ALMISKEENAH

The Bliss of the Two Abodes in the Invocation of Blessings on the Master of the Two Universes by al-Qadi Yusuf al-Nabhani

I am the slave of the Master of Prophets

And my fealty to him has no beginning.

I am slave to his slave, and to his slave’s slave,

And so forth endlessly!

I do not cease to approach the door

Of his good pleasure among the novices.

I proclaim to all the science of his high attributes,

And sing this science among the poets.

Perhaps he will tell me: “You are the Salman

Of my allegiance, the Hassan of my excellent homage!”

Yes, I would sacrifice my soul for the dust of his sanctuary!

His favour should be that he accept my sacrifice.

He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him,

Not that he needs such following.

For he is not in need of creation at all,

While they all need him without exception.

He belongs to Allah alone, Whose pure servant he is,

As his attributes and names have made manifest;

And every single favour in creation comes from Allah

To him and from him to everything else.

And I would sacrifice my soul to be just one particle of dust that is encircling this Dome, the central gem within the luminous setting chosen as the final resting place of the Master of Prophets SallAllahu alaihibwasallam.   

A veil of soft invisibilty gently drapes over the heaven made mountains and and the man made buildings, melting hearts even more to the one they flock to be near, to the one eyes weep for, souls yearn, tongues repetitively greet and seek blessings for. Groups are as a fluid entity within this jewelled setting, glistening with a glow reflected from the radiance of the most radiant SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, whose light illuminates the entire Universe….

…while weeping fills the spaces inbetween. Tears drop as pearls adding yet another hue, expressing negligence, awe, a love that is too little, a love that is so huge, a hope for favours, even for the destitute state we are in….’He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him,’ Ameen Ameen Ameen. As long as the wind continues to blow, the stars appear in the sky and the birds sing, the Ummah will arrive from across the globe, humbly presenting themselves to the court of the Prince, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, the Sealed Nectar, SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Witnessing the old, the young, the wealthy, the poor, the dark, the light, the rich and diverse conditions of the seekers, love flourishes, yearning blossoms, the Iman sparks in this City of united hearts of hope and peace.  

The time share building directly opposite the Dome of Felicity peeps over the Shariah court building…I want the top floor for you all!

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.

An emotional and long day accompanying visitors on Ziyarah. Tears and keyboard do not mix…thoughts of the Battle of Uhud, heroic love, Sayyida Hamza RadhiAllah anhu, whose grave is the first photo, and sitting enclosed in an intimate space that was chosen to protect our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…the rocks still weeping from separation. Insha’Allah continued tomorrow as the final entry for this 1429 Rabial Awwal.    

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. 

I sat on the cool synthetic white marble huddled in one of the pinkish marbled corners of the Masjid waiting for Adhan. Oft times choosing to be outside for Salat feeling the breeze on my face and watching the antics of the panoply of children as they cavort, romp, fight, squeal, sing and cry. Typical of children everywhere, but I do wish there was a little more discipline, after all it is the courtyard of Masjid Nabawi and thus the extended Saff for prayer. However I also sympathize; the dilemma of there not being park lands for the majority of families who live in apartment blocks limits the opportunity for children to run free.

A mini whirlwind danced in the corner, whizzing the wing of a locust, a tiny pigeon feather, a drunken ant and a fluffy grass seed into an unusual swirl. A harmonious circling synchronized with the click click of beads, of heart beats, of the celestial spheres following their course, of the routine repetition of bowing, prostrating, sitting.

Allah Ta’ala’s Signs never ceases to amaze, inwardly and ourwardly. A few weeks ago I was mesmerized by the convoy of the Haram Captors. Eight in unison playing follow the leader up and down, playfully swinging as they turned vacuuming whatever was is in their path. Minutes later an army arrives with sudsy water, rubber squeegees and mops swaying as a dancing partner in their arms. Soon after this entertaining interlude I met a friend and her four young children who within the space of a few minutes came running to us saying they saw a bumble bee. Upon investigation it was a slightly mutilated beetle lying on its backs and feebly moving one last leg. No sooner had we discussed this creature and the cycle of life and death and fear and trust when another gasp was heard from behind a pillar where they had found a dead locust and a live moth side by side. SubhanAllah, such a nature trail so soon after all the cleaning. And another SubhanAllah seeing such examples of Allah Ta’ala’s Makhlooq on this mirror shine surface devoid of any natural habitat and so out of season.

I studied the locust wing. Glints of light revealed a myriad of rainbows on this exquisitely patterned fragile aerodynamically designed wing. Such is the design that the locust can travel hundreds of miles, hundreds of miles, devouring and stripping all vegetation along the way. I noticed the same myriad of rainbows in the minutest sphere of dust perched on my eyelash, and again reflecting off the abdomen of the ant and on the downy vanes of the feather. The spectrum of the Universe’s colours on the tiniest fragments. Artistry from the Master of Creation, the Master of Greatness, Magnificence and Grandeur, overwhelming His creation and filling this self, the little cosmos with awe, as the big Self, the Cosmos turns, playing concertos, fugues, sonatas and symphonies. Every mote contains suns, moons, stars, rainbows…as every Attribute of Allah Ta’ala is constantly displaying its manifestation in unique and diverse ways in every second that He deems to Be, knowing no limit and no account. SubhanAllah! Reflect….

Every day He is at some task.   (55:29)

In each moment Allah Ta’ala is giving and withdrawing, laying low and rising up, constricting and expanding, empowering or enfeebling.

