Love of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wassallam

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Love is a sweet and beautiful feeling, undescribable. You experience some of this sweetness and beauty when you are in love with someone. Don't you wish it never go away? Increase your knowledge of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and you will experience the true sweetness of love that never go away, inshaAllah. Don't go a day without learning something about the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, so you know him. One cannot claim to love the Prophet, if one doesn't know him, never talks about him, and ignores his Sunnah.

We know that the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had intense love for him, and part of love is to anticipate the need of the lover and do everything you can to fulfill it. One day one of the women of Ansar saw the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, sitting on the floor leaning against a date palm tree and offered to make a mimbar for him. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, didn't like to say no to people and so he accepted the gift. After the pulpit of his masjid was made, he ascended the pulpit and began to give his Friday sermon. All of sudden there was this crying and weeping and it filled the whole masjid. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, descended from the pulpit, went to the palm tree where he used to lean against, stroke it and hugged it. It was the palm trunk that cried and wept because he yearned for him. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, spoke to it and give it a choice to be uprooted and given a new life or buried under the pulpit. The palm tree chose to be buried under the pulpit of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. If you have the chance to visit the Prophet's masjid in Madinah, you can see a medallion that marks the location of the palm trunk.

SubhanAllah! If this is how much the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cared about a piece of wood that long for him, imagine the treatment we would get from loving and yearning for him! If your love for him is not there or has not increased since True Love of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, do something about it. Traditional scholars, when narrated the hadith about this palm tree, would ask, "What's the matter with us? We don't weep from separation of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, whether physical or spiritual." Try and take the means to love the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace. If we are not following the sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, we are not trying. We owe this level of love and application to someone whom Allah has sent to us as a means of mercy and saving our eternal soul. Love and attachment is found all across creation, so work on our hearts. Our hearts shouldn't be harder than the palm trunk.

May Allah make our hearts tender and increase our love for His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Tongue-Tied

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

I pray that you are well.

Before you do something to make your mother angry or might make her angry if/when she discovered it, you should fear how you will end up, and what if your mother is not by your deathbed? Remind yourself of this story.

Once, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, approached a youth who was on the verge of dying, and said to him: “Say ‘There is no God except Allah.’ But the youth’s tongue appeared to be tied and he was unable to utter the words. When this took place several times, the Prophet said to a lady standing near the youth’s head: “Does this youth have a mother?” The lady replied: “Yes, I am his mother.” The Prophet asked her: “Are you angry with him?” She confessed: “Yes. I have not spoken to him for the last six years.” Hearing this, he said to her: “Be pleased with him.” She agreed and said: “O’ Prophet of Allah! For the sake of your pleasure, may Allah be pleased with him.” (Then, turning to the youth) he said: “Say ‘There is no God, except Allah’). (This time) the youth was able to recite the words and shortly afterwards, his soul departed his body.”

Narrated Anas ibn Malik, that Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, says,

Whoever has pleased his parents, he has pleased Allah and whoever has angered his parents, he has angered Allah.

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

Allah will not accept the prayers of the person whose parents are angry with him and their parents are not oppressors.

If you have made your parents angry or hurt them in any way, go and seek their forgiveness and make up to them before it is too late. If your parents have passed away, make du'a for them and give regular charity on their behalf, and hope and pray for Allah's mercy.

May Allah make us comfort to the eyes of our parents and grant us an excellent ending. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

True Love of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalaam)

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The reality of Faith is manifest in the intense love of Allah. If you want to know the level of your Faith, look at your heart...how intense is your love of Allah.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ أَندَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّـهِ ۗ وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ ﴿١٦٥

...But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah...

[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:165]

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, denied the reality to the religion in the one who has not experienced this true love.

There is tremendous consequence of the love of Allah.

Anas reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

There are three things which cause anyone who takes refuge in them to experience the sweetness of belief - that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else; that he loves a man only for Allah; and that he dislikes the thought of reverting to disbelief as much as he would dislike being cast into the Fire.

[Bukhari & Muslim]

The love of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the basis of all good and all rank and honor with Allah. Without love of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, one's faith is tasteless.

Love is not by mere utterance of the lips, but shown through actions, pleasing to the lover. This is true love. So if we truly love Allah, we should do what is pleasing to Him.

Allah says,

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١﴾ قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٣٢

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (31) Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers. (32)

[Qur'an AleImran 3:31-32]

Allah says,

قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّـهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ ﴿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." (24)

[Qur'an At-Tawba 9:24]

This is enough encouragement, advice, proof and indication of the necessity of loving Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and is sufficient to show that this duty is an immensely important obligation. Allah censures those whose property, families and children are dearer to them than Allah and His Messenger. He threatens them by adding, "Wait until Allah executes His command." At the end of the verse He considers such people as having done wrong and informs them they are among those who are astray and not guided by Allah.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab told the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace,

"I love you more than anything except my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet replied, "None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul." 'Umar said, "By the One who sent down the Book on you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet said, "'Umar, now you have it!"

[Bukhari]

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father and all people.

[Bukhari, Muslim & an-Nasa'i]

The great scholars took this seriously. If you look at the Companions, their love for the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was tremendous. They would do unimaginable things showing their immense love for him.

For example, as related by 'Urwa from al-Miswar and others who confirmed each other, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did wudu', his Companions all but fought each other for his wudu' water. [Bukhari]

Even after the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had passed away, some of the senior Companions would travel for weeks and months to distant lands (like Iraq, Syria, etc) just to hear the narration of one hadith of the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, even though they have heard it before.

How much can we say about our love for the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, if we can't even find the time to read the Qur'an and hadith collections like the Forty Hadith by Imam Nawawi which are readily accessible to everyone--just let the tip of your fingers do the traveling. Let alone to learn them and implement them in our lives.

May Allah increase our love for Him and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Time: Our Life Capital

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

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

There are two blessings in which most people are in great loss: good health and free time.

Most unfortunate is he who does not recognize these blessings and is not thankful for them. All of us at one time or another enjoyed these two blessings but can we say that we have used them in the way that are meant to be used?

Everything about us--growth and development, movements, actions and morality, all take place within the space of 'Time'. Time passes quickly, our spiritual and material potentialities decline, and our abilities fade. We are like someone who possesses a great capital and, without his permission and will, every moment, a portion of that capital is taken away. This is the nature of life in this world--a continual loss. As one poet said,

Your life comprises a few breaths that can be counted; when one of them is sent out, a part of your life has diminished.

Anything lost could be found again except for time wasted.

Allah has granted us the invaluable capital of our life, so that we may invest it in profitable business venture. If we invest our capital of life sensibly in good works, there will be no limit to the profitable returns; but if we invest it unwisely in evil works, then, we will even lose our capital plus the dreadful scourge of committing numerous sins. If we squander it and did not invest in good works, then we, at least, lose both the profit and the capital.

It is reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

When a person wakes up in the morning, he invests his soul or life in a business enterprise: some of the investors free or save the capital from loss and others destroy it.

The Qur'an uses the word tijarah (transaction) in relation to 'faith' and 'righteous deed', thus:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ تِجَارَةٍ تُنجِيكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ﴿١٠﴾ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١١﴾ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ﴿١٢﴾ وَأُخْرَىٰ تُحِبُّونَهَا ۖ نَصْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٣

O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment? (10) [It is that] you believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is best for you, if you should know. (11) He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment. (12) And [you will obtain] another [favor] that you love - victory from Allah and an imminent conquest; and give good tidings to the believers. (13)

[As-Saffat 61:10-13]

Since 'Time' is a person's capital of life, he himself is the trader. Under normal circumstances, his capital is not a frozen thing that may be kept for a while and used up later when the need arises. The capital is flowing all the time, every minute and every second. He who invests it needs to be very wise, intelligent and agile, so that he is able to swiftly and readily reap the profit from a flowing capital. Like an ice-seller whose trade required utmost diligence, and if he were neglectful for a moment, his entire capital would melt away.

Allah says,

وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ ﴿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 101]

Whoever has abandoned these four things has suffered a tremendous loss.

Faith and righteous deeds are related to our moral and spiritual growth and development. Truth ('Haqq') refers to the package of 'correct faith' and 'good deeds', and patience ('sabr') refers to binding oneself down to performance of righteous deeds and abstaining from sins.

Believers have been enjoined not only to adopt right faith and good deeds themselves, but to advise others strongly and effectively to adopt them, and thus help in the creation of a healthy atmosphere around them. Inviting other Muslims to keep to the true Faith and good deeds is as much necessary as our own submission to the Qur'an and Sunnah. One's own good deeds are not enough for one's salvation, especially if a person does not take care of the spiritual and moral welfare of his wife, children and family and turns a blind eye to their unrighteous deeds. Such a person is blocking his way to salvation - no matter how pious he might be.

Therefore, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to do his best to invite others to the good deeds, and warn them against the evil acts. Don't think it is sufficient for you to be concerned about your own moral and spiritual well-being. If you are not concerned about the well-being of your family and not putting sincere and best efforts, to invite others to the right path, you are rapidly losing your capital while accumulating debts and no profits. What great loss that is for such a person.

May Allah grant us the ability to act upon His guidance. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Shielding Our 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.

How precious it is our Iman (Faith)...that's why the shaytan is lurking to steal it from our heart.

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٥

Indeed Satan, to man, is a manifest enemy. (5)

[Qur'an Yusuf 12:5]

Hold onto your Iman for dear life and start erecting your fortress around it, so it would be impossible for the shaytan to penetrate.

Innermost fortress--Know all your obligations and start doing them, e.g. 5 prescribed daily prayers, witr prayer, fasting, pay zakat, perform hajj, Friday prayer (for men); fulfill the rights of others; seek personally obligatory knowledge (fard 'ain).

2nd layer fortress--Do all the emphasized sunnah prayers (sunna mu'akkada), e.g. 12 cycles of prayers which is before and after 5 prescribed daily prayers (4 before dhuhr, 2 after dhuhr, 2 after maghrib, 2 after 'Isha, 2 before Fajr); Tahajjud (night vigil) prayer in the last one-third of the night; Dhuha (mid morning) prayer.

3rd layer fortress--Do other recommended prayers, e.g. istikhara prayer when making any decision; 2 cycles of prayer after wudu'.

4th layer of fortress--Do other recommended acts of worship, e.g. Recite a portion of the Qur'an daily (at least 2 juz daily); fasting on Mondays, Thursdays and the 3 white days, other special times Zulhijjah 1-9 (include Day of Arafah), etc.; giving charity; seeking sacred knowledge

5th layer fortress--Do much istighfar, salawat upon the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, recite surah of protection after each prayer (ayatul kursi, last 3 surah of the Qur'an, etc.)

6th layer fortress--Moist the tongues with dhikr, maintain wudu' all day and make sure you take wudu' before going to sleep.

7th layer fortress--Keep the company of the righteous and the pious.

Outermost layer fortress--Do not come near haram and those things that can lead to haram.

Each outer layer will help reinforce the inner layer. So don't think you can protect your Iman by only doing the obligatory acts because this last line of defense will not be able to withstand the enemies if they start marching in.

Routinely check and inspect your fortresses for any weaknesses and take immediate remedial steps to reinforce it. The more layers and the stronger they are, the more you are protected. The less layers you have and the weaker they are the easier the Shaytan can penetrate into your heart.

Keep in mind that our lives should not be spent except in worshipping Allah. This is the purpose of our creation and Allah clarifies to us this objective, saying,

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)

[Quran Adh-Dhariyat 51:56].

The greatest type of worship is to perform that which Allah makes obligatory on His servants and to refrain from all that He forbids.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Allah says: ‘The most beloved deeds with which my slave comes nearer to me are what I have enjoined on him.’" [Bukhari]

Ibn Al-Qayyim said:

Since the Salaf lived their whole life in worship, it is then necessary for us to know with which type of worship they started, and which one have they given priority.” He then answered: "The best acts of worship are the most pleasing to Allaah in that particular time. The best act of worship during the presence of a guest is to take care of him and not to be distracted from that by other recommended acts of worship. This is also in performing one’s duties towards one’s wife and family. The best act of worship in the night is to be occupied with prayer, reciting the Quran, supplication and Thikr. The best thing during the time of the Athan (i.e. the call for prayer) is to leave whatever worship one is doing and answer the Mu`aththin (i.e. the one calling the Athan) by repeating what he says. The best thing during the time of the five obligatory prayers is to exert one's efforts in their prompt performance. The best thing when the poor is in dire need of assistance is to assist him and give that preference over supererogatory dhikr. The best thing to do when your brother is sick or dead is to visit him, attend his funeral, and give that priority over your supererogatory Thikr. And the best thing to do when you are afflicted and suffer people’s harm is to be patient and not to run away from them.

May Allah protect our Iman and protect us from the evils of mankind and jinnkind, and let us die at the highest of Iman. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Benefiting From Your Prayer

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Prayer is an important pillar in Islam, i.e. if this pillar is weak, your Islam is wobbly and will eventually collapse, because it is so easy for Shaytan to steal your Faith (Iman). Losing one's Iman is one's ultimate loss because if he remains in this state until he dies, there is no more hope for Paradise for him and he will abide in the Hellfire forever.

We should put the time to learn how to pray properly, both outwardly and inwardly, including understand what we are saying and reciting in prayer.

If you don't know what you are saying in your prayer, how much benefit can you expect from doing your prayer? You can pray 5 times a day, year after year, but you (and people around you) won't see any change because you didn't do it correctly. Prayer is supposed to transform you to become a better human being--a better parent, child, spouse, brother/sister, neighbor, friend, student/teacher, leader, and so on.

Each day we should strive to better our prayer and this can only be done through having the right knowledge and implementation of that knowledge. No matter how long/how much we have prayed, there is always a better prayer. Strive to make the current prayer better than the one before. If you are praying the same way as you have been for the past 20 years, or if you don't rush to prayer, or if you still find prayer more of a burden than a comfort to you, or if you are rushing to finish your prayer, you are not truly appreciating the gift of prayer and therefore you won't feel the benefit of your prayer.

If you pray in any masjid, you are bound to see so many people make so many mistakes in their prayer. For the most part it is because they don't know any better -- these people either learn how to pray from their parents/grandparents who didn't learn it from qualified teachers, or they learned it through imitating others who did not properly learn how to pray. If you haven't sat down with a qualified teacher to learn how to pray, chances are you are not praying correctly.

Gross mistakes in prayer is such a common occurrence, all masjid should remedy this issue by providing a regular program to teach people how to pray properly. Don't leave it to the individuals to figure out for themselves. If people come to the masjid and they do clear mistakes time and time again but the Iman and the masjid's leaders are not actively doing something to correct this, who do you think will carry the blame in the Day of Judgment?

We pray how the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, has taught his Companions how to pray...and that knowledge has come to us through an unbroken chain of teachers, and it is incumbent on us to find these teachers to teach us how to pray as the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed.

May Allah help us establish prayer in the way pleasing to Him and make us steadfast in prayers and worship. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Beware of the Black Ant

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, compares riyaa' to a black ant crawling in the middle of a pitch-dark night on a black rock that can go undetected.

Ibn ‘Abbas said,

Riyaa is more hidden than a black ant on a black stone in a dark night.

Riyaa' is a heart disease that cause death to your good deeds. Don't let riyaa' creep into your heart.

The symptoms of riyaa' include the desire to seek praise or a reputation, fear of criticism or being looked down upon, doing good deeds in public and evil ones in private, worrying about what people think of oneself, doing good deeds for someone else’s sake when they should be done for the sake of Allah.

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

Shall I not inform you of what I fear for you more than the maseeh ud-dajjaal (false messiah)? It is the hidden shirk (riyaa). It is when a man stands up for prayer, then beautifies his prayer for another to look at

(Ibn Majah).

Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace narrated a story about three people on the Day of Judgment.

The first of the people whose case will be decided on Judgment Day will be a man who died as a martyr. He will be brought forth. God will make him know about His blessings (which He had bestowed on him in the World). The man will acknowledge them. Then God will ask him: What did you do with them? He will say: I fought in Your way until I died as a martyr. God will remark: You are lying. You fought so that you may be called a brave warrior. Then orders will be passed against him. So he will be dragged along on his face and cast into Hell.

Second will be a man who studied religious knowledge. Then he taught it to others and recited the Quran. He will be brought for Judgment. God will remind him of His favors (showered on him in the world). He will admit them (having enjoyed them in his life). Then God will ask him: What did you do with them? He will reply: I acquired knowledge and imparted it and also recited the Quran for Your sake. God will observe: You have told a lie, for you got knowledge to be renowned as a scholar; and you recited the Quran to be marked as a Qari (one who recites the Quran according to the rules). Then orders will be passed against him. So he will be dragged along on his face and thrown into Hell.

The third person will be a man to whom God had made abundantly rich and granted him every kind of wealth. He will be brought for judgment. God will let him know about His gifts conferred upon him in the world. He will recognize them. Then God will inquire: What did you with them? He will say: I left no way in which you like money to be spent without spending in it for your sake. God will say: You are lying. You did so to be described as generous and philanthropic in the society; It means you got your reward in the world according to your intention. Now you deserve nothing in the Hereafter except Hell. So orders will be passed against him and he will be dragged along on his face until he will be hurled into Hell.

Riyaa' can be treated. Some of the better ways are as follows:

--Du'a. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa salam) taught the specific duaa for riya: [O Allah, I take refuge in You lest I should commit shirk with You knowingly and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do unknowingly.]
--Hiding your good deeds. Do them where nobody can see.
--Reflecting upon's oneself's shortcomings.
--Keeping companionship with the pious.
--Being conscious of the evil effects of riyaa' in one's heart.
--Performing acts for the sole purpose of gaining Allah's pleasure.

Also, remind yourself of the verse of the Qur'an which speaks of the response of righteous slaves when they feed people in need,

وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا ﴿٨﴾ إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّـهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا ﴿٩﴾ إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًا قَمْطَرِيرًا ﴿١٠

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)

[Qur'an Al-Insaan 76:8-10]

We ask Allah to protect us from riyaa'. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

How to Attract Blessings

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught us the surest way to attract the blessings of Allah. It is by being kind, compassionate and merciful to Allah's creatures.

He said,

The Most Compassionate (God) is kind on those who are kind to others. If you would show kindness to those who live on the earth, He who lives in the Heaven, shall shower His blessings on you.

(Abu Dawood)

`Abdullah Ibn `Amr reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

The merciful are treated mercifully by the Merciful. Be merciful to those on earth so that Allah will be Merciful to you in the heavens.

Abu Musa reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

You will not be true believers until you are merciful with one another. They said: "O, Messenger of Allah, we are all merciful!" He said: "It is not that you should be merciful to each other, but you should also merciful in general."

[Agreed upon]

Abu Hurayra said,

A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a child which he began to embrace. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Do you show mercy towards me?' 'Yes,' the man replied. He said, 'Allah is more merciful towards you than you are towards this child. He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.

[Bukhari]

Abu Umama said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Anyone who shows mercy, even to an animal meant for slaughtering, will be shown mercy by Allah on the Day of Rising.

[Bukhari]

'Umar was heard to say,

Anyone who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy. Anyone who does not forgive will not be forgiven. Anyone who does not turn in repentance will not be turned to nor will he be protected or guarded.

[Bukhari]

Mu'awiya ibn Qurra reported that his father said,

A man said, 'Messenger of Allah, I was going to slaughter a sheep and then I felt sorry for it (or 'sorry for the sheep I was going to slaughter').' He said twice, 'Since you showed mercy to the sheep, Allah will show mercy to you.'

[Bukhari]

Abu Hurayra said,

"I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the truthful confirmed one, Abu'l-Qasim, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Mercy is only removed from the one who is destined for wretchedness."

[Bukhari]

Jarir reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Allah will not show mercy to a person who does not show mercy to other people.

[Bukhari]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said,

"I heard the truthful Prophet, the owner of this room, Abul Qasim (Peace be upon him) says "Mercy is only plucked out from a wretched person."

[Tirmidhi]

May Allah guide the Ummah and bring peace to those places where Muslims are fighting. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Attend To Your Heart

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Abu Hurayrah (radhiAllahu anhu) narrated: Messenger of Allah (sallaAllahu alayhi wasallam) said,

Allah does not look at your figures, nor at your attire but He looks at your hearts [and deeds].

[Muslim]

So the saying of the Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhi wasallam), “but He looks at your hearts” shows that the matter is all about what is contained within the hearts.

In today's times when evil and corruption is so common and rife, we have to take upon ourselves to protect and guard our hearts from being corrupted. Always attend to your heart, constantly wash it until it is purified. How does one purify one's heart? There is no other way except by doing the opposite.

For example, if you are stingy with your wealth, you have to give more charity and you do it frequently and regularly, and you don't stop giving, even if it means giving a few dollars each time. You don't have to be a charitable foundation, giving out thousands or million of dollars, but you have to be sincere and consistent, with no expectation from the world. When you do this, all of sudden, you won't feel that you are losing anything whenever you give and giving becomes second nature to you because you now realize that you have been banking in your good deeds with Allah, Who gives far greater return than anyone can compensate you.

This applies to all other blameworthy traits you want to remove. One other example--if you spend a lot of time on the computer/internet, "researching" and reading things that don't concern you or looking at bad things or playing games, you should be outside more where you won't have your computer/internet, and to get you out of the private mode. Create a routine of outdoor activities for yourself like working in the yard and do some dhikir, going to the masjid and help the youth with their activities, walk around the block and contemplate on the creation of Allah, visit the sick in the hospital, and make a point to follow a funeral procession.

It is very important to perform the outward good actions and maintain them and increase in the good actions because only through these good actions that the good enters and fills the heart, leaving no room for the bad.

a. Be on time in performing the five daily prayers. A male must ensure that he performs Jumu'ah prayer and the obligatory prayer in congregation at the Masjid.

b. If you did not pray in the past, start making them up. Make a schedule--maybe adding one prayer to each current obligatory prayer.

c. Recite some portion of the Qur'an daily. It is also important to read the translation and commentary of the Qur'an daily. We recommend the following English translations: Muhsin Khan (Translation) and Sahih International (translation). Any translation of the Noble Qurãn must be accompanied with the Arabic text next to the translation. Tanzil.net is a good website to accomplish this if you don't have the mushaf with translation.

d. Recite the following three Tasbeehs any time in the morning or evening, 100 times Istighfaar, 100 times salawat upon Rasulullah. Try to do this in isolation and concentration.

e. Always display good character even in front of one's enemies.

f. Be good to your parents and your families, and give all rights due to other people.

g. Avoid intermingling with the opposite gender and lower one's gaze. Do not let the mind and heart be polluted with the form and shape of the opposite gender. That is death to spirituality.

g. Stay in the company of the pious. Bad company is detrimental to one's Iman and character.

h. Be conscious of life after death and accountability in the court of Allah Ta'ala. Keep in touch with reliable scholars. Seek their guidance.

h. Concern yourself with those things that you should be concerned with, i.e. your next life. Don't waste time and have no expectation of the world.

Give Me tears of your eyes, humility of your heart, and modesty of your body, then call on Me in the darkness of night to find Me as the One who answers soon. -- Hadith Qudsi

May Allah grant us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Helping Our Children to Fulfill Our Rights

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

It would be unbearable if we were to concern ourselves about whether or not we have fulfilled the rights of others especially the rights of our parents.

In the Day of Judgment, people will flee from their families.

Allah Almighty says,

يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ ﴿٣٤﴾ وَأُمِّهِۦ وَأَبِيهِ ﴿٣٥﴾ وَصَـٰحِبَتِهِۦ وَبَنِيهِ ﴿٣٦

"On the Day a man will flee from his brother (34) And his mother and his father (35) And his wife and his children, (36)..."

[Qur'an Abasa 80:34-36]

Why? Because they have not fulfilled the rights of others in this life and so those people who are owed their rights will be coming after them for their rights. This does not apply to those who have fulfilled the rights of others, they won't need to run away from people in the Day of Judgment, but how many people can say "I have fulfilled the rights of others over me?" If we come to this realization that we have not fulfilled the rights of others and how hard and severe the reckoning would be in the Day of Judgment, we will be grief-stricken to a point that we will lose our composure because of it.

It is a given that parents have a great right over their children. But it does not remove the right of children over their parents. Among the few rights of children is the right to an Islamic upbringing and education. Parents should teach their children Arabic and knowledge of the Qur'an, and provide them proper instruction of Islamic morals and character (adab) and about rights of people. The parents are obligated to fulfill these rights. If we are deficient in providing all these, we should not expect our children to know how to be Muslims--how to obey Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and how to fulfill our rights.

So, we should help our children to fulfill our rights by us fulfilling their rights over us. At the same time, we should not demand our rights over them. Because it is very difficult for anyone to fulfill the rights of everyone. Imagine, if everyone in a society demand their rights--it would be a harsh and difficult society.

Just like in a marriage, even though we know a husband has certain rights over his wife and a wife has certain rights over her husband and a duty for each spouse to fulfill the rights of the other, but if the husband or the wife demand all his/her rights from the other, it would be a very difficult marriage and it would be very difficult for him/her to be in a good standing with Allah. He/she will constantly be in a state of sin and cause him/her to be in a bad position with Allah. This could not be what they wished for the other when they first got married and fell in love. In marriage, the spouses are supposed to help each other to attain closeness to Allah, not to for the other to gain sins and drive each other further away from Allah.

With parents too, it is natural to love our children and strive to give them an easy life. If they have rights owed to us, in the Day of Judgment it is not going to be easy for them with the sins on their record. So, it is appropriate for us to forego our rights over them so we make their lives easy in this life and the next.

Allah Almighty says,

وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ ﴿٢ ،،،،

،،،Help one another to piety and godfearing; do not help each other to sin and enmity. And fear God; surely God is terrible in retribution. (2)

[Al-Maida 5:2]

One of the people of knowledge once said, "I have a son who I didn't for 30 years give him and order out of fear that he cannot fulfill it."

This is the state of the righteous--they recognize they have rights over other people and they want to help them in reaching righteousness and taqwa.

In addition to give up our rights over our children, we should pardon them for their bad actions as part of helping them from having to deal with a sin on their record, which translate to a difficult life in this life and the next. However, if a child is doing a lot bad and if forgiving him we fear that he is going to do the bad action again and again or will increase him in doing bad, the better thing is to demand your right so as to help him leave the bad action. Forgiveness is for the one who is remorseful. If you forgive someone who is consistently doing haram action, you are going to aid him to doing the haram.

If we help our children to fulfill our rights, we can hope to gain the mercy of Allah.

May Allah have mercy on us and our families, and help us fulfill the rights of our parents, our children and all those who have rights over us. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Thank Your Parents Morning and Evening

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah has made it easy for us to worship Him but most people make life very difficult for themselves. Thanking our parents is not only a form of respect of them but a great worship because Allah orders us to thank Him and to thank our parents.

Allah Almighty says,

وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ فِى عَامَيْنِ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ﴿١٤

And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. (14)

[Luqman 31:14]

Allah has conjoined the order to thank Him with the order to thank our parents. This should tell us how high the station of our parents and how important it is to thank our parents.

Respecting the station of our parents is out of respect of Allah. Your parents maybe an oppressor, idol worshipper, idol maker, may not have a good relationship with Allah, but it does not remove the obligation that Allah has put on us to respect our parents. Allah didn't ask us to look at whether they are Muslims, practicing Muslims, or whether they are good to us in order to respect them. By merely Allah made them our parents, Allah has given them that high status. Even if we cannot see the wisdom of maintaining that order, it is an order from Allah, nonetheless. We should be like those who say, "We hear and we obey."

So, if you thank your parents, you would have attained the pleasure of Allah and nearness to Him, and Allah will increase you in blessings.

Allah Almighty says,

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ
٧

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'(7)

[Ibrahim 14:7]

To be thankful to our parents, we do not show any type of disrespect towards them in any fashion -- with the tongue, hands, feet, eyes, ears, heart, wealth, etc. We express our thanks with good words and good actions, and we pray for our parents frequently.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, made it quite clear that expressing our gratitude to Allah by thanking Him also involves that we thank people who do favors for us.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said as narrated by Abu Hurayrah: “He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah” [Ahmad, Tirmidhi]

He also said: “Whoever does you a favor, then reciprocate, and if you cannot find anything with which to reciprocate, then pray for him until you think that you have reciprocated him” [Abu Dawood].

n another hadith, he said: “Whoever has a favor done for him and says to the one who did it, ‘Jazak Allahu khayran,’ has done enough to thank him” [Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi].

People who don't thank those people who have done them favors, we say they are being rude and self-centered. It is not that we need their thanks, for our reward is with Allah, but it is a showing of their bad manners. Most people would not take their good friends from people who are rude and thankless.

Likewise, someone who doesn't thank his parents, not only they have acted in an improper fashion, they have neglected their duty to their parents and have disobeyed Allah. Somebody who deal with his parents in an improper fashion and neglected his duties to their parents, do not trust him and don't confine in friendship with him. This is because his relationship with his parents is more of an obligation on him but he wasn't able to fulfill it, so do you really think that he is going to fulfill his obligation with you, which is less in its status than his parents?

Even if he is a good friend, he might be good to you today, or for month, year or two, but there is something that is going to break, because he is not a trustworthy person. The proof of this is that he does not fulfill his obligation on his parents and does not appreciate them.

We ask Allah help us to remember Him, to thank Him and to worship Him properly. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

What Tips The Scale of Bad Actions

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Be very careful about what comes out of our tongues. We may think that saying "uff" to our parents is something insignificant but it is something very heavy that outweighs the mountains of the world.

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

A slave may utter a word that he deems harmless that may result in his falling the depth of seventy years into Hellfire.

(Tirmidhi)

Imam Qurtubi, in his book Al-Tadhkirah, told us a story about a man who will come on the Day of Judgment with his bad deeds and good deeds. When they are put on the Scale and weighed, they turned out to be equal. So, it is undecided whether he goes to Paradise or Hell. Allah will say to him that he is neither from the people of Paradise nor Hellfire. Then one of the angels will bring a piece of paper with the word "uff", which he had uttered to his parent in his life in this world that he didn't repent for, and then it is placed on his scale of bad actions. This causes the scale of his bad deeds to tip. He will then be ordered to be taken to the Hellfire but he will ask to go back to the place of reckoning. Allah then says, "Bring him back." When he is brought back to the place of reckoning, Allah says to him, "O you who have disrespected your parents, what is it that you are requesting to be returned here for?" The man says, "O My Lord, I have seen that I have to go to Hellfire because I was disrespectful to my father, and I see that my father is also being led to the Hellfire. I see that my good actions are not benefiting me. So please take my good actions and put them on the scale of my father to see if that will save him." Allah is pleased with this action, and says, "You were disrespectful to your father in the dunya (worldly life) and you have done birr (righteousness) to your father in the akhirah (next life), so take the hand of your father and both of you go to Paradise."

May Allah protect us from disobedience, and help us to obey Him and do birr to our parents. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Look At Your Parent With A Smiling Face

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

How blessed are those with parents who are still living. But so many children don't realize this. They don't visit their parents, they don't keep in touch with their parents, and they rather be around their friends than being around their parents. The nicer ones don't even think twice about moving far away from their parents, be it for work or study. There are people when their parents occasionally visit them, they can't wait for their parents to leave. This is the situation of many families in our communities and societies.

If you have a parent(s), your parent(s) is NUMBER ONE after Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Part of obedience to Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is pleasing our own parents.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told us that with one loving glance to our parents, we can easily attain the reward of hajj without going through the hardships of Hajj.

Narrated Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with son and father, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

There is not a single child who does birr to his parents and looks at them in a merciful way that Allah writes the reward of hajj for every glance. A companion asked, 'even if he looks at them a hundred times a day?' The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, answered, 'Allah is greater and better than that.'

Even with all our problems, always look at our parents with a smiling face so they are always pleased with us, and we get the tremendous reward.

May Allah make our children and our offspring from among the righteous. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Related Archive

The Grand Status of Parents

Waking Up For Tahajjud (The Night Vigil Prayer)

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Waking up in the middle of the night and pray tahajjud is a special time between a servant and his Creator, to whom we belong and will return, but how unfortunate that many people deprive themselves from this great time. They wouldn't mind waking up in the middle of the night to catch an early morning flight or work until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning just so they don't lose this world, but they don't care to even try to wake up for tahajjud.

Abu Salama ibn 'Abdu'r-Rahman related from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Every night, when a third of the night remains, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven saying, 'Is there anyone calling on Me that I may answer him? Is there anyone asking anything of Me that I may give it to him? Is there anyone asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?

[Bukhari]

Allah Most High said,

Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. (78) And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station. (79) And say, "My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority."

(80) [Al-Isra'17:78-80]

Allah has praised those who wake up at night for His remembrance, supplication, and to seek forgiveness and entreat Him, saying,

They forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of what We have bestowed on them. No soul knows what is kept hid from them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do. Then is one who was a believer like one who was defiantly disobedient? They are not equal.

[As-Sajda 32:16-18]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.

[Muslim]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked,

"What prayer is most virtuous, after the obligatory prayers?" He said, "Prayer in the depths of the night."

[Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah]

Abd Allah ibn Salam (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

O people! Spread the salams, feed others, maintain family ties, and pray at night when others sleep and you will enter Heaven safely.

[Tirmidhi, Hakim]

Abu Umama al-Bahili (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Hold fast to night prayer, for it was the way of the righteous before you, a way of drawing closer to your Lord, an expiation for wrong deeds, and a shield from sin.

[Tirmidhi, and others]

If you are regular in praying tahajjud, ensure three things:

1. Thank Allah every night that Allah allowed you take advantage of this great blessing.
2. Admit to Allah that while you are unworthy of such a blessing, you are in need of it.
3. Beg Allah that He allows you to wake up the following night as well.

If you are sporadic in waking up for tahajjud, be sure to “make-up” the prayer on the days that you don’t get up. And ask Allah to grant you this blessing every night.

Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that 'I heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,'

Whenever one of you sleeps through his night devotions, or through a part of them, then, if you perform them between the Fajr (i.e after Ishraq) and Dhuhr prayer, you will receive the same reward as if you performed them at night.

(Muslim)

May Allah grant us tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen.

Please include us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Weapon of Believers and Power of Istighfar (Seeking Allah's Forgiveness)

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Make lots of Istighfar (Seeking Allah's forgiveness) daily.

Istighfar is the weapon of believers against the Shaytan who tries to lead them into Hell through inviting them to sin. According to a hadith of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, Iblis declared to Allah that he would continuously try to lead humans astray so long as they were alive. Allah answered that He would continuously forgive them so long as they sought His forgiveness.

Allah Almighty says,

وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّـهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥

And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. (135)

[AleImran 3:135]

Allah Almighty says,

فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًا ﴿١٠
يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا ﴿١١﴾ وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَـٰرًا ﴿١٢

And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. (10)
He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers (11) And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers. (12)

[Nuh 71:10-12]

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

Seek forgiveness abundantly, for Allah has not taught you how to seek forgiveness except because He wishes to forgive you.

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

By Allah, I seek the forgiveness of Allah, and I turn in repentance to Him more than seventy times in a day. [Bukhari]

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

O People, repent to Allah, for I verily repent to Him one hundred times a day.[Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

It is a heavy thing for my heart if I do not seek Allah’s forgiveness a hundred times a day. [Muslim]

Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said: We counted the Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, saying a hundred times during one single sitting:

Rabb-ighfir lee, wa tub `alayya, innaka Antat-Taawwabur-Raheem.

My Lord! Forgive me and pardon me. Indeed, You are the Oft-Returning with compassion and Ever Merciful. [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi]

Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

He who says:

‘Astaghfirullah al-lathee laa ‘ilaaha ‘illaa Huwal Hayyul Qayyoomu wa ‘atoobu ‘ilayhi.

‘I seek the forgiveness of Allah, Whom there is none worthy of worship except Him, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, and I turn to Him in repentance.’

his sins will be forgiven even if he should have run away from the battlefield (while he was engaged in fighting for the Cause of Allah). [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Hakim]

A story of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him), a renowned scholar of Islam and famous theologian. During his old age, while Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was travelling, he stopped by a town. After the prayers, he wanted to stay for the night in the masjid yard because he didn’t know anyone in the town. Owing to his humility, he hadn’t introduced himself to anyone thinking that if he did, he would be welcomed by many people.

Failing to recognize Imam Ahmad, the caretaker of the masjid refused to let him stay in the masjid. As Imam Ahmad was quite old, the caretaker had to drag him out of the masjid. On seeing this, a baker from a nearby place felt pity for this man (Imam Ahmad) and offered to be the host to him for the night. During his stay with the baker, Imam Ahmad observed that the baker would constantly recite Istighfar (seek forgiveness from Allah). Imam Ahmad asked the baker if the constant practice of saying Istighfar had any effect on him. The baker responded by telling Imam Ahmad that Allah had accepted all of his duas (supplications), except one. When he asked him what dua was it that hadn’t been accepted, the baker replied that he had been asking Allah to provide him the privilege to meet the famous scholar Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal.

On this, Imam Ahmad said that Allah had not only listened to his dua but had dragged him onto his (the baker’s) doorsteps.

رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَٰنِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِى قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

"Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful." [Al-Hashr 59:10]

رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ ۖ إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

"My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims." [Al-Ahqaf 46:15]

Please include us in your prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Living By What We Need

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

If you wish to become the beloved of Allah then abstain from the world and do not let it enter your heart.

Allah says,

وَمَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ لَهِىَ ٱلْحَيَوَانُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٦٤

And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew. (64)

(Al-Ankabut 29:64)

ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا ﴿٤٦

Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope. (46)

(Al-Kahf 18:46)

If you wish to become beloved to people then do not crave for what they have.

If you have wealth, fame, prestige, etc. it is a blessing from Allah and may Allah increase you in it. It is when we desire for ourselves what belongs to others that jealousy, anger, conniving, fighting, etc. will follow. Be content with what you have and people will be comfortable and happy with you and will love you.

Sahl bin Sa'd al Sa'idi narrated,

A man came to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and inquired: "O Messenger of Allah! Guide me to a deed that, if I do it, Allah will love me and the people will love me as well." He (saw) said, "Have renunciation in the world: Allah will love you; have renunciation from what is in the hands of the people: they will love you.

(Ibn Majah)

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said,

Renunciation of the world is not by making unlawful that which is lawful or wasting wealth. Renunciation is when that which is in Allah's possession is more reliable to you than that which is in your hand, and that the reward for an affliction that strikes you is more desirable to you if it (the affliction) were to remain.

(Tirmidhi)

It is reported that Ibrahim b. Ad-ham, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

Zuhd (abstinence from materialism, asceticism) is of three types: (i) obligatory zuhd, (ii) virtuous zuhd and (iii) zuhd for safety. Obligatory zuhd is to abstain from what is forbidden (haram); virtuous zuhd is to be disinterested in what is allowed (of this world); and zuhd for safety is to stay away from doubtful matters.

He also said,

Renunciation (Zudh) is for the heart - not the hand - to be divested of the world; this is the renunciation of the Gnostics. Higher than it is the renunciation of those brought near (muqarrabun); renunciation of everything besides Allah, including this level of renunciation has nothng other than reaching Allah and having closeness to Him.

In this day and age, we need money to buy what we need. There is no bartering anymore. What we need is what we need, but we don't have to have the most expensive things.

For example, it is not haram/unlawful to have a car, but suffice with a reliable car, not necessarily a Mercedes or a Land Rover. If you can't afford a car, try not to get into debt for it. Suffice with public transportation. Maybe you need a phone to keep tabs on your family members, or for your business, but you don't need expensive phones/smartphones, with all kinds of gadgets and functions/capabilities because we can live comfortably without them. Besides, they only detract/distract you from the remembrance of Allah. Suffice one which allows you to make calls and receive calls and have an alarm to wake you up for tahajjud/fajr and remind you of prayer times already entered. Many people, even high school and college students, have 2,3, or 4 phones and I wonder when they ever have time to themselves. It is becoming a fad to have more than one phone or more than one sim cards, and manufacturers/retailers catch on to this and build/sell phones with dual sim cards. I have this old Nokia phone which have served me very well for the last 5 years. My children have cheap cell phones (each was less than $30 when I bought them a few years ago) and they serve our needs until today. One of my children has an old Motorolla phone that I bought for him about 5 years ago and you can no longer see the writings on the keypad. But everyone memorized the keypad (I am always amazed at the speed people type their text messages), so we see no need to replace the phone just so he can see the keypad.

We should try to live a minimal and simple lifestyle. Buy only what we need. Replace something only when it is broken or about to break. Use the extra money to help others and sponsor Islamic projects. When we see the poor or a needy person we free our hands and give it to them. Buy gifts for your relatives, your friends, the friends of your parents, your neighbors every once in a while--this will bring happiness to their hearts and help strengthen our bonds.

Let Nobody Have Any Favor Over You. Imam Ahmad Hanbal, may Allah have Mercy upon him, would not accept any gifts from the people, so that they would not have any favor over him. He would reject the gifts of the rulers. Once, the people loved to present him with gifts - he sent one of his sons to buy a loaf of bread. So, when the baker asked the boy who he was, he replied: "I am the son of Ahmad bin Hanbal." So, instead of filling the bag with bread, the baker filled it with gold and silver, and gave it to him. When Ahmad bin Hanbal opened the bag and found gold and silver, he told his son: "Go back to him." When he gave the bag back, the baker called out to him: "Come, at least take the bread that you paid a dirham for!" Imam Ahmad's son said: "My father commanded me to return everything."

May Allah make us content with what He desires for Us. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

The Grand Status Of Parents

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Allah has given a grand status to the parents. He explicitly orders us to be good to our parents in countless verses of the Qur'an, and they are many hadith and hadith literature about being good and kind to one's parents. This should be enough for children to realize the station of their parents and motivate them to take care of their rights, and that this is a grand matter.

Allah Almighty says,

وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا ۖ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْجَارِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْجَارِ الْجُنُبِ وَالصَّاحِبِ بِالْجَنبِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا ﴿٣٦

Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful. (36)

[An-Nisa 4:36]

Allah has emphasized the admonition of taking care of one's parents. He conjoins the order to be good towards parents and the order to the belief in the Oneness of Allah. This is to show the importance of being good to one's parents. Whoever obeys Allah but is bad to his parents, his act of obedience to Allah will not be accepted. They both have to be done.

Even if the parents are not Muslims, they deserve our kind and good treatment, although they should not be obeyed in acts that go against the commands of Allah. If they are struggling to take us away from Islam, don't obey them but befriend them in a nice manner.

If Allah orders us to be good and take care of our parents when they are struggling to take us away from Islam, how then should we treat our parents who are not struggling to take you away from Islam? How then should we treat our parents who are Muslims? How then should we treat our parents who are righteous Muslims? What do you think the order be to a person whose parents are struggling to bring them close to Allah--waking them up for Fajr, reminding them to dress modestly (put their hijab, etc.), sending them to study Islam/Qur'an, etc.? But you find many children with parents are struggling to bring them close to Allah disrespecting and disobeying their parents. Indeed this is the most disgusting thing a person can do.

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

Whoever comes into the morning and both his parents are pleased with him, he comes into the morning with two doors of Paradise open to him. Whoever goes into the evening and both parents are pleased with him, he goes into the evening with two doors of Paradise open for him. And if he has just one parent, then one door of Paradise is open to him. Whoever comes into the morning and both his parents are angry with him, he comes into the morning with 2 doors of hellfire open to him. Whoever goes into the evening with both parents are angry with him, he goes into the evening with 2 doors of hellfire open to him. And if he has just one parent, then one door is open for him." After realizing this huge position of parents that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was telling the companions about, one of the Companions asked, "Even if the parents were oppressive to them?" The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, "Even if they oppress the child, even if they oppress the child, even if they oppress the child.

Imagine a child who passes away in the state his parents being pleased with them, he has 2 doors of Paradise he could choose to enter from, and imagine a child who died in the state of his parents being are angry with him, he is doomed.

One of the scholars was seen weeping at the death of his mother, and when asked why he wept, he said, "Why shouldn't I cry when one of the doors of Paradise has left me." His mother, while she was alive allows a door of Paradise opens for him and once she passed away, it's over.

This is a important reminder for us that while our parents are still alive, it is important to do as much as we can for them because once they are gone, there is no going back. The nature of this world is that time passes very quickly and there is always a lot to do, and you think once you have some time, you would go and spend time with your mother, but she dies before you could do that, and it's over. Then the child has to spend the rest of his/her live, feeling remorse over the time he/she didn't spend the time with the parent.

For those who have at least one of your parents living, take lessons from those around you who did not have the chance to do all the good that they could do for their parents while their parents were alive. Put your parents in the forefront before your career, traveling for leisure, before friends, before amassing wealth. Make a point to ask them if they are pleased with you. So, if they are not, you have time to remedy it. For those who have lost their parents, make du'a for them day and night and give charity on their behalf.

Even if your parents are not nice to you, even if they abuse you, it is not a condition that they be nice to you before you are nice to them. You still be good to them, and if you fear harm for yourself, then you do that from a distance.

All of us will go through many tests in this life to measure our worth with Allah. Some are tested with bad parents, some with bad spouses, some with bad neighbors, some with bad children, some with bad in-laws, some with all of the above. We are tests to each other. This is our jihad in this life and it will end with our defeat or victory. We can attain victory only if we act and react in accordance to the teachings of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “One who has been disowned by his parents is told: ‘Act as you please, for I shall not forgive you.’ Whereas one who is good towards his parents is told, ‘Act as you please. I will be forgiving towards you.’”

وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٢٣

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.

(23)[Al-Isra 17:23]

Some scholars said being good to our parents means to accompany them in a good manner and never to wait for them to ask you for what they need.

May Allah give us well-being in this life and the next. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

related archive: Be Good to Your Parents

What Are You Waiting For?

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We are not going to be here forever, maybe not even another day.

Ibn 'Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took me by the shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller on the road."

Ibn 'Umar used to say, "In the evening, do not anticipate the morning, and in the morning do not anticipate the evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death." [al-Bukhari]

It feels like yesterday was Friday, and today is another Friday. As week go by, as days go by, as moments go by, we are coming closer and closer to the death. Stop and access our life -- are we prepared to meet Allah today?

Allah Almighty says,

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ ﴿١٨٥

Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion. (185)

(AleImran 3:185)

and the Almighty says,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْمًا لَّا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّـهِ الْغَرُورُ ﴿٣٣

O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver. (33)

[Luqman 31:33]

The Almighty says,

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّـهُ النَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَابَّةٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ ﴿٦١

And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon the earth any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]. (61)

(An-Nahl 16:61)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ ﴿٩﴾ وَأَنفِقُوا مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿١٠﴾ وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَاللَّـهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١١

O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers. (9) And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous." (10) But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (11)

(Al-Munafiqun 63:9-11)

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Remember frequently the thing that cuts off pleasures," i.e. death."

[at-Tirmidhi]

Race to good actions as fast as you can. Do not neglect your responsibilities towards your Lord, your parents and others. Always try to give a helping hand to those in need. Fulfill the rights of people--your family, your neighbors, your teachers, your students, people you work with, people you owe, your community, etc.

Abu Hurayra reported the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Race to good actions as fast as you can. What are you waiting for except delayed poverty, oppressive wealth, debilitating illness, dottering senility, a swift death or the Dajjal? Or are you waiting for an unseen evil, or the Last Hour? The Last Hour will be most bitter and terrible.

[at-Tirmidhi]

Ibn Mas'ud said, The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, drew lines making a square and then drew a line in the middle which extended beyond it. He drew some small lines up to this middle line from the side within the square and said, 'This is man, and this is end of his lifespan which encircles him - or by which he is encircled - and this which goes beyond it is his hope and these small lines are things that happen. If this one misses him, that one gets him, and if that one misses him, this one gets him.' [al-Bukhari]

Remember to make your Will.

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ إِن تَرَكَ خَيْرًا الْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۖ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١٨٠
Prescribed for you when death approaches [any] one of you if he leaves wealth [is that he should make] a bequest for the parents and near relatives according to what is acceptable - a duty upon the righteous. (180)

[Al-Baqarah 2:180]

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

It is not right for a Muslim man who has anything to bequeath to spend two nights with having a written will in his possession.

[Agreed upon. This is the variant in al-Bukhari]

In a variant of Muslim, "To spend three nights." Ibn 'Umar said, "Not a night has passed since I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say that without my having had my will with me."

May Allah grant us an excellent ending at the highest of Imam. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

A Gift Of A Student And Teacher

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We got to take our religious obligation seriously for it is our only salvation in our eternal life. You can do whatever you like, go after whatever you like, but in the end you are going to meet your Creator, and if your likes have not been pleasing to Allah and do not coincide and match with what Allah wants you to do, you will be in serious trouble.

So, the first step is to know what Allah wants us to do and those things that are pleasing to Him. You can't know what they are if you don't have a teacher to teach you. These are the teachers who study from their teachers with an unbroken chain of transmission tracing all the way back to the beloved Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

So, if you have someone who is willing to spend his/her time to teach you, this is a great blessing and you should be thankful and grab the opportunity to study from the teacher, and be serious about it. Don't take learning sacred knowledge as a filler that you come to class only when you have nothing else to do or put it lowest priority on your daily list of things to do. Cultivate this veneration for sacred knowledge that you are always eager to be with the teacher and do whatever it takes to excel and master what you are learning.

Great scholars are not ordinary people. They don't do what majority people would do. Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi, (d. 234/848), the famous Maliki scholar of Andalusia, in seeking knowledge from Imam Malik in Madina, did not stop to see the elephants that came to Madina, while other students rushed out to see the elephants out of curiosity.

For teachers, if you have someone willing to learn from you, this is a great blessing because you will have someone to pass down the knowledge to others, and inshaAllah this will be added to your good deeds that will carry over long after you die.

A gift of a student is to have a teacher and a gift of a teacher is to have a student. Knowledge is passed from the heart of one person to the heart of another. Books are tools that we can use but the main method is from heart to heart.

Allah says,

بَلْ هُوَ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ فِي صُدُورِ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا الظَّالِمُونَ ﴿٤٩

Rather, the Qur'an is distinct verses [preserved] within the breasts of those who have been given knowledge. And none reject Our verses except the wrongdoers. (49)

[Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:49]

The scholars categorized the knowledge as personally obligatory (fard 'ain) knowledge, communally obligatory (fard kifayah) knowledge and recommended knowledge.

You first should know your fard 'ain knowledge. This is everything that you need to know that will prevent yourself from being destroyed in the religion, which include matters of belief ('aqidah); outward obedience to Allah such as prayer (such purification, how to perform the prayer properly, memorize some Qur'an including al-Fatiha and a few short surahs for the prayer), fasting; zakat; hajj; rules of halal and haram (such food, drink, transactions, interaction with people, etc); purifying the heart (such knowing what are the diseases of the heart, how to cure them, knowing the station of excellence, etc.). If somebody is going to get married, it becomes fard 'ain for that person to study the rules of marriage.

If you have the intellectual capability and leadership skills, it becomes fard 'ain for you to study fard kifayah knowledge like memorize the entire Qur'an, study Arabic to a higher level, study details of fiqh and shari'ah to a level beyond what you personally need, in order to teach others or help other people to understand the Qur'an, rulings, etc. You cannot say, "I am only going to study fard 'ain knowledge."

There are many proofs in the Qur'an concerning the excellence of knowledge and its transmission. Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, says,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَافْسَحُوا يَفْسَحِ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا قِيلَ انشُزُوا فَانشُزُوا يَرْفَعِ اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجَاتٍ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١١

O you who have believed, when you are told, "Space yourselves" in assemblies, then make space; Allah will make space for you. And when you are told, "Arise," then arise; Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do. (11)

[Qur'an Al-Mujadila 58:11]

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ ۗ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ ﴿٩

Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding. (9)

[Qur'an Az-Zumar 39:9]

Also , in the Hadith, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, says,

When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him understanding of the deen.

[Bukhari]

Allah makes the way to the Garden easy for whoever treads a path in search of knowledge.

[Muslim]

Travelling on the path to knowledge refers both to walking along an actual pathway, such as going on foot to the assemblies of the scholars, as well as to following a metaphysical road, such as studying and memorizing.

May Allah grant us tawfiq. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.

Wassalaam

Don't Make Your Parents Angry

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Be careful not to do anything to cause your parents to be angry or make your parents weep.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik, that Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, says,

Whoever has pleased his parents, he has pleased Allah and whoever has angered his parents, he has angered Allah.

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

Allah will not accept the prayers of the person whose parents are angry with him and their parents are not oppressors.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

Three supplications are answered without a doubt: the supplication of someone who is oppressed, the supplication of someone on a journey, and the supplication of parents for their children.

[Bukhari]

Abu Hurayra reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, say,

No human child has ever spoken in the cradle except for 'Isa ibn Maryam, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the companion of Jurayj." Abu Hurayra asked, "Prophet of Allah, who was the companion of Jurayj?" The Prophet replied, "Jurayj was a monk who lived in a hermitage. There was a cowherd who used to come to the foot of his hermitage and a woman from the village used to come to the cowherd.

"One day his mother came while he was praying and called out, 'Jurayj!' He asked himself, 'My mother or my prayer?' He concluded that he should prefer the prayer. She shouted to him a second time and he again asked himself, 'My mother or my prayer?' He thought that he should prefer the prayer. She shouted a third time and yet again he asked himself, 'My mother or my prayer?' He again concluded that he should prefer the prayer. When he did not answer her, she said, 'Jurayj, may Allah not let you die until you have looked at the faces of the beautiful women.' Then she left.

"Then the village woman was brought before the king after she had given birth to a child. He asked, 'Whose is it?' 'Jurayj's,' she replied. He asked, 'The man in the hermitage?' 'Yes,' she answered. He ordered, 'Destroy his hermitage and bring him to me.' They hacked at his hermitage with axes until it collapsed. They bound his hand to his neck with a rope and took him along to the king. When he passed by the beautiful women, he saw them and smiled. They were looking at him along with the people.

"The king asked, 'Do you know what this woman claims?' 'What does she claim?' he asked. He replied, 'She claims that you are the father of her child.' He asked her, 'Where is the child?' They replied, 'It is in her room.' He went to the child and said, 'Who is your father?' 'The cowherd,' he replied. The king said, 'Shall we build your hermitage out of gold?' 'No,' he replied. He asked, 'Of silver?' 'No,' he replied. The king asked, 'What shall we build it with?' He said, 'Put it back the way you found it.' Then the king asked, 'What made you smile.' 'Something I recognised,' he replied, 'The supplication of my mother overtook me.' Then he told him about it.

[Bukhari]

Because of severity of disrespecting parents, it is quick to be punished and that punishment will come in this life, and one can expect punishment in the next life. Even Jurayj, one of the best worshippers of Allah, was not spared of the punishment in this life for causing his mother to be angry at him and he wasn't even doing something haram.

This is also a reminder of the power of du'a of parents. For parents, it is important for us to make regular and constant du'a for our children for their benefit in this life and the next life, and for children to ask their parents to make du'a for them. The du'a of parents will not be veiled from Allah Almighty.

Answer the calls of your parents--even if you are praying and cannot talk to them, there are ways you can indicate to them that you are praying. If your parents call you many times on the phone or send you repeated emails, and you did not answer, that could cause them distress and you should not let that happen. Obey your parents everything they ask you to do as long as no harm and there is nothing haram. Ask your parents gently if you need something. Always thank them if they give it to you, and excuse them if they do not, and never insist on a matter if they refuse to give you something.

May Allah protect us from the trial and tribulations of this life and the next, and save us from Hellfire. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Children: How To Open The Doors of Paradise

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told us that one of the signs of the end of time is that there would be much disrespect from children to their parents. This is very common nowadays and has become a global epidemic.

Many children don't realize that respecting their parents is an obligation upon them in the religion. Children raising their voices to their parents and children physically mistreating their parents have become apparent in many societies. These children don't even think that disrespecting or mistreating their parents is one of the worst sins that a person can gather for themselves, and they will be punished in this world before the next.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Shall I tell you of the worst major sins? Worshipping others with Allah, showing disrespect to parents, giving a false statement, and testifying to the truth of a falsehood. " And he kept repeating it until we were telling ourselves (out of sympathy for him because of the strain of repeating it), "If only he would be silent.” [Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi]

A story was told, a true story, that a man had bought an apartment from a Muslim man in a Muslim country. When he went to the apartment, there was an old woman in the apartment and he then learned that she was the mother of the Seller. He went back to the Seller and told him about his mother and the Seller said, "I sold you the house and my mother." The buyer gladly took the deal and took care of the old woman until she died 40 days later.

Don't think that you only nice to your parents because they are nice to you. Even if your parents are not fulfilling their obligations as parents, you still must fulfill their rights as parents.

It is reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said,
"Whoever comes into the morning and both his parents are pleased with him, he comes into the morning with two doors of Paradise open to him. Whoever goes into the evening and both parents are pleased with him, he goes into the evening with two doors of Paradise open for him. And if he has just one parent, then one door of Paradise is open to him. Whoever comes into the morning and both his parents are angry with him, he comes into the morning with 2 doors of hellfire open to him. Whoever goes into the evening with both parents are angry with him, he goes into the evening with 2 doors of hellfire open to him. And if he has just one parent, then one door is open for him." After realizing this huge position of parents that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was telling the companions about, one of the Companions asked, "Even if the parents were oppressive to them?" The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, "Even if they oppress the child, even if they oppress the child, even if they oppress the child."

Always, always, always, speak to your parents in a soft, gentle and noble manner as described in the Qur'an

وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٢٣﴾ وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا ﴿٢٤

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. (23) And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."

[Qur'an Al-Isra' 17:23-34]

Children should lower the wings of humility to their parents, whether it is giving them advice/nasiha or enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. You cannot use force and harshness in teaching or advising your parents. If your parents don't like it and angered by it, leave it. It is one of the worst sins to make your parents angry.

Do not raise your voice over your parents. Stay calm. If you yell a lot, raise your voices, and are argumentative, they will get more excited. No matter how much you think you're right, usually your parent is right. Realize this, you are only a child, they have much more experience than you, and they are probably doing it to protect you. But it's hard realizing when you are arguing with your parents. Write this on your hand or wrist: "Work before play, theirs before mine, they know best." This will usually help you remember to do what they say.

Don't use bad language. Most people don't think bad language is cool, so do your parents. People who use bad language make them look stupid--your parents don't want you to look stupid.

Think before you speak. This means before you tell your mom/dad that they're stupid, or don't know what they are talking about, think about that. Do you know how to do half the things your parents know how to do? Like change oil in a car, or balance a checkbook, or file taxes, or all those grown up things? Probably not. So before you speak something rude, make sure you know what you're getting into.

Accept consequences. If your parents tell you to go to your room or take away your privileges because you talked back, accept it, don't argue, because chances are, you're wrong, and they're right. It's sad to say, but it's true. They are just trying to teach you skills you need to grow up.

Listening. You need to listen, listen, listen. Instead of throwing a tantrum, listen to what they have to say, and don't be stubborn to accept it. Think about it.

Honor your parents. Don't lie to them, and don't do any sneaky stuff, because they know what you're doing anyway, there's no way around it. Help them to build a wall of trust for you, but when you get it, don't let it fall down again.

Be grateful to your parents. Part of being grateful to your parents is to make a habit to make this du'a mentioned in the Qur'an for your parents after each prescribed daily prayer.

رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

"My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."

Your parents have raised you or is raising you whether you consider they have done a good job or not. That is up to their Lord to judge. But don't think it has been a breeze for them. Taking care of anybody requires a lot of patience and mercy. When you were just born, your mother could have flushed you down the toilet or bundle you up and leave you at the doorstep of an orphanage or give you away for adoption. But she didn't do any of that but went through many sleepless nights caring for you. And here you are, safe and sound. Learn the du'a above and make this du'a for them. When you make this du'a, some scholars said that you are also asking Allah to put in your heart mercy that you will be able to take care of them just as they were able to take care of you. Even if your parents didn't raise you, there is no harm for you to make this du'a.

Disrespecting your parents is a high matter indeed. If we hope for success in this life and the next, we should be nice to our parents and not make them angry. Listen to your parents and make them feel good. Get along with your family, especially with your brothers and sisters, and choose your friends wisely.

If you remember this golden rule, "Do as you would like to be done to you," you won't go wrong with your parents.

May Allah guide us and forgive our sins and have mercy on our parents and enter them into the highest Jannah. Ameen.

Please include us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam