Monthly Archives: August 2010

A Time for Peering Inwards

29 Sunday Aug 2010

Posted by in al-Quran al-Karim, Being human, Friendship and Relationship, Love, Our Spiritual Heritage, Quranic recitation, Ramadan 2010, Reflections

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Peace, one and all…

Ramadan is a time for introspection, for looking inwards and for reflecting on what we find therein.  Perhaps this is why prayers for forgiveness are so prominent a feature of Ramadan.  As we look inside ourselves, our human weaknesses become clearer to us and hence we implore God for His Generous pardon.

To look inwards, and to ask for forgiveness, is to peer briefly behind the veil of everyday life; it is to realise that much of what we are exists beneath the surface of our workaday consciousness.  Perhaps this is one meaning of those traditions which speak of the opening of the gates of heaven during Ramadan.  The ever-present world of mercy bursts forth into our lives, as we strive to empty ourselves of our normal routines, and all of the unconscious behaviour patterns underpinning them.

Tradition also speaks of the closing of the gates of hell during this sacred month.  Our habitual patterns are interrupted, and thus we are freed from them for a time.  Shaitan is also removed from the world, so it is said.  In other words, we can peer inwards without some of the usual obstacles, insha Allah our progress will then become easier.

The Quran was first revealed during this month.  So it is that Ramadan marks the descent of revelation, when the veils between this world and the next, between God and Man, thin and light bursts forth.  And, hidden with the last part of this month, like a brilliant pearl, lies the Night of Power, Laylat al-Qadr:

May this month be blessed for all who pass by.  May God’s peace be with you all.

wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alamin.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Prayers for Ramadan, Prayers for Forgiveness (Part 1)

27 Friday Aug 2010

Posted by in In Search of God's Forgiveness, Love, Our Spiritual Heritage, Prayers of Beauty

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Peace, one and all…

Al hamdu lillahi ala kulli hal.  Praise be to God in every condition and state.  We are rapidly approaching the last 10 days of Ramadan, in which the ‘Night of Power’ (Laylat al-Qadr) is said to reside.  Here are two beautiful duas (prayers), a short prayer taught by Muhammad himself (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) and a longer prayer (which will be divided into a number of separate posts) by Abu Madyan, a famous medieval saint of the Maghreb region of North Africa (may God sanctify his noble soul).

‘O Allah!  Truly You are All-Pardoning.  You love to pardon us, so pardon us.  O Most Generous One!’

The Supplication for Forgiveness of Abu Madyan

In the Name of God I begin, with all my respect,
And all praise belongs to God, for my strength and maturity.

I seek forgiveness of God, our Lord and Creator,
for all mankind and for the evils of my [soul's] turmoil.

I seek forgiveness of God, motivator of the heavenly spheres in the darkness,
for our failure to thank Him enough for His bounties.

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Saviour of one who seeks His aid,
whenever he suffers misfortune or calamity.

I seek forgiveness of God, Forgiver of the sins of one
who comes to Him broken, humiliated and full of remorse.

I seek the forgiveness of God, Concealer of the faults of
the morally deficient and their Saviour from adversity.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my secret thoughts and overt acts,
for the fickleness of my heart and for the smile upon my lips.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my speech and my behaviour,
for my evil character, type and nature.

I will post further selections from this beautiful prayer in subsequent posts, insha Allah.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Expanding Friendship

12 Thursday Aug 2010

Posted by in Friendship and Relationship, Hazret-i Pir Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Life & Death, Love, Our Spiritual Heritage, Poetry, Shaykh Kabir Helminski

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Peace, one and all…

 

Money and real estate occupy the body.
but all the heart wants is expanding friendship.

A rose-garden without a friend is indeed a prison;
a prison with a friend becomes a rose-garden.

If the pleasure of friendship did not exist,
neither men nor women would be here.

A thorn from a friend’s garden is worth more
than a thousand cypresses and lilies.

Love sewed us securely together.
We owe nothing to the needle and thread.

If the house of the world is dark,
Love will find a way to create windows.

If the world is full of arrows and swords,
the Armorer of Love has made us coats of mail.

Love itself describes its own perfection.
Be speechless and listen.

(Mevlana, Ghazel no. 1926; source)

As

07 Saturday Aug 2010

Posted by in Kindred Spirituality, Life & Death, Love, Music

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Peace, one and all…

Here is a beautiful and profound song by Stevie Wonder.  I first started listening to Stevie Wonder’s music a long time ago.  I find that it now speaks to me in deeper ways, particularly so with this song.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy it and may your day be blessed with goodness (and your night with joy).

Stevie Wonder: As

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

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