Definiteness of purpose | Fly there

Bismillah.

Gotta have this line here. 

It's a timely reminder especially for me (and perchance you too). It's a wonderful feeling to fly towards one's purpose with a solid intention and strong determination.  It's a wonderful feeling and we say thanks to the Almighty, for making things work well, it's like the universe is plotting to assist you. Subhanallah!

"Trust in Allah Taála. He won't just open closed doors, but create doors that didn't exist, and open them for you."
- Shaykh Ninowy

***

Can't wait to fly again soon InshaAllah, to seek knowledge and spend some quality time with my loved ones. Allah is indeed Generous, I was planning for a similar trip early next year, but He brings it forward and He has added an unexpected bonus too.

2016 started good and it's looking like a great wrap-up bi iznillah. I pray Allah would be kind and generous on you too my dear readers, you know who you are. Let us all do loads and loads of salawat and let Allah handle our affairs in the best of manners. I am more convinced now that it's a ticket to ultimate felicity.

Allahumma salli ala Sayyidina Muhammad
solatan tuwas si u biha alainal arzak

p/s
To all my No. 1, 2, 3...supporters - I love you for the sake of Allah.
 : )

Habib Umar bin Hafiz on the importance of salawat

Bismillah.

A friend forwarded me an audio recording of Habib Umar's tausiyah at Masjid Sultan, Singapore on 2nd November 2016. Alhamdulillah. This is my attempt to transliterate Habib Umar's words as translated by Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin bin Hamid and Habib Jindan bin Novel - just the intro part though.

***

Praise be to Allah who will gather mankind on the Day of Resurrection - a day which will most definitely come to pass, an inevitable day. Allah is the Best Judge. For those who dispute on His judgments, let them know that the judgment which is in Allah's hand will decide on the things which they argue about. He is the best of judges and none can intervene with His ultimate judgment.

Whomever Allah has destined safety and blissfulness, the person will experience safety and blissfulness for eternity. Whomever Allah has destined wretchedness and disaster, will be in such a state forever. When the time comes for Allah to make His judgments, all other prior judgments that used to prevail will become obsolete and nullified. Pray so that Allah will guide us and grant us His redha (mercy) and that Allah will decide to let us enter the Heavens. We must strive and pray for Allah to choose a good outcome for us, among those who stand firm on the covenant of la ilaha illaallah Muhammad Rasulallah. May we die in such a state.

Those who wish to realize the haqiqah (reality) of the kalimah which Allah has awarded to us, must make an effort to recite plenty of salawat. There's a hadith about Allah rewarding us with 10 salawat in exchange of one salawat we make. And another hadith by Imam Tirmidhi about those who will be the closest to the Prophet, yaqni those who make the most number of salawat for him salallah alaihi wasalam. This is a belief held by ahlul sunnah wal jamaah. Their shiár (trademark) is by making lots and lots of salawat be it in a group or individually, in public or in private. 

There's a hadith about Sayyidina Kaab asking the Prophet about the quantity of salawat he should make. When Sayydina Kaab told Rasulallah he would allocate one-third of his time for salawat, the Prophet replied: "Good but if you could do more, then that would be better for you". Sayyidina Kaab responded saying he would spend half of his time to make salawat. The Prophet replied: "It's up to you but if you were to do more then that would be better." If that's the case, Sayyidina Kaab said "two-third" and Prophet replied with the same answer until Sayyidna Kaab said he would utilize all of his time to make salawat.

Those who dedicate their time to offer loads of salawat for the Prophet will be forgiven by Allah and Allah will manage all his/her concerns. If Allah protects/preserves a person from his/her problems, now what else is there that could bother him/her? If all his/her wrongdoings have been forgiven by Allah, then there's nothing left to be accounted for in the hereafter. O Allah, protect us from our troubles and forgive us. We ask You O Allah that You make salawat on our behalf for the Prophet, with the grandest of salawat, deliver it from us, for Rasulallah, his companions, his followers and those who love him. To his forefathers who were among the prophets, their families and their companions; and to all who are close to You among the solehin; and place us among them O Allah with the blessings of the salawat.

