بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
If I was introducing the Quran, I have to look at myself first and say, "Am I a credible presenter of the Quran? Do I embody at least some of the things that the Quran tries to teach us?" This is because the Quran can be a proof for you or a proof against it. There will be people who recite the Quran and they are actually reciting against themselves, not for themselves. The meaning here is that they are not living up to what the Quran is asking them, what Allah wants them to do. The biggest detested thing to Allah is to say what you do not do.
It is important to understand that the transmitted sciences, rational sciences, scientific knowledge are tools to ultimately prepare us for the ultimate knowledge, which is the knowledge of Allah. This inheritance is vast and you can take as much as you can carry. It is not like the inheritors of faraid (inheritance) and wealth. Anyone can take this inheritance as much as he wants, regardless of age, color, race, economic status, strength, size, etc. The inheritance of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is for everybody and it is waiting for you.
From this inheritance is the khuluq (character) of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). It is his khuluq that Allah praised him.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
And indeed, you are of a great moral character. (4)
[Qur'an, Al-Qalam 68:4]
This should be what people should associate you, as Muslims, with--not your beards, turbans, thawbs, hijabs, niqabs, jilbabs, not the fact that you don't eat pork nor drink (intoxicates), not the fact that you don't eat and drink in Ramadhan, etc. When people say "Muslims", it is good character.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam defines what character is. If you want to see Quran embodied in one individual human being in a manner that never be embodied by anyone else, you should look at the Prophet's character. The character of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is beyond anything that we can imagine. Just by attempting to be like him, we reach the best that is in us. From that character was his honor and his love for his family and relatives.
'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about the character of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and she replied, "Didn't you read the Quran? His character was the Quran."
The Quran is the whole thing from one aspect and part of the whole thing from another. It is a popular culture today that give the impression that unless something is in the Quran, then people don't have to do it. There is an understanding that Quran is everything indeed but at the same time everything comes from it. All of the ulum come from the Quran.
Someone first introduce the Quran, we usually teach them the Arabic letters. Then they have to learn some of the sounds associated to them. Then they learn these letters have a particular point of articulation. Someone like Sibawe who is acredited with articulating the linguistic aspect of the Quran, most famous grammamrian of the Arabic language talked about these points of articulation. People learn that when they learn tajweed. But If you make the Quran that's all it is, then you don't know the Quran. You haven't penetrated the meanings of the Quran. There are people who specialize and have a degree in tajweed, but if you ask them about aspect of the Quran, they don't know.
Then you put the letters together and make words. Most of the words in Arabic language come from tri-letter words e.g. mu'allim معلم(teacher) comes from tri-letter word علم (to teach). Most of the other words can be derived from the tri-letter roots. Then those letters are put together into sentences and then they make meanings. All of the ulum of Arabic language sprout forth from just the basic exterior part of it. Let's say we move on to the meanings, what traditionally called tafsir (exegesis). Tafsir is part of the exterior part but it is the most inward exterior part, you haven't reached the interior. You don't start getting to the interior, the inward meanings, until it is not based upon just reading this tafsir but based upon these meanings penetrating you. The things then when they unveil themselves to you, you will actualize them within you.
When you read the hadith of 'Aisha above, obviously it has to be that she was talking about the highest level, which is the most inward and interior aspect of the Quran such that it penetrate one to a degree that their character is indistinguishable from those very meanings that sprout forth from the Quran. This is the types of Muslims you want to be.
The best way to introduce someone to the Quran is not to hand them a translation of the Quran or teach them a particular Surah, even though those are ways, but show them how to live the Quran. Be the walking the Quran. Be the meanings that you are going to teach them that comes from a particular tafsir of the Quran. Unless we are embodying those things, it will be difficult for people to have a good introduction to the Quran.
People don't realize this, that you are a walking advertisement of two-- for who the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was, and for the Quran. Notice when people want to disparage the religion of islam, invariably they disparage, most of the time the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and secondarily, the Quran. Because they realized that this defines who we are, as Muslims--Quran and Sunnah. They are actually two aspects of the same unified whole. You cannot divorce or separate the Sunnah from the Quran and the Quran and the Sunnah. Hence you cannot divorce all of the derived discipline which include, the ulum hadith, fiqh, usul fiqh and all the disciplines that come from the Quran. None of these things can be divorced from one or the other. People will be imbalanced when they don't see the whole. When they focus on the trees and lose the forest. When that happens and people see only an aspect of a particular tree and don't see the forest they don't appreciate what Islam really is.
So when we talk about the best attribute of a person, we talk about perfection and completion (kamal). In other words a balance but we take them to the most logical completion. For example, when talk about someone who is generous, we talk about generous the complete way. When talk about someone who is courageous, we talk about it in the most complete way, without cowardess and without recklessness. Whether you read the Quran with meanings or without meanings, you are going to avail yourself to those things.
May Allah allow the meanings of the Quran to penetrate our hearts and grant us tawfiq to serve His religion and make His Words paramount. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Making Quran Your Daily Reading
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Much of the Quran has very explicit implication about character. For example in Surah Hujurat, Allah says,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (12) [Qur'an Hujurat 49:12]
Someone who is a regular reciter of the Quran, he will find that it will set him straight. That is the case whether you read it with meaning or you read it without meaning. We don't fully fathom the power of the Quran that it has upon the soul.
In a hadith that is mentioned in musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, whether one reads the Quran with meaning or without meaning, one should do it. Whether one who reads fluently or reads it with difficulty, they will have a reward. The one who reads it fluently, easily and good tajweed, they have a reward, and the one who struggles to do so will have a double reward.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَهُوَ مَاهِرٌ بِهِ مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرَامِ الْبَرَرَةِ وَالَّذِي يَقْرَؤُهُ وَهُوَ يَشْتَدُّ عَلَيْهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ "
'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam as saying:
One who is skilled in the Quran is associated with the noble, upright recording angels, and he who falters when he recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult for him will have a double reward. [Sunan Abi Dawood]
The Quran is very unique because it will come to you in the way that you could go to it. That's why many who first approach of Quran and try to read it find a lot of difficulty with it. It is called a Book but it is read like a book (has beginning, middle and ending) but anywhere that you read, there is a narrative and a story and there is meanings to be found.
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) mention every verse in the Quran has an outward purport (zahir) and inward (batin) meanings. The Quran has secrets like the letters that come in the beginning of some of the Surahs. Secret does not mean nobody can know them. They are not mystery that no one can know them but they are not known by many and can be known by some.
There are varying levels and depths to how one can understand the Quran and how the Quran can penetrate one's heart.
May Allah grant us the recitation and benefits of His People of Quran. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Much of the Quran has very explicit implication about character. For example in Surah Hujurat, Allah says,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (12) [Qur'an Hujurat 49:12]
Someone who is a regular reciter of the Quran, he will find that it will set him straight. That is the case whether you read it with meaning or you read it without meaning. We don't fully fathom the power of the Quran that it has upon the soul.
In a hadith that is mentioned in musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, whether one reads the Quran with meaning or without meaning, one should do it. Whether one who reads fluently or reads it with difficulty, they will have a reward. The one who reads it fluently, easily and good tajweed, they have a reward, and the one who struggles to do so will have a double reward.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَهُوَ مَاهِرٌ بِهِ مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرَامِ الْبَرَرَةِ وَالَّذِي يَقْرَؤُهُ وَهُوَ يَشْتَدُّ عَلَيْهِ فَلَهُ أَجْرَانِ "
'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam as saying:
One who is skilled in the Quran is associated with the noble, upright recording angels, and he who falters when he recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult for him will have a double reward. [Sunan Abi Dawood]
The Quran is very unique because it will come to you in the way that you could go to it. That's why many who first approach of Quran and try to read it find a lot of difficulty with it. It is called a Book but it is read like a book (has beginning, middle and ending) but anywhere that you read, there is a narrative and a story and there is meanings to be found.
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) mention every verse in the Quran has an outward purport (zahir) and inward (batin) meanings. The Quran has secrets like the letters that come in the beginning of some of the Surahs. Secret does not mean nobody can know them. They are not mystery that no one can know them but they are not known by many and can be known by some.
There are varying levels and depths to how one can understand the Quran and how the Quran can penetrate one's heart.
May Allah grant us the recitation and benefits of His People of Quran. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, December 29, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Sharing Quran
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
One of the highlights of Friday to the Muslim is reciting Surah Kahf. In it there are many valuable lessons and reminders for all of us. Allah tells us at the beginning of the Surah,
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢﴾ مَّـٰكِثِينَ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2) In which they will remain forever (3) [Quran, Al-Kahf 18:1-3]
The word: عِوَجَا('iwaja) means crookedness of any kind, or inclination towards one side or deviation from the norms of rectitude. The Quran remains pure and free of all that in terms of the perfection of its words and meanings. It simply admits of no distortion anywhere, either in eloquence or in knowledge and wisdom. The sense which has been conveyed in a negative form through: وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا (and has not made therein any deviance) has been fortified positively through the word: قَيِّمًا (qayyima) which follows immediately for emphasis. The reason is that this word carries the sense of: مستقيما (mustaqim) and that which is: مستقيم (mustaqim: straightforward, straight, upright) will not have the least crookedness or tilt towards any side. However, قيم (qayyim) can also have another sense, that of caretaker, custodian and protector. Given this probability, the sense of the expression would be that the Quran, while perfect in itself as free from all kinds of excess, deficiency, deviance and crookedness, keeps others upright, firm and unflinching and protects the interests and advantages of all servants of Allah. Thus the gist of the two expressions would be that the Quran stands perfect in itself and has the ability to make men and women created by Allah become equally perfect. [Mazhari]
May Allah enable us to recite Surah Kahf every Friday until the end of our lives here and grant us the benefits of the reciting it and show us the depths of it and enable us to apply the lessons to our lives in the manner most pleasing to Him. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
One of the highlights of Friday to the Muslim is reciting Surah Kahf. In it there are many valuable lessons and reminders for all of us. Allah tells us at the beginning of the Surah,
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢﴾ مَّـٰكِثِينَ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2) In which they will remain forever (3) [Quran, Al-Kahf 18:1-3]
The word: عِوَجَا('iwaja) means crookedness of any kind, or inclination towards one side or deviation from the norms of rectitude. The Quran remains pure and free of all that in terms of the perfection of its words and meanings. It simply admits of no distortion anywhere, either in eloquence or in knowledge and wisdom. The sense which has been conveyed in a negative form through: وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا (and has not made therein any deviance) has been fortified positively through the word: قَيِّمًا (qayyima) which follows immediately for emphasis. The reason is that this word carries the sense of: مستقيما (mustaqim) and that which is: مستقيم (mustaqim: straightforward, straight, upright) will not have the least crookedness or tilt towards any side. However, قيم (qayyim) can also have another sense, that of caretaker, custodian and protector. Given this probability, the sense of the expression would be that the Quran, while perfect in itself as free from all kinds of excess, deficiency, deviance and crookedness, keeps others upright, firm and unflinching and protects the interests and advantages of all servants of Allah. Thus the gist of the two expressions would be that the Quran stands perfect in itself and has the ability to make men and women created by Allah become equally perfect. [Mazhari]
May Allah enable us to recite Surah Kahf every Friday until the end of our lives here and grant us the benefits of the reciting it and show us the depths of it and enable us to apply the lessons to our lives in the manner most pleasing to Him. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Quran -- The Truth That Matters
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says in the Quran,
وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ لَخَبِيرٌۢ بَصِيرٌ ﴿٣١﴾ ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۖ فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌۢ بِٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ ﴿٣٢
And that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], of the Book is the truth, confirming what was before it. Indeed, Allah, of His servants, is Acquainted and Seeing. (31) Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah. That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty. (32)
There are truths in life e.g. the cup of tea you are holding is true but it is of not great consequence. The Quran contains the Truths that matters. What it contains is true because it corresponds to reality as it is, as conveyed by the Creator. It confirms the Scriptures that came before. All people were sent prophets, news of whom have largely been lost in the midst of time.
Allah tells us in the Quran the response of people to the Truth. They are those who wronged themselves, and there are those who stayed in between, and amongst them are those who outstripped each other, who are foremost in doing the good, by leave of the Lord. That is the greatest favor possible.
When we approach the Quran, we have to realize that what we are opening is the Truth that matters. It is what shows us reality as it is. It tells us what really matters in this life and what is irrelevant. And ultimately, Allah matters and nothing else is worthy of your greatest concern, and the next life is better than this life. To the extent you realize these two basic truths--that Allah is greater and more worthy of your concern than anything else, and the next life is better than this life, you prioritize what is pleasing to Allah over what is pleasing to you or anyone else. And you prioritize what is of advantage to you in the next life over any perceived advantage in this life.
This is also a reminder in responding to the gift of guidance. It is a great blessing for those who have faith (iman). Some people fall short. The manners (adab) of being a slacker is to repent. This guidance is for your ultimately good eternally. If you are falling short, Allah has said, He is the All Forgiving and Most Appreciative. If you repent you have returned to a clean slate with Allah. And there are those who strive for uprightness but sometimes they fall short and sometimes they are good. And there are those who are foremost. The adab of being someone who is directed to the good is to see that good is a gift from Allah and have gratitude for it. The adab is to renew your commitment to put Allah first and to maximize the good in your life and diminish the wrong in your life. If you are of the foremost, rushing to the good, then be grateful to Allah. Don't ascribe the work to yourself, always work on your sincerity (ikhlas).
جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ ﴿٣٣﴾ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا ٱلْحَزَنَ ۖ إِنَّ رَبَّنَا لَغَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ ﴿٣٤﴾ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحَلَّنَا دَارَ ٱلْمُقَامَةِ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا لُغُوبٌ ﴿٣٥
[For them are] gardens of perpetual residence which they will enter. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein will be silk. (33) And they will say, "Praise to Allah, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative - (34)
Allah promised that in this life. Those who recite the Book and do the good, Allah is indeed All Forgiving, Most Appreciative. The people of Paradise realize this when they enter Paradise and they find complete contentment. So these verses remind of the vastness of the next life that is open for the one of faith. This is a key reminder of the Quran. One of the benefits of Quran and reciting it with reflection, it fixes your priority. So you prioritize Allah over all else, and you prioritize the next life over this life because you see the vastness of next life and the fleetingness of this life.
The state of the people of Paradise can be summarized as being contentment, gratitude and praise. But the Quran calls us to embrace these three qualities in this life. If you are content with Allah in this life you are in a paradisical state. If you are grateful in this life regardless of what happens, you are in a paradisical state. If you are ever praising Allah in this life, you are in a paradisical state. So embrace this. And what helps you have that paradisical state, it is the Quran. The Quranic consciousness is blissful consciousness. There is no sorrow in Paradise but the one who is the person of Quran has no sorrow in this life. Because what is in the next life is that you are with Allah.
The call heard by the people of Paradise,
يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿٢٧﴾ ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ﴿٢٨﴾ فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى ﴿٢٩﴾ وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ﴿٣٠
[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, (27) Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], (28) And enter among My [righteous] servants (29) And enter My Paradise." (30) [Quran, Al-Fajr 89:27-30]
But the person of Quran is hearing that call in this life because the recitation of the people of Quran who are the People of Allah is to behold Allah in His address. When you open the Quran, you are opening a door to Paradise, a door to be with Allah. So recite the Quran, aware that you are hearing Allah's address. The inward and outward manners with the Quran are to have the respect and reverence (ta'dhim) befitting someone who realizes that Allah is addressing you. And you act outwardly accordingly. Be keen for this presence. The sign of loving Allah is love for the Book of Allah. The sign of love for the Book of Allah is the state of your heart when you part from the Book of Allah. Nothing that is more painful for the one in love than parting. You try to have a lover's relationship with the Quran.
May Allah make us of His elect people of the Quran. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says in the Quran,
وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ لَخَبِيرٌۢ بَصِيرٌ ﴿٣١﴾ ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۖ فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌۢ بِٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ ﴿٣٢
And that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], of the Book is the truth, confirming what was before it. Indeed, Allah, of His servants, is Acquainted and Seeing. (31) Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah. That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty. (32)
There are truths in life e.g. the cup of tea you are holding is true but it is of not great consequence. The Quran contains the Truths that matters. What it contains is true because it corresponds to reality as it is, as conveyed by the Creator. It confirms the Scriptures that came before. All people were sent prophets, news of whom have largely been lost in the midst of time.
Allah tells us in the Quran the response of people to the Truth. They are those who wronged themselves, and there are those who stayed in between, and amongst them are those who outstripped each other, who are foremost in doing the good, by leave of the Lord. That is the greatest favor possible.
When we approach the Quran, we have to realize that what we are opening is the Truth that matters. It is what shows us reality as it is. It tells us what really matters in this life and what is irrelevant. And ultimately, Allah matters and nothing else is worthy of your greatest concern, and the next life is better than this life. To the extent you realize these two basic truths--that Allah is greater and more worthy of your concern than anything else, and the next life is better than this life, you prioritize what is pleasing to Allah over what is pleasing to you or anyone else. And you prioritize what is of advantage to you in the next life over any perceived advantage in this life.
This is also a reminder in responding to the gift of guidance. It is a great blessing for those who have faith (iman). Some people fall short. The manners (adab) of being a slacker is to repent. This guidance is for your ultimately good eternally. If you are falling short, Allah has said, He is the All Forgiving and Most Appreciative. If you repent you have returned to a clean slate with Allah. And there are those who strive for uprightness but sometimes they fall short and sometimes they are good. And there are those who are foremost. The adab of being someone who is directed to the good is to see that good is a gift from Allah and have gratitude for it. The adab is to renew your commitment to put Allah first and to maximize the good in your life and diminish the wrong in your life. If you are of the foremost, rushing to the good, then be grateful to Allah. Don't ascribe the work to yourself, always work on your sincerity (ikhlas).
جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ ﴿٣٣﴾ وَقَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا ٱلْحَزَنَ ۖ إِنَّ رَبَّنَا لَغَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ ﴿٣٤﴾ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحَلَّنَا دَارَ ٱلْمُقَامَةِ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ لَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا لُغُوبٌ ﴿٣٥
[For them are] gardens of perpetual residence which they will enter. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls, and their garments therein will be silk. (33) And they will say, "Praise to Allah, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative - (34)
Allah promised that in this life. Those who recite the Book and do the good, Allah is indeed All Forgiving, Most Appreciative. The people of Paradise realize this when they enter Paradise and they find complete contentment. So these verses remind of the vastness of the next life that is open for the one of faith. This is a key reminder of the Quran. One of the benefits of Quran and reciting it with reflection, it fixes your priority. So you prioritize Allah over all else, and you prioritize the next life over this life because you see the vastness of next life and the fleetingness of this life.
The state of the people of Paradise can be summarized as being contentment, gratitude and praise. But the Quran calls us to embrace these three qualities in this life. If you are content with Allah in this life you are in a paradisical state. If you are grateful in this life regardless of what happens, you are in a paradisical state. If you are ever praising Allah in this life, you are in a paradisical state. So embrace this. And what helps you have that paradisical state, it is the Quran. The Quranic consciousness is blissful consciousness. There is no sorrow in Paradise but the one who is the person of Quran has no sorrow in this life. Because what is in the next life is that you are with Allah.
The call heard by the people of Paradise,
يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿٢٧﴾ ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ﴿٢٨﴾ فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى ﴿٢٩﴾ وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ﴿٣٠
[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, (27) Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], (28) And enter among My [righteous] servants (29) And enter My Paradise." (30) [Quran, Al-Fajr 89:27-30]
But the person of Quran is hearing that call in this life because the recitation of the people of Quran who are the People of Allah is to behold Allah in His address. When you open the Quran, you are opening a door to Paradise, a door to be with Allah. So recite the Quran, aware that you are hearing Allah's address. The inward and outward manners with the Quran are to have the respect and reverence (ta'dhim) befitting someone who realizes that Allah is addressing you. And you act outwardly accordingly. Be keen for this presence. The sign of loving Allah is love for the Book of Allah. The sign of love for the Book of Allah is the state of your heart when you part from the Book of Allah. Nothing that is more painful for the one in love than parting. You try to have a lover's relationship with the Quran.
May Allah make us of His elect people of the Quran. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Monday, December 25, 2017
Making Choices Worthy of Making -- It Begins With the Quran
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah refers to your dealings with Him as tijara (trade). It is a trade that never suffer a loss. Both our material relationships and also our human relationships are based on profit and loss (success and failure). When you enter into contract with someone, it may work and it may not work.
However, this is not the nature of our investment with Allah. The investment with Allah, when we engage in any act of turning to Allah, not only is it repaid in full, but the least it is magnified is ten-fold, to many times that. The extra is from His Bounty and the greatest of that increase is an unimaginable joy of beholding the absolutely beautiful, the absolutely majestic. So, the internal return on investment is waiting. The question is, do we embrace that investment? So, every choice we are making for the next life is a choice worthy of making. What does it begin with? It begins with the Quran--those who recite the Book of Allah.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ كِتَـٰبَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنفَقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً يَرْجُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً لَّن تَبُورَ ﴿٢٩﴾ لِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَيَزِيدَهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ ﴿٣٠﴾
Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish - (29) That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Appreciative. (30) [Quran, Fatir 35:29-30]
The word for recitation (tilawah) is an amazing word because as the scholars explained tilawah is one thing to follow another. When you recite, you recite one verse after another. As described in the Quran,
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَتْلُونَهُۥ حَقَّ تِلَاوَتِهِۦٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ ﴿١٢١
Those to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital. They [are the ones who] believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it - it is they who are the losers. (121) [Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:121]
Reciting the Quran as it deserves to be recited (with its true recital) entails that action follows your recitation. You recite the words of the Quran and Quranic conduct follows. You recite the words of the Quran and the Quranic character follows. You recite the words of the Quran and Quranic virtue follows. You recite the words of the Quran and Quranic state of being present with Allah follows. This is the sense of tilawah--for one thing to follow another, which is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that it will be said to the person of Quran, recite and rise, because your rank with Allah will be in accordance with the last verse you recited. The recitation that is called upon is the recitation that is followed by action, by transformation, by living it.
Then Allah says, He is the All Forgiving, Most Appreciative. In our human relationships, people are not forgiving. You made one or 2 mistakes, they will remember for the rest of their lives. Even if you did 200 good things, the 2 bad things will be a blemish with you. But with Allah is encompassing forgiving. So, this is a call to seek Allah's forgiveness. And Allah is Shakur. He is Most Appreciative. Even the least you do, Allah recognizes it, appreciates it and rewards it generously. When it comes to the Quran, this change that is a means to forgiveness, begins with beginning to recite the Quran.
So make tilawah of Quran--that thoughtful, purposeful recitation of the Quran a part of your daily life.
May Allah grant us the Quranic recitation of the People of Allah. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah refers to your dealings with Him as tijara (trade). It is a trade that never suffer a loss. Both our material relationships and also our human relationships are based on profit and loss (success and failure). When you enter into contract with someone, it may work and it may not work.
However, this is not the nature of our investment with Allah. The investment with Allah, when we engage in any act of turning to Allah, not only is it repaid in full, but the least it is magnified is ten-fold, to many times that. The extra is from His Bounty and the greatest of that increase is an unimaginable joy of beholding the absolutely beautiful, the absolutely majestic. So, the internal return on investment is waiting. The question is, do we embrace that investment? So, every choice we are making for the next life is a choice worthy of making. What does it begin with? It begins with the Quran--those who recite the Book of Allah.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ كِتَـٰبَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنفَقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً يَرْجُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً لَّن تَبُورَ ﴿٢٩﴾ لِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَيَزِيدَهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ ﴿٣٠﴾
Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend [in His cause] out of what We have provided them, secretly and publicly, [can] expect a profit that will never perish - (29) That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Appreciative. (30) [Quran, Fatir 35:29-30]
The word for recitation (tilawah) is an amazing word because as the scholars explained tilawah is one thing to follow another. When you recite, you recite one verse after another. As described in the Quran,
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يَتْلُونَهُۥ حَقَّ تِلَاوَتِهِۦٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ ﴿١٢١
Those to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital. They [are the ones who] believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it - it is they who are the losers. (121) [Quran, Al-Baqarah 2:121]
Reciting the Quran as it deserves to be recited (with its true recital) entails that action follows your recitation. You recite the words of the Quran and Quranic conduct follows. You recite the words of the Quran and the Quranic character follows. You recite the words of the Quran and Quranic virtue follows. You recite the words of the Quran and Quranic state of being present with Allah follows. This is the sense of tilawah--for one thing to follow another, which is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that it will be said to the person of Quran, recite and rise, because your rank with Allah will be in accordance with the last verse you recited. The recitation that is called upon is the recitation that is followed by action, by transformation, by living it.
Then Allah says, He is the All Forgiving, Most Appreciative. In our human relationships, people are not forgiving. You made one or 2 mistakes, they will remember for the rest of their lives. Even if you did 200 good things, the 2 bad things will be a blemish with you. But with Allah is encompassing forgiving. So, this is a call to seek Allah's forgiveness. And Allah is Shakur. He is Most Appreciative. Even the least you do, Allah recognizes it, appreciates it and rewards it generously. When it comes to the Quran, this change that is a means to forgiveness, begins with beginning to recite the Quran.
So make tilawah of Quran--that thoughtful, purposeful recitation of the Quran a part of your daily life.
May Allah grant us the Quranic recitation of the People of Allah. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, December 22, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- It's Test Time
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
We are being tested all the time. You just have to recognize them and try to overcome them. It's a form of good deed which you will be rewarded immensely inshaa Allah.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Affliction will continue to trouble the believers, men and women, in their bodies, their families, and their property until they meet Allah Almighty purified of every wrong action."
There are two very difficult tests in this world -- extreme difficulty and extreme luxury.
Extreme difficulty are things like serious calamity, earthquake, famine, poverty, violence, etc. Such difficulty can knock the senses out of the one being afflicted and he can lose his faith.
Extreme luxury is when everything is easy -- you open the fridge, all kinds of food are looking at you; you turn on the tap, hot/cold water started to flow at the exact speed you wanted. When you have too much luxury you can easily take things for granted and when suddenly you have one thing less or slightly below the standard you are used to, you get upset. You stop being grateful and this is a loss of faith.
The owner of the two gardens in Surah Kahf was tested with extreme wealth and he lost it.
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُۥ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَبَدًا ﴿٣٥﴾ وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا ﴿٣٦
And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever. (35) And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return." (36)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:35-36]
With a little reflection, many of us are like that whether we realize it or not, lost in our possessions and delusion. Today is an opportunity to change that about us.
Be grateful with everything you have or don't have.
Whether you are blessed with good health or experiencing a down turn due to sickness, aches and pains, make the Qur'an your companion. Spend a good amount of time with the Qur'an daily (listening, reading, learning, memorizing). Do extra prayers and recite new verses of the Quran that you are learning or memorizing. If people around you are not doing it, don't mind if you are alone in this. A lot of times people don't want to follow Allah's guidance because they are afraid they won't be happy. But Allah guarantees those who follow His guidance will not have fear in this life and the next life. You may be the only one in your family who prays, reads Quran or memorize Quran. Don't stop. Keep going. Don't feel alone.
