HOW DO I RING IN THE NEW YEAR?

After being in a state of living from day to day for the past two years, I am thinking of many things including what I need to be doing with the rest of my life.
All my life that I can remember I have always planned celebrations to bring in the new year. However this year is different. I feel mortal, vulnerable, and unsure whether I will make it into 2008.
There also this feeling that this New Year is fake as it is not truly the muslim New Year, which begins on the first of Muharram.
I don’t know enough about the Sunnah to follow for the first of Muharram. I do know that on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fasted for those two days because historically that was when the red sea parted and Allah Subhanawataala saved Moses (AS) and his people from his enemies.
But what of 2008? Shouldn’t I be doing something special on the eve of 2008?
Mulling the possibilities of how to usher in 2008, I have an idea! Perhaps to recreate a portion of a retreat that we once held on the beach in the fall:
There are twelve of us from different walks of life, and different ages. We are meeting at a house on the beach for a retreat to rejuvenate our emaan. The guest speaker is a lady who walks the walk and practices what she preaches in other words a rare bird in today’s world.
One night from the retreat that can be recreated for New Years Eve would be:
After an early dinner we meet in the living room for a candle light halaqa and talk about inspirational figures in Islamic history. Or rather our guest talks and we listen. It is a surreal atmosphere, listening to the waves crashing on the beach, the candlelight playing with the shadows of the women in hijab and the red light of the coffee maker alerting us that the water is hot for tea for us. Ayesha (RA) is the topic for this evening. she is an inspiration for the young and old alike. As we listen to the story of Ayesha unfold and her fascinating memory, which has served to immortalize the Sunnah, I want this evening to go on……..
The halaqa regretfully ends and we prepare to pray Isha with Jamaat and follow it with silent reading of the Quran with meaning. Some of us walk under the stars and then go to bed. We arise two hours before fajr and pray tahajjud. It is a beautiful night, some of the younger folks go out to walk on the beach and return for fajr. The rest of us make the most of our time with our Lord. The last third of the night is when He (SWT) is looking out for people praying and He wants us to ask Him for favors. Each one of us spends time in prolonged sujoods feeling closest to Him, asking Him, and finally begging Him for everything we can.
Fajr adhan is a CD recording from the Haram, which brings everyone together in Jamaat. We fall into line and pray in synchrony. At the end of it we remain seated on our prayer rugs and flow into our individual morning supplications. A magic circle is drawn around each of us, transporting us into His presence. We are together with each other and yet individually present before Him.
Can we adapt this to bring in 2008?

‘ and men who remember God much and women who remember God, God has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward ‘
(Quran 33:35).

Ishraaq

PAKISTAN: AN ACHING HEART IN FLAMES

It is raining gently, like the subdued weeping of a child for her mother. The few yellow leaves left over from fall are mixed with the new green of the plants that have been fooled into unfurling by the odd misplaced warmth in the middle of winter.
Odd and misplaced that is how I feel. My hometown is ablaze and instead of being thankful for being safe, I want to be there! People have taken the freedom to be a muslim in a muslim country for granted. The Baron of arrogance has been treating Lady liberty in a cavalier manner.
The people of Pakistan have been bottling up anger for many years, and now they are letting it all out, every bit of it. Life and property has no meaning. In the final analysis what meaning does life and liberty have to those who have eked out a drudgery of an existence in the face of injustice, dishonor and treachery?
The people of Pakistan, both in and away from Pakistan have been cheated at many levels. Starting with ourselves we have been cheating ourselves by placing our ideals in the lap of materialism, for trading our Sidq for false security provided by human beings and by robbing our own kin to enrich others.
In these years somewhere in the flow of life in the big city of Karachi, the reason for living as commanded by Allah got lost. Life became a daily trudge to work, to play, to eat and drink and stay alive. I see how tenuous the hold on life is, and somewhere in the process of living we forgot that it is not we who hold our lives but Allah subhanawataa’la. As I see the pictures of my hometown being ravaged, I am reminded that He (SWT) has power over all people and all things.
My heart is being barraged by the onslaught of grief, and it is rattling with pain. In every torch lit car in Karachi I see an aching heart that has finally burst into flames.
It is as if Allah Subhanawatalla is not only leveling the playing field but also testing the muslims of Pakistan, both in Pakistan and elsewhere. It is a test, to see how we perform when we are under fire. How well do we remember Surah Nisaa? What does it say about engaging a fellow muslim in battle. In what circumstances are we allowed to battle and kill a fellow muslim? What does it say about oppression and finally what does it say about a muslim who is a killer and a muslim who is killed without a defined juristic reason?
Never should a believer kill a believer; but (If it so happens) by mistake, (Compensation is due): If one (so) kills a believer, it is ordained that he should free a believing slave, and pay compensation to the deceased’s family, unless they remit it freely. If the deceased belonged to a people at war with you, and he was a believer, the freeing of a believing slave (Is enough). If he belonged to a people with whom ye have treaty of Mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his family, and a believing slave be freed. For those who find this beyond their means, (is prescribed) a fast for two months running: by way of repentance to Allah: for Allah hath all knowledge and all wisdom.

Quran 4:92 translation by Yusuf Ali
The surah is succinct in its clarification; Farhat Hashmi’s tafseer rings in my ears. In the heat of the battle, if I were in the midst of the rampant expression of sorrow, would I remember the surah? Probably not, unless I had embedded it in my heart and soul long before I was faced with this.
The punishment from Allah is severe and everlasting. It is not only for the killer but the killed in a fight between two muslims both earning their place in the fire of Hell. One for killing a fellow muslim and the other for having the intention to do so.(Barring specific reasons) please read or listen to the details of the explanation of Surah Nisaa in Farhat Hashmi’s tafseer on www.alhudapk.com

If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (For ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. Quran:4:93
translation by Yusuf Ali
How easy it has become to kill in the name of ……….whatever, property, vendetta, honor, anger etc.
The most primitive part of our brain is the temporal lobe. With it we feel, smell and are quickened to rage. It is the rest of the brain that tempers the temporal lobes reaction. If released from the control from the rest of the brain, it can unleash, unlimited rage and devastation.
It is the chivalry and the deep-seated respect that every muslim has in his heart for women, that has been violated and has undone the whole nation. As a woman fell from the impact of her aggressor’s onslaught, the impact touched every man woman and child. This nation of muslims rose in outrage and responded entirely and completely from the most primitive part of the brain, the temporal lobe! All feelings of rage spilling out unchecked by the higher senses.
Anger, grief, years of oppression, hatred, feeling of being at the bottom of the barrel, watching helplessly as injustice is meted out, layers of superficial living, the increasing divide between the haves and have-nots, the vast divide between the practicing and in- name muslims, the increasing distance between master and servant, between faithful and faithless spouses, between wannabes and have-beens and the intense desire to either imitate someone or to destroy those who desire to imitate others, all this has spewed out as a raging inferno triggered by the death of a woman.
As the trigger was pulled to release the agent of death for Benazir, so was a trigger pulled to propel Pakistan into a future where the innocence of the average Pakistani is consumed in the fire of anguish and anger. From the ashes will rise the phoenix and unfortunately the vultures.
The true fight for survival between the phoenix and the vultures will then begin. Pakistan is a country created in the name of Allah as a sanctuary for muslims. What does Allah Subhanawa taaala have in store for it?

How will Allah subhanawataala, judge my compatriots, who in their anguish have been transformed from the oppressed to the oppressors?

Dua/supplication: May Allah guide all of us and keep us under His protection, and forgive us for our transgressions. Ameen

THE CONCEPT OF SABR (PATIENCE) IN ISLAM

Courtesy: Basics_Of_Islam

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Basics_Of_Islam/

“Allah surely loves those who are the Sabireen (patient).” (3:146)


Hardships and ease are a trial for you. Everything Allah chooses for you; from good or evil, is for your benefit. Whatever occurred to you could not have missed you and what missed you could never have reached you. Rewards are only for those who are patient with the Decree of Allah.
Panic and impatience cannot prevent Allah’s Decree. Shakwah (complaining) is contradictory to Sabr (patience). 
 Allah alone can protect you from harm and ease your difficulties. Sabr is obligatory!
If the affliction results from acts of obedience to Allah, such as injury on the battlefield, losing money during Hijrah
(migrating for the sake of Allah), losing a job because of accepting Islam or because one attempts to follow the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (Salal-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) like growing the beard, wearing the lower garment above the ankles, etc, then the affliction is a trial. Whoever bears it with patience will be rewarded and whoever exhibits annoyance may invoke the wrath of Allah upon himself.
If the affliction befalls due to sinful actions, such as illnesses caused by drinking alcohol and using drugs etc, 
 then the affliction is a punishment from Allah. Hasten to avoid all sinful acts and turn towards Allah in
 repentance and ask his forgiveness. Otherwise, know that the punishments of the Hereafter are far more severe and unbearable.
If the affliction is neither connected to neither a good deed nor a sin, such as other kinds of disease and sickness, losing
 a child, or failing in business, then you should evaluate your actions. 
 If you are involved in some kind of disobedience to Allah then the affliction is a punishment for you and a reminder to leave your evil deeds. Otherwise, Allah has caused this affliction to test your patience. The Messenger of Allah (Salal-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “One amongst the inhabitants of Hell, who had lived a
 life of ease and pleasure in the world, would be made to dip in the Hell Fire only once on the Day of Resurrection. 
 Then he would be asked: ‘O son of Adam, Did you find any comfort. Did you get any blessing?’ He would say: ‘By Allah, no, my Lord!’ Then a person, from the inhabitants of Paradise, who had led the most miserable life (in the world), would be made to dip once in Paradise and it would be said to him: ‘O son of Adam, did you face any hardship or experience any distress?’ he would say: ‘By Allah! No never have I experienced any hardship or distress’.” (Saheeh Muslim, No. 6738)


