Ya Rabb…
From my windows, the apertures of my “palace”, peering at what You have chosen to be my “views”.
Maybe gloomy and haunting to some looking in from the outside, and more so during these days of dark thundery blessings; rain drops that plonk on powdery brown.
Alhumdulillah this is part of the Mubarak estate of our Beloved Prince of Peace SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.
Thick yellow dust squalling through alleys, gifting filmy layers of an ancient residue on my “all things Dunya”
Ya Rabb,
I look for puddles but find nothing but stagnant mud, rubbish afloat sailing nowhere, yet everywhere.
I invite to look again from my window; there is no deceiving what eyes see. Colours alien to the spectrum of pretty or bright, stained bricks and walls, glassless window frames askew, a blank grey sky bereft of the usual Madani shine. A ramshackle tin rooftop is “home” for some. Inhabitants sharing that humanness of having fathers, mothers, maybe spouses, near or far, maybe sons and daughters, relations, friends, memories, hopes. Rugged stone walls fashioned by gnarled hands, echoing stories of old.
Muffled sounds and cooking smells mingle, wafting around this space, as acoustic vibes from a real live culinary opera.
Ya Rabb,
Make every nuance radiating from this City of Radiance be more loved to us than all You deem to glitter and delude.
We, Your slaves adorn these humble structures, all sharing the need for Your Bounties from Your Unlimited Treasuries. Seeking Your pleasure, needing Your Rizq, wanting Your love, grateful of Your Mercy, and joyously tearful to be so close to Your chosen one, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Tears on Dust, the name of a new Madani perfume sprinkles the air!
Ya Rabb,
You have blessed us all with a physical heart that has four chambers….a temporal pumping station pounding the rhythm of life until the last decreed breath. You have blessed us with so many similarities, and so many differences. Succumbing, submitting, bowing to Your Greatness in manifest ways; openly, secretly, consciously, neglectfully, passionately, disrespectfully, longingly, forgetfully. All recorded, known by You, eventually a witness for or against us. We beg Your Mercy, acknowledge our neediness, our weaknesses and our total reliance on Your neverending Compassion and Love.
Ya Rabb,
I look from the window of my heart, a window equipped with filters of every shade and hue….an amazing capacity of transforming. The choices, the scope, the depth and breadth; can be stunningly breath taking. Suddenly tapestries, rich and glowing are projected. The mundane becomes glossy, the boring suddenly awash with intrigue, the ugly sparkles, the hate and futility wrapped in a cellophane of love. SubhanAllah, the gift of choice; the choicest gift!
Ya Rabb,
Today You guide my heart to see, a feeble old man, wrinkled by time’s expeditions, responding to the tender touch of a child. A glance at the X-ray of a frail limp child, bones held in place by steel pins and plates, lovingly patted by a caring mother. A sister far away arranging flowers on the casket of a young man You willed returned to You. A wizened grandmother cradling her eighth great granddaughter, one month old. Eager loved ones yearning for that special pious partner. Words of compassion exchanged between unknown fellow seekers across the globe. Requests for Du’a received and sent. Affection-filled packages arriving and departing. Smiles, smiles in situations when one would think scowls would be appropriate. The symbolism of a dead battery in a wall clock. A grandpa visiting his grandchildren to help with their math. The serenity and sanctuary of Masjid Nabawi. Your Words, majestic and True. A poem shared by a busy mum:
Thank God for dirty dishes;
They have a tale to tell.
While other folk go hungry,
We’re eating very well.
With home and health and happiness,
We shouldn’t want to fuss;
For by this stack of evidence,
God’s very good to us.
And another from an Ashiq through the words of Allama Iqbal:
"Disgrace me not before the Master,
Call me to account away from his sight".
Ya Rabb,
You shower us with riches upon every breath, in every instant. Guide hearts to love whatever you have planned for us, to see the blessings in each and every minute and each and every situation, a gratitude so encompassing that we are faced with a minimum of disgrace, and are blessed with intercession from our beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
Ya Rabb,
Turner of hearts, turn out hearts to view our surroundings with a tranquility befitting the understanding that all is from You for our benefit, make us see with eyes that are full of gratitude for all that You bestow upon us, in whatever form and manner, time and place, Your decree is the unique chosen journey You have written for us towards You, through Your Chosen Al-Mustafa SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May we embrace this unique path in the knowledge that it has been especially designed for what You want of us.
I share this Du’a from one special reader:
May Allah Ta’ala keep us under the shade of his Mercy, make us amongst those who hold fast to the rope of His Guidance, may we be protected in the sanctuary of His Glorious Book, and may we all be illuminated by the light of the Chosen one, the leader of all mankind, the Best of His Creation, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
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. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
Ameen thuma ameen sister. Once again a heartwarming, brilliant post! Jazakiallah Khair. May Allah azawajal open up the ‘windows of all our hearts’ and let enter the breeze of His Mercy and Love, ameen.
Comment by ikramuddin — May 9, 2007 @ 7:20 am
Assalamu alaikum, dear brother Ikramuddin, Ameen thumma Ameen….windows that allow all the senses of the heart to interact with whatever life situations we are all faced with. Windows that help us to make the correct decisions, ones that lead us to the pure source of His Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala Mercy and Love, Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — May 9, 2007 @ 8:55 pm
AssalamualaykumWW.ameen!a dua so apt,that encompasses all that i need now.may we always see the good that Allah means4us in every situation…ws
Comment by Tasnim — May 9, 2007 @ 10:55 pm
Salam
:’) Oh Aunty Noor x x x x
SubhanAllah, I sit here in tears at the magic of your words. And you say you are no nightingale?
You are, of course you are -
You are the Nightingale of Medina singing the melodies for all to hear
x x x x x
Thank you so much for this.
God Bless
Wasalam, duas and love
yours x x x x xx x x
Comment by Bint-eh Adam — May 10, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
Amin to your beautiful dua, dear Sister. Your words are indeed magic, opening the windows to every heart and letting in His light. My eyes filled with tears at the love in your words and the beauty of your heart’s expression. No wonder the pen breaks when it come to write the word “Love.”
My love to you and your family across the world.
Ya Haqq!
PS You must write a book, or collect your posts into a book. It would be a blessing for all who read it.
Comment by Irving — May 10, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Ameen thumma Ameen.
A sister sat in front of her computer screen at work sheds tears, moved by your heartfelt dua’s.
Subhan’allah,
I needed this reminder. Experiences in Madinah are punctuated with ‘compassionate exchanges’ with strangers that just increase you in love. And on realising the hikmah in these exchanges, it hits you like never-before that every past occurrence in your life has brought to this very point… and all that follows is an opportunity to progress towards good, towards Allah swt and his Beloved sallalahu alayhi wasallam.
May Allah swt help us to realise the sanctity of every moment we are blessed with, whatever it may bring.
Much love & dua’s,
HB
p.s. To publish your posts in a book is a fantastic idea- your words are sheer poetry.
Comment by HB — May 10, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
Assalamu alaikum dear Tasnim! Oh how I love your persistence, the clarity in knowing what you would love, and your acceptance in what has been granted! May you and yours be forever in the Fort of Love and Security, wherever that may be written for you. Ameen.
Alhumdulillah that we have been blessed with the knowledge that Angels majestically appear to change our humble mutterings into rapturous melodies! Insha’Allah!
Dear Bheti Taslim! Tweet tweet tweet!
Dear brother Irving and sister HB, Ameen thumma Ameen, it is such comments from this extended family that we have truly been blessed to be from, and the unconditional purity of Allah Ta’ala’s Muhabbah that is the “poetry”, and that brings tears of joy for knowing that we have “windows” we can connect to each other with!
A book? (wobbly jelly legs!)….time for Istikharrah!
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — May 10, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
As-salaam-o-laikum wa-rahmathullah wa-barakaathu
I was searching on the net concerning the Wite Mountain in Madinah and came to your posts.. and Masha-Allah you have alot of info with Photos very nice.. May Allah s.w.t reward you. I would like to ask you if someone visits Madinah how can they go to the White Mountain, how far is it, and wot are we suppose to tell the Taxi driver, i have heard they have Quad riding ther, and also were about are the fun-fai rides in Madinah for children.. Jazak-Allah
Comment by Amjad — May 19, 2007 @ 10:33 am
Wa ‘alaikumus Sallam brother Amjad,
JazajumuLlahu khairan for your appreciative words…may you find things of benefit, and be drawn to all things related to this Radiant City, the home of the most radiant SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, Ameen.
Some of what you ask depends on the age of your children….but there are a few entertainment parks in and around Madinah. However, if your children are used to the latest rides and excitement then they may be disappointed with what is available here. Jeddah is the place for the more thrilling parks. The thing with an Umrah visa is the restrictions placed on the pilgrim, and the latest regulations being enforced mean that is you are found to be out of the designated areas of Makkah and Madinah and Jeddah, then you can be fined, the person transporting you can be fined and/or jailed. They are getting very serious about tackling the enormous problem of overstayers. So traveling to the White Mountain would be out of the question, as it is a little way out from Madinah. However the volcanic lava flows within the city are incredible and really fascinating to visit. The locals tend to “picnic” in nearby deserts. It is quite strange seeing them in the rocky rubble, but children seem to enjoy the rugged terrain and many places have camels wandering about adding interest, and families take quad bikes, which are also available for hire in various locations. Sometimes these “fairs” are set up in one place for a few weeks and then move on. There was one very close to Masjid Nabawi a few weeks ago, I posted some pictures of this, but they are very basic play areas and equipment. My suggestion, but again depends on the age of the children is to get them involved in the rich heritage of places where the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his Sahabah RadhiAllahu anahum were known to have been along with the exciting stories associated with these places…I have tried to cover this sort of “tour” in the virtual tour posts. There is so much more to cover. We have been part of a campaign to get the authorities to back a camel trekking venture, but as yet they have not seen the potential in the idea, even though pilgrims from outside have shown enthusiasm in this idea.
Insha’Allah this helps, if I can be of any further assistance, please ask and i will do my best.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — May 19, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
As-salaam-o-laikum wa-rahmathullah wa-barakaathu
Jazak-Allah Brother for detailed reply.. I understand your point about travelling outside Madinah, i thought the White Mountain was near as a Umrah group had posted on there site that they took people there.. nevermind as Allah wills. Masha-Allah i did see your posts with pictures of Fun-Fair and Masjid Nabwi in the back-ground, Its ok if there not there i just thought it would be a extra thing for my 8 year old son, as my whole trip which insha-Allah i am taking this Thursday 24/05/07 is to show him the 2 holy cities.Again thankyou for your help and may Allah s.w.t reward you for your good work..ameeen
Comment by Amjad — May 21, 2007 @ 10:59 am