A SOOFIE THIKR

PEACE... Blessings... and the Remebrence of Allah SWT...

ﺍﻠﺴﻼ ﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻛﻢ ﻮ ﺮﺣﻤﺔ ﺍﷲ ﻮ ﺒﺮ ﻛﺎ ﺘﻪ

On this GRRRR8 day of Jumuah .... I greet you with a smile... just picture all ten of my pearly whites staring you down... yes i am content this morning ... i had my All bran flakes... 2cups of tea... but i suppose it has something to do with me ... having spent the early part of last nite ( or this morning depending how u look at it) in a thikr... not just any thikr... a soofie thikr... it was surreal... but the energy which resonated from tthe room was pupable... ( this weeks BIG word.. meaning... obvious... apparent... at least thats what the Thesaurus says...

i must say i have never participated in or ever witnessed a thikr quite like that... i've seen it on the tele...but never live... and in 'surround sound' .... the brethren holding hands... swing arms ... forming one big circle... and every so often a different fella would enter the circle and rally the troops with their own individual 'dance' ... i suppoise they have their own brand of attaining closeness to ALlah Swt... right or wrong... i dont know... the whole thing was a bit foreign to me... and i must admit i was a bit nervous/ apprehensive... probably becuase i didnt understand where this form of thikr originates from... personally i try not to just follow for the sake of following... and i am pretty sure their were others like me there... i was told " pop around"... " we having a quraan khatim..." and "some thikrallah..."

being a glut for thikr ... i went... they started with some arawaag... then surah faatigah... follwed by surah yaseen... some more quraan ... BEuatifull!!! and then all of a sudden... every body stood up... made a circle and the rest is well ... read on...

withthe lights switched off... i stood back and watched ... with the intetnion of asking their ' leader' where this originates from... about 20 minutes into the thikr... the reinforcements arrived... with tamborines and all... so i stood back .. and watched ... and all of the sudden they started to jump and the intensity grew...and the rythm and pace sped up to the tune of "Allah hu.. Allah hu... Allah hu... "

lots of thoughts were flyingthrew my mind... and having just attended and been part of the Reviving the Islamic Conference... i was stunned ... lost for words... but soon realised and kept telling myself... that everybody has their own way to attain a closeness to Allah...

I then i thought a bit more... what does it mean to Revive the Islamic Spirit... Our conference has received some good responses ... loads of people have emailed that they really enjoyed it... Do we pat ourselves on the back ... and say "well done" ... i think not. One can never rest on our laurels...and does attending a conference or a thikr automatically revive the Islamic Spirit?

In my humbble understanding of Islam... i cannot think so... Islam is not theoritical... or tobe lived behind closed doors... but rather ... it is a practical religion... a way of life... that has to be lived and seen to be lived.. not by others... but we have to understand that living this dean... is about Pleasing no1 else other than OUR RABB... What does REvivng the Islamic spirit mean?

i dont know... but as one of the guest lecturers mentioned at the conference... " we must take what we have learnt... and understand it... but more so we must implement it into our Lives..." ..perhaps then... attending such gatherings and thikrs is a start...but we have responsibility to sustain it in which ever way we choose.

having said that... i have a sneaky suspicion that Islamic spirituality has something to do with gaining a better understanding and respect for the following ... Allah hu Akbar... allah hu Akbar... Laa illah ha illal aa muhumad dur rasoolulah... and once we do that... then perhaps... All ah hu alim... then perhaps... we can sustain our Islamic spirit beyond the masjids... conferences and thikrs... MAy Allah SWT.. Guide us All to HIs path, Ameen!

i leave you witht his Hadith...

Hadeeth 36 : The Virtue of Gathering for the Recitation of The Qur'aan, and for the Remembrance of Allaah

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu anhu) that the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :

Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allaah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever alleviates the need of a needy person, Allaah will alleviate his needs in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a Muslim, Allaah will shield him in this world and the Hereafter. And Allaah will aid His Slave so long as he aids his brother. And whoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allaah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the Houses of Allaah, reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it among themselves, except that Sakeenah (Tranquility) descends upon them, and Mercy envelops them, and the angels surround them, and Allaah mentions them amongst those who are with Him. And whoever is slowed down by his actions, will not be hastened forward by his lineage.

It was related by Muslim in these words. for an expantion of this hadeeth... follow this link...
http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=210&category=24...

Think. ponder. reACT...

"... Verily in the Remembrence of Allah, Do hearts find content." [quraan 13:28]

Peace. Love. and that smaaklike chicken & steak from the Country manor people ... mmh:p.. welll done Murgy!!!

PS: By now u must be thinking... what happen to all the colour... well im giving u a glimpse into a world without colour... Know Islam. Know Life ... NO ISLAM. NO LIFE... quite simple... colour being metophorical for ISLAM.

PS2: Joke of the week...

So NABZ and Shafeeqa... ( 50yrs into the future, Inshallah)... were in a romantic mood. While sitting on their loveseat, the Shafeeqa looked at nABZ and said, "I remember when you used to kiss me every chance you had." Nabz feeling a bit obliged leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then she said, "I also remember when you used to hold my hand at every opportunity."

NABZ again feeling obligated reached over and gently placed his hand on hers. The elderly woman then stated, " I also remember when you used to nibble on my neck and send chills down my spine." This time NABZ had a blank stare on his face and started to get up off the couch. As he began to walk out of the livingroom Shafeeqa asked him, "Was it something I said? , where are you going?" HE looked at her and replied, " I'm going in the other room ... to get my teeth!...heheheheh... lol...

PS3: no teeth were lost in the making of this email... heheehe

PsP: Invitation to Workshop Hosted by MSA of the Cape

Topic : Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa

Presented by Dr. Raid Fathi

Dr. Raid Fathi holds a PhD in Islamic Jerusalem Studies from the University of Aberdeen. He was head of the Islamic Council of Fatwa from 2001 to 2003. He often gives lectures at Masjid-Al-Aqsa to congregations of more than 7000 people.

What you will get from this workshop:

• An accurate synopsis of the history of Palestine.
• Your questions answered about the Al-Quds, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, by an expert in the field.
• A clear understanding of the Palestinian crisis and the ongoing Zionist threat to Musjid-Al-Aqsa
• A deep understanding of the centrality of Al-Quds to the state of the Ummah.
• A framework for a workable plan of action to support our brothers and sisters in the Occupied Territories.

When: Saturday 23rd August 2008
Where: Musjidul-Quds Auditorium, Gatesville
Time: 11:00am – 4:00pm
Cost: FREE

Seats are limited - Booking Essential

To reserve your seat, forward your name and contact number to MSA of the Cape:

sms: 082 5566044
e-mail: info@msacape.org

Xbox: If i have said anything wrong/ incorrect/ offensive then i ask your forgveness... and if i have said anything benficial then surely that comes from Allah SWt... and May Allah SWT Guide and protect us all.