… I shall love him …

Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu ‘anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:

Allah the Almighty has said: ‘Whosoever acts with enmity towards a closer servant of Mine (wali), I will indeed declare war against him. Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) prayers so that I shall love him. When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk. And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.’

[Al-Bukhari]

Subhan’Allah wa Alhumdulillah wa ShukarAllah for this timely reminder.
Ya Ghufur. Ya Mujib. Ya Wadud. Please encompass us in your Enabling Grace. Allahumma Ameen.

Useful Articles:

• Forty Hadith by Imam Nawawi
• Shariah: The Clear Path by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
• The Most Beautiful Names of Allah

 

The Trodden Path - Sacred Retreat

Subhan’Allah we’re fortunate enough to have the Habaib visit us again this year. There’s so much to learn from our teachers and this is one of those opportunities every person should strive to attend, unless Allah pulls them back for another reason.

Insha’Allah clicking on the poster will direct you to more details about the retreat and the registration form…

There’s a possibility that this student may not be able to go to this excellent retreat of knowledge but we hope that others can benefit and will think of this pauper in their duas. Please spread the word and take up the opportunity to learn, if you can do so.

 

Importance of Salutation…

Shukar’Allah for this reminder ~ Al-Qur’an, 24:61 (An-Noor [The Light]):

It is no fault in the blind nor in one born lame, nor in one afflicted with illness, nor in yourselves, that ye should eat in your own houses, or those of your fathers, or your mothers, or your brothers, or your sisters, or your father’s brothers or your father’s sisters, or your mother’s brothers, or your mother’s sisters, or in houses of which the keys are in your possession, or in the house of a sincere friend of yours: there is no blame on you, whether ye eat in company or separately. But if ye enter houses, salute each other - a greeting of blessing and purity as from Allah. Thus does Allah make clear the signs to you: that ye may understand.

 

Mirror Mirror on the Wall… (dua for looking in the mirror)

Raise your hand up if you have ever looked in the mirror and thought “Masha’Allah! I look pretty fine!” or “dude, I so need to lose weight!” Come on, we’ve all done it at least once in our life - some more than others but khayr that’s individualism for you - don’t be shy, raise your hand up.

Habib Umar (may Allah preserve him in Birr. Allahumma Ameen) taught in the Attaining Good Character class (with Shaykh AbdulKareem Yahya translating) that

Just as a person has a bodily appearance, they also have an inward image. “Appearance (khalq)” is the bodily form; whilst “Character (khuluq, plural: akhlaq)” is the inward form.

Now, if the appearance of the body is ordered well and beautiful then it is noted as a beautiful body/appearance, i.e. someone’s outward image or outward form is said to be handsome. Similar to this is the inward form/image of the human being. If it is organised and fashioned from beautiful qualities and noble character traits then this person’s inward form is considered or is beautiful.

It’s this inward appearance which Al-Haqq (Allah, The All Truthful) gazes and this is the image in which the human being will be resurrected on The Day of Judgement, then surely it should become clear that ones bodily form or appearance is not equal in station to the inward spiritual image of the human being.

So maybe we should ask ourselves “how far are we from that thinking when we look into the mirror and check our self out?” Yes, we need to make sure that we present ourselves well in certain situations but we should also be wary that ultimately its our inner beauty (our khuluq - character) that we need to work on more.

A good tip to reduce ones vanity and be mindful of having to work on our self is to recite the following dua when looking into the mirror:

الحمد لله الهم كما حسنت خلقي فحسن خلقي

Alhumdu lillahi Allahumma kama hasanta khalqi fahassin khuluqi

“Oh Allah! As you have beautified my outward/physical appearance, then beautify my inward appearance (character)”

You’ll find that if you write it down on a post it note and then place it in a corner on every mirror in the house, it’ll act as a good reminder to you of your very existence and who really has given you that beauty. Then after a while of reciting it frequently it’ll just flow from your tongue such that even when you see something beautiful you’ll realise that that beauty is created by Allah.

… and Allah is The One we should Praise and The Fashioner of the worlds.

 

Marhaban (welcome) Shaykh AbdulKareem Yahya

Shaykh AbdulKareem Yahya

UK Tour - May 2008

Alhumdulillah by The Grace of Allah we’re fortunate enough to have the opportunity to finally sit and learn from Shaykh AbdulKareem and his wife here in the UK. Insha’Allah they hope to visit the UK from the 8th - 18th May 2008 and Shaykh AbdulKareem will be teaching at the locations listed below.

Just a bit about Shaykh AbdulKareem in case you hadn’t gathered from previous posts that this student has written. He was born and raised in California where he also embraced Islam. Thereafter he travelled with his family to Damascus where he spent two years acquiring knowledge of the Arabic Language and Quranic recitation. Since 1998, he has been in Yemen where he has been studying with Habib Umar and Habib Mashhour, as well as the other teachers of Dar al-Mustafa. He has also worked extensively as a translator for Habib Umar and Habib Ali. For a more indepth biography feel free to check on SunniPath.

