SAFAH

Bismillah. Allah سبحانه وتعالى Says in the Holy Qurān, وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا “We shall guide those who strive hard in Our cause to the path leading to Us.” [al ʿAnkabūt 29/69] Allah’s hidayah (guidance) is proportional to one’s ṭalab (zeal). One should develop a yearning and desire to attain higher goals in life, beyond one’s mundane existence, in the fields of both ʿilm (knowledge) and spirituality. In the field of ʿilm one’s ambition should be to gain as much understanding of the Holy Qurān and aḥadīth of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as possible and to be able to appreciate their eloquence and beauty by studying the Arabic language. In spirituality, one should strive to attain the rank of iḥsan. It is a life-long struggle and one may or may not succeed, however our duty is to make the effort and if a person has passion and zeal and commits himself, then Allah سبحانه وتعالى will reward him accordingly. This is far better than being content with a bestial existence. Aim for the skies so that at least you reach the tree-tops.

Bismillah. Many of us wander at our lack of spiritual progress yet we fail to avoid the basic sins. For example, sins of the tongue such as swearing, backbiting, rumour mongering and slander. Silence is the hallmark of a believer and one of the goals of tazkiyah is to cut down on one’s speech. Most people tend to talk excessively and this in itself is a curse. We have to train ourselves to remain silent and true silence is when a person has the ability and desire to speak yet remains silent, for example when angry. We should be conscious that we will be accountable for every word we utter on the Day of Judgement.

Bismillah. Pour Your Heart Out to Allah by Raghad Ebied You know how sometimes you really want something to happen or there’s already something really important happening in your life, yet you feel like there are so many challenges and obstacles to overcome? Whether it’s a personal or community project, a new relationship like starting a marriage or expecting a child, or acquiring a new job, you will notice more often than not, that anytime we as human beings want to do something great or important and start creating more fulfillment in our lives and in the lives of others, that there will be all sorts of tests and tribulations along the way. We have so many examples of this from our Islamic history. Think about the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was the one man on earth at the time who had revelation coming down to him, peace be upon him, from the seventh heaven. He was the most beloved human being to Allah (Swt) and had an ever so important message to deliver, yet he faced trials and tribulations, one after the other. After his first incident with Angel Gabriel in Cave Hira, he sought comfort and support from his beloved wife Khadijah, who believed in him and supported him like no other and took him to her cousin, Waraqa, at the time who was a man of religious knowledge. When the prophet peace be upon him told Waraqa of his incident with Angel Gabriel, Waraqa told him that your people will force you out of you land. The prophet, peace be upon him at the time, only at the beginning of his difficult but ever so important journey replied, “Will they really force me out?”. And Waraqa re-emphasized that there is no man that came with what he came (a message from God), except that his people fought him. And this is how all of the trials and tribulations began – the prophet was not only forced out of his own beloved land, but threatened and boycotted for three years with little food until his beloved wife khadijah died shortly after, and soon after that, his other source of support, his uncle, also passed away. Think of how the prophet peace be upon him felt at the time. He was tired, he was alone, and he lost the two most important sources of ‘human’ support. In fact they called that year the year of sadness. Yet what did the prophet peace be upon him do? Did he give up on his message? A message that he knew would bring salvation to humanity and be a source for their happiness both in this world and the next? Shortly after this incident, the Prophet went to Al-Taif – which was almost 100km of walking for the Prophet at the age of 50 – to continue to call people to Allah (Swt). And once again he was threatened, made fun of, and stoned until his blessed feet bled and he finally fell to his knees, and poured his heart out to Allah (Swt). He made one of the most beautiful duaas one could ever make when he said: “Oh Allah to you I complain of my weakness and helplessness, oh the Most Merciful of the Merciful to whom have you left me? To a stranger who does not care or to an enemy who has control over my affairs? If you are not angry with me, then I do not care but your mercy is better for me. I seek refuge with your light which brightened every darkness and reformed every matter of this world and the next that your wrath shall descend upon me or your discontentment falls upon me – to you belongs every thanks until you are pleased and there is no power except with you.” And you know what happened shortly after this beautiful heartfelt duaa? It’s as if Allah (Swt) wanted to show the prophet the great status he held and this is where the Prophet made the trip of “Isra and Mi’raj” – the Ascension to Heaven. It’s as if Allah (Swt) wanted to tell him if you think you don’t have support on earth anymore and its people have harmed you, then ascend to heaven and go where no other human being has ever gone before and witness your significant position with Us. So, back here on earth and to you and me. Allah (Swt) promises that: ““Anyone who works righteousness, male or female, while believing, we will surely grant them a good life (Hayat-e-Tayyib) in this world, and we will surely pay them their full recompense (on the Day of Judgment) for their righteous works.” [16:97] So what more could we want? We have a promise from Allah that if we put in our part and overcome the many challenges that we will face, that He will give us happiness both in this world and in the next. The key is who do you go to in these times of challenges? Who do you complain to? Who do you seek the ultimate support from? We may naturally go to seek advice and comfort from family and close friends but ultimately we are all human beings and to find the true comfort and solace that we need, I would encourage each and every one of us to literally pour our hearts out to Allah. That is the beauty of duaa. The prophet (peace be upon him) describes duaa as the “essence of worship”. It is your opportunity to say whatever you want, in whichever language you want, as many times as you want knowing that even if you can’t express yourself fully, Allah (swt) knows and understands you like no other because He created you and knows your innate feelings and worries. In fact you may be facing a great test or tribulation that is preparing you to fulfill a great role or deliver an important legacy that you are not even aware of yet. The prophet said, “Victory comes with patience” and “Relief comes with Affliction”. More so, it doesn’t have to be that you are facing a huge tribulation in your life to ask Allah (Swt) for His help – it could be that you are looking for guidance on what your role and your legacy to this world will be. Ask Allah (swt), with true sincerity, and you will see how amazing the will of Allah (swt) unfolds in your life to carry you through any challenges and enable you to truly be and give your best to the world.

Bismillah. Profitable Trade with Allah! By Badee uz zaman Saeed Nursi "Verily God has purchased from the believers their persons and their property that Paradise might be theirs". (Qur’an, 9:111) If you wish to understand how profitable a trade it is, and how honour-able a rank, to sell one’s person and property to God, to be His slave and His soldier, then listen to the following comparison. Once a king entrusted each of two of his subjects with an estate, including all necessary workshops, machinery, horses, weapons and so forth. But since it was a tempestuous and war-ridden age, nothing enjoyed stability; it was destined either to disappear or to change. The king in his infinite mercy sent a most noble lieutenant to the two men and by means of a compassionate decree conveyed the following to them: “Sell me the property you now hold in trust, so that I may keep it for you. Let it not be destroyed for no purpose. After the wars are over, I will return it to you in a better condition than before. I will regard the trust as your property and pay you a high price for it. As for the machinery and the tools in the workshop, they will be used in my name and at my workbench. But the price and the fee for their use shall be increased a thousandfold. You will receive all the profit that accrues. You are indigent and resourceless, and unable to provide the cost of these great tasks. So let me assume the provision of all expenses and equipment, and give you all the income and the profit. You shall keep it until the time of demobilization. So see the five ways in which you shall profit! Now if you do not sell me the property, you can see that no one is able to preserve what he possesses, and you too will lose what you now hold. It will go for nothing, and you will lose the high price I offer. The delicate and precious tools and scales, the precious metals waiting to be used, will also lose all value. You will have the trouble and concern of administering and preserving, but at the same time be punished for betraying your trust. So see the five ways in which you may lose! Moreover, if you sell the property to me, you become my soldier and act in my name. Instead of a common prisoner or irregular soldier, you will be the free lieutenant of an exalted monarch.” After they had listened to this gracious decree, the more intelligent of the two men said: “By all means, I am proud and happy to sell. I offer thanks a thousandfold.” But the other was arrogant, selfish and dissipated; his soul had become as proud as the Pharaoh. As if he was to stay eternally on that estate, he ignored the earthquakes and tumults of this world. He said: “No! Who is the king? I won’t sell my property, nor spoil my enjoyment.” After a short time, the first man reached so high a rank that everyone envied his state. He received the favour of the king, and lived happily in the king’s own palace. The other by contrast fell into such a state that everyone pitied him, but also said he deserved it. For as a result of his error, his happiness and property departed, and he suffered punishment and torment. O soul full of caprices! Look at the face of truth through the telescope of this parable. As for the king, he is the Monarch of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, your Sustainer and Creator. The estates, machinery, tools and scales are your possessions while in life’s fold; your body, spirit and heart within those possessions, and your outward and inward senses such as the eye and the tongue, intelligence and imagination. As for the most noble lieutenant, it is the Noble Messenger of God; and the most wise decree is the Wise Qur’an, which describes the trade we are discussing in this verse: Verily God has purchased from the believers their persons and property that Paradise might be theirs. The surging field of battle is the tempestuous surface of the world, which ceaselessly changes, dissolves and reforms and causes every man to think: “Since everything will leave our hands, will perish and be lost, is there no way in which we can transform it into something eternal and preserve it?” While engaged in these thoughts, he suddenly hears the heavenly voice of the Qur’an saying: “Indeed there is, a beautiful and easy way which contains five profits within itself.” What is that way? To sell the trust received back to its true owner. Such a sale yields profit fivefold. The First Profit: Transient property becomes everlasting. For this waning life, when given to the Eternal and Self-Subsistent Lord of Glory and spent for His sake, will be transmuted into eternity. It will yield eternal fruits. The moments of one’s life will apparently vanish and rot like kernels and seeds. But then the flowers of blessedness and auspiciousness will open and bloom in the realm of eternity, and each will also present a luminous and reassuring aspect in the Intermediate Realm. The Second Profit: The high price of Paradise is given in exchange. The Third Profit: The value of each limb and each sense is increased a thousandfold. The intelligence is, for example, like a tool. If you do not sell it to God Almighty, but rather employ it for the sake of the soul, it will become an ill-omened, noxious and debilitating tool that will burden your weak person with all the sad sorrows of the past and the terrifying fears of the future; it will descend to the rank of an inauspicious and destructive tool. It is for this reason that a sinful man will frequently resort to drunkenness or frivolous pleasure in order to escape the vexations and injuries of his intelligence. But if you sell your intelligence to its True Owner and employ it on His behalf, then the intelligence will become like the key to a talisman, unlocking the infinite treasures of compassion and the vaults of wisdom that creation contains. To take another example, the eye is one of the senses, a window through which the spirit looks out on this world. If you do not sell it to God Almighty, but rather employ it on behalf of the soul, by gazing upon a handful of transient, impermanent beauties and scenes, it will sink to the level of being a pander to lust and the concupiscent soul. But if you sell the eye to your All-Seeing Maker, and employ it on His behalf and within limits traced out by Him, then your eye will rise to the rank of a reader of the great book of being, a witness to the miracles of dominical art, a blessed bee sucking on the blossoms of mercy in the garden of this globe. Yet another example is that of the tongue and the sense of taste. If you do not sell it to your Wise Creator, but employ it instead on behalf of the soul and for the sake of the stomach, it sinks and declines to the level of a gatekeeper at the stable of the stomach, a watchman at its factory. But if you sell it to the Generous Provider, the the sense of taste contained in the tongue will rise to the rank of a skilled overseer of the treasuries of Divine compassion, a grateful inspector in the kitchens of God’s eternal power. So look well, O intelligence! See the difference between a tool of destruction and the key to all being! And look carefully, O eye! See the difference between an abominable pander and the learned overseer of the Divine library! And taste well, O tongue! See the difference between a stable doorkeeper or a factory watchman and the superintendent of the treasury of God’s mercy! Compare all other tools and limbs to these, and then you will understand that in truth the believer acquires a nature worthy of Paradise and the unbeliever a nature conforming to Hell. The reason for each of them attaining his respective value is that the believer, by virtue of his faith, uses the trust of his Creator on His behalf and within the limits traced out by Him, whereas the unbeliever betrays the trust and employs it for the sake of the instinctual soul. The Fourth Profit: Man is helpless and exposed to numerous misfortunes. He is indigent, and his needs are numerous. He is weak, and the burden of life is most heavy. If he does not rely on the Omnipotent One of Glory, place his trust in Him and confidently submit to Him, his conscience will always be troubled. Fruitless torments, pains and regrets will suffocate him and intoxicate him, or turn him into a beast. The Fifth Profit: Those who have experienced illumination and had unveiled to them the true nature of things, the elect who have witnessed the truth, are all agreed that the exalted reward for all the worship and glorification of God performed by your members and instruments will be given to you at the time of greatest need, in the form of the fruits of Paradise. If you spurn this trade with its fivefold profit, in addition to being deprived of its profit, you will suffer fivefold loss. The First Loss: The property and offspring to which you are so attached, the soul and its caprice that you worship, the youth and life with which you are infatuated, all will vanish and be lost; your hands will be empty. But they will leave behind them sin and pain, fastened on your neck like a yoke. The Second Loss: You will suffer the penalty for betrayal of trust. For you will have wronged your own self by using the most precious tools on the most worthless objects. The Third Loss: By casting down all the precious faculties of man to a level much inferior to the animals, you will have insulted and transgressed against God’s wisdom. The Fourth Loss: In your weakness and poverty, you will have placed the heavy burden of life on your weak shoulders, and will constantly groan and lament beneath the blows of transience and separation. The Fifth Loss: You will have clothed in an ugly form, fit to open the gates of Hell in front of you, the fair gifts of the Compassionate One such as the intelligence, the heart, the eye and the tongue, given to you to make preparation for the foundations of everlasting life and eternal happiness in the hereafter. Now is it so difficult to sell the trust? Is it so burdensome that many people shun the transaction? By no means! It is not in the least burdensome. For the limits of the permissible are broad, and are quite adequate for man’s desire; there is no need to trespass on the forbidden. The duties imposed by God are light and few in number. To be the slave and soldier of God is an indescribably pleasurable honour. One’s duty is simply to act and embark on all things in God’s name, like a soldier; to take and to give on God’s behalf; to move and be still in accordance with His permission and law. If one falls short, then one should seek His forgiveness, say: “O Lord! Forgive our faults, and accept us as Your slaves. Make us sure holders of Your trust until the time comes when it is taken from us. Amen!”, and make petition unto Him. By Shaykh Badiuzzaman saeed Nursi (Risala-i Nur Collection, The sixth word)

Bismillah. Intention (Niyyah)- A detailed commentary by Imam Nawawi Hadith on Intention: From the Amir al-Muminin Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, radiya'llahu 'anhu, that he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, 'Actions are only by intentions, and every man has only that which he intended. Whoever's emigration is for Allah and His Messenger then his emigration is for Allah and His Messenger. Whoever's emigration is for some worldly gain which he can acquire or a woman he will marry then his emigration is for that for which he emigrated'." The two Imams of the hadith scholars (Imams Bukhari and Muslim) narrated it. Commentary by Imam Nawawi (RA): The hadith indicates that intention is the measure for rendering actions true, so that where intention is sound action is sound, and where it is corrupt then action is corrupt. Wherever there is action accompanied by intention, then there are three states: First, that one does it out of fear of Allah ta'ala, and this is the worship of slaves. Second, that one does it seeking the Garden and reward, and this is the worship of traders. Third, that one does it out of modesty and shame before Allah ta'ala, discharging the right of service and discharging [the duty of] gratitude, seeing oneself along with that falling short, and along with that one's heart is fearful because one does not know whether one's action is accepted or not. This is the worship of free people, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, indicated it when 'A'ishah, radiya'llahu 'anha, said to him, when he stood at night until his two feet swoll, "Messenger of Allah, why do you impose this upon yourself whilst Allah has forgiven you your earlier errors and any later ones? " He said, "Shall I not be a grateful slave?" To worship with Hope or Fear? If it is said, "Is it better to worship with fear or with hope?" It must be said, "Al-Ghazali said, may Allah show mercy to him, 'Worship with hope is better because hope causes love and fear causes despair'." There are three divisions with respect to those who are sincere: You must know that sincerity is exposed to the defect of conceit and whoever is conceited about his action then his action is invalid, as it is invalid if he is arrogantly proud. The second state is that one does that seeking both the world and the next life. One of the people of knowledge took the position that [in that case] his action is rejected and he sought a proof of that from his words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the Lordly hadith (hadith qudsi), "Allah exalted is He says, 'I am the most independent of partners, so whoever does an action in which he makes other than Me a partner, then I am free of it'." This was the position that al-Harith al-Muhasibi took in the book ar-Ri'ayah. He said, "Sincerity is that you intend Him by obedience to Him and that you do not intend any other than Him." Showing off is of two types: one of the two is that one does not intend by obedience to Him anything but people. The second is that one intends people and the Lord of people, and both of these invalidate action. The Hafidh Abu Nu'aim transmitted this statement from some of the first communities in al-Hilyah. One of them took a proof of that from His words ta'ala, "The Compeller, the Supremely Great. Glory be to Allah above all they associate with Him." For just as He is too great to have a wife and child and a partner, He is too great to accept an action in which other than Him is made a partner. He, exalted is He, is Greater and Great and Supremely Great. As-Samarqandi said, may Allah show mercy to him, "Whatever is done for the sake of Allah is accepted, and whatever is done for the sake of people is rejected." An example of that is whoever prays Dhuhr, for example, and intends by it to discharge the duty of what Allah has made obligatory upon him, but he lengthens its parts and its recitation and makes its organisation beautiful for the sake of people; the basic part of the prayer is acceptable, but its length and its beautification for the sake of people are unacceptable because he intends people by them. Shaykh 'Izzu'd-Din ibn 'Abd as-Salam was asked about one who prays and lengthens his prayer because of people, and he said, "I hope that his action will not be invalid." All of this is in the case where the association of partners occurs in attributes of the action. However, if it happens in the source of the action so that one prays the obligatory prayer for the sake of Allah, exalted is He, and for the sake of people, then one's prayer is not acceptable because of the association of partners in the very source of the action. Riya in the abandonment of an action: Just as showing off can be in an action, it can be in the abandonment of an action. Al-Fudail ibn 'Iyad said, "Leaving an action because of people is showing off, and doing an action because of people is asssociating a partner with Allah, and sincerity is that Allah should protect one from both of them." The meaning of what he said, may Allah show mercy to him, is that whoever resolves on an act of worship and leaves it for fear that people may see it, then it is a form of showing off since he gave up an action because of people. However, if he gave it up in order to pray it in solitude this is recommended and desirable unless it is an obligatory prayer or an obligatory Zakat, or he is a man of knowledge upon whom people model themselves, for being open about an act of worship in these cases is better. Publicising one's good deeds: Just as showing off invalidates action, so does seeking a good report, which is that one does an act for Allah in solitude and then later tells people what one did. He said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Whoever makes others hear [of his actions] Allah will make others hear of him, and whoever makes a show [of his actions] Allah will make a show of him." The people of knowledge say that if he is a man of knowledge upon whom people model themselves and he mentions it in order to encourage the listeners to action so that they might act in accordance with it, then there is no harm in it. Al-Mirzabani said, may Allah show mercy to him, "The one who prays needs four qualities so that his prayer will be raised up [to Allah]: presence of the heart, witnessing of the intellect,Ýstillness in the basic elements and submission of the limbs. Whoever prays without the presence of heart then he is distracted, whoever prays without the witnessing of the intellect is forgetful, whoever prays without humility of the limbs is mistaken, whoever prays without stillness in the basic elements is uncouth, and whoever prays with all these elements has fulfilled the prayer." Explanation of "Actions are only by intentions": By his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Actions are only by intentions" he meant acts of obedience aside from acts which are permissible. Al-Harith al-Muhasibi said, "Sincerity is not relevant for permitted actions because they are not acts of drawing near [to Allah] nor do they lead to drawing near, for example raising up buildings for no [higher] purpose, rather for the purpose of frivolity. However, if it is for a purpose such as mosques, aqueducts and ribats then they are desirable and recommended [acts and not merely permissible]." He said, "There is no sincerity in an act which is forbidden nor in something frowned upon, such as someone who looks at that which is not permitted for him to look at, claiming that he looks at it in order to reflect upon the workmanship of Allah ta'ala, for example, one who looks at a beardless youth. There is no sincerity in this, indeed there is no act of drawing near [to Allah] in it at all." He said, "Truthfulness in the attribute of the slave is in the matching of the secret and the public, the outward and the inward. Truthfulness is realised by realising all of the stations and states, so much so that sincerity needs truthfulness, and truthfulness does not need anything, since the reality of sincerity is intending Allah by the act of worship. One may intend Allah by the prayer but be neglectful of the presence of the heart in it. Truthfulness is intending Allah, exalted is He, by the act of worship along with the presence of the heart with Him. Every true one is sincere, but not every sincere one is true. That is the meaning of 'union and separation', since he has separated from other than Allah and united with the presence by Allah. It is the meaning of isolation from what is other than Allah and adornment with the presence before Allah glorious is He and exalted." His saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Actions are only by intentions" carries the possibilities of "the soundness of actions are only " or "the rendering of actions sound" or "the acceptance of actions" or "the perfection of actions". This was what Imam Abu Hanifah took, may Allah be merciful to him. One excludes from actions those of the category of removal, such as removing dirt, returning property obtained through extortion and loans, conveying a present, etc., for the soundness of these actions does not depend upon the intention having been made authentic, rather the reward for them depends upon having intended them as acts of drawing near. For example, one who feeds his animal, if he does so in obedience to the command of Allah ta'ala, he will be rewarded, but if he intends by it preservation of his wealth then there is no reward for that, as al-Qarafi said. The exception to that case is the horse of a man fighting jihad, for when he ties it up in the way of Allah, if it drinks and he did not intend to give it water he will be rewarded for that, as is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari, and similarly for one's wife. Also locking the door and extinguishing the lamp upon going to sleep, if one intends by them obedience to the command of Allah one is rewarded, and if one intends some other thing, then one will not. You must know that 'intention' is a word for 'purpose'. It is said, "May Allah intend good for you," i.e. "May He purpose it for you." Intention in the shari'ah is to purpose a thing coupled with the doing of it. If one purposes it and then does it later it is 'resolve'. Intention is made a part of the shari'ah in order to distinguish customary actions from acts of worship, or to distinguish one act of worship from another. An example of the former is sitting in the mosque, which is customarily intended for rest but it could also be meant as worship if the intention is for 'itikaf. That which distinguishes custom from worship is intention. Similarly one customarily intends by a complete washing of the body to clean the body, but also the intention can be as an act of worship (i.e. ghusl). That which distinguishes between these two cases is the intention, which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, indicated when he was asked about the man who fought in order to show off, the man who fought defensively and the man who fought courageously, as to which of them is fighting in the way of Allah ta'ala? He said, "Whoever fights so that the word of Allah should be the uppermost then he is in the way of Allah ta'ala." An example of the latter, which is distinguishing between the different degrees of worship, is one who prays four raka'at by which he could intend the midday prayer or sunnah prayers, and that which distinguishes these two is the intention. Similarly, freeing a slave can be intended as an expiation for a wrong action and for other purposes such as [expiation of] vows [which have been broken] etc., and here that which distinguishes them is the intention. Respecting his words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "There is only for each man that which he intends", there is an indication that it is not permitted to deputise for someone else in acts of worship nor appoint someone as an agent from the same intention. The exceptions in this case are distribution of Zakat and sacrifice of an 'Eid animal, for appointing someone as an agent is permissible in both these cases in the intention, and to slaughter [an animal for 'Eid] and to distribute [the Zakat] along with the capability to make the intention. In the Hajj it is not permitted [to appoint one to go in one's place] along with having the capability [of doing it oneself]. Paying a debt; as for when it is for one purpose it does not need an intention. But if it is for two purposes such as someone who owes two thousands, one of which is for something he has pawned, and he pays a thousand and says "I have paid it for the pawned item," then he is right. If he did not intend anything at the time he paid he may form and declare the intention after that and make it for whatever he wishes (i.e. to pay for the pawned item or just as a payment for his debt. It assumes that both debts are to the same person.) There is no other intention which we can delay until after the action and yet it remains sound except here. Taken with thanks from "The Complete Forty Hadith" translated from Imam an-Nawawi's al-Arba'un an-Nawawiyyah wa sharhuha by Abdassamad Clarke

Bismillah. Five great ways to break evil habits Bad habits are among the worst enemies of living a successful and purposeful life. Why? Because habit is something we do over and over again. While we do other kinds of mistakes occasionally, bad habit is something we do consistently over time. If even one mistake can drag your life down, you can imagine what kind of damage bad habits can do. To make matters worse, often we don’t realize that we have bad habits. We think that we just live our life as usual while we are actually making mistakes again and again. It’s like having leaks in our ship without realizing it. So breaking bad habits should be among your top priorities to get the most out of your life. If you do it right, and you are on your way to make significant improvements in your life. The first step to breaking the bad habits is to identify them. Only after identifying them can you decide to do something about them. Here are two tips for identifying the bad habits you might have: Compare your life with your value system Do you live according to your value system (Quran, Sunnah and Shariah)? Or do you deviate from it here and there? Your value system acts like a compass that guides your life. When you do things that are not according to your life compass, you know that you have a problem. So look for things you consistently do that deviate from your value system. Those are your bad habits. As Muslims, our value system is the Shariah. Any action/s which are contrary to that of the Shariah is evil and Haraam. One should protect oneself from doing acts which go against the dictates of the Shariah and Islam. Compare your life with a role model Sometimes it’s easier to compare your life with someone else’s life than to compare it with an abstract value system. So find people whose life you want to emulate and find the details of how they live their life. Is there anything they don’t do that you consistently do? For instance, perhaps they are never late. You, on the other hand, are perpetually late. That’s a bad habit you should stop. Here are five tips to stop bad habits: 1. Quit feeding the bad habit: There are two “wolves” inside us that fight each other. One wolf represents good habits while the other represents bad habits. Which wolf will win the fight? The answer is the one you feed. So breaking bad habit is actually simple: just stop feeding it. Leave the bad habit starve and you are on your way to get it away from your life. 2. Replace it with a good habit: Quit feeding the bad habit is essential but it’s not enough. You must also replace it with a good habit. Otherwise there is an empty space in your life where the bad habit could go back to anytime. So develop a good habit to replace the bad habit. For instance, if you have the habit of thinking negative thoughts, you should replace it with the habit of thinking positive thoughts. Whenever negative thoughts come, use it as a trigger to start thinking positive thoughts. Or if you have the habit of eating unhealthy food, you can start developing the habit of eating healthy food. Just don’t leave the space empty. 3. Press past the initial pain and discomfort: When breaking a bad habit, the beginning of the process is the most difficult. Just like getting a space shuttle lifted off the Earth takes enormous amount of power, it also takes enormous amount of willpower to break a bad habit. And just like moving a space shuttle that has escaped the Earth’s gravitational pull takes little energy, it also takes only little amount of willpower to continue doing your new habit. The initial phase is the most difficult, but it will become easier and easier over time. So whenever you think that it’s too difficult to stay on course, just remember that it won’t be so for long. You just have to keep moving forward. 4. Make “no exceptions” policy: Once you decide to break a bad habit, stick with your decision. Make no exceptions to come back to it for whatever reason. I know it’s not easy (at least for me), but this step is essential if you want the process to get easier over time. Making exceptions is like taking a space shuttle back to Earth; you need another enormous amount of power to lift it off again. So be careful not to make exceptions when you are dealing with bad habits. Never become despondent and lose hope, with determination and courage, we can all reach great heights. 5. Most important of all -lots of dua'a (supplication): Do Dua at the begining, all along and till the end - asking Allah Almighty for help and courage to quit all the bad habits and for isteqamah (constancy) to prevent a relapse. There are many sunnah Duas for protection against many general and specific bad habits and evil traits of behaviour. Memorising them and reciting them every day really helps.

Bismillah. How to achieve Barakah (Blessings of Allah) in your life? 20 sources of Barakah! If we were to look for an Islamic definition of Productivity, it can probably be summarised in the word “barakah” ('barkat' in urdu) or Blessing. Being able to achieve more with few resources, doing much in little time, and generating a lot with little effort is surely a blessing from Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’ala). Yet Barakah has somehow become a lost treasure these days; everyone’s looking for it, but no one seems to find it! You always hear people complaining that there’s no barakah in their time, no barakah in their sleep, no barakah in their money and the rest of it. In this article, we’ll solve this mystery inshaAllah: we’ll find out what Barakah is and where you can find it! What is Barakah? A Well-known daee explains it as follows: والبركة: هي ثبوت الخير الإلهي في الشيء؛ فإنها إذا حلت في قليل كثرته، وإذا حلت في كثير نفع، ومن أعظم ثمار البركة في الأمور كلها إستعمالها في طاعة الله عز وجل. “Barakah is the attachment of Divine goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits. And the greatest fruits of Barakah in all things is to use that barakah in the obedience of Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’ala)” Sources of Barakah I’m a firm believer that Barakah is not a lost treasure, rather, it’s right in front of our eyes! This treasure is only available and ready to be handed over to the one who works for it. Below, I list some of the sources of Barakah. It’s not an exhaustive list, therefore, I do hope you can contribute to it with your comments inshaAllah so we can all share and extend our understanding of this great treasure at ProductiveMuslim.com! 1. Good Intentions If you want something to have barakah attached to it, have good intentions for it. More specifically, make sure that deed is intended for the sake of Allah (Subahanahu Wa Ta’ala). Looking again at the definition of Barakah, you may guess that without us intending what we have or do for the Sake of Allah, the “Divine goodness” won’t be found in our deeds. 2. Taqwa (Piety) and Belief in Allah Allah says in the Quran: “If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (All kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth…”(Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 96). And He says in the Quran: “And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out. And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine” (Surah Al-Talaq, Verses 2-3). Disobeying Allah and committing sins bring Allah's anger upon the sinner and remove any goodness and Barakah from one's life. 3. Putting your trust in Allah Allah says in the Quran: “And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose. Verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion” (Surah Al-Talaq, verses 3) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “If only you relied on Allah a true reliance, He would provide sustenance for you just as He does the birds: They fly out in the morning empty and return in the afternoon with full stomachs. (Ahmad, An-Nasa’I, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim and At-Tirmidhi) 4. Reading Quran This is the fountain of Barakah! But subhanaAllah, we rarely drink from it! Allah says in the Quran: “And this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing blessings, and confirming (the revelations) which came before it…” (Surah Al-An’am, Verse 92). So read the Quran, and observe the blessings and barakah of Allah enter your life. The further we are from this Book of Guidance, the less barakah we will have in our lives. 5. Saying Bismillah When you say “Bismillah” before anything you do, you’re invoking the Name of Allah on that activity; not only will that activity be blessed but shaytaan cannot take part in it! So always say “Bismillah” before anything you do! SubhanaAllah, it’s easy for us to forget to say “Bismillah”. Sometimes we’re so used to saying it that we cannot remember whether we said it or not! Try to be conscious of saying “Bismillah” and understand what you’re saying before your action is performed. 6. Abundant remembrance of Allah (Dhikrullah) Dhikrullah helps to draw Allah's attention and, along with it, his blessings towards oneself. Abu Hurayra (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, "Allah Almighty says, 'I am in My slave's opinion of Me and I am with Him when He remembers Me. When he remembers Me in himself, I mention him in Myself. If he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in a better assembly than them.' If he comes near Me by a handspan, I come near him a cubit. If he comes near Me by a cubit, I come near a fathom. When he comes to walking, I come to him running." (Muslim and al-Bukhari) 7. Honesty in Trade This is for all of the business people out there (include ebayers!). We shouldn’t assume lying and deceiving people will make our trade profitable. On the contrary, it will remove the blessing from your trade. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:“The buyer and the seller have the option of canceling or confirming the bargain unless they separate, and if they spoke the truth and made clear the defects of the goods, then they would be blessed in their bargain, and if they told lies and hid some facts, their bargain would be deprived of Allah’s blessings”.( Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 34, Number 293) Yes, it’s difficult to be honest when you’re trying to sell something, but trust me it’s worth it. 8. Dua Ask Allah for barakah! If you take note of some of the Duas of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) you’ll notice that the Prophet used to make dua for barakah. We always say: “May Allah bless you!” Well, guess what? That’s a source of barakah! Also, when you’re invited to someone’s house, Prophet Muhammad advised us to make the following dua for the host: “O Allah, bless for them, that which You have provided them, forgive them and have mercy upon them.” 9. Halal Income/money Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “O people, Allah is good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good” (Scholars say this refers to Halal income and the importance of it). A scholar also said of the one who eats Haram, that his limbs will disobey Allah whether he likes it or not, and that the one who eats Halal and seeks Halal income, his limbs will also do good and will be given the permission to seek goodness. This concept of your limbs being ‘blessed’ and enabled to do good is truly a blessing and a barakah we should all seek. It reminds me of a story of an old man who jumped a large distance that the young men were unable to jump. When the young men asked the old man how he did it, he replied: “These are our limbs: we protected them from committing sins when we were young, so Allah preserved them for us when we got old”. 10. Following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad in everything I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the most Productive Man in the history of humanity is our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Therefore, by simply following his lifestyle and the acts of Sunnah we so often hear about, we obtain a great source of Barakah! Some of these Sunnahs include: eating Suhoor, eating with the right hand from the side of the plate, going out for Eid Salah, licking your fingers after finishing your meal, sleeping on your right hand side, using the siwaak, and many more. Look out for these Sunnahs and follow them, for imitating the life of the most blessed man on earth is surely a source of blessing! 11. Praying Istikhara Praying istikhara in all matters and then leaving the outcome to Allah as well as accepting His Decree is a great source of barakah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us this beautiful dua which helps us make decisions and not regret the choices we make in the following hadeeth: On the authority of Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah he said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Qur’an. He (peace be upon him) would say: ‘If any of you intends to undertake a matter then let him pray two supererogatory units (two rak’ah optional nafil) of prayer and after which he should supplicate: ‘O Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.” One who seeks guidance from his Creator and consults his fellow believers and then remains firm in his resolve does not regret for Allah has said: ‘…and consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah…” [Quran 3: 159] 12. Giving thanks to Allah in abundance Allah says in the Quran: “If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you”. A scholar once told me that if one looks into this verse, the Arabic word that is used to confirm that Allah Wills favours unto the person who thanks Him is actually in the form of an Oath – “La azidannakum”. So Allah is promising the person who thanks Him an increase in goodness and blessings, and Allah never breaks His promises. 13. Charity In a Hadeeth Qudsi, Allah says: “O son of Adam, spend (in charity), and I’ll spend on you!” Whenever you are broke, or you feel barakah is zapped out of your life and urgently need it to return, the quickest of way of gaining barakah in your life can be through giving charity. For example, let’s say barakah was removed from your life due to a sin you committed; charity cleanses your sins, adds good deeds and is a source of barakah. I cannot describe the instantaneous gratification of giving charity and the barakah that follows it. Try it NOW! 14. Tying and maintaining your ties of kinship (Family relations) Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Allah created His creation, and when He had finished it, the womb, got up and caught hold of Allah whereupon Allah said, “What is the matter?’ On that, it said, “I seek refuge with you from those who sever the ties of Kith and kin.” On that Allah said, “Will you be satisfied if I bestow My favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severs your ties?” On that it said, “Yes, O my Lord!” Then Allah said, “That is for you.” Abu Huraira added: “If you wish, you can recite: ‘Would you then if you were given the authority do mischief in the land and sever your ties of kinship?” (Bukhari, Volume 6. Book 60. Number 354) 15. Waking up early Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Allah made the early hours blessed for my Ummah.”(Ahmed) Such gems of productivity are the sources of blessings which we should seek to make our life productive. Waking up early is such an important step to being blessed and feeling good throughout your day. Try to wake up for Tahajjud, and then work during the hours before Fajr Salah. If you cannot, then at least wake up for Fajr and stay up till sunrise before you return to sleep. Those hours are filled with Barakah. If you’re able to go to work in those hours, do so, you’ll get much more work done than the whole day put together! 16. Marriage Allah says in the Quran: “Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasseth all, and He Knoweth all things.” (Quran 24:32) Speaking of marriage, I highly recommend the following training course to anyone seriously thinking of getting married: www.Practimate.com. 17. Salah Allah says in the Quran: “Enjoin prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not to provide sustenance: We provide it for thee. But the (fruit of) the Hereafter is for righteousness”. To illustrate the point of Salah further, just imagine your life without this great act of ibadah. Where would Barakah come from? For those of you who are still wavering in your Salah, please get back on track; this is your lifeline for the final destination in the hereafter, and the daily food for your soul. 18. Asking Allah for forgiveness The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If anyone continually asks forgiveness from Allah, Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress, and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide for him from where he did not reckon.” 19. Attending the gatherings of dhikr (Remembrance of Allah) The gatherings of Dhikr attract the Angels who encircle these gatherings and also cause Allah's blessings to descend upon them. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah said, "Allah Almighty has angels who travel the highways and by-ways seeking out the people of dhikr. When they find people remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, they call out to one another, 'Come to what you hunger for!' and they enfold them with their wings stretching up to the lowest heaven. Their Lord - who knows them better - asks them, 'What are My slaves saying?' They say, 'They are glorifying You, proclaiming Your greatness, praising You and magnifying You.' He says, 'Have they seen Me?' They say, 'No, by Allah, they have not seen You.' He says, 'How would it be if they were to see Me?' [extra 'He said's deleted] They say, 'If they were to see You, they would worship You even more intensely and magnify You even more intensely and glorify You even more intensely.' He says, 'What are they asking Me for?'They say, 'They are asking You for the Garden.' He says, 'Have they seen it?' They say, 'No, by Allah, they have not seen it.'" He says, 'How would it be if they were to see it?' They say, 'If they were to see it, they would yearn for it even more strongly and seek it even more assiduously and would have an even greater desire for it.' He says, 'What are they seeking refuge from?' 'They are seeking refuge from the Fire.' He says, 'Have they seen it?' He says, 'How would it be if they were to see it?' They say, 'If they were to see it, they would flee from it even harder and have an even greater fear of it.' He says, 'I testify to you that I have forgiven them.' One of angels says, 'Among them is so-and-so who is not one of them. He came to get something he needed.' He says, 'They are sitting and the one sitting with them will not be wretched.'" (al-Bukhari) 20. Eating with People (sharing what Allah has given) Anyone who has had the experience of inviting guests to his/her house will know this one. No matter how little you think the food you’re presenting to your guest is, it’s always more than enough! (Note: this is not an excuse to be miserly when you invite guests over; in fact we should follow the Sunnah of our Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) whom when visited by the angels prepared a large meal for them). What I’m referring to here is the blessing that occurs when eating together, confirmed in the hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said: “Eat together, for blessing is in Jamma’a (congregation or being together)…” and in another hadeeth:“Whoever has food enough for two persons, should take a third one, and whoever has food enough for four persons, should take a fifth or a sixth (or said something similar).” (Bukhari, Volume 4. Book 56. Number 781) I hope this covers most of the sources of Barakah, but as I said before, this is not an exhaustive list. Please add your sources and recommend more tips for us to share!

Bismillah. Nothing relieves the heart and makes one happy more than thinking well of others. It protects one from the harm of worrisome thoughts that disturb his peace of mind and exhaust the body. Thinking well of others leads to a sound heart, strengthens the ties of cordiality and love among the individuals of a community, and frees the hearts from hatred and rancor. Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, said: “Beware of assumptions, for assumption is the falsest of speech, and do not be inquisitive, and do not spy upon one another, and do not vie with one another, and do not envy one another, and do not hate one another, and do not shun one another; be fellow-brothers and slaves of Allah.” (Al-Bukhari: Book 8 Vol. 73 Hadith 92) If only the members of the Muslim community would adhere to this sublime behavior, their enemies would never dare to attack them and their famous policy of “divide and rule” will never succeed because the hearts are united and the souls are pure. Supplication There are certainly many ways that a Muslim can think well of others, supplicating to Allah is one of them; the gate to every goodness. The Prophet, peace be upon him, would ask his Lord to grant him a sound heart. In the Place of Others If each one of us puts himself in the place of his brother when the latter does or says something, this will help him think well of others. Allah directs His slaves to this meaning: “Why, when you heard it [the falsehood against `Aa'ishah may Allah be pleased with her], did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another?”[An-Nur, 24:12] In another verse God makes the believers feel as if they are one single entity, to the extent that when one of them meets his brother and greets him, it is as if he is greeting himself: “But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon yourselves - a greeting from Allah.” [An-Nur, 24:61] Interpreting the Words of Others in the Best Way PossibleInterpreting the words of others in the best possible way was the habit of the righteous predecessors. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Do not think ill of a word that your believing brother utters as long as it can be interpreted in a good way.” Thinking well of others is true brotherhood, even in things that cannot be interpreted in a good way. Imam Ash-Shafi`i, may Allah have mercy upon him, was ill once, and some of his brothers came to visit him; one of them said: “May Allah strengthen your weakness [He intended to supplicate to Allah in order to eliminate his weakness].” Ash-Shaafi‘i said: “If Allah strengthens my weakness, it would kill me!” The man said: “By Allah, I intended nothing but goodness.” Ash-Shaafi‘i replied: “Even if you insulted me, I know that you sought goodness.” Thinking well of others is true brotherhood, even in things that cannot be interpreted in a good way. Making Excuses for Others When anyone says or does something that annoys or grieves one, he should try to find excuses for him and recall the status of the righteous who used to think well of their fellows and make excuses for them. They would say: “You should make seventy excuses for your brother.” Ibn Serene, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “ If you come to know that a brother has harmed you with either a word or a deed, you should make an excuse for him; if you did not find one, you should say: ‘There may be an excuse that I do not know of.’” When you exert your utmost to make excuses for the words and deeds of others, you will save yourself the trouble of assuming and you will avoid blaming your fellows excessively. Abstaining from Judging the Intentions of Others Abstaining from judging the intentions of others is one of the greatest causes that help one think well of others. One leaves the intentions to the only One who knows them: Allah for He did not command us to check each others' hearts and intentions, and thus we have to avoid harboring ill-thoughts about others. Recalling the Harmful Consequences of Evil Assumptions The one who thinks ill of others lives in endless trouble and grief, to say nothing of the fact that he loses all those who socialize with him, even the closest people to him. It is natural that people make mistakes, even unintentionally. Accusing others along with thinking well of oneself is one of the evil consequences of thinking ill of others. This is one way a person may be guilty of ascribing purity to oneself that Allah forbade in His Book: “So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.” [An-Najm, 53:32] In another verse, Allah criticizes the Jews when they ascribed purity to themselves:“Have you not seen those who claim themselves to be pure? Rather, Allah purifies whom He wills, and injustice is not done to them, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed].” [An-Nisa’, 4:49] Thinking well of others requires extensive training and striving against one’s self, particularly because the devil is inseparable from man like the blood that runs through his body. He never stops his attempts to sow dissension within the Muslims and stir up disputes among them. Thinking well of others is one of the greatest means to block this way before the devil. We ask Allah to grant us sound hearts and Help us to think well of our brothers and sisters.

Bismillah. How often is it that we severe the bonds of brotherhood – that Allaah has given us out of His mercy – out of selfish and un-Islaamic reasons? Know what is due upon you – O servant of Allaah – in terms reconciling with your brother! Thus Allaah and His Messenger (sallAllaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) ordered that the rights of the Believers be fulfilled by each other, and that those matters which will bring about harmony, love and togetherness be carried out. Allaah – the One free from all imperfections – said: “So have taqwaa (fear and obedience) of Allaah and reconcile the differences between yourselves.” [sooratul-Anfaal 8:1] “Indeed the Believers are but brothers. Therefore reconcile the differences between your brothers, and fear Allaah so that you may receive mercy.” [sooratul-Hujuraat 49:10] Imaam ’Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Naasir as-Sa’dee (d.1376H) – rahimahullaah – said: “So this is a knot which Allaah has bound the Believers together with, such that whenever a person is found possessing eemaan (faith) in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the last Day – whether in the eastern or western part of the world – then such a person becomes the brother of the Believers. This brotherhood obligates that the Believers should love for that person that which they love for themselves, and hate for that person that which they hate for themselves. Therefore, the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said – whilst ordering the brotherhood of eemaan (faith): “Do not envy one another. Do not inflate prices upon one another. Do not hate one another. Do not forsake one another. Do not under-cut one another. But be worshippers of Allaah and brothers. The Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he neither oppresses him, nor humiliates him, nor lies to him, nor holds him in contempt. And piety is right here – and he pointed to his chest three times. It is enough evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another Muslim is sacred; his blood, his property and his honour.” [1] And he (sallAllaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “The Believer to the Believer is like a solid structure, one part supporting the other.” And he interlaced his fingers to demonstrate this. [2] Thus Allaah and His Messenger (sallAllaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) ordered that the rights of the Believers be fulfilled by each other, and that those matters which will bring about harmony, love and togetherness be carried out. All of this is to be done in order to further the rights that they have over one another. So from such rights is that when fighting occurs between them – thereby causing their hearts to separate and to have hatred and to cut-off from each other – then the Believers should bring about reconciliation between their brothers and do that which will remove the enmity. Then Allaah ordered taqwaa in general and made the bestowal of His Mercy the consequence of their having taqwaa and their fulfilling the rights of the Believers. So He said: “And have taqwaa of Allaah in order that you may receive mercy.” Thus, if Allaah’s Mercy is attained, then the good of this world and the Hereafter will also be attained.” [3] ’Aa‘ishah (radiyAllaahu ’anhaa) used to say: that when people abandoned acting upon this aayah (verse): “When two parties of the Believers fight each other, then make reconciliation between them.” [sooratul-Huiuraat 49:9]. So when the Muslims began fighting each other, it was obligatory to reconcile them, as Allaah – the Most High – ordered. However, when they did not do this, then fitnah (trials and tribulations) spread, as did ignorance, and this is what caused the differences to continue. [4] Allaah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “Shall I not inform you of something that is greater in degree than (optional) fasting, charity and Prayer?” They said: Indeed inform us. So he said: “It is reconciling the people. For indeed causing corruption between them is the shaver!” [5] And he (sallAllaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) explained this shaving in another saying: “The disease of the people before you has overcome you: namely envy and hatred, and it is the shaver. I do not say that it shaves off the hair. Rather, it shaves-off the Religion.” [6] Footnotes: [1] Related by Muslim (no.2564), from Aboo Hurayrah (radiyallaahu ’anhu). [2] Related by al-Bukhaaree (no. 481) and Muslim (no. 2585), from Aboo Hurayrah (radiyallaahu ’anhu). [3] Tayseerul-Kareemir-Rahmaan (7/133-134) of Imaam as-Sa’dee. [4] Related by Ibn Abil-’Izz in Sharhul-’Aqeedatit-Tahaawiyyah (2/777). Imaam al-Bayhaqee related something similar to this in his Sunanul-Kubraa (8/172). [5] Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2640) and Aboo Daawood (no. 4919), from Abud-Dardaa‘ (radiyallaahu ’anhu). It was authenticated by al-Albaanee in Ghaayatul-Maraam (no. 414). [6] Hasan: Related by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2641), from az-Zubayr Ibnul ’Awwaam (radiyallaahu ’anhu). It was authenticated al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunanut-Tirmidhee (no. 2038).

Bismillah. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (swt) probably hates me. I am so bad; I always mess up. I don’t deserve any good from Allah (swt), and as punishment, I probably will not be given success in my other endeavors.” How many people have felt this way at some point? Sometimes, our sins weigh heavily on us. We recognize our mistakes but instead of turning back to Allah (swt), we turn away. We feel that we must be so bad that even the All-Merciful will reject us. Other times, we do not see the fruits of our perseverance and believe that we will not be given what we have worked so hard for. Perhaps we do not even begin an endeavor, thinking there is no use. Unfortunately, when we do this, we attribute human qualities to Allah (swt). We act as if Allah (swt) has some grudge against us that will heal as soon as He punishes us or rejects one of our requests. We act as though Allah (swt) is just waiting for us to slip up and say “Ha! Caught you!” We assume that we have to “deserve” the mercy of Allah by being almost perfect. This sounds absurd when articulated, but our actions unfortunately indicate that we believe otherwise. What does this thought process actually tell us about ourselves? It tells us that we did not really have hope in Him to begin with. Rather, our hope was in what we believed to be our own good deeds or abilities. Once we slip up or feel that we do not have the strength to continue, we do not think well enough of Allah (swt) to believe that He will guide us through. We must understand that when we think well of Allah, that is what we will find. Think well of Allah (swt) when embarking on something difficult, even if you fail When the most beloved person to Allah (swt), the Prophet ﷺ, was thinking of migrating to Madina, he started talking to all of the different tribes that came for Hajj in the hopes that one of them would accept Islam or at least offer the believers protection. He spoke to twenty-six different tribes and was rejected by all of them. Some of the tribes even cursed and mocked him. Let’s stop here. He made da`wah (calling to Islam) to twenty-six tribes. Can you imagine the feeling of being rejected by five? What would happen after ten rejected you? How low would your morale be? When would you have given up? Finally, he ﷺ met a few youth from Madina who believed in his message. He did not despair because he had a good opinion of Allah (swt), which motivated him; he knew Allah would not leave him ﷺ. Many people give up in the face of something seemingly impossible. Sometimes, we give up on an individual level: getting married, getting that job we want; sometimes it is on a global level, such as injustice in the Muslim world. But as we read in Sr. Yasmin’s amazing article, the point of the struggle is to realize who is in charge. It is Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has told us that He is as His servant’s think of Him. If we think well, then that is what we will find. If we do not, then that is what we will find. Your opinion should be that Allah (swt) is so Merciful that He will come to your aid. What happens when we are faced with failure? When one does not get something, even if their intention was for the sake of Allah (swt), they should not feel disheartened. You have a good opinion of Allah (swt); “failure” is just a minor setback. You need to be tested to strengthen your resolve. If you do not get that amazing job you want, know that Allah (swt) has saved something better for you. Only He knows what is best for you. Think well of Allah when you sin What about when we constantly slip-up and cannot leave a certain sin? For some of us, this makes us give up on ourselves; we believe we don’t deserve any good from Allah. We have to remember that Allah (swt) is al-Wadud (the Most Loving). His Mercy overcomes His blame. It is not about deserving. If you thank Allah, He gives you more. It is not because we deserve more, it is because Allah is that Great. He is that Generous. Shaytan (the devil) makes us focus on how bad we are in order that we despair of Allah’s mercy, when the Prophet ﷺ taught us: “All the children of Adam constantly err, but the best of those who constantly err are those who constantly repent.” [Tirmidhi] The Prophet ﷺ said that “One of the signs of excellence of one’s worship is thinking well of Allah (swt).” [Ahmad] This does not mean that we should not reflect on our state. Al-Hasan al-Basri said “A true believer is one who thinks well of Allah (swt) and therefore does good, whereas the disobedient one thinks bad of Allah (swt) and therefore does bad.” If we think well of Allah, no matter how bad we are, we also have hope that we can be better and thus we strive to do good deeds. If we think badly of Allah, we assume that He will never forgive us nor can He make us better; so we continue to sin. However, we should not make a mockery of this concept and deliberately sin, thinking Allah (swt) will forgive us anyway. One of the key principles of repentance is regret. If we do not truly regret the sin, and simply ask for forgiveness to have that sin erased, we are paying lip service. Remember, “You will only get what you intend.” [bukhari] When we do wrong, let us feel guilty, but let us also flee to Allah (swt). Have a good opinion of Allah (swt). If you are sincere, He will forgive you. He is that forgiving. He is that Great. He is that Magnanimous. Even when we commit the same sin again and again and again, our good opinion of Allah (swt) should let us know that as long as we constantly strive against our nafs (lower self) and against that part of us that wants to indulge in that sin, we have already been forgiven. At the end of the day, it is shaytan who wants us to go to hell, not Allah. Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “Allah wants to accept your repentance, but those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.” (Qur’an, 4:27) Shaytan does not just want you to go to hell, but also wants to ensure you live in hell in this world. Just like he despaired, he wants you to despair. Our good opinion of Allah (swt) should never allow us to do that. Allah (swt) wants to accept your repentance, because your repenting is recognition of His Name al-Ghaffar (the One who constantly forgives). Just as the Prophet ﷺ told us that Allah (swt) is too gracious to turn away the hand that asks Him , He is also too Merciful to disappoint you and your good opinion of Him. Think well of Allah when you are tested Tests come to us in a myriad of ways. . We should just know that thinking well of Allah (swt) should make us look beyond the test. This test is something from Allah (swt), and He wants to teach us, to purify us from sin, to strengthen us, and to bring us closer to Him. We do not have a cruel God; our God is the Most Merciful of those who show Mercy. When we approach our tests with that frame of mind, we cannot but gain from our experience, insha’Allah. So what does it mean to think well of Allah? It means to take that step. When we mess up, even if we messed up in a major way, we return to Him. We return to Him recognizing that what we did was truly horrible, but we ask for His forgiveness because we know He is that forgiving, and that His Mercy encompasses everything. When we mess up again and again, and feel sick of ourselves, we return to Him with a sincere du’a (supplication) to help us stop, knowing that He will respond. It means having grand hopes and aspirations, and working towards them knowing that Allah (swt) “will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.” (Qur’an, 18:30)

Bismillah. Sometimes it feels like it’s just too much – these fluctuations in our iman, the repeated sinning, the feeling that “I just don’t deserve Allah’s mercy.” The tests always feel like punishments. There is a constant worry about the future: my marriage, my money, my career, my Ummah… And some difficulties just feel like they are too great to overcome. We know we’re not supposed to ask this, but the question at the back of our minds is, “Why me?” We have all heard that we should never despair of Allah’s Mercy. And on the surface, we try not to, but Shaytaan (the Devil) has a trick. We tend to despair of ourselves and our incapacity to change things, especially the inner turmoil that we feel. And the effect of this is basically the same as despairing of Allah’s mercy. We do not always accept that Allah can take us out of the situation we are in and we don’t need to ‘deserve’ the trouble; Allah isn’t punishing us and we don’t need to be perfect. This doesn’t mean, however, that we shouldn’t strive, or take ourselves to account when we do mess up. The key is to develop our relationship with Allah during that trouble. If we know Allah, no situation is too hopeless. No sadness is ever permanent. We perceive trials as they are meant to be perceived – as tests of our trust in Allah, forcing us to put our knowledge into practice and bringing us closer to Him. These trials could potentially be a punishment too, that is if we let it affect us negatively by completely turning away from Him because of our sadness. But our awareness of our own state and our understanding of Allah’s Mercy allows us to turn the punishment into something positive that is manifested through repentance to Allah, alongside increasing in hasanat (good deeds) in order to erase the bad deeds. The first exercise is for us to consciously realize that Allah knows. Whatever grief we go through, whatever hardship we endure, we must understand that we are never alone. Even if we feel abandoned by the world and those closest to us, Allah is there. He reminds us in the Qur’an, “Fear not. Indeed, I am with you [both]; I hear and I see.” ( 20:46) As long as we begin by recognizing that Allah is with us and He is close to us, there remains a solution to our inner worries. There are things we need to know in order to develop our relationship with Allah. Then there are things we need to do in order to maintain that closeness to Allah. And finally, there are things we need to aspire for to achieve the ideal relationship with our Lord. We pray that by the end of the series, we will all have developed a stronger relationship with Allah. Note: some of us suffer from clinical depression or similar medical conditions, and this needs to be dealt with by a professional. Working on our relationship with Allah no doubt helps, but sometimes more than a spiritual fix may be needed.

Bismillah. Everything is for God. When they turn their back to you, there is absolutely no need to turn your back to them. Simply turn towards Allah, and let Him deal with them. Never stop doing good simply because someone stopped doing good to you. Never stop being nice and cordial just because someone stopped being nice and cordial to you. Your actions, your intentions, your all is with Allah, and it’s for Allah. It’s not for anyone. So let those who turn their back to you walk from you. You were never walking to them anyways.

Bismillah. You are part of a greater plan. . Allah sends the best things when you are ready for them. Remain patient and be steadfast in the path of Allah, for surely Allah never fails to accomplish his purpose. You are part of greater plan that you do not have the vision and the knowledge to understand. You can only surrender yourself to Him, thank Him, and let Him bless your life with treasures you never could have attained on your own. His plan is the ultimate plan, and His plan is the best plan. When the time is right, His plan will manifest into your life, and all the wait will have been well worth it!

Bismillah. Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great) How many leaves are on a tree? How many billions or trillions of trees are there in the world? No-one really knows the exact number, right? "not a leaf falls, but He knows it" [surah Al An'am, Verse 59] Subhan Allah! Can our minds even comprehend the Greatness of the Creator of the heavens and the earth? Allahu Akbar! Truly Allah is Greater than EVERYTHING else.

Sometimes you have to dust yourself off, pick your head up, put a smile on and continue going on with life. God has his plans and his future for you. Don't doubt him, I'm pretty sure he knows what he is doing.

Smile and tears: Do you know sometimes tears become more special than a smile? Smile can be given to anyone, but tears are only for those people who we never want to loose.

Take the time out every day to thank Allah for the blessings in your life – not only will you be overwhelmed because you will never be able to enumerate them, but you will truly recognize Allah’s presence in your life. :)

Bismillah. Not everyone suits to be your friend Friends have a large influence on our lives. Islam has emphasized on choosing companions who are upright and noble. The Prophet (peace be upon him said), “Man is on his friend’s religion. Therefore, man should see with whom he is making friends.” (Abu Dawood, no.4815). Friendship that leads one to Allah’s disobedience is not worth it. Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi mentions in his book Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qasidin (pg. 126-132) some valuable points on this topic: Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend. You must verify that this potential friend has the neccessary characteristics that make friendship with him something to be desired. The one you seek to befriend must have five characteristics: • He must be intelligent, as there is no good in befriending an idiot, as he will only harm you when he wants to benefit you. By intelligent, we mean one who understands things as they are, either on his own, or if they are explained to him. • He must have good manners, and this is a must. One who is simply intelligent might be overcome by anger or desire, and obey his desire. Thus, there would be no benefit in befriending him. • He must not be a fasiq, the one who openly disobeys Allah, as such a person would not fear Allah, and whoever does not fear Allah cannot be trusted. • He must not be an innovator, as his over-indulgence innovation is feared from befriending him. • He should not be too eager in seeking the dunya. Which means that he is not willing to sacrifice his hereafter for it.

Evils of Music By Maulana I. Suleman Assalamu Alaikum dear respected brothers, sisters, learned scholars, friends, and colleagues. In the 20th century, as we approach its end, we have a big fuss being made over the new millennium. In England, we see the fuss in the form of a big dome. We have the fuss over the computer millenium bug. One way or the other, whether we read the papers, listen to the radio, listen to the reports by journalists on sky, the essential argument that is put forward is that the millennium will bring something bad with it and mankind has to do something to fight it otherwise we, as human beings, will be at a loss. If we look at the book, Ghost in the Machine written by Arthur Kestler, he looks at the 20th century and his main argument is that society, in the 20th century, has reached a stage as a direct result of scientific experiementations that people are at a stage that you can program them in whichever way you want. His argument is referred to as behaviourism. The scientists have discovered that if we give mankind a certain amount of training to do something, he will go that way without us doing anything. So, it is as though our minds are programmed to respond in a certain way given the right circumstances. A small example is that you can train a rat to do anything and this is the example Arthur Kestler gives in his book. You can train a rat to go and take the long route for its food. Likewise, in the modern day we have certain traps and tricks of Shaytaan to beguile mankind, not just the Muslims. Mankind is losing the identity that it acquired naturally regardless of what religion he follows. The concept of behaviourism, programming the mind to behave in a certain way is evident today in Europe and America. The young generation of Muslims growing up in western society has been programmed to ponder upon three or four issues that must be very important to him because these are the things that give him popularity, street credit, worth on the street. It revolves around these four issues. And all these four issues deal with the outside of a person. In England, 500 million pounds is spent on male cosmetics, not even women cosmetics like lipstick and nail polish, but 500 million pounds is spent only on male cosmetics. Why? Because the argument is put forward that the only reason you are going to get any worth, any status, is by the way you look. Which clothes do you wear? Which designer labels do you have in your closet? Do you wear Armani? Do you wear Ralph Lauren Polo? Do you drive a Mercedes? Your look is a trade worth 500 million pounds. So the brain has been programmed this way: You should have this product and the brain has been programmed to believe that if you dont have this product, you will have no street credit. The other issue that occurs is which political party or trend to you support. And this does not occur until you enter the doors of a university. This will give you your street credit. Are you to the right? Are you to the left? Or are you in the middle? The third issue is that what type of sport do you indulge in. This may mean the football team you support because that is going to give you street credit. That is going to make you look cool. And the fourth issue is the type of music you listen to. And this fourth issue doesnt just affect the youngsters of today, but it affects the adults, the youth, and the old-aged pensioners. It is on a global level that the damage is being done. The music industry, on a global level, is worth one billion dollars. That is the music trade. If you compare those figures to the economic figures of some third world countries, you will find on the one hand, you have one billion dollars of the music industry and on the other hand, countries like Africa, a third world country, does not even generate more than half a billion. In 1997 in England, according to figures published by the corporate intelligence in London, just the music cassettes and records and CDs were worth 1, 767,000,000 pounds. And this is only in England. And they informed us that by the year 2002, you can expect the sales to go up to 2 billion pounds. These figures tell you that the interest in music will increase day by day. The sales on Hi-fi equipment (record players, CD players, stereo systems, etc.) in 1997 was worth 1,492,000,000 pounds and in the year 2002 that number will go up to 1,500,000,000 pounds. From this, we can see that the music industry is never going to go down. And in the same report, it said that the new labour government has established a specific task force to make sure that music and the sale of music increases in England over the next generation period. If a young Muslim is trying to order something over the phone, hes told, Wait a minute, Sir, and you have the top ten hits blowing down your ears. You go to the Supermarket, Costco, Safeway, wherever you go, you have music pumped down your ears. Wherever we go, music is all around us, whether we listen to it or whether we claim not to listen to it, it is around us. And if we look at this issue in the Quranic teachings and Hadith teachings, we will see something different. Allama Qurtubi who belongs to the thirteen century said that in the whole of the Quran, there are three verses that refer to music. Im going to deal with one. The Quran says: And beguile whomsoever of them you can with your voice (17:64). When Shaytaan was evicted from Paradise, he complained to Allah and a dialogue took place. Mufti Shafi included it in his book, Islam and Music, page 163. On the authority of Allama Ibnul Qayyum Al-Jowzy, a fourteenth century scholar, he narrates a dialogue between Shaytaan and Allah when Shaytaan. When he was evicted from Paradise, he complained to Allah, I have been evicted from Paradise and it is going to be my task to make human life on earth a mission impossible. Im going to make sure that he boards the joy ride to Hell. That is my mission, but I will need some tools for that. Shaytaan said: Where will I go in the world? Allah replied: Your place is the public baths i.e., swimming pools, beaches, etc. (places of nudity). Shaytaan: Where will I sit and spend my time? Allah: In the town centers, in the market places i.e., malls, shopping centers, street corners. Shaytaan: What will be my food? Allah: Every animal that is not slaughtered according to Shariah principle, in the name of Allahthat will be your food i.e., haraam food, and you influence will penetrate into the person who eats such a food. (What do we see in the world today?) Shaytaan: What will be my drink: Allah: Every intoxicant will be your drink. (Notice that the word intoxicant is used, which means anything that intoxicates and not only alcohol.) Shaytaan: What will be my Quran? Allah: Your Quran will be music. Shaytaan: You will have a person who will call towards prayer and success, so who will be my prayer caller? Allah: Your prayer caller will be the musician. The Quran tells us music and musicians is this and society tells us music and musicians are something else. Compare the two versions. Shaytaan further asks: What will be my speech with which my influence will permeate within that person? Allah replied: Lies. Shaytaan: What will be my trap with which I can fish the human being into coming towards my way? Allah: Women. So music in the modern day is an art and the musician in the modern day, is a celebrity and an artist. The Quran tells us that music is the voice of Shaytaan. The hadith tells us that music is the Quran of Shaytaan. Now we must think about the path we are taking. We have to use the intellect, which Allah has bestowed upon us. There is a verse in the Holy Quran that describes the Jewish community at the time of Madina, the time of the Prophet SAW. Today that verse is befitting upon the Muslim community. It states that their hearts were disunited because they did not use their intelligence. We, Muslims, have to think now and not let others bombard us with useless information. Is our life only going to a corner shop or a gas station or fighting in the mosque everytime we meet? Is that our life? We have to think beyond this. The Muslims were the people who have the world intelligence. Hamilton Gibb was an Oxford lecturer united by the Queen. William Watt was a lecturer at Edinburgh University. Im not quoting Muslims. These are non-Muslim orientalists that studied Islam and said that the Muslims were the people who give Europe its lifestyle and it was the Muslims who gave Europe the intelligence to think with. They gave them the principle, the methodology to think with and now we have taken it over, but we dont want to think. We are like an alarm clock. It has a start button, a stop button, and a snooze button. We are at the snooze button. We just carry along with no care in the world. People can bombard us with any theory and we just accept it. Why? Because we are not using the Quran. Its there; its full of intelligence. Besides everything else, music is only one issue here. And in todays world, music has taken a very dangerous turn. A man named Alister Crowley, who died in 1947 put forward a suggestion that people should learn to think backwards, write backwards, speak backwards and this theory of his was a Satanists. He was one who worshipped the devil and todays musicians have picked up on this theory. Musicians like Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Spice Girls, the Beatles, and all modern groups from the 60s to today are using Crowleys idea. Music is worked out on three different levels. One is backtracking. This is when you play a record forward such as the song everyone seems to know, Another one bites the dust. If you play that record forward, you have the song, Another one bites the dust. But if you play it backwards with certain expensive tools, then the message on this song will be, Its fun to smoke marijuana. The argument put forward is that we cannot listen to the words, Its fun to smoke marijuana. Professor William Yellowed was a head of a company in the USA. He was told to carry out a study on the brain by the Pentagon. He is called over in a court hearing. A consumer committee was dealing with a complaint that an album by Led Zeppelin had backtracked messages and these backtracked messages were having a wrong affect on the mind and brain of a person and the court wanted Professor William Yellowed to confirm it. So he confirmed it and described how it happens. The brain is divided into two main areas. There is a right side and a left side and then there is a Euro-tunnel in the middle. Everything that we understand or tend to understand passes through the right side. If you understand it, then you understand it, but if you dont, then it will pass through this vacuum and go onto the left side and on the back of the left side, there is the sub-conscious memory, which is a very powerful too that Allah has given to human beings. It is called the cerebella. It works like a camera. If you give it a negative image, it will give you a positive message, so if you push through the brain a negative and backward sentence then it will read it frontwards. So, the phrase, Another one bites the dust will be understood as Its fun to smoke marijuana. And this sentence and message will stay there in the brain if you do not sit in the company of pious people. If you are spiritually very low, which is the big vacuum of the modern day society, that message will definitely affect you. What do we see today? This is the backtrack method. The second level which music has worked out on is known as back masking. Music is written on seven notes. Ill try to make it a simple explanation. The fourth and fifth are the best notes. Another way around Satan: will be written as notes and then everything would be written the other way around and then youll have a new message. Ninety-nine percent of books that are written on music are in favour of music. One percent of the works in the library are against music and in that you have to look with a microscope to find a sentence which is really against it. You may have heard two years ago about children who were killing their colleagues in school. Who knows that the cause may be the CDs they listen to in private in their bedrooms whilst parents are thinking that theyre doing their homework and at least they are not on the streets causing mischief. The third level which music has worked out in the modern era is that the so-called artist, so-called celebrity is acting out the message on stage. Michael Jackson is well known for his immorality on stage. The Spice Girls and Madonna are also well known for this. My brothers, music, drugs, and other activities are forms of drugs. If youre not pushed with the white powder drug then it is the drug of media. If its not the drug of the media then its the drug of music. If its not the drug of music, then its some other form of drug. All this is connected to what Arthur Kestler mentioned in this work, The Ghost in the Machine, which I mentioned in the beginning. It is related to behaviourism. You control people like that. People like Mic Jager of the Rolling Stones; he confirmed the big rows of disco lights and music is a powerful indoctrination tool and this is what youngsters are getting into. Sometimes if you look at a car and you check out the stereo system in it, youll find that the system is worth much more than the car. How can that be justified? The Quran tells us that the people who are expensive spenders are brothers of Shaytaan. And music is one other thing, which comes from the accursed devil. May Allah save our children and us from it!

Al Wala' Wal Bara' (Love and Hate for Allah's Sake) Al Wala Wal Bara In the current modern age, we find the Muslims in a pit of darkness. The Muslims of today have adopted the ways of the enemy. They forbid the good and enjoin the forbidden. They imitate the disbelievers and choose them as their friends and trustees. They mock believers who oppose the ways of the disbelievers and hypocrites. They help to deviate people from the Path of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam). They have left jihad for the pleasures and pursuits of the material world. They have abandoned Shariah and adopted Jahiliyyah. These people have strayed from the Straight Path and they have turned away from al wala wal bara, and as a result, have fallen into the trap of Shaytaan. One of the aspects of iman is al wala wal baraloving and hating for the sake of Allah Alone. It is one of the most important beliefs of Islam after Tawheed. Allah says in His Book: Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoever does this has no connection with Allah unless you are guarding yourselves against them as a precaution. Allah bids you to beware of Himself. And to Allah is the journeying. (Surat Ali Imran 3:28) The reason why al wala wal bara is so important in Islam is because, if it is taken into practice, it can remove all the characteristics of Jahiliyyah from the Muslim Ummah, it guarantees the preservation of the Ummah, and it distinguishes the believer from the disbeliever. When one loves and hates for Allahs sake only, they are raised degrees higher than those who love, hate, and act based on their own desires or fake gods or for other meaningless things. Allah states in His Speech: Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the friends of Shaytaan. Surely, Shaytaans strategy is always weak. (Suratun-Nisaa 4:76) This verse is speaking of al wala wal bara. Those who have iman and belief and act upon al wala wal bara fight for Allahs cause and do battle with His enemies to preserve His Deen, while those who disbelieve fight for gods that dont even exist. Allah commands: And fight them until persecution is no more and religion is for Allah. (Suratul Baqarah 2:193) Only the people who love and hate for the sake of Allah will act upon this command. These are the people that understand the meaning of al wala wal bara, which will be discussed below, Insha Allah. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said: The strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the sake of Allah and opposition for His sake; love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake. But what does this love and enmity exactly mean? Loving for the sake of Allah means to love Allah and to show loyalty to Him by following His Shariah. It means to love all that is good and permissible in the Quran and Sunnah. This type of love requires one to defend Allahs deen and to preserve it. It is to love those who are obedient to Allah and to defend and assist them. These are the party of Allah. Enmity for the sake of Allah signifies showing anger towards those who oppose Allah, His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam), His deen, and the believers. It is to struggle and fight against them in order to uphold and spread the way of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam). There is a brilliant example of this in Ibrahim (alaiyhis-salaam), as narrated by Allah in the Quran: There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with him when they told their people: Surely, we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate forever until you believe in Allah Alone. (Suratul Mumtahanah 60:4) Al wala wal bara requires one to ally oneself with Allah, His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam), and the believers wherever they are found against the disbelievers even if it is against their own relatives. We see this in the example of the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam), who fought against his own relatives and his own clan, all for the sake of Allah. Al wala wal bara aims to purify the society and rid the people of all vices. For example, we are required to oppose the way of the disbelievers. One of their habits is wasting their time in pursuing their own material desires. A Muslim who does not act upon al wala wal bara will imitate this habit and therefore become neglectful of his duties to Allah. This will lead to a corrupt person, who will end up raising a corrupt family, which will corrupt the community in whole. If we look at the situation today in Afghanistan, how many Muslims today are willing to leave their worldly pursuits and come to the aid of Islam and their Muslim brothers and sisters and fight for Allahs cause against His and our enemies? How many of them will act upon al wala wal bara, which is called for today? The religious situation of the Muslims of today is very pitiful and sad and the answer is that only a handful will run out to assist Allah and the faithful believers. We call ourselves Muslims, but what exactly is a Muslim? We cant just expect that belief in Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) is enough to be qualified for Jannah. Allah says: Or think you that you will enter Paradise while yet there has not come unto you the like of (that which came to) those who passed away before you? Affliction and adversity befell them, they were shaken as with earthquake, till the messenger (of Allah) and those who believed along with him said: When comes Allah's help? Now surely Allah's help is nigh. (Suratul Baqarah 2:214) If we believe that belief in Allah is enough, then there is no difference between us and the pagan Arabs of the pre-Islamic period, who claimed to believe in Allah and at the same time, worshipped hundreds of other gods. Al wala wal bara is what distinguishes a believer from a disbeliever. A believer allies himself with Allah only and with his final Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) and with the believers. Allah says: And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due and they obey Allah and His Messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Indeed, Allah is Mighty, Wise. (Suratut-Towbah 9:71) O you who believe! Whoever of you becomes a rebel against his deen, (know that in his place) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, harsh towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah and not fearing the blame of any blamer. (Suratul Maaidah 5:54) In order to be considered a believer, one must believe in Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) as well as show and prove that belief by assisting them and allying oneself with them against the enemies of Islam. The plans of the disbelievers are clearly exposed in the Quran: They long for you to disbelieve even as they disbelieve, so that you may be the same (as them). So do not choose friends from among then until they go out in the way of Allah. (Suratun-Nisaa 4:89) O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends of one another. And whoever of you takes them for friends is (one) of them. Surely Allah does not guide wrongdoing people. (Suratul Maaidah 5:51) We are warned to beware of the kaafireen, for, they say with their mouths what is not in their hearts (3:167). They secretly plot against the believers to get rid of them and their divine religionIslam. They attack the Muslims and the people without the belief in al wala wal bara will support them against the believers and this is what we see in todays situation. If the believers join together as one brotherhood, sharing a mutual love and hate for the sake of Allah, Islam will come out on top regardless of how powerful their enemies may be. When the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) and his companions (radiyyallahu anhum) fought their battles, their enemies were always more in number and had better armor, but the Muslims were victorious as in the Battle of Badr. They shared one cause: fighting for the sake of Allah. Today, we need Muslims to do the same for their brothers, but where are they? Al wala wal bara is something which is lacking in the hearts and actions of Muslims worldwide. It is one of the more important aspects of Islam. It was because of this aspect that the companions and their Chief Leader Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam), together, peacefully conquered lands and hearts all over the globe by the will and grace of Allah Subhanahu wa Taala. Subhannallahi wa bi hamdih! Subhannallahil-adheem!

The Mercy of Allah in Regard to Forgiveness "O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and put your hope in Me, I have forgiven you for what you have done and I do not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and then you would seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins that are close to filling the earth and then you would meet Me without ascribing any partners with Me, I would certainly bring to you forgiveness close to filling it." In this Hadithi Qudsi, Allah gives hope to mankind more than any other narration. It displays the quality and attribute of Allahs mercy. Indeed, He is ar-Rahman, the Most Compassionate, and ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful. In this Hadithi Qudsi, Allah tells man of the greatness of His forgiveness and mercy so that no one would despair due to the amount of sins he may have committed. This is supported by the following verse of the Holy Quran: Say: O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah az-Zumar 39:53) This hadith teaches us the importance of realizing Allahs mercy, having faith and hope in Him especially when making dua, calling to Allah alone for forgiveness, and the importance of repentance in the life and faith of a believer. Allah catches the attention of mankind by calling out, O son of Adam! This is a call to every human being. Why didnt Allah say, O mankind or O People? The significance of this specific call is because it was the first human being, Adam (alaiyhis-salam) who committed the first sin. Adam was an example to all humans of the consequences of sin and how to turn to Allah for forgiveness of ones sins. This gives hope that even after committing a violation, ones sins can be forgiven if one repents to Allah sincerely the same way that the father of mankind sinned, repented, and was forgiven by Allah. Allah calls out to His servants, a call of forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. For He knows that man was created weak and is prone to fall into sin. After calling out to mankind, Allah informs them that as long as they call on Him and put their hope in Him, He will forgive them and not mind. This statement alone can convince one to have hope and never to despair. When one calls out to Allah or makes dua, he is displaying his need and dependence of Allah. He is demonstrating his weakness to the fact that he has no power to do anything for himself. It is the essence of submission and servitude. It is also a recognition of Allahs attributes of kindness, generosity, forgiving and merciful nature, and His unlimited power and knowledge. Humans are never in a situation where they are not in need of Allah. A believer always turns to Allah to ask for guidance as well as to seek forgiveness of sins and shortcomings. Allahs says, Call on me and I will respond to you. One of the most important conditions of making dua is that one must completely trust that Allah will respond. One must also supplicate with sincerity, hope, and seriousness. One must not have any doubt at all on whether Allah will respond to ones call or if He accepts the dua. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, Supplicate Allah while you are certain of a response. And know that Allah does not respond to a supplication from a heart that is heedless and inattentive. He also forbade that one say, Oh Allah, forgive me if You will. But he said, Instead, you should ask with will and conviction for there is nothing so great to Allah that He cannot grant it. When supplicating, one should truly seek Allahs aid and His forgiveness and demonstrate his need for Allah and submit to Him with fear and hope in receiving the desired response. Allah advises in Surat al-Araaf 7:56: And invoke Him in fear and aspiration (of hope). Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good. Another important condition of supplication is that one must not become hasty and impatient and stop supplicating because he did not receive a response sooner or at all. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, You are responded to as long as you do not become hasty and say, I supplicated and it is not being or was not responded to. And the final condition of ones dua being responded to is that one must make sure he is living off of halal and permissible means. Allah says, Put your hope in Me. Man was not created sinful, but he was created weak. He is prone to fall into the temptations of sin and the whispers of Satan and when he does, he should always remember to turn to Allah, call upon Him, and ask for forgiveness with hope in His mercy. Allah stated in a Hadithi Qudsi, I am with My servant as He expects of Me. The meaning of this is that Allah treats His servants the way he expects Him to. If one has hope in Allah and trusts Him, Allah will act accordingly to that servants beliefs and faith. And if he does not have faith and is in despair of his Lords mercy, Allah will act accordingly. Not having hope in Allah and despairing of His mercy is a great sin and an act of kufr. Allah quotes Prophet Yaqoob (alaiyhis-salam) in the Quran: Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people. (Surah Yusuf 12:87) One must be hopeful of Allahs mercy and forgiveness and fearful of His punishment. It is this fear that should lead one to seek Allahs forgiveness with hope. Allah says: Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Surat al-Maaidah 5:98) In the above verse, Allah gives us reason to fear because His punishment is justly severe, as well as good reason to have hope, since He is the Most Forgiving and Merciful. There should be a balance between fear and hope and not too much or too less of one or the other. If there is too much fear, then a person may negate Allahs quality of mercy and ascribe to Him unkindness (Allah forbid!). There was a sect called Khawaarij, who worshipped Allah only in fear and held the belief that anyone who commits major sins was a disbeliever and would be thrown into the Hellfire forever. This is a gross extremism and straying from the correct path. Yet, another sect, which emerged within the first century of Islam, had no fear and believed that sins did not affect ones faith and that as long as one believed and testified in Islam, he would enter Paradise regardless of his actions. Both of these extremes lead to a dangerous consequence. To understand the balance of fear and hope of Allah, let us look at the very first chapter of the Quran, Surat al-Fatiha. The first verse says, All praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. In this verse, love for Allah is expressed. We acknowledge that Allah is our Lord and the Lord of all the worlds. He is the Creator of all things; He sustains and nourishes everything; He gives life and death; anything good that we have is from Him; and everything is dependant on him and nothing can happen unless Allah wills it to happen. In the second verse we express our hope in Him by stating, ar-Rahma-nir-Raheem. The meaning of which is: The Beneficent, the Merciful. When we mention these two names of Allah, then we have hope, since He is the One, who is full of mercy and we hope He will forgive out mistakes and shortcomings. We should never lose hope because there is no reason to. And in the third ayah of Surat al-Fatiha, fear of Allah is expressed when we recite, Master (King) of the Day of Judgement. When we recite this verse, we remind ourselves of the Day that we will be standing in front of our Lord and be questioned for our deeds, a Most Awful Day. It will be a day in which not even the smallest action will be hidden. This reminder of the Day of Judgement should bring fear to our hearts. Fear and hope, both should be equally proportioned in our hearts, in our worship, and in our dua to Allah. Allah says: Call out to Him with fear and hope. (Surat al-Araaf 7:56) They forsake their beds to call their Lord in fear and hope. (Surat as-Sajdah 32:16) The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, The like of these two qualities do not unite in the heart of a servant except that Allah gives him what he hopes for and protects him from what he feared. In the Hadithi Qudsi that is being discussed in this paper, Allah says, O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and you would then seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you. Here, we will discuss the importance of repentance and seeking forgiveness and its virtues. First of all, we should never lose hope or stop asking for Allahs forgiveness. Its importance is shown to us in the following hadith of the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam): O people! Turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness, for surely I make repentance a hundred times every day. Repentance is such a great act of worship that doing it can totally erase ones sins altogether, as the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, One who repents from sins is like one without sin. When a person sins and then sincerely turns to Allah for forgiveness, one will find Allah ready to accept his repentance and to forgive him, as this verse indicates: And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself, but then seeks forgiveness from Allah, he will find Allah forgiving and merciful. (Surat an-Nisaa 4:110) Everyone commits sin and does wrong, but Allah is always willing to forgive and He always gives them a chance to repent and seek His forgiveness. A believer should never forget the fact that Allah is so forgiving. If Allah had willed, He could have held everyone accountable for his or her sins, but He has decreed that He shall allow His servants to seek His forgiveness and that He shall in fact forgive who and what He wills. In fact, Allah commands that His servants seek His forgiveness: And seek Allahs forgiveness. Certainly, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (Surat al-Muzzammil 73:20) Repentance is an act, which purifies the soul and brings the servant closer to His Lord. It puts the heart at rest from guilt. It protects one from falling prey to his desires and lusts and increases his faith. Allah then says in the Hadithi Qudsi that is being discussed, O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins close to filling the earth and then you would meet Me without ascribing any partners with Me, I would certainly bring you forgiveness close to filling it. Look at how great Allahs mercy, compassion, and love is! The least Allah asks for is that one not ascribe any partners and gods with Him, for, He is alone in His Sovereignty. And after that if one commits sins and seeks sincere forgiveness, Allah will forgive him and shower His mercy upon him. However, one is not forgiven if he seeks repentance from Allah at the time of death when he sees the angels or when the sun rises from the west at the approaching of the Day of Judgement. This is confirmed by the following verse: And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says, Now I repent, nor of those who dies while they are disbelievers. For them, We have prepared a painful torment. (Surat an-Nisaa 4:18) Allah also does not forgive one who commits shirk, which is the association of partners with Allah. Forgiveness will only come to those who die while adhering to tawheed and avoiding any form of shirk. Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whomever He wills. And whoever sets up partners with Allah has indeed invented a tremendous sin. (Surat an-Nisaa 4:48) Verily, Allah forgives not the setting up of partners with Him, but He forgives whom He pleases whatever is less than that. And whoever sets up partners with Allah has indeed strayed far away. (Surat an-Nisaa 4:116) We must ask ourselves this question: Would we be willing to forgive anyone who hurts us and disobeys us constantly as easily as Allah is Able to forgive? Most probably, the answer would be no. But our Creator is the Most Kind and He is the Most Perfect. Lo! Allah is a Lord of Kindness to mankind, but most of mankind give not thanks. (Surat al-Baqarah 2:143) In this Hadithi Qudsi, mankind is encouraged to seek Allahs forgiveness and repent, but there are five conditions of repentance, which must be met for ones repentance to be accepted. The first and most important is that the act of repentance be sincerely for Allah alone. Secondly, the person must feel remorse and guilt over his actions so much so that he wished he had never done it in the first place. The third condition is that the person must immediately cease performing the wrong and sinful act. Fourthly, the repentant person must have a firm intention to never commit the sin again. And lastly, the person must repent before it is too late, meaning before death approaches. Allah, Blessed and Exalted, finishes the Hadithi Qudsi with the following words, O son of Adam! If you were to come to Me with sins that are close to filling the earth and you would then meet Me without ascribing any partners to Me, I would certainly bring to you forgiveness close to filling it. Again, the mercy of Allah is clearly demonstrated by His Divine Words. However, there is a condition. One must not associate any partners with Allah, which is shirk. And Allah does not forgive shirk and if one dies without believing in Allah alone as ones Creator, then he will be doomed to the Hellfire for all of eternity. So, Allah emphasizes the importance of calling on Him alone. He has no and needs no partners, associates, wives, children, etc. There is no god, but Allah. None forgives sins except Him, so one seeking forgiveness should seek it only from Allah. Will they not repent to Allah and ask His forgiveness? For Allah is the Forgiving, the Merciful. (Surat al-Maaidah 5:74) And who can forgive sins except Allah? (Surah Ali Imran 3:135) Allah praises the one who truly believes, has hope, and seeks the forgiveness of his Creator, as did his father, Adam: Say: Shall I not inform you of things far better than those (things of this world)? For the pious, there are gardens with their Lord, wherein rivers flow. Therein (is their) eternal home and pure wives. And Allah will be pleased with them. And Allah is Seer of the slaves. Those who say, Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire. They are those who are patient, those who are true and obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah. Those who spend (in charity) and those who pray and beg for Allahs forgiveness in the last hours of the night. (Surah Ali Imran 3:15-17) Allahs forgiveness and mercy is far greater and more vast than the sins of the creation. One must always have trust and hope in Allah in both good times and bad times and especially when seeking Allahs forgiveness. And the believer who calls out to his Lord for forgiveness demonstrates his true weakness and that he is totally dependent on the Creator. When one confesses his sins to Allah and sincerely repents with hope in Allahs mercy, the heart should come to peace and the soul should feel rest. When a person has hope, he has no reason to despair because it only leads to destruction. Allah gives hope to all, especially those who despair that there is no reason to despair because Allah is the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy. Allah praises those who repent and turn to Him: And those who, when they commit a lewd act or wrong themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sinsand who forgives sins except Allah? And they do not persist in what (wrong) they were doing while they knew it. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens with rivers flowing through, wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is the reward of the doers (of good)! (Surah Ali Imran 3:135-136)

o_____|_____\ __|| | o |_____o_____\ __|| |_|_|| o______w_| / " / |___| / / . WAY TO THE QUR'AN by Khurram Murad The New world that Awaits You As you come to the Qur'an, you come to a new world. No other venture in your life can be so momentous and crucial,so blissful and rewarding, as your journey to and through the Qur'an. It is a journey that will take you through the endless joys and riches of the words that your Creator and Lord has sent to you and all mankind. Here you will find a world of untold treasures of knowledge and wisdom to guide you on the pathways of life, to mould your thoughts and actions.In it you will find deep insights to enrichyou and steer you along the right course.From it you will receive a radiant light to illumine the deeper reaches of your soul.Here you will encounter profound emotions,a warmth to melt your heart and bring tears running down your cheeks. It is crucial for you because, as you travel through the Qur'an,at every step you will summoned to choose,and to commit to Allah.To read the Qur'an is nothing less than to live the Qur'an willingly,sincerely,devotedly,and totally.The outcome of your entire life depends on how you heed the call given by Allah.The journey is therefore decisive for your existence,for mankind,for the future of human civilization. A hundred new worlds lie in its verses. Whole centuries are invlved in its moments. Know ,then,that it is the Qur'an,and only the Qur'an,whichcan lead you on and on to success and glory in this world and in the world to come. What is the Qur'an? It is beyond man's power to comprehend,or to dscribe, the greateness and importance of what the Qur'an holds for him.Yet,to begin with, you must have some idea of what it is and what it means to you ,and such that you are inspired to immerse the whole of yourself in the Qur'an,in total commitment,complete dedication and ceaseless pursuit,as it demands. The Qur'an is Allah's greatst blessing or you .It is the fulfilment of His promise to Adam and his descendants:'there shall come to you guidance from Me, and whatsoever follows My Guidance no fear shall e on them, neither shall they sorrow'(al Baqarah 2:38).It is the only weapon your frail existence as you struggle against the forces of evil and and temptation in this world.It is the only means to overpower your fer and anxiety.It is the only 'light' (nur) ,as you grope in the drkness,with which to find your way to success and salvation.It is the only healing(shifa) for your inner sickness, as well as the social ills that may surround you .It is the constant reminder(dhikr) of your true nature and destiny, of your station,your duties,your rew It was brought down by one who is powerful and trustworthy in the heavens- the heart of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him. to your Creator.It tells you of Him,of His attributes, of how He rules o to you ,and how you should relate to Him,to yourself ,to your fellow meny other existence.The rewards that await you here are surely many,incrng manifold and the hereafter,but what awaits you at the end of the road promises allah in the Hadith qudsi,'the eye has seen not,nor the ear heard,nor the heart of man ever conceived'.and, adds Abu Hurayra'no human being can imagine what joys are being kept hidden for them in d or all that they did'(Bukhari,Muslim) Qur'an As Living Constitution Can the Qur'an again, be living, relevant force, as powerful for us now 1400 years away, as it was then? This is the most crucial question that we must answer if we wish to shape our destiny afresh under the guidance of the Qur'an. There appear, however, to be some difficulties. Not least of which has to do with the fact that Qur'an was revealed at a certain point in time. Since then we have traveled a long way, made gigantic leaps in technological know-how, and seen considerable social changes take place in human society. Moreover, most of the followers of the Qur'an today do not know Arabic, and many who do have little idea of the 'living' language of the Qur'an. They cannot be expected to absorbs its idioms and metaphor, so essential to exploring and absorbing the depths of the Qur'anic meaning. Yet its guidance, by its own claim, has an eternal relevance for all people, being the word of the Eternal God. For the truth of its claim, it seems to me, it must be possible for us to receive, experience, and understand the Qur'an as it's first recipients did, at least in some measure and to some degree. We seem to almost have a right to this possibility of receiving God's guidance in its fullnes and with all its riches and joys. In other words despite historical incidence of the revelation in a particular language at that particular time and place, we should be capable of receiving the Qur'an now (because its message is eternal), capable of making its message as much a real part of our lives as it was for the first believers and with the same urgent and profound relevance for all our present concerns and experiences. But how do we do this? To put it very forthrightly, only by entering the world of the Qur'an as if Allah were speaking to us through it now and today, and by fullfilling the necessary conditions for such an encounter. Firstly, then, we must realize what Qur'an as the word of God is and means to us, and bring all the reverence, love, longing and will to act that this realization demands. Secondly, we must read it as it asks to be read, as Allah's Messenger instructed us, as his Companions read it. Thirdly, we must bring each word of the Qur'an to bear upon our own realities and concerns by transcending the barriers of time, culture and change. For the first addressees, the Qur'an was a contemporary event. Its language and style, its eloquence anda rationale, its idiom and metaphor, its symbols and parables,its moments and events were all rooted in their own setting. These people were both witnesses to and in a sense, paticipants in the whole act of revelation as it unfolded over a period of their own time. We do not have the same privilege; yet, in some measures, the same ought to be true for us. By understanding and obeying the Qur'an in our own setting, we will find it, as far as possible, as much a contemporary event for ourselves as it was then. For the essense of man has not chnaged; it is immutable. Only man's externalities- the forms, the modes, the technologies - have changed. The pagans of Makka may be no more, nor the Jews of Yathrib, nor the Christians of Najran, nor even the 'faithful'and the 'unfaithful' of the community of Madina; but the same characters exist all around us. We are humans being exactly as the first recipents were, even though may find it extremely difficult to grapple with the deep implications of this very simple truth. Once you realize the truths and follow them, once you come to the Qur'an as first believers did, it may reveal to you as it did to them, make partners of you as it did of them. And only then, instead of being a mere revered book, a sacred fossil, or a source of magic-like blessing, it will change into a mighty force, impinging, stirring, moving and guiding us deeper and higher achievements, just as it did before.

Bismillah. Summary of the Lessons, Rewards and Benefits of Prayer You should know - My dear Brother and Sister Muslim that the following has been authentically reported from our Messenger (sas) regarding the lessons, benefits and rewards of the five daily prayers: 1. That Allaah the Exalted wipes away sins by the five prayers. 2. That the five prayers are an expiation for what occurs between them, if major sins are avoided. 3. That sins burn and destroy a person and thus it is necessary to extinguish that with the prayers. 4. That the muslim reaches the level of the truthful and the martyrs on account of his prayers, charity and fasting. 5. The superiority of prayer[1] over other actions. 6. That Allaah the Exalted bestowed a favour upon that companion by entering him into Paradise before his brother who died as a martyr because he prayed more than him. 7. That the prayer is light which illuminates the path of the servant in this world and the hereafter. 8. That an abundance of prostrations and prayers is the way to accompany the Messenger (sas) in Paradise. 9. That a two rakah prayer is more loved by the dead person than the world and what is in it. 10. That emptying the heart for Allaah in the prayer puts a person in the same condition as the day when his mother gave birth to him. 11. That should a person enter the Fire - refuge is sought from that - the angels will remove him from it and will recognise him by the marks of prostration.[2] 12. That the prayer participates in undoing the knots which Shaytaan places at the top of ones head. 13. That the night prayer is the most excellent prayer after the obligatory prayers. 14. That the one who prays at night obtains a reward which most of mankind do not. 15. Gratitude is shown to Allaah with the (obligatory) prayer and night prayer. 16. That the prayer most loved by Allaah is the prayer of Daawood (as) which is to pray for a third of the night and to sleep for two thirds of the night.[3] 17. That has Allaah has bestowed a favour upon His servant by the hour during the night in which the supplication is answered. It is befitting for the muslim that he aspires for it and seeks to find it so that he is given the good of this world and the Hereafter. 18. That the night prayer is an evidence for righteousness and taqwaa and it expiates the sins and prevents one from falling into them. 19. That Allaah Azzawajall covers the husband and wife who help each other in performing the night prayer with His mercy. If one of them refuses the other sprinkles water on his or her face. 20. That two rakahs of prayer at night makes a person amongst the men who remember Allaah often or the women who remember Allaah often. 21. That Allaah is amazed by the man who gets up from his sleep, leaving his bedsheet, his wife and his love for her in order to perform prayer. Allaah laughs at him and informs the angels about him. 22. That there is no jealousy or competition except with regard to two men, one of whom prays at night reciting the Qur'an which Allaah has bestowed upon him. 23. That whoever recited ten verses in the night (in prayer) will not be written amongst the heedless, a Qintaar of reward will be written for him and Allaah the Exalted will say to him: "Recite and rise by one degree with every verse", until he comes to the last verse he knows. Allaah favours him by giving him eternity. 24. That whoever prays at night with a hundred verses is written amongst the devout worshippers and whoever prays with a thousand verses is written amongst the Muqantareen and whoever prays with two-hundred verses is written amongst the devout worshippers and sincere ones. 25. That the one who walks to the prayer (in the mosque) is raised in ranks and has his sins removed, both while he goes to the mosque and when he returns from it. 26. That for every step he takes he receives ten good deeds. 27. That the muslim is written amongst the worshippers from the time he leaves the house till he returns to it. 28. That the one receiving the greatest reward for the prayer is the one who walks the furthest towards it and and then the one further than him (from the mosque). 29. That one step which a servant takes to the prayer in congregation is counted as an act of charity for him. 30. That taking many steps towards the mosque is from ar-Ribaat (guarding the frontiers) 31. That every time a servant leaves for the mosque in the morning or the evening Allaah prepares for him a feast in Paradise. 32. That Allaah makes the light of those who walk throught the darkness to the mosques complete and perfect on the Day of Judgement. 33. That the reward for the one who leaves his house in a state of purity for the obligatory prayer is like the reward of the pilgrim in the state of ihraam. 34. That the one who leaves for the mosque has a guarantee from Allaah in that he should provide for him sustenance and suffice him (in his affairs). 35. That the one who walks for the prayer in congregation, after having beautified his wudhoo and travels to visit Allaah the Exalted, is bestowed with a great favour in that Allaah honours those of his servants who visit Him, and Allaah's honouring of them is increasing their Eemaan, showing benevolence to them, rewarding them, raising their ranks, removing their difficulties and making their hearts content and happy. 36. The obligation to pray in congregation. 37. That the Prophet (sas) did not make a concession for the old blind man by allowing him to leave the congregational prayer. How then can those who are fit and well be allowed a concession? 38. That whoever abandons the congregational prayer has been threatened with heedlessness and having a seal placed on his heart. 39. That staying away from the congregational prayer is a sign of hypocrisy. 40. The extreme striving of the Companions (ra) for attending the congregational prayer inspite of difficult circumstances. ------------------------- Footnotes 1 Its condition is that the Aqeedah of the person is correct, sound and in accordance with the Pious Predecessors of this Ummah. 2 The condition for being removed from the fire due to the intercession of the angels (and others) is that a person should be from the People of Tawheed. Intercession is only for the People of Tawheed. 3 Due to his (sas) saying: "...He used to sleep half the night, then prayer for a third and then go to sleep for a sixth of it." When a half is added to a sixth they give two-thirds. English Translation by Amjad ibn Muhammad Rafiq

Bismillah. Who Wrote the Holy Quran" ------------------------------------- Quran, in Arabic, could only have been written by ONE of 3 possible sources: 1 the Arabs 2 Mohammad (peace be upon him) 3 Allah (GOD) (NOTE: The first part is not meant to be a rigorous proof. It is something to ponder upon. However, the second part, about Mohammad [pbuh] wrote it' contains more extensive proof.) Besides the above mentioned sources, Quran couldn't possibly have been written by ANYONE else. No other source is possible, because Quran is written in pure, rich, and poetic Arabic, which was not known to anyone other than the above mentioned sources, at that time. The Arabic language was at its peak in expression, richness, vocabulary, artistic, and poetic value during the time the Quran was being revealed. Anyone speaking the classical Arabic ( the Arabic of Quran at the time it was revealed) would argue that a non-Arab entity couldn't possibly have written such an extensive and brilliant piece of literature in the Arabic language. Quran could only have been written by an Arabic speaking entity. An entity, who's knowledge, style, vocabulary, grammar, and way of expression was so powerful that it impacted the entire Arabian peninsula, the east, the west, and continues to impact people all over the globe today! At no other time, in the history of Arabic language, had it ever achieved its peak in expression, literature, and development, than the time of Arabia during the 6th Century, the time when Quran was being revealed. At no other time in the history of Arabic language had the language ever achieved its highest potential than the time of Arabia during the 6th Century, the time when Quran was being revealed. The language reached its peak in richness, artistic value, and poetry, during that time. With the Arabic language at its peak, and the best of Arabic writers, poets present in Arabia, it is impossible that a non-Arabic speaking entity would write a book like Quran and have such a dynamite impact on the Arabs! So only an Arabic speaking entity could have write Quran. With that in mind, we're left with three choies: 1 - the Arabs wrote it 2 - Mohammad (pbuh) wrote it 3 - Allah (swt) wrote it Lets examine the three choces one by one. (1) Arabs Wrote it ? --------------------- What Quran teaches goes DIRECTLY against the pagan Arab culture, religion, and gods, that existed before the Quran was revealed. Quran condemns idol worshipping, but the Arabs, loved their idol gods, and worshipped them regularly. Quran raised the status of women; the Arabs treated women next to animals. The Arabs would never write something that goes against their most important belief of idol worshipping. Quran goes against most of the social habbits (such as backbiting, slandering, name calling, etc) which the Arabs were heavily indulged into. For example, the Arabs would call insulting nicknames such as Abu Jahal (the father of ignorance). Quran condemns and prohibits taking interest on money, whereas, the Arabs freely levied heavy interest rates in loans and businesses. Quran condemns and prohibits Alcohol drinking, whereas, the Arabs consumed alcohol freely. The Quran condemns and prohibits gambling, whereas, the Arabs were some of the worst gamblers. The Arabs would never write something so comprehensively against just about all of their customs and culture and religious beliefs, as the Quran is. During the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), the Arabs would indulge in all the social habbits that the Quran condemns and prohibits. How can Arabs then write something that would negate their entire society's norms and ideologies ? Did a group of Arabs or an individual Arab write Quran? Perhaps a rebel Arab beduoin, or a society's misfit, or someone with different ideals and norms decided one day to write Quran? The answer to those questions are also 'no'. Because, if we read Quran, we notice that there is no author ! No individual has his/her name written on the cover of Quran! Anytime an individual writes a book, he/she writes his/her name on the cover. The author's name always appears on his/her book, and there is always an author who is credited for writing that book. No one in the history of the world has EVER claimed to have written the Quran, nor anyone's name ever appeared in front of the Quran as bein the 'author'. This is the only book in the world without an author. No one in the world has ever been accused of writing the Holy Quran, except the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), by non-muslims. Quran has no author, and no group or individual in Arabia ever claimed to have written it, nor any group or an indvidual recited, taught, and explained Quran except the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) and his followers. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) was the only Arabian who first practiced, explained, and preached Quran, and ended up making a lot of Arab tribes enemies. Any historian, Muslim or non-Muslim would argue that the only possible source of Quran can be the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), the man responsible to recite it, teach it, and expalin it to the people of Arabia. In fact, many historians today still think that only Mohammad (pbuh) could possibly have written it. This leads one to conclude that the Prophet (pbuh) must have written it ! (2) Mohammad (pbuh) wrote it ? ------------------------------ First, he was illiterate !! How can an illiterate person come up with such a rich, poetic, intellectual, and inspiring text that it rocked the entire Arabia ? Mohammad (pbuh) never went to school ! No one taught him. He had no teacher of any kind in any subjects. How can he have the knowledge of all the science, astronomy, oceanography, etc that is contained in the Quran ? ( For example, the mention of ocean currents, stars, earth, moon, sun and their fixed paths in Soorah Rahman; and many other scientific statements that are found in Quran, that I cannot state in this short article) When Quran was revealed, the Arabic language was at its peak in richness, poetic value, literature, etc. Quran came and challenged the best literature in Arabic, the best poetry in Arabic of the time. Mohammad (pbuh) being illiterate couldnt possibly have come up with something so immaculate that it even exceded the best of poetry, and literature in Arabic at the time of the language's PEAK development. Arabic language had never been so rich in expression, poetic value, vocabulary, and variety in literature, as it was in the time of Quran. At a time like this, Quran came and exceeded the best of Arabic in all aspects of the language: poetry, literature, expression, etc. Any classical Arabic speaker would appreciate the unbeatten, unchallenged, and unmatched beauty of the language of Quran. An illiterate man is simply not capable of writing such a book. Mohammad (pbuh) had no reason to come up with something like Quran, and cause the entire society of Arabia to become his enemy. Why would he do something like that? Why would he write something going against almost all of the norms of the society, and lose his family, relatives, friends, and other loved ones , and not to mention all the wealth he lost ? Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years ! A very long time! Is it possible for someone to maintain the same exact style of Arabic speech , as demonstrated in Quran, for over 23 years ? Also, what the prophet Mohammad (saaw) used to say is recorded in what we call his hadeeth (sunnah). If we look at the Arabic style of the hadeeth, and compare it with the style of Quran, we can clearly see that they are clearly DIFFERENT, and DISTINGUISHABLE Arabic styles. The prophet (saaw) spoke in public. It does not make sense that a man has two UNIQUE, Distinguishable, and completely different styles of speech in public. Yet another reason why Mohammad (saaw) couldn't possibly have written Quran. Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years ! A very long time! Is it possible for someone to maintain the same exact style of Arabic speech , as demonstrated in Quran over 23 years ? Here's what our famous Muslim Scholar, Ahmad Deedat said: [From Ahmed Deedat] WAS QURAN WRITTEN OR INSPIRED? ------------------------------ "Behold! The angels said: "O Mary! God has chosen you and purified you - Chosen you above the women of all nations." Qur'an-3:42 THE SOURCE OF HIS MESSAGE "Chosen you above the women of all nations." Such an honour is not to be found given to Mary even in the Christian Bible! ........... Knowing full-well, and believing as we do, that the whole Quran is the veritable Word of God, we will nevertheless agree, for the sake of argument, with the enemies of Muhammed (pbuh) for a moment, that he wrote it. We can now expect some cooperation from the unbeliever. Ask him, "Have you any qualms in agreeing that Muhammed (pbuh) was an Arab?" Only an opinionated fool will hesitate to agree. In that case there is no sense in pursuing any discussion. Cut short the talk. Close the book! With the man of reason, we proceed. "That this Arab, in the first instance, was addressing other Arabs. He was not talking to Indian Muslims, Chinese Muslims, or Nigerian Muslims. He was addressing his own people - the Arabs. Whether they agreed with him or not, he told them in the most sublime form - words that were seared into the hearts and minds of his listeners that Mary the mother of Jesus -A JEWESS- was chosen above the women of all nations. Not his own mother, nor his wife nor his daughter, nor any other Arab woman, but a Jewess! Can one explain this? Because to everyone his own mother or wife, or daughter would come before other women. Why would the Prophet of Islam honour a woman from his opposition! and a Jewess at that! belonging to a race which had been looking down upon his people for three thousand years? Just as they still look down upon their Arab brethren today. SARAH AND HAGAR The Jews get their cock-eyed racism from their Holy Bible, where they are told their father, Abraham, had two wives -Sarah and Hagar. They say that they are the children of Abraham through Sarah, his legitimate wife; that their Arab brethren have descended through Hagar, a "bondwoman", and that as such, the Arabs are inferior breed. Will anyone please explain the anomaly as to why Muhammed (pbuh) (if he is the author) chose this Jewess for such honour? The answer is simple - HE HAD NO CHOICE - he had no right to speak of his own desire. "IT IS NO LESS THAN AN INSPIRATION SENT DOWN TO HIM." (Qur'an, 53:4). SURA MARYAM There is a Chapter in the Holy Quran, named Sura Maryam "Chapter Mary" (XIX) named in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ (pbuh); again, such an honour is not to be found given to Mary in the Christian Bible. Out of the 66 books of the Protestants and 73 of the Roman Catholics, not one is named after Mary or her son. You will find books named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul and two score more obscure names, but not a single one is that of Jesus or Mary! If Muhammed (pbuh) was the author of the Holy Quran, then he would not have failed to include in it with MARYAM, the mother of Jesus, his own mother - AMINA, his dear wife - KHADIJA, or his beloved daughter - FATIMA. But No! No! this can never be. The Quran is not his handiwork! Another Muslim writes: -----------------------------------------------FORWARDED ARTICLE--- From: Abu Abdullah; Subject: Re: Mohammad Wrote the Quran ?? [KORAN] Date: Sat, 05 Aug 95 12:44:14 EDT -------------------------------------------------------- I was reading about the charge that the prophet, Mohammed (pbuh), has written the Quran himself. Before you go any further in reading this post, please ask yourself whether you are a honest truth seeker or just another argumentative person, if the former, continue, otherwise, save your time and jump to the next post. Islam is based on faith that is supported by a number of strong miracles such as knowing what events to take place ahead of time or coming up with supernatural deeds in front of people. The holy Quran has these signs and much more. First, The holy Quran predicted many events to take place ahead of the time of the revelation of that verse; for example, predicting the destruction of Persian empire at a time where the later had a monumental victory over Rome. If the prophet, as some people claim, has written the Quran, then he would have put his future in real jeopardy (50% chance) since neither satellite photos nor on-ground intelligence personnel were available to him at the revelation time. Further, numerous details about many natural phenomena were detailed in the Quran and, until recently, they were proven by experts to be amazingly accurate. For example of the physical development of the fetus inside the womb along with timing given by many verses matches exactly what leading authorities in Embryology are claiming to be recent discoveries. Moreover, verses that gives descriptions about the creation of the universe and the function of mountains in balancing earth and many other descriptions/explanations are available to be read and to be understood. If the prophet was the author, wouldn't he be prone to make weak inferences similar to those who claim that earth is square and whoever says otherwise should be killed? The prophet also has demonstrated many supernatural miracles not by his own power, but by the power of the creator. He went to Jerasalem back in one night and gave a detailed description of the carnival that was traveling on that route and also specific accedint happend to them at that noght (in those days, it takes a month or so for a round-trip). In another ocasion, he provided water for an entire army from a small plate between his hands. There are many other miracles that require serious truth seeker to read about and to think about it. From the above, it reasonable to conclude that the Quran is not the PROPHET CREATION. HE HAD NO WAY TO PREDICT ALL THESE EVENTS AND TO BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN KNOWING THAT THE PROPHET HIMSELFE WAS ILLITERATE !!! -----------------------------end-forwarded-article--- ------------------------------------------------------------ Embryology and Life Sciences in Quran ------------------------------------------------------------- "The Developing Human. Clinically Oriented Embryology" K.L. Moore 5th Edition, Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders Co. (1982) ISBN 07216 4662-X $33.95 -------------------------------------------------------------------- The work by Prof. Keith Moore is probably the most detailed study of the subject. Prof. Keith Moore is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto. His books on anatomy and on embryology are used at many medical school as standard instruction books. The Yale Medical school uses both his books. The Yale Bookstore phone number for Medical books is: (203) 772-2081. Their general information number is (203) 432-4771. (New Haven, Connecticut) He is *the* authority on embryology. I strongly recommend the latest edition of the latter book as it mentions how accurately the Qur'an describes embryo development. Prof. Moore has said: "It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur'an about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammed from God or Allah because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Mohammed must have been a messenger of God or Allah." Prof. Marshal Johnson, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia He says: "The Qur'an describes not only the development of external form but emphasizes also the internal stages -- the stages inside the embryo of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science.... If I were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I know today and describing things, I could not describe the things that were described. I see no evidence to refute the concept that this individual Mohammed had to be developing this information from some place, so I see nothing in conflict with the concept that Divine Intervention was involved...." ------------------------------------------------------------- To receive a copy of the article that Moore wrote about 'Highlights of Human Embryology in the Koran and Hadith' please e-mail me at [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------- That leaves us to our third option: God wrote it ! May Allah Guide Us All to Straight Path. Ameen. QURAN: Chapter 4, Verse 82: "Do they not consider (ponder) on the Quran? If it had been from anyone except Allah, they would surely have found in it much discrepency (contradictions)." ALLAH CHALLENGES: Still unsure or doubtful ? Quran is the word of Allah. Allah challenges to His creations: Chapter 2, Verses 23 & 24 2: 23. "And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to our servant, Then produce a Chapter like thereunto; And call your witnesses or helpers besides Allah, If you are true." 2: 24. "But if you cannot, and surely you cannot, Then fear the fire Whose fuel is men and stones, Which is prepared for those who reject." Try reading and understanding the meaning with explanation of the following verses also ! Chapter 10, verse 38 Chapter 11, verse 13 Chapter 17 verse 88 Wa salamo alaykum, May Allah Guide Us All to Straight Path. Ameen.

Bismillah. How do we make our Dua? The good news about the Duas that we make is that our prophet has already taught us most of the Duas related to situations such as hardship, anxiety, depression, forgiveness of sins, attaining more wealth, health, well being for the family, and for achieving other general good in this life and the hereafter. So, as long as you are making all those Duas for yourself anyway, why not make them in the exact words that the prophet did and also taught us to do the same? If you read some of the prophet’s Duas (visit the link below to see 70 posted Duas pertaining to various issues), pay particular attention to the protocol that the prophet exercised when making some of the longer Duas. You will notice that those Duas involve praising Allah, seeking forgiveness for ones sins, acknowledging His attributes, and recognizing His power over the entire universe followed by presenting one’s needs to Allah. The language of the Duas as the prophet had taught us includes words that elevate us to a state where we adopt humility, abandon pride of all sorts, reinforce our belief in His Oneness, and acknowledge our dependence on Allah. Accordingly, as those words humble you in front of your Creator and instill within you the empowering emotions of gratitude and humility, you are then ready to make your case to Him. Knowing the protocols of making Dua, you very well know that getting into that state has a better chance of getting your Duas heard than making simple flat statements in a hurry. If you attentively read the Duas that the prophet taught us, you will also learn about matters that you probably didn’t know would be beneficial or hurtful to you. So, take the time to make these Duas as the prophet made them. All that’s needed to get your pleas to Allah is for YOU to get on the case and do it.