Saturday 6 September 2008

O Palestine

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

O Palestine, your land is so pure
Your riddance of the Infamous Zionists*is its cure
Your lands are green and blessed
Even your cursed enemies confessed

And thus they attack your Olive trees
They bulldoze your houses and your valuables they seize
They fill your pure air with debris and kill as they please
As a way to feed their hearts' disease

All the plants will one day testify--its in their fate
With the exception of one, the one they cultivate
AlGharqd, the tree of treachery will have nothing to say
It will be silent and shut itself like we do today

We live in a time of hope and despair
Where no human would give an earthly care
For those children orphaned or dead or those mothers widowed
Or those men incarcerated, and they wonder why they explode

The land--is now lost
Our dignity has been bought at a cheap cost
By money, it was sold
And true where the words that the Prophet* told

"The Fitnah of Bani Israel was women and yours is Money"
The words of the Mustafa* are like ailments to honey
But this shifa' is and never was given by force
For the Nabi* was told to only warn and endorse

But to those who believe in Him, Allah makes a way out
For those who pray, read His Book and serve Him with no doubt
A day will come when one can hold the banner high and say
"All praise is due to Allah" as we thank Him for this glorious day

But hey...

Only if we unite in goodwill, the force of evil will slowly perish
If Allah gave us the power, and we loved Him and cherish
Our Muslim brothers and sisters no matter who they are
And where they come from--near or far

The day still seems far
As far as the North Star
But your flowers will once more bloom and the Sun will shine
On your land that is divine
O Palestine...


* May the Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him
* Zionists does not equal Jews

Saturday 16 August 2008

The Wisdom Of Luqman

Advices Of Luqman Hakeem.

The son of Luqman said to his father, ' O my beloved father, which quality of man is the best? '
He replied, ' Deen. '
He then asked, ' If there were two? '
He replied, ' Deen & Wealth. '
He asked, ' If there were three? '
He replied, ' Deen, Wealth & Modesty. ' He asked, ' If there were four? '
He replied, ' Deen, Wealth, Modesty & Good Character. '
H
e asked, ' If there were five? '
He replied, ' Deen, Wealth, Modesty, Good character & Generosity. '
He said, ' If there were six? '
Luqman replied, ' O my son! If a person had these five qualities combined in him, he would be pure and pious and a friend of Allah. He would be free of Shaitaan. '

Luqman said, ' I have moved rocks and carried speech,
but i have not seen anything heavier than debt.
I have eaten wholesome foods and embraced good deeds,
but i have never witnessed anything tastier than health and vitality. '


He said, ' When you are engaged in Salaah,
then protect your heart.
When you are engaged in eating,
then protect your throat.
If you are in someone else's home,
then protect your eyes.

When you are amongst people,
then protect your tongue.
Think of two things and forget two;
As for the two you should remember;
they are Allah and d eath.
And the two which you should forget are; The good you have done for others,
and the evil done to you by others. '


( Shaikh Yusuf Kathaar Muhammad)

Saturday 17 May 2008

The Soul Of The Son Of Adam

Ibn Qayyim wrote in his highly esteemed book, Al Fawa'id : ' How perfect is Allah! In the soul of man is the pride of Iblis, the jealousy of Qabil, the insolence of the people of 'Ad, the tyranny of Thamud, the temerity of Namrud, the arrogance of Pharaoh, the wrongdoing of Qarun, the trickeries of the people of Sabt, the rebelliousness of Al-Walid, the ignorance of Abu Jahl, and the impudence of Haman. The soul of man also has many characteristics of beasts. He has the avarice of a crow, the gluttony of a dog, the display of the peacok, the filth of the hog, the malice of the camel, the predatory nature of the lion, the venom of the snake, the frivolity of the ape, the greed of the ant, and the deception of the fox. '

The rigid training of the soul exercises these conditions; however, if one allows any of these traits to and prevail, one then becomes akin to the ones cursed by Allah, and akin to the beasts possessing lowly characteristics. A person who allows these traits to te his soul is not that commodity in the contract described by Allah the exalted:

Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives.
( Quran 9:111 )

S
uch a commodity (soul) must be refined by faith and purified by repentance and attentiveness in worship. The commodity must also be protected from defects or from being destroyed so as to allow the buyer to accept it.

