. A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested on three occasions -- in time of need;
behind your back; and after your death. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
2. One of your sins should seem weightier to you than a thousand of your virtues. [Imam Ja'far al Sadiq]
3. There can be no good in excess, just as there is no excess in good. [Imam Abu Hanifah]
4. If there is a good deed which is difficult, hold on to it, for in the end, the good deed will remain and
the difficulty will perish. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
5. To be humble is to accept the truth and submit to it even if you heard it from a child or someone who
is uneducated or ignorant. [Fudhayl ibn Iyaadh]
6..Even if you studied for a hundred years and collected a thousand books, you would not be eligible for
the mercy of Allah except through action. [Imam al Ghazali]
7. Live as long as you want, but you must die; love whoever you want, but you will become separated
from it; and do what you want, but you will be repaid for it. [Imam al Ghazali]
8. Allah loves the voice of the one who recites the Qur'an, and the voice of the one who seeks forgiveness
before dawn break. [Sufyan al Thawri]
9. Knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge is void. [Imam al Ghazali]
10. Know that the knowledge which does not remove you from sins today and does not convert you to
obedience, will not remove you tomorrow from the Hell fire. [Imam al Ghazali]
Friday, August 14, 2015
Friday, August 07, 2015
This too will pass....
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter, so (please) make righteous the Ansaar and the emigrants.” [Sahih al Bukhari]
Commentary: A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt himself confused and called the sages to him.
He said: “I do not know the cause, but something impels me to seek a certain ring, one that will enable me to stabilize my state. I must have such a ring. And this ring must be one which, when I am unhappy, will make me joyful. At the same time, if I am happy and look upon it, I must be made sad.”
The wise men consulted one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation. Finally, they came to a decision as to the character of this ring which would suit their king.
The ring which they devised was one upon which was inscribed the legend: THIS, TOO, WILL PASS.
This life, however it is, will pass. A drop compared to the ocean is what this life is compared to the Hereafter. And the ocean of the next existence will be wonderful only for the righteous. That is why the Messenger of Allah ( peace and blessings upon him) prayed to Allah (Most high) to make his Companions righteous.
Commentary: A powerful king, ruler of many domains, was in a position of such magnificence that wise men were his mere employees. And yet one day he felt himself confused and called the sages to him.
He said: “I do not know the cause, but something impels me to seek a certain ring, one that will enable me to stabilize my state. I must have such a ring. And this ring must be one which, when I am unhappy, will make me joyful. At the same time, if I am happy and look upon it, I must be made sad.”
The wise men consulted one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation. Finally, they came to a decision as to the character of this ring which would suit their king.
The ring which they devised was one upon which was inscribed the legend: THIS, TOO, WILL PASS.
This life, however it is, will pass. A drop compared to the ocean is what this life is compared to the Hereafter. And the ocean of the next existence will be wonderful only for the righteous. That is why the Messenger of Allah ( peace and blessings upon him) prayed to Allah (Most high) to make his Companions righteous.
Monday, August 03, 2015
Lesson of the day 1385
Ayahs of the day:
It is God who causes the grain and the date stone to split and sprout; God brings forth the living from the dead, and is the one who brings forth the dead from the living. That is God for you; so how can you be deceived? [6: 95]
Hadith of the day:
Circulate knowledge and teach the ignorant, for knowledge does not vanish except when it is kept secretly (to oneself). [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
Whenever you interact with people, deal with them as you would wish yourself to be dealt with by them, for a believer's faith is incomplete until he wants for other people what he wants for himself. [Imam al Ghazali]
Guidance of the day:
It is a most certain duty upon all Muslims to guard themselves thoroughly against all sins, for in them lies God's wrath and loathing, and furthermore, they are the cause of all the afflictions and catastrophes that befall people both in this world and the next. Should a person fall into a sin, he must repent to God immediately and strive neither to persist nor feel comfortable with it.
Every believer should repent continuously to God, renewing his repentance at every moment and in every situation, for sins are numerous, there are minor as well as major ones, manifest as well as hidden ones, and sins that the servant is aware of as well as others he is not. He may be asked to account for not making an effort to learn whether certain acts are sinful or not, as well as their having preliminaries and signs that, had he known them, might have allowed to do something about them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
You must give time to your fellow men, even if it's a little thing, do something for others -- something for which you get no pay but privilege of doing it. What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other!
It is God who causes the grain and the date stone to split and sprout; God brings forth the living from the dead, and is the one who brings forth the dead from the living. That is God for you; so how can you be deceived? [6: 95]
Hadith of the day:
Circulate knowledge and teach the ignorant, for knowledge does not vanish except when it is kept secretly (to oneself). [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
Whenever you interact with people, deal with them as you would wish yourself to be dealt with by them, for a believer's faith is incomplete until he wants for other people what he wants for himself. [Imam al Ghazali]
Guidance of the day:
It is a most certain duty upon all Muslims to guard themselves thoroughly against all sins, for in them lies God's wrath and loathing, and furthermore, they are the cause of all the afflictions and catastrophes that befall people both in this world and the next. Should a person fall into a sin, he must repent to God immediately and strive neither to persist nor feel comfortable with it.
Every believer should repent continuously to God, renewing his repentance at every moment and in every situation, for sins are numerous, there are minor as well as major ones, manifest as well as hidden ones, and sins that the servant is aware of as well as others he is not. He may be asked to account for not making an effort to learn whether certain acts are sinful or not, as well as their having preliminaries and signs that, had he known them, might have allowed to do something about them. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
You must give time to your fellow men, even if it's a little thing, do something for others -- something for which you get no pay but privilege of doing it. What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Pears of Wisdom 379
1. Agreeing with everything one hears is from the habits of hypocrites and disputing
with everything one hears is the breeding ground of enmity.
2. The sign that Allah is pleased with His servant is that His servant is pleased with His decree.
3. For those of spiritual insight, everything they lay eyes upon have within it a lofty message and a gentle reminder.
4. Slay your lowly desires with the sword of knowledge (ilm), and your anger with the sword of forbearance (hilm).
5. Go not near places of wickedness and indecency, for they are the epicenters of Allah's wrath and punishment.
6. The worst sin committed by one -- is the one not deemed so when it is done.
7. The best of the words is that which is confirmed with the best of actions.
8. When a man's character becomes goodly, his words become lofty.
9. What a tremendous gift has been given to the one who finds acts of disobedience difficult.
10. Perfecting one's intellect causes one to speak less, and those words spoken will be adorned with wisdom. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
with everything one hears is the breeding ground of enmity.
2. The sign that Allah is pleased with His servant is that His servant is pleased with His decree.
3. For those of spiritual insight, everything they lay eyes upon have within it a lofty message and a gentle reminder.
4. Slay your lowly desires with the sword of knowledge (ilm), and your anger with the sword of forbearance (hilm).
5. Go not near places of wickedness and indecency, for they are the epicenters of Allah's wrath and punishment.
6. The worst sin committed by one -- is the one not deemed so when it is done.
7. The best of the words is that which is confirmed with the best of actions.
8. When a man's character becomes goodly, his words become lofty.
9. What a tremendous gift has been given to the one who finds acts of disobedience difficult.
10. Perfecting one's intellect causes one to speak less, and those words spoken will be adorned with wisdom. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Monday, July 20, 2015
Beautiful duas....
Dua is not just asking, it is a longing of the soul. It is
a daily admission of one's weakness before the Almighty.
It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than
words without a heart.
O Allah, make our love for You the most beloved thing to us,
and our fear for You the most fearful thing to us.
O Allah, Remove from us all worldly needs and wants,
by instilling a passion for meeting You,
O Allah, when You have given the people of the world the
pleasures of this world, give us pleasure in worshipping
You,
O Allah, Please don't let us turn away from You, no matter
how many trials You test us with, let these difficulties
serve to make us close to You.
O Allah, grant us the best of company as our friends --
those who will inspire us to love and worship and obey You.
O Allah, grant us a heart that loves to obey You.
O Allah, shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in our
hearts and destroy it before it takes root.
O Allah, guide us away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy,
hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make us uncomfortable with sins.
O Allah, penetrate our hearts with Your love and reverence today and always.
O Allah, make apparent to us the truth in any situation and let them not be
misled by falsehood.
O Allah, grant us the ability to make clear decisions and let us always be attracted
to good things that are pure, noble, true and just.
O Allah, guide us in making choices that please You.
O Allah, help us to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and
submission to You.
O Allah, grant us the wisdom to choose our words carefully and bless us with a generous
and caring spirit.
O Allah, we pray that we never stray from the path of deen and that You give us a future
filled with Your best promises.
O Allah, always keep us cleansed and pure from the evil Satan.
O Allah, keep us steadfast in establishing Salah and help us revere the Glorious Quran as
Your Word and Law and help us read it with understanding daily, let it be our source of light
and guidance, ameen.
a daily admission of one's weakness before the Almighty.
It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than
words without a heart.
O Allah, make our love for You the most beloved thing to us,
and our fear for You the most fearful thing to us.
O Allah, Remove from us all worldly needs and wants,
by instilling a passion for meeting You,
O Allah, when You have given the people of the world the
pleasures of this world, give us pleasure in worshipping
You,
O Allah, Please don't let us turn away from You, no matter
how many trials You test us with, let these difficulties
serve to make us close to You.
O Allah, grant us the best of company as our friends --
those who will inspire us to love and worship and obey You.
O Allah, grant us a heart that loves to obey You.
O Allah, shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in our
hearts and destroy it before it takes root.
O Allah, guide us away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy,
hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make us uncomfortable with sins.
O Allah, penetrate our hearts with Your love and reverence today and always.
O Allah, make apparent to us the truth in any situation and let them not be
misled by falsehood.
O Allah, grant us the ability to make clear decisions and let us always be attracted
to good things that are pure, noble, true and just.
O Allah, guide us in making choices that please You.
O Allah, help us to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and
submission to You.
O Allah, grant us the wisdom to choose our words carefully and bless us with a generous
and caring spirit.
O Allah, we pray that we never stray from the path of deen and that You give us a future
filled with Your best promises.
O Allah, always keep us cleansed and pure from the evil Satan.
O Allah, keep us steadfast in establishing Salah and help us revere the Glorious Quran as
Your Word and Law and help us read it with understanding daily, let it be our source of light
and guidance, ameen.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Eid Mubarak!!!
InshaAllah we are almost there, may He accept all our ibadahs and duas, ameen.
Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.
Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small?
Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on.
Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.
Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says,
"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!''
When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in Your Abilities.
A blind person asked a wise person "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"
When you pray for others, God listens to you, blesses you and them. Sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away today’s' PEACE.
Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.
Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small?
Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on.
Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.
Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says,
"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!''
When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in Your Abilities.
A blind person asked a wise person "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"
When you pray for others, God listens to you, blesses you and them. Sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away today’s' PEACE.
Sunday, July 05, 2015
Lesson of the day 1383
Ayahs of the day:
And so leave those who take their religion for play and amusement, whom the life of the world has deceived. Remind them that a soul is delivered to perdition by what it has earned; it has no protector but God, and no intercessor; and even if it pays every ransom, none will be accepted from it. [6: 70]
Hadith of the day:
The earth has been made for me (and my followers) as a place for praying and a means to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due. [Abu Dawood]
Wise quote of the day:
One who often thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the day:
One of the greatest faults of the tongue is lying, which is to state other than what is, whether by affirming what is not, or by denying what is.
Another great fault of the tongue is backbiting, which is for you to say things about your brother in his absence which he would have resented had he heard them. Backbiting is strictly forbidden.
Among the tongue's faults is tale-bearing, which is to inform each party of what the other said about him, so as to cause discord and sedition.
Of the tongue's faults is to insult a Muslim and offend him to his face, to mock and scorn a Muslim, or laugh at him in disdain. Also among the faults of the tongue are false oaths, false witness, cursing, making false promises, double talk, all other forms of repulsive or indecent speech, as well as disputing, arguing contentiously, competing for speech, frequent quarreling, and talking about that which does not concern them. These were all dispraised in numerous verses of the Qur'an and well known hadiths. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
When the believer is overcome by misfortune, only by repenting can he truly find a way out of his difficulties. All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is the direct result of our own thoughts. Our thoughts, not our circumstances, determine how we feel. An absence of negative thought brings forth a positive feeling.
And so leave those who take their religion for play and amusement, whom the life of the world has deceived. Remind them that a soul is delivered to perdition by what it has earned; it has no protector but God, and no intercessor; and even if it pays every ransom, none will be accepted from it. [6: 70]
Hadith of the day:
The earth has been made for me (and my followers) as a place for praying and a means to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due. [Abu Dawood]
Wise quote of the day:
One who often thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the day:
One of the greatest faults of the tongue is lying, which is to state other than what is, whether by affirming what is not, or by denying what is.
Another great fault of the tongue is backbiting, which is for you to say things about your brother in his absence which he would have resented had he heard them. Backbiting is strictly forbidden.
Among the tongue's faults is tale-bearing, which is to inform each party of what the other said about him, so as to cause discord and sedition.
Of the tongue's faults is to insult a Muslim and offend him to his face, to mock and scorn a Muslim, or laugh at him in disdain. Also among the faults of the tongue are false oaths, false witness, cursing, making false promises, double talk, all other forms of repulsive or indecent speech, as well as disputing, arguing contentiously, competing for speech, frequent quarreling, and talking about that which does not concern them. These were all dispraised in numerous verses of the Qur'an and well known hadiths. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
When the believer is overcome by misfortune, only by repenting can he truly find a way out of his difficulties. All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is the direct result of our own thoughts. Our thoughts, not our circumstances, determine how we feel. An absence of negative thought brings forth a positive feeling.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Don’t Stop Being Kind: The Small Things Are Greater than You Think
Ramadan’s a great time to be kinder
We plant trees to overcome pollution, take vitamins to beat fatigue, vacuum the house to clean the dust; it makes sense to conquer the negative with a positive, and what’s more beautiful than a fresh batch of hope to revive this ummah? Investing in small acts of kindness this Ramadan should be our ultimate goal. It’s effortless, simple and free. You make someone happy, which makes you feel better and makes the world a better place. Win. Win Win. This isn’t just about the mega bonus of Ramadan’s multiplied rewards! (Actually it so is, who are we kidding?)
Here’s a list to get you started:
For your lovely parents
Thank your mom every day for the food she cooked and make yummy noises! (Cooking while you’re fasting is not easy! Trust me). Kiss her hands that have done so much for you.
Ask your dad daily: “What can I do to make your day better?” Help him out with organizing his stuff, clearing his email or even just discussing things he loves to talk about.
For your precious grandparents
Umm, hello! Call and visit them! Make them feel special before they’re gone. Make them feel wanted and relevant by asking them to tell you stories – because there’s nothing they want more!
For your spouse and children
Hide a note with a funny joke, compliment or piece of advice in your kids’ backpacks or clothes.
Text your husband or wife saying ‘I Love You’ or how much you appreciate what they do.
A minimum of three hugs a day for each member of the family (I’m serious! Sometimes all we need is a warm embrace).
Be kind to your children whenever they nag about being hungry or tired. It’s the best time to teach them patience!
Ask if your spouse needs any help in the kitchen or would like a nice warm foot massage after a tiring day at work. Keep your love alive.
For relatives, neighbors and friends:
Send flowers (or yummy dessert) to a distant relative with a card saying “Just a little something to make you smile”. Invite them for iftar or share some specially made delicacies with them.
Offer to mow your neighbor’s lawn or wash their cars.
Go out of your way to restore ties of kinship this Ramadan.
Tell your friends how much they mean to you and make dua for them.
Volunteer to offer drinks and dates at a nearby masjid during taraweeh for the people. Make a flask of tea or coffee for the late night prayers (Qiyam al Layl) for the ones who come to the mosque!
For co-workers and other workers:
Bring homemade cookies to share at work (with chocolate chips please!) Don’t worry, we will save them till after iftar!
Praise clerks, assistants and workers and thank them for their hard work. Try doing this everyday!
Leave a nice comment on articles you enjoyed (Uhmm Hint Hint).
For absolute strangers:
Greet people with a smile (it’s a sunnah too!).
Give up your seat for the elderly or a pregnant woman or just anyone who looks like they need to sit down!
Hand out balloons to kids on the street. Distribute packs of dates and water (and additionally any delicacy if you wish) along your street to those who pass by.
For God’s beautiful creations:
Leave a bowl of water outside for the birds (that’s when I had to explain to my son why animals don’t fast).
Make tasbih (glorifying Allah) outdoors. Trees, insects, even the mountains and soil will join and bloom.
For those in dire need of small kindnesses:
Leave a couple of colors and coloring books in the waiting room of a public hospital.
Do some fun story-telling at an orphanage and bring them toys or snacks.
Share a meal with a homeless person and sit with them on the ground.
Listen to someone who is sad or lonely.
The ideas are endless. Just doing one simple act of kindness a day without expecting anything in return can truly change the world, and is beyond joyful and fulfilling. It’s in fact the number one reason behind success, inner peace and sound sleep! Helping others feel better is simply the meaning of happiness because:
“Is there any reward for good other than good?” [Qur’an: Chapter 55, Verse 60]
So believe in your Lord’s promise, have compassion, pray from the heart and invest in those simple acts of kindness during this blessed Holy month. And if that makes you a pushover, well, consider yourself the luckiest person on Earth for being one!
Share with us more small kindnesses that we can engage in daily during Ramadan and after!
Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/dont-stop-being-kind/#ixzz3eHf87b5s
We plant trees to overcome pollution, take vitamins to beat fatigue, vacuum the house to clean the dust; it makes sense to conquer the negative with a positive, and what’s more beautiful than a fresh batch of hope to revive this ummah? Investing in small acts of kindness this Ramadan should be our ultimate goal. It’s effortless, simple and free. You make someone happy, which makes you feel better and makes the world a better place. Win. Win Win. This isn’t just about the mega bonus of Ramadan’s multiplied rewards! (Actually it so is, who are we kidding?)
Here’s a list to get you started:
For your lovely parents
Thank your mom every day for the food she cooked and make yummy noises! (Cooking while you’re fasting is not easy! Trust me). Kiss her hands that have done so much for you.
Ask your dad daily: “What can I do to make your day better?” Help him out with organizing his stuff, clearing his email or even just discussing things he loves to talk about.
For your precious grandparents
Umm, hello! Call and visit them! Make them feel special before they’re gone. Make them feel wanted and relevant by asking them to tell you stories – because there’s nothing they want more!
For your spouse and children
Hide a note with a funny joke, compliment or piece of advice in your kids’ backpacks or clothes.
Text your husband or wife saying ‘I Love You’ or how much you appreciate what they do.
A minimum of three hugs a day for each member of the family (I’m serious! Sometimes all we need is a warm embrace).
Be kind to your children whenever they nag about being hungry or tired. It’s the best time to teach them patience!
Ask if your spouse needs any help in the kitchen or would like a nice warm foot massage after a tiring day at work. Keep your love alive.
For relatives, neighbors and friends:
Send flowers (or yummy dessert) to a distant relative with a card saying “Just a little something to make you smile”. Invite them for iftar or share some specially made delicacies with them.
Offer to mow your neighbor’s lawn or wash their cars.
Go out of your way to restore ties of kinship this Ramadan.
Tell your friends how much they mean to you and make dua for them.
Volunteer to offer drinks and dates at a nearby masjid during taraweeh for the people. Make a flask of tea or coffee for the late night prayers (Qiyam al Layl) for the ones who come to the mosque!
For co-workers and other workers:
Bring homemade cookies to share at work (with chocolate chips please!) Don’t worry, we will save them till after iftar!
Praise clerks, assistants and workers and thank them for their hard work. Try doing this everyday!
Leave a nice comment on articles you enjoyed (Uhmm Hint Hint).
For absolute strangers:
Greet people with a smile (it’s a sunnah too!).
Give up your seat for the elderly or a pregnant woman or just anyone who looks like they need to sit down!
Hand out balloons to kids on the street. Distribute packs of dates and water (and additionally any delicacy if you wish) along your street to those who pass by.
For God’s beautiful creations:
Leave a bowl of water outside for the birds (that’s when I had to explain to my son why animals don’t fast).
Make tasbih (glorifying Allah) outdoors. Trees, insects, even the mountains and soil will join and bloom.
For those in dire need of small kindnesses:
Leave a couple of colors and coloring books in the waiting room of a public hospital.
Do some fun story-telling at an orphanage and bring them toys or snacks.
Share a meal with a homeless person and sit with them on the ground.
Listen to someone who is sad or lonely.
The ideas are endless. Just doing one simple act of kindness a day without expecting anything in return can truly change the world, and is beyond joyful and fulfilling. It’s in fact the number one reason behind success, inner peace and sound sleep! Helping others feel better is simply the meaning of happiness because:
“Is there any reward for good other than good?” [Qur’an: Chapter 55, Verse 60]
So believe in your Lord’s promise, have compassion, pray from the heart and invest in those simple acts of kindness during this blessed Holy month. And if that makes you a pushover, well, consider yourself the luckiest person on Earth for being one!
Share with us more small kindnesses that we can engage in daily during Ramadan and after!
Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/dont-stop-being-kind/#ixzz3eHf87b5s
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Why we Muslims pray the way we pray....
An onlooker (Muhammad Asad -- before Islam), unfamiliar with the Islamic mode of prayer, asked a simple Muslim:
"Might it not be better only to look into one's self and to pray to Him in the stillness of one's heart? Why all these movements of your body?"
This was his response....
1. 'How else should we worship God? Did He not create us both, soul and body, together? And this being so,should man not pray with his body as well with his soul? Listen, I will tell you why we Muslims pray the way we pray.
2. We turn toward the Kaaba, God's holy temple in Mecca, knowing that the faces of all Muslims, wherever they may be, are turned to it in prayer, and that we are like one body, with Him as the center of our thoughts.
3. First we stand upright and recite from the holy Qur'an, remembering that it is His word, given to man that he may be upright and steadfast in life.
4. Then we say "God is the Greatest," reminding ourselves that no one deserves to be worshipped but Him; and bow down deep because we honor Him above all, and praise His power and glory.
5. Thereafter we prostrate ourselves on our foreheads because we feel that we are but dust and nothingness before Him, and that He is our Creator and Sustainer on High.
6. Then we lift our faces from the ground and remain sitting, praying that He forgive us our sins and bestow His grace upon us, and guide us aright, and give us health and sustenance.
7. Then we again prostrate ourselves on the ground and touch the dust with our foreheads before the Might and the Glory of the One.
8. After that, we remain sitting and pray that He bless the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) who brought His message to us, just as He blessed the earlier Prophets; and that He bless us as well, and all those who follow the right guidance;and we ask Him to give us the good of this world and of the good of the world to come.
9. In the end we turn our heads to the right and to the left, saying,"Peace and the grace of God be upon you" -- and thus greet all who are righteous, wherever they may be.
10. It was thus that our Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) used to pray and taught his followers to pray for all times, so that they might willingly surrender themselves to God -- which is what Islam means -- and so be at peace with Him and with their own destiny.' [The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad]
"Might it not be better only to look into one's self and to pray to Him in the stillness of one's heart? Why all these movements of your body?"
This was his response....
1. 'How else should we worship God? Did He not create us both, soul and body, together? And this being so,should man not pray with his body as well with his soul? Listen, I will tell you why we Muslims pray the way we pray.
2. We turn toward the Kaaba, God's holy temple in Mecca, knowing that the faces of all Muslims, wherever they may be, are turned to it in prayer, and that we are like one body, with Him as the center of our thoughts.
3. First we stand upright and recite from the holy Qur'an, remembering that it is His word, given to man that he may be upright and steadfast in life.
4. Then we say "God is the Greatest," reminding ourselves that no one deserves to be worshipped but Him; and bow down deep because we honor Him above all, and praise His power and glory.
5. Thereafter we prostrate ourselves on our foreheads because we feel that we are but dust and nothingness before Him, and that He is our Creator and Sustainer on High.
6. Then we lift our faces from the ground and remain sitting, praying that He forgive us our sins and bestow His grace upon us, and guide us aright, and give us health and sustenance.
7. Then we again prostrate ourselves on the ground and touch the dust with our foreheads before the Might and the Glory of the One.
8. After that, we remain sitting and pray that He bless the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) who brought His message to us, just as He blessed the earlier Prophets; and that He bless us as well, and all those who follow the right guidance;and we ask Him to give us the good of this world and of the good of the world to come.
9. In the end we turn our heads to the right and to the left, saying,"Peace and the grace of God be upon you" -- and thus greet all who are righteous, wherever they may be.
10. It was thus that our Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) used to pray and taught his followers to pray for all times, so that they might willingly surrender themselves to God -- which is what Islam means -- and so be at peace with Him and with their own destiny.' [The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad]
Monday, June 15, 2015
Ramadan Mubarak!!!
My Ramadan Prayer
Imam Zaid Shakir
As we stand on the verge of beginning the great fast,
let us pray that the blessings we enjoy are decreed to last.
Let us pray for the people, who have lost their homes, fields and cattle in the flood, that they
are patient and see their sins washed away by torrents of forgiveness and divine love.
Let us pray for all of those living in lands that have been invaded and occupied, that their resolve
for deliverance is not weakened nor their hearts rendered cold, callous and dry.
Let us pray for the elders who have seen only war as successive decades pass by, that they are
not so traumatized that they cannot find tears to cry.
Let us pray for the fathers, who watch as their sons are mercilessly dragged away, that they will
live to see the justice of a better day.
Let us pray for our sisters, who with such great dignity represent all of us, that they never lose sight
of the fact that they are carrying a divine trust.
Let us pray for the teachers, who toil sometimes in unbearable situations, that they remain strong and
undaunted in their commitment to future generations.
Let us pray for the believers everywhere,
that they are the recipients of divine aid and celestial care.
Let us pray for the babies, be they little boys or girls,
that they will be blessed to inherit a saner, safer and more secure world.
Let us pray for this troubled nation we live in,
to realize that we cannot forever escape the wages of our sins.
Let us pray for the children, whose mothers or fathers have been deported, that their dreams will not be deferred nor their hearts distorted.
Let us pray for the legions, who for someone’s profits have been incarcerated, that through the message of the Prophet their minds can be liberated.
Let us pray for all of the boys and girls in the ‘hood,
to learn that virtue is its own reward, and that its recompense is always good.
Let us pray for even the malicious fools, who picket Masjids and burn the Qur’an, that they repent, are guided, and come to know the blessings of Ramadan.
Imam Zaid Shakir
As we stand on the verge of beginning the great fast,
let us pray that the blessings we enjoy are decreed to last.
Let us pray for the people, who have lost their homes, fields and cattle in the flood, that they
are patient and see their sins washed away by torrents of forgiveness and divine love.
Let us pray for all of those living in lands that have been invaded and occupied, that their resolve
for deliverance is not weakened nor their hearts rendered cold, callous and dry.
Let us pray for the elders who have seen only war as successive decades pass by, that they are
not so traumatized that they cannot find tears to cry.
Let us pray for the fathers, who watch as their sons are mercilessly dragged away, that they will
live to see the justice of a better day.
Let us pray for our sisters, who with such great dignity represent all of us, that they never lose sight
of the fact that they are carrying a divine trust.
Let us pray for the teachers, who toil sometimes in unbearable situations, that they remain strong and
undaunted in their commitment to future generations.
Let us pray for the believers everywhere,
that they are the recipients of divine aid and celestial care.
Let us pray for the babies, be they little boys or girls,
that they will be blessed to inherit a saner, safer and more secure world.
Let us pray for this troubled nation we live in,
to realize that we cannot forever escape the wages of our sins.
Let us pray for the children, whose mothers or fathers have been deported, that their dreams will not be deferred nor their hearts distorted.
Let us pray for the legions, who for someone’s profits have been incarcerated, that through the message of the Prophet their minds can be liberated.
Let us pray for all of the boys and girls in the ‘hood,
to learn that virtue is its own reward, and that its recompense is always good.
Let us pray for even the malicious fools, who picket Masjids and burn the Qur’an, that they repent, are guided, and come to know the blessings of Ramadan.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Lesson of the day 1382
Ayahs of the day:
And when you see those who take up Our signs rashly, avoid them until they take up another topic. And if Satan would make you forget, then after remembering do not sit with people who are wrong. For the conscientious have no responsibility for anything on their account, except reminder, that they may become conscientious. [6: 68,69]
Hadith of the day:
Whoever builds a masjid for Allah, Allah will build for him a palace in Jannah. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The responsibility of maintaining a religious and modest society weighs on the shoulders of both Muslim men and women, so let us take this role seriously. [Shaykh Amjad Rasheed]
Guidance of the day:
The affairs of the tongue are most important, for it is the organ with most control over the servant and most influence in leading him to perdition should he fail to control it and prevent it from what God forbids.
The perils of the tongue are immense and frightening. Only maintaining silence and speaking only when strictly necessary may save one from them. A person should keep so occupied with reciting the Book of God and remembering Him in abundance as to prevent him from delving into falsehood or what does not concern him. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. We should be as careful of the books we read, as of the company we keep. No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.
And when you see those who take up Our signs rashly, avoid them until they take up another topic. And if Satan would make you forget, then after remembering do not sit with people who are wrong. For the conscientious have no responsibility for anything on their account, except reminder, that they may become conscientious. [6: 68,69]
Hadith of the day:
Whoever builds a masjid for Allah, Allah will build for him a palace in Jannah. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The responsibility of maintaining a religious and modest society weighs on the shoulders of both Muslim men and women, so let us take this role seriously. [Shaykh Amjad Rasheed]
Guidance of the day:
The affairs of the tongue are most important, for it is the organ with most control over the servant and most influence in leading him to perdition should he fail to control it and prevent it from what God forbids.
The perils of the tongue are immense and frightening. Only maintaining silence and speaking only when strictly necessary may save one from them. A person should keep so occupied with reciting the Book of God and remembering Him in abundance as to prevent him from delving into falsehood or what does not concern him. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. We should be as careful of the books we read, as of the company we keep. No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.
Monday, June 08, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 378
1. Friendships with the ignorant and the heedless are as fickle as the changing times and as quick
to disappear as the setting sun.
2. Consider not a man worthless until you had a chance to converse with him.
3. Health and well-being on the one hand and gluttony on the other are mutually exclusive.
4. Face off your difficulties with patience; and fence in your blessings with thankfulness.
5. A man's intellect becomes apparent from his speech; as does his character from the goodness
of his action.
6. Always consider your intellect to be lacking; otherwise too much faith in it surely leads to error.
7. Seek Allah's refuge from the heedlessness which comes from prosperity; so deep it is, that it will
take one very long to climb out of it.
8. It is not in the make-up of a noble person to delay in rewarding nor is it that of a generous one to
exact revenge.
9. Even if Allah had not decreed to abstain from the foul and impure the man of intellect would still
surely do so.
10. Do not consider admitting ignorance as a necessarily bad thing, for saying, "I do not know"
is itself half of knowledge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
to disappear as the setting sun.
2. Consider not a man worthless until you had a chance to converse with him.
3. Health and well-being on the one hand and gluttony on the other are mutually exclusive.
4. Face off your difficulties with patience; and fence in your blessings with thankfulness.
5. A man's intellect becomes apparent from his speech; as does his character from the goodness
of his action.
6. Always consider your intellect to be lacking; otherwise too much faith in it surely leads to error.
7. Seek Allah's refuge from the heedlessness which comes from prosperity; so deep it is, that it will
take one very long to climb out of it.
8. It is not in the make-up of a noble person to delay in rewarding nor is it that of a generous one to
exact revenge.
9. Even if Allah had not decreed to abstain from the foul and impure the man of intellect would still
surely do so.
10. Do not consider admitting ignorance as a necessarily bad thing, for saying, "I do not know"
is itself half of knowledge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Friday, June 05, 2015
Tips for a peaceful life....
1. Be like the bee, which lands on fragrant flowers and fresh branches.
2. You do not have time to seek out people's defects and mistakes.
3. If Allah is with you, them who do you have to fear?
4. If Allah is against you, what hope do you have?
5. The fire of envy consumes the body, and excessive jealousy is like a raging fire.
6. If you do not prepare today, then you will not be able to do anything tomorrow.
7. Withdraw peacefully from places where idle arguments are going on.
8. Let your morals and attitude be even more beautiful than a garden.
9. Do acts of kindness and you will be the happiest of people.
10. Leave people to their Creator, leave the envier to death and forget about any enemy.
11. The pleasure of haram actions is followed by regret, loss and punishment.
2. You do not have time to seek out people's defects and mistakes.
3. If Allah is with you, them who do you have to fear?
4. If Allah is against you, what hope do you have?
5. The fire of envy consumes the body, and excessive jealousy is like a raging fire.
6. If you do not prepare today, then you will not be able to do anything tomorrow.
7. Withdraw peacefully from places where idle arguments are going on.
8. Let your morals and attitude be even more beautiful than a garden.
9. Do acts of kindness and you will be the happiest of people.
10. Leave people to their Creator, leave the envier to death and forget about any enemy.
11. The pleasure of haram actions is followed by regret, loss and punishment.
Monday, June 01, 2015
Lesson of the day 1381
Ayahs of the day:
Say, "God is able to send torment upon you from above you, or from beneath your feet; or to confuse you with factions and make you taste each other's viciousness." See how We explain the signs so that they may understand. [6: 65]
Hadith of the day:
Know that victory accompanies perseverance, relief accompanies affliction, and ease accompanies hardship. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
Adherence to Sunnah, increase in one's worship and obedience to the Sacred Law are all signs of intimacy with the Divine. [Ibrahim bin Dawud Warqi]
Guidance of the day:
Tongue is also among the greatest of God's graces upon His servant. There is in it much good and great benefits for he who preserves it and uses it only in what it was created for. But there will be much evil and immense harm in it for he who neglects to preserve it and uses it in other than what it was created for.
God the Exalted created it for the servant to invoke Him abundantly, recite His Book, counsel His servants, invite them to His obedience, teach them His immense rights upon them, and to express whatever thoughts need to be expressed for the fulfillment of his needs, both of this world and the next. If he uses it in this manner, he will have shown gratitude; but if he uses it for other than what it was created for, he will have been one of the iniquitous transgressors. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. Prayer is a confession of of one's own unworthiness and weakness. Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on man. No man prayed heartily without learning something.
Say, "God is able to send torment upon you from above you, or from beneath your feet; or to confuse you with factions and make you taste each other's viciousness." See how We explain the signs so that they may understand. [6: 65]
Hadith of the day:
Know that victory accompanies perseverance, relief accompanies affliction, and ease accompanies hardship. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
Adherence to Sunnah, increase in one's worship and obedience to the Sacred Law are all signs of intimacy with the Divine. [Ibrahim bin Dawud Warqi]
Guidance of the day:
Tongue is also among the greatest of God's graces upon His servant. There is in it much good and great benefits for he who preserves it and uses it only in what it was created for. But there will be much evil and immense harm in it for he who neglects to preserve it and uses it in other than what it was created for.
God the Exalted created it for the servant to invoke Him abundantly, recite His Book, counsel His servants, invite them to His obedience, teach them His immense rights upon them, and to express whatever thoughts need to be expressed for the fulfillment of his needs, both of this world and the next. If he uses it in this manner, he will have shown gratitude; but if he uses it for other than what it was created for, he will have been one of the iniquitous transgressors. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening. Prayer is a confession of of one's own unworthiness and weakness. Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on man. No man prayed heartily without learning something.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 377
1. The more worldly greed in one's heart, the less certainty in God.
2. Why expect an evil person to hold a good opinion of others, when the best he can do is to think that others are like him.
3. Time wasted in youth must be made up in later years, if what you seek is a solicitous end.
4. Remain silent about favors done by you, yet proclaim the favors others do for you.
5. Self satisfaction is a sure sign of lacking intellect.
6. The one to whom small afflictions seem large, will certainly be afflicted by truly large calamities.
7. He whose thoughts are vile and low can have nothing but the worst opinion of others.
8. Thankfulness to the Creator in the form of service to His creation is the ultimate expression of gratitude.
9. The one who acts as if death will come tomorrow feels no sorrow when it finally comes.
10. The excellence of knowledge lies in its practice; and the excellence of kindness to others lies in mentioning it not. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
2. Why expect an evil person to hold a good opinion of others, when the best he can do is to think that others are like him.
3. Time wasted in youth must be made up in later years, if what you seek is a solicitous end.
4. Remain silent about favors done by you, yet proclaim the favors others do for you.
5. Self satisfaction is a sure sign of lacking intellect.
6. The one to whom small afflictions seem large, will certainly be afflicted by truly large calamities.
7. He whose thoughts are vile and low can have nothing but the worst opinion of others.
8. Thankfulness to the Creator in the form of service to His creation is the ultimate expression of gratitude.
9. The one who acts as if death will come tomorrow feels no sorrow when it finally comes.
10. The excellence of knowledge lies in its practice; and the excellence of kindness to others lies in mentioning it not. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Preparation for Ramadan Mubarak!
Highlights of Shaykh Amin's Pre-Ramadan Talk - May 17, 2015
--Allah is capable of doing much more than we think He is capable of doing for us, but we consistently undervalue His Ability
--Personal hygiene was made Fard `Ayn so that we could draw the attention of Angels who are otherwise repelled by foulness. Angels love purity and good smells, especially when that purity comes from Muslims making dhikr of Allah
--We must rediscover not only the academic legacy of the ummah, but also its spiritual legacy: that all humans are eligible for the Fadl of Allah, provided they access it through obligatory and extra acts of worship. Islam's greatest gift is to connect human beings to the Creator, we must remember this.
--If Allah gave Maryam(A) fruits out of season, realize that this came about because of her intense personal devotion to Allah. Islam isn't in season these days, but He can give us fruits if we immerse ourselves spiritually as she did. Maryam (A) was not a Prophet, she was literally secluded in a closet making dhikr, but she was able to experience the Fadl of Allah. Muslims are given this month of Ramadan to similarly seclude themselves and make it easier to be eligible to receive similar fruits out of season. In Ramadan, Allah wants us to focus on this spiritual realm by secluding ourselves from the dunya, so that we can gain some of this Fadl
--There are many Muslims who are closet deniers of Allah's Fadl because they see nothing happening for Muslims in the dunya. They think that because Muslims aren't winning in the games of the dunya, that Islam has failed us and isn't useful anymore.
--Allah has made it easy for us to access this Fadl by giving us this month wherein all you have to do is immerse yourself in the culture of this month, which is to remove yourself from the world for a few days. Hence Prophet(S) cursed the one who missed out on Ramadan: you don't have to do much to benefit. If you miss out, its on you, not on Him
--Ramadan is not a time for you to be concerned with the Ummah's affairs. You have the other 11 months for this. Be concerned with your soul for at least 1 month!
--Ramadan is the time for each of us to renew and increase our share of Allah's Fadl for another year
--American Muslims must change how we view Ramadan: an opportunity to gain Fadl through Ibadah. This must become a civilizational value if we truly wish to benefit from this month. Every other agenda that we have for Ramadan -- da'wah, fundraising, etc.--must be removed from our mindsets.
--Historically, Muslim civilizational values were such that everyone took extra time out during their daily lives for extra dhikr/awrad. Today, if you mention this, one group of Muslims will cry bid'ah, and another group will say that this has no benefit for fixing the problems of the Ummah.
--Imam al-Ghazali (R) writes that during his time (wherein he lamented about the death of spirituality in the Ummah), people would line up at the Jami` Masjid (the main Mosque in a city where Friday Prayers were held) on Thursday night itself in order to be the first to arrive for Jumu'ah and gain that immense reward for early arrival. They would stand all night with candles in line, but even then, many people wouldn't get in. Today, we only stand at night with candles when it's time for a vigil when people die, rather than doing something for ourselves when we're alive.
--Only when we come to terms that the reality of this spiritual realm exists, and that we need to benefit from this realm, only then we will see change in our physical world as well.
--Ramadan is a time to access that spiritual realm. Today, we spend more time in Ramadan buried in the physical dunya than outside of it.
--You should reject unnecessary social gatherings in Ramadan. We have made it a communal value to attend every single iftar and social gathering during this month, thinking that being "social" in this month is being Islamic. We have committed civilizational bidah with the amount of socializing we do today under excuse of Ramadan. The Ummah historically never did this: they socialized outside of Ramadan, not inside it like we do.
--We need to benefit ourselves from Ramadan first before going around trying to benefit others. We bring people to this watering hole under the banner of da'wah but don't drink ourselves.
--If you absolutely must do social da'wah during Ramadan by attending Iftar for 3 hrs for interfaith dialogue, then that's fine if it's a rare occurrence. But what are you doing to make up for those 3 hours for your self?
--I'tikaf isn't just a physical act that we are recommended to do for the last 10 days. It's a total month-long mindset for the Muslim in Ramadan to isolate himself from everyone else and focus on his own soul.
--All the awliya that were great social reformers that we praise today, look at their personal practices in Ramadan: they focused on ibadah/dhikr/dua/recitation of the Qur'an during this month, they did not focus on fixing the Ummahs problems. Because they did this focused spiritual practice for a month, it provided them with the energy to bear the burdens of the Ummah for the other 11 months.
--When Muslims make time for themselves in Ramadan, it climaxes in Laylat al-Qadr, such that Angels come down to invite us into their world. Laylat al-Qadr allows us to plan for a 1000 months, but this is a plan based on spirituality and worship. This is how our ancestors planned for the Ummah. We cannot praise the social and reform work of our ancestors while ignoring their level of personal worship.
--You lament that there is no Abu Hanifah of our times. Realize that Abu Hanifah saw Laylat al-Qadr every year, sometimes even outside of Ramadan! How? Because of his worship regimen on a personal level. He prayed Isha and Fajr for 40 years with the same wudu. Do his regimen first, then you can start talking about opening doors of ijtihad. Otherwise, without excess ibadah, you will fall flat on your face after merely saying the word "ijtihad"
--"Flee towards Allah": that is our theme for Ramadan. This is how our dunya will be improved, when we run away from it during this 1 month.
--You have 11 months to worry about your dunya, Allah asks you to take 1 month for your akhirah, but we think even this is too much?
Notes by Kamran M Riaz
(Darul Qasim)
--Allah is capable of doing much more than we think He is capable of doing for us, but we consistently undervalue His Ability
--Personal hygiene was made Fard `Ayn so that we could draw the attention of Angels who are otherwise repelled by foulness. Angels love purity and good smells, especially when that purity comes from Muslims making dhikr of Allah
--We must rediscover not only the academic legacy of the ummah, but also its spiritual legacy: that all humans are eligible for the Fadl of Allah, provided they access it through obligatory and extra acts of worship. Islam's greatest gift is to connect human beings to the Creator, we must remember this.
--If Allah gave Maryam(A) fruits out of season, realize that this came about because of her intense personal devotion to Allah. Islam isn't in season these days, but He can give us fruits if we immerse ourselves spiritually as she did. Maryam (A) was not a Prophet, she was literally secluded in a closet making dhikr, but she was able to experience the Fadl of Allah. Muslims are given this month of Ramadan to similarly seclude themselves and make it easier to be eligible to receive similar fruits out of season. In Ramadan, Allah wants us to focus on this spiritual realm by secluding ourselves from the dunya, so that we can gain some of this Fadl
--There are many Muslims who are closet deniers of Allah's Fadl because they see nothing happening for Muslims in the dunya. They think that because Muslims aren't winning in the games of the dunya, that Islam has failed us and isn't useful anymore.
--Allah has made it easy for us to access this Fadl by giving us this month wherein all you have to do is immerse yourself in the culture of this month, which is to remove yourself from the world for a few days. Hence Prophet(S) cursed the one who missed out on Ramadan: you don't have to do much to benefit. If you miss out, its on you, not on Him
--Ramadan is not a time for you to be concerned with the Ummah's affairs. You have the other 11 months for this. Be concerned with your soul for at least 1 month!
--Ramadan is the time for each of us to renew and increase our share of Allah's Fadl for another year
--American Muslims must change how we view Ramadan: an opportunity to gain Fadl through Ibadah. This must become a civilizational value if we truly wish to benefit from this month. Every other agenda that we have for Ramadan -- da'wah, fundraising, etc.--must be removed from our mindsets.
--Historically, Muslim civilizational values were such that everyone took extra time out during their daily lives for extra dhikr/awrad. Today, if you mention this, one group of Muslims will cry bid'ah, and another group will say that this has no benefit for fixing the problems of the Ummah.
--Imam al-Ghazali (R) writes that during his time (wherein he lamented about the death of spirituality in the Ummah), people would line up at the Jami` Masjid (the main Mosque in a city where Friday Prayers were held) on Thursday night itself in order to be the first to arrive for Jumu'ah and gain that immense reward for early arrival. They would stand all night with candles in line, but even then, many people wouldn't get in. Today, we only stand at night with candles when it's time for a vigil when people die, rather than doing something for ourselves when we're alive.
--Only when we come to terms that the reality of this spiritual realm exists, and that we need to benefit from this realm, only then we will see change in our physical world as well.
--Ramadan is a time to access that spiritual realm. Today, we spend more time in Ramadan buried in the physical dunya than outside of it.
--You should reject unnecessary social gatherings in Ramadan. We have made it a communal value to attend every single iftar and social gathering during this month, thinking that being "social" in this month is being Islamic. We have committed civilizational bidah with the amount of socializing we do today under excuse of Ramadan. The Ummah historically never did this: they socialized outside of Ramadan, not inside it like we do.
--We need to benefit ourselves from Ramadan first before going around trying to benefit others. We bring people to this watering hole under the banner of da'wah but don't drink ourselves.
--If you absolutely must do social da'wah during Ramadan by attending Iftar for 3 hrs for interfaith dialogue, then that's fine if it's a rare occurrence. But what are you doing to make up for those 3 hours for your self?
--I'tikaf isn't just a physical act that we are recommended to do for the last 10 days. It's a total month-long mindset for the Muslim in Ramadan to isolate himself from everyone else and focus on his own soul.
--All the awliya that were great social reformers that we praise today, look at their personal practices in Ramadan: they focused on ibadah/dhikr/dua/recitation of the Qur'an during this month, they did not focus on fixing the Ummahs problems. Because they did this focused spiritual practice for a month, it provided them with the energy to bear the burdens of the Ummah for the other 11 months.
--When Muslims make time for themselves in Ramadan, it climaxes in Laylat al-Qadr, such that Angels come down to invite us into their world. Laylat al-Qadr allows us to plan for a 1000 months, but this is a plan based on spirituality and worship. This is how our ancestors planned for the Ummah. We cannot praise the social and reform work of our ancestors while ignoring their level of personal worship.
--You lament that there is no Abu Hanifah of our times. Realize that Abu Hanifah saw Laylat al-Qadr every year, sometimes even outside of Ramadan! How? Because of his worship regimen on a personal level. He prayed Isha and Fajr for 40 years with the same wudu. Do his regimen first, then you can start talking about opening doors of ijtihad. Otherwise, without excess ibadah, you will fall flat on your face after merely saying the word "ijtihad"
--"Flee towards Allah": that is our theme for Ramadan. This is how our dunya will be improved, when we run away from it during this 1 month.
--You have 11 months to worry about your dunya, Allah asks you to take 1 month for your akhirah, but we think even this is too much?
Notes by Kamran M Riaz
(Darul Qasim)
Monday, May 18, 2015
Lesson of the day 1380
Ayahs of the day:
Say, "Who delivers you from the darkness of land and sea, whom you call in humility and awe: 'If only God delivers us from this, we will certainly be grateful!?" Say, God delivers you from these and from all distress, yet you worship idols." [6: 63, 64]
Hadith of the day:
Do not insult the dead, for they have moved on to what they sent forth. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
Islam is not just a religion, it is everything. [Yusuf Islam]
Guidance of the day:
Among the most important things to every believer is to watch his heart and bodily members and senses, look after them, and strive to guard and keep them from that which is hateful to God, and use them in that which is liked by God and pleasing to Him.
The heart and the bodily members and senses are among the greatest favors of God upon His servants. He who uses them in His obedience and adorns them with what is pleasing to Him, and uses them in that for which they were created thus shows gratitude for the favor, guards what should be guarded, and excels in service. For him God shall give the reward of the thankful and the recompense of the excellent.
He who lets loose his heart and bodily members and senses in that which God has forbidden, neglects them and leads them to perdition, and leaves them unguarded, he thus denies the favor of God upon him and deserves to be censured and punished. They shall testify against him before God and reveal whatever acts of disobedience he has used them to commit. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. Consider the postage stamp, it secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.
Say, "Who delivers you from the darkness of land and sea, whom you call in humility and awe: 'If only God delivers us from this, we will certainly be grateful!?" Say, God delivers you from these and from all distress, yet you worship idols." [6: 63, 64]
Hadith of the day:
Do not insult the dead, for they have moved on to what they sent forth. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
Islam is not just a religion, it is everything. [Yusuf Islam]
Guidance of the day:
Among the most important things to every believer is to watch his heart and bodily members and senses, look after them, and strive to guard and keep them from that which is hateful to God, and use them in that which is liked by God and pleasing to Him.
The heart and the bodily members and senses are among the greatest favors of God upon His servants. He who uses them in His obedience and adorns them with what is pleasing to Him, and uses them in that for which they were created thus shows gratitude for the favor, guards what should be guarded, and excels in service. For him God shall give the reward of the thankful and the recompense of the excellent.
He who lets loose his heart and bodily members and senses in that which God has forbidden, neglects them and leads them to perdition, and leaves them unguarded, he thus denies the favor of God upon him and deserves to be censured and punished. They shall testify against him before God and reveal whatever acts of disobedience he has used them to commit. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose. Consider the postage stamp, it secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 376
1. The difference between life and death is nothing more than the difference between to-day and to-morrow.What will happen to us to-morrow is as uncertain and unknown to us as what may occur after the happening of the event called death, and yet there are many who look forward to the coming of to-morrow with joyful anticipation and to death with dismay.
2. It is natural for us to die, as it is for us to be born. It is only the passing of another milestone on our journey.
3. Harness your chariot with truth and honesty, and the devil will come a very bad second in the race.
4. You have no more right to use abusive or insolent words to a person than you have to smack him across the face.
5. Brave men do not hesitate to recognize bravery in others, even though they may be or may have been antagonists in the field.
6. A great lie is like a great fish on dry land: it may fret and fling and make a frightful bother, but it cannot hurt you. You have only to keep still, and it will die of itself.
7. Those who most distrust others are generally those who know that others have good reason to distrust them.
8. The quarrelsome person is always the one who professes to be the easiest individual in the world to get on with.
9. Some people preach more religion in one hour than they practice during the whole of their life.
10. Meanness is the evidence of a defect of intellect as well as of heart. Even the cleverness of greed and avarice is but the extreme cunning of imbecility.
[Shaykh Abdullah Quilliam]
2. It is natural for us to die, as it is for us to be born. It is only the passing of another milestone on our journey.
3. Harness your chariot with truth and honesty, and the devil will come a very bad second in the race.
4. You have no more right to use abusive or insolent words to a person than you have to smack him across the face.
5. Brave men do not hesitate to recognize bravery in others, even though they may be or may have been antagonists in the field.
6. A great lie is like a great fish on dry land: it may fret and fling and make a frightful bother, but it cannot hurt you. You have only to keep still, and it will die of itself.
7. Those who most distrust others are generally those who know that others have good reason to distrust them.
8. The quarrelsome person is always the one who professes to be the easiest individual in the world to get on with.
9. Some people preach more religion in one hour than they practice during the whole of their life.
10. Meanness is the evidence of a defect of intellect as well as of heart. Even the cleverness of greed and avarice is but the extreme cunning of imbecility.
[Shaykh Abdullah Quilliam]
Monday, May 11, 2015
Helpful tips to stop gossiping.....
How to stop yourself from gossiping?
What about if it’s you who’s responsible for the vain talk?
Hold your breath and recall these tips before saying a word.
1. Remember backbiting is a major sin in Islam and is one of the causes for entering the Hellfire.
2. Ask yourself:
“Would the person I am about to speak of like what I’m going to say? Would I say it if the person was present? Will I feel good about myself after saying it?”
You can save yourself some guilt ridden apologies later by simply asking these questions to yourself. In addition, you can try to think about how you felt the last time you found out that people were speaking badly or falsely about you.
3. Is it useful for anyone to know?
Allah Most High has said: “Successful are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who turn away from pointless talk” [23:1-3] And “Those who do not bear witness to what is false, but when they pass by pointless talk, pass by with dignity” [25:72], “When they hear pointless talk, they turn away from it” [28:55]
These verses describe the characteristics we should embody in speech. A top tip to help you is to cut short telephone conversations and keeping chat to essential things.
4. Is it necessary for anyone to know?
Even if it is, does it require your intervention? Often it is the trick of shaytan when we indulge in backbiting, as we seem to feel better about ourselves if we downgrade others. Instead ask yourself how we can improve our own character and lives.
5. Imagine that the person you are talking about can hear everything you are saying. However, know that Allah Ta’ala is The All-Seeing, All-Hearing, and All-Knowing. We should not forget about Day on which we will be held accountable for our deeds. Remember backbiting is a bad reflection on your own character.
6. Be mindful of the company you keep Keep away from people who usually turn to gossip. Recall the times in which you usually find yourself gossiping and keep yourself busy during that time with other tasks or even better – invite friends to learn about the grave consequences of gossiping!
7. Are you 100% sure about it?
Spreading false information is slander as it is creating discord and problems between Muslims. As we are told in the Quran:
“Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e. one another] and say: ‘This is an obvious falsehood’?” [24:12]
8. Rejoice at the time and reward you’ll gain by stopping this nasty habit not to mention the good deeds you will accumulate to efface the bad ones. You‘ll be surprised about the time, energy, and faith boost you will gain in this life, and the reward that awaits you in the akhirah insha’Allah.
9. Look for positive qualities in people. If you really have to talk about someone who’s not there, talk about how great, hardworking, funny, humble they are instead of deficiencies; as I often say ‘we are always quick to find imperfections in others but not ourselves’.
10. If you feel you have to say it to someone and that you can’t keep the news for yourself, write it in your diary or on a private piece of a paper. Reread it after a couple of days and evaluate if you still want to let the world know you are not trustworthy enough to keep a confidential fact to yourself! Discard of the paper, and of the thought in your mind – disciplining your thoughts to be good of others should be instilled instead.
11. Repent and make the intention to stop, you could keep the verses and ahadith about the punishment of this sin on your wallpaper or screen to remind you at work (where people politics can enter!). Lastly make dua’a to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) to help you and while it takes effort, don’t give up:
“Whosoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, then let him speak good or remain silent.” [Al-Bukhari]
[Productive muslim]
What about if it’s you who’s responsible for the vain talk?
Hold your breath and recall these tips before saying a word.
1. Remember backbiting is a major sin in Islam and is one of the causes for entering the Hellfire.
2. Ask yourself:
“Would the person I am about to speak of like what I’m going to say? Would I say it if the person was present? Will I feel good about myself after saying it?”
You can save yourself some guilt ridden apologies later by simply asking these questions to yourself. In addition, you can try to think about how you felt the last time you found out that people were speaking badly or falsely about you.
3. Is it useful for anyone to know?
Allah Most High has said: “Successful are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who turn away from pointless talk” [23:1-3] And “Those who do not bear witness to what is false, but when they pass by pointless talk, pass by with dignity” [25:72], “When they hear pointless talk, they turn away from it” [28:55]
These verses describe the characteristics we should embody in speech. A top tip to help you is to cut short telephone conversations and keeping chat to essential things.
4. Is it necessary for anyone to know?
Even if it is, does it require your intervention? Often it is the trick of shaytan when we indulge in backbiting, as we seem to feel better about ourselves if we downgrade others. Instead ask yourself how we can improve our own character and lives.
5. Imagine that the person you are talking about can hear everything you are saying. However, know that Allah Ta’ala is The All-Seeing, All-Hearing, and All-Knowing. We should not forget about Day on which we will be held accountable for our deeds. Remember backbiting is a bad reflection on your own character.
6. Be mindful of the company you keep Keep away from people who usually turn to gossip. Recall the times in which you usually find yourself gossiping and keep yourself busy during that time with other tasks or even better – invite friends to learn about the grave consequences of gossiping!
7. Are you 100% sure about it?
Spreading false information is slander as it is creating discord and problems between Muslims. As we are told in the Quran:
“Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e. one another] and say: ‘This is an obvious falsehood’?” [24:12]
8. Rejoice at the time and reward you’ll gain by stopping this nasty habit not to mention the good deeds you will accumulate to efface the bad ones. You‘ll be surprised about the time, energy, and faith boost you will gain in this life, and the reward that awaits you in the akhirah insha’Allah.
9. Look for positive qualities in people. If you really have to talk about someone who’s not there, talk about how great, hardworking, funny, humble they are instead of deficiencies; as I often say ‘we are always quick to find imperfections in others but not ourselves’.
10. If you feel you have to say it to someone and that you can’t keep the news for yourself, write it in your diary or on a private piece of a paper. Reread it after a couple of days and evaluate if you still want to let the world know you are not trustworthy enough to keep a confidential fact to yourself! Discard of the paper, and of the thought in your mind – disciplining your thoughts to be good of others should be instilled instead.
11. Repent and make the intention to stop, you could keep the verses and ahadith about the punishment of this sin on your wallpaper or screen to remind you at work (where people politics can enter!). Lastly make dua’a to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) to help you and while it takes effort, don’t give up:
“Whosoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, then let him speak good or remain silent.” [Al-Bukhari]
[Productive muslim]
Friday, May 08, 2015
Lesson of the day 1379
Ayahs of the day:
And God is the conqueror overpowering all beings; and God sends protectors over you, until when death comes to one of you Our emissaries take the soul, without fail. Then they are returned to God, their protector, the Truth. Does not the judgment belong to God, the quickest to take account. [6: 61,62]
Hadith of the day:
It is sufficient evil for a man to look down upon his Muslim brother. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Faith in Allah is an inoculation against the diseases of the world. [Shaykh Muzaffar Ozaik]
Guidance of the day:
Among the most important things to every believer is to watch his heart and bodily members and senses, look after them, and strive to guard and keep them from that which is hateful to God, and use them in that which is liked by God and pleasing to Him.
The heart and the bodily members and senses are among the greatest favors of God upon His servants. He who uses them in His obedience and adorns them with what is pleasing to Him, and uses them in that for which they were created thus shows gratitude for the favor, guards what should be guarded, and excels in service. For him God shall give the reward of the thankful and the recompense of the excellent.
He who lets loose his heart and bodily members and senses in that which God has forbidden, neglects them and leads them to perdition, and leaves them unguarded, he thus denies the favor of God upon him and deserves to be censured and punished. They shall testify against him before God and reveal whatever acts of disobedience he has used them to commit. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare. Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time. The very perfection of a man -- to find out his own imperfections.
And God is the conqueror overpowering all beings; and God sends protectors over you, until when death comes to one of you Our emissaries take the soul, without fail. Then they are returned to God, their protector, the Truth. Does not the judgment belong to God, the quickest to take account. [6: 61,62]
Hadith of the day:
It is sufficient evil for a man to look down upon his Muslim brother. [Bukhari & Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Faith in Allah is an inoculation against the diseases of the world. [Shaykh Muzaffar Ozaik]
Guidance of the day:
Among the most important things to every believer is to watch his heart and bodily members and senses, look after them, and strive to guard and keep them from that which is hateful to God, and use them in that which is liked by God and pleasing to Him.
The heart and the bodily members and senses are among the greatest favors of God upon His servants. He who uses them in His obedience and adorns them with what is pleasing to Him, and uses them in that for which they were created thus shows gratitude for the favor, guards what should be guarded, and excels in service. For him God shall give the reward of the thankful and the recompense of the excellent.
He who lets loose his heart and bodily members and senses in that which God has forbidden, neglects them and leads them to perdition, and leaves them unguarded, he thus denies the favor of God upon him and deserves to be censured and punished. They shall testify against him before God and reveal whatever acts of disobedience he has used them to commit. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare. Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time. The very perfection of a man -- to find out his own imperfections.
Monday, May 04, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 375
1. Three things to admire – intellectual power, dignity, gracefulness.
2. It is better to go with truth into the wilderness than to follow falsehood into a palace.
3. The true love of God is to love beauty, truth, and goodness.
4. Whoso feeleth Islam to have filled his heart is half-way towards heaven.
5. Courage and conviction are two good warriors. When they fight shoulder to shoulder victory
oft crowns their efforts.
6. There is music in the sound of the words of the man who practices that which he teaches.
7. Alive or dead still we are in the presence of the eternal All-Wise.
8. The best preacher is the conscience, the best teachers are time and experience, the best
book is the world, the best friend is God.
9. Do your best, God will do the rest.
10. None of us is too old to learn. When a man ceases to desire to acquire knowledge his
intellectual death has commenced, and his funeral had better be arranged for.
[Sh Addullah Quiliam]
2. It is better to go with truth into the wilderness than to follow falsehood into a palace.
3. The true love of God is to love beauty, truth, and goodness.
4. Whoso feeleth Islam to have filled his heart is half-way towards heaven.
5. Courage and conviction are two good warriors. When they fight shoulder to shoulder victory
oft crowns their efforts.
6. There is music in the sound of the words of the man who practices that which he teaches.
7. Alive or dead still we are in the presence of the eternal All-Wise.
8. The best preacher is the conscience, the best teachers are time and experience, the best
book is the world, the best friend is God.
9. Do your best, God will do the rest.
10. None of us is too old to learn. When a man ceases to desire to acquire knowledge his
intellectual death has commenced, and his funeral had better be arranged for.
[Sh Addullah Quiliam]
Friday, May 01, 2015
The things that help us improve....
What makes us weak? Our fears.
What makes us whole? Our religion.
What keeps us standing? Our faith.
What makes us compassionate? Our selflessness.
What makes us honest? Our integrity.
What sustains our minds? Our quest for knowledge.
What teaches us all the lessons? Our mistakes.
What lifts our heads high? Our pride, not arrogance.
What if we can't go on? Not an option.
What makes us victorious? Our courage to climb.
What makes us competent? Our confidence.
What makes us beautiful? Our patience and sincerity.
What makes us Muslims? Our heart attached to Allah.
Whenever we don't understand what's happening in our
lives, we just need to close our eyes, take a deep breath
and say, 'O Allah I know it's from Your plan, I put my trust
in Your hand.'
What makes us whole? Our religion.
What keeps us standing? Our faith.
What makes us compassionate? Our selflessness.
What makes us honest? Our integrity.
What sustains our minds? Our quest for knowledge.
What teaches us all the lessons? Our mistakes.
What lifts our heads high? Our pride, not arrogance.
What if we can't go on? Not an option.
What makes us victorious? Our courage to climb.
What makes us competent? Our confidence.
What makes us beautiful? Our patience and sincerity.
What makes us Muslims? Our heart attached to Allah.
Whenever we don't understand what's happening in our
lives, we just need to close our eyes, take a deep breath
and say, 'O Allah I know it's from Your plan, I put my trust
in Your hand.'
Monday, April 27, 2015
Lesson of the day 1378
Ayahs of the day:
And the keys of the unseen are with God, who alone knows them. And God knows what is on the land and in the sea. And not a leaf falls but God knows it, and there is not a single grain in the darkness of the earth, and nothing green and nothing dry, but it is in an explanatory Book. [6: 59]
Hadith of the day:
In the evening, do not wait for the morning, and in the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your weakness, and from your life for your death. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
God says, "I have created you, your moments, your breaths, your possessions, your lives. If they are expended on Me, if you give them to Me, the price of them is everlasting Paradise. This is your worth in My sight." [Mawlana Rumi]
Guidance of the day:
You must always be fair and generous in your commerce, choose to be indulgent and lenient, rather than rigorous and demanding. This is more likely to increase the baraka and accrue your gains.
You must refrain from lying altogether. Never swear by God when selling or buying, for the whole world is more insignificant and vile than to deserve a truthful oath, how much more so when you lie? There is no need for oaths. Beware to the extreme of cheating, deception, fraud, and hiding the faults in what you are selling, for these are severely forbidden and may render transactions altogether invalid. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Adopt the pace of nature -- her secret is patience. He that can have patience can have what he will. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Patience is power -- with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
And the keys of the unseen are with God, who alone knows them. And God knows what is on the land and in the sea. And not a leaf falls but God knows it, and there is not a single grain in the darkness of the earth, and nothing green and nothing dry, but it is in an explanatory Book. [6: 59]
Hadith of the day:
In the evening, do not wait for the morning, and in the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your weakness, and from your life for your death. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
God says, "I have created you, your moments, your breaths, your possessions, your lives. If they are expended on Me, if you give them to Me, the price of them is everlasting Paradise. This is your worth in My sight." [Mawlana Rumi]
Guidance of the day:
You must always be fair and generous in your commerce, choose to be indulgent and lenient, rather than rigorous and demanding. This is more likely to increase the baraka and accrue your gains.
You must refrain from lying altogether. Never swear by God when selling or buying, for the whole world is more insignificant and vile than to deserve a truthful oath, how much more so when you lie? There is no need for oaths. Beware to the extreme of cheating, deception, fraud, and hiding the faults in what you are selling, for these are severely forbidden and may render transactions altogether invalid. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Adopt the pace of nature -- her secret is patience. He that can have patience can have what he will. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Patience is power -- with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 374
1. Beware of having long-term expectations (for this world), for it makes one forget his true purpose.
2. Thankfulness for blessings is the condition for attaining more blessings; and ingratitude for blessings is the condition for losing them.
3. Death is always a silent companion.
4. The heights of felicity are reached through breaking of bad habits.
5. The wise attain honor through their humbleness, whereas the fools bear humiliation through their haughtiness.
6. Regrets over misdeeds erases them, and pride over good deeds ruins them.
7. Vain desires is a ruinous companion, and bad habits make up a formidable foe.
8. The intellect of a man lies under his tongue.
9. To panic during a calamity is itself a greater calamity.
10. Honor lies in hastening to forgive. Dishonor lies in hastening to revenge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
2. Thankfulness for blessings is the condition for attaining more blessings; and ingratitude for blessings is the condition for losing them.
3. Death is always a silent companion.
4. The heights of felicity are reached through breaking of bad habits.
5. The wise attain honor through their humbleness, whereas the fools bear humiliation through their haughtiness.
6. Regrets over misdeeds erases them, and pride over good deeds ruins them.
7. Vain desires is a ruinous companion, and bad habits make up a formidable foe.
8. The intellect of a man lies under his tongue.
9. To panic during a calamity is itself a greater calamity.
10. Honor lies in hastening to forgive. Dishonor lies in hastening to revenge. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Monday, April 20, 2015
A head start towards Ramadan....
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali mentions in Lata’if al-Ma’arif: The month of Rajab is the key to the months of goodness and blessings that follow it. Abu Bakr b. al-Warraq al-Balkhi said: “Rajab is the month to sow the seeds; Sha’ban is the month to irrigate the crop; and Ramadan is the month to reap the harvest.” It has similarly been related from him: “Rajab is like the wind; Sha’ban is like the water-laden clouds; and Ramadan is like the rain.”
Someone else mentioned: “The year in its entirety is like a tree: during Rajab its buds sprout; during Sha’ban it sends forth its branches; during Ramadan its fruit ripens; and the believers are the farmhands who harvest that fruit.”
It is opportune for anyone who has darkened the scroll of their deeds with sins to cleanse it with repentance during this month. Likewise, anyone who has squandered his lifetime without taking advantage of the opportunities to benefit his soul should take advantage of what remains of his life—starting with this month.
A poet said:
So cleanse your darkened hearts within Rajab;
with deeds that spare the soul Hellfire’s wrath.
One of the sacred months has come along;
no one who calls on God will be forlorn.
Heaven is for the one’s who cleanse their hearts
with lewd indecent deeds they’ll have no part.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to do righteous
deeds during this month is a source of great gain.
While filling each moment of the month worshiping
God is a bounteous virtue. End quote from Ibn Rajab.
Let us all take advantage of the weeks that come before the blessed month of Ramadan. If we begin to fast voluntarily now, the fatigue and discomfort that sometimes accompanies the beginning of our obligatory fast will be behind us and we will enter the month with great spiritual momentum. Similarly, if we begin increasing our reading of the Qur’an now we will find it easy to read an even greater amount during the month of Ramadan, a month when we celebrate the revelation of our blessed scripture. An athlete who enters a race with a running start achieves a far faster time than one who starts the race from a stationary position. Let us take advantage of these days to get a running start into Ramadan.
Imam Zaid Shakir
Someone else mentioned: “The year in its entirety is like a tree: during Rajab its buds sprout; during Sha’ban it sends forth its branches; during Ramadan its fruit ripens; and the believers are the farmhands who harvest that fruit.”
It is opportune for anyone who has darkened the scroll of their deeds with sins to cleanse it with repentance during this month. Likewise, anyone who has squandered his lifetime without taking advantage of the opportunities to benefit his soul should take advantage of what remains of his life—starting with this month.
A poet said:
So cleanse your darkened hearts within Rajab;
with deeds that spare the soul Hellfire’s wrath.
One of the sacred months has come along;
no one who calls on God will be forlorn.
Heaven is for the one’s who cleanse their hearts
with lewd indecent deeds they’ll have no part.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to do righteous
deeds during this month is a source of great gain.
While filling each moment of the month worshiping
God is a bounteous virtue. End quote from Ibn Rajab.
Let us all take advantage of the weeks that come before the blessed month of Ramadan. If we begin to fast voluntarily now, the fatigue and discomfort that sometimes accompanies the beginning of our obligatory fast will be behind us and we will enter the month with great spiritual momentum. Similarly, if we begin increasing our reading of the Qur’an now we will find it easy to read an even greater amount during the month of Ramadan, a month when we celebrate the revelation of our blessed scripture. An athlete who enters a race with a running start achieves a far faster time than one who starts the race from a stationary position. Let us take advantage of these days to get a running start into Ramadan.
Imam Zaid Shakir
Monday, April 13, 2015
Dear Muslimah....
Modesty is a woman's best weapon!
Be like a diamond, precious and rare, not like a stone found every where.
Every precious thing is covered! A woman modestly dressed is like a pearl in its shell.
You may not be a fairy tale princess, but you are always a princess of Islam.
Your value as a women is not measured by the size of your waist or the number of men
who like you.
Your worth as a human being is measured on a higher scale of righteousness and piety.
Hijab includes the way you walk, talk, look, and think -- all of it should be done modestly.
The sun doesn't lose its beauty when its covered by the clouds, the same way your beauty
doesn't fade when you are wearing a hijab.
Your purpose in life despite what the fashion magazines say is something more sublime
than just looking good for men.
Your beauty is for your man (husband), not for the mankind.
Even though a man is responsible for his gaze, you are responsible for what you give him
to gaze at, so guard your modesty.
Hijab with a bad attitude isn't hijab. Hijab with tight clothes on isn't hijab.
Hijab with layers of makeup isn't hijab. Hijab is beautiful, so make it look beautiful.
Wear it with love, wear it with pride, and most of all wear it Right.
The nobel prize winner Tawakkul Kamran from Yemen, when asked about her hijab by
journalists and how it is not proportionate with her intellect and education, she replied:
"Man in the early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing
clothes. What I am today and what I am wearing represents the highest level of thought
and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It's the removal of clothes
again that is regressive back to ancient times."
Be like a diamond, precious and rare, not like a stone found every where.
Every precious thing is covered! A woman modestly dressed is like a pearl in its shell.
You may not be a fairy tale princess, but you are always a princess of Islam.
Your value as a women is not measured by the size of your waist or the number of men
who like you.
Your worth as a human being is measured on a higher scale of righteousness and piety.
Hijab includes the way you walk, talk, look, and think -- all of it should be done modestly.
The sun doesn't lose its beauty when its covered by the clouds, the same way your beauty
doesn't fade when you are wearing a hijab.
Your purpose in life despite what the fashion magazines say is something more sublime
than just looking good for men.
Your beauty is for your man (husband), not for the mankind.
Even though a man is responsible for his gaze, you are responsible for what you give him
to gaze at, so guard your modesty.
Hijab with a bad attitude isn't hijab. Hijab with tight clothes on isn't hijab.
Hijab with layers of makeup isn't hijab. Hijab is beautiful, so make it look beautiful.
Wear it with love, wear it with pride, and most of all wear it Right.
The nobel prize winner Tawakkul Kamran from Yemen, when asked about her hijab by
journalists and how it is not proportionate with her intellect and education, she replied:
"Man in the early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing
clothes. What I am today and what I am wearing represents the highest level of thought
and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It's the removal of clothes
again that is regressive back to ancient times."
Friday, April 10, 2015
Lesson of the day 1377
Ayahs of the day:
When those who believe in Our signs come to you, say, "Peace be upon you." Your Lord is self-committed to mercy, so that if any of you does wrong in ignorance, then repents after that and makes mends, God is most forgiving, most merciful. Thus do we explain the signs, so the way of sinners should be evident. [6: 54,55]
Hadith of the day:
All the children of Adam err, and the best of those who err are the oft repenting. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
Do not ask one who flees from your requests, but instead, ask the One Who has ordered you to ask of Him. [Ibn al Samaak]
Guidance of the day:
You must make your earnings lawful, for it is incumbent upon a person to earn his living and there is merit and abundant reward in doing so when the intention is good. So let a person work with the intention of protecting his religion, saving himself from embarrassment of depending on others, sufficing himself and his dependents, and giving the surplus away as charity to the needy among the servants of God the Exalted. He would thus be working for the hereafter. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Adopt the pace of nature -- her secret is patience. He who has patience can have what he will. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is power -- with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
When those who believe in Our signs come to you, say, "Peace be upon you." Your Lord is self-committed to mercy, so that if any of you does wrong in ignorance, then repents after that and makes mends, God is most forgiving, most merciful. Thus do we explain the signs, so the way of sinners should be evident. [6: 54,55]
Hadith of the day:
All the children of Adam err, and the best of those who err are the oft repenting. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
Do not ask one who flees from your requests, but instead, ask the One Who has ordered you to ask of Him. [Ibn al Samaak]
Guidance of the day:
You must make your earnings lawful, for it is incumbent upon a person to earn his living and there is merit and abundant reward in doing so when the intention is good. So let a person work with the intention of protecting his religion, saving himself from embarrassment of depending on others, sufficing himself and his dependents, and giving the surplus away as charity to the needy among the servants of God the Exalted. He would thus be working for the hereafter. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Adopt the pace of nature -- her secret is patience. He who has patience can have what he will. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Our patience will achieve more than our force. Patience is power -- with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes silk.
Monday, April 06, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 373
1. The surest way of achieving heaven on earth is contentment with His decree.
2. Indeed the sword may wound the body, but it is foul speech which wounds the soul.
3. Steeped in error who can find time to seek out faults in others.
4. A believer's humiliation comes from his heedlessness of his religion, not in his lack of wealth or stature.
5. When the poor and needy come to you, then know that it is a gift from your Lord.
6. Sins have a tendency of creating restlessness in one's heart in one form or the other.
7. Ingratitude -- Spending of Allah's bounties in ways which are inappropriate and unbefitting.
8. Generosity is the fruit of wealth; Practice is the fruit of knowledge; Allah's pleasure is the fruit of sincerity.
9. The one who does not observe the rights of people cannot possibly observe the rights of God.
10. Lovers of fine raiment and garb! forget not that one day you will wear the shroud of the grave;
Lovers of palaces and lofty mansions forget not that ditch where you ultimately lie in;
Lovers of fine food and drink forget not that you are to become the food of worms and maggots.
[Othman radi Allah anhu]
2. Indeed the sword may wound the body, but it is foul speech which wounds the soul.
3. Steeped in error who can find time to seek out faults in others.
4. A believer's humiliation comes from his heedlessness of his religion, not in his lack of wealth or stature.
5. When the poor and needy come to you, then know that it is a gift from your Lord.
6. Sins have a tendency of creating restlessness in one's heart in one form or the other.
7. Ingratitude -- Spending of Allah's bounties in ways which are inappropriate and unbefitting.
8. Generosity is the fruit of wealth; Practice is the fruit of knowledge; Allah's pleasure is the fruit of sincerity.
9. The one who does not observe the rights of people cannot possibly observe the rights of God.
10. Lovers of fine raiment and garb! forget not that one day you will wear the shroud of the grave;
Lovers of palaces and lofty mansions forget not that ditch where you ultimately lie in;
Lovers of fine food and drink forget not that you are to become the food of worms and maggots.
[Othman radi Allah anhu]
Friday, April 03, 2015
Inspiring story....
Sultan Murad IV, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623-1640, would often anonymously go into the midst of the people and see their state. One evening, he felt an uneasiness in himself and the urge to go out. He called for his head of security and and out they went. They came to a busy vicinity, and found a man lying on the ground. The Sultan prodded him but he was dead and the people were going about their own business. Nobody seemed to care about the dead man lying on the ground.
The Sultan called upon the people. They didn't recognize him and asked him what he wanted. He said, "Why is this man lying dead on the ground and why does no one seem to care?
Where is his family?" They replied, "He is so and so, the drunkard and fornicator!"
The Sultan said, "Is he not from the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace and blessings upon him)? Now help me carry him to his house" The people carried the dead man with the Sultan to his house and once they reached, they all left. The Sultan and his assistant remained.
When the man's wife saw his dead body, she began weeping. She said to his dead body, "Allah have mercy on you! O friend of Allah! I bear witness that you are from the pious ones.
"The Sultan was bewildered. He said, "How is he from the pious ones when the people say such and such things about him. So much so that no one even cared he was dead?"
She replied, "I was expecting that. My husband would go to the tavern every night and buy as much wine as he could. He would then bring it home and pour it all down the drain. He would then say, "I saved the Muslims a little today." He would then go to a prostitute, give her some money and tell her to close her door till the morning. He would then return home for a second time and say, "Today I saved a young woman and the youth of the believers from vice."
The people would see him buy wine and they would see him go to the prostitutes and they would consequently talk about him. One day I said to him, "When you die, there will be no one to bathe you, there will be no one to pray over you and there will be no one to bury you!"
He laughed and replied, "Don't fear, the Sultan of the believers, along with the pious ones shall pray over my body."
The Sultan began crying. He said, "By Allah! He has said the truth, for I am Sultan Murad. Tomorrow we shall bathe him, pray over him and bury him." And it so happened that the Sultan, the scholars, the pious people and the masses prayed over him.
We judge people by what we see and what we hear from others. Only if we were to see what was concealed in their hearts, a secret between them and their Lord.
The Sultan called upon the people. They didn't recognize him and asked him what he wanted. He said, "Why is this man lying dead on the ground and why does no one seem to care?
Where is his family?" They replied, "He is so and so, the drunkard and fornicator!"
The Sultan said, "Is he not from the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace and blessings upon him)? Now help me carry him to his house" The people carried the dead man with the Sultan to his house and once they reached, they all left. The Sultan and his assistant remained.
When the man's wife saw his dead body, she began weeping. She said to his dead body, "Allah have mercy on you! O friend of Allah! I bear witness that you are from the pious ones.
"The Sultan was bewildered. He said, "How is he from the pious ones when the people say such and such things about him. So much so that no one even cared he was dead?"
She replied, "I was expecting that. My husband would go to the tavern every night and buy as much wine as he could. He would then bring it home and pour it all down the drain. He would then say, "I saved the Muslims a little today." He would then go to a prostitute, give her some money and tell her to close her door till the morning. He would then return home for a second time and say, "Today I saved a young woman and the youth of the believers from vice."
The people would see him buy wine and they would see him go to the prostitutes and they would consequently talk about him. One day I said to him, "When you die, there will be no one to bathe you, there will be no one to pray over you and there will be no one to bury you!"
He laughed and replied, "Don't fear, the Sultan of the believers, along with the pious ones shall pray over my body."
The Sultan began crying. He said, "By Allah! He has said the truth, for I am Sultan Murad. Tomorrow we shall bathe him, pray over him and bury him." And it so happened that the Sultan, the scholars, the pious people and the masses prayed over him.
We judge people by what we see and what we hear from others. Only if we were to see what was concealed in their hearts, a secret between them and their Lord.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Lesson of the day 1376
Ayahs of the day:
And do not reject those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking divine attention. You are not accountable for them in anything, and they are not accountable for you in anything, that you should reject them and so be among the unjust. [6: 52]
Hadith of the day:
In the evening, do not wait for the morning, and in the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your weakness, and from your life for your death. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The sign that one intimately knows Allah is that his heart is ever increasing in His remembrance. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
One of the most important religious duties and best things with which a servant may seek to draw nearer to God, the Lord of the worlds, is carefully to keep away from the unlawful and the suspect, and seek the lawful and expend of it. He whose earnings are unlawful inevitably will be afflicted by outward and inward imperfections that will blemish his acts of obedience or even annul them.
Who ever reflects on this and observes it in himself and others will recognize the truth of it, unless he is being deceived and lured. One should avoid the unlawful to the utmost, guard oneself against it, and keep away from it in all its forms. [Counsels of Religion by Imam Haddad]
Food for thought:
Do not expect the world to look bright, if you habitually wear gray-brown glasses. The habit of looking on the bright side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year. Of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.
And do not reject those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking divine attention. You are not accountable for them in anything, and they are not accountable for you in anything, that you should reject them and so be among the unjust. [6: 52]
Hadith of the day:
In the evening, do not wait for the morning, and in the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your weakness, and from your life for your death. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The sign that one intimately knows Allah is that his heart is ever increasing in His remembrance. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
One of the most important religious duties and best things with which a servant may seek to draw nearer to God, the Lord of the worlds, is carefully to keep away from the unlawful and the suspect, and seek the lawful and expend of it. He whose earnings are unlawful inevitably will be afflicted by outward and inward imperfections that will blemish his acts of obedience or even annul them.
Who ever reflects on this and observes it in himself and others will recognize the truth of it, unless he is being deceived and lured. One should avoid the unlawful to the utmost, guard oneself against it, and keep away from it in all its forms. [Counsels of Religion by Imam Haddad]
Food for thought:
Do not expect the world to look bright, if you habitually wear gray-brown glasses. The habit of looking on the bright side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year. Of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 372
1. How strange is the one who knows the Hell Fire to be real and then sins knowingly.
2. How strange is the one who believes in Paradise yet spends his days in the world leisurely.
3. How strange is the one who considers God to be the Ultimate Reality and yet relies on others exclusively.
4. How strange is the one who knows Satan to be his enemy and yet listens to him obediently.
5. O' Son of Adam! Allah has nourishingly created you for Him alone, yet you so desire to belong to others.
6. The lover of God loves his times of solitude.
7. A slip of the tongue is far more hazardous than a slip of the foot.
8. If you are bent on committing that sin, then seek out that place which will keep God out.
9. To deem that Allah is with one every moment is the greatest expression of faith.
10. The scandal monger harms three people -- himself, his listener, and his target. [Othman radi Allah anhu]
2. How strange is the one who believes in Paradise yet spends his days in the world leisurely.
3. How strange is the one who considers God to be the Ultimate Reality and yet relies on others exclusively.
4. How strange is the one who knows Satan to be his enemy and yet listens to him obediently.
5. O' Son of Adam! Allah has nourishingly created you for Him alone, yet you so desire to belong to others.
6. The lover of God loves his times of solitude.
7. A slip of the tongue is far more hazardous than a slip of the foot.
8. If you are bent on committing that sin, then seek out that place which will keep God out.
9. To deem that Allah is with one every moment is the greatest expression of faith.
10. The scandal monger harms three people -- himself, his listener, and his target. [Othman radi Allah anhu]
Monday, March 23, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Lesson of the day 1375
Ayahs of the day:
Warn hereby those who fear they will be gathered to their Lord -- other than which they have no protector, and no intercessor -- that they may be conscientious. [6: 51]
Hadith of the day:
All of you are shepherds, each of you is responsible for his flock. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The losses that you suffer on account of your silence can be easily compensated for, but the losses that arise out of excessive loose talk are difficult to requite. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the day:
It is incumbent upon the believer to love the people of goodness, religion, knowledge, and virtue, both the living and the dead. He should choose for companions the virtuous and righteous and avoid the evil and the corrupt.
He who is able to find no God-fearing, virtuous, benevolent believer to keep company with, then seclusion and solitude are better and nearer rectitude than to mix with evil, corrupt people. Associating with corrupt people is of immense harm and tremendous evil. It is fraught with perils and difficult trials, both immediate and future. Among these are acquiring their attributes unaware, watching them and and so coming to find comfort in their presence, inclining toward their evil states, easing the impact of sins on the heart, being led to imitating them and approving of their words and deeds.
The poet said,
Ask not about a man, but about his companions,
For one is bound to imitate one's companions. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great. If we have done any deed worthy of remembrance, that deed will be our monument. If not, no monument can preserve our memory.
Warn hereby those who fear they will be gathered to their Lord -- other than which they have no protector, and no intercessor -- that they may be conscientious. [6: 51]
Hadith of the day:
All of you are shepherds, each of you is responsible for his flock. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The losses that you suffer on account of your silence can be easily compensated for, but the losses that arise out of excessive loose talk are difficult to requite. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the day:
It is incumbent upon the believer to love the people of goodness, religion, knowledge, and virtue, both the living and the dead. He should choose for companions the virtuous and righteous and avoid the evil and the corrupt.
He who is able to find no God-fearing, virtuous, benevolent believer to keep company with, then seclusion and solitude are better and nearer rectitude than to mix with evil, corrupt people. Associating with corrupt people is of immense harm and tremendous evil. It is fraught with perils and difficult trials, both immediate and future. Among these are acquiring their attributes unaware, watching them and and so coming to find comfort in their presence, inclining toward their evil states, easing the impact of sins on the heart, being led to imitating them and approving of their words and deeds.
The poet said,
Ask not about a man, but about his companions,
For one is bound to imitate one's companions. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great. If we have done any deed worthy of remembrance, that deed will be our monument. If not, no monument can preserve our memory.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 371
1. Wasted is the scholar who is not asked about what he knows.
2. Wasted is the wealth which is not used in good.
3. Wasted is the knowledge which is not acted upon.
4. Wasted is the goodly advice which is ignored.
5. Wasted is the Mus'haf (copy of the Qur'an) which is not recited from.
6. Wasted is the heart which is firmly planted in the mud of dunya.
7. Wasted is the life which has made no provision for the ultimate journey.
8. Put your hopes in no one except your Lord, have fear of nothing other than your sins.
9. The extent to which one understands the nature of dunya measures the degree of his detachment from it.
10. A slip of the tongue is far more hazardous than a slip of the foot. [Othman radi Allah anhu]
2. Wasted is the wealth which is not used in good.
3. Wasted is the knowledge which is not acted upon.
4. Wasted is the goodly advice which is ignored.
5. Wasted is the Mus'haf (copy of the Qur'an) which is not recited from.
6. Wasted is the heart which is firmly planted in the mud of dunya.
7. Wasted is the life which has made no provision for the ultimate journey.
8. Put your hopes in no one except your Lord, have fear of nothing other than your sins.
9. The extent to which one understands the nature of dunya measures the degree of his detachment from it.
10. A slip of the tongue is far more hazardous than a slip of the foot. [Othman radi Allah anhu]
Friday, March 13, 2015
Meaningless goals....
Overtaking Cars
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “He whose two days are equal, is a loser.” [Daiylami]
A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for cars. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to overtake a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever did overtake one."
Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.
Each dawn is a new beginning. Let each day dawn on a resolve to make it better in any one tiny way: Determine which useless or wrong deed you are going to give up today or which additional good deed you are going to do today to draw closer to Allah Most High.
(Daily Hadith)
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “He whose two days are equal, is a loser.” [Daiylami]
A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for cars. As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it. One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to overtake a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever did overtake one."
Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.
Each dawn is a new beginning. Let each day dawn on a resolve to make it better in any one tiny way: Determine which useless or wrong deed you are going to give up today or which additional good deed you are going to do today to draw closer to Allah Most High.
(Daily Hadith)
Monday, March 09, 2015
Lesson of the day 1374
Ayahs of the day:
Say, "The unwholesome and the wholesome are not equal, even if the abundance of the unwholesome may delight you. So be conscious of God, those of you with understanding, so that you may thrive. [5: 100]
Hadith of the day:
Anyone who shows the way to something good has the same reward as the person who does it. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Disputes that escalate to high levels can often only be defused if one of the parties lays down its arms and surrenders, preferring family harmony and the pleasure of God Most High over personal grudges. [Hamza Karam Ali]
Guidance of the day:
The essence of companionship is sincere love and unblemished affection. When this is in God and for God, its reward is immense:
When a person loves another, becomes his friend and companion for his love of God and obedience to Him, this is love in God the Exalted.
If he loves and befriends him because he helps him uphold his religion and obey his Lord, he loves him in God.
Love and keep company with God-fearing people, people of knowledge, and those of God's virtuous servants who are detached from this world, who are His protege among believers. For a man shall be with whom he loves in this life and the next. Keeping company with God-fearing and virtuous people draws one nearer to God. This is praiseworthy, benevolent companionship -- it is for God and in God, the rewards of which are immense, and the importance in religion and rank of which is high. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
The mind is like a stomach, it is not how much you put into it that counts, but how much it digests. The defects of the mind, like those of the face, grow worse as we grow old. Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. Life is not a static thing. The only people who do not change their minds are incompetents in asylums, who can't, and those in cemeteries.
Say, "The unwholesome and the wholesome are not equal, even if the abundance of the unwholesome may delight you. So be conscious of God, those of you with understanding, so that you may thrive. [5: 100]
Hadith of the day:
Anyone who shows the way to something good has the same reward as the person who does it. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Disputes that escalate to high levels can often only be defused if one of the parties lays down its arms and surrenders, preferring family harmony and the pleasure of God Most High over personal grudges. [Hamza Karam Ali]
Guidance of the day:
The essence of companionship is sincere love and unblemished affection. When this is in God and for God, its reward is immense:
When a person loves another, becomes his friend and companion for his love of God and obedience to Him, this is love in God the Exalted.
If he loves and befriends him because he helps him uphold his religion and obey his Lord, he loves him in God.
Love and keep company with God-fearing people, people of knowledge, and those of God's virtuous servants who are detached from this world, who are His protege among believers. For a man shall be with whom he loves in this life and the next. Keeping company with God-fearing and virtuous people draws one nearer to God. This is praiseworthy, benevolent companionship -- it is for God and in God, the rewards of which are immense, and the importance in religion and rank of which is high. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
The mind is like a stomach, it is not how much you put into it that counts, but how much it digests. The defects of the mind, like those of the face, grow worse as we grow old. Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. Life is not a static thing. The only people who do not change their minds are incompetents in asylums, who can't, and those in cemeteries.
Friday, March 06, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 370
1. Sometimes darknesses come over that He may make you aware of the value of His blessings upon you.
2. He who does not know the value of graces/blessings when they are present knows their value when they are absent.
3. Do not deem His giving to be slow; but rather, deem your approaching to be slow.
4. That part of your life that has gone is irreplaceable, and that which has arrived is priceless.
5. You have not loved anything without being its slave, but He does not want you to be someone else's slave.
6. Your obedience does not benefit Him, and your disobedience does not harm Him. It is only for your own good that He commanded the one and prohibited the other.
7. His sublimity is not increased when someone draws near to Him, and His sublimity is not decreased when someone draws away from Him.
8. When Divine inspirations come upon you, they demolish your habits; "Surely the kings, when they enter a town, ruin it."
9. That which hearts find in the way of worries and sadnesses is due to that which prevents their having inner vision.
10. Beneficial knowledge is the one whose ray of light expands in the mind and uncovers the veil over the heart. [Ibn Ata'Allah]
2. He who does not know the value of graces/blessings when they are present knows their value when they are absent.
3. Do not deem His giving to be slow; but rather, deem your approaching to be slow.
4. That part of your life that has gone is irreplaceable, and that which has arrived is priceless.
5. You have not loved anything without being its slave, but He does not want you to be someone else's slave.
6. Your obedience does not benefit Him, and your disobedience does not harm Him. It is only for your own good that He commanded the one and prohibited the other.
7. His sublimity is not increased when someone draws near to Him, and His sublimity is not decreased when someone draws away from Him.
8. When Divine inspirations come upon you, they demolish your habits; "Surely the kings, when they enter a town, ruin it."
9. That which hearts find in the way of worries and sadnesses is due to that which prevents their having inner vision.
10. Beneficial knowledge is the one whose ray of light expands in the mind and uncovers the veil over the heart. [Ibn Ata'Allah]
Monday, March 02, 2015
Satan is the third....
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) said: “Whenever a non-mahram man and woman meet in seclusion, Satan definitely is the third one joining them.” [Tirmidhi]
What this hadith means is that Satan arouses their passions and incites them to commit evil. Prevention is better than cure. Fornication and adultery rip to shreds the psychological health of society. Since the family is the building block of society, for a society to be healthy, it must have healthy families that constitute it. To prevent any situation arising which might harm the family unit, Islam nips the source of problems in the bud. A person is responsible not only for himself or herself but for the spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well being of their children as much as it is in their control. From their children will arise many more generations. Keeping this in mind we have to do our best to provide as healthy a moral environment as we can so we are not held responsible for the destruction of future generations.
“If the breakdown of the family and female security is to be averted, only two strategies are available: firstly, members of society may be conditioned to believe that sexuality is from the devil, and should inspire feelings of guilt and distaste; or secondly, sexuality may be accepted as the loving expression of a natural human need, in which case the sexes must be separated, within reason, to avoid the risk of the temptation of weak souls and hence their unchastity.”
“Historically, the first of these two choices has been that of Christianity, while Islam has opted for the second. The modern Western attitude, in which there is both an obsession with sexuality and a casual mingling of men and women, and which has resulted in massive promiscuity (and hence infidelity, divorce, abortion and disease) does not represent an ethically coherent system.” [The Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith, translator’s note, The Quilliam Press]
(Daily Hadith)
What this hadith means is that Satan arouses their passions and incites them to commit evil. Prevention is better than cure. Fornication and adultery rip to shreds the psychological health of society. Since the family is the building block of society, for a society to be healthy, it must have healthy families that constitute it. To prevent any situation arising which might harm the family unit, Islam nips the source of problems in the bud. A person is responsible not only for himself or herself but for the spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well being of their children as much as it is in their control. From their children will arise many more generations. Keeping this in mind we have to do our best to provide as healthy a moral environment as we can so we are not held responsible for the destruction of future generations.
“If the breakdown of the family and female security is to be averted, only two strategies are available: firstly, members of society may be conditioned to believe that sexuality is from the devil, and should inspire feelings of guilt and distaste; or secondly, sexuality may be accepted as the loving expression of a natural human need, in which case the sexes must be separated, within reason, to avoid the risk of the temptation of weak souls and hence their unchastity.”
“Historically, the first of these two choices has been that of Christianity, while Islam has opted for the second. The modern Western attitude, in which there is both an obsession with sexuality and a casual mingling of men and women, and which has resulted in massive promiscuity (and hence infidelity, divorce, abortion and disease) does not represent an ethically coherent system.” [The Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith, translator’s note, The Quilliam Press]
(Daily Hadith)
Friday, February 27, 2015
Lesson of the day 1373
Ayahs of the day:
Heed God, and heed the messenger, and be cautious; if you turn away, know that the only duty of Our messenger is clear communication. [5: 92]
Hadith of the day:
Part of the excellence of a person's Islam is in leaving alone what does not concern him. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
Keeping the company of those who are intimate with the Divine is the best of affairs. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
Marriage requires patience in treating women with kindness, fulfilling their rights, and providing for them and the children. There is great merit in this, in addition to the merit of being the cause of procreating righteous offspring that will worship God the Exalted, pray for their parents, and ask forgiveness for them during the latter's lifetimes and after their death. Some of the children may die before puberty, which attracts immense reward for the parents.
He who wishes to marry should do so intending it to be of assistance to him in both his religious and worldly affairs, while he who abstains should intend thereby to protect his religion and opt for caution so as to be safe. Thus should both marriage and abstention be according to righteous intention that will draw one nearer to God. God is the One to grant success and assistance, there is no Lord other than He. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
War destroys men, but luxury destroys mankind -- at once corrupts the body and mind. We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities. A simple and unassuming life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.
Heed God, and heed the messenger, and be cautious; if you turn away, know that the only duty of Our messenger is clear communication. [5: 92]
Hadith of the day:
Part of the excellence of a person's Islam is in leaving alone what does not concern him. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
Keeping the company of those who are intimate with the Divine is the best of affairs. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
Marriage requires patience in treating women with kindness, fulfilling their rights, and providing for them and the children. There is great merit in this, in addition to the merit of being the cause of procreating righteous offspring that will worship God the Exalted, pray for their parents, and ask forgiveness for them during the latter's lifetimes and after their death. Some of the children may die before puberty, which attracts immense reward for the parents.
He who wishes to marry should do so intending it to be of assistance to him in both his religious and worldly affairs, while he who abstains should intend thereby to protect his religion and opt for caution so as to be safe. Thus should both marriage and abstention be according to righteous intention that will draw one nearer to God. God is the One to grant success and assistance, there is no Lord other than He. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
War destroys men, but luxury destroys mankind -- at once corrupts the body and mind. We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities. A simple and unassuming life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 369
1. How strange is the one who claims to know death's reality and yet can go on enjoying himself heedlessly.
2. How strange is the one who recognizes the evanescence of the world yet longs after it tirelessly.
3. How strange is the one who believes in destiny yet cries over the loss of that which is fleeting.
4. How strange is the one who knows Reckoning to be true and yet goes on hoarding ceaselessly.
5. Silence -- the best remedy for anger.
6. Wanting more when sufficient sustenance and well-being has been given is also a form of complaint.
7. Seek not to burden anyone of God's creature with it be something large or small.
8. null -- Any action undertaken without Allah's pleasure as its goal.
9. This world is merely a way station which Allah has placed on the road of those traveling to Him.
10. Put your hopes in no one except your Lord, have fear of nothing other than your sins.
[Othman radi Allah anhu]
2. How strange is the one who recognizes the evanescence of the world yet longs after it tirelessly.
3. How strange is the one who believes in destiny yet cries over the loss of that which is fleeting.
4. How strange is the one who knows Reckoning to be true and yet goes on hoarding ceaselessly.
5. Silence -- the best remedy for anger.
6. Wanting more when sufficient sustenance and well-being has been given is also a form of complaint.
7. Seek not to burden anyone of God's creature with it be something large or small.
8. null -- Any action undertaken without Allah's pleasure as its goal.
9. This world is merely a way station which Allah has placed on the road of those traveling to Him.
10. Put your hopes in no one except your Lord, have fear of nothing other than your sins.
[Othman radi Allah anhu]
Friday, February 20, 2015
Limitless Praise due to the One and Only (part 2)
Oh Forgiving! Grant a turning away (from the wrong action) to which will undo
what happened in early years.
Increase us in blessing, light and unveiling, and strengthen us in guidance,
with idhn (permission) and secret.
Support us in words and deeds, and make our provision easy for us from
where we know not!
Here are we standing at the door of favor, waiting without hardship for the
Beloved to turn to us.
Swiftly, send us Your ease, oh Answerer, for You are the possessor of
generosity, liberality and goodness.
Your Bounty exists without existence, and Your Generosity pour down on
us, undenied.
Give us success in the thankfulness which is our duty and which itself
calls for increase from You without loss to us.
Free us from the prison of our bodies and raise us up to the presence of
the spirits as a reward for our gratitude. [Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib]
what happened in early years.
Increase us in blessing, light and unveiling, and strengthen us in guidance,
with idhn (permission) and secret.
Support us in words and deeds, and make our provision easy for us from
where we know not!
Here are we standing at the door of favor, waiting without hardship for the
Beloved to turn to us.
Swiftly, send us Your ease, oh Answerer, for You are the possessor of
generosity, liberality and goodness.
Your Bounty exists without existence, and Your Generosity pour down on
us, undenied.
Give us success in the thankfulness which is our duty and which itself
calls for increase from You without loss to us.
Free us from the prison of our bodies and raise us up to the presence of
the spirits as a reward for our gratitude. [Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib]
Monday, February 16, 2015
Lesson of the day 1372
Ayahs of the day:
Satan only wants to sow hostility and hatred among you with wine and gambling, and to hinder you from remembrance of God, and from prayer. So will you refrain? [5: 91]
Hadith of the day:
Be in the world as a stranger or a passer by. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The heights of a person's wisdom are commensurate with his nearness to the Divine. [Sari Suqati]
Guidance of the day:
Marriage has many merits, advantages, and benefits, both in this life and the next. There is much encouragement toward it in the Book and Sunna. There is no reason for not marrying save incapacity or debauchery.
Marriage frees the heart from the whisperings of the Devil concerning women, such as may occur to a man during ritual prayer as he stands before God. Marriage helps keep one's gaze down and protect one's private parts. The merits of such benefits have been detailed in the Book and Sunna in such a manner as not to escape the notice of any knowledgeable, insightful person. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life. Life is like a cash register, in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded. Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by day dragging, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from it.
Satan only wants to sow hostility and hatred among you with wine and gambling, and to hinder you from remembrance of God, and from prayer. So will you refrain? [5: 91]
Hadith of the day:
Be in the world as a stranger or a passer by. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
The heights of a person's wisdom are commensurate with his nearness to the Divine. [Sari Suqati]
Guidance of the day:
Marriage has many merits, advantages, and benefits, both in this life and the next. There is much encouragement toward it in the Book and Sunna. There is no reason for not marrying save incapacity or debauchery.
Marriage frees the heart from the whisperings of the Devil concerning women, such as may occur to a man during ritual prayer as he stands before God. Marriage helps keep one's gaze down and protect one's private parts. The merits of such benefits have been detailed in the Book and Sunna in such a manner as not to escape the notice of any knowledgeable, insightful person. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life. Life is like a cash register, in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded. Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by day dragging, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from it.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 368
1. The strength in one's resolve is that one does not leave for tomorrow what one can do today.
2. Know that it is with ilm (knowledge) that you must speak, and that it is with hilm (forbearance) that you must remain silent.
3. Iman (faith) is that one recognizes the One True God in the depths of his heart, and that he confirms it with his tongue, and that he acts upon the Divine Prescriptions of the Shariah.
4. Covetousness itself is poverty regardless of how rich one is; detachment itself is wealth regardless of how poor one is.
5. Doing good for a good done to you is simply repayment, whereas doing good for an evil done to you is a tremendous virtue.
6. When both the lawful and the prohibited are present in a thing, it is its prohibited aspect which will always be most prominent.
7. Decrease in one's speech brings wisdom; decrease in one's food brings health; decrease in one's sleep brings worship.
8. Lofty stations are attained only through humility.
9. Worldly honor may be through wealth, but heavenly honor is certainly through works.
10. Death -- A single word which contains within it every goodly advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
2. Know that it is with ilm (knowledge) that you must speak, and that it is with hilm (forbearance) that you must remain silent.
3. Iman (faith) is that one recognizes the One True God in the depths of his heart, and that he confirms it with his tongue, and that he acts upon the Divine Prescriptions of the Shariah.
4. Covetousness itself is poverty regardless of how rich one is; detachment itself is wealth regardless of how poor one is.
5. Doing good for a good done to you is simply repayment, whereas doing good for an evil done to you is a tremendous virtue.
6. When both the lawful and the prohibited are present in a thing, it is its prohibited aspect which will always be most prominent.
7. Decrease in one's speech brings wisdom; decrease in one's food brings health; decrease in one's sleep brings worship.
8. Lofty stations are attained only through humility.
9. Worldly honor may be through wealth, but heavenly honor is certainly through works.
10. Death -- A single word which contains within it every goodly advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
Monday, February 09, 2015
Limitless Praise due to the One and Only....(part 1)
Praise is due to You, the possessor of serenity, forgiveness and veiling.
My praise is part of Your blessing, oh abundant Giver.
Praise is due to You, in number as great as the drops of rain, the grains of sand,
the pebbles, the plants of the earth and the fish of the sea.
Praise is due to You in number as great as the ants, jinn, men, in quantity as
great as the sky, the throne, and the stars like scattered pearls.
In quantity as great as space itself, and the tablet of forms, the footstools, the
moist earth, and the number of all created beings on the day of gathering.
Praise is due to You, oh my Lord, as You deserve it, for I cannot praise
You fittingly to the full extent of time.
Praise is due to You, oh endless Giver of gifts, the One who grants
opening and triumph to the people of Allah.
Praise is due to You with every breath with the body and the heart.
Look kindly on a slave who is perplexed by the command.
If my actions weigh me down, I still have a good opinion of You
that You will mend my broken spirit. [Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib]
My praise is part of Your blessing, oh abundant Giver.
Praise is due to You, in number as great as the drops of rain, the grains of sand,
the pebbles, the plants of the earth and the fish of the sea.
Praise is due to You in number as great as the ants, jinn, men, in quantity as
great as the sky, the throne, and the stars like scattered pearls.
In quantity as great as space itself, and the tablet of forms, the footstools, the
moist earth, and the number of all created beings on the day of gathering.
Praise is due to You, oh my Lord, as You deserve it, for I cannot praise
You fittingly to the full extent of time.
Praise is due to You, oh endless Giver of gifts, the One who grants
opening and triumph to the people of Allah.
Praise is due to You with every breath with the body and the heart.
Look kindly on a slave who is perplexed by the command.
If my actions weigh me down, I still have a good opinion of You
that You will mend my broken spirit. [Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib]
Friday, February 06, 2015
Lesson of the day 1371
Ayahs of the day:
Believers, Wine and gambling and idolatry and divination are nothing but abomination from the works of Satan, so avoid them that you may thrive. [5: 90]
Hadith of the day:
Whoever would like to have his provision increased and his lifespan extended (and to be remembered after he dies), let him uphold his ties of kinship. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
The one who is distant from the love of this world tastes the sweetness of loving the Divine, and these are not attained but through His generosity. [Ma'ruf Kharkhi]
Guidance of the day:
These days, severing kinship bonds and lack of concern for helping and treating them kindly has become rife. It may be that this is why the land has become afflicted with poverty and scarcity of provision, for it has been handed down that preserving kinship bonds lengthens lives and increases wealth, and that God has increased certain people's provisions and accrued their wealth, although He has never looked at them since He created them, and this for their preservation of their kinship bonds. Severing bonds and abandoning kindness will have the opposite effect. And Allah knows best. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. Kindness is a language the dumb can speak and the deaf can hear and understand. You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.
Believers, Wine and gambling and idolatry and divination are nothing but abomination from the works of Satan, so avoid them that you may thrive. [5: 90]
Hadith of the day:
Whoever would like to have his provision increased and his lifespan extended (and to be remembered after he dies), let him uphold his ties of kinship. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
The one who is distant from the love of this world tastes the sweetness of loving the Divine, and these are not attained but through His generosity. [Ma'ruf Kharkhi]
Guidance of the day:
These days, severing kinship bonds and lack of concern for helping and treating them kindly has become rife. It may be that this is why the land has become afflicted with poverty and scarcity of provision, for it has been handed down that preserving kinship bonds lengthens lives and increases wealth, and that God has increased certain people's provisions and accrued their wealth, although He has never looked at them since He created them, and this for their preservation of their kinship bonds. Severing bonds and abandoning kindness will have the opposite effect. And Allah knows best. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. Kindness is a language the dumb can speak and the deaf can hear and understand. You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.
Monday, February 02, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 367
1. The heart is dead, but its living again lies in knowledge, knowledge too is dead, but its living again lies in the seeking after it.
2. Erase old sins with new virtues.
3. He who busies himself in the Lord's work, finds the Lord busy in his work.
4. That amount of knowledge which suffices the Believer is that which keeps him in awe of the Divine.
5. The sole root of man's misery is his talking in excess.
6. Man knows that he is weak, yet how strange that he continues to disobey the One Who is strongest of all.
7. Wretched is the one who dies, and his inequity lives on.
8. A people who have left the struggle in Allah's way have shackled themselves in the dark caverns of disgrace and utter loss.
9. Through his knowledge the seeker of the deen increases in action, whereas the seeker of this world increases only in information.
[Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
2. Erase old sins with new virtues.
3. He who busies himself in the Lord's work, finds the Lord busy in his work.
4. That amount of knowledge which suffices the Believer is that which keeps him in awe of the Divine.
5. The sole root of man's misery is his talking in excess.
6. Man knows that he is weak, yet how strange that he continues to disobey the One Who is strongest of all.
7. Wretched is the one who dies, and his inequity lives on.
8. A people who have left the struggle in Allah's way have shackled themselves in the dark caverns of disgrace and utter loss.
9. Through his knowledge the seeker of the deen increases in action, whereas the seeker of this world increases only in information.
[Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
Friday, January 30, 2015
The Friends of God....
The friends of God when they do speak,
It is the truth that flows from their mouths.
When they are silent, think them not to be mute,
For their silence is inward remembrance.
The friends of God, their glances pierce the veils of darkness,
Their ears harken to the call of the Friend for whom they are friends.
Their will surrendered to His will,
Their footsteps tracing the path to His abode.
They are immersed in the ocean of His light,
And although among us, drunk by the wine of His love,
Scintillating in the luminosity of His proximity.
O friend become a friend of God before this life ceases to flow
Enter the inner courtyard of His intimacy.
Breathe that air filled with the fragrance of His Beauty
And leave the care of the world to those whose only friend is the world.
By
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
It is the truth that flows from their mouths.
When they are silent, think them not to be mute,
For their silence is inward remembrance.
The friends of God, their glances pierce the veils of darkness,
Their ears harken to the call of the Friend for whom they are friends.
Their will surrendered to His will,
Their footsteps tracing the path to His abode.
They are immersed in the ocean of His light,
And although among us, drunk by the wine of His love,
Scintillating in the luminosity of His proximity.
O friend become a friend of God before this life ceases to flow
Enter the inner courtyard of His intimacy.
Breathe that air filled with the fragrance of His Beauty
And leave the care of the world to those whose only friend is the world.
By
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Monday, January 26, 2015
Lesson of the day 1370
Ayahs of the day:
And whoever chooses friendship with God and God's messenger and those who believe, it is the partisans of God who are the triumphant. [5: 56]
Hadith of the day:
Read the Qur'an, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection interceding for its companions. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Of all the possessions, few are more precious than a grateful heart. It is a well-spring of belief, attaining us to the Divine presence and driving us to His worship. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]
Guidance of the day:
Let the servant who is providentially assisted strive to nurture his ties of kinship in whatever manner he is able to -- kindness, service, gifts, donations, visits, and comforting. He should make the appropriate choice as to which of these is suitable with each of his relatives, so he will have discharged his duties toward them, nurtured his kinship bonds, and comforted them.
He should never fail to nurture his kinship bonds out of indolence or avarice, treating lightly those bonds to which God has attributed so much importance and severely threatened those who sever them. It is the servant's to do his best, according to his means, and it is God's to assist and forgive. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
No one will dare maintain that it is better to do injustice than to bear it. If you suffer injustice, console yourself, the true unhappiness is in doing it. The one who commits injustice bears the greatest burden -- he is made more wretched than he who suffers it.
And whoever chooses friendship with God and God's messenger and those who believe, it is the partisans of God who are the triumphant. [5: 56]
Hadith of the day:
Read the Qur'an, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection interceding for its companions. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
Of all the possessions, few are more precious than a grateful heart. It is a well-spring of belief, attaining us to the Divine presence and driving us to His worship. [Imam Magid bin Muhammad]
Guidance of the day:
Let the servant who is providentially assisted strive to nurture his ties of kinship in whatever manner he is able to -- kindness, service, gifts, donations, visits, and comforting. He should make the appropriate choice as to which of these is suitable with each of his relatives, so he will have discharged his duties toward them, nurtured his kinship bonds, and comforted them.
He should never fail to nurture his kinship bonds out of indolence or avarice, treating lightly those bonds to which God has attributed so much importance and severely threatened those who sever them. It is the servant's to do his best, according to his means, and it is God's to assist and forgive. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
No one will dare maintain that it is better to do injustice than to bear it. If you suffer injustice, console yourself, the true unhappiness is in doing it. The one who commits injustice bears the greatest burden -- he is made more wretched than he who suffers it.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 366
1. Be mindful of God by obeying Him, and obey God by being mindful of Him.
2. Restrain your hand that it never sheds the blood of a Muslim.
3. Restrain your stomach that it never consumes the wealth of others. [unlawfully].
4. Restrain your tongue that it is never defiled by transgressing against their honor.
[Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
5. Be pleased with what God has measured out for you and you will be the wealthiest of people.
6. Avoid what God has forbidden for you and you will be the most impeccable of people.
7. Perform the obligatory acts God, Most High, has imposed upon you and you will be the most devout of people.[Ibn Mas'ud radi Allah anhu]
8.There is no good in people who do not give sincere advice, and there is no good in people who do not love those who offer sincere advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
9. Do not talk about things that do not concern you, and leave much of what does concern you.
10. Do not argue with fools or clement people.
11. Only mention your brother in ways that you would love to be mentioned.
[Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allah anhu]
2. Restrain your hand that it never sheds the blood of a Muslim.
3. Restrain your stomach that it never consumes the wealth of others. [unlawfully].
4. Restrain your tongue that it is never defiled by transgressing against their honor.
[Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
5. Be pleased with what God has measured out for you and you will be the wealthiest of people.
6. Avoid what God has forbidden for you and you will be the most impeccable of people.
7. Perform the obligatory acts God, Most High, has imposed upon you and you will be the most devout of people.[Ibn Mas'ud radi Allah anhu]
8.There is no good in people who do not give sincere advice, and there is no good in people who do not love those who offer sincere advice. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
9. Do not talk about things that do not concern you, and leave much of what does concern you.
10. Do not argue with fools or clement people.
11. Only mention your brother in ways that you would love to be mentioned.
[Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allah anhu]
Monday, January 19, 2015
The Most Beloved Human Being who ever lived.....
He is the human being who made us believe God exists.
He is the human being who helped us become more humans.
He is the human being who showed us what success looks like.
He is the human being who humbled us more than any other.
He is the human being who inspired us more than anyone else.
He is the human being who taught us what justice is.
He is the human being who demonstrated what it is to be truly free.
He is the human being who lived like a pauper when the world was at his feet.
He is the human being who forgave those who had been trying to kill him and
his family and friends for decades.
He is the human being who we want to be like.
He is Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him and his family.
He is the human being who helped us become more humans.
He is the human being who showed us what success looks like.
He is the human being who humbled us more than any other.
He is the human being who inspired us more than anyone else.
He is the human being who taught us what justice is.
He is the human being who demonstrated what it is to be truly free.
He is the human being who lived like a pauper when the world was at his feet.
He is the human being who forgave those who had been trying to kill him and
his family and friends for decades.
He is the human being who we want to be like.
He is Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him and his family.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Lesson of the day 1369
Ayahs of the day:
Your only friends are God, the messenger of God, and the believers, those who pray regularly, give alms, and bow down. [5: 55]
Hadith of the day:
The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
As long as you neglect to guard your limbs you have neglected to fulfill what you owe to Him. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
A person should nurture the bonds between him and his kin, even if they do not reciprocate. He should treat them kindly even if they show no such kindness to him. One should also bear whatever harm comes to him from them with patience and not retaliate. On the contrary, he should forgive and pardon, keep speaking to them, and treat them kindly.
The nearer the relative the more rights he has and the more deserving of benevolence. The weak, destitute next of kin are more deserving of help and kind treatment than more affluent ones. This is because the poor relative has two rights, that of blood relations and that of poverty. God coupled together the commands to do good to blood relations and the poor in the verses of His Book. There is no doubt that treating kindly he who has two rights takes precedence over treating kindly he who has one right only. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury. It is more noble by silence to avoid an injury than by argument to overcome it. No man ever did a designed injury to another, but at the same time he did a greater to himself.
Your only friends are God, the messenger of God, and the believers, those who pray regularly, give alms, and bow down. [5: 55]
Hadith of the day:
The best of you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. [Bukhari]
Wise quote of the day:
As long as you neglect to guard your limbs you have neglected to fulfill what you owe to Him. [Sahl bin Abdullah]
Guidance of the day:
A person should nurture the bonds between him and his kin, even if they do not reciprocate. He should treat them kindly even if they show no such kindness to him. One should also bear whatever harm comes to him from them with patience and not retaliate. On the contrary, he should forgive and pardon, keep speaking to them, and treat them kindly.
The nearer the relative the more rights he has and the more deserving of benevolence. The weak, destitute next of kin are more deserving of help and kind treatment than more affluent ones. This is because the poor relative has two rights, that of blood relations and that of poverty. God coupled together the commands to do good to blood relations and the poor in the verses of His Book. There is no doubt that treating kindly he who has two rights takes precedence over treating kindly he who has one right only. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it foregoes revenge and dares to forgive an injury. It is more noble by silence to avoid an injury than by argument to overcome it. No man ever did a designed injury to another, but at the same time he did a greater to himself.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Pearls of Wisdom 365
1. One who rectifies his inner self with an awareness of God's surveillance and sincerity; God adorns his outer self with devotional acts and adherence to the Prophetic way.
2. Anyone divested from the world finds his divestment in proportion to his knowledge, his knowledge in proportion to his intellect, and his intellect in proportion to the strength of his faith.
3. Knowledge bequeaths fear, divestment from the world bequeaths comfort, and gnosis bequeaths self criticism.
4. The basis of obedience is impeccability. The basis of impeccability is God-consciousness. The basis of God-consciousness is [balancing between] fear and hope, and the basis of those two is the knowledge of the promise and threat.
5. Good character is bearing abuse, rarely becoming angry, a pleasant face, and sweet speech.
6. Everything has an essence. The essence of human being is his intellect, and the essence of his intellect is patience.
7. The oppressor is remorseful even if people praise him. The oppressed is safe even if people condemn him.
8. The content person is wealthy even if he is hungry. And the covetous is impoverished even if he owns [plenty].
9. One who does not thank God for a blessing has called for its eradication.
10. The best person is one who does not allow his Hereafter to preoccupy him from his worldly affair, nor does he allow his worldly affair to preoccupy him from his Hereafter. [Imam Harith al Muhasibi]
2. Anyone divested from the world finds his divestment in proportion to his knowledge, his knowledge in proportion to his intellect, and his intellect in proportion to the strength of his faith.
3. Knowledge bequeaths fear, divestment from the world bequeaths comfort, and gnosis bequeaths self criticism.
4. The basis of obedience is impeccability. The basis of impeccability is God-consciousness. The basis of God-consciousness is [balancing between] fear and hope, and the basis of those two is the knowledge of the promise and threat.
5. Good character is bearing abuse, rarely becoming angry, a pleasant face, and sweet speech.
6. Everything has an essence. The essence of human being is his intellect, and the essence of his intellect is patience.
7. The oppressor is remorseful even if people praise him. The oppressed is safe even if people condemn him.
8. The content person is wealthy even if he is hungry. And the covetous is impoverished even if he owns [plenty].
9. One who does not thank God for a blessing has called for its eradication.
10. The best person is one who does not allow his Hereafter to preoccupy him from his worldly affair, nor does he allow his worldly affair to preoccupy him from his Hereafter. [Imam Harith al Muhasibi]
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Thoughts on the Charlie Hebdo Attack
Being a part of this world means living with things you disagree with. The way to combat bad ideas is with better ideas. These are the twin thoughts swirling in my head as I've struggled to take in the totality of the terrible news of this morning's attack in Paris, ostensibly carried out by militant Muslims "defending" Islam's Prophet Muhammad from the poison pens of political cartoonists and caricaturists.
Now, to be clear, as a Muslim I find such portrayals offensive and often unnecessary. And, to be equally clear, my sense of self isn't so fragile that it can't withstand folks taking potshots at my faith. In other words, I get over it and get on with it. Yes, the target of this attack, France's long-running satire magazine Charlie Hebdo has often been critical of religion in general, Islam in particular, and Prophet Muhammad even more particular still. So are a lot of other people.
Continue reading...
Now, to be clear, as a Muslim I find such portrayals offensive and often unnecessary. And, to be equally clear, my sense of self isn't so fragile that it can't withstand folks taking potshots at my faith. In other words, I get over it and get on with it. Yes, the target of this attack, France's long-running satire magazine Charlie Hebdo has often been critical of religion in general, Islam in particular, and Prophet Muhammad even more particular still. So are a lot of other people.
Continue reading...
Friday, December 26, 2014
The most appropriate response to praise....
All praise is Allah's alone....
Two things one should bring to mind when one is praised:
1) "I know myself, and my own shortcomings, better than the one praising me."
2) "Allah knows my shortcomings and the darknesses within my soul better than me and the one praising me."
(As such I know I do not deserve any praise -- all praise belongs to the One Who has concealed my faults from others.)
Two prayers one should implore Allah with when one is praised:
1) "O Allah, please do not hold me accountable to what they think and say about me! For you know my shortcomings dearly!"
2) "O Allah, make me better than what they think and say about me! For you know how far I have yet to go!"
Two things one should bring to mind when one is praised:
1) "I know myself, and my own shortcomings, better than the one praising me."
2) "Allah knows my shortcomings and the darknesses within my soul better than me and the one praising me."
(As such I know I do not deserve any praise -- all praise belongs to the One Who has concealed my faults from others.)
Two prayers one should implore Allah with when one is praised:
1) "O Allah, please do not hold me accountable to what they think and say about me! For you know my shortcomings dearly!"
2) "O Allah, make me better than what they think and say about me! For you know how far I have yet to go!"
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Lesson of the day 1368
Ayahs of the day:
Believers, if any of you turns from religion, God will bring forth a people whom God loves and who love God, humble toward believers, powerful against scoffers, struggling for the sake of God without fearing the blame of the critic. That is the blessing of God on whomever God wills. And God is all-encompassing, all-knowing. [5: 54]
Hadith of the day:
Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge thereby, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
A sign that Allah has turned away from a servant is that He makes him busy with matters that are of no concern to him. When a person reaches such a point, he must repent and ask Allah to guide him to those matters that are important and beneficial. [Hasan al-Basri]
Guidance of the day:
Among the things that God had bid them join are kinship bonds. Be careful to preserve the kinship bonds. Beware of severing them, for it is one of the greatest sins and its punishment is hastened in this life, after which there shall be severe punishment and painful torment prepared by God in the hereafter. Similarly, the reward for benevolence and nurturing kinship bonds is hastened in this life, after which there shall be immense reward in the hereafter.
Ali by al_Husayn (may God be pleased with both) counseled one of his children thus, "Beware of keeping the company with one who has severed his kinship bonds, for I have seen such a one being cursed in the Book of God the Exalted". The prophet (may blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Mercy doesn't descends on people among whom is one who has severed his kinship bonds." Now if mercy doesn't descend on people in the midst of whom is one who has severed his kinship bonds, how much more does the man himself deserve this? How immense shall God's loathing for him be and His cutting off from all goodness! [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Bad temper is a sign of inferiority. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Exaggerated sensitiveness is an expression of the feeling of inferiority. The greater the feeling of inferiority that has been experienced, the more powerful is the urge to conquest and the more violent the emotional agitation. The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.
Believers, if any of you turns from religion, God will bring forth a people whom God loves and who love God, humble toward believers, powerful against scoffers, struggling for the sake of God without fearing the blame of the critic. That is the blessing of God on whomever God wills. And God is all-encompassing, all-knowing. [5: 54]
Hadith of the day:
Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge thereby, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him. [Muslim]
Wise quote of the day:
A sign that Allah has turned away from a servant is that He makes him busy with matters that are of no concern to him. When a person reaches such a point, he must repent and ask Allah to guide him to those matters that are important and beneficial. [Hasan al-Basri]
Guidance of the day:
Among the things that God had bid them join are kinship bonds. Be careful to preserve the kinship bonds. Beware of severing them, for it is one of the greatest sins and its punishment is hastened in this life, after which there shall be severe punishment and painful torment prepared by God in the hereafter. Similarly, the reward for benevolence and nurturing kinship bonds is hastened in this life, after which there shall be immense reward in the hereafter.
Ali by al_Husayn (may God be pleased with both) counseled one of his children thus, "Beware of keeping the company with one who has severed his kinship bonds, for I have seen such a one being cursed in the Book of God the Exalted". The prophet (may blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Mercy doesn't descends on people among whom is one who has severed his kinship bonds." Now if mercy doesn't descend on people in the midst of whom is one who has severed his kinship bonds, how much more does the man himself deserve this? How immense shall God's loathing for him be and His cutting off from all goodness! [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
Bad temper is a sign of inferiority. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Exaggerated sensitiveness is an expression of the feeling of inferiority. The greater the feeling of inferiority that has been experienced, the more powerful is the urge to conquest and the more violent the emotional agitation. The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Pearls of Wisdom 364
1. Laziness of the common folk in worshiping their Lord is a grave matter, but that same laziness from the teachers and students of Sacred Knowledge is even more so.
2. The arrogance of wealthy is something to be detested, but that shown by the poor is even more so.
3. It is Jihad which lays down the last brick of Imaan.
4. Rein in your tongue from complaining about others, and you will be granted a life of happiness.
5. Weep regarding that day which passed by without any goodly acts adorning it.
6. The reward for every virtue has its measure, yet the reward for patience has no measure.
7. The thankful Believer is closest to well-being.
8. Your fear of Allah is commensurate of how well you know Him, and your lack of fear regarding Him is commensurate with your ignorance of Him.
9. You are determined to lose yourself in the baggage of this world, while the world is equally determined to remove you from itself.
10. Taking pains to remove the pains of others is the true essence of generosity. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
2. The arrogance of wealthy is something to be detested, but that shown by the poor is even more so.
3. It is Jihad which lays down the last brick of Imaan.
4. Rein in your tongue from complaining about others, and you will be granted a life of happiness.
5. Weep regarding that day which passed by without any goodly acts adorning it.
6. The reward for every virtue has its measure, yet the reward for patience has no measure.
7. The thankful Believer is closest to well-being.
8. Your fear of Allah is commensurate of how well you know Him, and your lack of fear regarding Him is commensurate with your ignorance of Him.
9. You are determined to lose yourself in the baggage of this world, while the world is equally determined to remove you from itself.
10. Taking pains to remove the pains of others is the true essence of generosity. [Abu Bakr radi Allah anhu]
Friday, December 12, 2014
Latest means to understanding "hijab"
Once, a girl bought an iPad. When her father saw it he asked,
"What was the first thing you did when you bought it?"
"I put an anti-scratch sticker on the screen and bought a cover for the iPad," she replied.
"Did someone force you to?"
"No."
"Don't you think it's an insult to the manufacturer??"
"No dad, in fact they even recommend using a cover for the iPad."
"Did you cover it because it was cheap and ugly?"
"Actually, I covered it because I didn't want it to get damaged and decrease in value."
"When you put the cover on didn't it reduce the iPad's beauty?"
"I think it looks better, and its worth it for the protection it gives my iPad."
The father looked lovingly at his daughter and said ...
"Hijab..."
Nothing else..
"What was the first thing you did when you bought it?"
"I put an anti-scratch sticker on the screen and bought a cover for the iPad," she replied.
"Did someone force you to?"
"No."
"Don't you think it's an insult to the manufacturer??"
"No dad, in fact they even recommend using a cover for the iPad."
"Did you cover it because it was cheap and ugly?"
"Actually, I covered it because I didn't want it to get damaged and decrease in value."
"When you put the cover on didn't it reduce the iPad's beauty?"
"I think it looks better, and its worth it for the protection it gives my iPad."
The father looked lovingly at his daughter and said ...
"Hijab..."
Nothing else..
Monday, December 08, 2014
Lesson of the day 1367
Ayahs of the day:
But God is relenting toward anyone who repents and makes amends after having done wrong; for God is most forgiving, most merciful. [5: 39]
Hadith of the day:
May Allah make radiant the face of the one who hears something from us and conveys it as he heard it, for perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed will understand it better than the one who heard it. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
One who often thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the day:
The most important duty for parents as concerns their children is to teach them virtue and courtesy, so that they may grow up loving goodness, accepting truth, respectful of religious matters, but disdainful of worldly ones, always giving priority to things of the hereafter.
Those who fail to bring up their children in a disciplined and virtuous manner, but plant in their hearts the love of this world and its appetites, and render them careless as concerns religion, then they see them rebelling against them, let them blame only themselves. Loss is more likely to affect the neglectful. Much of the disloyalty witnessed these days is due to neglecting what has been mentioned earlier. This becomes evident to anyone who observes and reflects on how things are. Power and ability are only by God, the High and Formidable. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
If you have great talents, hard work will improve them; if moderate abilities, hard work will supply their deficiencies. Nothing is denied to well-directed labor; nothing is ever to be attained without it. Hard work is the soul of business and the keystone of prosperity in this life and the next. In ordinary business of life, industry can do anything which genius can do, and very many things it cannot.
But God is relenting toward anyone who repents and makes amends after having done wrong; for God is most forgiving, most merciful. [5: 39]
Hadith of the day:
May Allah make radiant the face of the one who hears something from us and conveys it as he heard it, for perhaps the one to whom it is conveyed will understand it better than the one who heard it. [Tirmidhi]
Wise quote of the day:
One who often thinks and reflects develops his foresight and vision. [Ali radi Allah anhu]
Guidance of the day:
The most important duty for parents as concerns their children is to teach them virtue and courtesy, so that they may grow up loving goodness, accepting truth, respectful of religious matters, but disdainful of worldly ones, always giving priority to things of the hereafter.
Those who fail to bring up their children in a disciplined and virtuous manner, but plant in their hearts the love of this world and its appetites, and render them careless as concerns religion, then they see them rebelling against them, let them blame only themselves. Loss is more likely to affect the neglectful. Much of the disloyalty witnessed these days is due to neglecting what has been mentioned earlier. This becomes evident to anyone who observes and reflects on how things are. Power and ability are only by God, the High and Formidable. [Counsels of Religion by Imam al-Haddad]
Food for thought:
If you have great talents, hard work will improve them; if moderate abilities, hard work will supply their deficiencies. Nothing is denied to well-directed labor; nothing is ever to be attained without it. Hard work is the soul of business and the keystone of prosperity in this life and the next. In ordinary business of life, industry can do anything which genius can do, and very many things it cannot.
Friday, December 05, 2014
Pearls of Wisdom 363
1. Reliance on God, contentment, and frugality are such a treasury and wealth that they can be exchanged for nothing. [Badi Uzzaman Nursi]
2. When it has been said that the angels spread out their wings in the path of the one seeking sacred knowledge, then just imagine what Allah has in store for such a person. [Abu Ali Daqqaq]
3. Wisdom takes root in the heart only when dunya and its trappings have been uprooted from it. [Abu Ali al Daqqaq]
4. The greatest I'tikaf that one can observe is that the Divine commands and prohibitions never leave his sight. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]
5. The accomplished spiritual is he who has achieved the precarious balance between hope and fear. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]
6. Those who love the beloved of Allah (Awliyas) are counted by Allah as being from them. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]
7. The greatness of a believer is in his God-Consciousness, and his pride in his obedience and his courage lies in his display of good character under all circumstances. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
8. The tranquility of both worlds lies in the understanding of these two words -- generosity towards friends, and forbearance towards enemies. [Hafiz Shiraz]
9. Know that it is not your family and friends, but rather your deen which truly looks after you. [Hasan radi Allah anhu]
10. In the Divine court lineage has no place, rather it is the righteousness of action which is the ultimate arbiter. [Owais al Qarni]
2. When it has been said that the angels spread out their wings in the path of the one seeking sacred knowledge, then just imagine what Allah has in store for such a person. [Abu Ali Daqqaq]
3. Wisdom takes root in the heart only when dunya and its trappings have been uprooted from it. [Abu Ali al Daqqaq]
4. The greatest I'tikaf that one can observe is that the Divine commands and prohibitions never leave his sight. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]
5. The accomplished spiritual is he who has achieved the precarious balance between hope and fear. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]
6. Those who love the beloved of Allah (Awliyas) are counted by Allah as being from them. [Abu Othman Sa'ad]
7. The greatness of a believer is in his God-Consciousness, and his pride in his obedience and his courage lies in his display of good character under all circumstances. [Omar radi Allah anhu]
8. The tranquility of both worlds lies in the understanding of these two words -- generosity towards friends, and forbearance towards enemies. [Hafiz Shiraz]
9. Know that it is not your family and friends, but rather your deen which truly looks after you. [Hasan radi Allah anhu]
10. In the Divine court lineage has no place, rather it is the righteousness of action which is the ultimate arbiter. [Owais al Qarni]
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