The Path of Worshipful Servants

 ".....You must realise, Oh my brethren (may God favour you and me with His Good Pleasure), that worshipful service [ibada] is the fruit of knowledge ['ilm], the benefit of life ['umr], the income of strong servants, the stock in trade of the saints [awliyah], the path of the truly devout, the allotted portion of the mighty, the goal of those endowed with aspiration, the emblem of the noble, the vocation of real men and the choice of those with faculties of vision. It is the way of good fortune and the path [minhaj] of the Garden of Paradise. God has told us; "And I am your Lord, So Worship Me" (21:92).  He has also said" "Behold: this is a reward for you. And I am your Lord, so worship Me" (76:22)

The path of worshipful service is indeed a rugged path and a hard road, fraught with many obstacles, serious hardships, remote distances, enormous difficulties, frequent hindrances and impediments. It is beset with deadly perils and interruptions. This is exactly how it needs to be, since it is the path of the Garden of Paradise and this represents a confirmation of the saying of The Prophet (peace be upon him),  "The Garden of Paradise is indeed surrounded by things that are repugnant [makarih], while the Fire of Hell is surrounded by objects of lustful desire [shahawat]". He (peace be upon him) also said, "The Garden of Paradise is indeed a rugged ground on a hill, while the Fire of Hell is indeed a smooth ground in a sequestered courtyard."

Then in addition to al of that, the servant [of the Lord] is weak, the time is difficult and religious commitment is subject retrogression....."

~Al Ghazali - The Path Of The Righteous Servants - To the Garden of the Lord of the Worlds
Translated by Muhtar Holland

Burda Class 3

"There's much in Inshaad.
There's Ilm. There's meaning.
And it lifts the spirit and takes it to more than its normal everyday life.
...More than most people know!"
- Shaykh Jihad

(Ayywa, I missed the write up of the notes of chapter 2. This now makes this kinda disjointed as class 3 was a continuation of chapter 2, but ahh, the class was filled with many stand alone pearls too!... so here are some stand alone pearls...)


Don't say "I'm everything" and don't say "I'm nothing" as they are both about the I. Say Allah.

What we want is 'Arifeen. We want enlightened knowing. And knowing is different from knowledge as knowing is a state of being.

"Actions are like lifeless forms. And the life is the sincerity within them. This is the secret within them" - Ibn Attaillah

It is the responsibility of believers to protect their friends from their nafs.

If your friends are not telling you when you are stepping over the line, then they are not friends.

Muraqabah is not glamourous. It's not going to get you on TV. It will keep you off TV. But it's what keeps a believer real.

Were a person not to cry except over the moments lost in not worshipping Allah, this would be enough for one.

Don't be self satisfied. but know that the feeling of remorse is a blessing and a lot of people don't have it. You have been blessed with the Nafs-alawwamah! But don't stay there! Work at it!

Remorse is repentance. You should be crying over your situation and where you've got to. If you think about it deeply, it will be hard not to cry.

We are either in a moment of ibaadah or of tawbah. And the tawbah becomes the ibaadah of the moment. This doesn't mean we sin and reassure ourselves that we will settle for making tawbah. As we are not promised any next moments. And the last thing we want is for our last moments to make us lose.

Your job is to park yourself and wait on the doorstep. The Muslims' hanging on the door of the Kaabah is symbolic of Allah opening the door to the slave. And whether He Opens the door or doesn't, tell Him you don't care- you'll be there waiting.

Takleef is following something in which there is difficulty in it. A person can get to a point where they go head over heel for their beloved. They will do anything for them. One can get to that level in their ibaadah. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's difficult. And there's beauty in it when it's difficult. Because it's for Allah.

"Contradicting the ego is the foremost level of ibaadah".

Look at what shaytaan did to Adam and he told Adam he was his friend. Yet the Shaytan has told you openly that he will deceive you! Shaytaan is the open enemy and the nafs is the enemy within.

Increase the 'Aql which you may need to go to. Learn and attend classes so when the ego striked, there is soundness in your 'Aql. Exposure to good gets us to that point.

Alhamdulilah for the following which answers thoughts that had recently been playing in my head for a while, namely about the Muslim living in the West and how we can stay balanced when seeking to be professionals and seeking to sell ourselves in an atmosphere where you had to be full of it (hey, I'm going into the legal sector afterall!)- alhamdulilah Shaykh Jihad discussed it with such clarity!!:
The non Muslim world is telling us to be confident in our own selves- in the nufus. The believer can still engage on these terms as their confidence is not in themselves but in Allah and their belief in the Rasool.
Rise to the challenge and do your best- if you are put in a situation which you did not solicit per se (e.g someone asking you to do something like teach a class etc), Allah has opened a door for you. So ask Allah for tawfeeq. And that is how a muslims can engage in a world which tell him to be confiden about himself. Remember, don't say "I'm everything" and don't say "I'm nothing", say "Allah!"

Never has the gift of your Lord been restricted

"Whosoever desires the hereafter and strives for it with a sincere striving, and he is a believer, the striving of these shall find favour"

"All of them We Aid, these as well as those and the Bounty of your Lord is not restricted"

"Behold how We Caused some of them to excel others; and surely the hereafter is much greater in degrees, and greater still in respect of excellence"

- Surah 17, Verses 19 -21

This Flame is Nothing....

[I can't remember the source of this story, possibly received it in an email, a while back]

Qari Muhammad Qayyam (may the mercy of Allah be upon him) related that a great deal of fighting and bloodshed had started prior to the Indo-Pakistan partition of 1947. He said that a very beautiful daughter of a very rich man in a certain community stepped out of her house to visit her aunt, who lived no more than a few streets away. Suddenly a riot erupted as she had gone halfway and she found herself trapped with apparently nowhere to go. She saw a mosque nearby and quickly went inside, sitting in the women’s section. The rioting continued late into the night and this girl did not know what to do.

The custodian of the masjid was a very young student there and late at night when he walked through the masjid before locking up he noticed this beautiful young lady. He was a respectful young man who feared Allah and so politely asked her to leave, saying that if she was found there then both would be dishonored and thrown out. She pleaded with him because of the extreme danger outside and so he agreed that she could spend the night, and sat down to study at the opposite end of the masjid.

The girl was unable to sleep with the events of the day in her mind and so watched the young man sitting studying by candle light at the opposite end of the masjid. She kept watching him and was very surprised at something she saw. From time to time this young man would extend his hand and keep it over the open flame, only withdrawing it when the flame obviously became unbearable. He then would resume his studies and continued this throughout the night until the dawn broke.

The young man called the adhan and asked the girl to leave before the congregation started coming to pray since now everything was calm outside. She agreed on the condition that he tell her why he was placing his hand on the candle flame throughout the night. The young man said that that was his own business and so the girl refused to leave until he told her what she wanted to know. The young man gave in and said, “I am at the age of youth and strong desire. We were alone and my desire was increasing, and although I was studying the shaytan would occasionally put temptation in my heart. Hence whenever I would feel any temptation I would put my hand on the flame and my fingers would burn. I would say to myself that this flame is nothing compared to the fire of Hell.”

The girl left the masjid and reached home, calming her parents’ fears as to what had happened to her. She also confided in her mother that she wanted to marry the custodian of the mosque near their house. She related the night’s events to her parents and said that only such a man with true fear of Allah in his heart can be true to his wife. Only such a man who truly fears Allah can fulfill a wife’s rights properly.

Hence the poor custodian of the mosque earned the daughter of a rich household in marriage. He received this honor not because of his looks but because of his character. Everything disintegrates and turns to dust but character remains strong. Honor is not bestowed because of handsome clothes or beautiful jewelry but because of what is in the heart. Knowledge is only beneficial when it is captured within the heart, and not merely written in books.

[Surah Tur v.38] "Or have they a stairway (to heaven), by means of which they listen (to the talks of the angels)? Then let their listener produce some manifest proof."

It's the circle of life

"This world is a mountain, and our deeds are a shout echoed back to us"

-Tales from the Masnavi

10 things that wipe out 10 other things

1. Righteousness wipes out evil deeds
2. Pride wipes out knowledge
3. Repentance wipes out sin
4. Lying wipes out livlihood
5. Justice wipes out oppression
6. Grief wipes out life span
7. Charity wipes out calamity
8. Anger wipes out intellect
9. Haughtiness wipes out generosity
10. Backbiting wipes out good deeds


Subhannallah. That above was a real under cover pearl for me. The above I copied from a poster in my room, a poster that was there when I moved into my room, aged 10, and when my older brother probably had the room before me. It was just always there, on the wall, not really paid attention to, as it made up the fabric of my room. When I was young, I never really understood half the words either, so didnt really read it properly. It was only when changing my room lay out when I was a little older that I paid real attention to it. And year by year, as experiences of life increase, each of the ten things make more sense, not just in theory, but in practice. And now, I am forced to pay real attention it it. Subhannallah.

I like how not only does the list warn you to keep away from certain traits if you want to succeed, but also grants you hope through positive characteristics, which if applied will bring benefit. Ahh, mothers and their subtle ways of teaching the good and warning against the evil!

Under cover pearls indeed.

Humility

The Water of Repentance is the Purest Water

"Repentance cleanses the heart with the water of tears and the fire of regret which burns in the heart, and with a feeling of humility and tears in the eyes. This is the first step for those who seek a path to Allah, it is the capital of those who are successful and the key to correcting those who have gone astray.

The one who repents prays to Allah and beseeched Him, weeping. When others relax he does not, when others are still, his fear does not rest and the longing of his heart never ceases. He stands before his Lord with a grieving heart and distressed mind, bowing his head and trembling when he remembers how many sins he committed. His grief overwhelms him and tears flow.

He prepares himself to be a winner tomorrow and to shed his worldly load so that he may pass quickly over the bridge of Hell"

-Exerpt from 'You Can Be the Happiest Woman in the World' by Dr A'id Al Qarni, International Islamic Publishing House

Subhannallah, May Allah enable us to be among those who realise our wrongdoing and turn to Him with sincere hearts, Ameen. May Allah continue to guide us to Him and allow us to be with those who pass over the Final bridge with ease, Ameen. May this not merely be another reminder we are affected by for the short while we read and ponder over it, rather, May Allah enable us to actively LIVE this reminder. Ameen

Oh Traveller of the World...

Our Times

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in the company of Shaykh Ahmad Mushhur al Haddad; relates,

"In one blessed gathering held by the Shaykh, May Allah be Pleased with him, he told me that now is the age of hawsat. I did not know the meaning of this word and asked him what it meant.

He replied, "mental instability as a result of leaving the rememberance of Allah".

-The Prophetic Invocation, translated by Mostafa al-Badawi

Dhikr

Dhikr of the eyes, which consists in weeping
Dhikr of the ears, which consists in listening
Dhikr of the tongue, which consists in praise
Dhikr of the hands, which consists in giving
Dhikr of the body, which consists in loyalty
Dhikr of the heart, which consists in fear and hope
Dhikr of the spirit, which consists of utter submission and acceptance.
Aashiq-E-Mustapha


Dhikr (or Zikr) is the remembrance and glorification of Allah in order to become closer to Him. Dhikr can be done either silently in your heart, or audibly with a group of people, asking for forgiveness or praising the greatness of Allah.

If we look at our everyday lives we all, in some way or another, participate in Dhikr. Whether it is through a conscious effort after salah, or just at times of distress or happiness – we all feel the need to remember Allah. Dhikr is a form of worship that carries much reward.

Abu Hurairah reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:
“Allah, the Exalted and Glorious stated: I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his (remembrance), and if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by a cubit, and if he draws near Me by a cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two arms. And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him.”
(Hadith from Sahih Muslim & Bukhari)

Supplication (dua) is not only the continuous outpouring of a person’s heart before their Lord, but it is also an expression of their sense of nearness to Allah. We acknowledge the might and power of Allah as well as the grace and blessings we are given. If we could conceive how much a person supplicates, what he supplicates for, and the way that he supplicates, then we could start to understand how much love they have for Allah in their soul.

By increasing our remembrance of Allah, we can increase the amount of reward we obtain. Dhikr does not have to be organised, or complicated. It is something which can be done quickly, and if done with sincerity of the heart it can have a huge positive effect.

"Truly Allah leaves to stray whom He wills; but He guides to Himself those who turn to Him in penitence. Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
13: 27-28 The Holy Qur’an

“Bring your Rabb to remembrance deep in your soul with humility and in reverence without raising your voice, both in the mornings and in the evenings; and be not of those who are heedless.”
7:205 The Holy Qur’an

Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and meditate on the creation of the heavens and the earth. Then cry out:" Our Rabb! You have not created this in vain. Glory to You! Save us from the punishment of Fire.”
3:191 The Holy Qur’an

Whatever we are doing, we can always remember and praise Allah, and if done with sincerity and yearning, there is nothing but benefit and the drawing of nearness to Allah.

Spending in the way of Allah

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"And whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah's Cause), He will replace it.'' (34:39)


"And whatever you spend in good, it is for yourselves, when you spend not except seeking Allah's Countenance. And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.'' (2:272)


"And whatever you spend in good, surely Allah knows it well.'' (2:273)





The whole concept of wealth is considered a gift from Allah. How we use it and spend it is a test. The fact the one of the five pillars of Islam is about giving money to the poor reminds us that everything we have belongs to Allah. People are given their wealth as a trust from Allah, an amanat, and spending it in the right way, with the right intentions, for the best purpose, and for the sake of Allah helps free us from the love of money.

Subhannallah, think of all the things we spend our money on in this day and age. Many times we spend it without thinking, and on many items of excess. And yet, when we see people in front of us in need of money, many times our hearts harden and we shrug a shoulder to them. This is not the way of the muslim. We are the ummah of the best of creation. Our Beloved Rasool gave openly and without regret when he saw causes in need, even though he himself was not rich.

Nowadays it isn't even a question about charity and giving generously. What are we spending our money on for ourselves is a question which ought to be asked. Are we spending it in the seeking of virtuous knowledge? Are we spending it in ways that will help us get closer to our goal, which is Allah? Are we spending it on quality? Or is it all being spent on things which will help us only with the distraction which is the dunya? On entertainment and play? Moderation is something we ought to remember as we think about this. Sure we need to spend for this dunya too, we are alive afterall but this shouldnt be our main goal. This shouldnt be our only cause. Many of us are begining to forget the bigger picture.

Yet as the Quran tells us, we will not lose out if we spend consciously in the way of Allah. In the world we live in now, our nafs will probably hurt for a little while when we spend generously for the cause of Allah. Yet, Allah has promised a much greater award. Subhannallah, what is better than the rewards from our Lord? He does not need us, we need Him.





Abu Kabshah `Amr bin Sa`d (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "I swear by Allah for three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well:
(1) The wealth of a man will not diminish by Sadaqah (charity).
(2) Allah augments the honour of a man who endures an oppression patiently.
(3) He who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it).''


He (PBUH) also said, "Remember well what I am going to tell you:

The world is for four kinds of people.

(1) One upon whom Allah has bestowed wealth and knowledge and so he fears his Rubb in respect to them, joins the ties of blood relationship and acknowledges the Rights of Allah on him (and fulfills them); this type will have the best position (in Jannah).

(2) One upon whom Allah has conferred knowledge but no wealth, and he is sincere in his intention and says: `Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so.' If that is his intention, his reward is the same as that of the other.

(3) One whom Allah has given wealth but no knowledge and he squanders his wealth ignorantly, does not fear Allah in respect to it, does not discharge the obligations of kinship and does not acknowledge the Rights of Allah. Such a person will be in the worst position (in the Hereafter).

(4) One upon whom Allah has bestowed neither wealth nor knowledge and he says: `Had I possessed wealth, I would have acted like so-and-so (i.e., he would squander his wealth).' If this is his intention, both will have equal sin.'' [At-Tirmidhi].




May Allah help us earn our money in the halal way. May Allah help us spend our money for the best of causes, Allahs cause. May Allah bless us all with generous hearts and open hands. May Allah help us realise that we only gain when we give in charity and may He help us refrain from stingyness and a love for the material wealth of this dunya. Ameen.

The Accepted Repentence

A man once went to Rabi'ah bint Ismail Al Adawiyyah, who was also known by the titles 'Mother of Goodness' and 'The Famous Worshipper'. He said, "Indeed, I have perpetrated a great number of sins. If i repent, do you think that Allah will accept my repentence?" She said, "Woe unto you" Do you not see that He invites those who turn away from Him;then why wouldn't He accept the repentence of those who turn towards Him?"
What she said is indeed true, for Allah is happy when we submit to Him and hasten back to Him, repentent for our sins. To worship Him is the purpose for which we were created. Glad tidings, to he who knows his purpose and puts what he knows into practice

Taken from the book 'Stories of Repentence', compiled by Muhammad Abduh Mughawiri

Friendship

Asalamu Alaikum

I recieved this message online and subhannallah it called for great reflection:

Today I'd like to share with you the following verse from Surah Qaaf (verse number 28)
[قَالَ لَا تَخْتَصِمُوا لَدَيَّ وَقَدْ قَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْكُم بِالْوَعِيدِ ]
[He (ALLAH) said, "Dispute not with each other in My Presence: I had already in advance sent you Warning"]

This verse depicts a scenario likely to occur to any of us who make the wrong choices in this world.ALLAH has created man with a multitude of dimensions, including a social one. We need companionship and friendship to get through this life, share its joys and sorrows.

Friendship is a beautiful thing. Friends give you support. The bring joy to your life. They can often be a shoulder to cry on. But, unfortunately, friends can also devils in disguise and drag you down in to the hell fire.

The Prophet Mohammed PBUH said, "A man is on the path of His friend, so let one of you be careful as to whom they befriend".

There are friends who bring to you temporary joys. They guide you to vulgarity and sinful engagements. They encourage you to be 'cool' and 'rebellious', and advise you to stay away from the 'unfashionable' worship of ALLAH. They would encourage one another to indulge in sinful speech and actions, and burn hours upon hours displeasing ALLAH together. They may have laughs together, but when they stand before ALLAH, they will certainly not be laughing.

When the hour comes upon them and the angel of death drags their souls out of their flesh, and they find themselves before ALLAH SWT with the blink of an eye, they will be quick to blame one another and betray that friendship. That relationship which was held together by mutual desire for lustfulness and sinfulness, my brothers and sisters, is fragile, and it perishes on the day of judgment. At that moment, the insincere friends will be quick to lay the blame one another for their heedlessness, hoping that it will save them and burn their "friend". But no, and certainly no; ALLAH is most fair and just. He will remind them that His message to them was clear, illustriously scripted in His book. Every soul shall bear the consequences of its own actions, and they shall be dragged together in to the fire.

But not all friends are disloyal. Some will remember their good moments and remain true to their worlds companions in the hereafter. These are the elite of the elite, those described in ALLAH's book as, "the friends on that day (of judgment) will be enemies to one another, except the muttaqeen (God fearing)".

So do we want firm and true friendships, or are we satisfying with 'fake' friends who will smile to our faces in this world and betray us on the last day? Certainly no one in their right mind would want the latter type of 'friends'.Be selective with whom you befriend. Go for the one who may be mocked by a few for being god fearing, and stay away from the 'cool' dudes who don't find it befitting of their class to fear their creator. Why? because on the day of judgment the tables will turn, and there is no escaping that reality. Those who laughed in lustfulness will cry blood misery. Those who weeped to ALLAH in fear will cry tears of happiness when they see the reward of their earnings...

Find the friend that will remind of ALLAH, find the friend who will join you to Jannah...

dhikr in gatherings

Truly, Allah has angels going about the ways, looking for people of dhikr, and when they find a group of men invoking Allah, they call to one another, “Come to what you have been looking for!” and they circle around them with their wings up to the sky of this world.

Then their Lord asks them, though He knows better than they, “What do My servants say?” And they reply, “They say, Subhan Allah (“I glorify Allah’s absolute perfection”), Allahu Akbar (“Allah is ever greatest”), and al-Hamdu li Llah (“All praise be to Allah”), and they extoll Your glory.”

He says, “Have they seen Me?” And they answer, “No, by Allah, they have not seen You.” And He says, “How would it be, had they seen Me?” And they say, “If they had seen You, they would have worshipped You even more, glorified You more, and said Subhan Allah the more.”

He asks them, “What do they ask of Me?” And one answers, “They ask You paradise.” He says, “Have they seen it?” And they say, “No, by Allah, My Lord, they have not seen it.” And He says, “How would it be, had they seen it?” And they say, “If they had seen it, they would have been more avid for it, sought it more, and been more desirous of it.”

Then He asks them, “From what do they seek refuge?” And they answer, “From hell.” He says, “Have they seen it?” And they say, “No, by Allah, they have not seen it.” And He says, “How would it be, had they seen it?” And they say, “If they had seen it, they would have fled from it even more, and been more fearful of it.”

He says, “I charge all of you to bear witness that I have forgiven them.” Then one of the angels says, “So-and-so is among them, though he is not one of them but only came for something he needed.” And Allah says, “They are companions through whom no one who keeps their company shall meet perdition”

(Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 8.107–8: 6408).

Following in the Prophet's footsteps.

Do it for the sake of Allah!

The bonds of Brother and Sisterhood

Abu Hamzah Anas bin Malik, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"None of you truly believes (in Allah and in His religion) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself"



In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"The servant does not reach the reality of faith until he loves for others what he loves for himself."



In Sahih Muslim from Abdullah ibn Amr Al-Ass, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"…..Whoever wishes to be delivered from the fire and enter the garden should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them…"
[Sahih Muslim; Book 020, Number 4546]



These three hadiths carry similar meanings that is to love for other Muslims what one loves for oneself. They lay down a very significant principle of behaviour of Muslims with each other. A true Islamic community is when it is built upon love and compassion for its members. Every member should care for and help one another. They should treat others in ways they want to be treated.

It is a community with no barriers among the races, colour, or group or ranks in implementing this Islamic concept of brotherhood and love. All these barriers need to be removed for this concept to be realized. Other more harmful barriers such as jealousy, selfishness and envy must too be gotten rid of in order to succeed as a community
.
Loving goodness for others is part of loving them. We love good things for them as much as we love those things for ourselves. We treat them the way we want them to treat us. Subhannallah this is one key concept which we are all begining to forget slowly. To treat each other how we would like to be treated. To forgive each other in the same manner we would want to be forgiven. To accept each other in the same manner we would want to be accepted. To respect each other in the same manner we'd want to be respected. Part of good treatment of others are excusing them and giving them fair chances. If someone makes a mistake, we should find excuses for them and not jump to conclusions. There are many possibilities or ways for us to excuse for each other, thus enabling us to live peacefully and avoid confrontations.

The Beloved Rasool said "I was only sent to perfect noble character" .. and indeed we can see through the ways and mannerisms as muslims we should strive to have and the manner in which we should conduct ourselves with our brethren, that when we begin to forget how to behave, our communities fall into destruction.

When we deal with other Muslims in the community, we should deal in the best manner. Mercy and compassion should exist in our treatment of others.

May Allah help us all to Love each other purely for His sake. May Allah help us all to love for each other in the same manner as we love for ourselves. May Allah aid us all in being selfless and helping others without them even having to come to us to ask. May Allah make it easy for us to forgive each other, and to get rid of our baseless immoral egos. May Allah help the Muslim Ummah rise up and remember why our Beloved Prophet came and remember who we are and where we are going. Ameen!

From Protest to Engagement [ Habib Ali ]

"And We wished to showe benefit on those who had been subjugated"

The fruit of the end of tyranny is not in the hand of the tyrant, nor of the one who is tyrannised.
The oppressor can beat you, deprive you, deny you of your rights, but he can never take your faith and belief in Allah from you!!

Patience...

why have patience?

If one has certainty with the sight of God, the fruit of patience is that you be made as an example for other people

If we are at a stage when calling for moderation is an insult-then we have gone so so far away from the true faith-when we are being asked to come back.

"Truley i came exclusively to perfect good character"
The Prophet (saws) came with the best of character > and the call to Allah can only be done with the best character.

Part of this faith is engagement

If the tables were turned and we were in comfort and we did not present the message in the best way, we would be solely answerable to Allah.

This is our faith... and how wwe deal with everything and everyone is part of that

We should leave feeling we have carried a good tiding from Allah -brought from the Prophet (saws)

Protest to Engagement [sidi suhaib webb]

Allah says "and thus we have made you a moderate ummah"

This moderation is the moderation which has been ordained by Allah

The need for scholarship os moving on balance

The gift that we have as muslims is la illaha illallah -how much do we appreciate it?

We should look at the past and look at the future-but most importatnly we should look at ourselves

We need to both escape and protect the differences=none of us will go to jannah unless we love each other

We need to ask ourselves, what is the goal of islam, what does islam ask of us?

The goal of shariah is to bring benefit to the servents of Allah and prevent harm.

We need to ask what khayr [goodness] can we bring to the british society..what is waiting to be releaser from us?

Dont allow the dark clouds of hate to block out the noor [light] of the message!!!

[Subhannallah, Sidi Suhaibs talk had to be one of the most inspiring. He was able to talk about traditional islam, bringing in his own personal experiences, some contemporary examples as well as humour to the audience...again i am extremely sorry for my inability to do justice to his talk. ]

Shaykh Bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf

Asaalamalaikum,

Apologies on two accounts, the delay and lack again of articulacy in the notes..i didnt manage to catch the whole of Shaykh Bin Bayyah's talk :(. Here is a short clip to make up for it though, and the few notes i made..May Allah forgive me for my mistakes.




For more info and the official recordings, check out www.radicalmiddleway.com

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How do we become part of the solution?

There was a time when Islam wasnt in the headlines and the Islamic World was quiet. The question which is important is how do we address the problem.

Some say we should boycott and cut away from it all and some say we need a war.

However the only way to address the condition is with superior values. Repell wrong with right.

The shaykh began with the hadith of the Prophet (saw) where he (saw) gave the analogy of the people on the ship. There are the 'posh' passengers on the top and the not so well off ones at the bottom. The poorer passengers want water. They don’t want to bother the posher people and ask them for help, so they start drilling a hole at the bottom of the ship to get some water. They think they’re doing everyone a favour by not bothering the other- thinking that what they are doing is correct.
But if the poeple on the top dont help those on the bottom and leave them to drill the hole in the boat, they all drown.

We are living in a time when we are on a sinking ship. We should help those drilling the hole and refrai from it taking us all down.
There are two types of people in the world:
1) those drilling the hole in the ship and
2) and those who need to stop those fools drilling the hole; restrain their foolishness and save all of us

Another question is how we should constrain the fools > we are infected by those who dont have true knowledge. We are not reponsible for others crimes. "No soul shall bear the burden of another soul"

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In the diversity Allah has created, there is beauty.

Tolerece does not come out of a vaccume, it comes from intellegence. We have to use the means we have been given.

We should not become perturbed by the opposition, because thats the nature of doing good.

Allah has given us the answers to a lot of the atrocities by the verse that tells us to return bad actions against us with the good and the right. But only those with patience will be successful in this. These are Quranic principles which need to be followed.

The human condition is filled with dark realities- but we shouldnt just sit and despair- we should seek the dawn and the light. DONT DESPAIR of the mercy of Allah.

What we share together is much greater than that which seperates us.
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There shouldnt be any conflict in being British and Muslim. These arnt mututally exclusive things.

Ihsan transcends justice. Justice is unbiased. Ihsan is when you care about them and when you want to give them more than they deserve..and you love them.

The Quran is the way to Ihsam.

Have consciousness of Allah wherever you are.