“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad
 tidings to as-Saabireen (the patient ones). 
 Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Inna lillaahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raaji’un (Verily to Allah we belong and verily, to Him we shall return).”
 They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are
 those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones.” (2:155-157)
THE 4 LEVELS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AFFLICTED:

The First Level:
Being angry, and this is in various ways: 
 and anger is of two types. The first type of anger is that which is directed toward his Lord. So he becomes angry at what Allah has decreed for him, and this is Haraam (forbidden). 
 And it is possible that this could lead to kufr. Allah said: “And among mankind is he who worships Allah upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. Reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). 
 He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.” (22:11)
 The second type of anger is expressed by the tongue like making du’aa for destruction or ruin and what is similar to that, and this is Haraam. 
 The third type of anger is expressed by the limbs like slapping the cheeks, ripping clothing, pulling out hair, and similar to that, and all of this is Haraam and in contradiction to patience which is Waajib.
The Second Level:
Being patient, just as in the saying: Patience is like its name – bitter in taste, yet its outcomes are sweeter than honey. 
 The person at this level feels the affliction to weighs very heavy upon him, yet he bears it although he dislikes that it happened. Rather, his Eemaan bears it and restrains him from being angry. So the time of affliction and the time of no affliction is not the same to him, and this (level) is Waajib, because Allah commanded the people to be patient, saying: 
 “And be patient, indeed Allah is with the patient ones.” (8:46)

The Third Level:
Being pleased with the affliction in that the person is pleased with the affliction and whether it happened or not, it is the same to him so he it is not difficult upon him. 
 He does not bear it as if it is something weighing heavy on him, and this (level) is Mustahabb (preferred) and it is not Waajib according to the most correct opinion. 
 The difference between this level and the one before it is apparent because the affliction happening or not happening is the same due to the pleasure of the one on this level. 
 As for the level before it, the affliction is hard upon him, yet he remains patient over it.
The Fourth Level:
Thankfulness and being grateful and this is the highest level. This is that the person thanks Allah for the affliction which has struck him in that he knows that this affliction is expiation for his sins and perhaps a cause for an increase in his good deeds.
 The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “There is no affliction which strikes the Muslim except that
 Allah expiates with it (sins), even with a thorn that may poke him.” (Bukhaaree & Muslim)


Supplication (Dua): O Allah, make us from those who have patience upon hardships and those who are thankful upon Your blessings.

Ameen!

Notes from me:

Allah Subhanawataala says in the Quran:

“Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit, Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him. ” [Quran 2:45-46]

Dua/Supplication:
“Allahumma musarrifal-qulubi, sarrif qulubana `ala ta`atika” – O Allah! Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Your obedience…ameen

BENAZIR……………

Leaders may come and leaders may go but somebody’s mother, somebody’s daughter and somebody’s wife died today. Inna lil lahi wa inna elayhe rajaeoon. It is from him we come and to him we shall return.
Being a prominent political figure, finger pointing is probably rampant at this moment. None of which is of any use to the one who has passed into another realm. Her book of actions is closed. She can no longer add or subtract a single word.
As Khalil Gibran says:
The moving finger writes and having writ moves on,
Not all thy piety nor wit, shall erase a line
Nor all thy tears wipe out a word of it.
What she wrote in her life, her deeds, her actions, her piety, or lack of it, and her efforts, or lack of it for the sake of Allah are all documented and now nothing can be changed, and no one knows what awaits her except her!
She leaves behind loved ones, followers, family who grieve for her departure, some are angered some are anguished, but are there any who can change her book of deeds or make the scale weigh in her favor on the day of judgment?
Her children: do they in their cloud of sorrow have anyone to hold their hand and guide them through this maze of grief. Are they running around seeking justice, perhaps vendetta, or are they spending these three days doing something for her as she is questioned in the grave. In the first three days after death, if the children and close family continuously read the Quran, it is beneficial for the dead person. Her children can seek salvation for their mother, read the Quran, pray for their mother, and seek leniency in the relentless questioning that takes place in the grave.
From her children’s vantage the window of opportunity to do something for their mother is so small, and yet there are so many things of dunya to distract them or perhaps they do not know what to do. Perhaps they are fortunate and do have the guidance of an elder who is helping them ease their sorrow at their loss of their mother.
Allah Subhana wa taala says in Surah al Imran:

Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed as by writing. If any do desire a reward in this life, We shall give it to him; and if any do desire a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give it to him. And swiftly shall We reward those that (serve us with) gratitude. Quran:3:45 translation by Yusuf Ali.

I paraphrase it ‘everyone is born with a pink slip at the time we come out of our mothers womb, with the date and time of when we will leave this world’. The way we die is just an excuse staged by the angel of death to make it acceptable for the people left behind.
I do not know when my pink slip is due, and yet I know that it was given to me and written in my Qadr when I was born.
The passage of time in this world can be easy or harsh but in the clock of the Universe, it is a nano second. Those of us who forget why are we created: Allah SWT says “Humankind and jinns were created for nothing else but to worship their Lord” then why do we forget? And forget we do, despite being reminded repeatedly.
Benazir a mother, a daughter and a wife was here yesterday gone today. Was she able to fulfill the reason why she was created? Futile questions for past events. Am I fulfilling the reason I was created?
Apathy, distractions, money, ambition, love of this world, love of the things in this world are all reasons not to think that one unknown day, each one of us too will leave this world. I do not know if it will be with a blast or quietly and gracefully, only Allah knows.
……….And yet what most people will focus on now will be the fitna aspect, i.e. who did it, why did they do it? Categorize the people into monsters and facilitators, enemies & friends etc. Some advise that if she had not stood up “perhaps she would not have died”; Allah Subhanawataala says in Surah Al Imran:

(They are) the ones that say, (of their brethren slain), while they themselves sit (at ease): “If only they had listened to us they would not have been slain.” Say: “Avert death from your own selves, if ye speak the truth.” Quran: 3:168 Yusuf Ali’s translation
What escapes all of us is that no matter how famous, how beautiful, how young, or how powerful one may be, we all have to go to our final destination, it is just matter of time.
The relevant question is: Have we arranged for a house in our life in the Hereafter and where will it be?

Dua/Supplication: May Allah forgive her sins, accept her good deeds and save her from the tribulations of the grave and advance her towards Jannah. May Allah give sabr and emaan to her family and to the people of Pakistan. Ameen.

THE SHAWL

The mornings are cool even for the South. Fajr time finds the shawl awaiting me by my bedside to drape me as I move towards doing wudu. I remove it reluctantly as I wake up my sleepy eyes with a splash of cool water. After successfully completing the wudu and getting into the mindset for fajr salaat and dhikr, I wrap the shawl around me and head for my musallah. It drapes around me protectively, never leaving me as I go into sujood and rise. In the cold, it emanates warmth and as the morning sun spreads its warmth, it gently slides off my shoulders for Ishraaq.
The shawl: my companion on my travels up north. It stretches over the comforter as a cover to provide additional warmth in the 22-degree weather.
Returning south to walk on the beach in December, it accompanies me shielding me from the cold winds. How many secrets, how many supplications, and how many soliloquy’s has it silently witnessed. How many miles and to how many places we have traveled together. Its gentle softness always reminding me of the warmth and affection of the giver.

REJECTION

It is a smoldering fire that eats at your heart slowly and unremittingly. The feeling of rejection comes from those closest to you. It steals under your skin and creates a weight that drags you down, into the abyss of depression. The one most hurt is your ego or Nafs, but your perception is that your heart has been hurt. Is there a soul on this earth who at some time in their life has not suffered from rejection?
How can one rise above the feeling of rejection? Especially rejection by those related to you with love.
The answer is hidden in what Allah has ordained for us. Every act we do whether it is personal or professional it is to be “Fi SabillAllah” i.e. for the sake of Allah. When I do something to please someone and do not get a response that I expect, or get an inadequate response, I feel rejected. This happens when I do something for a loved one. I have a subconscious expectation for a positive reaction from the recipient.
On the other hand If I consciously do an action for someone I love, for the sake of Allah or “Fi SabillAllah, I have no expectations from the recipient. I only expect a return from Him (SWT) now or in the Hereafter even though it will be delayed gratification.
If I had expectations from another, the level of response from them is interpreted by my Nafs. If it does not feed my Nafs (ego) as much as it expects it is read as rejection. When this happens I know that my action and my disappointment of the other persons response is because the act was not done Fi SabillAllah.
So how is an act Fi Sabillah in every day terms………..?
Someone thinks feels or demonstrates more love and care for a person other than me. I feel cheated as I feel I have a right over his or her affection based on my relationship of love or blood ties. How to evaluate this plethora of emotion and tease out the real reason?
In every corporate entity, there is an algorithm of hierarchy posted in the department, as to who reports to whom. So, it is with Allah SWT. We can either report to Him (SWT), i.e. our actions, thoughts and emotions are geared to be for His (SWT) sake i.e. Fi SabillAllah and it gives us consistent serene, continuous unfettered, non-dependant happiness. On the other hand, we can report to our Nafs and depending on its state and characteristic, it interprets the emotion we feel as rejection.
If our actions are directed to satisfy our non-angelic Nafs, we are on a roller coaster of emotion entirely dependent on the boosting of our ego/Nafs by others.
But what of expectations…………….my mother always reminded me, “ do things without expecting anything back in return” I always thought you have to be an angel to do that. I know I am not an angel. The answer lies in the components of our SELF/Nafs and what dominates our life?
If we look at the composition of our Nafs, it has four major characteristics:
Allah SWT gives each characteristic to us for survival, to use and develop as needed. Only one of the four connects us to Allah and makes us happy, the rest are for daily living and survival.
1. The Bahemy Nafs: this characteristic is which brings us joy in food, drink and sensual activities. If we overindulge in these aspects, this Nafs may become so fat that it may literally sit on the others and suffocate them.
2. The Predatory Nafs: Allah SWT gave this to Adam (AS) and his children so that they could hunt and stay alive, however if this Nafs is indulged too much then we become avaricious and aggressive in our desires to take what others have by hook or by crook.
3. The Shaitani Nafs: This characteristic is the devil in us that enjoys throwing oil onto the fire of dissention, sits back, and enjoys the outcome.
4. The Angelic Nafs: This characteristic connects our heart to Allah SWT. Enhancing this characteristic through Dhikr and Ibadah, keeps us connected to Allah SWT and thus brings us joy, serene happiness and contentment.

It is here that I falter. If I ignore the methods i.e. Dhikr and Ibadah to stay connected to Allah SWT, and indulge in the other three types of Nafs excessively, either by watching, hearing or committing disobedience to Allah then the other three Nafs prevail.
In this condition with my Angelic Nafs weakened if I face a situation, where someone else’s behavior towards me does not fulfill my expectations then rejection sets in. In this mind set instead of rejection, being a small irritation as a mosquito’s bite, it enlarges to the size of a mountain that sits on me. It compresses my hearts with submission to sadness rather than the thankfulness of all the naimah Allah SWT has given me.
My formula to ward off rejection is more preventive than therapeutic. Knowing myself, I find it is better to contemplate actions of other people and mine in the light of “Fi SabillAllah”. Once I sit back and do this, everything falls into place:
What I do: If I am feeling rejected, sad, depressed, or disappointed from another human beings behavior…………I Dial 1-800 A-L-L-A-H and spend time in Dhikr. Perhaps fast a day or two to get the Bahemi and other types of Nafs in control .I ask Him (SWT) to give me the happiness that comes from actions dedicated to “Fi SabillAllah”.
It has not been an easy path and I slip often, especially if I spend too much time in continuity exposing my eyes, ears and tongue to the disobedience of Allah.
When I first began this ascent towards conquering my Nafs, I had to look around me and evaluate each item and experience that my senses were exposed to and ask myself: Is this a disobedience to Allah?
In the past, I believed that I had to be “tough” to live in this world and seeing violence, or listening and seeing other people being disobedient to Allah was okay. After all, I was not doing it! I felt that being exposed to all the disobedience of Allah would toughen me.
I know now that I am weak. If I have many choices, which feed my other three Nafs, and I do not keep my senses and my limbs away from the disobedience of Allah, I am overtaken with all the emotions that come with the strengthening of the Bahemi, Predatory and the Shaitani Nafs.
I have gradually disengaged from movies, songs, conversations, pictures and people that are disobedient to Allah. It cleanses me like the wudu and allows me to strengthen my link to Allah. It brings me consistent flow of serene, happiness. Aren’t we all in search of happiness?
Each one of us has to find for one’s own self the critical point where our Bahemi, Predatory or Shaitani Nafs takes over, with a point of no return, and learn to avoid that end.
In my humble experience, I being very weak, have to consistently keep the non-angelic three characteristic Nafs in control at all times, because if I am not vigilant they have a tendency to take over surreptitiously and completely.
It is the struggle from time immemorial camouflaged as a gift called “freedom of choice”.

