* To Be Grateful *

What you need to know and do as your first priority

benaakli — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:53:00 -0500

One of the most famous and widely used books on the subject is "Matn Ibn Ashir" (The poem of Ibn Ashir) or just Ibn Ashir for short. Ibn Ashir's full name is: Abu Muhammad Abdulwahid Ahmad Bin Ali Bin Ashir Al-Ansari Al-Andalussi Al-Fassi. He is a descendant of The Ansar, the tribes from Madina that gave full support to the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. His forefathers migrated from the Iberian Peninsula to Fes in Morocco. He was born, brought up and buried in Fes. He died Thursday afternoon 3rd of Dhi-Hijjah 1040 Hijra (~Thursday 3 July 1631 C.E.) Hijra means migration. But here it means the migration of the Prophet from Makkah to Madina (City of the Prophet). In dating preference is given to the Hijri calendar. It is a reminder that one should migrate to what pleases our Creator and that it is a life struggle. He studied under many scholars. He reached a high level of mastery in sciences relating to the Qur'an, Hadith, Arabic language, logic, arithmetics, inheritance, astronomy etc. He went for Haj (pilgrimage) to Makkah which was a long and dangerous journey in those days. He was a doctor. He was also a warrior. He was a man who practiced what he learnt. Matn Ibn Ashir covers the basic necessities which every one should know by the age of responsibility. It is divided into three main topics: 1. Aqida which is a technical term for Iman. It is an inward science that puts the heart at rest on firm foundations. 2. Fiqh which is a technical term for Islam. It is an outward science that guides a person into the correct behaviour at any time and place. Its root lies in Iman. 3. Tassawuf which is a technical term for Ihsan. It is based on aqida and fiqh and guides a person to be at its best at all times. Muslims preserved the path that leads them back to the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in relating the sacred texts (Qur'an and hadith) as well as in understanding them. Hence Ibn Ashir followed a path that leads to: 1. Al-Imam Al-Ashari in Aqida. He died 330 (or so) Hijra (~941 C.E.) He is a famous scholar from Baghdad. He is a descendant of Abu Mussa Al-Ashari Al-Ansari the famous companion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, from Madina. 2. Al-Imam Malik in Fiqh. He died Sunday Morning 14th of Rabi Al-Awal 179 Hijra (~Sunday 7 June 795 C.E.) He is a famous Madina scholar. He was a third generation scholar of Madina after the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He is the authority on many sciences taught in Al-Madina. 3. Al-Imam Al-Junaid in Tassawuf. He died in 297 Hijra (~909 C.E.) Al-Imam Al-Junaid is from Baghdad. He is known as the master of sayings and practice among scholars. His chain of transmission goes back to Al-Imam Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, the son in law and companion of the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. There is a lot more to say but i hope it is an opening for ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to reflect. Wassalam (Peace)

Lo! We inspire thee (O! Mohammad)...

benaakli — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:30:00 -0500

...as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms; And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and Allah spake directly unto Moses; Messengers of good cheer and off warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah is ever Mighty, Wise." (Al-Qur'an 4:163-165 (Pickthall)) In the world today one cannot find an authentic unbroken chain of transmission to a prophet except those that lead to the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. There are three types of scholars dealing with the sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Some are concerned with the ways of transmitting exactly what they have received from their predecessors. Others are concerned with the ways of extracting sciences from those sayings. And Others are concerned with practicing those sayings and reflecting the knowledge therein. The famous scholar Al-Imam An'nawawi, may Allah be pleased with him, collected forty two sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. This collection is easy to memorise by children and adults alike. Following is a recitation of the Arabic version that inshAllah (Allah willing) will help those intending to memorise some sayings of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. First Saying Second Saying Third Saying Fourth Saying Fifth Saying Sixth Saying Seventh Saying Eighth Saying Nineth Saying Tenth Saying Eleventh Saying Twelfth Saying Thirteenth Saying Fourteenth Saying Fifteenth Saying Sixteenth Saying Seventeenth Saying Eighteenth Saying Nineteenth Saying Twentieth Saying Twenty first Saying Twenty second Saying Twenty third Saying Twenty fourth Saying Twenty fifth Saying Twenty sixth Saying Twenty seventh Saying Twenty eighth Saying Twenty ninth Saying Thirtieth Saying Thirty first Saying Thirty second Saying Thirty third Saying Thirty fourth Saying Thirty fifth Saying Thirty sixth Saying Thirty seventh Saying Thirty eighth Saying Thirty ninth Saying Fortieth Saying Forty first Saying Forty second Saying InshAllah (Allah willing) the rest follows in another post Wassalam (Peace)

Suwar (Chapters) that link Musaa (Moses), Isaa (Jesus) and Mohammad

benaakli — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:37:00 -0600

...peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all. Suratu 'Sharh Chapter 94 of AlQuran recited slowly: The same chapter by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: Suratu 'Teen Chapter 95 of AlQuran recited slowly: The same chapter by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: At the end of chapter 95, Suratu-'Teen, a question is asked by Allah. One should answer that question. In the tradition related by Al-Imam A'Tirmidhi and others, the answer is: I have recited it twice. First slowly and then in a normal speed. This is not Qur'an but it is part of the way the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to interact with AlQur'an. This answer is very difficult for me to translate, but in short it means: "I witness that Allah is the wisest of the wise" and Allah and his Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, know best.

From Allah to his beloved

benaakli — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:05:00 -0600

Chapter 93 of Al-qur'an in a slow recitation: The same chapter but the recitation if of the Master ASheikh AlHusari:

Among believers are Men (AlQur'an 33:23)

benaakli — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:07:00 -0500

In my heart, i feel that one such Man was Badiu'z-Zaman Nursi. He was Kurdish and Turkish. A true Muslim can be both. His father as he took his sheep for grazing would cover their mouths. In this way they would not eat of other people's grass. His mother would always be in a state of wudu (cleanliness) before breast feeding her children. During the First World War, while fighting the Russians, he was taken as a prisoner all the way to Siberia. Siberia is of the Arabic word 'sabr' which means to be patient. With all that might of Russia at that time, he found his way back to Turkey. Badiu'z-Zaman did not shed blood of innocent people. He did not harm his fellow human beings. He worked hard to remove contention between people. While eating he even had spare food for the ants that were passing by. It is related by his brother that Badiu'z-Zaman as a young student changed after he started keeping the company of a poor man. Long after his burial, it was ordered to remove him from his burial site. His body was found preserved. He even had a smile on his face. His new resting place is unknown. But his soul remains among us inshallah. To follow the ways of other than those true 'Men' is choosing a hard way to live. These Men have been blessed by reflecting some of the light of our Master Muhammad, Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

The most knowlegeable of us ...

benaakli — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:07:00 -0500

... is the one who memorised most. Here is suratu alaq (Chapter of the Clot), whose first lines where the first to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It started in Ramadan. A slow recitation: The same sura by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: Wassalam (Peace)

The first revealed word

benaakli — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:59:00 -0500

In a blessed month of Ramadan, in Ghar Hira (a small cave) on top of Jabal Annour (mountain of light), the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, experienced revelation. This mountain is in Mecca, in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. The cave has an opening that points directly to AlKaaba, the center of one of the holiest places for the Muslims. As he went for a period of isolation and ibada (worship), suddenly Jibreel (Gabriel), peace be upon him, appeared to him and said "iqra" (read). The Prophet replied, "I do not read." He hugged and squeezed him tightly and said "iqra" The Prophet replied, "I do not read." He hugged and squeezed him tightly for the second time then released him and said "iqra" The Prophet replied, "I do not read." He hugged and squeezed him tightly for the third time then released him and said: "Read: In the name of thy Lord who createth, createth man from a clot, read: and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous," AlQur'an 96:1-3 (Picktall) The word "iqra" is usually translated as read or recite. However this word is packed with meanings and I think this word has no equivalent in English. In Arabic you say "qara-ate 'lmar'a" when a woman has entered her monthly period. So on one side you have a 'clean' period of time, on the other you have menstruation. Joining the two is called in Arabic 'qur'. Also prior to menstruation blood collects in the uterus and then it is discharged. So in the word 'qur' you have the idea of collection, bringing things together, uniting things. 'qur' is a noun. 'iqra' is a verb. So the arabs expanded on the use of this word "iqra" and used it for joining letters together to make words and sentences. So when one is reading/reciting AlQur'an, they are joining the letters together, words, and sentences. Hence AlQur'an, linguistically, is a name of the action of uniting the letters to produce sounds made up of words/sentences. The first revealed word is clearly linked to a woman's body clock. The narration of the first revelation incident is by a women called Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. The first person to give full support to the Prophet is a woman called Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, is the wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. She is a narrator of many of his sayings. She is a doctor. She has extensive knowledge of the Arabic language. She is an outstanding scholar among the companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, is the first wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. She passed away before his migration . He has never forgotten her. Khadijah gave everything to Muhammad. Muhammad gave everything to Aisha. Aisha gave everything to the followers of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all. AlQur'an is about unity and uniqueness of Allah's attributes. AlQur'an unites ones heart to be only for Allah. Ramadan Mubarak

Knowledge with the first light

benaakli — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:44:00 -0500

To witness light after darkness, to call upon the Most Generous by stretching your hands to the heavens when no hands are returned empty, to have a heart at peace throughout the day, before going to sleep read the ending of Surat AlKahf (Chapter of the Cave), AlQur'an 18:107-110, with the intention of waking up for fajr (daybreak prayer) Here is a slow recitation: And here is a recitation by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: When you wake up, in the name of Allah wipe the sleep off your eyes, head towards the nearest masjid and attend salatul jamaa (communal prayer) Wassalam (Peace)

Levels of understanding

benaakli — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 17:52:00 -0500

The text of AlQur'an is one thing. The understanding of the text is another thing. The text of AlQur'an we have today has been taught and recited by our Master the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It was also written in front of him by his companions, may Allah be pleased with them all. The authenticity of the text and recitation is undisputed. However the understanding of the text can be agreed upon, disputed or even rejected. Inshallah I will give examples of each one in another post. It is relatively easy to relate the words of a mufassir (someone who explains the 'verses' of AlQur'an). However to come to an unprecedented and valid understanding of AlQur'an, it takes much hard work. It requires much of the good qualities in a human being to be exercised. Sidi Abu Madyan, a 5th Hijra Century scholar said: "A seeker of Allah is not a true seeker till he finds in AlQur'an all he seeks." One of the people of Allah said: "I spend four to five nights understanding one ayah (a verse of AlQur'an) and I intentionally stop that so that I can move to the next ayah" Another one said: "I have a weekly recitation of the whole Qur'an, a monthly, and a yearly, and I have one that I have started thirty years ago." The translations in many languages available today are not Qur'an. They are an understanding or a translation of an understanding of AlQur'an. A good reciter of AlQuran is rewarded but that does not imply he understands AlQuran. When one says I follow AlQur'an, he means he follows an understanding of AlQur'an. This understanding was reached by himself or by others. If it is from himself/herself then it is subjected to rigorous rules to prove whether it is valid or not. However if it is related from others then, not only it is subjected to the same rigorous rules, but references should also be provided. It is agreed upon that the highest level of understanding is that of our Master the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. True understanding leads to humility. True understanding leads to Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. and Allah and His Messenger know best.

Daily recitation

benaakli — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:14:00 -0500

The following suras are only two to three lines long. Yet they hold the keys to the reality of this world and the keys to the attributes of its creator. They are to be recited by a muslim once or twice a day at least. Some of the people of Allah recite them hundreds of times each day. A slow recitation of AlIkhlas: The same sura by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: A slow recitation of AlFalaq: The same sura by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: A slow recitation of An'nas: The same sura by the Master ASheikh AlHusari: