Reflections of Pearls

Book: Reflections of Pearls, the superb little book of duas which Rihla participants studied with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. The book is now a close companion of many. © White Thread Press.

One of the many blessings at the Rihla was the opportunity to be seated before our shayukh to study a text and listen to them eloquently speak. With Shaykh Hamza, we journeyed through the text Reflections of Pearls – a collection of daily dua’a, salutations upon our Nabi (صلي الله عليه و سلم), the 99 Names of Allah, and other comprehensive dua’a from the Quran and ahadeeth. I have since made this short text my close companion and can bear witness, with absolute certainty, to the barakah I have gained in my time, worship, and daily routines. Amongst my personal favorites are calling upon Allah through his 99 names, sending blessings upon Habib Allah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) in the quiet moments after Fajr and the authentic dua’a:

O Allah, I beg of You Your love and the love of those who love You and I ask of You such deeds which will bring me Your Love (Tirmidhi).

In our opening session for this class, we were reminded about the need to call upon Allah. By making dua’a, we are in fact inviting Allah to be present with us. In the words of our Lord, we are told, “I am the companion of the one who remembers Me”.

Photo: Class with Shaykh Abdallah Al-Qadi and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. © Fareena Alam. Please do not re-use without permission and proper credit.

Our Master Muhammad (صلي الله عليه و سلم) instructed us that “prayer is the weapon of the believer”. Physically articulating a prayer, however, is not enough. We must, as well, pay heed to the etiquettes of making dua’a and pray with sincerity, conviction, and concentration. Our beloved Shaykh Hamza recounted the tale of Ibrahim bin Adham from Al Basra (Iraq) and how people complained to him that despite calling on Allah, they did not receive what they asked for. He explained that it was because their hearts were dead due to the following 10 factors:

1) You know Allah (SWT), yet you do not fulfill His rights
2) You read the Qura’an, yet you do not follow it.
3) You claim to love the Prophet (Sal Allah Alayhi Wa Salaam), yet you do not act upon the sunnah.
4) You claim the devil is your enemy, yet you agree with him.
5) You claim to love Paradise, yet you do nothing to earn it.
6) You claim to hate the Fire, but you do nothing to flee from it.
7) You claim that death is real, yet you do not prepare for it.
8) You are preoccupied with the faults of others, yet you do not think of your own faults.
9) You eat the blessings of Allah, yet do not thank Him (SWT).
10) We bury the dead, yet take no lesson from it.

May we return to Allah (swt) with a sound heart and remember Him (swt) in every moment of our lives. "Truly, it is by the Remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest." [Qura'an, 13.28]

- Anonymous