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]
Monday, May 11, 2015
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)
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