ALMISKEENAH

 

LEAVING………. 

We all began “leaving” the moment we were born….moving towards the final leaving of this world, then the leaving of the house of dirt …we are constantly leaving in so many ways …..leaving one second for the next, never to revisit the previous one, leaving one breath for the next , leaving one day for the night, one night for the day, leaving one Salat for the next, leaving one place in space to another as we constantly move, whether it is across oceans or across a room, constant leaving…leaving one encounter for another, one conversation for another, or leaving silence for sound, sound for silence, leaving one action merging into another, leaving one desire for another, leaving one task for another…..a constant leaving, departing, moving……Insha’Allah it is toward THE ONE, all our leaving is towards His presence, His Garden, His Delight, His Pleasure, His Treasures, His Habib SallAllahu alaihi wasllam…….so what impressions are we leaving with all this leaving…..how is our every deed, movement, speech, thought, impulses , interactions recorded……?

Imam Zaid, may Allah Ta’ala continue to increase his knowledge and reward his sacrifices for the Deen, has just written a moving account of leaving Makkah, Insha’Allah the destination I am leaving for tomorrow for a few days, where visitors left for yesterday, and where we in turn will be also be leaving………

Wherever we are, may we be courageous with making effort on “leaving” all that is of no benefit to our Akhirah. Ameen.

I was reading “Early Sufi Women”, a gift that left one Mu’minah to another and found the following to be inspiring…..with a delectable recipe to savour whilst “leaving”

"Dhakkara  (The Invoker) was one of the enraptured worshippers of God (al-abidat al-walihat). Abu Hafs Umar ibn Masrur, the ascetic from Baghdad, reported from Ahmad ibn al-Husayn b. Muhammad b. Sahl al-Waiz (the Preacher) through Muhammad (i.e., ibn Jafar) through Ibrahim ibn al-Junayd through Muhammad ibn al-Husayn [al-Burjulani] that Abbas al-Iskaf (the Shoemaker) related: A madwoman (majnuna) called Dhakkara used to live among us. One holiday she saw me holding a piece of faludaj [a Pesian sweet made of starch, honey and water] in my hand. “What do you have?”  she asked. “Faludaj” I replied. She said: “I am embarrassed to be regarded disapprovingly by God Most High. Shall I explain to you how to make real Faludaj so that you may go home and make it is you are able to do so?” “Certainly,” I said.     

She said: “Take the sugar of the divine gift, the starch of purity, the water of modesty, the butter of self awareness, and the saffron of recompense, and strain them in the sieves of fear and hope. The place under the mixture a tripod of sorrow, hang the sauce-pots of grief, seal it with the lid of contemplation, light beneath it the fire of sighs, and spread it out over caution until it is touched by the fragrant breeze of the night-vigil. When you take a bite of it, you will become one of the wise and will be liberated from vain fantasies. It will bring you near to people’s hearts, the ploys of the clever will become distasteful to you, you will be protected from the ‘evil of the ‘Whisperer, who withdraws’ (Qur’an An-Nas 4) and the Houris will wait on you in Paradise with goblets of heavenly wine.” The she recited the following verse:

The lover’s aspirations wander in the angelic realm,

The outer heart complains but the inner heart is mute!"

Please keep this humble needy speck in your Du’a, as I will for all of you as I leave, and then leave again and again…..Insha’Allah. And enjoy the Faludaj!

JUMA’AH MUBARAK! 

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.