-Fear ∆llah as He should be Feared-

Proud Poor Man, Oppressive Rich Man

2012-01-20T22:20:00.000Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

Hadith: Narrated AbuDharr: Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There are three whom Allah loves and three whom Allah hates. Those whom Allah loves are a man who, when one came and begged from some people in Allah's name, not because of any relationship between him and them, and was refused by them, withdrew from them and gave him something secretly, no one knowing of the gift but Allah and the one who gave it; a man who travelled all night with people till sleep was more desirable to them than anything which could be compared with it, and when they laid down their heads he stood up and engaged in his devotions and recited verses of the Qur'an; and a man who was in a detachment which met the enemy and was routed, yet he went straight forward till he was killed or given victory. The three whom Allah hates are an old man who commits fornication, a poor man who is proud, and a rich man who is oppressive."

Tirmidhi and Nasa'i transmitted it but Nasa'i did not mention the three whom Allah hates.

[Tirmidhi]

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

All humans are dead except

2012-01-20T22:17:00.001Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

Quote: All humans are dead except those who have knowledge. And all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds. And those who do good deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere. And those who are sincere are always in a state of worry.

Scholar Name: Imam Ash-Shaafi'ee

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

Beware of every hour that passes by...

2012-01-20T22:16:00.000Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

Quote: Beware of every hour and how it passes, and only spend it in the best possible way, do not neglect yourself, but render it accustomed to the noblest and best of actions, and send to your grave that which will please you when you arrive to it.

Scholar: Imaam ibn Al-Jawzee

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

Riyadh us Saliheen: The Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an

2012-01-10T15:08:00.001Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

Chapter 180
The Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an

991. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "Read the Qur'an, for it will come as an intercessor for its reciters on the Day of Resurrection.''
[Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells the excellence of reciting the Qur'an and acting upon its injunctions. Intercession (in this Hadath) means that the Qur'an will be endowed with the power of speech by Allah and it will request Allah to forgive the sins of its reciters who acted upon its teachings. Allah will accept the request of the Qur'an, as signified in other Ahadith.

992. An-Nawwas bin Sam`an (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "The Qur'an and its people who applied it, will be brought on the Day of Resurrection preceded with Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-`Imran arguing on behalf of those who applied them.''
[Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith means that on the Day of Requital, the Qur'an, with Surat Al-Baqarah and Al-`Imran in the forefront, will intercede before Allah for those who used to recite and act upon them in the life of the world.

993. `Uthman bin `Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it.''
[Al-Bukhari].

994. `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have a double reward.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: Proficient here means one who reads the Qur'an in accordance with the rules of "Ilm At-Tajwid'' (the science of the recitation of the Qur'an) as is evidenced from the words of Imam Bukhari's narration and the title given to the chapter.

This Hadith also highlights the merit of the reader of the Qur'an who does not know `Ilm At-Tajwid, and for that reason cannot read it fluently. But in spite of this, he reads it with great effort. He will be given double reward, one for the difficulty encountered in reciting it, and another for reading it. Safratun translated in the Hadith as scribes (angels) mean the angels that convey the Wahy (Revelation) to the Messenger of Allah. Imam Bukhari has taken it to mean "one who makes reconciliation''. The angels who bring Wahy and chastisement from Allah.

995. Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The believer who recites the Qur'an is like a citron whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is delicious. A believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like a date-fruit which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste. The hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like a colocynth whose fragrance is so sweet, but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is like basil which has no fragrance and its taste is bitter.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith tells us that a believer who recites the Qur'an and acts upon it, Allah will grant him a high rank. He is loved by Allah and also enjoys public esteem. The believer who does not recite it but acts upon its teachings is also loved by Allah and people. The hypocrite who recites the Qur'an to have a good show has an evil and dark mind. Last of all comes that hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an and has a dark mind and appearance.

996. `Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Verily, Allah elevates some people with this Qur'an and abases others.''
[Muslim].

Commentary: Only such people will be elevated who act upon the teachings of the Qur'an and abstain from what is forbidden by Allah. The Muslims of the early centuries of Islam were blessed with great honour by Allah because they loved and applied the Qur'an. Because of this meaningful attachment with the Qur'an, they made great achievements in religious and worldly spheres.

Those who neglected the teachings of Islam will be disgraced and humiliated. May Allah guide and enable us to re-establish our contact with the Qur'an so that we can regain our past glory. Exaltation and humiliation mentioned in the Hadith is bound to happen in both this life and the Hereafter.

997. Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Envy is justified in regard to two types of persons only: a man whom Allah has given knowledge of the Qur'an, and so he recites it during the night and during the day; and a man whom Allah has given wealth and so he spends from it during the night and during the day.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: This Hadith has been quoted before at two places (see Hadith No. 572). It has been repeated here to bring into prominence the merit of reciting the Qur'an. Refer to the Commentary on Hadith No. 544.

998. Al-Bara' bin `Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: A man was reciting Surat Al-Kahf, and a horse was tied with two ropes beside him. As he was reciting, a cloud overshadowed him, and as it began to come nearer and nearer, the horse began to trample voilently. The man came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in the morning and mentioned the incident to him. He (PBUH) said, "That was tranquillity which descended as a result of the recitation of the Qur'an.''

Commentary: This Hadith brings out two points. Firstly, the excellence of Surat Al-Kahf (The Cave, No. 18). Secondly, the descending of tranquillity from Allah on the pious persons. The appearance of a cloud for the tranquillity of heart on the recitation of the Qur'an is a supernatural event (miracle) to which a pious man does not make any contribution. It entirely depends on the Will of Allah.

999. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.''
[At-Tirmidhi].

Commentary: This Hadith urges us to recite the Qur'an and also mentions the great reward for reciting it.

1000. Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He who does not memorize any part from the Qur'an he is like the ruined house.''
[At-Tirmidhi].

Commentary: This Hadith means that the heart of that Muslim is devoid of grace of spiritualism

and Grace of Allah who does not remember by heart any portion of the Qur'an, in the same way as a deserted house is deprived of inhabitants and Blessings of Allah. What we learn from this is that every Muslim must remember some portion of the Qur'an so that he is safe from the admonition mentioned in this Hadith.

1001. `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The one who was devoted to the the Qur'an will be told on the Day of Resurrection: `Recite and ascend (in ranks) as you used to recite when you were in the world. Your rank will be at the last Ayah you recite.'''
[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Commentary: This Hadith mentions the merit of those who commit the Qur'an (whole or part thereof) to memory (Huffaz). The word `ascend' here means to rise in ranks in the Jannah. The more one remembers the Qur'an, the more clear and distinct is his recitation of it, the higher would be the status that he will go on attaining through its blessings. Thus, this Hadith provides inducement for the remembrance of the Qur'an and tells us that its frequent recitation is a means to attain higher ranks in Jannah.

Source: WitnessPioneer

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

...and yet between their two prayers lies a gulf as [vast] as that separating Heaven from earth

2011-12-07T17:19:00.000Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

“Someone who turns away in prayer, either with his eyes or his heart, is like a man whom the king summons and seats before him: just when the king starts to call out his name and addresses him, the man turns from him right and left, and his heart turns away. And since his heart is not present, he understands nothing of what the king says to him. What should this man expect from the king in return? At the very least, should he not expect to leave the palace – rejected, cast out and beneath consideration?

This worshipper is in no wise equal to the one whose heart is present, turned in prayer towards God and so aware of the Grandeur of the One before whom he stands that his heart is filled with awe, his head inclines and he would be ashamed before his Lord to face anyone else, or turn away.

About these two prayers, as Hassan bin ‘Atiya said: ‘Two men may offer prayer shoulder to shoulder, and yet between their two prayers lies a gulf as [vast] as that separating Heaven from earth. This is because one of them has his heart turned towards God, while the other is forgetful and heedless.’

Extract: The Invocation of God; Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya; page 26.

http://fafirrooelaallaah.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/between-their-two-prayers-lies-a-gulf-as-vast-as-that-separating-heaven-from-earth/

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

The divine decree related to the believer is always a bounty

2011-12-07T17:16:00.000Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

The divine decree related to the believer is always a bounty, even if it is in the form of withholding (something that is desired), and it is a blessing, even if it appears to be a trial, and an affliction that has befallen him is in reality a cure, even though it appears to be a disease!

Unfortunately, due to the ignorance of the worshipper, and his transgressions, he does not consider anything to be a gift or a blessing or a cure unless he can enjoy it immediately, and it is in accordance with his nature. If he were only given a little bit of understanding, then he would have counted being withheld from as a blessing, and the sickness as a mercy, and he would relish the trouble that befalls him more than he relishes his ease, and he would enjoy poverty more than he enjoys richness, and he would be more thankful when he is blessed with little than when he is blessed with a lot.

Imam ibn al Qayyim rahimahullah :

Madarij al-Salikin 2/215-216

Jazakillahu khairan to

“So flee unto Allah…” [51:50]

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

[Video] FUNNY Kamal El Mekki Brownie surprise...

2011-12-07T17:14:00.000Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

Disobedience Devastates Blessings

2011-11-23T18:35:00.000Z

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

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

The illustrious scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (751 AH) authored an incredible work, al-Da’ wa al-Dawa' (The Disease and the Cure), in which he detailed with remarkable insight the hideous consequences of sinning and disobeying Allah ta’ala. In this article a tiny segment of his discussion is presented, where he turns to the topic of blessings and how one is deprived of them as a result of acts of disobedience. The following is what he wrote:

"It uproots the blessings of one’s life, sustenance, knowledge, deeds and obedience. In short, it eradicates the blessings of religion and world. You will not find the least blessing in the life, religion or world of one who disobeys Allah. It is none other than the disobedience of creation that effaces blessings from the Earth. {quotes}Allah says, ‘And if the people of the towns had believed and had taqwa [piety], certainly, We would have opened for them blessings from the Heaven and the Earth’.

Allah ta’ala also says, ‘If they had adopted the right way, We would have bestowed on them water in abundance, that We might try them thereby’ [In a hadith], 'Indeed a servant is deprived of sustenance as a result of a sin he embarks upon.' In another hadith, 'The Holy Spirit [i.e., Jibra’il] released into my soul, that a soul will not die until it replenishes it’s sustenance; so fear Allah and be moderate in your supplications; what is with Allah can only be attained through obedience to Him. Indeed, Allah has decreed refreshment and joy in contentment and certainty and He has decreed anxiety and grief in doubt and discontent.' The narration mentioned by Ahmad in the chapter on ascetism [zuhd] [in his book al-Musnad] has already been cited, ‘I am Allah. If I am pleased I bestow blessings and My blessings have no limit. If I am angry I curse and my curse extends to the seventh generation.’

The expanse of sustenance and deeds is not calculated by its multitude and nor is the length of one’s age determined by the number of months and years, but the expanse of sustenance is measured by the blessing within it. It has already preceded that the age of the slave is the span of his life and that there is no life for the one who turns away from Allah and preoccupies himself with other than Him; the lives of beasts are better than his life. The life of a person is determined by the life of his heart and soul and his heart will have no life unless it knows its Maker; loves Him; worships Him alone; turns to Him in repentance; finds tranquillity in His remembrance and endearment by being near to Him. Whoever forfeits this life has lost out on all good even if he compensates it with something of the world. In fact, the world in its entirety cannot compensate for such a life. Everything the slave loses out on has a substitute but if he loses out on Allah, nothing at all can ever substitute Him. How can something that is inherently in need compensate for the One who is inherently rich; that is inherently incapable compensate for the One who is inherently able?; the dead compensate for the Ever-living who will never die?; the creation compensate for the Creator, or one who intrinsically has no existence and possessions at all compensate for One whose richness, life, perfection, generosity and mercy are essential qualities of His essence? How can one who does not own even the weight of an atom compensate for the One who possesses the dominions of the Heavens and the Earth?

The reason that disobedience of Allah eradicates the blessing of one’s sustenance and age lies in the charge of Satan with disobedience and its perpetrators. His authority is over them and he refers back to this office, its people and associates. The blessing of anything that connects and unites with Satan becomes obliterated; the mentioning of Allah’s [ta’ala] name was prescribed at times of eating, drinking, dressing, mounting and sexual relations because of the blessing associated to the name of Allah. The mention of His name expels Satan and cause blessings to materialise; nothing can challenge the name of Allah.

Anything that is not for Allah will have its blessing removed as it is the Lord alone who blesses and all blessings emanate from Him. Everything that is attributed to Him is blessed: His speech is blessed; His Messenger is blessed; His believing servant who benefits creation is blessed; His sacred house is blessed and His quiver on earth - which is Sham - is a land of blessing, Allah describes it as being blessed in six verses of His Book.

So none but He alone can bless and nothing besides what is attributed to Him is blessed, i.e., attributed to His servitude, love and pleasure since the whole universe is otherwise ascribed to His lordship and is His creation. Everything He distances from Himself be it an essence, statement or deed, does not contain any blessing or good. The closer something is to Allah determines it blessings, in direct proportion to its nearness to Him.

The direct opposite of being blessed is being cursed. The land, the person or action that Allah has cursed will be the most remote from any good or blessing. Anything that is associated and linked to it or is a route to it will contain no blessing whatsoever. Allah cursed His enemy, Iblis, and made him the furthest creation from Himself; everything that emanates from his side will hold the curse of Allah in proportion to its proximity and attachment to him. It is from this perspective that disobedience has the severest effect on effacing the blessings of one’s age, sustenance, knowledge and actions. Any period of time in which Allah is disobeyed, any wealth, body, status, knowledge and action Allah is disobeyed with, will count against the doer and not for him. The only life, wealth, strength, status, knowledge and action he really possesses is that with which Allah is obeyed.

Likewise, one may own a tremendous amount of gold and silver but his actual wealth does not extend to a thousand dirham’s or so. The case is the same for knowledge and status. It is related in At-Tirmidhi from the Prophet, 'The world is cursed; everything in it is cursed except the remembrance of Allah and whatever ensues from it or a scholar and a student.' In another narration, 'The world is cursed; everything in it is cursed except that which is for Allah.' This is what contains blessing specifically and Allah is the One Who is sought for help and upon Him we rely."

Ibn al-Qayyim and scholars of his calibre possessed the grace and favour of Allah to clearly see the effects of sins as they really are; we should ask Allah to condition ourselves to attain this clarity of sight and insight to see things for what they truly are. When we do not achieve the results we work for or miss out on the blessings we hope for, our first point of call should be to examine our own shortcomings and sins and to make amends.

___________________________________________________________
Notes:

1. Surah Al-A'raf 7:96
2. Surah Al-Jinn 72:16-17

http://www.islam21c.com/spirituality/225-disobedience-devastates-blessings

Has not the time yet come for those who believe that

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah

and what has come down of the truth?

