Musings of a Servant of Allah
Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. (13:28)Shaykh Abu’l-Hasan said this to Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, in response to the younger man’s various worries and sadnesses:
There are four states of the servant, not five: blessings, trials, obedience, and disobedience. If you are blessed, then what God requires of you is thankfulness. If you are tried, then what God requires of you is patience. If you are obedient, then what God requires of you is the witnessing of His blessings upon you. If you are disobedient, then what God requires of you is asking forgiveness.
Ibid., p.196, read in The Key to Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation
:)
Salams world!
So…I’m back. Alhamdulilah. Lots has happened, subhanAllah. Life is an ongoing journey…with ups and downs. What matters is dealing with it with as much optimism and trust in Allah as possible.
The Sydney suhba 2008 was incredible. It was such a blessing to be able to sit in the presence of Shaykh Nuh, and later on, his wife Umm Sahl. Alhamdulilah, they’ll be coming every year now, instead of every two years! We’re so blessed. InshaAllah next year Umm al-Khayr and Sheikh Ashraf will come too.
Gratitude marks my path to the Divine. Knowing that everything I am afflicted with is not ‘by accident’, but through the loving kindness of Allah, because He knows what will bring me closer to Him. He is what I regard Him to be, and in my time of need, He is my Compassionate, Merciful and Generous Lord, who hears my call. Sheikh Nuh’s advice to me is to remain optimistic. Hope is always so very important when faced with the trials of this world.
I’ve reached a crossroads in my life now. What keeps me focused and grounded is the remembrance that Allah Most High, in his Perfection, knows me better than any other, and has placed me exactly where He wants me to be. It’s up to me to reflect upon my situation, and reap the fruits of it.
There is good in everything Allah tests us with. May Allah grant us all patience, steadfastness, and acceptance of His Decree.
On the Harvard suhba…
Shadhili tariqa: the path to the divine
Do check out the very interesting audio selection on the left hand side. A very soothing reminder, especially in times of difficulty.
The entire selection is here: Harvard suhba.
I particularly like how Shaykh Nuh reminds us all about that eternal truth - everything perishes except for Allah. Where will we be, 50 million years from now? All gone. But Allah remains - and all deeds that done for His sake.
May Allah accept our good deeds.
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A few of my close friends from med school are back from overseas…can’t wait to catch up! Lots has happened. Alhamdulilah, I’ve been blessed with a few good friends, and I can’t wait to sit down and catch up over coffee or dinner. I’ll miss not being in their cohort, with my whole deferral and all…but all things happen for a reason. Allah is the best of planners.
I used to honestly believe in this quote “I am the Master of my fate and the Captain of my soul”…but that’s not the truth of the matter. Allah is the master of every atom in this universe. That’s a huge blow to the ego, but also a relief - realising that no matter how well-intentioned and perfectly executed a plan is - if Allah decides it not to be, it will not, and if He decides it is to be, then it will. Allah is the one in charge. And alhamdulilah for that, because we’re human, necessarily imperfect, and Allah runs the universe to perfection. We’re just too limited to see it, at a macro level. He does not wish bad upon His creation, and loves us more than we love ourselves.
Surrendering to the decree of Allah can be difficult for control freaks e.g. myself. Just…let…go…
On The World of Retail
If there’s one thing you take away from my entire BLOG - it’s this…..please, be kind to the person behind the cash register. We’re still people! With feelings!
I’m having a surprisingly great time, working as a Christmas Casual at one of the biggest department stores in Sydney. I’ve learned a lot about what it’s like to actually provide customer service.
I’ve worked at the loading dock and the shop floor. There’s this hilarious rivalry between the two. The folk at the loading dock are a lovely, down-to-earth type. The ones on the floor are very customer-service oriented. So when I got back to working at the loading dock, one of the guys asked “It’s better down here, isn’t it?” I grinned and laughed, and said it depended on my mood.
SO, be nice to your customer service lot! We’re still people, with feelings. When you browse, pick up the things you drop. We appreciate it!
…and on relief
Alhamdulilah. Alhamdulilah.
Life is cyclical like that, and the promise of Allah is true 
On hardship
…so it’s been a while since I’ve last updated. Lots has happened. Without giving too much away, there is much going on behind the scenes. Alhamdulilah for everything.
Faith makes suffering, sufferable. This world is filled with shades of darkness and light. Absolutes are hard to find. Thinking in black and white leads to unnecessary strife. There are the major truths which I cling on to, and I ask those who know better when I’m stuck. Allah knows best.
Where do I begin?
So much has happened over the last few years of my life, and is the case with every other human being on this planet….my trials are ongoing. Allah is the only reason why I’ve come this far. Intact. Allah is the only reason for everything, really. Such is the perennial problem of humanity. When things are peachy, we forget Him. When things are hard, we fall on our knees and beseech His help.
There is sweetness in hardship, though. That’s when one’s prayer is sweetest, Quran recitation has more soul, and we truly feel broken as we prostrate before Him. And only He can heal. That’s always the case, of course, but realising our daily indebtness to the Almighty, both in times of ease and hardship, is an tremendous gift from Him.
There are among men some who serve God, as it were, on the verge: If good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: They lose both this world and the Hereafter: That is loss for all to see! (Quran 22:11)
People of faith are a 3D construct in this 2D world. We look beyond the horizon of the everyday, especially when struck down by hardship, and remember that there is a power greater than us. Events like grief, loss, sickness and poverty are a lot more bearable when we know that at the end of the day, God will take care of it.
Alhamdulilah, in Islam, sickness of any kind (physical, psychological, spiritual) is a cleansing of sin. That’s good news, because expiation of sin in this life is a lot better than in the next!
May Allah grant us all healing, and ease our trials.
I AM IN LOVE
And his name is Khalid.
And he is a warm-blood stallion with an Arabian mother. LOL. Gotcha there, didn’t I??
Visited Aunty J’s ranch today…I loooove being there. I helped her round up the cattle by sitting on the back of her motorbike. I later hopped off and scared the cows to run in the right direction. One was SO PREGGERS MAN….she was bulging so hugely on both sides. Good grief.
Then we had nice lunch and cold drinks. And then Aunty J introduced me to Khalid. LOVE at first sight. He’s such a sensitive horse…so in-tune with humans. I stroked him…and he nuzzled me back, nipped lightly at my dress! TOO CUTE. I am smitten. And Aunty J said “He thinks you’re cute too!” Aw!
Hm
Yay!
Got my job training day coming up soon…can’t wait for the $ to come rolling in, inshaAllah…lots to save, and spend on (lol).
I’m really enjoying this break from uni, alhamdulilah. It came at the best time. Sigh. Half the time I don’t know what to do with myself….but that’s okay too!
Rediscovering the joy of writing is always a good thing to do I love writing. Love love love. Nothing like it, really.
Thoughts
So I had heaps of fun at archery yesterday. InshaAllah I’m gonna be a regular! My weekday and weekend adventure. Sure, it’s $20 per session…so I may go maybe 3 or so times a week.
I’d also like to venture back into the wide and wonderful world of swimming!!! Gotta get my very own burqini lol.
Sport is great. Thrilling, good way to get endorphins rushing through my system
Travel
I wonder what it’s like to travel?
To pack up and leave to foreign soil. Knowing nothing and no one, but only having some cash, clothes on my back, and being bilingual…
Hm…
