The story of Adam and Eve sheds a lot of light into the basic human nature. When Allah created Adam (A), Allah gave him the highest status. He was given the highest amount of knowledge which even the angels could not understand. And heaven was made the home for him. Due the knowledge bestowed on him, Allah even asked the angels to prostrate to him. (Quran 2:30-34)

If we think about it in spiritual or material sense, there was nothing more one could ask for. He had achieved all the knowledge and he was in heaven. Naturally he should have been happy and content. But Adam(A) was not.. There was something missing which all the knowledge and wealth could not fulfill. It was then that Allah created Eve out of Adam’s own part. When Adam opened his eyes he saw the beautiful face of a woman gazing down at him.  She revealed that she was to ease his loneliness and bring tranquility to him.

It has to be noted that how high was the stature of their relationship in the eyes of Allah:

When they were sent to Earth, they landed in different places. They searched for each other 100 years and finally met in Mecca. The location where they met is known as Jabal Rahma (mountain of  blessing), Arafa. Arafa is so important a place that Allah says he will forgive everything for a servant who stays for a shortwhile there. Standing in Arafa is the most important part of Hajj that Prophet emphasised “Hajj is Arafa”.

Jabal-Rahmah

The story of Adam and Eve is the first and original love story. All others are repetition of the same. Allah created everything in pairs and  Adam and Eve are symbolic of all men and women. . For every Adam, there is an Eve and their hearts are not at rest until they meet.

Just like Adam and Eve landed up in different places and yearned for each other, every man and his woman are born at different places and they seek each other. Marriage is the culmination of that ultimate search in this world.

Quran and Hadith on marriage:

“And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect.” (Qur’an 30:21)

“Verily, the most perfect amongst believers in faith is he who is the best in manner and the kindest to his wife”. – Hadith

“Any woman who dies when her husband is pleased with her will enter Paradise”. – Hadith

“Whoever gets married, has safeguarded half of his religion.” – Hadith

If Allah didn’t create Adam, He would not have created Eve. I (blogger) cannot see this anymore emphasized than in the Hadith Qudsi:  “If I were to order anyone to prostrate to anyone else, I would have ordered women to prostrate to their husbands.”( Tirmidhi, 2/314, in Abwab a-rida’, 10).  To appreciate this, we need to look beyond the earthly aspects between a husband and wife and realize the underlying relationship of their spirits that started even before they are born on this world. They were made for each other from the world of the Spirits (Ruh) itself.

“they are your garments and you are their garments” (Surah Al Baqarah 2:187).

“Marriage is my way and my sunnah.” “The one who does not act upon my sunnah is not of me.”-Hadith

“Among the permitted things, Allah hates divorce most “-Hadith

“When a husband and wife look at each other with love, Allah looks at both of them with mercy.” (Sahih Bukhari 6:19 Tirmidhi 14:79) 

Zamzam Well

Assalamu Alaikum,

Thousands of people run around searching for water in many places on earth. But what was the difference with Hajra(R.A) (Hagar in English usage) that her search between Safa and Marwa was so special to her Lord?

Those who search for water search for mere that

But Hajra’s quest was for her Lord’s help.

She was in need, She had asked and of course,

She was restless in her search for the Beloved’s reply.

She searched in Safa, in Marwa and in between,

She walked, then ran to and forth, again and again.

Her lord did reply and how! She finally had to say Zam Zam!

Hajra(R.A)’s search was not for mere water but for Allah’s help! There is a difference between searching for water and searching to find out how Allah’s help is coming after asking Him for the help. The difference is emphasized by none other than Allah and imitating her action is an integral part of Hajj!

Her external acts seem very worldly, but the state of her heart and intention of her acts were purely in union with her Lord. Allah loved her longing and faith so much so that He made it a means for forgiveness for all His servants who imitate her run between the two mounts. Allah replied to her prayer in abundance till eternity and right at the feet of her thirsting son!

Meanwhile many a people who search for mere water die with or without getting it..

A female leopard hunts a pregnant female baboon. While the leopard was dragging the baboon, the baboon delivers a baby. Leopard leaves the hunted mother and starts taking care of the newborn baboon. Watch this amazing video from National geographic.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah  (Choicest blessing and peace be upon him) said, “Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it”.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Ya Rahman, we are all blessed with your Mercy.

Ramzan is the month of fasting, but it it is more than just that.  The times of Ramzan carry more importance than fasting from dawn to dusk, though fasting in itself is profoundly significant. When we hear there is a sale in the supermarket, we rush to to buy things cheap. Ramzan is the month when Allah distributes a lot of bounties. For those who are not rich enough to to get them by other means, this is the one month to get them all. All that He is asking for is to have faith in Him and to take this month in due consideration. (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

For one, when Allah advices us to give charity this month, He wouldn’t be restraining himself

The time of Ramzan is divided into three section of ten days with each ten days having separate significance. (Hadith No. 22)

The first ten days are for asking Rahmath (Mercy):

• A person’s life will be in misery if he doesn’t receive love and mercy. Regardless of from whom you are receiving it, it is all sent from its source, the Merciful.

Second ten days are for asking Maghfirath (forgiveness)

• The true sign of forgiveness is that you will be able to escape from that sinful state.

The third ten days are for asking Ithq (Emancipation from hell)

• Heaven and Hell are nothing but projections in the next world of your state in this life. Saving from the hell would be experienced as change in our life here itself.

If we pass through this Ramzan without attaining the above three, we will be the most miserable ones. They key to gaining from Ramzan is to first understand its unique significance.

Prophet(S.A) said “Many receive nothing from the fast except hunger and thirst” [Ibn Majah, Ad-Daarimee, Ahmad, al-Baihaqi, Sahih]. They are the people who don’t understand the purpose and take it into account.

May Allah include us on those who benefit from this Ramzan.

Many often we are confronted with this question: “Describe Yourself”. And we all know how difficult a question it is to answer.

There are two ways you can describe yourself. One is with respect to the external factors. And the other is with respect to the emotions you experience. You can write down the tags that you can think of yourself and classify it into two buckets. Just write down whatever that comes to your mind one after the other, without ‘thinking’ and being judgmental .

I described myself with respect to the external factors, and it followed this pattern:

Name, profession, place of origin, date of birth, income etc..

Then described myself with respect to how I felt, and tag cloud looked something like this:

In the great deluge during Noah (A), there was a mother trying to save her child. She kept holding the baby above the water as the level kept rising. Once the water rose above her own nose, she was struggling for her own life and put the baby down and stood on top of him.

One may speak in exotic ways about his/her ‘kindness’ or ‘love’ for others. One may even be ready to die for those. But the reality of their self proclaimed ‘love’ and ‘kindness’ will be known only at the moment they face their death.

May Allah help us save from the delusions of this world help seek His mercy.

-Qur’an 10:107

Here are some rare photos of Hajj!! One of my friends emailed it to me. For the very latest photos plz visit here

If only these places were as accessible now as it were then..

May Allah help us all to get there in the right spirit.

Abdul Muneer

This is a part of an article I had come across in www.tasawwuf.org some years back. The lesson impressed me instantly and made me appreciate the profound thinking of the great Masters of tasawwuf. You can read the full article here

Maulana Jami on the Path (of Tasawwuf)

It is recorded in the tradition of the Shaykhs that Jami once said, when asked about hypocrisy and honesty:

“How wonderful is honesty and how strange hypocrisy! I wandered to Mecca and to Baghdad, and I made a trial of the behavior of men.

When I asked them to be honest, they always treated me with respect, because they had been taught that good men always speak thus, and they had learned that they must have their eyes downcast when people speak of honesty.

When I told them to shun hypocrisy, they all agreed with me.

But they did not know that when I said ‘truth’, I knew that they did not know what truth was, and that therefore both they and I were then being hypocrites.

They did not know that when I told them not to be hypocrites they were being hypocrites in not asking me the method. They did not know that I was being a hypocrite in merely saying, ‘Do not be hypocrites’, because words do not convey the message by themselves.

They respected me, therefore, when I was acting hypocritically. They had been taught to do this. They respected themselves while they were thinking hypocritically; for it is hypocrisy to think that one is being improved simply by thinking that it is bad to be a hypocrite.

The Path (of Tasuwwuf) leads beyond: to the practice and the understanding where there can be no hypocrisy, where honesty is there and not something which is man’s aim.

It cannot be any more relevant in this era of  ‘spirituality’ fad where everyone knows what to speak to get clapping from the audience.

May Allah make our hearts sincere in our approach unto Him.

Regards,

Abdul Muneer P.K.

From nothing you become sad,
From nothing you become happy,
You are burning in the flame,
But I will not let you out
Until you are fully baked,
Fully wise, and fully yourself.

—Rumi(R.A.)

Purification, Allah, it is never easy. Allah,  make it easy for this weakling..