My Trip to the Haramain & Jordan

It’s undisputable – the publication of exam results (amongst the sisters at least) is the most unnerving period for the perpetual student.  The days, hours and moments up to which I find myself mildly frenzied, moping with fellow kin in study – finding some comfort in the sense of communal fear & mass panic we arouse together, with kindred hope that perhaps the long nights of prayer and petitioning may just have paid off

My dad’s unwitting decision to purchase flight tickets for Umrah before results were out found me already over 2000 miles away from my UK sororal solace this year, in Jordan on the eve of results and on route to Saudi the next day. My fear largely was not the thought of having to deal with the stress and hassles of revising and resitting had I failed, rather, these flashing spectres of my precarious stay –the possibility of having to return to London, to be disinvited from the House of Allah (swt) & the City of our Beloved (saw) without having set foot in the first place

But that is not what Allah had willed for me, Alhumdulilah & by His Grace only I passed.

I got the message by text from a dear friend, late in the day about the time salaatul maghrib was due and I was inside the Harem

Only then you realise how perfect the timing – Surely Allah swt is Perfect & the best of Planners – that moment I would have cared to be no where else, I was in the best of places to entreat Allah and now, to thank Him.

My short stay in Jordan however, cannot go without mention. I was ignorant of the richness of Islamic heritage that lay in this blessed landscape:

Jordan being the possible site of the childhood encounter of the Rasool saw with the Monk Bhira and the later encounter with the Monk Nestor at Umm al Rassas

Many companions of the Prophet (PBUH) are buried in Jordan and include: Zeid ibn al-Haritha (the Prophet’s saw adopted son); Jafar bin Abi Talib (cousin of the Prophet saw and elder brother of Ali ra); Abu Ubaydah Amer Ibn al-Jarrah (one of the “Blessed Ten” companions promised Paradise); Mu’ath bin Jabal (the Prophet’s saw governor in Yemen) to name a few 

Do you think that the people of the Cave and the Inscription were a wonder among our signs? {Al-Kahf: 9} The Cave of the Seven Sleepers at Sahab, south Amman, is mentioned in the Qur’an as the site of a story like the Christian Sleepers of Ephesus about pious youths who were persecuted for believing in the One God, but were protected by God by sleeping in a cave for 309 years

The earlier Abrahamic prophets – including Prophets (AS) Nuh, Lut, Ibrahim, Ilyas, Musa, Shu’ayb, Harun, Daoud, Yahya, Isa, whose lives touched the land of Jordan and whose missions are mentioned in the Qur’an & Bible

A Sister

Ready For Ramadhan?

Assalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh (May the peace of Allah descend upon you and His Mercy and Blessings)

‘Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.’

In Paradise there is a gate called al-Rayyân, through those who fast will enter, and no one will enter it except them; when they have entered it will be locked, and no-one else will enter through it.” (al-Bukhâri, Fath, no. 1797).

The early generations of the Ummah used to make du’a 6 months after Ramadan that Allâh accept their deeds in Ramadan. And for the next 6 months, they would make du’a to Allâh to grant them the blessing of being alive in the coming Ramadan. For them Ramadhan was a welcome guest, they anticipated its arrival with excitement, because they realised the significance of this month and the blessings that it bought with it.

 As with the arrival of any guest, there are certain things that we can do in advance to make the most of their stay with us.

Cleanliness – this doesn’t just mean start scrubbing the house, which sometimes can serve as a diversion from the main task ahead, but cleanliness on the ‘inside’. Let’s make the coming of Ramadhan a good opportunity to shelve those bad habits insha’Allah!

“Whosoever does not abandon false speech and the acting upon it, Allah is not in need of him leaving off his food and drink.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, Abu Dawûd, at-Tirmidhî and Ibn Mâjah]

Preparation – don’t get caught out, you’ve been to your mates house and found the room a tip – they spend half your time there trying to tidy up and the other half feeling embarrassed about the state of the place. Preparation starts now, zoom back a thousand or so years ago to the best generations of Islam – the tabi’een would be making du’a right now that Allah gives them the ability to reach and make the most of the month of Ramadhan.

Abu Bakr Warraq (May Allah be pleased with him) said,

‘Rajab is a month of cultivation, Shaban is month of irrigating the fields, and the month of Ramadhan is a month of reaping and harvesting.’

All sensible people start preparing early, imagine an athlete who tries to run 100m without warming up, or someone enters their final exams without touching a book – you’d call them insane! Now consider a few of the rewards on offer – would we want to be slow out of the blocks to grab this opportunity?

• When Ramadân begins, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are put in chains.” (Reported by al-Bukhâri, al-Fath, no. 3277)
• Fasting Ramadân is equivalent to fasting ten months (Musnad Ahmad, 5/280; Sahîh al-Targhîb, 1/421)
• “Whoever fasts Ramadân out of faith and with the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Reported by al-Bukhâri, Fath, no. 37).
• At the breaking of every fast, Allâh will choose people to free from Hellfire. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/256; Sahîh al-Targhîb, 1/419).

I have a great fondness for food and sleep (love both in large amounts!), so if you are like me then the first few fasts of Ramadhan are usually spent stumbling around half-awake thinking about iftar time! Fasting is definitely a shock to the body, but the beauty of the human form is such Alhamdulillah, that with time, the body begins to adapt to the new circumstances and copes better as time wears on. An ideal solution for those keen to make the most of Ramadhan would be to have a few “practice runs” before the real deal commences. The month of Shaban which we are currently halfway through, also has its own merits making it an ideal warm-up for the blessed month of Ramadhan – Usaamah ibn Zayd said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any month more than in Sha’baan.’ He said, ‘That is a month concerning which many people are heedless, between Rajab and Ramadaan. It is the month is which people’s deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds, and I would like my deeds to be taken up whilst I am fasting.’

SHOCK! HORROR! You’re thinking – “what fasting is not just for Ramadhan?!” :O Dudes, you have been missing out! Fasting is a great way to earn brownie points, it has been stated in hadith that Allâh has chosen fasting for Himself, and He will reward it and multiply the reward without measure. Furthermore the du’â’ of the fasting person will not be refused (reported by al-Bayhaqi) so get asking insha’Allah (and remember me too!). Fasting will intercedes for a person on the Day of Judgement, and will say, “O Lord, I prevented him from his food and physical desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/174.).

I began this article by quoting ‘small deeds done are better than great deeds planned’, this is because we end up trying to convince ourselves that Ramadhan will come and we will really ‘max out’ our time spent in worship. You know go from ‘super chiller to super mullah’ overnight. Reality is that the time comes and passes, things come up and the chance is missed. Why not start now insha’Allah? Nothing big, maybe even just a day – will it be worth it? Here’s some encouragement 🙂

• Whoever fasts one day for the sake of Allâh, Allâh will remove his face seventy years’ distance from the Fire. (Reported by Muslim, 2/808).
• Whoever fasts one day seeking the pleasure of Allâh, if that is the last day of his life, he will enter Paradise. (Reported by Ahmad, 5/391; Sahîh al-Targhîb, 1/412)

 May Allah give us all the Tawfeeq to make the most of the run upto Ramadhan…

 Please consider us in your duaas

Wasalaam