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

...With him are the keys of the Unseen

2011-11-18T18:47:00.000Z

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

Allah says:

“With him are the keys of the Unseen. No one knows them save He. And He knows what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, naught of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a clear record.”

[Sûrah al-An`âm: 59]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

"Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.'' Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter".

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Event London]: History of Islam in India Part II, Sat 17th Dec 2011

2011-11-18T18:18:00.000Z

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

For bookings and more details http://islamiccourses.org/courses/islamic-history-of-india-part-2/

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Quran with contemplation

2011-11-14T21:20:00.000Z

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

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him) summarised what the Muslim has to do in order to remedy the hardness of his heart with the Qur’ān. He said,

‘There is nothing more beneficial for the heart than reading the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection. The Qur’ān encompasses all the levels of the travelers, the conditions of the workers, and stations of those possessing knowledge. It is the Qur’ān that generates love, desire, fear, hope, repentance, reliance, pleasure, entrustment, gratitude, patience and the rest of the different states that are life to the heart and perfection of it. Likewise, it repels all the rebuked characteristics and actions that cause the corruption and ruin of the heart. If people were to possess a realization of what the recitation of the Qur’ān with contemplation contains, they would devote themselves to it at the expense of everything else. When the person reads it with reflection and he comes across an āyah (verse) that he is in need of for curing his heart, he repeats it, even if he does so a hundred times or the whole night. Hence, to recite a single āyah of the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the Qur’ān to completion without any contemplation. It is also more beneficial for the heart and more conducive to attaining īmān (faith) and tasting the sweetness of the Qur’ān.’

LutonMuslims.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

2011-10-27T23:41:00.001+01:00

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

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "There are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days." They (the companions listening) said, "Not even Jihâd?" He, peace be upon him, said, "No, not even Jihâd except a man who goes forth endangering his life and wealth and does not return with anything." [Recorded by al-Imâm al-Bukhârî]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Video] Who is the Happy One?

2011-10-02T01:52:00.001+01:00

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Primary Schools under the Ottomans

2011-09-23T13:29:00.001+01:00

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

Shah Sultan Primary School picture located at Eyup, Istanbul

Thisshort article based on Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu's article "Ottoman Educationaland Scholarly-Scientific Institutions", History of The Ottoman Stateand Society and Civilisation (Edited by E. Ihsanoglu), Istanbul 2002, Vol.II, pp. 361-512.

Elementaryeducation and teaching in the Ottoman Empire were conducted in primary schools(sibyan mektepleri). These schools, established for the education ofchildren, were a continuation of the schools known as küttâb in Islam.They were also referred to as dar al-talim, dar al-huffaz, tashmaktab or just maktab (school).

TheClassical Period

Theseprimary schools were generally founded by elite ranked statesmen or sultans andlocated within mosque complexes (külliye), adjacent to a mosque or in aseparate structure. Because they demanded little in terms of investment infinance and space they were to be found in every village, every neighbourhoodand every district. In addition, depending upon the specifics of their charters,such schools might be coeducational or have separate buildings for girls andboys. Though the principles governing the workings of these schools, which wereestablished and managed as waqfs, were laid out in their charters they sharedmany common approaches to education.

Childrenwho reached the age of five would begin their education in these schools with avery lively ceremony known as âmin alayi or bed'-i besmele. Asfar as we can determine there were no acceptance or registration procedures forthese schools. The children from all Muslim families had the right to attendthe schools. The teachers were selected from among individuals who had some madrasaeducation or literate imams, muezzins, mosque caretakers and thelike. In addition, if it had been so specified in the school charter,calligraphy instructors would be hired for writing classes.[1]In the coeducational or girls' schools, classes would be taught byknowledgeable and experienced female teachers who had reached a certain age andwho had memorized the Qur'an.

It is notknown whether or not the primary schools had formally prepared curricula. Itis, however, possible to provide certain information about their classes basedon the terms of their charters or on the basis of regulations laid down fromtime to time.[2]The overriding purpose of these schools was to teach reading and writing tochildren and to have them learn the basics of the Islamic religion and theQur'an. As a result, an effort would be made to teach the children thealphabet, to instruct them in the Qur'an, to have them memorize certain suras, toteach them the basic principles of Islam, Qur'an recitation, penmanship and toinstruct them in the four basic arithmetical procedures known as kara cümle.In addition, they would also be asked to read certain poetic dictionariesin Arabic and Persian (lügatlar) such as the Sübha-i Sibyan and Tuhfe-iVehbî, which became classics during the eighteenth century in order tofacilitate their learning. Though there are various views concerning thelanguage of instruction of these primary schools, it is generally accepted thatthe native language of the students was used. Though no age for graduation isindicated, there was a requirement that every pupil read the Qur'an from coverto cover at least once in order to graduate.[3]

PrimaryEducation and Primary Schools after the Tanzimat Period

Ragip Pasha Primary School picture located at Laleli, Istanbul

During thereign of Sultan Mahmûd II, thought was given for the first time to reform ofcivilian schools as well as those for the military. It was in this context thatin 1824 the situation of the primary (sibyan) schools, which continuedto function along classical Ottoman educational lines, was taken up forconsideration. Mahmûd II issued an edict pertaining to "PrimaryEducation" (Tâlim-i Sibyan) that same year which outlined theprinciples, which should govern young children's education. Accordingly it wasrecommended that children be sent to school rather than serving as apprenticesand that, furthermore, they continue in school until they reached puberty. Thisedict, which only pertained to Istanbul, included certain sanctions. Because ofthe influence the madrasas had over the primary schools theadministration of such schools was left to the office of the Shaykh al-Islam.[4]

In 1838Sultan Mahmûd II undertook another improvement in the area of primaryeducation. To that end, the General Council for Public Works (Meclis-iUmûr-i Nâfia) prepared a report, which Mahmûd approved with a few changes.The main purpose of the report was to bring about a reform of primary education.Among the articles of the report, perhaps the most important of them, was theone, which viewed the educational system as a whole and called for a harmoniousinterrelationship among all levels.

Thereport largely puts forth proposals of a general nature rather than ones with aspecific focus. Accordingly, certain instructions of an advisory nature weremade with regard to matters such as required attendance, the system of classes,the opening of boarding schools for orphans and the monitoring of teachers.Leaving the administration of the schools to the office of the Shaykhal-Islam, however, constituted a barrier to the realization of the desiredchanges.

SultanAbdülmecîd began the first efforts at primary school reform during the Tanzimatperiod in 1845. The imperial edict proclaimed at that time called for an end toignorance and an improvement of public comportment in the country. In 1845 theProvisional Council prepared a report which in sum called for thereorganization of the existing primary schools. The report included articlespertaining, among other things, to first initiating the reforms at the localschool level, providing instructions to the teachers in the existing schoolsfor each of the classes they were teaching, only having licensed personsemployed as teachers, and the initiation of a system of graded classes andexaminations. The Public Education Council (Meclis-i Maârif-i Umûmî)began putting these decisions into effect and established a Ministry of PublicSchools (Mekâtib-i Umûmiye Nezâreti) to implement the measures in theschools and to monitor the situation.

A new erabegan with respect to the reform of the primary schools in 1847 with adirective prepared by the Ministry of Public Schools meant to be a guide forteachers. According to the directive, the course of education was to be fouryears with the primary schools providing the foundation for the middle schools.Turkish was to be emphasized, education nationalized, blackboards and pens andpen cases were to be used, and attendance was to be made mandatory.[5]These decisions were, however, for a variety of reasons, never implemented andthe primary schools continued offering education in the old style. In 1857,with the founding of the Ministry of Education (Maârif Nezâreti), thereform of primary schools was once again taken up, but nothing was done in thisrespect before 1863. Istanbul was selected as a pilot area and the decisions of1846 were put into effect. In the meantime some new ideas were in the air, suchas the state paying the salaries of teachers and the provision of free primaryeducation. The Commission on Muslim Primary Schools (Mekâtib-i Sibyan-iMüslime Komisyonu) established in 1864 prepared a ten-point set ofregulations for the primary schools. The regulations provided for the followinginnovations: the inclusion of penmanship, civics (mâlûmât-i nâfia),geography and arithmetic among the lessons offered. However, this set ofregulations was also not put into effect.[6]

Kuyucu Murad Pasha Primary School picture located at Eyup, Istanbul

Thereform of the entire educational system, and in that sense the primary schoolsystem, had to wait until the Public Education Regulations (Maârif-i UmûmiyeNizamnâmesi) of 1869. The sections of the regulations which pertain toprimary schools can be divided into four headings: prescriptions of a generalnature, those pertaining to classes and examinations, those concerning teachersand those pertaining to financial matters. The prescriptions of a generalnature in the regulations included such things as that at least one primaryschool should be opened in each neighbourhood or village offering a four-yeareducation, that boys be required to attend school between the ages of six andten and girls between seven and eleven and that if there were two schools inone neighbourhood, one should be allocated to boys, the other to girls. Amongthe prescriptions pertaining to classes and examinations in the regulations isone, which prescribes a required curriculum and indicates that such acurriculum may only be changed with the permission of the Ministry. Thatprovision also states that examinations should be given in the presence of thevillage or neighbourhood council of elders. Teachers were required to beOttoman subjects and Men's Normal School (Dâr al-muallimîn) graduates.The income of these primary schools would come from wakif sources, locallevies (avâriz parasi), estates of those leaving no heirs, Ramazan alms(fitre), alms (zekât) and monies gained from sales of the skinsof animals which had been sacrificed.

Thereform of primary (sibyan) schools based on the Regulations of 1869 andthe opening of newly reorganized schools called ibtidâî (elementary)schools began in 1870. This effort targeted the entire empire, not justIstanbul. As part of this enterprise, books were prepared for the newelementary schools that were quite different both in terms of format andcontent from than those which had been in use to date. The primary schools continuedto provide a traditional sort of education. In order to put into practice andexperiment a little with the newly prepared curriculum, an elementary schoolwas opened up in 1872 at the Nuruosmâniye Mosque. The implementation of theRegulations of 1869 began in Rumelia some time after that. Two important pointsare notable from a set of instructions also published in the same year. Thefirst of these pertains to the attempt to turn over the administration of theprimary schools to the local neighbourhood populace. The second concerns theeffort to establish a commission to prepare a guidebook for teachers at theprimary schools. Such things were not however put into practice until the timeof Sultan Abdülhamîd II.

Iskender Pasha Primary School picture located at Eyup, Istanbul

Duringthe reign of Sultan Abdülhamîd II the question of primary education was given aplace in the Constitution (Kanûn-i Esâsî) of 1876. An article in theConstitution makes primary education mandatory: "All Ottoman youth shallbe required to complete the first stage of the educational system and the stepsand details with regard to this shall be spelled out in specialregulations." In 1879 a Bureau of Primary Schools (Mekâtib-i SibyâniyeDâiresi) was established and was divided into two departments, one dealingwith the "Mekâtib-i Sibyâniye" (Primary Schools) which offereda traditional primary school education and the other responsible for the "Mekâtib-iIptidâiye" (Elementary Schools) during that period. In 1882 theMinister of Education tried to do away with this dichotomous system by placinghis weight behind the elementary (iptidâî) schools and eventually theprimary (sibyan) schools were transformed into elementary schools. By1909 many of the primary schools had come to adopt the new style curriculum.The accomplishments in the areas of primary schooling and education during thereign of Abdülhamîd can be summarized as follows. An elementary educationalorganizational structure was constructed for the obligatory primary schoolsystem in both the capital and in the provinces as an administrative measure.Elementary schools were opened and proliferated. The new type of education wasintroduced into the primary schools. Priority was given to primary education inplaces where there was a dense Muslim population. The attempt was made tosecure contributions from the public in the area of education. Normal schoolswere opened in the provinces in order to train teachers. Decisions taken in thisarea were systematically implemented. In addition, a large number of elementaryschools were opened in Istanbul during that period. Corporal punishment andother severe forms of punishment were forbidden in the schools. An effort wasmade to spread education to the provinces. However, the poor financialsituation of the country made it difficult to fully realize these ambitions.[7]

In orderto understand the intense activity during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamîd II inthe field of education one can undertake a statistical analysis of elementaryschools, both those already existing and those offering the new type ofeducation, in various provinces of the Ottoman Empire between 1905 and 1906.Accordingly, there were 355 state and nine private elementary schools inIstanbul, the capital, twelve of these boys schools, seventeen for girls and326 of them mixed. The situation for Anatolian cities was as follows. In Aydin therewere a total 1379 schools, 669 of which were for boys, 92 for girls and 698were mixed. In Kastamonu there were a total of 855, 52 of which were for boys,23 for girls and 780 mixed. In Trabzon there were a total of 526 schools, 82 ofwhich were for boys, one for girls and 443 were mixed. In Bursa there were atotal of 56 state schools, 43 for boys, seven for girls and six mixed, and atotal of 1406 private schools, 1208 of which were for boys, seven for girlswith 191 mixed. In addition, in Anatolia, Canakkale had more than 400elementary schools, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Konya, Sivas and Izmit more than 200and Erzurum more than 100. We observe the same density in the Balkans. Forexample, there were more than 500 schools in Kosovo and Manastir, more than 200in Edirne, and more than 100 in Iskodra and Yanya. In the Aegean islands therewere a total of 68 elementary schools, thirteen of them for boys, eight forgirls and 47 mixed. We observe the same intense process of elementary schoolconstruction in the Ottoman Arab provinces. For example, there were more than300 schools in Jerusalem, more than 200 in Beirut, and more than 100 in Aleppo.[8]

[1] F. R. Unat, Türkiye EgitimSisteminin Gelismesine Tarihi Bir Bakis (Ankara, 1964), 6-7.

[2] B. Kodaman, Abdülhamid DevriEgitim Sistemi, 2d ed. (Ankara, 1991), 58-60.

[3] For primary schools see ibid,58-66; I. Bozdemir, "Osmanli Sibyan Mekteplerinde Egitim veÖgretim" (Master Thesis, Istanbul University, Social Sciences Institute,Istanbul, 1991).

[4] F. R. Unat, Türkiye EgitimSisteminin, 8.

[5] B. Kodaman, Abdülhamid Devri,59-60.

[6] Ibid., 63-65.

[7] Ibid., 65-90.

[8] Ibid., 89-90.

by: Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Wed 10 August, 2005

Source: MuslimHeritage

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Here Is What I Wrote ... From My Heart

2011-09-23T13:16:00.004+01:00

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

A Letter by Malcolm X, may Allâh have mercy upon him
Quoted from The Autobiography of Malcolm X printed by Penguin Classics

Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors.

