In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
How precious it is our Iman (Faith)...that's why the shaytan is lurking to steal it from our heart.
إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٥[Qur'an Yusuf 12:5]
Indeed Satan, to man, is a manifest enemy. (5)
Hold onto your Iman for dear life and start erecting your fortress around it, so it would be impossible for the shaytan to penetrate.
Innermost fortress--Know all your obligations and start doing them, e.g. 5 prescribed daily prayers, witr prayer, fasting, pay zakat, perform hajj, Friday prayer (for men); fulfill the rights of others; seek personally obligatory knowledge (fard 'ain).
2nd layer fortress--Do all the emphasized sunnah prayers (sunna mu'akkada), e.g. 12 cycles of prayers which is before and after 5 prescribed daily prayers (4 before dhuhr, 2 after dhuhr, 2 after maghrib, 2 after 'Isha, 2 before Fajr); Tahajjud (night vigil) prayer in the last one-third of the night; Dhuha (mid morning) prayer.
3rd layer fortress--Do other recommended prayers, e.g. istikhara prayer when making any decision; 2 cycles of prayer after wudu'.
4th layer of fortress--Do other recommended acts of worship, e.g. Recite a portion of the Qur'an daily (at least 2 juz daily); fasting on Mondays, Thursdays and the 3 white days, other special times Zulhijjah 1-9 (include Day of Arafah), etc.; giving charity; seeking sacred knowledge
5th layer fortress--Do much istighfar, salawat upon the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, recite surah of protection after each prayer (ayatul kursi, last 3 surah of the Qur'an, etc.)
6th layer fortress--Moist the tongues with dhikr, maintain wudu' all day and make sure you take wudu' before going to sleep.
7th layer fortress--Keep the company of the righteous and the pious.
Outermost layer fortress--Do not come near haram and those things that can lead to haram.
Each outer layer will help reinforce the inner layer. So don't think you can protect your Iman by only doing the obligatory acts because this last line of defense will not be able to withstand the enemies if they start marching in.
Routinely check and inspect your fortresses for any weaknesses and take immediate remedial steps to reinforce it. The more layers and the stronger they are, the more you are protected. The less layers you have and the weaker they are the easier the Shaytan can penetrate into your heart.
Keep in mind that our lives should not be spent except in worshipping Allah. This is the purpose of our creation and Allah clarifies to us this objective, saying,
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦[Quran Adh-Dhariyat 51:56].
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)
The greatest type of worship is to perform that which Allah makes obligatory on His servants and to refrain from all that He forbids.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Allah says: ‘The most beloved deeds with which my slave comes nearer to me are what I have enjoined on him.’" [Bukhari]
Ibn Al-Qayyim said:
Since the Salaf lived their whole life in worship, it is then necessary for us to know with which type of worship they started, and which one have they given priority.” He then answered: "The best acts of worship are the most pleasing to Allaah in that particular time. The best act of worship during the presence of a guest is to take care of him and not to be distracted from that by other recommended acts of worship. This is also in performing one’s duties towards one’s wife and family. The best act of worship in the night is to be occupied with prayer, reciting the Quran, supplication and Thikr. The best thing during the time of the Athan (i.e. the call for prayer) is to leave whatever worship one is doing and answer the Mu`aththin (i.e. the one calling the Athan) by repeating what he says. The best thing during the time of the five obligatory prayers is to exert one's efforts in their prompt performance. The best thing when the poor is in dire need of assistance is to assist him and give that preference over supererogatory dhikr. The best thing to do when your brother is sick or dead is to visit him, attend his funeral, and give that priority over your supererogatory Thikr. And the best thing to do when you are afflicted and suffer people’s harm is to be patient and not to run away from them.
May Allah protect our Iman and protect us from the evils of mankind and jinnkind, and let us die at the highest of Iman. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
No comments:
Post a Comment