"MashaAllah we are in the blessed month of Rajab." - Hajjah Naziha Adil

Bismillah.

Before leading the ladies zikir (khatam khawajagan) in KL yesterday, Hajjah Naziha Adil (daughter of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim) spoke in her soft sweet tone saying:

"MashaAllah, mashaAllah, we are now in the blessed month of Rajab. Rajab is for Allah. Shaaban is for the Prophet and Ramadhan is for the ummah. May Allah forgive us for Allah forgive people in Rajab. [I am speaking] Based on what I heard from my mother, Rajab is the month of prayer. In our country, some people who seldom pray in the other months would start praying in Rajab. May Allah forgive us. Rajab Mubarrak to you! May you get to go for hajj this year. May Allah protect us and our countries. May Allah prevent shaytan from entering the hearts of people and their leaders. May Allah give us a good president and give mercy to humanity. We are ajeez, weak servants of Allah. We are like ants. Little by little may Allah raise our level in paradise."

At the end of the zikir, Hajjah Naziha reminded the ladies on something her mom had often said to her:

"My mom said, when we go to majlis zikir, do not think that we are coming, walking or driving. We are riding on the wings of the angels. And every step we take, we become higher by ten levels. Ten good manners will replace ten bad manners. Allah has gathered us here, may He gather us in paradise with Nabi Muhammad s.a.w."

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Wallahu a'lam. May I be forgiven for any unintentional errors or ommissions in my note taking.

Muslims underneath American skies

Bismillah.

This morning I woke up to a special email from a lady who works on an incredible initiative called 'My Fellow American'.

It is "an online film and social media project that calls upon concerned Americans to pledge and spread a message that Muslims are our fellow Americans. It asks people of other backgrounds to pledge, and share a real life story about a Muslim friend, neighbor, or colleague that they admire. Using the power of social media, 'My Fellow American' seeks to change the narrative of Muslims as the other, to Muslims as our fellow Americans."

I applaud this effort and encourage you to watch the video and spread the word. It is a program urging the non-Muslims in America to open or reopen their hearts towards American Muslims and extend a friendly gesture. It offers a rare platform for them to share their positive experiences in knowing or dealing with American Muslims.

But that's only one part of the equation. What about us Muslims? What about me, a non-American Muslim living outside the USA, one who has a somewhat negative perception towards the country. Yes I admit that I have been pessimistic about America because (as you might guess) she appears to be a nation which is unfriendly to Muslims. But after knowing about 'My Fellow American' project, it has made me want to reasess my perception towards America and rethink my thoughts about the country.

Really I should not be having ill thoughts about America. What was I thinking? I had spent two colorful years in California in early '90s. My professors had treated me well. My classmates never once did they discriminate me. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf had read 'Religious Studies' at the same university I went to and at about the same time too. I could imagine the atmosphere in his class would have been filled with even much more tolerance and compassion.

That brings me to my next point on why I should like America. I like the fact that it is home to many shuyukh from whom I have benefited. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya An-Ninowy, all live in America. I imagine the wonderful lives they lead in beautiful California, Michigan and Georgia. In fact, everytime I hear or hum the song 'Georgia on my mind' - Shaykh Ninowy comes to my mind. Yes I enjoy American music too. And of course their food! (Think clam chowder at San Francisco!)

What else have I learned to like about America? I like that it has become a wonderful home for a close friend of mine. When I told him recently (before today's awakenings) that I would not want to live in America, he said  'everywhere is the same if you know how to make your home heavenly'. How could I disagree? I used to have stereotypes about people or Muslims living in big cities such as Miami. But really Allah has proved me wrong. You will never know, there might be a Muslim in the 'sin cities' who wakes up to pray every night, while one like I who lives in a Muslim country, sleep like a log!

I think, in short, it's not just about non-Muslims in America opening up to Muslims in that country. It's also about Muslims everywhere else to open up their minds.

May Allah help us remove all negative mental barriers. May Allah help us have husnul zan (positive thoughts) about one another. After all, we are all standing underneath the same one sky.

Wallahu a'lam.

Please watch this video at http://myfellowamerican.us/

and show your support on

facebook.com/MyFellowAmericanProject


p/s Thank you Ms. Elizabeth Potter.
Your email this morning has inspired this sharing.

"Let your heart stand up for the Prophet s.a.w" - Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

Bismillah.

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani began his sohbet tonight with a very humble remark. He said: "I am not trying to impose myself on anyone, to say this is right, that is wrong. I am speaking to you after having taken permission from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim. May you and I benefit from what Mawlana is saying. The Prophet s.a.w said: "Religion is good advice". When we are sick, we go to see a doctor get his advice. If you are not happy with the doctor's advice, you can go to another doctor. What do you do with his advice? You follow! Religion is advice similar to medicine. Religion wants you to have a normal life. That is the message of Islam.

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w through ahadith taught us how to behave, study, and advise other people. Nabi Muhammad s.a.w taught us how to purify ourselves. Religion is not just about worship (ibadah) but also everything you need in your life. We need a doctor of shari'ah to look after us. Sharia'h prepares us with a 'constitution' how we could achieve a certain level in dunya and when we leave dunya and onwards to the real paradise. We need a doctor in the spiritual dimension of life. Nabi Muhammad s.a.w said, 'Allah perfects my adab, my characters.' No one else is perfect except Allah. He is Azeem. How big is Azeem? No limits. He is azeemul fid dunya wal akhirah. He said, O Muhammad wherever you look, you will see my greatness. 

