Assalamu Alaykum.

Ramadan is near, and so I would like to take this opportunity to upload a beautiful little book about fasting written by the Azhari imam, Shaykh Saleh al-Jaafari (r.a.), for you to download. It is written in Arabic, and is titled Asraar al-Siyaam, lil Khawass wal Awaam. This was only made available online a day ago or so on (www.algaafary.com/ar/), so I downloaded it right away and re-uploaded it on Hadithuna for you to download. It covers much more than fasting: It is more like a little handbook on iman, uboodiyya, and the spiritual path.

It also contains an ijaza of the famous Salaat Azeemiyya for all those who see it, and this is something that is absolutely priceless.
If you can read and understand Arabic well, then this is the perfect book for you this Ramadan, insha’Allah.

Asrar al-Siyam

On my  last trip  to Damascus I noticed that they really like to put roses in their food… For example, they would put dried rose petals on top of traditional sweets. They also add “Damascus Rose” to the famous Middle Eastern herbal tea known as Zuhoorat, which is a mixture of medicinal and aromatic flowers. But best of all, they make a delicious rose petal jam! Yes, it’s a jam made out of Damascus rose petals, and it is delicious! I brought a jar back with me to Amman, and discovered that there is a magical chemistry that goes on when you combine it with butter that makes your taste buds dance with joy.

Before realizing that you can actually eat roses, I only knew about Rose Water. In the Muslim world, there are two very famous flower-essence waters  that we use in our food: Flower Water (also known as Orange Blossom Water) is a very popular drink in the Middle East, while Rose Water is used as an ingredient in desserts (and as a face and skin cleanser for women). These waters are made from the distilled essential oils of flowers, and are thought to have great benefits, most notably their calming effect on the mind.

But beside that calming effect, it seems that Muslims have for a very  long time attached to Roses a more spiritual significance. For example, when Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders, he had the Dome of the Rock, the Aqsa Mosque, and the Mosque of Umar washed and purified with Rose Water brought from Damascus. Historians tell us that more than 500 camels were needed to bring in enough Rose Water to do the job, and some princes from Saladin’s own family were more than eager to scrub the floors, walls, and ceilings of these holy places with their own hands. Another great ruler, the Mamluk king Baybars, had the Kaaba itself washed with Rose Water!

But what is the secret behind this great importance given to the rose?

According to Shaykh Hakim Chishti, author of The Book of Sufi Healing, the rose -”the Mother of Scents and the Queen of the Garden”-  is a very important symbol in Muslim culture.

“The symbol of Sufism itself is the rose….The placement of the rare and refined beauty and sweetness of the rose blossoms - at the end of a long, stern stem full of prickly thorns- aptly symbolizes the mystic path to Allah the Almighty.”

It is well known that the Prophet Muhammad’s perspiration- salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam - smelled sweeter than any scent known to man. Umm Sulaym used to collect his drops of perspiration as he slept and use it as a perfume. Shaykh Chishti says that “the reason these droplets were of such elegance is that they contained the essence of his soul.” Salla Allahu alaa sayyidna Muhammad!

And it seems that there is a  trace of this essence of the soul of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam in the rose. In the chapter of the book entitled “The Soul of the Rose“, Shaykh Chishti says,

The 124,000 prophets Allah has sent to the world with His Guidance had different bodies but the same soul…. Allah said that the first thing He created in the universe was the soul of prophecy. He said that He made it from the absolute of His own light, called nur. Allah further stated that if He had not created this soul of prophecy,  He would not have created the universe.

After Allah the Almighty made this magnificent soul, it was of such luminous nature and so burning with light that it began to shed drops of perspiration. And from this sweat of the soul of prophecy, Allah made the soul of the rose. This is the actual origin of the art and science of aromatherapy.

If you want to know more about the benefits of roses and how they are used by Muslim healers and spiritual masters, and how they are “charged” with the healing power of the Qur’an, then I suggest you read that beautiful chapter in The Book  of Sufi Healing. But until then, here are three simple ways to enjoy the benefits of the rose (though only the second is probably strong enough to really have an effect without constant use):

1) Get Rose Jam from Damascus.

2) Use rose essential oils. Shaykh Chishti says that it is “the most superior of all scents in the floral realm. Rose works simultaneously on the physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies, purifying and uplifting all three.”

3) Make this delicious drink that I often enjoy, whose recipe I took from Serving the Guest: A Sufi Cookbook & Art Gallery,

Rose Milk.

[Ingredients:]

4 cups milk

3 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. rosewater

Cinnamon

[Preparation:]

In a small, heavy pot, gently warm the milk until it is a comfortable drinking temperature. Stir in the honey and rosewater. Pour into cups and garnish with a light dusting of cinnamon.

So purify your body and soul with the essence of the Rose as Salah al-Din purified with it the Aqsa Mosque.  Let the essence of the rose help you on the spiritual path - that long and difficult path that is full of thorns - until you reach the end of the stem and find Beauty. And what else do we seek on this path, if not Eternal Beauty?

One day a man named Amr went to the great imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and asked him, “What causes the hearts to become tender?” The imam looked around at his companions, then he bowed his head down for a very long time, thinking. Then he raised his head and said, “My son, it is by eating halal.”

Amr then went to the famous Sufi Bishr al-Hafi and asked him the same question. Bishr replied, “Do not the hearts find assurance in the dhikr of Allah“. So Amr said, I just came from Abu AbdAllah (Ahmad ibn Hanbal), and Bishr said, ‘What did Abu AbdAllah tell you?”, so Amr replied, “He said: By eating halal“. So Bishr said to him, “He gave you the true cause, the true origin!”

So Amr continued to another person, Abd al-Wahhab bin Abil Hasan, and repeated the question once more. “Do not the hearts find assurance in the dhikr of Allah” came the answer. “I’ve just come from Abu AbdAllah” said Amr. Abd al-Wahhab’s face went red from excitement and said, “What did Abu AbdAllah tell you?” So Amr replied, “He said: By eating halal.” So Abd al-Wahhab replied, “He has given you the essence of the matter! The true origin is as he said. The true origin is as he said!”

Source: Muhammad Abu Zahra’s Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

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The famous ascetic Ibrahim ibn Adham used to always say: “Make sure that what you eat is tayyib, and then don’t worry if you don’t spend your nights in worship and your days in fasting.” Meaning: it is enough for you.

Ibrahim once said to the other great ascetic of their age, Shaqiq al-Balkhi: “I have not been able to enjoy life except in Bilad al-Sham. From mountain to mountain, I used to escape with my religion. Oh Shaqiq: He is not noble in our eyes who is ennobled by a lot of Hajj or Jihad. He is noble in our eyes who knows exactly what he puts into his mouth.” Meaning, whether it is 100% halal or not.

Source: Muhammad Khalid Thabit’s Madaaris al-Hubb, Masaani’ ar-Rijal.

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Ibrahim was told of an ecstatic youth who had extraordinary experiences and disciplined himself severely.

“Bring me to him so that I may see him,” he said.

They took him to the youth.

“By my guest for three days,” the youth invited him.

Ibrahim stayed there and observed the youth’s state attentively. It surpassed even what his friends had said. All night he was sleepless and restless, not reposing or slumbering for a single moment. Ibrahim felt a certain jealousy.

“I am so frigid, and he is sleepless and unresting the whole night through. Come, let us investigate his case,” he said to himself. “Let us discover if anything from Shaytan has invaded his state, or whether it is wholly pure and in all respects as it should be. I must examine the foundation of the matter. The foundation and root of the matter is what a man eats.“

So he investigated what the youth was eating, and discovered that it came from haram sources. “Allahu Akbar! It is Satanic!” Ibrahim exclaimed (without revealing it to the youth).

“I have been your guest for three days,” he said to the youth. “Now you come and be my guest for forty days.”

The youth accepted. Now the food Ibrahim ate was earned by the labor of his own hands. He took the youth to his home and gave him of his own food. Immediately the ecstasy vanished. All his ardor and passion disappeared. That restlessness and sleeplessness and weeping of his departed.

“What have you done to me?” he cried.

“Your food was haram,” Ibrahim answered. “Shaytan was all the time going and coming in you. As soon as you swallowed lawful food, the manifestations he had been contriving in you became revealed for what they were, the Devil’s work!”

Source: Copied (with some changes) from A.J. Arberry’s Muslim Saints and Mystics, which is a translation of al-Attar’s Tadhkirat al-Awliya.

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So remember: the root and foundation of your entire spiritual state is in what you eat. “Make sure that what you eat is tayyib, and then don’t worry if you don’t spend your nights in worship and your days in fasting.”

أطب مطعمك ولا عليك أن لا تقوم بالليل وتصوم بالنهار

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Note 1: You could say that it is misleading to say that the secret is in eating halal. Rather, it’s in not eating haram. Now the true secret of the matter is unknown to me, and these great men have not spelled it out. But one might venture a guess and say that the food you eat carries with it either a quality of light or of darkness. If it comes from halal money, then it is light. And if it comes from haram money (or in the case of meat, is prepared in a haram way), then it carries in it a darkness. And this food that you eat, becomes part of you. You are what you eat. So the flesh, the bones, the cells of your body that are made by that food carry within them that quality of darkness. The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said that the flesh of man that has grown from haram food belongs more in the Fire than it does in Paradise. And perhaps this darkness also covers your heart, and prevents it from remembrance of Allah, or from benefiting from that remembrance. And Allah is the one who truly knows the reason.

