Morden Islamic centre have held a series of lectures on the ‘’Building Blocks of Life’’. These are notes that I have taken during the sessions and Insha'Allah this will be a great benefit to you. The notes below are my own notes and may not represent the views of the speaker.
Tuesday 12th January 2010
The aim of this session was to receive guidance on how to seek knowledge.
There are drops of water on a small rock causing erosion and this is how a hole is formed. The rock represents the heart and the water represents knowledge. As hard as the rock may be, the water can still penetrate.
STEP ONE:
Purify your intention by seeking knowledge from Allah.
A sincere seeker of knowledge, however, receives great blessings from Allah (azawjal). Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah’s Apostle (SAW) said, “He who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah will make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him and those persons who assemble in one of the houses (mosques) of Allah, recite the Book of Allah and learn and teach the Qur’an (among themselves). There will descend upon them tranquillity, mercy will cover them, the angels will surround them and Allah will mention them in the presence of those near Him. (Sahih Muslim: Book 34, #6518).
This intention can be a hidden form of worship and you are able to seek Allah (azawajal)’s pleasure from every act.
Dedicate worship to Allah alone otherwise it become s a form of bid’ah (innovation) and a source of despair.
Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): “…Then there will be brought forward a man who acquired knowledge and imparted it (to others) and recited the Qur’an. He will be brought, Allah will make him recount his blessings and he will recount them (and admit having enjoyed them in his lifetime). Then Allah will ask: What did you do (to requite these blessings)? He will say” I acquired knowledge and disseminated it and recited the Qur’an, seeking Thy pleasure. Allah will say: You have told a lie. You acquired knowledge so that you might be called “a scholar”, and you recited the Qur’an so that it might be said: “He is a Qari” and such has been said. Then orders will be passed against him and he shall be dragged with his face downward and cast into the Fire…” (Sahih Muslim: Book 19, #4688)
Students of knowledge do not seek leadership when seeking knowledge, purify yourself otherwise you will be pushed off the straight path. We’re asking Allah (swt) to guide us to the path of righteousness as mentioned in Surah Fathiha, verse 5.
“Guide us to the straight path” [1:5]
STEP TWO:
Listen and Listen carefully. The emphasis of listening and silence for hearing and understanding. We have been given two ears and one mouth; therefore you must reduce your speaking.
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say what is good or remain silent.” (Bukhari)
Example of the best students:
Special students are not the cleverest students but they are chosen because of their behaviour towards their teacher. The teacher then gives them extra lessons and teaches them extra points. To be one of the best students acquire etiquette.
The clever student’s attitude is ‘I’m a smart ass’; these students talk too much and listen less.
STEP THREE:
Understanding and practicing the hadith leads to memorisation
If you want to remember the hadith, then act upon the hadith because most people forget that knowledge needs to be attained with action.
It’s important that you take benefit of youth when the mind is fresh and seek company of those who seek knowledge themselves.
The Prophet (saws) gave an excellent example explaining the consequences of keeping company of both good and evil people. He (saws) said:
“The example of a righteous and evil companion is like one who carries perfume and another who is a blacksmith. As for the one who carries perfume, he will either give you some perfume, you might buy some, or (at least) you will find a pleasing scent with him. As for the blacksmith, either he [the blacksmith] will burn his clothes, or he will find a hideous odour from him.”
[Sahih-Bukhari]
It’s imperative that the student must avoid gossip and avoid argument. The student must be patient with the teachers, even when the teachers are harsh and bitter. Patience allows the student to have good reasoning and helps the student to adopt etiquette in asking questions.
The worst etiquettes of a student are to test the knowledge of the teacher and create competition between the teachers about knowledge.
STEP FOUR:
Seek knowledge in stages.
When learning hadith about a particular topic, make sure you learn one by one in A-Z order before moving onto the next topic.
Basic advice:
Learn a Qur’anic verse one at a time and learn a hadith one at a time because you can’t gain knowledge all at once but it takes days and nights.
Always be aware of the knowledge that is essential first e.g.
(i) What is halal and haram
(ii) Principles of tafsir
(iii) Tool to require fiqh
A recommended website for more information: http://www.islam21c.com/
Sunday 31 January 2010
Sunday 17 January 2010
How to Taste the Sweetness of Prayer
By Jinan Bastaki
The Salah Series: Part I
In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
All praise and thanks be to God, and may peace and blessings be upon the most noble of Prophets and Messengers.
A while ago, a show aired in Arabic called ”كيف تتلذذ بالصلاة؟” which means “How can you taste the sweetness of prayer?” by a young Kuwaiti da’iya named Mishary Al-Kharaz. For many of us, our khushoo’ in our prayer fluctuates. What is khushoo’? It is a state of mind that contains serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility during prayer, which springs from one’s heart standing in front of Allah in humility and submission. Sometimes in prayer we have so much devotion and can feel every word; yet at other times it’s all about the ritual movements and nothing more. Insha’Allah (God willing), I will try to summarize the main points of this show every week.
The Story of the Ansari and the Muhajir
In the sunan of Abu Dawud, it is narrated with a hasan (good) chain that in one of the battles, the Prophet ﷺ appointed two guards, one from the Muhajiroon and one from the Ansar. At one point, the Ansari got up to pray while the man from the Muhajiroon reclined in order to have a nap. A man from the mushrikeen (disbelievers) who was close by saw this, and fired a small arrow at the Ansari who was praying. It hit him, but the Ansari, with some difficulty, removed the arrow and continued praying as the blood seeped from him. The mushrik, upon seeing this, fired another arrow. The Ansari was able to remove it also and continued praying. However, the Ansari could not stand the pain of the third arrow and fell into rukoo’ (bowing) and sujood (prostration), and this is when the man of the Muhajiroon woke up, seeing his friend seeping with blood. Upon seeing this, the mushrik fled. “SubhanAllah! (Glory be to Allah!) Why didn’t you alert me when he first hit you?!” the Muhajir exclaimed. The reply of the Ansari was, “I was reciting a surah (chapter of the Qur’an) that I love, and I did not like to cut it off.” Allahu Akbar (Allah is great!) Imagine this person’s state in the salah (prayer).
The Sweetness of Prayer
The prayer is one of the most beautiful acts of worship. When one does his tasleem* to end the prayer, there is a certain sense of serenity. Ibn Al-Jawzi said about the prayer:
إنا في روضة طعامنا فيها الخشوع و شرابنا فيها الدموع
“We are in a garden, where our food is khushoo’ (devotion), and our drink is the tears that flow.”
For a person who has true devotion in his salah, his soul is not even with him; as Ibn Taymiyya said, his soul is actually circling the Throne of Allah.
One could say that those were the people of old. No one feels this way anymore. But this isn’t true; one only has to realize the importance of prayer, and unlock the secrets of khushoo’ to taste this unique sweetness. Then the prayer becomes your refuge; the remover of your distress; something that you look forward to; and something that you wish would never end.
Let us begin to unlock these secrets and truly connect to our Lord when we pray.
Step One
The first step is that we have to change our understanding of khushoo’. Having khushoo’ doesn’t just mean that you are concentrating and you are not distracted. Having a present heart is only the first level of khushoo’. It is as though you have just entered through the door, and now you have the whole house to explore. There are depths and depths to khushoo’.
Some may say that having a present heart is hard enough. Before coming to the prayer, we need to put it into perspective. Say we spend ten minutes in each prayer. That equals fifty minutes a day, so not even one hour. The rest of the twenty-three hours are for our dunya (this world). Can we give these fifty minutes solely for Allah, or do we have to turn them into dunya as well?
Think of this before you start your prayer, so that your nafs (self) doesn’t tell you that it is too hard to concentrate—because you can do it. Remember that the sweetness of being in front of Allah far supersedes the sweetness of whatever dunya distracts you.
Greater Depth
There is a greater depth, and that is understanding. Truly understanding what you are reciting, and contemplating it. On the show, Mishary Al-Kharaz stated: “Let me introduce you to one of your biggest competitors in the salah.” Do you know who he introduced?
One of the pillars in the masjid. Yes, the actual physical pillar. Any pillar, whether you are at home, work, or the masjid, is your competition. Why?
Because if you stand in prayer, it stands longer. When you are in your sujood, it is in sujood longer. You do your tasbeeh, it does its tasbeeh for longer. How? Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَكِنْ لَا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ
“…And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of ] exalting,” (Qur’an, 17:44).
And:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ وَٱلنُّجُومُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ وَٱلدَّوَآبُّ وَكَثِيرٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْعَذَابُ
“Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people? But upon many the punishment has been justified.” (Qur’an, 22:18).
“But I read the Qur’an!” we say. You are not the only one that reads Qur’an.
Yet, if you ask the pillar, or the parrot, what they understood, they would not be able to respond. So we need to ask ourselves—are we any better? What does it mean when we say “sami’a Allahu liman hamida“? What about the tahiyyat*? Not the generic meaning, but the specific meaning. Insha’Allah throughout this series we will understand these meanings so that we can attain this level of khushoo’.
One last thing…
Do not say, “But I can’t!” How can Allah ask you to have khushoo’ in salah and then make it impossible for you? Even if Arabic isn’t your first language—did Allah not know that Islam would spread far and wide? A’udhubillah (I seek refuge in Allah) from any such thought.
So remember that you can. Strive, and you will achieve it insha’Allah (Allah willing).
Remember that Allah is Generous, more Generous than we can even imagine. If you take one step towards Him, He is the One that comes to you at speed. Allah says:
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَمَعَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
“And those who strive for Us— We will surely guide them to Our ways.” (Qur’an, 29:69).
So bismillah (in the name of Allah), and insha’Allah let us pray that by the end of it, we all have much more khushoo’ than we used to.
—
*“Tasleem” is saying “assalamu alaykum wa rahtmatullah” (may peace and mercy be upon you) signifying the end of the prayer.
*“Tahiyyat” are the salutations which we say after the two prostrations in the second and last rak`ah.
The Salah Series: Part I
In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
All praise and thanks be to God, and may peace and blessings be upon the most noble of Prophets and Messengers.
A while ago, a show aired in Arabic called ”كيف تتلذذ بالصلاة؟” which means “How can you taste the sweetness of prayer?” by a young Kuwaiti da’iya named Mishary Al-Kharaz. For many of us, our khushoo’ in our prayer fluctuates. What is khushoo’? It is a state of mind that contains serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility during prayer, which springs from one’s heart standing in front of Allah in humility and submission. Sometimes in prayer we have so much devotion and can feel every word; yet at other times it’s all about the ritual movements and nothing more. Insha’Allah (God willing), I will try to summarize the main points of this show every week.
The Story of the Ansari and the Muhajir
In the sunan of Abu Dawud, it is narrated with a hasan (good) chain that in one of the battles, the Prophet ﷺ appointed two guards, one from the Muhajiroon and one from the Ansar. At one point, the Ansari got up to pray while the man from the Muhajiroon reclined in order to have a nap. A man from the mushrikeen (disbelievers) who was close by saw this, and fired a small arrow at the Ansari who was praying. It hit him, but the Ansari, with some difficulty, removed the arrow and continued praying as the blood seeped from him. The mushrik, upon seeing this, fired another arrow. The Ansari was able to remove it also and continued praying. However, the Ansari could not stand the pain of the third arrow and fell into rukoo’ (bowing) and sujood (prostration), and this is when the man of the Muhajiroon woke up, seeing his friend seeping with blood. Upon seeing this, the mushrik fled. “SubhanAllah! (Glory be to Allah!) Why didn’t you alert me when he first hit you?!” the Muhajir exclaimed. The reply of the Ansari was, “I was reciting a surah (chapter of the Qur’an) that I love, and I did not like to cut it off.” Allahu Akbar (Allah is great!) Imagine this person’s state in the salah (prayer).
The Sweetness of Prayer
The prayer is one of the most beautiful acts of worship. When one does his tasleem* to end the prayer, there is a certain sense of serenity. Ibn Al-Jawzi said about the prayer:
إنا في روضة طعامنا فيها الخشوع و شرابنا فيها الدموع
“We are in a garden, where our food is khushoo’ (devotion), and our drink is the tears that flow.”
For a person who has true devotion in his salah, his soul is not even with him; as Ibn Taymiyya said, his soul is actually circling the Throne of Allah.
One could say that those were the people of old. No one feels this way anymore. But this isn’t true; one only has to realize the importance of prayer, and unlock the secrets of khushoo’ to taste this unique sweetness. Then the prayer becomes your refuge; the remover of your distress; something that you look forward to; and something that you wish would never end.
Let us begin to unlock these secrets and truly connect to our Lord when we pray.
Step One
The first step is that we have to change our understanding of khushoo’. Having khushoo’ doesn’t just mean that you are concentrating and you are not distracted. Having a present heart is only the first level of khushoo’. It is as though you have just entered through the door, and now you have the whole house to explore. There are depths and depths to khushoo’.
Some may say that having a present heart is hard enough. Before coming to the prayer, we need to put it into perspective. Say we spend ten minutes in each prayer. That equals fifty minutes a day, so not even one hour. The rest of the twenty-three hours are for our dunya (this world). Can we give these fifty minutes solely for Allah, or do we have to turn them into dunya as well?
Think of this before you start your prayer, so that your nafs (self) doesn’t tell you that it is too hard to concentrate—because you can do it. Remember that the sweetness of being in front of Allah far supersedes the sweetness of whatever dunya distracts you.
Greater Depth
There is a greater depth, and that is understanding. Truly understanding what you are reciting, and contemplating it. On the show, Mishary Al-Kharaz stated: “Let me introduce you to one of your biggest competitors in the salah.” Do you know who he introduced?
One of the pillars in the masjid. Yes, the actual physical pillar. Any pillar, whether you are at home, work, or the masjid, is your competition. Why?
Because if you stand in prayer, it stands longer. When you are in your sujood, it is in sujood longer. You do your tasbeeh, it does its tasbeeh for longer. How? Allah says in the Qur’an:
وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَكِنْ لَا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ
“…And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of ] exalting,” (Qur’an, 17:44).
And:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ وَٱلنُّجُومُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ وَٱلدَّوَآبُّ وَكَثِيرٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْعَذَابُ
“Do you not see that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the moving creatures and many of the people? But upon many the punishment has been justified.” (Qur’an, 22:18).
“But I read the Qur’an!” we say. You are not the only one that reads Qur’an.
Yet, if you ask the pillar, or the parrot, what they understood, they would not be able to respond. So we need to ask ourselves—are we any better? What does it mean when we say “sami’a Allahu liman hamida“? What about the tahiyyat*? Not the generic meaning, but the specific meaning. Insha’Allah throughout this series we will understand these meanings so that we can attain this level of khushoo’.
One last thing…
Do not say, “But I can’t!” How can Allah ask you to have khushoo’ in salah and then make it impossible for you? Even if Arabic isn’t your first language—did Allah not know that Islam would spread far and wide? A’udhubillah (I seek refuge in Allah) from any such thought.
So remember that you can. Strive, and you will achieve it insha’Allah (Allah willing).
Remember that Allah is Generous, more Generous than we can even imagine. If you take one step towards Him, He is the One that comes to you at speed. Allah says:
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَٰهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَمَعَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
“And those who strive for Us— We will surely guide them to Our ways.” (Qur’an, 29:69).
So bismillah (in the name of Allah), and insha’Allah let us pray that by the end of it, we all have much more khushoo’ than we used to.
—
*“Tasleem” is saying “assalamu alaykum wa rahtmatullah” (may peace and mercy be upon you) signifying the end of the prayer.
*“Tahiyyat” are the salutations which we say after the two prostrations in the second and last rak`ah.
Sunday 10 January 2010
The Soul
1. NAFS AL-MUTAMAINNA - the Satisfied Soul.
'O you satisfied soul. Return to your Lord pleased with yourself and pleasing to Him. Enter among My servants. And enter My paradise.'
[Sūrāh Al-Fajr - 89:v.27-30]
2. NAFS AL AMMARA BIS SU' - the soul that dictates evil.
'And I do not free myself from blame. Indeed the human self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy [upon whom He wills]. Indeed my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.' [Sūrāh Yusuf: v.53]
3. NAFS AL LAWWAMA - the Self-reproaching soul.
'I do call to witness the Resurrection Day. And I do call to witness the self-reproaching Soul.' [Sūrāh Al-Qiyamah v.1-2]
The noblest of the souls is the satisfied soul, which at its last moments on earth will receive the glad news from its lord of 'Enter among My servants and enter into my Paradise.' In contrast is the soul which inspires evil and disobedience. And between these two extreme states is the self-reproaching soul which checks its actions and blames itself when it commits evil. Most souls hover between these different states depending on the person's faith and actions.
1. Nafs Mutmainna
The Qur'ān explains how one can achieve the noble state of the satisfied soul.
'Indeed, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.' [Sūrāh Al-Ra'd 12:v.28]
The Qur'ān is the voice of Al-Rahman just as music is the voice of Satan. If the evil-inspiring soul finds solace in music, dance and its paraphernalia, the satisfied soul finds its peace and consolation in the Qur'ān, prayer and the company of the righteous. The satisfied soul has such a deep conviction in Allāh and the Last Day that never is it upset by the sorrows or demands of this world.
During his return from a Jihād expedition, the Prophet [saw] once sat down to rest under the shade of a tree far from his devout companions. A Makkan called Chawrath bin Al-Harith saw his golden chance and came forward with his sword drawn: 'O Muhammad. Who is going to save you from me now?' Calm and un-fearing, the Prophet [saw] stood tall and replied simply, 'Allāh!' The man was surprised into confusion by this simple answer and unconsciously dropped his sword. The Prophet [saw] immediately picked up the sword and asked, 'Tell me who will save you now?' The man quietly answered, 'There is no god worthy of worship but Allāh.'
Illness, financial worries, loss of property or death of dear ones do not cause the satisfied soul to wail, curse or lament. Whenever it faces any problems it simply say, 'To Allāh we belong and to Him we shall return' and faces the misfortune with patience and trust in its Lord. Such are the souls described in the Qur'ān;
'Be sure, 'We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, some loss of goods or lives or fruits of your toils. But give glad tidings to those who are patient. Those who say, when afflicted by calamity: 'To Allāh we belong and to Him we shall return.' [Sūrāh Al-Baqarah 2:v.155-156]
The satisfied soul believes that all happiness and sorrow is by the decree of Allāh. It therefore feels no need to lament at misfortunes or to boast at success.
'No misfortune can happen on earth or to your soul but it is written in a decree before We bring it into existence. That is truly easy for Allāh. In order that you may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult in favors bestowed upon you, for Allāh loves not the vain boasters.' [Sūrāh Al-Hadid 57:v.22-23]
No worldly anxieties upset the satisfied soul. If it fails to acquire something for which it has struggled for many years, it will accept its destiny and remember the following words of the Prophet of Allāh [saw]:
'What has reached you was never meant to escape you and what has escaped you was never meant to reach you.' [Muwadih by Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdadi]
The satisfied soul seeks its nourishment in Dhikr [the remembrance of Allāh], prayer, fasting, Zakāt and Hajj. It relies heavily for support on the branches of faith, the highest of which is to say and believe in 'There is no god worthy of worship except Allāh and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh,' and the lowliest of which is to remove an obstacle from the path. Angels are present to strengthen this soul and to bless and greet it when it departs this material life, when it is resurrected and when it is admitted into the gardens of paradise. Their greeting to it is the greeting of a Muslim to his fellow Muslim: 'Peace be unto you'
'And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Paradise in crowds; until they arrive there, its gates are opened and its keepers will say: 'Peace be upon you! Well have you done. Enter here and dwell forever.' [Sūrāh Az-Zumar 39;v.73]
2. Nafs ammara bis su'
In contrast this soul which earns the company of satan because it ignores the remembrance of Allāh.
'The one who withdraws himself from the remembrance of the Merciful,
We appoint for him a satan to be a companion to him.' [Sūrāh Az-Zukhruf 43; v.36]
Satan's cohorts and tunes surround the evil soul day and night. It drives from one satanic act to other. You will see it lying and cheating, wasting time on leisure and sports, frequenting cinemas and concerts, listening to music and dancing.
As one contemporary writer said,
'The godless society's motto is 'work and play', while the motto of the god-conscious society is, 'work and pray!'
3. Nafs Lawwama
The self-reproaching soul succumbs to evil inspirations but then regrets its actions and reproaches itself for being weak and vulnerable. These feelings of remorse cause it to turn back to Allāh, to repent sincerely, and to receive spiritual solace. It is better for each Nafs to blame itself whenever it commits a wrong. If not, it will find itself being blamed from all those around it. Consider how the self-reproaching soul is mentioned with the Day of Resurrection in the Qur'ān.
'I do call to witness the Resurrection Day. And I do call to witness the self-reproaching soul.' [Sūrāh Al-Qiyamah v.1-2]
There is a common factor between these two entities, which is that both are courts of justice. The Nafs Al-Lawwama is an inner court of justice within each person; when he acts wrongfully. His conscience or soul reprimands him, and it is then up to him to pay heed to it or to ignore it. Besides placing an inner court of justice within each person, the Creator has also prepared a larger Court which will operate on the Final Day and will mete out justice to all of mankind.
Consequences of Iman
A student studies hard for his final examinations, researching in libraries, practicing past papers and revising his notes because he wants a university degree which will help advance his career.
A businessman invests much of his time, energy and money into a commercial venture in the hope of large profits in the future.
A farmer ploughs his land, sows it, waters it and tends it regularly in the hope of a good harvest.
They all know that success does not come down on a plate but has to be achieved through hard work. Man does certain things in life for certain results, and he avoids other acts because of their consequences. An adult will not put his hand into a naked flame because he knows that fire burns, but a child will do so as he is unaware of the consequences. The most important Belief and Knowledge that should dictate our actions is that Allāh Almighty exists, that He is the Creator and Provider, and that none can benefit nor harm us except with His permission. If a person's Iman [faith] in Allāh is firm and unyielding, he will be able to direct all his worship and obedience to Allah and will feel no fear of false deities or worldly powers.
Consider the encounter of Pharaoh's court magicians with Prophet Musa as described in the Qur'ān. Before meeting the Prophet, they pleaded with Pharaoh for a substantial reward were they to defeat Musa in a duel using magic.
'So the sorcerers came to Pharaoh and said, 'Of course we shall have a suitable reward if we win.' [Sūrāh Al-A'rāf v.113]
Pharaoh accepted their plea and promised them not only a reward but also positions at court. When the encounter with Mūsa began, the magicians realized quickly that while their own display was simple magic, Mūsa's display was extraordinary and much more than any human could conjure up. So overawed were they by Mūsa's miracles that they all fell down in sajda [prostration] saying,
'We believe in the Lord of the Worlds. The Lord of Mūsa and Harūn,' [Sūrāh Tā Hā v.70]
Pharaoh was stunned by their declaration of faith in Allāh and shouted:
'Have you believed in Him before I gave you permission? Be sure, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and then I will crucify you on trunks of palm trees. So shall you know which of us can give the more severe and lasting punishment.' [Sūrāh Tā Hā v.71]
These threats did not frighten the magicians. These men who had just been begging Pharaoh for more gold coins now became so fearless because of their faith in Allāh that they answered him back easily.
'Never shall we prefer you over the Clear Signs that have come to us and Him who has created us. So decree whatever you wish to decree. For you can only decree concerning the matters of this world. We have believed in our Lord; may He forgive us our faults and the magic to which you did compel us, for Allāh is the Best and forever abiding.' [Sūrāh Tā Hā v.72-73]
What You Sow you will Reap.
The man who believes that there is no afterlife and that he will not be accountable in a divine court becomes a slave of this world. He hankers after its comforts and luxuries, and will break any laws that stand between him and success. In his desperate quest for more wealth, he will refuse to differentiate between halāl and harām. The tyrants and criminals of this world operate in the same manner. If to achieve their goals requires murder and violence, then so be it. The Bosnian Serbs were among the twentieth century's worst examples of barbarity and tyranny; led by a pathological lust for more land, their evil knew no bounds.
In contrast is the man who believes in Allāh and in the questioning of the Last Day. He fears his Creator's wrath and desires his Lord's favors. Certainty of belief in paradise and hell guides his entire life, not just the moments spent in prayer. To him this world is merely a short journey, the destination of which is the Hereafter. Thus he directs most of his efforts towards earning Paradise and devotes only part of his time to earning his bread in this world. He is constantly aware of his divine mission to call the misguided people around him to Islām and so he buries himself in da'wah work.
Belief in the Hereafter is the catalyst which stimulates the souls seeking a better future and its importance has been emphasized in the Qur'ān repeatedly. The true believers have been described as those who have firm faith in the Hereafter, because that will be the true life.
'What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But indeed the home of the Hereafter is the true Life, if only they knew.' [Sūrāh Al-Ankabut v.64]
The Ultimate Success is not in amassing fortunes, being famous or having a fantastic career, but success is in escaping the fires of hell.
'Every soul shall taste death, and only on the Day of Judgment will you receive your full recompense. The one who is saved from the Fire and admitted into Paradise will have attained success, for the life of the world is nothing but the goods of deception.' [Sūrāh Aal Imrān v.185]
The Messenger of Allāh declared that wise is the man who reminds himself constantly of the accountability on the Day of Resurrection and so works hard for the life succeeding death. And stupid is the man whose only concerns are the transient desires and comforts of this life.
The Prophet [saw] also described this world as a farm for the 'Akhira.' [Hereafter]. Whatever you sow in this world, you shall reap in the Hereafter. In order that people may not become complacent that the Day of Judgment is far away in the distant future, he advised each person to remember that his Judgment will begin on the day he dies.
by ANONMYOUS
'O you satisfied soul. Return to your Lord pleased with yourself and pleasing to Him. Enter among My servants. And enter My paradise.'
[Sūrāh Al-Fajr - 89:v.27-30]
2. NAFS AL AMMARA BIS SU' - the soul that dictates evil.
'And I do not free myself from blame. Indeed the human self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy [upon whom He wills]. Indeed my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.' [Sūrāh Yusuf: v.53]
3. NAFS AL LAWWAMA - the Self-reproaching soul.
'I do call to witness the Resurrection Day. And I do call to witness the self-reproaching Soul.' [Sūrāh Al-Qiyamah v.1-2]
The noblest of the souls is the satisfied soul, which at its last moments on earth will receive the glad news from its lord of 'Enter among My servants and enter into my Paradise.' In contrast is the soul which inspires evil and disobedience. And between these two extreme states is the self-reproaching soul which checks its actions and blames itself when it commits evil. Most souls hover between these different states depending on the person's faith and actions.
1. Nafs Mutmainna
The Qur'ān explains how one can achieve the noble state of the satisfied soul.
'Indeed, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.' [Sūrāh Al-Ra'd 12:v.28]
The Qur'ān is the voice of Al-Rahman just as music is the voice of Satan. If the evil-inspiring soul finds solace in music, dance and its paraphernalia, the satisfied soul finds its peace and consolation in the Qur'ān, prayer and the company of the righteous. The satisfied soul has such a deep conviction in Allāh and the Last Day that never is it upset by the sorrows or demands of this world.
During his return from a Jihād expedition, the Prophet [saw] once sat down to rest under the shade of a tree far from his devout companions. A Makkan called Chawrath bin Al-Harith saw his golden chance and came forward with his sword drawn: 'O Muhammad. Who is going to save you from me now?' Calm and un-fearing, the Prophet [saw] stood tall and replied simply, 'Allāh!' The man was surprised into confusion by this simple answer and unconsciously dropped his sword. The Prophet [saw] immediately picked up the sword and asked, 'Tell me who will save you now?' The man quietly answered, 'There is no god worthy of worship but Allāh.'
Illness, financial worries, loss of property or death of dear ones do not cause the satisfied soul to wail, curse or lament. Whenever it faces any problems it simply say, 'To Allāh we belong and to Him we shall return' and faces the misfortune with patience and trust in its Lord. Such are the souls described in the Qur'ān;
'Be sure, 'We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, some loss of goods or lives or fruits of your toils. But give glad tidings to those who are patient. Those who say, when afflicted by calamity: 'To Allāh we belong and to Him we shall return.' [Sūrāh Al-Baqarah 2:v.155-156]
The satisfied soul believes that all happiness and sorrow is by the decree of Allāh. It therefore feels no need to lament at misfortunes or to boast at success.
'No misfortune can happen on earth or to your soul but it is written in a decree before We bring it into existence. That is truly easy for Allāh. In order that you may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult in favors bestowed upon you, for Allāh loves not the vain boasters.' [Sūrāh Al-Hadid 57:v.22-23]
No worldly anxieties upset the satisfied soul. If it fails to acquire something for which it has struggled for many years, it will accept its destiny and remember the following words of the Prophet of Allāh [saw]:
'What has reached you was never meant to escape you and what has escaped you was never meant to reach you.' [Muwadih by Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdadi]
The satisfied soul seeks its nourishment in Dhikr [the remembrance of Allāh], prayer, fasting, Zakāt and Hajj. It relies heavily for support on the branches of faith, the highest of which is to say and believe in 'There is no god worthy of worship except Allāh and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh,' and the lowliest of which is to remove an obstacle from the path. Angels are present to strengthen this soul and to bless and greet it when it departs this material life, when it is resurrected and when it is admitted into the gardens of paradise. Their greeting to it is the greeting of a Muslim to his fellow Muslim: 'Peace be unto you'
'And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Paradise in crowds; until they arrive there, its gates are opened and its keepers will say: 'Peace be upon you! Well have you done. Enter here and dwell forever.' [Sūrāh Az-Zumar 39;v.73]
2. Nafs ammara bis su'
In contrast this soul which earns the company of satan because it ignores the remembrance of Allāh.
'The one who withdraws himself from the remembrance of the Merciful,
We appoint for him a satan to be a companion to him.' [Sūrāh Az-Zukhruf 43; v.36]
Satan's cohorts and tunes surround the evil soul day and night. It drives from one satanic act to other. You will see it lying and cheating, wasting time on leisure and sports, frequenting cinemas and concerts, listening to music and dancing.
As one contemporary writer said,
'The godless society's motto is 'work and play', while the motto of the god-conscious society is, 'work and pray!'
3. Nafs Lawwama
The self-reproaching soul succumbs to evil inspirations but then regrets its actions and reproaches itself for being weak and vulnerable. These feelings of remorse cause it to turn back to Allāh, to repent sincerely, and to receive spiritual solace. It is better for each Nafs to blame itself whenever it commits a wrong. If not, it will find itself being blamed from all those around it. Consider how the self-reproaching soul is mentioned with the Day of Resurrection in the Qur'ān.
'I do call to witness the Resurrection Day. And I do call to witness the self-reproaching soul.' [Sūrāh Al-Qiyamah v.1-2]
There is a common factor between these two entities, which is that both are courts of justice. The Nafs Al-Lawwama is an inner court of justice within each person; when he acts wrongfully. His conscience or soul reprimands him, and it is then up to him to pay heed to it or to ignore it. Besides placing an inner court of justice within each person, the Creator has also prepared a larger Court which will operate on the Final Day and will mete out justice to all of mankind.
Consequences of Iman
A student studies hard for his final examinations, researching in libraries, practicing past papers and revising his notes because he wants a university degree which will help advance his career.
A businessman invests much of his time, energy and money into a commercial venture in the hope of large profits in the future.
A farmer ploughs his land, sows it, waters it and tends it regularly in the hope of a good harvest.
They all know that success does not come down on a plate but has to be achieved through hard work. Man does certain things in life for certain results, and he avoids other acts because of their consequences. An adult will not put his hand into a naked flame because he knows that fire burns, but a child will do so as he is unaware of the consequences. The most important Belief and Knowledge that should dictate our actions is that Allāh Almighty exists, that He is the Creator and Provider, and that none can benefit nor harm us except with His permission. If a person's Iman [faith] in Allāh is firm and unyielding, he will be able to direct all his worship and obedience to Allah and will feel no fear of false deities or worldly powers.
Consider the encounter of Pharaoh's court magicians with Prophet Musa as described in the Qur'ān. Before meeting the Prophet, they pleaded with Pharaoh for a substantial reward were they to defeat Musa in a duel using magic.
'So the sorcerers came to Pharaoh and said, 'Of course we shall have a suitable reward if we win.' [Sūrāh Al-A'rāf v.113]
Pharaoh accepted their plea and promised them not only a reward but also positions at court. When the encounter with Mūsa began, the magicians realized quickly that while their own display was simple magic, Mūsa's display was extraordinary and much more than any human could conjure up. So overawed were they by Mūsa's miracles that they all fell down in sajda [prostration] saying,
'We believe in the Lord of the Worlds. The Lord of Mūsa and Harūn,' [Sūrāh Tā Hā v.70]
Pharaoh was stunned by their declaration of faith in Allāh and shouted:
'Have you believed in Him before I gave you permission? Be sure, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and then I will crucify you on trunks of palm trees. So shall you know which of us can give the more severe and lasting punishment.' [Sūrāh Tā Hā v.71]
These threats did not frighten the magicians. These men who had just been begging Pharaoh for more gold coins now became so fearless because of their faith in Allāh that they answered him back easily.
'Never shall we prefer you over the Clear Signs that have come to us and Him who has created us. So decree whatever you wish to decree. For you can only decree concerning the matters of this world. We have believed in our Lord; may He forgive us our faults and the magic to which you did compel us, for Allāh is the Best and forever abiding.' [Sūrāh Tā Hā v.72-73]
What You Sow you will Reap.
The man who believes that there is no afterlife and that he will not be accountable in a divine court becomes a slave of this world. He hankers after its comforts and luxuries, and will break any laws that stand between him and success. In his desperate quest for more wealth, he will refuse to differentiate between halāl and harām. The tyrants and criminals of this world operate in the same manner. If to achieve their goals requires murder and violence, then so be it. The Bosnian Serbs were among the twentieth century's worst examples of barbarity and tyranny; led by a pathological lust for more land, their evil knew no bounds.
In contrast is the man who believes in Allāh and in the questioning of the Last Day. He fears his Creator's wrath and desires his Lord's favors. Certainty of belief in paradise and hell guides his entire life, not just the moments spent in prayer. To him this world is merely a short journey, the destination of which is the Hereafter. Thus he directs most of his efforts towards earning Paradise and devotes only part of his time to earning his bread in this world. He is constantly aware of his divine mission to call the misguided people around him to Islām and so he buries himself in da'wah work.
Belief in the Hereafter is the catalyst which stimulates the souls seeking a better future and its importance has been emphasized in the Qur'ān repeatedly. The true believers have been described as those who have firm faith in the Hereafter, because that will be the true life.
'What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But indeed the home of the Hereafter is the true Life, if only they knew.' [Sūrāh Al-Ankabut v.64]
The Ultimate Success is not in amassing fortunes, being famous or having a fantastic career, but success is in escaping the fires of hell.
'Every soul shall taste death, and only on the Day of Judgment will you receive your full recompense. The one who is saved from the Fire and admitted into Paradise will have attained success, for the life of the world is nothing but the goods of deception.' [Sūrāh Aal Imrān v.185]
The Messenger of Allāh declared that wise is the man who reminds himself constantly of the accountability on the Day of Resurrection and so works hard for the life succeeding death. And stupid is the man whose only concerns are the transient desires and comforts of this life.
The Prophet [saw] also described this world as a farm for the 'Akhira.' [Hereafter]. Whatever you sow in this world, you shall reap in the Hereafter. In order that people may not become complacent that the Day of Judgment is far away in the distant future, he advised each person to remember that his Judgment will begin on the day he dies.
by ANONMYOUS
Friday 8 January 2010
Hadith-Torment of the Grave
Upon the authority of al-Bara' ibn `Aazib who said: We went out with the the Prophet (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) to a burial of a man from the Ansar (original inhabitants of Madina) until we arrived at the grave, and he still had not been placed in the slot of the grave.
Then the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) sat down and we sat around him. You would have thought that birds were upon our heads from our silence, and in the hand of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) was a stick which he was poking the ground with. [Then he started looking at the sky and looking at the earth and looking up down three times]. Then he said to us: "Ask Allah for refuge from the torment of the grave", he repeated this command two or three times. [Then he said O Allah I seek refuge in you from the torment of the grave][three times]. Then he said: "Verily, the believing servant, when leaving this life and journeying to the hereafter angels will descend upon him, their faces will be white as if they were suns, they will have with them a shroud (kafan) from the shroud of Paradise), and an embalmment (HanouT) from the embalmments of heaven. Then, they will sit within eye-shot of him.
Then the angel of death (peace be upon him) will come and sit at his head and will say "O you virtuous soul; come out to a forgiveness and a pleasure from your Lord ". So it will come out as a drop comes out of the mouth of a jug (with ease), then he will take it, not leaving it in his hand for longer that a blink of an eye until they (he and the other angels) have placed it in that shroud and that embalmment. And there will emanate from it a smell like that of the most sweet smelling musk on the face of the earth. Then they shall ascend with it, and they shall not pass with it by any group of angels but they will say: What is this good and sweet-smelling soul?. Then they shall say to them (he is) "such" the son of "such" choosing the best of the names he used to be called in this life. Until they reach the lowest sky, then they shall ask permission to enter, and they shall be granted entry, until they end at the seventh heaven sky, then Allah, exalted and high, shall say: "write the book of my servant in `illiyeen (1) [And what will expalin to you what Illiyeen is `illiyeen, there is a register fully inscribed to which bear witness those nearest to Allah (see 83:18)], and his book will be written in `illiyeen, and the shall be said "return him to the earth, for [I promised them] I have created them from it, and into it I shall return them, and from it I shall extract (resurrect) them a second time (20:55)". So [he is returned to earth and] his soul is returned to his body [he said and he will hear the footsteps of his friends who buried him when they leave him].
Then two [severe] angels shall come and [terrify him and] sit him up next to them and shall ask him: "Who is your Lord?". He shall reply "My Lord is Allah". Then they shall ask him: "What is your religion?". He shall answer them: "My religion is Islam". Then they shall ask him "Who is this man who was sent among you?". He will reply "He is the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) peace be upon him". Then they shall ask him "What have you done?". He shall reply: "I read the book of Allah, then I believed in it and accepted it". [The angel will terrify him and ask him "who is your Lord?", "what is your religion?" "who is your prophet?", and this will be the last trial on earth for the believer, it is then when Allah says : "Allah will establish in strength those who believe with the word that stands firm in this world", so he will answer my Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam and my Prophet is Mohammad salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. Then a caller will call from the sky: "My slave has spoken the truth, so spread out for him from the heaven, and clothe him from the heaven, and open a door for him from the heaven (within his grave)", so it's goodness and its smell will come unto him, then his grave will be expanded for him as far as he can see.
Then a man will come to him. His face will be handsome, and his clothes will be handsome, and his smell will be sweet. Then he shall say unto him: I bring you glade tidings of that which will make you happy [Rejoice with a pleasure of Allah and delights that endure]. This is the day that you were promised (46:16). Then he will say [and may Allah give you glad tiding] "who are you?, for your face is the face of someone who comes with good news". He shall reply: "I am your good deeds, [by Allah, I did not know of you but that you were quick to the obedience of Allah and slow to His desoobedience, so may Allah reward you good]". Then he shall say: "My Lord bring the hour so that I might return to my family and my wealth" [it will be said to him "be tranquil"].
He (Mohammed, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: { And the disbelieving [transgressor/wicked] servant}, if he is leaving this life and journeying to the hereafter then angels will descend upon him, their faces will be black, they have with them a coarse woolen fabric (sackcloth)[ made of fire]. Then they will sit within eye-shot of him. Then the angel of death will come and sit at his head and will say "O you wicked soul; come out to a anger from your Lord and a fury (from Him)". So it will be distributed (spread out) throughout his body, then it will be ripped away as a skewer/spit is ripped out of damp cotton [and in its way out it will tear and cut the nerves and blood vessels] [and then he will be cursed by all the angels between the earth and the sky and by all the angels in the sky, and the gates of heaven are closed. There is no gate in the heaven but its people supplicate that the wicked soul shall not be ascended to their side], then he will take it (the soul), not leaving it in his hand for longer than a blink of an eye until they have placed it in that sackcloth. And there will emanate from it a stench like that of the most evil smelling corpse on the face of the earth. Then they shall ascend with it, and they shall not pass with it by a group of angels but they will say: What is this wicked soul?. Then they shall say to them (he is) "such" the son of "such" choosing the most hated of the names he used to be called in this life. Until they reach the lowest heaven(sky), then they shall ask permission to enter, and they shall not be granted entry. Then the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) recited "The doors of the sky are not opened to them, nor shall they enter heaven until the camel passes through the eye of the needle" (7:40).
Then Allah, exalted and high, shall say: "write the book of my servant in Sijjeen (2)(83:7) in the lowest earth". [Then will be said "return my slave to the earth, for I promised them I have created them from it, and into it I shall return them, and from it I shall extract (resurrect) them a second time (20:55)"]. Then his soul shall be taken away [from the sky] with a mighty hurl [until it is cast into his body]. Then he (the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) read: "and those who associate partners with Allah, They are as one who falls from the sky then is snatched by the birds or is cast by the wind into a very low place (22:31)". Then his soul will be returned into his body, [he (the prophet) said : verily he will hear the footsteps of his friends who buried him when they leave him]. Then two harsh severe and fearsome angels shall come and [terrify him and] sit him up and shall ask him: "Who is your Lord?". He shall reply "Huh?, Huh (this is an expression of sorrow), I don't know". Then they shall ask him: "What is your religion?". He shall answer them: "Huh?, Huh?, I don't know". Then they shall ask him "Who is this man who was sent among you?". He will reply "Huh?, Huh?, I don't know [I heard people saying that!]". He (the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said "And then will be said to him don't ever know and don't ever recite!"].
Then a caller will call from the sky: "My slave has spoken falsely, so spread out for him from the hell fire, and open a door for him from the hell fire (within his grave)", so its heat and hot wind will come unto him, then his grave will be contracted upon him until his limbs are caught up among one another. Then a man will come to him. His face will be ugly, and his clothes will be ugly, and his smell will be vile. Then he shall say unto him: I bring you tidings of that which will harm you. This is the day that you were promised (70:44). Then he will say [and you, may Allah give you bad tiding] "who are you?, for your face is the face of someone who comes with evil". He shall reply: "I am your evil deeds [by Allah, I did not know of you but that you were quick to the disobedience of Allah and slow to His obedience, so may Allah reward you bad, and then will be assigned to him a blind, deaf and mute person who holds in his hand a hammer, if a mountain is hit with it, it would disintegrate, and he will beat him with it until he becomes dust, and then Allah will render him to his initial form, and he will beat him again, and he (the wicked) will cry of sorrow and pain a cry that will be heard by all creatures except humans and jinn, and a door of hell will be opened unto him within his grave and will spread out for him sheets of hell fire]". Then he shall say: "My Lord do not bring the hour".
This hadith is narrated by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, at-Tayalisi, and al-Hakim who said it is according to the standards of Bukhari and Muslim. This text is the text of Ahmad, all text between brackets is from the other narrators and other narrations of Ahmad.
Notes
(1) `illiyin: comes from the root word of `uluww which means highness. It is a place in the (highest) seventh sky where the souls of the believers are gathered (Ibn `Abbas), it also carries the meaning of a very high and wide place (Ibn Kathir).
(2) Sijjin: comes from the root word of sijn which means narrowness. It is a place in the (lowest) seventh earth where the souls of the unbelievers are gathered (Ibn `Abbas), it also carries the meaning of a very low and narrow (Ibn Kathir).
Reading the previous hadith one may think that the punishment of the grave is reserved only for those who did not believe in Allah or associated with him someone else in worship, lordship, creation or in his names and attributes. It is not the case! the following authentic hadith tells us more! so let us read it carefully : Ibn Abbas (Radiya Allahu `anhuma) says that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, once, while passing by two graves, remarked : The inmates of these two graves are being tortured not for any serious sins, but in fact they are serious sins. One of them used to carry tales [gosseping] (nameemah) and the other used not to yastatir (1) when urinating. [Bukhari and Muslim]
(1) yastatir means both not covering or hiding himself from the sights of others as well as not cleaning himself after urinating.
By: http://www.sahihalbukhari.com/sps/sp.cfm?subsecID=AQD08&articleID=AQD080003&articlePages=1
Then the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) sat down and we sat around him. You would have thought that birds were upon our heads from our silence, and in the hand of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) was a stick which he was poking the ground with. [Then he started looking at the sky and looking at the earth and looking up down three times]. Then he said to us: "Ask Allah for refuge from the torment of the grave", he repeated this command two or three times. [Then he said O Allah I seek refuge in you from the torment of the grave][three times]. Then he said: "Verily, the believing servant, when leaving this life and journeying to the hereafter angels will descend upon him, their faces will be white as if they were suns, they will have with them a shroud (kafan) from the shroud of Paradise), and an embalmment (HanouT) from the embalmments of heaven. Then, they will sit within eye-shot of him.
Then the angel of death (peace be upon him) will come and sit at his head and will say "O you virtuous soul; come out to a forgiveness and a pleasure from your Lord ". So it will come out as a drop comes out of the mouth of a jug (with ease), then he will take it, not leaving it in his hand for longer that a blink of an eye until they (he and the other angels) have placed it in that shroud and that embalmment. And there will emanate from it a smell like that of the most sweet smelling musk on the face of the earth. Then they shall ascend with it, and they shall not pass with it by any group of angels but they will say: What is this good and sweet-smelling soul?. Then they shall say to them (he is) "such" the son of "such" choosing the best of the names he used to be called in this life. Until they reach the lowest sky, then they shall ask permission to enter, and they shall be granted entry, until they end at the seventh heaven sky, then Allah, exalted and high, shall say: "write the book of my servant in `illiyeen (1) [And what will expalin to you what Illiyeen is `illiyeen, there is a register fully inscribed to which bear witness those nearest to Allah (see 83:18)], and his book will be written in `illiyeen, and the shall be said "return him to the earth, for [I promised them] I have created them from it, and into it I shall return them, and from it I shall extract (resurrect) them a second time (20:55)". So [he is returned to earth and] his soul is returned to his body [he said and he will hear the footsteps of his friends who buried him when they leave him].
Then two [severe] angels shall come and [terrify him and] sit him up next to them and shall ask him: "Who is your Lord?". He shall reply "My Lord is Allah". Then they shall ask him: "What is your religion?". He shall answer them: "My religion is Islam". Then they shall ask him "Who is this man who was sent among you?". He will reply "He is the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) peace be upon him". Then they shall ask him "What have you done?". He shall reply: "I read the book of Allah, then I believed in it and accepted it". [The angel will terrify him and ask him "who is your Lord?", "what is your religion?" "who is your prophet?", and this will be the last trial on earth for the believer, it is then when Allah says : "Allah will establish in strength those who believe with the word that stands firm in this world", so he will answer my Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam and my Prophet is Mohammad salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. Then a caller will call from the sky: "My slave has spoken the truth, so spread out for him from the heaven, and clothe him from the heaven, and open a door for him from the heaven (within his grave)", so it's goodness and its smell will come unto him, then his grave will be expanded for him as far as he can see.
Then a man will come to him. His face will be handsome, and his clothes will be handsome, and his smell will be sweet. Then he shall say unto him: I bring you glade tidings of that which will make you happy [Rejoice with a pleasure of Allah and delights that endure]. This is the day that you were promised (46:16). Then he will say [and may Allah give you glad tiding] "who are you?, for your face is the face of someone who comes with good news". He shall reply: "I am your good deeds, [by Allah, I did not know of you but that you were quick to the obedience of Allah and slow to His desoobedience, so may Allah reward you good]". Then he shall say: "My Lord bring the hour so that I might return to my family and my wealth" [it will be said to him "be tranquil"].
He (Mohammed, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: { And the disbelieving [transgressor/wicked] servant}, if he is leaving this life and journeying to the hereafter then angels will descend upon him, their faces will be black, they have with them a coarse woolen fabric (sackcloth)[ made of fire]. Then they will sit within eye-shot of him. Then the angel of death will come and sit at his head and will say "O you wicked soul; come out to a anger from your Lord and a fury (from Him)". So it will be distributed (spread out) throughout his body, then it will be ripped away as a skewer/spit is ripped out of damp cotton [and in its way out it will tear and cut the nerves and blood vessels] [and then he will be cursed by all the angels between the earth and the sky and by all the angels in the sky, and the gates of heaven are closed. There is no gate in the heaven but its people supplicate that the wicked soul shall not be ascended to their side], then he will take it (the soul), not leaving it in his hand for longer than a blink of an eye until they have placed it in that sackcloth. And there will emanate from it a stench like that of the most evil smelling corpse on the face of the earth. Then they shall ascend with it, and they shall not pass with it by a group of angels but they will say: What is this wicked soul?. Then they shall say to them (he is) "such" the son of "such" choosing the most hated of the names he used to be called in this life. Until they reach the lowest heaven(sky), then they shall ask permission to enter, and they shall not be granted entry. Then the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) recited "The doors of the sky are not opened to them, nor shall they enter heaven until the camel passes through the eye of the needle" (7:40).
Then Allah, exalted and high, shall say: "write the book of my servant in Sijjeen (2)(83:7) in the lowest earth". [Then will be said "return my slave to the earth, for I promised them I have created them from it, and into it I shall return them, and from it I shall extract (resurrect) them a second time (20:55)"]. Then his soul shall be taken away [from the sky] with a mighty hurl [until it is cast into his body]. Then he (the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) read: "and those who associate partners with Allah, They are as one who falls from the sky then is snatched by the birds or is cast by the wind into a very low place (22:31)". Then his soul will be returned into his body, [he (the prophet) said : verily he will hear the footsteps of his friends who buried him when they leave him]. Then two harsh severe and fearsome angels shall come and [terrify him and] sit him up and shall ask him: "Who is your Lord?". He shall reply "Huh?, Huh (this is an expression of sorrow), I don't know". Then they shall ask him: "What is your religion?". He shall answer them: "Huh?, Huh?, I don't know". Then they shall ask him "Who is this man who was sent among you?". He will reply "Huh?, Huh?, I don't know [I heard people saying that!]". He (the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said "And then will be said to him don't ever know and don't ever recite!"].
Then a caller will call from the sky: "My slave has spoken falsely, so spread out for him from the hell fire, and open a door for him from the hell fire (within his grave)", so its heat and hot wind will come unto him, then his grave will be contracted upon him until his limbs are caught up among one another. Then a man will come to him. His face will be ugly, and his clothes will be ugly, and his smell will be vile. Then he shall say unto him: I bring you tidings of that which will harm you. This is the day that you were promised (70:44). Then he will say [and you, may Allah give you bad tiding] "who are you?, for your face is the face of someone who comes with evil". He shall reply: "I am your evil deeds [by Allah, I did not know of you but that you were quick to the disobedience of Allah and slow to His obedience, so may Allah reward you bad, and then will be assigned to him a blind, deaf and mute person who holds in his hand a hammer, if a mountain is hit with it, it would disintegrate, and he will beat him with it until he becomes dust, and then Allah will render him to his initial form, and he will beat him again, and he (the wicked) will cry of sorrow and pain a cry that will be heard by all creatures except humans and jinn, and a door of hell will be opened unto him within his grave and will spread out for him sheets of hell fire]". Then he shall say: "My Lord do not bring the hour".
This hadith is narrated by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, at-Tayalisi, and al-Hakim who said it is according to the standards of Bukhari and Muslim. This text is the text of Ahmad, all text between brackets is from the other narrators and other narrations of Ahmad.
Notes
(1) `illiyin: comes from the root word of `uluww which means highness. It is a place in the (highest) seventh sky where the souls of the believers are gathered (Ibn `Abbas), it also carries the meaning of a very high and wide place (Ibn Kathir).
(2) Sijjin: comes from the root word of sijn which means narrowness. It is a place in the (lowest) seventh earth where the souls of the unbelievers are gathered (Ibn `Abbas), it also carries the meaning of a very low and narrow (Ibn Kathir).
Reading the previous hadith one may think that the punishment of the grave is reserved only for those who did not believe in Allah or associated with him someone else in worship, lordship, creation or in his names and attributes. It is not the case! the following authentic hadith tells us more! so let us read it carefully : Ibn Abbas (Radiya Allahu `anhuma) says that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, once, while passing by two graves, remarked : The inmates of these two graves are being tortured not for any serious sins, but in fact they are serious sins. One of them used to carry tales [gosseping] (nameemah) and the other used not to yastatir (1) when urinating. [Bukhari and Muslim]
(1) yastatir means both not covering or hiding himself from the sights of others as well as not cleaning himself after urinating.
By: http://www.sahihalbukhari.com/sps/sp.cfm?subsecID=AQD08&articleID=AQD080003&articlePages=1
Guidance-BAck to the basics
By: Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Uthaymeen
Sharh Riyadh as-Saliheen
Mu'aadh bin Jabal reported from the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) that he said:
"Fear Allaah wheresoever you may be, and follow up an evil deed with a good deed, it will efface it (the evil deed). And deal with mankind with good manners."
[At-Tirmidhee reported this Hadeeth as Hasan, Al-Hakim reports it in al-Mustadrak and states that it meets the condition of Bukhari and Muslim Adhahabee agreed.]
This hadeeth is one of forty Ahadeeth of the author, may Allaah have mercy upon hi, and in it is that the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) gave three great and important pieces of advice:
The First: He said "have Taqwaa of Allaah whersoever you may be."
Taqwaa means to stay away from the forbidden matters and to enact the obligatory matters - this is Taqwaa that you enact what Allaah has commanded you, sincerely for Allaah and in compliance to the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam), and that you leave what Allaah has forbidden due to His prohibiting it and to steer clear of it.
For example that you establish the greatest obligation that Allaah has imposed upon you after the testimony of faith - the Prayer, and you establish it completely, fulfilling all of its conditions and pillars and obligations fulfilling all of these perfectly.
So whosoever leaves off any of these conditions, pillars or obligations, then he has not feared Allaah (to the best of his ablility), rather he has been deficient in this to the extent of what he left out.
In Zakaah, the Taqwaa of Allaah lies in your calculating all of your property on which is due, and giving the Zakaah as a means of purifying yourself without any miserliness or tight distends, or delay.
And whosoever does not do this then he has not feared Allaah. In Fasting the Taqwaa of Allaah lies in establishing the Fast as you have been commanded, distancing yourself from the idle speech, obscene word mannerisms, boisterous behaviour, backbiting and preading tales and other such things that make the fast deficient and remove the spirit of fasting.
The true meaning of fasting is to fast from that which Allaah (SWT) has made forbidden.
The same applies to all the obligations that are used to establish obedience to Allaah, and compliance to His command, sincerely for Him and in following His Messenger. Likewise all the forbidden action is to be left in compliance to His prohibition.
The Second: "and follow up an evil deed with a good one, it will efface it (the evil deed)."
Meaning that when you perform and evil action then follow it up with a good action to be performed after the evil is that you repent to Allaah for this evil action, for indeed repentance is for the most noble and excellent of the good actions as Allaah Has said
"Indeed Allaah loves those who repent and purify themselves."
[Surah Al Baqarah Ayah 222]
And He said
"And repent to Allaah all of you, O believers so that you may be successful"
[24:31]
Similarly righteous actions expiate the evil action as the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said,
"The five daily prayers and one Jumu'ah to the next, and one Ramadaan to the next Ramadaan, is expiation for what lies between them as a long as one refrains from the major sins."
[Muslim]
And he said
"One Umrah to the next is an expiation for what is in between them"
[Bukhari]
Therefore the good actions efface the evil actions.
The Third: "and deal with mankind with good manners."
The first two pieces of advice were those related to relationship with the Creator, and this third relates relationship of the creation to the createion.
This is to deal with mankind with the best of manners such that you will be praised and not blamed.
This by having a cheerful complexion, being truthful in speech speaking to each other nicely and such good manners.
so noble manners, along with their being a way to beautify gatherings and the person who possesses them being beloved to the people, contain a huge reward which will be bestowed on the person on the day of judgement.
So preserve these three pieces of Advice from the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and Allaah is the Grantor of Success.
Sharh Riyadh as-Saliheen
Mu'aadh bin Jabal reported from the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) that he said:
"Fear Allaah wheresoever you may be, and follow up an evil deed with a good deed, it will efface it (the evil deed). And deal with mankind with good manners."
[At-Tirmidhee reported this Hadeeth as Hasan, Al-Hakim reports it in al-Mustadrak and states that it meets the condition of Bukhari and Muslim Adhahabee agreed.]
This hadeeth is one of forty Ahadeeth of the author, may Allaah have mercy upon hi, and in it is that the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) gave three great and important pieces of advice:
The First: He said "have Taqwaa of Allaah whersoever you may be."
Taqwaa means to stay away from the forbidden matters and to enact the obligatory matters - this is Taqwaa that you enact what Allaah has commanded you, sincerely for Allaah and in compliance to the Messenger of Allaah (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam), and that you leave what Allaah has forbidden due to His prohibiting it and to steer clear of it.
For example that you establish the greatest obligation that Allaah has imposed upon you after the testimony of faith - the Prayer, and you establish it completely, fulfilling all of its conditions and pillars and obligations fulfilling all of these perfectly.
So whosoever leaves off any of these conditions, pillars or obligations, then he has not feared Allaah (to the best of his ablility), rather he has been deficient in this to the extent of what he left out.
In Zakaah, the Taqwaa of Allaah lies in your calculating all of your property on which is due, and giving the Zakaah as a means of purifying yourself without any miserliness or tight distends, or delay.
And whosoever does not do this then he has not feared Allaah. In Fasting the Taqwaa of Allaah lies in establishing the Fast as you have been commanded, distancing yourself from the idle speech, obscene word mannerisms, boisterous behaviour, backbiting and preading tales and other such things that make the fast deficient and remove the spirit of fasting.
The true meaning of fasting is to fast from that which Allaah (SWT) has made forbidden.
The same applies to all the obligations that are used to establish obedience to Allaah, and compliance to His command, sincerely for Him and in following His Messenger. Likewise all the forbidden action is to be left in compliance to His prohibition.
The Second: "and follow up an evil deed with a good one, it will efface it (the evil deed)."
Meaning that when you perform and evil action then follow it up with a good action to be performed after the evil is that you repent to Allaah for this evil action, for indeed repentance is for the most noble and excellent of the good actions as Allaah Has said
"Indeed Allaah loves those who repent and purify themselves."
[Surah Al Baqarah Ayah 222]
And He said
"And repent to Allaah all of you, O believers so that you may be successful"
[24:31]
Similarly righteous actions expiate the evil action as the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said,
"The five daily prayers and one Jumu'ah to the next, and one Ramadaan to the next Ramadaan, is expiation for what lies between them as a long as one refrains from the major sins."
[Muslim]
And he said
"One Umrah to the next is an expiation for what is in between them"
[Bukhari]
Therefore the good actions efface the evil actions.
The Third: "and deal with mankind with good manners."
The first two pieces of advice were those related to relationship with the Creator, and this third relates relationship of the creation to the createion.
This is to deal with mankind with the best of manners such that you will be praised and not blamed.
This by having a cheerful complexion, being truthful in speech speaking to each other nicely and such good manners.
so noble manners, along with their being a way to beautify gatherings and the person who possesses them being beloved to the people, contain a huge reward which will be bestowed on the person on the day of judgement.
So preserve these three pieces of Advice from the Prophet (Sallalaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and Allaah is the Grantor of Success.
Tuesday 5 January 2010
SIMPLE RAMDAN PROGRAMME
{"O you who believe! Fasting was prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become pious. Fast for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number should be made up from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, they have to feed a poor person. But, whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, it is better for you if only you knew."}
[al-Baqarah; 183-184]
"It is, as the Lord of Glory Said, a fixed number of days. Rather, it is a fixed number of hours! The month of Ramadan is either 720 hours, or 696 hours, and every minute of it has a price and a value. The Salaf and the Companions - may Allah be Pleased with them - used to await these days of Ramadan from the year to year, as it has been reported in a narration that the Companions used to say, when Rajab had arrived: "O Allah, assist us in worshiping You in Rajab and Sha'ban, and allow us to witness Ramadan."
Because Ramadan is the annual occasion of the cleansing of the soul, spirit, and body, its effect on the human spirit and body is not that profound. The acts of worship of the soul are many, and as much as the body receives its share of pain during the course of its worship, it will receive its share of light. That is why Jihad is the uppermost peak of Islam; because it is the most painful and difficult of the acts of worship. Its reward is greater, its effect on the soul deeper, and its result in building the spirit and in ingraining Tawhid in it is great.
Therefore, there are acts of worship dealing with one's wealth. However, its effect on the soul is usually less than the effect of an act of worship dealing with the body. So, Zakah has a deep effect on the soul, as it purifies it from covetousness. However, you cannot truly sympathize with the poor person unless you feel his pain, live as he lives, and starve as he starves. If you starve, then you feel your body becoming stronger and more durable. At that time, you become joyous that you were able to sacrifice something and purify yourself from covetousness
Jihad is the same way: Jihad with one's wealth does not purify one's soul in the same way as Jihad with one's self does. And because of this, Islam did not relieve any of the Companions of the obligation of Jihad with his self, no matter what his position in society, and no matter how good his reputation, such as in the case of 'Uthman.
And the Salaf - may Allah be Pleased with them - would calculate Ramadan by the minute. They were praying behind Ubayy bin Ka'b - and 'Umar bin al-Khattab was praying Tarawih behind him - and they would require sticks to support themselves on as a result of his long standing in the prayer, and the Companions would say: "We fear that we will miss the suhur praying behind Ubayy, and we fear that the Fajr time will come, causing us to miss the Blessed Meal - they used to refer to suhur as the Blessed Meal - so, let our children rush to prepare the meal."
And it was reported from some of the Tabi'in, and those who came after them, in regards to their Qur'an and prayer, that some of them would complete reciting the Qur'an sixty times in Ramadan, and this was specifically narrated in regards to al-Imam ash-Shafi'i; he used to complete it once during the day, and once during the night. Some of them would complete it once during the night and day, and others would complete it once every three days, until they reached the last ten days, in which they would seclude themselves in the mosque, completing it once a day.
And to complete the Qur'an in a day is easy, if we keep in mind that to recite the Qur'an slowly (tartil) takes about 24 hours, and a quicker recitation takes about ten hours. It is possible for the one who has memorized the Qur'an to complete one juz' in 20 minutes, allowing him to complete all thirty juz's in ten hours. I was told by Abu al-Hasan an-Nadawi: "I saw my teachers, and some of them would not speak at all in Ramadan. Rather, they would only engage in worship; either Qur'an or prayer. If someone were to speak to them, they would count out their words, and calculate them by the minutes and seconds."
So, Ramadan consists of fasting and prayer.
Because of this, the Salaf, such as al-Imam Malik, would seclude themselves until the time of giving a class, saying: "Verily, Ramadan is for praying and reciting the Qur'an." Some of them would say: "Ramadan is praying, giving charity, and reciting the Qur'an."
And in Ramadan, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained up. This is something that actually happens, as one of my trustworthy friends who used to have contact with the jinn - but has since repented - informed me:
"When I would ask the jinn who I would work with to relay to me any news, they would say: "We are inactive in Ramadan." I used to think that they were believing jinn, as they would pray and fast with me. However, I realized from their answer, that they were devils (i.e., disbelieving jinn).
Later, after an experiment, I confirmed for myself that they were disbelievers: I requested from them one day that they heal my cousin, so, they said: "She will not be cured unless she puts on a cross."
So, I said to them: "You really are devils. You are from the disbelieving jinn."
They said: "We are from the believing jinn."
I said: "From now, we have nothing to do with each other."
They said: "We will hurt you, then."
I said: "I dare you to try to hurt me. We will meet at midnight at the graveyard, the most secluded and frightening place I can think of," and at midnight, I made ablution and prayed two rak'ahs, and went to the graveyard. I did this for three nights in a row, but the jinn were unable to even come near me."
So, it is something physical, not simply metaphoric. The devils are chained, and they are unable to move about and cause evil between the people. The major jinn are the ones who are chained, while the minor devils are left to move about.
And Ramadan is the Ramadan of Jihad, so, I advise everyone of you to not fall short in a single day in Ramadan.
I was in Qatar, or the Emirates, and I was told: "The brothers in America called, asking if you could go spend the last ten nights with them." I said: "Subhan Allah! I spend the last ten nights in America, and I leave Jalalabad, Qandahar, and Kabul erupting? The hour in these places is better than standing in prayer for sixty years, and I go and enter America, even if in Ramadan?" And because of this, for the duration of my stay here, especially in the last five years, I always loved to spend every Ramadan outside of Peshawar, and to not enter Peshawar unless it was necessary. I would spend it either in the training camp in Sada, Jadji, or any other place, so that it would be written for me as a Ramadan of ribat, and the Ramadan in the land of ribat is a thousand times better than Ramadan outside of the land of ribat, as the Prophet said: "Ribat for one day in the Path of Allah is better than a thousand days in any other place, even if one were to fast all day and pray all night." [Reported by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i]
So, brothers, whoever of you stays in Peshawar, then let him comply with the following daily program:
Do not stay up late in Ramadan, as Ramadan is the time of praying, fasting, and seeking Allah's forgiveness during the morning hours. So, break your fast in your homes on some dates or water, or in the mosque, and provide some dates and water in the mosques for those who might break their fast there, and glad tidings to the one who provides food for the one breaking his fast: "Whoever provides food for the fasting person, then, he will have the same reward as the fasting person, without the fasting person's reward being diminished at all," even if it is only on a piece of a date, so, for this, let the competitors compete for this great reward.
I was in Qatar, and some of the good-doers said to me: "We wish to provide food for a thousand fasting Mujahidin for all of Ramadan. How much does each Mujahid require in Ramadan?" I said: "He requires three Qatari riyals or dirhams." Suddenly, a check was being written for 90,000 Qatari riyals, with him saying:"This is the cost of food for a thousand Mujahidin in Jalalabad, and I ask that you alert me of its arrival." When it arrived the next day, I was surprised to hear the phone ring, with him telling me: "The money for the food of two thousand more is on the way. Feed them rice and meat, as they are the best of foods."
Comply with this program, and it is easy: break your fast in the mosque, then pray the Maghrib. Return to your homes, eat as much as Allah has Willed for you to eat, and after that, make istighfar while you are awaiting the time for 'Isha'. Then, pray the 'Isha' and Tarawih in the mosque, then, return to your homes. Eat the suhur, and be particular about this time. In addition to it being a blessed meal, the best time to make istighfar is in these early morning hours.
So, after the suhur, rush to make ablution and perform some Tahajjud, and increase in your connection with the Lord of Glory: "Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven during the last third of the night, Asking: 'Who will call on Me so that I may respond to him? Who is asking something of Me so I may give it to him? Who is asking for My forgiveness so I may forgive him?'"
So, take advantage of these times - the early morning hours - in which an answered supplication is almost certain.
{"Those who are patient, those who are true, the obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah, and those who spend in the Way of Allah, and those who pray and beg Allah's Pardon in the last hours of the night."} [Al 'Imran; 17
{"They used to sleep but little by night, and in the hours before dawn, they were asking for forgiveness."} [adh-Dhariyat; 17-18]
So, when the Fajr time enters, go to the mosque and pray there. And try, if you do not have work, to not sleep during the time between Fajr and sunrise: "For me to sit with a group of people after the morning prayer, remembering Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - until the Sun rises is more beloved to me than freeing four slaves from the children of Isma'il..." [Reported by Abu Dawud]
After this, go and rest until midday. From midday until 'Asr, attend to the needs of your family.
Try to generally decrease in eating, drinking, and consuming sweets, keeping in mind that you are surrounded by widows, children, and orphans who are unable to afford plain rice. Set aside your sweets, bread, and rice for such people.
Your women are also in need of cleansing their souls, and they are in need of freeing themselves for the recitation of the Qur'an and worship. Their preoccupation with preparing food is a preoccupation from the essential activities of Ramadan; it is a preoccupation from istighfar, recitation, and worship. So, if you pray the 'Asr, and you have no other obligations to keep you busy, seclude yourself in the mosque until the Sun sets, and indulge in the recitation of the Qur'an: "...and for me to sit with a group of people after the 'Asr prayer, remembering Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - until the Sun sets is more beloved to me than freeing four slaves from the children of Isma'il."
So, when it is time for Maghrib prayer, pray it, and return to your home.
This is a program that anyone can follow, either most or all of it. Pay close attention to these days, in particular, and pay attention to these hours. In Ramadan, there is no time for 'he said, she said,' or watching television, or socialization. Do not visit one another in your houses during the nights of Ramadan, as this constitutes wasting and theft of time of this blessed month. There is the mosque in which you are able to meet and chat in after praying Tarawih, and any of your brothers who need something from you, your meeting place is in the mosque, and your place of departure is the mosque. Do not preoccupy the people with your presence in their homes during the nights of Ramadan..."
['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina'; 3/86-93]
[al-Baqarah; 183-184]
"It is, as the Lord of Glory Said, a fixed number of days. Rather, it is a fixed number of hours! The month of Ramadan is either 720 hours, or 696 hours, and every minute of it has a price and a value. The Salaf and the Companions - may Allah be Pleased with them - used to await these days of Ramadan from the year to year, as it has been reported in a narration that the Companions used to say, when Rajab had arrived: "O Allah, assist us in worshiping You in Rajab and Sha'ban, and allow us to witness Ramadan."
Because Ramadan is the annual occasion of the cleansing of the soul, spirit, and body, its effect on the human spirit and body is not that profound. The acts of worship of the soul are many, and as much as the body receives its share of pain during the course of its worship, it will receive its share of light. That is why Jihad is the uppermost peak of Islam; because it is the most painful and difficult of the acts of worship. Its reward is greater, its effect on the soul deeper, and its result in building the spirit and in ingraining Tawhid in it is great.
Therefore, there are acts of worship dealing with one's wealth. However, its effect on the soul is usually less than the effect of an act of worship dealing with the body. So, Zakah has a deep effect on the soul, as it purifies it from covetousness. However, you cannot truly sympathize with the poor person unless you feel his pain, live as he lives, and starve as he starves. If you starve, then you feel your body becoming stronger and more durable. At that time, you become joyous that you were able to sacrifice something and purify yourself from covetousness
Jihad is the same way: Jihad with one's wealth does not purify one's soul in the same way as Jihad with one's self does. And because of this, Islam did not relieve any of the Companions of the obligation of Jihad with his self, no matter what his position in society, and no matter how good his reputation, such as in the case of 'Uthman.
And the Salaf - may Allah be Pleased with them - would calculate Ramadan by the minute. They were praying behind Ubayy bin Ka'b - and 'Umar bin al-Khattab was praying Tarawih behind him - and they would require sticks to support themselves on as a result of his long standing in the prayer, and the Companions would say: "We fear that we will miss the suhur praying behind Ubayy, and we fear that the Fajr time will come, causing us to miss the Blessed Meal - they used to refer to suhur as the Blessed Meal - so, let our children rush to prepare the meal."
And it was reported from some of the Tabi'in, and those who came after them, in regards to their Qur'an and prayer, that some of them would complete reciting the Qur'an sixty times in Ramadan, and this was specifically narrated in regards to al-Imam ash-Shafi'i; he used to complete it once during the day, and once during the night. Some of them would complete it once during the night and day, and others would complete it once every three days, until they reached the last ten days, in which they would seclude themselves in the mosque, completing it once a day.
And to complete the Qur'an in a day is easy, if we keep in mind that to recite the Qur'an slowly (tartil) takes about 24 hours, and a quicker recitation takes about ten hours. It is possible for the one who has memorized the Qur'an to complete one juz' in 20 minutes, allowing him to complete all thirty juz's in ten hours. I was told by Abu al-Hasan an-Nadawi: "I saw my teachers, and some of them would not speak at all in Ramadan. Rather, they would only engage in worship; either Qur'an or prayer. If someone were to speak to them, they would count out their words, and calculate them by the minutes and seconds."
So, Ramadan consists of fasting and prayer.
Because of this, the Salaf, such as al-Imam Malik, would seclude themselves until the time of giving a class, saying: "Verily, Ramadan is for praying and reciting the Qur'an." Some of them would say: "Ramadan is praying, giving charity, and reciting the Qur'an."
And in Ramadan, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained up. This is something that actually happens, as one of my trustworthy friends who used to have contact with the jinn - but has since repented - informed me:
"When I would ask the jinn who I would work with to relay to me any news, they would say: "We are inactive in Ramadan." I used to think that they were believing jinn, as they would pray and fast with me. However, I realized from their answer, that they were devils (i.e., disbelieving jinn).
Later, after an experiment, I confirmed for myself that they were disbelievers: I requested from them one day that they heal my cousin, so, they said: "She will not be cured unless she puts on a cross."
So, I said to them: "You really are devils. You are from the disbelieving jinn."
They said: "We are from the believing jinn."
I said: "From now, we have nothing to do with each other."
They said: "We will hurt you, then."
I said: "I dare you to try to hurt me. We will meet at midnight at the graveyard, the most secluded and frightening place I can think of," and at midnight, I made ablution and prayed two rak'ahs, and went to the graveyard. I did this for three nights in a row, but the jinn were unable to even come near me."
So, it is something physical, not simply metaphoric. The devils are chained, and they are unable to move about and cause evil between the people. The major jinn are the ones who are chained, while the minor devils are left to move about.
And Ramadan is the Ramadan of Jihad, so, I advise everyone of you to not fall short in a single day in Ramadan.
I was in Qatar, or the Emirates, and I was told: "The brothers in America called, asking if you could go spend the last ten nights with them." I said: "Subhan Allah! I spend the last ten nights in America, and I leave Jalalabad, Qandahar, and Kabul erupting? The hour in these places is better than standing in prayer for sixty years, and I go and enter America, even if in Ramadan?" And because of this, for the duration of my stay here, especially in the last five years, I always loved to spend every Ramadan outside of Peshawar, and to not enter Peshawar unless it was necessary. I would spend it either in the training camp in Sada, Jadji, or any other place, so that it would be written for me as a Ramadan of ribat, and the Ramadan in the land of ribat is a thousand times better than Ramadan outside of the land of ribat, as the Prophet said: "Ribat for one day in the Path of Allah is better than a thousand days in any other place, even if one were to fast all day and pray all night." [Reported by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i]
So, brothers, whoever of you stays in Peshawar, then let him comply with the following daily program:
Do not stay up late in Ramadan, as Ramadan is the time of praying, fasting, and seeking Allah's forgiveness during the morning hours. So, break your fast in your homes on some dates or water, or in the mosque, and provide some dates and water in the mosques for those who might break their fast there, and glad tidings to the one who provides food for the one breaking his fast: "Whoever provides food for the fasting person, then, he will have the same reward as the fasting person, without the fasting person's reward being diminished at all," even if it is only on a piece of a date, so, for this, let the competitors compete for this great reward.
I was in Qatar, and some of the good-doers said to me: "We wish to provide food for a thousand fasting Mujahidin for all of Ramadan. How much does each Mujahid require in Ramadan?" I said: "He requires three Qatari riyals or dirhams." Suddenly, a check was being written for 90,000 Qatari riyals, with him saying:"This is the cost of food for a thousand Mujahidin in Jalalabad, and I ask that you alert me of its arrival." When it arrived the next day, I was surprised to hear the phone ring, with him telling me: "The money for the food of two thousand more is on the way. Feed them rice and meat, as they are the best of foods."
Comply with this program, and it is easy: break your fast in the mosque, then pray the Maghrib. Return to your homes, eat as much as Allah has Willed for you to eat, and after that, make istighfar while you are awaiting the time for 'Isha'. Then, pray the 'Isha' and Tarawih in the mosque, then, return to your homes. Eat the suhur, and be particular about this time. In addition to it being a blessed meal, the best time to make istighfar is in these early morning hours.
So, after the suhur, rush to make ablution and perform some Tahajjud, and increase in your connection with the Lord of Glory: "Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven during the last third of the night, Asking: 'Who will call on Me so that I may respond to him? Who is asking something of Me so I may give it to him? Who is asking for My forgiveness so I may forgive him?'"
So, take advantage of these times - the early morning hours - in which an answered supplication is almost certain.
{"Those who are patient, those who are true, the obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah, and those who spend in the Way of Allah, and those who pray and beg Allah's Pardon in the last hours of the night."} [Al 'Imran; 17
{"They used to sleep but little by night, and in the hours before dawn, they were asking for forgiveness."} [adh-Dhariyat; 17-18]
So, when the Fajr time enters, go to the mosque and pray there. And try, if you do not have work, to not sleep during the time between Fajr and sunrise: "For me to sit with a group of people after the morning prayer, remembering Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - until the Sun rises is more beloved to me than freeing four slaves from the children of Isma'il..." [Reported by Abu Dawud]
After this, go and rest until midday. From midday until 'Asr, attend to the needs of your family.
Try to generally decrease in eating, drinking, and consuming sweets, keeping in mind that you are surrounded by widows, children, and orphans who are unable to afford plain rice. Set aside your sweets, bread, and rice for such people.
Your women are also in need of cleansing their souls, and they are in need of freeing themselves for the recitation of the Qur'an and worship. Their preoccupation with preparing food is a preoccupation from the essential activities of Ramadan; it is a preoccupation from istighfar, recitation, and worship. So, if you pray the 'Asr, and you have no other obligations to keep you busy, seclude yourself in the mosque until the Sun sets, and indulge in the recitation of the Qur'an: "...and for me to sit with a group of people after the 'Asr prayer, remembering Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - until the Sun sets is more beloved to me than freeing four slaves from the children of Isma'il."
So, when it is time for Maghrib prayer, pray it, and return to your home.
This is a program that anyone can follow, either most or all of it. Pay close attention to these days, in particular, and pay attention to these hours. In Ramadan, there is no time for 'he said, she said,' or watching television, or socialization. Do not visit one another in your houses during the nights of Ramadan, as this constitutes wasting and theft of time of this blessed month. There is the mosque in which you are able to meet and chat in after praying Tarawih, and any of your brothers who need something from you, your meeting place is in the mosque, and your place of departure is the mosque. Do not preoccupy the people with your presence in their homes during the nights of Ramadan..."
['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina'; 3/86-93]
How to do amazing in your FINAL EXAMs
By Muhammad Alshareef
1. In school, you can often redo your exam if you fail. In the hereafter, if one fails there is no going back.
2. In school, you often do not know what questions will be asked. In the hereafter, there are only 3 questions: Who is your Lord? What is your Deen? And who is this man who was sent to you? But the answers are answers you live by.
3. In school, we stay up at night to prepare for the exam the next day. So too in Allah's exam, we should be staying up in night prayers.
4. In school, we pray and hope and work for an outstanding mark. So too should be our attitude towards Allah's exam.
5. In school, when we get a great mark, we erupt with happiness. So too will the believers erupt in happiness when they get their books in their right hands. Work for it.
6. In school, when we get a bad mark, sadness can be seen on our faces, and we dislike to face others. So too in the hereafter. Protect yourself from that.
7. During a school exam, you cannot ask anyone for help. In the hereafter, you can prepare from now to get assistance from Allah's Messenger, the Quran, and other ways of intercession.
8. In school, when exam time draws near, we banish distractions to focus on what is really important. In Allah's exam, isn't death within 1 heart beat? Banish distractions and focus.
9. In school, until exam results come out, we worry about the result. In Allah's exam, we don't know what our result will be, so we spend our days in hope and worry until the results come out.
With best wishes to see you succeed at the highest level!
- Muhammad Alshareef
1. In school, you can often redo your exam if you fail. In the hereafter, if one fails there is no going back.
2. In school, you often do not know what questions will be asked. In the hereafter, there are only 3 questions: Who is your Lord? What is your Deen? And who is this man who was sent to you? But the answers are answers you live by.
3. In school, we stay up at night to prepare for the exam the next day. So too in Allah's exam, we should be staying up in night prayers.
4. In school, we pray and hope and work for an outstanding mark. So too should be our attitude towards Allah's exam.
5. In school, when we get a great mark, we erupt with happiness. So too will the believers erupt in happiness when they get their books in their right hands. Work for it.
6. In school, when we get a bad mark, sadness can be seen on our faces, and we dislike to face others. So too in the hereafter. Protect yourself from that.
7. During a school exam, you cannot ask anyone for help. In the hereafter, you can prepare from now to get assistance from Allah's Messenger, the Quran, and other ways of intercession.
8. In school, when exam time draws near, we banish distractions to focus on what is really important. In Allah's exam, isn't death within 1 heart beat? Banish distractions and focus.
9. In school, until exam results come out, we worry about the result. In Allah's exam, we don't know what our result will be, so we spend our days in hope and worry until the results come out.
With best wishes to see you succeed at the highest level!
- Muhammad Alshareef
Dunyaa (This world)
Know that the life of this world (dunya) is ONLY play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children… the life of this world is only a DECEIVING ENJOYMENT. [Surah Al-Hadid 57:20]
The Prophet salalahu alayhee wasalam said “This world is a prison for the believer and a Jannah for the disbeliever”. The disbeliever is not held back from anything and the believer fears His Lord and fears the consequence. The believer is restricted by the Qu’ran and Sunnah. The disbeliever acts like an animal and does as he wishes.
Umar radiahalla anhu said “Bring yourself to account before your brought to account. Weigh your deeds before your deeds are weighed.”
SO ARE YOU WORTHY OF THE PARADISE DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN? OR ARE YOU THE FUEL OF HELLFIRE? THINK OF YOUR DEEDS FROM TODAY AND LAST NIGHT—YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP!!
Where are your actions? Because this life we live in is the life of actions. When we die and we are resurrected it is too late. If you did good you will be rewarded and if you did evil you will be rewarded with it. Take your actions seriously! Remember that love of this world could bring you out of the fold of Islam!!
by L.Moroccan
The Prophet salalahu alayhee wasalam said “This world is a prison for the believer and a Jannah for the disbeliever”. The disbeliever is not held back from anything and the believer fears His Lord and fears the consequence. The believer is restricted by the Qu’ran and Sunnah. The disbeliever acts like an animal and does as he wishes.
Umar radiahalla anhu said “Bring yourself to account before your brought to account. Weigh your deeds before your deeds are weighed.”
SO ARE YOU WORTHY OF THE PARADISE DESCRIBED IN THE QUR'AN? OR ARE YOU THE FUEL OF HELLFIRE? THINK OF YOUR DEEDS FROM TODAY AND LAST NIGHT—YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP!!
Where are your actions? Because this life we live in is the life of actions. When we die and we are resurrected it is too late. If you did good you will be rewarded and if you did evil you will be rewarded with it. Take your actions seriously! Remember that love of this world could bring you out of the fold of Islam!!
by L.Moroccan
Insha'Allah (If God Wills)
"If God wills" or "God willing" are common phrases Muslims use regularly and quite frequently in their daily conversations.
If you ever happen to have a conversation with a Muslim you will always find him ending most of his sentences about anything that he will do in the future with the phrase "If God wills" (in sha' Allah in Arabic), be it something he will do in the next coming minutes or after ten years.
Muslims believe that nothing in the heavens or the earth happens unless God wants it to happen. Part of believing in the Oneness of God and true submission to Him is believing in His full control and power over everything He created.
A firm believer in God knows that God gave him limited powers, he can't assure to himself that he will live to the following day, let alone guaranteeing taking his second breath. So he always attributes any will or power to God, for He is the one Who gives it to him.
When the pagans asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to tell them about "the Sleepers of the Cave", the story of "Zul-Qarnain" and the soul, he said tomorrow I will tell you the answers of your questions, without saying "If God wills".
Prophet Muhammad waited for a revelation from God with the answers for these questions for fifteen days. Then God revealed to him the following verses reminding him that no one should say tomorrow I will do so and so without saying If God wills,
[And do not say of anything: Surely I will do it tomorrow, Unless Allah pleases; and remember your Lord when you forget and say: Maybe my Lord will guide me to a nearer course to the right than this.] (Al-Kahf 18:23-24)
This, of course, is not an open invitation to be passive, break promises, and lay back, saying, "I have no power whatsoever over my life."
Reliance on God for help and sustenance, and admitting His power should not be interpreted as passivity of action in one's life, for God ordered us to work hard and at the same time seek His guidance and help and rely on His wisdom for deciding what is better for us.
As we don’t know the future, and the Unseen belongs to God only. We should trust in His divine providence.
God says in the Quran what means,
[Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah please; and had I known the Unseen I would have had much of good and no evil would have touched me; I am nothing but a warner and the giver of good news to a people who believe.] (Al-A`raf7:188)
Believing in God's power over everything is a kind of relief for every Muslim, for he knows that God only decrees what's good for him. When faced with ordeals and calamities, Muslims believe that God will always guide them to a way out.
They truly mean it when they say " Tomorrow will be better, if God wills" for they know that their Lord only does what's best for them, and from Him comes all the bounties and all the Good.
by Z.Al-Ali
If you ever happen to have a conversation with a Muslim you will always find him ending most of his sentences about anything that he will do in the future with the phrase "If God wills" (in sha' Allah in Arabic), be it something he will do in the next coming minutes or after ten years.
Muslims believe that nothing in the heavens or the earth happens unless God wants it to happen. Part of believing in the Oneness of God and true submission to Him is believing in His full control and power over everything He created.
A firm believer in God knows that God gave him limited powers, he can't assure to himself that he will live to the following day, let alone guaranteeing taking his second breath. So he always attributes any will or power to God, for He is the one Who gives it to him.
When the pagans asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to tell them about "the Sleepers of the Cave", the story of "Zul-Qarnain" and the soul, he said tomorrow I will tell you the answers of your questions, without saying "If God wills".
Prophet Muhammad waited for a revelation from God with the answers for these questions for fifteen days. Then God revealed to him the following verses reminding him that no one should say tomorrow I will do so and so without saying If God wills,
[And do not say of anything: Surely I will do it tomorrow, Unless Allah pleases; and remember your Lord when you forget and say: Maybe my Lord will guide me to a nearer course to the right than this.] (Al-Kahf 18:23-24)
This, of course, is not an open invitation to be passive, break promises, and lay back, saying, "I have no power whatsoever over my life."
Reliance on God for help and sustenance, and admitting His power should not be interpreted as passivity of action in one's life, for God ordered us to work hard and at the same time seek His guidance and help and rely on His wisdom for deciding what is better for us.
As we don’t know the future, and the Unseen belongs to God only. We should trust in His divine providence.
God says in the Quran what means,
[Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah please; and had I known the Unseen I would have had much of good and no evil would have touched me; I am nothing but a warner and the giver of good news to a people who believe.] (Al-A`raf7:188)
Believing in God's power over everything is a kind of relief for every Muslim, for he knows that God only decrees what's good for him. When faced with ordeals and calamities, Muslims believe that God will always guide them to a way out.
They truly mean it when they say " Tomorrow will be better, if God wills" for they know that their Lord only does what's best for them, and from Him comes all the bounties and all the Good.
by Z.Al-Ali
A Muslim Student
The Muslim student puts his trust in Allaah when facing the tests of this world, and he seeks His help whilst following the prescribed means, in accordance with the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to attain that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless.” (Saheeh Muslim, hadeeth no. 2664)
- Turning to Allaah by making du’aa’ in any way that is prescribed in Islam, such as saying, “Rabbiy ishrah li sadri wa yassir li amri (O my Lord, expand my chest and make things easy for me).”
- Mention the name of Allaah before you start, for mentioning the name of Allaah is prescribed when beginning any permissible action; this brings blessing, and seeking the help of Allaah is one of the means of strength.
- Fear Allaah with regard to your classmates, and do not be affected by their anxiety or fear just before the exam, for anxiety is a contagious disease. Instead, make them feel optimistic by saying good words as prescribed in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was optimistic when he heard the name of Suhayl (which means “easy”) and he said: “Things have been made easy for you.” He used to like to hear the words ‘Yaa Raashid, when he went out for any purpose. So be optimistic that you and your brothers will pass this exam.
- Remembering Allaah (dhikr) dispels anxiety and tension. If something is too difficult for you, then pray to Allaah to make it easy for you. Whenever Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) found something too difficult to understand, he would say, “O You Who taught Ibraaheem, teach me; O You Who caused Sulaymaan to understand, cause me to understand.”
- Choose a good place to sit during the exam, if you can. Keep your back straight, and sit on the chair in a healthy manner.
-Take your time to answer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Deliberation is from Allaah and haste is from the Shaytaan.” (A hasan hadeeth. Saheeh al-Jaami, 3011).
- Think carefully about the answer and choose the right answer when answering multiple-choice questions. Deal with them in the following manner. If you are sure that you have chosen the right answer, then beware of waswasah (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan). If you are not sure, then start by eliminating the wrong or unlikely answers, then choose the correct answer based on what you think is most likely to be correct. If you guessed at a correct answer then do not change it unless you are sure that it is wrong – especially if you will lose marks for a wrong answer. Research indicates that the correct answer is usually that which the student thinks of first.
- If you discover after the exam that you answered some questions incorrectly, then take that as a lesson in the importance of being well prepared in the future, and not rushing to answer questions. Accept the will and decree of Allaah and do not fall prey to frustration and despair. Remember the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “If anything befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such and such.’ Rather say, ‘Qadar Allaah wa maa sha’a kaan (the decree of Allaah and what He wills happened),’ for saying ‘if only’ opens the door for the Shaytaan.” (Saheeh Muslim, and the first part of this hadeeth was mentioned above).
- Remember what you have prepared for the Hereafter, and the questions of the examination in the grave, and how to be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is saved from the Fire and admitted to Paradise will indeed have succeeded.
- Pray tajud salah in the middle of the night.I know it’s hard your body wants to sleep but it’s your heart that makes you get up so brothers and sister work on it
- Pray Nafl before and after the exam and make thanks to Allah that you took the exams
- Remember what seerah brother said: get yourself from A-B then Allah will get you B-Z inshaAllah
- Make dua for your brothers and sisters taking the exams with you. Because aim for the muslims to be the top ten, why shouldn’t we? So pray for each other and the angels will say ameen and the same for you inshaAllah.
- Turning to Allaah by making du’aa’ in any way that is prescribed in Islam, such as saying, “Rabbiy ishrah li sadri wa yassir li amri (O my Lord, expand my chest and make things easy for me).”
- Mention the name of Allaah before you start, for mentioning the name of Allaah is prescribed when beginning any permissible action; this brings blessing, and seeking the help of Allaah is one of the means of strength.
- Fear Allaah with regard to your classmates, and do not be affected by their anxiety or fear just before the exam, for anxiety is a contagious disease. Instead, make them feel optimistic by saying good words as prescribed in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was optimistic when he heard the name of Suhayl (which means “easy”) and he said: “Things have been made easy for you.” He used to like to hear the words ‘Yaa Raashid, when he went out for any purpose. So be optimistic that you and your brothers will pass this exam.
- Remembering Allaah (dhikr) dispels anxiety and tension. If something is too difficult for you, then pray to Allaah to make it easy for you. Whenever Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) found something too difficult to understand, he would say, “O You Who taught Ibraaheem, teach me; O You Who caused Sulaymaan to understand, cause me to understand.”
- Choose a good place to sit during the exam, if you can. Keep your back straight, and sit on the chair in a healthy manner.
-Take your time to answer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Deliberation is from Allaah and haste is from the Shaytaan.” (A hasan hadeeth. Saheeh al-Jaami, 3011).
- Think carefully about the answer and choose the right answer when answering multiple-choice questions. Deal with them in the following manner. If you are sure that you have chosen the right answer, then beware of waswasah (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan). If you are not sure, then start by eliminating the wrong or unlikely answers, then choose the correct answer based on what you think is most likely to be correct. If you guessed at a correct answer then do not change it unless you are sure that it is wrong – especially if you will lose marks for a wrong answer. Research indicates that the correct answer is usually that which the student thinks of first.
- If you discover after the exam that you answered some questions incorrectly, then take that as a lesson in the importance of being well prepared in the future, and not rushing to answer questions. Accept the will and decree of Allaah and do not fall prey to frustration and despair. Remember the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “If anything befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such and such.’ Rather say, ‘Qadar Allaah wa maa sha’a kaan (the decree of Allaah and what He wills happened),’ for saying ‘if only’ opens the door for the Shaytaan.” (Saheeh Muslim, and the first part of this hadeeth was mentioned above).
- Remember what you have prepared for the Hereafter, and the questions of the examination in the grave, and how to be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is saved from the Fire and admitted to Paradise will indeed have succeeded.
- Pray tajud salah in the middle of the night.I know it’s hard your body wants to sleep but it’s your heart that makes you get up so brothers and sister work on it
- Pray Nafl before and after the exam and make thanks to Allah that you took the exams
- Remember what seerah brother said: get yourself from A-B then Allah will get you B-Z inshaAllah
- Make dua for your brothers and sisters taking the exams with you. Because aim for the muslims to be the top ten, why shouldn’t we? So pray for each other and the angels will say ameen and the same for you inshaAllah.
Quick Guide to How to Increase Imaan
Faith (imaan) can be swallowed up by the dunya. Our faith always has peaks and is not in a steady state. There are places in the environment that allows us to build our imaan and hiyaat. We should stirve to stay away from environments and actions that decreases imaan and causes us to be consumed up if the dunya which reduces us not only in imaan but also in good deeds.
We must maintain our obligations and complete them in a perfect way; an example would be the 5 Salah’s in its allocated time. The acts of worship which perform must be carried out in a continued fashion to allow us to keep getting closer to Allah (azawajal) until Allah (azawajal) loves us. This requires effort and commitment.
Once we attained the obligations in the most perfect way, further actions may be carried out to increase our imaan:
1) Optional Salah
2) Optional Fasting
3) Reciting the Qur’an (everyday)
The person is then loved by Allah (azawajal) and guided to what Allah (azawajal) wants to the person to hear, see and whatever the person asks for Allah (azawajal) will grant it to him. But more essentially the person receives salvation from his merciful Lord (swa) by entering into eternal bliss and tranquillity of Paradise.
We must maintain our obligations and complete them in a perfect way; an example would be the 5 Salah’s in its allocated time. The acts of worship which perform must be carried out in a continued fashion to allow us to keep getting closer to Allah (azawajal) until Allah (azawajal) loves us. This requires effort and commitment.
Once we attained the obligations in the most perfect way, further actions may be carried out to increase our imaan:
1) Optional Salah
2) Optional Fasting
3) Reciting the Qur’an (everyday)
The person is then loved by Allah (azawajal) and guided to what Allah (azawajal) wants to the person to hear, see and whatever the person asks for Allah (azawajal) will grant it to him. But more essentially the person receives salvation from his merciful Lord (swa) by entering into eternal bliss and tranquillity of Paradise.
Perfection
No one is perfect and we are humans and so we make mistakes. Only Allah (swa) is Perfect and Allah (azawajal) has created the world in a perfect manner. When striving for perfection as humans, we are only able to focus on a small part of perfection.
Allah (swa) has taught us excellence in everything we try to achieve, such as excellence in faith, belief, conductance and manner which are all examples of our beloved prophet Muhammad (saws). Perfection alone is for Allah (swa) and no one can gain this.
Even Adam (as) was created with perfection had faults and thus shayitan was able to manipulate Adam and Eve (as) to make mistakes. But our Perfect Lord is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful as long as we can sincerely repent.
Our job as Muslims is to strive for excellence rather than perfection.
We must achieve excellence in our faith and Islam is our goal to attain salvation.
Allah (swa) has taught us excellence in everything we try to achieve, such as excellence in faith, belief, conductance and manner which are all examples of our beloved prophet Muhammad (saws). Perfection alone is for Allah (swa) and no one can gain this.
Even Adam (as) was created with perfection had faults and thus shayitan was able to manipulate Adam and Eve (as) to make mistakes. But our Perfect Lord is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful as long as we can sincerely repent.
Our job as Muslims is to strive for excellence rather than perfection.
We must achieve excellence in our faith and Islam is our goal to attain salvation.
A Beautiful Story
Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumat services at the Central Mosque
(and shortly after Al-Usrah program), the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE" and other Islamic literature.
This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for
the Imam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was
very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK,
dad, I'm ready!'
His 'Mu'allim' dad asked, 'Ready for what?'
'Dad, it's time we gather our booklets together and go out.'
Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't
people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?'
Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'
Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?'
His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here
are the booklets. Be careful son.'
'Thanks, Dad!'
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old
boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing
everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled
wet and down to his VERY LAST BOOKLET. He stopped on a corner and
looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally
deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the
side walk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell,
but nobody answered..
He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but
still no answer.
Finally, this eleven year old da'wah-expert turned to leave, but
something stopped him.
Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on
the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the
front porch!
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She
softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?' With radiant eyes and a
smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry
if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that "ALLAH REALLY
LOVES AND CARES FOR YOU" and I came to give you my very last booklet
which will tell you all about God, the real purpose of creation, and
how to achieve His pleasure.'
With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave..
She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'
Well, the following Friday afternoon after Jumat service (during which
period they hold a weekly program, Al-Usrah) the Imam was giving some
lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does anybody have
questions or want to say anything?'
Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly voice was heard
over the speaker. As the voice went on, a hint of glorious gaiety and
contentment was plainly evident in it even though it wasn't to be
seen, 'No one in this gathering knows me. I've never been here before.
You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim, and thought I could
be. My husband passed away some time ago, leaving me totally alone in
this world. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it
was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where
I no longer had any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic
of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then
stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my
neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about
to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs
startled me. I thought, I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go
away……
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and
more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking
loudly............
I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever
rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck
and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and
louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for
there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I
had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to
you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long
been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice,
'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVES AND CARES FOR
YOU!'
Then he gave me this booklet, "Path To Paradise" that I now hold in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I
closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up
to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any
more.
You see? I am now a Happy Vicegerent of the One True God. Since the
address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet,
I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who
came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an
eternity in Hell.'
There was not a dry eye in the mosque. And as shouts of TAKBIR!!!
ALLAH AKBAR!!! rented the air, even among the ladies, despite
themselves.
Imam/Dad descended from the pulpit to the front row where the little
angel was seated....
He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Probably no Jama'at has had a more glorious moment, and probably this
universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love and
honour for his son....... Except for One. This very one...
Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumat services at the Central Mosque
(and shortly after Al-Usrah program), the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE" and other Islamic literature.
by Dawah Dudes
(and shortly after Al-Usrah program), the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE" and other Islamic literature.
This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for
the Imam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was
very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK,
dad, I'm ready!'
His 'Mu'allim' dad asked, 'Ready for what?'
'Dad, it's time we gather our booklets together and go out.'
Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't
people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?'
Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'
Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?'
His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here
are the booklets. Be careful son.'
'Thanks, Dad!'
And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old
boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing
everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.
After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled
wet and down to his VERY LAST BOOKLET. He stopped on a corner and
looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally
deserted.
Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the
side walk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell,
but nobody answered..
He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but
still no answer.
Finally, this eleven year old da'wah-expert turned to leave, but
something stopped him.
Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on
the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the
front porch!
He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She
softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?' With radiant eyes and a
smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry
if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that "ALLAH REALLY
LOVES AND CARES FOR YOU" and I came to give you my very last booklet
which will tell you all about God, the real purpose of creation, and
how to achieve His pleasure.'
With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave..
She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'
Well, the following Friday afternoon after Jumat service (during which
period they hold a weekly program, Al-Usrah) the Imam was giving some
lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does anybody have
questions or want to say anything?'
Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly voice was heard
over the speaker. As the voice went on, a hint of glorious gaiety and
contentment was plainly evident in it even though it wasn't to be
seen, 'No one in this gathering knows me. I've never been here before.
You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim, and thought I could
be. My husband passed away some time ago, leaving me totally alone in
this world. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it
was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where
I no longer had any hope or will to live.
So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic
of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then
stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my
neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about
to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs
startled me. I thought, I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go
away……
I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and
more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking
loudly............
I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever
rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck
and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and
louder.
When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for
there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I
had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to
you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long
been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice,
'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVES AND CARES FOR
YOU!'
Then he gave me this booklet, "Path To Paradise" that I now hold in my hand.
As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I
closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up
to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any
more.
You see? I am now a Happy Vicegerent of the One True God. Since the
address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet,
I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who
came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an
eternity in Hell.'
There was not a dry eye in the mosque. And as shouts of TAKBIR!!!
ALLAH AKBAR!!! rented the air, even among the ladies, despite
themselves.
Imam/Dad descended from the pulpit to the front row where the little
angel was seated....
He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Probably no Jama'at has had a more glorious moment, and probably this
universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love and
honour for his son....... Except for One. This very one...
Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumat services at the Central Mosque
(and shortly after Al-Usrah program), the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE" and other Islamic literature.
by Dawah Dudes
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