Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
The Invocation of God – Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyib
55. All [religious] practice prescribes the remembrance of God, and to achieve this remembrance is its goal.
God says, ‘And establish regular prayer for My remembrance.’ [20:14]‘My remembrance’ is said to have an active sense: ‘In order that I [God] might remember you thereby.’ It is also said to refer to the One remembered: ‘That you might remember Me thereby,’ with the letter lam [in ‘li-dhikrii’, ‘for My remembrance’] in both cases expressing purpose.
Others, however, argue that the lam carries a sense of time: ‘Establish the prayer when I am mentioned’, as in the verse, ‘Establish the prayer at the sun’s setting’ [17:78] or the verse, ‘And We all set up the scales with justice on the Day of Judgment’ [21:47] In these two verses, time is certainly meant, but [in the present case] this explanation is merely an opinion. The difference is that [in the letter two verses], the lam of time precedes the nouns of time [‘the Sun’s setting’ and ‘the Day of Judgment’]; whereas [in the first verse], it precedes a noun [‘My remembrance’] derived from a verb, unless [we agree that] an expression of time is understood, so that the verse means ‘at [the time of] My remembrance’ – which is possible.
However, lam most plainly expresses purpose. The verse means ‘Establish the prayer for the sake of My remembrance.’ This includes the fact that the prayer is offered at the time that God is remembered; and the fact that when the servant remembers his Lord, God’s remembrance of him has preceded his remembrance of God. For when God remembers His servant, it inspires the servant to remember Him. Therefore, all three meanings are correct.
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Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
Madaarij as-Saalikeen
AlJumuah Magazine
The state of repentance, tawbah, is at the beginning, the middle and the end of all states of submission to the will of Allah. The servant who seeks the pleasure of Allah never abandons tawbah. He remains in the state of tawbah until his death. Whatever his state of belief, the servant makes tawbah his constant companion. Thus, tawbah is at the beginning and at the end of his servitude to his Creator. His need for tawbah at the end, just as at the beginning, overrides, and supersedes all other needs. Allah says: “And turn to Allah altogether (make tawbah), O you who believe so that you may succeed,” (24:31)
The verse above is contained within a Madinan Surah (revealed after the migration to Madinah), in which Allah addresses the people of emaan, who are the best of His creation. He calls upon them to make tawbah “turn in repentance” to Him after they had already believed, gone through hardships, trials of faith, executed patience, migrated and performed jihad. Allah then made success conditional on perfecting such tawbah, as the effect is often conditional on the cause. No one can hope for success, except: those who make tawbah. Allah says: “And those who do not make tawbah are indeed the dhaalimoon (wrongdoers).” (49:11)
Allah divides His servants into two categories only: the repentant and the wrongdoers. There is no third category. Allah calls those who do not make tawbah, “dhaalimoon” (wrongdoers and transgressors) and no one is more of a wrongdoer and a transgressor than a person who does not repent for his evil actions. This state is a result of a person’s ignorance of his Lord and the rights due to Him, as well as, his own defects and the evil of his deeds. The Prophet, sallallahu alayeh wa sallam, is reported to have said: “O people, make tawbah to Allah. By Allah, I make tawbah to Him more than seventy times each day.” (Bukhari)
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Allah [subhanahu wa ta3la] says in Surah Dhariyaat, ayah 56:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.
Author: Imam al Dhahabi | Size: 1MB | Pages: 191 | Format: PDF
The major sins are those acts which have been forbidden by Allah in the Quran and by His Messenger (SAW) in the Sunnah (practise of the Prophet), and which have been made clear by the actions of of the first righteous generation of Muslims, the Companions of the Prophet (SAW) There is some difference of opinion among scholars in this regard. Some say these major sins are seven, and in support of their position they quote the tradition: ‘Avoid the seven noxious things’- and after having said this, the propeht (SAW) mentioned them: ‘associating anything with Allah; magic; killing one whom Allah has declared inviolate without a just case, consuming the property of an orphan, devouring usury, turning back when the army advances, and slandering chaste women who are believers but indiscreet.’ (Bukhari and Muslim) ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas said: ‘Seventy is closer to their number than seven,’ and in this book Imam Dhabi goes through the 70 Major Sins Supported by the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) The Author Muhammad bin Ahmad bin `Uthman bin Qaymaz at Turkamani, Shams al-Din al-Dimashqi al-Dhahabi al-Shafi`i (673-748 AH), the imam, Shaykh al-Islam, head of hadith masters, critic and expert examiner of the hadith, encyclopedic historian and biographer, and foremost authority in the canonical readings of the Qur’an. Born in Damascus where his family lived from the time of his grandfather `Uthman, he sometimes identified himself as Ibn al-Dhahabi – son of the goldsmith – in reference to his father’s profession.
