A spiritual Ishmaelite

Author: ishmaelabraham

  • Why Sufi stories violating the sacred law should be subjected to critical thinking

     

    The Opening of Shaykh Abdal-Aziz Ad-Dabbagh
    translated by Sidi Abdassamad Clarke
    Shaykh Abd al-Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
    Three days after the death of Sidi Umar the opening happened to me and praise belongs to Allah. We recognised Allah by the reality of our selves, and praise and thanks belong to Him. That was on Thursday the 8th of Rajab 1125 H. I went out of our house and Allah provided me with four coins, by means of one of His slaves who give sadaqah. I bought fish and went to our house and the woman said to me, “Go to Sidi Ali Ibn Harazim (an area in Fez) and bring us oil so that we can cook the fish.”
    I went and when I reached the Bab al-Futuh a trembling came over me and then many shudders. Then my flesh began to creep very much and I began to walk in that condition until I reached the grave of Sidi Yahya ibn ‘Ilal, may Allah benefit us by him, and that is on the way to Sidi Ali ibn Harazim. My state became very extreme and my breast became tremendously troubled, and I said, “This is death without doubt.” Then my body began to extend until it was longer than any length. Things began to unveil themselves to me and to appear as if they were right in front of me. I saw all the villages and towns, everything in this land and the Christian woman breast-feeding her child sitting in her lap. I saw all the oceans, the seven continents and everything in them, the beasts and all creatures. I saw the sky as if I were above it looking at what was in it.
    Suddenly there was a tremendous light like dazzling sheet lightning which seemed to come from every direction. That light came from above me and from below me, from my right and left, and from before me and behind me. A tremendous cold from it struck me so much so that I thought I had died. I tried to cover my face so that I would not have to look at that light but I realised that my body was all eyes, the eye seeing, the head seeing, the leg seeing and all of my limbs seeing. I looked at the clothes I was wearing and I found that they did not veil that seeing which pervaded my whole body, so I realised that covering my face made no difference.
    That state continued for about an hour and then stopped. I regained the first state that I originally had and returned to town. I was incapable of reaching Sidi Ibn Harazim and was afraid for myself and was busy weeping. That state returned to me for an hour and then stopped again. It began to come upon me for an hour and then vanish for another hour until it was living intimately with me. It began to be absent only for an hour in the day and an hour in the night, until finally it became continuous.
    Allah had mercy on me because He made me meet one of the gnostics among His friends. When I woke up from the night after the day of the opening, I went to visit Moulay Idris, may Allah benefit us by him, and there I met the Faqih, Sidi al-Hajj Ahmad Jarandi, the Imam of the Moulay Idris Mosque. So, I mentioned to him what I saw and what had happened to me. He said to me, “Come with me to my home,” so I went with him to the house.
    He entered and I with him, and we sat down together and he said, “Repeat to me what you have seen.” I repeated it to him. I looked at him and he was weeping. He said, “There is no god but Allah, these four hundred years we have not heard the like of this.” He gave me many dirhams and said to me, “Take them and meet your needs with them. When you are finished with them do not ask anyone to give you anything. Return to me and I will give you everything you need. And I insist that you go to the grave of Sidi Abdullah at-Tawdi, for there you will see good.”
    I left him and I never saw him after that day. The sickness that caused his death came to him and he died, may Allah have mercy on him, but I followed his parting counsel and went to Sidi Abdullah at-Tawdi. When I reached the Bab al-Jaysah there was a black man outside the gate. He began to look at me and I said to myself, “What does he want?” When I reached him he took my hand and greeted me and I returned his greeting. He said to me, “I want you to return with me to the mosque, then we can sit for an hour and talk,” and I said, “With pleasure.”
    I returned with him and we sat in the mosque. He began to speak to me, saying, “I am sick with such and such, I saw such and such, and such and such happened to me,” mentioning everything that had happened to me. He threw off the burden I carried by his words, by Allah, and I realised that he was one of the friends of Allah, a gnostic. He said that his name was Abdullah al-Barnawi from Barno and that he had only come to Fez because of me. I rejoiced and realised the blessing in the words of the Faqih Sidi al-Hajj Ahmad al-Jarandi, may Allah be merciful to him, for he was one of the people of right action.
    Sidi Abdullah al-Barnawi remained with me, guiding me, directing me and strengthening me and removing fear of what I witnessed from my heart for the rest of the months of Rajab, Sha’ban, Ramadan, and ten days from Dhu’l-Hijjah.
    When it was the third day of the Eid festival I saw the Master of Existence (the Prophet Muhammad), may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Sidi Abdullah al-Barnawi said, “O Sidi AbdulAziz, before today I was afraid for you but today when Allah the Exalted has made you meet the Master of Existence, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, my heart is secure and tranquil, and I entrust you to Allah the Mighty and Majestic.” Then he went to his land and left me. His stay with me was only to protect me from darkness entering upon me in this opening and until the opening in witnessing the Prophet happened to me, may Allah bless him and give him peace, because there is no fear for the one who has the opening then. It is only feared for him before that.
    From Al-Ibriz ® “Pure Gold” by Sayyidi Ahmad ibn al-Mubarak, a pupil of the Shaykh.
    My response: As-Salamu ‘alaykum, How you respond to the story that he slept in the fourth bed with him and his wives at night? Is it possible that the story mentioned in Al-Ibriz is a fabrication because it is a violation of sacred law to enter someone’s house without seeking permission even if he did not look at his wives. It may be possible that he knew about that without entering the house.

  • A unitarian Christian ignorant about the fountains of holiness

    Ishmael Abraham·Thursday, January 28, 2016

    5 Reads

    The differences of this ummah are mercy according to a Hadith which inspire intellectual progress. The people participating in this discussion are the most educated about the nuances of holiness than any westerner critical of them. All of these people are part of Ark of Salvation because they love Quran, Sunnah and Ahlulbayt(ra) which are the largest fountains of holiness which is successfully resisting unholy western modernity.
    Ishmael Abraham
    A Shia sister says Sunnah=Ahlulbayt(ra): No they distinguished it. In Shia narrations Imam Jafar As-Sadiq(ra) said: Who opposes Quran or Sunnah commits kufr. Sunnis jump into the city of knowledge of Hadith without the gate, and Shias keep standing at the gate.
    Zayn Abiya The Sunnah is Prophet Mohomad , his words were carried on and revived by his Progeny. That means they are the Sunnah.
    Ishmael Abraham The words of Ahlulbayt(ra) are similar to Hadith, but they are not exactly Hadith to be accurate. Hadith is still superior to their words.
    Zayn Abiya They are the transmitters of hadith. Just admit im right . Why do you have to be so stubborn and egotistical
    Ishmael Abraham When they quote a Hadith, they say so, but most Shia narrations are their own quotes not Hadith.
    Zayn Abiya Most Shia narrations trace them via reliable sources back to the source ie Prophet.
    Ishmael Abraham Look at Al-Kafi, most of it are not Hadith.
    Zayn Abiya How do you know ? Were you there ?
    Zayn Abiya The kafi has hadith narrated by sunni scholars they just change transmitters
    Ishmael Abraham I have read Al-Kafi and most of it’s narrations are not Hadith. Even it has small number of quotes of the People of Cloak.
    Rizwan If you say Aal Muhammad* said everything as Hadeeth then why your scholars has not recorded it as Imam Jafar from Imam Baqir from Imam Ali from Imam Husayn from Imam Ali from Rasoolullah (Alayhis salaatu wassalaam) why they stopped it to Imam Abu Jafar or Imam Sadiq there’s only a single conclusion neither the Imams reported everything as Hadeeth nor did the Shia Muhadditheen recorded it as Hadeeth of Rasoolullah*
    Ejaz Ahmed There are 92 narration from Holy Prophet ﷺ out of 16000 narration recorded in Al Kafi and according to some Shi’a scholars 2/3 of Al Kafi is weak.
    Rizwan All the scholars are inheritors of Anbiya* it doesnt mean they get100% share.
    Zayn Abiya Nor do they have equals.
    Greg Logan Actually I would not trust anyone in this mess… I have not one meaningful basis for doing so… just lots of word-games – BUT no holiness of God – no power of God – no kindness of God. This is obviously not of God.
    Ishmael Abraham The differences of this ummah are mercy according to a Hadith which inspire intellectual progress. The people participating in this discussion are the most educated about the nuances of holiness than any westerner critical of them. All of these people are part of Ark of Salvation because they love Quran, Sunnah and Ahlulbayt(ra) which are the largest fountains of holiness which is successfully resisting unholy western modernity.
    Abd Al-Rahman Al-Umawi The Ahlulbayt transmit Sunnahs but beyond ‘Ali ibn Musa they were not exceptionally knowledgable and didn’t carry any Sunnahs
    Abd Al-Rahman Al-Umawi Likewise the Sahabah and their students transmitted Sunnahs

  • Evidence of existence of Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him in non-Muslim sources  

    Ishmael Abraham·Thursday, January 28, 2016

    8 Reads

    An account of the early seventh century comes from Sebeos who was an Armenian bishop of the House of Bagratuni. From this chronicle, there are indications that he lived through many of the events he relates. He maintains that the account of Arab conquests derives from the fugitives who had been eyewitnesses thereof. He concludes with Mu‘awiya’s ascendancy in the Arab civil war (656-61 CE), which suggests that he was writing soon after this date. Sebeos is the first non-Muslim author to present us with a theory for the rise of Islam that pays attention to what the Muslims themselves thought they were doing.
    R. G. Hoyland, Seeing Islam As Others Saw It: A Survey And Evaluation Of Christian, Jewish And Zoroastrian Writings On Early Islam, 1997, op. cit., p. 128
    As for Muhammad, he has the following to say:
    At that time a certain man from along those same sons of Ismael, whose name was Mahmet [i.e., Mụhammad], a merchant, as if by God’s command appeared to them as a preacher [and] the path of truth. He taught them to recognize the God of Abraham, especially because he was learnt and informed in the history of Moses. Now because the command was from on high, at a single order they all came together in unity of religion. Abandoning their vain cults, they turned to the living God who had appeared to their father Abraham. So, Mahmet legislated for them: not to eat carrion, not to drink wine, not to speak falsely, and not to engage in fornication. He said: ‘With an oath God promised this land to Abraham and his seed after him for ever. And he brought about as he promised during that time while he loved Ismael. But now you are the sons of Abraham and God is accomplishing his promise to Abraham and his seed for you. Love sincerely only the God of Abraham, and go and seize the land which God gave to your father Abraham. No one will be able to resist you in battle, because God is with you.
    R. W. Thomson (with contributions from J. Howard-Johnson & T. Greenwood), The Armenian History Attributed To Sebeos Part – I: Translation and Notes, 1999, Translated Texts For Historians – Volume 31, Liverpool University Press, pp. 95-96. Other translations can also be seen in P. Crone & M. Cook, Hagarism: The Making Of The Islamic World, 1977, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, pp. 6-7; R. G. Hoyland, Seeing Islam As Others Saw It: A Survey And Evaluation Of Christian, Jewish And Zoroastrian Writings On Early Islam, 1997, op. cit., p. 129; idem., “Sebeos, The Jews And The Rise Of Islam” in R. L. Nettler (Ed.), Medieval And Modern Perspectives On Muslim-Jewish Relations, 1995, Harwood Academic Publishers GmbH in cooperation with the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies, p. 89

  • Refuting the modernist Christian heresy that sun is the lake of fire

    Ishmael Abraham·Thursday, January 28, 2016

    12 Reads

    Romito Olaguer Now 2 of you are deceived by your flesh possessed by Satan. Good luck in Lake of Fire, the Sun. Guys think again? You still have time to change your mind. Think Christ.
    Ishmael Abraham Sun is not the lake of fire brother Romito that is a modernist heresy. Quran says sun will annihilate.

  • Why everyone finds learned Muslims problematic?  

    Ishmael Abraham·Thursday, January 28, 2016

    5 Reads

    Ishmael Abraham
    That’s why everyone finds learned Muslims problematic.
    Jacob WrightJanuary 26 at 9:35pm · Tulsa, OK, United States ·
    “One of the clearest signs of a corrupt organization/system is when those who expose the problems are labeled as the problem.” – Joshua D. Harris

  • To a Christian who denies the prospect of global unity of faith in One God

    Christian Wright Look Ishmael Abraham , I don’t think the Qu’ran is just all bad nonsense. If there was nothing good in it, then i don’t think anyone would find it persuasive. Islamic culture also has many beautiful aspects as well.
    But I think there are also many awful and ugly aspects in the Qu’ran and Muslim history. I detest these and see their consequences in the present day. You can disagree with me about that, which is fine. But I am not convinced that the Qu’ran is from God, the arguments you may try to send me won’t persuade me to become a Muslim. There isn’t any scenario where the Qu’ran will unite you and me (let alone the whole world!).
    I also think Dawkins is a snob and his remarks about porn are stupid. There are people who (for non religious reasons!) see pornography as addictive and exploitative. But you know what? Dawkins has said TONS of things equally rude about Christianity and the Bible. No one banned him from speaking at a university then. The difference is that Leftists (who by the way are the most hypocritically anti-Islamic people in the world in terms of VALUES) give Muslim feelings unequal protection. Christians have been subject to “abusive speech” (some of it good argument, some bad argument, some just vulgar jokes) for decades. But if your belief is true, it withstand all of that. If everyone believed Islam (or Christianity, I won’t exempt my own background) we would NEED a Dawkins to tell us we were wrong. How else would we know if our beliefs were true or false, if we never heard anything else to compare it to?
    You say the Qu’ran preached “freedom of religion”? I won’t get into the question of interpretation. But if your idea of freedom of religion is “You can think what you want privately and skip prayers, just don’t say anything that offends Muhammad’s honor or breaks his God-given rules”…that’s not freedom! Instead of a cage, it’s a prison yard that you can walk around in. Liberty of thought means *nothing* is off the table. This one thing America gets right (despite the 1,000s of things it’s gotten wrong in the Middle East). You can burn an American flag, offend America’s honor, and the courts say that’s free speech. I think that’s right, because NO ONE is above criticism. Neither is any religion. Jimmi Ununger Ishmael sounds like hitchens started the iraq war Jimmi Ununger What does ishmael define as traditional islamic culture? Jules B Dubs Ishmael Abraham you had my attention UNTIL I read the word Zionist. Jules B Dubs Ishmael Abraham why are you even on here if you think ex Muslims are xenophobic? Look, I’m a Christian (you might call me a Zionist. Idk. That seems to be the latest buzzword of hate for anyone who is judeo-christian) and I happen to agree with some of Dawkins views. Other views I don’t. I know why I follow Jesus. Because he was a pacifist who taught about love and forgiveness. Others have twisted his message. Can we say the same for Mohammed? I don’t think so. Jules B Dubs Christian Wright nailed it.
    Ishmael Abraham Christian Wright I think the best argument for you is Quran 5:82 which says true Christians are best friends of Muslims. There are contemporary Christian theologians who are open-minded to see how Islam resonates with early biblical Christianity more than modern heterodox Christianity. The examples are Thomas Mcelwain, Ian Mevorach and Kirby Hopper. Sufis saints understood that dialectic alone no matter how polite it may be is not sufficient for people to overcome egoism and hard-heartedness rather it requires prayers like tahajjud and divine grace. Islam in the Bible : Professor Thomas McElwain : Free Download &…
    https://archive.org/details/IslamIn… Ishmael Abraham I think blasphemy laws predate the final manifestation of Islam. For example, Jews tried to stone Jesus peace be upon him for blasphemy, so blasphemy laws have been misused but they exist to encourage serious and respectful discussion. For example, I disagree with trinity but a Muslim will never blaspheme the three holy persons of the Creator, the Holy Spirit and the Messiah. We have sufficient emotional intelligence to disagree without verbal abuse unlike both Zionist Christians and militant atheists. The scholars of sacred law in Islam in stated that if a Christian says I do not accept the Ishmaelite Messenger of God(p) it does not constitute blasphemy because it is part of his identity. Ishmael Abraham Jules, There are ultra-orthodox Jews like Neturei Karta like are anti-Zionist and can see that Israel is a secular state that legalizes unholy gay prides and other secular greco-roman ideas. Jews even led a Maccabees revolt against Greek culture and Jewish martyrs sacrificed their lives against pagan secularism. Ishmael Abraham Jesus peace be upon him followed Torah which teaches hating evil so unconditional love is the reason evil is triumphing in the world. We can hate the evil and be tolerant towards evil-doers at the same time. Psalm 97:10 Let those who love the LORD hate evil. Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; Ishmael Abraham Jimmi, there are two types of traditions. Polytheistic tradition which contradicts Scripture and monotheistic tradition which resonates with Scripture. We see trinity as a polytheistic tradition which contradicts Scripture. In Islam, Sunnah/Prophetic praxis and Ahlulbayt/Prophetic family represents the holy tradition. If something from tradition violates Quranic Scripture it is null and void.

  • Is caligynephobia for real? What are the symptoms and a cure? 

    ISHMAEL ABRAHAM·SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2016

    15 reads

    Is caligynephobia for real? What are the symptoms and a cure?

    Caligynephobia is fear of beautiful women.
    As an orthodox Muslim, I experience that and it is real. I think it is a spiritual defense mechanism in our worldview to resist unholy thoughts. But since it is not something debilitating so one can tolerate that and live with it. So, the cure taught in our worldview is to start thinking about beauty and merits of the love and partner of your life and afterlife God willing 🙂

  • Who unlawfully looks at private part of someone

    ISHMAEL ABRAHAM·SUNDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2016

    14 reads

    من نظر إلى عورة أخيه المسلم ، أو عورة غير أهله متعمّداً ، أدخله الله مع المنافقين الذين كانوا يبحثون عن عورات المسلمين ، ولم يخرج من الدنيا حتى يفضحه الله إلاّ أن يتوب
    The Messenger of Allah(s) said: Who unlawfully looks at the private part of someone, Allah will gather him with the hypocrites and he will not leave the world until Allah humiliates him unless he repents.
    Narrated by Sheikh Saduq
    أمالى الصدوق ص ٤٢٧ ٤٢٨.

  • Why Tahajjud and Tarawih vigils improve intimacy in prayers.

    ISHMAEL ABRAHAM·THURSDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2016

    2 reads

    كيف يزيد الخشوع باالتهجد في ضوء العلوم العصبية
    Just one night without sleep can increase the amount of the chemical dopamine in the human brain, according to new imaging research in the August 20 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Because drugs that increase dopamine, like amphetamines, promote wakefulness, the findings offer a potential mechanism explaining how the brain helps people stay awake despite the urge to sleep.

  • Halal earning is not secularism 

    ISHMAEL ABRAHAM·MONDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2016

    2 reads

    Hussain Murtaza

    A man said to Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq [a], “By Allah! We seek after this world, and we love to attain it.”So the Imam asked, “What would you like to do with it?”The man said, “Use it to improve myself and my family, maintain relationships, give in charity, and perform Hajj and `Umrah.”The Imam said, “This is not seeking the world. This is seeking the Hereafter.”علي بن إبراهيم ، عن أبيه ، عن ابن أبي عمير ، عن هشام بن سالم ، عن عبد الله بن أبي يعفور قال قال رجل لأبي عبد الله عليه‌السلام والله إنا لنطلب الدنيا ونحب أن نؤتاها فقال تحب أن تصنع بها ما ذا قال أعود بها على نفسي وعيالي وأصل بها وأتصدق بها وأحج وأعتمر فقال عليه‌السلام ليس هذا طلب الدنيا هذا طلب الآخرة(al-Kafi)