An Epic Journey - The Long Awaited Epic!

Assalamu'alaikum Subscriber Not so long ago I had my bags packed as I attempted to travel to you all and share with you lessons found in the Book of Allah Almighty in what was to be my historical debut course for AlKauthar... History was made, but in an unexpected manner, as unfortunately or fortunately an ash cloud over the UK put a temporary hold to all proceedings, as my flight along with many others were cancelled. The course that I was expected to meet you all at was called 'An Epic Journey - An In Depth Analysis of Surah Yusuf', which harbours the main lesson of explaining the importance of patience! As I came to accept the fact that I will not be meeting you all, especially since you had all already booked your seats. I took console in the fact that our test was not as difficult as the test of those before us, and that maybe Allah Almighty was actually training ourselves to be patient before learning about the patience of those before as mentioned in the chapter. Ya'kub alayhi salam waited several years to be reunited with his son Yusuf alayhi salam and I could not help but wonder, 'would Allah grant us life to meet each other before the hereafter ?'. Alhamdulillah after almost one year on, we have managed to re schedule the same course for the 5th & 6th of February in Manchester! And I write to you all from the bottom of my heart requesting you to give me another chance by booking your seat and allowing me the honour to stand in front of you, as you all kindly intended to do last April. Inshallah the many lessons that can be taken away from such a course will not only be worthwhile but also allow me the opportunit to reconfirm my intention to go way beyond just the story of Yusuf as we discover many of the beautiful wisdoms and benefits that the Surah holds. In addition, I have prepared over 100 pages of course notes for us to go over in one special weekend as we worship Allah Almighty together- so I humbly ask you all to take this opportunity and join me this February. And for a visual introduction to the course, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtNe1qjpKvs Worshipping Allah Almighty with you all during the February weekend will truly be EPIC for me, and I pray Allah Almighty gathers us in Jannah in the same way He gathers us during the course. I love you all for the sake of Allah. Wa alaykum salaam Sajid Ahmed Umar Director of Islamic Development Mercy Mission World An Epic Journey - The Long Awaited Epic! An In Depth Analysis Of Surah Yusuf by Sheikh Sajid Ahmed Umar Manchester: Sat 5th - Sun 6th February 2011

Dua for the affected!

Assalamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa barakaatuh...

Allah Almighty says:

((Is not He (better than Your gods) who responds to the distressed one, when He calls him (Du'a), and who removes the evil, and makes You inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. is there any Ilâh (God) with Allâh? little is that You remember!)) (27:62)

Dear servant of Allah, and O' Child of Adam...

The greatest and most virtuous form of worship is Du’aa. It is a plea from the very heart of a believer directed towards Allah. It is a confession that emanates from the heart of a believer that he is weak and helpless, that he cannot achieve anything without the Allah’s help and aid.

Du’aa is the noblest act in the sight of Allah; this is recognised in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah (RA) in which the Prophet said, “There is nothing that is nobler in the sight of Allah than Du’aa”.
(Related by Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi)

This is due to the fact that Du’a is a means of showing ones poverty and incapability to Allah whilst acknowledging the power and capability of Allah (SAW).

Supplication is obeying Allah. as Allah Almighty states: ((and invoke Him Only making Your Religion sincere to Him)) (7:29)

O' Servants of Allah- The world has seen most recently the power of Allah Almighty in terms of floods in several countries and the eruption of earthquakes- and Allah Almighty is all Wise in all that He decrees. These recent events have affected the lives of thousands.

The question that needs to be addressed is: What is our situation in regards to the suffering of our brethren. Our we complacent given the financial standing and material well-being we enjoy? Do we feel safe from travesty?

As an Ummah which Allah Almighty has declared the best of all nations, it is incumbent upon one and all to stand up and take action. This action dictates personal reform without doubt, but also requires concern from us regarding the affected Ummah.

Our Prophet (SAW) said: ((The example of the believers is like the body, if part of it hurts the rest of it is summoned.)) (Ahmed).

With this, and from the bottom of my heart, I ask one and all to at least supplicate for our affected brothers and sisters. This supplication will not cost us anything and in fact will be a means of our salvation as well.

Ask Allah Almighty from the bottom of your hearts to ease the pain of loss experienced by our brother and sisters and to grant them all a 'BEAUTIFUL PATIENCE'.

This is the beauty of Islam, that from even far away, we are able to assist each other.

I love you for the sake of Allah.

And Allah knows best.

Wa alaykum Salaam wa rah matullahi wa barakaatuh.

Sajid Ahmed Umar

Description of Jannah according to Imam Ibnul-Qayyim Rahimahullah

Ibn al-Qayyim said regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

"And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-'Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and (matured) and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!'

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!'

So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!' So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?'and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, l ooking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

The lifestyles of the Ulama have to be distinguished from the awaam (general masses)

Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (rahmatullahi alaih) once mentioned regarding Muslim 'leaders:
“Our lives have to be distinguished from the lives of the general public. Onlookers should be able to fully understand that these people (Ulamaa) are not seekers of the world, and wealth and riches are not their goal in life. Our work should be only for the sake of Allah Ta`ala as was the way of our (pious predecessors). As long as a marked difference does not appear in the akhlaaq of our Ulama fraternity and they do not instill within themselves the quality of serving others, they will not be able to influence others nor will they be respected. They will not be able to implant within the minds of others the respect and honour for Deen. The respect of the Ulamaa will never be created by reporting the size of the 'madrasahs' they run and the large number of students studying under them. Rather, the honour for Ulama is created by the way they portray themselves. When the general public notice that these Ulama consider it as taboo to lay their hands on that which they the general public will sacrifice their lives for (i.e. the material possessions etc.), nor do they show any concern for it, they will eventually say to themselves that we thought that riches were the ultimate in life but, in the eyes of the Ulama riches hold no weight.” (Tuhfat-ul-A’immah, p. 77)