Author: al-Hafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali | Size: 5MB | Pages: 48 | Format: PDF
Bukhari records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Your actions alone will not save any of you.’ They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, not even you?’, He replied, ‘Not even me, unless, Allah were to envelop me in His mercy. Be firm; steadfast and balanced; and journey [to Allah] in the beginning of the day, the end of the day, and a portion of the latter part of the night. Moderation, moderation! Through this you will attain your goal!” He also recorded this hadith in another place with the wording, ‘This religion is easy, none makes it hard upon himself except that it overwhelms him; therefore be firm, steadfast, and balanced; upon which have glad tidings! Seek help in this by journeying [to Allah] at the beginning of the day, at the end of the day, and a portion of the latter part of night.’
Author: Salih al Munnajid | Size: 1MB | Pages: 35 | Format: Word Doc
People face many obstacles which they think stand between them and repentance, some of which exist within their own selves, and others in the world around them. This brief book clears up this confusion, dispel doubts, explain wisdom and drive away the Shaytaan.
Author: Salih bin Uthaymeen | Size: 860kb | Pages: 20 | Format: PDF
This short booklet is a translation of a khutba (sermon) delivered by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih on the 12th of Muharram in the year 1411AH. Which has been published in Arabic under the title: Athar ul-Ma’aasee ‘ Alal Fardi Wal Mujtama.’
Author: al-Hafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali | Size: 5MB | Pages: 80 | Format: PDF
This is a treatise we have written concerning humility (Khushu’) and the hearts meekness and breaking (inkisar) before the Lord. The basic meaning of Khushu’, is the softness of the heart, its being gentle, still, submissive, broken, and yearning. When the heart is humble, so too is the hearing, seeing, heard, and face; indeed all the limbs and their actions are humbled, even speech. This is why the Prophet (saw) would say in his bowing (ruku), “My hearing, sight, bones, and marrow are humbled to You,” another narration has, “and whatever my foot carries.” One of the Salaf saw a man fidgeting in his prayer and remarked, ‘If the heart of this person was humble, so too would his limbs be.’ The source of the Khushu, that takes place in the heart is the gnosis of Allah’s greatness, magnificence, and perfection. Teh more gnosis a person has of Allah, the more Khushu’ he has. The greatest action of worship which manifests the Khushu, of the body to Allah is the prayer (Salaah). Allah has praised those who have Khushu’ in the prayer.
Based on the Madrassah textbooks: ‘Du’as in the Life of a Muslim’ and ‘Basic Essentials for Muslims’.
Arabic: Qari Altaf Hathodwi
English: Jazaar Raad
Two CDs worth of Du’as in mp3 including for:
Fasting, On breaking fast, Having iftaar at someone else’s house, Sneezing, On wearing a new garment, On hearing good news, Greeting a Muslim and Replying to the greetings, and more.
What Every Muslim Must Know about Purification by Abdurrahman al-Sheha. From an Islamic perspective, purity is a word which is general in its meaning. It may mean physical cleanness, which is purity (of the body) from impure substances or states of impurity, or it may mean spiritual purity, which is the purity of one’s self from vices, faults, sins, and replacing them with good deeds, whether in speech or deeds
This treatise was written several hundred years ago to the inhabitants of a town where the Imam stayed for a period of time. It was and still remains an invaluable work Muslims who follow the Hanbali School of Thought, detailing as it does many common errors made during prayers, some of which are serious enough to invalidate the act of worship.
This book opens our eyes to the causes of distraction in Salaah and goes on to propose a practical methodology by which we can strengthen our connection with the Creator. Insha’Allah, by the end of this book, we will be able to recognize the problems affecting our salaah, realize the importance of khushoo, as well as learn techniques of gaining khushoo in salaah.
