Needing You

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah to be back in KL. It's a humbling experience when we realize our neediness. That we are fearful of our safety while traveling. That we have a thousand needs. We will never know if we would reach the next bend of the road. We are fearful, hopeful and needy.

Before leaving Penang, I took the opportunity to visit a special little mosque - Masjid Maqbul. I have heard so much about the masjid from my mother but was never inspired to visit until yesterday. As you may have guessed, I was drawn to the masjid because I had a need and was unsure if it would be granted.

The masjid is one of the oldest mosques in Penang. It started as a musolla and later rebuilt as a proper masjid in 1850s by the Malays and Indian Muslims. It had survived heavy bombings during the Japanese occupation in Malaya in 1940s. Clearly it is a masjid that was built on taqwa, by a renowned ulama, Abdul Ghani of Madura. The masjid served as an important stop-over for Achehnese (Indonesians) traders who sailed up the nearby river. As its name suggests the masjid is well known to have people's du'as maqbul.

When I realized my neediness for barakah of ulama and saints from olden times, only then did I discover the richness of the deen. That the rijalul ghayb (the hidden helpers) are always around to assist. That the deen is rich with mercy. All we need to do is humble ourselves and connect to the spiritual realm, though unseen, reachable by a believing heart.

Ibn Ata’illah said in his magnum opus Al-Hikam:

“Become realized in your neediness,

and He will assist you through His richness.”

May Allah grant maqbul to my petition and yours too.

Ameen.

Al-Fatihah to the founder of Masjid Maqbul - Allahyarham Tuan Guru Abdul Ghani.