ON THE EVE OF RAMADAN: SEARCHING…………

Sometimes we come across someone who reminds us of a son who is no longer with us

Sometimes the bridge across the waters of grief is strengthened with faith

Sometimes it takes multiple little flowers/individual with unity, faith and discipline to become an Ummah of beauty

Sometimes we have to learn from the blue heron, to rest quietly at Ishraaq after a night of tahajjud, fajr and dhikr.

Age does not dull the beauty of faith

The ducks seem to get along well in their group Dhikr and breakfast

How we maintain our Istiqamah in public reflects our faith for all to see

Even a drop (of Dawah) makes a ripple in the lake (our environment(

Sometimes in the fall of life, one can beautify The Path for others.

FEAR & FAITH: PART TWO: WHOM DO YOU FEAR?

FEAR comes in many guises. There are small fears and large fears.

Let us look at the “small” fears……….

It is a Friday in little town USA. I am going to invite you to imagine yourself in this scenario and, evaluate where you stand in each of the scenarios. This exercise is to evaluate our own self on the scale of who do we fear, and how do we modulate our behavior based on that fear.

In some cases we are not even aware of whom we fear and this fear and its result is reflected in our actions.

It is Friday………………..
A.    I wake up in the morning, I slept late and thus I wake up very close to end of Fajr, and I realize I will be late for work if I pray Fajr, so I bypass it saying to myself that Allah is Ghafoor rur Raheem, and dress and go to work.

What have I done?

I have violated a right of Allah because of my fear of my boss or my fear of losing my job and my sustenance……..in this one act of fear of someone other than Allah I have relegated my boss in dunya as a small God that takes precedence over God Almighty my Creator and Sustainer.

By fearing the loss of my job and sustenance, and violating the rights of Allah Subhanawataala I have denied what we are assured in the Quran and what I as a Muslim repeat 17 times each day while reciting Surah Fatiha: which is:

Aooudobillahi minish shaytaan nir rajeem, Bismillah hir rahman nir Raheem.
Alhamdollilllahi Rabil Alameen

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful (1)
Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.

Thus I have lied 17 times a day because my actions do not match what my lips say. Saying one thing and doing another. Such people have a name in the Quran and their abode is well described, in the bottom of the deepest level of THE FIRE.
In Summary:
One act of omission led to two violations of the rights of Allah and one forbidden act of lying. i.e.
1.    Not praying fajr
2.     Relegating power over my sustenance to my boss and,
3.    While in other salahs……saying one thing and doing another i.e. lying to Allah Subhanawataala.

B. Next I then go to work and being a conscientious Muslim, I take time off to pray Jooma, which is mandatory.
In Surah Jumma Allah Subhanawataala says:
062.009 YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if ye but knew!

I reach the masjid and I find myself wearing clothes that outline or incompletely cover my awrah, e.g. western pants with a tucked in shirt which in both men and women are inadequate dress for prayer.

HADITH Book 47, Number 47.2.9:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Salama ibn Safwan ibn Salama az-Zuraqi that Zayd ibn Talha ibn Rukana, who attributed it to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Every Deen has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty.’ “

Why do I dress like this for Jooma?

Here my fear is……………….. that I might look out of place or strange when I leave the masjid, and therefore I succumb to that fear and compromise the rights of Allah, in appearing before Him inadequately or inappropriately dressed despite having the means to do so.

I have made someone or something other than Allah my small god whom I fear and thus wish to please more than my wish to please my Creator and Sustainer.

C. Next the adhaan is called and at the same time I see a sister I haven’t seen in a while so I get up and go up to her give her my salaam and ask about her family.

What did Rasool Allah salal lahi alayhe wasalaam do when the adhan was called?

In a hadith related from the Ummahaat e Momineen and I paraphrase: “When Rasool Allah peace be upon him would be with us and the adhaan would be called his facial expression would change, he would become a stranger and would fall silent as if he was far away and not with us anymore”

Volume 1, Book 11, Number 585: Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:

Allah’s Apostle said, “Whenever you hear the Adhan, say what the Mu’adhdhin is saying”.

In the Quran Allah Subhanawataala says and I paraphrase “obey me and obey the Rasool”  (ayah) and at another place “follow the Rasool”

008.046 And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart; and be patient and persevering: For Allah is with those who patiently persevere

Thus when I get up at Adhaan and talk to this sister, what is the little fear in my heart? Perhaps I do not want to be excluded from her social circle, or I want to be popular, or some other altruistic reason…………..all of which pale before my disobedience of the Sunnah, and my ignoring the footsteps of RasoolAllah peace and blessing be on him.
Even though Allah Subhanawataala has put me in a place, time and people where following Rasool Allah (peace be upon him) sunnah has been made easy for me.

Of course I am either oblivious of what I am doing which means I am in Ghafala, (I am ignorant of the steps of the Rasool peace be upon him) or I am deliberately disobedient or my fear of losing my place in dunya has propelled me to ignore the sunnah of the adhaan.

D. Next the iqamaah is called and I am not sure where I should stand; I want to stand near the exit so that I can scoot out when the prayer finishes, as I have to go to lunch with a friend or have to go back to work, and in this flurry of indecision I miss my opportunity of making dua:

Book 2, Number 0521:  Hadith Narrated Anas ibn Malik: Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him said:
“The supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected”

Thus here my fear of displeasing my boss, my friend take precedence over my desire to be in the best possible position for salah, which is directly behind the imam for brothers and the last line directly behind the imam for women if there is no separation between men and women. In addition I have lost the moment of dua……

E. During the salaah, I am uplifted to the presence of Allah Subhanawataala and I am overtaken with His words and I forget dunya. As soon as salaah finishes I begin the masnoon supplications and Dhikr of Rasool Allah saw in an attempt to follow his path.
People around me begin to talk and my attention is distracted and my intentions to do the Dhikr after salah evaporates, and with this act the angels of mercy that surround my musallah, get up and leave.

F. Abandoning my resolve to do even the briefest of Dhikr i.e. the tasbeeh Fatima (RA) I get up to do my Sunnah.  As I begin to pray I forget to place a sutrah in front of me. Partly because I am in a hurry, and fear being late for my next appointment………….again my fear of not pleasing dunya and its people supercedes my desire to please Allah SWT.

G. I start my Sunnah efficiently and with concentration. However my sisters who are in a hurry to go home, to work, or to shop or run errands pass in front of me, the hems of their dresses brushing against my head in sajdah, and I am reminded of three hadith that pertain to the sunnah prayer:

Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him instructed us as follows and I paraphrase:
1. “Place a sutrah in front of you for sunnah and nafil salah”
2. “Fight to keep a person from passing in front of you if you are praying Sunnah or nafil salah.
3. “If a person would know how detrimental it is to pass in front of a person performing salaah, they would never do it!

I have once again allowed my fears of dunya, i.e. my fear of being late for a dunya appointment interfere with my focus when I stand in front of my Lord.

To be continued……………………..

This is just the beginning of the blessed day of Jooma…………..

Whom do you fear?

THE THIRD ROOM………..

I am in the first room with a lot of people they are all laughing and happy. It is a joyous occasion and I too am not sad…………..and yet I long to be in the second room.
The second room is the “lonely room” there is no one there except the rocks of my memories, the dark waters of “what ifs”, the Alligators of guilt and the sharks of Regret.
Why do I want to be in the lonely room when I can be in the first room with such a happy group of people, who are celebrating life?

The answer lies in what is at the other end of the lonely room………. I have to be brave to step into the murky waters of sadness, wade in the unknown depths of depression, avoid the Alligators of guilt and swim faster than the Sharks that can swallow me and then in their belly my skin will peel like Younus (AS) layer by layer as I am faced with regret………of actions not done.

I quietly leave the first room and wade into the lonely room, gently caressing the rocks of memories, worn down with the waves of time and sadness. I know that I cannot linger because I don’t want to drown in the murky waters, nor be swallowed by guilt or made immobile with fear of the sharks of regret………..

Thus from my past experience I begin my journey deeper and deeper into the lonely room, the words of Younus AS giving me company and tears, but never swerving from my initial purpose to reach the other side.

It had been on one desperate day that I had done the same and had swum the dark dank waters with all my strength, seeking……. seeking what? I did not know.

Guided by His (Subhanawataala’s) words coming from the lips of Younus (AS) in the belly of the whale, and I had found shore.

Climbing on to the sanctuary, small, the size of a musallah, which could barely hold my body in prostration, but lighted and protected from all predators and from the dark waters around me.

I remember I had fallen in prostration, with relief and a lightness and continued my salaat, my prayer, every supplication and surah that I knew by heart, again and again, tears streaming down my cheeks, entreating him to relieve my pain……….
And I remember distinctly a chink opening, and light streaming into the lonely room from the third room…………

I never knew that in this dark and lonely place there was an opening to the third room, I could smell fragrance, I could feel the fresh air, the sort of feeling when one comes out of cave into a verdant forest……….

Someone yells my name from the first room, I am needed, I have to fulfill my duties, and I must go back. I regretfully swim back and the door to the third room closes behind me.

Though I fear being lost in the dark waters of sadness and depression, I often long for the lonely room despite all its predators,………in the hope that I can cross it and perhaps this time enter The Third Room.

" Which of our favors will you deny" Surah Rahman

QURB……………

Qurb is inadequately translated as nearness to Allah, however Qurb has a far more intimate inflection, of being the one who is close to Allah Subhanawataala in many ways and forms.

“Muqarabeen” in the Quran are those who are closest to Allah Subhanawataala.

Qurb is desired, pursued and struggled for by all the Seekers of The Path to Allah, not everyone makes it in their lifetime.

Here is advice for the Seeker of the Path desiring Qurb to Allah………..

Make sure that:

He, Subhanawataala does not find you where He has forbidden you to be
And
He Subhanawataala finds you where He has commanded you to be.

For a beginner like me, my first step is to delineate in my environment what places, people and stimuli qualify for each of the above.

Excerpted from the Retreat on “Tazkiyah Nafs” 2009 with Shaykh Mokhtaar Magroubi

THE WALL………….

July………….it is for me what December is for brother Anis.
It will be four years this July 13 when the cops came to our house to tell me that Tariq was “deceased”.
As I enter the last days of June, I can hear the anger of the ocean of grief rising with every passing moment. The tumultuous waters I cannot see, nor feel as there is a wall between me and them.

A wall created by the Dhikr and remembrance of Allah. I do not know when it went up, but when ever I hear the rising anger of the wild ocean of grief, I feel the wall separating me, protecting me from the raging waters, from being lost in them forever………my wall……. made to protect me from drowning in the ocean of grief…….made by Him Subhanawataala,

All I can think as I hear the angry lap of the waves of grief on the other side of the wall and feel their aggressive anger is:

“Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?”   055.028

He protects me from the tidal wave gaining strength on the other side of the wall……….it is July again and as the waves of the sea of grief gain strength and crash against the wall …….it stands sentinel, strong and witness to all the grief as it protects me from its thunder.

I have to remind myself to thank Him Subhanawataala for protecting me and say:
002.156 YUSUFALI: Who say, when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return”

My Need of God…………….

Do not surrender your grief so quickly
Let it cut more deeply
Let it ferment and season you
As few human or divine ingredients can

Something is missing in my heart tonight
That has made made my eyes so soft
And my voice so tender
And my need of God so absolutely clear.

Hafiz

ENTERING THE CIRCLE OF PEACE…………..STEP ONE AND TWO

From my personal diary………..

Each one of us on this earth is in search of peace, outer and inner. A sense of frustration arises because we find ourselves unable to control external events and the turmoil it creates within us.

Added to the true turmoil in the world around us as well as in the extended world at large is the propagation of lies and the promise of depressing outcomes by people who are the ready vessels for the whisperings of Shaitan.(paraphrased from the Hadith)

Entering the circle of PEACE is a process for which there are certain essential ingredients that need to be collected and certain essential garbage that needs to be gotten rid of.

Each one of us is a unique individual and the personal process of one person may not work for another. This is most evident by the numerous shelves in each bookstore packed with self-help books, none of which work completely.

So we begin with the basic essentials. You and I are individuals with our unique needs, which may not match anyone else, how do I go from here to enter the circle of peace?

The steps for doing thus are as follows:
1.    Making the Intention
2.    Getting rid of the clutter
3.    Reading the instructions
4.    Following the instructions
5.    Finding support in others on this path
6.    Refraining from going back to collecting clutter
7.    Making amends for past mistakes
8.    Traveling
9.    Having a focus in daily life
10.    Saying No to invitations to exit the circle of peace

1.    MAKING THE INTENTION
Look at your current life, are you completely happy with yourself, your surroundings, your work, your personal life and your friends, if you are then you are perhaps already in the circle of peace, and you just need to review 8, 9 and 10.
However if any of the areas mentioned above are unsatisfactory then you need to face yourself in the mirror and make the intention that you are going to deliberately and with istiqamah (steadfastness) endeavor, struggle and do your best to enter the circle of peace and do your utmost to remain within the circle of peace despite outside interference.

Once you have made the intention, then make a supplication to God Almighty that He in his infinite wisdom, place peace in your heart, mind and soul and allow you to live and die in peace.
(Dua of living and dying a Muslim)

2.    GETTING RID OF THE CLUTTER
There are two kinds of clutter:
i)        External clutter
ii)        Internal clutter

i)    EXTERNAL CLUTTER
This is relatively easier once you have made up your mind to clear the garbage and the beautiful boxes it comes in.
The external clutter enters your environment riding in the car of desire, the driver being your Nafs. Thus when you really really want something badly, ask yourself the question “Will I die without it?” if the answer is no, then do not acquire it.
This is not an easy task, thus to reinforce yourself study the following for at least roughly half an hour every day if not more:

If you like to listen: CD series by Mokhtaar Magroubi titled: ‘Diseases of the Heart” available at www.zawiyah.net.
If you like to read: This book by Hamza Yusuf “Purification of the Heart”
If you like the Internet then review Taleem ul Quran (available in English and Urdu) at www.alhudapk.com (audiovisual and then choose Farhat Hashmi for Urdu and Amina Elahe or Hijab Iqbal for English) Start with Sipara 1.

Examine your surroundings: Do you have distracters? Is there any thing that steals your time away from the study of the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?These two sources are your guide book and your compass in the search for entering the circle of peace.

INTERNAL CLUTTER:

Is there any thing that steals time away from cleansing your heart of the diseases mentioned above?

Is there anything that pollutes your five senses with anxiety, anger, and emotions of frustration, envy, hatred, avarice, aggression, and predatoryness? If the answer is yes remove its source and delivery system, whether it is books, magazines, journals, articles, Internet email, news, movies, so called friends and acquaintances, colleagues or any other stimulationinciting these emotions.

IMPEDIMENTS
I know at this time you are panicking because that is your whole life, how can you give up everything, remember it is not forever, you are taking out the garbage and once you have entered the circle of peace you can bring back those items back in to your life ,that will help you stay in the circle of peace.

REINFORCEMENTS TO PREVENT RE-ACCUMULATION OF CLUTTER
Meanwhile study the Life of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. He (PBUH) for he too was surrounded by vicious clutter and negative emotions, people and things and he slowly learned to remove these things and people and emotions from within him while he had to continue to live within them physically.

Row hard to enter the circle of peace

TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS & YOUR OLD YEARNINGS
Now since you have freed up a lot of your time by removing  time spent with the news, coffee shops, newspapers, Internet, magazines, journals, surfing the internet, face book, aimless wanderings of the mall, fruitless texting and phone talk, you find yourself in a void, with nothing to do.

This is where you selectively start filling this void with the Dhikr of God Almighty.
Dhikr comes in two categories:
1. Formal Dhikr: such as the five time prayers, thus learn the prayer the way Prophet Muhammad PBUH conducted it, perfect it, memorize it (it sharpens your memory and intellect).

Before entering into these prayers take your time to prepare for wudu, wear clean, well-ironed, crisp clothes that you enjoy wearing for yourself (i.e. not to show others), annoit yourself with perfume if you like it as you have an appointment with your creator and empty your head of all obligations.

Perform the salaat over as extended a period as you can. If you only know one surah repeat it many many times in iqamah and the same for the ruku and sajdah, do long sajdahs, as that is when we are closest to God Almighty.

Learn and finesse the five prayers and learn a new surah every day or every few days if you are slow like me. Memorize its meaning and repeat it in every prayer.

2. Informal Dhikr or Dhikr on the go:
When the desire to indulge in the raucous aspects of the Internet, TV or radio, touches you, repeat the simple dhikr of “Astigfirullah” or “Subhanallahe wabehamdeh” which translates as “How perfect God is and I praise Him”

WHY DO ALL THIS?
TO ENTER THE CIRCLE OF PEAC E ………….everyone wants it, everyone yearns for it, everyone does not get it, ……..All these action points may sound superfluous and simplistic and those of you from Pakistan and other Muslim countries these acts may remind you of the uneducated class, but take it from me it will open a path in front of you towards the circle of peace………..such that you will be amazed at the happiness it will bring you. Keep doing it till the negative feelings go away and the path towards the circle of Peace is lighted with your Dhikr.

