The Moment

"And when you look there (in paradise),

you will see a delight and a great dominion.

Their garments will be of fine silk and rich brocade.

They will be adorned with silver bracelets,

and their Lord will give them a purifying drink.

And it will be said; "Verily, this is a reward for you,

your striving has been accepted"

(Al Insaan, Ayah 20-22)

Ashura

Muharram has arrived, alhamdulilah.

Below are some reminders taken from Sunnipath

The Day of `Ashura: The Tenth of Muharram

It is mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him and his father) that he was asked about fasting the Day of `Ashura [10th of Muharram]. He said, 'I did not see the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) fast a day while more avid to seek its virtue than this day, meaning the Day of `Ashura.
Bukhari and Muslim


The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) used to fast this day even in Mecca, though he had not yet ordered others to do so
As mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim.


It has been reported in both Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him), that, 'When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) reached Medina, he found the Jews fasting the Day of `Ashura, so he asked them, 'What is this day you are fasting?' They said, 'This is a tremendous day. Allah saved Musa and his people on this day and drowned Pharaoh and his people. Musa fasted it out of thanks, so we fast it too' The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, 'And we are more deserving of Musa than you are.' So he fasted this day, and ordered that it be fasted.
Bukhari and Muslim

At the end of his life, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) made the determination not to fast this day alone, but with another day [ either before or after it], in order to be different from the People of the Book.

It has been reported in the Sahih of Imam Muslim (Allah have mercy on him), also from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) that, 'When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) fasted the Day of `Ashura and ordered his companions to fast it, they said, 'O Messenger of Allah! This is a day that the Jews and Christians venerate.' So the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, 'When next year comes if Allah wills we will fast the Ninth [of Muharram with it].' But the next year did not come before the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) passed away.'
Muslim, Abu Dawud

And it is reported in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him), from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, 'Fast the Day of `Ashura and be different from the Jews by fasting a day before it or a day after it.'
Ahmad

Raihan- Ya Nabi Salamun Alaik

Mashallah- the real revivers of anasheed to a western audience!

*Note- if you want to stop the automatic nasheed that comes when you come to this page, scroll down and on the right hand bar you will see a 'my mp3 player' gadget type thing. Click the stop button*

When He Gives you, He Shows you His Graciousness

When He Withholds from you, He Shows you His Power

-in both He is Making Himself Known to you and Drawing nearer to you the existence of His Kindness

-Ibn Atta'illah

Human Committment

" If someone claims to love Allah, but has great difficulty in loving or respecting the human beings around them, then we have a right to be a little suspicious of their claim... The muslim who neglects his or her human committments has forgotten that there will be a day when all the books are opened and does not realise that perhaps their book will record that they failed those whom they should have been loving and helping, when they were really needed by them...."

-For Heavens Sake, Ruqaiyah Waris Maqsood

Subhannallah.

The above reminded me of a talk on marriage by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, and particularly the point he made regarding why marriage is 'half ones faith', I quote from my sad excuse for notes...

" You have to understand that the Deen has two halfs. One half relates to your relationship with Allah, your faith and worship. The key to it is ikhlaas and sincerity. The other half is your dealing and conduct with God's creation. That has a key, the key of which is a good marriage. This has one vital quality, mentioned explicitly by Rasoolullah, 'Deal with people with good character'..."

I am tempted to continue to write up the notes from the fantastic talk, but I do not want to focus, for this post atleast, on marital relationships only. I understand why marriage is 'the key' though, considering it is that base which will pave the way for the future. A strong wholesome marriage, level headed parents, will raise children of adaab, who will seek to serve their fellows, seek to build good character, a live example of which they witnessed in their parents, who lived by what Rasoolullah taught. Inshallah one can hope. It's the circle of life.

Focus on serving those close to you, for now, oh self. For you know not what will weigh heavy on the scales on the Day it matters. Let me repeat oh self, incase you forget...
"The muslim who neglects his or her human committments has forgotten that there will be a day when all the books are opened and does not realise that perhaps their book will record that they failed those whom they should have been loving and helping, when they were really needed by them...."

And actions speak louder than words.

Signs

Subhannallah. The creation of The Creator. How wondorous it is!

Simple things deserve attention. Have you ever thought about the grip of the hands? How perfect Allah has made hands and the way in which they fulfil their jobs. Have you ever thought of the job of the thumb? Joint to the fingures but unique it its abilities. And the feet too. These are our life tools. Taking us where we must go from day to day and helping us establish our dreams. Amazing.

It was these thoughts that kept me company on my walk home from University. How super the thought process as well. Able to move from thoughts, able to link various memories and issues, able to appreciate. Amazing.

At home, my family members were watching 'Life' on BBC1. Something to do with killer squid. They were filming deep in the ocean, these remarkable killer squid, with astounding features, huge mouths and a weirdly wonderful nature. Subhannallah. Amazing.

To think, that Allah is the Creator of EVERYTHING. To think, He is the Controller of EVERYTHING. To think. Its simply marvelling. And our minds cant even appreciate 1% of it. For how much to we actually know? Not much of anything. How do we appreciate for that which we dont know, all the secrets the world holds, all its beauty.

"And in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are Signs for those of assured Faith." (45:4)

May Allah allow us to ponder about the vast beauty of His creation and the Greatness of Him, the Creator, May Allah allow us to be among those who have faith, Ameen.