Attaining Piety

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Do you give something that you value greatly, something that you love?

Allah says,

لَن تَنَالُوا۟ ٱلْبِرَّ‌ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِن شَىْءٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٩٢

By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth Allah knows it well.(92)

[Qur'an AleImran 3:92]

If you give your life in the way of Allah, that is the greatest gift you can give.

If you give yourself, that is, your personal efforts, your talents, your skill, your knowledge, that comes next in degree.

If you give your earnings, your property, your possessions, that is also a great gift; for many people love them even more than other things.

وَتُحِبُّونَ ٱلْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا ﴿٢٠
And you love wealth with immense love.

[Qur'an al-Fajr 89:20]

And there are less tangible things, such as position, reputation, the well-being of those we love, the regard of those who can help us, etc.

It is unselfishness that Allah demands. There is no act of unselfishness, however small or intangible, but Allah knows it.

May Allah guide us and make us among the righteous. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Remember Your Beginning

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 read the Qur'an, it should change us immediately and we should rush to leave the bad and rush to do much good. Why shouldn't we? Because Hell is definitely not a fun place. It is a place of pain and misery. Paradise is eternal bliss. The truth is Paradise and Hell are real but how many a people forget this, and so they go about this life as if there is no end. Allah can change our states at any moment and if we are at the top, He can bring us down, and if we are down, He can take us up. So remember Him day and night.

Paradise and Hell are just around the corner depending on how long or how short you will live. Every beginning has an ending. Our life in this world will end. Don't puff up with pride and arrogance. We are nobody. Remember your beginning--you were created from a fluid held despicable (Surah al-Mursalat 77:20) and Hell is the punishment of the arrogant and wrongdoers.

It was reported that,

Whenever 'Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, (one of the 10 promised Paradise), came near a grave, he wept so much that his beard became wet. Someone remarked to him that when he mentioned the Garden and the Fire he never wept as much, and he said: 'I heard the Messenger of God, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "The grave is the first of the Hereafter's stages. If one is saved from it then what comes next is easier, but if one is not saved from it, then what comes next is ever harder.

Surah Al-Insaan is one example in the Qur'an wherein Allah reminds us of Hell (chain, shackles and blaze) and Paradise (pleasure and great dominion).


بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

هَلۡ أَتَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنِ حِينٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱلدَّهۡرِ لَمۡ يَكُن شَيۡـًٔ۬ا مَّذۡكُورًا (١) إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ مِن نُّطۡفَةٍ أَمۡشَاجٍ۬ نَّبۡتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُ سَمِيعَۢا بَصِيرًا (٢) إِنَّا هَدَيۡنَـٰهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرً۬ا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا (٣) إِنَّآ أَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ سَلَـٰسِلَاْ وَأَغۡلَـٰلاً۬ وَسَعِيرًا (٤) إِنَّ ٱلۡأَبۡرَارَ يَشۡرَبُونَ مِن كَأۡسٍ۬ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا ڪَافُورًا (٥) عَيۡنً۬ا يَشۡرَبُ بِہَا عِبَادُ ٱللَّهِ يُفَجِّرُونَہَا تَفۡجِيرً۬ا (٦) يُوفُونَ بِٱلنَّذۡرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوۡمً۬ا كَانَ شَرُّهُ ۥ مُسۡتَطِيرً۬ا (٧) وَيُطۡعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ مِسۡكِينً۬ا وَيَتِيمً۬ا وَأَسِيرًا (٨) إِنَّمَا نُطۡعِمُكُمۡ لِوَجۡهِ ٱللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمۡ جَزَآءً۬ وَلَا شُكُورًا (٩) إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوۡمًا عَبُوسً۬ا قَمۡطَرِيرً۬ا (١٠) فَوَقَٮٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمِ وَلَقَّٮٰهُمۡ نَضۡرَةً۬ وَسُرُورً۬ا (١١) وَجَزَٮٰهُم بِمَا صَبَرُواْ جَنَّةً۬ وَحَرِيرً۬ا (١٢) مُّتَّكِـِٔينَ فِيہَا عَلَى ٱلۡأَرَآٮِٕكِ‌ۖ لَا يَرَوۡنَ فِيہَا شَمۡسً۬ا وَلَا زَمۡهَرِيرً۬ا (١٣) وَدَانِيَةً عَلَيۡہِمۡ ظِلَـٰلُهَا وَذُلِّلَتۡ قُطُوفُهَا تَذۡلِيلاً۬ (١٤) وَيُطَافُ عَلَيۡہِم بِـَٔانِيَةٍ۬ مِّن فِضَّةٍ۬ وَأَكۡوَابٍ۬ كَانَتۡ قَوَارِيرَا۟ (١٥) قَوَارِيرَاْ مِن فِضَّةٍ۬ قَدَّرُوهَا تَقۡدِيرً۬ا (١٦) وَيُسۡقَوۡنَ فِيہَا كَأۡسً۬ا كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا زَنجَبِيلاً (١٧) عَيۡنً۬ا فِيہَا تُسَمَّىٰ سَلۡسَبِيلاً۬ (١٨) ۞ وَيَطُوفُ عَلَيۡہِمۡ وِلۡدَٲنٌ۬ مُّخَلَّدُونَ إِذَا رَأَيۡتَہُمۡ حَسِبۡتَہُمۡ لُؤۡلُؤً۬ا مَّنثُورً۬ا (١٩) وَإِذَا رَأَيۡتَ ثَمَّ رَأَيۡتَ نَعِيمً۬ا وَمُلۡكً۬ا كَبِيرًا (٢٠) عَـٰلِيَہُمۡ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضۡرٌ۬ وَإِسۡتَبۡرَقٌ۬‌ۖ وَحُلُّوٓاْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ۬ وَسَقَٮٰهُمۡ رَبُّہُمۡ شَرَابً۬ا طَهُورًا (٢١) إِنَّ هَـٰذَا كَانَ لَكُمۡ جَزَآءً۬ وَكَانَ سَعۡيُكُم مَّشۡكُورًا (٢٢) إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ تَنزِيلاً۬ (٢٣) فَٱصۡبِرۡ لِحُكۡمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تُطِعۡ مِنۡہُمۡ ءَاثِمًا أَوۡ كَفُورً۬ا (٢٤) وَٱذۡكُرِ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّكَ بُكۡرَةً۬ وَأَصِيلاً۬ (٢٥) وَمِنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ فَٱسۡجُدۡ لَهُ ۥ وَسَبِّحۡهُ لَيۡلاً۬ طَوِيلاً (٢٦) إِنَّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ يُحِبُّونَ ٱلۡعَاجِلَةَ وَيَذَرُونَ وَرَآءَهُمۡ يَوۡمً۬ا ثَقِيلاً۬ (٢٧) نَّحۡنُ خَلَقۡنَـٰهُمۡ وَشَدَدۡنَآ أَسۡرَهُمۡ‌ۖ وَإِذَا شِئۡنَا بَدَّلۡنَآ أَمۡثَـٰلَهُمۡ تَبۡدِيلاً (٢٨) إِنَّ هَـٰذِهِۦ تَذۡكِرَةٌ۬‌ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ سَبِيلاً۬ (٢٩) وَمَا تَشَآءُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمً۬ا (٣٠) يُدۡخِلُ مَن يَشَآءُ فِى رَحۡمَتِهِۦ‌ۚ وَٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ أَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ عَذَابًا أَلِيمَۢا (٣١)

Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned? (1) Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. (2) Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful. (3) Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains and shackles and a blaze. (4) Indeed, the righteous will drink from a cup [of wine] whose mixture is of Kafur, (5) A spring of which the [righteous] servants of Allah will drink; they will make it gush forth in force [and abundance]. (6) They [are those who] fulfill [their] vows and fear a Day whose evil will be widespread. (7) And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive, (8) [Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude. (9) Indeed, We fear from our Lord a Day austere and distressful." (10) So Allah will protect them from the evil of that Day and give them radiance and happiness (11) And will reward them for what they patiently endured [with] a garden [in Paradise] and silk [garments]. (12) [They will be] reclining therein on adorned couches. They will not see therein any [burning] sun or [freezing] cold. (13) And near above them are its shades, and its [fruit] to be picked will be lowered in compliance. (14) And there will be circulated among them vessels of silver and cups having been [created] clear [as glass], (15) Clear glasses [made] from silver of which they have determined the measure. (16) And they will be given to drink a cup [of wine] whose mixture is of ginger (17) [From] a fountain within Paradise named Salsabeel. (18) There will circulate among them young boys made eternal. When you see them, you would think them [as beautiful as] scattered pearls. (19) And when you look there [in Paradise], you will see pleasure and great dominion. (20) Upon the inhabitants will be green garments of fine silk and brocade. And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a purifying drink. (21) [And it will be said], "Indeed, this is for you a reward, and your effort has been appreciated." (22) Indeed, it is We who have sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Qur'an progressively. (23) So be patient for the decision of your Lord and do not obey from among them a sinner or ungrateful [disbeliever]. (24) And mention the name of your Lord [in prayer] morning and evening (25) And during the night prostrate to Him and exalt Him a long [part of the] night. (26) Indeed, these [disbelievers] love the immediate and leave behind them a grave Day. (27) We have created them and strengthened their forms, and when We will, We can change their likenesses with [complete] alteration. (28) Indeed, this is a reminder, so he who wills may take to his Lord a way. (29) And you do not will except that Allah wills. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. (30) He admits whom He wills into His mercy; but the wrongdoers - He has prepared for them a painful punishment. (31)

[Al-Insaan 76:1-31]

May Allah Most High save us from the punishment of the Hellfire. Ameen. Please don't forget is in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

There Is More To Life

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The same way we don't allow ourselves to simply browsing in the mall and window shopping, we should not allow ourselves simply browsing on the internet.

Take the internet as a big marketplace. It is not a place to go without any specific Islamic purpose. It is not a place to pass time.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

The most loved place by Allah is the masjid and the most hated place by Allah is the market.

Remember those days when you didn't have a grocery list when shopping at the supermarket? You actually wound up walking up and down the aisles and bought something you didn't need. To avoid this sort of waste (Allah does not love the wasteful), make sure you have a "shopping list" before you turn on the computer. If you are the kind who has a lot of time on your hands or who can easily get carried away, set a timer so you will get off within a couple hours or less.

There is more to life than internet. For example, play with your family (more), read (more) books (not eBook or pdf--print them out), organize cooking lessons with your neighbors and friends, walk around the block, help an old lady, visit the sick, etc. Don't waste time staring at the computer.

وَٱلْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ﴿٣

By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (3)

[Qur'an Al-'Asr 103:1-3]

May Allah Most High bless our time. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah Most High knows best.
Wassalaam

Unplug The Computer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Computer and internet are here and it is not going away any time soon. In fact, they are getting more and more sophisticated. Unfortunately, unlike television, which can be removed from the house, the computer is more like the telephone, an indispensable communication tool.

The computer is a tool, not a life, and even for compelling reasons, one should not spend more than five hours a day on it, no more than 2 hours of which online, and no hours at all after nightfall. Exceptions may be made for work, but one should ask Allah for a job that permits one to observe these limits.

Aimless surfing, chatting, computer gaming, movie-watching and video-watching are among the many addictive online activities that waste one's life. They reduce one's life to the size of a small screen. They directly reverse the effect of the remembrance of Allah, which is to expand the soul's horizons to the Lord. Wasting time on anything without a real this-worldly or next-worldly benefit is makruh or offensive, not merely permissible.

Parents should treat the computer like a household appliance, not a source of entertainment, and should use it only when needed. Children don't need to be on the computer except for older school children whose assignment requires the use of the computer/internet. Don't believe that if children do not become computer-literate at an early age, they will fall behind. The truth is the opposite: children who learn from books, people, and the physical and spiritual worlds do far better later in life. Have a good collection of books, or borrow from a public library, and read together aloud as a family for entertainment for a few minutes after dinner.

Some statistics show that an alarming 90% of 8 to 16-year-olds in Western countries view pornography on-line. Not to mention gaming addiction, cyber-dating and endless music downloads. Being parents, we are obligated to protect our children. Keep the computer in a central location with the screen in full view and a parent nearby. Replace headphones with speakers and do not buy children devices like MP3 players, iPods, Game Boys, and the like.

Unplug the computer and disconnect the internet as much as possible.

May Allah protect us from what detracts from His remembrance. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.

Key To Success

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Qur'an is the key to success but very few people understand this. Qur'an gives us purpose, strength and guidance to lead our lives on this earth according to what our Creator wants. What the Creator wants us to do is for our own benefit. Those who are upon the guidance from the Lord are the successful ones.

Allah says,

الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٣﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٥

Alif, Lam, Meem. (1) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2) Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, (3) And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. (4) Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful. (5)

[Qur'an 2:1-5]

If we don't know Qur'an, we will be making many mistakes. Those who pray, fast, perform hajj, etc, are still making lots of mistakes because they don't have a complete understanding of the Qur'an. When we look at the Qur'an, are we following it? No, we don't follow it. We only follow some and we leave many. As believers, we have to follow the Qur'an in its complete form of guidance, not pieces here and there, and what is convenient only.

But how do we follow Qur'an if we don't know Arabic, the language of the Qur'an. If we don't know Arabic, we will never come close to Qur'an and Qur'an will never touch your heart. Arabic is the key to the Qur'an.

Once the Qur'an touches your heart, you will never feel alone, you will never feel lonely and you will never feel bored, inshaAllah.

No doubt, nothing will change without effort. If we desire this change, we have to learn Arabic and Qur'an properly.

May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.

Don't Be Arrogant, Stingy And Greedy

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah loves not those who are proud, boastful and stingy.

The believers are those who believe in God and His Messenger, then have not doubted, and have struggled with their possessions and their selves in the way of God; those -- they are the truthful ones.

[Qur'an Al-Hujuraat 49:15]

Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion. (20)

Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believed in Allah and His messengers. That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty. (21)

No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being - indeed that, for Allah, is easy - (22) In order that you not despair over what has eluded you and not exult [in pride] over what He has given you. And Allah loves not any man proud and boastful (23) [Those] who are stingy and enjoin upon people stinginess. And whoever turns away - then indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. (24)

[Qur'an Hadid 57:20-24]

Everything you have is from Allah. All your possessions did not come from you or as a result of your effort. You have nothing to do with it--not because of your intelligence, not because you spent years of working hard, not because you know people in high places. It is purely from Allah, the Possessor of great bounty, to test you. Right now, He can take them away from you, just like that. Right now, He can give the same or better to someone else, just like that. All this is very easy for Allah to do.

How many a people had come to power and had lost power? You recall during the dot.com era in the late 90s, millionaires sprout like mushrooms but all of sudden when the stock market crashed, these millionaires lost their millions overnight, just like that. A disaster can happen all of a sudden that can wipe you out completely. These are also tests from Allah.

Nothing is permanent in this life. So don't be arrogant and don't be stingy. If you are then you have failed the test because everything you have are tests for you. Come the Day of Judgment, you would wish you can return to this life and do righteous deeds.

Till, when death comes to one of them, he says, 'My Lord, return me; haply I shall do righteousness in that I forsook.' Nay, it is but a word he speaks; and there; behind them, is a barrier until the day that they shall be raised up. For when the Trumpet is blown, that day there shall be no ties of relationship between them, nor will they ask of each other. Then he whose scales are heavy -- they are the successful., and he whose scales are light -- they have lost their souls, abiding in Hell.

[Qur'an The Believers 22:99-103]

So, before we face our own Judgment Day (i.e. the day we die), remember Allah, obey Him, spend in His way what He has given you, and do not use them to disobey Him.

Your possessions and your children are only a trial, and Allah it is with Whom is a great reward. Therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah as much as you can, and hear and obey and spend, it is better for your souls; and whoever is saved from the greediness of his soul, those are the successful.

[Qur'an At-Taghaabun 64:15-16]

May Allah Most High make us among His righteous slaves. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam.

When The Honeymoon Is Over

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Some marriages work out and many don't work out. This is life. The important thing is that you do your homework before you get married.

Don't rush into marriage and definitely don't get married because your biological clock is ticking. Some people have this notion as if there is a guarantee that they can have children. How many couples do you know (of) who are childless? Some also have this idea that if they don't get married now or by a certain time, no one will marry them and so they think they will be alone when they are old. What? Do these people forget Allah--the best of planners and the best of protectors? Plus, what guarantee do you have that your spouse will outlive you? What guarantee is there that your child(ren) will live to see you reach old age? How many times have we heard that so-and-so lost their child?

Before one starts to look for a spouse, one should ask "Why do I want to get married?" Yes, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that "When a man marries, he has fulfilled half of his religion," But don't forget the second part of the hadith, "so let him fear Allah regarding the remaining half." (related by Baihaqi)

Marriage is not all honeymoon. When the honeymoon is over, you will start seeing the bad qualities of your spouse (and vice versa) and at that point it is a little too late to turn back. If you have an attitude that you can change your spouse, you have not accepted your spouse for who he/she is. Accepting your spouse for who he/she is is very important in a marriage.

So, when you think of getting married, ask your self honestly, "Who am I? What are my strengths and weaknesses? What do I want to contribute to my marriage?" If you don't know the answer to these questions or are vague about them, then you’re not really ready to get married. Marriage is a two-way street, often times with many thorns, and you have to walk together and help each other to remove the thorns or get pass them. You cannot be selfish.

Marriage will not work if the couple is not compatible. There are many aspects of compatibility such as religious, social, hobbies, job, education, etc. For example, if you like to travel and he/she does not, this can be problem. If you are a knowledge seeker and your spouse is not, this can be a problem. If you are married to a light sleeper who does not pray tahajjud and you do wake up for night prayers, you will have a problem. (I remember a woman who said to me that she couldn't pray tahajjud because her husband would get upset when he noticed that she was not in bed). Not just that, what happen when you have a baby and cries at night like many babies do? Don't think that he will change.

But you have to be realistic in what you are looking for in a spouse, as no one is perfect and there is no one person that would fit your description. There is never going to be a man as perfect as the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, neither would there be a woman like the mothers of the believers, Allah be pleased with them.

This is good exercise to save you some trouble in the future. Figure out one quality that your potential spouse must have that you cannot live without, and stick to it.

Make a list of 5 qualities that you must have in your spouse. Then ask your self, "Which quality I can live without" and then cross it out. Repeat this process until you only have one quality left. This is the quality that you analyse a potential spouse by.

For example:

1. Have a good understanding of the religion
2. Have a good Islamic character
3. Have a good sense of humor
4. Have a job
5. Good looking

Cross off one:
1. Have a good understanding of the religion
2. Have a good Islamic character
3. Have a good sense of humor
4. Have a job

Cross off one:
1. Have a good understanding of the religion
2. Have a good Islamic character
3. Have a good sense of humor

Cross off one:
1. Have a good understanding of the religion
2. Have a good Islamic character

Cross off one:
2. Have a good Islamic character

If you cannot find this quality in this person, then you know you won't be happy with this person in a marriage and so don't marry this person. If you insist that you can change the person, you are gambling on your life as well as the person's life (and your future children's lives). Don't be adamant that you can change this person.

If you find this quality in this person, then you may proceed with that one quality in mind. During bad times (which happen in marriages), you can remind yourself of that one quality you married your spouse for and that would help you balance out things and give you some realization that he/she isn't all bad.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

The most perfect believer in faith is the one whose character is finest and who is kindest to his wife.

(Tirmidhi and Nasa'i)

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

A man marries a woman for four reasons: for her property, for her rank, for her beauty, and for her religion (and character). So marry the one who is best in the religion and character and prosper.

(Bukhari and Muslim)

May Allah Most High grant us tawfiq. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Weak And Needy

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The greatest blessing is that Allah shows our weakness and susceptibility because the one who is conscious of his/her own weakness and susceptibility, he/she is the one who turns to Allah. All of Islam is based on our acknowledging that we are weak and needy of Allah.

On the authority of Abdullah ibn Abbas, Allah be pleased with father and son, who said: One day I was behind the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said to me:

Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.

[Tirmidhi]

May Allah increase our iman. Ameen. Please don't forget us your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Good and Bad

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Good and bad are two adjectives qualifying human actions. They transcend religious rituals such as praying and fasting, to extend to acts related to all aspects of life.

A good deed is what leads one to Paradise and a bad is what leads one to Hell.

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٩٧

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.

[Qur'an An-Nahl 16:97]

لَّيْسَ بِأَمَانِيِّكُمْ وَلَآ أَمَانِىِّ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ۗ مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا يُجْزَ بِهِۦ وَلَا يَجِدْ لَهُۥ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّـهِ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا ﴿١٢٣

Paradise is not [obtained] by your wishful thinking nor by that of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allah a protector or a helper.

[Qur'an An-Nisaa' 4:123]

Good and bad should only be understood from a purely Islamic perspective and according to Islamic paradigm. The nature of what is good and what is bad can be understood only in the light of the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

It is imperative for a Muslim to learn his religion properly to know what the Lord wants from him. Something that one may deem it as good is actually bad, and vice versa.

For example, hijab (women's Islamic dress code) is considered bad in Western societies as a sign of oppressing women, but it is considered good in Islam as, in part, it is a sign of women's chastity, self-respect, and so on.

Islam is a social religion. A Muslim is neither one who prays and fasts and hides in his room, nor one who is a workaholic and finds no time to pray and play with his family. An ideal image of a Muslim is the one who affects all of his surroundings positively while worshiping Allah.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, noticed a man constantly staying at the mosque. He asked his Companions: "Who is supporting him?"

They replied: "His brother."

So the Prophet said: "His brother is better than him."

This story demonstrates that a man's worldly work which benefits him and his society is considered good, while the religious act which causes him to be lazy and dependent is bad.

One of the most important criteria of qualifying an action is the intention behind it. Sometimes a deed appears to be good and compatible with Shariah, but the one who did it meant something else in his or her heart.

Allah says,

وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مَسْجِدًا ضِرَارًا وَكُفْرًا وَتَفْرِيقًۢا بَيْنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِرْصَادًا لِّمَنْ حَارَبَ ٱللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَلَيَحْلِفُنَّ إِنْ أَرَدْنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَٱللَّـهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ ﴿١٠٧

And [there are] those [hypocrites] who took for themselves a mosque for causing harm and disbelief and division among the believers and as a station for whoever had warred against Allah and His Messenger before. And they will surely swear, "We intended only the best." And Allah testifies that indeed they are liars. 

[Qur'an At-Tawbah 9:107]

Building a mosque is one of the best deeds in Islam, but in this situation, some enemies of the Muslim community wanted to build another mosque which was far away from the main mosque where the Muslims used to congregate. They meant to split the Muslim community at that time and cause division and disunity among the Muslims. Thus, although the deed appears to be good, yet its evil intention makes it bad.

Any deed, whether it is good or bad, is going to be for the intention behind it, and not for the deed itself. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended. Thus he whose migration (Hijrah to Madinah from Makkah) was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.

[Bukhari]

It has been said that Islam revolves around intention. Some of the scholars have said that it is 1/3rd of Knowledge, because the actions of man involve his heart, his tongue and his limbs, and hence the intention in the heart is 1/3rd of that.

May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Good Deed That Lead To Hellfire

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

One of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) said,

Indeed a servant commits a sin by which he enters Paradise; and another does a good deed by which he enters the Fire."

It was asked: How is that? So he replied: "The one who committed the sin, constantly thinks about it; which causes him to fear it, regret it, weep over it and feel ashamed in front of his Lord - the Most High - due to it. He stands before Allah, broken-hearted and with his head lowered in humility. So this sin is more beneficial to him than doing many acts of obedience, since it caused him to have humility and humbleness - which leads to the servant's happiness and success - to the extent that this sin becomes the cause for him entering Paradise. As for the doer of good, then he does not consider this good a favor from his Lord Upon him. Rather, he becomes arrogant and amazed with himself, saying: I have achieved such and such, and such and such . So this further increases him in self adulation, pride and arrogance - such that this becomes the cause for his destruction.

We ask to make us among His humble and grateful slaves, and we ask Allah to save us from Hellfire. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

The Room

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Sometimes we do things without thinking of the consequences. Indeed, nothing we do is without consequence. Everything is recorded and we will be shown everything, like it or not.

Allah says,

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا ﴿١﴾ وَأَخْرَجَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا ﴿٢﴾ وَقَالَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مَا لَهَا ﴿٣﴾ يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا ﴿٤﴾ بِأَنَّ رَبَّكَ أَوْحَىٰ لَهَا ﴿٥﴾ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَصْدُرُ ٱلنَّاسُ أَشْتَاتًا لِّيُرَوْا۟ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٧﴾ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُۥ ﴿٨

When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake (1) And the earth discharges its burdens (2) And man says, "What is [wrong] with it?" - (3) That Day, it will report its news (4) Because your Lord has commanded it. (5) That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds. (6) So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, (7) And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it. (8)

[Qur'an al-Zalzala 99:1-8]

Our journeying to Allah is by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. When we meet Allah, we will be recompensed either by His beneficence or His justice. His beneficence if we are from the felicitous and His just punishment if we are from the wretched. May Allah save us from being among the wretched.

The felicitous, who will be given his book/record in his right hand will receive an easy reckoning, a presentation of his deeds. He will return joyfully to his family in Paradise for he has attained the reward of Allah.

Allah says,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَـٰقِيهِ ﴿٦﴾ فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ ﴿٧﴾ فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا ﴿٨﴾ وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا ﴿٩

O mankind, you are toiling laboriously toward your Lord. You will meet Him. Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall surely receive an easy reckoning, and he will return to his family joyfully.

[(Qur'an Inshiqaq 84:6-9]

But for him who is given his book/record behind his back, in his left hand, he will cry out for destruction, out of despair and humiliation, and for the sins which he never repented. He will roast in a Blaze. He had once lived happily among his family, without a thought that he would return (to Allah) and that the Resurrection would occur. He had committed sins without a thought that He would return to his Lord and stand before Him. But the Lord always had sight of him.

Allah says,

وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِۦ ﴿١٠﴾ فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًا ﴿١١﴾ وَيَصْلَىٰ سَعِيرًا ﴿١٢﴾ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فِىٓ أَهْلِهِۦ مَسْرُورًا ﴿١٣﴾ إِنَّهُۥ ظَنَّ أَن لَّن يَحُورَ ﴿١٤﴾ بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ رَبَّهُۥ كَانَ بِهِۦ بَصِيرًا ﴿١٥

But as for him who is given his book behind his back, he shall call for destruction but will roast in a Scorching Blaze. He once lived among his family joyfully without a thought that he would return [to Allah] Yes, indeed! His Lord always had sight of him.

[Qur'an Inshiqaq 84:10-15]

Aisha, Allah be pleased with her, reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“(On the Day of Resurrection) anyone whose account will be taken will be ruined (i.e go to Hell)." I said: 'O Allah's Apostle! May Allah make me be sacrificed for you. 'Doesn't Allah say: “Then he who is given his record in his right hand, he surely will receive and easy reckoning."?' He replied, “That is the presentation of the accounts, but he whose record is questioned, will be ruined.” (Bukhari)

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in a room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small indexcard files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "People I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.
And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory could not match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At."

Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers."

Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger," "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 30 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!"

In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And then I saw it.

The title bore "People that I Have Taught About Allah". The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the over-whelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room.

I must lock it up and hide the key.

This story was originally written for a Christian audience by Joshua Harris, in his book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye".

[www.themodernreligion.com]

May Allah protect us from disobedience and conceal our sins. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Arrogance vs Humility

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah AlMighty says in a hadith Qudsi

Pride is My upper garment and grandeur (tremendousness) is My lower one, whoever contests with Me for them I will punish him.

Allah says,

ٱدْخُلُوٓا۟ أَبْوَ‌ٰبَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرِ‌ينَ ﴿٧٦

Enter the gates of Hell to abide eternally therein, and wretched is the residence of the arrogant.

[Qur'an 40:76]

Allah AlMighty will not allow anyone to compete with Him in what is in His prerogative. His prerogative is Majesty. Allah is the Mighty King and we are His servants. Pride and Majesty is a positive quality with respect to Allah. Somebody who vies with Allah in these things is like you going to a king who is wearing his clothes and you pull off his clothes. If you go to him like this it is as if you are arrogantly insulting Allah.

Arrogance is a trait of a person of Hellfire. When the Hellfire sees the arrogant from a very far place, it will rage and roar, longing for them.

The Hellfire is needed in order for us to be able to worship Allah. When we read about Hellfire in the Qur'an, Allah is telling us that He is the Mighty King, that He is All-Powerful and He deserved to be obeyed.

People who do not worship Allah, they brought themselves against their whole purpose. The point of our existence is not to smile to other people. These are things we are obligated to do. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was the most smiling of all people and we, by way of following his sunnah, we smile to people. The smile is only valuable if it stems from a spirit of slavehood to Allah, humility and submission before Allah, Al-Mighty. If they stem from arrogance, they are branches of a tree that is growing on toxic dump. It is not beautiful. Going to Allah like this is the worst crime anybody can commit. All other crimes stem from this crime. To accept and to submit to Allah is the root of every single good deed.

Arrogance might be because of acts of obedience that one performs, or knowledge that one have, or some other religious affairs. Arrogance ruins one's religion, acts of obedience and worship, and makes him fall into humiliation in this world and the Hereafter.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Three things which are totally destructive: a person’s self-centeredess and conceit, his reluctance to obey and his following of his desires.

The cure for this self-importance is to look at one’s own faults, one’s many shortcomings, thousands of sins and misdeeds (or millions if you are not very young and haven't sincerely repented) that one has committed, wrongs that one has done and forgotten but the knowledge of which are with Allah in a book. For Allah is not led astray nor does He forget.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Whoever shows arrogance to Allah, He will humble him, and whoever is humble to Allah, He will raise him in station.

One should aspire to attain the quality of humility even if they effect this quality at first, i.e. one force oneself to be humble at the beginning until the quality becomes firmly rooted in the heart. Indeed, if someone sees themselves and believes that he is better than any other person, then they have departed from humbleness and some amount of arrogance has entered his heart.

Until one deals with Allah on the basis that he believes that he is the most humble or lowly of Allah's creatures and the most needy of His servants, from a point of view of fearing Allah's Power and Might and fearing Allah taking him into account for his disobedience, he has not attained humility.

A person who reaches humility will not be inflamed or provoked by the various events that occur around him.

We should continue to seek humility in our behavior, sayings and deeds by following the master of those who are humble, the trustworthy Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

May Allah AlMighty protect us from arrogance and make us among His humble slaves. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah AlMighty knows best.
Wassalaam

Stop

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Signs are meant to tell us something we didn't know or to remind us of something in case we forget.

If you are driving on a road and you see a red octagon sign at an intersection ahead of you, you should slow down and prepare to stop. It is not meant for you to admire the red color or count the number of sides it has or calculate the area of the octagon or wonder if you would be seeing more red octagons during your journey, and keep driving. If you do this, you are missing the point of the red octagons as a traffic sign and you are bound to hurt someone, including yourself (accidents, traffic ticket, a ding in your good traffic record, a dent in your checkbook, etc). If you look at one red octagon and stop, it would be better for you.

The Signs of the Hour are numerous. Allah Most High placed them here so we can prepare ourselves for the Hour. When you see the sign, it should remind you of the Hereafter and if it reminds you of the Hereafter, your life will be different. You will gain strength in obedience and insight in religion. That is the point of the signs of the Hour. There are not here for us to gather more information and fine details, and involve ourselves in intellectual discussions and debates. If you ignore what the signs are telling you, the consequence is more grave that ignoring the red octagon.

