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Sunday 8 June 2008

How To Be A Strong Muslim

The first and most important note of all, is that for a person to really boost his imaan and stay strong on his deen, one MUST truly accept that Allah exists and His attributes are beyond our imagination. He is capable of anything and everything. Faith in Allah is essential. Accept that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last of a long line of Prophets that started with Adam (alayhis salaam), through Nuh (alayhis salaam), Ibrahim (alayhis salaam), Musa (alayhis salaam), Isa (alayhis salaam) and everyone in between and accept that the Holy Quran is the last and true word of Allah.

2.
Pray sincerely. Know that Allah is close to you and is Watching over you. Always pray on time, Try not to delay it. Avoid doing things that will only prevent you from doing things that are much more important. Nothing is much more important than obeying what Allah asks of you. While working or studying, halt everything you are doing and go to the nearest masjid to pray. If somebody were to ask you where you are heading, say that you are answering Allah's call to prayer. And who knows, that might even inspire the questioner to come with you.

3. Pray in the middle of the night. Pray when most people around you are sleeping soundly. The name of the prayer is
Tahajjud. However to perform this special voluntary prayer, one must try and wake up in the last third of the night before the time of subah sadiq. Even if it's for a short amount of time, one can gain immense benefits from it. If it is too hard to wake up or stay awake till the last third of the night, then one can pray his tahhajud straight after he prays his Isha Salah.

4. Remember Allah all the time. This known as Zikr, reciting His name and His praises (e.g Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and Allah Hu Akbar) will ultimately make you a strong Muslim because as you do more zikr your heart is being cleansed of evil.

5. Be
grateful for everything you have. The more thankful you are the more you will realize how much you have been blessed. And by doing this, Insha'allah you will be strengthen your imaan because you will realise how Kind and Merciful your Creator really is.

6. Protect your chastity (Very important!). You need to know that adultery is a sinful act and always avoid it. This applies to both men and women. Women should not wear tight or revealing clothes, and men should always lower their gaze and guard their modesty. When a person gets too involved with the opposite sex, Allah takes away fear and piety from their heart. Like a pious person once said, "Haram love is for those who do not love Allah enough".

7. Keep to your
promise. If you feel that you cannot manage something, just inform that person. Abiding to your promise will ultimately make you trustworthy person.

8. Respect the opinion of others. No opinions are bad or stupid. You should treat them as gems. Without opinions, things will never get better. If you do not like any idea, do not invalidate them but add on to the idea to either understand why the opinion may be wrong or add on to it to improve the idea.

9. Fast for the right reasons. Not because you want to impress others, nor because you want to feel superior. Fast with the intention to please only Allah, and to get the reward for fasting. Nevertheless fast because of remembering those who do not have privileges like food and water. Fast twice a week, preferably on Mondays and Thursdays. Fast during the month of Ramadan and also on the day of Arafah which is on the 9th of Zulhijjah. Allah will forgive all the minor sins you have done the one year before and after if you fast during the day of Arafah.

10. Never lie. It should be emphasized that Allah does not like those who lie to others. It is important to also note, that a person who lies often has a trait of hypocrisy in his heart. Your integrity will directly have an impact towards your dignity. People will look high upon you if you are honest and true to whatever you say.

11. Be good to your wife, if you are a man. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said that "The best of you is he who is the best to his wife". Be kind to her, always support her and allow her an equal share in decision making and property ownership.

12. Struggle towards goodwill. Sacrifice your time and visit the mosque if there is a lecture. Forfeit your property to those who needs it more than you do. In other words, always give charity. The person who recieves it will be thankful that you have given them aid in their daily life. Remember, the one who gives is better than than one who receives.

13. Practice good character towards everyone. Be gentle and good-hearted not only to your parents, but to your cousins, to your friends, and even to those who may not have accepted islam. Always protect the surroundings. Never ever be aggressive towards the animals.

14. Be gracious towards your parents. They have worked hard to bring home food. Your mother has suffered all the pain just to bring you to this world. What have you done to say thanks to them? They have brought joy to your life by buying you presents every now and then. Have you acknowledged that and appreciated them? Do whatever they expect of you and you will be fine.

15. Observe patience over a loved one's death. To mourn a loved one for 3 days is permissible but it should not be done in a way that is blasphemous and excessive. Know that death is inevitable and will strike us all one day. Remember that To Allah we belong and to Him we will return. Remember death often because it will remind you that at the end of the day the only true power that exists is the Power and Might of Allah. One day He WILL take your life and one Day he WILL bring you back to life again.

16. Try not to waste your Time on useless things. The wasters will be the brother of satan. On the day of judgement, some items/properties are going to talk for the reason you wasted/damaged the properties.

17. Read the Qur'an Regularly. It will keep your iman strong and will keep your soul pure. You'll get thawab for every letter you say and not just that but on the Day of Judgement the Qur'an Will act as an intercessor for you.


May Allah give both me and those who read this post the ability to be strong and firm muslims. Ameen.


(Originally taken from http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Strong-Muslim but was tweaked a little ;))

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Salaam
very useful post! Jzk

Anonymous said...

Salaam ;;
Jazak AllahuKhair__
Its quite easy to read this post and dismiss it but as youths of today, it's a necessity that we try our hardest to strengthen our iymaan since it's becoming harder for us.

Day by day, we're being bombarded with the media filling our lives with materialistic ideas and making us always want more, we should just be greatful for everything we have as there are always people that are worse off than us.


Saheeh al-Bukhari