The Effect We Have

Everyday we affect our environments, positively or negatively. How? Very easy, the exact same way I am doing right now. We have contact with people, be they people we know or strangers. We do things, say words, type on our computers. Easily we type long messages, or chat with our friends on the phone. Easily we drive in our cars or wander in and out of shops.

But, do we really pause and think, "What effect am I having?"

Take these two sentences, each consisting of three words.

1) I love you.
2) I hate you.

The two sentences have not only the exact amount of words, but the exact amount of letters. Yet the implications and effect they have on the one who hears them are immense. One sentence can make a someone the happiest person in the world. The other sentence can forever tear someone's heart apart.

Not only what we do has an effect on others, but it has an effect on ourselves. Everything thing we do is recorded, waiting to be shown to us on that Day when all secrets will be told. The time when you made your mother proud, the time when you embarassed your classmate, the time when you wrote a soothing reply on a forum, the time you wrongly accused a person... even the time you kicked a rock to the side of the road.

So think and then act. Allah has not given us a brain so that we do not make use of it. Use it for the pleasure of Allah. When you are being kind to others, when you are taking care not to cause others pain, then that brings the pleasure of Allah. And when Allah is pleased with you, then there is nothing else in the world that you need or could wish for.

Tawfeeq of Tawbah- Moulana Yunus Patel Saheb

"This imagination which Allah Ta’aala has given, make use of it correctly. Letters upon letters, haraam fantasizing… haraam fantasizing… cannot give up porn sites, cannot give up this, cannot give up that. Obviously when the person is going to watch all the filth, what else is he going to do for the rest of the day except haraam fantasizing? After watching the filth on the internet, or in magazines, or on cell phones… dirty pictures… then people are coming, ‘Allahu Akbar’, and then they say, ‘We are getting the same pictures in our ruku and our sajdah.’ Imagine making sajdah with the picture of the naked woman in front, or in the heart.

"Make tawbah, make tawbah, Allah Tabaaraka wa Ta’aala is very forgiving, very merciful, and He accepts tawbah. But sometimes the tawfeeq of tawbah is taken away. The person just doesn’t know when the tawfeeq of tawbah can be taken away.

"My Shaykh, Moulana Shah Hakeem Akhtar saheb Damat Barakatuhum mentioned of a person in Karachi. He said they used to always tell him that, ‘Make tawbah, make tawbah from your sins’; he was a person of loose morals… so ‘Make tawbah from sins’, but he never used to pay any kind of heed.  He said, ‘Before death, we’ll see’.

"Then at the time of his death, when he was close to dying, very sick and coming close to his last laps, he could say everything, ‘Call the doctor’, ‘Give me this medication’, ‘Call so and so’, ‘Turn me around’, everything, he could say. But, ‘Oh Allah, forgive me!’ was never coming on his lips. No matter how much they were trying...

"… because he was not yet in the state of sakaraat, he was just coming close to it, otherwise at that time talqeen means that we read ‘La Ilaaha Illa Allah’, we musn’t tell the person, ‘You read, you read’. Some people got the habit at the time, ‘You read, you read’. And if sometimes the person passes away and we didn’t hear the person read kalimah, then too we must not have a bad opinion of the person. Sometimes the person is silent, and he has been going on and on reciting ‘La Ilaaha Illa Allah’, we don’t know...

"...So he could say everything, but tawfeeq of tawbah had been taken away. And, if Allah Ta’aala takes away that tawfeeq of tawbah then death can come in that haraam state. If that tawbah is taken away, if the tawfeeq is taken away (Allah protect us all) then that person can die in that state of zinaa, adultery, fornication, watching the porn sites, engaging in other kinds of haraam. He can be in the disco and he can die; he can be in the cinema and he can die; he can be in the theatre and he can die. The person can be in the dance clue, in the night club, and he can go. We just don’t know…

"Jo aaya hai yahaan aaj kal jayega

Koi dum mein ye dum nikal jayega

'He who has come here today will leave tomorrow

In any moment this breath will be taken away'"

Taken from Zikr Majlis, Thurday 4th November 2010 at Musjid Nur, Asherville.

Link to Bayaan

Tafweez, it's Yours They Say

Tafweez.... what a wonderful thing... Confused by the title? Read on.

