How to have your deed accepted by Allah

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatu,

Brothers and Sisters, this information is very important to know, put to memory and to act upon insha'Allah.

An excerpt taken from Ibn Rajab al Hanbali's [Jami al Ulum Wal Hikam- Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom pg.11 and 20] as follows:

Pg. 11,

First, that the action in its outward form should accord with the Sunnah, which the hadith of 'A’ishah implies,

“Whoever innovates in our affair that which is not from it, then it is rejected,”

Second, that by the action one inwardly intends the face of Allah,Subhanahu Wata'ala, as is implied by the hadith of 'Umar,

“Actions are only by intentions.”

About His words, exalted is He:

ليَِبُْلوَكُمْ أَيكُّمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً

“…to test which of you is best in action,”28

al-Fudayl said, “Most sincere and most correct.” He said, “If an action is sincerely intended but it is not correct it is not accepted, and if it is correct but it is not sincere it is not accepted until it is sincere and correct.” He said, “Sincerity is when it is for the sake of Allah, Subhanahu Wata'ala, Correctness is when it is according to the Sunnah.” Something that proves this thing that al-Fudayl said is His words,Subhanahu Wata'ala,

فَمَن كَانَ يرَْجُو لقَِاء رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلاً صَالِحاً وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَداً

“So let him who hopes to meet his Lord act rightly and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.”29

One of the gnostics said, “They are distinguished in terms of merit by their intentions, not by fasting and prayer.”

Pg. 20,

Yusuf ibn al-Husayn ar-RazÏ said, “The most difficult thing in the world is ikhlas(i.e. doing something purely for the Sake of Allah Alone). How I struggle to remove showing off from my heart and it is as if it grows in it again with other colours.”

FOOTNOTES;

28 Surat al-Mulk: 2
29 Surat al-Kahf: 110


We have learned the 2 ingredients which will lead for our deeds to be accepted by Allah, Subhanahu Wata'ala;

#1. Having Ikhlas, doing the deed purely for the sake of Allah Alone

#2. According to the Sunnah of Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alahe wa salam).

These 2 conditions must be presented together to make the deed correct and complete.


post by brother Ibrahim
Jazahullah Khairan Katheera

The Final Day

THE MINOR
RESURRECTION

( What happens After Death)
In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah
By ‘Umar S. al-Ashqar
Section-The Grave (3) Examples of Lessons pg.107-109

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
( In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious The Most Merciful)

Imaam Qurtubi( raheemahullah-May Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala have mercy upon him) gave the following advice in his Tadhkirah:

“ Where is the wealth that you have gathered and prepared for hardship and terror? There is no money in your hand when you are dying. The wealth and pride that you enjoyed have been replaced with humiliation and poverty. What has become of you, O’ prisoner of your burdens, O’ you who have been taken away from your family and your home?

What was it that concealed the right path from you, and caused you to have no interest in making provision for your long journey and time of difficulty? Did you not know, O’ you who were deceived by this world, that this journey to the Day of intense horror was inevitable, when the time spent in gossip would be to no avail? That is the Day when you are standing before the Sovereign, the Judge, and the blows struck by your hands, the places where your feet took you, the words uttered by your tongue, the actions of all your limbs and faculties, will be counted against you. If Allah has mercy upon you, you will go to Paradise, otherwise you will go to the Fire of Hell.

O’ negligent one who ignores these matters, how long will this negligence last? How long will you delay? Do you think that the issue is insignificant? Do you think that the matter is easy? Do you think that your situation will help you when it is time for you to depart? Or that your wealth will save you when your actions condemn you? Or that your regret will help you when your feet are slipping? Or that your friends will show you any sympathy when you are gathered (for judgement)? No, by Allah, you are wrong in your thinking, and you will inevitably come to know the reality. You are not content with enough, you never have your fill of that which is haraam(i.e. Unlawful), you do not listen to lectures, you are not deterred by warnings. You persist in following your desires and you go about your life without guidance. You are happy with the things that you have accumulated but you do not think of what lies ahead. O’ you who are sleeping unaware, wandering without guidance, for how long will the neglect last? Do you think that you will be left alone and let off, and that you will not be brought to account tomorrow? Or do you think that death can be bribed? Or do you think that death distinguishes between a lion and a gazelle? No, by Allah, wealth and sons can never ward off death from you. Nothing can benefit those who will be forgiven except righteous deeds. So good news to those who listen and understand, who pays heed, and that man will have nothing except that for which he strives, and he will see what he has striven for. So wake up from this negligence, and make righteous deeds the provision with which you equip yourselves. Do not wish to attain the statues of the righteous when you are weighed down with burdens (of sin), doing immoral deeds, when Allah is watching you even when you are alone. Do not be so deceived by hopes and wishes that you neglect to strive. One poet said:

‘ Take provision from this life to help yourself in the Hereafter.

Strive for the sake of Allah and do good deeds.

Do not accumulate too much in this world,

For that accumulation will eventually diminish.

Would you like to accompany people

Who have provision when you do not?”

(Tadhkirat al-Qurtubi, 91)


Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala says in Surah(Chapter) Al Hadid ( The Iron)(20)

Know ye (all) that the life of this world is but playand amusement pomp and mutual boasting andmultiplying (in rivalry) among yourselves richesand children: Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong) and Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world but goods and chattels of deception?

Insha’Allah We will need to keep our focus upon the true reality of this world; and not be fooled by the glimmer and beauty that it displays, enticing us to fall in love with it. How could one have such love for the world when it contains “chattels of deception” and is only temporary. On the contrary the Ackhira ( hereafter) is forever lasting; comfort for the believers, and punishment for the disbelievers. So wouldn’t one who realizes this take advantage of what will lead him/her closer to piety with Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala instead of what will lead him/her farther away to the path of punishment?? We seek refuge in Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala from achieving this massive and destructive loss. Ameen !

Write up by: brother Ibrahim

Jazahullahu Khairan Katheera

~~~****~~~~

"My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will)."

(45:15)

Got married alhamdulilah. Need lot of prayers. will keep on writing inshaAllah whenever I can. I hope it is continually read till then and is beneficial always. Allah be with us all. aameen.

Below are some of the teaching techniques of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he used in order to make others understand concepts either formally or informally. I found them really interesting. You will too.

Humanity's Teacher

Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Teaching Techniques. By Muhammad Al-Shareef

There are 21 techniques mentioned in these lectures, but I m going to put them one by one at random as I learn myself. This is the latest one that I have learnt from it, this one is not just a simple technique but you sure need some insight to use it. Lets see how our Prophet (pbuh) did that.

PROPHET (PBUH) ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY ARE ASKED

The way to do it is while explaining something to the other person, you think in what ways this explanation can confuse the person, or what queries it can bring up. Therefore recognizing those, you answer the questions in their minds even before they are actually asked.

An example is the questions coming to children's mind when they read about the verses about the strict punishment for the disbelievers in the Hereafter. Now because it is a fact that the public schools indoctrinate the kids, they dont find it easy to accept, thinking in their mind that if someone was born into a non-Muslim family its not their fault, so in the end they are all going to paradise.

So when explaining that matter you will keep in mind the questions popping in their minds, keeping in mind the way they are programmed to think, and explain to them that those verses are about the arrogant people who reject the truth harshly when they are presented it.

And that those are tough verses but that does not mean that those verses are no needed, there are actually people who learn Islam through those very verses.

Therefore it is about understanding the issues that will come up in their minds, understanding their thinking process and the way it is programmed.

For example the Hadith:

The Prophet pbuh said that the Satan would come to a person and tell them who created this, and who created that and finally he will bring the person to ask, ‘Who created Allah?’ and then he said that whoever has this happen to them should recite surah Al-Ikhlas and shoud spit three times on the left side and say Auzubillahi Minash Shaitaan ir Rajeem.

Now no one actually came to the Prophet pbuh and asked but he said that this MAY happen to someone. So the issue wasn’t actually presented to him but he mentioned it and gave a solution, knowing that such thoughts could definitely arise in ones mind.

A Message!

By Ibrahim S.

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatu Brothers and Sisters in Islaam

(I hope that the sister who is in charge of this site and the readers who read these articles will forgive me for writing such a long blog. I felt that this is a very important message for the Ummah to read so it took the length of 3 pages to write. May Allaah reward you all for your patience and time, aameen!)

O Muslims! I heard the Seerah ( Biography) Of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam presented by Imaam Anwar Al-Awlaki (May Allaah preserve him) from his work “The Makkan Period”; and in this wonderful, beautiful and compassionate study, the Imaam brings to us powerful messages for all of us to think tremendously about; regarding the importance of studying Our Beloved Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam biography, and knowing that the Enemies of Islaam are trying to cut off our history’s roots in order for us to lose our true Muslim identity. Here is an excerpt taken from the Imaam’s work, “The Makkan Period” starting from track 6, 3:27 CD #1 the Imaam says,

( Quote )

“Brothers and Sisters. There is a Global Culture that is being forced down the throats of everyone on the face of the earth. This global culture is protected and promoted. Thomas Freedman, is a famous writer in the U.S., he writes for the New York Times. He says, “The hidden hand of the market cannot survive without a hidden fist. Mcdonalds will never flourish without Mcdonald Douglas, the designer of the F-15s. In other words, we’re not really dealing with a global culture that is benign or compassionate. This is a culture that gives you no choice. You either accept Mcdonalds otherwise Mcdonald Douglas will send their F-15s above your head. It’s a very intolerate culture that cannot co-exist with anything else. It uproots any other culture from the face of the earth. It just cuts the roots of it.”

And you have a quote here by Alexander Sulizitsen who is a famous Russian historian writer, he says,

“To destroy a people you must first sever their roots.”

Imaam Anwar continues by saying,

“So its really a destruction of the people of the earth because every other culture is being demolished. So this is not a global culture that will co-exist with others, it will replace others. And the only ideology that is standing up to this global culture is Islaam. But still as Muslims and especially Muslims living in the west, we are suffering from a serious identity crisis. I mean, you will find that even though the brother or sister would be practicing Islaam but, the Identity itself, the Islamic identity itself is lost. I mean, the person would have more in common with a rock star or a soccer player than they would have with a Companion of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). You would find that our youth know more about pop stars than they know about the Sahabah(i.e. Companions) of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. In fact even, sometimes even more than the Anbiya ( i.e.The Prophets). How many of our youth know the names of all of the Anbiya of Allaah?? How many of our youth know the names of the Sahabah radia Allaahu anhum? But ask the same person to name the soccer players on their favorite team or their best basketball players and they’ll go down the list! So there is serious identity crisis that is going on among Muslims. And the way we can counter that, the way we can develop a Muslim identity,

#1. By having a strong study of Islaamic History. Which is made up of the lives of the Prophets of Allaah, the life of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the lives of the Sahabah radia Allaahu anhum and then learning in general the Muslim history after that. So that’s #1. You develop an Identity by having an attachment with history. Because History is our umbilical cord, that is our lifeline, we are an extention of an Ummah. We’re not separated, we’re not severed from our roots. We are a part of a Glorious Ummah that we need to study about.

#2. By being part of the World Wide Muslim Ummah. Our Local identity should not override our Muslim Identity. So my identification with Britain, or America, or Pakistan or Kuwait, or any other country, should not override my Islamic Identity. See this nation-state concept is something that Islaam came to abolish. We have our loyalty to Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala and to our Religion. And we are a part of a World Wide Ummah. Therefore we need to study, we need to learn about our Muslim brethren all over the world. What happens in Falesteen should concern everybody who is a British Muslim. What happens in Kashmir should concern every American Muslim. What happens in every corner of the Muslim World should concern me as if it is happening within my own house.

(My Note (Ibrahim))- Narrated An Numan bin Bashir Allah's Apostle said, "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it." (Sahih Al-Bukhari 8.40) [End Note]

So these are the 2 important elements in building an identity. #1. Having a deep understanding of your history. And #2 being a part of the Ummah and caring about the Ummah. And again this saying of Alexander Sulizitsen,

“To destroy a people you must first sever their roots”

We don’t want our roots to be severed, we want our roots to be deep.
(End Quote from the Lecture)

O Muslims ! Please ponder over the Imaam’s words because they are a reality. Do not let your nafs(self) tell you otherwise. I will leave you with a hadeeth from the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam a poem and a short supplication in relation to the issue mentioned in the lecture insha’Allaah.

“The Nations are about to gather upon you (inviting each other to kill you and plunder your lands), just as people who are dining call one another to their Qis’ah (a tray that can accommodate ten).” Someone said, “At that time, will we be few in number?” He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,” Rather, you will be many at that time, but you will be like the scum of a flood(i.e. all the foam and filth that it carries). And Allaah will indeed remove from the breasts of your enemy the awe they have for you, and He Subhanahu Wata’ala will indeed cast into your hearts Wahn (Literally, weakness).” A questioner asked, “ O Messenger of Allaah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and what is the Wahn?” He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “The love of the world and hatred of death.” (Related by Abu Dawud and others; Refer to al-Sahihah (958)

O, when will the Ummah wake up from the delusion

When the Mountain erupts, the people become attentive and full of righteouness

But when it remains still and unspoken

The vultures linger

The people practice unrighteousness and sleep well till they become lifeless, loving the duniya(the world)

Forgetting the great Bounty that was bestowed upon them

So what is left but a carcass?

Allaahu Akbar, Allahu a’azzu min khalqihi jammee’an, Allaahu a’azzu mimmaa akhaafu wa ahtharu, a’uthu billaahil-lathee laa ilaaha illa Huwa, al-mumsik is-samaawaatis sab’I an yaqa’ na ‘alal-ardhi illa bi’ith-nihi, min sharri ‘abdikha[name of person], wa junoodihi wa atbaa’ihi, minal-jinni wal-insi, Allaahumma kun lee jaaran min sharrihim, jalla thanaa’uka wa ‘azza jaaruka, wa tabaarakasmuka, wa laa illaaha ghairuka.

Allaah is the Greatest, Mightier than all His creation. He is Mightier than what I fear and dread. I seek refuge in Allaah, Who there is none worthy of worship but Him. He is the One Who holds the seven heavens from falling upon the earth except by His Command. [ I seek refuge in you Allaah] from the evil of your slave[Shayton] and his helpers, his followers and his supporters from among the jinn and mankind. Oh Allaah, be my support against their evil. Glorious are Your praises and mighty is Your patronage. Blessed is Your Name, there is no true God but You!

(Al-Bukhari, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad (no. 708). Al Albani graded it Authentic in Sahih Al-Al Mufrad (no. 546).
Aameen!

HUMANITY'S TEACHER

Today after long I am actually writng a blog myself, and inshaAllah you will know some techniques that our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used in order to teach people and to make them understand concepts that they needed to learn.

The lesson comes from a series of lectures that I downloaded from Audio Islam and are titled 'Humanity's Teacher' by Muhammad AlShareef. I have listened to four parts and loved them. I took notes of it and here you will see an overview of what I learnt. At the same time I also highly recommend you to benefit from them by yourself, alhamdulilah the teacher has tried his best himself to practice those techniques in his lesson. So you listen to them part by part, you will enjoy as much as i did inshaaAllah. Best thing is, they are not long and boring but brief and to the point (probably very unlike what this blog is going to make them into :p )

Should I start? Wait! the teacher has given us a very valuable tip before starting. Do you take small notes while reading a book, magazine etc.? I never do, just so that my book stays clean and 'unblemished'. But what l have learnt to do now is that it is important that we make small notes, put special marks etc. while reading and we come across things that really strike us, or that we need to remember later.

So always take notes, this may save you from re reading the whole stuff all over again, because you will definitely not remember it all just as you read it first time and understood WHILE you were reading.

Those notes can be written in small points at the side margins of the text, can be symbols like stars, etc, or can be small abbreviations like APOI (Amazing Piece of Information), or Gem where you think you have read something you should treasure forever, or is a lesson for your whole life. It can be anything, any symbol that you can come up with. These were as examples given by this teacher.

You will find it amazing the next time when you are going to go through the same book, and then build up your understanding further from those points, or you can prepare a lecture, article etc. quickly from that.

But, the teacher reminds us, not to forget using our memory at the same time, do not completely rely on your notes, do excercise your memory. (we know there were people and still are who read books and keep all in their head, they have whole books memorized).

We come now to our beloved Prophet's (peace be upon him) techniques for teaching.

Technique no. 1.

TO NOT BORE THE LISTENER

It is narrated that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke, you could count his words on fingers. That is why many times we can just memorize the hadiths automatically, because of the shortness, directness and clarity of his words.

When the Prophet pbuh spoke it was never a marathon lecture, going on for hours and hours.

In the book of Prophet's (pbuh) saying [Sahih al-Bukhari] there is even a chapter titled 'Being moderate when teaching'.

We know from those hadiths, how when everytime the Prophet (pbuh) spoke it was a special occasion.

Same was practiced later by his companions. Ibn Masood (ra) used to teach only on Thursdays, and people wished that it was everyday. Prophet (pbuh) and also his companions took extra care in trying not to make people burdened by their speech or lessons etc.

That was the Prophet's (pbuh) way. How do we tell if someone's bored; well we all know, you may see the other person is sleepy, trying to stop yawning, reading something else, looking away, looking at the clock, or just simply looking bored by what you are saying.

The lecture or the lesson/ talk should not be a boring, consistant thing. There can be a lot done to make it interesting, e.g by making it paired with something special, like having a powerpoint presentation relevant to the topic, or some other special event.

One more thing as suggested by this teacher is to not to have repeat letures, becaue that way people always think of missing one where they can take another later. So one can make it as a special talk that is going to be only once, and if someone has missed, its like thay have missed the train. This keeps the people's interest.

More I m going place later inshaAllah, in the meantime you also have 'Humanity's Teacher'. I also would love to have your comments on this, especially if anyone of you who teaches and particularly teaching little kids and would like to share on this.

_____________________________________

Technorati Tags: Islam , Prophet Muhammad , Teaching

PS i hope that you have been benefitting from brother Ibrahim's articles, he will be writing more here inshaAllah, may Allah reward him, aameen.

"Spend and I Shall Spend On You"

Al-Kareem, Ar Raheem
The Most Generous, The Most Merciful

by Ibrahim S.

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatu Brothers and Sisters.

Surely all praise is for Allaah. We praise Him and seek His assistance. We seek His forgiveness and we seek refuge in Him from the evil of our own souls and from the wickedness of our deeds. Whomever He guides shall never go astray, and whomever He allows to stray shall never find guidance.

I bear witness that no one has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, alone, Who has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon his family and his Companions and upon those who follow them in piety until the Day of Judgment. To Proceed;

I hope that this short lesson reaches all of you in the best of health and Emaan(Faith). I opened the book called Al-Hadith Al Qudsiyyah and within this book are Ahadeeth(plural for Hadeeth i.e. sayings of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Qudsi which hold great virtue. This particular hadeeth that I will quote shows us the great Mercy which Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala provides His creatures with. At the same time, there are lessons for ourselves to gain and that is to learn to be grateful for the great favors Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala has bestowed upon all of us. In an authentic hadeeth collected by Imaam Bukhari it states,

Abu Harayra radia Allaahu anhu narrated from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that Allaah said:

O son of Adam, spend and I shall spend on you!

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

Allaah’s Hand is full; spending does not diminish it. He bestows as generously as a rain cloud, both day and night. Then he said: Do you realize how much Allaah has spent since He created the Heaven and earth, when His Throne was on the water and His Hand held the Scale? The spending has not diminished what was in His Hand.

{Bukhari, Al-Hadith Al Qudsiyyah Chapter 15 pg.86 Hadeeth # 46:}


The wording that I would like to emphasize is when Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala says,


“O son of Adam, spend and I shall spend on you!”


- Look at how generous Allaah is to His creation. “ O son of Adam spend,,” – Spend on what has been bestowed on you on yourself, your families, jihaad, the poor, the orphan, the building of Islamic schools, Masjids etc in a honorable manner. Then Allaah says “..and I shall spend on you!” – Glory be to Allaah! If you spend for the Sake of Allaah, He will spend on you. It will return to you multiplied for your own benefit. Look at Allaah’s Help and Support. He provides the Sustenance (rizq) for the person in the first place in order to spend on others while at the same time He is returning the reward to the spender.

Allaahu Akbar(Allaah is the Greatest)! just look at this phrase from the reverse to really see what I am trying to explain. Allaah says, “..and I shall spend on you!” ……then….. “ O son of Adam spend,,”………Allaah the Most Exalted has already spent on the spender by allowing the spender to spend in order for you to give to others with the plan of rewarding you for your effort. Is this not the work of One Who is The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful?? Doing good deeds will help all of us out in the long run if they are full of sincerity(Ikhlas) and done according to the Sunnah of Rasulullaah(sallallahi alayhi wa sallam)


Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala says in Soorah(Chapter) Al-Jathiyah(The Kneeling) ayat(verse) 15,

“Whosoever does a good deed, it is for himself, and whosoever does evil, it is against (himself). Then your Lord you will be made to return.”

Ibn Kathir, May Allah have mercy upon him,( A leading Scholar in Qur’anic explanation i.e. Tafseer) says about this verse,

“meaning, you will all return to Allaah on the Day of Resurrection, when you and your actions will be displayed before Him. Then, He will recompense you for your deeds, good for good and evil for evil.”{Vol 9. pg. 24}

We know that we must strive our utmost to Please Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala. He has given us hearing, vision, smell, taste, touch, intelligence, life; yet we are still ungrateful to Our Lord. Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala says in Soorah(Chapter Al-Mulk(Dominion) verse 23,

“Say it is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing (ears) and seeing(eyes), and hearts. Little thanks you give."

Will we not remember the hadeeth collected by Imaam Bukhari which shows the dedication that we lack but was, and is a true example of love for Rabbil Alameen(Allaah) through the beautiful example of Our Beloved Nabi(Prophet), sallallahu alayhi wa sallam?

Narrated Al Mughira

The Prophet used to offer night prayers till his feet became swollen. Somebody said to him, "Allaah has forgiven you, your faults of the past and those to follow." On that, he said, "Shouldn't I be a thankful slave (of Allaah)?"{Sahih Bukhari Vol 6. 360}

Allaahu Akbar ! ( Allaah is the Greatest). Indeed Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is and will be the best worshipper to Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala ever. I will conclude with a question for all of us to really ponder upon, and that is, are we trying our best to be grateful to Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala after all He has done for us; after all He has planned for us!? Truly the comfort in the dark wombs of our mothers was not scheduled by us but by One Who is Most Kind, Most Merciful! Shouldn’t we be more thankful to our Rabb(Lord)?

Soorah 100 Adiyat(Those that Run)verse 6, Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala says

“Truly Man is to his Lord ungrateful”

May Allaah Subhanahu Wata’ala forgive us all for our shortcomings and help us to be better, more thoughtful of the favors which He Subhanahu Wata’ala has bestowed upon us in order for us to attain success ameen!


Allaahuma maa asbaha bee min ni’matin aw bi-ahadin min khalqika faminka wahdaka laa shareeka laka, falakal-hamduwa lakash-shukru.

Oh Allaah, whatever blessing has been received by me or anyone of Your creation (1) is from You alone, You have no partner. All praise is for you and thanks is to you.(2))

Astagfirullaaha wa atoobu ilaihi.

I seek the forgiveness of Allaah and repent to Him(Recite one hundred times in Arabic during the day.)( 3)


___________________________________
Supplications taken from the Book Hisnul Muslim -Fortress of the Muslim

( 1.) When you say this in the evening, you should say: Allaahummamaa amsa bee…”Oh Allaah, as I….enter this evening…..”

(2.)”Whoever recites this in the morning, has completed his obligation to thank Allaah for that day; and whoever said it in the evening, has completed his obligation for that night,”{Abu Dawud 4/318, An-Nasa’i ‘Amal Al-Yawm wal-Lailah (no.8, Ibn As-Sunni (no.41), Ibn Hibban (no. 2361). Its chain of transmission is good (Hasan), Ibn Baz, p.24}

(3.) Al Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fath Al-Bari 11/101, Muslim 4/2075

"And there are some among men who take for themselves objects of worship other than ALLAH, loving them as they should love ALLAH. But believers are stronger in their love for ALLAH. And if those who transgress could now see the time when they shall see the punishment, they would realize that all power belongs to ALLAH and that ALLAH is severe in punishing.

Quraan: 2:165

From Darkness To Light

[As promised here is the account of brother Ibrahim's conversion to Islam in his own words. May Allah reward him for sharing it with all of us, aameen. There are sure lessons in it for us to learn and see the strange ways in which Allah guides people to the right way].

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

(In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful)

Intro:

While I was attending Phoenix College a question came to my mind and it was, “Why Am I a Christian?” Now, please understand this, I am not a Nationalist, or racist, so just bare with me. I have always known that Christianity has been forced upon my people (i.e. African slaves who have evolved to be African Americans) before coming to the “Land of the Free” from watching documentaries, movies, etc so why am I following this way? This was something that I just started seriously thinking about.

My father once said to me, “ How can Christians say that they are Christians while after going to Sunday Church and asking God for forgiveness for their sins, then come back the next day and treat our people they way they did?” So with this I understood that I was a christian only because it was taught to me since I was little. No proof was there to look at for me to be convinced that this was the truth. This act was merely me following my forefathers blindly.

“Nay! They say: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we guide ourselves by their footsteps.”

(Chapter Az-Zukhruf verse 22)


Keep in mind, my father (May Allaah SWT guide him, ameen) does not have a religion that he follows but he believes that God exists; yet I was still sent to “Sunday School” as a child. Maybe this had to do with the choice from my mother (May Allaah SWT guide her ameen), who is a catholic. Also keep in mind that I wasn’t too much of a “practicing” christian, nor was I studious in it. I basically just stuck with the “Jesus loves me” and “Jesus died for my sins” concept and tried my best to be a good person.

Abu Hurairah (ra) reported Prophet Muhammad (peace and prayers be upon him as saying,

“Every child is born on the fitrah (i.e.Muslim) and it is his parents who make him a christian or a jew....”

(Al-Muwatta 16.53)

Anyway, when my father mentioned that statement to me, I had nothing to say in return.

Now, just from this, doubt set in about the religion of Christianity. I also read some information regarding the Creed of Nicea. Roman Emperor Constantine and his members got together and decided on their own that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was divine, yet Jesus (peace be upon him) never said this himself.

For me, I didn’t think that Jesus (peace be upon him) was God. I have always thought that they were separate. Honestly, they say one must pray through Jesus (peace be upon him) to get to the Father, but I did this only a few times in my life. 95% of the time, I prayed directly to God. Moreover, this was some scriptural confusion that only led to me doubting this religion even more, to the point I started feeling stressed out.

As I sat in the deep thoughts of confusion regarding Christianity the pains of my heart suffered dramatically. My nerves ready to burst, stress dominating my mind. Belief should not consist of any doubt. It is 100% confidence that what one believes in is correct.

This was not the feeling that I had any more. Depression set in. Fear set in! The Whispers of Shaiton (Satan) attacked me from left and right. I would say to myself, “What if I die not believing that Jesus died for my sins? Would God be pleased with me?!” Tears began to fall like rivers down my face heavily. The pain from confusion broke me apart! Who did I take my problem to? My father!? No! My Mother!? No! My brother, sister (May Allaah SWT guide them all, ameen)! No! I took this weighty problem of my soul to The One Who created it. God! I made a very sincere supplication to Him saying,


“O, God! I am so confused and I don’t know what to do! I seek Your help! Guide me to what You want me to follow. I will not listen to the words of men. I Put my trust in You and only You.”


Crash: Turning Point


Later on that week, I was running late for basketball practice at Phoenix College, so I tried getting on the freeway to speed things up. I’m on it, driving about 60mph in the carpool lane (even though I was the only one in the car) and there were 2 cars ahead of me. All of a sudden I noticed the car in front of me slammed on its breaks! So I slammed on mine! I slid all the way to the car in front of me but not hitting it. Phew! Then another shock occurred.

A car appeared out of no where like a sniper’s bullet on my rear side, driving about 45 to 50mph. BOOM! I’m hit! The car in front of me is hit! I’m feeling ok, no one was seriously injured, to my knowledge. They say that whiplash pain usually comes the next day after such an event takes place. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it for basketball practice that day due to the accident. Also when I woke up the next day to attend practice, I felt pain in my lower back.

I went to the trainer because the pain was intense and annoying. The trainer would lay me on my stomach and feel on my back (i.e. spine) down to my tailbone area to see what places caused discomfort to me. I told the trainer what spots bothered me. Every morning I had to come in, lay on my stomach with a heating pad on it; try to practice, then after that come back and have an electric pulse massager connected to my back to relieve me of some pain, ice my back, then go to class. Unfortunately, some bad news was told to me.

The trainer said that I have a “bruised vertebrae in my tailbone area.” A specialist agreed with the trainer and he (i.e. the specialist) added that I had a “rotated pelvis” as well. Ouch! Rehab was a must for me, but God had other plans for me.

Now being on campus I went to the College Library where I would use the internet. Now keep in mind, at this time I was still thinking about my ancestry, so guess what? That led me to take an interest in a sect of Islaam called “The Nation of Islam”. My barber (in the past) was from N.O.I. and he mentioned The Qur’aan to me. He was telling me how our people worshipped Allaah before coming into slavery, and how Allaah sent Elijah Muhammad to teach us about Islaam in America.

“Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last(end) of the Prophets. And Allaah is Ever All-Awar of everything”

(Chapter Al-Ahzab verse 40)


So I decided to check this group out using yahoo searches. In this sect they teach a lot about how “special” African American people are. I saw so much emphasis. “The black man is the original man” and that “white people are the devils.” This is what I was reading in their book by Elijah Muhammad “Message to the Blackman”.

This book would build the spirit of a black male or female without doubt, but at the same time it promotes Nationalism, Racism, and Shirk (adding partners to Allaah) to the utmost degree. I read that they believe that a “Big Headed Scientist” created the white race (1)! This was complete nonsense and it didn’t make sense to me. Good thing God led me to someone who knew about this sect plus more.

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allaah is that(believer) who has At-Taqwa{i.e. He is one of the pious.}Verily, Allaah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”

(Chapter Al-Hujurat verse 13)

Turning Point # 2

“ ..He whom Allaah guides, he is the rightly guided….”

(Chapter The Cave, verse 17)

One day I was coming to the campus after hanging out with a friend and as we were walking my friend started talking with some guy out of no where. He wore a white dress shirt with slacks and I didn’t really pay him too much attention until he said, “I am a muslim.” I don’t know what my friend said to him to make him say that but it definitely caught my attention. I asked him about Islaam. He said, “Meet me back here tomorrow. I will bring you some Information.”

Am I Blind Following?

That day came, we met at the same place, and he gave me da’wah (i.e. calling me to Islaam). He understood that I was christian influenced, so he brought some information regarding Jesus (peace be upon him) and contradictions in the bible. He asked me,

“The Christians say that the bible is the Word of God, so should there be any contradictions (i.e. errors) in it?"

I said, “No, of course not.” So he showed them to me.(2) He also showed me scientific evidences which COULD NOT BE KNOWN by a man 1500 years ago while modern scientists have just learn about these discoveries about 100 years ago!(3) For example, Embryology and knowledge of the Oceans (Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea) etc.

“Do they not then consider the Qur’aan carefully? Had it been from other than Allaah, they would have found therein many a contradiction.”

(Chapter An-Nisaa verse 82)

“O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily We have created you(i.e. Adam) from dust, then from a Nutfah (mixed drops of male and female sexual discharge i.e. the offspring of Adam), then from a clot(a piece of thick coagulated blood) then from a little lump of flesh, some formed and some unformed(as in the case of miscarriage)- that We may make(it) clear to you(i.e. to show you Our power and Ability to do what We will.)…..”

(Chapter Hajj verse 5)

“And it is He Who has let free the two seas (kinds of water): this is palatable and sweet, and that is salt and bitter; and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.”

(Chapter Al-Furqan verse53)

Now after this great, influential conversation built upon proofs by this muslim man, I found myself motivated and enthusiastically coming to Phoenix College only to read Al Qur’aan in the library where I would spend most of my time. I could not stop reading this Great Book. Class time would come up, yet I didn’t feel the need to go to that class because I was reading Al Qur’aan or I would show up late.

That muslim brother ended up leading me to Islaam, Walhumdulillaah (and All praise be to Allaah). I took my shahadah(testification of faith) just 3 weeks since hearing about Islaam through this muslim man after being a so called Christian for 18 and a half years. This led to me becoming a muslim on Friday, Jummu’ah prayer.

When I received my first Qur’aan, I would spend most of my time in my room, in seclusion, reading until I fell asleep. I would then wake up about 5-6am just to continue reading it. I recognized my priorities have changed. I was seeking an athletic full scholarship to a University with my talent with basketball.

I was being recruited by the University of Miami, Eastern Michigan, and other schools but this was put to an end with my injury. Now I am seeking to get closer to Allaah SWT and His Messenger(peace and prayers be upon him) by following The Qur’aan and The Authentic Sunnah(way) of Prophet Muhammad(peace and prayers be upon him) and the way of his Sahabah (i.e. Companions){May Allaah SWT be pleased with them all}

“.. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut(i.e. false deities, idols, stones, sun, stars, angles, human beings, rulers, etc) and believes in Allaah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knowing.”

(Chapter Al-Baqarah verse 256)


Remember when I asked Him sincerely…,

“O, God! I am so confused and I don’t know what to do! I seek Your help! Guide me to what You want me to follow. I will not listen to the words of men. I Put my trust in You and only You.”

Allaah Glory and Praise be to Him says,

“… I respond to the supplicant when he calls on Me(without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.”

(Chapter Al-Baqarah verse 186)


Thus,

“Allaah is the Wali(Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into Light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya(supporters and helpers) are Taghut{False deities and false leaders}, they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever.”

Foot Notes.

1. (N.O.I) http://www.seventhfam.com/temple/books/black_man/blkindex2.htm
2. (Contradictions)http://www.islamway.com/english/images/library/contradictions.htm
3. (Miracle of the Oceans) http://www.55a.net/eng/6.htm
4. (Miracle of Embryology) http://www.islam101.com/science/embryo.html

Jewels of Wisdom

from the Shaykh Mahmoud Sulaimon

by Ibrahim S.*

Shaykh Mahmoud(May Allah preserve him) once informed me about his studies of the madhab of Imam Ash-Shafi’i(raheemahullaah) at Al-Azhar University in Egypt and how he became Hafiz ul Qur’an( A Memorizer of the Qur’aan) at the age of 9 and he studied books on Shafi’i fiqh(which are thick in volume) for 7 years; I once asked him, “ Shaykh, do you still study?” He said, “ Yes I study. I sometimes study from 11pm till Fajr Time.” I then asked, “ What do you study?” He said, “ Hadith, fiqh, tafseer(etc).” Yet he will not say “ Yes I am a learned one.”

Shaykh Mahmoud is very humble, known for his knowledge and piety who speaks as if he is in pain. He noticed that now a days people(i.e. the laymen) would read books(small ones at that) then think that they are part of the Ulema(Scholars) Of the Ummah(Nation) of Rasulullah(peace and blessings be upon him). I have noticed this as well and I, myself had to avert this thought. Most of these people(including myself) don’t even know the Arabic language. Subhan’Allah( Glory be to Allah). Allah says in Surah #39 Az-Zumar( The Groups) verse 9,

“Say: Are those who know equal to those who know not? It is only those men of understanding who will remember.”

The shaykh informed me of great jewels that would make a woman who loves this duniya(world) jealous because of their shine, glimmer and attractive beauty which throws humbleness upon a sincere heart when heard. When he noticed my zeal for seeking beneficial ilm(In Islam) and seeing the state of the arrogant ones he gave me some jewels to dwell upon. He said,

“ Ibrahim, if you want to learn Islam, first learn humbleness.”

“A man can have a lot of knowledge yet he lacks wisdom, therefore he can be a sword to the community.”

“Be humble. Walk like an Old man. The Malikah(angels) look at an arrogant person who thinks he knows everything( and/or thinks himself to be better than others) to be as small as an ant; and if the man is humble they(i.e.The Angels) enjoy being around him.”

“ You won’t know everything in Islam…”
( Someone will always know something that you didn’t know)

“Allah does not like the arrogant ones. The only reason why one has been given knowledge is because Allah gave it to him. It was not acquired by himself.”

(May Allah The Exalted have Mercy on Brother Faiz. Once he pointed out to me a while ago regarding Qarun(one of Fir’aun’s{Pharoah} advisors when he said after Allah gave him an abundance of wealth, “ This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess...” Allah put an end to his arrogance in the land, “ So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place..”(Surah{Chapter}#28, Al-Qasas-The Narration- ayat(verses) 78 and 81)

Subhan’Allah! These are gems that cannot be priced and never neglected by anyone; especially by the students of Knowledge and the laymen. May Allah bless Shaykh Mahmoud and increase him in beneficial knowledge and grant him Jannah Firdaows for his efforts ameen.


Insha’Allah (God-Willing) I will support the Shaykh with excerpts taken from the book “ The Heirs of the Prophets” by Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali(May Allah have mercy upon him) section: “Paths leading to Sacred Knowledge”translated by Zaid Shakir(May Allah reward him) page 10-11. The Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) is related to have said in a sound hadith,

“Allah does not withdraw knowledge by extracting it from the hearts of the men, rather He takes away the religious scholars. When no religious scholar remains, people take the ignorant as their leaders; these ignorant ones are questioned and give religious verdicts without knowledge. They are astray and lead others astray.”

{Bukhari, hadith no. 100, 7307}

Tirmdhi relates from Jubayr ibn Nufayr(May Allah be pleased with him), on the authority of Abu Darda:

“We were with the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) and he said, “ There {will be} a time when knowledge will be snatced from the people until they will be unable to benefit from it.” Ziyad ibn Lubayd said, “ O Messenger of Allah, how will Allah seize knowledge from us when we recite the Qur’an.” I swear by Allah, we recite it and teach it to our women and children!” He said, “ May your mother be bereaved of you, Ziyad. I used to consider you one of the learned people of Madinah! The Torah and the Gospel are with the Jews and the Christians, yet do they benefit from them in any way?”

{Tirmdhi no. 2653}

Jubayr Ibn Nufayr said:

“I met ‘Ubada ibn al-Samit and said to him, “ Will you not listen to what Abu Darda’ is saying?” I then informed him of what he said concerning the loss of knowledge. He said, “ Abu Darda’ has spoken truthfully. If you wish I will inform you of the FIRST KNOWLEDGE to be removed from people. It is HUMILITY(Khushu’). You will enter the central masjid and hardly find a single humble person!”

Nasa’i relates a similar hadith from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, on the authority of ‘Awf ibn Malik(May Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him). He says in this hadith,

“The Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the straying of the Jews and the Christians despite their possessing scriptures. {Al-Nasa’i , al- Sunan al-Kubra(Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabi), 8:211; al-Musnad, 6-26-27; al Hakim, al-Mustadrak(Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1990), 1:99-100}

Jubayr ibn Nufayr also related:

“ I met Shaddad ibn Aws and I informed him of the hadith of ‘Awf ibn Malik, and he said, “ He has spoken the truth. Shall I not inform you about the first occurrence of the lifting of knowledge? Humility will be lifted to the point you will not see a single humble person.”

Imam Ahmad(May Allah have mercy on him) relates in a hadith in which Ziyad ibn Lubayd(May Allah be pleased with him) mentioned something, whereupon the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) said,

“ That will be in the time when knowledge is gone”
{Imam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 4: 218-19; Ibn Majah, hadith no. 4048}

“ All of these narrations relate that the departure of knowledge resides in the failure to act on it. The Companions( May Allah be pleased with all of them) explained that the reason for this is the passing of inner knowledge from the hearts- with inner knowledge referring to humility. In this vein, Hudhayfa(May Allah be pleased with him) relates,

“Surely, humility will be the first knowledge to be lifted.”
{ Related with a similar wording in al-Hilya, 1: 281; al Zuhud, 2 : 135.}


Now I will also quote from “Reliance of the Traveller by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, a Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law” page 806, section t3.17 A Pure Heart,


“ Do not seek exaltation on earth, but have humility in whatever degree Allah has raised you to. For Allah has brought you forth from earth, your mother, and it is unseemly to exalt yourself above her. As the Hadith says, “Allah has charged Himself to raise nothing in this world, save that He will lower it again.” So If you are such a thing, you may expect to be lowered by Allah.”


May Allah The Exalted aid us in striving to be like those who have good manners(akhlaq), character, humbleness and among those who hate pride and arrogance ameen.

_______________________________________

*Brother Ibrahim converted to Islam two and a half years ago, when he was 19, and since then has spent most of his time and energy in learning Islam and trying to practice it. InshaAllah I will also post the story of his conversion written by himself. May Allah keep him on the straight path always, aameen. May Allah guide us all and make it easy for us to stay strong in our faith, and be pleased with us, aameen.