Friday, October 31, 2014

Lesson of the day 1364

Ayahs of the day:
God has promised those who believe and do good works that they shall have forgiveness, and a tremendous reward. [5: 9]

Hadith of the day:
The first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer; if it is good then he has succeeded and prospered, but if it is lacking then he has lost and failed. [Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
Spend from what Allah has given you. Do not fear poverty. Allah will give you as He has promised. No one who has been generous has ever perished in destitution. [Ibn Arabi]

Guidance of the day:
Parents should help their children be loyal to them. They should be forgiving, not subject their children to too much pressure when demanding their rights, nor insist overmuch that is to be done to perfection, especially these days when benevolence and loyalty have become scarce, and rebellion and disloyalty have become rife.

When the parents are forgiving to their children, they save and deliver them from the sin of rebellion and the punishment it should attract in this world and the next, and they themselves obtain a reward from God, a generous wage that is better, more perfect, superior, and longer lasting than their children's loyalty. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after. He who stops being better stops being good. Where we cannot invent, we may at least improve. Undoubtedly a man is to labor to better his condition, but first to better himself.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Muharram Mubarak!!!

Madeenah....I love you!
by Asma bint Shameem

In the middle of the desert, across the seven seas
Lies a  lush valley most beloved to me

There are no skyscrapers, there is no fancy life
There is nothing of this dunya yet it's the most beautiful sight

Beautiful are its little houses, so charming are its dusty roads 
So gorgeous are its palm trees, bending over with their loads

Its nights are so fragrant, its days are so blessed
no one can describe it....no words to express it

In Madeenah there is peace, Madeenah is a healing
It is a sanctuary for every heart that is feeling

When I look in the streets, I see young children playing 
I wonder if they realize the enormity of this blessing

To be brought up in the blessed streets of this sacred city
To wake up every morning and to enjoy its sanctity

What I would give to be in their place, I wish it were me instead
I wish...I make dua......as I lay here in my bed

Ya Rabbi, take me to Madeenah....that's where I belong
That's my place...everywhere else seems so wrong

I just don't belong here.... I simply don't blend in
Nothing else seems right, I just don't fit in

It's Madeenah that I desire, to Madeenah is my Calling
Madeenah is the place my achy heart is longing

How my heart craves.... How it yearns to be with you
Madeenah is where I left my heart, O Madeenah, how I miss you!

Every time I visit you, with immense peace I am overcome 
My restless heart finds peace... a feeling... I'm finally home

I love you O Madeenah, I love you in so many ways
I want to spend my life there, for the rest of my days

In Madeenah I want to live and in Madeenah I want to die
To be buried with ten thousand Sahaabah, in al-Baqee' I want to lie

So maybe... when we are resurrected, with the Sahaabah I will be
I am hoping Allaah will forgive me, that's the only chance for me

And just like how Umar al-Faarooq often used to pray
I make the same dua to Allaah as he; and I also say

O Allaah, give me Shahaadah and grant me this Sacred City
For indeed it is pure.... it is blessed....it is Madeenahtun-Nabi

Friday, October 24, 2014

Pearls of Wisdom 360

1. Make it your habit to weep in the awe of the Divine, so you may laugh on the Day of Resurrection. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

2. The best of people are those who, after being generous to people, seek generosity only from Allah. [Abu Hafs al Haddad]

3. He who remembers Allah with all his heart will find that everything other than Allah will leave his heart. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

4. He who comes to the realization of his Lord after much contemplation and reflection will find easy increase in all of his other worships. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

5. Wonder of wonders! How is it that the same people who leave food out of fear of sickness cannot leave sin out of fear of the Hereafter. [Yahya bin Mu'adh]

6. Everyone in the world is a guest, and his money is but a loan. The guest must go sooner of later and the loan must be returned. [Ibn Mus'ud radi Allah anhu]

7. What anxiety is there for the one who is detached from the world? And what need for excuses is there for the one who remains silent?