I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Makkah, I have made my seven circuits around the ka'bah, led by a young religious guide (mutawaf) named Muhammad, I drank water from the well of the Zam-Zam. I ran seven times back and forth between the hills of Mt. as-Safa and al-Marwah. I have prayed in the ancient city of Mina, and I have prayed on Mt. Arafat.

There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.

America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white - but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color.

You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept on the same rug - while praying to the same God - with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of the white Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana.

We were truly all the same (brothers) - because their belief in one God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behaviour, and the white from their attitude.

I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man - and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their 'differences' in color.

With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called 'Christian' white American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to save America from imminent disaster - the same destruction brought upon Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves.

Each hour here in the Holy Land enables me to have greater spiritual insights into what is happening in America between black and white. The American Negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities - he is only reacting to four hundred years of the conscious racism of the American whites. But as racism leads America up the suicide path, I do believe, from the experiences that I have had with them, that the whites of the younger generation, in the colleges and universities, will see the handwriting on the walls and many of them will turn to the spiritual path of truth - the only way left to America to ward off the disaster that racism inevitably must lead to.

Never have I been so highly honored. Never have I been made to feel more humble and unworthy. Who would believe the blessings that have been heaped upon an American Negro? A few nights ago, a man who would be called in America a white man, a United Nations diplomat, an ambassador, a companion of kings, gave me his hotel suite, his bed. Never would I have even thought of dreaming that I would ever be a recipient of such honors - honors that in America would be bestowed upon a King - not a Negro.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds.

Sincerely,

Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X)

Source

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Points of Benefit

2011-09-03T15:46:00.004+01:00

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

Points of BenefitIbn Qayyim al Jawziyyah

from al-Fawaa'id of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Faid ur-Rahmaan fee al-Fawaa'id il-Hisaan no. 1 p. 30-32
Abridged by Sh. Husain al-Awaayishah

* How can anyone who has common sense trade Paradise and what is in it for the pleasure of one hour?

* When you fear the creation, you feel repelled by it and run away from it, but when you fear the Creator, you feel close to Him and run towards Him.

* If knowledge without action were of benefit, why did Allaah condemn the scholars of the People of the Book? And if action without sincerity were of benefit, why did He condemn the hypocrites?

* Repel the thought, for if you don't, it becomes an idea. So repel the idea, for if you don't it will become a desire. So fight against that (desire), for if you don't, it will become a determination and a passion. And if you don't repel that, it will become an action. And if you don't replace it with its opposite, it will become a constant habit. So at that point, it will be difficult for you to change it.

* When a decreed matter occurs to Allaah's 'abd (slave), which he dislikes, then he should have six perspectives about it

- First: The Perspective of Tawheed:

And that Allaah is the One who decreed it and willed it and created it. And whatever Allaah wills comes to pass, and whatever He doesn't will doesn't come to pass

- Second: The Perspective of Fairness:

And that He ruled this event to occur in the past and that there is fairness in His Divine ordainment.

- Third: The Perspective of Mercy:

And that the person's mercy with regard to this thing that was decreed supercedes his anger and vengeance

- Fourth: The Perspective of Wisdom:

And that it was Allaah's infinite Wisdom that brought that about. He did not decree it in vain nor did He divinely execute it for no purpose

- Fifth: The Perspective of Praise:

And that to Allaah belongs the complete and entire praise for that thing that was decreed from every angle of it.

- Sixth: The Perspective of Worship to Allaah ('Ubudiyyah):

And that he is a pure worshipper of Allaah from every standpoint. His Master's Rulings and Decrees occur to him by virtue of his being Allaah's possession and slave. So Allaah administers him under His decreed rulings just as He administers him under His religious rulings. So it (i.e. the decreed event) becomes a place for these rulings to occur to him.

* Little success (from Allaah), bad views, unawareness of the truth, corruption of the heart, laziness in making dhikr, wasting time, distaste for the creation, estrangement between the servant and his Lord, the prevention of the supplication from being answered, hardening of the heart, the termination of blessing from ones provision and lifespan, the prevention of knowledge, being covered in debasement, humiliation at the hands of the enemy, constricting of the chest, prolonged grief and sorrow, a wretchedlife of poverty, and a gloomy state of being are all produced from sins and neglecting to remember Allaah just as crops are produced from water and burning from fire. And the opposites of these things are produced from obedience to Allaah.#

* If your mind would free itself from the governorship of your desires, the state would return back to it.

* You have entered into the abode of desires, so you have put your life at stake.

* It was once to said to one devout worshipper of Allaah: "Until when will you continue to exhaust your soul?" So he responded: "It is its relaxation that I seek."

* The women of this world were made beautiful to those who can see in order to test which of them prefers them over the women of the Hereafter. So whoever knows the extent of differences, he will choose what deserves to be chosen.

l-Fawaa’id: Points Of Benefit

Author: Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

[1] Six Etiquettes of Learning

Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullaah - said:

"There are six stages to knowledge:-

Firstly: Asking questions in a good manner.

Secondly: Remaining quiet and listening attentively.

Thirdly: Understanding well.

Fourthly: Memorising.

Fifthly: Teaching.

Sixthly - and it is its fruit: Acting upon the knowledge and keeping to its limits." [Miftaah Daarus-Sa'aadah (p.283)]

[2] Fruits of Humility

Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullaah - said in Al-Waabilus-Sayib minal-Kalimit-Tayyib (p.15) that one of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) said:

"Indeed a servant commits a sin by which he enters Paradise; and another does a good deed by which he enters the Fire." It was asked: How is that? So he replied: "The one who committed the sin, constantly thinks about it; which causes him to fear it, regret it, weep over it and feel ashamed in front of his Lord the Most High - due to it. He stands before Allaah, broken-hearted and with his head lowered in humility. So this sin is more beneficial to him than doing many acts of obedience, since it caused him to have humility and humbleness - which leads to the servant's happiness and success - to the extent that this sin becomes the cause for him entering Paradise. As for the doer of good, then he does not consider this good a favour from his Lord upon him. Rather, he becomes arrogant and amazed with himself, saying: I have achieved such and such, and such and such. So this further increases him in self-adulation, pride and arrogance - such that this becomes the cause for his destruction."

[3] Purifying the Heart

Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullaah - said:

"There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes - silver, and their like - become rusty. So the rust of the heart is polished with dhikr (remembrance of Allaah), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror. However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed. Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and ghaflah (neglecting remembrance of Allaah). Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things: istigfaar (seeking Allaah's forgiveness) and dhikr." [Al-Waabilus-Sayyib (p.80)]

[4] Jihaad Against the Self

"Jihaad (striving) against the soul has four stages:

Firstly: To strive in learning guidance and the religion of truth, without which there will be no success. Indeed, there can be no true happiness, nor any delight in this world and in the Herefater, except through it.

Secondly: Striving to act upon what has been learnt, since knowledge without action will not benefit, rather it will cause harm.

Thirdly: Striving to invite others towards it and to teach those who do not know, otherwise he may be considered from those who hide what Allaah has revealed of guidance and clear explanation. Such knowledge will neither benefit, nor save a person from the punishment of Allaah.

Fourthly: Striving to be patient and persevering against those who oppose this da'wah (call) to Allaah and those who seek to cause harm - patiently bearing all these hardships for the sake of Allaah.

When these four stages are completed then such a person is considered to be amongst the Rabbaaniyyoon. The Salaf were agreed that a Scholar does not deserve the title of Rabbaanee until he recognises and knows the truth, acts upon it, and teaches it to others. So whosoever has knowledge, acts upon it, and teaches this knowledge to others, is considered from the Rabbaaniyyoon." [Zaadul-Ma'aad fi Hadee Khayril-'Ibaad (pp.9-11)]

[5] Trials of the Heart

Ibn al-Qayyirn said, whilst commenting upon the following hadeeth:

"Trials and tribulations will be presented to hearts, as a reed mat is interwoven stick by stick. Any heart which absorbs these trials will have a black mark put in it. However, any heart that rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that hearts will be of two kinds: one white like a white stone, which will not be harmed by trials as long as the heavens and earth endure; and the other dark and rusty, like an over-turned vessel; not able to recognise the good, nor reject evil, but rather being absorbed with its desires." [Related by Muslim (no.144), from Hudhayfah (radi-Allaahu 'anhu)]

"The fitan (trials) which are presented to the hearts - and which are the cause of its weakness - are:

1. the trials relating to shahwah (false desire) and

2. the trials relating to shubhah (doubt) ... So the first causes intentions and desires to be corrupted, whilst the second causes knowledge and beliefs to be corrupted." [Ighaathatul-Luhfaan (p.40)]

Speaking about such trials, he - rahimahullaah - said:

"Hearts - when exposed to such fitan (trials) - are of two types:

[The first type]: a heart, which, when exposed to such trials, absorbs it like a sponge that soaks-up water, leaving in it a black stain. Such a heart continues to soak-up the various trials that are presented to it, until it becomes dark and corrupted - which is what is meant by "an over-turned vessel", so when this occurs, two dangerous and deadly diseases take hold of it and plunge it into destruction:

Firstly: confusing good with evil, so it neither recognises the good, nor rejects the evil. This disease may take hold of it to such an extent that it believes good to be evil; and evil to be good, Sunnah to be bid'ah (innovation); and innovations to be the Sunnah, and the truth to be falsehood; and falsehood the truth.

Secondly: judging by its whims and desires, over and against what Allaah's Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) came with - being enslaved by its whims and desires and being led by them also.

[The second type]: a white heart in which the light of eemaan is bright and its radiance is illuminating. So when trials are presented to such a heart, it rejects and turns away from them. This further increases its light and illumination and its strength." [Ighaathatul-Luhfaan (pp. 39-40)]

[6] Four Principles of Worship

"(The Aayah): "You alone do we worship." [Soorah al-Faatihah 1:5] is built upon four principles:- Ascertaining what Allaah and His Messenger love and are pleased with, from

1. the sayings of the heart and
2. of the tongue; and
3. the actions of the heart and
4. of the limbs.

So al-'uboodiyyah (servitude and slavery to Allaah) is a comprehensive term for all these for stages. The one who actualises them has indeed actualised: "You alone do we worship."

The saying of the heart: It is i'tiqaad (belief) in what Allaah - the Most Perfect - informed about His Self; concerning His Names, His Attributes, His Actions, His Angels, and all that He sent upon the tongue of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).

The saying of the tongue: It is to inform and convey (what Allaah has revealed), to call to it, defend it, to explain the false innovations which oppose it, to establish its remembrance and to convey what it orders.

The action of the heart: Such as love for Him, reliance upon Him, repenting to Him, having fear and hope in Him, making the Deen purely and sincerely for Him, having patience in what He orders and prohibits, having patience with what He decrees and being pleased with it, having allegiance and enmity for His sake, humbling oneself in front of Him and having humility in front of Him, becoming tranquil with Him and other than this from the actions of the heart which are actually connected to the action of the limbs ... and actions of the limbs without the action of the heart is of little benefit, if any benefit at all.

The action of the limbs: Such as Prayer and Jihaad, attending the Jumu'ah and being with the Jamaa'ah, aiding those who are unable and displaying goodness and kindness to the creation, and other than this." [Madaarijus-Saalikeen (1/100-101)]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Fasting the entire year...

2011-09-03T15:28:00.001+01:00

Fasting Six Days of Shawwal after Ramadan: 'Like Fasting the Entire Year'

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

Ayyub (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days from Shawwal it is as if they fasted the entire year.” [Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah; Ahmad transmitted it from Jabir, Muntaqa]

Thawban (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan, and then six days after Eid, it is [like fasting] an entire year. Whoever does a good deed shall have ten times its reward.” [Ibn Majah, Muntaqa]

1. Based on this, the majority of the fuqaha, including the Hanafi, Shafi`i, and Hanbali school, have held that it is recommended to fast six days of the month of Shawwal. [Radd al-Muhtar; Mughni al-Muhtaj Shah al-Minhaj; Kashshaf al-Qina`]

2. It is permitted to fast these six days separately throughout the month, or consecutively, after Eid al-Fitr. [ibid.]

3. It is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman) and sinful to fast on Eid day itself. [Radd al-Muhtar]

4. The Shafi`is and Hanbalis state that it is superior to make the six fasts consecutive [Minhaj, Ghayat al-Muntaha]. Khatib al-Shirbini explains the reasoning as being, “In order to hasten to do the good, and because of the problems inevitable in delaying,” such as becoming lazy and not actually fulfilling this sunna in the end, though he points out that the sunna is fulfilled by both consecutive and non-consecutive fasting of six days in Shawwal. [Mughni al-Muhtaj]

The later Hanafi scholars differed as to which is better, fasting the six days consecutively or non-consecutively, though neither is disliked and both fulfill the sunna. [Radd al-Muhtar] However, it would be agreed that those who fear not fulfilling the recommendation due to laziness, forgetfulness or other excuses, should hasten to fast the six days consecutively immediately after Eid al-Fitr.

5. The reward is akin to having fasted obligatory fasts the entire year days, according to Buhuti, Shirbini, and others.

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said,

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both. Be avid for that which benefits you. Rely on Allah and do not deem yourself incapable…”[Muslim 4816, Ibn Majah 76, Ahmad 8436]

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) explained that the ‘strength’ in this hadith refers to, “One’s determination and ability in matters of the next life.” [Sharh Sahih Muslim]

And Allah alone gives success.

[ref: Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar `ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar 2.125 Bulaq ed.; Khatib al-Shirbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj Sharh al-Minhaj 2.184-185; Buhuti, Kashshaf al-Qina` 2.237-238]

Source

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Eidul Fitr 2011, Tues 30th Aug :)

2011-08-30T00:56:00.001+01:00

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

Eid Mubarak!

Eid ul-Fitr will be on Tuesday 30th August 2011.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Parting Farewell Advice of Ramadan - Nouman Ali Khan

2011-08-29T05:46:00.000+01:00

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Ibn al Jawzi on the Matter of Dua’s not being answered

2011-08-29T05:30:00.000+01:00

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

The Islamic Network - www.islaam.net

Monday, 29 Ramadân 1432 AH / 29th August 2011 CE

Ibn al Jawzi on the Matter of Dua’s not being answered

One of the common complaints of many of us Muslims is that when we make Dua, we don’t see its immediate effects. As a result, we get disheartened and lose hope in the effectiveness and powers of our Dua. The post below highlights a passage written by Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) where he discusses this topic.
For those of us who don’t know, Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (508 AH – 597 AH) is known to be one of the most prolific authors in Islamic history. According to a research conducted on the extent of his research works, the number of Ibn al-Jawzi’s books is more than 376 texts. Some even say that he is the author of more than 700 works.

About the matter of Dua’s not being answered. Ibn al-Jawzi in one of his books commented the following:

I think part of the test is when a believer supplicates and receives no response, and he repeats the dua for a long time and sees no sign of a response. He should realize that this is a test and needs patience.

What a person experiences of waswaas (whispers from shaytan) when the response is delayed is a sickness which needs medicine – I have experienced this myself. A calamity befell me and I supplicated and did not see any response, and Iblees started to lay his traps. Sometimes he said: The generosity (of Allah) is abundant and He is not miserly, so why is there a delay?

I said to him: Be gone, O cursed one, for I have no need of anyone to argue my case and I do not want you as a supporter!

Then I told myself: Beware of going along with his whispers, for if there was no other reason for the delay except that Allah is testing you to see whether you will fight the enemy, that is sufficient wisdom.

My soul (nafs) said: How could you explain the delay in the response of Allah to your prayers for relief from this calamity?

I said: It is proven with evidence that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Sovereign, and the Sovereign may withhold or give, so there is no point in objecting to Him.

The wisdom behind that is proven in definitive evidence. I may think that something is good, but wisdom does not dictate it, but the reason for that may be hidden, just as a doctor may do things that appear outwardly to be harmful, intending some good purpose thereby. Perhaps this is something of that nature. There may be an interest to be served by delay, and haste may be harmful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A person will be fine so long as he does not become impatient and says, ‘I prayed but I did not receive any answer.’”

The response may be withheld because of some fault in you. Perhaps there was something dubious in what you ate or your heart was heedless at the time when you said the dua, or your punishment is being increased by means of your need being withheld, because of some sin from which you have not repented sincerely. So look for some of these reasons, so that you might achieve your aim.

You should examine the intention behind this request, because attaining it may lead to more sin, or prevent you from doing some good, so withholding it is better.

Perhaps losing what you have missed out on will cause you to turn to Allah and getting it will distract you from Him. This is obvious, based on the fact that were it not for this calamity you would not have turned to Him, because the real calamity is what distracts you from Him, but what makes you stand before Him is good for you and is in your best interests.

If you ponder these things you will focus on what is more beneficial for you, such as correcting a mistake or seeking forgiveness or standing before Allah and beseeching Him, and forget about what you have missed out on.

End quote. Source: Sayd al-Khaatir (59-60). (This publication is in three volumes containing aphorisms and wise counsels)

About the issue of Dua’s being accepted, the following two sayings by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are also very noteworthy:

It was narrated that Faddalah ibn ‘Ubayd said:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man making dua after his prayer, but he did not send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “This man is in a hurry.” Then he called him and said to him or to someone else: “When any one of you has finished praying (and makes dua), let him start by praising Allah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then after that let him ask for whatever he wants.” Al-Albani said: it is a saheeh hadeeth. (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2765.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

The slave will receive a response so long as his dua does not involve sin or severing of family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.” It was said, “What does being hasty mean?” He said: “When he says, ‘I made dua and I made dua, and I have not seen any response,’ and he gets frustrated and stops making dua.” Narrated by al-Bukahari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.

Finally, for those of us who have abandoned the practice of Dua, we may be missing something quite important. Wishing is not the same thing as making a Dua. We may keep wishing our wishes but we have a better chance of seeing them materialized when we actually make the effort to enter the state of Dua and asking Him what we want.

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Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Video] Don't worry, Allaah will provide

2011-08-27T04:58:00.001+01:00

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

VIRTUES OF FASTING IN SUMMER

2011-08-11T10:35:00.000+01:00

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

VIRTUES OF FASTING IN SUMMER

By Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

Ibn Rajab commented on the virtues of fasting in the heat in 'Lata'if al-Ma'arif' (p. 272-273):

"...And from the acts of worship whose reward is multiplied during the heat is fasting, and this is because of the thirst that one experiences in the mid-day heat.

This is why Mu'adh bin Jabal expressed regret on his deathbed that he would no longer experience this mid-day thirst, as did other early Muslims.

And it was related that Abu Bakr would fast in the summer and not fast in the winter, and 'Umar advised his son 'Abdullah on his deathbed: "Try to obtain the characteristics of faith," and the first one he mentioned was fasting in the intense summer heat.

And al-Qasim bin Muhammad said that 'A'ishah would fast in the intense heat, and he was asked: "What drove her to do this?" He replied: "She would take advantage of the days before death." And some of the righteous women would choose the hottest days and fast them, saying: "If the price is low, everyone will buy," meaning that she wanted to do those actions that only a few were capable of due to how hard it was to do them, and this is indicative of the high aspirations these women had.

And Abu Musa al-Ash'ari was on a boat, and he heard someone calling out: "O passengers, stand up!" And he said this three times. So, Abu Musa told him: "How can we stand up? Don't you see where we are? How can we stand up?" So, the caller said: "Let me tell you of a rule that Allah made upon Himself: whoever makes himself thirsty for Allah's sake on a hot day has the right upon Allah to have his thirst quenched on the Day of Resurrection." So, Abu Musa would search out the days that were so hot that one would feel he was being cooked, and he would fast those days.

Ka'b said that Allah Said to Musa: "I made it incumbent upon Myself that whoever is thirsty for My sake will have his thirst quenched on the Day of Resurrection," and others said that it's written in the Torah: "Glad tidings for whoever makes himself hungry in anticipation of the Great Day where he will have his hunger satisfied, and glad tidings for whoever makes himself thirsty in anticipation of the Great Day where he will have his thirst quenched."

al-Hasan said: "A maiden of Paradise will speak to the wali of Allah while he is laying with her on the shore of a river of honey in Paradise while she hands him a glass of the sweetest drink, and she will ask him: "Do you know what day Allah married me to you? He Saw you on a long summer day while you were thirsty in the mid-day heat, and He called the Angels and Said: "Look at My slave. He has left his wife and pleasure and food and drink for Me out of his desire for what I have for him. Bear witness that I have Forgiven him," and He Forgave you on that day and married you to me.""

And when 'Amir bin 'Abd Qays went from Basrah to Sham, Mu'awiyah would ask him to tell him what he needed. He refused to ask of him, and eventually said: "All I need is for you to return the heat of Basrah to me to make the fasting a bit harder, as it is too easy in your lands."

And al-Hajjaj was on a journey between Makkah and Madinah. He pulled out his dinner and invited a bedouin to eat with him, and the bedouin said: "I have been invited by One who is better than you and I have accepted the invitation." He asked: "And who is this?" The man replied: "Allah invited me to fast, and I fasted." al-Hajjaj asked: "On this very hot day?" The man replied: "Yes. I am fasting it in anticipation of a much hotter day." al-Hajjaj said: "So, eat today and fast tomorrow." The man replied: "Only if you can guarantee that I will live until tomorrow." al-Hajjaj said: "This isn't in my hands." The man said: "How can you ask me to do something now when there is something of the future that isn't in your hands?"

And Ibn 'Umar went on a trip once with some companions, and they saw a sheep-herder who they invited to eat with them. He said: "I am fasting," and Ibn 'Umar said: "You are fasting in heat like this, and while you are between all these plants and sheep?" The herder replied: "I'm taking advantage of my remaining days." Ibn 'Umar was impressed by this reply and said: "Can you sell one of your sheep to us? We'll feed you from its meat when you break your fast, and we'll also pay you for it." The herder said: "It doesn't belong to me. It belongs to my master." Ibn 'Umar said: "What would your master say if you told him that it was eaten by a wolf?" The herder raised his finger to the sky and said: "What about Allah?" Ibn 'Umar kept repeating this phrase that the herder was saying, and when he got to the city, he went to the herder's owner and bought him and his sheep from him. He then freed the herder and gave him his sheep as a gift.

And Ruh bin Zinba' was traveling between Makkah and Madinah on a very hot day. A herder living on a mountain approached him, and he said to him: "O herder, come eat with me." The herder said: "I'm fasting." Ruh said: "You're fasting in this heat?" The herder replied: "Should I let my days pass by in vain?" So, Ruh said: "You have used your days wisely, O herder, while Ruh bin Zinba' has wasted his."

And Ibn 'Umar used to fast extra days until he would almost faint, and this wouldn't cause him to break his fast. And al-Imam Ahmad would fast until he was about to pass out, and would wipe water over his face. He was asked about fasting very hot days, and he replied:
"There is nothing wrong with wetting a towel to squeeze the water on himself to cool down with." And the Prophet (saw) would pour water over his head while fasting.

And Abu ad-Darda' would say:
"Fast the very hot days in anticipation of the Day of Resurrection, and pray two rak'at in the darkness of night in anticipation of the darkness of the grave."
And it's reported in the two 'Sahih's that he said:
"You have seen us with the Messenger of Allah (saw) on some of his journeys on very hot days, and a man would hold his hand against his head due to the intensity of the heat, and none of them would be fasting except the Messenger of Allah and 'Abdullah bin Rawahah."
And the narration of Muslim states that Abu ad-Darda' said: "This was during the month of Ramadan."

When those who fast for Allah in the heat are patient despite their intense thirst, He set aside a specific gate of the gates of Paradise for them. This is the gate called Rayyan, and whoever enters through it will drink, and whoever drinks after entering it will never be thirsty again. When they enter through it, it will be locked for those after them, and none will enter through it except them..."

(JazakAllaahu khairan Raaida)

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

♥ Oh people! A great month has come over you.... ♥

2011-07-31T12:39:00.000+01:00

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

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying,

"Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all."

[Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says, "Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted." [Narrated by Tabarani]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Nasheed Video] Welcome O Ramadhan - Zain Bhikha

2011-07-31T12:35:00.000+01:00

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Nasheed Video] NASHEED Welcome Ramadan - Shaykh Mishary Rashid Al Afasy

2011-07-31T12:33:00.002+01:00

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

The Inner Secrets of Fasting

2011-07-20T23:45:00.000+01:00

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

The Inner Secrets of Fasting

Imam Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisee

Mukhtasar Minhaaj ul-Qaasideen (pp. 38-41) Hudaa, Ramadhaan 1419 Translated by Ismaa`eel Ibn al-Arkaan and edited by Abu Khaliyl.

Know, that in the fast (Sawm) is a special quality that is not found in anything else. And that is its close connection to Allah, such that He says: "The fast (Sawm) is for Me and I will reward it." [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]

This connection is enough to show the high status of fasting. Similarly, the Ka`bah is highly dignified due to its close connection to Him, as occurs in His statement:

"And sanctify My House." [Soorah al-Hajj:26]

Indeed, the fast is only virtuous due to two significant concepts:

The first: It is a secret and hidden action thus, no one from the creation is able to see it. Therefore riyaa' (showing off) cannot enter into it.

The second: It is a means of subjugating the enemies of Allah. This is because the road that the enemies (of Allah) embark upon (in order to misguide the Son of Aadam) is that of desires. And eating and drinking strengthens the desires.

There are many reports that indicate the merits of fasting, and they are all well known.

The recommended acts of fasting

The pre-dawn meal (suhoor) and delaying in taking it are preferable, as well as hastening to break the fast and doing so with dates.

Generosity in giving is also recommended during Ramadaan, as well as doing good deeds and increasing in charity. This is in accordance with the way of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).

It is also recommended to study the Qur'aan and perform I`tikaaf during Ramadaan, especially in the last ten days, as well as increasing upon the exertion (towards doing good deeds) in it.

In the two Saheehs, `Aa'ishah said:
"When the (last) ten days (of Ramadaan) would come, the Prophet would tighten his waist-wrapper (izaar), spend the night in worship, and wake his family up (for prayer)." [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]

The scholars have mentioned two views concerning the meaning of "tighten his waist-wrapper (izaar)":

The first: It means the turning away from women.

The second: It is an expression denoting his (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) eagerness and diligence in doing good deeds.

They also say that the reason for his (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) exertion in the last ten days of Ramadaan was due to his (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) seeking of the Night of Al-Qadr (Lailatul-Qadr).

An explanation of the inner secrets of fasting and its characteristics

There are three levels of fasting: The general fast, the specific fast, and the more specific fast.

As for the general fast, then it is the refraining of the stomach and the private parts from fulfilling their desires.

The specific fast is the refraining of ones gaze, tongue, hands, feet, hearing and eyes, as well as the rest of his body parts from committing sinful acts.

As for the more specific fast, then it is the heart's abstention from its yearning after the worldly affairs and the thoughts which distance one away from Allah, as well as its (the heart's) abstention from all the things that Allah has placed on the same level.

From the characteristics of the specific fast is that one lowers his gaze and safeguards his tongue from the repulsive speech that is forbidden, disliked, or which has no benefit, as well as controlling the rest of his body parts.

In a hadeeth reported by Al-Bukhaaree:
"Whosoever does not abandon false speech and the acting upon it, Allah is not in need of him leaving off his food and drink." [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah]

Another characteristic of the specific fast is that one does not overfill himself with food during the night. Instead, he eats in due measure, for indeed, the son of Aadam does not fill a vessel more evil than his stomach.

If he were to eat his fill during the first part of the night, he would not make good use of himself for the remainder of the night. In the same way, if he eats to his fill for suhoor, he does not make good use of himself until the afternoon. This is because excessive eating breeds laziness and lethargy. Therefore, the objective of fasting disappears due to one's excessiveness in eating, for what is intended by the fast, is that one savors the taste of hunger and becomes an abandoner of desires.

Recommended Fasts

As for the recommended fasts, then know that preference for fasting is established in certain virtuous days. Some of these virtuous days occur every year, such as fasting the first six days of the month of Shawaal after Ramadaan, fasting the day of `Arafah, the day of `Aashooraa, and the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram.

Some of them occur every month, such as the first part of the month, the middle part of it, and the last part of it. So whoever fasts the first part of the month, the middle part of it, and the last part of it, then he has done well.

Some fasts occur every week, and they are every Monday and Thursday.

The most virtuous of the recommended fasts is the fast of Dawood (`alayhis salaam). He would fast one day and break his fast the next day. This achieves the following three objectives:

The soul is given its share on the day the fast is broken. And on the day of fasting, it completes its worship in full.

The day of eating is the day of giving thanks and the day of fasting is the day of having patience. And Faith (Eemaan) is divided into two halves - that of thankfulness and that of patience. [Note: the hadeeth with a similar stament is unauthentic, see adh-Dha`eefah: 625]

It is the most difficult struggle for the soul. This is because every time the soul gets accustomed to a certain condition, it transfers itself to that.

As for fasting every day, then it has been reported by Muslim, from the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah, that `Umar (radhiallahu `anhu) asked the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam): 'What is the case if one were to fast every day?' So he (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "He did not fast nor did he break his fast - or - he did not fast and
he did not break his fast." [Saheeh Muslim]

This is concerning the one who fasts continuously, even during the days in which fasting is forbidden.

Characteristics of the most specific fast

Know that the one who has been given intellect, knows the objective behind fasting. Therefore, he burdens himself to the extent that he will not be unable to do that which is more beneficial than it.

Ibn Mas`ood would fast very little and it is reported that he used to say: "When I fast, I grow weak in my prayer. And I prefer the prayer over the (optional) fast.

Some of them (the Sahaabah) would weaken in their recitation of the Qur'aan while fasting. Thus, they would exceed in breaking their fast (i.e. by observing less optional fasts), until they were able to balance their recitation. Every individual is knowledgeable of his condition and of what will rectify it.

There were a slight modification to the article by the editor, such as the exclusion of the couple of statements.

Source: Islaam.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Ramadhan Articles Reading List

2011-07-07T20:07:00.000+01:00

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

Ramadhaan

Remaining Steadfast After Ramadhaan
Reality and Obligation in Ramadan
Ramadhan: A Reminder of Unity
In Ramadan Paradise Opens its Doors, Hell Closes i
Ramadan Month of the Quraan
Questions on Ramadhaan
On Fasting Without Prayers
The Inner Secrets of Fasting
Important Lessons From Ramadan
Establishing Ramadhan and Other Islamic Dates
Eid & Zakat ul-Fitr
Fasting Ramadan, Its Virtues & Rulings
Zakaah Al-Fitr
Peace Until Fajr
Kinds of Fasting
How To Seek Laylat-ul-Qadr
Ramadan In History
Words of Remembrance Related to the Fast
The Prayer of the Fasting Person Is Never Refused
Tafsir of Surat Al Qadr (The Night Of Power)
Hadeeth On Ramadhan & Eid
Charity In Ramadhan
Your Manhaj In Ramadhan
The Pillars of Fasting
The Virtues Of Fasting

Source: Quraan.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Winning Hearts

2011-06-25T21:18:00.000+01:00

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

Winning Hearts

Anonymous

category: Islamic Manners

source: Islamway.com

Here are 11 pieces of advice to help you in winning others hearts. My pieces of advice are like arrows that aim at shooting hearts as its only target. I mean here, to be the virtuous merits, that captivate others hearts and help in overcoming imperfections. Actually, such merits have their own effective power in charming hearts.

O you who is in love with Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) and your brothers in Islam, here are the arrows; be careful with them, try hard to be a clever shooter…

And pray to Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) to help you.

Smile:

It is the first arrow and the fastest of them all. It is like the salt for food. It is also regarded as a kind of worship and alms-giving as is mentioned in a hadith "Smiling at your brother's face is as charity (Sadaqa)". Abdullah ibn al Harith tells us about the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying that he had never seen someone smile at the other's face as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to do.

Be always the one who initiates greetings:

This arrow is the one that lets you to be in the innermost depths of the others hearts. This arrow needs a skillful shooter. The needed skills are the hearty smile, the warm shaking of hands and the friendly welcoming to the other. Being successfully achieved, such kinds of skills are going to be rewarded, referring to the hadith: "In greetings, the better is he who initiates greeting the other".

Umar al Nadi tells us that he went out once with Umar ibn al Khattab's son. While walking, he found him saluting all whom he met, whether being old or young. Al Hasan al-Basri also said "Shaking hands strengthens brotherhood feelings". The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said "Do not ever waste your good deeds, even by meeting your brother with a frowning face." He said also "Shaking hands removes hatred and exchanging presents enhances love and ends enmity".

The Presents:

It has a strange charming affection that captivates all senses. Hence, exchanging presents and gifts in different occasions is a pleasant habit however gifts should be within one's tolerable expenses. Ibrahim al Zahri tells us about his father saying " My father got a sum of money as a reward , in due , he asked me to send donations to his family members and friends . As we were about to finish , he asked me "Have we missed any one?" I answered "No!" He said "I think that we did." He continued "We have missed someone whose welcome to me was really warm. Would you please send him this sum of money?"

Look how he loved the man and wished to reward him for his warm welcome.

Be silent….speak in what benefits.

Loud voice and chattering are bad merits. You have to be sweet-worded, tender in expressing yourself. Concerning this merit, The Prophet (peace be upon him) said "The good word is a charity (is a sadaqa)."

If the good word has its own magic in winning the hearts of your enemies how powerfully it would work then with your brothers' hearts!!

Here the Prophet's wife addresses the enemies saying "Damn you" and the Prophet (peace be upon him) prevents her saying "Calm down. Allah likes for the matters to be dealt with gently". He also said: "Nobility of manners and taciturnity are the best of manners that people are ever characterized by".

The poet says also:

The pious Allah-fearing may keep silent, in spite of being eloquent.

Be a good listener:

It is to listen patiently and never interrupt the speaker, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) never interrupted a speaker till he ended his speech. And he who fights for this merit gains others love and admiration, whilst on the contrary is the one who chatters and interrupts the other. Atta` tells us about how he behaves concerning this merit and says "When someone speaks to me, I listen to him as if it is the first time I have heard this subject, though I have heard it thousands of times before.

Appearance and dressing well:

You have to be careful with your appearance so as to be neat, well –dressed and sweet smelling as well. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says that Allah loves beauty to be in every thing. Umar Ibn Al Khattab said also "I like the young man who is sweetly perfumed and cleanly dressed." Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal tells us about his father saying " I've never seen some one who is as caring to the cleanliness of his dress , his hair , his moustache and other undesirable body hair as Ahmad Ibn Hanbal used to do"

Being in others favor and helping them:

Concerning this, the poet says:

Good treatment of the other is the only way of captivating his heart.

Good treatment you classifies you as an obedient, beloved slave of Allah as the Prophet (peace be upon him) Muhammad says "The more you are in favor of others, the more you are beloved by Allah" as Allah says in the Quran "And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good" (Al-Baqarah:195)

The poet says also:

Be a dear friend to all, whom you know,
For all, you should be as freshening as iced pure water

I really wonder for that man who pays money to buy slaves, while he can buy those who are free by being good to them, for those (who treat other well) find many to be in their help.

Being Generous :

Offering money is the key for most of the closed doors that hinder you from reaching others hearts, especially in these days.

Now I will tell you a story about the magic of the merit of generosity.

In the conquest of Makkah, there was a man called "Safwan Ibn Umia". That man ran away after making all possible means in keeping the people of Islam and after making conspiracies to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him). Later on, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forgave him and he came back asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) to give him the time of two months to think about Islam and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said "You can take four months, not just two". In spite of being an atheist, he accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Hunain and Al Ta'if conquests. In Al Ta`if, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was dividing the booties of the war, he noticed that man looking longingly to a vast land in which a large number of cattle were flocking. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him "Do you like it?" The man eagerly answered "Yes." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said "It is for you then." Safwan said "Only a prophet could behave as generously as you have to me. I believe that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His prophet."

Notice how the Prophet (peace be upon him) found the missing key and succeeded in moving his heart. Some people behave stingily as if they see the ghost of poverty waiting to attack them once they think about being generous in offering money.

To have a good opinion of others and to give them an excuse :

Keeping an eye on others behavior is a bad merit that blocks your way to their hearts. On the contrary is to have a good opinion of them. So, try hard to give your brothers the excuse as much as you can. Concerning this merit, Ibn Al Mubarak says also "The believer is he who gives his brothers the excuse , and the hypocrite is he who seeks their slips."

Express your feelings… instantly:

If you loved someone, or felt good feelings about him, don't wait, just tell him at once. Regarding this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said "If you felt the brotherly love of Islam towards any ,you should immediately go and tell him about your feelings." He added "It is the way relations are to be strongly indicated". Such love is to be blessed by Allah if it is for Allah's sake, not for any other personal affairs such as seeking high position, money, fame etc…. Unless this love is for Allah's sake, it is a fruitless kind of brotherhood then. When they meet each other on the Day of Judgement, they are not brothers any more but enemies, as Allah says in the Quran " Friends on that Day will be foes, one to another; except the Righteous." (Az-Zukhruf: 67)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) says "A man is in the company of whom he loved." By this he means that on the Day of Judgment, a person will be with whom he loved. So, we have to choose then between two kinds of societies, one is in enmity and the other is a kind brotherly one. Hence, we find that the Prophet (peace be upon him) associated the Makkan immigrants and the Medinan followers as brothers. It was a rare kind of brotherhood that even two brothers were to be buried together in one grave after being martyred in the conquests. Means of brotherhood was always being indicated by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he says "You are not allowed to enter heaven till you believe in Allah and you will not be true believers unless you love each other. Shall I tell you something to do that indicates love between you? It is to spread salutation of Peace among you."

The pity is that people are always either cruelly and harshly treating each other or extremely tender that they adore each other. Actually, it is a matter of striking a balance between heart and mind, something that differs according to the difference of characters and circumstances. It is absolutely a blessing given by Allah.

Sociability :

It is the art of being social. Here, a kind of misconception could exist between sociability and hypocrisy. Could you differentiate between the two meanings?

The Prophet (peace be upon him)'s wife, Aisha said "A man came to visit us, but to my surprise, once the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him, he said "O…that ill- mannered man", but the Prophet (peace be upon him) changed completely once he sat with him. He welcomed the man warmly, smiling in his face. When the man left, I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about what had surprised me; how he considered this man as being bad, and how he talked to him in such warmth? The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered "Have you ever seen me behaving as a hypocrite?" He added "In the Day of Judgement, the worst degrees are for those whom people deserted for being mistreated by them."

Al Qurtubi differentiates between hypocrisy and sociability, regarding sociability as a desirable legal behavior, saying that sociability means sacrificing the worldly affairs for the sake of improving either life on earth or religion, or so as to improve both, while hypocrisy aims at sacrificing religion for the sake of the worldly affairs.

Hence, being sociable for ill-mannered people is aiming to achieve two purposes:

Firstly, to avoid being mistreated by them.

Secondly, being good to them could be guidance for them to step the right way. Compliments should be within worldly affairs only, never in religious affairs, otherwise, it will be a matter of hypocrisy.

To be sociable, means to be tender, smiling, praising to the other, intending in the meantime a legal benefit. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says "Being sociable, is as alms-giving." Ibn Battal says also "Sociability is an ethic of the believers; it is to show open-mindedness in treating others and to delicately speak to them. Both are important elements in seeking reasons for intimacy."

http://www.a2youth.com/articles/islamic_manners/winning_hearts/2

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Event (London): 'AQEEDAH AL-TAHAWIYYA' 8 wk course

2011-05-17T01:45:00.001+01:00

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

Ihyaa Institute presents:

'AQEEDAH AL-TAHAWIYYA'

This 8-week course on Islamic creed is essential learning for all Muslims. Learn the tenets of faith in an academic setting under the tutelage of a classically trained, qualified and experienced instructor. Open to brothers and sisters (strict segregation). Limited spaces so please register early.

DATE:
Wednesdays commencing 8th June 2011

TIME:

19:00 - 20:30

VENUE:

119 - 123 Cannon Street Rd, E1 2LX

FEE:

£50/£40 unemployed. Fee inc. course materials

REGISTRATION:

email: info@ihyaainstitute.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Tabarruj

2011-05-06T12:14:00.000+01:00

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

Tabarruj

The Muslim woman must be wise and prudent in safeguarding her dignity and honour. Times are swiftly changing and a clever woman is she who protects herself and realises her high worth and dignity as a believer, even if she trusts the same men that the Shar’iah (chronicles of Islamic Law) has outlined as potential threats to her chastity and hereafter.

Today, when dressing immodestly has become the social norm and to speak out against it may adjudge you to be a social outcast, you – the Muslim woman – must stand strong against such vicious tides. You must remember that this realm is just a realm of test, a few days that are swiftly running out as every hour passes us. Dear Sister, declare war against such a progression, a “progression” which goes against the way of some of the best women this world has ever witnessed, the female Companions of the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him). The Qur’aan clearly mentions how Tabarruj (the analytical study of which is to follow shortly) is a thing of the past, an outdated, backward, ignorant and sub-human act!

{And do not tabbarrajna [display] yourselves like that of the times of ignorance…}[i]

Something that is an outdated act is now cloaked with the colour of modernism and progression. Yet, Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have clearly spoken out against Tabarruj and this is what we are now going to look into.

***

‘Lisaan al Arab’ is an excellent Arabic dictionary by Ibn Mundhur, used by scholars and laymen alike. In it one can find different meanings for the various derivates of root letters. It’s absolutely amazing to read, for it opens one’s mind up to how amazing the Arabic language is...do you want to have a taste of it?

Well, let’s dive into the meaning of Tabarruj. Allah Willing, once you read it you’ll realise what it means to not do Tabarruj, in front of non-Mahrams generally and more specifically in front of the Hamuw (the brother-in-law), the one whom the Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) referred to as ‘death’ for the Muslim woman.

The term ‘tabarruj’ carries two basic meanings:

1. To display, show, make apparent, raised

Distance between eyebrows: This is why the distance between the eyebrows is called ‘al-Baraj’, because it is so apparent to all those who look towards the face of an individual.

Wide Eyes: The whiteness of which is very white and the blackness of which is very black. Such eyes can’t be missed and stand out from all other features in one’s face.

A Specific Genus of Stars: That’s why a specific genus of stars is referred to as ‘Burooj’, because it is 1) raised, 2) apparent for onlookers. This term is mentioned in the Qur’aan: {By the heaven, dhaatil burooj [holding the big stars]} [Al Burooj [85]:1]

High Buildings: ‘Barj’, the plural of which is ‘Burooj’ and ‘Abraaj’, means tower/ castle. This is because such high buildings can’t be missed, as they tower above the rest. As mentioned in the Qur’aan: {Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in buroojin mushayyidah (fortresses built up strong and high)} [An-Nisaa’ [4]:78]

THAT’s why ‘a woman’s playing up her charms’ (refer to Hans Wehr) comes under this meaning. Because she makes an outward and apparent show of her beauty, intentionally wanting others to look her way.

2. To adorn herself, make herself pretty

Ibn Mundhur writes in ‘Lisaan al Arab’ regarding the term ‘at-Tabarruj’:

‘The woman making her Zeenah and Mahaasin apparent to men.’ And: ‘To make apparent the Zeenah to strangers (li an-naas al-ajaanib), and that is blameworthy. But (if it’s done) for the husband then no (it’s not blameworthy).’

Ibn Mundhur quotes Abu Ishaaq, with regards to this verse, that:

‘making apparent the Zeenah and to Istadaa.’

In the above definitions three very important terms were used:

Zeenah: embellishment, adornment, ornament, decoration.
Mahaasin: (pl. of mahsanah) beauties, charms, attractions.
Istadaa: to call, invoke, urge, incite, appeal, necessitate, make necessary or a requisite.

Having read this deep analysis of the term Tabarruj, I now want you to read the following verse again, but this time with deep thought and contemplation,

“And do not tabbarrajna [display] yourselves like that of the times of ignorance…”[ii]

Now, if you have a brother-in-law specifically and if you live or come in contact with any non-mahramIn Islaam the ‘Dhu Mahaarim (sing: Mahram)’ have been clearly defined; A Mahram is a woman’s husband or a man with whom that woman cannot marry at all according to Islaamic Jurisprudence. This can be due to blood relationship [such as father, son, brother, paternal uncle etc] or due to a foster relationship. generally, I want you to recall and ask yourself honestly whether you have ever partaken in the act of ‘Tabarruj’. If so, dear Sister, it is not too late to repent and mend your ways. But time is running out as death and the Day of Judgement are swiftly catching up with man. The narrations pertaining to the punishment for Tabarruj are severe indeed and we can’t afford to gain Allah’s (the Glorious and Mighty) Anger or Wrath, may Allah forgive us.

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood reported that the Prophet (sallallahu a’lyhi wa sallam) used to dislike ten kinds of behaviour and he (‘Abdullah) mentioned that one of them was:

“Tabarruj by means of displaying beautification in an improper place.”[iii]

When the Companion Mu’aawiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a sermon in Hums (Syria), he mentioned that the Prophet (sallallahu a’lyhi wa sallam) prohibited seven things, one of which was Tabarruj.[iv]

Umaymah, the daughter of Ruqayyah, came to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) to acknowledge the message of Islaam and that Muhammad (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) is the Messenger of Allah (‘azza wa jall). The Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) said to her: “I give you my acknowledgement that you must not set partners to worship besides Allah and…that you don’t commit any falsehood by your hands and between your legs… and that you don’t make Tabarruj like that of the time of ignorance.”[v]

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam) said: “… The most evil of your women are the Mutabarrijaat (those who do Tabarruj), the Mutakhayalaat (those who strut/swagger), and they are the hypocritical ones. Those who enter the JannahParadise. (in number) are like the Cough Crow.”[vi] The Cough Crow has a red beak and red legs. This is an expression of metonymy indicating that few from the likes of these women enter heaven because this kind of crow is rare.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) said, “Of the people of hell there are two types whom I have never seen: The one possessing whips like the tail of an ox and they flog people with them. The second one, women who would be naked in spite of their being dressed, who are seduced [to wrong paths] and seduce others with their hair high like humps. These women would not get into the Paradise and they would not perceive its odour, although its fragrance can be perceived from such and such distance.”[vii]

The Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) said, “There shall be, in the latter part of my nation, women who are dressed but [in fact] naked, on their heads are humps like those of Bukht [a specific kind of camel], curse them for they are surely cursed.” [Al-Mu’jam as-Sagheer by Imaam at-Tabarani p.232] The scholars say that the Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam), in this hadeethProphetic Narration , is referring to women who wear tight clothes that shows off the shape of the body. In reality they are naked although they have clothes on them!

The Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) also said: “The parable of a woman who moves with slow sweeping motion, trailing her beautified clothes, performing not for her husband, is like darkness on the day of Judgement; she has (or comes with) no light.” [At-Tirmidhi: the hadeeth is weak but the meaning is correct]

The Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) said, “Any woman who takes off her clothes in other than her husband’s home (for an unlawful purpose), has broken the shield between her and Allah.” [Musnad Imaam Ahmad and in the Mustadrak of Imaam al-Haakim]

The scholars explain that what the Prophet (sallallahu alyhi wa sallam) is referring to is any woman who shows off her beauty to strangers by taking off her shield of clothes. She ‘has broken this shield between her and Allah’ because Allah says:

{O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness - that is the best.} [Al–A’raaf [7]:26]

Therefore, if a woman does not fear Allah (‘azza wa jall) and uncovers that which Allah has commanded her to cover, then she is breaking the shield between her and Allah, the Most High. Also, by uncovering and dishonouring herself she is in fact cheating and committing a treason with her husband, for marriage is a contract to be faithful to one another and one of the ways a Muslim woman is faithful to her husband is by means of safeguarding her beauty and ornaments for his eyes alone.

Allah refers to the commitment made to the institution of marriage as a meethaaqan ghaleedhaa (a solemn contract), a term otherwise used only in relation to the covenant between Allah and the Prophets [see Q 33:7].

Whether or not we are supported by our husbands, and whether or not they themselves understand the gravity of this solemn contract, we must comply, for our standing and questioning will be in front of our Lord alone. In our graves there will be no other, and when death approaches us, such difficulties will seem trivial and the relief will be, Allah Willing, magnanimous.

Dear Sister, a storm always settles down sooner or later. It may seem hard to begin covering properly and according to the Shar’iah (Islamic law) but soon Allah will turn hardship into ease.

{So verily, with the hardship, there is relief.

Verily, with the hardship, there is relief

(i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one hardship cannot overcome two reliefs).}

(SurahA chapter/section of the Qur'aan. 94, Verses 5-6)

____________________________

[i] Surah al Ahzaab [33]:33

[ii] Surah al Ahzaab [33]:33

[iii] An-Nisaaee 8/141

[iv] Musnad Imaam Ahmad 4/101

[v] Musnad Imaam Ahmad 2/196

[vi] Al Bayaqi

[vii] Saheeh Muslim

Source: IdealMuslimah.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

“Abi, when will we ever relax?”

2011-03-03T12:41:00.000Z

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

“Abi, when will we ever relax?”

by ProductiveMuslim

I wanted to share a moving story that I once heard and will always remember and cherish for its meanings. It’s the story of one of the great Imams of this Ummah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal.

His son, Abdullah, asked his father one day: “Abi when will we ever relax?” His father, one of the greatest revivers of the Sunnah and a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eye and said: “With the first step we take into Jannah.”

Ya Allah, what a beautiful response!

There are days that come to you and you’re tired, you just want to sleep and relax and “shut off” as they say. Those are the days in which you need to ask yourself a critical question: ‘Where am I going with life?’ If it’s towards Allah and for Allah, then regain your strength and continue your work, for Jannah is precious and must be sought. But if you look into your life and realise that it’s not towards Allah but towards Dunya, then your tiredness becomes a blessing, for it is a reminder that you need to change direction and renew your purpose in life.

I love this story on many levels. For one, it shows you that when someone’s focus is Jannah, their priorities change and their outlook on life is different. What we perceive as difficulty, they perceive as ease. What we perceive as calamity, they perceive as reward. What we perceive as obstacles, they perceive as opportunities for sincere dua. Moreover, when your focus is Jannah, this Dunya and its constant demand becomes small and the least of our concerns.

Also, I love the way the son began his question: “Abi” – a sweet way of addressing his father, and asked: “When will we ever relax?” If you notice, he didn’t say, “when will I relax Dad?” Even though he wanted to relax, he wasn’t selfish and also cared for his father’s condition. This also shows you that the father and son were working hard together. Again, when your focus is Jannah it reflects in your family, children, and those around you and everyone gears up towards that goal.

Our problem today is not that we’re tired, our problem today is that we relax too much. We do everything so that we relax. We cheat, break promises, do not fulfill our vows, lie, take and give bribery, and so on. Why? So we can relax. We don’t stay up for Tahajjud or wake up for Fajr, we don’t fast, or go for Hajj and Umrah… all so we can relax. We don’t walk towards the Masjid or open the Book of Allah so we can understand it, all in the name of “I need to relax!”

Dear brothers and sisters, there’s plenty of relaxation where we’re going, but this is not the time for it. Let’s all work for Jannah and be productive in the path of Allah, and work so hard that one day our children will approach us and ask: “Abi” or “Ummi”: “When will we ever relax?” and you can smile and look them in the eyes and say, “When we enter Jannah inshaAllah”.

Source: Productive Muslim.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Raising Children

2011-01-14T22:22:00.000Z

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

Raising Children

By Khadejah Jones

Providing children with Islamic education and raising them up as good practicing Muslims are essential duties of parenthood. Rightfully fulfilling these duties will lead to the Pleasure of Allah and good for the parents and the child in this life and the Hereafter. However, ignoring these duties would lead to the destruction of the child's Hereafter and the Wrath of Allah will befall the parents for not protecting their child from the traps of Shaytan and allowing him to choose the path of destruction.

Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The leader is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock, a man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock; a woman is the shepherd in the house of her husband and is responsible for her flock, the servant is the shepherd of his master's wealth and is responsible for it. Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock." [Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

Allah says in the Quran:

{O you who believe! Save yourselves and your family from a fire whose Fuel are men and stones.} [Noble Quran 66:6]

One of the ways of protecting your children from the Fire is to let him memorize the Words of Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the Quran is gathered in a body (i.e. a person), Allah will not burn him with the Fire." [al-Baihaqi, Authenticated by Sheikh al-Albani]

"Teaching the children the Quran is a fundamental from the fundamentals of Islam. By it the child will grow upon the Fitrah (natural Islamic monotheism) and the lights of wisdom will rush to their hearts before the desires are able to settle in them and darken them with the cloudiness of disobedience and misguidance, " said al-Hafidth as-Suyooti.

This is because the child from the early age will be protected from the temptations of the world and whispers of the Shaytan, he will live and grow up among the gathering of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) where tranquility and the mercy of Allah of descends, and as a result Allah will preserve his Fitrah (natural inclination of Islamic Monotheism)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No people gather in a house of the houses of Allah (i.e. Masjid) reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that the tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him (the lofty gathering of Angels)." [Sahih Muslim]

Your child will be given a position in Paradise according to the number of verses he memorizes from the Book of Allah, it will be said to him on the Day of Judgment as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"'Read, ascend and recite with slow, rhythmic chanting just as you used to recite in the worldly life. For verily, your position (in Paradise ) will be at the place of the last verse that you recite." [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

Every time your child goes to the Masjid to learn the Quran he will have the reward of a perfect Hajj. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Whoever goes to the Masjid in the morning having no intention except to learn something good or teach it he will have the reward like the person who performs Hajj." [At-Tabari. Authenticated by Sheikh al-Albani]

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Dharr,

"O Abu Dharr! That you set out in the morning and learn one verse from the Book of Allah is better for you than if you prayed one hundred Rak'ahs (units of prayer)." [Ibn Majah]

The Quran will intercede for your child on the Day of Judgment, Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Recite the Quran for verily it will come on the Day of Judgment as an intercessor for those who recited it." [Sahih Muslim]

Your child will be given to wear garments and a crown of honor on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"The Quran will come on the Day of Judgment and say, 'Oh Lord! Adorn him.' So the person will be made to wear the crown of honor. Then it (the Quran) will say, 'Oh Lord! Increase him.' So the person will be made to wear the garment of honor. Then it will say, 'Oh Lord! Be pleased with him.' So Allah will be pleased with him. Then it will be said, 'Recite and ascend.' And the person will receive an extra good deeds for every verse (that he recites of the Quran.)" [Sahih at-Tirmidhi]

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Whoever recites the Quran, learns it and acts upon it will be given a crown of light to wear on the Day of Judgment and its light will be like the light of the sun." [Sahih al-Hakim]

So, why not encourage our children to memorize the Quran and make them one of the best individuals of this Ummah. Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it." [Sahih al-Bukhari]

Allah, the Exalted, has also promised abundant rewards for those parents who guide their children to memorize the Quran. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Whoever recites the Quran, learns it and acts according to it will be given a crown of light to wear on the Day of Judgment whose light will be like the sun. His parents will be clothed in two garments that did not exist in this worldly life. So they will say, 'What has caused us to be clothed (in these garments)?' It will be said, 'Your child taking hold of (i.e. memorizing) the Quran has caused this.'" [Al-Hakim graded it authentic]

When the parents leave a righteous child behind them, the child will be a source of reward and blessing for them after their death, for Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end, except for three cases; the charity of continuous blessings, beneficial knowledge which he leaves behind and a righteous child who prays for him." [Sahih Muslim]

The parents will also receive equal amount of reward that the child receives by memorizing or reciting the Quran, for the parents guide him to this good act and instill in his heart the love for Islam, and the love for the Book of Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever guides to something good is like the one who does it." [Sahih Muslim] and:

"Whoever invites to guidance will receive the reward like the rewards of those who follow him and that will not diminish anything from their rewards..." [Sahih Muslim]

The parents should also send those children who are intelligent and bright to learn the Quran and Islamic education. It should not be that only those children who when are unsuccessful in worldly studies are sent to Madras as for religious studies. The parents should realize the importance of Islamic education for their children and raising well-educated Muslims who would in the future work for the Cause of Islam.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"The example of guidance and knowledge with which, Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil, absorbed rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rainwater and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then that land gave no benefits). The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah's religion and gets benefit (from the knowledge), which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophet) and learns and then teaches others. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allah's guidance revealed through me (He is like that barren land.)" [Sahih al-Bukhari v.1 no.79]

Those parents who give the excuse that their child is weak or does not have good memory or 'he is not gifted', should know that Allah has said in the Quran: {And indeed we have made the Quran easy to remember.} [Noble Quran 54:17]

And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Whoever treads on a path in search of Islamic knowledge, Allah will ease the way to Paradise for him. The Angels will lower their wings, pleased with this seeker of knowledge, and everyone in the heavens and on earth will ask forgiveness for the knowledgeable person, even the fish in the deepest of waters will ask for his forgiveness." [Sahih Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhi (2835)]

It is not mandatory for your child to memorize the complete Quran. If he is not able to memorize the complete Quran then know that only attending daily circle for memorization will suffice your child for it will accustom him to frequent the places of worship rather than visiting evil gatherings. Your child will find good companions which will protect him from deviating and adopting evil habits and practices. Allah says:

{And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord, morning and afternoon, seeking His Face and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose hearts We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lust and whose affairs (deeds) have been lost.} [Noble Quran 18:28]

Source: IdealMuslimah.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Zuhd: An Anti-dote to Consumerism Culture

2011-01-11T00:21:00.000Z

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

Zuhd: An Anti-dote to Consumerism Culture

December 28, 2010

by ProductiveMuslimView Comments

Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 in Tips

One of the biggest enemies of productivity in our world today is the comfortable consumerism culture that we’re living in.

Everything is within reach and we’re constantly looking for the latest, quickest, or smallest! Each of us (except whom Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) had mercy upon) is literally ‘killing’ themselves running after acquiring more and more of today’s world and what’s sad about this is that we, as Muslims, should know better.

History seems to repeat itself, for the Muslim Ummah did indulge in such consumerism more than 1,000 years ago, during the Golden Age of the Islamic civilisation. The success of the expanding empire brought new riches unknown to the early Muslims which started corrupting the Muslims and making them forget their true purpose. True to the words of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), this consumerism destroyed us. In a hadeeth, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: ”By Allah, it is not the poverty about which I fear in regard to you but I am afraid in your case that (the worldly) riches may be given to you as were given to those who had gone before you and you begin to vie with one another for them as they vied for them. And these may destroy you as these destroyed them.” (Sahih Muslim, Book #042, Hadith #7065).

Fighting Consumerism

So what’s the problem with consumerism? And what’s the cure? This is what we’ll try to tackle in this article insha’Allah.

At first glance, nothing seems to be wrong with consumerism, in fact the objective seems noble and peaceful: it’s about living a comfortable and happy life and enjoying this world to the fullest. Nothing sinister, right? Well, not really. If you start thinking of our lives in terms of dunya AND Akhira, you start to realise that this consumerism culture is actually a distraction us from our true purpose in life, of worshipping Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and being His true vicegerent on Earth.

Let me give you an example: Imagine a student who’s supposed to start his University degree this year, he’s so concerned about ‘comfort’ that he asks for a special couch in the lecture hall, 3D HDTV screen to watch his favourite show whilst the lecture is going on, and of course popcorn and a packet of chips, and he doesn’t want to take exams nor do any assignments. Who thinks this student would survive university life? Or would even get a degree?! Sounds bizarre, right? But that’s exactly what we’re doing, instead of us working for our Akhira, we’re so concerned about the comforts of this life and how we can make our lives just that bit extra comfortable and easier, that we’re trading our finite world with the infinite Akhira! There’s nothing wrong in being comfortable; but when this becomes our sole objective, that’s when it becomes a problem!

Another issue with consumerism culture is that it literally entraps and enslaves people so they think of nothing else but how to ‘get more and have more’. People get into debt to buy bigger houses, get into more debt to buy a better car, few years down the line, once they’ve paid their debts, they go through the whole cycle again and get into more debt.

We always want the latest, biggest, smallest, newest, and as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: ”Nothing fills (satisfies) the son of Adam except Dust”. (Sahih Bukhari, Book #76, Hadith #445) i.e. A person will never be satisfied till he meets death. The cash-less credit card society is teaching us to buy now and worry about paying later. It is directly feeding us into a 25-50 year slavery to financial institutions and banks; on most accounts, this was one of the reasons behind the recent severe global financial crisis.

A third grave consequence of the consumerism lifestyle – and this one has truly affected the Muslims – is that we’ve become lazy, expecting “others” to produce whilst we consume. We do not grow what we eat, we do not make what we wear, we do not produce what we ride, everything is imported from planes to biscuits! And everything is at our convenience. But there’s a problem here: we become dependants on “others” for our survival, and hence have a weak economic status in the international sphere. How do you think China, India and Brazil started to get noticed by the ‘Developed World’? They became producing/exporting countries and unless we as Muslims really get our act together and export more than we import, I’m afraid the consequences would be severe for the Ummah.

An Anti-dote: Zuhd

So how do we get out of this? Al-hamdulillah, we’ve a very powerful Islamic concept that would work as an anti-dote to consumerism culture. This is known as ‘Zuhd’ (known in English as Asceticism). Unfortunately, this concept has been grossly misunderstood and misinterpreted by many Muslims to mean complete refusal of dunya, hiding in a corner, and living a miserable, harsh and sad life.

Far from this, Zuhd according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and the understanding of the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them) has a very simple but powerful meaning: it means to hold dunya in your hand, but not letting it into your heart. What this means is that you should work for dunya, but never let that take over your life that you forget the Akhira. You should build this dunya but when you’re asked to sacrifice some of it for Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and His Messenger (Peace be upon him), you can easily do it, because the dunya is in your hands and not your heart.

If we look at the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and His companions, we’d find many examples of such understanding of ‘Zuhd’. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) once said: ”The worldly comforts are not for me. I am like a traveller, who takes a rest under a tree in the shade and then goes on his way.” (Tirmidhi).

The companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) even feared the worldly pleasures. One example being that a meal was brought to ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf once when he was fasting. He said: ”Mustab bin ‘Umar was martyred and he was better than I and was shrouded in his Burd and when his head was covered with it, his legs became bare, and when his legs were covered his head got uncovered. Hamza was martyred and was better than I. Now the worldly wealth has been bestowed upon us (or said a similar thing). No doubt, I fear that the rewards of my deeds might have been given earlier in this world.” Then he started weeping and left his food. (Sahih Bukhari, Book #23, Hadith #365).

I want to emphasize at this point, that I’m not against people improving their livelihood in this world and enjoying the blessings of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). Some of the Companions (May Allab be pleased with them) of the Prophet (Peace be uponhim) had thriving businesses, ate good food, and built nice homes, but once the call to sacrifice for Islam came, they threw all that away and ran for the Akhira.

Work and Sacrifice were the building blocks of the Islamic civilisation, not the palaces, art, and consumerism lifestyle. Those who came after the first 3 generations of Islam forgot these 2 ingredients and the Muslim civilisation declined.

After all that, don’t worry – there’s still hope!

We can still pick up the tools that were left by our ancestors, the tools of hard work and sacrifice, and rebuild our Ummah bi’ithnillah. Equipped with these, we can push dunya from our hearts and into our hands. Individually and collectively we can rebuild a new beginning for the Muslim Ummah – one that fights consumerism, encourages production, and gives back to the world more than it consumes.

Some Practical Tips

I leave you with 3 tips to help you take action today:

Adopt a Minimalistic lifestyle: Build your life around what you ‘need’, rather than what you ‘want’. Be like the traveller as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said in the hadeeth and live simply. Donate or throw away what you don’t need, and only keep those items that are essential to your day to day life. Believe me, you’ll feel so much ‘lighter’ as a consequence. (If you want more details about how to life a minimalist life, I highly recommend mnmlist website:
Invest more, consume less: Try your best to always invest more of your resources (time, money, strength) and consume less. Invest your time in learning, helping others, volunteering, and worshipping. Invest your money in charity, new or existing businesses, helping Muslim charities and non-profit organisations. Invest your strength in working for Allah (Subhanhu Wa Ta’ala), helping the poor and needy and supporting those around you in whatever physical means possible.
Spread the simplicity message: Encourage your family and friends to live a simple life rather than a material based one. It was said that simplicity is a part of faith and therefore try to spread the message about how we can fight our consumerism culture and what actions we can take from the Qur’an and Sunnah today to achive this. With sincere intentions and hard work, it can be done!

I hope this article has inspired you to take a look into your life differently, and inspired you look at dunya as a door to Akhira and not a door to limited comfortable life.

Source: http://www.productivemuslim.com/zuhd-an-anti-dote-to-consumerism-culture/

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

"Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.''
Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter".

[At-Tirmidhi]

The Virtues of Muharram and 'Aashooraa' - Special Months & Times - Islamic Articles - A2Youth.com

2010-12-12T21:25:00.001Z

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

“Fasting the day of `Ashura' (is of great merits), I hope that Allah will accept it as an expiation for (the sins committed in) the previous year.”

(Muslim)

The Virtues of Muharram and 'Aashooraa' - Special Months & Times - Islamic Articles - A2Youth.com

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Event] 15th Dec 2010, London Muslim Centre: Event of the Year with World Famous Shaykh Abu Bakr Shatry and Others

2010-12-09T17:34:00.000Z

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

The Journey of the Souls:

The Last Breath

WITH EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL GUEST:

Shaykh Abu Bakr Shatry

From Saudi Arabia, he is one of the world’s greatest reciters of Qur’an. This will be his first official appearance! Be in the glorious company and listen to beautiful recitation and a SPECIAL message from the Shaykh.

MAIN GUESTS:

Shaykh Zahir Mahmood (UK)

“The Day of Awakening: Judgement Day”

Shaykh Saad al Jloaud (Saudi Arabia)

Senior Student of the late Shaykh Muhammad al-Uthaymeen:

“Prepare to meet your Lord”

Qari Ziyad Patel (South Africa)

“Nasheeds”

INSPIRATIONAL LECTURES

DINNER

NASHEEDS

Al-IMDAD FOUNDATION

EXCLUSIVE SHAYKH ABU BAKR SHATRY FIRST LONDON APPEARANCE

Price: £10 (First come First serve/No reservations)

Date: Wednesday 15th December 2010

Time: 5:30pm – 9:30pm

Venue: London Muslim Centre, Ground Floor

46 Whitechapel Road

London E1 1JX

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Tube: Aldgate East Station/Whitechapel Station

Bus: 25, 205
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Brothers and Sisters Welcomed: Full Segregation

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Eid ul Adha 2010/1431 AH

2010-11-15T18:34:00.000Z

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

Eid Mubarak!!!

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Arafat

2010-11-15T15:40:00.001Z

Answer:

Assalamu alaikum,

The 9th of Dhu’l Hijjah is known as ‘the Day of `Arafah,’ because the pilgrims at Hajj gather at `Arafah in worship, which is one of the three central integrals of the Hajj rituals. Its importance is such that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Hajj is `Arafah.” [Reported in most major hadith works]

The Day of `Arafah is important for those not at Hajj, as well.

Abu Qatada (Allah be pleased with him) related that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “Fasting the Day of `Arafah [9thof Dhu’l Hijjah] expiates for two years, one prior and one forthcoming.” [Reported by Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah]

As such, the scholars concur that it is highly recommended (mustahabb) to fast the Day of `Arafah [9th of Dhu’l Hijjah], even for the one on Hajj in the Hanafi school, if it does not weaken the pilgrim from spending the day busy in worship. [Haskafi, Durr; Kasani, Bada’i`]

The Day of `Arafah is one of the days when supplications (du`a) are more likely to be accepted. [Ibn al-Haajj,al-Madhkhal; Saffarini, Ghidha’ al-Albab]

This is based on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) saying, “The best of supplications are those on the Day of `Arafah.” [Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Malik, and others] Imam al-Baji explained this as meaning, ‘Having most baraka, the greatest reward, and the quickest in being answered.’ [Baji,al-Muntaqa Sharh al-Muwatta]

The Takbirs of Eid Start on This Day: The Fiqh

Allah Most High commanded us to, “Remember Allah through the appointed days.” [Qur’an, 2.203]

Hakim recorded in his Mustadrak, from both Ali and Ammar that they said, “The Messenger of Allah used to… make thetakbirs from the Fajr prayer of the Day of `Arafah and would stop them after the Asr prayer of the final day of the Days of Tashriq [13th of Dhu’l Hijjah].” There is, however, weakness in the chain of narrators, as Imam Bayhaqi mentioned. There are numerous hadiths that have been mentioned on this, as Imam Jamal al-Din al-Zayla`i expounded in his Nasb al-Raya [2.266-269]

This has been established by consensus of the Companions of the Beloved of Allah, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). [Mawaffaq Ibn Qudama, al-Mughni 2.126 #1431]

Legal status:

         It is necessary (wajib) for every Muslim (male or female, whether praying in congregation or alone) to make the following takbir (declaration of the greatness of Allah) immediately after each obligatory (fard) prayer.

Time:

         From:   the Fajr Prayer on the 9th of Dhu’l Hijjah (the Day of `Arafah)

         To: the Asr Prayer on the 13th of Dhu’l Hijjah.

Thus, these takbirs last 5 days, and 23 prayers.

The takbirs:

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Llahu.

Wa Llahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahi Lhamd .

( اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُوَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ )

(Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, there is no god but Allah.

And Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest and to Allah belongs all praise.)

Rulings related to this:

The wajib is to recite this takbir once. If done more than this, it is good. [Haskafi, Durr, quoting `Ayni]
The position related above that it is obligatory for 23 prayers, whether in congregation or alone, for every Muslim, is the position of Abu Hanifa’s students, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, and it is the position acted upon and chosen for fatwa, because of the strength of their evidence and the inherited practice being on it, and because it is more cautious. [Durrand Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, quoting al-Zahidi] Abu Hanifa’s position, that it lasts only 8 prayers, is supported by evidence, too, though, including the practice of some major Companions such as Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with him), and was taken by some major Hanafi imams, though a minority, such as Ibn al-Humam in hisFath al-Qadir.
It is not wrong (rather, it is recommended) to also perform it after the Eid prayer itself because the Muslims have performed it generation after generation, so it is proper to follow their inherited practice (that has been accepted by generation after generation of scholars). [Durr and Radd al-Muhtar]
The followers must perform it, even if the imam leaves it. [Durr]
Latecomers [=those who missed one or more rakat of the congregational prayer] must perform it, but after completing their prayer.
It is necessary for the congregation to perform it out loud. [Ibn Abidin,Radd al-Muhtar, quoting Quhustani]
It is necessary to make the takbirs immediately after the salams. If one talks, loses one’s wudu, or performs other actions completely foreign to the prayer, one has missed the wajib. [al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya;Durr]
And Allah alone gives success.

Walaikum assalam,
Faraz Rabbani.

في الدر المختار:( وَيَجِبُ تَكْبِيرُ التَّشْرِيقِ ) فِي الْأَصَحِّ لِلْأَمْرِ بِهِ ( مَرَّةً ) وَإِنْ زَادَ عَلَيْهَا يَكُونُ فَضْلًا قَالَهُ الْعَيْنِيُّ . صِفَتُهُ ( اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ ) هُوَ الْمَأْثُورُ عَنْ الْخَلِيلِ . ...... ( وَقَالَا بِوُجُوبِهِ فَوْرَ كُلِّ فَرْضٍ مُطْلَقًا ) وَلَوْ مُنْفَرِدًا أَوْ مُسَافِرًا أَوْ امْرَأَةً لِأَنَّهُ تَبَعٌ لِلْمَكْتُوبَةِ ( إلَى ) عَصْرِ الْيَوْمِ الْخَامِسِ ( آخِرِ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ وَعَلَيْهِ الِاعْتِمَادُ ) وَالْعَمَلُ وَالْفَتْوَى فِي عَامَّةِ الْأَمْصَارِ وَكَافَّةِ الْأَعْصَارِ . وَلَا بَأْسَ بِهِ عَقِبَ الْعِيدِ لِأَنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ تَوَارَثُوهُ فَوَجَبَ اتِّبَاعُهُمْ , وَعَلَيْهِ الْبَلْخِيُّونَ , وَلَا يُمْنَعُ الْعَامَّةُ مِنْ التَّكْبِيرِ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْعَشْرِ وَبِهِ نَأْخُذُ بَحْرٌ وَمُجْتَبَى وَغَيْرُهُ ( وَيَأْتِي الْمُؤْتَمُّ بِهِ ) وُجُوبًا ( وَإِنْ تَرَكَهُ إمَامُهُ ) لِأَدَائِهِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ . قَالَ أَبُو يُوسُفَ : صَلَّيْت بِهِمْ الْمَغْرِبَ يَوْمَ عَرَفَةَ فَسَهَوْت أَنْ أُكَبِّرَ فَكَبَّرَ بِهِمْ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ ( وَالْمَسْبُوقُ يُكَبِّرُ ) وُجُوبًا كَاللَّاحِقِ لَكِنْ ( عَقِبَ الْقَضَاءِ ) لِمَا فَاتَهُ , وَلَوْ كَبَّرَ الْإِمَامُ لَا تَفْسُدُ , وَلَوْ لَبَّى فَسَدَتْ ( وَيَبْدَأُ الْإِمَامُ بِسُجُودِ السَّهْوِ ) لِوُجُوبِهِ فِي تَحْرِيمَتِهَا ( ثُمَّ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ ) لِوُجُوبِهِ فِي حُرْمَتِهَا ( ثُمَّ بِالتَّلْبِيَةِ لَوْ مُحْرِمًا ) لِعَدَمِهِمَا خُلَاصَةٌ . وَفِي الْوَلْوَالِجيَّةِ : لَوْ بَدَأَ بِالتَّلْبِيَةِ سَقَطَ السُّجُودُ وَالتَّكْبِيرُ .علق عيه ابن عابدين في رد المحتار:مَطْلَبٌ فِي تَكْبِيرِ التَّشْرِيقِ( قَوْلُهُ : وَيَجِبُ تَكْبِيرُ التَّشْرِيقِ ) نُقِلَ فِي الصِّحَاحِ وَغَيْرِهِ أَنَّ التَّشْرِيقَ تَقْدِيدُ اللَّحْمِ وَبِهِ سُمِّيَتْ الْأَيَّامُ الثَّلَاثَةُ بَعْدَ يَوْمِ النَّحْرِ . وَنَقَلَ الْخَلِيلُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ وَالنَّضْرُ بْنُ شُمَيْلٍ عَنْ أَهْلِ اللُّغَةِ أَنَّهُ التَّكْبِيرُ فَكَانَ مُشْتَرَكًا بَيْنَهُمَا وَالْمُرَادُ هُنَا الثَّانِي , وَالْإِضَافَةُ فِيهِ بَيَانِيَّةٌ أَيْ التَّكْبِيرُ الَّذِي هُوَ التَّشْرِيقُ . وَبِهِ انْدَفَعَ مَا قِيلَ : إنَّ الْإِضَافَةَ عَلَى قَوْلِهِمَا لِأَنَّهُ لَا تَكْبِيرَ فِي أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ عِنْدَهُ وَتَمَامُهُ فِي الْأَحْكَامِ لِلشَّيْخِ إسْمَاعِيلَ وَالْبَحْرِ( قَوْلُهُ لِلْأَمْرِ بِهِ ) أَيْ فِي قوله تعالى { وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَعْدُودَاتٍ } وقوله تعالى { وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ } عَلَى الْقَوْلِ بِأَنَّ كِلَيْهِمَا أَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ , وَقِيلَ الْمَعْدُودَاتُ أَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ وَالْمَعْلُومَاتُ أَيَّامُ عَشْرِ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ وَتَمَامُهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ ( قَوْلُهُ صِفَتُهُ إلَخْ ) فَهُوَ تَهْلِيلَةٌ بَيْنَ أَرْبَعِ تَكْبِيرَاتٍ ثُمَّ تَحْمِيدَةٌ وَالْجَهْرُ بِهِ وَاجِبٌ وَقِيلَ سُنَّةٌ قُهُسْتَانِيٌّ ( قَوْلُهُ : وَعَلَيْهِ الِاعْتِمَادُ إلَخْ ) هَذَا بِنَاءً عَلَى أَنَّهُ إذَا اخْتَلَفَ الْإِمَامُ وَصَاحِبَاهُ فَالْعِبْرَةُ لِقُوَّةِ الدَّلِيلِ , وَهُوَ الْأَصَحُّ كَمَا فِي آخِرِ الْحَاوِي الْقُدْسِيِّ أَوْ عَلَى أَنَّ قَوْلَهُمَا فِي كُلِّ مَسْأَلَةٍ مَرْوِيٌّ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا , وَإِلَّا فَكَيْفَ يُفْتَى بِقَوْلِ غَيْرِ صَاحِبِ الْمَذْهَبِ . وَبِهِ انْدَفَعَ مَا فِي الْفَتْحِ مِنْ تَرْجِيحِ قَوْلِهِ هُنَا وَرَدُّ فَتْوَى الْمَشَايِخِ بِقَوْلِهِمَا بَحْرٌ . مَطْلَبٌ كَلِمَةُ لَا بَأْسَ قَدْ تُسْتَعْمَلُ فِي الْمَنْدُوبِ( قَوْلُهُ وَلَا بَأْسَ إلَخْ ) كَلِمَةُ لَا بَأْسَ قَدْ تُسْتَعْمَلُ فِي الْمَنْدُوبِ كَمَا فِي الْبَحْرِ مِنْ الْجَنَائِزِ وَالْجِهَادِ وَمِنْهُ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعُ لِقَوْلِهِ فَوَجَبَ اتِّبَاعُهُمْ( قَوْلُهُ فَوَجَبَ ) الظَّاهِرُ أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِالْوُجُوبِ الثُّبُوتُ لَا الْوُجُوبُ الْمُصْطَلَحُ عَلَيْهِ , وَفِي الْبَحْرِ عَنْ الْمُجْتَبَى : وَالْبَلْخِيُّونَ يُكَبِّرُونَ عَقِبَ صَلَاةِ الْعِيدِ لِأَنَّهَا تُؤَدَّى بِجَمَاعَةٍ فَأَشْبَهَتْ الْجُمُعَةَ ا هـ وَهُوَ يُفِيدُ الْوُجُوبَ الْمُصْطَلَحَ عَلَيْهِ ط( قَوْلُهُ وَلَا يُمْنَعُ الْعَامَّةُ إلَخْ ) فِي الْمُجْتَبَى قِيلَ لِأَبِي حَنِيفَةَ يَنْبَغِي لِأَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا أَنْ يُكَبِّرُوا أَيَّامَ الْعَشْرِ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ وَالْمَسَاجِدِ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَذَكَرَ الْفَقِيهُ أَبُو اللَّيْثِ أَنَّ إبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ يُوسُفَ كَانَ يُفْتِي بِالتَّكْبِيرِ فِيهَا قَالَ الْفَقِيهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ : وَاَلَّذِي عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تُمْنَعَ الْعَامَّةُ عَنْهُ لِقِلَّةِ رَغْبَتِهِمْ فِي الْخَيْرِ وَبِهِ نَأْخُذُ ا هـ فَأَفَادَ أَنَّ فِعْلَهُ أَوْلَىفي الفتاوى الهنديّة: 1/152( وَمِمَّا يَتَّصِلُ بِذَلِكَ تَكْبِيرَاتُ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ ) ( الْكَلَامُ فِي تَكْبِيرَاتِ التَّشْرِيقِ فِي مَوَاضِعَ ) الْأَوَّلُ فِي صِفَتِهِ وَالثَّانِي فِي عَدَدِهِ وَمَاهِيَّتِهِ وَالثَّالِثُ فِي شُرُوطِهِ وَالرَّابِعُ فِي وَقْتِهِ , أَمَّا صِفَتُهُ فَإِنَّهُ وَاجِبٌ . وَأَمَّا عَدَدُهُ وَمَاهِيَّتُهُ فَهُوَ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً : اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ , وَأَمَّا شُرُوطُهُ فَإِقَامَةٌ وَمِصْرٌ وَمَكْتُوبَةٌ وَجَمَاعَةٌ مُسْتَحَبَّةٌ , هَكَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ وَلَا تُشْتَرَطُ الْحُرِّيَّةُ وَالسُّلْطَانُ عِنْدَ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ - رحمه الله تعالى - عَلَى الْأَصَحِّ , هَكَذَا فِي مِعْرَاجِ الدِّرَايَةِ . وَأَمَّا وَقْتُهُ فَأَوَّلُهُ عَقِيبَ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ وَآخِرُهُ فِي قَوْلِ أَبِي يُوسُفَ وَمُحَمَّدٍ - رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى - عَقِيبَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ مِنْ آخِرِ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ , هَكَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ , وَالْفَتْوَى وَالْعَمَلُ فِي عَامَّةِ الْأَمْصَارِ وَكَافَّةِ الْأَعْصَارِ عَلَى قَوْلِهِمَا , كَذَا فِي الزَّاهِدِيِّ . وَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ مُتَّصِلًا بِالسَّلَامِ حَتَّى لَوْ تَكَلَّمَ أَوْ أَحْدَثَ مُتَعَمِّدًا سَقَطَ , كَذَا فِي التَّهْذِيبِ وَلَا يُكَبِّرُ عَقِيبَ الْوِتْرِ وَعَقِيبَ صَلَاةِ الْعِيدِ .

The best of du’aa’ on Arafah

2010-11-15T15:37:00.000Z

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

Rasoolullaah saw. said: “The best of du’aa’ is du’aa’ on the day of ‘Arafah, and the best that I and the Prophets before me said is ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things).” al-Tirmidhi

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

1953 Rare Hajj photographs from National Geographic

2010-11-15T00:53:00.000Z

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

Virtues of the Day of Arafaah

2010-11-14T23:37:00.000Z

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

Praise be to Allaah.
1.                     It is the day on which the religion was perfected and Allaah’s Favour was completed.
In Al-Saheehayn it was reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a Jewish man said to him, “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, there is an aayah in your Book which you recite; if it had come to us Jews, we would have taken that day as an ‘Eid (festival).” ‘Umar said, “Which aayah?” He said: “This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [al-Maa’idah 5:3 – interpretation of the meaning]. ‘Umar said, “We know on which day and in which place that was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was when he was standing in ‘Arafaah on a Friday.”

2.                     It is a day of Eid for the people who are in that place.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Yawm ‘Arafaah (the day of ‘Arafaah), Yawm al-Nahr (the Day of Sacrifice) and Ayyaam al-Tashreeq (the 3 days following Yawm al-Nahr) are Eid (festival) for us, the people of Islam. These are days of eating and drinking.” This was narrated by the authors of al-Sunan. It was reported that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: “It – i.e., the aayah ‘This day I have perfected…’ was revealed on a Friday, the Day of ‘Arafaah, both of which – praise be to Allaah – are Eids for us.”

3.                     It is a day by which Allaah swore an oath.
The Almighty cannot swear by anything except that which is mighty. Yawm ‘Arafaah is the “witnessed day” mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“By the witnessing day [Friday] and by the witnessed day [the Day of ‘Arafaah].” [al-Burooj 85:3].

It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The promised day is the Day of Resurrection, the witnessed day is the Day of ‘Arafaah, and the witnessing day is Friday.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

It is the “odd” [i.e., odd-numbered, Witr] by which Allaah swore in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And by the even and the odd” [al-Fajr 89:3]. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The even is the Day of al-Adhaa [i.e., 10th Dhoo’l-Hijjah] and the odd is the Day of ‘Arafaah [i.e., 9th Dhoo’l-Hijjah] This is also the view of ‘Ikrimah and al-Dahhaak.

4.                     Fasting on this day is an expiation for two years.
It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah. He said, “It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.” Narrated by Muslim.

This (fasting) is mustahabb for those who are not on Hajj. In the case of the one who is on Hajj, it is not Sunnah for him to fast on the Day of ‘Arafaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not fast on this day in ‘Arafaah. It was narrated that he forbade fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah in ‘Arafaah.

5.                     It is the day on which Allaah took the covenant from the progeny of Adam.
It was reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah took the covenant from the loins of Adam in Na’maan, i.e., ‘Arafaah. He brought forth from his loins all his offspring and spread them before Him, then He addressed them, and said: ‘Am I not your Lord? They said, ‘Yes, we testify,’ let you should say on the Day of Resurrection: ‘Verily, we have been unaware of this.’ Or lest you should say: ‘It was only our fathers aforetime who took others as partners in worship along with Allaah, and we were (merely their) descendents after them; will You then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Baatil (i.e., ploytheism and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allaah)?’ [al-A’raaf 7:172-173 – interpretation of the meaning].” Narrated by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. And there is no greater day than this and no greater covenant than this.

6.                     It is the day of forgiveness of sins, freedom from the Fire and pride in the people who are there:
In Saheeh Muslim it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafaah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’”

It was reported from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah expresses His pride to His angels at the time of ‘Ishaa’ on the Day of ‘Arafaah, about the people of ‘Arafaah. He says, ‘Look at My slaves who have come unkempt and dusty.’” Narrated by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

And Allaah knows best.

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/7284

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

[At-Tirmidhi]

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Parting Farewell Advice of Ramadan - Nouman Ali Khan

Ibn al Jawzi on the Matter of Dua’s not being answered

[Video] Don't worry, Allaah will provide

VIRTUES OF FASTING IN SUMMER

♥ Oh people! A great month has come over you.... ♥

[Nasheed Video] Welcome O Ramadhan - Zain Bhikha

[Nasheed Video] *NASHEED* Welcome Ramadan - Shaykh Mishary Rashid Al Afasy

The Inner Secrets of Fasting

The Inner Secrets of Fasting

Ramadhan Articles Reading List

Winning Hearts

Winning Hearts

Smile:

Be always the one who initiates greetings:

The Presents:

Be silent….speak in what benefits.

Be a good listener:

Appearance and dressing well:

Being in others favor and helping them:

Being Generous :

To have a good opinion of others and to give them an excuse :

Express your feelings… instantly:

Sociability :

Event (London): 'AQEEDAH AL-TAHAWIYYA' 8 wk course

Ihyaa Institute presents:

'AQEEDAH AL-TAHAWIYYA'

DATE:Wednesdays commencing 8th June 2011

TIME:

19:00 - 20:30

VENUE:

119 - 123 Cannon Street Rd, E1 2LX

FEE:

£50/£40 unemployed. Fee inc. course materials

REGISTRATION:

email: info@ihyaainstitute.com

Tabarruj

Tabarruj

“Abi, when will we ever relax?”

“Abi, when will we ever relax?”

Raising Children

Raising Children

By Khadejah Jones

Zuhd: An Anti-dote to Consumerism Culture

Zuhd: An Anti-dote to Consumerism Culture

Fighting Consumerism

An Anti-dote: Zuhd

Some Practical Tips

The Virtues of Muharram and 'Aashooraa' - Special Months & Times - Islamic Articles - A2Youth.com

[Event] 15th Dec 2010, London Muslim Centre: Event of the Year with World Famous Shaykh Abu Bakr Shatry and Others

Eid ul Adha 2010/1431 AH

Arafat

The best of du’aa’ on Arafah

1953 Rare Hajj photographs from National Geographic

Virtues of the Day of Arafaah

Chapter 180
The Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an

[Nasheed Video] NASHEED Welcome Ramadan - Shaykh Mishary Rashid Al Afasy

DATE:
Wednesdays commencing 8th June 2011