And they planned and Allah planned, and Allah is the best of planners. (3:54)
The following questions were posted in the comment section the other day and I thought I would address them here.
Are you living in Madinah at this time? If so, how and what made you decide to live there?
Yes, Alhumdulillah I am living in Madinah.
I see that the "how" can be interpreted in two ways, so Insha’Allah, I will try to cover both to the best of my ability.
If you mean the "how" as in the "seen" means of residing here, then one needs to follow certain visa criteria as stipulated by the Kingdom. Usually one gains an entry visa due to work related contracts, or as an investor, or on a short term business visit. The Hajj and Umrah visas are supposedly strictly for those purposes, even though published statistics report over-stayers in the hundreds of thousands each year. So seeking employment in the Kingdom is basically what is required to get an "iqama", or permit to work, and hence reside. Then there is the famous Arab "wasta" or connections, but that is another story altogether! The Kingdom is host to almost 7 million "guest workers", spread all over the country. If Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah is the specific place hoped (*) to be, then this somewhat narrows the field, and the "odds".
Alhumdulillah, with Yaqeen, our reliance on Allah Ta’ala, we know that the above explanation is merely the outer manifestation of the hidden wonders and greatness of the Master Planner of all things. SubhanAllah!
Which leads to the other "how", the "ghaib." The unseen workings of Allah Ta’ala are more difficult to answer. We, as His weak slaves only see the outer manifestation. I mean, "how" do we come to know the workings of Allah Ta’ala? Each and every thing is possible and easy for Him. He made the fire cool and the knife blunt for Ibrahim Alaihis Sallam, and the sea part for Musa alaihis Sallam, the dead given life by Isa alaihis Sallam, the moon split, animals talk, food multiply for our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wassalam, to mention only a minutiae of His Qudrat. He can command a ferocious flood, a mighty earthquake, bolts of lightning, cars crashing, fires raging, and on and on, in nanoseconds, taking lives back to Him how and when and where He Wills. He Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala releases four hundred and ten cubic inches of air from our lungs in one minute, whilst at the same time commands the earth to revolve around its axis for a distance of nine hundred and fifty miles in this same minute. On and on we could elaborate. This humble speck cannot say "how" he moved me from A to B, apart from the obvious explanation confined to the "seen" of this Dunya.
He Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala knows the weight of mountains, the volume of the seas, the number of droplets of rain that has fallen, is falling, and will fall. And where each drop will go; to the mouth of which animal, which drop nourishes which plant, which drop goes to the bee to make honey. A rain droplet can fall from the sky from 12,000 metres at a third of the speed of a bullet…it could crush us, but instead it is commanded to softy land. And yet the same water flowing down a huge waterfall crushes rocks. He knows the number of things on which night will fall and the number of things daylight will fall, and what is at the deepest depths of the oceans and what is concealed inside a mountain! And what is happening above on a mountain; a black night, a black ant moving on a black rock, with the invisible line that the ant is walking is known to Him. One ant may lay 30,000 eggs. Allah is the Creator of each and every one of these tiny eggs. He knows which one will become a soldier ant, a worker, a drone, a queen, which one will be destroyed. He Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala, has created every single snowflake of a different design, along with a different fingerprint for every human since the beginning of time till the end of time. SubhanAllah!!! We could not say SubhanAllah enough times even if we were capable of repeating it non stop for hundreds of lives over!
The Majesty of Allah Ta’ala cannot be imagined by humans. He is the First and the Last, the apparent and the concealed, He has no beginning and no end, was forever and will be forever. Space and time is only for humans, Allah Ta’ala is not confined to space and time, He is beyond the sensory that we tend to attach to, and limit ourselves within.
If all the trees were pens from 4 billion years ago until the end of the time and all the waters ink multiplied over and over, then still we could never praise His Greatness enough, let alone comprehend His Grandeur. I have heard scholars say that we use 6% of our brain, the remaining 94 % is sleeping. In Jannah, Insha’Allah, the full capacity of the brain will be active and that is why we will be able to experience the true Greatness of our Lord and sensations that would explode us into smithereens if experienced in our human form now.
So what am I trying to say? When we look at the big picture, and how easy it is for Allah Ta’ala to order His Creation, from the smallest and most intricate, invisible to our naked eye, to the largest galactic systems, also invisible to us, then to move a mere speck from one place on this dot we live is so easy for Him. SubhanAllah!
The "what" part of the question is maybe simpler to answer, but harder to bring into the heart, and making it a reality.
The lover always wants to be near the Beloved.
This was, and is, the only reason for the "what made you decide to live there?"
The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wassalam said: "None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father and all people." Insha’Allah, take the time to read this entire chapter on the necessity of loving the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wassalam, bringing, filling and cementing a true love for him in your heart. Ameen.
A passionate desire to be near our Noble Rasulullah SallAlahu alahi wassalam was seeded in my heart when I was, by Allah Ta’ala’s incredible Generosity and unconditional LOVE, plucked from the rubbish heap of Dunya, and my heart pierced with His Hidayah, SubhanAllah!!! That piercing was the catalyst for working on destroying all that was NOT HIM, and replacing it with HIM, with the second part of the Shahadah to believe in Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wassalam as His Messenger, which is not only to love our Beloved Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wassalam but to FOLLOW, to live his Sunnah.
If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive your sins. (3:31)
And if Allah Ta’ala loves us, then Insha’Allah there is more "hope" that He will answer prayers.
To reside in this most Mubarak City, Enlightened by the light of the Prophet SallAlahu alahi wassalam and his illustrious Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum, became the object of my focus. But how, given the "seen" restrictions and barriers? Hundreds of letters and applications were made over the period of a few years, but Allah Ta’ala had not so easily written an "entry" ticket. He obviously wanted to test my intentions, [Zaid ibn Thabit narrates: I heard Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wassalam saying: He whose objective is the world, Allah scatters his affairs (he faces worries and anxieties in every aspect) and places the fear of poverty before his eyes: and he receives only that which has been preordained for him. And he whose intention is the Hereafter, Allah makes all his affairs easy, and enriches his heart and the world comes to him humiliated. (Ibn Majah)] and obviously loved to see my fervent Du’a and tears of yearning.
Many friends and family expressed that we were chasing an impossible dream, which at times I too doubted, putting the notion into the "too hard box". But the determination and perseverance became stronger as I heard of so many amazing stories of how different people were brought here under such amazing circumstances. I realized that it was my own limitations that kept the door shut….recalling the Hadith to the effect that Allah Ta’ala is as we expect Him to be! So I kept in my heart that He can do anything! And then through a script that one would think had been written for the movies, a series of the most unlikely events saw doors open, SubhanAllah! Another tale another time… maybe.
Part of being presented with the key to anything is sacrifice. When we sacrifice for something then love will creep into the heart without knowing. The highest sacrifice is the sacrifice of emotions and attachments to things and others, as the Hadith says, loving Rasulullah Sallahu alaihi wassalam over all else.
We have been gifted the magnificent legacy of how to bring this reality into our hearts, and thus our lives by the following three things.
Surah, detailed references as to how our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wassalam looked, so we can copy him. The Seerah, describing everything about his life, for us as a role model, and Sarirah, the inner qualities or characteristics revealing goals for the heart to aim for. Insha’Allah we need to be clear in what our aims are, Dunya or Akhirah.
Living here is vastly different from visiting, and comes with added responsibilities and at times hardships. This can be overwhelming if the understanding, according to many narrations of Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wassalam, were not comprehended. One states to the effect that those who face the hardships of living in Madinah will be given intercession! With these reminders, when one misses family or various aspects of familiarity of ones country of birth, or whatever, the burden is eased. Many do not remain for various reasons.
When He Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala LOVES us, He shouts that to the Angels, instructing them to tell everyone to LOVE us. SubhanAllah! And the best way to earn that LOVE is by following the Sunnah of His most Beloved Habib SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Insha’Allah, we struggle, strive and sacrifice in our efforts in accruing Amal that are favoured by Allah Ta’ala, as taught to us by His chosen Habib SallAllahu alaihi wassalam, and through His Mercy and Grace be recipients of His most precious LOVE. Ameen.
"Between Allah Ta’ala and His seeker there is only one step, and that is the step out of one’s self and into the Truth."
Credit, once again to Yusuf for his delicate artwork, May Allah Ta’ala bless him and his family, bringing them to the Dome of Felicity; to Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wassalam, Ameen.
Note: *Hope. In retrospect, my understanding of hope has changed.…. Shaykh ‘Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jilani RahmatuLlahi alaihi explained hope: "As far as the saints [awliya] are concerned, hope means having a good opinion of Allah Ta’ala. It is nothing to do with any desire for benefit, nor for the remaoval of harm, because those who are worthy of sainthood know full well that He has taken care of all their needs. That knowledge makes them realize the value of personal extinction. To have a good opinion [of Allah] is therefore more meritorious than hope. Hope cannot exist without fear, because if someone hopes to achieve something, he is bound to fear that it may escape him. To have a good opinion of Allah Ta’ala means recognizing Him in the beauty of His attributes, then basing your expectation of Him on what is relevant to Him, not on what relates to His servant. That expectation must be based on the knowledge that His attributes include Beneficent, Generous, Compassionate, Gracious and Kind.
To have a good opinion of Allah Ta’ala means attaching your aspirations to previous experience of Divine providences and direction your heart, without exciting unduly optimistic feelings.
The craving of the common folk has many valid causes, which entitle it to be dignified by the term ‘hope’ but when most of those causes cease to provide its motivation, the term ‘greed’ is more appropriate to it than the term ‘hope.’
Hope without fear is a sense of security, while fear without hope is despair. As the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wassalam once said: ‘If the fear of the true believer could be weighed, and his hope, the two would not be equal in weight.’ "
Insha’Allah this answers your question Qushayri, and please forgive "the ramble"!
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
Assalamualaikum sister. An AMAZING ‘ramble’ indeed! Jazakamullah Khairan for your words. May Allah aza wa jal increase us all in our love for Him and His habib salallahualaihiwasalam with each particle of those 410 cubic inches of air He allows us to breath out each mintue.
Comment by ikramuddin — February 12, 2007 @ 5:24 am
Assalamu alaikum,
Jazakallahu khairan,it is very amazing that an ant can lay 3000 eggs at once.We had a look at the snowflakes,mashallah they are very beautiful especially when you can make them big on the computer.They have very nice patterns in them.No one made them but Allah !
Wassalam,
Asiyah
Comment by Asiyah — February 12, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
Alhamdulillah for all of the manifest and hidden gifts that He has showered upon us all. What you have written is so important. We have to teach ourselves to seek out and understand the reality (haqiqah) of things rather than just the outward semblance (rasm). May Allah reward you for your intention and your taking residence in the city of the Beloved (sallahu alayhi wa sallam). Furthermore, may He ta’ala give you patience and ease through all of the difficulties that are apart of the journey to Him. Rabihat tijaratuki, insha Allah, your tijarah with Allah ta’ala is profitable. Imam Nawawi (radiya Allah anhu) writes in his introduction to Riyadhus Salihin: They (Salihin) view the world as being an ocean upon which they set out with ships made of good deeds.
Thanks for sharing with us your experience and insight. Please do “ramble” more on this topic
Wassalam.
Comment by Qushayri — February 12, 2007 @ 9:00 pm
Assalamu alaikum,
Oh if only the increase could be that great brother Ikramuddin, Ameen thumma Ameen!
Dear Asiyah, SubhanAllah I had the two links to the snowflakes and the fingerprints ready to post, then I hesitated, and was about to relegate them to the rubbish when I thought of all you eager home schoolers thirsting for knowledge for the sake of your Deen and Allah Ta’ala, so I inserted them just for you! Insha’Allah take the moment to look at the fingerprint site and click on some of the topics on the left…I found it fascinating too.
Ameen thumma Ameen. I seem to write that so often, but SubhanAllah the touching words that bless this little space are so filled with love and wisdom, JazakumuLlahu khairan Qushayri. On oceans with “ships made of good deeds” If only our Tawakkul could be that great, like our illustrious predecessors. Ya Lateef increase our reliance on You, Ameen. Maybe I could ask you a question? How do we give Shukr for “all of the manifest and hidden gifts that He has showered upon us all”? My heart feels like bursting for the Ni’amah of every breath….what are some of your thoughts (or any happening to be reading here:)) on how do we return this blessing?
Insha’Allah I will “ramble” again some time:)
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — February 12, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
Madinah is a city that purges itself of impurities and that not a single person leaves Madinah except that they are replaced by someone better. Which leads one to realise that the Best of Creation SalAllahu Alaihi Wasallam resides still in Madinah and that those considered worthy, stay here with him till the Day of Resurrection. They are irreplacable. At rest in Madinah. At home in Madinah.
