WORDS…………

PRESENTED IN PART ON THE OCCASION OF J & S’s VALIMA CEREMONY:

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem, I begin with the name of Allah who is most Gracious and Most Merciful. To Him belongs all praise and prayer, and we are his humble servants.

Asalaam o alaikum my honorable elders in Deen and in wisdom, J & S and my friends and family, May Allah’s peace be showered upon you.

I have been asked to say a few words on this memorable occasion of the Valima of J & S as I understand it is  where the the groom and his family introduce his bride to the rest of the community who then welcome her into their hearts and homes with love and faith.

So a few Words and what are they….?

Words…… are like the falling rain, they may bring with them the mercy of Allah or His wrath

Words ….. are affirmations of what lies deep within our hearts.

Words of supplication………according to our Sheikh are arrows in the bow string of  our emaan.

The strength of our emaan is what determines if the arrow of our supplication will reach its goal.

Pictures fade ……in our minds and in our albums, or may be lost with a computer crash……but words……..words are forever imprinted on the heart of the recipient.

Words are imprisoned in our bodies. Allah SWT has made two gates that have to be opened before words are released:  our teeth and our lips. Thus reminding us to think twice about the quality and the quantity of the words that we are about to utter.

Words can bring the fragrance of emaan as we pass by someone with taqwa

Words can uplift you and me or they can crush us to the ground

Words are powerful, and the most powerful of words are the words of Allah SWT,  but they are not a just a book just to be read and laid aside, but are words to be memorized, repeated in friendship, in happiness, in sadness, in anguish and in joy, and are words to live by.

Words……. celebrate events, and  are the flowers on the garlands we adorn each other with.

Words are the best and longest lasting gifts we can give each other.

Words….. are the best gift you and I can give to J & S and their parents as they join together in a new larger family Inshallah focused on their Deen.

As we search in our minds and hearts to select the words we wish to gift them with…………….. let us pause.

Pause to cleanse our hearts with the purity and peace of our faith, Islam, and empty our hearts of the feelings that can make our words hurtful.

Let us consciously remove the feelings that were put into the heart of our father Adam (AS) and caused him to be disobedient to Allah SWT.  Let us remove those feelings from our heart that mimic those that enraged Iblis (Envy & Arrogance) and caused him to be disobedient to Allah SWT His Creator.

As we tussle with envy, arrogance and the desire for ostentation, riya and grief, let us take the words from our Creator and replace all others in our hearts.

Help me search for the words of our Rasool (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

Let us make a garland of these words from Allah SWT and from our Rasool, peace and blessing be upon him and adorn J & S with them.

Help me add the words and wishes of Tariq, and Im to these garlands and place them close to the hearts of their friends.

Even though they are separated from us physically they are in our hearts and their words of genuine love and laughter adorn their friends  on this happy occasion.

And…………it brings me great happiness to see Tariq and Ims wishes come true. Finally two young people are marrying within the Augusta community, with their own dearest friend J leading the tradition.

Inshallah continuing this tradition are many young people sitting in the audience, their words of love and supplications temporarily locked in their hearts and they are waiting to garland each other with them.

So if you wish, please join me in a supplication for J & S and their families. By  saying Ameen if the words in your heart match the ones I am going to say.

For when we say Ameen, the angels say Ameen and when our Ameens coincide, Allah’s rahma and mercy is showered on each and everyone present.

So here it is………these are not my words……because the best words come from Allah SWt and through His guidance from our Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him:

First the dua for the parents of the bride and groom and all the spouses, parents and children in the audience.

Rabana hab lana min azwajina, wa zuriatayna wa Quratul Ayn, wa jaalna, lil mutaqqina Imama.

Our Lord grant us the delight of our eyes in our spouses and our offspring and make us a model for The God Fearing.

Ameen

And For J & S
A Supplication for the newlywed

May Allaah bless for you (your spouse),
and bless you,
And
may He unite both of you in Khair or goodness of all kinds

and then to place you both , J & S in Allah’s protection:

I commend you two to the protection of Allaah’s perfect words from every devil, vermin, and every evil eye.

And finally a dua for a lifetime………

I was sent this dua by a dear friend for my daughter and her fiancee on their engagement. It is so beautiful and meaningful that I would like to share this dua with all of you and to dedicate it for J & S

J & S  to fulfill this dua both of you will have to remember to act upon it every moment and inshallah you will accomplish it bringing great joy for each other now in dunya and in the Hereafter.
Jazaik Alah hu Khairan,
Please join me in the Ameen.

My Dua:

May The Al-Wadood put the love & Emaan between you, J & S as existed between our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) & his dear wife Khadija and then Aisha may Allah be pleased with them.

Ameen, ya Rabbul-Alameen Ameen!

Asalaam o Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatahu!