Eid-ul-Adha 1433H

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At the Ka’bah

(extract from Ibn AlQayyim's poem on Hajj)

When they see His House - that magnificent sight

For which the hearts of all creatures are set alight -

It seems they’ve never felt tired before,

For their discomfort and hardship is no more.

Now the eye of the Lover drowns in its streams,

It sees through its tears the goal of its dreams;

Now for Allah, how many tears are issued,

Each one being followed by a multitude?

When the eye perceives the House, its darkness clears,

And from the sorrowful heart, pain disappears;

Vision cannot encompass this beautiful sight:

Each glance returns with greater delight!

No wonder at this, for when the Merciful preferred

The House for Himself, it became most honoured.

He clothed it in Majesty, a magnificent garment;

Embroidered it with Beauty, a wonderful ornament!

The hearts all love the House therefore,

Awed and humbled, in respect and honour.

Eid ul Fitri 1433H

(google image)

Missed Appointments

Found this poem (here)..a timely  reminder to me....

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YOU show more concern for me than any doctor, I must say

Cos You want to see me so many times in just one day

Afterall – it’s You who looks after the health of the soul

Something that the most learned specialist in the world can only ever dream to control

I spiff up in my best for every job interview

So why procrastinate to purify myself for my meeting with You

Afterall – they are interviews into Jannah, true?

What about meeting the queen or a celebrity singing tween?

Definitley count me in!

I can go to a pro to sort out the stuff I don’t like about me :

* Personal Trainer

* Beautician

* Dietician

* Debt Councillor

* Even a Shrink

…At a nominal fee

Every cent worth it … really?

But

Why is it so difficult for me to pour out all my

~ sorrows,

~ pains,

~ dreams

and

~ hopes to You

Afterall – it is for free?

And

Should I happen to miss

* a train,

* plane,

* party,

* an appointment,

* movie date

How would I feel?

Definitely more than a smidge irate,

Miss a fixed appointment with You?

With a set time, date, place?

What a disgrace!

Forgive me for standing You up so many times!

Surely this must be the worst of crimes

Considering it’s me that needs You

even though sometimes I am so short sighted this I can’t even see

By now even my own blood would have given up on me

But

You just keep bestowing blessings on me!

Ya Ghafuru,

Please hold on to me!

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Levels of prayer

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

"And mankind, with regard to their performance of prayer are in five levels."

The First:

The level of the one who is negligent and wrongs his soul. He is the one who falls short in performing ablution properly, performing the prayer upon its time and within its specified limits, and in fulfilling its essential pillars.

The Second:

The one who guards his prayers upon their proper times and within their specified limits, fulfills their essential pillars and performs his ablution with care.

However, his striving is wasted due to whisperings in his prayer so he is taken away by thoughts and ideas.

The Third:

The one who guards his prayers within the specified limits, fulfills their essential pillars and strives with himself to repel the whisperings, thoughts and ideas.

He is busy struggling against his enemy (Shaitan) so that he does not steal from the prayer. On account of this he is engaged in (both) prayer and jihad.

The Fourth:

The one who stands for the prayer, completes and perfects its due rights, its essential pillars, performs it within its specified limits and his heart becomes engrossed in safeguarding its rights and specified limits, so that nothing is wasted from it.

His whole concern is directed towards its establishment, its completion and its perfection, as it should be. His heart is immersed in the prayer and in enslavement to his Lord, the Exalted.

The Fifth:

The one who stands for the prayer like the one mentioned above. However, on top of this, he has taken and placed his heart in front of his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, looking towards Him with his heart with anticipation, (his heart) filled with His love and His might, as if he sees and witnesses Allah.

The whisperings, thoughts and ideas have vanished and the coverings which are between him and his Lord are raised. What is between this person and others with respect to the prayer, is superior and greater than what is between the heavens and the earth.

This person is busy with his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, delighted with Him.

The first type will be punished;

the second type will be held to account;

the third will have his sins and shortcomings expiated;

the fourth will be rewarded;

the fifth will be close to his Lord,

 because he will receive the portion of the one 

who makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye.

Whoever makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye, will have the nearness to his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, made the delight and pleasure of his eye in the hereafter.

He will also be made a pleasure to the eye in this world since whoever makes Allah the pleasure of his eye in this world, every other eye will become delighted and pleased with him.

(From my mailbox)

I'tidal اعتدال

Sesudah selesai melakukan rukuk diteruskan dengan I`tidal iaitu bangkit berdiri tegak dengan mengangkat kedua tangan sampai ke telinga dengan jari-jari terbuka seperti ketika TAKBIRATULIHRAM seraya membaca TASMI’.

(After completion of the bow do I`tidal namely stood upright with both hands lifted to the ear with the fingers open just like when TAKBIRATULIHRAM while reading TASMI.)

Ketika berdiri tegak, mata tetap ditujukan ke arah sujud .(tempat sujud)

(When standing upright, the eyes must still be directed towards the prostrate. (Place of prostration))