Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Du'a on Day of Arafah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّـي أسْـأَلُـكَ العَـفْوَ وَالعـافِـيةَ في الدُّنْـيا وَالآخِـرَة ، اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّـي أسْـأَلُـكَ العَـفْوَ وَالعـافِـيةَ في ديني وَدُنْـيايَ وَأهْـلي وَمالـي ، اللّهُـمَّ اسْتُـرْ عـوْراتي وَآمِـنْ رَوْعاتـي ، اللّهُـمَّ احْفَظْـني مِن بَـينِ يَدَيَّ وَمِن خَلْفـي وَعَن يَمـيني وَعَن شِمـالي ، وَمِن فَوْقـي ، وَأَعـوذُ بِعَظَمَـتِكَ أَن أُغْـتالَ مِن تَحْتـي

Allāhumma innī as'aluka 'l-`afwa wal-`āfiyah fid-dunyā wal-ākhirah, Allāhumma innī as'aluka 'l-`afwa wal-`āfiyah fī dīnī wa dunyāya, wa ahlī, wa mālī, Allāhummastur `awrātī, wa āmin raw`ātī, Allāhummaḥfaẓnī min bayni yadayya, wa min khalfī, wa `an yamīnī, wa `an shimālī, wa min fawqī, wa a`ūdhu bi`aẓamatika an 'ughtāla min taḥtī.O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and Your protection in this world and the next. O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and Your protection in my religion, in my worldly affairs, in my family and in my wealth. O Allah, conceal my secrets and preserve me from anguish. O Allah, guard me from what is in front of me and behind me, from my left, and from my right, and from above me. I seek refuge in Your Greatness from being struck down from beneath me.

Aameen

Sahih Ibn Majah 2/332 and Abu Dawud.


Sunday, June 18, 2023

Don't Miss Out On The Best Ten Days

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

We are entering the best 10 days of the Islamic year, the first 10 days of Zulhijjah.

This is our opportunity to redeem ourselves in the eyes of Allah and gain immense rewards and blessings. The key is doing good deeds with the love of Allah, as well as repenting and seeking forgiveness for our wrongdoings.

The reward of every good deed in these ten days is multiplied manifold. Not only this helps us raise our rank with Allah, but we can also continue to move forward as better Muslims by getting into the habit of good practices. 

Don't miss out on the blessings of these 10 days. Rush to good deeds and increase our acts of worship. 

Fasting on these 10 days is beloved to Allah, and especially on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, also known as the day of Arafat. Fasting on this day means our sins from the previous and coming year is expiated. 

May Allah rain down His mercy upon us, forgive all our sins and accept our good deeds. Aameen.

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Friday, June 16, 2023

Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Alhamdulillah For The Quran

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

For Muslims, Friday is highlighted by the recitation of Surah Al-Kahf. 

Allah Most High begins the Surah with Alhamdulillah. One part of Alhamdulillah is that you thank Allah and the second part is that you appreciate (praise) Allah.

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 and thanks 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]

In this Surah, Allah Most High reminds us again that the everlasting abode is the Aakhirah (Hereafter).

ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَو‌ٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَاوَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا

Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope. [Quran, al-Kahf 18:46]

If we are truly certain about this, then we won't worry ourselves with this dunya (worldly life), accumulating wealth and trying to impress people, instead we will rush to good deeds.

Sometimes we forget that this is the fleeting dunya, the dunya wherein we will face trials, left, right, and center. But the Quran will help us face it with patience.

So let's make a habit of reading a portion of the Quran everyday and thank Allah for this gift of the Quran.

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. Aameen.

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Sunday, June 4, 2023

Help Your Children

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

We don't need to tell our children to go to the phones. The phones are so attractive that it is the first thing they look at when they wake up, and they can't part with it the whole day.  Likewise, we don't need to indoctrinate our children into Islam. They already born in Islam. Islam is already attractive. But to who? To those who practice it. So, you just have to practice it yourself and spend time and engage with your children. When they see your devotion and gentleness, they will naturally attract to Islam.

Narrated Abu Hurayra:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "No child is born except on Al-Fitra (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian, as an animal produces a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body amputated?" Then he rec 'The religion of pure Islamic Faith (Hanifa),(i.e. to worship none but Allah), The pure Allah's Islamic nature with which He (Allah) has created mankind. Let There be no change in Allah's religion (i.e. to join none in Allah's worship). That is the straight religion; but must of men know not..." (Quran, Ar-Rum 30:30)

May Allah help us raise our children well and make them righteous. Aameen.

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Friday, June 2, 2023

Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Gaining Allah's Love

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

One of the sunnahs of Friday is to read Surah Al Kahf. Following this sunnah will gain the love of Allah. Let's read Surah Kahf today and every Friday, and work towards understanding the meanings. There are many lessons that we can derive from the Surah that will guide us in our everyday lives.
 
Every true believers wish and hope to gain the love of Allah. There are many hadiths that tell us how to earn the love of Allah.
 
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ‎﴿٣١﴾‏
 
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." [Quran, AleImran 3:31]
 
We all love Allah but love is meaningful when it is mutual. So follow the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam by believing in Allah and by following as many sunnah as you can that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam taught us.
 
In a hadith Qudsi, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily Allah ta’ala has said: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to a "wali" of Mine (friend of Allah), then I have declared war against him. And My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to me with nafil (supererogatory) deeds until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge.’ ” [Al-Bukhari]
 
So make sure we perform our obligatory religious duties but don't stop at that. Also add the recommended and optional prayers (like the rawatibs -- prayers before and after obligatory prayers, witr, dhuha, etc), optional fasts (mondays, thurdays, white days, etc), reciting the Quran and charity. The more we do that regularly and consistently, the more the possibility of gaining Allah's love.
 
There are also three things relating to character that are mentioned in a hadith on how we can gain the love of Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam
 
1) Being truthful -- Tell the truth even it is against youself or your loved ones. Lying is a major sin. Some people lie so much that they started to believe in the lies. Truthful in everything we do and every aspect of our lives -- truthful in business (buying and selling), in our dealings with our prents, children, spouse, Muslims or non-Muslims, etc. 
 
"...Truthfulness leads to righteousness (birr) and righteousness (birr) leads to Paradise. It will be said of the truthful person: 'He spoke the truth and was righteous', and it will be said of the liar, 'He told lies and was immoral.' "For a person continues to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah as a liar." [Ibn Majah]
 
2) Being trustworthy -- fulfill our trusts not just in material things but also with secrets and confidential matters. Someone confided in you, the matter is now a secret and it is your amanah. If someone told you not to tell anyone, it means noone including your spouse. This is an amanah.
 
3) Be good towards your neighbor -- many of us don't know our neighbors even their names. There is no relationship whatsoever. We need to change that. Greet your neighbors with a lovely smile when you see them outside. Show your generosity to your neighbors even if they are not Muslims. Be a good Muslim to your neighbors. 

What does it mean when Allah loves you? When Allah loves you, He will announce His love to Jibril alayhissalaam. Then Jibril loves you and he announces it to the angels and the angels love you. Then the people love you. SubhanaAllah!

May Allah grant His love and the love of those who love Him, and the deeds that He love, and make our last deeds the best of deeds and our last words la ilaha illallah. Aameen.
 
Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala aalihi wasahbihi wasallam.

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