ALMISKEENAH

 

 
I have been TAGGED by Sister Suhaa another Madanian neighbour of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam!

Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages)

2. Open the book to page 123

3. Find the 5th Sentence.

4. Post the next 3 sentences

5. Tag 5 people

Memories of childhood ‘tag’ began to play on my inner screen, except we used to call it ‘tiggy’. Red brick Victorian school buildings, huge scented peppercorn trees, secret hiding places behind bike sheds with squeals, laughter and of course squabbles, poured from the massive cob-webbed filing cabinet. Amazing how small triggers unlock such treasures; rolling waves of scenes upon images of friends, family, events, chanting haunting refrains from long ago.

Now we have a cyber tag version…minus the conviviality of human interaction as we sit glued to a buzzing box controlling and luring us into a mesmerizing hypnotism! And thus the definition of fun is metamorphosed.   

Anyway…I have digressed…the dilemma before even beginning was with rule #1!

 

I was in my cosy little book nook where I feel hugged by so many volumes along with the ever expanding cyber library glowing in the space in front of me wondering which book qualifies as being the nearest to me? Thinking, do I manipulate the rules to make this exercise more interesting? Because if we look at the bare instructions the results would be minimal. I assume part of the sphere of this tag is what additions are added to elaborate and give substance to the limited three sentence quote?

 

I had been searching for a particular Durood from The Key to Arriving at the Door of the Messenger, so I accepted that this was the closest book at the time…with the following text appearing as the requested 3 sentences:

“When the faqih, Ba Jubayr returned from India, he found that the Imam was established in all the sciences, and that his knowledge was immeasurable. Hence he felt no shame in seeking knowledge from a man who was once his student. Not only faqih Ba Jubayr, but also many shuyukh sought knowledge with the great Imam.”

The Imam referred to here is Imam ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi ibn Muhammad al-Haddad Rahmatullah alaihi, the Sufi Sage of Arabia, whose lineage is traced back to our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Imam al-Hadad was born (1044AH/1632CE-1132AH/1720CE) raised and spent most of his life in Tarim, in the Hadramaut valley.

His literary works are distinctive by their conciseness and brevity, conveying the essence of the inward and the outward teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Such is this succinct excerpt from ‘The Gift of Imam al Haddad’ from the Chapter: Tenets of Faith.

Do the Obligatory [Fardhu],

Improve on it with the Supererogatory [Sunnat].

Add Reflection [Wird],

And Remembrance [Zikr],

To improve on it.

While his Love for the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam impassions the heart….."the obligation due to him is the greatest after that of Allah; and the adab with him the most emphasised of the adab and obediences. For whosoever loves him and immensely esteems him, he has indeed loved Allah and whosoever obeys him has indeed obeyed Allah."

Every aspect of the Imam’s life was an invitation to Allah Ta’ala, he would invite with his speech, his books, his teachings, his character, his actions, his worship and his exertion in helping people. He would often utter the words of his grandfather, our Esteemed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam in reference to the times of duress at the hands of people towards him: "The believer who interacts with people and forebears when they cause him harm is better than he who does not interact with the people and is not patient when they harm him."

All of his actions were in complete emulation of the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam; his standing throughout the night, his worship, devotions, determination and characteristics. He was described as extremely fearful of Allah Ta’ala, always in reference and awe of Him, and readily inclined to tears.

He would say, "In all our affairs we rely on Allah, His Generosity and His Bounties. By the praise of Allah, we spend from the treasuries of His Generosity and spending from it does not worry us, rather keeping it does." 

"The Eulogy by Mawlana al-Haddad Engraved Inside The Blessed Room Of The Prophet" has 41 verses all of which rhyme in the letter "Ba", praising the Holy Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam. Each verse contains the teachings of one or more verses of the Holy Qur’an Karem or the blessed Hadith Shareef. The following, from here, are the last 14 verses containing salawaat and salaams which many recite when they visit our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.

Allah’s blessings be on you O the best one to have recited
The shining Book which came with the obligatory and the voluntary

Allah’s blessings be on you O the best of the rightly guided
Guiding with the Light of Allah in the east and the west

Allah’s blessings be on you O the best inviter to Allah with kindness
Then, (against those in battle) with spears and swords

Allah’s blessings be on you O master who travelled by night
To Allah until he passed the seven heavens and all the veils

And your position of (a distance of two bow lengths) "or even less"
Is enough exaltation and a gallery so high as to vie with the stars

Allah’s salutations be on you as long as a sincere person
Says to you: "Allah and Mustafa are sufficient for me"

Allah’s salutations be on you as long as dawn breaks
And you quicken the souls of loving disciples with nearness

Allah’s salutations be on you as long as lightening flashes
And birds chirp on branches of trees

Allah’s salutations be on you as long as camel drivers
Move hearts (of people in their caravan) to your wealth with yearning and love

Allah’s salutations be on you as many times as the number of plants
And grains of sand and the number of rain drops in a downpour

Allah’s salutations be on you; you are our only helper
In prosperity and poverty, in ease and difficulty

Allah’s salutations be on you, you are our beloved
And our master, our treasure, O the best of the Prophets

Allah’s salutations be on you, you are our leader
And our master, and treasure and helper in problems

And blessings on you from Allah for ever and ever
And salutations O chosen one, and on your family and companions.

And a wealth of more on Imam al-Haddad Rahmatullah alaihi here.

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And to the most difficult part,#5; whose screen to intrude upon in this cyber game of ‘tiggy’? I chose the following from the very limited blogs I visit, so…..

Dear Irving Darvish for the incredible uncanny eyes wide open surprises he posts that launch me way back in time when my search for TRUTH led me across wild and wonderful terrain, like the Tao.

Southern Muslimah for her friendly and vibrant ‘welcome mat’ one seems to step on when entering her space.

Dear Sister Maliha for her ‘bibliophilic’ lightness, painting lyrical canvases with melodious words.

Dear Qalballah with her inspiring diversity of talents, the major one being her love of her lap being the the chosen Madrassah for her two boys.

And Sketched Soul, Sister Farhana, who devotes time and energy looking after the needs of those less fortunate, as well as engaging sharing projects that enhance the love between sisters across the globe.

Insha’Allah forgive me one and all for ‘tigging’ you! May we all be ‘tagged’ on THAT DAY by Allah Ta’ala to be selected amongst those to enter His Subhanahu wa Ta’ala Garden, Ameen.

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Report on our collective Durood effort: JazakumuLlahu khairan to those who contributed. Alhumdulillah we did not quite make the 10,000, but crossed the more than half way mark. Insha’Allah our intentions are accepted and may we be that much further removed from the Fire, that much more forgiveness bestowed upon us and that much more Iman written for us at the time of our death, according to the narration we were following. Ameen Ameen Ameen. Maybe we will work towards a different goal next time. This made me feel so humble to those great Awliyah who reach thousands of Durood each day, SubhanAllah.

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.