Category: Musings

On the death of a child

Assaalamu alaikum, peace to all

Tonight I heard from my sister of the death of a dear child, a beautiful little girl who lives down the street from us back home in Sri Lanka. Her family is not well to do, being fruit sellers…but are some of the most kind and giving people I know. Her grandfather in particular, went out of his way to look after my grandmother when she had a stroke…bodily lifting her up and carrying her out to the vehicle waiting to rush her to hospital. Being a manual laborer he had the strength to do it and being as fond of her as he is, often saying ‘she is like a mother to me’, he had the heart. I, stuck on the other side of the globe, and knowing it would take 48 hours to reach there, could only arrive to be by her hospital bedside. Thank God, she survived that attack and then this little child would visit her almost every day to keep her company as she recovered. She was an adorable bunch of mischief, naughty and full of smiles as she played one prank after another. Her name in Sinhala has no particular meaning I know but can be considered to mean ‘flower’ so I will call her that.

Well Flower has died. Of Dengue fever, a mosquito borne disease more deadly than Maleria in my Island home. The Doctors who examined her not being able to diagnose her correctly at first her treatment came too late. ‘Inna ilaihi wa inna lillaahi rajioon’, the beautiful and profound sentence we Muslims are taught to say on the passing of anyone… ‘From God we come and to God we return’. So then as we believe, another angelic soul reunited with the divine presence. Sinless, she will be in heaven, awaiting her parents and praying for them. So then there is peace.

I wonder about the beauty of children. How their presence gives us life. How we remember what is essential when we are with them. I think it is because they are so recently arrived from that divine presence, and unsullied by the world yet, they are able to communicate an angelic nature. Yes, even in their mischief, they are angelic! The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us never to hit a child. Glory be to God, what a source of mercy our beloved prophet is!

After the tsunami happened I saw so many children who had died. So many children. Indeed, it was as if my soul shaken to its depths could not feel anymore. Only in blindly going through day after day after day indulging in back breaking work was there solace. Trusting without a shadow of a doubt, that Allah’s help will come and He is the MOST MERCIFUL. And so Allah is indeed the most merciful. Some time after the tsunami, I moved to another country and then moved in to live with a family where there was a beautiful baby. It took 5 years of growing with that child to be healed. Five blissful years of peace playing with a child and the world was right again. So I wonder at my Lord’s way, taking things away but giving back more. All we have to do is be patient. And kind and giving ourselves. All we have to do is learn to trust and that trust softens our speech so that we learn to speak to one another with kindness and gentility. Not a superficial gentility but one that has permeated our very soul. Is this then the way of the Buddha? the way of Lao Tse, of Jesus (peace be upon him) and of our Master Muhammed (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him)?

One of my most beloved sayings of Rasullulah (the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him) is where he stated that the best means of persuasion is the gentle means…but I cannot find this reference and indeed I am also not sure if it is Quranic. Please forgive me for my lapse, but here is a hadith very close in meaning to that

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Be gentle and calm. . .because God likes gentleness in all affairs.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 404

This gentleness children possess. It is there in every coo and gurgle and in every time they stretch their arms out to be hugged. It is there when they put their little hands in yours as you walk along. It is there when they sit in your lap and ask for a story to be read to them. And yes, even when those little eyes dance with mischief and they enjoy annoying you, it is there for they want you. They always want you.

Imagine then the angelic presence and to be united with that. Glory be to God. How much we have to learn to be better. And I say this first to myself and then to everyone else. Allah help me.
May the little ones be in an eternal and beautiful peace.

I wanted to share some other ahadith beloved to me in case it is of benefit to you. And indeed remembering our prophet is never anything but a strength and mercy;

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 56, Number 759:

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr:

The Prophet never used bad language neither a “Fahish nor a Mutafahish. He used to say “The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character.”

Malik Muwatta Book 47, Number 47.1.8:

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I was sent to perfect good character.”

Sahih Muslim Book 032, Number 6264:

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Charity does not in any way decrease the wealth and the servant who forgives Allah adds to his respect, and the one who shows humility Allah elevates him in the estimation (of the people).

Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Number 677:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

The Prophet said, “When I start the prayer I intend to prolong it, but on hearing the cries of a child, I cut short the prayer because I know that the cries of the child will incite its mother’s passions.”

