The Relief from Distress- Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyya July 8, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : Ghuraba, Muslims, Naseeha, Qur'an, True Shuyook, hadith, knowledge , add a commentSalaam Alaaykum Warahmatullah
An explanation to the Du’a of Yunus. The Dua of Dhun-Nun (Yunus) by which he invoked Allah from within the belly of the whale was “There is none worthy of worship except You. You are pure. Verily I am amongst the oppressors.” TMQ Al-Anbiya 21:87 The Prophet (SAW) said about the Invocation of Yunus ‘None who is experiencing difficulty employs it except that Allah would relieve him of his difficulty’ Shaikh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was asked about the dua of yunus and He answers it in the form of this Book. Among the Questions answered include. What is the Meaning of this Dua? Are their any unstated connection between belief in the heart and the meaning of this Supplication? What are the connection between belief in the heart and the meaning of this Supplication such that it leads to the removal of difficulty? What are the Conditions, the Method and many more Questions answered
http://kalamullah.com/Books/The%20Relief%20From%20Distress.pdf
Book Review 2: Madarij al Salikeen by Ibn al Qayim July 1, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : Muslims, Naseeha, Qur'an, True Shuyook, knowledge , add a commentSalaam Alaaykum Warahmatullah,
By Anwar Al-Awlaki
Madarij al Salikeen by Ibn al Qayim:
This is a three Volume book which represents one of the greatest works produced on the topic of spirituality. I had already read the book along time ago and was fascinated by it. When I was in jail and was thinking about what books to order when I would be allowed to do so, this book seemed to be the right thing to read in my present circumstances. Steadfastness was what was needed now, and steadfastness was a deed of the heart, so it was the heart that I should focus on.
When the opportunity arrived and I was allowed to order books it was on the top of my reading list.
The author starts by giving tafsir of surat al Fatiha. The rest of the book are the stages that the traveller moves through in “???? ???? ????? ??????” “You do we worship and You do we seek help from” [Fatiha, v5]
The book is based on a book written by Abu Ismail al-Ansari al-Harawi al-Sufi who was a Hanbali scholar from Hirat in modern day Afghanistan. The name of his book is Manazil al-Sa’ireen (the Stations of the Travellers). Imam Abu Ismail named one hundred stations that the traveller during his journey to Allah passes through.
The first station is “al-Yaqadhah” “The Waking up” This is when the heart wakes up from the slumber of unawareness. The next station is the station of “Azm” “The Resolve,” after the heart has woken up it decides to embark on its journey towards Allah.
Some of the stations that he mentions: The station of Fear, Repentance, Observation, Hope, Sincerity, Purification, Trust, Submission, Fortitude, Gratitude, Will, Certainty, Trust, Knowledge, Wisdom, Tranquillity, Purity, Drowning, Absence, Life, and Love.
The language of ibn al Qayim in his books is eloquent. But in this book his language is so high class that it represents the peak of his writing. This book is simply untranslatable. The terminology that he uses and the fascinating way of putting the concepts together would make any translation lose a portion of its beauty during the process. Now I don’t mean here by eloquence the beauty of the words and the use of a flowery style of writing but I mean the ability of the author to express complicated thoughts and sophisticated concepts, and what would otherwise be difficult to express, into readable words that not only are understood by the reader but captivate him and make him feel that the author is reading his inner thoughts and is seeing through into the depths of his heart to see his ailment and prescribe the cure.
Ibn al Qayim after mentioning the verses of Quran and hadiths blends his words with the words of Abu Ismail al-Ansari , whom he would refer to as shaykh-ul-Islam, along with the sayings of the great scholars of the heart such as: al Junaid, AbdulQadir al Jaylaani, al Tasturi, and al Fudhail bin Iyadh.
There are so many words of wisdom and valuable teachings in this book that are waiting to be observed and lived by.
May Allah bless us all and provide us with wisdom and guide us to righteous acts. We ask Allah to shower his mercy upon our great scholars whom Allah has made the instruments of teaching us the truth and guiding us towards the straight path. Ameen
http://kalamullah.com/Books/Madarij-us-Salikeen.pdf
Book Review Behind Bars June 10, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : Muslims, Naseeha, True Shuyook , add a comment
Assalamu alaykum all,
In this set of short blogs I will review the books that I had a chance to read while I was in jail. Here is the first:
This was during my first two months in the Political Security Jail. This was a time when I was allowed no visitors, no contact with family, and no contact with other prisoners. In fact I wasn’t even allowed to speak to the prison guards except in whispers and only for urgent needs. This was a time of complete isolation from the outside world.
I was in an underground solitary cell made up of four concrete walls with an iron gate on one side and on the opposite side a small window -rather a hole- covered with iron mesh to allow for some fresh air to come in. I couldn’t see much from it because it was about four meters high. Then there was the roof with a bulb hanging from it which was on continuously day and night. Then the floor with a mattress 2-3 inches thick, a blanket, a worn off pillow, a plastic plate, a bottle for water, and an empty bottle “just in case”.
And then there was a Quran
In this environment there is nothing to do and nothing to read but the Quran, and that is when the Quran reveals it secrets. When the hearts are clean; when there is nothing clouding the spirit, the Quran literally overwhelms the heart.
