A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Huzan al-Qushayri ( r.a. ) wrote, in his ar-Risalah al-Qushayriyyah fi ʿIlm at-Taswawwuf , about Shaykh Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn Maslamah al-Haddad ( q.s. ), who came from the village of Kuradabadh, near the gate of the city of Nishapur, toward the direction of Bukhara.   He was a great Sufi master, and leader, who died around 260 AH. Shaykh Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn Maslamah al-Haddad ( q.s. ) said, “Sins are messengers of disbelief in the same way as fever is a messenger of death.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan ( r.a. ) said, “Remember your kafan instead of beautiful clothes, remember the grave instead of the luxuries of lavish mansions, and remember all that delicious foods you feast on shall one day make you a delicious feast for the worms.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Habib ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Jifri said, “In Russia, the rebel movement of Shamil Basayev was responsible for the killing of 350 people in the Beslan school siege.  Most of them were children.  In Nigeria, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 young girls from a school in Borno State.  In Yemen, Al-Qaeda blew up a school in the city of Reda in which 20 children were killed.  And just now, the Pakistani Taliban massacred 141 students in a school in Peshawar.   After all this, there still remains amongst us, people who consider these criminal khwarij to be ‘ mujahidin ’!  May God Guide us, and Guide through us, Lift the veil from our sight, and Return us to Islam in a beautiful return.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari ( q.s. ) said,  “ Your Saying ‘ Allahu Akbar ’ does not mean that He is Greater than something else, since there is nothing else alongside of Him, so that it could be said that He is Greater than it.  Rather, the meaning of ‘ Allahu Akbar ’ is that He is much too Great to be perceived by the senses, or for the depths of His Majesty to be reached by reason and logic, and indeed, that He is much too Great to be known by an other-than-Him for truly, no one knows God but God.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Huzan al-Qushayri ( r.a. ) wrote, in his ar-Risalah al-Qushayriyyah fi ʿIlm at-Taswawwuf , about Shaykh Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn Maslamah al-Haddad ( q.s. ), who came from the village of Kuradabadh, near the gate of the city of Nishapur, toward the direction of Bukhara.   He was a great Sufi master, and leader, who died around 260 AH. Shaykh Abu Hafsw ‘Umar ibn Maslamah al-Haddad ( q.s. ) said, “Chivalry consists in being fair, while not demanding fairness.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   This is the ayat recited for those who seek to pass by unseen:   سُوۡرَةُیسٓ إِنَّاجَعَلۡنَا فِىٓ أَعۡنَـٰقِهِمۡ أَغۡلَـٰلاً۬ فَهِىَ إِلَى ٱلۡأَذۡقَانِ فَهُممُّقۡمَحُونَ (٨)   Innaa ja’alnaa fii a’anaaqihim aghlaalan fahiya ilaa al-adzqaan fahum muqmahuun.   We have Put yokes round their necks right up to their chins, so that their heads are forced up (and they cannot see). (Surah YaSin:8)   This is the ayat the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) read, when he passed by the Quraysh who waited to assassinate him.   He picked up sand or dust, and blew it in their direction.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Before the hijrah to Madina, some Muslims made the first hijrah to Abyssinia, and were granted asylum.  When the Quraysh sent envoys to have them expelled, they pled their case before the Negus, Sayyidina Aswhamah ibn Abjar an-Najashi ( r.a. ).   Sayyidina Ja’far ibn ‘Abu Thalib ath-Thayyar ( k.w. ) addressed the Negus ( r.a. ), “We were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols, and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination, and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak.  We remained in this state until Allah ( s.w.t. ) Sent us a prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us.”