‘This list of divine effects (athar) that leave traces in the circumstances of created beings could go on infinitely. It is as if God were saying to you, ‘O my servant, do not despair over your lack of anything, as long as I remain with you. Do not take joy in having anything, if I am not with you. For I am so valuable as to compensate for the loss of whatever is other than Me, whereas nothing other than Me can be sufficient to fulfill your need. Do not be one of those people who worship me weakly diverted by their surroundings, for those are the servants of changing conditions who worship conditionally. Rather worship Me directly through Me! For I alone am characterized by perfect needlessness. I alone am known by the permanence of My actions.

Whatever circumstance you find yourself in, whether you enjoy it or despise it, will without a doubt pass away. If you desire that the True One keep you in a particular state permanently, you desire to be kept in a state of incomplete perfection! It is as if the True One were saying to you, ‘Do not ask Me to keep you permanently in one circumstance, for I do not treat you this way. Do you not want the effects of My Lordship to permeate you thoroughly? Rather, ask Me to let you feel My Gracious Kindness in whatever way I desire in whatever circumstance I establish you, that you might be with Me and for Me, not with the circumstance and for the circumstance.’ (Ibn ‘Ata’Allah al-Iskandari)

And thus where ever we may be, the vast spectrum of Allah Ta’ala’s Divine Manifestation is spread before and within us.

Every day He is at some task.   (55:29)

So have a happy heart, for He who makes hearts happy is busy with your work and with completing your work both inwardly and outwardly. He is either the seeker in the work, or He is the sought in the work. Insha’Allah increase your Divine discernment, by seeing with the Light of Allah Ta’ala, seeing the rainbows, hearing the symphonies in each and every moment.  

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

the final Juma’ah for this Rabial Awwal.

Allahumma salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin abdika wa rasoolika nabiyyil ummiyi wa ‘ala alihi wa saHbihi wa sallim.

 
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. 

MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH

About his birth the whole world knows
in the depths of its atoms.

Amina bore him and he was immediate
in his praise of Allah.

Some say he first did sajda, others
that he spoke the shahada
and then was silent.

Already at birth he was the Prophet of Unity, the
movie played backwards
from its glorious end.

His father Abdallah, from the tribe of Hashim,
died without seeing him.

The wet nurse Halima took him to her heart
and their goat’s milk flowed.

All the desert burst into sumptuous flower
from his singular presence.

The nighttime covered him
with its spangled blanket.

The day fluffed the wool of its sides for him to
tend it like huddled sheep.

A cloud went with him to shade him from the heat
at the desert saint’s surprise banquet.

(He could see the Prophet’s space among the
caravan leaders and
called out for him to fill it –
“Where is the boy who has come, by Allah,
to show me the Prophet’s seal?” – a mole
it is said, between his shoulder blades, with
circling hairs like a horse’s mane.)

He grew up trustworthy among men for whom
this was a difficult quality.

He took from the cloth of Unity
the Black Stone of Eternity

and placed it bodily
in the side of God’s House,

cornerstone finality,

stone we kiss

out of awe of God’s Majesty!

1984 (from Maulood) by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore

To say there was no one like him

is to say

there was no one like him!

God knows best about this

but we say

"There was no one like him."

The best way to get even a tiny glimpse of who he was

is to recall some person with extraordinary qualities

who passed by in a moment

or stayed for a season, whose

sweet nobility awed you, or whose

spontaneous depth of knowledge,

taken out from some

deepsea nets whose

strings you couldn’t see

nor whose source fathom,

light after light,

load of richness,

dredged from the deeps…

Or someone you loved whose every gesture was

meaning, whose

still center was a

camp of tents, in each tent a

prince whose otherworldly

beauty swept you away.

A snowbound romance

between two summers

whose heat melted it away

leaving only a positive memory and no

sculptor’s regret

not to have "caught it in stone," or to have

kept it forever frozen.

Someone whose strength seemed to be

summoned from an ancient animal kingdom

against a violence of nature that flooded from nowhere,

or someone whose sudden sweetness surprised you

and made you want it to last your whole lifetime

past the closing door down the hallway,

but who went on to a similar succession

of such personal sweetnesses.'’

Extract taken from the poem ‘There was no-one like him’

by Daniel Abdal Hayy- Moore

‘About his birth the whole world knows
in the depths of its atoms.’

And yet this is exactly what the sign on the front of this library erected on the place where our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, ‘There was no-one like him’ was born, says…

Dear hajji brothers and sisters

As much as spelling and grammar are lacking so is LOVE. Astaghfirullah.

Looking towards Masjidal Haram from the Mubarak place where the Most Loved of the entire creation entered this earthly plane, as the Mercy for all Mankind. SubhanAllah. May the mercy he showed for his Ummah soon be reciprocated in these blessed and sacred places, Ameen.

O Allah! Send blessings, prayers and peace upon our master and guardian Muhammad and honour him. Foremost amongst the creation by his light, whose appearance is a mercy to mankind. May it be multiplied by the number of all Your past creation and by those that remain and by the number of those who are felicitous and those who are not; a blessing, which is beyond numeration and encompasses all limits, without an extremity, end or termination. May this blessing be in the way You convey Your blessing upon him, which is everlasting by Your eternal existence, and may the same be upon his family and companions and praise be to Allah for that.  Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir Jilani

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. 

Now in the latter part of one of the months from all the months of our entire lives when we boost our heart connection to the greatest gift Allah Ta’ala has bestowed upon mankind. Many have been and are able to attend gatherings where they are able to view Tabarruk, relics belonging to our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihiwasallam.  

