Takabbur (Arrogance) - A common Disease

With the name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Very Merciful...

The Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) said in an authentic hadith,"Whosoever has an atoms weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Jannah." One of the signs of arrogance is denying the truth. Denying the oneness of Allah is amongst the biggest signs of arrogance. Nowadays, many are so blinded by this world that they think that this world is everything but the thing that they don't realise is that a day will surely come where we will stand in front of the One who created us and we will be asked as to our actions. Allah says in Surah Yaseen,"Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah (mixed male and female discharge semen drops).Yet behold! He (stand forth) as an open opponent."

The problem in society is that every one thinks they are better than every one else but in reality, this is far from the truth. We can never claim to be better than anyone else as we do not know our position infront of Allah. Allah will not at how 'good-looking' we are or how strong we are or how rich we are and surely, Allah doesn't look at your status amongst your fellow human being but Allah looks at your piety and good deeds. We see that nowadays it's a common problem that affects the youth mostly. Some people think that because we are driving the best cars, we naturally are better than anyone else. Stop! Think about it, will your car be able to outrun death or the punishment of Allah? Will your car save you on the Day of Qiyamah? Some people think, "I have big biceps, Iam better than everyone else!" But know my brother and sister, the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said in a hadith,"The strong man is not the one is who is good at wrestling but strong man is he who controls himself in a fit of rage". It easier to knock some one out than to forgive someone, surely forgiveness is a very good attribute to have. You might be pushing 100kg in the gym but when it comes to Fajr prayer, are you able to lift that blanket that weighs less that 1kg off you? If you can't then that says everything. A strong person must have the abilty to fight his Nafs, he must be able to fight shaytaan, and he will only be able to do all this by seeking the help of Allah. We need to realise that we need Allah in everything. So why do we have to be arrogant when we are entirely dependent on Allah?

We can see from the examples of the Sahabas (may Allah be pleased with them) that they were the strongest men that walked upon the face of this world but yet they were always humble.We see some brothers and sometimes sisters too, they walk around as if they are mountains! Allah says in the Qur'an, "Do not walk on the earth in haughty style. You can neither tear the earth apart, nor can you match the mountains in height." So if a person cannot match this, how dare he walk with such arrogance? My brother and sisters arrogance is a sign of ignorance, because Allah looks not at how strong you are or how beautiful you are, or how rich you are; rather Allah looks at what is in your heart, Allah looks at your good deeds and your piety.

Arrogance is a disease my brothers and sisters, do we want Jannah or not? If yes then get rid of arrongance from your heart because a good Muslim is always humble no matter how strong, or how rich he is. He is always humble because he realises that his wealth, his strenghth will not help him when he will be in his grave, when the angels will ask him, "Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is the Prophet?" We think that these answers are easy now but know my brothers and sisters that if you didn't live your life in the obedience of Allah, you will not be able to answers these three questions. We must make dua that Allah protects us from this disease, because for sure it will destroy our herefafter. If we have one atoms weight of arrogance in our heart, we will not enter Jannah, a true believer realises that he is nothing but a creation that has been created from a drop of semen... is this really something to boast about?

I make dua that Allah makes these few words a means of guidance for all of us and I make dua that Allah protects us from arrongance. Ameen.

True Success - Nothing Comes Easy

With the name of ALLAH the All Merciful, the Very Merciful,

What is real success? How do you define real success? When the prophet Muhammad (PEACE BE UPON HIM) started his work of dawaah, his first message was, "Say there is no god but ALLAH and you shall succeed." My brothers and sisters this life is only for a few days and we must realise this fact as soon as possible. Why? Because ALLAH says in the Quran ,"Every soul shall taste death". We don't know when we will breathe our last breath,we are getting so invloved in the wordly matters that we are forgetting about our death, we hear people nowadays saying, "We have one life only so lets enjoy it!" but we should know the real purpose of this life which is to worship our lord ALLAH. If we want to be amongst those who will get the glad tidings of Jannah then the change has to come now. Obey your Lord and follow His commandss. Of course we can have our inspiration of being a doctor , lawyer etc but the real goal is to worship ALLAH.

On the day of Qiyamah when ALLAH will ask us, "I gave you this life, what did you do with it?" "hat will be our answer? Well my brothers and sisters if we lived our life obeying ALLAH's rules and we followed the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) then by ALLAH's mercy on us we will be given the glad tidings of Jannah, this is the real success - attaining Jannah. But unfortunatetly we see nowadays that we are forgetting where the real success lies and the beauty of this world has made us blind. In reality this world is nothing to compare to the beauty of the Paradise.

We should fight our nafs and fight shaytaan! We should know that nothing comes easy, we can't expect to get rewarded by just sitting down, we should work hard , go through trials in order to attain succes. We can see from the story of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the Sahabas (May ALLAH be pleased with them) they went through a lot of trials. We can see from the story of the family of Yassir (May ALLAH be pleased with them) that they went through a lot and when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw the persecution that the family of Yassir (May ALLAH be pleased with them.)was going through he said to them" Be patient O family of Yassir! For you have an appointment in Jannah." The wife of Yassir , Summaiya(May ALLAH be please with her) was the first woman to die for the cause of ISLAM. People gave their life for this deen , they knew that this life is nothing compare to the life of the hereafter, they understood, that true success lies in the obedience of ALLAH and following the sunnah of the Prophet(Peace be upon him). Today we see that there are lot of facilities to learn about this beautiful deen of Islam, we should grab these opportunities and learn about Islam. Islam has come to us on a plate, we didnt have to shed blood for this deen.

My brothers and sisters know that one day we will meet our Lord, we need to prepare for our meeting with ALLAH. This life is a test, if we pass this test then Inshallah by ALLAH's mercy on us we will get the best reward which is Jannah. Indeed we will have to face trials in order to enter Jannah and by having full trust in ALLAH in times of difficulties and knowing that only ALLAH can help us is a great method to succeed. ALLAH says in the QURAN,"And surely Paradise- it is the goal" (an-Naziat 79:41 ), "Indeed the next abode-it is truly the life"(al-Ankabut 29:64). We see from the two verses that our goal should be attaining Jannah and that the real life is the life of the hereafter. ALLAH also testifies in Surah Asr,"By the time, Verily! Man is in loss, Except for those who believe(Islamic monotheism) and do righteous deeds, and recomend one another to the truth and recomend one another to patience".

My brother and sister we should realise that true success lies in the obedience of ALLAH and following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). We should grab every small opportunity we get to do good deeds. Why? Because on the Day of Qiyamah only your good deeds will be able to help you, your family, your wealth and your status amongst mankind won't come to avail on this day - the day when there is no shelter and good deeds are your only helper. We need to ask ALLAH to guide on the path of Imaan and make us realise as soon as possible where true success lies .


May ALLAH guide all of us along the straight path and make us amongst the dwellers of Jannah.

AMEEN

Remember me in your duas

My Holiday Ibadat Chart

The following is a ibadat chart that we made to help you through the holidays. Insha Allah print it off, stick it on the wall and tick away! Try your best to tick all the boxes for a special prize... Jannah!

Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite...

Sleeping is very important! Many people young and old feel very tired and fatigued in their day to day activities and this is because they have not given their body enough sleep. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam has said, “Your body has a right upon you.” There is a huge amount of people who leave their houses in the morning feeling extremely frail and tired. Whenever they get to lean their head on an object, they visit the land of... nod.

There are many reasons for a lack of sleeping. Sometimes, people lie down but they toss and turn for hours and when they look at their phone, 3 hours have elapsed and they haven’t slept properly at all. Others can’t sleep at night because they are glued to their computers speaking to friends on MSN Messenger or Facebook. Some people are really busy with work from university or madressa and others are poor souls that suffer from insomnia unfortunately. However, there is a way to conquer all! Here are some tips to help you gain that beauty sleep.