May Allah forgive us all our countless sins, guide and strengthen us!

And may Allah the almighty, most beautiful, kind, generous, glorious and loving Lord, the Almighty, give rest and ease to every parent who has ever had to go through the torture of loosing a child.

Reminding myself

Assalamu alaikum, Peace to all.

I wanted to share two excellent articles I came across on Suhaib Webb’s virtual mosque, reminding me first about the nature of our beloved. I ask your prayers to help me be more like him and my prayers for all of you to. On this note, a very beautiful elder I was blessed to meet once told me to say this prayer whenever possible, it has helped change my life so I will pass on the wisdom…he said to say ‘O God, I do not know what mistake I have done, but forgive me’. It purifies one, and indeed my soul is in heavy need of purification. And a second short prayer to make that unites us all is ‘Allahumma irham ummati Muhammed’, translated to ‘O Allah be merciful to the nation of Muhammed’ a worthy prayer to make after every salah indeed.

Here are the articles. I will cut and paste them and cite the original. Hope they are of benefit inshaallah. Jazakum Allah Khairan

He Kept it Real! (taken from http://www.suhaibwebb.com/personaldvlpt/character/he-kept-it-real/)
Reehab Ramadan | June 6, 2011 5:00 am

Commanded to Love: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII

Many of us have a wide variety of masks that we put on throughout the day depending on whom we are with and what their expectations are. Some of these masks are masks of patience, masks of gratitude, or masks of kindness. But the ones who see the ‘true us’ are those we live with. They see our faults and the side of us that we would never show to the outside world. When talking to the sahaba (Companions) the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said, ‘The best of you are those whom are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family’ (Tirmidhi). One of the wisdoms we can take from this is that it’s easy to be kind to people when you only have to see them a few hours a week, or even a few hours a day. It’s easy to put on a smile and make someone feel like they are worth something when you know that the show you are putting on will end soon. But it takes work, effort, and perseverance to keep up that niceness and compassion with the people you see day-in and day-out. It is with your family that your true colors show. Through the narrations and commentary of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ , we know for a fact that he was not one to wear masks nor was he one to be fake and insincere.

One of these narrations is of the time when the Prophet came bursting into the house of our mother, Khadija radi Allahu `anha (may God be pleased with her), seeking refuge from the experience he had just been through and begging her to cover him up. After listening to the story of what had occurred in the cave, which we now know was the beginning of the revelation, Khadija (ra) didn’t rush to call him a mad man, laugh at him, or even feel sorry for him. Rather, she had full confidence that something amazing was happening by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) because she knew of his noble qualities. She began to comfort him, reminding him of all the good things that he consistently did, assuring him that there is no way that Allah (swt) would abandon him or allow him to be experiencing this out of madness nor out of possession. She reminded him that he was always good to his relatives, was always true to his word, helped those who were in need, supported the weak, fed his guests and answered the calls of those who were in distress. Had this account of his actions come from extended family or even neighbors, it would be awe-inspiring, but it wouldn’t be as powerful as when it came from the lips of his wife. His wife, a woman who sees him in the different moments of his life, who sees him day and night, who knows him for who he really is when his guard may be down, testifies confidently that he is a man of honor and a man that would never let anyone down.

They say if you really want to know who a man is, ask his wife how he is at home when no strange eyes are watching. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ was the same man behind closed doors as he was in public. His deeds did not change depending on who he was with nor did it change depending on who was watching because he knew that the only One who mattered was Allah (swt), and Allah (swt) could see him no matter where he was. He was not two-faced nor did he switch between different masks. No, the Prophet ﷺ kept it real—no matter where he was.

and

A Man of Mercy (taken from http://www.suhaibwebb.com/personaldvlpt/character/a-man-of-mercy/)
Reehab Ramadan | May 30, 2011 5:00 am

Commanded to Love: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI

Today, often times a “religious” person is seen to be someone who is rough and rigid, spouting do’s and don’ts without thinking twice about the emotions of the person being scolded. The Prophet ﷺ, however, was the farthest from any such description. He was a man who was enveloped in mercy, who cared for the weak, encouraged the women, and stood up for anyone in need.

Allah (swt) describes the character of the Prophet ﷺ in the Qura’n when He says:

“So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him].” [Qur’an, 3:159]

The Prophet ﷺ did not only have mercy towards the men of his society at a time when women were treated very harshly, he was also busy working against this to replace it with mercy and compassion.

The men at the time of Rasul’Allah ﷺ were privileged with the opportunity to constantly be in his company, learning and growing with him. The women wanted to have such an opportunity, and being the leader that he was, the women did not feel any shyness or fear in requesting this from him. Upon request, the Prophet ﷺ set aside a special time just for the women so that he could answer their questions and help them with what they needed. There is a narration in which the Prophet ﷺ was sitting amongst the women and they were talking loudly to him. Umar came into the room and the women completely changed their demeanor. Seeing this, the Prophet ﷺ did not get angry, nor offended, nor even jealous–rather, he laughed. Umar radi Allahu anh (peace and blessings be upon him), asked the Messenger ﷺ why he laughed at their behavior and he replied that he was amazed at how the women hid the instant they heard Umar’s voice! This angered Umar and he questioned the women, asking how they should fear him yet not the Messenger ﷺ! Their response exemplifies the mercy that Prophet ﷺ had towards these women; they responded confidently that in comparison, Umar (ra) was hot-tempered, while the Prophet ﷺ was the epitome of mercy.

The Prophet ﷺ’s mercy was vast and inclusive. He spread it far and wide to the point that even animals could find refuge in his kindness. Of the many instances that are breathtakingly vibrant with the clemency of RasulAllah ﷺ is that of the helpless bird. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was traveling with the Prophet ﷺ and a few other men. One of the men took an egg from the bird’s nest. Out of despair, the bird came and flapped its wings at the Prophet ﷺ, and he took immediate notice to her sad state. He turned to his companions and asked them who had made this poor bird miserable. Upon finding out that her egg had been taken, he ordered the man to return the egg to her as a sign of mercy and compassion. At a time when many humans were not being shown kindness, the Prophet ﷺ mastered kindness to mankind and was already encouraging kindness and rights of animals.

Today, we look to the lives of the sahabah and read their stories. Many times, it is hard to comprehend how they had so much energy and drive to do all the things that they did. Their energy stemmed from pure Divine Love which was not built through harsh reprimands or robotic movements—rather, this love was built by being in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, seeing his amazing mercy and knowing that if he, the creation of Allah (swt), could exhibit such mercy, then what of his Creator?

Allah help us all be more like our beloved, and please Lord, shower your blessings and salutations upon Muhammed and his family.

‘God is beautiful and He loves beauty’

The above is one of my absolutest favouritest ahadith!!! They say you can find heaven on earth or you can find hell on earth. It is true, and it’s all about the attitude you face life with isn’t it? It sometimes feels like the angels smile with you as you surround yourself with what is beautiful and pure. As you ‘find seventy excuses before accusing a believer’, as you ‘speak the good or be silent’, as you stay in dhikr (remembrance of God) and everywhere you see His beautiful blessed ‘face. Oh how gloriously beautiful our Lord must be, He who created such beauty on earth.
It is spring in Vancouver and impossible to feel ‘sad-ly’..there is such a quiet energy in the air, suppressed joy, exhubarence at the incredible swift growth that is soon to take place. Ah, one’s soul in sync with the universe, is in complete peace, completely trusting God. Pray that is always so.

Here is sharing some of that beauty, random photos from around my neighborhood taken some time ago. This earth is an amazing creation indeed. Imagine then, heaven!


Not sure what these are called, but they are lovely


ahh…cherry blossoms…


and more cherry blossoms….these are actually from a few weeks ago, they are fuller and framed in new leaf now.


New leaves a’comin to face the world


Happy evening at home with flowers by the sofa

Peace to all.

