Purification ... Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib

If you truly want purification

From all shirk and self-regard 

And to drink from the spring of Tasnimi 

Till your thirst is satisfied

You must wrap yourself up in endurance 

Wind repentance around your head 

Wear the tunic of firm self-denial 

And in it exhaust your strength 

And you need a good pair of strong sandals 

One of hope and one of fear 

With a staff made of certainty by you 

And a store of pure taqwa 

You need also the bridle of knowledge 

For the steed of high desire 

With protection of trusty companions 

Which will keep your limbs from harm 

Press on quickly to your destination 

Being careful not to stop 

To reflect on material existence  

That will veil you from your home 

But reflect on God's kindness towards you 

Be sincere in thanking Him 

And get up before dawn and be humble 

And to Him address your plea 

Blessings be on the Pole of existence 

And on those who follow him 

In a way that will broadcast our secret 

And make it known to all

Qur’an 5:9

O you who believe  

Stand up firmly for God 
As witnesses to fairness 

And let not the hatred of a group of people lead you to deviate from justice 

Be just 

That is closer to piety 
And fear God 

Surely 
God is well-informed of all that you do

From The Pursuit Of Happiness ...

Dont ever let someone tell you you can't do something ... 
If you got a dream, you gotta protect it ... 

When people can't do something themselves 
They wanna tell you, "You can't do it" ...

You want something ... 
Go get it ... 

Period ...

All the teachers say that spiritual treasure is something one finds alone ... 
So why are we all here together ??? asked a disciple of a Sufi master ...

You are all here together because a forest is always stronger than a lone tree the Sufi master replied ... 

The forest maintains the humidity in the air ... 
It resists the hurricane ... 
And it helps to make the soil fertile ... 

But what makes a tree strong is its root ...
And the root of one plant cannot help another plant to grow ... 
Working together towards the same end 
And allowing each one to grow in his own way 

That is the path for those who wish to commune with Allah ...

About Humility ...

Humility is truly one of the qualities of the God-fearing ...
With it, the God-fearing one ascends to lofty heights ...

From the strangest of things 
Is a person who is ignorant about his inner state ... 
[Does he wonder] will he be in felicity or perdition ???

How will his life end ??? 

Will his soul
On the far-off day 
Be abased or elevated ???

Glory is one of the qualities of our Lord 
That are only for Him ... 

So steer clear of it ... 
And be God-fearing ...


- (A translation, originally by Imam al-Adeeb al Mukhtar, from Imam Zanuji's book)

Albert Einstein ...

The world is a dangerous place to live ...

Not because of the people who are evil ...

But because of the people who don't do anything about it ...

Rumi ...

I want a heart which is split chamber by chamber ...

By the pain of separation from God ...

So that I might explain my longings and desires to it ...

Khalil Gibran ...

Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield  

Upon which your reason and your judgment wage war 
Against passion 
And your appetite 

Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul  
That I might turn the discord 
And the rivalry of your elements 

Into oneness 
And melody

Lauryn Hill ...

The reason why we go into hiding ...

Is because we don't think that anybody will ever receive the true us ...

Thank You President Bush ... By Paulo Coelho ...

Thank you, great leader George W. Bush.

Thank you for showing everyone what a danger Saddam Hussein represents. Many of us might otherwise have forgotten that he had used chemical weapons against his own people, against the Kurds and against the Iranians. Hussein is a bloodthirsty dictator and one of the clearest expressions of evil in today's world.

But this is not my only reason for thanking you. During the first two months of 2003, you have shown the world a great many other important things and, therefore, deserve my gratitude.So, remembering a poem I learned as a child, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for showing everyone that the Turkish people and their Parliament are not for sale, not even for 26 billion dollars.Thank you for revealing to the world the gulf that exists between the decisions made by those in power and the wishes of the people.

Thank you for making it clear that neither José María Aznar nor Tony Blair give the slightest weight to or show the slightest respect for the votes they received. Aznar is perfectly capable of ignoring the fact that 90% of Spaniards are against the war, and Blair is unmoved by the largest public demonstration to take place in England in the last thirty years.

Thank you for making it necessary for Tony Blair to go to the British Parliament with a fabricated dossier written by a student ten years ago,and present this as 'damning evidence collected by the British Secret Service'.

Thank you for allowing Colin Powell to make a complete fool of himself by showing the UN Security Council photos which, one week later, were publicly challenged by Hans Blix, the Inspector responsible for disarming Iraq.

Thank you for adopting your current position and thus ensuring that, at the plenary session, the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin's anti-war speech was greeted with applause - something, as far as I know,that has only happened once before in the history of the UN, following a speech by Nelson Mandela.

Thank you too, because, after all your efforts to promote war, the normally divided Arab nations, at their meeting in Cairo during the last week in February, were, for the first time, unanimous in their condemnation of any invasion.

Thank you for your rhetoric stating that 'the UN now has a chance to demonstrate its relevance', a statement which made even the most reluctant countries take up a position opposing any attack on Iraq.

Thank you for your foreign policy which provoked the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, into declaring that in the 21st century, a war can have a moral justification', thus causing him to lose all credibility.

Thank you for trying to divide a Europe that is currently struggling for unification; this was a warning that will not go unheeded.

Thank you for having achieved something that very few have so far managed to do in this century: the bringing together of millions of people on all continents to fight for the same idea, even though that idea is opposed to yours.

Thank you for making us feel once more that though our words may not be heard, they are at least spoken - this will make us stronger in the future. Thank you for ignoring us, for marginalising all those who oppose your decision, because the future of the Earth belongs to the excluded. Thank you, because, without you, we would not have realised our own ability to mobilise. It may serve no purpose this time, but it will doubtless be useful later on.

Now that there seems no way of silencing the drums of war, I would like to say, as an ancient European king said to an invader: 'May your morning be a beautiful one, may the sun shine on your soldiers' armour, for in the afternoon, I will defeat you.'Thank you for allowing us - an army of anonymous people filling the streets in an attempt to stop a process that is already underway - to know what it feels like to be powerless and to learn to grapple with that feeling and transform it.

So, enjoy your morning and whatever glory it may yet bring you.

Thank you for not listening to us and not taking us seriously, but know that we are listening to you and that we will not forget your words.

Thank you, great leader George W. Bush.

Thank you very much.

Plato ...

As being is to becoming ... 

So is pure intellect to opinion ...

As intellect is to opinion ...

So is science to belief ...

And understanding 

To the perception of shadows ...

Khalil Gibran ...

Much of your pain is self-chosen ... 

It is the bitter potion 
By which the physician within you heals your sick self ...

Therefore trust the physician 
And drink his remedy in silence and tranquility ... 

For this hand 
Though heavy and hard ... 

Is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen ...

Rumi ...

Go back to sleep
Yes, you are allowed

You have no Love in your heart
Go back to sleep

His Love and his sorrow
Are exclusive to us
You go back to sleep

I have been burnt
By the fire of the sorrow of Love
You have no such yearning in your heart
Go back to sleep

The path of Love
Has seventy-two folds and countless facets
Your love and religion
Is all about deceit and hypocrisy
Go back to sleep

We put ourselves in Love's hands
And will wait for her bidding
Since you are in your own hands
You can go back to sleep

I consume nothing but pain and blood
And you, the finest delicacies
And of course after each feast
You may want to take a nap
So just go back to sleep

I have torn to pieces my robe of speech
And have let go of the desire to converse

You who are not naked yet
Go back to sleep

Rumi ...

The springtime of Lovers has come
That this dust bowl may become a garden

The proclamation of heaven has come
That the bird of the soul may rise in flight

The sea becomes full of pearls
The salt marsh becomes sweet as kauthar

The stone becomes a ruby from the mine
The body becomes wholly soul

Shabistari ...

Beneath the veil of every-atom 

Is hidden the soul-ravishing beauty 

Of the Face 

Of the Beloved

Rumi ...

This is how it always is when I finish a poem ...

A great silence overcomes me ...

And I wonder why I ever thought to use language ...

Rumi On The Nafs ... Beeeeautiful :)

Let's ask God to help us to self-control 
For one who lacks it 
Lacks His Grace

The undisciplined person doesn't wrong himself alone 
But sets fire to the whole world

Discipline enabled Heaven to be filled with light 
Discipline enabled the angels to be immaculate and holy 

The peacock's plumage is his enemy 


The world is the mountain


And each action 
The shout that echoes back 

This discipline and rough treatment are a furnace
To extract the silver from the dross

The spiritual path wrecks the body
And afterwards restores it to health

Anger and lust make a man squint
When self-interest appears
Virtue hides

Fortunate is he who does not carry envy as a companion

If ten lamps are present in one place 
Each differs in form from another
Yet you can't distinguish whose radiance is whose
When you focus on the light

In the field of spirit there is no division 
No individuals exist

The idol of your self is the mother of all idols 
To regard the self as easy to subdue is a mistake 

If you wish mercy 
Show mercy to the weak 

The stoppered jar 
Though in rough water 
Floated because of its empty heart

When the wind of poverty is in anyone 
She floats in peace on the waters of this world
 
As long as desires are fresh 
Faith is not
For it is these desires that lock that gate

The tongue of mutual understanding is quite special 
To be one of heart is better than to have a common tongue 

If you dig a pit for others to fall into
You will fall into it yourself 

Many of the faults you see in others 
Dear reader
Are your own nature reflected in them

With will 
Fire becomes sweet water 

The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero
Compared to the lion who overcomes himself 

O son, only those whose spiritual eye has been opened
Know how compulsive we are 

Whoever gives reverence receives reverence 


The intellectual quest 
Though fine as pearl or coral 
Is not the spiritual search 

The intelligent desire self-control 
Children want candy

Since in order to speak, one must first listen 
Learn to speak by listening

When, with just a taste, envy and deceit arise 
And ignorance and forgetfulness are born
Know you have tasted the unlawful

Know that a word suddenly shot from the tongue
Is like an arrow shot from the bow
 
O tongue, you are an endless treasure 
O tongue, you are also an endless disease 

I am burning

If any one lacks tinder 
Let him set his rubbish ablaze with my fire

Although your desire tastes sweet
Doesn't the Beloved desire you
To be desireless ???

The world's flattery and hypocrisy is a sweet morsel
Eat less of it 
For it is full of fire 

Forgetfulness of God, beloved 
Is the support of this world 
Spiritual intelligence its ruin 


For Intelligence belongs to that other world 
And when it prevails, this material world is overthrown

Were there no men of vision 
All who are blind would be dead

All these griefs within our hearts
Arise from the smoke and dust of our existence 
And vain desires

Whoever lives sweetly dies painfully


Whoever serves his body doesn't nourish his soul 

Your thinking is like a camel driver 
And you are the camel 
It drives you in every direction under its bitter control

If you are wholly perplexed and in straits 
Have patience 
For patience is the key to joy

Fast from thoughts, fast 


Thoughts are like the lion and the wild ass
Men's hearts are the thickets they haunt

If you are irritated by every rub 
How will your mirror be polished ???

Anyone in whom the troublemaking self has died 
Sun and cloud obey

If you wish to shine like day
Burn up the night of self-existence

Dissolve in the Being who is everything 

There is no worse sickness for the soul 
O you who are proud, than this pretense of perfection
 
The heart and eyes must bleed a lot
Before self-complacency falls away
 
Can the water of a polluted stream
Clear out the dung ???

Can human knowledge sweep away
The ignorance of the sensual self ???

How does a sword fashion its own hilt ???
Go, entrust the cure of this wound to a surgeon

Many are the unbelievers who long for submission 
But their stumbling block
Is reputation and pride 
And continual desires
 
I'm the devoted slave
Of anyone who doesn't claim
To have attained dining with God
At every way station 

Everyone is a child
Except the one who's intoxicated with God
 
God has said 
Knowledge that isn't from Him is a burden
 
Like a woman's makeup 
It doesn't last 

Be cleansed of the (false) self's features 
And see your pure Self

Know the mirror of the heart is infinite 
Either the understanding falls silent 
Or it leads you astray
 
Because the heart is God 
Or indeed the heart is He

Everything, except love of the Most Beautiful 
Is really agony 
It's agony to move towards death 
And not drink the water of life

Fiery lust is not diminished by indulging it 
But inevitably by leaving it ungratified

Anger is a king over kings
But anger once bridled may serve

J Krishnamurti ...

It is no measure of health 

To be well adjusted 

To a profoundly sick society

Treating Christmas With Respect ... By Abdul Malik Mujahid...

"And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides God, lest they insult God wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do."

- Qur'an, Surah Al-Anam (The Cattle) Chapter 6: Verse 108

God expects us to stay away from mocking the religious beliefs of others, no matter how much we disagree with them. Christmas is an annual Christian religious holiday commemorating the birth of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him. For many Muslims who even do not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, it becomes an issue of what stand they should take.

There have been a number of legitimate criticisms of the holiday from Muslims and non-Muslims based on theological and cultural considerations. However, this cannot be used to disregard the holiday as merely an exercise in ancient pagan practices, for instance, or excessive consumerism. Muslims have to remember that for practicing Christians, Christmas really is about Jesus.

We also have to remember that even if for many nominal Christians, the celebration is not really about participating in religious traditions, Christmas is a time for families to get together. In a number of cases it is the only time of year families get together, either because family members are scattered in different parts of the country or the world, because of communication and relationship problems, or because in America today, the family unit is becoming weaker and weaker.

Christmas is a great time to relate to our neighbours. We should not forget though, that "relating" does not mean "preaching". Dawa cannot be made in a rude manner. This may not be an occasion to emphasis the differences as much as the commonality of our beliefs, unless someone is really asking you about them.

A starting point for a discussion about Christmas could be the Islamic belief in all Books revealed by Allah and all Prophets sent by Him. In this discussion, special emphasis could be made on Prophet Jesus. Non-Muslims are often surprised to discover that Muslims also believe in this noble Prophet and his great mother Mary (peace be upon her).

Remember that respect does not mean compromise. You have freedom of religion given by God to believe in what you believe in. But in a world where conflict is increasing, a Muslim should be a bridge- builder and a peacemaker. It was due to the Muslim practice of Islamic ideals of respect and tolerance that the key of the holiest Christian Shrine in Jerusalem, the church of the Holy Sepulchre, remains entrusted with a Muslim family, as it has been for over 1400 years.

The Past is history

The Future is a Mystery

The Present is a Gift

So take advantage of the Gift you were given 

Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) ...

Step out of your own self and keep your distance from it. Practice detachment from your possessiveness, and surrender everything to Allah. Become His doorman at the door of your heart, obeying His command by admitting those He instructs you to admit, and respecting His prohibition by shutting out those He instructs you to turn away, so that you do not let passion back into your heart once it has been evicted. Passion is expelled from the heart by resistance to it and refusal to follow its urges, whatever the circumstances, while compliance and acquiescence allow it to gain entry. So do not exert any will apart from His will, for anything else is your own desire, and that is the Vale of Folly, where death and destruction await you, and falling from His sight and becoming secluded from Him. Always keep His commandments, always respect His prohibitions, and always submit to what He has decreed. Do not associate Him with any part of His creation. Your will, your passions and your carnal appetites all belong to His creation, so refrain from indulging any of them lest you become a polytheist. Allah (Exalted is He) has said:

Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer in the worship due unto his Lord. (18:110)

Polytheism [shirk] is not merely the worship of idols. It is also polytheism to yield to your own passionate desire, and to equate with your Lord anything whatsoever besides Him, be it of this world and its contents or of the Hereafter and what is contained therein. What is besides Him (Almighty and Glorious is He) is other than He, so when you rely on anything other than Him you are associating something else with Him (Almighty and Glorious is He). Therefore be wary and do not relax your guard, be fearful and do not develop a sense of security, and keep your wits about you so that you do not become careless and complacent.

