zaynabsalman's Xanga

Springs Gift...

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 02:57:02 GMT

Spring's Gift
By Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

I envy the sand that met his feet

I’m jealous of honey he tasted sweet

Of birds that hovered above his head

Of spiders who spun their sacred web

To save him from his enemies

I envy clouds formed from the seas

That gave him cover from the heat

Of a sun whose light could not compete

With his, whose face did shine so bright

That all was clear in blinding night

I envy sightless trees that gazed

Upon his form completely dazed

Not knowing if the sun had risen

But felt themselves in unison

With those who prayed, and fasted too

Simply because he told them to

With truth and kindness, charity

From God who gave such clarity

His mercy comes in one He sent

To mold our hearts more heaven bent

I envy all there at his side

Who watched the turning of the tide

As truth prevailed and falsehood fled

And hope restored life to the dead

Men and Women through him found grace

To seek together God’s noble face

I envy the cup that gave him drink

His thoughts that helped us all to think

To be one thought that passed his mind

Inspiring him to act so kind

For me this world is not one jot

If I could simply be a thought

From him to God throughout the ages

As revelation came in stages

I pity all who think it odd

To hear him say there is one God

Or he was sent by God to men

To hone their spirits’ acumen

It’s pride that blinds us from the sight

That helps good men to see his light

He taught us all to be God’s slaves

And he will be the one who saves

Humanity from sinful pride

Muhammad has God on his side

So on this day be blessed and sing

For he was born to

grace our Spring

With lilies, flowers, life’s rebirth

In a dome of green like his on earth

...

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 02:20:31 GMT

im feeling a little dark these days.

Its that time again...

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:11:10 GMT

February 21, 1965

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:57:29 GMT

may God have mercy on those that have preceded us in faith.

wa kafa bil mawti wa'dhan ya Umar

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 15:56:21 GMT

Umar ibn al Khattab, may God be pleased with him, wore a ring that had the above Arabic inscription. What does it mean? "Death is enough of a reminder, o Umar!"

It seems as not a month passes, where God does not send reminders to us, with the death of His servants. It was their time, in their respected place. There has been another tragedy in our community, of a young brother, the son of a prominent member of our communities, who has passed away. Verily to God we belong, and to Him we will return. Our brother leaves behind his wife, four young children, 8 brothers and sisters, his parents, many relatives, and a community bereaved.

Before the Janaza yesterday, the khateeb gave us a beautiful example... That the earth is our mother. We come from the earth, and we will return to the earth. If the person who has passed is a servant of Allah, and one who spent his life in obediance, the earth will hug that person as a mother hugs her child. If the person is one who transgresses against God, the earth reprimands this individual and is angry with him. I understood this in truth when my father passed away-- truly we are not the owners of ourselves, and we will return, eventually, to the One we came from. What a blessing though, to be around reminders of His Majesty-- just when one begins to fall down the slippery slope of forgetfulness... He sends you reminders, of all different forms, to learn from and live through.

When Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), companion of our beloved (alaihi salaatu wa salaam), was dying, his wife was extremely upset and worried. Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) told her to not be afraid and do not worry, for he was going to be with the Prophet again.

May Allah reunite us all with our loved ones in the company of the Prophet (alaihi salaatu wa salaam), and may He grant us all the pleasure of being in the Divine Presence of His, in the highest of heavens... with the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous... and what beautiful companionship that is.

Please keep our brother (rahmatullahi 'alai) and his family, Bayt Jondy, in your dua. They have rough days ahead of them, dealing with this loss, but pray that they are giving steadfastness, patience and a calming in their hearts.

One year later...

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:51:34 GMT

On Friday, it will be one year.
One entire year.

My cousin wrote an email to us cousins on the subject-- thoughtful, inspirational and touching. Enjoy...

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Subject: my beloved Uncle

Salams all:

Its been almost a year. I have been thinking about Khaloojaan a lot lately. I think we all are. In my whole life nothing ever taught me about the temporal nature of this life than his passing did. This world is a dream we all said last year. It was. It still is.

Sometimes its difficult to remember him and when I do it brings me to tears. Sometimes it brings a smile to my face so wide my cheeks hurt. One morning when I was in London, I was walking down the street on the way to have some tea and I suddenly craved pancakes - something very un-British - something I would be hard pressed to find. I remembered one of the many times we sat in the kitchen of the old house in Troy, eating pancakes with khaloojaan. Do you remember how he used to eat his pancakes? His favourite way was with huge dollops of butter pecan ice cream and absolutely covered in maple syrup. the only thing that made him happier was if you ate your pancakes the same way. He would look at you while we eat together with a huge toothy grin and let out that wonderful giggle. As I was walking I thought about that giggle and I started laughing out loud, I mean really loud - his memory bringing light to the rainy and grey streets of London.

No matter what the thought - happy or sad -every time I think of him I learn something. Every time I think of him I am inspired. Every time I think of him I feel a deep sense of gratitude for having been a part of his life. Every memory and every story brings with it renewed inspiration to work harder to do the things he used to do - to quite simply try and make this world a better place. It sounds simple because he made it look so simple. Everything he did came from a place deep within his heart. He was a person who was abundant with love for others, for Allah and for our beloved Prophet Sayyidna Muhammad. In his last days he wrote about a believers duty to the family of the Prophet. He told me that he looked everywhere for more information on the topic but he couldn't find a book or an article. So he wrote it himself. That was him. That was my Uncle. Where he saw a void. He filled it. If something needed to be done - he would do it - and do it with smile. Forever in His service. Forever striving to follow the Prophetic example. It was a part of him. And now we pray that it is a part of us.

I miss him. I think I always will. His absence leaves a void in our life that likely won't be filled. At the same time - the memory of him and of his love brings peace to the soul and warms the heart. Almost every time- his memory teaches me a lesson that in some way reminds me of our beloved Prophet and of Allah.

Let us not let this year pass without renewing some of those silent promises we made to ourselves one year ago. How when we heard of the thousands of things he did for others and for this deen from the multitudes of people who knew him - we told ourselves - "I need to do more". When people came to visit hi in the hospital they almost all said "I'm his best friend". He made everyone feel like that. It was a quality of our beloved Prophet to be this way. We told ourselves we would try to be more kind to people -be the way he was- more loving and caring so people we knew would feel like we were their best friends. And as we saw him go through his sickness without complaint and with great strength and patience- we vowed not to complain any more - we promised ourselves that we too would learn a lesson and be strong and never despair.

I know I haven't done all the things I promised that I would do. I haven't changed in the ways I had wanted to and haven't worked as hard as I should. But I tried. And I continue to try as I know you all do. As a family I am sure that while our collective efforts may not fill the void left in our hearts but Inshallah will help fill the void of all that needs to be done here in this world. For there is much to be done.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all my dear family in these days. I pray that Allah rewards you for all your efforts and assists you as you strive to reach your goals, as you strive to follow in the footsteps of our noble Prophet. I pray Allah envelops your heart with hope and mercy and sakina every time it feels hurt- every time a loss seems a bit too much to bear. I pray we have the courage to do the great things Khaloojaan used to do and pick up where he left off. I pray, dear family that we all gather in Allah's Infinite Circle of Mercy, in the company of our loved ones, with Khaloojaan, with scholars, Prophets and Saints on the last day and the time after that and with our beloved Prophet Sayyidna Muhammad. May we drink from his cup, from his hands - may we drink the drink from which we will never feel thirst again and never feel want again. Ameen.

with love
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1428, Happy New Year!

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 05:23:21 GMT

www.crescentwatch.org

May the spirit of the hijra motivate us with new beginnings, renewed intentions and ever increasing love of God and His beloved (alaihi salaatu wa salaam).

and email that i had received, that insha'Allah will be of benefit to all. enjoy.

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Bismi Allah,

AlSalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatu Allah,

I pray this email reaches everyone in the best state of Imaan and health. Insh'Allah I wanted to take this time to remind all of us of the blessing of being of the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad Sala Allahu Alayhi wa Salam. Being of his ummah we have been given so many chances to gain forgiveness, rise in rank and gain reward. Subhana Allah, it is said that in other umam(nations) they were not given Tawbah. If they sinned with a certain limb they had to cut off that limb. Subhana Allah we were given the chance to do tawbah and by performing certain actions our sins are expiated. This is only but one of the blessing that this ummah has been given.

Insh'Allah maybe this is the last day of the year or tomorrow is the last day. I apologize for not emailing this earlier. It is narrated by ibn Hajar that the Prophet Sala Allahu Alayhi wa Salam said:

"Whoever fasts the last day of Dhul Hijjah and the first day of the Muharram Allah most high will make that, for him, expiation for 50 years. And Fasting a day of Muharram is equal to thrity days of fasting."

Also another good thing to do at the end of the year is on the last day of the month of dhul Hijjah one should say this Du'a three times.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وصَلَّى اللهُ على سَيدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّم ، (اللَّهُمَّ) مَا عَمِلْتُ مِن عَمَلٍ فِي السَّنَةِ الْمَاضِيِّةِ وَلمَ تَرْضَهُ، وَنَسِيتُهُ وَلَمْ تَنْسَهُ ، وَحَلِمْتَ عَنِي مَعَ قُدْرَتِكَ عَلَى عُقُوبَتِي ، وَدَعَوتَنِي إِلى التَّوبَةِ بَعْدَ جَرَاءَتِي عَلَيكَ ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ مِنْهُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي ، (اللَّهُمَّ) وَمَا عَمِلْتُ مِن عَمَلٍ تَرضَاهُ وَوَعَدْتَنِي عَلَيه الثَّوَابَ وَالغُفْرَانَ فَتَقَبَّلْهُ مِنِي وَلا تَقْطَعْ رَجَائِي مِنْكَ يَاكَرِيمُ يَاأَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ، وَصَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى سَيدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّم.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, and God bless our Master Muhammad and his family and companions and grant them peace. O God, whatever actions I have committed this past year which have not pleased You, which I may have forgotten though You do not forget, while You are forbearing with me though fully capable of punishing me, while You called me to relent and atone even after my audaciousness before You—O God, I surely seek Your forgiveness for that, so forgive me. O God, and as for my actions that have pleased You and for which recompense and forgiveness have been promised, please accept them from me. And do not dash my hopes in You, O Generous, O Most Merciful of the Merciful. And God, the Exalted, bless our Master Muhammad and his family and companions and grant them peace.

If one recites this three times Shaytaan (cursed is he) will say we tired ourselves with him all year and he ruined our work in one moment.

I pray this is beneficial to all those who read it. Please forgive me for any of my shortcomings.

Wa AlSalaamu Alaykum,

Your sister

Mona.

Habib Umar and Imam Zaid Shakir Advice (may Allah protect and preserve them for us!)

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 14:19:21 GMT

Dhul Hijjah and Eid Al-Adha 2006

Just a little something to keep in mind amidst all the conferences, vacations and trips, and many weddings that are taking place during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah...

