بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Don't be too confident that your works are going to be on the Scale of good deeds in the hereafter. What distinguishes the 'best in deed' is your heart, your intention for the sake of Allah.
Sincere intention is indispensable prerequisite for the acceptance of a good deed.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said, “Deeds are according to their intentions and every person will receive according to what he/she intended…” (Bukhari)
A sincere person (mukhlis) sets himself at the disposal of Allah, seeking only pleasure, and in doing so, he attains honor and nobility.
Anyone who strives in the way of Allah will be guided by Allah toward His path.
وَٱلَّذِينَ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَمَعَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٦٩
And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. (69)
[Qur'an, Al-Ankabut 26:69]
Materialism, or the love of 'adornments of the world,' can make even acts of worship to be done for worldly gains -- recognition, respect, power, prestige, money, etc. Someone who put in a lot of effort in some deeds for some worldly gain, with Allah their efforts is ruined and their deed, wasted.
Allah Almighty says in verse 103 and 104 of Surah Kahf,
قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُم بِالْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًا ﴿١٠٣﴾ الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا ﴿١٠٤
Say, [O Muhammad], "Shall we [believers] inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? (103) [They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work." (104)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:103-104]
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا ﴿١٠٧﴾ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا ﴿١٠٨
Verily! those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous deeds, shall have the Gardens of Al-Firdaus (the Paradise) for their entertainment. (107) "Wherein they shall dwell (forever). No desire will they have for removal therefrom." (108)
[Qur'an Al-Kahf 18:107-108]
Look forward to your meeting with Allah. It is very soon, sooner than you think. Start making preparations for this meeting.
Get rid of the love of this world from your heart; free it from everything other than the Lord of Truth. Don't buy this paltry world and pay with the Hereafter as a price. Don't sell your Hereafter to acquire this perishing world. And rush to good deeds.
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا ﴿١١٠﴾
Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God. 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)
[Qur'an Al-Kahf 18:110]
May Allah protect us from being losers, grant us true sincerity, accept our deeds and make our meeting with Him the best of meetings. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.
Wassalaam
Friday, February 23, 2018
Friday, February 16, 2018
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Value of Knowledge
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Reading Surah Al-Kahf is something we should look forward to do every Friday. In it there is a story from which we can derive comfort while going through this life. The lesson contained in this story is this "You should have full faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah.
As the reality is hidden from you, you are at a loss to understand the wisdom of what is happening, and sometimes if it appears that things are going against you. The fact is that if the curtain be removed from the "unseen", you would yourselves come to know that what is happening here is for the best. Even if some times it appears that something is going against you, you will see that in the end it also produces some good results for you.
In the story of Musa and Al-Khidr, what did Musa learn from Al-Khidr? He learned to be patient and humble.
Keep yourself busy with learning this religion and learn it from a trustworthy teacher with good morals. Don't say "I'm busy with work!" "I have a hard time memorizing the Qur'an!" etc.
Remember,
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ ۚ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا ﴿٦٣
...None but shaytan made me forget to remember” (Quran, Al-Kahf 18:63)
Can shaytan spoil your memory? No, but he keeps you busy with one thing to forget another. When you choose to follow the path of knowledge, Allah exposes a path for you to Paradise.
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
Reading Surah Al-Kahf is something we should look forward to do every Friday. In it there is a story from which we can derive comfort while going through this life. The lesson contained in this story is this "You should have full faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah.
As the reality is hidden from you, you are at a loss to understand the wisdom of what is happening, and sometimes if it appears that things are going against you. The fact is that if the curtain be removed from the "unseen", you would yourselves come to know that what is happening here is for the best. Even if some times it appears that something is going against you, you will see that in the end it also produces some good results for you.
In the story of Musa and Al-Khidr, what did Musa learn from Al-Khidr? He learned to be patient and humble.
Keep yourself busy with learning this religion and learn it from a trustworthy teacher with good morals. Don't say "I'm busy with work!" "I have a hard time memorizing the Qur'an!" etc.
Remember,
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ ۚ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا ﴿٦٣
...None but shaytan made me forget to remember” (Quran, Al-Kahf 18:63)
Can shaytan spoil your memory? No, but he keeps you busy with one thing to forget another. When you choose to follow the path of knowledge, Allah exposes a path for you to Paradise.
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, February 9, 2018
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- We Reap What We Sow
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
How often is it that a farmer plants wheat and it comes out as a sunflower? You may say, never! For how can someone farm the seed of one plant and expect some other plant to grow. It just does not happen. Similarly, some parents leave their children waddling in the mud of television, music, movies, wifi/internet, social media, computer games, and bad company. Then when the child reaches high school and asks to go to a high school prom with a girlfriend or a boyfriend, or when he enters University and stops praying, or when he gets married to a disbeliever and himself becomes one, then the parents say, “What happened?”
It is the harvest of what we planted. If we do not raise our children to be obedient, where do we expect them to learn? If we do not practice Islam ourselves, and disobedient to Allah, who will be our children’s example? How do you teach a child to wake up for Tahjjud, for Fajr, when he sees his own father and mother sleeping in, day after day? You may ask, how do I raise my children to be good Muslims, obedient to their parents? Consider the following:
Firstly, one should discipline their children from small and throughout their youth. Hisham ibn Abd Al-Malik missed a son of his during Jumu’ah one week. When he met him later, he asked him, “Why did you miss Jumu’ah?” He son replied, “My donkey couldn’t make the trip.” His father then said, “Couldn’t you have walked!” For an entire year after that, Hisham ibn Abd Al-Malik made his son walk to Jumu’ah.
Secondly, the he piety of the father and mother reaches the children. In the Qur’an, Allah recalls for us the story of Musa and Khidr (peace be upon them), and how Khidr rebuilt a wall for two orphans:
وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنزٌ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا ﴿٨٢
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience." (82) [Qur'an - Al-Kahf 18:82]
Look at how Allah protected these orphans because of the righteousness of their father. In a tafseer, it is said that it was their grandfather seven generations back! Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said, “I often lengthen my Salah for the sake of my son, perhaps Allah may protect him (because of it).”
We reap what we sow.
May Allah grant us righteousness and make us good examples for our 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
How often is it that a farmer plants wheat and it comes out as a sunflower? You may say, never! For how can someone farm the seed of one plant and expect some other plant to grow. It just does not happen. Similarly, some parents leave their children waddling in the mud of television, music, movies, wifi/internet, social media, computer games, and bad company. Then when the child reaches high school and asks to go to a high school prom with a girlfriend or a boyfriend, or when he enters University and stops praying, or when he gets married to a disbeliever and himself becomes one, then the parents say, “What happened?”
It is the harvest of what we planted. If we do not raise our children to be obedient, where do we expect them to learn? If we do not practice Islam ourselves, and disobedient to Allah, who will be our children’s example? How do you teach a child to wake up for Tahjjud, for Fajr, when he sees his own father and mother sleeping in, day after day? You may ask, how do I raise my children to be good Muslims, obedient to their parents? Consider the following:
Firstly, one should discipline their children from small and throughout their youth. Hisham ibn Abd Al-Malik missed a son of his during Jumu’ah one week. When he met him later, he asked him, “Why did you miss Jumu’ah?” He son replied, “My donkey couldn’t make the trip.” His father then said, “Couldn’t you have walked!” For an entire year after that, Hisham ibn Abd Al-Malik made his son walk to Jumu’ah.
Secondly, the he piety of the father and mother reaches the children. In the Qur’an, Allah recalls for us the story of Musa and Khidr (peace be upon them), and how Khidr rebuilt a wall for two orphans:
وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنزٌ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۚ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا ﴿٨٢
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience." (82) [Qur'an - Al-Kahf 18:82]
Look at how Allah protected these orphans because of the righteousness of their father. In a tafseer, it is said that it was their grandfather seven generations back! Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said, “I often lengthen my Salah for the sake of my son, perhaps Allah may protect him (because of it).”
We reap what we sow.
May Allah grant us righteousness and make us good examples for our 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
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Hold Fast To The Rope of Allah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Many people, believers and disbelievers alike fear death, illness, trials, imprisonment, poverty, and so forth. Yet, when we reflect carefully upon all these fears, we will realize that each one of these fears is under the domain of Allah. No single human being dies except that his or her death has been ordained by Allah. No morsel of food and no sip of water enter anyone’s mouth except that it is by the Will of Allah.
Nobody falls under the authority of a just person or an unjust person, except that the matter has been preordained by Allah. If He wills that a trial befalls one, then it is solely by His permission. Who then should we really fear? Everything human fear has an appointed time and everything returns to Allah. He is the One Whom we should love and long for.
Our eyesight, our hearing, our hearts, our digestive system, our limbs—everything is created by Allah Most High. How then could created beings forget their Creator? How can we then disobey Allah when He has blessed us with all these bounties? We were brought out of our mothers’ wombs knowing nothing and we were created so that we may show thanks and gratitude to Him.
One of the best things a person can ask Allah is for a good ending. We must beware of falling prey to the things that would take the light of faith out of our hearts, which is disrespecting Allah, His religion and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), disrespecting our parents who He has bestowed upon us, and disrespecting and showing enmity to his inheritors; the scholars and those beloved to Allah.
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Quran,
... وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ۚ
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided...[Quran 3:103]
The scholars mention five interpretations of the term, “rope”:
1. The Qur’an,
2. Being sincere with Allah
3. The whole religion of Islam
4. The pious and upright scholars
5. Our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace)
The fifth meaning encompasses all the previous meanings mentioned. It is through our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)that we are able to reach Allah, as Allah Himself has mentioned that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)is the door to Allah. May Allah give us the ability to follow the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his guidance.
It is the responsibility of the Muslim Ummah to understand the reality of the rope of Allah and to spread this message to the people around us.
Our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is mercy, a blessing to all creation. Allah says: “We have not sent you but as a mercy to all the worlds.”
Look at the hadith of the moths and the fire. One meaning of the fire here is the dunya, our lower selves and our desires. Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace)to save mankind from destruction and the Hellfire. When we give preference to things other than Allah, we are essentially bringing ourselves to destruction.
May Allah bless us with the realities of faith and steadfastness in holding onto the rope of these realities in our daily lives. May He purify our hearts and grant us steadfastness and may He allow us to give preference to Allah and His Beloved over everyone and everything else.
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
Many people, believers and disbelievers alike fear death, illness, trials, imprisonment, poverty, and so forth. Yet, when we reflect carefully upon all these fears, we will realize that each one of these fears is under the domain of Allah. No single human being dies except that his or her death has been ordained by Allah. No morsel of food and no sip of water enter anyone’s mouth except that it is by the Will of Allah.
Nobody falls under the authority of a just person or an unjust person, except that the matter has been preordained by Allah. If He wills that a trial befalls one, then it is solely by His permission. Who then should we really fear? Everything human fear has an appointed time and everything returns to Allah. He is the One Whom we should love and long for.
Our eyesight, our hearing, our hearts, our digestive system, our limbs—everything is created by Allah Most High. How then could created beings forget their Creator? How can we then disobey Allah when He has blessed us with all these bounties? We were brought out of our mothers’ wombs knowing nothing and we were created so that we may show thanks and gratitude to Him.
One of the best things a person can ask Allah is for a good ending. We must beware of falling prey to the things that would take the light of faith out of our hearts, which is disrespecting Allah, His religion and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), disrespecting our parents who He has bestowed upon us, and disrespecting and showing enmity to his inheritors; the scholars and those beloved to Allah.
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Quran,
... وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ۚ
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided...[Quran 3:103]
The scholars mention five interpretations of the term, “rope”:
1. The Qur’an,
2. Being sincere with Allah
3. The whole religion of Islam
4. The pious and upright scholars
5. Our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace)
The fifth meaning encompasses all the previous meanings mentioned. It is through our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)that we are able to reach Allah, as Allah Himself has mentioned that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)is the door to Allah. May Allah give us the ability to follow the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his guidance.
It is the responsibility of the Muslim Ummah to understand the reality of the rope of Allah and to spread this message to the people around us.
Our Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is mercy, a blessing to all creation. Allah says: “We have not sent you but as a mercy to all the worlds.”
Look at the hadith of the moths and the fire. One meaning of the fire here is the dunya, our lower selves and our desires. Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace)to save mankind from destruction and the Hellfire. When we give preference to things other than Allah, we are essentially bringing ourselves to destruction.
May Allah bless us with the realities of faith and steadfastness in holding onto the rope of these realities in our daily lives. May He purify our hearts and grant us steadfastness and may He allow us to give preference to Allah and His Beloved over everyone and everything else.
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, February 2, 2018
Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Means to Sound Knowledge
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever pursues a path seeking knowledge therein, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise through it.”
One should pursue knowledge in a sound way. It must be done gradually, and deliberately. The path is something trodden towards a specific end. One’s studies cannot be random or unguided. One must be on the path of knowledge with the intention of seeking Allah’s pleasure.
Thoroughly studying Arabic grammar (nahw and sarf), logic (mantiq), and rhetoric (balagha) is integral to mastering the Islamic sciences. These three tool sciences are the means by which one is able to properly gain and apply the others. They are the means to sound knowledge. Without them, one’s knowledge will not be sound, one’s expressions will not be sound, and one’s knowledge will not be trustworthy.
“Imagine that knowledge is like your nourishment. Now, imagine that you need nourishment, but you have no tools to gather the food, cook the food, and eat the food. How will that work?”
A common problem faced by students today is a lack of direction and purpose in their study of these sciences.
May Allah grant us the proper tools to learn knowledge and make easy our path to Paradise. 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 give him peace) said, “Whoever pursues a path seeking knowledge therein, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise through it.”
One should pursue knowledge in a sound way. It must be done gradually, and deliberately. The path is something trodden towards a specific end. One’s studies cannot be random or unguided. One must be on the path of knowledge with the intention of seeking Allah’s pleasure.
Thoroughly studying Arabic grammar (nahw and sarf), logic (mantiq), and rhetoric (balagha) is integral to mastering the Islamic sciences. These three tool sciences are the means by which one is able to properly gain and apply the others. They are the means to sound knowledge. Without them, one’s knowledge will not be sound, one’s expressions will not be sound, and one’s knowledge will not be trustworthy.
“Imagine that knowledge is like your nourishment. Now, imagine that you need nourishment, but you have no tools to gather the food, cook the food, and eat the food. How will that work?”
A common problem faced by students today is a lack of direction and purpose in their study of these sciences.
May Allah grant us the proper tools to learn knowledge and make easy our path to Paradise. 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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)