Jahan e Khusrau's magic Sufi music | Music | guardian.co.uk

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Imam Salim Chishti
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Without Fatima Zahra (A.S.) there is no Islam

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Imam Salim Chishti

Holy Family

From ABNA.co

Without Fatima Zahra (A.S.) there is no Islam.

BIRTH
Fatima, was a special person even before she was born because she was conceived from the fruits of paradise. The Prophet (S.A.W) says:
“that before she was conceived the Arch-Angel Gabriel came down from the heavens with a plate containing a cluster of dates and a bunch of grapes ordering me to eat them. After I ate them I was ordered to go to Khadija and thus Fatima was conceived from the fruits of paradise.”
Khadija was now pregnant with Fatima and as she says, it was an easy pregnancy because the embryo would speak to her from inside her womb. Khadija did not inform the Prophet about this miraculous occurrence, but one-day when she was home alone, he found Khadija speaking to
someone. He inquired as to whom she was speaking to, she replied, “That which is in my womb, surely it speaks to me”. The Prophet then cheerfully said, “Rejoice Khadija, for this is the girl whom Allah has made to be the mother of eleven of my successors who will come after me and after their
father”.
So for the duration of the pregnancy, Fatima was comforting her mother who had been deserted by the women of Quraysh because she married the poor orphan, Mohammad.
When Fatima’s delivery came near, Khadija sent for the qurayshi midwives, who still refused to help her. But by the grace of Allah, four of the most beautiful women came to help her in this time of need, as she says, “When Fatima’s delivery came near, I sent for the qurayshi midwives who refused to help me because of Mohammad. During childbirth four ladies whose beauty ad brilliance were indescribable entered the house, each one began to introduce herself. The first one said, “I am your mother Eve”. The second one said, “I am Asiya bint Muzahim, Firauns wife”. The third one said, “I am Kulthum Musa’s sister”, and the fourth one said, “I am Mariam bint Imran, Isa’s mother, we have come to deliver your child”.
So with the help of these heavenly ladies, Fatima was delivered. She was born on the 20th Jamadi al-Akhir. She fell to the ground in the position of prostration and the brightness and brilliance of her face illuminated the skies from east to west, and for this reason she was named “Al-Zahra”,
lady of light. Al-Zahra is known by nine names, such as Fatima. She was named Fatima because she and her followers are protected from hell. She is also Al-Siddiqa meaning she is a woman who has scrupulous honesty and sincerity, believing in the commands of Allah and his Prophet, never
doubting for one moment. She is also Al-Mubaraka, which means the blessed one because abundant blessings originated from her, such as the necklace that fed a hungry man, satisfied a poor man and freed a slave.
Jabir bin Abdullah Al-Ansari relates that an old man weak from hunger came to the Prophet and asked to be fed and clothed. The Prophet did not have anything to give him so he sent him to Fatima’s house. When he arrived he asked the same of her, so she gave him a necklace. He took the necklace and went to the mosque and showed the Prophet. The Prophet said, “sell it for Allah will grant you a solution to your problems because it was given to you by the Mistress of All Women. Meanwhile Ammar bin Yasir asked the Prophet if he had permission to buy it. The Prophet gave him permission so Ammar paid generously for it, then he gave the necklace to Sahim, his slave and said give it to the Prophet and tell him that I give you to him also. The Prophet said to the slave, take this necklace and give it to Fatima and tell her that I gave you to her. When the slave reached Fatima, she took the necklace and told the slave that he was free. Upon hearing this the slave laughed. Fatima asked him the reason that made him laugh. He answered: “I smiled when I thought of the abundance put in this necklace, it fed a hungry man, freed a slave and returned to its original owner.
We now understand why she was Mubaraka. Some other names she is known by, are Al-Tahera, meaning she was virtuous and pure, cleansed from all sin, and she was Al-Batool, meaning she was chaste and pure, safeguarded from menstruation and childbirth bleeding. She is also Al-Zakiya, meaning the chaste and Al-Radhiyah, the satisfied or gratified one, and of course Al-Mardhiya which means she who pleases Allah.

FATHER AND DAUGHTER
Prophet Mohammad and his daughter had an extremely powerful relationship. Even Ayisha, the Prophets wife has spoken about the strong relationship between Mohammad (SAW) and Fatima; “Never have I seen anyone like the Messenger of Allah, in his solemn way of standing and
sitting, more than Fatima, may Allah grant her more honor. When she came to see him, he would rise to his feet, take her hand, kiss her, and seat her where he was seated. And when he came in to see her, she would stand up, kiss his feet, kiss him, and seat him where she was seated”.
Aiyisha has also said: “Never have I seen anyone resembling the Prophet of Allah, in his way of speaking and talking, better than Fatima”.
When people threw rocks at the Prophet of Allah, it was Fatima that came and cleaned and helped. And as much as Fatima loved the Prophet, he loved her back.

IMPORTANCE OF FATIMA
Without Fatima Zahra there is no Islam, because Fatima is our model. She sets an example and we have to follow it as much as possible. She is the most important lady on this universe and shall always be.
When we wear our hijab we should be proud because we are copying Fatima, who after all is the Mistress of All Women. When we help others and give charity we again should be proud because we are doing as Fatima would have done. An example of her generosity is when on her wedding
day, a poor lady came and asked for some clothes. Fatima had only two dresses, the new one that she was going to wear on the wedding and an old one.
Fatima gave her new wedding dress instead of the old one. Fatima Zahra is, and should be the inspiration of all women and should be emulated. She was exactly like her father, Prophet Mohammad, and we too should strive to at least be like her. We should learn from her honesty, modesty and loyalty.

HER MOTHERS DEATH
When Fatima reached seven years old, a tragedy occurred in her life. Her dear mother, Lady Khadija had passed away. It brought sadness to her heart. During Khadija’s last days the Prophet said to her: “What you are encountering is because of us Khadija; when you meet your peers send my salams to them!” “Who are they O Prophet of Allah?” Khadija asked. “Mariam bint Imran, Kulthum, Musas sister, and Asiya, Pharaoh’s wife”, he answered. She then said, “May you live in harmony and have son O Prophet of Allah”.
Asma bint Umais once witnessed Lady Khadija crying and so she asked, “Why are you crying while you are the Prophet’s wife, and you will enter paradise as he has said?” “I am not crying (for fear of death), rather, I am crying because every woman needs a close friend on her wedding night to tell her secrets and to help her in certain issues, and Fatima is still very young and I am afraid that she will be alone on her wedding night”.
Asma replied, “O mistress, I vow to you, by Allah, that if I am alive then, I will take you place…”
At the age of 63 Lady Khadija died. Deep sadness appeared in the Prophet’s heart, and not long after, his uncle Abu Talib died. The year in which his wife and uncle died was called “The year of sorrow”.
When Khadija died it was a disaster to the Prophet. Not only because she was his wife, but also because she was the first one to believe that he was the Messenger of God, and also because she supported him by sharing her property for the sake of Islam.
When they buried Khadija at Houjoun, the Prophet stepped into her grave and blessed it. Fatima then asked her father, “Messenger of Allah, where is my mother?”
The Prophet avoided Fatima’s question. Fatima looked around for someone so she could ask for her mother! At that moment Gabriel gave the following order to the Prophet, “Your Lord commands you to inform Fatima that He sends his blessing upon her and says: Your mother is in a
house of brocad, its corners are made from gold, anitpoles are made from rubies. It is located between Asiya and Mariam bint Imran’s houses.”
Fatima replied, “Surely Allah is As-Salam, and peace is from him and to him.”

