So what is love then?

A hundred theories, the wrestle with experiences and the fairytales we dream about, the different scientific-psychological terms converging to one, as Carl Jung says, it is a spiritual, a soul to soul connection. You hear him, but do you hear what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said?

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) Saying: Souls are troops collected together and those who familiarised with each other (in the heaven from where these come) would have affinity, with one another (in the world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in the Heaven) would also be divergent (in the world).

Love is spiritual, way before it is manifested in the material world, just as the existence of all that is, in this universe. Hence, love requires spirit, a divinity, before it manifests to our worldly lives.

For two souls to recognize one another, it is foremost for them to first recognize their own spiritualities. This is undone completely without the Divine and the recognition of the Divine. The intimate bond of God and the soul, first, is thus the foundation for any form of love to exist. The Love of God is the precedent, and thus, from it flows all love.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has one hundred mercies, out of which He has sent down only one for jinn, mankind, animals and insects, through which they love one another and have compassion for one another; and through it, wild animals care for their young. Allah has retained ninety-nine mercies to deal kindly with His slaves on the Day of Resurrection." (Riyad Al Salihin 420 —(Mercy (الرحمة) and the womb of the mother (الرحم) in Arabic, this bondage of words only speaks volumes))

It is uniquely marvelling how Love is the basis of all that exists. We hear this just too often to never contemplate enough. Love is what roots you with the Divine, love is what extends from it, as a tree, أصلها ثابت وفرعها في السماء, the one whose roots are firm and branches etched high towards the sky. Love brings together, it unifies, molds, solidifies, extends, embraces, procreates—relationships—all of them: spouses, children, friends, families, neighbours and strangers. It is strange then how Allah Ta'ala, in the very first opening verse of the Qur'an mentions himself as 'Rabb Al Alaameen' the Nurturing Rabb of the Worlds of People. The worlds of lifestyles, stages, emotional experiences and trances we go through, He is the basis of all forms of affection and all manifestations of it— nurturing, caretaking, sustaining, preserving, bestowing, gracing, safeguarding, preserving and continuing. So what is love, except for all that the word 'Rabb' treasures in itself?

How unfortunate it is thus to look for love elsewhere? To look for love without the recognition of our own souls, our nexus with the Divine and anchoring ourselves with Him before we manifest it into our lives? Without this precursor, love is not truly love. And not only that we recognize love through the Divine, we learn to love through him. Through his manifestation as our Rabb for the worlds of the people and through his legacy showcased to us by examplification of our Prophet ﷺ, The Mercy to all worlds.

This recognition is what Tawheed is, There is no God but Allah and Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah. This is a realization of the Most Merciful and the Prophet He sent as a mercy to mankind. This is a proclamation of love before it is a proclamation of faith. Faith is love. And thus, Love is Divine. Love is worship. Love is the Truth. Love is the Sunnah of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

Hence through the Divine, I see love all around, in myself and my being. By the commandment of the Divine, I am obligated to love. To express, give, enact and proclaim love.

But how do I love? For my expressions of love all are tainted with the shadows of my soul. My love is weak at times, too powerful at the other. It is clear sometimes, so deceiving at the other. It is authentic at times, so shallow at the other. What is the true expression of love and the true balance of it? I look towards the Beloved Prophet ﷺ, the mercy who epitomized.

I look at his love, which began with vulnerability. While the world expresses its distaste and disbelief for it, vulnerablility costs image and a promising goodness of the person on the other side to choose you, you lie unconcealed at the pardon of the other to be chosen, if you're lucky enough, they say. I see Him ﷺ embodying the role of vulnerability, oh so beautifully as I have never seen before. Bare in mind, He ﷺ is the man of Makkah, the soon to be Prophet, and with all the perfect characteristics He had, He still chose to be vulnerable? He should have chosen the other way, a show of invincibility, a cover of resilience—but He ﷺ didn't. He was truthful, the Sadiq in his love too, as he was truthful in all which He ﷺ brought. He was sincere, for He ﷺ was connected with the Divine. So He chose to be vulnerable. He chose to run towards Khadija RA and tell her that he is afraid. He chose to ask her to embrace Him ﷺ. He chose to ask her to cover Him ﷺ. He chose to let her know that he feels worried. He chose to ask her for guidance. He chose to open up, to open up for intimacy. To unveil his heart for love.

And on the other side of the spectrum? You don't find her abusing the occasion. She recognizes the opening and chooses to uphold it, to value it. She doesn't see this as an option, She pursues it as her duty. She surrenders with His ﷺ surrender. She embraces his vulnerability until she strengthens it. She fills the juncture, She holds together. (May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with Her, our mother.)

As in this beautiful Arabic saying:

إن أجمل حب قد يمر على إنسانيتك

هو أن يحبك الشخص مرتين

مرة كما تصوّرك

ومرة كما أنت على حقيقتك

Indeed, the most beautiful forms of love that runs in humanity is that a person loves you twice. Once how they perceive you to be and the second, upon your reality.

His ﷺ love is not a love of diseases, fabrications attachments or fragilities. Unlike Qays, for whom Layla had become a torment, Qays screams,

متى يشفي منك الفؤاد المعذب؟

When will my burning heart find cure form you?!

The heart of the lover does truly flicker and blaze in love. For the Prophet ﷺ expressed the same feelings of passion, yet his yearning was the yearning of truth. His love was embedded in God. His Tawheed at such epitome, that his love was pure from all impurities of false attachments and fragilities. His Tawheed lay the foundation of all his expressions of love. Thus, His love carried space naturally. His love carried balance naturally. No love thus, overtook the other. He never indulged more or fell short. He was the most precise and delicate in his love. Thus is the love, which unifies by the name of Allah and parts by His.

Narrated Al-Aswad bin Yazid:

I asked `Aisha "What did the Prophet (ﷺ) use to do at home?" She said, "He used to work for his family, and when he heard the Adhan (call for the prayer), he would go out.

His ﷺ love was not the love of ego, but the love of servitude. His love was the love of a purified heart. His love was not just the love of truth, but the love of gratitude. So much so, that the worldly realizations of love weighed over His ﷺ spiritual realm of love. And this is what he advised us for too. His Divine love outweighed the world’s, His ﷺ gratitude and servitude shined in his expression.

Ibn Umair said, "Tell us about the most wondrous thing you have seen from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."

She fell silent for a while and then said, "One night, he said, 'O Aisha, let me worship my Lord tonight.' I said, 'By Allah, I love your nearness, and I love what makes you happy.' She said, 'So he got up, purified himself, and stood to pray. He continued weeping until his lap became wet. Then he wept, and he did not stop weeping until his beard became wet. Then he wept, and he did not stop weeping until the ground became wet. Bilal came to announce the prayer to him, and when he saw him weeping, he said, 'O Messenger of Allah, why do you weep when Allah has forgiven all your past and future sins?' He said, 'Shall I not be a grateful servant? Tonight a verse has been revealed to me, woe to one who recites it and does not reflect on it: {Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth} [and what follows] the entire verse.'"

In another Hadith Aisha RA says:

When it was the night of the middle of Shaban, the Prophet ﷺ slipped out from beneath my cloak—meaning Aishah’s cloak. By Allah, it was not made of striped cloth, nor of silk, nor of linen, nor of cotton, nor of wool; rather, its warp was of hair, though its weft was of camel hair. I thought to myself that he might have gone to one of his wives, so I said, “Let me look for him in the house.” Then my hand fell upon his feet while he was in prostration, and I memorized from his supplication as he was saying:

“I prostrate to You with my darkness and my shadow, and my heart believes in You. I acknowledge to You Your blessings, and I confess to You my sin. I have wronged myself, so forgive me; indeed none forgives the tremendous sin except You. I seek refuge in Your pardon from Your punishment; I seek refuge in Your mercy from Your wrath; I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your displeasure; and I seek refuge in You from You. Exalted is Your Face; I cannot enumerate praise of You. You are as You have praised Yourself.”

He continued standing and sitting until morning came, and morning came while his feet had become swollen. I said, “May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you—has Allah not forgiven you your past sins and your future ones?” He said: “O Aishah, should I not be a grateful servant?

He never asked his loved ones to abandon all but Him ﷺ, or to ask them for favors or unrealistic expectations. He set them all at ease, He set them all free in their individualities.

Anas RA said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was one of the best of men in character. One day he sent me to do something, and I said: I swore by Allah that I would not go. But in my heart I felt that I should go to do what the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) had commanded me; so I went out and came upon some boys who were playing in the street. All of a sudden the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who had come up behind caught me by the back of the neck, and when I looked at him he was laughing. He said: Go where I ordered you, little Anas. I replied: Yes, I am going, Apostle of Allah! Anas said: I swear by Allah, I served him for seven or nine years, and he never said to me about a thing which I had done: Why did you do such and such? Nor about a thing which I left: why did not do such and such? (Abu Dawood 4773)

He love was not overpowering neither overshadowing of other's self esteems and lives. His love on the other hand, was empowering. His love was support, his love was mutuality. It was not egoistic, neither controlling. His love was not entitlement, rather he made sure to earn it through efforts, while He would be the only one in the world who didn't need to acquire it as this. But He ﷺ did, He strived to earn love to showcase us.

You find the expressions of this in all the exchanges He ﷺ shares with his companions, his family, his children and his spouses. You find him racing with Aisha RA, laying on her lap, making her necklace with his own hands (Sunnah crafts by the way, handmade things for our loved ones). You find him riding camels with his favorite cousins, sharing his meals with his companions, hugging Zahir RA in the marketplace, holding hands of the destitute, cuddling with babies and reminiscing his first love-story with Khadija RA after her passing away with her friends (The ahadith on this note are just too many and too beautiful, some other day on this Insha'Allah)

His love was a love of shelter, a love of protection. He cared for preserving others’ self esteems, values and made sure to cover their insecurities. An examplification of this is Prophet ﷺ 's safeguarding the honor of Safiyyah RA, helping her ride her camel. (Shaykhana Dr. Ali Tariq says this also implies him showcasing to the world the status of Safiyyah RA in His ﷺ eyes and also guarding her insecurity about her shortened height and the difficulty to embark the ride)

Anas RA says:

...I saw the Prophet, making for her a kind of cushion with his cloak behind him (on his camel). He then sat beside his camel and put his knee for Safiya to put her foot on, in order to ride (on the camel).

His love was not obsessive, as the Arab poets profess:

Yet it was a love that set free. His love breathed life into all those around Him and it was never shackling. As the instruction of Rasul ﷺ to Abu Hurayrah RA:

His love was not a lust for validation. Unlike the red pill masculinity feeding off of women’s validations. His love wasn't like the famous Arab poet 'Antara, showing off his masculine tendencies to catch the charm of his loved one:

Rather, His ﷺ love was dignified. It was noble. It was a promise of respect to Himself and a promise of respect of all He ﷺ loved.

His love was not a love of suspicion or fault finding. Yet it was a love of good assumption and excuse giving. It was being gentle, being compromising, being understanding. How beautifully an Arab writer puts it out as a case for his Beloved:

His love not tyrannical. His ﷺ love on the other hand, was gentle, kind, humble and grounded. His love was pure and it purifies. He loved for the right reasons and expressed them in all righteousness. Through him is the definition of love with all its magnificent elements: cherishing love while seeking purpose, expressing love while not compromising intentions.

Love is the root and the branches itself. It is not the endpoint but a journey. And as all the components of life, we keep juggling to balance, it is upon us to keep balancing the ark of love against the darkness of evil tides, anchored in the Divine. The centrality and expressions of Prophet ﷺ 's love are heavenly and everliving, empowering us to love in the most sacred manner, and to chose love, every single day.

—Maheen Khan

From The Journey الرحلة

14th Rabi Al Awwal, 1447H

So Knowing him, and putting sincere efforts to know him is the first step on the road to loving the Beloved ﷺ. Now, don't despair, we all are in the same place, our education systems, family backgrounds and studies have not introduced us to who HE really is عليه الصلاة والسلام, all we know is mere his name and a blurred image of HIS true being.

We don't know about his family, his companions or his loved ones. So it's time to seek company. Their company.

Once you start to read about him, he will no longer feel distant anymore. Sahabah and their personalities would open up and they will feel as if they are with us. His family, more beloved to us, and then, what about his personality in itself? The things he love, the way he eats, the way he talks, what does he like, what does he ask us to refrain from. The message he gave, his kindness, his generosity, his inclusivity. Our RasulAllah ﷺ will feel closer than before.

Always remember, once you begin,

It took Umar RA, a conscious decision and an ample of time along (WITH) the Suhbah of the best of Creation RasulAllah ﷺ, private intimate conversations and relationship with him, to reach the level of true love.

So reaching true love takes time. And let that time be. Wave through that time, struggle with it.

Love is built, with the knowledge of the Beloved ﷺ, it is watered with sending prayers and blessings upon him, it is devotedly venerated by revering and admiring the Shama'il (beautiful characteristics and demeanor) of the Beloved RasulAllah ﷺ.

Abdullah bin Hisham reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be Upon Him) and He ﷺ was holding the hand of Umar bin Khattab RA. Umar RA said to Him: “O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything but myself.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “No, by the One in whose Hand is my soul, until I am more Beloved to you than yourself.” Umar RA said: “Indeed, I swear by Allah, that you are more Beloved to me now than myself.” The Prophet ﷺ said: Now الآن, O Umar.”

(Sahih Al Bukhari 6632)

Many people's first go to resource for learning about the Life of RasulAllah ﷺ is this excellent book, The Sealed Nectar, however I believe it is a very extensive version for the first engagement.

I will share how Allah Ta'ala made me journey through seerah which I recommend to everyone:

Go through: When the Moon Split, Mini Version of The Sealed Nectar, by the same author, I have shared how this book is perfect for first time readers as it covers all the seerah with a good comprehensive view, every chapter contains lessons at the end for conclusion. Because reading first time can make you lose track or forget, so just to review, you have a summary of each chapter the end to memorize and remember well. Secondly, each chapter has at the end, Questions and Answers to fill. This engagement truly helps in learning seerah. 'Learning' I mean it.

Next step is to go through about 104 Episodes of Seerah Series by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi. I have no words to Express my acknowledgement for this series, changed my life. Not just that I learnt seerah through it, but my basis for Islamic history and so many other aspects of Creed and other Uloom were discussed here. It is very academic and an advanced series of lectures. Once you take them, you will have a very good background in seerah, and now alhamdulilah it has been compiled into a book too! (But the series will always be better for engagement!)

🔗 Seerah Shaykh YQ:

Next step is knowing his blessed demeanor, character and attributes. This is known as شمائل النبي ﷺ, Imam Tirmidhi compiled them beautifully and today we have it's translations and more extended, rich and beautiful writings within this theme, from prose to poetry.

🔗: Shama'il Al Muhammadiyah English

(This is a Book of Shama'il Muhammadiya ﷺ, in which the author has written over 132 verses of poetry, each one containing different segments of Prophet's demenor and illuminating the ever enlightened Character of our RasulAllah ﷺ.)

It is saddening how we have disregarded this core focal point of the personality of RasulAllah ﷺ in our lives. We think of Him as the Last Prophet of Allah Ta'ala, but unwantingly we alienate ourselves from him, neglecting the fact that he was a Human Being! Just like us. A human himself, A world himself. And I mean here not a human being in the scientific sense, but in a sentimental approach. He experienced life, he had a thought processes, emotional attachments, conversations, feelings. Just like we do, so why feel disconnect from Him? The fact that Allah Ta'ala sent us a Human Messenger is that we connect to him with the depths of our hearts. That we realize that he feels us, he sees where we are coming from, he knows what we are going through. I could write more on this someday, but just for now, I emphasize that we need to connect to RasulAllah ﷺ, and being connected to him is sublimely easy and not as difficult as the unnecessary preconceived notions of being distant from Him ﷺ.

This is also knowing, absorbing and dwelling in the personality of our Beloved ﷺ. Our Ustadh uses this term مزاج النبوة, instilling in us, all that our RasulAllah ﷺ embodied and set an example for us, from his likes, his dislikes, the way he carried himself, the ways to walk, converse, eat, smile, work ethics — He was a world of manners, a world of everything imaginable. This is a beautiful sight into the life of the Beloved ﷺ, once we start focusing on this, His Being fills our poor souls with light and we can sense it truly. Everything starts to feels alive, once we enter Beloved ﷺ in our hearts, in the most tiniest of our actions abiding by his Sunnah, copying him and admiring the ones who are seeking His companionship. Suhbah of the people who truly love RasulAllah ﷺ and embody his message, his Qur'an and Sunnah is one of the most core and essential things in this path, without Suhbah, we are nowhere.

The next most essential part in this journey of حب, is knowing the noble addresses of the Beloved ﷺ, every word from his blessed tongue, every motion and action from Him, this is the Hadith of RasulAllah ﷺ, and our spiritual Kamaal is only through Him and his Ahadith.

What ungratefulness and what ignorance of us! I used to believe Hadith are not but mere words and may Allah Ta'ala forgive me. Until we studied authenticity of Sunnah from our Beloved Ustadh, and gateways of creativity, understanding, appreciation, passion and endearing love for Hadith flowed upon us! Insha'Allah more on this someday.

Right now however, My shortcut key to this, is connecting to Hadith of RasulAllah ﷺ, by reading them daily, understanding them through the help of a Shaykh, a teacher, on the internet is appreciated, but a Shaykh who can expound this in real life is a bounty, the biggest of Allah's blessings we need to pray for, may Allah grant us all, Aameen. And until that, we memorize the Hadith of RasulAllah ﷺ one after the other and strive for them, our love is ever witnessed and ever rewarded!

The fourth step into this journey of loving RasulAllah ﷺ is by أدب, this is such a beautiful beautiful feeling, and it will once start to grow when you begin reading about him, reciting Salawat upon him, getting to know his blessed demeanor and focusing on every detail from the macroscopic to the microscopic level into his life. And this does not come all of a sudden, rather it is a journey of lifetime just as our relationship to Qur'an, we keep watering the plants of love and submission, let the roots firm and then the tree grows on it's one pace, little by little, each new leaf is a sign of love.

Sometimes I feel this, our explore pages are filled with pictures and videos of the Haramain and we blindly mindlessly scroll through them, I do not consider this right! Reading Ahadith without focus and Salawat, mentioning RasulAllah ﷺ and his name without the right that is due. On the internet especially. Our Ulama would study Ahadith after doing Ghusl and Wudu, where have we come? It was İmam Malik RA, whose face would turn red with love and هيبة when RasulAllah ﷺ’s name was mentioned. Our Ulama would take off their shoes and then read Ahadith. What about us? We neglect the honour that is due.

And while someone may argue, the Adaab I have mentioned above are personal مظاهر of respect from the magnificent individuals of Islamic scholarship, it is not fardh or obligated— and I would say, these مظاهر of Adab for RasulAllah ﷺ are the acts of deep love and veneration from us. Take from which you please and abide by them. We need them and this is due upon us. Wouldn't we rush to sit in the feet of RasulAllah ﷺ if we were to see Him? Would we ever look up to his face? Never! Showcase the love you have for your سيد. It is witnessed.

I was recommended this Seerah Series by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, which I believe focuses on this aspect, and the aspect of heart more. Insha'Allah I'll be watching it and I recommend you all too.

🔗: Seerah of the Heart Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

The last of the traces to the love of RasulAllah ﷺ is a consistent never ending action of Love and of thankfulness to RasulAllah ﷺ, and that is sending Salawat upon him. It is an act Allah Ta'ala Himself and the Angels are engaged in continuously, and we are certainly obliged to do so. There is no limits to this, rather, the intensity of love increases with the increase in Salawat, it is guaranteed.

There are various different Salawat written by our Scholars and Lovers, there is no compulsion is chosing as many (we look into the praises and attend not to the exaggerating ones) I was recently recommended to even diversifying different Salawat time after time so that it does not become a repetitive ritual, but that each Salawat brings in it it's own essence and own color of love. May Allah Ta'ala make us from those who remember RasulAllah ﷺ and send Salawat upon him Ameen sum Ameen.

I will link an app for weekly Duas and Salawat, do check out Insha'Allah.

🔗: Zariyat Al Wusul

🔗: Dala’il Al Khayrat

We pray as Allah Ta'ala has blessed us with this serene association to the RasulAllah ﷺ, May Allah Ta'ala purifies our thoughts, hearts, actions and our demeanors through him, may we follow our Beloved RasulAllah ﷺ in all that he taught us, yearn for him, long for him, love him, be like Him and by Allah's mercy meet Him in Jannah, Allahuma Aameen.

The duality which exists in our worldly life astonishes me. This very nature of its being makes me fall in love, yet synchronously, be indifferent to it. Such is the nature of time we experience. Running between the twos. Swinging constantly between Sabr and Shukar, where I see sometimes my being hanging on to patience at a moment while dearly embracing gratitude at the other. I wonder why were we taught to reach somewhere? I wonder who instilled in me that there is a destination that awaits me? I wonder where did I learn that I have to reach somewhere in this world... a place, a status, a rank, an empirical, material, singular, objectified point? In a matrix of absolute infinite? I wonder why do I rush to go? I wonder where do I run to and from where do I escape from? All this flee and flutter while I take my course in this everchanging cosmos? Why did I never realize that I was never to reach? Neither a destination, nor a formation which I can truly call mine. No essence defining me, my soul nor the body which confines it, for I am ever changing, every moving second in time. Why don't I submit, I am not Ahad? Yet I am a creation of Him. The most honoured one. I am unique through Him, yet not unique solely in myself. I am weak and needy of my nurturing Creator. I am not bound to be one, I am not bound to be perpetually static, timeless, or eternal—rather my nature is the same as all the worldly creation that surrounds me. I am circling too, in my own orbits, swimming around planets and my anchors of life. I am change myself. Constantly changing, continually growing. As if I am incessantly losing parts of myself and breeding anew. I am constantly leaving and reaching, giving and receiving, breathing in and breathing out. Why didn't I realize this as I saw the trees shed their leaves each season and grow new ones? I shed too, I live new birth too. Why don't I look at my hands and realize the depth of the life they carry? The layers beneath the skin uniquely mine, just as the leaf membranes, all individually unparalleled? Why don't I realize as I gaze at the sunset waiting for another sunrise? Or the moon rising between being Hilal and Badr? I am a constant work of art, I am an ever changing hue of colors. Why don't I realize as my eyes capture the skies? Each day Al Musawwir paints them with a unique rarity of colors, why do I then, not cherish mine? The beauty of my being in its essence everyday, in each passing moment and every present sight?

Who am I and who will I be?

I turn for the answers this time, not towards the every changing reality of the cosmos, but towards that which resides much deeper, much common, eternally stable and whole in each core, in every margin and in every essence of the universe. I connect to an umbilical cord far beyond the confinements of the universe, a connection which I deeply call mine. It is my intimate connection, my closeness, my relationship to my Nurturing Creator. His words and my Salah, His Messenger and my Salawat, an unwavering security, eternally constant, perpetually consistent in a kaleidoscopic cosmos.

Who am I in this spectrum of colors? I turn to my Nurturing Creator's beautiful names, which name of His, I question, would calm my heart at this moment in time and hold my affairs? I turn to the Mushaf and scroll through His beautiful Surahs, finding peace and perspective in Al Najm, learning balance in Al-Rahman, uttering the same plea with the sleepers of the cave, placing my life in the basket with the mother of Musa AS, traversing waters with him until resting under the tree with the same Dua of his, Alayhis Salam, and recognizing You as Al Wahhab in the love, trust and returning prayer of Sulayman Alayhis Salam.

Who am I in this realm of wonders? I close my eyes and remember my Beloved ﷺ, would he bid me farewell as He ﷺsaid to Muadh RadiyaAllahu Anhu, 'Oh Muadh I love you! Don't forget to recite اللهم أعني على ذكرك وشكرك وحسن عبادتك' or would He affectionately gift me the same words He ﷺ gifted to Ibn Abbas RadiyaAllahu Anhu? Would He ask me to recite the Dua of love, the Dua of Dawood Alayhis Salam? اللهم أني أسألك حبك؟ Or would He gently smile and teach me to say اللهم قنعني بما رزقتني? Would He comfort my fears by this prayer اللهم ارضني بما قضيت? Or would He console me and lead me to gratitude saying واجعلنا شاكرين لنعمتك؟ Would He advise me, ساعة و ساعة يا ماهين, I wish He would, and He has done! عليه الصلاة وأكرم التسليمات! Perhaps I wonder, He ﷺ would reassure me as He reassured Abbas RadiyaAllahu Anhu by teaching him the prayer of Aafiyah?

In all these blends of colors who am I? I close my eyes and look again. I will never be Muadh, Ka'b, Or Amr bin Al Aas, I will never be Khalid, Abdullah bin Zubayr or Usama bin Zayd, I will never be Zahir neither Ukasha or his successor, Ridwanullah Alayhim Ajmaaeen. I sigh, and then realize. While they are the kings of my heart, the reason for my life… I will never be like them. In all this circle of life, the flickers of love and glares of illumination, I will never be, never be.

Who will I be then?

… I will just…

… be me.

I can and only be, myself, in this point in time, in this sacred space in the universe which exists. I am here, now, on this dynamicly surprising journey, sitting under a tree for a time while racing towards the stable at the other, the winds take me, redirect me, they hold me and make me fly, and I thrive, connected by my two strongholds. لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهﷺ

In this symphony of life, the orchestra of melodies of all kinds, every stroke has its own place and value in the play. Each movement on the Qanun, every tremolo of the Violin, the gentle breaths on the Ney, each crescendo culminating to embrace its decrescendo; I learn to embrace my life and myself too, in all stages, all seasons and all colours.

And I keep walking.

ما أنا إلا كراكب استظل تحت الشجرة ثم راح و تركها.

صدق رسولنا نبينا الكريم ونحن على ذلك من الشاهدين والشاكرين، والحمد لله رب العالمين.

Maheen Khan,

From الرحلة The Journey,

19 Safar 1448 AH

3rd August, 2026.

The Duas quoted:

اللَّهُمَّ ارْضِنِي بِمَا قَضَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَا أَبْقَيْتَ، حَتَّى لَا أُحِبَّ تَعْجِيلَ مَا أَخَّرْتَ، وَلَا تَأْخِيرَ مَا عَجَّلْتَ.

O Allah, make me content with what You have decreed, and grant me well-being in what You have allowed to remain for me, so that I do not wish to hasten what You have delayed, nor delay what You have hastened.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ، وَالْعَمَلَ الَّذِي يُبَلِّغُنِي حُبَّكَ. اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ حُبَّكَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ نَفْسِي، وَأَهْلِي، وَمِنَ الْمَاءِ الْبَارِدِ

O Allah, I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and deeds that will bring me closer to Your love. O Allah, make Your love more beloved to me than myself, my family, and cold water.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يَنْفَعُنِي حُبُّهُ عِنْدَكَ، اللَّهُمَّ مَا رَزَقْتَنِي مِمَّا أُحِبُّ فَاجْعَلْهُ قُوَّةً لِي فِيمَا تُحِبُّ، وَمَا زَوَيْتَ عَنِّي مِمَّا أُحِبُّ فَاجْعَلْهُ فَرَاغًا لِي فِيمَا تُحِبُّ.

O Allah, I ask You for Your love and the love of those whose love will benefit me with You. O Allah, whatever You have granted me of the things I love, make it a source of strength for me in doing what You love. And whatever You have withheld from me of the things I love, make its absence a source for me to devote to what You love.

اللَّهُمَّ أَلِّفْ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِنَا، وَأَصْلِحْ ذَاتَ بَيْنِنَا، وَاهْدِنَا سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ، وَنَجِّنَا مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ، وَجَنِّبْنَا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي أَسْمَاعِنَا، وَأَبْصَارِنَا، وَقُلُوبِنَا، وَأَزْوَاجِنَا، وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا، وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ، وَاجْعَلْنَا شَاكِرِينَ لِنِعْمَتِكَ، مُثْنِينَ بِهَا عَلَيْكَ، قَابِلِيهَا، وَأَتِمَّهَا عَلَيْنَا.

