Suroor, Brooke, and maybe Jamila asked about a discussion we had about the hadeeth of Abi Said al-Khudri. I have some notes from the class but after a couple of experiences in the last few days that helped crystallize some thoughts in my mind, I’m not going to post them. If you want them get the CD set or ask on the online AlMaghrib Forums.
One issue that I return to frequently in my mind is the way we answer questions from sincere people who may be having an earthquake or tsunami of a trial in their heart and faith. And sometimes the standard answers offered by imams and speakers and other Muslims is lacking, so the person has to go it alone and try to make sense of it on their own, by the grace of Allah some do and others don’t and fall out of Islam.
Update: This is one reason I love Islam and Muslims. I had this question in my mind about reciting in more than one qira’aah in salaah and posted it here and someone gave me the link with an answer. I got a serious bout of food poisoning a while back and people I don’t even know made dua for me and I’m telling you I started feeling better the same day. I didn’t add my notes about the hadeeth but the comments section is buzzing with beneficial information from Amatullah and Hood. Check it out.
By the way don’t forget Umm Yasmin over at Dervish as she recovers from her Rock of Gibraltar or this local masjid that was damaged by fire.
Ify Okoye 
Very true. I currently hate cliche answers. “Patience.” being one of them, I know I have to be patient, but help me in a more practical way.
His advice or explanation actually wasn’t that cliche but that’s beside the point.
Although it’s easy to focus on the person trying to answer the question, it’s perhaps more instructive to look at the questioner. One of our local imams gave a khutbah that was amazing and in it he recounted in general terms how often people come seeking help and when he answers they then say “but you don’t know what I’ve been through” and he said something great in response along the lines of “yes and may Allah protect me”.
I think sometimes a person asks a question that seems simple and what they really mean is that they are drowning and need a lifeguard. Or that they want an answer from someone that has gone through what they are going through and if the one responding hasn’t been through that trial, it gets brushed off by the questioner by saying “you don’t know what it’s like or what I’m going through”.
Sometimes its not an “answer” someone is looking for but more like a discussion so that things are clearer. I write because I want opinions from people so I can learn from them about things I never knew or what I never “saw” and they helped me see that side of an issue. Of course, to write I have to offer my opinion first even if it is crude so as to initiate discussion. Since now I blog particularly for ideas for my studies, comments by others help me in forming hypotheses and collecting opinions.
Thanks for offering to put up the notes initially, anyway.
Wasalaam
That’s very true Suroor, I also like to gather as many perspectives as I can before coming to any conclusions or to help me see a situation in a broader sense. But I read something yesterday on another blog, which made me question and re-evaluate adding my notes and ultimately I decided against it.
Sorry Muslim Apple I didn’t mean to ask you to compromise yourself. I was thinking more along the lines of crib sheets or reproducibles. I don’t think I was thinking personal notes.
Alhumdiallah, I did my digging and I am, again, really comfortable with this hadith. I got something so good out of it a couple weeks ago and then all this weirdness followed.Alhumdiallah.
I have been looking at Al Mahgrib’s materials, inshallah I would like to get something really, really good from them sometime!
Maybe this sounds odd, but I am happy for you that you are able to go to some janazahs and reflect on death. It is something I avoid, astagfirallah…not the janazahs, we don’t have many here.
Jazakiallah khayr
No need to apologize Brooke, I offered and then declined so that responsibility lies with me.
As for AlMaghrib, I remember that although I had heard about it for sometime, I used to never attended their seminars until one jummah one of their instructors gave the khutbah and I made the intention to sign-up for the Conquest: History of the Khulafaa seminar and it changed my life and I haven’t missed a seminar since that time.
In the process of conversion to Islam and in the years since there are several key moments that propelled me forward in my spiritual development and that first AlMaghrib class is one of them. In sha Allah I might write about it, no promises though, because it affected so many areas of my life.
Death comes so suddenely at times and even though we all know it will happen, how few are those that actually consider that death could catch up with us at any moment.
And I’m glad Brooke that we are “well acquainted” now. 🙂