'O God, carry us in the ships of Thy deliverance, give us to enjoy the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee, make us drink at the pools of Thy love, let us taste the sweetness of Thy affection and nearness, allow us to struggle in Thee, preoccupy us with obeying Thee, and purify our intentions in devoting works to Thee, for we exist through Thee and belong to Thee, and we have no one to mediate with Thee but Thee!' Imam Sajjad ('A); Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

Friday 18 February 2011

Path of the Yearners

He who yearns neither desires food, nor finds pleasure in drink, nor is he quickly excitable, nor is he intimate even with his close friends, nor does he seek refuge in a house, nor does he dwell in a city, nor wear a garment nor take rest enough for his need. 


He worships Allah night and day, hoping to reach the object of his yearning. He speaks to Him with the tongue of yearning, declaring what is in his innermost being. 
This is as Allah said of Moses when he met his Lord: 
وَعَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضَى
I hastened to thee, my Lord, that Thou mightest be pleased. (20:84)


The Holy Prophet explained his state as follows: 'He neither ate, drank, slept nor desired any of that in his coming or going for forty days, out of his yearning for his Lord.'


When you enter the arena of yearning, then say takbir for yourself and your desires in this world. Bid farewell to all familiar things, and turn from all except the One you desire most. 
Say the word Labbayk ('At Your service') between your life and your death: 'At Your service, O Allah, at Your service!' Then Allah will make your reward great. A person who yearns is like a drowning man: he is only concerned with being saved, and forgets every thing else.
Section 94, Misbah al-Shari'ah

Saturday 12 February 2011

Three admonitions from a great Sage

Sayyid ‘Ādil al-’Alawī, quotes his late mentor, the pious Shi’ite Marja’, Āyatullāh al-’Uzmā Shahāb al-Dīn al-Najafī al-Mar’ashī as having advised him as follows:

إِذاَ اَرَدْتَ التَّوْفِيْقَ فِيْ حَيَاتِكَ الْعِلْمِيَّةِ فَعَلَيْكَ بثَلاَثَةِ أَعْمَالٍ: الأَوَّلُ: كُنْ دَوْماً عَلىَ طَهَارَةٍ وَوُضُوْءٍ فَإِنَّهُ يُنِيْرُ الْقَلْبِ وَيُزِيْلُ الْهَمّ. الثَّانِي: شَيِّعْ الْجَنَائِزَ اَيّ جَنَازَةٍ رَأَيْتَهَا وَلَوْ بأَقْدَامٍ. الثَّالِثُ: شَارِكْ فِيْ قَضِيَّةِ الْحُسَيْن عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمِ بأَيِّ نَحْوٍ مِنَ الْمُشَارَكَةِ. ثُمّ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مِنْ مُدَرَّسِي الْحَوْزَةِ الْمَعْرُوْفِيْنَ، وَكُنْتُ آنَذاَكَ أُوَزِّعُ الشَّايَ عَلى النَّاسِ فِي الْمَجَالِسِ وَالْمِآتِمِ الْحُسَيْنِيَّة.
“If you would like divine succor (tawfīq) in your intellectual and practical life, you should practice the following three acts:

(1) Always be in the state of purity and wudū’, for that illumines the heart and removes anguish.

(2) Escort the dead body, whoever it may be [among the Muslims], even for a few steps.

(3) Participate in the matter of Husayn (as) [i.e. any ceremony that concerns his exalted personality]

Then he said to me: I was one of the well-known professors of the Islamic Seminary; and during that period I would distribute tea to the people who attended ceremonies for mourning Imām Husayn (as).”

[Qabasāt min Hayāti Sayyidina al-Ustādh, pg. 118]