Allah won't ask! Live Islam, Love Life

1. Allah won't ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2. Allah won't ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character or morals to obtain that salary.

3. Allah won't ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

4. Allah won't ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.

5 Allah won't ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.

6. Allah won't ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.

7. Allah won't ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.

8. Allah won't ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.

9. Allah won't ask what your job title was, but will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

10. Allah won't ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.

11. Allah won't ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.

12. Allah won't ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

13. Allah won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors.

14. Allah won't ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.

15. Allah won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn't.

Courtesy: http://www.everymuslim.net

The Elephant Story

Here’s something hypothetical. Read it first and then close your eyes and see the hilarity of the whole thing.

Imagine there is this big hall which is pitch dark. Imagine the darkness to be so dark that you can’t see a thing. And inside this hall imagine an elephant. Imagine many doors to this room and all doors are closed. Imagine a group of people trying to analyse the elephant. Imagine all these people knowing the elephant for itself but understanding only a certain part of the body to be the true representative of the elephant.

So when one enters the room and knows only the tail, he would go feeling all the parts until he finds the tail. Once he has found the tail, he is happy and keeps feeling the tail and only the tail and tells himself that `this is the elephant’. Familiarity and solace he has found in the tail! He would know the tail so intimately but he can only acknowledge the tail and tail only as a representation of the elephant. Then there are the other guys who would do the same with the head, the legs, the whole body, the trunk, the tusk. Imagine all these people feeling the elephant; each one feeling with great love and reverence, the part known only to him as the `the elephant’.

That the elephant might be made up of all the parts together is not witnessed or observed. Because they might have to accept the other parts of the elephant if they witness or observe it, their preference to stick to the known part is a proper way for each of them. So only the part that is familiar to them would do. None of these people saw or want to see the elephant as a whole for fear they might lose their belief in the part they believe in! None of them want to acknowledge the elephant as one unit but rather they compartmentalise their beliefs. They find comfort in these little compartments.

So when the time came to acknowledge the elephant as a whole, all the representatives of the respective parts began to fight with each other wanting to prove that their part of the elephant is the true representative and all the while the elephant as a whole stood straight, for all to see oblivious to the commotion that was being created for it knew it was ‘the’ elephant, period. Imagine all the representatives pitching against each other to prove their respective part is superior to the other and therefore is the elephant.

Just like the elephant story, Islam is being compartmentalised these days. I think we have 72 sects or so in existence! Sure, each of these sects acknowledge Allah and the Prophet (SAW) but in their own style and rhythm. Muslims are losing focus of the true preaching of Allah and the Prophet. And we Sufis are losing that lovely Sufi spirit. And that’s a shame.

Aren’t we supposed to be wise, learned, perceptive, intelligent, clever, prudent, sensible judicious? Aren’t we meant to be cheerful, happy, jolly, joyful, lively and always in good spirits and aren’t we meant to be charming, enchanting, captivating, attractive? Aren’t we supposed to be loveable dreamers of Islam? Haven’t Sufis been influential in spreading Islam around the world for the past many centuries? I am sure the Sufi saints did not shrug off non-believers and banish them to hell in the process. Our dear Prophet (pbh) is a prime and solid example of this and so were his Sahabas. Sheik Nazim is living proof of this can-do, can-be attitude. They have given us the way and all we need to do is to follow the path.


What are we waiting for?


Salams

Soraya Usuf

Love - Shaykh Nazim Sohbet

European people are writing, "Love, love." everywhere, - "Love". It means that it is the most important thing for them. But they are not asking for real Love, and how they can reach to that endless Love oceans.

Everyone's soul is asking to reach endless beauty oceans.

Only one drop of the beauty oceans of your Lord is divided between all peoples. So, from that drop how much can reach a beautiful girl or a handsome person? How much? So much that you can be drunk, by just part of that one drop from the endless beauty oceans that are waiting, and expecting you to reach it, and to come into it, and to swim, and to drink, and to be drunk, in it.


You can reach out to the love of your Lord through your wife, And she can reach it through you ---- Because we are asking through her love The real Love of ALLAH Almighty. And it is the most perfect teaching for mankind
To make a relationship from that love and to jump to your Lord's Love.

But people are not taking enough care about that love and not allowing the Divine Love Springs to come out from their hearts. - They are running after some imitation love, for a temporary love that is only coming and going for some occasions, - coming and giving people that love which belongs to our physical desires. It is only temporary and is quickly disappearing, and the quickly arriving satisfaction is going to be less and less, and then it is finishing. .. commonly the interest of mankind is going to be for that love which is going to be less and less and less, and then finishing. Drying up. Physical desires love is going to be less and less and finally to be dry. (ST26)

You may love a young lady for her youth, and when that youth departs you love her no more. That is false love. Sometimes we may have both kinds of love simultaneously, but usually the physical overpowers the spiritual so that it is never allowed to appear. But to reach the ultimate goal of human life we are in need of permanent love, and it is only the Lord of the universe Who can grant it.

But Divine love, that is settled and based through the hearts of mankind. It is not becoming less. As long as you are looking after it, you should find it increasing, giving more, and being more tasteful, and finding it never ending.
This is because your physical being is going to finish, but your real being is never going to finish. Your physical being is a temporary being, but your spiritual being is a permanent one. Therefore that which belongs to your physical being from love is going to finish. But that which belongs to your spiritual being is never ending, is permanent.
You are free to choose between the two. And you are free to look for the one or the other as you like. If you like it to finish, then follow your physical desires and their love. If you are interested in Eternal Love. Everlasting love, then look after your spiritual love - Are you doing so?

When you increase in the love of the permanent life, the eternal life, then ALLAH Almighty gives to your heart from His Divine Lights, and darkness goes away; because the more the love of this life gets into your heart, the more darkness gets in also. In darkness all bad thoughts and fears grow, and dissatisfactions and unhappiness grow in your heart because darkness makes them grow. But if darkness goes away from our heart, then it is lighted everywhere. No more trouble or unhappiness can be in your heart. Lights, divine lights give you satisfaction and peace, and as much as those lights grow in your heart so much peace and happiness and satisfaction will grow in our heart, and hope will grow each day.

Shaykh Nazim

Beautiful Nasheed - Suffering

Pursuit of True Happiness

We must remind ourselves as well...that, neither the heart or soul reside in the mind. Nor can they be properly understood by the intellect.

There was once a story of a man crying on the side of a road, praying to find true happiness. When God sent an old man to inquire of him the reason for such tears, he replied that he was lost and that his life had been wasted in the pursuit of true happiness. The old man asked him to describe the shape, size and dimensions of these objects so desired and that perhaps, he might be able to help him to find them.

The man answered that this was the very problem. He did not know how to describe them, to which the old man replied; at least now, we know why you are lost.

The moral of the story is that many of us are like this man, pursue our fancies through a veneer of sophisticated ideas, arguments and imaginings through veils of uncertainty. But, if we take the time, stop and listen to our heart and ask sincerely - every cloud will part and guidance becomes evident.

Allah Razy Olsun,

-Abdullah Serif

This shall too pass

Once upon a time, a great Shah of Persia decided to have a special jewel encrusted ring made for his personal use. On the ring, he wanted to engrave a few words which would give him great comfort in times of distress. He offered huge rewards for anyone who could suggest the best words of wisdom to him for his purpose.

Many people came forward, but none of their words where to the Kings liking.

Then a dervish visited the palace and said..."Oh King! Let me tell you of the words that have always given me great comfort in my time of distress and sorrow"

He told the King.. the words touched the him so much he head them engraved on his ring and would always look at them when he felt sad or experienced difficulty...and immediately his heart would be filled with a new spirit of patience courage and faith....

Those words..... "This too shall pass"

Grief

Grief clouds thought and reason, and harms both the soul and the body; so you should repel it, or reduce it as much as possible. This can be done in two ways: you can strive to prevent grief from occurring; and you can banish grief when it does occur.


-Razi: Kitab al-Muluki

Perseverance

If you persevere in adversity and depend on God, then know that He will remove your afflictions and bestow vast blessings upon you. For in His Book God promises, "Those who depend upon Allah, Allah bestows His bounty upon them and provides for them from means unknown." Therefore follow the road of patience and rejoice in His infinite bounty.

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani