بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Maybe you don't think about it but if you have the opportunity to meet with the King of Saudi Arabia or the Sultan of Brunei or the Queen of England or even the King of Malaysia, wouldn't you grab the opportunity to meet them? If you are invited to their palaces today, you would quickly hop on the next flight. You would not let your boss say NO to giving you a few days off work. In fact, your boss might very well offered more days than you have asked or he might offered it to you the moment he heard about the royal invitation! If you are going to school, you would work around your school work to make sure you get to meet with this king. Everybody around you are excited about this, not just you. Why? You all will have a similar answer. And it boils down to because they are kings! Who wouldn't want to meet a king!
Yes, we know about kings a lot. We can see them with our eyes or at least picture them in our minds, what they look like, the splendor of their palaces and the glamor of their royal lives. We have been exposed to these details from little. Remember all those many "happily ever after" bedtime stories and movies? Each culture has its own version of Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin and princess Jasmine, and now we have Shrek and princess Fiona. So no wonder we are fascinated by kings, palaces, princes and princesses. And when this opportunity to meet with a king comes, you naturally run for it. You want to know more and perhaps to experience the glamor of being around a king.
I remember when Shaykh Mishari Rashid Al-Afasy, the well known Qur'an reciter came to town, may Allah preserve and protect him, some people came from far away to the masjid to get a closer look at a member of a royal family. You could hear the whispers and the fascination about this. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
But how about the King of kings? Many don't know Him. They didn't learn about Him or they don't want to learn about Him. Those who know something about Him, many don't care to meet with Him. When He invited them to come to Him, they don't go. They are too busy and some refused the invitation. They ignore the call to prayer, they don't pray, they don't make dhikr of Allah, they don't read Qur'an. These are opportunities that have passed them by to be with the King of kings and they cannot bring them back. Don't be among these people. If nothing else, the King of kings has far more to offer than all these kings combined have to offer. He is the Creator of everything, including those kings, their palaces, their bodyguards and all their glamorous royal lives.
Now, when you open that facebook with no intention to worship Allah, close it. Otherwise, you will miss the opportunity to be with the King of kings. If you miss this opportunity enough times, you are at risk of losing it forever. You are at risk of not getting invited ever again. Remember, Allah can seal the hearts from His Light and make evil seemingly good for the wrongdoers. May Allah protect us from this. May Allah guide us to His Light. Ameen.
Facebook has become a very serious social issue. You don't need to read much about it because that is in itself a distraction from doing dhikr of Allah but suffice with your own common sense, experience or hearing about it to turn you away from using facebook to socialize, play games and answer quizzes, in short, to entertain and to pass time.
In a recent survey conducted by an international firm TNS, Japanese users had the least number of friends, averaging 29. Chinese consumers have an average of 68 friends in their networks. Malaysians have the most number of friends on social networking websites like facebook, average 233 friends in their social network. They also spend the most hours per week on such sites, average nine hours weekly. This is quite embarrassing for me, as a Malaysian and as a Muslim, to know this and to tell you this but it need to be told.
So, if you are spending such amount of time or more on facebook and other social network sites, you need to cut down by whole lot, so you can help yourself come closer to the King of kings, and be a good example to the non-Muslims around you. We want to rank high in technology and using technology to spread and teach the message of Islam, not using technology to waste our time.
وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (١) إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسۡرٍ (٢) إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ (٣
"By Al-'Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'ruf) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad)." Qur'an al-'Asr 103
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Showing posts with label al-'Asr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label al-'Asr. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
2 Powerful Warriors
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Now that Ramadhan is over, the effects of Ramadhan should still linger especially for those who are doing or planning to do the 6 days Shawwal fasting and other sunnah fasting throughout the year.
How different it was in Ramadhan. People were a lot mellow--there were neither shoutings nor fights on the streets or in public transportation. People were more cordial and helpful. There were more bright and smiling faces. How peaceful and how blessed Ramadhan was! SubhanAllah. You wish it stays that way all year.
If we fasted correctly, then we would have benefited from one of the effects of Ramadhan--an increase in patience. One can never have too much patience. Lack of patience can cause lots of problems--to oneself as well as to others. Patience is an acquired trait which many people don't have or many lose it very easily. If you have patience, nothing befalls you disturbs or bothers you. You will go through challenges, difficulties, uneasiness and discomfort in stride.
Patience is waiting--waiting for something to change in your favor. You know everything will change except Allah. So you will be patient because your difficulties, your uneasiness, your discomfort will be relief, ease and comfort sooner or later by the Will of Allah.
Patience is not passively waiting--that is laziness. But to keep going when the going is tough and slow--that is patience. You know all things will pass including the waiting.
Time and patience are two most powerful warriors. In time things will pass. In time all things will change. Only Allah does not change. So, keep going for the sake of Allah and towards Allah. Don't waste time on the sources of distractions--like anger, complaints, arguments and fights. "Truly, Allah is with the patient." (Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:153) إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (١) إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسۡرٍ (٢) إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ (٣
"By time, Verily, Man is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and join together in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy." (Qur'an Asr 103)
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Abbas, Allah be pleased with them both, who said : One day I was behind the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said to me:
"Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice] : Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." (narrated by Tirmidhi, who said it is true and fine hadith)
In a version other than that of Tirmidhi it reads:
"..Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you; and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship."
May Allah give us and all the Muslims victory. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Now that Ramadhan is over, the effects of Ramadhan should still linger especially for those who are doing or planning to do the 6 days Shawwal fasting and other sunnah fasting throughout the year.
How different it was in Ramadhan. People were a lot mellow--there were neither shoutings nor fights on the streets or in public transportation. People were more cordial and helpful. There were more bright and smiling faces. How peaceful and how blessed Ramadhan was! SubhanAllah. You wish it stays that way all year.
If we fasted correctly, then we would have benefited from one of the effects of Ramadhan--an increase in patience. One can never have too much patience. Lack of patience can cause lots of problems--to oneself as well as to others. Patience is an acquired trait which many people don't have or many lose it very easily. If you have patience, nothing befalls you disturbs or bothers you. You will go through challenges, difficulties, uneasiness and discomfort in stride.
Patience is waiting--waiting for something to change in your favor. You know everything will change except Allah. So you will be patient because your difficulties, your uneasiness, your discomfort will be relief, ease and comfort sooner or later by the Will of Allah.
Patience is not passively waiting--that is laziness. But to keep going when the going is tough and slow--that is patience. You know all things will pass including the waiting.
Time and patience are two most powerful warriors. In time things will pass. In time all things will change. Only Allah does not change. So, keep going for the sake of Allah and towards Allah. Don't waste time on the sources of distractions--like anger, complaints, arguments and fights. "Truly, Allah is with the patient." (Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:153) إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
وَٱلۡعَصۡرِ (١) إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَفِى خُسۡرٍ (٢) إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوۡاْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ (٣
"By time, Verily, Man is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and join together in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy." (Qur'an Asr 103)
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Abbas, Allah be pleased with them both, who said : One day I was behind the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said to me:
"Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice] : Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." (narrated by Tirmidhi, who said it is true and fine hadith)
In a version other than that of Tirmidhi it reads:
"..Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you; and that what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and ease with hardship."
May Allah give us and all the Muslims victory. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Monday, March 22, 2010
Seize the moment
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
One day you have something and the next day that something is gone. You made all these plans and in the end it didn't happen. Don't wonder. Don't despair. Allah, the One who is responsible over everything, He is able to do what He wants. He can change everything and anything. He organizes and reorganizes. We are but helpless without Him, al-Karim.
"God turns about the day and the night; surely in that is a lesson for those who have eyes." [Qur'an 24:44]
All we need to do is seize the moment in worship of Him and obedience to Him.
"I swear by the time! Surely Man is in the way of loss, save those who believe, and do righteous deeds, and counsel each other truth, and counsel each other patience." [Qur'an, Al-'Asr 103:1-3]
Take advantage of the five before five.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to a man while he was advising him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death."
You should exercise the energy that you have for the sake of Allah by procuring knowledge of Allah, obtaining halal sustenance, and worshiping Allah through acts that you might not be able to do later on in life.
We all fall sick at one time or another. If we did not fall sick, we would not be humans. Some sicknesses can be more severe that the other, and for certain people even more severe. We won't know how long we will have full possession of our faculties before we fall sick. Therefore, take advantage of it before that time comes.
The majority of mankind do not appreciate these two blessings--good health and free time. We don't want to be among those!
Do not forget to invest for your next life, the real eternal life, so you can pick the fruits when you need it the most. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Verily, the money that you spend in charity is your money, and the money that you leave behind is the money of your inheritors." Do you love your own money more or the money of your inheritors?
How much free time do we have and what do we waste it on? Think about it. Spending time wisely does not necessarily mean doing purely religious deeds. Islam is a complete way of life. Many acts can be rewarded if you change your intention and do them for the sake of Allah. But everyone of us should recite the Qur'an everyday, even if it is only for five or ten minutes. Surely, you can find 5 or 10 minutes everyday to build this relationship with the Qur'an. Everyone of us should pray some extra prayers as well, a few sunnahs. One of the greatest act of worship is to seek beneficial knowledge. Do whatever you can to increase your knowledge of Islam--have a daily routine. These are some of the most important religious deeds to fill your time. Don't start with the distractors--TV and the like--the greatest waste of time are these things. There is more to life than them! Read a book instead.
You are only allowed one life on this earth and you will not be able to come back and change that life. For every good you do you will be rewarded, and for every evil you do you will be punished. Inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un. When you are in your grave, the only thing that will follow you that can help you is your Iman and good deeds. So seize the moment in doing righteous deeds and not let a moment pass you by without remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala
May Allah guide is to excellence and give us tawfiq. Ameen.
Please do not forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
One day you have something and the next day that something is gone. You made all these plans and in the end it didn't happen. Don't wonder. Don't despair. Allah, the One who is responsible over everything, He is able to do what He wants. He can change everything and anything. He organizes and reorganizes. We are but helpless without Him, al-Karim.
"God turns about the day and the night; surely in that is a lesson for those who have eyes." [Qur'an 24:44]
All we need to do is seize the moment in worship of Him and obedience to Him.
"I swear by the time! Surely Man is in the way of loss, save those who believe, and do righteous deeds, and counsel each other truth, and counsel each other patience." [Qur'an, Al-'Asr 103:1-3]
Take advantage of the five before five.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to a man while he was advising him:
"Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death."
You should exercise the energy that you have for the sake of Allah by procuring knowledge of Allah, obtaining halal sustenance, and worshiping Allah through acts that you might not be able to do later on in life.
We all fall sick at one time or another. If we did not fall sick, we would not be humans. Some sicknesses can be more severe that the other, and for certain people even more severe. We won't know how long we will have full possession of our faculties before we fall sick. Therefore, take advantage of it before that time comes.
The majority of mankind do not appreciate these two blessings--good health and free time. We don't want to be among those!
Do not forget to invest for your next life, the real eternal life, so you can pick the fruits when you need it the most. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Verily, the money that you spend in charity is your money, and the money that you leave behind is the money of your inheritors." Do you love your own money more or the money of your inheritors?
How much free time do we have and what do we waste it on? Think about it. Spending time wisely does not necessarily mean doing purely religious deeds. Islam is a complete way of life. Many acts can be rewarded if you change your intention and do them for the sake of Allah. But everyone of us should recite the Qur'an everyday, even if it is only for five or ten minutes. Surely, you can find 5 or 10 minutes everyday to build this relationship with the Qur'an. Everyone of us should pray some extra prayers as well, a few sunnahs. One of the greatest act of worship is to seek beneficial knowledge. Do whatever you can to increase your knowledge of Islam--have a daily routine. These are some of the most important religious deeds to fill your time. Don't start with the distractors--TV and the like--the greatest waste of time are these things. There is more to life than them! Read a book instead.
You are only allowed one life on this earth and you will not be able to come back and change that life. For every good you do you will be rewarded, and for every evil you do you will be punished. Inna lillahi wainna ilayhi raji'un. When you are in your grave, the only thing that will follow you that can help you is your Iman and good deeds. So seize the moment in doing righteous deeds and not let a moment pass you by without remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala
May Allah guide is to excellence and give us tawfiq. Ameen.
Please do not forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)