determined dreams.........

Dreams by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

This is another poem written by Langston Hughes, which conveys the message of the need to have the determination to accomplish whatever we aim or strive for in life . In the first stanza, “Hold fast to dreams” implies that a person needs to continue to believe in his ability and aim for what he visualizes for his future success. Then Langston Hughes personifies life, by stating that life is a broken-winged bird if one let the dreams die. It means a person will meet failure if he let go his dreams before accomplishing his desired aims in life. He will also lose his strength to move on physically, emotionally or spiritually to make his dream become a reality. In the second stanza, “Hold fast to dreams” is repeated again to emphasis on the importance of being a person who has mission and vision in life. Langston Hughes personifies life once again by stating “ Life is a barren field, frozen with snow" if dreams go. It shows that there is no harvest to reap as when he let go his dream, life will become unproductive, making it fruitless and meaningless.

pessimist or optimist?

James Mercer Langston Hughes, an African American was a poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright and columnist. His writings are categorized as marginalized literature in the marginalized ethnic group and he voice out issues and concerns from his life experience. I feel that his poem “Cross” is showing his vision of future generations, who practice multi-ethnic marriage, which has actually become a reality these days. The same situation occurs in Malaysia where we have multi ethnic marriage, so this poem can also be suitable to be taught in Malaysian secondary school where students have background knowledge on this matter. Multi ethnic marriage occurs in their family circle or in the society around them. The poem reflects the persona’s frustration from racialism and arouses us to contemplate what will happen in the future if discrimination prevails. The persona is as though wanting the readers to ponder on the consequences of practicing racialism in the society which will not only cause internal conflict in a person but also external conflict and to decide whether to be pessimist or optimist when facing the reality in life before turning into dust.

Cross by Langston Hughes

My old man's a white old man
And my old mother's black.
If ever I cursed my white old man
I take my curses back.
If ever I cursed my black old mother
And wished she were in hell,
I'm sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well
My old man died in a fine big house.
My ma died in a shack.
I wonder where I'm going to die,
Being neither white nor black?

love : pleasure or pressure?

Erica Mann Jong’s writing on literary text is categorized as marginalized literature for feminist writings .The rose in the poem written by her symbolizes love, pleasure, beauty. The persona received the love from a man but she was waiting to let the love bloom in her heart. By the time the love flows into her heart, she realizes the man’s love for her is beginning to fade. So, the persona tried to preserve the love she received from him but it perished as time moves on. She suffered the lost for years with pressure. She hopes for pleasure from the love she once received, so she took the effort to make it alive, but love was not lasting for her, turning from pleasure into pressure. In the last 2 stanzas I feel that the persona has reached to a reflecting and contemplating stage,in order to console herself, after going through bitterness of a love that has perished.

The Rose by Erica Mann Jong

You gave me a rose
last time we met.

I told myself
if it bloomed
our love would bloom,
& if it died--

O I did not

consider

the possibility.

It died.

Though I cut
the stem
on a slant
as my mother
taught me,
though I dropped
an aspirin
in the water,

it hung its head
like a spent cock
& died.

It stands
on my desk now--
straight green stalk,
blood-red clot
of bud
drooping
like a hanged man's
head.

Does this mean
we are doomed?
Does this mean
all lovers
are doomed?

O my love--
I have not read roses
as amulets
in seven years. . . .

Which doom
is worse?
To love
& lose?

Or to lose
love
altogether
& not care
whether roses

live or die?

unrequited love?

Offering

I came to you at sunrise

With silvery dew on sleeping lotus

Sparkling in my gay hands;

You put my flowers in the sun.

I danced to you at midday

With bright raintree blooms

Flaming in my ardent arms;

You dropped my blossoms in the pond.

I crept to you at sunset

With pale lilac orchids

Trembling on my uncertain lips;

You shredded my petals in the sand.

I strode to you at midnight

With gravel hard and cold

Clenched in my bitter fists;

You offered me your hybrid orchids

And I crushed them in my despair.

Hilary Tham who wrote the poem “Offfering” was born in Arlington, Virginia, grew up in Malaysia but died in Arlington. “Offerings” is one of her poems with the theme of relationship which can be considered as a good and suitable literary text for Malaysian secondary school students. Her poems are profound and realistic as they reflect the reality of life, touching the human factors that create deep insight.

