"It is our fitrah to praise greatness.

We stand in ovation five times a day.

And we ask "Encore!"

And our encore is the afterlife"

- Hamza Yusuf -

"When the applause ends and you return home,

it's just you and God again"

- Hamza Yusuf-

God heals everything ...

Envy is a waste of time...

You already have all you need ...

Don't compare your life to others'...

You have no idea what their journey is all about ...

I loooove it ... There's a lil' MJ in all of us ...

“People are like stained-glass windows.

They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,

but when the darkness sets in,

their true beauty is revealed

only if there is a light from within.”

- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross -

"Take away love and our earth is a tomb"

(Robert Browning)

I never smelled a rose except that it increased me in longing for You

And never did I see a tree sway except I felt it yearning for You

Beauty is what attracts your soul

and that which loves to give and not to receive

- Kahlil Gibran -

Charity is a virtue of the heart,

and not of the hands

- Joseph Addison -

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer"

- Harriet Tubman -

"How can I lose faith in the justice of life, when the dreams of those who sleep upon feathers are not more beautiful than the dreams of those who sleep upon the earth?"

Brother and Sister ...

Sometimes we forget that absence

is just as difficult and meaningful a choice as presence

Love seeks one thing only: the good of the loved one.
It leaves all other secondary effects to take care of themselves



- Thomas Merton

"We have what we seek,

it is there all the time,

and if we give it time,

it will make itself known to us"

- Thomas Merton -

Your soul does not live in poverty,

it grows from all your experiences

and will flower in the season of enlightenment ...

"I don't like what you are doing, but I respect who you are.
You know why?
Because maybe who you are tomorrow,
will be better than who I am today"



- Tariq Ramadan

Your belittling of an act of sunnah

is but the belittling of the guardian

of the sunnah (pbuh)

There is nothing

between the soul and the hereafter

but one moment

Lovers share a sacred
decree to seek the
Beloved.

They roll head over
heels, rushing toward the
Beautiful One
like a torrent of water.


- Rumi (One Whisper of the Beloved)

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness.
It will change your life mightily."


- Gerald Good

Cradle ... By Anis Mojgani ...

Set the warriors to sea in a ship stacked with shields, layers of swords, mountains of gold.
Lay them out with their wife. With their child. Lay them out with their livestock, with the whole farm.
The rain is not coming here.
Not today.
For today the gods welcome one of their own back home.
So set the hero out on the soft waves that will carry him to the other side of the pink ether where he will float on fire until the ash consumes him like the mighty warrior he once was and like the legend he will become.
The flames will dance over his possessions, his goblets and arrows, his blankets, his paintings, his passions. The flames will dance across his flesh like the soft fingers of the soft lover he left, and as he sleeps this last sleep, the fires will eat him away, the heat will write his skin across the night sky to join the constellations that will guide the sailors at storm, the herders lost in the clouds, they will all come home by facing the direction his eyes are facing.
The heavens are filled with smoke.
This is history this is legend this is what we once were.
Where the stories come from, what we are.
When you fall in battle, they will take your body with the life you made in this world and set it off to sail behind you into the next, so that you will stay a king, remain forever the golden being you breathed as on this side of the mountain.
When you pass, may your life follow you like a shadow into the light.
When I go, bury me with nothing but my own skin.
I spent far too many days trying to outrun this thing called mine, so if I set myself into your arms would you hold me like the earth, quietly?
I am yours. Give me a field, give me a big sky. A mountain. Give me your mouth.
I’m just looking for a quiet place that I could die inside of. (c)

Human Nature ...

Looking out across the night-time

The city winks a sleepless eye

Hear her voice shake my window

Sweet seducing sighs

Get me out into the night-time

Four walls won't hold me tonight

If this town is just an apple

Then let me take a bite

If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why does he do me that way?

Reaching out to touch a stranger

Electric eyes are everywhere

See that girl, she knows I'm watching

She likes the way I stare

If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why does he do me that way?

I like livin' this way, I like lovin' this way

Looking out across the morning

The city's heart begins to beat

Reaching out, I touch her shoulder

I'm dreaming of the street

If they say, why, why? Tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say, why, why? Ooh, tell 'em

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say, why, why? Cha cha cha

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say why, why, why? Ooh, tell 'em

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say, why, why? Ooh, tell 'em

Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say, why, why? Da da da

Why, why does he do me that way?

I like livin' this way

- ( Michael Jackson ... Songwriters: Bettis, John;Porcaro, Steve ) -

Oh My Lord

What has he found who has lost You

And what has he lost who has found You ?

- ibn Ata'illah -

"Oh most precious of nations,

one that is ever elevated by its virtue,

tread forward with aspiration, and strive!

Our worth is only by beautiful character,

and that enough is light for the darkness."

(One of my friends took this picture from last year)

Sh. Hamza explaining to Sh. Abdullah the nature of Halloween as he listens in amazement ... lol ...

Gotta LOVE the innocence and wisdom ... mashaAllah ...

Courage does not always roar
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
At the end of the day saying
“I will try again tomorrow”



- Mary Anne Radmacher

“Given enough time, any man may master the physical.
With enough knowledge, any man may become wise.
It is the true warrior who can master both…and surpass the result.”


– Tien T’ai

"I know that God doesn't lie and I know that He knows how to talk to the hearts of people better than anybody else. So, I don't worry about that."

-Lauryn Hill

Understanding the Prophet's Life ...

Entertainment

Entertainment is indeed an important dimension of life, but it should constitute "a pause" between two more important things: its function is primarily to give rest to the mind, heart, and being, to divert them in Pascal's usage, so as to enable people to return to more important things, to their responsibilities regarding life, society, work, justice, and death. This is exactly the meaning the Prophet of Islam had given it when he had been questioned by his Companion Handhalah who, on the contrary, saw in entertainment evidence of his hypocritical disposition before God (since it led him to forget). The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered him: "By He who holds my soul in His hands, if you were able to remain in the [spiritual] state in which you are in my company and in permanent remembrance of God, angels would shake hands with you in your beds and along paths. But it is not so, Handhalah, there is a time for this [devotion, remembrance] and a time for that [rest, distraction, entertainment]." [ Bukhari, Muslim]

Compiled From:
Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation - By Tariq Ramadan, pg. 196

When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity.

The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow — you are not understanding yourself.

- Bruce Lee

Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

- Bruce Lee

Acquire knowledge It enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong
It lights the way to Heaven
It is our friend in the desert
Our society in solitude
Our companion when friendless
It guides us to happiness
It sustains us in misery
It is an ornament among friends,
And an armour against enemies







- Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) -

Medina is Love

The first of knowledge is realizing that,

"What is with you perishes,

and what is with Allah remains."

[Qur'an]

Wherever I shine the lamplight of Divine breath,
there the difficulties of a whole world are resolved.
The darkness which the earthly sun did not remove,
becomes through My breath a bright morning.


- Rumi

I think I'm in love with Egypt ...

The door is panting ... looool ...

No comment ...

Ya'neeee ...

As if Tang wasn't bootleg enough ... lol ...

Yes, we can see that ...

Asalaam alaikum ...

Hello Sunday, you look nice

Just wanted to wish everyone a beautiful day :)

Alhumdulillah, we are in a blessing ...

That's all ... For now ...


- Jafar out

The Messenger of God (pbuh) said:

"Remember often the Ender of Pleasures"

When he (saw) was asked who the intelligent were he replied:

"Those who remember death most often, and prepare for it best.

They are the intelligent ones, who have gained

the honour of this world and a noble rank in the Hereafter."

And he (saw) said:

"Death is the most imminent of all hidden things lying in wait."

Now, if death is the nearest of the hidden things lying in wait,

then one must prepare for it through being decisive and taking

the greatest precautions in every condition in which it may come.

And this could be any time and under any circumstance.

Imam Ali (ra) said:

"Whenever a believer dies

the place where he used to pray weeps for him,

and so does the place from which his deeds

used to ascend to Heaven."

Then he recited:


The heaven and earth wept not for them (44:29)

Know that a long life in God's obedience is greatly to be desired

"The best among you are those
whose lives are long and whose works are good."

And:

"Let none of you wish for death,
(for you are) either doing well and thus may increase,
or doing evil and thus enjoying the chance to make amends."


- (Hadith)

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.


-Rumi-

At last you have departed and gone to the Unseen.
What marvelous route did you take
from this world?



- Rumi -

Show me things as they truly are

Let the false appear false

and true as true

O Allah
I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath
and in Your protection from Your punishment
I seek refuge with You from You
I cannot praise You enough
and You are as You have praised Yourself


- Dua of the Last Messenger (saw)

Look deeply into nature,

and you will not fail to observe

the signature of the Divine written

all over it

Nothing is more visible than the Real

He is hidden only to the blind

- Misri -

Ostentation

The root source of ostentation (riya) is desire, wanting something from a source other than God. The cure for ostentation is actively and sincerely seeking out purification of the heart by removing four things:
1) love of praise;
2) fear of blame;
3) desire for worldly benefit from people; and
4) fear of harm from people.

This is accomplished by nurturing the certainty (yaqin) that only God can benefit or harm one. This is at the essence of the Islamic creed.

Helen Keller once said that there is no slave in this world that didn't have a king somewhere in his ancestry; and there is no king that didn't have a slave somewhere in his ancestry. This world has peaks and valleys. Nothing in creation is permanent. To spend time and energy seeking permanence in the fleeting things of the world - like praise - and then neglect what lasts forever with our Maker is the summit of human folly.

So recognizing that there is no harm or benefit except with God purifies the heart of vain pursuits and ostentation.



Compiled From:
"Purification of The Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 57-59

And to Allah is our return

In the world there are invisible ladders,
Leading step by step to the summit of heaven.
There is a different ladder for every group,
A different heaven for every path.
Each one is ignorant of the other's condition in this wide kingdom which
Has no end or beginning.
This one is amazed at that one and wonders why he is happy,
While that one is astonished at this one and asks why he is amazed.
God's earth is spacious: every tree springs up from a certain soil.
The leaves and boughs sing thanks to God:
"What a fine, broad kingdom."
The nightingales hover around the fruiting blossom,calling,
"Give us some of what you drink."
This discourse has no end.


- Rumi

I seek forgiveness from Allah

For the lack of my sincerity when I say

I seek the forgiveness of Allah

- Rabia al-Adawiyyah -

Eyes are at rest, the stars are setting.
Hushed are the stirrings of birds in their nests,
Of monsters in the ocean.

You are the Just who knows no change,
The Balance that can never swerve,
The Eternal which never passes away.

The doors of Kings are bolted now and guarded by soldiers.
Your Door is open to all who call upon You.

My Lord,
Each lover is now alone with his beloved.
And I am alone with You.


-Rabia al-Basri

Never be without rememberance of Him
For His rememberance gives strength and wings
To the bird of the Spirit.


- Jalaluddin Rumi

Allahumma
Salli wa Sallim wa Baarik 'alaa'Ayni'l 'Inaayah
Wa Zayni'l Qiyaamah
Wa Kanzi'l Hidaayah
Wa Tiraazi'l Hullah
Wa 'Arusi'l Mamlakah
Wa Lisaani'l Hujjah
Wa Shafi'il Ummah
Wa Imami'l Hadhrah
Wa Nabiyy i'r Rahmah Sayyidina Muhammadin Kaashifi'l ghummah



O Allah!
Bestow blessings, peace and favours on the spring of grace,
adornment of the Day of Judgement,
source of guidance,
the best type (model) of creation,
a Prince of the Kingdom of heaven,
the tongue that delivers the Divine Argument,
the Intercessor for the believers,
the Leader of those nearest to Allah,
and the Prophet of mercy, Sayyidina Muhammad (SAW), who dispels pain and suffering

Is it any wonder that the spirit doesn't remember its own home, in which it lived and emerged from so long before? This sleep inducing world is wrapped around (the spirit) just as the clouds blot out the stars. (The soul) has travelled through so many cities, and the dust still hasn't been cleared from its senses. Likewise, it hasn't made any serious effort to purify itself and take a good look at the past, so that its heart can cast a glance through the opening of mystery, allowing it to see the beginning and the end with an open eye.


- Jalaluddin Rumi

A thorn in the foot is hard enogh to find, so much harder would it be to find a thorn in the heart? Answer me that! If every unlucky person could find the thorn in his heart, then how could sadness ever prevail over him?

- Jalaluddin Rumi

The happiness of the believer lies in loving Allah,and love for the sake of Allah brings deeper happiness whose taste is known to sincere believers who do not accept any substitute for it.

Even if you were a powerful king who posseed every fortune, remember still that fortune is something else, besides you. One day your wordly fortune will disappear, and you`ll be left with nothing, like a pauper. Let your soul be your fortune, O chosen one. When you are your own fortune, O person of truth, then how can you, who are fortune personified, ever lose yourself ? How can you lose yourself, O person of goodness, when your very essence has become your kingdom and your treasure ?


- Jalaluddin Rumi

Balaghal ula be kamaalihi
Kashafad duja be jamaalihi
Hasanat jami'u khisaalihi
Sallu 'alayhi wa aalihi



He taught people with his best way
He showed his beauty
He was all good
So peace be on him and his family


- Saadi al-Shiraz commenting on the ways of the Blessed Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

I am amazed concerning the Hellfire, how does the one who could flee from it sleep?
And I am amazed concerning the Jannah, how does the one who desires it sleep?
For by Allah, if you neither desire Paradise, nor fear the Hellfire, then you are destroyed and grievous will be your sorrow, interminable your sadness and without limit your tears.
You will be amongst the wretched, the punished ones.
So if you claim that you are amongst those who seek refuge from the Fire and desire Paradise, then strive for that which you seek and do not be misled by your worldly desires.


- A pious slave

(This is beautiful)

Imam Malik said:


Man tasawwafa wa lam yatafaqqa fa qad tazandaqa

wa man tafaqqaha wa lam yatasawwaf fa qad tafassaqa

wa man jama`a bayn al-ithnayn fa qad tahaqqaqa


He who practices Tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law,corrupts his faith. While he who learns Sacred Law, without practicing Tasawwuf, corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true.

Good Manners ... Imam al-Haddad ...

Know disciple, that the beginning of the path is patience, and its end is thankfulness. Its beginning is difficulty, and its end is bliss. Its beginning is toil and weariness, and its end is opening, unveiling and arrival at the ultimate goal which is gnosis of God, arrival to Him, being comforted by Him, and standing in His noble presence with His angels standing before Him. The one who makes gracious patience the foundation of all his affairs turns to every goodness, reaches everything that he hopes for, and wins all that he seeks.

If those who do not possess knowledge avoid the scholarly discussions,disagreement will end.


-Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

Do not allow the fear of people to prevent you from proclaiming the Haqq (the truth of Allah's Deen)

- Muhammad (SAW)

To admonish your brother in private is to advise him and improve him.
But to admonish him publicly is to disgrace and shame him.


-Imam Shafi (ra)

One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson
about the battle that goes on inside people.

He said,
“My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all.

One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority.

The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion. ”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
“Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.



-Native Indian wisdom tradition

What is done for you ... allow it to be done
What you must do yourself ... make sure you do it


-Khawwas

True speech is the fruit of not speaking.
Too much talking clouds the heart.

If you want to clear the heart,
say this much, the essence of all talking:
Speak truly. God speaks through words truly spoken.

Falsity ends in pain.

Unless you witness all of creation in a single glance,
you're in sin even with all your religion.

The explanation of the Law is this:
The Law is a ship. Truth is her ocean.
No matter how strong the wood,
the sea can smash the ship.

The secret is this:
A 'doctor' of religion may in reality be an unbeliever.

We will master this science and read this book of Love.
God instructs. Love is His school.

Since the glance of the saintly masters fell on poor Yunus
nothing has been a misfortune.



-Yunus Emre (1240 - 1320)