I was listening to Shaykh Kabir on my way to work this morning, and among many other pearls of wisdom, he talked about what he called the ‘dimensionless point’ (he didn’t use the Arabic, but he was speaking of the ruh sometimes translated as ’spirit’ cf. al-Hijr 15:29) within us. It is closer to us than our life-vein (Qaf 50:16), and is incredibly beautiful, incredibly intelligent, incredibly merciful if we would just heed it.

When he spoke about this, I cried. I felt so immensely grateful for my life, for my family, for the opportunities I have in life, for being able to hear the words of this Shaykh, may the Beloved reward him in this life and the next. For the first time in a very long time, I felt joy at the immanence of the Life-Source.

I haven’t experienced that for what seems a very long time, and yet God has never moved away from me, I have moved away from Him. I have become distracted by an idol of a ‘big cop up in the sky’ ready to write me an eternally damning ticket for the smallest infraction. By so doing, I have obscured the Still Small Voice Within.

So now, as the Buddhists say: “before enlightenment, wash dishes, chop wood; after enlightenment, wash dishes, chop wood.

GETTING BACK TO BASICS: ISLAM 101 (NEW!)
by Imam Zaid Shakir
A course explaining the basics of Islamic belief and worship with a concentration on the elements and issues that are essential for the sound and practical practice of Islam in our time.  Appropriate and beneficial for not only the new Muslim, but for any Muslim living in the West, this course will cover “the Five Pillars,” “the Articles of Faith,” aqidah, basic fiqh, and critical issues such as appropriate gender relations and how to defend oneself against the attacks currently being levied against Muslims.
(Registration: Audio - $40 / Video - $60)

THE PROPHETIC CHARACTERICS PART III (NEW!)
by Ustadh Yahya Rhodus
A study of the inward and outward characteristics of the Prophet, upon him be peace, from his practices and personal effects to his noble attributes, taking from the text of the late scholar Shaykh Yusuf al-Nabahani, Wasa’il al-Wusul ila Shama’il al-Rasul (“The Means of Arrival to the Characteristics of the Messenger”).  Studying the characteristics of the Messenger of Allah , upon him be peace, fills one’s heart with love for him and inspires one to follow his great example.
(Registration: Audio - $40)

Also available: THE PROPHETIC CHARACTERISTICS PART I & PART II
Read the rest of this entry »

Many, many years ago Muslims helped build some of the world’s most beautiful places of worship still standing today. Those Muslims, inshallah, are *still* reaping the rewards of their sacrifices.

Here is your chance, oh modern Muslims, to contribute to the building of a new mosque - inshallah that will benefit you in this life and the next.

The Monash University Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Committee has approved the building of new mosque facilities for the Muslim community. The account has been established and as part of the University’s commitment, the Vice Chancellor has donated $10,000.00.

Inshallah plans are now in progress to draw and design the mosque. We look forward to your support to establish the Mosque.

Details of the Fund Account are:
Name of Account: Monash University Mosque Building Fund
Bank: Commonwealth Bank
BSB No: 063 408
Cheque Account No: 1045 9391

You can either deposit the money directly or post all cheques to the below address:

Monash University Mosque
PO Box 8075, Monash University LPO
Wellington Rd, Clayton 3168

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
He who built a mosque for Allah , the Exalted, Allah would build for him a house in Paradise. (Sahih Muslim)

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
When a man dies, his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge and a righteous son who will pray for him. (Sahih Muslim)

Ongoing charity is that which continues to earn reward after a person has died, hence many of the scholars defined it as the waqf, such as building a mosque, because the reward will continue to be earned so long as the waqf remains.

I’m redoing my blogroll and I don’t mind saying, I’m going for “more is more”. (Thanks to all my regular reads, whose blogroll links I’m happily nicking). One of the lovely things that I have enjoyed this past hour or so, is finding new reads and rediscovering old ones I’d lost. But I’m enthralled to say I *love* G. Willow Wilson’s blog. Why haven’t I read her before now??? Go over, have a good read, bookmark her site and return regularly!

There are two kinds of converts: people who arrive at a religion, and people who simply arrive. I arrived. That’s the lucky category. These are the people who open a holy book and say not “this is what I want to believe” but “this affirms what I have always believed.” This saddles you with issues similar to those faced by people born into the religion: you can get as frustrated as you want, but something about the mess is part of your spiritual DNA, and you will never be able to shed it completely. People who arrive at a religion were probably looking for one, and may have happened on the wrong kind, or may discover what they seek can’t be found in a religion at all. That’s a tough gig, the seeker. The honest ones endure the isolation for the wisdom it brings, and are a delight to know. The dishonest ones become fundamentalists.

Does God really care if men wear gold and grow beards and women cover their hair with material? Surely these are trivialities, when there is the bigger picture: war, starvation, global warming.

Human psychology is a bit of a mystery to most of us, but anthropologists, ethnologists and psychologists seem to have noticed that human beings like to ‘mark’ their bodies in various ways. Whether it is tattoos of “Mom”, nipple-piercings, or golden rings stretching the necks of the Kayan people in Myanmar, every culture seems to have its marker. People living in Western societies may not recognise our markers very well. Ear piercing and wedding bands are ubiquitous, but what is not so obvious are the markers we use to indicate our collection of wealth. We wear Dolce and Gabbana clothing, drive around in BMWs and the very wealthy can afford to give their women chemical peels, botox injections and face-lifts as a way of showing they have the money to possess a wife who can avoid looking naturally old. What’s even more strange, is when the men are having chemical peels, botox injections and face-lifts themselves.

So, Islam is an eminently practical religion and understands that humans have a natural desire to mark and present themselves to the world. So what does it choose as Islamic markers? Modesty, humility and gender. Men do not wear gold or trail their garments, as our beloved Prophet Muhammad instructed, because they are seen as markers of pride and ostentation. Men and women wear loose-fitting, opaque clothing, and women draw their headcovers over their breasts, as signs of modesty. Men wear beards as that is the natural marker of masculinity that God gave men.

God doesn’t need us to wear beards, avoid gold, and put material on our heads. But how does it feel to us when we perform these small acts of obedience to our Lord and Creator, Allah , and to our beloved Prophet Muhammad ? It satisfies a human psychological need to mark our bodies in some fashion, and instead of displaying evanescent wealth or sexual fixations, the markers remind us constantly of our complete dedication and commitment to the Divine Will. The beard, the hijab, avoiding gold, avoiding silk, dressing in loose, opaque clothing, all patterned on the model of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , who was the walking Qur’an:

Ye have indeed in the Messenger of God a beautiful pattern (of
conduct) for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who
engages much in the praise of God. (Qur’an, al-Ahzab 33:21)