**** From an email I have received ****

I just got word today from a close and beautiful friend of mine that lives in Makkah that Habib Umar is encouraging EVERYONE to make the following dua' these days (presumably meaning the days of Hajj):

يا رَحْمنُ يا حَيُّ يا قَيُّوم يا ذا الجَلالِ و الإكرام، اللهمَّ صلِّ و سلِّم على سَيِّدِنا محمد و على آلِ سَيِّدِنا محمد صلاةَ أَهْلِ السَّماواتِ و الأرَضِينَ عليه، و أَجْرِ يا رب لُطْفَكَ الخَفِيّ في أُمُوري و أُمُور المُسلِمِين، و أَذْهِبْ حُزْنَ قَلْبِي في الدُّنْيا و الآخِرَة

This faqir's Transliteration:

Ya Rahmaanu, Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum, Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram... Salli wa sallim 'ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa 'ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammad, Salaata Ahlis-Samaawaati wal-Aradeen 'alayhi. Wa ajri—Ya Rubb!—lutfaka al-khafi fi umoori wa umooril-muslimeen. Wa adh-hib huzna qalbi fid-dunya wal-aakhirah.

This faqir's Translation:

Oh Most Merciful, Oh Living, Oh Sustainer, Oh Majestic and Generous... Send peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad and upon the family of our Master Muhammad—the peace and blessings of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths... And cause—Oh Lord!—your subtle kindness to flow in my affairs and the affairs of the Muslims. And do away with the sadness of my heart in this world and the next.

Sincerely your brother and servant,
khalil moore

(Khalil Moore is a site manager for Habaib, may Allah bless him.)

Imam Zaid Shakir

Dhul-Hijja 1427 - December 2006

The first ten days of Dhul-Hijja are blessed days, which we frequently neglect. The Noble Prophet, Peace and Blessings of God be upon him, said, "There are no days in which righteous deeds done during them are more beloved to God than these days," referring to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijja.

During these blessed days we should try to exert ourselves in worship, for the 'Ulama' mention that the virtue of these days surpass even the virtue of the days of Ramadan. Among the indications of the distinction of these days is the special mention made of them as a group or individually in both the Qur'an and the Sunnah. In the Qur'an, God says, "I swear by the Dawn, the Ten Nights, the Even and the Odd."

Bearing these and many other virtues of these days in mind, we should be especially diligent in increasing our righteous acts during them. The following acts are especially recommended:

We should try to fast as many of the first nine days as possible. We should make an extra effort to fast the Day of 'Arafah. It is related in Sahih Muslim that the Noble Prophet, Peace and Blessings of God be upon him, said, "I anticipate that Fasting the Day of 'Arafah will atone for the sins of the previous and coming year."
We should carefully monitor our speech, what we listen to, and what we allow our gaze to fall on during these days, again, especially on the Day of 'Arafah. The Noble Prophet, Peace and Blessings of God be upon him, said, "[Concerning] the Day of 'Arafah, whoever controls his hearing, gaze, and speech on that day, he will be forgiven."
We should be excessive in repeating the declaration of Tawhid, with special emphasis on the phrase, "La ilaha ilallah, Wahdahu La Sharika lah, Lahul Mulk, wa lahul Hamd, biyadihi Khayr, wa Huwa 'ala kulli Shayin Qadir: There is no God but Allah. He is alone without partners. His is the dominion, and unto Him is all praise. With Him is all good, and He over all things has power." Imam Tirmidhi relates that this was the supplication the Prophet, Peace and Blessings of God be upon him, repeated more than any other on the Day of 'Arafah.
We should pray for forgiveness and liberation from the Hellfire during these days, especially the Day of 'Arafah. Imam 'Ali, May God be pleased with him, related, "God liberates people from the Hellfire everyday. And there is no day when more people are liberated from the Hellfire than the Day of 'Arafah."

During this blessed season, let us all strive to renew our commitment to our faith. May each year when these blessed days return find you all in the very best of states. May your life be dominated by the remembrance of God. In all that we do, May He be glorified.

Imam Zaid Shakir

dunya...

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 23:23:56 GMT

A good friend of my father, rahmatullahi 'alai, passed away yesterday. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'oon. I also had a good friend in Syria whose father passed away on Thursday. Please pray for all those who have returned to their Lord in faith for their forgiveness, and patience for their families.

the more you hear about this, the more you realize how dunya is just not worth it...

here is an email I received on the passing of Naziruddin uncle, with a passage from Maulana Syed abul-Hasan an-Nadwi (Rahmatullahi 'Alai)-- a prominent daa3i and author of number books, including Rijaal al-firki wa da'wah (Saviors of the Islamic Spirit)-- on Naziruddin Ali (Rahmatullahi 'Alai) Thats amazing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 13:17:44 -0800 (PST)
Subject: M. Naziruddin Ali Passes Away

On the afternoon of Jumuah, December 1, 2006, Mohammed Naziruddin Ali passed away in Chicago. He dedicated his life to the service of Islam. Please pray for his magfira. I spent three years with him at NAIT, and he was a kind, sweet, humble man who loved Allah and His Messenger (S). May Allah grant him the highest of Jannatul Firdous and grant him forgiveness and May He grant his family patience."

You find in Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi's reflections on his trip to USA many years ago, the following passage:

"I take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all the friends who helped to make the journey such a rewarding experience and looked after my needs and comforts with unceasing care and affection. They make a long list, but mention must be made of the names of Syed Naziruddin Ali Hyderabadi, the Vice-President and Programme-Incharge of the Muslim Students Association who spared no pains to make my stay as useful and comfortable as possible."

My Allah requite them bounteously and bestow His good pleasure upon them.

MAULANA ABUL HASAN ALI NADWI

Defender of the Flag: Im Memory of Alia Ansari (d. 10/19/06)

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 23:05:07 GMT

The author requests that you share this article with friends and neighbors.

Defender of the Flag: In Memory of Alia Ansari
By Imam Zaid Shakir

This past Tuesday, Muslims celebrated ‘Id al-Fitr, one of Islam’s two great festivals. For me, it was a beautiful day that began with a truly warm and vibrant ‘Id gathering at the Zaytuna Institute. God afforded me a wonderful opportunity to see friends who had been “missing in action,” to meet enthusiastic new converts to Islam, and to kiss so many babies I felt like a politician. During that time, I was also able to break away from the gathering to visit the graves of some distinguished Muslims buried in a nearby cemetery. Visiting the local Muslim cemetery on ‘Id day is a practice I have been able to maintain since my earliest years in Islam. They serve as a solemn reminder that all of us have an appointment with the Angel of Death.

I was blessed to stay at Zaytuna until the early afternoon when I departed to attend a meeting at a local school, a reminder that we are in America and sometimes, despite our best efforts to clear our schedules on the day of our festivals, the requisites of our everyday duties intervene. After that meeting, I was able to visit some of the Muslim families in the area. All of those visits filled my heart with awe at the simple dignity of ordinary Muslims, many of whom are struggling valiantly to survive in this sometimes cruel, always challenging and complicated society.

The last of those visits was to the family of Alia Ansari, the Afghani-American mother of six who was gunned down in central Fremont last Thursday as she walked to pick up her children from school. The Ansari family are everyday people—and, they are proud people. As I talked with Alia’s husband, brothers, and cousins who were gathered in the family’s humble apartment, it became clear to me that, most of all, they were proud to be Ansaris, descendants of the companion of the Prophet Muhammad, peace upon him, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, and the great Muslim mystical sage, Khawaja Abdullah Ansari. In Afghan society, they are people who are identified with piety and they endeavor to live up to that identification, in their various ways.

Alia Ansari migrated from war-torn Afghanistan at the age of 17. When her father died shortly thereafter, she became a second parent to her younger siblings. A life of hardship could not suppress her inner beauty, expressed most readily in an irrepressible smile. Her husband, Ahmadullah Ansari, an auto mechanic struggling to make ends meet for a family that includes six young children, five of them girls, spoke glowingly of Alia’s martyrdom and the place God has reserved for her in Heaven. Her story impressed on me the truth embodied in the words of a poet who said, “Be yourself beautiful, and you will find the world full of beauty.”

Her husband, contrary to the caricature of the vindictive, hateful, enraged Muslim, mentioned how the family did not wish her martyrdom be treated as a hate crime, because he did not want her death to be a source of agitation in the area’s large Muslim community. He also mentioned that the family would not want the murderer executed, because that would not bring his wife back. His wife was a martyr, her place in Paradise secure—for him that was enough.

His gentle voice was most emphatic when he mentioned that he did not want his wife’s death to be politicized. Rather, he wanted her spirit of love and reconciliation to prevail after her passing as it had during her life. He spoke of his desire that her funeral be a solemn service, where people of all faiths could gather to remind each other just how important it is to work to remove the pernicious stain of racial and religious hatred from this society lest it lead to ever deepening spirals of senseless violence.

As we sat on the floor of their sparsely furnished living room to eat a meal of traditional Afghan food, our gathering was overseen by four walls decorated with only an unframed picture of the Ka’aba, and a tapestry with Ayatu Kursi, the Qur’anic Verse of the Throne (2:255), printed on it. Husband, brothers, and cousins gathered around to tell me more about just who Alia Ansari was. They spoke proudly of a deeply religious individual who embodied the true spirit of the “Ansar,” the Helpers. The original Ansar were those Muslims in Medina who welcomed into their city and homes the faithful believers who had migrated from Mecca, fleeing the persecution of that city’s population. The Qur’an mentions the spirit the Ansar exhibited in the following terms:

As for those who had previously established homes [in Medina], having adopted the faith; they show their love and affection to those who migrated to them [seeking refuge]. You will not find their hearts harboring any desire for that given to those migrants; rather they give preference to them over themselves, even though they are themselves afflicted with grinding poverty. (59:9)

Alia was indeed a helper. In addition to her tireless and faithful service to her immediate family, she was constantly helping relatives and neighbors, many of whom themselves had recently migrated to this country from their native Afghanistan. Her brother, Humayun, remarked that she did the work of six people and never complained. A typical day might find her preparing meals for the family, dropping the children to school, taking a neighbor shopping, shuttling a newly-arrived relative to the immigration department, watching a neighbor’s child, nursing a sick relative, or numerous other tasks demanding the sacrifice of her time and energy.

Although never formally educated in Islam, she was a deeply devout and spiritual individual. Her husband noted that she never missed a prayer. He quietly added that she would stand for voluntary prayer every night until she wept beseeching God to save her daughters from the ravages of the lewd, violent, promiscuous youth culture of this country. Her deep spirituality is illustrated by the following incident. A few days before her demise, she told her husband that she had seen her deceased grandfather, an individual well known for his righteousness, in a dream. The learned sage indicated that the end of her worldly struggles was near, and a resting place in Paradise would soon be hers.

As a pious Muslim woman, she never left home without her hijab, the traditional head scarf worn by Muslim women. She was proud of her hijab. In the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001, some of her friends and relatives, afraid of reprisal attacks, took off their hijabs. Alia encouraged them not to compromise their religion, especially when they had nothing to do with those crimes. As for herself, she told them that she would never take off her hijab, even if someone put a gun to her head demanding that she do so. Alia said that her hijab was her flag. She could not have known as she began the fateful walk to her children’s school last Thursday that her path would cross that of a lone gunman who in a single act of mindless violence would bring a close to a life of dedication and service. She could not have known that her grandfather’s words were so close to fulfillment. She could not have known that she would soon die defending her flag.

Among the believers are those who have been true to their covenant to God. Among them are those who have given their lives, others patiently wait their turn, having never weakened in their resolve. (33:23)

Imam Zaid Shakir
Zaytuna Institute
10/25/06

The author requests that you share this article with friends and neighbors.

*The funeral prayer (janaza) for Sister Alia Ansari will be Friday, October 27, 2006, at Lake Elizabeth Park (Paseo Padre Blvd.) in Fremont, California. The service will begin promptly at 3:00pm. The family has requested that everyone come out to show their support for Alia and her family.