Seeking the forgiveness of Allah

Seeking the forgiveness of Allah

Narrated Abu Huraira (Radhiallahu anhu): The Prophet (Salallahu alayhi wasalam) said,

"Angels keep on descending from and ascending to the Heaven in turn, some at night and some by daytime, and all of them assemble together at the time of the Fajr and 'Asr prayers. Then those who have stayed with you over-night, ascent unto Allah Who asks them, and He knows the answer better than they, "How have you left My slaves?" They reply, "We have left them praying as we found them praying."

If anyone of you says "Amin" (during the Prayer at the end of the recitation of Surat-al-Fatiha), and the angels in Heaven say the same, and the two sayings coincide, all his past sins will be forgiven."

[ Sahih Bukhari]

Please Share this Hadith with your relatives & friends and may Allah SWT reward you.

Secrecy of Private Matters

Secrecy of Private Matters

Thabit (Radhiallaho anha) reported:

Anas (Radhiallaho anha) said:

Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) came to me while I was playing with the boys. He greeted us and sent me on an errand. This delayed my return to my mother. When I came to her, she asked, "What detained you?'' I said; "Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) sent me on an errand.'' She asked, "What was it?'' I said, "It is a secret.'' My mother said; "Do not disclose to anyone the secret of Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam).'' Anas (Radhiallaho anha) said to Thabit (Radhiallaho anha): By Allah, were I to tell it to anyone I would have told you.

[Muslim]

Commentary:
Here, an emphasis has been laid on keeping a secret. When Anas (Radhiallaho anha) told his mother about the cause of secrecy, she refrained from insisting that the secret should be disclosed to her. Rather, she lent support to her son's standpoint and advised him to conceal the secret. To be sure, it is part of moral teaching that we should keep the secrets of friends in our hearts. Unless we receive a go-ahead from a friend, we must not make his secret public.

Riyad-us-Saliheen – Hadith No : 688

Hijab of a Man

 Hijab of a man

Hijab means to cover oneself from evil. For human beings, hijab means to cover body and to cover soul. Body can be covered by clothes but what should be done to cover soul? And against what should be soul covered? Like body has a cover of clothes, soul has a cover of good character and good intentions.

To have good character is not only restricted to women but men also have to bear good moral character as described in Islam. Allah  has said in Quran;
“And ask the believing men to (be modest and) lower their gaze and maintain their chastity. That is righteous and better. Allah is quite familiar with what they do.”

Allah orders His men to lower their gaze and to be modest. Here modest means to bear good moral character. It is said that modesty comes from the living style. If a person appears simple in outlook, it means he is simple in nature which will automatically make him a person of good moral character.
The best example in faith for every Muslim is our beloved prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) He spent a simple life and he bore the best moral character. He (S.A.W), even before His prophet hood, was known as Sadiq and Amin, and His character was presented as an example in Arabia. It was because of His character and honest nature that Hazrat Khadija  herself proposed Him.

Like many restrictions are posed on women with respect to their clothes and their behavior, men are also told in Islam to observe the limits prescribed by Allah and written in Sunnah.
Like women, men are restricted to wear clothes that do not cover their body properly nor are they allowed to wear see-through clothes. Their chastity is equally valuable as is women’s.
Men are also not allowed to wear tight clothes. These restrictions have been posed on men because they spend their time out side home, and in today’s age many evils have made their way in our society. Some decades ago, only women were not safe outside home but now men are also not safe outside home. Many cases have been reported on media about misshapes with boys. This is why men also should take care of themselves.

Men are told to lower their gaze before women. It is so because staring at women was a common practice in Pre Islamic Arabia. Women were treated as mere commodities and their honor was not safe. When Islam came, it restricted men to stand on street corners or to pass remarks on women by restricting them to lower their gaze and to not look at other women and to tease them.

The Prophet (S.A.W) said, ‘Beware! Avoid sitting on the roads.” They (the people) said, “O Allah s Apostle! We can’t help sitting (on the roads) as these are (our places) here we have talks.” The Prophet said, ‘ l f you refuse but to sit, then pay the road its right ‘ They said, “What is the right of the road, O Allah’s Apostle?” He said, ‘Lowering your gaze, refraining from harming others, returning greeting, and enjoining what is good, and forbidding what is evil.”

10 types of Kufr (disbelief)

10 types of Kufr (disbelief)

 

 

Kufr ul-'Inad: Disbelief out of stubborness. This applies to someone who knows the truth and admits to knowing the truth and admits to knowing it with his tongue, but refuses to accept it and refrains from making a declaration. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever." [Surah Qaf (50), ayah 24]

Kufr ul-Inkar: Disbelief out of denial. This applies to someone who denies with both heart and tongue. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "They recognize the favors of Allah, yet they deny them. Most of them are disbelievers." [Surah Nahl (16), ayah 83]

Kufr ul-Kibr: Disbelief out of arrogance and pride. The disbelief by the devils (e.g. Iblis) is an example of this type of kufr.

Kufr ul-Juhud: Disbelief out of rejection.This applies to someone who aknowledges the truth in his heart, but rejects it with his tongue. This types of kufr is applicable to those who calls themselves Muslims but who reject any necessary and accepted norms of Islam such as salat and zakat. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "They denied them (i.e. the signs) even though their hearts believed in them, out of spite and arrogance." [Surah Naml (27), ayah 14]

Kufr ul-Nifaq: Disbelief out of hypocrisy.This applies to someone who pretends to be a believer but conceals his disbelief. Such a person is called a munafiq or hypocrite. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Verily the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of Hell. You will find no one to help them." [SurahAn-Nisa (4), ayah 145]

Kufr ul-Istihal: Disbelief out of trying to make haram into halal. This applies to someone who accepts as lawful (halal) that which Allah has made unlawful (haram) like alcohol or adultery. Only Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, has the prerogative to make things halal and haram and those who seek to interfere with His right are like rivals to Him and therefore fall outside the boundries of faith.

Kufr ul-Kurh: Disbelief out of detesting any of Allah's Commands. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Perdition (destruction) has been consigned to those who disbelieve and He will render their actions void. This is because they are averse to that which Allah has revealed so He has made their actions fruitless." [Surah Muhammad (47), ayah 8-9]

Kufr ul-Istihzaha: Disbelief due to mockery and derision. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Say: Was it at Allah, His signs and His apostles that you were mocking? Make no excuses. You have disbelieved after you have believed." [Surah Taubah (9), ayah 65-66]

Kufr ul-I'radh: Disbelief due to avoidance. This applies to those who turn away and avoid the truth. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of his Lord's Signs but then turns away from them. Then he forgets what he has sent forward (for the Day of Judgment)." [Surah Kahf (18), ayah 57]

Kufr ul-Istibdal: Disbelief because of trying to substitute Allah's Laws. This could take the form of (a) rejection of Allah's Law (shari'ah) without denying it, (b) denial of Allah's law and therefore rejecting it, or (c) substituting Allah's laws with man-made laws. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Or have they partners with Allah who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not allowed." [Surah Shura (42), ayah 8] Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says, "Say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely (that) is lawful and this is forbidden so as to invent a lie against Allah. Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah will never prosper." [Surah Nahl (16), ayah 116]

Dua before saying salam in every prayer:

 

 Dua before saying salam in every prayer:

 

 

Make this a regular practise for surely we do not know when is our time coming near:

The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to supplicate before he ended his salaah (prayer) with:

“Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaab il-qabr, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal, wa a’oodhu bika min fitnat il-mahyaa wa fitnat il-mamaat, Allaahumma ini a’oodhu bika min al-ma’tham wa’l-maghram"

(O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave, I seek refuge in You from the tribulation of the Dajjaal, I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death, O Allaah, I seek refuge in You from sin and loss).

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 798; Muslim, 589)

The Dream of Life

The Dream of Life

Yasmin Mogahed

It was only a dream.  For a moment, it overtakes me. Yet the suffering I feel in my nightmare is only an illusion. Temporary. Like the blink of an eye. But, why do I dream? Why do I have to feel that loss, fear, and sadness in my sleep?
On a greater scale, it’s a question that has been asked throughout time. And for many people, the answer to that question has determined their path to—or away from—faith.  Faith in God, faith in life’s purpose, faith in a higher order or a final destination has often all rested upon how this singular question has been answered. And so, to ask this question is to ask about life, in the most ultimate  way.

Why do we suffer? Why do ‘bad’ things happen to ‘good’ people? How could there be a God if innocent children starve and criminals run free? How can there be an all-loving, all-powerful deity who would allow such misfortunes to happen?
And if God is indeed Just and Good, shouldn’t only good things happen to good people and only bad things happen to bad people?
Well, the answer is: yes. Absolutely. Only good things do happen to good people. And only bad things happen to bad people. Why? Because God IS the Most Just and the Most Loving. And He has no deficiency in His knowledge or understanding.


The problem is that we do have deficiencies in knowledge and understanding.
See, to understand the statement “only good things happen to good people and only bad things happen to bad people”, we must first define ‘good’ and ‘bad’.  And although there are as many definitions of good and bad as there are people, a comprehensive understanding exists. For example, most people would agree that to succeed in achieving my desired purpose or goal in a particular matter would be ‘good’. While on the other hand, failing to achieve my intended purpose or aim would be bad. If my aim is to gain weight because I am dangerously underweight, becoming heavier would be good. If, on the other hand, my aim is to lose weight because I am harmfully overweight, becoming heavier would be bad. The same event could be good or bad, depending on my intended purpose. So ‘good’ in my eyes rests on the achievement of my personal aim. And ultimate ‘Good’ rests on the achievement of my ultimate aim.

But what is my aim?

That brings us to the fundamental question of purpose as it relates to the greater Reality of existence. There are essentially two distinct worldviews when it comes to purpose in life. The first worldview holds that this life is the Reality, the final destination and ultimate goal of our endeavors. The second worldview holds that this life is only a bridge, a means that stands as nothing more than a glimpse in the context of God’s infinite Reality.

For those in the first group, this life is everything. It is the End to which all actions strive. For those in the second group, this life tends towards zero. Why? Because, in comparison to infinity, even the largest number becomes zero. Nothing.  Like a fleeting dream.
These distinct worldviews directly affect the question of purpose. See, if one believes that this life is the Reality, the final destination, the goal of all endeavors, the purpose of life would be to maximize pleasure and gain in this life.  In that paradigm, ‘bad’ things ARE in fact happening to ‘good’ people every single second. Within that paradigm, people reach the conclusion that there is no justice and therefore either there is no God or God is not Just (wa athu billah, I seek refuge in God). It’s like a person who concludes that there must be no God because they had a bad dream. But why don’t we give the experiences of our dreams much weight? After all, some dreams are horrifying to live through—and very often do happen to ‘good’ people.  In our dreams, do we not experience extreme terror or bliss? Yes. But why doesn’t it matter?
Because put in context of our real life, it is nothing.

In the second world view (the Islamic paradigm) the purpose of creation is *not* maximizing pleasure and gain in a life that is nothing more than a dream. In that world view, life’s purpose is defined by God who tells us: “I have not created jinn and humans (for any purpose) except to worship me,” (Qur’an, 51:56).

It is important to note the special construction of this statement. It begins with a negation: ‘I have not created jinn and humans (for any purpose) […]’.  First Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (exalted is He) negates ALL other purposes before He states the one and only, singular purpose:  ‘except to worship Me.’ This means that as a believer I know that there is no other purpose of my existence except to know, love and get closer to God. This is the one and only reason why I was created. And this is the most essential realization, as it defines everything else I do or believe. It defines all things around me, and everything I experience in life.

So returning to the meaning of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, we find that anything that brings us closer to our ultimate purpose is Good and anything that takes us away from our ultimate purpose is Bad, in an ultimate sense. In a relative sense, for those whose goal is this material world, worldly things define their ‘good’ and ‘bad’. For them, things like gaining wealth, status, fame, or property is necessarily ‘good’.  Losing wealth, status, fame, or property is necessarily ‘bad’. So in that paradigm, when an innocent person loses every material possession they own, this is a ‘bad’ thing happening to a ‘good’ person. But that is the illusion that comes as a result of a flawed worldview. When the lens itself is distorted, so too is the image seen through it.

For those of the second worldview, anything that brings us closer to our purpose of nearness to God’s love is good; and anything that takes us away from that purpose is bad. Therefore, winning a billion dollars may be the greatest calamity ever to happen to me if it takes me away from God—my ultimate purpose. On the other hand, losing my job, all my wealth, and even falling ill, may in fact be the greatest blessing ever given to me if it brings me closer to God—my ultimate purpose.  This is the Reality that is spoken about in the Qur’an when Allah (swt) says:

“It may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows, you know not,” (2:216).

As a believer, my criterion is no longer gain or loss in a material sense. My criterion is something higher. What I have or do not have in a worldly sense is only relevant in as much as it brings me closer or farther from my Aim: God. This dunya (life) becomes nothing more than that dream that I experience for a moment and then awaken from. Whether that dream was good or bad for me, depends only on my state once I awaken.

And so on the ultimate scale there is perfect justice. God only gives good (nearness to Him) to good people, and bad (distance from Him) to bad people. The greatest good is nearness to God, in this life and the next. And it is only ‘good’ people who are blessed with this. That is why the Prophet ﷺ has said: “Strange is the case of a believer, there is good for him in everything—and this is only for the believer. If a blessing reaches him, he is grateful to God, which is good for him, and if an adversity reaches him, he is patient which is good for him,” (Muslim).

As this hadith (record of the sayings or actions of the Prophet ﷺ) explains, whether something is good or bad is not defined by how it appears externally. “Goodness”, as explained by this hadith, is defined by the good internal state that it produces: patience and gratitude—both manifestations of peace with and nearness to God.

On the other hand, the greatest calamity is distance from God—in this life and the next. And it is only ‘bad’ people who are punished with this. What such ‘distanced’ people have, or do not have of wealth or status or property or fame is only an illusion—no more real or important than having, or not having, these things in the greatest dream, or the worst nightmare.
Of these illusions Allah (swt) says: “Nor strain your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to parties of them, the splendor of the life of this world, through which We test them: but the provision of thy Lord is better and more enduring,” (Qur’an, 20:131).
The enduring life is the one that begins once we awaken from this world. And it is in that awakening that we realize…

It was only a dream.

Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace

Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace

It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. Mas'ud (RadhiAllahu 'anhu):

that the Apostle of Allah (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) observed:

He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.

A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine.

He (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people.

[Sahih Muslim - Book 1 - Hadith 164]

Please Share this Hadith with your relatives & friends and may Allah SWT reward you.