[Ameen]

Habib Umar bin Hafiz during his visit to Baálwie Mosque in Singapore
[Pic credit: A friend who got this from a WA group. ]
I've got no clue as to whom the pic credit should really go to
but we are grateful for this sharing, aren't we?
To see such beautiful serene countenance of genuine descendants 
of the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam
who consistently display good akhlak and utter words of wisdom
that gladden our hearts. 
True descendants of Rasulallah they are, not just in name. 

Gladden a heart | Let the Angels reply

Bismillah.

Of course we are all glad by the presence of a scholar like Habib Umar bin Hafiz. No wait, there's no one quite like him. He is who he is. Very special. The aura from his presence gladdens one's heart. The pearls from his speech gladden one's soul.

Habib Umar bin Hafiz gave a tausiyah at Masjid Sultan on 2nd November 2016. Some of you might have attended the event or read about it from Muslimbuzz.sg

If you haven't read, then please go ahead and click on the link.

I wonder what remarks Habib Jindan made that caused Habib Umar to crack such a sweet smile. We gotta say thanks to the photographer for sharing this beautiful moment. Just looking at this photo gladdens my heart!

  

I read the notes from Habib Umar's tausiyah at Masjid Sultan that if we gladden a Muslim's heart, Allah will create an angel to ask for his forgiveness until the Day of Judgment. The angel will accompany this person in the grave and all the way until he gets to the Heavens.

How cool!
[Now will someone say something sweet to me or get me a nice gift to gladden my heart? LOL]

I also learned from Habib Umar's tausiyah about the Angels doing this one important thing for us on our behalf when someone insults us. Indeed it's great to have the Angels do it on our behalf.

"Rasulallah salallah alaihi wasalam sat and watched the patience of Sayyidina Abu Bakar as someone insulted him over and over. Sayyidina  Abu Bakar kept silent until a certain point when he responded. As soon as he did, Rasulallah stood up and left. Seeing this, Sayyidina Abu Bakar ran after him and said: Ya Rasulallah are you disappointed? Didn't you see how he kept insulting me whereas I replied only once? Rasulallah said: When you kept silent, I saw the angels come near and replied to his insults on your behalf. But when you responded, the angels left and syaitan came instead. And I do not sit where syaitan is present."

This is something we must try hard to remember because it's not easy to refrain ourselves when we are angered. Best to let the angels be our "spokesperson" because surely they are more eloquent and brilliant in their replies.

  

Click on this link to read a transcript of Habib Umar's tausiyah at Masjid Sultan on 2nd November 2016.

http://muzlimbuzz.sg/habib-umars-riveting-talk-at-sultan-mosque-night-of-mahabbah-november-2016/

Until then.

Peace!

p/s

Go on, gladden someone's heart today : )

Remember | November

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

We have come to the 1st of November. Praise be to Allah for giving us life up until this day. Always remember to pray: 

Allahumma tawwil umurana. 

"O Allah give us a long life."

So that we may remember Him, our Creator, always as we sit, stand, walk and lie down.

So that we may make duá to Him because we learn from Ibn Athaillah's words of wisdom that "When Allah inspires your tongue to ask, know that He wants to give."

O Allah, give us a long life so that we may engage in beneficial activities that are pleasing to You.

O Allah, give us a long life so that we may contemplate upon You and know You better each day of our life. So that we may grow to love You and thus we do not fear death. How can we fear death when it is You who wait for us on the other side?

O Allah, give us a long life, so that we may witness Your Beauty on the horizon each moment, for we know You are Unique and You manifest Yourself differently endlessly. 

"Kulla yawmin huwa fi shan."

"The glory of each day is different."

"Every day He is upon some matter."
"Every day He manifests Himself in yet another [wondrous] way."
Sadaqallah al Azim
[Syuruk @ KL two days ago]

And yet some people commented about me posting "the same photos of KL cityscape" too often. Oh well, I see the truth of the qalam we just quoted. That "Every day in new splendor does He shine."

Each day this November, I pray Allah will manifest Himself in a wondrous way for you and me so that all afflictions will be lifted, that all pain and sickness will be cured, that all needs will be fulfilled, that all sorrows will be replaced with abundant joy! Ameen.

p/s
It's my blog, I can have my photo in each and every posting if I wanted to. 
: P
It's my blog, I can post whatever photos I like.
: P

Habib Umar bin Hafiz's Tausiyah in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia - 27 and 28 October 2016

Bismillah.

Alfu Alfu Alhamdulillah!

By far, the opportunity to be at Habib Umar's majalis twice on Thursday and Friday, was the best Divine gift for this faqir this year.

Praise is due to Allah, indeed, as said Habib Umar bin Hafiz at the outset of his tausiyah at Masjid Hussain in Seremban 2, Negeri Sembilan (1 hour drive south of KL).

Below are my short sketchy notes of Habib Umar's tausiyah as translated by none other than Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin bin Hamid.

"Glory be to Allah who gathered all of you here, you who hope for the pouring of His Mercy, you who hope for His Gifts. Make your heart present before Allah, hope for His gaze upon you. Allah offers 360 Divine Gaze in a day, should you be fortunate to receive one gaze from Him, you shall never fail ever. We are on the eve of Friday, this is a good time to avail ourselves for the Divine Gaze. The ummah before us were not aware of this opportunity."

"We are told to make as much salawat as possible on Fridays. Prophet Muhammad said in a hadith: Friday is the best of days for you so make much salawat for me. Your salawat will reach me, no matter where you are." 

"O you who hope for Allah's Divine gaze, send salutations to the Prophet. If you make salawat for the Prophet, it's impossible that you will not receive His Gaze. You are here engulfed with plenty of salawat. Salawat is your link and connection to the Prophet. The fruit of salawat as narrated in ahadith by Imam Tirmidhi and several other narrators is that those who are nearest to the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection are those who make the most salawat to him salallah alaihi wasalam. Do you know how wonderful that is? Do you know how great that gift is?"

"There are other hadith about Allah making 10 salawat to reciprocate one salawat we make. This is a good provision for the believers whether he/she does it in a group or alone, whether he/she does it in private or in public. When a group gathers to make zikir and salawat for the Prophet, they will not disperse thereafter with a loss."    

"Those who recite Surah Al Kahf on Thursday evening/eve of Friday or on a Friday will receive Allah's light up until Baitul Atiq and the light will last until the following Friday. Whoever recites Surah Ad Dukhan on the eve of Friday will receive Allah's pardon on that night." 

"Whoever makes salawat 80 times after Asar prayer, Allah will forgive his/her sins which had been committed in 80 years. Whoever cleanse himself or take a bath to attend Friday prayers, listen to the khutbah and did not bother his fellow brothers during the prayers, will be granted the pardon by Allah until the next Friday and add three days to that." 

"Did you hear those virtues? O you ummah of the Prophet, did you not listen to those great rewards that were mentioned?"

"The angels were not amazed upon seeing the ummah of the Prophets before Rasulullah being saved from the torments of the Fire. They said Alhamdulillah but they were not amazed. However, they are amazed to see ummah of Prophet Muhammad who is not saved from Hell. How can they not be saved, they are ummah of Rasulullah?"

***      

Habib Umar bin Hafiz ended his tausiyah with heartfelt and lengthy duá as the crowd chanted with deep emotions: Ya Allah Hu Ya Allah, Ya Allah Hu Ya Allah, Ya Allah Hu Ya Allah...

Habib Umar bin Hafiz standing on the right.
To his left is Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin bin Hamid who acted as translator.

On Friday morning (28 October 2016) Habib Umar bin Hafiz read a couple of hadith at Masjid At Taqwa in Paroi, Negeri Sembilan. Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin once again acted as his translator. It was my first time visiting this impressive three-story mosque. It felt really good driving there early in the morning seeing so many cars heading towards the same direction and when we arrived, we saw hundreds of cars already parked outside the mosque's compound. It was a heart-soothing sight to behold, to see people congregating first thing in the morning.

Habib Umar bin Hafiz and Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin bin Hamid
at Masjid At Taqwa, Paroi, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia  

Habib Umar bin Hafiz led the Subuh prayers
and elucidated two hadith thereafter

Key points from Habib Umar bin Hafiz's tazkirah delivered at Masjid At Taqwa:

• Praise be to Allah for gathering us at this good place on a good day - Friday, as we rushed to enliven the mosque to perform obligatory prayer, hence following the sunnah of Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam.
• There's a hadith of Rasulullah about Allah promising a banquet in Heaven for those who come to the mosque in the morning. There's another hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah about the virtues of those who attend the Subuh prayers in congregation at a mosque, their journey as they leave home is akin to jihad.
• The five daily prayers are important especially Subuh and Isha. Those who miss these two prayers may be considered as munafiq - those who outwardly manifest Islam but are inwardly kufur. These people are considered munafiq in their certainty and action. These people have weak iman and they tend to lie in their speech. Allah will brand those who repeatedly lie in their speech, as liars.
• One who is honest in his/her speech will be honest in his/her actions. Those who are honest in their actions, they have great resolve, love, and sincerity in their hearts. These good attributes could win them a great station known as siddiqin.
• Siddiqin is the highest maqam/level as far as sainthood is concerned and the highest category of siddiqin is called siddiqin kubra. The sahabah (companions of the Prophet), the Muhajirin, the Ansar, Saidina Abu Bakar and Saidatina Siti Aishah are among those who fall in this category. Saidatina Aishah was also known as Siddiqah binti Siddiq.
• The siddiqin is mentioned in the Quran among those who shall receive Allah's blessings i.e. the anbiya, siddiqin, syuhada and solehin. 
• Habib Umar prayed so that the congregations and anyone who love these elite people would be gathered with them.
• There is much benefit from listening to the stories of siddiqin. We should make an effort to tell their stories.
• Those who do not care about the stories of anbiya/siddiqin and those who are tricked by the stories of people who are distant from Allah instead, they should muhasabah. Those who are heedless would normally be attracted to stories of those who are heedless like them - stories and photos of people who do not cover their aurah which do not bring any benefits. Their hearts will become hardened/rustic.
• We should change our heart to make it incline towards stories of the anbiya and siddiqin. We should narrate their stories in our homes. Among the prophets who were considered as siddiqin are: Nabi Ibrahim, Nabi Idris and Nabi Yusuf. One of the fundamentals for a believer is to have faith in Allah and Rasul. 
• Allah gives a special honor for those who could attain a good level of faith - people who are truthful in their speech, actions and attributes. Allah will protect and help those who have taqwa. 
• Allah mention in the Quran about the awliya who neither fear nor grief; those who have iman and taqwa. Allah conveys to the awliya His glad tidings about the rewards He will grant them in the Heavens. Pray so that Allah would grant us similar bounties as He has promised them.
• Habib Umar then talked about the virtues of those who pray Subuh and Isha in a congregation at the mosque. Those who truly understand the benefits of doing so would crawl to the mosque. There is a story about one ill/old person who couldn't walk so he asked his family to carry him. His family refused at first. He pleaded, saying: 'Did you not hear the azan calling us to solah and falah (success)? Upon hearing the old man's plea, one of his family members carried him to the mosque. The man passed away during prostration in the second rakaah. He died at the point when he was nearest to Allah during sujud. O Allah, bestow upon us this great honor.
• Habib Umar went on to elucidate the meanings of another hadith about the seven wrongful destructive acts i.e. shirik. 
• There is a hadith about the shayatin giving up on trying to make people worship them so that they focus on creating rifts between people. 
• There is also a hadith in which Prophet Muhammad said he's not worried about his ummah committing shirik. He's more worried that his ummah are being lured by the worldly desires thus compete with the previous generation in amassing wealth and end up being destroyed by it just like them.
• We must know the difference between shirik and tawassul. Making tawassul with the solehin hoping for bounties/help from Allah is not shirik. Look for wasilah (the means). Those who mix up shirik with tawasul are ignorant.
• Habib Umar then narrated the story of Prophet Yaakub's eyes being healed when Prophet Yusuf's shirt was thrown to his face. Prophet Yusuf could have asked Allah directly for Allah to cure Yaakub's blindness. Allah is certainly capable of curing Yaakub's eyesight without any intermediaries e.g a cloth/shirt. Buy why did Allah only grant cure to Yaakub when a shirt made contact with his face/eyes? Indeed, true knowledge reside with the Prophets and their followers.
• Prophet Muhammad kissed the Hajarul Aswad (Black Stone) - is that tabarruk or is that a disgrace for a Prophet like him to do so? His lips and his forehead which reached the Sidratul Muntaha still seek tabarruk from Hajarul Aswad, now what about my forehead and yours?
• The barakah of Hajarul Aswad is only as big as an atom (minute) compared to that of Prophet Muhammad. Similarly, Maqam Ibrahim. Allah commands us to make it a place for solah. Prophet Muhammad too, performed solah at Maqam Ibrahim. 
• Prophet Muhammad used to have ZamZam water delivered to Madinah so he could use it and make duá to heal the sick. Do you think you know better than Prophet Muhammad? 
• Are you going to say those who consult the doctors, who take medication, who undergo a surgery have fallen into shirik? Allah creates all these as wasilah (medium).
• May Allah purify us from the small/hidden shirik (shirik khafi) as He has purified us from the big/apparent shirik (shirik jali).
• Habib Umar then talked about sihir as the biggest sin. That those who seek help from syaitan through witchcraft/black magic will be convened with them - those who are kufur. Allah will not accept their solah for 40 days. 

Habib Umar concluded his tazkirah with duá so that Allah protect us from having munafiq attributes, that Allah protects us from shirik, that Allah would gather us with the siddiqin.

***

Allahu a'lam.

May I be forgiven for any mistakes/errors/omissions. I posted this because the shuyukh had asked those present at the majalis to convey the lessons to those who were absent.

[I hereby tawasul with a solehin like Habib Umar and his forefathers, that those who cast sihir on me in the past, present and future, will in return suffer from the ill effects which they and their accomplice have intended. I leave it to Allah Al Muntaqim for He is Most Fair in His reckoning and retribution. Pray through the blessings of the solehin that Allah will cure me, pardon me and elevate my status, as a result of the tests. Ameen.]
                   

"Tolong" | Open | Seashells

Bismillah.

So we learn, sometimes, some things, it's not just about finding them, but it's also about opening them.

Open -  even the sound of the word open carries a positive vibe, don't you think so? Oh by the way, when I was at a clinic this morning, I noticed four posters which have got five tolong on them. Tolong in the Malay language and in the context of the posters means please. Tolong also means help. Pronounce it like this: tow low-ng

I don't mean to poke fun at my own language but when I read all four posters with five tolong-s on them I thought the word sounded a little funny. Or was it just me being a lil sick today. LOL.

Having read all posters, I truly empathized with the doctor and her staffs because the posters sounded like a "cry for help" so that the patients and their companions would be more civic-minded.

Poster 1 says: Please [tolong] keep the clinic clean.

Poster 2 says: Please [tolong] write your name and ID number each time you visit.

Poster 3 says: Please [tolong] don't be noisy and please [tolong] be patient.

Poster 4 says: Please [tolong] mind your children's behavior.

They are really begging for cooperation there! But I guess, sometimes, people need to be told exactly what they should do. Like the poster below. It's a saying by the venerable Imam Ghazali which I did not know until a friend dreamed about it and related the story to me. He dreamed of an old lady quoting that words of wisdom. It was a good dream for him but let's not go into details.

It's telling us a basic thing like those notices at the clinic. That we should not only look for seashells but we must open them, cos there might be pearls inside. That the real purpose is to find pearls and not just stop at the seashells. That we have to take one step further, make one more effort - open.

May Allah Al Fattah open the door to beneficial knowledge for us all. May Allah open the door to goodness for us all. May Allah open our hearts to be a receptacle of His Light, Beauty and Wisdom.

Ameen.  

p/s
Tolong say a prayer for me : )
Know that, you [my dear genuine readers/friends] are counted in my duá.

Allahumma tawwil umurana
wa soh hih ajsadana
wa nawwir qulubana
wa tsabit imaanana
wa ahsin aqmalana
wa wassiq arzaqana
wa ilal khairi qaribna
wa 'anish sharri ab 'idna
waqdhi hawa ijana
fid deeni wa dunya wal akhirah
innaka ala kulli syai in qadir

O Allah, grant us a long life
make our body healthy
enlighten our hearts
strengthen our faith
broaden our provision
bring us near to goodness
keep us far from evil
fulfill all our wishes
pertaining to our religion, this world and the hereafter
for You are the Most Powerful over all matters

Ameen.

KL 25th October 2016
Happy that we have got a mosque in KL (Masjid Kampung Baru)
that displays a myriad of colors to match the light show at the KL Tower.
It's no doubt a shi'ar of Islam, that we are progressive,
open to new ideas and modern.
[Click to enlarge and spot a brightly lit mosque.
Yes, taking photos of the KL night scene is my favorite pastime.]

The newly refurbished Masjid Kampung Baru in KL
Am proud of my kampung (village) or rather city : )

Without prejudice | Abu Yazid Bistami

Bismillah.

The above is a partial quote from the 'King of the Gnostic' of Iran - Bayazid Bistami or Abu Yazid Bistami. How can it not be true? I don't know about you, but the more I reflect and internalize the statement the more goosebumps I get. LOL (nervous laugh that is!)

We came to this world while not being fully conscious of the Creator despite the fact that we had already made the covenant of Alastubirabbikum [Am I not your Lord?] way back. As we grow up, we gradually recognize His attributes and slowly learn to remember Him. Oftentimes we struggle to remember Him even though [the sweet fact is] He remembers us all along. He remembers us without prejudice. But we cannot say for certain that there wasn't a time when we doubted Him a little when our prayers didn't seem to get a response, as quickly as we wanted, in the way that we had hoped.

Anyhow, this is the full often quoted statement attributed to the well known Sufi Abu Yazid Bistami:

I made four mistakes in my preliminary steps in this way. 
I thought that I remember Him and I know Him 
and I love Him and I seek Him.

But when I reached Him, 
I saw that His remembrance of me 
preceded my remembrance of Him 
and His knowledge about me 
preceded my knowledge of Him 
and His love towards me 
was more ancient than my love towards Him 
and He sought me in order that I would begin to seek Him.

To think that His remembrance of you/me preceded your/my remembrance of Him, gives us believers abundant hope. That He remembers and will not forsake us - His creations. That His mercy prevails over His wrath. I think this alone should suffice for a believer, to know that "His remembrance of me preceded my remembrance of Him." Now, does anything else matter?   

I am reminded of this profound sayings of Bayazid when I saw a posting by Shaykh Allie Khalfe of Cape Town, about Abu Yazid and the dog. Let's re-publish it here so we remind ourselves of how terrible our internal prejudice is; how much pride we have; how easily we glorify ourselves and how we confidently discount people who, in our opinion, have strayed and fallen behind, people who are not in our "exclusive club".    

"One day, when the great saint and gnostic Abu Yazid Al-Bistami was walking through a street, suddenly a dog appeared, approaching him slowly. Being cautious and not wanting his clothes to be in contact with the dog, Abu Yazid pulled up his clothes. Unexpectedly, the dog was communicating to Abu Yazid with a voice like human. "If my fur is dry and accidentally comes into contact with your clothes, there is no need for you to have your clothes cleansed. However, if my skin happens to be wet, all you need to do is have your clothes cleansed the way God prescribed. But then the prejudice attitude inside you will not be washed away even if you use all the water obtained from seven rivers. The internal or spiritual sins are difficult to clean."

Abu Yazid said: "Dear dog, you are very intelligent. Please come and stay with me for a while."

"No we can't stay together as I'm being despised by humans while you are glorified in this world. Furthermore, I do not store any food for the next day while you store your needs for the whole year," replied the dog.

Hearing the words of wisdom from the dog, Abu Yazid whispered to himself: "If even a dog refuses to accompany me, am I eligible to be close to God and attend His functions? All the Praises be for God who has shown all the flaws in me and guiding human beings through the minor things."

MashaAllah, this is Abu Yazid speaking!

That's why, it saddens me and I'm sure it saddens you too, to hear about some of the khadam/assistants/volunteers of the shuyukh who act arrogantly towards the "general public" as if they are the "khawasul khawas" the elitist, just because they are close to the scholars, that they have got exclusive rights/access to them. 

Hmm....       

"If Allah loves a servant, He will grant three attributes that are the proofs of His love:

generosity like the generosity of the ocean;
favor like the favor of the Sun in its giving light;
and modesty like the modesty of the Earth." 

- Abu Yazid Bistami

Ref: 
https://islamictext.wordpress.com/2016/10/20/abu-yazid-al-bistami-and-the-dog/
http://naqshbandi.org/golden-chain/the-chain/tayfur-abu-yazid-al-bistami/