Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”
Islam is not a way of life that is complex or difficult. Rather it is the human being who practices Islam who often makes it difficult-and then, complexity overtakes him so that eventually he is unable to cope with even the simplest of tasks. That it is possible for every person to understand and practice Islam is assured by the following three principles:
Firstly, the basic beliefs contain no mystery and are therefore easy to comprehend. Every tenet in Islam is subject to analysis and inquiry. Moreover, Islam does not present stumbling blocks to the mind. Islam does not present concepts or ideas which the intellect cannot grasp. Even the simplest of minds can understand its basic beliefs. It is therefore not surprising that its beliefs are universal.
I am only a humble Follower of Muhammad, Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon him; an ordinary Muslim, not, the Manager, of The Ordained. I am a Witness, a Believer, and an humble Follower of the Truth, of my Prophet's stated words. Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Muhammad.
I am also, consciously aware of the Fact, that I can only Present, my Understanding, in greatest humility ... For my understanding, is limited to, my limited Mental, and Intellectual Capacities; nevertheless, the Understanding, has to be presented regardless of the Constraints and restraints, within my Faithful Understanding, of the Master's Profound words.
What are we doing? Why do we keep hurting each other? We have everything to lose by not openly accepting the responsibility of love and cleaning up the mess we have made. For those of you who speak of a new heavens and earth... I believe that a loving parent would tell us something like this... "You may have a new heavens and new earth when you clean up the one you have". It will be just like new and this is what we have right now. You may see me in all things when you love each other. Love is a gift and a responsibility!
What is Love? We believe love is a verb. We believe it is constantly growing and changing just like us. Yet we are aware that we always have love. Love is for everyone! We just need to cultivate love and choose loving actions. In the spirit of clear communication, make no mistake that we have a very specific definition of what love is. You may or may not agree, but this is the process that we believe love goes through and grows from. These specific elements of love are what we believe everyone is equally entitled to and equally responsible for.
Praising (Thanking) Allah
[14. Surah Ibrahim : Ayah 7]
"And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I would certainly give to you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe."
My Lord! grant me that I should be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I should do good such as Thou art pleased with, and make me enter, by Thy mercy, into Thy servants, the good ones.
Famous statement that "the poor will always be with you (us)", is not a divine comment on the status quo. It is an exhortation to do your utmost to alleviate the suffering of your fellow human beings, through continuous action and commitment to basic principles of human rights and social justice. In short, preferential treatment of the poor,
It's about showing compassion. It's about utilizing your spiritual compass that allows you to help someone rather than belittle them when they are down. Because whether you agree or disagree, we're really all in this together.
Too often the trend in our society is for people to be separated from one other, to be cut off from the great mass of humanity, and in doing so to be dehumanized a little bit more with each step.
Cars have taken us off the streets, where we used to greet each other and stop to chat. Cubicles have taken away a bit of the humanity in working, as have factories and even computers to some extent. Television has planted us firmly in our living rooms, instead of out with other people. Even movie theaters, where many people get together, cut us off from true conversation because we’re staring at a big screen.
And while I’m not railing against any of these inventions (except perhaps the cubicle), what we must guard against is the tendency of that individuality to have us focused on ourselves to the exclusion of our fellow human beings. The tendency towards selfishness rather than giving, on helping ourselves rather than helping our brothers and sisters in humanity.
I’m not saying we’re all like that, but it can happen, if we’re not careful.
So strike back against the selfishness and greed of our modern world, and help out a fellow human being today. Not next month, but today.
Helping a fellow human being, while it can be inconvenient, has a few humble advantages:
1. It makes you feel better about yourself;
2. It connects you with another person, at least for a moment, if not for life;
3. It improves the life of another, at least a little;
4. It makes the world a better place, one little step at a time;
5. And if that kindness is passed on, it can multiply, and multiply.
So take just a few minutes today, and do a kindness for another person. It can be something small or the start of something big. Ask them to pay it forward. Put a smile on someone’s face.
If you can't be content with what you have received, be thankful for what you have escaped.
Loving
Patient, kind, truthful, unselfish, trusting, humble, faithful, believing, hopeful, and enduring, not jealous, boastful, arrogant, rude, selfish, or angry. True love seeks the win-win. Love protects us from our sense of failure, while encouraging us to keep going. Love does not turn and remain silent in the face of harmful and destructive behaviors, but remains true to its truth, even risking suffering. Love is showing diligence in pursuit of moral excellence. When you have knowledge, show self-control and perseverance. In perseverance, show love and awareness of your fellow human being. Be diligent and persevere in loving yourself, loving others, loving all living beings. Love is still the answer. We need to show it more then ever, because the world needs more…
We are worthy of happiness when we learn to give it to ourselves and others. If we do not find ourselves worthy of love, when we are presented with the opportunity to share love with others, we will quickly become like a well that has dried up. Give as you wish to receive and pay attention to giving away what you do not have.
Find a way to love self and you will gain the ability to love others. Learn to love others and we will gain the ability to love all life and recognize how we are all connected to one another and all life. We are all at the banquet of life and we all sit at this earth table with the same sun, moon and stars above. We breathe the same air and all as fellow human beings. Let us not take more then we give nor try to keep what is only in our care for a time. We are changing each other and our future fellow human beings every day by what we do and what we don't do!
Do not take pride in someone else's fall from grace. If you find yourself delighted, even if you won't admit this to anyone, then you have some soul-searching to do. It's ok to be disappointed, but at the same time, be prayerful for anyone who stumbles.
It's important to be mindful of the self-defeating crab mentality. You are bringing a negative spirit into your space when you root for others to fail. Compare the human race to your family. If you cheer, or are happy when someone in your immediate family has a difficult time in life, even if it's by their own doing, you become part of the problem, rather than the solution. It works the same way collectively, with the human race because of our spiritual connection to one another. We are all connected; all branches of the same tree.
Instead of shaking your head in disgust or telling others, "I told you so, he's no good, he's a cheater, and he’s a dog." Just say a silent prayer for all parties involved and move on with your life. Especially if you do not know the individual on a personal level. Say a prayer for those involved. If we were to do this on a collective level you would be amazed at what transpires on a global scale.
Prophet Muhammad (saw):-From morning until night and from night until morning
keep your heart free from malice towards anyone.
"…Do not render vain your deeds by a reminder of your generosity and annoying the people to whom you have given assistance or help purely for the sake of God."
— The Holy Quran, 2:264
Prophet Muhammad (saw):- A perfect Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe
Meditation in God is my capital.
Reason and sound logic is the root of my existence.
Love is the foundation of my existence.
Enthusiasm is the vehicle of my life.
Contemplation of Allah is my companion.
Faith is the source of my power.
Sorrow is my friend.
Knowledge is my weapon.
Patience is my clothing and virtue.
Submission to the Divine Will is my pride.
Truth is my salvation.
Worship is my habit.
And in prayer lies the coolness of my eye and my peace of mind.
"Sure! A relationship with the Almighty is not impossible. We must realize that one's approach to the Presence of Almighty Being, who is absolutely unseen, is possible by means of fortification of spiritual power via one's complete faith in His Self-reliant Being."
Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens.
If you see something happening and you can help you are honour bound as a fellow human being to help,' he said.
"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting." -
-"So hasten towards all that is good". (2:148)
-"And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Rubb, and for Jannah as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqun (the pious)". (3:133)
From Hadith:
- 87. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning and turn to disbelief in the evening, or he would be a believer in the evening and turn
disbeliever in the morning, and would sell his Faith for worldly goods.'' [Muslim].
Commentary: This Hadith tells that the Day of Resurrection will be preceded by a long chain of calamities. Because of the rush of these calamities, religion and Faith will loose their value in people. There will be a race for wealth, so much so that people would not hesitate to compromise their religion and Faith to acquire wealth. People will rapidly change their faces. This is what actually happening. In this situation true believers are exhorted to adhere strictly to Faith and perform noble deeds without delay.
'You are the servant, He is the Master. Prayers come from you, answers come from Him. Abstinence comes from you, protection comes from Him. Repentance comes from you, acceptance comes from Him. Go towards him walking, He will come to you running.'
It shows the love that can exist between the believer and Allah(swt)
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 You and me .Ameen.
P.S.: "Have fun praying don’t forget to make dua for me
.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Become a good human being before you can ever become a good Muslim.
I seek refuge in Allah from knowledge that brings no wisdom, from a heart that lacks kindness, from desires that bring discontent, and from supplications that go unanswered.:- Messenger of Allah May Allah's peace and blessings be on him .
"All humans are dead except those who have knowledge; and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who do good deeds; and those who do good deeds are deceived; except those who are sincere, and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry." (Imam ash-Shafi'i)
You must become a good human being before you can ever become a good Muslim.
The cornerstone of Islamic teachings in this area is the requirement that we do not cause anyone any hurt through our words or actions. A famous hadith states, "A Muslim is the one from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe." .
Keeping others safe from our hands and tongues does not only mean that we do not hurl stones or abuses at them, it also means that we do not say or do anything that will hurt them.
This hadith clearly describes this as a defining trait of a Muslim. While it refers to "other Muslims," scholars agree that it is a general requirement that equally applies to non-Muslims except those who are at war with the Muslims. A person who, through his intentional or careless actions or words inflicts unjustified pain on others is not worthy of being called a Muslim.
Try to improve yourself in regards to Islam all the time. Make a goal, write it down and tell a friend.
Pray "rabbi zidni 'ilma" (my Lord increase my knowledge) and other duas for improvement and guidance. Ask your sheikh to teach you a good du’aa for you from the Sunnah.
See a good deed? Have a good idea? Do it! Now. Even picking up the trash around the masjid has reward in it.
Remember: “I am as my servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of me to himself, I make mention of him to myself; and if he makes mention of me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly even better than that. And if he takes one step towards me, I take ten steps towards him. And if he comes walking to Me, I go running towards him.” (Hadith Qudsi)
What is implied by the term Tasawwuf is nothing but Ihsan. With that in mind we can understand the joy of the person who once reported to his mentor that he had achieved Ihsan in his prayers. He felt being in the presence of Allah every time he stood up for prayers. "It is great that you should feel that way while praying,” his mentor replied. "But, do you have the same feelings when you are dealing with others? Have you attained Ihsan in relations with your spouse and children? What about Friends and relatives? .
One must not restrict the concept of Ihsan to the performance of ritual prayers. The term is general and applies to all endeavors in our life.
Ihsan
Ehsanis in an Arabic term meaning, goodness or excellence, which is related to the word "goodness" (Arabic Husn).
It is a matter of taking one's inner faith (Iman) and showing it in both deed and action, a sense of social responsibility borne from religious conviction.
Ehsan is one step ahead of Adl (Justice) when someone is prepared not only to gives other's rights
But he is also prepared to sacrifice his own rights to make others happy.
In Islam, "Ehsan is the Muslim responsibility to obtain perfection, or excellence, in worship"
According to the Hadith of Gabriel in which Muhammad (peace be upon him) states,
"[Ehsan is] to worship God as though you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you." (Bukhari.and Muslim).
Ehsan, meaning "to do beautiful things," is the highest of the three levels of Islam: (1) Islam, (2) Iman and (3) Ehsan. In contrast to the emphases of Islam
(What one should do) and Iman (why one should do), the concept of Ehsan is how to do something good with beauty.
Imam Malik one day entered the Masjid after Asr. Towards the front of Masjid An-Nabawee he drew closer and sat down. Rasul Allah had commanded that anyone who enters the Masjid should not sit until he first prays 2 rakas as a salutation of the Masjid. Imam Malik was of the opinion however that Rasul Allah's forbiddance of praying after ASR took precedence and so he would teach his students to not pray the tahiyyatul Masjid if they entered between the Asr and Maghrib time. At that moment that Imam Malik sat down, a young boy had seen him sit without first praying the 2 raka's of Tahiyyatul Masjid. The young boy scorned him, "Get up and pray 2 rakas!"
Imam Malik dutifully stood up once again and began praying the 2 Rakas. The students sat stunned: What was going on? Had Imam Malik's opinion changed?
After he had completed the Salah, the students swarmed around and questioned his actions. Imam Malik said, "My opinion has not changed, nor have I gone back on what I taught you earlier. I merely feared that had I not prayed the 2 raka’s as the young boy commanded, Allah may include me in the Ayah...
"And when it is said to them, 'Bow (in prayer)', they do not bow." - Al Mursalat 77/48.
Imam Ahmad held the opinion that eating camel meat nullifies ones Wudu, an opinion that the majority of scholars differed from. Some students asked him, "If you find an Imam eating camel meat in front of you and - without first making Wudu - then leads the Salah, would you pray behind him?" Imam Ahmad replied, "Do you think I would not pray behind the likes of Imam Malik and Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayab?"
"Invite (fill Amr - Allah is commanding) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in a way that is best!” - Surah An-Nahl 16/125.
There is no need to philosophize. No need to talk in the flower gardens. It is right there, plain and simple for anyone who would take heed.
There in that Ayah are the three ingredients to apply when we disagree with someone. The same Allah that taught us to debate the truth taught us how to do it:
1 - With Hikma (wisdom) 2 - With good instruction, and 3 - To argue in a way that is best.
Wisdom and Islam
Al-Hikma or wisdom means a total insight and having sound judgment concerning a matter or situation through understanding cause and effect phenomena. Al-Hikma constitutes one of the three major teachings of Prophet Muhammad (p). Verse 2:129 of the Qur'an, below, expresses Prophet Muhammad's mission with the three major categories: Al-Kitab (The knowledge of the Holy Qur'an), al-Hikma (the wisdom) and al-Tazkiyah (the inner-self purification). Each category is dependent upon the other. These three fundamental teachings combined are the foundations required to make the character of a true Muslim.
"Our Lord! Send among them an Apostle of their own, who shall rehearse your signs to them and instruct them in the Holy Qur'an (al-Kitab) and wisdom (Hikma), and sanctify them (yuzakeehim), for you are the Exalted in Might, the Wise."
What does it mean to have Hikma when differing with someone? The grandsons of Rasul Allah (saw) once set one of the most beautiful examples of Hikma in advising others. Al-Hasan and Al-Husain - in their young age - once saw a senior man performing Wudu incorrectly. Together they arranged a plan to teach the man without insulting him, advising him in a manner befitting of his age.
Together they went to the senior and announced, "My brother and I have differed over who amongst us performs Wudu the best. Would you mind being the judge to determine which one of us indeed performs Wudu more correctly?"
The man watched intently as the two grandsons of Rasul Allah performed Wudu in an explicit manner. After they had completed, he thanked them and said, "By Allah, I did not know how to perform Wudu before this. You have both taught me how to do it correctly."
We must understand that there are two dimensions to Hikma. Firstly, there is the Hikma of knowledge - Hikma Ilmiyyah. And secondly, there is the Hikma of Action - Hikma Amaliyyah.
Some people may have Hikma of knowledge. But we see that when they try correcting others, advising them, they lack the Hikma of Action. This causes many a common folk to reject the Hikma of knowledge.
To show Hikma when we differ requires the following:
Sincerity
If we differ, our intentions should be that we are differing in the sincere hope of coming away with the truth. Our intentions should be sincere to Allah.
We should not differ just to release some hate or envy in our heart. We should not differ to embarrass someone like we may have been embarrassed.
Rasul Allah said, "Whoever learns knowledge - knowledge from that which should be sought for the sake of Allah - only to receive a commodity of the material world, he shall not find the fragrance of Jannah on the day of resurrection." - An authentic hadith narrated by Abu Dawood in Kitab Al-Ilm.
To have Hikma when differing means we should rarely depart from an atmosphere of kindness and gentleness, we should seldom allow ourselves to become angry and raise our voices.
Fir'own (Pharaoh) was one of the evilest people that lived. Musa was one of the noblest. Look at how Allah told Musa to advise Fir'own...
"Go, both of you, to Fir’own. Indeed, he has transgressed. And speak to him with gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or fear (Allah)."
A man once entered upon the Khalifa and chastised him for some policies he had taken. The Khalifah replied, "By Allah, Fir’own was more evil than me. And by Allah, Musa was more pious than you. Yet, Allah commanded him...'And speaks to him with gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or fear (Allah).'"
Never trade in kind words for harshness, especially when dealing with other Muslims.
Look at the power of a sincere and polite word: Mus'ab ibn Umar was the first of ambassador of Rasul Allah in Madinah. Before Rasul Allah had arrived in Madinah, Mus'ab taught Ahl al-Madinah about Islam and they began to enter the Deen.
This enraged SA’d ibn 'Ubaydah, one of the chieftains of Madinah. He sheathed his sword and set off for the head of Mus'ab ibn 'Umar. When he confronted Mus'ab he threatened, "Stop this nonsense you speak or you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied in the way that should be a lesson for us all. This man before him did not stop at rudeness and ignorance; he wanted to slit his throat.
Mus'ab said, "Shall you not sit and listen for a few moments. If you agree with what I say then take it, and if not, we shall desist from this talk." SA’d sat down.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of SA’d ibn Obadiah’s face shone like a full moon and he said, "What should a person do who wishes to enter into this Deen?" After Mus'ab had told him he said, "There is a man, if he accepts this Deen, there shall be no home in Madinah that will not become Muslim. Sa'd ibn Muadh."
When SA’d ibn Muadh heard what was happening, he was infuriated. He left his home to go and kill this man called Mus'ab ibn Umar for the dissention he had caused. He entered upon Mus'ab and announced, "You shall desist of this religion you speak of or you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied, "Shall you not sit and listen for a few moments. If you agree with what I say then take it, and if not, I shall desist from this talk." SA’d sat.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of SA’d ibn Mu'adh's face shone like a full moon and he said, "What should a person do who wishes to enter into this Deen?"
Look at what a kind word did. SA’d ibn Muadh went home to his Madinah tribe that night and announced to them all, "Everything of yours is Haram upon me until you all enter into Islam."
That night, every home in Madinah went to bed with Laa ilaaha illaa Allah...all because of a kind word.
A Bedouin came to Rasul Allah and told him, "Give me from what Allah gave you, neither from the wealth of your mother nor from the wealth of your father." The Sahabas were furious at the man and step forward to discipline him for what he said. Rasul Allah commanded everyone to leave him.
Then by the hand, Rasul Allah took him home, opened his door and said, "Take what you wish and leave what you wish." The man did so and after he completed, Rasul Allah asked him, "Have I honored you?" "Yes, by Allah," said the Bedouin. Ašhadu an la ilaha illaa lillah, wa ašhadu anna Mohammedan (n) Rasul Allah (Meaning he embraced Islam)
When the Sa’haba heard of how the man changed, Rasul Allah taught them. "Verily the example of me, you and this Bedouin is that of a man who had his camel run away. The townspeople tried capturing the camel for him by running and shouting after the camel, only driving it further away. The man would shout, 'Leave me and my camel, I know my camel better.' Then he took some grass in his hand, ruffled it in front of the camel, until it came willingly.
'By Allah, had I left you to this Bedouin, you would have hit him, hurt him, he would have left without Islam and eventually have entered hellfire."
Role model, Abu Bakr: R.A.
Mercy and love
Abu Bakr once disputed with another companion about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr R.A. said something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did not attack someone's honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, and all he said was something that may have hurt the other companion's feelings.
Immediately, Abu Bakr - understanding the mistake - ordered him, "Say it back to me!" The companion said, "I shall not say it back." "Say it back to me," said Abu Bakr, "Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah." The companion refused to say it back and went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and related what had happened and what he said. Rasul Allah called that companion and asked him, "Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?" He said, "Yes." He said, "What did you reply." He said, "I did not reply it back to him." Rasul Allah said, "Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say, 'May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!'"
The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said, "May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr?" Abu Bakr turned and cried as he walked away.
Let us leave today with a resolve to revive this air Rasul Allah and his companions breathed, an air of mercy and love and brotherhood.
We see this consideration for others throughout the life of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam. Of course, such an attitude shows itself in "minor" details. For example, whenever the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam visited a group were some people were asleep and others were not, he would greet them with a low enough voice so those awake could hear him while those asleep would not be disturbed. Every night when he used to get up for Tahajjud (midnight prayer) ---a voluntary prayer for the rest of us---he would walk out of the bed very quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping wife.
Whenever he saw someone commit a wrong that needed to be corrected in public for the education of others, he would mention it in general terms, not naming the person who did it. This last practice also shows the two extremes in this regard that must be avoided. On the one hand is the temptation to compromise on the issue of right and wrong to avoid hurt feelings. On the other is the temptation to correct the wrong with total disregard to the fact that one might be insulting or injuring the other person. While we may see these extreme attitudes in people who seem to be poles apart in terms of their practice of religion, both stem from the same narrow vision of religion that holds our dealings with others as worldly affairs, outside the realm of Islam!
It is good to remember that Islam is a way of life. We must submit our whole life, not a small subset of our choosing, to the commands and teachings of Allah and His Prophet, Sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam. Our commitment to Islam must not only be life-long but also life-wide.
The action of foremost importance is prayer. See it as an introspective action, and attempt to derive tranquility from it. Concentrate. Rather than offering prayer reluctantly, find peace from it, as a break from your busy life.
Make sure that you read the Quran every day no matter how little. This is the speech of Allah, a guidance to you and all that exists. Have a relationship with the Quran. You can even read just a few lines and the translation before you go to sleep.
Be good to your parents.
Keep your cool, and treat people gently. Anger undoes faith.
Excellence leads to perfection, and perfection is our ultimate goal. We strive to perfect our characters so that we may reach the highest attainable status in the sight of Allah (swt), and also to perfect our surroundings and our work so that we won’t feel ashamed when we present them in front of Allah (swt), the Messenger and the Believers.
Those who achieve excellence and perfection in this world will lead because the Divine Rule says so, and if anyone else leads the Muslims, the Muslims will always be lagging behind. We must change our current condition, and when we do that, certainly, Allah (swt) will change the condition of our entire Ummah.
Try to keep your indulgent instincts suppressed and find a Halaal outlet for your urges. You cannot satisfy your desires anyway. 'If man is given a valley of gold, he will desire another'.
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.
"All humans are dead except those who have knowledge; and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who do good deeds; and those who do good deeds are deceived; except those who are sincere, and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry." (Imam ash-Shafi'i)
You must become a good human being before you can ever become a good Muslim.
The cornerstone of Islamic teachings in this area is the requirement that we do not cause anyone any hurt through our words or actions. A famous hadith states, "A Muslim is the one from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe." .
Keeping others safe from our hands and tongues does not only mean that we do not hurl stones or abuses at them, it also means that we do not say or do anything that will hurt them.
This hadith clearly describes this as a defining trait of a Muslim. While it refers to "other Muslims," scholars agree that it is a general requirement that equally applies to non-Muslims except those who are at war with the Muslims. A person who, through his intentional or careless actions or words inflicts unjustified pain on others is not worthy of being called a Muslim.
Try to improve yourself in regards to Islam all the time. Make a goal, write it down and tell a friend.
Pray "rabbi zidni 'ilma" (my Lord increase my knowledge) and other duas for improvement and guidance. Ask your sheikh to teach you a good du’aa for you from the Sunnah.
See a good deed? Have a good idea? Do it! Now. Even picking up the trash around the masjid has reward in it.
Remember: “I am as my servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of me to himself, I make mention of him to myself; and if he makes mention of me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly even better than that. And if he takes one step towards me, I take ten steps towards him. And if he comes walking to Me, I go running towards him.” (Hadith Qudsi)
What is implied by the term Tasawwuf is nothing but Ihsan. With that in mind we can understand the joy of the person who once reported to his mentor that he had achieved Ihsan in his prayers. He felt being in the presence of Allah every time he stood up for prayers. "It is great that you should feel that way while praying,” his mentor replied. "But, do you have the same feelings when you are dealing with others? Have you attained Ihsan in relations with your spouse and children? What about Friends and relatives? .
One must not restrict the concept of Ihsan to the performance of ritual prayers. The term is general and applies to all endeavors in our life.
Ihsan
Ehsanis in an Arabic term meaning, goodness or excellence, which is related to the word "goodness" (Arabic Husn).
It is a matter of taking one's inner faith (Iman) and showing it in both deed and action, a sense of social responsibility borne from religious conviction.
Ehsan is one step ahead of Adl (Justice) when someone is prepared not only to gives other's rights
But he is also prepared to sacrifice his own rights to make others happy.
In Islam, "Ehsan is the Muslim responsibility to obtain perfection, or excellence, in worship"
According to the Hadith of Gabriel in which Muhammad (peace be upon him) states,
"[Ehsan is] to worship God as though you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you." (Bukhari.and Muslim).
Ehsan, meaning "to do beautiful things," is the highest of the three levels of Islam: (1) Islam, (2) Iman and (3) Ehsan. In contrast to the emphases of Islam
(What one should do) and Iman (why one should do), the concept of Ehsan is how to do something good with beauty.
Imam Malik one day entered the Masjid after Asr. Towards the front of Masjid An-Nabawee he drew closer and sat down. Rasul Allah had commanded that anyone who enters the Masjid should not sit until he first prays 2 rakas as a salutation of the Masjid. Imam Malik was of the opinion however that Rasul Allah's forbiddance of praying after ASR took precedence and so he would teach his students to not pray the tahiyyatul Masjid if they entered between the Asr and Maghrib time. At that moment that Imam Malik sat down, a young boy had seen him sit without first praying the 2 raka's of Tahiyyatul Masjid. The young boy scorned him, "Get up and pray 2 rakas!"
Imam Malik dutifully stood up once again and began praying the 2 Rakas. The students sat stunned: What was going on? Had Imam Malik's opinion changed?
After he had completed the Salah, the students swarmed around and questioned his actions. Imam Malik said, "My opinion has not changed, nor have I gone back on what I taught you earlier. I merely feared that had I not prayed the 2 raka’s as the young boy commanded, Allah may include me in the Ayah...
"And when it is said to them, 'Bow (in prayer)', they do not bow." - Al Mursalat 77/48.
Imam Ahmad held the opinion that eating camel meat nullifies ones Wudu, an opinion that the majority of scholars differed from. Some students asked him, "If you find an Imam eating camel meat in front of you and - without first making Wudu - then leads the Salah, would you pray behind him?" Imam Ahmad replied, "Do you think I would not pray behind the likes of Imam Malik and Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayab?"
"Invite (fill Amr - Allah is commanding) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction and argue with them in a way that is best!” - Surah An-Nahl 16/125.
There is no need to philosophize. No need to talk in the flower gardens. It is right there, plain and simple for anyone who would take heed.
There in that Ayah are the three ingredients to apply when we disagree with someone. The same Allah that taught us to debate the truth taught us how to do it:
1 - With Hikma (wisdom) 2 - With good instruction, and 3 - To argue in a way that is best.
Wisdom and Islam
Al-Hikma or wisdom means a total insight and having sound judgment concerning a matter or situation through understanding cause and effect phenomena. Al-Hikma constitutes one of the three major teachings of Prophet Muhammad (p). Verse 2:129 of the Qur'an, below, expresses Prophet Muhammad's mission with the three major categories: Al-Kitab (The knowledge of the Holy Qur'an), al-Hikma (the wisdom) and al-Tazkiyah (the inner-self purification). Each category is dependent upon the other. These three fundamental teachings combined are the foundations required to make the character of a true Muslim.
"Our Lord! Send among them an Apostle of their own, who shall rehearse your signs to them and instruct them in the Holy Qur'an (al-Kitab) and wisdom (Hikma), and sanctify them (yuzakeehim), for you are the Exalted in Might, the Wise."
What does it mean to have Hikma when differing with someone? The grandsons of Rasul Allah (saw) once set one of the most beautiful examples of Hikma in advising others. Al-Hasan and Al-Husain - in their young age - once saw a senior man performing Wudu incorrectly. Together they arranged a plan to teach the man without insulting him, advising him in a manner befitting of his age.
Together they went to the senior and announced, "My brother and I have differed over who amongst us performs Wudu the best. Would you mind being the judge to determine which one of us indeed performs Wudu more correctly?"
The man watched intently as the two grandsons of Rasul Allah performed Wudu in an explicit manner. After they had completed, he thanked them and said, "By Allah, I did not know how to perform Wudu before this. You have both taught me how to do it correctly."
We must understand that there are two dimensions to Hikma. Firstly, there is the Hikma of knowledge - Hikma Ilmiyyah. And secondly, there is the Hikma of Action - Hikma Amaliyyah.
Some people may have Hikma of knowledge. But we see that when they try correcting others, advising them, they lack the Hikma of Action. This causes many a common folk to reject the Hikma of knowledge.
To show Hikma when we differ requires the following:
Sincerity
If we differ, our intentions should be that we are differing in the sincere hope of coming away with the truth. Our intentions should be sincere to Allah.
We should not differ just to release some hate or envy in our heart. We should not differ to embarrass someone like we may have been embarrassed.
Rasul Allah said, "Whoever learns knowledge - knowledge from that which should be sought for the sake of Allah - only to receive a commodity of the material world, he shall not find the fragrance of Jannah on the day of resurrection." - An authentic hadith narrated by Abu Dawood in Kitab Al-Ilm.
To have Hikma when differing means we should rarely depart from an atmosphere of kindness and gentleness, we should seldom allow ourselves to become angry and raise our voices.
Fir'own (Pharaoh) was one of the evilest people that lived. Musa was one of the noblest. Look at how Allah told Musa to advise Fir'own...
"Go, both of you, to Fir’own. Indeed, he has transgressed. And speak to him with gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or fear (Allah)."
A man once entered upon the Khalifa and chastised him for some policies he had taken. The Khalifah replied, "By Allah, Fir’own was more evil than me. And by Allah, Musa was more pious than you. Yet, Allah commanded him...'And speaks to him with gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or fear (Allah).'"
Never trade in kind words for harshness, especially when dealing with other Muslims.
Look at the power of a sincere and polite word: Mus'ab ibn Umar was the first of ambassador of Rasul Allah in Madinah. Before Rasul Allah had arrived in Madinah, Mus'ab taught Ahl al-Madinah about Islam and they began to enter the Deen.
This enraged SA’d ibn 'Ubaydah, one of the chieftains of Madinah. He sheathed his sword and set off for the head of Mus'ab ibn 'Umar. When he confronted Mus'ab he threatened, "Stop this nonsense you speak or you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied in the way that should be a lesson for us all. This man before him did not stop at rudeness and ignorance; he wanted to slit his throat.
Mus'ab said, "Shall you not sit and listen for a few moments. If you agree with what I say then take it, and if not, we shall desist from this talk." SA’d sat down.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of SA’d ibn Obadiah’s face shone like a full moon and he said, "What should a person do who wishes to enter into this Deen?" After Mus'ab had told him he said, "There is a man, if he accepts this Deen, there shall be no home in Madinah that will not become Muslim. Sa'd ibn Muadh."
When SA’d ibn Muadh heard what was happening, he was infuriated. He left his home to go and kill this man called Mus'ab ibn Umar for the dissention he had caused. He entered upon Mus'ab and announced, "You shall desist of this religion you speak of or you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied, "Shall you not sit and listen for a few moments. If you agree with what I say then take it, and if not, I shall desist from this talk." SA’d sat.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of SA’d ibn Mu'adh's face shone like a full moon and he said, "What should a person do who wishes to enter into this Deen?"
Look at what a kind word did. SA’d ibn Muadh went home to his Madinah tribe that night and announced to them all, "Everything of yours is Haram upon me until you all enter into Islam."
That night, every home in Madinah went to bed with Laa ilaaha illaa Allah...all because of a kind word.
A Bedouin came to Rasul Allah and told him, "Give me from what Allah gave you, neither from the wealth of your mother nor from the wealth of your father." The Sahabas were furious at the man and step forward to discipline him for what he said. Rasul Allah commanded everyone to leave him.
Then by the hand, Rasul Allah took him home, opened his door and said, "Take what you wish and leave what you wish." The man did so and after he completed, Rasul Allah asked him, "Have I honored you?" "Yes, by Allah," said the Bedouin. Ašhadu an la ilaha illaa lillah, wa ašhadu anna Mohammedan (n) Rasul Allah (Meaning he embraced Islam)
When the Sa’haba heard of how the man changed, Rasul Allah taught them. "Verily the example of me, you and this Bedouin is that of a man who had his camel run away. The townspeople tried capturing the camel for him by running and shouting after the camel, only driving it further away. The man would shout, 'Leave me and my camel, I know my camel better.' Then he took some grass in his hand, ruffled it in front of the camel, until it came willingly.
'By Allah, had I left you to this Bedouin, you would have hit him, hurt him, he would have left without Islam and eventually have entered hellfire."
Role model, Abu Bakr: R.A.
Mercy and love
Abu Bakr once disputed with another companion about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr R.A. said something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did not attack someone's honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, and all he said was something that may have hurt the other companion's feelings.
Immediately, Abu Bakr - understanding the mistake - ordered him, "Say it back to me!" The companion said, "I shall not say it back." "Say it back to me," said Abu Bakr, "Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah." The companion refused to say it back and went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and related what had happened and what he said. Rasul Allah called that companion and asked him, "Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?" He said, "Yes." He said, "What did you reply." He said, "I did not reply it back to him." Rasul Allah said, "Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say, 'May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!'"
The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said, "May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr?" Abu Bakr turned and cried as he walked away.
Let us leave today with a resolve to revive this air Rasul Allah and his companions breathed, an air of mercy and love and brotherhood.
We see this consideration for others throughout the life of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam. Of course, such an attitude shows itself in "minor" details. For example, whenever the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam visited a group were some people were asleep and others were not, he would greet them with a low enough voice so those awake could hear him while those asleep would not be disturbed. Every night when he used to get up for Tahajjud (midnight prayer) ---a voluntary prayer for the rest of us---he would walk out of the bed very quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping wife.
Whenever he saw someone commit a wrong that needed to be corrected in public for the education of others, he would mention it in general terms, not naming the person who did it. This last practice also shows the two extremes in this regard that must be avoided. On the one hand is the temptation to compromise on the issue of right and wrong to avoid hurt feelings. On the other is the temptation to correct the wrong with total disregard to the fact that one might be insulting or injuring the other person. While we may see these extreme attitudes in people who seem to be poles apart in terms of their practice of religion, both stem from the same narrow vision of religion that holds our dealings with others as worldly affairs, outside the realm of Islam!
It is good to remember that Islam is a way of life. We must submit our whole life, not a small subset of our choosing, to the commands and teachings of Allah and His Prophet, Sallallaahu alayhi WA sallam. Our commitment to Islam must not only be life-long but also life-wide.
The action of foremost importance is prayer. See it as an introspective action, and attempt to derive tranquility from it. Concentrate. Rather than offering prayer reluctantly, find peace from it, as a break from your busy life.
Make sure that you read the Quran every day no matter how little. This is the speech of Allah, a guidance to you and all that exists. Have a relationship with the Quran. You can even read just a few lines and the translation before you go to sleep.
Be good to your parents.
Keep your cool, and treat people gently. Anger undoes faith.
Excellence leads to perfection, and perfection is our ultimate goal. We strive to perfect our characters so that we may reach the highest attainable status in the sight of Allah (swt), and also to perfect our surroundings and our work so that we won’t feel ashamed when we present them in front of Allah (swt), the Messenger and the Believers.
Those who achieve excellence and perfection in this world will lead because the Divine Rule says so, and if anyone else leads the Muslims, the Muslims will always be lagging behind. We must change our current condition, and when we do that, certainly, Allah (swt) will change the condition of our entire Ummah.
Try to keep your indulgent instincts suppressed and find a Halaal outlet for your urges. You cannot satisfy your desires anyway. 'If man is given a valley of gold, he will desire another'.
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.
Monday, 13 September 2010
God does not look upon your outward forms- Wali Allah- Rabia al Basra
The holy prophets had stated that 'God does not look upon your outward forms'. It is not the outward form that matters, but the inner purpose of the heart, as the Prophet said, 'The people are assembled (on the day of Judgment) according to the purposes of their hearts' …
Wali Allah,
Woman saint made her appearance at a very early period, and in the evolution of the cult of saints by Muslims, the dignity of saint ship was conferred on women as much as on men. As far as rank among the 'friends of God' was concerned, there was complete equality between the sexes.
(If someone wants to know the power of a Lady Wali Allah, then read)
I have loved Thee with two loves -
a selfish love and a love that is worthy of Thee.
As for the love which is selfish,
Therein I occupy myself with Thee,
to the exclusion of all others.
But in the love which is worthy of Thee,
Thou dost raise the veil that I may see Thee.
Yet is the praise not mine in this or that,
But the praise is to Thee in both that and this.
- Rabia al Basra
Who Was Rabia?
Born in the poorest of homes, miraculous events were reputed to have taken place even at the time of her birth. On the night of her birth there was no oil on the house no lamp light nor swaddling clothes in which to rap the newborn child. Her father already had three daughters, and so she was called Rabia (= the fourth). The mother asked her husband to go and ask for oil for the lamp from a neighbour, but he had made a vow that he would never ask anything of a creature (i.e. as a true Sufi he would depend only upon God to supply his needs), and so he came back without it. Having fallen asleep in great distress at the lack of provision for the child, he dreamt that the Prophet Muhammad appeared to him in his sleep and said, 'Do not be sorrowful, for this daughter who is born is a great saint, whose intercession will be desired by seventy thousand of my community'. The Prophet said further:
To-morrow send a letter to Isa Zadhan, Amir of Basra, reminding him that every night he is wont to pray one hundred prayers to me and on Friday night four hundred, but this Friday night he has neglected me, and as a penance (tell him) that he must give you four hundred dinars, lawfully acquired.
Rabia’s father awoke, weeping: he rose up, wrote the letter as directed and sent it to the Amir through the latter's chamberlain. The Amir, when he had read the letter said:
"Give two thousand dinars to the poor as a thank-offering, because the prophet had me in mi, and four hundred dinars to that Sheikh and say to him that I desire that he should come before me that I may see him, but it is not fitting that such a person as he is should come to me, but I will come and rub my beard on his threshold".
But in spite of this event of good augury, misfortunes fell upon the family, and when Rabia was a little older her mother and father died and she was left an orphan. A famine occurred in Basra and the sisters were scattered. One day when Rabia was walking abroad, and evil-minded man saw her and seized upon her and sold her as a slave for six dirham and the man ho bought her made her work hard. One day a stranger (one who might not look at her unveiled) approached her. Rabia fled to avoid him and slipped on the road and dislocated her writs. She bowed her faced in the dust, and said, 'O Lord, I am a stranger an without mother or father, an orphan and a slave and I have fallen into bondage and my writs is injured, (yet) I am not grieved by this, only (I desire) to satisfy Thee. I would fain know if Thou art satisfied (with me) or not'. She heard of voice saying, 'Be not sorrowful, fir on the day of Resurrection they rank shall be such that those who are nearest to God in Heaven shall envy thee'.
After this Rabia returned to her master's house and continually fasted in the daytime and carried out her appointed tasks and in the service of God she was standing on her feet till the day. One night her master awoke from sleep and looked down through a window of the house and saw Rabia, whose head was bowed in worship, and she was saying, 'O my Lord, Thou knoweth that the desire of my heart is to obey Thee, and that ht e light of my eye is in the service of Thy court. If the matter rested with me, I should not cease for one hour from Thy service, but Thou hast made me subject to a creature'. While she was still praying, he saw a lap above her had, suspended without a chain, and the whole house was illuminated by the rays from that light. This enveloping radiance or sakina (derived from the Hebrew She- kina = the cloud of glory indicating the presence of God) of the Muslim saint, corresponding to the halo of the Christian saint, it frequently mentioned in the biographies of the Sufis.
Rabia’s master, when he saw that strange sight, was afraid and rose up and returned to his own place and sat pondering until day came. When the day dawned, he called Rabia and spoke kindly to her and set her free. Rabia asked for leave to go away; so he gave her leave, and she left that place and journeyed into the desert. Afterwards she let the desert and obtained for herself a cell and for a time was engaged in devotional worship there. According to one account, Rabia at first followed the calling of a flute player, which would be consistent with a state of slavery. Then she became concerted and built a place of retreat, where she occupied herself with works of piety.
Among other stories related of this period of her life is one telling how she purposed performing the pilgrimage to Makkah and set her face towards the desert; she had an ass with her to carry her baggage', and in the heart of the desert the ass died. Some people (in the caravan) said to her, 'Let us carry thy baggage'. She said,' Go on your way, for I am not dependent upon you for (for help)', i.e. she placed her trust in God and not in His creatures.
So the people went on and Rabia remained alone, and bowing her had, she said, 'O my God, do kings deal thus with a woman, a stranger and weak? Thou art calling me to Thine own house (the Ka'ba), but in the midst of the way Thou hast suffered mine ass to die and Thou hast left me alone in the desert'.
She had hardly completed her prayer, when the ass stirred got up. Rabia put her baggage on it and went on her way. The narrator of this story said that some time afterwards he saw that same little ass being sold in the bazaar.
Was the door ever closed?
Salih Qazwani always taught his disciples, “Who knocks at the door of someone constantly, one day the door must be opened to him” Rabia one day heard it and said,
“Salih, how long ‘will you go on preaching thus, using the future tense, saying ‘will be opened’? Was the door ever closed? It was ever open.”
Why no bandage for His blessings?
One day Rabia saw a man passing on the way with his forehead tied with a bandage. She asked him why he put on the bandage. He replied that he was suffering from headache.
“What is your age?” she asked.
He replied that he was thirty.
She asked, “Till today, how have you passed your life?”
He replied, “In perfect health”.
She said, “For thirty years the Lord kept you sound, and you did not fly any colors on your body to express your gratitude for His gift, so that people could ask you the reason for your joy and knowing of God’s blessings on you would have praised Him, but when for your own fault you have suffered from a little headache you have tied a bandage and go about exhibiting His harshness to you in making you suffer from headache. What a base act is yours!”
She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself.
She prayed "O Allah! If I worship you for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship you for Your Own sake, grudge me not your everlasting Beauty.
Though she had many offers of marriage, and tradition has it one even from the Amir of Basra, she refused them as she had no time in her life for anything other than God.
More interesting than her absolute asceticism, however, is the actual concept of Divine Love that Rabia introduced to us.
Once Rabia r.a... was on her way to Makkah, and when half-way there she saw the Ka'ba coming to meet her and she said" "It is the Lord of the house whom I need, what have I to do with the house? I need to meet with Him Who said, 'whose approaches me by a span's length I will approach him by the length of a cubit.' The Ka'ba which I see has no power over me; what joy does the beauty of the Ka'ba bring to me?" At the same time the great Sufi Saint Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adam arrived at the Ka'ba, he did not see it. (As he spent fourteen years, making his way to the Ka'ba, because in every place of prayer he performed two rakaats). Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adam said: "Alas! What has happened? It maybe that some injure has overtaken my eyes." An unseen voice said to him: "No harm has befallen your eyes, but the Ka'ba has gone to meet a woman, who is approaching this place." Ibrahim Adam said: "O indeed, who is this?" He ran, and saw Rabia arriving and the Ka'ba was back in its own place, when Ibrahim saw that, he said: "O Rabia, what is this disturbance and trouble and burden which you have brought into the world?" She replied: "I have not brought disturbance into the world; it is you who have disturbed the world, because you delayed fourteen years in arriving at the Ka'ba." He said: "Yes I have spent fourteen years in crossing the desert (because I was engaged) in prayer." Rabia said: "You traversed it in ritual prayer (Salat) but with personal supplication." Then, having performed the pilgrimage, she returned to Basra and occupied herself with works of devotion.
One day a man, who was said to be a knower of Allah, met Rabia who asked him of his state, whereupon he replied, “I have trod the Path of obedience and I have not sinned since Allah created me.” She, May Allah be pleased with her, said to him, “Alas my son, your existence is a sin wherewith no other sin may be compared.”
Her attraction to a life of poverty was also part of her need not to be distracted from her inner journey by the necessity for material considerations. There is a story about this poverty of hers, as one of her companions said, “I went to visit Rabia and saw her in her house with nothing but a broken water pitcher out of which she drank and made her ablution. There was also an old reed mat and a brick which she sometimes used as a pillow. When I saw this, I felt very sad and I said to her, ‘I have rich friends. If you wish I will get something from them for you.’ She said, ‘You have committed a grievous error. Is not my Provider and theirs one and the same?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ Then she said, ‘And has the Provider of the poor forgotten the poor on account of their poverty? And does He remember the rich because of their riches?’ I replied, ‘No.’ She said, ‘Then since He knows of my state, how should I remind Him? Such is His Will and I too wish what He wills.’”
Rabia’s love, which was passionate (Shawq) and all-consuming was also full of humility, fear (Hawf) and reverence (Taqwa) for her Beloved, and when she was asked about how she had such a degree of intimacy, she said, “By constantly saying: I take refuge in You from everything which has distracted me from You and from every hindrance which has hindered me from You.”
She also said, “You must conceal your good deeds as you conceal your evil deeds.”
In the same way, she said, “What appears of any (good) works, I count as nothing at all.”
To know the true potential of a Wali Allah, one must be Wali Allah himself...
One day Hazrat Hasan Basri saw Hazrat Rabia near a lake. He threw his prayer rug on top of the water and said: "Rabia come! Let us pray two rakaats here." She replied: "Hasan, when you are showing off your spiritual goods in the worldly market, it should be things which your fellow men cannot display." Then she threw her prayer rug into the air and flew up onto it by saying: "Come up here, Hasan, where people can see us." Then she said: "Hasan, what you did fish can do, and what I did flies can do. But the real business is outside these tricks. One must apply oneself to the real business."
Rabi`a’s companions spoke about how she was always weeping and when she was asked, “Why do you weep like this?” she said, “I fear that I may be cut off from Him to Whom I am accustomed, and that at the hour of death a voice may say that I am not worthy.”
We can perhaps find both the inner depth and the height of the meaning of her need for poverty in a story relating to a period in the early days of Rabia’s walking on the Path of Allah. This was always to be a reminder to her of the need to strive and surrender all her existence to her Beloved Lord if she was to reach to the Goal of what He desired of her. She, may Allah hallow her secret, told of how when she was making the Pilgrimage, and upon reaching the standing on `Arafat she heard a voice saying to her, “O you who call upon Me, what request have you to make to Me? If it is myself that you desire, then I will show you one flash of My Glory, but in that you will be absorbed and melt away.” She said then, “O Lord of Glory, Rabia has no means of reaching to that degree, but I desire one particle of Poverty.” The voice said, “O Rabia, Poverty is the drought and famine of Our Wrath which we have placed in the way of men. When but a hair’s breadth remains between them and Union with us, everything is changed and Union becomes separation. As for you, you still have seventy veils of existence, and until you have come forth from beneath these veils you will not benefit even to speak of that Poverty.”
The key to Rabi`a’s reaching and living in the loving Presence of her Lord was her constant praying, remembrance and asking for forgiveness for all her shortcomings, and a knowing that her Union with her Beloved God could not come in the way that she desired, but only in the way that He desired for her. She was also well aware that her remembrance and repentance did not come from herself, but from Him, her Beloved God. It is said that someone once said to her, “I have committed many sins; if I turn in repentance (Tawba) toward Allah, will He turn in His Mercy toward me?” She said, “No, but if He will turn toward you, you will turn toward Him.” For Rabia, repentance was a Gift from Allah. As she said, “Seeking forgiveness with the tongue is the sin of lying. If I seek repentance of myself, I shall have need of repentance again.” Or as she also said, “Our asking for forgiveness of Allah itself needs forgiveness.”
She, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
“O God, my whole occupation And all my desire in this world, Of all worldly things, Is to remember You. And in the Hereafter It is to meet you. This is on my side, as I have stated. Now you do whatever you will.”
(Doorkeeper) He! He! He! This is what a doorkeeper is.
I am fully qualified to work as a doorkeeper, and for this reason:
What is inside me, I don't let out:
What is outside me, I don't let in.
If someone comes in, he goes right out again.
He has nothing to do with me at all.
I am a Doorkeeper of the Heart, not a lump of wet clay.
-Rabia Al-'Adawiyya
In her nightly prayers she loved to commune with her Beloved God, saying, “O God, the night has passed and the day has dawned. How I long to know if you have accepted my prayers or if you have rejected them. Therefore console me, for it is yours to console this state of mine. You have given me life and cared for me, and yours is the Glory. If you want to drive me from Your Door yet would I not forsake it for the love that I bear in my heart towards you?”
As for the rest of the story of her life in this world, it is said: About seven years before she died, she traveled to Jerusalem with a woman companion and attendant, and she bought a small house with some land surrounding it on top of the holy Mountain of Olives (at-Tur). There she lived, and from there she used to walk down, every day, to al-Aqsa Mosque where she prayed and gave Teachings to the people, both men and women, who came to listen to her. Although she was a woman, nobody could prevent her from doing this because it was Allah Who moved her in this way to be the means of manifesting Himself to the people who sought Him through her. Then after praying and teaching in the Mosque she would walk back up the mountain to her house. This she did every day until she died in the year 185 A.H. / 801 C.E.
After she died her followers built a tomb for her which still exists near the Christian Church of the Ascension on top of the Mountain of Olives. It is visited by those who remember her and thank Allah for the blessing which He granted through her life-the example of a holy soul filled with Hi.
That one set apart in the seclusion of holiness, that woman veiled with the veil of religious sincerity, that one on fire with love and longing, that one enamored of the desire to approach her Lord and be consumed in His glory, that woman who lost herself in union with the Divine, that one accepted by men as a second spotless Mary - Rabia al-Adawiyya, may God have mercy upon her. If anyone were to say, 'Why have you made mention of her in the class of men?', I should say … God does not look upon the outward forms… if it is allowable to accept two thirds of our faith form Aisha the trustworthy, it is also allowable to accept religious benefit from one of her handmaids (i.e. Rabia). When a woman walks in the way of God like a man, she cannot be called a woman'.
Rabia al-Adawiyya al Qaysiyya of Basra was at the head of the women disciples and the chief of the women ascetics, of those who observed the sacred law, who were God-fearing and zealous… and she was one of those who were pre-eminent and experience in grace and goodness.
Rabia, a freedwoman of the Al-Atik, a tribe of Qays b. Adi, from which she was known as al-Adawiyya or al-Qaysiyya, and also as al-Basri ya, from her birth-place: "Rabia is the saint par excellence of Sunnite hagiography
Yes Ma Rabia! You Showed us they way.
May Allah bless Hazrat Rabia Basri r.a?
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
.
Wali Allah,
Woman saint made her appearance at a very early period, and in the evolution of the cult of saints by Muslims, the dignity of saint ship was conferred on women as much as on men. As far as rank among the 'friends of God' was concerned, there was complete equality between the sexes.
(If someone wants to know the power of a Lady Wali Allah, then read)
I have loved Thee with two loves -
a selfish love and a love that is worthy of Thee.
As for the love which is selfish,
Therein I occupy myself with Thee,
to the exclusion of all others.
But in the love which is worthy of Thee,
Thou dost raise the veil that I may see Thee.
Yet is the praise not mine in this or that,
But the praise is to Thee in both that and this.
- Rabia al Basra
Who Was Rabia?
Born in the poorest of homes, miraculous events were reputed to have taken place even at the time of her birth. On the night of her birth there was no oil on the house no lamp light nor swaddling clothes in which to rap the newborn child. Her father already had three daughters, and so she was called Rabia (= the fourth). The mother asked her husband to go and ask for oil for the lamp from a neighbour, but he had made a vow that he would never ask anything of a creature (i.e. as a true Sufi he would depend only upon God to supply his needs), and so he came back without it. Having fallen asleep in great distress at the lack of provision for the child, he dreamt that the Prophet Muhammad appeared to him in his sleep and said, 'Do not be sorrowful, for this daughter who is born is a great saint, whose intercession will be desired by seventy thousand of my community'. The Prophet said further:
To-morrow send a letter to Isa Zadhan, Amir of Basra, reminding him that every night he is wont to pray one hundred prayers to me and on Friday night four hundred, but this Friday night he has neglected me, and as a penance (tell him) that he must give you four hundred dinars, lawfully acquired.
Rabia’s father awoke, weeping: he rose up, wrote the letter as directed and sent it to the Amir through the latter's chamberlain. The Amir, when he had read the letter said:
"Give two thousand dinars to the poor as a thank-offering, because the prophet had me in mi, and four hundred dinars to that Sheikh and say to him that I desire that he should come before me that I may see him, but it is not fitting that such a person as he is should come to me, but I will come and rub my beard on his threshold".
But in spite of this event of good augury, misfortunes fell upon the family, and when Rabia was a little older her mother and father died and she was left an orphan. A famine occurred in Basra and the sisters were scattered. One day when Rabia was walking abroad, and evil-minded man saw her and seized upon her and sold her as a slave for six dirham and the man ho bought her made her work hard. One day a stranger (one who might not look at her unveiled) approached her. Rabia fled to avoid him and slipped on the road and dislocated her writs. She bowed her faced in the dust, and said, 'O Lord, I am a stranger an without mother or father, an orphan and a slave and I have fallen into bondage and my writs is injured, (yet) I am not grieved by this, only (I desire) to satisfy Thee. I would fain know if Thou art satisfied (with me) or not'. She heard of voice saying, 'Be not sorrowful, fir on the day of Resurrection they rank shall be such that those who are nearest to God in Heaven shall envy thee'.
After this Rabia returned to her master's house and continually fasted in the daytime and carried out her appointed tasks and in the service of God she was standing on her feet till the day. One night her master awoke from sleep and looked down through a window of the house and saw Rabia, whose head was bowed in worship, and she was saying, 'O my Lord, Thou knoweth that the desire of my heart is to obey Thee, and that ht e light of my eye is in the service of Thy court. If the matter rested with me, I should not cease for one hour from Thy service, but Thou hast made me subject to a creature'. While she was still praying, he saw a lap above her had, suspended without a chain, and the whole house was illuminated by the rays from that light. This enveloping radiance or sakina (derived from the Hebrew She- kina = the cloud of glory indicating the presence of God) of the Muslim saint, corresponding to the halo of the Christian saint, it frequently mentioned in the biographies of the Sufis.
Rabia’s master, when he saw that strange sight, was afraid and rose up and returned to his own place and sat pondering until day came. When the day dawned, he called Rabia and spoke kindly to her and set her free. Rabia asked for leave to go away; so he gave her leave, and she left that place and journeyed into the desert. Afterwards she let the desert and obtained for herself a cell and for a time was engaged in devotional worship there. According to one account, Rabia at first followed the calling of a flute player, which would be consistent with a state of slavery. Then she became concerted and built a place of retreat, where she occupied herself with works of piety.
Among other stories related of this period of her life is one telling how she purposed performing the pilgrimage to Makkah and set her face towards the desert; she had an ass with her to carry her baggage', and in the heart of the desert the ass died. Some people (in the caravan) said to her, 'Let us carry thy baggage'. She said,' Go on your way, for I am not dependent upon you for (for help)', i.e. she placed her trust in God and not in His creatures.
So the people went on and Rabia remained alone, and bowing her had, she said, 'O my God, do kings deal thus with a woman, a stranger and weak? Thou art calling me to Thine own house (the Ka'ba), but in the midst of the way Thou hast suffered mine ass to die and Thou hast left me alone in the desert'.
She had hardly completed her prayer, when the ass stirred got up. Rabia put her baggage on it and went on her way. The narrator of this story said that some time afterwards he saw that same little ass being sold in the bazaar.
Was the door ever closed?
Salih Qazwani always taught his disciples, “Who knocks at the door of someone constantly, one day the door must be opened to him” Rabia one day heard it and said,
“Salih, how long ‘will you go on preaching thus, using the future tense, saying ‘will be opened’? Was the door ever closed? It was ever open.”
Why no bandage for His blessings?
One day Rabia saw a man passing on the way with his forehead tied with a bandage. She asked him why he put on the bandage. He replied that he was suffering from headache.
“What is your age?” she asked.
He replied that he was thirty.
She asked, “Till today, how have you passed your life?”
He replied, “In perfect health”.
She said, “For thirty years the Lord kept you sound, and you did not fly any colors on your body to express your gratitude for His gift, so that people could ask you the reason for your joy and knowing of God’s blessings on you would have praised Him, but when for your own fault you have suffered from a little headache you have tied a bandage and go about exhibiting His harshness to you in making you suffer from headache. What a base act is yours!”
