ayunus
One among the Chosen
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Raheem
This was the first month of Ramadhan I am spending in US and the experience was a little different to our culture in India. You don't see big big dekhshaas at the masjid cooking kanji for the believers here. But every nearby home prepares food for the brothers and sisters who come to masjid to break the fast…and mostly you can see a variety of food starting from American donuts, Indian vadas, Arabic falafels, Pakistani Haleem and the list goes on including freshly baked items, juices, rosemilk etc.
For all 5 times of prayer you can see masjids flooding with brothers and sisters and during Taraweeh, cos of space issues…people perform their salah in stairs and doorways. Some masjids conduct Tahajjud prayers also in jamah and you can see a lot of sisters driving from far away to join the prayers at 3 am..and they will be there till fajr salah...sometimes sharing the same food for sehri and some go to their home after tahajjud is over.
The things I missed in this ramadhan are the lectures or bayans after taraweeh prayers, the masjid kanji, hot bajjis and vadas made fresh daily. Being a south Indian…you cant expect me to miss much more. But the Ramadhan here- gave me a chance to stay in the masjid for 4 days. There were provisions arranged for sisters and brothers and halls were allotted for Itikaaf…and I could see more than 20-30 brothers in Itikaaf and few sisters every day and night, reading quran, prostrating, crying and weeping in solitude…Masha Allah that was a wonderful experience I could never wish to go away. That experience was something which words cant describe and you cant get often.
The day of Eid was as and always mixed with emotions….got to pray in a jamah…whereas in India mostly the sisters pray their Eid prayer at home…and I have grown up praying with my Ammi all the time. This was really different when you pray your eid salah in a jamah..and get to know a lot of people who share the same joy with you. You can see Arabs, Egyptians, American reverts, desi muslims and Pakisthani brothers and sisters…almost all the races praying with you side by side.
But… I found that still there are things that you cannot avoid in the ummah no matter in which country you are. The most disturbing part for me was the spaces in Jamah…I dunno why people feel so embarrassed standing shoulder to shoulder and set their own space in salah…this issue becomes a red herring for me in salah and can never concentrate properly. I dunno when we will be able to pray in a jamah similar to the way the salafs prayed…Insha Allah.
Another disappointment was the noise during khutba…be it a Jumuah khutba…a bayan after tarawaeeh or fajr…or for the khutba in Eid…am really amazed to see that people find it as the only interval to talk…to gossip…to whisper and to laugh. When the Imam is about to finish the lecture and recite the dua….silence covers everyone..and there is only one echo of `Aameen'.
Brothers and sisters, Islam is a way of life..not a ritualistic religion…you need to abide by the rules at everytime..be it for a jamah…or for a khutba..the rules have been already laid out. Why would you look only in the ritual part and leave the part which soothes your soul? Why would you sit for the khutba when all that you have to do is to talk and skip listening?
As bro.Abdul Raheem green said in his speech once, all the questions that we hear in Ramadhan is either on position of hands in prayer, praying witr before tahajjud or extending the sehri time till fajr Adhaan….but we never hear any question from anyone asking…how can I fully reap the benefits of this ramadhan? How can I make full use of it?...Can we take sometime and ponder about this before the next ramadhan comes?
This Eid left me two memories that will linger the eyes forever. One the experience of Itikaaf at masjid and the second was the death of a brother on the day of Eid. His name is Muhammed Younis, the same name of my father and because of what I liked and respected him much. Only two times have I spoken to bro.Younis. One, when I had come recently to US and within a week I got a chance to visit his Islamic Sunday School in NJ and that was when I was thinking about his devotion to the faith and the community. The second and the last time was when I visited him in the hospital and when he and his family was cent percent confidant that he would be returning home before Eid. But Allah had other plans.
That Islamic Sunday school, founded all alone by Bro.Younis had started with only 5 students and now it is flooded with more than 200 students. Br. Younis was part of the organizing team of ICNA-NJ and 877-Why-Islam. He was also led arrangements of Friday prayers in Edison area for more than a decade. And guess what his age? Just around 40. With 3 daughters and a son, who have still not reached adolescence his death was not only a shock to the family but to all the Ummah of NJ. So much had he worked for the community and Islam that more than 1000 brothers and sisters, all the Imams of masjids in NJ joined in his Janazah prayer, and failed in words to express their loss. My husband said his funeral prayer spoke about his life and dedication, and that is true.
On the day of Eid, we were at a malayalee brother's home and the whole day was awesome (Still unaware of Bro.Younis's death which happened in an hospital in Philadelphia). We got to learn and share a lot of things…and mainly we could perform all the 5 times prayer. How many of us really pray all the 5 times prayer in Eid? And not just the Eid prayer alone?
This brother, shared with us a thought….using which I would like to conclude my Ramadhan Diary. Again, it starts with a story…so I would ask you to be patient and read completely.
Suppose that you have a friend who is so dearest to you, and he sets out to explore a forest which is miles away and brings the natural honey, freshly caught for you. If he presents that to you, what would be your response?? Wont you accept it with love and wonder at his level of amity?
Now, before presenting that to you he says, " My friend…I went miles to get this for you. While on the way of returning…I had to relieve myself and I couldn't keep this Jar down as I feared losing it. Hence I carried it with me and Iam not sure, Iam afraid that a small droplet of my urine got sprinkled into this Jar. Iam not sure whether it happened or not but I fear that it might have been splashed…though I took utmost care to keep it pure". Now, what would you think about it? Would you be still extending your hands to get the jar of honey…even though none is sure whether that thing really happened or not?
Just imagine. We, the human beings…who are always having filthy matter inside us…and are not able to digest the fact that our food be contaminated even a little percent, think about Allah. The most pure, the finest Creator free from impurity is awaiting our return to Him. If we go away with all the filths of Major and Minor sins flooding in us…do you think he would be pleased to accept you as you are? How can you present yourself to Him in such a state?
And worry not…there are two ways of cleansing the filth in us, the believers.
1. By doing dhikr and all the obligatory acts, and guarding whatever parts were asked to be guarded…the filths can be avoided and by tear filled duas it can be cleansed insha Allah.
2. If you fail to do so, still you will be cleansed in your grave and the manner of cleansing would be by torturing you and I hope, I need not explain to you how worse would it be.
Now…you have got two options…and you have the free will to choose whichever pleases you.
The ball is in your court now !!!
Sis in Islam,
A Yunus
This was the first month of Ramadhan I am spending in US and the experience was a little different to our culture in India. You don't see big big dekhshaas at the masjid cooking kanji for the believers here. But every nearby home prepares food for the brothers and sisters who come to masjid to break the fast…and mostly you can see a variety of food starting from American donuts, Indian vadas, Arabic falafels, Pakistani Haleem and the list goes on including freshly baked items, juices, rosemilk etc.
For all 5 times of prayer you can see masjids flooding with brothers and sisters and during Taraweeh, cos of space issues…people perform their salah in stairs and doorways. Some masjids conduct Tahajjud prayers also in jamah and you can see a lot of sisters driving from far away to join the prayers at 3 am..and they will be there till fajr salah...sometimes sharing the same food for sehri and some go to their home after tahajjud is over.
The things I missed in this ramadhan are the lectures or bayans after taraweeh prayers, the masjid kanji, hot bajjis and vadas made fresh daily. Being a south Indian…you cant expect me to miss much more. But the Ramadhan here- gave me a chance to stay in the masjid for 4 days. There were provisions arranged for sisters and brothers and halls were allotted for Itikaaf…and I could see more than 20-30 brothers in Itikaaf and few sisters every day and night, reading quran, prostrating, crying and weeping in solitude…Masha Allah that was a wonderful experience I could never wish to go away. That experience was something which words cant describe and you cant get often.
The day of Eid was as and always mixed with emotions….got to pray in a jamah…whereas in India mostly the sisters pray their Eid prayer at home…and I have grown up praying with my Ammi all the time. This was really different when you pray your eid salah in a jamah..and get to know a lot of people who share the same joy with you. You can see Arabs, Egyptians, American reverts, desi muslims and Pakisthani brothers and sisters…almost all the races praying with you side by side.
But… I found that still there are things that you cannot avoid in the ummah no matter in which country you are. The most disturbing part for me was the spaces in Jamah…I dunno why people feel so embarrassed standing shoulder to shoulder and set their own space in salah…this issue becomes a red herring for me in salah and can never concentrate properly. I dunno when we will be able to pray in a jamah similar to the way the salafs prayed…Insha Allah.
Another disappointment was the noise during khutba…be it a Jumuah khutba…a bayan after tarawaeeh or fajr…or for the khutba in Eid…am really amazed to see that people find it as the only interval to talk…to gossip…to whisper and to laugh. When the Imam is about to finish the lecture and recite the dua….silence covers everyone..and there is only one echo of `Aameen'.
Brothers and sisters, Islam is a way of life..not a ritualistic religion…you need to abide by the rules at everytime..be it for a jamah…or for a khutba..the rules have been already laid out. Why would you look only in the ritual part and leave the part which soothes your soul? Why would you sit for the khutba when all that you have to do is to talk and skip listening?
As bro.Abdul Raheem green said in his speech once, all the questions that we hear in Ramadhan is either on position of hands in prayer, praying witr before tahajjud or extending the sehri time till fajr Adhaan….but we never hear any question from anyone asking…how can I fully reap the benefits of this ramadhan? How can I make full use of it?...Can we take sometime and ponder about this before the next ramadhan comes?
This Eid left me two memories that will linger the eyes forever. One the experience of Itikaaf at masjid and the second was the death of a brother on the day of Eid. His name is Muhammed Younis, the same name of my father and because of what I liked and respected him much. Only two times have I spoken to bro.Younis. One, when I had come recently to US and within a week I got a chance to visit his Islamic Sunday School in NJ and that was when I was thinking about his devotion to the faith and the community. The second and the last time was when I visited him in the hospital and when he and his family was cent percent confidant that he would be returning home before Eid. But Allah had other plans.
That Islamic Sunday school, founded all alone by Bro.Younis had started with only 5 students and now it is flooded with more than 200 students. Br. Younis was part of the organizing team of ICNA-NJ and 877-Why-Islam. He was also led arrangements of Friday prayers in Edison area for more than a decade. And guess what his age? Just around 40. With 3 daughters and a son, who have still not reached adolescence his death was not only a shock to the family but to all the Ummah of NJ. So much had he worked for the community and Islam that more than 1000 brothers and sisters, all the Imams of masjids in NJ joined in his Janazah prayer, and failed in words to express their loss. My husband said his funeral prayer spoke about his life and dedication, and that is true.
On the day of Eid, we were at a malayalee brother's home and the whole day was awesome (Still unaware of Bro.Younis's death which happened in an hospital in Philadelphia). We got to learn and share a lot of things…and mainly we could perform all the 5 times prayer. How many of us really pray all the 5 times prayer in Eid? And not just the Eid prayer alone?
This brother, shared with us a thought….using which I would like to conclude my Ramadhan Diary. Again, it starts with a story…so I would ask you to be patient and read completely.
Suppose that you have a friend who is so dearest to you, and he sets out to explore a forest which is miles away and brings the natural honey, freshly caught for you. If he presents that to you, what would be your response?? Wont you accept it with love and wonder at his level of amity?
Now, before presenting that to you he says, " My friend…I went miles to get this for you. While on the way of returning…I had to relieve myself and I couldn't keep this Jar down as I feared losing it. Hence I carried it with me and Iam not sure, Iam afraid that a small droplet of my urine got sprinkled into this Jar. Iam not sure whether it happened or not but I fear that it might have been splashed…though I took utmost care to keep it pure". Now, what would you think about it? Would you be still extending your hands to get the jar of honey…even though none is sure whether that thing really happened or not?
Just imagine. We, the human beings…who are always having filthy matter inside us…and are not able to digest the fact that our food be contaminated even a little percent, think about Allah. The most pure, the finest Creator free from impurity is awaiting our return to Him. If we go away with all the filths of Major and Minor sins flooding in us…do you think he would be pleased to accept you as you are? How can you present yourself to Him in such a state?
And worry not…there are two ways of cleansing the filth in us, the believers.
1. By doing dhikr and all the obligatory acts, and guarding whatever parts were asked to be guarded…the filths can be avoided and by tear filled duas it can be cleansed insha Allah.
2. If you fail to do so, still you will be cleansed in your grave and the manner of cleansing would be by torturing you and I hope, I need not explain to you how worse would it be.
Now…you have got two options…and you have the free will to choose whichever pleases you.
The ball is in your court now !!!
Sis in Islam,
A Yunus