Well just a quick one to say Eid Mubarak to everyone.

Alhumdulillah (all Praise belongs to Allah) it seems that everyone (bar a few exceptions!) is doing Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday 10 September 2010.

May Allah accept our worship in Ramadhan and may He give us all the Taufiq (ability) to continue with all the good deeds and refrain from the bad for the rest of the year.

So\Eid Mubarak guys, please remember me and the whole Ummah (community of mankind) in your prayers and enjoy your Eid!

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

Continuing now with the second part of my Hajj 2009 recap and also the long-awaited photos that have now been uploaded.

Day 1

So off we went after Fajr Salaah on the first day of Hajj.  Before Fajr, we got up early and made the necessary arrangements to get into the state of Ihraam.  This is done by first performing ghusl (washing the body), praying 2 rakaat nafl salaah (2 cycles of optional prayer) followed by making intention to enter the state of Ihraam to perform the Hajj and supplicating to Allah to accept the Hajj.

After Fajr we walked from Mecca to Mina.  This was the first of our long walks and it was absolutely amazing!  The nearer we got to Mina the bigger and bigger the crowd got until my vision consisted of nothing but people in front of me and people behind me – I felt like I was a little bubble floating in a sea of people!  And the best thing was that everybody was in Ihraam, everybody was wearing the same two pieces of cloth, all walking towards the same destination, all walking with the same purpose – to seek the pleasure of Allah.

The journey from Mecca to Mina took us a good 2 and a half hours going at a nice steady pace.  When  we got to Mina I saw for the first time the spectacle of the white shamiana tents of Mina which was absolutely amazing!  To get an idea of how huge the place is just think about how many tents are needed to accomodate 2-3 million of the world’s Muslims and you’ll get the picture.

As most of you will be aware, it rained heavily on the first day of Hajj and we were lucky enough to have found our tent before the downpour started – alhumdulillah (all Praise belongs to Allah)!  Once we were settled, we spent the rest of the day there and preparing for the next day’s journey to Arafaat.

Day 2

And so to Arafaat on this, the ‘day of Hajj’.  We left just after sunrise and began our trek to the plains of Arafaat.  And what a walk – what a sight – what a spectacle!!

Never in my whole life have I experienced something so gratifying, exhilarating, tiring and fundamental as that walk to Arafaat and the stay there.  There was no hesitation, no doubt, no questions as to what to do or where to go – it was as if some part of me which had been sleeping had been awakened and was now guiding the rest of the body as to what to do and how to feel.  Maybe I’m going a bit over the top, but there is something to be said about marching in a crowd of millions, who are all wearing the same as you are, who are all chanting Allah’s Great name, and who are all going to the same place to ask for His Forgiveness.

It was human, it was primal, it was spiritual and it felt natural.  Let’s just hope that Allah accepted the effort from all the Hajjis and that our Duas (supplications) to Him during the walk and on the plains of Arafaat have been accepted by Him.  It is said that on the Day of Arafaat, one should earn the Maarifah (recognition) of Allah Most High.  Truly, only Allah knows who really sought Him on that day and who His true servants are.

After 3 hours we reached Arafaat and promptly got lost in a place that even dwarfed Mina – subhanallah!!  After finding our tent (which took longer than usual!!) we regrouped, refreshed and thereafter spent the rest of the day until Maghrib salaah in Dua, Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and Ibaadah (worship).  May Allah accept each and every one of the prayers of all the Hajjis and forgive the sins of the whole Ummah – Ameen.

After Maghrib, we began the walk back to Muzdalifah.  Once again, we took spirit and energy from the various people we encountered in the crowd.  Take for instance the group from Afghanistan we saw – the average age must have been somewhere in the 70’s but masha-Allah (whatever Allah Wills), they were all walking it with gusto – unbelievable!

We arrived in Muzdalifah at around 10:30 pm and prayed Maghrib and Isha together as is the Sunnah.  Once again, the spectacle of Muzdalifah at night has to be seen to be believed  – absolutely amazing!!  This time there were no tents, so everybody is camped out in the open air; some on the roads, others near their coaches but wherever you look, there was somebody sleeping, praying, resting, picking up stones for the stoning of the Jamaraat (the pillars which are pelted with stones) or making Dua.  Yours truly was pretty wacked by then, so it was lights our for me as soon as I stretched my sleeping bag out on the road we were sleeping on!

Day 3

The next day, after Fajr prayer, we set off for Mina, which was quite close from where we stayed the night in Muzdalifah.  The main thing to do on this day was to pelt the big Jamaraat after the time of Zawaal (around noon).  We used the stones we had collected from Muzdalifah from the night before and alhumdulillah, due to the system that the Saudi government has put in place, it was very easy and absolutely no hassle at all.  After that it was back to Mecca, where I had my head shaved after receving confirmation that the Qurbaani (sacrifice) had been performed on my behalf.

This was followed by a bit of rest in preparation of my Tawaaf-e-Ziyaarah (circumambulation of the Ka’aba).  We decided to delay this as the Haram Sharif in Mecca was jam packed full of people doing their Tawaaf-e-Ziyaarah and Sa’ee (running between Mounts Safaa and Marwa).  In the end, we did it on the top floor and alhumdulillah it only took us an hour followed by an hour for Sa’ee.

Day 4

Back in Mina on the fourth day and the only thing to do for the day was to pelt all 3 Jamaraat, once again using the stones picked up in Muzdalifah.  There are 3 pillars and you have to use 7 stones for each pillar.  Each time you throw a stone, you must ensure that it falls within the pit that the pillars stand in and recite ‘Bismillahi Allahuakbar‘ (In the Name of Allah, Allah is Great) before each throw.

I was told by one of the scholars in our group that with each stone that is thrown, Allah forgives one major sin that would have been the cause of one’s downfall in the Akhirah (Hereafter) – subhanallah!  After that, it was back to Mina for the night and get ready for the final day.

Day 5

The last day of Hajj is the same as the previous day, but after pelting the Jamaraat we headed off back to Mecca to perform the Tawaaf-e-Widaa.  Once again, we were the guests of Allah not only at the Haram Sharif, Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafaat but on the roads and tunnels linking all these places and always part of the crowd, reminding is that we as an Ummah are one, and we as an Ummah should be united.

Alhumdulillah as you can hopefully make out, it truly was a most fantastic physical and spiritual journey.  But on a serious note, however, I must ask all of you to make Dua that Allah accepts all the sacrifices that each and evey Hajji gave, no matter how small and that He forgives us for any wrongdoings that we may have committed whilst at His House.

May Allah accept our Hajj.  Enjoy the pictures:

 http://picasaweb.google.com/z.ayyub/Hajj2009#

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Well what can I say? When people say that Hajj is the journey of a lifetime they’re certainly not exaggerating.  Subhanallah (Allah is Pure) it was an amazing experience and one which I will never forget insha-Allah (God willing).

What I aim to do is to give you my full report with pictures in 2 parts insha-Allah.  I will write a brief summary in this post and the full details with pictures (and possibly video!) in the next post.

So what was Hajj about  – for me?  Alhumdulillah (all Praise is for Allah) I would say that one of the best things about spending times in Mecca and Medina, the two most holiest places in Islam, was that it was intensely spiritual.  Any Muslim knows that our Amaal (good deeds) are more acceptable in the eyes of Allah and bring greater peace to our hearts when there is spirituality in them.  A classic example I can give from my own life is the difference in my Salaah – when I am at work it is rushed and pretty frenetic, however, when in the masjid, I can slow down and concentrate on each posture and on the words of the Qur’an that I am reciting and thereby get more out of my Salaah.

So it follows that the Salaah, Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and recitation of the Holy Qur’an done in the Haram Sharif in Mecca and Medina carries an even greater spiritual benefit not to mention the extra reward.  And it is this spirituality, so lacking in our day-to-day lives, which brings us closer to Allah our Creator.

A lot of the time, I was just content to sit in the Haram Sharif in Mecca and just look at the Ka’aba – the House of Allah built by Ibrahim and Ismail (PBUT), because even looking at the Ka’aba is classed as Ibaadah (worship) for a Muslim and one can earn great reward by just that simple act.  And as I sat there, looking at the House of Allah, it was clear to me how temporal this world really is and how all the things we have which we think make us what we are, are in fact a deception of this world.  Maybe a bit extreme you may think, but this thought was driven home more and more, especially when doing Tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Ka’aba – that act itself, walking around Allah’s House, praising and glorifying Him, asking for my needs in this life, asking for my needs for the life Hereafter (Akhirah) and begging His forgiveness, confirmed the fact that this world and all it contains is just like window dressing, whereas the reality was that my whole existence is as a bonsdman of Allah and that I should spend as much of it as possible in seeking Him and looking to gain His pleasure.

Of course, I would like to think that the whole journey of Hajj and things like doing Tawaaf are the purest forms of doing just that, but as we know Islam teaches the middle way, and that is why if a person led his or her life in accordance with the Sunnah (methodology) of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) then he or she can seek and find Allah wherever they are.

And the people! Subhanallah I have never seen so many people in one place in my life – I was gobsmacked! As you will have seen from pictures and from the ones we put up later insha-Allah, at Hajj time the place gets absolutely packed to the rafters and then some!  I can remember walking to Arafaat from Mina and when I looked forward there was nothing but a sea of people as far as the eye can see and the same spectacle when I looked behind me.  Truly, you can sense Allah’s special mercies descending on those days and once again, the reality of life in this world as everybody is dressed in the same garb of two white sheets (Ihraam) signifying our equality in the eyes of Allah and also serving as a reminder that when we go from this world, we will be wrapped in nothing but two white sheets.

Throughout my journey I was blessed in that I had the companionship of some amazing people.  Not only did we have some scholarly celebrities in our group but also some hidden gems – I won’t mention names because not everyone is a brazen show-off like me but you know who you are and I have nothing but the most deepest Duas (prayers) for all your help throughout Hajj – may Allah accept it.

So that about wraps up Part 1.  Insha-Allah Part 2 is on its way very soon, just as soon as I get those pictures uploaded and some more details of my amazing journey.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

And we continue the conversation between Shaikh Shibli and his student:

The Shaikh: “Did you perform Ramal at the time of Tawaaf around the Ka’aba?” (Ramal signifies a running motion)

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “Did you at that time flee from this world in such a manner that you felt you were completely out of this world?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “In that case you did not perform Ramal.  Did you place our hands on the black stone and kiss it?”

I replied: “Yes I did.”

The Shaikh the became very pale and greatly frightened, so much so that a shriek passed from him and he said:

The Shaikh: “Woe unto you: Rasulullah (SAW) has said, ‘Whoever places his hands on the black stone, is like him who actually shook hands iwth Allah; and whoever shakes the hand of Allah shall in every way remain safe from all things.’ Did you then feel anything about that security?”

I replied: “No I did not.”

The Shaikh: “Then you did not touch the black stone.  Did you perform two rak’ahs  at the Maqaam-e-Ibrahim?”

I replied: “Yes I did.”

The Shaikh: “You were at that particular time placed on a high rank by Allah.  Did you carry out what is due for that high rank for which you stood there?”

I replied: “No I did nothing.”

The Shaikh: “In that cased you did not perform Salah at the Maqaam-e-Ibrahim.  Did you perform Sa’ee between Safaa and Marwa – and did you ascend teh Safaa?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “And what did you do there?”

I replied: “I recited takbeer thrice, and prayed to Allah to accept my Hajj.”

The Shaikh: “Did the angels also recite the takbeer with you, and did you have the knowledge of the signficance of your own takbeers?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you did not actually recite the takbeer.  Did you descend from Safaa?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “When you descended, did you feel all evil and every weakness departing from you and inner cleanliness entering you?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you never ascended Safaa nor descended from it.  Did you run between Safaa and Marwa?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “At that time of running, did you feel yourself running away from everything else besides Allah and reaching Him?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you never ran.  Did you ascend Marwa?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “While on Marwa, did you perceive the great inner calmness and peace that descended upon you?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you never ascended Marwa.  Tell me, did you proceed to Mina?”

I replied: “I did.”

The Shaikh: “While you were there did you attain such hopes in Allah that have nothing to do with evil?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you never went to Mina.  Did you visit Masjid-ul-Khaif?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “And did you then experience such fear for Allah that you have never exprienced before?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh; “Then you never entered Masjid-ul-Khaif.  Did you reach the plain of Arafaat?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “And on Arafaat, did you recognise the cause for your coming into this world, what youare doing here and where you shall proceed to afterward – and did you recognise the thing that points towards these things?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you never visited Arafaat.  Did you visit Muzdalifah?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “And did you remember Allah there so much so that everything else was forgotten?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “In that case you never reached Muzdalifah.  Did you perform Qurbani at Mina?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “Did you then sacrifice your own self?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you performed no Qurbani.  Did you perform Rami? (pelting the Shaytaan)

I replied: “Yes.”

The Sheikh: “With every stone that you threw, did you feel yourself shaking off every form of ignorance an feel your knowledge increasing?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you did not actually perform Rami.  Did you perform the Tawaaf-us-Ziyaarah?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “Did you experience any spiritual enlightenment at that time, and from Allah, did honour and respect descend upon you? For Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘One who performs Hajj, or one who performs Umrah is Allah’s guest, and when a visitor vists someone it is only correct that he should be honoured’.”

I replied: “No I experienced nothing.”

The Shaikh: “Then you never actually performed Tawaaf-us-Ziyaarah.  Did you then release yourself from Ihraam?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “Did you at that time promise to adhere to strictly Halaal earnings at all times?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “In that case you did not become Halaal (released from Ihraam).  Did you perform the farewell Tawaaf?”

I replied: “Yes.”

The Shaikh: “Did you then say a complete farewell to your whole self, your desires and your passions?”

I replied: “No.”

The Shaikh: “Then you did not perform Tawaaf-ul-Widaa.  Go back and perform Hajj again, and perform it in the manner which I have described to you.”

Subhanallah (Allah is Pure) what an amazing story!  Makes you wonder doesn’t it that what does the average Hajji think of and do when he/she goes and performs Hajj.  If our Hajj was even half as good as that then believe you me my dear readers, there would be immense changes in not only our lives as individuals but our lives as a collective.

May Allah give us all the ability to learn the right lessons from this extremely illustrative story and may He takes us all to His House again and again so that we can repeat the call of Labbaik.

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Continuing the Hadith related to Hajj and the rewards associated with it, I present to ou this beautiful saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

This tradition is a classic example of the Mercy of Allah and how much He values His creation.  It also illustrates the importance of Hajj, and how, on the Day of Arafaat Allah the Greatest, through His infinite Mercy Allah is so pleased with the Hajjis performing Hajj that He sets free more souls from the Hell fire than on any other day.

There is no day in which Allah sets free more souls from the fire of Hell than on the day of Arafaat.  And on that day Allah draws near to the earth and by way of exhibition of His Pride remarks to the angels: “What is the desire of these servants of mine?”

Muslim

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Insha-Allah (with the Will of Allah) I hope to be one of the millions making the Pilgrimage this year to the House of Allah.  The ‘Journey of a Lifetime’ awaits and I can’t wait until I am there, standing up and being counted by Allah with cries of ‘Labbaik!’ (’I am here!) emanating from my lips.

So from now until I leave insha-Allah there may be a few more things of Hidayah Blog about Hajj (!) and I kick it all off with the beautiful Hadith (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of pleasing Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall return from it as free from sin as the day on which his mother gave birth to him

Bukhari, Muslim

May Allah give us all the ability to learn about Hajj and its rites and may He take us all to visit His House as soon as possible.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

Well it’s that time of year again! Yes, once again, the fantastic community-fest that is the 7th Ansaar Funday, will take place insha-Allah (with the Will of Allh) on Sunday 12 July 2009 – that’s THIS SUNDAY!!!

As usual, the event is packed full of fun activities including sports, competitions, food stalls as well as stalls providing information about statutory and voluntary organisations and there’s even a climbing wall I’m told!

My personal favourite was the archery they had last year, but unfortunately it closed just before I got a chance to have a go!!  Anyway, weather permitting, it promises to be a good wholesome day out, especially for the kids, so please come along and sample the fun.

Event: Ansaar Funday

Venue: Birkdale High School, Wheelwright Drive, Dewsbury

Time: 9:30 am til 5 pm

Details: Please note that this is a men only event

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

In Islam, one of the steps to understanding God and building your relationship with Him is the concept of fearing Him.

Why fear?

Because as we all know, when any human being fears another, they either try to stay away from that person or do what they can to please them so that there is no retribution or punishment.

So, apply that to the fear of Allah – say that one of the reasons is the fear of Allah’s punishment on Qiyyamah (The Day of Resurrection) or being thrown into Jahannam (Hell), then automatically it will lead a person to stay away from doing all those things which are the cause of Allah’s displeasure and try to do as much as possible to please Him and thereby be saved.

Now it doesn’t end there, and this is another reason why I personally think that Islam is truly designed by the Creator for the creation: Human nature being as it is, Allah knew that if He only told us to fear Him then it would go against our nature probably lead to something like all the Muslims being depressed forever!

But no!

We as Muslims believe that Allah is One but that He has many qualities, and although we believe Him to be the One who punishes, we also have the balancing belief that He is the Most Merciful…..

So now you see the beauty of the way of life given to us by Allah through His Messenger, Muhammad (PBUH), who laid down the Islamic principle that true faith lies between fear of Allah’s punishment and hope in Allah’s Mercy.

That if He wants, there is no one quicker than God in the Reckoning but also nobody to stop Him if He wants forgive His slaves.  We just have to live our lives in between the two, by fearing Him and staying away from the wrong, and having faith in His Mercy and the acceptance of our good deeds by continuing to do them day in day out. And surpisingly, it is through this fear that we as slaves of the Almighty, can actually get so close to Him, that He becomes the eyes with which we see, the ears by which we listen, and the hands by which we do (good deeds).  This means that everything in our life will be according to the command of God, according to the practice of the Prophet (PBUH).

And another benefit of fearing Allah was stated by the Prophet (PBUH) himself when he said that whoever fear Allah, Allah will make everything fear him, but he who does not fear Allah, Allah will make everything a source of fear for him….

Just think about that profound statement for a minute – think about our lives today, think about how quickly and easily we get stressed out about each and every little thing in our lives. Think about how easily our hearts are affected by the actions of others, and how restless our hearts have become…..

This is what happens when the creation loses all sense of humility and forgets to fear the Creator, this is what the Prophet (PBUH) was talking about.

As you will hopefully now see, there is peace and tranqullity to be found for the heart which fears God, and so once again, I invite all my readers to sit, reflect upon, and embrace fully the natural way of Islam – a way which corresponds to the nature of man, not against it.

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Well I know that you’re reading the title right now and thinking, ‘that’s easy, it’s 150,000′ but I must inform you that simple subtraction is not the main reason behind my title…..

You see, I was one of the lucky ones who attended the march in London over the weekend in protest to the injustices currently being meted out by Israeli forces to innocent Palestinian civilians.

At 1:30pm the announcement was made by the organisers that the crowd total was approaching 100,000.  By approximately 4:30pm, at the end of the march right after the closing speeches, the organisers confirmed that the total had reached 200,000 people.

So it was with great amusement that I read a BBC news article e-mailed to me by a friend the very same day that there had only been 50,000 people!

So now you understand the reason for my title and another example of the use of the media to downplay something beneficial to the Palestinian cause.

Anyway, the protest itself was really good alhumdulillah (all Praise belongs to Allah) and it was inspiring to see people of all ages, races, religions and creeds standing up together and making their voice heard in protest to the injustices of the Israelis, the cowardly silence of the International diplomatic community and the reckless mis-reporting of the world media.

One thing, however, is that today, the media reporting of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has already decreased and I am worried that this may impact upon the people of the world in lowering their voices.

Please remember that just because the media does not bring us news from Gaza does not mean that there is none to report.

We as human beings have to stay alert regarding this issue and continue to show our support for the victims on both sides of the border.

Remember that we can e-mail the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and also our local Member of Parliament.  You can also sign up to the petitions calling for sanctions against Israel and also that Britain stops selling arms to Israel.

But please remember that after doing all these physical actions, you MUST supplement them by doing the most important spiritual action – and that is Dua (prayer).

Because at the end of the day, this matter rests with the Almighty, and He is looking at us right now, He is looking at each and every one of us and He wants to see what we do and who we turn to.

So for the solution to this problem, we must turn to Allah, God -  whichever Faith you are from, please just pray – pray for these people, because they are no different to me and you.  We just have to remember and that we are not in this crisis because of the Mercy of God – not because we are better than them and certainly not because they are undeserving.

They are also human beings.  They also have families.  They also have dreams and aspirations.  Their flesh is the same as our flesh and the blood that runs through their veins is no different to ours.

So please, do as much as you can through legitimate means and then pray as much as you can and get your effort accepted by the Being that makes it all happen.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Insha-Allah (with the Will of Allah) there will be a Demonstration in support of the people of Palestine in London on Saturday 10 January 2009.

Please assemble at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park by 12:30 pm.  The March will end at the Israeli Embassy, London W8.

For more information check out the Stop The War website.

Insha-Allah there will be a coach leaving for the residents of Dewsbury. Please meet at Savile Town Post Office, Warren Street.  The coach will leave at 7:00 am sharp and the cost is £20.00 per person.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace