Abu Hafsat

As-Salaam alaikum, After the obligatory prayers, Tahajjud ( the voluntary night prayers of 2, 4, 6 or 8 raka'a) is the best prayer to come closer to Allah Ta'ala and, thereby, improve our spiritual health. And the best time to pray Tahajjud is at the last part of the night. The blessings of this prayer is pretty self-explanatory from these 2 hadith, in which the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "The closest that a slave comes to his Lord is during the middle of the latter portion of the night. If you can be among those remember Allah, the Exalted one, at that time, then do so." (Tirmidhi) "Observe the night prayer; it was the practice of the righteous before you, and it brings you closer to your Lord, and it is penance for evil deeds and erases the sins and repels disease from the body." (Tirmidhi)

As-Salaam alaikum, On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, it was reported that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, asked: "Do you know who the bankrupt person is"? They said, 'A bankrupt man amongst us is one who has neither dirham with him nor wealth.' He said: "The bankrupt person of my Nation would be he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayers and fasts and zakat but he hurled abuses upon this person, brought calumny against that person, unlawfully consumed the wealth of that person, shed the blood of that person, and beat that person. So his good deeds would be credited to the deeds of those people [ by way of retaliation ] and if his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be added to his and he would be thrown in the Fire." (Muslim No. 2581/6579) Be mindful, do not be bankrupt!!

As-Salaam alaikum, Narrated by Ahmad (23804), Abu Dawud (3111) and al-Nasaa'i (1846) from Jabir Ibn 'Ateek, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, once asked some of his companions:-- "What do you regard as martyrdom?" The companions said: "Being killed for the sake of Allah." The Prophet then said to them:-- "Shahada [martyrdom] is 7 things besides being killed for the sake of Allah. The one who dies of the plague is a martyr, the one who drowns is a martyr, the one who dies of pleurisy is a martyr, the one who dies of a stomach disease is a martyr, the one who is burned to death is a martyr, the one who dies beneath a collapsed building is a martyr, and the woman who dies in pregnancy is a martyr."

As-Salaam alaikum, In ayat 22 of Surat Zumar of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala says:-- "Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, so that he has received Enlightenment from Allah, (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against celebrating the Praises of Allah! They are manifestly wandering (in error)!" (39:22) The Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alihi Wasallam, was asked about sharh as-Sadr and he said: "It is a light cast into the heart by which the chest is opened and expanded." He was asked: "Is there a way of recognizing one who posses that light?" He, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, responded: "Yes, [such people can be recognized by their] indifference the abode of delusions [ie the life of this world], their constant turning towards the abode of Eternity [the hereafter], and preparation for death before it arrives." He was asked: "How does one prepare for death"? He, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: "Those of you who remember it the most are the best prepared for it." Source: 'Risalat Sharh as-Sadr', by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

As-Salaam alaikum, Yes, Indeed...Zikrullah is a wide act... involving remembrance, invocation, memory, praise, recitation.. to always keep the heart engaged in the memory of Allah through the invocation of one of His Divine Names, a Qur'anic Verse, Istighfar, Salaat ala' Nabiy etc When performed with mindfulness, Zikrullah makes our heart to become receptive to the activity of the tongue and become awakened with Allah's Presence, as stated in a well-known Hadith:-- "My earth and My heavens do not embrace Me but the heart of My believing servant embraces Me." (quoted by al-Ghazali in his Ihya Ulum Din)... '''embrace Me'' here refers to the knowledge of Allah Ta'ala...

As-Salaam alaikum, In the Hadith, we learnt that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said to one of his wives, Sayyada A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her:-- "He who will be judged will be punished for sure" (Sahih Bukhari) If on the Day of Judgement one is made to give account, he will be punished. So, in our prayers to Allah Ta'ala, we should include praying to be admitted to Jannah...Paradise with no account. Only the anbiya are ma'asum...free from sin, no one else. So the Prophet said to her to ask not to be taken to account at all, as if we are to account we will be in a problem. Everyone, young and old, have problems. Let us surrender our affairs to our Lord and He will take care of us... Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "He who humbles himself before Allah, Allah elevates [in degree]." To he who increases himself in humility and abasement, Allah Ta'ala grants high station. In this regards, permit me to share with you the following wonderful Hadith in which Sayyadi Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam: "used to feed his camel, sweep [his] house, mend [his] sandals, patch his clothes, milk [his sheep, eat with his servant and help him grind, when he [the servant] got tired. He was not embarrassed to carry his goods from the bazaar to his family. He would shake hands with both the rich and the poor; he was the first to greet people; he would not scorn any meal of which he was invited to partake; even if this was unripe and dry dates. He made do with free supplies [of provision]; he was gentle of character, generous of nature, pleasant of company; his face was cheerful, he smiled much, without laughing and showed [his] sadness without frowning; he was humble without being self-effacing; generous without being extravagant; his heart was gentle, he was compassionate to every Muslim; he would never eat his fill and he would never stretch his hand to a thing he desired."... Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam!!! Culled from: Abu'l- Qasim al-Qushayri's 'Epistle On Sufism'.

As-Salaam alaikum, As observed by Sayyadi Muhyi al-Deen Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn al-Arabi (d. 1240), may Allah be Merciful to him, in his famous Futuhat al- Makkiyya, when Allah Ta'ala created "your body, He placed within it a Ka'aba, which is your heart. He made this temple of the heart the noblest of houses in the person of faith (mu'min). He informed us that the Heavens, in which there is the Frequented House (al-bayt al-ma'mur), and the earth, in which there is the [physical] Ka'aba, do not encompass Him and are too confined for Him, but He is encompassed by this heart in the constitution of the believing human. What is meant here by 'encompassing' is knowledge of God." Here, Ibn Arabi is of course referring to the famous hadith qudsi, the words of God upon the tongue of the Prophet Muhammad, which he often quotes: 'Neither My heavens nor My earth encompass Me- but the heart of My believing servant does encompass Me.' This indicates some of the most essential teaching(s) on the nature of the heart: that nothing in the external world-- high or low- can contain True Divinity, that is to say, nothing which we can experience through our senses (which is the earth), and nothing which we can imagine in our minds, however lofty, elevated and glorious (which is heaven) can begin to measure up to that which is unlimited Reality, Being itself. God is only known (and loved) within, in the heart of the one who has faith (imaan)..

As-Salaam alaikum, "Pretension without reality is hypocrisy, and reality without pretension is sincerity, because he who is grounded in eloquence needs no tongue to communicate with his Lord. Expressions only serve to inform another than Allah, for Allah Himself requires no explanation of our circumstances, and others than Allah are not worth so much that we should occupy ourselves with them."- Sheikh Ali Ibn Usman al-Hujwuri

As-Salaam alaikum, "The Qur'an is like a friend... the longer the friendship lasts, the more you will know of its secrets; as a friend doesn't reveal his secrets to someone who sits with him for a few minutes and then leaves."-- Muhammad al-Awaji.

As-Salaam alaikum, It is my pleasure to share with you the following pearls and/or reminders, to guide us as we go through everyday life on the planet earth.... before death comes:-- (1) "The Zikr [remembrance] of Allah moistens the heart and cultivates tenderness in it. When the heart is bereft of Zikrullah, the heat of the nafs overtakes it; the fire of lust reaches it and it becomes barren and hard." - Sheikh Abu Abdullah at-Tirmidhi Hakeem. (2) "Body is purified by water. Ego by tears. Intellect is purified by knowledge, and soul is purified with love."- Sayyadi Ali Ibn Abi Talib (R.A) (3) "The truth of faith (Imaan) does not reach a man who does not possess 4 qualities:-- a) Performance of compulsory duties along with Sunnat b) Carefulness in eating [eat only Halal and avoid Haram] c) Giving up the prohibited things openly and secretly. d) Observing those rules with patience until death."- Sayyadi Sahl Ibn Abdullah Tustari (4) "Fear is like a candle whose flame helps a person distinguish good from evil, and fear of Allah allows a person to turn away from evil. Those who fear mere creatures flee from them; but those who fear Allah flee to Him."- Rabiya Basri.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "Man should call upon Allah alone to provide for all his needs, so much so that even if a shoe-lace is broken, he should pray to Allah to provide a shoe-lace, and if he needs salt, he should beseech Allah to send it to him." [Tirmidhi].