Tips for normal people:

• It is important that when you get into bed, you switch of your phone and all distractions that will take the tiredness away and make you active again.
• Have a comfy bed with a nice pillows. It always helps when you get that sinking feeling.
• Begin to read some zikr. Here are some ahadith about the sleeping of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam:

“Every night before Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam slept on his bed, he put together his hands (as in the dua’a) and blew on it and recited (the surahs of) Surah Ikhlas (Qul huwallahu ahad), Surah Falaq (Qul a'udhu birabbil falaq), and Surah Naas (Qui a'udhu birabbin naas) and wiped those parts of the body that he could (wherever the hand could reach). He began with the head, then the face and then the front part of his body. This was done thrice". (Shamail Tirmidhi)

"When Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam lay down on a bed, he recited, O Allah! In Your name do I live and die'.”(Shamail)

“Whomsoever recites Ayatul Kursi in the night before sleeping, Allah Ta’ala will protect him, his house and the neighbouring houses.” (Tafseer Mazhari)

• Just to sum up. A person should recite the Four Qul’s, Ayat ul Kursi, the last 2 verses of Surah Baqarah, recite the last three verses of Surah Hashr and whichever nice masnoon dua’as they can find in books such as Fortress of the Muslim, Aap ki pyaari duayein etc. They should recite this till sleep over comes them.
• The recital of Tasbeeh Fatimah 34 Allahu Akbar, 33 Subhan Allah, 33 Alhamdulillah prevents a person from awakening in a tired state.
• A person should place his right hand under his cheek and turn to his right side, facing Qiblah and should sleep.
• A person should keep his mind blank and not occupy himself with constant thoughts of what he may experience the coming day. He must keep his excitement in a jam jar!
• Like this a person should fall asleep with Allah’s Ta’ala names on his tongue and then should awaken in this manner.
• It is important to sleep early, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam would retire to his house immediately after Ishah and would not loiter around the streets. Many of us have a problem of returning to our houses. Some like to have a chat with the lads outside of the Masjid and then many of us tend to go for ‘walkies’ on the way home. This is not from the sunnat, we should go straight home and sleep to wake up fresh for Fajr.
• Switch of the computer and ignore friends.

Here are some tips specially for the people who find themselves stuck on MSN Messenger and Facebook at 4am:

• Delete your Facebook.
• Delete your MSN.
• If the above aren’t possible, then discipline yourself by giving yourself a time limit. Drill it into your own mind that you will be in bed by a certain time. Once this target has been made, stick to it.
• Occupy yourself with other things such as night time reading. Buy books like ‘The Sublime Conduct of Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam’ or ‘Shamail Tirmidhi’ (which are both in English) and educate yourself about the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salams blessed features.

Here are some tips for brothers and sisters who are busy with work from uni and madressa:

• Our respected Hazrat Maulana Ismail Sahib (DB) says, “Allah Ta’ala states in the Qur’an Himself that He has made the night a veil for people to sleep and the day a light for people to work in. If you switch the two around, you have gone against the cycle Allah Ta’ala has put in place and you will therefore suffer.” Thus a person should work in special allocated times during the day.
• Time management is very important. Make sure you are in bed early so that you can wake up early. There is a lot of barkat in the morning time after Fajr.

Here are some advices for those people who sleep till Zohar in the afternoon and then wake up with messy hair and feel really rubbish:

• Sleeping during the day is bad for health and causes humid ailments makes the colour pale, ails the spleen, softens the nerves, causes laziness and weakens desire except during in the summer time around noon. The worst type of sleep occurs in the early hours of the day and in the afternoon. Abdullah ibn Abbas radiallahu anhu once saw his son sleeping in the early hours of the morning and said to him, “Wake up! Do you sleep at the hour during which sustenance is being divided?!” (Tibb un Nabawi)

And finally, here is some advice for our beloved brothers and sisters who unfortunately suffer from insomnia. May Allah Ta’ala cure you all. Ameen:

• Those who suffer from insomnia should make dua’a that Allah Ta’ala removes this illness from them. Sometimes it can get very depressing and lonely but a person must utilise this time to do good if he really can’t sleep.
• Keep a happy persona. If a person considers himself as a lonely, depressed person; he will soon fall into sorrow and feel really upset when he is the only one awake in the house.
• Some affective methods of curing insomnia is by reciting Durud Sharif in abundance and picturing Madina in one’s mind.
• Tasbeeh and Zikr are very nice good.
• Sometimes thinking about those people who are close to the heart helps once lose anxiousness and feel at ease.
• Sometimes, reading a book tires one’s eyes out and helps putting one to sleep.
• Hot milk (without caffeine added in) warms the body. Also, a nice hot shower before sleep.
• Total darkness in the room is always nice and helps the eyes relax.
• Think of nothing! Look for the Jam Jar masala which has been narrated above.
• One should keep speaking to a companion whose company is nice and helps one feel relaxed. Thereafter, the eyes will get tired and want to depart to bed.
• Routine is very important! You must force yourself into bed by a set time every day. When a person who suffers from insomnia messes up his routine for just one day, it has lasting effects. Try getting members of your family or best friend to help you go to sleep.
• If problems persist, go to a good doctor.

One final tip for all:

• Good night, sleep tight but not so tight that you miss Fajr!

May Allah Ta’ala give us the ability to fulfil the rights of our body. Ameen.

TRUST and FAITH in ALLAH

With the name of ALLAH the All Merciful, the Very Mericful...

Having trust and faith in ALLAH at all times is very important. We can see from the stories of the Prophet peace be upon and the Sahabas (May ALLAH be pleased with them) that they had full trust in ALLAH, that is why ALLAH rewarded them with victories on the battle field. In the Battle of Badr, the Muslims were only 313 in numbers and they were poorly equipped; they were facing an army of 1000 men fully equipped but ALLAH rewarded the Muslims with victory. Why? Because the Muslims had full trust in ALLAH , they had the fear of onlyALLAH in their hearts and they had full trust that ALLAH would give them victory. This is because having trust in ALLAH is a SIGN OF IMAAN, which they undoubtedly had.

A true believer must always know that only ALLAH can help him, in times of distress we should seek ALLAH. Why? Because ALLAH is the Creator of this world and He has control over everything but we human beings would rather put trust in the creations rather that the Creator. ALLAH says in Surah Talaaq."And whosoever put his trust in ALLAH , then He will suffice him. Verily ALLAH will accomplish His purpose.Indeed ALLAH has set a measure for all things."

My brothers and sisters, we can see from this verse of the Quran that ALLAH is enough for us. We just need to put our trust in ALLAH. By doing this, we are showing that we have Imaan(faith). Thereafter, ALLAH is giving us the guarantee that He will suffice us, so why not put ur trust in your Creator and let him deal with your matters? Having trust in ALLAH is also an act of worship and what is our purpose in this life? ALLAH says in the Quran "I have created mankind and jinns only to worship Me". We see nowadays in the modern societiy that people are facing a lot of hardhsips but few of us are turning to the solver of all problems - ALLAH.

We should realise that our money, our contacts, our connections will not solve our problems or avail us, only the Creator of the heaven and earth will solves our problems. We see nowadays people say, ""e make dua but our dua are not getting accepted.", but my brothers and sisters ALLAH does not have problems accepting our duas, its the way we ask. When we ask dua we should have full trust and conviction that ALLAH will accept our duas.

There are various verses in the Quran where ALLAH tell us how close He is to his servants. Whenever the servants ask for Him, He (ALLAH) is willing to accept our duas, so why don't we ask ALLAH for help? We can see from the above verse of the Quran that ALLAH will suffice you. We need to understand that ALLAH is the solver of all of our problems, we need to work on our Imaan, we need to get closer to ALLAH! Indeed there are a lot of distractions going on nowadays but know my brothers and sisters that this life is only for a few days. We wish to be among the successful ones and who are the succesful ones? They are those people who have full faith and trust in ALLAH ,and they follow the rules of ALLAH. We need to turn back to ALLAH, and realise that true succes lies in the obedience of ALLAH.

May ALLAH give us all the ability to keep faith and trust in Him alone. AMEEN

"When one of you loves his brother, he should tell him so..."

The following is an extract from the Jumm'ah Bayaan at London Metropolitan University:

And so we begin today. What I want to talk about today is love for one another because sometimes I see friction in the prayer room. Maybe this is because we think, “He doesn’t look like me, he isn’t doing things that I follow. Why does he do this? Why not like this?” And then these very same people may perhaps show bad characteristics towards one another. This truly creates really bad feelings towards one another. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam said,

“When one of you loves his brother, he should tell him so.”

He should tell him! He should not keep it inside that, “I am a big man! I am hard! I don’t want to tell anybody I love them as it may decrease from my manhood! I want to be macho! I don’t want to show any softness inside of me, this must be only directed towards my wife.” No, this is completely wrong! Bringing an aura of love is from the characteristics of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam! When he would see the Sahabah radiallahu anhum, he would show them huge amounts of compassion. Today my brothers and sisters, we have gone far away from this. We feel love is only dependant on those people whom we can share intimacy with and not those people who we are brothers with, and this is why the Muslim Ummat is suffering right now because we don’t understand that we should love one another.

Now how should we love one another? By smiling at one another, by passing the salaam to one another, by meeting one another with an embrace and by this love will increase as you will always remember a person who shows these characteristics towards you! Maybe a person continually sees another Muslim and he continually passes salaam, maybe one day they will actually sit and talk and create a great friendship with each other. This has happened in the past. And if we are to act upon the hadith we are discussing right now, then we should tell each other, “I love you for the sake of Allah Ta’ala.” This is also hugely beneficial and we really disregard it. Just by saying this statement, it can remove a lot of bitterness which we direct to other people.

Mujahid rahimahullah who was a very big scholar mentions that he met some of the companions of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam. And one sahabi tapped him from behind on his shoulder and said, “I love you for the sake of Allah Ta’ala!” and Mujahid said, “May the One for whom you love me, love you too.” And this Sahabi said, “Had I not heard the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam say, “when you love your brother you should tell him so” I would not have told you this.” And because of this Mujahid rahimahullah became happy and he too showed izhaar of his gratitude.

Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, “No two people love each other but the better of those people is the one who is more in his love for his friend.” For example, I love our brother Ilyas for the sake of Allah Ta’ala but he might love me more, this means he is better than me. This is what the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam showed to the people, a lot of love and mercy. It is mentioned by Hazrat Anas radiallahu anhu,

“The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam was the most beautiful of the people, the most generous of the people, the most courageous of the people.”

And there is a reason to this, once in Madina late at night the people heard a big sound. They got scared as they thought the enemies of Islam were preparing a surprise attack at night while they were not prepared. In a state of huge terror, they made their way to the sound to see what had happened. But when they arrived, they had found that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam was already there on his horse with a sword in his hand! Subhanallah! What a sight this was to behold. He was prepared to take an entire army with by himself for his people! And he ushered them back to their homes telling them not to worry as he had checked the area! Allahu Akbar! How many of us have this type of aura around us that we give comfort to those people whom we socialise with? My brothers, rather than dispelling the worries of our brothers, we like to instil fear into them. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam was a person who called everyone towards him, he did not push anyone away. Hazrat Amr ibn al-Aas radiallahu anhu relates,

“The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam gave attention, spoke and showed love to the worst person of a nation so that, the person may feel he is being given special attention. He used to give me such attentions and spoke to me also in a manner that I began to feel that I was the best among the community.”

One hadith that I will speak of very quickly,

“When a person loves his brother for the sake of Allah Ta’ala and he says, “I love you for the sake of Allah Ta’ala.” Then Allah Ta’ala enters both of them into Jannah. The person who loves his brother for the sake of Allah Ta’ala, Allah Ta’ala elevates that persons rank.”

So you should tell your brothers that you love them for the sake of Allah Ta’ala. I’ll be the first to open up and drop the macho look! I love you all for the sake of Allah Ta’ala!

Keeping Oneself Focus & Concentrated

It is important to keep oneself concentrated on a particular thing. When a person starts something, he can only achieve his goal by dedicating his mind and thought to it. This statement could serve as a definition for what concentration is. This type of mentality is what Allah Ta’ala has advised the Believers to hold. He says straight away in Surah Fatihah,

“Guide us on the straight path.”

These words are a supplication and if a person makes this statement then he has consequently asked Allah Ta’ala for guidance and help in achieving the ultimate goal – Allah’s pleasure which results in Jannah. Mustaqeem (the straight path) is the road from the womb of the mother to the delightful pastures of Jannah and a Muslim constantly keeps himself motivated in prayer by these thoughts of the happiness of Allah Ta’ala and Jannah.

Thereafter, it is very important to keep oneself motivated in doing this. A person who is adamant on achieving a goal will continually spur himself on to get to the end. He will say sometimes in his mind or even out aloud, “Come on! You can do this!”... a funny incident has just come to my mind which is similar to this. Once, my respected Ustaadh had called me to help with some work. I had a feeling the work would take a long time to finish so I ate biryani, salads etc all to my stomachs fill and then came into his service. Being the compassionate and caring person he is, I came into his service only to find pizza, chips and drinks laid out on the table. Due to my intense love for him and his happiness, I could not say, “Ustaad, I have just eaten.” So I sat and began to eat on a full stomach and I kept telling myself, “One more slice! You can do it! Who’s the man? You are!” Alhamdulillah, I finished whatever was given to me and Maulana was pleased that I had eaten well too. All’s well that ends well. Had I not encouraged myself, I would have hurt Maulana’s feelings and would have shown disrespect to his kindness, generosity and courtesy. A student who hurts his teachers will always find himself neglected of attaining true knowledge.

Similarly, a Muslim motivates himself during the day but he does not realise it. We recite Surah Fatihah in every unit of every obligatory prayer and as a result of this, we recite “Guide us on the straight path” twenty times each day (excluding sunnat/nawaafil). Though we are not conscious of it, this is constant motivator for the soul and nafs (desires). When we are so punctual on our prayer, our nafs understands this ‘motivational talk’ of “Guide us on the straight path” even better. So in accordance with this statement, the nafs becomes inspired and spurred on to do greater works in helping a Muslim attain his Jannah.

For a person who is neglectful of his prayer; he is in essence neglecting himself of this impetus which is found in Surah Fatihah. As a result, his motivational talk becomes the whisperings of Shaytaan khabees and the whims of his desires. These constant inner murmurings will then spur him onto do Haram and the result of constantly doing Haram is Jahannam.

It is therefore important that we keep our mind focused on our goal. If the satisfaction we get from completing coursework and worldly hardships is such then what will be the type of satisfaction we will get from entering Jannah?

When the inhabitants of Jannah enter Jannah, Allah Ta’ala wil say to them, “Do you wish Me to give you anything more?” They will say, “Have you not made our faces bright? Have you not brought us into Jannah and saved us from the Hell?” And Allah Ta’ala will remove the Veil. The (dwellers of Jannah) will feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord.”

May Allah Ta'ala keep us focused on our beneficial goals and make us from the dwellers of Jannah. Ameen

Tricks Of Shaytan

1. The first thing Shaytaan does is, he takes out the importance of obedience out of us and puts the importance of the worldly issues (dunya) within us.

2. The second thing he does is to makes us delay and procrastinate the good actions for now. Like praying in congregation at the appropriate time, abandon following of Sunnah till old age,
not acquiring company of pious, and not making immediate repentance (taubah) etc.

3. The third thing he does is that he makes us rush through all good deeds. That may lead to abandoning the essential (wajibat), Prophetic practice (sunna) and desired (mustahibat) components required.

4. The fourth level of his trickery is that he puts ostentation (riyaa’) in the actions being done.

5. The fifth level trickery is that he puts vanity (‘ujb) in us. That is self admiration for the actions already accomplished.

6. The sixth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he injects us with the poison of doing things for fame (hubb e jah). That is for the approval and admiration of other people.

7. The seventh level of his trickery is to maximize our self admiration to a level that we start looking down on others. This is arrogance (kibr) - the mother of all spiritual maladies (umm al-amradh).

May Allah save us from these deceptions of Shaytaan. Amin!

Adapted from An-Noor and Ashrafiya

Brief Stories and Haalaat of Seeking Knowledge and the Akaabireen #2

The following I have translated from "Zafrul Muhasileen Bi Ahwaalil Musanifeen". It is an excellent book for students of knowledge to read and extremely beneficial.

Imam Raazi rahmatullahi alayh would become extremely sorrowful at the time of eating as he would no longer be engaged in attaining Islamic knowledge. So much so that he would say, “I swear by Allah! At the time of eating I feel so sorrowful from being disengaged from knowledge. Without doubt, (the utilisation of) time is magnificent.”

The madressa Sheikh Abu Ishaaq used to study in had 10 flights of stairs. On every staircase, Sheikh Abu Ishaaq would read his sabak 100 times. By the time he got to the top, he had read his sabak 1,000 times. Now, where is this effort today? The state of the common folk became such that when Sheikh Abu Ishaaq travelled to Kharaasaan, whichever big or small district he went to, people came out in their masses to meet him and every working person would place their prized possessions in the transport Sheikh was using.

Hafiz Abul Qasim Sulayman ibn Ahmad Tabraani rahmatullahi alayh passed away 360AH. He spent 33 years travelling around and sought knowledge from 1,000 scholars. Despite this, his thirst for knowledge remained till his death.

Hafiz ibn Taahir Muqqadasi rahamatullahi alayh would never ever use any form of transport when travelling for hadith. He would take the job of transport and conveyance upon himself alone. At times of difficulty, his urine would be blood (due to his situation and lack of food).

Ibn al Maqri rahmatullahi alayh relates: I travelled to 70 destinations to acquire a document (written) by ibn Fuzala. The external appearance of this document was such that even a baker would not exchange one chapatti for it. (i.e. to some it may look so poor but he still went for it.)

Qadhi Thanaullah Panipati rahmatullahi alayhwould spend his bedtime in the obedience, worship and prayer of Allah Ta’ala. He would read 100 rak’at every day and would have the habit of finishing one Qur’an per day in his tahajjud prayer.

Imam e Adab, Sebuwee rahmatullahi alayh started his search for knowledge in fiqh and hadith. At this point, he did not have much of a connection with Nahw (syntax). During this period, Sheikh Hammad ibn Salamah would narrate hadith. One day, Hammad used the words, “laysa AbAAd Darda radiallahu anhu” and Imam e Adab had written down, “laysa AbUUd Darda radiallahu anhu”. Thereafter, he (Sebuwiya) recited this hadith to other listeners. Sheikh Hammad instantly spotted his mistake and said, “Do not recite the hadith incorrectly! It is ‘laysa AbAAd Darda radiallahu anhu!'" At this, Hazrat Sebuwee felt so sad and made a firm intention in his heart that he will learn that topic (Nahw) that will prevent him from making many mistakes. As a result of that, he began to seek knowledge upon Nahw and he studied with such firmness and determination that many students came after him would refer to him as Imam e Adab Sebuwee Nahwee.

May Allah Ta'ala give us the ability to tread in the footsteps of our Akaabireen. Ameen.

Poetry: Anger

I am not sad, unhappy or depressed. I am angry.
Veins pumping, blood boiling, it’s all raging within me.
Misunderstanding is my fuel and ignorance is my lighter,
It sets alight inside of me a fire ready to cause disaster.
A mind which has drunk from the glass of distress,
Has a heart ready to hurt all those who know less.
That’s why I am no longer sad, unhappy or depressed. I am angry.
I am stuck behind a thousand locked doors and I have lost the key.
I feel so lost without You, I am wondering around the banks of misguidance,
Where do I turn when every path is proving to be a hinderance?
A body that has lost the will to be a pillow,
All softness has been removed from me, I now feel hollow.
So what should a person do when all he can see is red?
And finds it hard to forgive people before he retires to his bed.
A body that circulates hate from within,
Every shout, strike, swear results in a sin.
My tears of anger are enough to burn the bonds of relation,
To the extent that old friends have suffered identity mutilation.
So what good is sight if it remains blinded from correct judgement?
If the mind is out of place and can’t make the right arrangement?
Now what does a man do when belligerence becomes an addiction?
And his hostile heart disappears as if it was a part of mere fiction?
The answer is between the choice of standing up and sitting down.
Between smiling and giving a frown.
It is between the light of Islam and the darkness of rejection,
Between the heat of a hostility and the coolness of ablution.
It is between a foul word and a Prophetic prayer,
Between the sound of madness and the trickle of a tear.
It is between loving and hating,
But truly... it lies between forgiving and forgetting.

UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Seeing as my two friends Abdul Baasit and Abdus Subhan have written articles about university, I thought I would also write something as I too started a while back. I am writting this article to tell you about some of the fitnahs and issues that the youngsters of today are facing in universities from my personal experience.

On the Day of Qiyamah , when the sun will be above our head, there will be seven categories of people that will be under the shade of ALLAH, and one them people will be that person that spent his youth in the obedience of ALLAH.

We see nowadays that many youngsters spend most of their time chilling , enjoying 'the good life' but this is only in this world and there will be nothing for them in hereafter. The reason that people nowadays are living this type of life is because they do not know the real reason why ALLAH created us. ALLAH says in the Quran, "I created mankind and Jinns only to worship Me", of course we can have our aspirations of becoming a doctor or a businessman etc, but the true purpose is to worship ALLAH.

We also see in university how people change. They see other people doing haraam acts such as clubbing, drinking , smoking and they will go with the flow. A real Muslim is that person who stands up against something that is bad and haraam, he doesnt 'go with the flow'! Us youngsters face a lot of fitnahs in university, but we need to learn how to be strong and how to protect ourselves from these fitnahs, if we seek refuge from ALLAH and seek ALLAH'S help we will find the strength to keep away from these fitnahs. Being strong doesn't mean that you can beat up some one, being strong is when you see people going towards that haraam, but within yourself you know it is wrong and as a result of that, you stand up against it and abstain from it.

Us youngsters should realise that death can strike any second but unfortunately we have been blinded by the beauty of this world and we start doing things that are against the will of ALLAH. The rememberance of death will keep you away from any bad actions that you have the intention of doing inshallah. A good book to read is 'The Rememberance of Death' by Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya rahmatullahi alayh. We should always think about death, who will be by our side, how our last breath will be, will we be in pain, where will we die, in what state etc. We should think about how people will give our dead body a ghusl, then tie us in the white sheets and then place us in the mud and leave us in the darkness of the grave..

By staying away from the things that are haraam ALLAH will be please with us. Being at university myself, I see how hard it is for a person to practice his deen and to stay away from fitnahs, the best things we can do to stay away from fitnahs is to be with people that remind you of almighty ALLAH. Inshallah you will then find it easy to keep away from the bad things that are going on in university. We also need to choose our friend wisely, if you are with good people then you are most likely to do good actions but if you are with people that smokes drinks and goes clubbing after a while you will be following, so that why it is very important to choose our friends wisely. Click here to read more

This is just a small summary of what has been mentioned in the two previous articles, inshallah it will be of benefit

May ALLAH give all of us guidance and help us to stay away from the fitnah of this world and may ALLAH forgives us and grant us JANNAH. ameeen

Following Idiotic People In Society

This is a broad topic I must say, so I think I should start off from the root of the problem, desiring popularity. There are people who are want to be, "ghetto", and are willing to do what it takes just to be looked at by their peers or cousins with abit of respect. They want to be the ones who are recognised and talked about. They want the name and the status. They want all the hype and all the fame. They are the ones who will walk upon this earth in such a way that it seems as though they own the streets and that they can do whatever they want because it doesn't matter, as long as they are having "jokes" thats all that matters. These are the ones that are willing to steal or rob something that they don't have. These are the ones that will get involved in fights when they don't need to. These are the ones that will chat soo much rubbish that when you find out what really happened you'd think, "what a clown!".

When a person does act in the above manner all that happens is that people lose respect for him, he has no honour or dignity and soon he himself will lose all shame and won't care about what he is doing or who he is doing it with. As soon as this happens the hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasallam comes to mind where it comes to the nearest effect, "Belief (Imaan) and the sense of shame (hayaa) are tied together; if one is lost the other is lost."(Al-Hakim). I don't think I need to say anymore because that hadeeth on its own delivers the message loud and clear.

Then there are those who are the followers of such a person, who are labelled, "The Sheep!". These are the ones that will laugh even when the jokes aren't even funny. These are the ones that will say, "err... yeah... ok.." when really they just wanna say "no!". These are the ones that will defend themselves by saying, "No, no, no we don't drink alcohol or smoke, we just sit and chill with them but they do all of that!". It's like such a strange world, a person will want to be seen hanging around a person that takes certain drugs and drinks haraam substances just for the satisfaction that people will recognize him as part of that crew. He will smile when he is with that crew and he will sit there happily as he is surrounded by nothing but acts of destruction and he will think he is safe and clean because he doesn't do any of that stuff. Until one day feeling down and depressed after having a bad day, he joins the lads for a night out and is offered drink that will take away his miseries. Then as the arabic saying goes, "...once you've tasted it, there's no going back...".

It's been sad to see that there are people out there who really live their life just to please others, and they will strive and struggle just to be liked and to be accepted. They themselves will be seen as the, "loser" of the year group who has no life at all and will be the most annoying person that nobody wants to be seen with. He will chase after the girls trying to make them all laugh and giggle at his cheesy lines and lame jokes, but all that happens is that he becomes the guy who is labelled with, "...The Cooties! ( or The Lurgis!)..." where people just find him repulsive and don't even want to be anywhere near him. If he has a car then he will be the personal chauffeur where anyone who needs a ride will just call him up and he will come running to be anybodys slave. His money will be rinsed out on petrol and whenever he needs a favour all he gets is, "ahh sorry bro, I'm abit busy".

Such a person doesn't just have his hereafter ruined but also his deen and dunya is completley destroyed and loses out on both worlds. He ruins his life because his studies go down the toilet, his youth is too busy running after others that he neglects his own islamic learning or progression, so what type of life is such a person living? and where will it lead?

"Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allah belong all honour, power and glory [and one can get honour, power and glory only by obeying and worshipping Allah (Alone)]... (Surah Fatir)

Anyway, I think more than enough has been said so lets call it a day. Remember me in your duas. May Allah Ta'alaa reward you all for spending your time to read the articles which we put up. Ameen.

Surviving University Life Part 1

A person recently left a comment requesting somebody to write upon the topic of 'Surviving in University' and 'Imitating Idiots'. Abdul Baasit and myself agreed to split this up and so he will be writing about the latter soon inshallah.

Surviving University Life

Every year students make the transition from excited college kids to mature adults. If we were to go back to college for a few days to see the states of people, the first thing that would strike us would be the immaturity of a large amount of people. The reality is, we ourselves were in that immature state but as we grew up, Allah rabbul 'izza gave us understanding and the ability to recognise past mistakes. This is a cycle of life, inshallah when we are 70,80 year old bhudda's and bhuddi's we will get angry at all the youngsters for being too excited. Some of us are cranky as it is and so as time progresses, we should make dua'a that Allah Ta'ala keeps bashfulness and softness inside of us.

The transition from college to uni life is quite a big change. A person suddenly finds himself in a building with thousands of other students - all with their own worries, problems and lifestyle. During this time, it is really easy to feel out of place. For the first few months of university, you might feel like E.T. and really lonely. This is just a settling in phase and soon, it will become easy to blend in. However, it is apparent from the first day that there is huge fitnah for a Muslim in university. It is really important to keep oneself grounded during these next few years as there are many people with different views and lifestyles and if a person follows everything he sees, he will be thrown in different directions like a leaf when it is hit by the wind. And so there are many things to abide by in order to keep yourself spiritually high and aware. I will inshallah write part one and part two on this as there are many tips but I fear people may not have time to read one lambi chori article.

1. Keep good company!!! This is the base of all fruitful things to come in future. If you are very weak spiritually and you need to be with people in order to pray, you must have good friends and abstain from bad friends! It comes in a hadith that, "Man will follow the religion of his friends, so let one of you look to whom he takes as a friend." If you hang around with good people, they will help you be good too. Sometimes, just because you are around them, people will consider you to be a good person too. However, if you keep bad friends, they will want to take you to all the bad places and they will cut off your spirituality.

2. Be punctual on your prayer!!! Never ever let your prayer go. Even if it means skipping lunch or doing an action man stunt routine in order to get to the prayer room or mosque! When Hazrat Sheikh Yunus Damat Barakatuhum recently came to the UK, the morning before his flight he gave the students of our Daraluloom the advice, "Never let go of your pray, in any state." Prayer is hugely important and must be observed punctually five times a day without any fail. The benefits of prayer are huge, please read the posts for more info. (Benefits of Prayer, waking up for fajr)

3. Keep yourself in the rememberance of Allah Ta'ala. Purchase books such as Hizbul Azam, Hisnul Muslim etc, these are books which have dua'as from the Qur'an and Sunnah for every occassion. Whenever a person sins, his heart becomes tainted with a dark spot. This is removed when a person is constantly engaged in the zikr of Allah jalla jalaluhu wa amma nawaluhu and by reading these books, a person is spiritually uplifted. Also, a person should fix himself/herself a penalty. Everytime they raise their gazes towards somebody they are attracted to in a lustful manner, they should fix a 11 istighfaar penalty. This can be increased if a person feels his lust is increasing. Also, travelling back and forth from university is extremely tiring but it is from the virtues of Tasbeeh Fatimah (33 Subhanallah, 33 Alhamdulillah, 34 Allahu Akbar) that your body will remain fresh upon waking up, so make sure you read this. These little books of zikr are highly important. Anyway, this is getting long! Let us move on.

4. Recite Durud in abundance! Story Time: Muhammad ibn Sa'eed Mutraf rahmatullahi alayh was one of the devotees of Allah Ta'ala. He says, "I was very punctual in reciting a fixed number of Durud Sharif before going to bed every night. One night I completed the usual practice and slept on the upper floor of my house. I dream that the Holy Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam came to the upper floor of my house, which was greatly illuminated. The Holy Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam came to me and asked, "Bring your mouth, which which you recite Durud, closer to my mouth so that I may kiss it." I was shy to take my mouth to the mouth of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam and I turned it to the other side. Rasul e Paak salallahu alayhi wa salam then planted a kiss on my cheek. Because of embarassment, I got up all of a sudden. My wife, who was sleeping on the same bed, also got up. We noticed that the entire upper floor was fragrant with musk. The fragrance of musk remained on my cheek for eight days!" Sending durud is extremely important! Try to send 300 durood and increase gradually as you become more firm. Try to do durud before you sleep, just say "salallahu 'alan nabeeyil ummeeyi" or "bismillahi wassalamu 'ala rasulillah" in abundance! Search for the book entitled "40 Salat & Salam" by Maulana Saleem Dhorat sahib, this book is very good.

5. Ok this is getting long now, I hope you are still awake. I am. Hmm. Do your work! Many people get into university and they start getting involved in so many things that they are doing just about everything...besides their work! Many people who are more religiously inclined are spending their entire days living in the university prayer room. There is no problem in sitting in the prayer room when a person has two hour breaks between lessons but some people are spending entire days there when it would be suitable for them to stay at home or in another environment. This is not advised as it is just wasting time. When they are questioned as to why they are doing a bogus i'tikaaf, they say, "bhaisaab! There is bare fitnah outside! I'm saving my deen yaar!" This is a load of birds eye waffles (as seen in the picture)! The truth to this is quite simply - "You my friend are an isoc addict!" Some people make it their entire objective to serve the isoc and become die hard members. This is totally wrong! A person goes university to study and attain a degree. Many people are going into university from early in the morning and are sitting in the prayer room for hours on end, coming out with all sorts of akram bakram. I am not sayin isoc mysocs are bad, but a person must limit himself. Your studies are your priorities; you must get good grades and then help this ummat to the best of your ability. The prayer room should be used for its purpose, to pray. Do not occupy yourself with various courses; this can be done outside of uni in various institutes. More can be said upon this particular topic but maybe next time inshallah. Also, the less religiously inclined brothers and sisters may start partying and raving. This type of behaviour is not to be found in the Muslims for a Muslim partying will never match the crowd. It is like putting cow in the middle of hundreds of doggies. While all the doggies are barking 'woof woof' this cow will try to blend in but everyone will know the cow is a fake because of 'mooooooooo!' So don't go to Club Mango and look like a lemon! Many people are into this, "Let's go for Shisha, pool, cinema and disco" but this is entirely forbidden and should be abstained from.

... oh dear...chalo bahot hogaya, we'll continue this gupshup another time. bahot bhook bhee laghi hai.

Poetry: Everyone

Every dark, stoney pathway has a story to tell,

Of sins which entered its inhabitants into hell.

Every radiant, scentful meadow has a novel written upon it,

Of pious people in whose heart the light of guidance was lit.

Every wall in every house has a testimony to give,

Of how each and every one of its dwellers chose to live.

Every heart has the name of someone etched deep inside,

Of people who lived and smiled and of people who have died.

Every grave has a inhabitant with something to say,

Of eternal bliss or horror from every passing day.

Every book to be given that Day will be written in detail,

Of disobedience which had led one up a path bound to fail.

Every soul in the Fire will make an excuse and a great plea,

Of desperation and anguish and a wish to be set free.

Every soul in the Garden will be joyous at the rewards which are beyond measure,

And at the sight of their Creator, who will be looking down at them with pleasure.

May Allah Ta'ala make us from the people of Jannah. Ameen

One Umrah Everyday in Ramadhan

The following has been translated from our most dear, Hazrat Maulana Yusuf Motala's (damat barakatuhum) Ita'at e Rasul salallahu alayhi wa salam. It is Hazrat's account of his time spent with his respected sheikh, Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya rahmatullahi alayh.

The Umrah’s that were performed in Ramadhan Mubarak

To perform Umrah in Ramadhan has been emphasised by the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam. Huzoor e Aqdas salallahu alayhi wa salam has stated,

“To do Umrah in Ramadhan is the equivalent of doing Hajj with me.”

Whenever Hazrat Sheikh Muhammad Zakariyya rahmatullahi alayh would acquire Ramadhan in Makkah Mukkaramah, he would perform one Umrah everyday in order to act upon this Sunnat and to acquire its virtue. When he was in his youth, Hazrat Sheikh rahmatullahi alayh himself relates,

“After Tarawih, we would remove our clothes, tie our Ihram and rush to Tan’eem (which is a Meeqat) and then we would rush back. After we finished doing Tawaaf and Sa’ee etc we would eat our Sehri and then go to sleep. During the whole of Ramadhan, this was our daily practice.”

In the third year of his stay in Makkah Mukkaramah, everyday visitors would come to meet him and when he would be free from them, Hazrat Sheikh rahmatullahi alayh would tie his Ihram and then would proceed to Tan’eem in the car of Malak Sahib. There would be approximately 30 to 40 people with Hazrat and there would be three cars too.

When Hazrat would go to Masjid e Aishah (radiallahu anha) where the Ihram is tied, he would go to a sandy turf situated behind the masjid. He would then say, “This is the place where Hazrat Aishah’s radiallahu anha camel sat!” and he would begin to pray nafl prayers on this sand without having laid a prayer mat beforehand.

And just like this, Hazrat Sheikh rahmatullahi alayh came to the sandy turf again the next day and as he was about to begin his nafl prayer, a person (from amongst them) requested a prayer mat to pray on. When the voice of this man had reached Hazrat’s ears, Hazrat said angrily, “Who is it that wants a cloth?! Lift me up! We will go inside the masjid to pray our nafl!” After this, Hazrat Sheikh rahmatullahi alayh would perform his prayers inside the masjid. Thereafter, the opportunity to pray on the sandy turf never came.

This is what is known as the complete following of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam and the Sahabah radiallahu anhu. May Allah, exalted be He, give us a portion of this too. Ameen.

The Importance of Counselling and Relevance of Istikharah

Whilst reading over various books in relation to Istikharah, I came across the following in 'Ashraf's Blessings of Marriage' and instantly thought it beneficial to put up on the blog:

The Importance of Counselling and Relevance of Istikharah

Allah Ta'ala says in the Glorious Qur'an,

"...And consult with them in affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)." (3:159)

"And those who answer the Call of their Lord and perform Salah and who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation and who spend of what We have bestowed on them." (42:38)

Hazrat Jabir radiallahu anhu narrates,

"In the same way Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam imparted upon us the Verses of the Glorious Qur'an, he also taught us to perform Istikharah in all affairs (of magnitude). He salallahu alayhi wa salam commented, 'Whenever and important matter arises, perform two rak'ats nafl salah and the dua'a (for Istikharah)..." (Riyadus Saliheen)

Whenever a Muslim decides to enact any important or significant matter, he/she should firstly seek the opinion of a person who is both a habeeb (true friend and well wisher) and labeeb (knowledgeable and wherever possible a pious Alim). This mashwarah (consultation, whether in person, by letter or phone) is extremely important, full of blessings and more beneficial than only prayin Salat Istikharah. Moreover, such pious counselling should not be dismissed out rightly if it goes against one's whim and fancy but should be reflected upon with an unbiased mind. It is upon such good advise that Istikharah should be performed.

Nowadays, many youngsters who are not even punctual with their five daily Fardh Salah, feel that by praying two rak'ats Salat Istikharah, an answer from the Heavens as to their predetermined and established choice of future spouse will be forthcoming. This is mere self-deception, a 'smoke screen' and the distorting of a Sunnah act of worship to soothe one's conscience. It is sometimes used as a convenient cover for not only dismissing the opinions of elders but also to give Deeni 'colour' to one's misbehaviour.

Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanwi rahimahullah narrates, "Istikharah is beneficial for the person who maintains an open mind (in the matter being considered)...otherwise one's pre-concieved choice dominates the heart. This person now considers (after Istikharah) his thoughts and any dream to justify this previous choice. Remember, it is not at all necessary to perform Istikharah only at night... this has become almost customary...nor is it necessary to go to sleep immediately after. It may be prayed at any time (except the three makruh times), for example after Zohar Salah, perform two rak'ats Nafl and then pray Istikharah dua'a...though do remember, if before Istikharah one has a partiality then clear this thought or idea from the heart before sitting down and inclining towards one's heart. One may repeat this as many times in one day."

After Ramadhan

"Imagine a plain, like a vast empty field and rain is pouring down upon this field. After a few days the soil will dry and it will seem as though it never rained at all. After a few weeks or months you will start to see plants grow on that same land due to the rain that fell. The field is us, the Muslims. The rain is Ramadhan. Our bodies soaked up the water of Ramadhan and just because the blessed month is over do not think that there is no change or benefit in our condition. The fruits and vegetables which we planted in the month of Ramadhan will be harvested in Jannah and that is when you will see the rewards for your efforts in this month." (Shaykh Maseehullah Khan)

The month of Ramadhan went as quickly as it came. Whether we will be alive for the next Ramadhan we don't know but do not think that any of your ibadat or duas that you made in this blessed month were not accepted or counted. Some people tend to go back to how they were before this month started and then they lose hope in Allah Ta'ala and think that Allah Ta'ala hates them or is angry with them and because of that their condition didn't change and that their whole month of fasting went to waste along with all their tarawih and other acts of ibadat that they did, but this is not correct. Ramadhan wasn't just for the pious people to benefit from, it was there for everyone to benefit from. No matter how small your ibadat was you will see the reward of it in the hereafter.

A muslim should always keep good thoughts of his Creator. In our minds and hearts we should say, "Allah Ta'ala is happy with me, Rasullulah sallalahu alayhi wasalam is happy with me, my parents are happy with me, the ulama are happy with me, my ustaadhs and teachers are happy with me and the mashaaikh are happy with me." Why? because if a person keeps good thoughts like these flowing in his mind it will create a desire to keep on progressing in his Deen and Islam no matter what. If you keep commit a certain sin, then make taubah, some sort of repentance and istighfar and have hope that Allah the Most Merciful has accepted your repentance each time. Even if you think you don't know how to do taubah properly then just still do your taubah whatever way possible and explain to Allah Ta'ala that you don't know how to do taubah properly and to accept your efforts. Allah Ta'ala is The Most Patient and Most Forgiving. If you have still been given time to live after commiting a sin then you have also been given the time to make taubah and stay away from that which Allah Ta'ala dislikes.

If a person commits a sin and thinks that Allah Ta'ala is angry with him and won't forgive him then he will lose hope and to him it won't make a difference if he misses his salaah or doesn't pay his zakaat because to him he will think that it won't make a difference and that Allah Ta'ala won't accept whatever he does anyway. So eventually he will lose any interest in doing good deeds of any sort because to himself he will view his bad deeds as soo great that to himself he will think, "How can Allah forgive me after all that which I have done? What difference will it make if I miss another salaah when I missed my fajr this morning?". If you actually think about it really and truly we shouldn't even be alive at this moment of time because of the amount of sins we commit on a day to day basis are soo great in number that we deserve to be destroyed or punished straight away. But no, by the Mercy and Patience of Allah we are still alive and breathing so by His Mercy we will also be forgiven. Therefore, we should try and make use of whatever time we have left and seek forgiveness from Allah Ta'ala for whatever mistakes we commited and also give thanks to Allah Ta'ala by doing good deeds for giving us the time to live and the chance to make taubah about the things which we may have done.

May Allah Ta'ala grant us all steadfastness and taufeeq to do good deeds. Ameen.

To end this post I will write a qoute that crossed my mind whilst writing this peice.

"...It is only by the Mercy of Allah that you are alive and well today,
...and it will only be by the Mercy of Allah that you will enter Jannah tommorow..."

Hazrat Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri rahmatullahi alayh

The Childhood of Hazrat Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri rahmatullahi alayh

Birth:

The lineage of Hazrat Allamah Muhammad Anwar Shah Sahib Muhaddith Kashmiri rahmatullahi alayh meets with Hazrat Shaykh Mas'ud Narwari Kashmiri whose real lineage goes to Baghdad. He then came to Multan, then Lahore and then chose to stay in Kashmir.

His Childhood:

At the age of four and a half Hazrat Allamah Anwar Shah sahib began to learn the Qur'an from his respected father, Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Mu'azam Shah. Besides the Qur'an, at the age of six, Hazrat had finished several books in Farsi. He then began to further his studies in Arabic and Farsi through Maulana Ghulam sahib.

When the father of Hazrat Allamah Anwar Shah sahib began to teach him Mukhtasar al Qudoori (a great book of Hanafi Jurisprudence) he narrates, “He would ask me some rulings that would be impossible to answer without having revised over more detailed books prior. I had to constantly stop him from asking me such questions. In the end, his strength in knowledge and thinking became such that I became distressed! I then had to send him to another scholar. That scholar too became distressed and sent him back!” And so, Hazrat’s father, Hazrat and his elder brother (Yasin Shah) then went to the mountains of Kashmir to do I’tikaf with one very pious person who was known to be a Aarif billah. When the Aarif billah saw the young Hazrat Allamah Shah sahib, he asked his father (Maulana Muhammad Mu’azam), “Is this your son? He is going to be an extremely strong, capable scholar in the future.”

Once, Hazrat was revising over a few books of Mantiq and Nahw, coincidentally, A big scholar had passed by him and picked up the books to see what Hazrat was studying. When he looked at the books, he saw that Hazrat had written his own hawaashi (notes in the margins) on the page and he was only a mere child. At that spectacle, sharp nature, great understanding the scholar said without being prompted by anyone, “This child will become the Razi and Ghazali of his time! (meaning he will surpass the other Ulama and be recognised by all for his immense knowledge and piety.)”

He had the treasures of having a peaceful nature, beautiful manners and righteous actions from the start. By seeing the state of his piety, the people of Kashmir became in doubt and question as to whether Hazrat Allamah Anwari Shah sahib was the Mahdi or not. This got to the extent that the noble father and respected family members of Hazrat Allamah Anwar Shah would have to reject this misunderstanding.

At one point, Hazrat Anwar Shah Kashmiri himself relates, “At the age of twelve, I gave my first Fatwa and at the age of nine, I had finished the revision of Nahw and Fiqh. (Then recited the verse) ‘This is Allah’s grace, He gives it to whom He wishes.’”

At the age of three, Hazrat had been in the service of thousands of countless Ulama and pious people and had sought knowledge from them. And after a while, when he understood that the thirst of knowledge had been quenched from the various knowledge and skills he had learnt, he enrolled in the Daraluloom Deoband at the age of sixteen after hearing learning of its celebrated rank in India. In Deoband, Hazrat had stayed there for four years benefitting from the most senior and famous scholars of that era in knowledge and spirituality. At the age of twenty, he received a most respected and distinguished sanad (authorization). From his prominent teachers, some are listed below:

Hazrat Maulana Mahmud Hassan Sahib, Hazrat Maulana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ishaaq Sahib, Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Rasul Sahib Hazaarwi. May Allah have mercy on them all. Ameen.

This is the childhood of Hazrat Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri translate from the book, "Baro Ka Bachpan".

Health Benefits of Fasting

After speaking to a non-muslim about fasting, I wanted to see what the benefits of fasting are. Just by looking at non-muslim sources I found that fasting has great effects on the body. Just an interesting read which can help in dawah...

1. Fasting initiates rapid weight loss with little or no hunger. Most people are surprised at how little desire for food they have while fasting.

2. Fasting promotes detoxification. As the body breaks down its fat reserves, it mobilizes and eliminates stored toxins.

3. Fasting gives the digestive system a much-needed rest. After fasting, both digestion and elimination are invigorated.

4. Fasting promotes the resolution of inflammatory processes, such as in rheumatoid arthritis.

5. Fasting quiets allergic reactions, including asthma and hay fever.

6. Fasting promotes the drying up of abnormal fluid accumulations, such as edema in the ankles and legs and swelling in the abdomen.

7. Fasting corrects high blood pressure without drugs. Fasting will normalize blood pressure in the vast majority of cases, the blood pressure will remain low after the fast, if the person follows a health-supporting diet and lifestyle.

8. Fasting makes it easy to overcome bad habits and addictions. Many people have overcome tobacco and alcohol addictions by fasting, and even drug addictions. Fasting rapidly dissipates the craving for nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and other drugs.

9. Fasting clears the skin and whitens the eyes. It is common to see skin eruptions clear while fasting, and the whites of the eyes never look so clear and bright as they do after fasting.

10. Fasting restores taste appreciation for wholesome natural foods. People say that their taste buds come alive after fasting and that food never tasted so good.

11. Fasting is the perfect gateway to a healthful diet and lifestyle. Going on a fast gives you the motivation and enthusiasm to make a fresh start.

Taken from Fasting Facts

Brief Stories and Haalaat of Seeking Knowledge and the Akaabireen

Imam Abu Yusuf debating about a juristic issue at the time of his death.

Imam Abu Yusuf Qadhi (Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim ibn al Ansari al Kufiyi and then Bagdhadi) rahimahullah

Born: 113 AH
Death: 182 AH

He was the student and propagator of Imam Abu Hanifah’s rahimahullah knowledge and mazhab. And he was the Qadhi (judge) of the Abbasid caliph, al Mahdi al Hadi Rasheed. He would say for Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah is the judge of the judges in this world.
He was taking in his last stages of life with a loss of blood when he was debating with another man in a juristic issue with the hope that it would bring benefit to the one who seeks benefit or to the learner.

His student Qadhi Ibrahim ibn Jarrah al Kufiyi mentions that Imam Abu Yusuf was ill so I had gone to him to find him unconscious. When he woke up, he said to me: O Ibrahim! What do you say in this (juristic) matter? I said: You are asking me this in such a state?! He said: No worries with regards to this state (of mine). I will teach you, perhaps you will attain salvation as a result of it. Then he said: O Ibrahim, what is more virtuous in the ritual of Hajj in relation to the stoning of the jamaraat (click here to see) ? Should the stoning be done walking or should a person be a passenger (i.e. whilst riding on something)? I said: As a passenger. He said: You have made a mistake. I said: Walking. He said You have made a mistake: I said: You tell me about this, may Allah be pleased with you. He said: If the person is staying there because he wants to make dua, than it is more virtuous that he does the stoning as a walker. And if he does not intend to stay there, it is more virtuous that he does it as a messenger. I then stood by his side and (prepared to leave). I reached the door of his house when I heard a cry, it was then he had passed away. May Allah Ta’ala have mercy on him.

This was the way of the Ulama and Mashaaikh. They would say: Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. (طلب العلم من المهد الي اللحد)

So much so that Shuja’ah ibn Mukhlad says that I heard Abu Yusuf saying: My son had died. I was not able to attend his funeral preparations or his burial and I left him with my neighbours and my close ones. Fear had set upon me that I may miss something from the duroos (lessons) of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah so I did not go.

Muhammad ibn Hassan rahimahullah – He didn’t sleep at night except very little.

Muhammad ibn Hassan ash Shaybani

Born: 132 AH
Death: 189 AH

He was an Imam, Faqeeh, Mujtahid and Muhadith; the student of Imam Abu Hanifah. Allamah Tashkubri mentions: He did not sleep at night but very little and would place a book beside him. When he would get tired from this, he would look the other way and would get rid of it with water. He would say: Without doubt, sleep is from fever! (illness)

‘Isaam al Balkhi rahimahullah buys a pen for a dinar so that he can write whatever he hears.

‘Isaam ibn Yusuf al Balkhi

Death: 215 AH

Allamah Taashkubri relates: He was a Hanafi jurist and Muhadith of Balkh. He would purchase a pen for a dinar so he could write whatever (ilm) he hears in every state. His life was short but his knowledge was vast. Students should not miss out on timing and hours, they should take the night as a retreat (i.e. to study) and should go to the scholars and benefit from them. You will not realise what you have let slip.

Translated from the book: Qeematuz Zamn 'indal Ulama

Qur'anic Advices - Proper Hijab

I begin with the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the All Merciful.

وَقُل لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ يَغۡضُضۡنَ مِنۡ أَبۡصَـٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحۡفَظۡنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبۡدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا‌ۖ وَلۡيَضۡرِبۡنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِہِنَّ‌ۖ
"And say to the believing women that they must lower their gazes and guard their private parts, and must not expose their adornment, except that which appears thereof, and must wrap their bosoms with their shawls."(Surah An-Nur, Ayah 31)

The concept of Hijab is often misunderstood among some of the young sisters today. The common idea of hijab is that the girl is supposed to ensure that only her head is covered. However, Hijab holds much deeper meaning than just a piece of cloth. Hijab is a concept of manners, humility, and modesty. Lowering our gaze in order to avoid fitnah and acting with humility around men is Hijab. Guarding our private parts is Hijab. Behaving with good manners is Hijab, etc. Thus, every believing woman should realize that Hijab is a woman's guard, it is her reminder to do good and abstain from bad and she should always try to wear it in its correct form, and act according to the teachings of her Hijab. And of course, once we understand the beauty of hijab and awknowledge the reasons we wear it, we will begin to wear it correctly and with full reward, InshaAllah.

That being said, there are a total of seven conditions for proper hijab:

1). The clothes a Muslimah wears must cover her entire body with leeway given with regards to the hands and face.

2). The clothing must not be revealing, in other words thin and see-through.

3). In order to conceal the shape of the body, the clothing must be loose-fitting.

4). The woman's clothing shouldn't resemble that of a man's in anyway.

5). Style in clothing shouldn't look like the clothes of the disbelievers. Supported by the Hadith: "It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم "Whoever imitates a nation, then he is one of them." (Recorded by Abu Dawud and Ahmad).

6). The clothing shouldn't attract attention. Meaning that the designs should not be excessive or bold.

7). Last, and I think this is extremely important: Hijab should be worn for the right reason. Wear it for your Creator, never for the sake of His Creation.

Wasalaamu Alaykum

Importance of Keeping Good Company

ASSALAMUALAIKUM,

All praise is to ALLAH. May ALLAH shower his blessings and mercy on the seal of the prophets salallahu alayhi wa salam and muslim ummah who follow in his blessed footsteps.

The common problem amongst the youth of the current society is that they dont keep good company. It is very important that we keep good company. Ive seen personally the importance of keeping good friends, the effects of keeping good company will have a positive impact on your life. The hadith is on the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari radiallahu anhu, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam
said:
A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace. (Bukhari)
　
Brothers and sisters we can see from the hadith that the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam showed the importance of keeping good friends and also the effect of it. We can see this for oursleves if we stay with some one for a long period of time, after some time, the quality of that person that we are with will be reflected in ourself.

Today alhumdullilah I am writting this article by ALLAH's will and mercy upon me because alhumdullilah I have been lucky enough to have the companionship of friends that have reminded me of what this world is about, they have helped me by ALLAH's mercy to show me what really needs to be done in order to achieve success in this world and the hereafter.

We should pray that ALLAH provides us with friends who want us to be amongst the dwellers of Jannah. So my brothers and sisters, I would like to remind you that a real friend is the one that wants you to be successful . We should choose who we make friends with, find people in whom you see the attributes of the sahabas radiallahu anhum. And know, It is better to remain alone than to be in bad companionship

My brothers and sisters, as Imam Shafi rahimahullah said, "this world is for a moment, so make that moment a moment of obedience." Human being always need to be reminded of what our purpose is in this world for ALLAH says in the Quran "I HAVE CREATED MANKIND AND JINNS ONLY TO WORSHIP ME", this ayah of the Quran shows us clearly what we must do in order to achieve Jannah. This is why it is very important to be in the company of the people that reminds us of our aim in this world. Brothers and sisters we need to make dua that ALLAH the Most Merciful bestowes His blessings on us by allowing us to be in the company of those people that are in His worships and that will remind us of what needs to be done in order to achieve success in this world and the hereafter.

I make dua that ALLAH gives jannah to that person who gave the opportunity to write this article and may ALLAH guide each and every one of us on the right path and may ALLAH give us friends that will help us to become good and pious muslims. AMEEEN

RAMADHAN MUBARAK brothers and sisters and do remember me in your duas Inshallah.

A strange story of Hazrat Nuh Alayhis Salam

When the nation of Hazrat Nuh alayhis salam was afflicted by a storm, they all were destroyed as a result. So after this, Allah Ta’ala gave Hazrat Nuh alayhis salam the command through wahi (revelation) that you are now to make some plates out of mud. And so, in accordance with Allah Ta’alas command, Hazrat Nuh alayhis salam began making the plates and he would be engrossed in this work day and night. After a few days had passed and the number of plates had increased in bulk, the command came from Allah Ta’ala,

“Break all the plates, one by one.”

Hazrat Nuh alayhis salam pleaded with Allah Ta’ala,

“O Allah! I had made these plates with so much effort at Your command and now You are giving me the command to break it?”

Allah Ta’ala replied,

“Our command still remains that you break them.”

And so Hazrat Nuh alayhis salam broke them but it broke his heart to do this because he had made the plates with so much effort and then he had to destroy them. At this Allah Ta’ala said,

“O Nuh! You had made these plates with your hands at My command. You had so much love for these plates that when I had given you the command to break it, you were not willing to do so. Your heart was telling you, ‘These are plates that I had made with my own hands through much effort! I have to save them somehow.’ You had this feeling because you fell in love with these plates. But you did not look towards the fact that the entirety of humanity is My creation and at one point you made the dua’a:

رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرۡ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا

‘My Lord, do not leave on earth even a single inhabitant (surviving) out of the disbelievers.’

At this one utterance of yours, I had destroyed my creation! You had made these plates not on your own accordance, rather you had made it because of My instructions to you. Even then, you fell in love with them so if this is your case, would not I fall in love with My creation? So if I have love for them, then you must love them to if you have love for Me.”

Translated from the book 'Allah Ta'ala bando sai kitni muhabbat karte hai' by Hazrat Maulana Shah Hakeem Akhtar sahib. This is a book I recommend all to buy.

For more on Hazrat Nuh alayhis salam, click here

Ramadhan Mubarak to you all. May Allah give us all the ability to fulfill the rights of this month. May He make it a means of all of us to attain His pleasure and Jannah. Ameen.

Do remember me for a few seconds in your dua'as closer to iftar time. Iftar mai yaad.

Advices from the Qur'an - Mocking and Abusing people

"But your fat though", "They dress like tramps" and "Did you hear who she went out with!"... Things like these have become all too common for us to hear, it is time that we take a step back and look at mockery through the glorious eyes of Islam. Surah Hujuraat, Verse 11

"O believers, one group of men should not mock another group of men:it may be that they (the mocked) are better than them. Nor should one group of women mock another group of women: it may be that they are better than them. And do not find fault with each other, nor use offensive nicknames for each other. How bad is (it to be given) the name of sinfulness after accepting faith. And those who do not repent- they are the wrongdoers".

Firstly the ayah (verse) emphasises the importance of unity between Muslims and the need to make reconciliation if a dispute arises between two parties. The first cause of dispute is making fun of each other, to mock someone, highlighting their faults for the amusement of one's self and others. This is haram and it is clear from other verses of the Qur'an that mockery is a sign of ignorance. Usually, what entices someone to make fun of another person is an existing opinion that the victim is inferior, the person mocking the victim looks down at the victim. This is expressed when a respected person does something embarassingly funny no one would dare to laugh. The Qur'an supplies a cure for this illness, when feeling the desire to mock someone you should consider the possibility that they are more beloved and hold a higher status to Allah Ta'ala than you, and by mocking them you yourself become further detached from Allah Ta'ala.

Become like the people of ilm and taqwa that do not dare to mock anyone for Allah may resort to them being the position like that of the person they were once mocking. Islam is a religion for everyone, it has no imperfections, strict it may seem to someone but one MUST remember that they should not be confused with Muzah. Muzah means to converse light heartedly and humorously with someone. To joke with someone is different that making fun of a person. Muzah could be rewarding if done with intention of making a fellow Muslim happy and to develop mutual love and affection. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihy wasallam would engage in Muzah, but his light hearted conversations had truth at heart and is not meant to be taken seriously, this brings laughter, enjoyment and smiles all round, making us fulfill another sunnah of the beloved Prophet sallallahu alaihy wasallam.

May increase our knowledge and make us one of the inhabitants of Jannah. Ameen

Jealousy

Jealousy can be defined as a state of anger, grief and misery upon witnessing the successes of another person, accompanied by hope and desire for the person’s failure. This is haram and condemned strongly in Islam. Jealousy implies displeasure at the decree and distribution of Allah Rabbul-Izzat and questioning His wisdom and authority of granting whom He desires and how He desires. If this feeling is experienced without desiring the failure of the other person but hoping that the blessing remains with the envied one and granted to the envier also, then such a feeling is termed as “Ghibtah” which is permissible.

The religious harm of jealousy is the destruction of righteous deeds; its worldly harm is the perpetual state of grief, sorrow and heartache experienced by the jealous one.
“Jealousy devours good deeds just as fire devours dry wood.” (Hadith)

A Wonderful Remedy

Hazrat Moulana Thanwi Rahimahullah prescribed the following remedy (to be acted upon for 3 weeks at least) to a person who complained of suffering this destructive spiritual malady:

1. Dua to be made on behalf of the object of jealousy at least once daily
2. Praising him verbally amongst one’s associates
3. To occasionally invite him home for a meal
4. Occasionally to bless him with a gift
5. Meeting him before departing on a journey and bringing him a gift upon the return.

After three weeks of applying this remedy, he wrote back stating that half of his illness had disappeared. He was asked to continue for another three weeks. This time his reply was that all feelings of hared and malice had changed to love and compassion. Undoubtedly, he remedy is bitter, but the peace of mind and happiness that is acquired through meticulous application of this bitter remedy is unsurpassable and incomparable to the continuous heartache and destruction that was experienced hitherto.