25th September 2020

‘Do not drive away the blessings of your Lord through thanklessness. Your Lord is so near, closer to you than your jugular vein, but do not attempt to seek Him with the physical eye or intellectual grappling; He is far beyond this. His blessing reaches those who get to know Him. 

He knows your affairs and they are attached to the destiny decreed by Allah. Be careful of your plans in this world.  Even your best plans may lead you to destruction. Remember; He knows your affairs. Do not seek the riches of this world by searching in the dirt.  Turn to your Lord, know Him, have confidence in His decree. Give to the people. Give with knowledge that your hand is just an instrument of the mercy of Allah: you are not generous. He is generous. You do not deserve thanks. You should be grateful to Him for the abundance you have been granted which allows you to share. Keep your giving a secret between you and your Lord. Secrets are a token of trust between lovers. Trust Him and both the riches of this world and the next will be yours. Juma Mubaraka’ Shaykh Tahir

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18th September 2020

‘Listen to your heart that whispers sweetly to you and ignore the tantrums of your ego. Glory be to Allah Who is the praiseworthy; the affectionate owner of everything, the One who forms everyone before they are born, the One Who spreads out the Earth and firms the mountains. The One Who facilitates the attainment of your goals; Who knows the secrets of your heart and realizes them when it is good for you but rejects them when it is not. He knows and you do not. He is the Source of everything. His forgiveness covers all; when the raindrops of mercy fall they fall on everyone and everything, though some may feel quenched and others may shiver. He knows and you do not. You must oppose the screeching of the ego with its vain desires and hankering for temporary satisfactions. The remedy for an overbearing ego is in acceptance of divine decree and praying for your enemies; for through this you shatter the veils of jealousy, hatred and superiority and the ego will begin to wither. Seek Him in your quiet time, remember Him in the mundane and the extraordinary and you will discover your own radiance. Juma Mubaraka’ Shaykh Tahir

3rd July 2020

‘The believer is the one who relinquishes natural desires, wipes out human attributes, discards selfish motives, cultivates spiritual qualities, devotes oneself to true knowledge, does what is best in the context of eternity, wishes good for the entire community, is truly faithful to Allah, and follows the Prophet in the matters of their life. They adjust the petals of the flower for the beauty of the entire tree. Kindness in one’s words, kindness in one’s actions, and still moments for reflection in one’s day, are the tilting and gentle folding of the petals to perfect the tree of one’s soul. For beauty and perfection are not mere qualities, but ways of living. Juma Mubarak’ Shaykh Tahir

19th June 2020

‘‘O people! We have created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another.’ The whole of humanity has been created with mercy; by the Merciful. Each soul has witnessed the Eternal Light. And then we descend; and as we do we are dressed in a material self and cultural identity.  These visible identities come in varieties as beautiful as the varieties of fruit we eat and the birds that adorn the skies. They are a signpost back to the One who created us. Love one another; you are from the same Source. Do not envy one another and do not hate one another.  The Prophet taught us; We do not oppress. We do not fail each other. We do not lie and we do not hold each other in contempt. The whole of a Muslim is inviolable for another Muslim. He said; piety is right here and he pointed to his chest three times.This means your heart is your mouthpiece to Allah; do not muffle it; keep it pure by respecting and honouring His humanity then He may hear your voice more clearly when you call to Him. Juma Mubarak’ Shaykh Tahir

12th June 2020

‘Islam gave to mankind an ideal code of human rights fourteen centuries ago. These rights aim at conferring honour and dignity on mankind and eliminating exploitation, oppression and injustice. It exalts justice as a universal value through which human beings must relate to one another and forbids the oppression of all people. Human rights in Islam are firmly rooted in the belief that Allah, and Allah alone, is the law giver and the source of all human rights. Due to their Divine origin, no ruler, government, assembly or authority can curtail or violate in any way the human rights conferred by Allah, nor can they be surrendered. However be careful and recognise; injustice cannot be corrected by further injustice but by justice. Wrongs must be righted. So deal equally with all and stand with the oppressed. Stop the hand of the oppressor not with a sword of rage, but by a shield of peace. Seek refuge and fulfilment in Allah, not under the oppressor’s wing. Juma Mubarak.’ Shaykh Tahir

29th May 2020

‘Every contraction is naturally followed by an expansion; every time you feel your heart shrivel, be confident that it will blossom in turn.The state of emancipation toward which you are journeying can be described as your freedom from the fear of loss. It is understood that life flows to you from an unstinting source of grace that will never lessen its giving to you as long as you are open to receiving. The people and items that are so precious to you are embodiments of qualities, and these qualities are derived from this beneficent source. What you are so afraid of losing are qualities that you have invested in the particular forms you are attached to. You have confused these qualities with the forms you have discovered them in. Their beauty is like the beauty of sunlight that falls upon the land: a pleasant glow is cast, but the true source is distant.You can never isolate yourself completely; you are always connected to everything around you.When you walk patiently through this troubled world, you will find that the pleasures of the minor details are made abundantly more beautiful when you view them through the grand scheme of this world. Surrounding us are reminders of Allah’s Grace, Allah’s Majesty. Juma Mubarak’ Shaykh Tahir

5th June 2020

‘Today reward for your patience in the face of hardship is more than what you have lost.  Know that gratefulness, true gratefulness, is the vehicle by which you will discover patience and rise above fear and attachment to the world.Purify your soul from doubt.This world is a place of preparation where one is given many lessons and passes many tests. What is lamentable is how you interact in the world when you become blind to truth and totally consumed by your desires, lust, greed and ambition for it. The period of waiting patiently for the release of suffering is an act of worship. When you are patient with that which you do not like it is only then you can obtain what you love. Juma Mubarak’ Shaykh Tahir

22nd May 2020

‘The sun is setting on the sky of Ramadan, and will rise with the dawn of Shawwal. As we near the end of this blessed month,   we reflect on the changes it has brought. The heart has cried for Allah’s mercy, forgiveness; desirous of salvation when The Hour comes. Day and night you have contemplated; when will the sun rise again and see the world living in tranquility? Put your worries to sleep, do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking. From the darkest of days and nights, you wake up to see the dawn rise, giving birth to a new day bringing happiness and joy bathed in the Eternal Light of the Almighty. Juma Mubarak‘ Shaykh Tahir.

15th May 2020

‘Death is inevitable. The old and the young; the wealthy and the poor; the faithful and the disbeliever. How do you greet death? Do you cower from it, lamenting of all that might have been? Or do you rise to meet it, readily embracing nearness with your Lord?Do not linger on the material. These bodies are but vessels, this world is a temporary abode. When you depart, the only possessions you carry are your deeds. When those you cherish depart, salute them as they leave us, with the knowledge that the sufferings of this world will touch them no more. Remember them as they rest in their graves, awaiting reunion with our Lord. Remember them with a smile, and wipe away your tears. To Him we belong and to Him we shall return. Juma Mubarak’ Shaykh Tahir

8th May 2020

‘We are all born with a “knowing pain in the soul,” which makes us seek elation. That need for happiness leads us in pursuit of worldly desires. But those are just diversions from the Greatest Giver of Joy.  Happiness, true happiness, will become possible with the realisation that our hearts were once perfect, but now hold a cavity that the pleasures of this world cannot fill. That ache, the pain that burdens our souls, will only be healed when we move closer to our Lord. It is He who our souls yearn for.  When you are in spiritual solidarity with your Lord, and distance yourself from the worldly, then do you come to know and heal your soul. Then do you embrace Him. His light nurtures us. It draws us forth from the darkness we inhabit without Him. With His guidance, we rise and greet the dawn. With His guidance, we find peace. Juma Mubarak’ Shaykh Tahir