Islam, Seekers Guidance

Purification of The Heart blog post

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAClick here for my SeekersGuidance blog post on the Purification of The Heart lecture by Shaykh Yahya Rhodus.

The venue was quite full by the time the Shaykh arrived after being stuck in traffic. From speaking to the locals here, I get the impression that the traffic jams in KL are almost a force of nature!

Shaykh Yahya requested that we start off the night with Qasidahs – Qad Kafani and Ya Allimal Sirri Minna. There was an English Qasidah too, led by Shaykh Yahya, but I don’t remember the title. Qasidahs are jam-packed with deep, spiritual meanings and there’s something soothing and healing in them, even if you’re not entirely sure of the meaning. Click here for one of my favourite recitations of Qad Kafani, by Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad.

Listening to Shaykh Yahya’s talk really reminded me about how important it is for me to make this a conscious, daily effort to purify my heart. It’s so easy to get caught up in the lull and rush of daily life. I especially appreciated his five practical tips because it’s one thing to be inspired in a talk, but it’s another matter to put what I learned into practice, for the rest of my life.

These practical tips are relevant to Muslims across all walks of life. You could be a doctor in Africa, a writer in America, or a politician in Turkey – your heart will benefit from nourishment and polishing. SubhanAllah. No matter where you are in your life and whatever state you find yourself in, there is always goodness in turning your heart to Allah.

Does anyone have their notes from Imam Afroz Ali’s talk on Friday? I’d appreciate it if you can drop me a line on my blog. Thanks in advance!

In other news, I’ve come across some fantastic notes by Sister Shagufta Pasta about the “Exploring the Qur’an with Shaykh Yahya Rhodus” series. Jazakillah khayr Sis Shagufta, for the reminders.

Islam, Life, Seekers Guidance

From Madinah To Malaysia – my SeekersGuidance blog post

imagesCheck out my first SeekersGuidance blog post: From Madinah To Malaysia: Reflections by Ustadha Raidah Shah Idil.

It’s been such a blessing to be present in Kuala Lumpur during the Haul (ceremony of remembrance) of Imam Al-Haddad. Being here at this time has been very serendipitous – when my husband and I booked our tickets to Malaysia, we had no idea so many events would be held! Alhamdulilah for Divine Providence. It’s been so inspiring to be in the presence of scholars, and a beautiful reminder of what really matters in life. Meeting the different sisters from the KL gatherings has been lovely too.

We had a brief reunion with Imam Afroz Ali today after his talk at UTM Masjid. We got to meet Professor Dr. Muhammad Zainy Uthman too! I’ve been watching his videos on Professor Al-Attas, and it was so cool to meet him in person. And then we got slightly lost on the way to another meeting lol. Thunderstorms here are intense, and traffic jams take on a whole new meaning when there’s almost zero visibility.

In other news, we attended the Questions For The Tall White Man event last night and it was so, so awesome to talk about the hard stuff with Shaykh Yahya. He really did keep it real. The night ended with beautiful Qasidah recitations, with the foot-tapping beat of Malay drums (kompang). FUN! More about this later, inshaAllah.

Random note: There is so much amazing food here! And so affordable. Talk about needing to restrain the nafs lol.