Comment by Juweariyah — February 12, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
Wa alaykumus Salam,
How do we give Shukr (thanks, gratitude) to Allah? That’s an excellent question that few really ask about let alone try to realize during their wordly existence. Shukr is the basis of the Shadhili Path (The Path of Shukr). Every believer should being asking oneself, how can I give Shukr to Allah ta’ala? The Majestic Qur’an says, few people give thanks. Nevertheless, we must strive (as best we can) to be from amongst the few who do give thanks? O Allah make us from the few, as Sayyiduna Umar used to supplicate.
Assuming someone is not treading the path in that particular methodology, then here’s a short and concise answer. If this answer were to be commented upon it would take at least a couple of volumes. It’s sort of like a compressed (zipped) file, if you were to open it you’d find an enormous amount of data. Our beloved Murabit al-Haaj (may Allah prolong his life and barakah) was asked what is Shukr (or, how can we give Shukr), and his reply was:
صرف العبد ما أولاه
مولاه من نعماه في رضاه
The servant expending every blessing that his Mawla (ie Allah ta’ala) has given to him, in a manner which is pleasing to Him (subhanahu wa ta’ala). In other words, Shukr is achieved when we do everything Allah ta’ala asks us to do. Subhanallah! O Allah make us from your grateful servants (shakirin).
Finally, if you’re able to please refer to these classic texts on this topic (preferably with a teacher):
-Risalah of Imam Abul Qasim al-Qushayri (particulary Chapter 16, which is about Shukr)
-Ihya Ulum ad-Din by Hujjatul Islam Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (particularly Book 32, which is about Sabr and Shukr). It’s been translated and published thru ITS (Islamic Texts Society) Ghazali Series.
-Minhaaj al-’Abidin by Hujjatul Islam Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (particularly Chapter 7, which is about Hamd and Shukr).
And Allah ta’ala knows best.
Wassalam.
P.S. small request…at least once, please remember me in your dua after tahajjud or a fard prayer in the city of the Beloved Mustafa (sallahu alayhi wa sallam)
Comment by Qushayri — February 14, 2007 @ 7:28 am
Assalamu alaikum,
JazakumuLlahu khairan Jaweariyah for the reminder in this Mubarak Hadith. Insha’Allah your Du’a is needed that my next “home” is the soil of Jannatul Baqi, Ameen. How greedy we always are! As Allah Ta’ala says as He is smiling in the Hadith Qudsi, that we never stop asking and wanting more. May He Ta’ala forgive me and us all.
And JazakumuLlahu khairan Qushayri for such an informed and blessed answer to my question.Ameen thumma Ameen to your Du’as. Insha’Allah your words will benefit all passing by and lead us to study the references you have suggested, bringing you the Ajar of one who has imparted knowledge for the sake of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala, Ameen. For what my humble utterings are worth, I have added your name to my “little book” along with all known by name, and others as readers of these words I scribble. May we all make mention of each other in our intimate moments with the One and Only One Who knows and sees what is in our hearts for the Ummah of His Habib SallAllahu alaihi wassalam. Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — February 14, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
Umar bin al-Khattab said, If Sabr and Shukr are two camels, I wouldn’t mind which one I ride upon”.
Subhan Allaah ukthi, heart and soul have been stirred and your “rumble” has managed to shake the hibernation that the soul had gone into with the duniyah. Masha allaah, I needed to make Hijrah for the sake of Allaah, for the deen and for my livelihood and this was what I needed to renew my intentions, to beg and plead with As-Sami, with Al-Baatin, the one who alone knows what the heart yearns..
Comment by Abu Safiyah — March 22, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
Assalamu alaikum dear Abu Safiyah,
May Allah Ta’ala bless our esteemed Umar bin al-Khattab for such a gift of words, and for you sharing this with us. May your Hijrah have commenced in your heart! Once the journey begins there, Insha’Allah Allah Ta’ala will open unknown doors for you and fulfill your yearning, Ameen. How He tells us how he LOVES our begging and pleading and crying for His love and guidance, Ya Allah Ya Lateef. May we deepen our slavery to Him and shed the shackles of this Dunya which in His eyes is less than the wing of a mosquito.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — March 22, 2007 @ 1:34 pm
assalamualaykum…dont know wat made me search ‘living in madina’ on google…since iv been there for umrah2004, mh heart yearns to one day live in madina inshaallah and reading wat you said ‘Allah is what we expect HIM to be’ is exactly how i feel…alhumdullilah have been afforded ni’mah of performing haj 1427 WOW. i ask you to plz remember my family and i in your pious dua as often as possible for Allah to honour us as HIs guests for umrah and haj annually inshallah ameen, and the thing thati want most but just seems impossible right now…to be granted the oportunity to live wth my family and be granted death in the Holy city of light. i cry as i ask you to make this dua for me. i yearn for the peace of madina in my life everyday and find peace in recting durood and salam unto our beloved nabi saw. plz make dua Allah makes us too worthy of living there soon inshaallah ameen.ws tasnim
Comment by tasnim — March 22, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
Assalamu alaikum dear sister Tasnim, Insha’Allah will do my best with my humble words you have requested. Alhumdulillah that you have been given the blessed opportunity to perform Umrah and Hajj. May you and yours be invited again and again and once more feel the fragrant breeze of this Mubarak City on your faces, but more importantly in your hearts, Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — March 22, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
ameen!!!jazakillah for the special dua i really appreciate it. i know that only dua can change taqdir, life’s sp short, plz make dua that Allah favours me asap to return 2 Madina munawwarah i cannot express my desire in words but Allah knows best how to decipher the words trapped in these tears - masahallah you are very lucky to be a citizen of the blessed city!the more shukr you make, the more Allah will increase it for you.jumah mubarak!slm
Comment by tasnim — March 22, 2007 @ 9:25 pm
and if its no inconvenience to you, plz convey my salam 2 our beloved muhammed sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when ever your remember to!slm
Comment by tasnim — March 22, 2007 @ 9:30 pm
Assalamu alaikum dear sister Tasnim, Insha’Allah you are written in my little book for Du’a and Salam to our Beloved Al-Mustafa SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Certainly Allah Ta’ala knows our each and every breath and all that it holds, may He respond to your tears and smiles and Du’a, and in turn we accept His Hikmah in all that He has planned for us, Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum,
almiskeeanh
Comment by almiskeenah — March 23, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
mashaAllah miskeena! nicely said..and a reminder to me to appreciate this great favor of living here in madinah munawarra..and may Allah facilitate a hijrah to those who seek it here to madinah..
inshaAllah i’d like to post a link to this article on my blog as well as it it filled with thikr and love for madinah, prophet muhammad (pbuh) and ofcourse ALLAH..
suhaa
barakAllah feeki ukhti..
Comment by suhaa — April 25, 2007 @ 9:35 am
Assalamu alaikum dear sister Suhaa,
Ameen thumma Ameen!
use any link you may feel will benefit.May Allah Ta’ala give us knowledge that is beneficial to us, and give benefit through what we have of knowledge, and make our knowledge an evidence in our favour and make not our knowledge proof against us, Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — April 26, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Asalaam Alaikum Sister Miskeenah, Since I am new to this blog, I am reading all your categories list one by one SubhanAllah as I was reading question came to my mind, “How you became Citizen of Illuminating City of our beloved Nabi (sallahu alayhi wa sallam)Allhumdulillah I found an answer right here on your blog. If you don’t mind me asking you, were you born Muslim or converted, if the answer is already on the blog just point me there. SubhanAllah your taqwa is amazing and ever since I’ve been to Hajj my heart yearn to live in Makkah or Medina. I envied every single fortunate one who was serving in both Haram. I still remember in Masjid-e-Nabwi while I was waiting in Kenya group to make Ziyarah our group leader was Sister Aisha very beautifully explaining every hadith and the history and she migrated to Madinah to server Nabi (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) she left her family back home, I wanted to switch my job with her. Please make dua for my perform Umrah with my kids and husband, and Allah give us the opportunity every year (yes! I am being greedy) I see Madina through your blog, which you call small window, for me its an huge window which block ather windows to the world Allhumdulillah. I will make dua for you to make your everyday life in Madina become easy, and I request you sister Miskeenah to pray for me and my family.
JazakAllahu khairan
Comment by Umm-e-Shiraaz — March 3, 2008 @ 8:59 pm
Wa ‘alaikumus Salam Dear Umm-e-Shiraaz,
Alhumdulillah by the grace and mercy of Allah Ta’ala He plucked me for the clutches of Kufr and pierced my heart with His Hidayah. You are permanently on my Du’a and Salam list…may all the humble words I try to offer for you all be accepted and we accept the manner in which our Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala answers, Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — March 4, 2008 @ 9:03 pm