It is reported that Shurayh the Judge used to have a house in which he would spend time alone on Fridays; no one knew what he did in it.
Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ` Vol.4 p105.
It is reported that Abû Al-‘Âliyah said, “I learned writing and the Qur`ân without my family noticing, and not a drop of ink was ever seen on my garment.”
Abû Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliyâ` Vol. 2 p217.
It is reported that when Ibn Abî Laylâ prayed [at night], if someone entered [his house], he would lie down on his bed [as if he was sleeping].
Abû Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliyâ` Vol. 4 p351.
It is reported that Ayyûb Al-Sakhtiyânî used to pray all night and hide it. In the morning, he would raise his voice as if he had just woken up.
Al-Dhahabî, op. cit. Vol. 6 p17.
It is reported that Dâwûd b. Abî Hind fasted for forty years without his family knowing, he would take his lunch out with him and donate it in the street.
Al-Dhahabî, op. cit. Vol. 6 p378.
Allah have mercy upon them all,Allah give us all the tawfiq to worship him purely for his sake and instill sincerity in our hearts Ameen.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Julaybib;]Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani رحمة الله عليه on The Real Knower
Bismillah.
"The real knower (ariff of Allah s.w.t) who loves Him and beholds Him with the eyes of the heart, is he who recognizes Him as the source of all benefit and harm. He no longer pays any attention to creatures who treat him well or badly. If beneficial action (ihsan) is seen to emanate from one of them, he ascribes it to the power of the Lord of Truth to exact forced labor (tashkir), and if harmful action is seen to emanate from one of them, he ascribes it to His power to inflict painful experiences (taslit). Thus his focus is shifted from creatures to the Creator."
FROM
Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani رحمة الله عليه in Al-Fath ar-Rabbani (The Sublime Revelation) translated from the Arabic by Muhtar Holland.[/QUOTE]
The following was posted by Maulana Zain on his blog here is the link. zain121.blogspot.com
Where Are You?
I'm not sure how true this is for other readers, but I sometimes get this 'lonely' feeling or period where I feel that all the people that matter or that I care for or those who care for me are really 'busy', 'pre-occupied' or just 'disappeared'.
It's a funny feeling really, as I don't know if my 'loneliness' is sparked by those people not being around when I need them or whether my need for them is sparked when I feel lonely.
In all fairness, we tend to remember all the times a person was not there for us or things they didn't do for us as opposed to the contrary; the times when they stuck by us and where supportive, specially when we were in dire need of it.
Nevertheless, a spark of loneliness leaves me pondering where is everyone? Is the world just become 'faster' and 'busier' leaving the people within short of time and energy? Is the world becoming selfish and self-centred where the only things that matters to a person is himself? Or is it that people are becoming more attached to one another and to this materialistic world?
I can recall a phase in my life which was completely different to the current phase; a phase when everyone had time for one another; people met, talked and really socialised in a manner which was not Islamically wrong or breaking boundaries... And now I see that parents has selective time for their children and if that is the case of family then what needs to be said about friends and relatives.
Point
It might seem like a 'mumbling' post and therefore I'm going to really just get to the point. At times we really make an effort to 'communicate' with friends; to ensure that we are around and that we keep in 'contact'. Yet time is such a powerful tool that it can separate people in many ways... We can remain friends yet be busy with our own lives; or we could be physically separated through relocating or even worse we could turn into enemies and not want to have any contact with one another.
In all this, there usually is an emotional feeling attached. We either feel hurt, lost or maybe even alone. And this should be the case considering the amount of effort we place in these relations and connections.
At the same time, I thought, what if we were to place the same effort and dedication in befriending Allah? What if a day wouldn't pass where we ensured that we had conversed with Allah; gave him a 'quick call' or a simple 'text message' just to let Him know we are thinking of Him and missing Him?
What if our separation from Him caused us pain and grief; made us feel lonely, lost and saddened?
What if we ensured that we met regularly with Him; heard Him and talked about Him?
If we placed that much of an effort in befriending Allah; trying to please Him then it is guaranteed that Allah would return this friendship at a much greater level.
He would never leave us and would be there in times of sorrow and grief. He would give us support in times of hardship and would never leave our side so that we would never feel lonely. If we called Him then He would surely answer and not miss a single of our calls. If we created love for Him then we would surely feel the desire to meet Him.
Yet we choose to console our hearts with the love and friendship of 'temporary' things; materialistic items and with people that will come and go...
The way I look at it... There is not better friend than Allah....
May Allah give us the guidance to befriend Him and may He accept this friendship and accept us as His Khaleel. Aameen.
" O You who are dead at heart! Keep to remembering your Lord ( Azza wa Jall),
reciting His Book and the traditions of His Messenger and attending the sessions of remembrance. This will quicken your hearts as the earth is revived by the falling rain. Keeping to remembrance is a means for the continuation of good
in this world and in the hereafter. When the heart becomes sound, remembrance becomes permanent within it and gets inscribed on its sides and all over it.
His eyes would sleep while his heart would continue remembering his Lord (Azza Wa Jall). He inherits this from his Prophet . One of the righteous persons (may Allah confer mercy upon him) had a rosary (tasbeeh) that he used in performing remembrance. One day, as he was remembering Allah, he fell asleep while the rosary was still in his hands. He then woke up to find the rosary circulating in his hand, without him moving it, and his tongue remembering Allah."
Shaykh Abdal Qadir al Jilani رحمة الله عليه *Jila al Khatir.
Just a tip....The Shuyookh recommend a tasbeeh to help novices become constant
in zikr. It is very helpful and highly addictive, so whether your travelling on public transport, sitting in a waiting room, or simply taking a walk, make use of a tasbeeh Insha'Allah.
Allah give us all the tawfiq to remember Him, to praise Him, and glorify Him, with sincerity and constancy ameen.[/QUOTE]
" O Young man, when Allah causes you any harm or affliction, no one will be able to remove it except He. Then why do you ask someone who is powerless like yourself:
" Remove from me what I have fallen in"? If sickness or harm from creatures come your way, causing you loss of worldly possesion's and properties, hunger in your belly and abandonment by brother and neighbors to the extent that they refuse to give you a morsel or an atom, and if the world, for all that is wide, looked strait for you, be certain wholeheartedly that all of that is from Allah ('Azza wa Jall) and that there is no remover of that except He. It is He who takes it away."
Shaykh Abdal Qadir al Jilani رحمة الله عليه[/QUOTE]
It is reported that Maruf al-Karkhi رحمة الله عليه said:
When Allah chooses good for a person He opens the door to action for him, and closes the door to argumentation; and when Allah chooses evil for a person he opens the door of argumentation and closes the door to action.[/QUOTE]
It is reported that Muhammad Al-Bâqir – Allâh have mercy on him – said, “Never does any pride enter the heart of a man except that his intelligence decreases by the same amount.”
Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ`, in his biography of Muhammad Al-Bâqir.
Muhammad b. ‘Alî b. Husayn b. ‘Alî b. Abî Tâlib, known as Al-Bâqir, was the great-great grandson of the Prophet – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him.
It was a dark night on which the burglar scaled the wall of Malik bin Dinar’s house and stealthily made his way inside. To his utter disappointment, the thief found nothing in the house that was worth stealing; what’s more, the occupant of the house was actually inside and was busy praying.
Malik bin Dinar sensed the movement of the burglar, but without becoming alarmed, he turned around with perfect composure and extended greetings of peace to him. He then said, “My brother, may Allah forgive you. You entered my home and found nothing worth taking, but I will not allow you to leave without gaining some benefit."
Malik stood up, approached the burglar with a jug of water in his hands, and said, “Here, perform ablution and perform two units of prayer. If you do so, you will take away with you that which is better than what you came to find in the first place.”
“Yes, how generous of you,” said the burglar, somewhat stupefied and, more than anything else, humbled. He stood, made ablution, and performed two units of prayer. Upon completing them, he turned and said, “O Malik, will I be imposing upon you if I perform two more units of prayer.”
“Perform as much as Allah decrees for you,” said Malik. The burglar turned worshipper continued to pray until the morning, at which time Malik said, “Go, and be good.”
“Will I be imposing upon you if I stay here with you today, for I have made the intention to fast today.”
“Stay as long as you want,” said Malik. The man stayed with Malik for a number of days, spending the days fasting, and the nights standing up for prayer. Finally deciding to leave, the man said, “O Malik, I have made up my mind to repent.”
“That (i.e., Allah forgiving you and guiding you to repent) is in the Hands of Allah ‘Azza wa-jal (the Possessor of might and majesty),” said Malik.
And in fact, the man did mend his ways and repented for his previous wayward existence. When the man left Malik’s home, he came across another burglar he knew. Seeing the happy and serene expression on the man’s face, the burglar said, “I think you have finally found your treasure?”
“My brother,” he answered, "I found Malik bin Dinar. I went to steal from him, but it was he who stole something of mine-my heart. Indeed I have repented to Allah ‘Azza wa-jal (the Possessor of might and majesty), and I will remain at the door (of His Mercy and Forgiveness) until I achieve what His obedient, loving slaves have achieved.”
[QUOTE=Ameenah;]i just read the title of this thread and it reminded me of something i learnt wen i attended one self development programme,
that Allah Taalah will only change ur condition once you change what is in yourself ...
that was one of the most valuable lessons ive learnt ...[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=of_abraham;]I remind myself daily that no matter how much I want to change the world I may not be able to do so. There is a fine line between making the world a better place and misplacing my efforts on a lost cause. I fight this dilemma constantly. The one thing I do know I can make better is myself.[/QUOTE]
A man once asked Abu al-Darda– Allah be pleased with him – for advice. He said:
Remember Allah in good times and He will remember you in hard times. When you remember those who have passed away, consider yourself like one of them. And when you think of involving yourself in some worldly matter, consider first what it will lead to in the end.
Al-Dhahabî in Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ’, under the biography of Abû Al-Dardâ’.[/QUOTE]
It is reported from Al-Fudayl (b. ‘Ayyâd) that he said:
The Qurân was sent down to be acted upon but people have taken just reciting it as enough of a deed. He was asked, “How is it acted upon?” He replied, “They should treat as halâl what it makes halâl and treat as harâm what it makes harâm, they should take on its commandments and stay away from what it forbids, and they should stop to ponder its amazing knowledge and wisdom.”
The Secret Charity of Imam ‘Alî b. Husayn رحمة الله عليه
It is reported that there used to be poor people in Al-Madînah who didn’t know where they were getting their food from. When ‘Alî b. Husayn رحمة الله عليه passed away, they started missing what they used to be given at night.
Abû Hamzah Al-Thumâlî :rahim: narrates that ‘Alî b. Husayn :rahim: used to carry bread on his back in the darkness of the night and follow the poor people (to give it to them). He used to say, “Charity in the darkness of the night extinguishes the Lords anger.”
‘Amr b. Thâbit :rahim: reports that when ‘Alî b. Husayn رحمة الله عليه died, they found marks on his back from the sacks of provisions he used to carry at night to the houses of the widows.
Shaybah b. Nu’âmah رحمة الله عليه narrates that when ‘Alî b. Husayn رحمة الله عليه died they found out that he used to provide for a hundred (poor) families.
Al-Dhahabî in Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ’ under the biography of ‘Alî b. Husayn Zayn Al-‘Âbidîn.[/QUOTE]
A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullah): ‘The people sit around you so that they may find fault with you!’ So he said, ‘Indeed, I encouraged my soul to aspire for Paradise so it aspired for it. Then I encouraged it to aspire for salvation from Hellfire and so it aspired for it. Then I encouraged it to aspire for salvation from the people, but I didn’t find a way to that. Indeed the people are not pleased with their Creator although He provides for them, so how can they be pleased with another creation like themselves?’ [1]
Prophet Musa (’alayhisalam) said: ‘O my Lord, the people say things about me which are not (i.e. not true)! So Allah revealed to him: ‘O Musa, I did not make that (privilege) for Myself, so how can I make it the case for you?’ [2]
Malik ibn Dinar (RA): ‘Since I have known (the reality of) people, I have not taken delight in their praise nor have I hated their criticism.’ It was said to him, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘The one who praises from amongst them is excessive and the critic from amongst them exaggerates!’[3]
‘Aisha (radhiallahu `anha) wrote to Mu’awiya (radhiallahu `anhu): ‘Salamun ‘alayk. Amma ba’d, I have heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) say, ‘Whoever gains the Pleasure of Allah by the anger of the people (i.e. thereby gains their anger), Allah suffices him of the people’s troubles. And whoever gains the pleasure of the people by the Anger of Allah (i.e. in the process he gains His Anger), then Allah leaves him to the people.’ Wa-Salaamu ‘alayk.’ [4]
Imam al-Shafi’i: ‘There is nobody except that he has someone who loves him and someone who hates him. So if that’s the case, let a person be with the people who are obedient to Allah `azza wa jall!’ ( – as they love and hate for the Sake of Allah and they are not unjust) [5]
________________________
References:
[1] Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya (9/318 )
[2] Al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah by Ibn Muflih (1/38 )
[3] Tarikh Dimishq (59/307)
[4] Reported by al-Tirmidhi in Kitab al-Zuhd (no. 2414)
[5] Hilyat al-Awliya (9/124)[/QUOTE]
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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and attending the sessions of remembrance. This will quicken your hearts as the earth is revived by the falling rain. Keeping to remembrance is a means for the continuation of good
