Sufi Story - Tests in Life - Beautiful Teapot

Life is full of moments that pass us by. Sometimes we hardly notice when something really significant is happening and at other times we catch hold of it and learn and grow from it. These stories are everyday occurences that perhaps each one of us has faced at some time, they all hold some truth; some lessons that we can benefit from InshAllah!

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.

"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Let me alone', but he only smiled, 'Not yet.'

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said,'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.'

Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better', I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'

Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and I couldn't believe it was me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you would have dried up.

I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.

I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any colour in your life.

And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you'.

Allah knows what He's doing for all of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will, which we can never escape.

Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it~~~

It's strange how the seemingly unimportant things in life can often prove to be significant trials~~~

*Allahumma inna na'oodhoo bika min ilmin laa yanfa'
O Allah, we seek your protection from knowledge that brings no benefit
... wa min qalbin laa yakhsha'
and from a heart which does not fear you
... wa min 'aynin laa tadma'
and from an eye which does not tear
...wa min dua'aain laa yusma'
and from a dua which is not heard... Ameen

May Allah (S) bring you out of the darkness of illusion into the light of knowledge, adorn your manners with gentleness, and grant you deeds that are accepted in HIS Presence. Ameen

InnaAllah ma'as sabireen
Fountains Of Noor Team

The woman with no Hands and no Feet

As I sit and and think of my struggles
and the ego that i must defeat
I suddenly stop to remember
the woman with no hands and no feet.

Holding out her hand-less limbs
Begging for some charity
knowing she has no other choice
For sadly, this her destiny

How did she come to be?
was it an accident or fate?
As the world carelessly walks on by
Do they see her pain, stop and contemplate?

Contemplate the fact
we have so much to be thankful for
but our eyes and mind our clouded
by our egos want for more

With a roof over our heads
and clothes on our back
food and water to keep us nourished
but still....thankfulness to Allah we lack.

Just see with your eyes
what is true struggle and deprivation
and acknowledge how blessed we are
To be saved from poverty and starvation.

So when we are faced with a test
and the want for what is beyond our reach
Let us be filled with abundant gratitude
For at least,

we still have our hands and our feet.

Prayer in Love

"A lover offers his prayers in a hidden language,
wherein no letters exist.
It is not for everyone-
Only the aching heart of a lover can know this prayer.
With tears from his eyes and blood from his heart,
He purifies himself with Wudu.
The tongue does not move, nor do the lips flutter-
A very special prayer is this."

-Sultan Bahu

Understanding Love

Understanding Love

By Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani

The Lord created us and loves us; that is why everyone loves love. No one complains of love or wants it to be taken from him, but all want to be loved more. Where are you seeking love? Are you taking pure water from the gushing source, or muddy, slimy water from the ditch? You love people, but they will die. Perhaps your love will be unrequited, or because of a small error or indiscretion on your part that person’s heart will harden to you and love will be no more you say that you love him or her, but do you love him or her unconditionally? Is your love permanent – love for the real immaculate divine essence living in that person, or temporary, as a result of some desirable attributes: beauty, youth, wealth, station or wit? When that beautiful, young, wealthy, clever, amiable socialite becomes ugly, old, penniless, senile, grumpy outcast will you still love her? Is your love of the spirit or of the world?

Oh people, seek real love, a love that cannot go astray. That love is the love of God and the love of his creatures for the sake of his love for them. That love emanation may bind a receptive hearts. There is a common saying: “the friend of a friend is a friend”, so love people if you love God, for you must know that He loves them. It is not always easy to love people, even good people, so what about the Korahs of this world?

Love pertaining to the ego is not love, as all the ego knows is to love itself, and what is commonly called love is but mutual understanding to support each other’s egoism. Don’t trust your ego, nor is anyone else’s, for the ego disloyal by nature. When the spirit gains ascendancy the ego may be harnessed and put to good use, as the Holy Prophet said:

“Your ego is your mount”, but left to its whims it will take you many miles from your path in search of herbage.

This discourse is an Ocean, its summary is: what is of the world beware of, and pay attention to the dose. When crossing that ocean embark on a sturdy ship with well – maintained lifeboats and life-preservers, and if you swim in it keep your head above water!

As for the Ocean of Divine Love, dive in and drown – that is eternal life in the Ocean of Unity.

Source: Oceans of Unity, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, p36- 37

Kid & his Apple Tree - Sufi Story

Kid & his Apple Tree
Salma Remani

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, and took a nap in its shadow.

He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by and the little boy had grown up and no longer played around the tree every day.

One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. "Come and play with me", the tree asked the boy. "I am no longer a kid and I don't play around trees any more," the boy replied. "I want toys.

I need money to buy them." "Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. Then, you will have money." The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily.The boy never came back after he picked the apples and the tree felt sad.

One day, many years later, the boy who had now turned into a man returned. The tree was excited and said, "Come and play with me." The boy replied, "I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family and we need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"

"Sorry, I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house". So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me!" the tree said. "I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" said the man. "Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy." So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.

Finally, the man returned after many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you", the tree said. "No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite," the man replied. "No more trunk for you to climb on". "I am too old for that now," the man said. "I really cannot give you anything, the only thing left is my dying roots," the tree said with tears.

"I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years," the man replied. "Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come sit down with me and rest." The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.

Now, replace the tree in the story with parents. When we are young, we love to play with our Mum and Dad; but when we grow up, we leave them, only to come to them whenever we need support - material or emotional, or when we are in trouble. And no matter what, our parents always are there by our side and give us everything they can just to make us happy.

Always, we take them fo granted and don"t appreciate all they do for us, until its too late.

It's the same with our divine parent too.

Whenever we are beset with problems, we cry out to Him for help, how many times do we think of Him when everything is going pleasant and beautiful in our lives?

Something to think about.

“Everything in the universe is a pitcher brimming with wisdom and beauty.” - Rumi

Wisdom of Marriage by Bawa Muhaiyadden

Marriage

Bismillahirahmaniraheem. In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

My brothers and sisters, al-hamdu lillah, all praise is to Allah. May Allah’s help be with you. May Allah bless you with His rahmat, His grace, the rahmat of His mubarakat, the blessings of the three worlds, the blessings of the wealth of His kingdom, and His qualities. May Allah give this to you in fullness along with ïman, absolute faith, and certitude. Just as He blessed Adam (A.S.), may He give you that rahmat; may He protect you just as He protected Adam (A.S.); may He bless you both and give you His grace. Although Adam (A.S.) and Eve (Ral.) were cast out of heaven, one into the east and the other into the west, they were brought back together as one; they were brought back together as one and made to multiply into the family of mankind.

Just as Allahu ta‘ala Nayan accepted them and brought them back into heaven and made them exalted again, may He do this also with your qalbs, hearts. Although Adam (A.S.) and Eve (Ral.) were separated by satan, they were brought back together as one through the love of Allah, and their love grew greater than before; may your love also grow as theirs did. Just as the dunya, the world, was cut away from them and they received the love and the heaven of Allah, may Allahu ta‘ala Nayan give you this with His rahmat. Amin.

Just as Allah protected Noah (A.S.) and that which was halal, permissible, for him, just as He placed him in the ocean and protected him, just as He protected him with unity, may Allah protect you and that which is halal for you in the ocean of maya, in the ocean of life, in the ocean of ignorance. May Allahu ta‘ala Nayan protect you, may you live in unity, and may you never be separated by any suffering. Just as He protected Noah (A.S.), that which was halal for him, and his children from difficulty, may Allahu ta‘ala Nayan bring you together as one with His grace; may He make your hearts unshakable in both happiness and sadness. May He give you ïman and faith on the path of Allah. May He protect and bless you in the dunya and in the akhirah, this world and the hereafter. Amin. May He join you together. Amin.

Abraham (A.S.) was thrown into the pit of fire; just as Allah protected him and joined him with Sarah (Ral.), may Allah protect both of you from any suffering, from the fire of maya. Even though there might be suffering, may He join you together, qalb with qalb, heart with heart. Even though Abraham (A.S.) was subjected to suffering, pain, and torment in the time of Nimrod, he received the love and the rahmat of Allah; just as Sarah (Ral.) and Abraham (A.S.) were joined together by Him, may He join both of you and protect you from the suffering caused by the dunya, from the suffering caused by people, from the suffering caused by the nafs, base desires, and from any other suffering. Even if you are put into the fire of maya and burned there, may your love for and faith in Allahu ta‘ala Nayan and His compassion protect you so that you are not affected.

May He protect you from the fire of maya. May He protect you from the fire of the dunya. May He protect you from the fire of suffering. May He protect you from the fire of hunger. May He protect you from the fire of illness and old age. May Allahu ta‘ala Nayan protect you from all similar fires so that they do not affect you. May He take you on the straight path; may He take your life on the straight path; may He take you on the straight path in akhirah. In the dunya, in happiness and in sadness, may you forbear, have patience, and give peace to each other, and reach the straight path. May Allahu ta‘ala keep you together in this world and the next, and in akhirah. May He give you long lives without any separation. May Allah help you. Amin. Just as Allahu ta‘ala Nayan asked Abraham (A.S.) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (A.S.), may any envy and jealousy in your qalbs be sacrificed. Because of the attachment Abraham (A.S.) had for his son Ishmael (A.S.), because he had placed his love upon his son instead of upon Allah, that is why he was asked to give him in sacrifice, qurban. Like that, may we never forget our love for Allah.

May we sacrifice the love we have for the dunya in our qalbs. May we sacrifice this. May we sacrifice the desires of the world. May we sacrifice the sections of the dunya. May the love in our qalbs be for Allah, and may those qalbs form an attachment to Him. May He turn you to that straight path. May you conduct your affairs in the dunya on that straight path. May you conduct your affairs in akhirah. May you search for all the things you need for your hayat, your lives. May Allah take us onto the path of love, may He take us to the straight path. May you be together in dunya, may you be together in akhirah. May you be together without ever separating in life. May God give you long lives with His grace.

Just as Allah brought Moses (A.S.) and Safüra’ (Ral.) together and made them one, may He keep you together without separation in your lives. May you stay together as one on the path of Allah’s love. May He protect you, keep you on the straight path, and give you lives of completion with His grace. Amin. May Allahu ta‘ala Nayan protect both of you just as He protected Prophet David (A.S.) and Jesus (A.S.).

Just as He protected Muhammad Mustafar-Rasül (Sal.) and Khadïjah (Ral.), joined them together as one, and kept them on the straight path; just as He protected them through His du’a’u barakat, prayers for Allah’s blessings, in dunya and akhirah; just as they always searched for the good things; just as He gave them the good treasures of ïman in dunya and akhirah; just as they obtained the wealth of the mubarakat, the blessings of the three worlds, and gave that wealth to the ummat, the followers; just as Allahu ta‘ala Nayan blessed the divine Prophet, the divine Messenger, Muhammad Mustafar-Rasül (Sal.) with the Qur’an and ïman and Islam, may He give you the straight path commensurate with that. May He give you strength of faith. May He guide you to the straight path and grant you freedom, happiness, and the wealth of the mubarakat in your lives. May He bestow upon you the completion of patience, tolerance, peace, sabür, inner patience, shakür, contentment, tawakkul, trust in God, and al-hamdu lillah, all praise to God, with His grace. Amin. May He protect you as He protected the prophets: Idris, Isaac, Job, and Jacob, may the peace of God be upon them. Just as He joined Yüsuf (A.S.) and Zulaikha (Ral.) together and made them one; just as Prophet Job (A.S.) bore the suffering, and his kingdom was given back to him; just as the du‘a’u barakat was given to Solomon (A.S.) and to each prophet; just as Allah blessed, protected, and watched over them, may you stay together in your lives and may your union never be severed. May He give you everincreasing ïman and the strength of certitude so that you are able to obtain all of His rahmat and His qualities, the rahmatul-‘alamïn, the grace of all the universes, and the wealth of His divine kingdom. Just as He protected the prophets, may He protect you and watch over you with His grace. Amin.

Precious jeweled lights of my eyes, this is the dunya. In this dunya, God created Adam (A.S.) and Eve (Ral.). How much suffering they underwent through the separation caused by satan. Because of that, Adam (A.S.) and Eve (Ral.) were thrown, one to the east and the other to the west. There they began to worship Allah again on the straight path; they did du‘a’ to Allah, they focused on Allah, and through their ‘ibadat, their prayers, they were united once again. Allah united them once again, and brought them together again. We must understand this.

Precious children, jeweled lights of my eyes, now you have reached the age at which you can realize things to a certain extent. You have had a certain amount of experience in this dunya, so let us explain a few things to you. All the things we see in the dunya, the world, are the things that capture us. What we see can capture us. What the eye sees, the mind will draw in. The ears will bring about an attachment to what they hear, to those sounds.

What the nose smells will draw us in; that fragrance will pull us. Any taste, any word will pull us in and control us. The weight of the body itself is a magnet that can be pulled by the earth. There is a part of the mind that forms an attachment to the many kinds of maya, arrogance, and karma; it seeks the ability to pull us in through earth, water, air, ether, fire, and maya. Because of this, karma, sin, and evil deeds arise and attach themselves to us.

Precious children, jeweled light of my eyes, both of you must think; you must know what life is. We must know how a male child must protect a female child. The way to protect a woman is similar to the way we benefit from what we plant in the earth. We plow the earth and prepare it. We plow it, we make it ready, we level it, we clear it, and then we get flowers, trees, and fruit from it, do we not? Such coolness it brings us, the tree that grew from the earth. Such fragrance it brings us. Such fruit, such coolness, such flavor it brings us, does it not? Similarly, there is a duty that a husband must do towards the life of his wife. He must prepare her mind and level it. These are the sections that a man must care for. He must give her peace and tranquility. It is only if we make that child peaceful in her life, it is only if we display tranquility that we can experience the fruit and the benefit. Just as we observe the splendors of the earth and enjoy them, we must care for and attend to the life of a woman. The exaltedness of our lives depends on the way in which we treat our wives. Our exaltedness, our peace, and our tranquility depend on how we treat our wives. It is to the extent that a man cherishes his wife that there is exaltedness in the home, that there is love in the home, that there is light in the home, that there is light in their lives, that there is excellence in their lives, that there is happiness in their lives, that there is peace in their lives. A man must know the state of his wife’s mind and act in the manner that a man should act.

The heart of a woman is similar to a flower. It can very quickly develop a beautiful, loving fragrance. If we carefully pick it and carefully take in the fragrance, it will give us the perfume. But if we pluck it impatiently and crush it in our hands, it will give us the smell of a crushed flower. It will not give us the original fragrance. You must not crush the heart of the woman in your life. You must not crush it or squeeze it. We must touch it with care, pick it with care, and smell the fragrance with care. It is only then that it will benefit you. The heart of a woman is very delicate and tender.

A man can make his wife a demon or he can make her a fragrant [flower] with a wondrous taste. We must think of this. If a man causes his wife to convulse like a demon, that is what will make his life convulse. If he makes his wife fragrant, his life will be fragrant and exalted.

Like this, we must know many explanations in our lives. When a man takes a wife, he must have patience, sabür, shakür, tawakkul, and al-hamdu lillah. He must exhibit good qualities, good conduct, good manners, love, compassion, tenderness, and generosity. She must be treated as a wife—she might even turn to gold. If he treats her in the correct manner, she will be gold. If you keep her in the correct manner, she can be called gold. Why? She will be your undiminishing wealth. If you fail to treat her in the proper way, that is poverty. That will be poverty.

Therefore, in his life a man must know the way in which he must treat his wife. A man must think about and know the way in which he must treat her. Her heart can be destroyed very fast; it can also grow very quickly. You can quickly deceive a woman; you can very quickly make her sad. A man must understand this. He must understand this and know how to live his life; he must know how to care for her and how to lead his life.

Alright. These are the things a woman must do: a woman is like the earth. Existing just as the earth, what benefit, fa’idah, there is within it! The earth benefits good people and evil people alike. It holds so much within it. It protects anyone, good or bad. Does it not? A wife must be able to know the mind of her husband, his qualities, his actions, his conduct, his manners, his love. She must be able to know what qualities he has when he goes to work, what qualities he has when he is at home, and what qualities he has when he returns from work. “Oh! Today his face is in that state!” She has to immediately meet him and say, “Please come. Anbu, love. Sit down.”

You must soothe him with peace and observe his qualities and his face. If he is like a lion, you must be like a cow and comfort him. When he approaches, you must call to him, “Come. Come. Wash your hands. Drink some water. Let’s take off your shoes. Come, take off your coat.” You must do this, and then you can control that tiger cub. You must control him. You must soothe him and comfort him at that time. But if at that time you say, “Tiger cub!” and pick up a stick, he will leap at you like a tiger. That must be controlled by the mantra called woman. A man has much more attachment for his wife than he has towards his mother or father. He has more attachment for his wife than for his children. Because of that attachment, he will attack his wife when something happens. Why? It is the attachment that causes the anger. The attachment causes the attack.

If his boss criticizes him at work, he cannot talk back there. He keeps that anger under control on the bus or in the car, and when he comes to the wife, he will attack. He will come to his wife; he will throw his coat down, fling his shoes off, throw his umbrella on the floor, and then he might attack his wife. Oh! she thinks as she smiles to herself, it seems as if someone has done something to him. Alright. Let him come. “Come. Come. Come. Sit down.” She must embrace him and soothe him. She must not try to advise him at that time. You must realize the qualities with which he is coming; do not correct him.

There is a time for advice. Not when he is eating; the plate will get thrown at us. Do not try to advise him as he is walking in; he will throw his shoes at us. Not when he is eating, not as he is coming home. There is a right time for this. There is this thing called the pillow mantra. Wait until that time, watch his actions and then whisper the appropriate words. That is the time that things can be resolved. At any other time, the result will be the opposite. We must think.

A woman can turn a king into a beggar or a beggar into a king. If you want, you can make a learned man into a fool and a fool into a learned man. There is nothing a woman cannot do. God has placed the world into the hands of the women. God did not create anything in creation without the agency of a woman. Except for God, everything else was created through a woman. A woman has the power to nurture or destroy everything. She has the compassion, the empathy, the patience, the beauty, the attachment, the beautiful qualities, the gentle voice, and the gentle sounds. God has created women with beautiful qualities, beautiful sounds, a beautiful face, and a beautiful body. God has given you all the strength.

If you decide, you can turn birth into death and death into birth. You can turn wealth into dust or dust into wealth. You can make a king into a beggar and a beggar into a king, a learned man into a fool, a fool into a learned man. You can make a poor man into a high-ranking man or a high-ranking man into a poor man. You can do anything, in any way.

Allah is the Creator, He is the only One who can create or destroy, but you have the ability to destroy or to make a life. You have the ability to either make a life on the good path or to destroy it.

In what state should a woman be? She must have the quality of always obeying her husband. She must control him through love. She must control him through compassion. She must control him through sweetness, the sweetness of her love. She must control him with her voice. She can subdue him with patience. She can subdue him with tolerance. She can subdue him with peace.

No matter how fierce a beast he may be, you have the quality to bring everything under your control through love. It is through the beauty of your husband that that exalted beauty will come to you. If you conduct your life with your husband, if you conduct that life with love, you will be known as a virtuous man and a virtuous woman. God loves that. God loves that union. God made that union in akhirah; that is the unity that God has made into your union, and here and there has given you inseparable wealth. You must strengthen your ïman. No matter how beautiful a woman may be, she must obey her husband, respect him, and do what he tells her to do. You must always follow your husband. You must never go ahead. Why? No matter how brave you may be, if you are confronted by a dangerous animal, “Ah!” you will scream. You will not fight it. That is why you should never go in front of your husband. At a time of suffering, you will shout, “Ah!” You will not be able to confront it. No matter how emaciated he may be, if he goes in front, even if he cannot do anything else, he will use his teeth, jump on that animal, roll on the ground with it, and drive it away. Therefore, he must be the man, and you must be the woman.

A woman may be living in peace, but it is the men who first come to hold her hand. It is the men who make the first move to touch you. It is the men who first come to pull you onto the path of sin. Women grow up and live in peace with patience. A man is the first to arrive in order to take you to sin and to hell. He is the one who catches hold of you first.

He will take hold of you like that. But when suffering comes, he will say, “She used to be so beautiful, but now she is terrible. Since the day I first touched her, the devil came and caught hold of me. Since the day I touched her, the devil has not let go of me. When will I be free?” That is what he will say.

Like this, everywhere he looks, he will show his teeth, “Eeeeee,” whenever he sees a beautiful woman. When he is going down the road, he will crane his neck a little. That is the natural quality of a man. That is the monkey quality in the male, the monkey quality that is inherent in men.

But a woman, like water, must change his qualities. Just as water quenches the thirst of a thirsty man and ends his fatigue, when the man comes with these monkey qualities, even though he has been scratching here and scratching there, you must pour the water of love upon him and make him peaceful. Instead of telling him, “Change those monkey qualities!” you must do that without speaking of it. You must do it with love. For a woman of good qualities, fighting with her husband is haram, impermissible. For her voice to be heard outside the house is haram. She must speak with Allah. She must speak within herself, inside her qalb. She must speak with patience. She must speak with sabür. She must speak with beautiful qualities. That is the highest ideal. If you speak with those qualities and look at such a husband once, the minute he sees those qualities, he will bend down in shame.

You must always treat him as a husband. No matter how strong you may be, you will be with the earth, and he will be higher. Therefore, it is crucial that you respect him. You must subdue him with your qualities; you must correct him with your love; you must chain him with your words and your gaze. That is the chain. That is the chain through which you catch him and pull him. Your love is what will hold him. Your qualities will make it strong; even more than your beauty, if your love, your compassion, and your qualities catch hold of him, they will hold him tight from all four sides. He will not be able to remove that chain. Like this, a woman must show beautiful qualities to her husband. Even if he is a terrible man, the magnet that must control him, the current, and the magnetism are within you. If you use that magnet and that intelligence, the current will hold him. You must realize this in your life.

There is nothing in life that a woman cannot do. There is no need for a woman to go to court. In life, a woman will never have to separate from her husband. Separation comes about if we have bad qualities. Anger is haram; shouting is haram; impatience is haram; a quick temper is haram. The talk of “I” and “you” is haram. What is it that cannot be corrected by loving words, peaceful words, your beauty, your love, your compassion, and sabür, patience? What is it that we cannot control? What is it that we cannot subdue? You can subdue all the universes. In your life, you can subdue everything. You can bring everything under the control of your love, under your life. You must think of this.

God has given to a woman praiseworthy beauty, qualities, and peace. He controls men through women. He has controlled the male’s arrogance, the male’s strength, the male’s pride, and the male’s energies through women. Just as He has stopped the oceans with the earth, He has stopped the force of a male through the female. He has stopped it through the love that women have.

Like this, precious jeweled lights of my eyes, children, you must think. Life is the connection that exists between a man and a woman. That connection between a man and a woman must be like a flower and its fragrance. A beautiful flower—what is within it? Beauty is within it. A man must be fragrance. A man must be the fragrance commingled with that flower; a fragrance commingled with that love.

One woman for a man and one man for a woman— that is best in life. Not every woman a man looks at is his wife. That is karma; that is maya; that is sin; that is hell. A man must give up those ideas. One woman for his life is the best. One man for her life is the best. That is the greatest beauty in the family of mankind, the highest quality. To conduct your life in that state is to join in union in the dunya and also in akhirah—to be united in the dunya, to be united in the akhirah, to be united in love, to be united heart to heart. A husband must dwell in the heart of his wife. A wife must dwell in the heart of her husband. That is unity. When that form is sealed into the heart, that is the best in life.

Wherever a man and a woman are, it is not the bodily forms [that must join], it is love and love that must come together in their hearts. Compassion and compassion must join together. Patience and patience must come together. Beauty and beauty must come together. Like that, to join together in the heart, to join together in the qalb, to love each other in the qalb, to never separate from each other in the qalb is a life without separation. Please reflect on this.

The connection between a man and a woman must be in that state. And if you can conduct your life in that state, that is the life of happiness. If you are in the dunya, that is heaven; if you are living in the akhirah, that is heaven—that love, those qualities, sabür, patience, shakür, contentment, tawakkul, trust in God, and al-hamdu lillah, all praise to God.

When a husband brings wealth, the wife must say al-hamdu lillah. If poverty strikes, al-hamdu lillah. When happiness comes, al-hamdu lillah. Even if you get only water, al-hamdu lillah. It is with that [al-hamdu lillah] that everything can be made good. If you receive wealth, al-hamdu lillah, use it for good. Whatever you receive every day, al-hamdu lillah, and manage to make do. Even if there is only poverty in the house, even if there is nothing in your house, you must serve water, and the two of you must conduct your lives. Joy, sorrow, and selvam,¹ riches, are fleeting. Riches keep going. Selvöm, we will go; these are things that will go. Poverty also leaves. Tangam,² gold—tangom, we will not stay. Tarittiröm, tribulation, we will not tarry. These are all things that will go. They will come and they will go. Gold? That will go. Wealth, selvam, [will go]. Selvöm, we will go. Tarittiröm, tribulation, we will not tarry. Poverty will also go. It is also something that goes. But love is eternal. Indivisible love. Compassion is eternal. Patience is eternal, it will never perish. Our unity must be kept in an indestructible place. Do not lose that wealth. That is wealth, the wealth of akhirah.

Both of you must be commingled as one in joy and in sorrow. You must share in both and manage. This is the state in which a man and a woman must live together as a flower and its fragrance. If you can conduct your lives in that state, if both of you can be united, qalb to qalb—qalb to qalb, your husband in your qalb, and you in his qalb—only if that connection exists in the qalb can your lives have a connection to happiness. You must always conduct your lives free of any taint or blemish. Hastiness is an enemy to wisdom. Impatience eats up wisdom. Anger is the guru of sin.

Love is greater than the ocean. Duty? The duty the two of you have is to know that the completion that is God’s grace is the wealth that is complete. Without failing in that duty, a man and a woman must work together. Body with body, life with life, love with love, compassion with compassion, life with life. All of these must become one; when these become one while you conduct your lives, then that will be life. If a woman and a man and we act in this manner, that life will be a life of heaven, a life of freedom, a life of happiness, a life of two commingling as one and becoming complete.

Tambi, younger brother, do you understand? This is how you must conduct your life. That life will be an exalted life. Precious children, jeweled lights of my eyes, although much suffering came to each of the prophets, they never separated from their wives, did they? How much Prophet Job (A.S.) suffered! Even when his body was covered with sores and was being eaten by worms as big as puppies, his wife ran about gathering herbs, begging, and bringing back what she gathered to her husband.

The Rasül (Sal.) and his wife Khadïjah Nayahi (Ral.) gave all their wealth to the poor, and in the end the two of them lived as miskïns, impoverished ones. Even if they had only a handful of wheat, they shared it and lived peacefully with the people. Like this, the heart is an undiminishing wealth. Love is undiminishing wealth, Allah’s love is undiminishing wealth. May you establish the undiminishing wealth of His intention on the straight path. That wealth is a complete wealth. That wealth is a beloved wealth. That is the wealth of the rahmat. That is the wealth that is the most exalted for our lives. You must know your husband’s qualities and act accordingly. You must know his actions; you must discover them. A wife must know the qualities and the actions of her husband. Conducting your life is a small thing—that is work that lasts for a second. But to know his qualities and to act accordingly is the exaltedness of life. Conducting your life is a small thing. But to know his qualities, to act accordingly, and to control him is a great thing.

The men are always at fault. They are always guilty. Their eyes run after everything they look at. They show their teeth “Eeeee!” at everything they see. Their minds run towards everything they see. They attempt to capture each thing they see. The mind of a male is a monkey. A monkey and the qualities of a male are the same.

It is like bringing up a monkey: how it jumps and leaps! The mind of a man is like that. While he is like that, if you have the appropriate qualities and place a mirror in front of that monkey, it will grab its own reflection. If you place a mirror in front of a monkey, it will look into it here, it will look into it there, it will look into it here. If it grins, the reflection will grin. If it cries, the reflection will cry. When it attempts to grab hold of what is there, nothing will come from it.

Like this, your qalb must be a mirror. It is only if you are the mirror in front of that monkey that the monkey will embrace you. Your love must be like a mirror. Then it will stare and stare and stay involved. If you do not hold up that mirror, it will continue its monkey work. Like this, a wife must have so much beauty, such good qualities, so much love, such good actions, such wisdom, such tranquility, such peace. Those are the ornaments of a woman. Those qualities are your ornaments.

How comforting the quality of the earth is. How it comforts everyone. Your qualities must be like that. That is the gold. Those qualities are the gold. If you wear that gold, those qualities will be your ornaments. Those are the ornaments that you will wear. This is your wealth. When he sees that wealth, that quality of the earth, that gold, that beauty, he will not go anywhere else, will he? Because all the wealth is there, he will stay there.

Not for one moment should you think you can get freedom through men. You will never be free. Everything a man brings you will be heavy. All the things he brings are burdens. You must be able to accept and accept and keep all the burdens he brings. This is marriage. Everything men bring is heavy. If someone has hit him, he brings you that burden. If someone has criticized him, he brings you that burden. At his job, someone else said something about him, and he brings that burden. Next is the burden of poverty. [Marriage is] all the work of accepting burdens.

Men will just bring you burdens. The burden of a child, the burden of pregnancy, the burden of the house, the burden of the family, the burden of wealth, the burden of poverty—it is all heavy.

“Look after all these burdens. Look after them,” he will say. He will bring them and put them down before you. “Look! Poverty! Look after that! A child! Look after that!” Everything is heavy. “The family! Look after it. The house! Look after it!” He will bring you all the burdens. These burdens brought by men are the only freedom in your life. This is happiness. Do not ever expect him to bring you anything else.

You must accept and accept these burdens and pile them up on top of each other. Your life is to comfort those who burden you. He will never bring anything else or anything new. It is just another burden! That is all he will bring. He will bring burdens so heavy, he cannot unload them by himself. You must give him peace. You must accept them, put them aside, and comfort him. “Are you tired? Come.” This is what you must do when he brings those things home.

Men will only bring what is heavy; do not ever think they will bring you peace. What is peace? To make him peaceful is your peace. To correct his qualities is your peace. That is peace. To unload his burdens and to make him peaceful will become your peace. That is the peace of life. Otherwise, all the things that men bring are burdens. At times they may be extremely heavy. They may be so heavy you cannot even lift them, but you must accept them peacefully, and say to him, “Please hold this a little from below. I cannot put it down by myself.” Then the two of you must hold onto it together. A woman’s life must be to unload the burdens like this. If you conduct your life in that state, your life will never become shaky. There will never be separation. There will never be differences. You will have the life of the heavenly world. Your life will be a life of constant progress. God will be with you. His grace, the help of the prophets, and God’s blessings will dwell with you. His wealth will dwell with you. Ïman will dwell with you. Sabür, inner patience, will dwell with you. Shakür, contentment, will dwell with you. Wisdom, tranquility, and gnanam, divine wisdom, will dwell with you.

You must think about this. Do not send out even one wasted breath from your mouth. Send out the useful breath of sabür; send out the breath of shakür; send out that beautiful breath; send out loving words; send out loving speech. It is through this that you can catch him with the current, that you can control that dangerous beast. Please think of this. Child? Do you understand what I have said? Yes. You must endeavor to live like this as one. May Allahu ta‘ala Nayan give you that tranquility, that peace, that serenity, and the straight path. May Allah give you His qudrat, the power of His grace. Amin. In this life and in the hereafter, may He give you victory in life with His grace. May He give you a life of freedom in this dunya and in akhirah. May God protect you just as He protected the prophets. May Allahu ta‘ala Nayan give you His approval and His praise through the wealth of His grace.

Fruit.³ Al-hamdu lillah.

[ A recital follows of Süratul-Fatihah, Süratul-Ikhlas (three times), Süratul-Falaq, and Suratun-Nas. Du‘a’s, prayers, are recited and then the salawat is sung. ]

May Allah help you. May Allahu ta‘ala Nayan protect you just as He protected the rasüls, the messengers. Through the barakat of Nabï Muhammad Mustafar-Rasül (Sal.) and through Allah’s kingdom of wealth, may you be given the love of Allah, the wealth of His kingdom, the three thousand blessings, His ninety-nine wilayats, beautiful names. In your lives, may you be blessed with His rahmat in completeness. May He give you long lives, very long lives, the undiminishing wealth, the wealth of the mubarakat which is Allah’s wealth of grace. May He give you material wealth and the wealth of gnanam. May He bless you with long lives free from illness, free from disease, free from poverty. May Allahu ta‘ala grant you long lives, hayat, in completeness. Amin. Amin. Amin. Ya Allah, this is Your responsibility.

M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

http://bmf.org/wisdom/marriage.html

Footnotes

1. Double meaning: selvam means wealth or riches. Selvöm means we will go.

2. Another double meaning: tangam means gold. Tangöm means we will not stay.

3. After a wedding was performed Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) always asked that fruit and tea be given to the couple.

Power of Positive Thoughts and Our Body

We are 95 per cent water before we are born and 70 per cent by the time we are adults, the affects on water mean affects on us - at least at the computer level of reality. The Earth is also 70 per cent water and so the same applies.

Research From Dr. Masaru Emoto, says that human thoughts are directed at water before it is frozen, images of the resulting water crystals will be beautiful or ugly depending upon whether the thoughts were positive or negative. Emoto claims this can be achieved through prayer, music or by attaching written words to a container of water.

Since 1999 Emoto has published several volumes of a work titled Messages from Water, which contains photographs of water crystals next to essays and "words of intent".

Water is alive, but we take it for granted.




If you think about it, even Prophet Muhammad PBUH used to blow dua on water. Many tawveez's (prayers) and duas recommend people to blow it on water and spray it over. For example, view this video.

Muslims believe in other religions!

Just to show that Muslims and Islam is the religion of peace and love. Clearing up the misconceptions as the true Islam is never about hate or forceful negativity.

This is direct from Quran (Koran)

Truly, those who have faith (in this Quran), as well as those who follow the Jewish (faith) and the Christians and the Sabians -- all who believe in God (Allah) and the Last Day, and do righteous deeds, shall have their reward with their Sustainer; they need have no fear , neither shall they grieve.

(2:62)

I asked God

I asked God

Author Unknown

I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations, it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings, Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me.
God said... finally you have the idea!

Islamic Quotes

"When a noble man learns knowledge he becomes humble, when an ignoble person gains knowledge, he becomes conceited."

- Sayyidina Abu Bakr 'Abd Allah bin Abi Quhaafah as-Siddiq radiALLAHU'an -

"O God, whenever you want to punish me do it, but don't keep me away from Your Presence." - Khwaja 'Arif ar-Riwakri qaddasALLAHU sirrah -

"Become a better man day by day with better effort and praying is part of effort."

- Mas Yos Wiyoso Hadi rahimatuLLAH -

"O God, do not give me in excess lest I may be disobedient to You and do not give me less lest I may forget You."

- Sayyidina al-Faruq 'Umar bin al-Khattab radiALLAHU'an -

Would you Marry yourself?

Would you Marry yourself?
By Muhammad Shaheen

One of the first things that most people think about when preparing for or thinking about marriage, are the characteristics or qualities of the person they would like to marry. Some people think about how they want their potential husband or wife to look - perhaps they think about such things as hair and skin color. Some men may look for a wife who is an excellent cook, and some women may look for a husband who is very religious.

Nonetheless, most people, Muslims included, seem to go to great lengths to make elaborate lists, either on paper or in their minds, about all the things they want or expect from their potential husband or wife. And while this is good and perhaps a very necessary part of the marriage search, few people ever sit down, and with the same purposefulness and care, enumerate their own qualities and characteristics or think about whether they, themselves, are the kind of people that someone else with just as high expectations or ideals would want to marry.

Think outside of yourself for a moment: If you were someone else, would you marry you? I don't mean you, as you would like to see yourself weeks, months or even years from now. Nor do I mean you as you imagine yourself after you have had a chance to change a few of your bad habits, improve your character, fix yourself up, or you after you begin to practice your religion more seriously. I mean you, as you are TODAY.

I believe that if some people were to be completely honest with themselves, they would have to admit that they, themselves, do not possess the kind of qualities or characteristics they would want in a husband or wife.

Perhaps we all know of someone like this - possibly a relative, a best friend or maybe this person is YOU. For two people who are experienced at it, marriage, at best, can be difficult. It requires patience, diplomacy, perseverance, flexibility, wisdom, and endurance, just to name a few things.

Does this mean that if someone does not possess ALL of these qualities they should not get married? No, I don't mean to say this. However, there are people that I have come across that are in a desperate race to get married; while at the same time they possess characteristics of selfishness,stubbornness, inflexibility, insensitivity, and ingratitude. They are overly critical of other people while at the same time they have difficulty accepting criticism of themselves. And they have poor communication skills. On top of all of that, they may be in denial and won't face up to the fact that they have a *few* personality defects to iron out before getting married.

Do any of these characteristics describe you or someone you know that is looking for a wife or a husband? Has anyone ever told YOU that you possess any of these characteristics?

Marriage is so serious an affair that I would dare say that if someone looking to get married possesses some or all of these qualities, they may be headed for big trouble. Or, should I say anyone that marries a person like this might be in very, very big trouble? The question then becomes: Does a person who possesses these kinds of shortcomings have to wait years before getting married? I would say the answer is no. Someone like this doesn't have to wait years to get married.

Allah, The Sublime, says in the Quran that He will never change the condition of a people until they first change what is inside of them. This ayah offers hope - hope of a new tomorrow. Isn't that what most people want? They want to know that whatever difficulties they are facing today, a change is on the horizon for tomorrow. However, it does not only offer hope. It offers hope on a condition. That condition is that we have to take the first step to recognize that we have a problem and then do something about it. Can a man who is a drunk ever become sober unless he recognizes that he has a problem? And can a man that is insensitive, inflexible, stubborn, ungrateful, rigid, and selfish ever be a good husband?


Someone who is in denial about their faults will never be able to change their negative pattern of behavior until they first recognize and ADMIT that they have a problem. Once you can admit that you have a problem, the next step is to begin working diligently and consistently on your problem or negative characteristics.

The key words here are working diligently AND consistently. As any doctor will tell you, a patient has to be diligent and consistent about taking their medicine in order to see good results. Couple this prescription that Allah gives us in the Quran with prayer and strong faith, InshaAllah, you can overcome any problem.

If after taking a good long, honest look at yourself in the mirror you cannot honestly say that you would make a good husband or wife in your present condition, then before you pick up the pen to enumerate a list of all the fine qualities you are looking for in a wife or husband, instead, why not list some of the qualities that you need to work on, and then embark on a program to change these bad qualities so that someday soon when Allah does bless you with a good wife or husband you will be worthy of such a person?

After all, isn't the divorce rate high enough already?

Keep your mind and heart open in life!

If you are coming here like this (filled) cup, then you are not taking anything. This cup is full. Whatever you put in, it is not going to take more.

If you are bringing the cup empty then you are going to find your cup getting filled again, and every time you are tasting from that cup you are going to know that it's different than what was in it before. But if a person is coming with his cup filled, then he is only going to take what he brought. Nothing else.

~ Shaikh Nazim

In my humble opinion, life is a teacher and we are its students. Everything in life can be a lesson and everyone can be a teacher, hence it is wise to keep our mind and heart open and to avoid prejudgment. Let's control our egos and we shall be pleasantly surprised by what life brings in front of us.

When to remain silent and when to speak!

"Refrain except from good speech."
- Prophet Muhammad PBUH -

"Silence is the best state, except under three conditions: you must not keep silent in the face of bad gossip attacking your heart; you must not keep silent in directing your heart to the remembrance of Allah; and you must not keep silent when the vision inside your heart orders you to speak."
- Ala'uddin al-Bukhari al-Attar qaddasALLAHU sirrah -

"Speech is like a medicine, a small dose of which cures but an excess of which kills. As a man's wisdom increases, so his desire to speak decreases."
- Sayyidina 'Ali bin Abi Talib karamALLAHU wajahu -

Power of Thinking

I received this in an email, loved it. Decided to share it with all of you. Post your thoughts! Bare the translation as I think it was not in English originally.

Power of Thinking - Shaykh Maulana Nazim al-Hakkani

April 27th, 2008 in Thoughts by yursil

Whoever acts without thinking never reaches this real life. Everyone must try to reach real life in this life. It is an important responsibility. We promised to our Lord on the day of spirits that we would try. This is our aim in all actions and all worshippings. Allah is not needing worship. He ordered it to help us. Who reaches this real life has completed his responsibility. We must think for every action, it is a way to reach real life.

What is the highest teaching of the Naqshbandi Tariqat? It is to teach everyone how he can carry disliked things, how to face difficulties. We cannot face them without thinking; thinking that it is the will of our Lord. We are weak and cannot endure difficulties by our own power, but that thinking and surrendering allows His will to carry us. With His Will, we are powerful
to face all difficulties. This point is reached only by thinking about everything.

The plane of thinking is as wide as you can imagine. Thinking is the key to reality. Everything we have now, is the fruit of thinking. Of all religions, the one giving the most value to thinking is Islam. This is by the hadith: «One hour of thinking is worth 70 years of worship.»

The perfection of man is hidden in his words. This hadith is enough for thinking people to know that the one who said it is perfect, of high personality. Our Prophet’s words are worth writing in gold letters everywhere.


Our Grandsheikh is asking: who can understand? Everyone? In an assembly of 1000 people, how many do really understand the speaker? Who is listening and who is understanding?
You may say: «Oh we are listening». Man has two kinds of ears, on the head and on the heart. One only listening with his head, is not listening, Understanding is in the heart. If your heart is in action, you can listen.

-Mercy Oceans

"When i learn to trust in myself,
give love with no need to receive,
to believe without seeing before my eyes,
even then, i need to take a Guide."

Forever Haqqani