Rejection is like a tidal wave crashing on the shore that inshallah I can look at, analyze from afar and not experience the suffocating feeling of going under.

May Allah reward my friends who introduced me to the understanding of my Nafs and its components.
**The description of the Nafs has been taken from the CDs by Sheikh Mokhtar Magroubi on the “Purification of the heart” available at www.zawiyah.net

THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS & the message of Siraat-e Mustaqeem

The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is from Surah Maryam (19) recited in the melodious voice of Sheikh Mishary AlAfasy with english translation ayah by ayah.

The first 15 ayahs are about Prophet Zachariah and has a beautiful supplication for childless and expectant parents.

Ayah 16 till the end of the recitation is about the birth of Prophet Jesus, people’s response to Mary ’s(AS) pregnancy, the birth of her child without a father and the message of Jesus (AS).

The Quran is the criterion for of all the Holy Books and Prophets that came before Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him.

SadaqAllah hul Adheem

IT IS BEFORE CHRISTMAS………..

It is before Christmas and I am driving through North Carolina again………….
I am in North Carolina and I am at Jan’s house, there is an air of festivity, and several people from Jim’s church are there. We are all going to the Christmas tea at Old Salem at Jim’s invitation. As I walk out of Jan’s house with the rest of them, the night air is like a kiss of an innocent child, clean fresh and brisk. Old Salem is a stone’s throw from Jan’s house; the streets are decked with Christmas colors and lights. Jim buys the tickets for everyone, and we enter the Moravian Christmas tea tour. As we walk through the Christmas scenes lighted and decorated, I hear the Old Salem Musicians start their music. They are playing Silent Night………. I stop to listen to the music, there are no words, the music touches my soul. I am unaware at that moment that it will always haunt me.
As we leave Old Salem, I thank Jim for inviting me; he is gracious in his response. I look at him and Jan together and even though I do not know him I can see that he makes Jan shine, that is all that is important. The man she is to marry makes her glow.
Being in Old Salem at Christmas is like being in a time warp where time has stopped. I enjoy the bracing cold as well as the clear starlit night as we walk back to Jan’s house for the Christmas goodies.
In my observation, Christmas is not a date but a season, it has many nuances. It ushers in the cold season, the air is fresh and the nights are clear and starlit. The red bows and the green foliage bring a sense of festivity and at night, the subtle twinkling lights call silently to the traveler or stranger promising warmth and hospitality inside the homes.
Christ after whom Christmas is named is the Christian name for Jesus (AS) a revered Prophet of Allah and for some more than that. Maryam (AS) or Mary the mother of Jesus is one of the honorable women addressed in the Quran. Her son Jesus (AS) is addressed as Essa ibn e Maryam thus identifying him by his mother’s name, and honoring her.
In the Quran the story of Christmas begins with the mother of Mary (AS) as follows:
The Mother of Mary (AS) is from the House of Imran. She is an extremely pious woman. When she is expecting a baby, she bequeaths her unborn child to the service of Allah.
Allah Subhanawataala in the Quran says this about the mother of Mary (AS):

“Behold!” A woman from the House of Imran said
‘O’ My Lord I do
Dedicate unto Thee
What is in my womb
For Thy special service:
So accept this of me
For thou hearest
And knowest all things.”
Quran 3:35

The story of the mother of Mary continues in the Quran:

When she delivered,
She said: “O My Lord!
Behold I am delivered of a female child!”
And God knew best
What she brought forth….
“And nowise is the male
Like the female
I have named her Mary,
And I commend her
And her offspring
To thy protection
From the evil one
The Rejected.”
Quran 3:36

The pathos of the innocence of Mary as a “mother to be” is beautifully mentioned in the Quran where Allah Subhanawa taala says:

Behold! The angels said:
“ O Mary! God giveth thee
Glad tidings of a Word
From Him: his name will be Christ Jesus,
The son of Mary, held in honor,
In this world and the Hereafter
And of (the company) of those nearest to God.

He shall speak to the people
In childhood and in maturity.
And he shall be (of the company)
Of the Righteous.
Quran 3: 45-46

Mary (AS) a virgin and a pious woman is shocked and Allah Subhanawataala relates her response in the story in the Quran for the benefit of Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings upon him and his Ummah:

She said:” O My Lord!
How shall I have a son
When no man hath touched me/”
He said: “Even so:
God createth
What he willeth:
When he hath decreed
A plan, but he saith
To it,’Be’, and it is!

And God will teach him
The Book of Wisdom,
The Law and the Gospel
Quran 3: 47-48

When Allah Subhanawataala is asked as to how will a child be born without a father He (SWT) says in the Quran:

The similitude of Jesus
Before God is that of Adam;
He created him from dust,
Then said to him: “Be”:
And he was.
Quran 3: 59

Surah Maryam 19:16-33 describes the childbirth and the response of the people in her community. 

Sometimes when one loves and reveres someone excessively, we can attribute powers to them that are not possible except from God. Perhaps some day if muslims no longer read the Quran, or if the Quran is changed in its text by humans, they may start glorifying the Prophet of Allah to a stature beyond what is commanded by Allah in his Book, or (God forbid) may attribute him to be God or His son. However, at this time there is no danger of that because muslims are struggling to find out what is in the Quran and are not even at the initial stages of reverence for anyone.

My musings regarding Christmas as related to Prophet Jesus (AS) end abruptly, because Christmas as it is celebrated now is not about the birth of Jesus (AS) but more a get together holiday with families. From my vantage, it has become a day, when the measure of a person’s love is titrated by the number of dollars spent on a gift given publicly. Thus causing elation in some and humiliation in others.
I look out of my car window; it is dark except for the green signs designating the various cities of North Carolina. I am transported to another time when ……..I was here.
It is before Christmas and I am driving to North Carolina, this time I am deeply sad and extremely worried for Jan. Her husband of three months has been hit by a truck and has severed his brainstem.
Driving to North Carolina has always been for happy reasons in the past, Being at Jan’s house or with her around Christmas has always been a fun occasion…………but today is different.
I have no idea what Christians do when someone dies. Jim’s father is a minister, he would know. Never having been in this situation before, I call upon the tradition according to the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as practiced by my family. I know that no matter what the distance I have to be there for my friend and ease her through this treacherous time in her life.
If Jim is brain dead and he has donated his organs, which will be removed shortly, I have to read some ayahs of the Quran. There are particular surahs to read to ease the tumultuous process of the departure of his spirit and soul from his body. I am hesitant, Will Jim’s family be offended if I read the Quran for their Christian son?
What awaits me is nothing that life or medicine had ever prepared me for. I am at the Hospital. The same hospital where I spent many happy carefree days during my residency. The hospital rooms and even the corridors seem alien when seen from the patient’s perspective. The waiting room is spilling over with hordes of people whose families are in the ICU.
Jan is in conference with the organ donation team. Jim has been declared brain dead and is being “kept alive” on the ventilator, to keep his organs viable.
I ask if I can see Jim. They allow me to do so and take me to his room. I enter the room in the ICU and stand by his bedside. I can hear the familiar hiss of the ventilator as it pumps air into Jim. His chest rises and falls with it. His eyes are closed and his expression is peaceful. I touch his hand and it is warm, and as I hold his wrist, his pulse is alive and regular. I am stunned. I know now how confusing this is to a layman and now it is to me at a spiritual level: The man lying on this bed hooked to a ventilator, his expression at peace and his pulse bounding with life is actually dead?
I try to recall Surah Yaseen. I have been told, that if one reads Surah Yaseen while someone is dying or dead, the removal of his soul from his body is eased. I try but I cannot recall the words. I fall back on the familiar Surah Fatiha and the four quls. I am on the second qul when there is some commotion, the door to Jim’s room is flung open and the organ donation team comes in. They wait till I finish and take Jim to the operating room. As his stretcher disappears behind the swinging doors of the Operating Room, I am suddenly completely bereft.
I leave the corridor to the OR where Jims stretcher has disappeared with Jim forever, and turn to Jan. I want to offer her some comfort and some words of condolence. As I search for them I find that words of condolence are strangers to my tongue. It would be many years later that she would be offering me the same after another car accident.

The music of  ‘Silent Night’ fills my car………..Once again it is before Christmas and I am driving through North Carolina. Jan has lost Jim and I have lost Tariq and yet we continue to live, wondering how to spend this season.

THE JOURNEY OF WORSHIP

By Yasir Qadhi
http://www.wasatstudios.com/works/islamic-lectures/the-journey-of-worship

TODAY IS EID UL ADHA

I am at Hajj. Returning from Arafah and Muzdalifah. It has been fifteen hours for five miles but that is another story. We are now back at Mina. Our tent in Mina feels like a five star hotel. A hot meal and shower also feels like absolute luxury. I am deeply thankful for both and more.
We have two more steps to complete by evening. My mahram is pacing restlessly as I slowly savor the hot meal served at the camp. We have to go to the jamaraat in order to walk in the path of Abraham (AS) as he walked in the desert towards his destination where on the command of Allah SWT he was to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail.
I look around at my companions and wonder…….. do they know what it is like to lose your son leave alone willfully sacrifice him?
The jamaraat are newsworthy. They are a favorite of newshounds and bloodthirsty reporters. Things happen at the jamaraat. When four million people converge at three points at roughly the same time and are impassioned in the act of throwing pebbles at shaitan or at their own temptations, accidents can happen.
Horror stories of how people have been trampled in the past at jamaraat have been circulating. I can feel the tension in the male members of our group. It is their duty to protect the women in their group and get us in and out safely.
I am going to the jamaraat. For me it is “the walk of resisting temptation”. I know that if I think of its total implication it will be an emotionally wrenching walk. I follow my group who has begun to walk towards the jamaraat. The group is tightly instep together. We have all heard of the crush and of people falling and being trampled. The danger of death or injury is very real and well documented; it hangs like the sword of Damocles over our head. No one acknowledges it but it permeates the atmosphere. The takbirs are restrained except for the beautiful voice of one nineteen-year-old boy in our group. His lilting takbir sets my mind to rest and relaxes the rest of the group. We proceed to the first jamaraat. Progress of time and the stamp of man have changed the map of this historic place. My mind goes backwards in time…………
Prophet Abraham (alaysalaam) is walking with his ten-year-old son Ismail in the desert. I feel that both father and son are silent and in submission to Allah’s command. Each step towards their destination marks the end of the father’s time with his son. Ismail walks along, his young handsome face innocent of all fear. The only son of Abraham (AS), born after so many years of prayers and supplications. For Abraham (AS) this is his last walk with his beloved son. All is unsaid between them. Allah has asked Abraham (AS) to sacrifice what he loves more than his own life. Their silence resounds with obedience to Allah.

They come to a spot in the desert where Shaitan appears and whispers to Abraham (AS) “you don’t really have to sacrifice your son, he is your only son………..its okay…you don’t have to do it”. (At least I think that is what he says)
Perhaps temptation knocks on the door of Abraham’s heart, but he realizes that everything and everyone is from Allah. His son also belongs to Allah and if Allah wants to take him away at this tender age of ten then he has to submit to the command he has been given.”
Shaitan continues with his litany of discouragement, Abraham (AS) stops and picks up a pebble and says “Allah o Akbar “ and throws it at Shaitan who disappears.
I pause………. and I feel the pain and the submission of the father………we are now at the first jamaraat. I take out my little pebbles, I say “Allah o Akbar” and with all my strength cast them at the jamaraat.
I face the Kaaba, and pray……. for my salvation, for my parents, for myself and my family, and the muslims at large and for protection against all evil.
We move on towards the second jamarat.
Abraham (AS) and Ismail (AS) are walking in the desert their destination is the place where the sacrifice has to take place. I cannot even imagine what goes through Ismail’s (AS) head. I can imagine what goes through Abraham (AS) head and heart. I am no Abraham (AS) I was not even asked to sacrifice my son, and yet my heart is full of compassion for the father. I realize I do not have the makings of a Prophet.
We are at the second jamarat, this is where shaitan appears again and tempts Abraham (AS) encouraging him to disobey Allah and not to make the sacrifice. Abraham (AS) picks up a pebble and throws it at him.
Four million men and women follow Abraham (AS) and throw the pebbles with a passion. Some are actually throwing it at shaitan, some are throwing away their disobediences to Allah, and some like me…mere mortals, are just walking in the steps of Abraham and trying to mimic his bravery and his single minded submission to our Lord.
After throwing the pebbles at the third jamarat, we supplicate and return to our tent happy at completing this step of Hajj and relieved that the danger is over.
As for Abraham (AS) Allah calls him His (SWT) “friend’ in the Quran. No one else has been given this honor. Thus, Allah in his infinite mercy replaces Abraham’s son with a ram, and we follow suit and sacrifice a ram, the meat of which is distributed to the poor and needy.
We depart from tradition here. I pay someone to buy a ram for me and unseen hands do the actual sacrifice of the animal for me. I get a receipt that it was completed in a timely manner. Another invasion of man on history, but it suffices for me.
By now, I am emotionally and physically spent. Could I have voluntarily sacrificed my son in obedience of Allah? I skirt the question; I cannot even bear to think of its ramifications when applied to me.
We have one more step……….The Tawaaf e Ifada for which we have to return to Mecca and time is running out.

I look towards Mecca and my heart lightens at the thought of being at the House of my Lord.

In action at the jamaraat: