A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) never circumcised any of his daughters.  Whoever says it is a sunnah is greatly mistaken.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Hadhrat Malcolm X ( r.a. ) said, “I am not educated nor am I an expert in any particular field.  But I am sincere and my sincerity is my credentials.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “The fasting prescribed by the religion is to abstain from eating and drinking and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset, while spiritual fasting is, in addition, to protect all the senses and thoughts from all that is unlawful.  It is to abandon all that is disharmonious, inwardly as well as outwardly.  The slightest breach of that intention breaks the fast.  Religious fasting is limited by time, while spiritual fasting is forever, and lasts throughout one’s temporal and eternal life.  This is true fasting.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) wrote, in his Futuhat al-Makiyyah , in reality, fasting is non-action, not action.   The negation of likeness is a negative attribute.   Therefore, the relationship between it and Allah ( s.w.t. ) is strengthened.   Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says about Himself:   سُوۡرَةُ الشّوریٰ … لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَىۡءٌ۬‌ۖ … ( ١١ )   … there is nothing whatever like unto Him ... (Surah ash-Shura’:11)   He denied that there is anything like Him and so there is nothing like Him by logical proofs and by the shari’ah .   Imam Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb an-Nasa’i ( r.a. ) related that Sayyidina Abu Umamah al-Bahili ( r.a. ) said, “I came to the Messenger of Allah ( s.a.w. ) and asked, ‘Give me something that I can take from you.’   He replied, ‘You must fast.   There is nothing like it.’”   He denied that it was like any of the act...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah  ( r.a. ) said, “Smelling perfumes does not harm the fast.”  Expanding upon the subject, he said, “As for kohl injections, drops dropped into the urethra, enemas for medicinal purposes, and treatment for brain and stomach injuries, there is some dispute among the scholars.  Some say that none of these break the fast, some say that all except kohl would break the fast, while others say all except the drops break the fast, or that the kohl or drops do not break the fast but that the rest do.”   Shaykh ibn Taymiyyah ( r.a. ) continued, “The first opinion on this question is preferred.  The most apparent conclusion is that none of them break the fast.  The fast is part of the religion of Islam.  Both the layman and specialist must be knowledgeable about it.  If the preceding actions were forbidden by Allah ( s.w.t. ) and His Messenger ( s.a.w. ) to the fas...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Those things which one could not protect one’s self from, such as swallowing one’s saliva, the dust of the road, sifting flour and so on are all overlooked.  These are inevitable and unavoidable.  Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas ( r.a. ) ruled that there is no problem with tasting liquid food or something one wishes to purchase.  This is so since the intention is not to break the fast.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ When people come to collect the zakat that is rightly due to them, Muslim organisations should not make a show of giving to them what was already their Due by Allah (s.w.t.).   It borders on shirk to have ministers and guests of honour, cameras and an entire event planned to enhance the ones who give and humiliate the ones who receive. This is what Muslim organisations and groups do every year, especially in Ramadhan.   They give out a pittance, and then they take photographs and plaster it on the media, volunteers put it on their social media accounts, and they all think they have done some good.   When people are in a state of need, would they want the world to know that they are in that state?   This is shameful behaviour. سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُبۡطِلُواْ صَدَقَـٰتِكُم بِٱلۡمَنِّ وَٱلۡأَذَىٰ كَٱلَّذِى يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ ۥ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤۡمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡم...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) said, “Do not feel ashamed when giving little for charity; that is because there is always goodness in giving, no matter how little.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad ( q.s. ) said, “The key to sincerity is qiyam al-layl , because only the sincere wake and stand when others are lying asleep.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abr ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak ( r.a. ) passed away in Hit, returning from a naval expedition and was buried in Hit in Ramadhan in 181 AH.  Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari ( r.a. ) said that he was born in 118 AH.  When he was near death, he told Naswr, his servant, “Put my head on the earth.”  Naswr wept.  He asked, “Why do you weep?”   Naswr said, “I remember what you had in it of blessing and now you are dying a stranger and a pauper.”   Imam ibn al-Mubarak ( q.s.) told him, “Be quiet.  I asked Allah to Let me live the life of the rich and to Make me die the death of the poor.”  Then he said, “Put me down and do not address me again unless I speak again.  Put me down so that it is my last words.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayydina Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan ( r.a. ) said, “When the poor and needy come to you, then know that it is a Gift from your Lord.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “If I were given the treasures of the world, I would spend it all on feeding the poor.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “Comfort the poor with something from your possessions.  Do not turn away a beggar, when you are capable of giving him something, be it a little or much.  Concur with the Lord of Truth in His Love of giving, and be grateful to Him for how He has Equipped you and Enabled you to give.  Woe unto you!  The beggar is the Gift of Allah ( s.w.t. ) and you are capable of giving to him, so how can you send the gift back to its Giver?  In my presence, you listen and shed tears, but when the poor person comes along, your heart turns hard.  This goes to show that your tears and your attention were not sincerely for Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) held, “Of the most meritorious acts of a believer, and one of the most acceptable things to Allah ( s.w.t. ) is zakat .  It behooves everyone to give charity, because from amongst the acts of worship, this is the most pleasing to Allah ( s.w.t. ).”   In his sermons, Sayyidina ‘Ali ( k.w. ) exhorted the people in the following terms: “O you people, send a part of your wealth to Allah ( s.w.t. ) so that it may stand you in good stead in the next world.  Do not leave your entire wealth here so that it will become a source of annoyance to you in the next world.”   In the annals of the Arabs, Hatim ath-Tha’i enjoyed fame for his munificence and generosity.  Sayyidina ‘Ali ( k.w. ) outclassed Hatim in the matter of generosity.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Najm ad-Din Abu al-Jannab ibn ‘Umar al-Kubra’  ( q.s. ) wrote a booklet, “The Treatise of the Bewildered, Ecstatic Traveller.”   It is a short Sufi text on spiritual practice, of which the part dealing with fasting will be shown.   The shaykh made it clear that fasting has 22 benefits.   It is resemblance to spiritual beings, because they eat nothing of what we eat.   It is the restraining of the ego, which incites towards evil, being, thus, the enemy of Allah ( s.w.t. ).   It is the obtaining of a distinction as, “The fasting is for My Sake and I Reward it.”   It is the receipt of a Recompense without end as:   سُوۡرَةُ الزُّمَر ... إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّـٰبِرُونَ أَجۡرَهُم بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ۬ (١٠)   … “Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!” (Surah az-Zumar:10)   It is the purification of the sins of the ego.   It is the washing a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Shahab ad-Din Yahya ibn Habash as-Suhrawardi al-Ishraq ( q.s. ) wrote, “The visionary will understand the implication completely, learning much from a few hints.  He will have patience to be resolute in all matters, the secret of this patience being entrusted to the one who holds the authority to teach the book.  He will be characterised by Nearness to Allah ( s.w.t. ), a spare diet and little sleep, supplication to Allah ( s.w.t. ) to Ease the Path for him and a heart made refined by refined thoughts.”   The real fast, according to the Shishtiyyah , is the renunciation of all religious and worldly desires.  The desire of Paradise, and of worldly wealth and position, should be avoided.  The love of anyone else except Allah ( s.w.t. ) and the desire for Paradise are the things, which break the fast.  The people who keep the fast abstain from eating and drinking.  But this is not the real fast.  It is ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The father of Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ), Shaykh ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ath-Tha’i ( q.s. ), informed him about special signs by means of which one could recognise the blessed night.   One of these signs is mentioned in the Futuhat al-Makkiyyah : “The dawn at the end of the Night of Power is not from the light of the Sun.   It is the light of the Night of Power itself, which manifests in the body of the Sun, just as with the light of the Moon.”   He continued, “Thus, as the Night of Power effaces the rays of the Sun, the Sun remains like the Moon, shining on things and giving light without rays.”   The shaykh wrote this poem:   “Each moment I behold You is my Night of Power, While that which for mankind in the month of Ramadhan Is better than a thousand months. Verily I, I am better than that without any time! Its graciousness depends on me, while my own grace Belongs to ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ There is a special night in Ramadhan, a night which is blessed as it is the night of the descending of the Qur’an.   It is called the “Night of Power”.   There are different opinions about the exact date of the Night of Power.   Some people point to the 27 th of Ramadhan.   Imam Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Tsabit ( r.a. ) also referred to a tradition that the Night moves through the year.   The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) wanted to tell the community about the exact day of the Night of Power, but this knowledge was taken away.   According to the collector of traditions, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari ( r.a. ), the Messenger of Allah ( s.a.w. ) said, “Seek it on the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan.”   So, it is hidden, like the friend of Allah ( s.w.t. ) is hidden in order that we respect all people.   It is up to the aspirant to be alert and awake to its coming.   According to Khw...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu al-Layts Naswr ibn Muhammad as-Samarqandi ( r.a. ) spoke about the fasting of the Elect: “if you want to fast like Jesus ( a.s. ), then know that he would fast all the time and lived on nothing but barley.”  He continued, “If, however, you want to fast as his mother, Mary ( a.s. ) did, then know that she used to fast for two days at a time and then eat for two days.  The fast of David ( a.s. ) consisted of fasting one day for 24 hours and breaking it the next day by a day in which he took food and drank.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Fasting is at times quite difficult, but a Shishty shaykh made it clear that it is supposed to be difficult.   This poem may, however, offer some consolation:   “I asked the True God to Guide me, Because of His Knowledge of me and of Himself, So once again He Gave me life. When I am hungry, God Feeds me. And when I am thirsty, He Pours for me. And when I am weak, He Helps me. And when I am ill, He Cures me.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) wrote these lines in his book about the abdal , the changed ones:   “O you who aspire to the degrees of the abdal , But who does not care to perform the required practices, Do not envy them, Do not be vain You will only be worthy of them, If you compete with them by ascetic states.   Let your heart be silent and live in retirement, Stay away from all, which keeps you at a distance From the Beloved Lord. Stay awake in the night, endure hunger, Thus, you will attain your dignity. And you will be like them, At times staying at home, At times leaving for faraway lands.   The House of the Friendship with God, Has well-established corners. Our masters who stay in it are the abdal Between silence, solitude, hunger and vigil Can be seen the summit of the pure transcendent.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ A Shishty shaykh said, “May every day be a day of festival to you!” A Shaykh Imami ( q.s. ) wrote a pretty poem about the “day of festival” being in the Presence of the Beloved, which started thus: “We celebrate the day of festival but once a year, A constant feast day is the seeing of You, dear!”