A quote from the Mathnavi

Click image to enlarge.

Eid Mubarak!!!

I would like to use this post to extend Eid-ul-Adha Greetings to all members of the Muslim community worldwide. On this occasion that we commemorate the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail (may Allah be pleased with them), may Allah also accept our sacrifices also, Ameen.

The Mightiest Lie Clip 3

Another clip from the DVD.

The Mightiest Lie Clip 2

Another clip from the DVD.

The Mightiest Lie Clip 1

This is a clip from, "The Mightiest Lie"

The Mightiest Lie Ever Sold

The mightiest lie ever sold is a DVD released by the International Quranic Open University as a rebuttal to the accusations of Sheikh Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani's involvement in the kidnapping of reporter Daniel Pearl (Made into a 2007 movie 'A Mighty Heart'). The DVD also exposes who is really behind the 9-11 World Trade Center tregedy that was pinned to 'Muslim Terrorists'. This DVD is an absolute MUST HAVE for all those who seek the truth.

The DVD can be purchased here.

"Tazeem" or Honouring the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s), an old thread.

A year or two ago, I decided to take on a bunch of wahabbis who were spreading falsehood about sending Darud and Salaam upon Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w.s). A quite interesting exchange took place (you can view the original thread here, look for posts made by "Sufi", that's me!). After reading the responses to my posts, i felt really disenchanted and as if i completely wasted my time.

Then the other day i received a Private Message from someone, that basically read "I read your posts on Tazeem, they were wonderful. Pay no attention to those guys, they're narrow minded".

That message made me feel great, and rekindled an energy in me. That is partly responsible for me creating this blog. Anyway, here's the posts i made:

First post

Love for Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) is a very remarkable thing. If Nabi Muhammed (s.a.w.s) spat, his blessed saliva would surely land on one of the hands of his
noble companions (may allah bless them all). When he made wudhu, they would busy themselves in collecting the wastewater. If a hair fell from his (s.a.w.s) blessed beard, most assuredly it would be caught before it fell to the ground. Such was the love that the holy companions had for Allah's beloved Prophet (s.a.w.s). Such loyalty to a ruler has never before been seen, and will never be seen again. It is this love that granted them almost 'superhuman' abilities on and off the battlefield. It is this love that caused the few at Badr to defeat the much larger horde of the kufar. These blessed companions taught us how to live, and how to depart from this world.
From since the time of Rasulallah (s.a.w.s), the kufar realized that the muslims' love for their Prophet (s.a.w.s) was their deadliest weapon. To this day they still know it. From since that time until now, they have attempted to completely eradicate love for Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) from Islam. They cut down trees that he planted with his (s.a.w.s) own blessed hands and defaced and destroyed the grave sites of great lovers of Rasulallah (s.a.w.s). When the kufar managed to remove love for Rasulallah (s.a.w.s)
from, great Islamic empires built with the help of this weapon crumbled (Spain, Ottoman Turks).
Nowadays, so called 'muslim leaders' are preoccupied in building large palaces and owning luxurious private jets. This is not the way of Rasulallah
(s.a.w.s). He (s.a.w.s) was a humble man of very simple means. He made
sure that his last bit of wealth was distributed to the poor before he departed from this world.
So successful was the kufar's mission to destroy the muslims' supreme weapon, that to this day we find 'Muslims' labelling Darood Salaam,
Milad-un-Nabee and other spiritually fortifying practices as shirk and bidah.
They say that those who carry out these practices are misguided, when truly they are the ones who have been hoodwinked by the elaborate schemes of kufar.
Thankfully, the kufar have not managed to completely destroy those who love Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) and one day Inshaallah, the lovers of Muhammed
(s.a.w.s) with the permission of Allah will restore Islam to it's former glory.

Second Post

Firstly i would like to begin with a brief history lesson in the form of a quote from Johann Hari's article in the independant UK about Wahhabism.

"The champion of globalization is in fact a puritanical desert-nomad from the sands of Arabia who died in 1792, and the evidence was there in this week’s Islamic panic front pages. Mohamed ibn Abd al-Wahhab had a dream. He dreamed of an Islam stripped down to a cold list of mechanical rules, strictly enforced, severely upheld. He ordered whippings and beheadings of Muslims to “purify” the faith. He smashed up and burned down the worship places of the softer, more mystical Muslims all around him. And - his smartest move - he cut a deal. He met the chief of the desert bandits who lived in nearby Najd - a man named Mohamed Saud - and offered him his allegiance, in return for enforcing his severe, new brand of Islam. The Saud ruling family and the Wahhabi doctrine have been locked in a stiff waltz ever since.
More than two centuries later, oil was discovered under the territory of these bandits, and billions of dollars began to soak into the kingdom. True to their ancestor’s deal, the House of Saud used this black gold to promote the ideas of Wahhab across the world. By paying for thousands of schools, mosques and trained imams, they dispersed the reactionary preacher’s ideas to every continent. Slowly, steadily, they are succeeding in eroding other, gentler forms of Islam."

Though i disagree with the author on the point that Abd-al-Wahhab destroyed "places of worship" (They did not worship at grave sites, they paid due respects to the departed"), this quote essentially encapsulates the origin and the mission of Wahhabism. However i would like to go into a little further detail of this "Hero of Islam"'s campaign against true Islam. In his campaign of "purification" trees that Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) planted were cut down and graves of Ahle bait and companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.s) were destroyed. Even some of the graves of great Mystics were turned into latrines. If you visit Saudi Arabia today, you would see that the house where Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) was born is boarded up and surrounded by public restrooms. Astaghfirallah.

Anyways, back to what i was posting for. In the time after the departure of
Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) from this physical world, practices which are considered "bidah" and "shirk" today by many muslims, thanks to the efforts of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab were very much a normal part of Islam. Even up until fairly recently right here in Trinidad, celebration of Eid ul Milad un Nabee and Tazeem were very common and unquestioned practices. Now muslims go to Saudi Arabia, were they are conditioned and made into wahhabbi scholars, return to their homeland, where true Islam is practiced they disperse their doctrine and taint the practices that have been practiced for generations, that come from the Ahle bait themselves.
This is what is happening in Trinidad and many other parts of the world.

Regarding Tazeem being shirk, how can showing respect for, not worshipping, Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) be haraam? We do not bow down to him and say "Ya Rabb-ul-Alameen". Rather we show utmost respect for him, because he is "Rahmatulil-Alameen" Also if this were the case, those who carry out this noble practice held dear by our Habibi (s.a.w.s) and his Ahle Bait would be contradicting themselves when they say at least 17 times per day
"Thee alone we worship (Allah), Thee alone we ask for help." (Surah Faatihah).

Regarding Tazeem being bidah, how can it be an innovation when Allah himself COMMANDS us to do it?

Verily Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet; O you who believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
[Holy Qur'an 33-56]

One might say that, "this doesn't mean that we must do tazeem, because we recite Darud Salaam in salaat." But ask yourself this, Why would Allah Tell us distinctly to send blessings on Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) if we already do it five times per day in salaat? Furthermore, just as there are several ways
to do ibadah (salaah, fasting, dhikr etc.) there are several ways to send blessings upon Rasulallah (s.a.w.s), one of which is Tazeem.

If you truly reflected, and truly have love for Rasulallah (s.a.w.s) you would know in your heart that this is the right thing. Just as those who become Muslims know in their heart that Islam is the right way.

Regarding Milad-un-Nabee, if that blessed night did not occur, there would be no Holy Quran, No Hadith, no Ahle-bait, no sunnah, NO ISLAM! There were many miracles that occured on that night. The idols of the Kabaa were destroyed, the three major statues in the Kabaa shattered into bits, Laka Sava dried up, lake Tiberias overflowed, Soothsayers were dumbstruck, the Zoroastrian fire that burned for a thousand years was suddenly extinguished. When our Prophet (s.a.w.s) was born, already circumcised and with his umbilical cord already cut, the Kabaa prostrated to him. These are only but a few miraculous events that occurred on that blessed night of nights.

So how then can we let this night pass by as if it were any ordinary night? This is the night that Allah chose to bestow his gift to the worlds upon us. How can we let this night pass without so much as a dua of shukr to Allah, as the ungrateful Najdis do? How can we not express our love for our Habibi? By the way, this night was, and still is commemorated by our Beloved Rasul's Ahle Bait.

A short time before his departure, it is reported that Muhammed (s.a.w.s) said "I am leaving with you two things, One is the Holy Qur'an, the other is my descendants (Ahle Bait), be careful how you treat them because they will join me at Kauthar." When Ibn Abd al-Wahhab ordered the destruction of the graves of Ahle Bait, was he heeding Rasulallah's (s.a.w.s) advice? Is
this how you show love for Rasulallah (s.a.w.s)? By desecrating the graves of those that he told us to take care of?

Anyway, I ended up saying way more than i wanted to, so i will end this post here.

7 books Every Muslim Should Have

This is a list that I have complied after doing some research and sifting through several titles. There are of course hundreds, maybe thousands of books that would benefit every Muslim but my goal was not to list all of them, but to give an idea of some books that would be a great starter for your library or an excellent addition to your existing one. This list does not include The Holy Qur’an, various tafseer of the same or the range of books of Hadith, as these are given essentials for every home. Also, these books are not placed in any particular order.

Riyadh-us Saliheen

This book is an extensive collection of Hadith covering every aspect of Islamic life and livelihood. Compiled by Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya Bin Sharaf An-Nawawi. An excellent English version of this book, as well as several of the other books on this list is available at Zaviabooks.com Contemporary editing under the auspices of His Eminence Sultan Mohyuddin Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani. A must have for every home.

Arba’een Jami

A famous collection of 40 Hadith compiled by Maulana Abdur Rahman Jami that we should all learn and practice. This book has both Arabic script and English translation and commentary by His Eminence Sultan Mohyuddin Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani

Aab-e Kauthar

This book contains a great collection of Darood Shareef and also illustrates the numerous benefits gained from reciting praise upon Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.s). This book is also prepared under the auspices of His Eminence Sultan Mohyuddin Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani.

Rauza-tus-Safa, Volume 2 (The life of Muhammad (s.a.w.s))

The entire name of this book is Rauza-tus-Safa fi Sirat-ul-Ambia wal Muluk wal Khulafa (The Gardens of Purity concerning the biography of the Prophets and Kings and Caliphs). This excellent book deals with the origins of Islam, early Islamic history and Persian history by Muhammad ibn Khawand Shah ibn Mahmud, an historian also known as Khawand bin Badshah and simply Mirkhond. It was originally published in Persian in seven volumes, having been completed in the year 1497 C.E. (836 A.H.) The work is very scholarly, ibn Khawand used nineteen major Arabic histories and twenty-two major Persian ones as well as others which he occasionally quotes. His work was the basis for many subsequent histories including the works of Haji Khalfa.

Volume 2 (The life of Muhammad) was translated into English in 1983 by Sultan Mohyuddin Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani. (from Wikipedia.org)

Irshad: wisdom of a Sufi Master

This book, written by Hazrat Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Al-Jerrahi is filled with Interesting discourses and stories that enlighten the heart and make one ponder about their existence. Also contains the meanings of and special purposes of each of the 99 names of Allah. Irshad is a very useful and inspiring text that everyone will benefit from.

The "Mathnavi" of Maulana Jalaludin Rumi

This definative work of Maulana Rumi contains more than 50,000 lines. The book illustrates through stories man's predicament in his search for Allah. Their are many versions available in different languages of the book, however one must be careful in purchasing of this book, as some translations are corrupted (the version by Richard Nicholson for example) and do no justice to the original meaning of the text.

Dalail-ul-Khairat

Last, but by no means least is the Dalail-ul-Khairat, whose name translates roughly as "The Guide to Goodness."This blessed book of Darood was compiled by Imam Suleiman Jazuli of Morocco. Imam Ahmad al-Sawi relates that one day Imam Suleiman Jazuli went to perform his ablutions for the prescribed prayer from a nearby well but could not find any means to draw the water up. While thus perplexed, he was seen by a young girl who called out from high above, "You're the one people praise so much, and you can't even figure out how to get water out of a well?" So she came down and spat into the water, which welled up until it overflowed and spilled across the ground. Jazuli made his ablutions, and then turned to her and said, "I adjure you to tell me how you reached this rank." She said, "By saying the Blessings upon him whom beasts lovingly followed as he walked through the wilds (Allah bless him and give him peace)." Jazuli thereupon vowed to compose the book of Blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) which came to be known as his Dala'il al-Khayrat

First Post

As-salaamu-alaikum

This is the first post of my new blog, The Zavia. Usually first posts are meaningless and just test of the website, but I have vowed to myself that every post on this website will have some value and be educational to all who read it. So here goes.

First off, the name of the Blog. A Zavia (pronounced ZA-WEE-AH) for those who don't know is similar to a masjid, in that it is where muslims offer prayers, read Holy Qur'an etc. But what makes a Zavia different is that it is a gathering place for Sufis, often secluded, where they perform special dhikr, sing qasidahs and do other forms of extra ibadaah.

I chose this name for the Blog, because like a real life Zavia, I would like the website to become a gathering place for Sufis, where info is shared and we all improve ourselves, stepping closer and closer to Allah.

This blog is humbly dedicated to the Master of the universe, The reason for our existence, Syedinna Muhammad sol'allahu'alaihi'wa'salaam. May Allah shower endless blessings on him and help us all.