Which house would you prefer?

After hours of sitting on the floor, taking ilm classes, I heard my mother's voice in my head, "You should move around a bit before you turn into an elephant." Not that I hate elephants, but a sharp pain in my feet convinced me to take a walk within my house. The target was simple: get some physical exercise and contemplate about the blessings of Allah swt at the same time.

As I paced around the house, I wondered what should I think about; Allah swt's gifts are so many. As my mind zoomed through a gazillion things I should be thankful of, I suddenly started noticing the tiles on the floor, the walls around me, the doors, the light and just like that everything around me suddenly seemed strange... This isn't my home.

I felt trapped. What am I doing here? I want a home in Jannah! I looked around again towards the walls, the floor, the lights.. oh we won't need those, I smirked back. No need for electricity, Nur will be enough! Then I looked at the cupboard and was reminded of how Allah swt took care of Bani Israel's clothing needs for forty years. Shaking my head from side to side, I was amused how things we call 'essential' for living will be of no use in the eternal life.

Then I wondered how my house in Jannah will be like... Will it be small, big, medium -sized? Will it have multiple stories? A garden? I'd rather like it to be without walls; so that when Allah swt gazes down upon me, I can gaze up...
Or perhaps the walls would emerge and disappear as per our needs.  Its Jannah afterall!

Yes, I'm craving for Jannah. Not because I just want a house in Jannah, I can very happily be a homeless Jannati but Allah swt is Too Generous. I'm craving for Jannah for many reasons...

I wonder how the gatherings of ilm and dhikr will be like in Jannah. Whether I will get an opportunity to host such a gathering. I would hand made all the invitation cards and hand deliver them to all our Mashaikh, Auwliya, Taba Tabaeen, Tabaeen, Sahaba RA and... (my heart skips more than a beat) will he even accept an invitation from insignificant filthy me?

Since it's Jannah, I assume an angel will come shortly, announcing, 'Your invitation has been accepted.' Alhamdulilah! Thus I will get busy, searching for the right spot in Jannah, asking Allah swt for the most delicious food and positioning couches in mid-air. The angels would offer their help but I will politely decline. I want to do everything with my own hands, with extra toppings of love.

And when the hour will arrive, I will see a group approaching towards the appointed place. My eyes will search for one person. Where is he? I will recognize my teachers and my Mashaikh.. my humjamats, all coming towards me with huge smiles. I will look deeper into the crowd and finally my gaze will set on Hazrat Umar RA and Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq RA. He has to be nearby. Where is he? And at that moment, the crowd will split and Noor un ala Noor, my eyes will gaze, for the first time, at my Nabi Sallalahu Alaihi Wassalam!

I wonder what it will be like to serve my Prophet Sallalahu Alaihi Wassalam the most delicious food from Jannah. I wonder how it will be like to sit near his feet and listen to the stories of the Sahaba RA. Will Hazrat Ka'b bin Malik RA still feel pain in Jannah while relating his story? I wonder how it will be like to be taught how to praise Allah swt directly by Nabi e Kareem Sallalahu Alaihi Wassalam. I wonder what my beloved Nabi  Sallalahu Alaihi Wassalam would say to me...

Yes I'm yearning, craving, dying to have a house in Jannah, near Nabi e Kareem Sallalahu Alaihi Wassalam's house. A house, near Allah Subhanau Ta'ala!

 رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ 
My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise.
[66:11]

Ameen summa Ameen!

The Year of Mishkaat Shareef

The final schedule of Classical Islamic Learning classes for 3rd year was up on the LMS. I paced around the room in excitement for our seniors had said that this year and the next year are extra special. 'You will be on a spiritual high.' Why? Because this is the year of Mishkaat ul Masabih!

As the day of Mishkat Shareef's sabaq approached, we all prepared for it in our tiny ways. High on excitement, this naqisa read and re-read the adab of studying Hadith. Sitting ba-wazu on the musalla with the rehal on it, facing the Qibla, surma in the eyes, having done miswak and tugging the stick behind the ear. With a fluttering heart we sat there clutching Mishkaat Shareef tightly like a prized possession, waiting for the ustadha to start sabaq and meanwhile, putting a new coat of itar after every five minutes. Is there any sunnah I am missing? And then we sat in the tasshahud position, wondering what the angels around us would be doing right now...

And then the sabaq started. A new ustadha, a new voice. But the same andaz, the same ikhlas, the same yearning.. to please the One and Only.

(Later when we learned that the Ustadha was teaching us from the other side of the world, where it was Tahajjud time and the distant background voice was her husband reciting the Quran in the presence of a toddler who slept peacefully, we realized that our preparations weren't enough. We might have adopted the Zahiri Sunnahs, but we left the Batini Sunnahs.)