Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Inviting others Home: Islam
Inviting others Home: Islam
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Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed's short talk on
Dawah: Heart/Mind
on Channel Islam International
dated 24th November 2011
Dawah: Heart/Mind
on Channel Islam International
dated 24th November 2011
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Thursday, November 24, 2011
incredible .... The goodly life
INCREDIBLE. this is indeed lengthy to read but worth every second of your time. youtube it here. transcript taken from here.
"The Goodly Life"
Sheikh Muhammad Mukhtar Ash-Shinqiti
Life, is either for a person, or against him
It's hours and seconds, days and years pass him by
Leading him (by his actions) to the Love and Good Pleasure of Allah
until he is amongst the people of Ultimate Success and the Gardens of Paradise
or they are against him, leading him (by his actions) to the Fires of Hell
and to the Anger of the One, the Just Ruler [Allah]
Life, either it will make you laugh & rejoice for an hour
over which you will cry for an eternity (in the Hereafter)
or it will make you cry for an hour
over which you will laugh & rejoice for an eternity (in the Hereafter)
Life, is either a great blessing for a person,
or an adverse affliction against him
This is a life which was lived by the earliest generations
by our fathers and forefathers
and by all those who preceded us
All of them, returned to Allah with what they used to do [their deeds]
"Life" refers to every single moment that is lived within it
and every hour spent within it
And within all of these, we live a life that is either for us or against us
Thus, the successful and happy person
is the one who sees life, and recognises it's reality and true nature
For by Allah, it is a life that frequently causes some people to weep, their tears never drying
and frequently makes others laugh, their laughs and joys then never to return
My beloved, Allah has made this life as a trial, a test,
an exam, in which is made apparent the true nature of His slaves
Thus happy is the one who is made successful (in this exam) by the Mercy of Allah
while miserable & banished (from salvation) is the one upon whom the Pleasure of Allah becomes forbidden (through this exam)
(Know) for every hour that you live, either Allah is pleased with you in this hour (by your deeds)
or the opposite, we seek refuge in Allah from that
Therefore (by this hour) either you come closer to Allah
or you stray further from Him
Thus it may be, that you live a single moment of love and obedience to Allah (by your actions)
by which are forgiven the inequities of your life
and a lifetime of sins
And it may be that you live a single moment in which you deviate purposely from the Path of Allah
distancing yourself from His obedience
which then becomes a cause of misery & distress, for the rest of your life
We ask Allah for His Safety and Pardoning
In this life there exist two seperate 'callers'
The first, is anything that calls to the Mercy, the Good Pleasure and the Love of Allah (be they thoughts or actions)
The second type of caller, is anything which invites to the opposite of that
(Such as) a desire or lust that incites one to evil
or a sudden sinful whim that may result in an evil ending (dying in bad or sinful circumstances)
Thus it may be, that a person within a moment of his life, weeps;
a weeping of regret and repentance over his negligence towards his Lord;
and by (these tears) Allah changes his evil deeds into good deeds (on his record)
But how many a people continue to commit sins?
how many a people still indulge in evil?
how many a people continue to distance themselves (from Allah),
frequently travelling away from their Lord (by their actions)?
Thus all of them are distant from the Mercy of Allah
unbeknownst to them, strangers to the Good Pleasure of Allah
Then comes upon them that hour, that exact moment (of penitence),
which is what we are referring to, by "the goodly life",
in order that they shed tears of regret and remorse,
and that a reason for anguish in the heart may be ignited,
Such that the person realises how long his alienation from Allah has been
and how long his absence from his Lord truly has been
so that he may then say, "Indeed I am turning to my Lord repentant, remorseful,
and in hope of His Mercy and Good Pleasure!"
This time (of penitence) is a person's key to happiness and contentment,
the time of regret.
It is as the scholars say,
"Indeed man sins a great deal,
but if he is truly sincere in his regret and repentance,
Allah will change his sins into good deeds"
Thus his life too then becomes pure and goodly,
by the purity and truthfulness of that regret and repentance
and by the sincerity in the very distress and pain felt within himself
We ask Allah the Greatest, Lord of the Honourable Throne,
to give life to this blessed caller to His Mercy, within our hearts
and to the pain we should feel when we are neglectful towards Allah and His Commands
My beloved, every single one of us needs to ask themselves a question,
we need to ask ourselves day and night,
How many nights are spent awake in activity?
and how many hours are passed (in this way)?
How many have laughed in this life?
And (most importantly) was Allah Pleased with this laughter?
How much of this time was spent in entertainment and enjoyment in this life?
Was this enjoyment one that Allah was Pleased with?
How many nights were spent awake (in activity)?
Was this staying awake (and what you did in those nights), pleasing to Allah?
And so on and so forth,
(These are) questions that he should be asking within himself
But a person might wonder why he should be asking these questions (i.e. what's the point)?
