A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Ustadz Fakhr ad-Din Uwaysi al-Madani wrote about the original Rafidhism: The first swahabi to be systemically hated and cursed was Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ).   According to Imam Abu al-Fadhl ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuthi ( q.s. ) and other historians, Sayyidina ‘Ali ( k.w. ) was “cursed from 70,000 manabir throughout Umayyad rule”.   Sayyidatina Umm Salamah Hind bint Suhayl ( r.a. ) complained, one day, to the people, “Why do you allow the Messenger of Allah ( s.a.w. ) to be cursed amongst you?”   The people replied,  “No, how is that possible?”   She replied, “I heard the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) say, ‘Whoever curses ‘Ali curses me.’”   This went on for decades, until the pious Umayyad caliph, Imam Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ( r.a. ), stopped this ugly practice when he was made ruler.   It continued still after his assassination by his family, but at a m...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ On this day of ‘Ashura , we remember the prominent personalities of Bani Hashim and the Ahl al-Bayt martyred at Karbala.   Historians have recorded the names of the following shuhadah :   1. Hadhrat Muhammad ibn Abu Sa’id ibn ‘Aqil ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 2. Hadhrat ‘Abdullah ibn Muslim ibn ‘Aqil ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 3. Hadhrat ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Aqil ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 4. Hadhrat ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Aqil ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 5. Hadhrat Ja’far ibn ‘Aqil ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 6. Hadhrat Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Ja’far ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 7. Hadhrat ‘Abbas ibn ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 8. Hadhrat ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 9. Hadhrat ‘Utsman ibn ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 10. Hadhrat Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 11. Hadhrat Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 12. Hadhrat Abu Bakr ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ); 13. Hadhrat ‘Abdullah ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What do Sunni Muslims think of the Day of ‘Ashura? ”   In Sunni Islam, ‘Ashura has a spiritual meaning.   Each prophet experienced a significant event on that day.   All those prophets, except Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ), had a positive development on that day.   Adam ( a.s. ) was Forgiven by Allah ( s.w.t. ); Noah ( a.s. ) was Saved from the flood and the ark came to rest; Moses ( a.s. ) was Saved from Pharaoh with the Israelites and received the Commandments; Abraham ( a.s. ) was Saved from the fire of Nimrod and received his title, ‘al-Khalil’ and Jesus ( a.s. ) was Raised up to Heaven.   Additionally, this was also the Day, Enoch ( a.s. ) was Raised to the Heavens; Job ( a.s. ) was Relieved from his trial; Jonah ( a.s. ) was saved from the three layers of darkness; David ( a.s. ) was Forgiven; Solomon ( a.s. ) Received his kingdom and was Restored to it.   As f...

Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi az-Zahrani al-Azdi knew what was coming because the Prophet had told him.  And so, he asked Allah to take him before he had to witness it.  Allah Accepted his supplication.  He died in 59 AH — one year before Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah assumed the Caliphate and one year before the events that would culminate in Karbala’. The Sources Imam Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Shaybah al-Kufi, the teacher of Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari himself, whose Muswannaf is among the most significant hadits compilations of the classical period, recorded that Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah used to supplicate, “O Allah, Protect me from the sixtieth year and the rule of the boys.” Imam Shihab ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani — whose Fath al-Bari , the definitive commentary on Swahih al-Bukhari , remains the most authoritative explanation of that collection — wrote in explanation: “He was referri...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Our shaykh , Shaykh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah Niyas al-Kawlakhi ( q.s. ) made ziyarah of both the graves of Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali ( r.a. ); in Karbala’, where his noble body is, and in Egypt, where his noble head is.   About that visit, he said in Sayr al-Qalb :   “In Karbala’, I visited al-Husayn seeking a means, To his father, the pleased one, seeking Allah. ‘Ali, the father of the two grandsons, the Lion of Muhammad, By whose sharp sword I ward off calamities!”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is an extract of Qaswidah Hamziyyah of Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa’id al-Buswiri ash-Shadzili ( q.s. ).   Among the couplets of this poem are the following lines, referencing the tragic fate of the Ahl al-Bayt , at Karbala’:   “And the two sons whose perfumed scent is from you, Who the extremely pure one had borne. You used to give them shelter in yourself, just as, The ya’ gave shelter to the writing of its two dots. Two martyrs, neither at-Taf makes me forget, Their affliction, nor Karbala’. The ruled did not take care of your rights in regard to them, And the rulers as well betrayed your pact. They replaced the love and care to your relatives; And the fogs of hypocrisy rose from its people. Hardened became their hearts towards those, For whose loss, the earth and heaven had wept. So, weep for them as much as you are able, surely the very least. In the midst of such a great affliction,...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Marwan ibn al-Hakam converted in the time of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) and spent time in his company.   By all accounts, he would be considered a swahabah in Sunni Islam.   However, besides being the fourth Umayyad caliph, he also incited Muslim ibn ‘Uqbah, Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah’s general, against the people of Makkah and Madina, in al-Harrah .   The Ka’bah was burnt, the Prophet’s ( s.a.w. ) Mosque was defiled, the ‘amir and leader of Madina, the swahabah Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn Hanzhalah ( r.a. ), was murdered and thousands of the swahabah and tabi’un were put to the sword, the women raped, and slaves taken.   It was this act that caused Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah to elevate the states of his cousin, Marwan, which lead to his caliphate.   A year before, Marwan also incited Yazid to confront Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali ( r.a. ) and the Ahl al-Bayt at Karbala, leading to the infamous massacre on ‘Ashura.   As caliph, he w...

Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-‘Abidin, when he was harassed by the Umayyad tyrants, lamented: “O Winds!  If someday you pass by the sacred land, then pass my salaam Before the Rawdhah al-Aqdas where the most exalted Nabi rests. The sadness of separation from Madina feels, Like a sword stuck deep into my liver. How fortunate are the people of that city in, Which is the Exalted and Beloved Prophet. O Rahmatan li al-‘Aalamin !  Assist Zayn al-‘Abidin, Who is standing alone and in difficulty amongst the tyrants.” Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin survived Karbala in 680 CE only because illness had left him too weak to fight alongside his father, Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali.  He watched, from a sickbed, as the men of his own household were killed around him.  He was then taken captive, marched in chains alongside the surviving women of the Ahl al-Bayt across the desert to Damascus, and paraded before Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah’s own court, the same court responsible for the massa...

On the Naqshbandi Way, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) said, “Our Way is very rare and very precious.  It is the Firm Handhold, the way of keeping firm and steadfast in the footsteps of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) and of his companions.  They Brought me to this Way from the Door of Favours, because at its beginning and at its end, I witnessed nothing but the Favours of Allah.  In this Way, great doors of Heavenly Knowledge will be opened up to the seeker who follows in the footsteps of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).” Of all the thariqa’ , the Naqshbandi Haqqani is the easiest to take initiation.  Our shaykh , Shah Baha’ ad-Din an-Naqshband ( q.s. ), said that he will take the worst of us and make us the best.  And that is why the spiritual exercises of the Naqshbandi tend to be heavier. Shah Naqshband, the fourteenth-century Bukharan master whose name the order carries, was born in Qaswr al-‘Arifan near Bukhara, in 717 AH / 1317 CE and died in the same vill...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ With regards his Path, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) said. “I had been Asked, in the beginning of my state of attraction, ‘Why are you entering this Path?’   I answered, ‘In order that whatever I say and whatever I want will happen.’   I was answered, ‘That will not be.   Whatever We Say and whatever We Want is what will happen.’   And I said, ‘I cannot do that.   I must be permitted to say and to do whatever I like, or I do not want this Way.’   Then I received the Answer, ‘No, it is whatever We Want to be said and whatever We Want to be done that must be said and done.’   And I said again, ‘Whatever I say and whatever I do is what must be.’   Then I was left alone for fifteen days, until I was overwhelmed with a tremendous depression.   Then I heard a voice, ‘O Baha’ ad-Din, whatever you want, We will Grant.’   I was overjoyed.   I said, ‘I want to be Given a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) related, “One day, I was sitting with a friend in seclusion, and the Heavens Opened, and a grand vision came to me, and I heard a voice saying, ‘Is it not enough for you to leave everyone, and to come to Our Presence Alone?’   This voice reduced me to a state of trembling, causing me to run away from that house.   I ran to a river where I threw myself in.   I washed my clothes, and prayed two raka’at in a way that I had never prayed before, feeling as if I was praying in the Divine Presence.   Everything was opened to my heart in a state of kashf .   The entire universe disappeared, and I was not aware of anything other than praying in His Presence.”

About his youth, Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband said, “I would arise early, three hours before fajr prayer, take ablution, and after performing sunnah prayers, I would go into prostration, supplicating Allah with the following prayer: ‘O my Lord, Give me the strength to carry the difficulties and the pain of Your Love.’  Then I would pray fajr with the shaykh .”  His shaykh then was Shaykh Muhammad Baba as-Samasi. “On his way out one day, he looked at me and said, as if he had been with me when I made that supplication, ‘O my son, you have to change the method of your supplication.  Instead, say, ‘O Allah, Grant Your Pleasure to this weak servant.’  Allah does not like His servants to be in difficulties.  Although Allah in His Wisdom might Give some difficulties to His servants to Test them, the servant must not ask to be in difficulties.  This would not be respectful to your Lord.’” This account comes from the manaqib , the hagiographic tradit...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ There is a story from the Qadiri thariqa’ of Shah Baha’ ad-Din Muhammad an-Naqshband ( q.s. ).   It is said that 150 years after the death of Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ), people asked Shah an-Naqshband ( q.s. ), “Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir said, ‘My foot is on the shoulders of all the saints’, what do you think about this?”   Shah an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) replied, “May Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir ’ s foot be upon my eyes and my vision.”   One day, Shah an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) was travelling in the desert when he met Khidhr ( a.s. ), who transported him to the spiritual presence of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ).   This was before he had earned the title, “ an-Naqshband ”.   Shah an-Naqshband ( q.s. ) said, “O one who holds hands in the universe, hold my hand so they will be your holder of hands.”   Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) put his hand on Shaykh an-Naqs...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali ( r.a. ) said, about Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, “I am on the path of truth; Yazid personifies falsehood and corruption.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It was written that Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali’s ( r.a. ) stand in Karbala was the last breath of the Khulafah ar-Rashidin , the final attempt to bring back that Original Way.   He said, “I have risen up, not for oppression or arrogance, but to fix the ummah of my grandfather.”   To those who warned him of being killed by the tyrants, he replied, “And if the affairs of this ummah will not be set right except by my death, then be it.”   The Khulafah ar-Rashidin never came back after that.   It will only return with the Guided Imam , Imam al-Mahdi ( a.s. ), from the Ahl al-Bayt , in the end of times.   He will be the true successor of Sayyidina ‘Ali ( k.w. ), Sayyidina Hasan ( r.a. ) and Sayyidina Husayn ( r.a. ).   Until then, we do the best we can and make swalawat on Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ) and the Family of Muhammad ( s.a.w. ).