I have never in my life felt the Quran so strongly. Thoughts, insights and feelings that I would fail to describe would come with every new verse that I would recite. Reading Quran then was not something I would force upon myself but I would recite it with eagerness for hours at end and never lose my concentration. The chapters of the Quran would carry me outside of this world and I would completely forget about my situation until a warden would slam the door open for restroom time or to take me for interrogation. Then I would wake up again to the depressing reality of this world.
So does the Quran speak to us differently in jail?
We approach Quran with a more receptive heart when we are being tested. We also come to understand Quran better when we are separated from the distractions of this world. Both these two elements exist in prison. One thing I came to realize is that the Quran does not open up its secrets to you unless you open up your heart to it. Quran does not spill its pearls to the undeserving.
Ibn Taymiyyah wrote while he was in jail that he had been reciting Quran and reflecting on its meanings and that Allah has opened up the meanings of Quran for him. He said he learned new meanings that scholars would wish to learn. He had learned from it meanings he had never thought of before and he went further to state that he regretted the time he spent in the past learning other aspects of knowledge and not focusing on the Book of Allah. Within a short period he said that he had read the Quran, from cover to cover, eighty times. This was due to the blessings of him being imprisoned. Allah says: “You might dislike a thing and in it Allah puts a lot of good”
During that blessed period of over two months when I was free of any distractions except for the interrogation worries, that is when I came to understand the statement of Uthman (r) when he said: “If the hearts are pure they would never satisfy their thirst from the Book of Allah”
Those moments are so strange to me now, and so different that they do not seem to be a reality, or even a far away memory, but rather seem to be a dream.
We ask you O Allah to make us of those who love your words and contemplate them.
“Indeed in that (i.e. Quran) is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present (in mind)” Sura Qaaf 37.
Courtesy of Anwar al Awlaki .Com
CIA AT WAR AGAINST ISLAM May 22, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : America, True Shuyook, knowledge , add a commentSalaam Alaaykum Warahmatullah,
Imam Anwar Al Awlaki gives a talk about how the CIA keeps Scholars of high influence on their payroll in order to redifine the true meaning of Islam..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GY4XmfnUNM
The Story of Salamah ibn Al Akwa (ra) May 21, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : True Shuyook, hadith , add a commentSalaam Alaaykum Warahmatullah,
Imam Anwar Al Awlaki gives a lecture about Salamah ibn Al Akwa (RA).. Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUcy5teP_go
Love of Allah Found in “Al-Walaa wal-Baraa by Al Qahtani May 15, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : True Shuyook, poetry , add a commentThe love of the Beloved
must be unconditionally returned.
If you claim love
yet oppose the Beloved,
then your love is but a pretence.
You love the enemies of your Beloved
and still seek love in return.
You fight the beloved of your Beloved.
Is this Love or the following of shaytaan?
True devotion is nothing
but total submission
of body and soul
to One Love.
We have seen humans claim to submit,
yet their loyalties are many.
They put their trust here, and their hope there,
and their love is without consequence.
Weapons of the End Times
Posted by Ghuraba in : Mujahideen, True Shuyook , add a commentSalaam Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakathu,
Imam Anwar Al Awlaki does an in-depth analysis of the ahadith which mentions during the end of times people will be using swords, bow and arrows, and horses… enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JByvsSE4gs
From the Greatest of Sins: Being Bored of Allah’s Blessings May 9, 2008
Posted by Ghuraba in : Ghuraba, Muslims, Naseeha, True Shuyook, knowledge , add a commentIbn al-Qayyim said:
“From the greatest of sins which are hidden - and widely practiced - is that the servant is enjoying a blessing that Allah has blessed him with and chosen for him, then that servant becomes bored of it and seeks to exchange it for what he thinks - due to his ignorance - is better for him than it, and His Lord continues to be merciful to him and does not prevent him from this blessing, and He excuses him due to his ignorance and this bad choice that he has chosen for himself. When he reaches the limit in scorning this blessing and his boredom with it overcomes him, Allah removes this blessing from him. So, if he is given what he sought in exchange for that blessing, and he sees the immense difference between what he was previously enjoying and and what he has now been given instead of it, his anxiety and regret increase and he requests a return to what he previously had. So, if Allah desires good and guidance for His servant, He allows him to bear witness that what he had was a blessing from the blessings of Allah upon him, and He causes him to become pleased with that blessing and to give thanks to Allah for it. If his soul then whispers to him to again seek to exchange that blessing for something else, he makes istikharah to His Lord, the istikharah of the one who is ignorant of what is in his best interests and unable to attain them. He turns his affairs to Allah, requesting of Him to help him make the best decision.
And there is nothing more harmful to the servant than to become bored of the blessings of Allah, because he does not see it as a blessing, and he does not thank Allah for it, and does not become happy because of it. Rather, he belittles it, complains about it and considers it to be a disaster - all this while it can well be from the greatest of Allah’s blessings upon him.
Most people have a feeling of enmity towards Allah’s blessings upon them, and they do not percieve that this opening that Allah has given them is actually a blessing, and they exert the utmost effort in repelling it and pushing it away out of ignorance and oppression. So, how many are those whom Allah’s blessings comes to one of them, and they rise to repel and fight against it? And how many are those whom the blessing comes to one of them and he strives to push it away and brush it to the side out of ignorance and oppression?
Allah - the Exalted - says: {“And this is because Allah would not change a blessing that He has blessed a people with unless they change what is within themselves.”} [al-Anfal; 53]
The one who is devoid of logic loses his chance * Until the affair passes him by. Then, he blames predestination.”
['al-Fawa'id'; p. 248]
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