~**Ya Nafsi**~

Ya Nafsi- Do you not remember?


Why shed these tears of sorrow?
Why shed these tears of grief?
Ya nafsi how soon you forget,
After trials come sweet relief

Why turn you from Ar-Rahman?
Why yearn for a listening friend?
Ya nafsi, do you not remember,
On Allah, you must depend?

Read you not those stories,
of the trials in days gone by,
Of the Sahabi beloved by Allah,
Who for Allah's cause did strive?

Why loosen your hold upon Him?
Why fling away, His outstretched Hand?
Ya nafsi, do you not remember,
Bilal's sabr on the blazing sand?

"Ahad! Ahad!" He cried,
While his flesh did drip and burn.
"Ahad! Ahad!" He cried,
To Allah alone he turned.

Forget you the firmness of Hamza,
As the gleaming swords did fall?
With Sabr he turned to Allah,
as the Qureish did slice and maul.

Why drown in salty teardrops?
How can you dare compare your pain?
To that of Yasir and Summayah,
As the lay tortured on the scorching plain?

Forget you the charring of Khabbab,
As on burning coals he lay?
Ya nafsi how meager your suffering,
Wherefore do you lose your way?

Why befriend you not Al-Wali?
Why not in Salat to Him complain?
Like Job who only to Allah,
Turned in all his grief and pain?

Forget you those trials in this life,
Cleanse your heart and make it clean?
Ya nafsi, why all this sadness?
Do you not wish your heart to gleam?

Be patient in all your hardships,
Allah hears your cries of woe.
So trust Him and His Hikmah,
For He knows best and you don't know.

So tighten your hold upon Him,
Lest He withdraw His outstretched Hand!
And remember the example of Bilal,
As he lay anchored on the blazing sand.

"Ahad! Ahad!" he cried,
While his flesh did drip and burn.
"Ahad! Ahad!" he cried,
To Allah alone he turned.

Ibn Qayim- Paradise and its delights

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

“And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.
And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.
And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.
And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.
And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.
And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.
And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who’s taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.
And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.
And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.
And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.
And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.
And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.
And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.
And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.
And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty,then they are like the image of the Moon.And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.
And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-’Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face – free from any resemblance or likeness to anything – as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call:
‘O People of Paradise! Your Lord – Blessed and Exalted – requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!’ So they will say: ‘We hear and obey!’Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet – and none of them will turn down the request of the caller – the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will order His Chair to be brought there.

Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls:
‘O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: ‘And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?’And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise.

So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller – Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names – has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ‘O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: ‘O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!’ So the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will laugh to them and say: ‘O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’So, they will all give the same response: ‘We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’

So, He will say: ‘O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: ‘Show us your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord – Mighty and Majestic – will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah – the Exalted – had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord – the Exalted – will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.’So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife…

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord…} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

-Remember me in your precious duas
Amatullah-

Spring has dawned upon us!

In the UK, the 'Isha Salah is very late and Fajr exceptionally early. At times, barely five hours have
passed between both Salaah so undoubtedly, 'Isha and Fajr require extra exertion, but if one puts their
heart and mind into performing these prayers, Insha-Allah they will be performed, without the
slightest trouble and and instead one would feel an inner exhilaration.

I present four beautiful Ahadith for your perusal, on the importance of congregational Salah in general,
and Fajr and 'Isha, in particular-:

Hadhrat Abu Bakr relates that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:
A person who offers the Fajr Salaah in congregation, is in Allahs protection, and the person
who harasses the one who is in the protection of Allah, will be thrown into the fire of Hell by Allah subhan-Ahu-Wa'Ta'ala.
(Tabarani)

Hadhrat Uthman Ibn Affan relates: I heard the Prophet of Allah saying:
The one who offered 'Isha Salah in congregation, it was as if he remained in Salaah up to midnight,
and if he offered Fajr Salaah with congregation,it was as if he remained in Salaah all night.
(Muslim)

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah relates that the Prophet peace be upon him said:
He who guards the obligatory Salaah, will not be written amongst the neglectful.
(Ibn Khuzaimah)

Hadhrat Umar Ibn Khattab relates: I heard the Prophet peace be upon him saying:
Allah indeed admires the people offering Salaah with congregation.
(Musnad Ahmad)

See how benevolent our merciful Lord is. On such a little effort, He promises so much reward. Allah admires as per Hadith No. 4 for the little effort we make for His sake, which is certainly something to covet. For paltry worldly gains, we are willing to wake up early for work or business, and we don't feel the least reluctance, because we know that we will be recompensed at the end of the month.

In order for ones Faith/Deen to pick up speed, we must make a small sacrifice for Allah. The state of our daily Salaah can be likened to the thermometer of our Faith which shows how essential it is in our daily lives. Ponder on these and other Ahadith, and strive to be punctual in Summer and Winter.

Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon

Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon
By Asma bint Shameem

Yeah, sure we say this statement when someone dies. Also some of us may say this sentence when they lose something, suffer a setback or harm. But………..do you know what it means?
Sure, everyone know that it obviously means 'To Allaah we belong and to Him is our return.'

But that's not what I am talking about.

I mean ….do you REALLY, TRULY understand these words and their implications in a Muslim's life?

It means …whatever we have is not really ours. It belongs to Allaah.

Take a look around you; everything you see, all that you have and all that there is….in you, on you, around you….belongs to Allaah, alone.
It is Allah Who has given you all the property and goods you possess, and that He is the true Owner of them all.

So the cars that you own, the houses that you live in, the businesses you possess all truly belong to Allaah
The kids that He blessed you with, the health that He gave you, the time that He has allowed you are all Allah's property.
Even the bodies we live in and the life that we have belongs to Allaah alone.

"And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth…." (Surah Aal-Imraan:180)

"The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things." ( Surat al-Ma'ida: 120)

'Say: 'To Allah belongs the East and the West…' (Surah al-Baqarah:142)

Now, since everything belongs to Allaah, then we have to include even our souls in that list.

The very souls that we think of as our "self"; our "nafs"; our "being" -- whatever you want to call it -- that very thing that distinguishes you from the rest of the world, belongs to Allaah.

It's not YOURS. In fact, YOU are not YOURS. You belong to Allaah.

And this is the essence of the concept of slavery to Allaah in Islam.

And since He is the true Possessor of everything, and everything is His property, He allots what He wills to whomever He wills…….and then He takes it away. After all, it was Allaah's to begin with.

So He may give you some thing and then take it back after a while..
He will bless you with a precious child that you love dearly…and then He may take it away.
He will grant you money, honour and status….and then He may take it away.
He will give you youth, vitality and health and then surely He will take it away.

In fact everything you have will only be with you for a very short while.
And then the Owner will claim His Right.

So when Allaah does reclaim what was rightfully His, WHY MOURN OUR LOSSES?

Just like a friend who lends you his book. And then after a few days, he wants it back and you give it back to him…no regrets…..no sorrow….no questions asked.

Similarly, if Allah takes back some of His blessings upon you for some reason….so be it.

Say Alhamdulillaah.

Don't grieve.

Be patient.

Submit to the will of Allaah, being pleased with His decision for you. For surely He will only do what is best for you.
Just think…..The Owner came and took it back.

Remember….that you're not the real owner…..you were NEVER the real owner to begin with. You only had everything because it was Allah who gave it to you in the first place. If He didn't give it to you, you wouldn't have had it in any way…in fact, you couldn't have had it.

Remember….man enters into this world empty handed…and leaves it empty handed.

Remember….that everything we have, all the blessings we enjoy, are gifts from Almighty Allah...gifts that we enjoy for a limited period until He takes them away whenever He deems fit.

They are a trust from Allah…a loan to you…to see how you respond to these gifts from Allaah and how you use them….in the obedience of the Almighty, thanking Him and worshipping Him……OR……..to the disobedience to the One Who gave then to you in the first place.

Take note of the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) on the occasion of the death of his son, Ibraahim:
'Our eyes are filled with tears, our hearts with grief, but we say nothing with our lips except that which pleases Allah.... Verily, to Allah we belong, and to Him we return.' (Bukhaari)

And we all know the famous incidence about the companion Abu Talha and his wife when one of the sons died and Abu Talha was not at home. She washed and shrouded him and when Abu Talha came home and asked about his son, she said, 'The child is quiet and I hope he is in peace….' (Bukhaari)
Subhaan Allaah….such patience!

And such Imaan in the statement "Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon"!

She truly understood its meaning and the affect it should have on her life as a Muslimah, submitting to him and being pleased with whatever He has decreed for her.
She knew that whatever she has, is not truly hers. Rather, it is Allaah's….and He took back whatever He owns at its appointed time.
And it is because of this Imaan so strong, this understanding, that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) made dua for them and Allaah blessed them immensely.
"'They (i.e. Abu Talha and his wife) had nine sons and all of them became reciters of the Quran (by heart)." (Bukhaari)

"Be sure we will test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives, but give glad tidings to those who are steadfast, who say when afflicted with calamity: 'To Allah we belong and to him is our return.' They are those on who (descend) blessings from Allah and mercy and they are the once that receive guidance." (al-Baqarah: 155)

The Prophet (PBUH) said 'Pass on knowledge from me even if it is only one verse'

"May Peace Be With You"
Happiness is not something you find,
It's something you are blessed with by THE OWNER OF ALL BLESSINGS

Tis the Season to be merry

Ramdan Kareem to all,
Keep this sinful slave in your duas, InshAllah..
And make the most of the Last 10days of this blessed month!

How often it is that a small action is made great by its intention, and a great action is made small by its intention. - Abdullah Ibn Al Mubarak

Forgive him who wrongs you; Join him who cuts you off; Do good to him who does evil to you; And speak the truth even if it be against yourself.

Wasalmualikum-warahmatullah
Amatullah-

Beautiful Recitation.. Shaikh Mustafa Ismail..Surah Tahrim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHPUSiSZXuE

O' Worshippers of the books of knowledge

Reminded me of 'ya abidal haramain-

O Worshipper of the Books of Knowledge

O Worshipper of the books of Knowledge!
If only you could see us,
you would know that with your knowledge you are merely playing.
For every page of your book that you turn,
We turn, in its place, a page in the chapter of history.

Whoever fatigues his body in pursuit of theoretical knowledge,
Let him know that our bodies are fatigued by the weight of our shackles.
For every ruling of fiqh that you uncover,
Our enemies uncover our modesty and shame.

Do you preach to others the categories of tawheed,
When your own lives have barely suffered for it?
Do your eyes shed tears in your lectures,
Whilst the eyes of our families weep at our absence?
Whoever is pursued by those who seek his opinion,
Let him know that we are pursued by those who bind our hands.
For every drop of ink that leaves your pen,
A drop of our blood from torture leaves our bodies

Does your eloquent speech find no words for us,
When we are the victims of your silence?
Are you still hesitating to take this trust as its bearer,
When every hour passes us by as it is an era?

Whoever of you fears the blame of the blamer,
And whoever of you fears the sword of the oppressor,
Then know that the death of the brave does not come sooner,
And nor is the death of the coward delayed until later.

Do you seek the inheritance of the prophets,
When you refuse to follow in their footsteps?
Then know claim to emulate the predecessors,
When you refuse to pay the price that they paid?

Whoever of you prefers this life to the hereafter,
Then fear the trial of knowledge more than the trial of women.
For while your theories roam with the stars,
We are like lions, caged behind bars.

Let us remind you of one last thing whilst we still live:
The ink of the scholars is not holier than the blood of the captive.
For Allah spoke the Truth, to Him be Honour:
"It is he who fears Allah who is the true scholar."*

as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Your Muslim brothers in British prisons