Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground coffee
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup milk
Mix together coffee and cocoa, then add milk. Work honey in slowly while stirring. Dampen skin and massage onto skin for a couple minutes, rinse well.
Ingredients
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup oats
Mix ingredients together and store in a dry container, when ready to use, simply take out the desired amount and add enoughwater to create a watery paste. Work into skin in a circular motion and rinse. Follow with your favorite moisturizer!
Using a cold cucumber, slice into pieces and soak in sweet almond oil. Let site for 10 minute before removing. Then apply over eyes for 10-15 minutes and remove! You can do this daily, this is especially great in the morning!
Source: http://hudabeauty.com
AE ART – The Second Chapter
Abu Esa Nimatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘ala says, “He (Satan) always commands you to do what is evil and indecent, and to say things about Allah that you do not really know.” (2:169)
You’d have to be a good few sandwiches short of a picnic, or just a complete plum – ya’ni really really stupid – to openly commit evil actions and be indecent. You’d be called out straight away, or the baisti of
But do we realise from this ayah that we focus on some of it but forget the *most* important and serious haram act possible right at the end? This ayah is a countdown of haram, which ends with the worst: to speak about Allah and His Deen without knowledge.
Ignorance is rampant. People think that just because Satan is locked up then all of his viruses that he’s infected us with have also been quarantined. You couldn’t be more wrong.
In fact, I’d say that it’s Ramadhan when these viruses infect people to epidemic levels. The virus of ignorance reaches new heights at this blessed time when lay-people suddenly become Facebook Muftis, Twitter Molvees and Keyboard Jihadis.
At a time when talk is cheap, home and mobile internet with 3G allowances even cheaper, and status updates and retweets costing almost nothing at all, the disease of just wanting to make statements and pass comment on matters that most are utterly unqualified to speak about is really quite shocking.
Whether it’s passing fatwa on people, or creating your own hadith, or giving your own opinion when you’re not allowed to give Islamic opinion, or forwarding on those “pass-to-10-people-or-die” emails, or any number of ways in which you misguide people whether wilfully because you know you are not qualified, or even unintentionally as you try to promote what is good and prohibit the bad with what you thought was authentic knowledge but it doesn’t turn out to be that: well son, be warned. Saying an untruth about the Prophet (s) will give you a seat in the hell-fire. Saying an untruth about the religion and the Lord of the Prophet, well, I don’t even *know* how to quantify the serious stupidity of that.
Don’t be from those who believe:
“I can, so I will.”
“I’m on Facebook. I’m on Twitter. So I might as well use them!”
This ayah warns us all that although we may not realise it but even making innocuous statements on the Deen, or reacting to others without deep study and experience, is something much more serious than you may think. Once you speak about anything Islamic, you are speaking about Allah. And I *swear* by Allah, you had better be 100% sure before you open your mouth that you’re ready to stand in front of Him that day and defend your statement with a burning Shar’i proof.
Reflect my brothers and sisters. Reflect.
AE ART – The Twelfth Chapter
Sh Abu Esa Nimatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘alā says, “Keep up the prayer at both ends of the day, and during parts of the night, for the good things drive the bad away – this is a reminder for those who remember Allah often.” (11:114)
The temptation to not choose a verse from Sūrah Yūsuf was actually easier than you might have thought, despite my brain juices exploding on virtually every word
The twelfth juz’ of the Qur’ān is interesting due to the theme of “stories” being so prominent even though it probably wasn’t meant to be like that. Remember, it’s not 100% accurate to say (the subtly different) “the twelfth juz’ focuses on stories” because:
(a) the division of the Qur’ān into thirty chapters/juz’ was done after the Prophet (s) so anything that happens therein is not “intended” as such, rather the division is for ease of reading and memorising and so we can’t claim amazing things about each juz’ when there’s no evidence from Allah and His Messenger (s), and
(b) there are actually other chapters that have more stories in them than the twelfth chapter
But anyway, this chapter has Sūrah Yūsuf in it which Allah jalla wa ‘alā calls “the best of stories” and He ‘azza wa jall also says, “We are going to narrate (this excellent story) to you” and He jalla sha’nahu also says at the end of the Sūrah, “There is a lesson in the stories of such people for those who understand.”
So if I was being logical I’d reflect on this story. But me being random, I’m going to tell you a story from Sūrah Hūd instead lol.
What was on my mind throughout the entire twelfth chapter is just how mighty people – from them Prophets and Sahābah – who live on another plane of piety and action compared to us masakeen, are so often afflicted by trials, and from these trails are sexual temptations from sometimes evil and devious women and other times, more naive women who have just made a mistake, and indeed other times, women who have been tempted by the man himself. Often, as in the case of Sayyidina Yūsuf (‘alayhis-salām) the temptation was dealt with one-time, smashed right out of the park. Other times, no such success.
Now, because it’s the twelfth night just gone, and me being a Shakespearean romantic, I wanted to incorporate some of that comedy romance of his famous “Twelfth Night” into my reflection today with my *own* funny and “romantic” story, told in anything but Shakespearean fashion, rather AE ghetto style so be warned.
To be honest the story is only funny from where we’re sitting, even if it wasn’t for the storyteller. And actually it’s not romantic either, because it’s haram. It’s only romantic when it happens *within* a marriage and not outside it, but anyway if you want the full tafsir of this verse then you’re going to have come to my Fiqh of Salāh class and I’ll even act it out for you as an added bonus.
So there’s this Sahābi, and his name is Abu’l-Yusr Ka‘b b. Aslami (and some ‘Ulemā said Abu’l-Yasar), may Allah jalla wa ‘alā be pleased with him. Now just before you think this is some random minor bit-part player, you should know that he was from the early Ansār in Madīnah, that he was there at the second pledge of al-‘Aqabah, that he was there by the side of the Prophet (s) at the battle of Badr, and then at the side of ‘Ali (r) in the battle of Siffīn – just in case you thought he was some random minor bit-part player. Just in case ya’ni.
So one day, he’s chilling in one of the orchards of Madīnah and he comes across this girl – and this girl be *mighty* fine by all standards bismillahi ma sha Allah – who is selling dates. Now, man-sees-mighty-fine-girl-whilst-alone-in-a-romantic-setting is a sure-fire formula for trouble. And a dodgy chat-up line. So here goes.
“Hey, I’ve got dates in my house that are *way* better than these. Let me show you!” he said to the naive young girl. And yes, that really is what he said.
Anyway, she entered his house nearby with him and one thing led to another. And *he* kissed her. No more. No less. It was “just” a kiss, but one kiss far too harām. Or many. Whatever.
He immediately came to his senses and as the woman legged it, he was now grief-stricken – how could he possibly come back from such a slip-up? This was a disaster. And for someone of *his* status?! In desperate need of help, he thought of the one man who was soft, gentle and merciful enough to possibly understand his predicament: Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r). Once he found him and explained what happened, he got a wonderful response from Abu Bakr (r) who said, “Keep this mistake to yourself, make repentance to Allah, and don’t tell anyone about it!”
Now normally any one of us on our fatwa-shopping trips having heard all the “extreme” answers previously to such a problem and then suddenly coming across such a great fatwa and solution that *we* feel better about it (sigh), would have just bitten the hands off that Mufti and taken it there and then and khalas. Job done.
It’s a good thing though that the Sahābah don’t believe in fatwa-shopping for their own desires. They fatwa-shop for their Akhirah instead, fatwa-shop for the most correct and authentic position, especially if its against their own desires and interests. And Abu’l-Yusr just didn’t feel content that he could get away with his sin so easily and lightly. So he thought to himself, I need to go hardcore this time. I need to go to that guy who’s gonna slap me down in a way Abu Bakr might not. Yep, so that’d be ‘Umar b. al-Khattāb then.
So he goes to Sayyidina ‘Umar (r) and tells him the story to which he replies, “Keep this mistake to yourself, make repentance to Allah, and don’t tell anyone about it!” So the same advice as Abu Bakr then. And we’ve done Sayyidina ‘Umar an injustice again by just writing him off as some hard-man without a heart or without knowledge. Allahu Akbar.
But Abu’l-Yusr *still* wasn’t satisfied with what he was hearing. He couldn’t handle the guilt. He couldn’t just “get away with it” like this. So he went for ultimate justice i.e. to the ruler that is Sayyidina Muhammad (s). He approached the Prophet (s) who was sitting with some of the Sahābah and told him the full story. And to his utter dismay, the Prophet (s) went silent. And remained silent.
Abu’l-Yusr tells us as the story teller that he then realised he was going to be from the People of the Fire, and not just that but that he would never be forgiven again. He trudged off heart-broken. Suddenly, one of the Companions called him back to the Prophet (s) who looked at him and recited:
“Keep up the prayer at both ends of the day, and during parts of the night, for the good things drive the bad away – this is a reminder for those who remember Allah often.” (11:114)
Abu’l-Yusr didn’t quite get it. One moment he’s in the throes of despair. The next moment he’s being given the chance of a lifetime. You mean to say that for my level of sin because I didn’t take it any further, I’m still able to wipe my slate clean by praying the next prayer and khalas, it erases my mistakes before it?! The Prophet (s) said yes.
My man was delighted. And off he goes. On another planet. But all those who remained with the Prophet (s) were amazed. All of them were thinking the same thing but only one of them – Mu’ādh b. Jabal – decided to ask the Prophet (s):
“Ya Rasulullah, was this concession for him alone?”
And in perhaps one of the greatest responses of all time that history will bear witness to, the Prophet (s) replied:
“No. Rather, this will be for my entire Ummah.”
=)
Amazing amazing amazing. That’s the only way you can sum up this āyah and this story. Allah jalla wa ‘alā has told us to establish the prayer during the day and the night, and that by it, between each and every prayer, you’ll erase all the minor sins in-between.
And then He ends the verse with a very important statement: that such a reminder is really only for those who *benefit* from reminders. See there are many folks who are reminded all the time, but then they continue sinning. They think it’s all a big joke and a big game. But then there are others who are always living in the remembrance of Allah but sometimes they might lapse. For these folks, a reminder is exactly what it should be: a jolt to put you back on the straight path immediately. And it is these people who benefit most, like Abu’l-Yusr benefitted so much from this reminder of Allah jalla wa ‘alā.
Abu’l-Yusr is very interesting in that he was of the last Badari Companions to pass away meaning that he lived a quite long time after the Prophet (s) and should have been teaching many of the Tābi’īn and narrating hundreds of hadīth. But the fact is that he narrated very few hadīth, so few that perhaps you can count them on one hand. But one of his most eye-opening and telling hadīth that might be him showing gratitude for someone who lightened his burden on a day that he thought it was all lost, was when he narrated on the authority of the Prophet (s) when he said, “Whoever would love to be shaded by Allah in His blessed shade, then let him make it easy upon the going through difficulty, or just cancel the debt that he owes to you.” (Ibn Mājah, sahīh)
And Subhanallah, Abu’l-Yusr took to the prayer in such a way after this story above that you might even say he became an expert in its inner secrets and realities. And you can imagine just how immersed he must have become in his prayer, which led him to narrate on the authority of the Prophet (s) when he said, “There are some of you who pray the prayer completely, and others from you who only achieve half of it, and some a third, and some a quarter and so on until some only get a tenth out of it.” (Nasā‘i, hasan)
This last narration is about as hardcore raw as they come. How good is *your* prayer? How present of heart and mind are *you* when you stand before Allah in these Tarāwīh prayers? Are you taking all the measures we advised before to ensure that you’re benefitting as you should be? And what of your obligatory prayers?!
So why did I even mention this story as my reflection? Well, because I think that there are many Muslims out there who have a “holier than thou” attitude to their fellow brothers and sisters when they slip up, and they think to be harsh and strict is the only option all the time, when in reality we have to be realistic and understand the situations of different people at different times, whilst of course not condoning any sin at any time even the minor ones (which, surprisingly perhaps to many of you, kissing a stranger and not going further than that, is classified as).
Please note that the story of Abu’l-Yusr in the reason for the revelation of this ayah in Sūrah Hūd is taken from a number of sahīh and hasan hadīth that have been narrated in varying detail by Imam Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasā‘i, Abu Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, al-Tayālisi, al-Tabari in his tafsīr and Ibn Abi Hātim in *his* tafsīr.
Anyway, I wrote on this same subject or idea in Islam whilst covering a completely different hadīth and incident which you might enjoy perusing. It was from a while back and you can read it below if you wish:
AE ART – The Eleventh Chapter
Sh Abu Esa Nimatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘alā says, “[The Believers are] those who turn to Allah in repentance; who worship Him and commit themselves in their journey to Him; who praise Him; who bow down and prostrate themselves; who order what is good and forbid what is wrong and who observe Allah’s limits. So give glad news to the Believers.” (9:112)
If there was ever a chapter (and here I
And that’s what came to mind when I was teaching Rizq Factory recently – a class on the Fiqh of Zakāh, Fasting and Hajj – and I told the folks around me that you could quite easily name Sūrat’l-Tawbah the Sūrah of Zakāh instead because it is rammed full of so many of the rulings and fiqh of Zakāh and even issues of wealth and charity. But you’d never have thought that right?
But what came to mind tonight was that I’ve been missing the most obvious thing about this Sūrah: it’s title.
Tawbah. Repentance. Or, “Turning Back to Allah” as is the literal translation of “Tawbah”.
Actually when you go back and reflect upon this chapter (and by the way, these posts are not just meant to be read and khalas, but you should go back to each verse and check for the Arabic *and* English yourself to see whether you’re satisfied with the explanation you’re reading!), you’ll see that there is an intense focus on:
– the importance of repentance: “If they repent back to Allah, keep up the prayer, and pay the prescribed alms, then they are your brothers in faith” (9:11) meaning that one becomes a Muslim by starting with the act of repentance
– the need for repentance: “They would be better off turning back (to Allah)” (9:74)
– the excellence of repentance: “And there are others who have confessed their wrongdoing, who have done some righteous deeds and some bad ones: Allah may well accept their repentance, for Allah is most forgiving and merciful” (9:102)
– the hope for repentance: “Do they not know that it is God Himself who accepts repentance from His servants and receives what is given freely for His sake? He is always ready to accept repentance, most merciful” (9:104)
– the Qur’an’s most famous story about repentance: “And to the three men who stayed behind: when the earth, for all its spaciousness, closed in around them, when their very souls closed in around them, when they realised that the only refuge from Allah was *with* Him. He turned to them in mercy in order for them to return (to Him). Allah is the Ever Relenting, the Most Merciful” (9:118) i.e. the heart-wrenching yet joyous story of Ka’b ibn Malik (r)
So that’s all great, but the ajeeb thing is that my ear wasn’t caught by any of *these* verses so as to bring my mind around to the concept of “Tawbah” in this chapter. No, that was done by what *seems* a completely unrelated verse – one of those wonderful verses which occurs a number of times and we all love because of their rhyming nature in Arabic. Here is the above verse which is the focus of our reflection today (9:112) so you can enjoy it in its full original glory:
التَّائِبُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ الْحَامِدُونَ السَّائِحُونَ الرَّاكِعُونَ السَّاجِدونَ الآمِرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّاهُونَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَالْحَافِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللّهِ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Now how many times have you read these such verses all over the Qur’an, enjoyed the tune, and then moved on? I’ll admit that I’ve done that before. But today I thought to myself, “Hold on, there’s got to be some wisdom behind the rhyme and tune – what’s the secret behind this *order* of characteristics and attributes??”
Had a little reflection. Had a little chat. And then I could see it – can you?
This is a verse which is calling out to all of us to truly become quality Believers – true next level Muslims that rise above the dross which so often plagues our hearts and surroundings. This verse shows that if you want to get the job done, then this is *how* it’s done:
It starts with Tawbah – al-Tā’ibūn – those who return back to Allah. They’ve been wandering around lost in this Dunya, wasting their time, not realising their ultimate objective, weighed down by the misery of sin and misguidance, trapped by materialism and their mistakes. No worries though son – fortunately you have a Lord who’s always ready to welcome you back and let you in to the party. In this Deen, your name is *always* on the list. =)
And what is the best way of keeping your name on that list? By how the Prophet (s) taught us, and indeed it was he (s) who informs us in the Hadith Qudsi that Allah jalla wa ‘alā says, “My servant does not get closer to Me with anything more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him.” So we leave the worship of everything and everyone else around us and we become al-‘Aabidūn – those who truly worship Him.
Once you realise that you now need to lead a life according to what Allah wants for you, you realise the immense good fortune you’ve been blessed with. How often when we start practising Islam do we feel that sweetness of Iman pulsating through our hearts and limbs, enjoying that serenity and calm, amazed at how lucky we truly are that we’ve been guided by our Creator? So that leads us to want to praise Him as He should be. And so we become al-Hāmidūn – those who praise Him.
This worship requires sacrifice and effort, sometimes taking us out of our comfort zone, and sometimes even taking us out of our homes in a commitment to Him either by way of seeking knowledge, or to move into a community that will help you achieve your aim etc. So we become from al-Sā’ihūn – those who commit and go out for the sake of Allah.
And once committed, what is the best act of worship, the most excellent form and the greatest way to show our thanks and praise of Allah? Through al-Salāh i.e. the prayer. And when you think of the prayer, what are its most intense and emotional and sincere moments that characterise and epitomise the entire act of Salāh? Well of course when we become al-Rāki’ūn and al-Sājidūn – those who bow and prostrate to Him.
We are now really getting somewhere with respect to self-reformation. But this religion is not a secular one, unlike Christianity and whatever whatnot. This religion is not restricted to the prayer mat and the Mosques and the charity boxes. After self-rectification occurs, the next best act of worship is to help rectify those people around you and the circumstances they are living in. After living it and breathing it, it’s time to talk the talk *and* walk the walk. This is advising others, teaching others, educating others and even if necessary warning others. So we become al-Aamirūn bil-Ma’rūf and al-Nāhūn ‘anil-Munkar – those who order to what is good and forbid what is wrong.
But this is a general principle. Those who use taqwa as their criterion as they get closer and closer to Allah through their worship of Him, will realise that it’s all about recognising the boundaries that Allah has set for all human behaviour and then ensuring that we all, as individuals and collectively, remain within those boundaries at all times. So we become al-Hāfidhūn li-Hudūdillāh – those who observe Allah’s limits.
That’s the way things should work if you are true and sincere in your wish to return back to Allah. And that’s how Tawbah starts off a process like this author took, one that could quite change your life, turning you from the biggest waste of space, to one who shines like a Star for Allah’s sake in all that *is*…Space.
And if so, then end your lesson today with what Allah ends *His* lesson in the ayah above: “And so give good news to the Believers.”
AE ART – The Tenth Chapter
Sh Abu Esa Nimatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘alā says, “Remember (O Prophet) when Allah made you see them in your sleep as few: if He had shown them to you all as many, you would certainly have lost heart and argued about it, but Allah saved you.” (8:45)
If you come across a glass that is half-full with water, what do you do? Do you start to ruminate whether the glass is half-EMPTY and get depress
These phrases are commonly used by teachers to compare pessimistic and optimistic outlooks on life, or the difference between negativity (glass half-empty) and positivity (glass half-full). And you should know that Allah tells us in the Qur’an above that He wants us to be very much “glass half-full” kind of folks.
Forget the actual specific reason of revelation of the ayah for a second (which is about the Battle of Badr as the two sides limbered up against one another, with the Muslims well out-numbered by the Mushrikeen), instead read *behind* the words and see the message which is being given to you: they might be a huge army but so what? They’re nothing compared to what you guys can bring upon them. Go for it and don’t look back!
See the fact of the matter as Allah explains in the verse is that if He had shown all the Believers the true numbers and strength of the enemy, they would have started to doubt themselves and get anxious, nervous, and be divided. If you look at half a glass of water and think of nothing but what you’ve missed out on, you’ll achieve nothing but misery and be wasting your time. But if you see opportunity, hope and happiness in whatever is in front of you, be it a half a glass of water or just a difficult, what seems irretrievable situation, then your positivity will bring you results that you can never have imagined.
I think Muslims have a real positivity problem. Heck, even I am embarrassed at myself for being so miserable and grumpy all the time despite the fact that I rarely feel pessimistic and certainly have very few confidence issues and I try my best to be positive; because surely happiness, a smile and giving positive vibes is something which is seen and expressed and *transmitted* to those around you in your manner and character and speech.
We just seem to be so negative all the time, although in fairness it’s not difficult to see why – we’re are surrounded by a 24hr ticker of negative stuff about things involving Muslims: war, famine, war, famine, terror scare, OMG please don’t let this Batman killer be a Muslim, terror scare kinda over, war, famine, war, famine, Ramadhan moon sighting fitnah, war, famine, war, famine, Eed moon sighting fitnah, war, famine, war, famine…
The Prophet (s) was an incredibly positive man, something which he stated in authentic hadith (“I love an optimistic word”) as well as by his actions and decisions. He saw opportunity when others saw disaster.
In the cave during the Hijrah to Madinah, Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r) saw the situation to be bleak. The Prophet (s) told him to chill. We know what happened thereafter: Madinah was the legacy left behind. You and me being here are part of that legacy.
At Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet (s) saw the glass half-full. Many of the Sahabah, with Sayyidina ‘Umar (r) at the head of them saw instead a very half-empty glass. History bears witness how the Prophet’s positivity in this case changed the world for ever. Makkah was the legacy left behind. You and me being here are part of that legacy.
So back to the ayah: if you are in a community position, or a leader, or an Imam, or you work with youth or you are responsible for the well-being, guidance or just care of any kind of group of people then just remember to always be positive. Leaders are created in such difficult scenarios when the odds seem insanely stacked up against you all – remember that YOU are the one who your people will look to. If you make the challenge small in their eyes, if you make the mountain ahead just a series of small paths and slopes, if you make your people feel bigger and better than they are, then the chances are that your people will surprise you and surprise themselves as well.
Allah made the enemy look few. The Believers went on from there and smashed it. So you too make your problems look few to yourself and to others, and I’m sure you’ll smash it as well in sha Allah. Create that legacy.
AE ART – The Ninth Chapter
Sh Abu Esa Nimatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘alā says, “Pay attention and listen quietly when the Qur’ān is recited, so that you may be given mercy.” (7:204)
Let’s be honest here for a second – a lot of people really talk up Ramaḍān and Tarāwīh before the month starts and show great excitement for the nights ahead, but this blag sadly unravels as their hearts really feel something quite different.
Sure the Mosques could do a lot more and help us with better planning with ACs, fans, sound systems, kid-control, parking etc, but just have a look at those glazed eyes and bored-to-death expressions on those faces. Depressing isn’t it?
Can we reduce this to simply a “the masses don’t understand Arabic, that’s why” argument? Nah, I don’t think so. I’ve seen those same glazed eyes all around the world, in Egypt, in Saudi, in all countries where people fully understand Arabic.
So the reason then? It’s because those folks around you have just entered that special (disaster?) zone where they become “listeners” only as opposed to those mentioned in the ayah i.e. “intentionally listening attentively in reflection.” And that’s me being polite. If I wasn’t so happy that I was able to resist the temptation of watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony that I’ve been looking forward to as a proud British sporting fanatic for the last seven years (sob!), I might have just called them out for what they have become: zombies. There, I said it.
See here’s why the Qur’ān translation is a disaster in English, because you miss all the secrets and magic of the variations of the Arabic language. Allah chose the word “listen” very carefully in this verse, but you’d never know that from a basic English translation. I’ve obviously butchered the English literal translation (as I have throughout this random tafsir series so be warned!) in order to bring you as close as possible to the original Arabic vibe and meaning. Allah chose “Fastami‘ū” and not “Fasma‘ū” which would be “listen” and, erm, “listen” if translated literally in English.
But the difference in Arabic between the two verbs is an example of Qur’anic rhetoric. This is about the difference between the Sāmi‘ and the Mustami‘ i.e. the “casual listener” and the “present listener who is listening attentively and reflecting with intent”. Allah commands you to be the second type when you listen to the Qur’ān.
Think of it like this: when someone hears something and doesn’t think twice about it, then he’s different to someone who hears something and then his ears perk up because he recognises the language. So he now *listens* to it and then recognises that it’s the language he thought it was. And then he switches off and then it just becomes background music/sound again. That’s the difference between *hearing* and *listening*. But the difference between listening and listening *attentively* is like when you listen to the language and recognise it and then mentally switch off again, or instead you then really focus on the words and the message and then reflect over it. We need to be at this final stage every time we have the Book recited.
Therefore you can see that sometimes it doesn’t matter whether you understand Arabic or not – if you’re not listening and reflecting slowly, silently, and attentively then you’re not fulfilling the required adab of internalising the Qur’ān. And that’s a huge problem for us.
Sure, all this twenty rak‘ah behaviour doesn’t exactly help – actually, let me be more accurate and rephrase that: the way the majority of people *expect* their twenty rak‘ahs and then pressurise their Imams to deliver the same, doesn’t exactly help. I’ll be straight up with you guys: I can’t do it. Wallah, I just can’t. They way you Paks pray your twenty units in 60-90 minutes or whatever is just a MISSION. My knees can’t handle all that “up-down, up-down, in-out, in-out, you-shake-it-all-about, you do the hokey cokey and you turn around…*that’s* what it’s all about” behaviour. That flex is for gymnasts and the youth out there – I’m getting too old for that.
Either give me eight rak‘ahs over one to two hours, or give me twenty rak‘ahs over three to four hours. That’s me right there. I like to think, reflect, relax, breathe, enjoy. It’s quite incredible (or perhaps not so?) that the Muslims turned a prayer called Tarāwīh (literally translated as “The Prayer of Rest Periods” because it was so long, and so drawn out, and needed significant rest periods every two units and especially every four units as narrated from the Sahabah), into some manic PX90 exercise where you spend the entire pray playing catch up with everyone else around you. Kasmeh, it’s insane.
So you tell me, in such an environment, despite even the best intentions and the best of scholarly minds, how on Earth is one meant to listen intently and reflect deeply on the Qur’ān? It’s not happening. And that’s why we need a complete paradigm shift in our approach to reading and listening to the Qur’ān in general and then especially our Tarāwīh.
We should either adopt the Prophetic practice of less units such as eight rak‘ah to allow us all to slow down all our rukū‘ and sajdah actions to allow for a more quality prayer especially if the Mosques don’t want the prayer to last longer than 90 minutes because of the late Summer starts – which is perfectly understandable. We can always go back to the practice of the Sahabah and Imams i.e. twenty rak‘ah spread over a few hours when we get back to Winter.
Also, we should rethink our Imam’s Qur’ān recitation strategy – is it better to “listen” as a Sāmi‘ to one entire speedy juz’ or “intentionally listen attentively” as a Mustami‘ to half a juz’ in the same time period? There’s NO doubt that the second is better even if we miss out on the blessing of hearing a complete chapter, or not being able to finish the whole Qur’ān with the Imam in Tarāwīh. Quality is always taken over Quantity.
Likewise we *have* to emphasise the zameen asmaan faraq (the heaven and earth difference for all you non-Paks!) between someone who just crawls into the Mosque each night after stuffing himself, and between the one who does even a 20-30 minute bit of preparation before every night’s recital, by checking over a translation of the next chapter to be recited that night, learning a few key words, consulting a tafsīr maybe, and therefore being able to enter in upon that night’s Tarāwīh prayer with a headstart on what the Imam is reciting and effectively gives you that opportunity to reflect deeply and follow what Allah is telling you – effectively put in to practice the adab of deeply listening and reflecting in silence to the Word of Allah when it is recited.
May Allah jalla wa ‘alā help us all and bless us with a deep love, appreciation and understanding of His Magnificent Qur’ān. Ameen.
AE ART – The Eighth Chapter
Sh. Abu Eesa Niamatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘ala says, “And then Iblis said, ‘Because You have put me in the wrong, I will lie in wait for them on Your straight path: I will come at them – from their front and their back, from their right and their left – and You will find that most of them are ungrateful.’” (7:16-17)
I want you to cast your minds back a few months ago when we started to get thos
But in addition to that grief, all of us – especially those directly affected – even if we might be the most softest of pacifists, felt sheer rage towards these criminals. And I am confident that every single person reading this would not find it difficult to exact revenge on these criminals, even capital punishment. Or let me make it even more graphic and please note that I *don’t* apologise for this: imagine you come home to find a man stabbing your toddler to death – I can guarantee you that you will kill that man in a manner that you never ever thought it possible from yourself. The rage you will develop, the anger that will come forth, the focus you will show in trying to save your child and to extinguish the threat will all be quite extraordinary. And I guess, quite appropriate.
So here’s the thing: every single moment of every single day, there is a criminal out there who is infinitely more evil than all of the psychopaths above, who is focused on doing nothing else but torturing you, your children, and all your loved ones for ever. And ever. And ever. And his name is Iblis. His name is Shaytaan. His name is the Devil. And it doesn’t matter what his name is, he knows yours.
He’s not interested in killing your mother. Or stabbing your child. Pointless. Waste of time. Small fry stuff that. Let some freak in a Joker haircut and a Bane costume do that bakwas. In fact, I personally wish, and I mean this folks, I *wish* that this was *all* Iblis could do in our lives. But he’s far too big-time for that nonsense. Why stab your child to death and cause it pain for only a few minutes, or traumatise you as the parents for a few decades, when he can make that child grow up to adulthood in a certain way and then ensure that he boils and roasts him alive for ETERNITY in the Fire and for you to witness that for the same eternity but also whilst suffering the most incredible torture and punishment that is possible for your limited mind to imagine.
And you know what? He LOVES that. It gives Iblis a buzz to think that he can take all of us out like that, get us off the Straight Path
I don’t swear in public, well, not properly anyway. I don’t curse peoples’ mothers (because “Your Mum” isn’t a curse as you’ve seen me prove a number of occasions but anyway), but I must admit that I spend significant parts of my day cussing the life out of Iblis’s mother. Man, I don’t know even know if he had a mother, has a mother, or even the fiqhi issues behind it and neither do I care – but what I do know is that I cuss the **** out of Iblis every single day. I picture him in my dreams and enjoy torturing him, stabbing him in his eye and all sick things like that. I fantasise over burning him. I motivate myself every morning with the simple fact that I will NOT let that scum cursed pig have a good day at my expense. No sir.
We have to change the rules of the game. At the moment he’s having a BALL at our expense. We’ve got to implement the words of Allah: “He is your enemy, so TAKE him as your enemy!” The ayah above shows his absolute commitment to his job, that he won’t spare any expense or any effort. He’s going to come at you from every angle, from the top, from the bottom, from the left, from the right, from the front, from the back, open to your face, hidden from your eyes, directly, indirectly. He’s all OVER you. Man, he’s *owning* you.
I mean, are you kidding me? We took the world’s greatest and most evil force, and we painted him a nice dark red, gave him a pointy little fork, a cute little tail, shiny eyes and a cheeky smile. And then we made him the international symbol for foods and sins or anything which is “naughty…but nice”.
Subhanallah.
We made him into a logo for the world’s biggest sports team. We made him the representative of everything which is daring and exciting. We made him into a ruddy cartoon character for God’s sake, where our children watch him and giggle at his antics and feel sorry for him when he gets hurt.
Subhanallah.
Oh you think that’s *me* going too far? You think that having the devil in cartoons for your kids, or Muslim organisations using cute giggling little (big?) devils in Arab promo videos to try and get people to pray or wear hijab isn’t like the most naive thing in the world ever in this eternal war? See? THAT’S why I said you guys have been owned.
How on earth are you ever going to take seriously the threat of Allah that the Devil is your open, clear, deadly and dedicated enemy – something which He warns us about at *least* fifteen times in the Qur’an, yes FIFTEEN – when all you want to do is giggle at him?
One thing known from the Prophet (s) is that even the Devil speaks the truth. And when I heard our Imam recite the last part of this verse where Iblis says, “…and You will find that most of them are ungrateful,” I thought to myself Subhanallah how true is that. How much care and warning does our Lord give us, how much help, how much of a heads-up, but we’re so so stupid. So so stupid. So so ungrateful for that warning and advice. We just think it’s all one big Disney cartoon. “Oh, I’ve forgotten which rak’ah I’m praying. Silly Shaytan! Bad boy! Let me just do another extra one giggle giggle.”
Imagine if we could picture Iblis like we picture that murderer of our child – imagine if you could create in yourself that same anger and focus against this true real enemy of yours. I swear by Allah that Iblis is infinitely more times evil than even the biggest mass murderer of children. So start to show that and up your game against him and his tricks and his whisperings and his domination. The more you can actualise him, like the Prophet (s) was blessedly able to do, even once grabbing Shaytan mid-attack on him during his Salah, by the THROAT no less (Ya salaam!), the more you can immunise yourself to his dying mission: to send you and your loved ones to Hell forever.
The fightback starts here. In sha Allah.
AE ART – The Seventh Chapter
Abu Esa Niamatullah
Allah jalla wa ‘ala says, “Do not revile those they call on beside Allah in case they, in their hostility and ignorance, revile Allah too.” (6:108)
Now look, I’m not a very politically correct kinda guy – in fact as many of you know by now from our classes together, the name is AE, not PC.
And in the same vein, I can admit that they are few more difficult verses to
Only He knows how much I can’t stand the kind of bakwas people get up to in their shirk, and indeed the bakwas that they worship as well. It’s absolutely sickening. And, unfortunately, often absolutely hilarious.
Coming from the Asian subcontinent that many of us do, we’re exposed to the most ajeeb kind of idols and figures of worship and ‘gods’ that you can possibly imagine. I often reflect that when, say a gorah new Muslim before he’s converted, is reading the Qur’an and the Sirah and comes across all these stories of idols being made of dates, being bowed and prostrated to, and then people eating them when they’re hungry, or other crazy figures that are given sacrifices and people beg from them etc, then this new guy must be thinking to himself, “Raas, what’s wrong with these freaks?!” That’s because he can’t even imagine such a reality – it’s not the done thing. Sure, polytheism in the West exists in other more subtle forms such as the worship of fame and entertainment figures, but when it’s so stark and hardcore in your face by kneeling in front of a statue, they’re bamboozled with that.
As for us? We’re like, “Yeah, whatever. Standard.”
And then of course the shaytan in us likes to cause a bit of fitnah with say the Hindus or whatever, and we might start to make fun – ok, we *do* make fun – of some of their idols and we somehow think that this is brave and correct and that we’re some kind of mini-Prophet Ibrahims. But this verse gives the slap-down. Yes we find that fun and entertaining or whatever reason you may have, but it’s not so funny when they turn round in retaliation and start dissing you and your Deen, or cussing your Prophet and your Lord is it?
Whatever you say, no man can handle being dissed, or having that what he loves or holds dear to be dissed, regardless of how illogical or silly that thing/object might be. They will retaliate. And here, you will be held responsible because you were warned not to bring this upon yourself and Allah. Sure the temptation can sometimes be huge, and I know that personally very well, but I feel embarrassed when I hear this statement of Allah. And worse, I feel guilty and rightly so, should anything be said against those whom I hold more dearer to me than anyone else in existence.
So next time you feel like giving da’wah, or want to write things etc or make comment publicly or whatever, just be wary of who might be reading or watching or listening so that you don’t insult their feelings and cause a bigger evil to occur. There is always a time for this, and a time for that – and slating the objects of worship for non-Muslims although very tempting in the name of da’wah, is anything but.
Reflect.
Ilm-Un-Noor 