I thought about you this week when I was struggling. I thought about you again this week when I was reading a verse of the Qur’an. I thought about you again this week when reading an explanation of a verse in the Qur’an.

I thought about you this week.

I made a prayer for you this week.

I sent you loving thoughts this week.

You may be truly alone, or you may have no verbal explanation for this deep down ache that you constantly feel. You may be surrounded by people, everywhere you go. You may never get a moment to yourself, to be physically alone…yet still, you are a lonely soul.

And with that being said, I wanted to reach out today and tell you that YOU may be a special friend of God. Even if it feels like God has not given you all that you feel you need, believe me: He has given you more. And YOU may be a special friend of God.

Because when I think of you, dear lonely soul, I can’t help but remember the Prophet ﷺ (peace be unto him)—who was born, quite lonely. From the start he was born an orphan, and soon after his birth his mother passed away. No human can fully replace the presence of a loving mother and father in a child’s life. Yet this was not a sign that God did not love him. On the contrary, he is the most beloved of all creation to the Lord of the worlds. And he was born, lonely.

And when I think of you, dear lonely soul, I can’t help but remember the companions. Stranded. They were a small group, compared to the disbelievers at one time. When they accepted Islam they were promised that they would have khair maqaam, the best of states—in this world and the next. But their beginning did not seem this way. After their spiritual birth, they were pushed away and cursed by the people. They were made fun of and cut off. They were made to feel like they were outcasts, within their own tribe and people (and this was originally their support system in life). Not only that, but the disbelievers knew exactly how to dig the dagger deep: they called them out on this promise that God had made them. They looked to the Muslims and reminded them that God had told them they would have the best of states, yet this was not what was apparent.

And anyone who knows what being lonely feels like, knows this is not a small claim to say. Anyone who knows what being lonely feels like, knows that this statement itself could cause a lonely soul to, well, break.

What was the response to this? Was this claim ignored, leaving the seeds of doubt to be planted into the hearts of the people? Were the believers warned that if they would even dare to feel pain from such a statement they would have committed shirk/kufr/bidah (polytheism/disbelief/religious innovation)—or whatever other words we like to throw around so easily today?

No.

The response was a divine revelation—a verse of the Holy Qur’an came down upon our beloved Prophet ﷺ, a verse of Divine comfort.

“On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness will (Allah) Most Gracious bestow Love.” (Qur’an, 19:96)

This verse came down to comfort and reassure the companions and the Prophet ﷺ that God would place love for them in the hearts of the people. They would have a safe, strong and comforting community. They would have their high status.

And here is where I thought of you even more, dear lonely soul. In his commentary, Ibn Ajiba radi Allahu `anhu (may Allah be pleased with him) adds a few gems to warm the heart and soul. A dose of hope. He says that it is the custom of God (sunnah of God), when dealing with His special friends of the creation, to allow creation to be against them or distant from them. He allows even this special friend’s close circles to feel distant from them or sometimes worse. And contrary to our first assumption, this is all out of God’s mercy for His special friend. Why? So that this special friend of God comes closer and closer to Him. So that this special friend finds his or her internal home only in God. And once his or her heart is fully attached to God, and purified from seeking a home in anyone else, God opens the proverbial floodgates of love in the hearts of others for him or her. Suddenly, the once lonely soul is surrounded by more people they could imagine. But by this time, the once lonely soul is no longer lonely anyway, because that lonely spot in their heart, that was once aching and screaming, has already been filled with a beautiful relationship between God and this very special friend.

And so, dear lonely soul, I pray that this is the case for you. I pray that God takes your situation and causes it to be a means for you to return to Him in heart and soul, and that you truly do fulfill your potential of being His special friend.

And you can pray for that too. Ask Him to take your pain and make it a healing. Take your pain and make it of ultimate benefit for your relationship with Him. And when you ask Him, know He will respond. He will answer your plea. He has already promised that.

                                                                                                            With Love,

                                                                                                            Reehab

Photo: Tubb

All right, so this might be a bit difficult, a bit abstract. Maybe you won’t even understand an iota of what I will try to explain—but hopefully, I can express it in words.

Do you know that aching feeling that there is something wrong? That there is something that needs to be fixed? That feeling that there is something missing, something just out of place? It is such a sad feeling—almost devastating. Do you know it?

Hopefully, I can express it in words.

I had that feeling once. Or rather, it was a never-ending feeling, constant, always there. Eating away at my soul, at my sanity, at me. I thought it was normal, that everyone felt this way. This is what they call the pain of separation, right? But separation from whom? And if we reunite, will it be gone? Do you know that feeling, that aching emptiness?

Hopefully, I can express it in words.

It is that feeling that you get when you see someone you absolutely love, and want to run into his or her arms. The craving for a hug that makes all the pain go away. Except, I could not see him. Who was he? Where could I find him? I needed his hug but he was not there to give it to me. No, it’s not that he wasn’t there—there was a barrier between us—keeping us separated. And so the pain of that separation only increased. Is this starting to make sense? Are you starting to feel it within your soul?

I don’t know… I just hope I can express it in words.

It took me time to realize the solution. I had to break the wall, but it takes more than just the power of a hammer. It takes more than the power of a bulldozer. You cannot break the wall by beating it down with anything of this world. It takes tools that are stronger than you can carry. It takes tools that are brighter than you can see. It takes tools that you have never laid eyes on, at least not yet. I stood at that wall for so long. I had nothing, nothing, but my bare hands and naked feet. I stood there, not knowing how to break the wall. So I placed two palms on it, felt its cold, spiritless texture, and began to do the only thing I could think of doing. I banged my head against it. Why my head? Who do such a crazy thing? Well, because my head housed my brain, my `aql, the thing I think with. It was the most powerful thing that I had—or so I thought. And so I banged my head against the wall, hoping and praying that it would break down, crumble, collapse.

But it didn’t.

I began to bruise, to break, and to bleed.

I began to crumble and collapse within myself. I tried so hard, and I just wanted a hug. One hug. Why could I not do it? I looked everywhere for a solution. I looked to the top of that hard brick wall, could I climb it? No, my feet would slip and my hands would blister. I looked to the left, hoping I could see where the wall ends, but it went on as far as my little eyes could see. I began to give up hope, knowing that I could never make it to that man who carried the hug that would make it all better. I gave up hope, so I did the only thing that my body would let me do: I hit the ground on my knees, then my forehead. And then, for an instant, there was peace. And then, for an instant, I could hear a whisper. And that whisper is the one very important thing that I really hope, for you and for me, that I can express in words.

I almost didn’t hear it, because it was ever so faint. You have something stronger. You have something stronger. Stronger than what? What could this whisper be talking about? You have something stronger than the bruised and bloodied head that you have been banging against the wall. You have something stronger. I began to think about what this could possibly mean. What could possibly be stronger than that brain of mine that I had been using to guide me in every which direction? What could it be? And then I heard the whisper confirm my biggest fear: You have your heart. The one thing I did not want to use.

My hand flew to my chest. No, no, no. This cannot be it. This cannot be what I have to use. I decided long ago that this heart had been hurt too much, had been shattered too many times, and it would never be used again. Whenever I used that piece of flesh within, I became vulnerable. I gave it away too easily, to the wrong people, and it never recovered. I began to shake my head violently, tears splattering with every shake. And then I heard the voice, louder this time, and much more soothing: Shh. Settle down. Trust me, this time is different. It only hurts when you give it to the wrong person. Your heart is greater than that. Your heart was meant to contain only greatness, so do not settle for anything less. I breathed in deeply, and let the air out from between my lips. Again I breathed in, allowing the fear and the sorrow to be expelled on the way out. I lifted my head and looked around for the next step. And then I saw what was about to come.

Man oh man, I hope I can express it in words.

It was to the far right; I had given up before gazing in that direction. It was a door, a real door in the brick wall. My first thought was that it was a joke, or maybe some weird mirage. Maybe someone was playing a trick on me. But then I realized, that was my brain talking, so I told it to be quiet. Hush, brain. This is a job for the heart. I listened to my heart and it urged me, ever so quietly, to tread on. I walked to the door with wobbly legs, feeling pain throughout my body with every step. I was so tired. So tired. My brain told me to give up, that it was just too much for my body to bear, but my heart said to keep on, and so I did. I reached for the door, and turned the knob. I turned it to the left, then to the right. It would not budge.

It. Was. Locked.

