السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

By Yasmin Mogahed 

One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child. This anonymous poem reflects much of the sentiment taught by our beloved Prophet 1400 years ago.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "If the son of Adam dies, his actions are ceased except three: A continuing charity, knowledge which benefits others, or a righteous son who supplicates for him" [Muslim] In our graves, our wealth will be of no benefit to us. The success of our careers, and the level of our degrees will be of no value. How well we raised our children will. And yet so much of our time, so much of our learning and our efforts are spent for the sake of those things, which are fleeting.

In another hadith the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "A servant will have his rank raised and will say: ‘Lord, how has this come about for me?’ Allah replies, ‘Through your children’s du'a for you.’ "[Ahmed and Ibn Majah] When we leave this world, what will we leave behind? What mark will we make? What will we send forward? What will we take? Our children will inherit this life. In their hands may lay our ultimate salvation or our ultimate ruin. In their hands may lay the ultimate salvation or ruin of our Ummah. Shouldn’t something that important demand our full attention? Shouldn’t we examine ourselves and do our utmost to perfect this crucial skill: PARENTING.

DO NOT IMPOSE – INSTILL LOVE EARLY

Imagine a child raised in a home where, aside from some cultural norms, Islam is essentially irrelevant. Parents are not serious about salah and whatever Islamic practice they do perform is done more out of ethnic customs than Islam. Now imagine the child reaching puberty. A girl who was never really instilled with Islam before, is now forced to wear hijab. A boy whose life was never centered around Islam is now made to attend Salat Al-Jumuah . Will it surprise anyone if those kids rebel?

Consider, on the other hand, a child who was raised knowing and loving the Quran, was taken to the masjid early on, and performed salah alongside his parents. Would hijab or Salat Al-Jumuah need to be imposed? Or would it only be a natural extension for a child whose very nature is Islam? Instill and reinforce love for Allah and His Messenger from the day your children are born.

KILL YOUR TELEVISION AND VIDEO GAMES

Many parents monitor what their children watch, but not how much. No matter how much you monitor, these things are still harmful for a number of reasons. First, watching television is a learned habit that does not disappear in adulthood. A young child could agree to watch Sesame Street. But chances are, a teenager will not. And few could disagree that television programs designed for teenagers and adults contain far from Islamically appropriate content. Secondly, consider the number of hours that are easily eaten up by TV and video games. Children can literally stay up the entire night playing a video game in order to advance to a higher level. Consider the words of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) concerning the importance of time: "The feet of a servant will not turn away on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about four things: his lifetime, how he lived it; his youth, how he spent it; his wealth, from where he earned it and on what he spent it, and his knowledge and how he acted on it." [Tirmidhi]

Lastly, studies show that irrespective of content, children who spend a lot of time with television and video games are more aggressive, less likely to read, and more likely to develop attention problems, such as attention deficit disorder.

SPOIL YOUR KIDS WITH LOVE, TIME, AND ATTENTION

One unfortunately pervasive myth is that giving children “too much” love, time and affection “spoils” them. This could not be farther from the truth. It is trying to give them other things to replace your love, time and affection, which in fact spoils them. Children who are spoiled with love and attention become the most generous, loving and giving of people. Those from whom this love and attention was withheld, often become narrow-hearted and unwilling to give.

No one was more merciful and showed more affection to children than our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He was once visited by a man named Al-Aqra ibn Hâbis. He lifted his grandson, Hassan, placed him on his lap and kissed him. Al-Aqra remarked, “I have 10 children and I have not kissed a single one of them.” This was a point of pride, manhood—that one is not soft, that one is tough.

DO NOT REWARD FOR ACTS OF WORSHIP

Do not pay your children to fast, or promise them large gifts if they pray. Instill in them a love for Allah that will motivate them internally to perform salah and fast. Social psychologists have shown that when people are given external rewards or motivation to do some activity, they enjoy doing that activity less and are less motivated, than if they are given no external reward but the reward is internally motivated.

START ATTACHMENT EARLY

Practice attachment parenting early on. When your children are young, let them sleep next to you, and carry them often. Research shows that doing these things does NOT spoil the child, but creates a secure attachment between the parent and child that allows the child to succeed better as an adult. This attachment is a fundamental precursor to successful parenting because without it you cannot fully instill Islam. Consider, for example, the relationship between the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his daughter Fatimah. From very early on, she maintained a close relationship with her father who thereby conveyed his mission to her.

ATTACHMENT IS THE FIRST STEP TO DISCIPLINE

If a secure attachment is created early on between the parent and child, discipline will easily follow. If the parent maintains this closeness with the child and shows consistent love and approval, the child will avoid doing things that would disappoint or jeopardize that relationship. Discipline should not and would not need to be done with a stick, but would rather flow naturally. If the relationship were based on love and respect, the child would be motivated by the desire to maintain that respect.

BUILD YOUR CHILD'S SELF-ESTEEM

Make sure your children know how precious they are. Tell them whenever possible how good and how smart they are. Make sure they know what a gift they are and how important they are as a person. Let them know that they can have the ability to change the world, and show them how much faith and hope you have in them. A child who is told he is a failure will always be a failure. And only a child who thinks he can change the world, ever will.

Al-Jumuah Magazine

                                     

Assalam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu

Bismaillahi Rahmani Rahim

Transcribed by A Muslim Everyday
From Ustadh Wahaj Tarin - YouTube.

In the time of Zainul-Abidin a man came to a Sheikh he said, "Sheikh we suffer from drought, their is no rain, give us a solution." So Sheikh said, "Increase the saying of Astighfirullah - increase Istighfar." So the person went.

And another person came and he said, "Their is poverty - poverty has struck our land. Give as a solution."  and the Sheikh said, "Increase Istighfar."

So the people came and the Sheikh is giving Nasiha, Istighfar, Istighfar. A man sitting with the Sheikh says, 'What is this..you know everyone comes, you give the same medication, if it were flue or whatever.' So the Sheikh says, "It's from the Quraan." Where Allah Rabbul-Izza narrates the story of Nuh alayhi salatu wasalam. "..Saying, 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance. Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers (of flowing water).." [An-Nuh 71:10-12]

So the benefits of Istighfar increases and saves us from the Adhab of Allah. Allah Rabbul-Izza says, [Al-Anfal 8:33] "..But Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.."

So busy yourself with Istighfar.

Bismillahi rahmani rahim 

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

No one has ever become poor by giving. Charity is a Muslim thing if not humane, it should be a thing we do. Humanity. Humility. Caring. Sharing. 

Whoever spends something today will benefit from it tomorrow and whoever does not spend will come to find nothing, and he will have a great loss in the house of dwelling (in the Hereafter).

Some of the Salaf said, “O son of Adam, you will only live on the Day of Judgment in what you have built, and you will find on that day what possessions you have prepared in your life .”

A women entered upon ‘A’ishah (radiy Allaahu anha), and her hand was paralysed. She said, “O mother of the Believers, I went to sleep yesterday and my hand was healthy, and I woke up and it was paralysed. ‘A’ishah said, “How is that?” She said, “I had wealthy parents, and my Father used to pay zakat, host guests, and give to beggars, and he did not see any good except that he would do it. As for my mother, she was stingy, and did nothing good with my Father’s wealth. Then my Father died, and my mother died only two months after him. So I saw my Father in a dream last night, and he was wearing two yellow garments and in front of him was a flowing river. I said, “Father, what is this?’ He said, “Whoever does good in this life will see it, this is what Allah has given me.” I said, “What has happened to my mother?” He asked, “Your Mother dies?” I said, “Yes” He said, “She has been turned away from me, so look for her on your left” So I turned to my left, and I saw my mother standing naked, covering her lower half with a rag and in her hand was a piece of fat. She was calling out, “My sadness, my thirst’ When she became tired she would rub the fat with her hand and then lick it, while in front of her was a flowing river. I said, ‘O mother, why are you crying out of thirst, and there is a flowing river in front of you?’ She said, ‘I am not allowed to drink from it.’ I said, Can I give you some of the water?’ She said, ‘I wish you would do that.’ So I filled my hand with water and let her drink, and when she swallowed it I heard a voice on my right, ‘Whoever has given this woman water, may his hand be paralysed,’ and they repeated it twice. Then I awoke and my hand was paralysed, and I am not able to do anything with it. ‘A’ishah asked: ‘Did you recognise the rag she was wearing?’ I said, ‘Yes, O Mother of the Believers, it was exactly the same one I saw her wearing, for I had never seen my mother give anything as charity, except that one day my Father slaughtered a bull. So a beggar came to ask for some, so my mother gave him a bone that had some fat on it. And I saw one day that a beggar asked her for charity, so she gave him that exact rag.’

A’ishah (radiy Allaahu anha) said, Allah is the Most Great! Allah has told the truth, and the Messenger has delivered the message.

ﻓَﻤَﻦ ﻳَﻌْﻤَﻞْ ﻣِﺜْﻘَﺎﻝَ ﺫَﺭَّﺓٍ ﺧَﻴْﺮًﺍ ﻳَﺮَﻩُ

ﻭَﻣَﻦ ﻳَﻌْﻤَﻞْ ﻣِﺜْﻘَﺎﻝَ ﺫَﺭَّﺓٍ ﺷَﺮًّﺍ ﻳَﺮَﻩُ

"So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." [al-Azalzalah 99:7-8] This was narrated by Hafiz Abu Musa al-Madani with a good isnad.

Source : Transcribed by AbdurRahman.org from the Book – “The Three that follow to the Grave” (pg 29-30) Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Dar as-Sunnah Publishers, Birmingham, UK.

Bismillahi rahmani rahim 

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu

Transcribed Video of Wahaj Tarin.

When the hisab (reckoning) finishes, when the account of man ends, he goes to Jannah (heaven) or to Jahannam (hell), and we have become negligent of the fact that we will have to pay an account. We will have to stand in front of Allah, and give an account of the life that we have spent.

Allah rabbul izza says, the hisab of man has come clear, has come near, the hisab is on the precipice, and poor man is still heedless in the sleep, he's in ghafla (heedless), but hisab will come, and after hisab, it is either heaven or hell, and may Allah make me and you of the people of Jannah. Ameen.

I will start with Jahannam, but before I start, I must clarify certain ethic,  it's when the adhab of Allah rabbul izza is being mentioned, when the ashab used to hear about Jahannam they used to tear until their beards would become wet and the ground under their feet would start to become wet, and this is for two reasons;  one is that the verse has had a direct impact in their hearts, and second, they didn't want their Lord to see them as people being not affected by the punishment of Allah.

So today when we discuss the adhab, ensure that your Lord sees you as people afraid of the punishment, because the punishment of Allah is severe. May Allah save me and you from His Wrath and His punishment - Ameen. 

In a hadith narrated in the Saheeh by Numan ibn Bashir, he says that I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, the most lightest, gentlest, simplest punishment of Jahannum is that a man will be made to stand in two bits of coal, and these special coals will make his brains boil and that is the lowest level of punishment in Jahannum, that is and the hadith says that the strange thing is, he will think he is enduring the greatest punishment yet it is the easiest of (punishments in Jahannum), Subhan Allah.

May Allah protect us from His Wrath.

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

Lecture by Yasir Qadhi | Transcribed by Sameera

[ The following is the video playlist and transcript Shaykh Yasir Qadhi’s lecture series “The Best of Stories: Pearls from Surah Yusuf.” The tr

anscript includes slight modifications for the sake of readability and clarity. ]

INTRODUCTION

I welcome you all to the first of a series of halaqat that we will have about the tafsir or the explanation of one of the most interesting, powerful, and moving surahs in the entire Qur’an, which is Surah Yusuf. This surah is a very, very unique  surah in the Qur’an, and a one-of-a-type of surah.

Firstly, it is the only place in the Qur’an where the story of the Prophet Yusuf (‘alayhi salaam ) is mentioned. No other surah mentions the story of the Prophet Yusuf (‘alayhi salaam ). If you compare this to, let’s say, the story of the Prophet Musa (‘alayhi salaam ), the story of Prophet Musa is mentioned in over 25 different locations. The story of our father Adam (‘alayhi salaam ) is mentioned in over half a dozen locations. The story of ‘Isa (‘alayhi salaam ) is mentioned almost a dozen times. The story of the Prophet Yusuf (‘alayhi salaam ) only exists in this surah. In fact, even the name of the Prophet Yusuf occurs only once or twice in passing in Surah Al-An‘ām and Surah Ghaafir, but there is no story at all. The stories about what happened with the Yusuf (‘alayhi salaam ) only occur in this particular surah.

Secondly, it is the only surah in the Qur’an that has a unified story as its theme from the beginning to the end. The whole surah is nothing but a story. There is no other surah of length in the Qur’an – we are not talking about the small surahs at the end of Juz ‘Amma , but we are talking about any surah basically more than 10-15 ayah s – there is no surah in the whole Qur’an that is a unified story from the beginning to the end. This is something that we all know. Read Surah Al-Baqarah , Surah Ale-‘Imran , and Surah Yunus you will find the stories of lots of people in one paragraph or one page or sometimes even five pages, but there is no place in the whole Qur’an where an entire 15 pages is dedicated to one story. It is a chronological story from the beginning to the end. This is not just very rare but unique. There is no other place like it in the whole Qur’an.

REVELATION OF SURAH YUSUF

We do not know the exact date of when this surah was revealed, but we know roughly that it was revealed around the tenth or eleventh year not of the hijrah but of the years of the daw’ah.

In other words, with the hijrah of course we begin the Madinan phase. Before the hijrah , what do we call it? Some scholars used the term ‘BH’ (before hijrah ) just like the Christians have ‘AD’ and ‘BC’, Muslims have ‘AH’ and ‘BH’. So if you look at ‘BH’, 1 BH means one year before the hijrah and 2 BH means two years before the hijrah . Surah Yusuf is revealed around 2 or 3 BH, in other words right at the end of the Makkan era and the Makkan message.

The timing of revelation is very crucial. Surah Yusuf was revealed after the famous year called the Year of Sorrow / the Year or Regret / the Year of Difficulty (‘aam al-huzn). In that year, three things happened one after the other which were the most painful for the Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and there was no time in the seerah where the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was more demoralized than this period, which is why the scholars of seerah call this period ‘aam al-huzn, the Year of Grief. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was feeling grief throughout that year.

What happened? What makes it worse is that these three things happened one after the other. The first of these three devastating things was the most personal and intimate, and that was the death of Khadijah (alayhi salaam). Khadijah (alayhi salaam) was his supporter and his moral source of strength.

As they say, behind every great man there is a great woman, and this is exactly applying to the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and Khadijah. She was his source of comfort and support. Whenever anything happened and even when the wahy came down and he was scared, he went running back to Khadijah (alayhi salaam) to be calmed down. “Zambilooni! Zambilooni! (Cover me up! Cover me up!)” Khadijah was his source of comfort and his source of support.

When a man has that comfort and love inside the house, he is able to face a lot outside. When that is deprived of him, then the problems outside become more difficult to bear. The death of Khadijah (‘alayhi salaam) was something that was very difficult for him.

Within five or six weeks, a second death followed and that was the death of his uncle Abu Talib. Abu Talib was his support in society. Abu Talib sacrificed his own reputation and prestige in order to protect the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). When the Quraysh came to bribe, threaten, and intimidate the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), initially Abu Talib was scared and went to him (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and told him to stop doing this. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “If they were to give me control of the sun and the moon, I would not give up what I am doing.” Abu Talib said, “Oh son of my brother, oh my nephew, do as you please, I am never going to come to you again to tell you not to do this.” He was a man of his word for ten years, and not once did he approach the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) after that. He never came and said ‘why did you do this?’ / ‘look what I have to face now.’ Not once. He was a man of his word.

Abu Talib did everything he could, so much so that when the Quraysh boycotted the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and told him he must leave Makkah, Abu Talib went with the Muslims to live in the valleys outside of Makkah. Abu Talib was not a subject of that boycott because he was a pagan and a Qurayshi and a mushrik , but because he was a part of his nephew and loved him so much, he voluntarily went to live with the Muslims at the time of the boycott.

He was the only non-Muslim to live with the Muslims at the time of boycott. He voluntarily gave up his privileges and his house in Makkah and gave up everything and suffered along with the Muslims because he felt that this was injustice and that he had to do this as the uncle and protector of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). He did everything he could. As long as Abu Talib was alive, they could not do anything else to harm the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). With his death, the persecution reached its max, which is why eventually the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) had to leave for Madinah because he could not live in Makkah anymore.

Khadijah was his internal support in the house. Abu Talib was his external support in society. The both of them died one after the other, and it was a very difficult time for the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). To make matters worse, he suffered the single most depressing or difficult day of his whole life after the deaths of Khadijah and Abu Talib. As if there could be no low, there was one low after that, which was the incident of Ta’if.

Aisha ( radhi Allahu ‘anha ) said, “Oh Messenger of Allah, was there any day that was more difficult for you to bear than the Day of Uhud?” He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam)  said, “Yes.” Aisha was too young to know anything about Makkah and did not remember Makkah. She knows Badr, Uhud, and Tabuk and the problems of Madinah and that the worst problem of Madinah was Uhud, so she asked, “Was there any day more difficult for you than Uhud?” Immediately without thinking, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The most difficult day for me was the day when I was rejected by the chieftains of Ta’if.” You all know the story, and we will talk about it in a lot of detail insha’Allah in the lectures we will start on the seerah . The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was humiliated and publicly scorned and the children of Ta’if stoned him. This day was the most difficult for him.

These three incidents occurred within six weeks of one other – within two months, as if things could not get any worse. At this point in time, Allah ( subhanahu wata’ala ) revealed Surah Yusuf. When we understand this frame of revelation, all of a sudden the significance of Surah Yusuf increases many times. Why? Surah Yusuf is meant to uplift his spirits ( sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam ) and console him and strengthen him at a time of such trials and tribulations. Surah Yusuf is the light that will lead him out of this depressing time and time of pain and anguish. This is hope for us when we are feeling down and suffering from problems of society. 

This is the surah that we can turn to for an uplifting moment and to find some solace and comfort, which is why Allah revealed it to our Prophet ( sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam ).

Still to continue In Shaa Allah... 

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

Ramadhan 1438 Alhamdhulillah, May Allah bless us with more of this beautiful month. Ya Rahman accept our fasts and forgive us, Ya Ghaffar for what we knew and whatever knew not. Ameen

Ramadhan is a month of empowerment, not just a month of rituals, not just a month of exercises, it is not just a month of sacrifice. It is not simply a month to listen to the Quran or to stand in prayer or to fast. All these things are the virtues and the characteristics of Ramadhan.

But it is the Month of these actions, it is the desire outcome of these actions that we need to ponder upon for a moment. Ramadhan is a month of empowerment. We are seeking Mercy, Forgiveness and Freedom from the hell fire. Either this is something we are given it denied. If we are given that, it is given by authority, that's called empowerment.

Ramadhan is a month of discipline, a month of focus and a month of concentration. Whoever is denied the benefit of discipline and focus and concentration about their life. And about the value of their life. About their family. About their society and how to produce or to participate in a better world, this person has only went though exercise.

It is like  a boxer who goes to the gymnasium and prepares for one year but they never enter the ring of competition.

Ramadhan is a month of research and reflection. Ramadhan is a month of making new resolutions about our lives. Ramadhan is a month of creativity, concentration and reflection. Making new resolutions on what I would like to do, better this year than I did last year.

[Khalid Yasin]

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

I was a merchant who used to go through one, city to the other as a tradesman. And I used to pass through this valley... One day I passed through the valley holding my merchandise on top of my camel, when suddenly a thief stops me...in the middle of the valley. Alone. There was no one around. He puts the sword to my neck and he says... I am going to kill you, then take your merchandise. 

The companion said to him, please take everything but spare my life. And the thief said to him, No! I am going to take your merchandise and I'm going to kill you. When the companion found that the thief was insisting on killing him, he said to him... Okay! You can kill me and take my merchandise, but please allow me to do one thing, and then after that you can kill me.

He said, do whatever you like, but then I'm gonna wait for you and kill you. He said allow me to pray two rakaahs. Subhan Allah! The thief made a mistake by allowing him to pray two rakaahs. So he prayed the two rakaahs, he prayed the first rakat then he prayed the second rakah.

And in his Sujud (prostration) because Rasul said, you are closest to Allah when you are in your prostration, so ask Allah for the things you want in your prostration. In his Sujud,  he said one dua, I'm going to just mention a part of it. It is in three sections.. 

And he said, "I ask you Oh Allah, by the light of your face which has filled, the pillars of your throne.." And then he began to ask Him by Alla of His names, (by His wonderful attributes), he finally said.. Oh the One Who responds to dua of the one in need.. He says, save me from this thief. And then he said,  three times... OH THE ONE WHO SAVES, SAVE ME.

He said, he did not complete his dua, then all of a sudden he hears the galloping of a horse, racing so quickly, and so fast, on top of that horse was a man (a warrior) and he had covered his face. With a sword in his right arm, the thief looked at him,  before he could do anything (wack) he chopped and slit his throat, and the thief died. 

The companion looked up, hugged him and kissed him, and he said to him, May Allah bless you. Where you from? Where did you come from? He said.. I am an Angel from the fourth sky. You asked Allah in the first part of your dua (and we heard you). Then you asked with the second part of the dua (the  sky shook). Then you asked in the third part of the dua (we raced to Allah), so I raced and beat the other angels to Allah and said O My Lord send me, and so Allah allowed me. 

Then the Angel faded away.

The dua of a person who is in need, Allah will respond. 

[ MERCIFUL SERVANT ]

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

By Shaykh Hassan Ali.

People will look for Shaytan, and they will find him. There he is! Iblis. Grab a hold of him! Let's tear him apart..its him! So they'll come to him and they will say, Iblis.. Mr. Big Man, the biggest of all Mr. Big Man, you're the one who led all of us.. all of us are in hell today because of you!

He's gonna say.. You know Iblis, he's crafty but you're going to see how crafty he is on the Day of Judgement. He's gonna say this, Allah gave you a promise and I gave you a promise, Allah gave you the promise of the Quran and I gave you the promise of whispering into your minds and hearts. Allah told you, you will get paradise for this, I told you don't worry about it.

Just do it.. Just do it. It's nice man.. it's nice. Enjoyable man.. Enjoy it bro! I said that to you! I gave you a whisper in your hearts and I promise you. Do not worry about it. You didn't listen to Allah but you listened to me!

Who you gonna blame? Who you gonna blame me for leading you to hell? It was you who led yourself! You had the choice to believe the Rahman or the Shaytan and you chose the Shaytan over the Rahman. So don't come to me today telling me what I should do for you. You cannot save me today and I cannot save you today. I cannot come to yourselves today, you can't come to my rescue today. We both here, we both here in hell.

" Basically what his motto is, now we're even Steven! "

Because Shaytan wants that! He wants us to go to Jahannam. We know that Shaytan, made a pledge with Allah or declared himself arrogantly.. that he is going to build up the hopes of human beings. As such that they will turn away from Allah. He would led them away from the worship of the one God. 

So what we know more generally is that Shaytan builds up hopes of human beings for a long life in this world. And ultimately that they will have good in this life regardless of whether they worship Allah or not. So he promises them immortality and immorality.

When the Final Judgement is made.. and Allah.. reveals His power and His control, that's when people will realise that Shaytan has beguiled them and Shaytan himself will now confess. I made a promise to you.. and that was a false promise. Allah made a promise to you.. and that was the true promise.

But Shaytan also defend himself against blame, because now people know this score and begin to blame Shaytan, you're the one who misled us. But Satan's response to that is, do not blame me, bit blame yourselves. The extent of my work was only that I gave you this promise and you obeyed, you followed, so don't blame me, blame yourselves.

And in the end even if you were to blame Shaytan, Satan says I'm not able to respond to your cries, not would you be able to respond to my cries. 

" And certainly for the wrong doers, this is a painful punishment. "

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

And understand this young Muslims. Today you have the same type of problems. Sin hasn't gone to your neighbour's house, it has come into your bedroom, you call it the laptop. Sin has come on your pillows, you call it mobile phones.

You sit there watching TV till your feel like your vomiting, so you go Khalas you know your click. And then there's nothing after a few hours so Khalas then you go to your laptop, and you sit and you watch, Halal and Haram. May Allah ﷻ guide you to Halal. Then when nothing is left, on your under pillow you're still playing with your phone.

Sin has come into your bedrooms.

Sin has become pervasive and invasive and engulfing and all overtaking in this time. Watch out for two things. Watch falling for the sins,  especially in seclusion (private). Listen to this Hadith - it should make the hairs on the back of your neck stand. Listen to the warning of the Prophet ﷺ

I know a group of my ummah, they will come on the Day of Judgement with good deeds like mountains glowing bright. Not little good deeds. Mountains of good deeds. And Allah will make it perish in the wind, it will disappear. So Rasul Allah ﷺ says, these are not ordinary people, they are your brothers. Muslims. And not ordinary Muslims. And these are Muslims, the type that wake up in the middle of the night and pray. They're are good Muslims, but what's their sin?

But they're of people that when they're alone, they overstep the boundaries of Allah. So in seclusion when you're there on your phone remember Allah ﷻ will delete all your good deeds if you're not careful. If you grow to Jurrah..the bravery against Dhul Arshi Majid, that you know He's watching, and you feel He's watching and you persist, one is out of fear and mistakes and you but one of insistence. Fear that. 

And second, for those of you that have the capacity and ability to hold back from the Haram, listen to the glad tidings. And I will end with this Hadith. The Prophet ﷺ says, O! Sahaba after you will come the day of patience. The days of difficulty, the days where it is hard to be a Muslim and righteous. But.. Whoever on these days of difficulties and in those days of vice and in those days of the internet. If in those days whoever holds on to what you have held on to. If they hold on to the deen as you are holding O! Sahaba. They will get the reward of 50. So they asked, Ya Rasul Allah the tears if 50 of us or 50 of them? So the Rasul said, No! 50 of you my Sahaba.

And whoever leaves Haram for the sake of Allah and returns it for a Halal, Allah ﷻ will replace it with unimaginable things.

The ahsab gave up their homes for Islam, Allah ﷻ gave them the dominion of earth instead.

Suleiman gave up his horses for the sake of Allah, Allah ﷻ gave him wind to command.

Yusuf gave up Haram women, Allah ﷻ gave him the dominion of Egypt instead.

Leave the Haram that you're in and Allah ﷻ will replace it with what you didn't anticipate. May Allah guide and guard you.

- Wahaj Tarin -

[ YouTube - Merciful Servant ]

Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

So, when Musa a.s was born, his mother feared for his life. But Allah assured her that he would be safe and told her to place him in a boat on the Nile. The Quran tells us what’s translated as, “And we inspired to mother of Musa, saying, “Suckle him but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not nor grieve. Verily, We shall bring him back to you and shall make him one of our Messengers.”” And this is chapter 28 Verse 7.

And just as Allah had promised, Musa came safely to the shore where he was found by Asya. Asya then convinced her husband to keep the child. Allah tells us, “Then the household of Firaun picked him up that he might become for them an enemy and a cause of grief. Verily, Firaun, her man, and their hosts were sinners and the wife of Pharaoh said, “A comfort for the eye, for me and for you. Kill him not. Perhaps he may be of benefit for us and we may adopt him as a son. And they perceived not the result of that. This is also from Suratul Qasas verses 8-9.

So Musa grew under that protection of Asya, in the house of Firaun. Musa grew to be a great Prophet who called his people to the worship of one God. But because of the oppression of Firaun, many people did not believe in him. He would threaten people. He had gathered all of his henchmen and Firaun had announced that, “I am your Lord, most great.” And he threatened anyone who tried to not believe in him as the one true lord. 

What happened was for example when the magicians believed in the message of Musa, Firaun threatened them with a great penalty. He threatened to cut off their limbs. Their hands and their feet from opposite sides and then crucify them on tree trunks. So this was the punishment that he had given to those who believed. Yet, despite this persecution, Asya believed in Musa’s message and she held firm to her faith. That faith was so strong that she was willing to die for it. When Firaun found out that she believed, he tortured her severely. But her belief in God was so strong that it made her an everlasting symbol.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran what is translated as, “God sets forth an example for those who believe, the wife of Firaun who said, “My Lord, build for me with You a house in Paradise and save me from Firaun and his doings. And save me from an unjust people.””

Now think about this.

Asya was a queen. She was the wife of one of the most powerful man to walk the earth. She lived a life of unparalleled luxury and wealth. Yet, Asya knew that her true home was in Paradise. She had no attachment to this life.

Now, there are a lot of lessons we can learn from Asya’s life and from this in particular. But one of the really beautiful lessons for me particularly, from her story, is the fact that despite all the persecution that she was going through, Allah made it easy on her so much so that when she was being tortured she actually smiled. And the reason why she smiled was because Allah rabbul izza answered her dua and allowed her to actually see her home in Jannah.

The reason why I find this particularly moving is because, if Allah is with you, even your hardest struggles can become light. If you can see your home with Allah in Jannah, no matter what you are going through in this life, it can become easy. And what better example of that than this woman who’s being tortured by the worst man ever to walk the earth? Yet, she was able to bear it and she even smiled because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was with her and He made it easy for her. And she had a greater attachment to her home in Jannah than to her home here. And because of that, everything that she dealt with, regardless of how difficult it was, was made easy for her.

The second lesson which I think is very important is that she was married to a very tyrannical man who claimed to be the Lord right? Yet, she was not defined by him. Although he was her husband and although that was her circumstance, she was not defined or limited by those circumstances.

Now, this is an important lesson for us because all of us will have different things in life that are thrown at us. The question is: What are we going to define our self-worth by? So, we go through society and society tells you that you are supposed to get your self-worth, if you are a woman, by the way you look usually. By how many people think you are attractive, by how thin you are. There’s different places you are supposed to get your self-worth. But that’s one of the places society teaches women to get their self-worth. As men, they are told, a lot of times to get their self-worth by status, by wealth, how powerful you are.

The point here is that our self-worth should only come from one relationship. Only one relationship. And that’s the relationship with our Creator. Our relationship with our Creator should define how we feel about ourselves and who we are.

For Asya, that’s how it was. It was her relationship with her Creator. It wasn’t her relationship with the tyrannical person that she happened to live with or by her circumstances. 

The story of Asya is an everlasting example of a woman who chose the Hereafter over all of the glitter of this world. It is the story of a woman whose love of Allah and the home with Him was greater. It is the story of a woman whose faith inspired her to take on the greatest tyrant of all time. And to give her life in the process.

May Allah bless her work and grant her Jannah. Ameen

[Yasmin Moghade]

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

Rabia Awwal Mubaarak! It is the third month of the Hijri Calendar which in many Muslims celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon) believing it to have occurred on the 12th of this month. However, the truth is that his actual date of birth is unknown just as the date of birth of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is unknown. Furthermore, its celebration is an innovation in Islamic worship as it was not instructed by the Prophet nor was it done by his companions. Even the celebration of birthdays in general is not permissible because of its pagan roots. As a result even the early Christians did not celebrate Christ’s birth because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.

The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) were the people who loved the Prophet most. Was it reported that Abu Bakr, who was the closest of people to him and the one who loved him the most, celebrated the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? Was it reported that ‘Umar, who ruled for twelve years, or ‘Uthmaan, did this? Was it reported that ‘Ali, his relative and foster son, did this? Was it reported that any of the Sahaabah did this? No, by Allah! Is it because they were not aware of its importance, or did they not truly love the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? No one would say such a thing except one who has gone astray and is leading others astray.

Did any of the Imams – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafi’i, Ahmad, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Seereen – do this or command others to do it or say that it was good? By Allah, no! It was not even mentioned during the first and best three centuries. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth: “The best of mankind are my generation (or my century), then those who come after them, then those who come after them. Then there will come a people who will not care if their testimony comes before their oath or vice versa (i.e., they will not take such matter seriously).” [Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi].

The celebration of the Prophet’s birthday appeared many centuries later, when many of the features of true religion had vanished and bid’ah had become widespread. This celebration became a sign of one’s love for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? But can it be possible that the Sahaabah, the Imams and the people of the best three centuries were unaware of it, and it was only those who came later who were aware of its importance?! What the Qur’aan tells us is that love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is demonstrated by following the guidance he brought. 

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say (O Muhammad): ‘If you (really) love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Say: ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger.’ But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:31-32] 

The first aayah explains that love is just a claim, but the proof of sincerity is following what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) brought. The second aayah reaffirms the importance and necessity of obeying Allah and His Messenger. Hence Allah ended the aayah with a very stern warning in which those who refuse to obey are described as kaafirs, and Allah does not love the disbelievers. We ask Allah to keep us safe from that. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us of the danger of not obeying him, and the danger of adding to what he brought. The celebration of Mawlid or his birthday is indeed an addition to what he brought – as all the scholars agree. He said: “The best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil of things are those which are newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” (Reported by Muslim and al-Nisaa’i).

So instead, let us apply the lessons learned from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and increase our efforts to spread the true religion of Allah in this month, while keeping alive the Ramadhan lessons of making fasting truly a way of life by also fasting Monday's and Thursday's of every week, and 13th, 14th and 15th according to the recommendations of Rasul. It is worth noting that when the Prophet was asked why he fasted Monday's,  he replied that it was the day on which he was born!! So, for those bent on commemorating the Prophet's birth, let them do as he did and FAST EVERY MONDAY!! 

We ask Allaah to protect us from bid’ah and to bless us by helping us to follow. Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

Islamqa.com

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu

When my third daughter was born, I was overtaken by joy. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) promised Paradise for those who care for their daughters and fears Allah regarding them. I was so happy about having a girl again that I bought doughnuts for everyone and took them to `ishaa’ prayer. A brother came to me that night and asked, “Oh what happened? Is there some good news?” I replied, “Yes! It’s a Girl!” He looked at me and said, “Insha Allah next time!” as if it wasn’t good news because I didn’t have a boy.

I was so upset that I wanted to slap the brother across the face. That is what idol worshippers in Makkah would have said! That is what people who don’t believe in Allah would have said! The fact that I had my third daughter, allows me to celebrate the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). What bigger congratulations could there be?!

Do not miss this great video. Ustadh Nouman Khan discusses the ugly attitude of hating girls and feeling depressed at their birth.

Unfortunately, many Muslim families succumb to this feeling; their treatment of girls even aggravates when the baby girl grows up. The verses and hadiths quoted in this Sermon show the strong position of Islam against all the traces of this attitude; girls are a blessing from Allah to be received with gratitude and loving care.

By Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan 👇👇 The Link  https://youtu.be/0vRY_frjdfU

Bismillahi rahmani rahim

Assalam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatu 

QUESTION

I am a young Muslim man who believes in Allah and His Messengers and His Books, praise be to Allah. But sometimes I feel too lazy to pray. I am looking for a solution and a way to make me not be so lazy. Please note that this is what I want but the tricks of the Shaytaan are too strong.

ANSWER

Praise be to Allah.

If a person truly believes in Allah, His Messengers and His Books, and believes that prayer is obligatory and is the greatest pillar of Islam after the Shahaadatayn, we cannot imagine that he would neglect to pray or be careless in performing the prayers. Rather he would never feel at ease unless he performs this important ritual regularly.

The more a person’s faith increases, the more he will be concerned to do that which Allah has enjoined upon him, and this is also because of his strong faith. Hence the way to make you pray more regularly may be summed up as follows:

1 – You should believe firmly that prayer is obligatory and that it is the greatest pillar of Islam. You should realize that a stern warning is issued to the one who neglects prayer, and he is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, based on a great deal of evidence, such as the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.”  [Narrated by Muslim, 82.] And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever gives it up is a kaafir.” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2621; al-Nasaa’i, 463; Ibn Maajah, 1079; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi]

2 – You should understand that delaying prayer beyond the time when it is due is a major sin, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As‑Salaah (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaah (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell” [Maryam 19:59] Ibn Mas’ood said concerning al-Ghayy [translated in the verse quoted above as Hell): This is a valley in Hell which is very deep and foul. And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  “So woe unto those performers of Salaah (prayers) (hypocrites). Those who delay their Salaah (prayer from their stated fixed times)” [al-Maa’oon :4,5]

3 – You should strive to offer the prayers in congregation in the mosque, and not neglect any of them, knowing that praying in congregation in the mosque is obligatory according to the more sound of the two scholarly opinions, based on a great deal of evidence, such as the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond, his prayer is not valid unless he has an excuse.” [Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 793; also by al-Daaraqutni and al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh; also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah] Muslim (653) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A blind man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I do not have anyone to guide me to the mosque,” and he asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to give him a dispensation allowing him to pray in his home and he allowed him that, then when he turned away he called him back and said: “Can you hear the call to prayer?’ He said, “Yes.” He said: “Then answer it.” And there is other evidence too. See question no. 40113. 

4 – There is the hope that if you adhere to that, you will be included among the seven whom Allah will shade with His shade (on the Day of Resurrection), among whom is “a young man who grew up worshipping his Lord” and “a man whose heart was attached to the mosque”. [Al-Bukhaari, 660; Muslim, 1031]

5 – You will earn the great reward for prayer, especially prayer in congregation. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A man’s prayer in congregation is twenty-five times better than his praying in his house or marketplace, because when he does wudoo’ and does it well, then goes out to the mosque, only going there to pray, he does not take a single step but he is raised in status and a sin is erased thereby. When he prays, the angels continue to send blessings upon him so long as he is still in the place where he prayed, (saying), ‘O Allah, send blessings on him, O Allaah have mercy on him.’ And one of you is still in a state of prayer so long as he is waiting for the prayer.” [Al-Bukhaari, 647; Muslim, 649] Muslim (232) narrated that ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever does wudoo’ for prayer and does wudoo’ well, then walks to (perform) the prescribed prayer, and offers the prayer with the people or with the congregation or in the mosque, Allah will forgive him his sins.”

6 – You should read about the virtue of prayer, and the sin of those who are careless or too lazy to pray. We advise you in particular to read the book Al-Salaah, limadha (Prayer – why?) by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel al-Muqaddim; and listen to the lecture, “Limadha la tusalli (Why don’t you pray?) by Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Ya’qoob, as these will be very beneficial for you in sha Allah.

7 – You should choose good friends who are keen to pray and pay attention to that, and keep away from those who are the opposite, because a person is influenced by his friends.

8 – Keep away from sin in all aspects of your life, and adhere to the rulings of sharee’ah in your dealings with others, especially with women, because sin is one of the things that most distract a person from doing acts of worship and increase the Shaytaan’s influence on him.

We ask Allah to make us and you among His righteous slaves and those who are close to Him.

And Allah knows best.

Islam Q&A. [Adopted from Muslim by Choice]