We pray by Allah’s Tawfeeq that you all are able to attend any of the following lessons in order to gain benefit and spread the light…

Jummah Khutbah
Date: Friday 9^th May 2008
Time: 12.45
Venue: The Shah Jahan Mosque, 149 Oriental Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7BA
Details: www.shahjahanmosque.org.uk

Magnificent Character of the Prophet of light
Date: Friday 9^th May 2008
Time: 19.30-21.00
Venue: The Shah Jahan Mosque, 149 Oriental Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7BA
Details: www.shahjahanmosque.org.uk

For The Children: Who is Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him)?
Date: Saturday 10^th May 2008
Time: 10.00-13.00
Venue: CEI Childrens Education Support, Northgate Community Centre, Crawley RH10 8DS
Details: This is a workshop primarily to teach children the importance of who the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is as well as provide them with a tool to love him and strive to take on his beautiful character.

Loving the Prophet of Light in an Age of Darkness
Date: Saturday 10^th May 2008
Time: 16.30-18.30*
Venue: Faizan-e-Madinah mosque, 169-175 Gladstone Street, Peterborough PE1 2BN
Details: Insha’Allah the illumination of our hearts will start with nasheeds recited by Talib alHabib and then followed by Shaykh AbdulKareems teachings of wisdom.
*please note time change (previously was 15.30-17.30 as poster depicts)

Discipling the soul through following the example of Allah’s beloved (peace be upon him)
Date: Sunday 11^th May 2008
Time: 14.00 - 16.00
Venue: High Wycombe Jamia Masjid, 34 Jubilee Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 2PG
Details: www.karima.org.uk

Qur’an Khatum for Meer Kabir, followed by Talk: Lessons From Meccan Phase and Conquest
Date: Sunday 11^th May 2008
Time: After Asr, 19.00
Venue: Broadfield Mosque, Broadwoodrise, Broadfield, Crawley RH11 9SE
Details: www.crawleymosque.co.uk

Short Reminder: Holding One’s Tongue
Date: Monday 12^th May 2008
Time: 19.00
Venue: Langley Green Mosque, 157 London Road, Crawley RH10 9TA

The Imperative of Connected Transmission (Isnad)
Date: Monday 12^th May 2008
Time: 21:00
Venue: West London School of Islamic Studies, Hounslow, Middlesex TW4 5JU
Details: West London School of Islamic Studies

Lessons From Medina Phase
Date: Tuesday 13^th May 2008
Time: After Maghrib, 20.35
Venue: Langley Green Mosque, 157 London Road, Crawley RH10 9TA

“Truth Has Come and Falsehood has Perished. Falsehood is Indeed Perishing”
Date: Wednesday 14^th May 2008
Time: 17.00-19.00
Venue: University of Bedfordshire (Lecture Hall will be signposted), Park Square, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3JU
Details: A day of understanding the collapse of our inward idols before the light of The Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him).

Evening Mawlid - Luton
Date: Wednesday 14th May 2008
Time: Post 19.00
Venue: 45 Oakley Road, Luton LU4 9PT.
Details: This programme will be held in a house. Email aftikharahmed@hotmail.com for further information

Evening Mawlid - Slough
Date: Thursday 15^th May 2008
Time: 19.15
Venue: 34 Sussex Place, Slough SL1 1NR
Details: This programme will beheld in a house. Email affluentminds@gmail.com for further information

Jummah Khutbah
Date: Friday 16^th May 2008
Time: 12.45
Venue: Langley Green Mosque, 157 London Road, Crawley RH10 9TA

The Prophet’s Outward and Inward Beauty
Date: Friday 16^th May 2008
Time: 20.00-22.30
Venue: CEI Friday Programme, Northgate Community Centre, Crawley RH10 8DS

Education and the Three Objectives
Date: Saturday 17^th May 2008
Time: 14.30- 20.00
Venue: UCLAN University of Central Lancashire, Harrington Lecture Theatre, Preston PR1 2HE
Details: The Lancashire Micro-Madrasa is an ambitious initiative that aims to facilitate Sacred Education and the teachings of Traditional Islam. Free Admission, however, please book your seat in advance by calling 07872 835 284 or emailing unity-foundation@hotmail.co.uk

*The events above are confirmed but in case there are any minor details we’ll do our best to provide updates here on the blog. Insha’Allah you’ll also be able to find updates on the official www.ceiuk.com website.

Make dua please that Allah facilitates Shaykh AbdulKareem and his family with good health, safe journeys, and khimma for his stay here in England and beyond. Allahumma Ameen.