Far and near!

Nasr b. Mansur b. al-Hasan al-Hanbali said:

The dearth of fairness among people
Engenders withdraw from the lot!
Does an intelligent person ever get to know people
And remain with any hope for them by nightfall?
They are “people” so long as you don’t test them
When tested, they’re wolves with hair falling out in clumps
It’s hard enough to be safe from them at a distance
So what do you think will happen if you draw near?

– From the book “The virtues of seclusion in times of confusion” –

Seek seclusion, no campanion remains!

Ahmad b. al-Hasan al-Tirmidhi said,

“I heard Abu Nu’aym al-Taymi, the freed bondsman of the Talha family, say, ‘What most amazes me is the statement of ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) which resembles the statement of [the poet] Labid:

Gone are those men in whose shelter one can live,
And I remain behind, in posterity, that resemble a leper’s skin

However I say:

The real people have gone and so we’ve become,
In their wake, among the base
Among people, we reckon them many
But when examined, lo they’re not even human!
Every time I desire something from them
Before I can ask them they bring me despair
They cried to me till I wished I was amongst them
Keeping my head down, withdrawn

– From the book “The virtues of seclusion in times of confusion” –

Final moment of Ramadan

In the final days of Ramadan,
May Allah ta’ala answer your secret prayers,
Wipe away your secret tears,
Erase your secret fears
&
Lift you to the position you so dearly desire

Safeguard the dignity

A poet said:

Once I saw things topsy-turvy in this age
And no benefit in companionship found,
With every leader enthralled
And every head suffering migraines from it—
I remained in my home and safeguarded my dignity
Through integrity and contentment

– From the book “The virtues of seclusion in times of confusion” –

A worthy companion

Another poet said:

Wash your hands of this age and its “good”;
Avoid its people as you would thorny shrubs
I have company with others but haven’t found
A worthy companion for the sake of Allah or any other!

– From the book “The virtues of seclusion in times of confusion” –

Do not get full

A famous doctor from the pre-islamic times said,

…We are a nation that do not eat unless we are hungry and when we eat then we do not get full…

Stop eating even when you are hungry so you don’t get full. Eating too much is a source of harm.

– Shaykh Yaqoubi hafizu Llah –

Be silent

Love said to me,
there is nothing that is not me.
Be silent.

– Mevlana Rumi rahimahu Llah –

The cure

The sand particles of Madinah are cure!
The Sultan of Madinah ﷺ is the Healer of all!
Oh guards, let the sick fall at His door.

– Shaykh Monawwar Ateeq hafizu Llah –

Wisdom

…Hunger is a cloud; whenever a bondsman is hungry his heart rains down wisdom…

– Abu Yazid al-Bistami rahimahu Llah –

Manners… are important

Do not complain to your Lord about a delay in answering your requests. Rather, blame yourself for side-stepping proper manners –  Ibn Ata’illah al-Iskandari rahimahu Llah

Let go…

Let tenderness pour from your eyes
the way Sun gazes warmly on Earth.

― Hafiz rahimahu Llah –

How many times do you need to be told…

How many times
do you need to be told
that God is close to you
before your heart is reassured?

His words,
“Surely I Am near”
are preserved for eternity.

So when your heart quivers
with uncertainty
look no further than His Book.

You can read it
a million times
and still find Him telling you
“Surely, I Am near.”

Hunger

❝…Make yourself hungry, for this abases the soul, softens the heart and yields heavenly knowledge…❞

– Abu Sulaymān al-Dārānī –

Time

Time is more precious when you enrich yourself by preserving it,
And I see it is the easiest of all things for you to waste

– Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda –

Ramadan’s fragrance

Ramadan has a different type of fragrance.

What it requires from us is to have a heart that is ready to receive. Receive Ramadan with great aspiration and great veneration.

– Habib Kazim al-Saqqaf –

Sufferings…

And if it were not for this suffering.
How would I have known of the depths of Love?
He saw me worthy of His trials.
He gave me beautiful patience.
And in my darkest hours He soothed
my aching soul with unforgettable embraces.

– unknown –

Be careful

Do you want to enter Paradise?
To walk the path of Truth
You need the Grace of Allah
We all face death in the end
But on the way, be careful
never to hurt a human heart

– Mevlana Rumi Rahimahu Llah –

I prayed

I prayed for change,
so I changed my mind.
I prayed for guidance
and learned to trust myself.
I prayed for happiness
and realized I am not my ego.
I prayed for peace
and learned to accept others unconditionally.

I prayed for abundance
and realized my doubt kept it out.
I prayed for wealth
and realized it is my health.
I prayed for a miracle
and realized I am the miracle.
I prayed for a soul mate
and realized I am with the One.
I prayed for love
and realized it is always knocking,
but I have to allow it in.

– Mevlana Rumi rahimahu Llah –

On the eve of Ramadan

On the eve
of Blessed Ramadan

My ill heart
Broken soul
Shattered body
Grieving eyes

Ask only for one thing
Oh my Lord,
They ask for You
Only You

– Written by Abidah/Savera @ 23.04.2020 –

Ramadan is coming!

It’s hard isn’t it,
to forgive yourself
for all the sins you commit
flashbacks coming back
tears flowing down,
while your heart and soul cries
for the Mercy of your Lord.

But do not worry
Because
Ramadan is coming
With Mercy & salvation

Do not give up

When you go through a hard period, When everything seems to oppose you, When you feel you cant bear even one minute, never give up Because it is the time and place that the course will divert.

– Mevlana Rumi rahimahu Llah –

Healing

Healing begins with forgiveness & in order to be able to forgive, one has to accept conditions of life

– Abidah aka Savera @ 14.04.20

Ocean

I am the drop
that contains the ocean

― Yunus Emre –

Essence

If you look too closely at the form,
you miss the Essence.

– Rumi rahimahu Llah –

Be sure…

Be sure,
there is something waiting for you,
after much patience,
to astonish you to a degree
that you forget the bitterness of the pain.

– Unknown –

New job?

Now that all your worry has proved such an unlucrative business, why not find a better job?

— Hafiz rahimahu Llah —

Catch…

By speech,
By silence,
&
By fragrance,
Catch the scent of the Beloved everywhere

–  Mevlana Rumi (rahimahu Llah) –

The Blessed night of Mi‘rāj @ 1441

Hearts aching for the blessed soil of Madinah

Souls yearning for Beloved ﷺ

Eyes filled with tears

The night of Mi‘rāj is upon us

May the Mercy be bestowed upon us

May the love consume us

May we be thankful for the gifts given

May we seek forgiveness with sincerity

– Written by Abidah/Savera @ 21.03.2020 –

The Call!

Every time I called out to Him
He replied, “O My servant! I am Allah!”

How to be happy

Bear sorrows and calamities patiently,
otherwise you will never be happy

– Sufi Saying –