Protection from daily Adhkaar

Where is your coat?

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “The morning and evening adhkar play the role of a shield, the thicker it is the more its owner will not be affected. Rather, its strength can reach to such an extent that the arrow shot at it will bounce back to affect the one who shot it.”

Shaykh Uthaymeen said, “The morning and evening adhkar are a stronger fortress than the wall of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, for the one who says it while his heart is present.

Ibn Salah said, “Whoever maintains the morning and evening adhkar, the adhkar after the prayers, and the adhkar before sleeping will be written among those “who remember Allah much.”

Ibn Katheer said, “Wear the ‘coat’ of adhkar so it can protect you from the evils of humans and jinn. And cover your souls with istighfar so it can erase the sins of the night and day.”

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Language

I’m the kind of person who can get high off of on poetry, intoxicated from a line of Shakespeare, and fall head over heels for a love letter from my husband that I hardly get.
 In short, I loooooooove language.

I love language. I’ve always loved words and the art of moulding them into masterpieces because I see beauty in the expressiveness – language can make you feel the pain of someone else, remember what you promised to forever forget, and learn what you never knew.
Still, something has changed for me recently over the years. I have experienced an epiphany concerning the reasoning behind my love for language, and I am oh-so-glad I did.

It all started with a poster. That night, SPEAKout Poetry’s poster caught my eye. “All Our Words Are But Crumbs That Fall Down From the Feast of The Mind” followed by an accreditation of these beautiful words to the Lebanese-American author Khalil Gibran.

I have always loved quotes, but that night I realized something. How can I devour crumbs without feeling an even greater hunger for the delicious feast above? I started to think I was missing something, and sure enough I felt my stomach hungry for more.

This question I asked myself, two weeks ago, led me to a journey that I am continuing even as I write these words. I began to question how we read. I was curious to understand the process by which our brains interpret words. When I and anyone else reads a string of characters, our brains intake the same content – letters that we comprehend as words and associate a meaning with. Then why do we react differently? A novel that brings me to tears might put another reader to sleep – and this is where I stepped back and understood that to do justice to my passion for language, I must acknowledge the work of the brain.

In delving further into the topic, I came across fascinating findings. While there are parts of the brain that have long been identified as centres for the interpretation of words, more recent findings conclude that descriptive words, often found in fictional novels, trigger responses in multiple parts of the brain. Close to home, at the University of Toronto, Keith Oatley, an emeritus professor of cognitive psychology, has identified that the human brain does not differentiate much between reading of an experience and experiencing it in reality. Metaphors and statements like the singer had a velvet voice and John grasped the object stimulate activity in the sensory and motor cortices of the brain respectively. I could write pages upon pages of how spectacular I think this is and how interesting I found this research, but I now understand that not everyone’s brain will be as excited as mine, since we all perceive things differently. So I will share what came to mind at the end of it all – the verse repeated so many times in the Holy Quran:

Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you deny? Holy Quran (55:13)

So this brings me to my actual reflection: language, love, and God.

Language. Imagine how difficult it would be to express ourselves without metaphors, similes, and exaggerations! How boring would this world be if every word had only one definition and invoked the same image in us all? Language is a blessing of its own, the brain a network of many blessing – and the blessings of our Lord cannot be counted. Something I have done, and found very rewarding, is to read through the Quran in search of literary devices. Metaphors, imagery, and personification: you name it, the Quran has it. This process continues to kindle my appreciation for both the beauty of the Holy Quran and the blessing of language and literature.

Love. It’s something we like to save for days with white dresses, red lehngaas, and lots of good food.  Something we relate to human relationships.  In truth, love is more than that.  Just as love is the seed that sows an appreciation of compromise in marital relationships, it is the seed that sows strong and passionate roots of anything successful – so don’t be afraid to love.  Love language.  Love science.  Love culture.  Love sports.  Why?  I’d say because love is what pushes us forwards.  To like something is to accept it post-creation or to enjoy it as is, while to love something forces you to continuously create a better. I encourage all of us to love what we find beautiful with all our hearts, as I believe this is what drove me through my journey. Surely, I am not advocating an endless love for a material aspect of this world.

Most importantly, God. Sometimes, it’s difficult for me to understand what for the sake of Allah actually means – how do you turn worldly and material actions into something spiritual? Through my journey, I have learned that my love for language is short-lived and lacking if I do not recognize that it is in fact an embodiment of my love for God and my appreciation and acknowledgement of his blessings. Maybe this is what for the sake of Allah means. To remember God in everything and always do justice to our awe by backtracking to the One who created all awe.

Verily in the remembrance of God, do hearts find tranquility.
– Holy Quran (13:28)

تعظيم العلم – Revering Knowledge

As explained by Sh. Salih al-Usaymi’s حفظه الله

​The adornment of the elders of knowledge

An adornment is something one uses to beautify themselves with. (In this context) it is of two types:

1. Inner, which is the heart.
2. Outer, which is apparent on the limbs.

Knowledge is an inner adornment that manifests itself and is witnessed on the limbs.
Beneficial knowledge should have a direct impact on your actions/behavior.

Purify your heart against the impurities / نجاسة of (a) doubts and (b) desires.

The origins for the heart’s impurities نجاسة are 3 :
Shirk, Innovation & Disobedience.

How to be sincere when seeking knowledge?
Make intentions to:

1. uplift ignorance from yourself
2. and others
3. preserve the Deen and its sciences
4. practice what you have learned.

It is also possible for an elder person to learn knowledge so long as they (seek assistance in Allah and) lessen their connection to unnecessary things that would preoccupy them.

In order to truly know your Creator, you must learn معرفة about:

1. His Existence وجوده
2. His Lordship ربوبيته
3. His Oneness ألوهيته and direct all acts of worship to Him alone عبوديته
4. His Names & Attributes أسمائه وصفاته

Fundamental Principles
The true meaning of Islam is to fully submit your inner and outer actions to Allah, with the intent of worshiping Him through the Legislation He revealed to Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.
This should be carried out in either the state of worshiping Allah as if you see Him, or at the very least, aware that He sees you.

The Deen comprises of 3 levels:

1. Islam
2. Iman
3. Ihsan

When these words are mentioned together in the same sentence or thought, they take the meaning of:
Islam (outward actions)
Iman (inward beliefs)
Ihsan (perfection of the previous two)
If one of these words are mentioned by itself, then it encompasses all 3 meanings.

Iman is 60-some-odd branches. This is the version is Bukhari and is given precedence over the other versions.

These branches are categorized into 3 types:

1. Statements قولي (ex: the statement لا إله إلا الله)
2. Actions on the limbs عملي (removing harm from the road)
3. Actions related to the heart قلبي (shyness)

All of which are gathered in the hadith:
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Faith has sixty to seventy branches, the best of which is to declare there is no God but Allah.

الإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ

Tafsir Library

A valuable advice one of the Tafsir professors shared جزاه الله خيرا.

As a Tafsir specialist, it is important to have an extensive Tafsir library, and be adept in knowing how to navigate through it by learning the style and merit of each work and author.

If you wanted to know the statements of the Salaf, you wouldn’t return to Tafsir Sa’di but instead Tafsir at-Tabary, ibn Atiyyah’s al-Muharrar, Tafsir ibn Abi Hatim, Suyuti’s ad-Durr, etc.

If you wanted to read discussions related to Fiqh rulings derived from the verses you wouldn’t goto Tafsir ibn Juzay but instead ibn al-Araby’s Ahkaam al-Quran, or al-Qurtuby’s al-Jāmi’, etc.

If you wanted to know details related to Arabic grammar, or anything related to Arabic, you would return to Abu Hayyan’s al-Bahr, or as-Sameen’s ad-Durr, etc.

For Balāgha: Tafsir Zamakhshari with at-Teeby’s commentary, ibn Ashur’s at-Tahrir, etc.

Summary of the verses’ meaning: Tafsir Tabary, Tafsir Sadi, al-Mukhtasar, etc.

And the list goes on…

The point is that every Tafsir is distinguished with its own virtue, so it is important for the budding Muffasir to know how to utilize these tools at his disposal.

🤲 O Allah, I only post this to motivate my brothers and sisters in their studies, so fill their hearts with desire to study!
O Allah, grant us all barakah in all of our affairs.
O Allah, allow us all to learn beneficial knowledge in order to implement and convey the meaning of His Words as it was intended, aameen.

The Time – Al Asr

by alkalaamblog

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

I still have a calendar on my refrigerator. The ancient paper kind, with horizontal and vertical delineating days and weeks. I dedicatedly fill in the details of my life’s schedule to keep things on track. When a month passes I separate that page and move it to the back, in case I need it for future reference. Then, at the beginning of each new year I print a new one, and the process repeats itself. I hang on to the previous year for a while, eventually parting with it.

I’ve had limited success with a digital calendar, so the faithful paper organizer remains the tool I use to keep track of time.

There was a phase of my life when I didn’t need a calendar. I could remember exactly what time a future event was scheduled.

When I was a little girl my family went every Sunday to the Cubbon park. That evening, after we got home from the park my brother and I played hide and seek in the house while my mother was cooking and my dad busy as usual. I locked my brother in the cupboard and had completely forgotten about it. For almost 2 hours my parents were looking around for him and later found him sleeping in the cupboad. For years I remembered the exact date and time that happened.

But as the days in my memory grew in number, my ability to pinpoint time with precision waned, and a more general method of identifying time took over. I remembered things by years. I got married when I was ” X “years. We moved to Canada when I was “Y”.
I had my third child when I was “Z”. The numbers were clear and well-defined.

As I grew older, there were fewer and fewer events that were marked so clearly in my memory. Instead, a system of measuring time by milestones took over. I would recall whether something happened before a major life event or after. That was after my granny passed away. That happened while we went on our first trip to Madras with our Uncle. That was after my brother passed away.

The bad things seemed easier to mark time by than the good things for some reason. The simple things that make my life so rich are often eclipsed by the challenges, so often those things became the markers of time. And I don’t like that.

At this moment, 2020, marked by the year of COVID, I find myself in a transitional place. My oldest daughter has finally gotten into her freshmen year of high school, already thinking of all options to explore in college and the languages she would like to learn and places she would love to travel.

My older son is running into puberty and spreading his wings he’ll soon use to fly away. My youngest started his grade 3, and already talking of getting his driver’s permit. LOL

It won’t be long before they all be coming home for summers or spending Eid breaks with us as visitors. I am reminded daily that these years left with me are few and my heart pulls a tug.

Everything I have defined myself by for the past decade is changing, and I wonder what the next part of my life will be like. And what I will call it.

Although, I’m looking forward to more periods, called the time Mr. Wonderful where I’ll get to travel more with my family, the years I’ll hold my children’s degrees that I myself had craved for and the years I’ll spend teaching grammar to my grandchildren.

Yet I can’t let go of dreaming of the year I myself graduated from Engineering, danced in my heart at my wedding, and the year I became a mother.

The calendar on my refrigerator says it’s 2020.

Time defined in every person’s lifetime is so full of ambiguity and has its own scale of measurement. May Allah help us value time, one of life’s priceless gifts.

Suah Al-Asr is considered by many Quran exegete to summarize the core message of the Quran in just 3 short ayahs. It offers a warning to believers not to waste time, information on how to achieve success in life, and outlines a complete belief system for humans to follow based on Islamic principles.

(By Al-`Asr. Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience)

My Parents Child

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

Years before ever having children, I made myself a serious promise.

I would NEVER turn into my father or my mother.

I recall expanding on  my mental list of the many things I would do differently when I had children of my own. I would be a modern, intellectual parent. Not the unfashionable kind of father or mother I was raised by. My generation had google and of cource books telling us “What to Expect…” which explained everything I could possibly need to know.

My mother thought it was kind of foolish. “You don’t need a book to be a good mother,” she said. “It’s the most natural thing in the world.”

When I talked about a birth plan, she was bemused by the concept.

“You just go to the hospital,” she said. “The doctors know what to do.”

“But, maa,” I replied. “It’s the era of 2000’s. Things are different now.”

I thought I heard her mumble something to the effect of “No. Babies still come out the same way,” as she walked off.

I restated my solemn promise.  “She just doesn’t get it.”

When my firstborn arrived, I developed a false sense of confidence, although she was not an easy delivery. She slept through most nights. She stayed clean all day in her color-coordinated outfits. She was potty trained at 19 MONTHS. I remember one day thinking, “This is easy. And so much fun. I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about.” My mother and father must have had a hard time controlling themselves back then. My husband and I rolled merrily along with Baby #1 for nearly two years.

One easy child. Two modern, enlightened parents. We had it covered.

The firstborn was inquisitive and curious. She asked a lot of questions. A LOT OF QUESTIONS. Most days I answered them patiently, giving her all the facts. Encouraging her to ask me more questions. But that one day, when her baby sister had kept me up half the night , the day she wanted to know how the clouds stayed up in the sky – my patience was waning.

I had gone through the explanations of tiny drops of water hugging together to make a cloud. That the drops were so light and tiny they didn’t fall to the ground until enough of them had gathered together to turn the clouds gray and then make rain. I thought it was a really good explanation.

But she couldn’t wrap her 3-year old mind around that, and she pushed for a more plausible explanation. After a few exasperating rounds of this, modern enlightened mom gave up.

My mother’s daughter spoke instead.

“Waise hii / Just like that,” said I

“Just like that?” she questioned.

“Yep. Just like that.”

That was something she could wrap her 3-year old mind around. And the questions stopped. I felt a little guilty for taking the easy way out. But something about the simplicity and effectiveness of that strategy stuck with me.

My mother’s daughter had won her first round.

As time went on, and I had more children, my mother’s daughter spoke more often.

She had entire categories of phrases stored up somewhere in her subconscious. The very ones she swore she’d never utter.

