Monday, 29 September 2008

Eid Mubarak :)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful


Taqabbala 'llaahu minnaa wa minkum (may Allaah accept from us and you) !!






The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]

Tuesday, 23 September 2008

Mishary Rashid Dua Ramadan

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful








The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]

Supplication during the Night of Decree

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful



Supplication during the Night of Decree

It is recommended to supplicate often during all times, especially during the month of Ramadan, in the last ten nights, and during the odd nights of it even more so. It is recommended that one say the following supplication a lot:

"O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.''

This is due to what Imam Ahmad recorded from `A'ishah, that she said, "O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Al-Qadr what should I say'' He replied,


«قُولِي: اللْهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي»



(Say: "O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.'')

At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah have all recorded this Hadith




The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]

[Video] Surah Al Qadr

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful











The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]

Saturday, 20 September 2008

Ramadan: The Month of Victory

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful


Ramadan: The Month of Victory

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and Al-Furqan.”
[TMQ 2:185]

“Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may gain Taqwa.”
[TMQ 2:183]
FIRST REVELATION

Many of us may know that Ramadan is a month of blessing, a month of reward and a month of fasting. However, many of us may not know that Ramadan was a month of victory in which Allah (swt) blessed the Ummah with conquests on the battlefield.

Looking back at the Ummah’s history is a way to remember, reflect upon and learn from past examples, so that lessons can be drawn for the future. It is a reminder of the key events which took place in the blessed month of Ramadan, during the life of the Prophet (saw) and in the generations that followed.

The most significant event that took place during Ramadan was the beginning of the revelation of the Quran. Prophet Muhammad (saw) was in the cave of Mount Hira when the Angel Jibrael (as) came to him with the first five ayat of Surat Al-Alaq. Allah (swt) revealed:

“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), He has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.”
[TMQ 92:1-5]


The Quran was revealed in Lailat al-Qadr (Night of Power), a night in which Allah (swt) rewards any Muslim, who spends it in prayer and total devotion to Him (swt), with forgiveness for all his past sins.

“Verily! We have sent it down in the night of Al-Qadr. And how would you know what the night of Al-Qadr is. The night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.”
[TMQ 97: 1-3]


Imam Bukhari narrated, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said “He who spends the night of Al-Qadr praying in total devotion, his past sins will be forgiven.”

It was from this very first day that the Prophet (saw) realized that this scripture was not a light message for the people, nor was it merely a moral code with a set of rituals like that of Christianity and Judaism. He understood that this guidance was not confined to Arabia or to any particular part of the world. Nor was it a message in compliance with the prevailing systems and authority of the day. Rather, he realized that the message of Islam had come to dominate over all other Deens (ways of life). As Allah (swt) said in Quran:

“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Deen of truth, to make it superior over all Deens (ways of life) even though the Mushrikeen (polytheists) hate it.”
[TMQ 9:33]


It was in this month that the Prophet (saw) returned home after receiving the first revelation, and said to his wife Khadija (ra) “After this day there is no more rest!”

And we all remember in this blessed month how he struggled against the tyrants of Makkah, attacking their false gods and systems until he managed to establish an authority in Madinah. There he implemented Allah’s systems on this earth, and the land came to be known as Dar Al Hijrah. After this establishment, the Prophet (saw) and the Muslims were no longer in a position of weakness. Rather they were transferred to a position of authority and strength.


THE BATTLE OF BADR

During the blessed month of Ramadan, in the second year after the Hijrah, on the morning of Friday the 17th, the Prophet (saw) led the famous Battle of Badr in which the Muslims were outnumbered 3 to 1. Just over 300 believers defeated an army of over 900 kuffar. By Allah (swt)’s leave the Quraysh were humiliated and the Muslims were victorious.

On the 8th of Ramadan, the Prophet (saw) left Madinah with three hundred and five of his companions mounted on seventy camels. They rode the camels in turn, heading towards a caravan led by Abu Sufyan, who was at the time a leader of the disbelieving Quraysh. The Quraysh came out to protect their caravan, so the Prophet (saw) consulted the Muslims on what to do. Abu Bakr and Umar (ra) voiced their support and then al-Miqdad ibn ‘Amr (ra) arose and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Go where Allah tells you, for we are with you. We shall not say as the children of Israel said to Moses ‘You and your Lord go and fight and we will stay at home’, but you and your Lord go and fight and we will fight with you.” The Muslims then became silent, and he said, “Give me advice O men!” by which he meant the Ansar who had paid allegiance to him at al-’Aqabah. They had pledged to protect him as they protected their wives and children. When the Ansar sensed that he meant them, Sa’ad ibn Mu’adh (ra) who was holding their banner said, “It seems as if you mean us, O Messenger of Allah.” He (saw) said, “Yes.” Sa’ad said, “We believe in you, we declare your truth, and we witness that what you have brought us is the truth, and we have given you our word and agreement to hear and obey; so go where you wish, we are with you; and by He who sent you, if you were to ask us to cross this sea and you plunged into it, we would plunge into it with you; not a man would stay behind. We do not dislike the idea of meeting our enemy tomorrow. We are experienced in war, trustworthy in combat. It may well be that Allah will let us show you something which will bring you joy, so take us along with Allah’s blessing.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) was delighted with Sa’ad’s words and said, “Forward in good heart, for Allah had promised me one of the two parties, and by Allah, it is as though I now saw the enemy lying prostrate.”

The two armies then advanced and drew closer to each other on Friday morning on the 17th of Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah (saw) straightened the ranks and incited the Muslims to fight. The Muslims were encouraged by the words of Allah’s Messenger (saw) and went forward. The fighting broke out fiercely and the Muslims became stronger, as they chanted “Ahad! Ahad!” (The One!, The One!). Allah’s Messenger (saw), whilst standing in the midst of the confrontation, took a handful of pebbles and threw them at the Quraysh saying, “Foul be those faces!” Then he ordered his companions to charge and they duly obliged until the battle was over, and the foe was routed. The Muslims emerged victorious despite being outnumbered three to one. The Quraysh fled the battlefield and the Muslims returned to Madinah having achieved a truly great victory.


THE OPENING OF MAKKAH

We should know that it was in this month of reward, the 20th of Ramadan, in the 8th year after Hijrah that the Prophet (saw) returned to Makkah not as the ruled but as the ruler in the opening of Makkah (Fath Makkah), when he took it under the authority of Islam. Makkah was conquered without a battle. He entered Makkah and treated the people justly. He personally went to the Ka’ba, pointed to the idols with his stick and recited the verse:

“The Truth has come and the falsehood has passed away; verily falsehood is sure to pass away.”
[TMQ 17:81]


After that, all the idols which the Quraysh used to worship collapsed on their backs, one after the other, and then they were burnt, broken up and disposed of.

Thus, Makkah was completely liberated and as a result, the main obstacle standing in the way of the Islamic Da’wa had finally been overcome.


THE OPENING OF SPAIN

Ninety-two years after the Hijrah, Islam had spread across North Africa, Persia and Sham. Al-Andalus (Spain) was under the tyrannical rule of King Roderic of the Visigoths. Musa ibn Nusair, the Muslim Walee (governor) of North Africa, responded by sending his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad at the head of 12,000 troops. In Ramadan of that year, they were confronted with an army led by Roderic himself, who was seated on a throne of ivory, silver, precious gems and drawn by white mules. Tariq motivated the Muslims and reminded them that Paradise lay ahead of them, and that defeat and the sea were behind them. They burst with great enthusiasm and Allah (swt) manifested a clear victory over the forces of disbelief.

Not only were Roderic and his forces defeated, but Tariq and Musa succeeded in liberating all of Al-Andalus, Sicily, and parts of France. This was the beginning of the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700 years.


THE BATTLE OF AIN JALOOT

It was in the month of Ramadan, on Friday the 25th, in 658 A.H., that the Muslims defeated the Mongols in the battle of Ain Jaloot, led by Saifuddin Qutuz.

Qutuz told his army to wait until they finished the Jummah Salah, “Do not fight them until the sun passes the middle of the sky, the shadows appear and the winds stir, and the preachers and people start to implore Allah for us in their prayers”, and thereafter the fighting began. Jullanar, the wife of Qutuz, was killed during the battle. Qutuz stood up saying, “And Islam…And Islam.” The entire army repeated that word after him until they achieved their victory.

Qutuz united the Muslims, prepared them to fight and focused upon the victory of Allah (swt) over the enemy. The necessary money was raised towards this objective and the army was mobilized to engage in the battle to defend Islam, its followers and lands, and to fight the usurping aggressor.

Compare this scenario with today. How have the rulers prepared the governors, scholars and army for battle? Musharraf helped the Americans prepare for the battle against Muslims and deserted the Muslims completely. Instead of commanding the Pakistani army to defend and fight alongside their brothers in Afghanistan, Musharraf ordered them to guard the Afghan-Pakistani borders and prevent any Muslim from seeking refuge in Pakistan. He also used the army to quell any demonstration that voiced support for the Muslims in Afghanistan and prohibited the raising of money for them.

In the same year, a unit of the Jordanian army flew over Palestine on their trip back from a UN mission in Sierra Leone. They had travelled 1500 miles to protect the interests of Britain, but had failed to hear the cries of their brothers and sisters living less than 10 miles away as they suffered the brutality of Israel. SubhanAllah! What a striking contrast between today, and the day of Saifuddin Qutuz!

Amongst the many renowned scholars who had encouraged the Muslims to unify behind Qutuz and prepare for the battle was the "Sheikh of Scholars" Al-`Izz Bin Abdis-Salam. In his vigorous response to the commandment of Allah (swt), he rallied the Muslims from the mimbars (pulpits) of the masaajid, and called them to fulfill their pledge to Allah (swt). And when Qutuz needed a fatwah to allow him to tax the Muslims in order to fund the battle, Al-'Izz, in his integrity and truthfulness to Islam, refused to speak until all the wealth of the governors and the leaders of the Muslims were exhausted.

Contrast such men with the scholars of today who enjoy the comfort and security of government positions while the people of sincerity languish in the prisons of these same governments. How is it, with a staff of so many scholars, that the rulers of today are able to desert and betray Muslims both inside and outside their territories with such ease? Why is it that, instead of reining the rulers on the path of truth, these scholars allow them to spread corruption and force kufr on Muslims? How, under the watch of so many scholars, are the governments able to rob the Muslims of their wealth through unjust and unbearable taxes and duties, like the GST in Pakistan and the VAT in Sudan?

It was narrated by Abi al-A'war As-Silmee (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Beware of the doors of the ruler for they have indeed become a source of trouble and humiliation.” [Saheeh ad-Dailamee]

And Muhammad (saw) also said, “Shall I inform you of the perfect Scholar?” The Sahabah replied, “Yes.” He (saw) said, “The perfect scholar is the one who does not deprive the people of the Mercy of Allah, does not give them hope of salvation from punishment but neither makes them lose hope of His Mercy, nor discards the Quran in favour of something else.”

It was also in this month of fasting when Al-Mu’tasim billah the Abbasid Khaleefah answered the cry of one Muslim woman when she was dishonoured by the Romans. He vowed not to break his fast until they were taken over. He led the army which brought Amoriah (Ankara) to the rule of Islam.

It was in this month of sacrifice in 1187 (CE) that Salahuddin Ayyubi defeated the Crusaders. On this day the Muslims virtually routed all the local Crusader forces capable of defending the Crusaders’ establishment in the Near East. With a 12,000 strong cavalry, they defeated the Crusaders and returned al-Quds back into its rightful hands.


TODAY

If we look at the situation of the Muslim Ummah today in this Ramadan or the Ramadans previous to this, we see that it is very different from the examples mentioned so far.

Today, many of the Muslims of Iraq go through Ramadan being slaughtered while we live comfortably. Many of the Muslims there remain hungry and have nothing to break their fasts with. Some of us may have even seen the documentaries and news stories on television, or pictures in the newspapers of how the Muslims are being killed.

The same can be said about Palestine, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya and the list unfortunately goes on.

The question that we need to ask ourselves is: What has changed? This is the comparison we must make between Badr and Iraq. It is the comparison we must make between the destruction of the idols like Lat and Uzza by the hands of the Prophet (saw) in the month of Ramadan and the implanting of the modern day idols of Capitalism in our lands today. It is the same comparison we must make between the destruction of the Crusaders, and the regaining of al-Quds by Salahuddin Ayyubi in the month of Ramadan, and the giving of al-Quds to the Crusaders of today. And it is also the comparison we must make between the protection of the Muslim woman’s honour by al-Mu’tasim and the dishonouring of women in the world today.

Indeed it is not enough for us as an Ummah to witness the multitude of problems that exists amongst us today. Rather, we must understand the cause for these problems and act on those causes. The cause of this difference between the Ramadan of today and the victorious Ramadans of the past is not difficult to observe: it is simply due to the absence of the Quran, that Allah (swt) revealed as a guidance and al-Furqan (criterion), being implemented in our lives.

Allah (swt) did not reveal the Quran simply to be read rhetorically, but rather He (swt) revealed it to be implemented on the people – so that they rule by its guidance and govern their lives by its laws.

In the past, under the Islamic Khilafah, the rulers ruled by the Shariah contained in the Quran; today the rulers rule by their minds to secure their own interests and the interests of their Western masters.

So, when the Muslims ruled by Islam - when their affairs were governed by all that Allah (swt) had revealed - Ramadan was the month of victory over the enemies of Islam and Muslims. But this Ramadan, when Islam is not implemented in any land and when Muslims are being ruled by man-made laws, the Ummah faces subjugation by the kuffar in almost every sphere of life.

This Ramadan, the Muslims count their dead as the kuffar nations enforce their occupation of Muslim lands in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Kashmir. This Ramadan, the armies of the Muslims are withheld from helping their brothers and sisters and are instead sent, without hesitation, to protect the kuffar from the Muslims. This Ramadan, the Muslims face an onslaught against their most precious possession, their Deen, as the Western colonialists spread their corrupt culture by reforming the educational curriculum in Muslim lands and also through the media and through advertising. And this Ramadan, Muslims face mounting hardships and hunger while their corrupt rulers and the Western colonialists exploit the immense resources of the Ummah.

So, despite being a giant in terms of its lands, material resources, population, armies and its greatest asset, the one true Deen, Islam, the Muslim Ummah lies in humiliation before the kuffar. This matter was inevitable because without the Islamic Khilafah State, politics and ruling are no longer about ordering the Ma’roof (good) and forbidding the Munkar (evil). Instead, politics and ruling have been reduced to ordering what the colonialists’ desire, and forbidding what the colonialists detest. Politics is no longer about looking after the affairs of the Muslims by seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt). Instead, politics has been sullied into a cheap competition to please the colonialists, between the current rulers and those who seek to succeed them in ruling.

This Ramadan, with the Ummah suffering immensely due to the mischief of the kuffar, we must not be satisfied by turning to Allah (swt) through prayer and fasting alone. Rather we must also work to implement the Deen of Allah (swt) and ensure its dominance over all other ways of life by re-establishing the Islamic Khilafah State in the Muslim lands, so that future Ramadans witness victory after victory once again.

The work to change the current corrupt rulers and re-establish the Khilafah in their place is not just a matter of life and death; it is an obligation from Allah (swt). If Muslims do not perform this duty, it would be an acceptance of the many sins of the rulers. As a result, the situation of the Muslims will become worse in this Dunya and will bring about the punishment in the Aakhira. RasulAllah (saw) said, “Allah will not punish the common people due to the work of specific people, until they see the (evil) munkar amongst themselves and they were able to forbid it but they did not do that. If they did that Allah will punish the specific people and the common people.” [Ahmad]


TOMORROW

In conclusion, we must benefit fully from the blessings of Ramadan. We must turn to Allah (swt) by intensifying our struggle through political means against the corrupt rulers of the Muslim lands and by re-establishing the Khilafah in their place. Only the Khilafah will reinstate Islam as an authority that will protect the Muslims and their Deen, and strike fear into the hearts of their aggressors. Mu’ad ibn Jabal (ra) once called the people of the town and said to them, “Today the reciters of Quran are few but the implementers are many, a time will come when the reciters will be many and the implementers will be few.” It is as if Mu’ad was describing our time! Today the reciters may be abundant but the implementers are scarce.

So let us work to turn this situation around. Let us work to move our generation from simply being reciters to being reciters and implementers. Let us make this Ramadan a turning point in the Islamic history. Let us make this Ramadan join the months of victory.

Allah (swt) has promised us victory if we are true to Him alone. Allah (swt) says,

“So do not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers.”
[TMQ 3:139]




The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]

Saturday, 6 September 2008

The Last of the Ramadân Warriors

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful



The Last of the Ramadân Warriors

by Brother Muhammad al-Sharîf

In the early days of Islâm, those that believed in Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam - and the message of Lâ ilâha illah Allâh , were tested in the core of their faith. Every means of punishment was inflicted upon them.

In those young days, Khabbab ibn Al-Arat, radi Allâh u 'anhu, came to Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam - and remarked, "Won't you pray for us! Won't you seek help from Allâh for victory over these people!"

Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam - turned to him and said,

"There were believers that came before us, they would be cut from the top of their head right down their body - others were combed with iron rakes, their skin separated from their muscles separated from their bones ... but all that did not cause them to renounce their faith. But nay ye are hasty."


Allâh ta'ala revealed:


[Or did you reckon you will enter Jannah when the same thing never happened to you such as happened to those who have passed away before you? Suffering and hardship assailed them, and they were battered about until the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, 'When is Allâh 's support?' Indeed Allâh 's support is near.] - sûrah Al Baqarah 2/214


Remember before Ramadân we spoke about the Ramadân Warrior. He's just like the weekend warrior - an employee who sits at a cubicle all week long, eating donuts and drinking coffee, then on the weekend he rushes to the sport courts and mountains, and by Monday he is in the hospital.

The Ramadân warrior is the one who fasts only when Ramadân comes. He is the one who does Qiyâm-ul-Layl only on the nights of Ramadân. The generosity and feeding of the hungry is a practice for him that ends with the moon of Shawwal.

Allâh ta'ala tells us in the Qur’ân; a verse that we read so many times in the past month:

[O ye who believe! Fasting was prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may become pious.]


This piety that Allâh wants us to achieve is not Ramadân exclusive piety. For the entire year, Ramadân is the training period.

For our early generations, from the Sahâbah, Tâbi'în, and Tabi' at-Tâbi'în, their intensity of work for the pleasure of Allâh was all-seasonal. Their intensity was focused in (a) learning the Qur’ân and Sunnah and teaching it to others (b) Ibâdah © Da'wah and Jihad.

Let's spend a few moments with each:

(a) Learning the Qur’ân and Sunnah and teaching it to others
The media is full of stories of men and women lost in the ocean or a deserted island and the struggle those people went through to survive. But seldom do we hear of all the Ulumâ' that suffered very horrific moments where they were on the threshold of death - all in the path of traveling to learn the Qur'ân and Sunnah.

Bakr ibn Hamdân al-Mirwazi said, "I heard Ibn Kharash say that he drank his urine in the path of this knowledge 5 times."

And al-Wakhshî Abu Alî Al-Hasan said, "I was in 'Asqalân attending the lessons of Ibn Musahhah and others. In those days, my money dwindled and I spent many nights with nothing to eat. I sat one day to write some notes and the pain was just too intense. So I went out to the market and sat by a vendor selling bread just to smell the aroma of food. After a while my senses returned and I was able to return home."

When you see people in our society spending the nights outside on the streets to by tickets to a pop concert, or to save $5 on a radio, our Ulumâ' strove harder in their pursuit of knowledge, to get 'front row seats' to the hottest Halaqahs in town.

Ja'far ibn Distuwayh said, "We used to camp out by the chair of Ali bin al-Madînî after Asr the day BEFORE his class. All night long we would sit there for fear that when the people come the next day we won't be in position to hear the Shaykh." And the examples go on and on.

(B) Ibâdah
Here is just a sampling of their attitude to the Ibâdah of Allâh : Al Hasan said,

"Whoever races you in your Dîn, then race them; Whoever races you in their Dunya, throw it back in their face."

Wuhayb ibn Al-Wird said,

"If you can, do not allow anyone to beat you to Allâh 's pleasure."

And Ash-Shaykh Shamsuddin Al-Turkistânî said,

"If news every came to me that someone had done something for the pleasure of Allâh , I would always do exactly what that person did and then some."

Compare this now to Arab countries that have received news of the Guiness book of World records and are spending their time and the Ummah's wealth to outdo those records. Wallâhul Musta'ân.

Hammad ibn Salamah said,

"We have seen Sulaymân At-Tîmî in a moment of worship to Allâh , except that he was participating in that worship. If it was time for Salah, we would see him in Salah. If it was other than the Salah time, he would be either making wudu or visiting the sick, or following a funeral procession, or reflecting in the Masjid. Such much so, that we actually thought he didn't know how to disobey Allâh ."


© Da'wah and Jihâd
Allâh ta'ala tells us in the Qur’ân of the strenuous concern Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam - had for the people's acceptance of this Dîn.

[Tâ, Sîn, Mîm / These are the verses of the clear Book / Perhaps, (O Muhammad), you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers. / If We willed, We could send down to them from the sky a sign for which their necks would remain humbled. / And no mention comes to them anew from the Most Merciful except that they turn away from it.] Sûrah Shura 26/1-5


It is not a simple matter that we have accepted the responsibility of the Messengers to teach humanity about Allâh . As Shaykh Salah As-Sawi spoke about this matter here during Ramadân, he said,

"What if all these people on the day of judgement come and say as their excuse, 'O Allâh , here the Muslims lived all around us and they never came to tell us about this Dîn.'"

Indeed the matter is grave. Ja'far ibn Sulaymân said,

"I hear Malik ibn Dînar saying, 'If I was capable of never sleeping I would never sleep for fear that Allâh 's wrath would befall me while I am sleeping. And had I those that would assist me I would send them all around the world to announce: O humanity, save yourselves from Hellfire, save yourselves from Hellfire!'"


And when it came to defending the Dîn of Allâh , we see the example of Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam - shining for all those who would wish to be guided by it.

Ali - radi Allâh u 'anhu - said,

"Whenever the battle would intensify, and the swords began to burn red, we would seek shield from Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam. There was no one closer to the enemy ranks than him."


And 'Imrân ibn al-Husayn - radi Allâh u 'anhu - said,

"Whenever the Muslim battalion would encounter the enemy, Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam - was always the first one to strike."

There is a principal that we spoke about earlier: Al-Maysûr Lâ YasQut bil Ma'sûr. It means: What one finds easy is not cancelled by what is difficult; i.e. those things that the Mukallaf can do with ease does not get cancelled just because he or she cannot do what is hard upon them.

Examples of this in Fiqh include: If someone knows a few verses of AlFâtiha, then they must read it in Salah. Just because they do not know the whole Sûrah does not mean they don't have to read the verses they CAN recite.

If a person is in such a situation that he cannot cover his complete private area during Salah, then he must cover whatever he can. Just because he cannot cover the entire area does not cancel the obligation to cover what he can.

If a person is not capable of performing Sajdah, that doesn't mean he can sit down throughout the entire Salah if he is capable of standing for Ruku' or Qiyâm.

When it comes to studying the Qur’ân and Sunnah, Ibâdah, Da'wah and Jihad, you'll see that many people focus on the ideal which is unattainable for them at that moment. Then they say to themselves, since it is unattainable then I just have to be patient and do nothing. No, keep moving a step down until you find what is attainable and do it.

If you can't memorize the Qur’ân by next Ramadân, you can for sure finish 2 Juz'. If you can't do 2 Juz' in one year, then you can do one. If one is all you can do, then do it. In sha' Allâh , 30 years from now you would be Hafidh al-Qur’ân.

If you can't come to every Minhâj-ul Muslim Halaqah all year long, doesn't mean that you come to none.

If the Masjid is far away from your home and it's hard to come for every Salah, doesn't mean you never come to the Masjid. Come for Maghrib and stay for Isha or something similar.

The proof of this is the words of Rasûl Allâh - sal Allâh u alayhi wa sallam, "What I command you in, perform what you are capable of."

In conclusion, there are three ingredients to making your resolution to improve yourself successful.

1. Have a truthful determination.

2. Be economical in what you decide to do.

3. Make dua to Allâh to make your effort successful.


Source





The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]