What about us? Don't we need Allah to teach us?   We are not a prophet or sahabah. We are normal person. The Prophet wants to teach us through sahabah, through anbiya, and the real scholar. Who taught Nabi Musa, Nabi Isa and Nabi Ibrahim (before the coming of the Prophet)? Allah taught them.

No one was being chosen to carry the reality of lailahaillallah except one person. Al Mustafa was chosen even before Adam was born. The Prophet said: 'I am the sayyid (master).' It is not a good adab to mention Nabi Muhammad s.a.w without standing. The Ottomans know his reality, they were taught this adab. May Allah forgive us for not standing each time the Prophet's name is mentioned. Even if we can't stand, make our soul stand up. Ya Sayyidi Ya Rasulullah, we are helpless. The heart should stand. The mind seldom stands because of the ego. 

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w did not select some and reject others. Nabi Muhammad is a prophet from pre-eternal to eternal. Allah raised the Prophet to Himself (the Essence) through the oceans that never end - al hakikatul zatti lil asma'i wa sifat. Nabi Muhammad was in perfect servanthood..."   

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani then went on to elaborate the Essence being la sharikalah i.e. not having any partners and how the fragrance of the Essence filled up Prophet Muhammad hence making him incomparable.

Shaykh Hisham said he wouldn't be able to speak without the support of his shaykh and grand shaykh. "We need their support. Grand shaykh said to me and Shaykh Adnan (his brother), when you want to speak in public, open my sohbet (notes) and I will support you. Show your needs for my sohbet. Show that you are helpless. Don't make yourself a shaykh. Show ajeez (helplessness)."

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Wallahu alam. May I be forgiven for any unintentional errors or omissions.

Marhaban ya Shaykh Hisham Kabbani!

Bismillah.

We are indeed delighted to hear the wonderful news of Shaykh Hisham's visit to Kuala Lumpur. The honorable Shaykh Hisham Kabbani is expected to give a series of sohbet from 7 to 12 June 2011.

We pray so that Allah give us the tawfik to attend his sohbet InshaAllah.

We are grateful that Shakyh Hisham travels to Kuala Lumpur regularly. We are grateful that through his hand we were able to take bay'ah with the venerable Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil Haqqani. May Allah give them a long and blissful life. May we continue to benefit from their presence. InshaAllah.

Picking up phrases

Bismillah.

While browsing the shelves at the Borders boosktore today, we saw this wonderful attention grabbing quote which speaks for many of us. The quotation, printed in big and bold typeface, adorned the Borders' high wall.

"When I read a book I seem to read it with my eyes only but now and then I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase which has meaning for me and it becomes part of me." - William Somerset Maugham, an English writer who died in 1965.

How true! So really we cannot say that we have finished reading this book, that book. It's more about picking up meaningful phrases that penetrate our heart and that which got engraved in our mind. And certainly phrases can be picked up from not only books but also blogs, someone's mouth and even the wall.

We are grateful to have come across many meaningful phrases which often re-ignite our thinking which was previously stagnate; evoke our emotion when we're feeling numb and refresh our zest for life when we're sluggish.

Words ought to be our prime food for living, otherwise God might not have said "Read". He could have said "eat" but no we're told to first and foremost, read.

One of the many phrases that we had picked up along the journey in search of the Truth, came from Ustaz Shuib circa 1999. We recalled sitting in his presence at his humble home where he said to us: "You want to be a Sufi? Sure you can!"

May Allah grant His mercies to all the people with wisdom who have enriched our soul with their meaningful phrases.

Allah Hu 'Aleem.

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p/s Oh after the Borders, we went to another place where another phrase on the wall shouted at us: "I happen to believe that you can change your destiny!"

Credit: Oil painting 'Iqra. Bismirabbikal lazi khalaq'

Rajab Practices

Bismillah.

Let's revise the wirid for practice in Rajab as published in this old posting:

http://lisanaldin.blogspot.com/2009/07/rajab-wirid-by-habib-hamid-omar-al.html

May Allah protect us from hellfire. May Allah give us the strength to fast and perform the night prayers (qiyammulail).

Robbigh firli warhamni watub 'alaiya
(recite 70x morning and afternoon in the month of Rajab)

Allahumma bariklana
fi Rajaba wa Sha'aban fabal lighna Ramadhan
Ya Robbal 'alamin
war zuqna siyamah
wa qiyamah
wa taqqabbal ha minna

The above wirid was taught by Habib Hamid Omar Al Habshi who learned it from his guru - Shakyh Sayyid Muhammad bin Alawi Al Maliki rahimallahu ta'ala.

We humbly request you to recite Al-Fatihah for Shaykh Sayyid Muhammad Al Maliki  because we strongly believe that we are who we are today (a little better than we were during our jahiliyah days) because of his barakah. He was the first ulama we had met when we began to re-embrace Islam. We cannot forget that last piece of starfruit we ate from a fruit platter which he blessed. Alhamdulillah, one piece was all that we needed to cherish for a lifetime. Shukran lillah.

Rajab Mubarrak!

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, here we are again at the start of a blissful period Rajab - Shaaban - Ramadhan, bi-iznillah.

May Allah grant us good health so that we are able to go about our religious routine well. May Allah grant us the strength to perform them in a way that would be acceptable to Him. InshaAllah.

May Allah let us taste the sweetness of iman again and again.

May Allah make us sincere in all our deeds.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.