I fell to the ground sobbing. How could it be locked? How could it not open? What is the only thing worse than having no hope at all? Finally having the strongest hope that something will work, and then having that hope snatched away in a split second. The door was locked. But as I sobbed between gasps for air, I heard my heart once again: The lock. You just need to unlock the lock.

I settled down again, thinking with my heart about what could possibly open this door of doors. I began to think, and to think and to think. And then I heard it, my heart of hearts saying the most profound words I had ever heard: Sali `ala annabi (Say, “Peace be upon the Prophet ﷺ”).

Come again?

Sali `ala annabi.

And so I did. And as the words came out of my mouth, I did not even have to reach for the knob. The door slid open, and the light poured forth. I got up, and ran in with my wobbly feet and my disheveled look. I saw him there in the middle, smiling, like I knew he would be. I wrapped my arms around him, and he hugged me. He hugged me. A hug that melted every evil thought, every broken heart, every hurtful word, every negative feeling, away. Far, far away. And he did not let go. He just hugged me, and let me cry until I was done. And then I looked at him, trying to see him, but instead only seeing light. And I heard his blessed voice telling me: Now that you have come through the right door, and handed me your heart: rise. Rise to your Lord, and I will accompany you on your journey.

Allahuma salli `ala Sayidna Muhammad wa `ala aali Sayidna Muhammad wa salim tasleeman katheera. Wa salim tasleeman katheera.

(May God send peace upon the Prophet and the family of the Prophet and grant peace, many times over. And grant peace, many times over. )

Photo: Shereen M

Yesterday. I sigh remembering it. What a blessing yesterday was. 

I met up with an old friend who lived across the street from me when we were kids. Back then we used to hang out either on his driveway or in his house just jamming on our guitars. I played the six-string and he played bass. But what often ended up happening were long talks about life and our dreams of “making it big” in Rock and Roll. It feels like last week, though good sense tells me it was a lifetime ago. And there we were yesterday, so many years later, talking over lunch just like when we were kids. The only things missing were the guitars. I’ve always struggled to keep all the friends I make, but times like yesterday make me feel that I did alright. I cannot begin to express to you the value in preserving your relationships from childhood. For those who ever followed the TV series Lost (or binge watched it on Netflix), there was the theme of having a “constant” serving as an anchor between two time periods in life. It’s a lot like that.

Later that day, I saw two souls, both individually beautiful, unite in marriage to create what could only be described as a radiant light. I kid you not: those in their presence who had never met them before got watery eyed at the sight. I never believed in love at first sight, because it has always been framed within the context of nauseatingly idealistic and film-grade romance. However, there is some truth in it. When you meet someone, the souls meet before our physical matter does. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said, “Souls are of many differing types. When they meet, they recognize and incline towards the other, or they are repulsed and withdraw from the other.” What I actually witnessed at this occasion yesterday was my soul admiring the goodness I saw in other souls. It brought the aforementioned narration, which I had heard countless times before, into flesh and blood and gave it a pulse. The eyes can be not just a window to the soul, but also a periscope for the heart.

The night closed at my brother’s graduation party. Typically, at birthdays, grad parties, weddings and other such celebrations people get together, serve food, talk and then…go home. That’s pretty much the gist of it, and that’s how everyone probably thought this was going to go. But we had two esteemed scholars, Shaykh Joe Bradford and Shaykh Mamdouh Mahmoud, in our company, whose presence helped turn it into what I call “soul food”. Nourishment for the soul. We all, one by one, recited a verse from the Qur’an, any verse we were feeling, no matter how long or short. I could feel the energy, charge and enrichment it brought to our spirits. Cattle go out, graze, share a few nudges and moos, and then go back. Our gatherings should be more meaningful than that. The obvious benefit at my brother’s graduation party was that we all recited the Qur’an. But it was more than just that. Recitation of the Qur’an became a means of bonding. So, don’t let your get-togethers just be like grazing in the pasture.

Out of all life on this planet, we humans are the ones who will seek to preserve our relationships with each other—and even with other animals—for as long as we can. That brings me an indescribable hope. We were meant for something more than mere existence. We were meant to positively affect others in the relationships we create and foster, so that we can understand and increase our desire for the greatest of those relationships: our relationship with God.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “The Mercy of Almighty God is in 100 parts. One part He has distributed amongst all His creation, with which they show one another love and mercy. The remaining 99 are reserved for the Day of Judgment.” Many supplementary variants of this narration throughout the Hadith collections lend credence to the notion that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ must have stressed this on numerous occasions throughout his advent.

Imagine all the love and mercy that ever existed on earth in its billions and billions of years. That’s just 1/100th of God’s Love for YOU. Yesterday inspired me, and as your friend I wanted to share that in hopes that my reflections inspire you, too. After all, that’s what friends are for.

Abridged by Ahmed Mustafa Qasim at-Tahtawi | Translated by Huda Shaka

Every limb of the human body has the capacity to engage in a brief act of worship. The remembrance of God (dhikr) is the worship of the heart and tongue, except it is not as transient.  They [the heart and tongue] have been ordered to remember the Object of their worship and love in every state – standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides.  For just as dhikr plows the otherwise barren fields of paradise, it nurtures and develops the desolate wrecks of our hearts.

Dhikr is what cleanses and polishes the heart; it is medicine for the heart when it falls ill.  The more the worshipper increases her focus in her dhikr, the more the Remembered increases in love and yearning to meet her.  If the heart is in harmony with the tongue in dhikr, it forgets everything else; and God preserves for it everything else. Dhikr itself compensates for everything.  It dispels the weakness from one’s hearing, the muteness from one’s tongue, and the darkness from one’s sight.

With it, God adorns the tongues of those who remember [Him], as He adorns with light the sight of the beholders.  The heedless tongue is like the blind eye, the deaf ear, and the paralyzed hand.

Dhikr is the greatest of God’s doors that remains open between Him and His servant as long as the servant does not close it with his heedlessness.  Al-Hasan al-Basri, may God have mercy on his soul, said: “Seek the sweetness [of faith] in three things: in prayer, in dhikr, and in the recitation of the Qur’an.  If you find it [then be it], otherwise know that the door is closed.”

With dhikr, the [believing] servant prevails over Satan, while Satan prevails over those who are heedless and forgetful [of God].

Dhikr is also the soul of good deeds.  Should a deed lack in dhikr, it becomes like the soul-less body.

• God gave us a general order to remember [Him]:

“O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance, and exalt Him morning and afternoon.” [Qur’an, 33:41-42]

• He forbade us from its inverse states–heedlessness and forgetfulness:

“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech – in the mornings and the evenings; and do not be among the heedless.” [Qur’an, 7:205]

“And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. Those are the defiantly disobedient.” [Qur’an, 59:19]

• He hinged success on remembering Him, much and often:

“…and remember Allah much so you may be successful.” [Qur’an, 8:45]

• He greatly praised those who are mindful and told of what He has prepared for them of Paradise and forgiveness:

“…and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” [Qur’an, 33:35]

• And He told us of the loss of those distracted by money and progeny:

“So remember Me, I will remember you; and be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” [Qur’an, 2:152]

• And he told us that His Remembrance is greater than anything else:

“…and the remembrance of Allah is the greatest.” [Qur’an, 29:45]

• God sealed with it good deeds, such as fasting:

“…and to glorify Allah for that which He has guided you [to]; and perhaps you will be grateful.” [Qur’an, 2:185]

• And He sealed with it the pilgrimage:

“And when you have completed your rites, remember Allah like you remembered your fathers, rather with a [much] greater remembrance.” [Qur’an, 2:200]

• And He sealed with it prayer:

“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides.” [Qur’an, 3:103]

• And He sealed with it the Friday prayer:

“And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah often so you may succeed.” [Qur’an, 62:10]

For this reason, dhikr is the [best] ending for this life, and if it is the last of a servant’s speech, God enters him into Paradise.

The mindful heart is like the living in the homes of the living, and the heedless [heart] is like the dead in the homes of the dead – for there is no doubt that the bodies of the heedless are graves for their hearts, and that the hearts within them are like the dead in their graves.

Dhikr of the tongue, in harmony with the heart, is of different kinds.

• Dhikr with praise, such as “Glory be to God,” “Praise be to God,” “There is no god but God,” and “God is the Greatest.”

• Dhikr with supplication, such as “They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.’” [Qur’an, 7:23]

• Dhikr with statements to guard the self, like “God is with me,” “God is Observing me,” “God is witnessing me” which are used to strengthen [one’s] mindfulness of God.  In such dhikr is the preservation of the heart’s goodness, maintenance of etiquette with God, guarding against heedlessness, and protection from Satan and the nafs (self).