O Allah, unite our hearts and reconcile us with one another. Guide us to the paths of peace, and bring us out of darkness into light. Keep us away from all indecencies, both open and hidden. Bless our hearing, our sight, our hearts, our spouses, and our children. Accept our repentance; indeed, You are the Acceptor of repentance, the Most Merciful. Make us grateful for Your blessings, praising You for them, accepting them with thankfulness, and complete Your blessings upon us.

اللَّهُمَّ قَنِّعْنِي بِمَا رَزَقْتَنِي، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَاخْلُفْ عَلَيَّ كُلَّ غَائِبَةٍ لِي بِخَيْرٍ.

O Allah, make me content with what You have provided for me, bless it for me, and compensate me with something better for everything that is absent from me.

(Sahih Muslim, Book of Repentance, Hadith 2750): Narrated by Hanzala al-Usayyidi:

Hanzala, who was amongst the scribes of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), reported: ‘I met Abu Bakr. He said: 'Who are you?' He (Hanzala) said: 'Hanzala has turned to be a hypocrite.' He (Abu Bakr) said: 'Hallowed be Allah, what are you saying?' Thereupon he said: 'I say that when we are in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) we ponder over Hell-Fire and Paradise as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we are away from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) we attend to our wives, our children, our business; most of these things (pertaining to the Afterlife) slip out of our minds.' Abu Bakr said: 'By Allah, I also experience the same.' So I and Abu Bakr went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said to him: 'Allah's Messenger, Hanzala has turned to be a hypocrite.' Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: 'What has happened to you?' I said: 'Allah's Messenger, when we are in your company, we are reminded of Hell-Fire and Paradise as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but whenever we go away from you and attend to our wives, children, and business, much of these things go out of our minds.' Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: 'By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and on your paths; but, Hanzala, time should be devoted (to worldly affairs) and time (should be devoted to prayer and meditation). He (the Prophet ﷺ) said this thrice.

The Dive:

The problem of the west when they ask how is the Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ preserved or authentic, is that: what they look at, are mere words, whilst Ahadith are living words. They are oceans carrying waves of emotions, pearls of wisdom, depths of love, hues of memories inside, they are an exchange of love letters from the speaker to the listener. His Ahadith are not just a cluster of commandments, quotes or words, they are an interaction between the Greatest of mankind, the moonlike Beloved ﷺ who was beloved to all. The guide of the lost, the father of the orphan, the friend of the lonesome, the companion to the wayfarer, the leader of the seekers, the shoulder of the helpless, the host of the strangers, the neighbour who was a neighbour to all, the smile of those who never knew smile. He ﷺ was the warmth of the children playing in the streets, He ﷺ was the light of a community shadowed under darkness, He ﷺ was a husband who taught love, He ﷺ was a friend who taught companionship, He ﷺ was a mother who taught tenderness, He was a universe for all who wished to delve into the Muhammadan Reality—and He ﷺ everstanding is— an embrace and a home for those who seek. Don't look at His ﷺ Ahadith as scribed words and spoken sentences, glance beyond what the eyes cannot see but the heart truly encompasses to behold.

The west asks, How could the Sahabah Ridwanullah Alayhim memorize the Aahadith of RasulAllah ﷺ?

How could they remember?

We ask, could they not remember?

How could they ever forget?

Imagine for a moment, the most beloved person to you, the one you admire the most, whose affection you seek and whose respect fills the container of your heart, imagine then, a person of that stature in your heart, was to ever communicate with you?

Would you ever forget?

We being the human beings we are,

we never forget.

We never forget how someone greeted us once which filled our heart with joy. How we bumped into a mentor, an inspiration we admired and we never knew we could meet.

Don't ponder over verbal communication only, imagine, a person of such high honor and glory, was to ever look at you? Embrace you? Put his hand into yours or pat your shoulder for a moment? Imagine if that person would ever accompany you on a journey and make you sit right beside him? Imagine if he would smile at you or come to visit you? Imagine if he would give you advice or ask about your well-being?

Now look back again,

That person was Allah's Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ.

The Muhammad ﷺ.

The Rasul, The Amin, The Qasim, The Aziz.

لَقَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ عَزِیۡزٌ عَلَیۡہِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ حَرِیۡصٌ عَلَیۡکُمۡ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ رَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ.

(There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful. (128:9))

The personality of the Speaker (RasulAllah ﷺ) is magnificently exceptional, highly impressive and has a powerful lasting impact. The aforementioned fact has such a great impact on the absorbance, understanding and memorization of Hadith on the Sahabah (رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين) that the charisma, the fascination and gravity of Hadith is all through the Personality of RasulAllah ﷺ. RasulAllah ﷺ would have conversations with others according to their social, political, educational, cultural, linguistic background, as well according to their spiritual, psychological, physical and mental states. Along with this, He ﷺ would decisively, very keenly and precisley use terms, words, phrases and expressions that would impact, ease and embrace the listener in unimaginable ways. His ﷺ's usage of language and delivery, would switch perfectly according to the need of the listener. There is a beautiful intricate relationship between how He ﷺ chose to speak by certain mechanisms, expressions and techniques with the settings and environments, listener and his requirements.

The mastery of his inculcation methods primed with the Prophetic emotional intelligence made Ahadith living spirits never to be forgotten.

Ask again if you wish so,

I would cheer,

How could the Sahabah ever forget?

You ask about words?

Even the subtlety of expressions, intimacy of words, depth of emotions, details of the environments, seconds of time—are benevolently carved into your being forever—that's the magic of when a beloved speaks to you.

Imagine then, How would that be, if it were your Rasul ﷺ?

May Allah Ta'ala bless and grant aafiyah to our Shaykhana Dr. Ali Tariq and his family, His Hadith Majlis is our soul. The Green Dome lovingly captured by my mother, I ask you all to remember my parents and my teachers in your prayers.

— Maheen Khan from,

The Journey الرحلة

22nd July, 2026.

This Hadith, carries in itself not only the message of sacred centre and rootedness in the Divine, despite life's dualities, changes, ups and downs, this Hadith—quite literally—literally, establishes centres and edges too.

This Hadith speaks by its own formation. You can look it the other way around too, the formation of this Hadith, foretales its pivots and its edges.

From the Rhetorical lens, in Balagha, this Hadith forms Opposites (by words and meanings) طباق لفظي و طباق معنوي—but there is much more deeper into the structure, as below.

The opening words of this Hadith, the opening sentence carries a beginning unique in itself, and while we have drawn deeply into the psychological effects of this Hadith in previous publications (linked)— this sentences stands as an Opener A in the whole of his Hadith.

Here come the next three sentences carrying 2/2 divisions/opposites inside, forming Parallels:

A/A' Guard (the commandments of) Allah, and He will guard you. Guard (the rights of) Allah, and you will find Him before you.

B/B’ Know Allah in times of ease, and He will know you in times of hardship.

C/C’ When you ask, ask Allah alone.

When you seek help, seek help from Allah alone.

The next sentence, is the Centre 1, Pivot of this Hadith, the foundation of Qadr, the center which is extensively discussed in the shared previously in the article, Touheed, Qadr, Tawakul.

Parallel formation again:

D/D' If all of creation gathered together to give you something that Allah had not written for you, they would never be able to give it to you.

E/E’ And if they all gathered together to withhold something that Allah had written for you, they would never be able to withhold it from you.

This Text/Matn of Hadith Ibn Abbas RA differs from the previously discussed, as this Matn is from Isfahani’s book: Hilyatul Awliyaa, and his narration of this Hadith adds a spiritual touch and unique sentence inside which isn't found in other narrations.

So work for Allah with contentment born of certainty (yaqeen).

This sentence is a Universe in itself. It's the Pivot #2 of this Hadith. Yet carries manifold of meanings.

It may mean: Work for Allah while believing in your death that is to come, so strive in full spirit as Yaqeen is the same work used in the Qur'an for this context as well.

But then, it carries more layers.

This centre is a centre in itself. It holds the true spirit and life of RasulAllah ﷺ, and the message he taught us. Even the use of (Baa) in بالرضى and the use of في depict special meanings.

1) Work 2) For Allah 3) With contentment 4) In Certainty—The Four margins of life.

More than this, this means:

Strive for Allah while being content in the belief you have. Strive for Allah with satisfaction in your faith.

It also says, keep trying for Allah, being content with your belief and your conviction.

Believe in your belief.

Be convinced in your conviction.

So much so that you don't fall off, you don't feel doubt, you don't flutter in doubts after belief. You keep believing strong, in your values, in your path, in your destination.

Another parallel formation (F’F) Sabr with something you dislike. This is pivot #3 of the Hadith.

Lastly, the Hadith closes with yet another 3 sentences forming Parallels.

G/G’ Victory-Patience

H/H’ Relief/Distress

I/I’ Hardship/Ease

Completing the Hadith with 3 Main Pivots with Parallels holding it all together. Qadr, Strife and Sabr being the pillars of this Hadith.

Isn't this miraculous?

Isn't this the best advice to the 13 year old Ibn Abbas RA!

Isn't this magical?

May Allah Ta'ala bless Ibn Abbas RA for gifitng this these words, and to all the chain of narrators until these blessed words reached us.

I pray we live up and internalize this Hadith, may Allah Ta'ala make us worthy of carrying the words of RasulAllah ﷺ, Ameen!

Yes— Hadith structures exists, and there's a Galaxy of beauty yet to be discovered.

Maheen Khan from الرحلة

2 July, 2026

Masjid Ibn Abbas RA, Taif, my heart and soul.

Yes... them.

You embrace within you, your father Ibrahim Alayhis Salam, your Rasul Muhammad ﷺ and your leaders, Hassan and Husayn RadiyaAllahu Anhum.

These verses you recite, carry a message of far reaching depth for you.

Oh Allah, send peace and blessings upon Ibrahim Alayhis Salam.

Be Hanif, one man standing, against all idols, against all beloveds, against all world, be Ibrahim. Be Ibrahim, take on the fire, take on, even if its against your father, your people. Explore the skies, look deep into the celestial bodies, stand against the kings, conversate with your creator day and night, invoke your creator deeply and befriend Him. Befriend the Creator, the Sustainer, the One. Be One in the name of the One. Be Ibrahim against all.

And then you continue...

Oh Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad ﷺ

Remember, your Prophet ﷺ is the answer of Ibrahim Alayhis Salam's prayer. He is the centre, the pivot, the holding rock, the last brick, the bringer of glad tidings, the warner, the Qur'an. He is the lawgiver, the foundation, the base, the finest Citron. Live within the society not as Waleed bin Mugheera nor Abdullah bin Jad'an, but as Al Ameen, Al Sadiq. Find your cave of Hira, hold on to your Master's revelation, find your path, even if you face Taif, look for the Hijrah, take the path, establish your Madinah, keep fighting, keep tying hearts, keep giving, keep loving, keep holding, keep reaching, keep embracing.

And then you continue...

Oh Allah, send blessings upon the blessed progeny of Muhammad ﷺ

Carry both goodnesses inside you: The Hasan and The Husayn.

Leave your rights to unite when times require, connect hearts instead of collecting statuses or titles, be the better of the two. Be the unifier, the compassionate, the ease bringer, the facilitator, the healer, the Hasan.

And be the Husayn, the caller for justice, the voice of the truth, the epitomy of strength, the symbol of valor, the name of belief, the mirror of true Islam. Battle like him, not the idols outside but the idols present within the realm of Islam. Battle the evil, the ego, the insincerity, the ostentation, the hyprocisy and deceit.

You see,

What you recite are not mere words, they are an essence you hold on to, if you live as a Muslim. Its being Ibrahim at first, to identify and secure. And then it's being Muhammad ﷺ, to recite, to purify, to teach and establish. And then, its holding on to the goodnesses, protecting your values and your people, constant purification of your belief, a consistent protection against all evils, a war you must keep fighting, a voice you just keep raising, an action of resistance, you must keep undertaking.

And upon you is to keep reciting.

اللهم صل على محمد وأزواجه وذريته وأصحابه وأمهات المؤمنين كما صليت على ابراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم في العالمين انك حميد مجيد.

اللهم بارك على محمد وأزواجه وذريته وأصحابه وأمهات المؤمنين كما باركت على ابراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم في العالمين انك حميد مجيد.

Maheen Khan,

From The Journey الرحلة,

29 June, 2026.

In this existential fight of truth and falsehood, you seem to despair. You, oh young soul, seem too pessimistic, You oh young blood, seem to give in too early.

Have you ever wondered what legacy you carry?

Have you ever wondered why Ibrahim Alayhis Salam?

Have you ever wondered who is your father?

And strive for Allāh with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. He [i.e., Allāh] named you "Muslims" before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establish prayer and give zakāh and hold fast to Allāh. He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper — Saheeh International (22.78)

If you ponder upon the verb usage in this Ayah you'll understand how أجتباء is actually a word used for chosing you for your qualification, meaning, the choice that Allah made for you and destined for you to be Muslim was based on the fact that you were created innately qualified to be the (Muslim) in the true sense Allah wanted you to be. You can do what you are required of. You can be the one Allah wants you to be. You are rightfully capable of the legacy you carry.

You are the legacy of a man who was Hanif, an Ummah himself. The bearer and witness to truth in a land where everyone and everything fell against him. He was an Ummah in himself, an army within, despite being alone amongst all evils of socety, despite being a mere young lad against grown up string individuals, He was young, with a power just like you, finances even less than you, and a loneliness, far greater than you.

Yet was He ever alone?

Even before recognizing his Creator, he was contemplating, the skies, the stars, the moon, the sun.

He found his Creator through all those.

The sky today is the same for you.

Have you found your Creator oh young soul?

Have you ever wondered why is He the first introduction to you in the beginning of the Qur'an? Why him, passing all trails and still asking for you? Why gracefully achieving the state of Allah's friendship he still prayed for you?

Don't you wonder at the first image of Him given to you?

He is building the Kabah, lifting the stones with his son, Ismaeel (عليهم السلام).

He is building an Ummah in a place and in a state where there was none.

He is raising one righteous child, in a crowd of wicked immoral progeny.

He is lifting the blocks, in a land of no water and vegetation.

He is praying for eternal all kinds of fruits in a barren infertile desert.

And then,

He is sacrificing the only son He nurtured with care, only for all virtuous reasons.

He is doing the unfathomable.

He is breaking, building, breaking and still building.

He is submitting.

My dear,

He is submitting.

And then, don't you yourself look,

At the end of those first few verses of his introduction, Allah himself says:

Who but a fool would forsake the religion of Abraham? We have chosen him in this world and he will rank among the righteous in the Hereafter.

When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I have submitted [in Islām]1 to the Lord of the worlds."

Will you still fear?

Will you still not submit?

Will you still not devote yourself to action?

Certainty in God and true belief, like Abraham, sits down in the fire;

To have this faith and certainty is to be drawn into God and to be oneself.

Listen, you captive of modern civilization,

To lack this certainty is worse than slavery!

Iqbal

—Maheen Khan,

From The Journey, الرحلة

23/6/2026

The downfall of civilization in this belt, the ethnic trends or normative suppression in Punjabi, Sikh and early Hindu traditions, the tribal-corrupted systems of Sindh or the extremely confined environments of the Pashtuns or Baloch regions, the historic enslavement of women has been indissoluble in our lands, often emanating from financial, cultural, ethnic, political, religious or other flawed biases, presumptions and reprehensible beliefs, particularly situated on the core idea of wrongly understood masculinity and men's true role in shaping homes, families and dynamics with the other half of the society: the women. The living death of women, officially announced or silently imminent remains a normative custom, often unrealized sometimes and rightfully entitled other times.

Even after the advent of Islam, the disintegration of British colonial rule, the formation of Pakistan, the modern education, ethics and morals codes, the constitutions and somewhat modern democratic systems, women in Pakistan predominantly, still live a miserable life, a life nearly as dead people, with their wishes, aims, basic rights whether it be their education, religious roles, professional roles, family roles or being a part and parcel of the societal upbringing as active living individuals, killed in the disguise of a hundred covers.

In this push and pull, of the extremes all around, for once, even, have we ever thought of the actual humans, the women upon whose existence, all this shallow facade, this rage and rile has been built on?

Glancing through the rationalizations, the causes and effects of the past that has moved on, I look to shed light on the current state of women (Muslim women in particular) today in Pakistan. Despite the high influence of Islam or the name of Islam at least, in the governments, in the mosques and sanctuaries, in the British inspired school systems and the religious schooling as well, in the blooming professional fields and business avenues; women are suffocating, women are being oppressed one way or another.

What benefit this Islam has brought, what Islam was truly embraced here, if it has not brought forth the basic definitions and their practices in our society today? The basic definitions of the honor that Islam gives to women. The basic definition of individuality for women. The basic definitions of the rights and roles stated clearly for both men and women. If principles and practices haven't changed, then do we really think we have moved on from the life cycle of the paganistic societies where women were succumbed to death in their early childhood. Are we not the same unjust society as any, that have been and still exist, where women are nothing but mere objects? Are we not the same in this regard then? Where is the light of Islam which truly revolutionized? Where is the change that was supposed to take place?

Sighting down the religious spaces, the mosques of Pakistan have failed to give space to women to pray or just be there, even after these seventy years of independence. You might complain and answer, this is because of religious extremism and sectarianism, and you might blame, just as we've taught by the west, to blame religion altogether for this— the issue is much complex, with historical trends, false beliefs in the name of religion, after-effects of colonial rule, imperialism, and western enchantment, sitting right at its center.

And the only solution, which we have had, to save the lives and inculcate a new breathe to the dead corpses of womenfolk: The Quran and true Islamic functionality— has been casted aside, with further smacks by capitalization, liberalism and modern secularism.

Today, here, families domesticate women very early on, even before their teens, with the core purpose of women being: (a) marriage (b) service to a joint-family system.

The so-called modernists or liberals and the social classes inspired by them, make women entirely for glitz and fluff, the liberals and their fans, take on, on this, at first instant, for this at least alleviates them of some pain, because at the end, glamour is the identity of women, so they attach themselves to the animalistic identity of theirs, forgetting the higher self and purpose. This makes them exactly as the colonizer wants them to be, they match with the west at least in their appearance and shallow values now, so they earn some validation from there and thus, life becomes somewhat livable for them, at least from the outside, while their insides are still hollow. Moreover, the insecure society around them, being captivated by the west and suffering from low self esteem, all of a sudden, makes womenfolk of this category sit on their heads, respecting them (at least in the outward sense) because of their similarity with the imperial tendencies. In households as these, workplaces, friends groups or educational institutes as we see today, women chant freedom or enjoy liberty while deep inside, there is nothing more disrespectful to womanhood than this very cult. They don't realize their own objectification and their mere reduction to bodies, neither humans with divine souls nor intellectual minds with magnificent capabilities.

In the religious spaces, women are understood to be as a trust from God often, but misused, misrepresented and mistreated entirely. Some fighting for their education and knowledge seeking, while others fighting for true individual freedom or opportunites, or sometimes, fighting for simply food, love, care or basic necessities.

The same brown households in which women are oppressed and turned away from their basic rights for generations, are the same brown households still cheering, unintentionally even, for this oppression to continue. The domestication of women with their role being nothing but to serve their families has turned these beautiful women to monsters in their values, mindsets and interactions. Some chronically suffering form mental diseases, to physical diseases to disorders of all kinds, big or small.

These different wavelengths produce the kinds of women we see today:

(a) The liberal fanatic women

(b) The dumb religious woman

(c) The desi insecure simpleton

These women give birth to incapable men, with much similar diseases and symptoms. Who's only want is: women and money. Even if the man fails money, he certainly gets women here, and he makes sure to abuse who he was supposed to protect, whether this be psychological, physical abuse or even the categories we don't consider as abuse, the mere objectification of women IS an abuse to this beautiful creation of God, standing right beside men. The mere inavailability of basic rights IS an abuse to women. The mere disregard to their physical, financial, cognitive and behavioral needs IS an abuse! Men were supposed to be Qawwam as Allah describes them in the Quran. But our society has failed to produce true men, the torchbearers, the guiding lights of the households. Regrettably, today there is an acute shortage of real men.

When the men, who were incharged with responsibility to provide, protect and work for the prosperity of their women, reduce them to only bodies and service, then is this not death of their souls and hearts?

Today, there are no spaces for women to work without fear of harassment, harm and mistreatment. This goes for homes after marriages, for workplaces and even for streets, parks and roads? Where did we fail to produce men who were supposed to be caretakers, protectors who showed dignity and respect instead of lusting over wokenfolk? We built no place, free, protected and safe for women to go and breathe in truest sense. For instance, The domestication suffocates so much that there is no healthy activities or athletic pastime for women, yet men require healthy slender women in return to accept for marriages as life partners? What kind of disrespect and absurdity is this?

Womenfolk, spends lives in joint family systems, stripped off of their dreams and contributions they could offer to the world, in exchange of eternal slavery to a system they must make sure to make work. They live as dead, everyday with the same home chores and zero input to what could actually be their legacy and nourish their minds and hearts. Their lives are at stake otherwise. Living in households as this is hell in of itself and thinking to breakfree or stand tall brings a backlash and an abandonment as dreadful as a nightmare.

Men, failing to stand politically and play their part for the flourishment of this land, gave rise to corruption and financial doom, with many women to come forth to sustain survival. And otherwise too, where women join professional spaces with their will for contribution, in how much sense are those spaces actually sound for women to thrive? They live in fear, they work with caution, they step with care. This honoured individual now follows suit the steps like that of a deer escaping its predator at every corner.

Hindsight, gaze around the situation of women today, chiefly, of any class or social background, No fathers or mothers or members of household encourage a space for women where they can cherish their true human freedom, nor the women themselves are able to, because again, they have lost who they truly are. Being enamoured by the west, growing up religiously dumb, women themselves too never think of an escape from this image they have to live in. This seems a cyclic interlinked chain of oppression and injustice, where one finds no one to break the chain.

The emancipation was Islam, those who break free from the cycle and unlearn the patterns were and are supposed to be: firstly righteous Muslim men who understand their roles and responsibilities and then women themselves in this regard. And mind you, I mean, righteous Muslim women, who themselves can break free from these shackles. This is why Touheed liberates and Islam graces us with a freedom unlike any in the world.

And while the chain breakers today, both men and women are fighting to breathe life again remember, oh the ones fighting for freedom: you are not just battling a single enemy, you are battling with histories long pressed marks, false beliefs and religious doctrines, western hegemonies altogether, while simply residing in your households. This is Jihad, and this is the true essence of being Khalifah on this earth, establishing the laws and definitions sent from the Divine. The only solution is the Quran and the functioning of Islam, and it all begins with our households. All these agonies, the cultural wars, the domestic pettiness ends once we establish what we are supposed to, in the truest sense with courage instead of fear. Finding strength in the Quran and resisting the cloudlike pressure of this crumbled society. Building of institutions and opportunities for women, their provision of care, love, attention, and all their needs, all of this can truly be found once we hold to Islam and nothing else.

Otherwise, we will be producing incapable men struck with a set of diseases of their own, oppressing women, in the domino effect, women oppressing their own kind and as a whole, a society killing women and taking away their lives leaving them as living corpses. This cycle is complex, the causes rooted in the affect of the other with no part untied from the another. Nevertheless, the answer is ONE and we must take heed. There can be no political awakening if our homes are not awake, no big social change, no reformation if we don't honour the true individuality of one another in the first place while striving to cooperate to help each gender achieve its divinely endowed roles and responsibilities, without any deviation.

—Maheen Khan,

From - The Journey الرحلة

10 June, 2026.

We live in a post colonial world, with its roots embedded deeply into our mindsets, perspectives and lifestyle approaches. Pakistan, as a place has never found stability after partition. As an Islamic laboratory in the word's of Quaid, we never tested Islamic principles, rather, we created much newer chemicals in the 'name of Islam', in this laboratory. We never practiced Islam, but blended many elements forming unstable mysterious compounds. And those individuals who truly sought this laboratory to function, fought a long battle; with some glimpse of success and continuous trial. Nevertheless, this glimmer of good in all falsehood, has been the custom of history and a custom of human nature.

As a nation state, this place never found its sovereignty. We have fallen since the beginning into great political upheavals and financial destabilization. The western mixture of constitution and their pressures never let the education system work, up until today. The bureaucracy with its cover transformed, but the core remains just the same as British rule. No systems were ever allowed to be built here, nor any voice remained until it was brutally suppressed. Media, journalism and art industry fell pray to being starstruck by the other world. Cultural homogenization and globalization, English language as a curriculum, has added nothing but a downward fall to the hopeful eyes which dreamt of a very different Pakistan than today. The destroyed self esteem of South Asian indigenous people and tribes never rose high and still have not yet. The past life of intermingling with Indian and other vibrant diverse religions and cultures has not left impacting the psychologies of Pakistanis today. Their identity still wanders around the maze and run in a never ending loop. There is a chaos rapidly increasing each day. There is a silence outside while we hear desperate screams from the deepest inner cores of the hearts. There is a calling for return. There is a calling for another struggle for independence, freedom and real practice of Islam, a higher, truer one.

So my youth,

In order to break free:

1. Stop the futile comparison of Pakistan as a place, with western hegemonies and their intellectual, financial, technological advancements. Look into your history and roots. We fight the colonizers, we are not glamoured by them. And how can this be? When they steal from you, they marginalize you, they break you, they battle you? Its time Pakistanis understand and realize the bigger picture, understand the enemy and the war. Unfortunately, we have been taught to love the colonizer. We have been made to see ourselves with the eyes of the west. We believe in the mirror which casts upon us greedy eyes while making us feel inferior. Its time to rise above. Its time to rise above.

2. Stop escaping from Pakistan. Stop escaping from this space into the space of somewhat better worldly opportunities. This is your land, it needs you. These are your people, it is your responsibility to serve them, to work for them, to guide them, to stand for them, even with all the obstacles, you have to hold the torch. You have to stand up to the occasion.

3. Today there is:

   • Intellectual Blockade (1)

   • Moral Corruption (2)

   • Financial Difficulties (3)

   Three main reasons for the destruction of our civilization, which has now reached such far ends that it has taken away the will and power to even stand or do better.

But We are from the Ummah of RasulAllah ﷺ, the one who is a Mercy to mankind, the greatest mercy of the Most Merciful, the One who teaches us to be loving and caring throughout this journey of life, with ourselves and others. Without this love, pessimissim, darkness, annhilisim would take heights, without this love and mercy, there would be no hope, no life, no hereafter and meaning to be sought.

With whatever that is happening in our lives and however the course of this world is moving on, we are the people who grow saplings even when we see the doomsday. Because we seek the One and Meeting him, that is what gives us hope. Allah says in the Qur'an:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَلِقَائِهِ أُولَٰئِكَ يَئِسُوا مِن رَّحْمَتِي وَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

[ العنكبوت: 23]

And the ones who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and the meeting with Him - those have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.

Multiple times in the Quran, Allah says meeting Him and looking forward to unite with him in the hereafter is what gives us hope and meaning in life, and that, no one despairs of his mercy except the ungrateful deniers. We are the people who do good, not waiting for instant change, worldly benefits or even legacies of worldly paradigms; we do good because Allah's commands us to do, as our duty to Him as the Khalifah's on this earth. If our seeds turns saplings we thank Him, if our trees don't bear fruit, we praise Him and seek forgiveness.

Because Allah is power centre, He's our power, He's our pillar, He is everything we hold on to, the reason we hold on for, and the one we seek shelter and reward for this toil. We act, because even an atom's good is witnessed and rewarded.

And after identifying our centre, we have been gifted the life of that centre, that's the living example of RasulAllah ﷺ. We are from his nation, we are the Ummatis of the Reviver and not a destroyer. We take care and love, we don't abandon and hate. We let the sapling grow. We are believers in a day, in غيب, in Allah's wisdom and His divine plan.

And this true touheed

لا اله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهﷺ

Without this Kalimah inside us, we cannot even stand, let alone move forward.

We cannot rebuild the Ummah until we love our Ummah, said Shaykh Abdel Rahman Murphy and how beautifully he said this. Love builds, hate destroys. Read the metals.

فبما رحمة من الله لنت لهم...

So by the mercy of Allah, You (O Messenger ﷺ) were lenient (caring) with them.

Our Prophet ﷺ didn't adandon or ostrecize the Sahabah Ridwanullah Alayhim after Uhud, even within Hunayn, Allah reminded the Sahabah until they changed course. Tabuk it was, after intensive years of training, a final test. So remember, my young bird of hope, remember my youth who dreams of the Ummah's awakening: Your people deserve at least some major awakenings, trainings and tests. You cannot shut doors by a single invitation. You cannot lose hope on people even after multiple tries. Witnessing a prevalence of misery and hopelessness into even trying to reawaken our people, I choose to believe and act.

Remember, the only way out is constant consistent connection to Iman, your faith, to Allah, RasulAllah ﷺ, and Allah's book. They give you faith, mindset, will and power. The fuel you need.

And just like Hunayn, some people need Financial Freedom (1) before Islam, So the second most important thing after Touheed is actually better finances, a better socio-economic ability so people do better. Pakistan is suffering extremely due to finances. This pillar needs to be rebuilt quickly. This requires men to rise up to work, while it requires the homemakers to understand the depth of capitalism and as a whole reject falling prey to consumerism, otherwise, there will always never be enough. And this ties to contentment which comes from Touheed, this abstemiousness which erases Wahn (love for the material and dislike for death).

This mindset can never be developed without Intellectual Revivalism (2) and a rekindling of Islam’s fire in our hearts. There is the most urgent and mass-scale requirement of educational reforms in this land, breaking free from western ideas of education to a streamlined education rooted in Islam and the indigenous identity of the people who live here. There is an acute disregard for reading or education; in exchange for fun, amusement and pleasure. If there is no reforms in this field, no light will ever emerge. Knowledge rooted in God's generous bountiful name is our first commandmant, we stamp nothing but doom in our fates if we refuse to live up to whats required of us.

Subsequently, a turning away from falsehood and delusions of grandeur towards Morality Refinement (3) is needed in the truest sense. There is a complete lack of accountability, morality and consciousness. This builds only with knowledge and consistent reminders. Oh people of Allah, we are the ones who advise each other for patience, perseverance and steadfastness. We are the ones who advise each other to act upon truth.

Your footsteps will only find worth if you follow the foundations laid by the mission of your Rasul ﷺ:

يتلوا عليهم آيته

— Reciting the Qur'an and Allah's signs, establishing Touheed and battling Materialism. (The outer purification)

ويزكيهم

— The inner purification: cleaning yourself off of all vanities and vices, delusions and amusements. Connecting to Allah Ta'ala and Rasul ﷺ on a deeper state, protecting your heart.

ويعلمهم الكتاب

— Intellectual revival, Learning ethics, morals and values from the Book of Allah. Nourishing your heart.

والحكمة

— Application of Allah's words into our lives. From The micro level to the macro level.

Now the question is:

No one is better or complete without the other. All these efforts fall in vain if we remain clinging to any one step instead of collectively moving from one to the other. Or working simultaneously looping together. We need diverse individuals and organizations who interconnectedly help each other achieve these keypoints.

But up until where we are now, we only have Islam. Alhamdulilah, that we have our fortress (even though there are constants sieges around it) its our job now to solidify what is next. Our fortress is constantly being bombarded by foreign encroachments and attacks. De-Islamization attempts on individual scale is high. We need to protect the Islam of this generation because it the the last brick we're holding on to.

We lost to colonization when:

We lost finances (1), This happened over time until the early 18th century.

We fell deeper into chaos, even after independence, during the 1900's up until 2000's due to a severe downfall of intellectualism (2). With exceptions to notable figures, comman man remained unaware tackling finances and forgetting purpose.

And today we are into the deepest pits of the well, we have lost Finances, we have lost intellectualism and we have lost morality (3). The last compass we have is the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Our values, morals and ethics have been damaged and filtered. If we lose our morality, we will have nothing left. This is the last phase of civilizational destruction which began in the three centuries ago.

Its either a rise of annihilation.

And we as believers, strive to rise.

We are the people who sow the seeds, and plant the saplings.

And I dig mine into the earth today.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.

Maheen Khan,

From The Journey الرحلة,

1st Dhil Hajj, 1446H.

Mon, 18th May, 2026.

You held him in open arms and patted his head,

You rose honorably and invited this weak believer in your presence,

This disgrace cried and exclaimed of all life’s miseries,

How many a times it crossed the adab mentioned in Surah Hujurat!

Yet how many a times your mercy embraced!

This raw and discourteous love was accepted!

And when bidding farewell, it was said, to the heart of that wandering traveller:

يا معاذ! والله إني لأحبك!

إن اولى الناس بي المتقون من كانوا وحيث كانوا!

صدق رسول اللهﷺ!

And the traveller, smiled.

You bid him farewell and you assigned him a mission,

And that traveller kept in his heart:

المرء مع من أحب...

صلى الله عليه وسلم.

How could then,

That traveller look back?

Because, for years Madinah was the abode and the paradise this disgraced lover looked for.

And years after, this weak little believer realized...

Your presence is carried in hearts,

واعلموا أن فيكم رسول اللهﷺ...

Your Madinah’s date trees are my essence.

I am the date tree, I am the roots,

I am the horse which runs back to the stable,

I am the stem of the tree trunk which is blowed by the wind shifts,

I am the lover of Uhud, the admirer of Sil’aa,

I would give my life for the valleys of Aqiq,

I would be the bucket of Madinah’s wells if I could,

For Madinah’s pure water would breathe life into my dried roots,

I would be the rock at Quba’s pathway,

I would be the fragrance of the mint of Madinah.

If only I could glance a golden chance,

To the oceans of inks of Madinah,

If only I could, if only I could,

May my Rabb testify!

I would never leave your Madinah my Rasul ﷺ.

But you patted my shoulders, calmed my anxious heart and the burdens of my chest,

Go,

To your destined place,

Go,

And find your destiny,

With the rope of Touheed in your hands,

Gifted to you by Ibn Abbas RA,

Go,

Oh disheveled traveller,

Go oh Wanderer,

From the springs of Madinah,

To a spring in your heart,

To the Qur’an,

Oh Believer,

In the Shade of Beloved ﷺ ‘s light,

Find your radiance inside out.

The Habib ﷺ shines in your heart.

Go, Oh poor soul,

Your Rabb is holding you,

Don’t forget.

Go, Oh poor soul,

The Habib is smiling at You,

Don’t forget.

صلى الله عليه وآله وأزواجه وأصحابه أجمعين

Oh poor soul,

Don’t live in Madinah...

Live Madinah.

– Maheen Khan from الرحلة

Fri, 28/11/2025.

اللهم صل على محمد وأزواجه وذريته وأصحابه وأمهات المؤمنين كما صليت على ابراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم في العالمين انك حميد مجيد.

اللهم بارك على محمد وأزواجه وذريته وأصحابه وأمهات المؤمنين كما باركت على ابراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم في العالمين انك حميد مجيد.

Picture credits from a prestigious guest of Madinah, who lovingly shared this capture with us, may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with them, Aameen.

The invisibility is so visible in your heart, yet you see none of its imminence around. The world with its falling thunders upon you, still runs its course. You, with your sight, flee towards the truth, carrying it in your arms and hands, embracing it to the core of your being, marking it all over your existence: Oh Despicable world, see!

Yet the world runs its course. The world runs its course.

Surely in these moments, your heart achieves two glories: it dies with the truth and it rises with it. It dies with the truth tasting the lasting blessings of eternity. And your heart breathes life again, for it rises for a Divine purpose.

It rises for the truth. It rises for the truth realizing there is no existence more meaningful, more purified and more elevated than the truth: it is the beginning and its virtue is not to perish, but to last, forever. Despite the darknesses' clasp, the truth remains and will remain.

The world running its course has spinned around. But my dear heart, it has changed its course only for the truth to rise. For the truth never falls.

As the world running its course has left you shattered, broken and still.

Let it be a pause for a moment. For the true human hearts would never carry on in these times. So if you feel still, be still.

Be still,

Feel the thunder clasps in your heart.

Feel the roars of the glaring skies.

And then realize,

The world running its course might have left you shattered,

It is only for you to be the one who mends.

The world running its course might have left you broken,

It is only for you to be the nurturer.

The world running its course might have left you still,

My heart, it has not left you numb nor silenced.

So begin,

Rise by nourishing your soul,

Hands in hands with those whom you share your life with.

Be the flower manifesting the forthcoming of a new spring,

No matter the collapse and devastation,

Be the first brick of the foundation that needs to be laid.

The truth is the truth,

The truth is the only reality.

Your heart is from the Divine and your purpose, from the Divine.

You carry in your hands, revelation from the Divine.

Your heart breathes in the Love of the Merciful Prophet ﷺ, the embodiment of the most perfect good character.

Do you think, for once then,

that falsehood would shine?

Its a reflection of a gleam of a moment,

Let it pass,

As your heart patiently beautifully holds on to the two things your Prophet ﷺ bestowed upon you:

The Book of Allah Ta'ala and His Sunnah.

Hold on to them and you will never go astray.

So hold on, Oh heart.

These thunders are no harm to you neither are these fierce fires.

For you yourself are the calm of the ocean and the luminance of the sword.

And in your core is love, embedded, rooted.

Let the winds blow,

Let the strong gusts convulse you for a moment.

But remember, A believer stands high upright,

As the howling gales settle.

Let the world spin,

And you,

Be still.

And you,

Rise.

— Maheen Khan,

From الرحلة The Journey,

15/10/2025.

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This unworthy self that I call mine,

confounded, strayed, unmannerly, discourteous!

More unrefined than any other Bedioun of the desert, oblivious seeking, a disgrace to Your ﷺ generosity!

Meagerly, most negligible would be, in contrast to all skies and the earth, my humble reverence and my ember of Īshq, for you My Rasul ﷺ!

Bewildered I am, but in Your ﷺ mercy, I am never forsaken!

Inconsiderate to all your grace and bounty, but Oh your affection, your care, my Rasul ﷺ, I am never disowned!

Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Tafsir, regarding Surah al-Hujurat 49:2): Ibn az-Zubayr (RA) said:

“This verse was revealed concerning Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas. He was a man with a loud voice. When this verse was revealed – {Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet} – he remained in his house and said: ‘I am from the people of the Fire, and imprisoned himself away from Allah's Rasul ﷺ. (The Messenger of Allah ﷺ missed him) and asked Sa’d ibn Mu’adh about him. Sa’d said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I don’t know of any illness with him.’ Sa’d went to him and found him sitting in his house, his head lowered, He asked: “O Thabit, what is the matter with you?” Thabit replied: “It is something bad! I used to raise my voice above the voice of the Prophet ﷺ, and my deeds are ruined, and I am among the people of Hell.” Sa’d returned to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him of what Thabit had said. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said: “No, rather he is among the people of Paradise.”

I wish I could cry over my incareful manners, my insignificant reverence for You my Rasul ﷺ, I would cry and you would see. You would remember me, not being present in your Masjid, and you would miss me as you missed Thabit bin Qays RadiyaAllahu Anhu. And you would send for me and embrace me with your glad tidings, with your love

Bewildered I am, but in Your ﷺ mercy, I am never forsaken!

Inconsiderate to all your grace and bounty, but Oh your affection, your care, my Rasul ﷺ, I am never disowned!

Anas RA reported: A bedouin came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said, “O Messenger of Allah, teach me what is good.” The Prophet ﷺ took him by the hand and he said, “Say: Glory be to Allah, all praise is due to Allah, there is no God but Allah, and Allah is the greatest.” The bedouin committed to what was in his hand and he went on his way. He reflected upon it and then returned. The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said, “One in need has reflected and came back.” The bedouin said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, glory be to Allah, all praise is due to Allah, there is no God but Allah, and Allah is the greatest, these words are for Allah. What is for me?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “O bedouin, when you say glory be to Allah, Allah says: He is truthful. When you say all praise is due to Allah, Allah says: He is truthful. When you say there is no God but Allah, Allah says: He is truthful. When you say Allah is the greatest, Allah says: He is truthful. When you ask Allah to forgive you, Allah says: I have done so. When you ask Allah to have mercy upon you, Allah says: I have done so. When you ask Allah to provide for you, Allah says: I have done so.” The bedouin committed himself to the seven sayings in his hand, then he returned on his way.

I am a self-centered seeker, self-serving believer if I am, and how my heart coincides to the need of the Bedioun who came and asked you, my worship seeks my selfish benefit rather than seeking the Praise of the Master of the Heavens and the earth, even in my tasbeeh, and how lovingly, with your moon-faced smile, you understood, you enriched, you generously granted even more.

I am more lost than any Bedioun of the desert, more uncourteous than any despicable human being, my Rasul ﷺ,

How ever encompassing your mercy is, how ever limitless your love is, how enrichingly meticulous your care is!

By your Mercy, this stamped dark heart, is never abandoned, this sinful soul never denied, this strayed seeker never disowned!

This unfaithful lover never unloved!

اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد كما صليت على آل سيدنا إبراهيم وعلى آل سيدنا إبراهيم في العالمين إنك حميد مجيد

اللهم بارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد كما باركت على آل سيدنا إبراهيم وعلى آل سيدنا إبراهيم في العالمين إنك حميد مجيد

— Photo credits and prayer for my sister, my Rameen, may your love for your Rasul ﷺ grows into the most beautiful rose garden in Jannah, where you reunite with Him ﷺ in the most beautiful way.

— Prayers for Our Shaykhana, the one who plants the seeds of our RasulAllah ﷺ's love in our hearts, my suhbah & every soul who gifted me His ﷺ love.

Before beginning, lovers are requested to read the following Hadith for understanding the context of this newsletter:

https://sunnah.com/muslim:2769a

(Journey of Forgivessness) of the Prestigious Sahabi Ka'b bin Maalik RadiyaAllahu Anhu, who pledged to Rasul ﷺ at Al Aqabah, fought battles with Rasul ﷺ in Madinah, until the battle of Tabuk, where He did not make up to the caravan of Rasul ﷺ in time and from here, his journey of Tawbah begins, as he saw the fifty nights until Allah blessed him with forgiveness and bestowed him with mention of him along with two other blessed companions in the Qur'an, announcing forgivessness for them. Kab RA remained a glorious companion, fighting for Islam, until He embraced martyrdom in the attempt of conquest of Istanbul in the reign of Muawiya RA, his Maqam (Mausoleum) is located today in Istanbul (Avransaray).

As I find the strength to carry my feet,

one step after the other,

Finding my way to your Maqam,

Ya Sayyidi Ka'b bin Maalik RadiyaAllahu Ankum,

My heart cries and my eyes don't stop gushing out.

I have loved your journey of Tawbah,

I have loved your account of forgivessness,

I have found hope in the same Ayaat which brought glad tidings for you.

For years,

I have heard about you and I have heard from you,

Surah Tawbah, as it flows beautifully,

I have recited your Dhikr in Allah's words so many times,

Allah has mentioned you to me,

In his book,

And I came to know you Ya Sayyidi,

And today I come to meet you.

How far have you come Ya Sayyidi Ka’b RadiyaAllahu Ankum?

From the heat of Hejaz to Istanbul’s waters.

How far did Islam take you?

How far did the call of your Rasul ﷺ bring you?

And centuries later how blessed I am,

For Allah destined me to meet you.

I come from the lands Potohar, somewhere near the Indus Valley,

I journeyed through nile and the Mediterranean,

And who knows, maybe you took the same path,

You conquered terrains with your strength of tread,

And I flew over all those paths centuries later Ya Sayyidi,

You came to conquer this land from the Roman Christian empire,

Only to achieve the glory and be of the army your Rasul ﷺ gave glad tidings for,

Who knows how much tough the battle was for you,

But How can we ever know?

For you, the warriors of Arabs, war is gameplay,

For you, it is art, it is love.

Just like poetry was for you,

Your beloved art, Ya Sayyidi,

And how can I ever know?

Every battle after Tabuk,

to you,

was something even more,

It was a promise to fulfill,

How would you not come then, to here?

How would you not join every marching army chanting La Ilaha Ill Allah,

After Tabuk,

No expedition was expedition for you,

It was a lovers call.

It was devotion,

It was faithfulness.

As I cast my eyes upon your Maqam,

As I sit beside your memorial plaque,

As I read your name and whisper a breath,

'Ka'ab Bin Maalik RadiyaAllahu Ankum'

I pray my tears that flow would be as pure as the truth of your sincerity,

And I open the Qur'an and Surah Tawbah shines,

I read the account of the hypocrites and my heart chokes in fear,

And then suddenly,

The event changes,

You and your companions are praised Ya Sayyidi,

'As Sabiqoon Al Awwaloon'

Would have this given you a brightening ray of hope?

For you pledged as firsts to your Rasul ﷺ on the day of Aqabah.

And I recite and keep on,

Glancing at your Maqam,

Until my eyes reach the Ayaat,

You are so beautifully mentioned in,

The awe, the humility, the reverence,

I cry on the blessing of this moment,

While my shallow self can never comprehend,

How was it for you?

The heavy weight of these Ayaat,

And your mention in them.

From the time Allah Ta'ala asked you to wait,

Until the time,

Allah Ta'ala sent you glad tidings!

I keep on reciting,

For me, it is just a page's difference.

Just a few more Ayaat that I recite,

And I find your Tawbah accepted,

Your glad tidings reaching you.

But Ya Sayyidi,

How was it like?

In real, true, raw life?

Ya Sayyidi,

Oh my Sayyidi,

You are a poet,

You capture details like none other,

You feel and convey what not everyone can,

This is why, I know Ya Sayyidi,

How you would capture your Beloved Rasul ﷺ ‘s blessed face in your eyes.

I know Ya Sayyidi Ka'b,

You have a beautiful connection to the facial expressions of Rasul ﷺ,

For you described it for us,

In such subtlety, that, this is what I feel:

You and the expressions of Rasul ﷺ, have a beautiful intimate connection.

You cared for details so much.

Dare I ask,

Narrate to me Ya Sayyidi Ka'b RadiyaAllahu Ankum,

How was it,

Those fifty dark nights,

When you sat on your terrace and looked into the gloomy skies,

Only finding the moonlight to guide you to the Blessed Face ﷺ more radiant than the moon,

For you described your Beloved Rasul ﷺ as illuminating moon when he was smiling in happiness,

And now,

When those dark nights came upon,

And that blessed smile turned into the smile of an angry person,

Ya Sayyidi Ka'b!

Ya Sayyidi Ka'b!

Ya Sayyidi Ka'b!

…

How can I ask you about a moment as that?

For I fear! I fear! I fear!

I wish to see the blessed face smile in radiance while I fear my lowliness would turn it away from me!

Ya Sayyidi!

How can I ask you of that account then!

اللهم صل على النبي ﷺ!

But then I remember,

How your fifty nights,

Despite all darknesses,

Became livable for you.

You lived them,

Through hope.

Through the same blessed radiant face ﷺ smiled an angry smile upon you,

But brought you closer,

So you could speak your heart's truth.

The same blessed radiant face ﷺ which would look towards you in love, care and extreme concern,

But only for your prosperity ahead,

He Cast His ﷺ glances away when you would look towards Him in love, reverence and hope.

You both loved each other.

And thus,

Those dark nights became livable for you,

With essence of love that you carried,

And He ﷺ carried for you,

Even more,

Even more,

Even more.

صلى الله عليه وآله وأزواجه وأصحابه أجمعين.

As I cry over my sins and lament on the evil of my actions,

Only, hope and this spirit of love is making me live my nights Ya Sayyidi Ka'b RadiyaAllahu Ankum.

One day, until Allah Ta'ala announces forgivessness for me,

As he did for you,

And one day, until that radiant face ﷺ embraces me in love and happiness,

As he did for you.

Ya Sayyidi Ka'b RadiyaAllahu Ankum,

I wish I could say,

فداك أبي وأمي يا رسول اللهﷺ

بأبي أنت وأمي يا رسول اللهﷺ

نفديك بآبائنا و أمهاتنا يا رسول اللهﷺ

لبيك و سعديك أنا فداؤك يا رسول اللهﷺ

I wish I could possess the same truthfulness as you did Ya Sayyidi Ka'b RadiyaAllahu Ankum.

I wish I could sacrifice for my Rasul ﷺ.

But I have always failed,

I have never once truly done.

But as I look towards you Ya Sayyidi Ka'b RadiyaAllahu Ankum,

I find hope.

And I turn back too.

With my hope fluttering, unmatched and so shallow unlike your hope, filled with Husn e Zhan and righteous deeds,

And my love, so superficial and empty of devotion and faithfulness,

And my dedication for sacrifice, so false and unworthy,

I make Tawbah.

اللهم مغفرتك أوسع من ذنوبي ورحمتك أرجى عندي من عملي

اللهم مغفرتك أوسع من ذنوبي ورحمتك أرجى عندي من عملي

اللهم مغفرتك أوسع من ذنوبي ورحمتك أرجى عندي من عملي

أستغفر الله العظيم الذي لا اله الا هو الحي القيوم و أتوب إليه

أستغفر الله العظيم الذي لا اله الا هو الحي القيوم و أتوب إليه

أستغفر الله العظيم الذي لا اله الا هو الحي القيوم و أتوب إليه

ربي تقبل توبتي،

آمين يا ارحم الراحمين يا ارحم الراحمين يا ارحم الراحمين

My heart loves you, Ya Sayyidi, Kaab bin Maalik RadiyaAllahu Ankum,

Until we enlighten through the radiance of the Beloved RasulAllah ﷺ's beaming smile,

Together.

I end my recitation on the last Ayaat of Surah Tawbah,

The tears of my eyes turn to a hopeful smile.

I close the Mushaf and come towards you,

For one last time,

And I say farewell to you,

Ya Sayyidi, Ka'b bin Maalik RadiyaAllahu Ankum.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ (128)

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَقُلْ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ (129)

There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.

But if they turn away, [O Muḥammad], say, “Sufficient for me is Allah; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne.”

Ibn Hisham narrated in his biography that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas said: 'The Messenger of Allah, Peace Be Upon Him , passed by a woman from the Bani Dinar whose husband, brother, and father were all martyred, at the Battle of Uhud. When they were eulogizing them for her, she asked: 'What did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, do?' They replied: 'He did well, O mother of so-and-so. He is by the grace of Allah as you would like.' She said: 'Show him to me so that I may see Him ﷺ.' They gestured to him until she saw Him ﷺ and she said: 'Every calamity after You ﷺ is insignificant!'

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

I have not lost the trustworthy presence of a loving brother, neither have I lost the generous shade of a caring father, nor have I been deprived of an affectionate soul mate, but, Ya RasulAllah ﷺ, and who would understand me better, Oh Ya Sayyidi, my pain screams loud, my burdens are too weighty to bear and my sorrows aching to the core!

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

Unlike the blessed Sahabiyah رضي الله عنها, what I lost, was not with you on the battlefield, that I could be proud of and make sense of my destiny, nor am I surrounded by the great Sahabah رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين narrating to me of my pain, so that, it would alleviate by their companionship. Nor am I in your Madinah, whose embracing peace would channel serene calmness into the chaotic turmoil of my soul.

I am here Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

And Oh Ya Sayyidi,

I am so lowly, I am so poor, I am so ashamed,

I am so humiliated, I am so disgraced, I am so lost,

Oh Ya Sayyidi,

Unlike the blessed Sahabiyah رضي الله عنها,

I don't have the heart, that could love you as she did, I don't have the tongue, that would utter your name as she did, I don't have that cognition which would only think of you everyday, all times, all at once - even in that moment - where she lost her life, the whole meaning of it and even more, but gained the utmost, the highest level of your love, a love as إستكانة - total surrender with humility and submission. Ya RasulAllah ﷺ I don't have anything even close.

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ I am here,

I am empty,

I have nothing,

But a stained heart where a white lamp of your presence illuminates the dark stamps patched inside. A cognition which strives to think of you. A yearning which itself yearns inside for true Ishq for You ﷺ and a tongue which says your name Muhammad ﷺ, humbly accepting its inability to fulfill the rights of its sweetness and glory.

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

Unlike the blessed Sahabiyah رضي الله عنها,

Will I ever have the audacity, will I ever have that love, will I ever have that ability, will I ever have that faith... That she said:

أَرُونِيهِ حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ

'Show him to me so that I may see Him ﷺ.'

And I am here,

In the lowest of lows,

My sorrow is not as weighty as hers,

Neither my faith nor my love,

And I,

Unlike the Blessed Sahabiyah رضي الله عنها,

Who, in her grief and faith,

Could cure herself by seeing you.

I,

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

And I,

Ya Sayyidi,

I... cannot… see… You.

أُفديك بعينيّ وحياتي وكلي! ﷺ!

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

I am nothing,

I am empty,

I am in pain,

And you are The Mercy for all creations!

And would your mercy leave me scattered and unsheltered? Broken and unloved?

حاشاك! Far be it from you!

And so,

Despite my hollow being, unbelieving faith, selfish love, forgetful cognition and a dry tongue deprived of all sweetness of sending you prayers,

still finds cure in Your mercy!

عليك السلام و أكرم التسليمات!

Your mercy embraces me. Your presence touches me subtly and becomes my companion in the loneliness of my grief. Your hand on my heart places me to stability. Your beaming smile casts away my tears. Your presence and emphatic listening rescues my soul in the stormy ocean and helps it sail back to the shore, the shore of your message: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهﷺ

And so,

It may be true that my eyes don't see you in physicality,

But I see you in my heart.

I see you in your consolation for Abu Umayr رضي الله عنها, for he lost his Nughayr (little bird) and I… I suffered loss too Ya RasulAllah ﷺ. Wouldn't you console me? Wouldn't you talk to me? Wouldn't you listen to me? And wouldn't I cry, and wouldn't you wipe away my tears? And as long as I would, and as long as I would, You would. You would. You would!

عليك السلام و اكرم التسليمات!

I see you in your presence for the girl who would take you by hand and you would help her in her chores. Wouldn't you see me in sorrow unable to live, unable to carry more, unable to sustain? So wouldn't you care for me? And help me live again? Help me continue and preserve? You would. You would. You would.

عليك السلام و أكرم التسليمات!

I see you in your care for Jafar رضي الله عنه 's family after his journey back to his Rabb. You cared for their period of bereavement, their healing, their emotional passage and even their food. So wouldn't you care for my healing and my emotions? Wouldn't You care if I had eaten or not? You would. You would. You would.

عليك السلام و أكرم التسليمات!

I see you in your interaction with Wahshi رضي الله عنه, for you were human to tell him to let go and go far away, for his presence reminded you of your biggest love and sorrow. So wouldn't you care for my humanity and my heartache? My memories and my anguish? Rather, you lived them for me. And you would. You would. You would.

عليك السلام و أكرم التسليمات!

I see you in your treasureful tears for your beloved Ibrahim رضي الله عنه و عليه السلام, May the world perish in the name of your precious tears! Ya RasulAllah ﷺ, you lived it all for me! Only to teach me:

إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلاَ نَقُولُ إِلاَّ مَا يَرْضَى رَبُّنَا، وَإِنَّا بِفِرَاقِكَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَمَحْزُونُونَ ‏"‏‏

"The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord, O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your separation."

عليك و على آلك السلام و أكرم التسليمات يا سيدنا!

أُفديك بعينيّ وحياتي وكلي! ﷺ!

And thence,

The suddenness of calamity, lengthy seconds of bewilderment, freezing coldness of sorrow, the intense tightening of the chest, each teardrop of grief and every complex entanglement of the mind, every depth of pain and every gradient of ache, everything Ya RasulAllah ﷺ, everything Ya RasulAllah ﷺ, everything Ya RasulAllah ﷺ, is insignificant after You ﷺ!

Nothing matters, for in my heart,

In my Ruh, in my spirit,

In my vision, in my life,

I have You ﷺ, I have You ﷺ, I have You ﷺ.

And I see you in my heart,

Ya RasulAllah ﷺ,

Until I see you,

In my eyes and in my being.

برحمة الله.

اللهم صل على محمد و وذريته وأمهات المؤمنين وأصحابه كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم في العالمين انك حميد مجيد.

اللهم بارك على محمد و وذريته وأمهات المؤمنين وأصحابه كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم في العالمين إنك حميد مجيد.

— Maheen Khan,

From الرحلة - The Journey,

5 July, 2025.

To the eyes which dreamt of Madinah,

And to Madinah,

in my eyes,

forever.

I found Him ﷺ in His Lovers.

I found Him ﷺ in His Lovers.

I found Him ﷺ in His Lovers.

I found Him ﷺ in my mother's sanctified, sincerest and deepest love, the purest of love which exists. My mother's love which began with my being tied to her through the umbilical cord, until now, that the cord has disappeared but the essence of it remains as invisible threads tying my being to hers. Such is His Love for me. His existance, His being and Oh everything about Him ﷺ, His demeanor, His Hilye, His words. Oh the Qur'an, the Divine message of Allah Ta'ala He, most lovingly and most responsibly delivered to me, a responsibility that none in the world could ever fulfill in any of the creation. Oh the treasures of Hadith He articulated for me, He fashioned them for me! His Seerah is where I would reside all my life. His Hadith are the threads I am tied to. His Sunnah is the essence which anchors me. I am tied in His love, I am secure in His Love! Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him ﷺ!

I found Him ﷺ in my father's gentlest of all care, safest of all fortifications, generous of all provisions of sustenance. I found Him ﷺ above and beyond all reassurances I would need, I found Him ﷺ selfless than all the embodiments of benevolence which exist. He ﷺ is my back, when I need a support to hold on, He ﷺ is guiding me in front with a farsightedness and genuine concern which no father could ever match. His desire for my success, higher than any father could ever have for his child. Yet, as a father would build expectations for his child, He bares me with none. He does not require me or burden me with anything I can never hold or take in. Rather, He is the lifter of my burdens, He exceeds all my expectations, He is my success and my guiding light for it, He is beyond any father figure, for He is our Rasul ﷺ and the Seal of all Prophets. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him ﷺ!

I found Him ﷺ in my sister's company to me. I found Him ﷺ in my days and nights. In my highs and lows, as my companion and my confidant. I found Him ﷺ more sensitive to my personality than any sister's compassion could. He knows me more, he knows me entirely, than any sister's warmth could. I found His goodwill transcending any siblings' affection. He ﷺ being my companion for life, since my birth, to this day and until I take the last breaths of mine, He is more nearer to me than a sister's bond could be. For she might be away, or even closer as a phone call, but He! His Love ﷺ to me is beyond any means, or gives and takes. He is my comrade, beside me, connected by the Salawat my tongue utters, the salawat my limbs cheer, the salawat my thoughts stroll in, the salawat my demeanor showcases. I found Him ﷺ making me smile while bestowing upon me a sense of security, which even my sister would lose while she pampers me with her sweet humor. I found Him ﷺ more supportive, more kind, more subtle, more tender, more loving, more concious for me, than any companion in the universe could ever be for his. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him ﷺ!

I found Him ﷺ in my friends. In the cherished virtues of all my different friends, I found them all in one, He ﷺ, absolutely, perfectly distinguished in all virtues and qualities which could exist in the universe. Virtues are not in Him but He is virtue Himself ﷺ. So I found Him ﷺ, in His sweetest words, His gems of advices, His complete being, being there for me, in attentively lending me His blessed ears for as long as my heart would want to let out, He ﷺ warmheartedly expanding His support to me, more closer to me than my bosom friends. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him ﷺ!

I found Him ﷺ in my teachers. I found Him ﷺ in the very words of His ﷺ, which they bestow upon me. As if I found Him ﷺ in them. Despite my lowliness and undeserving being, I found my teachers entitling me with His ﷺ life and the treasures of His beauty. How would it be then, He would definitely generously offer me more. More wholeheartedly as my teachers would. More graciously than my teachers would. Despite my inability, He would make me sit in his company, in the classes of Al Suffah, more so, He would give me time and moments of secluded learnings with Him ﷺ, as He gave to Muadh and Ibn Abbas (رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين), He would trust me and would encourage me more, He would appreciate me and hold on to me more, more than any of my teachers would ever. He would appreciate me as He appreciated Abu Hurayah RA, He would recognize my absence as He did for Ka'b bin Malik RA, He would look for me as He did for Abu Dhar RA. He would give me spoonfuls of knowledge more mercifully, embracing my individuality, embedded in the finest of love, deeper than the firmest of all roots which the earth envelopes. Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him ﷺ!

The Qur'an, The Hadith, The Seerah, my teachers gifted me with. Everytime they revealed to me, Him ﷺ, I found Him, I found Him ﷺ, and I found Him ﷺ more. I found Him ﷺ in the Hadith they fascinate me with, I found Him ﷺ in the world of His Seerah they unveiled to me, I found Him ﷺ in the eloquence of the Qur'an they taught me, I found Him ﷺ in the subtlety of His essence of tutelage they made me journey. As if they took me by the hand only to give my hand to Him ﷺ. As if they gave me this journey only to find Him ﷺ, as my destination and as my companion while I tread this divine path. For He ﷺ humbly described himself as no one but a traveller. And wanted He ﷺ me to be one too.

So a traveller I am,

Journeying this course of love,

Embracing moments of connections,

Finding Him ﷺ in every soul I see,

Bowing myself to them,

For I am, certainly, indebted.

To every moment,

Every word,

Every sign which leads me to Him ﷺ.

Through the heavenly souls,

In whom I found His Love ﷺ.

Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Him ﷺ!

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said "None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind."

عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ ‏"‏‏.‏

Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept on a straw mat and got up with the marks left by it on his body. Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Would that you make us spread out a soft bedding for you." He (ﷺ) replied, "What have I to do with the world? I am like a rider who had sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it."

وعن عبد الله بن مسعود، رضي الله عنه، قال‏:‏ نام رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، على حصير، فقال وقد أثر في جنبه‏.‏ قلنا‏:‏ يا رسول الله لو اتخذنا لك وطاء‏!‏ فقال‏:‏ ‏"‏ مالي وللدنيا‏؟‏ ما أنا في الدنيا إلا كراكب استظل تحت شجرة ثم راح وتركها”‏.‏

‏

My heart is for you, my sister Aisha, the one who shares with me her vision of eyes through which we dreamt of Madinah together, saw and lived Madinah together. The cover photo of this newsletter is lovingly captured by her.

Maheen Khan,

A traveller,

From الرحلة — The Journey,

11 April, 2025.

Remember the times when you didn't recognize Him ﷺ,

To now,

When all through the day you are reminded of Him ﷺ.

And now,

My heart, do you question?

And you scream out: But... I forget him so much, I barely remember him!

Oh well,

That's what says the heart of a heedless or the heart of the one who hasn't tasted love.

But,

For the ones whose hearts have tasted love,

The ones in whose hearts is ignited this fire of love,

The ones who dived into this ocean of love,

Are the ones who find their Beloved ﷺ everywhere.

Astonishing it is, but how heavy this truth of the matter is. In the call to prayer, in the sending of blessings after every prayer, in the beginning or the ending of every Dua, in the smile of someone, in the hug of the other, in the kind words of one to the helping hand of the other, you find Him ﷺ. In the spirit of revelation, in the acts of goodness, in the realm of kindness and the kingdom of generosity, He ﷺ is the king, He is the door of goodness, He is the Prophet of mercy and the Prophet of truth. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him. He is everywhere for the hearts who find Him ﷺ. He is everything for the hearts who strive to earn his love.

Yet His love needs no comparison or competition. He is Beloved to everyone and makes beloved everyone who strives to love him. He saw the tree trunk so wouldn't He ﷺ see you? He saw Amr bin Aas RA and his thirst for love and acceptance, knowing how Amr RA feels for his past, He ﷺ gave him so much love that Amr RA could proudly claim: I am the most beloved! His love, so vast, that neither Amr, Anas nor Abu Hurayah would compete, nor Zayd, Usama, Muadh or Ibn Abbas رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين would ever rethink for a second. His love so ever-enconpasssing, His love, a tree whose roots firmly spread, trunk so strong and high, branches so widely spread, that everyone felt his love and inclusivity to the fullest. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him.

So Oh heart, Oh heart in whose nature is possessivity and comparison. Oh heart, Oh heart in whose nature is competition for the beloved; Behold! His ﷺ love is divine. His love is cure. His love is liberation.

His love is the one which makes hearts submit, hearts melt and hearts rest. Once touched with His love, Umm Salamah RA's heart of possession becomes generous heart of concern for others, don't you see Hudaibiyah? Once touched with his love, hearts submit, hearts love, hearts embrace, hearts humble and hearts become chambers of inclusivity.

So you, my heart, Behold!

So you my heart, Behold!

And look for your Beloved ﷺ in every eyes, in every word and every action of His ﷺ lovers.

And who are His lovers?

Who are the blessed hearts who contain His ﷺ love?

Oh heart.

The hearts that just believe are the ones who embrace him. The hearts of certainty are the ones who love him. Don't you see Abu Bakr RA? What was it that he had which distinguished him from the whole world? رضى الله عنه

It was his Yaqeen. His certainty.

His certainty in truth. His certainty in what RasulAllah ﷺ brought.

So you my heart, rekindle the belief you have inside. Say the testimony once again with your heart embracing the truth that your Rasul ﷺ brought. Embrace what He brought, The message of revelation he ﷺ delivered to You from His Master, his Quran, his life, his teachings, his Sunnah.

Embrace Him ﷺ wholeheartedly and see.

Once his life becomes your life,

Once his essence integrates into the moments of your life,

You will find Him ﷺ.

Look for him everywhere.

Look for Him in his lovers.

And you will find His love.

اللهم صل على محمد وأزواجه وذريته، كما صليت على آل إبراهيم، وبارك على محمد وأزواجه وذريته، كما باركت على آل إبراهيم، إنك حميد مجيد.

Maheen Khan,

From الرحلة — The Journey.

4th April, 2025.

Which once used to read and say the name of your Rasul ﷺ with such distance and detachment, unaware, that to the one whom you felt far away from, was the One who held you the most closest, the One who loved you, gave it all away for you and prepared for you all that you would need to hold on to life with all its florescence and withering.

Yet my heart, as the clock's time ticked on, you kept on beating. You and the times clock, both running the same course, same sounds, destined with similar drumming, indicating fear and warning alarms on one hand, and on the other, testifying more breaths, to the soul that Allah Ta'ala bestowed this perfect composition of mud and water with, evidencing life and the beauty it still had to offer.

How could you not know?

Oh heart?

The beauty that life had to offer was Him!

Him,

RasulAllah ﷺ.

So you suddenly were bestowed with the idea of Him ﷺ. So suddenly, He become ﷺ visible to you? But even in the darknesses, fog and dust you sailed in, Oh heart? Even in the muddy stamps and black seals locked over you, Oh heart, You were still made to see him? You were still made to believe in Him! You were still made to say his name! To identify him... to capture his presence. To witness his being. To behold the magnificence of His life ﷺ and Oh the universe's tales and charms centering upon His life, twirling around His life, moving through His life, caroling and resounding, all through Him ﷺ for Him ﷺ.

And how could He ﷺ not come to you, Oh heart? Does the radiance of the moon, the shining glimmer and its overshadowing light of guidance turn away from the night, glaring over its depths of darknesses?

It is the moon's splendor, it the generosity of the light of the sun it reflects. The moon holds on to its promise. So do you question the Siraj Al Muneer? That He ﷺ would leave you? And that his light would not enrapture you, Oh heart?

Oh how this heart fears disbelief in the power of the light of السراج المنير The Illumating lamp, who shines through the Light of the Heavens and the earth, Allah Ta'ala, الله نور السموات والأرض!

And So,

He ﷺ came to you,

And how much of a blessing it is,

Of the Al Wahhab,

To grant you threads connected directly to Him ﷺ.

طلع البدر علينا!

من ثنيات الوداع،

وجب الشكر علينا!

ما دعا لله داع،

أيها المبعوث فينا!

جئت بالأمر متاع،

جئت شرفت المدينة،

مرحبا يا خير داع!

Oh heart, as you kept on beating and as the clocks time ticked on, You were embraced unknowingly by the rays of Prophethood ﷺ. That is the testimony of His truth, that is the testimony of the Lofty station He holds, His Lord has glorified him ﷺ by His side, ورفعنا لك ذكرك, it is a necessity and an obligation on every heart to know Him ﷺ.

It is a must for every heart to know him, even for once. And then, will the heart contain His ﷺ Love and Guidance? The answer lies in the heart's belief, in the heart's desire, in the mercy of Al Rahman, that hearts are chosen; blessed to be tied to Him ﷺ.

So you my heart,

Despite the locks, muddy stamps and dust spattered all over you,

Sing in joy!

Oh heart,

Sing in joy!

You are blessed to believe in Him ﷺ, to say His name, to be ordered to send prayers upon Him ﷺ with your very own Creator and all His creation.

اِنَّ اللّٰہَ وَ مَلٰٓئِکَتَہٗ یُصَلُّوۡنَ عَلَی النَّبِیِّ ؕ یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا صَلُّوۡا عَلَیۡہِ وَ سَلِّمُوۡا تَسۡلِیۡمًا

Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace. (Al Ahzab: 56)

Oh heart, be concious.

Oh heart, burst in glee!

Oh heart stay calm,

Oh heart emblaze in the flames of this معرفة,

You have been gifted Your Rasul ﷺ.

In all those times of nearness and this apparant farness, there hasn't been a single moment where I was not reminded by your boundless love, your generous kindness and overwhelming care that surrounds me, even to this day and even to the days I look ahead to. Even to the peak of negligence I hold or to the insincerity I project as my integrity and goodwill, oh your love has been so boundless. So timeless. So measureless. So limitless.

It embraces all.

Even me!

It embraces the sky, the stones that said Salam to You ﷺ. It embraces the tree trunk that wept in leaving you. It embraces the mud of the Uhud, it embraces the clouds. Your love, enclasps all.

It embraces the heart of Duldul. And how lucky was Duldul to grieve in your love and your absence until it gave its life.

How insignificant I am, in this universe of love. Which takes its source from the Siraaj Al Muneer and from Him ﷺ, this glimmer of enlightenment shines through all.

How insignificant I am, in this universe of love.

(Hadith 19, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi)

On the authority of Abu Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) [riding on the same mount] and he said, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth.

Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhi, reads: Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.

صدق رسول الله عليه الصلاة والسلام

تخيل إذن، حرف واحد في حضرة فصاحة النبوة، هذا كان هو مثال ابن عباس رضي الله عنه في تربية رسوله عليه الصلاة والسلام.

Imagine, then, one letter, in the presence of the eloquence of the Prophethood ﷺ, this was the example of Ibn Abbas RA, under the nurturing of His Messenger ﷺ.

What a beautiful affinity this is! And how blessed this connection is! For its fruits we ripe until this day, we live in and to the days we look ahead to. This fire of yearning in Ibn Abbas RA extinguished by the unparalleled Hadith of RasulAllah ﷺ!

Come and see against the timestamps, the life of Ibn Abbas RA, the timeless, limitless, boundless love, intellect and blessings of Prophethood ﷺ granting himرضي الله عنه depths and vastness, making him رضي الله عنه, the Ocean of Knowledge, the حبر الأمة.

RasulAllah ﷺ could see the light glimmering in the eyes of Ibn Abbas RA. Ibn Abbas RA, in his blood, run the same mighty intellect and purity of soul,, of Abd Al Mutallib, the Hashimites, taking it from their father Isma'il AS. The Arab eloquence, the glory of literature, the sharp genius, the earnest understanding that run through Ibn Abbas RA and the spirit of Islam, the fervour of 'Iman, the desire of Ihsan and the caring shadow of Prophethood ﷺ which enveloped him رضي الله عنه; these two parallels complementing one another are the groundworks of the Hadith we are about to embrace.

This Hadith which RasulAllah ﷺ gave to Ibn Abbas RA, when he would be less than 13 years old, balancing his emotional and intellectual needs, his spiritual and cognitive sides. This Hadith, divinely glorious, in the Arab atmosphere of articulation; words so beautifully woven together that Ibn Abbas RA could easily memorize (and us even today) in the most eloquent phrases and words, perfect forms of sentences, the linkage of words and the precise choice of them, carefully destined and pronounced by the blessed tongue of RasulAllah ﷺ; the Hadith, with its rhythm and flow, the Hadith with its brevity of words and depths of meanings:

إني أعلمك كلمات:
قليل في ألفاظ، كثير في معنى.

The prologue to this Hadith which RasulAllah ﷺ gives to Ibn Abbas RA, himself, at the very start of this Hadith, declares to the miracle of this Hadith itself! RasulAllah ﷺ himself announced that these words are going to be like none other. They are countable words yet boundless in meaning, deep in comprehension and even more beautiful in realization.

An overview to theme of this Hadith:

Arching over the reality of duals in this life, the existence of pairs in everything as Allah Ta'ala describes in the Qur'an:

سُبۡحٰنَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ الۡاَزۡوَاجَ کُلَّہَا مِمَّا تُنۡۢبِتُ الۡاَرۡضُ وَمِنۡ اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ وَمِمَّا لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ.
Exalted is He who created all pairs - from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know. (Surah Yaseen: 36)

And the ultimate reality, existence of binate, that each pair group will compliment the other, each one element overlapping its pair, completing its course,, destined, and ultimately reaching its purpose set by Allah Ta'ala. And that, this is the reality of flowing life, a day for you and a day against you as said by Ali رضي الله عنه:

الدهر يومان يوم لك ويوم عليك. فإذا كان لك فلا تبطر وإذا كان عليك فلا تضجر.

And that everything is to perish and fall ultimately except for the Face of our Rabb:

وَ لَا تَدۡعُ مَعَ اللّٰہِ اِلٰـہًا اٰخَرَ ۘ لَاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّا ہُوَ ۟ کُلُّ شَیۡءٍ ہَالِکٌ اِلَّا وَجۡہَہٗ ؕ لَہُ الۡحُکۡمُ وَ اِلَیۡہِ تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ.
And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned. (Surah Qasas: 88)

To me, this Hadith is a universe. With all its lessons and extracts centering upon One. Just as the celestial bodies swim about their axis, all of them, around the sun.

• The duty of man to remember and preserve the rights of Allah Ta'ala, complimented by Allah Ta'ala preserving you, taking care of you, loving you.

• The action of man to preserve Allah Ta'ala and always focusing on Him in every moment, complimented by Allah Ta'ala being always close to him. Always infront of him. Always by his side.

• The firm principle of always asking Allah Ta'ala, always seeking Him, His support, His aid, His help, His love, His care in all life situations: sitting in the core of this Hadith.
  
  And then again, the two opposing themes complimenting one another: centering upon One fact: The Qadr, Power and Destiny of Allah Ta'ala.

This Hadith stands upon One theme: declaring One core message. And that is Oneness itself التوحيد!

My Ustadh benevolently asked me, what is the عمود of this Hadith and I (with my unnecessary habit of prolixity) counted to him a few words that were apparently pillars of this Hadith to me. He, just once, with the clarity and impactfulness he has, strongly repeated so that this Oneness would be engraved in my heart and mind forever:

التوحيد، التوحيد،
The pillar of this Hadith is التوحيد!

Look back again now,
The little boy cherishing the company of His most loving friend, His elder cousin, His greatest guide, His Rasul ﷺ, is being inculcated the ONE and Ultimate reality of all life: التوحيد.

The fact that RasulAllah ﷺ says these words to Ibn Abbas RA at his young age, made so much realization that how we - the youth of this ummah needs the words of RasulAllah ﷺ.

The youth of this Ummah is bound and in need of the Guidance of RasulAllah ﷺ.

And that the core of this Hadith: Preserve Allah and His Rights (action plan) is completed by the second end: (belief in Qadr) that no matter the action plan you do, know that even if nations were to around to benefit you, they would never except by the will of Allah Ta'ala.

In a nutshell, Every sentence and even the words of this Hadith compliment one another, oppose and complete each other, the beautiful expression of Balagha: الطباق and المقابلة shine through this Hadith: both linguistically and metaphorically.

RasulAllah ﷺ impressed Tawhid to his young man رضي الله عنه. Think upon this deeply. So that Ibn Abbas RA never forgets. When he spends his days in learning Fiqh and stands his nights in Qiyaam to pray. So that Ibn Abbas RA never forgets, when he travels distances to memorize Ahadith of RasulAllah ﷺ and when students gather around him earnestly to learn from him. When his spark turns into oceans of knowledge, such that people lovingly call him the Ink of the Ummah, he رضي الله عنه still remembers there is no one but Him, his Rabb, his Allah Ta’ala. When He sees the political upheavals and has to discern realities as they unfold infront of him, He never forgets. When he leads caravans of Hajj or governs Basra, He never forgets. When he gives his eyesight to the Nur of Qur'an, he رضي الله عنه never forgets:

It is Allah. It is Allah.
التوحيد. لا إله إلا الله

RasulAllah ﷺ gives this to Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه, and at this tender age, so that He never forgets this essence, this core, this rope that the believers tie their ends to.

لا إله إلا الله.

I owe this Hadith to every soul who gifted it to me, especially my شيخين and our Ustadh who taught this beautiful hadith of RasulAllah ﷺ to us in great detail. I also express my gratitude to @sufitography via instagram, who generously allowed me to use his most beautiful capture of the Prophet ﷺ ’s masjid.

— Maheen Khan,

From الرحلة - The Journey,

5 February, 2025.

On the authority of Abu Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) [riding on the same mount] and he said, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth.

Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhi, reads: Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.

صدق رسول الله عليه الصلاة والسلام

This Hadith is narrated to us by Abdullah Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه, the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ. The son of his beloved uncle Abbas RA and the milk sibling of Al Husayn bin Ali RA. Ibn Abbas RA is a Sahabi with a prestige as special and unique as his own, he is connected to RasulAllah ﷺ through so many family connections and has been a child all grown up under the shade of RasulAllah ﷺ's Tarbiyah. He was born three years prior to Hijrah and was about thirteen years old when RasulAllah ﷺ parted from this world.

Of all these beautiful relationships and connections that Ibn Abbas RA enjoyed with RasulAllah ﷺ, one of the very special and cherished was his being the sororal nephew of our Mother Maymoona RA. This kinship gave him the opportunity to visit RasulAllah ﷺ's home, accompany him during the day and night and to attend to RasulAllah ﷺ's intimate worships and devotion. One of the occasions, when Ibn Abbas RA specially came to his aunt Maymoona RA's house, in order to observe RasulAllah ﷺ's night prayer and accompany him in Tahajjud.

Mind you, this is the Ibn Abbas RA, only in the age less than 13 years old. Imagine, such a diligent young Sahabi, his act of staying up to accompany RasulAllah ﷺ in His Wudu, in His night prayers is evident of his thirst for knowledge and thirst for the Tarbiyah directly from the rays of Prophethood ﷺ, such was his love, such was his yearning, such was his passion, such was his devotion to Allah Ta'ala and His RasulAllah ﷺ.

We all have read the accounts when Ibn Abbas RA describes how he would serve the Prophet ﷺ to make ablution, how he would observe RasulAllah ﷺ's prayer and focus on the كيفية of RasulAllah ﷺ's prayer: from the counting of the Rak'aat, to the positions in prayer and to the Duas RasulAllah ﷺ would recite in Tahajjud. This young Ibn Abbas RA would keep in heart and mind all of it! How indebted we are to him for conveying all of this to us!

Imagine a child so young, wouldn't a child as him love to be treated with sweets and luxuries when he visits his aunt? But here Ibn Abbas RA is visitng RasulAllah ﷺ's home to serve Him! Not the otherwise. Wouldn't a child love to enjoy a good night's sleep? But Ibn Abbas RA either stayed up the whole night waiting for RasulAllah ﷺ's beginning to prayer or either, if he slept a portion of the night — how difficult it is for a child as him, to wake up from sleep, once laid down! Yet imagine his passion! And see, how indebted we are to Ibn Abbas RA!

Such was a young child who was born under the shade of RasulAllah ﷺ's Prophethood.

Ibn Abbas RA, stood behind RasulAllah ﷺ, as he would pray his Tahajjud prayer. Standing behind him, standing beside him. Without RasulAllah ﷺ's command to Him, Ibn Abbas RA did this by himself! For himself! With no force or command!

Imagine then, this young child of Islam, lovingly adhering to the rope of Prophethood ﷺ, passionately finding ways and making use of the time and companionship with RasulAllah ﷺ. This is the thirst and Ishq of Ibn Abbas RA. This is the side of devotion from him.

And now, look at the other side, the Blessed, the Most Honourable, the Most purified and most sanctified - imagine - a relationship where one knot is in the hand of a Sahabi as devoted as Ibn Abbas RA and the other knot is held in the Hands of Our Beloved RasulAllah ﷺ! The Best of Mankind! The Supreme of all creation! Imagine the side of relationship from Himﷺ, what would you expect?

Absorb this for a second...

RasulAllah ﷺ was always above and beyond the expectations anyone would aspire from Him. He is the embodiment of generosity, the shining lamp of Allah's guidance, the epitome of affection and purity, the paragon of the definition of care and kindness! Imagine then, the response from Him ﷺ! Imagine his acknowledgement! Imagine His answer to the yearning and strife of a loved one drowned in His ﷺ love! Imagine His answer to the seeker in quest of the light of His ﷺ guidance!

Imagine the love and passion that Ibn Abbas RA showcased,

And follow very well,

The repsonse,

From RasulAllah ﷺ.

This Hadith is one of the beautiful مظاهر of the outshining responses of RasulAllah ﷺ!

RasulAllah ﷺ would see Ibn Abbas RA and his yearning. He saw him fetching water for his ablution. He looked at Ibn Abbas RA when he stayed up all night to accompany him in prayer. RasulAllah ﷺ could see the light shining through the eyes of Ibn Abbas RA, cherishing His shade, His Tarbiyah, His guidance and companionship عليه الصلاة والسلام.

Ibn Abbas RA would cherish intimate moments with his unparalleled ﷺ المعلم,

How would ﷺ المعلم leave his beloved seeker alone in his strife?

Wouldn't He ﷺ see his Ikhlas and respond back?

And RasulAllah ﷺ did.

As Ibn Abbas RA cherished the intimate moments of accompanying RasulAllah ﷺ in his night prayers,

One day, of all so many moments of closeness,

RasulAllah ﷺ was accompanied by Ibn Abbas RA on a ride.

No wonder it wasn't ordinary.

RasulAllah ﷺ would wait for the perfect moment, atmosphere and spirit, to deliver his beautiful blessed words to his companions. And we see then, of all the moments, it was time for RasulAllah ﷺ's watering the thirst of his young cousin RA.

Just as Ibn Abbas RA would wait for a one on one companionship with RasulAllah ﷺ, this time, RasulAllah ﷺ blessed it to him, himself. Together, alone with the young lad RA, under His shade ﷺ.

Behind him in His ﷺ prayers,

today,

behind Him ﷺ,

on His ﷺ mount.

RasulAllah ﷺ gifted the most comprehensive of speech, the most eloquent words of advice, the most purposeful of all articulations, the most meaningful of all expressions: this Hadith, as if Ibn Abbas RA earned it from RasulAllah ﷺ!

As if RasulAllah ﷺ gifted these words to Ibn Abbas RA!

A Hadith so heart warming, words so profound, so as, Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه learnt in سفر what other companions could not even learn in حضر! Such is the weight of these words of RasulAllah ﷺ!

This Hadith, as all of the Ahadith of RasulAllah ﷺ, is not at all ordinary! Oh believer! Comprehend!

This is the earning of the passion that Ibn Abbas RA grew in his heart! This is the answer to the devotion that Ibn Abbas RA would showcase to Allah and His RasulAllah ﷺ. This Hadith is so substantial, so much so, that If we could only understand and live our lives by this Hadith, this would be ever ever enough!

Such is the weight of the Hadith you are about to receive, O Believer!

Recognize the yearning behind these blessed words.

Perceive the realization of RasulAllah ﷺ's response to His seeker رضي الله عنه!

— Maheen Khan,

From الرحلة — The Journey,

23rd November, 2024.