The Flower Vs. The Pearl...
Asalaamu'alaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu dear respected brothers and sisters, insha'Allah this post is more aimed towards the sisters, but the brothers can apply this to their own hijaab and whether they'd rather follow the sunnah or the society (i.e. covering for their Awrah [navel to knees]).
"One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom of the sea and has none of these characteristics. Both got acquainted with each other.
The flower said:
"Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of the family. And there are many other species that are various and countless; each has a distinctive scent, appearance etc."
Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower. "Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are depressed?" The pearl asked.
"Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don't grow us for our sake but to get pleasure from our fragrance and beautiful appearance. They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we are dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and fragrance." The flower sighed.
And then the flower said to the pearl: "Speak to me about your life! How do you live? How do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of the sea."
The pearl answered: "Although I have none of your distinctive colors and sweet scents, humans think I am precious. They do the impossible to procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more beautiful and brilliant I become. That's what upraises my value in their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas. However, I'm happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and mischievous hands and still the humans consider me highly valuable."
Do you know what the flower and the pearl symbolize? Think, Think, Think... You will find that: The flower is the unveiled woman (who shows her charms) and the pearl is the veiled woman (who conceals her beauties).
Who would you like to be my dear sisters?????
Wasalaamu'alaikum Wa'rahmatulahi Wa'barkatahu.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
The Beauty of a Woman
The beauty of a woman isn't on the front covers of a magazine,
The beauty of a woman is reflected by her love for her deen.
The beauty of a woman isn't in her airbrushed smile,
its her hard work she dedicates to her family that goes a mile.
The beauty of a woman is apparent in her motherhood,
she raises her children to form a strong Muslim brotherhood.
The beauty of a woman isn't in her figure or how much she weighs,
its when she pours her heart out to Allah and prays.
The strength for every good man,
performing all the dignified roles- shes still amazing even as a gran!
The endless and tiresome nights; she raises her children in Allah's name with sheer delight People think that by working outside that gives a lot to contemporary society,
fair enough but ignoring the family isn't really piety.
The beauty of a woman lies in her unconditional love;
that Allah by His Rahman bestows from High above.
Without our mothers what would we have been,
When man cries defeat the beauty of a woman can be seen by her grace,
she aspires her husband to never leave his place.
Her hijab is for her; So why can't the media stop the slur.
She adores her coverings, its not for men and women to stare -
all this for Allah she is offering.
The beauty of a woman can be measured by her friendship
from every kind word, advice and so many tips.
The beauty of a woman can be seen in her intelligence,
not in skinny tight jeans, but modesty in my book is elegance
I'm not here condemning women- because we are all different,
but there are certain qualities that are ignored- those qualities are magnificent.
Her laughter and her beautiful smile;
is still there after she has struggled hard for miles.
She maintains her role to such perfection; of mother, daughter, sister, and wife
she has the same rights to education.
Best of all her beauty stems from Islam;
that through the chaos of this world saves her from harm.
She feels at ease, and is truly liberated,
if only other women knew how these lies about our women are fabricated.
The beauty of a woman is reflected by her love for her deen.
The beauty of a woman isn't in her airbrushed smile,
its her hard work she dedicates to her family that goes a mile.
The beauty of a woman is apparent in her motherhood,
she raises her children to form a strong Muslim brotherhood.
The beauty of a woman isn't in her figure or how much she weighs,
its when she pours her heart out to Allah and prays.
The strength for every good man,
performing all the dignified roles- shes still amazing even as a gran!
The endless and tiresome nights; she raises her children in Allah's name with sheer delight People think that by working outside that gives a lot to contemporary society,
fair enough but ignoring the family isn't really piety.
The beauty of a woman lies in her unconditional love;
that Allah by His Rahman bestows from High above.
Without our mothers what would we have been,
When man cries defeat the beauty of a woman can be seen by her grace,
she aspires her husband to never leave his place.
Her hijab is for her; So why can't the media stop the slur.
She adores her coverings, its not for men and women to stare -
all this for Allah she is offering.
The beauty of a woman can be measured by her friendship
from every kind word, advice and so many tips.
The beauty of a woman can be seen in her intelligence,
not in skinny tight jeans, but modesty in my book is elegance
I'm not here condemning women- because we are all different,
but there are certain qualities that are ignored- those qualities are magnificent.
Her laughter and her beautiful smile;
is still there after she has struggled hard for miles.
She maintains her role to such perfection; of mother, daughter, sister, and wife
she has the same rights to education.
Best of all her beauty stems from Islam;
that through the chaos of this world saves her from harm.
She feels at ease, and is truly liberated,
if only other women knew how these lies about our women are fabricated.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
The Key to Answered Prayers (Part II)
Imam Ahmad, may Allah be pleased with him, was once travelling and needed to stay somewhere overnight. When he went to the masjid, the guard (not recognising Imam Ahmad) denied him entrance. Imam Ahmad tried numerous times, but the guard did not accept his requests. Frustrated, Imam Ahmad resolved to spend the night in the masjid yard. The guard became furious and dragged him away, despite the old age and weakness of Imam Ahmad. A baker, whose shop was nearby, watched this scene and took pity on Imam Ahmad. He invited the Imam to stay with him for the night. While there, Imam Ahmad noticed that the baker continually made istighfar (asking for Allah’s forgiveness) while working, and in the morning, the Imam eagerly asked his host about the latter’s continual seeking of forgiveness. The baker said it had become like second nature, and Imam Ahmad then asked whether the man had experienced any reward from this practice.
The baker answered, “By Allah! No duaa (supplication to Allah) I made except that it was answered but one.”
“And what is that duaa?” asked Imam Ahmad.
“To be able to see the famous Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal!”
Imam Ahmed interrupted, “I am Ahmad ibn Hanbal!”
He then went on to add:
“By Allah! I was dragged to your place so that you can have your duaa/wish come true.”
- Summarized from Al Jumuah magazine, vol 19, issue 7.
Aishah (radi Allahu anha) said- ‘So lucky is the one who comes on the Day of Judgment and find in his/her record a lot of astaghfurillah.’ SubhanAllah…Allah dragged Imam Ahmad to the house of the baker to answer his duaa. We need to start making istighfar and a lot of dua brothers and sisters, and not only for ourselves but also for our brothers and sisters who are suffering all over the world. Dua in itself is an act of worship, and one of the duas that quickly receives an answer is the dua that one makes for his brother/sister in their absence for the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said,
"The dua of a Muslim for his brother (in Islam) in his absence is readily accepted, an angel is appointed to his side, whenever he makes a beneficial dua for his brother the appointed angel says "aameen and may you also be blessed with the same".[Sahih Muslim)
May Allah (‘azza wajjal) guide us all and give us the ability to act upon everything that is written on this blog. May He reward all the brothers and sisters who take time out of their busy schedule to benefit us all with their knowledge and may He grant us all Imaan and Taqwa. Ameen.
p.s. please make dua for me
Wasalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullah
Muslimah
The baker answered, “By Allah! No duaa (supplication to Allah) I made except that it was answered but one.”
“And what is that duaa?” asked Imam Ahmad.
“To be able to see the famous Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal!”
Imam Ahmed interrupted, “I am Ahmad ibn Hanbal!”
He then went on to add:
“By Allah! I was dragged to your place so that you can have your duaa/wish come true.”
- Summarized from Al Jumuah magazine, vol 19, issue 7.
Aishah (radi Allahu anha) said- ‘So lucky is the one who comes on the Day of Judgment and find in his/her record a lot of astaghfurillah.’ SubhanAllah…Allah dragged Imam Ahmad to the house of the baker to answer his duaa. We need to start making istighfar and a lot of dua brothers and sisters, and not only for ourselves but also for our brothers and sisters who are suffering all over the world. Dua in itself is an act of worship, and one of the duas that quickly receives an answer is the dua that one makes for his brother/sister in their absence for the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said,
"The dua of a Muslim for his brother (in Islam) in his absence is readily accepted, an angel is appointed to his side, whenever he makes a beneficial dua for his brother the appointed angel says "aameen and may you also be blessed with the same".[Sahih Muslim)
May Allah (‘azza wajjal) guide us all and give us the ability to act upon everything that is written on this blog. May He reward all the brothers and sisters who take time out of their busy schedule to benefit us all with their knowledge and may He grant us all Imaan and Taqwa. Ameen.
p.s. please make dua for me
Wasalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullah
Muslimah
The Key to Answered Prayers (Part 1)
Asalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullahi wabarkatuhu
My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, have you ever made dua to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), didn’t get a quick reply, and despaired for a while? Brothers and sisters, know that any dua that a Muslim makes Allah will surely accept it, either in this dunya or the akhira, therefore, you should never ever despair or lose hope.
“Do not let the delay of what you are fervently praying for discourage you, or dishearten you - for He has Guaranteed you the answer in what He chooses for you (not in what you choose for yourself) and when He wills, not when you do.”(Ibn Atallah, Maxim 6, Chapter 1, The Hikam)
Your dua depends on how much you nag Allah. When you nag a human being, they eventually get annoyed and frustrated; however, Allah loves it when His servants nag him. This is why the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘People will come and say ‘I made dua and I made dua but Allah didn’t respond.’ So then, they give up hope and they stop making dua, and it may have been that Allah was just about to answer that dua. Never ever give up hope in Allah my brothers and sisters, and always nag Him when you are making dua.
Some people think Allah has betrayed them in their dua while they worship Allah well. Don’t ever think that. Know that if Allah cares for you-which He does; if He knows what you’re asking for will cause much harm to you, then He will not respond and He will leave it till the Hereafter.
"Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."
You have to rely on Allah that is the test. Do you rely on Him? Then depend on Him my brothers and sisters, and know that whatever He does is for your own good.
This post is a reminder to myself first and foremost. Any mistakes I have made are due to my own shortcomings, please do forgive me, and any good that has been addressed is from Allah alone and to Him do we return.
Wasalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullah
Muslimah
My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, have you ever made dua to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), didn’t get a quick reply, and despaired for a while? Brothers and sisters, know that any dua that a Muslim makes Allah will surely accept it, either in this dunya or the akhira, therefore, you should never ever despair or lose hope.
“Do not let the delay of what you are fervently praying for discourage you, or dishearten you - for He has Guaranteed you the answer in what He chooses for you (not in what you choose for yourself) and when He wills, not when you do.”(Ibn Atallah, Maxim 6, Chapter 1, The Hikam)
Your dua depends on how much you nag Allah. When you nag a human being, they eventually get annoyed and frustrated; however, Allah loves it when His servants nag him. This is why the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘People will come and say ‘I made dua and I made dua but Allah didn’t respond.’ So then, they give up hope and they stop making dua, and it may have been that Allah was just about to answer that dua. Never ever give up hope in Allah my brothers and sisters, and always nag Him when you are making dua.
Some people think Allah has betrayed them in their dua while they worship Allah well. Don’t ever think that. Know that if Allah cares for you-which He does; if He knows what you’re asking for will cause much harm to you, then He will not respond and He will leave it till the Hereafter.
"Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."
You have to rely on Allah that is the test. Do you rely on Him? Then depend on Him my brothers and sisters, and know that whatever He does is for your own good.
This post is a reminder to myself first and foremost. Any mistakes I have made are due to my own shortcomings, please do forgive me, and any good that has been addressed is from Allah alone and to Him do we return.
Wasalamu ‘alaikum warahmatullah
Muslimah
Sunday, 26 October 2008
The Importance of Parents in Islam...
PARENTS IN ISLAM…
Assalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu dear respected brothers and sisters.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is a rising concern in the Ummah, of how badly we as children treat our parents, we forget that treating our parents with kindness and being just to them is a COMMAND of Allah Subhana Wa Ta'laa, The Almighty, The Over-Powering Lord of the Worlds!!!
Dear sisters and brothers, let the below narration serve as a reminder to all of us, in how our conduct should be towards our parents, and if we do not fulfill this command, the abode of Jahanaam that awaits in the hereafter and the torment we may face!
We are Alhumdulilah currently at the age of youth in which marriage is on most of our minds, or at the back of our minds (or in most cases brothers and sisters are thinking about marriage or avoiding it), so brothers let the below narration be an advice and guide to you for your future married life Insha'Allah in how you should be as a husband and a SON, and sisters, let the below narration be a reminder to us, in how we as WIVES insha'Allah must be careful and wary of what our husbands do, and how they treat their parents!!!
Hadhrat ibn Abbas Radi Allahu Anhu said:
“At the time of the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, there was a young man named Alkamah. He used to work very hard and give his earnings to charity. One day he became very ill. His wife sent a message to the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam. The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam sent Bilal, Ali, Suleman and Amar Radi Allahu Anhum with these words,
‘See how he is.’
They went and found that he was indeed very ill and close to death. They spent some time trying to make him read the Kalimah, but something was holding him back. Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu returned to tell the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam about his condition.
The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam asked,
‘Are his parents alive?’
Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu replied, ‘His father has passed away, but his mother is still alive.’ The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam told Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu to call his mother and if she couldn't come then the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam would come to her.
As soon as Alkamah’s mother heard, she grabbed her walking stick and came right away. She did Salaam and the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam returned it and asked,
‘Tell me truthfully, if you don't, then I will learn by revelation. What sort of deeds did your son do?’
She told the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam that he was a very pious man, that he used to read prayers consistently, fast constantly and give alms abundantly. The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam asked her how he was with her. She said, ‘I am upset with him. Instead of me, he gives preference to his wife. He used to disobey me and listened to his wife.
The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said to her,
‘Your displeasure has stopped Alkamah from reciting the Kalimah.’ The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam then ordered his Companions to gather some wood and to burn him.
The mother asked whether they were really going to burn her son in front of her? The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam told her,
‘Allah's punishment is much greater. If you want Allah to forgive Alkamah, you must first forgive him yourself. His praying, fasting and alms-giving will do him no good.’
His mother raised her hands and said, ‘I have forgiven him.’
The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam sent Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu to check on Alkamah. He was reading the Kalimah. Alkamah died that very day. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam arranged his funeral and led his Janazah.
After that he stood up and addressed the people.
‘The person who prefers his wife rather then his mother, Allah’s curse be upon him. His faraaidh and nawafil will not be accepted."
SOURCE: http://www.inter-islam.org/RightsDuties/parents.html#IMPORTANCE
May Allah Subhana Wa ta'laa make us better children to our parents, and continually strive to better our characters in all aspects of life, Ameen!
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu! x
Assalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu dear respected brothers and sisters.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is a rising concern in the Ummah, of how badly we as children treat our parents, we forget that treating our parents with kindness and being just to them is a COMMAND of Allah Subhana Wa Ta'laa, The Almighty, The Over-Powering Lord of the Worlds!!!
Dear sisters and brothers, let the below narration serve as a reminder to all of us, in how our conduct should be towards our parents, and if we do not fulfill this command, the abode of Jahanaam that awaits in the hereafter and the torment we may face!
We are Alhumdulilah currently at the age of youth in which marriage is on most of our minds, or at the back of our minds (or in most cases brothers and sisters are thinking about marriage or avoiding it), so brothers let the below narration be an advice and guide to you for your future married life Insha'Allah in how you should be as a husband and a SON, and sisters, let the below narration be a reminder to us, in how we as WIVES insha'Allah must be careful and wary of what our husbands do, and how they treat their parents!!!
Hadhrat ibn Abbas Radi Allahu Anhu said:
“At the time of the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, there was a young man named Alkamah. He used to work very hard and give his earnings to charity. One day he became very ill. His wife sent a message to the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam. The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam sent Bilal, Ali, Suleman and Amar Radi Allahu Anhum with these words,
‘See how he is.’
They went and found that he was indeed very ill and close to death. They spent some time trying to make him read the Kalimah, but something was holding him back. Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu returned to tell the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam about his condition.
The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam asked,
‘Are his parents alive?’
Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu replied, ‘His father has passed away, but his mother is still alive.’ The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam told Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu to call his mother and if she couldn't come then the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam would come to her.
As soon as Alkamah’s mother heard, she grabbed her walking stick and came right away. She did Salaam and the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam returned it and asked,
‘Tell me truthfully, if you don't, then I will learn by revelation. What sort of deeds did your son do?’
She told the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam that he was a very pious man, that he used to read prayers consistently, fast constantly and give alms abundantly. The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam asked her how he was with her. She said, ‘I am upset with him. Instead of me, he gives preference to his wife. He used to disobey me and listened to his wife.
The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said to her,
‘Your displeasure has stopped Alkamah from reciting the Kalimah.’ The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam then ordered his Companions to gather some wood and to burn him.
The mother asked whether they were really going to burn her son in front of her? The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam told her,
‘Allah's punishment is much greater. If you want Allah to forgive Alkamah, you must first forgive him yourself. His praying, fasting and alms-giving will do him no good.’
His mother raised her hands and said, ‘I have forgiven him.’
The Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam sent Bilal Radi Allahu Anhu to check on Alkamah. He was reading the Kalimah. Alkamah died that very day. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam arranged his funeral and led his Janazah.
After that he stood up and addressed the people.
‘The person who prefers his wife rather then his mother, Allah’s curse be upon him. His faraaidh and nawafil will not be accepted."
SOURCE: http://www.inter-islam.org/RightsDuties/parents.html#IMPORTANCE
May Allah Subhana Wa ta'laa make us better children to our parents, and continually strive to better our characters in all aspects of life, Ameen!
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu! x
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
...The Plastic Woman!...
…The Plastic Woman! …..
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim.
By the Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful.
Asalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu dear respected brothers and sisters.
The focus of this post is mainly for the sisters, but a good topic for the brothers too, to be up to scratch with for future use, Insha’Allah.
My dear sisters, there is a worryingly steady increase in the world of plastic/cosmetic surgery in today’s society, and this is a problem that is not only prevalent and affecting the western world but a problem in our Muslim Ummah too!!!
Too often are we seeing and hearing, sisters turning to/or wanting to turn to plastic surgery as a solution to all their physical (and not to forget MATERIAL) problems.
My dear sisters, not a single one of us today are absolutely perfect and imperfection-free! But too many of us, rather than having reliance in what Allah has created and decreed, are instead running towards plastic surgery!
The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam says to turn and go towards Allah Subhana Wa Ta’laa! NOT PLASTIC SURGERY! Subhan’Allah! (What’s so great about being plastic anyway!??!)
Hadith Qudsi, on the Authority of Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Anhu, who said, that the Prophet Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said, that Allah Subhana Wa Ta’laa said:
“I am as my servant thinks I am, I am with him when he makes mention of me. If he makes mention of me to himself, I make mention of him to myself, and if he makes mention of me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to me an arms length, I draw near to him a fathoms length. And if he comes to me walking, I go to him at speed.”
[It was related by al-Bukhari also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah]
Respected sisters, just recently in fact, did a program come on TV; ‘Super Botox Me’, where a journalist went to America to poke and prod her face with Botox, in the name of journalism, only to find herself getting addicted to wanting to look younger!
Dear sister, this pursuit of eternal youth has already been answered by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa more than 1400 YEARS AGO!!!!
With every disease, Allah Ta’laa has sent a cure, except old age!
Plastic surgery is majority of the time the consequence of not wanting to get old; however my dear sisters this is DECEPTION!!!
“O Servants of Allah, treat your illnesses, for Allah, Most Glorious, has not sent a disease without a cure along with it, except for old age.”
My dear sisters, it is Allah who is The Creator (Al-Khaliq) and indeed, it is only Allah who is The Fashioner of Shapes (Al-Musawwir), so who gave us the right to recreate what Allah has already created? To re-fashion what Allah has already moulded and done???
With great wisdom is the doing of our beloved Lord, even how we look, though as insignificant as it may seem to us!
My dear sisters, constantly in talks, lectures, dars, etc, we will hear ‘have faith!’ and ‘have Iman, have Taqwa!’ but where does all that go when looking at the material side of things???
Thinking logically my dear sisters, which of the two makes more sense? To have as role models, the mothers of the believers such as Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Sawda bint Zam’a, A’ishah Siddiqa bint Abu Bakr, Hafsa bint ‘Umar, Zaynab bint Khuzayma, May Allah be pleased with them all, or, to have as role models; Jordan, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce????
Dear sisters, beauty is a subjective quality found in the eye of the beholder; it varies from one person to another, something I may find beautiful, another may find repulsive and vice versa!
So what is better, physical beauty or beauty from within? The beauty of Knowledge and Iman???
Do you know the answer? Not sure?? Don’t know???
The Ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam are sufficient as an answer; Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam recommended Muslims to select those partners who are best in religion (Deen) and character;
‘The whole world is a commodity, and the most valuable of its commodities is a righteous woman.’
[Muslim]
&
‘The best properties are; a tongue which remembers Allah, a thankful heart and a believing wife who helps [to strengthen] one’s faith.’
[Imam Ahmed, at-Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah]
&
‘A woman may be married for four reasons: for her property, for her rank, for her beauty, and for her religion (and character). So marry the one who is best in the religion and character and prosper’.
[Bukhari and Muslim]
&
Furthermore in the Qur’an:
"Vile women are for vile men, and vile men are for vile women".
[Qur’an Surah An-Nur 24:26]
My sisters, the stated celebrities may have physical beauty but what is the point of possessing such a quality, when there is no Iman? When there isn’t even modesty!
A lot of the times (and I mean A LOT!), sisters use the excuse, ‘it’s for my husband’ or ‘I’m getting married soon, so I want to look my best!’, but that’s all they are sisters, just excuses!
Firstly, if something isn’t for the sake of Allah, then most likely, it isn’t worth it.
Secondly, yes pleasing your husband is pleasing to Allah, but not in disobedience or haraam matters (plastic surgery is haraam as it is changing the creation of Allah), however, why would a sister want to marry a brother who chooses the PHYSICAL BEAUTY of this MATERIAL LIFE, this TEMPORARY LIFE over a brother who searches in his spouse the beauty of Iman, the beauty which is deemed more worthy in Islam, and if he gets a wife who has physical beauty, than he is even more grateful to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa, in addition to what Allah has already bestowed upon him!!!
Sisters if you pick the first brother (then it’s worrying!!) then I guess there is always the worry, that in later life when you lose your beauty and youth, he’s going to run a mile from you before you can even say ‘bye!’.
The scholars, Ulama, mufti’s, (whoever you ask really) all have divided plastic surgery into two kinds. These two categories are; Cosmetic Surgery and Physical or Congenital faults (a.k.a needed surgery!).Physical or congenital faults are such that are present from birth or that which result from an illness or an abnormality, such as turned-out lips, twisted fingers, or toes, etc.
Faults which result from an illness are scars left from leprosy or other skin diseases, or scars occurring from accidents or burns, etc.
There is no doubt that such faults/scars cause physical and psychological pain and harm, therefore Islam allows people afflicted with such things to remove or reduce them by surgical means, as Islam does not burden anyone.
Therefore, in addition any cosmetic surgery which comes under this heading of ‘need’ because of the fact that the reason for the surgery is causing harm and to result in a better quality of life is permissible, and not considered to be changing the creation of Allah.
However there are some cosmetic surgical procedures which are haraam and are not excusable, since these are tampering with the creation of Allah for the sake of beauty.
Such procedures include breast enlargement or reduction, procedures aimed at reversing the signs of ageing, face-lifts, rhinoplasty, Botox injections, collagen fillers, eye-lifts, liposuction, tummy tuck, etc. (the list carries on really!)
However cosmetic surgery is heading for excessive beauty and it alters the creation of Allah which is forbidden and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa warns us about this, that the Shaytan says:
“And I will lead them astray, and I will tempt them with false hopes, and I will command them, whereby they shall slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them, whereby they shall alter the creation of Allah.” Whoever takes the Satan for friend, instead of Allah, incurs an obvious loss."
In addition to this all, cosmetic surgery is a preoccupation with this Duniya and a material desire in which is no benefit or reward from Allah, instead His wrath.
“Man’s worst enemy is his own ignorance and uncontrolled passions.”
[Quote from Abu Salman Deya ud-Deen, (Tawheed Language + Information Services).]
This duniya is a means of getting nearer to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa and this cannot be achieved by the means of plastic surgery.
Cosmetic surgery is unnecessary and does not beautify one, more in the sight of Allah, for as Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam says in his hadith,
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim.
By the Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful.
Asalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu dear respected brothers and sisters.
The focus of this post is mainly for the sisters, but a good topic for the brothers too, to be up to scratch with for future use, Insha’Allah.
My dear sisters, there is a worryingly steady increase in the world of plastic/cosmetic surgery in today’s society, and this is a problem that is not only prevalent and affecting the western world but a problem in our Muslim Ummah too!!!
Too often are we seeing and hearing, sisters turning to/or wanting to turn to plastic surgery as a solution to all their physical (and not to forget MATERIAL) problems.
My dear sisters, not a single one of us today are absolutely perfect and imperfection-free! But too many of us, rather than having reliance in what Allah has created and decreed, are instead running towards plastic surgery!
The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam says to turn and go towards Allah Subhana Wa Ta’laa! NOT PLASTIC SURGERY! Subhan’Allah! (What’s so great about being plastic anyway!??!)
Hadith Qudsi, on the Authority of Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Anhu, who said, that the Prophet Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said, that Allah Subhana Wa Ta’laa said:
“I am as my servant thinks I am, I am with him when he makes mention of me. If he makes mention of me to himself, I make mention of him to myself, and if he makes mention of me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to me an arms length, I draw near to him a fathoms length. And if he comes to me walking, I go to him at speed.”
[It was related by al-Bukhari also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah]
Respected sisters, just recently in fact, did a program come on TV; ‘Super Botox Me’, where a journalist went to America to poke and prod her face with Botox, in the name of journalism, only to find herself getting addicted to wanting to look younger!
Dear sister, this pursuit of eternal youth has already been answered by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa more than 1400 YEARS AGO!!!!
With every disease, Allah Ta’laa has sent a cure, except old age!
Plastic surgery is majority of the time the consequence of not wanting to get old; however my dear sisters this is DECEPTION!!!
“O Servants of Allah, treat your illnesses, for Allah, Most Glorious, has not sent a disease without a cure along with it, except for old age.”
My dear sisters, it is Allah who is The Creator (Al-Khaliq) and indeed, it is only Allah who is The Fashioner of Shapes (Al-Musawwir), so who gave us the right to recreate what Allah has already created? To re-fashion what Allah has already moulded and done???
With great wisdom is the doing of our beloved Lord, even how we look, though as insignificant as it may seem to us!
My dear sisters, constantly in talks, lectures, dars, etc, we will hear ‘have faith!’ and ‘have Iman, have Taqwa!’ but where does all that go when looking at the material side of things???
Thinking logically my dear sisters, which of the two makes more sense? To have as role models, the mothers of the believers such as Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Sawda bint Zam’a, A’ishah Siddiqa bint Abu Bakr, Hafsa bint ‘Umar, Zaynab bint Khuzayma, May Allah be pleased with them all, or, to have as role models; Jordan, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce????
Dear sisters, beauty is a subjective quality found in the eye of the beholder; it varies from one person to another, something I may find beautiful, another may find repulsive and vice versa!
So what is better, physical beauty or beauty from within? The beauty of Knowledge and Iman???
Do you know the answer? Not sure?? Don’t know???
The Ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam are sufficient as an answer; Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam recommended Muslims to select those partners who are best in religion (Deen) and character;
‘The whole world is a commodity, and the most valuable of its commodities is a righteous woman.’
[Muslim]
&
‘The best properties are; a tongue which remembers Allah, a thankful heart and a believing wife who helps [to strengthen] one’s faith.’
[Imam Ahmed, at-Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah]
&
‘A woman may be married for four reasons: for her property, for her rank, for her beauty, and for her religion (and character). So marry the one who is best in the religion and character and prosper’.
[Bukhari and Muslim]
&
Furthermore in the Qur’an:
"Vile women are for vile men, and vile men are for vile women".
[Qur’an Surah An-Nur 24:26]
My sisters, the stated celebrities may have physical beauty but what is the point of possessing such a quality, when there is no Iman? When there isn’t even modesty!
A lot of the times (and I mean A LOT!), sisters use the excuse, ‘it’s for my husband’ or ‘I’m getting married soon, so I want to look my best!’, but that’s all they are sisters, just excuses!
Firstly, if something isn’t for the sake of Allah, then most likely, it isn’t worth it.
Secondly, yes pleasing your husband is pleasing to Allah, but not in disobedience or haraam matters (plastic surgery is haraam as it is changing the creation of Allah), however, why would a sister want to marry a brother who chooses the PHYSICAL BEAUTY of this MATERIAL LIFE, this TEMPORARY LIFE over a brother who searches in his spouse the beauty of Iman, the beauty which is deemed more worthy in Islam, and if he gets a wife who has physical beauty, than he is even more grateful to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa, in addition to what Allah has already bestowed upon him!!!
Sisters if you pick the first brother (then it’s worrying!!) then I guess there is always the worry, that in later life when you lose your beauty and youth, he’s going to run a mile from you before you can even say ‘bye!’.
The scholars, Ulama, mufti’s, (whoever you ask really) all have divided plastic surgery into two kinds. These two categories are; Cosmetic Surgery and Physical or Congenital faults (a.k.a needed surgery!).Physical or congenital faults are such that are present from birth or that which result from an illness or an abnormality, such as turned-out lips, twisted fingers, or toes, etc.
Faults which result from an illness are scars left from leprosy or other skin diseases, or scars occurring from accidents or burns, etc.
There is no doubt that such faults/scars cause physical and psychological pain and harm, therefore Islam allows people afflicted with such things to remove or reduce them by surgical means, as Islam does not burden anyone.
Therefore, in addition any cosmetic surgery which comes under this heading of ‘need’ because of the fact that the reason for the surgery is causing harm and to result in a better quality of life is permissible, and not considered to be changing the creation of Allah.
However there are some cosmetic surgical procedures which are haraam and are not excusable, since these are tampering with the creation of Allah for the sake of beauty.
Such procedures include breast enlargement or reduction, procedures aimed at reversing the signs of ageing, face-lifts, rhinoplasty, Botox injections, collagen fillers, eye-lifts, liposuction, tummy tuck, etc. (the list carries on really!)
The Islamic view is these are not permitted as there is no urgent need or necessity for them, but rather the aim is to change and tamper with the creation of Allah for human vanity. And this is haraam as it involves the two things that the Prophet Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam cursed; pursuit of beauty and changing what Allah has created.
It must be mentioned here alongside the above point, that going in pursuit of beauty being cursed, does not mean that one should not show an interest in his/her outward appearance and beauty:
Ibn Mas’ud Radi Allahu Anhu reported that the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam used to have an interest in his appearance and adornment, and he also urged his companions (May Allah be pleased with them all) to follow suit.
&
From 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood Radi Allahu 'Anhu, who said that the Prophet Salallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said,
It must be mentioned here alongside the above point, that going in pursuit of beauty being cursed, does not mean that one should not show an interest in his/her outward appearance and beauty:
Ibn Mas’ud Radi Allahu Anhu reported that the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam used to have an interest in his appearance and adornment, and he also urged his companions (May Allah be pleased with them all) to follow suit.
&
From 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood Radi Allahu 'Anhu, who said that the Prophet Salallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said,
"No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart."
A man said, "What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?" He (Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) said, "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people."
A man said, "What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?" He (Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) said, "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people."
However cosmetic surgery is heading for excessive beauty and it alters the creation of Allah which is forbidden and Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa warns us about this, that the Shaytan says:
“And I will lead them astray, and I will tempt them with false hopes, and I will command them, whereby they shall slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them, whereby they shall alter the creation of Allah.” Whoever takes the Satan for friend, instead of Allah, incurs an obvious loss."
[Surah An-Nisaa’ 4:119]
One can define that what is permitted and what is forbidden from the two by using the words of Imam al-Nawawi Radi Allahu ‘Anhu, in his commentary of this hadith;
‘Allah has cursed the women who make tattoos and the women who have this done, the women who pluck facial hair and the women who have this done, and women who widen the gap between their own or others’ teeth for the sake of beauty, changing what Allah has created.’
[Sahih Muslim, 3966]
Imam al-Nawawi Radi Allah ‘Anhu, said:
“The woman who tattoos is one who uses a needle or similar implement to prick the skin of the hand, wrist, lips or other part of a woman’s body until she draws blood, then she puts dye into the wound. It is haraam to do this or have it done by choice. Similarly, plucking or removing hair from the face is also haraam, whether one does it or asks someone else to do it for one, unless a woman has a beard or a moustache, in which case it is not haraam to remove it. Widening the gap between the teeth is done by filing between the incisors. This is done by old women to give the appearance of youth and make the teeth look beautiful, because this attractive gap between the teeth is characteristic of young girls. When a woman gets old, her teeth get big and look ugly, so she may file them to make them look more attractive and give the impression that she is younger…It is haraam to do this or have it done by another because of this hadith, and because it involves changing what Allah has created, and it is a form of deception and falsehood. Widening the gap between the teeth is something that is done to make a person look beautiful, which indicates that what is haraam, is when this is done in the pursuit of beauty, but if it is were done as a form of treatment because of some problem or deformity in the teeth, then there is nothing wrong with it. And Allah knows best.”
[Al-Nawawi, commentary on Sahih Muslim, 13/107]
One can define that what is permitted and what is forbidden from the two by using the words of Imam al-Nawawi Radi Allahu ‘Anhu, in his commentary of this hadith;
‘Allah has cursed the women who make tattoos and the women who have this done, the women who pluck facial hair and the women who have this done, and women who widen the gap between their own or others’ teeth for the sake of beauty, changing what Allah has created.’
[Sahih Muslim, 3966]
Imam al-Nawawi Radi Allah ‘Anhu, said:
“The woman who tattoos is one who uses a needle or similar implement to prick the skin of the hand, wrist, lips or other part of a woman’s body until she draws blood, then she puts dye into the wound. It is haraam to do this or have it done by choice. Similarly, plucking or removing hair from the face is also haraam, whether one does it or asks someone else to do it for one, unless a woman has a beard or a moustache, in which case it is not haraam to remove it. Widening the gap between the teeth is done by filing between the incisors. This is done by old women to give the appearance of youth and make the teeth look beautiful, because this attractive gap between the teeth is characteristic of young girls. When a woman gets old, her teeth get big and look ugly, so she may file them to make them look more attractive and give the impression that she is younger…It is haraam to do this or have it done by another because of this hadith, and because it involves changing what Allah has created, and it is a form of deception and falsehood. Widening the gap between the teeth is something that is done to make a person look beautiful, which indicates that what is haraam, is when this is done in the pursuit of beauty, but if it is were done as a form of treatment because of some problem or deformity in the teeth, then there is nothing wrong with it. And Allah knows best.”