Note 2:

Safiyy al-Din Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Dajani al-Qushashi says in as-Simt al-Majid, in the section about dhikr:

Al-Jurayri said, “One of our companions was a man who would constantly say ‘Allah, Allah.’ One day a tree branch fell on his head, causing a skull fracture, and he bled, so the blood formed the words ‘Allah, Allah’ on the floor” . For dhikr is a fire that leaves nothing and spares nothing (Qur’an 74:28), if it enters a house it says “Me, and nothing else!” which is one of the meanings of “La Ilaha Illa Allah“; so if it finds in it wood it burns it, making it fire, and if what’s there is darkness it would be light and illuminate it, and if what’s there is light it would be light upon light (Q 24:35). And dhikr removes from the body all the malignant or harmful excesses that result from overeating and from eating food that is haram; as for all that comes from halal food it does not touch it. And if all the malignant parts are burned and only the pure are left, you would hear dhikr from every part of your body, as if it were a trumpet blow. (pg 11-12)

(Salla Allahu alayka wa sallam)

These are pearls of guidance for the seekers of this age by the great faqih, and the complete guide to Allah Most Transcendent, author of the infamous aphorisms of wisdom (hikam) on which have been written countless commentaries, in countless languages, wherever Muslims live.

Sayyidna al-Shaykh Ibn Ata’Allah al-Sakandari wrote in one of his books:

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* You must, my brother, do a lot of salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, for the zabaniya (the gate keepers of Hell) will not approach the servants (khuddam, sing. khadim) of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, in honor of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.

So this protection might avail with taqseer (not doing enough) what plentiful righteous deeds do not avail, if they lack this reliance on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam - this special type of reliance.

* With salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam you become connected to the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.

And the salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam is beneficial in any form, and nothing is more beneficial for illuminating the hearts and for the arrival of the seekers (mureedeen) to Allah ‘azza wa jall than it. For he who perseveres in doing salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam will gain many lights, and through its blessings he will be connected to the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, or meet someone who will take him to him, especially if he had istiqama (uprightness, straightness in following the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

This is especially important at the end of time when the guides to Allah are few,  and people are confused about what is right and wrong. So he who wants the guidance of the people should order them, from the masses (awamm) to the elites (khawass), to do  Istighfar (asking Allah’s forgiveness) and Salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.

* He who has missed out on doing a lot of fasting and qiyam (staying up at night in worship) should occupy himself with the salaat on the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, for if you did every possible type of  obedience your entire life, then Allah does one salaat on you, that one salaat will outweigh all that you have done in all your lifetime from all kinds of good works of obedience; that is because you do salaat according to your ability, and Allah ‘azza wa jall does salaat according to His Lordship. This is if it was only one salaat, so how is it then if Allah ‘azza wa jall did ten salaats on you? *

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* Referring to the hadith of sayyidna Muhammad salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam: “He who does one salaat on me, Allah will do ten salaats on him.”

In his book Hilyat al-Abdaal, Ibn Arabi mentions that there are four cornerstones to the spiritual path: Seclusion, Silence, Hunger, and Wakefulness.

In his book Asraar al-Siyam (The Secrets of Fasting), the Azhari imam, Shaykh Saleh al-Jaafari, writes:

“They have mentioned that the Abdaal have four characteristics: Silence, Hunger, Seclusion, and Wakefulness. Now Silence is brought about by Hunger, and so is Wakefulness. And what remains is Seclusion, which is its fruit, because it is brought about by the lights of dhikr, for they cause one to find intimacy and comfort in the company of Allah (al-uns billah) and alienation in the company of all other than Him (al-wahsha ‘an siwah).

So Hunger is the basis for the (other) three, and it happens while Fasting.”

Someone visited a shaykh and found him crying. “What makes you weep?”
The shaykh replied, “I am hungry.”
“And someone like you cries out of hunger?!”
“Be silent! Don’t you know that what He wants from my hunger is that I cry?”

- Al-Qushayri’s Risala, the chapter on Hunger and the Abandonment of Lust

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The shaykh was not crying out of hunger. Rather, it is because of his hunger that he was able to cry.

“What is this copious sleep? As if you were created for food and sleep? If you do not fast, then who is it that fasts? And if you do not stay up at night, then who is it that stays up? … Is it the highway robbers that stay up at night? And the people in night clubs?”

- Shaykh Saleh al-Jaafari (r.a.)

The sacred month of Rajab began a couple days ago. The word Rajab comes from the word “tarjeeb“, which means glorification, so this is a month that people glorify. It’s one of the four sacred months, and it is followed by Sha’ban then Ramadan.

The Light of the Worlds, Sayyidna Muhammad, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam said,

“Rajab is Allah’s month, Sha’ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.”

That is why, according to Abu Hurayra, the Prophet didn’t fast entire months beside Ramadan except Rajab and Sha’ban.

It is said,

* Rajab is the month for those who race ahead, Sha’ban is the month for those who do some extra good deeds, and Ramadan is the month for the sinners.

* Rajab is the month of sanctity, Sha’ban is the month of service, and Ramadan the month of blessings.

* Rajab is for leaving our forgetfulness and coldness, Sha’ban is for work and devotion, and Ramadan is for sincerity and purity.

* Rajab for  Allah’s forgiveness, Sha’ban for intercession of the Messenger, and Ramadan for the amplification of reward, the descent of mercy, and the Night of Power.

And the in words of Dhul Nun al-Misri:

“Rajab is for leaving wrongdoing, Sha’ban for obedience and good works, and Ramadan for waiting for blessings and gifts from Allah.”

He also said, “Rajab is the month of planting, Sha’ban is the month of watering, and Ramadan is the month of harvest.”

There are many hadiths on the benefits of fasting at least one day in Rajab, and preferably three, for each good deed is rewarded as ten, and so it is as if you have fasted the entire month.

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The above information comes from Al-Ghunya of Shaykh al-Islam Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (r.a.).

فنازعت أقدار الحق بالحق للحق، والرجل من يكون منازعاً للقدر، لا من يكون موافقاً للقدر‏

“I have fought against what was destined by al-Haqq, with al-Haqq, for al-Haqq. Men are those who battle against fate, not those who go along with it.” - Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (r.a.)

Ibn Taymiyya said,

“What the Shaykh - may Allah’s mercy be upon him- said, is what Allah and His Messenger commanded, but many men have erred, for they might see what was destined for someone from sins and wrong acts, even of disbelief, and see that this goes according to the will of Allah, and that what He ordains and destines comes from the fact of His Lordship and the fact that what He wills must happen. So they think that surrendering to that, going along with it, and accepting it, is a way (deen), a path (tariq), and an act of worship (ibada). In this they become like the mushrikeen who said, “Had Allah willed, we had not ascribed (unto Him) partners neither had our fathers, nor had we forbidden aught (of what He made lawful)” and they said “Shall we then feed those whom, if Allah had so willed, He would have fed, (Himself)?” and they said, “Had Al-Rahman so wanted, we would not have worshiped them.“

Had they been guided, they would have known that we were commanded to accept destiny and have patience when a calamity happens, like poverty, illness, or fear. He Most High said, “No calamity befalleth save by Allah’s leave. And whosoever believeth in Allah, He guideth his heart.” As one of our pious predecessors said, “He is the man who is afflicted with an affliction and knows that it is from Allah so he accepts it and resigns to it.” And He Most High said, “Naught of disaster befalleth in the earth or in yourselves but it is in a Book before we bring it into being - Lo! that is easy for Allah - That ye grieve not for the sake of that which hath escaped you, nor yet exult because of that which hath been given.“

As for sins, a servant may not sin, and if he sinned, he must ask Allah’s forgiveness and repent, for one must repent from fault and have patience with calamities…. And so it is with the sins of (other people). The servant must command that which is good and forbid that which is evil- according to his ability- and to struggle against the kuffar and hypocrites in the cause of Allah, to support the awliya of Allah and to take as enemies the enemies of Allah, to love in Allah and hate in Allah…

…They must struggle in order to uphold His Deen, asking His help in that, removing with that that which was destined of bad things… just as man removes the present hunger with food, and keeps away with it future hunger, and likewise, if the time of cold weather comes, he keeps the cold away through clothing, and likewise all that man wants is used to keep away something that man does not want. As they said to the Prophet (pbuh), “Oh Messenger of Allah, you see the medicines that we take, the recitations that we use for healing, and precautions with which we protect ourselves, do they keep away anything that Allah has destined?” So he said, “they are part of what Allah has destined.” And among the hadith: “Supplication and affliction will meet and fight between the Sky and the Earth.” This is the state of those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, and all that is part of worship.

[Summarized, and translated, from Ibn Taymiyyah’s Fatawa, vol 10: www.al-eman.com/islamlib/viewchp.asp?BID=252&CID=191#s1]

Power is necessary and should be developed; but when man is anxious to develop power, either of body or of mind, he ought to remember that the will power is behind it all; that if the will is developed, the physical and mental power can easily be developed. The will power governs the body and the mind.  - Hazrat Inayat Khan, Mastery, p. 211

In the East I have seen a man lifting a heavy stone on one finger. One might wonder how that can be possible, but it is the power of the will alone which sustains the heavy stone; the finger is only an excuse. - Ibid, p. 170