“Because I said so,” came out every now and then, when she was just too tired to explain things.

“Because I have eyes in the back of my head,” she would say while driving.

Which was often followed by “Don’t make me pull this car over.”

Some phrases were used when she wanted to avoid explaining something, or when the truth would be over their heads.

She would say “Life isn’t fair,” when one of them was having an existential crisis.

And some just made no sense at all. Like “Stop crying or I will give you something to cry about.” And “If you break your legs doing that don’t come running to me.”

My mother’s daughter had plenty of advice for social situations. “If everyone else jumps off the hill, are you going to jump to?”      And “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want plastered all over the internet.”

Or my father’s famous statement, “Someday you’ll understand, long after I’m gone” when the real explanation just couldn’t be offered.

And yet another one, “Give me an account of the pocket money you took last month”! Sigh!!!!

Every time my mother’s daughter rose in me I realized that with every annoyance I spoke, every facial expression I mimicked, every cliché of hers I took on, I also gained a little of my mother’s grace, my father’s wisdom.

As I grow older, and the lines on my face deepen, I see more and more of her as well as my father in the mirror. The light brown strands I now wear seem to make her big brown eyes stand out on my face in a way I never noticed. Miss them LOTS!!!

Allah swt has blessed us with the most important gift, “our parents”, just like we have been the most precious gifts to them.

وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا

كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

“And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them your Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood’” (Surah Al-Israa:24)

Tafsir al-Jalalayn

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

Tafsir al-Jalalayn, meaning “The Commentary of the Two Jalals”, is named after its two authors: Jalalu’d-Din al-Mahalli (1389-1459), who wrote half of it, and his student, Jalalu’d-Din as-Suyuti (1445-1505), one of the greatest Muslim scholars of all, who completed it after al-Mahalli’s death.

For half a millennium Tafsir al-Jalalayn has been considered the essential first step in the study of the meanings of the Quran by teachers and students throughout the Islamic world. Although it is among the shortest and simplest of the complete commentaries, it is at the same time both wide-ranging and profound.

This translation gives non-Arabic speakers access to one of the seminal works of classical tafsir literature. It is hoped that it will prove a valuable aid to the correct understanding of the Quranic Revelation throughout the English-speaking world.

JALALU’D-DIN AL-MAHALLI (791-864/1389-1459) of Cairo was a versatile, scholar who excelled in jurisprudence, theology, grammar, rhetoric, and Quranic commentary. He was known for his scrupulousness, fear of Allah, and fearlessness in upholding the truth. Al-Mahalli was offered the highest judicial positions but refused them. He taught jurisprudence in the Mu’ayyadiyya and Barquqiyya madrasas. Abstinent and ascetic, he lived on what he earned by trade. His most famous work is his Quranic commentary, Tafsr al-Jalalayn, which he began halfway through the text with Surat al-Kahf, ending with an-Nas and al-Fatiha. Although he died before he could start the other half, the work was completed by his student, Jalalu’d-Din as-Suyuti. Al-Mahalli’s other books include commentaries on Jam‘ al-Jawami‘, al-Burda, al-Manahij fi’l-fiqh, al-Waraqat fi’l-usul, and Kitab al-Jihad.

JALALU’D-DIN AS-SUYUTI (849-911/1445-1505), from Asyut in Egypt, was among the most renowned and prolific Muslim scholars of all time. He wrote more than 300 books, covering every aspect of the Islamic sciences. He memorized the Quran at the age of eight, and then went on to study with more than 150 scholars. He travelled extensively in his quest for knowledge – to Damascus, Hijaz, Yemen, India, Morocco, and the lands south of Morocco, as well as in Egypt. Al-Suyuti devoted his life to learning, teaching and writing. He was noble, abstinent and self-sufficient, distancing himself from people of rank and power and living on what he earned by teaching. Major writings of al-Suyuti that remain widely used today include al-Itqan, on the Quranic sciences; and Tafsir al-Jalalayn, which he completed when only 22.

                   

May Allah swt enable us to align our actions sincerely according to the Quran! Ameen

I still remain ignorant (JAAHIL)!!!

Imam al-Shafi’i – Six points for the serious learner

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

There is one line of poetry that students of Islam around the world hear over and over again. Sometimes it’s attributed to Imam al-Shafi’i and sometimes to others. This line summarizes six points for the serious learner to take into consideration.

“A quick mind,zeal,poverty,foreign land,
                         a teachers inspiration and a long lifespan”

1. ​A Quick Mind: Some people are a little quicker than others in the way they understand things and how long it takes for them to do so. This requirement does not necessarily mean that just because someone is not the quickest student they cannot learn. It does mean, however, that the student should always be trying to make their mind sharper. This is usually a natural consequence of the other requirements and we are always in a state of improving.​
2. Zeal: Our American culture related to learning is often one that makes learning uncool and people are not encouraged to be passionate about learning. This requirement is about the opposite of that. Learning should be a real commitment for those who are seeking it. They should dedicate time and pursue it with the zeal and rigor of any thing else that they deem important in life. Once we are passionate about something learning becomes easy. Bringing that zeal to our studies is, therefore, of primary importance.
3. Poverty/Humility: This word can be understood in two different ways with the latter more probable. If understood as poverty the idea would be that a person who is too overcome with material objects and concerns does not have the focus to concentrate on their studies. If understood as humility then it would refer to the need that the student feels in regards to the learning process. A student who feels that they are in need of learning more and seeking help, support, and guidance is capable of so much, but the student who is arrogant and thinks they are self-sufficient will likely not accomplish much in the long run.
4. A Foreign Land: The meaning behind this requirement is for the student to be away from their day to day distractions. When someone tries to dedicate their self to learning but is still surrounded by old friends, family, acquaintances and all kinds of other distractions then they will not be able to fully immerse themselves in the learning experience.
5. A Teacher: The tradition of Islamic Studies, as well as all areas of serious study, is that the student does not go on their journey all alone. This does not mean that they necessarily have to learn through an institution, but it does mean that they must have more experienced teachers who can guide them along the path. The student who does not have a teacher wastes large amounts of time and also risks making major mistakes in their understanding.
6. A Long Life: Learning is a process that starts at an early age and continues until we are elderly. Those who are seriously dedicated to learning and understanding know that this is the case and know that they will not attain to high levels of scholarship in only a few years. It is not a race. It is a journey. Over the course of time the student gains higher and higher levels of knowledge and the information and experience accumulate until mastery is attained. That requires a long life.

Al Fajr

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

By the dawn
And the ten nights
And the even and the odd

O you tranquil soul!
Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing
[al-Fajr: 1-3; 27-28]

Loftiness is attained in accordance to one’s struggles,
And whoever seeks nobility, remains vigilant by night.
Whoever wishes to achieve without due effort,
Will waste their life in seeking what’s impossible.
You search for glory and yet you sleep at night,
It’s only the seeker of pearls who dives deep into the sea.

–  Imam al-Shafi’i, al-Diwan

COVID

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

Verily all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomever Allah guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomever Allah misguides there is none who can guide him, and I bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, having no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.

I was just contemplating over the current situations across the world, the heart is just not content and I’m feeling very very low.

Repeatedly in the Quran Allah swt mentions that many nations have been destroyed because they did not listen to their Prophets and they did not act in accordance to the Quran and I feel that the verses of the Quran are coming to life. There is a sense of warning in the air, a sense of uneasiness ,a sense of punishment that frightens me when I see the situations and read about it every day.

Allaah [The Most High] said:

قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ سُنَنٌ فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ

Many similar mishaps [troubles, problems] of life were faced by nations that have passed away before you, so travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who disbelieved. [3:137]

Schools closed ,malls ,markets closed, shops closed ,airlines closed the food racks are empty and that in a country like America…..
The masjid’s are empty, Makkah Haram is empty , Allahu Akbar.

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [rahimahullaah] said:
Indeed, there were nations like yourselves before you, so look to their evil end.  You have to know that the reason behind their evil end was due to their disbelief in the revelations of Allaah and disbelief in Allaah’s Messengers.  They were the forefathers and you are the descendants. The main affair that connects you to each other is your disbelief and the ruling on that disbelief is destruction.

Imaam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said:
If it is said, “What is the benefit in narrating to us the stories of the destroyed nations despite the fact that this Ummah will not be completely destroyed in a manner similar to the destruction of the previous nations before it?”

The Answer: Indeed, this has two benefits: The first benefit is a clarification of Allaah’s blessings upon us that the occurrence of a complete destruction is removed from us, and that were it not for Allaah’s Benevolence we would have been deserving of it.

Secondly: The likeness of the punishment they received may occur in the hereafter for the one who did what they did, if punishment was not received in the worldly life. And this may be understood from the statement of Allaah: “Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the population of towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful and severe. Indeed in that (there) is a sure lesson for those who fear the torment of the Hereafter.” So what is apparent from this Aayah is that what is similar to the punishment they received will happen in the Hereafter, and Allaah knows best.

Nothing happens just like that. Allah wants to convey to us to get closer to the Quran via actions and yet how much are we analyzing ourselves , how much closer are we to Istighfaar, to recleaning our hearts, how much tears have we shed, how much has our heart bled, how much are we away from our sins?

Are we actualizing Islam or do we have on ourselves a label of Islam? Yes, we do not actualize Islam, we do not judge by the Quran nor live by it!
We neither implement the punishments nor abide by the commands by prescribing the good and forbidding the evil.

It is not he Allah  swt who needs  our Ibaadah, it is we….

It starts with myself first to make loads of istighfaar, get children closer to Allah, his books, revive the Sunnah, teach children all the prophets and of cource make loads of Duwa !

It is time we woke up towards Contemplation Over Various Islamic Directives.

Allah save us from your punishment , castigo, chatiment , your ghadab, your azaab, your narazgi!!!

Rang (Colour)

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

 

Raath ke andheron mein Guftagoo aapse hein
Sargooshi aapse hhein, Justajoo aapse hein…

Aap mein ghum ho jaana tamanna hein humey
Dilo saaz ,sans, hamd aapke liye hein…

Talab dil mein fakat hamare hein badtii
Hum dilo jaan se ho jaye fakat aapke hii…

Aapke rang ka rang hum pe bhhi Chad jaye,
Wahi rang jaisaa Mohammed pe chada tha..
Sws.

Students of Qur’an

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

“Allah wants to take us down to the very depths of ourselves to train us that if there is any power, it is the power that is in him, ALLAH alone, and not in us. He doesn’t need to make us into performers or megastars in order to use us. Instead, He’s looking for men and women who have hearts that say, ‘Ya Allah, I’m “nobody” without You. Will you use me?’ When you present yourself with  such a heart to the Lord of the Worlds, something extraordinary happens — there is a profound transformation, a transformation that  words can’t describe.

It’s Sunday morning. And if your Sunday morning routine is anything like the one at our house, it can be hectic. Each Sunday, the hour between 9:00 am and 10:00 am seems to fade in some sort of time-warp that takes everyone’s grace and patience along with it.

Like clockwork, everyone in the household appears to have either had all of the clothes in their wardrobes stolen, or they gained 10 pounds overnight. Once you find a pullover that is halfway decent enough to present yourself as halfway put together, you grab your family and rush out the door into the garage. Your zeal for global missions seems to completely fade before your eyes as you burn with anger at the car/bike in front of you that dares your level of patience.

You finally and tardily make it to the Tafseer class. All eyes staring at you and the pause of the teacher lets you know just how late you really are. You rush in just to find yourself the last seat, adrenaline still running from the chaotic morning (and still angry at the bike that would not start).

This…. This is the self-centered mindset you find yourself in while trying to enter the presence of the Most Beneficent ,the most Magnificent, Lord of the Universe and worship Him—and being in that mindset is by no accident. It’s no coincidence that Sunday morning’s chaos far surpasses the Monday through Friday hustle to get the kids to school and get to the office.

Satan doesn’t want you to prepare your heart for worship.

The enemy tempts us to focus our attention on anything but glorifying ALLAH.

The enemy knows where we are going on Sunday morning, and will therefore do anything in his power to make sure the class is completely inward-focused and void of glory for ALLAH. He wants us completely focused on all the grief, stress, and problems surrounding our life. The more you’re focused on those things, the less you’re focusing on the ALMIGHTY and His attributes.

Although we have an enemy that eagerly wants to destroy our worshipping, most of the time, we don’t need help neglecting ALLAH. Without discipline, our hearts naturally drift in the direction of sinful thoughts.

That is a major reason why we need to prepare our hearts before class through prayer and meditation on the Word of the Majestic. There is no hiding our hearts before ALLAH. He knows our hearts. Outwardly, we seem to be  listening and staring hard at the teacher, trying not to droop those eyes or bring forth a  yawn. But Allah is actively searching our hearts. There is nothing that we can hide from him.

Worship is the overflowing of thankfulness from the heart, so if we have a heart full of malice and sin, there is no form of worship. True worship is sacrifice. Sacrificing our sleep, time, money…It’s the outward pouring of denying yourself in repentance while submitting wholly to the will of Allah. When Ibrahim AS submitted in obedience to sacrifice his son, Isaac, he still considered it worship and in his obedience and faith, Allah provided a suitable sacrifice and spared Isaac.

We need to remember this truth every Sunday – that we have an enemy. That enemy wants to steal our joy in ALLAH, and he is working hard to accomplish that mission. Without the purifying of our hearts, we don’t stand a chance against Satan or our own flesh.

So, as with any battle, a winning strategy is needed. We need to be proactive in preparing our hearts for worship by countering the schemes of the enemy and subduing our own fleshly thoughts. A few suggestions would be to perhaps set aside some family prayer time on Saturday night , lay our clothes out the night before, or wake up early and get ahead of the bike and traffic and it goes without saying LESSON REVISION.

Do whatever is necessary to be fully present in class on time.

In today’s culture of entertainment-driven(ringing of our cellphones in class, et al), irreverent “worship”, it seems as though the odds are stacked against us to prepare our hearts properly for worship.

In any case, the burden to check our hearts for obedience and repentance before we step foot into the presence of Rabbul Alameen relies completely on us.

Let’s remind or rather re-remind ourselves of how far we have to go as students of the Qur’an/ Talibul Elim, to see the promise of ALLAH realized.

Abi wa Muallami

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

In this horrid world, how could you leave me alone?
now I do nothing but mourn, adapting in this world unknown.

I sit now in my room, thinking about you,
I have lost my captain, I alone now am my entire crew

I sit to remember those days, when you’d kiss my forehead and tuck me in my bed,
And tell me the monsters in my closet were only in my head.

How you would cuddle me in those sturdy arms,
To teach me about firms, farms, norms and schoolmarms.

Without you there’s a lot lot missing,
There is no more debating and of course no consulting.

I do remember when we used to go for long walks,
And we would come home I would we half drooling,

You would carry me to my bed, and I’d love to peep out back,
I would not sleep, I would pretend to have a nap.

Now you are gone, Ahhh! I should have thanked you before long,
I know it’s  too late, but I do pray God remove my heart from pain,

I ask Allah for help, and paradise for you,
But again, I wish you were there to see me succeed today.

رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

 

Forever your student,
iLeader

 

 

Game Changers

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismillah-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

Desire, Passion..Go Getter….Game Changers! These words sound great, but how great we’ll soon find out.

Guess who is the least educated, poorest, most unemployed, most restrained, highly populated in India? It’s our Muslim Ummah! It’s very dismaying to know that we are falling into a trench of self-destruction.

I believe that the key to coming out of this dead lock is ENTREPRENEURSHIP…….

There are many communities in India, and surprisingly the ones that are the most successful, are the ones whose community’s backbone is entrepreneurship like Marwari’s, Bohras, Kachis, Banyas, Siddhis to name a few.

As long as we Muslims do not realize the need for a systematic reinforcement of Muslim entrepreneurship it is highly unlikely to get out of the situation we are in.

When I graduated from engineering friends from other communities apart from mine consciously recognized the NEED to stop migration to other countries and take up entrepreneurship to create wealth and employment prospects. A few years later a few people of our community formed a committee, and after many meetings they were still not strong about what they could do and what efforts they had to put in.

The result was evident. Everyone failed and everyone on that committee took different paths going to different countries, but still longing to have their own setup to be able to come back to India.

Another BIG hindrance of having to return back to India in spite of having collected the bucks, is one becomes enslaved to the luxuries and comforts of life abroad. Unconsciously we get entangled in the vicious cycle “LIFE ABROAD”

A few daring ones from the above committee did start two different enterprises, both creative and inspiring. A little discipline and effort could have taken them to the next level, but sadly it had to come to an abrupt end. Failures not only discourage those who made an effort to start something but also to those who follow suit.

I would like to say that guidance and financial support from the community will certainly help and encourage many of our young aspiring youth to take up entrepreneurship seriously.

In order to promote entrepreneurship we must also bypass the biggest obstacle riba. As prophet Hurayrah mentioned: The Prophet (saw) mentioned “there will certainly come a time for mankind when everyone will take riba and if does not do so, its dust will reach him” (Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Buyu’, Bab fi ijtinabi al-shubuhat; also in Ibn Majah)

There is a dire necessity to promote Muslim entrepreneurship by forming committees and forums which can inspire youth to think and “GO GET” what they dreamt of, present their ideas and the best idea gets the funds it requires to flourish.

By being “Game Changers” we can definitely impact ourselves, our family and our community.

I’d love to hear from you as to how we could inspire and  promote our youth towards entrepreneurship.

Cheers,

 

Takmeel Reflections from students of Route 114

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismilla-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim

Nahmaduhu wa nusalli ala rasoolihil kareem amma ‘baad, fa a’uzu billahi mina shaytwan nir rajeeem

Bismillah hirahman nirraheem

Assalam walikum wa rahmatulla hi wa barakatuhu dear sisters,

Allah commands us in surah Qaf, to ponder over his works and says,

“And the earth- we spread it out and cast therein firmly set mountains and made grow their in something of every beautiful kind, giving insight and a reminder for every servant who turns to Allah” [50: 7-8]

Why?

What is the first thing we realize?

Tauheed – oneness.

I looked around myself, the skies, the plants, the oceans, the mountains, the alterations of day and night and the process of child birth, all are created in a state of perfection. All of these signs gave me a great proof that Allah is the one and only, true God. You get to know Allah swt and his power by simply looking around you.

You are the living example.

Infact you are the living example of the ultimate power of Allah. There is no one but Allah ‘azza wajal able to create you.

When people feel anxious and stresses out, what do they do naturally?  They go for a walk, they go outside. They get some fresh air.

However as Muslims, when someone comes to you complaining of low Iman,  have you ever advised them ” to look at the sky and tress?” Allah tells in this ayah that nature gives insight and not only that, but it also is a reminder for every servant  who turns to Allah.

That is the difference between people who just walk through nature and people who interact with nature like Allah swt told them to.

So how do you interact with nature? How do you get productive? And how do you spiritually benefit  from reflecting on nature?

Look at the sky
Observe the flawless, fascinating creation. If Allah swt can make that, do you think he can’t solve your problems which are much smaller?

Observe the night and day
The transition of day and night reminds you that even the worst day is only of 24 hours. Just as the night alternates with the day, hardship will alternate with ease in your life.
Allah even mentions it in Surah Alam Nashra

“Fa’ inna maa’al usri yusra, inna maa’al usri yusra”
-verily with every hardship there is ease

Consider the Fertile and deserted lands.
In this life you will find people with hearts full of faith, engaged in good deeds and trying to please Allah azza wajal. Their hearts are like fertile lands. Then you have people with dead or hard hearts. Their hearts resemble deserted and dead lands. When you see fertile lands and greenery, think about your heart and make dua that Allah azza wajal makes your heart alive and beaming with faith in him.

Observe the Rain
Rain reminds us if the resurrection. On the day when the earth shall be cleft, Allah will send down rain from sky. From that rain the bodies of the creation will grow while they are in their graves, just as the seed grows in soil in the aftermath of rain. When the bodies grow to the full strength, Allah commands the angle Israfil A.S and he will blow the trumpet. The souls will be enclosed in a hole in the trumpet.  When Israfil a.s  blows in the trumpet, the souks will depart from it and will fly between the heavens and the earth.

Observer the tiny creature – the bee
Prophet s.a.w mentions in one of his hadeeth  that  “I swear by the one who has my life in his hand, the example of the believer is just like the example of the bee”
In simple words he says, if you want to be a moment then just be like Bee. Allah swt mentions about the bee in Suah Al-Nahl.

To be a momin just observe the tiny bee and inculcate the characteristics of it, that will suffice. Let me tell you two beautiful characteristics of bee,

[1] Bee eats well – it eats good and pure.
Relating to mankind Allah tells about the risk we pursue, be it job, business, money/ food he asks us to look for the pure and the best thing.

[2] Bee gives it recipient more than it takes from it – it surely sucks honey but it in turn gives pollen to flower that gives them life.
Relating to mankind Allah tells us that in every relationship rather than just demanding and expecting start giving it more than you expect.

Beyond anything the bees work towards something that more than them it benefits the mankind. Honey has a Cure and healing for humanity. Similarly, like the bees if we start benefiting  each other we become healing for mankind.

This is the Hikmah, the Wisdom Alhamdulillah I received. Pondering and observing the nature taught me so much and gave me the hikmah to see things and situations beyond what they just appear. I believe Islam is something to be lived and not practiced. And by learning Quran have started practicing Islam.  I don’t say I live Islam as I don’t think I have attained all the guidance, all the wisdom, and the patience one should have, but yes certainly I fell and see these little differences in me and in shaa allah with this journey that has just begun I hope one day I start living Islam.

Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika,
Ash’hadu  Allah ilaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa ‘tubu ilayk.

Jazakallahu khair.

Kainath Junaidi

—————————————————

‘Nahmaduhu Wa Nusalli Ala Rasoolilah Kareem,  Amma ‘Baad,Fa’ Aouzobillahi Minash Shaitaannir Rajeem, ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’

Assalam Alaikum Wa Rehmath Ullahi Wa Barkatahu Dear sisters & mothers,
Alhumdulillah, I take immense pleasure to stand before you all & share my reflections of learning the tafseer of Quran.

First of all I would like to put a light on the 2 phases of my life.
Till the Ramadan of 2014, my entire life was focused on making sure that everyone liked me, that every was pleased with me. But, I hardly knew that it is Allah alone, I should please. My entire day was spent on expecting love & respect from the people on whom I showered my love & respect. But, I hardly knew that it was Allah alone who can love me more than anybody else,  more than my own mother.

Now, after learning the Tafseer of the holy Quran, although with the lowest level of understanding, I am a person who believes that,
-if you want love, it should be from Allah,
-want anything in life, ask Allah,
-Want to cry your heart out, then do it before Allah,
-Have doubts o confusions, speak to Allah,
& the best way 2 communicate to Allah is through Namaz or reading Quran, because Quran is the kalaam of Allah. It has got everything what Allah wants to say to us. Through Quran I have grown to be a positive person.

When I compare what I was & what I am, I see two different personalities with two different perspectives of life. I am definitely not the person I used to be. I do not say that I have changed completely or I am the best version of what Allah expects me to be. However small, this transformation is a blessing from Allah.

Few changes I can count on are;
1. Wearing hijab whenever I am out of my home.
2. Gossips wit friends replaced by plans to learn Quran, memorize askaar, doing Hifz & learning hadees.
3.The most important change is hopelessness/na-ummeedi being replaced by hope/positiveness, because Allah says in Surah Ash-Sharh / Alam Nashrah, that “hardships are going to b replaced by ease and  the only thing we need to do is worship Allah.” This surah, Alhamdulillah, is always in my mind and on my tongue and  I would like to recite it now:
Bismillah . . .
Alam nashrah . . .

I will be honest to tell that, the only way to convince me on something is by giving scientific proofs or by common logic. When I started learning the tafseer of Quran, I saw that the majority of the ayahs in Quran is either science or logic. Eventually, I realized that no other book can speak to me, convince & manipulate my state of mind, better than Quran. Allahu Akbar!!!

No doubt Allah calls the holy Quran to be Al-Majeed, which means noble, special & unique, making its reader too noble, special & unique.

I conclude by making a dua to Allah that, May Allah have peace & mercy on our Prophet (sws) on whom Quran was brought. May Allah bless my teacher & reward her for every word she taught. May He guide all of us to right path, give us the understanding of deen, help us learn Quran in a much better way than we do today.

Subhana rabbika rabbil izatti ama yasifun wa ssalamu allalmursalin wa alhamdu la illhai rabbil alaamin”.

Asalaam a laikum.

By Saba Fatima

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More to be added soon……

The Purpose of my Life

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismilla-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim
(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)

From the depths of darkness
I paved my way out
I thought I found light
but later realized I was far from right

I wanted to swim, I wanted to fly,
I wanted to make my way through  the seven skies,
So I swam with the fish, I flew with the birds,
I crossed the seven oceans, not realizing what was in store.

I found a stone here, I found a coin there,
Things got better and later I found pearls everywhere….

To be continued,
From Noor Fatima Lais

Islaam and tolerance

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismilla-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim
(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)

Since we need to understand what the Qur’an teaches about religious tolerance we must first define what tolerance is According to the Cambridge Dictionary

1. tolerance noun (ACCEPTANCE)   ​willingness to ​accept ​behavior and ​beliefs that are different from ​your own, ​although you might not ​agree with or ​approve of them:
2. tolerance noun (ABILITY TO DEAL WITH) the ​ability to ​deal with something ​unpleasant or ​annoying, or to ​continue ​existing ​despite ​bad or ​difficult ​conditions:

Tolerant with Nations, Communities, Tribes Tolerant dealing with people, e.g. neighbors, siblings Tolerant dealing with value systems Eg Wearing Sleeveless Vs. Wearing Abaya , Tolerant dealing with religion Tolerant dealing with beliefs systems e.g. Man was from Adam Vs. man came from Ape ,and the list goes on.

Being tolerant does not mean that one accepts the other to be true; but in being tolerant one respects another’s right to free will to choose what to believe.

We have revealed unto you the Scripture with the Truth, to confirm and protect the Scripture which came before it … For each We have appointed a Law and a Way. Had Allah willed, He could have made you one community. But that He might try you by that which He has given you [He has made you as you are]. So vie with one another in good works. Unto Allah you will all return, and He will inform you of that wherein you differed’ (Al Maidah: 48).

Example Do you know who devised the first multi-faith and multi-cultural constitution in the world that gave people their rights and outlined their responsibilities? The Constitution of Medina -A Multi-faith Society .

The points of Sahifah / Constitution of Medina were:

• The three groups living there (Yahood/Jews, Ansar and Muhajirun) were described by Prophet Muhammed (saw.) as one community, ummah wahidah.

• Everybody living in Medina agreed to accept the final authority of Allah and His Messenger

• Everybody agreed with the choice of the twelve people who would organize the community

• Everybody agreed to co-operate to ensure law and order • Everybody was entitled to protection and support

• Everybody was entitled to pray as they wished – Lakum deena kum waliyadeen “For you is your religion and for me is my religion.” (To you be your way, and to me mine) (109:6)

• Everybody was expected to defend Medina

• Everybody was expected to pay their taxes This Constitution encouraged Muslims and non-Muslims to live together in peace, It gave protection and rights to non-Muslims. Following this constitution how should we interact with non-Muslims?
“O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former; Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former, Nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it, to insult one’s brother after having Faith [i.e. to call your Muslim brother (a faithful believer) as: “O sinner”, or “O wicked”]. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zâlimûn (wrong-doers). “O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting)[] . And fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful”  “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqun (pious – see V.2:2). Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Hujuraat:11-13)

Why has Allah chosen this diversity in revelations and plurality of communities? Allah encompasses all things ‘in mercy and knowledge’ He also says “Had Allah willed, He could have made you one community”, Well this is intended to stimulate a healthy ‘competition’ or mutual enrichment in the domain of ‘good works’. Differences of opinion are inevitable but these differences are to be tolerated on the human ground and Allah says it will be finally resolved in the Hereafter.

Our task is to
1.Accept all the communities as they are
2.Convey the message of Islam to each and every person, community, nation – this is our main goal.

We not to force any one into conversion. La ikra ha fedeen “Let there be no compulsion in religion: ” [Baqarah:226]

‘If they are averse, We have not sent you as a guardian over them: your duty is but to convey the message (Shura:48).

The choice is theirs. When is a person able to choose? When he has 2 things before him right? If he has 2 wrong choices,it’s obvious he will chose one of the two, but if we present our “Choice/Islam” before them there are 50% chances they will chose ours. The ball is in our court unless we give them that “DAWAH”

“Nor are the two bodies of flowing water alike, for one is palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink, while the other is salty and bitter. Yet from each you eat fresh and tender meat and extract ornaments to wear. You see ships therein that sail through the waves that you may seek the bounty of Allah and be grateful. (Faatir:12)

Yet again he says

“And it is He Who has let free the two seas, this is palatable and sweet, and that is salty and bitter; and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them” (Furqaan:53) And the ayah continues “And it is He Who has created man from water
There are 2 types of water
1. one is palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink
2.The other is salty and bitter

An analogy can be made here. 60% of man is made from water. Just like the palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink water one category of people are pleasant, soft, easy to dealt with, but simultaneously there is another category of people who are salty and bitter, a bit tough to deal with, yet we can benefit from them just like we can benefit from the salty water. But hey we don’t go to change the salty water to make it sweet, do we? We benefit from each just as they are. Similarly we make ourselves tolerant to the shortcomings of the bitter people, and yet benefit from them as well….which will help us in attaining our GOAL and the pleasure of Allah swt.

What did I mention our GOAL was?
Once there were four men who spread an accusation of immorality against the Holy Prophet’s wife Aisha. Their allegation was ultimately proved to be false because they failed to back it up with any witnesses. One of the four men, called Mistah, used to receive financial assistance from Abu Bakr, Aisha’s father. After this incident, Abu Bakr swore never again to help Mistah. The following verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet on this occasion: ﴿وَلاَ يَأْتَلِ أُوْلُواْ الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُواْ أُوْلِى الْقُرْبَى وَالْمَسَـكِينَ وَالْمُهَـجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلْيَعْفُواْ وَلْيَصْفَحُواْ أَلاَ تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Let not the possessors of grace and means among you swear against giving to the near relatives and the poor and those who had to flee in Allah’s way. Pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you?” (Nur:22)
Hearing this, Abu Bakr exclaimed: “Indeed, I certainly love that Allah should forgive me”(Bukhari,Book: ‘Testimony ‘ch. 15)

He then resumed providing assistance to Mistah, as before. This is what tolerance actually is…

Islam teaches us respect and love for others and teaches us to accept that difference are all part of Allah’s design.

Islam does not teach tit for tat, this for that…NO, not at all….

‘In a place called Ta’if, the people treated Prophet Muhammad very badly, so much so that he was hurt physically. The angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to his aid and asked him to give the command and he would destroy the whole valley. The Prophet refused. Instead he forgave the people and prayed for them, hoping that good would come out of their future generations. ’Question: What do we learn from this story? When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was faced with ignorant or abusive behavior, he became all the more forbearing. .

We interact with Muslims and Non Muslim’s everyday in our lives, don’t we?

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the best example of forbearance anyone could hope to find. He was abused continuously while spreading Allah’s Message to the people.

ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ
“Repel (the evil) with one which is better, ” (Fussilat:34)

Anas ibn Malik reported: I was walking with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while he was wearing a Najrani sheet with a thick border. A desert Arab overtook the Prophet and forcibly pulled his clothes. I looked at the shoulder of the Prophet and I saw that the edge of his shirt had left a mark because of the strength of his pull. The man said, “O Muhammad! Order them to give me something from Allah’s wealth which you have!” The Prophet turned and he smiled. Then he ordered that he be given charity. Source: Sahih Bukhari 5738, Grade: Sahih

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Ashajj b. Qays: “You possess two qualities that Allah loves: forbearance and patience.” [Sahīh Muslim (17-18)]

Since Allah loves this trait so much, this is why we find that the majority of the Prophets showed almost superhuman levels of forbearance to their people.)

 

Notice that we can’t tolerate someone unless we disagree with him. This is critical. We don’t “tolerate” people who share our views. They’re on our side. There’s nothing to put up with. Tolerance is reserved for those we think are wrong.

But the closer you come to Deen that much more you are supposed to become courteous and kind, and generous and understanding and forgiving of others. That’s what you are supposed to be instead of looking at someone who is living in ignorance.

A lot of Muslims do ignorant things nowadays. Maybe your friends do it and you don’t do it anymore.  You and I was that guy a few years ago. That was you/me? Who guided you/me? You guided yourself?

The honor of our messenger , the nobility, the respect, the love of our messenger, the status of our messenger ﷺ, is not something we give him; is not something that comes from human beings. It came from the sky. It came from Allah. Nobody on the earth can take it away. Because it comes from the sky. The Quran has come from the sky. People can burn copies of it, people can make fun of it, people can make pieces of it; it will not insult the Quran; because the Quran is in Laohe Mahfudh. It cannot be insulted. It is above these insults. Our messenger’s honor is above them. When Allah azawajal has given our messenger ‘Makaamal Mahmooda’,who can take that away?

And so conversations of such matter first of all shouldn’t make you violent. You shouldn’t be angry with the people who insulted Allah’s messenger. You should feel sorry for them. You should feel sorry how stupid, how sad they are. They cannot hurt Allah messenger ﷺ. They can’t even hurt our Deen. The only one they can hurt is themselves. That’s the only one they can hurt.

Our job in this world today, is to be ambassadors of this Deen. Is to let people know what Islam is. Do your neighbours, friends know what Islam is? No. There are people who live next door for years, and they don’t know what Islam is.

The real issue isn’t that are we less or more tolerant. The real issue is we don’t have a fundamental education in our own Deen.

That’s the real issue. We don’t know that our Deen makes us civil, makes us decent, makes us patient, makes us not reactionary, it gives us control over our emotion, it doesn’t let us run by our emotions, it doesn’t turn us into these Lab Rats. WHAT?

You can play with them. Just poke them a little bit and they go crazy. And we play right into it every time. And the only one that benefits from these, are the people who started the events that we get angry with.

And by the way, if there’s anything that is harmed is the effort of Da’wah. Remember our GOAL. Now if I talk to somebody about Islam, I can’t talk to them about Allah, I can’t talk to them about our messenger ﷺ, I can’t talk to them about our Quran, I first have to talk about that all the Muslims are not that crazy.

I can’t talk about my Deen anymore, cause I have to talk about the stupidity of the Muslims. Of a young immature Muslim who’s easily manipulated. We are responsible to educate our youth and the youth across the Ummah. Ya Ikhwati, At times of crisis, the first thing we need to do is to hold back our emotions and to respond intellectually. To respond with thought. At this time what we really need is strength and hope and trust and faith and spread more light. Focus on what you can do to grow the light.

What is that light?  What do you think?

I strongly believe it’s “The Quran”.

 

 

People Skills

The last days of December calls for the  New Year ….we see lights ,music and the celebrating spirit  all around. People interacting with people is the primary source of attraction in all festivals . Relationship calls for it’s own boundaries but are we aware of the Islamic interaction with people. A small peek into “People skills” will  be an added advantage to our dictionary.

There are many levels of interacting with people:
1. Muwasat– This kind of relationship is based on compassion to the entire creation irrespective of ethnicity, religion or background even so extended to all animals and creatures. It includes charitable aid, assistance, allowance, removing harm. One needs to fulfill this without bias.
“Those who are kind and considerate to Allah’s creatures, Allah bestows His kindness and affection on them. Show kindness to the creatures on the earth so that Allah may be kind to you.” Hadith – Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi”

A funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet and he stood up. When he was told that it was the coffin of a Jew, he said, “Is it not a living being (soul)?”  (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 399)

History talks of many examples in support of this be it from Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) carrying the bag of a Non-Muslim to Omar(Radhiallaho Anho) who gave stipend money to Non-Muslims during his Caliphate. It goes so much so that if a Muslim oppresses (kills) a dhimmi (Non -Muslim) unjustly he will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise.

2. Mudarat– This kind of relationship is when dealing with people on a one on one basis. It requires us to be good to them with respect to manners and behaviour (pleasant, friendly and polite)
A Jewish man came to Prophet’s (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)house. Prophet(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) offered some food; man ate, spent night there, rested on Prophet’s bed and left it dirty. He forgot his sword and came back to get it. Prophet  (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) gave it with due respect. Seeing this the man became Muslim. Subhan Allah…

3. Mu’amalat – This kind of relationship is when dealing with people during work (business, school, hospital, library, industry and technology) or trade (market, consultation). Again we are required to deal with them with honestly and with good conduct.

4. Muwalat– This kind of relationship is forbidden as it involves close and intimate friendship, deep love and affection in the heart. It requires complete support, help, co-operation to the other person resulting in compromising of our deen(religion).  A person tends to get influenced by the other’s speech, behavior, dressing and other practices. This friendship is exclusive to Allah, his messenger and the believer’s. (As mentioned in my previous article the most predominant of desires is that of women.)

Let’s not question the full stop…….

One may wonder why so much of categorization while dealing with Allah’s creation? Well, all commands that are given by our religion or Sharia (Islamic Law) has a goal and a purpose. Subhan Allah anything that harms a person’s religion is not supported, and anything improving a person’s Imaan (belief) is commanded and encouraged.

A good, religious spouse is important in serving our Deen. Our outlook of life changes, benefits of duniya decreases and the confidence in Imaan increases. With a Non-Muslim as spouse or Wali we are depriving ourselves of unlimited opportunities. The focus would be on approving the person’s actions and pleasing him rather than Allah, which would eventually take us away from our goal.
Imaan (belief) leads to increase in Imaan and Kufr (disbelief) leads to increase in Kufr.

 A person will be with whom he loves. (Bukhari, Muslim)

My dear friends, love is such a strong emotion that draws you towards it .We tend to leave everything in order to focus on pleasing the person and staying away from disappointing him. Sometimes, apparently we do consider it wrong, but deep down in the heart we dwell over it, muster it although we don’t verbalize our feelings. We *are in* it. And we can’t help but feel it (and of course we must…shhhhh it)     :)

لِّلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَـوتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is able to do all things.(Al Baqarah:284)

We all claim to love Allah, but does Allah accept it just be we saying? No, he needs proof. He requires evidence which is obtained by doing Itteba e Sunnah(following the ways of the Prophet(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)). If we don’t do this our claim is not true.
Some companion’s said, we love Allah with hubban shadeedah(intense love) so Allah told,

 “ Say (O Muhammad to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah, then  follow me
(i.e. Muhammad), Allah will love you and  forgive you your sins.
And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” ” (Imran: 31)

For the sake of emphasis I repeat in italics, if you love Allah follow the prophet(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

I would like to sign off by stating what  Ali (Radhiallaho Anho)said, there is no obedience to the creation if it means disobedience to the creator.
Where does my ABSOLUTE RELATION WITH THE CREATION STAND?

Will they not ponder the Quran?

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismilla-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim
(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)

The word ‘Human Being’ is mentioned in the Quran 65 times, the sum of man’s creation amounts to the same number.

Word                                           Number of  times in Quran

---

Turab (Soil)                                               17
Nutfah(Drop of Semen)                         12
‘Alaq(Embryo)                                         06
Mudgah(lump of flesh)                          03
Idham(Bone)                                            15
Lahm(Flesh)                                             12

---

Total                                                        65

The number of times the words “man” and “woman” are repeated in the Quran is the same as the chromosomes from the egg and sperm in the formation of the human embryo.

                                                    23 times

The total number of human chromosomes is 46; 23 each from the mother and father.

 أَفَلاَ يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْءَانَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ

اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ اخْتِلَـفاً كَثِيراً

Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely, have found therein contradictions in abundance. (Nisa:82)

Reading the Quran improved my IQ, makes me think , ponder, discover, research, inspired……
What do you feel when you read the Quran?

Halloween

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
Bismilla-hir-Rahman-Nir-Rahim
(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful)

“And those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass it by with dignity” [al-Furqaan 25:72 – interpretation of the  meaning]. The scholars interpreted this aayah was referring to the festivals of the mushrikeen. It is not permissible to give any of them cards for their festivals, or to sell them cards or any of the other things they need for their festivals such as lights, trees or food – including turkey, candy canes, etc.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and Ahmad).

Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem: “Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak.” Whoever does anything of this sort is a sinner, whether he does it out of politeness or to be friendly, or because he is too shy to refuse, or for whatever other reason, because this is hypocrisy in Islaam, and because it makes the kuffaar feel proud of their religion. Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious over their enemies, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent.

Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369)

 

Jazakillahu Khair Sis T. Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum