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:

“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

Email Chain Letters - ''If You Love Allah, Please Forward...''

By Yusuf Atiff Bin Abdel-Lateef Diab

There occurs today a very detestable practice among our Muslims in particular. It is the indulgence and participation in email chain letters. For those of us not familiar with this activity, it is where someone sends an email letter with some sort of story pertaining, in most cases but not always, to something Islamic, and then they put a condition at the end of this story to distribute this email to a certain number of people. The condition usually is a severe warning against not forwarding the email to the certain number of people in which case some calamity or mishap will occur if it is not done. In other cases the condition proposes a special benefit for forwarding the email to the certain number of people. Ordinarily this is a form of shirk that I think most people would be aware of or at least should recognize. Believing that some act not from the Qur'aan or Sunnah, if done, can cause some harm and/or benefit is indeed shirk. In doing so we set up a rival to Allaah, for truly it is only Allaah who can benefit us or harm us, and only Allaah can remove such harm.

As Allaah says in Surah Al-An'am ayah 17: "And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things."

One of the things we learn from this ayat is that any harm that afflicts us can only be removed by Allaah, so to specifically believe in bad omens, which includes bad luck and the belief that certain practices, not endorsed by Allaah or The Prophet sallAllahu 'Alayhi wa Salam, can affect the outcome of future events, is in essence the meaning of an omen. So to believe in these omens would be, belief that other than Allaah can remove such harm from us, which is setting a rival with Allaah in this removal of harm. And Allaah says in Surah al-Ma'aidah ayah 72: "Verily, whosoever sets up rivals in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Al-Jannah for him, and the Fire will be his abode."

Imam Ahmad reports, on the authority of Ibn `Amr (radhi Allahu anhumma), that the Prophet (sallAllahu 'alayi wa Salam) said:"Whoever is turned back from his objective by a bad omen has committed Shirk." They asked: "And what is the expiation for that?" He (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa salam) replied: "It is to say: "Oh, Allah! There is no good except that which You bestow and there is no evil except that which You bestow and there is none has the right to be worshipped but You."

In many circumstances these chain emails threatens the reader that "if" the email is not sent to the certain number of people then "such and such" will occur. As reported in the above hadith this is Shirk! As is reported on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (radhi Allahu 'anhu) in a marfoo' form, which he said: "At-tiyarah (belief in omens) is Shirk, at-tiyrah (belief in omens) is Shirk. There is none among us who is not afflicted by it, but Allah, by true dependence on Him removes it from the heart." [Abu Dawood]

So this hadeeth /athar is a rejection of belief in omens because such beliefs necessitates negation of belief in Allah's Qadr and because it causes the heart to become attached to other than Allah, which is Shirk.

Now what is even more disturbing is that these omens are presented and beautified in the form of "harmless" conditions and mere fun. No doubt a trick for shaytaan ar rajeem, wa iyaadhu billah.

The most recent one of these chain emails puts the condition that "if you love Allaah, then forward this letter to...”!!! This should indeed be a higher degree of disturbing for Muslims as it entails speaking about an attribute of Allaah without knowledge, namely Allaah's love. How is it that one can put a condition to Allaah's love based on doing an act that has no precedence in The Book of Allaah or The Sunnah of His Messenger (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam)?!? This is indeed a form of ilhad (deviation) regarding the attribute of Allaah, and a form of shirk in this category of Tawheed (Asmaa wa Sifaat). The love of Allaah is attainable through many acts of ibaadah mentioned to us in the Quran and Sunnah, and thus to innovate in this noble venture is a disgusting type of bidah, pursued in most part by those of ahl kalam (The people of false rhetoric). Those people who chose not to be content with the established texts of Al-Islaam, but rather engage in exercising their intellect with regard to the deen. As we should know the Beautiful, Perfect and Lofty Names and Attributes of Allaah are tawqeefiyyah, meaning they are derived from the text of The Qur'aan and The Sunnah. Speaking about Allaah's Names and/or Attributes without knowledge that which was not mentioned by Allaah or His Messenger (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam) or the righteous predecessors of this Ummah constitutes a great offense against Allaah and His Deen.

Allaah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) says in Surah Al Ar'af ayah 33: "Say: My Lord has forbidden... and that you say about Allaah that of which you have no knowledge". And Allaah says in Surah al-Isra'a ayah 36: "Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge." So we must be extremely careful not to attribute to Allaah or place a condition on His attributes that was not mentioned in any text of The Qur'aan and Sunnah, even if it appears to agree with our intellect. This is the methodology of the Sahabah concerning the Names and Attributes of Allaah, and it is the methodology that we in turn should adopt.

In conclusion I offer this sincere advice, and brotherly warning, if you or anyone you know is in the practice of writing these emails, or forwarding them, please revere Allaah and set not rivals with Him by spreading this fitnah of belief and indulgence in omens and superstious practices. Like so many other types of hidden shirk, it is beautified and marginalized until it enters our home as something that we take to be so minute and insignificant.

May Allah Al-Wakeel rectify the affairs of the Ummah. May He, protect us from all forms of Shirk, major and minor, hidden and apparent. May Allaah support us against the plots of shaytaan ar rajeem and our nafs and desires.

The Fever

Br. Talal Sarwani

There’s a very interesting worldwide phenomena taking place among the Muslim youth of today. Everyone’s favourite bit of Sunnah has become the advice of the Prophet (salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) to get married asap. Alhamdulillah, the wisdom of that advice is nothing short of Divine, but the abuse of that advice is causing much trouble in the Ummah today. That trouble has manifested itself into one of the hated of what is Halaal: Talaq (Divorce). Kids are getting married right and left, lost in some romanticised version of what married life seems to be about, and the second they find themselves stuck in a mud of responsiblity, it’s time to flip out the mobile and text your significant other:

I divorce you - I divorce you - I divorce you

Indeed, it is a time of cowards.

So I set out to investigate what was causing this desperate desire for the Great Hookup. What did I find? Were the beards really growin’ and the brows left un-threaded? Were the kufis being worn and the hijabs being tightened? Was the thawb and the ‘abaya truly being donned? Was the scent of ‘oud aromafying the surroundings? Read on, brothers and sisters, read on for the truth….

The number one danger towards the one who is single, is to be around those who have newly become doubles. It’s been referred to in the past as The Fever. The Fever is not just the feeling that one needs to get hitched, it’s the malady that causes such feelings simply from having attended the hitching ceremonies of all-too-many people in an all-too-short amount of time. For proof of the existence of this syndrome, please go up to any brother (Though I claim to know their perspective as well, out of respect, I shall take the fifth as far as sisters are concerned) during the summer, especially during this Summer of a Thousand Weddings. You’ll hear the usual talk of empty hearts needing companionship, of guys swooning over she who looked back and if you’re around one after someone else’s wedding, a feeling of slight dejection rather than complete happiness for his just betrothed brother and sister.

The Fever is a powerful thing, taking over the life of he or she who is stung by it, causing him or her to find themselves raising their hands to Allah every night, asking for either the filling of their empty hearts or at the very least a respite from their feelings. So, brothas and sistas, if you find yourself in this most unwanted predicament, the prescription is as follows:

Step 1: Lower your gaze
Step 2: Pray for the feeling to go away
Step 3: Lower your gaze
Step 4: Don’t talk to others about your predicament (you’ll realise they’re in the same hole, and then the both of you will wallow in each other’s misery)
Step 5: Lower your gaze
Rinse. Spit. Repeat.

InshaAllah The Fever should soon subside and all will be back to normal. HOWEVER, say the ol’ heart sparks at the just barely-sighted-glance of a certain someone, then be sure to follow the following steps. Now, keep in mind this is the ONLY acceptable follow-up to that “cue the chorus” moment. Consider this your final warning not to join certain committees of certain organisations/societies, “accidentally” finding certain someone’s sitting there.

BONUS:
Step 6: ISTIKHARA TIME!!!!!!!!
Possible Step 7 for Brothers: Be a Man. Call her parents.
Possible Step 7 for Sisters: Just sit there all coy and shy (I keed, I keed).

This prescription is signed and endorsed by Shaykh (of the Polaroid Picture kind) Ishq ibn Al-Hubbatani, so you better believe it works. There is however a lot more that contributes to the ‘I Think I Love You, Marry Me’ Ummah today. The majority of these causes rests in the realm of what a brother once said: “Blame it on the Deen”.

The Romantic Islam:
As a preface to what follows, let me say that this topic includes far more than I can write about in this space, so I’m not gonna cover anything… I mean everything. There’s literally an incredible amount of things that fall into The Romantic Islam, but I’ll just touch upon these two of varying extremes, to give you just a taste of what I mean.

I’m using the word romantic not in the sense of an ideal, but in the plain old Qais/Majnu/Romeo and their Lailas/Juliet sense. These are those bits (according to the very doubtable research done for this) of Islam that when people gain knowledge of them, at a certain time of their lives, in that certain state of mind, all havoc lets loose, the hearts open up in need, and the shaitaan is called in for playtime. ‘You… complete… me…’

When Tom Cruise uttered those words to his love in Jerry McGuire, the heart of every woman in movie theaters around the world let out a collective sigh. If only they knew what Muslimahs had already known for centuries, or at least what they did, once, know. I’m referring to the oft-repeated hadith of the Lone Hearted:

Narrated by Anas, who reported that the Prophet(salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: When a man marries, he has fulfilled half of his religion…

We are the creations of a Creator who knows our innards better than we know our names, so when we experience this wisdom that has been passed down to us, our hearts yell: SUBHANALLAH!!! I NEED to get married.

Let’s just face it, this hadith makes everyone feel good about things, and is among the greatest proliferators of Wandering Heart technology. Do note the “…”, because you rarely ever hear the rest of the hadith:

...so let him fear Allah regarding the remaining half.’’ ‘Nuff said, yo.

Sweet Nothings:
Ahem, the following is a very interesting tidbit. It’s something I gleaned from a brother in whom the desire to be wed was gnawing at him from the inside. We were in a room with just pillows on the floor to chill on. It of course happened to be a time of someone else’s wedding, which is why I just sat relaxing after a long night of partying with the *cough*aunties*cough*. So, this brother comes up to me, with a copy of Sahih Bukhari of all things, and he prompts me to read:

Volume 2, Book 21, Number 258:Narrated ‘Aisha: After offering the Sunna of the Fajr prayer, the Prophet used to talk to me, if I happened to be awake; otherwise he would lie down till the Iqama call was proclaimed (for the Fajr prayer).

“Alright”, I thought, “so?” He plopped himself down onto the floor, and with a bleary-eyed look, said: “Wouldn’t it be amazing to have someone to talk to when you walk up a little early for Fajr?” Let’s just say he didn’t take too kindly at me falling over from laughter nor my suggestion that he could always give me a call anytime he feels lonely at that hour. If you’re in this state. brothers and sisters, please follow the prescription given to you above, and inshaAllah spare the rest of us from stomach-hurting hilarity.

The End of This:
Alas, all great things come to an end, as must this post. I just barely touched upon what I really wanted to talk about, but my mind is not in a state of organisation, so I leave you with this little conclusion. Realise that marriage isn’t a joke or little fling you go through. It’s a responsibility, where the third party in the trust between a husband and wife is Allah. All this talk of love and all that jazz is a distraction, so pay little attention to it. There is ONE person for whom you are meant, inshaAllah, so take care of your personal half of your deen, and Allah will provide you with the best of companionship. Take the halaal way, and you’ll feel it yourself. The second the Nikah is done, the man and woman are infused with a feeling of rahmahshaitaan lead you astray when he discovers the state of your heart and mind. Seek refuge and establish trust in Allah, for that is the only way to keep yourself on the Sirat-Al-Mustaqeem. Someone once questioned the hurried rush to marriage seen in the Ummah, and couldn’t understand how they took that step when they didn’t even have a way of supporting a family. “When you’re capable of getting her the washing machine, then you’re ready to begin a life together”.

It’s akin to that sudden mercy felt by one who has just become a parent. It’s not something you can understand beforehand. There’s lots of things in Islam that stir the hearts, but they are there to convince you of the correctness of the Straight Path.

If I offended anyone, forgive me, inshaAllah. Oh, and to those souls who recently have been, or soon will be paired back to those they were with in Fitrah, our Du’as are with you. May Allah grant you all the best in the Dunya and the Hereafter… Ameen, Ameen, Ya Rabbil ‘Alameen

You Love Muhammad (Sallalaho alayhi wasalaam) huh??? ....EDITED!!!!!!

---THE TEARS OF RASULULLAH...( S.A.W) ---

InshAllah please forgive me for the incorrect version posted a couple of days ago, Alhumdulilah it was brought to attension and the post has been mended accordingly! JazakAllah Khairun,

Assalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu my dear brothers and sisters, indeed we claim to be from the Ummah of the Noble Muhammad Sallalhu alayhi Wasalaam, yes??? we do don't we??? BUT HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW ABOUT HIM???

Such a example like his Mubarak Sunnah WILL NEVER EVER BE FOUND! GUARENTEED! So how much do we strive to know about him, his life, his conduct, his character, his dealings, all that we can know about him???? and of those from us who know all these, how many of us implement Rasulullah sallalahu alayhi wasalaam's way? his rightly guided path set from Allah, HIS SUNNAH!!!!

Such a mercy was Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, that though he was the seal of prophethood, though he was guarenteed Jannah, he kept straight to the guidelines of Allah, the command of Allah!

I'm speaking of no other than the one who lead the Muslims and gave us the Islam that WE TAKE FOR GRANTED TODAY!!! THIS VERY DAY!!! HOW MANY DIED STRIVING TO ESTABLISH ISLAM????? HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS, COUNTLESS NUMBERS!!!!

HOW MANY TIMES DO WE TAKE EXTRA TIME IN SALAH, ASKING FOR ALLAH'S BLESSINGS UPON THESE PEOPLE!!!!

