Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Remembrance of Allah


"They are the most wise who remember Allah, standing sitting and lying down"
Quran (Surah 4: Verse 190)

"Their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah"
Quran (Surah 39: Verse 23)

"Those men and women who engage much in Allah's praise. for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a Great Reward"
Quran (Surah 33: Verse 35)

Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet said: "When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them." The Companions asked: "What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "The circles of dhikr. There are roaming angels of Allah who go about looking for the circles of dhikr, and when they find them they surround them closely." Tirmidhi narrated it (hasan gharib) and Ahmad.

Pic: Mawlana Shaykh Nazim performing Hadrah (zikir standing) in Lefke, Cyprus

Monday, May 26, 2008

Follow a guide

Tariqats orders and the four madhabs schools are based on adab and that is why shaitan is against them because they are against his school. His school is the fifth madhab, the school of batil = falsehood. So many people follow it.. May Allah not leave us in the hands of our bad ego; whoever is not asking that will be caught by shaitan. Your ego is telling you that you are number one, that nobody is like you; it is telling you that you don’t have to listen to anyone.. that you are strong and know everything, that you are your own Sheikh. And the ego is lying to us. What we are saying here is what they have put in our hearts, and we are ashamed in front of Allah and fearing Him because we are such ignorant ones, making so many mistakes and bad-mannered actions. Who is the Sheikh? He is that one who teaches you about Allah and His Prophet. How you can know by yourself? But they don’t want to accept a teacher, these wahabi people. And whoever doesn’t accept a Sheikh, a hodja, an imam, a guide, dalil/proof, his teacher is shaitan; he is telling them: 'Why do you need a Sheikh?'

Follow a pure guide that he may take you to purity because only pure ones will enter Paradise.. Allah knows best who the hypocrites are.. We are trying, working on it, asking to be clean. But: thumma amanu, thumma kafaru.. sometimes we believe and sometimes not, listening to our ego and shaitan. On the way of faith, Iman, you can be saved..

And the Angels of the grave will ask you if your face is turned to dunya/world or towards Maula, Allah. They will ask you what is your qibla, to where is your heart directed? If they find your face turned towards Allah, everything is good. But if they find your face turned away from Him, then Allah will also turn away from you. If in prayer you turn your eyes away from the place of sajda/prostration, looking left and right three times, then Allah is saying: 'My servant has turned away from Me. Leave him..' This is an important point in adab.. Don’t behave badly in the Presence of the Sultan.. May Allah forgive us and not throw us out of the Ummati Muhammadi/nation of muhmmad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam peace be upon him, Fatiha.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil Haqqani
taken
from On the bridge to Eternity

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Knowledge and adab

It is not easy to teach adab; someone may read hundreds or thousands of books but he may not be able to control his ego. He may have knowledge but he can’t practice it. shaitan had so much knowledge and it didn’t benefit him. And everybody in our time wants to study, and they all fail the test. And someone may go on hajj/pilgrimage, he may stay 40 days, make hajj, umrah, ziyaret/holy visits and become clean.

Everything seems perfect, but then he gets on the plane home and he looks to a stewardess with desire, and everything is lost, finished..! Six months, one year he stayed there, so many prayers he did, tawafs, umrahs.. everything is good, but then, for one moment he doesn’t control his ego, forgetting that Allah is looking to him, forgetting and being without Allah, and shaitan makes him from his staff.. Don’t give a chance to shaitan because he is always looking for an opportunity to catch people.

Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil Haqqani
from On the bridge to Eternity

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Demise of Habib Ahmad al Habsyi

Innalillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji`uun. Today we recieved another sad news on the death of Habib Ahmad bin Alwee bin Ali al Habsyi who is the elder brother of the late Habib Anis. He died in Jakarta, insha'Allah his jenazah will be send to Solo for burial. May Allah bless him and his family.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Love of the Prophet

Love of the Prophet breathes life into our practice of religion. Without it our religion reduces to an empty adherence to a set of dead rules and rituals.

Dr Ahmad Shafaat

Burdah: Rekindle of Love for the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

by Khalid Ajmain

Most of us are well versed with some Mawlid readings such as Mawlid Dibai, Berzanji, Simtur Duror and Dhiyaull Lam'. Alhamdulilah, this is due to the exposure we often receive from the gathering of the Majlis mawlid during the month of Rabiul Awwal or any important functions. We celebrate our love for our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w through these ceremony, reading his biography. There are more than 500 different types of Mawlid around the world today. However, beside Mawlid, we have the Qasidah Burdah, although its very popular among the Muslims around the world today but in Singapore we lack exposure of Burdah. Not many know what is Burdah or the significant of it. Perhaps, its time we discover the beauty of Burdah and organize such Majlis at our home.

In Indonesia, its a normal routine for the students in the Pesantren to read Burdah on the Friday morning after subuh or Saturday afternoon. Some having it thrice a week while others may have it the whole week in the early morning. In Java, Burdah is one of their Spiritual Culture. Some even make the sound of Burdah localized by having Gamelan as the background music or Seruling during the Chorus. This attract the locals, thousand and thousand singing the tunes of the Beloved ones. Even during the time of Wali Songo, such propagation music with Burdah had been done. I attended before during my days in Solo. It was an amazing experience in such blessed gathering where you feel the presence of Love because they were reciting and singing the love for our Beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. If the hearts are sincere, no doubt they sure find the real essence of Love. This is the Spiritual Culture we need to revive here. I am positively sure if we have such gathering our youth will enjoy it and at the same time benefit all of us.

The blessings of Burdah we can learn from the history of Burdah which was compose by Imam Busairi. Imam Busairi was a paralyzed man. Many of the doctors and physicians had lost hope for his recovery. One day he decided to write in praise of the Prophet, whom we Muslims consider the dearest of all to God. On a Thursday night, determined and focussed, he retreated into isolation and began his composition. After its completion, he supplicated God for better health. Upon falling asleep, he dreamt of a visit from the Prophet, who commanded him to recite the poem he had written. Imam Busairi then complained that his paralysis had impedimented his speech, to which the Prophet s.a.w. responded by passing his hand over the affected areas. Miraculously, the shaykh was freed from his disease. He began his recitation, during which the Prophet rocked from side to side in appreciation. At the recital's cessation, the Prophet gifted Imam BÅ«sairi his scarf (burda). When the poet awoke, he found himself enshrouded in the same and he was cured miraculously.

I remembered Mawlana Shaykh Hisham told us another story about Imam Busairi. He said "One day there is a group of students walking with their Shaykh along the river, they discovered the water of the river is hot boiling, out of curiosity the Shaykh instructed one of the student to check why is the water of the river in such condition. So the student followed where the water flows then he met Imam Busairi, his leg was in the water while he was reciting Burdah. It was because of his Love for the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w was so intense and deep, the water started to boil. Shaykh Zakaria Bagharib told me before his experience in Khalwat (Seclusion) when he was send by Shaykh Hisham. He said without failed we completed the reading of Burdah in Khalwat everyday in 1 hour. He continued, we can feel the baraqah after reading it for 45 days. According to many Islamic Sufi Scholars, if you read Burdah for 10 days, you will meet the prophet s.a.w in your dreams or in the presence.

Many had share their experience of miracles after reading the Burdah or attending the majlis itself. We know there are many virtues and miracles of reading Burdah but our ultimate aim is to ensure our hearts will find the real love with our Beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. May our love be in the state of sincerity by reading Burdah and attending such Majlis.