A nafl prayer isn't obligatory. So, instead of praying a nafl, you sip a cup of coffee/tea or smoke a cigarette or shisha. You will regret this in the Day of Judgment because those two raka'at prayer will put you ahead till eternity. Just imagine all the aimless browsing and cruising the internet, YouTube, Facebook, and so on. Imagine all the fights, gossips, talebearing that people involve themselves in. What a waste of time!

This life is going to come to an end. There is an Hour. We are going to die. There is only certain things we can take with us when we go to our graves. If we have this context in mind, we would behave differently, and stop all the haram in our lives and stop wasting our time doing and worrying about things that will not benefit us in the Hereafter starting today.

Allah Most High says,

فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا ٱلسَّاعَةَ أَن تَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَآءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَىٰهُمْ ﴿١٨

Then do they await except that the Hour should come upon them unexpectedly? But already there have come [some of] its indications. Then what good to them, when it has come, will be their remembrance?

[Qur'an Muhammad 47:18]

On the authority of `Umar (radi Allaahu 'anhu), who said:

 
One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journey were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down in front of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam), with his knees touching against the Prophet's (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs he said: “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.”

The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Islam is to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to perform prayers, to give zakaah, to fast in Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.”

He said: “You have spoken rightly”; and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly.

He (the man) said: “Tell me about Iman.”

He (the Prophet, sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to believe in Allah, His Angels,
His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny (qadr), both the good and the evil of it.”

He said: “You have spoken rightly.”

He (the man) said: “Then tell me about Ihsan.”

He (the Prophet, sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to worship Allaah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then (knowing that) truly He sees you.”

He said: “Then tell me about the Hour.”

He said: “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.”

He said: “Then tell me about its signs.”

He said: “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see barefooted, naked destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings.”

Then he (the man) left, and I stayed for a time. The he (the Prophet, sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “O `Umar, do you know who the questioner was?”

I said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

He said: “It was Jibril, who came to teach you your religion.”

It was related by Muslim.

May Allah Most High grant us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah Most High knows best.
Wassalaam

Perfect Iman (Faith)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Omar Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, started out as a great enemy of Islam but his life changed one day.

One day he set out to kill the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, but was stopped on his way and told that his own sister and her husband had accepted Islam. Enraged, he marched to his sister’s house and upon arrival he attacked both his sister and her husband, causing the sister to bleed. His sister accepted any punishment from her brother but would not give up Islam. This made Omar very curious and he asked for the verses that he heard her sister recited when he came. His sister insisted that he first cleanse himself before reading the verses of the Qur'an. Omar agreed and after having purified himself, he read the the verses (which was the first few verses of Surah TaHa of the Qur'an.) These verses opened his heart to the Truth. Omar submitted to Allah and went to pledge his allegiance to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

One day Omar was walking with the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, held Omar's hand and asked him how much he loved the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Omar answered that he loved the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, more than his wealth, his parents, his wife and children. Then the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him whether his love for the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was more than the love he had for himself. Omar became quiet, answering in the negative (not sure whether the hadith actually relates his silence as being the negative answer or whether he actually answered). The Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, became quiet and let go of Omar's hand.

Later when Omar went home he thought about whether he did love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, more than himself. When the answer came to him, he rushed to the Prophet’s mosque. Upon seeing the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he declared that he did love the Prophet more than himself. He told the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, that it was the blessing from Allah that the Prophet was sent as a mercy to guide the non-believers and save them from the Hellfire.

Omar continued saying that "I am nothing without you’re guidance, I would have been doomed and destroyed had Allah not sent you to guide me so I have to love you more than myself". The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, smiled and embraced Omar confirming that today his Imaan (faith) has become perfect.

Allah Most High says,

قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـٰرَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّـهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ ﴿٢٤

Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."

[Qur'an At-Tawba 9:24]

May Allah increase our Iman and make our love for Him and His Messenger above all else. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Love Of The Companions

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends,

I pray that you are well.

Allah Most High praised the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Allah Most Hight says,

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ ٱللَّـهِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥٓ أَشِدَّآءُ عَلَى ٱلْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَآءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَىٰهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ ٱللَّـهِ وَرِضْوَٰنًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِى وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ ٱلسُّجُودِ

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration...

[Quran Al-Fath 48:29]

Allah Most High says,

وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَـٰنٍ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿١٠٠

And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment. [Qur'an At-Tawba 9:100]

Allah Most High says,

لَّقَدْ رَضِىَ ٱللَّـهُ عَنِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَـٰبَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا ﴿١٨

Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest.

[Qur'an al-Fath 48:18]

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said about his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them:

The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter. [Bukhari]

The Companions were honored as their lives were spent with the blessed Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. They learnt from the words of the great teacher, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and saw the Qur'an in living form. They ate with him, drank with him, shed tears and blood by his side.

The Companions were people who had a past of mistakes and sin, yet they were able to embrace Islam and live like the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. We often overlook the tremendous sacrifices they gave, the torture they endured and the loss of their lives, families and wealth, for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The Qur'an and the blessings of Allah came to them through their love for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the complete faith and devotion to the revelations that came through him. This is why we try to be like the Companions because they lived their lives in the image of the most perfect of creation, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The Companions' love for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, knew no bounds. When you love someone, you talk about him to other people. This love and sense of responsibility towards the religion of Allah drove the Companions to faithfully transmit the Sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. None of the Companions lied about the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. The uprightness of the Companions is universally accepted by those who followed them.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Convey from me, even if just a single verse.

[Bukhari]

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

"May Allah make radiant someone who hears something from us, and then conveys it as he heard it, for it might be that someone who is conveyed to understands better than the one who heard.

[Tirmidhi]

Our obligation to Allah is only discharged by learning what the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said and did. This is the purpose of our existence. We wouldn't know how to pray, how to pay zakat, how to contract the proper way, how to live our lives the successful way, except through the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

May Allah Most High increase our love for His beloved Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and for his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Hellfire

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Someone who doesn't realize his/her slavehood to Allah Most High will never understand why he/she has to pray (and pray in Arabic), fast, put on the hijab, lower the gaze, read Qur'an, and so on, and why Allah needs to punish people in Hellfire for not praying, for example.

Allah Most High said, "I created humans and jinn for aught but to worship Me." If we don't realize our slavehood to Allah Most High, nothing in this life will make sense, let alone the next life.

For someone who longs to be a slave to his Master, the Hellfire helps him in his quest, and those who turn away from their Master will end up realizing His threats in the next life and become a means for others to find their way to Paradise.

Allah says,

ٱنطَلِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾ ٱنطَلِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ ظِلٍّۢ ذِى ثَلَـٰثِ شُعَبٍ ﴿٣٠﴾ لَّا ظَلِيلٍ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِنَ ٱللَّـهَبِ ﴿٣١﴾ إِنَّهَا تَرْمِى بِشَرَرٍ كَٱلْقَصْرِ ﴿٣٢﴾ كَأَنَّهُۥ جِمَـٰلَتٌ صُفْرٌ ﴿٣٣﴾ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٣٤﴾ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ لَا يَنطِقُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾ وَلَا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ ﴿٣٦﴾ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٣٧

[They will be told], "Proceed to that which you used to deny. (29) Proceed to a shadow [of smoke] having three columns (30) [But having] no cool shade and availing not against the flame." (31) Indeed, it throws sparks [as huge] as a fortress, (32) As if they were yellowish [black] camels. (33) Woe, that Day, to the deniers. (34) This is a Day they will not speak, (35) Nor will it be permitted for them to make an excuse. (36) Woe, that Day, to the deniers. (37)

[Qur'an Al-Mursalat 77:29-37]

Allah says,

وَأَمَّآ إِن كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿٩٢﴾ فَنُزُلٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ ﴿٩٣﴾ وَتَصْلِيَةُ جَحِيمٍ ﴿٩٤﴾ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَهُوَ حَقُّ ٱلْيَقِينِ ﴿٩٥﴾ فَسَبِّحْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ﴿٩٦

Then [for him is] accommodation of scalding water (93) And burning in Hellfire (94) Indeed, this is the true certainty, (95) So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great. (96)

[Qur'an Al-Waqi'ah 56:92-96)

The creation of the Hellfire is a tremendous blessing to us because it allows us to realize our slavehood to Allah Most High. When we see the Hellfire, we will be driven to worship Him.

Allah Most High does not need our prayer and other obedience. He neither benefits from our worship and obedience nor harms by our disobedience. They are solely for our benefit. If we cannot see the benefits, that does not mean that they are pointless and without benefit. We can't question anything that is not in our realm of understanding. Our job is to worship Allah Most High and no one besides Him.

Allah Most High says,

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 ﴿١٧٩

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-'Araf 7:179]

Allah says,

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا ﴿١١٥

And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.

[Qur'an An-Nisa 4:115]

May Allah Most High have mercy on us and save us from the Hellfire. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Commanding Good And Forbidding Evil

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah Almighty says,

وَٱلْعَصْرِ‌ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ‌ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ‌ ﴿٣

By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (3)

[Qur'an, Al-'Asr 103:1-3]

It is obligatory to command the good and forbid the evil, a communal obligation, if one is able to do so and does not fear harm reaching one on account of it; regardless of whether one oneself practices the command in question. It is not sufficient to merely forbid a sin; rather, one must hate it, feel anger, and leave the group for the sake of Allah if they do not desist.

The one commanding the good should have the following traits:
(a) Gentleness,
(b) Forbearing of what is said back to him; he should not get frustrated or annoyed,
(c) Knowledge of what he is commanding to, lest he command the evil or forbid the good.

The learned person must ensure that he is not doing so out of pride from displaying one’s knowledge and the ignorance of the addressee; for such an intention is an evil greater than the evil he is forbidding. In short, whoever undertakes this obligation must be learned of the opinions of the scholars so that his command and prohibition return to matters that are agreed upon by scholars, and that he is not excessive in his words or deeds.

The Proof of Islam, Imam al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the Ihya that the it is only permissible to forbid an action if the following four conditions are met.

(1) That the action be something that is wrong. This is more general than it simply being an act of disobedience.

(2) That the wrong action currently exist. If signs indicate that someone will likely engage in a wrong in the future, then one may go up to the level of polite admonishment, but no further.

(3) That the wrong action be obvious without spying. Spying is unlawful. Spying means to seek out signs of disobedience. If the sign is obvious without spying, then the obligation of commanding
the right and forbidding the wrong remains intact.

(4) That the wrong be known without ijtihad. It is not permissible for a non-scholar to forbid non-obvious matters unless a scholar informs him that they are wrong. There are many matters where there is no room for disagreement, such as reprehensible innovations in belief.

Commanding the right and forbidding the wrong is of various levels. It is not permissible to move to a later level if an earlier level suffices.

(1) Informing: One must be gentle and diplomatic, otherwise the instruction will go unheeded.

(2) Gentle admonition: One must be careful not to intend self veneration and humiliation of the one being censured, but rather intend to follow the hadith, None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.

(3) Rough censure: One must be careful to watch one's intention and to not go beyond the amount necessary.

(4) Forcible change: This is contingent on the avoidance of public discord.

Allah Most High says,

ٱلتَّـٰٓئِبُونَ ٱلْعَـٰبِدُونَ ٱلْحَـٰمِدُونَ ٱلسَّـٰٓئِحُونَ ٱلرَّٰكِعُونَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدُونَ ٱلْـَٔامِرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱلنَّاهُونَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْحَـٰفِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ ٱللَّـهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١١٢

[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshipers, the praisers [of Allah], the travelers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits [set by] Allah. And give good tidings to the believers. [Qur'an Tawba 9:112]

May Allah guide us and give us tawfiq. Ameen.

Please don't forget is in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Advising Others

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

A relative or an old friend comes on a weekend to visit you, and you enjoy a good meal together. You then sit down to have tea and talk about old times. You finish the tea, and the time for the `Asr prayer enters. You tell your relative or friend that it's time to pray and he says, "Sure, go ahead and pray. I'll just wait for you here until you're done." What would you do?

Do not proceed reading until you answer this question to yourself.

Advising others needs wisdom and tact. Each one of us need to understand something about ourselves. How do we react in a situation like this.

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of people: those who hesitate from advising others, and those who do it eagerly. Each kind of person has their own advantages and disadvantages.

The shy and hesitant person needs to work on being brave (i.e. fearing no one but Allah) and not shying away, but when they actually do give advice, they'll normally have made a conscious effort to do it for the sake of Allah. So their actions will often be more sincere.

The eager person already has a character that can easily advise other people. What they need to work on is to make sure that they are doing it out of slavehood to Allah Most High. One way to bring this thought to the forefront of one's mind is to consciously take steps to do what one does with excellence. For example, by reading books that teach one how to talk to other people with tact and effectiveness. Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence Poeple, is a good book for such a person to read.

InshaAllah, you can figure out which kind of person you fit best by your answer and work on improving it.

May Allah Most High guide us in commanding good and forbidding evil. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Slippery Slope

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends,

I pray that you are well.

People might argue that Muslims are wasting their money by putting it into rent. And if all Muslims stop paying rent and just take out mortgages, we will have a greater amount of wealth, which will enable us to take Islam further, rather than worry about how to make ends meet.

The main fallacy in this is that there is something that Allah takes care of, and something else that we are supposed to take care of, and it is a big mistake to switch the two.

Allah is the One who determines the events of the Grand and Momentous Story of Creation, and He has guaranteed us that Islam (the haqq) will prevail. Our job is not to take Allah’s promise upon our shoulders, but to ensure that we are on the side of the haqq (Truth). As long as we remain on the haqq), we are on the winning side. By going against what He has commanded us to do, we are putting ourselves on the side of the batil (Falsehood), which Allah has guaranteed will lose.

Allah Most High says,

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَٱجْعَل لِّى مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَـٰنًا نَّصِيرًا ﴿٨٠﴾ وَقُلْ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْبَـٰطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا ﴿٨١

And say: 'My Lord, lead me in with a just ingoing, and lead me out with a just outgoing; grant me authority from Thee, to help me.' (80) And say: 'The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away; surely falsehood is ever certain to vanish. (81) (Qur'an Al-Isra' 17:80:81)

قُلۡ إِنَّ رَبِّى يَقۡذِفُ بِٱلۡحَقِّ عَلَّـٰمُ ٱلۡغُيُوبِ (٤٨) قُلۡ جَآءَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَمَا يُبۡدِئُ ٱلۡبَـٰطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيدُ (٤٩

Say: 'My Lord hurls the truth -- the Knower of the Unseen.' Say. 'Truth has come; falsehood originates not, nor brings again.' (Qur'an 34:48-49)

Ibn Ata’illah said,

Your striving for what you have been guaranteed and your neglect of what is sought of you is a sign that your spiritual insight has been blurred.

Don't get caught in trying to save the world. We each need to fix and rescue ourselves and stop disobeying Allah. If something is haram, we should stay away from it, even if you find opinions that say it is OK to engage in it (for example taking out an interest loan to buy a house). Keep off the slippery slope lest you will slip. If you are already on a slippery slope, put all your might to climb back up, and don't look back. Keep asking Allah to help you. May Allah give you success and success is from Allah alone. Great success is for us to make with Allah and disobeying Him is not making it with Allah.

Allah Most High says,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ وَذَرُوا۟ مَا بَقِىَ مِنَ ٱلرِّبَوٰٓا۟ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٢٧٨﴾ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَأْذَنُوا۟ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٧٩

O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. (278) And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged. (279) (Qur'an 2:278-279)

Narrated Abu Hurairah, Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace,

Usury has got seventy divisions. The easiest division of them is a man marrying his mother. [ibn Majah]

Narrated Abu Hurairah, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

I came across some people in the night in which I was taken to the heavens. Their stomachs were like houses wherein there were serpents, which could be seen from the front of their stomachs. I asked: O Gabriel! Who are these people? He replied these are those who devoured usury.
(Ahmed, Ibn Majah)

Ali, Allah be pleased with him, reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, cursing the devourer of usury, its giver, its scribe and one who refuses to give Zakat and he used to forbid mourning. (Nisai)

Umar bin Al-Khattab, Allah be pleased with him, reported that the last of what was revealed was the verse of usury. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was taken and he had not explained it to us. So, give up usury and doubt. (Ibn Majah, Darimi)

May Allah save us from falsehood. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

A Mindset

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Treasure is any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized. It should make one very happy when one sees a treasure. Have you ever wondered how everything you have is a treasure? The piece of bread on the counter, your health, the peace, the roof over your head, the laughter of your child, they are all treasures. To your right, left, top, bottom, front and back, you will see treasures. But what prevent you from seeing these treasures? It is the mindset.

"If you turn away from your selfish desires, you will live a more pleasurable life."

Someone without a slavehood-mindset will find this statement contradictory because he is not grateful to Allah. He does not know what is true pleasure and associates pleasure with fulfilled selfish desires. He denies the pleasures given to him from Allah because his sense of pleasure has been skewed. He cannot imagine humbling himself to his Lord. He equates submission to his Lord with the deprivation of pleasure. He doesn't realize that his frenzied pursuit of pleasure desensitizes him from feeling pleasure (that's why he gets bored) and keeps him from grateful contentment. Grateful contentment brings a delight to pleasure that cannot be found anywhere else.

Someone with a slavehood-mindset will find this statement to be completely true because he has realized gratitude towards his Lord. He knows that his Lord is his Master and he is fearful of Him. He understands what is true pleasure and feels indebted to Allah. He will accept and enjoy the pleasures of life with a deep feeling of gratitude, which will accentuate the pleasures of the world. If he lets desires overcome him, he will sense first-hand that the pleasurable feeling leaves him.

May Allah make us His grateful slaves. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Pain and Excitement

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The general rule is that pain and excitement are good if they drive us to Allah, and bad if they drive us away from Allah.

Pain drives us away from Allah when it causes us to get caught up in worry and anxiety so that we can't, for example, focus on Allah during prayer. Or, even worse, the pain may lead us to disobey Allah in order to relieve it.

Pleasure drives us away from Allah when it causes us to get caught up in excitement and exultation so that we can't, for example, focus on Allah during prayer. Or, even worse, the excitement may lead us to disobey Allah in order to relieve it.

One way to remedy this is to reflect on the hadith of the Prophet, Allah bless bless him and grant him peace:

The person who had the most pleasing life in this world, of any of the people of Hell, will be summoned on Resurrection Day and utterly plunged into the Hellfire, then asked, "O human being, have you ever beheld any good at all; have you ever felt a single joy?" and he will say, "No by God, my Lord." And the most miserable sufferer in this world, of any of the people of Paradise, will be summoned and utterly plunged into Paradise, then asked, "O human being, have you ever seen any bad at all; have you ever experienced a single misery?" and he will say, "No by God, my Lord: I have never seen any bad or suffered a single misery." (Muslim).

The lesson here is to focus on what Allah wants, rather than what we want. Pleasure and pain relate to our personal wants, and we need to prevent them from coming in the way of our obedience to Allah.

May Allah make us His obedient slaves. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Someone who experiences life as a mere "series of events" doesn't know what the meaning of life is. Someone who experiences life as a small part of a larger story has found meaning, and this will satisfy a deep psychological need.

Different stories resonate to different degrees, but the story that will resonate the most powerfully is the story that we are psychologically wired to belief in, which is the true and wonderful story that Allah tells us in the Quran.

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْقَصَصِ بِمَآ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ وَإِن كُنتَ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلْغَـٰفِلِينَ ﴿٣

We relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qur'an although you were, before it, among the unaware. [Qur'an Yusuf 12:3]

Stories give meaning.

Allah Most High says:

وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَـٰهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا ۚ فَٱقْصُصِ ٱلْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿١٧٦

And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought. [Qur'an 7:176]

The degree to which the story resonates within us is commensurate to the degree to which we realize our slavehood to our Lord. The meaning of life is thus found in our slavehood to our Lord, which is what the "Primoridal Covenant" was all about.

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ ﴿١٧٢

And when thy Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed, and made them testify touching themselves, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, we testify'-- lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'As for us, we were heedless of this,' [Qur'an Al-'Araf 7:172]

Life is without meaning unless we have someone to focus on. In this case, the One must be Allah for He never change and He never go away. He does not need anything from us but if we go to Him walking, He comes to us with speed. If we remember Him, He will remember Us. If our focus is on the dunya (money, people, fame, career, things, ...), surely we will be disappointed, sad and depressed at some point because anything of the dunya (world) is temporal and surely it will change and go away (death, separation, unemployment, breakup, divorce, losses, boredom, ...).

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah the Almighty said:

I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.

Allah Most High says:

فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ

So remember Me, and I will remember you; and be thankful to Me; and be you not ungrateful towards Me. [Qur'an al-Baqarah 2:152]

May Allah guide us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Anger

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Anger is a human emotion that Allah Most High has placed inside us for a wisdom. Scholars understand hadiths that censure anger to mean, "anger for the sake of one's nafs." As for anger that is for the sake of Allah, it is a praiseworthy quality and should be inculcated in every Muslim's heart.

Anger for the sake of Allah is anger that is inspired by a sense of slavehood and love of Allah. One gets angry, in other words, because one's Master is being disobeyed and His commands flouted. Someone whose entire life is for the sake of their Master will inevitably be moved to anger by such acts.

Someone who just watched the news of a ruthless massacre of Muslims in Gaza and is pent up with rage--angry at the whole world, snapping and frowning at everyone he meets; keeping a blog on the Internet, and writing post after post expressing his frustrations about the ineptness of the Muslims governments all over the world; telling people about how cruel the oppressors are, how biased the media is, and how worthless the Muslims are--this anger is not for the sake of one's Lord because a slave who is angered for the sake of his Lord will be moved to do what his Lord tells him to do, not to have a temper tantrum.

All he wants to do is vent his anger, and Shaytan is making him imagine that he is doing everything for a religious motive. Frowning at people on the street only perpetuates the image of Muslims as angry, irrational people, reinforcing media stereotypes in the minds of non-Muslims, and reducing their sympathy to Muslim causes.

We are living in difficult times and we hear all kinds of heartbreaking stories. Many Muslims are being oppressed. The ability of people killing other human beings has grown exponentially. Religious ignorance sets in people to do aweful things. These are just some of the Signs of the Hour, to remind us to behave responsibly. Sincere pure hearted people see the Signs and they will go against their own desires to obey Allah.

See how Prophet Musa (for example), peace be upon him, dealt with difficulties and the oppression of Fir'aun.

قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱللَّـهِ وَٱصْبِرُوٓا۟ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلْأَرْضَ لِلَّـهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَٱلْعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١٢٨

Said Moses to his people, "Seek help through Allah and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous." [Qur'an Al-Araf 7:128]

Before one become irrationally angry for what's happening in our lives and around us, reflect on this advice of Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, to his people in far more difficult time.

There will never be complete justice in this world because there is the Hereafter. If there is complete justice then they is no need for the Hereafter and the Day of Judgment. We must have certainty in the Day of Judgment. Justice will be dealt in the end by Allah.

أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّـهُ بِأَحْكَمِ ٱلْحَـٰكِمِينَ ﴿٨

Is not Allah the wisest of Judges? [Qur'an At-Tin 95:8]

لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْبِلَـٰدِ ﴿١٩٦﴾ مَتَـٰعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ ﴿١٩٧

Be not deceived by the [uninhibited] movement of the disbelievers throughout the land. (196) [It is but] a small enjoyment; then their [final] refuge is Hell, and wretched is the resting place. [Qur'an AleImran 3:196-197]

We should not feel desperate, angry, despair, bitter or resentful. If we are angry and frustrated, we won't be able to think right and can only make things worse. We should do something to the best of our ability but not out of resentment, selfishness or self righteousness, but out of slavehood to Allah and with patience and confidence that Allah will win. Sometimes there is nothing we can do other than make du'a.

Someone with religious conviction who has developed a spiritual relationship with his Lord through worship will have at the forefront of his mind that (a) Allah is in complete control and things are going according to plan, (b) there is a wisdom in what is going on that we don't understand, and (c) Allah will make His religion dominant and this is just a temporary setback. Any sense of bitterness, resentment, and sense of victimhood and accusation all arise because someone doesn't have the religious conviction.

Any sense of disgust at everyone except oneself is a common ploy of the Shaytan to lay responsibility at everyone's door except one's own. A slave will be moved by such situations to worry about his own shortcomings before his Master, not to think that he is OK and everyone else is not.

May Allah guide the Ummah and grant us patience and steadfastness. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

When Was The Last Time You Sinned?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

You hear a sermon emphasizing the importance of repentance and then think to yourself, "I don't remember the last time I repented. Come to think of it, I don't even remember the last time I sinned." What do you tell yourself when these thoughts come to your mind?

You should be grateful that you are still alive and that it is not too late to ask for Allah's forgiveness. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, who necessarily sinless, turned towards Allah in repentance 100 (many) times a day. We have the more reason to do this because each and every one of us fall into sins by day and by night.

Repentance does not require a sin. Nobody ever does what Allah deserves from them even the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. One can only draw closer to Allah if one feels that there is something about oneself that one needs to change. If one feels that everything about one is just fine, then it is not possible to draw closer to the Lord because one is under no pressure to do anything.

The point of repentance, then, is to drive one to Allah Most High. The opposite of repentance is self-satisfaction. Self-satisfaction is a tool that Shaytan uses to reduce one's religious practice. The general rule is that if one is not drawing close to Allah Most High, one is most likely getting farther away from Him.

True repentance comes from inculcating a sense of duty to the Lord. This is realized by training the heart to serve Allah, constantly asking at every juncture of one's life, "What does Allah want me to do right now?" and doing it even if one is inclined to do something else.

The point, then, is not to remember one's sins, but to feel repentant over not giving Allah what He deserves.

We ask Allah to forgive all our sins and have mercy on us. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Which Is Better: Poverty Or Wealth?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

You walk down a busy street in the middle of Cairo and your gaze falls on a homeless man lying asleep on the sidewalk. You look to your left, and you see a well-groomed man talking on his cell-phone as he drives past in his Mercedes. Feeling sorry for the poor man on the sidewalk, you put some money under his hand and walk on. The sharp contrast of poverty and wealth sets you thinking about the ups and downs of life. You wonder, "Which is better: poverty or wealth?" ...

Whether poor or rich is already written. We are tested with wealth and poverty. The difference is how it change us in terms of drawing closer or farther away from Allah. If the poor person is content with what he doesn't have and not blaming Allah for his lack thereof, then he understood the meaning of his slavehood to Allah, and a great blessing for him to be poor. If the wealth and comfort of life distract the rich person from the remembrance of Allah, then having wealth is a great fitnah for him.

Generally speaking, the safest option lies somewhere in the middle. But sometimes when poverty comes one's way, one is driven to Allah in a manner that wouldn't otherwise have been possible, and sometimes, when wealth comes one's way, it saves one from falling into impatience and jealousy.

Allah Most High says,

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِٱلشَّرِّ وَٱلْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً ۖ وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٣٥

Every soul shall taste death, and We severely try you with hardship and comfort, and it is to Us that you will be returned." [Qur'an Al-Anbiya 21:35]

The point is not worldly hardship or ease, the point is how we fare when we return to Allah. Poverty and wealth are thus not good and bad in and of themselves. Rather, they become good or bad depending on how one reacts to them--if one reacts to poverty with patience or to wealth with gratitude, it is good, and if one reacts to poverty with bitterness or to wealth with forgetfulness, it is bad.

May Allah Most High save us from the trials in this life and the next. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Uwais Al-Qarny

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Uwais Al-Qarny, Allah be pleased with him, did not live to see the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, because he was caring for his elderly mother who was blind. Even though he did not see the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he had so much love for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, that when news reached him in Yemen that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had lost his tooth in the Battle of Uhud, Uwais broke his tooth. But then he thought it might be another tooth. So he broke another tooth. Still he was not satisfied and so he broke all his teeth.

Yearning to see the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, he asked permission from his mother to go to Madina to see the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. His mother knew how much love her son had for the Prophet, Allah bless him peace, and gave him the permission. When Uwais arrived in Madina, he went directly to the Prophet's house. It was obvious to him that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not home, and Aisha, Allah be pleased with her, told him that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had gone to battle. As much as he wanted to wait for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, to come back, he could not leave his mother for too long and sadly he returned to Yemen without seeing the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had advised ‘Umar ibn Al-Khatab and Ali ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with them both) that if they meet Uwais then they should ask Uwais to ask Allah to forgive them and to make supplication for them.

'Umar b. Khattab reported:

I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Worthy amongst the successors would be a person who would be called Uwais. He would have his mother (living with him) and he would have (a small) sign of leprosy. Ask him to beg pardon for you (from Allah). [Muslim]

Usair b. Jabir reported:

A delegation from Kufa came to 'Umar and there was a person amongst them who jeered at Uwais. Thereupon Umar said: Is there amongst us one from Qaran? That person came and Umar said: Verily Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has said: There would come to you a person from Yemen who would be called Uwais and he would leave none in Yemen (behind him) except his mother, and he would have the whiteness (due to leprosy) and he supplicated Allah and it was cured except for the size of a dinar or dirham. He who amongst you meets him should ask him to supplicate for forgiveness (from Allah) for you. [Muslim]

Usair b. Jabir reported:

When people from Yemen came to help (the Muslim army at the time of jihad) he asked them:

Is there amongst you Uwais b. 'Amir? (He continued finding him out) until he met Uwais.

He said: Are you Uwais b., Amir?

He said: Yes.

He said: Are you from the tribe of Qaran?

He said: Yes.

He 'Umar (again) said: Did you suffer from leprosy and then you were cured from it but for the space of a dirham?

He said: Yes.

He ('Umar) said: Is your mother (living)?

He said: Yes.

He ('Umar) said: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say: There would come to you Uwais b. Amir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. (He would be) from Qaran, (the branch) of Murid. He had been suffering from leprosy from which he was cured but for a spot of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been excellent. If he were to take an oath in the Name of Allah, He would honor that. And if it is possible for you, then do ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from your Lord).

So he (Uwais) begged forgiveness for him.

Umar said: Where do you intend to go?

He said: To Kufa.

He (Umar) said: Let me write a letter for you to its governor

Whereupon he (Uwais) said: I love to live amongst the poor people.

When it was the next year, a person from among the elite (of Kufa) performed Hajj and he met Umar. He asked him about Uwais.

He said: I left him in a state with meagre means of sustenance.

(Thereupon) Umar said: I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There would come to you Uwais b. 'Amir, of Qaran, a branch (of the tribe) of Murid, along with the reinforcement of the people of Yemen. He had been suffering from leprosy which would have been cured but for the space of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been very kind. If he would take an oath in the name of Allah (for something) He would honour it. Ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from Allah) in case it is possible for you.

So he came to Uwais and said: Beg forgiveness (from Allah) for me.

He (Uwais) said: You have just come from a sacred journey (Hajj); you, therefore, ask forgiveness for me.

He (the person who had performed Hajj) said: Ask forgiveness for me (from Allah).

He (Uwais again) said: You have just come from the sacred journey, so you ask forgiveness for me.

(Uwais further) said: Did you meet Umar?

He said: Yes.

He (Uwais) then begged forgiveness for him (from Allah).

So the people came to know about (the status of religious piety) of Uwais. He went away (from that place).

Usair said: His clothing consisted of a mantle, and whosoever saw him said: From where did Uwais get this mantle? [Muslim]

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said. "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your father." [Bukhari]

Allah has not made anyone's right follow His right or the right of His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, except that of the parents, so He said:

وَاعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا

Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good,... [Qur'an An-Nisa 4:36]

May Allah increase our love for His beloved Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. May Allah help us be kind and dutiful to our parents and make our children kind and dutiful to their parents. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam