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."