Allah

A few years ago, I traveled with some fellow classmates and our teacher to Gatlinburg, TN. We decided to go on one hike to the highest point in the Smoky Mountains called Clingman's Dome. Unfortuantely, we started off in exactly the wrong direction and began heading towards another very high point at the top of Mount Leconte.

Because I had planned out the hike, the distance, and the time it would take us, I was not worried that we got started a bit late at around 11am since we had plenty of time to finish this hike and return well before dark. However, since we were going the wrong direction, all of the calculations were off.

We reached the top of Mount Leconte around 6pm, prayed 'asr, and began heading back down. When we reached a small stream (the only source of water on the trail), it was already getting dark. This was only about one quarter of the way down. We made wudu' the stream and then hiked on a little ways until we found a flat place to pray maghrib.

By this time it was quite dark. We were in the middle of the mountains of Tennessee with only two flashlights and no signs of life around. The stars were bright and abundant. Our teacher began to lead us in maghrib. After Surah al-Fatihah, he read:

الله نور السماوات والارض
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth (24:35).

and stopped. He paused for a long time (much longer than is permissible in salah), but we knew why he was pausing. We all began to cry deeply as these verses which talk about the Light of Allah gained new depth for us. Eventually he moved on to a different surah, but this memory sticks in my mind and forces me to read this portion from Surah al-Nur whenever I'm under the bright night sky.

From bad to good

I had a really bad day yesterday. A student was yelling at me and telling me what a horrible teacher I am. That was the way the school day ended. I was miserable. Then suddenly a verse came into my head that I had heard in the morning on the way to school.

ما أغنى عني ماليه

Allah ta'ala said in Surah al-Haqqah that a person's wealth will not make him rich. I asked a colleague to make sure the meaning was right because it didn't seem to make sense. What does wealth do? By definition it makes someone rich. But that is in this life. On the Day of Judgement wealth will do nothing for a person unless he used it in the path of Allah.

We see this theme coming in hadith as well when the Prophet (sallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said his companions who the bankrupt one is. They responded that it is the one who has no money. He then taught them that it is the person who had prayed and fasted he wronged other people. Then those people whom he wronged will come and take all of his good deeds until he is flung into the Hellfire.

This helped me and lifted my mood. SubhanAllah. The words of Allah are so deep.

O, swear not by the moon...

"O, swear not by the moon, the fickle moon, the inconstant moon, that monthly changes in her circle orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable."

This quote is from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The context of the quote is that Romeo is offering to take a vow and swear by something to prove that his love is true. He sees the moon and decides to swear by it. Juliet counters by saying the above quote and stressing that since the moon changes throughout the month eventually disappearing, Romeo's love may also disappear or at least be less than constant.

I've read this before, but I heard it recently when my school went on a field trip to go see a production of Romeo and Juliet at Chicago's Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. What struck me was this:

Juliet says that Romeo should not swear by the moon because it is not something constant for fear of his love eventually diminishing.

Allah the Most High also swears by many things in the Qur'an. If Allah were to swear by the moon, someone could argue the same as Juliet did. Allah in Surah al-Shams, however, swears by the sun first saying, "By the sun and its brightness." Allah the Most High then swears by the moon, but He does not swear by the moon itself but also links it with a certain action of the moon. "And by the moon when it follows it (the sun)."

The alteration of the sun and the moon is a set an consistent process by which Allah can surely swear without anyone being able to object. This just shows another aspect of the incredible depth that exists in the Qur'an. It seems that everyday the Qur'an unveils a new beauty to me and further proves that Islam is the true path. SubhanAllah.

Colorado (part 1)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

After the rigorous but rewarding studies at school, we had a break from school for two weeks at the beginning of this month. I considered where to stay during the break. My parents have said that if I go back to stay with them, they'll charge me rent. I coonsidered some friends' houses but I'd be too much of a burden. Thus, I thought the most logical way to take advantage of this time off would be to wander in the wilderness of the mountains of Colorado.

Several months before, I began acquring the necessary supplies to make my trip successful including:

a tent





a 20 degree sleeping bag






and a pocketrocket stove.





I departed on June 6th after Darul Hikmah Academy and was dropped off by some guy at the local airport.

Once I arrived in Denver via an aeroplane, -->
I was picked up by a very patient local whom I met on (and incidentally runs) a website called ColoradoMuslims.com. Then, after eating delicious tacos and discussing some of the finer points of fiqh in general and usool ul-fiqh specifically, I slept one mile above the level of the sea. In the morning after a wonderful breakfast, we drove to the mountains for me to being my hike.



Continued whenever I get around to it...

P.S .

A small glimpse…

السلام عليكم

Here is a small glimpse at what takes place in my tafseer class. This is typed from my notes that were taken in class. It is amazing how much knowledge my teacher has. It makes sense that his grandfather had praised him so much.

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُواْ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاء وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ <>2:30

And recall when your Lord said to the angels: I am making a successor on earth. They said: Are you making خليفة he who will spread mischief in it [the earth] and will shed the blood despite that we glorify You by praising You. He [الله] said: Verily, I know what you do not know.

• Previous verses, الله highlighted His qualities and ordered humans to only worship Him because only He is worthy of that worship
  
• الإنسان on earth is خليفة of الله on the earth
  
  • Has obligations and responsibilities to follow
    
  • If he goes right, whole world will go right
    
• الله is the king of the whole universe
  
  • Gave free will (إختِيَار) in this دنيا
    
  • Whatever man wants to do, he can do it à bad or good
    
• الله informed الملائكة
  
  • مَلَك
    à literally delegate (messenger)
    
  • They are a real creation of الله
    à some say they aren't real
    
  • الله uses them for different tasks à weather, wahy (sunnah of الله is to do things through means as a system although He can do everything)
    
  • Used angels as وصيلة/سبب and if الله تعالى always did everything himself, there would be no miracles.
    
• خليفة
  à appointed by higher authority and has some free will but cannot do everything
  
• تقدير
  à
  الله knows all of what will happen and planned before
  
  • Humans can do whatever to some extent
    
  • Sheep/goat à human ties a goat to a tree and give one-hundred yard rope
    
    • Within the hundred yards, goat can go anywhere but not past hundred yards
      
  • Humans have some room to move (each human has a different amount of room/opportunities) but can move within that
    
    • We don't know how much room we have (غيب)
      
• Angels did not raise objection against His rule (no free will) but raised question to understand the حكمة
  
  • Understand this would be the only one with free will
    
    • Will use free will to make فساد and shed blood
      
      • Jinn made فساد on the earth and angels used them as a basis
        
  • Not saying they wanted to be appointed, but saying that since we already glorify You and such, what is the need to create such creation that has so much risk
    
• Two words:
  
  • (1) تسبيح
    à (I) to swim (II) to purify
    
    • Separating the negative: In hadith, used differently à purify الله by eliminating those characteristics that don't fit الله. الله does not sleep, drink, become sad, etc.
      
  • (2) تقديس
    à to purify
    
    • Associating the positive: Associating those attributes that do fit الله
      علم الفيب, etc.
      
  • تسبيح is more important
    
    • لا إله إلاّ الله
      à eliminates شرك
      
• Despite angels fulfilling orders, الله has an objective to be fulfilled and angels cannot do it (no free will)
  
  • Have to choose between right and wrong
    

A Piece of a Classic

Assuredly those who fear their Lord in secret, while they are absent from people’s eyes, being
obedient to Him in secret, such that openly [before people] it is all the more likely [that they fear
their Lord] — there will be for them forgiveness and a great reward, namely, Paradise.

067.012 from Tafsir Jalalayn