Yes! You must ask yourselves these questions
as passes not the instant of a blinking of an eye,
nor a fleeting moment in your life,
except that you are living in and experiencing the Blessings of Allah!
Thus it is from great respect and humility towards Allah
that a person remains constantly aware of the greatness of the Blessings bestowed upon him
From this humility is to truly feel and acknowledge that the food we eat,
belongs to and is provided by Allah
And that we quench our thirst with a drink created by Allah
And that we are shaded and sheltered by a roof provided by Him
And that we walk forth upon a ground provided by Him
And that without doubt we are living in and experiencing His every Bounty and Mercy
So what could we possibly have to offer Him in return?
(So it's important) a person asks himself these questions.
(For example) doctors say that there exists a substance in a person's heart,
that if it were to increase or decrease by 1%
he would die instantly...
So (think) in which courtesy and kindness,
which mercy and compassion from Allah does mankind enjoy, experience and live in!
(Even if) a person asks himself about the Mercy of Allah alone,
When he wakes up in the morning,
possessing his hearing
possessing his sight
possessing his physical strength,
who is the one safeguarding his hearing?
Who is the One safeguarding his sight?
Who is the One safeguarding his intellect?
Who is the One safeguarding his very soul?
He must ask himself, who is the One protecting all of these things?
Who is the One who Bestowed him with good health and wellbeing?
(Think of) those who are sick, lying on white beds (in hospital)
those who are sighing and in pain (from illness),
By Allah, through these great blessings Allah conveys His Love for us,
The great blessings of good health, wellbeing, security and safety
All of these are provided purely so that we may live a goodly life
Allah, praised & exalted is He, desires two things from His slave:
The first is that he carry out his obligatory duties (e.g. prayer)
and the second, is the abandonment of all Allah has forbidden and held him back from
As for the one who claims that closeness to Allah
entails a life of suffering or limitations
Then such a person without doubt has erred greatly in how he perceives Allah
For, by Allah, if you do not purify and make good your life by closeness to your Lord,
you will never be able to do so by way of anything else
And if you do not purify and adorn your life by carrying out your obligatory duties to Him,
and abandoning all that He has forbidden,
Then by Allah, you will never be able to so by way of anything else
A person may experience every single pleasure life has to offer
but by Allah, he will never experience anything more pleasurable,
more beautiful than servitude to Allah
by carrying out his obligations to Him
and leaving all that He has forbid him from
(In life) you are subjected to two choices,
whenever you are faced with a matter,
you have the choice to either do it or not do it
If you decide to go forth and do anything in this life,
ask yourself, "Has Allah permitted you to do this thing, or not?"
Since the human being himself is owned by Allah
the hearts are all owned by Allah
and the souls are all owned by Allah
Thus a person should,
whenever he wants to do something or hold back from it,
ask himself, will Allah be pleased with you (by this action)?
If so, then let him proceed
Or, will Allah not be pleased by this action?
If not then he should hold himself back.
For, by Allah, a person does not proceed with an action nor hold back from it,
requesting Allah's Mercy (and counsel in the decision),
except that he pleases his Lord in the process
Therefore true happiness and a goodly life are only to be found in closeness to Allah
Closeness to who?
To the King of Kings
the Controller of the Heavens & the Earth
To whom belongs the Ultimate Command, all creation
and the perfect arrangement and measure of all that exists
Thus you may find that man is always
in a state of anxiety and weariness
You may find an individual who has everything he desires
But by Allah, you will find most of those who have all they desire
suffer from mental or psychological problems,
from anxiety and depression,
most of them are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives
Go and look for the wealthiest person
and you'll most likely find him to be from
the most miserable people in life
And has made the sweetness and savour of life to be found,
in being close to Him
And has placed the key to a pleasurable, amiable life,
in a pleasurable, amiable relationship with Him
(If we look at just) one prayer that a person performs
from the 5 obligatory daily prayers;
at the moment of completing his bowing and prostrating
and completing his servitude to his Lord,
then at leaving the place of prayer,
he feels a great sense of ease and peace within himself!
By Allah, even if he were to spend all the wealth on the earth
(in attempt to buy this feeling)
He would be unable to seek a way to it.
Thus the goodly life is found only in closeness to Allah
A pleasant, comfortable life will only be found by a closeness to Allah
If a person does not purify and make good his life
through this close relationship,
then by who (or what) will he....?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
O MY Allah jee.
And today I come back my Allah,
From a darkness beyond limits
My heart is broken and I’m confused
And I’m the drowned one
and I can’t see a savior for me except You
No fleeing from You
No asylum except You
Monday, November 21, 2011
four things
Mankind does not tolerate these four blessings from Allah (swt) easily and they are (1) Daughter (2) Guest (3) Rain (4) Disease.
Man accepts these four things happily, though it takes away him from Allah's mercy and they are (1) Interest Money (2) Dowry (3) Back biting (4) Lies.
Man accepts these four things happily, though it takes away him from Allah's mercy and they are (1) Interest Money (2) Dowry (3) Back biting (4) Lies.
The Benefits of Winter
Qalb al-Ikhlas ♥: The Benefits of Winter: It is reported from Abû Hurayrah – Allâh be pleased with him – that he said: Shall I not point you to comfortable proceeds? People respon...
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Muharram: The Start of the Islamic Calendar
Muharram: The Start of the Islamic Calendar
By: Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Muharram
is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar Hijrah Calendar.
It is one of the four sanctified months about which the Holy Quran says,
"The number of the months according to Allah is twelve months
(mentioned) in the Book of Allah on the day in which He created heavens
and the earth. Among these (twelve months) there are four sanctified".
These four months, according to the authentic traditions are the months of Zulqadah, Zulhijjah, Muharram
and Rajab. All the commentators of the Holy Quran are unanimous on this
point, because the Holy Prophet in his sermon on the occasion of his
last Hajj, has declared:
"One year consists of twelve months, of which four are sanctified months, three of them are in sequence; Zulqadah, Zulhijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab."
The
specific mention of these four months does not mean that any other
month has no sanctity, because the month of Ramadan is admittedly the
most sanctified month in the year. But these four months were
specifically termed as sanctified months for the simple reason that
their sanctity was accepted even by the pagans of Makkah.
In fact, every month, out of the twelve, is originally equal to the
other, and there is no inherent sanctity, which may be attributed to
one of them in comparison to other months. When Allah Almighty chooses a
particular time for His special blessings, then it acquires sanctity
out of His grace.
Thus, the sanctity of these four months was recognized right from
the days of Sayyidina Ibrahim. Since the Pagans of Makkah attributed
themselves to Sayyidina Ibrahim they observed the sanctity of these four
months and despite their frequent tribal battles, they held it unlawful
to fight in these months.
In the Shariah of our Holy Prophet the sanctity of these months
was upheld and the Holy Quran referred to them as the "sanctified
months".
The month of Muharram has certain other characteristics peculiar to it, which are specified below.
Fasting during the month
The Holy Prophet has said:
"The best fasts after the fasts of Ramadan are those of the month of Muharram."
Although the fasts of the month of Muharram
are not obligatory, yet, the one who fasts in these days out of his own
will and choice is entitled to a great reward by Allah Almighty. The
Hadith cited above signifies that the fasts of the month of Muharram
are most reward-able ones among the Nafl fasts i.e. the fasts one
observes out of his own choice without being obligatory on him.
The Hadith does not mean that the award promised for fasts of Muharram
can be achieved only by fasting for the whole month. On the contrary,
each fast during this month has merit. Therefore, one should avail of
this opportunity as much as he can.
The day of Ashurah
Although the month of Muharram is a sanctified month as a whole, yet, the 10th day of Muharram is the most sacred among all its days. The day is named Ashurah.
According to the Holy companion Ibn Abbas. The Holy Prophet , when
migrated to Madinah, found that the Jews of Madinah used to fast on the
10th day of Muharram. They said that it was the
day on which the Holy Prophet Musa (Moses) and his followers crossed
the Red Sea miraculously and the Pharaoh was drowned in its water.
On hearing this from the Jews, the Holy Prophet said, "We are more
closely related to Musa than you" and directed the Muslims to fast on
the day of Ashurah. (Abu Dawood)
It is also reported in a
number of authentic traditions that in the beginning, fasting on the day
of Ashurah was obligatory for the Muslims.
It was later that the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory and the
fast on the day of ''Ashurah was made optional. Sayyidah Aishah has
said:
"When the Holy Prophet came to Madinah, he fasted on
the day of Ashurahh and directed the people to fast it. But when the
fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory, the obligation of fasting was
confined to Ramadan and the obligatory nature of the fast of Ashurah was
abandoned. One can fast on this day, if he so wills, or can avoid
fasting, if he so wills."
However, the Holy Prophet used to fast on the day of Ashurah even after the fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory.
Abdullah
Ibn Masud reports that the Holy Prophet preferred the fast of Ashurah
to the fast of other days and preferred the fast of Ramadhan to the fast
of Ashurahh. (Bukhari and Muslim)
In short, it is established through a number of authentic hadith
that fasting on the day of Ashurah is Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and
makes one entitled to a great reward.
According to another
Hadith, it is more advisable that the fast of Ashurah should either be
prefixed or suffixed by another fast. It means that one should fast two
days: the 9th an 10th of Muharram or the 10th
and 11th of it. The reason of this additional fast as mentioned by the
Holy Prophet is that the Jews used to fast on the day of Ashurah
alone, and the Holy Prophet wanted to distinguish the Islamic-way of
fasting from that of Jews. Therefore, he advised the Muslims to add
another fast to that of Ashurah.