The Mubarak Hair from Sacred Trusts.

  Tabarruk with the Prophet’s hair and nails. There are countless hadiths on this:

Bukhari narrates in his Sahih in the Book of Clothing, under the chapter entitled "What is mentioned about gray hair," that `Usman ibn `Abd Allah ibn Mawhab said: "My family sent me to Umm Salama with a cup of water. Umm Salama brought out a silver bottle which contained one of the hairs of the Prophet, and it used to be that if anyone came under the evil eye or ill health they used to send her a cup of water through which she would pass this hair (for drinking). We used to look into the silver bottle: I saw some reddish hairs."

Anas said: "When the Prophet shaved his head (after pilgrimage), Abu Talha was the first one to take of his hair." Bukhari.

Anas also said: "The Prophet threw stones at al-Jamra, then sacrificed, then told the barber to shave his head right side first, then began to give the hair away to the people." Muslim.

He said: "Talha was the one distributing it." Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud.

He also said: "When the Prophet shaved his head in Mina, he gave me the hair from the right side and he said: Anas! take it to Umm Sulaym [his mother]. When the Companions saw what the Prophet gave us, they began to compete to take the hair from the left side, and everyone was getting a share from that." Ahmad narrated it.

Ibn al-Sakan narrated through Safwan ibn Hubayra from the latter’s father: Thabit al-Bunani said: Anas ibn Malik said to me (on his death-bed): "This is one of the hairs of Allah’s Messenger, Allah’s blessings and peace upon him. I want you to place it under my tongue." Thabit continued: I placed it under his tongue, and he was buried with it under his tongue."

Abu Bakr said: "I saw Khalid [ibn Walid] asking for the Prophet’s forelock and he received it. He used to put it over his eyes and then kiss it." It is known that he then placed it in his qalansuwa (head cover around which the turban is tied) and never faced battle again except he won. al-Waqidi (Maghazi), Ibn Hajar (Isaba). Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani relates that Imam Malik said: "Khalid ibn al-Walid owned a qalansiyya which contained some of the Prophet’s hair, and that is the one he wore the day of the battle of Yarmuk.

Ibn Sirin (one of the tabi`in) said: "One hair of the Prophet in my possession is more precious to me than silver and gold and everything that is on the earth and everything that is inside it." Bukhari, Bayhaqi (Sunan kubra), and Ahmad.

In Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 784: `Uthman bin `Abd Allah ibn Mawhab said, "My people sent me with a bowl of water to Umm Salama." Isra’il approximated three fingers indicating the small size of the container in which there was some hair of the Prophet. `Uthman added, "If any person suffered from evil eye or some other disease, he would send a vessel (containing water) to Umm Salama (and she would dip the Prophet’s hair into it and it would be drunk). I looked into the container (that held the hair of the Prophet) and saw a few reddish hairs in it."

Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, Volume 10, page 353, said: "They used to call the silver bottle in which the hair of the Prophet was kept jiljalan and that bottle was in the home of Umm Salama." Hafiz al-`Ayni said in `Umdat al-Qari, Volume 18, page 79: "Umm Salama had some of the hairs of the Prophet in a silver bottle. When some people got ill, they would go and obtain blessings from these hairs and they would be healed by means of their blessings. If a person were struck by the evil eye or any sickness, he would send his wife to Umm Salama with a mikhdaba or water-pail, and she would pass the hair through that water and then drink the water and he would be healed, after which they would return the hair to the jiljal."

Imam Ahmad narrates in his Musnad (4:42) from `Abd Allah ibn Zayd ibn `Abd Rabbih with a sound (sahih) chain as stated by Haythami in Majma` al-zawa’id (3:19) that the Prophet clipped his nails and distributed them among the people.

Verily I serve the image of the Sandal of Mustafa.
That I shall live under its shadow in both worlds.
[Sa’d] Ibn Masud was in the service of His Sandal.
And I am fortunate by serving its image.
I dust the Sandal image with the whiteness of my beard.
Since the Prophet SalAllahu Alaihi Wasallam fastened the band that passed between His toes.
It is not for the image that my heart is longing.
Yet it yearns for the one who wore this Sandal.
We are lowered by awe to honour this Sandal.
And whenever we lower before it we are raised.
So place it on the highest shelf!
For indeed in reality it is a crown and only outwardly a Sandal

The final section as the same link above elaborates on the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s Mubarak Sandals, also known as ‘Na’lal-Nabi’ in Arabic, and has a slightly different translation to the Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabhani verse. 

And an except from And Muhammad is His Messenger:

(the above Sandal also from this book, from the Dhakhira of the Sharqawa) 

The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam wore a special kind of sandal, the two strings of which were drawn between the blessed toes. These sandals na’l, became likewise an amulet full of baraka, particularly strong against the evil eye. Were they not worthy of all admiration and veneration, for the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam had touched the Divine Throne with them during his heavenly journey, so that they became "the vertex of the crown of the Throne" (other poetic references in the notes include: ‘Your sandals are the crown of the Throne’s seat’, and ‘The Divine Throne gained honour from kissing his sandals.’ SubhanAllah!)

Our master Hazrat Abdur Rahman Jami for example further writes that all heavenly beings rubbed "forhead of their intention" on RasulAllah’s SallAllahu alaihi wasallam "Throne rubbing Sandals" He also writes that the heavenly tree ‘Tuba’ had rubbed its head at the Prophet’s SallAllahu alaihi wasallam sandal and thus reached highest honour, and he repeatedily expresses the feeling that ‘the thread of the soul is nothing but the string of RasulAllah’s SallAllahu alaihi wasallam sandals and that cheek of the longing lover resembles the fine Ta’ifi leather of which these sandals were made: do the lover’s cheeks not hope to be touched by the Prophet’s holy feet thus to obtain every conceivable bliss.   

