Ibn Al-Qayyim رحمه الله Said:

The Forgotten Sister

My dear sister whom I have not met, Let me begin with my apologies for that is all I can offer, I’m sorry I can not do more than apologies, But in my dua is where your remembrance lies, I’m sorry your screams and cries go unheard of in the depths of the night, under ground in dark rooms of confinement where strangers imprison you and hurt you, I’m sorry they raped and bruised you, Broke you and shattered you, Squeezed you and shackled you, Choked you and battered you, I’m sorry I was too busy with my life, I wasted my time on my phone chilling out, Checking out what’s new and what’s old, I maybe only thought of you once every few months, Your screams I could not bare so I chose not to listen, We all overlooked you and your struggle, We kept quiet just so we don’t get in trouble, We had the answer all along, I’m sorry we’re too busy saying you and those that defend you are wrong, Once upon a time a single tear falling from your eye would have ranked and sent forth armies to your defence, But it seems as though this ummah has lost its common sense, Sometimes I imagine being in your place, But every time I do I feel like I’m lost in time and space, I admire your strength, If this test was given to just anyone they would have surely crumbled, So my dear sister I am sorry, But Alhamdulilah the ummah is slowly awakening and rising, Your relief after hardship is soon, So bear with beautiful patience, For Allah subhanu wata'ala gives His greatest tests to His strongest soldiers. الْحَمْـدُ للهِ الّذي عافاني مِمّا ابْتَـلاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَـني عَلى كَثيـرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَـقَ تَفْضـيلا Praise is to Allah, Who has spared me what He has afflicted you with, and preferred me greatly above much of what He has created. Make dua for the ummah this Ramadhan, Alhamdulilah we have it way better than others, the purpose of Ramadhan is to remember the less fortunate and the struggle and to be greatful to Allah subhanu wata'ala for all that He has blessed us with, it’s so much more than just refraining from food and drink, it’s a month of beautiful lessons and a month to feed our souls. A reminder to myself first and foremost In Sha Allah.

Ibn Qayyim رحمه الله said:

التناسب الذي بين الأرواح من أقوى أسباب المحبة فكل امرىء يصبو إلى ما يناسبه

The compatibility between souls is one of the strongest causes of love, for every person is drawn / yearns for what suits them.

(67)كتاب روضة المحبين ونزهة المشتاقين - ط العلمية

«reviving the heart»

‎Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

‎ "The Qur'ān revives the heart the way water gives life to the Earth."

‎مفتاح دار السعادة–٢٥٠

Qiyām reminder from an Asīr

I am weary of life.

If death were sold, I would buy it,

longing for Allah, yearning to meet him.

They asked, are you sure of your deeds?

No, not at all.

But I love Him, and I think well of Him.

Would He punish me while I love Him?

Shaykh Sulaymân al-‘Alwân فك الله أسره was asked: What is the ruling on abandoning Suhûr?

He answered: Abandoning Suhûr is an imitation of Ahlul-Kitâb, and some of the people are lenient regarding the matter of Suhûr, claiming that they do not desire it. It is a priority for the Muslim that he does not miss Suhûr, even by drinking a sip of milk to differ from Ahlul-Kitâb, and to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet ‎ﷺ.

It has come in the report from ‘Amr ibn al-‘Âs that the Prophet ‎ﷺ said: “The difference between our fasting and the fasting of Ahlul-Kitâb is eating shortly before Fajr.” Narrated by Imâm Muslim.

This is indicates that [having] Suhûr is a differentiation from Ahlul-Kitâb, and differing from them is a very [important] aim in the Sharî’ah.

“We are upon the truth, you are the khawarij.”

We are upon the haqq. Living in our well-furnished homes, eating the food cooked by our beloved mother/wife, not having to worry about b0mbs falling any moment, not having to be under the constant threat of death, living in the comfort and safety of our houses. We have never gone out to battle, never got our feet dusty in the path of Allah, we’ve never known the sound of grenades or gunfire, our eyes never witnessed buildings being crushed and bodies being torn to pieces after a barrel bomb attack, we’ve hardly studied the fiqh of jhad.

 We’re on the haqq, -no doubt about that-

But you?

You are the khawarij. 

You’ve left everything you had ever loved to defend a people whom you’ve never seen, who are not related to you in any way except through the bonds of Islam and humanity. You’ve left the comfort of your beds to come sleep on rocks, on the hard, blood-stained ground; you gave up the warm meal cooked by your mothers/wives to come eat whatever you come across, even going days without food. 

You’ve left your career, job, loved ones behind to come live a life with no guarantees except death and injuries. You’ve studied deen under scholars who practice what they preach - who’ve marched forth with their guns and their pens.

But you are khawarij. 

You desire death as much as we desire life, 

But you are khawarij. 

You’re giving your blood to purify this deen and to raise the word of Allah the highest, you’re sacrificing your lives without a second thought so that the oppressed can get a new life, while we - we are sleeping in our homes and some of us don’t even have the guts to watch what our brothers and sisters are suffering from.

But we are on the haqq and you are the khawarij. 

You are treading the path of Khalid ibn Waleed, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, Al Baraa ibn Al Malik رضي الله عنهم while we have hard time getting up for fajr and standing for tahajjud.

But we are on the haqq and you are the khawarij.

SubhanAllah, strange times we live in.

“The strangeness of this ummah; no one wants to conduct jhad except the khawarij. No one wants to strive to establish the Shari’ah except the khawarij. None are feared by their enemies except the khawarij. And their khurooj is proven when death has come and they die smiling…” 

-Sayyid Qutb

A simple smile of a shaheed is enough to destroy years of propaganda. 

The small index finger of a slain Ghareeb pointing towards the sky, where the throne of His Lord and protector lies, is enough to prove that, perhaps, the “khawarij” were on the right all time long… 

That perhaps our claim of being fair and just was not true when it came to dealing with them, but we couldn’t realise because our eyes were blinded by the lies of those we thought were scholars. 

And while we were busy running our tongues in slander and heedless sin, they were:

“Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those (to be granted shahada) after them who have not yet joined them—that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”

“Those to be granted martyrdom after them” that could not be us, because we were busy mindlessly shouting that one’s striving to meet His lord was extremism and heedlessness. 

“The example of the disbelievers  is like a flock not comprehending the calls and cries of their shepherd. ˹They are wilfully˺ deaf, dumb and blind so they have no understanding.”

So oh one who was granted sight after years of blindness, Oh one who was saved from accompanying the oppressors in the hellfire, Oh one who was saved from the previous generations of oppressors cursing him and his likes, rejoice, and remember Allah’s blessing upon you and How He blessed you with guidance, a guidance which you would not have attained except with His assistance. 

And as Allah says, and His speech is the greatest: 

“And you considered it bad for you, but it was good for you.”

So do not perceive their deaths to be a loss, nor perceive their losses to be due to Allah’s displeasure with them or His curse, rather in everything Allah has a wisdom, that we may or may not get to know. Alhamdulillah. 

And if their perishing causes nothing but the guidance of a single servant, then that is better for them than red camels, as stated by our dear and beloved Muhammad ﷺ, whom, if we truly known and taken as an example, we wouldn’t call his followers “khawarij”.

As we welcome Ramadan, many of our brothers and sisters will be breaking their fast in chains or behind bars....alone, oppressed and forgotten. Their only comfort is their yaqin upon Allah's Promise. And their only strength is in their patience.

O Allah, free the imprisoned, have mercy on their suffering, and grant them victory over their oppressors. Return them to their loved ones, strengthen their hearts, and let their pain be a means of elevation in Your sight.

امين

“Do not ask me about my life, for it is the secrets of life. It is both a gift and a hardship, a world of wishes I have entrusted to Allah, then I moved forward in the company of the righteous.

As for my path, it is the Quran, the sword, and trials.

Allah has blessed it, and before me, the Prophets walked it, as did the caravans of martyrs. It was nourished by rivers of blood, and thus it became a fragrant garden, framed in light.

As for my fate, it is what pleases Allah and what He wills, whether it is victory with clear triumph or martyrdom and eternal life. And if I find myself on this earth with limited time, then let me be the symbol of heroism and guidance, or woe to my existence.”

‫وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن یُقۡتَلُ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمۡوَ ٰ⁠تُۢۚ بَلۡ أَحۡیَاۤءࣱ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشۡعُرُونَ﴿ ١٥٤ ﴾‬

‫وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَیۡءࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَ ٰ⁠لِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَ ٰ⁠تِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِینَ﴿ ١٥٥ ﴾‬

‫ٱلَّذِینَ إِذَاۤ أَصَـٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِیبَةࣱ قَالُوۤا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّاۤ إِلَیۡهِ رَ ٰ⁠جِعُونَ﴿ ١٥٦ ﴾‬

‫أُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ صَلَوَ ٰ⁠تࣱ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةࣱۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ﴿ ١٥٧ ﴾‬

—————————————————————

And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allāh, They are dead. Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not.

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,

Who, when disaster strikes them, say, Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return

Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون