Oud Poem

Sidi Rafael Alejandro (Allah have mercy on him) said,

“From forests fair and feral my fragrance
Carries to every corner of the world,
From ancient India where I was found
To holy shrines around which pilgrims whirled.
From ancient jungles mythic and renowned
Across the isles of the East that surround
The Bay of Bengal and the China Sea
Come my treasured scents subtle and profound.
Breathe the centuries I hold, breathe deeply
And rare glimmers of the endless soul see
Within the wooed heart of my devotee
And such as I bestow on them freely.
In the Song of Solomon I was writ,
Saints and kings sought me. Will you claim your bit?”

Source: The Wandering Troubadour

Respect the Poor - Shaykh A.F. Abu Ghuddah

Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (Allah have mercy on him) said,

“If you come across a poor person at a gathering, or a poor person visited you at home or at work, do not look down upon him or her. Poverty is not a defect or a fault to be ashamed of, while lack of kindness and generosity is. Treat poor acquaintances or guests with honour and respect. Talk pleasantly to them, using the best of language. Again, poverty is not a vice, many who are poor are more honourable than the wealthy, and many who are penniless are preferred to the rich.”

[Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, Islamic Manners (translated by Shaykh Muhammad Zahid Abu Ghuddah)]

Suleiman the Magnificent and the Sufi

A righteous old man (Allah have mercy on him) related the following story about Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s encounter with a Sufi on a boat,

“‘How I yearn to have the peaceful heart that you have. My worries are ceaseless, my kingdom troublesome,’ said the sultan.
‘Do you really want inner peace?’ asked the Sufi.
‘Yes!’ replied the sultan. ‘Can you offer it to me?’
‘Pass me that ring on your finger,’ said the Sufi.
Looking puzzled, the sultan removed his diamond ring and handed it over to the Sufi, half hoping that this was the price of inner calm. The Sufi stared the sultan in the eyes and, without warning, dropped the priceless ring into the sea.
‘How dare you?’ yelled the sultan in a frenzy.
The Sufi smiled, unperturbed. The sultan called upon the members of his entourage to dive overboard and recover it. The Sufi raised his hand, indicating that the sultan should hold back his courtiers. Calmly, the Sufi put his hand into the water and miraculously pulled out the ring.
‘As long as this ring is of any worth to you, O Suleiman, you will not have inner peace. Inner contentment is derived from our detachment.’”

[Ed Husain, The Islamist]

Reasons for Writing - Imam Maqqari

Imam Maqqari (Allah have mercy on him) said,

“I saw in the handwriting of some of the senior (scholars) regarding that which is desired from writing are seven:
-something which has not been written before and is authored
-something written incompletely and is completed
-or is incorrect and is corrected
-or is difficult and is explained
-or is lengthy and is condensed/abridged
-or is not in one place and is gathered
-or is prose and is versified.”

[Imam Maqqari, Azhar al-Riyad]

Source: Dar al-Hadith

Muslim Salad - Haroon Sellars

Sidi Aaron Haroon Sellars (Allah preserve him) said,

“Before Islam I was lost
And after Islam I was lost
Between this and that group
Was I tossed

A bookstore Shaykh
Not even worth a dollar
With do-it-yourself Islam
Who needs a scholar?

Tossed so much
Might as well been a salad
I was quoting Hadeeth
But my wudu was invalid

If I can’t purify my outer
Then what about my inner?
Piles of books
But still a big sinner

What I know, doesn’t show
And now I know better
That’s what happens without the spirit
And only the letter

So attach myself I must
To scholars with unbroken chains
For this is the means
By which pure knowledge remains”

Source: Reflect On This

Material Wealth - Imam Birgivi

Imam Birgivi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

“It must not be forgotten that a coin has two sides. Money has a good and a bad side: the good aspect of it is to be praised, while the bad aspect of it is to be condemned. The danger of material wealth is that it may render the wealthy arrogant and cause them to forget God, death and the Hereafter. Then they rebel against Him, neglect religion and responsibility, and become world-bound, immoral, selfish, and mean.

It is very difficult to realize that our possessions are not our own, but a gift of God lent to us to be spent on our needs and needs of others. Yet to believe that our wealth is purely the result of our own efforts and belongs to us to keep, rather than treating it as a trust from God, is a sin. It signifies either that one does not believe in God, or else that one belittles God’s generosity as the Sustainer of His creation, and is unthankful.

God says:

‘If you are grateful, I will give you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.’ (Qur’an, 14:07).”

[Imam Birgivi, Tariqa al-Muhammadiya; Shaykh Tosun Bayrak, The Path of Muhammad]

Also see: Syposium on Islamic Finance - Mufti Taqi Usmani