Soo noqo adoo nabad ah Sheikh Nur! Ameen to your dua, may Allah continue His blessing upon you.

^ May Allah increase you in time sis, and facilitate for you Insha'Allah Shaykh Nur, alxamdululah, I've been doing ok nowadays. With Allah's love and mercy, I'm beginning to make my recitals a habit. With more determination and supplication to Allah, I shall continue to make it habitual Insha'Allah. If I can admit also, I'm already reaping the benefit alhamdulilah; I can truly feel the sense of serenity and felicity that has entered my heart...how delightful it feels! But I'm behind on tafseer Ya Rabb zidnaa cilmaa. PS: I have to share this , such beautiful recital Masha'Allah.

Originally posted by Ameen: I assume kitab Ar-Rooh to be a different book? Yes! I was asking if your previous quote of Ibn Qayyim (raximahullah) was from this book. Or was he cited in Abu mustafa's book? So the question that’s stuck in my head is…why are so many believers of Allah scared of death? (I only ask this because the kafirs that I go to school with aren’t scared of death and when I ask a Muslim he is). Do you have an answer on why? Well, there's nothing more that a righteous believer could ever desire than to gain entrance into paradise and meet their beloved Creator, subxanahu watacala. As a result, it's not that the believer is afraid of death in and of itself, or the idea of leaving the so called perceived luxuries of this world (for the lack of a better example), but rather, he fears having to leave this world without having lived in accordance with the purpose for which he was brought to existence. In other words, leaving this dunya without having perfected one's own journey of cubuudiya, the only thing that will earn one true salvation in the eternal abode. Ask yourself, can you afford to face your lord in your current state as a believer? Can you even imagine the outcome of that evaluation? Therefore, it befits us to continuously remember death, for it reinforces our fear of Allah SWT and reminds us of the momentary nature of this dunya, enabling us to avoid its illusory pursuits. Moreover, we are ever closer to the border line of death, thus, we should always prepare for it and hasten to do good deeds. The longer the life span Allah caza wajal blesses with His slave, the better chance he obtains to correct, improve and beautify his portfolio. Ilaahay cimri dheer oo cibaada leh ha na siiyo.

Aaah, reminds me of good ol' SOL days. Thinking in retrospect, there were few faces I used to want to see. But as time goes, and kolkii la habroowo waxaa waa laga tagaa MMA, now I know who to poke fun at next time I drop by at Xamdi's. I do know you frequent there, so is jir

This is really not something that should merit one's fascination as it deals purely with the work of shaytaan. Nonetheless, it behooves us to learn about the nature of black magic, talismans, omens, astrology, and etc., in order to protect ourselves from falling into sin, or worse, shirk. Here's a brief explanation with respect to Islamic stance on the topic (I apologize if it gets rather lengthy, I have a feeling it will ): What you have witnessed is probably a Talisman and not so much black magic, as it was an object used for the purpose of protection against some type of perceived harm. (much like the blue eye Turks use to divert the evil eye). People have been known to use talismans to protect themselves, their children, animals, as a cure from sickness, bringing good luck, as well as breaking or increasing love between spouses. However, there are explicit ahaadith prohibiting their use and equating it to shirk. Omens also come under this category, with the exception of good omens (fa'al, like a good word which increases one's optimism or hope in Allah SWT). A prohibited omen would be for instance, seeing a black cat and believing it will bring a bad luck (prevalent in many cultures including western I think), or as in the case of the early jaahil arabs, thinking birds were a bad luck. It becomes shirk because one is ascribing Allah's right (to cause good or harm) to His creation (animals or created objects). This conflicts with the Tawheed of Allah in His Roboobiya & Asmaa wa sifaat as well as in His Uloohiya. Now, with black magic and astrology, we step into the world of jinns. Indeed a dangerous world, as the nomads mentioned. Short intro about jinns: a) Creation of Allah (just like us) b) Created of out of fire (thus, invisible to us, but can appear to us when they wish) c) possess more physical power than us (supra-dimensional) d) they can travel at a fast speed (due to their light makeup) e) They are borne, live and die (just like us) f) suffer from inferiority complex (they lack the knowledge and intellect Allah has bestowed upon man), thus, they crave for attention and love to be worshiped. As such, what Black Magic facilitates is the collision of two worlds that are usually independent from one another (that of man and jinn). When this collision occurs, a symbiotic relationship can form between the jinn and the one who invokes them; jinn does something for man and man in return does something for jinn (veneration, worship!!). Therefore, the essence of black magic revolves around the worshiping of the jinn! For the jinns, black magic is natural as they possess extra-dimensional abilities, but to man, it is supernatural. Thus, they can lure ignorant and faithless folks into their worlds pretending to have an access to 'ilm al-ghayb, when in fact, they're only exposing their unnatural world to humans. The truth is no one has the keys to the unknown except Allah SWT. Its origin as we have learned in the Qur'an, is from the shayateen who have taught the people in Babylon of Harut and Marut sihr. The ayah (al-Baqarah: 102) was revealed when some people claimed that it was Prophet Sulayman (AS) who taught sihr, and clarifies that it existed before him and that it is attributed to the shayatin who have disbelieved. Therefore, these abnormal and abhorred practices were not recently discovered nor are they confined to certain geographical locations only. From a sharee'a perspective, it is obviously a blatant shirk , and its penalty is nothing less than death as someone who has left the fold of Islam (as mentioned earlier). Of the 7 grave sins the Rasul (saw) has mentioned, shirk came 1st and sihr (magic) came 2nd... Other practices that fall under magic: Astrology such as zodiacal signs and any type of fortune telling as all aim to predict the future. How these practices may seem like they work? The jinn ascends to near heaven, eavesdrop on the conversations between the angels on what will occur on earth and on matters that are unknown to us, then descend back to the sorcerers on earth and tell them what they've heard whilst adding 99 lies to it. The Prophet (SAW) states regarding this: Whoever learns a branch of astrology has learned a branch of magic. The more he increases (in magic), the more he shall increase (in shirk). Merely visiting magicians, fortune tellers etc. has been associated with evil and thus prohibited. The prophet (SAW) said: Whoever goes to a fortune teller and asks about anything (ie for the 'fun' of it or for curiosity) will have prayers rejected for 40 days (applies to the mere fact of visiting). 2nd hadeeth: Whoever goes to one and believes in them has disbelieved in what Muhammad (SAW) has brought down (ie has left the fold of Islam). Again, it's pure shirk for you're ascribing the attribute of knowledge about the unseen to them. So next time anyone feels like reading those zodiac signs, or visiting a fortune teller b/c you just so happen to be in a festival they are present, or you want to participate in massive jinn-invoking sessions (such as Saar or istun? as certain Somali Southerners are aware of--very strange things I hear), or you just feel like reading that plain old fortune cookie given to you at the chinese restaurant you frequent, THINK AGAIN! Think again ya jamaaca!! Little actions we might render trivial or harmless can in fact cause us to infringe upon the sharee'a and contradict with our fundamental beliefs in the tawaheed of Allah (SWT). Not worth it by any means, so let us be cautious Insha'allah. FYI, you can still eat your fortune cookie without attempting to read what's inside PS: I've extracted some of the points and proofs from my lec notes taught by Shaikh Yasir Qadhi, May Allah bless him and all of our teachers of Islam.

Indeed, a very poignant passage! May Allah have mercy on him and all the other heroes of our history. Ayaandaro laakiin, dadaalkoodi iyo digniintoodiiba so hal bacaad lagu lisey lagama dhigin. What he was fighting a century ago is now prevalent more than anything. His worst fears have come true for this nation, and his words serve to illustrate nothing but our distressing plight today.

MMA, likewise walal Seriously though, anu maba garanayo how you can handle being among these folks much less be their moderator. There's only so much patience and optimism one can harbor. Gacan baan kuu taagey

Clearly, a sheer violation of international laws and human rights with respect to Kenya's action regarding this case. Assuredly, Ethiopia was the culprit behind this illegal transfer of the innocent prisoners. Allow cadowgeena jabi. Maskiinka Bashiir, Eebbe ha u gargaaro. Ameen Walal. It's been a tremendously difficult time. May Allah SWT protect him and all the other innocent Muslims, oppressed in the hands of the kufaar and munafiqoon.

Are you serious??? What on earth leads you to suspect that these hypocritical savages would care even the least for the interests and well-being of their brethren, when you know they are rushing to seize any opportunity that achieves otherwise? Fyi, these are the very people who've pridefully invited their country's longtime enemy and cheerfully made them their occupiers and masters, and worse yet, they are the ones who continually serve their brethren on silver platters to their masters so they could be but butchered. One has to have a sense of humanity, dignity, accountability etc. (all of which these hypocrites are sadly deprived) before they can realize their obligations and duties to other human beings. In the current situation, communicable diseases and hunger iska daayee hortoodoo xabashidu Somalida ku leynayaan ayeeynan dan ka galeyn.

^And if I may add, so long as dad Ilaahooda garanaya oo Imaan leh, oo Haqqa ku dhaqmaya badhilkana ka fogaanaya inagu jiraan. Nevertheless, from the looks of things, damiir iyo dadnimo toona Somaalida badhkood laguma tuhmi karo maanta. PS: Rag kusheeg isku dhexyaacey boardkan kuma yara walee. It's very disturbing to say the least!

^Aameen. Salaam Ameen, I'm not at all surprised as I know myself too well to be quite inquisitive in matters concerning our deen, alhamdulilah; and the realm of the soul in all of the stages of existence (perhaps more so in this life than others) is an area that I'm deeply fascinated with (like many, I'm sure). but questions should be directed to the proper people who have the knowledge, I'm sorry if you felt compelled to address the questions I posed earlier. Indeed, when it comes to topics such as these where expectedly unusual q's do arise, the answers, if any authentic ones exist, are not readily available. Hence why I was hoping bro Nur would take the honour of shedding some of his light on this particular topic. Nevertheless, May Allah reward your effort walal! I thought I should do a bit of searching myself before I delved into this any further. What I've been able to gather from the limited readings I've done, is that this is a matter about which a great deal of information has not been revealed, at least in the Qur'an. Undoubtedly, the Qur'an establishes the existence of punishment in the grave in the ayah where Allah SWT is referring to Fir'awn and his qowm (Ghafir: 46). Ibn Katheer (rahimahullah), stated that this is one of the major basis of belief in cadabul qabr for the ahlul sunnah, though he maintains that the ayah could've been implying the punishment of the soul rather than the actual body. However, further interpretation by the prophet (saw) does elucidate the torment of the body. Furthermore, one thing I've noticed is that much of what is known or written about the subject matter has been extrapolated from the prophetic tradition. The scholars have differed regarding this same issue. Some scholars believe that the torment or the pleasure is felt only by the body, whereas, other scholars believe it is felt by both the body and the soul. Though I have not read about the former scholars, it'd be interesting to see their proofs, since the agreed upon scholarly view is that both, the body and soul, are affected. From a similar excerpt of Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah (raximahullah), The view of the Salaf of this Ummah and its Imams is that the torment or blessing (of the grave) happens to the soul of the deceased and his body. After it departs the body, the soul continues to be blessed or punished, and it is also connected to the body from time to time, so that the blessing or torment reflects on the body as well as the soul. So we must believe in that which Allah has told us. (al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 94) we can clearly observe that the soul does at some point depart the body which is obviously suggesting that there is a union in the initial state (however long that may be). Interesting! Even more interesting (to me at least ) is the fact that some type of a relationship is still maintained b/w the two (subxanallah). This, in fact, clarifies my initial question which was essentially what aroused my latter thoughts. The question itself was provoked by my trying to draw some type of comparison (though it may have been incongruous) between the supra-dimensional abilities of our souls (namely, during sleep) in this life, and the life of the barzakh. As for the quote by Ibn Qayyim (May Allah bless his soul and have mercy on him), it gives an insightful illustration about the physical dimension of punishment. From this we can perhaps infer that since physical punishment does not depend on the existence of the 4-dimensional bodies we know in this life, there's a distinct physical entity that experiences punishment/reward? Allahu aclam. Extremely thought-provoking though! Btw, is this from kitab Ar-Rooh? Have you read it? I've been meaning to buy it for quite some time, now I can't wait to read it :cool: For anyone who might be interested in learning more about the different locations of the righteous souls in al-barzakh, I found Dr. Philip's The Soul's Abode After Death to be an enlightening piece with supporting proofs. It is true that as human beings we tend to be quite curious about matters which our minds do not possess the capacity to perceive nor comprehend. Particularly, about the nature of the soul. Regarding this, Allah Subhanahu watacala says: “They ask you concerning the soul. Say that the soul is from Allah and you have not been given knowledge of it except a little.” Alhamdulilah, as believers we are made aware of our deficient and limited nature, and as such, it behooves us to exercise much caution when reflecting upon the signs of our Beloved and Magnificent Lord. May He, by His mercy and grace, overlook our shortcomings and bless us with more knowledge and taqwa. Ameen.

^ Jazakallah Kheyr bro. You're right, the soul does ascend to the heaven where Allah will command His book to be recorded after which it will descend back to the earth and remain in the barzakh or the transitional state. However, I was of the impression that the body and the soul in this state were two separate entities; the soul being the active one capable of experiencing its corresponding fate whilst the body is merely predisposed to decomposition until Allah commands its resurrection. So if the soul as you said is placed back into its previous body, then woudn't this constitute real existence? The person would, in all actuality, be alive again, no? The body will have been restored. But haven't we only learned of two deaths and lives :confused: This raises even more questions but perhaps it is best that I shall stop here

Walee habeen dhaweyto ayaan si fiican ugu quusqaatey qiimaha xasuusta Allah subxnahu watacala. Anoo maalinteydu yara adkeyd oo iimaankeygu hoos uyara dhacsanaa ayaa stress iyo waxan loo jogin qaadey . Waan ogaa inaan ghalad ku jirey islamarahaantaa sheydaankii baa iga tanbadinayey, lakin Ilahay raxmadiisa umbaa hal mar itaabatay oo xasustiisa ayaa i gashay. Kolkaasaan halmar dib isu qabtey oon istaghfuruleystay anoo isla yaaban oo ka murugeysan ghalad kaan galey isuna muujinaya nicmaduu Ilaahey i siiyey. Alaxamdulilah, walahi farxad aanan qiyaasi karin baa i soo gashay oo aad iiga muuqatay, ilaa maanta. The power of Dhikr! Originally posted by Nur: Maanta intaas ayaan ku joojineynaa, si tafaq tiranna hadduu Allah yidhaado ayaan uga hadli doonnaa faaidooyinkaas iyo kuwa kale. Insha'Allah, I'm looking forward to it.

^May Allah have mercy on them! I have quick questions about the barzakh state. Does the soul in this state have the ability to travel as it does when we are alive, or is it strictly confined to that one state? Also, when the ruux leaves the body, is there any more connection between the two that can occur until the day of judgment? Yacni, how does one literally feel cadaabul qabr? I'm referring to the physical torture that can occur (Allahu Manajinaa).

^Neither can a woman's answer truly make you understand just how painful the ordeal is. Even those who actually experience childbirth are miraculously made to forget the excruciating pain, a sign of Allah's mercy upon them, right after. Otherwise, they'd all vow to never have another one again (some do during labour, but smile afterwards). Not that I myself experienced it (just the thought of it is absolutely horrifying), but I have accompanied 2 of my sister in-laws to the hospital during their childbirth, and boy was I in for a true shocker! I wasn't in the actual room of course, but I waited outside and basically heard their screaming/crying/yelling just about anything that came to their minds. My brothers, both of whom amazingly had the strength to withstand seeing their wives in labour came out crying to my surprise...and no, not at the sight of their newborn baby, but the inconceivable experience these poor creatures had to endure. ax! So brothers, my advice: accompany your future wives to the labour room, assuredly, you will begin to view women from a completely different perpective. As for the topic, in addition to the point the poster is making, the stories of Zakariya and Maryam, may Allah be pleased with them, offer great lessons to be learned about the power and might of Allah and about human nature, among many. Furthermore, discernible similarities can be drawn from the two. Maryam is an extremely righteous and virtuous woman who spends her time in seclusion in the service of Allah, she's honoured and chosen by Allah subxanahuu watacala over all women. She's the one who reminds Prophet Zakariya (calayhi salam) about the rizq and bounties of Allah, in essence inspiring him to supplicate to Allah for a son. However, despite her perfection and high regard, she's still a human being. Thus, when she learns about the miraculous qadr of Allah, she incurs a shock and quickly questions: " How? I've never been touched by a man...". And the beautiful and concise answer to her was: " So (it will be) for Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees something, He says to it only: Be! and it is". Now, in her capacity of understanding, this was a matter that was humanly impossible, but she learned that it only takes for Allah to say "Be" and it will be. Subxanallah. Likewise, Zakariya; a pious man, a scholar, a prophet (calayhi salam), is given the glad tidings of a son after supplicating to Allah, and when granted His wish, he becomes stunned and is not convinced it's possible. Thus, he questions His Lord like Maryam: "But how? I'm old and my wife is barren...". And similarly, the answer to him was simply, "Kadalikallahu yafcalu maa yashaa.". Truly amazing! MAny times in the Quran, Allah caza wajal explicitly and eloquently illustrates His great power and authority, the concept of Qadr. Yet, how often do we feeble human beings struggle to digest matters that we can't explain nor have the capacity to fully comprehend. Matters that are obviously out of our reach, yet, we stubbornly persist on retrieving the answers and finding the cause intead of saying qadarallu maashaa facal. Well, it begs the question, what then becomes of the authority of "Kun fa Yakuun" to us during those instances? Will simply using forgetfulness as an excuse suffice in the day of judgment?

Originally posted by Nur: I am in love again, I cant describe how it feels, but here are some clues; -Yearning to rejoin your loved One -Little favors by your loved One trigger that feeling -You cant stay too long without remembering Your loved One -You are always smiling, when you think of your loved One, people wonder what you are up to, but you are Up There, Literally! -you continuosly think of a new way of pleasing your loved One. Masha'Allah, I am delighted to see you in love, bro Nur! It's a precious gift and an extraordinary state not many can truly profess to have achieved, I believe. I've had the extreme pleasure of knowing and listening to a few people who are literally the epitome of true lovers. Merely observing the noor their faces exude and their incredible tranquility is enough to demonstrate the symptoms of this celestial love. They're completely immersed in this state of love and remembrance of Allah SWT that sometimes they're there with you, but not quite there. They see, but they always look beyond! I aspire, more than anything, to reach there soon Insha'Allah. Barakallah feek for this informative piece and not to mention thought-provoking, bro Nur. I am now compelled to ask myself questions that I hadn't thought of in a good while, partly because I know I won't perhaps address them in all honesty. PS: If time permits Insha'Allah, may be you could kindly elaborate on: a) sins and b) shirk, that can occur in this domain of love. I think it'd be quite beneficial. PPS: waan uxiisay your e-dacwa maalmahan

An amazing description of the 'Day of Increase'! I try to imagine myself in Janna with those rightly guided Awliya witnessing the light upon light of our Creator Subhnahu Wata'la and experiencing the ultimate pleasure of seeing His perfect face. What an emotional journey that literally gives me the chills every time leaving my eyes wet and my heart longing. May He allow us to reach this position by His mercy and forgiveness. Ameen. May Allah bless the soul of Shaykh Ibn Qayyim and be pleased with him. PS: thanks for sharing this with us.

Aaah, the Retreat! What can I say about the retreat other than how exuberantly uplifting it was. It truly was! We cried tears of joy and tears of sadness together but also laughed during sheikh Zaid Shakir's comic reliefs (rem. the basbusa joke ) or that of Dr. jackson. We met amazing new people there and also old faces we were delighted to see (I really enjoyed catching up with my sweet fellow SOl sisters ). Above all, we greatly benefited from the company and insights of the very prominent scholars who sacrificed their precious time for us during the holiday break to enlighten us. A memorable atmosphere it was, alhamdulilah. Tami, I being the procrastinator I am, haven't still organized and reprinted my notes yet. But what do you say if we share some of the notes here, especially, Sidi Ahmad Zarruq's book by shaikh Hamza would be very beneficial me thinks. Insha'Allah.

Good news, Masha'Allah.

Walalow Ilaah baan kugu dhaarshayee ma kaa dhab baa? La xawla walaa quwata ilaa bilaah. Oo xalaadu ma waxey hadda mareysaa in Sheikh-yadii booliis loogu yeedho in the house of Allah swt? Honestly, to have differences of opinion among themselves at the administration level or even personal is understandable and quite frankly expected, but to humiliate each other and call the authorities on one another, esp on one of the most knowledgeable, greatly respected and not mention extremely serene Somali sheikh in Toronto? That's just preposterous! Nothing in my opinion could justify such a vile action against a Muslim let alone a scholar. What on God's earth is possessing us as Somalis? Museeba after museeba. Ya Allah grant us Your mercy and forgiveness, we have indeed transgressed.

How utterly disgusting and despicable! The Ogadden is autonomous and the Ethiopian constitution states they can freely join Somalia, he claims. How dare he!! I could swear a ten yr old Somali boy could give a better and more coherent intro about Somalia. A western educated 28 yr old bey yidhaahdeen, qosol ku jab walee. How do they recruit these poor kids I wonder, examine them on how well they can sell their souls before final recruitment? Laa xawla walaa quwata Ilaa Bilaah. Originally posted by Brown: c) A capable, qualified Somali who has the interest of his people at heart Thats my final answer Aren't you the optimist Mr. Brownow, such a big heart, Masha'Allah. :cool:

When I clicked on the thread, I was expecting to learn something about an emerging big shaikh as I hadn't heard of this name before... It was simply hilarious! Waxaad moodaa xerowyadii Qur'an-ka dadka ku akhrin jirey, badh oo badhna jacburiska ahaa Astaghfurullah. Honestly, his facial gestures and recitation patterns resemble so much like wadaadada waaweyn ee somalida markey tafsiir bixinayaan...cajeeb. On a serious thought, given an opportunity for proper Islamic education and adaab, esp Qur'anic studies with emphasis on tajweed and tafsiir, our youth back home could have a much brighter future. I see so much potential for them Masha'Allah.

Assalamu Calaykum ya jamaaca, Indeed, it is the time of the year for the amazing annual shot of spiritual boost...though the incredible inspirations and knowledge imparted from the previous ones only keep adding to our spiritual journeys year after year (for most of us, I hope). I'm looking very much forward to it, especially the Knowledge Retreat! I found last year's to be extremely beneficial, I loved its pragmatic and solution-oriented approach to current issues facing Muslims in the West. Not to mention how the environment was extremely conducive to learning and concentrating, very helpful for those sincere students who were hungry for knowledge and very well prepared to reflect. I'm hoping this one will equally exceed our expectations and prove to be even more beneficial as it will probably incorporate more of the seerah, Insha'Allah. As it looks, I will most likely miss the actual conference, just because I've been through a car accident a while ago and I'm just not in the best shape to be able to withstand such an exhausting schedule. But alhamdulilah, I will focus on the Retreat this Year Insha'Allah. Anyways, Tami dear, I miss you girls...looking forward to catch up with you all soon Ilhaam, I hope you're done with those papers hon , I'll give you a call some time Insha'Allah.

Bismillah Masha'Allah. What an incredibly delightful news. It's amazing to see our folks finally rise above the jaahiliya and begin to be united under the name of Islam. Alhamdulilah

^khatar cadeem baad tahay ma istidhi Anu koleey iskumaba dayayo erayadaas saa maskaxdeyda, maskiin, uma baahna anymore exercise maalmahan. But it's interesting too see how the words revolve around the nomadic ways of life. Originally posted by Tyjwania: ^ Ma adigii baa qoftan dariiqyada iska ag mar-mari jiray? Gabdhahan & magac bad badal baan isku nacay ! Haneefaay, eedooyinkaa hablihii xaggaa iyo dhulkii fadhiyay, baan tahniyad & taar kaaga wadaa e' ila soo xiriir asap. Waad garan meel la iga helo, sooma'aha? Adaaba war haya, eedoynkey i jecelaa, igu taabaan ku idhi tahniyada iyo taarka