8. Wealth and poverty are Divine gifts -- Wealth is corrupted by forgetfulness/heedlessness, poverty by greed. [Al Qushayri]

9. It is false hope which expects forgiveness -- while knowingly persisting in sin. [Abdullah bin Khabeeq]

10. The true believer is he whose obedience to Allah and His messenger is as if he holds the Qur'an in one hand and the hadith in the other. [Shaykh al Jonayd]

Friday, October 17, 2014

Lesson of the Day 1363

Ayahs of the day:
Believers, be upstanding for God as witnesses for justice; and do not let the hatred of some people hurt you so much that you are not fair. Be fair; that is kin to  conscience. And be conscious of God, for God is aware of what you do. [5: 8]

Hadith of the day:
Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me. [Bukhari]

Wise quote of the day:
It is easy to know God. But to find the way to God is painfully hard. You cannot find God without passing beyond your own being. [Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak]

Guidance of the day:
Just as a person should serve his parents graciously during their life, so should he continue to do so after they pass away. This consists in praying and asking forgiveness for them, giving charity on their behalf, settling their debts, executing their wills, preserving their kinship bonds, and treating kindly their friends and those they used to love. These are all included under loyalty to one's parents, as stated in many ahadiths.

There are great benefits in praying and asking forgiveness for the dead and in giving out charity on their behalf. Therefore, no person should neglect doing so for the two parents in particular, then relatives, those with rights upon one, and all Muslims in general. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for thought:
Impossibility -- a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools. To the timid and hesitating everything is impossible because it seems so. Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Beautiful one liners....

1) Give Allah what's right, not what's left.

2) Man's way leads to a hopeless end - Allah's way leads to an endless hope.

3) A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4) He who kneels before Allah can stand before anyone.

5) In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be the full stop.

6) Don't put a question mark where Allah has put a full stop.

7) Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the mosque for a face lift.

8) When praying, don't give Allah instructions, just report for duty.

9) Don't wait for six strong men to take you to the mosque.

10) We don't change Allah's message -- His message changes us.

11) The mosque is prayer-conditioned.

12) When Allah ordains, He sustains.

13) Glad tiding -- Exposure to Allah will prevent burning.

14) Plan ahead - It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

15) Most people want to serve Allah, but only in an advisory position.

16) Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Qur'an.

17) Exercise daily - Walk with Allah.

18) Never give the devil a ride - He will always want to drive.

19) Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20) Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21) He, who angers you, controls you.

22) Worry is the darkroom in which negatives are developed.

23) Give Satan an inch and he will be a ruler.

24) Allah doesn't call the qualified - He qualifies the called.

25) Read the Qur'an - It will scare the hell out of you.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Pearls of Wisdom 359

1. The deceased wait your imminent arrival, so gather now your provisions for that journey. [Da'ud Tai]

2. He who recognizes himself has recognized his Lord, and he who has recognized his Lord has achieved everything there is to achieve---------through his submission to His commands. [Sahl bin Abdullah tustari]

3. The initial stage of intimacy with the Divine is contentment and the beginning of contentment lies in leaving your vain desires. [Sahl bin Abdullah Tustari]

4. Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all, it is only in the darkest nights that the stars shine most brilliantly. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

5. The one who wants to expand his needs and wants should get used to the grief that comes from being deprived. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

6. Accept the truth from whoever says it, whether they are young or old and beware of being given to refusal and arrogance. [Shaykh Bayanuni]

7. Blessings tend to flee from those who have no measure of them. [Sari al Saqti]

8. Do not think that controlling your anger is somehow removed from good manners. [Sari al Saqti]

9. Without a steady dose of knowledge, wisdom, and the advice from the sages, our hearts will wither and die. [Fatah Musli]

10. Whoever is pleased with himself is veiled from his Lord. [Shah al Kirmani]

Saturday, October 04, 2014

Eid Mubarak !!!

Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik
by Asma bint Shameem

As I pack my belongings..... and get ready for this great Journey
I cry with gratitude.....once more You've blessed me
Tears flowing.....in ecstasy my heart flies
My soul sings....my whole being cries
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

But what are these words..... what do they really mean?
Do I appreciate them?...Do I just repeat what I've seen?
Do I really understand....
Do I even comprehend....
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Labbaik means I am here, Ya Rabbee.....I respond to Your call
With a heart full of hope....for that Mercy that envelops all
I'm here to serve You......I'm here to comply
To You I submit......until the day I die
Labbaik......Allaahumma Labbaik

Labbaik means total devotion.....submission to Allaah Almighty
Labbaik means sincere obedience and commitment completely
Labbaik means surrender
.....for now and for ever
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Labbaik means I'm sorry.....so sorry for all my past
Sorry for my mistakes and my shortcomings of last
I beg You, ya Allaah.....please forgive me
I repent to you, O Maulaa......do accept me
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Labbaik means to change.....so that I live my life for You
Whatever I say and do, from now on will only be to please You
I will give up my evil ways
I will fix my nights and days
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

But Labbaik also means.......I love you, Ya Rabbee
Nothing else matters....but that You're pleased with me
It.s Your Pleasure that I seek
Though I'm so sinful and weak
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Head bowed low.... remorseful, and so full of fear
I.m ashamed of my life....repentant, as I stand here
Yearning Your forgiveness
I cry out in wretchedness.....
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Will I change for the better....will I turn my life around?
Or will I succumb to temptation, wherever it is found?
When will I even begin to see
The faults that are so obvious in me?
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

I'll stop dealing in Ribaa..... I'll give up my Haraam earning
I'll wear the Hijaab...... no more lying , no backbiting
Never a single prayer will I neglect
My character, I'll make...upright and erect
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Don't let me become heedless, I pray....Don't make me forget
All the promises I've made, Ya Allaah....all the goals that I've set
Keep me strong, keep me steadfast
Let this feeling in me, forever last
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

For I don't know when I'll die and I don't know where it will be
But I hope I am in Ihraam....when the Angel comes to me
'Cos if I die so, the Prophet told you and me
when raised from the dead, my first words'll be.....
Labbaik....Allaahumma Labbaik

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Lesson of the Day 1362

Ayahs of the Day:
And remember God's favor to you, and the divine compact in which God joined you when you said, "We hear and obey." And be conscious of God, for God knows what is in hearts. [5: 7]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever builds a mosque for the sake of Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The ways to God are as many as there are created beings. But the shortest and easiest is to serve others, not to bother others, and to make others happy. [Abu Sa'id]

Guidance of the Day:
As for the parents, God commands that we treat them with loyalty and benevolence, and forbids that we treat them badly. He enjoins this with utmost severity and strongly warns against contravention in His formidable Book and by the tongue of His noble Messenger. He couples the injunction to be good to the parents to that of His Tawhid and worship, and He couples thanking them to thanking Him.

Loyalty when they grow old deserved special mention because elderly people are in need for someone to look after them, manage their affairs, and serve them. Strive arduously to serve them well, this shall be your way of struggling in the way of God. Rights of parents are the greatest following those of God and those of His Messenger.

Therefore, do serve them graciously, treat them kindly, obey them, and be humble in their presence. Never show them that you expect them to show gratitude, and never perceive their service as tedious. Count their need for you and expectations that you will serve them and be good to them among the greatest gifts to you and the best of the good works He has granted you to perform. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]

Food for Thought:
The average man does not know what to do with this life, yet wants another one which will last forever. The best argument for an immortal life is the existence of a man who deserves one. If your contribution has been vital there will always be somebody to pick up where you left off, and that will be your claim to immortality. The reward of great men is that, long after they have died, one is not quite sure that they are dead.