Twofold love

Bismillah

I love you with two different loves
the kind that is felt by all men
and the kind that you alone are worthy of.
- Rabiatul Adawiya

My love for You is twofold

Je t'aime de deux amours

It's Friday, folks. It's a day to rejoice. Alhamdulillah.

What is it all about this twofold love? That I love You the ordinary love. And I secretly love You the extraordinary love which only You are worthy of because You are not the same as everyone else. You are not the same as everything else, because You are my "You" and not his or her "You". How special You are to me, he and she will never know. For how can they know that which flies from my heart to Yours. My love for You is twofold. I am happy about this secret love affair between You and me. Who cares about all other loves? You know what You are worthy of. The kind of love all other men have for You, pale in comparison to my love for You because You are my "you" and between the two of us, You know who I am and I know no one else but You. In a myriad of shadows, I see none but You. There are two parts to a reflection as there are two sides of a mirror. There are two aspects of my love for You as there is twice as many, more than anyone's love for You. 

La...la...la...la...

  

Faith in the city

Bismillah.

The above photo was captured by Ilham [my handsome GoPro LOL]

Some people say the city Kuala Lumpur is muddied with negativities. But I have faith in the city. It has taught me plenty. It is kind and generous. Alhamdulillah.  

In fact, Kuala Lumpur was blessed with yet another mawlid celebration last weekend, at Masjid Al-Bukhary. Shaykh Afeefudin Al-Jailani and Shaykh Najmudin gave tausiyah on the importance of remembering the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam.

Shaykh Najmuddin said something to this effect:
It doesn't make sense to not want to be close to the Prophet, to know better about him, to remember him and make salawat for him because at the end of the day he will be our savior. Parents are not going to help their children. Husbands and wives are going to go separate ways because everyone would be in dire need on the Day of Resurrection. It will be he salallah alaihi wasalam and not any other Prophets, who will be saving us in the hereafter - at sirat he will be looking out for us; when we are thirsty, he will let us drink from his palms, he will be there acting like our safety net or safety harness and yet we are lackadaisical in acknowledging him. It does not make any sense to not want to honor and be close to the Prophet here and now. 

***

To be honest, this posting would not have surfaced, if it weren't for my mother who thoughtfully nagged: 'Are you not working on Lisan al-Din? when so many other things nagged at the back of my mind. Office workload is at its peak.

But the good news is that I will be travelling abroad soon and will InshaAllah share something exciting with you. In the meantime, it will be nothing more than sporadic posting.

No matter in which city you live in, just keep the faith. Even though at times the city seems to be moving at supersonic speed and we are left behind gasping, we should still keep the faith. Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright. Bi-iznillah.

Goodnite all.

-E-

p/s Aunty S: Thank you for the loveeeeee.

Kau ilhamku | My Ilham | My inspiration

Bismillah.

My mother had this to say as we were watching a heartwarming documentary of Caliph Buskers: "They are on TV, yet they can't watch themselves..." And silence filled the space between me and her, for a minute.

Caliph Buskers skyrocketed to fame when a renowned musician let them perform his composition at a prestigious song competition in Malaysia. On that fateful night, I was probably one of millions of viewers who was mesmerized by their voice and wondered who on earth they were. Wasn't really paying attention on the TV screen as I was occupied with some work but when they belted out the first few lines, it was a "wow" delivery. They first captured the viewers' hearing with their truthful-sounding vocals and then many began to notice they were blind! MashaAllah.

Caliph Buskers

Tonight, my mother and I were glued to the screen again as we watched a documentary on how this group live their lives. It's inspiring and humbling to see how they move about their daily routine. That they were able to give specific instructions to the cab driver and knew it when the driver missed the intended stop. MashaAllah. The main vocalist is completely blind. He cannot even see a speck of light. One of them has slightly better "vision" than the rest. Everyone else is practically blind.

To state the obvious, as did my mother, they can't see themselves on TV. They can't see a playback of their remarkable performance at the competition. Imagine if you were to appear on television? You would be excited to watch yourself.

But I suppose it's enough for Caliph Buskers to experience and feel the defining moments, when things turned around for the better for them - moments when they went from zero to hero. Allah is All-Knowing, Most-Powerful and Most-Generous, isn't He? The Almighty lets us see something magical in Caliph Buskers. Many were inspired and humbled at the same time.

Ilham is the name chosen for my new "companion", with the hope that it would inspire me to capture beautiful and meaningful moments of this temporary life. If Allah had not given me the ability to see, Ilham would be of no meaning to me. It would be useless to place my eyes behind it because there will be nothing to see.

Still, Allah in His unfathomable wisdom, inspires us all in unique ways. He gives something to each one of us. He lets us see things anyway, be it with the physical eyes or with the eyes of the heart. Still, there is something to see. There is always something to see for Caliph Buskers, you and me.

***

My heart hums a beautiful Malay song called:

Kau Ilhamku  [You are my inspiration].

Kau ilhamku.
You are my inspiration.

Ilham

These cute boys too, have inspired me.

Click on pic to enlarge and see better.
I see sheer joy and innocence.

Mawlid Al-Kabir organized by Darul Masri of Kuala Lumpur

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah we were able to attend the mawlid at Masjid Al-Khairiyah in KL tonight. The event was organized by Darul Masri, headed by Shaykh Razak al-Masri. We had the privilege of interviewing Shaykh Razak at a mawlid event in Penang several weeks ago and was impressed by his warmth and humility.

Shaykh Razak al-Masri (leftmost)
flanked by honorable guests including
Shaykh Hafiz bin Selamat al-Jenderami, Ustaz Ahar Hashim,
Kiyai Jalil and Shaykh Rohimuddin Nawawi al-Bantani

The majlis was unique because Shaykh Razak al-Masri -- an Egyptian who chose to live in Malaysia -- was able to moderate the event in the Malay language in entirety. He has assimilated very well and Malaysians should be honored to have him among us. He is doing a great deal for our community through Darul Masri Tahfiz and Qur'an schools. One notable teacher at Darul Masri Quran school is Shaykh Ibrahim al-Banna, the grandson of Shaykh Hassan al-Banna (1906 - 1949). Shaykh Ibrahim al-Banna made a beautiful Quran recital at the majlis.

Shaykh Razak al-Masri said: "The majlis is called Mawlid Al-Kabir and not Mawlid Al-Akbar because only Allah, the prophets and the angels could do Mawlid al-Akbar as they did during Mikraj where Prophet Muhammad was greeted by each Prophet occupying each level of the heavenly skies beginning with Prophet Adam. On the seventh level, Prophet Ibrahim said to Rasulullah 'Marhaban, marhaban, marhaban.' Anyone who questions the appropriateness of saying marhaban and celebrating mawlid should read the kitab by Imam Baihaqi." 

According to Shaykh Razak, there is a big difference between Akbar and Kabir, as such the majlis that ordinary people like us could afford is not so big (kabir) and not grand as in Akbar.

One of the key speakers, Shaykh Rohimuddin Nawawi al-Bantani mentioned a few salient points:

No one is going to heaven based on their amal but mercy of Allah. That mercy is Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, we must be with rahmatan lil alamin. It is about loving the Prophet. Having said that, it's not that we don't need to do amal, although the key point is not amal. The key point is love. We must understand that the foundation of amal is love. An amal that is not carried out with love, will not result in good akhlak. He who performs an amal with love will not be tired. All lethargy will be gone and that which would manifest from an amal that is done with love, is akhlak. Sunnah is akhlak. Sunnah is all about akhlak. 

"He who does not make salawat upon the Prophet 

when his name is mentioned is bakhil. 

I don't want to be branded bakhil 

for turning down an invite to a mawlid. " 

- Ustaz Azhar Hashim.  

Truthfulness of action is about excellence and quality

Bismillah.

First and foremost, Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah to have arrived safely in KL from one Home-Sweet-Home to another Home-Sweet-Home.

What has it got to do with the title re truthfulness, you ask. She is starting another merepek nonsense rambling : )

I tell you what is nonsense. Nonsense is when people come to this space for the wrong reason. If you have FB go shout on your own wall. If you have got Twitter, go tweet your thing. I am here simply to write anything that turns me on and something useful to woo the attention and mercy of my Lord, so that a relatively good deed may follow a bad deed, therefore, excuse me, folks.

Upon arrival in KL, I was delighted to receive the college hoodie I ordered. The one that says: 'Never underestimate the power of a woman who graduated from Stirling'. YaHu! Could not resist trying it on [never mind that oily/wearied face LOL]. And thissss... must be put on record so that my nieces and nephews who are all doing well in their respective schools and colleges, would be inspired by their cool aunt : D

Anyway, all this while I thought truthfulness in doing something is synonymous with sincerity. Yes in a way, but not quite right. According to al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz in his book 'The Clarification of Noble Character', truthfulness of action means "to perform an action with excellence solely for the sake of one's Lord, and to be completely focused on it while performing it, expanding upon it all of one's effort." (page 51)

Therefore, it is about giving your best, going all out in doing a good job. In other words, it's about trying hard to produce high-quality work. 

Interesting to note that Henry Ford said: "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." But of course, in the context of our faith, the aim is to garner the Lord's pleasure.

So, let us do our best and don't be busy body checking if that fella's "best" is good/not good enough according to our definition/interpretation of "best" because there are multiple ways to attain the pleasure of Allah.

Peace y'all!

Ah! Fabulous Feb

Bismillah.

Thisss... is Feb rambling, O people!

It's hard not to be in good mood when writing from my Penang home. Alhamdulillah.

First thing first, what's fabulous about Feb is that we discovered that superb publication on the Prophet's 805 names. Who would have thought he [pbuh] had so many names! Who knew? 

Ahh... the flowers are still pretty and fresh, yet we have to leave so soon.

Ahh...the idea for a hanging bookshelf to hide some odd AC wiring, turned out well.

Ahh...many learned men say "Ah" is the zikir for those who have attained makrifah level. Allahu'alam. But from a laymen's perspective, me thinks it makes sense because when you have come to know something so well, you'd say Ah! 

Is it not? Ah! LOL

  

Penang Bridge from Queensbay rooftop.
That island you see is not Penang island.
It's called Jerejak island. It takes about 10 minutes boat ride to get there.
 It used to be our version of Alcatraz.
But these days you can go get a spa treatment
at the one and only resort on the island.
[Yes, I am an unpaid tourism officer for Penang, in case you're wondering.]

Durian is only for the brave among you [visitors] and is king to us [locals]
This Musang King durian costs RM100 each!

It feels like yesterday we embraced the new year and January is gone for good. Subhanallah! Time flies they say, but I think it evaporates.

Before Feb vaporizes before our eyes, here's wishing you a fruitful month, wish you a fabulous Feb. May we have a fab Feb, bi-iznillah. 

-E-

Prophet's 805 Names | Barakat Makkiyah

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. Because I care, I want to share this precious discovery with you. Some of you might already have the book and ijazah for it, good for you. In any case, I feel that anyone who knows about the book is responsible to create awareness and share because I strongly believe each Muslim should know about it and each one of us ought to have a copy of the kitab and practice it. One is supposed to have an ijazah to practise but that can be sorted out sooner or later, just please get hold of the book and find your way to obtaining the ijazah, bi-iznillah.

Barakat Makkiyah was authored by a renowned mua'llim of Pakistan, Shaykh Musa Ruhani Bazi (1935 - 1998). He began working on the book upon a suggestion by Maulana Muhammad Mas'ud Syamim, who was principal of Madrasah Soulatiyah and Darul Ulum Diniyyah in Makkah. Sadly, the shaykh had passed away in 1992 before Shaykh Musa Bazi could present it to him. Shaykh Musa Bazi named the compilation of the Prophet's 805 names as Barakat Makkiyah in honor of Maulana Muhammad Mas'ud Syamim. The muqaddimah for the kitab was written during duha on Eid-ul Fitr in Masjidil Haram in 1993 where Shaykh Musa made a lengthy du'a for those who keep and read the kitab.

Excerpts of his lengthy du'a are as follows:
That Allah would protect those in whose house are kept the kitab, that Allah would protect them from fears and worries, from any evils caused by men, from being fearful towards their enemies and the acts of evil men, that Allah would protect them from fire, from theft, from lighting strike and from drowning. Shaykh Musa also prayed so that each house in which the kitab is kept, would be enveloped by happiness, protection and abundant goodness. Shaykh Musa prayed so that those who have the kitab by their side at home or when traveling, would be joyful, safe, given honor and protected from calamities. The shaykh prayed so that those who read the kitab would feel safe should they find themselves under duress in an unsafe situation. That they would feel at ease as though they are covered by a strong shield. He also prayed so that those who read the kitab would have their affairs facilitated and made easy, that Allah would fulfill their wishes, elevate their status, remove all afflictions, sickness and accidents. Shaykh Musa prayed so that Allah would open the door of success for those who recite the kitab and they would be granted honor and a prosperous life. [Ameen!]

We would not have known about this person of incredible repute, if it weren't for Ustaz Muhammad Razif bin Abd Wahab, a Malaysian who translated and published the introduction (muqaddimah) of the original kitab. He and a few mureed of Shaykh Musa Ruhani Bazi have, since July 2014, began promoting the greatness and uniqueness of Barakat Makkiyah, in Malaysia.

In Muqaddimah Barakat Makkiyah, Ustaz Muhammad Razif writes about the esteem position of Shaykh Musa Ruhani Bazi, the author of Barakat Makkiyah in which, for the first time, as many as 805 names of Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam have been compiled and published.

MashaAllah, surely you are better than me. I only knew four of the Prophet's names i.e. Muhammad, Ahmad, Taha and Mustafa. Thanks to Barakat Makkiyah we now know and will get to recite 805 of the Prophet's names, subhanallah!

The author of the kitab, Allamah Shaykh Musa Ruhani Bazi (Shaykh Musa Bazi) was one blessed with immense talent in writing, teaching and karamah. It was related that the imam of Masjidil Haram, Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdullah Sabil would always mention and praise Shaykh Musa Bazi in his majalis. People in his circles got curious as to why the Imam of Masjidil Haram was well acquainted with a non-Arab like Shaykh Musa Bazi. The imam said, he has had the privilege of meeting many ulama and mashaikh throughout the world, but none surpass the knowledge and wisdom of Shaykh Musa Bazi.

In Muqaddimah Barakat Makkiyah, Ustaz Muhammad Razif writes about Shaykh Musa Bazi being one of only four people whose grave emits a strong sweet perfume that lasted for months! You may listen to more wonderful stories of Shaykh Musa Bazi from this website dedicated to marketing and promoting Barakat Makkiyah.

http://kitabselawat.com/

  

Not just wonderful stories about the honorable writer who have authored some 200 books, you will also get to learn about the marvelous benefits one could derive from reciting the salawat contained in Barakat Makkiyah. The website and videos are in Malay language, still I would like to urge our non-Malay visitors to try get a copy of the kitab. InshaAllah. 

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, I'm utterly grateful to have discovered this superb publication.