Dua Kumayl - A Supplication Masterpiece

The renowned Supplication of Kumayl is the prayer of Prophet Khidhr, taught by Imam Ali (as) to one of his most loyal companions, Kumayl Ibn Ziyad.

A moving dua that captures the key principles of Islam with utmost humility and eloquence.

It draws attention of the human conscience to the Glory and Majesty of the Almighty Creator, His unending Mercy and favours to creation and our shortcomings in expressing gratitude for these blessings.

A dua we are advised to recite on the eve of Friday, or once a month or once a year or at least once in a lifetime.

I came across a series of lectures by Dr. Murtadha Alidina on the commentary of Dua Kumayl and have decided to make them part of my Thursday study alongside the recitation of the Dua. The talks are really good, logically explained and only three lectures in, are already making me realise how little I’ve appreciated the depth and significance of a dua we so habitually recite.

If you prefer reading or to enhance your study, Commentary on Kumayl Supplication by Allamah Husayn Ansariyan, provides a brilliant in-depth commentary, annotated verse by verse.

To listen to the dua, Al-Masumeen have brought together some beautiful presentations, with English translation, by various different reciters.

I'm really looking forward to completing the series and pray Allah helps me to understand the value and greatness of dua Kumayl, to recite it with the heart and put into action it's words, to live my life with the purpose I was created for.

Quote the Qur'an - Learn the Key Concepts

To read and study the Qur'an in a way that I can pick out and quote key topics is an ongoing aim. Many times I’ve started at the beginning and never got past the second surah Baqarah or picked a random chapter but then got carried away with it’s tafseer. Never have I managed to read the Qur’an cover to cover in it’s translation and feel that I know it’s content and the verses that relate to everyday living.

To be able to quote the Qur’an, knowing say for example, where Halal meat has been prescribed or what the purpose of prayer is, why intoxicants are forbidden, or what the Qur’an says about Jesus and his birth. To have in the forefront of your mind, inspirational verses that remind of God’s bounties, trusting in Him and His Justice.

A book so full of wisdom and beautiful narratives to learn lessons from, that I needed to make a consistent effort to use it as a living guide.

Although there is no replacement for reading the Qur'an in its entirety, the key concept method devised by the QFatima team definitely set up for me a starting point.

Available to buy, read or listen online, and also available as an iphone app, it covers each chapter on one page, listing in brief, key topics in the surah. The concise method enabled me to simply highlight key verses in my Qur’an, giving me a good overview to the content as well as providing me with a collection of verses from which I could pick a few to learn.

Dedicating some time after Fajr salaa, I found it really didn’t take long to study a surah in this way and by the end I had 3-5 verses that I could quote. At each prayer, I would spend some time reading over and learning the verses. And the more I learnt, the more excited I became and it motivated me further.

Dominic O’Brien, an eight time world memory champion, has set some incredible records and written many books about memorisation techniques. Practising some of his methods helped with learning the verse references. He also says to recall and repeat any memorisations at least five times to ensure they are firmly embedded in your memory. So after every salaa is a perfect opportunity!

I really found that through the Key Concept method, my Ramadhan Qur’an study was a lot more productive. As much as I'd like to spend time and ponder into the verses and read the explanations, I also felt it important to firstly get an overview, to know what the Qur’an contains.

The first step had been learning the 114 chapter names and wondering why a chapter would be called ‘The Table’ or ‘The Sand Dunes'.

So many times, I’ve come across topics and thought, it’s in the Qur’an - but where and how has it been phrased? Do I know what the Qur’an says about issues I deal with daily? I need to build a relationship with the Qur’an, understand and appreciate the treasures it contains and make it my daily companion.

It works out that by covering the key concept learnings for 2-3 surahs per week, you can inshallah cover the entire Qur’an by next Ramadhan. That would fulfil an aim I’ve struggled with for a long time. And it would be a great way to ensure that we carry on through the year, the blessing and benefits that Ramadhan brought to us.

It's Not A Random Act; Kindness Is For Everyday

The performing of Random Acts of Kindness for complete strangers is a movement spreading across the world. Often the recipient is left with a card to encourage them to ‘pay the kindness forward’ and spread the happiness. It’s a truly inspiring concept which we should already be practising daily.

Islam is a religion emphasising human values and the Holy Prophet has so eloquently singled out kindness to top them all.

If kindness was a visible creation, nothing which Allah has created would be more beautiful than it. Holy Prophet (saw)

It's a principle agreed upon universally. In a study of 37 cultures around the world, when people were asked about their most desired traits in a mate, the first preference for both sexes was kindness.

The healing power of doing good has been proven by numerous scientific studies, where results show that the ones who are the most transformed through acts of generosity are the initiators.

In kindness there is increase and blessing: whoever withholds kindness withholds goodness. Holy Prophet (saw)

Our motivation as God’s ambassadors on earth, is to perform acts of kindness to allow Allah’s beautiful attributes such as Rahman and Rahim to flow within us and be manifested to the creation.

We need to appreciate the power and potential we have as individuals to change our environment for the better. If every person we show kindness to is inspired to ‘pass it on’, can you imagine the good our lives would be filled with.

Our intention is always fisabillilah, only for Allah. We’re not kind to gain approval or appreciation from people, rather we let go of our ego, seeking only the pleasure of Allah, knowing it is a step which will bring us closer to Him.

We are confident that if we are sincere in intention, our every act of kindness will be reflected back to us. Allah assures us, 'the reward for goodness is nothing but goodness.' (Holy Qur'an 55:60)

As Ramadan approaches, what better a month to become more conscious of nurturing the quality of kindness within us for it is the key to strengthening our faith.

For everything there is a lock and the lock of faith is kindness.
Imam Sadiq (as)

Performing a good deed needs to be more than a project. We must learn to live kindness, making it a habit of the mind inculcated by commitment and repetition.

We must commit ourselves to become more proactively kind, giving, supportive and compassionate then we normally would have been, with both our words and deeds. Making the time to ask about someone you don’t usually talk to, extending a hand to help where you normally wouldn’t, being extra patient at lending a listening ear.

And we need to perform acts of kindness with consistency. This means both setting aside specific times to serve, but also leaving the house each day ready to serve and on the lookout for opportunities.

For inspiration on how to start, google brings up some amazing websites devoted to ways we can help others. Simple, small things that make a big difference.

Allah loves most the servants who benefit others. Holy Prophet (saw)

When we embrace kindness as a way of life, it changes the way we spend our day and we progress on our journey of personal growth.

Some people find it helpful to write a daily record as they try to establish the habit to be more aware of their actions - the Helping Others and Kindness keyring notebooks are ideal for this

There are also spiritual aids we can use to help nurture kindness within us:

• Reciting Suratul Layl (92) inspires us to do good deeds.
• The Ism, Ar-Rahman recited 100 times daily after every salaah is recommended to remove hard heartedness.
• The Ism Ar-Raouf, one who does not cease to be kind and compassionate, is an intense form of Ar-Rahman. It is recommended to be recited 286 times a day to fill our hearts with compassion and to be given the means to help those in need.

We are close to welcoming Ramadhan, a month where fasting has been prescribed as a means of gaining piety. We refrain from the physical food, but we pray that our practicing of positive attitudes, helps to feed our spiritual soul.

May kindness become a quality ingrained within us. Let it help us recognize and appreciate our own blessings and increase our gratitude.

Islam - A Balanced Way of Life

On the 7th of Rajab we celebrate the birth of Imam Musa Al Kadhim (as). (He was actually born on the 7th of Safar but since this day falls in our months of mourning, we mark his anniversary on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Islamic calendar)

Our infallible Imams are our role models, embodiments of Islam and through their teachings they are alive and continue to inspire us today.

While I was reading over some of Imam al Kadhim’s sayings in the book, Fascinating Discourses of 14 Infallibles, I came across one that reinforced what a practical and balanced way of life Islam is.

Our 7th Imam advises us to divide our time into four parts;

1. For worship
2. To earn a living
3. Socializing with friends who show you your defects and treat you sincerely
4. For lawful pleasures; with this part of the time you get strength and vigour for the rest of the three other times.

It ends, “As for those who neglect the legal worldly pleasures completely and adhere to the religious duties or neglect the religious duties and adhere to the worldly affairs, are not from us.”

The hadith shows that in Islam, religion is not seen as something special to be isolated from life but as an integral part of everyday living. Going to work is given the same priority as spending time praying. Islam is a religion that actually tells you to hang out with your friends or play a game of football. We are encouraged to enjoy moderately that which is lawful and does not harm us, to take time out to pursue our own interests and hobbies. But the key lies in the intention. You are spending time relaxing your mind and body so you can return to serve Allah and His creation, in a better and more refreshed state.

By having a clear outline on how to divide our time, we can ensure we use it productively, whether its for worship or having some 'me' time - ultimately with the right intention, it will help bring us closer to Allah

A Season of Worship

The season of worship has begun. It’s that time of the year when the calendar is full of occasions, mostly celebrations, and the start of fasting and extra worship brings a buzz that reminds you of what your life is all about, putting things into perspective and giving you hope as you feel motivated to want to become better.

Rajab together with Sha’ban are holy months with special opportunities for the remembrance of Allah and a preparation for the coming of Ramadhan, the holiest month of the Islamic year. Together, these three months form a season of spiritual regrowth.

Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha’ban is my month and Ramadhan is the month of my Ummah. The Holy Prophet (saw)

As much as I try to incorporate religious learning into my time and make an effort to do the special Thursday/Friday recommended acts, life gets busy. Suddenly there’s ‘more important’ stuff that needs doing and slowly the dedication and time spent in performing duties towards Allah becomes less.

And He must know this, because through Allah's Mercy and love for us, He blesses us with a season of worship, a special time to encourage us to pray intensely by multiplying the rewards and emphasising the sanctity of the season. Allah provides us with an opportunity to boost ourselves spiritually and become recharged again. And it’s not for His benefit but ours. It brings us back on track as we become extra watchful over our deeds. It reminds us of our purpose in life, reducing our attachment to the material world and ultimately helps bring us closer to Him.

Rajab is the month when Allah's mercy descends on His creation like gentle rain. It is the month of Istighfar - a month when one should seek forgiveness of sins. Holy Prophet (saw)

The special duas of these months are really beautiful. Acknowledging wrongs we have done and invoking Allah’s forgiveness, we plead to erase our past sins. It gives us hope that our burdens have become lighter and allows us to move forward so we can progress spiritually.

When we worship more than usual, seek forgiveness more often and are generally more aware of Allah’s commandments, it is natural that we will start to examine ourselves and the lives we lead. The season of worship gives us a chance for introspection, cleanse all that is impure within us and make resolutions to start afresh. We have been given an opportunity to improve and if we go through these months of worship with sincerity, we will be left feeling rejuvenated, with its effects carrying over into the rest of the year.

A must have resource for the month has to be the excellent prayer manual, A'maal of Rajab & Sha'ban by Tayyiba Publishers, which also includes the above introduction to the sacred months. The recommended dua's are available to read online too. A useful self assesment chart can be used as a guide to which acts to perform daily, weekly and monthly. And Radio Fatima is also broadcasting a series of talks discussing ways to reform oneself in preparation for the Month of Ramadhan.

Understanding the benefits this season brings, makes us appreciate that it is a great blessing. Worship and prayer will not feel like a burden imposed upon us but rather a yearning of wanting to maximise every moment, every day of these months. With an offer this good, is there really anything more important I need to be doing?

Recitation of the Qur'an

I'm always telling myself I must start the habit of reading the Qur'an on a daily basis, even if it is just a few verses. Surely this is better than to read large sections but only occasionally.

At the mosque they were giving out some sheets with a list of verses indicating a quarter Juz to be read each night. The aim is that together we complete a recitation of the Qur’an every night and of course personally in about 4 months you too would have finished an entire reading. I knew that by agreeing to take part, I couldn’t afford to miss my daily allocation as it would impact on everyone but this is just what I needed to start me off, with what I sincerely pray becomes a lifelong habit.

Once I started my recitation, I realised how a quarter Juz was only around 50 verses. This is same number of ayaat recommended by the 6th Imam Sadiq (as) to be recited everyday. And it only took me 15 minutes maximum.

15 minutes out of the 1,440 minutes of the day Allah has blessed us with. That’s 1% of our 24 hour day! Using 15 minutes for Qur’an recitation really wasn’t asking for much and it made me feel so ashamed that I hadn’t already made this act a part of my life.

I remember hearing a speaker when explaining how we need to put in quality time for our worship, giving a simple yet powerful example that stayed with me. Imagine being given £1,440 just like that, because a generous man wanted to. You’d be eternally grateful – then imagine him asking for maybe £30 back, you’d be like uh, yes of course, are you sure that’s all you want? That’s Allah. He gives us so much without us asking - can we not spend 30 minutes of our day in thankfulness to Him. Is it really too much? Think of what he has blessed us with, the air we breath – if He decided to withhold it for a matter of seconds, where would we be?

Life becomes so busy. I don’t have time, is what I always hear myself saying, yet it’s not true. If we use our time wisely we can do a lot with it. We have to prioritise and make the time. With so much to accomplish, and only ourselves to benefit, we cannot afford not to.

“What stops one amongst you who has been busy in the day when he returns home, to recite one surah before he sleeps? For every verse recited, ten good deeds are recorded and ten bad deeds are erased.” Imam Ja’fer Sadiq (as)

Another hadith by the Imam tells us that on the Day of Judgment, of three things which will complain to Allah, one will be the Qur’an which was not read and was left for dust to collect on it.

There are so many hadiths advising us of the benefits of reciting the Holy Quran - How our rusty hearts our polished, our homes brightened, our sins forgiven, oncoming calamities destroyed, an increase in goodness and bounties, the list is endless.

Yet reciting the Qur’an is only the first stage. To know the Qur’an and really use it as a living guide is to recite its verses, memorise them, understand their meanings, study the commentary, ponder over its words, practically apply the lessons and then teach it to others.

Even to recite the Qur’an is not just like opening a regular book and reading it’s text. Its words must vibrate within, move our hearts and inspire us to change.

I found the book ‘Way to the Qur’an’ by Khurram Murad an excellent resource in explaining the steps we can take to help achieve the presence of heart and mind so that we can respond to the words of the Qur'an as we should. Inshallah I discuss this aspect and try and share its guidelines in more detail in another post.

But for now, I'm going to concentrate on cementing the habit of reading the Qur'an everyday. I've got my bookmark with the dua to recite before reading the Qur'an in place, an aid to focus my thoughts and intention.

Inshallah with the help of Allah, I pray to progress on this journey to become one who knocks on the door of the Qur'an with a depth of yearning, sincerity of purpose and exclusiveness of attention that befits its importance and majesty. I pray to be able to absorb its guidance, to gather its treasures, and to learn and live with the Quran as my daily guide.

Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Syed Ammar Nakshwani is truly inspiring when it comes to history. He can quote names, dates, places and all the little details. He has history at the tip of the tongue. In one of his lectures, brother Ammar was saying how shameful it is that we don’t know the history of our Holy Prophet, the man who we owe everything to. OK we might know the year he was born, that he died at 63 years of age and maybe pick out a few events in between but he emphasised how we should know it as a timeline of dates, knowing when to place what.

History is not my strong point and as interesting as it is, I just can't absorb the information in a way I can remember. So this week, when I noticed Radio Fatima in their Journey of Life series were covering Rasulullah, I tried again and I’m so glad because this time I found it suddenly seemed so easy and clear - alhamdulilah it finally stuck!

So sharing the timeline: Think of the Prophet’s life as a division of three parts and remember it as 40/13/10

0-40 years The period of the Prophet establishing his credibility
40-53 years From Be’sat, the revelation of the first verse of the Qur’an - Hijrah
53-63 years From Migrating from Makkah to Medina – Death

1st Part 0-40years
Born 17th Rabi al Awwal in the year 570AD
5yrs Orphaned – Mother Bibi Aamena dies
Raised by Grandfather Abdul Muttalib and Uncle Abu Talib
8yrs Grandfather dies
25yrs Marries Bibi Khadija
35yrs Bibi Fatema born
40yrs Be’sat: 27th Rajab, in the cave of Hira, Revelation of the Qur’an

2nd Part 40-53 years
43yrs Goes Public with the message of Islam
46yrs Exiled to Shib Abi Talib for 3 years
49yrs Bibi Khadija and Uncle Abu Talib die. Prophet calls it the year of sadness, Amul Huzn
52yrs Mer’aj 27th Rajab
53yrs Hijra: Migration from Makkah to Medina

3rd Part 53- 63years
Life In Medina
Battle of Badr
Bibi Fatema marries Imam Ali (as)
Battle of Ohad
Battle of Khandaq
Treaty of Hudaybiya signed
Battle of Khaybar
Event of Mubahila
Ghadeer Khum - Announcement of Imam Ali (as) as successor
63 years, dies on 28th Safar 11 AH 632AD

This now gives a really clear frame from which I can pick out and learn about individual events in more detail. If you like the clarity of this method, a great book to start with is the biography by Mahmood Datoo or another popular one is the Life of the Prophet by Syed Akhter Rizvi.

Sunan An Nabi by Sayyid Taba’taba’i compiles excellently translated narrations on the everyday practices of the Prophet. To read it alongside the historical facts would help us to picture the Prophet as the person he was, his character and the way in which he lived his life.

Even those who haven't submitted to Islam recognize the greatness of the Prophet. Michael H.Hart ranks him as the world's most influential person for the success he achieved in establishing both religious and secular order. The Prophet brought a revolution to the world of human thought and human action for all time.

The finest of social leaders but also the most excellent of spiritual guides. The Prophet had to undergo many hardships and experience all the difficulties of life especially as the founder of a new state and society, but within all these activities his heart rested in contentment with the Divine. As pointed out in a beautiful article, The Prophet and Prophetic Tradition, the participation of the Prophet in social and political life was precisely to integrate this domain into a spiritual centre. Prophet Muhammad (saw) truly does show us how to bring it all together, balance the material world with our aim of achieving spiritual closeness to Allah.

We have to know our history, to learn from it and then apply the lessons in our life as we journey on the path to reach our full potential. The Prophet devoted his whole life showing us how to succeed on this path. He is our greatest role model, who we aspire to emulate in every aspect of our life.

O Allah, send Your grace upon Muhammad and his progeny