July 26, 2008
إن قدرت أن لا تعرف فافعل
و ما عليك أن لا تعرف، و ما عليك إن لم يثنى الناس عليك
و ما عليك إن كنت عند الناس مكروها إذا كنت عند الله محمودا
If you are able to remain unknown then do so.
And what would be the problem if you were to remain unknown? And what would it matter if no one were ever to praise you? What would it matter if people despised you, so long as you were beloved to your Lord?
- al Fudayl ibn ‘Iyyad
July 24, 2008
A public water fountain in Damascus. Many people fund such things - thank God, because Damascus would otherwise be unbearable - as a means of seeking Allah's pleasure.
Some contend that these two things are compatible. I don’t think so.
One should ask themself which path they’re speeding down.
July 24, 2008
Alhamdullilah, we entered the blessed month of Rajab, one of the four sacred months of the Islamic lunar calendar. I had been meaning to write something a while back (like when the month started) in this regard, but I find that if I sit and try to write anything at the net cafes in Damascus I quickly come to a mental block – the environment is such that I want to spend as little time as possible on the net. So I’ve taken to writing at home and posting whenever I come to the cafe for a few minutes (this also saves money – less time spent online).
Quoted here is a selection from an excellent text with useful and beneficial information regarding Rajab -
[link to translation/summary of ibn Rajab selection]
On a note from me: the local Imam in our village gave a moving khutba at the start of the month that I had wanted to share. He spoke about this blessed month of Rajab, mentioning its merit and blessing, and then specifically talked about one of the campaigns that the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and the companions undertook during this month, namely Tabuk.
The Tabuk campaign was waged by what became known as “The Army that Endured Great Difficulty” (Jaysh al ‘Usra), and for good reason. Coming under pressure from the Roman army, the Medinians were in a very poor economic state, and it was only due to the immense generosity of such giants as Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman that the army got off with any equipment at all.
It was during the fundraising for this endeavour that Umar gave half of his wealth away, hoping to finally beat Abu Bakr in some good deed; Abu Bakr famously came bearing all of his wealth to give. When the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, asked him what he had left for his family, he replied, “I left them Allah and His Messenger” (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Umar never again tried to compete with Abu Bakr.
Uthman gave, and gave, and gave again and again, to the extent that the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, “Nothing (of what he does) will harm Uthman after what he has done today”.
Salman al Farisi, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam inquiring about some means of transport; when he was told there was no means for him to go, he began crying.
The hypocrites of Medina, on the other hand, began discouraging people from going out on the expedition. Since it was the middle of summer (like now), they would say that such a venture would be too strenuous in the heat. Allah, subhana wa ta’la, replied to them in The Qur’an, saying “Say (O Muhammad): ‘The fires of hell are much hotter.’”
The expedition lasted two months, mainly because of the amount of walking involved. Since riding beasts were scarce, the companions would take turns: three men to one camel – one hour riding, two hours walking. In total, they walked about 700km. Some companions indicated in narrations that the skin of their feet would blister, crack, and peel off from the heat, and that they would tie it with animal skin since they didn’t have shoes.
In terms of engagement, the campaign was uneventful – the Roman army had packed up and left, and so the expedition, after conducting some treaties with tribes around the area, packed up and went back home.
Some may of course think that this was a waste of time, then, but in reality it had important functions: firstly, it showed the mettle of the believers; second, it exposed the hypocrites; third, it was an immense source of rewards for some, and lessons for us. // Upon their return, two months later, the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said famously: “We have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad”. That is, the struggle that we face day to day, against our own selfishness, laziness, and materialistic impulses.
***
So now, where does that leave us? [pause here to think about the comparative life of luxury you lead :-]
Reflecting over the discrepancy, the least we can do to try to be like the companions of our forebears, may Allah be pleased with them, is to push ourselves a bit harder in our worship and good deeds. Do a few more ruka’a by night and day. Push yourself to get your sunna prayers in. Try to give away some charity, rectify some bad habits, fast. Give up some extra individual pleasures – like going out for coffee – and invest the money in your akhira by donating it to some worthy cause.
When you feel yourself getting a bit lazy, think of the companions and what they went through to bring you the light of this deen – seeking neither fame nor glory nor material wealth, but only the pleasure of their Lord.
May Allah make this reminder a means of giving ourselves a bit of a push -
was-salam.
July 19, 2008
A mass of students tries to get into the net cafe
July 18, 2008
(found more of the poem – an example of Sufi love poetry) :
فليتك تحلو و الحياة مريرة و ليتك ترضى و الأنام غضاب
وليت الذي بيني و بينك عامر وبيني و بين العالمين خراب
إذا صح منك الود فالكل هين و كل الذي فوق التراب تراب
If only my relationship with you were sweetened,
Though the rest of my life may be bitter;
And if only You were to be pleased with me,
Though all others may thereby be angered;
If only what lies between You and I were built up,
Though all between me and humanity be torn down -
For if love from You is true all else becomes pithy
And everything upon the Earth is merely dirt.
(Rabi’ah al Adawiyyah)
Masjid Bani Umayyah
Shaykh Badi' Al-Lahham's Lesson
July 12, 2008
in the middle of the city, near souq al hamidiyeh, this evening. (:.
Picture: free. Baby sheep: $24. Microbus home: $1. with sheep: $2. Seeing your wife's face when you walk in with a baby sheep: priceless.
I didn’t actually end up buying the sheep. Maybe tomorrow.
Ancient pot, c. ?. Note the old arabic script on the top. This was used in olden times to speed cooking, especially when using a low flame heat source. It traps air within the pot, heating it to a high temperature, thus taking a three hour dish down to thirty min. ha. It's actually our pressure cooker. (:
