Discover the SunniPath Degree Programs

Last week there were two special events held at SunniPath. I didn’t manage to attend the special lecture on non-Arab imams, but alhamidullah did manage to attend Shaykh Hamza Karamali’s class titled “Discover the Degree”. It was a fabulous session, and I’m really glad I went. The Shaykh went through the different curriculum tracks and gave us a fascinating look on how the different curriculum programs fit together and are composed of courses that successively build on each other. Aside from getting a glimpse of the different curriculum programs, Shaykh Hamza also emphasized the importance of knowing where we are going with the activities that we are doing. Before we embark on something, we need to ask ourselves: where will this take me? So we always need to know our goals are, and then determine the best means is to get us where it is we wish to go. Without knowing where we want to go, and what it is we want though,  it will be hard for us to figure out what the best path is for us personally.

Imam Nawawi Hadith #19-Divine Destiny

Last Saturday SunniPath had a special lecture on the 19th Hadith from Imam Nawawi’s Forty Hadith collection. In the spirit of the hadith of the Prophet  (may peace be upon him) “Let him among you who (was present and) saw, inform him who was absent”, here are some gems from my notes of this mubarak event.

Firstly, a bit about Imam Nawawi:

Imam Nawawi is from Syria, and is called Nawawi because he was from the village of Nawa. He was born in 1233 C.E and is an Imam of the later Shafi’i school. He was the scholar of his time, and a master of the hadith sciences in particular. He is known especially for his book Riyad as-saliheen (Gardens of the Righteous), and his Kitab Adkar (a book of invocations). He compiled his collection of Forty Hadith however, because he wanted Muslims to have access to the foundational hadiths of Islam.

The narrator of this hadith is ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet and the son of the Prophet’s paternal uncle. He was born 3 years before the  Hijrah, during the difficult time when the nascent Muslim community was being boycotted.  It was a source of hope for Muslim community to have children born in this time, and the Prophet made dua for ibn Abbas and asked Allah for knowledge and understanding of the deen for him.

The text of Hadith #19 is as follows. (translation from the SP event)

Abu al-Abbas ‘Abdullah bin Abbas (radiyallahu anhuma) reported: I was behind the Prophet  (sallallahu alayhi wasalaam) when he said: Oh young man, I will teach you some words (of wisdom). Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the whole community were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”

According to a line of transmission of other than that of al-Tirmidhi, it reads:

“Keep Allah in mind and you will find Him in front of you. Get acquainted with Allah in times of ease and He will know you in days of distress. Know that what missed you could not have hit you, and what hit you could not have missed you. Know that victory comes with patience, relief follows distress, ease follows hardship.

We see in this hadith the Prophet in the role of a father figure, as ibn Abbas is very young when this incident occurs.  There are so many images in the media of the Prophet that are not favourable, and with representations it is important to be conversant with the hadith collections of the Prophet so we are able to counter these images with knowledge.

There are two different versions of this hadith, and it is important to reflect on the meanings of these two different narrations.

We brainstormed as a class about these differences, but one key difference is in the manner that the hadith talks about divine destiny. Each hadith gives us a different understanding of destiny. This is noteworthy because qada and qadr are fascinating topics that have fascinated Muslim theologians for centuries, and in this hadith we have a couple of different glimpses of this concept.

(Refer back to the hadith of Jibril to get an explanation of Qada and Qadr)

This hadith explain  divine decree as knowing that  what has passed you by was not going to benefit you. In other words, Allah is in control of our affairs and creates means and outcomes. This does not mean that Muslims are fatalists, but that with complete and total trust in Allah, whenever difficulties/sadness occurs, we have trust in Allah although we take the means available to us.

This hadith offers encouragement, something that is a common feature of the hadiths of the Prophet. We have many examples of hadiths where the Prophet lays out appropriate behaviour and encourages believers. Rarely do you find statements where the Prophet prohibits actions and does not offer alternatives. Here for example, we see the Prophet saying be mindful, and mindfulness has its own reward.

In this hadith we are taught about proper adab (etiquette) which is that as Muslims we rely on Allah in all affairs. This means that we take the best means possible, but we leave the outcome to Allah. Supplication is a powerful tool however, and it is possible that through supplication Allah will cause our destiny to unfold in different ways. Through supplication it is possible that Allah may ward off harm or cause some benefit.  Which is why when we ask, we ask Allah.

Book recommendation: Reflections of Pearls.

What is Mindfulness?