In the poem I assume that “I” is a man while “you” is a woman. The flow of words from the first stanza until the last stanza creates an atmosphere of tense, desperation and passion of a man who is trying to win the heart of a woman whom he loves dearly. The different settings and flowers used in each stanzas reflects the persona’s determination despite the cold response from the woman whom he is in love with. His gestures in each stanza demonstrate his intense passion towards the woman.

I feel that the last stanza is truly arousing sympathy as it reflects an unrequited love. The midnight, gravel hard and cold creates the images of frustration as he clenched his fists in misery. In the following line, the woman offered him hybrid orchids which reflect the differences between the man and woman which might be the statues or level of knowledge. The most heart-breaking moments are when the man crushed the hybrid orchids as though he is crushing his dreams when he realized his love was an unrequited love.

My message on love

Living a life filled with LOVE can motivate us as LOVE can enhance human energy bringing success, happiness and tranquility. So we should open the room in our hearts, let the LOVE flow in, grasp the opportunity to learn the skills of LOVE to make the power of LOVE within our heart to grow and flow.

LOVE can change our lives and can be a force to make us move, to make us act upon our needs, but to heave the feeling of LOVE is not that easy, and most of the time LOVE is just said in actions. According to the great Persian Sufi Poet, Rumi (1207-1273), LOVE is the most difficult concept to define, "My pen splinters when I write LOVE.”

LOVE can give us the power to touch the human hearts; it blooms without season or reason as true LOVE is always presence and it grows in the midst of sorrow or joy, tears or happiness. Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese born American philosophical essayist, novelist and poet once said: “LOVE is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.”

Don’t wait to be loved, LOVE our own selves and pour out the LOVE within ourselves. Rumi said, “Your task is not to seek for LOVE, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

LOVE has no boundaries as LOVE is boundless. Rumi said: "This is LOVE: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet."

True love flows naturally through spontaneous expression embroidered with warmth, comfort, serenity, truth and beauty, in tears and joy in mutual sharing, giving more that expecting, sharing more that receiving, and most of all loving for the sake of God as it is the way of opening up the power of love within our hearts…………………..

With love,

Roses, roses, roses......

Below are my thoughts and reflections regarding the theme of

“The Sick Rose” by William Blake and “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns.

The Sick Rose By William Blake

O Rose, thou art sick!

The invisible worm

That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

A Red Red Rose by Robert Burns

O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,

And fare thee weel awhile!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.

In poetry the theme is the controlling idea of the whole poetry. The themes reveal the message or the meaning of the whole poetry. From my reflection both of the poems reveal the theme through the title. However the theme of the poems differs in its meaning.

The theme of the poem “The Sick Rose” by William Blake is about of a rose that has reached the end of its lifespan in the advent of the creeping winter. A rose usually symbolizes love, beauty and romance, but in this poem rose is sick reflects the damaged, hurt and destruction. The rose which is personified as an ailing woman was damaged by the worm which is personified as the man who has caused the harm to her. It is a poem that reveals the negative attitude of a man towards a woman whom he destroys to satisfy his lust. Where else in the poem “ A red,red Rose” by Robert Burns the theme is about a man who is deeply in love with his lover. The word red is repeated twice stress the great passion he has for his lover. It is a romantic love poem which has a positive attitude of a man towards a woman whom he loves by showing his great passion of love which is growing deeper and deeper each day.



Another comparison of the theme is regarding the dignity. In the “Sick Rose” the man destroyed the dignity of the woman. He ruin the life of a woman and caused her to be become ill. Where else in the “A Red,Red Rose” the man preserves the dignity of a woman whom he is in love with and even praised her beauty.

Besides that, another comparison of the theme is regarding responsibility. In the “Sick Rose” the man is an irresponsible person who does not care about woman. His intention is to ruin the life of the person he loves the wrong way, where else in “A Red, Red Rose” the man’s action reveal his steadfastness of being a responsible person. Even in the last stanza of the poem he said that he will return with a heart of love though he is ten thousand miles away from her.

Furthermore the theme of love in the “Sick Rose” is a secret love of a man towards a woman when he actually used a force and unhealthy way to get his love from the woman. His drastic action and impatient behavior has eventually caused the damaged in the woman whom he loved secretly. Thus it reveals the darker side of human nature. In “A Red, Red Rose” the man patiently and gradually release his love towards his lover. He even reveals his passion in a more decent way and he did not use any force. Burns used two similes to compare the love, the first is the man’s love is like a red,red rose and the second is his love is like the melodie. Both simile reflects a delicate form a love between a man and a woman. Hence, it reveals the brighter side of human nature.

Blake and Burns' choice of words made the language of poetry in those poems alive and arouse the interest of the readers to find the hidden message behind it. The use of symbolic and figurative language written by the writers have made both the poems very interesting and appealing to the readers’ senses.

In “The Sick Rose”, the poem ends with a depressive tone where the beautiful rose was blemished by the evil lust of a man but in “A Red, Red Rose”, the depth of the persona’s love prolong even when he has to say farewell: “And fare thee weel”, but he promises to return. Burns ends the poem in a tender , hopeful and inspiring note . Thus, after comparing the theme of both the poems it is obvious that both poems reflect the two contrary states of a human soul as “The Sick Rose” is a blemishing rose while the “A Red, Red Rose” is a blessings rose.

a place for poetry

Poetry is the spontaneous flow of expression conveyed in words which is organized into regular units called stanza to create rhythmical effects or sound patterns in lines. The lines are constructed by the poets into image, rhythm and sound. Sound devices, rhythmical patterns and compression of statements are the characteristics of poetry. Poetry is expressing the thoughts and feelings of a person and conveyed through beautiful, aesthetic expressions in words organized into stanzas which have denotative and connotative meanings.

Poetry can be identified by its form, and the way the poetry is patterned in concept or idea. Knowledge on the different types or categories can help a reader in his work of analysis. Among the types of poetry are epic, free verse, blank verse, ballad, metaphysical, mystical, spiritual, heroic couplet, lyrical ballad, lyric poetry, sonnets and limericks.

The theme of poetry is important as it is a general idea of what the poet is trying to convey to us through his poems and it reflects the poem’s intention in mood and tone. It makes the poetry meaningful when the message is conveyed in beautiful expression.

The expression of the words in the poetry should not be taken literally as poetry has figures of speech which are connotative in meaning. Thus the deeper meaning of words in the poetry needs to be understood to catch the feel and taste of the poetry. Each type of poetry has its own unique elements. Poets use figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, symbols, personifications, synecdoche, metonymies, hyperbole, paradox, anaphora, tautology, onomatopoeia, euphemism, ellipsis, litotes, antithesis, oxymoron, anaphor which are techniques they use to arrange and express the words so that there is life in each poetry that we read.

rabia's sufi poetry

In love, nothing exists between heart and heart.
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of Something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?

Rabia al-Adawiyya

rumi's sufi poetry

My heart tells me it is distressed with Him,
but I can only laugh at such pretended injuries.

Be fair, You who are the Glory of the just.
You, Soul, free of "we" and "I,"
subtle spirit within each man and woman.

When a man and a woman become one,
that "one" is You.
And when that one is obliterated, there You are.

Where is this "we" and this "I"?
By the side of the Beloved.
You made this "we" and this "I"
in order that you might play
this game of courtship with Yourself,
that all "you's" and "I's" might become one soul
and finally drown in the Beloved.

All this is true. Come!
You who are the Creative Word: Be
You, so far beyond description.

Is it possible for the bodily eyes to see You?
Can thought comprehend Your laughter or grief?
Tell me now, can it possibly see You at all?
Such a heart has only borrowed things to live with.

The garden of love is green without limit
and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy.
Love is beyond either condition:
without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh.

Rumi - Mathnawi I, 1779-1794 - The Rumi Collection - Kabir Helminski

Imam al-Ghazali's astaghfaar

Imam al-Ghazali's astaghfaar surely touch the hearts of all readers.

"We ask forgiveness of Allah (Exalted is He!) for every stumbling on our part and for every slip of the pen in this and all our other books.

We ask His forgiveness for those of our words which have not been matched by our deeds.

We ask His forgiveness for the claims and professions of knowledge and insight into his religion which we have made despite our insufficiencies therein.

We ask His forgiveness for every science we have acquired and every action which we have undertaken for His noble sake, but which was then commingled with something else.

We ask His forgiveness for every covenant we made within ourselves but which we then fell short of fulfilling.

We ask His forgiveness for every blessing which He bestowed upon us but which we employed in disobedience to Him.

We seek His forgiveness for having declared or implied the shortcomings or the inadequacy of anyone.

And we ask His forgiveness for every passing notion which induced us to dissemble or be mannered for the sake of playing up to others, in any book which we have written, or any discourse which we have delivered, or any science which we have profited or profited from.

And after having asked His pardon for all these things, for ourselves and for whomsoever reads this book of ours, or copies it, or listens to it, we ask that He should honour us with His forgiveness and mercy, and overlook the entirety of our sins, both evident and concealed.

For all-encompassing is His generosity, all-abundant is His mercy, and His grace overflows upon all that He has made. And we who are of His making, find no path to Him but that which lies through His grace and munificence". (The Remembrance of Death, p. 252-253; Ihya', vol IV, p. 578).

This is his final dua.
"It is our hope that He will not deal with us as we deserve, but will rather grant us that which is appropriate to Him, in His generosity, abundant indulgence, and mercy". (Ihya', Vol IV, p. 582)

Islam and Poetry

By Mufti Bilaal Cassim
POSTED: 8 RAJAB 1423, 15 SEPTEMBER 2002

CHECKED AND APPROVED: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

---

Q.) What does Islam say about poets and any type of poetry? Is poetry other than romance allowed in Islam? Please give me a detailed answer about the poetry and poets. [Ali]

---

A.) Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports Rasulullah (s.a.w) as having said; "Poetry contains (much) wisdom." (Mishkaat with Mirqaat Vol. 9 Pg. 122 Ashrafiyyah).

Mullah Ali Qari (r.a), a renowned Muhaddith explains that poetry containing truth, wise words, advices, useful parables, etc. that are of benefit to mankind, as well as those containing praises of Allah and Nabi , promoting abstinence from worldly luxuries, exhortation towards the Aakhirah and other aspects of Deen are indeed praiseworthy. Poetry devoid of these things is malignant and disliked. (e.g. songs containing lewdness or depictive of sins etc.) The words of the Qur'an (viz. "(As for) the Poets, only the misguided follow them. Can you not see their (aimless) wandering in the valleys, their statements devoid of action?" As-Shu'araa: 224-226) and the Ahadith maligning poetry refer to these kinds of poetry.

Thereafter he mentions that poetry is a form of speech and must be judged by the same standard. i.e beneficial poetry is like beneficial speech and useless and evil poetry like useless and evil speech) (Mirqaat VOl.9 Pg. 122 Ashrafiyyah).

From this principle we can deduce that recital or composition of romantic poetry is permissible (and even rewarding) only if it is for one's spouse with the intention of promoting love and tenderness and providing it is free of lewdness or obscenity, much the same as a loving or kind word. When not for one's spouse, it is not permissible.

And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

What is Tasawwuf?

By Khalid Baig

"Verily, he who has purified the heart is successful and he who has despoiled it has lost."

A lot of people have misunderstandings about tasawwuf. Many think that it is something beyond Qur'an and Sunnah. Errant Sufis as well as the superficial ulema, although on the opposite ends of the spectrum, are together in holding this mistaken notion. Consequently the first group has shunned the Qur'an and Hadith while the second group has shunned tasawwuf. Actually, although the term tasawwuf, like many other religious terms in use today, evolved later, the discipline is very much part of the Shariah. The department of the Shariah relating to external deeds like salat and zakat is called fiqh while the one dealing with the internal feelings and states of the heart is calledtasawwuf. Both are commanded in the Qur'an. Thus while commanding Salat and Zakat, the Qur'an also commands gratefulness and love of Allah and condemns the evil of pride and vanity. Similarly, in the books of hadith, along with the chapters on Ibadat, trade and commerce, marriage and divorce, are to be found the chapters on riya (showoff) takabbur,akhlaq, etc. These commands are as much a mandatory requirement as the ones dealing with external deeds.

On reflection it will be realized that all the external deeds are designed for the reformation of the heart. That is the basis of success in the hereafter while its despoiling is the cause of total destruction. This is precisely what is known technically astasawwuf. Its focus is tahzeebe akhlaq or the adornment of character; its motive is the attainment of Divine pleasure; its method is total obedience to the commands of the Shariah.

Tasawwuf is the soul of Islam. Its function is to purity the heart from the lowly bestial attributes of lust, calamities of the tongue, anger, malice, jealousy, love of the world, love of fame, niggardliness, greed, ostentation, vanity, deception, etc. At the same time it aims at the adornment of the heart with the lofty attributes of repentance, perseverance, gratefulness, fear of Allah, hope, abstention, tauheed, trust, love, sincerity, truth, contemplation, etc.

To diagnose and treat the diseases of the heart normally requires the help of an expert mentor or Shaikh. Here are the qualities of a good Shaikh.

1. He possesses necessary religious knowledge.

2. His beliefs, habits, and practices are in accordance with the Shariah.

3. He does not harbor greed for the worldly wealth.

4. He has himself spent time learning from a good Shaikh.

5. The scholars and good mashaikh of his time hold good opinion about him.

6. His admirers are mostly from among the people who have good understanding of religion.

7. Most of his followers follow the Shariah and are not the seekers after this world.

8. He sincerely tries to educate and morally train his followers. If he sees anything wrong in them, he corrects it.

9. In his company one can feel a decrease in the love of this world and an increase in the love for Allah.

10. He himself regularly performs dhikr and shughal (spiritual exercises).

In searching for a Shaikh, do not look for his ability to performkaramat (miracles) or to foretell the future. A very good Shaikhmay not be able to show any karamat. On the other hand, a person showing karamat does not have to be a pious person --- or even a Muslim. Prominent Sufi Bayazid Bistami says: "Do not be deceived if you see a performer of supernatural feats flying in the air. Measure him on the standard of the Shariah."

When you find the right Shaikh, and you are satisfied with his ability to provide spiritual guidance, you perform baya or pledge. This is a two-way commitment; the Shaikh pledges to guide you in light of Shariah and you pledge to follow him. Then the Shaikh will give his mureed (disciple) initial instructions. They include the following:

1. Perform repentance for all the past sins and take steps to make amends, e.g. if any salat has been missed so far in the life, you start making up for it.

2. If you have any unmet financial obligations toward another person make plans to discharge them.

3. Guard your eyes, ears, and tongue.

4. Perform dhikr regularly.

5. Start a daily session of self-accounting before going to bed. Review all the good and bad deeds performed during the day. Repent for the bad ones and thank Allah for the good ones.

6. Perform muraqaba-maut (meditation over death) every night before going to bed. Just visualize that you have died. Reflect upon the pangs of death, the questioning in the grave, the plain of Resurrection, the Reckoning , the presence in the Court of Allah, etc This helps bring softness to the heart and break the tendency to commit sins.

7. Develop humility. Even if you observe another individual committing the worst of vices you should not despise him/her, nor should you consider yourself nobler. It is very much possible that the perpetrator of the vice may resort to sincere repentance while the one who despised the sinner become ensnared in the traps of nafs and Shaitan. One has no certainty regarding one's end. One, therefore has no basis for regarding another with contempt.

The essential idea of tahzeebe akhlaq is to bring our natural faculties in a state of balance. The three basic faculties are anger, desires, and intelligence.

Anger:

When in equilibrium it results in valor, forbearance, steadfastness, the ability to restrain anger, and dignity. Excess will result in rashness, boastfulness, pride, inability to restrain anger, and vanity. A deficiency will result in cowardice, disgrace, and feeling of inferiority.

Desires:

Equilibrium here results in chastity, generosity, haya (decency), patience, and contentment. Its excess leads to greed and lust. The other extreme results in narrow-mindedness, and impotence, etc.

Intelligence:

Equilibrium here makes man wise, sharp-witted and one with great insights. Excess here makes one deceptive, fraudulent and imposture. Its lack results in ignorance and stupidity with the consequence that such a person is quickly misled.

A person will be considered as having a beautiful seerah(character) only when these faculties are in the state of balance and equilibrium. Internal beauty varies with people just as external beauty does. The possessor of the most beautifulseerah was Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. The beauty of our seerah is based on its closeness to his seerah.

[Condensed from writings of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi]

Further Reading:
1) Fiqh aur Tassuwuf aik Taaruf (Urdu)
2) The Kashf Al-Mahjub (English)

Opening up the power of LOVE within our hearts

Living a life filled with LOVE can motivate us as LOVE can enhance human energy bringing success, happiness and tranquility. So we should open the room in our hearts, let the LOVE flow in, grasp the opportunity to learn the skills of LOVE to make the power of LOVE within our heart to grow and flow.

LOVE can change our lives and can be a force to make us move, to make us act upon our needs, but to heave the feeling of LOVE is not that easy, and most of the time LOVE is just said in actions. According to the great Persian Sufi Poet Rumi (1207-1273), LOVE is the most difficult concept to define, "My pen splinters when I write LOVE.”

LOVE can give us the power to touch the human hearts; it blooms without season or reason as true LOVE is always presence and it grows in the midst of sorrow or joy, tears or happiness. Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese born American philosophical essayist, novelist and poet once said: “LOVE is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.”

Don’t wait to be loved, LOVE our own selves and pour out the LOVE within ourselves. Rumi said, “Your task is not to seek for LOVE, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

LOVE has no boundaries as LOVE is boundless. Rumi said: "This is LOVE: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet."

True love flows naturally through spontaneous expression embroidered with warmth, comfort, serenity, truth and beauty, in tears and joy in mutual sharing, giving more that expecting, sharing more that receiving, and most of all loving for the sake of Allah as it is the way of opening up the power of love within our hearts…………………..

My special thanks to my beloved children……for all your LOVE, hugs and kisses have given me inspiration to write this message on LOVE and passion to keep on writing for the sake of LOVE for Allah.

Thank you Allah , for Your bounteous mercy, illuminating light and unconditional LOVE ….

With LOVE and du’as

the sufi path

Ibnu Sina said that:

"The sufi path can be traveled by determination and practice and not by reading and research. He declared that the sufi is brave because he is shielded from fear of death; is very good because he is shielded from love of what is not right, is forgiving because his ego is above being hurt by a human mistake; is forgetting hatred because his memory is busy with the Truth."

Luqman on the need to keep good company and to consult scholars

‘Abdullah Ibn Ahmed said: I was told by Al- Hakam Ibn Abu Zuhair Ibn Musa after Al-Faraj Ibn Fudalah after Abu Sa’id as saying: Luqman said to his son: “O my son! Let only the pious men eat your food, and consult the scholars over your affairs.”

Finally, wisdom in matters is one of the blessings that Allah grants to His creation. The Almighty says in the Quran: “He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding.” (Quran: Al-Baqara: 269)

Luqman on patience, knowledge, and goodness

`Abdur Razzaq told us after Mu’amir after Ayyub after Abu Qulabah as saying: Luqman was once asked: Who is the best one in terms of patience? He said: It is the one who practices no harm after observing patience. Those who asked him said: Who is the best one in terms of knowledge? He said: It is he who adds to his own knowledge through the knowledge of others. They asked: Who is the best from among the whole people? He said: It is the wealthy. They said: Is it the one who has properties and riches? He said: No! But, it is the one if whose good was sought, he would not hold it back or prevent it. And, it is the one who does not need anything from others.

About the book The Beginning of Guidance (Bidayatul Hidayah)

The Beginning of Guidance,originally in Arabic (Bidayatul Hidayah) is one of the books on sufism and ethics written by Imam Abu Hamed Al-Ghazali and its translated & edited by Professor Mashhad Al-Allaf.

The book is also fully translated by Muhammad Abul Qasem,and its self published in Malaysia.

Imam Al-Ghazali said: 'Here, then I give you counsel about the beginning of Guidance so that thereby you may test yourself and examine your Heart....' No one can reach the ending until he has completed the beginning,no one can discover the inward aspect until he has mastered the outward.'


I quote a few lines of the commentary of this book by kitaabun.com:
“This Book can be considered as an Introduction to The Imam's Magnum Opus The Revival of the Religions Sciences (Ihya Ulum al-Din)and directs the reader to the larger work for what lies beyond that.”

bring out the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period

Imam Al Ghazali (May Allah have mercy on him) wrote this in his book:
'The Beginning of Guidance'

"You should not neglect your time or use it haphazardly; on the contrary you should bring yourself to account, structure your litanies and other practices during each day and night, and assign to each period a fixed and specific function.

This is how to bring out the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period. But if you leave yourself adrift, aimlessly wandering as cattle do, not knowing how to occupy yourself at every moment, your time will be lost.

It is nothing other than your life, and your life is the capital that you make use of to reach perpetual felicity in the proximity of God the Exalted. Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of them is irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be retrieved.

Do not be like that deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens. What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter?

Therefore be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works, for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay behind."