheid Israel, a step that should send shockwaves to its arrogant patrons in the United States who foot the bill for Israel's killing machine.”
“We call on other workers and unions to follow suit and to do all that is necessary to ensure that they boycott all goods to and from
The group also welcomed statements by various South African Jews of conscience “who have dissociated themselves from the genocide in