Be grateful for the blessing of guidance. Following this Deen (Islam) and guidance is very personal and a brave initiative. And nobody outside Allah's guidance can enjoy tranquility and peace. When you do follow Allah's guidance, He will give you new company -- in this dunya (world) you get the company of believers and in the akhirah (Hereafter) Allah will enter you in the company of the righteous.
May Allah grant us 'afiya and the company of the righteous in this life and the next.
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance. [Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:10]
Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
We are being tested all the time. You just have to recognize them and try to overcome them. It's a form of good deed which you will be rewarded immensely inshaa Allah.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Affliction will continue to trouble the believers, men and women, in their bodies, their families, and their property until they meet Allah Almighty purified of every wrong action."
There are two very difficult tests in this world -- extreme difficulty and extreme luxury.
Extreme difficulty are things like serious calamity, earthquake, famine, poverty, violence, etc. Such difficulty can knock the senses out of the one being afflicted and he can lose his faith.
Extreme luxury is when everything is easy -- you open the fridge, all kinds of food are looking at you; you turn on the tap, hot/cold water started to flow at the exact speed you wanted. When you have too much luxury you can easily take things for granted and when suddenly you have one thing less or slightly below the standard you are used to, you get upset. You stop being grateful and this is a loss of faith.
The owner of the two gardens in Surah Kahf was tested with extreme wealth and he lost it.
وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُۥ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَبَدًا ﴿٣٥﴾ وَمَآ أَظُنُّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا ﴿٣٦
And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever. (35) And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return." (36)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:35-36]
With a little reflection, many of us are like that whether we realize it or not, lost in our possessions and delusion. Today is an opportunity to change that about us.
Be grateful with everything you have or don't have.
Whether you are blessed with good health or experiencing a down turn due to sickness, aches and pains, make the Qur'an your companion. Spend a good amount of time with the Qur'an daily (listening, reading, learning, memorizing). Do extra prayers and recite new verses of the Quran that you are learning or memorizing. If people around you are not doing it, don't mind if you are alone in this. A lot of times people don't want to follow Allah's guidance because they are afraid they won't be happy. But Allah guarantees those who follow His guidance will not have fear in this life and the next life. You may be the only one in your family who prays, reads Quran or memorize Quran. Don't stop. Keep going. Don't feel alone.
Be grateful for the blessing of guidance. Following this Deen (Islam) and guidance is very personal and a brave initiative. And nobody outside Allah's guidance can enjoy tranquility and peace. When you do follow Allah's guidance, He will give you new company -- in this dunya (world) you get the company of believers and in the akhirah (Hereafter) Allah will enter you in the company of the righteous.
May Allah grant us 'afiya and the company of the righteous in this life and the next.
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance. [Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:10]
Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, December 15, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- A Day to Refocus
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
It's another Friday. It means another week has passed by us. It means we have lost the opportunity to do much good that we have procrastinated. Likewise, whether we do good today or not, this day will pass us. This only means that we will lose a whole week of opportunity to do much good and to do that extra good deed if we procrastinated (again), and we are that much closer to the day of judgment, which will begin with our own death.
Allah reminds us of this Day at the beginning of Surah Kahf and at various places in the Surah.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:1-2]
وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ ٱلْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةً وَحَشَرْنَـٰهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٧
And [warn of] the Day when We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth prominent, and We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone. (47)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:47]
وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا ﴿٤٨
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], "You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment." (48)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:48]
وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًۭا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٩
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one. (49)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
If one dies with Faith in the Oneness of Allah (a believer), his abode will eventually be Paradise. He might be punished for a time in Hellfire for his sins but he will eventually get into Paradise. If one dies without Iman (a disbeliever), his abode will be Hellfire till eternity.
So, we should be afraid to face what might be coming in the future--the punishment of the grave and Hellfire. We should protect ourselves against this. This is the basic meaning of taqwa, doing something to place between ourselves and the wrath of Allah. How do we do this? By running to Allah.
First, we repent to Allah from our slips. Then we start working on our character. Our character is the way that we are. The nature of character is second nature. If you are a generous person, you don't have to stop to think to give charity, to be hospitable to your guests, to make du'a for a sick person, etc. If you are a merciful person, you don't stop to think to help the needy and the oppressed, to feed the poor or a hungry animal, and so on.
Indeed, the weightiest thing that you can bring to the Day of Judgment is not something you did but the way that you are--your character.
"Verily, of the most beloved to you to me and the closest of you to me in the seating of Judgment Day, are the most excellent of you in character." (Tirmidhi)
So, the best good deed you can do today is to pick one trait that Allah doesn't like and change it into what Allah pleases--ingratitude into gratitude, arrogance and pride into humility, selfishness into thoughtfulness, impatience into patience, wastefulness into prudence, greed into charity, anger into calmness, unkind into merciful, heedless of Allah into mindful of Allah, etc. This is the thing you are going to bring back to Allah. It is the weightiest thing you can busy yourself with--your character.
You can make this drastic change through taqwa (Godfearingness, piety, righteousness, consciousness of Allah) and repentance. Through them change takes place. Taqwa is the fuel to make one wants to change and repentance keeps the flame going.
If there is no taqwa, there is no impetus for change, and when repentance dies the flame slowly dies with it. You make this change for the sake of Allah. That is why it makes it a great form of worship. You intend to transform your bad character traits for good and better traits for the sake of Allah. You resolve to please Allah and avoid His anger and repenting from your slips. The whole process is for the sake of Allah. As you get closer to this transformed character, the more natural it becomes. Your great reward is the fact that you acquired that character.
"What most enters people into the Garden? Taqwa of Allah and good character." (Ahmad)
"Surely those of taqwa shall be in in the Gardens and Rivers, in an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent." [Qur'an, Qamar 54:50-51]
People of taqwa will always have Allah to take care of the needs.
"...And those who fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things." [Qur'an, At-Talaq 65:2-3]
The Qu'ran is a guide for those who have taqwa.
الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢
...This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2)
[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:2].
Moist the tongues with istighfar (say, astaghfirullah -- I seek forgiveness of Allah) everyday until you die, and learn the Qur'an and recite a good portion daily. You can start today...at least make a sincere intention to read Surah Kahf every Friday.
May Allah grant us taqwa and noble character. May Allah bless your Friday. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
It's another Friday. It means another week has passed by us. It means we have lost the opportunity to do much good that we have procrastinated. Likewise, whether we do good today or not, this day will pass us. This only means that we will lose a whole week of opportunity to do much good and to do that extra good deed if we procrastinated (again), and we are that much closer to the day of judgment, which will begin with our own death.
Allah reminds us of this Day at the beginning of Surah Kahf and at various places in the Surah.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:1-2]
وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ ٱلْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةً وَحَشَرْنَـٰهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٧
And [warn of] the Day when We will remove the mountains and you will see the earth prominent, and We will gather them and not leave behind from them anyone. (47)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:47]
وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا ﴿٤٨
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], "You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment." (48)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:48]
وُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًۭا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٩
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one. (49)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
If one dies with Faith in the Oneness of Allah (a believer), his abode will eventually be Paradise. He might be punished for a time in Hellfire for his sins but he will eventually get into Paradise. If one dies without Iman (a disbeliever), his abode will be Hellfire till eternity.
So, we should be afraid to face what might be coming in the future--the punishment of the grave and Hellfire. We should protect ourselves against this. This is the basic meaning of taqwa, doing something to place between ourselves and the wrath of Allah. How do we do this? By running to Allah.
First, we repent to Allah from our slips. Then we start working on our character. Our character is the way that we are. The nature of character is second nature. If you are a generous person, you don't have to stop to think to give charity, to be hospitable to your guests, to make du'a for a sick person, etc. If you are a merciful person, you don't stop to think to help the needy and the oppressed, to feed the poor or a hungry animal, and so on.
Indeed, the weightiest thing that you can bring to the Day of Judgment is not something you did but the way that you are--your character.
"Verily, of the most beloved to you to me and the closest of you to me in the seating of Judgment Day, are the most excellent of you in character." (Tirmidhi)
So, the best good deed you can do today is to pick one trait that Allah doesn't like and change it into what Allah pleases--ingratitude into gratitude, arrogance and pride into humility, selfishness into thoughtfulness, impatience into patience, wastefulness into prudence, greed into charity, anger into calmness, unkind into merciful, heedless of Allah into mindful of Allah, etc. This is the thing you are going to bring back to Allah. It is the weightiest thing you can busy yourself with--your character.
You can make this drastic change through taqwa (Godfearingness, piety, righteousness, consciousness of Allah) and repentance. Through them change takes place. Taqwa is the fuel to make one wants to change and repentance keeps the flame going.
If there is no taqwa, there is no impetus for change, and when repentance dies the flame slowly dies with it. You make this change for the sake of Allah. That is why it makes it a great form of worship. You intend to transform your bad character traits for good and better traits for the sake of Allah. You resolve to please Allah and avoid His anger and repenting from your slips. The whole process is for the sake of Allah. As you get closer to this transformed character, the more natural it becomes. Your great reward is the fact that you acquired that character.
"What most enters people into the Garden? Taqwa of Allah and good character." (Ahmad)
"Surely those of taqwa shall be in in the Gardens and Rivers, in an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent." [Qur'an, Qamar 54:50-51]
People of taqwa will always have Allah to take care of the needs.
"...And those who fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things." [Qur'an, At-Talaq 65:2-3]
The Qu'ran is a guide for those who have taqwa.
الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢
...This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2)
[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:2].
Moist the tongues with istighfar (say, astaghfirullah -- I seek forgiveness of Allah) everyday until you die, and learn the Qur'an and recite a good portion daily. You can start today...at least make a sincere intention to read Surah Kahf every Friday.
May Allah grant us taqwa and noble character. May Allah bless your Friday. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, December 8, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Prepare For Your Appointment With Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (RadhiyAllahu ‘anhuma), said: The Messenger of Allah (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) took me by the shoulder and said,
“Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”
And Ibn Umar used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.”
[Reported by Bukhari]
How many days go by in which you don’t even think about the most important meeting of your existence? How can you prepare for the appointment of all appointments— standing before Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala?
The appointment is made.
وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا ﴿٤٨
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment.
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
Can you imagine the moment of the Day of Judgement when Allah Himself will come with the angels, and Paradise and Hell will be brought forward? And your Lord comes with the angels in rows.
وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا ﴿٢٢﴾ وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ ﴿٢٣
And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank, (22) And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but what good to him will be the remembrance? (23) [Qur'an, Al-Fajr 89:22]
You know that you will soon stand before Him, personally, one by one, to be judged. People are divided into two categories: People with bright faces, due to their happiness, standing there looking at their Lord, and 2) People with darkened faces, due to their bad deeds.
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ ﴿٢٣﴾ وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَاسِرَةٌ ﴿٢٤﴾ تَظُنُّ أَن يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ ﴿٢٥
[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, (22) Looking at their Lord. (23) And [some] faces, that Day, will be contorted, (24) Expecting that there will be done to them [something] backbreaking. (25)
[Qur'an, Al-Qiyamah 75:22-25]
If you get your book (of deeds) in your right hand, you will be the companions of Paradise, and may Allah make us one of them. If you receive your book in your left hand you will be the companions of the Hellfire; may Allah save us.
Apart from your book of deeds there will be more witnesses for you on the day.
1. Add good things to the book of your deeds.
Allah continues in Surah Al-Kahf, the Surah which is a sunnah to read on Friday, the Day the Resurrection will occur:
وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٩
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, “Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?” And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: The first thing the people will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment is prayer, Allah will say to His angels : ‘Look at my servants prayers. Were they complete or not?’ If they were complete it will be written as complete. If they were not fully complete Allah will say: ‘See if my servant has voluntary prayers, if he has them Allah will say: Complete his obligatory prayers shortage with his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with in the same manner. [Ahmad, Abu Dawood, An-Nasaa’i, Al-Haakim]
Make it your priority to pray your five daily prayers on time and learn to understand whatever you recite in them to increase your khushoo'. Remember this hadith and let it motivate you to do those sunnah--rawatib, tahajjud, dhuha, prayer after wudu', etc.
2. Use your limbs wisely.
ٱلْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَآ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿٦٥
This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn.
[Qur'an, Ya-Sin 36:65]
Be aware of how you use your limbs. When you are about to go to a place with forbidden (haraam) activities, remember this moment when your actual legs will tell Allah. When you are about to touch something haraam, whether it be your phone to listen to music, or your remote control to watch something forbidden, think of the moment your hands will reveal you, while in the world you might have been able to keep it behind closed doors.
3. Remember that angels are listening.
There are two angels, one on your left and one on your right, who record everything you do or say. Think about this. It might not be visual now, but it is real and it will come back to you.
إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى ٱلْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ ﴿١٧
Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
[Qur'an, Qaf 50:17]
Each word you say will be recorded. Here is a great reminder for one of the most common major sins we commit: gheebah (gossip or backbiting). Remind yourself that everything you say about a person that they would not like you to mention to others, even if it’s true, falls under gheebah. Whenever you feel tempted to speak about someone in a wrong way, visualize the angel sitting next to you, ready to write each word down.
4. Deal justly with others.
Both the justice and injustice you’ve done to other people will be presented on this day.
Whenever you have wronged someone, force yourself to make it up and don’t delay. Why? Imagine the angel of death comes to take your soul before you said that deserved “sorry” and you will find yourself in need of just one more good deed on the Day of Judgement to be admitted to Paradise.
The people you wronged will come and take away your good deeds. Whoever wronged his brother with regard to his honor or any other matter, should seek his forgiveness today, before there are no longer any dinars, or dirhams; and if he has any righteous deeds, they will be taken from him, in accordance with the wrong he did; and if he has no hasanaat, some of the sayi`aat of his counterpart will be taken and added to his burden. [Bukhari]
5. Ask Allah to make you of the people of the Qur'an.
And the Qur’an is a proof for you or against you [Muslim].
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۭ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدًا ﴿٤١
So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and we bring you, [O Muhammad] against these [people] as a witness?
[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:41]
Ask Allah to make you of the people of the Qur'an, of those who recite correctly, understand and apply its lessons and instructions, and work for it. Read a portion of the Qur'an every day. And strive for intercession of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. How? By reviving his Sunnah. Make it a mission to learn a new Sunnah at least each week, practicing it and conveying it to others.
6. Let the earth testify good of you; move around to make sujood.
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا ﴿٤
That Day it (the Earth) will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good or evil)
[Qur'an, Az-Zalzala 99:4]
7. Study the Names of Allah and learn to live by them.
لَّـٰكِنِ ٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكَ ۖ أَنزَلَهُۥ بِعِلْمِهِۦ ۖ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَشْهَدُونَ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًا ﴿١٦٦
But Allah bears witness to that which He has revealed to you. He has sent it down with His knowledge, and the angels bear witness [as well]. And sufficient is Allah as Witness. (166)
[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:166]
Study the beautiful names and attributes of your Lord and ask Him to help you live by them. A magnificent example is the Name of Allah: Ash-Shaheed (the Witness).
May Allah make our meeting with Him the best of meetings. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (RadhiyAllahu ‘anhuma), said: The Messenger of Allah (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) took me by the shoulder and said,
“Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”
And Ibn Umar used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.”
[Reported by Bukhari]
How many days go by in which you don’t even think about the most important meeting of your existence? How can you prepare for the appointment of all appointments— standing before Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala?
The appointment is made.
وَعُرِضُوا۟ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۭ ۚ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا ﴿٤٨
And they will be presented before your Lord in rows, [and He will say], You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment.
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
Can you imagine the moment of the Day of Judgement when Allah Himself will come with the angels, and Paradise and Hell will be brought forward? And your Lord comes with the angels in rows.
وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ وَٱلْمَلَكُ صَفًّا صَفًّا ﴿٢٢﴾ وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ ﴿٢٣
And your Lord has come and the angels, rank upon rank, (22) And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but what good to him will be the remembrance? (23) [Qur'an, Al-Fajr 89:22]
You know that you will soon stand before Him, personally, one by one, to be judged. People are divided into two categories: People with bright faces, due to their happiness, standing there looking at their Lord, and 2) People with darkened faces, due to their bad deeds.
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ ﴿٢٣﴾ وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَاسِرَةٌ ﴿٢٤﴾ تَظُنُّ أَن يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ ﴿٢٥
[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, (22) Looking at their Lord. (23) And [some] faces, that Day, will be contorted, (24) Expecting that there will be done to them [something] backbreaking. (25)
[Qur'an, Al-Qiyamah 75:22-25]
If you get your book (of deeds) in your right hand, you will be the companions of Paradise, and may Allah make us one of them. If you receive your book in your left hand you will be the companions of the Hellfire; may Allah save us.
Apart from your book of deeds there will be more witnesses for you on the day.
1. Add good things to the book of your deeds.
Allah continues in Surah Al-Kahf, the Surah which is a sunnah to read on Friday, the Day the Resurrection will occur:
وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا ﴿٤٩
And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, “Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?” And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:49]
The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: The first thing the people will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment is prayer, Allah will say to His angels : ‘Look at my servants prayers. Were they complete or not?’ If they were complete it will be written as complete. If they were not fully complete Allah will say: ‘See if my servant has voluntary prayers, if he has them Allah will say: Complete his obligatory prayers shortage with his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with in the same manner. [Ahmad, Abu Dawood, An-Nasaa’i, Al-Haakim]
Make it your priority to pray your five daily prayers on time and learn to understand whatever you recite in them to increase your khushoo'. Remember this hadith and let it motivate you to do those sunnah--rawatib, tahajjud, dhuha, prayer after wudu', etc.
2. Use your limbs wisely.
ٱلْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَآ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿٦٥
This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn.
[Qur'an, Ya-Sin 36:65]
Be aware of how you use your limbs. When you are about to go to a place with forbidden (haraam) activities, remember this moment when your actual legs will tell Allah. When you are about to touch something haraam, whether it be your phone to listen to music, or your remote control to watch something forbidden, think of the moment your hands will reveal you, while in the world you might have been able to keep it behind closed doors.
3. Remember that angels are listening.
There are two angels, one on your left and one on your right, who record everything you do or say. Think about this. It might not be visual now, but it is real and it will come back to you.
إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى ٱلْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ ﴿١٧
Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
[Qur'an, Qaf 50:17]
Each word you say will be recorded. Here is a great reminder for one of the most common major sins we commit: gheebah (gossip or backbiting). Remind yourself that everything you say about a person that they would not like you to mention to others, even if it’s true, falls under gheebah. Whenever you feel tempted to speak about someone in a wrong way, visualize the angel sitting next to you, ready to write each word down.
4. Deal justly with others.
Both the justice and injustice you’ve done to other people will be presented on this day.
Whenever you have wronged someone, force yourself to make it up and don’t delay. Why? Imagine the angel of death comes to take your soul before you said that deserved “sorry” and you will find yourself in need of just one more good deed on the Day of Judgement to be admitted to Paradise.
The people you wronged will come and take away your good deeds. Whoever wronged his brother with regard to his honor or any other matter, should seek his forgiveness today, before there are no longer any dinars, or dirhams; and if he has any righteous deeds, they will be taken from him, in accordance with the wrong he did; and if he has no hasanaat, some of the sayi`aat of his counterpart will be taken and added to his burden. [Bukhari]
5. Ask Allah to make you of the people of the Qur'an.
And the Qur’an is a proof for you or against you [Muslim].
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۭ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدًا ﴿٤١
So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and we bring you, [O Muhammad] against these [people] as a witness?
[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:41]
Ask Allah to make you of the people of the Qur'an, of those who recite correctly, understand and apply its lessons and instructions, and work for it. Read a portion of the Qur'an every day. And strive for intercession of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. How? By reviving his Sunnah. Make it a mission to learn a new Sunnah at least each week, practicing it and conveying it to others.
6. Let the earth testify good of you; move around to make sujood.
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا ﴿٤
That Day it (the Earth) will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good or evil)
[Qur'an, Az-Zalzala 99:4]
7. Study the Names of Allah and learn to live by them.
لَّـٰكِنِ ٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكَ ۖ أَنزَلَهُۥ بِعِلْمِهِۦ ۖ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَشْهَدُونَ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًا ﴿١٦٦
But Allah bears witness to that which He has revealed to you. He has sent it down with His knowledge, and the angels bear witness [as well]. And sufficient is Allah as Witness. (166)
[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:166]
Study the beautiful names and attributes of your Lord and ask Him to help you live by them. A magnificent example is the Name of Allah: Ash-Shaheed (the Witness).
May Allah make our meeting with Him the best of meetings. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Monday, December 4, 2017
The Real Gift For A Parent
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
The real gift for a parent is not a son or a daughter or many sons or many daughters but a righteous son or a rightoous daughter who is going to leave sadaqah jariah (continuous charity) for you for their good actions and deeds.
In the Qur'an, Allah tells us that He has blessed Dawood (peace be upon him) with a righteous son, Sulayman (peace be upon him). One of the common traits that both father and son had was that they repeatedly turning back to Allah. Allah highlights this in the Qur'an.
وَوَهَبْنَا لِدَاوُۥدَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ ﴿٣٠
And to Dawood (David) We gave Sulayman (Solomon). How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Allah). (30)
[Qur'an, Sad 38:30]
ٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَٱذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُۥدَ ذَا ٱلْأَيْدِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ ﴿١٧
Be patient (O Muhammad SAW) of what they say, and remember Our slave Dawood (David), endued with power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters and in repentance (toward Allah). (17)
[Qur'an, Sad 38:17]
How do we receive this gift of a righteous child?
Righteous child does not come from thin air. We have to constantly turn back to Allah. At the same time we must take the means to educate our children with Islamic knowledge so they know their Creator and how to worship Him.
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with father and son) reported that he heard the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying:
"Every one of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects and responsible for them; a husband is a guardian of his family and is responsible for it; a woman is a guardian of her husband’s house and is responsible for it, and a servant is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it. A man is a guardian of his father’s property and is responsible for it so all of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and things under your care." [Bukhari]
Malik bin Huwairth narrated: "I came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) with some men from my tribe and stayed with him for twenty nights. He was kind and merciful to us. When he realized our longing for our families, he said to us: "Go back and stay with your families and teach them the religion. And offer the prayer and one of you should pronounce the Adhan for the prayer when its time is due. And the oldest one amongst you should lead the prayer." [Bukhari]
Allah tells us that our children, just like our wealth and possessions, are but a trial. Allah the Most High says:
وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٢٨
And know that your properties and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great reward. (28)
[Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:28]
إِنَّمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٥
Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward. (15)
[Qur'an, At-Taghabun 64:15]
Since our children are but a trial and that the highest reward is with Allah the Almighty, it is then our responsibility to teach our children Islam. It is only through Islam that they can become righteous and be of service to Allah. We pass our trial once our children worship their Creator.
The best thing we can give to our children is the knowledge of Islam. It is the best education and the best means to fight ignorance and drive away evil. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) says in the following hadith:
Amr bin Sa’id or Sa’id bin Al-‘As narrated that Allah’ Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"A father gives his child nothing better than a good education." (Tirmidhi and Baihaqi)
‘Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
"A single scholar of religion is more formidable against Satan than a thousand devout people." (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
When we strive to teach our children Islam, we hope that Allah will reward us with righteous children who make du'a for us and do righteous works that will continue to benefit us even after we die.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) says in the following Hadiths:
"A man will be raised some degrees in Paradise and he will say, ‘For what reason I am receiving this?’ He will be told, ‘Because of your son asking forgiveness for you.’" [Bukhari]
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "When a man dies, accrual of merit in his favor from good deeds ceases except from three actions: a charity which continues after his death; knowledge left behind from which people continue to benefit, and righteous offspring who pray for him." [Muslim]
Knowing the importance of Islamic knowledge, it is imperative that we encourage our children to spend time acquiring it.
One of the characteristics of a believer is love for the search of knowledge. This should inspire us and our children to constantly seek knowledge.
Abu Said Al-Khudri narrated: Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"A believer is never satiated with gainful knowledge; he goes acquiring it till his death and entry into Paradise." [Tirmidhi]
It is only through knowledge that we can know our Creator and how to worship Him.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Whoever follows a path to seek knowledge, Allah will make the path to Jannah (Paradise) easy for them.” [Sahih Muslim; Sunan Tirmidhi].
Whoever sets right his intention in seeking knowledge and desires only Allah's pleasure, is on a road to salvation and happiness.
May Allah guide us in seeking authentic knowledge of Islam, and enable us to impart it to our children, not just by what we say, but also by what we do. May Allah grant us righteous children. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
The real gift for a parent is not a son or a daughter or many sons or many daughters but a righteous son or a rightoous daughter who is going to leave sadaqah jariah (continuous charity) for you for their good actions and deeds.
In the Qur'an, Allah tells us that He has blessed Dawood (peace be upon him) with a righteous son, Sulayman (peace be upon him). One of the common traits that both father and son had was that they repeatedly turning back to Allah. Allah highlights this in the Qur'an.
وَوَهَبْنَا لِدَاوُۥدَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ ۚ نِعْمَ ٱلْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ ﴿٣٠
And to Dawood (David) We gave Sulayman (Solomon). How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Allah). (30)
[Qur'an, Sad 38:30]
ٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَٱذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُۥدَ ذَا ٱلْأَيْدِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ ﴿١٧
Be patient (O Muhammad SAW) of what they say, and remember Our slave Dawood (David), endued with power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters and in repentance (toward Allah). (17)
[Qur'an, Sad 38:17]
How do we receive this gift of a righteous child?
Righteous child does not come from thin air. We have to constantly turn back to Allah. At the same time we must take the means to educate our children with Islamic knowledge so they know their Creator and how to worship Him.
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with father and son) reported that he heard the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying:
"Every one of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects and responsible for them; a husband is a guardian of his family and is responsible for it; a woman is a guardian of her husband’s house and is responsible for it, and a servant is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it. A man is a guardian of his father’s property and is responsible for it so all of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and things under your care." [Bukhari]
Malik bin Huwairth narrated: "I came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) with some men from my tribe and stayed with him for twenty nights. He was kind and merciful to us. When he realized our longing for our families, he said to us: "Go back and stay with your families and teach them the religion. And offer the prayer and one of you should pronounce the Adhan for the prayer when its time is due. And the oldest one amongst you should lead the prayer." [Bukhari]
Allah tells us that our children, just like our wealth and possessions, are but a trial. Allah the Most High says:
وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٢٨
And know that your properties and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great reward. (28)
[Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:28]
إِنَّمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٥
Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward. (15)
[Qur'an, At-Taghabun 64:15]
Since our children are but a trial and that the highest reward is with Allah the Almighty, it is then our responsibility to teach our children Islam. It is only through Islam that they can become righteous and be of service to Allah. We pass our trial once our children worship their Creator.
The best thing we can give to our children is the knowledge of Islam. It is the best education and the best means to fight ignorance and drive away evil. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) says in the following hadith:
Amr bin Sa’id or Sa’id bin Al-‘As narrated that Allah’ Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"A father gives his child nothing better than a good education." (Tirmidhi and Baihaqi)
‘Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
"A single scholar of religion is more formidable against Satan than a thousand devout people." (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
When we strive to teach our children Islam, we hope that Allah will reward us with righteous children who make du'a for us and do righteous works that will continue to benefit us even after we die.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) says in the following Hadiths:
"A man will be raised some degrees in Paradise and he will say, ‘For what reason I am receiving this?’ He will be told, ‘Because of your son asking forgiveness for you.’" [Bukhari]
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "When a man dies, accrual of merit in his favor from good deeds ceases except from three actions: a charity which continues after his death; knowledge left behind from which people continue to benefit, and righteous offspring who pray for him." [Muslim]
Knowing the importance of Islamic knowledge, it is imperative that we encourage our children to spend time acquiring it.
One of the characteristics of a believer is love for the search of knowledge. This should inspire us and our children to constantly seek knowledge.
Abu Said Al-Khudri narrated: Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"A believer is never satiated with gainful knowledge; he goes acquiring it till his death and entry into Paradise." [Tirmidhi]
It is only through knowledge that we can know our Creator and how to worship Him.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Whoever follows a path to seek knowledge, Allah will make the path to Jannah (Paradise) easy for them.” [Sahih Muslim; Sunan Tirmidhi].
Whoever sets right his intention in seeking knowledge and desires only Allah's pleasure, is on a road to salvation and happiness.
May Allah guide us in seeking authentic knowledge of Islam, and enable us to impart it to our children, not just by what we say, but also by what we do. May Allah grant us righteous children. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, December 1, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Beauty
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
For animal species to survive on this planet, they need certain essentials -- food, air, water, space, etc. Human beings have an additional need that other species don't need, that is beauty.
If the food look ugly to you, you won't eat it, but if the same food is decorated on a plate, you can't wait to eat it. We want things around us beautified, unlike every other species. If you put a piece of chicken on the floor in front of a cat, it eats it. You put hay in front of a horse, it eats it. You throw a banana to a monkey, it catches it and eats it. They don't need the food presented in a certain way like we do: decoration, garnishing, condiments and table setting -- color scheme, floral arrangements or flowers to complement the color scheme, napkins (serviettes) in the same color scheme, table mats that match or complement the color scheme, silverware, tablecloth, certain patterns on the plates, etc.
We want beauty, not just in one aspect of existence, but we want beauty in everything -- we want a beautiful face, a beautiful spouse, beautiful children, beautiful houses, beautiful cars, beautiful ambiance, beautiful places to visit, the list is endless.
The things that people are attracted to are beautiful only on this earth. If somebody wants to limit himself to it, he can, but those things won't go farther than this world.
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ﴿٧
No doubt, We made whatever on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. (7)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:7]
Allah didn't make this world beautiful for no purpose. Allah made this world outwardly beautiful, so He can see who among us will do more beautiful things in terms of our actions -- i.e where we will put our priority in life. Your never quenching thirst for beauty should make you internalize that there is something perfect and timeless, and unless you seek that you will never find satisfaction. We have something higher to work for in this life.
May Allah protect us from heedlessness and enable us to do beautiful things according to His sight. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
For animal species to survive on this planet, they need certain essentials -- food, air, water, space, etc. Human beings have an additional need that other species don't need, that is beauty.
If the food look ugly to you, you won't eat it, but if the same food is decorated on a plate, you can't wait to eat it. We want things around us beautified, unlike every other species. If you put a piece of chicken on the floor in front of a cat, it eats it. You put hay in front of a horse, it eats it. You throw a banana to a monkey, it catches it and eats it. They don't need the food presented in a certain way like we do: decoration, garnishing, condiments and table setting -- color scheme, floral arrangements or flowers to complement the color scheme, napkins (serviettes) in the same color scheme, table mats that match or complement the color scheme, silverware, tablecloth, certain patterns on the plates, etc.
We want beauty, not just in one aspect of existence, but we want beauty in everything -- we want a beautiful face, a beautiful spouse, beautiful children, beautiful houses, beautiful cars, beautiful ambiance, beautiful places to visit, the list is endless.
The things that people are attracted to are beautiful only on this earth. If somebody wants to limit himself to it, he can, but those things won't go farther than this world.
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ﴿٧
No doubt, We made whatever on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. (7)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:7]
Allah didn't make this world beautiful for no purpose. Allah made this world outwardly beautiful, so He can see who among us will do more beautiful things in terms of our actions -- i.e where we will put our priority in life. Your never quenching thirst for beauty should make you internalize that there is something perfect and timeless, and unless you seek that you will never find satisfaction. We have something higher to work for in this life.
May Allah protect us from heedlessness and enable us to do beautiful things according to His sight. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, November 24, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Keep Righteous Company and Don't Follow The Heedless
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
The first verses of Surah Kahf reveal the story of a few young men striving in the disbelieving town in order to sustain their faith. They took refuge in cave and were rewarded by Allah’s mercy with the entire town converted into believers.
The moral of this story is trial of faith. The youth were tested and succeeded. We too are being tested. How to survive? Keep righteous company and don't follow the heedless. Allah Most High tells us,
وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ ۖ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا ﴿٢٨
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect. (28)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:28]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was reportedly asked: “Which of our companions are best?” He replied: “One whose appearance reminds you of Allah, and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of the hereafter.” [Al-Musahibi]
Who do we spend the most time with? Chances are for many of us, they are our friends. If you are married, then your spouse and his/her family/friends are a big part of the circle. Friends are the people we share things with, talk to regularly, and experience a large part of our life with. This is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “A person is on the religion of his companions. Therefore let every one of you carefully consider the company he keeps.” [Tirmidhi] That is why it is critical to choose a good and righteous spouse because he/she and his/her family, relatives and friends will automatically enter your circle of companions, albeit positively or negatively.
An integral part to gaining tranquility of the heart is to be mindful of our surroundings and the people we spend most of our time with. Is it any wonder that we find our hearts perturbed, when it was reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Do not speak much without mentioning Allah, for too much speech without mentioning Allah hardens the heart, and the hardhearted are the farthest of all people from Allah Most High.” [Tirmidhi]
We need to be mindful of this because part of the reason for our lack of khushoo’ (devotion) in salah (prayer) is precisely because the time spent between prayers is spent in heedlessness. While wudhu' (ablution) and prayer wash away our minor sins, at times our hardened hearts prevent us from truly tasting the sweetness of prayer, due to the fact that we hardly remember Allah, Exalted is He, outside of prayer.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reminds us of the importance of good company in this hadith (record of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam: “A good companion and a bad companion are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” [Bukhari, Muslim]
Most of us know this hadith, but we rarely see it from the perspective of gaining tranquility of the heart. We may have amazing friends whom we have shared much with, yet we have not developed spiritually with them. When things go wrong in our life, we turn to people for advice but we are not reminded of the ultimate Source of Peace—as-Salaam [Allah]. Thus we need to try to create an environment. We can start with something simple, such as waking each other up for Tahajjud and Fajr (the pre-dawn prayer), or starting a book club by reading something about the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and share the information we read.
If we start here, we could be of the people who are under the shade of Allah on the Day of Judgment, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) told us that one of the seven categories of people promised the shade of Allah are two persons who loved each other for the sake of Allah Most High, got together, and departed on this basis. [Bukhari, Muslim]
Good companions who prioritize their relationship with Allah will help us on the spiritual path. It is easier to pray and to do our everyday acts of worship because we have company to help us. Even when we face difficulties, these friends will support us; ultimately they will remind us of Allah during these tests and help us to rely on Him. No one is perfect, and this is why it is important to be around people who want to improve themselves, and in the process will help you to improve yourself too. Ibn Hazm stated: “Anyone who cares about your friendship is willing to criticize you, while those who make light of your faults show they do not care.” Allah Most High reminds us of this in Surah Al-Kahf, when He says:
"And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance..." [Qur’an, Al-Kahf 18:28]
When we are faced with a problem, wouldn't we want such friends? But due to circumstances outside our control, we don’t have that tight-knit group of people that help us on our path to Allah. Does that mean we will never be able to achieve tranquility of the heart? No, because Allah does not test us with more than we can bear, and truly we get what we intend. The first thing we should try to do is be that friend to others. If we find that we do not have religious people around us, then we should try to influence our environment. This does not mean being over-bearing; rather, we should try to make our existing friendships more meaningful. The Lebanese poet, Khalil Gibran, said, “Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.” And the harder it is, the more our effort is appreciated by Allah.
Secondly, we should constantly seek avenues where we will meet such people. Whether it’s at a local masjid, or driving for an hour to attend a talk, this effort on our part shows that we are serious in trying to follow the advice and guidance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).
Thirdly, du`a is key. We should never forget that when we recite, “You alone do we worship, and You alone do we seek for help,” [Qur’an, Al-Baqarah 1:5] we are essentially reminding ourselves that we cannot do anything except through seeking the help of Allah. So if you truly desire good companion and friends who remind you of your Creator and the purpose He created you, you should ask the One who possesses the hearts to bring you closer to hearts that remember Him often.
May Allah grant us righteous companions. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
The first verses of Surah Kahf reveal the story of a few young men striving in the disbelieving town in order to sustain their faith. They took refuge in cave and were rewarded by Allah’s mercy with the entire town converted into believers.
The moral of this story is trial of faith. The youth were tested and succeeded. We too are being tested. How to survive? Keep righteous company and don't follow the heedless. Allah Most High tells us,
وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ ۖ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا ﴿٢٨
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect. (28)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:28]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was reportedly asked: “Which of our companions are best?” He replied: “One whose appearance reminds you of Allah, and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of the hereafter.” [Al-Musahibi]
Who do we spend the most time with? Chances are for many of us, they are our friends. If you are married, then your spouse and his/her family/friends are a big part of the circle. Friends are the people we share things with, talk to regularly, and experience a large part of our life with. This is why the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “A person is on the religion of his companions. Therefore let every one of you carefully consider the company he keeps.” [Tirmidhi] That is why it is critical to choose a good and righteous spouse because he/she and his/her family, relatives and friends will automatically enter your circle of companions, albeit positively or negatively.
An integral part to gaining tranquility of the heart is to be mindful of our surroundings and the people we spend most of our time with. Is it any wonder that we find our hearts perturbed, when it was reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Do not speak much without mentioning Allah, for too much speech without mentioning Allah hardens the heart, and the hardhearted are the farthest of all people from Allah Most High.” [Tirmidhi]
We need to be mindful of this because part of the reason for our lack of khushoo’ (devotion) in salah (prayer) is precisely because the time spent between prayers is spent in heedlessness. While wudhu' (ablution) and prayer wash away our minor sins, at times our hardened hearts prevent us from truly tasting the sweetness of prayer, due to the fact that we hardly remember Allah, Exalted is He, outside of prayer.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reminds us of the importance of good company in this hadith (record of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam: “A good companion and a bad companion are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” [Bukhari, Muslim]
Most of us know this hadith, but we rarely see it from the perspective of gaining tranquility of the heart. We may have amazing friends whom we have shared much with, yet we have not developed spiritually with them. When things go wrong in our life, we turn to people for advice but we are not reminded of the ultimate Source of Peace—as-Salaam [Allah]. Thus we need to try to create an environment. We can start with something simple, such as waking each other up for Tahajjud and Fajr (the pre-dawn prayer), or starting a book club by reading something about the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and share the information we read.
If we start here, we could be of the people who are under the shade of Allah on the Day of Judgment, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) told us that one of the seven categories of people promised the shade of Allah are two persons who loved each other for the sake of Allah Most High, got together, and departed on this basis. [Bukhari, Muslim]
Good companions who prioritize their relationship with Allah will help us on the spiritual path. It is easier to pray and to do our everyday acts of worship because we have company to help us. Even when we face difficulties, these friends will support us; ultimately they will remind us of Allah during these tests and help us to rely on Him. No one is perfect, and this is why it is important to be around people who want to improve themselves, and in the process will help you to improve yourself too. Ibn Hazm stated: “Anyone who cares about your friendship is willing to criticize you, while those who make light of your faults show they do not care.” Allah Most High reminds us of this in Surah Al-Kahf, when He says:
"And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance..." [Qur’an, Al-Kahf 18:28]
When we are faced with a problem, wouldn't we want such friends? But due to circumstances outside our control, we don’t have that tight-knit group of people that help us on our path to Allah. Does that mean we will never be able to achieve tranquility of the heart? No, because Allah does not test us with more than we can bear, and truly we get what we intend. The first thing we should try to do is be that friend to others. If we find that we do not have religious people around us, then we should try to influence our environment. This does not mean being over-bearing; rather, we should try to make our existing friendships more meaningful. The Lebanese poet, Khalil Gibran, said, “Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.” And the harder it is, the more our effort is appreciated by Allah.
Secondly, we should constantly seek avenues where we will meet such people. Whether it’s at a local masjid, or driving for an hour to attend a talk, this effort on our part shows that we are serious in trying to follow the advice and guidance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).
Thirdly, du`a is key. We should never forget that when we recite, “You alone do we worship, and You alone do we seek for help,” [Qur’an, Al-Baqarah 1:5] we are essentially reminding ourselves that we cannot do anything except through seeking the help of Allah. So if you truly desire good companion and friends who remind you of your Creator and the purpose He created you, you should ask the One who possesses the hearts to bring you closer to hearts that remember Him often.
May Allah grant us righteous companions. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Living in Comfort
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
If we realize that Allah is Al-Qayyum (All Sustaining), we have no delusion that we are in control of results. That is the source of much stress. You can't control your life. The believer tires himself out in taking the means with excellence but their hearts is at rest. Why? Because we are not in control. The believer strives their utmost with complete consciousness of who is sustaining all matters. Imam Kushairi said, this is how you live in comfort. You live in comfort, even if you are in tribulations and hardships. Everything is in hands of Allah. So the sunnah is this beautiful balance -- complete striving and complete consigning of matters to Allah.
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I went in an expedition along with the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the direction of Najd. When Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned, I also returned with him. Then the mid-day sleep overtook us in a valley full of prickly shrubs. Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) got down and the people scattered around seeking shade under the trees. Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) hang up his sword on the branch of a tree. We were enjoying a sleep when Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) called us, and lo! There was a desert Arab bedouin near him. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "This man brandished my sword over me while I was asleep. I woke up and saw it in his hand unsheathed. He asked: `Who will protect you from me?' I replied: 'Allah' - thrice". He did not punish him and sat down.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
If we realize that Allah is Al-Qayyum (All Sustaining), we have no delusion that we are in control of results. That is the source of much stress. You can't control your life. The believer tires himself out in taking the means with excellence but their hearts is at rest. Why? Because we are not in control. The believer strives their utmost with complete consciousness of who is sustaining all matters. Imam Kushairi said, this is how you live in comfort. You live in comfort, even if you are in tribulations and hardships. Everything is in hands of Allah. So the sunnah is this beautiful balance -- complete striving and complete consigning of matters to Allah.
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I went in an expedition along with the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the direction of Najd. When Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned, I also returned with him. Then the mid-day sleep overtook us in a valley full of prickly shrubs. Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) got down and the people scattered around seeking shade under the trees. Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) hang up his sword on the branch of a tree. We were enjoying a sleep when Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) called us, and lo! There was a desert Arab bedouin near him. He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "This man brandished my sword over me while I was asleep. I woke up and saw it in his hand unsheathed. He asked: `Who will protect you from me?' I replied: 'Allah' - thrice". He did not punish him and sat down.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Me, Myself and I vs. Humility
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
In our daily business of our lives, the greatest thing in our consciousness and concern is ME, MYSELF and I. Many of us are in that state of personal trinity...ME, MYSELF and I. That is the zikr of the heedless. But for the true monotheist, the zikr of their state is Allah, Allah, Allah. Anything comes to them, Allah would be greater in their consciousness and concern.
If you realize that Allah is the absolute great, firstly you will leave all sense of greatness of your own self, whether to regard you are all that, which you are not, Allah is all that, nor to regard any other as great.
If you realize Divine Oneness, it entails you truly realizing only Allah is great, only Allah has true consequence, has true worth, has true regard.
Allah is Al-Kabir, the Most Great. He possesses the absolute greatness. It is an expression of perfection in entity, attributes and actions. Allah Most High is perfect in His entity because His existence is perfect because His existence is necessary. Whereas everything else it's existence is merely possible. It is only actual because it was brought into existence by Allah. Allah's existence is independent and unconditional. Whereas the existence of anything besides Him is contingent and dependent. Allah is the One who possesses the greatest perfection. He is the One before whose greatness, everything else is considered paltry. Allah's kabir is not comparative. He alone is great. He is the Great. We affirm the greatness of Allah as one of the central statements of our religion. We say Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar is not a comparative. You can only relatively translate Allahu Akbar as Allah is Most Great--there are many things that have greatness but Allah is far greater. It is in the comparative sense to affirm absoluteness. When comparative is used with respect to Allah, it is to affirm absoluteness.
True Divine Oneness will not manifest to you until you leave, through Him, yourself. So you are by Him and not by yourself. You are not self motivated, you are Divinely motivated, you are not self concerned, you are Divinely concerned, you are not self centered, you are Allah centric. And if this were true that you will leave sense of greatness of self, you will make no claim regarding your attributes or your actions. And the way to safeguarding this realization is, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Whoever finds good, let him praise Allah." It is Allah who created you and all that you do. Even if you appear great, who inspired you? Allah. You have your choice but what is your choice in comparison to Will and Power of Allah? So you don't make claims. This is humilty (tawadhu')
If you want true humility uphold the sunnah (ways and traditions) of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. He ate with his hands because that is closer to humility. He sat on the ground. They had chairs at that time but he sat on the ground. He didn't show attitude to people.
Drawing closer to Allah is to turn to Him in every action and response. What do I do for Him? It is to make your concern for Allah absolutely great and no concern for your self. This is the sign of people who know Allah. The sign of someone who has tasted the reality of faith is that they don't defend themselves. You don't use that to judge other people. These kind of things you judge yourself with.
"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up." Jesse Jackson
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." -C. S. Lewis
"Selflessness is humility. Humility and freedom go hand in hand. Only a humble person can be free." -Jeff Wilson
"Have more humility. Remember you don't know the limits of your own abilities. Successful or not, if you keep pushing beyond yourself, you will enrich your own life--and maybe even please a few strangers."--A.L. Kennedy
May Allah grant us humility and help us reach our own potential and not leave us alone even for a blinking of an eye. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
In our daily business of our lives, the greatest thing in our consciousness and concern is ME, MYSELF and I. Many of us are in that state of personal trinity...ME, MYSELF and I. That is the zikr of the heedless. But for the true monotheist, the zikr of their state is Allah, Allah, Allah. Anything comes to them, Allah would be greater in their consciousness and concern.
If you realize that Allah is the absolute great, firstly you will leave all sense of greatness of your own self, whether to regard you are all that, which you are not, Allah is all that, nor to regard any other as great.
If you realize Divine Oneness, it entails you truly realizing only Allah is great, only Allah has true consequence, has true worth, has true regard.
Allah is Al-Kabir, the Most Great. He possesses the absolute greatness. It is an expression of perfection in entity, attributes and actions. Allah Most High is perfect in His entity because His existence is perfect because His existence is necessary. Whereas everything else it's existence is merely possible. It is only actual because it was brought into existence by Allah. Allah's existence is independent and unconditional. Whereas the existence of anything besides Him is contingent and dependent. Allah is the One who possesses the greatest perfection. He is the One before whose greatness, everything else is considered paltry. Allah's kabir is not comparative. He alone is great. He is the Great. We affirm the greatness of Allah as one of the central statements of our religion. We say Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar is not a comparative. You can only relatively translate Allahu Akbar as Allah is Most Great--there are many things that have greatness but Allah is far greater. It is in the comparative sense to affirm absoluteness. When comparative is used with respect to Allah, it is to affirm absoluteness.
True Divine Oneness will not manifest to you until you leave, through Him, yourself. So you are by Him and not by yourself. You are not self motivated, you are Divinely motivated, you are not self concerned, you are Divinely concerned, you are not self centered, you are Allah centric. And if this were true that you will leave sense of greatness of self, you will make no claim regarding your attributes or your actions. And the way to safeguarding this realization is, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Whoever finds good, let him praise Allah." It is Allah who created you and all that you do. Even if you appear great, who inspired you? Allah. You have your choice but what is your choice in comparison to Will and Power of Allah? So you don't make claims. This is humilty (tawadhu')
If you want true humility uphold the sunnah (ways and traditions) of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. He ate with his hands because that is closer to humility. He sat on the ground. They had chairs at that time but he sat on the ground. He didn't show attitude to people.
Drawing closer to Allah is to turn to Him in every action and response. What do I do for Him? It is to make your concern for Allah absolutely great and no concern for your self. This is the sign of people who know Allah. The sign of someone who has tasted the reality of faith is that they don't defend themselves. You don't use that to judge other people. These kind of things you judge yourself with.
"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up." Jesse Jackson
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." -C. S. Lewis
"Selflessness is humility. Humility and freedom go hand in hand. Only a humble person can be free." -Jeff Wilson
"Have more humility. Remember you don't know the limits of your own abilities. Successful or not, if you keep pushing beyond yourself, you will enrich your own life--and maybe even please a few strangers."--A.L. Kennedy
May Allah grant us humility and help us reach our own potential and not leave us alone even for a blinking of an eye. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Rush To The Most Virtuous Actions
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
The Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) always on the look for ways to please Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam. One day, 'Uqba ibn 'Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the Prophet was walking and he rushed to him, grabbing him by his hands, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, inform me of the very most virtuous of actions."
Usually, people would ask about good actions, but 'Uqba asked about the very most virtuous of actions. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam then said, "O 'Uqba, maintain ties with those who cut ties with you, give to those who deny you, and turn away from those who wrong you, for you fulfill their rights for the Exalted purpose."
1. Maintain ties with those who cut ties with you. The reason you maintain ties will not change, i.e. for Allah, the Exalted.
2. Give to those who deny you. You didn't give to people for their sake as Allah describes the sincere believers in the Quran,
إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءً وَلَا شُكُورًا ﴿٩
[Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude. (9) [Quran, Al-Insaan 76:9]
3. Turn away from those who wrong you. You don't respond to the wrong with wrong rather follow the wrong with the good and it will wipe it out. Turning away from those who wrong you may entail defending your rights but you don't defend your rights to react against their wrong. You don't reciprocate their wrong nor do you respond by self, "they wrong me therefore I will do this to them." That is exaltation of self. Rather, you turn away from revenge and retribution. You turn away from self and defending of self. Instead, you exalt your aspiration to that respond that will be pleasing to Allah. That's the Prophetic respond. That was how he entered Makkah, victorious. He exalted his aspiration from worldly gloating. He entered, bowed in prostration on his camel so much so his noble forehead was almost touching the neck of the camel, worshiping Allah not celebrating heedlessly. When he entered he did not seek revenge, and said to them, "Today I say to you like Yusuf said to his brethren," and he forgave everybody. The only people he didn't forgive is for their sake.
قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ يَغْفِرُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ ﴿٩٢
He (Yusuf) said, "No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful." (92) [Quran, Yusuf 12:92]
May Allah enable us to act upon these virtuous actions and all those actions that are pleasing to Allah. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
The Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) always on the look for ways to please Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam. One day, 'Uqba ibn 'Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the Prophet was walking and he rushed to him, grabbing him by his hands, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, inform me of the very most virtuous of actions."
Usually, people would ask about good actions, but 'Uqba asked about the very most virtuous of actions. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam then said, "O 'Uqba, maintain ties with those who cut ties with you, give to those who deny you, and turn away from those who wrong you, for you fulfill their rights for the Exalted purpose."
1. Maintain ties with those who cut ties with you. The reason you maintain ties will not change, i.e. for Allah, the Exalted.
2. Give to those who deny you. You didn't give to people for their sake as Allah describes the sincere believers in the Quran,
إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءً وَلَا شُكُورًا ﴿٩
[Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude. (9) [Quran, Al-Insaan 76:9]
3. Turn away from those who wrong you. You don't respond to the wrong with wrong rather follow the wrong with the good and it will wipe it out. Turning away from those who wrong you may entail defending your rights but you don't defend your rights to react against their wrong. You don't reciprocate their wrong nor do you respond by self, "they wrong me therefore I will do this to them." That is exaltation of self. Rather, you turn away from revenge and retribution. You turn away from self and defending of self. Instead, you exalt your aspiration to that respond that will be pleasing to Allah. That's the Prophetic respond. That was how he entered Makkah, victorious. He exalted his aspiration from worldly gloating. He entered, bowed in prostration on his camel so much so his noble forehead was almost touching the neck of the camel, worshiping Allah not celebrating heedlessly. When he entered he did not seek revenge, and said to them, "Today I say to you like Yusuf said to his brethren," and he forgave everybody. The only people he didn't forgive is for their sake.
قَالَ لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ يَغْفِرُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ ﴿٩٢
He (Yusuf) said, "No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful." (92) [Quran, Yusuf 12:92]
May Allah enable us to act upon these virtuous actions and all those actions that are pleasing to Allah. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Monday, November 13, 2017
Making Your Choices For Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah is high above intellect, exalted beyond comprehension. He is beyond all limits that the mind can affirm. The mind works through analogy but all the cognitive fields of the mind are created and Allah is above all of them. Allah is the most high in His entity. He is the most high in His attributes. He is the most high in His actions.
If you realize that Allah is exalted above all else, absolutely, then you would raise your concern and aspiration to Him. Because there is none who has worth like the worth of Allah, none has perfection like the perfection of Allah, none gives or takes, benefits or harms like Allah, none raises or debases like Him, none has true power, true will, true knowledge but Him. So you would raise your aspiration to Him and not hang your concern and aspiration on the lowly and dependent. Because everything besides Him only has highness to the extent that it is connected to the Most High.
Allah Most High says,
...فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا ﴿١١٠
...So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone." (110) [Quran, Al-Kahf 18:110]
To raise your yearning, aspiration and concern to Allah, is to make your purpose in life, Allah. Where does this manifest? It does not manifest in empty claims. It manifests in the choices you make, meaning you choose Allah when tested. When you make difficult decisions you don't decide on lowly concern, but you choose on the basis of what will be acceptable to Allah, pleasing and beloved to Allah. You may make the same choice as another, but he did it out of fear or hoping for some thing of this world, but you did it seeking Allah. When you choose your career, when you make ethical choices, you don't make your choices out of fleeting advantage or disadvantage but to a much higher standard--what is for Allah.
May Allah bring us closer to Him and guide us in all our affairs. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah is high above intellect, exalted beyond comprehension. He is beyond all limits that the mind can affirm. The mind works through analogy but all the cognitive fields of the mind are created and Allah is above all of them. Allah is the most high in His entity. He is the most high in His attributes. He is the most high in His actions.
If you realize that Allah is exalted above all else, absolutely, then you would raise your concern and aspiration to Him. Because there is none who has worth like the worth of Allah, none has perfection like the perfection of Allah, none gives or takes, benefits or harms like Allah, none raises or debases like Him, none has true power, true will, true knowledge but Him. So you would raise your aspiration to Him and not hang your concern and aspiration on the lowly and dependent. Because everything besides Him only has highness to the extent that it is connected to the Most High.
Allah Most High says,
...فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا ﴿١١٠
...So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone." (110) [Quran, Al-Kahf 18:110]
To raise your yearning, aspiration and concern to Allah, is to make your purpose in life, Allah. Where does this manifest? It does not manifest in empty claims. It manifests in the choices you make, meaning you choose Allah when tested. When you make difficult decisions you don't decide on lowly concern, but you choose on the basis of what will be acceptable to Allah, pleasing and beloved to Allah. You may make the same choice as another, but he did it out of fear or hoping for some thing of this world, but you did it seeking Allah. When you choose your career, when you make ethical choices, you don't make your choices out of fleeting advantage or disadvantage but to a much higher standard--what is for Allah.
May Allah bring us closer to Him and guide us in all our affairs. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Sunday, November 12, 2017
99 Names of Allah and Paradise
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala tells us in the Quran,
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٨٠
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing. (180) [Quran, Al-A'raf 7:180)
Calling upon Allah (Du'a) means both to mention Him, to ask from Him, to seek Him, to affirm His Oneness, and other meanings. Du'a conveys a number of meanings. Du'a has a sense of invoking someone, calling upon them, asking them, seeking them, and seeking from them.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
“Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine Names, one hundred less one, whoever encompasses them shall enter Paradise...." [At-Tirmidhi]
This should inspire us to seek understanding of Allah's beautiful Names and to strive our utmost to understand their meanings. Allah Most High has 99 Names, whoever encompasses them, enters Paradise. What does it means to encompass these 99 Names? By learning them, understanding them, mentioning them, realizing their meanings, memorizing them, characterizing ourselves by their qualities, by drawing closer to Allah through them.
What is a name? A name points to the one named. The descriptive names of Allah affirms qualities and attributes that Allah Most High possesses. They bring out different aspect of the perfection, majesty and beauty of Allah Most High.
May Allah grant us the tawfiq to learn His beautiful Names and bring us closer to Him. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala tells us in the Quran,
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٨٠
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing. (180) [Quran, Al-A'raf 7:180)
Calling upon Allah (Du'a) means both to mention Him, to ask from Him, to seek Him, to affirm His Oneness, and other meanings. Du'a conveys a number of meanings. Du'a has a sense of invoking someone, calling upon them, asking them, seeking them, and seeking from them.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
“Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine Names, one hundred less one, whoever encompasses them shall enter Paradise...." [At-Tirmidhi]
This should inspire us to seek understanding of Allah's beautiful Names and to strive our utmost to understand their meanings. Allah Most High has 99 Names, whoever encompasses them, enters Paradise. What does it means to encompass these 99 Names? By learning them, understanding them, mentioning them, realizing their meanings, memorizing them, characterizing ourselves by their qualities, by drawing closer to Allah through them.
What is a name? A name points to the one named. The descriptive names of Allah affirms qualities and attributes that Allah Most High possesses. They bring out different aspect of the perfection, majesty and beauty of Allah Most High.
May Allah grant us the tawfiq to learn His beautiful Names and bring us closer to Him. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Saturday, November 11, 2017
A Wise Person
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "The wise statement is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it, then he is more worthy of it."
You need to be a person of belief, that you need to understand who is your Lord and what your Lord seeks from you. The believer does not shy from benefit. But they have a standard by which they can judge. Some things are of clear benefit, so they embrace it, some things are not, so they don't.
Whoever knows all things but yet doesn't know Allah can't really be called wise. Because such a person is ignorant of the most noble of matters and of the highest of realities. Imam Ghazali
One of the great righteous said, "O Allah, how can one be ignorant if they know You even if they don't know much else, and how can one be of knowledge, if they are ignorant of You even if they know much else."
That is part of being aware. It applies in our lives. So many of us may think I know this and that and I have achieved this and that in my life but when it comes to the greatest of knowledge, we are ignorant. We have acquired great knowledge of material matters, matters of our worldly advantage, but we are ignorant of Allah and the ways of seeking Allah and attaining Allah's pleasure. How is that intelligence? How is that wisdom?
The whole life of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is an embodiment of wisdom in all his dealings. A wise person is the one who acts in accordance to the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), not just in form but in reality. Part of this is to learn how the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him page) conducted himself outwardly but also to appreciate the Prophetic way.
The sunnah is a certain attitude and approach to life. Our attitude to life is how to lead a Godcentric life, how to seek Allah in all that you do. The sunnah grants you the capacity to seek Allah, to be pleasing to Allah, and to be beloved to Allah in every state and every conduct.
May Allah grant us wisdom and the knowledge of Him and enable us to follow the footsteps of His beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "The wise statement is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it, then he is more worthy of it."
You need to be a person of belief, that you need to understand who is your Lord and what your Lord seeks from you. The believer does not shy from benefit. But they have a standard by which they can judge. Some things are of clear benefit, so they embrace it, some things are not, so they don't.
Whoever knows all things but yet doesn't know Allah can't really be called wise. Because such a person is ignorant of the most noble of matters and of the highest of realities. Imam Ghazali
One of the great righteous said, "O Allah, how can one be ignorant if they know You even if they don't know much else, and how can one be of knowledge, if they are ignorant of You even if they know much else."
That is part of being aware. It applies in our lives. So many of us may think I know this and that and I have achieved this and that in my life but when it comes to the greatest of knowledge, we are ignorant. We have acquired great knowledge of material matters, matters of our worldly advantage, but we are ignorant of Allah and the ways of seeking Allah and attaining Allah's pleasure. How is that intelligence? How is that wisdom?
The whole life of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is an embodiment of wisdom in all his dealings. A wise person is the one who acts in accordance to the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), not just in form but in reality. Part of this is to learn how the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him page) conducted himself outwardly but also to appreciate the Prophetic way.
The sunnah is a certain attitude and approach to life. Our attitude to life is how to lead a Godcentric life, how to seek Allah in all that you do. The sunnah grants you the capacity to seek Allah, to be pleasing to Allah, and to be beloved to Allah in every state and every conduct.
May Allah grant us wisdom and the knowledge of Him and enable us to follow the footsteps of His beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, November 10, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Firday) -- Acquiring Beneficial Knowledge
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Islam is a treasure chest of wisdom totally relevant to our daily life. It is amazingly beautiful that Allah makes seeking knowledge an obligation upon every Muslim.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.” [At-Tirmidhi] What is meant by knowledge here is knowledge of shari’ah (Islamic knowledge). It is the knowledge of how a servant should behave with respect to his Lord. Al-Thawri said: “It is the knowledge for which no person has any excuse for not knowing.”
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Allah, His angels and all those in Heavens and on Earth, even ants in their hills and fish in the water, call down blessings on those who instruct others in beneficial knowledge. [At-Tirmidhi]
This shows us the great excellence of the seekers of knowledge. For whoever sets right his intention in seeking knowledge and desires only Allah's pleasure, is on a road to salvation and happiness.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Whoever goes down a path searching for knowledge, Allah will make it easy for him the road to Paradise." [Muslim]
If seeking knowledge is easy, then so many people would be doing it. The fact is that those who are on the path of knowledge are blessed but you need patience to keep going. So many people fell by the wayside because they don't have patience.
The story of Musa and Al-Khidr (peace be upon them) in Surah Kahf is teaching us patience in seeking knowledge. Thus, we are being reminded about this every week for those who follow the Sunnah of reading Surah Kahf every Friday and reflecting on the verses.
Musa (peace upon him) has a distinct position in the comity of prophets. This has been mentioned explicitly in the Qur'an, and Sunnah. The special distinction of having conversed with Allah is his hallmark. Allah had blessed Musa (peace be upon him) with an intense desire to seek knowledge. As soon as he smell the scent of knowledge elsewhere too, knowledge that he did not have, he was all set to go for it traveling like an ardent student and it was Allah Himself that he turned to for the address of that servant of His, al-Khidr.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَاهُ لَا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِيَ حُقُبًا ﴿٦٠[Quran, Al-Kahf 18:60]
And [mention] when Musa to his servant, "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period." (60)
Had it been the will of Allah that Musa should meet al-Khidr at that spot, He could have arranged that easily. Or, if Musa himself was Divinely destined to travel, he could have been given a clear address to help him reach it without any bother. But, what happened here was different. The address given to him was far from being precise - 'when you reach the place where the dead fish stirs and disappears, that will be the place you will find Our servant.
The address of al-Khidr was left imprecise in a manner that it would not remain easy to pinpoint it. Obviously, this too was nothing but a trial and test for Musa. As though this was not enough, when they had reached the exact spot but then they forgot the fish. This was yet another test. After having reached the projected destination, the fish came alive and disappeared into the sea. The reality had unfolded and the place was pinpointed. But, that was not the end. The seeker of knowledge had to undergo yet another test -- hunger and fatigue, and there is no food. When Musa finally saw Al-Khidr and followed him so he could learn from him, this was when he faced the most difficult test.
We should be constantly be seeking and acquiring knowledge. Knowledge is that reality whereby the unknown becomes known within us and it is knowledge and worship for which the reason Allah created the heavens and the earth. If this is the reason, every single one of us should have a great portion of it.
First, we should all understand what knowledge is. Second, we strive to seek it, and third, we should strive even further to make it a reality within ourselves. Knowledge is something great. If you give it all of yourself it will give you part of it. If you give part of yourself, it won’t give you anything. This is the general principle. This is the Sunnah of Allah relating to knowledge. Seeking knowledge is not easy. You have to make sacrifices, which means you have to get out of your norm in order to attain knowledge. We all have gone through this to some degree. When test time, we stop everything, get sleep deprivation, we eat whatever it is quickly so we can get back to study. Knowledge require a lot of exertion and effort to acquire it.
All of that effort we put in to achieve knowledge, any type of knowledge especially religious knowledge, putting that knowledge into practice in a religious sense, making that knowledge a reality within ourselves, is even more difficult. Even though we learn, review and teach, there isn’t a sense of a special relationship to that knowledge. Knowledge doesn’t fully become a reality within us and we don’t really have true possession until we are living by it. So when we spend our time in learning we should also spend just as much time putting the knowledge we have into practice,constantly seeking forgiveness from Allah for falling short in them.
Not only do we need to seek knowledge, implement the knowledge that we seek, there is also the element of being save from our knowledge. So it is a struggle to seek knowledge, but a greater struggle is to implement that knowledge and a much greater struggle is to be save from our knowledge.
Beneficial knowledge is going to open the door for us to be save us from our knowledge. In order to do that we have to have a sound heart (qalb salim), free from all blemishes, free from all diseases whereby we might either become impress of ourselves, lead to ostentation or arrogance, or other disease of the heart that might appear as a result of our knowledge.
So we should have a wird of reading useful (beneficial) knowledge.
A sign of a life community or city is that there are numerous of gatherings of knowledge and remembrance of Allah. If there is no gatherings of knowledge and remembrance, it is a sign of that place is dead.
Knowledge relates to sacred law and other than sacred law. All religious knowledge are praiseworthy except to the extent that some people who misunderstand certain aspects of religious knowledge and use them for some other purpose. When that happens, the way it is used becomes blameworthy.
As for knowledge that is not related to sacred law, they either be praiseworthy, blameworthy or permissible.Praiseworthy knowledge is knowledge that we need in order for us to establish benefits in this world, e.g. mathematics, medicine, agriculture, hijama. Knowledge that is blameworthy in of itself is like magic. Permissible knowledge is like poetry and history. All knowledge which related to sacred law is in of itself praiseworthy.
Beneficial knowledge will remove from you the love of this fleeting world and will lead you to the love of the next world, which is permanent. The more that you love the next world, the less that you love this world. It will lead you to zuhd (to renounce, to turn away, to abstain from the various things in the world and a desire for the akhirah) and give you knowledge and insights into your faults. Most people don't want to confront their faults, their dark aspects of their ego. If we want to take the path seriously, we have to have courage to confront our faults. Remember, shaytan is an apparent enemy and he is trying to lead us astray and making our bad actions and sins look good. So we have to learn about his tricks and plots.
Knowledge of tauhid, fiqh, spiritual excellence and correct practice, is the essence of what is considered beneficial knowledge. Beneficial knowledge is not mental gymnastics. Beneficial knowledge is knowledge that is accompanied and followed by righteous actions and it is cast into the heart. By this definition, in the age of information today, much of what people are learning today, in reality, is not considered to be knowledge.
May Allah purify our intentions for seeking knowledge, help us be steadfast and productive seekers of knowledge, and increase us in beneficial knowledge and keep us away from blameworthy knowledge.
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance.
Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Tawfiq and Success
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Tawfiq is success or the ability to attain what truly benefits you in this life and the next. Tawfiq is precious and rare as it is not mentioned in the Qur'an except once:
وَمَا تَوْفِيقِىٓ إِلَّا بِٱللَّـهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ﴿٨٨ ...
... And my success is not but through Allah. In Him alone I have placed my trust and to Him alone I turn in humbleness. (88)
[Qur'an, Hud 11:88]
How do we climb the ladder of success?
First, we have to know that tawfiq comes only from Allah, not from you or anyone else. As mentioned in the Qur'an, Prophet Shu'aib (alayhissalaam) said,
The best of guidance is when Allah grants you tawfiq. When Allah gives you tawfiq, your affairs are gathered together and you are able to achieve your goals. However, it is extremely important that you take the first step and put in your best effort.
In order for Allah to choose you for this specific form of guidance, you need to actively seek tawfiq from Him in all your affairs, big or small, for this world or the Hereafter.
Some Causes of Tawfiq
Having sincere intention
It is very important to have sincere intention in all your undertakings. Your intention must be correct--you are doing it to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty. When your intention is sincere and when you wish for that which is good and correct, then Allah will grant you tawfiq. That is why the scholars mentioned sincerity to be from the biggest of causes of tawfiq. So wish for the truth and for yourself to attain goodness and correctness in your affairs and keep reminding yourself about the importance of a sincere intention in all you do for Allah.
Having certainty, trust in Allah and turn to Allah
Another cause for being granted tawfiq is to have yaqeen (certainty) that this tawfiq can only come from Allah and, very importantly, to rely on Him and turn to Him in repentance. How many times do people attribute success in their career or having done good deeds to themselves, without even thinking it was only by the tawfiq of Allah? So have true belief that tawfiq only comes from Allah, put your trust in Him and repent.
Desiring Paradise and asking for it
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said:
Allah gives tawfiq for the slave when he asks for Paradise, so ask for it.
A bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah whilst he was travelling and he took hold of his camel’s halter or reigns and said: O Messenger of Allah! Tell me of something that will draw me closer to Paradise and distance me away from the Hellfire. He said, the Prophet turned and looked to his companions and said: Indeed he has been granted tawfiq. Indeed he has been granted tawfiq. Then he said: What did you say? So he (the bedouin) repeated and the Prophet said: That you should worship Allah and associate none with Him, that you establish prayers, pay the zakah and join ties (kindred). Let go of the camel. [Muslim]
The bedouin’s will to attain Paradise is an example of tawfiq.
May Allah grant us the highest Paradise without reckoning. Ameen.
Praying the istikharah prayer
Praying this sunnah prayer when proceeding with decisions in your life means you seek tawfiq. Praying this prayer with the du'a for istkharah included in it is a cause for being granted tawfiq.
Asking for a good end
Realize the importance of being granted tawfiq in the last moments of your life. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said:
May Allah make us of those He utilized and grant us an excellent ending. Ameen.
Reflecting on your friendships
The righteous predecessors used to say: If a person of the sunnah is granted tawfiq, then the biggest blessing that Allah bestows on him is to give him tawfiq in finding (another) companion of the sunnah who takes him by the hand and leads him to the truth.
A beautiful example is Khaythamah ibn Abi Sabra who said: I came to Madinah and I asked Allah to facilitate for me in finding a righteous companion, so He facilitated for me Abu Hurayrah. I sat with him and said: Indeed I asked Allah to facilitate for me righteous companionship so I was granted tawfiq. He said to me: Where are you from? . . . (until the end of the narration). [At-Tirmidhi]
This is how those who were true to Allah in their intentions were granted tawfiq in meeting those from the Companion.
So ask Allah for tawfiq in friendships. May Allah grant us righteous companions. Ameen.
Being grateful whenever you are given tawfiq
Whenever Allah enabled you to carry out that good deed you wanted to do, thank Allah. And whoever is grateful, Allah will give him more.
So be grateful for any tawfiq and He will give you more. May Allah make us of those who are grateful. Ameen.
May Allah make us of those who always ask for tawfiq, recognize tawfiq is from Him only and put our trust in Him.
May Allah grant us tawfiq in all that is good, utilize us on His path and distance us from the Fire and all deeds that lead to it. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Tawfiq is success or the ability to attain what truly benefits you in this life and the next. Tawfiq is precious and rare as it is not mentioned in the Qur'an except once:
وَمَا تَوْفِيقِىٓ إِلَّا بِٱللَّـهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ﴿٨٨ ...
... And my success is not but through Allah. In Him alone I have placed my trust and to Him alone I turn in humbleness. (88)
[Qur'an, Hud 11:88]
How do we climb the ladder of success?
First, we have to know that tawfiq comes only from Allah, not from you or anyone else. As mentioned in the Qur'an, Prophet Shu'aib (alayhissalaam) said,
إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا ٱلْإِصْلَـٰحَ مَا ٱسْتَطَعْتُ ۚ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِىٓ إِلَّا بِٱللَّـهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ﴿٨٨[Qur'an, Hud 11:88]
... I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah. In Him alone I have placed my trust and to Him alone I turn in humbleness. (88)
The best of guidance is when Allah grants you tawfiq. When Allah gives you tawfiq, your affairs are gathered together and you are able to achieve your goals. However, it is extremely important that you take the first step and put in your best effort.
In order for Allah to choose you for this specific form of guidance, you need to actively seek tawfiq from Him in all your affairs, big or small, for this world or the Hereafter.
Some Causes of Tawfiq
Having sincere intention
It is very important to have sincere intention in all your undertakings. Your intention must be correct--you are doing it to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty. When your intention is sincere and when you wish for that which is good and correct, then Allah will grant you tawfiq. That is why the scholars mentioned sincerity to be from the biggest of causes of tawfiq. So wish for the truth and for yourself to attain goodness and correctness in your affairs and keep reminding yourself about the importance of a sincere intention in all you do for Allah.
Having certainty, trust in Allah and turn to Allah
Another cause for being granted tawfiq is to have yaqeen (certainty) that this tawfiq can only come from Allah and, very importantly, to rely on Him and turn to Him in repentance. How many times do people attribute success in their career or having done good deeds to themselves, without even thinking it was only by the tawfiq of Allah? So have true belief that tawfiq only comes from Allah, put your trust in Him and repent.
Desiring Paradise and asking for it
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said:
Whoever makes the Hereafter his preoccupation, then Allah places freedom from want in his heart, gathers his affairs, and dunya (worldly life) comes to him despite being reluctant to do so. And whoever makes dunya his preoccupation, then Allah places his poverty in front of his eyes, make his affairs scattered, and nothing of the dunya comes to him except that which has been decreed for him.[At-Tirmidhi]
Allah gives tawfiq for the slave when he asks for Paradise, so ask for it.
A bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah whilst he was travelling and he took hold of his camel’s halter or reigns and said: O Messenger of Allah! Tell me of something that will draw me closer to Paradise and distance me away from the Hellfire. He said, the Prophet turned and looked to his companions and said: Indeed he has been granted tawfiq. Indeed he has been granted tawfiq. Then he said: What did you say? So he (the bedouin) repeated and the Prophet said: That you should worship Allah and associate none with Him, that you establish prayers, pay the zakah and join ties (kindred). Let go of the camel. [Muslim]
The bedouin’s will to attain Paradise is an example of tawfiq.
May Allah grant us the highest Paradise without reckoning. Ameen.
Praying the istikharah prayer
Praying this sunnah prayer when proceeding with decisions in your life means you seek tawfiq. Praying this prayer with the du'a for istkharah included in it is a cause for being granted tawfiq.
Asking for a good end
Realize the importance of being granted tawfiq in the last moments of your life. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said:
If Allah wishes good for a slave, he utilizes him. It was said: How does He utilizes him, O Messenger of Allah? He said: He grants him tawfiq to perform righteous deeds before death.[At-Tirmidhi]
May Allah make us of those He utilized and grant us an excellent ending. Ameen.
Reflecting on your friendships
The righteous predecessors used to say: If a person of the sunnah is granted tawfiq, then the biggest blessing that Allah bestows on him is to give him tawfiq in finding (another) companion of the sunnah who takes him by the hand and leads him to the truth.
A beautiful example is Khaythamah ibn Abi Sabra who said: I came to Madinah and I asked Allah to facilitate for me in finding a righteous companion, so He facilitated for me Abu Hurayrah. I sat with him and said: Indeed I asked Allah to facilitate for me righteous companionship so I was granted tawfiq. He said to me: Where are you from? . . . (until the end of the narration). [At-Tirmidhi]
This is how those who were true to Allah in their intentions were granted tawfiq in meeting those from the Companion.
So ask Allah for tawfiq in friendships. May Allah grant us righteous companions. Ameen.
Being grateful whenever you are given tawfiq
Whenever Allah enabled you to carry out that good deed you wanted to do, thank Allah. And whoever is grateful, Allah will give him more.
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ[Qur'an Ibrahim 14:7]
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)
So be grateful for any tawfiq and He will give you more. May Allah make us of those who are grateful. Ameen.
May Allah make us of those who always ask for tawfiq, recognize tawfiq is from Him only and put our trust in Him.
May Allah grant us tawfiq in all that is good, utilize us on His path and distance us from the Fire and all deeds that lead to it. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Friday, November 3, 2017
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- The Righteous Attracts Allah's Help and Support
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Almighty says in Surah Kahf,
The Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam was being addressed in this ayah, showing us that our company does affect each and every one of us. If the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is being instructed with the company he should keep, what then of us?
Keeping righteous company is mentioned after the story of Ashaabul Kahf is of significance. Ashaabul Kahf chose to be amongst the group who remember Allah and not of those who seek the dunya (world). Indeed, our next life depends on our company. If we chose righteous companions, we will be amongst them in the hereafter.
Allah Almighty is giving us a direction in this verse: He, the Exalted, is guiding us to what is best for us and instructing us about what to avoid. The righteous attracts Allah's help and support in this life and the next, and in the hereafter -- "you will be with those you love." So if you love the righteous, then you will be in their company on that Day when a man would flee from his brother and his mother and his father and his wife and his children - (Qur'an, Abasa 80:34-35].
In this verse, Allah tells us whose company we should keep: مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ - with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. This is an exclusive quality of the righteous - they remember Allah under all conditions and what they do is exclusively for the good pleasure of Allah. All these conditions around them are conditions that attract the help and support of Allah. Such are the people to whom comes the help of Allah.
Allah Almighty alerts us in the beginning of the verse, وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ , and be patient with yourself, hold yourself. Sabr (patience) is not only when a difficulty or calamity occurs, but keeping with righteous company and continuing with the remembrance of Allah requires sabr.
Allah Almighty says, وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا - [and do not let your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life.] The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam did not desire the dunya, but this part of the ayah is a reminder to not be impressed by the nobility and wealth of those of high status but to remain with those who remember Allah.
Allah Almighty compares those who call upon Him (they make du'a) and those who seek the glamor of this worldly life, because no one can have both at the same time – you are either from those who remember Allah, or of those who seek the dunya.
It is not enough for us to be with good company, but we must leave the bad company as well. Allah Almighty instructs us to avoid those people who do not have any interest in the remembrance of Allah and follow their desires. Following one’s desires leads to their affairs being fruitless because there is no purpose or goal. And being in gatherings where there is no mention of Allah -- like musical concerts, theaters, ball games, hookah-shisha places, arcades, etc -- decreases one’s Iman (Faith), because a heart without His remembrance is like a fish out of water and those who remember other than Allah in their gatherings are prone to sinning – such as indulging in backbiting and slander -- and worldly because our nafs (lower self) naturally incline to the adornment of this life. The chiefs of Makkah were heedless of the remembrance of Allah; everything they did was subservient to their physical desires, and these conditions guaranteed that they stood alienated far from the mercy and support of Allah.
The righteous lives a conscious life, they are not heedless, from morning to night they are conscious of what they are doing and they have their goal and purpose. Ashaabul Kahf had a goal in their life, to seek Allah’s pleasure, and they acted upon this goal and Allah granted them success.
May Allah protect us from bad company and heedlessness and grant us righteous company and steadfastness and make righteous deeds beloved to us and grant us victory over the disbelieving people. Ameen.
Ameen
Have a blessed Friday.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Almighty says in Surah Kahf,
وَٱصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ ۖ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُۥ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُۥ فُرُطًا ﴿٢٨[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:28]
And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect. (28)
The Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam was being addressed in this ayah, showing us that our company does affect each and every one of us. If the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is being instructed with the company he should keep, what then of us?
Keeping righteous company is mentioned after the story of Ashaabul Kahf is of significance. Ashaabul Kahf chose to be amongst the group who remember Allah and not of those who seek the dunya (world). Indeed, our next life depends on our company. If we chose righteous companions, we will be amongst them in the hereafter.
Allah Almighty is giving us a direction in this verse: He, the Exalted, is guiding us to what is best for us and instructing us about what to avoid. The righteous attracts Allah's help and support in this life and the next, and in the hereafter -- "you will be with those you love." So if you love the righteous, then you will be in their company on that Day when a man would flee from his brother and his mother and his father and his wife and his children - (Qur'an, Abasa 80:34-35].
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا ﴿٣٠[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:30]
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds. (30)
In this verse, Allah tells us whose company we should keep: مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ - with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. This is an exclusive quality of the righteous - they remember Allah under all conditions and what they do is exclusively for the good pleasure of Allah. All these conditions around them are conditions that attract the help and support of Allah. Such are the people to whom comes the help of Allah.
Allah Almighty alerts us in the beginning of the verse, وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ , and be patient with yourself, hold yourself. Sabr (patience) is not only when a difficulty or calamity occurs, but keeping with righteous company and continuing with the remembrance of Allah requires sabr.
Allah Almighty says, وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا - [and do not let your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life.] The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam did not desire the dunya, but this part of the ayah is a reminder to not be impressed by the nobility and wealth of those of high status but to remain with those who remember Allah.
Allah Almighty compares those who call upon Him (they make du'a) and those who seek the glamor of this worldly life, because no one can have both at the same time – you are either from those who remember Allah, or of those who seek the dunya.
It is not enough for us to be with good company, but we must leave the bad company as well. Allah Almighty instructs us to avoid those people who do not have any interest in the remembrance of Allah and follow their desires. Following one’s desires leads to their affairs being fruitless because there is no purpose or goal. And being in gatherings where there is no mention of Allah -- like musical concerts, theaters, ball games, hookah-shisha places, arcades, etc -- decreases one’s Iman (Faith), because a heart without His remembrance is like a fish out of water and those who remember other than Allah in their gatherings are prone to sinning – such as indulging in backbiting and slander -- and worldly because our nafs (lower self) naturally incline to the adornment of this life. The chiefs of Makkah were heedless of the remembrance of Allah; everything they did was subservient to their physical desires, and these conditions guaranteed that they stood alienated far from the mercy and support of Allah.
The righteous lives a conscious life, they are not heedless, from morning to night they are conscious of what they are doing and they have their goal and purpose. Ashaabul Kahf had a goal in their life, to seek Allah’s pleasure, and they acted upon this goal and Allah granted them success.
May Allah protect us from bad company and heedlessness and grant us righteous company and steadfastness and make righteous deeds beloved to us and grant us victory over the disbelieving people. Ameen.
Ameen
Have a blessed Friday.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)