She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself.
She prayed "O Allah! If I worship you for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship you for Your Own sake, grudge me not your everlasting Beauty.
Though she had many offers of marriage, and tradition has it one even from the Amir of Basra, she refused them as she had no time in her life for anything other than God.
More interesting than her absolute asceticism, however, is the actual concept of Divine Love that Rabia introduced to us.
Once Rabia r.a... was on her way to Makkah, and when half-way there she saw the Ka'ba coming to meet her and she said" "It is the Lord of the house whom I need, what have I to do with the house? I need to meet with Him Who said, 'whose approaches me by a span's length I will approach him by the length of a cubit.' The Ka'ba which I see has no power over me; what joy does the beauty of the Ka'ba bring to me?" At the same time the great Sufi Saint Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adam arrived at the Ka'ba, he did not see it. (As he spent fourteen years, making his way to the Ka'ba, because in every place of prayer he performed two rakaats). Hazrat Ibrahim bin Adam said: "Alas! What has happened? It maybe that some injure has overtaken my eyes." An unseen voice said to him: "No harm has befallen your eyes, but the Ka'ba has gone to meet a woman, who is approaching this place." Ibrahim Adam said: "O indeed, who is this?" He ran, and saw Rabia arriving and the Ka'ba was back in its own place, when Ibrahim saw that, he said: "O Rabia, what is this disturbance and trouble and burden which you have brought into the world?" She replied: "I have not brought disturbance into the world; it is you who have disturbed the world, because you delayed fourteen years in arriving at the Ka'ba." He said: "Yes I have spent fourteen years in crossing the desert (because I was engaged) in prayer." Rabia said: "You traversed it in ritual prayer (Salat) but with personal supplication." Then, having performed the pilgrimage, she returned to Basra and occupied herself with works of devotion.
One day a man, who was said to be a knower of Allah, met Rabia who asked him of his state, whereupon he replied, “I have trod the Path of obedience and I have not sinned since Allah created me.” She, May Allah be pleased with her, said to him, “Alas my son, your existence is a sin wherewith no other sin may be compared.”
Her attraction to a life of poverty was also part of her need not to be distracted from her inner journey by the necessity for material considerations. There is a story about this poverty of hers, as one of her companions said, “I went to visit Rabia and saw her in her house with nothing but a broken water pitcher out of which she drank and made her ablution. There was also an old reed mat and a brick which she sometimes used as a pillow. When I saw this, I felt very sad and I said to her, ‘I have rich friends. If you wish I will get something from them for you.’ She said, ‘You have committed a grievous error. Is not my Provider and theirs one and the same?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ Then she said, ‘And has the Provider of the poor forgotten the poor on account of their poverty? And does He remember the rich because of their riches?’ I replied, ‘No.’ She said, ‘Then since He knows of my state, how should I remind Him? Such is His Will and I too wish what He wills.’”
Rabia’s love, which was passionate (Shawq) and all-consuming was also full of humility, fear (Hawf) and reverence (Taqwa) for her Beloved, and when she was asked about how she had such a degree of intimacy, she said, “By constantly saying: I take refuge in You from everything which has distracted me from You and from every hindrance which has hindered me from You.”
She also said, “You must conceal your good deeds as you conceal your evil deeds.”
In the same way, she said, “What appears of any (good) works, I count as nothing at all.”
To know the true potential of a Wali Allah, one must be Wali Allah himself...
One day Hazrat Hasan Basri saw Hazrat Rabia near a lake. He threw his prayer rug on top of the water and said: "Rabia come! Let us pray two rakaats here." She replied: "Hasan, when you are showing off your spiritual goods in the worldly market, it should be things which your fellow men cannot display." Then she threw her prayer rug into the air and flew up onto it by saying: "Come up here, Hasan, where people can see us." Then she said: "Hasan, what you did fish can do, and what I did flies can do. But the real business is outside these tricks. One must apply oneself to the real business."
Rabi`a’s companions spoke about how she was always weeping and when she was asked, “Why do you weep like this?” she said, “I fear that I may be cut off from Him to Whom I am accustomed, and that at the hour of death a voice may say that I am not worthy.”
We can perhaps find both the inner depth and the height of the meaning of her need for poverty in a story relating to a period in the early days of Rabia’s walking on the Path of Allah. This was always to be a reminder to her of the need to strive and surrender all her existence to her Beloved Lord if she was to reach to the Goal of what He desired of her. She, may Allah hallow her secret, told of how when she was making the Pilgrimage, and upon reaching the standing on `Arafat she heard a voice saying to her, “O you who call upon Me, what request have you to make to Me? If it is myself that you desire, then I will show you one flash of My Glory, but in that you will be absorbed and melt away.” She said then, “O Lord of Glory, Rabia has no means of reaching to that degree, but I desire one particle of Poverty.” The voice said, “O Rabia, Poverty is the drought and famine of Our Wrath which we have placed in the way of men. When but a hair’s breadth remains between them and Union with us, everything is changed and Union becomes separation. As for you, you still have seventy veils of existence, and until you have come forth from beneath these veils you will not benefit even to speak of that Poverty.”
The key to Rabi`a’s reaching and living in the loving Presence of her Lord was her constant praying, remembrance and asking for forgiveness for all her shortcomings, and a knowing that her Union with her Beloved God could not come in the way that she desired, but only in the way that He desired for her. She was also well aware that her remembrance and repentance did not come from herself, but from Him, her Beloved God. It is said that someone once said to her, “I have committed many sins; if I turn in repentance (Tawba) toward Allah, will He turn in His Mercy toward me?” She said, “No, but if He will turn toward you, you will turn toward Him.” For Rabia, repentance was a Gift from Allah. As she said, “Seeking forgiveness with the tongue is the sin of lying. If I seek repentance of myself, I shall have need of repentance again.” Or as she also said, “Our asking for forgiveness of Allah itself needs forgiveness.”
She, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
“O God, my whole occupation And all my desire in this world, Of all worldly things, Is to remember You. And in the Hereafter It is to meet you. This is on my side, as I have stated. Now you do whatever you will.”
(Doorkeeper) He! He! He! This is what a doorkeeper is.
I am fully qualified to work as a doorkeeper, and for this reason:
What is inside me, I don't let out:
What is outside me, I don't let in.
If someone comes in, he goes right out again.
He has nothing to do with me at all.
I am a Doorkeeper of the Heart, not a lump of wet clay.
-Rabia Al-'Adawiyya
In her nightly prayers she loved to commune with her Beloved God, saying, “O God, the night has passed and the day has dawned. How I long to know if you have accepted my prayers or if you have rejected them. Therefore console me, for it is yours to console this state of mine. You have given me life and cared for me, and yours is the Glory. If you want to drive me from Your Door yet would I not forsake it for the love that I bear in my heart towards you?”
As for the rest of the story of her life in this world, it is said: About seven years before she died, she traveled to Jerusalem with a woman companion and attendant, and she bought a small house with some land surrounding it on top of the holy Mountain of Olives (at-Tur). There she lived, and from there she used to walk down, every day, to al-Aqsa Mosque where she prayed and gave Teachings to the people, both men and women, who came to listen to her. Although she was a woman, nobody could prevent her from doing this because it was Allah Who moved her in this way to be the means of manifesting Himself to the people who sought Him through her. Then after praying and teaching in the Mosque she would walk back up the mountain to her house. This she did every day until she died in the year 185 A.H. / 801 C.E.
After she died her followers built a tomb for her which still exists near the Christian Church of the Ascension on top of the Mountain of Olives. It is visited by those who remember her and thank Allah for the blessing which He granted through her life-the example of a holy soul filled with Hi.
That one set apart in the seclusion of holiness, that woman veiled with the veil of religious sincerity, that one on fire with love and longing, that one enamored of the desire to approach her Lord and be consumed in His glory, that woman who lost herself in union with the Divine, that one accepted by men as a second spotless Mary - Rabia al-Adawiyya, may God have mercy upon her. If anyone were to say, 'Why have you made mention of her in the class of men?', I should say … God does not look upon the outward forms… if it is allowable to accept two thirds of our faith form Aisha the trustworthy, it is also allowable to accept religious benefit from one of her handmaids (i.e. Rabia). When a woman walks in the way of God like a man, she cannot be called a woman'.
Rabia al-Adawiyya al Qaysiyya of Basra was at the head of the women disciples and the chief of the women ascetics, of those who observed the sacred law, who were God-fearing and zealous… and she was one of those who were pre-eminent and experience in grace and goodness.
Rabia, a freedwoman of the Al-Atik, a tribe of Qays b. Adi, from which she was known as al-Adawiyya or al-Qaysiyya, and also as al-Basri ya, from her birth-place: "Rabia is the saint par excellence of Sunnite hagiography
Yes Ma Rabia! You Showed us they way.
May Allah bless Hazrat Rabia Basri r.a?
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
.
Saturday, 11 September 2010
School of Iman and an opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries.
Shawwal And What to Pray
. Have you missed a great chance of getting rewards?Ramadan has been and gone. Have you missed a great chance of getting rewards?
Hmmmm Now What?
You still can catch up
So, don't miss this great chance... if you think you haven’t made most out of Ramadan, you still have this chance of getting great rewards InshaAllah...
Eid Al-Fitr (Ramadan Festival) marks the end of the month of Holy Ramadan. We say farewell to the blessed month, its beautiful days and its fragrant nights. We leave the month of seeking nearness to Ar Rahmaan, the school of Iman and an opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries.
In the previous nights, we prayed, offered charity and attended lectures. What will happen now? Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa and graduated from this school with the diploma of the God Fearing?
During the period of ignorance Ramadan was regarded as a blessed and sacred month. Shawwal was regarded as a cursed month and a month of ill omen. The people of that time never married during Shawwal.
Shawwal :( Tenth month of Islamic Calendar.)
Meaning: Uplift/breakage, as before Islam, Arabs believed that any marriage held in Shawwal would always turn out to be unsuccessful. Taken from the word "shala”: which means "when the female camel gets pregnant". When this name was given, the female camels used to get pregnant during this time of the year.
Beginning of the Ashur-ul-Hajj
Shawwal is the first of the three months named as “Ashhur al-Hajj” (i.e. the months of Hajj). Although the major acts of Hajj are normally performed in the first ten days of Zulhijjah, yet the whole period starting from the first of Shawwal up to the 10th of Zulhijjah is held to be the period of Hajj because some acts of Hajj can be performed any time during this period. For example, the Tawaf-ul-qudum, followed by the Sai’ of Hajj cannot be performed before Shawwal, while it can be performed any day after the beginning of Shawwal. Similarly, an ‘Umrah performed before Shawwal cannot be treated as the ‘Umrah of Tamattu: while the ‘Umrah performed in Shawwal can be affiliated to the Hajj, making it a Hajj of Tamattu: Moreover, ihram of Hajj should not be started before Shawwal, because it makruh.For these reasons these three months have been named as the ‘months of Hajj’ and the month of Shawwal has the distinction of being the first of these.
Blessings:
The first day of Shawwal is Eid-Ul-Fitr, the day of festival and when all sins are forgiven as a reward for fasting and prayers in the month of Ramadan.
Its Sunnah (Tradition of Holy Prophet) to fast for six days in Shawwal, as narrated in the following Hadith by Abu Ayyub Ansari (R.A) that the Holy Prophet has said, "If one throughout his life keeps the fasts of Ramadan and keeps six consecutive fasts in Shawwal it will be as though he has kept a whole life time of fasts, and if one fast for six consecutive days in Shawwal it will be as though he has fasted all year round."
(Muslim)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) have said
Whosoever fasted in Ramadan and then followed up with six fasting days of Shawwal, it is like fasting every day ... (Muslim)
The meaning is that the reward is like the reward of a person who is always in fast every day of his/her life.
. According to scholars, one may fast any of the six days of Shawwal. Neither do they consider it necessary for a person to fast the six days consecutively. So long as one has fasted six days either consecutively or separately, He has fulfilled the requirement or he will receive the same rewards.
One should continue to perform acts of worship after Ramadan to prevent sudden emptiness of the soul.
The rapid shift from obeying Allah Almighty in Ramadan to disobeying Him and moving away from His way after Ramadan has its reasons, the most important of which are the following:
• Absence or lack of sincerity during the acts of worship that used to be performed: This insincerity is exemplified in the person who performs prayer or pays charity so that people will see him. In doing so, he may achieve a certain rank, some material benefit from them, or the like. Such a person does not perform acts of worship with the intention of pleasing Allah Almighty, and achieving a great reward in the Hereafter.
• Absence of concentration during the performance of the acts of worship despite the presence of sincerity: This leads to the person not benefiting from performing such acts, not filling the heart with faith and not drawing his heart closer to his Lord, a thing which would have prompted him to persist in doing good and abandoning evil.
• Lack of moderation in acts of worship, being over enthusiastic and exerting much effort than that which each person can bear: This makes the soul change afterwards because it does not possess the quality of persistence. This happens although the Messenger (Pbuh) ordered us to do those deeds which are within our capabilities.
Read this:
(Salat al-’utaqa’ fi Shawwal).
As for the ritual prayer of those who are emancipated [from the Fire of Hell] in [the month of] Shawwal [Salat al-’utaqa’ fi Shawwal], we learn from a traditional report, transmitted [by a chain of reliable authorities] from Anas [ibn Malik]* (may Allah be well pleased with him), that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
"If someone performs eight cycles of ritual prayer [rak’ah] in the month of Shawwal, either during the night or during the day-reciting in each cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] [one time] and "Qul Huwa’ lahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" fifteen times-and if, when he has finished performing his ritual prayer [Salat], he glorifies Allah [sabbaha] seventy times, and invokes Allah's blessing upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) seventy times -- by Him who sent me as a Prophet bearing the Truth [bi'l-Haqqi Nabiyyan], no servant [of the Lord] will perform this ritual prayer [Salat], without Allah causing the fountains of wisdom [ya nabi’ al-hikma] to well up in his heart, and causing his tongue to speak with wisdom, and showing him both the sickness of this world and the cure for that sickness.
By Him who sent me as a Prophet bearing the Truth [bi'l-Haqqi Nabiyyan], if someone performs this ritual prayer [Salat], exactly as I have just described it, that person will not raise his head from his final prostration [sujud] until Allah has granted him forgiveness, and if he dies, he will die as a martyr [shahid] to whom forgiveness has been granted.
Nor will any servant [of the Lord] perform this ritual prayer [Salat], in the course of a journey, without Allah making it smooth and easy for him to travel and arrive at his intended destination. If he is burdened with debt, Allah will settle his debt. If he is needy, Allah will satisfy his needs.
By Him who sent me as a Prophet bearing the Truth [bi'l-Haqqi Nabiyyan], no servant [of the Lord] will perform this ritual prayer [Salat], without Allah (Exalted is He) granting him -- for every letter [harf] and every verse [ayah] [of his Quranic recitation] --a makhrafa in the Garden of Paradise."
Someone asked: "And what is this makhrafa, O Messenger of Allah?" So he went on to explain (Allah bless him and give him peace):
"[The term makhrafa is applied to] orchards in the Garden of Paradise, through which the rider may travel for a hundred years without passing beyond the shade of just one of the trees that grow there."
By Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him:
Still reading He!He!He! http://islamicchildrenstudy.blogspot.com/
Eid Al-Fitr must not just mark the 'end' of Ramadan Al-Mubarak. Rather, it should be a new beginning, where we emulate our character and Islamic values, which we have focused upon for the past 30 days. We are like a child out of the womb, pure and innocent. Eid Al-Fitr is the day of victory as we have succeeded in subduing our desires and purified ourselves. Let's not wash away our good deeds and revert to our merry old ways. Let the Masjid still overflow with worshippers; let the Glorious Qur'an be the most essential part of our lives instead of letting it gather dust on our shelves. Our condition should be better than before Ramadan Al-Mubarak.
Did You Know...? What happened in this month of Shawwal..?
Mother of the believers, Hadrat Aisha Sadiqah (R.A) was born in Shawwal, 4 years after Prophet Hood and 9 years before Hijra.
Mother of the believers, Hadrat Aisha Sadiqah (R.A.) was married to Holy Prophet in Shawwal, 10 years after Prophet Hood which is 3 years before Hijra.
The fight between Banu Qaynaqaa took place between the battle of Badr and Uhud, Shawwal 2 A.H. after Hijra.
The battle of Uhud also took place in Shawwal, three years after Hijra.
Hadrat Hussein (R.A) Holy Prophet's grandson (son of Hadrat Fatima R.A.) was born in the month of Shawwal 4 years after Hijra.
The Holy Prophet married Hadrat Ummah Salamah (R.A.) in Shawwal in the 4 year after Hijra.
Hadrat Aisha Siddiqah's (R.A) mother passed away in year 5 A.H.
The Holy Prophet’s uncle Abu Talib departed from this world in the middle of Shawwal in the year 5 A.H.
Imam Bukhari (R.A.) was born on a Friday of Shawwal in the year 194 A.H.
Abdullah bin Az-Zubair (radiyallaahu anhu) was born in the year 1 AH and he was the first child to be born to the Muslim immigrants (Muhajirin) after the Hijra (to Al-Madinah).
Again why such a big Reward?
It is commendable to keep six fasts in the month of Shawwal. The Holy Prophet May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him has said:
“Whoever completes the fasts of Ramadan then adds to them the fasts of six days in the month of Shawwal, it will carry the thawab of fasting for the whole year.” (Sahih Muslim)
This Hadith had described the great thawab of six fasts of this month. The scholars have interpreted this Hadith by saying that according to the recognized rules of Shari`ah, every good deed is rewarded ten times more thawab of its origin, therefore, the thawab of 30 days of Ramadan amounts to the thawab for 300 days. If the fasts of Ramadan are followed by six more fasts, they carry the thawab of 60 days more, raising the aggregate thawab to 360 which is the number of dais in one year according to the Islamic calendar. Therefore, the Muslims should take this opportunity of acquiring such an enormous reward from Allah. It is more preferable to start these fasts from the 2 day of Shawwal and keep fasting up to the 7 day of Shawwal. However, if they are kept in other days, it is hoped that the requirement of the above Hadith may also be fulfilled.
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.
. Have you missed a great chance of getting rewards?Ramadan has been and gone. Have you missed a great chance of getting rewards?
Hmmmm Now What?
You still can catch up
So, don't miss this great chance... if you think you haven’t made most out of Ramadan, you still have this chance of getting great rewards InshaAllah...
Eid Al-Fitr (Ramadan Festival) marks the end of the month of Holy Ramadan. We say farewell to the blessed month, its beautiful days and its fragrant nights. We leave the month of seeking nearness to Ar Rahmaan, the school of Iman and an opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries.
In the previous nights, we prayed, offered charity and attended lectures. What will happen now? Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa and graduated from this school with the diploma of the God Fearing?
