-Fear ∆llah as He should be Feared-: August 2010

Sunday, 22 August 2010

Ramadan Pointers

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Ramadan Pointers
The bounties and opportunities of Ramadan are many and unlimited yet the number of days we have to take advantage of it are few and limited.

Patience

…those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!¹

Patience is inseparable from the purpose of Ramadan. Scholars mention four areas where patience is required: fulfilling acts of obedience to Allah; refraining from prohibitions; bearing trials and tribulations; and preserving one’s heart and intellect from misguidance. Fasting allows us to exercise and develop all these types of patience.

For Days Passed By!

Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!²

Al-Hasan al-Basri is reported to have said, ‘The Hur al-'Ayn will say to a wali of Allah whilst reclining with her by a river of honey and being presented with a cup, "Allah looked upon you on a very long hot day, experiencing severe thirst and so Allah boasted about you before the Angels saying, 'Look at my slave, he has forsaken his wife, desire, pleasure, food and drink for my sake and for what is with me, bear witness that I have forgiven him!' So he forgave you that day and wed me to you".'

The All-Seer

The fasting day is much longer this year and it will get even longer with the years to come. This creates more difficulty for everyone, especially those at work. It is important to realise that we are all under the watchful gaze of the One who is above us all and that He is reserving our reward for us and soon enough we will find that reward with great happiness and joy. This is a matter we should often remind ourselves of throughout the day especially when we feel the pangs of hunger; when we fast all the while being conscious that Allah is watching us, our rewards multiply.

A Private Affair

The fast is a secret between the slave and his Lord, no one knows about the difficulty and hardship the fasting person is going through except Allah. He is the one who determines the reward, and His bounty is unlimited! Allah’s Messenger said, ‘Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times its like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said, 'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.' Fasting is a type of communication with Allah just as prayer is. It is as though we are calling out to Him, ‘I am only doing this action that no one knows about except for you. And this action that I do, even though I am doing it, it belongs to you.’

Striving to Win

Abu Musa al-‘Ashari is an example of one who came before us who truly understood the rewards and virtues of fasting and would love to increase his worship of Allah. He said, ‘Allah decreed upon Himself that whoever goes thirsty for Him on a hot day, that He would grant him water on the Day of Judgement.”³ Abu Musa would often fast and choose days that were hot and long.

The Highest Objective

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain taqwa (piety).⁴

We fast in order to attain taqwa. One scholar defined it in the following manner, ‘Taqwa is to act in obedience to Allah, upon a light from Allah, hoping for reward from Allah; and to abandon disobedience of Allah, upon a light from Allah, fearing punishment from Allah.’⁵

The Glorious Qur’an

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).”⁶

It is almost as though Allah is telling us that we should shift our focus and efforts during the holy month of Ramadan to reading the Qur’an. This is what some of the past scholars did as they would stop delivering lectures and answering questions. Many of them completed it dozens of times during this blessed month. This is a great opportunity for us to become more proficient in our recitation and ponder much over the Quran.

Translating Guidance

We should read the Quran with its translation as this will help us to understand what Allah is saying to us and will aid us in learning the Arabic words that appear in the Quran often. Reading the Quran is not enough; we must understand and ponder over it. This is why Allah said it is guidance for mankind so that we know what is right and what is wrong. Only when we know what is being read can we take it as a source of guidance. An easy step to take in this regard is to simply select a small portion of your daily recitation and read the English whilst following the Arabic. By doing this every Ramadan one can really build up their Quranic Arabic vocabulary.

Intimacy of Tawheed

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.”⁷

This verse is among the same set that commands us with fasting; as we read the words of Our Lord and comply with what is asked from us, we should also ask Him what we need and want from Him. We should feel close to Allah in this month more so than any other month. As Allah speaks to us through his words in His book, we should speak to Allah in our supplications.

Whenever people questioned the Prophet about a matter and Allah addressed it in the Qur’an he would start by saying, ‘Qul’ (Say) Yet, when Allah was asked about Himself as in this ayah, he did not say, ‘Qul’. This shows us that we do not need to go through anyone to reach Allah and ask of Him, emphasising the greatness and importance of His Oneness. This also shows us how close Allah is to us. Allah also expresses His nearness to us by attaching the slave to Himself, ‘And when My slave asks you.’ This also shows the great heights a human being can reach by being a slave of Allah. Other verses refer to the slave as though they are distant and many, whilst here the slaves are being addressed as being near and as one individual.

So we know how close Allah is to us and that He promised to respond to His slave. Now imagine that this slave is fasting and the Prophet has told us that the supplication of the fasting Muslim will not be rejected!⁸. The bounties and opportunities of Ramadan are many and unlimited yet the number of days we have to take advantage of it are few and limited.

Let us make this Ramadan different to all our previous ones. They say that actions speak louder than words, so let your actions (worship) therefore be as though you are speaking to your Lord.

^{^{___________________________________________________________}}Notes:

source: www.islam21c.com

[1] Surah Al-Zumar verse 10[2] al-Haaqqah verse 24[3] Al-Bazzar and declared hasan by Al-Albani in Sahih al-Targhib, Vol 1 pg 412
[4] Surah Al Baqarah, 2:183[5] Talq Ibn Habib, related by Ibn Abi Shaybah in Kitaab al-Iman (no. 99)
[6] Surah Al Baqarah, 2:185
[7] Surah Al Baqarah, 2:
[8] Al-Tirmidhi

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]

Fasting: Ibn Qayyim

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

…Let us return to the commentary on the hadith of Harith, where he Prophet speaks of what will rescue a servant from the Foe:

“And [God] enjoins upon you the fast. Verily, the similitude of that is a man carrying a sack-full of musk in a crowd of people, all of them marvelling at its fragrance—for the breath of someone fasting is more fragrant to God, Most High, than the scent of musk.” [Tirmidhi,Amthal, 2790; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 16542.]

The Prophet uses the image of someone carrying a sack-full of musk concealed from view, hidden under his garments, after the habit of those who carry musk. Fasting is, likewise, hidden from the eyes of men and unperceived by their senses.

The fasting person's limbs fast from sins; his tongue fasts from lies, base language and false witness; his stomach fasts from food and drink; and his pudenda fast from union. If he speaks, he says nothing to violate his fast; and if he acts, he does nothing to spoil his fast. All his speech is salutary and wholesome, as are his deeds—like the fragrance one smells while sitting next to the bearer of musk. Anyone who sits with a fasting person benefits from his presence and is safe from false witness, lies, base language and wrongdoing. This is the fast prescribed by the Sacred Law, not simply abstinence from eating and drinking.

Hence, a sound hadih states:

“When someone does not refrain from speaking falsely and the action that springs from it and from ignorance, God does not need him to refrain from food and drink.” [Bukhari, Adab, 5597; Ibn Maja, Siyam, 1679; also in Bukhari, Sawm, 1770, without the word ‘ignorance’]

And in [another] hadith:

“Some who fast obtain nothing from it but hunger and thirst.” [Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 8501, with the ending ‘And some may stand for prayer at night and receive nothing from it but sleeplessness.’ Also in Bahyaqi, Shu`ab al-Iman, 3542, with ‘standing at night’ mentioned first.]

True fasting is when the limbs fast from sin and the stomach fasts from food and drink. As food and drink can break the fast or spoil it, so sins can cut off its reward and spoil its fruits, as if one had not fasted at all.

Taken from Islaam.net

The Six Realizations of Tawakkul

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

TAWAKKUL is an attitude. I have found this to be a simple and true way of defining what reliance on Allah and trusting Him means. That is its nature. We possess tawakkul only if it is actually consciously present in our hearts and minds at all times, like a second nature. It is there whether we suffer major life setbacks or soar in an inexpressible moment of bliss and facility. Tawakkul is no “now and again” mood. That kind of emotional or spiritual spike is typical of all people.

Tawakkul is special, the direct result of true eman in Allah, certainty in the Hereafter, and continuous remembrance of both. This “attitude” leads to six convictions.

1. Allah has put me in this world temporarily for a test, and all of my good and bad circumstances are part of the test.

2. The test is about my performance in given situations, not about how good or bad my conditions are. Regardless of the circumstances I encounter, the test is about how well exhaust all my efforts in achieving the objective of the religion Allah has prescribed for me to attain His pleasure.

3. My success depends on the quality of my belief (in terms of relevance, wisdom, propriety, tactics, strategy, and sincerity) and its quantifiable expression, the amount of effort I put in my striving toward Allah, not on the material results they appear to produce, regardless of what kind of good or bad circumstances I happen to encounter.

4. Whatever Allah has commanded me to do and the objectives He wants me to achieve are the best things for me in this world and in the Hereafter. My duty is to continue steadfastly on the task Allah has assigned to me, utilizing every lawful tool humanly possible and doing my earnest best, without worrying about the results, leaving that totally to Allah.

5. Real success is attaining the pleasure of Allah, not the results in this world. Whether my efforts bear any visible effect in this world or not, I must persist upon my course.

6. Whatever hardships, tests, trials and suffering I undergo in my service to Him during this earthly sojourn are all part of His plan for my ultimate success. Enduring them with contentment, with neither a word of complaint nor being disheartened in any way, is a part of my task as His slave, and I do so for His pleasure.

These convictions produce a winning state of mind. The believer feels, “Because I truly believe in Allah and am doing what He wants me to do, He is with me, guarding me, and accepting my efforts. He will not let my endeavours be in vain, allow me to fail, or leave me unsupported. No one can do anything to me that is not already part of His plan for me as His slave. Regardless of what transpires in this world, the ultimate success is mine, as long as I am truly committed to His work. If I keep the right attitude, come what may, I will be successful."

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “How wonderful it is for a believer that he always ends up with goodness. If he suffers and remains steadfast, it is rewarding. If good things happen and he thanks Allah, that is also rewarding.” (Muslim).

It is a totally liberating, empowering state of mind that a true believer attains because of his trust in and reliance on the power, authority, help and support of Allah. He feels contentment in serving Allah, with little care for the results that Allah alone decrees for his untiring efforts. This brings tranquility to the heart, courage to the psyche, and an unparalleled resilience to one’s nature.

This is why the believer cannot be scared by threats of loss, pressured into giving up, made to compromise, compelled to give in, bought out of his Islamic mission, or forced into submission by any enemy, tyrant, power, or authority.

Of those who have tawakkul, Allah makes the truest observation—which is also the most comforting promise: {Whoever relies on Allah, then He is sufficient for him.} (65:3).

And never does Allah fail His Promise.

Taken from: IdealMuslimah.com

Friday, 20 August 2010

Ramadaan: Leader of all Months

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

All praise is due to Allah Who made the succession of day and night a lesson for those who reflect. I thank him for his bountiful blessings and I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah. I equally testify that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, his household and companions who are the people of righteousness and piety.
Dear brothers and sisters, It should be known that physical and spiritual felicity can only be attained by subjecting ones heart and body to the worship of Allaah and that it is through worshipping Allaah in complete sincerity that this world can be of no importance.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is a manifestation of Allaah’s mercy on His slaves that He ordained fasting for them in order to purify them from excessive tastes and to cleanse their hearts from lustful things. These days, Muslims all over the world are receiving the month of Ramadaan; leader of all months; the month of forgiveness, merits and gifts; the month that gladdens the hearts of righteous people. No wonder that a pious man said in his death bed giving a reason for his weeping:

“I am only weeping for the fact that people will continue to be fasting and performing prayers after my death while I will no longer be in a position to do likewise.”

Leader of all Nights

Ramadaan is the month that contains the leader of all nights; a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever spends the night in prayers with faith and hoping for Allaah’s reward will have all his past sins forgiven. Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

“When the month of Ramadaan enters, gates of Paradise are opened, gates of Hell are closed and devils are chained.” (Reported by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).

Its time for night prayers

Dear brothers and sisters, whoever wants eternal prosperity should endeavor to worship Allaah and do good deeds sincerely. For, good deeds without sincere intention is of no use. Also, it is a glory for a believer to wake up in the night and perform prayers for, the best prayer after the obligatory ones are the prayers performed in the night. In fact, righteous people do compete with each other to make use of its darkness for doing acts of Ibaadah that bring them closer to Allaah and they loved this world only because of its nights. Aboo Sulaymaan Ad-Daaraanee said:

“By Allaah! If not because of waking up in the night and performing prayers, I would not have loved this world; for, the night is precious because of its darkness and performing the prayers during the night is one of the characteristics of righteous people.”

Al-Hasan Al-Basree said:

“Nobody abandons night prayers except that it is regarded as a punishment for a sin he has committed.”

Supplication: a link

You should also endeavor to supplicate to Allaah during the nights of this noble month because, supplication is the link between man and his Lord; it is an effortlessly clear profit and easy booty; it prevents calamities and brings forth Allaah’s treasures and bounties. By supplicating to Allaah during the night, He answers by granting the request generously for, His Hands never get tired of giving.

Qur'an : The best speech

There is no way to Allaah’s pleasure except through Qur'an.It is revealed in the best of all months. The best way you can spend your time during this month is to recite the Qur’aan as frequently as possible. Read it, reflect on its meaning and work by its injunctions. This is because the Qur’aan contains admonitions and lessons that increase one’s humility and humbleness.

Increase your ranks

As regards charity, Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم was the most generous of all people and his generosity manifested most during the month of Ramadaan. Whenever he gave, he gave in plenty as if he had no fear of poverty. He would never be asked of anything except that he gave it unless if he did not have it. Charity, has its positive effects on the giver. It causes blessings to his wealth and children, prevents calamities and brings forth bliss. Ramadaan is a month of charity.

Ibnul-Qayyim said:

“Nothing brings Allaah’s blessings and prevents His punishment than obeying Him, moving closer to Him through acts of Ibaadah and being kind to His creatures.”

Therefore, spend in charity for, charity elevates one’s rank in front of Allaah and know that, man is going to stay under the shade of his charity on the Day of Resurrection.

Repentence

Dear brothers and sisters, make good preparation for this honorable month because it is a transient visitor. Receive it with a sincere repentance and spend your time during the month is acts of obedience to your Lord.

Increase you Reward

Further, try to perform ‘Umrah during Ramadaan for, a ‘Umrah during Ramadaan is equivalent in reward to a Hajj performed with the Messenger of Allaah. Also, provide food for fasting Muslims for whoever does that gets an equivalent of their reward without causing any deduction to the reward of the fasting Muslims.

Follow the Sunnah

I‘tikaaf (seclusion in a mosque for the purpose of worshipping Allaah alone) is also a Sunnah that should be kept during the last ten days of Ramadaan. Ibn Shihaab said:

“It is a strange thing that Muslims should abandon I‘tikaaf while the Messenger of Allaah e never skipped it right from the time he entered Madeenah until his death.”

Join the Cord

Use the period of this noble month to join the cord of kinship (by keeping good relations with your kith and kin). Also repent sincerely to Allaah as long as the door of repentance is still open. Be cautious of undesirable end because leaving this world is actually painful.

Source: Islaam.net

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]