Dr Ali Hussain makes a fascinating point in relation to a famous hadith.
The fact that the Prophet ﷺ chose drawing by hand as a medium to explain revelation makes abstract art a sacred medium and a Sunnah.
For the Sufis (al-qawm), gnosis (marifat) is a practical path, a methodical way (of spiritual practice) (mahajja), and thus gnosis involves every kind of knowledge that may be obtained through spiritual practice ('amal), god-fearing piety (taqwā ),
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The forgotten Sunnah if group Dhikr:
On the authority of Mu’awiyah (RA): the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) came upon a gathering of his companions and said:
‘What has made you sit here?’
They replied: ‘We are sitting remembering Allah and praising Him for having guided us to Islam and bestowed this favor upon us.’
He said: ‘By Allah, is that the only reason you are sitting here?’
They replied: ‘By Allah, that is the only reason we are sitting here.’
He said: ‘Indeed, I did not ask you to swear because I suspected you. Rather, Gabriel came to me and informed me that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is boasting of you before the angels.’
Narrated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal — this wording is his — as well as by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Al-Tirmidhi, and Al-Nasa’i.”
THE FORGOTTEN DEPTH OF ISLAM
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya once said:
O Allah, if I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell. And if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your sake alone, then withhold not from me Your Eternal Beauty.
I don’t care what anyone else says, this is the best way ash’s tenure in the anime could end. He doesn’t need a run back with Alain or Tobias, he doesn’t need to end team rocket, and he ESPECIALLY didn’t need to marry Serena. This is absolute cinema
One of the saddest things we were robbed off as modern Muslims are Zawiyas and Sufi orders, that great Sultans like Salhuldin Al Ayoubi used to fund.
Imagine you finish work, go pray Maghreb and sit with your local Zawiya for half an hour of group Dhikr and tazkiya.
How much less likely would you be to sin when you have spiritual company and guiders on the lonely path of strangers (غرباء) in this day and age.
The seeker must act in accordance with the Book and the Sunna, and not even the slightest element of his external conduct should be inconsistent with the Sacred Law.
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