[Al-Nawawi, commentary on Sahih Muslim, 13/107]
In addition to this all, cosmetic surgery is a preoccupation with this Duniya and a material desire in which is no benefit or reward from Allah, instead His wrath.
“Man’s worst enemy is his own ignorance and uncontrolled passions.”
[Quote from Abu Salman Deya ud-Deen, (Tawheed Language + Information Services).]
This duniya is a means of getting nearer to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa and this cannot be achieved by the means of plastic surgery.
Cosmetic surgery is unnecessary and does not beautify one, more in the sight of Allah, for as Muhammad Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam says in his hadith,
on the authority of Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu ‘Anhu;
‘Allah does not look at your bodies nor at your faces, but He looks at your hearts and your actions (that come from the heart).’
Furthermore cosmetic surgery results in unnecessary and extreme pain, torture and suffering after the procedure has been carried out, having to spend days in solitary confinement, and eating a dozen pills and sedatives to ease the excruciating pain! And as we know one cannot carry out his/her daily Islamic duties including Salah when intoxicated or sedated, since one is as if under a spell and has no control on ones saying, actions or limbs (for example, like with alcohol) and furthermore It has been related by Imam Ahmad Radi Allahu ‘Anhu and Abu Dawud Radi Allahu ‘Anhu on the authority of Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam prohibited every intoxicant or sedative.
In addition, cosmetic surgery is increasingly expensive, resulting in one squandering his/her money;
‘Verily Allah has forbidden you; disobedience to parents, burying alive of daughters, and demanding your rights while not giving to others, and He has hated for you: vain talk, persistent questioning and squandering of money.’
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
&
‘The children of Adam will not proceed on the Day of Resurrection until they are held accountable for their youth (and strength) and in what it was utilized, their time, and how they consumed it, their wealth and how they spent it and from where it was acquired.’
And last but not least, by sisters opting for cosmetic surgery, it is a way of imitation of the disbelieving women, since cosmetic surgery is a western ideology to material beauty, and therefore sharing their recompense.
“Those who have disbelieved in Our verses, We shall certainly make them enter a fire. Whenever their skins are burnt out, We shall give them other skins in their place, so that they may taste the punishment. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
[Surah An-Nisaa’:56]
&
“- and so that Allah may purify those who believe and eradicate the disbelievers.”
[Surah Al ‘Imran: 141]
&
“The strutting of the disbelievers about the land should not deceive you. It is just a little enjoyment. After that, their resort is Hell; and it is an evil abode.”
[Surah Al ‘Imran: 196 + 197]
&
“The believers must not take the disbelievers as friends instead of the believers,”
[Surah Al ‘Imran: 28]
My beautiful sisters in Islam, we are beautiful as we are, we may not feel our faces, bodies, etc are 100% perfect in our eyes but we are in the sight of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa. And who is a better judge of everything including beauty than Allah?
“Is Allah not the Greatest Ruler of all the rulers?”
[Surah At-Tin: 8]
Indeed we are the fortunate ones who Allah has blessed us with physical beauty AND the beauty of Islam too, so should we not be ever grateful to Allah???
Keep remembering my dear sisters, we have well-functioning limbs, organs, all our features are in-tact, etc, truly we should be ever grateful for not having such abnormalities and faults we see today in society, where people have lost their limbs, their sight, their hearing, etc.
And my dear sisters, if we are from the ones who have such faults, then truly it is a trial from Allah, and we must be patient, for after every hardship is ease, my dear sisters;
“So, undoubtedly, along with the hardship there is ease. Undoubtedly, along with the hardship there is ease.”
‘Allah does not look at your bodies nor at your faces, but He looks at your hearts and your actions (that come from the heart).’
Furthermore cosmetic surgery results in unnecessary and extreme pain, torture and suffering after the procedure has been carried out, having to spend days in solitary confinement, and eating a dozen pills and sedatives to ease the excruciating pain! And as we know one cannot carry out his/her daily Islamic duties including Salah when intoxicated or sedated, since one is as if under a spell and has no control on ones saying, actions or limbs (for example, like with alcohol) and furthermore It has been related by Imam Ahmad Radi Allahu ‘Anhu and Abu Dawud Radi Allahu ‘Anhu on the authority of Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam prohibited every intoxicant or sedative.
In addition, cosmetic surgery is increasingly expensive, resulting in one squandering his/her money;
‘Verily Allah has forbidden you; disobedience to parents, burying alive of daughters, and demanding your rights while not giving to others, and He has hated for you: vain talk, persistent questioning and squandering of money.’
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
&
‘The children of Adam will not proceed on the Day of Resurrection until they are held accountable for their youth (and strength) and in what it was utilized, their time, and how they consumed it, their wealth and how they spent it and from where it was acquired.’
And last but not least, by sisters opting for cosmetic surgery, it is a way of imitation of the disbelieving women, since cosmetic surgery is a western ideology to material beauty, and therefore sharing their recompense.
“Those who have disbelieved in Our verses, We shall certainly make them enter a fire. Whenever their skins are burnt out, We shall give them other skins in their place, so that they may taste the punishment. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
[Surah An-Nisaa’:56]
&
“- and so that Allah may purify those who believe and eradicate the disbelievers.”
[Surah Al ‘Imran: 141]
&
“The strutting of the disbelievers about the land should not deceive you. It is just a little enjoyment. After that, their resort is Hell; and it is an evil abode.”
[Surah Al ‘Imran: 196 + 197]
&
“The believers must not take the disbelievers as friends instead of the believers,”
[Surah Al ‘Imran: 28]
My beautiful sisters in Islam, we are beautiful as we are, we may not feel our faces, bodies, etc are 100% perfect in our eyes but we are in the sight of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa. And who is a better judge of everything including beauty than Allah?
“Is Allah not the Greatest Ruler of all the rulers?”
[Surah At-Tin: 8]
Indeed we are the fortunate ones who Allah has blessed us with physical beauty AND the beauty of Islam too, so should we not be ever grateful to Allah???
Keep remembering my dear sisters, we have well-functioning limbs, organs, all our features are in-tact, etc, truly we should be ever grateful for not having such abnormalities and faults we see today in society, where people have lost their limbs, their sight, their hearing, etc.
And my dear sisters, if we are from the ones who have such faults, then truly it is a trial from Allah, and we must be patient, for after every hardship is ease, my dear sisters;
“So, undoubtedly, along with the hardship there is ease. Undoubtedly, along with the hardship there is ease.”
[Surah Ash-Sharh 94: 5 + 6]
&
“Of course, you shall be tested in your wealth and yourselves;”
[Surah Al-‘Imran 3: 186]
&
“Surely, Allah is with the patient.”
[Surah Al-Anfal 8: 46]
My dear sisters, Allah says in the Qur’an:
“We have created man in the best composition,”
[Surah At-Tin 95: 4]
So must we continuously question Allah’s creation and ask how and why he created a certain part of us in a certain way??? If this is not ungratefulness then what is???
So my dear sisters, lets not have pride, vanity, greed, envy or jealousy amongst one another, which will only build a barrier in our hearts, and instead let’s continue to thank Allah for what we do have rather than moan about that which we don’t have.
Sisters, I speak to myself before anyone else, we only have ONE, VERY SHORT life to live, and no one knows when the time is up except Allah and who He has decreed to know, so let’s use this tiny amount of time we have to please our creator instead of pleasing and giving into our own nafs (desires) and those of the creation.
May Allah make us ever-grateful and learn to accept ourselves the way we are, Ameen! x
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu! xxx Mehak xxx
&
“Of course, you shall be tested in your wealth and yourselves;”
[Surah Al-‘Imran 3: 186]
&
“Surely, Allah is with the patient.”
[Surah Al-Anfal 8: 46]
My dear sisters, Allah says in the Qur’an:
“We have created man in the best composition,”
[Surah At-Tin 95: 4]
So must we continuously question Allah’s creation and ask how and why he created a certain part of us in a certain way??? If this is not ungratefulness then what is???
So my dear sisters, lets not have pride, vanity, greed, envy or jealousy amongst one another, which will only build a barrier in our hearts, and instead let’s continue to thank Allah for what we do have rather than moan about that which we don’t have.
Sisters, I speak to myself before anyone else, we only have ONE, VERY SHORT life to live, and no one knows when the time is up except Allah and who He has decreed to know, so let’s use this tiny amount of time we have to please our creator instead of pleasing and giving into our own nafs (desires) and those of the creation.
May Allah make us ever-grateful and learn to accept ourselves the way we are, Ameen! x
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu! xxx Mehak xxx
Monday, 15 September 2008
Where Did All The Muslims Go??????????....
Where Did All The Muslims Go????
Asalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu Dear Respected Brothers and Sisters!
Insha’Allah I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate myself and everyone else on another blessed Ramadhan which by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa’s Great Mercy, we have been blessed with!!!
May this Ramadhan be a source of guidance for all Muslims, and may Allah give us the strength to act upon that blessed guidance, Ameen! X
This post is to serve as a reminder to firstly myself and you (my precious sisters and brothers), about all that goes on during the month of Ramadhan, and how this blessed month is abused of its beauty and robbed of its true purpose.
My dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget WHY we are fasting in the month of Ramadhan…to please Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa and to attain His pleasure and blessings, and no other material reason!
I can not stress enough why intention is soooooo important! Subhan’Allah!!!
For the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said, every deed is rewarded according to its intention!
Furthermore, it is a common misconception amongst our youth of the Ummah that the month of Ramadhan is the month to go dead religious and after the month has passed us by, we can carry on like usual!! NOOOOOOO!!!!
The month of Ramadhan, is to IMPROVE on ourselves, to BETTER ONESELF!!! And to MAINTAIN that IMPROVEMENT, after Ramadhan has gone!
It’s easy to be all good and religious in the month of Ramadhan because the Shayitan is not here and we just have to battle with our Nafs (desires), wouldn’t you agree? Indeed the real battle is when Shayitan will unfortunately come back, tempting us with even stronger whispers!!! Subhan’Allah!
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu ‘Anhu narrates ‘The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
“There has come to you Ramadhan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”
[Al-Nasaa’i 2106; Ahmad 8769]
&
“When Ramadhan commences, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are bound in chains.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim]
In addition, another common misconception is that fasting in Ramadhan is just about abstaining from food and drink. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! …again!
It is sooo much more, for we fast with our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our mentalities and our limbs!!!!
How you may ask?
Well, for your limbs, bear patience my dear brothers and sisters!!!!
For Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said when someone is rude to you say,
“’Innee saa’imun, ‘innee saa’imun.”
(I am fasting, I am fasting)
[Al-Bukhari, Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari, Muslim]
&
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al Baqarah: 153]
&
“And Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 249]
Furthermore Imam Ahmad rahimahullah said:
“Allah has mentioned Sabr (patience) in over ninety places in His book.”
[Ibn al Qayyim- Madaarij us-Saalikeen]
&
The Prophet Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam said:
“The month of Patience, and the three days of every month, are times for fasting.”
[Sahih Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i]
Ibn ‘Abdur-Barr rahimahullah said:
“What is meant by the month of Patience is the month of Ramadhan…so fasting is called patience because it restrains the soul from eating, drinking, conjugal relations and sexual desires.”