FATIMA’S MARRIAGE
When Fatima reached the age of nine, she was fully mature.
Abu Bakr and Umar were one of the people, who asked for her hand, but the Prophet rejected them and he ignored Abdarrahman ibne Awf’s proposal.
Umar and Abu Bakr then sent their daughters to the Prophet, so that he can give them Fatima in marriage, but he again refused saying, “No! No! not until Allah’s command comes in her regard.”
When Imam Ali approached the Prophet to ask for the hand of Fatima. The Prophet went in to ask Fatima as to her decision, but she was silent. Her silence was her approval.

FATIMA’S CHILDREN
Fatima had four children from her union with Imam Ali. The eldest was Imam Hasan who was born on the 15th of Ramadhan. When Imam Hasan was born, the Prophet asked his Aunt Sofia to bring him the newborn child. She said, “We have not cleansed him yet.” When the Prophet heard her say that he immediately said, “You clean him? Surely Allah the Exalted has cleaned and purified him.”
Gabriel came to the Prophet, along with many other angels, in order to congratulate him. He also told him that he was ordered by Allah to name him after Prophet Haroun’s second son.
Fatima and Ali’s second child was born, Imam Husain, was born on the 3rd of Shaban. Lady Zaynab was born on the 5th Jamadi Awal, and she was the third child born to Fatima and Ali. Lady Um Kulthum was the fourth child born in this union.

AFTER THE PROPHET
Eight days after the Prophet’s death Fatima went to the Mosque while crying she said, “Oh! Father; Oh! My sincere friend; Oh! Mohammad; Oh! Abu Al-Qasim; Oh! The helper of the widowed and the orphans; who do we have for the Kaaba and the Mosque and who does your saddened and grieved daughter have?”
Fatima then walked to the tomb of the Prophet; she had difficulties walking, as she could not see that well because her tears covered her eyes. Fatima was not to live for much longer after her father.

HER DEATH
Fatima was in her house when Umar and his men were trying to get inside. As the door was breaking, there would not be enough time for her to go and get her scarf, so she stood behind the door. Umar pushed the door open and the handle hit Fatima’s stomach. She was pregnant with her baby Mohsin, which died instantly, and she a few months later also passed away as a result of the injuries caused to her by the door. Her death was on 3rd Jamadi Thani, 11 (a.h.) . She was only eighteen years old when she died.
Compiled by: Zahra and Zeinab Al Hameem

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William C. Chittick, Ph.D.: Sufism and the Path of Love

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Imam Salim Chishti

In My Opnion

This is an interesting article by one of the pre-eminent western scholars of Sufism today. He deals with a subject that is, in my opinion, far too ineffable to really do justice to it in this kind of venue. But a valiant attempt nonetheless. To me, this kind of thing cannot be taught by book learning or over the internet, except in the most dry, academic sort of way. The real thing must be experienced to be fully understood, and that requires a different kind of work.

Witness to this are two of the comments that were posted at the time I posted this. One commenter wishes that Chittick’s book were available for Kindle or audible books because of his own need for large print or audible books. In reality he needs neither of these but rather needs simply to spend a weekend in retreat with the Sufis. The second is a person who simply talks about his own experiences in retreat, and I understand his comment and appreciate it.

The third responds in my opinion in confusion. Without knowing the full hadith which Chittick calls “a famous saying” he misses the point – the fault of which is that this medium is not that suitable for these teachings. And especially when western authors water down the message by not making the point of where their information really comes from. Has it gotten to the point where people are afraid to admit wisdom, love and understanding as a part of Islam? In reality these are the core teachings and the heart of what we call Sufism nowadays. But worth reading for sure!

Sufism and the Path of Love

by William C. Chittick, Ph.D.

published in the Huffington Post

via William C. Chittick, Ph.D.: Sufism and the Path of Love.

Before modern times, sharia-mindedness played a much more limited role among Muslims than it does today. No doubt jurists devoted a great deal of effort to writing books on the fine points of law, and theologians dedicated their lives to investigating the mysteries of the divine nature. But these were the pursuits of scholars who often had little or no influence on the lived Islam of the people.

Those who asked questions about the meaning of life or felt the call of love for God did not seek guidance from jurists or theologians. Instead, they turned to teachers experienced in matters of the spirit. These teachers were called by a variety of names, “Sufi” being one of many. They were usually deeply learned in both jurisprudence and theology, but they considered these the groundwork for the real task of becoming fully human. From around the 11th century, many of these teachers reached out to vast audiences through poetry. The best known examples remain Ibn al-Farid in Arabic, Rumi and Attar in Persian and Yunus Emre in Turkish.

During the same period there was a flowering of prose works on love. One of the most influential authors in the Persianate lands was a man by the name of Ahmad Sam’ani, who died in 1140, 65 years before the birth of Rumi. He was a member of an eminent family of scholars from Merv, a great cosmopolitan city in Central Asia. Unlike some of his more famous relatives, he wrote only one book, a 600-page discourse on the 99 most beautiful names of God. During his own lifetime he was known as an eloquent preacher.

Sam’ani explains that God is motivated by love and compassion in everything he does. No matter which of the divine names we take as a starting point for meditation, we will find that it serves the purposes of love. This includes not only gentle names like merciful and forgiving, but also awe-inspiring names like severe and avenger.

Along with others who wrote on the same topic, Sam’ani understood love as an immediate corollary of tawhīd. God, in his absolute unity, embraces an infinity of possibilities. He desired to make these manifest: “I loved to be recognized,” as the famous saying puts it, “so I created the creatures that they might recognize Me.” Otherwise, why bother with creation?

On the human side, recognizing God’s merciful self-manifestation stirs up love for him. Since he alone is real, love for anything else is ephemeral and unreal. In any case, people cannot avoid love. They are full of desires, wants, wishes, loves, passions, cravings (as the consumer society knows so well). Created in the image of a loving God, they cannot not love. Their problem is that they cannot see beyond their noses.

Settling down in love depends upon achieving recognition of the One, because nothing can satisfy unlimited craving but the Infinite. Self-centeredness, however, makes love for fellow humans impossible, much less love for God. As Rumi said, the ego is “the mother of all idols,” the greatest obstacle to love.

Sam’ani’s book aimed at awakening people to beauty and alerting them to their innate love for God. Theologians could offer creeds, jurists could tell people what to do and what not to do, but all this was dry and stultifying if not leavened by love. In contrast, Sam’ani offered delicious prose mixed with occasional poetry, a fine sense of humor and wonderful anecdotes, in many ways prefiguring Rumi. Here is a typical passage from his book, urging readers to see through their own illusions and to engage in the really difficult task of overcoming the self:

Ash’ath the Covetous was passing by a tray-maker’s shop. He said, “Make these trays you’re making bigger. Maybe someone will give me something on one of them.” Here you have your own breast full of wishes, your own worthless heart! It is said that there were 360 idols placed in the Kaabah. If all the accountants in the world came to record the number of idols in your breast, they would be not be able to do so. In our times it is not necessary for Azar to carve idols, for everywhere in the world there’s someone with unwashed face, an Azari idol in his breast. “The ego is the greatest idol.” In the city a Zoroastrian is walking and wearing his cap, and you are walking with the turban of tawhīd on top of your head and a fanciful notion of tawhīd inside it. If turban and robe make someone a Muslim, then bravo, O leader of the sincerely truthful! And if “Zoroastrianism” means to attach your heart to two, well, you know what needs to be done. In short, know that nothing is given out on the basis of talk! Abu’l-Qasim Mudhakkir lived in Naishapur, though he was originally from Merv. He was a sweet-tongued preacher. Once he was holding a session and saying fine words. A man stood up and said, “If the work is done with talk, you have gone to the place of honor. But if this pot needs some seasoning, then you can’t settle down on the basis of words.” There was a singer who used to go to the home of a nobleman. Whenever he sang a song, the nobleman would say, “Bravo!” He would sing another song and again he would say, “Bravo!” The singer was also a poet. One day he said,Every time I sing, you say, “Bravo, sing another!”
But bravo doesn’t buy me any flour.

In the bazaar, you can’t buy anything with “Well done!” They want pure gold and unalloyed silver.

O respected man! In this road they want a burnt liver, they want a heart full of pain, they want footsteps with truthfulness, they want a spirit with love, they want togetherness without dispersion. If you have the hard cash, then the work is yours.

Indeed, the first trial you face is the trial of your own being. Gather this being and hand it back to the Sultan of tawhīd so that he may destroy it, for nothing can bring together a dispersed man except tawhīd. Tawhīd is assaying: discarding the specious temporal and selecting the authentically eternal.

Everyone in the world is attached to giving one and taking two. Those who follow this path are attached to giving all and taking one.

William Chittick is the author of many books on Sufism and Islam among them is Sufism: A Beginner’s Guide


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An artist's view of the Quran – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Imam Salim Chishti

The Word of God: Sandow Birk's American Quran" juxtaposes with its English translation and supporting artwork.Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11103/1138828-437.stm#ixzz1JOFiCNHG

A wonderful review of what seems to be a very good and unusual art exhibit. Also, be sure to read down through the review to the description of 30 days, 30 Mosques which is a story of two people traveling around the US during Ramadhan. That also is worth a serious look.

via An artist’s view of the Quran.

An artist’s view of the Quran

Art review

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
By Mary Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Long before an attention-seeking Florida pastor publicly burned Islam’s holy book, artist Sandow Birk began wondering about the contents of the Quran, so much in the news after the Sept. 11 attacks but little known in Western culture.

The Florida incident generated violent response half-way around the world. Mr. Birk’s musings generated an ongoing project to copy all of the book’s chapters and surround them with paintings.

After the wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq, there was “so much American debate about Islam — how threatening is it?” he said. He went to a bookstore and bought four English versions of the Quran and began to read them.

Mr. Birk, who grew up in Los Angeles, has been a lifelong surfer and has followed the waves across the world, including along the coasts of countries with large Muslim populations such as Morocco, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. During surfing trips, he investigated the culture, ate the food, toured the architecture including mosques, and heard the call to prayer.

“Public debate in the U.S. about Islam wasn’t really reconciling with my experience of it,” Mr. Birk said.

Five years ago, he began a series of paintings that combine the hand-written words of the Quran with gouache paintings of scenes from contemporary American life. Works completed as of December are in the exhibition “The Word of God: Sandow Birk’s American Qur’an” at The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side. A related symposium, ecumenical event and opening reception for an Islamic art exhibition at Michael Berger Gallery will take place this weekend.

Born in Ohio to Presbyterian parents but not brought up in a religious tradition, Mr. Birk doesn’t ascribe to a particular belief. But the exploration of religion is not new to him. Earlier he spent five years creating works based upon “The Divine Comedy.”

“I was completely immersed in Dante and Catholicism, and discovered things new to me [about that religion] as well.” But by the completion “I was really kind of done with it.”

Now he’s moved to an even longer commitment. There are 114 chapters, or Suras, in the Quran and five years in he is about half-way done. He considers each chapter a separate artwork which, depending upon length of the text, may comprise between two and eight paintings.

The paintings remind of Persian miniatures and of Christian illuminated manuscripts, having a delicacy and refinement of image centered with panels containing the words of Mohammed. Border designs and text spacers are based upon those that appear in historic Qurans.

But these works have a contemporary jolt provided by the images juxtaposed with the text. These are drawn from everyday life — a tractor trailer fills one page, a wedding another — and Mr. Birk’s experiences in particular, such as an underwater scene with scuba divers. The artist is also known for social critique, which seeps in as floating bodies left in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina or Hispanic shoppers at a mini-mart painted with the image of Our Lady of Guadelupe.

Response to Mr. Birk’s work by Muslims has been positive, he said. When some of the early paintings were exhibited in New York City, groups of Muslims visited as word got around. Before a similar show opened in Los Angeles, elders of a local mosque were “outraged,” he said, but added that they hadn’t personally seen the work.

“Once it was up, they were OK.”

Mr. Birk said of the project, “I erased from my head everything I knew and approached it like a blank slate. If this is God sending a message, how do I read it in California today? God sent the rain down from the sky so we have food to eat. I get food from the supermarket. I didn’t experience the story of Noah’s ark, but I remember Katrina and New Orleans.

“The work is not illustration. It’s not didactic. It’s more like metaphor.”

Asked about the apparent parallels to Christian biblical stories, Mr. Birk agreed.

“Absolutely. The remarkable thing is it’s so familiar. You read it and you think ‘What’s the problem here?’ It’s Noah’s ark and Moses parting the Red Sea. That’s the first thing you notice — it’s very familiar.”

That may be the major lesson of Mr. Birk’s work and exhibition, something reflected in a related program at The Warhol last week, “The Word of God: Voices — 30 Mosques in 30 Days: Tales From an American Ramadan Road Trip.”

Brooklyn-based Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq traveled to 30 mosques in 30 states during the 30 days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan last year. When they recounted parts of their trip with stories, photographs and video, the overall tone was travels across the U.S., not a culturally exotic exercise (www.30mosques.com).

“We don’t see ourselves as activists,” Mr. Ali said. “We’re interested in telling authentic stories about Muslims in America.”

Tom Sokolowski, former director of The Warhol, summed it up with the comment that they could have been visiting Christian or Jewish sites. Overall, the experience was Americana.

“Commonality” is the word used by Tresa Varner, museum staff member and co-curator of the Word of God series, the intent of which is to “create a place where we can reflect on religion in our lives.”

Mr. Birk’s exhibition is the first in a five-part Word of God series this year at The Warhol that explores the texts of major faiths through the eyes of contemporary artists. The exhibitions will be supplemented by programming to complement each by expanded discussion.

“Each artist will be presenting their conceptual focus on these texts,” Ms. Varner said. “Sandow Birk is not Muslim. He’s just meditating on his interpretation of the Quran. Helene Ayon [the next artist to be featured] was raised in a strict Orthodox Jewish family but is also a feminist. Max Gimblett is a practicing Zen Buddhist.”

The remainder of the series will be: “The Word of God: Helene Aylon’s The Liberation of G-d and The Unmentionable,” May 8-June 26; “The Word of God: Chitra Ganesh,” concerning Hindu myth and goddesses, July 9-Sept. 4; “The Word of God: Max Gimblett, Budd­hanature,” Sept. 17-Nov. 27; and “Word of God: Jeffery Valance,” who created his own Bible, Dec. 3-Feb. 12.

“I’ve never read the Quran,” Ms. Varner said. “I don’t know much about Islam. This is as close as I’m ever going to get to the sacred text, to ask what are the connections between this and the text I was raised in.

“In the ongoing sensitive and factious debate between cultures, dialogue is the key.”

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YouTube – Stairway to Heaven – an excerpt

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Imam Salim Chishti

A remarkable story about the rebirth of Islamic art and culture coming out of a great tragedy.

YouTube – Stairway to Heaven – an excerpt.

In 1969, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem was attacked by a fanatic, and in the blaze that followed, one of the world’s most precious works of art, the minbar of Saladin, originally installed in 1187, was destroyed. This is an excerpt from the film, made by The Prince’s Charities, which tells of the reconstruction of the minbar with the help of HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH Prince Ghazi of Jordan.
Narrated by Kenneth Branagh. To find out more about The Prince’s Charities visit: www.princescharities.org

Apologies to Led Zeppelin fans this is not that stairway to heaven.

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