The Gift

Just like Prophet Muhammad saw and Abu Bakar.

Prophet Musa and Prophet Harun. 

You are a gift from Allah.

A true sahabah.

Indeed strength only comes from Allah.

But a weak creation like me.

Couldn’t stand to face this challenges and tempatations alone.

I needed your advice.

Support.

Allah had sent you

So that I could always be remembered of Him

And I am forever grateful

For this sisterhood

Hand in hand

Shoulder to shoulder

We face this world together

Towards the same direction

Hope that on the Day of Judgement.

Under His Shade.

Is where we meet again.

As a prove of this solid friendship.

Unbroken.

Ties only by the Creator.

I turn to Allah to make our hearts close to Him.

Truly, Love you only for His sake

Manners

Imam Malik


When he was young and wanted to learn and gain knowledge, his mother would gave him an advice and say "Go to Rabiatul Raid (a scholar during his time) and learn from his adab (manners) first before learning from his knowledge"


He listened to his mother's advice. He would finish learning from the Imam for one year, but he remain with him for the next 19 years. When people asked him why? 

He said, "I took one year to learn from his knowledge, but 19 years to learn from his manners. He was an ocean in manners. They way he dealt with his fellow scholars, they way he dealt with the ignorance, the way he dealt with children and the way he dealt with the ruler; Everyday and every experience of his was a lesson of adhab. And I wish for the past 20 years, I would just learn from his manners alone"

Beautiful Hadith Qudsi : Al Fatihah

"Hadith Qudsi 8"

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: 


I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. 


When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin, Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has praised Me. 


And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim, Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says: 


Maliki yawmi d-din, Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. 


And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in, He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. 


And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin, He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. 


Hence when you reciting al Fatihah, Allah is talking directly to you, Allah Akbar.

Best in Worship

"You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah . If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient (Al - Imran 3:110)"

"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)"

If you were created to worship Allah and you are the best of all the nations, then You should be the best in worshipping Allah! - Sheikh Sajid Ahmed Umar

Distractions

" Al hakumu takassur - Competition in (worldly) increase diverts you ( at - Takathur 102:1) "

Hakumu comes from the work lawhu (distractions) which means

1. Entertainment
2. Something that preoccupied you, gets all your attention and keep you from doing something more important.

So what it is that is distracting, preoccupying and take over your hear and mind. Allah swt called it takassur. Takassur means

1. The want, desire of wanting more and plenty. Continuous worry about not what we have but what we don't have. Human always wants more and never satisfied. When the person is graduate, he will think about finding a good job. When he get a good job, now he's thinking about promotion. When he achieve something in his life, there's always the thinking of "what's next?"
2. Human does not just desire more, but he or she will struggle and exhaust himself or herself to get more. 
3. Human also have the urge to show off and this preoccupies them. "How can I show you that I have more?' "How could I prove to people?" This thought overwhelm human being, the desire of wanting to show their superiority over others.

It means it distract you from every good thing that you could have done but you were aren't able to do it because you were distracted

"Hatta zur tumul makobir - Until you visit the graveyards (At - Takassur 102:2)"

Makobir (graveyards) - illustrate location. Human beings are preoccupied with one home (world) but one  day they will have to transfer to another home; a transfer that you can't escape.


Zurtumu - visit; comes from the word ziarah which means to go somewhere for a while and come back. It's beautiful why Allah use 'to visit the grave' instead of 'going to the grave'. The point is we are not going to be in the grave for a long time, one day we will be waken up to be resurrect on the Day of Judgement.


Some people have been in the grave for thousand of years. Yet, Allah only used the term 'ziarah' (visit the grave - remain there only for a short while). Try to compare the people who have been under the earth for thousand of years and the life that we live on the earth! Subhanallah!, majority of us only live up to 60 or 70 years. The time for us here is even more limited! 

Saidina Ali r.a said

"People are asleep and when they die, they wake up"

He is Greater than....

Allah Akbar.


Words that we usually proclaim in the Salah.


If we find in any translation in the Quran, it will give us the meaning of Allah is the Greatest. However, it has deeper linguistic meaning to it.


Okay let me give you an example between two different sentences.


"Amin is the cleverest" and "Alia is smarter than Abu". The former sentence "Amin is the cleverest" shows the superiority of the object (Amin), without comparing the subject with other objects, while the latter "Alia is smarter than Abu" shows the comparative between two, Alia (being the subject of the sentence) and Abu (as the object for comparative measure).


The superiority and the comparative sentences is also being used in the Arabic language.


The real meaning of Allah Akbar is not "Allah is The Greatest, rather it means "Allah is Greater than....." When we give comparative sentence, the statements will depend highly on the objects that it is compared to. "Alia is smarter than Abu" Hence, Abu is required in the sentences to show the dominance of Alia over Abu.


When we say "Allah is Greater than...." The question(s) arise 

1. Why the object (to be compared with Allah) is left blank (not named) ? It is normal in the Arabic language to leave a comparative statement without naming the objects (that is being compared to Allah). This shows that the statement is applicable to everyone and no one is excluded from being able to reflect on this sentence.
2. Another question arise, what is the object that is being compared to Allah? In this statement, it means an object (whatever it is or whoever) that is distracting us in the prayer, Allah is Greater than that.

During fajr when you feel tired to wake up, Allah is Greater than your sleep and exhaustion.
During Zhur, when you are engaging in your work or studies, Allah is Greater than that.


Every time you say Allah Akbar in the prayer, ask yourselves "What is distracting you at this moment? " "What is preoccupying your mind and your heart now? " I'm reminding myself Allah is Greater than that! 


May Allah make us of those who could attain the real sense of connection with Him during Salah.


Allah knows best.

Connection

Standing.
Bending.
Prostrating.
Sitting.
Trying to find the connection that was missing.
I close my eyes.
"Where are you?"
You were there.
But I wasn't.
My heart wasn't presence.
My mind was busy.


As i stood there, thinking.
As i reciting, wondering.
My eyes gazed upon the mattress
"Where is my heart?"


I tried to read it out loud.
And then I shut my eyes.
I forced my mind to focus.


I do this many times before.
It feels the same.
Nothing change.
I have to struggle with my limbs and mind to stay concentrate.
and then i became tired.
I count seconds when I pray.
But I lose hours in everything else.


I let the thoughts overwhelmed me.
Expectations.
Attachement.
Hopes.
Dreams.
In the end,it is just my physical body that remain.


"Why?"
I no longer looking forward towards this.
I just want to get it over with.
I might not say it.
But it is reflected through my actions.


But this is a special connection between us.
This connection is what change me in the first place.
This connection is what guide me till here.
"Where is the connection?"
"Where is the essence? "
I perform it.
But I don't experience it.


And then i realize.
The problem is with my heart.
A barrier that I cultivated.
Actions that i persisted.


Hence, when I stand.
The connection wasn't there.


As I reach the final prostration.
I ask You.
To give a heart that is close to You.
I'm indeed in need of You.