Our only true enemy… ‘The whisperer’

MashaAllahu ta’ala the past few weeks have brought fresh illumination as in our study circle we’ve been learning about the real enemy. The one and only enemy. As told by God to us in His book, we have only one enemy very clearly;

O you who believe! enter into submission one and all and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy.
Quran 2:208

While I don’t want to paraphrase all I’ve been learning about the shayateen (devils) in the past weeks in to a few words on one post, I think there certainly is a simple take-home message. That really there is evil, but that evil is only the devil and all he can do is whisper. He tempts, deceives, confuses and moves man to great sin thereby. But in the end, he is not to be feared but only treated with contempt. And our Lord we seek refuge in from his devious whispers. But more importantly that all this cause of hatred/anger/jealousy really is not people but the one real enemy. How many wars are being fought, where brother kills brother, each pandering some truth as a truth above another’s truth. The US Army over the VietCon (Vietnam war), Iraq over Iran (Iran-Iraq conflict), the Gulf war…the list is endless… and now the situation in Libya. Fast deteriorating in to an all out civil war, one wonders what happened to the truth in this conflict.

As someone so wisely said (I forget who, was it Bernard Shaw?) ‘truth is the first casualty in war’.

So hate the sin, but not the sinner. If we hate the oppression wrought by an oppressor, we do not hate the oppressor himself, but only wish for him the same salvation we yearn for ourselves. The vital hadith again;

‘None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself’
– look at how strong this hadith is, recorded by al-Bukhari (13), Muslim (45), Ahmad (3/176), at-Tirmidhi (5215), Ibn Majah (66), an-Nasa’i (8/115), and Ibn Hibban (234)

Wanting that same salvation, that same peace for everyone is essential to training our hearts to that state of purity demanded by the fact that only those with a sound/serene/peaceful heart will be saved on that day

وَلَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ
يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ
إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّـهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

And do not disgrace me on the Day they are [all] resurrected
The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children
But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.”

Quran (26:87-89)

So hate the sin but not the sinner. This was beautifully expanded on by Sh. Hamza in his article expounding on Divine Love as understood by the Muslim tradition. An article very much worth reading and passed on. It can be found here

Without going on too much about it, here is in verse form some of that which mashaAllah I’ve learned about all this. I hope it is of benefit inshaAllah. Called ‘the whisperer’

The whisperer

Whispers have brought down empires
From Shakespearan tragedies to real life
Desdemona and Othello to
every day in some every day home
some husband walks out on his wife

A neighbour has whispered
On the streets a rumour spread
Brothers do not speak with brothers
for years. Nor their sisters
fathers, mothers
They are afraid to allow
the possibility that the human errs
Afraid to forgive lest it reduce ‘honour’
or display weakness?

Fools proclaimed in self righteous glory
Sit on your high seat till you taste that same sloth
of the sinner when sin you commit unknowingly
or in a moment of weakness, that you do not forgive in another

The devils can only whisper
And we have no other enemy
No other. Remember Abu Sufyan? Not an enemy but in the end
the Muslim brother. And that great sword of the deen
Khaled, once the attempted excutioner of the prophet

A mercy to the worlds

O Patient man. Teach us your patience
Your people are in disarray
They kill each other inventing enemies
Spurring on deeds of fresh bloodshed
While screaming ‘Allahu akber’

Only a heart serene will be saved on that day
Didn’t you read your book? Held aloft while you screech.
Ah, what are you screeching for?

Perhaps a little silence will lift that veil of ignorance
The constant cacophony of mad passion
Drowned out the whisperer so close to your ear
who has never ceased whispering…
stop the gun so you can hear

A vile enemy that is whispering
Just a whisperer. Just a doomed whisperer

Then love your brother
Your messenger honour. Worry eradicate
All the burdens of the earth fall away from heavy shoulders
You can now fight, knowing what you are fighting for
Just one enemy. Remember.

O my Lord, I seek refuge in Thee
And Thou art sufficient for me.

Copyright – Joymanifest’s blog. 2011

***

‘He is there’…. the video is out

Peace to all. I’ve always loved this song ever since Sami released it as part of his ‘Without You’ album. Sami Yusuf is a great artist, very talented, he’s built so many bridges and crossed so many boundaries. More than anything else it is his beautiful heart that is so apparent in his music. I’ve found over the years, every time some natural disaster or important political event took place in the world, a lovingly crafted track would arrive in my inbox (I’m subscribed to his website) with the words ‘free download’, usually with all proceeds going to the cause. No wonder Allah blesses him with so much success. God protect this beautiful soul.

I just had to share this track. The official video is now out and Alhamdulillah you cannot but be moved by it. Provides a link to donate at the bottom of the screen and the video is in HD here too. I can’t upload that URL but will have the youtube of it below. May God teach us all to be more of what He wants us to be, to give more, joy more and love more.

Listening to it always reminds me of a beloved hadith of the hadith Qudsi. A ‘hadith’ is a narration from the prophet (peace be upon him) and these coupled with the ‘sunnah’, i.e., the prophetic example (there is a vast body of literature documenting his actions in every aspect, and a rigorous science on which of these narrations are authentic) are the second source of sacred knowledge for the Muslim. The other being the Quran of course, God’s own spoken word to man. The hadith Qudsi, are special types of hadith where it is God’s message, but in the words of the prophet (peace be upon him). This is different to the Quran which is God’s message in God’s own words (and since not a syllable of it has changed of the revealed word in the Arabic language, and for many other reasons as well, no doubt exists as to its authenticity). More information about the hadith Qudsi can be found here, a beautifully laid out website called SacredHadith. The particular hadith this song reminds me of is below, it is found in ‘Muslim’ the name of a book (not meaning a Muslim!) that is considered to contain the most rigorously authentic narrations of the prophet (peace be upon him).

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) will say on the Day of Resurrection:

O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink whin You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me.

It was related by Muslim.

And here is the song. Enjoy. Peace be with all. Assalaamu alaikum

A muslim’s take on the disaster in Japan

I wanted to say a few things, not to air my views but because it needs to be said. And I say it first to myself.

Recently I’ve read an article saying things to the nature that…the people of Japan deserved what happened to them, that it is a godless country, etc and etc. These things made me angry. For who is anyone to say anything of the sort. What we have witnessed has raised in every one of us who saw it a great awe. Some may not know at what they feel awe, but they feel it. We who believe in a God, especially those of us calling ourselves Muslims, have this awe of God. But then how is it that we still dare to point fingers at others. Not just any others, but at others who are suffering. Do we not fear Allah to do such a thing? Auzubilllah, Allah protect me from this type of attitude and protect us all from it. We should be among the first to rush to help… sitting in a mosque smirking should not even be a thought in our psyche.

So I dismissed that article, scarcely able to read it to the end. MashaAllah as always Allah sheds light in to a heart with a door open [Oh Allah help me keep that door open all the time] for this beautiful post by Dr. Hasaballah beautifully puts everything in perspective and eloquent as always, he calls us to be better Muslims. Quoting this all important hadith. Never lets forget it, for it is a cornerstone of our imaan (faith).
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

No sane person can love for himself the suffering, misery, fear and anxiety the people of Japan are going through now. So let us fear to sit by and watch it for others without helping.

On that note, here is a beautiful talk by Sh. Hamza, delivered at a conference in 2009. Please do listen to it. As always my beloved Sh. calls us to the better way. The way of our master Muhammed, who was afraid to have excess food in his house in case there was someone in the city who needed it more.

Allah help us all be better.

I am inserting the talks, in parts below. And it must also be known by the world that there are many many wonderful Muslims out there, joined with our non-Muslims brothers and sisters, doing their darndest utmost to provide relief and help whenever and wherever they can, regardless of religion, race, ethincity and even affluence. For when a person is in need, it is just a person in need. That is all.

Some of these organizations you can donate to are
MuslimsHands, Islamic Relief , Islamicity, mercyMalaysia.

Mashaallah I can personally vouch for Islamic relief, Muslim Hands (to the best of my memory) and Mercy Malaysia, who stayed long after all the big INGOs had gone and provided far more bang for the buck than the big INGOs could (as for example they didn’t need high tech offices, used tractors and wheelbarrows as opposed to 4wheel drive jeeps) in tsunami relief operations in Sri Lanka.

Here is the talk by Sh. Hamza, on the urgency of helping and telling us we have the potential to help.

Peace be with all and may God be merciful upon us.

Tawakkul… trusting in Allah

Alhamdulillah I came across this excellent article and wanted to share it. It talks about reliance upon Allah. I especially loved this quote.

Ibn Ata’illah stated:

“Relieve yourself of worry after you have planned, do not concern yourself with what Allah has undertaken on your behalf”.

Indeed this is not easy to attain to. But the one with real faith knows its a cinch!

وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
And We will make it easy for thee (to follow) the simple (Path). (Quran 87:8)

What makes it hard I think is not knowing Allah well enough to trust Him completely. And that is easily fixed by spending more time with Him, i.e., with taqwa (God consciousness) and then Allah grows nearer and nearer. We are truly blessed to have in our tradition, the certainty from God that ‘He loves to be asked’ and ‘loves to be called upon’. Subhahanallah! Key word – LOVES to be asked. Allah subhahana wa’ta’ala what a great source of help just waiting to be asked.

I must go now, the article is here. Well worth the read mashaAllah. Taken from Imam Suhaib Webb’s site http://www.suhaibwebb.com/personaldvlpt/worship/dua/tawakkul-trust-in-allah/

I’ll add a favourite song along these lines. Powerful lyrics – ‘I only ask of God’

Assaalamu alaikum warahamtullah, I pray you are all well and safe, and Allah have mercy upon us all and help us all help each other in these testing times.

Here is a gentle story on the life of this world

Assalamu alaikum, peace and the blessing of God upon all!

It is hard to stop thinking of Japan. My thoughts and prayers for all the beautiful brave kind people there. May Allah make it easy for them. Knowing that prayer is the greatest help one can give helps a lot, for otherwise how helpless we would be to help. These are the times I wish I had gone in to Med school after all. But wait, no, help is in holding the hand of the cashier stunned at the fallen goods and broken bottles when the ground stopped shaking. Help is smiling at one’s spouse when the anxiety of not knowing how we will get to where we must go makes one only want to snap. Help is in steadfastness and patience. Help is a cheery countenance and cracking a joke, giving a hug and gentleness in one’s touch. Help I hope, even if a little, is in me not wasting the precious time I have here to try and be a nicer person. More reliable, more trustworthy, more truthful and more cheerful. Indeed help comes from heaven simply at the moment somewhere in your heart you say ‘yes I’m going to help’ and that is all there is. And then somewhere, somehow joy explodes inside. Allah Kareem! 🙂

God is the protector of those who have faith. From the depths of darkness He will lead them forth in to light
(Quran 2:257)

Here is a favourite little hymn/song on those lines…easy to put in to a gentle tune, it always brings peace to my heart and reminds me of the rahma of Allah, and the rahma of our prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) how patient and gentle he was through numerous hardship

‘ I live for those who love me
for those who know me true
for heaven that watches above me
and calls my spirit too
For the cause that needs assistance
for the wrong that needs resistance
for the future in the distance
and the good that I can do’

MashaAllah I was sent this link today. It is a beautiful short video on one of the stories from the life of Isa (peace be upon him). A very telling tale… that reminds one of what is important in life. Great natural events such as what we have witnessed now, do that also. Back home in Sri Lanka seeing all it did and knowing how long it took to rebuild… Subhahanallah! A life lesson on what is important. Yet, how easy it is to forget. God protect us all.

‘O my Lord, do not leave me alone with myself even for an instant’

So then this temporary life, full of lesson in every second, in every heartbeat something to know and marvel at. As my dear sister, who is in Japan and shared these beautiful words just before the earthquake indeed, imaan is something that grows inside, flourishing it dispels all doubt and despair in its wake. Allah Kareem, may the growth of imaan be the only tsunami we ever face! And we trust in Allah’s infinite justice for those in hardship.

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿٥﴾ إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
For indeed with hardship will be ease. Indeed with hardship will be ease (Quran 94:5-6)

A vigil for minorities

Another day, another earthquake. Certainly not a hopeful way to start this post but indeed sometimes hope is hard. Perhaps that is why it is called ‘jihad’ (the struggle). The jihad to be steadfast, upright, positive, proactive, always working for a better world no matter what goes on around you. Yes, it is hard. Hard to smile, when you sometimes want to cry. Hard to keep believing and working when the mountain to climb is large and the way not clear. But then look at this wise saying from our beloved prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him);

“Wondrous are the affairs of the believer. His affairs are all good, and this is only the case for the believer. When something pleasing happens to him, he is thankful, and it is good for him. When something harmful happens to him, he is patient, and it is good for him.” (Sahih Muslim)

SubhahanaAllah! So then, true faith equates to an always happy disposition. You see, being patient is not a condition of worry and anxiety, rather it is the opposite, being a condition of joyful anticipation, a peaceful state of waiting. How can this be unless we completely believe in the justice, the ultimate justice and ultimate ‘rahma’ of God.

[Rahma is a fast becoming my favourite word and it’s meaning so deep it indeed begs the time to explain. Composed of the three radicals ‘r-h-m’, it includes all these meanings; love, mercy, compassion, nurturing, kindness, graciousness. In the Quran it is the first attribute Allah azza wajal uses to describe himself. Appearing in the second verse of Surah Fatiha, the opening chapter. One of the beauties of the arabic language is the root word system, where all the meanings of the derivatives of the root add to each word’s import. I am not doing a good job of explaining this so I’ll keep it simple and get to the point. One of the meanings of the root ‘r-h-m’ is womb. Yes, that beautiful complete-system-capsule we all spent the first months of life here on earth in! A safe, nurturing, loving, place where we are at complete peace, all our needs looked after. This meaning then given to the attribute of God. The Creator of mothers and source of ALL ‘rahma’ in the world. The scholars say that is why women are given such a high place in the islamic theology, as they embody this divine essence of Rahma. Indeed, of the attributes or ‘names’ of God we know in our tradition, about half are considered feminine while the other half masculine, for example, ‘jameel = ‘beautiful’, is feminine while ‘jalaal’ = ‘majestic’, is masculine. And that is why then God is beyond gender… what points these are to ponder upon…

ومن كل شئ خلقنا زوجين لعلكم تذكرون
And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction. (Quran 51:49)

But I have digressed a fair bit. My point was that sometimes grasping that immensity of love and mercy that is the divine attribute itself, is sufficient to rid the heart of anything but hope and joy. Talking about ‘rahma’ and its presence in the world though, one must comment on the sad state existent in some Muslim societies, where this immense source of ‘rahma’ in the community, i.e, women, are not given the place our beloved prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) gave to the fairer sex. As many have said, ‘if the women would play a greater part in world leadership many of the wars would have been averted’! Remember the story of Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba and the prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) in the Quran? Commentators on that story mention that it was Bilqis’s wisdom that averted a war and lead to harmony between their kingdoms. But I am in grave danger of another long digression, so inshaAllah more on this and other fascinating stories later on]

But coming back to where I began, then indeed an ‘effort-ful’ grasp of ‘rahma’ is sufficient to keep the heart full of hope. And we know that God is just. Completely just. So none will be wronged in the least. Our struggle then to be patient and wait that real justice.

And while we wait, our test is that we must remain true to what we know of justice. What for example, we learn in our holy book about justice. What the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) taught us about justice. We have been taught, nay, commanded, that we must stand up for justice, for truth, even if it is against our own selves.

‘O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that ye do. (Quran 4:135)

This we as Muslims must do. So after this long preamble to come to the point of this post. We must protect the rights of our brothers, no matter what religion, creed or denomination. No matter if they don’t care much for us. The events in Pakistan with the so called ‘blasphemy laws’ (heaven only knows where these came from, I find the whole thing very mind boggling!) and the seemingly open support by many for who can only be called a murderer has been incredibly painful to witness. In fact it is one of those things that one intrinsically can’t stomach so one turns away from. However here are details of the incidents for those of you not yet aware of it.

And that is why I was so especially glad to hear of the candlelight vigil to be held outside the Pakistani embassy in this city organized by ad hoc groups protesting the state Pakistan’s christian minority finds itself in. These efforts need more press I think.

And of this by the good people of Egypt, Muslim and Christians protesting attacks on the coptic community.

So then there is indeed hope. And in whatever way we can, whenever, wherever we are, when we find injustice we must oppose it. Trusting in the rahma of Allah, that trust keeping our hearts full of light and patience. A good struggle, to purify our souls.

Consider this powerful hadith from the messenger of God (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). What a constant barometer for the condition of our faith it is!

“None of you truly believes until you love for your brother what you love for yourself” (Bukhari)


Thank you for your patience with this long not very well penned piece. Sharing has helped me and I thank you for that help. God bless and help us all.

Peace be upon you.

Consoling the heart

I found this excellent short post here and wanted to share it. Do read it. In a nutshell it says that consoling another’s broken heart is as beneficial as a whole night in prayer! MashaAllah!! And indeed, helping another when one is sorrowing eases one’s own burden. Allah loves those who give