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Excellence and Secrets Of The Night Vigil Volume I Picture Oil lamp ...

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Introduction<br />

Muqaddimah<br />

<strong>The</strong> night vigil has been a mystery for me until I seek the company of<br />

those on the path [tariqa] to Allah S.W.T <strong>and</strong> the seekers[murid] whose<br />

lives are devoted to the afterlife <strong>and</strong> yet having able to balance their<br />

lives with this inviting world.<br />

It was a struggle to get up before the dawn prayers, indeed, a difficult<br />

task. When our parents wake us up it seemed the pillows <strong>and</strong> comforter<br />

were very dear to us in those precious seconds. Getting up [Qiam] was<br />

not a priority then. “Just a few more minutes”, we always begged.<br />

Indeed, had we understood how precious those minutes <strong>and</strong> seconds<br />

were then, we would have jump out of the bed <strong>and</strong> run to take ablution<br />

[wudhu] as the Prophet s.a.w did when he s.a.w was awaken as Allah<br />

would rouse him to the extent He, the Exalted, wished during the night.<br />

I did not underst<strong>and</strong> all of the long recitals my father did during those<br />

wee hours of the night. But we dutifully sit <strong>and</strong> recite the verses like he<br />

did. During my youth, pursuing a circular education <strong>and</strong> the prospect of<br />

a career in aviation were more inviting <strong>and</strong> seemed more important.<br />

His advised was not to think too much of it but do as he did <strong>and</strong> Allah’s<br />

Light will eventually be evident to us.<br />

In the western concept it could have been term a mid life crisis. For<br />

reaching forty years old was a major turning point for me as more of the<br />

purposes of our <strong>Night</strong> <strong>Vigil</strong> practices became clearer to me <strong>and</strong> it<br />

became no more a chore but a regret whenever we fail to get up.<br />

LR 5 - Introduction

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