So today I was all ready to go to Moulana Yunus Patel saheb’s majlis, even left a little early, because last time I got there five minutes late. Well, we plan, and Allah plans, and obviously it was not Allah’s plan that I should attend and even listen to the live majlis today.

Basically, this is what happened. We got halfway there, but then our car’s clutch went kaput, and a safety feature on our car is that the car cannot start unless you press the clutch. The car was literally hiccupping when my husband was trying to get it to move. Alhamdu Lillah we had managed to stop not in the middle of the road, but by the side in safety; Durban drivers are maniacs, and I am sure the maniac drivers also agree with me.

Alhamdu Lillah, we had stopped right across from a Halal Pakistani restaurant, Silver Chimney. So I stayed in the car while my husband went inside, hoping to call someone, as we had not brought our cell phones because we had no airtime. I kept reciting Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’oon, as that is what Allah Ta’aala mentions what the believers say when they are afflicted with some trouble. I also recited that which gets me through any tough time… Aayatul Kursi.

So my husband came back. Apparently he did not know any number except one, and that person’s phone was busy. We finally managed to get the car working, but only in first gear, he wasn't able to get into any other gear. Slowly, slowly we drove home, the car shutting down every time we had to stop for a red light, hiccupping as we tried to start it. Well it took us about 45 mins to get back home from a place that was a ten minutes drive away.

Back at home, there was literally no cooked food, as we had planned to buy some pizza. We called the pizza store, they don’t deliver. We called a burger store, their delivery man already left for home. We called another pizza store, they didn’t deliver. Now here is what is funny. We ended up ordering from the same restaurant we had been parked in front of, the one my husband tried to call his contact from.

Now that I think about it (while waiting for the food to come), I had been so sure I would be going to majlis, that I was going to eat pizza and chips for supper. Shows how haughty I was, that even though I said Insha Allah, I still expected things to go my way.

I was upset and frightened in the car, to be sure. Anyone who knows me knows I have a kind of car phobia. But you know, Allah took us and brought us back safely. I’m sitting safely in my flat and typing at my computer. Anything could have happened, the car could have completely stopped, we could have been stranded with no cell phones and no money. But, Allah brought us back home.

So I reckon it’s time I stop whining and start making istighfaar and shukr. Things can always be worse than they are; whatever situation Allah puts us in, there’s a worse situation that we can be put in. It was not in my taqdeer to go to majlis, Allah was keeping me away from there for a reason, the wisdom of which He knows and I don’t.

Tafweez… that’s the key to satisfaction. Once you try to apply it in your life, things become clear, and life becomes easy. Resigning to the will of Allah and being happy with what occurs, that is where true happiness lies. Ridhaa bil Qadaa.

To read more about Tafweez, check out my favorite book here: --> Tafweez by Moulana Yunus Patel saheb

The Creator of Creations

The Greatness of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala is impossible to describe. One can make all the trees of the world into pens and all the waters in the world into ink, yet the praises of Allah are infinite; we will tire before even reaching 1% of His praises.

Look around at the creation of Allah, look at the sun, moon, stars. Look at the plants, trees, flowers, water. Look at yourself. Look at your fingers, your nails, your fingertips. Look at the beauty all around you. Contemplate and realize that if the creation can be so beautiful, then how Awesome must the Creator be? 

Give thanks to Allah, praise Allah, and keep seeing His signs across the globe. One does not have to see Allah written in the skies with clouds. One simply has to see the clouds themselves to realize the Superb Magnificence of Allah, and how only He can be the Creator of all creations.

My Field is Better than Yours! Or is it?

This is something we see a lot nowadays. A person will be involved in tableegh, so now he will shun everyone who is not spreading the word of Allah the same way he is. A person is involved in ta'leem, and he will look down upon those who are having difficulty seeking knowledge. A person is involved in tasawwuf, he will look down upon those who are not sitting in a khanqah.

But this is just silly. All these three branches are interlinked. It's as if the limbs, brain and lungs are competing with each other, each saying it is the most important in the body, while the fact is that each of these organs have their own important role to play in the body.

In any formula you put the three 'T' words makes no difference. Each needs the other to enhance the person, to make the person a complete Muslim.

Who was the greatest Sufi?
Who was the greatest Muballigh?
Who was the greatest 'Aalim?

None other than Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam! Then how can we say one is better than the other?

Take the example of a candle.

Tasawwuf is the wick of a candle.

Ta’leem is the wax.

Tableegh is the flame which gives out light.

Without the wax, the wick will not hold.

Without the wick, the candle will not burn.

Without the flame, the candle is of no use.

Make Shukr to Allah

Allah Ta'aala  has given us so much. Just pause a moment and try to count on your fingers what He has given you. Actually, better not. It is in vain, you do not have enough fingers. We cannot count the blessings of Allah upon us. 

Human beings get charged for using almost everything. Electricity, petrol, food, water etc etc. Now think. Has Allah Ta'aala ever charged us for using the light of the sun? Has He charged us for how much we walk using the feet He granted us? Does He charge us for the land that we use to grow food on and live on? If Allah Ta'aala were to charge us for all the things He granted us, would we ever be able to pay? In fact, we would have to spend more than a lifetime first to make a list of all the things we have been bestowed.

But one things really comes to mind...

At times, when I see what kinds of things other people believe in, the wrong aqaaid they have, the false beliefs they hold on fast to, I feel a sense of extreme gratefulness to Allah Ta'aala, that Alhamdu Lillah, He guided me onto the straight path.

So, let's never forget to make shukr to Allah... and if at times there is a little pain and loss, think about those necessities that Allah has left for us... and how life would be even more painful with them. And never ever forget how He has blessed you with the most precious gift of all, Emaan!

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ

And remember Me, I will remember you, and be thankful to Me and do not be ungrateful to Me.

 Surah 2:153

On Tears- Moulana Yunus Patel Saheb

"If any tear comes out with the fazl of Allah Ta'aala, then don't wipe it with a handkerchief; rub it on your face. That portion which is touched with that tear will not go into Jahannam. So then, if Allah Ta'aala will save that face on which the tears rolled, then can He put the rest of the body in Jahannam and save the face? What it means is that Insha Allah, Allah Ta'aala will create the conditions for this person's entry into Jannat by his sincere tawbah, istighfaar, etc. 

"It is like the person who reads a hundred times per day 'La Ilaaha Illa Allah', so then his face will shine like the full moon on the Day of Judgement. So now people say that, 'That person reads "La Ilaaha Illa Allah" but he does a lot of other things that are wrong. So how will he then go into Jannat and how will his face shine?'

"So, we have to understand every hadeeth shareef properly. It means that Allah Ta'aalah will give this person towards his latter life or whenever Allah Ta'aala gives him, tawfeeq and hidaayat, that he will make sincere tawbah from all his sins and he will become worthy of entry, with Allah Ta'aala's fazl, to Jannat. And then before he leaves from here he will become taa'ib, and then he'll go.

"Mera har khataa par rona, yahi hai meri talaafi

Tere rahmaton ka sadqah, mera jurm o 'afw karna

(To cry upon every mistake, that is my only recompense

The charity of your mercy is to forgive my sins)

"Agar che pur khataa hai par kahan jaye tera banda?

Tere dar par Tera banda ba umeed-e-karam aaya"

(Even though he is amassed with sins, where else can Your slave go?

To Your house Your slave has come with hopes of Grace)

After du'aa, taken from Informal Majlis, Sunday 19th February 2010 at Musjid Nur, Asherville.

Link

Beloved Madeenah

Ai Arze Madeenah kaash ankhon mein tujhe rakh loon

Jannat hai, tu Jannat hai Sarkare do 'aalam ki

"Oh land of Madeenah, if only I could place you in my eyes

Jannat, you are the Jannat of the Leader of the two worlds"

I used to feel upset when I'd hear those naats/nazm/nasheed about people who had seen Madeenah and been to the resting place of Nabi Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam, and were yearning to go back. I would think to myself, 'At least they've been there once! What about people like me, who have never been there?!'

But when I listen to the talks of Moulana Yunus Patel saheb, and when he recites the above verses, you can literally hear the yearning, the pain and tears of wishing to go back to Madeenah. Then I came to realize that, yes, the one who has not been to Madeenah yet, of course the yearning will be there. What kind of Muslim with some love for Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'Alahi wa Sallam wouldn't? However, that person has never tasted the faiz and barkat, the sukoon that Madeenah Shareef has to offer. A true 'Aashiq of Nabi Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam, one who has tasted the sweetness of Madeenah Shareef, leaving Madeenah would be like leaving ones hometown, no, even more severe, like leaving ones own mother.

So although I have still never been to Madeenah, I now with the fazl of Allah can appreciate how someone can yearn to go back to Madeenah even after being there more than ten or twenty times. What peace can a person have when not with ones beloved? How much more is ones yearning when ones recitations and tears invoke feelings of love and pain in a lowly one like myself?

Tamanna hai ke gulzar-e-Madeenah ab watan hota

Wahan ke gulshanon mein koin apna bhi chaman hota

"My wish is that the rose gardens of Madeenah now become my country

That from within those orchards one garden would be mine"

Thoughts on the Pier

Yesterday I went to the beach, well the pier by the beach, to be precise. The beach isn't a very nice place for Muslims to go, lots of fitna. But if you go at the right time and to the right place, you hardly see any wrong things.

So it was after 'Asr salaah and nearing Maghrib that I stood on the pier, which stands over the open ocean. The waves were very dark, and although there was hardly any wind to cool those on the pier, the water was quite violent, and the tide was already high. From where I was standing, the water was only 3-4 meters below. If you reached a hand out, you could probably touch the foam that shot up into the air by the crashing waves.

I love watching the waves, they just have a way of reminding me of Allah and His Power. The roaring sound of the water and the force with which the waves were hitting each other reminded me of Nuh 'Alayhis Salaam and the flood, and so in my mind was

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ مَجْرَاهَا وَمُرْسَاهَا

In the name of Allah be its travel and anchorange

As I gazed down into the raging ocean, it really dawned how powerless we are. We never really 'conquered' the sea, we were allowed passage. When Allah gives the order, the waters allow smooth sailing, but when given different orders, the waters can become a person's watery grave. Similarly, we really have no power over anything unless Allah orders things to be subservient to us.

It came to my mind that so many people do such haraam things by the water, thinking it to be romantic. I mentioned my thoughts to my companion, who replied that such was the case with the whole world, the Earth we lived on. That thought struck me as well, and I remembered the following aayats of the Qur'aan.

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا

وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا
وَقَالَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا لَهَا
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا

ِ

When the earth shall quake most violently…
…when the earth will remove her loads…
…and man will ask, “What is the matter with her?”
On that day she will narrate her stories…
…because your Rabb will command her to do so.

Not just the beauty of Allah's creation, we should ponder on how the creation of Allah is abused to fulfil haraam... and then realize how Merciful Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala is, allowing us to live peacefully. May Allah Ta'aala allow us to realize how Great He truly is.

The Martyred Heart is the Heart I want

It's interesting the different ways the Ahlullah describe different conditions of the heart. Below are a few.

The burning heart: the heart which burns with the love of Allah

The brightened heart: the heart which is bright with the light of Allah.

But my favourite has to be the martyred heart: the heart which is constantly wounded for the sake of Allah. What does this mean?

The martyred heart is that heart which can belong to anyone, even you and me. The martyred heart is that heart which stays away from sins solely for the sake of Allah. This heart is the one that bears the stabbing pains one feels from keeping away from sins. This heart is the one upon which sins are sacrificed. This heart is the one that is stained with the blood of sacrificed sins.

This is the martyred heart, the heart that each one of us should have. It may be that we never attain the burning heart or the brightened heart, but rest assured, the martyred heart is just as beloved to Allah.

 

On Rabee'ul Awwal- Moulana Yunus Patel Saheb

"In this month of Rabee'ul Awwal, there will definetely be lots of seminars, lots of programmes, lots of discussions, lots of conferences, lots of everything. There's nothing wrong with it, if it is in the perimeters of Shari'ah. But, what is really required is 'amal on those ta'leem that are taking place, 'amal on those teachings that are taking place on Nabi Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam. 

"There is no book of love in which it is stated that a person can claim that "I love someone but I do everything in opposition to the one I love". Can that ever be in any book of love? We all know about sensual love, and all illicit love relationships. Can anybody say, "Look, I'll do everything against you; everything you say you love and you like, I will dislike; and I will dress like your enemies, my fashion and my style will be like your enemies; my habits will be like your enemies; my discussion and everything else, my total lifestyle will be in opposition... but I claim I love you greatly". That just cannot happen, it's not acceptable in anybody's language.

"So like that, Nabi 'Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam's love demands certain things, 'amal on the teachings of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. Nabi 'Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam's lifestyle must become beloved to us. Even though there may be some weakness in our lives... but we must truly love Nabi 'Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam's teachings and his lifestyle. There may be weakness because of our environment, we may not be able to make 'amal on certain aspects. 

"I've discussed this many times in details that because we are weak, Nabi 'Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam did not impose upon us certain things that he chose for himself... the 2 x 2 room.... sometimes the stove did not light for two months on end. Nabi 'Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam did not keep even two coins for the next day. Many of those things he chose for himself, but he didn't impose on us. He gave us the Shari'ah which is very practical, very easy, very beautiful; it's got perfection in it. Ashal, Ajmal, Akmal. That is what he gave to us. 

"If you read the Qur'aan Shareef and you read the Ahadeeth of Nabi 'Alayhis Salaatu was Salaam, and you look at the teaching of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah, what we call the Shari'ah, then that we will find very practical, very beautiful, very easy; the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor can make 'amal. There is no question that every person must destroy his home and must live in a hut or a shack. But, make 'amal on his teachings."

Taken from Zikr Majlis, Thurday 3rd February 2011 at Musjid Nur, Asherville.

Link to bayaan

Praise for Our Beloved Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam.

Wa ahsanu minka lam taraa qattu aynee

Wa ajmala minka lam talidin nisaau

Khuliqta mubarram min kulli 'aybin

Ka'annaka qad khuliqta kama tashaa'u

"My eyes have not seen anyone more handsome than you.
nor has any women given birth to anyone more beautiful than you.

You have been created free from all faults
it is as if you have been created as you desire."

These beautiful couplets came from the lips of non other than a poet who was also blessed by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala to be a companion of Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam. Just from the description given one can tell these words were not from a mere wannabe poet. This was by a man who had seen our Beloved Nabi Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam, a true 'aashiq. We who claim to be the lovers of Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam cannot even try to come close to praising Allah's Beloved as Hassan bin Thaabit Radhiya Allahu 'Anhu did.

But despair not, oh those who wish to become lovers! For have we not received something even better than poetry?

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aalah says in the Holy Qur'aan,

Inna Allaha wa malaaikatahu yusalloona 'alan Nabiy

Ya ayyuhal lazeena aamanu sallu 'alayhi wa sallimu tasleema

"Verily Allah and his angels send salutations upon Nabi Salla Allahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam

Oh you who have brought faith! Send salutations upon him and send peace upon him excessively"

Allahumma salli 'alaa Muhammad wa 'alaa aali Muhammad kama sallayta 'alaa Ibraheema wa 'alaa aali Ibraheema innaka Hameedum Majeed

Allahumma baarik 'alaa Muhammad wa 'alaa aali Muhammad kama baarakta 'alaa Ibraheema wa 'alaa aali Ibraheema innaka Hameedum Majeed

Let us follow this order of Allah Ta'aala and proclaim our love for His Beloved in the best way. And, if one has a gifted pen, then certainly compose poems on Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'Alahi Wa Sallam.

Allah, Allah!

Allah, Allah, kaysa Pyara Naam hai!

'Aashiqon ka meena or jaam hai!

Allah Allah, what a Beloved Name!

It is the cup that bears the intoxicating wine of lovers!

These are the words of an 'Aashiq of Allah, Hazrat Moulana Hakeem Akhtar saheb damat barakatuhum.

So beautiful, so true. What other name is easier to call than the name Allah? Just say it yourself, now. Allah. Allah. Allah. So easy, even a newborn infant can say the beautiful name of Allah. Such is the Great One's mercy upon His creation, that even His name is said with such ease and comfort. And, when the lover of Allah repeats this name, even a lowly one such as you and I can hear the sweetness and pleasure they are experiencing! Subhana Allah! May Allah Ta'aala also bless us with such love for Him, Ameen!