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When ‘Umar bin al-Khattab radhiAllahu `anhu was walking in the market, he passed by a man who was supplicating, ‘Umar asked him, “Where did you get this du`a from?” And the man said, “Allah in His Book says: ‘And few of My servants are grateful.’ (Qur’an 34:13) ‘Umar wept and admonished himself, “The people are more knowledgeable than you, O ‘Umar! O Allah make us of Your ‘few’ servants.” ابن أبي شيبة في مصنفه 10 / 332 Ibn Abi Shayba's Musannaf. (Narrated by the Tabieen Ibrahim Taimi) Below are a compilation of more such verses of the Glorious Qur'an....

That time of year.... By Abdurrahman Umar For many when we hear the phrase “It’s that time of year again...” we think of year-end holidays and another year gone. For others it’s the dreaded time of exams. Again! A time of fear and anxiety, a time of wishing we had done more during the year, but there’s no getting away from it. It’s that time of year again.... And as we grow older the exams seem to get more difficult and the brain more reluctant to yield the information we crammed into it. At junior grade the answers are simple, such as the teacher who asked Albie to come to the map and show the class where is America, Albie did so correctly and then the teacher asked: “Now class, who discovered America?” “Albie!!” was the prompt and proud answer. As we grow older we can no longer get away hiding behind childhood innocence but have to demonstrate our learning ability and answer the questions about intricate subjects that often have a multitude of odd sounding phrases that difficult to pronounce and even more difficult to learn. But without learning there can be no progress. “The more knowledgeable the man, the more valuable the man” said Hazrat Ali (RA) With the limited time to cram a year’s worth of information we often seek extraordinary solutions, but there are few except the tried and tested method of prayer, hard work and lots more hard work. But here some practical tips to help you: PRAY - Before any study session spend a few moments praying. Sometimes teens think that Allah is only in the most spiritual parts of their lives, but Allah is in every aspect of your life. He wants you to succeed. Praying can bring you closer to Allah and make you feel a little stronger and relaxed going into test time. Ask others to also pray for you. We can never underestimate the power of prayer STUDY SMART – more time doesn’t mean more effective studying. Ideally study for 50 minutes then spend 10 minutes reviewing the material just covered. Then take a 5minute break to soak it all in. ESTABLISH A STUDY TIMETABLE – many students loose hours of study time deciding what to study and the mind will always gravitate to those subjects we enjoy ignoring the ones that we dislike and really need attention. LOSE THE EXCUSES - It can be easy to put off studying until the last minute. The things going on around you can be tempting ways to procrastinate. Exams are overwhelming. They do test your limits, but you can learn. You need to keep your pace reasonable and learn what you can. EAT WELL – while many teenagers are convinced that chocolate slabs and crisps are packed with sufficient sugar and carbohydrates to nourish the brain – in reality, they only satisfy the taste-buds and are very poor brain food. High sugar foods may give you energy at first, but then it plummets pretty quickly. So drop some of the ‘snacks’ for a real good meal at least twice a day. GET YOUR REST - Sleep is one of the most important tools you have in studying for exams. You may feel stressed and like you don't know everything you need to know, but a good night sleep can help relieve that stress. A lack of sleep can end up clouding your judgement or increase your number of mistakes. Get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night, especially the night before your exam. TAKE A BREATHER - Breaks are a good thing. Even the test preparers of major tests like the ACT and SAT know the importance of taking a breather, as they schedule them into the test time. Studying can take its toll on you, and after a while the words and information can just seem like a jumbled mess. Step away from what you are studying and just clear your head with something different. It will help make you fresh to continue. HAVE SOME FUN - Yes, exam time is stressful, and you may feel like you have to devote all your time to studying. However, if you develop a good plan you should have some time to spend with friends and family. Relax in the garden. Spend time in the Masjid doing voluntary Ibadah (worship). Make some time to do some community work. Taking an hour or two to get away from the stress is a good thing. It will make your head a bit clearer when you back to studying and you will feel re-energized. When all else fails then you could pray a lot more and come up with some imaginative excuses like: Father: Why are your exam marks so low? SON: Because I sit at the desk at the back, Dad. Father: What difference does that make? SON: Well, there are so many of us in the class that when it's my turn for marks there aren't any left. We pray that Allah Ta’ala grant all the students success in their exams and use their knowledge for the sake of promoting his Deen. We also ask Allah to assist us all in our FINAL exam when we meet Him and allow us all to pass this difficult assessment with flying colours… Aameen! For an excellent and detailed article on HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS please visit: eislam

awww, don't stress sis. As said above, try your best and rely on Allah ta'ala as effort is from us (With the tawfeeq from Allah ta'ala) and success is ultimately from Allah ta'ala. Allah ta'ala grant you ease and great results, aameen! (mind you we are supposed to remember death much...so I think exam is beneficial for you)

Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said, “Go on the path of truth and do not feel lonely because there are few who take that path, and beware of the path of falsehood and do not be deceived by the vastness of the perishers.”

"If it had not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy ye would have followed Satan, save a few (of you)" Surah 4. An-Nisaa, Ayah 83 وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ ۖ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَىٰ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَاتَّبَعْتُمُ الشَّيْطَانَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا And if any tidings, whether of safety or fear, come unto them, they noise it abroad, whereas if they had referred it to the messenger and such of them as are in authority, those among them who are able to think out the matter would have known it. If it had not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy ye would have followed Satan, save a few (of you).

Examination Success!! Examinations are trying times for people in all walks of life. Use these valuable tips to gain the most out of your exams. 1. Be punctual with your Salaah. This is your essential spiritual and mental boost. 2. Recite Sura Yaseen in the morning. Your day will go smoother. 3. Eat a healthy, wholesome and nutritious breakfast. Your body needs proper nourishment for your brain to function at optimum level. 4. Be early at your exam venue. This will decrease stress levels. 5. Don’t hang around with pessimists and those that didn’t study before writing. They will hamper your morale and confidence. 6. Commence your paper with Bismillah, Durood Shareef and preferably be with Wudhu. This will draw the help of Allah Ta’ala. 7. Study hard, make fervent Dua and request the Duas of your parents and the pious. Dua is the believer’s weapon. Masjid Poster downloadable here. Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

Thank you so much Aapa. This has helped me relieving some stress :) The E Islam was very helpful. MashaAllah IT has almost everything I need to read. May Allah ta'ala reward you with the greatest of rewards (ameen).

I remember death when my exams are near :( Please pray for me. And may Allah reward you all for this wonderful thread.

“O Allah, make us of Your ‘few’ servants!”