Category Archives: Belief

Virtues of the Sacred Month of Rajab

The following information has been excerpted from Al-Ghunya li-Taalibi Tareeq al-Haqq by Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him); translated from the Arabic by Haaji Muhtar Holland into Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth. (Al-Baz Publishing, Inc., Florida, 1997)Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah be pleased with him) is the Sultan-ul-Awliya, i.e. Crown of the Saints and most erudite scholar of the Islamic tradition, and the fountainhead of the Qadri Spiritual Order. He was born in the Iranian district of Gilan, south of the Caspian Sea, in 470 Hijri (1077-8 CE). Having lived a life of extreme piety, sacrifice, service, and devotion to Allah Almighty and His Messenger , he passed onto the Realm of Divine Beatitude on the 11th of Rabi-uth-Thani, 561 Hijri (1166 CE). He rests in the city of Baghdad, Iraq. His blessed mausoleum is a place of pious visitation from devotees around the world.

The intent of this brief document is to bring to the attention of our readers the great spiritual benefits of these blessed nights and days, and to encourage them to derive these benefits by practicing the prescribed acts of worship.

We welcome your feedback and comments.

Thank You.

IECRC Staff

https://www.iecrcna.org/publications/articles/Rajab.pdf

The Purest of Lineage: A Convert’s Story of Honor and Degree (Part I of II)

February 1, 2004 / Dhul Hijjah 1424

Volume 1, Issue 4

The following is a story of a convert to Islam who is soon to find that her purpose in life is more than just being married in a noble family.  With all the trials that inter-cultural marriages create,  this mother is to face  the greatest trial of her life.  This is a story of sacrifice and honor – a story that highlights the fact that not only those born in Islam can be raised to the highest of degrees and honor, rather Allah Almighty bestows these attributes upon whomever He chooses.  This story highlights the importance of embracing those who come into the fold of Islam by those already in it.

I was born in England but my soul was lost.  My culture, my surroundings, day and night, everything was a stranger to me.  I was not sure what I wanted.  From a very young age, I used to wait for a handsome Arab prince who would sweep me off my feet and take me away on his horse to a distant land in a castle where no one could see me except him.  Yes, I was living in Newcastle, England waiting for some stranger.  Then, one day, a friend took me to a party where people from all cultures were invited.  It was there that I met Asif, a young man from Punjab, Pakistan.  He belonged to a huge closely-knit, feudal and deeply religious Syed family (descendents of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)).  One day, Asif proposed.  In complete awe I thought to myself, “Perhaps God has gifted me for my modesty.”  We married without delay and I was called Maryam thereafter.

After I recited the Kalima Shahadah (the oath that a convert takes before entering the faith of Islam), I faced tremendous opposition.  After a few months we discovered that a baby was on its way.  It was the happiest time of my life.  Allah blessed us with a beautiful girl.  Asif named her Sana (which means ‘to glorify’) and said, “My daughter was born to glorify Allah.”  We had three sons after Sana.  We were living our lives according to the ways prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him).  Our life was an example of Paradise on Earth. 

One day Asif’s mother suffered a stroke and he needed to return to Pakistan immediately.  His father was a true Muslim who sacrificed his years for Islam.  It was this that gave me the encouragement that his family would accept me as their daughter-in-law.  It was about the same time that the truth of Islam penetrated my heart and I accepted Allah and His Beloved Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) from my innermost core.  In these days Asif felt increasingly helpless and sorrowful.  I thought to myself, “If we were true to our belief, then why was it that we had to hide our marriage?”  Maybe Asif didn’t want to lose his family.  One day Asif’s elder brother Zahid came to take us back.  He said that they were aware of the marriage and that now we should go back because Asif’s mom was ill and she wanted to see the all kids.  So we moved to Pakistan.  Sana started wearing the Chadar (a long shawl that is wrapped in a manner to cover the body and hair) and started learning to read the Qur’an from a Maulana (a religious scholar).  When my father-in-law sat with Sana and talked about the Qur’an, many questions arose in my heart: Had Allah chosen me for this task?  What is the purpose of my life?  I started reading many books and my father-in-law taught me about the Qur’an, Fiqh (Jurisprudence) and Islam.  He was a complete book in his being.  One day, my mother-in-law died from a heart attack and after a few days my father-in-law also died and this beautiful chapter of my life was closed forever.

My kids, especially Sana was the most learned about Islam.  She was true to her belief and would be praised by everyone who met her.  Our life was peaceful, but I was living a lie.  The truth was that, despite all my hard work, I was not able to adapt to the culture and traditions.  My God-given freedom was snatched from me.  Sometimes I used to wish that I had wings to fly back to my own country.  Asif felt this in me and promised that as soon as the time was right, he would send me to England.  I knew that he was true to his word.  I was not sure of the reason, but every time we intended to go back something would happen and we couldn’t go.

Sana had grown into a young lady by now.  I wished from the bottom of my heart that someone in my in-laws would ask for her hand in marriage.  All of their sons were mature and stood on their own two feet, but why was it that none of them could see Sana?  Asif wanted his daughter to be the pride of this family but this was Pakistan, and not England where I could have looked for a husband for my daughter or she could have found one herself.  England was a non-Muslim country, but this was Asif’s own country.  Then why was he so worried?  In this country, every other home had girls who would go out with boys, dating and shopping and free to enjoy.  But all of this was unlawful for a daughter of a converted mother from England.  My husband was much concerned about her well being, but no one else cared.  All that the in-laws wanted was to find the opportunity to catch my daughter or myself doing something wrong.  That would give them a chance to reject us.  This worried me day and night. I started reading my father-in-law’s books, which he wrote and that gave me comfort.

It was a cold winter night when my sister-in-law’s daughter got married.  There was a strange racket in the house.  When I came outside into the porch, I started watching Sana and the other girls applying Henna.  Standing next to the window, I overheard a discussion.  A lady was asking my sister-in-law about her son, who was old enough to marry and if she had anyone in mind for him.  She replied, “Not yet, I don’t know what has happened to all the good, modest girls.  It seems that all the television girls have stepped into our homes.  They all look like models.”  The women asked, “Why Baji? What about Sana? She is beautiful, modest, homely, and knows all the responsibilities? I wish I had a son…” “Stop it!” said my sister-in-law, “I’m warning you that if you ever took Sana’s name… Sana for my daughter-in-law! God forbid!”  The lady then said, “Why Baji, she is our family girl…” “I told you to be quiet!  Don’t you know that her mother is an Englishwomen!  She doesn’t even know the difference between pure and impure.  That I will have English blood in my lineage, God forbid, No Way!!!” said my sister-in-law.  “But Baji, Sana is your own blood!” exclaimed the woman.  “Please put an end to this topic right here and now and remember that this discussion should never enter the ears of Abid.  He already talks about Sana all the time” said my sister-in-law.  “Baji, I only brought this up because I felt that there isn’t any better girl than Sana.  She is a family girl and she will stay within the family and I know that Asif doesn’t want her to marry out of the family.  He asked me to find out what was the opinion of his sisters about Sana.” “OK, OK, why don’t you marry her with your own brother?” said my sister-in-law.  “If only my brother was up to the mark, he is not even close to her in character,” said this lady.  “Yeah I know, these are just excuses.  Is she the only one left for us? If you cared so much about her then why don’t you look for someone for her so our honor can remain in tact,” answered my sister-in-law.

My God!  These words entered my ears like hot lava.  Unaware of this conversation, Sana looked at me, smiled and called, “Come on mama, let me put Henna on your hands”.  I wanted to burn the whole house and break everything.  What did I not do for this family’s honor?  What was deficient in Sana that she couldn’t be the daughter-in-law of this family?  My whole body was shaking like an earthquake.  I couldn’t breathe.  I felt as if I was a boat, which was about to reach the shore but was suddenly pulled back in by a whirlpool.  In this state I complained to Allah “O Allah, You know what’s hidden in our hearts, You are my witness that I believed and followed You from the depth of my heart at a time when I was brought up in a non-Muslim surrounding, but still had complete belief in You.  I believed that You created every human being for some purpose.  If my purpose was to remove a noble Syed away from base and lowly activities while he had everything, to marry him and protect him from a sinful life, then what is the purpose of my life now?  I am in Pakistan and his family is not accepting his kids because I was an Englishwomen? Now what is it that’s stopping me from returning to my country?  O Allah, show me the right way.”   I felt as if I was surrounded by thick fog and I lost every sense of existence and sanity.  I was not sure what to call this state.   My life had changed forever and little was I to know about the trials that my family was about to face and the honor that Allah, by the rank of his Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him), had in store for me!                                  

(To be continued …)

 The above story, authored by Ms. Farida Abbass was extracted from Pakeezah Magazine (Pakistan) and translated from Urdu by Fatima Sharaaz Qadri, a founding member of IECRC Sacramento and mother of four young children.

Interval Between Death & Resurrection (Barzakh)

August 16, 2003 / Jamad-uth-Thani 1424

Volume 1, Issue 2 (Part 5)

Source - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anzali_cementery3_Barry_Kent.jpg

After death and before the Day of Judgment, between this world and the other, there is an interim world called the “Realm of Barzakh”.  All humans and jinn live in this world after death. In this realm of Barzakh, some experience peace and others pain, based on ones actions in this world.

It is our belief that even after death, the soul’s connection with the body remains.  If the soul is separated from the body and the body experiences rest or shock, the soul will feel it and be affected by it; just like in this life when the body feels ease or pain, its sensations are experienced by the soul. Similarly, in the realm of Barzakh, whatever reward or punishment the body faces, its pleasure or pain is received by the soul.

It is also our belief that the souls of the believers, according to their levels, rest in different stations.  Some stay at their burial site, some at the well of Zamzam (Holy water of Makkah), some between the sky and earth, some in the skies, some in lanterns below the Throne, some in the high ‘Illiyyeen (level of Heaven).  Wherever the souls are stationed, they are connected to their bodies.  If anyone comes to their burial site, the deceased can see, recognize and hear the words of the visitor.

Similarly, the souls of the disbelievers also stay at their grave or burial site.  Some are at a sewer pipeline in Yemen.  Some are below the seventh earth.  Some are in “sijjeen” (prison). Wherever the souls are, they have a connection with their respective bodies. Therefore, anyone who comes to their grave or burial site, the deceased can see, recognize and hear the words of the visitor.

Some people believe that after death the soul goes into the body of another person or an animal.  Believing this takes one into the realm of disbelief as we do not believe in the philosophy of reincarnation.

It is our belief that after death, regardless of where the deceased’s body is, he or she is visited by two angels called Nakeer and Munkar.  These angels question the deceased: “Who is your Lord?”, “What is your Deen?”, and they ask about the Prophet Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) , “Who is He ?”  If the deceased is a believer, he or she replies correctly that my Lord is Allah, my Deen is Islam and that Hazrat Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon Him) is Allah Almighty’s Messenger.  Then, a window into Heaven  opens for him from which cool and fragrant breezes keep coming into his grave.  And the deceased rests in comfort and peace and sleeps in happiness in his grave.  If the deceased is a disbeliever, then his response to all the questions is that he doesn’t know.  Then, a window from Hell is opened for him and hot and foul air blows into his grave.  The deceased is made to suffer severe punishments and he remains restless and tormented.  The angels beat him with rods.  His evil actions punish him in the form of snakes and scorpions.

It is our belief that the deceased talks and his speech is heard by all creation except humans and jinn.  If a human hears the talk of a deceased, he will surely lose consciousness.

It is also our belief that the graves of believers and good people expands 70 times.  The graves of some people expands to as far as their eyes can see.  And the graves of some disbelievers and sinners constricts so much that the ribs of one side moves to the other.

It is our belief that whatever punishment and reward the deceased experiences, only the deceased is aware of them.  Alive humans are not aware of these happenings; just like a sleeping person in his dreams sees different things and experiences comfort, pain or pleasure and an awake person next to him is completely unaware of the sleeping person’s experiences.

The deceased can receive the rewards of the good works they did in this world, either through pious children or any other deed they did as a Sadaqa Jariya (ongoing charity).  Also, they receive the reward of any good actions anyone does for them, which is why it is essential to remember our dead by reading Quran and doing other good deeds for them.  This is called Isaal-e-Sawaab.

One must therefore not consider death as the end of life, but only that the soul has moved onto a different realm where it experiences the realities of that world while waiting for the eternal abode of the Hereafter.  May Allah Almighty by the waseela (connection) of His Beloved Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) help us lead a righteous life and grace us with His Mercy in the Barzakh and Hereafter. (Aamin).

The majority of the above article was translated from “Jannati Zewar”, an Urdu text written by Allama Abdul Mustafa Azhari Azimi Mujaddidi, who was a prominent scholar of Ahle-Sunnah and Shaykh-ul-Hadeeth at Darul Uloom Amjadia, Karachi, Pakistan.  The Shaykh was a Khalifa in the chain of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi (may Allah have mercy on him).  Many well-known Ahle-Sunnah scholars are from among his students.  “Jannati Zewar” was published  in 1369 Hijri (Islamic calendar) by Mushtaq Book Corner, Lahore, Pakistan.