During the period of ignorance Ramadan was regarded as a blessed and sacred month. Shawwal was regarded as a cursed month and a month of ill omen. The people of that time never married during Shawwal.
Shawwal :( Tenth month of Islamic Calendar.)
Meaning: Uplift/breakage, as before Islam, Arabs believed that any marriage held in Shawwal would always turn out to be unsuccessful. Taken from the word "shala”: which means "when the female camel gets pregnant". When this name was given, the female camels used to get pregnant during this time of the year.
Beginning of the Ashur-ul-Hajj
Shawwal is the first of the three months named as “Ashhur al-Hajj” (i.e. the months of Hajj). Although the major acts of Hajj are normally performed in the first ten days of Zulhijjah, yet the whole period starting from the first of Shawwal up to the 10th of Zulhijjah is held to be the period of Hajj because some acts of Hajj can be performed any time during this period. For example, the Tawaf-ul-qudum, followed by the Sai’ of Hajj cannot be performed before Shawwal, while it can be performed any day after the beginning of Shawwal. Similarly, an ‘Umrah performed before Shawwal cannot be treated as the ‘Umrah of Tamattu: while the ‘Umrah performed in Shawwal can be affiliated to the Hajj, making it a Hajj of Tamattu: Moreover, ihram of Hajj should not be started before Shawwal, because it makruh.For these reasons these three months have been named as the ‘months of Hajj’ and the month of Shawwal has the distinction of being the first of these.
Blessings:
The first day of Shawwal is Eid-Ul-Fitr, the day of festival and when all sins are forgiven as a reward for fasting and prayers in the month of Ramadan.
Its Sunnah (Tradition of Holy Prophet) to fast for six days in Shawwal, as narrated in the following Hadith by Abu Ayyub Ansari (R.A) that the Holy Prophet has said, "If one throughout his life keeps the fasts of Ramadan and keeps six consecutive fasts in Shawwal it will be as though he has kept a whole life time of fasts, and if one fast for six consecutive days in Shawwal it will be as though he has fasted all year round."
(Muslim)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) have said
Whosoever fasted in Ramadan and then followed up with six fasting days of Shawwal, it is like fasting every day ... (Muslim)
The meaning is that the reward is like the reward of a person who is always in fast every day of his/her life.
. According to scholars, one may fast any of the six days of Shawwal. Neither do they consider it necessary for a person to fast the six days consecutively. So long as one has fasted six days either consecutively or separately, He has fulfilled the requirement or he will receive the same rewards.
One should continue to perform acts of worship after Ramadan to prevent sudden emptiness of the soul.
The rapid shift from obeying Allah Almighty in Ramadan to disobeying Him and moving away from His way after Ramadan has its reasons, the most important of which are the following:
• Absence or lack of sincerity during the acts of worship that used to be performed: This insincerity is exemplified in the person who performs prayer or pays charity so that people will see him. In doing so, he may achieve a certain rank, some material benefit from them, or the like. Such a person does not perform acts of worship with the intention of pleasing Allah Almighty, and achieving a great reward in the Hereafter.
• Absence of concentration during the performance of the acts of worship despite the presence of sincerity: This leads to the person not benefiting from performing such acts, not filling the heart with faith and not drawing his heart closer to his Lord, a thing which would have prompted him to persist in doing good and abandoning evil.
• Lack of moderation in acts of worship, being over enthusiastic and exerting much effort than that which each person can bear: This makes the soul change afterwards because it does not possess the quality of persistence. This happens although the Messenger (Pbuh) ordered us to do those deeds which are within our capabilities.
Read this:
(Salat al-’utaqa’ fi Shawwal).
As for the ritual prayer of those who are emancipated [from the Fire of Hell] in [the month of] Shawwal [Salat al-’utaqa’ fi Shawwal], we learn from a traditional report, transmitted [by a chain of reliable authorities] from Anas [ibn Malik]* (may Allah be well pleased with him), that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
"If someone performs eight cycles of ritual prayer [rak’ah] in the month of Shawwal, either during the night or during the day-reciting in each cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] [one time] and "Qul Huwa’ lahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" fifteen times-and if, when he has finished performing his ritual prayer [Salat], he glorifies Allah [sabbaha] seventy times, and invokes Allah's blessing upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) seventy times -- by Him who sent me as a Prophet bearing the Truth [bi'l-Haqqi Nabiyyan], no servant [of the Lord] will perform this ritual prayer [Salat], without Allah causing the fountains of wisdom [ya nabi’ al-hikma] to well up in his heart, and causing his tongue to speak with wisdom, and showing him both the sickness of this world and the cure for that sickness.
By Him who sent me as a Prophet bearing the Truth [bi'l-Haqqi Nabiyyan], if someone performs this ritual prayer [Salat], exactly as I have just described it, that person will not raise his head from his final prostration [sujud] until Allah has granted him forgiveness, and if he dies, he will die as a martyr [shahid] to whom forgiveness has been granted.
Nor will any servant [of the Lord] perform this ritual prayer [Salat], in the course of a journey, without Allah making it smooth and easy for him to travel and arrive at his intended destination. If he is burdened with debt, Allah will settle his debt. If he is needy, Allah will satisfy his needs.
By Him who sent me as a Prophet bearing the Truth [bi'l-Haqqi Nabiyyan], no servant [of the Lord] will perform this ritual prayer [Salat], without Allah (Exalted is He) granting him -- for every letter [harf] and every verse [ayah] [of his Quranic recitation] --a makhrafa in the Garden of Paradise."
Someone asked: "And what is this makhrafa, O Messenger of Allah?" So he went on to explain (Allah bless him and give him peace):
"[The term makhrafa is applied to] orchards in the Garden of Paradise, through which the rider may travel for a hundred years without passing beyond the shade of just one of the trees that grow there."
By Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him:
Still reading He!He!He! http://islamicchildrenstudy.blogspot.com/
Eid Al-Fitr must not just mark the 'end' of Ramadan Al-Mubarak. Rather, it should be a new beginning, where we emulate our character and Islamic values, which we have focused upon for the past 30 days. We are like a child out of the womb, pure and innocent. Eid Al-Fitr is the day of victory as we have succeeded in subduing our desires and purified ourselves. Let's not wash away our good deeds and revert to our merry old ways. Let the Masjid still overflow with worshippers; let the Glorious Qur'an be the most essential part of our lives instead of letting it gather dust on our shelves. Our condition should be better than before Ramadan Al-Mubarak.
Did You Know...? What happened in this month of Shawwal..?
Mother of the believers, Hadrat Aisha Sadiqah (R.A) was born in Shawwal, 4 years after Prophet Hood and 9 years before Hijra.
Mother of the believers, Hadrat Aisha Sadiqah (R.A.) was married to Holy Prophet in Shawwal, 10 years after Prophet Hood which is 3 years before Hijra.
The fight between Banu Qaynaqaa took place between the battle of Badr and Uhud, Shawwal 2 A.H. after Hijra.
The battle of Uhud also took place in Shawwal, three years after Hijra.
Hadrat Hussein (R.A) Holy Prophet's grandson (son of Hadrat Fatima R.A.) was born in the month of Shawwal 4 years after Hijra.
The Holy Prophet married Hadrat Ummah Salamah (R.A.) in Shawwal in the 4 year after Hijra.
Hadrat Aisha Siddiqah's (R.A) mother passed away in year 5 A.H.
The Holy Prophet’s uncle Abu Talib departed from this world in the middle of Shawwal in the year 5 A.H.
Imam Bukhari (R.A.) was born on a Friday of Shawwal in the year 194 A.H.
Abdullah bin Az-Zubair (radiyallaahu anhu) was born in the year 1 AH and he was the first child to be born to the Muslim immigrants (Muhajirin) after the Hijra (to Al-Madinah).
Again why such a big Reward?
It is commendable to keep six fasts in the month of Shawwal. The Holy Prophet May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him has said:
“Whoever completes the fasts of Ramadan then adds to them the fasts of six days in the month of Shawwal, it will carry the thawab of fasting for the whole year.” (Sahih Muslim)
This Hadith had described the great thawab of six fasts of this month. The scholars have interpreted this Hadith by saying that according to the recognized rules of Shari`ah, every good deed is rewarded ten times more thawab of its origin, therefore, the thawab of 30 days of Ramadan amounts to the thawab for 300 days. If the fasts of Ramadan are followed by six more fasts, they carry the thawab of 60 days more, raising the aggregate thawab to 360 which is the number of dais in one year according to the Islamic calendar. Therefore, the Muslims should take this opportunity of acquiring such an enormous reward from Allah. It is more preferable to start these fasts from the 2 day of Shawwal and keep fasting up to the 7 day of Shawwal. However, if they are kept in other days, it is hoped that the requirement of the above Hadith may also be fulfilled.
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.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Difference Between a Believer and Muslim ---Iman and Islam
There is a great difference between a believer and Muslim or Iman and IslamKALIMAH: THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
Because its your right to know and my duty to tell the truth!
There may not be another religion like Islam with its simplicity and unity of beliefs. Whether one is a Muslim in Africa, Singapore or Saudi Arabia, a Sunni or Shiite, a scholar or poor person, the major beliefs are the same. There is little argument about their broad meanings. The Quran states that it is righteousness to believe in Allah, the last day, angels, the Book, and the messengers (Quran 2:177)
Undoubtedly, there is a great difference between a believer and Muslim or Iman and Islam, in other words. Iman is both verbal and actions. Meaning, the heart and tongue confess with Iman while the heart and other sense do actions. Islam, on the other hand, means to submit oneself to Allah and obey His commands. Allah Almighty says,
The Bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts. [Al-Hujurat: 14].
IMAN means Belief. That is to have Faith. To believe that Allah Ta’aala is one. That He has no partner, no father, mother, wife and so has no son or daughter; and that there is nothing else that is worthy of praise, or worship except Him Alone and to equally testify that Muhammad (S.A.W.) is His servant and messenger.
This Kalimah is simple and can be uttered in a few sentences which can easily be pronounced by anybody without much difficulty.
The Kalimah is:
"La ilaha Illaa Allah Muhammad Rasul" (SAW).
Meaning: There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that
Muhammad (S.A.W.) is the messenger of Allah.
Anyone who pronounced this has legally become a Muslim, and a member of that noble Din, Al-Islam. But the question is, "What difference does this Kalimah create?"
On pronouncing these words a man is expected to have radically changed.
A few moments ago he was a 'Kafir,' now he has become a Muslim. He was impure, now he is pure. He hated Allah and His Apostles and the Holy books, but now he declares his love for them.
He deserved Allah's wrath and displeasure, now he deserves to be loved by Him (SWT). He was going into Hell, now he is on his way to paradise because the gates of heaven are now opened for him. He was a drunkard, a drug trafficker, an armed robber, a liar, an oppressor, a backbiter, a fornicator and all what have you, but now he is innocent of all these vices.
He has neither fasted before nor given Zakat but he is now ready to do them in good faith. He was an adulterer and a fornicator but today he says no to all these. He has purified himself from all these impure, inhuman, animalistic, nonsensical behaviors; he is now a reformed man, like a new born baby, free of sins.
What a big difference can this few words create!
On a more concrete level in social life, this Kalimah becomes the basis for differentiating one man from another. (By way of dressing, behavior, utterances, and morality) Those who recite it constitute a nation while those who reject it form another. If a father recited it and the son refuses to do so, the father is no longer the same father or the son the same son (there is a big difference between them). This son will not inherit anything from the father. His mother and sisters may even observe purdah from him. On the other hand, if a total stranger (not same family, tribe, state or same nation) recited the Kalimah and marries into a Muslim family, he and his son become eligible for inheritance.
The power of the Kalimah is thus so strong that it takes precedence over tribalism, statism, nationalism and even blood ties.
It can join strangers together to form a family, a community and nation. Equally, it can cut members of the same family off from one other. It has separated Prophet Nuh from his son; it has Separated Prophet, Lut (A.S) from his wife. It has united Prophet
Muhammad (S.A.W.) an Arab from Makkah with Bilal, a slave and a Black African. It has separated Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.) and Abu Jahl, (both Arab). Have you seen the power of the Kalimah? How Powerful it is?
Now another question: Is mere pronunciation of this Kalimah enough to create all these differences? Why should there be such a big difference between man and man, father and son, mother and daughter, husband and wife? What is so special about this Kalimah?
Do the words have the power to work magic so as to radically change a man? Can mere saying of a few words create such enormous differences?
The answer is No. For, the effectiveness of the words lies in understanding their meaning. If they do not penetrate deep into the hearts and have an impact powerful enough to effect a change in your thoughts, in your morale and in your actions then their utterances is meaningless and ineffective just as someone who is hungry says food! Food!! Food!!! He cannot be satisfied.
This is exactly the position of the Kalimah. Mere utterances of these few words can neither transform a Kafir into a Muslim nor an impure person to be pure or damned person to be favoured one, nor can it send a person due for hell to paradise. The transformation is possible only after one has understood the meaning of these words and has it penetrated into his hearts and moulds his life according to its dictates. Once affirmed consciously, the Kalimah must reform all your thoughts and reign supreme in your WHOLE life. No idea contrary to it should form part of your mental furniture. Whatever runs counter to the
Kalimah must be considered false and only the Kalimah must be true.
You are no longer at liberty like the unbelievers.
It is only when you recite Kalimah in this manner that you are a true Muslim. Only then that overwhelming differences between man and man, father and son, mother and daughter, that we have been saying, come in.
The literal meaning as earlier explained is simple: "There is no god but Allah and Mohammed (S.A.W) is His messenger" It meant that only that Being can be our God who is the Master, Creator, Nourishes and Sustainer, who listens to our prayer and grants them and who alone is worthy of worship and obedience.
Saying the Kalimah invariably means two things: that the world and everything therein has come into being as Allah wishes and is done; thus He alone is God and no other being except Him possesses such divinity.
Secondly, with this pronouncement one has accepted that this same (God) Allah is our Lord and Master as well as of the whole Universe. Everything belongs to Him and he is the provider of everything. Everything is under His command. He alone should be feared and adored. He alone should be asked for help. And before Him alone should our heads bow. We are slaves to no one but Him and He alone is our Master. Thus, our duty is to obey Him SWT and abide by His laws.
This is the true meaning of Kalimah the Covenant, which you make with Allah SWT as you proclaim the word and while so doing you make the whole world your witness. If you violate this covenant which you made under no compulsion ( as there is no compulsion in Islam) your hand, feet and even the tiniest hair on your body as well as everything on earth and in the heavens will testify against you in the 'court' of Allah. On that day you shall be helpless without any aid, so empty words or mere verbal pledge shall not profit you.
As part of the pledge, you have to accept that Mohammad (S.A.W) is the prophet through whom Allah has sent you 'His guidance. So you cannot blindly, after accepting the Kalimah, follow your desires. You must follow a code.
To anybody who thinks that it is easy to break the laws of Allah because His police, court or Army is not visible (when he finds it difficult to even break the earthly man made laws, because of fears of various earthly punishment) the affirmation of the Kalimah of such a person is simply not truthful. You are merely trying to deceive Allah, (and can you?) the whole world, all the Muslim and even your own self.
For you to have accepted Allah as you’re Master as declared in the Kalimah, it meant that in totality your life is not your personal property which you can utilize anyhow. It belongs to
Allah! So also are your hands, eyes, legs and any other part of your body. The animal you utilize, the crops you use for your food, the wealth you derive from them and all other things therein belong to Allah. They have ONLY been given to you as a TRUST and you will be questioned into each and every one of them. That is the implication of Kalimah!
You, therefore, have no basis for any personal claim like; 'this life is mine or this wealth is mine". It is absurd to claim such ownership after having, accepted Allah as being the real owner. So, since Allah is the real owner' and you are 'merely a trustee' of things owned by Him, you must use these things strictly as He has told you.
If you do otherwise you are abusing your trusteeship this will amount to cheating Allah (but can you?). You have no right to move your hands and feet against his wish or to make your eyes see what He dislikes. You posses no right over lands and children, whom you assume belong to you only because they have been given to you by your Master – Allah SWT. Even they, therefore, must be treated not as you desire but as directed by Him.
If you contravene His directions, you make yourself and usurper. If you look at the gifts of Allah as your own properties you are dishonest and selfish.
On a more serious note, if you suffer hardship by acting according to the wish of Allah, so be it. If lives are lost, bodies are injured, families are broken or properties are destroyer in the process, why should you grieve? Of course, if you suffer any hardship as a result of going against His Wish, you will undoubtedly be guilty, because you would have damaged His properties since your life belongs to Allah. If you give away your life according to His wishes, you will only be rendering His due. "We are all from Allah and to Him we shall be returned". So says Allah in the Holy Quran.
Yet another implication of the Kalimah is that you do no favour to Allah nor to any one else, if you spend something given by Him in His cause. You may give anything, do any duty or even pay the supreme sacrifices (death), which to you are very dear, but you are not doing Him a favour. The most you have done is to have rendered His due for His favour done to you. Is this an achievement to boast about? Should people be praised just because? They have repaid a favour?
Despite all these, Allah (S.W.T) asked you for things which really belong to him and yet promises that it is a purchase He will pay you for, What an unbounded generosity!
And Allah has bought from the believers their life’s Possessions in return for paradise (Q.9:111)
Such is the kindness of Allah, an extra-ordinary kindness.
Why then do you resell your life to others? The life which was given to you by Allah and which He had bought back from you.
What a paltry price you accept for a precious thing (paradise)?
The "buyers" (Shaitan and his allies) make you wish against the wishes of Allah but you serve them as if they are your sustainers.
You sell to them your brain and bodies indeed all that this rebel of Allah wants to buy. Yet they promise you nothing but frustration, suffering, and hell fire and you follow them forgetting the good and eternal promise of Allah Paradise. What a disgrace; can anything be more immoral than this? To sell a thing already sold? It is a legal moral crime in this world.
Those guilty of such crimes are tried in courts for cheating and fraud. But then do you think you will escape trial in the court of on Allah on the Day of Judgment?
It is thus a miserable price to sell your life to this world and loose the life hereafter. So you are warned. Hold fast to Kalimah and do not afterwards deviate. It is only when Kalimah is recited and acted upon in this manner that one shall be free from sins and will become INDEED A BORN AGAIN.
The Qur’an says:
“Does man think that we shall not assemble his bones? Nay, we are able to put together in perfect order, the very tips of his fingers.”[75:3, 4]
There are people who do not care about life after death or do not believe in it at all. These people will suffer terribly for their unbelief.
Life on earth would be horrible if people do no believe in life after death. There would be no restraint or control on what we do. Belief in Akhirah would make a Muslim accountable for his actions. He knows Allah is watching, his conduct and behavior would therefore be responsible, controlled and careful. He will always try to do things which Allah will favour and give up those actions which will invite Allah’s Punishment.
. What is the most important point Islam teaches about belief?
It is this, that belief does not just mean believing something in one's heart, but also acting on the belief. Mere faith counts for nothing if not carried into practice. The purpose of belief is to show us what to do in practice. No 'belief' by itself can bring salvation.
Islam is interpreted in its absolute sense through the explicit acts of worship: saying the two testifications of faith, offering prayers, paying Zakat, fasting and performing Hajj and so forth. These acts are considered the five pillars of Islam.
Iman includes verbal deeds, actions and strong belief: the heart and tongue admit with faith while the heart and senses work for it. Verbal deeds include remembering Allah [Dhikr], reading Qur'an, supplicating Allah, enjoining what is good and urging others to do it, forbidding what is evil and warning others against it, teaching and guiding those who go astray to the right path, sending or answering back greetings and the like.
On the other hand, one's actions spring form his heart and are reflected upon his senses. Meaning, the heart loves or hates for the sake of Allah, satisfaction with Allah's destiny, patience in times of afflictions, fearing and seeking His pleasure, putting our trust in Him and asking Him for forgiveness. The actions of senses include: bowing, prostration, standing and sitting before Allah in prayers, Tawaaf [circumambulating the ka'ba] in Hajj, Jihad [fighting in the cause of Allah] and so on and so forth.
Feel free to Share the information here with everyone you know,
And earn Sawab-e-Jariya..May Allah make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen
P.S.: don’t forget to make dua for me.
Because its your right to know and my duty to tell the truth!
There may not be another religion like Islam with its simplicity and unity of beliefs. Whether one is a Muslim in Africa, Singapore or Saudi Arabia, a Sunni or Shiite, a scholar or poor person, the major beliefs are the same. There is little argument about their broad meanings. The Quran states that it is righteousness to believe in Allah, the last day, angels, the Book, and the messengers (Quran 2:177)
Undoubtedly, there is a great difference between a believer and Muslim or Iman and Islam, in other words. Iman is both verbal and actions. Meaning, the heart and tongue confess with Iman while the heart and other sense do actions. Islam, on the other hand, means to submit oneself to Allah and obey His commands. Allah Almighty says,
The Bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts. [Al-Hujurat: 14].
IMAN means Belief. That is to have Faith. To believe that Allah Ta’aala is one. That He has no partner, no father, mother, wife and so has no son or daughter; and that there is nothing else that is worthy of praise, or worship except Him Alone and to equally testify that Muhammad (S.A.W.) is His servant and messenger.
This Kalimah is simple and can be uttered in a few sentences which can easily be pronounced by anybody without much difficulty.
The Kalimah is:
"La ilaha Illaa Allah Muhammad Rasul" (SAW).
Meaning: There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that
Muhammad (S.A.W.) is the messenger of Allah.
Anyone who pronounced this has legally become a Muslim, and a member of that noble Din, Al-Islam. But the question is, "What difference does this Kalimah create?"
On pronouncing these words a man is expected to have radically changed.
A few moments ago he was a 'Kafir,' now he has become a Muslim. He was impure, now he is pure. He hated Allah and His Apostles and the Holy books, but now he declares his love for them.
He deserved Allah's wrath and displeasure, now he deserves to be loved by Him (SWT). He was going into Hell, now he is on his way to paradise because the gates of heaven are now opened for him. He was a drunkard, a drug trafficker, an armed robber, a liar, an oppressor, a backbiter, a fornicator and all what have you, but now he is innocent of all these vices.
He has neither fasted before nor given Zakat but he is now ready to do them in good faith. He was an adulterer and a fornicator but today he says no to all these. He has purified himself from all these impure, inhuman, animalistic, nonsensical behaviors; he is now a reformed man, like a new born baby, free of sins.
What a big difference can this few words create!
On a more concrete level in social life, this Kalimah becomes the basis for differentiating one man from another. (By way of dressing, behavior, utterances, and morality) Those who recite it constitute a nation while those who reject it form another. If a father recited it and the son refuses to do so, the father is no longer the same father or the son the same son (there is a big difference between them). This son will not inherit anything from the father. His mother and sisters may even observe purdah from him. On the other hand, if a total stranger (not same family, tribe, state or same nation) recited the Kalimah and marries into a Muslim family, he and his son become eligible for inheritance.
The power of the Kalimah is thus so strong that it takes precedence over tribalism, statism, nationalism and even blood ties.
It can join strangers together to form a family, a community and nation. Equally, it can cut members of the same family off from one other. It has separated Prophet Nuh from his son; it has Separated Prophet, Lut (A.S) from his wife. It has united Prophet
Muhammad (S.A.W.) an Arab from Makkah with Bilal, a slave and a Black African. It has separated Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.) and Abu Jahl, (both Arab). Have you seen the power of the Kalimah? How Powerful it is?
Now another question: Is mere pronunciation of this Kalimah enough to create all these differences? Why should there be such a big difference between man and man, father and son, mother and daughter, husband and wife? What is so special about this Kalimah?
Do the words have the power to work magic so as to radically change a man? Can mere saying of a few words create such enormous differences?
The answer is No. For, the effectiveness of the words lies in understanding their meaning. If they do not penetrate deep into the hearts and have an impact powerful enough to effect a change in your thoughts, in your morale and in your actions then their utterances is meaningless and ineffective just as someone who is hungry says food! Food!! Food!!! He cannot be satisfied.
This is exactly the position of the Kalimah. Mere utterances of these few words can neither transform a Kafir into a Muslim nor an impure person to be pure or damned person to be favoured one, nor can it send a person due for hell to paradise. The transformation is possible only after one has understood the meaning of these words and has it penetrated into his hearts and moulds his life according to its dictates. Once affirmed consciously, the Kalimah must reform all your thoughts and reign supreme in your WHOLE life. No idea contrary to it should form part of your mental furniture. Whatever runs counter to the
Kalimah must be considered false and only the Kalimah must be true.
You are no longer at liberty like the unbelievers.
It is only when you recite Kalimah in this manner that you are a true Muslim. Only then that overwhelming differences between man and man, father and son, mother and daughter, that we have been saying, come in.
The literal meaning as earlier explained is simple: "There is no god but Allah and Mohammed (S.A.W) is His messenger" It meant that only that Being can be our God who is the Master, Creator, Nourishes and Sustainer, who listens to our prayer and grants them and who alone is worthy of worship and obedience.
Saying the Kalimah invariably means two things: that the world and everything therein has come into being as Allah wishes and is done; thus He alone is God and no other being except Him possesses such divinity.
Secondly, with this pronouncement one has accepted that this same (God) Allah is our Lord and Master as well as of the whole Universe. Everything belongs to Him and he is the provider of everything. Everything is under His command. He alone should be feared and adored. He alone should be asked for help. And before Him alone should our heads bow. We are slaves to no one but Him and He alone is our Master. Thus, our duty is to obey Him SWT and abide by His laws.
This is the true meaning of Kalimah the Covenant, which you make with Allah SWT as you proclaim the word and while so doing you make the whole world your witness. If you violate this covenant which you made under no compulsion ( as there is no compulsion in Islam) your hand, feet and even the tiniest hair on your body as well as everything on earth and in the heavens will testify against you in the 'court' of Allah. On that day you shall be helpless without any aid, so empty words or mere verbal pledge shall not profit you.
As part of the pledge, you have to accept that Mohammad (S.A.W) is the prophet through whom Allah has sent you 'His guidance. So you cannot blindly, after accepting the Kalimah, follow your desires. You must follow a code.
To anybody who thinks that it is easy to break the laws of Allah because His police, court or Army is not visible (when he finds it difficult to even break the earthly man made laws, because of fears of various earthly punishment) the affirmation of the Kalimah of such a person is simply not truthful. You are merely trying to deceive Allah, (and can you?) the whole world, all the Muslim and even your own self.
For you to have accepted Allah as you’re Master as declared in the Kalimah, it meant that in totality your life is not your personal property which you can utilize anyhow. It belongs to
Allah! So also are your hands, eyes, legs and any other part of your body. The animal you utilize, the crops you use for your food, the wealth you derive from them and all other things therein belong to Allah. They have ONLY been given to you as a TRUST and you will be questioned into each and every one of them. That is the implication of Kalimah!
You, therefore, have no basis for any personal claim like; 'this life is mine or this wealth is mine". It is absurd to claim such ownership after having, accepted Allah as being the real owner. So, since Allah is the real owner' and you are 'merely a trustee' of things owned by Him, you must use these things strictly as He has told you.
If you do otherwise you are abusing your trusteeship this will amount to cheating Allah (but can you?). You have no right to move your hands and feet against his wish or to make your eyes see what He dislikes. You posses no right over lands and children, whom you assume belong to you only because they have been given to you by your Master – Allah SWT. Even they, therefore, must be treated not as you desire but as directed by Him.
If you contravene His directions, you make yourself and usurper. If you look at the gifts of Allah as your own properties you are dishonest and selfish.
On a more serious note, if you suffer hardship by acting according to the wish of Allah, so be it. If lives are lost, bodies are injured, families are broken or properties are destroyer in the process, why should you grieve? Of course, if you suffer any hardship as a result of going against His Wish, you will undoubtedly be guilty, because you would have damaged His properties since your life belongs to Allah. If you give away your life according to His wishes, you will only be rendering His due. "We are all from Allah and to Him we shall be returned". So says Allah in the Holy Quran.
Yet another implication of the Kalimah is that you do no favour to Allah nor to any one else, if you spend something given by Him in His cause. You may give anything, do any duty or even pay the supreme sacrifices (death), which to you are very dear, but you are not doing Him a favour. The most you have done is to have rendered His due for His favour done to you. Is this an achievement to boast about? Should people be praised just because? They have repaid a favour?
Despite all these, Allah (S.W.T) asked you for things which really belong to him and yet promises that it is a purchase He will pay you for, What an unbounded generosity!
And Allah has bought from the believers their life’s Possessions in return for paradise (Q.9:111)
Such is the kindness of Allah, an extra-ordinary kindness.
Why then do you resell your life to others? The life which was given to you by Allah and which He had bought back from you.
What a paltry price you accept for a precious thing (paradise)?
The "buyers" (Shaitan and his allies) make you wish against the wishes of Allah but you serve them as if they are your sustainers.
You sell to them your brain and bodies indeed all that this rebel of Allah wants to buy. Yet they promise you nothing but frustration, suffering, and hell fire and you follow them forgetting the good and eternal promise of Allah Paradise. What a disgrace; can anything be more immoral than this? To sell a thing already sold? It is a legal moral crime in this world.
Those guilty of such crimes are tried in courts for cheating and fraud. But then do you think you will escape trial in the court of on Allah on the Day of Judgment?
It is thus a miserable price to sell your life to this world and loose the life hereafter. So you are warned. Hold fast to Kalimah and do not afterwards deviate. It is only when Kalimah is recited and acted upon in this manner that one shall be free from sins and will become INDEED A BORN AGAIN.
The Qur’an says:
“Does man think that we shall not assemble his bones? Nay, we are able to put together in perfect order, the very tips of his fingers.”[75:3, 4]
There are people who do not care about life after death or do not believe in it at all. These people will suffer terribly for their unbelief.
Life on earth would be horrible if people do no believe in life after death. There would be no restraint or control on what we do. Belief in Akhirah would make a Muslim accountable for his actions. He knows Allah is watching, his conduct and behavior would therefore be responsible, controlled and careful. He will always try to do things which Allah will favour and give up those actions which will invite Allah’s Punishment.
. What is the most important point Islam teaches about belief?
It is this, that belief does not just mean believing something in one's heart, but also acting on the belief. Mere faith counts for nothing if not carried into practice. The purpose of belief is to show us what to do in practice. No 'belief' by itself can bring salvation.
Islam is interpreted in its absolute sense through the explicit acts of worship: saying the two testifications of faith, offering prayers, paying Zakat, fasting and performing Hajj and so forth. These acts are considered the five pillars of Islam.
Iman includes verbal deeds, actions and strong belief: the heart and tongue admit with faith while the heart and senses work for it. Verbal deeds include remembering Allah [Dhikr], reading Qur'an, supplicating Allah, enjoining what is good and urging others to do it, forbidding what is evil and warning others against it, teaching and guiding those who go astray to the right path, sending or answering back greetings and the like.
On the other hand, one's actions spring form his heart and are reflected upon his senses. Meaning, the heart loves or hates for the sake of Allah, satisfaction with Allah's destiny, patience in times of afflictions, fearing and seeking His pleasure, putting our trust in Him and asking Him for forgiveness. The actions of senses include: bowing, prostration, standing and sitting before Allah in prayers, Tawaaf [circumambulating the ka'ba] in Hajj, Jihad [fighting in the cause of Allah] and so on and so forth.
Feel free to Share the information here with everyone you know,
And earn Sawab-e-Jariya..May Allah make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen
P.S.: don’t forget to make dua for me.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Without love for Muhammad (saw) faith cannot be complete
This is one of my faverit topic and I can talk about it all night couse I love the prophet he makes my faith complate.
No other prophet has asked for -dua for his own family although he is already supposed to be next to Allah swt in rootbaa-in everySalat we have to pray for him
At one level it seems clear why the faithful should love the Prophet: he is their teacher, guide and leader and it is impossible for him to teach, guide and lead them if they don't love him. But there is a deeper meaning in the principle that, love for the Prophet is essential for iman.
Love of the Prophet is love of all the beauty and nobility of character, truthfulness, justness, humility and inner strength of which man is capable and which the Prophet as al-Insaan al-kamil (the Perfect man) possessed in the utmost degree. Love for the Prophet means to acknowledge, cherish and glorify all the potential of goodness and greatness that God has created within Man.
It also means love of humanity, not just in regard to its potential for perfection but also despite its general inability to realize that potential and despite all kind of imperfections and weaknesses from which it suffers. For the Prophet is not only the Perfect Man but also the Representative Man who on the day of judgment will represent mankind and plead on their behalf for their imperfections and weaknesses before the throne of God.
"Without love for the Prophet it is difficult to find God;
He who is not of the Prophet's cannot be of God.
Without love for Muhammad faith cannot be complete;
To be a Muslim it is not enough to believe in God.
Daily prayers, charity, fasting and hajj are fine;
But despite these I cannot be among the faithful.
Unless I am ready to be sacrificed for the honour of Muhammad;
God is witness - my faith cannot attain perfection."
Love of the Prophet breathes life into our practice of religion. Without it our religion reduces to an empty adherence to a set of dead rules and rituals.
("Soul of iman, essence of the Qur'an and life of religion - all these are love of Muhammad, the Mercy to All Creation.")
Send Darud and Salute Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam.
No other prophet has asked for -dua for his own family although he is already supposed to be next to Allah swt in rootbaa-in everySalat we have to pray for him
ALLAH by Himself send Salat) to His Habib Hazrat Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam) and the angels also send (ask ALLAH to bless and forgive him). And ALLAH order us believers also to send Salat and Salute to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam). In the matter of Salute it should be concern that there is no authentic Hadith stating of Milad (Saluting from your house by standing) in Islam.
Al-Quran:-
"Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honour, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet {Muhammad (saw)}, and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat* on (ask Allah to bless) him {Muhammad (saw)}, and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu Alaikum)"
[(33) Surah Al-Ahzab; V: 56]
We as Believers are commanded by Allah Subhanawataala to send salawat to Prophet Muhammad and his Aal (relatives and people) in every prayer and as many times a day as possible. He (PBUH) has reaffirmed this commandment by saying that we should send salawat to him and his Aal (family) as many times as possible.
WHERE DOES THIS COME FROM?
In one word, the commandment comes from the Quran. It is given directly and indirectly:
Direct:
Allah Subhanawataala says in the Quran:
Surah Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #56)
Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
Indirect: Allah Subhanawataala COMMANDS us in the Quran numerous times, to obey Him (Subhanawataala) and His Rasool (pbuh) starting with Surah Al Imran and many other Surahs, some are quoted below:
Surah Al-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #32)
Say: “obey Allah and His Messenger.: But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.
Surah Al -Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #50)
“‘(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me. (I.e. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him)
Surah Al-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #132)
And obey Allah and the Messenger. That you may obtain mercy.
Thus the irrevocable message of Allah for the Believers is:
Obey me and obey the Rasool (peace be upon Him)
And then the promise of Jannah with obedience to Allah and His Rasool (PBUH):
Surah an-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #13)
Those are limits set by Allah. Those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the supreme achievement.
And then the punishment fro disobedience of Allah and His Rasool (pbuh):
Surah an-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #14)
But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.
And then a reminder that he who obeys the Messenger obeys Allah!
He, who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. But if any turn away, we have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).
And then a Warning:
Surah Muhammad, Chapter #47, Verse #33):
O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the apostle, and make not vain your deeds!
In Summary:
We have to remember the reason Allah Subhanawataala created us was to worship him; He made the process pleasant by placing us in a beautiful dunya and providing us with beauty around us.
He prescribed the format for worship through a series of messengers, the last one being Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings upon him, who then instructed us how to pray by showing us physically how to pray. He taught us what to say in prayer and the Durood or the blessings to him and his family and his followers are part of the prayer both obligatory and extra.
He (pbuh) was sent as a mercy to mankind
He (pbuh) was sent as a mercy to mankind
So the equation goes as such for the Believer:
We believe in One God and we believe Muhammad PBUH to be his last Rasool (pbuh), we believe in the Quran to be the authentic word of God revealed to mankind via Prophet Muhammad pbuh.
We are commanded in the Quran (the direct words of God) to worship him, and to obey Him (God Almighty) and to obey his Rasool (Prophet Muhammad pbuh).
If one disobeys the Punishment is outlined, if one obeys Allah Subhanawataala the benefits and rewards are outlined (see the ayahs quoted above).
Thus when Prophet Muhammad shows us how to pray we obey him and pray the way he has shown us how to pray, We do not devise other ways, neither adding nor subtracting.
The only thing that stands between acceptance of and carrying out obedience to Allah and His Rasool (Pbuh) is a strong arrogant Nafs, strengthened by the whisperings of the Shaitan who has vowed to prove that the children of Adam are stupid and disobedient.
The Rasool (peace be upon him) follows and obeys Allah Subhanawataala in everything.
Thus he is given to us as a human role model who demonstrates to us that no matter what your weaknesses, or strengths, with your daily ups and downs, family and professional life, you can still obey Allah Subhanawataala and live a full and rewarding life.
If we are Believers, then the commandments of Allah Subhanawataala are the law of our lives, and we must struggle to live by them no matter what the circumstances.
! Narrated 'Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Laila: Ka`b bin Ujrah met me and said, "Shall I not give you a present I got from the Prophet (saw)?"Abdur-Rahman said, "Yes, give it to me." He said, "We asked Allah's Messenger (saw) saying’s Allah's Messenger! How should one (ask Allah to) send As-Salat upon you and the Ahl-al-Bait {the members of the family of the Prophet (saw)}, for Allah has taught us how to greet you?' He said, Say Allahumma salii 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama sallaita 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, Innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin kama barikta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim Innaka Hamidun Majid" '[meaning: - O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honour and Mercy) on Muhammad and on the family or the followers of Muhammad, as you sent Your Salat (Graces, Honour and Mercy) on Abraham and on the family or the followers of Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and on the family or the followers of Muhammad as You sent Your Blessings on Abraham and on the family or the followers of Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious].
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, 4/3375 O.P.589]
Praise is to Allah.
It is prescribed for everyone who hears the adhan and call to prayer to repeat after the muezzin, and when he has finished repeating the entire adhan, he should send prayers and blessings on the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then recite the words narrated in the Saheeh hadith from Jabber ibn ‘Abd-Allah, who reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says when he hears the call to prayer, ‘Allaahumma Rabba haadhihi’l-da’wat il-taammah wa’l-salaat il-qaa’imah, aati Mohammedan al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah, wa’dahu maqaaman mahmoodan alladhi wa’adtahu (O Allah, Lord of this perfect Call and the Prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position that You have promised), will be granted my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.” (Reported by, al-Bukhari, 579). There is no phrase in this du’aa’ like “al-darajah al-‘aaliyah al-rafee’ah (the high and elevated status),” so this should not be said. The conjunction “wa” in the phrase “al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah (the privilege and also the eminence) is by way of explanation; Wasilla is the status higher than the rest of creation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained it in the hadith narrated by ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, who said that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “When you hear the muezzin and say something like he says, then send blessings on me, whoever sends blessings on me, Allah will send blessings tenfold on him. Then ask Allah to grant me al-Wasilla, for it is a status in Paradise that only one of the slaves of Allah will reach, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for al-Wasilla for me will be granted intercession.” (Reported by, Imam Muslim, 577).
The “praised position” (maqaam mahmood) is intercession before Allah so that He will start to judge between His slaves, and no one will be granted this except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This is mentioned in the words of Allah addressed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
“Perform al-Salah from mid-day till the darkness of the night (i.e., the Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers), and recite the Qur’an in the early dawn (i.e., the Morning Prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur’an in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night).
And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salah (prayer) with it (i.e., recite the Qur’an in the prayer), as an additional prayer (tahajjud – optional prayer) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to maqaaman mahmoodah (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the highest degree in Paradise).” [Al-Isra’ 17:78-79]
It is called al-maqaam al-mahmood because all of creation will praise Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for that status, because his intercession will ease their distress on that terrible day by setting the process of judgment in motion. And Allah knows best
Please send Darud Sheriff (Darud-e-Ibrahim; mentioned in Hadith) most of the time.
The more you send Salat to Prophet (saw), more you get closer to him.
There is a special group of Angels, whose work is to collect Salat and present it to Prophet (saw) with that person's name and his/her parents name. Then Prophet Muhammad (saw) pray to Allah for that person and his/her relatives (especially parents).
When you go to Medina at the Prophet's mosque (Roza Sheriff) then give Salaam!
GLORIFYING AND BLESSING THE PROPHET
Our love for the Prophet can be expressed by glorifying and blessing him. A verse in the Holy Qur'an mentions the three aspects under the single term salat `ala an-nabi.
The Arabic phrase salat `ala has three meanings:
1) Turning to someone with love and affection.
2) Glorifying or praising someone.
3) Blessing or favoring someone.
In the above verse all three meanings can be applied so that the verse can be translated as follows:
"Undoubtedly, God and His angels love, glorify and bless the Prophet. O believers! You (too) love, glorify and bless the Prophet and salute him with all due respect." (33:56)
How do God and His angels love, glorify and bless the Prophet and how can we do the same?
The least way in which God loves the Prophet is that He makes His beloved anyone who follows him, as it is said in the Qur'an:
"Say (to mankind O Muhammad), If you love God, follow me (and) God will love you..." (3:31)
God alone knows how else he loves the Prophet.
The way God glorifies the Prophet is that He has given him the name Ahmad or Muhammad, which means the Glorious, the Admirable, that He has been giving it to mankind the good news of his coming through earlier prophets (3:81, 7:157, 61:6) and that He raises his mention among those on earth and those in heaven, as He says: "We have raised your mention" (94:4)
God blesses the Prophet by continually raising his station. The least of God's blessing on the Prophet is that He has made him the leader and representative of all mankind.
Angels love the Prophet as the completely faithful servants of a king would love those whom the king loves. They glorify the Prophet by singing his praises in heaven and they bless him by asking God to bless him more and more.
The least of the ways the believers can love the Prophet is to love him the way all people love their leaders. The best way they can love him is by being willing to sacrifice all that they have for his name's sake.
The way the believers can glorify the Prophet is to praise him through poetic and prose expressions, in writings and in speeches, on radio and on television [and now on the Internet], in the gatherings of Muslims and in the gatherings of non-Muslims.
The way the believers can bless the Prophet is by reciting one of the several forms of durud that are traditional and that pray to God to keep blessing the Prophet more and more.
"Love, glorify and bless him and salute him with all due respect."
For another, love and admiration for the Prophet and their expression cannot by themselves lead to disobedience. Indeed, as we have seen earlier, they are necessary for iman, which in turn is necessary for true obedience.
The first fear does have some basis. In fact, the Prophet himself cautioned us against following the footsteps of the adherents of other religions who exaggerated in praise of their prophets, raising them to the level of God and thus falling into shirk, the most deadly sin of all. But it would be a mistake to fight shirk by putting cold water on the fire of our love and admiration for the Prophet. For that would be like destroying shirk by destroying iman, which is clearly a very unwise strategy.
Islam isn't about what we think is right and what we don’t is wrong!!
And Allah Knows Best!
May ALLAH Hedayah all of us
Ameen
"Have fun praying and getting ready for the Day of Judgment coz that day will NOT be fun :) P.S.: don’t forget to make dua for me.
No other prophet has asked for -dua for his own family although he is already supposed to be next to Allah swt in rootbaa-in everySalat we have to pray for him
At one level it seems clear why the faithful should love the Prophet: he is their teacher, guide and leader and it is impossible for him to teach, guide and lead them if they don't love him. But there is a deeper meaning in the principle that, love for the Prophet is essential for iman.
Love of the Prophet is love of all the beauty and nobility of character, truthfulness, justness, humility and inner strength of which man is capable and which the Prophet as al-Insaan al-kamil (the Perfect man) possessed in the utmost degree. Love for the Prophet means to acknowledge, cherish and glorify all the potential of goodness and greatness that God has created within Man.
It also means love of humanity, not just in regard to its potential for perfection but also despite its general inability to realize that potential and despite all kind of imperfections and weaknesses from which it suffers. For the Prophet is not only the Perfect Man but also the Representative Man who on the day of judgment will represent mankind and plead on their behalf for their imperfections and weaknesses before the throne of God.
"Without love for the Prophet it is difficult to find God;
He who is not of the Prophet's cannot be of God.
Without love for Muhammad faith cannot be complete;
To be a Muslim it is not enough to believe in God.
Daily prayers, charity, fasting and hajj are fine;
But despite these I cannot be among the faithful.
Unless I am ready to be sacrificed for the honour of Muhammad;
God is witness - my faith cannot attain perfection."
Love of the Prophet breathes life into our practice of religion. Without it our religion reduces to an empty adherence to a set of dead rules and rituals.
("Soul of iman, essence of the Qur'an and life of religion - all these are love of Muhammad, the Mercy to All Creation.")
Send Darud and Salute Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam.
No other prophet has asked for -dua for his own family although he is already supposed to be next to Allah swt in rootbaa-in everySalat we have to pray for him
ALLAH by Himself send Salat) to His Habib Hazrat Muhammad (sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam) and the angels also send (ask ALLAH to bless and forgive him). And ALLAH order us believers also to send Salat and Salute to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alaihi Wasallam). In the matter of Salute it should be concern that there is no authentic Hadith stating of Milad (Saluting from your house by standing) in Islam.
Al-Quran:-
"Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honour, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet {Muhammad (saw)}, and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat* on (ask Allah to bless) him {Muhammad (saw)}, and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu Alaikum)"
[(33) Surah Al-Ahzab; V: 56]
We as Believers are commanded by Allah Subhanawataala to send salawat to Prophet Muhammad and his Aal (relatives and people) in every prayer and as many times a day as possible. He (PBUH) has reaffirmed this commandment by saying that we should send salawat to him and his Aal (family) as many times as possible.
WHERE DOES THIS COME FROM?
In one word, the commandment comes from the Quran. It is given directly and indirectly:
Direct:
Allah Subhanawataala says in the Quran:
Surah Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #56)
Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
Indirect: Allah Subhanawataala COMMANDS us in the Quran numerous times, to obey Him (Subhanawataala) and His Rasool (pbuh) starting with Surah Al Imran and many other Surahs, some are quoted below:
Surah Al-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #32)
Say: “obey Allah and His Messenger.: But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.
Surah Al -Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #50)
“‘(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me. (I.e. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him)
Surah Al-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #132)
And obey Allah and the Messenger. That you may obtain mercy.
Thus the irrevocable message of Allah for the Believers is:
Obey me and obey the Rasool (peace be upon Him)
And then the promise of Jannah with obedience to Allah and His Rasool (PBUH):
Surah an-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #13)
Those are limits set by Allah. Those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the supreme achievement.
And then the punishment fro disobedience of Allah and His Rasool (pbuh):
Surah an-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #14)
But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.
And then a reminder that he who obeys the Messenger obeys Allah!
He, who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. But if any turn away, we have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).
And then a Warning:
Surah Muhammad, Chapter #47, Verse #33):
O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the apostle, and make not vain your deeds!
In Summary:
We have to remember the reason Allah Subhanawataala created us was to worship him; He made the process pleasant by placing us in a beautiful dunya and providing us with beauty around us.
He prescribed the format for worship through a series of messengers, the last one being Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings upon him, who then instructed us how to pray by showing us physically how to pray. He taught us what to say in prayer and the Durood or the blessings to him and his family and his followers are part of the prayer both obligatory and extra.
He (pbuh) was sent as a mercy to mankind
He (pbuh) was sent as a mercy to mankind
So the equation goes as such for the Believer:
We believe in One God and we believe Muhammad PBUH to be his last Rasool (pbuh), we believe in the Quran to be the authentic word of God revealed to mankind via Prophet Muhammad pbuh.
We are commanded in the Quran (the direct words of God) to worship him, and to obey Him (God Almighty) and to obey his Rasool (Prophet Muhammad pbuh).
If one disobeys the Punishment is outlined, if one obeys Allah Subhanawataala the benefits and rewards are outlined (see the ayahs quoted above).
Thus when Prophet Muhammad shows us how to pray we obey him and pray the way he has shown us how to pray, We do not devise other ways, neither adding nor subtracting.
The only thing that stands between acceptance of and carrying out obedience to Allah and His Rasool (Pbuh) is a strong arrogant Nafs, strengthened by the whisperings of the Shaitan who has vowed to prove that the children of Adam are stupid and disobedient.
The Rasool (peace be upon him) follows and obeys Allah Subhanawataala in everything.
Thus he is given to us as a human role model who demonstrates to us that no matter what your weaknesses, or strengths, with your daily ups and downs, family and professional life, you can still obey Allah Subhanawataala and live a full and rewarding life.
If we are Believers, then the commandments of Allah Subhanawataala are the law of our lives, and we must struggle to live by them no matter what the circumstances.
! Narrated 'Abdur-Rahman bin Abu Laila: Ka`b bin Ujrah met me and said, "Shall I not give you a present I got from the Prophet (saw)?"Abdur-Rahman said, "Yes, give it to me." He said, "We asked Allah's Messenger (saw) saying’s Allah's Messenger! How should one (ask Allah to) send As-Salat upon you and the Ahl-al-Bait {the members of the family of the Prophet (saw)}, for Allah has taught us how to greet you?' He said, Say Allahumma salii 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama sallaita 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, Innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin kama barikta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim Innaka Hamidun Majid" '[meaning: - O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honour and Mercy) on Muhammad and on the family or the followers of Muhammad, as you sent Your Salat (Graces, Honour and Mercy) on Abraham and on the family or the followers of Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and on the family or the followers of Muhammad as You sent Your Blessings on Abraham and on the family or the followers of Abraham, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious].
[Sahih Al-Bukhari, 4/3375 O.P.589]
Praise is to Allah.
It is prescribed for everyone who hears the adhan and call to prayer to repeat after the muezzin, and when he has finished repeating the entire adhan, he should send prayers and blessings on the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then recite the words narrated in the Saheeh hadith from Jabber ibn ‘Abd-Allah, who reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says when he hears the call to prayer, ‘Allaahumma Rabba haadhihi’l-da’wat il-taammah wa’l-salaat il-qaa’imah, aati Mohammedan al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah, wa’dahu maqaaman mahmoodan alladhi wa’adtahu (O Allah, Lord of this perfect Call and the Prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position that You have promised), will be granted my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.” (Reported by, al-Bukhari, 579). There is no phrase in this du’aa’ like “al-darajah al-‘aaliyah al-rafee’ah (the high and elevated status),” so this should not be said. The conjunction “wa” in the phrase “al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah (the privilege and also the eminence) is by way of explanation; Wasilla is the status higher than the rest of creation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained it in the hadith narrated by ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, who said that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “When you hear the muezzin and say something like he says, then send blessings on me, whoever sends blessings on me, Allah will send blessings tenfold on him. Then ask Allah to grant me al-Wasilla, for it is a status in Paradise that only one of the slaves of Allah will reach, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for al-Wasilla for me will be granted intercession.” (Reported by, Imam Muslim, 577).
The “praised position” (maqaam mahmood) is intercession before Allah so that He will start to judge between His slaves, and no one will be granted this except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This is mentioned in the words of Allah addressed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
“Perform al-Salah from mid-day till the darkness of the night (i.e., the Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers), and recite the Qur’an in the early dawn (i.e., the Morning Prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur’an in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night).
And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salah (prayer) with it (i.e., recite the Qur’an in the prayer), as an additional prayer (tahajjud – optional prayer) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to maqaaman mahmoodah (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the highest degree in Paradise).” [Al-Isra’ 17:78-79]
It is called al-maqaam al-mahmood because all of creation will praise Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for that status, because his intercession will ease their distress on that terrible day by setting the process of judgment in motion. And Allah knows best
Please send Darud Sheriff (Darud-e-Ibrahim; mentioned in Hadith) most of the time.
The more you send Salat to Prophet (saw), more you get closer to him.
There is a special group of Angels, whose work is to collect Salat and present it to Prophet (saw) with that person's name and his/her parents name. Then Prophet Muhammad (saw) pray to Allah for that person and his/her relatives (especially parents).
When you go to Medina at the Prophet's mosque (Roza Sheriff) then give Salaam!
GLORIFYING AND BLESSING THE PROPHET
Our love for the Prophet can be expressed by glorifying and blessing him. A verse in the Holy Qur'an mentions the three aspects under the single term salat `ala an-nabi.
The Arabic phrase salat `ala has three meanings:
1) Turning to someone with love and affection.
2) Glorifying or praising someone.
3) Blessing or favoring someone.
In the above verse all three meanings can be applied so that the verse can be translated as follows:
"Undoubtedly, God and His angels love, glorify and bless the Prophet. O believers! You (too) love, glorify and bless the Prophet and salute him with all due respect." (33:56)
How do God and His angels love, glorify and bless the Prophet and how can we do the same?
The least way in which God loves the Prophet is that He makes His beloved anyone who follows him, as it is said in the Qur'an:
"Say (to mankind O Muhammad), If you love God, follow me (and) God will love you..." (3:31)
God alone knows how else he loves the Prophet.
The way God glorifies the Prophet is that He has given him the name Ahmad or Muhammad, which means the Glorious, the Admirable, that He has been giving it to mankind the good news of his coming through earlier prophets (3:81, 7:157, 61:6) and that He raises his mention among those on earth and those in heaven, as He says: "We have raised your mention" (94:4)
God blesses the Prophet by continually raising his station. The least of God's blessing on the Prophet is that He has made him the leader and representative of all mankind.
Angels love the Prophet as the completely faithful servants of a king would love those whom the king loves. They glorify the Prophet by singing his praises in heaven and they bless him by asking God to bless him more and more.
The least of the ways the believers can love the Prophet is to love him the way all people love their leaders. The best way they can love him is by being willing to sacrifice all that they have for his name's sake.
The way the believers can glorify the Prophet is to praise him through poetic and prose expressions, in writings and in speeches, on radio and on television [and now on the Internet], in the gatherings of Muslims and in the gatherings of non-Muslims.
The way the believers can bless the Prophet is by reciting one of the several forms of durud that are traditional and that pray to God to keep blessing the Prophet more and more.
"Love, glorify and bless him and salute him with all due respect."
For another, love and admiration for the Prophet and their expression cannot by themselves lead to disobedience. Indeed, as we have seen earlier, they are necessary for iman, which in turn is necessary for true obedience.
The first fear does have some basis. In fact, the Prophet himself cautioned us against following the footsteps of the adherents of other religions who exaggerated in praise of their prophets, raising them to the level of God and thus falling into shirk, the most deadly sin of all. But it would be a mistake to fight shirk by putting cold water on the fire of our love and admiration for the Prophet. For that would be like destroying shirk by destroying iman, which is clearly a very unwise strategy.
Islam isn't about what we think is right and what we don’t is wrong!!
And Allah Knows Best!
May ALLAH Hedayah all of us
Ameen
"Have fun praying and getting ready for the Day of Judgment coz that day will NOT be fun :) P.S.: don’t forget to make dua for me.
MUSLIMS SHOULD TEACH WHAT THEY LEARN
It may be said that Islam is the path of "knowledge." No other religion or ideology has so much emphasized the importance of 'ilm. In the Qur'an the word 'alim has occurred in 140 places, while al-'ilm in 27. In all, the total number of verses in which 'ilm or its derivatives and associated words are used is 704. The aids of knowledge such as book, pen, ink etc. amount to almost the same number. Qalam occurs in two places, al-kitab in 230 verses, among which al-kitab for al-Qur'an occurs in 81 verses. Other words associated with writing occur in 319 verses. It is important to note that pen and book are essential to the acquisition of knowledge. The Islamic revelation started with the word iqra' ('read!' or 'recite!').
One of the distinctive features of Islam is its emphasis on knowledge. The Quran and the Islamic tradition (sunnah) invite Muslims to seek and acquire knowledge and wisdom and to hold men of knowledge in high esteem.
In the Holy Quran the word al-Ilm, knowledge, and its derivatives are used more than 780 times. The first few verses that were revealed to our Holy Prophet (SAW) mention the importance of reading, pen, and teaching for human beings:
IqraRead: in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from something which clings. Read and your Lord is the most generous. Who taught with pen. Taught man what he knew not..." (96:1-5
According to the Qur'an, the first teaching class for Adam A.S. started soon after his creation and Adam was taught 'all the Names'.
Allah is the first teacher and the absolute guide of humanity. This knowledge was not imparted to even the Angels.
Beside various Qur'anic verses emphasizing the importance of knowledge, there are hundreds of Prophetic traditions that encourage Muslims to acquire all types of knowledge from any corner of the world.
Prophet Muhammad (saws) said: "Seeking Knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim."
Though this Hadith is known and memorised by most Muslims, the essence, the amount, and the kind of knowledge referred to in this Hadith remains misunderstood by many.
If it is true that the knowledge incumbent upon every Muslim pertains to religious knowledge, or al-'Ilm al-Shar'i, how deeply does one have to pursue his quest of this knowledge to fulfil his duties and discharge the learning obligations placed upon him? In other words, what are the minimum teachings that every Muslim - male or female - is required to know about his Deen(religion)?
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM
Muslim scholars classify knowledge into two categories:
Obligatory Knowledge (fardh 'ayn)
This refers to knowledge of the fundamentals of Islamic beliefs which every Muslim must know Seeking this knowledge is an obligatory duty upon every Muslim. All obligatory knowledge deal exclusively with al-'Ilm al-Shari'i, that is, knowledge pertaining to Islamic faith, acts of worship, and the necessary transaction in the daily dealing of a Muslim.
Optional Knowledge (fardh kifayah)
This is not a duty required of every individual, but rather it falls upon the community as a whole. Hence, if a group of individuals in the community undertake to acquire this kind of knowledge, all other individuals will be exempted from this duty, and the whole community will be free from responsibility or negligence to acquire this kind of knowledge. Examples of such knowledge include studying Islamic law and other basic sciences, industries and professions which are vital for the welfare of the society.
Unlike obligatory knowledge, optional knowledge covers part of Islamic knowledge and all worldly knowledge. The former is called al-'Ilm al-Shar'i al Kifa'i (optional Islamic knowledge), while the latter is called al-Ilm al-dunyawi (worldly knowledge).
Religious sciences: These cover all branches of Islamic Shariah, such as: tafsir (Qur'anic exegeses), fiqh, hadith sciences (known as mustalah al-hadith or 'Ilm usul al-hadith), seerah (the Prophet's biography), Islamic political science, (As-siyasah al-shar'iyah), Islamic history, etc.
Each of these sciences may require knowledge of other sciences to fully and comprehensively cover the substance of the matter studied. For example: tafsir needs Arabic grammar, Arabic literature, and other linguistic skills; Hadith sciences need the science of criticism (which looks at the narrators' credibility, trustworthiness, power of memorisation, etc.), called 'Ilm al-jarh wat-ta'deel.
The natural and applied sciences: These are all the basic sciences, industries and professions which are of vital necessity for the welfare of the community. Examples of such fields include: engineering; agriculture, fisheries, food sciences, etc.
Leaders of every Muslim community should always do their best to procure the necessary number of scholars, professionals and qualified men and women in all fields of optional knowledge needed by the community. For example, Muslims in America must train sufficient number of Shariah scholars to answer questions raised by members of the community. They must also prepare enough educators – administrators, teachers and counsellors to fill the growing needs of Islamic schools in this country. Both male and female Muslim doctors are needed in every city to care for male and female Muslim patients, respectively.
From the above discussion, we can fully understand the responsibility that lies upon the shoulders of Muslims in this continent. Any community which does not take the necessary steps to satisfy its own needs in all fields of optional knowledge becomes subject to the punishment of Allah. Consequently, all its members will share the blame and the sins for their shortcomings.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ISLAMIC SCIENCES
First, the understanding fundamentals of Iman: This is also called 'Ilm Usul ud-Deen (Fundamentals of Deen), or 'Ilm al-Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah), or simply 'Aqeedah (Islamic faith). Every Muslim must have a general knowledge of all matters pertaining to his faith. He should have a clear understanding of the Lord he worships, the Prophet he follows and the Deen to which he committed himself. Needless to say, one should exert the best of one's effort to acquire these fundamentals. Second, understanding Islamic rules and conduct (fiqh al-ahkam): This is also called fiqh al-'Ibadat (understanding of acts of worship). This field covers all aspects of the Islamic acts of worship that are necessary for the correct practice of one's Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj. It also covers all aspects of family issues, such as marriage, divorce, children's education, as well as rules and regulations for one's business transactions such as, buying, selling, borrowing and lending, etc.
A Muslim is obligated to learn from fiqh al-ahkam only matters that are related to Ibadah (worship) he needs to perform; and rules of a particular transaction he wants to undertake. For example, if a Muslim has not reached the age for prayer or fasting, he does not have to learn about them though the may be encouraged to do so. Also, if one does not have the necessary means to perform Hajj, one does not need to learn its rituals until one becomes able to undertake the Hajj journey.
By learning those two branches, a Muslim will know His Lord by all His beautiful names and Most High attributes. He will renounce all imperfections that ignorant and deviant people attributed to Allah. He will know the status, function and rights of the Prophets and, thus, will not elevate them to a divine status, nor will he degrade them to a status that does not befit their prophethood as many heretics had done. He will follow a similar course when dealing with other required beliefs, such as the belief in the Angels, the Books, the Predetermined Decree, the Last Day, the punishment in the grave, etc. On the other hand, before performing any act of worship, a Muslim should know the requirements, the conditions and the desirable actions pertaining to that act. Hence, He will never practice any act of worship or undertake any transaction not sanctioned by the Qur'an or Sunnah.
Just by contemplating the Islamic knowledge of Muslims today, the reader will realise how much those two disciplines, which are required of every Muslim, have been neglected, if not totally ignored. Unfortunately, there are many Muslim professors, doctors, and engineers, who hold the most advanced academic or professional positions in their respective institutions, yet do not possess the minimum knowledge of the Islamic sciences. Ironically, while it takes only a few weeks or even a few days to acquire the obligatory Islamic knowledge, it may take at least two years to obtain a basic degree in any worldly field. Though these brothers and sisters are to be thanked and encouraged for their worldly endeavour, they are undoubtedly sinful due to their shortcomings in learning the required Islamic knowledge.
Every Muslim should know that once he has corrected his beliefs, and Ibadah, through knowledge, and cleansed his devotions from any type of Shirk (i.e. Showing off, pleasing others besides/other than Allah, etc.), he can aspire and hope for his reward from Allah (Most Exalted is He). Indeed, it is through knowledge and sincerity that one can enter paradise. This is how we can understand the Hadith of our beloved Prophet : "Whoever adopts the path of seeking knowledge, Allah eases for him the way to Paradise." (Related by Ahamad, Tirmithi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, i)
MUSLIMS SHOULD TEACH WHAT THEY LEARN
A Muslim who has learned the requirements of his individual duties is responsible for disseminating the knowledge he has acquired to his family members first; then to his friends, co-workers, neighbours, etc. Allah (Most Exalted is He) says:
"O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones…"
(Qur'an, Al-Tahrim 66:6)
The only way to save one's family members from Hell is to teach them the Islamic obligations and instruct them to observe them consistently.
The Messenger of Allah also emphasised this responsibility. He said: "Every one of you is a steward and is accountable for that which is committed to his charge. The ruler is a steward and is accountable for his charge, a man is a steward and is accountable for his charge, a man is a steward in respect of his household, a woman is a steward in respect of her husband's house and his children. Thus, everyone of your is accountable for that which is committed to his charge." (Related by Bukhari and Muslim)
The following Hadith is a strong reminder for anyone of us whom Allah has blessed with some Islamic knowledge: "Whoever is asked about a knowledge that he knows about and then hides it and keeps it away, he will be bridled on the day of judgement with a bridle of fire." (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi)
Traditions attributed to the Holy Prophet (SAW) in this regard, some of which are quoted below:
* It is an obligation for every Muslim to seek knowledge.
* Seek knowledge even if it be in China.
* Seek knowledge from cradle to grove.
* Scholars are the heirs of the prophets.
* The ink of the learned will be weighed with the blood of the martyrs on the Resurrection Day; and then, the ink of the learned would be preferred to the blood of the martyrs.
* Anyone who pursues a course in search of knowledge, God will ease his way to paradise.
* The most learned of men is the one who gathers knowledge from others on his own; the most worthy of men is the most knowing and the meanest is the most ignorant.
* Acquire knowledge, it enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven.
CHOICES TO STUDY FURTHER
Whether one who has acquired the requisite knowledge and committed himself to spreading it, will further his study or be content with that level is left to his decision. One should realise, however, that not all people possess the aptitude and diligence to enter the depths of Islamic knowledge, for this is a favour that Allah gives to whomever He pleases.
Nevertheless, one should keep in mind the virtues and merits of disseminating the knowledge of Islam. The Prophet saw said: "Allah and His angels and the creatures of Heavens and earth, even the ant in its dwelling and the fish in the sea, do send Salat to the one who teaches people (good) beneficial knowledge." (Related by Al-Tirmidhi)
The Salat of Allah is His mercy that he bestows on His slaves; the Salat of the angels and other creatures is to ask Allah to forgive these servants.
And Allah Knows Best!
"Have fun praying and getting ready for the Day of Judgment coz that day will NOT be fun :) P.S.: don’t forget to make dua for me.
One of the distinctive features of Islam is its emphasis on knowledge. The Quran and the Islamic tradition (sunnah) invite Muslims to seek and acquire knowledge and wisdom and to hold men of knowledge in high esteem.
In the Holy Quran the word al-Ilm, knowledge, and its derivatives are used more than 780 times. The first few verses that were revealed to our Holy Prophet (SAW) mention the importance of reading, pen, and teaching for human beings:
IqraRead: in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from something which clings. Read and your Lord is the most generous. Who taught with pen. Taught man what he knew not..." (96:1-5
According to the Qur'an, the first teaching class for Adam A.S. started soon after his creation and Adam was taught 'all the Names'.
Allah is the first teacher and the absolute guide of humanity. This knowledge was not imparted to even the Angels.
Beside various Qur'anic verses emphasizing the importance of knowledge, there are hundreds of Prophetic traditions that encourage Muslims to acquire all types of knowledge from any corner of the world.
Prophet Muhammad (saws) said: "Seeking Knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim."
Though this Hadith is known and memorised by most Muslims, the essence, the amount, and the kind of knowledge referred to in this Hadith remains misunderstood by many.
If it is true that the knowledge incumbent upon every Muslim pertains to religious knowledge, or al-'Ilm al-Shar'i, how deeply does one have to pursue his quest of this knowledge to fulfil his duties and discharge the learning obligations placed upon him? In other words, what are the minimum teachings that every Muslim - male or female - is required to know about his Deen(religion)?
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM
Muslim scholars classify knowledge into two categories:
Obligatory Knowledge (fardh 'ayn)
This refers to knowledge of the fundamentals of Islamic beliefs which every Muslim must know Seeking this knowledge is an obligatory duty upon every Muslim. All obligatory knowledge deal exclusively with al-'Ilm al-Shari'i, that is, knowledge pertaining to Islamic faith, acts of worship, and the necessary transaction in the daily dealing of a Muslim.
Optional Knowledge (fardh kifayah)
This is not a duty required of every individual, but rather it falls upon the community as a whole. Hence, if a group of individuals in the community undertake to acquire this kind of knowledge, all other individuals will be exempted from this duty, and the whole community will be free from responsibility or negligence to acquire this kind of knowledge. Examples of such knowledge include studying Islamic law and other basic sciences, industries and professions which are vital for the welfare of the society.
Unlike obligatory knowledge, optional knowledge covers part of Islamic knowledge and all worldly knowledge. The former is called al-'Ilm al-Shar'i al Kifa'i (optional Islamic knowledge), while the latter is called al-Ilm al-dunyawi (worldly knowledge).
Religious sciences: These cover all branches of Islamic Shariah, such as: tafsir (Qur'anic exegeses), fiqh, hadith sciences (known as mustalah al-hadith or 'Ilm usul al-hadith), seerah (the Prophet's biography), Islamic political science, (As-siyasah al-shar'iyah), Islamic history, etc.
Each of these sciences may require knowledge of other sciences to fully and comprehensively cover the substance of the matter studied. For example: tafsir needs Arabic grammar, Arabic literature, and other linguistic skills; Hadith sciences need the science of criticism (which looks at the narrators' credibility, trustworthiness, power of memorisation, etc.), called 'Ilm al-jarh wat-ta'deel.
The natural and applied sciences: These are all the basic sciences, industries and professions which are of vital necessity for the welfare of the community. Examples of such fields include: engineering; agriculture, fisheries, food sciences, etc.
Leaders of every Muslim community should always do their best to procure the necessary number of scholars, professionals and qualified men and women in all fields of optional knowledge needed by the community. For example, Muslims in America must train sufficient number of Shariah scholars to answer questions raised by members of the community. They must also prepare enough educators – administrators, teachers and counsellors to fill the growing needs of Islamic schools in this country. Both male and female Muslim doctors are needed in every city to care for male and female Muslim patients, respectively.
From the above discussion, we can fully understand the responsibility that lies upon the shoulders of Muslims in this continent. Any community which does not take the necessary steps to satisfy its own needs in all fields of optional knowledge becomes subject to the punishment of Allah. Consequently, all its members will share the blame and the sins for their shortcomings.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ISLAMIC SCIENCES
First, the understanding fundamentals of Iman: This is also called 'Ilm Usul ud-Deen (Fundamentals of Deen), or 'Ilm al-Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah), or simply 'Aqeedah (Islamic faith). Every Muslim must have a general knowledge of all matters pertaining to his faith. He should have a clear understanding of the Lord he worships, the Prophet he follows and the Deen to which he committed himself. Needless to say, one should exert the best of one's effort to acquire these fundamentals. Second, understanding Islamic rules and conduct (fiqh al-ahkam): This is also called fiqh al-'Ibadat (understanding of acts of worship). This field covers all aspects of the Islamic acts of worship that are necessary for the correct practice of one's Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj. It also covers all aspects of family issues, such as marriage, divorce, children's education, as well as rules and regulations for one's business transactions such as, buying, selling, borrowing and lending, etc.
A Muslim is obligated to learn from fiqh al-ahkam only matters that are related to Ibadah (worship) he needs to perform; and rules of a particular transaction he wants to undertake. For example, if a Muslim has not reached the age for prayer or fasting, he does not have to learn about them though the may be encouraged to do so. Also, if one does not have the necessary means to perform Hajj, one does not need to learn its rituals until one becomes able to undertake the Hajj journey.
By learning those two branches, a Muslim will know His Lord by all His beautiful names and Most High attributes. He will renounce all imperfections that ignorant and deviant people attributed to Allah. He will know the status, function and rights of the Prophets and, thus, will not elevate them to a divine status, nor will he degrade them to a status that does not befit their prophethood as many heretics had done. He will follow a similar course when dealing with other required beliefs, such as the belief in the Angels, the Books, the Predetermined Decree, the Last Day, the punishment in the grave, etc. On the other hand, before performing any act of worship, a Muslim should know the requirements, the conditions and the desirable actions pertaining to that act. Hence, He will never practice any act of worship or undertake any transaction not sanctioned by the Qur'an or Sunnah.
Just by contemplating the Islamic knowledge of Muslims today, the reader will realise how much those two disciplines, which are required of every Muslim, have been neglected, if not totally ignored. Unfortunately, there are many Muslim professors, doctors, and engineers, who hold the most advanced academic or professional positions in their respective institutions, yet do not possess the minimum knowledge of the Islamic sciences. Ironically, while it takes only a few weeks or even a few days to acquire the obligatory Islamic knowledge, it may take at least two years to obtain a basic degree in any worldly field. Though these brothers and sisters are to be thanked and encouraged for their worldly endeavour, they are undoubtedly sinful due to their shortcomings in learning the required Islamic knowledge.
Every Muslim should know that once he has corrected his beliefs, and Ibadah, through knowledge, and cleansed his devotions from any type of Shirk (i.e. Showing off, pleasing others besides/other than Allah, etc.), he can aspire and hope for his reward from Allah (Most Exalted is He). Indeed, it is through knowledge and sincerity that one can enter paradise. This is how we can understand the Hadith of our beloved Prophet : "Whoever adopts the path of seeking knowledge, Allah eases for him the way to Paradise." (Related by Ahamad, Tirmithi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, i)
MUSLIMS SHOULD TEACH WHAT THEY LEARN
A Muslim who has learned the requirements of his individual duties is responsible for disseminating the knowledge he has acquired to his family members first; then to his friends, co-workers, neighbours, etc. Allah (Most Exalted is He) says:
"O you who believe! Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones…"
(Qur'an, Al-Tahrim 66:6)
The only way to save one's family members from Hell is to teach them the Islamic obligations and instruct them to observe them consistently.
The Messenger of Allah also emphasised this responsibility. He said: "Every one of you is a steward and is accountable for that which is committed to his charge. The ruler is a steward and is accountable for his charge, a man is a steward and is accountable for his charge, a man is a steward in respect of his household, a woman is a steward in respect of her husband's house and his children. Thus, everyone of your is accountable for that which is committed to his charge." (Related by Bukhari and Muslim)
The following Hadith is a strong reminder for anyone of us whom Allah has blessed with some Islamic knowledge: "Whoever is asked about a knowledge that he knows about and then hides it and keeps it away, he will be bridled on the day of judgement with a bridle of fire." (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi)
Traditions attributed to the Holy Prophet (SAW) in this regard, some of which are quoted below:
* It is an obligation for every Muslim to seek knowledge.
* Seek knowledge even if it be in China.
* Seek knowledge from cradle to grove.
* Scholars are the heirs of the prophets.
* The ink of the learned will be weighed with the blood of the martyrs on the Resurrection Day; and then, the ink of the learned would be preferred to the blood of the martyrs.
* Anyone who pursues a course in search of knowledge, God will ease his way to paradise.
* The most learned of men is the one who gathers knowledge from others on his own; the most worthy of men is the most knowing and the meanest is the most ignorant.
* Acquire knowledge, it enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven.
CHOICES TO STUDY FURTHER
Whether one who has acquired the requisite knowledge and committed himself to spreading it, will further his study or be content with that level is left to his decision. One should realise, however, that not all people possess the aptitude and diligence to enter the depths of Islamic knowledge, for this is a favour that Allah gives to whomever He pleases.
Nevertheless, one should keep in mind the virtues and merits of disseminating the knowledge of Islam. The Prophet saw said: "Allah and His angels and the creatures of Heavens and earth, even the ant in its dwelling and the fish in the sea, do send Salat to the one who teaches people (good) beneficial knowledge." (Related by Al-Tirmidhi)
The Salat of Allah is His mercy that he bestows on His slaves; the Salat of the angels and other creatures is to ask Allah to forgive these servants.
And Allah Knows Best!
"Have fun praying and getting ready for the Day of Judgment coz that day will NOT be fun :) P.S.: don’t forget to make dua for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)