Muhammed The Prophet of Islam_Be in this Life as if you were a Stranger or a Traveler on a Path

Muhammed The Prophet of Islam_Be in this Life as if you were a Stranger or a Traveler on a Path

by al-Hâfidh Ibn Rajab


Taken from Jâmi' al-U'lûm wal-Hikam [1]

Hadîth #40:

Ibn Umar (Radhiallahu 'Anhum) said: Allâh's Messenger (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) took me by my shoulder and said:

"Be in this life as if you were a stranger or a traveler on a path."


Ibn Umar used to say,

"If you reach the evening then do not expect to reach the morning, and if you reach the morning then do not expect to reach the evening. Take from your health before your sickness, and from your life before your death." - [Reported by al-Bukhârî]


This hadîth is the foundation for limiting one's hope in this life. So a believer must not take this life as a homeland or permanent residence, his heart being tranquil and resting assured within it. Rather, he must be in it as if he were on a journey, preparing himself to depart. The advice of the Prophets and their followers confirmed this.

Allâh said, narrating upon a believer at the time of Fir'awn that he said:

"O my people! Truly, this life of the world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." [Ghafir : 39]


Alî ibn Abi Tâlib used to say,

"Certainly this life has begun travelling away, and the hereafter has begun travelling forward, and each has its children. So be from the children of the hereafter, and don't be from the children of this life. For indeed today there is action with no account, and tomorrow there will be account with no action."


Umar ibn Abdul Azîz said in his khutbah,

"This life is not your permanent abode. Allâh has prescribed for it to come to an end and He has prescribed for its people to depart from it. How often has a thriving population been ruined for something insignificant, and how often has a joyful resident been made to depart for something insignificant. So prepare well, may Allâh have mercy on you, for the journey with the best of what you have of preparations, and take provisions, for the best of provisions is Taqwâ."


So if this life is not a permanent residence nor homeland for the believer, then the situation of the believer in it must be either one of two conditions: Either as if he were a stranger residing in a strange land with his main concern being to take provisions for his return to his real homeland; or as if he were a traveller, in no way residing in it, rather his every night and day is spent going to his land of residence.

For this, the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) advised Ibn Umar to be in this life in one of these two conditions:

The first condition: That the believer abandons himself as if he were a stranger in this life, appearing to be a resident, yet really in a strange land. So his heart is not attached to this strange land. Rather, his heart is attached to his homeland that he is returning to. He is only staying in this life to fulfill his objective - preparing for the return to his homeland.

Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyyâdh said,

"A believer in this life is worried and sad. His worry is the objective of preparing himself. So whoever's condition in this life is such, then he has no concern other than taking provisions from what will benefit him during the return to his homeland. So he does not compete with the people of the land, among whom he is merely a stranger, in what they consider honorable. And he does not become worried if he seems insignificant among them."


Al-Hasan (al-Basrî) said,

"The believer is like a stranger. He does not become worried due to being insignificant in it (this life), and he does not compete for honor in it. His condition is one and the people are in another condition. Whenever Allâh created آdam ('Alayhis Salâm), He made him and his wife reside in Paradise. Then he was put out of it, yet was promised to return to it, he and the righteous ones among his offspring. So the believer is always longing for his first homeland..." [2]


The second condition: That the believer lowers himself in this life as if he were a traveller, in no way residing in it. He is only moving along in one of the points of his journey until he finishes his journey to its end, which is death. Whoever's condition in this life is such, then his main concern is obtaining the provision for the journey. He is not concerned with an Abû ndance of the enjoyment of this life. For this reason, the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) advised a group of his Companions for their main concern in this life to be like the provision of a traveller.

One of the Salaf wrote to one of his brothers:

"Oh my brother, it appears to you as if you are a resident. However, you are really only persistently travelling, and you are moving rapidly. Death is heading towards you, and this life is passing behind you. What has passed of your life will not return to you (to rectify it) on the Day of Taghâbun (The Day of Resurrection)."


Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyyâdh said to a man, "How many (years) have come upon you?"He replied, "Sixty years." He said, "Therefore, for sixty years you have been going to your Lord and you are about to reach (Him)."So the man said, "To Allâh we belong and to Him we are returning!" So al-Fudhayl asked, "Do you know the meaning of that (statement)? You are saying, 'I belong to Allâh as a servant and I am going to return to Him.' So whoever knows that he belongs to Allâh as a servant and that he will return to him, then he should know that he will be stopped. And whoever knows that he will be stopped, then he should know that he will be questioned. And whoever knows that he will be questioned, then let him prepare an answer for the question." The man asked, "So what should I do?" He said, "It is easy." The man again asked, "What is it?" al-Fudhayl said, "Do good in what remains, then what has passed shall be forgiven. Yet, if you do evil in what remains, then you will be taken to account for what has passed as well as for what remains."

Some of the wise people said,

"Whoever made the days and nights his riding animal, then they will take him (to his destination) even if he doesn't move."


al-Awzâ'î wrote to one of his brothers,

"As to what follows: You have been encompassed from every side. Know that you are moving forward with each day and night. So beware of Allâh and of the standing between His hands. And your final promise will be with Him. Was-Salâm."


As for the advice of Ibn Umar, then it is based upon this Hadîth that he himself has narrated. It (his advice) includes an end to prolonged hope. And that if a person happens to reach the evening, then he should not wait for, or expect to reach the morning. And if he happens to reach the morning, then he should not wait for, or expect to reach the evening. Rather, he should assume that his end will reach him before that. With this same meaning, more than one of the scholars have explained the concept of having Zuhd in this life.

Al-Marwathî said: It was said to Abû Abdullâh - meaning Ahmad (ibn Hanbal), "What is the meaning of having Zuhd in this life?"He said, "Not prolonging hope too much - He who says when he wakes up, 'I will not reach the evening.'"He said, "And Sufyân (ath-Thawrî) said likewise." It was then said to Abû Abdullâh, "With what do we seek help in not prolonging our hope?"He replied, "We don't know. It is only by Tawfîq (Success exclusively granted by Allâh)." As for his (Ibn Umar's) statement: "Take from your health before your sickness, and from your life before your death."Meaning: Take advantage of being able to do righteous deeds with what remains of your health before sickness prevents you from them, and from your life before death prevents you from them.

And in another narration: "...For surely, oh servant of Allâh, you don't even know what your own name will be tomorrow." Meaning: Perhaps tomorrow you will be among the dead, not the living.

The meaning of this advice has been reported from the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) from a different perspective. In Sahîh al-Bukhârî, it is reported that Ibn Abbâs narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:

"There are two blessing which many people are deprived of: health and free time." [3]


And in the Mustadrak of al-Hâkim, it is reported that Ibn Abbâs narrated that the Messenger of Allâh (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said to a man while advising him:

"Take advantage of five things before five other things: from your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your richness before your poverty, your free time before you become occupied, and from your life before your death." [4]


The meaning of this is that all of these things hinder the performance of deeds. Some of them personally preoccupy the person such as his poverty, richness, sickness, his old age, or his death. Others are more general such as the establishment of the Last Hour, the appearance of the Dajjâl, and o ther disturbing trials as is mentioned in the Hadîth:

"Take the initiative to do deeds, before trials come like a piece of a dark night (unexpectedly)." [5]


After the appearance of some of these more general events, no deeds will be of any benefit as Allâh said:

"The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith." [Al-An'am : 158]


In the two Sahîhs (al-Bukhârî and Muslim), Abû Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:

"The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west. So when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe. That is when the faith of a person will not benefit him if he did not previously believe or if he did not earn good by his faith." [6]


And in Sahîh Muslim, the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:

"There are three events that if they occur, the faith of a person will not benefit him if he did not previously believe or if he did not earn good by his faith: the rising of the sun from the west, the Dajjâl, and the Beast from the earth." [7]


Also in Sahîh Muslim, the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:

"Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allâh will accept his repentance." [8]


Abû Mûsâ narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:

"Allâh extends his hand during the night to accept the repentance of the sinner of the day, and He extends his hand during the day to accept the repentance of the sinner of the night, until the sun rises from the west." [9]


So the believer must take the initiative in performing righteous deeds before he is overtaken by the decree and prevented from doing them either by sickness or death, or by some of these signs reaching him after which no deed will be accepted.

Abû Hâzim said,

"The merchandise of the hereafter is in little demand. It is about to be spent with no one obtaining it except a few, not many."


So when a person is prevented from deeds, nothing remains for him except regret and sorrow. He will wish to return to the previous situation in which he was be able to perform deeds, yet wishing at that time will not benefit him in anything.

Allâh, the Most High says:

"And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islâmic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him, (in Islâm), before the torment comes upon you, then you will not be helped. And follow the best of that which is sent down to you from your Lord (i.e. this Qur'ân, do what it orders you to do and keep away from what it forbids), before the torment comes on you suddenly while you perceive not! Lest a person should say: 'Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allâh (i.e. I have not done what Allâh has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth!' i.e. Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), the Qur'ân, and Muhammad and at the faithful believers, etc.] Or (lest) he should say: 'If only Allah had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqûn (pious and righteous people)'. Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: 'If only I had another chance (to return to the world) then I should indeed be among the Muhsinûn (good-doers).'" [Az-Zumar : 54-58]


And He says:

"Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allâh), he says: 'My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind!' No! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected." [Al-Mu'minûn : 99-100]


And He, the Mighty and Majestic, says:

"And spend (in charity) of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: 'My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (i.e. Zakât) of my wealth, and be among the righteous.' [i.e. perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)] And Allâh grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allâh is All-Aware of what you do." [Al-Munafiqûn : 99-100]


So since the matter is like this, it is incumbent upon the believer to take advantage of what remains from his life. In explanation of this, it is said: "the remainder of the believer's life is priceless." Sa'îd ibn Jubayr said, "Each day the believer lives, is a treasure."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 With the authentication of Salîm al-Hilâlî.

2 Translators Note: A large amount of Arabic poetry, due to the difficulty in translating it adequately, has been omitted.

3 Reported by al-Bukhârî, vol. 11, pg. 229 (in Fath al-Bârî).

4 Reported by al-Hâkim, vol. 4, no. 306. He declared it to be Sahîh according to the condition of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhârî and Muslim) and ath-Thahabî agreed with him as well as our Shaykh (al-Albânî) in the checking of the Hadîths of "Iqtidâ al-I'lm al-A'mal," no. 170.

5 Reported by Muslim, no. 118.

6 Reported by al-Bukhârî, vol. 8, pg. 296-297 (in Fath al-Bârî) and Muslim, no. 157.

7 Reported by Muslim, no. 158.

8 Reported by Muslim, no. 2703.

9 Reported by Muslim, no. 2759.

Death-Remember it often

My son, when you pray, do it like a person who is bidding farewell to this world, and don't assume you will have another chance to pray again. My son, know that a believer dies in between two deeds, one he offers for today, where he will get immediate blessings, and the second deed is what he offers towards the day of resurrection, and that is where he will gain the ultimate benefits

(Muadh Ibn Jabal (radiAllahu anhu))

Do not fix hopes on your health, and do not laugh away life.
Remember how they walked and now all their joints lie separately,
and the tongue with which they talked lightly
is eaten away by the worms

(Abu Hamid al Ghazzali)

It was narrated that the Prophet SAW said: " No one's good deeds will get him to Jannah except with Allah's mercy". We ( the sahaba) said " Even you you O Messenger of Allah?". The Prophet answered " Even me, only if Allah has mercy on me."

(Sahih Bukhari)

Short story
Once an 'abid died, and he was going through his reckoning and he had this huge mountain of good deeds beside him. So the Angels asked him do you want to go to Jannah with your good deeds or Allah's Mercy? He looked at his good deeds and said I 'll go in with my good deeds ( he thought they were so much they would suffice). Allah then told the Angels to put his "eyes" on the scale. Once his eyes were placed the man's good deeds were outweighed. Only the blessing of the eyes outweighed his 70-80 years of worshipping Allah. Allah's Mercy & Blessings surrounds us completely, but little do we give thanks. And then his, mind, ears, and heart was placed. The man couldn't take it anymore and said " enough, enough. I'll go in with Allah's mercy"

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The Sacred Journey of A Lifetime - Hajj

The Sacred Journey of A Lifetime Hajj

Assalamualaikum


The HAjj—The Sacred Journey is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is a dream for many and a reality for the invited few. The dawn of the blessed month of Dhul-Hijjah will bring millions to descend upon the sanctified lands of Makkah and Madinah. Following in the footsteps of Rasülulläh (Saw) they will perform their Hajj and thus fulfill a sacred pillar of Islam. With the holy season falling in the traditional year-end holiday period, there is no better time and no worthier place to be than at Hajj. In the company of millions you too can be raising your hands on the plains of 'Arafat,hoping to be cleansed by the rain of DivineMercy and Forgiveness and returning home with a clean slate to start afresh


"The first sanctuary ever built- I for mankind was that Bakkah [Makkah], a blessed place, a guidance to the peoples. In it there are plain signs; the place -where Abraham stood. Whoever enters it is safe. And Pilgrimage to the House Vis a duty to Allah from mankind,for all who are able to make a journey.As for the disbelievers [they should know that] Allah is Independent of all creatures." (Qur'an: Ali Imrän 3:96-97)

(Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of pleasing Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall return from Hajj as free from sin as the day on which his mother gave birth to him." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Rasulullah (saw) said: Hajj Mabrür (an accepted Hajj) has no less a reward than Paradise.(Bukhäri and Muslim)


Visiting Madinah after Haj


Visiting Madinah, the city of the Prophet (S), has no relation or connection with Hajj rituals as some people may believe. It is a separate thing that a person can do at any time during the year. Visiting the Prophet's Masjid is a recommended Sunnah. The Prophet (S) said,

"There are only three mosques that travelling specifically to them is recommended: The Holy Masjid -in Makkah - and the Masjid of Rassulul-Allah (S) and the Farthest Masjid -in Jerusalem." [Agreed upon]

The prayer in the Prophet's Masjid is better than one thousand prayers somewhere else except in the Holy Masjid of Makkah.

"The prayer in this Masjid of mine is better than one thousand prayers elsewhere except in the Holy Masjid - of Makkah." [Agreed upon]

The Prophet's Masjid is distinguished by the Rawda as-Shareefah, which is the area between the house of Rasulul-Allah (S) - al-Hujrah as-Shareefah - and the Minbar. The Prophet (S) said,

"Between my house and my minbar - pulpit - a Rawdah -garden- of Jannah." [Agreed upon]

And about the virtues of praying in this beautiful Masjid, the Prophet (S) said,



"Whoever prays in this Masjid of mine forty prayers consecutively without missing one of them, it will be written for him an innocence from Hellfire, and a salvation from the Torment, and will be free from hypocrisy." [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, al-Mundhiri, and at-Tabaraani]

I should emphasize here that this is not obligatory and the visiting person should not worry if he, or she, could not make it for some reason.

Things to do:
- Pray two Rak'aas at the Rawdah as-Sharifah if possible once you enter the mosque. Otherwise in any place close to it.
- Follow all the etiquette of entering and behaving in the mosques.
- Go near the Prophet's grave and say,

"As-Salaamu alayka yaa Rassul-Allah! As-Salaamu alayka yaa Nabiya-Allah! As-Salamu alayka Yaa kheerata khalqil-Allah! Ash-Hadu an-laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa-ash-hadu annaka 'abduhu wa-Rassuluh! Qad ballaghta ar-Rissaala, wa-addaytal-Amaana, wanasahtal-Ummata, wa-Jaahadta fil-Lahi haqqa jihaadihi! Sall-Allahu 'alayaka wa 'alaa Aalika wa-Azwaajika wa-Sallama tasliman kathiran!"

"Peace be upon you O Messenger of Allah! Peace be upon you O Prophet of Allah! Peace be upon you O the best creation of Allah! May Peace, Mercy, and Blessings of Allah be upon you O prophet of Allah! I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah and that you are the servant and Messenger of Allah. And I bear witness that you did transmit the Message -to us- and you did deliver what you were entrusted with, and you did advice the Ummah, and you did strife for the sake of Allah at your utmost. May Allah shower His blessings on you as well as your family and your wives!"

Then after this, the visitor should move a little bit forward to say Salaam to Abu Bakr then to 'Umar may Allah be pleased with them.

Things to avoid doing:
- To disobey the Prophet (S) by making du'aa to him instead of Allah.
- Asking the Prophet (S) favors and raising the hands towards his grave or to wipe oneself with al-Hujrah as-Shareefah - where the grave is.
- To make Tawaaf around the Hujrah as-Shareefah.
- To push others to reach places in the Masjid.
- To occupy a spot at the Rawdah for a long time making it difficult for other visitors to have a chance to pray there.

Visiting Qibaa'- or Qubaa'- Masjid:

Qibaa'a Masjid is the first masjid in Islam. It is Sunnah to visit it because the Messenger of Allah used to visit it and pray in it. The Prophet (S) said,

"Whoever cleans himself in his house and goes to Qibaa'a Masjid and prays in it a prayer, he will be given the reward of a 'Umrah" [Ahmad, an-Nassaa'i, ibn Maajah, and al-Haakim]

Visiting al-Baqee' and Uhud:

It is good to visit the graves of the companions of the Messenger of Allah as long as there are no bad innovations and Shirk practices such as wailing at al-Baqee' or asking favors from the dead.
The Prophet (S) taught his companions to say this du'aa,

"As-Salaamu alaikum ahala-diyaari mil-Mu'mineena wal-Muslimeena. Antum as-Saabiqoona wa-innaa insha Allahu bikum lalaahiqoona wayar-hamu Allahu al-Mustaqdimeena minnaa wa-minkum wal-Musta'khireena. Nass'alu-Allah lanaa walakum al-'Aafiya fid-Dunia wal-'Aakhira. Allahumma ighfir lanaa wa-lahum wa-irhamnaa wa-iyyaahum. Allahumma laa tahrimnaa ajrahum walaa taftinnaa ba'dahum!"

Going to Uhud is a good thing because many companions were buried there after the battle of Uhud. The Prophet (S) said about Uhud mountain,

"This is Uhud a mountain which loves us and we love it" [Agreed upon]

Upbringing of Children

Upbringing of Children by Moulana Moosa Olgar

PARENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "All of you are guardians and
are responsible for your subjects. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects
and the man is a guardian of his family, the lady is a guardian of her
husband's house and his off-spring and all of you are guardians and are
responsible for your subjects'.

After having children the first and foremost desire of parents is to prepare
them for a bright and successful future. Thus every parent hopes and wishes
that their children be pious with excellent character but this can only be
achieved if the correct method towards this goal is adopted and the right
environment created from the very beginning. It is very important to note
that the spiritual upbringing is far more important than the physical
upbringing.

Although the environment prior to the child's birth is very important, so
too is the environment into which the child is born, as the actual
upbringing starts in the mother's lap which is the first MADRASAH for the
child.

Although the father plays an important role in educating the child, the
mother plays a more important and greater role in this process. Rather it
can rightly be said that the mother contributes the greater share and plays
the best role in the early training and education of her children. Moreover
the mother is more loving, kind and patient than the father, she is nearer
to the children and they are more free and attached to her. This makes the
mother more capable of educating and training her children in the most
proper way.

The meaning of this is: Every child is born pure. It is the environment
created by his parents that determines his future. It is absolutely
necessary to understand that before you expect your child to learn the ways
of Islam, the parents have to be practising Muslims themselves. Parents
should set a good example in front of their children. Therefore for the
parents to be practising Muslims is of utmost importance for the Islamic
upbringing of their children. Regarding parents, this poem is best suited:
"The parent is like a mirror, the reflection it gives, the child adopts. If
the reflection is good, the child is good. If the reflection is bad, the
child is bad".

Remember, the entire future of the child depends entirely on the parent's
teachings, training and environment in which the parent's bring up their
child. The home environment and the parent's upbringing of the child either
makes or mars the child's future. If the home environment is Islamic, then
the child will be religiously inclined, but if the home environment is
unIslamic, then the child will develop irreligious traits and habits in
himself. Because the child does not come from a solid Islamic home, he is
unaware of the gems and jewels of Islam due to lack of Islamic knowledge and
education. Copper, brass and gravel of other religions look dazzling and
beautiful in his eyes.If the child hears music and watches television, then
he will want to imitate the singers and the T.V. stars. On the other hand,
if the words of Allah Taa'la (i.e the Quraan) keeps falling in his ears and
the lives of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaaba
(radiyallahu anhum) are related to him, then he will develop good qualities
and try to imitate Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaaba
(radiyallahu anhum). Remember, if the home environment is not Islamic, how
do we expect the child to become a fine and respectable Muslim servant of
Allah?

