Friday, December 31, 2010

A letter from Mom and Dad

Step-by-Step Video Guide to Prayer


This is a documentary style educational film that teaches you the basics of prayer. It contains the following: The Night Journey (Isra' wal-Mi'raj) The story of the Miraculous Night Journey in which the prayer was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from Allah (swt). General Hygiene (Taharah) Muhammad (pbuh) said that cleanliness is one half of faith. The Ablution (Wudu) A prerequisite of prayer is washing the parts of the body as ordered by Allah (swt) and taught by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Dry Ablution (Tayammum) If water is not available then one may perform a dry ablution. Bathing (Ghusl) Bathing is required in the manner taught by Muhammad (pbuh) in certain circumstances. The Prayer (As-Salah) All one needs to know about the prayer including: The importance of prayer, leaving the prayer, prerequisites of prayer, a detailed two units (Rak'at) of prayer, a step by step guide to performing three & four units of prayer and general points about Prayer. Medical Benefits of Prayer & Ablution The medical world is continuously finding amazing benefits from performing prayer and ablution - Praise be to Allah (swt) the Creator of all that exists.

Part 1 - Intro & Wudu



Part 2 - Reminders



Part 3 - Fajr



Part 4 - Dhur/Zuhr



Part 5 - Asr



Part 6 - Magrib



Part 7 - Isha

Berzikirlah (mengingat Allah) dimana pun kalian berada


Zikir kepada Allah Ta'ala merupakan amalan terbaik dari hamba-hamba Allah dan disebutkan lebih dari seratus kali dalam Al Qur'an. Hal ini merupakan hal yang paling terpuji untuk mendapatkan kenikmatan dari Allah, senjata yang paling efektif untuk mengatasi musuh, dan yang paling baik dilakukan untuk memperoleh pahala. Zikir merupakan bendera Islam, yang akan membersihkan hati, inti dari keimanan, imunisasi terhadap kemunafikan, kepala ibadah, dan kunci dari semua kesuksesan. Tidak ada batasan pada pengandaian, frekuensi, atau waktu dalam berzikir. Batasan yang berhubungan langsung pada pengandaian akan tindakan wajib bukan merupakan isu disini, seperti Sholat. Syariah (Hukum Islam) adalah sangay jelas dan semua orang tahu apa yang harus mereka lakukan. Sesungguhnya Nabi (sallallahu 'alahi wasallam) menyebutkan bahwa Manusia yang berada di surga hanya akan menyesali satu hal: tidak melakukan zikir yang cukup selama di dunia! Tidakkah mereka yang membuat alasan untuk mencegah orang lain melakukan zikir takut kepada Allah Ta'ala dalam hal yang luar biasa ini?
Apa yang Alquran nyatakan Tentang Zikir-Allah

"Yaitu orang-orang yang mengingat Allah sambil berdiri, duduk atau dalam keadaan berbaring" (3:191)

(Dijelaskan dalam Quran dan Durud Shareef Khatam)

"Laki-laki dan perempuan yang banyak menyebut (nama) Allah, Allah telah menyediakan untuk mereka ampunan dan pahala yang besar." (33:35)
(Dijelaskan dalam Quran dan Durud Shareef Khatam

"Sungguh beruntung orang yang menyucikan diri (dengan beriman), dan mengingat nama Tuhan-nya, lalu dia sholat." (87:14-15)

Allah Ta'ala berfirman dalam kitab-Nya: "Dan sebutlah nama Tuhan-mu dan beribadahlah kepada-Nya dengan sepenuh hati" (73:8).

"(yaitu) Orang-orang yang beriman dan hati mereka menjadi tenteram dengan mengingat Allah," Ingatlah, hanya dengan mengingat Allah hati menjadi tenteram. "(13-28)

"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Janganlah harta bendamu dan anak-anakmu melalaikan kamu dari mengingat Allah. Dan barangsiapa berbuat demikian, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang rugi." (63:9)

"Maka ingatlah kepada-Ku, Aku pun akan ingat kepadamu." (2-152)

"Orang yang tidak dilalaikan oleh perdagangan dan jual beli dari mengingat Allah, melaksanakan sholat, dan menunaikan zakat." (24-37)

"Dan barangsiapa berpaling dari peringatan Tuhan-nya, niscaya akan dimasukkan-Nya ke dalam azab yang sangat berat." (72-17)

Apa yang dinyatakan dalam Hadis Tentang Zikir-Allah

Hadis Qudsi, "Barangsiapa yang mengingat Aku dalam hati mereka, Aku akan mengingat dia dalam hatiKu, dan barangsiapa yang mengingat Aku dalam majelis (yakni yang menyebut Aku), Aku akan mengingat mereka (yakni yang menyebutkan mereka) dalam suatu majelis adalah lebih baik dari yang mereka miliki. "

Zikir dalam majelis dapat dilakukan dalam suara tinggi dan serempak. Hadits di atas karenanya membuktikan bahwa zikir yang dilakukan dengan suara nyaring dalam suatu majelis merupakan jenis zikir yang disebutkan pada Majelis yang Tertinggi (al-mala 'al-a `la.)

Hadhrat Jabir (Radi Allahu anhu) melaporkan bahwa Nabi (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya), bersabda: "Sebaik-baik mengingat Allah adalah dengan mengulangi kata la ilaha illallah dan doa terbaik (do'a) adalah al-hamdu lillah (segala puji bagi Allah). " (diriwayatkan oleh Nasa'i, Ibnu Majah, dan Hakim yang dinyatakan dengan rantai suara)

Dalam Hadis Bukhari dan Muslim: Nabi (kedamaian selalu menyertainya) bersabda bahwa Allah Ta'ala memiliki para malaikat yang bertebaran untuk mencari orang-orang yang berzikir, yakni orang-orang yang mengatakan La Ilaha Illallah dan ekspresi serupa, dan ketika mereka menemukan sekelompok orang (majelis) yang berzikir, mereka memanggil satu sama lain dan meliputi mereka di lapisan pertama sampai langit - lokasi yang hanya ada di dalam pengetahuan Allah. (Hal ini menegaskan bahwa, sejumlah malaikat yang tidak terbatas akan berada dalam grup tersebut).
Lebih ditegaskan dalam Hadits Qudsi: "Allah berfirman: Aku sampaikan kepada hamba-Ku, yang mengharapkan Aku, Aku bersamanya ketika dia mengingat-Ku. Apabila dia mengingat-Ku dalam hatinya, Aku akan mengingat dia dalam hati-Ku, dan jika dia mengingat Aku dalam suatu majelis, Aku menyebut dia dalam majelis yang lebih baik daripada itu ... " (Bukhari dan Muslim)
Dengan demikian, zikir diam-diam (tidak bersuara) dibedakan dari zikir dengan suara yang nyaring dalam firman-Nya: "Mengingat Aku dalam dirinya," yang berarti: "diam-diam," dan "di dalam majelis sidang," yang berarti "nyaring."
Rasulullah SAW (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya) bersabda bahwa: "Hatta yaqulu majnun" Ingatlah Allah Ta'ala sebanyak yang engkau inginkan, sampai orang mengatakan bahwa anda bodoh dan gila "

(Diriwayatkan oleh Ahmad dalam Musnad, Ibnu Hibban dalam sahih, dan al-Hakim yang menyatakan ini Sahih); yaitu: jangan pedulikan mereka!

Ibn Umar (Radi Allahu Anhu) melaporkan bahwa Nabi (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya) bersabda: "Jika kamu melalui taman surga, kalian sendiri akan melihat mereka." Para sahabat bertanya: "Apakah taman surga itu, ya Rasulullah?" Dia menjawab: "Yaitu para kalangan ahli zikir. Terdapat para malaikat Allah yang mengelilingi yang pergi mencari para kalangan ahli zikir, dan ketika mereka menemukannya, mereka akan mengelilingi mereka lebih dekat."
(Ini termasuk Quran dan Durud Khatam Shareef). Tirmizi meriwayatkan ini (hasan gharib) dan Ahmad.

Abu Sa `id al-Khudri dan Abu Huraira (Radi Allahu anhum ajma'een) meriwayatkan bahwa Nabi (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya) bersabda," Bila ada sekelompok orang mengingat Allah, malaikat akan mengelilingi mereka dan rahmat akan meliputi mereka, ketenangan turun atas mereka, dan Allah menyebut mereka kepada orang-orang yang bersama-Nya. " Diriwayatkan oleh Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Ibnu Majah dan Bayhaqi.
Muslim, Ahmad, dan Tirmidhi meriwayatkan dari Mu`awiya (Radi Allahu anhu) bahwa Nabi (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya) menemui para sahabat beliau dalam suatu lingkaran dan bertanya:" Apa yang membuat Kalian duduk di sini? " Mereka berkata: "Kami duduk di sini dalam rangka mengingat Allah (nadhkurullaha) dan untuk memuliakan Dia (wa nahmaduhu) karena Dia memberi petunjuk kepada kami ke jalan Islam dan Dia memberi petunjuk kepada kami." Kemudian dia meminta mereka karena Allah dan bertanya apa yang menjadi satu-satunya tujuan mereka duduk di sana. Mereka berkata: "Demi Allah, kami duduk di sini hanya untuk tujuan ini." Saat hal ini Nabi (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya) bersabda: "Aku tidak memerintahakan Kalian untuk mengambil sumpah karena sesuatu yang Kalian perbuat, tetapi hanya karena Jibril ('alahis salam) datang kepadaku dan menginformasikan aku bahwa Allah Yang Maha Perkasa dan Mulia, telah memberitahu para malaikat bahwa Dia bangga dengan kalian! " Perlu diketahui bahwa hadits ini dinyatakan jalasna – kami duduk - jamak, bukan tunggal. Ini dirujuk ke salah satu asosiasi orang dalam grup, tidak satu orang.

Nabi, kedamaian selalu menyertainya, akan selalu berkata kepada para sahabat-Nya, "Haruskan Aku memberitahukan Kalian tentang perbuatan terbaik, yang paling murni di sisi Tuhanmu, tentang satu perintah yang tertinggi dan jauh lebih baik bagi Kalian dibandingkan emas dan perak, bahkan lebih baik bagi kalian daripada bertemu musuh kalian di medan perang di mana kalian menyerang leher mereka dan mereka pada kalian? " Para sahabat menjawab, "Ya, ya Rasulullah!" Nabi, kedamaian selalu menyertainya, bersabda, "Ingatlah Allah." (Diriwayatkan oleh Tirmidhi, Ahmad, dan Hakim yang dinyatakan dengan rantai narator suara)

Nabi (Kedamaian selalu menyertainya) bersabda: "Barang siapa yang menyukai sesuatu sebutkan sebanyak-banyaknya".

Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati berkata dalam tafsir Mazhari (10:111): "Ketahuilah, bahwa ayat ini menunjuk ke pengulangan dari nama Essence (ism al-dhat)," yaitu: "Allah." Arti yang sama juga adalah intimated pada akhir ayat 6:91 dalam Surat Al-An `am:" Katakanlah ALLAH-lah (yang menurunkannya). Kemudian (setelah itu) biarkanlah mereka bermain-main dalam kesesatannya. "

The Power of Reliance


There is an amazing ayah in the Qur’an where Allah says: “Put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those that trust [in Him]”. [Qur'an, Surah Al-Imran Chapter 3 Verse 159]

This ayah is profound because it can set you free from the shackles of mediocrity, and enhance your productivity and life in a way you can never imagine. If you wish to get the best return on investment in your life, put your trust in Allah, and know that every judgment call you make with such a mindset will only increase you in that which is good for you.

Many people have dreams and visions in life, but very few put the wheels in motion to realise them. Why? Typically, it is a conscious or a subconscious fear of failure and the impact that will have on your comfort zone. In our time, when we consider making better use of our time we are typically talking about embarking on a course of study, initiating or participating in a community or social welfare project, and or taking responsibility for some kind of good work. Essentially anything that is going to require us to release X hours of our life from time we typically use for other things (family, socializing, work.. etc).

Here we often say, I just don’t have the time to get involved, or by the time I get home from work and put the kids to bed, its far too late to do anything, don’t we? We say this, more often than not, as we fear committing ourselves to something outside of our routine. We fear not being able to deliver the results we put ourselves out as being able to achieve. And more often than not, we fear, losing the comfort of that lifestyle that we secretly love, yet complain about.

If we want to increase our productivity then we should remember the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) where the Prophet (peace be upon him) advises us: [Tirmidhi]

It is further mentioned:
“Know that if the nation were to gather to benefit you with anything, it would only benefit you with something that Allah (Subhanhu wa Ta’ala) has already prescribed for you, and that if they gather to harm you with anything, they would only harm you with something Allah has already prescribed for you. The pen has been lifted and the pages have dried.” (Tirmidhi)

Therefore, if you put your trust in Allah (Subhanhu wa Ta’ala), there are two things that you will have immediately in life:

1. Motivation

The first is motivation. This is something which is an inevitability following the entry of God-consciousness into an individuals’ psyche. When you cognitively identify that you put your faith in Allah, The Lord of the Worlds, this allows you to remember Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) in your life to a greater degree. When you think about what you will do when commuting, when you get home or on the weekend, and you do it seeking to put your utmost faith in Allah, it inspires you to make the Pleasure of your Lord the immediate focus of your life. This undoubtedly becomes a motivating force.

This force inspires you to spend your money/time investing in the educational content from your iPod/car, so that you optimize the value of potentially ‘idle’ time during your commute. When you get home, sit back in your chair after having put the kids to bed, when your more conscious of Allah, you feel more inclined to pick up The Book of Allah, rather than the book of shaytaan, aka, the TV guide.

2. Peace of mind

When you put your faith in Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), you become genuinely aware of the realities of your own abilities. You will be increasingly confident in your actions knowing that what Allah has written will come to pass, regardless. Therefore, while you fulfill your quota of breaths you do so knowing your only span of influence is on the present, so you can confidently embrace it without fear of the future, as you know that its the Will of Allah.
With this in mind, it is apparent that there needs to be a thorough and comprehensive understanding in the Muslims psyche of Tawwakul. We all need to have firm belief in Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), and His Promise to Help the believers through the good and bad times. Let’s have sincere tawwakul in Allah and emancipate ourselves from the self-confinement of the mental prison we have created for ourselves.

This productivity of the ummah will be achieved through awakening the productive Muslims within. May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) grant us the ability to have complete tawwakul, and increase our taqwa, and become more productive. Ameen.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

To You Be Your Celebrations, And To Me Mine




Introduction

Alamdu li 'Llaah. Indeed, all glory and praise is due to Allaah. We glorify and praise Him and we ask Him for help and forgiveness. In Allaah we seek refuge from the evils in ourselves and from our wrong doings. He whom Allaah guides shall not be misguided, and he whom He misguides shall never be guided. I bear witness that there is no [true] god except Allaah, alone without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam is His Abd (Devoted servant and worshipper) and Messenger. Verily, the best words are those of Allaah ta'ala; the best guidance is that of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam; the worst matters [in creed or worships] are those innovated [by people], for every such innovated matter is a bid'ah (Innovation in the creed or in acts of worship), and every bid'ah is a misguidance which shall reside in the Fire (The foregoing paragraphs are a translation of Khutbat ul-Haajah (the Sermon of Need) with which the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam used to start his speeches and which he was keen to teach hs companions).

To many people, celebrating Eids (Holidays and other recurring events) is a non-religious matter, and one has the choice to participate in celebrating any Eid, for any nation or religion, as long as that does not involve engaging in araam (prohibited) actions. This view is the basis for what we witness repeatedly of Muslims engaging in various celebrations and in sharing in the holidays of other nations. This article is meant to present, based on the Qur aan and the authentic Sunnah, guidelines for evaluating holidays and other related practices. This should enable one to reach a quick and sound conclusion when faced with such events.

Completeness of the Deen (The religion of Islaam practised as a complete way of life)

By Allaah's blessing and mercy, Islaam is complete, perfect, and universal in nature. Allaah ta'ala said (what means): This day I have perfected your religion for you, have completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion. [Al-Maa idah (5) 3] It is narrated by Muslim that some mushrikoon (idol worshipers) tried to mock of Islaam by saying, "It seems as if your prophet has taught you everything, even how to defecate!" When Salmaan radiallaahu 'anhu heard this he responded with the strong dignity of a true believer: "Yes indeed! He prohibited us from turning our faces or backs to the Qiblah (The Direction (of Al-Ka'bah) faced by Muslims in prayer) when defecating or urinating, from using the right hand to cleanse ourselves, from using less than three stones to cleanse ourselves [in the absence of water], and from using animal waste or bones to cleanse with."

Allaah's mercy has required that people be informed of all what would save them from the Fire and what would let them into the Gardens of the Hereafter. This was the mission of all prophets, as declared by Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam: There was never any prophet before me but that his duty was to reveal to his people what he knew to be best for them, and to warn them of what he knew to be evil for them. [Narrated by Muslim] And this was certainly the mission of the Final Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam as he said:Nothing of what would bring you closer to the Jannah (Gardens of Paradise) and further away from the Fire but have been clarified [through me] to you. [Authentic; narrated by Ahmad].

With His encompassing Wisdom, Allaah ta'ala made His Final Revelation, Islaam, a universal message meant for all peoples, at all times, without any distinction: We have not sent you [Muhammad] otherwise than to mankind at large, to be a herald of glad tidings and a warner. [Saba (34) 28] Furthermore, this most important Message is preserved intact through the centuries, as is clearly observed today by any impartial examiner. This is in fulfillment of Allaah's promise: It is We Ourselves who have sent down the dthikr (the Message), and it is We who shall surely guard it [from corruption]. [Al-Hijr (14) 9] We conclude then that:

Islaam contains the complete and perfect guidance for humanity.

Islaam did not neglect any information that would be needed by people to reach happiness and to avoid harm, in all matters, whether minute or large.
Islaam is the only guidance tailored for all peoples at all times.
Islaam has been preserved, and will remain intact through the ages, as the only true guidance capable of helping and saving people.
Completing That Which Had Been Completed?

The completeness of Islaam obviously means that it cannot be completed further. Whether people realize it or not, believing otherwise would imply one or more of the following dangerous conclusions:

that Allaah ta'ala was not truthful in declaring this completeness (I seek refuge in Allaah from such a blasphemous thought.)
that Allaah ta'ala has forgotten or missed some details needed to complete the Deen (again, I seek refuge in Allaah from such a blasphemous thought.)
that Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam has neglected or forgotten to convey to us some matters needed to complete the Deen (and again, I seek refuge in Allaah from such a blasphemous thought.)
This shows why Islaam warned so strongly against introducing bid'ahs into the Deen. We have cited in the Introduction above the Prophet's sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam words warning of bid'ahs. Imaam Maalik radiallaahu 'anhu said, Whoever innovates in Islaam what he believes to be a good bid'ah would be [implicitly] claiming that Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam has betrayed the trust (of delivering the full Message) He then recited the above aayah (A portion of the Qur'aan which is usually about one sentence long) from al-Maaidah.

Distinct Muslim Identity - Is there a Choice?

To some people, the universality of Islaam means that Muslims have the full choice to resemble and behave in coherence with other people in their localities (or in other locations as well). You continue to hear questions like the following: Is it all that important for a Muslim to have a clear distinctive identity? Is it not sufficient to have a strong belief within the heart and to perform Islaam fully but privately? Based on simple Islaamic principles, we can immediately conclude that the answer to the first question is, simply, yes! And the answer to the second question is, simply, no! A true Muslim is always eager to associate with his fellow believers: If anyone contends with the Messenger even after the Guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that of the believers, We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in Hell: What an evil abode! [An-Nisaa (4:115)]. And a true Muslim is very anxious to be distinctive and different from the non-believers. This attitude follows from the repeated instructions of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam: Be different from the Jews and the Christians [Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim], Be different from the disbelievers [Al- Bukhaaree and Muslim], and: Whoever imitates a people is one of them. [Authentic; narrated by Ahmad] Why is it so important to be distinctive and different from the disbelievers? For the following reasons:

We Muslims are blessed with the best guidance. The Guidance from the Lord of lords, from Allaah ta'ala. This gives us true dignity and pride that no one else has a claim to: Honor belongs to Allaah, to the Messenger, and to the Believers.[Al- Munaafiqoon (63) 8]

The disbelievers are misguided, and their ways are based on sick or deviant views concerning their societies, the universe, and their very existence. Their actions frequently reflect their deviant opinions. Why then would anyone ever think of imitating them? Yet Muslims sometimes do just that - they imitate them in their most unintelligible acts! The Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam: You [Muslims] will [in future times] follow the ways of those [disbelieving] nations who preceded you very closely; even if they enter into the hole of a lizard you would follow them into it. [Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]
There is a substantial amount of evidence in Islaam leading to the important rule: external agreement or similarity results in real similarity and agreement of the hearts. Thus, resembling disbelievers is Satan's first step in leading Muslims to behave and believe like the kuffaar (Those who reject Islam - disbelievers). Differing from the kuffaar is of different levels or types, some of which are more important than others. They can be broadly classified as follows: Islaam requires us to be different from non-Muslims in matters which are particular to their beliefs or worships, such as: wearing a cross, attending their religious services, wearing monks' attires, displaying or valuing their idols, etc. Imitating the kuffaar in such matters constitutes a major sin which is most possibly a form of disbelief that leads to permanent abode in the Hell Fire (may Allaah ta'ala save us). Islaam requires us to be different from the kuffaar in matters which are representative of them or are characteristic of their identity, even if the religious aspect were not apparant in such matters. Examples of this type of requirements: growing beards and trimming moustaches, dying white hair, not to totally abandon women in their menses, etc. Matters which can be classified under the above two types should be treated similarly, even if there is no specific text to require such treatment. Examples: wearing the Western hat or wedding bands, carrying pictures of family members, walking dogs, wasting time in watching sports games and soap operas, etc. As for other matters which are done by the kuffaar but are not specific to them, the above texts inform us that we should still try to be distinctive from them as much as possible. What is stated above should not be taken to mean, for instance, that we should not learn the sciences or use technology because the kuffaar are currently its leaders. Islaam requires us to learn and benefit from such forms knowledge, and this does not have to do with the subject of being different from the disbelievers.
Holidays Are Part of the Complete Deen

After the above lengthy discussion which, as stated earlier, is meant to provide general guidelines concerning celebrations and other related matters, we come back to apply what we have learnt so far to the subject at hand.

Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam once saw the Ansaar celebrating a certain day. He inquired about that and was informed: This is one of two days that we used to celebrate in Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islaamic ignorance) and we continue to do so. He replied: Nay! Allaah has substituted for you two better days: the day of al-Fitr and the day of al-Adhhaa.[Authentic; narrated by Ahmad, an-Nasaaee, and others]

In addition to these two days, the Jumu'ah (Friday) is an Eid day. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: This is a day which Allaah has designated as an Eid for Muslims.[Authentic] From this and the previous hadeeth, we conclude that Muslims have only three eid days, a weekly eid every Friday, and two annual eids, al-Fitr and al-Adhhaa.

Also, Islaam instructs us as to how to celebrate our Eids. No fasting is allowed on these days (Friday is excepted under certain conditions). On eid days, Muslims take a bath and wear their best clothes. They avoid all forms of sinning which people tend to commit when they are in a state of rejoice. The major part of the celebration is not eating or drinking. Rather, it is a prayer which gathers Muslims together to remember Allaah's bounties and to chant His glory and greatness. It becomes clear then that Allaah alone has the right:

to prescribe eids and to set their dates, and
to prescribe the manner of celebrating them.
Imitating Non-Muslims in Celebrations

The evidence from the Qur'aan and the Sunnah is quite clear in that eids are distinctive features for every nation. Allaah ta'ala said (what means): To every people we have appointed [its own] rites and ceremonies. [al-Hajj (22) 34/67] And it was shown in the previous section that eids are purely religious occasions for Muslims.

As discussed earlier, Allaah ta'ala and His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam have warned us against following or imitating non-Muslims in things which are characteristic of their religions or beliefs. This is more emphasized in the case of their eids or occasions, which always hold some religious or ideological non-Islaamic meanings, and on which the kuffaar indulge in many evil practices. Differing from them on such occasions includes the following:

Staying completely away from the kuffaar's celebrations.

This means to avoid places where they perform their holiday practices and to avoid participating with them in such practices (Christmas and New Year parties, Halloween trick-and-treat nonsense, Thanksgiving celebration and dinner, Fourth of July fireworks, First of April lies, birthday parties, anniversaries, etc).

Avoiding doing, ourselves, things which pertain to the practices of the kuffaar on such occasions (allowing Christmas trees in our homes or offices, inviting our friends to a Turkey dinner on Thanksgiving day, allowing members of our families to purchase or borrow Halloween attires, holding birthday or anniversary parties for our family members, etc). Avoiding to congratulate the kuffaar on their occasions. For, How can we bring ourselves to congratulate or wish people well for their disobedience to Allaah ta'ala? Thus expressions such as: happy Thanksgiving, happy birthday, happy New Year, etc, are completely out. The only possible happiness is in true imaan! Avoiding to celebrate our eids in a way which is meant to copy the ways of the kuffaar (mingling and shaking hands between men and women, improper cover for both genders, etc). Avoiding to initiate certain occasions or eids in imitation to theirs (the Day of the Earth, the Day of Iowa Muslims, etc.)

Bid'ahs and Sinning on Eids

It has been shown above that eids are meant to be purely Islaamic occasions and practices. They are not liable to the innovation or disobedience of people. The warnings concerning bid'ahs (and sinning in general) clearly applies to them. Thus:

Celebrating so called Islaamic occasions other than the three days prescribed by Allaah is a bid'ah which is rejected by Islaam, because it consists of introducing new rites and worships which only Allaah or His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam have the right to do. This applies to occasions like the Prophet's Birthday, the Hijri New Year's Day , the Middle of Sha'baan and the like.

Introducing certain baseless practices during the three legitimate days is also a bid'ah. On these days, people choose, for instance, to visit graveyards and distribute sweets there, to read specific portions of the Qur aan, to specify the preceding night for extended worship, and to do other things which have no valid evidence. Committing all sorts of innovations and sins in imitation to the kuffaar and the ignorant Muslims is obviously a combination of bid'ahs and other forms of disobedience which are emphasized by that people get involved in them at the time when they are supposed to be performing a purely religious worship.

Conclusion

To preserve our identity and our dignity, and to attain Allaah's love and acceptance (which means peace and happiness in this life and ultimate prosperity in the Hereafter), let us adhere to what pleases Him as he instructed in His Book or in His Messenger's Sunnah; and remember: eids and celebrations are no exception to that. We ask Allaah for guidance.

Dr. Muhammad al-Jibaly

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

About Love


"What Does Love Mean?"
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of four through eight year olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way."

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love."

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs."

"Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."

"Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired."

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."

"Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."

"When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you’re scared they won’t love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more."

"There are two kinds of love: Our love and God’s love. But God makes both kinds of them."

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore."

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken."

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

"I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."

"Love cards like Valentine’s cards say stuff on them that we’d like to say ourselves, but we wouldn’t be caught dead saying."

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you"

"You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

"God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn’t. That’s love."

love's meaning is so vital that there would be little reason for our lives without it. Just take a minute to imagine this world without love. If love ceased to exist, families wouldn't form because people would not be brought together by any concept. Once born, we'd be left to survive by ...


One does not discuss love, one lives and feels it. To discuss love is to speak where there are no more words left. A human can only talk about love. O my dear reader! Read this piece of writing as the one “about love”.


Love is like light, lovelessness is like darkness. Darkness can’t have a source. Darkness is the state when there is no light. But there must always be a source for light. There can be no love without a source as there can be no light without a source.

Allâh (Swt) Is the Source of love. The river of love falls down from Allâh (Swt). For He (Swt) Is Al-Wadûd. The Name Al-Wadûd is in double voice. This voice is characterized by bearing in itself both active and passive forms. So, the Name Al-Wadûd means both “the Most Loving One” and “the Most Loved One”. To put it in other words, this name denotes both “the Ever Loving One” and “the One Wishing to be loved”. That’s the difference distinguishing this Name from others.
Allâh (Swt) Is Ar-Razzâq, “He Provides sustenance”. Allâh Is Al-Khalaq, “He Creates”. Allâh Is Al-Ghaffâr, “He Forgives”. Allâh Is Ar-Rahmân and “ He Has mercy”. These and the like Names are single-sided. But when it comes to the Name Al-Wadûd everything changes. A double-sided relationship begins: both loving and wishing to be loved. Here lies the difference of love.

“A-L-H” is an isolated form of the name Allâh. Only 7 compositions can be obtained by changing the position of these letters. All of these indicate only one meaning: love. His Most Beautiful Names, Al-Asmâ’u'l-Husnâ, are the reflections of His (Swt) Love in the prism of names. The Names Ar-Rahmân and Ar-Rahîm, which are repeatedly recited by Muslims as part of Basmala, show that He (Swt) Is full of love and He Does whatever He Does with love.

Love attributed to Allâh (Swt) is expressed in words “Hubb” and “Wudd”. As for the word “Ashq”, which could also be rendered love in English, it is never used for the Divine Love in the literature dealing with the Noble Qur’ân and Sunnah. Because “Ashq”, which etymologically denotes “ivy” and “gripping and hanging on to the loved one like an ivy”, expresses the human love.

As for Hubb, it means “seed, pip, kernel”. The word Hububat (i.e. cereals) arises from here. It is obvious why love is called “Muhabbah”: Love is the seed of the tree of creation. And the human, who is the noblest fruit of the tree of creation, is the fruit of the seed of love, which bears its own seed in itself.

A fruit proves its faithfulness to its root by love. Human’s love to Allâh (Swt) is like this, too. That’s why it is stipulated by the Divine Revelation that the biggest share in love should be allotted to Allâh: “Those who believe love Allâh (Swt) more than anything”. And the Holy Prophet (Saws) is commanded to say the following: “Say: If you love Allâh (Swt), follow me so that Allâh (Swt) Loves you, too”.

Wudd expresses a special kind of love. This kind of love can only be bestowed. Since it bears an extract from its Giver (Swt), this love is eternal. Read the following Qur’ânic verse: “Ar-Rahmân will bestow (eternal) love (wudd) onto those who believe and do righteous good deeds.” It must be for this very reason that in the first years the Divine Revelation gave its addressees glad tidings of Paradise and threatened them with Hell while in later period, when they matured, the Divine Revelation gave glad tidings and warned by saying “Allâh (Swt) Loves – Allâh (Swt) Does Not Love”. This is indicative of how high a degree is reached by love in the relation between Allâh (Swt) and slave.

There is also fake love as there is a fake of everything. The true love puts in order, spurious love spoils. If at source it is not from Allâh (Swt), it is false love, and the one marketing it is a forger. The love which does not take its origin from the holy is not love but passion. Since love makes itself abundant it makes the human free, but passion arrests and enslaves. Those who call passion love, do the love itself an injustice by supposing the loneliness of two persons to be love.

The modern age has three false gods: power, money and sex. These make up the trinity of the lifestyle based on the belief that there is only the life of this world. Nowadays, the false god of sex is marketed under the name of “love” as part of the operation of global degradation. The holy thing entrusted to us, which we call life, has never been such a plaything in the hands of adulterers and adulteresses as it is now. Libido has never captured the consciousness to such an extent as it has today. The brokers of lust have never had so many clients all together.

The blowing up of sex under the name of “love” is a natural continuation of the global degradation operation. The aim of this operation is to make life senseless and purposeless, that is to say without Allâh (Swt). This is the real terror on which one should declare war. Because it is the terror of morals. This terror poses a threat to the whole human race. Enterprises engaged in marketing adultery under the name of “St. Valentine’s Day” are part of the terror of morls.

A person who cannot say “No” to adultery cannot say “Yes” to love. For adultrery poisons love. Poisoned love causes the human being, who is the most honourable of the creation, to resemble an insect that, after mating, stings and poisons its female. It makes the human being the most disgraceful of the creation, “like animals, even lower than them”, as worded by the Noble Qur’ân. Chastity starts to decay where there is no more privacy left, respect starts to decay where there is no more chastity left, disposition starts to decay where there is no more respect left. And nature starts to decay where there is no more disposition left.

If the nature has decayed, no one can hold that human. No one can set a limit for lust. No one can draw a mark for somebody saying “Amusement is mine, I can do whatever I want”. In the end, it comes to a seventeen-month-old baby. Laments for a seventeen-month-old baby having been a victim of rape expressed by a person who doesn’t say no committing adultery with a seventeen-year-old are similar to “crocodile tears”.

Let everyone bear the following in mind: There is either a limit or there are no limits at all.
Mustafa Islamoglu

Forgetting Allaah = Forgetting Oneself


From among the punishments of sinful acts are that they cause the servant to forget himself.


So, consequently when a person forgets his soul, he corrupts it, and then destroys it. If o­ne would ask, “How does someone forget himself if he does forget? Which things does he remember?” Allaah the Most High has said,

“And do not be like those who forgot Allaah (i.e. became disobedient to Allaah) and He caused them to forget their own selves.” [Sooratul-Hashr (59):19]

In other words, glory is to Him, Allaah punishes the o­ne who forgets Him with two punishments:

1) Allaah forgets him.

2) He causes the individual to forget himself.

Allaah’s forgetting the servant involves His disregard, abandonment and neglect of the disobedient o­ne. As a result, destruction draws closer to him than his own face and hand.

As for the sinner, his forgetting himself means that the person stops thinking about the finer qualities of the soul and the things that lead to its success and well-being. He forgets all of this. The matter does not even come to mind. Nor does he bring it to mind.

In addition, the disobedient servant is made to forget the diseases of the heart and soul along with the agony that accompanies them. In the end, there is no effort to remove these destructive ills that of which eventually lead him to corruption and ruin. He becomes a sick individual covered with layers of disease. The internal disorder causes destruction to spread through him. However, this negligent soul is not aware of his sickness nor does the remedy occur in his mind.

This is the worst kind of punishment. What punishment is worse than an individual neglecting, and then destroying himself? He forgets the beneficial qualities his soul possesses. This rebellious servant becomes heedless of the causes of his acquiring good in this life and a permanent resting place in the abode of eternal bliss.

“Sins and Their Punishments” by Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah; Pgs. 54 – 56

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

16 Ways to Kick Bad Habits


Few things are more demanding than eliminating bad habits, since they are part of our daily routines and personality. It takes days of patience and practice to break old habits.

However, the good news is, Ramadan offers a perfect and natural environment for moral training. Interestingly, researches from “positive psychology” (scientific study of successful people) have repeatedly shown it takes 30 days to kick a bad habit and develop a new one.

In addition to the physical discipline in the 30-day boot camp of Ramadan, the increased spiritual exercise and connection with Allah, can transform your habits for life.

Try these proven techniques for a successful positive change in your habits (during Ramadan and beyond!):

1. Acknowledge and identify your bad habits:

First step is to admit you need to change. If you are in a state of denial, you won’t recognize that you have a bad habit to change.

2. Pick a habit for 30 days:

Prioritize your bad habits and focus on one for 30 days. Take a 30-day trial to re-condition your habits. If you are committed to changing at least one habit, you will see remarkable results, God-willing.

3. Realize that it’s in us to change:

Don’t believe the old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” You can break a bad habit if you really want to. No one else can change your habits, if you don’t want to.

4. Remember, Allah loves those who commit mistakes and repent:

Prophet Muhammad said:

“By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.” [Sahih Muslim]

5. Intention & plan to change:

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” A healthy process of change in character requires a gradual pace, which entails planning. Develop concrete milestones to measure your progress.

6. Replace a bad habit with a good one:

Completely eliminating a habit is more challenging than replacing it with a more productive habit. Moreover, it’s crucial to replace the lost natural needs, such as the need to socialize and to be entertained with something healthy.

For instance, it’s easier to replace or balance your addiction to TV with a physical workout or reading, than to suddenly remove the TV from your life. Interestingly, Prophet Muhammad, the greatest ‘psychologist’ of humanity, illustrated this principle in these words:

“Fear Allah wherever you may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former) out, and behave good-naturedly towards people.” [At-Tirmidhi]

7. Change your environment:

Resist the negative peer pressure by finding a better company of friends. Collective action to change is very powerful. Prophet Muhammad explained this peer pressure effect with this analogy:

“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.” [Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim]

8. Exercise (physical and spiritual):

A habit of regular physical exercise is obviously important for lasting weight loss. But you may not realize that exercise helps in eliminating a number of bad habits. For example, among smokers who become competitive runners, for example, over 80% give up smoking.

Moreover, exercising your will power (struggle to fight temptations) for 30 days helps you kick all kinds of bad habits and form new good ones. Willpower is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the more you strengthen it.

9. Think of yourself as a changed, different, new person:

This simple psychological shift in your thinking about your own image can do wonders. Tell yourself, “I can’t continue this ill-behaviour. I am better than that. I am stronger. I am wiser.”

10. Reward success:

The most fundamental law in all of psychology is the “law of effect.” It simply states that actions followed by rewards are strengthened and likely to recur. Unfortunately, studies show that people rarely use this technique when trying to change personal habits.

Setting up formal or informal rewards for success greatly increases your chances of transforming bad habits into good ones, and is far more effective than punishing yourself for bad habits or setbacks. As Muslims we should also remember that the ultimate reward is Allah’s Pleasure and Paradise in the Hereafter.

11. Schedule / limit your bad habits:

If you are really struggling to kick a bad habit, try limiting the habit to a specific time and place. Research and case studies confirm that this rather unconventional approach can be a useful first step in changing bad habits or learning new good ones.

12. Tell someone about your effort to change if it helps:

He or she may keep you on track.

13. Resolve to continue on and follow up:

Giving up bad habits or learning good habits requires regular maintenance and determination. It is a long, ongoing process, also known as “Tazkiyyah” in Islamic terminology. It’s more difficult than the first few steps of change. (“How many times have I dieted, for example, only to gain the weight back?”)

14. Remind yourself of death and hereafter often:

“Remember often the terminator (or destroyer) of all the pleasures [i.e. death],” the Prophet once stated. [At-Tirmidhi.]

15. Develop a relapse strategy:

How do you ensure not to return to your bad habit you are trying to change? Some people donate money to a good cause every time they return to sinning or a bad habit. This reminds them of the ‘cost’ of going back to old bad habits. Others try physically demanding acts to deter them from reverting to old ways.

16. Ask Allah for help:

Last but not least, make Asking for Allah’s Help an integral part of the overall change process. Ask for Allah’s Help before, during and after every attempt at kicking a bad habit. Do so sincerely, even begging and crying, like a child does when he or she really wants something. Allah is Ever-Willing to Help and to Respond to our needs, but it is us who must take the first step towards Him.

“And whosoever is conscious of Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He (Allah) will make a way for him to get out (from) every (difficulty), and He will provide him from (sources) he could never imagine.” [Quran 65:2-3]


Source: Productive Ramadan

Tuhan Berikan Aku Cinta



Tuhan Berikan Aku Cinta

Walau aku senyum bukan berarti
Aku selalu bahagia dalam hari
Ada yang tak ada di hati ini
Di jiwa ini hampa

Ku bertemu sang adam di simpang hidupku
Mungkin akan ada cerita cinta
Namun ada saja cobaan hidup
Seakan aku hina

Tuhan berikanlah aku cinta
Untuk temaniku dalam sepi
Tangkap aku dalam terang-Mu
Biarkanlah aku punya cinta

Tuhan berikanlah aku cinta
Aku juga berhak bahagia
Berikan restu dan halal-Mu
Tuhan beri aku cinta

Ku bertemu sang adam di simpang hidupku
Mungkin akan ada cerita cinta
Namun ada saja cobaan hidup
Seakan aku hina

Tuhan berikanlah aku cinta
Untuk temaniku dalam sepi
Tangkap aku dalam terang-Mu
Biarkanlah aku punya cinta

Tuhan berikanlah aku cinta
Aku juga berhak bahagia
Berikan restu dan halal-Mu
Tuhan beri aku cinta

Monday, December 20, 2010

Why were we Created?


Not just Muslims, but every single human being has to answer the most fundamental question at some point in his or her lifetime: "Why was I created? Why am I here? What am I doing in this world? Why did God create me?"

These questions are questions which each and everyone of us reflects on at some point during their life. We have some answers, which are given generally but usually these answers don't satisfy us - seeming somewhat simplistic. So, we still wonder: "Why me? Why here?". I know all of you (Muslims), are saying, "To worship Allah, khallas (finish). What more is there to say? Why do we need to have a big long talk on why we were created when we all know it is to worship Allah?!"

But wait. If this is presented to a non-Muslim, the next logical question would be, "Why does Allah want us to worship Him?" Then your stuck, which can only mean that in our own minds it is not really clear. Why did Allah create us to worship Him?

Addressing the question, "Why did Allah create us?", we have to understand how to deal with those people we live with (in the West). Those who don't consider there to be any purpose in man's creation, firmly believing that they are just a product of evolution and that the forces of nature. Just as we don't have apes, dogs or cows thinking about why they are here, then we also don't have to think about it either. Following from this belief being the basis of the philosophy of Western society (that man is without purpose), the whole issue of government, morality, etc. has no basis for them in Revelation. The product of this attitude is, of course, the corruption that we are living in.

When a Muslim addresses this topic, we have to find our understanding from Divine Revelation and not human speculation. Because human speculation has no bounds; we can imagine all kinds of things and if any of you has studied philosophy of religion, you will know how many opinions there are about the creation of man and existence. Because of the variety of philosophies which are out there, no one can say this one is correct or that one is incorrect, because there is no guidance behind it. No Divine Revelation. It is only from Divine Revelation that we can determine the reality of our creation, because it is Allah who has created us and so He knows the purpose of our creation. We can hardly understand it ourselves, much less trying to understand the essence of things. So it is for Allah to inform us through the revelation in the Qur'an and the Sunnah (the Prophetic traditions) which were brought to us by His Last Messenger and the Messengers before him.

Now if we are to look initially into revelation, to determine why was man created, there is a deeper question that we should be asking before that: "Why did God create?". This before we even get to man because man is not the greatest act of creation. Allah says:

"The creation of the Heavens and the Earth is indeed greater then the creation of mankind; yet, most of mankind know not." [Surah Ghafir, verse 57]
Man is not the greatest act of creation, this universe is far more complex and far more magnificent than man. So the issue of creation should then go to, "Why did God create?", as opposed to simply, "Why create man?".

Fundamentally, we can say that the creation is the natural consequence of the attribute of creator. Allah is the creator. That is one of his attributes. That is what he has informed us. That being his attribute, the creator, the natural consequence or the product of this attribute is his creation.

A painter, if we are to draw a similitude on a lower level, who tells you that he is a painter, if you ask him where are his paintings and he replies I don’t have any. What kind of painter is this? The concept of a painter who doesn’t paint, there is some thing not quite gelling together here, of course Allah is beyond this. But if we are to understand on the simplest level, the two go together. The perfection of a painter lies in his paintings. His quality and his ability to paint, is manifest in his paintings. And Allah, beyond all that, as creator, this quality of creation is manifest in the creation itself. Allah didn’t create out of a need. No, the fact that he is the creator, is manifest in the creation.

Furthermore, consider the act of creation, this act, with regards to Allah is unique. Though we use the term i.e. So and so created a table etc, actually it is in a limited sense. Human beings don’t really create, they manipulate, because they can only "create" what already exists. When we make a chair or a table, we didn’t create the wood, we had to take it from a tree, we didn’t create the metal, which makes the screws etc, we had to melt down rocks and take the metal out. So we are not creating from nothing. We are manipulating things which Allah has already created in to different shapes and forms which are useful to us. We call it "creation" but the real act of creation, is creation from nothing, and this is unique to Allah alone.

This is a concept, which many people in ignorance, because they couldn’t grasp the idea of creation from nothingness, it lead them to conclude that the world is Allah. Those who say "inside of each and every atom is Allah." And you have people, who call themselves Muslims saying this. Non-Muslims have said this before and there are Muslims who claim this. That Allah is inside each and everything, because Allah is the reality and everything else is fake in their interpretation. That means then, that the creation is Allah, and Allah is the creation. Very, very dangerous concept, which leads some of those who make this claim to say that you don’t have to worship outside of yourself. Ibn Arabi, was famous for this statement, he is considered to be one of the saints, amongst the so called Sufi religion. Ibn Arabi said "There is no need to worship one outside yourself, you are Allah. It is sufficient to worship yourself." This is Shirk.

This concept of Allah being within his creation, no distinction the creation and Allah, it leads them to this shirk. Because they are unable to accept the uniqueness of Allah’s creation, they compare the act of creation by Allah to human creation. That is, just as we manipulate, Allah took pieces of himself and made the earth and the universe. Others will say that all human beings have inside of themselves Allah, that there is a part of Allah inside each and everyone of us. The whole essence, the purpose of life is for us to realize that we have part of Allah inside of ourselves, remove the material blocks which keep us from Allah and again become one with Allah in what they call "fana". This is again a teaching of the Sufi religion.

Becoming one with Allah, returning back to Allah in this sense. But this is in fact part of the teachings of shirk. Shaytan (Satan) has deluded man into this imagination. It is part of the belief of the Hindus. Nirvana, the concept that when you die, you are reborn again, and you move up in stages, each time, if you are a good boy or good girl, you go up higher and higher, until you get to the top. You know you have reached the peak, because when you die the next time you become one with the universal soul, Nirvana. That is the end of rebirth. So your whole purpose is to return and become one with God again. This is all, as I said, a product of the inability to understand the concept of creation from nothingness, which is unique to Allah. Allah says:

"There is nothing like him, and he is the hearer and seer of all."
So when we try to interpret Allah’s creation like the way we create, then we have made Him like his creation and it leads us ultimately to those aspects of shirk which I have mentioned. This is quite common amongst the Muslim world today, because when you look into the various branches of the Sufi religion, where they have prescribed various acts of purification, they call it dhikr, exercises to torture the body through spinning and dancing. What is the purpose of this? They will tell you, to liberate the soul from this earthly body and to achieve that state of "fana" or "itihad", a variety of names they have for it.

It is this concept, which lead al-Hallaj, many centuries ago, when he was promoting this idea, and he was put before a panel of judges questioning these concepts, which he was expressing. When they asked him to recant, to take this stuff back, he stood up, opened up his cloak and said "There is nothing inside this cloak except Allah". So they executed him. And of course, those in the Sufi religion, they have stories that when they cut his head off, it rolled around saying "Allah, Allah, Allahu Akbar etc". It might have, that is Shaytan may have entered and said these things, as happened with the calf of the Isrealites, when the Prophet Musa (Moses) let Egypt and the people, after crossing the red sea, had a desire to have a god that they could see, so they made a golden calf which they began to worship. This calf was saying "moo" like the calves do. This is what convinced them that this was the real thing. We know it wasn’t the calf saying this. The evil jinn can enter the in to physical entities, make sounds and give these impressions. So there is no problem for us to say ok, maybe when they cut of al-Hallaj’s head that it said these things, because this was part of a test. If we are clear in terms of creator and creation, this is no problem for us.

Allah is the creator and everything besides Him is His creation, which He created from nothing. It is not Him, nor is He it. This is the pure concept as taught by the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, his companions, and the early generations of righteous scholars, the students of the companions and those who came after them. The best of generations. That is how they understood this matter. There was no confusion in their minds. It wasn’t until Islam spread to areas like Egypt, India and Persia, areas where the Christians had already gotten into deep philosophies, trying to explain how Jesus was a man and god at the same time. When they came in to Islam they brought it with them. This is the reality. It is not something we should necessarily condemn them for or feel is unusual. It is natural, when a person reverts to Islam, that they will carry with them what they believed before. What has been clarified for them, of the basic principles, they accept, and they reject things, which obviously contradict. But it doesn’t mean that every last thought that they have, and everything that was wrong in their philosophies, ideology and concepts will be erased. They will carry these things in with them. This is why in the later part of the Prophet's sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam life, prior to his death, when he was coming back from one of the battles, his companions asked him to set aside a tree for them, that they could hang their weapons on, like the way the pagans would hang their weapons on trees, believing that when they hung the weapons, it became super-powerful, as if some power was coming from the tree, that their shields would now block steel and their swords would cut through the enemy. Some of the companions who had newly accepted Islam, asked the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam to designate one for them, a special one, an Islamic one. They understood that what the pagans had, this was wrong. These were the companions of the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and he had to clarify it for them. He said: You are like the companions of Musa who asked to have the calf built. And he clarified for them that all of this is shirk and there is no place for it in Islam. So if it could happen to some of the companions, then we cannot blame the generations who have come after them, who come into Islam and carry with them some of their old ideas. What it is for us to do is to clarify.
So what we have in front of us then, is that Allah created this universe out of nothing, and everything that is in it was created. For example:

"Allah created all things, and he is the agent, upon which, all things depend." [Surah 39, verse 62]
This is the reality. This is stressed for us, in order for us to realize that ultimately, all good, all evil, that takes place in the world, only takes place by the permission of Allah. Therefore we should not seek any other channels to protect ourselves from evil, or to gather for ourselves good, as people commonly do today. They will go to fortunetellers, this is big business today, all the magazines have various forms of fortunetellers like dial a horoscope etc. in a society that has lost touch with Allah, this is what is open to them. Allah has stressed for us that no calamity will befall us except by Allah’s permission;

"Nothing is taking place in this world except by the permission of Allah."

And the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam further emphasized this principle by saying;

"If the whole of mankind gathered to do some thing to help us, they could not help in anything which Allah had not already written for us. And if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm us, then they would not be able to harm with anything which Allah had not already written for us."
Therefore what is required of us is to depend on Allah, put our trust in Allah. This is what we have to draw out of this attribute of Allah being the creator. This creation exists because of that attribute. Its practical significance to us lies in putting our trust in Allah.

There is another aspect, besides the fact that the creation exists because Allah is the creator. We can also see from what the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam has informed us, that in the creation there is manifestation of Allah’s attributes of mercy, forgiveness, kindness etc etc. Allah created man in paradise, they disobeyed Allah, but Allah had taught them how to repent, how to turn back to him and seek his forgiveness, then he would forgive them. Having done that, they were forgiven, Adam became the first prophet, and mankind was absolved of that sin. The story of Adam and Eve is the story of human existence. Human beings are given a consciousness of Allah. When Allah created all human beings, as he states in the Qur'an, he took from Adam (Adam) all of his descendents, and made them all bear witness that Allah is their Lord. So we are all born with that consciousness. He has also given us a consciousness of what is right and what is wrong.

"We have inspired each and every soul to an awareness of corruption and righteousness."

Allah gave revelation through his commandments, not to eat of the tree. However, human beings forget. And when they forget Allah then they fall into sin. We can absolve ourselves of that sin by means of repentance, and Allah forgives us when we repent sincerely. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said;

"The one who repents is like the one without sin." "If you did not commit sins and turn to Allah seeking his forgiveness, then he would replace you with another people who would sin, ask Allah’s forgiveness and he would forgive them."
So in our sinning and asking Allah’s forgiveness, the attribute of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness becomes manifest. Allah knew what we were going to do before he created us, he knew that he was creating a species who would sin. If he didn’t wan t them to sin, if it was not his intention to permit them to sin, then he could have created angels, more angels. But the had already created angels, so he chose to create a being, that would disobey his commandments through forgetfulness or just simple disobedience, but would turn back to him in repentance, and his attribute of forgiveness would become manifest. Similarly, his mercy;

The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is quoted as saying that when Allah created the universe, He made an obligation on Himself, recorded in a document, kept by Him, that "My mercy precedes my wrath." He sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam also was reported as saying;

"Allah created mercy with a hundred parts. One of which was sent down upon the jinn and human beings and other living creatures. It is out of this one part that they love each other, show kindness to one another, and even the animals treat their offspring with affection. Allah has reserved the remaining ninety-nine parts for his true worshippers on the Day of Judgment."
This is the mercy of Allah manifest in his creation. What is also manifest in creation, in the act of creation, the creation of man, is his attribute of justice, fairness, which comes out as the judgment at the end of this world. I am sure we have all read the ahadith in which the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"Allah created some people for hell and some people for paradise."
For allot of people, this is something very heavy. And the companions, they asked the prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam then what is the point in doing good deeds? If Allah created some for heaven and some for hell then what is the pin in doing anything? It has already been decided. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"Each one of you will find it easy to do what he was created for." So if you choose the evil way, you find it easy and you carry on in that way, then that was what you were created for. But ultimately it is your choice. You choose hell. The fact hat Allah has recorded, before anything was created, who would be in hell and who would be in heaven does not change the fact that it is we who choose. The judgment is only to manifest to those who go to hell, that they deserve to be in hell. It is only for them basically. Because if Allah created you, and put you in paradise, with all that is in paradise, and you see those people in hell suffering, are you going to ask Allah, why did you put me in paradise? No. your going to say "all praise be to Allah!" you don’t want to question or to wonder, all you will be is ecstatic that you are of those in paradise. So the judgment is not for you, it is for those who are going to hell. If you happen to be amongst those who were created for and put in hell, you would say, why me? Why did you put me in hell? And Allah would say; because you would have done so and so in your life. But you would say; no, no I wouldn’t. If you give me a chance I would do good deeds. You would not give up arguing. So Allah has allowed us to live out our lives. So when we stand before him, our book of deeds is spread before us, we know without a shadow of a doubt, that we chose hell. That Allah’s judgment is just. There is no injustice in it, in any way shape or form. Allah says he oppresses no one. We will know that we chose hell. And the only thing that remains for us, and I pray that it is not in fact us, who are going to hell, is to beg Allah for another chance. Allah says;
"If you could only see when the sinners will bow their heads before their lord, saying; O Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back and we will do righteous deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty."
This is the only response, which will be left for them. Or as Allah said;

"And those whose light scales of good deeds, they ruined themselves and they will be in hell eternally. The fire will burn their faces, and they will grin with disfigured lips, I will say to them; Were My Verses not recited to you, and you rejected them? They will reply; Our Lord, our misery overcame us and we were a people astray. Our Lord, bring us out of this, and if we ever return we will truly be unjust."
When we die, there remains behind us a barrier, the Barzakh, none of us will come back, it is a one-way ticket. Those poor individuals who think they will get another chance, this is the new age religion, they think it is new, but it is just plain old Hindu delusion, that when you die, you get another chance to come back again. The effects of this actually, among Hindus, where I am in the UAE, there are a lot of Hindus here, everyday in the news paper you read about a Hindu man or woman who ties a rope to a ceiling fan, which is found in many of the homes, put it around their neck, kicked away the chair and passed out of this world. Suicide is common amongst them. Why? Because they think they have another chance. It will be a rude awakening for them when they meet the angel of death and find themselves in the next life, realizing that there is no coming back. In the creation of man is manifest the grace of Allah. This is a particular point which all of us should reflect on and be thankful to Allah for. His grace, and Christians, they like to refer to us Muslims as those who don’t believe in the grace of God, we are those who look at God’s judgment and it is just about deeds, you do good then you go to heaven, you do bad and you go to hell, that is it, no grace there at all. For them the grace of God is there for all those who accept that he became a man, and was crucified by man, to provide salvation for human beings who’s sins had become so great that they could not remove that sin through any act themselves. So it was with the spilling of the "Blood of God" that we could be absolved of our sins. For them, if you accept that God spilt his blood for mankind’s salvation, then you have earned the grace of God. Does not matter what you do as long as you have accepted this belief in the grace of God. Muslims also believe in the grace of God. Actually it plays a major and significant role. Often it is not stressed but it is important for us to realize how the grace of Allah is manifest in our creation. The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said;

"Observe moderation, but if you fail, try to do as much as you can moderately and be happy. For none of you will enter Paradise only because of his deeds." Of course when the companions heard that they said; "O messenger of Allah, not even you? And the prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, not even me. Were it not that Allah wrapped me in his mercy. And bear in mind that the deed most loved by Allah is one done constantly even if it is small"
What does this mean? It means that God’s grace is manifest in our lives in that were He to call us to account, one good deed, one evil deed, equal to each other, then we would not enter paradise, not even the prophets of Allah. But Allah through his grace and mercy has multiplied the value of the good deeds. Allah says;

"Whoever brings a good deed, shall the value of ten like it. And whoever brings an evil deed will be punished with one like it. And they will not be wronged."
[Surah Al-'Imran, verse 160] This is Allah’s grace. Good deeds erase evil deeds. One good deed will erase at least ten evil deeds. Allah’s grace is not arbitrary, simply because you say I believe you have his grace, no matter what you do, no. The more good you do, the more of his grace is manifest in you. If you chose evil and reject the good, then you don’t receive His grace, it doesn’t matter what you say. If you say, I am a Muslim, I believe, but really you don’t believe, it is just some words you are saying, them you will not be subject to the grace of Allah. So the creation is a manifestation of Allah’s attribute of being the creator. In the creation of man within the scheme of things, there is manifest Allah’s attribute of mercy, his attribute of justice and this is the reason for the creation of man from the point of view of Allah. From human perspective, why did God create man in terms of for what purpose? Then this is the one we all know and are familiar with;

"We did not create the jinn and men except to worship us" [Surah adh-Dhariyyat, verse 56)
So relative to Allah, we were created in a means or a way in which Allah has chosen to manifest his attributes of creation, mercy, grace etc and he could have chosen another one. But relative to us as human beings, we know that our purpose is to worship Allah. As we said, Allah does not need our worship, a Allah didn’t need to create. When he created us to worship him, he didn’t create us, out of a need for our worship, because Allah has no needs. In a famous hadith qudsi in which Allah says; If all of you, jinn and mankind, were to worship like the most righteous amongst you, it would not increase the dominion of Allah in any way shape or form. And if all of us, jinn and mankind ... Therefore when we look for the purpose of worship, we have to look into man. Allah created us to worship him, because we need to worship him. It is something he has given us as a means of benefiting ourselves. We are the ones who benefit from it. Worship has been established, fundamentally for the growth, the spiritual growth of man. This growth takes place through the remembrance of Allah. When you look at all the different aspects of worship, you will see the core of it is focused on the remembrance of Allah. "Establish the prayer for My remembrance." This is the essence for the consciousness of God. Allah says that he has: "…prescribed for us fasting, as he prescribed it for those before us, so that we may fear him." Worship is there for us to remember Allah. And it is in the remembrance of Allah, that we achieve that consciousness. Because it is when we forget Allah, that Shaytan causes us to disobey Allah and fall into sin. So it is only in His remembrance that we can attain salvation. All of the various acts of worship from saying "Bismillah" when we eat is to help us remember Allah in order to grow spiritually. Allah has said that he has created us to test us, to see which of us is best in deeds. He is not testing us to know, in the sense that he doesn’t already know, but this world is a test for us in order again that we can grow spiritually. We cannot develop this spiritual characteristic of generosity unless some of us have more then others and then we are required to give of the wealth we have. When we give, we grow. Similarly, if we were not in a position where others had more then us then we wouldn’t have the ability to develop the higher spiritual quality of contentment, patience, satisfaction in what Allah has given us. So it is all there in order to bring out the higher spiritual qualities, which enable us to attain the state, which makes us suitable and eligible to return to paradise. The paradise from which we were created, we were created in paradise and for paradise. Through our choices we have left, in this life, a field of testing, where we can grow to a state where we deserve paradise. The purpose of this life is the worship of Allah, this life is a test. A test for us, will we worship Allah, or will we forget Him. This is where our focus has to begin. By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips Part of a lecture delivered on the priorities of a Muslim today.

Hukum Menyuap Dan Menerimanya

Pertanyaan 1:

Apakah hukumnya risywah (suap) itu?

Jawaban 1:

Suap hukumnya haram dengan nash dan ijma' (konsensus). Suap yang diberikan kepada hakim (di pengadilan) dan lainnya untuk berpaling dari kebenaran dan memutuskan untuk menyuap untuk memenuhi hawa nafsunya. Diriwayatkan dalam hadits shahih dari Nabi Muhammad SAW bahwa beliau :'Mengutuk penyuap dan yang menerima."[1] Dan diriwayatkan pula bahwa beliau: Mengutuk ra`isy",[2] yaitu perantara di antara keduanya. Dan tidak diragukan lagi bahwa ia berdosa dan pantas mendapatkan celaan, aib dan siksaan, karena ia menolong terhadap perbuatan dosa dan melanggar larangan, firman Allah SWT:

Dan tolong-menolonglah kamu dalam (mengerjakan) kebajikan dan taqwa, dan jangan tolong-menolong dalam berbuat dosa dan pelanggaran. Dan bertaqwalah kamu kepada Allah, sesungguhnya Allah amat berat siksa-Nya. (QS. al-Maidah:2)

Syaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz rahimahullah – Kitab Dakwah 1/156.

Pertanyaan 2:

Saya bekerja bersama seorang pedagang yang tidak menjalankan pekerjaan kecuali dengan risywah (suap). Saya bertugas mengurusi keuangan dan mengawasi pekerjaan, dan saya mengambil gajih atas hal itu. Apakah saya berdosa bekerja bersamanya atau tidak?

Jawaban 2:

Pertama, harus anda ketahui bahwa risyawah (suap) yang diharamkan adalah yang seseorang sampai dengannya kepada yang batil, seperti ia menyuap hakim agar terbebas dari hukuman, atau menyuap pegawai untuk memberi ijin kepadanya terhadap pekerjaan yang tidak diijinkan oleh negara atau yang semisal demikian itu, ini hukumnya haram.

Adapun suap yang seseorang sampai dengannya kepada haknya, seperti ia tidak bisa sampai kepada haknya kecuali dengan sedikit harta, maka sesungguhnya ini haram terhadap yang mengambil bukan terhadap yang memberi, karena yang memberi hanya memberi untuk mendapatkan haknya. Namun yang mengambil suap itulah yang berdosa, karena ia mengambil sesuatu yang bukan haknya.

Dalam kesempatan ini saya memberikan peringatan dari perbuatan hina dan diharamkan secara syara' ini, yang tidak diridhai akal sehat. Sebagian orang –semoga Allah SWT memberi hidayah kepada mereka- agar tidak bisa melaksanakan kewajiban mereka berupa hak-hak manusia dalam memudahkan urusan mereka kecuali dengan memberikan sebagian harta untuk mereka. Hal ini hukumnya haram atas mereka, pengkhianatan terhadap negara dan amanah, memakan harta dengan cara yang batil dan menganiaya saudara mereka. Hendaklah mereka bertaqwa kepada Allah SWT dan melaksanakan amanah yang mereka pikul.

Adapun bekerja bersama pedagang yang melakukan tindakan suap ini maka sesungguhnya ia terbangun atas yang telah kami sebutkan. Bekerja bersama pedagang ini adalah haram, karena bekerja di sisi pelaku haram adalah menolong dia melakukan perbuatan haramnya. Menolong terhadap perbuatan haram berarti ikut serta bersama pelaku terhadap dosa. Anda harus memperhatikan, apabila orang ini memberikan harta untuk mendapatkan hak yang memang miliknya, maka anda tidak berdosa dan tidak mengapa tetap bekerja di sisinya.

Syaikh Muhammad bin Shalih al-Utsaimin – Fatwa-fatwa untuk pegawai dan karyawan. Hal 16-18.

by
Syaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz rahimahullah
Syaikh Muhammad bin Shalih al-Utsaimin rahimahullah

[1] HR. Ahmad 2/164, Abu Dawud 3580, at-Tirmidzi 1336, 1337, dan ia berkata: Hasan shahih, dan Ibnu Majah 2313.
[2] HR. Ahmad 5/276, al-Bazzar 1353, ath-Thabrani dalam al-Kabir 1415. al-Haitsami berkata dalam Majma' 4/198: dalam sanadnya ada yang bernama Abul Khathab, dia majhul (tidak dikenal), dan al-Manawi menghasankan isnadnya dalam: at-Taisir syarh ash-Shaghir 2/292 dan al-'Ajluni dalam Kasyful Khafa` 2/186 (2048).

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Al-Inaabah (Turning Repentantly)


And from the types of worship is al-inaabah (turning repentantly).



And the evidence for turning repentantly (al-inaabah) is the saying of Allaah, the Most High:
“So turn repentantly and obediently to your Lord, and submit obediently to Him.” [Az-Zumar 39:54]

Al-Inaabah: The meaning of al-inaabah is to return to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic at every moment from amongst the moments of life, because the believer does not see himself, except as being negligent. This is how he sees himself as long as he is striving in obedience to Allaah, due to the magnificent and plentiful bounties of Allaah upon him. So he always sees himself as being negligent of this, with whatever the word taqseer (negligence) carries of meaning. This is how he sees himself as long as he is striving with bowing (rukoo’), prostration (sujood), attainment of knowledge and as long as he is engaged in the prescribed remembrance. So the servant is negligent because Allaah the Blessed and Exalted has granted him reward and virtue. And there is no goodness that a human being does, except that Allaah grants him a reward and virtue for it and blesses him for it. This is because Allaah is the One who grants one the success to do a righteous action and He guides him to it. So Allaah is the One who separates between the doer of righteous deeds and his enemy who is always going against him and trying to sway him from the actions of obedience and bring him towards acts of disobedience.

Due to all of this, the servant must turn repentantly to Allaah at every moment from amongst the moments of his lifespan; especially when he is afflicted by heedlessness. And also when he falls into any act of disobedience, and when he falls short in an act of obedience. So at these times, he must blame himself and attempt to wake up his heart. So for the sake of that he turns to Allaah the Mighty and Majestic, utterly debased in front of Him, seeking excuse from Him, and he feels remorse to change that evil to goodness. And he intends to change that heedlessness to wakefulness. And he wishes to renew his life so that it can be a life of good deeds accompanied by the correct view, sincerity and sound creed.

So al-inaabah in reality is tawbah, because it includes conditions for tawbah (repentance), such as the abandonment of disobedience, the abandonment of the deficiency and removal of the heedlessness, and a firm resolution to perform acts of obedience. So these are from the conditions of tawbah and there is no doubt about them.

Source: The Path to Attaining Clarification reagrding Three Fundamental Priciples - by Shaykh Rabee bin Hadee

What Can You Do In Ten Minutes?


The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "The best actions are continuous ones even if little..." [Muslim] After I looked at my own state and the state of those who waste their time, I wanted to encourage our souls to obey and worship Allah `azza wa jall by compiling a list of some well-known actions that Allah `azza wa jall has honored us with and prepared a great reward for those who do them. This list is also a reminder of better utilizing our time and seizing the opportunity of every hour and making use of it. My goal in compiling the list is not to point out the actions as much as to show the necessity of organizing and planning and preserving one's time by investing it in something good.

First of all, let us talk about time, with which many are heedless and wasteful, and which importance only few recognize.

Time is like wealth, it requires our attention and care in both spending and managing. While it is possible to gather and store wealth, and even add to it, time, however, is in no way like that. For every minute that passes can never come back even if you were to spend all the wealth of this world.

So since time is preordained to be a specific period that can not be brought forward or delayed and since the value of it depends on what it is spent on, it is obligatory upon every human being to preserve time, be it little or long. One should use it in the best possible way and not be heedless about it.

In order to preserve one's time, one must reflect on how and where to spend it. The best way to spend time is in obeying Allah ta`ala. One will never regret time spent in such acts of obedience. The only regret would be that if one were not to take yet more provisions in terms of good actions. So set your goal, O brother or sister, make your intention sincere, beginning with a desire to preserve your time and beware of wasting any minute of it.

My noble brother and sister,

I selected the time span of ten minutes (for performing particular righteous actions listed in this book) due to ease of application, so that one starts with them until he or she engages in good all the time, by Allah's grace. In these actions there is conformity with the saying of the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, "The most beloved action to Allah is the most continuous, even if little." [Muslim]

Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in relation to this hadeeth, "In it (the above hadeeth) is an exhortation to perform deeds regularly and continuously, and [an explanation] that a small deed done regularly is better than a great one that is interrupted. It is because by continuously doing a little of such actions as, [one’s] obedience, remembrance, awareness of Allah, sincerity and dedication to the Creator, subhanahu wa ta`ala, the outcome accumulates and it is multiplied exceeding what is greater but interrupted."

The Messenger, sallalahu `alayhi wa sallam, spoke the truth. My dear brother or sister, I will give you an example of the blessing of utilizing ten minutes in righteousness. Glorifying Allah subanahu wa ta`ala by saying "Subhan Allah" a hundred times daily means that one will do so 36,500 times in a year. So take account of your soul, my brother or sister. You can only glorify Allah this much in a year if you are regular in performing tasbeeh and if you make good use of your time.

Similarly, if one reads the Qur'an for ten minutes regularly, one can finish reading it in full every two months. Is this how you do it? Ask yourself, do you complete recitation of the full Qur'an outside of Ramadan? And do not limit, my dear brother or sister, these special ten minutes, devoted to obedience, to be performed only once a day. Perhaps you will find the time after the morning prayer, or after the sunrise, or after the noon prayer, or before sleep.

Likewise, if one manages to memorize only a single verse from the Book of Allah, `azza wa jall, every day, he or she will complete memorization the complete Qur'an in only eight years.

Most of the actions mentioned are performed with the tongue, so one is able to gain rewards at all times and in all situations. So whoever wants to strive in obedience to Allah, doors of good are open and one can make one's days and indeed all of one's life like the ten minutes. Abu Bakra, radhiallahu anhu, related that a person said: "O Messenger of Allah, which people are the best?" He said, "Whose life is long and his actions good." He said, "And what people are the worst?" He said, "Whose life is long and his actions bad." [Muslim]

This is an opportunity for you, dear brother or sister. Ten minutes in which one can taste the sweetness of regularity of performing righteous actions and which can be a step towards managing one's time, until all of one's life becomes beneficial. Ten minutes that are in agreement with the saying of Allah `azza wa jall, "And I have not created the Jinn or humans except to worship Me." [adh-Dhaariyaat (51):56]


Ibn ul-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "In conclusion, the servant, when he turns away from Allah and becomes preoccupied with sins (in this world), he loses days of his true life (in the hereafter). He will see the consequence of losing them the Day he says, "He will say, 'Oh, I wish I had sent ahead [some good] for my life [i.e. true, everlasting life in the Hereafter].'" [al-Fajr (89):24]”

Some actions that can be done in ten minutes:

The forenoon prayer

Recitation of the Quran (With Understanding)

Salawat on the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam

Praying Salat al-Janazah

Remembrance of Allah, `azza wa jall

Saying Subhan Allah, alhamdulillah and Laa ilaha ill Allah

Teaching children

Supplication

Taking account of oneself

Reading

Removal of others’ difficulties and fulfillment of their needs

Preserving ties of kinship

Listening to da`wah tapes

Visiting believers for Allah’s sake

Remembering Allah after the obligatory prayers

Making peace between people

Advising

Phoning relatives

Writing one’s will

Giving charity

Reading traditions of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam

Contemplating

Mailing da`wah information

Feeding the poor

Praying Salat al-Istikharah

Taking care of orphans

Serving one’s family

Seeking knowledge

Ordering good

Making sajdah

Spreading Islamic knowledge

Calling to Allah

Giving Sadaqa jariyyah (charity that carries perpetual award)

Guiding and nurturing one’s children

Repeating after the mu’adhdhin

Performing the night prayer

Source: Madha taf`al fi `ashara daqa’iq”

Maher Zain - Open Your Eyes







love this song soo Much....penuh pengertiannn

Open Your Eyes

Look around yourselves
Can’t you see this wonder
Spreaded infront of you
The clouds floating by
The skies are clear and blue
Planets in the orbits
The moon and the sun
Such perfect harmony
Let’s start question in ourselves
Isn’t this proof enough for us
Or are we so blind
To push it all aside..
No..
We just have to
Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds
If we just look bright to see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..
Look inside yourselves
Such a perfect order
Hiding in yourselves
Running in your veins
What about anger love and pain
And all the things you’re feeling
Can you touch them with your hand?
So are they really there?
Lets start question in ourselves
Isn’t this proof enough for us?
Or are we so blind
To push it all aside..?
No..
We just have to
Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds
If we just look bright to see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..
When a baby’s born
So helpless and weak
And you’re watching him growing..
So why deny
Whats in front of your eyes
The biggest miracle of life..
We just have to
Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds
If we just look quiet we’ll see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..
Open your eyes and hearts and minds
If you just look bright to see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..
Allah..
You created everything
We belong to You
Ya Robb we raise our hands
Forever we thank You..
Alhamdulillah..

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