Salam Mawlidur Rasul 2022 | Selawat recommended by Habib Umar bin Hafiz

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah, for such a lovely day, today, no in fact since the 1st of Rabiul Awal Penang has been buzzing with Mawlid & Tausiyah at all the major mosques.

And at home, I have been having a wonderful time watching the live streams on Nabawi TV and Majelis Rasulullah of Indonesia for some inspiring Mawlid and Mauidul Hasanah organized all over Indonesia.

Sollu alan Nabi!

Divine aspirations

Bismillah.

Today, I am missing an old friend a little extra, somehow.

I think I am "not that bad" as a friend because I make it a point to mention his name at the weekly Majlis Tahlil I have been fortunate to attend; his name plus a long list of other close friends who have passed on.

I thought you readers might appreciate his spark of brilliance. I was lucky to be his sparring partner on spirituality matters.

Below is one exchange we had that is still fresh and thought provoking.

"At makrifah, the end result has always been to return to Allah and nothing else, for Allah has created the JIns and man to be subservient to Him. But in creating man and inserting roh into Adam the physical, the "ego" [essence] of Allah is inserted into man inadvertently. All other religions do not have the concept of Allah the Ahad (Buddhism, no god: Hinduism multiple gods, Christianity paganistic misguidedness of man the god reincarnate) so in mysticism, those who study them in this region are also misguided into believing he can assimilate with Allah now in the moment. Thus many embraced syirikism almost unknowingly (Tuhan Harun, which we all know too well from the press). Thus syirik khafi is all too prevalent in this region as well as mainstream Islam. Syirik Khafi defined as the black ant on a black stone in the darkest moonless night. One has only to indulge into the yoga (the joining of man and god) aphorisms of Patanjali to fully comprehend and intimately be knowledgeable in such matters.

Knowledge and imagination as expounded and taught to Adam through his mental faculties are all divine aspirations. This is still true to this day and to eternity for in an instant all can be removed with God’s discretion and prerogative. Also at death all knowledge and experiences are removed because the body has ceased to function and the brain stops functioning. Teaching the roh after death is almost impossible and is a long and arduous task. Since time is also the function of the brain, time becomes superlative."

.. 

Hah! There!

May Allah increase us in knowledge and guide us to His Nur.

- E - 

The year that was.

We'll never know in which year 

we shall be taken back to the Creator.

Al Fatihah.

Habib Salim bin Umar bin Hafidz at Masjid Istiqlal Indonesia, 22 August 2022

Bismillah.

MasyaAllah Tabarakallah, I was in awe, utterly in awe, and you will be too, if you care to watch and listen to Habib Salim bin Umar bin Hafidz at this event. 

(Refer the YouTube link below for the livestream on Nabawi TV channel)

If nobody had introduced him as the son of Habib Umar bin Hafidz, you, and anyone who knows Habib Umar could have easily guessed, he is one, a remarkable one!

He was in tears as he delivered pertinent points on the 'Alastu birobbikum' exchange between the Lord and His creations as narrated in the Quran.

I felt ashamed of myself, of my weaknesses, at seeing how a venerable soul like Habib Salim could sincerely and intelligently feel and articulate the episode and its lessons.

I hope I will be given the tawfik to rewatch and study his speech and subsequently draft a transcript, and that of Habib Kazim's and Habib Ali Al-Jufri's too bi-iznillah.

Thankfully, Habib Ali had insisted on Habib Salim speaking when the latter initially persistently refused.

I once shared a transcript of his tausiyah given at Masjid Muadz bin Jabal, Malaysia in 2013. It's wonderful to see how he has grown to be a close resemblance of his father, MashaAllah.

May Allah include us among the muhibbeen, lovers of the awliya. Aamiiin.

Tabligh Akbar Muharram 1444H at Masjid Istiqlal Indonesia 22 Aug 2022

[Go to minute 2:32:42 for Habib Salim's slot.]

The moments when Habib Salim tried to decline Habib Ali's request for him to speak.

p/s

Below are screenshots of Habib Salim bin Umar bin Hafidz at three other subsequent majelis tabligh in Indonesia. 

MashaAllah. This past few days have been amazing listening to his talks. I am internalizing and making mental notes of his tausiyah hoping to post a couple of summary on this blog bi-iznillah.

Ramadhan & Eid Mubarrak

Bismillah.

So...my mom said I should post something lol. 

Alhamdulillah we had a productive and meaningful Ramadhan. I managed to khatam the Quran on 19th Ramadhan. When I texted my Quran coach, he remarked "you have exceeded the KPI" lol.

Alhamdulillah we managed to perform Qiyamulail at the mosque on most nights.

Alhamdulillah for the lovely experiences donning purdah/niqab on ALL my visits to the mosque. It was fun dressing up as smartly as I could for each visit. 

Alhamdulillah to have made many new masjid-friends.

Guys, we have to be detail in counting our blessings.

Alhamdulillah, I feel my heart becoming more attached to the mosque and the Quran even post-Ramadhan. And that I look forward to visiting the mosque wearing purdah/niqab once a week. I take it as a practice towards a plausible future.

So I learned from listening to both online and in-person tausiyah that we are supposed to continue praying so that Allah accepts our ibadah in Ramadhan for as long as six months after.

Indeed, may the Lord be pleased with our efforts.

Aamiin.

WaSalamualaikum warahmatullah,

E.Ismail

25th May 2022

Throwback pix of me practising my ideal future

image bi-iznillah.

Thank you for reading | Unlearn and relearn

Bismillah.

I have been taking it easy, ya know...easy like Sunday morning...heh heh...

Alhamdulillah wa shukru lillah for times of ease.

My current favourite pastime is to re-read all the past postings that people are reading "now" and "in the last 24 hours". So I wanna thank everyone who's checking out this blog and reading even though Tik Tok is the in thing right now. More importantly these people are making me relearn and reflect on lots of past lessons, some funny experiences and forgiveable foolishness LOL. 

Yes folks, be smart, know when to forgive yourself, laugh at yourself, clap for yourself and keep going, i.e. keep trying, keep doing and keep learning.

Best,

E. Ismail

Loving this island life more than ever!

Rejab practice as recommended by Habib Umar bin Hafiz for Rejab 1443 Hijri (2022)

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah it's here, the azkar prescribed by Habib Umar bin Hafiz for Rejab this year. 

Like many, I've been waiting for this. May Allah grant Habib Umar a long healthy life and allow us to continue benefitting from all his good counsel. As Habib Umar said in one of his many talks that I'd listened to, we need not be near him, all we have to have is a strong heart connection with him and a strong himmah to want to practise all the recommended azkar that he would consistently share in Rejab, Syaaban and Ramadan each year. 

They say a true leader is one who can motivate you to act. I'll also say from my experiences as a struggling salik, Habib Umar bin Hafiz has been the one who has a strong capacity to direct the heart towards Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam and thereby encourage the tongue to make many selawat.

For someone at my age who's travelled the path that has been destined for me, the so-called worldly accomplishments that I may have accomplished and those that I see people accomplished, I am of the opinion that the only one true wealth (achievement) that matters is a person's ability to keep a consistently good connection with the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam through selawat. That's it. If one understood this, then one could easily cancel out the noises and distractions that one may encounter along the way. 

May Allah guide us in performing actions that He loves and may our hearts remain connected with His beloved Rasul and the solehin.      

Aamiin.

Pic credit: Muwasala FB
as published on 8th Feb 2022

...

Done 3000x on 10th Feb. Alhamdulillah. Let's wait for the next task Insya-Allah.

Welcoming roseate Rejab 1433 Hijri (2022) | Lessons from Habib Umar bin Hafiz

Bismillah.

It's the second day of Rejab. Its wonderful vibe is becoming apparent. I have just listened to a tausiyah streamed live from Majelis Rasulullah FB. Ustaz Ahmad Afif Abdullah (pic) began by sharing the remarks made by the venerable Habib Umar bin Hafiz pertaining to the arrival of Rejab.

Habib Umar elucidated the oft-quoted saying about Rejab being a month for sowing [the seeds of one's ibadah], Syaaban a month for watering the seeds and Ramadan a time to reap the fruits that one has sowed. So what do these analogies mean? To live Rejab means to repent truthfully, that is to aim for hakikat taubah (ultimate repentance), that is to admit one's mistakes, to have a strong resolve in not repeating them and to show remorse for one's misconducts, and to refrain from committing makruh deeds, let alone the haram (forbidden). 

In Syaaban, one waters one's good seeds by nurturing the longing one has for Allah and Rasulullah, longing for the rewards that Allah normally would grant to the solehin. To water the seeds with plenty of affection and selawat for Rasulullah. When making selawat for the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam, be conscious of the quality. Sit facing the qibla and establish a heart connection with the Prophet. Just recite a few selawat but with high quality, by invoking one's longing and love for Rasulullah. If you can do more while maintaining the quality, then that would be better. 

  

In Ramadan, one may anticipate three bounties from the Lord, on account of the seeds that one sowed in Rejab and nourished during Syaaban: that is obtaining His mercy, earning His pardon and getting protection from the torments of hellfire.  

Therefore, sow the good seeds in Rejab. If you do not sow, how can you expect to enjoy the fruits in Ramadan? If you don't water the seeds well in Syaaban, they won't grow and you'll have nothing special to look forward to in Ramadan.

Allahumma bariklana fi Rajaba wa Syaaban

wa ballighna Ramadan

***

Allahu a'lam.

I encourage those who understand the Indonesian language to listen to the tausiyah here:

https://www.facebook.com/MajelisRasulullahSAWOfficial/videos/675630500543957

Ustaz Ahmad Afif on Majelis Rasulullah FB
3rd Feb 2022

 

On a personal note, I am just grateful that my family had recently hosted yet another gathering with our Huffaz friends. In conjunction with the event, I laboured wholeheartedly cleaning and prepping the house. Now with the arrival of the three auspicious months Rejab, Syaaban and Ramadhan, I can enjoy being at home especially spending time at my new desk in my neater Study, now that I have decluttered and reorganized all my stuff. Truly grateful for the tawfiq from Allah subhanahu wa taala! Alhamdulillah wa shukru lillah.

29th Jan 2022

Best regards,

E. Ismail

Penang's much loved scholar and former Imam at Masjid Kapitan Keling, Shaykh Datuk Abdullah Al-Bukhari passed away on 9 Jan 2022

Bismillah.

Shaykh Abdullah Bukhari
(pic taken in May 2015 at his residence in Penang)

He was truly the pearl of the 'Pearl of the Orient' (Penang) for those who knew him; his former students at Al-Mashoor, the first Islamic school in Penang; seekers of knowledge at countless majlis taalim; and those who frequented the famous Masjid Kapitan Keling where he served as Imam from the mid 1970s to 2018. He was one ulama and murabbi of Penang who was loved and adored beyond the shores of this little island. 

I had the privilege to interview him at Masjid Kapitan in 2007. The interview was subsequently published in a local magazine. Plenty of facts on Shaykh's background was shared in the article. I will look for it and update this posting later In Sha Allah.

Alhamdullilah wa shukrulillah, for the opportunity to visit him again in May 2015. This occasion was briefly mentioned here: The Kernels

During the visit, Shaykh Abdullah was kind to allow us to record his words of advice which is still relevant to this day, certainly. He spoke about the importance of continually polishing one's spiritual state and encouraged us to pray for our family and friends during their absence. It goes without saying that our tongues often engage in sinful talks, but the Shaykh emphasized on "a tongue that is void of sins" that is one who secretly makes du'a for her/his family and friends.    

I am grateful and humbled to have had the opportunity to pay my last respect to the Shaykh at his burial at Maqam Nordin, within the compound of Masjid Kapitan, yesterday. May Allah witness the love that all who were present had for him and allow us to reunite with him in the best of realms - Jannatul Firdaus. Aamin ya Rabbal Alamin.   

I humbly invite you to recite Surah Al-Fatihah for Allahyarham Shaykh Abdullah Al-Bukhari.

Thank you.

..

[For the record the Shaykh's full name is Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman. He's well known as Ustaz Abdullah Bukhari, short for Al-Bukhari because of his profound knowledge on hadith.]