If religious education and training are given from childhood, the child on
growing up will definitely understand the rights of the parents and elders
and will respect them. If the child has been deprived of religious education
and training by careless and neglectful parents, he will not discharge the
rights that he has to towards his parents^Many parents complain that their
children are ill-mannered, disobedient and disrespectful. The cause of their
disobedience is only the fault of the parents, as they, on account of their
greed for worldly things and love for money, kept their children blank in
religious education. To earn their livelihood and to fill their bellies,
parents are keeping their children aloof from religious education, and
instead involve them in profane education and worldly pursuits, thus making
them irreligious. There is none to educate these innocent children and to
train and inculcate Islamic morals into them. How will the fear of Allah be
instilled into their minds? Since attaining the age of sensitivity, the love
of money, beautiful clothes and houses, fast cars etc. has entered his heart
and he now remains occupied day and night with the thought of these things
only and keeps trying to acquire them. He cares not if in acquiring these
things, he may be depriving or destroying the rights of others.(In his greed
of acquiring worldly goods, high medical, legal and engineering degrees, he
is ready to waste the invaluable wealth of IMAAN. Such men can cause ruin to
the community and in creating a struggle for power, are in fact proving to
be the disintegrators of institutions. What now can the religion and
community expect from this kind of upbringing?-! How can the parents then
say that the youth "the fresh blood" do not obey the parents, do not help
the weak, the widows and the orphans, and do not take interest in works
concerning the masaajid and madaaris? The parents themselves have not taught
them to do these acts. The young people are even ignorant of the reward for
obeying their parents and of the punishment for disobeying them. How many
Ahaadith do they know? And how many Ahaadith have they been asked to
memorise? Not a single answer will be received to any of these questions.
Then what else can you expect from such ignorant youth?

Nowadays parents say: O' look at my son, he shows no respect to his parents
or they say: look at what my daughter has done, she has no DEEN in her. But
alas! do they ever ask themselves why? Why has my child no DEEN in him? The
parents eventually refuse to take the blame for their son's or daughter's
evil actions. But, ponder, whose fault is this? This fault is none other
than the parents themselves. To them it is definitely not their fault, as
they brought their child up, nurtured him, gave the best food, the best
clothes, took him wherever he wanted gave him plenty of money, and did
whatever he wanted, as he was their special child. But the main and
essential thing the parent forgot or rather did not feel it necessary to
give the child was religious education and tarbiyat. Now as the child grows
up, his greed for worldly material things has blinded his sense of morals.
Oh yes! you wonder what morals? That's right, the child has no Islamic
morals or education whatsoever. So now, how can you expect morals and good
habits from him, if you did not inculcate it into him. The child now feels
that there is nothing wrong in disobeying his parents. He now adopts the
western ways which are prevalent today and which has no place for parents as
Islam does.

Amongst westerners when their parents reach old age they no longer care for
them. Instead in a cruel way, they place them in old age homes. The very
same parents who brought them up, fed them, clothed them, gave them
everything, the same mother who gave birth to him, nurtured him, spent
sleepless nights, and now all of a sudden they are considered too much of a
burden to be cared for. This my dear reader, is the western attitude and if
you as a parent fail to impart deeni education and training to your
children, then they will definitely receive education and influences of a
different standard. A way of the westerners! and due to your negligence you
may also be thrown out by your own very special child. The difference
between Muslims and non-Muslims is that Muslims impart religious education
and training to their children, thus making them successful in both the
worldly life and the life of the hereafter. So remember parent's, it is YOU
who make a big difference ! It is your teachings and tarbiyat which will
mould your child into a respectable Islamic conscious person. But Alas! the
parent, harpe upon their own rights and grumble against the children.
Likewise, think of the basic cause whereby the children became disobedient.
No doubt the parents have a right to claim the fulfilment of their rights
from their children. But since the parents are unaware of the children's
rights and their rightful demand, they do not discharge their own
responsibility and as a consequence the children become disobedient. It was
the parent's primary duty to give religious education and training to the
children, but instead of that they made them become involved in worldly
pursuits.

However by paying attention to the crucial necessity of giving religious
education during childhood, an effort should be made to create an emotion
and fervour for IMAAN in the hearts of the children. (The imparting of
religious education will make them conscious of Allah's rights, the rights
of elders, widows, orphans and parents, whereby they will consider the
discharging of these rights as an act of reward and the cause of success and
prosperity in the world and religion.

But if children are kept away from religious education, then what we are
observing today is definitely going to happen. Parents and elders who do not
discharge the children's rights and miss the opportunity of acquitting
themselves of their responsibility, will not find the children fulfilling
their parent's rights when they grow up. Such children rather than being
useful will prove to be harmful to the community.

The following two stories (anecdotes) refer to those parents who fail to
impart deeni education and training to their children. Read them carefully
and take lesson from them!

Abul Laith Samarqandi (R.A) has related that a man brought his son to Hazrat
Umar (radiyallahu anhu) and said: "My son does not obey me, he! is
disobedient to me". Hearing this Hazrat Umar (radiyallahu anhu) said: j "O'
boy, don't you know what rights a father has on his son?" Thereafter he
narrated the rights of a father on his children. The boy said: "O' Commander
of the faithful! Do the children too have any rights on their; ; father?"
Hazrat Umar (radiyallahu anhu) said: "Yes! the children too have! i rights
on their father". "What are those rights"? asked the boy. Hazrat! < Umar
(radiyallahu anhu) replied: "First of all, he should search for a good; ]
mother for his son. He should marry with a virtuous, religious woman,! i and
must not marry any woman of questionable nature and doubtful! ] character.
The second right is that when he begets a child, he should name it with a
good name, and the third right of the child is that he should ' impart
religious knowledge to him and teach the Quraan". The boy said:i; "O'
Commander of the faithful! my father has not discharged any of these! i
rights. Firstly, the woman who is my mother is a negress, a slave woman! 1
that he has bought for 400 dirhams. She is a neophyte Muslim slave woman 11
who is quite ignorant of religious education, Islamic civil manners and''
morals. It is in her laps that I have passed my infancy. She has not givenj
i me any religious education. What should I do? Secondly, they have not
named me with a good name. They have named me Jo'al meaning black, ugly man.
I should have been given a good name which was my right, but my father did
not discharge his responsibility towards me. The third is the right of
religious education, which they did not give me at all. Now whatever
decision you give, I will accept it".

Just ponder over it. A great man like Hazrat Umar (radiyallahu anhu) at[ the
very mention of whose name people shudder even today said: "O'; boy's
father, first of all, you have been neglectful regarding the boy's rights
which you did not discharge and now you tell me that your son does not obey
you. GET OUT! It is you who have disobeyed first".

Ponder over Hazrat Umar's (radiyallahu anhu) decision. Just as we have given
up discharging the responsibility regarding our children, what is our
condition? Then we consider our children to be disobedient and unworthy.
Parents should remember that they became disobedient first. Children are a
trust, and this responsibility came upon the parents and they did not
discharge it, but instead they engaged their children in worldly things.
Hating knowledge and the assemblies of Ulema, parents have attached their
children's hearts to the bazaar and the motor stand. How then can you expect
to reform the children? . So if parents remind their children during their
childhood itself about religious responsibility and make an effort to attach
him to religion, then Insha-Allah, by such training, the children will
become virtuous and pious. So if you want to live an honourable life in this
world, engage your children in religious education.

The second anecdote is regarding a son beating his father. A man came to an
Aalim and said: "My son beats me and beats me very much". "What! the son
beats his father", exclaimed the Aalim. "Yes!" replied the man, he beats me
and beats me too much". The Aalim said: "Have you imparted to him deeni
education and have you taught him manners?" The man said: "No". The Aalim
then asked : "Have you taught him the Quraan?" When the man again said no,
the Aalim asked: "What does your son do?" The man replied: "He is a
cultivator". The Aalim asked: "Do you know why your son beats you?" The man
said that he did not know. The Aalim then said: "It seems to be that your
son must be going to the field sitting on a horse or a donkey, an ox must be
in front of him and a dog in his rear. The son has not read the Quraan and
does not know what the Quraan is. You must have asked him at that time as he
was going to the field to read the Quraan and therefore he beat you. Thank
Allah that your head did not break.

Yes! the reality here is that religious education was not given to his son
in his young days, with the result he is unaware of his father's rights.
ITis therefore the right of every child upon the parents that he be given a
sound Islamic education and be taught good manners. This in turn will ensure
that they lead a proper Islamic life and be saved from hardships in this
world, and more important in the hereafter.

The Quraan says:
"O! You who believe, save yourself and your family from afire whose fuel is
men and stones". (Surah Tahreem)
Hazrat All (radiyallahu anhu) interprets this to mean that you must save
your family by giving them good education and good manners. Therefore to
make children's lives successful according to standards set by Islam,
parents should devotedly train and educate them. Parents should carry out
their duty with wisdom, affection, patience and steadfastness. By doing
this, their position will be exalted in the eyes of Allah, and their status
will be raised in society.

Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: If Everyone of you is a
shepherd and everyone of you will be answerable for his flock".

The mother in particular is responsible for the correct upbringing of the
child. It is stated in the Hadith about the mother: "and she is a
shepherdess over the house of her husband and of his children, and she is
answerable".

Basic Islamic education and good morals could only be taught am practised at
home. Therefore the first MADRASAH for the child is the mother's lap. The
mother contributes the greater share and plays the best role in the early
training and education of her children.

By imparting Deeni knowledge to the children, parent's positions will be
exalted in the eyes of Allah, and their status will be raised in society,

Know Your World-Poem

A beautiful nasheed poem about the universe and existence set to the ney flute.

For free copy of the e-paper "Know Your World and Know Your Self" go to www.windsofmercy.com

"Upon a calm subtle ocean
of inconceivable, brilliant lights
Descend the winds of mercy,
There are vibrations.. quickening,
brilant stirs of words and meaning.
In waves of possiblities,
all possible things are entangled...preserved.
When Allah commands a thing...
'be'
...and it is
A call for a thing to come out of possibilities.

A stir efferveses its way in the peaceful ocean
The tiniest of lively sparkles of light come forth
The sparkles in their entanglements,
veil and hide secrets

The ocean whispers its sparkling secret mist to the cloud,
The cloud is now the carrier
Every vibration has a meaning
Every tune a message

A turbenlent sea of manifestations
Waves of quantum leaps and transmutations
A briliant steam of massive energyy and light
bursts into a baby universe
The unverse unfolds subtle matter
Visible islands of stars and galaxies

The earth is crowned, it receives its heavenly crown
Blessed rain and fertile rivers run throught its clay,
Like paint clings to the artists brush
The clay clings to its guidance
It's secrets are now hidden,
wrapped in clay

The clay, once inert, now quickens
with its hidden treasures,
restless to find the way.
Out of the must sprout small plants raising their heads,
Crafty animals and wild beasts
We find an urge to chase game,
And to run from bigger beasts

In the world of clay,
you run and run until you are exhausted
You lay your head on a rock,
And to your lower self you sleep

You have a clear vision
Praying in Mecca
Standing on Mount Arafat
Touching the stars

A confirming brililant, heavenly light
shines into your heart
Tranforming lights peel off your clay
And unveil angelic wings for a deputy on earth

The blessed rid themsevles of clay
as their hearts cling to heavingly lights
You are born again
Into the heavens this time
Into the light from which you came

Do not be like those
whose hearts cling to the darkend clay,
instead of the light

With pure hearts we submit to Allah
Then it is said Praise be to Allah
Lord of all the worlds

It is time to stop the aimless running,
Peel off your clay,
Cling to the lights"

The As'hab us-Suffah

The As'hab us-Suffah: The Sufi Fuqara with the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam)

These are the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who, as they were poor, lived in a verandah in the Prophet’s Masjid in Madina. The raised platform in Masjid an-Nabawi indicates where they lived. They were very pious, ascetic, dignified, highly scrupulous, drowned in the love of Alla Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, prepared to lay down their lives for the sake of Islām, and deeply attached to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).


Hadith on the As'hab us-Suffah

Hadhrat Abu ‘Uthman narrated that Hadrat ‘Abdu’r Rahmān bin Abū Bakr (RA) said, “The Suffa Companions were poor people and Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam said, ‘Whoever has food for two persons should take a third one from them (Suffa Companions). And whosoever has food for four persons, he should take one or two from them’. Sayyidinā Abū Bakr Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu took three men and Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam took ten of them”. (Sahih Bukhari)


The As'hab us-Suffah Were Served By Prophet Muhammad S.A.W

Hadhrat Abu Huraira (RA) relates:
"By Allah, except whom there is no God, during the days of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam) I used to press my stomach against the ground due to extreme hunger, or I used to tie a stone over it. One day I was sitting by the side of a public thoroughfare when the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam) passed by me. On seeing me he smiled and recognized from my face my condition (that I was hungry). He called "Abahir" (meaning Abu Huraira) and I responded: 'I am here, O Messenger of Allah'. He said: 'Come along with me' and he walked on; I followed him. On reaching home he sought permission of the inmates, and entered, and also permitted me to enter in the house. He found a cup full of milk, and asked the inmates 'From where has this milk come? They said: 'It is a present for you from some gentleman or lady.' He called me 'Abahir' and I responded: 'I am here, O Messenger of Allah'. He said: Go and call my Suffa Companions.' These companions were the guests of the Muslims, who had no house, no property, no friends or relatives with whom they could live. As such they were guests of all Muslims. Whenever the Holy Prophet (SAW) received something as charity he used to send it to them and would not retain anything out if it for himself (as charity was forbidden for him and his family). However, whenever he received something as a gift he would send for them and shared it with them. But on this occasion I did not like his invitation to them, and thought: 'How would this milk suffice so many? I deserve this more than others, as by drinking it I might gain some energy. When these companions of the Suffa would come, the Holy Prophet (SAW) will ask me to serve the milk to them. When they start drinking I do not think that anything would be left for me out of this milk. But what could I have done, I could not dare avoid the orders of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and His Messenger (SAW). Accordingly I went out and called them; they came and solicited permission to come in, which was granted and they came in and took their seats. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam) called me 'Abahir' and I replied: 'I am here, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'Take hold of the cup of milk and give it to them.' I took the cup and passed it to one man who would drink and when he felt satisfied, he would return it to me, and I would give it to the next person who likewise drank the milk to his fill. I went on doing this till the cup reached the Holy Prophet (SAW). By that time all had drunk the milk to their satisfaction. The Holy Prophet (SAW) took the cup in his hand, looked towards me, smiled and said: 'Abahir?' I said 'I am here, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, "Now only two persons, myself and you are left!" I said: "Of course, O Messenger of Allah, you are right." Then he said: "Sit and drink." I sat down and started drinking the milk. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa Sallam) said: "Take more." I took a bit more and he continued saying; 'Drink a little more', till I said: By Allah! Who has commissioned you with the truth , now I have no more room in my stomach.' He said: 'Then let me have it.' So I passed on the cup to him. He thanked Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and with the name of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) drank the milk which was left in the cup. (Sahih Bukhari)

Source:

Al-Hafiz Abu Nu’aym Ahmad bin ‘AbdAllah al-Asfahani, Hilyatu’l Awliya’ wa Tabaqat u’l Asfiya’ (The Adornment of the Saints and the Ranks of the Spiritual Elite), Dar u’l Fikr and Dar u’l Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, Beirut, 1357 A.H, Vol. I, p. 347-385, Vol II, p. 3-25

True Friendship

True Friendship *
Compiled By Living Shari`ah Staff(IslamOnline)


Do hearts have connections to one another? Sometimes, a person happens to meet someone whom he or she immediately loves and spontaneously develops some sort of affinity with. The reverse can apply when the same person meets up with another person. The point is one does not know the reason why one feels good toward some people and feels bad toward others. Is there some sort of connection between their souls?

`A'ishah, the Prophet's wife, narrated a hadith, that she heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which gives us a glimpse of the nature of the soul and clears some of the vague feelings that we might find:

"Souls are like conscripted soldiers; those whom they recognize, they get along with, and those whom they do not recognize, they will not get along with" (Al-Bukhari).

Also Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying,

"Souls are troops collected together and those who familiarized with each other (in the heaven from where these come) would have affinity, with one another (in the world) and those amongst them who opposed each other (in the Heaven) would also be divergent (in the world)." (Muslim)
Sometimes the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gives us a glimpse of insight into the realm of the soul, which we know very little about. The important thing to remember in this connection is that Allah has chosen not to give us a detailed knowledge of the soul. We should also remember that whatever He has chosen to withhold from us would not affect our role on earth and the fulfillment of the task assigned to us in this life. Therefore, we limit ourselves to what is outlined in the Qur'an and what the Prophet has given us in authentic hadith.

Almighty Allah says,

(And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is one of the commands of my Lord, and you are not given aught of knowledge but a little.)(Al-Israa' 17: 85)
However, people continue to try to explore the realm of the soul and come up with all sorts of ideas to show that they have special knowledge that is denied to others. All such claims are false, because they do not rely on any confirmed knowledge imparted to us by Allah through His messenger.

This hadith has several versions with different chains of transmission, all of which are authentic. This makes it highly authentic. One version that throws some light on its meaning mentions that a woman —known to have a sense of humor and to play tricks — from Makkah traveled to Madinah where she was a guest of a woman of similar qualities. When `A'ishah heard of that, she said, "My beloved husband always told the truth (and she quoted the hadith)."

What this hadith means is that Allah created souls and gave them their qualities. Those of similar qualities will easily be friends when they meet in this life, while those who have different natures are likely to be in conflict. This in fact accounts for endless cases of people getting along together when their apparent circumstances should have kept them well apart. Moreover, it tells us something about what brings good people together and what allows evil ones to flock together and even trust one another, when they know that they are evil at heart.

Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the hadith "Concerning the phrase 'Souls are like conscripted soldiers…',

This may refer to their similarity as regards good or evil, righteousness or corruption. Good people are inclined towards other good people, and evil people are similarly inclined towards other evil people. Souls feel affinity with others according to the nature in which they were created, good or evil. If souls' natures are similar, they will get along, otherwise they will not be on good terms with one another. It could have happened in the beginning of creation in the realm of the unseen when souls were created before bodies, and used to meet one another. When souls have entered bodies (come to the physical realm) they may recognize one another from the past, and may be on friendly terms or otherwise based on that past experience
Al-Khattaabi also commented this hadith,

This getting along with one another has to do with what Allah decreed from the outset about the ultimate destiny of souls, whether they will be among the blessed (in Paradise) or the doomed (in Hell). Souls are of two opposing kinds, and when they meet in this physical world, they will either love or hate one another depending on the way they were created. Good souls will be inclined towards other good souls, and evil souls will be inclined towards other evil souls.
Thus, the souls of righteous people have connection as if they are recruited due to the purification in their hearts; on the contrary, the souls of devils — both humans and Jinn — have connection since they have the same evil thoughts.

That is why Allah says about the believers, (And (moreover) He hath put affection between their hearts.) (Al-Anfal 8:63)

But when talking about the devils of Jinn and human beings, Almighty Allah says,

(Shall I inform you (of him) upon whom the Shaitans(devils) descend? They descend upon every lying, sinful one.) (Ash-Shu`araa' 26: 221-222)
The Almighty also says,

(And thus do We make some of the iniquitous to befriend others on account of what they earned.) (Al-An`am6:129)

That is why when a believer meets wrongdoers or corrupt people, he or she does not feel at ease and finds it difficult to get along with them because of their sinful deeds; their souls act like oil and water that never mix.

INTRODUCTION


At this point, you are not alone in the room where you are reading this book. Even at times when you think you are alone you have never really been alone. Allah's appointed angels are constantly monitoring and inscribing everything that you do. The moment you say a word they write it down. Your every step, every thought, everything that you do, including obligations which have been postponed, are all recorded without omission.

These angels do not discriminate between minor or major actions. Even when you are asleep they are constantly with you. They fulfil their obligations without error. They are never forgetful or erroneous, they carry out their task faultlessly. By the same token, your appointed angels of death are also waiting. What are they waiting for? For your predestined time to be fulfilled. When your appointed time of death reaches you, it is they who will take delivery of your soul.

As well as these, there are other witnesses which we have not yet mentioned, the ones you do not think about, these are your secret witnesses; your hands and skin. On the Day of Judgment, all these witnesses will congregate, and with Allah's permission they will speak and give their testimony about you. If you happen to be one of those who did not fear Allah, or if you were not a cautious person they will, testify against you.

Humanity has been created to worship Allah and is constantly being tested. A person's temporal existence on average is about sixty years, it is not much time before one is eventually brought before Allah to give account for every second of one's life. When everyone learns of what they have earned on Earth through the evidence provided by these witnesses, Allah will then decide on the kind of eternal life appropriate for them. If a person possesses good deeds he will be given his Book in his right hand and that person will be eternally saved. However, if he is among those whose Books are given in their left hands, he will then say:

… If only I had not been given my Book and had not known about my Reckoning! If only death had really been the end! My wealth has been of no use to me. My power has vanished. (Surat al-Haqqa: 25-29)

From here on he will be apprehended, dragged facedown and taken to Hell, never to be released.

The reason behind this terrible end, is that people never imagined that their every action would be recorded and would one day be revealed and accounted for, hence they passed their lives carelessly without fearing Allah or His warnings. A person such as this who does not possess a definite form of belief in the Hereafter, in the Day of Judgment or in a terrorizing place of punishment for wrong actions and careless behavior, like Hell, will not mind ignoring Allah's boundaries.

This is why fear of Allah is a very strong indicator of faith in Allah and an important indicator of what to expect in the eternal Hereafter. The only way to safety is founded upon fearful awareness of Allah and scrupulous caution.

The Day of Judgment is a fearsome reality to be reflected upon with awe so that it becomes impossible to remain unaffected by it. However, this fear is only applicable to people of faith and is a particular type of fear because Allah has described what will happen on the Day of Judgment in numerous Qur'anic verses; the scribes, witnesses and the enormous congregation of people. This is an absolute certainty, which is unconditionally accepted by true believers who are fearful of facing such a terrifying ordeal.

Everything you do is immediately recorded, even as you are reading this book. You are fast approaching the day when you will be called by Allah to account for your actions. So we hope to be amongst those who have earned Allah's pleasure through fearful awareness of Him:

... Take provision; but the best provision is taqwa of Allah. So have taqwa of Me, people of intelligence! (Surat al-Baqara: 197)

(Taqwa means consciousness, awe or fear of Allah, which inspires a person to be on guard against wrong action and eager for actions which please Him. In this book, it will be translated as "fearing Allah" or "guarding against evil" or "righteousness" according to the context.)

Love of Allah -Harun Yahya

Assalamualaikum

SubhanAllah I was just reading an article by Harun Yahya this morning in regards to Love of Allah:)

LOVE IS A GREAT BLESSING FOR BELIEVERS, WHILE LOVELESSNESS IS A TORMENT FOR NON-BELIEVERS

Profound faith in Allah, fear of Allah and a deep love of Allah represent the most important source of life for Muslims. It is only with this love that a person can attain physical and psychological strength and heave a healthy and well-balanced spirit. Love of Allah bestows strength and hope in all respects. A person enjoys an endless physical and psychological robustness and vivacity. They spend every moment in the hope of meeting Allah, our Lord, and that they will pass into the Hereafter Allah tells them of and that He will bless them with Paradise. The love of Allah in a believer gives an enormous determination and will. It opens his mind and enables the believer to think in a manner pleasing to Allah. It teaches him to look at and analyze everything with wisdom. It is also instrumental in people enjoying physical good health. With perfection of spirit, the human body also becomes healthier and more resistant. The soul has a direct impact on the body. The joy of faith in the soul, love of Allah and profundity of faith have a very positive effect on a person’s skin, physical resistance, laugh, tone of voice and many other physical traits.

The common physical feature of people who do not live by love of Allah and the variety of love that stems from it, is that they look ill even if they are not actually sick. Through the instructions from the soul, the body assumes a sickly, feeble state, commonly described as listlessness. The gait of such people is a significant indicator of this. Instead of walking in a vivacious, joyful manner, they walk stooped over and give the impression of being worn out. They speak with a poor and unpleasant tone of voice, instead of a joyful, easy, pleasing one.

But someone who joyfully lives by the love of Allah has a very different gait, tone of voice and facial expression. Through their love of Allah, their every movement, and their tone of voice and expression are always conscious, intelligent and careful. People who love Allah also look at the things He creates with love, affection and attention. Those with the deficiency that stems from this lack of love in their souls may be physically alive, but present a very different physical and psychological appearance.

While Muslims live by this alertness of consciousness, they must constantly ask Allah for the ability to love even more, rather than making do with what they already have. Someone with a healthy conscience and love of Allah has a huge capacity for loving the things Allah creates. Believers’ quests for love are directly correlated to the depth of their faith. The greater the depth and joy of their faith in Allah, the greater their power of love. This is not something a person can obtain through his or her own endeavors. Allah gives this emotion to every believer, every true Muslim. He inspires this beauty in their hearts. But of course one must constantly pray to be given this blessing and ask Allah for it with a powerful intensity. Because Muslims need to love Allah ever more, in an ever more joyous and genuine manner. There are no limits to their love of the beauties created by Allah. Although they love Allah much more than anyone or anything else, this is not enough, and they constantly pray to Him to be able to love even more. As their love of Allah grows, so does their love of other Muslims and all the delights created by Allah. The love of a blessing felt by someone with a profound love of Allah in his heart is very different to the love felt by someone with no such love. They may see the same thing when they look at a blessing, but the effect that Allah creates in their souls is an entirely different one.

True Muslims must use “the power of love,” one of the greatest blessings Allah bestows and must eliminate all the obstacles to their living by that love for Allah’s approval. One of the main obstacles is spiritual sloth, failing to employ one’s will in this regard. It is the failure to make proper use of this opportunity given by Allah.

For example, let us imagine someone has a tin of paint in front of him. Obviously, extracting the paint using his fingers is not the best way of going about it. The best use of his time and the paint in the tin is to pour it out in quantity and thus get the job done as quickly as possible.

The way Muslims use their souls in loving the manifestations of Allah, their words, honesty and general behavior, reveal this love in the most perfect way.

CONCLUSION

True and genuine love is one of the greatest blessings in this world and the Hereafter, one that Allah gives to Muslims alone. For those who do not seek Allah’s approval or live by the moral values of the Qur’an, true love is the loss of a blessing they can never attain. Many people may try to imitate true love and give the impression they live by it. But our Lord, Almighty Allah, the Creator of all, reveals in the Qur’an the certain truth that He will never bestow this love on those with no love of Allah and no faith, but solely on those who believe:

“As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them.” (Surah Maryam, 96)

Trust in Allah (swt)

Trusting Allah
By Shariffa Carlo

At some point in our lives, we have all had our trust betrayed. There exist few of us who trust anyone implicitly. The same goes for principles or philosophies. We have trusted them, only to be disappointed. In the same light, we have followed religious scholars, only to find that they too have betrayed us - either by being undereducated or imperfect. Maybe that is why it is so hard for us to let go of ourselves and truly trust Allah. When we start to analyze a command, we find in it things we can not explain or fully understand, so we stop doing it or do the thing which was forbidden to us, because the opposite does not make sense to us. Let me put that in more specific terms: We know that at the 120th day of life, Allah writes for us our sustenance (risq).

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "Allah puts an angel in charge of the uterus and the angel says, 'O Lord, (it is) semen! O Lord, (it is now ) a clot! O Lord, (it is now) a piece of flesh.' And then, if Allah wishes to complete its creation, the angel asks, 'O Lord, (will it be) a male or a female? A wretched (an evil doer) or a blessed (doer of good)? How much will his provisions be? What will his age be?' So all that is written while the creature is still in the mother's womb." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 77, Number 594:

We know that Allah has planned out our jobs and our income. Yet, we may shave our beard or take off the hijab when we go for an interview because we are afraid that we will not get a particular job. There is a huge contradiction in our beliefs here. If we know that what is for us is for us, then why are we going against Allah's orders to achieve the objective. The reason is simple. We are not trusting Allah.

This is a sad fact. Even though we know that Allah is our Lord and Protector, we have a hard time letting go and allowing ourselves to trust that He will protect us. I doubt we do this intentionally, it is shaytan, whispering to us, "The people will not understand, so shave the beard, maybe later you can grow it again" or "There is no way someone will hire you with that thing on your head, take it off."

We make excuses, like, my deen is in my heart, not what I show, even though we have been told:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: People were (sometimes) judged by the revealing of a Divine Inspiration during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle but now there is no longer any more (new revelation). Now we judge you by the deeds you practice publicly, so we will trust and favor the one who does good deeds in front of us, and we will not call him to account about what he is really doing in secret, for Allah will judge him for that; but we will not trust or believe the one who presents to us with an evil deed even if he claims that his intentions were good. Sahih Bukhari: Volume 3, Book 48, Number 809:

Even, we may leave our prayers until after they have expired because we fear being watched or something happening to us while we are praying. There is no trust that Allah will protect us, give us our risq or take care of us. We have to learn to truly trust Allah. Allah says,

When two parties from among you had determined that they should show cowardice and Allah was the guardian of them both, and in Allah should the believers trust. 3:122

And

If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? In Allah, then, Let believers put their trust. 3:160

It does not matter what you do, obey or disobey, the result will be that you will receive what Allah has ordained for you. You can not add to it or subtract from it. What you do is either benefit yourself with the blessings of obedience or harm yourself with the fruits of your disobedience. We have been told that what is for us can't miss us and what is not for us can't hit us.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: I heard Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Allah ordained the measures (of quality) of the creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, as His Throne was upon water. Sahih Muslim: Book 32, Number 6416:

We have to learn to trust that Allah will take care of us when we obey Him and that He will withdrawal His Great Mercy when we disobey. Every morning the bird goes out to seek the provision Allah has given him, and every night he comes home with it. Allah has promised us our provision.

Umar Ibin Al Khattab narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger say, "If you were to trust in Allah genuinely, He would give you provision as He does for the birds which go out hungry in the morning and come back full in the evening. Tirmidhi and Ibin Majah (sahih).

Also, we need to stop thinking that having done a good where things did not work out as we expected would have turned out differently if we had done the wrong thing instead. Let us say one of us goes to an interview in hijab and then is denied the job. To assume that it was because of the hijab is wrong. We have to remember that this person can not keep Allah's Qadr from us. This interviewer can not stop what Allah wants to happen from happening.

Ibin Abass narrated that one day he was riding behind Allah's Messenger and he said, "Young man, if you are mindful of Allah, He will be mindful of you, and if you are mindful of Allah, you will find Him before you. When you ask for anything, ask it from Allah, and if you seek help, seek help in Allah. Know that if the people were to unite to do you some benefit, they could benefit you only what Allah has recorded for you, and if they were to unite to do you some injury, they could injure you only with what Allah has recorded for you. The pens are withdrawn and the pages are dry. Ahmad and Tirmidhi (sahih).

Also,

Narrated AbuHurayrah: Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) said: A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your "if" opens the (gate for the Satan. Sahih Muslim: Book 32, Number 6441.

Also, we need to accept that not getting the job was indeed best for us.

Suhaib reported that Allah's Messenger said, "It is remarkable that everything turns out well for a believer while that applies only to a believer. If happiness befalls him, he gives thanks, and it turns out well for him, and if misfortune befalls him, he shows endurance (patience) and it turns out well for him. Sahih Muslim.

We need to stop thinking that the key to the truth is only what we can understand or what we know. There is a point when we have to submit, be Muslims and say, labaik Allahuma Labaik. We have to obey without fighting it because we know that there is Justice and Mercy in it, even though we can not see it right now. When the verse of hijab was revealed, the ansar women went and immediately covered themselves.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Safiyyah, daughter of Shaybah, said that Aisha mentioned the women of Ansar, praised them and said good words about them. She then said: When Surat an-Nur came down, they took the curtains, tore them and made head covers (veils) of them. Sunan Abu Dawood: Book 32, Number 4089:

They did not analyze it, or think about how this is an oppression for women or a humiliation or anything of this sort, they obeyed. When the verse forbidding alcohol was revealed, the companions literally spat it out of their mouths. No arguing, no questioning. They trusted that Allah Knows Best. We need to stop worshipping our minds so much and start worshipping Allah more. We need to stop trusting our minds so much and trust Allah more.

Trusting in Allah means that when we hear a command, we obey it. We recognize that we are limited and that Allah has no limits. He Knows what we do not know. We do not try to explain away the commands of Allah by saying that it is for another time or another people. We don not say that what Allah has commanded for us is oppressive. We accept and obey. This is faith and trust.

Narrated Imran ibn Husayn: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Seventy thousand people of my Ummah would be admitted into Paradise without rendering any account. They (the companions) said: Who would be those (fortunate persons)? He (the Prophet) said: Those who do not cauterise and practise charm, but repose trust in their Lord, Sahih Muslim: Book 1, Number 0422.

There is much reward in trusting Allah, paradise. There is sin in distrusting Him. We need to stop relying on our desires our minds our version of logic and realize that Allah is the one who Knows while we know not. Allah is the Wise, and His judgements are wise by default. Allah is the Just and His verdicts are Just by default. We can not see everything in every issue as Allah can, so why do we insist on believing that our minds can be trusted before or instead of Allah?

I pray to You, O Allah, to make us trust you and only you. May you make us of the Trusting and keep us from trusting or worshipping our minds before you. Ameen.

Finding Faith in the Depths of Darkness

Originally uploaded by © Ali Shokri / www.alishokri.com

Finding Faith in
the Depths of Darkness
By Sheikh Salman Baruti

"Whoever works righteousness,
man or woman, and has faith, verily
to him will we give a new life,
a life that is good and pure
and we will bestow on such their reward
according to the best of their actions."
XVI:97, Holy Koran.

Noor (Sufism)

Tumba de Mevlana, Konya (Turquía)
Originally uploaded by 9:30

Noor (Sufism)

Noor is the link which binds being to knowledge in Sufism. The word itself means light. Each particle of light that is reflected of the "mirror of the heart" projects spiritual knowledge according to distinctive types of colors.

Noor is the spiritual light of a person. It emanates primarily from the forehead, but can bloom from the whole body. A person's spirituality can be judged by the noor emanating from him. Noor is descended from the heavens, reaching the KabatuAllah in Makkah. From there it is distributed to all the Masaajid. There it manifests in those that are spiritually inclined.
from WIKI