WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MUSLIM WOMEN OUTSIDE THE HOME?

Muslim women Nurses of The Red Crescent equivalent to the Red Cross in the West: courtesy of:http://www.flickr.com/photos/27529953@N04/3081335899/

GUEST AUTHOR: Dr. Kaukab Siddique

Hadith Studies demonstrate that:

ALL WOMEN, INCLUDING YOUNG SINGLE WOMEN, ARE URGED BY PROPHET MUHAMMAD (peace be on him) TO TAKE PART IN ALL GOOD WORKS OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY

Question: I am studying Islam but can’t find anything in the Koran or the Traditions to support the place of women outside the home. Is it not true that Islam wants to restrict women to having children and cooking food? [U, from London, England]

ANSWER BY Dr. KAUKAB SIDDIQUE:

Asalaam o Alaikum Sister U, I have no idea why you can’t find the relevant texts. There is no need for any argument or interpretation on this issue. Here is a clear text from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). I have put the Prophet’s words in capitals:

“Ismail narrates from Ayyub who narrates from Hafsa: She said: We used to forbid our never married maidens from going out. A woman came and stayed at the mansion of the Bani Khalaf. She narrated that her sister was married to a companion of the messenger of Allah (peace be on him) who was with the messenger of Allah (pbuh) in 12-armed expeditions. Her sister was with him in six of these expeditions. She (the sister) said: We used to bandage the wounded and take care of the sick. She (the sister) asked the messenger of Allah (pbuh): Is there any harm if one of us does not go forth if she does not have an outer covering (jilbab)?

He (the Prophet, pbuh) said: “LET HER FEMALE FRIEND GIVE HER OF HER OUTER COVERINGS and SHE SHOULD TAKE PART IN THE GOOD WORKS and CALLS TO ALLAH (supplications) OF THE BELIEVERS.” When Umm Atiyya (Allah be pleased with her) came, I (Hafsa) questioned her about it. Umm Attiya said: Let my father be sacrificed for him. (Whenever the Prophet’s (pbuh) name was mentioned, she used to say so.) I asked: Have you heard the messenger of Allah (peace be on him) say so? She replied: Yes. By my father, he (the Prophet, pbuh) told us: LET THE UNMARRIED MAIDENS AND THE YOUNG VIRGINS WHO STAY HIDDEN AND THE MENSTRUATING ONES GO FORTH TO TAKE PART IN THE GOOD DEEDS AND CALLS TO ALLAH (supplications) OF THE MUSLIMS. ONLY, THE MENSTRUATING ONES SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ACTUAL PRAYER AREA. I (Hafsa) asked (Umm Attiya): Even the menstruating women? She replied: Don’t they (the menstruating women) go to Arafat and such and such places? [Hadith in Bukhari's Sahih, kitab al-Manasik.]

ANALYSIS by Dr. Kaukab Siddique:

Muslims, by definition, are one nation and one community. However, for this community to become real, Muslims must learn to respect each other and to work together for good causes, starting at the basic level of man and woman.

Decency and modesty are important in Islam but this virtue must not be a cloistered virtue. To achieve real virtue, one must practice virtue within the community.

The hadith (above) begins by mentioning Hafsa’s mistaken notion that single women must not go out into community activities. Then along came a woman who talked about her sister who had participated in six armed expeditions (ghazwaat). Although she was part of the ambulance brigade, she did go forth to the battlefield. Hafsa got this narration confirmed by Umm Attiya (Allah be pleased with her) one of the greatest female companions of the Prophet (pbuh).

Note that the Prophet did not accept the excuse of lack of adequate clothing. Friends can always share dresses. The essential thing is to be part of the struggle. There is no indication whatever that the Prophet (pbuh) would want women to be secluded or separated from the men. Decent dress and modest attitude is all that is needed. TAQWA (God-conscious behavior) is the key.

The biggest surprise for Hafsa was the Prophet’s urging that even menstruating women go forth. No mosque or gathering place is holier than the ground of Arafat, and menstruating women can and do go there. They should stay away from actual formal prayer. (Another aspect often forgotten is that in those days it was difficult to stop the blood flow and the place of prayer would be have blood on it.)

HOW MANY WOMEN ARE NEEDED FOR WITNESSING?

Note also that this hadith in a number of ways contradicts the idea that reporting or witnessing by ONE MUSLIM WOMAN is not valid. Ismail accepted from Ayyub (both males) a narration from ONE WOMAN Hafsa and Imam Bukhari unhesitatingly placed it in his Sahih. The second part of the narration is again from one woman Umm Attiya (Allah be pleased with her).

CRITIQUE of DR. MUSHSIN KHAN’S TRANSLATION: Dr. Khan’s translation of Bukhari in 9 volumes has this hadith in volume 2 on page 418 and it is numbered 714. The translator has made a number of errors.

Firstly he adds the words “On Ids” and “for Id prayer” at the beginning and end of the first sentence narrated by Hafsa. If any expert in Arabic can point out where these additions of Dr. Khan are available in the text, please let me know.

Secondly, he mentions the “menstruating ones” only once, leaving out the first reference as given in my translation. Again see the Arabic.

Thirdly, he DOES NOT KNOW THAT HAFSA HERE IS NOT THE DAUGHTER of Umar Ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) and the wife of the Prophet (pbuh). Dr. Khan mistakenly puts (radi Allahu unha) in front of her name. He should study the Tabqat of Ibn Saad to find out who was this narrator. If she had been the illustrious wife of the Prophet and custodian of the Qur’an, she would not have had to ask Umm Attiya (r.a.).

Fourthly, Dr. Khan blunders by translating jilbab as “veil” and his translation come out, as “She should cover herself with the veil of her companion.” (Is that physically possible?) Most early scholars of Islam agree that jilbab is the outer garment or covering.

Some close Saudi associates of Dr. Khan have issued a summary of Sahih Bukhari from which this hadith has been omitted.

Are Women permitted to attend the Mosques?

Women leaving after praying at Masjed e Nabvi

GUEST ARTICLE BY Quraysha Yousuf  (South Africa)

The women of Madinah would pray in the mosque behind the Prophet SAW:

v     ‘The believing women used to attend fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allah SAW, wrapped up in their outer garments. Then they would go back to their homes after they had finished praying, and no one would recognise them because of the darkness’- Bukhari&Muslim

v     The Prophet SAW said: 1) ‘Do not prevent your women from attending the mosque if they seek your permission to do so.’ 2) do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from attending the mosques of Allah.’ 3) ‘If your womenfolk seek your permission to go to the mosque, then let them do so.’ (Sahih Muslim).

v     Criteria for attending: do not use perfume and make sure you are modestly covered.

Additional Proofs for Permission to Women to go to the mosque:

1. Response of the Prophet SAW: he would shorten the prayer if he heard a child crying to remove the mother’s anxiety (hadith is in Bukhari and Muslim).
2. There are many saheeh ahadeeth that confirm the women’s presence and role in the musjid as well as how they attended the jummah salaat, the eclipse prayer (Asma bint Abu Bakr attended the eclipse prayer (Fathul Baari & Bukhari/Muslim) and the Eid salaat (Fathul Baari). Umm Hisham bint Harithah ibn an-Nu’maan said in the hadith of Sahih Muslim that she learnt Surah Qaaf from the Prophet SAW because he recited it on the minbar every Friday.
3. The Prophet SAW addressed both men and women and told them to come clean and neat to the jummah prayers, he encouraged them to make ghusl- Sahih Muslim.
4. Fatimah bint Qays said in the hadith of Sahih Muslim, that she stood in the front row, which was just behind the last row of men.
5. Once a woman was attacked on her way to the mosque, but this incident did not give the Prophet SAW any reservations about allowing women to attend the mosque- he allowed them to attend and forbade men from preventing the women ( from Silaat al-ahadeeth as-saheehah, Ahmed).
6. The Prophet SAW organised the women’s attendance in Jamaat- he exhorted them to stand at the back, behind the men (Sahih Muslim).
7. Because the men and women prayed in the same mosque, in one area, the hadith in Bukhari mentions how the Prophet SAW would instruct the men to keep sitting after the prayer finished and to let the women leave first. Then he would stand up and the men stood up behind him and left the mosque.
8. The Prophet SAW in the hadith of Bukhari & Muslim advised the women to say ‘Subhaan Allah’ if they noticed an error in his prayers and wanted to correct him- they obviously had to be present to do that.

Conclusions from above:

1. Women attended the mosque of the Prophet, there were no partitions, they prayed behind the men, the Prophet SAW was concerned about them and the children so if there was difficulty with the children he shortened his salaat and he also advised the women how to correct him if there were any errors. The women attended the prayer regularly, that’s how they memorised the Sura Qaaf, they were accommodated by the Prophet SAW and he STRICTLY forbade the men from preventing them from attending the mosque.

Screens separating women from the men in salaat int he mosque

2. What about the Comments that Omar RA gave the final verdict and stopped the women and the fact that his verdict must be respected because the Prophet SAW said to the effect that the muslims must obey the ‘ two’ that came after him (meaning Abu Bakr and Omar RA)?

v     Firstly, Hazrat Omar RA only tried to prevent his wife from attending the mosque as he was a jealous man and also he feared some fitnah- and when she did not listen, one day he disguised himself and scared her, so she turned back. However, she continued attending the prayers and when she was asked why she continues to pray in the mosque when she knows that Omar RA dislikes it and he is a jealous man she asked the man, ‘ what is stopping him from forbidding me (to do so)? He said: ‘The words of the Messenger of Allah SAW. “Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from attending the mosques of Allah”.’ Fathul Baari- i.e. Omar RA could not prevent her from attending because of the hadith of the Prophet SAW.

v     Note: Omar RA did not make a general announcement to all the muslim women, he only TRIED to deter his wife, but he could not prevent her because he respected the many ahaadith of the Prophet SAW which clearly prevented the men from forbidding the women! Hence Omar RA himself followed the instruction of the Prophet SAW. This is clear because his own wife and the muslim women still attended the congregational prayer and at the time of the Abbasids, the number of women attending the prayers increased to such an extent that they would fill the courtyards and so when men got late, they could not get into the mosque and hence, they prayed behind the women. Imam Malik, as recorded in Al-Mudawwanah-al-Kubrah, when questioned about this phenomenon said that the prayer of the men is valid and there was no need for them to repeat it.

3. What about the comment that the men and women enter from the same entrance and there is thus mixing? See point number 7 under ‘Additional Proofs’ above.

4. What about the comment that there is danger and fitnah? See point number 5 under ‘Additional Proofs’ above.

5. What about the objection that if there are no ladies facilities the women cannot come to the mosque to pray? See point number 6 & 7 under ‘Additional Proofs’ above.

6. What about the hadith that says ‘do not stop your women from going to the mosque, although their houses are better for them’? The Prophet SAW did not stop the women for there was much benefit, spiritual, intellectual and otherwise from attending the congregation, and ultimately, he left the decision and the choice to the women and not for the men to decide for the women! If we say we are not going to the mosque for fear of fitnah, then lets be honest and not go anywhere, as the other places we frequent are worse and cannot be compared to the mosque!

Eid Salaat- because of the wording in the ahaadith and the commands of the Prophet SAW to bring out all the girls and women barring no exceptions, the majority of the scholars are of the opinion that there is ‘wujoob’ (obligation) in attending the Eid Salaat and failure to attend the Eid Salaat runs the risk of earning you a sin for disobeying the command of the Prophet SAW!

Our Hypocrisies

We prevent the women from attending the mosque because we say Omar RA gave the final verdict, yet Omar RA’s verdict was actually that he could only discourage his wife- not all the muslim women- but ultimately, he could not stop her as it was her right and her choice! And she still went to the mosque!

We stop the women from going to the mosque which is a pure place, speaking about fitnah, yet we allow the women to go everywhere else- the malls, coffee-shops, picnics, gyms etc-where’s the logic- go to the filthy place but don’t come to the pure place!

When it suits us and a lecturer or scholar from our particular ‘ideology’/ ‘jamaat’/‘group’ is coming to give a talk, then we conveniently have ‘lady’s facilities’- even in the halls or classrooms, provision is made for the ladies. So what about the fitnah then?

We have fitnah everywhere, in the schools, weddings and at the funerals too, so if you can’t attend the mosque,remember, you can’t go to any of these places also.

Musjid-al-Haraam and Musjid-al-Nabawi are also mosques- so if you can’t go to a mosque in your country, you can’t go to these mosques as well- sit in your hotel room- no entering the Harams-better still don’t go to Makkah and Madinah because if you can’t go to the mosque- why go?

The prophet SAW was courteous and caring to the women, he would come to them after the Eid salaat and specifically address them- today- our men hog the parking, don’t care about the safety of the women, switch off the lights or lock the ladies sections so they cannot come in to pray, they rush out of the doors as if they are dying to get out of the mosque- cannot wait a few minutes for the ladies to leave. In their feeble minds, it’s a nuisance to have the women educated. The Imaams and Maulanas make almost no effort to address or teach the women- paying attention only to the men, they switch off the sound systems in the ladies sections- WHY? ARE WOMEN NOT SUPPOSED TO PRAY AND LEARN?AND WHAT ABOUT THE MUSAAFIR? MUST SHE PRAY ON THE STREET OR NOT PRAY AT ALL?

You choose where you want to be, who you want to be with and what is important to you. I have chosen to attend a mosque that affords me dignity and gives women equal respect. There are a few mosques like the one attend in Laudium with the same respect for women- the proofs are clear- let your intellect guide you and not your cultural affiliations and customs that have indoctrinated you. I am not telling you to go for the 5 daily prayers, but we should attempt to go for taraweeh and jummah, and it is obligatory for us to attend the Eid Salaat.

Jazakallah Khairun

HOW TO BEAR THE PAIN OF WAR?

photo courtesy of www.globalenvision.org, checkout the cigarette "Pleasure" ad on thebuilding in the background (killing with pleasure)

A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER BROTHER………….

This is a response to a letter from my youngest brother who was distraught at all the lies that is being fed to the Americans about Muslims and Muslim countries via the media. He was also concerned as to how to correct the balance and show Americans what is right and what is wrong………….

Here are my thoughts about it that I wrote to him and would like to share with you to get your response and suggestions:

THE LETTER………..

My dearest brother, Asalaam-o-alaikum,

I read the article with interest, and I wish we had a magic wand to change people’s opinion in the country we live in.

The most potent way of changing peoples opinion is by personal interaction. If someone met one honest Muslim he will usually say, “Muslims are honest people” or vice versa. Isn’t that what happens?

There is a lot of upheaval going on in the Muslim lands, part of it is foreign invasion and part of it is breaking the vice of Dhulm (Oppression) that the local people were caught up in. Which in some countries has been for decades, and there seemed no hope of breaking the stranglehold.

Allah Subhanawataala sends calamities, both natural and in the form of war where one nation that has been majorly disobedient and Dhalim is replaced by another nation.

It is important to observe and draw conclusions that help us individually to learn and change ourselves so that on the Day of Judgment when we are questioned we can honestly say that we did our utmost best to follow the Quran and Sunnah.

It is important for each of us to start the dawah at home, beginning with one self. What does that mean?

One can say: Well I fulfill all the rights of Allah (pray, fast, sadaqa, zakat, Hajj, and I repeat shahada many times a day), and I have “paid my dues”

If we do all that then we have fulfilled the rights of Allah and to me it means that we now need to pay attention to the Haqooq al ebad (or Human rights), which means our ikhlaaq (internal etiquette manifested as outer behavior) with our immediate family, distant family, the neighbors, the surrounding community, Muslim and nonmuslim and then the distant Ummah.

Do we give them their rights with ehsaan if possible?

To me it means, shutting off the TV and computer and spending time with the people who are at home, and in my neighborhood and listening to them and letting them watch me be patient when irritated, be gentle when angry, kind and loving when exhausted and attentive when bored. If we practice the words in the Quran by making them alive in our life, living becomes joyful.

To me this has happened only by studying a little bit of tafseer every day (1-2 ayahs) and trying to implement them in my daily life.

It is hard at first, but if you make dua, Allah Subhanawataala makes it easy.

We have to struggle to adopt the Ikhlaaq of RasoolAllah (PBUH) in every act that we execute daily, so that everyone who observes us sees a manifestation of Rasool Allahs (pbuh) etiquette and will then want to know: Who and what are Muslims?

It is a difficult path, initially sort of like being on stage, but slowly it becomes ingrained in ones personality and then one can advance to the next level of etiquette of RasoolAllah pbuh (sunnah)

Nothing in the world moves fast to change people, other than being influenced by people. Two hours of media opinions by a talking head are wiped clean by one positive, kind, caring and genuine interaction with a Muslim at a personal level. That is my experience.

At a subconscious level Americans know that what is being blasted on TV is lies, but they have no example to gauge it against..

Since most of the American Muslims live in a cocoon and have a semi ghetto mentality in which they seldom invite or venture out socially while manifesting their Muslim identity, the American’s at large don’t find them any more inspirational than anyone else. This ghetto mentality maybe perhaps due to fear of reprisal if overtly muslim which is further fanned by organizations that thrive on sensationalism.

It is time to stop living two lives, one in the home and one outside and merge the two, you will find it brings comfort, peace and progress.

It is also time to accept that one who takes Allah Subhanwataala, as his or her guide will have no fear and no grief:

In Surah Baqarah ayah 38 Allah Subhanawataala says:

We said: “Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

For more detail on Fear and Faith check out my blog article

In the final analysis it is Allah Subhanawataala who decides if we are protected from harm or not, thus if we become outside who we are inside then what ever happens to us good or ill is our decree, as part of our Aqeedah we have to accept it.

He Subhanawataala knows that at least we tried to be who He Subhanawataala has commanded us to be and obeyed the Prophet (PBUH) as He Subhanawataala commanded us to do.

This a beautiful dua to pray after every salah (masnoon), which will bring you strength:

اللّهُـمَّ لا مانِعَ لِما أَعْطَـيْت، وَلا مُعْطِـيَ لِما مَنَـعْت، وَلا يَنْفَـعُ ذا الجَـدِّ مِنْـكَ الجَـد .

“Allaahumma laa maani‘a limaa a‘tayt, wa laa mu‘tiya limaa mana‘t. Wa laa yanfa‘u dhal-jaddi minkal-jadd.”

“Ô Allaah, none can prevent what You have willed to bestow. And none can bestow what You have willed to prevent. And no wealth or majesty can benefit anyone, as from You is all wealth and majesty.”

May Allah always protect and guide you!

I remain your loving sister with love and duas.

P.S.  Palaces are built one brick at a time, the muslim spirit is nourished and renewed one cell at a time, so keep the regular diet of ilm going:)

UNVEILING THE CHARACTER OF A MUSLIM MAN………SURAH YUSUF 12: 1-42

He was handsome………..Prophet Muhammad said that when he saw him in Mairaaj that if you collected half the beauty of this world, it would not suffice to make up the beauty of Yusuf AS.

He was respectful to his father ……as is reflected by the way he addressed him …….Ya abbatee, clearly in a different vein of tone than his brothers.

He sought the wisdom of his father ……….he approached him with the dream he had seen to seek an understanding of it from his father

He was handsome in face and body and beautiful in manners and thus was liked by all who came in contact with him, but he never used his assets that Allah Subhanawataala had given him to denigrate those who were not as fortunate in form or face as he.

He at the age of age twelve, when thrown into a dark well……….listened to Allah Subhanawataala and had tawakul, complete trust in Him Subhanawataala as to his outcome.

Sold as a slave in a remote land, he worked hard and honestly to earn the respect of his master, mistress and all around him. Thus in adversarial times as a slave he still practiced his adaab or manners (Muslim etiquette) irrespective of adversarial circumstances.

As a handsome adolescent, and eventually as a young man when exposed to the tempting beauty of the women around him, he protected his chastity as commanded by Allah Subhanawataala. How often football players and other sportsmen misuse their charm and the beauty of their body callously and without fear of consequences.

In the face of the society that accepted non-conjugal union of men and women as a norm, Yusuf (AS) refused to do so in the face of the possibility of a major backlash.

How often we make excuses for the errors of our youth by blaming the society we live in which freely allows and actually encourages promiscuity.

When faced with the choice of succumbing to the sexual advances of His masters wife or going to prison, he prays to Allah Subhanawataala to send him to prison to keep him away from the fitna of adultery.

In the prison, where the rooms are small, the men are many, tempers are high, food is scare, his adaab and etiquette earn him the name of “Mohsin” one who looks out and genuinely cares for others.

THE TONGUE: AN INSTRUMENT OF DHIKR OR……….

I guess I would now be classified as a retreat veteran and yet when ever I open my notepad with pen poised, what I hear from the Shaykh is never a repetition of before but something new and energizing………

Does this mean that I have come along some, on the path of Tazkiyah? or does it mean that I missed part of what he said last time due to inattention? or my brain and my heart just did not register it as they were not ready to accept this new concept of living?…………..or a possibility that may be true but difficult for me to admit is that my Nafs and my arrogance stood like a wall when some of the things were said?

When I had first started on this path I wondered why I was here at the retreat. What would I learn from a bunch of lectures, early mornings, late nights and patience and prayer that I could not do by myself?

As the time at the retreat unfolded, after the initial discomfort of my body, my heart and mind started to transcend the physical discomfort and dive into the Shaykh’s method of teaching, which he describes as:
“We learn to do” and “We do to learn”
It is only when you have sat for what seems like a very long time between Asar and Maghrib repeating the evening Dhikr that you realize, there is a hyperactive child within you that wants to get up and go………..the hyperactive inattentive child or is it the headstrong brat of my Nafs that want to get it done and be over with it and go out.

It is only when the Nafs is patted down on the head repeatedly, quietened with a consistent discipline and not given attention that it finally calms down. It is then that the first opening occurs in the true connection with Allah Subhanawataala…………..it may last a few seconds, minutes or even longer if you have better control of your Nafs.

Thus it was the “doing” that I practiced and have continued to practice with the morning evening Dhikr after fajr and as often as I could after Asar that finally brought me to a point in this retreat when I actually began to enjoy the Dhikr with the slow passage of light from Asar to Maghrib in the skylights of the musallah.

As the words of Dhikr left my lips and ascended to my Creator, It brought me an intense feeling of being loved and enfolded in a sensation which can be translated into happiness or security…………even though fleetingly.

“Doing, teaches us more than listening to teachings,” said the Shaykh and I am living proof of that. Three retreats ago, I could not fold my feet to sit in Tashahud to do my Dhikr; I changed posture uncountable times in an hour. Overcoming the Nafs in me that pestered me like a hyperactive brat, by “doing” finally got me past the brat.

The morning Dhikr which is my favorite. I guess because it is long and it takes me a little while to get warmed up. This Dhikr comprises of a series of stunningly comprehensive masnoon supplications that engulf the physical, emotional, and personal needs at every level that one can think of. No wonder Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, did this Dhikr on a regular basis………….

It also is a protective shield from all evil things and obsessive ill thoughts. When I read the translation of the supplications I can recognize why. Hidden in the simple though potent words, are supplications that protect you, bring blessings on you, shower you with spiritual, emotional and physical health and protect you from the arch enemy of our father, Adam (AS) and his progeny.

“Dua or supplication is emphasized as an essential part of being on the Path of the Seeker”

“Thus the Dhikr is………….to beg Allah, to be prayerful in heart, mind, soul and tongue”

“The lack of dua is a sign of “kibr” or arrogance……….says Allah Subhanawataala in the Quran, and recommends the abd (slave) to often be in dua.“

“Prophet Muhammad pbuh had long stretches of quietness…….as he was constantly in Dhikr”

The tongue can either be in idle chatter or in Dhikr…….thus we as Muslims are taught to be reflective of what we say and to say only what is meaningful, true, sincere and beautiful (with ehsaan). Even better is to remain silent and be in Dhikr.

This permission to remain silent has been one of the most stress releasing aspects that I was introduced to at the retreat. I have always been “the mediator” all my life and have taken it upon my self to entertain the wall flower, to be the liaison between two strangers etc etc……….I was happy to learn, though it took quite some time (three retreats☺) before I could actually be happy and not feel guilty, not to talk and be in silent dhikr.

Our voice is an instrument…………we can use it in so many ways……….Allah Subhanawataala  instructs us in the Quran….”shield your voice” or “lower your voice”.
Luqman (AS) advice to his son in the Quran is:
“And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass.” 031.019 Yusufali’s translation:

The final words of the Shaykh regarding this aspect were “Guard the tongue, it was put behind two prisons (the lips and the teeth) for a reason” It can lash out and say things that cannot be recalled, or say things to fill the sound void and then we become responsible on the Day of Judgment for each word uttered.

Silent Dhikr………………it took me three retreats of “doing” to know what it means and what happens when you actually “do” it!

Excerpts and reflections from the Retreat on Tazkiyah Nafs 09 with Shaykh Mokhtaar Magroubi (Most of the the statements in inverted comma’s are quotes from the Shaykh)

The Adhkaars (Dhikr) after Salah can be found at :http://ibnayyub.wordpress.com/2007/12/29/adhkaar-after-salah-sheikh-haitham-al-haddad/

ARRIVING AT THE RETREAT FOR TAZKIYAH NAFS………….

I am at the airport and they are here to pick me up along with the other retreaters. This time, I am not stressed, I know that whatever arrangements Allah SWT has planned for me to get there will happen.
As the car ascends the mountains, in a caravan, packed with the retreaters I feel the tension ebb away from me…………I literally feel that I am going to be deposited at the beginner’s point of the hike to The Path of the Seekers of Allah.

How presumptuous of me……….nevertheless my heart lifts as I go deeper and deeper into the mountains and only the blocking of my ears tells me that I have also made a literal ascent of the body and not only of the heart and soul.

Why do I feel elated?  Is it because this is the third time and I know what to expect or is it because I have dropped all presuppositions and allowed myself to float like a leaf in the river of faith, allowing it to take me wherever the Divine hand guides it.

I no longer try to steer my path, nor try and change behavior of my companions, I make a mental note that it is myself that I will need to adjust. Why am I here for the third time, I know the answer to that……I am a slow learner.

This time I have no need to talk, to get to know others, nor do I feel responsible to keep a conversation going. I enjoy the permission that I have been given, to remain silent.

When I reach our room in the lodge, I do one thing different that I have learned from my travel companion V. I unpack daily essentials and organize them in the appropriate places. I make sure that I have the right things available for the right activities without having to search for them, and I head to the basement or the musallah.

As I step on the last stair that always creaks the loudest when there is a latecomer for salaah, I feel I am home. The room smells musty like a home that has missed its dwellers. The crisply clean green carpet welcomes me; I am told at another time that the Christian camp owners especially fixed this carpet and this room for the Muslim retreaters.

I think of King Nagashi. Did he not help the Muslims in time of dire need and then did his heart not turn towards the ultimate submission to the one God………..I wonder at the red haired man who runs the camp, he sits in one of the salaahs with his feet folded like a Muslim who has spent his life on the musallah and I wonder about his heart…………… And so begins the introduction of the retreat which holds the map to the hiking trail for the Seeker of the Almighty………..

MISSION TRIP TO SYRIA…..PART TWO, THE ROUNDS

A poster of a refugee child at the UNCHCR

Continuing from Part one…………..

THE ROUNDS IN IBN SINA
THE KITCHEN
The rounds began with the kitchen, which was spare but immaculate. I was a little perplexed with this beginning. Two huge cauldrons of food were shown to us, one was a thick bean soup and the other was a rice dish. I remembered eating the bean dish with O in Damascus, which I recalled was delicious.
PATIENT GARMENTS

As we moved to the next room, we were shown the giant sized clothes washing machine where patient garments were washed in high temperatures. I sensed the pride of accomplishment in my colleague, as he reminded me how rampant the skin infections, lice and scabies were before the installation of this high-temperature clothes washer.

FRESH FOODS: We moved along to a cool storage area where bananas and other fresh fruits were stored for the patients.
WATER AND ITS PURITY
As we walked out, he pointed to two giant water towers, which were converting hard water to soft water, the construction around them indicated they were soon to be attached to the hospital water source.
N S (the mental health nurse and mission worker from California) looked at me and we looked at our colleague, acknowledging with wonder, the true empathy that drove this physician to follow the Hippocratic Oath in ensuring the total well being of the patient and not only his current disease, but also persistent and continued effort to improve the general environment of the patient in the hospital.
CLINICAL ROUNDS
We walked back into the patient compound area of the hospital and rounds began in earnest. Starting from under the 100-year-old eucalyptus tree whose fragrance engulfed us giving us a welcome whiff, before we faced what we were going to be shown. We were going to tread a path for a very short time and get a glimpse of where no one wants to go or see a loved one go either.
THE PATIENTS
The first section was an outdoor section and was a courtyard that opened into the wards for the criminally insane.
We saw men who were currently well controlled on their medications, men who looked at you with everyday eyes, but according to their medical history had killed again and again and again. They would discontinue their medications when released and obey the voices in their head to kill yet again. They came from all walks of life, clergymen, lawyers, and others. One thing was common: they all deeply respected their doctor and asked him with an everyday smile if they could be released.
Through the gate that separated us from their open-air courtyard, they could see the same flowers growing right outside their courtyard and I presume smell their fragrance as ordinary people. However, when the voices took over, God only knows what those same fragrances turned into.
THE ABANDONED
The next ward were the insane who were doing well on their treatment but had no one to claim them or to take care of them upon their release. I called these the children of God, for no one else laid claim to them.
When I questioned the physician, he said, “Sometimes people are found roaming the streets and appear insane. They have no one to explain what happened to them. Sometimes they are refugees disoriented by their losses, of house, home and family, they don’t know how they reached Damascus and nobody knows them. By this time, all their resources are gone; they have neither money nor emotional or psychological support and are thus brought to the physicians at Ibn-Sina for evaluation”

THE MAKING OF A REFUGEE
I paused, with a sobering thought: one bomb from a war waged by a faraway country could, drive people out of their homes, into foreign lands, where no one knew them, they had no kith or kin left alive. Having seen so much murder, torture, and pain they appear to have or have actually have lost their mind.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my companions weeping, silent tears, overcome with the stories we heard of these patients.

AN ACT OF LOVE FI SABILLALLAH
Thus, in the outskirts of Damascus at Ibn-Sina, I met my fellow physicians working to right what had been wronged to our fellow human beings. Working on these lost souls one by one, a painstakingly laborious labor of love, Fi Sabillallah (for the sake of Allah).

Refugee tents (courtesy UNCHCR)

SUMMARY OF MY FIRST DAY AS A MISSION WORKER………
I was steeped in humility, and yet I felt I had made some contribution to the larger cause in an indirect manner. If nothing else I had strengthened the bond of one physician with another crossing all national, cultural and political borders to forge together as helpers with only one goal and that is to seek health and healing for our patients.

Thus capacity building was done with the psychiatrists (private practice, academic, and those in training). The psychiatric aspects of childhood epilepsy associated with other illnesses as well as epilepsy masquerading as another illness were addressed. A demonstration of an epileptic child in class was given, and innovative treatment and management options were discussed.

Being in the first line of care, the physicians of Ibn-Sina carry the burden of defining the illness, mental or other wise, sometimes with a remarkable lack of history that has been left behind in the destroyed homes of the refugees.
They have to cull the patients with organic reasons from those with secondary reasons such as war and mental illness resulting from the trials and tribulations of being a tortured refugee.

As war spreads in the Middle East, the physicians of Ibn-Sina with their limited resources will have a continuing and heavier burden to evaluate, treat, and rehabilitate the mental illnesses of the refugees in addition to the general population.

Cloistered within the walls of Ibn Sina I sometimes wonder how they respond to the factors that go into the making of a refugee driven to insanity…….

Patience is the middle name of these physicians at Ibn Sina, they manage problems one at a time, finding a way where there is none and circumventing frustration at lack of resources and knowing that they can only control what they do and not what the world does with its politics.

Physicians underlining each sentence of the Hippocrates oath and carrying it out with precision. While those men, women and children driven by war to insanity steadily continue to show up on their steps without a coherent past, a shaky present and a nebulous future.

Outside the Ummayad mosque courtyard as night falls

Shaam (Damascus), the city where through out history pilgrims have found rest before pushing on to Mecca, still hosts the tired, the destitute, and those driven insane by war.

THE PIONEERS: AS SABIQOON………….9:100

Courtesy: rightohijab's photostream

وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلۡأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحۡسَـٰنٍ۬ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡہُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡجَنَّـٰتٍ۬ تَجۡرِى تَحۡتَهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَآ أَبَدً۬اۚ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (١٠٠)

And the first to lead the way, of the Muhajirin and the Ansar, and those who followed them in goodness – Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him, and He hath made ready for them Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. That is the supreme triumph. (9:100)

Tafseer by Dr. Farhat Hashmi (translated from Urdu)

Sabiq: The one who moves forward, ahead of others,
As Sabiqoon: plural of Sabiq
Awaal, means the first: those who are ahead of everyone and who are from the Muhajir and Ansar. Who are these people?
From the Muhajireen: The Asabiqoon awalloon have been categorized as follows:
1.    First to accept Islam: Abu Bakr Siddiq, Zaid bin Haarisa, Abdur Rahman bin Auuf, Zubair bin Awwam, Saad bin Waqaas, Talha bin Hudabi (?) and Hazrat Khadija (though she died before hijra)
2.    Those who participated in Badr
3.    Those who prayed to both Qiblas
4.    Those who participated in the treaty of  Hudaibiya
5.    In the Quran they are described as: Those who became Muslims before the victory of Mecca.

From Ansar:
1.    Those who participated in first Bait and second Bait
Those who accepted Islam from Abu Zurara, Moosa bin Umair (Scholars who were sent to Medina to teach Islam prior to Hijra)

2.    Those who followed in the footsteps of the As Sabiqoon with Ikhlaas, (till the day of Judgement) these are close to Allah and will enter Jannah, when they see the opportunity of a good deed they do it right away they do not wait. These people are far and few between. But these will be people in this category till the final day.

The reward of being As Sabiqoon in the Quran: The original pioneers and later ones is outlined here:

Allah is happy with him and they are happy with his decision and he has prepared beautiful gardens with flowing rivers where they will abide forever. They are the ones that are most successful

courtesy: rightohijab's photostream

And elsewhere in the Quran about the As Sabiqoon who came later and will continue to come till the Day of Judgment will be given the same reward:
Hashr 10: Those who came after the Awaal, but who are considered As Sabiqoon:
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YUSUFALI: And those who came after them say: “Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brethren who came before us into the Faith, and leave not, in our hearts, rancor (or sense of injury) against those who have believed. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.”

And in Surah Anfaal 75: They came later but did the same work as the Sabiqoon of earlier times
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YUSUFALI: And those who accept Faith subsequently, and adopt exile, and fight for the Faith in your company,- they are of you. But kindred by blood have prior rights against each other in the Book of Allah. Verily Allah is well acquainted with all things.
PICKTHAL: And those who afterwards believed and left their homes and strove along with you, they are of you; and those who are akin are nearer one to another in the ordinance of Allah. Lo! Allah is Knower of all things.

ARE YOU A PIONEER?

HOPE IN CRISIS

coutesy: flickr Tariqs fantasy photostream

GUEST ARTICLE

Lose your job?? Don’t lose hope!!

by Asma bint Shameem

As world markets suffer from the ongoing global financial crisis and housing markets slump, as jobs are lost and unemployment rates rise high, as businesses close down and people don’t have a source of income, you worry. You worry about the growing global recession and its challenges. And you worry about your family, your kids, how to provide for them, how to put food on the table, how to pay the bills….   In times such as these, this is a reminder for my brothers and sisters, as the reminder always benefits the believers. “But remind, the Reminder will benefit the believers.” (Surah adh-Dhaariyaat: 55)

KEEP YOUR IMAAN STRONG 1. Remember….nothing happens except by the will and decree of Allaah: Belief in al-qadar (the Divine decree) is one of the pillars of our Imaan, and no one’s faith is complete without it. So if you lost your job, it was by the Will and Decree of Allaah. Allaah says:   “No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (al-Lawh al-Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allaah” (al-Hadeed:22)

Also the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said: “Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you, and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship.” (Tirmidhi-Saheeh)

2. It is Allaah that provides for you and NOT your employer; Remember that Allaah is al-Razzaaq (the Provider) and the Best of those who provide. It was Allaah who was providing you before you lost your job and it is still He that will provide you after you lost it. The one who fed you when you were in your mother’s womb will also feed you when you are an adult. And it was not you who was putting food on the table for your family. Rather it was Allaah using you as a means to provide for them.

“Except for Allah, is there any other Creator who provides for you out of heaven and earth? There is no god except He. Where then do you turn?” (Surah Faatir:3)

3. Know that your provision was written for you before you were even born: Allaah had sent an angel to write down your provision for you when you were just a few days old in your mother’s womb, and you will get it, no matter what. “(the angel) says, ‘O Lord, male or female? Doomed or blessed? What is his provision? What is his lifespan?’ And that is written in his mother’s womb.” (Bukhaari)   There is nothing that can take your provision away. And you will not die until you have had your full provision. The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said:   “The Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full, so fear Allaah and do not be desperate in seeking provision, and no one of you should be tempted to seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him, for that which is with Allaah can only be attained by obeying Him.” (Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2085)

4. It is a test for you from Allaah: Remember that disasters and calamities are a test of a believer’s patience. And so He will test you to see how strong you are and how you will react to His test. And know if Allaah loves a person, He tests him.
“We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, and decrease of goods, life and fruits. Give glad tidings to the patient.” (al-Baqarah:155)

5. Surely, it is a means of expiation of your sins: Calamities are a means of expiation of sin and raising one’s status. The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said: “There is nothing that befalls a believer, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah will record one good deed for him and will remove one bad deed from him.” (Muslim).  And he said: “Trials will continue to befall the believing man and woman, with regard to themselves, their children and their wealth, until they meet Allaah with no sin on them.” (Tirmidhi, saheeh by al-Albaani)

WHAT TO DO

1. Have tawakkul on Allaah Always think to yourself…Allaah wouldn’t decree something for me unless it was good for me. Have faith in Allaah’s Words…. “But you may hate a thing although it is good for you, and may love a thing although it is evil for you. Allah knows, and you do not.” (Baqarah:216)
The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said: “If you put your trust in Allaah in the true sense, He will grant your provision as He grants to the birds, who go out in the morning hungry and come back full.” (Ahmad, Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi).

2. Be patient Remember that with every difficulty comes ease and with hardship comes relief. “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for all his affairs are good and this does not apply to anyone except the believer. If something good happens to him he is grateful, and that is good for him, and if something bad happens to him he is patient, and that is good for him.” (Muslim).

3. Review your life and make LOTS of Istighfaar Look at your life. Is there something that you need to improve on? Is there something that you need to give up? Is there anything that may be a cause of Allaah’s warning or punishment to you?   “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned” [al-Shoora:30]   “A man may be deprived of provision by a sin that he commits.”  (Ibn Maajah-saheeh by al-Albaani)   If there is such a thing, NOW is the time to fix yourself. Ask Allaah sincerely to forgive you and He will. There is no doubt in that.For He is al-Ghafoor, ar-Raheem.

‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft‑Forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance, and give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.’”[Nooh 71:10-12]

Fear Allaah and obey Him as much as you can: Obedience is the key to the Mercy of Allaah and fearing Him (taqwa) is a means to attain all success. Allaah says: “And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things” [al-Talaaq:2-3]

Make dua and do lots of good deeds Never forget that Dua is the weapon of the believer. Pray to Allaah with the attitude of certainty and He will surely respond. Do a lot of acts of worship, such as reading Qur’aan, fasting, giving charity, etc. This will get rid of your worry and anxiety, and give you happiness, peace of mind and success in this dunya as well as in the Hereafter.

“Whoever works righteousness – whether male or female – while he (or she) is a true believer; verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” (al-Nahl:97)

Also, worship at times of hardship and tribulation has a special sweetness to it and a great reward.

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said: “Worshipping at times of tribulation and confusion is like migrating to join me.” (Muslim)

Uphold ties of kinship If there are any family members that you have cut off from or are not on speaking terms, etc., correct that and ask them for forgiveness, even if it was not your fault. Why? Because the Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said:  “Whoever would like his provision to be increased and his life span to be extended, let him uphold the ties of kinship.”

Do your best to seek Halaal earnings….. Work hard to find a means of living for your family, while relying on Allaah. That is a responsibility placed upon you by Him.

Imam Ahmad was asked about a man who sat in his house or in the masjid and said, “I will not do anything until my rizq comes to me.” He said, “This is a man who has no knowledge.

“Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless.” (Muslim).

BUT, don’t lose sight of the Aakhirah

However, do realize that this world is only temporary and the REAL life is that of the Hereafter. This world should not be the main concern of the Muslim, rather our focus should be on what we do for the Aakhirah.

The Prophet (sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever is mainly concerned about the Hereafter, Allaah will make him feel independent of others and will make him focused and content, and his worldly affairs will fall into place. But whoever is mainly concerned with this world, Allaah will make him feel in constant need of others and will make him distracted and unfocused, and he will get nothing of this world except what is decreed for him.” (Tirmidhi- saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’).

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………..