Start With The Self.

Salaam.

In the city of Ashkabad, there once had been a well known high profile family dynasty the Ansaris, they had grown wealthy initially through the ownership of copper mines. But over the years they had managed too monopolise many other industries.

The family not only enjoyed a high profile and prestige for their extraordinary wealth but also for the great deal of influence they exercised politically. However over the passage of time , and with increased international competition, the family owned company Shalimar Industries collapsed. The Wealth was seized by a number of creditors in a series of high profile court cases. The members of this high profile, almost aristocratic family were left broke and penniless.

Some years later a journalist for the local newspaper the 'Ashkabad Times' decided to do a story on the surviving members of the Ansari clan to see what became of them.

She managed to track down the last CEO of Shalimar industries and the head of the Ansari family, Asad al-Ansari, to a small apartment on the outskirts of Ashkabad.

Asad al-Ansari who was now an elderly man in his sixties and dressed in humble clothes, a far cry from the expensive tailored made clothes and the Diamond encrusted watches, and all the other trappings of wealth that he used to be reknowned for. There used to be regular features of him that appeared in the fashion pages of various publications.

Today he was a man of simple tastes and earned a modest living selling shoes in the famous Ashkabad market . During her interview the Journalist asked him how he had managed to cope with such a great fall from grace?

Asad al-Ansari, with his eyes lit up, and a smile on his face responded;
" I feel blessed, and today I feel truly wealthy, sure the expensive cars and the private jets along with the Mansions and a legion of servants are all gone. But what I have discovered in its place is the true wealth the wealth of contentment.

'A wealthy man is not one who owns the most toys, it is someone who feels content with what they have. I have my health, my family and all the material things that I need. What I discovered is that a $10 watch, fulfills its purpose adequately, it is just as good as a $100,000 watch. A humble house filled with a loving family atmosphere is just as good as a large mansion.

'Whilst in my previous life I was driven by greed and insecurity, the more money I had the less secure I felt and the need to earn more. We had endless fights and bickering in the family over money. I wasted years in the pursuit of acquiring things to earn prestige and status in the sight of others.

'While in reality what is important is who you are as a human being, not how much wealth you have."

Written by Julaybib.


Just A thought:

How much of our time is wasted, in the pursuit of the Duniyah. We look at others who have more material wealth with envy and bemoan our own situation. the more we acquire the more we want our hearts are devoid of contentment. we think somehow having the latest designer clothes or status symbols is going to raise our rank. Or our relatives and our friends will look up to us.

We totally forget to reform our own characters, and fail to see that in the Akhirah none of these worldly things we pursue will have any significance.


May Allah guides us towards what is good, especially a hypocrite and sinner like me Ameen.

P.s. I humbly request your duas.

Shaykh Maseehullah rahmatullahi alayh relates,

‘Once a king had a dream wherein he observed a very large tray containing many varieties, shapes and sizes of flowers. Suddenly a knife appeared from above and cut these flowers; it would cut both large and small flowers.

At this point the king awoke and began to ponder upon the meaning of this strange dream. He related it to his Court Mu’abbirs (interpreters) but they all dismissed it as a product of the mind’s imagination. Unconvinced and worried, the king ordered that no cooking would take place in the kingdom until this dream is interpreted!

Coincidentally, a soldier returned home on leave... and asked for food. His mother replied,
‘Dear, there has been no food cooked for three days, it is the king’s command. Police patrols are going around, any sign of cooking smoke and instant arrest!’

Her son replied,
‘Well I do not care what great dream the king is supposed to have seen, I am famished, please cook a meal for me, if the smoke gets noticed and the king summons me we shall take it from there.’

Accordingly, the mother lit her stove and began cooking. Noticing smoke arising from chimney, the Royal spies arrived and arrested the soldier and took him into the kings presence who asked, ‘Why this disobedience?’ The soldier replied, ‘I am starving... anyway please relate your dream.’ The king described his dream. ‘Allow me to eat and three days grace...if by then I do not bring an interpretation you may kill me,’ commented the soldier. The king agreed.

After having eaten, the soldier mounted his horse and roamed from city to city, town to town in trying to find an interpretation...but to no avail.

Fatigued, he stopped at a small hamlet to request a drink of water from a young maiden spinning cloth in her porch way. The pious purdah nasheen lady brought a pitcher of water and left it by the gateway. Puzzled, the soldier dismounted and drank the water. Then he asked, ‘Madam you appear to be alone, where is your mother?’ The young lady answered from inside her porch way,

‘My mother has gone to deliver two from one!’
Dumbfounded, the soldier thought,
‘O heck! As if one dream to interpret wasn't bad enough...what does she mean by delivering two from one?’

Thereafter he asked, ‘Well, where is your father?’
The young lady replied, ‘My father has gone to enjoin clay with clay.’

Just then the father appeared and the soldier commented,
‘Your daughter is amazing, I asked her two simple questions and she gave such strange replies!’
Father: ‘What did she say?’
Soldier: ‘Well, first I asked her for a drink of water and she left some at the gateway.’
Father: ‘My daughter is purdah nasheen, shy and very modest. How could she possibly hand something to a non-mahram?’
Soldier: ‘Secondly, I asked her, ‘Where is your mother?’ She replied, ‘she has gone to deliver two from one!’
Father: ‘Yes, my wife is a midwife, she was called to deliver a baby, this is what she meant by delivering two from one!’
At this point, the soldier began to think, ‘Hold on, we appear to have something very special here...’
Soldier: ‘Thereafter, I asked her about you and she replied, ‘My father has gone to enjoin clay with clay.’’
Father: ‘A local has passed-away and I attended his funeral, anyhow, who are you and where have you come from?’

The soldier related his whole predicament of interpreting the king’s dream within 3 days or face the death penalty and the kings command forbidding any cooking in the kingdom. Addressing his daughter, the father asked, ‘Dear, did you hear the dream?’ ‘Yes father I heard.’ ‘Well, what do you say?’ ‘It is the king’s dream, I wish to hear it directly from him before giving the interpretation.’
Accordingly, all three left for the king’s palace...

Soldier: ‘Your Majesty, the girl who is to interpret your dream has arrived, please give a command allowing all your subjects to cook...should you find the meaning not to your liking, your majesty is king and may do as he wishes!’

A Royal Proclamation was given allowing people to cook again. Thereafter, when all had eaten, the young lady arrived and from behind a screen listened to the king’s dream and then commented...

‘The interpretation of this dream is as follows. The tray refers to earth, whilst its covering is the Heavens, the flowers therein are people and the knife represents death...which travels upon earth; ‘cutting’ some people in young age whilst others in later life. Some die in childhood, others in their teens, middle and old age. This knife keeps appearing and taking the souls of creation. Herein Allah Ta’?l? is warning you that it is not wise for Insaan [man] to remain neglectful of death: because it may appear at any time in life. These are the meanings of the tray, flowers and knife!’

The king was overjoyed on hearing this interpretation and showered gifts as a sign of his appreciation.

So dear reader, we too must be ever-careful and conscious of our own death. Nobody knows how long they are to live and the best way of being prepared is to live every minute of our life in complete accordance to the Sunnat of our beloved Nabee sallallahu alayhi wasallam who commented:

‘In whichever way you live your life, in this very state will arrive your death. Moreover, in whatever way your death appears, in this very state will you be resurrected!’
May Allah Ta'ala grant all of us Tawfeeq. Ameen.

Reproduced from Ashraf’s Advice Upon Death of a Muslim

Imam ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله was once asked:

"Is it better for me to make Tasbeeh (praise Allah) or to make Istighfaar (seek forgiveness)?"

He replied:

"The dirty robe is more in need of soap than perfume"

Here is something I Read.

An incident once took place when a student of Knowledge was taking a walk with his teachers in one of the gardens of their Madrassah. During this walk, the student decided to address a problem he was facing and seek its remedy from his teacher. He began to tell his teacher, 'I have a spiritual ailment; I am habitual of talking ill of others and mentioning matters about them behind their backs.'

The teacher carried on walking for a moment and then asked him, 'do you have a mobile phone?' The student answered affirmatively and took out his phone to show his teacher. The phone was one of the latest models on the market and he had just purchased it recently.

Upon seeing the phone and the student's attachment to it, he asked the student to throw the phone in a nearby mud patch and trample upon it. Whilst astonished by the teacher's request, the student questioned, 'how can I throw this phone on the floor? It has cost me a lot of money and is worth a lot to me.'

The teacher replied to him with the following words of wisdom, 'So too is the respect and honour of your brother as sanctified and valuable as this in the eyes of Allah. How can it be easy for you to trample upon this honour and respect with such ease?'

The student realised how he had never understood nor appreciated the true value of a Muslim brother; and from that day onwards he never failed to compare the respect of his brothers to all those items which were the most valuable to him.

"Do not depend on the morality of a person until you have seen him behave while in anger." Hadrat Umar Al Farooq رضي الله عنه

Once a King organised a feast to celebrate victory for his troops against a rebellion. With great pomp and ceremony , the king and his cavalry dressed in all their finery paraded in the streets. The masses lined the streets to watch, the fabulous spectacle.

As the parade was heading back towards, the Palace a miscreant in the crowd threw a firework at the feet of the kings stallion. The kings stallion, started jumping in fear at the sound of the explosion causing the king to fall off, to the amusement of the crowds of on lookers.

The king was enraged at the humiliation meted out to him. He directed the Chief of security to hunt for the culprit.

The Chief of security along with his troops searched the entire city, without success.
No witnesses had come forward, no one seemed to know who the culprit was.

The chief of security, fearing the kings wrath, for his failure to make an arrest. Thought of some way he may be able to appease the King, as he was pondering what to do, he came across a homeless man sleeping on the cobbled floor of an alley. The Chief decided to arrest the poor wretch and apportion blame to him.

The King without seeing the man and without any trial had him put in a dungeon, and sentenced him to death for the crime of treason. The gallows were prepared in the market square and a date was set for a public execution.

On the morning of the execution, a Shaykh visited the poor vagrant, to perform the last rites and offer some words of solace to him.

The Shaykh when he entered the cell in the underground dungeon found to his amazement that the man, was disabled both his hands were deformed, this man had difficulty carrying out the simplest of tasks. No way was he capable of carrying out the act that he had been accused of.

The Shaykh went to the King and said, " Your Majesty, you have sentenced an innocent man to death, the poor wretch is disabled he is unable to take care of himself let alone. threaten the life and honor of the King."

The King surprised at the Shaykhs remarks asked for the prisoner to be brought before him, upon seeing the Prisoner and realising his mistake the king said to the man; " Okay you are free to go I commute the sentence."

The Prisoner responded; " Oh king, you had an innocent man put in a dungeon, tortured and sentenced to death, all because you fell of a horse and felt that your honor had been attacked. What will happen on that day when you stand before the King of Kings, and have to answer for attacking the honor and violating the rights of your subjects."

The King upon hearing the bold reply of the prisoner, shuddered with fear and begged for forgiveness.

The Prisoner finally agreed to forgive the King. In his joy the King showered the man with gifts.

As the man was leaving the King asked him for some wise counsel.

He responded; " Oh King I thought you would have learned your lesson by now, never allow your anger to overcome you and make you behave unjustly towards others."

Written by Julaybib.



Something to reflect.

How often do we allow our anger to overcome us. We say and do things on the
spur of the moment without thinking of the consequences. We violate the rights of others.

Relationships are destroyed, marriages are broken up. We even have people being killed in what has become dubbed as "road rage". Mostly we release our anger by abusing others with our tongue.

May Allah guide us to all that is good and protect us from all that is evil ameen.

O I am not worried about the poverty of the muslims. I am afraid lest by getting rich they might become proud and thereby invite destruction." Hadrat Umar al Farooq رضي الله عنه

One day as Shaykh Saleem al Ashkabadi, was walking through the Bazaar he saw one of his students Asim leaving the prestigious five star Shah Noor Hotel.

After exchanging pleasantries the Shaykh said; " My son what are you doing visiting such an expensive establishment?"

Asim responded; " Sir you make it sound like I have committed a crime, Allah has blessed me with wealth, so what is wrong with me spending it?."

The Shaykh asked; " Have all your friends and acquaintances been blessed with such Wealth."

"No" replied, Asim puzzled by the Shaykhs questioning.

" So how will they be able to afford to cater for your expensive tastes?"; Responded, Shaykh Saleem, he further elaborated;

"When I was a young student one of my teachers gave me some valuable advice. let me share with you."

He advised me, "Do not allow your wealth, to become a source of oppression for others! The rich spend their wealth in organising grand feasts and on luxurious items and material things to earn prestige. Those who are poor or lesser off are then made to feel inferior for their lack of wealth. A sense of honor,and the peer pressure that is created makes them feel obliged to spend extravagant amounts on weddings, furnishings for the house and the like. Many people end up borrowing money and in due course end up heavily in debt."

"So Asim live in a frugal manner and spend your excess, wealth in helping those who are in need. Instead of creating more difficulties for them. By trying to compete with you."

Written By Julaybib.


Something to reflect.

It seems we have become afflicted with this malady of what was traditionally referred in the west of, " keeping up with the Joneses". The people who have less material wealth are made to feel, worthless and inferior, and even ridiculed because they cannot afford the designer clothes or the most expensive house with all the furnishings. Or the luxury car etc. Many people take loans and becoming heavily in debt, in trying to acquire the latest status symbols.

How often have we judged others or looked down upon others who have less material wealth, ridiculed them because of it. We have people who consider themselves to be superior because they have the most toys and a chicken in every pot. Surely a superior person is one who is the most pious and righteous in conduct.


May Allah give us all hidayah especially a hypocrite and sinner like me Ameen.

P.S. I humbly request your duas.

Arif-billah Hazrat Dr. Abdul-Hayy Arifi ra said:

” Develop a habit of examining yourself.
How is my worship (‘ibadat)?
How are my dealings (muamlat)?
How is my ikhlaq (morals/behavioral characteristics)?

And to test the ikhlaq (morals/behavior) take a ride in one of the public buses in Karachi (notorious for being overcrowded with less educated & emotionaly frustrated people). You will find out the reality, where do you stand?.”

Sukoon-e-qalb 47

It is under stressful condition that the praise-worthy and blame worthy moral characteristic, (that are: patience, humility, giving preference to others, love & sympathy, etc. and anger, envy, arrogance, etc.) are shown in one’s behavior. Under normal circumstances most of us act and consider ourselves to be the perfect model of good morals. But the our reality will appear when others are rude and obnoxious, they do not give us the ’status’ we deserve and ignore us.

The emotions which emerge in these circumstances show our reality. And if we act on the commands of these emotions, it shows the extent of the diseased heart we have!
-
These are the things to be reported to the Sheikh. He after diagnosing the problem will advice a treatment. We use the therapy and then report back to him again for the sucess or failure of treatment.
_
This is the real Tasawwuf and Peeri-mureedi.

www.ashrafiya.com/

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”

It had been three hours since the Train driver had made the announcement.
"We are sorry but the Train will be delayed, due to a technical problem with the signaling equipment ahead......"

Imran observed his fellow passengers in the carriage. as is the case in these kind of circumstances, people were getting anxious and growing restless. Amongst all the miserable faces, there was one well dressed middle aged passenger who stood out, because unlike everyone else, he seemed to be enjoying the experience. He walked around the carriage with a broad smile on his face chatting to other passengers, and trying to lift everybody's spirits.

The man finally came and sat down opposite Imran. "what an adventure this is!"; exclaimed the man with a broad grin on his face.

" Adventure! what adventure? we have been trapped, like sardines in a can,on this ghastly train for several hours. And you think it is an adventure?" responded Imran angrily, taking out his frustration on his fellow passenger.

"Yes adventure" responded the man. " You know I realised along time ago, that although I might not always have control over every situation I find myself in. I still have control over how I react to it, its all about attitude.

"When the train came to a halt I said to myself you have two choices, you can either choose to get frustrated and be miserable, or you can choose to be positive. Either way the train is going to be late, so what will you gain by becoming despondent.

" So I chose to have an adventure, and use this as an opportunity to meet and engage with other people and make new friends."


Written By Julaybib.

Something to Ponder.

We often find our selves facing circumstances that are beyond our control. We quickly start to despair and become frustrated. In adverse circumstance it is our attitude be it positive or negative that makes a big difference. We should never despair and keep our trust in Allah in all situation's.

May Allah give us all the tawfiq, to maintain patience and gratitude in all circumstances Ameen.

P.S. I humbly request your duas.

Acquire knowledge of Deen according to your needs;either by asking the Ulama or by reading a book.

Abstain from all sins.

If you commit any sin, repent immediately.

Do not hold back in fulfilling anyone's right.

Do not cause anyone physical or verbal harm.

Do not speak ill of anyone.

Do not have any love for wealth ,nor any desire for name and fame.

Do not concern yourself with extravagant food and clothing.

If someone rebukes you for your mistake or error,do not try to
justify your action.

Do not laugh excessively nor talk excessively.

Do not go about repeating or mentioning an argument that may have taken place between two persons.

Always be mindful of the rules of Shariah in everything you do.

Do not display laziness in executing any act of Ibaadah.

Try and spend most of your time in seclusion.

If you have to meet and converse with others,meet them with humility and do not display your greatness.

Associate very little with rulers and those who hold high positions.

Stay very far from irreligious people.

Do not search for the faults of others.

Do not have evil thoughts about anyone. Instead look at your own faults and try to put them in order.

You should be particular in offering your salaat in the proper manner,at the proper time with concentration.

Always occupy yourself in the remembrance of Allah, either with
your heart or tongue.

If you experience any satisfaction in taking the name of Allah,
then express your gratitude to Allah.

Speak in a nice, humble way.

Set aside specific times for all your different tasks and abide
strictly to these times.

Hakeemul Ummat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi ra’s Sheikh, Hazrat Haji Imadadullah sahib muhajir Makki ra said:

“Time is a blessing; use it wisely and do not waste it in forgetfulness, as lost time cannot be compensated.”

After graduating from a madrassah Wasim, was appointed an Imam at a local masjid.

As he was preparing to leave home to take up his position of Imam,
his Mother said; " My Son remember to practice what you preach, the easiest thing to do is advise others be it in religious affairs or wordily matters. A wise person is he who first acts in accordance with the advice he gives to others.

' Such a person is respected by others for his sincerity. And obtains honor in both the dhuniya and the akhirah."


Written by Julaybib.

Something to Ponder.

How often do we act in this manner, we advise others whether it is about the Deen. Marital issues, on seeking education starting a business, a health and exercise programme etc. Yet we ourselves fail to act in accordance with the advice we give to others.

We may tell others to exercise patience in times of difficulty, but when calamity
strikes us we quickly start to despair.And completely forget our own advice.

Preaching to others is easy, practicing it ourselves is the real test.


May Allah guide us all to what is good and protect us from what is harmfull, especially a hypocrite and sinner like me ameen.

P.S. I humbly request your duas.

Verily, never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves Qu'ran 13:11

Too true. Change begins from within.

by Abu Abdullah Ibne Ismail

“When a house is left empty then insects and spiders start to inhabit the house and the house begins to feels gloomy and lonely. This is why when one enters a house that has been left uninhabited it feels very spooky.

On the contrary, an inhabited house has a very homely feeling. The more people that live in the house the more warmth one senses. This is why generally when one has guests over to stay, when they leave, there is a feeling of emptiness.

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam has mentioned that a person who has no Qur’aan in his heart is spiritually empty. Thus the heart of such a person is just like that house which is uninhabited.

When the house of the heart begins to be inhabited with the verses of the Qur’aan then like the inhabited house warmth begins to be generated within. And the more verses one has living in his heart the warmer and more welcoming the house of his heart will become.”

Source: In Shaykhs Company, a sight run by students of Shaykh Saleem Dhorat (DB), concerning the advice of the shaykh on various issues.

A young man arrived at the Madrassah of Shaykh Saleem al Ashkabadi, he said;
"Sir I wish to become a scholar, how long will it take for me to learn all the religious sciences?"

"If you wish to learn all the sciences, then it will take 10 years";replied the shaykh.

The Student reponded; " What if I sleep less and stay awake more, and along with the regular classes dedicate all my spare time in study, how long will it take then?"

Shaykh Saleem al Ashkabadi; pondered for a while and replied, " In that case my son, it will take you 20 years to become a scholar."

The young Man was perplexed; " It will take twice the time if I study twice as hard! how Is that so?"

'"My son if in a race, a man exerts himself too hard he will not be able to keep up with the pace. Naturally he will become physically and mentally exhausted, perhaps suffer injury and need to recuperate."

'The one who takes one step at a time, and patiently keeps moving forward, he will ultimately reach his goal faster.

' A student of knowledge, behaves with humility, he absorbs what he learns, reflects on what he studies and implements it into his own life. He does not treat his studies like a race, patience and perseverance are the keys to unlocking knowledge and obtaining wisdom.Whilst haste is from the arrows of shaytaan."

Written by Julaybib.

Something to ponder.

We live in times of haste, fast food, fast cars, and a desire to get rich quick. Ultimately many of us fail and become despondent if only we took one step at a time, in trying to reach our goals in the first place. We are devoid of Patience and this is one of the main causes of despondency and despair for us.

May Allah instil Sabr and Shukr in all our hearts ameen.

In the city of Ashkabad there once lived a woman famous for her piety and generosity, the locals all referred to her as Aunt Hafsah.

One day as Aunt Hafsah was shopping with her son Maulana Wasim. A young man in an unkempt appearance walked by, he was wearing dirty and tattered clothes and had a distant look in his eyes, that told a story of suffering.

" Poor thing he looks in an awful state, Wasim you must find out who he is and do something to assist him." said, Aunt Hafsah.

' Mother I know him, his name is Imaad, his wife died during child birth, and unfortunately his baby son only survived a few weeks. Following the loss of his wife and child he fell into a deep depression. I visited him several times and offered him advice, and told him that he needs to pull himself together. But unfortunately he has paid no heed to what I said. "

Aunt Hafsah, gave her son a disappointed look, but remained silent.

When they reached home it was time for supper, Maulana Wasim said;
" Mother it has been a long and tiring day and I am extremely hungry, is there anything to eat?"

"Certainly! my son." Replied Aunt Hafsah, " You go and wash your hands, while I fetch the food."

When Wasim returned, he found a tray on the floor containing, some raw vegetables, a plate containing grains of rice, a cup of olive oil, and a bowl containing spices.

" Mother what is this? ", enquired Maulana Wasim, looking baffled.

Aunt Hafsah, responded. " My son, you are hungry , what you should do is cook, and eat the food in the tray."

" Mother you know I am incapable of cooking, if I was able to do so I would have done it"; exclaimed Maulana Wasim, in an irittable tone.

Aunt Hafsah responded, " My Son you are incapable of cooking a meal for yourself, yet you expected that poor young man, Imaad who is in a deep state of depression to be capable of "Pulling himself together." Surely if he was able to do so he would have done it.

'My son empty words of advice are meaningless, true compassion demands that we help and assist those who are incapable of helping themselves.It requires commitment, time and effort. Don't tell someone who is in distress what they need to do! rather find out what sort of help they require, and give
them long term support and encouragement, to overcome their difficulties."

Maulana Wasim, looked at his Mother sheepishly and said;" Mother indeed you are right, I found a man in distress and made no effort to help him. all I did was utter a few meaningless words of advice,"


Something To reflect.

How often do we find our friends and relatives, in difficulty yet we remain aloof and busy with our own lives. " Pull yourself together we Say" as words of advice. If someone complains to us about their difficulty more then once we label the person an attention seeker and start avoiding them. If this is our attitude with those who are close to us, what about strangers, what hope do they have in expecting help from us.

May Allah reward those who spend their lives and their wealth in the service of others and May Allah give us all the Tawfiq to unselfishly serve others.