[At-Tamheed- Al Haafidh ibn Abdul Barr]
For our mentalities, brothers and sisters, Ramadhan is just ONE of the tests Allah has decided to test us with, but only with patience, we shall pass, Insha’Allah, we must prepare ourselves my dear brothers and sisters, for no one knows what’s around the next corner except Allah and those who He has willed to know;
“And certainly, we shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 155]
Our mouths and actions are also in need of control and self-restraint as usual but even more so in the month of Ramadhan,
Asalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu Dear Respected Brothers and Sisters!
Insha’Allah I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate myself and everyone else on another blessed Ramadhan which by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa’s Great Mercy, we have been blessed with!!!
May this Ramadhan be a source of guidance for all Muslims, and may Allah give us the strength to act upon that blessed guidance, Ameen! X
This post is to serve as a reminder to firstly myself and you (my precious sisters and brothers), about all that goes on during the month of Ramadhan, and how this blessed month is abused of its beauty and robbed of its true purpose.
My dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget WHY we are fasting in the month of Ramadhan…to please Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa and to attain His pleasure and blessings, and no other material reason!
I can not stress enough why intention is soooooo important! Subhan’Allah!!!
For the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said, every deed is rewarded according to its intention!
Furthermore, it is a common misconception amongst our youth of the Ummah that the month of Ramadhan is the month to go dead religious and after the month has passed us by, we can carry on like usual!! NOOOOOOO!!!!
The month of Ramadhan, is to IMPROVE on ourselves, to BETTER ONESELF!!! And to MAINTAIN that IMPROVEMENT, after Ramadhan has gone!
It’s easy to be all good and religious in the month of Ramadhan because the Shayitan is not here and we just have to battle with our Nafs (desires), wouldn’t you agree? Indeed the real battle is when Shayitan will unfortunately come back, tempting us with even stronger whispers!!! Subhan’Allah!
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu ‘Anhu narrates ‘The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
“There has come to you Ramadhan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”
[Al-Nasaa’i 2106; Ahmad 8769]
&
“When Ramadhan commences, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are bound in chains.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim]
In addition, another common misconception is that fasting in Ramadhan is just about abstaining from food and drink. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! …again!
It is sooo much more, for we fast with our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our mentalities and our limbs!!!!
How you may ask?
Well, for your limbs, bear patience my dear brothers and sisters!!!!
For Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said when someone is rude to you say,
“’Innee saa’imun, ‘innee saa’imun.”
(I am fasting, I am fasting)
[Al-Bukhari, Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari, Muslim]
&
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al Baqarah: 153]
&
“And Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 249]
Furthermore Imam Ahmad rahimahullah said:
“Allah has mentioned Sabr (patience) in over ninety places in His book.”
[Ibn al Qayyim- Madaarij us-Saalikeen]
&
The Prophet Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam said:
“The month of Patience, and the three days of every month, are times for fasting.”
[Sahih Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i]
Ibn ‘Abdur-Barr rahimahullah said:
“What is meant by the month of Patience is the month of Ramadhan…so fasting is called patience because it restrains the soul from eating, drinking, conjugal relations and sexual desires.”
[At-Tamheed- Al Haafidh ibn Abdul Barr]
For our mentalities, brothers and sisters, Ramadhan is just ONE of the tests Allah has decided to test us with, but only with patience, we shall pass, Insha’Allah, we must prepare ourselves my dear brothers and sisters, for no one knows what’s around the next corner except Allah and those who He has willed to know;
“And certainly, we shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 155]
Our mouths and actions are also in need of control and self-restraint as usual but even more so in the month of Ramadhan,
for the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
&
He, Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam also said:
“Fasting is not merely abstaining from eating and drinking. Rather, it is also abstaining from ignorant and indecent speech. So if anyone abuses or behaves ignorantly with you, then say: I am fasting, I am fasting.”
[Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Haakim]
And the same for our eyes and ears, we should lower our gaze (just like the other 11 months of the calendar) to protect our nafs and stay away from obscene language to maintain Iman and sincerity and to keep sexual desires at bay;
“When any one of you is observing the fast for the day, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice. If someone insults him or quarrels with him, he should say: ‘I am fasting’.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
So this includes the music blasting from our phones, since in addition to being haraam, it contains words of an obscene nature and profanity (swearing), and most of the time derogatory words of a sexual nature (sexual references), both of which are haraam, but one should be extra careful to avoid such things in the month of Ramadhan.
So I ask, from amongst us, are there the ‘Ramadhan Muslims?’ paying no attention to the actual facts of Ramadhan, and instead falling into the below categories:
The streets are clear,
The lunch halls are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
No more music,
The caps and Hijaabs come on.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The mosques are packed,
The clubs are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Fasting is here,
The smoking is gone.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The beards go untrimmed,
The eyebrows go un-plucked.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Everyone is racing for Tarawih,
And the Xbox is left untouched.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The Qur’ans recited with calm and beautiful recitation,
While the magazines laying about gathering dust.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Prayer rooms filled with Assalaamualaikum and hugs here and there,
The gossip of the women missed in the malls.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Brothers in Thoubs/Jubbahs spreading Da’wah,
Sisters found at all the Halaqahs.
Where did all the Muslims go???
…
All of a sudden,
30 days have passed; another Ramadhan has just come and gone,
The rewards gained, gone has all the hunger pains,
And life is back to usual as was once found…
…
The Masjids are empty; the clubs are packed again,
The crews are back on the streets.
The Hijaabs, caps and Thoubs are off,
Music blazing, the air filled with smoke once again.
The beards shaved to the cleanest shave, the eyebrows plucked thinner then ever before,
Completing Salah nowadays is unheard of; the Xbox is on again.
The Qur’ans placed on the highest shelf in the house, out of reach, out of sight,
The magazines are out; plainly in sight and reach.
The prayer rooms abandoned, the malls jam packed,
Gone is the Da’wah, forgotten are the Halaqahs…
…
I guess the “Muslims” are back!
Being a Muslim is not a part-time job, not a part-time hobby or something to do just to look good amongst the brothers/sisters for a change,
So I ask you…
Are You A Ramadhan Muslim???????????
So what did YOU ACTUALLY LEARN FROM RAMADHAN????
‘Erm….ooo…. that I miss my food man!! I’ll never abandon my chicken burger again!’
---‘We leave the blessed month of Ramadhan, its beautiful days and its fragrant nights. We leave the month of the Qur’an, Taqwa, patience, Jihad (striving against the sacrifices we face in Ramadhan), Mercy, Forgiveness and Freedom from the Hellfire…
Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa and graduated from the Ramadhan School with the diploma of the God-fearing?
Have we fought our souls and desires and defeated them, or have we been overtaken by our customs and blind imitations?
Have we performed our actions in a way that fulfils the conditions for receiving mercy, forgiveness and release from the fire?
Many questions and numerous thoughts come to the heart of the SINCERE MUSLIM, who ASKS and ANSWERS WITH TRUTHFULNESS.’---
{Paragraph from Tayyibun Institute UK-Preparation for Ramadhan course pack-titled ‘Not just Hunger and Thirst’}
I urge you to remember this hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, my dear sisters and brothers!!!!
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
I remind myself before anyone else, I apologise for any offence caused for that was not my intention, any good from this post is from Allah Subhana Wa’talaa ALONE only the mistakes have been mine.
Jazak’Allah Khairun,
Keep the Ummah in Your Du’as, (especially at the time of Iftar, for one’s Du’a at that time is accepted, Insha’Allah!)
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu, x Your Sister x
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
&
He, Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam also said:
“Fasting is not merely abstaining from eating and drinking. Rather, it is also abstaining from ignorant and indecent speech. So if anyone abuses or behaves ignorantly with you, then say: I am fasting, I am fasting.”
[Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Haakim]
And the same for our eyes and ears, we should lower our gaze (just like the other 11 months of the calendar) to protect our nafs and stay away from obscene language to maintain Iman and sincerity and to keep sexual desires at bay;
“When any one of you is observing the fast for the day, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice. If someone insults him or quarrels with him, he should say: ‘I am fasting’.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
So this includes the music blasting from our phones, since in addition to being haraam, it contains words of an obscene nature and profanity (swearing), and most of the time derogatory words of a sexual nature (sexual references), both of which are haraam, but one should be extra careful to avoid such things in the month of Ramadhan.
So I ask, from amongst us, are there the ‘Ramadhan Muslims?’ paying no attention to the actual facts of Ramadhan, and instead falling into the below categories:
The streets are clear,
The lunch halls are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
No more music,
The caps and Hijaabs come on.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The mosques are packed,
The clubs are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Fasting is here,
The smoking is gone.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The beards go untrimmed,
The eyebrows go un-plucked.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Everyone is racing for Tarawih,
And the Xbox is left untouched.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The Qur’ans recited with calm and beautiful recitation,
While the magazines laying about gathering dust.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Prayer rooms filled with Assalaamualaikum and hugs here and there,
The gossip of the women missed in the malls.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Brothers in Thoubs/Jubbahs spreading Da’wah,
Sisters found at all the Halaqahs.
Where did all the Muslims go???
…
All of a sudden,
30 days have passed; another Ramadhan has just come and gone,
The rewards gained, gone has all the hunger pains,
And life is back to usual as was once found…
…
The Masjids are empty; the clubs are packed again,
The crews are back on the streets.
The Hijaabs, caps and Thoubs are off,
Music blazing, the air filled with smoke once again.
The beards shaved to the cleanest shave, the eyebrows plucked thinner then ever before,
Completing Salah nowadays is unheard of; the Xbox is on again.
The Qur’ans placed on the highest shelf in the house, out of reach, out of sight,
The magazines are out; plainly in sight and reach.
The prayer rooms abandoned, the malls jam packed,
Gone is the Da’wah, forgotten are the Halaqahs…
…
I guess the “Muslims” are back!
Being a Muslim is not a part-time job, not a part-time hobby or something to do just to look good amongst the brothers/sisters for a change,
So I ask you…
Are You A Ramadhan Muslim???????????
So what did YOU ACTUALLY LEARN FROM RAMADHAN????
‘Erm….ooo…. that I miss my food man!! I’ll never abandon my chicken burger again!’
---‘We leave the blessed month of Ramadhan, its beautiful days and its fragrant nights. We leave the month of the Qur’an, Taqwa, patience, Jihad (striving against the sacrifices we face in Ramadhan), Mercy, Forgiveness and Freedom from the Hellfire…
Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa and graduated from the Ramadhan School with the diploma of the God-fearing?
Have we fought our souls and desires and defeated them, or have we been overtaken by our customs and blind imitations?
Have we performed our actions in a way that fulfils the conditions for receiving mercy, forgiveness and release from the fire?
Many questions and numerous thoughts come to the heart of the SINCERE MUSLIM, who ASKS and ANSWERS WITH TRUTHFULNESS.’---
{Paragraph from Tayyibun Institute UK-Preparation for Ramadhan course pack-titled ‘Not just Hunger and Thirst’}
I urge you to remember this hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, my dear sisters and brothers!!!!
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
I remind myself before anyone else, I apologise for any offence caused for that was not my intention, any good from this post is from Allah Subhana Wa’talaa ALONE only the mistakes have been mine.
Jazak’Allah Khairun,
Keep the Ummah in Your Du’as, (especially at the time of Iftar, for one’s Du’a at that time is accepted, Insha’Allah!)
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu, x Your Sister x
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Farewell Isoc and Ramadhaan Mubarak!!!
Assalamu ‘Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,
Dearest and most beloved brothers and sisters, may Allah the Most Merciful shower His grace upon you with abundance and comfort you with His Mercy and Benevolence.
I would like to take this opportunity to greet you, to congratulate you on the advent of a blessed Ramadan, to make my sincere dua for you, to express my deepest friendship and love for you and my sincere care and support for all of you. I make a sincere dua to Allah alone that He makes this month a means to ease your worries, that He replaces it with goodness and transforms your world into a Jannah in this life. May Allah give you what your heart desires and amaze you with His bounty and grace.
Alhamdulillah, as they say all good things comes to an end and the time has now come for me to resign from the blog and the Isoc. Alhamdulillah, it was Allah who enabled me to take part as an author on the blog and to be part of a really great and blessed Isoc. I’d like to say a sincere Jazakumullahu Khairan to everyone, especially the Isoc Members, particularly our beloved headbrother and headsister for making a positive influence in our lives. I truly cannot thank you enough for your generosity and the hard work and effort you have put in establishing an amazing Islamic Society for all of us. May your hard work weigh heavily on the scale of good deeds for all those who contributed to the Isoc in any way, Ameen Thuma Ameen.
These two years have truly been amazing for me. We’ve come a great way and achieved a lot of success both as students and a Society as a whole. So much has happened in these two years, I don’t even know where to start (this is the part you realize this is going to be a long post). I’m just kidding; I won’t give guys another one of my long posts. I’d just like to take this opportunity, since I won’t be seeing you guys anymore, to offer some small advice to the new A2 Students.
One of the great things about having an Islamic Society, apart from having a place to pray, is that it’s a place where you can escape to and meet people of the same beliefs as you when you’re surrounded with every type of fitnah around the campus. This makes you realize how truly blessed we are to have an Isoc, because without it, only Allah truly knows how much our Imaan would have been effected through college life. This is why it’s so important to create an Islamic environment within the campus and call all the Muslim Brothers and Sisters to join the Isoc.
This can start off by making the Islamic Society look and feel like an organisation or student body which means something. Group together as one - put aside differences and work on commonalities. Know that we are more alike than we are different! And this is because of the Bond of Islam. The Bond of Islam is stronger than the bond of blood relation. Also, create an environment in the prayer rooms (let’s pray you guys get a proper prayer room this year InshaAllah) whereby people can chill out. A relaxed area where students can come, do their work, pray, eat, make new friends, etc. This will then mean that a bond of brotherhood and sisterhood is created.
Again I want to stress the part of calling newbies to join the Isoc. You really truly have to be a good example and portray the beauty of Islam through your good behaviour because when people are thinking of joining the Isoc, they’re scared. They think they’re going to be judged. It’s something I’ve noticed. The niqabi thinks the Isoc will think she’s too hardcore. The nonhijabi thinks the Isoc will think she doesn’t belong there. The hijabi who wears jeans will think all the jilbabis are going to judge her, etc etc. So what to do??
This again, is going to seem like common sense–but I’ve observed people: people don’t do this!! —Just smile and say salaam!—to everyone. People for some reason think they should only salaam their friends. This makes the newcomers feel totally outcasted. And most of the time, they’re not thinking that you’re not salaam-ing them because you guys aren’t friends but rather because they’re “not hijabi, not jilbabi, full niqabi, etc etc.” And then that’s it. They tried it out, no one gave them salaam, so Goodbye Isoc!
People don’t realize the seriousness of such a small action. And I’m not talking about only at Isoc events. Some people won’t come to the events. They’ll just observe the Isoc members on campus. They’ll notice that you never salaam them or smile at them, and they’ll already feel judged.
I’ve heard some people say they don’t like salaam-ing new people because a lot of times that person will ignore them, or look at them like “Do I know you?” Ok. That’s sad, I agree. But! Is the reason you’re salaam-ing them because you want a response? Or is it fisabilillah? And isn’t it almost an act of arrogance to think you deserve a response? Maybe you’re not worthy of a response. Give salaams. If you don’t get a response, smile and walk away. If you see the person again, Give salaams again. The third time, maybe try and start a conversation: “Hey, assalaamu alaykum! I’ve seen you around college a couple of times, and wanted to meet you. You’re the mysterious sister running around who I don’t know! I’m [fill in name here]”
Chances are, you’ll realize the person’s not half bad. And if they still don’t respond, Hey – you did your part right? ;) And you got reward for it InshaAllah. Next time you see them, smile and say salaam again. Don’t be so full of pride.
And you know what else? It’s great da’wah too. Sometimes I’d be walking with my non-muslim friends, and a sister would smile at me and we’d exchange salaams. My friends would ask me if we knew each other, and I’d tell them we didn’t. “That’s so beautiful”, they’d remark. It showed them the unity of the Muslims. Alhamdulillah.
Speaking of da’wah, this brings me to my next point. Alhamdulillah, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and this has only been achieved by Muslims giving da’wah, whether verbally or non-verbally. These days, us youth don’t realize the importance of giving da’wah to non-muslims and calling them to the path of Islam. I’ll admit, even am scared of approaching non-muslims and speaking to them about Islam. But one thing encouraged me and I hope it encourages you guys to do the same InshaAllah.
It just so happened that the teacher of the Islamic Studies course I was doing this summer happened to be a Revert. He just finished his studies and graduated from Madinah University after studying there for seven years. You wanna know how he reverted to Islam?? He reverted from Christianity in his second year at Leyton Sixth Form all because a brother came and sat next to him and asked him what he knew about Islam. He basically told us that he didn’t know jack about Islam and thought we were all Hindus. So the brother told him a bit about Islam and everything made sense to him so he requested a copy of the Qur’aan and said he would look into it. He went home and started to read the Qur’aan and compared the Bible with it and found out that everything in the Qur’aan was true and made sense whereas the Bible was the other way around. After that he declared his Shahadah and he told the brother that he wants to study more about Islam so I think the brother helped him in applying to Madinah University after he finished his college studies. He got a Scholarship, moved to Madinah, studied Arabic for 3years and then Shariah for another 4 yrs and Voila, he’s now MashaAllah a very knowledgeable brother and is teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies (inc Uloom ul Quran, Uloom ul Hadith, Fiqh and Usool and Shariah). He’s MashaAllah a very good teacher and if anyone is thinking of studying Arabic or Islamic Studies I would definitely recommend him.
Now going back to the topic of da’wah, can you just imagine the rewards that this brother must be receiving for presenting Islam to this revert? Not only did he receive the reward for making him a Muslim but also the ongoing reward for all the good deeds that he does. SubhanAllah if that doesn’t encourage us to do the same then I don’t know what will. May Allah give us all the ability to fulfill our obligations in doing da’wah and calling others to Allah’s Path, Ameen.
‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may gain God-consciousness.’ (Qur'an 2:183)
One lesson we can take out of this is that Ramadan and fasting is something that connects us to other faiths... i.e, a great opportunity to start giving da’wah. :)
Wow, SubhanAllah this has turned into a long post, I told you guys it’s a habit that I can’t help. I didn’t even talk about Ramadan and how we can truly maximise our Ibadah during this month. Khair InshaAllah I’m sure we’ll be hearing loads of talks regarding this anyways in this month so I’ll just mention a single point of benefit. Know that Ramadan is not a singled-out month of worship and taqwa. It is to IMPROVE ourselves, to come out as better Muslims with better characters and to ask for forgiveness for our shortcomings of the past eleven months. Ramadan comes only once a year; therefore, we should host it in the best possible way and take advantage to reap its rewards. If you don't make the best of the opportunity of Ramadan, you are truly DEPRIVED.
I ask that those who read this to forgive me if I’ve ever wronged you or offended you in any way. Please forgive my shortcomings and I humbly request to all that read this to make a sincere dua for me when breaking your fast, since the fasting person’s supplications are not rejected. Specific request are that Allah forgive all my sins, grant me taqwa and increase me in sabr and for Allah to aid me in my studies of both the dunya knowledge and the akhirah knowledge. InshaAllah you will all be in my duas.
O Allah make us and all Muslims of those who fast and stand in prayer during the month of Ramadan based on belief and truly seeking Your reward so that we are forgiven our past and future sins.
O Allah make us of those who fasted the month, attained full reward, witnessed Layatul-Qadr and attained success by permission of the Lord, Blessed and Most High.
O Allah, verily you are Forgiver, like to forgive, so forgive us.
O Lord, accept from us, verily you are the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, O Living, O Independent, O Owner of all majesty and honor.
And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, his family and his Companions.
Dearest and most beloved brothers and sisters, may Allah the Most Merciful shower His grace upon you with abundance and comfort you with His Mercy and Benevolence.
I would like to take this opportunity to greet you, to congratulate you on the advent of a blessed Ramadan, to make my sincere dua for you, to express my deepest friendship and love for you and my sincere care and support for all of you. I make a sincere dua to Allah alone that He makes this month a means to ease your worries, that He replaces it with goodness and transforms your world into a Jannah in this life. May Allah give you what your heart desires and amaze you with His bounty and grace.
Alhamdulillah, as they say all good things comes to an end and the time has now come for me to resign from the blog and the Isoc. Alhamdulillah, it was Allah who enabled me to take part as an author on the blog and to be part of a really great and blessed Isoc. I’d like to say a sincere Jazakumullahu Khairan to everyone, especially the Isoc Members, particularly our beloved headbrother and headsister for making a positive influence in our lives. I truly cannot thank you enough for your generosity and the hard work and effort you have put in establishing an amazing Islamic Society for all of us. May your hard work weigh heavily on the scale of good deeds for all those who contributed to the Isoc in any way, Ameen Thuma Ameen.
These two years have truly been amazing for me. We’ve come a great way and achieved a lot of success both as students and a Society as a whole. So much has happened in these two years, I don’t even know where to start (this is the part you realize this is going to be a long post). I’m just kidding; I won’t give guys another one of my long posts. I’d just like to take this opportunity, since I won’t be seeing you guys anymore, to offer some small advice to the new A2 Students.
One of the great things about having an Islamic Society, apart from having a place to pray, is that it’s a place where you can escape to and meet people of the same beliefs as you when you’re surrounded with every type of fitnah around the campus. This makes you realize how truly blessed we are to have an Isoc, because without it, only Allah truly knows how much our Imaan would have been effected through college life. This is why it’s so important to create an Islamic environment within the campus and call all the Muslim Brothers and Sisters to join the Isoc.
This can start off by making the Islamic Society look and feel like an organisation or student body which means something. Group together as one - put aside differences and work on commonalities. Know that we are more alike than we are different! And this is because of the Bond of Islam. The Bond of Islam is stronger than the bond of blood relation. Also, create an environment in the prayer rooms (let’s pray you guys get a proper prayer room this year InshaAllah) whereby people can chill out. A relaxed area where students can come, do their work, pray, eat, make new friends, etc. This will then mean that a bond of brotherhood and sisterhood is created.
Again I want to stress the part of calling newbies to join the Isoc. You really truly have to be a good example and portray the beauty of Islam through your good behaviour because when people are thinking of joining the Isoc, they’re scared. They think they’re going to be judged. It’s something I’ve noticed. The niqabi thinks the Isoc will think she’s too hardcore. The nonhijabi thinks the Isoc will think she doesn’t belong there. The hijabi who wears jeans will think all the jilbabis are going to judge her, etc etc. So what to do??
This again, is going to seem like common sense–but I’ve observed people: people don’t do this!! —Just smile and say salaam!—to everyone. People for some reason think they should only salaam their friends. This makes the newcomers feel totally outcasted. And most of the time, they’re not thinking that you’re not salaam-ing them because you guys aren’t friends but rather because they’re “not hijabi, not jilbabi, full niqabi, etc etc.” And then that’s it. They tried it out, no one gave them salaam, so Goodbye Isoc!
People don’t realize the seriousness of such a small action. And I’m not talking about only at Isoc events. Some people won’t come to the events. They’ll just observe the Isoc members on campus. They’ll notice that you never salaam them or smile at them, and they’ll already feel judged.
I’ve heard some people say they don’t like salaam-ing new people because a lot of times that person will ignore them, or look at them like “Do I know you?” Ok. That’s sad, I agree. But! Is the reason you’re salaam-ing them because you want a response? Or is it fisabilillah? And isn’t it almost an act of arrogance to think you deserve a response? Maybe you’re not worthy of a response. Give salaams. If you don’t get a response, smile and walk away. If you see the person again, Give salaams again. The third time, maybe try and start a conversation: “Hey, assalaamu alaykum! I’ve seen you around college a couple of times, and wanted to meet you. You’re the mysterious sister running around who I don’t know! I’m [fill in name here]”
Chances are, you’ll realize the person’s not half bad. And if they still don’t respond, Hey – you did your part right? ;) And you got reward for it InshaAllah. Next time you see them, smile and say salaam again. Don’t be so full of pride.
And you know what else? It’s great da’wah too. Sometimes I’d be walking with my non-muslim friends, and a sister would smile at me and we’d exchange salaams. My friends would ask me if we knew each other, and I’d tell them we didn’t. “That’s so beautiful”, they’d remark. It showed them the unity of the Muslims. Alhamdulillah.
Speaking of da’wah, this brings me to my next point. Alhamdulillah, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and this has only been achieved by Muslims giving da’wah, whether verbally or non-verbally. These days, us youth don’t realize the importance of giving da’wah to non-muslims and calling them to the path of Islam. I’ll admit, even am scared of approaching non-muslims and speaking to them about Islam. But one thing encouraged me and I hope it encourages you guys to do the same InshaAllah.
It just so happened that the teacher of the Islamic Studies course I was doing this summer happened to be a Revert. He just finished his studies and graduated from Madinah University after studying there for seven years. You wanna know how he reverted to Islam?? He reverted from Christianity in his second year at Leyton Sixth Form all because a brother came and sat next to him and asked him what he knew about Islam. He basically told us that he didn’t know jack about Islam and thought we were all Hindus. So the brother told him a bit about Islam and everything made sense to him so he requested a copy of the Qur’aan and said he would look into it. He went home and started to read the Qur’aan and compared the Bible with it and found out that everything in the Qur’aan was true and made sense whereas the Bible was the other way around. After that he declared his Shahadah and he told the brother that he wants to study more about Islam so I think the brother helped him in applying to Madinah University after he finished his college studies. He got a Scholarship, moved to Madinah, studied Arabic for 3years and then Shariah for another 4 yrs and Voila, he’s now MashaAllah a very knowledgeable brother and is teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies (inc Uloom ul Quran, Uloom ul Hadith, Fiqh and Usool and Shariah). He’s MashaAllah a very good teacher and if anyone is thinking of studying Arabic or Islamic Studies I would definitely recommend him.
Now going back to the topic of da’wah, can you just imagine the rewards that this brother must be receiving for presenting Islam to this revert? Not only did he receive the reward for making him a Muslim but also the ongoing reward for all the good deeds that he does. SubhanAllah if that doesn’t encourage us to do the same then I don’t know what will. May Allah give us all the ability to fulfill our obligations in doing da’wah and calling others to Allah’s Path, Ameen.
One of the ayaahs about Ramadan:
‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may gain God-consciousness.’ (Qur'an 2:183)
One lesson we can take out of this is that Ramadan and fasting is something that connects us to other faiths... i.e, a great opportunity to start giving da’wah. :)
Wow, SubhanAllah this has turned into a long post, I told you guys it’s a habit that I can’t help. I didn’t even talk about Ramadan and how we can truly maximise our Ibadah during this month. Khair InshaAllah I’m sure we’ll be hearing loads of talks regarding this anyways in this month so I’ll just mention a single point of benefit. Know that Ramadan is not a singled-out month of worship and taqwa. It is to IMPROVE ourselves, to come out as better Muslims with better characters and to ask for forgiveness for our shortcomings of the past eleven months. Ramadan comes only once a year; therefore, we should host it in the best possible way and take advantage to reap its rewards. If you don't make the best of the opportunity of Ramadan, you are truly DEPRIVED.
I ask that those who read this to forgive me if I’ve ever wronged you or offended you in any way. Please forgive my shortcomings and I humbly request to all that read this to make a sincere dua for me when breaking your fast, since the fasting person’s supplications are not rejected. Specific request are that Allah forgive all my sins, grant me taqwa and increase me in sabr and for Allah to aid me in my studies of both the dunya knowledge and the akhirah knowledge. InshaAllah you will all be in my duas.
O Allah make us and all Muslims of those who fast and stand in prayer during the month of Ramadan based on belief and truly seeking Your reward so that we are forgiven our past and future sins.
O Allah make us of those who fasted the month, attained full reward, witnessed Layatul-Qadr and attained success by permission of the Lord, Blessed and Most High.
O Allah, verily you are Forgiver, like to forgive, so forgive us.
O Lord, accept from us, verily you are the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, O Living, O Independent, O Owner of all majesty and honor.
And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon Muhammad, his family and his Companions.
Wassalamu Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Saturday, 30 August 2008
How do I Know if I am Sincere?
How do I know if I am sincere? I asked this question way back in September 2004 to some of the students of knowledge, the late Shaykh, Dr. Saleh as-Saleh (rahimahullaah) and my good friend, Mu’tasim al-Hameedee.
I was not able to catch all the points of benefit that Shaykh Saleh as-Saleh mentioned, but I will try my best to paraphrase what I managed to take of notes:
He said that his Shaykh, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) said that: We should always be checking ourselves and asking: “Did I really do that for Allaah?” He said that we should make the du’aa where we ask Allaah (subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) to protect us from falling into shirk (and of course doing an act for other than Allaah is shirk) and that we should seek forgiveness often. He continued by saying that shaytaan is always trying to corrupt our intention and trying to take away from its purity. He then went on to say that the Salaf used to say that they found nothing more intense then striving to be sincere. He closed by saying that when you find yourself having an inclination to read the Qur’aan and seek (beneficial) knowledge then this is a sign of there being sincerity in ones actions.
Br. Mu’tasim al-Hameedee said (to paraphrase):
That there is no meter that we can attach to our heart or our body to give a reading, and that everyone knows in himself what he is doing and why he is doing it, and everyone is a proof against himself or on behalf of himself. You know when you are doing an action whether you are doing it for the sake of Allaah or for the sake of showing off, you know it in your heart, and it is not something that has to be learnt, it is something from our fitrah and we are created with this sense and we know ourselves if we are doing what we are doing for Allaah or for the people.
Some of the righteous predecessors mentioned some signs, and they where that if you find yourself more active in worship when you are in front of others and that you do not have the same zeal or strength in worship when you are by yourself then this is a sign that there is something wrong with your intention, and this is a sign you are doing it for the sake of the people, maybe not completely for the people, but at the least there is some deficiency in your intention.
There is a story about a man who was fasting, and this man used to pray very quickly at home, but on this day, the day he was fasting he went to the masjid and he prayed and the people were saying what an excellent prayer he is praying, so he turned around in his prayer and said to them: “I am fasting today too!”
The Muslim is always struggling with his intention, shaytaan will always come and try to corrupt that intention, so always have in mind that I am doing it for the sake of Allaah because Allaah ordered me to and I hope to get reward for it.
So be warned - Brother and Sister Muslim - that no action is acceptable to Allaah if somebody else is given a share in it. Reflect carefully upon the words of Yoosuf bin al Hussain ar-Raazee: "Indeed the hardest thing (to achieve) in this world is Ikhlaas. How many times have I struggled to extinguish riyaa (showing off) from my heart except that it only appeared again in a different colour" [1]
Also reflect upon the words narrated by Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee in his [Mukhtasir Minhaaj il-Qaasideen] "Indeed mankind, all of them, are destroyed except those with knowledge and all those with knowledge are destroyed except those who act upon it and all those who act are destroyed except those who are sincere in their action and all those who are sincere are in great danger (of associating other than Allaah in their actions)". [2]
1 [Jaami ul-Uloom wal-Hikam] of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee
2 [Mukhtasir Minhaaj il- Qaasideen] of Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee
Notes taken by Aboo Uthmaan
I was not able to catch all the points of benefit that Shaykh Saleh as-Saleh mentioned, but I will try my best to paraphrase what I managed to take of notes:
He said that his Shaykh, Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) said that: We should always be checking ourselves and asking: “Did I really do that for Allaah?” He said that we should make the du’aa where we ask Allaah (subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) to protect us from falling into shirk (and of course doing an act for other than Allaah is shirk) and that we should seek forgiveness often. He continued by saying that shaytaan is always trying to corrupt our intention and trying to take away from its purity. He then went on to say that the Salaf used to say that they found nothing more intense then striving to be sincere. He closed by saying that when you find yourself having an inclination to read the Qur’aan and seek (beneficial) knowledge then this is a sign of there being sincerity in ones actions.
Br. Mu’tasim al-Hameedee said (to paraphrase):
That there is no meter that we can attach to our heart or our body to give a reading, and that everyone knows in himself what he is doing and why he is doing it, and everyone is a proof against himself or on behalf of himself. You know when you are doing an action whether you are doing it for the sake of Allaah or for the sake of showing off, you know it in your heart, and it is not something that has to be learnt, it is something from our fitrah and we are created with this sense and we know ourselves if we are doing what we are doing for Allaah or for the people.
Some of the righteous predecessors mentioned some signs, and they where that if you find yourself more active in worship when you are in front of others and that you do not have the same zeal or strength in worship when you are by yourself then this is a sign that there is something wrong with your intention, and this is a sign you are doing it for the sake of the people, maybe not completely for the people, but at the least there is some deficiency in your intention.
There is a story about a man who was fasting, and this man used to pray very quickly at home, but on this day, the day he was fasting he went to the masjid and he prayed and the people were saying what an excellent prayer he is praying, so he turned around in his prayer and said to them: “I am fasting today too!”
The Muslim is always struggling with his intention, shaytaan will always come and try to corrupt that intention, so always have in mind that I am doing it for the sake of Allaah because Allaah ordered me to and I hope to get reward for it.
So be warned - Brother and Sister Muslim - that no action is acceptable to Allaah if somebody else is given a share in it. Reflect carefully upon the words of Yoosuf bin al Hussain ar-Raazee: "Indeed the hardest thing (to achieve) in this world is Ikhlaas. How many times have I struggled to extinguish riyaa (showing off) from my heart except that it only appeared again in a different colour" [1]
Also reflect upon the words narrated by Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee in his [Mukhtasir Minhaaj il-Qaasideen] "Indeed mankind, all of them, are destroyed except those with knowledge and all those with knowledge are destroyed except those who act upon it and all those who act are destroyed except those who are sincere in their action and all those who are sincere are in great danger (of associating other than Allaah in their actions)". [2]
1 [Jaami ul-Uloom wal-Hikam] of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee
2 [Mukhtasir Minhaaj il- Qaasideen] of Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee
Notes taken by Aboo Uthmaan
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Those That are Truly Pious
The truly pious sisters never do anything to ever jeopardize their haya
The truly pious sisters have a deep attachment to salah
They have noor dripping from their faces
They are never to be found in all the wrong places
The truly pious sisters are always glowing
They are not the ones that have all their limbs showing
Rather they are those that wear abayas loose and flowing
And when they are tested by Allah they increase their ibadah and keep going
They are mindful of their speech and never engage in idle talk
And they are not amongst those that wish to be noticed when they walk
They are those that have 'ilm and are constantly seeking
They have the best adab, ahklaq and manner of speaking
Just like the truly pious sisters there are only a few truly pious brothers
And the truly pious brothers take care of their sisters and mothers
The truly pious brothers have exemplary ahklaq
Pants rolled above the ankle and carrying a miswak
The truly pious brother is cautious about violating others rights
And you can hear his attachment to the Quran with every Surah he recites
His forehead has the mark that only one can get from praying tahajjud every night
Noor eminates from him, and every strand of his beard twinkles like a light
And if the time comes to fight, then he will not take flight
He will enter the battlefield strong just like a knight
The truly pious brother makes dua to Allah for his enemies to be guided
And doesn’t incite hatred towards other Muslims, lest we become more divided
The truly pious brother’s eyes are always looking toward the ground
Lowering the gaze because non-mahram women are around
Lowering the gaze because non-mahram women are around
He never insults or curses anyone, and never wastes time
He’s always just with others and keeps his nafs in line
The truly pious brother is always trying to learn more in the deen
Traveling for the sake of 'ilm is a regular routine
The truly pious brother is always making istighfaar for the sins that he may or may not have done.
