Yâ Hâbib Yâ Sâhib al-Qadam

TIME…SPACE….NUMBERS……

Some of the tents or pavilions in Jannah are hollowed out pearls, 60 miles high and 60 miles wide.

Mawriq al-’Ujali narrated that after Salman al-Farisi RadhiAllahu anhu’s death, they searched his house and found no more than a day’s provision fro a single person, 1 saddle blanket, a couple of cooking utensils, and no more than 20 dirhams. This is the man who was once commissioned to govern over 30,000 men with a salary of 5,000 dirhams, most of which he distributed in charity.

Whoever prays 12 supererogatory Rak’ahs every day, Allah Ta’ala will build a house for him in Jannah.

In 1 minute you can say "Subhaanallahu wa bi Hamdihi" 100 times. (All praise and glory is due to Allah) Whoever says this everyday will have his/her sins forgiven, even if they are as great as the volume of the foam on the sea.

If 1 drop of Az-Zaqqoom, (a horrible tree in Jahannam) were to land on this world, the people of earth and all their means of sustenance would be destroyed.

Anas RadhiAllahu anhu reported that the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: "No one asks Allah Ta’ala for Jannah 3 times, but Jannah will say, ‘O Allah, admit him to Jannah.’ And no Muslim asks Allah for protection from Jahannam 3 times, but Jahannam will say, ‘O Allah, save him from me.’"

SubhanAllah 100 times is rewarded as if you have set 100 slaves free. Alhumdulillah 100 is rewarded as if you have presented 100 horses for Jihad. Allahu Akbar 100 times is rewarded as if you sacrifice 100 camels for the sake of Allah Ta’ala. La iLlah illa Allah 100 times the reward of which will fill the whole space between the heaven and the earth.

The distance between the two gate panels, when they are open, of Jannah is that of a 40 year journey walking.

Abdullah ibn Umar RadhiAllahu anhu once bartered land he owned for 200 camels. He then placed 100 of them to immediately serve in the Path of Allah, and he made it conditional upon the new owners not to sell any of them should they have to do so, until they passed the distant valley of Wadi al-Qura in the north.

The distance between the shoulders of the inhabitants of Jahannam will be like 3 days travelling for a fast rider. One molar tooth, or the eyes tooth, will be like Mount Uhud and the thickness of skin will be like a journey of 3 days, or 42 cubits thick, and the space he occupies will be as wide as the distance between Makkah and Madinah (about 400 kilometers)

If recited once, a muslim will gain as much deeds (sawab) as if 1000 angels write deeds for 70 days or if 70 angels write deeds for 1000 days, still won’t be able to write them all.

In 1 minute the earth revolves around its axis for a distance of 900 and 50 miles.

Umar ibn al-Khattab RadhiAllahu anhu during his caliphate was delivering a sermon wearing a cloak with 12 patches.

Once, according to Abu Hurairah, RadhiAllahu anhu, a group of Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum, were sitting with the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam when they heard a loud crashing sound. The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: "Do you know what that was?" Whereupon they replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He then explained that it was stone that had been thrown into Jahannam 70 years ago, and it has just reached the bottom of Jahannam now.

In 1 minute you can say Surat Al Fatiha 7 times. The reward for each reading of the Surah: 1420 good deeds! This is on the basis that there are 142 letters in the Surah, with each letter getting you 10 good deeds. So after doing a simple calculation, 7 readings will get you 9940 deeds.

There are 7 gates to Jahannam with 19 Angels guarding them. Fire as we know it is one 70th part of the fire of Jahannam.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud RadhiAllahu anhu learned and memorized 70 Surah directly from the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.

In 1 minute 1,400 cubic feet of rain falls on the earth.

8 Angels are holding the Throne of Allah Ta’ala. The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was given permission to speak to one of the bearers of the Throne. The distance between his earlobes to his shoulders was like that of a bird flying for 700 years.

Abu Darda RadhiAllahu anhu used to say: "To glorify the name of Allah Ta’ala 100 times is dearer to my heart than to give 100 dinar in charity."

Jibreel Alaihis Salaam has 600 hundred wings.

As narrated by Abu Hurairah RadhiAllahu anhu, Uthman, RadhiAllahu anhu, bought Jannah 2 times from Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam: Once in a business transaction when he bought the well of Rumah from the disbelievers, making it public property for all Muslims, and secondly when he financed and equipped the Army of Hardship (Jaish al’Usra) Initially Uthman pledged to equip 100 men, but when the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam further invited people to share in this responsibility, Uthman RadhiAllahu anhu made an additional pledge for 100, and the 3rd time the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam requested more, Uthman again pledged another 100. The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam then said: "Uthman does no longer need a deed of righteousness (to please Allah Ta’ala) after this."

According to ibn Hisham, the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam left Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah on 27 occasions, 9 of them for battle.

Baitul Ma’moor, the Much Frequented House at the Sidratul Muntaha, the Remotest Lote Tree, is visited daily by 70,000 Angels who are never to return for subsequent visits, perpetually followed by another 70,000.

In 1 minute 35,000 tons of fresh water is released into the seas by the rivers.

One recitation of SubhanAllah is as if one has planted a tree in Jannah, the size of which takes the fastest horse, riding at top speed, 100 hundred years to traverse its shadow.

The bridge al-Sirat which every one must cross, is as sharp as a sword and as fine as a hair. The ramps leading to and from it are a 500 year journey, while the crossing is another 500 year journey.

The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: "My Lord promised me that 70,000 of my Ummah will enter Jannah without being called to account or being punished; with each 1,000 there will be 70,000 more, plus 3 handfuls added by Allah."

BaYazid al Bustami Rahmatullah alaihi said: "For 12 years I was the blacksmith of my soul; for 5, the mirror of my heart; for 1 year I observed what was between them, and lo, around my waist I found the girdle of unbelief (zunner) in plain view. So I worked for 5 years at cutting it, seeking a way to dissever it, until at length this was revealed to me and looking at mankind, I saw them as dead and prayed a 4fold Allahu Alkbar over them."

In 1 minute 6,000 luminous meteors fall to the earth and 38 whirlpools appear on the earth.

Abu Hurairah RadhiAllahu anhu said: "I saw 70 people from Ahlu Suffa in prayers, each of them having a single robe only and no cloak to cover it. Some wore a worn out jubba, others had it a little too big, while some had it so short that it barely covered beneath their knees, and when one of such people would bow in Ruku, he would gather up his garment and hold to it tight in fear that parts of his body may be exposed.

In 1 minute you can say "SallAllahu alaihi wa sallam" 50 times. In return you get 500 blessings from Allah Ta’ala.

Whenever the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam retired for the evening, it was customary that each of the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum would invite one of the dwellers of Suffa to his home to share a meal. Some invited 2, some 3, and perhaps up to 10 people at a time, and so forth, each according to his means, except for Sa’adu ibn’Ubadah, who used to bring his family up to 80 guests at a time to feed them.

Abdullah ibn ‘Amr RadhiAllahu anhu heard Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallm say: "The best ones among my followers in every century are 500, and the deputies 40. Their number does not decrease. Neither the 500 nor the 40 diminish in number. When any one among the 40 deputies dies, Allah Ta’ala replaces him with one of the 500." When asked about their signs, the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: "They pardon their oppressor, they show kindness to the unjust ones, and they share Allah Ta’ala’s blessing with others."

Every second 2 people are taken back to Allah, and 4 babies are born! Every second 8 million cells die in our body and 8 million new ones replace them!!!!!!!!!!! Every second 2.5 million red blood cells are produced, 83ccm of blood is pumped in the body and the blood is carried 33cm from the heart! 10,000 signals are transmitted from a single nerve fibre!!!! And 16 million tons of rain falls!!! So who are we to be surprised at what the Greatest of Planners does, when He does, how He does, why He does, where He does, to whom He does?

TIME…..SPACE…..NUMBERS……CORRELATIONS?

Insha’Allah, I see you in the comment box.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.

Book launch of ‘From the two Holy Sanctuaries’ by Gibril Fouad Haddad

Includes the screening of 2 films by Ovidio Salazar:
‘Circling the House of God: Reflections of Martin Lings on Hajj’ & ‘Hajj: Journey of a Lifetime.’ Plus Q&A with the Director.

Also featuring: Selections from the Secrets of Pilgrimage, Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din with Shaykh S

Poster

THEN…..

A certain saintly person, resident in Makkah, used to perform Hajj annually until his seventieth Hajj. Yet every time we entered into Ihram, crying Labbaik out loud, he used to hear in reply: "Laa Labbaik." Once a young man was with him when the same thing happened. The young man said in surprise: "O Uncle, a cry of Laa Labbaik has come in answer to your call." The old man asked: "O son, did you also hear it?" The old man cried bitterly and said: "O son, for seventy years now I have heard that reply time after time." The young man asked: "But dear Uncle, why should you cast yourself in so much difficulty by performing Hajj every time?" The old man replied: "O son, on which other door can I knock except His, and who else is there to whom may I go except Him. It is my duty to continue begging for mercy. If He so desires, He may accept, and should He desire, He may reject. O son, it is not permissible for a slave to flee from the door of His Master for any reason that may not suit him." Saying this, the old man wept bitterly that tears covered his chest. Thereafter he again cried Labbaik, but this time both heard in reply: "Now we have indeed accepted your presence here. And so we act with those who keep their faith in our goodness, but not so with those who follow their vain desires and still hope for Our Mercy." The young man having heard this asked his uncle: ‘O Uncle, did you too hear this reply?" The old man said: "Yes, I have also heard it." Thereafter the old man wept so much that he died.



Ali ibn Muwaffaq Rahmatullah alaihi, says: "Once on the eve of Arafat I slept in the Masjid at Mina. I saw two Angels in green clothes descending from above. The one asked the other: ‘How many pilgrims are present here this year?’ When the other replied he knew not, the first one said: ‘There are six hundred thousand. But do you know from how many of them Allah Ta’ala accepted Hajj?’ The second replied he did not know. The first one went on: ‘Allah Ta’ala has accepted the Hajj of only six from them.’ Saying this they both departed towards the sky.

Ali ibn Muwaffaq Rahmatullah alaihi states further: ‘Greatly filled with fear and anxiety for what I heard, I woke up deeply distressed for my own Hajj. If only six pilgrims had their Hajj accepted, then what chance is there that I would be among them?’ On the way back from Arafat I looked at the great congregation distressed and worried again. How is it that of such a huge gathering only six should succeed? In this distress, I fell asleep at Muzdalifah and again I saw the same two Angels asking the same question and giving the same answers as before. Then the first one further asked: ‘And do you know what Allah Ta’ala commanded regarding this situation?’ The second one replied: ‘I know not.’ The first one continued: ‘Allah Ta’ala looked at them with His Mercy has decreed that on account of the blessings of each of them, the Hajj of one hundred thousand Hajjis will be accepted. This indeed is Allah Ta’ala’s favour which He bestows on whomsoever He pleases.’"

It is also reported that Ali ibn Muwaffaq Rahmatullah alaihi had performed more than fifty pilgrimages, praying that every time the reward be granted to Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, and the Khalifas and his parents and to any who’s Hajj had not been accepted. While on the plain of Muzdalifah, Allah Ta’ala appeared to him in a dream saying: "O Ali, are you trying to be more generous than I am? I have created generosity. I have created generous ones and I am the most generous of all. Verily through that Hajis’ Hajj that has been accepted, I have accepted that Hajj of each and everyone who’s Hajj had not been accepted."



Hisham bin ‘Urwa narrated, that upon his martyrdom, al-Zubair bin al-Awwam RadhiAllahu anhu, did not leave a single dinar or dirham in cash, except for two estates and some houses he owned. He incurred his debts from his practice of not accepting to keep anything on consignment, for during the pilgrimage season, and whenever a travelling merchant brought him his remaining goods to sell for him and to keep the money until the next season, al-Zubair RadhiAllahu anhu would reply: "I do not accept anything on consignment, but I will take the goods as a loan, for fear I mix them with other merchandise."

Later on, after he died, and when his son counted his debts, they added up to two million. To satisfy his father’s debts, Abdullah bin al-Zaubair used to attend the pilgrimage season annually, and he called the pilgrims to come forward to claim the monies they loaned to his father. Abdullah did that for four consecutive years until everything was repaid. Only after the four years passed that Abdullah divided the remaining balance between the heirs. Al-Zubair had four wives, and each of them inherited one million and two hundred dirhams.



Hafs ibn Amr al-Hawdhi narrated that Nafi’ heard Abdullah ibn Umar RadhiAllahu anhu pray at the Hill of Safa, during a pilgrimage to Makkah: "My Divine Lord, protect me by helping me to correctly comply with Your religion. Guide me to obey Your commands and to comply with the guidance of Your Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Lord protect me against infringing upon the limitations set by You. Lord fill my heart with love for You, and gather me among those who love Your Angels, Your messengers, and Your righteous servants. My Divine Lord, help me to do my deeds with ease. Help me to avoid the avenues of difficulties, forgive me my sine in this world, do not require them from me thereafter, Lord, and gather me among the blessed pattern of the pious ones in the Hereafter. Lord! You said, ‘Call upon Me and I will answer your prayers.’ Lord, surely You do not fail Your promise. O Allah, indeed<you are the One Who guided me to Islam. I beseech You not to divest me of Your gift. Do not deprive me of it, nor take it away from me. Keep me thus until You take my soul back to You in a state of perfect Islam, submitting to You."

Nafi’ added: "this was only a short passage of an extensive prayer, Abdullah ibn Umar RadhiAllahu anhu prayed at the Hills of Safa and Marwa, and he repeated them at again at the Valley of Arafat, and later on, he invoked the same prayers near the Sacred monument at Jamarat, and then during his final Tawaf of the Ka’aba.



NOW…..

A modern ibn Battuta! SubhanAllah!

The sacrificial animals begin to arrive.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.

Eight Saudi families, including single mothers and scores of children, are fighting eviction from their charitable housing because the accommodations are considered unsafe and unclean, but the families say their only alternative is worse: life on the streets of the holy city.

The daily Al-Madinah reported that the Taiba Charity Committee is asking the inhabitants to leave their boarding because the owner of the building wants the tenants out.

Umm Abrar, a widow and a mother of five who did not want her full name published, said that the families have received a verbal and written eviction notice. While the organization has agreed to cover rent at new accommodations, the families say the amount offered wouldn’t cover the cost.

“They said they will pay the rent if it does not exceed SR8,000 for the first year,” said Abrar. “Where can we find such low-priced accommodation? Why did they choose to come at this time of the year; our children are going to school and it is hard for us to move?”

A mother of nine children said that after living in the building for years, the notice came unexpectedly and we have only a month to move out.

Fatima Abdullah, whose family has resided in the building for five years, said that with a monthly income of SR700 — barely the wage of a live-in foreign domestic — there’s no way that the rent subsidy would be enough to find other accommodations in Madinah.

Zainab, who is a divorced single mother, says that her ex-husband has disappeared without providing any financial support for their five children.

“We were in a terrible condition before we moved to this apartment,” she said. “Now they are asking us to leave. My children and I have no income and rely solely on charity.”

Taiba Director Manal Al-Hagas said the owner asked the organization to move the families out, but would not elaborate on the reasons.

“We agreed to do so because the building is in a sad state of repair,” he said. “We’ve been looking for another building. The one we found was too expensive and lacked furnished kitchens.”

Al-Hagas said the committee has offered a SR10,000 per year subsidy to the families, which isn’t likely to cover the full annual cost of a family-sized apartment.

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Voice your concerns at the following contacts;

Email: information@mofa.gov.sa

Diwan of King Abdulllah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud

Riyadh Tel: 4882222 - Jeddah Tel: 6654233

Diwan of H.R.H. Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

Ministry of Public Works and Housing

Washem St., Riyadh 11151
Tel: 402-2268/402-2036
Public Works Fax: 402-2723
Housing Fax: 406-7376




     

A traditional qawwali with the lyrics of Amir Khusro

Aaj rung hai hey maan rung hai ri Moray mehboob kay ghar rang hai ri Sajan milaavra, sajan milaavra, Sajan milaavra moray aangan ko Aaj rung hai…….. Mohay pir paayo Nijamudin aulia Nijamudin aulia mohay pir payoo Des bades mein dhoondh phiree hoon Toraa rung man bhayo ri……, Jag ujiyaaro, jagat ujiyaaro, Main to aiso rang aur nahin dekhi ray Main to jab dekhun moray sung hai, Aaj rung hai hey maan rung hai ri.

(It is almost impossible to translate the word rung into English. It is not colour, hue or anything like that. May be something like glow or brilliance or gorgeousness may come close to it. There are many different legends explaining the use of this word in the qawwali. Most of them point to the fact that Amir Khusrau sang these line ecstatically when he came back to his mother after meeting Nizamuddin Aulia for the first time, after a long search for an ideal sufi master – reason why the lines are addressed to the mother.)

What a glow everywhere I see, Oh mother, what a glow; I’ve found the beloved, yes I found him, In my courtyard; I have found my pir Nizamuddin Aulia. I roamed around the entire world, looking for an ideal beloved; And finally this face has enchanted my heart. The whole world has been opened for me, Never seen a glow like this before. Whenever I see now, he is with me, Oh beloved, please dye me in yourself; Dye me in the colour of the spring, beloved; What a glow, Oh, what a glow.

O heart! ‘Tis true that you are soon about to meet
The Beloved who turned even candy more sweet

There is none like him in worlds twin
Hard it is to say if there is anything to him akin

Even then keep care as every step you advance
For you are where even wind is polite as it blows

Let not his love drive you mad
Be not in wilderness clad

It’s been your regular habit to throb
As if to make me cry is your only job

But this time be in better control
Blur not my eyes making tears roll

Don’t make me look here and there
No matter what you see around fair

Don’t ever feel a seed of pride
Be as a wood burnt and dried

Be patient!

Never at others push or cause rush
Be smooth as in the waters is the fish

I have borne much pain to here reach
Ah! How many times you shall I teach?

Don’t make my legs so weak
That I shiver unable to walk

And yourself become not so meek
That with love’s pain you break

I will give you another time and place
To show all your emotions as many times

But for now don’t break my voice
For I am about to greet him with ‘Peace’

Sallallahu ala Muhammad,
Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam!

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Notes

Almighty has commanded to show the highest form of respect to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. ‘If someone visits me solely for visiting me and without any other intentions, he deserves my intercession for him on the Last Judgment’ [Muslim]

don’t break my voice: Abdullah ibn masud narrates that one should recite salat clearly and fluently, as it is a thing reaching the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

The Kingdom will take its anti-smoking drive to Madinah this year during the Haj season, according to a senior official in the Ministry of Health.

“For the past three years, we have been successfully carrying out an anti-smoking campaign in the holy city of Makkah and this year we are taking it to Madinah where pilgrims go to visit the Prophet’s Mosque,” Abdulaziz Al-Hudaithi from the ministry’s anti-smoking unit explained.

He added that a team of health officials would man the entry points to the mosque complex to distribute pamphlets informing pilgrims of the negative effects of smoking. The pamphlets are printed in a number of languages, including Arabic, English, Turkish, Urdu, French, Bahasa, Malayalam, Tamil and Mandarin.

A team of 25 health officials from the ministry will enlist the support of local volunteers to carry out the campaign in Madinah as well as in Makkah. “The campaign in Makkah is necessary to continue the smoke-free situation in the holy city,” he added.

Dr. Sameer Al-Sabban, consultant of Family and Community Medicine at the Ministry of Health in Makkah, told Arab News that Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed was personally interested in making the holy city smoke-free. Under his initiative, a special committee headed by Vice Governor Abdullah Al-Fayez has been assigned to carry out the anti-smoking campaign in the city.

Dr. Sabban, who heads the anti-smoking unit in Makkah, said there was a total ban on the sale of tobacco within the holy city and that local authorities would punish merchants who violated the ban. He also said that the committee, composed of senior officials from the municipality, governorate and Ministry of Health, would not allow pilgrims to smoke behind the holy mosque. “Smokers think it is a convenient spot for them to smoke,” he said, pointing out that the smokers are oblivious to non-smokers who are also pilgrims.

He said that eye-catching billboards and posters discouraging smoking had been displayed in all public places in Makkah and Mina and particularly at the Haj Terminal, inside buses and at shopping malls.

“Haj is a good opportunity to quit smoking. Pilgrims like to take back good memories from the holy city. Let the smokers among them make a resolution to give up smoking during their visit to the holiest place on earth,” Dr. Sabban said.