Like to share with everyone here ...while we wait for brother Julaybib to join us.......
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food.
The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.
The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food.
The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.
He considered the other man unworthy to receive Allah سبحانه وتعالى blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."
"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of My blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice,
"What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
May Allah سبحانه وتعالى blessings be upon all our brothers and sisters. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى keep us away from heedlessness and selfishness. Ameen.
For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself From within, I couldn’t decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
" O young man, that which is yours will not go past you nor will it be consumed by others That which belongs to others will not come to you by wishing for it and being keen on obtaining it.
There is only yesterday that has already past, today that you are in and tomorrow that is yet to come. Your yesterday is a lesson for you, your today is your current state and tomorrow that is yet to come you may or may not witness it......."
The saint of saints, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani (RA)
* Taken from the book Jila al Khatir, a compilation of discourses Of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani رضي الله عنه[/QUOTE]
SOME GOLDEN ADVICES AND SAYINGS OF HAZRAT SYEDNA MEHER ALI SHAH SAHIB (R.A)
Following are some of the sayings which are mostly extracted from the “Malfuzaat-e-Mehria” (sayings of Hazrat), Maktubat (letters) of Hazrat Meher Ali Shah Sahib (R.A).
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Every breath of life is a priceless treasure; it should be devoted to the remembrance of the Lord (Allah Almighty), and to the seeking of His pleasure.
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True faith can be sustained through the love of Allah.
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The true Abd, (i.e., slave) of Allah derives infinitely more happiness and satisfaction from spreading his hands before Him in prayer than from achieving his own worldly objectives.
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The love of Allah and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is infinitely superior to the love of mortal human beings and of other worldly things.
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Observance of the Holy Prophet’s :saw: Shariah and of his personal example (Sunnah) has precedence over everything else.
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Spiritual elevation does not give any one a license to ignore the shariah. Indeed, the higher a person goes on the spiritual scale, the greater should be his observance of the Prophet’s shariah :saw:.
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One should carry on one’s legitimate business in life, and should at the same time consider Allah to be Omnipresent and All-Seeing.
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The (true) dervish (spiritual student)considers every one else better than himself; he tries to rectify his own faults instead of finding faults with others.
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A dervish is one who opposes whatever his baser self (Nafs-e-Ammara) impels him to do.
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Being a dervish is a state of mind, and does not necessarily depend on the type of dress that one wears, or the food that one eats, so long as these are acquired through lawful means. Ideally, of course, it is preferable to follow the example of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) who prided in simplicity and frugality.
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One should answer humility with humility, but need not be humble before the proud and the conceited.
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Seeking the favour or pleasure of persons in high office may be alright for the common man; it is undesirable for those who aspire to be dervish or Sufi.
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A Salik (traverser of the path) should have nothing to do with the good or the bad of the world; he should devote his entire attention to his Lord at all times.
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The life and the death of Awlia-Allah (friend of Allah) are devoted solely to seeing the Lord’s pleasure, and must not be compared to or equated with the life and death of the common people.
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Prayers and recitations should be performed primarily with the object of earning Lord’s pleasure, this can lead, as a by-product, to worldly gain also which lies in the hands of the Lord. It is inconceivable that man should devote himself wholly to the remembrance of his Creator and that the latter should not fulfill his ambition and needs.
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One should endeavour to do good deeds; Allah’s forgiveness, however, depends on His Mercy and Grace and not necessarily in one’s good deeds.
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Man’s greatness and nobility lie in his character, and especially in practicing humility and self-effacement, and not merely his lineage.
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Pride and conceit destroys all good deeds.
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Mutual love and sincerity are among the finest quality of the Islamic Ummah. In fact it was Islam which first stressed these qualities for observance by its followers. Unfortunately, however, these are largely missing from today’s Muslim world due to its indifference to Islamic teachings and values.
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Allah likes moderation and temperance in everything, and this constitutes the Straight Path that He has ordered us to follow. Exaggerations and misdirected excess, even in religious matters, lead to error and are liable to incur the wrath of Allah.
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Avoid extremes in religious as well as worldly matters, for peace and salvation lie only in following the middle path.
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As far as possible, one should endure the unkindness of others with patience, and leave revenge and retribution to Allah.
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Faith in God’s Mercy, benevolence and omnipotence in the fulfilment of human objectives must be backed up by the utmost human endeavors.
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Trust in God does not consist in discarding human endeavour altogether. The best course is to put in one’s best effort and leave the results to God.
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As indicated in the Quran (XCIV, 5-6), “hardship goes side by side with ease” (in this worldly life). One should, therefore, not lose heart in time of adversity, but should instead have full faith in the Mercy of Allah and be thankful to Him in all circumstances.
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Ibadat (or devotion) consists of submission without argument, acceptance without dissent, patience without complaint, faith without uncertainty, perception without concealment, and attention without diversion.
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All Sufi schools have the same ultimate objective, namely the attainment of spiritual elevation and union with Allah; no school should, therefore claim superiority over the others.
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Denunciation of Muslims as “kafir” (infidel) on petty sectarian grounds or on the basis of doubt or supposition only, is highly loathsome, and must be avoided at all costs. This alone can ensure the unity of the Ummah and thereby help it regain its lost glory.
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While reason and intellect do facilitate the formal study of religious and spiritual sciences, access to the deeper meanings of these sciences is possible only through the Grace of Allah with the help of an accomplished guide and teacher (murshid).
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Power and authority are sure touchstones to a person’s real character and nature. The mean person in power indulges in cruelty, oppression and injustice, while the noble one in a similar position exercises kindness, generosity and justice.
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The Murid should obey the commands of his Shaikh (spiritual guide) in every thing and particularly in the regular performance of religious rituals and the wazaifs (recitations) enjoined by the Shaikh, in order to derive maximum spiritual benefit, those who are not content with the guidance provided by their own Shaikh-e-Kamil and keep seeking it from others, ultimately waste their efforts (just as a rolling stone gathers no moss).[/QUOTE]
" Afflictions and tribulations make faith, knowingness and knowledge become apparent. They differentiate between the kernel and the shell.
The person who remains compliant throughout is a kernel, while he who disputes them is a shell. when the person is compliant with his Lord (Azza Wa Jall), the shell of creatures will be peeled from his heart and he will remain a kernel with no shell.
When the Person's belief in the oneness of Allah has strengthened and he has come to see Him with the eye of certitude, he will never turn back and leave the way of the True One (Azza wa Jall), and will never run away from His door and will stick to his truthfulness and sincerity."
The saint of saints Shaykh Abdal Qadir al Jilani (RA).
* extracted from the book Jila al Khatir (purification of the mind).
Something to reflect
Indeed most of us are just empty shells with not even a semblance of a kernel. In the words of Maulana Muhammad Masood Azhar, " It is easy to make claims of love and devotion, the truthfulness of such a claim only becomes apparent when the lover is put through the grindstone of trials and afflictions."
May Allah guide us all and make our hearts and actions sincere ameen.
P.s. I would like to thank all the Brothers and sisters for the warm welcome back, May Allah bless you all with the goodness of both worlds ameen.[/QUOTE]
You must thank Allah for all that he has favoured you with. you have no good thing, whether outward or inward religious or worldly, but that it comes from Him.
He has said Exalted is he: Whatever good thing you have is from Allah.(XVI:53), Allahs favours upon you are more than you can number or be aware of, let alone adequately thank Him for. If you would count the favours of Allah you cannot number them. (XIV:34).
If the poor and sick among the people of monotheism reflected on Allah's favours upon them they would become too intoxicated by giving thanks to feel the hardship of patient endurance. you should do as much as you can to thank your Lord and confess your total incapacity to do so adequately.
Know that thankfulness leads to the perpetuation of favours already received and to the obtaining of others that are desired. Allah the Exalted has said: If you give thanks, I shall surely increase you (XIV:7) He is, Exalted is He, too Generous to take away a favour from someone who is thanking him. He has said, Exalted is He: That is because Allah never changes a blessing he has bestowed on any people until they first change what is in themselves, ( VIII:51)that is their neglecting to give thanks...........
Imam Abdallah Ibn Alawi Al Hadad (May Allah bless him abundantly and confer His Mercy upon him)* Taken from 'The Book of Assistance'[/QUOTE]
O young man, beware of envy for it is a bad companion. It was envy that wrecked the house of iblis, destroyed him, rendered him one of the people of the Fire and made him cursed by Allah (Azza Wa Jall), by His angels, by His Prophets (salawat Allah ta'ala wa salamuh alayhim) and by His creatures. How can a sensible person be involved in envy when he has heard these words of Allah (Ta'ala): (We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world). (from 43:32).
(Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His grace?) (from4.54).
These words of the Prophet salla Allah ta'ala 'alayhi wa sallam): "Envy consumes good deeds as the fire consumes firewood" and these words of one of the learned scholars: " How good is envy! How just it is ! It kills its owner first".
The person who is envious is in fact someone who is objecting to Allah (azza wa Jall) and disputing with Him regard to his action, His creatures and His distribution of shares.
Shaykh Sayid Abdal Qadir al Jilani رضي الله عنه above extract taken from the book Jila al khatir.[/QUOTE]
Jazak'Allah khair for the feedback sister, here is the rest of the chapter.
On Gratitude .
And Allah سبحانه وتعالى has exhorted His servants to render thanks to Him many times in His book:
(Eat of the good things with which We have provided you and give thanks to ALLAH if it is indeed Him That you worship (II:172) Eat of the provision of your Lord and give thanks to Him. (XXXIV:15)
And the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, has said: ' Let each of you have an invoking tongue and a thankful heart.' and: ' Faith has two halves: one is patience and the other thankfulness.'
Know that just as you must thank Allah for favours which are proper to you, such as knowledge and health, you must also thank Him for favours which are general, such as the sending of Messengers, the revelation of Books, raising up the sky, and stretching out the earth.
The basis of thankfulness is that the heart be aware of such favours, that they are from Allah alone, and that nothing comes to one through own ability and power, but only through Allah's grace and mercy. the limit of thankfulness is to use each one of his favours in his obedience; If you do not do so you will have neglected to give thanks for it, and if you use them to disobey Him you will have fallen into ingratitude, whereby favours turn into afflictions. Anyone who still enjoys some favours while using them in disobedience to Allah is being lured. Allah the Exalted has said; ( We shall lure them from whence they do not know. (LXVIII:44) And: (we only give them rein so that they may grow in sinfulness. (III:1786) Similarly ' Allah gives rein to the wrongdoer until He takes him. He does not let him go.' (hadith).[/B]
It is part of thankfulness to praise Allah سبحانه وتعالى frequently, and to rejoice for the favours bestowed, because they are means of attaining to the propinquity of Allah, and because they are evidence of Allahs solicitude for His servant.
It is part of thankfulness, too, to make much of His favours, even those that are small. it is related that Allah once said to one of his Prophets: ' Whensoever I grant a poor grain of wheat, know that I have remembered you there by; therefore thank me for it.'
It is part of thankfulness likewise to speak of Allah's favours without, however, digressing into anything that might suggest self-righteousness in religious matters or insolence in matters of the world. deeds are according to the intentions behind them. And all good comes from following our virtuous predecessors in all circumstances; and Allah knows best.
Imam Abd'Allah ibn alam al-Hadadd (RA)
extract taken from 'The Book of assistance.'[/QUOTE]
“One of our pious predecessors was once walking with some of his students when he saw a scorpion drowning in some water. He looked around but could not find anything to lift the scorpion with so he tried to rescue it with his hands.
When the Shaykh removed the scorpion from the water, it stung him. As a result of the pain, the Shaykh pulled his hand away. The scorpion again fell into the water. The Shaykh again tried to save its life but the same thing happened.
One of his students said to him, “This scorpion is going to kill you, just leave it alone.” The Shaykh then sighed and said, “Even though the scorpion is dying it does not abandon its nature, which is to sting; how can I leave my nature of kindness and compassion and allow it to drown?”
"We searched for four things in four others and failed to find them there, but found them in yet another four things - we sought richness in money but found it in contentment; we sought peace in opulence but found it in poverty; we sought pleasure in abundance but found it in good health; and we sought sustenance in the earth and found it in the sky."
-- Preparing for the Day of Judgement by Imam Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani[/QUOTE]
Imam Shafi’i (RA) is related to have said: “Never do I debate a man with a desire to hear him err in his speech, or to expose the flaws in his argument, and thus vanquish him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently supplicate, ‘O Lord, help him so that truth may manifest itself in his heart and on his tongue. If it be that the truth is on my side, may he follow me; and if the truth be on his side, may I follow him.’ “[/QUOTE]
Who restores crushed hopes?
Have faith in God the Omnipotent,
the Eternal, the First and the Last,
who grants life and determines death.
He alone bestows bounty,
and only He can restore crushed hopes.
Have faith, do not lose hope, wait patiently.
He indeed will create a way
to deliver you from your hardships.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani (RA), "Fayuz E Yazdani"[/QUOTE]
Shaykh Ul Islam Burhanudeen Ali Raginanee رضي الله عنه narrates, that an eminent Imam of Bukhara during the course of delivering Dars to a gathering of students would occasionally stand up in mid duration of the lecture. Upon inquiry he replied " My teachers little boy is playing with other children in the alleyways, sometimes he playfully passes the masjid . Upon observing him I stand up out of respect."
Similarly the King of his time used to highly respect the eminent Qadhi Imam Fakhruddin رضي الله عنه,
who commented " This position of honour has been bestowed solely on account of revering and aiding my Teacher Qadhi Imam Yazid Dabusee. For thirty years I cooked his meals, never once eating therefrom."
extracted from the book, Ashrafs Beautiful .Muasharaat.[/QUOTE]
Sufyan ath-Thawri, may Allah be pleased with him, defined the real meaning of asceticism by saying, "It is for a man to be detached in respect of this world when he has wealth and not to desire it when he is poor."
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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may blessings and peace be upon him, has said: ' Let each of you have an invoking tongue and a thankful heart.' and: ' Faith has two halves: one is patience and the other thankfulness.'