When ever you find yourself extending your hand to buy yet another glossy magazine, your feet move towards the mall to kill some time, or your fingers go to surf mindless websites on the internet, remind yourself that it is nothing bu clutter in your home, your heart and your mind and will fill your senses with unwanted clutter, and deviate you and distract you from your intended goal of entering the circle of peace.

STUMBLING AND CATCHING YOURSELF….
Sometimes you will feel despondent and may have the perception that you are not making progress and you may even yearn for the raucous movies, sad or joyous songs, and old friends with whom you killed time, but remember this too shall pass. Repeat the Dhikr with meaning and feeling till the feeling of despondency goes away.

Once you have entered the circle of peace, you have clarity of vision, a clean heart and you will be able to choose what you have found to be beneficial and bring it into the circle of peace with you and it will be worth the wait and the peaceful home you will bring it into…………..

To be continued………..

THE MORNING DHIKR ON THE OCEAN……….

As I finish my morning adkaars, I glance out to see the gold of the early morning reflecting on the ocean. The sun is cloistered behind a cloud so not much is seen of its dazzle.
I am impressed by the subtlety with which it uncovers itself, every morning be it at the oceanside or the river.

The first sign of the morn is the spreading haze of a gloriously subtle peachy light, which spreads evenly over everything. I recall when Ibrahim AS witnessed the glorious sunrise he said “Is that my Lord?” and of course he also answers his rhetorical query with “it cannot be because it sets” I note that a cloud hides it.

Allah SWT has programmed each of its creation to do things on time and yet I find myself always behind since I do not do the things when they are supposed to be done.

Some call it procrastination I call it “swapping “. All the essential things do need to be done and have to be done, if they are not done at the designated time they take someone, or something else’s’ time and get done. All this swapping increases the stress level in me.

However, not the sun, the moon and the stars, they are truly obedient to the commands of Allah SWT and do His (SWT) bidding not only on time but at the precise moment, not even a millisecond here or there. I bet they are never stressed, as we are for a deadline unmet.

I decide to walk out to observe how Allah’s creatures perform Dhikr in the morning.
Since by the time I set out to the oceanside, the sun even though partially hidden behind a cloud is up and perhaps I have missed the fajr Dhikr? I note that some of His (SWT) creatures are looking for sustenance, in their own unique style.

The sandpipers on their slim short legs run with a speed that beats me, to find their morning meal brought in by the incoming waves. After pecking precisely for their food in the sand, they rush of to another section keeping one eye on my proximity.

I note that when finished with their morning meal, they neither waste nor store, nor take in excess and there is no israaf in their behavior. They fly away having eaten to their fill with the complete confidence in their Lord that when the evening comes He (SWT) will provide them with sustenance.

The seagulls are slower and less hurried in seeking their sustenance. They relax by the water, wading in it perhaps doing their morning dhikr and are in no rush to eat and leave. They also unlike the sandpipers do not need company. The cool morning breeze ruffles their shiny feathers as they seek their morning sustenance brought to them with the incoming waves. I note that interspersed with periods of looking for food are periods of mediation and Dhikr. They seem to be enjoying and appreciating their surroundings with serenity.

I walk on and suddenly the tall reeds on the dunes light up in the morning light and start to sway in the gentle morning breeze. Perhaps this is their dhikr. Allah SWT says in the Quran that all His creatures are in Dhikr and each of His creation including plants and even rocks are in tasbeeh. I find myself at their side, as the nod in the breeze and the morning light transforms them into golden rods.

I find great harmony, serenity and solace in this scene enveloping me, where all the creation of Allah SWT is in morning Dhikr. I find myself saying ‘Subhanallah’ again and again and realize that I too am in Dhikr.

As the sun, sporadically peeks around its cloud hijab, I find two dogs frolicking in the water, what better way to express to their Lord, the appreciation of His bounties!

I begin to head back, Subhanallah on my lips and Alhamdollillah in my heart; I leave the ocean and enter the forest to return home. I see a glossy black salamander sunning on the flattened brown part of a palm leaf. He is so silent and so immobile that for a moment I am unsure if he is alive or not. As I bend down to photograph him, he slides off and disappears into the underbrush leaving me with a tinge of regret at interrupting his Dhikr.

As I round the bend I come upon the shady humid part of the forest, and I find the sentinel mushrooms rooted to their spot in silent Dhikr, patient and immobile and sabir in their immobility.

By now, the heat of the sun is on me and I am attacked by the ‘no seeums’ who suck my blood with a vengeance leaving welts on my arms and feet. I guess Dhikr is ended and hunting begins in earnest.

I return home feeling that I am a minuscule part of Allah’s creation that is in dhikr. I am overwhelmed with the symphony of Dhikr that I witnessed this morning and am sobered by the fact that none of them were human beings.
Why had I not noticed the symphony of nature in Dhikr before?

THE SUPPLICATION FOR FORGIVENESS

اللّهـمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّـي لا إلهَ إلاّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنـي وَأَنا عَبْـدُك، وَأَنا عَلـى عَهْـدِكَ وَوَعْـدِكَ ما اسْتَـطَعْـت، أَعـوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَـرِّ ما صَنَـعْت، أَبـوءُ لَـكَ بِنِعْـمَتِـكَ عَلَـيَّ وَأَبـوءُ بِذَنْـبي فَاغْفـِرْ لي فَإِنَّـهُ لا يَغْـفِرُ الذُّنـوبَ إِلاّ أَنْتَ.

“Allaahumma anta rabbee laa ilaaha illaa ant, khalaqtanee wa anaa ‘abduk, wa anaa ‘alaa ‘ahdika wa wa‘dika mastata‘t, a‘oodhu bika min sharri ma sana‘t, aboo’u laka bini‘matika ‘alayya wa aboo’u bidhambee, faghfir lee, fa’innahu laa yaghfiru-dhunooba illaa ant.”

“Ô Allaah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You. You created me and I am Your slave and I abide by Your covenant and promise as best I can. I take refuge in You from the evil which I have committed. I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sins except You.”

Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The best of istighfaar (seeking forgiveness) is … “Whomsoever says it during the day, with conviction, and then dies that day before night falls will be of the people of Paradise. And whomsoever says it at night, with conviction, and then dies before day break will be of the people of Paradise.”

Youth in dhikr after salaat

ONE HUNDRED THINGS ABOUT DHIKR (50-74)

What is Dhikr to me?
51. The four quls before sleep envelopes me.
52. Allahummaa ahdani fiman hadayt…when the Ummah is suffering.
53. Listening to Surah Kahf enroute to Juma and feeling the words rolling off my lips as if I know the surah by heart
54. Listening to Surah Al-Insaan again and again in Itikaaf
55. Trying to memorize, surah Inshirah and stumbling on the last ayah repeatedly
56. Memorizing the last two ayahs of Sura Baqara & forgetting them through disuse.
57. Listening to an ayah being recited by someone else and knowing its source.
58. Listening to the juma khutba and making dua when the Imam sits down
59. Making dua after adhaan
60. Making dua after iqama
61. Repeating the adhaan after the muezzin
62. Listening to Imam Jouhani and wanting the taraweh to go on and on.
63. Turning up the volume and listening to Sheikh AlAfasy in the car.
64. Listening to Surah Yaseen and seeing my mother lying helplessly ill.
65. Listening to Surah Yaseen and watching with amazement my great Aunt(Khalaji) wake up from a coma and ask me “where is your mother?”
66. Listening to Allah huma labaik on youtube and crying with nostalgia
67. Reciting Allah huma labaik going to Mecca and visualizing Ibrahim AS calling the believers.
68. Feeling the power of the Ummah as they recite the duas in tawaf

69. Humbled and thankful when someone next to me recites Surah Tariq in tawaf
70. Standing in Qiyam al Layl waiting to hear Surah Tariq from the lips of Imam Sudais
71. Standing in front of the Kaaba speechless.
72. Repeating durood at the rowda of RasoolAllah (peace and blessing upon him)

73. Subhanallah when watching the sun set on the road to Medina
74. Bismillah on opening our fast on the road to Medina with Laban

road-to-medinah.jpg