Thursday 26 May 2011

The start of the Way is The will [or spiritual desire, irâdah] and it is accompanied by spiritual battles.

   .....................Allah Almighty is our friend..........................

It is mentioned in the Qur'an that Allah chooses His Awliyâ (singular 'Wali' ling. meaning Friend) from His slaves based upon their righteousness.

Allah mentioned the characteristics of His Wali saying: "Verily, Awliyâ of Allah are those who are not overcome by fear of grief; they are those who believe and have Taqwa." [Surah Yunus (10): 62-63]

And: "Verily, His close friends (Awliyâ) are only those with Taqwa but most of them do not realize it." [Surah al-Anfaal (8): 34] Thus, a Wali of Allah is he, who has Iman, Taqwa and fear of Allah.


"Your (real) friends are Allah (God), His Apostle Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam,), and the (fellowship of) believers, - those who establish regular prayers and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in worship).  (The Noble Quran, 5:55)"

"Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah (God), does well, and follows the way of Abraham the true in Faith? For Allah (God) did take Abraham for a friend.  (The Noble Quran, 4:125)"

Allah Almighty is close and He listens to our prayers: "When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.  (The Noble Quran, 2:186)"

If you are loved by people, then Allah Almighty loves you:

Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle said, 'If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel, saying, 'Allah loves so and so, O Gabriel love him' So Gabriel would love him and then would make an announcement in the Heavens: 'Allah has loved so and-so therefore you should love him also.' So all the dwellers of the Heavens would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth.'   (Sahih Bukhari,)

The start of the Way is the will [or spiritual desire, irâdah] and it is accompanied by spiritual battles.
• The middle of the Way is love [for Allah alone, mahabbah) and it is accompanied by miraculous graces (Karamat).
• The end of the Way is gnosis [direct intellectual intuitive knowledge, ma`rifah) and it is accompanied by contemplation (of the divine - mushâhadât).

The above mentioned evokes the closeness or proximity between the Wali and his Rabb (Lord). (“But insofar as walâya applies to Allah, it is also nus.ra, the divine Assistance from which” he benefits and which has been promised. SIA42) Also it is clear that the 'way of knowledge' is not opposed from the 'way of love', they really are merely different aspects in Islamic Tasawwuf, as every "Wali is both an `arif (knower) and a muhibb (lover)."

“The Friends of Allah and the Righteous are the very purpose of all that exists (al-awliyâ wa al-salihun hum al-maqsud min al-kawn), they are those who learned and practiced with the reality of knowledge... Those who practice what they know, do with little in the world, seek the next world, and remain ready to leave from one to the other with wakeful eyes and good provision, as opposed to those renowned purely for their knowledge.”

Call on your Lord humbly and secretly. He does not love those who overstep the limits. Do not corrupt the earth after it has been put right. Call on Him fearfully and eagerly. Allah's mercy is close to the good-doers. (Surat al-Araf: 55-56)

Never forget that Allah is the Lord of all of humanity, including you, and that He is your only friend and helper. Therefore, never forget that when you ask for anything, ask it first from Him.

Prayer is one of the most important acts of worship to draw us nearer to Allah. By their very nature, all people feel the need to perform this act of worship. However, while it is a necessary and desirable part of believers' lives, a disbeliever resorts to it only in times of distress. The latter may not be accepted by Allah, since what is most commendable is to ask help from Allah both in times of ease as in difficulty, that is, in every moment of our lives. That is because; the one who prays to Allah is the person who acknowledges his weakness in Allah's sight, and his inability of accomplishing anything unless it is by His Will.

Prayer is accompanied by submission to Allah. One who prays attributes all outcomes, whether easy or trying, to the Creator and Ruler of the universe. The acknowledgment that the solution of a problem, or the prevention of an undesirable circumstance, rests with Almighty Allah, is a source of relief and confidence for a believer. For, praying only to Allah, and taking Him as one's sole friend, instills a sense of security in a believer.

Even as the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another. No one has any right, nor any preference to claim over another. You are brothers. (Final Sermon of Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam). )

Do not turn away a poor man...even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you...Allah (God) will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection.

(Each one) of you should save himself from the fire by giving even half of a date (in charity). (And if you can’t find a half date) offer a kind word a smile (to your brethren).
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 394.

Even as the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another. No one has any right, or any preference to claim over another. You are brothers.
Final Sermon of Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)

Five kinds of animals are mischief-doers and can be killed even in the Sanctuary: They are the rat, the scorpion, the kite, the crow and the rabid dog.
Hadith - Bukhari 4:531, Narrated ‘Aisha (R.A)

“The Friends of Allah and the Righteous are the very purpose of all that exists (al-awliyâ WA al-salihun hum al-maqsud min al-kawn), they are those who learned and practiced with the reality of knowledge... Those who practice what they know, do with little in the world, seek the next world, and remain ready to leave from one to the other with wakeful eyes and good provision, as opposed to those renowned purely for their knowledge.”

“Allah (God) does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds."

“I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
Narrated by 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (R.A.): Sahih Al-Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 1, Number 1:

Taqwa alone is the criterion of greatness in the Sight of Allah

Allah says: "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has Taqwa (God-consciousness, fearing Allah). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware." [Surah al-Hujurat (49): 13]

Allah has erased all distinctions of racism, cast and color and made all human beings equal. He has established a unique criterion for greatness and that is Taqwa. Taqwa is the essence of the teachings of Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam).

Whenever Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa-sallam) sent his Sahabas on a military expedition, he would advice them to have deep-rooted Taqwa of Allah and he would also advise the rest of his military party likewise.

You have no other truer friend besides Him! He created you and He is the only one with your best interests. The only one who truly loves you best! He knows the intentions of your heart
Taqwa is a means by which a believer performs righteous deeds and Taqwa causes the righteous deed to be accepted by Allah.

Allah says: "O you who believe! Have Taqwa (fear) of Allah and always speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous and correct actions and will forgive you your sins and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed attained a great achievement." [Surah al-Ahzab (33): 70]

And: "Verily Allah accepts only from those who are the muttaqoon (those who posses Taqwa)." [Surah al-Maidah (19): 71-72]

It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: I had directed you to refrain from fermenting drinks in Dubbaa, Muzaffat, Naqeer and Hantam. Now I permit you to ferment drinks in whichever utensils you have, but refrain from all kinds of intoxicant

Refrain from drugs,
Abstain from alcohol,
Abstain from adultery,
Abstain from fornication,
Abstain from not performing Salat,
Abstain from not giving Zakat,
Abstain from disobedience to parents,
Sit in the company of the 'Ullama,
Strive to rectify your lives and the lives of the whole society.

Try to have a Halaal income - even if it's a little - and for the rest try to be patient, contend and trust in Allah Ta’aala.

It is reported about Umar (R.A), the second Caliph, that Utbah-bin-Farqad, a governor of some province, once visited the Caliph while he was taking his meals. The governor seeing his coarse food, remarked, “Why don’t you take food made of fine flour”? Umar(R.A) replied, “Ibn Farqad! Is there anyone with greater resources than myself in the land of Arabia at present? Uqbah said that there was none with greater resources than you. Then Umar (R.A.) enquired from him saying, “Ibn Farqad! Do all the Muslims get fine flour (to eat)?” He replied in negative. Then Umar (R.A) said, “I would be a bad ruler if I were to take nice (and good) things for myself and leave the bad ones for the people”.

Umar Ibn Khattab (radiyallaahu anhu) wrote to his son, Abdullah: "To proceed: 'Verily I advise you to have Taqwa (fear) of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, for whoever fears Him, Allah will protect him, and whoever gives a loan to Him, Allah will reward him, and whoever thanks Him, Allah will increase Him."

 He knows that Allah is ALL Knowing. All Seeing, All Hearing and fears that all deeds will be questioned on the Day of Judgment.

Knows that Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) is actually THE ONLY complete human being, the only person worthy of being followed in all walks of life

Knows that if someone something good about you, he/she actually said that Allah is the biggest Sat tar that HE has hidden your sins

Today, we must go from here, with this firm resolution of adopting Taqwa - the key to friendship with Allah.

May Allah swt give us the guidance and Hedayah to seek out the Truth and Practice Islam as it was meant to be practiced?

I pray Allah SWT make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

Feel free to Share the information here with everyone you know,
And earn Sawab-e-Jariya...May Allah swt make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen

P.S.: "Have fun praying don’t forget to make dua for me...
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Saturday 21 May 2011

The servants whom God loves best are the pious and the hidden.

There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Your protecting Friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe.             
                       ..We are drowned in sins. Those who disobey Allah, cannot be His Friends whilst committing sins and living a sinful life. We should make a firm resolution, now, here from today we want to become the Friends of Allah and we want to remain the Friends of Allah until our departure from this world. Allah is the best friend, because His Friendship will be beneficial, not only in this world but also in the Hereafter.
The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam, said:
Ibrahim (as) was given the title of Khalilullah-Friend of Allah.....so why couldn’t we try to be friends with Allah (swt)?
And who wouldn’t want a friend who is the Most Merciful and Compassionate, and Loving, the best of Protectors and closer to us than our jugular veins?
Allah Almighty Loves to come closer to His Servants:
Narrated Anas:  "The Prophet said, 'My Lord says, 'If My slave comes nearer to me for a span, I go nearer to him for a cubit; and if he comes nearer to Me for a cubit, I go nearer to him for the span of outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' ' 
Almighty Allah says, ‘I am as my servant thinks I am, and I am with him when he remembers me.
If he remembers me to himself, I remember him to myself; and if he remembers me in a gathering,
I remember him in a gathering better than it. If he draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length; if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length;
and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him with haste.’” (Al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)

Your protecting Friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe.
Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 38

“The servants whom God loves best are the pious and the hidden. When they are away no-one misses them, and when they are present they are ignored. They are the imams of good guidance and the torches of knowledge.”

Our Holy Prophet (saw) said:

‘O people! Listen, understand and know it well. Allah has servants who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and whom the Prophets and martyrs yearn to be like, due to their seat and proximity in relation to Allah....

Our Holy Prophet (saw) then described these people and then read the following Ayah in which Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an:

For the believers' (al-Mu_min) orientation proofs from the Quran, the hadith and other scriptural sources concerning the wonderful and decisive issue of the Saints or awliyâ' of Allah will be presented. The words Wali, plural awliyâ' and walâya are all of Quranic origin with the root wry meaning: to be close, to be a friend, to govern. They appear in the Quran in different forms over 200 times.

For those in the community (ummah) who unwittingly deny the science of Tasawwuf (spiritual excellence) or neglect the believer's inner jihad (spiritual struggle) restrict the understanding of the 'friends of Allah' as being 'pious worshippers', which is what every believer should be anyway. Thus they risk to degrade their rank - at least in the eyes of the uninformed and to diminish their importance for the believers and the whole of the Ummah.

But what are the qualities and favour of the "friends of Allah" (Wali) and what is their function in the ummah?

It would be useful to start at the beginning:

At first, Allah is the Lord and Protector (Wali) of man; man is the one being tested as he is searching for meaning in life, for fulfillment and purpose. When the believer understands and accepts that truth, light and meaning derive from Allah and His  Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam, he will turn away from the distractions of the lower world (dunya), the favors of other than God and will turn to Allah in everything he intends and does, because:
“He (Allah, may His Majesty be exalted) is their Friend (Wali) and they are His friends (awliyâ').”

"Behold! Verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear nor shall they grieve"
Quran (Surah10: Verse 62)

Abu Huraira (r.a) also reports a Hadith Qudsi in which our Holy Prophet (saw) informs us that Allah (swt) said:

'Whosoever acts with enmity towards a Friend of Mine, I will indeed declare war against him"
[Hadith Qudsi: Bukhari]

In the Holy Quran, Allah says:
ALLAH is the Friend (Wali) of those who believe; HE brings them out of all kinds of darkness into light...
2-257

Surely those who believed and fled (their homes, emigrated) and struggled hard in Allah's way with their property and their souls, and those who gave shelter (asylum) and helped - these are guardians, allies (awliyâ) of each other ...
8-72

Here is protection (walâyah) only Allah's, the True One; He is best in (the giving of) reward and best in requiting.
18-44

Now surely the friends (awliyâ'u-LLâhi) of Allah - they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve...
10-62

There is a comment on this last mentioned Quranic verse in the famous hadith (Qudsi) where Allah through the mouth of His Messenger states why they shall have neither fear nor sorrow:

"Allah said, 'I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper (Wali) of mine. And the most beloved things with which my slave comes nearer to me, is what I have enjoined (fard) upon him;

and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him,

and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him."
Narrated by Abu Huraira in Bukhari, hadith 509


So it is clear that the awliyâ' are under the loving care and protection of Allah Almighty. They are those who are 'no longer subject to natural appetites, nor to desires of the soul. Freed from the entanglements of the world and their own souls they can devote themselves to their original function.
Walâya does not involve spectacular manifestations and no Wali would strive for those either. Far from it - the awliyâ are concealed in a way that the “saint of Allah has no feature by which he is distinguished, nor any name by which he can be named.”
As 'Imams of good guidance and the torches of knowledge' their function is very important. In this respect, walâya is 'the shadow of the prophetic function,' just as the prophetic function is 'the shadow of the divine function.'

This also means that walâya is about the appropriation of the divine character. This is possible because man still possesses a shadow of some of Allah's qualities, such as 'life', 'mercy', or 'knowledge'. Wali is also a shared concept as expressed (stated) in Sura Al-Maidah, the Table Spread (5), and verse 55:
Certainly, your protecting Friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow.
5-55

This then is the channel of the believer to his spiritual goal and therefore the direction in which he has to turn when embarking on the greatest of travels, which is the Way towards Allah
Certainly our Leader and Doctor of hearts, the Messenger of Allah, Sayidina Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam,)on our level or station in relation to Allah or in relation to creation. So what then is the station of the awliyâ' when we remember that every prophet is a wail, but not every Wali a prophet?

“It has been given to the awliyâ' by Allah in advance to enjoy His dhikr and to have access to His proximity. The life of their body is that of earthly beings and the life of their spirit is that of heavenly beings.”

We can therefore clearly conclude that the Friends of Allah (swt) are envied by, but are neither, Prophets or martyrs, who have no fear or grief and are loved & protected by Allah (swt).

Narrated Mu`adh ibn Jabal I said to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him): Inform me about an act which would entitle me to get into Paradise, and remove me away from Hell-Fire. He (the Prophet) said: You have asked me about a matter (which ostensibly appears to be) difficult but it is easy to those for whom Allah, the Exalted, has made it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with him, establish prayer, pay the Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan and perform Hajj to the (sacred) House (Ka’ba). He again said: Should I not direct you to the gateways of good?

Listen to me: The fasting is a shield against evil; the charity extinguishes (the fire of sin) just as water extinguishes fire, the prayer of a person during the middle of the night. Then he recited: 'Who forsake their beds... (Up to)....they used to do.' Then he said: Should I not direct you to the highest level of this matter, to the pillar on which (it rests) and it’s top?
I said: Allah's Messenger yes, (do tell me). He said: The uppermost level of the matter is Islam. Its pillar is the prayer and its top is Jihad. He then said: Should I not inform you of the sheet anchor of all this? I said: Allah's Apostle (of course do it). He took hold of his tongue and said: Exercise restraint on it. I said: Apostle of Allah, would we be held responsible for what we say with it? Thereupon he said: Muadh, may your mother be bereaved. Will anything else besides (irresponsible) talk cause the people to be thrown into the Hell-Fire upon their faces or on their nostrils?

Hadith No. 2 Ahmad,

‘Allahumma inni as’aluka huda, wattuqa, walafafa wal ghina’

(Oh Allah, I ask you for guidance, fear, piety and freedom from need)

May Allah swt give us the guidance and Hedayah to seek out the Truth and Practice Islam as it was meant to be practiced?

I pray Allah SWT make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

Feel free to Share the information here with everyone you know,
And earn Sawab-e-Jariya...May Allah swt make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen

P.S.: "Have fun praying don’t forget to make dua for me...