As-Salaam alaikum, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, as having said:-- "There is none whose final abode is not known to Allah from beforehand-- whether it is going to be Hell or Heaven." The audience said, "Should we not then hang on to the scroll of destiny and suspend action?". The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, stated: "No, do your part for what is pre-ordained for one has been made easy for him. If he is fortunate, the path of goodness has been smoothened for him but if he is doomed, evil deeds are equally facile to him." He then recited the ayat, "But as for him who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah), and accepts whatever is good, We surely will smoothen the path of happiness." [Bukhari and Muslim].

As-Salaam alaikum, Reciting Surat Ikhlas (chapter 112 of the Holy Qur'an) is compared to complete recitation of one-third of the entire Qur'an. Reciting it is a means of blessings for the reciter. Note that Allah Ta'ala sent the Qur'an in 3 parts, namely:-- (1) A third of it is comprised of Legal Rulings. (2) A third comprises of exhortations of Promises and Warnings. (3) A third comprises of Discussing Allah's Names and Attributes... and Surat Ikhlas brings together within it those Noble Names and Attributes. The Surat mentions 2 Names of Allah which together indicate all the Attributes of Perfection. They are not mentioned in any other ayat/verse: ''al-Ahad'' and ''al-Samad''. These 2 names indicate the Oneness of the Sacred Being who possesses all the attributes of perfection. Allah is Ahad-- His Singularity of Existence cannot be shared by another entity. Allah is Samad-- His Dignity and Sovereignty reaches the extent where all other things in Existence depend on for all their needs... Allahu Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala...

As-Salaam alaikum, Says the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam:-- "Anyone who fasts for one day for Allah's sake, Allah will keep his face away from the Hellfire for ( a distance covered by a journey of) seventy years." (Bukhari and Muslim).

As-Salaam alaikum, Thanks for the above post... quite a reminder to us all. Indeed, keeping the heart such that it is always Remembering Allah Ta'ala should be every Muslim's concern and/or priority. To make Zikr in our heart, to read Holy Qur'an and Holy Hadith, to remember Allah's Name, to visit the sick or homeless is all Zikrullah; any good amal is Zikrullah....

As-Salaam alaikum, About the Noble Companions (Sahaaba) of the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, may Allah be pleased with them all, Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an:-- "You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah..." (3:110) "The vanguard (of Islam)- the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in (all) good deeds, - well pleased is Allah with them, as are they with Him: For them has He prepared Gardens under which rivers flow; to dwell therein for ever: That is the supreme Felicity." (9:100) In many other places in the Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala praises and shows His Pleasure for the companions of the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. Their behavior and actions were witnessed by the Prophet and approved by him..... meaning that their behavior was also approved by Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala as it is an acceptable principle that the Prophet is not allowed to approve of something which is essentially wrong. So, we must emulate the Sahaaba in our behavior and actions, particularly minding:-- (1) That any action we take is correct in accordance with the Shari'a (2) To remember and think about death often, as this helps in detaching ourselves to worldly pleasures. (3) Learning to forgive others who may have offended us in mu'amalat (4) We should have high respect for all Muslims and desire good for them, noting that every Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim- his blood, wealth and honour. (5) Performance of the late night prayers (Tahajjud), as the Prophet, alaihi salaat wassalaam, said:-- "Stick to the late-night prayer for it was the custom of the pious people before you, it is also a means of getting closer to your Lord; it wipes away your evil deeds, and keeps one from committing sins." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Al-Hakim and others) al-Jami as-Saghir, vol. 2 Hadith No. 4079.

As-Salaam alaikum, In more ways than one, we can find peace only in the love of Allah Ta'ala and this is reflected in Sallah... Yes, the 5 daily Sallah Muslims offer daily being one of the pillars upon which Islam is built. Nowadays some focus on offering Sallah like some physical exercise to get reward in Paradise; they are unaware of its spiritual reality. Sallah is in fact, the presence of heart and soul before Allah... When a person gets annihilated in Allah completely, only then would his/her Sallah become Me'iraj. Allah Ta'ala created us of His Ishq and for His Ishq... we are sent to this planet earth to prove our love to Him, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala. If any of our acts are without the love of Allah, then it is useless because He does not need such prayers. Afterall, He has lots of angels for this purpose. Actually, when a Momin bows before Allah, it means he has given up everything... he is like a slave before Him and considers Allah the One and Only Entity (the Best) and himself as the worst. In his 'Risala al-Ghausia', Sheikh Abdulqadir al-Jilani, may Allah be pleased with him, says: I said: 'Oh Lord, which Sallah is closet to you?' It was replied: ''The Sallah in which there is no one except Me, even the person offering the Sallah is esoterically absent from it''.

As-Salaam alaikum, Says Allah Ta'ala in ayat 28 of Surat Ra'ad of the Holy Qur'an:-- "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest/satisfaction." (13:28) And in Hadith, we have learnt it that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:- "There is a piece of flesh in the body, if it becomes good (reformed), the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoiled, the whole body gets spoiled and that is the heart." Sheikh Abu Abdullah at-Tirmidhi Hakeem, may Allah be Merciful to him, said:-- "The Zikr [Remembrance ] of Allah moistens the heart and cultivates tenderness in it. When the heart is bereft of Zikrullah, the heat of the nafs overtakes it; the fire of lust reaches it; and it becomes barren and hard." Indeed, the life of the heart (qalb) is related to Allah's Remembrance. Man has only to implant Allah's Name firmly in his heart, what follows is amazing. So, be engaged in Zikr always... or most of the time. With that, you find out that even though our hands cannot feel Allah Ta'ala, the mind cannot grasp Him but the heart would vividly recognize Him... Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala. With regular, constant Zikr, the heart can discern Allah, Jallah-Jalalahu, hear Him, entreat, Obey and act according to His Will.

As-Salaam alaikum, I join Sayyada Bint -e A'isha in her Du'a at the end of her topic above, and also say ameen. May Allah Ta'ala Grant us His Gift of Light (Noor) in our heart and our Sirr...so that we will constantly be vividly recognizing Him, entreat Him, Obey and act in accordance to His Will.... Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala... ameen. Many Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, In ayat 13 of Surat Saba' of the Holy Qur'an (34:13), Allah Ta'ala says:-- ".....Only a few of My Worshipers are thankful". Allah Ta'ala said, ''very few of My Servants are thankful''. Qaleel...means very few, compared to millions or billions it means nothing. We should be among those few who are thankful, then Allah will not put us down but will raise us up. But we need faith (Imaan), as without it neither patience nor thankfulness comes. Faith brings everything. Many Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, Indeed our Lord, Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, is Generous. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:--- "On every joint of man, there is charity everyday when the sun rises: doing justice between 2 persons is charity, and assisting a man to ride an animal or to load his luggage on it is charity; and a good word is charity; every step one takes towards (masjid for) Sallat is charity, and removing harmful things from the street is charity." [Bukhari and Muslim].

As-Salaam alaikum, I wish to remind us, brothers and sisters in Islam, that the conditions to be Righteous and be among the pious servants of Allah Ta'ala are:-- (a) Have the correct beliefs as prescribed in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah. (b) Learn the obligatory Fiqh (Jurisprudence)- the dos and don't (s). (c) Make sincere repentance/Taubah and (d) Strive in doing good until death. May our Lord, Allah Ta'ala, Help us in/on this at all times... ameen.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "The life of this world compared to the Hereafter is as if one of you were to put his finger in the ocean and take it out again; then compare the water that remains on his finger to the water that remains in the ocean." [Sahih Muslim]. Do we need to say more, other than resolve to work hard for life in the Hereafter....while hoping for Allah's Guidance and Assistance all the way...... Best Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, In Islam, virtuous deeds... good deeds always carry blessings or baraka that benefit the one who performs such deeds. In his book titled: 'The Sharhus Sudoor (Analysing Condition of the Deceased and Graves)', Imam Jalaluddeen Suyuti, may Allah be Merciful to him, informed us that Abu Bukra, may Allah be pleased with him, says:- "When the time of a person's death nears, Malak ul Maut is commanded to smell his head and after smelling his head, he says, 'I am receiving the fragrance of the Qur'an from his head.' It is then said, 'Smell his heart. He says, 'His heart contains the fragrance of fasting.' It is then said to him, 'Smell his feet.' He says, 'The fragrance of qiyaam (standing in Ibadaat) is evident in his feet.' It is then said, 'he has protected his soul (himself), and so Allah has protected him.' Dawud Ibn Hind, may Allah be pleased with him, reported a narration wherein he mentioned, 'I was afflicted by plague and due to this I became unconscious. When I regained consciousness, 2 Angels appeared to me. One said to the other, 'What do you sense?' He said, 'Tasbeeh, Takbeer, Walking towards Masjid and some recitation of the Qur'an.'