And he is not the lazy, depressed or pessimistic one
The truly pious brother loves for his brother what he loves for himself
He is never satisfied with his condition, so he is always improving himself
And you will find that the truly pious sisters have sabr and complete tawakkul in Allah
And the truly pious brother has devoted himself to seeking the pleasure of Allah
And you will find that those that are truly pious are like the scent of perfume in the air
To the average Muslim, they just don’t compare
They are like precious jewels that are extremely rare
Remaining in their pure form because they are unfit to wear
So if you want to marry from amongst those that are truly pious, then be worthy and not obsceneAnd don’t waste your time looking for them in places that they would never dare to be seen
You would never go to a swamp to discover a pearl
Unless instead of a pious woman you want a cover girl
And if you think that you can go to a garbage dump in search of diamonds
Then that is because you’re looking for Cubic Zirconia, and not those that are truly pious
Poem by Naimah Abraham
Monday, 25 August 2008
THE ADULTERY...OF THE EYES!!! ...
THE ADULTERY OF THE EYES!!!
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim.
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Assalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu dear respected brothers and sisters.
“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily! Allah is All-Aware of what they do.
And tell the believing women to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent…”
[Surah An-Nur 24:30-31]
Alhumdulilah, college break is here, exam results are out of the way, Allah Subhana Wa’talaa has blessed us with hot summer days, and naturally one wants to go out and have fun, so one calls up the brothers/sisters, they set a date, that day comes, so they are all preparing for the day ahead, finding nice clothes to wear, brothers combing their beards/or sisters fixing that lose bit of Hijaab, brothers drowning themselves in Atr, Sisters trying to find matching accessories to their Hijaab trying to find that lost hand bag that matches so perfectly with that green scarf, she can’t find it so she has to change into another Hijaab.
Once all ready, one gets ready to leave the house, giving their love and salaam to their parents and siblings, but as one opens the door and get ready to leave, before our eyes we see a wave of indecency, which is not accepted by the Islamic dress code.
One cannot help but look either intentionally or unintentionally, so SubhanAllah, what can one do???
One can’t just barricade themselves in their bedroom and take refuge under the bed, (where the sister finally finds that lost bag/and brothers find all their empty bottles of Atr)!!
One may question, how is the adultery of the eyes defined?
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu Anhu narrated that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said “…the adultery of the eyes is looking (at [that] which is not allowed)…”
[Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
One maybe thinking, it’s only one look, what can one look do?
Indeed brothers and sisters it all begins with a lustful glance. This one glance leads to lustful talk and flirting, then meeting, then becoming “an item”, and I am sure we are all well aware of what comes next.
In his Hadith, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam says “And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their Zina is gazing.”
So that’s the harm it does, that one look, that one look is the zina of the eyes, the adultery of the eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, on the authority of Jarair Radi Allahu Anhu, who said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a non-Mahram). He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes.”
[Reported by Muslim]
Furthermore, Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said to Ali Radi Allahu Anhu: “Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you.”
A Muslim/Muslimah is decent and pure, therefore it means all of his/her body must be decent and pure, and a natural consequence of this is lowering of the gaze.
Allah Azza Wa Jall says in the Qur’an:
[Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
One maybe thinking, it’s only one look, what can one look do?
Indeed brothers and sisters it all begins with a lustful glance. This one glance leads to lustful talk and flirting, then meeting, then becoming “an item”, and I am sure we are all well aware of what comes next.
In his Hadith, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam says “And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their Zina is gazing.”
So that’s the harm it does, that one look, that one look is the zina of the eyes, the adultery of the eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, on the authority of Jarair Radi Allahu Anhu, who said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a non-Mahram). He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes.”
[Reported by Muslim]
Furthermore, Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said to Ali Radi Allahu Anhu: “Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you.”
A Muslim/Muslimah is decent and pure, therefore it means all of his/her body must be decent and pure, and a natural consequence of this is lowering of the gaze.
Allah Azza Wa Jall says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Do not follow Satan’s footsteps: If any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will command what is shameful and wrong…”
[Surah An-Nur 24:21]
And indeed, looking at another man/woman after Allah and His Messenger Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam have said it is wrong and evil, to do it is a shameful and wrong act.
Indeed one must not submit to his/her desires; instead remember the beautiful words of Allah, and His clear warnings:
“Do not go near fornication and adultery, it is an abomination and an evil way.”
[Surah Al-Israa’:32]
Remember, brothers and sisters that when one of us lowers our gaze, it is a good deed and Allah has promised a ten-fold reward for good deeds, so lets strive for these good deeds, these tiny acts of obedience which seem small now, but will make a huge difference, where it counts; in the Akhirah, when our scale of good and bad deeds will be measured!
“He that does good shall have ten times as much to his credit:
He that does evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil:
And no wrong shall be done unto (any of) them.”
[Surah Al-An’ am 6:160]
&
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it,
And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it.”
[Surah Az-Zalzalah: 7-8]
Whilst preparing this post, a sister recommended a site where a post was put up, InshAllah the author makes some excellent points:
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Are we going beyond the limits without realizing it?
By Sikander Ziad Hashmi,
A few weeks ago, Montreal hosted the F1 Canadian Grand Prix. That weekend, my parents and I were heading west on the highway, and many of the race fans who had come from out of town were sharing the roads with us on their way back home.
One thing really caught my attention, more than anything else: almost every single one of these race fans was driving extremely fast and was zipping by us, as if they themselves were race drivers competing in a F1 race.
I found this to be interesting because here were the race fans, after only a few hours at the race track, already acting like F1 drivers. The point being that only a few hours in the racing environment (without even actually racing) had such a profound effect on them that its effect was shown in their actions.
By just being around racers, driving around 300km/h, driving fast had become a second nature for these fans.
This clearly shows the potential effects that the environment can have on a person’s thinking as well as actions.
We all know that we are members of a decaying society. Morality, decency, modesty, and the sense of shame are in a freefall, and things are progressively getting worse.
All this is very evident. It’s not hard to tell, especially in the summer. Just head downtown and you’ll notice the billboards on the highway, take a stroll at the mall, watch a few commercials on TV, take in a movie or two, and you’ll be faced with stuff that’s nowhere near being decent or modest.
So basically, indecency and immorality are rampant these days. And the worst part? We live in the midst of it, and are faced with this stuff day-in, day-out.
Unfortunately, the environment around us is bound to have some sort of effect on us. Just like on those race fans after the Grand Prix, we can easily become immune to indecency and immodesty, and used to seeing it all.
In fact, it IS so easy to get used to, and that’s extremely dangerous, because all this indecency and immodesty is clearly against the moral fabric of Islam. After all, modesty is a branch of faith.
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu anhu narrated that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said: “Imaan has over seventy branches, and modesty is a branch of Islam.”
[Reported by Muslim]
Sa’eed Ibn Abu Hasan said to Hasan Radi Allahu Anhuma: “the non-Arab women bare their chests and heads (so what should I do)? The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said: “Turn away your eyes.”
[Reported by Al-Bukhari]
The danger is we can easily become accustomed to this haraam that we don’t realize that we are seeing something forbidden, and as a result, we knowingly go and see things we clearly shouldn’t be seeing.
So before we walk into a movie theatre, attend that social function, gaze at those billboards, flip through that magazine, chill at the beach, surf the net, or spend an evening in front of the TV, lets try to make a moment to ask ourselves, ‘are we going beyond the limits without even realizing it?’
--------This article may be reproduced on other sites freely, provided it is left intact in its entirety, and the leading "sunniforum.com" tag is NOT removed.------
Dear brothers and sisters, lowering the gaze does not mean keeping our eyes constantly glued to the ground and not looking up at all, so the next thing you know you’ve bashed your head into a street lamp post!!!
Lowering your gaze doesn’t even mean to make one anti-social, it is merely turning our faces away when we see a less-than-decently dressed woman or man walking the streets or wherever we may be, which is so much more common in the summer months.
One common mistake people make is to think that lowering the gaze is only required when one has encountered nakedness or indecency “in the flesh” or in person. No brothers and sisters, lowering the gaze must also be practiced when watching a film or television program consumed with nakedness, indecency and intimate scenes of couples, or when one feels attracted to someone on the TV, so this includes when Pamela Anderson is doing her Baywatch run, and one thinks ‘I want my wife with a figure like that’ or when an attractive Sheikh comes on the TV and one thinks ‘yeah I want a brother like that to get marred to!’
And my last advice brothers and sisters, is avoid going to places of such lewdness and indecency such as the beaches where all you’ll find is women in bikinis and guys in swimming trunks, lowering your gaze in such a place is IMPOSSIBLE!!!
The same goes for parks, where everyone is baring all and sitting out in the sun for a sun tan, this doesn’t mean never step foot in the park, just goes on days that are cooler or go later on in the day, when the peak time for sunbathing is gone.
Brothers and sisters do not put yourself in such situations by your own hand!!! And finally seek refuge in Allah Subhana Wa’talaa from such places and continuously make du’a!!!
Before leaving I would like to share with you 2 very small articles, but have a big impact!!!
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‘If a person casts lustful glances at a non-Mahram person then this feeling of momentary satisfaction is limited and restricted. Whilst if one protects his glances, one will feel the sweetness of Imaan and this feeling is eternal. And those that cast evil glances feel regret and sorrow for minutes and hours on end:
- For the religious minded: they will regret that they disobeyed Allah’s command.
- For the lustful and immoral: they feel down because they desire for such a thing that they know they’ll never get, and this feeling of despair and frustration hurts them.
http://shaykh.wordpress.com/?s=gazing
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Once, on a hot summer’s day, a few students were counting a big pile of sadaqah money, when Sheikh walked into the room. After uttering a few words of praise, he said-in Urdu-Shall I not tell you a great remedy to cure the evil gaze?
When counting this money, does any of you feel any desirous joy? Obviously not, because you all know that this money does not belong to you. In the same way, when our gaze falls upon a non-Mahram woman (or man) outside we should think that, ‘the person I am unlawfully gazing at does not belong to me,’ doing this should kill our momentary pleasure, resulting in dislike for our evil actions in the future.
http://shaykh.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/remedy-an-evil-gaze/#more-149
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May Allah Subhana Wa’talaa enable us to implement upon this tiny bit of Ilm in our lives and help others to do the same, Ameen! X
Keep the Ummah in your dua’s,
Wasalaamulaikum, XXX Sister Mehak XXX
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