There’s Something About Istikharah That You Probably Do Not Know.

السّلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Firstly, I’d like to apologize for not updating the the.ijtema® for so long.  I feel at least two posts a month should be par for the course, so I’ll be aiming for that now.

Coming to the topic, here’s something on Istikarah (a prayer recited by Muslims when in need of guidance on an issue in their life. The salat is a two raka’ah salat performed to completion followed by the supplications Salat al-Istikharah) by Hadrath Shaykh Maulana Hakeem Akhtar Saheb (may Allah ta’ala have mercy on him and grant him Firdaus) who unfortunately is no more with us.

A Round Up of Maulana Salman Nadwi’s Tour of Doha, Qatar in April 2015.

السّلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Maulana Salman Nadwi (db) toured Doha, Qatar in April 2015 at the invitation of the Government controlled AWQAF board.

Hadrath Abu Hurayrah and the Saudi Arab – Yemen Conflict.

السّلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Couldn’t wait to share this after seeing what’s happening in the Middle East between Saudi Arab and Yemen. Another day another war. The times and lives of the Sahabah (may Allah ta’ala be pleased with them) have such great lessons for us but wish we realized.

The First Message of Haji Abdul Wahab Saheb After Regaining Consciousness.

As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,

Haji Abdul Wahab Saheb (damath baraka tuhum) – for those who don’t him yet, he is currently ranked as the tenth most influential Muslim in the world, yet, the post is not about him but rather his message to the Muslims across world, the leader of the Pakistan chapter of the Islamic renaissance and revivalist movement and perhaps the last surviving student and companion of Hadhrathji Maulana Ilyas (rahimahullah) was recently hospitalized due to illness due to which he even lost his voice, but Alhamdulillah, after regaining consciousness (and his voice), these were the first words that he spoke which were duly written down by one of his doctors.

Maulana Zulfiqar Naqshbandi’s Latest Recording of ‘Dil Badal Dey’ [MP3]

As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,

There’s much to post but very little time on hands, for now here’s the latest *raw* recording of the poem ‘Dil Badal Dey’ by Maulana Zulfiqar Naqshbandi (damath baraka tuhum). 

MINI BOOK HAUL 2

As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,

“I ate them like salad, books were my sandwich for lunch, my tiffin and dinner and midnight munch. I tore out the pages, ate them with salt, doused them with relish, gnawed on the bindings, turned the chapters with my tongue! Books by the dozen, the score and the billion. I carried so many home I was hunchbacked for years. Philosophy, art history, politics, social science, the poem, the essay, the grandiose play, you name ’em, I ate ’em.”

~ Famous American novelist, Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451.

Certainly not as passionate but of late I happened to purchase and or collect some of the books mentioned below, no, this isn’t an ‘unboxing’ – that 21st century (Internet) ritual that follows everything new you purchase. I’ll insha-Allah be previewing, reviewing some of the books if they are worth it. 

Download Mufti Menk Lecture Delivered in Doha, Qatar at Masjid al Ikhwaan on 21 Nov 2014.

السّلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Mufti Ismail Menk (db) delivered a lecture on the importance of Quran and the importance of following the sunnah and also a bit on inheritance laws including anecdotes from his personal life.

Notes from his speech would be added later insha-Allah.

The lecture is in English. Download it here: Click Here

This lecture was delivered at Masjid al Ikhwaan in Al Waab area, Doha, Qatar on 21 Nov 2014.

وعليكم السلام و رحمة الله و بركاته

My Fair Lady.

As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullah wa barakath,

The title of the post is inspired from an erstwhile (1913) English play and later Hollywood movie (1938) of the same name but believe me, after having read the story which I’m sharing with you today, I couldn’t come up with a better title than this, rest assured, the only similarity is in the titles and nothing else. 

Set in the Arab lands, the story talks about love post marriage, the narrator is Hadrath Sharih (rh) wherein he relates to Hadrath Sho’bi (rh) an account of his marriage to one Zainab (rh) of the Banu Tamim clan, I could only get one reference but if I get more, I’ll update the post insha-Allah.

“A happy man marries the woman he loves, a happier man loves the woman he marries” ~ Susan Douglas

The story begins:

Hadrath Sho’bi (rh) says, “Sharih once met me and said, “O’ Sho’bi, marry the women of the Banu Tamim, I have found them to be very intelligent.” Sho’bi asked, “What sign of intelligence did you see in them?”

Sharih explained thus: 

A House By The Canal In Arabia.

As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,

This incident occured in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

In the holy month of Ramadan, a pious woman gathered her children every day before iftaar (the time for breaking the fast after sunset) and asked them to pray with her. Then she raised her hands and said: “O Allah! Provide us with our own house by the side of a flowing canal.” The children then all raised their hands and repeated the prayer.

The woman’s husband laughed at them and said: “Your wish for a house is understandable, but what do you mean by a canal flowing beside the house? How will this canal come to our desert area?”. 

Maulana Zubair Ul Hasan Saheb Passes Away.

As salaamu alaii kumm wa rahmatullahi wa barakath,

As many of you may already know, Maulana Zubair ul Hasan Kandhlavi has passed away today, may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grant him Jannat ul Firdaus for his immense contribution towards the upliftment of the ummah. Aameen.

He Is Not Dead.
I cannot say, and I will not say..
That he is dead. He is just away.
With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land,
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there.
And you—oh you, who the wildest yearn,
For an old-time step, and the glad return,
Think of him faring on, as dear,
In the love of there as the love of Here.
Think of him still as the same. I say,
He is not dead—he is just away.

~ James Whitcomb Riley.

Maulana Sa’ad Kandhlavi (damath baraka tuhum) words on the passing away of Maulana Zubair ul Hasan Kandhlavi: Link and at another time, on similarities between one of the companion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) Hadrath Miqdad (may Allah be pleased with him) and Maulana Zubair (may Allah have mercy on him).