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

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

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

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

Allah Almighty says,

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

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

[AleImran 3:135]

Allah Almighty says,

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

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

[Nuh 71:10-12]

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

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

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

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

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

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

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wassallam, said,

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

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

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

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

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

He who says:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please include us in your prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Living By What We Need

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

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

Allah says,

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

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

(Al-Ankabut 29:64)

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

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

(Al-Kahf 18:46)

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

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

Sahl bin Sa'd al Sa'idi narrated,

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

(Ibn Majah)

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

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

(Tirmidhi)

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

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

He also said,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

The Grand Status Of Parents

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

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

Allah Almighty says,

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

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

[An-Nisa 4:36]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(23)[Al-Isra 17:23]

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

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

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

related archive: Be Good to Your Parents

What Are You Waiting For?

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

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

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

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

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

Allah Almighty says,

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

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

(AleImran 3:185)

and the Almighty says,

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

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

[Luqman 31:33]

The Almighty says,

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

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

(An-Nahl 16:61)

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

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

(Al-Munafiqun 63:9-11)

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

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

[at-Tirmidhi]

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

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

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

[at-Tirmidhi]

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

Remember to make your Will.

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

[Al-Baqarah 2:180]

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

A Gift Of A Student And Teacher

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Allah says,

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

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

[Qur'an Al-Ankabut 29:49]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Qur'an Al-Mujadila 58:11]

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

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

[Qur'an Az-Zumar 39:9]

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

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

[Bukhari]

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

[Muslim]

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

May Allah grant us tawfiq. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.

Wassalaam