Such was Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam that he would pray Tauhajjad, till his blessed ankles were swollen, such was his conduct that he was the best of mankind yet he humbled himself to Allah, his Lord like he was the lowest of the low, and today we see US MUSLIMS having so much pride, arrogance, being big-headed and ego-istic!!!!

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE PRAYED TAUHAJJAD TILL WE FELT LIKE WE COULD GO ON NO LONGER, TILL OUR ANKLES SWELL UP?????????????????????

Such was Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, such was his mercy that his Mubarak face showed signs of stress, worry and distress constantly! Why? you may Ask, BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF ME! BECAUSE OF EVERY BROTHER! EVERY SISTER! EVER MOTHER! FATHER! SON! DAUGHTER! THE UMMAH!!!! HIS UMMAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Such was Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, that he desired Jannah for us ALL!!!! Hence constantly teaching the Sahabah the Sunnah; the rightly guided path!
How do ever even begin to show Allah how grateful we are to Rabbil Alamin for giving us such a guide as Muhammad sallalhu alayhi wasalaam?????? Despite knowing he was guarenteed Jannah he carried on the Path of Islam, the Path Allah commanded, Let's be honest if that was you or me that was given news of Jannah, we'd be partying! "YAY! FORGET SALAH, FORGET IT ALL I'M GUARENTEED JANNAH!! YIPEEE!"
How many of us would actually stop to think "SubhanAllah!!!! ALLAH has given me Jannah, should i not be ever grateful and even grow stronger in my Deen!!!" ......WELL GUESS WHAT! That's how Muhammad Sallalahu alayhi wasalaam saw it!

How many times do we recite the durood upon Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam? just because we love him fisabillah (for the sake of Allah), because he is our Prophet, our intercessor on the Day of Reckoning InshAllah!? even after knowing that you get a ten-fold hasanah (reward) for each time you recite the durood!!!!!

READ MY BROTHERS AND SISTER, READ THE TEARS OF RASULULLAH! Such a Rahmah (mercy) was Muhammad sallalhu alayhi wasalaam, and yet however ungrateful we are as mankind!
I speak to myself first and foremost before i lecture anyone else about such simple acts of Islam, InshAllah let's help one another to grow stronger in the Deen as each day goes by, as each hour goes by, as each minute goes by, as each second goes by, for this time will not return to us!!!! once it's gone, it's gone, a lot like life my brothers and sisters, life is very very very very very SHORT!!!! Let's not waste it checking out The Dark Knight in cinemas, or "Oh My God, Is Tanya from eastenders gonna dump Jack!!!"

Firstly, forget Tanya's life and look to yours, Allah won't ask you about what Tanya did with her life, Allah will ask you about YOURS!!!! so what are we going to say, "Well Allah you see Maghrib came in, but i was busy looking at so and so shacked up together on the T.V!!!" SubhanAllah!!!!
Secondly, watching such nonsense makes one think "oo its ok to go out, yipee!" leading to the bitter fruits of ZINA!!!! YES ZINA, THAT WORD THAT WHEN IT IS MENTIONED EVERONE LOOKS DOWN THINKING "UH OH"!
Thirdly, forget wasting a minute, you just wasted 30 MINUTES OF YOUR LIFE!!!!

InshAllah i'll be putting on a post about all the deeds you can do in ONE MINUTE, so i guess you will really be kicking yourself for wasting 30 WHOLE MINUTES!!!!

There is sooooooo much we can learn, even from the death of the Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, how our conduct should be if we were facing such a situation either by ourselves or via someone else, 'A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) wasn't wailing and ripping her hair out, as you see so commonly today, death is inevitable, and indeed the believers should look forward to the time they will meet their Lord, "for the world is like a prison for the believers and a Paradise for the disbelievers"
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'A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) narrated that she was proud that when it was her turn, in her apartment, in her lap, the Prophet Sallalahu alayhi wasalaam passed away.

Her brother, 'Abdur-Rahman came in during his last moments with a Miswak* in his hand; the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalaam looked longingly at it.

'A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) understood what he wanted, and asked him if she could offer one to him. When he nodded, she took it from her brother; since it was hard she softened it with her teeth and offered it to him.
He cleaned his teeth; and dipping his hand frequently into a bowl of water kept near him, he kept wiping his face again and again, repeating the words, "There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Verily, death has pains."

Then he pointed upward with his blessed hand and said, "Toward the best friend." Thus the soul soared up from the prison of the body.

Previously 'A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her) had a dream that three moons descended into her apartment. When the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalaam passed away he was buried in her apartment. Then her father told her that part of her dream came true that day - the first moon irradiated her apartment. Later, her father was buried next to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalaam and still later 'Umar Farooq.
Thus the prophecy of her dream was fulfilled.

Imam Thahbi quoted a saying of the Prophet sallahu alayhi wasalaam that a Prophet's soul leaves its body in the place that he likes the best.

{Source:Taken from "Great Woman of Islam" or "Nisa'a Jaleelat" by Mahmoud Ahmad Ghadanfar, 2001.}
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SUBHANALLAH!!! WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE SUCH A MERCY MUHAMMAD SALLALAHU ALAYHI WASALAAM IS! WALLAH!!!

My Sisters, My Brothers, Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalaam faced pains at the time of death yet he remained in a state of calm.

YET FOR ALL THE PAINS MUHAMMAD SALLALAHU ALAYHI WASALAAM WAS INFLICTED WITH, ALL THE PAINS AND HARDSHIP HE ENDURED FOR US, WHILST HE WAS ALIVE, ARE WE AWARE???

DO WE WEEP AND CRY WHEN WE HEAR HIS PAINFUL STORIES OF THEBATTLES HE ENDURED???

DO OUR HEARTS BLEED WHEN WE HEAR SUCH HARDSHIP WERE FACED BY HIM????

DO WE EVEN FLINCH, TO HEAR HIS BLESSED NAME SLUNG INTO MUD IN THE DAY AND AGE WE LIVE IN TODAY???????????????????????????????

SO AGAIN I ASK, SO WE LOVE MUHAMMAD SALLAHU ALAYHI WASALAAM HUH?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

KEEP THE UMMAH IN YOUR DUAS,

WASALAAM, XXX MEHAK XXX

The Third is ALWAYS The Shaitan!!!!

The third is always Shaitan.....

Men (non-mahram) + Women (non-mahram) = Shaytan (3rd Party)

Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakathahu beloved sisters and brothers...
I wanted to share some useful tips with you sisters and brothers in regards to the “INTERNET”…the internet is a world in its own right… You mustn't think all that you come across is real or even the truth.

The Scholars have been inundated with emails from people who have tasted the bitter taste of Zina due to online chats that has led from one thing to another...How do you know this guy/girl that you confide in, won't hesitate to offload all that to some one else or when Shaytan has his way, he will make that thing so alluring that you won't even hesitate to ask yourself is this right or wrong...

One post I came across online was that of a Saudi sister, she was chatting to some guy, as friends talking about the Deen, eventually over a period of time, they developed feelings for each other, so they started to send pictures of each other...Then one day, the guy from nowhere said to her, he doesn't want to be with her... AS EASY AS THAT!
So eventually she decides that she will get married to some one of her parents choice, to add to her stress, her ex "boyfriend"(i.e. the guy from the internet) starts sending her mails saying to not to get married otherwise he will show her parents her pictures... What’s the saying? - Alls fair in love and war!!

Fortunately for us Islam doesn't have that stance... I'm not suggesting everyone is committing Zina out there on the internet, but remember, many times people say "oh we're gonna get married and then we can repent" Not being funny but how do YOU know when your time will be up and the Angel of Death will come for your soul?????...

The is a reason why there are many rules in Islam about opposite sex mingling... Its for YOUR OWN SAFETY... Online world, anything goes, you can be anyone you want to be and dupe as many people as you can, because these people aren't thinking about anything apart from satisfying their desires, their NAFS!!!..

REMEMBER when you go out with some one there is NO REWARD IN IT, BUT SIN... But in a marriage... what ever you endure, be it good or bad, there is a reward and what is with Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA is everlasting!!!...

When a husband and wife look at each other lovingly that is counted as Sadaqah.. When you endure hardship with Sabr know that Allah SWT out of His Mercy will expiate your sin and reward you for exercising patience…

Marriage in Islam does not have the western ideology of trying and testing your future spouse to be, some people think "how can I marry him without knowing him first?", some people go out for many years and then their marriages break up within the year... It’s all Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA’s Hukm!!! (command), you may plan for your relationship, but know that Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA is the Best of Planners!!!...

Ask your self what is better? a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, incurring Allah's Wrath, the Wrath of AL JABBAR (THE OVER-POWERING LORD)? or a marriage which Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA blesses with love for each other...CAN WE? THE CREATION TAKE ON THE CREATOR???? If you think you can then SubhanAllah, you will need help on that day when there is NO SHADE BUT THE SHADEOF ALLAH....THE AKIRAH...THE DAY OF RESURRECTION!!!

"This Day, We Shall Seal Up Their Mouths & Their Hands Will Speak To Us & Their Legs Will Bear Witness To What They Used To Earn" - [36 - 65]
{Source taken from Hi.5-United Muslim.Sister Ummtwin ak}

My dear brothers and sisters, my only point from this post is to show you the realities of the internet, talking to a boy/girl is haraam, whether on the internet or whether in person!!!

So please be careful, for this is just sincere advise from a fellow sister in Islam out of my love for you Fisabillah (For the Sake of Allah).

Keep the Ummah in your duas,

Wasalaam, XXX MEHAK XXX

The Hidden Shirk....

The hidden Shirk...

Assalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu, respected brothers and sisters we must ever be aware of the word "Shirk" (meaning association of others with Allah) and bare in mind that we may be protected from the major shirk due to Allah's protection and be ever grateful to our dear Lord for that, but we should also keep in mind the minor shirk such as Riyaa...

Linguistically "Riyaa" comes from the root "Ra'aa" which means to see, to behold, to view.
The derived word 'Riyaa' means "eye-service, hypocrisy, dissimulation; dissemblance."

From the Shara'i point of view, "to perform acts which are pleasing to Allah, with the intention of pleasing other than Allah" is called Riyaa.
Thus, Riyaa originates in the heart.

Such a thing is Riyaa, such a danger to us, beloved and respected Brothers and Sisters, that if one has riyaa in his/her heart it can negate one's belief and break the concept of Tauheed (Islamic Monotheism)!!!!!

Mahmood bin Labeed reported that the Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) said:
"The thing that I fear most for you is the minor Shirk; Riyaa."
(Musnad Ahmad)

Abu Saeed (Radhi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) came to us while we were discussing about Dajjal and said:
"Should I not inform you of that which I fear for you even more than the dangers of Dajjal? It is the hidden Shirk; a person stands to pray, and he beautifies his prayer because he sees the people looking at him."
(Sunan Ibn Majah Vol 2, No 3389)

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported that Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) delivered a sermon to them one day and said:
"O people! Fear this Shirk (meaning Riyaa), for it is more inconspicuous (more hidden) than the crawling of an ant."
(Authenticated in Sahih al-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, No 33)

The primary cause of Riyaa is weakness in faith!!!!

When a person does not have strong faith in Allah Subhana Wa'talaa, he will prefer the admiration of people over the pleasure of Allah. There are three symptoms that are indicative of Riyaa, and it is essential that a believer should avoid all of them.

(1). The love of praise:
As mentioned in a Hadith of the first three people being thrown into the hellfire; the scholar (who taught for fame), the martyr (who fought for fame), and the person who gave his money in charity (so that people would say he is generous). All three of these people desired the pleasure of people over the pleasure of Allah. The person who desires the praise of people must feel some pride in himself, for he feels himself worthy of being praised. There is a danger, therefore, of him becoming arrogant and boastful.

Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu anhu) quoted Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) as saying:
"Allah, Most Great and Glorious said: Pride is My cloak, and greatness is My robe, so whoever competes with Me, with respect to either of them, I shall cast him into Hell."
(Sahih Muslim, Vol 4, No 6349, Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol 3, No 4079)

Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu anhu) quoted Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) warning about a person's adoration of himself:
"There are three destructive things: desires that are followed, greediness that is obeyed, and a person's self-admiration and conceit; and this is the worst of the three."

Allah also warned against falling into the category of those Christians and Jews whom the Holy Qur’an mentions:

"Do not assume that those who rejoice in what they have done, and love to be praised for what they have not done, think not that they are absolved from punishment, (but rather) for them is a painful torment."
(Al-‘Imran: 188)

(2). Fear of Criticism:
No one likes to be criticized. The dislike of criticism regarding religious practices may be divided into two categories:-

(a) The first category is that of a person who neglects a commandment of Allah in order to avoid the criticism of his peers. However, the true believers are described in the Holy Qur’an as follows:
"...They do not fear the criticism of those who criticize. And this is the blessing of Allah; He gives it to whomsoever He wishes. Verily, Allah is Self-Sufficient, All-Knowing."
(Al-Maidah: 54)

(b) The second category is that of a person who obeys certain commandments of Islam, not for the sake of Allah, but because he fears people will look down on him and criticize him if he does not do it.

For example, a man may make his formal prayers in the mosque because he does not want people to criticize him for praying at home, or to think that he is not praying at all.

(3). Greed for people's possessions:

If a person covets what other people possess, whether it is rank, money or power, then he will wish them to envy him similarly.

For example, if he is jealous of a position of a certain person in society, he will try by every possible means to attain the same position. Such desires lead people to spend their lives putting on a show for other people so that they will admire their rank, money, or power.

These three categories are implied in the following statement of Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam).
Abu Musa related that a person came to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) and asked:
"A person fights to defend his honor, another to prove his bravery (i.e. to be praised for it), and a third to show off (i.e. so that his position can be seen); of these three, which one fights in the way of Allah?"
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) answered:

"Whoever fights to make the word of Allah present [i.e. to bring honor to Islam, and to establish it in the land], he is the one who fights in the way of Allah."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol 4, No 65)

Some scholars advised:
"Remove the causes of Riyaa from yourself by considering the opinion of people as important to you as animals and small children. Do not differentiate in your worship between the presence of people or their absence, or between their knowledge of your actions and their ignorance. Rather be conscious of the infinite knowledge of Allah alone."

There are several ways to avoid Riyaa, which are as follows:-

(1) Increasing knowledge of Islam

(2) Du’a: we are taught the specific Du’a for Riyaa:

"O Allah, we seek refuge in you from committing shirk knowingly, and ask your forgiveness for the shirk that we may commit unknowingly."

(3) Reflecting upon Heaven and Hell

(4) Hiding one's good deeds from others

(5) Reflection upon one's shortcomings

(6) Accompanying the pious

(7) Knowledge of Riyaa.

{By Abu Ammar Yasir, from http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2008-weekly/iqra-06-06-2008/index.html}

May Allah make us from amongst those weary of Riyaa, and from amongst those who do good deeds and refrain from bad deeds for the pleasure of Allah Subhana Wa'talaa alone, ameen!

Keep the Ummah in your duas,

Wasalaam, XXX MEHAK XXX

Internet Fatwahs are Fitnah

I went to a friend’s salon recently to trim my hair. As I was getting my hair done, two sisters walked in (roughly around my age). One of them was getting married and wanted to book an appointment to get her hair and make-up done for the wedding. So my friend said ok and asked her what style she wanted for her hair. She said she wanted an up-do style but needs to put extensions in her hair because her hair was short and that she wanted her eyebrows to be trimmed and so on. My friend didn’t judge her and perhaps thought maybe she didn’t know having extensions put in and trimming the eyebrows were haraam so she just explained it to them. Her reaction? ‘Nuh uhh, Shaykh so-and-so on the internet said it’s not haraam’. Then she started hitting us with fatwas from left to right about what this so-called ‘Shaykh’ said (I can’t even remember his name, doesn’t matter, I just refer to them as Shaykh Google anyways).

My friend apologised and told her she already consulted a Scholar on these issues and they told her it was not permissible for her to do them and if they wanted she would be more than happy to bring them proof that it’s not allowed, if not they could always go to another salon. Obviously they weren’t very happy and said they also had proof that it was permissible. One of the other hairdressers intervened and started to quote some hadiths relating to the issue. But they still wouldn’t have it. One of them went as far as to say (and I quote) ‘It’s only one night anyways, it’s my BIG DAY, I want to look pretty and make it special. I can always say Istighfaar afterwards.’ SubhanAllah! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Tears started to flow, I couldn’t even help it. What if this sister died on her wedding day and never got the chance to repent? What would she say in front of Allah? I think death was the last thing on her mind, wallahu ‘alam.

Anyways, I don’t want to go on about what happened that day or judge those sisters, that’s not the purpose of this post. What I wanna talk about is a little about internet fatwahs. It's amazing how....in these days people mostly use internet fatwahs for everything. Is something halal? "I dunno...let me ask "sh. google ibn yahoo" but what we don’t realise is these can be specific to a situation that has NOTHING to do with us.

Some people, once they gain a bit of knowledge in the deen or a specific topic, they think they’ve become scholars and can give fatwahs. I’ve seen it so many times; even my teacher told me some stories of people who have little knowledge of the deen giving fatwahs. He was telling us how it seems everyone’s become a scholar these days, hence why we have so many ‘shaykh googles’ giving internet fatawah and so many people doing ‘fatwah shopping’ (i.e., searching the net until you find a shaykh that agrees with your opinion; just like these two sisters who found a shaykh who said it was permissible to trim the eyebrows and put in extensions).

We were studying the history of the scholars of the past and found that the early imams were so cautious about speaking about [the lawful and unlawful] because one who speaks about such matters is relating information from Allah, enunciating His commandments and prohibitions, and passing on His sacred law. It was said about Ibn Sirin, "If he was asked about something regarding the lawful or the unlawful, his colour would change. He would be transformed until he no longer seemed the same person." Ata' ibn al-Saib said, "I met people who, when asked for a religious verdict, would tremble as they spoke." SubhanAllah

Imam Ahmad was extremely hesitant to speak on the lawful and unlawful, to claim that something was abrogated, or related matters which others would too readily expound. He frequently prefaced his answers with phrases such as, "I hope that..," "I fear..," or "It is more beloved to me..." He would often say on an issue with which righteous forbears had various opinions, "The most likely answer is, 'I do not know.' Similarly, Imam Malik and others would frequently say, "I do not know." It is related that when Imam Malik was asked about a legal matter, it was as if he were suspended between Heaven and Hell.

Compare this to the so-called ‘Internet Scholars’ of today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all the Shuyukh who give fatawah online are causing fitnah. In fact, there are many Islamic websites that have well-known scholars who give authentic fatawah based on the Quran and Sunnah. All I’m saying is we should be careful where we seek to get our fatwahs. The internet has opened a door where by EVERY SINGLE opinion in the world, and its mother, has a website. So if someone says, ‘I found this on the internet supporting my opinion’, who cares? It’s not rocket science. The concept of ‘fatwah shopping’ in Islam is not permissible.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala forgive us and protect us from falling into haraam. May He help us in gaining more knowledge of the Deen and help us to follow the footsteps of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wassallam, Ameen.

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Assalamu Alaykum. I wanna share with you guys an article I read on Imam Suhaib's Blog which I found really beneficial and inshaAllah a good reminder for all of us...

>>>What do you think of when you see a sister who isn’t wearing hijab? How about a brother who is laughing with a whole lot of girls?

Ever look down on them? Think you are better than them? It’s really easy to be self righteous. It’s even easier to fall prey to this attitude if you sport the ‘righteous’ look.
But let’s ask ourselves this question: has Allah written us amongst His righteous servants? Or is that a title we have only given ourselves?

Check this:

Today I was sitting at the dawah table on my campus and a female student, dressed in typical jeans and a shirt approached it. I was decked out in my hijab, and I really had no idea what she was thinking as she made the move to speak to me. She asked if she could have a Qur’an, and of course, I was happy to give one to her. Then she said, “Can I ask you a question?” “Sure,” I answered. The question sounded kind of deep, so I invited her to sit next to me on the empty chair. She took up the offer.

“Please don’t judge me,” she began. Allah! I had a feeling this was a sister. SubhanAllah, the courage it must have taken for her to come and speak to me, considering that we were dressed so differently from each other.

After reassuring her, how could I judge her? She began—

She told me that she became involved in a relationship for the first time in her life with a brother. Her intention was for long term, but she felt so terrible doing it. She told me when she is with the brother, she feels horrible, even though she is supposed to feel good. She told me that she knows that this is such a big sin, that she wants to stop, but that it is just so, so hard. And she asked me: Can Allah forgive me?

Allah… subhanAllah. While this girl was speaking, I was looking at her thinking: look at the jihad she is going through for Allah. She hates what she is doing, she asks Allah to forgive her, but it is so hard for her to leave the sin. Her desire to repent became so intense that she came to a girl she has never met before, who could easily judge her, and poured out her heart. And, the part that just hits me now as I write this, she was so desperate, she wanted to know: Can Allah forgive her? Could HE (subhanahu wa ta’ala) really forgive such a sin?

I told her, Allah is Ghafooro Raheem! He will forgive ANYTHING. Even if a person commits zina (which she Alhamdullilah has not done, and may Allah protect her and us all from falling into it) Allah will forgive this person if they repent and leave it. I kept telling her about Allah’s Mercy, about how He is so, so happy to turn and accept the repentance of His Slaves.

We kept talking about how Allah ‘Azza wa Jal must be pleased with her struggle- that she is making jihad everyday (she was like: YEAH!)… we looked at the Hadith Qudsi that talks about the servant who keeps sinning, and keeps going back to his Lord, and, what I loved so much from this conversation—we looked at WHAT dua? The same dua that was posted on the site below: sayyidul istighfar. We read the meaning together, about upholding this covenant, about how we are trying, ya Rabana, but we keep falling into error. She loved it subhanAllah.

I told her to keep strong with her salah. Because of course, Allah is Forgiving, but He is also strong in punishment, and we have to be careful not to do things that make us eligible to be punished. After some time we departed and I’m still in wonderment. I wasn’t supposed to be at the dawah table at that time, we were looking for a brother to sit there, but none were available, so we pushed back what we had planned to do and Allah destined for me to be there. How He knows, while we know not.

While the sister and I were sitting and talking, another female student walked up to the dawah table. She was intensely unclothed, and she came up and asked for a copy of the Qur’an. “I’m Muslim,” she told me. ALLAHU AKBAR. Look at the good in the Muslims. Look at how badly the Muslims desire, seek, need Allah. That the woman who comes to the dawah table could be wearing practically nothing, but she is willing to admit that she is Muslim. Before she left she asked me, “Does Ramadan start on the 13th?” SubhanAllah, how the people are seeking this Month of Mercy.

The lessons from these experiences were beyond words for me…but right now, I want you to go back to your original answer when I first posed the question. What would you be thinking of a Muslim brother or sister who has a girlfriend or boyfriend? Or who is wearing basically nothing?
Yes, they may be outwardly sinning, but perhaps internally they are struggling and fighting every time they commit the sin, and are continually seeking to turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Perhaps in some people’s eyes, these people are ‘sinners.’ But perhaps in the Sight of Allah, they are more beloved to Him because of their struggle, than of us who can easily fall into feeling arrogant about our Islamic activism, our Islamic appearance, or our ‘hard-core’ connection with the Rabil’alameen. We need to be careful. Are we really connected? Am I really connected?

And don’t get me wrong: the struggle of those who are trying to stay straight, to dress properly, to please Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is a weighty, honorable and noble one. May Allah make us amongst those He uses to spread His Deen, those whom He guides and keeps guided, and those who wear the dress that please Him, both externally and internally.

But for those of us who might have ‘been there’ and left it, and then feel arrogant that we’re no longer involved in the “ways of the sinners,” and perhaps even might feel better than others because we’re so pure and special, then my advice to myself is what Umar radi Allahu anhu used to say: used to say, “Take account of yourselves before you are audited.”

Put in our language it is what I’ve heard Ustadh Suhaib say numerous times:

''Check yourself before you wreck yourself.''

May Allah help us and guide us to perpetually, continually, sincerely, and endlessly please Him, and may He make it easy for all of us to eagerly and continually turn back to Him, and leave whatever sins we are committing and replace them with good works for His Sake. Ameen
The author would also appreciate if you all could give some advice on how we can humble ourselves [in our hearts] and renew our sincerity for His Sake.

Link: Check Yourself Before Your Wreck Yourself: Sr. Maryam

Lacking Khushoo' in Salaat

I rushed into the room and, checked the time, only 5minutes left for my break. I guess I should just pray the fardh salah and get out of there in time. Allaahu Akbar …hey this carpet design looks awkward! Allaahu Akbar...oh man, should’ve tied my belt lower, it’s too tight! Allaahu Akbar…When is the deadline for my project? What was I supposed to do before work? I wonder if my friends are waiting for me at the mall…better call them right after salah. Oh, wait which rakah am I at? Hmm is that three or four. Probably four. May Allah forgive me, I can’t remember! Salamu alaykum wa rahmatullaah. Did I have wudoo?!! Oh man, I’m already late! I got up and wore my shoes and jolted out of the room.

Sounds familiar?

Great, plenty of time to get ready. What should I wear? Oh yes, I like this suit; looks nice and it’s comfortable as well. I even feel nice in these! Ok, what else. My portfolio, check. My watch, check. Matching shoes, check. Ok let me review some of the notes now to get their early. Thirty minutes early! No problem, just sit here patiently till they call me in. Oh, wow time almost flew, it’s my turn! Ok, just be cool, and remember to concentrate on details! Better be careful, he might be my boss. Give him all the answers to get this job…''Yes sir, I’ll learn this as well. Yes sir, I have studied these concepts as well as applied them already''.…Hmm this isn’t bad, I actually know these things! Good thing I reviewed in advance!

Wow, that interview was long! He asked me so many questions. I think I did well. I hope I get the job! I better jot down the things I wasn’t able to understand. It will help significantly towards my next interview.

Sounds familiar?

Is it any surprise that most Muslims lack khushoo in salah? As described by the above two scenarios, where does salah lie in terms of our priorities? We strive to understand and implement everything that might benefit us in this dunya, yet how meagre the effort we put in for the required duties towards our Creator! No doubt, the salah we perform in such lack of concentration and effort is doomed for rejection! How much do we benefit from our salah? Or has salah in itself has become difficult to establish? Do we even know how to come closer to Allaah? We can come close to Allaah, by following his commands, and amongst the very first command following tawheed is to establish salah.

“Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their salah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2]

How can we attain Khushoo’?

In order to attain khushoo’ we must have knowledge of the main obstacles in our path. Shaytan’s number one project is diverting us from salah, as the prophet (sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned, the first thing that our religion loses will be khushoo’.

Khushoo’ means calmness, serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility. It comes from fearing Allah in a calm manner; the heart stands before the Lord in humility and submission. Salah is extremely difficult, except for the people who have khushoo.

“And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard thing except for the humble ones.” [al-Baqarah 2:45]

Every time the slave wants to turn his thoughts towards Allaah, thoughts of other matters come sneaking into his mind. The Shaytaan is like a bandit lying in wait to launch an ambush: every time the slave wants to travel towards Allaah, the Shaytaan wants to cut off his route.

When the slave stands up to pray, the Shaytaan feels jealous of him, because he is standing in the greatest position, one that is closest [to Allaah] and most annoying and grievous to the Shaytaan. So he tries to stop him from establishing prayer in the first place, then he continues trying to entice him and make him forget, and making assaults on him with his cavalry and infantry, until he thinks of prayer as less important, so he starts to neglect it, and eventually gives it up altogether.

If the Shaytaan fails to achieve this, and the person ignores him and starts to pray, the enemy of Allaah will come and try to distract him, by reminding him of things that he did not remember or think of before he started praying. A person may have forgotten about something altogether, but the Shaytaan will remind him of it when he starts praying, so as to distract him from his prayers and take him away from Allaah, so that his heart will no longer be in his prayers, and he will lose out on the honour and reward of Allaah turning toward him, which is only attained by the one whose heart is really in his prayer. Thus he will finish his prayer no better off than when he started, with his burden of sins not reduced at all by his salaah, because prayer only expiates for sins when it is done properly, with perfect khushoo, and the person stands before Allaah in body and soul. (Al-Waabil al-Sayib, p. 36).


How the Salaf used to Pray

When Saeed al-Tanookhi prayed, there would be tears rolling down his cheeks onto his beard. We heard that one of the Taabieen, when he stood up to pray, his colour would change, and he would say, Do you know before Whom I am going to stand and with Whom I am going to talk?

Who amongst us has fear and respect like this?

Abu Bakr al-Subghi said: I lived through the time of two imaams (leaders) although I was not fortunate enough to hear them in person: Abu Haatim al-Raazi and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi. As for Ibn Nasr, I do not know of any prayer better than his. I heard that a hornet stung him on his forehead and blood started flowing down his face, but he did not move. Muhammad ibn Yaqoob al-Akhram said: I have never seen any prayer better than that of Muhammad ibn Nasr. Flies used to land on his ears, and he did not shoo them away. We used to marvel at how good his prayer and khushoo were. His fear [of Allaah] in prayer was so great that he would put his chin on his chest as if he were a piece of wood standing up. (Tazeem Qadr al-Salaah, 1/58).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), when he started to pray, used to tremble so much that he would lean right and left.

Compare this with what some of us do nowadays, looking at our watches, adjusting our clothes, fiddling with our noses, thinking of deals and counting our money whilst praying, or tracing the patterns of decorations on carpets and ceilings, or trying to see who is beside us. Think of how anyone would behave before some great leader of this world, would he dare to behave in such a manner then?!

Many methods exist to help improve your khushoo'—gain knowledge about all that benefits your salah and strive harder towards it inshaAllaah!

Lastly, the following is a reflection of what we all must strive to achieve while realising that we will always require more knowledge and practice in improving our salah and ourselves. May Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) help us perform our salah with proper khushoo’ and accept them from us. (Ameen!)

We have been studying here for hours, I can’t wait to relieve myself with salah! Is it time yet? Maaan, still half an hour! All this work makes me really realize that meaning of that hadith, seek comfort in salah.

Perfect, it’s time! “Hey guys, please excuse me. I have an obligatory prayer soon. I’ll be back shortly, please do not do my section of the assignment, I’ll come and take of that myself.” They all look up from behind their books, “Sure, Fatima.” The rest nodded.

Finally! Ok, do I have enough time? Yes. Let me do wudoo’ first before the rush begins. Bismillaah. Alhamdulilaah, the water feels great! I feel fresh again. SubhanAllaah. Ok, they haven’t yet started the salah. I guess I can read my mushaf till then. “Verily with every hardship there is ease.” Alhamdulilaah. That was so relevant to me! It’s like Allaah is talking directly to me through this Qur’an! Alhamdulilaah. They are giving the aqamah, finally.

And I prayed, how soon the salah ended. Let me pray two more rakats before I go back. Wow, I actually spent 15 minutes! Alhamdulillaah that felt so great. I have to return to studies. Allaah, I know I didn’t pray enough, for You deserve much more worship then what I offered. I wonder if You will accept it from me. Astaghfirullaaah, ya Rabb. Forgive me in my shortcomings. (Ameen)

Even though I felt sad for not having more time to finish nafl salah, I feel much better then before. The Qur’an reading and salah totally opened my mind and motivated me to try harder for finishing up my work. I left to join the study session.

Ok let’s get this done. Hmm hey you know what? I know how to solve this….before we knew it, we were done! The non-muslims asked, “Fatima, what exactly did you do in your prayer? You left so tired and you returned completed hyped up! Did they drug you?” And I smiled, before giving them my answer…

I Want...I Want...I Want!!!

"I want Jannah man!"; "I wanna study overseas..."; "I want to bring peace to the world..." and so on. We all have these hopes, but do we really want them to come true?

At the recent Light Upon Light class in New York, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi marvellously summarised the relationship between our wants and salaatul tahajjud:

"If you want something and don't pray tahajjud, you don't really want it."

Perplexed, you might be thinking:

“What is that supposed to mean? I don’t pray tahajjud, but I still want Jannah.”

A closer examination of the Qur’anic text and Prophetic traditions reveals the truthfulness behind Shaykh Yasir’s genuinely enlightening statement. In describing His righteous servants, Allah subhanahu wa ta’aala says: “Verily, the Muttaqoon (the pious) will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs (in Paradise), taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily, they were before this Muhsinoon (good-doers). They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord and praying, with fear and hope].” [adhDhariyaat: 15-17]

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) beautifully described the golden opportunity awaiting those who forsake their beds at night: "Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?" [alBukhari]

It is also reported by Imam Ahmad that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whenever a Muslim goes to bed in a pure state (with wudhu), falls asleep while mentioning Allah and then wakes up during the night and asks Allah for anything good, He grants it to him.”

So, if you really want something you will strive hard and get up in the middle of the night to ask Allah for it at that time when He is waiting to answer your prayers, and forgive your sins. If you are not willing to sacrifice some sleep, then you don’t really want it.

Think about the people who camp outside stores for a week when the new video game system is released. Why? Because they really want it, and they are doing whatever it takes to ensure that they get it, even if it means skiving off work or school.

The reasons and virtues of praying tahajjud are too numerous to mention here so Insha’Allah the aforementioned verse and hadeeth will suffice. In any case, the best way to learn about the blessings of tahajjud is to experience it yourself. Instead, the rest of this brief reminder will be better served providing helpful guidelines to facilitate the night prayer for yourself and family.

Sincerity

Every action begins with the proper intention. What makes the night prayer so beautiful is the sincerity that is innate to this act of worship: waking up in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping solely for the sake of Allah, weeping over your sins, seeking His Forgiveness and asking of His Infinite Bounties. Similar to fasting, nobody but Allah would know about it unless you went out of your way to advertise it, i.e. "Uncle, I'd definitely like to discuss my rishta (proposal) for your daughter, but I can't make it after midnight because I gotta pray tahajjud."

The salaf were very keen to conceal their acts of worship such as qiyaam al-layl. A man asked Tameem ibn Aws al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him), ‘How do you pray at night?’ He got very angry and said, ‘By Allaah, one rak’ah that I pray in secret in the small hours of the night is more beloved to me than praying the whole night long and then telling people about it.’

Ayyoob al-Sakhtiyaani used to spend the entire night in prayer, then when dawn approached, he would go back to bed and lie down, and when dawn came, he would raise his voice as if he had just woken up.

Ibn al-Qayyim brilliantly summarised the importance of sincerity: "The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes and fears, and failure comes to them in like manner."

Therefore, the greater your sincerity in praying tahajjud, the easier Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will make it for you to wake up and perform it, and the more you will benefit from it.

Avoid Sins

Sins deaden the heart and prevent it from receiving the Mercy of Allah, thus depriving a person the opportunity to stand before Allah and ask of His Infinite Blessings. A man said to Ibraaheem ibn Adham, "I cannot pray qiyaam al-layl, so tell me the cure for this." He said, "Do not commit sin during the day, and He will help you to stand before Him at night, for your standing before Him at night is one of the greatest honours, and the sinner does not deserve that honour."

A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri: “”O Abu Sa’eed, I sleep in good health, and I love to pray qiyaam al-layl, and I prepare water with which to purify myself, so why can I not get up?” Al-Hasan said: “Your sins are restricting you.” He said, may Allaah have mercy on him, “The slave who commits a sin will be denied the opportunity to pray qiyaam at night and to fast during the day.”

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “If you cannot pray qiyaam al-layl, or fast during the day, know that you are indeed deprived and restricted, chained by your sins.”

Fear of Punishment, Hope for Mercy, Fearing the torment that awaits the inhabitants of the Hellfire will surely wipe out your sleep, as will the prospect of having your sins forgiven by Allah who is waiting in the lowest heaven for your repentance. ‘Amri ibn al ‘Aas used to say ‘Weep, and if you cannot weep, then pretend to weep. I swear by Him in Whose hand my life is, that if any of you really knew, you would plead until your voice went, and pray until your back was broken’. When Allah forgives you of your sins, Allah puts Noor in your face. Hassan al-Basri was once asked, “Why are those people who pray the night prayer so beautiful?” He responded, “Because Allah beautifies them with His light while others are sleeping in the dark.”

`Abdullah bin Rawaaha said: "Verily, when the servant of Allah is reminded of Paradise, his longing for it increases, and when he is reminded of the Fire, his sleep immediately disappears."

Daytime Nap

Taking an afternoon nap is a sunnah that has been practiced by our own Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), his companions and scholars of all times. Even if for only 20 or 30 minutes, you will find this time-out to be vital to your ability to get up for tahajjud. It is reported by at-Tabarani that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the shayaateen do not take naps.” Ishaaq ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Taking a nap is one of the deeds of good people. It revitalizes the heart and helps one to pray qiyaam al-layl.”

Sleeping on Time

This point may seem elementary, but it deserves mention because it is often overlooked. Although sleeping abilities vary from person to person, it is safe to say that if you stay up until 1:00am partying, you will have difficulty waking up to pray tahajjud.

Sunnahs of Sleeping & Waking

Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When you want to go to bed, do wudoo’ as for prayer, then lie down on your right side.” Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “There is a reason for his lying on his right side, which is that the heart is located on the left, so if a person lays on his left side, he will sleep too deeply, because the heart’s position will be too comfortable, but if he sleeps on his right side, he will not be too settled, so he won’t sleep deeply.” There are many other sunnahs related to sleeping and waking up that you can easily find and should adhere to, as they will keep you in a state that is conducive for praying tahajjud.

Avoid Excessive Eating

Ever go to a wedding and eat two plates of biryani, two ladoos, and drink three mango lassis? You probably slept the night away and felt like a massive ogre afterwards. Overeating causes laziness and promotes sleep, both of which are factors that hinder the night prayer. Therefore, to help yourself pray tahajjud, it’s best to follow the sunnah of eating only as much as you need to. Imam Sufyaanal-Thawri said: “You should eat little, so that you will be able to pray qiyaamal-layl.”

Striving

Praying tahajjud requires determination because it’s not easy to leave your soft pillow-top mattress and cosy blanket. Always remember that the more you strive, the more Allah will assist you, as He says: “And as for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allaah is with the muhsinoon (good-doers).”
[al‘Ankabut: 69]

Shaykh Yasir’s encouragement for the night prayer is further emphasised by the following statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “When a man from my ummah gets up to pray at night, striving against his own self to get up and purify himself, there are knots on him. When he washes his hands in wudoo’, one knot is undone. When he washes his face, another knot is undone. When he wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his feet, another knot is undone. Then Allaah says to those who are veiled (in the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving against his own self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me shall be his.”

One of greatest blessings that a person can have is the honour of speaking to his Lord in the depths of the night. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity, or are you sleeping
away the time about which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The closest that the Lord is to His slave is in the later part of the night, so if you can be one of those who remember Allaah at that time, then do so.” [at-Tirmidhi]

So before you go to sleep tonight ponder the following: in the middle of the night, Allah will be there waiting for you; the question is: will you be there to meet Him?

When the night is completely dark,
It finds them staying up in the night
Fear has chased away their sleep
So they stay up
While those who feel secure in this life
Quietly sleep on.

Ibn al-Mubarak (part of a poem from 'purification of the soul')

Tajweed Classes for Sisters

Assalamu 'Alaykum Warahmatullah,

Sisters, there will be a Tajweed class starting soon, Insha'Allah. If interested please email your name and contact number to the email below. This course is absolutely free and will last 4 weeks insha'Allah.

Starting: Monday 21st July 2008

Finishing: Wednesday 13th August 2008

Every Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays

Time: 1.30pm - 4.00pm

Location: Newham North Islamic Association

88 Green Street> > Forest Gate> > London> > E7 8JG

(Nearest station: Upton Park, district line & Hammersmith & city line)

This course is open to all ; you can be a begginer or an advanced student.

The course is a detailed explanation of the Makhaarij (Articulation points and the attributes of the letters). This information is not available in English Tajweed Books.

Taught By: Umu Salmaan Al-Maghrabiya (A qualified Quraan teacher that has an Ijaazah from Egypt; Cairo and can issue it)

She specialises in teaching the quran the way it was revealed to non arabic speakers, and has created her own teaching methodolgy and she (umm salmaan) has written a simplified, yet very detailed book on the Makhaarij & Sifaat which is comprised from Arabic Tajweed Books which contain knowledge that are not available in the English Language. She also specialises in training and teaching Quran teachers.

The teacher mentioned that through her teaching experience she has come accross many students & teachers that have memorised the Quran also, but lack knowledge in this area and due to that they do not impliment it when reciting; & that is because they didnt study the Quran under a qualified Quran teacher, or this knowledge was rushed through or the teacher didnt spend enough time practicing with the student.

So you will learn letter by letter, learning about its attributes and articulation point, learning how to pronounce each letter correctly by the will of Allah leading to recite the way it was revealed. The teachers will practice with you. Also you will be informed of your mistakes and other common mistakes that are found in recitors so you can avoid them.

The aim in these weeks, is not how much the student will cover of knowledge, but how much they can impliment from what they learn.

There will be other teachers alongside Umm Salmaan to teach you, so more time can be spent on practicing.

Insha'Allaah this will help you prepare to read the Quran more fluently with less mistakes; the way it was revealed upon our Messenger -Peace be upon Him- by Ramadan, which is just around the corner.

If you would like to participate in this blessing from Allaah then please e-mail your full name, location, and contact details to:

esma_institute@hotmail.com

The End of Music by Sh Kamal el-Mekki

Must Watch Video on what Islam says about Music!

Sheikh Kamal El Mekki points out logic, statistics, stories from our time and the time of the Sahabah and evidence from the Quran and Sunnah to explain why music is haram.

Download: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4