Monday, February 20, 2017

The gift of leisure | Al Basith | Expanded

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah was shukrulillah, feeling ecstatic that it's Monday and here I am writing from home-sweet-Penang home. Monday has lost its fangs it seems LOL.

Just another rambling as I am still recuperating from the intense Mawlid session at Masjid Kapitan Keling in George Town Penang held yesterday Sunday the 19th of Feb.

Am still hanging around this island in the sun to oversee my waterfall pond project which is not progressing to my expectation...arghhh! Anyhow, it feels good to be around our families and make ourselves useful for them, is it not?

Al Basith is He who makes our day easy and smooth. This Name as we are all aware appears in the oft-quoted Surah As Sharh.

"Did we not expand your breasts for you
and relieve you of your burden
that which weighed down your back?
Did we not exalt your name?
For truly with hardship comes ease
Truly with hardship comes ease
So when you are finished, toil
and seek your Lord."
(Quran:94)

***

So when we are finished, toil. What does that really mean? It wasn't clear to me.

This is what it means according to Tafsir al-Jalalyn:
"So when you are finished from performing prayer, toil exert yourself in supplication to God."

Tafsir al-Tustari:
"So when you are finished, toil [when you have completed] the prescribed prayer (salat) and you are seated, toil towards your Lord and return to Him as you were before [the existence] of the natural self, before the appearance of the creation, alone with the One alone, a secret with a secret.' Hence, God granted him (Muhammad s.a.w) the likeness of his primordial rank in the world, just as the Prophet s.a.w said, 'Truly, I possess a moment (waqt) with God, during which I cannot attend to other than Him.' This is the inner meaning of the verse.

***

This feeling of expansion (basthu) in the chest, of burden-less state, is common each time post-Mawlid, thanks to the du'a made by the honorable shuyukh namely Habib Hassan al-Attas from Singapore and Habib Ali Zainal Abidin Al Hamid. Indeed, being in the presence of enlightened souls always bring peace and joy.

Will post my notes of the Mawlid as soon as I can InshaAllah.

***

Be grateful for the gift of leisure time because we are not promised tomorrow.

Just because.
Because we are not promised tomorrow : )


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