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...and, al hamdulillah, the going has not been too bad as a pseudo-bachelor (temporarily) studying in a univeristy in UK.
Amazing how a person is well-equipped to face life once he tries to deploy the Muslim motto: 7asbun-Allahu wa nay3mal wakeel (Sufficient for us is Allah and He is the best Disposer of Affairs). But again Allah has also cautioned us: Yureedullahu an yukhaffifa 3nkum - wa khuliqa al-Insaanu Da3eefaa (Allah wishes to lighten the burden upon you - and man has been created weak). So one should never resort to reliance on Allah's kawnee will (i.e. His decrees related to the creation and its maintenance in which man has no active participation) until one has exhausted the compliance with His shar3ee will (i.e. what He has legislated for man to carry out of his own accord and thus man has choice in this domain). I hope in my case I have indeed tried my best to cover myself, and thus now i turn with hands raised and looking for support from The Best of Supporters (i.e. Nay3mul-Mawla wa Nay3mun-Naseer). Being un-distracted by family, though, has improved my ability to take thoughts one at a time so it has had its benefits.
Nothing else really to report on muslim thinking except that really enjoyed Surat-ul-An3aam. Amazing how Allah takes us through the beginnings of a persons straying and how and who is prone to this straying. How it is often a handful of major criminals in the village that cause the people to stray. How it is Allah's sunnah that these people have always existed for every Prophet sent. How Allah over-turns their hearts and sense of perception and damns them to be astray once their arrogance caused their willful abandonment of faith when given the opportunity the first time. And how they resort to that age-old argument: "Had He willed we would not have set up associates." And Allah asks again and again for knowledge to back their position. But He states: "Verily, you follow nothing but guesswork and you do nothing but lie".
In short they have a will, subservient to the Will of Allah (the Kawni one), which allows them to be truthful or lie, to be loyal or betray, etc. But Allah can, once their deeds bring about its necessity, put a veil over their hearts and block their ears, and thus they no longer possess the will to return to belief eventually. And Allah explains earlier in this chapter how He is the possessor of the Sublime Attributes that are evident in His creation.
Also there is Allah's statement how He sends a people tribulations in wealth and health to remind them who is the boss. But when they do not take their lesson, their hearts harden and Satan's beautification of their deeds succeeds in causing them to follow his wishes. They forgot what they were reminded with. Then Allah says He opens the doors to everything, until they become overwhelmed with joy... Then Allah takes them suddenly and they become mublisoon (plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows).
And Allah finishes this passage with:
So the roots of the people who did wrong were cut off. And all the praises and thanks be to Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (the Worlds).
May Allah protect me and the simple believers in Him from the hardening of the hearts and the taking by such devastating end. Aaameen!
Monday, November 29, 2004
Thursday, November 25, 2004
That was the Eid that was - whenever that was
Subhan-Allah. May Allah grant this experience of Itikaaf to all those lovely brothers and sisters out there. I think, it was the opportunity to make as much du'a as possible at all the right times that did it for me. The beginnings were a but rough, but come the 25th night (after the guys finally decided that 14 kids staying with us was perhaps a bit distracting from the main purpose
of being there) i think we as the group of itikaaf people finally were in tune with our objective. Suddenly people mellowed who were finding the routine challenging. I actually believe that the 25th was perhaps the night. And many agree. Though i can't reconcile it with the opinion that it is the same night every year. How can the night of revelation of the Qur'an change? I think scholars differ.
[This is an after-thought/correction inserted after the blog was originally published: The way it is reconciled is that the Night of Decree exists independent and prior to the revelation of the Qur'an. As the verses of Surat-ud-Dukhaan read: Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter - [44:4]. And so it can vary every year]
Anyway, Eid was a bit of a funny one this year. Had to leave the Mosque while they were still praying Taraweeh! But they were such nice people and i think they had to do that as it was the right thing.
The majority were doing it on Sunday. Though this whole formula of considering international moon-sightings only when there is a possibility of local moon-sighting was the strangest thing i ever heard. [Another afterthought: though people on the international dateline would need some sort of mechanism to ensure they don't have to wait till the last hours of the first day of fasting to find out if its Ramadan or not in Saudi.]
I think many of the Jama'ah voted with their feet though. O Allah! Forgive us our sins and be easy in our affair and purge us of our enimities and jealousies... indeed Your Affair is to reach its stated conclusion... include us in the victorious and do not us try us on account of the Sufahaa (foolish) amongst us. You are the best of the Forgivers.
I came out to witness what we are being led to believe were the closing scenes of Fallujah. Ahhhhhhh. One remembers the ayah: "Until even the messengers despaired and they
thought that they had definitely been belied, then came to them Our Victory and so delivered are whom We Wish, and Our Punishment cannot be warded off from the people who are criminals/ disobedients to Allâh". (12:110)
Why do these people not accept the Creator of the respiratory system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the One who decides you will have milk teeth and then you will have permanent teeth, the One who has subjected gravity in favour of man, the Positioner of the stars, the Measurer of the orbits of the Sun and the moons and especially the moon of the Earth which allows man to calculate years and months IS ONE AND THE SAME as the Author, or the Speaker of the Qur'an?
Then will they not desist from their mischief and their running away from the reality of return to their Creator?
Life has deluded them and their fear is that they will not be able to cohabit freely (whatever the sex, or species!!); they fear that the disease of alcohol will be taken away from them; they perhaps subconsciously feel that people who are not as beautiful as them or as philosophically engaged (in confusion) or intellectually tuned (into confusion) as them cannot possibly be their guides. How often was denying the truth after knowing it and belittling the people a cause of grave straying? They said, "Should we believe two men like ourselves while their people are our slaves?" [23:47].
Will they not even fear The Great Ally & Helper of those men who lay down their lives seeking His Face; though when the filter of sincerity is applied they may well be the few among those many bodies? Allah will show them. And may Allah forgive us and keep us upon the straight path to Him.
"Say: Do you await for us (anything) except one of the two best things (martyrdom or victory); while we await for you either that Allâh will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands. So wait... we too are waiting with you..." (9:52)
of being there) i think we as the group of itikaaf people finally were in tune with our objective. Suddenly people mellowed who were finding the routine challenging. I actually believe that the 25th was perhaps the night. And many agree. Though i can't reconcile it with the opinion that it is the same night every year. How can the night of revelation of the Qur'an change? I think scholars differ.
[This is an after-thought/correction inserted after the blog was originally published: The way it is reconciled is that the Night of Decree exists independent and prior to the revelation of the Qur'an. As the verses of Surat-ud-Dukhaan read: Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter - [44:4]. And so it can vary every year]
Anyway, Eid was a bit of a funny one this year. Had to leave the Mosque while they were still praying Taraweeh! But they were such nice people and i think they had to do that as it was the right thing.
The majority were doing it on Sunday. Though this whole formula of considering international moon-sightings only when there is a possibility of local moon-sighting was the strangest thing i ever heard. [Another afterthought: though people on the international dateline would need some sort of mechanism to ensure they don't have to wait till the last hours of the first day of fasting to find out if its Ramadan or not in Saudi.]
I think many of the Jama'ah voted with their feet though. O Allah! Forgive us our sins and be easy in our affair and purge us of our enimities and jealousies... indeed Your Affair is to reach its stated conclusion... include us in the victorious and do not us try us on account of the Sufahaa (foolish) amongst us. You are the best of the Forgivers.
I came out to witness what we are being led to believe were the closing scenes of Fallujah. Ahhhhhhh. One remembers the ayah: "Until even the messengers despaired and they
thought that they had definitely been belied, then came to them Our Victory and so delivered are whom We Wish, and Our Punishment cannot be warded off from the people who are criminals/ disobedients to Allâh". (12:110)
Why do these people not accept the Creator of the respiratory system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the One who decides you will have milk teeth and then you will have permanent teeth, the One who has subjected gravity in favour of man, the Positioner of the stars, the Measurer of the orbits of the Sun and the moons and especially the moon of the Earth which allows man to calculate years and months IS ONE AND THE SAME as the Author, or the Speaker of the Qur'an?
Then will they not desist from their mischief and their running away from the reality of return to their Creator?
Life has deluded them and their fear is that they will not be able to cohabit freely (whatever the sex, or species!!); they fear that the disease of alcohol will be taken away from them; they perhaps subconsciously feel that people who are not as beautiful as them or as philosophically engaged (in confusion) or intellectually tuned (into confusion) as them cannot possibly be their guides. How often was denying the truth after knowing it and belittling the people a cause of grave straying? They said, "Should we believe two men like ourselves while their people are our slaves?" [23:47].
Will they not even fear The Great Ally & Helper of those men who lay down their lives seeking His Face; though when the filter of sincerity is applied they may well be the few among those many bodies? Allah will show them. And may Allah forgive us and keep us upon the straight path to Him.
"Say: Do you await for us (anything) except one of the two best things (martyrdom or victory); while we await for you either that Allâh will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands. So wait... we too are waiting with you..." (9:52)
Monday, November 01, 2004
Ramadan - tertiary phase
Glory be to Allah! Its the 19th of Ramadan! How quick this has all gone buy. But Al hamdulillah there are the last 10 days to look forward to. This year, insha'Allah, insha'Allah, insha'Allah i'll be sitting I'tikaaf. Let's see what it'll be like. At the moment i'm preparing my list. Can't think beyond soap at the moment. What can you keep in a mosque for 10 days in terms of food that a) won't go off; b) won't cause a mess; c) cause an aroma to attract the neighbours d) fit in a 5x5x5 cubic inch box?? And o yes... what will keep me warm in there. Need to find out what the arrangements are for suhoor and iftaar... need to sort these things now so that they don't distract when your in there... hmmm ... i'll keep thinking about this one.
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