بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, mobilized his army for the Battle of Uhud against the disbelievers (kuffar of Quraysh), he selected 50 skillful archers that formed a squad and placed them under the command of Abdullah ibn Jubair.
He ordered them to stay where they were, in a location on Mount Uhud, where they could see the army of the disbelievers when they approached.
He clarified the mission of this squad. He said to Abdullah ibn Jubair:
1. Drive the horses away from us with arrows
2. Do not let them attack us from behind (this command is another way of saying the 1st)
3. Whether we win or lose, stand steadily in your position (this command is another way of saying the 1st and the 2nd)
4. Watch that we are not attack from your side. (this command is another way of saying the 1st, 2nd and 3rd)
Then he told the 50 archers.
5. If you see us snatched in pieces by birds (a sign that the Muslims were killed), do not leave your position until I send for you.
6. If you see that we have defeated the enemy and trodden on them, do not leave your position until I send for you. (There is a wisdom to hold the posts.)
But what did the archers do? When they saw the Muslims had defeated the kuffar badly, and the kuffar were running away from the battlefield, they left their positions to get the booty, i.e. the dunya.
Abdullah ibn Jubair reminded them and said "Have you forgotten what the Messenger told you?" But they did not hear him. 10 people including Abdullah stayed behind trying to protect the position. The rest went after the booty. Even with clear instructions from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, they left. Actually, they had 10 reminders not to leave their positions under any circumstances--6 from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, 1 from their leader, Abdullah bin Jubair and 3 from the kuffar. Khalid bin Walid, who was at that time a non-believer and who commanded the Quraysh cavalry, had attempted 3 times to penetrate the Muslims from the rear but unsuccessful because the archers were shooting arrows at them. The archers should have seen this but they suddenly became deaf and blind.
Khalid ibn Walid seized this opportunity. He rode with his men around Mount Uhud and attacked the flank of the Muslim army through the pass. Abdullah ibn Jubair’s depleted forces tried unsuccessfully to resist the attack.
The fleeing soldiers of the enemy also returned and joined the attack from the front and the scales of the battle turned against the Muslims. The suddenness of these attacks by outnumbering forces, from both the rear and the front, caused great confusion among the Muslim ranks. The enemy forces wanted to either seize Allah’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, alive or kill him, and attacked him from all sides, striking with swords, thrusting with spears, shooting arrows and hurling stones.
There was a rumor that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was martyred in the battle, which led many Companions to lose courage. Those who defended him fought heroically. Despite the indescribable resistance of the Muslim warriors around the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, defeat seemed inevitable until Ka’b ibn Malik, seeing the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, shouted: ‘O Muslims! Good tidings for you! This is Allah’s Messenger, here!’ The scattered Companions advanced toward him from all sides, rallied around him, and led him to the safety of the mountain.
If you imagine yourself in Uhud, you might say, "If I am with the 50 archers, I would follow the command of the Prophet." But you might not. Remember the story of the companion Hudhaifa bin Al Yamman in the Battle of Khandaq. These archers forgot the clear instructions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, because Allah wanted them to forget. But this is not the reason that you should disobey Allah. We have to obey the commands of Allah and His Messenger. We have to plan and take the means to accomplish the plan but we have to know that if you don't achieve the result or if you achieve the result, it is within Allah's plan. Whatever goals we have, it has to be for Allah and through Allah.
The Battle of Uhud is a victory to the Muslims despite 70 companions were killed and many wounded. We have 70 martyrs, that means they are in Paradise with Allah. The kuffar (including many powerful leaders) who Allah knows they were not going to change, were killed in the battle. Muslims who survived, learned a huge lesson, that if you want to do something, you have follow the instructions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. The kuffar who survived, including Hind (who hired Wahshi to kill Hamzah, the beloved uncle of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and when Hamza was killed, she ordered his stomach to split open, and she mutilated his body and chewed his liver), Abu Sufyan, the leader of the kuffar, and Khalid bin Walid embraced Islam later in the da'wah and became great Companions and instrumental in defending and spreading Islam.
Khalid bin Walid learned a very important lesson from Uhud and it became his attitude which saved the Muslims. When there is a battle, inevitably there is a point when there is a kind of disturbance, whether the army is defeated or had victory. Khalid would look for this moment and ceased the opportunity to attack the enemy. In many battles in which Khalid led the Muslim army, he used the lesson of Uhud and thus saved the Muslims. He used this in the Battle of Mu'tah, fighting the apostate and Musaylamah al Kadhab, and in the Battle of Yarmuk of 36,000 Muslims against 200,000 Romans. Hind and Abu Sufyan helped a great deal in Battle of Yarmuk in which the Roman army was defeated and marked the collapse of the Roman empire, the oldest empire in history.
With all that had happened at Uhud; 70 Muslims killed, many wounded, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, raised his hands and thanked Allah. Why? Because he believed in the Divine plan. Ten years from that date, the Roman empire was defeated by the Muslims under the leadership of Khalid bin Walid.
So when we asked, why bad things happen to the Muslims? Remember what happened to the Muslims in Battle of Uhud, what Hind did to Hamzah and what Khalid did to the Muslims, and what the Muslims achieved as a result of what happened to the Muslims in this battle. They were but a few of the wisdom of Uhud that we know after the fact. We might not be able to see the wisdom of what is happening to the Muslims now but if we live long enough we might be able to see it. But this is not important. What is important is that we obey Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. We cannot be deaf and blind to the commands of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. They have been repeated to us in many different ways. Don't be heedless lest we will perish. And if we want to achieve something we have to look to Allah, not the dunya. If we don't, even if we succeed, it is not a true success.
May Allah guide the Ummah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Ameen.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم The Last Prophet Movie
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم The Last Prophet Movie
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullāh (Arabic: محمد; Transliteration: Muḥammad; pronounced [mʊˈħæmmæd] also spelled Muhammed or Mohammed)(ca. 570/571 -- June 8, 632), (Monday, 12th Rabi' al-Awwal, Year 11 A.H.) was the founder of the religion of Islam, and is considered by Muslims to be a messenger and prophet of God, the last law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets, and, by most Muslims, the last prophet of God as taught by the Qur'an. Muslims thus consider him the restorer of an uncorrupted original monotheistic faith (islām) of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets. He was also active as a diplomat, merchant, philosopher, orator, legislator, reformer, military general, and, according to Muslim belief, an agent of divine action.
Born in 570 in the Arabian city of Mecca, he was orphaned at an early age and brought up under the care of his uncle Abu Talib. He later worked mostly as a merchant, as well as a shepherd, and was first married by age 25. Discontented with life in Mecca, he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. According to Islamic beliefs it was here, at age 40, in the month of Ramadan, where he received his first revelation from God.
Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him (lit. islām) is the only way acceptable to God, and that he himself was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets. Muhammad gained few followers early on, and was met with hostility from some Meccan tribes; he and his followers were treated harshly.
To escape persecution, Muhammad sent some of his followers to Abyssinia before he and his remaining followers in Mecca migrated to Medina (then known as Yathrib) in the year 622. This event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, which is also known as the Hijri Calendar. In Medina, Muhammad united the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to 10,000, conquered Mecca. In 632, a few months after returning to Medina from his Farewell pilgrimage, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam, and he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity.
[source: iqratube]
May Allah's blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions. Ameen.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم The Last Prophet Movie
Muhammad ibn 'Abdullāh (Arabic: محمد; Transliteration: Muḥammad; pronounced [mʊˈħæmmæd] also spelled Muhammed or Mohammed)(ca. 570/571 -- June 8, 632), (Monday, 12th Rabi' al-Awwal, Year 11 A.H.) was the founder of the religion of Islam, and is considered by Muslims to be a messenger and prophet of God, the last law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets, and, by most Muslims, the last prophet of God as taught by the Qur'an. Muslims thus consider him the restorer of an uncorrupted original monotheistic faith (islām) of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets. He was also active as a diplomat, merchant, philosopher, orator, legislator, reformer, military general, and, according to Muslim belief, an agent of divine action.
Born in 570 in the Arabian city of Mecca, he was orphaned at an early age and brought up under the care of his uncle Abu Talib. He later worked mostly as a merchant, as well as a shepherd, and was first married by age 25. Discontented with life in Mecca, he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. According to Islamic beliefs it was here, at age 40, in the month of Ramadan, where he received his first revelation from God.
Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him (lit. islām) is the only way acceptable to God, and that he himself was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets. Muhammad gained few followers early on, and was met with hostility from some Meccan tribes; he and his followers were treated harshly.
To escape persecution, Muhammad sent some of his followers to Abyssinia before he and his remaining followers in Mecca migrated to Medina (then known as Yathrib) in the year 622. This event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, which is also known as the Hijri Calendar. In Medina, Muhammad united the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to 10,000, conquered Mecca. In 632, a few months after returning to Medina from his Farewell pilgrimage, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam, and he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity.
[source: iqratube]
May Allah's blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions. Ameen.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Fasting In The Blessed Month Of Muharram
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Today is the starting of the new Hijri year. Allah's sacred month of Muharram is the first month of the Hijri calendar. It is recommended to increase one's sunnah fasting in this month.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah says,
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّـهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّـهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةً كَمَا يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةً ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّـهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him]. (Qur'an At-Tawba 9:36]
Allah's words: "... so do not wrong yourselves during them ... " mean do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse than in other months. It was reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that this phrase referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.
Qutadah said concerning this phrase that wrongdoing during the sacred months is more serious and more sinful that wrongdoing at any other time. Wrongdoing at any time is a serious matter, but Allah gives more weight to whichever of His commands He will. Allah has chosen certain ones of His creation. He has chosen from among the angels Messengers and from among mankind Messengers. He chose from among speech the remembrance of Him (dhikr). He chose from among the earth the mosques, from among the months Ramadhan and the sacred months, from among the days Friday and from among the nights Laylat al-Qadr, so venerate that which Allah has told us to venerate. People of understanding and wisdom venerate the things that Allah has told us to venerate. [Summarized from the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him.]
Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
We ask Allah to help us obey Him and make us of those who are pious and fear Him. We ask Allah to increase our love for His Noble Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. We ask Allah to make us followers of the Sunnah of His Noble Prophet, to make us live in Islam and die in a state of iman. Ameen.
Please keep us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Today is the starting of the new Hijri year. Allah's sacred month of Muharram is the first month of the Hijri calendar. It is recommended to increase one's sunnah fasting in this month.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
The best fasting after Ramadhan is fasting Allah's month of Muharram." [Muslim]
Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah says,
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّـهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّـهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا۟ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَـٰتِلُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةً كَمَا يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةً ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّـهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him]. (Qur'an At-Tawba 9:36]
Allah's words: "... so do not wrong yourselves during them ... " mean do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse than in other months. It was reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that this phrase referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.
Qutadah said concerning this phrase that wrongdoing during the sacred months is more serious and more sinful that wrongdoing at any other time. Wrongdoing at any time is a serious matter, but Allah gives more weight to whichever of His commands He will. Allah has chosen certain ones of His creation. He has chosen from among the angels Messengers and from among mankind Messengers. He chose from among speech the remembrance of Him (dhikr). He chose from among the earth the mosques, from among the months Ramadhan and the sacred months, from among the days Friday and from among the nights Laylat al-Qadr, so venerate that which Allah has told us to venerate. People of understanding and wisdom venerate the things that Allah has told us to venerate. [Summarized from the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him.]
Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhu'l-Qa'dah, Dhu'l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumada and Sha'ban.[Bukhari]Muharram is so called because it is a sacred (muharram) month and to confirm its sanctity.
We ask Allah to help us obey Him and make us of those who are pious and fear Him. We ask Allah to increase our love for His Noble Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. We ask Allah to make us followers of the Sunnah of His Noble Prophet, to make us live in Islam and die in a state of iman. Ameen.
Please keep us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, November 25, 2011
No Complaints, Only Much Thanks
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everything that is happening should remind us of how much we need Allah, that we can't do anything without His help and His tawfiq, but how little we see His blessings and how little we thank Him for everything.
Everyday, we can catch ourselves complaining about something, maybe not overtly but silently or indirectly. We complain when we have to wait in line for hours. Thank Allah that He gave you the two feet to enable you to stand up in the line for so long. We complain when people are not doing their jobs properly. Thank Allah that He gave you enough patience so that you don't lose control and start hitting and yelling at people, perhaps get yourself deported.
The other day, I was at the visa office to renew my visa and my children's visa. As expected, it was almost a whole day event with long standing in line and seeing impatient and angry foreigners and angry staff.
When I first arrived there was a line for women and another line for men which were group enforceable. I thought that was thoughtful. I stood behind the last person in the women's line. But after a while I realized the line wasn't moving. I asked the people in front of me if I could go to the front and see what was going on. They said ok (good luck!). I went to the window and tried to get the attention of the staff but no one bothered to look at the window. Some of them were chatting, eating, smoking, walking up and down and you wonder if much was being done. Finally, a staff came and I asked him if I was standing at the right window to process our visas. He grudgingly took our passports, looked at them and left the passports on the counter and walked away.
One of the ladies who was standing behind me said, "I used to have a lot of patience, but after I came to Egypt I lost it, and now I am trying to be patient." I said, this is the best place to teach patience and tawakkul (they don't call Egypt a factory of knowledge for no reason) and that we don't realize how little patience we had before and how much we relied on human systems until we come to Egypt. In US and Europe, everything runs like clock work and so we took many things for granted living there. We forget Allah is the One who is running everything, the clock and the clock work included.
We waited realizing that when Allah decides to send someone to process and give us the visas, it won't be a moment later. Some of the ladies had sat down on the floor because their feet couldn't take it anymore.
We comforted and reminded each other with words of the Qur'an, that Allah is with the patient, that Allah is the All Powerful, the All Hearing and the All Seeing (that He sees and hears everything was happening to us). We asked Allah to guide them and bring peace to Egypt (which is currently in huge turmoil again). One of the staffs must have overheard our conversation, looked over towards the pillar that separated me and him with a big smile. I took this great opportunity to ask him if someone would come and process our visas. Soon thereafter a staff came and took our passports for further processing. I said to him jazakallahu khairan.
Our lives yesterday, today, now and tomorrow is how Allah wants it to be. He has known everything before they be. Nothing moves, nothing remains still without His knowledge, His will, His power. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. We are nothing without Allah. We are certain that we don't know what tomorrow will bring but we hope that Allah will have mercy on us and continue to shower us with His blessings and make us die with la illaha illallah at the highest of iman.
We thank Allah for by Him we see what we see in this deen, we hear what our teachers taught us about this deen, He did not choose us to be blind or deaf and did not make us be among those who are heedless and led astray.
May Allah make us His grateful servants. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakum Allahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everything that is happening should remind us of how much we need Allah, that we can't do anything without His help and His tawfiq, but how little we see His blessings and how little we thank Him for everything.
Everyday, we can catch ourselves complaining about something, maybe not overtly but silently or indirectly. We complain when we have to wait in line for hours. Thank Allah that He gave you the two feet to enable you to stand up in the line for so long. We complain when people are not doing their jobs properly. Thank Allah that He gave you enough patience so that you don't lose control and start hitting and yelling at people, perhaps get yourself deported.
The other day, I was at the visa office to renew my visa and my children's visa. As expected, it was almost a whole day event with long standing in line and seeing impatient and angry foreigners and angry staff.
When I first arrived there was a line for women and another line for men which were group enforceable. I thought that was thoughtful. I stood behind the last person in the women's line. But after a while I realized the line wasn't moving. I asked the people in front of me if I could go to the front and see what was going on. They said ok (good luck!). I went to the window and tried to get the attention of the staff but no one bothered to look at the window. Some of them were chatting, eating, smoking, walking up and down and you wonder if much was being done. Finally, a staff came and I asked him if I was standing at the right window to process our visas. He grudgingly took our passports, looked at them and left the passports on the counter and walked away.
One of the ladies who was standing behind me said, "I used to have a lot of patience, but after I came to Egypt I lost it, and now I am trying to be patient." I said, this is the best place to teach patience and tawakkul (they don't call Egypt a factory of knowledge for no reason) and that we don't realize how little patience we had before and how much we relied on human systems until we come to Egypt. In US and Europe, everything runs like clock work and so we took many things for granted living there. We forget Allah is the One who is running everything, the clock and the clock work included.
We waited realizing that when Allah decides to send someone to process and give us the visas, it won't be a moment later. Some of the ladies had sat down on the floor because their feet couldn't take it anymore.
We comforted and reminded each other with words of the Qur'an, that Allah is with the patient, that Allah is the All Powerful, the All Hearing and the All Seeing (that He sees and hears everything was happening to us). We asked Allah to guide them and bring peace to Egypt (which is currently in huge turmoil again). One of the staffs must have overheard our conversation, looked over towards the pillar that separated me and him with a big smile. I took this great opportunity to ask him if someone would come and process our visas. Soon thereafter a staff came and took our passports for further processing. I said to him jazakallahu khairan.
Our lives yesterday, today, now and tomorrow is how Allah wants it to be. He has known everything before they be. Nothing moves, nothing remains still without His knowledge, His will, His power. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. We are nothing without Allah. We are certain that we don't know what tomorrow will bring but we hope that Allah will have mercy on us and continue to shower us with His blessings and make us die with la illaha illallah at the highest of iman.
We thank Allah for by Him we see what we see in this deen, we hear what our teachers taught us about this deen, He did not choose us to be blind or deaf and did not make us be among those who are heedless and led astray.
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَآ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْغَـٰفِلُونَ
"And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless." Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:179
May Allah make us His grateful servants. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakum Allahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Don't See Yourself In Anything
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We know Allah created our whole body. Sometimes because our body is working by default, we forget Allah. It is not sufficient to know that Allah created every part of our body, but we also have to know that all the systems are working by Allah.
It is not because you have eyes that you can see, it is not because you have ears that you can hear, it is not because you have tongues that you can talk, it is not because you have hands that you can touch and hold, it is not because you have intellect that you can think, it is because Allah wants them to function that way. If you have a bad eyesight and you go to the doctor who prescribed you glasses and you wear them it is not the glasses that enable you to see well again. It is Allah who enables you to see well again.
Do you think you are so smart that you pass your exams, that you graduated from college, that you have a PhD, that you are making so much money and have a good job or a successful business/projects? Do you think you are so great that you have so many fans, that you can make the audience cry because of your moving speech? Your intellect was able to compose a moving speech because Allah wanted it that way and your tongue was able to give a moving speech because Allah wanted it that way. Nothing came from you. You have to be conscious about this all the time. Don't see yourself in anything but see Allah in everything.
There was one Shaykh giving a Friday khutbah (sermon). It was a good and inspiring khutbah and people were crying while listening to the khutbah. When the Shaykh was leaving the mimbar (pulpit) to start the Friday prayer, he saw the people crying because of his speech. He said to himself, "I did it!" As soon as he said, Allahu Akbar and to begin reciting surah al-Fatiha, he was silent for a long time. Most people who were following behind him, including children, memorized surah al-Fatiha, and they recited the first verse, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'alamin ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ over and over again to remind him, but it was as if he couldn't hear them. At that moment he realized his mistake when he said, "I did it." Allah gave him a quick and strong lesson that he did not do anything. He made a sincere repentance to Allah in his heart and immediately he was able to recite the surah and complete the prayer. He later said that he could hear noises when people were trying to remind him of al-Fatiha, but he could not recognize the words.
What do you have in your life that you are working on or something you want to finish? Do you think you are running these things? You plan but when you get the results as you planned, don't think that you did it. It was already in Allah's plan.
What are you jealous about or sad about when you see others have a house and you don't, have many children and you don't, have a loving spouse and you don't, or when you hear about their wonderful vacations and you have been stuck in one place for the last 20 years? Do you think you can transfer what they have to you? No, everything is own and run by Allah. If He wills that you have the like of what others have, you will have them. If not, you won't.
We have to remember this always for this will bring our hearts closer to Allah.
May Allah bring our hearts closer to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We know Allah created our whole body. Sometimes because our body is working by default, we forget Allah. It is not sufficient to know that Allah created every part of our body, but we also have to know that all the systems are working by Allah.
It is not because you have eyes that you can see, it is not because you have ears that you can hear, it is not because you have tongues that you can talk, it is not because you have hands that you can touch and hold, it is not because you have intellect that you can think, it is because Allah wants them to function that way. If you have a bad eyesight and you go to the doctor who prescribed you glasses and you wear them it is not the glasses that enable you to see well again. It is Allah who enables you to see well again.
Do you think you are so smart that you pass your exams, that you graduated from college, that you have a PhD, that you are making so much money and have a good job or a successful business/projects? Do you think you are so great that you have so many fans, that you can make the audience cry because of your moving speech? Your intellect was able to compose a moving speech because Allah wanted it that way and your tongue was able to give a moving speech because Allah wanted it that way. Nothing came from you. You have to be conscious about this all the time. Don't see yourself in anything but see Allah in everything.
There was one Shaykh giving a Friday khutbah (sermon). It was a good and inspiring khutbah and people were crying while listening to the khutbah. When the Shaykh was leaving the mimbar (pulpit) to start the Friday prayer, he saw the people crying because of his speech. He said to himself, "I did it!" As soon as he said, Allahu Akbar and to begin reciting surah al-Fatiha, he was silent for a long time. Most people who were following behind him, including children, memorized surah al-Fatiha, and they recited the first verse, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'alamin ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ over and over again to remind him, but it was as if he couldn't hear them. At that moment he realized his mistake when he said, "I did it." Allah gave him a quick and strong lesson that he did not do anything. He made a sincere repentance to Allah in his heart and immediately he was able to recite the surah and complete the prayer. He later said that he could hear noises when people were trying to remind him of al-Fatiha, but he could not recognize the words.
What do you have in your life that you are working on or something you want to finish? Do you think you are running these things? You plan but when you get the results as you planned, don't think that you did it. It was already in Allah's plan.
What are you jealous about or sad about when you see others have a house and you don't, have many children and you don't, have a loving spouse and you don't, or when you hear about their wonderful vacations and you have been stuck in one place for the last 20 years? Do you think you can transfer what they have to you? No, everything is own and run by Allah. If He wills that you have the like of what others have, you will have them. If not, you won't.
We have to remember this always for this will bring our hearts closer to Allah.
May Allah bring our hearts closer to Him. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Paradise Is For Believers
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
It is not our job to judge whether a person is going to Paradise or Hell because the fate of someone is not in our hands but in Allah's, and Allah's alone. So we should hold our tongues and be concerned about ours because we don't know our ending. The wheel is still spinning.
Allah gave us a very good example for us in our lifetime. We have heard the story of Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq. He killed so many people even some of his own family members. You would think the worst that will happen to him in the Day of Judgment. The people of Iraq selected the first day of Eid al-Adha to execute him and while Muslims around the world were slaughtering animals for sacrifice, his people executed him for his atrocities. But what were the last words that came out of his mouth? As reported, in clear voice he uttered the shahada, saying "There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad." This is what we know about his ending in this life. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (To Allah we belong and to Him is the return). By sating that in this life, he reserved a place in Paradise because the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that whoever has la illaha illallah (there is no God except Allah) at his last words, he will be in Paradise. Yes, he did what he did and Allah might punish him for what he did, and Allah might forgive him as well. In the end he will be in Paradise, by Allah's mercy.
We don't have that certainty that we will be in Paradise. Yes, many of us are religious, we are trying to practice Islam. We are praying, learning the Sacred Knowledge, doing good deeds and we don't kill people but how sure are we that we will end a believer? How sure are we that we will utter la illaha illallah before our souls leave our bodies? There is no guaranty that we will. But we are doing our best in order to please Allah, and we have a hope that Allah will be pleased with us and guide our hearts and our tongues to say la illaha illallah on our deathbeds. We keep asking Allah that we hold our deen, follow the Qur'an and the sunnah and die a believer.
May Allah make us His obedient slaves, protect us from disbelief, and make us die as believers at the highest of iman and enter us into the highest Paradise with the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
It is not our job to judge whether a person is going to Paradise or Hell because the fate of someone is not in our hands but in Allah's, and Allah's alone. So we should hold our tongues and be concerned about ours because we don't know our ending. The wheel is still spinning.
Allah gave us a very good example for us in our lifetime. We have heard the story of Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq. He killed so many people even some of his own family members. You would think the worst that will happen to him in the Day of Judgment. The people of Iraq selected the first day of Eid al-Adha to execute him and while Muslims around the world were slaughtering animals for sacrifice, his people executed him for his atrocities. But what were the last words that came out of his mouth? As reported, in clear voice he uttered the shahada, saying "There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad." This is what we know about his ending in this life. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (To Allah we belong and to Him is the return). By sating that in this life, he reserved a place in Paradise because the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that whoever has la illaha illallah (there is no God except Allah) at his last words, he will be in Paradise. Yes, he did what he did and Allah might punish him for what he did, and Allah might forgive him as well. In the end he will be in Paradise, by Allah's mercy.
We don't have that certainty that we will be in Paradise. Yes, many of us are religious, we are trying to practice Islam. We are praying, learning the Sacred Knowledge, doing good deeds and we don't kill people but how sure are we that we will end a believer? How sure are we that we will utter la illaha illallah before our souls leave our bodies? There is no guaranty that we will. But we are doing our best in order to please Allah, and we have a hope that Allah will be pleased with us and guide our hearts and our tongues to say la illaha illallah on our deathbeds. We keep asking Allah that we hold our deen, follow the Qur'an and the sunnah and die a believer.
May Allah make us His obedient slaves, protect us from disbelief, and make us die as believers at the highest of iman and enter us into the highest Paradise with the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, November 18, 2011
Doing Our Best
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everything has been decided and written in the lawh almahfuz. Whether it is going to be in our favor or not, it is in Allah's hands alone. We have no say about it. But we still have to do our part because we are His slaves. He is the Lord. Our part is doing what Allah wants from us. If we don't know what Allah wants from us, then we learn. We ask Allah to help us and give us tawfiq.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, knew the result of the Battle of Badr before it happened, but he did not sit back and wait for Allah to send the victory. He did his part--planned and prepared the army, not stepping on anybody's toes, and he made a long and intense du'a to the Lord the whole night.
We might find certain things difficult or impossible to do but we do them anyway to the best of our ability because we are certain that Allah does not burden a soul beyond his scope (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286). The moment it is going to be beyond our ability, help will come but we have to do our part.
She was told to shake the palm trunk and dates fell for her to eat to gain back her strength. If we were to ask 10 men to shake a date palm trunk at the base, they won't be able to move it even a fraction. How could a woman in labor, weak and exhausted, shake it? What's the point with shaking the tree? Allah can easily make the dates fell on her lap without any effort from her, kun fayakun, but Allah wants her to do her part.
If we want something from Allah, we have to take the first step. If we wait and expect things will come to us without any effort, nothing will happen. Allah does not reward laziness and procrastination.
So until the help comes, hang in there patiently and at the same time do our part to the best of our ability.
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everything has been decided and written in the lawh almahfuz. Whether it is going to be in our favor or not, it is in Allah's hands alone. We have no say about it. But we still have to do our part because we are His slaves. He is the Lord. Our part is doing what Allah wants from us. If we don't know what Allah wants from us, then we learn. We ask Allah to help us and give us tawfiq.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, knew the result of the Battle of Badr before it happened, but he did not sit back and wait for Allah to send the victory. He did his part--planned and prepared the army, not stepping on anybody's toes, and he made a long and intense du'a to the Lord the whole night.
We might find certain things difficult or impossible to do but we do them anyway to the best of our ability because we are certain that Allah does not burden a soul beyond his scope (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286). The moment it is going to be beyond our ability, help will come but we have to do our part.
Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When (will come) the Help of Allah?" Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!Remember Maryam binti Imran, the mother of 'Isa, peace be upon them. When it became unbearable for Maryam to bear the labor pain, Allah sent her comfort.
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:214
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" Then [the baby 'Isa or Jibril] cried unto her from below her, saying: "Grieve not! Your Lord has provided a water stream under you; And shake the trunk of date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad, And if you see any human being, say: 'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allah) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.'"
Surah Maryam 19:23-26
She was told to shake the palm trunk and dates fell for her to eat to gain back her strength. If we were to ask 10 men to shake a date palm trunk at the base, they won't be able to move it even a fraction. How could a woman in labor, weak and exhausted, shake it? What's the point with shaking the tree? Allah can easily make the dates fell on her lap without any effort from her, kun fayakun, but Allah wants her to do her part.
If we want something from Allah, we have to take the first step. If we wait and expect things will come to us without any effort, nothing will happen. Allah does not reward laziness and procrastination.
So until the help comes, hang in there patiently and at the same time do our part to the best of our ability.
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please keep us in your du'as. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Thursday, November 17, 2011
How Much Do I Know?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When you start learning the Sacred Knowledge and learn some terminology and read some hadiths, maybe you have read the entire Bukhari or the Riyadh as-Salihin or have taken a few Islamic lectures here and there, you think you are the only one who has the knowledge and the rest of the people are ignorant. You look around you and you start pointing out this is haram, that is haram, this is halal, this is makruh, this is a bid'a (innovation), that is a bid'a, that person is a kaafir, this person is a hypocrite, and so on.
After a while you realize that there are other people who have been studying like you and in fact they have more knowledge than you. So you become serious about seeking knowledge.
After years of seeking knowledge, maybe you have memorized the entire Qur'an, maybe you have a certain degree in Islamic studies, maybe you have of so many ijazah of this and that, you now realize that you are the most ignorant person on earth because this knowledge didn't take you to Allah Most High. You realize that everything that you have is given to you and you didn't gain them yourself.
If you don't apply what you know and don't practice your knowledge in your life, if you are not humble before Allah, if you are arrogant, it doesn't matter whether you have 30,000 Facebook fans or 300,000 fans worldwide and they all love you, because it doesn't help you see Allah. What matters is Allah, that you see Allah and if you don't see Allah, you know He sees you.
May Allah give us sincerity in our hearts and excellence in our worship. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When you start learning the Sacred Knowledge and learn some terminology and read some hadiths, maybe you have read the entire Bukhari or the Riyadh as-Salihin or have taken a few Islamic lectures here and there, you think you are the only one who has the knowledge and the rest of the people are ignorant. You look around you and you start pointing out this is haram, that is haram, this is halal, this is makruh, this is a bid'a (innovation), that is a bid'a, that person is a kaafir, this person is a hypocrite, and so on.
After a while you realize that there are other people who have been studying like you and in fact they have more knowledge than you. So you become serious about seeking knowledge.
After years of seeking knowledge, maybe you have memorized the entire Qur'an, maybe you have a certain degree in Islamic studies, maybe you have of so many ijazah of this and that, you now realize that you are the most ignorant person on earth because this knowledge didn't take you to Allah Most High. You realize that everything that you have is given to you and you didn't gain them yourself.
If you don't apply what you know and don't practice your knowledge in your life, if you are not humble before Allah, if you are arrogant, it doesn't matter whether you have 30,000 Facebook fans or 300,000 fans worldwide and they all love you, because it doesn't help you see Allah. What matters is Allah, that you see Allah and if you don't see Allah, you know He sees you.
May Allah give us sincerity in our hearts and excellence in our worship. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A Case Of A Blown Up Tire
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
In our shortsightedness, more often than not we failed to see the wisdom of what Allah sent to us especially when it is bad. Regardless whether we see the wisdom of what is happening in our lives or not, we should remember to thank Allah for everything and be patient. Much good will come out of it if we are thankful. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel if we are patient to wait and see. In fact, this "bad" thing can be the best thing that could have ever happened to you. At the minimum, it makes you a stronger and better person and help you prepare for bigger challenges. When these challenges come our way, we should always try to remember that Allah does not burden a soul more than it can bear. This will give us the strength to bear them even while we feel that we are breaking.
May Allah protect us from the trials of this life and the next and bring us closer to Him.
When I looked back to some of the difficult events in my life, I can only thank Allah for them. Had Allah not sent them my way and not help me went through them all, I would not have been able to do what I do today and I would not have found the happiness and the peace that I am enjoying now.
I had faced some major events in my life and there were moments in my life when I felt I was in a soap opera. There was one drama after another but I could see all that drama are coming together for the better, inshaAllah.
Four years ago my tire blew up in the middle of a freeway. So what? I am pretty sure many of you have had a flat before, so nothing new, nothing exciting. But this is not about a flat tire, it is about the Divine plan. I thought I share my story with you.
I was driving a Toyota SUV on a California freeway with my children to a masjid about 50 miles away from home, to listen to an out of town al-Azhari Shaykh. It was quite early in the morning. Actually, I didn't plan to go to this event because I had much to prepare for my upcoming business trip about 500 miles away each way driving. But I decided to go to the event at the last minute.
As I was driving, suddenly I heard an explosion from the outside and immediately I felt the SUV was tilting to the right and because of the speed at which I was driving, the SUV could have overturned, but it didn't for some reason. I realized then that I had a blown up tire. I tried to maneuver towards a safe side of the highway. I had to drive a little distance to find a safe spot to stop. It was quite a dangerous situation. I didn't know the area that well. I was scared to say the least. Many things just ran in my mind. I never learned how to change tires and what spare tire I had was not really a good spare. It was only a donut and it was under inflated, so it could not have taken us very far. This happened on a weekend and I'd be lucky to find a tire shop nearby and if there was one I'd be lucky to find one that is opened that early. Anyway, I asked my kids to stay quiet in the SUV while I looked for help.
The person who Allah sent happened to know exactly where a nearby Toyota dealer was. And it happened to be off the the exit where I was standing but he was not sure if the service department opened on weekends. I decided to take my SUV there anyway and would leave it there if it was closed and find a ride home. Since the dealer was close by, I could drive the SUV with the donut tire and I wouldn't need a tow. That was good because it saved me some money. I was amazed when I saw that the service department was opened that Saturday. It could have been closed because it only opened every other Saturday.
Since it was a dealer I asked them to also perform a major service since I haven't had it done for a while and I would be driving it for the long trip. This would require me to leave the car a whole day. It was just all perfect as I didn't have to wait because we would be at the Shaykh's lessons for a whole day. In trying to figure out how to get to the masjid, the service manager offered a free loaner car which he had discretion to give out to certain customers. We arrived at the masjid safely and didn't miss anything because the Shaykh was delayed.
As it turned out, I need to replace the other 3 tires because they were bald from the inside and a major safety work was also needed. I wouldn't have known this in time for our road trip had it not been for that one blown up tire that caused me to go to the dealer for service. And there was a bonus as well--the manager gave me a big discount on the major service which somewhat compensated for the cost of the 4 tires.
There was no luck and there was no coincidence but there was Divine plan for my last minute decision to go to the Shaykh's lesson and the tire blew up. Every single detail in this event happened to accomplish Allah's Plan. This event truly increased my certainty of the Divine plan. My kids and I could have been in a serious or fatal accident had the one tire didn't blow up that day.
Sometimes in the midst of certain unpleasant event, the emotions ran high and it could get the best out of you. But if we realize that it could have been worse, we have no other choice, except being thankful to the One who created everything. And if we also realize that He is in control of everything, then we will suddenly realize that it really doesn't matter what is happening--we just go with the flow, so to speak, and resolve the issue at hand the best we can. And we wait for what is next. Only Allah knows what is next. And that is what I understood, at the time, by being patient in the face of calamities. In my heart I couldn't stop thanking Allah for sending me one relief after another and protect us from serious calamities. There were more wisdom that Allah has shown me stemming from the event to this day.
I had forgotten the details of the al-Azhari Shaykh's lecture, but I could not forget the one thing that the Shaykh did during a lunch break. He did a blood cupping (hijama) on one man. That was my first encounter of this Prophetic practice and found it fascinating. This is now more than 4 years later and I had moved to Egypt, in another continent. I had this lingering health problems that I need to take care but I don't believe in pharmaceutical drugs and they made me more sick. I remembered the hijama by this Shaykh (who was an Egyptian) and I thought I should try it. I happened to host a few al-Azhari students in my apartment and as they were leaving, I asked if they knew anyone who could perform hijama and that person happened to be standing right in front of me. SubhanAllah. She taught me how to perform the hijama so I could do it to myself regularly. This is another wisdom for my last minute decision to go to the Shaykh's lesson. Note: Egypt was not in my book whatsoever at the time but Allah has it in His plan that my cure would come from the hijama in Egypt 4 years in the future. Allah knows best.
I cannot see everything in the Divine plan for the blown up tire and chances are I will never see them all. But it doesn't matter. Our life is all in the Plan and we cannot beat that Plan for it is the best Plan. So we should operate with that certainty and from that certainty patience will come and with the patience Allah is with you for Allah is with the patient.
Allah cares about every single detail in our lives, even before we were born, and that means He loves us. If someone cares about you, don't you love that person? Of course. So, we must love Allah and increase that love in our hearts through much remembrance of Him. There is nothing that happen in our lives is bad for us because it is coming from someone who love us. We have to believe that. Allah loves the believers and we love Him.
May Allah bless our lives and give us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
In our shortsightedness, more often than not we failed to see the wisdom of what Allah sent to us especially when it is bad. Regardless whether we see the wisdom of what is happening in our lives or not, we should remember to thank Allah for everything and be patient. Much good will come out of it if we are thankful. There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel if we are patient to wait and see. In fact, this "bad" thing can be the best thing that could have ever happened to you. At the minimum, it makes you a stronger and better person and help you prepare for bigger challenges. When these challenges come our way, we should always try to remember that Allah does not burden a soul more than it can bear. This will give us the strength to bear them even while we feel that we are breaking.
May Allah protect us from the trials of this life and the next and bring us closer to Him.
When I looked back to some of the difficult events in my life, I can only thank Allah for them. Had Allah not sent them my way and not help me went through them all, I would not have been able to do what I do today and I would not have found the happiness and the peace that I am enjoying now.
I had faced some major events in my life and there were moments in my life when I felt I was in a soap opera. There was one drama after another but I could see all that drama are coming together for the better, inshaAllah.
Four years ago my tire blew up in the middle of a freeway. So what? I am pretty sure many of you have had a flat before, so nothing new, nothing exciting. But this is not about a flat tire, it is about the Divine plan. I thought I share my story with you.
I was driving a Toyota SUV on a California freeway with my children to a masjid about 50 miles away from home, to listen to an out of town al-Azhari Shaykh. It was quite early in the morning. Actually, I didn't plan to go to this event because I had much to prepare for my upcoming business trip about 500 miles away each way driving. But I decided to go to the event at the last minute.
As I was driving, suddenly I heard an explosion from the outside and immediately I felt the SUV was tilting to the right and because of the speed at which I was driving, the SUV could have overturned, but it didn't for some reason. I realized then that I had a blown up tire. I tried to maneuver towards a safe side of the highway. I had to drive a little distance to find a safe spot to stop. It was quite a dangerous situation. I didn't know the area that well. I was scared to say the least. Many things just ran in my mind. I never learned how to change tires and what spare tire I had was not really a good spare. It was only a donut and it was under inflated, so it could not have taken us very far. This happened on a weekend and I'd be lucky to find a tire shop nearby and if there was one I'd be lucky to find one that is opened that early. Anyway, I asked my kids to stay quiet in the SUV while I looked for help.
The person who Allah sent happened to know exactly where a nearby Toyota dealer was. And it happened to be off the the exit where I was standing but he was not sure if the service department opened on weekends. I decided to take my SUV there anyway and would leave it there if it was closed and find a ride home. Since the dealer was close by, I could drive the SUV with the donut tire and I wouldn't need a tow. That was good because it saved me some money. I was amazed when I saw that the service department was opened that Saturday. It could have been closed because it only opened every other Saturday.
Since it was a dealer I asked them to also perform a major service since I haven't had it done for a while and I would be driving it for the long trip. This would require me to leave the car a whole day. It was just all perfect as I didn't have to wait because we would be at the Shaykh's lessons for a whole day. In trying to figure out how to get to the masjid, the service manager offered a free loaner car which he had discretion to give out to certain customers. We arrived at the masjid safely and didn't miss anything because the Shaykh was delayed.
As it turned out, I need to replace the other 3 tires because they were bald from the inside and a major safety work was also needed. I wouldn't have known this in time for our road trip had it not been for that one blown up tire that caused me to go to the dealer for service. And there was a bonus as well--the manager gave me a big discount on the major service which somewhat compensated for the cost of the 4 tires.
There was no luck and there was no coincidence but there was Divine plan for my last minute decision to go to the Shaykh's lesson and the tire blew up. Every single detail in this event happened to accomplish Allah's Plan. This event truly increased my certainty of the Divine plan. My kids and I could have been in a serious or fatal accident had the one tire didn't blow up that day.
Sometimes in the midst of certain unpleasant event, the emotions ran high and it could get the best out of you. But if we realize that it could have been worse, we have no other choice, except being thankful to the One who created everything. And if we also realize that He is in control of everything, then we will suddenly realize that it really doesn't matter what is happening--we just go with the flow, so to speak, and resolve the issue at hand the best we can. And we wait for what is next. Only Allah knows what is next. And that is what I understood, at the time, by being patient in the face of calamities. In my heart I couldn't stop thanking Allah for sending me one relief after another and protect us from serious calamities. There were more wisdom that Allah has shown me stemming from the event to this day.
I had forgotten the details of the al-Azhari Shaykh's lecture, but I could not forget the one thing that the Shaykh did during a lunch break. He did a blood cupping (hijama) on one man. That was my first encounter of this Prophetic practice and found it fascinating. This is now more than 4 years later and I had moved to Egypt, in another continent. I had this lingering health problems that I need to take care but I don't believe in pharmaceutical drugs and they made me more sick. I remembered the hijama by this Shaykh (who was an Egyptian) and I thought I should try it. I happened to host a few al-Azhari students in my apartment and as they were leaving, I asked if they knew anyone who could perform hijama and that person happened to be standing right in front of me. SubhanAllah. She taught me how to perform the hijama so I could do it to myself regularly. This is another wisdom for my last minute decision to go to the Shaykh's lesson. Note: Egypt was not in my book whatsoever at the time but Allah has it in His plan that my cure would come from the hijama in Egypt 4 years in the future. Allah knows best.
I cannot see everything in the Divine plan for the blown up tire and chances are I will never see them all. But it doesn't matter. Our life is all in the Plan and we cannot beat that Plan for it is the best Plan. So we should operate with that certainty and from that certainty patience will come and with the patience Allah is with you for Allah is with the patient.
Allah cares about every single detail in our lives, even before we were born, and that means He loves us. If someone cares about you, don't you love that person? Of course. So, we must love Allah and increase that love in our hearts through much remembrance of Him. There is nothing that happen in our lives is bad for us because it is coming from someone who love us. We have to believe that. Allah loves the believers and we love Him.
May Allah bless our lives and give us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Monday, November 14, 2011
Worship The One God Who Causes Your Death
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
You can look at anything in front of you and you can see that everything is different. They are unique. Every snowflakes that fall is different. Every leave on a tree is different. Fruits of the same tree, watered from the same water, taste different. No 2 sheep are alike even all you see is white wool. Every fingerprint is different. It just cannot happen that way without a determiner. He is our Creator, Allah, Most Powerful, Most Knowledgeable.
Other people may doubt about the existence of Allah and doubt the commands of Allah to worship Him alone. But the righteous has no doubt in his own mind, and he declares his Faith clearly and unambiguously to all.
Worship of One God is not an invention of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is a direct command of Allah. It touches the vital issues of life and death, which are in His hands and His alone. He is Al-Muhyiy and Al-Mumit, the One who gives life and the One who brings death.
May Allah guide our loved ones who don't believe and help us spread His religion. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
You can look at anything in front of you and you can see that everything is different. They are unique. Every snowflakes that fall is different. Every leave on a tree is different. Fruits of the same tree, watered from the same water, taste different. No 2 sheep are alike even all you see is white wool. Every fingerprint is different. It just cannot happen that way without a determiner. He is our Creator, Allah, Most Powerful, Most Knowledgeable.
Other people may doubt about the existence of Allah and doubt the commands of Allah to worship Him alone. But the righteous has no doubt in his own mind, and he declares his Faith clearly and unambiguously to all.
Worship of One God is not an invention of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is a direct command of Allah. It touches the vital issues of life and death, which are in His hands and His alone. He is Al-Muhyiy and Al-Mumit, the One who gives life and the One who brings death.
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِى شَكٍّ مِّن دِينِى فَلَآ أَعْبُدُ ٱلَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَـٰكِنْ أَعْبُدُ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Say, [O Muhammad], "O people, if you are in doubt as to my religion - then I do not worship those which you worship besides Allah; but I worship Allah, who causes your death. And I have been commanded to be of the believers.
May Allah guide our loved ones who don't believe and help us spread His religion. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Make Allah The Title Of Your Life
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everybody wants to be happy. But we can't have true happiness without making Allah the title of our life. Allah should not be buried in the rest of everything else in our lives. Allah should not be just somebody we go to because we have to or because we are in trouble or because we want something of this life.
It is not sufficient that we pray 5 times a day and forget Allah in between. It is not sufficient that we fast in Ramadhan, pile up all good deeds that one month and never fast again until the next Ramadhan comes around. It is not sufficient that we drop a few dollars in the charity box of the masjid once or twice a year and shy away from the box the rest of the time.
Likewise, going to hajj is not a vacation but it is to help you train yourself to focus on Allah alone without the distraction of your everyday life and by the time you complete the hajj you should be a different person--a better slave of Allah. So if all you come home with, after hajj, are things of the dunya like pictures, boxes of dates, perfume and you resume your bad habits and your heedlessness, nothing change in the way you conduct your life and in the intensity of your worship of Allah, then you should go again next year and before that you must learn how to perform hajj and umrah in depth.
Islam is not a seasonal thing and Allah is not a teddy bear. Allah is Allah, Mighty and Majestic. When we make Allah the title of our lives, then all of a sudden our focus is on Allah. We will rush to please Him. When we want to please someone, what do we do? We do what the person likes. The most beloved things to Allah is what He has made obligatory on us (all our religious duties) and these things we should do and keep doing more.
If we don't feel the closeness to Allah and the sweetness of faith, it is because Allah is not big in our lives. He is there but in between projects and meetings at work, taking exams, taking the kids to school, shopping, cooking, and all those things that people do as if this life has no end.
Allah created us in our forms to worship Him and nothing else besides Him and then He will make us die and our forms will perish, and no one cares about our forms anymore. This is the reality.
The other day we were at an ancient cemetery where many members of the family of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and members of the family of the Sahabah and thousands of shuhada' (martyrs, men and women, who fought the Romans during the Caliphate of 'Umar) were buried, some marked. It is still being used to bury the dead. As we were walking around the cemetery, suddenly we smell a repugnant smell and discovered that it was coming out from a new grave not too far from where we were standing. This does make us realize that we don't have much time to wait to repent for our sins. The repugnant smell is definitely nothing compared to the punishment a sinful person will suffer in the grave.
We have no one except Allah. We will have no one to help us in the grave. So remember Allah much and He will remember you.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
On the authority of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
May Allah make us His obedient slaves and give us an excellent ending and save us from the punishment of the grave. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Everybody wants to be happy. But we can't have true happiness without making Allah the title of our life. Allah should not be buried in the rest of everything else in our lives. Allah should not be just somebody we go to because we have to or because we are in trouble or because we want something of this life.
It is not sufficient that we pray 5 times a day and forget Allah in between. It is not sufficient that we fast in Ramadhan, pile up all good deeds that one month and never fast again until the next Ramadhan comes around. It is not sufficient that we drop a few dollars in the charity box of the masjid once or twice a year and shy away from the box the rest of the time.
Likewise, going to hajj is not a vacation but it is to help you train yourself to focus on Allah alone without the distraction of your everyday life and by the time you complete the hajj you should be a different person--a better slave of Allah. So if all you come home with, after hajj, are things of the dunya like pictures, boxes of dates, perfume and you resume your bad habits and your heedlessness, nothing change in the way you conduct your life and in the intensity of your worship of Allah, then you should go again next year and before that you must learn how to perform hajj and umrah in depth.
Islam is not a seasonal thing and Allah is not a teddy bear. Allah is Allah, Mighty and Majestic. When we make Allah the title of our lives, then all of a sudden our focus is on Allah. We will rush to please Him. When we want to please someone, what do we do? We do what the person likes. The most beloved things to Allah is what He has made obligatory on us (all our religious duties) and these things we should do and keep doing more.
If we don't feel the closeness to Allah and the sweetness of faith, it is because Allah is not big in our lives. He is there but in between projects and meetings at work, taking exams, taking the kids to school, shopping, cooking, and all those things that people do as if this life has no end.
Allah created us in our forms to worship Him and nothing else besides Him and then He will make us die and our forms will perish, and no one cares about our forms anymore. This is the reality.
The other day we were at an ancient cemetery where many members of the family of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and members of the family of the Sahabah and thousands of shuhada' (martyrs, men and women, who fought the Romans during the Caliphate of 'Umar) were buried, some marked. It is still being used to bury the dead. As we were walking around the cemetery, suddenly we smell a repugnant smell and discovered that it was coming out from a new grave not too far from where we were standing. This does make us realize that we don't have much time to wait to repent for our sins. The repugnant smell is definitely nothing compared to the punishment a sinful person will suffer in the grave.
We have no one except Allah. We will have no one to help us in the grave. So remember Allah much and He will remember you.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.It was related by al-Bukhari
On the authority of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Truly of those devoted to Me the one I most favour is a believer who is of meagre means and much given to prayer, who has been particular in the worship of his Lord and has obeyed Him inwardly (1), who was obscure among people and not pointed our, and whose sustenance was just sufficient to provide for him yet he bore this patiently. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) rapped his hand and said: Death will have come early to him, his mourners will have been few, his estate scant.It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Majah). Its chain of authorities is sound
(1) i.e. he has not been ostentatious in his obedience.
May Allah make us His obedient slaves and give us an excellent ending and save us from the punishment of the grave. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Thursday, November 10, 2011
An Encyclopedia of Information
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
There are lots of information out there about Islam but most people don't have the knowledge of Islam. Some of you might know people who are encyclopedias of Islamic knowledge or people who memorized verses of Qur'an and hadiths but they are short in their practice of what they know. They might not follow the sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. They might lie, cheat and break promises. They might smoke, backbite, envious, arrogant, have a temper, not respecting others and the environment, throw garbage on the street, throw rocks at dogs. In short they might have a bad character.
This is because there is a difference between information and knowledge. Knowledge is something you use to improve your state of being, otherwise it is information which is useless.
Many of us are a packrat of information. It is very easy to obtain information, especially nowadays with advent of the internet. We have libraries of files in our laptops on Islam, not to mention books and CDs in our homes, some you probably have forgotten that you have them. When you go to Islamic lectures/conventions/retreats, you transcribed everything the speakers said. Those who brought laptops to the lessons would be busy typing away what the teacher said.
Do you know that while you were busy doing that you automatically missed out on the meaning of what the teacher said because your heart wasn't listening. It didn't travel to your heart because your eyes were busy on the screen, your fingers were busy on the keyboard and of course your brain has to coordinate all these actions. So, you were not 100% focusing on what the teacher said. And you are distracting others as well and thus depriving them from getting the potential knowledge. Imagine if you have 100 people in a class/hall clicking away on the keyboard transcribing what the teacher said!
Now with all these information you gathered and stored, have they changed anything about you? Have they brought you closer to Allah? If they haven't, then you have to start clearing your shelves and your storage and start over. Learn from a real teacher, someone who can teach and guide you.
May Allah grant us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't foget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
There are lots of information out there about Islam but most people don't have the knowledge of Islam. Some of you might know people who are encyclopedias of Islamic knowledge or people who memorized verses of Qur'an and hadiths but they are short in their practice of what they know. They might not follow the sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. They might lie, cheat and break promises. They might smoke, backbite, envious, arrogant, have a temper, not respecting others and the environment, throw garbage on the street, throw rocks at dogs. In short they might have a bad character.
This is because there is a difference between information and knowledge. Knowledge is something you use to improve your state of being, otherwise it is information which is useless.
Many of us are a packrat of information. It is very easy to obtain information, especially nowadays with advent of the internet. We have libraries of files in our laptops on Islam, not to mention books and CDs in our homes, some you probably have forgotten that you have them. When you go to Islamic lectures/conventions/retreats, you transcribed everything the speakers said. Those who brought laptops to the lessons would be busy typing away what the teacher said.
Do you know that while you were busy doing that you automatically missed out on the meaning of what the teacher said because your heart wasn't listening. It didn't travel to your heart because your eyes were busy on the screen, your fingers were busy on the keyboard and of course your brain has to coordinate all these actions. So, you were not 100% focusing on what the teacher said. And you are distracting others as well and thus depriving them from getting the potential knowledge. Imagine if you have 100 people in a class/hall clicking away on the keyboard transcribing what the teacher said!
Now with all these information you gathered and stored, have they changed anything about you? Have they brought you closer to Allah? If they haven't, then you have to start clearing your shelves and your storage and start over. Learn from a real teacher, someone who can teach and guide you.
May Allah grant us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't foget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Strengthen Our Certainty
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Virtues and actions are strong or weak, sound or unsound, according to the strength of our certainty. Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that no doubts can shake and no illusions can rock. When certainty prevails in the heart and established itself therein, the unseen becomes as if seen. We must strengthen and improve our certainty as a slave acts in obedience only to the extent that he has certainty, and becomes neglectful in his actions when his certainty diminishes.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
Omar's firmness and stability of faith was unshakable, that the Shaytan flees his very shadow and is content to keep at a safe distance.
Certainty derives its power and excellence from many things.
The first and most essential is we listen attentively to the verses and hadiths relating to Allah. Allah says,
The third is to behave and act in accordance to the teachings of Islam, outwardly and inwardly, zealously and to the limits of one's resources. Allah says,
The Qur'an describes the three categories of people -- believers, non-believers and hypocrites. The believers have three categories of certainty.
The first is that of the People of the Right Hand. This is firm belief but with the possibility of becoming doubtful or shaky under certain circumstances. This is called faith.
The second is that of the Ones Brought Nigh. This is the possession of the heart and its establishing itself so firmly that its opposite becomes no longer possible or even imaginable. In this degree the unseen becomes as the seen. This is called certainty.
The third is that of the Prophets and the True Saints (siddiqin) who are their perfect heirs. Here the unseen becomes seen, which thing is called unveiling (kashf) and contemplation (mushahada).
There are grades within each degrees: all are good, but some are better than others. That is Allah's grace, He bestows it upon who He will, and Allah's grace is abundant.
May Allah give us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
source: Book of Assistance by Imam Al-Haddad
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Virtues and actions are strong or weak, sound or unsound, according to the strength of our certainty. Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that no doubts can shake and no illusions can rock. When certainty prevails in the heart and established itself therein, the unseen becomes as if seen. We must strengthen and improve our certainty as a slave acts in obedience only to the extent that he has certainty, and becomes neglectful in his actions when his certainty diminishes.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
Omar (Allah be pleased with him) never takes a road but Shaytan takes another.
Omar's firmness and stability of faith was unshakable, that the Shaytan flees his very shadow and is content to keep at a safe distance.
Certainty derives its power and excellence from many things.
The first and most essential is we listen attentively to the verses and hadiths relating to Allah. Allah says,
The second is to learn from looking at Allah's kingdom of the heavens and the earth and the wondrous creatures of Allah's creation. Allah says,
أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Is it not enough for them that We have sent down upon you the Book which is recited to them? [Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:51]
سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness? (53) [Qur'an Fussilat 41:53]
The third is to behave and act in accordance to the teachings of Islam, outwardly and inwardly, zealously and to the limits of one's resources. Allah says,
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَمَعَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. (69) [Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:69]
The Qur'an describes the three categories of people -- believers, non-believers and hypocrites. The believers have three categories of certainty.
The first is that of the People of the Right Hand. This is firm belief but with the possibility of becoming doubtful or shaky under certain circumstances. This is called faith.
The second is that of the Ones Brought Nigh. This is the possession of the heart and its establishing itself so firmly that its opposite becomes no longer possible or even imaginable. In this degree the unseen becomes as the seen. This is called certainty.
The third is that of the Prophets and the True Saints (siddiqin) who are their perfect heirs. Here the unseen becomes seen, which thing is called unveiling (kashf) and contemplation (mushahada).
There are grades within each degrees: all are good, but some are better than others. That is Allah's grace, He bestows it upon who He will, and Allah's grace is abundant.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ وَءَامِنُوا۟ بِرَسُولِهِۦ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٢٨﴾ لِّئَلَّا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَلَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ مِّن فَضْلِ ٱللَّـهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ ٱلْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ ٱللَّـهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّـهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ﴿٢٩
O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (28) [This is] so that the People of the Scripture may know that they are not able [to obtain] anything from the bounty of Allah and that [all] bounty is in the hand of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills. And Allah is the possessor of great bounty. (29)
[Qur'an Al-Hadid 57:29]
May Allah give us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
source: Book of Assistance by Imam Al-Haddad
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Du'a on the day of Arafah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
By Shaykh Abdul Karim Yahya
What follows is a selection of du`as made by Sayyidi al-Habib `Umar bin Hafiz on the Day of Arafah.
The people of Allah teach us what to ask for and how to ask for it. Attached is the full Arabic du`a. There should be live internet coverage of Habib `Umar’s gatherings on Hajj this year via http://waazzin.com.
“O Lord of ours our lower selves, our desires and the devil may have deceived us in the past but here we are humbled in front of Your greatness, remorseful about what we have done, regretful about the good that we have missed out on. O Allah repair that which is broken. O Allah have mercy on us in our weakness and incapacity!
O Allah replace every bad deed of ours with a good deed. Let not the sun set on this day except that the sun of our sins has set, and likewise the sun of our errors and faults and the sun of our worries and concerns.
O Allah, O Allah the only thing that we and the Ummah are suffering from is sins and acts of disobedience but we seek refuge in You. O Allah untie the knot of persistent sinning. Let us leave this place protected from sins until we meet You with enlightened faces and pure hearts.
O Allah make our last words in this life la illaha ill’Allah
Let us be reminded us upon dying with la illaha ill’Allah
Let us enter our graves upon la illaha ill’Allah
Let us be resurrected with the elite of the people of la illaha ill’Allah
O Allah cleanse our hearts, purify our souls and purify our intentions. O Allah make our hearts places fit to receive Your light and Your love. Give us complete knowledge of You, O Allah. Let us not leave Arafat without Your first making Yourself known to us and without You turning completely to us. O Allah let us only spend our lives in a state of knowledge of You!
We prepare in this hour for the hour of death. It will come to every one of us whether we like it or not so what have we prepared? O Allah by Muhammad do not disgrace any of us or expose any of us to a bad ending. O Allah we ask for a good ending! We ask that the spirit of Your Beloved Muhammad is with us at that time!
O Allah make us a cause of joy for Your Prophet. Make us amongst his supporters, his servants. Make us amongst those who preserve and act according to his Sacred Law. Make us amongst those who defend it and spread it to the East and the West. O Allah bring us together with him in this life and after death and on the Day of Judgement. Let us be under his banner. Let us shake his hand, see his face and hear his voice and understand his speech. Ennoble our ears by allowing them to hear Your Prophet as he enters Paradise.
O Allah let us hear You when You call out to the people of Paradise: “Today I grant you My pleasure and I will never be discontent with you.” We take refuge in You that that time comes and any one of us is outside the Abode of Honour. O Allah grant us the vision of Your noble countenance. Prepare our eyes for that vision through crying out of fear of You and through lowering our gaze such that we do not look at that which You have prohibited and through denying ourselves sleep because we are busy in obedience to You.
O Allah forgive for what is past and protect us in what time remains and give us the best of endings with You being content with us through Your mercy, O Most Merciful and Your generosity, O Most Generous… through the secret of al-Fatihah.”
source: http://abdulkarimyahya.com/2011/11/05/dua-on-the-day-of-arafah/
Please keep us in your du'as. Barakallahu feekum.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
By Shaykh Abdul Karim Yahya
What follows is a selection of du`as made by Sayyidi al-Habib `Umar bin Hafiz on the Day of Arafah.
The people of Allah teach us what to ask for and how to ask for it. Attached is the full Arabic du`a. There should be live internet coverage of Habib `Umar’s gatherings on Hajj this year via http://waazzin.com.
“O Lord of ours our lower selves, our desires and the devil may have deceived us in the past but here we are humbled in front of Your greatness, remorseful about what we have done, regretful about the good that we have missed out on. O Allah repair that which is broken. O Allah have mercy on us in our weakness and incapacity!
O Allah replace every bad deed of ours with a good deed. Let not the sun set on this day except that the sun of our sins has set, and likewise the sun of our errors and faults and the sun of our worries and concerns.
O Allah, O Allah the only thing that we and the Ummah are suffering from is sins and acts of disobedience but we seek refuge in You. O Allah untie the knot of persistent sinning. Let us leave this place protected from sins until we meet You with enlightened faces and pure hearts.
O Allah make our last words in this life la illaha ill’Allah
Let us be reminded us upon dying with la illaha ill’Allah
Let us enter our graves upon la illaha ill’Allah
Let us be resurrected with the elite of the people of la illaha ill’Allah
O Allah cleanse our hearts, purify our souls and purify our intentions. O Allah make our hearts places fit to receive Your light and Your love. Give us complete knowledge of You, O Allah. Let us not leave Arafat without Your first making Yourself known to us and without You turning completely to us. O Allah let us only spend our lives in a state of knowledge of You!
We prepare in this hour for the hour of death. It will come to every one of us whether we like it or not so what have we prepared? O Allah by Muhammad do not disgrace any of us or expose any of us to a bad ending. O Allah we ask for a good ending! We ask that the spirit of Your Beloved Muhammad is with us at that time!
O Allah make us a cause of joy for Your Prophet. Make us amongst his supporters, his servants. Make us amongst those who preserve and act according to his Sacred Law. Make us amongst those who defend it and spread it to the East and the West. O Allah bring us together with him in this life and after death and on the Day of Judgement. Let us be under his banner. Let us shake his hand, see his face and hear his voice and understand his speech. Ennoble our ears by allowing them to hear Your Prophet as he enters Paradise.
O Allah let us hear You when You call out to the people of Paradise: “Today I grant you My pleasure and I will never be discontent with you.” We take refuge in You that that time comes and any one of us is outside the Abode of Honour. O Allah grant us the vision of Your noble countenance. Prepare our eyes for that vision through crying out of fear of You and through lowering our gaze such that we do not look at that which You have prohibited and through denying ourselves sleep because we are busy in obedience to You.
O Allah forgive for what is past and protect us in what time remains and give us the best of endings with You being content with us through Your mercy, O Most Merciful and Your generosity, O Most Generous… through the secret of al-Fatihah.”
source: http://abdulkarimyahya.com/2011/11/05/dua-on-the-day-of-arafah/
Please keep us in your du'as. Barakallahu feekum.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Friday, November 4, 2011
Want 2 Years of Sins Forgiven? Fast Tomorrow on Day of Arafah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Tomorrow is the Day of Arafah. Don't forget to fast on this day. Fasting on this day will expiate sins of 2 years. InshaAllah.
We ask Allah to remind the hajjis to make duas for all of us, and for Allah to accept their duas. We ask Allah to forgive the hajjis and all of us on the day of Arafah and make it easy for us to be in Arafah next year. This is not difficult for Allah to do.
Ameen.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Tomorrow is the Day of Arafah. Don't forget to fast on this day. Fasting on this day will expiate sins of 2 years. InshaAllah.
We ask Allah to remind the hajjis to make duas for all of us, and for Allah to accept their duas. We ask Allah to forgive the hajjis and all of us on the day of Arafah and make it easy for us to be in Arafah next year. This is not difficult for Allah to do.
Ameen.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Keeping Your Feet Firm On The Bridge
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When we say La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (there is neither power nor ability save by God), we are expressing the repudiation of our own claim to power and ability.
It is reported that La hawla wala quwwata illa billah is a remedy for 99 ailments, the least of which is sorrow. It is a remedy for sorrow because grief mostly occurs when one misses something one loves, or when a distressful thing occurs; and whenever either of these things occurs people perceive their helplessness and inability to achieve their desired aims; hence they feel sorrow. If at such times they repeat in their heart and with their tongues words which mean that they disavow the possession of any ability or power of their own, then this gives them certitude in their knowledge that they are helpless and weak except where Allah gives them power and ability, with the result that their sorrow is banished, and their knowledge of their Lord is increased.
Allah is Al-Qawi. His strength is perfect and does not increase nor decrease. Someone who is strong, his strength can carry something but after 15 minutes or 15 hours he is weak because his strength decreases. Allah doesn't get tired carrying the heavens and the earth. It doesn't make any difference to Him carrying or not carrying. His power is still the same. If you cannot imagine this, then you are at the right spot because we cannot imagine it.
But we can think somewhat of Allah's strength by looking at His creation and in the way He destroyed the strongest people and nations on earth--Fir'aun, Qarun, people of Thamud, people of Ad, and many others we know mentioned in the Qur'an. Even in our times, we are seeing history in the making and repeating itself. So, do not fear anyone (including your own self) when you are doing good for the sake of Allah or you want to do good for the sake of Allah. Your fear for creation should not be stronger than your fear of Allah. Likewise you should fear Allah for what you are not doing which you are supposed to be doing and able to do and for following others in disobedience of Allah.
Keep helping people even when it becomes hard on you. That means when you start helping somebody, you help him until it is finished, no matter how long it would take. Some people say in order to show how much you should be helping and giving, you help until one day you start hating the person (in figurative sense) you are helping and giving. Remember nothing is difficult through Allah. If you are firm in helping people, Allah will place your feet firmly on the earth and you will not fear on the Day that your feet will tremble because you were steady in helping people in this life. The reward will be same kind as the act you performed here.
It was reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
The blessed 10 days of Zhulhijjah is about to leave us. Reap the benefits of the remaining days by helping people, and increase your worship.
May Allah make our feet firm when crossing the bridge over Hell on the Day of Judgment. Ameen. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When we say La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (there is neither power nor ability save by God), we are expressing the repudiation of our own claim to power and ability.
It is reported that La hawla wala quwwata illa billah is a remedy for 99 ailments, the least of which is sorrow. It is a remedy for sorrow because grief mostly occurs when one misses something one loves, or when a distressful thing occurs; and whenever either of these things occurs people perceive their helplessness and inability to achieve their desired aims; hence they feel sorrow. If at such times they repeat in their heart and with their tongues words which mean that they disavow the possession of any ability or power of their own, then this gives them certitude in their knowledge that they are helpless and weak except where Allah gives them power and ability, with the result that their sorrow is banished, and their knowledge of their Lord is increased.
Allah is Al-Qawi. His strength is perfect and does not increase nor decrease. Someone who is strong, his strength can carry something but after 15 minutes or 15 hours he is weak because his strength decreases. Allah doesn't get tired carrying the heavens and the earth. It doesn't make any difference to Him carrying or not carrying. His power is still the same. If you cannot imagine this, then you are at the right spot because we cannot imagine it.
But we can think somewhat of Allah's strength by looking at His creation and in the way He destroyed the strongest people and nations on earth--Fir'aun, Qarun, people of Thamud, people of Ad, and many others we know mentioned in the Qur'an. Even in our times, we are seeing history in the making and repeating itself. So, do not fear anyone (including your own self) when you are doing good for the sake of Allah or you want to do good for the sake of Allah. Your fear for creation should not be stronger than your fear of Allah. Likewise you should fear Allah for what you are not doing which you are supposed to be doing and able to do and for following others in disobedience of Allah.
Keep helping people even when it becomes hard on you. That means when you start helping somebody, you help him until it is finished, no matter how long it would take. Some people say in order to show how much you should be helping and giving, you help until one day you start hating the person (in figurative sense) you are helping and giving. Remember nothing is difficult through Allah. If you are firm in helping people, Allah will place your feet firmly on the earth and you will not fear on the Day that your feet will tremble because you were steady in helping people in this life. The reward will be same kind as the act you performed here.
It was reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Going with a brother to solve his problem and stay with him until his problem is solved is more beloved to me than worshiping 100 months in my masjid.
The blessed 10 days of Zhulhijjah is about to leave us. Reap the benefits of the remaining days by helping people, and increase your worship.
May Allah make our feet firm when crossing the bridge over Hell on the Day of Judgment. Ameen. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Truly Wondrous Is The Matter Of A Believer
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Most people are not thankful and patient. When they have something, they are not thankful. Some openly attribute to what they have to themselves. They forget Allah who gives them what they have.
Indeed Allah says,
Then when they don't have something or don't like something, they react emotionally. Some are quick to blame someone, even blaming Allah for it, except themselves. They forget that this might be their punishment for their sins or this might be another test of their Faith. Either way, if they return to Allah, with gratitude and patience, it will be good for them.
Being grateful is a cause of increase from Allah whereas forgetting Allah can result in a severe punishment.
Allah says,
We become impatient because we lose sight of the bigger picture. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, gives a simple formula which solves this problem and provides us with comfort and assurance.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
If we realize that this life is transient, that the Hereafter is eternal, that Allah is the sole Being who provides and sustains, that He is the best of Planners and He knows what is best for us at any particular moment, and that to Him is our final return, there is nothing to be such in hurry and impatient about except rushing to our obedience of the Lord and the pursuit of His pleasure.
For 13 years the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, remained at Makkah, bearing the vilest of emotional and physical abuse. Once, it was all too much for some of the companions, and while the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting in the shade of the Ka'ba, they approached and asked him to pray to Allah to quicken their victory.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not oblige them, but instead told them,
Being patient will give you peace for Allah is with the patient.
May Allah make us among His grateful slaves and give us patience. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Most people are not thankful and patient. When they have something, they are not thankful. Some openly attribute to what they have to themselves. They forget Allah who gives them what they have.
Indeed Allah says,
وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٨
...but most men are not grateful. (Surat Yusuf 12:38)
Then when they don't have something or don't like something, they react emotionally. Some are quick to blame someone, even blaming Allah for it, except themselves. They forget that this might be their punishment for their sins or this might be another test of their Faith. Either way, if they return to Allah, with gratitude and patience, it will be good for them.
Being grateful is a cause of increase from Allah whereas forgetting Allah can result in a severe punishment.
Allah says,
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' (Surat Ibrahim 14:7)
We become impatient because we lose sight of the bigger picture. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, gives a simple formula which solves this problem and provides us with comfort and assurance.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Truly wondrous is the matter of the believer, for his every matter is good, and that is not for any but the believer: if good times come to him he is grateful, so it is better for him, and if bad times come to him he is patient, so it is better for him. (Muslim)
If we realize that this life is transient, that the Hereafter is eternal, that Allah is the sole Being who provides and sustains, that He is the best of Planners and He knows what is best for us at any particular moment, and that to Him is our final return, there is nothing to be such in hurry and impatient about except rushing to our obedience of the Lord and the pursuit of His pleasure.
For 13 years the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, remained at Makkah, bearing the vilest of emotional and physical abuse. Once, it was all too much for some of the companions, and while the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting in the shade of the Ka'ba, they approached and asked him to pray to Allah to quicken their victory.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not oblige them, but instead told them,
From among those who have preceded you, a man would be caught and held in a pit dug for him in the earth and he would be sawn in two by a saw placed over his head, or his flesh would be combed away from his bones with iron combs, but none of this would tear him away from his faith. Allah will surely help Islam complete its mission, till a rider will proceed from San’aa’ to Hadhramaut, fearing nothing save Allah and the wolf eating his sheep. But you are in too much of a hurry. (Bukhari)
Being patient will give you peace for Allah is with the patient.
May Allah make us among His grateful slaves and give us patience. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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