Attachments

 Dear Companion,

“Do not build unnecessary walls, because when they eventually fall, you will be hurt”. This was the advice of the elders and righteous related by my Teacher. To be honest, at first, I didn’t understand the advice at all. It was only weeks later whilst residing in the Blessed City of Madinah and being faced by a dilemma that its meaning became clear to me.

Waking up from a peaceful nap in the Masjid, just meters away from the Blessed resting place of the Prophet (saw), I realised my ‘man bag’ was missing. The bag had my phone, some cash (approx. £50) and my debit card inside it. For me, the most valuable item in the bag was undoubtedly my phone. The phone didn’t have any significant intrinsic value; rather I felt more at loss for what was inside the phone. In fact I had gradually made the phone a ‘hub’ of memories: not only did it contain all my contacts but also pictures from travels, my personal reflections and nearly a year’s worth of personal development checklist[1]  all of which had (conveniently) not been backed up. These memories were a source of self-assurance and motivation in my daily life. I had to get the phone back!

There were two possibilities: (1) I had left the bag behind somewhere in the mosque (2) the bag had been stolen. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that someone could steal in the Blessed Masjid of the Prophet (saw) so I decided that I had misplaced it[2] and the [ever-efficient] cleaners had picked it up. Here, however,  here was my dilemma: I could invest the remainder of our limited stay in the Blessed City of the Prophet (saw) either in trying to find the phone or in concentrating on spiritual development.

After a couple unsuccessful of visits to the lost and found office I had a chance to follow up the individual who had stolen my bag through numbers he had called using my phone which my network provider had given me. I, however, decided not to take any further steps. I realised that it was necessary for me to put the phone behind me and develop real attachments.

Whether it is memories (stored in a phone or otherwise), a loved person, the desired academic grades or career, we sometimes make objects a source of our happiness or security. We often create these ‘attachments’ to foster a sense of invulnerability at the expense of something else. How do we know we’ve grown an ‘attachment’? Well, just think about how we react when the object we relied upon lets us down! How do we feel when a person we expected to ‘be there’ for us fails to do so? How do we react when we fall short of securing our academic or professional goals? Many times we feel ‘robbed’, betrayed or cheated. These are and nothing but tests.

I was reminded of the story of a righteous predecessor who was recognised a great Friend of Allah (Awliyah Allah). His house had been robbed of all its possessions during a night. In the morning, the neighbours, having heard of the calamity that had befallen the righteous Wali, paid a visit to him in order to share their condolences and offer support. To their surprise, they found the Wali in prostration (sujood), thanking Allah (swt). Confused, they enquired why the Wali was showing gratitude- he had just been robbed of everything! The Wali, replied: “I am thanking Allah (swt) for two things: firstly that I may have been robbed but at least I didn’t oppress anyone or wasn’t compelled to rob others and secondly the thieves have only robbed something of this world (Dunya) and not from my Hereafter (Akhira).

My first reaction to losing the phone was one of despair and anger – not gratitude. I was even prepared to sacrifice invaluable time in the Blessed City of the Prophet (saw) in order to recuperate it. We are usually weary of being ‘materialistic’ or ‘loving the Dunya’ with more obvious material objects such as money, clothes and cars. But how careful are we with more subtle forms of worldly attachments?

The reality is that we create unnecessary walls. Walls with weak foundations, based on deception and falsehood (in other words, the Dunya) and thus they are bound to collapse. The created can never be the source of our happiness and contentment. They are merely the means. The Creator is the ultimate source.

For me, this highlighted the importance of the Purification of the Inward (Tazkiyah).

The people of Dunya and the People of Allah, outwardly, often look the same. We pray, and they pray. We eat, and they eat. What is different however, is the state of their heart, mind and soul. It is these states that cultivate a person who has the Dunya in his hand but not in his heart. Their reliance and source of happiness and safety is ultimately Allah, the Lord and Sustainer of the Worlds.

Yours Sincerely,

1/11th of a Pilgrim, Tasif

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[1] Personal Development Checklist or Plans (PDCs or PDPs) are a practical way of accounting for your daily actions (Muhasiba). A usual ‘Islamic’ PDP will keep a daily record of your prayers (quantity and quality), tilwaat, adhkar, reading, and learning.

[2] I would later confirm that the bag had indeed been stolen. Ultimate proof came when the phone bill for that month was £160. The calls were mainly international calls to Saudi and India made in the two days in-between the phone going missing and the sim-card being blocked.

My journey to the Beloved One

Dear Companion,

This wasn't the first time my semi-functional iPhone alarm let me down. Nor was it the first time that we slept at 3 in the morning! So let me set the scene for you. Its was 7:50 AM, we hadn’t packed, showered or ate breakfast and Steve was shouting his head off that we were going to miss the flight to Medina. The thought of missing a chance to visit the Prophet (pbuh)’s mosque was the driving power behind our swift exit from the hotel. It was funny when Steve pointed out that he left the room shouting at Ahmed for being too slow for putting on his belt on, only to find him still trying to put it on 10 minutes later. Our Arrival to Medina was welcomed with a pleasant breeze. The temperature was 20oC but the expression on our Saudi tour guide looked like someone had just shoved him into a freezer. It is compulsory to enter the mosque with the upmost humbleness and humility 

The lack of preparation meant that I was frantically looking through my luggage for my thobe. The visit to the Medina mosque is just as significant as visiting the Haraam in Makkah. This is the city where which God chose for His Messenger to flee to safety when he was driven out of Makkah from the Quraish. This is the city where God revealed many commandments the Prophet (pbuh). When I think of it like that, it enables me to understand just how important Medina is to Muslims. Its is the city where the muslims were among some of the first to understand and apply the obligatory duties. 1400 years later and I am still practicing those obligatory duties. It is advised to give some charity and be in constant supplication before going to mosque.

I was travelling with great enthusiasm and excitement and increasing the yearning, as we got closer. I was overjoyed when the green dome came into sight. Underneath the green dome is where the Prophet (pbuh) is buried. The mosque was more beautiful than I had imagined it. The minarets and the umbrella shaped shelters stood out the most for me. Once inside, the excitement had reached it’s climax, I offered my prayer and tried very hard to focus my thoughts on the exalted personage of the Holy prophet. His high position, means that some pilgrims unintentionally perform wrong practices during the visit. It was a different feeling to the Haraam mosque. Time just seemed to slow down for me. The thoughts of how God had granted me this blessed opportunity filled me with emotions. You can’t explain the feeling. Just as the within the Haraam, I felt a surge of energy as I conversed with my Lord asking him to forgive me. I collected myself and proceeded towards the grave. I walked towards the gold wire-meshed enclosures. Tears flowed through my eyes in an unrestrained manner as I sent salutations upon the Final Messenger. My role model.  My beloved. Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)

Sincerely,

Awais Ali

Speaking to the Heart

Dear Companion,

Praised be God, who extended His invitation to me in 2010 and gave me an amazing opportunity to visit the holy land for the first time, an experience that will remain with me forever.

Coming from a culture so immersed in rights and individualism, it’s often easily forgotten that the world is much bigger than us. Before going for my Umrah trip, I didn’t know what to expect. I had looked at pictures, Youtube videos, and heard a few lectures but nothing compared to actually being there. This was my attempt to escape, isolate myself and discover peace but I came to find, the experience of Umrah, as Imam Suhaib Webb describes, is not so much internal as it is external. As I walked towards the haram, I had a mixture of feelings. Being excited and fearful at the same time, muddled with awe, trying to imagine the spiritual high with every step and invoking the talbiah quietly as I marched with a lowered gaze, clinging behind my friend, reminding myself of the honour of following the footsteps of the holy Prophet  ﷺ - and indeed honour is a gift from God: “[O God] You exalt whomever You will, and You debase whomever You will” (Quran 3:26).

When I managed to get through the sea of people and find a spot to pray, I was in a state of complete admiration for the ka’ba and its surroundings. Upon the first sujood (prostration) I felt a sense of bliss and reflected on the sins that had made me neglect God’s grace – how Exalted is He! A quote of Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad comes to mind: “To purify the body from the disorders which both engender and result from sin, a system of worship is gifted in revelation, which culminates in the placing of the forehead, the symbol of human pride and of self-oriented thought, upon the earth.” As I completed the tawaf (circling of the Ka’ba), I engaged in prophetic invocations, a beggar pleading for God to open the doors of mercy, and beseeching His forgiveness. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf mentions the ritual of circulating the Ka’ba is performed in a counterclockwise fashion, with the left side facing the House i.e. the heart, which is centered slightly to the left of our bodies, inclined towards it to ‘remind us of God and His presence in the life of humanity.’

