Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Poem in Longing and Craving by Imām Ālūsī :)
I just found this poem about Baghdad by Imam Alusi, author of the tafsir, Ruh al-Ma'ani, translated into English from the Arabic:
Shihab al-Din Abu al-Thana' Mahmud al-Alusi (1803-54)
[Longing and Craving: While staying in Istanbul, the poet longed for his children and yearned for his homeland.]
Suddenly, a great longing for al-Zawra' struck me;
what they told me about her is not simple.
If people of the City of Peace cannot stay there,
there is no longer a mountain or valley to shelter noblemen.
If the shadow offered by the city diminishes,
how can we find any shelter in the desert?!
If the pure water in her soil dwindles,
what drink in other places can be sweet for us?!
That was a place where I felt protected;
that was my home where roots and branches grew.
That was a place where I lived; my she-camel thrived on her fertile soil;
my he-camel was satisfied; my assets grew.
I wonder, will I live once again that
abode? Will I meet again those I love?
Will her gardens bloom again after they have withered?
Will drops of dew once again linger on leaves?
On Friday will I be on my way
to the al-Kaylani Mosque, to the assembly of loved ones.
Will I again hold the hand of my father,
Abu Mustafa, a man of endless ambitions?
Will men of letters from both banks meet me
in an assembly of blossoming culture?
Peace be upon those places and people;
wherever they stay, they are always in my heart.
I swear by God, I cannot find any substitute for her air and water;
my heart is there; how I can I find consolation?
Oh my loved ones, is there any chance to meet again?
The messengers between us became weary.
No distraction weakens my resolve to be with you;
if you so desire, our ties will be restored.
Even if you do wrong,
the bitterness of it is all sweet to me.
---Baghdad: The City in Verse, translated and edited by Reuven Snir, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013), pp. 171-2.
Shihab al-Din Abu al-Thana' Mahmud al-Alusi (1803-54)
[Longing and Craving: While staying in Istanbul, the poet longed for his children and yearned for his homeland.]
Suddenly, a great longing for al-Zawra' struck me;
what they told me about her is not simple.
If people of the City of Peace cannot stay there,
there is no longer a mountain or valley to shelter noblemen.
If the shadow offered by the city diminishes,
how can we find any shelter in the desert?!
If the pure water in her soil dwindles,
what drink in other places can be sweet for us?!
That was a place where I felt protected;
that was my home where roots and branches grew.
That was a place where I lived; my she-camel thrived on her fertile soil;
my he-camel was satisfied; my assets grew.
I wonder, will I live once again that
abode? Will I meet again those I love?
Will her gardens bloom again after they have withered?
Will drops of dew once again linger on leaves?
On Friday will I be on my way
to the al-Kaylani Mosque, to the assembly of loved ones.
Will I again hold the hand of my father,
Abu Mustafa, a man of endless ambitions?
Will men of letters from both banks meet me
in an assembly of blossoming culture?
Peace be upon those places and people;
wherever they stay, they are always in my heart.
I swear by God, I cannot find any substitute for her air and water;
my heart is there; how I can I find consolation?
Oh my loved ones, is there any chance to meet again?
The messengers between us became weary.
No distraction weakens my resolve to be with you;
if you so desire, our ties will be restored.
Even if you do wrong,
the bitterness of it is all sweet to me.
---Baghdad: The City in Verse, translated and edited by Reuven Snir, (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013), pp. 171-2.
Monday, July 23, 2018
"A few minutes later, Dr. Lings,
well over ninety years of age, entered the room slowly yet gracefully, greeted us, and asked us to sit down. He sat on a small alcove that looked out upon a stunning English garden that I later learned was of his own tending and in which he is now buried. I spoke of how much his book had influenced me and told him that I had used it as a basis for my class. He thanked me and yet humbly protested that he had never intended to do something as presumptuous as write the Prophet’s biography - peace be upon him, but having been prevailed upon by others finally relented. When I told him of my father’s remark, he replied that of the four levels of English, he had written the work at the highest one - far from a boast it was uttered as simple statement of fact from a man who had a degree in medieval English from Oxford, taught Shakespeare at university for twenty years, and wrote poetry like John Donne!-Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, "A Spiritual Giant in an Age of Dwarfed Terrestial Aspirations," (thanks to Wasim for this link!), Q-News, p. 54.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Family & Society Today by Shaykh Abdallah Adhami
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/family-society-today/502104366
https://open.spotify.com/album/3V6oFhGsXsjRJc9Ync6O57
Listening to this again; I just discovered that it is available on Apple Music. Shaykh Abdallah is pretty amazing ma sha Allah. Please make special dua for him as he has been in great pain in his back/spine for a very long time now.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3V6oFhGsXsjRJc9Ync6O57
Listening to this again; I just discovered that it is available on Apple Music. Shaykh Abdallah is pretty amazing ma sha Allah. Please make special dua for him as he has been in great pain in his back/spine for a very long time now.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
"Opportunities for cultural expression within a society
are increased with the diversity and differentiation of social institutions through which individuals can find expression. Institutional differentiation, in turn, depends on a high level of investment, not only in the ordinary economic sense but in the sense of investment of human time--of specialized effort and concern--such as makes possible, for instance, cumulative investigation in science. But high investment presupposes prosperity, in the sense not merely of a well-fed peasantry (though in the long run this may be crucial) but of a substantial surplus available for other classes, allowing them both funds and leisure to meet specialized needs. Hence while prosperity cannot assure cultural creativity, in the long run it is a presupposition for it."
-Marshal G. S. Hodgson, The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization, Vol. 2: The Expansion of Islam in the Middle Periods, (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1974), pp. 4-5.
I thought this was a nice quote from Hodgson. Rather than expecting things to change or happen overnight, really good things require lots of time (and resources) to be able to fully stand on their feet, develop, and flourish. May God grant our institutions tawfīq!
Monday, May 21, 2018
The Qalam Seminary
Check out the full-time Arabic program as well as the 1 and 4 Year Programs:
https://www.qalamseminary.com/
https://www.qalamseminary.com/
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