Post-Soul Reflections' Seminar...

Bismillahirrahmaanirraheem...

Salamun'alaikum wbt to my dear brothers and sisters in Faith....may this greet you in the best state of Eemaan (rising Eemaan, inshaAllah) and health...Ameen

Glory to Allah and all praise is due to Him for granting the countless and endless Bounties to every single creation on the Earth.....

Alhamdulillah, right after my final exams finished, I could manage to attend to this two-day seminar organized by AlKauthar Institute, a non-profit Islamic organization (I believe) in Victoria, also joint by the Mercy Mission....MashaAllah, it was so fruitful and worth the money to be able to join them over the weekend.

The seminar was conducted from 17th until 18th of November in one of the lecture theatres in the University of Melbourne. It essentially focused on a theme of Soul Reflections: Purifications of the Soul Through the writings of Ibn Al-Qayyim.

Interestingly, the Shaikh, by the name of Shaikh Surkheel Sharif was specially invited to be the speaker in this seminar. Subhanallah, I found that the Shaikh, or also known as Abu Aaliy is a really good speaker....perhaps, I might be a bit biased as he comes from UK (for I do have my own perception towards anyone from UK....I reckon that they are really good in terms of spreading dakwah...Allahu a'laam...by all means, I have my own positive viewpoints towards anyone with a sound Islamic knowledge from the land of UK).

During the seminar, we did cross-reference with a book entitled: "The Exquisite Pearl: The Journey to Allah & the home of the Hereafter." It's basically a book written by Shaykh 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sa'di....but Abu Aaliy has translated it into english for our convenience. Alhamdulillah, it's a good book...and I do recommend everyone to grab this book, if possible.

Apologies for not being able to write a lot about the contents of the book (due to copyright issue)...but inshaAllah, hereby is the short didactic poem which briefly explains the Introduction to the Science of Suluk. May it benefit everyone, inshaAllah...

Fortunate are those who avoid the destructive paths;

Intending the stations of Allah's good pleasure.

Those who journey with the utmost sincerity;

Following the legislation by which faith is measured.

Those who build the stations of their journey;

Submitting between being fearful and being hopeful.

Those whose hearts the Divine has filled;

With devotion to Him and love for the Most Merciful.

Those who remember Him and do so abundantly;

In private, public, at all times in continuance.

Seeking nearness to the Sovereign-Master;

By obeying Him and forsaking disobedience.

Doing what is obligatory and optional is their way;

Inspecting their own faults and their deficiencies.

Their souls patiently enduring all that is disdainful;

Desirous of what it entails of benevolence.

They arrive at the Station of Contentment;

Ultimately reaching the Garden and safety.

For His bounties to His creation they are grateful;

With their heart, tongues and the limbs of their body.

Reliance is their companion in all affairs;

Whilst striving in the pleasure of the All-Merciful.

Worshipping the Divine, believing in His presence;

Thus taking their place at the Station of Excellence.

Advising others to that which pleases their Lord;

With knowledge, guidance and compassion.

Accompanying the people in bodily form;

Whilst their spirits dwell at a sublimer station.

They alert creation to their complete need for Allah;

Continuously fearing a decrease in their faith.

Their hearts turning away from all distractions;

Completely emptied of other than the Most-Merciful.

Their movements, concerns and their resolves;

Are all for Allah, not creation, nor the Devil.

The best of friends is the seeker of these paths;

Which leads to acquiring goodness and ihsan.