Tuesday 6 May 2008

Food For Thought

There is no compulsion for man to accept the TRUTH. But it is certainly a shame upon the Human intellect when man is not even interested in finding out as to what is the TRUTH! Islam teaches that God has given man the faculty of reason and therefore expects man to reason things out objectively and systematically for himself/herself. To reflect and to question and to reflect.

Nobody should press you to make a hasty decision to accept any of the teachings of Islam, for Islam teaches that man should be given the freedom to choose. Even when man is faced with the TRUTH, there is no compulsion upon man to embrace it. But before you begin to form an opinion about Islam, ask yourself whether your existing knowledge of is thorough enough. Ask yourself whether that knowledge has been obtained through non-Muslim third party sources; who themselves have probably been exposed to only random glimpses of Islamic writings and have yet to reason on Islam, objectively and systematically themselves.

Is it fair, that one should form an opinion about the taste of a particular dish just by hearsay from others who may themselves not necessarily have tasted the dish yet, or has different tastes from you?

Similarly you should find out for yourself about Islam from reliable sources and not only taste it, but digest it, well before you form an opinion. That would be the intellectual approach to Islam.

It is up to you to make the next move. In making your move Islam continuously reassures you that your rights to freedom of choice and freedom to use that God given faculty of thought and reason will be respected. Every man has that individual will. No one else can take away that will and force you to surrender to the will of God. You have to find out and make that decision yourself.

For all of you who are studying Islam in the quest for Truth and enlightenment-May your intellectual journey towards the TRUTH be a pleasant one.

Sunday 13 April 2008

The Lost Generation

Once we were Kings and Queens,
Enlightening the world with the treasures,
Of the Qur'an and Sunnah of our deen.
But we lost it all, We have lost it all.

For those for whom chastity was a virtue,
Immodesty has now become the theme.
For those for whom Allah was the aim,
The wealth of the world has now become their dream.

It is as if we walk in a trance.
A lost generation of souls.
To Shaytaans tune we dance.
Paying no attention to higher goals.

The eyes of the pious shed tears,
In sorrow and grief for a people deceived,
But we continue in our ways,
Paying no attention and taking no heed.

How long will this situation continue?
How long will we continue to play?
How long will we ignore the questions,
That will come from Allah when our life ends
And we finish our stay?

Is it not time to change our situation?
Is it not time to change our way?
Is it not time to change our direction,
Turn over a new leaf and begin a new day?

The doors of guidance are still open,
The window of opportunity still awaits,
But the pen of life waits for no man.
So take hold of yourself and return.
Return to Allah before its too late.

Thursday 3 April 2008

Sharing A Thought On...Happiness

For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start. Real
Life.
But there was always some obstacle along the way, an ordeal to
get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a
bill to be paid. Then life would start.
I finally came to understand that those obstacles were life.

That point of view helped me see
that there isn't any road to
happiness.
Happiness IS the road.

So, enjoy every moment.
Stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds,
to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening,
for Saturday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage to be paid
off, for spring, for summer, for autumn, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth
of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to di e, to be
reborn.... before deciding to be happy.

Enjoy every moment, treat every problem as a lesson to be learnt, and thank the Lord of Man for giving you....Life.

Friday 14 March 2008

Best Husband Ever In The History Of Man

The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:- ' This life is gratification. The real object of gratification is the companionship of an upright and pious marriage partner. ' (Saheeh Jami Sagheer)

In order to cement his marriage bonds, the prophet peace be upon him applied language to instill love and happiness in the hearts of his wives. Instead of calling her Ayesha, he would call her Ayesh. He conveyed messages and greetings of peace from Angel Gabriel as reported by his wife Ayesha (r.a).
(Bukhaari)

The prophet peace be upon him was a loving husband. Ayesha (r.a) talked about the times when she enjoyed meals with him. He enjoyed his meals only when she sat next to him. They drank from one cup and he watched where she placed her lips so that he could place his lips on the same area. She also said that he placed morsels of food into her mouth and she would do the same.
(Muslim)

When the prophet peace be upon him left his house-even as he left to pray in the mosque-he kissed his wives.
(Abu Dawood/Tirmidhi)

Ayesha (r.a) stated that the prophet peace be upon him visited his nine wives on a daily rotation basis.
(Muslim)

Once Ayesha (r.a) accompanied the prophet peace be upon him on a trip. She and He were at the back of the group. They heard the guides in front calling to them and others to move faster. The prophet challenged her to a race (they were on horseback) and she beat him. Then later, on another trip, he challenged her again, and this time, he beat her. Ayesha (r.a) said that she was slender when she beat him in the race; when she put on weight, he knew he was going to beat her and therefore challenged her a second time.
(Ahmad)

The prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was loved and highly respected by his wives. He succeeded to live harmoniously with them all, while many husbands find it extremely difficult to cope even with a single spouse. Abu Hurairah (r.a) reported that a recipe for his success in married life, besides the grace of Allah Ta'ala, was his insistence on spiritual activity in the house. He was constant in his very late night prayers (Tahajjud) and encouraged his wives to observe these with him. When they were reluctant to leave their beds he would drip drops of water softly over their faces to help them to abandon sleep.
(Ahmad)

Thursday 6 March 2008

Why ' Happy renewal day? '

Assalamu Alaikum-:)

I hope you all enjoyed reading the poem in the post below just this one, by my talented friend Layla Khayyam. She will occasionally be posting more of her work here, so stay tuned. Also check out her poetry blog; the link is in the list of links at the side of this blog page.

I turned 20 yesterday. Yes, it was my birthday yesterday; the end of another decade.
Whilst we are on the subject of birthdays i'd like to share with you this excerpt; written by my dear friend Clement from Malaysia on the subject of birthdays. Enjoy.

Why ' happy renewal day'

I've always been thinking about the idea that you only celebrate your 'Birthday' once...
I.e on the actual day you were born on, and even on such events, its literally our parents
who are elated and celebrating the occasion.

And i guess
cakes, presents and parties would most definitely work for elementary years of life,oh yeah,
good measure for an immeasurable childhood memory...
But
as we reach the age of Mukallaf, i reckon birthdays are always good to be commemorated with deep reflections and in depth introspections,
what say you...?

Other than Ramadhan, this is also one of the best times for a new years resolution.
It is the time to look back (in time) into that one year of being 15 or 17 or '19'....and
to just simply ask ourselves what have we been up to for the past 1 year?
Y'know, its nice to actually introspect on how much wisdom we have actually acquired from life...and again, how much we have developed spiritually? intellectually? emotionally?... and of course, the physical growth is highly likely apparent...lol...
And with regards to our 'Amal (deeds) it should rightfully be a session of the 'end of the year' of self-Mutaba'ah (self assessment) the checklist being for example;

...Have we made any notable progress in our Ibaadah, worship? Are our deeds/practices enhanced or have they deteriorated?Some graphs would actually help! ...How many rounds of Tilawatul-Quran did we manage throughout that one whole year? ...What are the virtues that we have successfully nurtured and should continue grooming? ... What about the vices that needs to be eliminated immediately! from our personality.

If our 'Birthday' is scheduled tomorrow, then by right, we should be on the last page of the glorious Quran, as tomorrow a new cycle begins.
Heh, just my two cents. They are all reminders foremost for my own sin committing self before thay are for anyone else, i stand to be corrected for any mis-guided point of view.

' Ala Kulli Haal ' Happy Renewal Day and may we all be renewed , our Imaan refreshed, and our A'amal rejuvenated.

Tuesday 4 March 2008

Like A Lightening Rod

Assalamualykum Honoured Keekee's Blog Readers,

I wrote this poem one day as I was thinking about the state of the ummah, and more precisely, ourselves. Especially during these harsh times and the current events happening in the Middle East, one can't help but feel some sorrow not just for the state that we are in as Muslims, but for humanity as a whole. I hope you find this poem touching and mind-refreshing, insha' Allah...

Like A Lightening Rod

Many of us are drowning in the Sea of Sin,
Oh Allah help us out of the mess we're in

Our Brothers and Sisters are suffering abroad,
While we stand like a lightening rod

Still, paralyzed, not knowing what to do in the midst of the rain
Absorbing the lightening, hoping for it to stop, keeping in the pain

Every time a lightening comes---again and again--News flash
On the television set I hear the anchor reporting the details on my brothers' clash

People killing left and right, the enemy continues killing my brother
While our own brethren are fighting and killing one another

But what about us, those afar-- how many black dots
Do we have on our hearts?

Why don't we start being kinder to ourselves,
Look at the dusty Quran sitting on your shelves

Read! By the name of the Al-Mighty--this book
That Allah sent down on our Beloved Prophet--which shook
His heart, The ArchAngel Gabriel and those who understand
Truly, its a reminder for those who contemplate our Lord's demand
To hold on the rope of unity, tight and firm, humble and kind
Like a chain, a jigsaw puzzle, like a hard book's bind

Pages in a book, that's what we should be
One spine holding all the pages together, all in unity

What we watch everyday on the news, the channel of sadness
Is now a source of misery that shows the madness
That happens everyday and we see only a fraction--our picture is distorted
Much worse happens that never gets reported

And here we are, drowning in the sea of sin
Asking Allah to help us out of the mess we're in

Standing dormant like a lightening rod
Crying to God...

Layla Khayyam

Monday 18 February 2008

Elusive Rulers...

In a book written by Raghib Al-Isfahani, Maamun Bin Mehran said that he was with the
Caliph Umar Bin Abdul Aziz, who asked his guard, " Who is at the door? " The guard replied that it is a man who claims to be the son of Bilal, the son of the one who called for the prayers (Adhaan) for the messenger of Allah, Muhammad peace be upon him. The Caliph permitted him to enter and asked him to relate something of the Prophet.
Ibn Bilal said that his father related to him that he had heard the prophet peace be upon him say,
" Whoever is given authority in a matter that is related to the people and then creates a barrier
( referring to the guard) between him and them, Allah will place a barrier in front of him on the day of judgement. "

Umar immediately asked the guard to leave his post and return to his home. No one ever saw a guard at 'Umars door again. He stated that there couldn't be anything more unfavorable to the leadership of a people than the harshness of guards and the inaccessibility of the rulers themselves. The wicked acts of the citizens can only become more widespread in the land, knowing that a ruler is difficult to gain access to. It has been said that a leader prevents people from speaking to him because of the evil that is in him or out of sheer stinginess and pride.

Saturday 9 February 2008

Women In Islam

Never in the history of the World, under any religious or constitutional systems, have women enjoyed the rights and privileges which Islam gave to her. The status of women in Islam is something unique, novel and something that has no similarity under any other system other than Islam.

The Qur'an categorically stated that women are as vital to life as men themselves and granted a status to women equal to that of men. The rights and responsibilites of women are equal to that of men, but they are not necessarily identical to them. Equality and identity is not that same thing. The difference lies in the very nature of the roles that the two have to play and there is no ground to assume that she is in any way less less important or inferior to men. Islam gives her due consideration and recognises her independent personality, makes her directly accountable to Allah and confers rights on her equal with men though not identical.

In the pre-Islamic world the plight of women was abject and pathetic. Somewhere she was brannded as a product of evil or the seed of evil. Some systems placed men as the lord of women who has to surrender to his will. Somewhere else questions were raised if she at all possessed a soul. Never in the history of Islam has any muslim doubted the dignity of women, her possession of a soul and other fine qualities.
The Qur'an has honoured women so much so that there is an entire chapter titled Surah Nisa'a (chapter on women) and her status and dignity are explicitly stated therein as well as in many other verses of the Qur'an. Those who look at Islam with a positive view will realise what rights Islam has really granted women; as Lady Cobbold says in her 'Pilgrimage to Makkah'; " It was Islam that removed the in which women are held from the very dawn of history and gave them a social standing and legal rights such as were not granted to them in England till many later centuries. "

Islam did more than that. What it gave her suits her nature, gives her full security and protects her against disgraceful circumstances and uncertain channels of life. It is a pity on those who have failed to understand that the divine system that gives every male and female their due rights.

Thursday 7 February 2008

Ibn Sina ( Aviccena)

Abu Ali Al-Hussain Ibn Abdallah (Aviccena) was born in 980 A.D at Afshana near Bukhara, a part of Iran. The young Abu Ali received his early education in Bukhara, and by the age of 10 had become well versed in the study of the Qur'an and various sciences. He started studying philosophy by reading various Greek, Muslim and other books on this subject and also learnt logic and some other subjects from Abu Abdallah Natili, a famous philosopher of the time. While still young, he attained such a degree of expertise in medicine that his fame spread far and wide. At the age of 17, he was fortunate in curing Nooh Ibn Mansoor, the king of Bukhara, of an illness in which all the well-known physicians had given up hope. On his recovery, the king wished to reward him, but the young physician only desired permission to use his uniquely stocked library.

On his father's dea th, Abu Ali left Bukhara and traveled to Jurjan, where Khawarizm Shah welcomed him. There, he met his famous contemporary Abu Raihan Al-Biruni. Later, he moved to Ray and then to Hamadan, where he wrote his famous book Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb. Here he treated Shams Al-Daulah, the king of Hamadan, for sever colic. From Hamadan, he moved to Isfahan, where he completed many of his monumental writings. Nevertheless, he continued traveling and the excessive mental exertion as well as political turmoil spoilt his health. Finally, he returned to Hamadan where he passed away in 1037 A.D.

He was the most famous physician, philosopher, encyclopaedist, mathematician and astronomer of his time. His major contribution to medical science was his famous book Al-Qanun, known as the 'Canon' in the west. The Qanun Fi Al-Tibb is an immense encyclopedia of medicine extending over a million words. It surveyed the entire medical knowledge available from ancient and muslim sources. Due to its systematic approach, " formal perfection as well as its intrinsic value, the Qanun superseded Razi's Hawi, Ali Ibn Abbas's Maliki, and even the words of Galen, and remained supreme for six centuries. " In addition to bringing together the then available knowledge, the book is filled with the authors original contribution. His important original contribution includes such advances as recognition of the contagious nature of Phthisis and tubrculosis; distribution of diseases by water and soil, and interaction between psychology and health. In addition to describing pharmacological methods, the book described 760 and became the most authentic materia medica of the era. He was also the first to describe meningitis and made rich contributions to anatomy, gynecology and child health.

Thursday 24 January 2008

Effort In Islam

Islam is true. There are four types of effort in Islam:

The effort of listening....Ta'illem
The effort of speaking...Da'wah (Tabligh)
The effort of thinking...Dhikr
The effort of asking...Du'a

Faith ripens through mujahadah, It is strengthened through Da'wah,
It spreads through migration and it is saved through discharging the rights of Allah's servants.
(Maulana Ahmad Ladh, Ijtima Bhopal)

Imam Zahabi recorded from Sayyidina Imran Bin Hussain (r.a) that the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him said:
" On the day of judgement, the ink which was used by a (true) scholar
to put religious knowledge and injunctions into writing, and the martyrs b lood shall be
weighed. The scholars ink however, shall turn out to be heavier than the bloo d of the martyr "
(Ma'ariful Quran 3/235)

Something sweet, light hearted and maybe untrue!

Monday 21 January 2008

Back From Hajj-:)

Assalamu Alaykum Warahmatullah

Well, as you can see, i'm back from Hajj-:)
We set off on the 22nd of November, from Manchester Airport, and Alhamdulillah reached Stanstead safely on the 17th of January, 2008. Due to the emergency Landing at Heathrow airport, we were diverted to Stanstead Airport, which added to the jet lag, but other than that, all went well, by the grace of God.

My two months in the two Holy cities were pure heaven. we stayed in Makkah for about two weeks first. It was relatively calm then, all the hajjis hadn't arrived at the time so the Haram (Holy mosque) wasn't as crowded as it is nearer Hajj time, and it was easier to get around. After which we proceeded to Madina Tun Nabi, the city of the Prophet for 7 days, a totally inadequate period of time to stay in such a serene, beautiful city. Nevertheless, we made the most of it, and i soaked in the cool atmosphere there. The absolute calm quiet at morning prayer, when the light is soft and just risen, and everyone is hurrying quietly to the mosque...the scene continues to stay in my mind even now.

After the seven days, we proceeded back to Makkah, a mere two days before the five days of Hajj begun. Hajj preparations were made, which included simply getting ready sleeping bags and getting the essentials we'd need for the five days. The rituals of Hajj passed beautifully, the Saudi Government has made it incredibly easy for the Hajjis, much easier than it was before. Stoning the shayateen seemed so simple to me this time, so much ease, plenty of space for the 3 million or so Hajjis who attended this year. The last ritual of Hajj to be performed was stoning the shayateen, and after that, we all - family, rest of the hajj group- embraced each other and there was a lot of joy, a sense of joy and a hope deep as the ocean that Allah almighty accepted our humble efforts.

This was my 5th trip to Saudi, my second Hajj, but every time i go there it feels like i am going for the first time, every time i see the Ka'ba it feels as if i am seeing its beauty for the first time.
I think every person who goes there, yearns to go back with deep longing. I certainly do, England seems very depressing after all that brightness and beauty!
But Khair, i had a beautiful trip and thats what matters.

WasSalam