The poets, many of them from North Africa and Spain, described these blessed sandals or expressed their longing for them. Thus an Andalusian poetess, Sa’duna Umm Sa’d bint Isam al Himyarriya begins one of her poems with the words;

I shall kiss the image if I do not find

A way to kiss the Prophet’s sandal.

Perhaps the good fortune of kissing it

Will be granted to me in Paradise in the most radiant place,

And I rub my heart on it so that perhaps

The burning thirst which rages in it maybe quenched. 

The following illustrations are from Imam Ahmad al-Maqarri al-Tilimsani’s book “Fat’h al Muta’al fi madh al Ni’al” deatiling the Radiant Sandal of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, briefly referred to here. Insha’Allah I intend to post more from this book in the future, currently awaiting some translations from the Arabic as ths book is rich in prose, poetry and diagrams. I have included these to show how the shape varies and so that you can print these outlines and decorate them. A family beautiful exercise!

Two other links to add to this long post 1,2. Maybe you can suggest more!

 I was sent this as I pressed the publish button for this entry…a totally unrelated connection…and yet totally connected by Allah Ta’ala! SubhanAllah! Audio and another version here 

My body is dissolving in your separation

And my soul is breaking into pieces. Ya Rasul Allah

Due to my sins, my heart is weak and becoming enticed. Ya Rasul Allah

When you pass by me

Then even in my immense poverty, ecstatically,

I must sacrifice my soul on your blessed sandal. Ya Rasul Allah

I am drowned in the taste of your love

And the chain of your love binds my heart.

Yet I don’t say that I know this language (of love). Ya Rasul Allah

I am worried due to my misdeeds;

And I feel that my sins have blackened my heart. Ya Rasul Allah

I am in distress! I am in distress! I am in distress! Ya Rasul Allah

Ya Rasul Allah

When you spread your hands to intercede for the sinners,

Then do not deprive Jaami of your exalted intercession.

 
May Allah Ta’ala enlighten our hearts with all that is a reminder of our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, bringing us closer to his Sunnah and thus our Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, 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. 

I sit staring at this blank page…in a trance…a reverie of sorts that has stolen my heart for days.  

Attempting to conjure how an eight day old babe was given to a strange woman to journey through rugged and inhospitable terrain not to be seen by his mother for two years.  One does not have to be a mother, nor even a woman for the emotions to stir, for tears to swell, for the soul to tremble.

The year had seen a most unusual event; an army led by a ferocious, cruel and power hungry leader equipped with sophisticated weaponry along with a lumbering elephant. An elephant under the direct command of Allah Ta’ala who had willed that it not budge when ordered to demolish His House. Humiliation was the least this incursion suffered as small birds then bombarded the intruders with stones, maiming and eventually killing them all.

It was also a year of unprecedented drought and famine for the tribe of Banu Sa’d residing in an area approximately thirty miles from Makkah, and ten miles from the coast of Jeddah, in a place called Hudaybiyah, which later was to be the setting of another remarkable event and which today is part of an area called Shumaysiyah which is lined with petrol stations on the main freeway to Makkah.

Some fifty five days after the stubborn elephant incident, a caravan from Banu Sa’d journeyed to Makkah for trade and for the lactating women to seek a baby to nurse and return with to raise in the open environment of the desert, as was the custom at the time. This was also a means of income negotiated with the family of the baby.

The tribe left behind failed crops and straggly flocks who had not been yielding the usual milk for a long time. The camels and donkeys they now travelled on were thin, lean and weak. The weakest and slowest being a camel mounted by Abu Kabashah, also known as Harith, and his baby son Abdullah, and a frail donkey was carrying his wife Sayyida Halimah bint Abi Dhu’aib As-Sa’diyyah. They left their small daughter, Shaima in the care of relations.

As the tribe journeyed they grew impatient with the dawdling pace of Abu Kabashah and his family, repeatedly telling them to hurry on, but also realizing their feeble animals were incapable of going any faster. To compound the problem baby Abdullah cried for the greater part of the journey being hungry due to his mother suffering from the lack of nourishing food as her milk was less than plentiful and their weary animals were no longer able to supply them with milk. So they were left behind.

Eventually upon arrival in Makkah, their destitute conditions continued. The other women of the tribe had sought the new born babies and were happily discussing their fortune. Sayyida Halimah was told that there was one orphan baby still to be placed. He had been offered to all of the women but they had refused him in favour of other babies.  Sayyida Halimah and Abu Kabashah were hesitant on taking such a child for fear of not receiving a stipend, plus there was a stigma to accepting such a baby.  So they declined.  

They remained in Makkah for two days. Two long difficult days and nights; sleep deprived, a hungry and restless son and a heavy heart with the thought of returning without a baby. On the third day the caravan was preparing to leave when Sayyida Halimah asked her husband for his opinion on taking the orphaned baby.  He endorsed her proposal, so they arrived at the house of our Lady Aminah RadhiAllahu anha.

Our Blessed Lady Aminah RadhiAllahu anha had nursed her son for four days, along with Thuwaybah Al-Aslamiyyah, a slave who was freed by the rejoicing Abu Lahab, the brother of Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib, the father of Muhammad Al-Mustafa SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Abu Lahab was jubilant at the birth of his deceased brother’s son. Abu Lahab’s abode is Jahannam, but due to the happiness he expressed on this memorable birth he will receive water while he is in the Hell Fire, SubhanAllah! Thuwaybah also nursed baby Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam for four days.

It was on the twentieth day of Rabial Awwal, when our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam as an eight day old baby was entrusted to Abu Kabashah and Sayyida Halimah for protection and nurturing.  

Sayyida Halimah became the third woman honoured to suckle the most loved of mankind SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah held the greatest human every created SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah cradled the best of creation SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah caressed the manifested light of Allah Ta’ala SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah stroked the Mubarak head of the Prophet of Mercy SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah kissed the bringer of glad tidings and warnings SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah whispered to the shining lamp SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah smiled upon him at whose feet people will be gathered SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Sayyida Halimah cuddled the Prophet of repentance SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  

At this moment their destiny changed.

Sayyida Halimah suckled the last and final of all Prophets SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. She had not been able to feed her own son for days, and yet the minute she placed our Noble Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to her breast he was satiated, Abdullah also drank and he was satiated. The udders of their camel and donkey overflowed.

Abu Kabashah commented: “I think we have a blessed child.”

It has been narrated that they mounted the one animal to return, with Abu Kabashah and Abdulllah seated to the front and Sayyida Halimah nursing Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi seated behind him, but the animal refused to budge because our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was at the back. Sayyida Halimah who had now experienced the sweetness of Muhammad did not want to let him go. She bundled him in her arms and rode the same donkey that limped on their trip to Makkah, but now sped ahead of the rest of the tribe, along with their camel. The Banu Sa’d people calling for them to go slow and wait for them, asking if these were the very same animals they had before.

Their destiny had changed. The myriad of miraculous events that are the life of our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam were manifest with the showering of bounties by the grace and generosity of Allah Ta’ala.  

How much are we prepared to hold, cradle, caress and love our Esteemed Al-Mustafa? Maybe our destiny will change if we embody all that he has bequeathed us.  

Allah made him kind and merciful towards the believers, a reminder, a blessing, a guide, a solace, a redeemer, an intercessor….embrace him as did Sayyida Halimah did.

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

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. 

A Rabial Awwal 18 wander around Masjid Nabawi via a circuitous maze in the midday sun!

Do ask if you require any captions as the head is reeling from the touch of the sun during this 3 hour expedition!! Du’a for all the workmen who labour through such conditions.

And Insha’Allah continue with that extra effort of Salawaat as this month fast passes us by.

Ya Nabi Salam alaika

Ya Rasul Salam alaika

Ya Habib Salam alaika

Salawatul Allah alaika

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. 

‘Ahad and Ahmad, the difference between the two words is the Meem of Muhammad’, a quote from this previous post highlighting various aspects of the Arabic letters related to the name of our Beloved Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. 

This ‘meem’ has such a visual impact:

…’Meem’ the Turban …

….and ‘Meem’ the Dome.

Whilst on this ‘meem’ expedition I came across the following, which may not resonate with all, but sheds an interesting light on the arrival of the Light of Truth SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and the significance of the ‘meem’ along with other letters.

‘Allah praised Muhammad (Sal.) saying, ‘O Muhammad, I would not have created anything but for you.’ According to this statement, the Rasul (Sal.) was brought into existence before creation began. Allah formed the Rasul (Sal.) within Himself as His Grace, His rahmat. Then, through the Rasul (Sal.), He formed and created all lives; He placed the mim with the sukun in their embryos. Allah created the mim and then stood as the alif that supported the mim. Allah is the only one who can support and sustain this. (The alif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. The sukun is a diacritical mark, and the mim is the Arabic letter for the consonant m.)

“Everything is contained within that sukun, the eighteen thousand universes and all the creations that appear within those universes. Allah alone is the alif, the straight line, which supports this sukun, this extraordinary treasure (daulat). If there is not alif, there is no sukun; if there is no sukun there is no alif. Each one is connected to the other. That is the mim, which is present in all embryos as the sperm. It is present the moment the embryo takes form. This is Muhammad (Sal.), the sukun connected to the alif. It is clearly evident that Allahu ta’ala Nayan, the Lord, God Almighty, brought creations into existence through the mim and sukun; we can actually see the sperm or mim, join with the sukun at the time of conception. Medical science has even conducted experiments in this matter with the use of microscopes and has discovered that the sperm is shaped like a mim.

“Allahu ta’ala caused His power (qudrat), the light known as Muhammad (Sal.), to appear in this manner. He created everything of His power and the mim. This light knows as Muhammad (Sal.) is the treasure that is connected to both the beginning of creation and the hereafter (al-awwal and al-akhirah). Allahu ta’ala had this light known as the grace (rahmat) as a most precious treasure that did not belong to anyone. Then He asked all the mountains, the oceans, the lands, and the trees, ‘Who can accept this most precious light? Can you take this one?’
“The power of this treasure caused the mountains, the earth, the oceans, and the trees to tremble…”

“The treasure that existed as the Final Prophet (Sal.) the son of Aminah and ‘Abdullah, as the First Prophet, in the beginning of creation (awwal), as the Rasul or Prophet in the hereafter (akhirah), and as the Rasul in the period before creation (anathi)—this treasure was revealed as Muhammad (Sal.).

“It was this Muhammad (Sal.) that was initially concealed as a mystery within Allah.”’ (continued here)

Since everything in this world is a circle, we must also complete the circle of the Arabic letters with the letter Meem. Since the word Islaam ends with the letter Meem we must complete with the letter Meem. Since the Seal Khatam ends with the letter Meem we must complete with the letter Meem Since we are created from water Maa, we started with the letter Meem. Since we finish our earthly existence with death Mawt, we must end with the letter Meem.  (1, 2, 3, details of Abjad tables for those who may be interested in the spiritual and mystical aspects of the Arabic Huruf, 4 a pdf booklet also from the previous site relating Salat and the ‘meem’)

‘O Allah, bless our master Muhammad, the ‘ha’ (the middle letter of ‘Rahmah’) of mercy, the ‘Meem’ (the first letter of ‘Mulk’) of sovereignty, and the ‘dal’ (the first letter of ‘Da’im’) of eternity, the perfect master, the opener, the seal, as much as Your Knowledge, now or before, and whenever You are remembered and he is remembered by those who remember and whenever You are forgotten and he is forgotten by those who forget!

O Allah, bless our master Muhammad, blessings which ennoble his place of rest, honour his final destination. And on the Day of Resurrection bring him his heart’s desire and contentment! These great blessings are your right, O our master Muhammad!’  (Thursday reading of Dalail al-Khayrat, English translation)

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED

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. 

I used to present children with assorted badges for their sterling efforts when tasks were completed and the joy of learning shone from their innocent hearts. Then one day long ago they ‘awarded’ me with this badge which still proudly hangs with a little collection of memorabilia gathering Madian dust. Jokes are made that I still surreptitiously hand out homework.

The following may fall in this category of ’subtle coersion’, written by a dear and precious Hafizah/Alimah young mother of two. I have not attempted to edit it as I feel it would lessen the impact of its vibrancy.  Besides, the narrator, Umm Adam is fluent in two dialects of her mother tongue, plus Arabic and English. The English just seemed to happen by osmosis! SubhanAllah. So I let it speak in its own lyrical style. A poignant sharing for this Mubarak month, Masha’Allah.

 
I gaze deep into my kids eyes…

as he stares into the dark..

trying to conjure up his dear friend…his prophet muhammad

I try not to choke up the words as I tell him his bedtime sunnah story…

as he begs me again that he wants to see him..

kids will be kids u know..

how he wore his clothes?

he was not fussy abt his clothes like me?

he was very good?? an obedient boy?

he shared everything.. even his bike?..?

and the questions never end..

I try to answer all his questions..

but today I ache if somebody could answer me..

perhaps he himself if I see him tonight??

what would u do if u were me dear prophet…

now that we have gone too far..

following every other way but Yours..

muslims killing each other

each of them claim to be right..

oh how I wish you could come and lead us today

with your own precious self..

I try not to cry as I open my Hadith book..

trying to figure out a way we can get out of this mess..

oh Allah!

my heart calls out " my prophet.. my Muhammad"

just like he cried" Ummati Ummati

I wish u could be with me tonight…

im missing u so much.

 

"Well …which story u want to hear tonight?" I asked my 3-and-a-half-year-old Adam. "Bad.." I cut him short "NOT bad guy’s story! you have had your share of bad guys to last you a life time"

 "ok stupid boy’s?" He tried to reason.

 "Ya allah plz!! Adam I wish some day you would say you want to hear a good boy’s story" He kept giggling.

 Maybe some of you can explain it to me. Now come to think of it,, I think the reason why he shrinks when I mention the word good boy is that it burdens his little mind so much.. he naturally feels bound to follow and its hard for him.. why not hear a bad guys story.. laugh it out and feel good about it in the end that he is not THAT bad.

"Weelllll…here we go… One day a bedoin came to visit the prophet (peace be upon him) in his mosque.. he was kinda stupid and ignorant so ..

"And naughty??"

 "Umm yeah .. probably naughty"

"Yeah.. and he was bad.. was he a kafir mama?" He investigated further.

"No I dont think so honey I.."

"I think he was, but you told me kafir are humans remember? its just that they dont believe in Allah.."

"Yeah…" I said wearily.. yawning. Thank God he got this fact cleared up in his mind that bad guys, robbers, and kafirs are humans with two eyes and one nose..and they dont eat neither bite us humans.

" Honey im feeling sleepy… now let me finish the story.. dont interrupt again ok?"

"Ok"

"So where was I? umm yeah so that bedoin.."

"Stupid" he added. "Yeah stupid bedoin came, he felt like he had to go…

"He must have drunk too much water you know…. he didnt listen to his mama when she told him not to drink before going to the mosque?

"Wait a minute  Adam.. is it you telling a story or me?

"Sorry mama" he said sheepishly with a chuckle….

"So instead of asking where the bathroom was he went to the corner and pe peed there…

"Allah !!" he exclaimed. "In the mosque?"

"Yeah IN the mosque"

"Hhaaah tsk tsk tsk" he shook his head like old ladies. I wonder where he learnt that.. me?

"Well the companions were so outraged that they got up to stop the man and kick him out of the mosque..

"Just like you got out out raged when I peepeed in bed?"

"Yeah.. even more so because it was the prophets mosque.. one of of holiest mosques in the whole world..but the prophet was a very kind and gentle man.. he told the companions to wait and let him get done and then bring him to him..so when he was done,, companions took him to the prophet. Now the prophet was not an angry man so he didnt go screaming at him like "What have you done you stupid.. now clean up the mess and get the hell out of my mosque.. you know better than to peepee in the mosque blah blah.. Instead, he told him very gently that a mosque is Allah’s house and so should be kept clean so that everyone can enjoy visiting Allah and praying in peace..

"And remember how you yelled at me when I wet my bed mama?" He pulled a face."My prophet Muhammad would never have done such a thing. and you yelled so LOUD you almost.."

" Well Im sorry honey but a big boy like you should not have done that either.

"Never mind mama.. I forgive you. but dont hit me again next time ok?

"Ok" I rolled my eyes, giving up.

"So what have we learnt from this story.. boy.. Prophet was such a kind and gentle man I wish I could meet him.." I yawned.

"NO mama.. Nooo I dont want to meet him" he exclaimed as if we were going to visit the prophet right then.

"Why" he caught me offguard.

" I dont know.. I feel funny..umm  kinda shy" He cringed."You dont feel shy mama?" He sat up on the bed.. all excited.

Hmmm… hey how about that.. what if he really comes and visit us? I dont know why my eyes suddenly started darting around my bedroom. Wall-to-wall carpet and a thick rug…I imagined his hujra..my eyes swept over the double bed with a frilly bed cover.. I averted my eyes.. remembering how his thatch chatai used to leave marks on his body..I compared my wardrobe with his dear daughter’s…I wasnt feeling sleepy anymore…I touched my silk nightgown, why is it pricking me all of a sudden?. How come my celeste mattress feels so hard…

"yes mama?" "and I wondered for the hundreth time " Am I his mentor or he is mine?"

"well mama?? wont you feel shy if you meet him?" His green eyes sparkling like emerlards.

I hid my head in the pillow and whispered. "Yes honey.. I think I will"

JazakiLlahu Khairan Katheeran abada Umm Adam for sharing this moving piece of ‘homework’, assessed as 10/10 with a camel stamp!! Wouldn’t you agree?

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. 

“For you are the light of guidance in everything that exists

And you are the secret of munificence and the best reliance.”

(Sultan ‘Abd al-Hamid Khan’s poem in praise of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam that was engraved on the walls of the Sacred Hujrah)

Heading to the Light saturated in the most Divine of Lights, commemorating the worldly manifestation of His Light.

Light; it was the most portentous of effects illuminating this already Luminous City bathing all in and around Masjid Nabawi on the afternoon of the eve celebrating the blessed birth of HabibuLlahu SallAllahi alaihi wasallam. The majestic moon already a resplendent misty silk suspended in the brilliant azure of this realm of Heaven, gradually becoming a polished silvery perfection hovering above the open domes and the Green Dome of Felicity, cavorting with the pigeons and sparrows competing in songs of praise and greetings.

Jabal Uhud was aglow, so much so that it seemed any moment it would rise to greet the one SallAllahu alaihi wasallam who loved it so much. The extraordinary dazzle was enough to render all the construction work to be transparent, allowing this Mubarak Bab al-Jannah to preside over the city as it once did long ago with dignity and grace. While the whispering of the gentle breeze joined the universal choir; praising, saluting, blessing, greeting, rejoicing, a chorus of joy and jubilation, and gratitude for the greatest gift bestowed upon mankind.

O Allah, grant him divine favour, divine grace, divine honour, the closest access, the lofty rank and the high standing.

About an hour passes after Esha for the sisters to wait for the area they can access for Ziyarah is prepared with the maze of barriers. Patiently assembling behind the wooden Mashrabiyah that separates the ladies prayer area from the men, sisters nudge closer and closer as they anticipate the opening of the wide doors. There are three possible openings that lead to the Rowdha Shareef and one never knows which one will be opened first. The majority wait at the closest one. But on this night when the crowd was quite dense, it was the furthest door that was opened first, sending the majority of the masses running to the other end of the sisters section. Such is the zeal to be among the first to be in Rowdha Shareef it seems that in the rush Adab is left at the unopened door along with a few sisters who realize that this door too will eventually be opened.

By the time I arrive inside the cordoned off area, the actual Rowdha Shareef, the area opposite the noble house of our Lady Fatimah RadhiAllahu anha and the narrow section at the feet of our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his two faithful companions RadhiAllahu anhumaa all were a very squashed standing room only. I establish myself at my favourite place when times are crowded, engaging in Salawaat and Ibadah until the crowds dwindle a little.

The photos in this post are from Panoramio, the pictorial additions on Google Earth. This particular brothers postings offer brilliant images from our Sacred Places. Insha’Allah take the time to be transported for a virtual tour. This is taken from inside the open courtyard behind what was the old Masjid area. Sitting here one has a magnificent view of the Felicitous Green Dome along with the northern side of the house of our Lady Fatimah RadhiAllahu anha, which includes the Mubarak place of Tahajjud of our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.   (plan from previous post)

O Allah, grant our master Muhammad the closest access and send him what he hopes for and make him the first intercessor and the first whose intercession is accepted!

The peace that reigns at night defies description. The umbrellas are down; the velvety void above offers an apparition where one is drawn to be part of the celestial realm, whereby the energy to be in continuous Ibadah is all consuming. The air is no longer an earthly breeze but is the motion from the fluttering of the thousands of Angel’s wings, while the sounds one senses seem to be divinely orchestrated choirs hymning perpetual praises.  The majestic moon’s presence adds to the evening’s glory, shining upon the Dome as it becomes the deepest of emeralds. A perfume so sublime that the intoxication is hightened. One is drowned in pure ecstasy.

O Allah send him to the most praised station, thereby advancing his nearness, comforting his eyes, and making him the envy of those who came first and those who came last!

Time has no meaning here, but I realized that I needed to advance to the area by the feet of our Blessed Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam as Dear Sister Z has requested, and I could not rely on the usual scenario of the crowds becoming less towards the end of Ziyarah time for the sisters. So I joined the fray, bodies hugging each other as the two way throng in this small space shuffled slowly in and out. The hearts of most visitors in this confined space are smitten with such a passion that the patience required to simply go with the flow is innate, Alhumdulillah. Eventually I reached the destination, conveying YOUR salam and offering Du’a as tears upon tears upon tears were shed by all.  

O Allah, of all the bodies in existence, bless his body! Of all the souls in existence, bless his soul! Of all the places in existence, bless his place! Of all the tombs in existence, bless his tomb, and bless his memory whenever he is remembered blessings from us on our Prophet!

Such a favour to be in this most intimate of nearness, a worthiness that I feel is granted only so this humble speck can deliver YOUR salam and YOUR Du’a. May Allah Ta’ala bring you all to this presence where the impact of such a gift strips you of all senses, leaving your heart to speak the deepest words of love to our Beloved SallAllahu alaihi wasallam who deserves our entire love.  Ameen.

O Allah, bless our master Muhammad, the light of lights, the secret of secrets, the master of the pious, the adornment of the messengers, the chosen one, the most noble one the night has ever cloaked and the day has ever bathed in light, in every drop of rain which has fallen from the beginning of this world until its end, and in every plant and in every tree which have grown from the beginning of this world to its end, blessings which are eternal, lasting as long as the Dominion of Allah, the One, the Powerful!

 

A section of the white with blue arches barrier that is erected for the sister’s three times of Ziyarah, as seen from the men’s side.  

By the time I found my way out from the Baqi side of the Hujra Shareef the sisters in the actual Rowdha Shareef, distinguished by the greenish carpet had lessened so I found a place where I remained until we were instructed to leave, which Alhumdulillah was nigh on midnight. Once in this Meadow of Tranquility all disintegrates that is not of benefit, leaving only the feeling that one is truly in the Garden. What more can I say, describe, explain, tell, share? I was blessed to be immersed in this for more than an hour, SubhanAllah. My ‘list’ was recited once again. SubhanAllah!

O Allah, resurrect us in his company, establish us on his way, cause us to die following his tradition, acquaint us with his face and make us among his company and party!

Alhumdulillah for these relatively new opening hours for sisters…the evening Ziyarah time along with one section remaining open 24/7. So once we are vacated from the Ziyarah section we can spend the night in the eastern ladies area. There is much activity throughout the night with barriers being erected here and there sectioning off parts where brothers come for the extra cleaning, attending to the massive job of replacing all the water coolers, and the usual continuous maintenance. Many brothers were on extended ladders polishing the brass around the light fittings. Once a particular area is finished the barrier is moved and sisters moved so that the next section is dealt with. An incredible operation considering all this can be done freely in the men’s areas. Whilst I was in one section, and by this time the majority has left, coming for the hours of Ziyarah only, I was aware of a sister nearby sobbing as she was making Du’a. She then came and asked if I had a tissue and subsequently got talking. She was a Saudi who lived in Jeddah and part of her distress she shared was that she had not made the effort to drive the approximate four hours to visit Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam for five years!!! She was determined never to allow such a time to lapse in the future. Her remark about how if the invitation is not there, and the call does not come from our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam then one will not be in the position to respond. It reminded me of the sad story of one family I know who have been living in Jeddah for more than 20 years with a family and have only ventured to visit the best of creation SallAllahu alaihi wasallam once!!

O Allah, I beg You for forgiveness and well-being in my religion, in this life and in the next!

During the night I needed to attend to my wudhu and go to one of the nearby shops that was still open, wanting to purchase something for only one riyal, but discovering I only had a one hundred riyal note left in my purse. I had left home with so much change as I usually like to hand out here and there. The brother in the shop was not impressed, while another said pay later, but I did not feel comfortable with that, it looking like this was a trick on my part to get a free drink, so I turned ready to leave, when a sister beside me offered to pay. And once again we got talking. She was also a Saudi from Jeddah who whispered to me that she had come for Mawlid!!!!!!! I almost fell down! She asked if I knew what this was, and she was just as astonished as I was with her whispered revelation when I produced my Dalail and a Mawlid program from my bag. We hugged each other and giggled as we shared how we both would discreetly hide our books if one of the duty sisters came by whilst we were reading from them in the Masjid. She explained that more and more Saudis are coming to accept the issue of Mawlid and we departed company with in the hope that one day it will be an open practice inside Masjid Nabawi. Ameen.

Allah and His Angels bless the Prophet, so, you who believe, bless him too and give him greetings of peace.  (33:56)    And for the sake of the fact You made it obligatory for the servants to ask for blessings upon their Prophet making it an obligation and making it binding on them, I ask You for the sake of the majesty of Your Face and the light of Your Greatness, and for the sake of that which You have made binding on You in respect of the virtuous, the You and Your angels bless our master Muhammad, Your servant, Your Messenger, Your Prophet, Your pure one and Your treasure from Your creation, the best blessing ever bestowed upon any one of Your Creation, for You are the Praiseworthy, the Mighty!

‘Allah placed the name of the Prophet next to His Name. As the Muadhdhin says five times a day: "I witness there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.” And He derived a name from His Name to honour him; Praised is the Lord of the Throne and ‘praised’ is the meaning of Muhammad. ‘

Hasan ibn Thabit RadhiAllahu anhu

O Allah, of all the Prophets make our master Muhammad have the greatest number of followers, increase them in strength, and give them the most perfect nobility and light! And raise their ranks! And widen their abodes in the Garden!

 

 

Coloured quotes from the Thursday reading of Dalail al-Khayrat

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.