Saturday, November 24, 2007

Excellence in the Performance of Ritual prayers

Presence with God is the essence of all acts of worship.

Strive to your utmost to make your performance of the 5 prayers satisfactory, and do that by making your standing,recitation, humility, bowing, prostrations & prayers' other obligations & sunnas complete in every way.

Before entering into Prayer, bring to your heart the awesomeness of the one you wish to stand before, Majestic and High is He.

Beware of communing with the King of Kings with a distracted heart, deeply lost in the valleys of unawareness & whisperings, roaming the places of incidental thoughts and worldly ideas; you would thus deserve to be hateful to God and expelled from His doorstep.

Allah, Transcentent and Exalted is He, looks at hearts and secrets, not at forms and appearances.

The essence and meaning of worship is presence with God. Acts of worship which are devoid of presence are like dust, easily blown away.

"It's all about the HEART"

Monday, November 19, 2007

Who knows you better?

From the day I turned 16, I started my working life till now. For slightly more than a decade already. Because i ain't that clever,my results ain't that fantastic. hence I wasn't able to admit myself into a polytechnic course of my choice. I tried my hands at Shatec, thinking that hotel line would definitely be damn cool. The interview was successful but my mum disallowed. So in the end, I ended up with a job at the Singapore Changi Airport.

Allah swt came 'knocking' at my door and alhamdulillah i accepted the deen and embarked the rest of my journey as a Muslim in XY&Z company.Because when i first joined the company,i wasn't a muslim yet so i kept my identity as tightlipped as possible. Not because i was ashamed to be one but the situation doesn't allow me to say it. Colleagues were anti-islam, anti-malay. Praying at my workplace wasn't easy but alhamdulillah i was near a mosque. but i had to take a feeder bus to the mosque. At times, i could make it for congregation. But during busy times, i had to pray at my workplace. Sometimes i do get 'caught' and when that happens, people wagged tongues and they became suspicious.

When i had the opportunity to change my job, i wore my hijab for my interview. Alhamdulillah, i was successful and even got a better paying job. I was even allowed to don my scarf to work. Prayers wasn't tough to carry out, except that during peak periods, i was so busy that i was Late for my prayers. I felt terrible. Job became terrible too and so i left.

Now, I'm in a place where there's not too much work and i have time for prayers. Alhamdulillah.I might not be near a mosque but there's a musollah here. but usually i don't pray there. i found a secluded place near my building. Alhamdulillah. But i found myself complaining that my work is not challenging and i'm getting bored already. But then again, it was through Allah swt blessings and favours that i get to work here and have time to worship Him. He is giving me the opportunity to have 'concentration' in my prayers without any other disturbances.

Then i realised (i'm only speaking for myself) that i always think i know what i want for myself, always think what is good for myself, always think that i know myself best. But i have failed to realise the most important thing.... that....
Allah swt is most Mighty, most Powerful. He knows everything and whatever that is hidden within our breasts. We came from Him, we are His creation. He knows BEST.

I should never try and question Him. "Why did you give me this instead when i wanted that?"
"Why did you not answer my prayer even though i asked for it so many times?"


Surah al-Mulk 67:12~13

As for those who fear their Lord unseen for them is Forgiveness and a great Reward. And whether ye hide your word or publish it, He certainly has (full) knowledge, of the secrets of (all) hearts. Should He not know― He that created? And He is the One that understands the finest mysteries (and) is well-acquainted (with them).



67:21~22

Is then one who walks headlong, with his face grovelling, better guided― or one who walks evenly on a Straight Way? Say: "It is He Who has created you (and made you grow) and made for you the faculties of hearing, seeing, and understanding: little thanks it is ye give."

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Beginnins are the places where endings are revealed,so that whoever begins with God ends up with Him.

He is the one you love and rush to in whatever occupies you, and He is the one you prefer in whatever you turn away from.

Whoever is certain that God seeks him is sincere in seeking Him. He who knows that all matters are in God's hands is recollected through trust in Him. Indeed, it is inevitable that the pillars of this world's house of existence be destroyed and that its precious things be stripped away. For the intelligent man is more joyous over the permanent than he is over the evanescent. His light rays out, glad tidings have come to him. Thus, he turns away from this world, takes no notice of it, shuns it altogether. He does not therefore take it as a homeland, nor does he turn it into a home, but rather, while in it, he arouses his fervor towards God and seeks His help in going to Him. His determination, a riding mount, is restless and ever on the move till it comes to kneel down in the presence of the Holy (hadrat al-quds) on the carpet of intimacy, the place of reciprocal disclosure (al-mufataha), confrontation (al-muwahaja), companionship (al-mujalasa), discussion (al-muhadatha), contemplation (al-mushahada), and viewing (al-mutala'a)

The Presence is the nesting place of the hearts of initiates: they take refuge in it and dwell in it. Then, when they descend to the heaven of obligations and the earth of varied fortune, they do so with authority (al-idhn), stability(at-tamkin), and profundity of certitude (al-yaqin). For they have not so descended to obligations through improper conduct of forgetfulness, nor to fortune through passion and pleasure; but instead, they have entered therein by God and for God and from God to God.

"And say: My Lord, make me enter a truthful entering, and make me go forth a truthful going forth, (Quran 17:80) so that i will see Your strength and power when You make me enter, and will submit and conform myself to You when You make me go out. Give me an authority from You, an ally that helps me or that helps others through me, but not one that goes against me; one that helps me against self regard and extinguishes me from the realm of my senses.

Intimate discourses:

'My God, from the diversity of created things, and the changes of states, I know that it is Your desire to make Yourself known to me in everything so that i will not ignore You in everything.'

'My God, whenever my miserliness makes me dumb, Your generousity makes me articulate, and whenever my attributes make me despair, Your grace gives me hope.'

(excerpts taken from Kitab Al-Hikam)