Farewell Ramadan and a Belated Eid Mubarak

Peace, one and all…

Farewell Bright Moon of Ramadan!  May we meet again next year.  May your light come quickly to enlighten us again.  A belated eid mubarak one and all.  Kullu aam wa antum bi khayr.  Bayram sherif mubarak olsun.  In celebration, here is some beautiful music.  May all who pass by be blessed.

Imam Shushtari: They Poured Me a Cup

Sufi Music from Syria

Hasan Bitmez: Farewell Ramadan

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Sitting in the Masjid

Tags

Adhan, Allah, Christianity, God, Islam, London, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality

Peace, one and all…

Image via Wikipedia

Eid Mubarak!  My family and I have just returned from my in-laws just outside London, where we spent a lovely Eid weekend.  Praise be to God in every condition and state.  It was lovely to be able to celebrate this blessed day with family.

As Eid fell on a Friday this year, I went to the local mosque twice: once for the special Eid prayer in the morning and again for the regular Friday prayer at 1:30pm.  As I listened to the Mu’adhdhin (prayer caller) offering the adhan (the call to prayer), I had a sudden insight.  Tradition dictates that as the prayer caller recites each part of the adhan the congregation quietly repeats each phrase to themselves.  So, when he recites ‘I testify that there is no god but God’, the assembled congregation repeat the phrase to themselves. However, when the prayer caller recites ‘Come to prayer!’ and ‘Come to success!’, tradition directs us to intone: ‘there is no power or might except with God’ (la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah).

Quite why this specific phrase should be said at this specific moment has long intrigued me.  At any rate, as I was listening I had a sudden insight into why, though of course Allah knows best (Allahu A`lam).  These phrases require our active response; that is they ask us to act.  Whilst the other elements of the call to prayer ask us to affirm a metaphysical reality, these two phrases direct us to respond.  La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah is an appropriate phrase in such a context because it underlines the fact that true agency rests only with the Divine.  As human beings we only a very limited, derivative ability to act.  We possess no intrinsic power of our own, we merely borrow it from God, for a short time.  The power to do things, either good or bad, is merely lent to us.

I find this particularly important where specifically religious acts are concerned.  We are often apt to forget that our acts of religious devotion are in themselves a gift to us from God.  Moreover, we can also sometimes feel a certain sense of misplaced pride whenever we perform a supposedly ‘religious’ act: ‘look at how religious I am!’  I have certainly fallen into this trap myself in the past.  Indeed, I still do at times, I am sure.  Being reminded of my utter dependence, even as regards my ‘own’ acts, is a useful corrective to this kind of unhelpful attitude.

I am reminded of some powerful verses in the Quran, from Surah al-Insan (the Chapter of Humankind – surely an important ‘coincidence’):

‘Indeed, this is a reminder, so he who wills may take to his Lord a way.  And you do not will except that Allah wills. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise’ (77:29-30; source; see also 74:53-56 and 57:23)

Here is a beautiful example of the call to prayer, with accompanying text.

And from God comes every success.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Prayers for Ramadan, Prayers for Forgiveness (Part 3)

Peace, one and all…

Here, in the last days of Ramadan, is the final part of the beautiful prayer of Abu Madyan.  May all who pass by be blessed with Divine forgiveness, mercy and love.

The Supplication for Forgiveness of Abu Madyan (Part 3)

‘I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of letters [in the Quran] and multiplicity of
Quranic verses and aphorisms recited during invocation.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of riding animals,
worlds beyond the horizons, and landmarks in the earth.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of plants and
sheep on the land and [the amount of] bounty in the sea.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of heavenly bodies
encompassed by knowledge, and for everything that is apparent and hidden.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of [grains of] sand,
and the [amount of] rain that falls continuously on the earth.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of created things -
of human beings and jinn, of Arabs and non-Arabs.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of thoughts in
the breasts of those endowed with trust, authority, and wisdom.

I seek the forgiveness of God – all majesty be to God, our Creator,
Creator of mankind and the One who brought us forth from nothingness.

I seek the forgiveness of God – all majesty be to God, Who provided for us
prior to physical existence, and Who apportions all the shares [of worldly destiny].

I seek the forgiveness of God, Whose bounties are without number,
the All-Encompassing, the Most Excellent, [the One] noted for generosity.

I seek the forgiveness of God – all majesty be to God, Who gathers us in [at death],
the annihilator of centuries, and the annihilator of all nations.

I seek the forgiveness of God – all majesty be to God, Who resurrects us
after death, and Who gives life to decaying bones.

I seek the forgiveness of God, innumerable times,
as often as the number of known species and breaths of life.

I seek the forgiveness of God – on Him be praises without number,
[for] He causes Himself to be praised pre-eternally.

I seek the forgiveness of God, the Forgiver of sins Who, whenever
the slave disobeys, forgives him with indulgence and generosity.

So forgive me the greatest of my transgressions, and
[on] the Day of Judgement, when my feet are about to stumble,

Then may blessings be upon the Chosen One from Mudar,
the Best of Mankind, among those who weep or smile.

And may his family and companions be preserved
by our Lord, along with [all] their followers’.

Prayers for Ramadan, Prayers for Forgiveness (Part 2)

Peace, one and all…

We have entered the last 10 days of Ramadan.  If the month of Ramadan is a special time in the Islamic calendar, the last 10 days are a particularly special time within Ramadan.  Tradition connects the last 10 days with prayers for salvation from Hell.  In other words, these final days of Ramadan are especially connected with seeking forgiveness.  Here are a number of beautiful prayers, drawn from a wide range of sources, all of which offer a focus for asking for forgiveness.

I hope all who pass by find these beautiful prayers beneficial.  May God forgive us all for our sins and shortcomings.  May we all be purified by the forgiveness, compassion and tender mercy of the Divine.

‘The Chief of Forgiveness-Prayers’ (Du`a Sayyid al-Istighfar)

This prayer is attributed to the Prophet himself (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) and is described in the tradition as the best prayer for forgiveness.

‘O God!  You are my Lord.  There is no god but You.  You created me.  I am Your servant.  I shall try to fulfill my pledge with You as well as my power permits.  I seek refuge with You from the evil of my deeds.  Due to Your favours to me I turn to You and thank You and also confess my mistakes.  Forgive me, for there is none to forgive sins bu You.  O Most Merciful of those who show mercy!’

The Supplication for Forgiveness of Abu Madyan (Part 2)

I seek forgiveness of God for my words and deeds,
for my vain strivings, and the exhaustion of my abilities.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my ignorance and transgressions,
for the greatest of my conscious sins, and the minor ones I have committed.

I seek the forgiveness of God for what my hand has wrought,
for my errors and [the sins] toward which I was inclined.

I seek the forgiveness of God for that which my hand did not earn,
and for that which I earned upon attaining adulthood.

I seek the forgiveness of God for saying ‘I’ and ‘with me’,
[for saying] ‘belonging to me’ and ‘mine’, and for my suspicions and my [limited] understanding.

I seek the forgiveness of God for that which I did not know,
for that which I knew and for which I wrote by pen.

I seek the forgiveness of God for my sleep, my lethargy,
and my wakefulness, and for that which has maintained me [in life].

I seek the forgiveness of God during the day, its night,
and its morrow, before it is created from nothingness.

I seek the forgiveness of God for that which occurred during my youth,
and for my disagreements with the aged and mature.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as I have feared what He has bestowed,
and [as often as] the clouds have rained on the plains and hills.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the number of pilgrims, going
toward lands characterised by purity and sanctity.

I seek the forgiveness of God, as often as the breaking of dawn, and as often
as the doves coo their songs in the branches.

(I will share the remaining part of this long and beautiful du`a in a subsequent post, insha Allah)

The Prayer of Repentance (Du`a Tawbah)

This beautiful prayer is attributed to the 4th Imam of the Shi`a tradition, Ali ibn al-Hussain (more widely known as Imam Zayn al-Abidin, may God sanctify his noble soul).  It is beautifully recited below.  You can also find the text itself online.

Part One

Part Two

The Prayer of Glory (Du`a al-Baha’)

This prayer is attributed to the 5th Imam of the Shi`a tradition, Muhammad al-Baqir (God sanctify his noble soul).  I posted this beautiful prayer a few years ago.

In closing, let me offer this beautiful prayer of the Mevlevi Order, entitled The Rose Prayer (Gulbenk):

‘May this moment be blessed.  May goodness be opened and may evil be dispelled.  May our humble plea be accepted in the Court of Honour; May the Most Glorious God purify and fill our hearts with the Light of His Greatest Name.  May the hearts of the lovers be opened.  By the breath of our master Mevlana, by the secret of Shams and Weled, by the holy light of Muhammad, by the generosity of Imam Ali, and the intercession of Muhammad, the unlettered prophet, mercy to all the worlds.  May we say Hu, Huuu…’

And my last prayer is praise of God, the Sustainer of All Being.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

A Time for Peering Inwards

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