“O Allaah! You are `Afuww…”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه وأتباعه بإحسان إلى يوم الدين، أما بعد: Tirmidhee and others report: عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا , قَالَتْ : قُلْتُ : إنْ عَلِمْتُ أَيُّ لَيْلَةٍ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ مَا أَقُولُ فِيهَا ؟ قَالَ : قُولِي : اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ…

Bitter Sweet

It was a bitter sweet moment… As I reached out to fetch my nephew’s toy boat from under the cupboad, I grabbed a book to help me reach it as it had gone too far under. After I retrieved the boat, I looked to see which book had come to my aid. To my amazement, I…

Supplication

Calamity is one of the most trying things one can have to face. As Westerners, we are rarely exposed to the level of hardships and tribulations that those in poorer countries face. May Allah protect us and eliviate the hardship from those suffering I was recently with two dear friends of mine, each of whom…

O Lovers

Ey ashighan ey asheghan, hengame kuchast az jehan O lovers, lovers! The time to depart this world has come! Dar gush-e janim mirasad tabl-e rahil az asuman My ear has heard the heavenly drum which tells that that time has come ♦ (Chorus) sali rabi ala alnabi, alhashimi al-mutalibi My Lord send praises upon the…

A place I called Home

The flat in the background, 3rd floor on the right, is our flat in ‎Syria. This was the house my father grew up in, learned his faith, served the community, qualified as a doctor, married my mum and visited whenever we returned to town. Every other summer we would return here to visit our family and…

Castaway

O my soul, come, cast away from fantasy, O my soul, come, cast away from fantasy, Dive into this sea of love if you would see With your heart’s eyes wonders known in prophecy. ♦ Lovers follow Love alone as their imam, Drunk within but outwardly serene and calm, Love is older than all else…

The Islamists?

I have no right to comment on Egypt as I have almost no knowledge of the details other than through western media which I don’t fully trust. In the words of a friend of mine: “I think one of our biggest faults as westerners is the arrogance that we think we can judge others… in…

Islamic Texts for the Blind

A remarkable effort to make Islamic texts and knowledge available for the Blind. [http://www.kitaba.org/] An example of their work is below: —————————— As Ramadan approaches, Islamic Texts for the Blind is preparing to help all our supporters utilise and benefit as fully as possible from this blessed month. We have prepared an audio book on…

Dreams

A wonderful book recommended to me by Sh. Faraz Rabbani, describing how a person can find their purpose and passion in life. Here’s an interesting passage from the book on dreams and aspirations: “After one of their gigs, I told Charles how well I thought he’d played that night. Then I said that I’d live…

He who seeks

He who seeks the signs of Beauty Shuns his self, then shuns his self. He for whom union’s the duty Shuns his self, then shuns his self. ♦ He who fasts from passing pleasures, At the Eid knows Love itself; He who hears of Beauty’s treasures, Shuns his self, then shuns his self. ♦ East…