Do not attribute any state or station to yourself, and have no pretensions to such things. If you are granted a special state, or elevated to some station, do not become identified with that in any way at all, for Allah is every day about some business, effecting change and transformation. He may intervene between a man and his heart, thereby separating you from what you had professed to be your own, and making you different from what you had imagined to be your fixed and permanent condition. You will then be embarrassed in the presence of those to whom you made such claims, so you had better keep these things to yourself and not convey them to others. If something does prove stable and lasting, acknowledge it as a gift, pray for the grace to be thankful, and keep it out of sight. But even if it turns out otherwise, it will still bring progress in knowledge and understanding, enlightenment, alertness and discipline. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has said:

Such of Our revelations as We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We replace with one better or as good. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things? (2:106)

So do not underestimate the extent of Allah's power, have no misgivings about His planning and His management, and never doubt His promise. Take as your model the fine example set by Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). He experienced the abrogation of verses and chapters revealed to him, adopted in practice, recited in the niches [of the mosques], and written down in books; as they were withdrawn and changed and replaced by others, the blessed Prophet was moved to accept the new revelations. This applies to the external dispensation of the law. As for the inner aspect, the knowledge and spiritual state experienced in his own relationship with Allah, he used to say: "My heart gets coated with rust, so I beg Allah's forgiveness seventy times each day" ("a hundred times," according to another report).

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would be moved from one state of being to another, and made to traverse the stations of divine proximity and the spheres of the unseen. The robes of light conferred upon him were changed as he progressed, so that each new stage would make the previous one seem dark, marred by shortcomings and inadequate observance of the guidelines. Thus he was trained to practice praying for forgiveness, because that is the best state for a servant, and constant repentance, because this involves acknowledgment of sin and shortcoming–properties of human nature inherited from Adam (peace be upon him), the father of mankind.

When the purity of Adam's spiritual state was stained by forgetfulness of the promise and covenant, he wished to dwell forever in the abode of peace, in the vicinity of the All-Merciful and Beneficent Friend, visited by the noble angels with greeting and salutation, but his self-will had come to be associated with the will of the Truth. That will of his was therefore broken, that state disappeared, that intimacy became remote, that station was degraded, those lights were dimmed, and that purity was spoiled. Then this chosen one of the All-Merciful recovered his awareness and was reminded. After being instructed in the acknowledgment of sin and forgetfulness, and trained in confession, he said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us, and have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the lost!" (7:23).

Then came to him the light of guidance, the knowledge and inner understanding of repentance and its hidden benefits, but for which something formerly mysterious would not have become manifest. That old will was replaced by a different one, and the original state by another. He received the supreme consecration, and repose in this world and then in the hereafter, for this world became a home for him and his offspring, and the hereafter their refuge and eternal resting place.

In Allah's Messenger and favorite friend, therefore, as in his father Adam, the Chosen of Allah, ancestor of all dear and loving friends, you have an example to follow in confessing faults and praying for forgiveness under all circumstances.

Why I am not a moderate Muslim ... By Asma Khalid ...

Last month, three Muslim men were arrested in Britain in connection with the London bombings of July 2005. In light of such situations, a number of non-Muslims and Muslims alike yearn for "moderate," peace-loving Muslims to speak out against the violent acts sometimes perpetrated in the name of Islam. And to avoid association with terrorism, some Muslims adopt a "moderate" label to describe themselves.

I am a Muslim who embraces peace. But, if we must attach stereotypical tags, I'd rather be considered "orthodox" than "moderate."

"Moderate" implies that Muslims who are more orthodox are somehow backward and violent. And in our current cultural climate, progress and peace are restricted to "moderate" Muslims. To be a "moderate" Muslim is to be a "good," malleable Muslim in the eyes of Western society.

I recently attended a debate about Western liberalism and Islam at the University of Cambridge where I'm pursuing my master's degree. I expected debaters on one side to present a bigoted laundry list of complaints against Islam and its alleged incompatibility with liberalism, and they did.

But what was more disturbing was that those on the other side, in theory supported the harmony of Islam and Western liberalism, but they based their argument on spurious terms. While these debaters - including a former top government official and a Nobel peace prize winner - were well-intentioned, they in fact wrought more harm than good. Through implied references to moderate Muslims, they offered a simplistic, paternalistic discourse that suggested Muslims would one day catch up with Western civilization.

In the aftermath of September 11, much has been said about the need for "moderate Muslims." But to be a "moderate" Muslim also implies that Osama bin Laden and Co. must represent the pinnacle of orthodoxy; that a criterion of orthodox Islam somehow inherently entails violence; and, consequently, that if I espouse peace, I am not adhering to my full religious duties.

I refuse to live as a "moderate" Muslim if its side effect is an unintentional admission that suicide bombing is a religious obligation for the orthodox faithful. True orthodoxy is simply the attempt to adhere piously to a religion's tenets.

The public relations drive for "moderate Islam" is injurious to the entire international community. It may provisionally ease the pain when so-called Islamic extremists strike. But it really creates deeper wounds that will require thicker bandages because it indirectly labels the entire religion of Islam as violent.

The term moderate Muslim is actually a redundancy. In the Islamic tradition, the concept of the "middle way" is central. Muslims believe that Islam is a path of intrinsic moderation, wasatiyya. This concept is the namesake of a British Muslim grass-roots organization, the Radical Middle Way. It is an initiative to counter Islam's violent reputation with factual scholarship.

This was demonstrated through a day-long conference that the organization sponsored in February. The best speaker of the night was Abdallah bin Bayyah, an elderly Mauritanian sheikh dressed all in traditional white Arab garb, offset by a long gray beard.

The words coming out of the sheikh's mouth - all in Arabic - were remarkably progressive. He confronted inaccurate assumptions about Islam, spoke of tolerance, and told fellow Muslims an un-pleasant truth: "Perhaps much of this current crisis springs from us," he said, kindly admonishing them. He chastised Muslims for inadequately explaining their beliefs, thereby letting other, illiberal voices speak for them.

I was shocked by his blunt though nuanced analysis, given his traditional, religious appearance. And then I was troubled by my shock. To what extent had I, a hijabi Muslim woman studying Middle Eastern/Islamic studies, internalized the untruthful representations of my own fellow Muslims? For far too long, I had been fed a false snapshot of what Islamic orthodoxy really means.

The sheikh continued, challenging Mr. bin Laden's violent interpretation of jihad, citing Koranic verses and prophetic narrations. He referred to jihad as any "good action" and recounted a recent conversation with a non-Muslim lawyer who asked if electing a respectable official would be considered jihad. The sheikh answered "yes" because voting for someone who supports the truth and upholds justice is a good action.

The sheikh, not bin Laden, is a depiction of true Islamic orthodoxy. The sheikh, not bin Laden, is the man trained in Islamic jurisprudence. The sheikh, not bin Laden, is the authentic religious scholar. But to call him a moderate Muslim would be a misnomer.


Asma Khalid is pursuing her master's degree in Middle Eastern/ Islamic studies at the University of Cambridge in England. This article was first published in The Christian Science Monitor on 23rd April 2007.

The Silence Of The Night ...

A Sufi master and his disciple were walking across a desert in Africa ...

When night fell, they pitched their tent and lay down to rest ...

"How silent it is": said the disciple ...

"Never say "How silent it is",": replied the master ...

"Say rather: "I cannot hear nature" ...

Maulana Rumi ...

Love is from the infinite

And will remain until eternity

The seeker of love escapes the chains 

Of birth and death

Tomorrow 

When resurrection comes

The heart that is not in love 

Will fail the test

Shaykh Muzaffer ...

Love makes us speak ... 
Love makes us moan ... 
Love makes us die ... 
Love brings us to life ... 
Love makes us drunk and bewildered ... 
It sometimes makes one a king ... 
Love and the lover have no rigid doctrine ... 
Whichever direction the lover takes, he turns toward his beloved ... 
Wherever he may be, he is with his beloved ... 
Wherever he goes, he goes with his beloved ... 

He cannot do anything 
Cannot survive for even one moment 
Without his beloved ... 

He constantly recalls his beloved 
As his beloved remembers him ... 

Lover and beloved 
Remember and remembered
Are ever in each other’s company ... 
Always together ...

Love makes us penetrate the mountains ... 
Love makes us reach the goal ... 
Love causes ecstasy ... 

Ecstasy 
The state in which love and longing overwhelm the soul 
Gives the taste to the dhikr (remembrance) of the worshipper ... 

Such a state is this that 
If that at that moment one of the worshippers limbs were to be cut off or broken 
He would not even feel that pain 
Amid the joy and delight occasioned by his vision 
Of the everlasting Beauty ...

Now, to those who claim to love, I address these questions:
How often have you wiped away the tears of a lover weeping for the love of God ???
Have you yourself ever shed a single tear for love of God ???
How many nights have you spent without sleep for love of God ???
What sacrifices have you been able to bear for love of God ???

Day Of Arafat ...

The Prophet (SAW) said: "Hajj is 'Arafa" ... 
So it is evident that the great gathering of the hajji's on the plain of 'Arafa is the core rite of Hajj ... 
This is what everyone has come for ... 
There is no doubt that in an almost explicit way it prefigures 
That Final Gathering which all of us will inevitably attend on the Last Day ... 
It is there at 'Arafa that the reality of the state of ihram is made most manifest ... 
The lives of all who are present are stripped down to the barest essentials ... 
All distinctions are removed ... 
Wealth and poverty 
Every kind of class distinction 
All the things which normally set people apart from one another in their worldly lives 
All these things are set aside 
And all that remains is the simple fact of our common humanity ... 
All we have is our actions ... 
What we have done with ourselves up to that point ... 
What we have turned ourselves into by what we have done ... 
Nothing more and nothing less than what we truly are ... 
It is a priceless opportunity to take stock ... 
We stand there, as it were, naked in front of our Lord ... 
With all the normal distractions and cushions taken away ... 
Face to face with Allah ...
With nothing in between but the veil of our own existence ...

There is nothing to do there but turn to Allah with complete sincerity ...
And to call on Him making our deen sincerely His ... 
Hoping for His forgiveness ... 
Longing for His mercy and yearning ... 
For the vision of His noble Face ... 
And truly there is nowhere and no time on Earth ... 
Where our prayers are more likely to find acceptance ... 

Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (salla'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) as saying:

When the Day of 'Arafa comes
Allah descends to the lowest heaven 
And praises the people there to the angels, saying: 

"Look at My servants who have come to Me dishevelled ... 
Dusty and crying out from every deep valley ... 
I call you to witness that I have forgiven them" ... 

Then the angels object, saying: 
"But my Lord this man has done such and such a thing and also that woman" ...

Allah, Who is Great and Glorious replies: "I have forgiven them" ...

Shaykh Abdalqadir says about 'Arafa in The Way of Muhammad:

It is a rite that takes man back to his origin, for 'Arafa is the meeting point ... 
The point of the reunion on earth of Adam and Hawwa, peace be upon them ... 
It is the source point of the human situation ... 
The meaning of the Hajj and its reality lies in this 'moment' ... 
This time at the source of life itself, and what the hajji does is stop ... 
Stand on 'Arafa ... 
It was for this that the journey was undertaken ... 
Alone on a wide desert plain surrounded by a throng of others identical to yourself ... Bare-headed and draped in two white cloths ... 
Many there will be buried in these same cloths ... 
You just come to a halt ... 
Quite simply, exhausted, dazed, you stop ... 
At that moment there is absolutely nowhere to go ... 
You are there ... 
With Allah ... 
The journey is accomplished ... 
After that everything is purification and supplication ...