Recitation of Sura 56 (Al-Waqi‘a) by Abdel Aziz Al Zahrani.
Warsh recitation of surat Qaf by Abdul Mujeeb Benkiran.
They fluttered like two butterflies
over the turquoise domes of Isfahan.
Children’s book illustration by Ayesha Gamiet.
Foundations of the Spiritual Path
The foundations of our path are five:
- Taqwa – mindfulness of Allah, privately and publicly.
- Adherence to the Sunna in word and deed.
- Indifference to whether others accept or reject one.
- Contentment with Allah in times of both hardship and ease.
- Turning to Allah in prosperity and adversity.
— Uṣūl al-Ṭarīqa by Sīdī Aḥmad Zarrūq.
A Sermon from The Mercy to All the Worlds
O community of Muslims, roll up your sleeves, for the matter is momentous. Prepare for an imminent journey. Garner provision now as the journey is long. Lighten your loads, for before you is an ascent most steep! Only those traveling lightly shall bear its climb.
O humanity, before the Hour comes, you will see wonders, vast tribulations, and difficult times. Darkness will prevail, and foulness will take the forefront. Those who enjoin right will be oppressed, and those who condemn vice will be suppressed.
Hence, strengthen your faith for that time, and cling to faith as you would clench on for dear life. Flee to righteous deeds, and force yourselves to perform them. Be patient during the difficult times, and you will eventually arrive to eternal bliss.
— Translated by Hamza Yusuf.
“To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return” — Qur’an, 2:156.
“O Mighty! O Invincible! Keep away from us the evil of the unjust.”
I will give you one good reason why everything is going to be alright: Allah.
ﷺ
The victim must remember: there is a day when the divine redresser will right every wrong, heal every wound, fulfill every vow, and remove for all eternity the scars of this world that were unjustly inflicted by those who betrayed God’s protection.
The suffering of the world is spoken of in terms of wars, starvation, hatred, competition, and the struggle of the survival of the fittest. Yet all the suffering of the world originates in the human heart. Every crime committed, every act of oppression, every callous cruelty, and every injustice to the self or others emanates from the hearts of men. However, for every wrong wrought by the human heart, a thousand acts of mercy have issued forth: every mother’s love, every child’s forgiveness, every teacher’s care, and every father’s concern for the well-being of his progeny–all have their source in the core of the human being, the human heart. If we are to right the world, we must first rectify our hearts, and this is why every revelation has been granted to humanity in order to make firm our hearts. The most oft-recited prayer of the blessed Prophet, peace and prayers be upon him, was “O Revolver of the hearts, make firm my heart upon the straight way.” In no equivocal terms, the Qur’an states, “On the day of Judgement, when neither wealth nor children will avail, only one who brings forth a sound heart.” A sound Heart! The soundest of hearts was the heart of the Messenger of Allah, peace and prayers be upon him, who, through his purity and singularity of intention, transformed the world. His teaching remains, and the challenge is for each of us to take it and to transform our hearts with it, thereby, transforming the very world in which we now reside.
“In all honesty there is more wisdom in these 3 minutes than you will hear in hours of lecturing and that is no exaggeration whatsoever.” — Sheikh Omar Suleiman
(Click CC if you need English subtitles)
