Consoling the Heart

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

The world is the plantation for the hereafter. As far as one’s ability permits, engage yourself in earning good and reaping the fruits of the hereafter. With your intellect, tongue, pen and paper, wealth and all that it needs to make the hearts of others happy, comfort people but do not hurt or offend anyone. Consider this an act of great importance.

The deficiencies and difficulties of this worldly life are innumerable. However, this world has also been created as a fertile ground for the hereafter.

A saint was once asked, “How many avenues are there to reach Allah Ta’ala?” The saint replied, “The pathways leading to Allah Ta’ala are as many as the atoms that exist, however there is no path more beneficial and rewarding than keeping a person’s heart happy and consoling him. I have found Allah Ta’ala through this path and I advise others to do likewise. Consoling and bringing joy to a broken heart full of sorrow is far weightier than spending an entire night in Worship.”

Generally a broken or damaged article is worthless and futile but the heart is such that the more it is broken, the more it is filled with sorrow, the more its value increases.

(Ta’meer Hayat – Sept 2002)

Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy and love for dearly brothers and sisters in faith...

History of Quranic Text

Salaam and peace!!

It has been a while I had left this space as I am busy dealing with this opening of semester. But I will still make sure that I won't forget His path nor His law in my daily life, His Will.

I had read about this in a discussion dealing with Yemeni fragments. I found that it is very useful since many orientalist books with anti-Islamic sentiment are circulated in the market while Islamic scholarly one are hard to come by especially in languages other than Malay. 

I had also read a book in Malay about the compilation of Quran since it's revelation. But I didn't get to publish the picture of the book here because I had forgotten to capture the picture. I only get the picture of this book
in discussion from the net.

Any suggestion on where to get this book if anyone had come across this? 

This is the book by Dr. al-Azami. From the synopsis that I get it is about how Quranic texts being preserved throughout the history covering the part where it was revealed to the holy prophet (saw) and his role in teaching and disseminating the verses. 

Also about the final shape of the Quranic texts shortly after his death. It also talks about Mus-haf Ibnu Mas'ud and the origin of Arabic. Arabic paleography and orthography besides dealing with strict methodology in assembling textual fragments. I think that a copy of this book is worthy to be purchased off.

I also find this site is talking about this common issue, but unfortunately it is in Arabic. I'll scroll it down again to get better understanding and to read before I jot points down in my note whenever I am free. Feel free to read it too if you have time, God bless.

Preservation of Quranic Text   

Umais al-Qarni

I had read some notes that I had jot down in a mosque about this figure or might be from a reading somewhere. I can't really remember about the source. 

This person whose name is Umais al-Qarni was a follower of prophet Muhammad (saw) who lives in the time of the prophet and throughout his life, he had never met the prophet (saw) because he has to take care of his mother while he had  for long received the message of Islam.

He was longing to see prophet Muhammad (saw) until one day, he asked the permission of his mother. His mother had let him off to see the prophet (saw) but he must come back as soon as possible. When he arrived there in Medina, he finds out that the prophet (saw) was not there because he was in a battle. So, disappointed he was and he went back to Yemen.

Umais al-Qarni was just a poor shephard, and he had finished all of his money for the expenses to travel to Medina to see prophet Muhammad (saw). He had lost all of his hope to see prophet Muhammad (saw).

When the prophet Muhammad (saw) reached home, his wife which is our lady Aisha (r.a) wanted to tell him about the guest. But the prophet (saw) had first had this question popped out of him, "somebody wanted to see me wasn't he? And he has white mark on his hand. Allah had first informed the prophet (saw) about Umais.

Later, prophet Muhammad (saw) told his companions, "if all of you meet this person whose name is Umais al-Qarni, ask him to pray for you and ask him to ask forgiveness from Allah for you since he is the inhabitant of the heaven."

Some people questioned whether this person by the name Umais al-Qarni is considered as a companion of prophet Muhammad (saw) or not because a companion of prophet (saw) must be someone who  had met the prophet (saw) in his lifetime.

During the administration of Umar al-Khattab, the caliph wanted to see Umais al-Qarni. So, he went to Yemen and he met this person with white spot on his hand. He asked Umais to pray for him, but Umais wondered. He is just an illiterate poor shephard and why is this caliph asking him to do so?
 
From this story that our teachers had told us, Allah had placed Umais in such an honor because of his love toward prophet Muhammad (saw). In the same time, he is also a loyal and a caring child who takes care of his mother. 

There is also an Arabic proverb to describe this event of Umais, which is translated as human are always enslaved by their circumstances.