• On the day of Judgement we will receive our book of deeds – the Muslim who is destined for paradise will recieve it in his right hand and the non Muslim who is destined for hellfire will recieve it in his left hand
• The one who recieves it in his right hand will be overjoyed and would love to read it – “Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: ‘Here! read my Record!” [Haqqah 69:19]
• The one who recieves it in his left hand will wish the book had never been written - “But as for him who will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: ‘I wish that I had not been given my Record!” [Haqqah 69:25]
• The book of deeds has recorded everything we have done – both in public and in secret
• If we try to deny an action, our own body will testify against us. The mouth will deny they did such and such action but the other organs such as the hands and the feet will testify the book is true.  “Till, when they reach it (Hell-fire), their hearing (ears) and their eyes, and their skins will testify against them as to what they used to do.” [Fussilat 41:20]
• We should continue to do good deeds right up until death as all our actions are recorded
• The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) was asked what are the best deeds to which he replied: “To perform prayer at its early preferred time, to be good to ones prarents and perform jihad in Allaah’s cause” [Bukhari]

Alhamdulilah, The Noor Magazine (from the creator of Dhikrullah.com) Issue 32 – “Children” edition is now available to download from the following link;

http://www.noorulislam.co.uk/Noor-Magazine-Issue-32-for-web.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/rememberAllah

Quran Study circles in Indonesia – subhanAllaah!

A rare 60 year old pic of Kabah

And finally, know that Allaah is All Wise and that there is great wisdom behind His commands and decrees. We may not always see the wisdom in everything He does immediately, but from a different angle or view, sometimes we can see these benefits. He may let His slaves or some of them know the wisdom behind them, or it may be concealed from them as a test and a trial. 

Ibn Taymiyah said: Based on this, everything that He does, we know that there is wisdom behind it. This is sufficient for us in general terms, even if we do not know the details. Our lack of knowledge about the details of His wisdom is like our lack of knowledge about the details of His Essence. Just as it is proven that His attributes are perfect but we cannot know how His Essence is, so we do not reject what we know and are sure of (that He is perfect) because of what we do know (the details of His perfection). Similarly we know that He is All-Wise in all that He does and commands. The fact that we may not know the wisdom behind some minor decrees and issues should not undermine the basic principle of what we know of His wisdom. So we should not deny what we know of His wisdom because we do not know all the details of His wisdom. We know that whoever realizes the brilliance of mathematicians, doctors and grammarians but does not share their attributes by virtue of which they deserve prominence, cannot criticize what they say because he does not comprehend what they are saying. People are less likely to understand the wisdom of Allaah in His creation than the common man is to understand mathematics, medicine and grammar. So objecting to Allaah’s wisdom is more ignorant and the one who does that is worse off than an ignorant man who criticizes mathematics, medicine and grammar without having any knowledge of these disciplines.  – Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 6/128

Allaah (aza wajal) says: “Say, “To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth?” Say, “To Allah .” He has decreed upon Himself mercy. He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Those who will lose themselves [that Day] do not believe.” [An'aam 6:12]

• Everything and everyone needs Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)
• Humans have been honored by Allaah. “And We have certainly honored the children of Adam” [Israa 17:70]. Allaah has made everything useful for human beings (e.g humans can eat animals and use trees etc.)
• Allaah has made it obligatory upon Himself to be merciful to the creation
• Allaah has divided mercy into 100 parts – 99 He has kept to Himself. Narrated Abu Hurayrah: I heard Allah’s messenger saying, “Verily Allah created Mercy. The day He created it, He made it into one hundred parts. He withheld with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent its one part to all His creatures. Had the non-believer known of all the Mercy which is in the Hands of Allah, he would not lose hope of entering Paradise, and had the believer known of all the punishment which is present with Allah, he would not consider himself safe from the Hell-Fire.”  (Bukhari Book #76, Hadith #476)
• The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said, “When Allaah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne, “My mercy overpowers My Anger.”  (Bukhari Book #54, Hadith #416)
• The Day of Judgment will come – there is no doubt about that
• No one will be missing on the Day of Judgment – there will be no excuses, no one can claim to be feeling unwell or unable to make it
• The real losers are those that will end up in the hellfire – if they die upon disbelief in this world, there is no returning after death
• Allaah is so merciful that He gives the disbelievers continuous chances – they deny Him yet He gives them a chance right up until their death

Allaah (ta’ala) says in surah Tawbah: “O you who believe, fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.” [9:119]

• Another explanation of taqwa is to do everything were are commanded by Allaah and to stay away from everything that is prohibited by Allaah
• We should be truthful in both our words and actions – truthful in word by speaking the truth and truthful in actions by being sincere
• The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “Truth leads to piety and piety leads to Jannah. A man persists in speaking the truth till he is recorded with Allah as a truthful man. Falsehood leads to transgression and transgression leads to the Hell-fire. A man continues to speak falsehood till he is recorded with Allah as a great liar.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
• There are two types of hypocrisy – hypocrisy in action and hypocrisy in belief
• It is hypocrisy of action to tell lies and it is a characteristic of a hypocrite.  The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks his promise and when he is entrusted he betrays the trust.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
• Lying is permissible in three cases only.  The Prophet of Allaah (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “He who settles disagreements between people to bring about good or says something commendable is not a liar.” Umm Kulthum (radi Allahu anha) added: “I did not hear him permit untruth in anything people say, except for three things: war, settling disagreements, and a man talking with his wife or she with him (in smoothing over differences.)” (Muslim)

“Say: Call upon Allaah, or call upon al-Rahman: By whatever name you call upon Him, (it is well): For to Him belong the most beautiful names.” [Israa 17:110]

• Knowledge of Allaah and His Names and Attributes is the noblest and best of all knowledge, because the level of honour of any kind of knowledge has to do with the object of knowledge, and the object of knowledge in this case is Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, through His Names, Attributes and Deeds.
• Tawheed al-Asma’ wa’l-Sifaat (Oneness of the Divine Names and Attributes); this means affirming the names and attributes of Allaah and believing that there is none like unto Allaah in His names and attributes.
• The belief of a Muslim is that he should affirm that which Allaah has affirmed for Himself in His Book or that His Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) has affirmed of His beautiful names and sublime attributes in a manner that suits the Majesty and Greatness of Allaah, without distorting them, twisting their meanings, denying their reality or discussing how they are.
• The Muslim also denies that Allaah has any faults and denying any shortcomings that He has denied Himself. The evidence for that is the words of Allaah: “There is nothing like Him, and He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Seer”[al-Shoora 42:11]. So He has denied that He bears any resemblance to His creation, and affirmed that He has attributes of perfection in a manner that befits Him, may He be glorified
• We should make dua’aa to Allaah with the Most beautiful names which he has revealed to us and the manner in which He and Prophet Muhammad (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) have described Him.
• Some of the names of Allaah are mention in the Quraan, others are found in the Sunnah. Some of them are only known to Allaah.
• Each name of Allaah has a meaning, we should understand the meanings of these names.
• The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “Allaah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever learns them will enter Paradise.”  [Bukhari, 2736]
• However, the names of Allah are not limited to 99.  Allaah has commanded us to call upon Him by His names in general terms, He did not say that He has only ninety-nine names.  Imam Nawawi  stated in Sharh Saheeh Muslim that the scholars were unanimously agreed on that.

Alhamdulilah, The Noor Magazine (from the creator of Dhikrullah.com) Issue 31 – “Women in Islam” edition is now available to download from the following link;

http://www.noorulislam.co.uk/Noor-Magazine-Issue-31-for-web.pdf

“And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.” [Nahl 16:78]

• This ayah is in regard to someone who performs good righteous action at first and then later follows it with evil which annuls his good deeds.
• Ibn `Abbas and said that `Umar bin Al-Khattab asked the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah about this ayah. They said, “Allah knows best.” `Umar became angry and said, “Say we know or we do not know.” Ibn `Abbas said, “O Leader of the Faithful! I have an opinion about it.” `Umar said, “O my nephew! Say your opinion and do not belittle yourself.” Ibn `Abbas said, “This is an example set for a deed.” `Umar said, “What type of deed” Ibn `Abbas said, “For a wealthy man who works in Allah’s pleasure and then Allah sends Shaytan to him, and he works in disobedience, until he annuls his good works.” [Bukhari]
• This is the condition of the disbeliever on the Day of Resurrection when he returns to Allah, for he will not have any good deeds to provide an excuse – or refuge – for him, just as the man in the parable had no strength to replant the garden. The disbeliever will not find anything to resort to for help, just as the offspring of the man in the parable did not provide him with help. So he will be deprived of his reward when he most needs it, just as the man in the parable was deprived of Allah’s garden when he most needed it, when he became old and his offspring weak
• Do not underestimate sin even if it is small, we should never see any sin as insignificant. Abdullah ibn Masood said: “The believer sees his sins as if he is sitting at the foot of a mountain fearing that it might fall on him, while the sinner  sees his sins as a fly that lands on his nose, he just waves it away.”
• We should try to remain steadfast on the religion and continue to strive to do good deeds right until our last breath. The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) made dua’aa to Allaah to keep him firm on the religion. The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “All the hearts of the offspring of Aadam are between two fingers of Ar-Rehman’s Fingers, as one heart. He turns it (in any direction) as He wills. Then Allaah’s Messenger said, “O Allaah! The Turner of the hearts, turn our heart towards Your obedience.” [Muslim]
• It is from amongst the signs of the Day of Judgement that a man will sleep as a Muslim but wake up a kaafir. The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “Hasten in performing good deeds before the time comes when trials would be as dark as nights; a man would wake up a Muslim and go to sleep a disbeliever, and go to sleep as a Muslim and wake up a disbeliever” [Muslim]
• The best deeds we can do are those that are constant, even if they are small. The Prophet (salAllaahu alayhi wa salam) said: “The most beloved deed to Allah’s is the most regular and constant even though it were little” [Bukhari]

A breathtaking account of the story of Nuh (Noah) – peace be upon him – found in the 11th chapter of the Quraan. A recitation from surah Hud by Shaykh Salmaan al Utaybi.