Some traditions signify another feature of the day of Ashurah.
According
to these traditions one should be more generous to his family by
providing more food to them on this day as compared to other days. These
traditions are not very authentic according to the science of Hadith.
Yet, some Scholars like Baihaqi and Ibn Hibban have accepted them as
reliable.
However, there are some
legends and misconceptions with regard to Ashurah that have managed to
find their way into the minds of the ignorant, but have no support of
authentic Islamic sources, some very common of them are these:
This is the day in which Adam was created.
This is the day in which Ibrahim was born.
This is the day in which Allah accepted the repentance of Sayyidina Ibrahim .
This is the day on which the Qiyamah (dooms-day) will take place.
Whoever takes bath in the day of Ashurah will never get ill.
All
these and other similar whims and fancies are totally baseless and the
traditions referred to in this respect are not worthy of any credit.
Some people take it as Sunnah to prepare a particular type of meal
in the day of Ashurah. This practice, too, has no basis in the authentic
Islamic sources.
Some other people attribute the sanctity of
Ashurah to the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain during his battle with the
Syrian army. No doubt, the martyrdom of Sayyidina Husain is one of the
most tragic episodes of our history. Yet, the sanctity of Ashurah cannot
be ascribed to this event for the simple reason that the sanctity of
'Ashurah was established during the days of the Holy Prophet much
earlier than the birth of Sayyidna Husain.
On the contrary, it is one of the merits of Sayyidna Husain that his martyrdom took place on the day of Ashurah.
Another misconception about the month of Muharram
is that it is an evil or unlucky month, for Sayyidna Husain was killed
in it. It is for this misconception that people avoid holding marriage
ceremonies in the month of Muharram. This is
again a baseless concept which is contrary to the express teachings of
the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. Such superstitions have been totally
negated by the Holy Prophet . If the death of an eminent person in a
particular day renders that day unlucky for all times to come, one can
hardly find a day, free from this bad luck, out of 365 days of the whole
year, because each and every day has a history of the demise of some
eminent person. The Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet have
made us free from such superstitious beliefs, and they should deserve no
attention.
Another wrong practice related to this month is to hold the
lamentation and mourning ceremonies in the memory of martyrdom of
Sayyidna Husain.
As mentioned earlier, the event of Karbala is
one of the most tragic events of our history, but the Holy Prophet has
forbidden us from holding the mourning ceremonies on the death of any
person. The people of Jahiliyyah (Ignorance) used to mourn over their
deceased relatives or friends through loud lamentations, by tearing
their clothes and by beating their cheeks and chests. The Holy Prophet
stopped the Muslims from doing all this and directed them to observe
patience by saying "Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji oon". A number
of authentic hadith are available on the subject.
To quote only one of them:
"He is not from our group who slaps his cheeks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah."
All
the authentic jurists are unanimous on the point that the mourning of
this type is absolutely impermissible. Even Sayyidna Husain shortly
before his demise, had advised his beloved sister Sayyidah Zainab not to
mourn over his death in this manner. He said:
"My dear sister, I swear upon you that you, in case I die, shall
not tear your clothes, nor scratch your face, nor curse anyone for me or
pray for your death".
It is evident from this advice of
Sayyidna Husain that this type of mourning is condemned even by the
blessed person for the memory of whom these mourning ceremonies are
held. Every Muslim should avoid this practice and abide by the teachings
of the Holy Prophet and his beloved grand child Sayyidina Husain.
Blessings of Muharram
It is the first month of the Islamic Calendar.
The meaning of the word:- The word "Muharram"
means "Forbidden." Even before Islam, this month was always known as a
scared month in which all unlawful acts were forbidden, prominently the
shedding of blood.
A blessing of Muharram:- There are many bounties of this month, especially the tenth of Muharram.
Two of the many virtues of the 10th of Muharram:-
On
this day he who spends more lavishly for the sake of his family
members, Allah Taala will bestow blessing upon the sustenance of the
following year.
Abu Qataada has related that the Prophet has reported to have said, It is my thought that by fasting on the 10th of Muharram Allah Taala will pardon the sins of the past year.(Tirmizi)
Events of Muharram
Hadhrat Hussain was martyred in this month.
Shaykhain Tirmizi & Haakim has narrated from Anas that the following verse:
"Allah may forgive thee of thy sins that which is past and that which is to come." (Al-Fath)was revealed on the 10th of Muharram.
The Prophet Muhammed went to defeat Bani Muhaarin and Bani Tha'laba (Tribes of Bani Gatfan) in the year 4 A.H. (Asahhus-siyar)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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