Dear all,
Please note that due to the Notting Hill Carnival, there will be no Sufi Zikr on 31st August 2015.
We wish you an enjoyable bank holiday weekend.
N.B. No Sufi Zikr on 31 August 2015
Tag: dzikr
Truth is your purpose – Sufi Words of Wisdom
By Murshid Shaykh Taner Ansari
“When the problem is with you, you have to address the problem, which is you.
You have to enhance your understanding. You have to enhance your perceptions. Open your mind to different possibilities.
And we teach this. There is a way to do this. With Zikr of Allah, you do cleansing on your nafs (person/alter ego), so you will have a better eyesight and better understanding…
… so you can base your stipulation on the real truth.
As a scientist, observe the being as is.
You cannot make the truth as you want it to be. Truth is not going to suit you. That is why it is the Truth. Reality.
We have to accept the truth and base our actions on the solid foundation of the truth.
Allah has created us for this purpose.
But not by force. No forcing. No compulsion. You still volunteer and be willing to accept your duty that you are created for.”
Zikr during Ramadan is at 8 PM
Dear all,
Please note that during the Holy Month of Ramadan, our weekly Monday Zikr in Notting Hill will commence at 8 PM.
We will begin with a half an hour talk, and then we will have a short Zikr. Afterwards, we will break fast (iftar) together and pray the sunset prayer together, if you wish to join us.
Dinner will be served after the prayer. All who come in peace are welcome, whether you are fasting or not.
Zikr Time: Every Monday, 8 PM (until week ending 19 July 2015)
Zikr Venue: Essex Unitarian Church, 112 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill, W8 4RT (Nearest Station: Notting Hill Gate)
Love and Salams,
Ansari Qadiri Rifai Sufi Order of the United Kingdom
The Islamic Calendar, The Month of Sha’ban & the Holy Night, Nisfu Sha’ban (Sha’ban 14-15, 1436 / June 1-2, 2015)
A note on the Islamic Calendar
Sufis can think of the calendar as a way to observe Allah. Often when we are caught up in daily tasks and routines we consume time blindly. Special months and holy days help us to stop living automatically and pay more attention to what Allah is sharing with us all the time.
“My servants annoy Me when they complain about time, for I am time (ana ad-‐dahr); in My hand is the day and the night”. — hadith qudsi
Special days can help us contemplate the meaning of this hadith qudsi. The calendar is one means of noticing His qualities and actions in time and how they permeate everything.
The Month of Sha’ban
The month of Sha’ban (the eighth month of the Islamic Calendar) has its own special qualities. For the pre-‐Islamic Arabs, it was called the month of separation, when the tribes and clans would disperse in search of water or grasslands for their flocks.
According to our pir Abdul Qadir al-‐Geylani (may Allah sanctify his secret), the month is particularly associated with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and so is an occasion to remember him more and do more salawat.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to observe a lot of optional fast days in the first half of Sha’ban, more than any other month. In the last half of Sha’ban, he did not fast, as Ramadan is approaching.
A narrative holds that in a sermon, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “O people! Lighten and cleanse your bodies by way of fasting in Sha’ban, so that it shall be easy and helpful to you for the fast during Ramadan. Whoso fasts for three days during Sha’ban, all his past sins are wiped away.”
Holy Day & Night: Sha’ban 14-15, 1436 / June 1-2, 2015 — Nisfu Sha’ban (mid-Sha’ban)
The night when all sins are forgiven if prayed with sincerity. A blessed day to fast. Starts on Sha’ban 14 after sundown and ends at dusk on Sha-ban 15.
For this Holy Day do the following zikr:
1001 Estaughfirallah (trans: I ask for Your forgiveness)
501 Ya Gafur Ya Awf (Gafur: Forgiver, Hider of Faults or Shame; Awf: Forgiver)
Interview with the Heads of Qadiri Rifai Ansari Sufi Order – Fundamental concepts of Sufism
In a two-part video interview with the Heads of the Ansari Sufi Order, Shaykh Taner and Shaykha Muzeyyen Ansari, the Heads explain:
- fundamental concepts of Sufism
- common misconceptions of Sufism
- finding Sufism
- living Sufism
- the science behind the 99 Names of Allah
Thanks to ITV (a South African local community television broadcasting station) for uploading the interview.
Ansari Qadiri Rifai Sufi Order - UK 