Islam's Green

The Journey to Allah

 

 

For those of us who are castrated by the lack of adequate Arabic, we'll have to keep relying on translators to bring us ilm in a language we can understand. We are fortunate to have a vast range of materials available to us in the English language, some of which is so badly translated that it might as well have stayed in Arabic, or is so verbose that one needs a dictionary at hand to make head or tail of it, but on the other hand we have the likes of Abu Rumaysah who's translations of some of the works of ibn Rajab al Hanbali strike a nice balance between academic propriety, the poetic and comprehensible. There is whole series published by Daar us Sunnah, but I am referring here to a most valuable treaties called "The Journey to Allah".

The book begins with four hadith that bear somewhat the same meaning, and the rest of the treatise could be looked at as an explanation of those invaluable words of guidance from the Prophet saws.

The hadith reminds us of what ibn Rajab calls "the great principle", and the first five chapters of the book deal with "the great principle" and how to understand and apply it. "The great principle" is that our deeds are not enough to save us from hell fire or attain paradise. What is of upmost importance is our humility and seeking forgiveness of Allah and our being grateful to Him. So this is the path that we should tread on our journey to Him, the exalted. The deeds that are most beloved to Allah are those done continuously, even if they are few, and we should be steadfast, balanced and through moderation we will reach our goal.

Bukhari records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet saws said "This religion is easy, none makes it hard upon himself except that it overwhelms him; therefore be firm, steadfast, and balanced; upon which have glad tidings! Seek help in this by journeying to Allah at the beginning of the day, at the end of the day, and portion of the latter part of the night."

This is a hadith that needs to be expounded from every minbar and talked about in every gathering, because the destructive effects of the madness that is sold by some as deen these days is in danger of consuming us all!

The book was a personal timely reminder for myself at a time when my exertions in travelling a dawa had begun to take a server toll on me, and I was feeling very "burnt out". The danger at this stage is that one can easily abandon the good that one was upon, where as the solution lies in adopting a balance approach from the outset.

The final chapters talk about the excellence of drawing close to Allah and the types of reaching Him, in this life and the next, with a warning of those things that can destroy our deeds and leave us in poverty on the inevitable day we meet our Lord.

This is a book to be read and re-read, remembered and acted upon. A veritable treasure in a mere 70 pages!

Palestinain Film Festival

Not that I'll have time to go, but it looks great.

http://www.palestinefilm.org/2008/

Go, encourage others to go, because if Ken is out and Boris in because we didn't bother to vote I'm not sure we'll be having many more of these!

Also check this out and tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqbQWxHIn4

I found it very emotional. Stragely enough a brother sent it to me as proof of Islamophobia, which we can't deny yet I saw it more as a hope for justice and truth!

Us and Them

 

I've just decided to start reading the Hobbit. I had a go a while back whilst in my late teens when I was ploughing my way through books and trying to read all the classics, but I never got beyond the first page. I'm not sure why, because it is indeed delightful.

I'm not really sure I have time to read such books, and I probably shouldn't. Rather I should engage myself in some more profound activity. Perhaps that's why I've put the book down and opened my laptop and decided to pen some words about a thought that came to me whilst reading about the dwarves and Gandolf coming for tea sitting down and having a merry time. Bilbo is asking if they will all stay for supper, and I'm thinking "It's time to pray asr!"

And there is it! No, not beginning a new paragraph with "and", but there it is: them and us. The Kaffir, the Muslim, the difference. You see it's clear that Hobbits are very hospitable creatures, which indeed is a noble trait that Tolkien attributes to his imaginary creatures, but so were the pagan Arabs, ever hospitable indeed, in fact legendarily hospitable. In fact you will find virtually every nation and group of people has some worthy characteristic or another, but this is difference between the believer and the infidel; prayer. Not just the occasional prayer, mind you, like those who cry out only in times of trouble but regular like clockwork five times a day, just a part of my normal everyday life because it is the centre of my life prayer. It the type of prayer that breaks up every part of the day and directs it toward the Mighty King of all creation, and imbibes the love and worship and fear of Him in one's life. It's the type of prayer that makes life centred around Him, since knowing Him is the very purpose of existence, and the one who knows Him understands that our willing servitude, our praising and asking Him is beloved to Him, and through that we become His beloved and His "awliya".

Now if we Muslims hate adventure like Hobbits hate it because it disturbs the regularity of their suppers, we would be like that because it disrupts our prayers, and regular reading of the Quran and attending the masjid, because as a Hobbits joy is in food and ease ours is in prayer and worship. This is the gulf between them and us. A gulf about what we love and why, what we do and why.

Google Mail - Be The Change - Support IFEES to Support Planet Earth

BE THE CHANGE - SUPPORT IFEES TO SUPPORT PLANET EARTH
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“Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what
the hands of humankind have earned. So that (Allah) may
give them a taste of some of their actions, in order that
they may turn back to Him.” Qur’an, 30:41
We are all more than aware of the unprecedented damage that
has been caused to the earth through selfish human behavior.
Climate Change, pollution, deforestation, poisoned food chains
and social upheaval are now part of our daily diet of news.
Ecosystems are in crisis in many parts of the Muslim world.
“The creation of the heavens and the earth is far greater
than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind do not
know it.” Qur’an, 40:56
SO HERE’S THE CHALLENGE!
“It is He who has appointed you as viceroys in the earth.”
Qur’an, 6:165
Allah has described mankind as His Guardians on earth. It is
therefore our responsibility to take care of other creatures
and the earth itself. Yet how many of us take these duties
seriously as an integral part of our way of life?
IFEES’ CONSERVATION WORK IS BASED ON QUR’AN AND SHARIAH DERIVED PRINCIPLES
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