There were so many people present, providing me with a simple, yet profound realisation. No one cared about how rich or poor you were, where you were from, what post you have or how many degrees you have. Millions travel to redeem themselves, to begin a new chapter and while I didn’t know what sacrifices were made to visit the holy land, I knew that I was there in Makkah, with my insignificance apparent in the midst of the ocean of believers. I concluded that I had truely lost focus on what is beyond me and thought my problems were big, until there God, through His infinite mercy, had sent me a reminder.

The second part of my trip led me to visit the blessed city of Madinah, and Masjid Al-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque) where I visited the Beloved ﷺ, the one who demonstrated the true essence of magnificence, the one who’s reality cannot be perceived in this world by the inattentive and the one who surpassed all prophets in appearance and virtue – peace and blessings upon him, his family and companions. This is the same city in which it’s reported Imam Malik would never ride or mount an animal and would say, “I am too shy before Allah to trample with an animal's hoof on the earth where Allah's Messenger is buried.” (Al-Shifa, Vol 2). When the great Owais Qarani entered the mosque of Madinah, he waited at the door and at once lost consciousness. Upon my entering, I conveyed my Salams, and as Imam Ghazali says, met with him as though he was alive and I was standing before him ﷺ.

This city is contrasting from the city of Makkah. The feeling of tranquillity is unparalleled, and the raised level of sanctity is evident through the way you feel purified by one visit, hence the city’s other name Tayba, meaning pure and pleasant, for the beautiful fragrance that is found in its sacred air. During my stay there I pondered over the words of Qadi Iyaad: “For you (O Madinah) I have intense, ardent love. And a yearning which kindles the embers of my heart.” (Al-Shifa)

The Imam of the haram recited beautifully and precisely for every prayer, his deep voice resonating around the walls where the Prophet ﷺ would walk past, being heard inside and outside the grand, elegant structure. People formed their rows quickly after the call to prayer and there was a constant rush around the grave of the Messenger of God ﷺ, with pilgrims stopping at the golden carvings, some crying while trying to gain that connection, standing humbly before the graciousness of the Prophet ﷺ. “And attribute to him whatever you wish of honour, and attribute to his status whatever you wish of greatness, for the graciousness of Rasulullah has no limit, to an extent beyond what can be expressed in words” explains Imam al-Busiri. I remember an encounter I had after the evening prayer with a Mauritanian individual. He sat there with his prayer beads, concentrating in his dhikr (remembrance of God), harbouring his thoughts, diligent in his devotional act of worship, wearing the light blue Mauritanian costume which resembles the ihram in appearance. Visiting righteous people for spiritual ascendency has always been encouraged by scholars, and I had read of the vast Islamic knowledge that people from Mauritania gain from a young age. I managed to talk to this man in my broken Arabic as he smiled while asking me to sit next to him. I couldn’t help but ask him of his past studies, as his fingers continued to move one bead at a time, and he spoke little and to the point, but a normal quiet simple individual such as this would be considered a great Shaykh in the small part of London where I’m from! I also managed to gather that he had either studied with or taught Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Although I never saw him after that it was a blessed meeting for me as I asked him to pray for me.

Praised be God and with sorrow, I departed from the great city, and the great land. I now gained a better understanding of maintaining good kinship with good people, because a spiritually high journey like Umrah can lead to a spiritual low once returning to your normal life, unless there is something there to maintain that state, which is a difficult task because of the environment that we live in. The lesson I learnt of associating myself with the right people is one that I would like to end with as Ibn Ata’illah once said, “Do not take as a companion someone whose state will not elevate you and whose speech does not direct you to God.” Purification of the heart is indeed an ongoing process and so we also must ensure we do not let our hearts become encrusted, accumulate wholesome deeds and work on consistency to adopt good conduct. I consider this journey of mine to the holy land a stepping stone for this process, God Willing.

Sincerely,

Waqaar Butt

Passage to Peace

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Dear Companion.

Peace. One word, one entity that needs to be in abundance in the world, yet wherever we look it’s as if nobody knows its definition. I couldn’t find my Oxford Dictionary so I guess the Wikipedia entry will have to suffice: “Peace is the state of harmony characterised by the lack of violent conflict.” I don’t think I could have found a better definition anywhere else. I’m not just referring to peace in war-torn countries or peace within our families or friends, but one that most of us often neglect: inner peace.

When I left for my journey to Umrah with my family and our relatives from Bangladesh, I had absolutely no idea what to expect; would I be awed? Would I cry? Would I be bored? (Subhanallah the last one never happened!) The one thing that I never expected to feel is that of such overwhelming tranquillity that it was as if nothing else in the world mattered, but the worship of Allah. I felt it the moment I laid my eyes on the Ka’bah (after I shed a few tears; how can you not?).

I’m someone that loves the internet, and often have friends telling me I’m a Facebook addict and what not. But staying in Makkah, just walking in the streets and looking around at the people made me forget everything about the internet; these people live without it, so why can’t I? It was more of the fact that I didn’t need the internet, I felt like I didn’t need anything at all except my clothes, food, shelter, and Allah.

I’m drifting from my point. As I sat there, looking at the Ka’bah) I remember feeling like nothing mattered, and I just wanted to sit there in the state of the utmost calm I’ve ever felt in my life. Sitting there, surrounded by beautiful architecture, the chanting of prayers from every direction, I was lost in a trance where I reflected upon my life, my goals, what, and most importantly, who I wanted to become in this life. It’s not every day we sit and ponder things like this, is it?

Alhamdulillah I’m happy to say that the experience changed me. I’ve learned so much from it, both about this amazing way of life we call Islam, and about myself as a person. I’ve never taken a peaceful moment for granted since then, and let’s face it: we could all use it in our lives. With university, having personal problems, financial problems or any other troubles makes us forget that there is only one being that we can turn to, and sitting on your own in the mosque or in a tranquil environment will remind you that there are things in this life more important than what goes on in our lives.  After all, Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema": peace, purity, submission and obedience[1].

 Sincerely,

Raiyan Ali

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[1] http://www.barghouti.com/islam/meaning.html

Yearning for the Holy Land

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Dear Companion,

By the mercy of Allah, this was my second visit to the holy land, and I have to say that the experience of the sacred lands never diminishes.

A group of my friends had made the intention of performing their Umrah in the summer; I had been informed and asked if I was able to accompany them. I had already been only the previous summer with my family and did not have the finances to go again this year, so my response was a sad “no”.

Weeks and months passed by and my friends had bought and arranged their tickets and stay. They were very eager about the trip so had been doing extensive mental, physical and spiritual preparations far before their departure date. I had witnessed this and was moved by their dedication, as well as yearning for another opportunity to visit Allah’s house and give my salaam upon Rasulullah (saas).

The primary reason for not being able to go was my financial situation in regards to my university costs, I did not want to fall into the student loan trap, so had to be very vigilant about my spending. However, by the mercy of Allah an opportunity arose for me which lessened this financial burden. Coincidently at this same time, I heard of several people who had returned, were planning to go and were currently there. My yearning grew stronger and stronger. Until one day I just had overwhelming persistence in my heart that I had to go. For a few days nothing else consumed my thoughts, and I finally made the decision to go.

Now, I had the task of seeking my parent’s permission. After a while discussing with my mother and father, they had gracefully decided that I could go. That night I could not sleep with the excitement. I informed the group as soon as I was entirely certain I was going. I did not hesitate to get the bookings quickly out of the way. As from past experience I regretted the actual spiritual preparation that I had done and was adamant that this was my sole objective. I wanted to ensure (by the mercy of Allah) that for this Umrah trip I would be as ready as I can be. I thus joined with my brothers in their preparation sessions. Among many was the weekly class our group and another group of young brothers attended about the various aspects of Umrah. These were extremely valuable; even though I was a second timer I appreciated these aspects even more.

To be continued insha Allah…

Sincerely,

Your Brother,

My Journey to The Blessed Lands - Part 1

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful the most Kind...

Dear Companion,

The journey of Umrah does not begin in Makkah or Madinah, nor in the plane or the airport, but in the heart of the individual, as our beloved Rasul (pbuh) narrated to us 'The reward of deeds depend upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended’[1]. Therefore it is important to realise that we are fortunate and must be grateful to Allah (swt) as He has called us to His house, thus weeks even months prior to ones departure, one must plan and undertake the necessary preparation in order to achieve maximum benefit from visiting the sacred lands. The reason why I am highlighting this to such a degree is because I have seen some preform Umrah countless times and expect change to magically occur, without changing themselves. This transformation of a better individual can only occur with persistent work on oneself before, during and after the Umrah. There are no shortcuts unfortunately.

My personal experience testifies to this, I remember thinking at times 'how is it possible I am lacking concentration in these blessed lands' only to realise it was because of the sins I committed which acted as a barrier and my attempts at purification were inconsistent and last minute. Hence this reiterates my first point that the journey begins before it physically begins in the sense that, we must try and attempt our utmost best to purify ourselves internally and externally before we enter the sacred lands and before we meet our Prophet (pbuh). Whether that be seeking as much knowledge about the Umrah itself or re-reading the Seerah, attending gatherings etc, the days leading up to the actual journey itself are vital for any individual who wants to attain true spirituality from the experience. My own journey opened up many lifelong lessons although time forbids me to discuss all of them, however I shall narrate the most valuable and memorable ones.

“O' you who have Faith! seek you help from Allah through patience and prayer, verily Allah is with the patient ones”[2]. If I had to define one of my worst flaws or weakest points upon my journey, it would be that of being patient. One of the most difficult characteristics to adopt personally, I realised many of my concerns fell into this one very broad term known as patience. As many of you may or may not know be aware, I'm very impulsive at times and act on emotion without giving a second thought about the consequences. I remember one particular incident after Fajr, I was on my last unit of tawaaf waiting behind to kiss the black stone, 'Ḥajar alAswad' only a metre or so away before two individuals begin literally fighting their way through the crowd. An elderly man was pushed to the ground and as the two individuals pushed forwards the crowd moved even closer restricting any forms of movement. I was elbowed in the face and my foot started bleeding. I was about to blow into a wild frenzy when a sudden sense of remorse overtook me as I saw the elderly man fall, I began shouting and helped the man out of the crowd. Even though I could not understand a word he was saying his smile said it all. Throughout the week I was then able to kiss the stone without much interruption or struggle all due to the mercy of Allah (swt). 

Another similar incident took place in Madinah, after sending my salutations to our beloved Prophet (pbuh) I went back after salat ul Ishraq to see if I could pray on the green carpet 'Riyadh Ul Jannah' whereas before numerous attempts failed me in getting a place I was amazed to see that it was practically empty as the cleaners were at work in restoring the area. I waited for a couple minutes and alas cannot emphasise in words what I felt. 

My advice to you, dear readers, is not to despair and have and trust in Him and Him alone. Being patient is of course hard, in fact it is one of the hardest things, whether it be with family, the death of a loved one or a particular illness, but verily Allah (swt) is with those who are patient. I remain extremely thankful to Allah (swt) for giving me such a blessed company of brothers. From start to finish of our individual journeys we encountered many obstacles yet it was only the reflection of the other brothers that made me truly appreciate what it means to be patient.

To be continued Insh Allah...

Yours Sincerely,

Adnan, 1/11^th of a Pilgrim

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[1] Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim

[2] Surah Baqarah 2:153

Why this Blog?

Our Quest for Meaning often leads us to venture into the unknown, far from the familiar, into lands of hopes and aspirations. It is not the destination but the journey itself that gifts us what we are seeking.

Letters from The Two Cities is a recollection of one such journey, performed by millions of people every year, the journey to the Blessed Cities of Makkah and Madinah in the Arabian Peninsula. Whether as a Minor (Umrah) or Major (Hajj) Pilgrimage, the cities are sought as a place of spiritual retreat.

This blog aims to recollect the most cherished memories of 11 such pilgrims on their recent visit to the Two Cities and also of any pilgrim wishing to share their experiences.

We hope this can be a forum of reminders, discussion, self-evaluation and self-improvement in an environment of mutual love, trust and affection.

It is with much hope and anticipation that we launch this blog,

We pray that Allah (swt) accepts it as a small but consistent act from His repentant servants, an act through which we hope to inspire one another to strive our utmost to please Him (swt)

May Allah love you, guide you and accept your prayers,

Tasif