The Prophetic Dhikrs combine all three, for they include God’s praise, supplication, and perfect protection [for the self and heart].

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV | Part XXVI | Part XXVII | Part XXVIII

When we recite Qur’an, we know we should have khushoo’ (devotion) because we are reciting the words of Allah. When we go into sujood (prostration), we know that God answers our du`a’ (supplication), so we try hard to concentrate. Yet what do we feel when we go into ruku’ (bowing)?

Fulfilling the Needs of the Soul

We all have certain daily needs. A parent cannot wait to get home from work to embrace their children, and even if the children are asleep, the parent will give them a kiss just to fill that space. When we feel hunger, we sometimes become tired and cranky until we eat. Just like we have emotional and physical needs, we also have spiritual needs. The soul thirsts for the worship of God. Many people feel an emptiness, and try to fill it with other things. But just like a hungry person cannot satisfy his hunger by running—we would find that absurd—this spiritual thirst cannot be fulfilled except through the true worship of God.

Humility through Ruku’

True worship comes through humility of the soul, and ruku’ represents a part of that. One of the Arabs, Hakim bin Hizam, when accepting Islam, told the Prophet ﷺ that he would fulfill all of the commandments except Ruku’ during prayer because of the humility it involved. Thus when we go into ruku’, we should make a conscious effort to make the straightening of our backs, the lowering of our heads, and the uttering of “subhaan rabbiy al-`adheem” (Perfect is my Lord, the Supreme) a reflection of our internal state.

When we say “subhaan rabbiy al-`adheem,” we explained in the last article that we are disassociating Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) from anything. “Rabb,” as with many other words, does not just have one meaning—rabb means the Lord, the Sustainer, and the Cherisher. When we think of what we have—the clothes we wear, our wealth, our health, our loved ones—who has provided them? So, how can we not humble ourselves to our rabb? And how can we not feel a special closeness to Him—that He is rabbiy, my Lord?

Glorifying Allah, the Supreme

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“In the Ruku’, therefore, glorify the Supremity of the Lord, Mighty and Sublime.” (Muslim)

When you recognize the supremity of Allah (swt), and the words are reflected in your heart, you should then have reverence for everything associated with Him. Allah (swt) has said in the Qur’an:

“And whoever honors the symbols of Allah—indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.” (22:32)

Thus, reverence during ruku’ is from piety of the heart and we should all strive to perfect it insha’ Allah (God willing). Ibn Al-Qayyim stated that the ruku’ is almost an introduction to sujood, when we take one form of humility before Allah (swt) to a deeper level. This effort that goes into feeling humility in ruku’ can only increase our love for Him, and is one way of manifesting the meanings in the famous hadith qudsi:

“If my servant comes closer to Me a hand span, I come closer to him or her an arms-length; and if he or she comes to Me walking, I come to him or her at speed.” (Muslim)

As we increase in good deeds to grow closer to Allah (swt), Allah loves us, and what more could we want than Allah’s love? This is why the Prophet ﷺ would lengthen his ruku’, such that his ruku’, his standing after ruku’, his sujood, and his sitting in between the two sajdahs (prostrations), were nearly equal in length (Bukhari & Muslim). Bear in mind that his ruku’` was also almost as long as his standing before ruku’, where he would sometimes recite five sections (ajza’). (Muslim)

Muslim bin Makki once described Abdullah bin Al-Zubair radi allahu `anhu (may Allah be pleased with him) as he was praying. He said that he saw him go into Ruku’, and in that time, Muslim read chapters al-Baqara, ali-‘Imran, an-Nisaa’ and al-Maida (Qur’an 2, 3, 4, and 5), and Abdullah bin Al-Zubair (ra) was still in ruku’. SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah).

Some of us may be inspired by this, but others of us may think, “I can never reach this level,” and not even try. However, let us remember the hadith above about servants who try to move closer to Allah (swt) by as little as a hand span—as long as we are trying to change the state of our prayers, we have fulfilled this part of the hadith.

May Allah allow us to taste the sweetness of ruku’.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV |  Part XV | Part XVI| Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV |Part XXV | Part XXVI | Part XXVII