Category: Spirituality

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Spirituality

The importance of Durood/Salawaat ﷺ

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Merciful.

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“Verily, Allah and His angels confer blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Invoke blessings on him, and greet him with goodly salutations.” (Qur’an 33:56)

** PLEASE RECITE DUROOD ONCE BEFORE READING**

“In the annals of history, never was a man named ‘Muhammad’ before our dearest and beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him). He was given this name by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. The name Muhammad means, ‘One who is praised again and again’.”

Shaykh Muhammed Saleem Dhorat (Hafidhahu Allah), Islamic Da’wah Academy, Leicester, UK.

Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) has given many different commands in the Qur’an, such as prayer (Salah), fasting, pilgrimage (Hajj) etc. 

He has also described and praised many noble Prophets and greatly honoured them.

After creating Sayyiduna Adam (peace & blessings be upon him), He (may He be glorified and exalted) ordered the angels to prostrate to him. However, nowhere has Allah stated in any command or in any act of honouring, that He is also a participant and that the believers should follow suit. 

This honour is solely for the Leader of the creation, the Pride of the world (peace & blessings be upon him), where Allah attributes the act of conferring blessings Himself, and after attributing it towards His angels, finally orders the believers that they too should also invoke blessings upon him.

What virtue could be greater than the believers participating in this act with Allah and His angels? 

Those who understand Arabic know that the verse begins with the particle ‘inna’ which adds great emphasis to its meaning, and the imperfect tense, ‘mudari’ has been used, which indicates continuity. In other words, it is firmly established that Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) and His angels are constantly conferring blessings upon the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him).

The author of ‘Ruh al-Bayan’ (may Allah have mercy upon him) writes, “Some scholars state that the meaning of Allah conferring His blessings is raising the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) to the Praised Station (Al-Maqam al-Mahmood), which is the station of intercession.”

The blessings of (salat) of the angels are to pray for the Noble Prophet’s (peace & blessings be upon him) status to be elevated and to seek forgiveness for the Noble Prophet’s (peace & blessings be upon him) followers.

The meaning of the believers invoking blessings, is to follow the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him), love him, and to mention and praise his sublime qualities.

Moreover, this honour which Allah granted the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) is far greater than the respect shown to Sayiduna Adam (peace & blessings be upon him) by ordering the angels to prostrate before him, because Allah is personally engaged in this act of honouring the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him), whereas only the angels were ordered to prostrate before Sayyiduna Adam (peace & blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) said,“Whoever invokes one blessing upon me, Allah will confer ten blessings upon him.” [Muslim & Abu Dawood]

One blessing and mercy from Allah is sufficient for the whole creation, let alone ten of Allah’s blessings in return for invoking blessings once!

How fortunate are those pious elders whose daily practice was to invoke blessings and peace 125,000 times! Just as we read regarding some of the pious elders of the family of Shaykhul Hadith Hadhrat Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Khandelwi (Allah illuminate his grave).

What virtue for invoking blessings is there which is greater than being granted ten blessings for invoking once? 

It is narrated in ‘Al-Targhib’ on the authority of Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (Allah be pleased with him) that, ‘Whoever invokes one blessing upon the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him), Allah and His angels confer 70 blessings upon him.’ 

(N.B. One should understand at this point that if different rewards are mentioned for a certain action, as in this case where ten rewards are promised in one Hadith and seventy in another, some scholars are of the opinion that because Allah’s favours on the Ummah of Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) are increased on a daily basis, the narrations which mention greater reward are the latter Hadiths. Thus it is as though Allah initially promised ten rewards and then increased this to 70. Other scholars have interpreted this difference, with respect to different people, times and conditions. Similarly as discussed, on the reward of congregational prayer being multiplied by 25 or 27 times). 

With regards to this matter, another opinion is that of Mulla Ali Qari (Allah illuminate his grave), who writes that the reward of 70 may be particular to invoking blessings on Friday, as in another Hadith it is narrated that the reward for good actions increases seventy fold on a Friday.

Sayyiduna Anas (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said, “The person in whose presence I am mentioned should invoke blessing upon me. Whoever invokes one blessing upon me, Allah confers ten blessings upon him.” In another narration, “Whoever invokes one blessing upon me; Allah confers ten blessings upon him, forgives ten of his sins and elevates his status tenfold thereby.” [Ahmad & Nasa’i]

Allamah Mundhiri (Allah illuminate his grave) has also narrated the same hadith in Al-Targhib on the authority of Sayyiduna Bara’ (Allah be pleased with him), with the addition that the invoker receives the reward of freeing ten slaves.

Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) said,“Indeed the closest person to me on the Day of Judgement is he who invokes blessings upon me abundantly.” [Tirmidhi]

Hafidh Ibn Hajar (Allah illuminate his grave) states in the commentary of the above Hadith that whoever recites Durood 300 times daily, will attain the honour of being closest to the Prophet (SAW) on the Day of Judgement.

Allamah Sakhawi (Allah illuminate his grave) narrates the same from Qut al-Qulub. Respected Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Allah sanctify his secret) would instruct his disciples to invoke blessings on the Prophet (SAW) at least 300 times. He, (RH), would say, “The favour of the Noble Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) is immense. It is then truly an act of disloyalty that a person be miserly in invoking blessings upon him.”

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) said,“Whoever invokes blessings upon me near my grave, I hear his blessings, and whoever invokes blessings upon me from a distance, they are conveyed to me.” [Bayhaqi & Mishkat]

Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (Allah be pleased with him) used to say, “Invoking blessings on the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) extinguishes sins more than cold water extinguishes fire and sending peace on him is better than freeing slaves.” 

Love for Allah’s Messenger (peace & blessings be upon him) is better than the blood which flows in one’s body (as life in this temporary world depends on the blood in one’s body, whereas the eternal life of the Hereafter is doomed if one does not possess love for the Prophet SAW). 

In another narration, love for Allah’s Messenger (peace & blessings be upon him) is better than fighting in Allah’s path.

When Hasan al-Basri (Allah illuminate his grave) used to discuss the crying of the date tree-trunk, he used to cry and say, “O slaves of Allah! A piece of dry wood cries out of longing for Allah’s Messenger (peace & blessings be upon him); you are more worthy of longing to meet him.” [Manifestations of Prophet Muhammad SAW’s beauty]

Shaykh Zakariyra RH had hundreds of disciples across the globe, many of them would write to Shaykh addressing their problems. A common reply he would give:

‘Har Dard Ki Dawa – – – Salle Ala Muhammad’ (Sallallaho Alayhi Wasallam).

The remedy for every problem is in sending salutations upon the Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Ka’b ibn Ujrah (Allah be pleased with him) says, “The Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) once said,‘Come close to the pulpit, and so we came close. When he ascended the first step, he recited, ‘Ameen’. He then ascended the second step and recited, ‘Ameen’. He then ascended the third step and recited, ‘Ameen’. After he came down [after the sermon], we recited, ‘O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him), we heard you say something today which we have never heard you say before.’ He SAW said, Jibreel came to me and said, ‘May that person be destroyed who witnesses the month of Ramadhan but is not forgiven.’ I said ‘Ameen’. When I ascended the second step, he said, ‘May that person be destroyed in whose presence you are mentioned but does not invoke blessings upon you’. I said, ‘Ameen’. When I ascended the third step, Jibreel said, ‘May that person be destroyed who finds both or one of his parents in old age, but they do not enter him into Paradise.’ I said, ‘Ameen’.” [Bukhari]

Not much elaboration is needed here – Sayyiduna Jibreel (AS) said three curses and the Noble Prophet (peace & blessings be upon him) said ‘Ameen’ upon all three curses. Firstly, the curse of an angel as great as Sayyiduna Jibreel (AS) was sufficient itself, and the intensity the curse gained through the Noble Prophet’s ﷺ ‘Ameen’ is quite evident. 

Please see below PDF version of forty duroods:

http://www.inter-islam.org/DuroodSalaam/ArabicSalat-Salam.html

Ismail ibn Nazir Satia (In dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure).

7 Rabi’ul Thani 1436

O Allah! Have mercy on us and write our death in Medinah – The City of Your Beloved Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam Enable us to travel time and time again to Makkah and Medinah… Ameen Ya Rabb!

*The contents of this article have been condensed from the book “Fadhail Durood” by Shaykh Zakariyya RH – unless otherwise stated.

Categories
Spirituality

al-Nifaq

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In the name of Allah, All praise due to Allah

حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ بْنُ أَبِي إِيَاسٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ وَاصِلٍ الأَحْدَبِ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ الْيَمَانِ، قَالَ إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ الْيَوْمَ شَرٌّ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانُوا يَوْمَئِذٍ يُسِرُّونَ وَالْيَوْمَ يَجْهَرُونَ‏.‏

Beware of the Hypocrisy and Corruption of the Two-faced

It was related by Abū Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) that the Messenger of Allāh (sallallahu aayhi wa sallam) said,

“Indeed the worst of the people are the two-faced, those who go to one group of people with one face and a different group with another.”[1]

In his explanation of this narration, al-Hāfiz Ibn Hajr (rahimahullaah) says, “al-Qurtubi RH stated,

‘Indeed the one who is two-faced is the worst of the people because he is similar to the hypocrite[2],using cajolery and lying to create fasād (corruption) between the people.’

Imam al-Nawawī RH said,

“He is the one who goes to each group of people with that which will please them, so he gives them the impression that he is with them and against the other group, and his action is that of hypocrisy, lying, deceit and using trickery to uncover the secrets of each group; and it is from the prohibited sycophancy.”[3]

Also, in his book al-Zawājir, Al-Haythamī (rahimahullaah) considers the two-faced person from the people of major sin. He states,

“The Two-hundred and Fifty-third Major Sin: the speech of the fork-tongued, i.e. the two-faced, who has no regard with Allāh.”[4]

In another wording of the narration, ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir (radhi Allaahu anhu) related that the Messenger of Allāh (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said,

“Whoever had two-faces in the worldly life will have two tongues of fire on the Day of Resurrection.” [5]

Azīm Ābadī (rahimahullaah) says: “Al-‘Alqamī stated:

‘This means that since he came to each group with different faces to cause corruption, he will be given two tongues of fire like the two tongues he had with each group in the worldly life.'”[6]

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the believers to be wary of those who carry other people’s speech to them, “So and so said such and such about you,” only to turn around and take the second party’s speech back to the first. For how many close companions have been turned into enemies and much rancour has replaced love among us as a result of such machinations? And if these provocateurs truly understood what awaited them from punishment and humiliation, perhaps it would cause them to turn to Allāh in penitence and repair the bonds their whispers have destroyed.

The Hypocrites of Today

These are some timely narrations collected by Muhammad Musa Nasr in his book ‘al-Munafiqun’ (p. 95-98). They are all authentic.

1 – Jubayr bin Nufayr RA said:

“I went to visit Abu ad-Darda’ RA at his home in Homs, and I found him praying at his mosque. When he sat for the tashahhud, he began seeking refuge with Allah from hypocrisy. When he finished, I went to him and asked: “May Allah Forgive you, Aba ad-Darda’! What do you have to do with hypocrisy?”

He replied: “O Allah, Your Forgiveness! (he said this three times) Nobody who feels safe from tribulation will be safe from it! By Allah, a man can be tested for a single hour and turn back on his religion.””

2 – ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr RA said:

“There will come a time when people will gather in their mosques, and there won’t be a single believer in them.”

3 – al-Hasan RH said:

“The Hour will not come until each people will be overwhelmed by their hypocrites.”

4 – Hudhayfah RA said:

“The hypocrites among you today are worse than the hypocrites who lived at the time of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم)!”

He was asked: “O Aba ‘Abdillah, how is this so?”

He replied: “They used to hide their hypocrisy. As for the ones today, they display it openly.”

We ask Allāh (azzawajal), the Mighty and Majestic, to give us protection from the two-faced and to unite our hearts upon Islām and Sunnah, Ameen.

References:

– (1) Bukhari/Muslim

– (2) Just as the hypocrite gives the outward appearance of Islam while harbouring disbelief and hatred in his heart, the two-faced person gives the outward appearance of love, fealty and reparation whilst harbouring the desire to cause hatred and division in his heart.

– (3) Fathul Bari – 10/475

– (4) al-Zawajir – 2/574-576

– (5) Abu Dawood 4212

– (6) ‘Awnul Mabood [Sharh Abu Dawood]

Categories
Spirituality

For Effective Da’wah in the West

By Shaykh Abul Hasan ‘Ali an-Nadwi (rh)

This is a transcription of a speech delivered in Dewsbury, UK in 1982 at the opening of the Dewsury Markaz.

I am filled with happiness by your reception. I would be most ungrateful if I do not respect your wishes and share my inner feelings. If I desire I could shower you with praises, for Almighty Allah has bestowed me with an abundance of vocabulary, but I would not be fulfilling the right of friendship.

Da’wah in the Seerah

As you are aware, the Prophet (Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) had a burning desire to invite humanity towards Islam. Despite 13 years of untiring effort in Makkatul Mukarramah and 7 years in Madinah Munawwarah, there was no large scale movement of non-Muslims into Islam. Between 7 AH and 10 AH, which is the period after Fatah-Makkah until the Prophet (Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam)’s demise, there was such an influx of people entering the ranks of Islam that was not witnessed in the preceding 20 years.

Imam Zuhri (ra), an eminent Muhaddith and Tabi‘, expressed surprise on this sea change, with so many people embracing Islam in a matter of just 3 years. Along with other distinguished Muhadditheen, he has commented that this was due to non-Muslims having had an opportunity for the first time to observe and intermingle with Muslims, witness their honesty, fair dealing, compassion, and sole reliance on Almighty Allah. This left such a deep and profound impression on non-Muslims that thousands entered into the fold of Islam within a relatively short period of time.

Applying the Lessons of Seerah Here and Now

This incident also contains abundant lessons on how Muslims should live in this country. Their conduct should be sublime and captivating. Whosoever should see us should accept Islam. Whosoever sits with us should be inclined towards Islam. There should be no need to convince anyone to accept the Truth.

Therefore, in this country if you wish to live peacefully and have an opportunity to present Islam to the host community, you will need to inculcate and manifest sterling qualities, not just inside the Mosques but also outside in the streets, in the markets, in your daily activities, and at home. A life of Taqwa will immediately attract non-Muslims towards Islam.

Dangers of Living Isolated and Insulated

As an ordinary student of Islam it is my religious responsibility to warn you. If you do not lead an upright life, if you continue to live an insular lifestyle, and if you fail to manifest the beauty of Islam to non-Muslims, then you face some real dangers. In such a case, there is no reason for you to feel content and secure in this country.

If ever the fire of race, religion, or nationalism rages here you will not be saved. In Spain there were Mosques a hundred times more beautiful than yours. So do not feel content and self-satisfied. As an ordinary student of religion I would wish to express my joy and happiness at this wonderful new Mosque. But what words shall I use to congratulate you?

Lessons from Spain

Others may not speak to you as plainly, but remember the glorious Masjid of Cordoba. It still stands in Spain. Iqbal, Poet of the East, so eloquently reminisces the great legacy of Islamic Spain in his famous poem, Masjid-e-Qurtaba. In Islamic Spain, there were such brilliant Mosques, celebrated Madrasahs, famous scholars like Shaykh al-Akbar (ra), Ibn al-Hazm (ra), Qurtubi (ra), Shatbi (ra) – and how many others shall I mention?

However, when the flames of religious sectarianism raged then the Mosques and Madrasahs became deserted. Once, Islamic Spain boasted such magnificent structures, distinguished educational centers, refined culture and society. Regrettably, the Muslims, despite such a high standard of living, did not draw the non-Muslims of that country to see the truth of Islam, to warn them of the dangers of disbelief, with the result that ensuing religious violence subsequently consumed them like a morsel. The Arabs with their glowing history, architectural splendor, and vast oceans of knowledge, were displaced from the country. Today, unfortunately, the ears eagerly wait to hear the Azaan and the empty Mosques thirst for the Salaah.

Earn Your Place in Your Country

My dear brothers, you must earn your recognition in this country. You should earn your place and leave an imprint on the host community of your value and significance. You must show your exemplary conduct is far nobler than that of other people. You must impart on them the lessons of humanity. You should demonstrate such commitment and noble virtues that impress on people that there cannot be found more upright humans elsewhere besides you. You need to establish your worth, showing what blessing and mercy you are for the country.

If however you decide to live in an enclosed environment simply content with your Prayers and Fasting, apathetic to the people and society you live in, never introducing them to the high Islamic values and your own personal qualities, then beware lest any religious or sectarian violence flares up. In such a situation, you will not find safety or protection.

I pray to Almighty Allah my prediction is totally unfounded. But remember, you are guests here. YourTabligh, Mosques, Madrasahs, Ibadah, and religious sacrifices are all worthy of commendation. May Almighty Allah grant you Barakah. But do not forget to earn your place in this country. Gain proficiency of the national language and use it to effectively propagate Islam. Prepare writers and orators to convey the message of Islam. Although you will distance yourself from their religion, do not distance yourself from them. Establish your credibility to the extent that if you are entrusted with onerous responsibilities, as was Prophet Yusuf (`Alayhi as-Salaam), you do not shirk but embrace all challenges wholeheartedly.

Your Priority Should Not Be Wealth and Luxury

You will have to present a new pattern of life to this country. You will not earn recognition by exerting yourselves in the workplace. If you overwork you will be looked upon disparagingly and be likened to horses and bulls. In fact, you will be labelled as money-making machines. However, if you can show to the people here that you are worshipers of Almighty Allah and not wealth, you do not bow before power but only before virtue, you are humans and think like humans, you are concerned not only about yourselves but also about others; and you are compassionate about your own children as well as theirs, that you are earnestly concerned about the path of destruction they have chosen for themselves, you will then earn their respect. They will begin to respect Islam and become desirous of studying it. They will ask you for literature concerning Islamic beliefs and practices and an opportunity will arise here for you to promote Islam.

On the other hand, if you remain preoccupied in eating and working, engaged in prayers, remaining indifferent to what is happening in the country, insulated within the Muslim community, totally apathetic to what is happening outside, which direction the country is taking – in such a situation if there is trouble you will not be able to save yourselves.

StrengthenYour Position

I have been meaning to convey and accentuate this message to you as I do not know whether I will be able visit you again in the future. You gathered here with love and affection and therefore it was easy for me to convey. As a student of religion it would have been convenient for me to recommend the virtues of reciting various Zikr or prescribe certain Wazifahs but you may not have had an opportunity of listening to the message I have just conveyed from anyone else.

Please strengthen your position in this country. Earn your recognition. Do not be like a straw or crop that is uprooted by a mere breeze. You should be so firm that not even a hurricane is able to displace you. Display such noble character that you attract the hearts of the people. See then how these people will stand up to defend you. If there is the slightest hostility towards you, they will be the first ones to argue on your behalf and argue what a blessing you are for them.

May Almighty Allah grant us the ability to understand what is right; may He bless and protect you. Ameen.

Courtesy of Darul Ihsan

Categories
Spirituality

Khushoo’ – An extinct element of Salah

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All lofty and high praise be to Allah, The Most Honoured and The Majestic. Peace and blessings be upon the leader of the pious, the chief of al-Kha’shioon, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, the Messenger of Allah, and on all his family and companions.

I begin by thanking Allah (Subhanahu WaTa’aala) for enabling me to shed a bit of light on the given topic. Salah is certainly not something taken lightly in the religion of Islam.

“The first thing of your religion that you will lose is Khushoo’, and the last thing that you will lose of your religion is Salah. There may be a person praying who has no goodness in him, and soon you will enter the masjid and not find anyone who has khushoo’.”

Salah is a pillar out of the five pillars of Islam.

Salah is a conversation with Our Lord.

Salah is a Mi’raaj for the Muslims.

Salah will increase our Iman and lead to Jannah. Discarding it will decrease our Iman and lead to Jahannam.

Allah (Subhanahu WaTa’aala) says, “And stand before Allah with obedience.” (2:238)

Regarding Salah, the Qur’an mentions, “And truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for al-Khashi’oon.” (2:45)

Salah is the greatest of the practical pillars of Islam and Khushoo’ in prayer is required by Shari’ah. When Iblis, the enemy of Allah, vowed to mislead and tempt the sons of Adam (peace be upon him) he said, “Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left.” (7:17)

One of the most significant plots became to divert people from Salah by all means possible and to whisper to them during their prayer so as to deprive them of the joy of this worship and cause them to lose the reward for it.

“Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their Salah with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” (23:1-2) Khushoo’ means calmness, serenity, tranquillity, dignity and humility. What makes a person have this Khushoo’ is fear of Allah (Subhanahu WaTa’aala) and the sense that He is always watching.

Hudhayfah (Allah be pleased with him) used to say, “Beware of the khushoo’ of hypocrisy.”  He was asked, “What is the Khushoo’ of Hypocrisy?” He said, “When the body shows Khushoo’ but there is no Khushoo’ in the heart.”

Fudhayl ibn Ayadh (Allah have mercy upon him) said, “It was disliked for a man to show more Khushoo’ than he had in his heart.” One of them saw a man showing Khushoo’ in his shoulders and body, and said, “O so and so, Khushoo’ is here” – and he pointed to his chest, “not here” – and he pointed to his shoulders. (Al-Madarij)

Ibnul Quyyim (Allah have mercy upon him) who is known to be the ‘spiritual’ heart doctor said, explaining the difference between the Khushoo’ of true faith and the Khushoo’ of hypocrisy, “The Khushoo’ of true faith is when the heart feels aware and humble before the greatness and glory of Allah, and is filled with awe, fear and shyness, so that the heart is utterly humbled before Allah and broken, as it were, with fear, shyness, love and the recognition of the blessings of Allah and its own sins. So no doubt the Khushoo’ of the heart is followed by the Khushoo’ of the body. As for the Khushoo’ of hypocrisy, it is something that is put on with a great show, but there is no Khushoo’ in the heart.”

Khushoo’ is obligatory in prayer, and this includes calmness, meaning submission and humility. Whoever pecks like a crow in his Sujood (prostration) does not have Khushoo’, and whoever does not raise his head fully from Ruku (bowing) and pause for a while before going down into Sujood is not calm, because calmness implies doing things at a measured pace, so the person who does not do things at a measured pace is not calm. Whoever is not calm does not have Khushoo’ in his Ruku or Sujood, and whoever does not have Khushoo’ is a sinner…

Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy upon him) explained the things that help us to have Khushoo’, “Two things help us to develop Khushoo’, a strong desire to do what is obligatory, and weakness of distractions. With regards to the first, the strong desire to do what is obligatory; (this means that) a person strives hard to focus on what he is saying and doing, pondering upon the meaning of the Qur’an recitation, dhikr, duas, and keeping in mind the fact that he is speaking to Allah as if he sees Him SWT, for when he is standing in prayer, he is talking to his Lord. Ihsan means that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, surely He can see you.”

The more the slave tastes the sweetness of Salah, the more attracted he will be to it, and this has to do with the strength of his Iman. The means of strengthening Iman are many, and this is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say, “In your world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my joy is in prayer.”

According to another Hadith he (peace be upon him said), “Let us find comfort in prayer, O Bilal.” He (peace be upon him said), did not say, “Let us get it over and done with.”

With regard to the second, weakness of distractions, this means striving to push away all distractions that make you think of something other than the prayer itself, and warding off thoughts that keep your mind off the purpose of the prayer. This is something which differs from one person to another, because the extent of waswasah (evil thoughts) has to do with the extent of one’s doubts and desires and the heart’s focus and dependence on what it loves, and its efforts to avoid what it dislikes.

After having read thus far, I hear some of you say, “well how does one go about acquiring this Khushoo?” One of the most important things one needs to remember is preparing oneself ‘properly’ for Salah. A lack of this or preparing inadequately is the greatest cause for deficiency in Khushoo’. We should be preparing from the moment we hear the Adhan, repeat the words the Muaddhin says, then recite Durood and the dua after the Adhan. We normally perform our Wudhu at this stage, again, this must be done thoroughly. One must ensure each part is rubbed correctly and fully not leaving a single area dry nor any hair left out (where applicable). Start Wudhu with Bismillah and Alhumdu Lillah, and ending it with the prescribed dua in the Sunnah. A forgotten Sunnah in Wudhu is using the Siwak/Miswak, it is actually Sunnah Muakkadah (emphasised sunnah) to utilise the Miswak whilst performing Wudhu, i.e. it should not be left out.

When one starts Salah it should not be rushed and he/she should move from one position to another slowly and calmly. Abu Qatadah (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The worst type of thief is the one who steals from prayer.’ He asked. ‘O Messenger of Allah, how can a person steal from his prayer?’ He (peace be upon him) said, ‘By not doing rukoo and sujood properly.’ (Ahmad and alHakim)

Hammad ibn Salamah (Allah have mercy upon him) said, “I have never stood up for prayer once without imagining that the fire of Hell is before my eyes.”

Just like in worldly affairs we think of different strategies and techniques to boost our business, to make our lives easier and comfortable, similarly we must plan ways to rectify our Salah. Here is one prescribed in the Sunnah:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Remember death in your prayer, for the man who remembers death during his prayer will surely pray properly, and (also) pray the prayer of a man, who does not think that he will pray any other prayer (after this).”

Lastly, Abu Ayyub (Allah be pleased with him) was advised by the Prophet (peace be upon him);

“When you stand up to pray, pray a farewell prayer.”

O Allah! Grant us all the ability to pray Salah daily with Khushoo’ and devotion. And make Salah the coolness of our eyes. Ameen.

Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (In dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure).

1st Muharram 1436

Categories
Spirituality

The Best of the Best. . .

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The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:
“The best of the Muslims is he from whose hand and tongue the Muslims are safe.” (Muslim)
“The best of people are those with the most excellent character.” (Tabarâni, Sahîh)
“The best of marriages are the easiest ones.” (Abu Dâwûd, Sahîh)
“The best prayers for women are those performed in the most secluded parts of their houses.”(Ibn Khuzaymah, Sahîh)
“The best of you are those who feed others and return greetings.” (Abu Ya’lâ, Hasan)
“The best of that which you treat yourself with is cupping.” (Hâkim, Sahîh)
“The best of days that you should perform cupping are the 17th, 19th and 21st of the month. I did not pass a single gathering of angels on the night of Isrâ’ except that they would say to me, ‘O Muhammad, perform cupping!’” (Ahmad, Sahîh)
“The most beloved of deeds according to Allah are the continuous ones, even if they are little.”(Agreed upon)
“The most beloved words according to Allah the Most High are four: Subhânallah, Alhamdulillâh, Lâ ilâhaillallah and Allahu Akbar; there is no problem with which one you start with.” (Muslim)
“The best of provision is that which suffices.” (Ahmad in ‘Zuhd’, Hasan)
“The best of dowries are the easiest.” (Hâkim, Sahîh)
“The most beloved word according to me is that which is most truthful.” (Bukhâri)
“The best of dinars are:the dinâr spent by a man upon his dependents, the dinâr spent by a man upon his horse in the path of Allah and the dinâr spent by a man upon his companions in the path of Allah, the Mighty, the Magnificent.”(Muslim)
“The best word of remembrance is: Lâ ilâha illallah and the best supplication is:Alhamdulillâh.” (Tirmidhî, Hasan)
“The best of all martyrs are those who fight in the front line; they do not turn their faces away until they are killed.
“They will be rolling around in the highest rooms of Paradise, their Lord laughing at them – when your Lord laughs at a servant, there is no accounting for him.”(Ahmad, Sahîh)
“The best of all charity is that which is given to the relative that harbours enmity against you.”(Ahmad, Sahîh)
“The best prayer is that with the longest standing.” (Muslim)
“The best of all worship is supplication(dua).” (Hâkim, Sahîh)
“The best deed is the prayer in its right time and Jihâd in the path of Allah.” (Bayhaqi, Sahîh)
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: “Which of the believers are the most intelligent?” He (ﷺ) replied,  “Those who remember death the most, and are best prepared for what comes after it.Those are the intelligent ones.” (Reported by Tabraani, Ibn Majah, classed as Hasan)
Categories
Spirituality

Keep Going!

Keep Going!

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

I want to begin by directly asking you a few questions. The first question I want to ask is if you saw an old lady crossing the road that needed help, would you choose to help her or would you leave her be? Secondly what do you think of a person who shouts at a baby for not being able to run?

Of course these questions may seem really weird for the moment but hang on in there and let me try to explain my point. Many people have a mentality that if I am committing a lot of sin, what is the point of me praying namaaz (5 daily prayers) or following any other of Allah’s commands for that matter. Well let’s look at the first question I posed at the start. If you answered yes then why should you do this? Isn’t helping an old lady a command of Allah?

Now I know some will say that this is the human thing to do. Well to follow Allah and His commands is also the human thing to do and if you want evidence then look deep in your heart to see if your heart is satisfied with your current life. Most people go to sleep unhappy every day or dissatisfied with their life. The obvious answer is that we are missing complete submission to Allah in our life. Isn’t it time to change and leave our old lives behind? Is it not time to turn back to Allah?

Some people, including myself when I was younger believe that Islam is only meant to be practised by a Hafiz or Alim. If this is you then let me ask you, will you be holding someone’s hand and taking them in your grave with you? If I want success in this world and the Hereafter I need to make changes in my life now. Neither me nor you know when the grave is going to swallow us up so shouldn’t we be making changes in our life now before it is too late?

I recently heard a very good point. We seem to be diverting ourselves to learn about the day of Qiyamah and we certainly should be, but isn’t there a bigger day coming for all us of very soon. Qiyamah will only come once all the major and minor signs told to us by the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) have come to pass. However our death is imminent. It can strike at any time and there are no signs of death. When Allah recalls us, we have to go.

As for the second question presented at the start, many people in our society frown upon those that try to follow Islam but stumble here and there. It is in the nature of a person that he or she will commit sins however some people feel they are of a high enough status and position to criticise and try to bring these people down.

Allah says “And remind for verily a reminder benefits the believer.” (Al-Qur’an: Adh-Dhariyat: 55)

The Qur’an tells us to do the complete opposite to what we are accustomed to. We should be reminding each other with love and affection otherwise we push those away who are trying to discover the truth of Islam. No matter how old you are or how exalted we are in the eyes of the people, we all make mistakes. Even the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) used to ask for forgiveness from Allah (God) even though all the prophets were infallible. The whole point of mankind being created was because we do make mistakes but we then repent and ask for forgiveness from people.

Allah is not like mankind. Allah is Ar-Raheem (The Most Merciful). There is none like Him. If I was to upset any human it would leave a crack in the relationship just like cracks in the wall but Allah completely removes the sin like it didn’t even take place. Allah’s mercy is such that he puts a veil over all of our sins. This in itself is a big blessing. Just imagine everybody was to know all the bad you and I have done! How disgraced would we feel? One pious person mentioned that you know you have reached piety if you can walk around the market place with your desires on a silver platter. That is certainly something to think about!

Lastly I just want to mention about wisdom. It’s very important that when we talk to anybody about Islam we think before we speak. Some people do get very heated with debates of Twitter, Facebook etc. A discussion is absolutely fine and that is encouraged but social networking sites aren’t the place. Certainly it is better to discuss in person where the truth and be found and we merely aren’t keyboard warriors.

As Muslims we should be trying to encourage each other as much as possible and this is the way forward. Give your friend a pat on the back. Tell them that they have done something good today and most importantly, SMILE!

Jazakumullah Khayran
Yasin Ibn Suleman Desai

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