A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from the sixteenth discourse of Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ), as recorded in Futuh al-Ghayb .   Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “Nothing blocks you from directly receiving Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Grace and Favour except your reliance upon people and connections, on good turns and handouts.   Thus, creatures are your obstacle to gaining a proper livelihood, in keeping with the exemplary practice of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).   As long as you continue to depend on fellow creatures, hoping for their gifts and favours, going from door to door with your requests, you are associating His Creation with Allah ( s.w.t. ).   He will, therefore, Punish you with deprivation of that proper livelihood, namely the lawful earnings of this world.   Then, when you have renounced the habit of depending on people and associating them with your Lord, and have ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   History repeats itself.   Again and again and again.   And yet the people are heedless of it.   They do not see the Signs of Allah (s.w.t.), but are content with their chasing of dunya .   In 638 CE, Sayyidina Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn al-Khaththab al-Faruq ( r.a. ) pledged that the rights of the Ahl al-Kitab would be honoured.   In 1099, the Fatimids, in violation of the pledge of Sayyidina ‘Umar ( r.a. ), violently expelled the Christians and Jews from Jerusalem.   Soon after, Allah ( s.w.t. ) Punished them, and the Crusaders conquered it.   It was a horrific massacre of the Eastern Christians, the Muslims and the Jews.   This was typical of Crusader barbarity.   Men, women and children were killed.   Pregnant women were ripped open.   Bodies were sawed open in search of loot.   And there were instances of cannibalism.   All in the name of Jesus ( a.s. ).   The Latin Kingd...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ His name was Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hatimi ath-Tha’iy al-Andalusi al-Mursi ad-Dimashqi ( q.s. ), known simply as Shaykh ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) to differentiate him from Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-‘Arabi ( r.a. ), the Maliki jurist.   He was a scholar of Arabic letters first, then tafsir and taswawwuf .   He was nicknamed “al-Qushayri” and “ Sulthan al-‘Arifin ”, in his time, for his pre-eminence in taswawwuf .   He was born in Murcia, on Sunday, 17 th of Ramadhan, 560 AH, or 25 th July 1165 CE; at night.   He was known in his lifetime for his pithy, asceticism, and generosity.   Shaykh ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) was praised by Imam Zayn ad-Din Abd al-Ra’uf ibn Taj̲ al-‘Arifin al-Haddadi al-Munawi ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) as “ waliyyun swalihun wa ‘alimun naswih ”, “a righteous friend of Allah ( s.w.t. ) and a faithful scholar of knowledge”.   He was pr...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Are Sufi and dervishes the same thing? ”   The term “Sufi” is one of the most misunderstood terms in Islam.   Even those who claim to follow Sufi orders mistakenly call themselves Sufis, which is a great presumption.   According to Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ), the Sufis have four interpretations for their names.   These names are given on account of what they represented to those who knew of them and their ways.   When some had looked at the exterior and seen the woolen garb of which they became famous for wearing, they were called thus after the Arabic word for wool which is “ swuf ”.   The garb is to symbolise humility by leaving that which is ostentatious. But even that garb may be a veil for those who have humbled themselves may become proud that they are humble.   When others looked at their wa...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ How would you describe Sufism? ”   Sufism, known as taswawwuf or ‘irfan , is the science of Islamic spirituality.   Just as an accredited scholar of fiqh , jurisprudence, is known as a faqih , jurist; the master of this science is known as a Sufi.   The schools of practice are known as thuruq , the singular being thariqa’ .   According to the Mufti of Baghdad, and one of the great scholars of Islam, Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ), the Sufis have four interpretations for their names.   These names are given on account of what they represented to those who knew of them and their ways.   He said that when some had looked at the exterior and seen the woolen garb of which they became famous for wearing, they were called after the Arabic word for wool, “ swuf ”.   Others looked at their way of life, free from the an...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم   The heretic, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of the Wahhabi sect said, in his Kitab at-Tawhid , “The agreement between the Scripture of the Jews and Islam, in that they both confirm that Allah has fingers, though they are unlike our fingers, and exactly how they are, is unknown to us.”     This is blatant misrepresentation of Jewish and Muslim theology.   Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ), in his Sirr al-Asrar wa Mazhar al Anwar , wrote, “Our Master. the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, ‘The hearts of the Children of Adam are between the two fingers of the All-Merciful.   He Turns them whichever way He Wills.’”   This is a metaphorical phrase.   Shaykh Tu’sun Bayrak al-Jirrahi ( q.s. ) said, the two “fingers” of Allah ( s.w.t. ) are His Attributes of the Irresistible Power of punishment and the Loving and Delicate Beauty of the Beneficence, His Jalal wa Jamal ....

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani   ( q.s. ) said, about humility, “It is with this virtue, humility, that the servant’s residence is Erected, that his station is Raised high, that his honour and eminence are Made Perfect in the Sight of Allah ( s.w.t. ) and in the sight of His creatures, and that he is Empowered to achieve all his worldly and otherworldly goals.   This virtue is the root, branch and consummation of all virtues, whereby the servant attains to the stations of the righteous; those who are content with Allah ( s.w.t. ) in joy and sorrow alike.   This is the perfection of piety.   Humility means that the servant never meets anyone without assuming him to be worthier than himself.   He will always say, ‘Perhaps he is better than I in Allah’s Sight, and higher in degree.’   If it is someone younger, he will say, ‘This person has not offended Allah ( s.w.t. ) as...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “Accept these invocations of swalawat from me, for I received them by way of ilham from Allah ( s.w.t. ), then I presented them to the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).   I intended to ask him about their special merit, but he answered me before I asked him, and he said to me, ‘They have a special merit that is something too tremendous to be calculated.   They raise those who adopt them to the highest degrees, and cause them to reach the farthest goals.   If someone seeks to achieve some purpose by them, he will not be turned away disappointed.   His idea will not be frustrated, and his supplication will not be Rejected.   If someone recites them, even one time only, or carries them with him, Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Grant Forgiveness to him and to those who are with him in his company.   When his final moment is at hand, four of the an...