Eidul Adha Mubarrak 2020

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah that we have come to embrace another Eid. I hope it comes with better circumstances for all of us. "Better" is both subjective and relative, of course. In any case, may Allah grant us the strength to see the positive sides in all His af'al. 

I came across one encouraging statement by one learned man. He says the best way to advise oneself is by advising others. Though I would like to emphasize that this space is not about advising others, it's just an ordinary sharing platform. Today I wish to advise myself to rejoice in His qudrah.  Indeed, He is over all things competent.

 

Quran 3:26

Eid Mubarrak!

Eid Mubarrak | Selamat Hari Raya 2020

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

I am about a week late, LOL, but it does not matter as long as I am present here and now with an ever joyful heart that is full of gratitude.

But I must admit I was a little surprised to see one of the weekly most visited postings: "How to heal a broken heart" LOL.

I hope, if you happen to be broken-hearted, don't despair, we belong to Allah, and he/she who might have caused you to be broken-hearted also belongs to Allah. If he/she has cheated on you, or hurt you, let it be cos he/she is not worthy of remembrance because you are enough to face the Lord. The Lord did not say, 'Come back to me in pairs' LOL. You are your own person. You do not need anyone's validation except the Prophet's salallah alaihi wasalam.

I pray, your heart and mind will be liberated and thereby attain real success. I pray Allah will facilitate your affairs and show you things as they really are. That you have the awareness and a firm resolve to truly understand that you should flee from Allah to Allah, from His wrath to His mercy, from darkness to Light, from Jalal to Jamal. That you recognize Him in both states, qabdhu, and basthu. That you contemplate His manifestations upon yourself and on the horizon too. And ultimately realize that it is all His and everything perishes save His Face.

When He capacitates us in such a manner, it will be easy to leave all matters that do not concern us. Our job is to focus on and follow our own course. Every day will be Eid if we could comprehend our raison d'etre and liberate our soul.

***

Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir & batin.

- E. Ismail

Ramadhan Kareem 1441 Hijri | Flee to the Almighty

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

I hope this posting finds you well, and that you and I shall be given good health and tawfiq by Allah from Day 1 of Ramadhan until the last day, to fast and perform all other ibadah in the best manner, and that Allah would accept it from us. Aamiin Allahumma Aamiin.

It is humbling, to say the least, that we cannot visit the House of Allah this Ramadhan as most countries are on lockdown. Below is a screenshot of my neighborhood mosque. How blessed are they! They are the chosen ones. But I am sure they are missing us too, the jemaah. 

This mosque customarily broadcasts majlis taalim via FB Live every single day after Maghrib and Subuh, sometimes during Duha too. The number of viewers rarely exceeds 20 (if I am not mistaken), yet the show goes on. Since March 18th, 2020, only three of them (imam/bilal) are allowed to carry out their duties at the mosque. HRH the Sultan of Selangor has decreed the closure of all mosques in Selangor until 31st May 2020.

This is a picture of them reciting a special du'a in conjunction with the arrival of Ramadhan. During Ramadhan, on a daily basis at 6.30 pm, they would broadcast Yaasin and Tahlil recitations prior to Iftar and Tadarrus Al Quran at 9.45 pm.

Eve of Ramadhan
23 April 2020

I thought this photo should be here to honor them and to document this unprecedented occasion that has befallen the entire world. 

As we perform our prayers, particularly, teraweh at home, it is worth reflecting on the lessons that the pandemic has presented to us. As for me, I want to regard it as an opportunity to truly be alone with the Alone, albeit inwardly, and to be in seclusion (khalwat) with the Almighty, as if He is reminding us to not fret because He is nearer to us than our jugular veins and that this entire world is a mosque. So let us set some big, hairy audacious goals - daily Ramadhan goals. Let's strive, fastabiqul khairat! 

Setting goals and recording our progress would be useful as it would remind and motivate us. Since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced in Malaysia, I pledged to make 500 selawat a day (the one taught by Habib Umar asking Allah for mighty support). I am pleased to share with you especially the young ones, a photo of my selawat progress report. Since 19th March 2020, I have so far recited over 17,000 selawat. On some days, I do slightly more than 500, as I might get busy with my MBA assignments on other days. So I know how much I have slacked and how much I have to speed up. There were days when I felt overwhelmed or a little unmotivated, so this small notebook served as a beautiful picker-upper. I would run my fingers through the numbers as if it was braille for my blind heart, reminding me of what truly matters in life.

Sometimes I wished I could save RM500 a day and make similar records. LOL. A friend shared with me a beautiful custom-designed Ramadhan scorebook. It does not matter the form or format. This notebook of mine costs merely RM5, but to me, it is worth more than RM5,000 as it symbolizes my love and commitment to keeping my line-of-sight with the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam. I hope to continue doing this post-MCO for as long as I live InShaAllah. I am sharing this because I wished someone had told me to do this when I was in my 20s or 30s. I wished selawat had become a natural thing to do then. But that's ok, what is important is that I can keep harping on this until it falls on the hearts of the young ones among us, bi-iznillah.

Today is also a humbling day as I reflect on Allah's generosities towards me, the way He has been facilitating my affairs and surprising me with boons. It would be a great shame if I cannot offer extra gratitude to Allah. I have a means, this laptop, to speak good about Him and about the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam. It would be a shame if a good thought passes my mind about posting a positive sharing, but I don't act upon it. Indeed, we have to proclaim the bounty of the Lord, He is Al-Kareem, Al-Wali, Al-Wadud.

He is Al-Hadi Al-Aleem. We would not know a thing, had He not guide and teach us. 

Let's flee to the Almighty.

WaSalamualaikum warahmatullah,

- E. Ismail

Give value to time | Isolate

Bismillah.

This is just another personal reflection.

Khalwat or isolation or social distancing has always been good for the soul. But social distancing in the context of a spiritual khalwat is not about keeping a distance of 1 or 2 meters between people. It is about occasionally distancing oneself from the crowd altogether, it is about going into a private retreat where one isolates him/herself at a quiet space, to mind one's own business, particularly one's transactions with the Creator.

It is a common practice for those who are on the spiritual path. They would actively cleanse their souls by committing to khalwat. How do they give value to time during khalwat? They commit to inward and outward servitude. I think even if we can't do a proper khalwat, it is wise to distance our hearts from the mortals and the irrelevance.  

All of a sudden millions of people are in khalwat though a majority might not realize it. I was reminded of the term khalwat upon watching a tausiyah by Habib Novel Al-Aydrus two weeks ago. He advised the audience to take advantage of the Movement Control Order (MCO) or the likes of it as practiced in your respective countries.

It is indeed a good opportunity to gear up on one's amal. I must admit as someone who is a recluse, unsociable, an introvert, I have always practiced social distancing LOL. I am loving it!

I hope a sizeable sample of the population who are on quarantine would stumble on this blog and find the postings useful, some of them, if not all. I hope the old yet timeless lessons from the shuyukh would give value to your time. 

The present circumstances made me question myself in terms of the value I had given to time in the old world - the world before the C-outbreak. It made me realize even more of the importance of journaling and documenting the lessons and experiences we had. If we did not make an attempt to record the paths trodden be it through photography or writing, it would be just like a blank paper without meaning. Though it might be possible to find some traces of our past smears in a hater's record. Why carry other people's baggage?

I pray so that Allah would give us the strength to ignore matters that are not of our concern. Except maybe the good of humanity in general and certainly not Mr. A's episode B or Miss B's episodes A, B, and C.

