It rained today! Alhumdulillah, it rained! Just before Asr mercy began to fall, Alhumdulillah!
This is how they deal with rain…this sweeper and his broom take on an almost impossible task.
The grey softness calms the heart, the reflections invite one inward.
May we reflect on all that this Dome of Felicity symbolizes for us, and may our hearts mirror the Sunnah of the resident of this Abode SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, Ameen.
The Mirror
Your eye has not strength enough
to gaze at the burning sun,
but you can see its burning light
by watching its reflection
mirrored in the water.
So the reflection of Absolute Being
can be viewed in the mirror of Not-Being,
for nonexistence, being opposite Reality,
instantly catches its reflection.
Know the world from end to end is a mirror;
in each atom a hundred suns are concealed.
If you pierce the heart of a single drop of water,
from it will flow a hundred clear oceans;
if you look intently at each speck of dust,
in it you will see a thousand beings.
A gnat in its limbs is like an elephant;
in name a drop of water resembles the Nile.
In the heart of a barleycorn is stored a hundred harvests.
Within a millet-seed a world exists.
In an insects wing is an ocean of life.
A heaven is concealed in the pupil of an eye.
The core at the center of the heart is small,
yet the Lord of both worlds will enter there.
Mahmud Shabistari
Rain on the Prophet’s Tomb.
"O God, bless our master Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and the family of our master Muhammad in every drop of rain falling from Your heavens to Your earth and in all the rain that will fall until the Day of Resurrection!"
"O God, bless our master Muhammad and the family of our master Muhammad in every bead of dew, in every drop of rain and in every plant from the day You created the world to the Day of Resurrection!"
-Dalail al Khayrat, Andrey Hassan Rosowsky translation.
(and bless Ukhti Farah for reminding me of this ennobled reference)
Many of the cleaning staff wore yellow bin liners as protection against the rain. Groups of them appeared as canaries fluttering by in the silvery light.
The Hujjaj numbers dwindle as each hour passes, while the red and white tape is still prolific!
The white marble was opalescent as the faithful were drawn to prayer.
All the workers were out in force to clear the slippery surface, the green, the fawn, the blue and the orange uniforms usually assigned to specific tasks were all involved in moving the blessed and welcomed Rahmah.
The group of sisters in black were associated with one of the Janazahs.
Three more were carried to their next home, may Allah Ta’ala grant all in Jannatul Baqi a fragrant garden, Ameen. I thought how beautiful it would be to be lowered into the Mubarak Madanian dust on a rainy day.
A splash of colour as sisters from Mumbai pay their respects at the viewing platform outside Jannatul Baqi.
One of the many local sisters selling seed for the pigeons, wheat in the foreground and a seed mix in the other bags. There were several sisters sitting on the damp pavement winding beside the newly surfaced area which has become a car park for the buses that transport the various labourers and workers to and from their compounds and their places of employment.
Looking like an artists canvas…the grains and seeds thrown for the pigeons…who had all disappeared.
This old chevvie is regularly parked in a small open lot near our home. I thought it was abandoned, but often see it driven about. Meanwhile whenever I walk past numerous of our feline neighbours jump out from the non-existant back window, which is draped with a prayer mat…a warm protected hotel of sorts!
O Allah! Make this a pleasant rain.
O Allah! beautify our land and give us peace.
O Allah! send upon us helpful, wholesome and healthy rain, beneficial not harmful rain, now, not later.
O Allah, relieve us, O Allah, relieve us, O Allah, relieve us.
O Allah! provide water for Your servants and Your cattle, spread out Your mercy and resurrect Your dead land.
Ameen Ameen 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.
As-salamu’alaykum Dear Khala,
I love your post! Reading your words and seeing the pictures makes me feel like I was right there with you. JazakAllah Khayr for sharing your gems with us and may Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) bless you with the means to carry on! Please do dua in Masjid Nabawi for me to come this year too inshAllah… My hearts still there and I’m feeling even more lost now..
Loads of
Comment by Mariam Yasin — January 22, 2008 @ 12:43 am
Meant to say loads of love, hugs, smiles and duas! x
Comment by Mariam Yasin — January 22, 2008 @ 12:44 am
Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Dear Sister
Alhamdulilah! MashaAllah! beautiful post and pictures.
May Allah shower us all with His infinite Mercy and Blessings. please pray that as the rains bring the dead earth back to life May Allah (Aza wa Jal) bring my dead heart back to life, removing all diseases and fill it with noor,iman,ikhlas and taqwa and increases me in love for Allah and Our Beloved Messenger (SalAllahu alayhi wa salam wa ala aalihi)
i do remember you in my dua. please remember us also and give convey our Salams to The One who was sent as a Mercy to Humanity, the One who the World was created for Our Beloved Messenger (SalAllahu alayhi wa salam wa ala aalihi).
wasalam
Comment by faqir — January 22, 2008 @ 5:42 am
As-Salamu’alaikum dear Sister Mariam…
To feel lost in his love is to be truly found
Your heart is bound to that surreal surround
For that mystical Mausoleum your love still burns
On that journey of return for which it yearns
A turbulence within your chest?
An awareness within your breast?
Thank your guide for this secret on your sacred quest
He awaits your return at the Golden Lattice
To extend his hand…to soothe your spirit
Beholden to his abundant Chalice
And my dear al-Miskeenah…
Your concern for us echoes kindred to a loving mother
As your words enter our hearts one after another
Your thoughts are many and your messages too
If only love like yours we could truly imbue
One day we shall meet under the Madinan date palms
To drink lemonade, in the shade, and sing sweet psalms:)
~InshaAllah~
Ps. No need to reply in like mode
As long as it’s not in morse code:)
.– . .-.. — …- . -.– — ..-
Comment by naqsh1 — January 22, 2008 @ 7:12 am
brilliant insight
Comment by NQ — January 22, 2008 @ 8:14 am
Alhumdulillah!!!!!!!
Comment by saimah — January 22, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Salams dear Madani khala!
Simply beautiful. Jazakillah khair
Alhamdulillah, Allah’s rahmah has been raining down in abundance here too. Love the photo’s and the words of Imam Jazuli rahim’allah- will remember them every time it rains.
May Allah subhana wa ta’ala give us the tawfeeq to soak up the treasures that come with this rain and may it purify our hearts. May we all be called to his blessed court and the sanctuary of Rasul’Ullah Salawat’Ullah wasalamu ‘alay again and again.
Your blessed dua requested
Comment by Halima — January 22, 2008 @ 2:49 pm
Assalamu alaikum,
And then Insha’Allah as he turns your heart between His fingers you will feel it…and rejoice with tears to match the rain, Ameen.
Dear ALL, Ameen thumma Ameen to tender Du’a and shining love, may all needs be met and hearts returned to these Mubarak Sanctuaries. I have said before that I am sure some of the sweetness of being here is due to so many leaving the purest part of their hearts here…and along with the perfection and sweetness of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam every part of this Illuminated City radiates this combined sweetness back. SubhanAllah. Mercy fell during the night, but has ceased for the moment. Insha’Allah there will be more Rahmah written for the entire planet, Ameen.
Dear Faqir, how gracious is our Rabb…in an instant He can change dead hearts…let us both beg more and loader
nq..nice to see you in this little space once again!!
And Dear Sister Saimah, what more than Alhumdulillah…for whatevr we have been blessed with, Alhumdulillah.
Dear naqsh1….a beautiful reply to Sister Maryam and this needy slave…I feel even morse code would be understood, vibrations need no language or symbols. Would love to post a befitting response…but the head is lulling into a blur!
love the ’soak up the treasures’ Dear Halima! So many more you can soak up where you are, Alhumdulillah.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — January 22, 2008 @ 9:36 pm