From the last talk there were two things that affected me tremendously that I couldn't stop thinking and reflecting on them:-

1. Was how the heart is from the spiritual realm and how it  doesn't necessarily feel comfortable in this world.

I guess it knows how beautiful the spiritual world is and what it is to remember Allah. 

I thought it was beautiful how acts of physical purity like wudhu has a beneficial effect on the heart in the same way we perceive a bad heart to perform a bad physical act.  i.e. the relationship between the physical senses and the spiritual through the heart. 

2. The second profound thing for me was in surah fatihah.. To learn the concept of ن at the end of the words meaning "we". 

Sadly up till now I always thought it was "You alone I worship.. You alone I ask for help.  Show me the straight path"

From the Sheikh to have understood that it's not "I" but "we" 
ie You alone we worship.. You alone we ask for help ..so show us the right path"

For me this was such a unifying feeling and it made me realise even more that Islam is a unifying not a dividing religion. 

 Can you imagine what a powerful Duaa surah fatihah is. 

We are praying for everyone And Everyone is praying for us. 

SubhanAllah.. 

We can never feel alone... Never..

Sabiha 
The Qur'an and Spirituality class, Sheffield

Alhamdulillah. Students recently took their end of unit tests. 

Afterwards amongst ourselves, we talked about simple and regular acts, and discussed performing well and having consistency in order for us – as individuals – to obtain more benefits, and greater rewards. Imam Al-Ghazali gives the example of a rock and intermittent water striking the surface of a rock. The Imam then delves into how - eventually - the impact makes an orifice into the rock by constants drops of water striking the surface of the rock. Such is the impact of a drop of water constantly descending unto a rock. However, if we were to take the total amount of water those droplets accumulate to, and project said water onto the rock all at once, the water would simply flow off, and leave no detectable mark behind.

The aim of our courses is to – metaphorically - be those droplets of water. To slowly, but surely chip away at ourselves in an attempt to aspire for greatness. Progression is something that can be seen and felt over a course of time. Quick fixes do not equate to meaningful and purposeful changes, on the contrary, they give the false illusion of betterment and progress; a temporal state vanishing as swiftly as it appeared.

Shaykh Waseem Ahmed | Weekly Thoughts

Earlier today at Al-Huda courses, we talked about a great woman called Fatimah al-Fihriyya. It is quite saddening though that - as Muslims - we are not aware of this lady, who she was, and what she achieved.  She founded the first University in the world, as this is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. We talked about her passion, her dedication and hard work in overlooking the whole project, and pioneering the entire system of higher learning. Furthermore, we mentioned something critical to the success and maintenance of Islamic Seminaries; the waqf pl. awqaf (endowment) system.

It may not come as a surprise to you to learn that Oxford and Cambridge universities are among the wealthiest; this is largely due to the very process of endowments. In the Collins Dictionary, we find the following entry: An endowment is a gift of money that is made to an institution or community in order to provide it with an annual income. How the endowment system works is not the purpose of this article. It would behove Muslims to take a serious look in to the tradition of awqaf.

By the end of the discussion there was an overwhelming feeling that it is incumbent for Muslims to return to learning the Sacred Knowledge. This change will only occur from within us. We have to be the change that we want to see. We must adapt ourselves to the modern world, and make the intent within ourselves to make an impact both upon our families and community. I pray that this is the beginning of positive growth for us all.


Shaykh Waseem Ahmed | Weekly Thoughts