Charity – The Best of Both Worlds

8 03 2010

As feautured on Muslim Matters.org and Noor Magazine

http://muslimmatters.org/2010/03/07/charity-%E2%80%93-the-best-of-both-worlds/

In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, we seek his help and we seek his forgiveness. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet [salAllahu alayhi wa salam], the anbiya, the shuhadaa and all those that follow him until the Day of Judgment.

One of the greatest benefits of giving charity for the sake of Allah is that not only does it benefit us while we are alive but it is also able to benefit us after we pass away in the form of sadaqah jaariyah. Death will come to us all, when our time has arrived and the angel of death has taken our souls, our chance to do good deeds and work towards paradise will have also ended. We will not be able to pray any more prayers, perform one more Hajj, fast another Ramadan, read any more Quran and so on and so forth. With that, our good deeds will have ended also, with the exception of three:

The Prophet [salAllahu alayhi wa salam] said:”When a man dies, nothing lives on after him, except for three things: sadaqah jariyah (continuing charity), knowledge which can benefit others, or virtuous offspring who will pray for him.”

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The Difference Between Men and Women in Islam

26 02 2010

Have you wondered what are the differences between men and women in Islaam? In worship, in character, in leadership, in marriage, etc?

Now you will find those answers inshaAllah. An amazing post. Hope it will be beneficial to all!

The Difference between Men and Women in Islam
By Shaykh Yahya ibn Ali Al-Hajuri (may Allah preserve him)

Character and Creation:

  1. Man was created from dirt and the woman was created from the rib.
  2. Allah has decreed the menstrual cycle for the woman and not the man.
  3. Men grow beards women don’t, but if she does it’s permissible for her to shave it.
  4. Women are deficient in their intellect and religion. i.e A woman witness = ½ a man and during menses she doesn’t pray and fast.
  5. The men have been given strength over women.
  6. A man’s semen is white and a woman’s is yellow.
  7. It’s an obligation to circumcise the man and its sunnah to circumcise the woman.
  8. Ear piercing is permissible for women and not for men.

Purification:

  1. The urine of the woman is stronger and more dirtier than the man’s
  2. It’s legislated for man to redo Wudu if he intends to have relations with his wife a second time in the same setting.

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The Stranger

22 02 2010

THE STRANGER

A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated by this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. Though his outside appearance was not attractive, the stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Yusuf, five years my senior, was my example. Aisha, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play “big brother” and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors – Mum taught me to love Allah, and Dad taught me how to obey Him.  But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening and would consume most of our times over the weekend. If I wanted to know about politics, history or science, he knew it. He knew about the past and seemed to understand the present. The pictures he could draw were so life-like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched. He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Yusuf and me to our first football game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several famous people.

The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn’t seem to mind, but sometimes Mum would quietly get up – while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places – go to her room and read the Quran. She would sometimes quietly tell us that Allah says in the Quran: “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks to mislead from the path of Allah”

I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave. You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt an obligation to honour them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house, neither from our friends, adults or us. Our long-time visitor, however, used occasional four-letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaller who didn’t permit alcohol in his home – not even for cooking.

But the stranger felt we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (probably too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggesting, and generally embarrassing. He showed us how to woo and flirt with women.

I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.

As I look back, I believe it was Allah’s mercy that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than ten years now have passed since the stranger moved in with the family. He is now not nearly as intriguing to my dad as he was in those early years. But if you were to walk into my parents’ bedroom today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures and enchant his audience with his magic.

His name, you may ask? We call him T.V.



How Merciful is Allah?

15 01 2010

The Prophet (SAW) said:

When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: “My mercy prevails over my wrath”. [Bukharee]

When you think of the hellfire, the descriptions mentioned in the Quran and then all the punishments described by the ahadeeth of the prophet SAW sometimes you may be thinking “ouch, thats gotta hurt”. But the mercy of Allah is greater than his punishment. On one hand you have the painful punishments, however, on the other hand you have the amazing rewards, the promise of forgiveness if you repent, the promise of jannah, of eternal bliss. That mercy that Allah has is greater than that harsh punishment. We just have to do everything we can to make sure we are part of that mercy *smiles*



I want to be a devoted slave of Allaah : 10 pointers

9 01 2010

Praise be to Allaah.

These are great hopes that can be achieved through faith, as it was narrated that Sufyaan al-Thawri said: Faith is not wishes or pretence, rather it is what settles in the heart and is proven by actions.” So we will discuss the matter of faith and how important it is in becoming a devoted slave, pleasing and honouring one’s parents and achieving the victory of Paradise.

Whoever seeks to achieve great things has to stay up at night (worship).

Hence al-Fudayl said: “You hearts can never taste the sweetness of faith until they shun worldly pleasures.” And he also said, “If you cannot pray qiyaam at night and fast during the day, then know that you are deprived.”

The sincere believer has a heart like a burning coal, hence it was narrated by al-Haakim in his Mustadrak and al-Tabaraani in his Mu’jam with a saheeh isnaad that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Faith wears out in your heart as clothes wear out, so ask Allaah to renew the faith in your hearts.”

The believer’s heart may sometimes feel overwhelmed by clouds of sin. This was portrayed to us by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he said: “There is no heart that does not have clouds like the clouds that cover the moon. When the cloud covers it, it is dark, and when the cloud moves away it shines.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat, and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. So the believer’s heart is sometimes covered with a cloud and its light is hidden, and it remains dark and lonely, but if he strives to increase his store of faith and seeks the help of Allaah, that cloud goes away and the light in his heart starts to shine again. Hence one of the salaf said: “It is part of a person’s smartness to c heck on his faith and be aware of what affects it.” It is also part of a person’s smartness “that he recognizes how the Shaytaan whispers to him.”

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2010? We are all losers..

1 01 2010

..except those of us Muslims who do try to please Allah [subhanahu wa ta3la] and help each other in truth and patience.

The Lord of the worlds, the creator of time, says in Surah Asr:

وَالْعَصْرِ,إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ, إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ

By time, verily man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and enjoin one another upon truth, and enjoin one another upon patience.

It is sad to see many Muslims celebrate the new year when it is simply one year closer to our graves, one more year of sins commited. Why would anyone want to celebrate that? We might have been losers all the way up until 2010 but now Allah has blessed us with more time, to become those who are an exception, who are not in loss but who use time to please Allah *smiles*



Being Beautiful

25 12 2009

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:

“Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty.” [Muslim]

There’s nothing wrong with being beautiful [well, at least thinking you are] as long as this does not make you arrogant. You can wear good clothes and look good within the boundaries of shariah as Allah, may He be glorified, loves the effects of His blessings to His slave to be made manifest, and from that we become greatful to our Lord for His blessings. Being greatful to Allah aza wajal for everything; from our clothing to our beautiful faces to our life, gives us the true beauty, the inner beauty so we can be beautiful both inside and out *smiles*



Achieving High Aims

19 12 2009

Branch of Islaam: Tazkiyah & Adaab
Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

Al-Fawa’id

Achieving high aims depends upon having a firm intention and a strong will. Whoever loses them will never attain one’s goals, because when one’s intention is firm, it adheres to the plan, and if one’s will is strong, the servant will walk along the right way that leads to that aim. Having a strong will opens the way and a resolute intention focuses one on the aim. If one’s aim coincides with the way that reaches to it, one will be successful.

If one’s intention is weak, one will not have a high aim. If one’s will is not strong, it will (also) not lead one to the aim. The whole matter depends upon the will and the intention of the servant, and they will never be achieved without the following:

  • First, neglecting innovations which people make.
  • Second, abandoning worldly benefits and vain pleasures, which hinder one from one’s way and aim.
  • Third, purification of one’s heart from any vain desires that will distract one’s intention.

Taken from Dhikrullah Ilm



Piety is there

14 12 2009

Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu ‘anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:

A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. Piety is here – and he pointed to his chest three times [Muslim]

As Allah [aza wajal] says in the Quran, the best amongst us, are the most pious of us. It matters not if people dare not aware of our piouty, as long as Allah [aza wajal] is. Piety is not the car you drive or the shoes you wear but piouty is awareness of Allah. Some may look down on you while others think too highly of you but people’s opinion of your emaan is  not what is important. What is important is what Allah [aza wajal] thinks of you and you do not have to let the world know, because piety is in the heart.



Join The Party

8 12 2009

Allah [subhanahu wa ta3la] says in Surah Mujadilah, ayah 22

إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُون

Indeed the party of Allah is successful

No, not that type of party. This is the party where your alliances lie with Allah and his messenger [salAllahu alayhi wa salam]. The party where there is only khayr, the party where everyone is happy and united and they co operate in birr and taqwa.  As Allah mentions in the same  ayah, it is the group of people who believe in Allah and the last day and love not anyone who opposes Allah and his messenger even if they are next of kin. It is those whom Allah has given emaan in their hearts and those whom Allah will enter into paradise. It is those blessed ones who are from the party of Allah *smiles*