The episodes of our lives are indeed unique. How each one of us gives value to time is also unique, it is like a private conversation with the Lord, a private interaction with Him who records even that of our non-movement and silence. So let's use our time wisely.

May Allah keep us safe in His most perfect protection.

Aamiin.

****

'Business as Usual' during quarantine = studying, online meetings re office work & MBA assignments and caring for my dear mother. Plus, manually recording in a notebook, my 500 daily selawat and the zikir assigned by Habib Umar bin Hafiz for the month of Shaaban. I am pretty sure there are people who do 1000+ selawat or 3000 zikir a day. I wish more people would openly share their selawat/zikir routine. To me, it is like a good campaign. It is not self-advertising. It is advertising the Prophet (salallah alaihi wasalam) and reminding people to nourish their souls. Unfortunately, the ads on Dalgona coffee has gotten a lot more air-time. LOL.

Anyways, I love appearing in the blogosphere more than I do on other socmed platforms. I think it has got something to do with you, who have husnul zan towards me. Thank you!

Fi amanillah.

***

Habib Novel's tausiyah on khalwat 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B93-hJGclr4
[in the Indonesian language, though]

Zikir for Shaaban 1441 Hijri as recommended by Habib Umar bin Hafiz

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

Let us all act upon this assignment. To state the obvious, Habib Umar is recommending it to us for our own good, in this world and the hereafter.

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to act upon it. May Allah make our tongues light and inclined to lofty affirmations. May Allah enliven our hearts with the remembrance of His Essence.

Aamiin Allahumma aamiin.

Pic credit: Nabawi TV

Kembali kepada yang bererti

Bismillah.

Dalam keheningan malam, dalam kecelaruan suasana, dalam kekalutan dunia, naluri kita acap kali membawa diri kembali kepada yang bererti. Yang bererti itu adalah sesuatu yang mendamaikan, sesuatu yang meyakinkan, suatu kebenaran yang tiada ragu padanya.

Saya terpanggil untuk kembali ke sini untuk beberapa ketika, menjenguk ruang yang sering menenangkan hati saya. Bukan kerana apa yang pernah tersurat di sini, tetapi kerana ianya ibarat ruang kosong yang menerima apa sahaja yang dicurahkan, tanpa prejudis. Ia bagai telinga yang selalu sudi mendengar apa jua tempo keluhan, apa saja melodi perasaan.

Seumpama kata-kata Rumi: "Di luar batasan tanggapan yang benar mahupun yang salah, terdapat satu ruang. Di situ kita bertemu."

Sebagai manusia biasa, lumrah bagi kita mengimbau masa lalu dan menilai perjalanan kehidupan. Di usia di mana saya berada, berdasarkan pengalaman, saya merasakan adalah menjadi kewajipan saya untuk mengingatkan seramai mungkin manusia, sesiapa jua, bahawa hanya satu perkara yang paling bermakna dalam kehidupan ini - hubungan hati anda terhadap seorang manusia bergelar Kekasih Allah. Seorang yang perwatakannya dan perkataannya benar sebenar-benarnya sehingga membawa kepada gelaran Al-Amin.

Dalam kealpaan diri, terhoyong-hayangnya kadar iman bertukar-tukar, betapa kucar-kacir sekalipun rutin seharian, dengan cabaran dari luaran, ditokok keterbatasan kekuatan dalaman, wahai jiwa, kau capailah satu penawar hakiki. Penawar hakiki yang menyembuhkan, tiada lain selain ingatan kepada Taha, Ahmadur Rasulullah, Muhamadur Rasulullah.          

Apakala ingat, sebutlah namanya, sampaikanlah salam dan ucapan untuknya baginda salallah alaihi wasalam. Ingatan terhadapnya dan hati yang terkait kepadanya dengan amalan selawat, itulah satu-satunya penyelamat jiwa. Itulah satu-satunya penyejuk hati. Itulah satu-satunya yang paling bererti.

Apa saja yang berada di tangan kita baik harta, nama, ataupun kuasa, tiada nilainya, tidak sebanding nilai hubungan rohani kita kepada seorang yang sangat bererti. Maka carilah, pupuklah, dan peliharalah hubungan itu. Sejauh manapun diri tersasar, selama mana pun waktu yang telah dipersia, kembalilah kita semua kepada yang bererti.

- E. Ismail

   

Pic credit: Shabbir Siraj
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shabbir/3094170876 

Seeking mighty support | Selawat taught by Habib Umar bin Hafiz

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

I feel obliged to convey even a single verse and encourage a good deed even if it is small, even if it was already spoken about in 2015.

We have found ourselves in a big predicament, health-wise, and economically too. In the Malaysian context, it started to get worse in mid-March 2020. As you are all aware, I am referring to the Coronavirus pandemic that snowballed from China to the rest of the world. The heartbreaking status, worldwide, as of now, is as shown below:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Two Malaysians have died, and the latest count of confirmed cases is 790 for Malaysia. This number will skyrocket if Malaysians do not observe the restriction of movement as ordered by the authorities. According to the health experts, we have a small window of time to curb the spread of the virus; else, we'll see a spike in the graph just like what happened in Italy, among others. In the next few days, the number could increase to 2000 cases, and from then on it would quickly climb to 4000 cases if we do not make an effort to practice social distancing and restrict our movements. By then, the health-care support would be severely strained!

***

I think it is wise to recite this selawat taught by Habib Umar in 2015.

Allahumma ya nikmal mawla 
wa ya nikmal nasir
salli wa salim 'adada 'ilmika
'ala Sayyidina Muhammad
man ja'altahu lana 
hirzan harizan
wa 'ala alihi wasahbihi
wan surna bihi wal muslimina
bi asrari 
wa yan surakallahu nasran 'aziza

O Allah, O Best of Protectors and Best of Supporters,
bestow prayers and peace to the amount of Your knowledge
upon our Master Muhammad
the one You made for us an impregnable fortress
and upon his family and companions
and by him, support us and all Muslims
through the secrets of
'That Allah may support you with mighty support.'

***
We are Muslims; thus, we pray in our own unique way, and this is one of the afdhal ways - making selawat and tawassul through the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam.

There are many Muslim doctors, nurses, health-workers around the world who are working around the clock, as there are thousands of infected patients. There are thousands of people whose sustenance has been adversely affected directly or indirectly due to the Movement Control Order issued by the Malaysian Government from 18 to 31st March 2020.

We pray so that Allah will support them and support us with mighty support. Today is Day 1 of the Movement Control Order. During these 14 days, let's busy ourselves with making this selawat. This, I remind myself, first and foremost.

***

The original posting in 2015 where I mentioned this selawat taught by Habib Umar bin Hafiz:

https://lisanaldin.blogspot.com/2015/01/new-salawat-taught-by-habib-umar-bin.html

May we benefit from the lesson, and may we draw strength from the awliya and solehin.

Aamiin.

Wa iza mariztu fahuwa yashfin
And when I am ill, it is He who cures me.
Al Quran: As Shu'ara: 26:80

Pic credit: http://www.imagekind.com/

"Hanya takut kepada Allah. Jangan takut pada penyakit. Tetapi jangan sombong terhadap penyakit. Berwaspada itu wajib. Berubat itu sebahagian daripada iman."

- Habib Novel Alaydrus, Solo, Indonesia, 14 Mac 2020

"Tidak bersalaman itu adalah ikhtiar. Ikhtiar itu adalah sebahagian daripada tawakkal."

- Habib Syech AsSegaf, Solo, Indonesia, 18 Mac 2020

Beautiful gathering at Masjid ArRaudhah, Indonesia on 13 March 2020

Bismillah.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Habib Novel bin Muhammad Alaydrus [pic: left] is a regular host at Masjid ArRaudhah in Solo at Central Java, Indonesia. I have been actively (albeit remotely) following the majlis taalim and mawlid organized in Java, particularly those held at Masjid ArRaudhah and Gedung Bustanul Ashikin [hosted by Habib Syech AsSegaf].

During a majlis last Friday, Habib Novel said this week's event would be extra special on three accounts: to commemorate the upcoming Israk Mikraj, his birthday and there'd be a couple of special invitees.

Masjid ArRaudhah was well decorated with beautiful bouquets of flowers. To be frank, I've not seen mosques in Malaysia being decorated with flowers on any occasion. Ever since I follow the live streamings on Nabawi TV [a YouTube channel that focuses on Indonesian events], I'd noticed many beautiful event set-ups. So I'd like to say Mabruk Indonesia!

The gathering hosted by Habib Novel was casual and jovial, as always, as he's a humorous person. The crowd, both at the mosque and online, were clearly pleased to see the three special guests, namely Ustaz Abdul Somad [top pic: center], Habib Segaf Baharun [top pic: right] and Buya Yahya [below pic].  

Buya Yahya
(full name: Yahya Zainul Ma'arif, is leader of the Al-Bahjah pesantren headquartered in Cirebon)

Absolutely beautiful majlis, zahir & batin.

Habib Segaf Baharun
[son of a prominent Indonesian ulama who founded Pesantren Dalwa, Habib Hasan bin Ahmad Baharun;
 Habib Segaf who is also a student of many high caliber scholars including Sayyid Muhammad Al-Maliki & Habib Zain bin Smith, is a fiqh expert and author of several books on fiqh for women]

Ustaz Abdul Somad [center] is one entertaining Indonesian dai'e who holds a Ph.D. qualification from an Islamic university in Sudan, he now lectures at a university in Riau, Indonesia.  

When Habib Novel asked the three guest scholars how they felt about being in the same gathering, Ustaz Abdul Somad's reply in the Indonesian language was succinct and profound. He said: "Semua kata kalau dicerita dengan kata, kata pasti berdusta." Should one make an attempt to describe his feelings in words, his words would tantamount to a lie as it is impossible to accurately describe one's emotions.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Habib Novel reminded the audience to only fear Allah and not fear the Coronavirus or any illnesses. Yet one should not be arrogant towards it, instead one should always be vigilant. To seek medical remedy is a part of faith [iman] and one should also seek 'medication' by making plenty of du'a. One du'a that is highly recommended is Selawat Thibbil Qulub. It is said to be a cure for any kind of illness if one were to recite it 4000 times.

Habib Novel is one who regularly reminds his jemaah to have big intentions [niyyat]. In one of his previous lectures that I watched, he talked about his ambitions to expand Masjid ArRaudhah. Nothing is impossible, "I used to only own a motorbike, but I dare dream of building a mosque such as this."

During the lively session last night, Habib Segaf Baharun shared one unforgettable lesson his father taught him. His late father, a well-known dai'e, once told Habib Segaf: "Engkau Segaf, harus merasa kamu itu paling rendahnya orang. Dan harus berada di titik null." That he should feel as if he is the most insignificant person no matter where he goes, and that he is nothing.

Allahu a'lam.

**

p/s

Just a few takeaways there from the live streaming on Nabawi TV last night. Please pray for me as I've got tonnes of office and MBA assignments to do, it's terrifying. But still, I thought the majlis at Masjid ArRaudhah was too beautiful to let it slip from this blog. Alhamdulillah ala kulli hal.

Credit: https://www.facebook.com/Nabawitv/

Habib Novel's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTsr6hqd0OnmaPY5YPrhLQ

"Bersama-sama doakan orang yang sakit dan doakan yang takut sakit, kerana itu penyakit hati yang lebih parah. Kita doakan biar semuanya sembuh, dan yang sihat, tidak terkena penyakit apa-apa. Dengan Selawat Thibbil Qulub..."

- Habib Novel Alaydrus

Habib Umar bin Hafiz's recommended practice for the month of Rejab 1441 Hijri [Year 2020]

Bismillah.


Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, we have reached the beginning of the three best months - Rejab. May Allah let us live to see Shaaban and Ramadhan. Aamiin.

Below is Habib Umar's recommended practice for Rejab.
We are encouraged to recite it 3000x or more.

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِما يَعْلَمُهُ الله

 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ كَما يُحِبُّهُ الله

Astaghfirullah lima ya’lamuhullah

Astaghfirullah kama yuhibbuhullah

I seek the forgiveness of Allah for everything that He knows;
I seek Allah's forgiveness in the way that He loves.

May Allah capacitate our limbs to keep busy in the ways that are pleasing to Him.

May Allah make it light for our tongues and hearts to make plenty of istighfar every single day of Rejab.

May Allah forgive you and me for everything that He knows about us. May Allah forgive you and me in the way that He loves.

Aamin Ya Rabbal 'alamin.


Source:
https://www.facebook.com/Nabawitv/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
https://www.facebook.com/Muwasala/

Qul Ya Azim & Ya Hannan Ya Mannan - Qasidah rendition by Superdervish | Lyrics for Qul Ya Azim & Ya Hannan Ya Mannan

Bismillah

The rhythm and moments I've missed. And keep longing ever since the passing of Almarhum Dato' Seri Shaykh Raja Ashman ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Shah (1958-2012), the former Naqshbandi-Haqqani Tariqa leader for Malaysia.

The below videos were recorded ten years ago at Almarhum's residence.

The qasidah band, comprised of talented boys from Kedah and Sarawak, led by Brother Amirul was just awesome. Videos of their performance are borrowed from the Superdervish YouTube channel. May Allah bless them with more significant success in dunya wal akhirah.

It was a privilege to be present at several of the majlis that Almarhum Shaykh Raja Ashman hosted. May Allah bless his soul and place him with the muqarabin. Aamin. Al Fatihah.

Let's have a look at the lyrics for Qul Ya Azim, taken initially from sufilive.com. It was first shared on this blog on 7th April 2011, a posting that garnered 10,000+ views. MashaAllah. The pull of  The Magnificent Al-Azeem.

https://lisanaldin.blogspot.com/2011/04/recite-qul-ya-azeem-orders-mawlana.html

May Allah pull us to Him and His Beloved Rasul [salallah alaihi wasalam].

***

Qul ya 'Azeem antal 'Azeem

qad hammanaa hammun 'Azeem

wa kullu hammin hammana

ya huunu bismika ya Azeem

Say O tremendous! You are the Tremendous One

We have been afflicted with a grave concern

And every concern we are worried about

becomes easy with the mention of Your Name, O Great One

Antal qadeem qadeemun fil azal

antal lateef lateefun lam tazal

'Anna azil maa qad nazaal

min faadhil khatbis-shadeed

You are the ancient one, ancient one

You are the subtle with subtleness everlasting

Remove from us what has befallen us

of grave and difficult afflictions

CHORUS
Qul ya 'Azeem antal 'Azeem
qad hammanaa hammun 'Azeem

wa kullu hammin hammana
ya huunu bismika ya Azeem 

Hayyun qadeem qadeemun waajidu
baaqi ghanee ghaniyyun maajidu
'Adlun ilaahi ilahun waahidu
barrun ra'uf ra'ufun bil 'abid
Living Ancient, Ancient and Generous
Immortal Rich, Rich, and Glorious
Just God, one God
God is Tender, tender with the servant

CHORUS

Wa lin nabiyyi salli ya salaam
minna salaatun maa salaam
yawmal jazaa nahnaa salaam
mimmaa nakhaa fu ya majeed
And upon the Prophet of Peace
From us send greetings and blessings
Grant us safety on Judgment Day
From all things which we fear, O Glorious One

CHORUS

Wal 'aali was sahbil usood
saadu bihi beedan wa sood
laa siyyamaa maahil hasood
sayfu' ilaah ibnul waleed
And the lions from the Family and Companions
Became masters through him, regardless of being white or black
Especially the one who wipes out great armies
the Sword of Allah (Khalid) son of al-Waleed

CHORUS
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa baarik 'alayhi wa 'alaa alaih

Both videos are from Superdervish channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffj2HLDa5UI

Last but not least, I am pleased to offer the transliteration and translation for Ya Hannan Ya Mannan for the first time here. It was done based on the Arabic script and Indonesian translation, made available on 'Lirik Sholawat' Facebook dated 1st March 2019. 

Kindly highlight any mistakes and forgive me for it. 

Allahu a'lam.

***

Ya Hannan Ya Mannan Ya Khadimal ehsan

O Most Loving, Most Beneficent Lord whose compassion is without beginning

Bahrujuudik malyan judlana bil ghufron

The ocean of Your generosity is abundant, so forgive us

Jud lihazal insan 'abda suu in khozyan 

Be generous toward me, one ugly despicable servant

Min zunu bih wahlan kho-if innak khodban

One who is full of sins, fearful of Your wrath

Robbana nastagh fik robbana nastar dhik

O Lord, we ask for Your forgiveness and mercy

Walana zonnu fik ya roja ahlal iman

We think well of you O Lord, unto You the believers pin their hopes

CHORUS

Ya Hannan Ya Mannan Ya Khadimal ehsan

O Most Loving, Most Beneficent Lord whose compassion is without beginning

Bahrujuudik malyan judlana bil ghufron

The ocean of Your generosity is abundant, so forgive us

***

La tughaiyib ro ji tahta baabik laa jii

Do not forsake Your servant who begs at Your door

Lam yazal fidda jii kho ilan Ya Hannan

The darkness persists in pleading O Most Beneficent

Nin nabiyyil 'ummi wa Khadijah ummi

By the name of the unlettered Prophet and Khadijah the mother

Wal batuulil khotmi sayyida tin niswan

And Fatimah the devout worshipper, the female leader of Heaven

***

Ref:

Lirik Sholawat Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Lirik-Sholawat-375214303032959/posts/

Habib Muhammad bin Alwi Al-Haddad on the Leadership of Prophet Muhammad (salallah alaihi wasalam)

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

I watched the recording of Habib Muhammad's post-Subuh lecture at Masjid Namira, South Jakarta the other day. I've revisited it today and translated it cos it's absolutely worthy of sharing. It is not fully verbatim, but almost.

The recording was published on Nabawi TV Facebook on 1st Feb 2020.

Habib Muhammad bin Alwi Al-Haddad began by praising Allah and making salutations to the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam; and he recited this du'a among others:

Alhamdulillahil lazi hada na li haza
wama kunna linah tadiya lau laaa an hada nallah.
[Praise be to Allah for guiding us,
had He not guided us, we will never be guided.]

**

Dear all,

We gather here this morning to reminisce, to remember, to discuss the one and only leader; Allah has not created a leader greater than him; a leader of zahir and batin, not just a leader in dunya but also a leader in akhirah, a leader who is not only concerned about his family and cronies but a leader for the entire humanity who will eventually witness his leadership on the Day of Qiyamah. Such a great position he holds, our honorable Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam. His position is extremely lofty that it is difficult for us to deliberate. It is a complex subject. 

There is a line from Qasidah Burdah by Imam Busiri:
'Verily, the eminence and holiness of  Prophet Muhammad's rank is unbounded.'

If it was bounded, anyone would be able to articulate it. His position is amazingly eminent that it is hard for us to discuss the Prophet's position comprehensively.

Habib Ali Al-Habsyi in his narration in Simtud Duror says: "Our tongues cannot explain, except for a tiny speck of the Prophet's characteristics." Nevertheless, let us try to look into his leadership qualities based on what we have read from historical records as related by the sahabah.

A leader is expected to possess several criteria. A leader must be one who is bighearted. Do you not think the Prophet is one who is beneficent?

Prophet Musa made a request to Allah, as in the oft-quoted du'a: Rabbish rahli sadri... (O my Lord, expand my heart.). Prophet Musa pleaded to Allah, whereas Prophet Muhammad did not ask for it, yet he was given: Alam nashroh laka sadrak... "Did We not expand for you [O Muhammad] your heart...?"

Imagine the vastness of the Prophet's heart. He is a leader of dunya and akhirah. How expansive is his heart?! I cannot fathom discussing the expansiveness of the Prophet's heart.

There is a story about one student who approached his guru. The student was confused and complaining to his guru about his problems, this and that. 'Come let's do this', said the guru. 'Take a handful of salt. Use your hand. Put it in a glass of water.' The student did as told. 'What do you think of the water now?' asked the guru. 'It must be very salty' the student replied. 'Now take a handful of salt and follow me'. The guru then took the student to a lake and made him throw the salt into the lake. 'Now taste the water, let's see if it has become salty.' The salinity of the water at the lake did not change obviously. 'Do you understand me now?' asked the guru.

If you were glass and you have a handful of problems, you'd feel it. But if you were a lake and you had to face the same amount of problems, you wouldn't be affected at all. Therefore, have a big heart. Your heart should be upgraded. Upgrade your heart as requested by Prophet Musa: Rabbish rahli sadri.

   

A leader is surely confronted with all kinds of problems and complaints channeled to him. If his heart is small, he would surely find it difficult, he would feel chaotic. But if his heart was as large as a lake, he would not be disturbed. The challenges are the same, but he won't feel it.

Now imagine the Prophet's heart?

We are a normal human being with common physical attributes. The tallest among us is maybe 2-meter in height. How much does our body weigh? Our physique is limited. But our batin is capable of an upgrade just like the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam.

We are all leaders. Kullukum ra'in. You may be a leader for your family, you may be a leader for yourself, a business, or a community. Therefore we should be asking from Allah as did Prophet Musa, and as granted by Allah to Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam so that He expands our hearts.

In a hadith qudsi, Allah describes the earth and the heavens as being relatively small by His measure. The earth by our measure is indeed huge. How many hectares do you reckon? The skies are even bigger if we were to measure. It is extremely vast, but to Allah, it is not. So 'What is big then to You O Allah?'  'The heart of my servant, the heart of a Mukmin is huge. I can pour anything I wish onto the heart of my servant that even the earth and the heavens cannot contain.'

So, we can only marvel at the capacity of the Prophet's heart.

There is a verse in the Quran where Allah says: Lau anzalna hazal Quran... 'Had We sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have seen it breaking asunder...' The mountains will be crushed. Yet Allah revealed the Quran to the Prophet's heart.

As a leader, no matter how small our circle of influence, we need to have what the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam has -- a heart that is wide and far-reaching. May Allah expand our hearts InshaAllah. Aamiin.

A leader is usually judged by the service or facilities that he could offer. But the Prophet did not have much to offer in this aspect. There was a time when he had to pawn his armored-shirt to buy some food for his family. Why did the Prophet do that? Why didn't the Prophet ask for a loan from the sahabah? Imagine if he were to do that? The sahabah would have gladly given the Prophet what he needed for free. They would have competed to do the Prophet a favor. But Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam did not wish to take advantage of his followers. Imagine how much the Prophet was revered and loved by the sahabah who were ever willing to give up their wealth, even their lives for the sake of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Yet Rasulullah chose to transact with his Jew neighbor instead. Surely the armored shirt was highly valuable and could fetch a big sum of money, so much more than the value that he had pawned. He did not seek the money to renovate his home or buy a car. It was for his family's provision. It was clear that the Prophet was not willing to take advantage of his position.

Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam was a tawadhu' (humble) leader. He was very humble that he would carry his own stuff. Imagine if we were to see our guru carrying his groceries. We would quickly walk up to him to offer a hand. Prophet insisted on carrying his own bags. He refused help, saying: La. Sohibu syai ahakubi syai ihi. Sohibu syai ahakubi hamlih. One should carry one's own things.

Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam was a leader who was very appreciative of his followers. Robi'ah bin Kaab was one of 60 ashabul suffah at Masjid Nabawi. The ashabul suffah did not have a home so they lived at the compound of Masjid Nabawi and would only eat if there was any food available at the mosque, otherwise, they would just fast. They were fuqara who lived a meager life. Saidina Abu Hurairah was their leader.

Robi'ah bin Kaab of Bani Aslam was among them. Robi'ah was one who often voluntarily prepared ablution water for the Prophet, for his night prayers, for anything at all, he was quick to volunteer. So one day, Rasulullah asked him, 'Tell me, what is it that you wish for, O Robi'ah?'

Imagine the Prophet making such an offer. Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam was one who never said no to people. He never said 'La' [No], for any requests made to him. Even his great-grandson Saidina Ali Zainal Abidin ibni Hussain would not say no to anyone. A poet by the name of Farazdah said: Imam Ali never said la except during tashyahud - Ash haduan la ilaha illallah....If not for tasyahud, all he would say is na'am [yes].  

So when the Prophet asked Robi'ah if he had any request; according to some riwayat, he responded immediately, and some said, he asked for a few days to think about it. The offer from Prophet Muhammad was certainly a golden opportunity, it would not come again. So he said he would come back after three days. 

When he met the Prophet after three days, Robi'ah mentioned his one and only request: As aluka mura faqotaka fil jannah. 'I want to be with you in Heaven.' 

Now, what about us? Imagine if we were to meet Prophet Khidir, let alone Prophet Muhammad. Imagine Khidir saying: 'Tell me what you want?' We would surely ask for worldly matters. Oh Khidir, I want to go to Hajj. I want to be this...I want that. But Robi'ah asked for something so great. He did not only want to go to Heaven, but he also wanted to be with the Prophet in Heaven! 

What about us? What chances do you think you have about going to Heaven? Some might say, yes it's easy, some would say no, it's not easy. Robi'ah did not hesitate to ask for such a big favor.

Well, we too ask for a big favor during mawlid. We say Rabbi balighna bijahi fi jiwari khayra maq'ad. We ask for the best Heaven, close to the Prophet. Did you realize what you were asking for? That's a big request. But that's all right because the Prophet told us to never ask for small things and to ask for Syurga Firdaus [the Highest Heaven]. If we were to rely on our ibadah to get to Heaven, we would surely fail because of the poor quality of our worship. 

Imagine how a dashboard product can get rejected due to a small defect. That's a Japanese standard. What about the quality of our solat? Imagine the difference between Japanese standards and Allah's standards? Of course, the latter is far greater.

Habib Abdullah bin Hussain bin Tohir, a grand wali said; "O Lord, we have not much amal. Our amal is so flawed." Indeed our solat is full of flaws. At times, in our Zohor prayers, we lose count on the number of rakaat. Our ibadah is far from perfect.

The Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam did not say no to Robi'ah. He said: 'Your request is a big one. Help me help you. Make plenty of sujud.' So make plenty of sujud.      

I wish to conclude my talk with a hadith. If we were to practice as told, we would surely be safe in Qiyamah. The Prophet's leadership would be clear for all to see during Qiyamah. As a leader, he would be ready to help us. When our deeds get measured on the mizan, that is where we will need shafaat from the Prophet. At that point, if you could see the Prophet there, you know you'll do fine.

There is a hadith, I have just read from a kitab by Abuya Sayyid Muhammad Al-Maliki. Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam said: 'Whoever helps fulfill the wishes of his family or neighbors...' For example, your neighbor needs to go to the hospital but he does not have transport. So you offer your car. Or whatever else that people might wish for, you fulfill.

If you do this, the Prophet said: I would intercede and help you at the mizan. If you have a lot of good deeds, then good for you. Should you lack good deeds and you have a lot of sins, that's where I will help you. I will grant shafaah. That is if you are one who is quick to help others.

Let us practice what we have learned from this hadith. May we get to gather with Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam in akhirah. 

Forgive me for any mistakes in my speech, as it is entirely my fault. 

Wasalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

***

Allahu a'lam. May I be forgiven for any omissions and errors in the translation. If you can understand the Indonesian language, I encourage you to check out the recording at:

https://www.facebook.com/Nabawitv/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU_SXlL_rAo

Do highlight to me should you find any mistakes. Jazakumullahu khairan kasira for your moral support towards this blog, wal afuw minkum.

***

The value of 'La ilaha illallah' - Habib Alwy bin Abdrurrahman Al-Habsyi

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum,
Hi Guys,

It's strange but suddenly I've become a little more attached to this blog, again. Well...that's because I've been checking old entries to tidy them up, as in making necessary corrections and relabelling them. Occasionally, I'd also check what people read in real-time and what they've been reading in the past 24 hours. It's kinda fun as I too would read what people have just read and I found some old 'Personal Ramblings' of mine quite entertaining LOL. Oh yeah, we have a proverb in Malay to describe such self-praise, we say 'masuk bakul angkat sendiri'. LOL.

But you know we have to be our own number one supporter, our own number one fan, cos hey, we have got only one life to live and 'no one can do you better than you'. Right?

Anyway, on a serious note, I've been watching on a daily basis, sometimes twice a day, the live streamings on Nabawi TV YouTube channel. I wish I could make a proper entry about the lessons I learned in each of the majlis taalim or majlis mawlid that I watched. But I can't. Already, I have slacked a bit on my MBA research work. Haih!

So just quickly, one takeaway from the majlis taalim I watched on Nabawi TV this beautiful Sunday morning. A Sunday with a unique date: 2.2.2020. I am not sure I'll live long enough until 2.3.2030 but one thing for sure, I understand a bit better the value of La ilaha illallah and hope to fill whatever remaining years of my life, living it. Let's.

• We all know that we should quickly follow our bad deeds with good deeds (hasanat). Habib Alwy bin Abdurrahman Al-Habsyi [pic] said the easiest and the most weighty of good deeds to follow a transgression is by reciting La ilaha illallah. This was taught by Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam to Imam Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, a sahabi who was famous among the angels because of the amount of La ilaha illallah he recited all his life. Imam Abu Dharr asked for a wasiat from the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam. The Prophet told him to always have taqwa. 'What else O Rasulullah,' he asked. "Recite as much as you can La ilaha illallah." So he did as told and became well-known among the angels for that. That even Jibril sent his salam to Abu Dharr. 

• Imam Abu Dharr was also advised by the Prophet to cover up a bad deed with a good deed (hasanat) should he slip and make a mistake. Imam Abu Dharr asked the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam for reassurance if La ilaha illallah is considered a hasanat that could replace one's wrongdoings. The Prophet replied: "It is afdhalul hasanat to wipe off one's sin". It is! It is the most afdhal. The most effective sins-eraser if you will.  

• I realized now, it is a gamechanger. Because all this while whenever I fall into error, I thought OK let's plan aside a time, say tonight, pray extra and make extra istighfar. So there is a delay of perhaps 8 hours and my idea of a good deed that could replace my bad deed, was quite a task. Today I know, it's not as effective as reciting La ilaha illallah repeatedly and wholeheartedly. Simple. Easy!

• Habib Alwy also said, as recommended by one wali qutub Al-Imam Habib Abdullah bin Abu Bakar Al-Aydrus, we should close our eyes when reciting La ilaha illallah as it would penetrate our cells right to the core of our hearts and souls. 

• We should also lengthen the recitation as in Laaaaaa ilaaaaa haaaaa illaaaaalllllaaaaaaah because as said Habib Alwy, there is a hadith that says when a person does this, the Arash will shake and thereby Allah would grant pardon to the person until he/she completes the phrase. So the Prophet and sahabah would lengthen their recitals to prolong the state of afuw (forgiveness) from the Lord. 

• There is also a hadith about the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam pointing his index finger (forefinger) upwards signifying tawhid whenever he says La ilaha illallah. This was to emphasize the fact that there is no one on earth that is worthy to be worshipped except Allah. Ma min ilaahin fil wujudi bil haqqi illallah!

I hope I heard him right, that Arabic phrase. We all love learning new Arabic words, don't we? So, don't forget afdhalul hasanat = La ilaha illallah. 

Wish you all a productive week ahead.  

As ever,

E. Ismail

***

https://www.facebook.com/Nabawitv/

Contents are in the Indonesian language though.

"Don't be sad. We have Prophet Muhammad as our leader!" - Habib Syech As-Seggaf at Masjid At-Taqwa, Kuching, Sarawak - 26 Jan 2020

Bismillah.

Habib Syech As-Seggaf at Masjid At-Taqwa, Kuching, Sarawak
26 Jan 2020

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

To be frank, Solo has been on my mind for months. My love for the place and our devout brothers and sisters in Indonesia has grown significantly ever since I started following the live streams on  Nabawi TV YouTube channel. One major highlight from the many (many!) majlis taalim organized in Indonesia (particularly on Java island) was the event commemorating the life and death of Habib Ali bin Muhammad Al-Habshi (1259 - 1333 Hijri). He was a prominent Yemeni scholar who authored the famous Mawlid Simtud Duror. The annual event attracts thousands of people and is customarily held at Masjid Riyadh in Solo.

So, Solo has occupied a special place in my heart so that it gave me great pleasure to know that a contemporary gem of Solo, namely Habib Syech bin Abdul Qadir As-Seggaf was in Sarawak last weekend. Thanks to Brother Rudzaimer, an old friend of mine who shared recordings of the tausiyah on his Facebook.

OK let's hear it from Habib Syech As-Seggaf who is famous for his beautiful rendition of qasidah. It's no surprise that his tausiyah at Masjid At-Taqwa in Kuching Sarawak on 26 Jan 2020 was interspersed with stanzas of popular qasidah such as Ya Imam Ar Rusli and Bushra Lana. By the way, Habib Syech is widely and affectionately known in Malaysia as 'Habib Ya Hanana'.

***

Ya imamar rusli ya sanadi
anta baqdallah hi muktamadi 
fabi dunya ya wa akhirati 
Allah Allah 
Ya Rasulullah hi khudz biyadi

"Anta baqdallah...there is no one on this earth who is close to Allah except Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Whoever wishes to be loved by Allah, he/she ought to follow Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. It is compulsory for him/her to love Prophet Muhammad."

"Qul in kuntum tuhibbu nallah, fat tabi 'uni yuhbib kumullah. Let it be known until the day of Qiyamah for those who wish to be loved by Allah...if you want to know who has won the love of Allah, look at his/her attitude towards Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. If the person does not offer selawat, does not follow the sunnah of the Prophet, and is not happy at the mention of the Prophet's name, the person shall not win the love of Allah! Verily, that's the key to love. The tariqah or path that is most rewarding is the path of love. Servitude that is devoid of love will not make one taste bliss."

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have come to this place with love. Last night on arrival at this city, I was amazed. I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome. I was tired from my journey but when I saw the love people showed, it evoked love in me. We tend to follow those who have much love in them."

"Let's consider the happenings around us ...al hubbu... [Habib Syech went on to recite a line from a qasidah by Imam Al Busiri]. Love tastes better when it is tested. How is it tested? Yes, it can be difficult and complicated at times. But it adds to the blissfulness. Some people come here and get caught in the rain, but they still come because of love. If you were to perform your ibadah with love, you would feel the enjoyment as did the scholars and the prophets. They performed solah with love. They were attentive in their solah. Delightful, even to those who witnessed it."

"Therefore, worship with love. Work, out of love. Life would not be as complete if love was absent from it. Love would give the feeling of gladness. Alhamdulillah."

"Why did you come? You probably woke up at 4 a.m or 2 a.m. to make tahajud. Because you love Allah. If you didn't have a love for Allah, you wouldn't have woken up. If you didn't have a love for Prophet Muhammad, you wouldn't have come to this event. Have a love for Prophet Muhammad so that Allah would love us. Follow Prophet Muhammad so that Allah might grant us more bounties."

"There are two types of love: minal muhibbin and minal muqarrabin meaning one who is near. There are people who may be close to us but they are not loved. For example, I have an acquaintance who travels every day in the same car as me, but I don't love him. He is close to me, we are in the same car but I might not share my food with him. Nor will I offer my money to him because I don't love him. He sends me a message every day. He is considered a muqarrabin, very close to me in the car."

"There might be someone outside of the car. He is not close to me but he is loved. Therefore, be grateful if you are one who is both near and loved. You are not only close to Allah, but you are also loved by Allah. That's amazing!"

"If you are beloved, even if you make small mistakes, Allah would cover it up. Bifadhlil, says Habib Ali. Fadhlil. You would receive a preference from Allah. Like a mother who carries her son. She carries him to a gathering and suddenly the boy wets his pants. Do you think the mother would abandon her baby boy? Or would she clean him instead? She would certainly wash her baby, smiling. Why? Because of love."

"The ummah of Prophet Muhammad might make mistakes. We are not referring to major sins here but we do make mistakes all the time. Between the Zohor and Asar prayers, there is kafarah. Between one Friday to the next Friday, there is kafarah. Between one day of fasting to the next, we are given a pardon by Allah. Why? Because of love. Because He loves the ummah of Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, be grateful, Alhamdulillah that we are his ummah."
  

[Habib Syech then sang a qasidah]

Bushra lana
nilnal muna
zalal 'ana wa fal hana
wad dahru anjaza wa'dahu
wal bishru adha mu'lana

"Bushra lana. Glad tidings! We are of the ummah of Prophet Muhammad, rejoice! We should be happy. None of you should feel sad. The followers of  Prophet Muhammad should not feel sad. Why? Because we have Prophet Muhammad as our leader. The ummah of the Prophet should not be sorrowful because in the akhirah we'll have Prophet Muhammad to lead us before Allah. All the other Prophets will not be able to act as our leader, they will all surrender, except Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam.

"The Prophet would say Ha ana laha...[as per one line in a qasidah]. All other Prophets would give up. Prophet Muhammad would be calling his people from Kuching, "come follow me", stand behind the banner behind Rasulullah. Imagine that!"

"How do we achieve that? By helping him Rasulullah. By making lots of sujud. By multiplying our ibadah. InshaAllah, we try. We are not perfect. Who is perfect among us? None! Who is able to make ibadah as much as Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani? Who can perform ibadah like Imam Al-Attas the Sahibul Ratib? Who is able to match the ibadah made by Habib Abdullah bin Alawi Al-Haddad? Who can top the ibadah performed by Habib Ali of Batu Pahat, we just had an event honoring him yesterday."

"No, we can't. But there is one key that could make us belong with them. What is it? It's love! Mahhabah as we have described it."

 Al mar'uu ma'a man ahhaba.

"Man is defined by what he loves. If he/she loves the scholars, he/she would follow the scholars. If he/she loves Prophet Muhammad, he/she would end up being there at the banner of Prophet Muhammad where Rasulullah would say 'ha ana laha..."

"Only Prophet Muhammad could say that. The first to enter the Heavens would be his ummah. Rasulullah will not enter the Heavens until all of his ummah have entered the Heavens. That's how great the Prophet is. Therefore, O people, don't you be stingy in offering selawat to the Prophet. You should make at least 100 selawat daily.

"I received ijazah from Habib Abdullah bin Hamid Al-Attas Al-Habshi from Makkah who said: 'O son, recite this as did my father, as did my father's father, up to Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam. Recite selawat dhomir:

'Innallaha wamala ikatahu yusallu na alan nabi, 
ya aiyuhal lazi na amanu 
sollu alaihi wa sallimu taslima'

Read it once and then recite for 100 times:
Allahuma solli alaih....Allahuma solli alaih....Allahumma solli alaih...

"Practice this after Subuh and after Maghrib. It's light, easy and quick. The reward is huge. I hereby grant all of you the same ijazah. Recite at the minimum 100 times. It would be better to recite 1000 a day. Increase it to 10,000 on Fridays. Make it a habit to recite selawat continually."

"The analogy is like me receiving WhatsApp messages from some of you in Kuching. Let's say there is a woman who would send me 100 messages, and there is another person who would send me 1000 messages daily. Who do you reckon would get my attention? The one who sent me 1000 messages, of course."

"Likewise Prophet Muhammad. Every single day we send him selawat. If we were to deliver 1000 messages, he would remember us. There is an angel who would update him salallah alaihi wasalam: "Fulan bin Fulan or Fulanah binti Fulan sends selawat to you O Prophet." So the Prophet would in Qiyamah, remember the names that got mentioned the most. "Come on in!" he would say.

"Don't be sad, O people. We will surely leave this world. Do not quarrel, don't argue about worldly issues. This world is small. This world as described by Prophet Muhammad is like wings of a mosquito. Mosquitos are insignificant. I am not saying we should abandon the world. We may use the world as an instrument to make us reach the akhirah in a good manner. Look for abundance. Give away plenty. Look for abundance. Relieve the burdens of people at large." 

***
Allahu a'lam. May I be forgiven for any omissions/errors.

Pray Allah would be kind to let me be present at Habib Ali bin Muhammad Al-Habshi's '109th Haul' in Solo, scheduled at the end of 2020. And anybody else who might be wishing to attend. Aamin.

Until then, Solo on my mind.


***
Pic credit: Bro. Rudzaimer Roza - one student of knowledge I respect.

Tausiyah oleh Habib Syech Abdul Qadir As Seggaf di Masjid At-Taqwa, Kuching, Sarawak - 26 Jan 2020

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, kita berkesempatan mengikuti tausiyah oleh Habib Syech Abdul Qadir As Seggaf, seorang ulama dari Solo, Indonesia yan sangat terkenal dengan alunan qasidah yang indah. Terimakasih kepada sahabat lama saya Saudara Rudzaimer yang berkongsi rakaman majlis tersebut di Facebook beliau dan berikut adalah transkrip yang diusahakan untuk manfaat kita bersama bi-iznillah.

Tausiyah ini sangat bermakna kerana Habib Syech telah mengijazahklan amalan selawat bersanad hingga kepada baginda Nabi Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam.

*******

Ya imamar rusli ya sanadi
anta baqdallah hi muktamadi 
fabi dunya ya wa akhirati 
Allah Allah 
Ya Rasulullah hi khudz biyadi

"Anta baqdallah...Tidak ada satu pun di muka bumi ini yang lebih dekat pada Allah kecuali Nabi Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Siapa yang ingin mendapatkan kecintaan Allah, dia wajib mengikuti Nabi Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Dia wajib cinta kepada Nabi Muhammad."

"Qul in kuntum tuhibbu nallah, fat tabi 'uni yuhbib kumullah. Sampaikan kepada sesiapa pun. Sampai ke yaumul qiyamah, orang yang ingin dicintai Allah...kalau kita ingin melihat siapa orang yang dicintai Allah, lihat bagaimana dia dengan Nabi Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Kalau dia dengan Nabi Muhammad dia tidak suka berselawat, dia tidak ikut sunah-sunnah Nabi Muhammad, dia tidak gembira dengan disebutnya nama Nabi Muhammad, bererti dia tidak mendapatkan cinta Allah! Itu kunci cinta. Dan tarikah atau jalan yang paling nikmat itu adalah jalan cinta. Tidak ada ibadah, kalau tidak dengan cinta, dia tidak merasakan kenikmatan tersebut."

"Saya minta maaf, bapa-bapa dan ibu-ibu datang ke tempat ini dengan cinta. Tadi malam saya lihat di perbatasan [lapangan terbang] luar biasa. Saya tidak menyangka. Perjalanan saya capek [meletihkan] tetapi saya melihat orang-orang yang mempunyai rasa cinta, timbul pula rasa cinta. Orang kalau melihat orang yang bercinta, dia pasti akan ingin ikut seperti mereka."

"Cuba kita kalau lihat cinta ini...al hubbu....[beliau memetik bait qasidah karangan Imam Al Busiri]. Cinta itu akan lebih nikmat kalau diuji. Diuji dengan apa? Ya, kadang susah, sulit. Ini tambah nikmat. Seperti orang yang datang kena hujan tetapi dia tetap datang kerana cinta. Ibadah kalau dilakukan dengan cinta, dia akan merasakan nikmat seperti nikmatnya para ulama, nikmat para auliya. Mereka solat dengan cinta. Solat mereka khusyuk, nikmat. Dipandang pun nikmat."

"Makanya ibadahlah dengan cinta. Bekerjalah dengan cinta. Semua kehidupan ini kalau tidak diikuti dengan cinta, dia tidak akan terbekali [lengkap]. Dia akan merasa nikmat senang. Alhamdulillah."

"Kenapa kamu datang? Bangun jam 4 pagi atau bangun jam 2 pagi, solat tahajud. Kerana aku cinta Allah. Kalau tidak cinta Allah, tidak mungkin bangun. Kalau tidak cinta Nabi Muhammad tidak mungkin datang ke majlis ini. Cintai Nabi Muhammad supaya Allah mencintai kita. Ikuti Nabi Muhammad supaya Allah memberi semuanya lebih."

"Cinta ada dua: minal muhibbin dan minal muqarabin yakni orang yang dekat. Ada orang dekat tapi tidak dicintai. Saya ada teman dekat dengan saya, setiap hari naik satu mobil [kereta], tapi saya tidak cinta dengannya, tapi dia dekat, ikut satu mobil. Tapi belum tentu yang saya makan akan saya beri kepada dia, sebab saya tidak cinta. Belum tentu duit yang ada di kantong [kocek] ini saya beri kepada dia. Kerana saya tidak cinta. Tapi setiap saat dia mengirim mesej. Dia termasuk dalam golongan muqarabin, dekat dengan saya di dalam mobil."

"Tapi mungkin ada orang di luar mobil. Dia tidak terlalu dekat, tapi dia dicintai. Makanya syukur kalau kita ini menjadi orang yang dekat dan dicintai. Sudah muqarabin, orang yang dekat dengan Allah, dicintai Allah. Luar biasa!"

"Orang kalau sudah dicintai, jika ada kesalahan sedikit pun dengan Allah ditutup. Bifadhlil, kata Habib Ali. Fadhlil. Mendapat keutamaan daripada Allah."

"Seperti seorang ibu yang mempunyai anak. Ibu mengendong anaknya. Ibu mahu pergi ke sebuah majlis, tiba-tiba anak yang dikendong itu kebetulan kencing. Kira-kira ibu itu akan membuang anaknya? Atau ibu itu akan membersihkannya? Dibersihkan oleh ibu. Tetapi ibu itu hanya tersenyum. Kerana apa? Kerana cinta."

"Begitu pula kalau umat Nabi Muhammad ini mempunyai kesalahan-kesalahan. Bukan kita mengatakan kesalahan besar. Tapi di setiap saat kita ini ada kesalahan. Antara solat Zohor dan Asar ini, kafarah. Antara Jumaat dengan Jumaat, kafarah. Antara puasa dengan puasa, ampunan dari Allah. Kerana apa? Kerana cinta. Cintanya Allah dengan umat Nabi Muhammad. Makanya kita bersyukur, Alhamdulillah kita menjadi umat Nabi Muhammad sallallah alaihi wasalam."

[Habib Syech kemudian menyampaikan qasidah]

Bushra lana
nilnal muna
zalal 'ana wa fal hana
wad dahru anjaza wa'dahu
wal bishru adha mu'lana

"Bushra lana. Khabar gembira! Bagi kita sebagai umat Nabi Muhammad, gembira semua. Harus gembira! Jangan ada yang sedih. Umat Nabi Muhammad tidak perlu sedih. Kerana apa? Kerana kita punya pemimpin Nabi Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Umat Nabi Muhammad tidak perlu sedih, kerana kita nanti di hari akhirat Rasul Muhammad yang akan mengganding [memimpin] kita mengadap kepada Allah. Semua para anbiya mengangkat tangan, tidak mampu kecuali Nabi Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam."

"Rasul mengatakan: Ha ana laha...[seperti dalam satu qasidah]. Semua para anbiya angkat tangan tidak mampu. Nabi Muhammad memanggil umatnya yang di Kuching, masuk...masuk ikut saya, berada di bendera di belakang Rasulullah. Kita bayangkan itu!"

"Dengan apa? Dengan kita membantu Rasulullah. Dengan banyaknya sujud. Banyaknya ibadah. InShaAllah kurang lebih. Kita tidak ada yang sempurna. Siapa yang sempurna dari kita? Tidak ada! Siapa yang mampu beramal seperti amal Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani? Siapa yang mampu beramal seperti Imam Al-Attas Sahibul Ratib? Siapa yang mampu beramal seperti Habib Abdullah bin Alawi Al-Haddad? Siapa yang mampu beramal seperti Habib Ali Batu Pahat yang kelmarin baru [diadakan sambutan] hol?"

"Kita tidak mampu. Tetapi kita masih mempunyai satu kunci untuk menjadi seperti mereka. Apa? Cinta. Mahabbah yang [disebutkan] tadi.

Al mar'uu ma'a man ahhaba.

Manusia ini tergantung siapa yang dia cintai. Kalau dia cinta kepada para ulama, dia akan ikut bersama ulama. Kalau dia cinta kepada Nabi Muhammad, dia berada di bendera Nabi Muhammad di situ. Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam mengatakan 'ha ana laha...'

"Nanti yang boleh menyatakan ucapan ini hanya Nabi Muhammad. Yang pertama masuk ke dalam syurga adalah umat Nabi Muhammad. Rasulullah tidak akan masuk ke dalam Syurga dahulu sebelum semua umatnya masuk ke dalam Syurga. Ini hebatnya Nabi Muhammad. Maka wahai umat, jangan anda ini bakhil [kedekut] dalam berselawat. Minimal setiap hari 100 kali berselawat."

"Saya dapat ijazah daripada Habib Abdullah bin Hamid Al-Attas Al-Habshi dari Mekah. [Katanya] 'wahai anak ku, kamu bacalah ini sebagaimana ayahku. Ayahku sebagaimana ayahnya, terus sampai ke Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam.' Beliau mengatakan baca selawat dhomir:

'Innallaha wamala ikatahu yusallu na alan nabi, 
ya aiyuhal lazi na amanu 
sollu alaihi wa sallimu taslima'

Baca sekali selepas Maghrib dan selepas Subuh.
Dan diikuti dengan:
'Allahuma solli alaih....Allahuma solli alaih....Allahumma solli alaih...'
sebanyak 100 kali.

"Ringan, mudah dan cepat. Itu pahalanya besar. Saya ijazahkan juga untuk kamu semua. Baca minimal [sekurang-kurangnya] 100 kali. Shukur kalau sehari boleh 1000 kali. Kalau Jumaat, baca 10,000 kali. Lisan ini terus berselawat."

"Seperti saya ini sering mendapat berita WhatsApp daripada orang Kuching sebagai contoh. Ada wanita dari Kuching mengirim mesej sehari 100 kali, ada yang 1000 kali. Kira-kira saya akan ingat yang mana? Yang seribu kerana dia setiap hari kirim 1000 mesej."

"Begitu juga dengan Nabi Muhammad. Setiap hari kita kirim berita kapada Nabi Muhammad. Kalau kita kirim 1000, bererti kita adalah orang yang akan sering diingati oleh Nabi Muhammad kerana malaikat setiap saat menyampaikan kepada Nabi Muhammad, Fulan bin Fulan atau Fulanah binti Fulan berselawat kepadamu. Nama yang sering disebut di depan Nabi Muhammad dialah nama yang akan diingat oleh Nabi Muhammad di hari kiamat. 'Ayuh, masuk!' kata Nabi Muhammad.

"Jangan sedih wahai umat Nabi Muhammad. Dunia ini pasti akan kita tinggalkan. Jangan ribut [kecoh], jangan pertikai masalah dunia. Dunia ini kecil. Dunia itu seperti kata Nabi Muhammad, seperti sayap nyamuk. Nyamuk tidak ada ertinya. Bukan maksudnya dunia kita tinggalkan. Dunia boleh kita cari sebagai talian yang sampaikan kita kepada akhirat. Cari yang banyak. Sedekah yang banyak. Cari yang banyak. Ringankan beban orang yang banyak."

***

Habib Syech As Seggaf tiba di lapangan terbang Kuching Sarawak
25 Januari 2020
[Foto ehsan: Rudzaimer Roza]

Allahu a'lam.
Mohon maaf dan teguran atas apa-apa kesalahan.


[An English translation of Habib Syech's lecture will be prepared shortly, InshaAllah.]