To be truly mindful, one is cognizant and conscious. It means to respect Allah’s limits, and adhere to the sacred law and have taqwa. At the highest levels, it is to have scrupulousness, (wara’a).

Mindfulness is a covenant between us and Allah. If we remember Allah, Allah will remember us. Deeply reflected upon, this hadith acts as a balm for troubled hearts.

Verse for contemplation: Ali Imran: Verse 186 (3:186)

Patience (Part 2)

Assalamu alaykum!

As promised, here is the second part of my notes about patience. (This is from the course “Living the Quran” offered through Zaytuna Distance Ed) Still more to come…
Here are my notes insha’Allah.

Prophet Ayub his house collapsed, servants were massacred, and his cattle died, and still he was patient. Which is why there is an Arab proverb…”more patient than Ayub”

He was afflicted, and finally complained and then was relieved. When the Prophet Ayub called to his Lord and said I’ve been afflicted with all these things, complaining did not negate his patience.

Prophet Yaqub also said I complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah alone, no one else. This is something praiseworthy but we should spare people from our complaining. This is a manifestation of dignity.

There are three categories of patience.

a) Patience in obeying Allah and implementing His commandments. i.e: dealing with hardship with implementing orders. This involves maintaining our composure and dignity through hardship and difficulty and not hastening to abandon principles in light of the difficulty that comes in obeying Allah. So praying 5x a day for example, may involve difficulty because there may be jobs we cannot take b/c they will conflict with salaat. That is hardship and involves real losses. But that is patience.

2) Patience in avoiding forbidden things.

Patience is about exposing ourselves to difficulty and loss through our obedience to Allah and being patient with the hardship that comes in avoiding prohibitions.

3) Patience in calamities (ie-illness, death, storms. So one doesn’t become angry when things happen.

These are all manifestations of faith.

Patience has many virtues. Here are four.

a) Surah Nahl: V96

“We will reward those who patiently persevere We will give them their reward based on the best things they do.

So patient people, their bad actions are overlooked, average deeds are overlooked, and they are rewarded on their best deeds.

This is a manifestation of Allah’s Mercy. So if you’re in any difficulty, know that Allah knows this, and if you patiently persevere, Allah will recompense you based on the best of your actions.

Greater the patience, greater the reward.

So persevere with your dignity, persevere with your courage, patiently persevere. Keep doing with Allah tells you to do, implement the orders to the best of your ability, avoid the prohibitions and understand that Allah knows your hardship and will compensate.

b) “The patient people will be given their recompense with no reckoning”.

So the patient people~their reward is off the charts.

Imam Ghazali says in the Ihya that this has a direct bearing on the month of Ramadhan because fasting is patience.  The reward for fasting person has no numerical limits.

Hadith Qudsi: All of the actions the son of Adam does are for him, and all of these actions will be rewarded 10 to 700 times over. except fasting, That is for Me, and the reward I give to that will not be limited numerically.

More coming later..And all mistakes in notetaking are my own.

sonnet 116

One of my favourite Shaykh Hamza talks ever ever, is a lecture titled “Love has Conditions”. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it, but today I was thinking about some of the points that Shaykh Hamza makes in the talk (about how we say we love God, but don’t necessarily do the things that that love demands..and also about how we can devote more time to choosing a watermelon than to our own sajda, and the destinations of those two acts are very very different!)

To listen you can find the talks here in the Audio Section of the Zaytuna site.

(the talks are the fifth and sixth link on the page)

One of my favourite parts of the talk is when Shaykh Hamza quotes a few lines (below) from Shakespeare’s sonnet 116. I’m paraphrasing, but the point he was making is that when we say, “I love Allah but I don’t know what happened” that means our love wasn’t love in the first place.

Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

May our love and wayfaring be true insha’Allah..

Pull up your socks..(Patience part 1)

Alhamidullah, this semester I’ve been enrolled in the Zaytuna distance education class titled “Living the Quran” with Imam Zaid Shakir. Even though it’s not a live class, each session has so many beautiful gems of wisdom, that it is always a delight to listen and reflect upon Imam Zaid’s words. Often though, because I’m still thinking of a point from ages back it takes me a while to progress to the next lesson. I thought it would be helpful to share some things that I’ve found particularly useful from the course in the hopes that consolidating my notes will improve my own learning. Recently I’ve been reviewing the lesson about patience (a characteristic that I am always in need of improving) so insha’Allah that is the class I will write about first. It’s a long class so I didn’t take notes on everything, but here are some of the things Imam Zaid mentioned. (Part 2 coming soon insha’Allah)

Here I go insha’Allah..

The second lesson of the course was about patience, one of the most important Quranic themes. Imam Zaid noted that patience is a tremendous virtue, and then pointed our attention to the famous verse from Surah Asr,

“By the testimony of time, surely humanity is lost except those who believe and do righteous deeds and counsel each other with truth and counsel each other with patience.”

Imam Zaid said that if we want to live the Quran then this is the basis of living it: to have faith, and to have faith that is strengthened by the Quran. Reading the Quran increases our faith and our ability to implement its teachings. When faith grows, one is inspired to do something. This can be seen very clearly in the Prophet’s (sallahu alayhi wasalaam behaviour in Ramadhan, a time where he was more generous than he was normally at other times. And normally he was already extremely generous. And the Prophet was the most generous when he would review the Quran with the angel Jibril. At that time, the Prophet was more generous then the free blowing wind. Imam Zaid explained that this was because when the Prophet reviewed the Quran with the angel Jibril, he would come to verses about spending and his faith would be strengthened, and this strengthened faith would lead to greater and deeper implementation of faith by the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wasalaam)

Another thing that Imam Zaid reminded us of was that one of the names of Allah is as-Sabur (the exceedingly Patient). This is because God does not hasten to punish, but rather holds back and is Patient, and this is a manifestation of His Mercy. This respite gives us time to repent, reform our actions, and straighten our ways and fly straight. It also means that Allah is not moved by haste to do anything other than at its proper time (which is when it is decreed). So Allah is not moved by haste, and one of the manifestations of wisdom therefore, is to approximate this trait as much as humanly possible and be a person who is deliberate.

In addition, wisdom (hikma) can be defined as doing that which is appropriate in the way that is most appropriate and at the time that is most appropriate. This is the essence of wisdom.

The challenge for us then is to insha’Allah manifest this characteristic in our own lives. Deliberateness is from the Merciful, so we should think before we act, and hold back. We don’t have to always be so quick to say and do things. We should think about our actions, and seek to be deliberate and reflective.

Again: Allah does not hasten the term He has set for anything He has created nor does He create anything outside of the time other than the time He has decreed.

How is Patience defined?

According to Ragib Asfahani: patience is restraining the soul from the things reason and the divine law demand restraint from.

note: Our rational assessment and the divine law do not necessarily conflict.

According to Jafar (a Mutazilite scholar), sabr exists in the face of difficulty and is comprised of maintaining dignity and courage in the face of difficulty.

So dignity is about maintaining composure and self restraint, and a patient person is one that responds to life’s events with the words masha’Allah, alhamidullah and subhana’Allah, and realises that Allah doesn’t take anything except He gives something else back.

Furthermore, patient people are courageous in the face of difficulty, and don’t run away, but keep going, persevere, don’t jump ship and do the right thing.

Imam Munawi, an Egyptian scholar said that sabr is the strength to confront terrible situations even though they involve physical and/or emotional pain.

Imam Zaid then mentioned a dua that would be helpful to memorise insha’Allah:

Allahumma inni asaluka kalban shakiran wa lisanan dhakiran wa badanan ala balagi sabira

(translation: All I ask is a heart that is thankful, and a tongue that is constantly remembering You and a body that is patient in the face of trials and tribulations).

note: transliteration is from me (truthfulseeker) so may be off..

Also, patience is composure in the face of fear and anger, as well as restraining the tongue from complaining and the limbs from fidgeting (which is a manifestation of impatience.) It is also leaving off complaining in the face of tribulation (though not blameworthy to complain to God)

My favourite part of the lecture: Don’t complain to people and let people know your problems- why burden them? Once you tell them others what is going on with you, then they are now grieved and worried. If a dog bit you for example, pull up your socks and don’t complain..

Spare people and take your complaints to Allah.

best example of patience is Sayyid Ayub who complained to Allah only after ten years, and that was only because others told him too.

End of Part 1. All mistakes in notetaking are my own.

6 means to improve character..

From the SP character class with Shaykh Abdul Kareem Yahya. A class I highly recommend.

6 means to improve character

1) Sincere truthful seeking (giving your all to the endeavour, devoting all your faculties)

2) Having a firm resolve

3) Engaging in self observation, persisting in muraqba

4) Remembering Allah’s reward

5) Reading the narrations of those who possess noble qualities

6) Affecting the qualities you wish to inculcate in yourself..discipling the soul.