Underwater Zikr

Peace, one and all…

My children were a little ill (and a lot grumpy) this morning and so I went swimming by myself.  Having an hour or so to myself is a rare (and thus slightly guilty) pleasure, but one I received gratefully.  Allah ka shukr hai!  An old lady asked me today where my children were, and I experienced the warm pleasure of being identified as their father.  It was also nice to be treated as an akcnolwedged and expected member of the community.  We’ve arrived at last!

I enjoyed the swim, as it was an opportunity to stretch my legs and leave behind the week’s stresses and strains (if only for a short while).  As I was swimming, I was struck by just how similar life (and especially life on the path) is.  As youngsters, we struggle with learning to swim and navigate our way through life’s waters.  When we reach adulthood, it becomes increasingly difficult to find time for ourselves, and thus we merely skim the surface.  Our true task is to dive beneath the surface and fall into the silent, watery depths. 

I had a rare moment of peace whilst I was underwater.  As a eager, though inexpert, poet I often refer to water as a metaphor for losing yourself in God.  Today though, I was struck by the physicality of floating underwater.  For a brief moment, I was merely a drop lost in the sea.  Unusually, this didn’t scare me.  More comically, perhaps, I tried a little bit of underwater zikr!  I found it a very unusual (and necessarily brief) experience. 

Update: the more I read this post, the more it reminds me of a George Clinton (Funkadelic/Parliament) song Aqua Boogie.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Muslim Chaplaincy: Some Quranic Reflections

Peace, one and all…

As regular readers will know, I’m currently training to be a Muslim Chaplain.  In one of our recent sessions, we were given a number of useful verses from the Quran regarding forgiveness.  As these ayat are important, I thought I’d share them with the wider world (with the added ‘bonus’ of my own reflections).

‘The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers.  And fear God that you may receive mercy’ (Surah al-Hujurat 49:10)

One of the most important roles of a Muslim Chaplain is to help mend and strengthen relationships.  This verse speaks of relationship in a direct and personal sense.  Firstly, as Muslims, we need to strengthen our relationships with each other.  Secondly, the key to achieving this is fear of God (or taqwa).  By developing our consciousness of God (that is, by strengthening our relationship with Him) we grow more worthy of mercy.  Indeed, God-consciousness is that mercy.  As a Muslim Chaplain, I must help others achieve this: with themselves, with others and with God.  By doing this, insha Allah, I too can draw closer.  There cannot be any separation: we are all related.

‘Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of God.  Indeed, God forgives all sins.  Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful’ (Surah al-Zumar 39:53)

This ayah also speaks about relationships.  One of the worst consequences of sin is that feeling of worthlessness, the idea that we have gone too far beyond to be forgiven by God.  Of course, this is an entirely natural response (and one I’ve felt many, many times), but when taken to extremes can prevent us from returning to the Source.  That is, sin is like a veil, which we draw over our eyes in moments of human weakness.  In this verse, God reaches out to us, in the very worst of our spiritual states, with a message of redemption and hope: do not despair, seek forgiveness.  The Chaplain’s task here is thus to become a kind of channel of this mercy, an instrument by which the Beloved caresses His lost one.

‘He said, ‘My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him.  Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful’ (Surah al-Qasas 28:16)

This verse refers to God’s forgiving Moses (alayhi al-salam) for his murder of the Egyptian slave-driver.  This beautiful ayat suggests many things to me.  Firstly, it is a message of hope.  All those who repent sincerely will have their repentance accepted.  Secondly, seeking repentance only requires sincerity and needs no great litany of woe.  That is, offering long and intricate prayers means nothing if it is not matched by the inner truth of regret and sorrow.  Thirdly, God’s forgiveness was swift: as soon as we repent it truth, we are forgiven.  This is a powerful message and it seems to me, really sums up the whole purpose of being a Muslim Chaplain.  If you’re not striving to help others (and thus yourself) repair relationships with God, then what purpose do you serve?

‘And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate’ (Surah al-Buruj 85:14)

Not only is God forgiving, He is also Loving and Affectionate.  That is, Allah actively seeks us out with His Love and mercy, we have but to respond.

‘And say, ‘My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful’ (Surah al-Mu’minun 23:118)

And with that, let’s draw these reflections to a close.

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Exploring the Quran: Surah 1:1

Peace, one and all…

‘My Lord, expand for me my breast, and ease for me my task, and untie the knot from my tongue’ (Surah Taha 20:25-27) 

In a recent post, I expressed my intention to travel through the Quran.  This post marks an attempt to cross over the threshold, so to speak, by looking at the beginning of Surah al-Fatihah, the Basmala.

Before we proceed, let me take a moment to consider motivations.  The Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said:

 “Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.”

Ya Allah!  Let this journey through Your noble book begin and end with the best of intentions.  Let this deed of mine spring from my Love of You and my desire to worship You.  Ya Allah!  Forgive me for the arrogance of my heart and purify me of any false or unworthy motivations.  Ya Allah!  Rabbi Zidni Ilma

Surah al-Fatihah: Some General Remarks

Surah al-Fatihah (‘The Chapter of Opening’) is one of the most important chapters in the entire Quran and as such, is known by a number of different names.  Imam Ahmad records a hadith from Abu Hurayrah, in which the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) is reported to have said:

‘It [Surah al-Fatihah] is Umm al-Quran, the seven repeated (verses) and the Glorious Quran’ (Ahmad 2:448).

Al-Tabari records a very similar hadith, again from Abu Hurayrah, in which the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) is reported to have said:

‘It is Umm al-Quran, the Opener of the Quran and the seven repeated (verses)’ (al-Tabari 1:107)

The significance of this opening chapter is such that it forms an integral part of the prayer (salat or namaz).  Within the Hanafi School of Law, as I understand things (please note, I am no faqih), failing to recite al-Fatihah does not render the prayer invalid as such, though it is necessary to repeat it (except where someone remembers before the end of the salat and offers two prostrations of forgetfulness).

At any rate, al-Fatihah is an absolutely fundamental part of prayer.  Insha Allah, in later posts in this series we will look more closely at why this is so.  In other words, we will look more closely at the content of the chapter and its meaning.  Before we can do this, however, we need first to explore the beginning of the beginning, or the opening of the opening: the basmala.

What is the Basmala?

Simply put, the basmala is repeating the phrase Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim (‘In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful’).  Its intent, amongst other things, is to focus the attention on the act being performed; to tranform that act from something mundane to something sacred.  That is, saying bismillah with sincerity of heart transforms any act into an act of worship.

As we saw above, the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) said, ‘Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended…’.  In this context, when we attempt to engage in an act of worship, we must first strive to make sure that it is actually for God (Glorified and Exalted).  That is why, before reciting the Quran, a Muslim must first say ‘I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan’ (a’udhoo billahi min al-shaitan al-rajeem).  So, before I go any further let me take a quiet moment to repeat this to myself…

Interacting With The Text

‘In the Name of God…’.  Firstly, the Quran is God’s Word, revealed in His Name.  It also directs our attention to this salient fact, reminding us of the care required with things holy and sacred.  In this sense, I suppose, it acts as a statement of intent: of God’s intent in declaring His Truth to the world, as well as my own in the things I strive to do.  The Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) had much to say regarding this phrase.  Shaykh Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahmatullahi alaih) records a hadith in which the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) said:

‘There is no valid ablution for he who did not mention Allah’s Name in it’ (Ahmad 3:41)

Although this is not to enter debates of fiqh (which I am not qualified to engage in), merely to point to the significance of saying bismillah.  The Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) also said:

‘Say Bismillah with your right hand and eat from whatever is next to you’ (Muslim 3:1600)

And elsewhere, he is recorded as saying (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam):

‘If anyone of you before having sexual relations with his wife says, ‘In the Name of Allah.  O Allah!  Protect us form Satan and also protect what you grant us from Satan’ and if it is destined that should have a child then, Satan will never be able to harm that child’ (Muslim 2:1058)

Thus even seemingly mundane actions can be transformed into worship through these means.  On a deeper level, then, saying bismillah is thus to connect with the Source, the Centre, and to make that deed holy (or set apart).  I’ve posted short articles on the Names of God elsewhere.  You can find a short introduction to the Name Allah and one on al-Rahman.  You can find more on al-Rahim in the pages of the Threshold Society (as you can on all the Beautiful Names).

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman