Working For Allah

“Working for Allah is what you do for living – meaning, that is what you do as the overriding purpose and preoccupation of your life.

All else – your job, career, education, family, friends, everything – is part of the support network you need to be able to do Allah’s work.

What is Allah’s work? Let me try and explain, even though it is by no means an easy undertaking.

Loving Allah: The Reciprocal Love

What do people love?
It is probably impossible to find a human being who does not love. Most people love their families, spouses and friends. Others love status and money. You can tell a person’s love for something or someone by what they do and how they act.

And we love all of these things despite their temporary nature, despite the fact that they disappoint us sometimes. It is almost an intrinsic part of a human being. And we all love for similar reasons—we love people for the perceived good qualities that we see in a person or the way they treat us. We love things because of the way those things make us feel.

10 Ways of Developing Love for Allah

Adapted from Shaykh Ibn Qayyim's (Rahimahul lah) Madarij-us-Saalikeen

Shaykh Ibn al-Qayyim (rah) says: The reason which cause mahabbah (love) of Allah to develop, are ten:

First: Reciting the Qur'an, reflecting and understanding its meaning and its intent.

Second: Drawing closer to Allah 'the Most High' through optional deeds (Nafilah prayers, fasting etc), after fulfilling the obligatory duties.

Gratitude in the Qur'an

  From a Book by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Allâh tells us:

“Then remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject Me” (al-Baqarah 2:152).

And He has told us that only those who are grateful to Him truly worship Him:

“... and be grateful to Allâh, if it is Him you worship” (al-Baqarah 2:172)

Prohibition of Haram Earnings (Sustenance) in Islam

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, The Merciful

Allah does not accept the prayer of He who eats Haram

When you pray to Allah, ask Him to grant you patience to work for Halal earnings and make you contented with it no matter how little.

Eating from Halal is the number one basis for our prayers to be accepted. Allah will not accept the prayers of a soul nourished from Haram. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told us, "Allah is Pure, and accepts only the pure." [Muslim and Tirmidhi

So acceptance of our du'a (and our deeds generally) can be determined by our Halal or Haram consumption. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said to the Companion Sa’d:

"O Sa’d! Purify your food, your supplication will be accepted. By the one in whose hand lays the life of Muhammad, verily a servant places a morsel of Haram in his stomach (and as a result) forty days of worship will not be accepted from him.” [Tabrani]

The Power of Sujood (Prostration)

Ibn Al-Qayyim described the sujood as the secret of prayer, the greatest pillar, and the seal of the rukoo’. He said all the other actions we did before it were just preludes.

True Happiness
Where do we find happiness? Not material happiness, but true internal happiness. As Muslims, we may respond that true happiness in this world comes from being closer to God. The closer you are to Allah, the more your heart is at rest. This is why the Prophet (pbuh)  chose to be with Allah, saying “God has given a slave the choice between immortality in this world for as long as God wills, or meeting his Lord, and he has chosen to meet his Lord.” When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) heard this he wept, because he knew that the Prophet (pbuh) had chosen being with Allah over this life.

To be close to Allah, you have to go into sujood. The Prophet (pbuh) said:

أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ
“The closest that a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration.” (Muslim)

VIDEO: The biggest of all blessings

A touching presentation by Sheikh Saleh Bn Awad Al-Maghamsy 

Forgiveness, Patience and Tolerance in Islam

It never ceases to amaze me that Allah can inspire so much fear in our hearts when we reflect on His supremacy, yet his mercy is equally as vast as His dominion. Allah tells us in a Hadith Qudsi (sacred narration to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ): “O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you” (Al-Tirmidhi). Subhan’Allah (Glory be to Allah) there is no limit to Allah’s forgiveness, even though our mistakes are numerous.

Signs of the Hour, Selected Hadith

On efficiency (note: Muslims are not exempted):

Ibn Omar reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "People are like a hundred camels amongst whom you hardly find one fit for riding." [Agreed Upon]

On our attitudes:

Abu Sayeed reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "You shall follow the practices of those before you, inch by inch and mile by mile, to the degree that if they enter into the hole of a lizard, you will follow them." He was asked: "O messenger of Allah, are they the Jews and Christians?" He replied: "Who else?" [Agreed Upon]

Ibn Omar reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "When my nation will walk with vanity, and the sons of kings, the princes of Persia and Byzantine will serve them, Allah will give authority to the wicked over the good." [At - Tirmidhi]

Essentials of Islam: Iman and Ihsan

Bismillah... Wal Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Aalamiin.

 'Umar Ibn Khattaab (RA) narrated, "While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), one day a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom traces of travelling could not be seen, and whom none of us knew (recognised), until he sat down close to the Prophet (PBUH), so that he rested his knees upon his knees (knelt before the Messenger of Allah PBUH) and placed his two hands upon his thighs and (The  inquirer) said, 

'O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.' 
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, 'Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you give the Zakat, and you fast Ramadan, and you perform the hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it (i.e If you are able to bear the expense of the journey).' 

The Virtue of Relieving Hardships For Other Muslims

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "He who relieves a hardship of this Dunya for a believer, Allah will relieve a hardship of the Day of Resurrection for him."Relieving a hardship involves removing it or lessening its impact. The Kurbah (meaning the hardship or the disaster) is the severe difficulty that causes sadness and depression for those whom the Kurbah befalls, "Verily, We have created man in toil." [Soorah al-Balad (90): 4] Ibn Jarir said that the "toil" mentioned in this Ayah, entails suffering the various difficult matters and hardships.

Ideal Islam: Love Your Brother For The Sake of Allah

In our contemporary society, friends are made at school, at work, in neighborhoods and even over the Internet. Friends are made and kept for a variety of reasons. People make friends with others who share common interests, hobbies, and even vices. The final goal of a friendship is often simply company, a desire to spend time with someone, doing something that they both enjoy. A Muslim ought to choose friends more carefully and critically.

“Islam began as something strange and will revert to being strange as it began.."

Islam arose in an environment in where individuals atrocities went beyond monsters and in an age when society was collapsed and degenerated. 

The fortunate community that encircled the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was regarded as strange within their society. Their limited number, different behaviors from society, and being drawn from amongst a society that does not recognize the Truth gave rise to be seen as strangers. Eventually, some of the companions, with the permission of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had to leave the regions that they were living in to fulfill their religious duties freely. Therefore, they suffered the difficulties of being a stranger and foreigner increasingly. Later, as it is well known immigration to Medina eventuated. 

Do not be deceived, they don't like you!

From the Advent of Islam during the time of our noble Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), unbelievers (especially the Jews) have been coming up with plots after plots to destroy the Muslim Ummah, to distract you from the basic acts of Ibadah.

Their main aim is to extinguish the light of Allah, to take your mind away from the teachings, guidance, benefits and sweetness of belief in Allah (SWT). Allah said in the Holy Quran;

“They intend to put out the light of Allah (i.e the Religion of Islam, the Quran, the Prophet ‘PBUH’) with their mouths, but Allah will bring his light to perfection even though the disbelievers hate it; .” Quran 61:8

Pre-Marital Relations

May Allah bless Shaykh who has with his advices saved many young men and women from committing fornication before marriage, by pointing out the whole truth in such a manner that the youth of today find it palatable and adhere to his advices. Once Shaykh very candidly called out to the youth of the community:


“When young men and women date with each other (before marriage), they think that by doing this I am going to get to know the person well and then I can then decide whether we will be compatible or not. Remember that this is a deceit. When a young man and young woman go out together they usually only show a front and their best side, and most faults are concealed. 


Therefore after a ‘love marriage’ people face problem immediately [because ‘they don’t seem to know that person anymore’].


One can also make a assumption that perhaps these types of marriages face furthermore problems than other marriages [without pre-marital relations] because one has an already fixed an expectation that this person was such before and should be so now. Where as a couple whom have not had pre-martial relations will be open-minded and become willing to face any problem that come their way”.


Another time Shaykh said “A young man came to me and said ‘Shaykh I don’t find my wife attractive any more, and neither does she find me attractive. I don’t understand’, he said ‘before marriage we were extremely attracted to each other’. I replied [said Shaykh] to this young chap. ‘It’s quite simple. The love that you had was actually an infatuation, and Shaytaan deliberately put that attraction in the both of you so that you went on committing sin before marriage. It was favourable for him to do so because you were both in grave loss. 
However, after you got married, your interaction became Halal and lawful, so in fact, instead of sin you were now gaining reward, so Shaytaan removed that attraction, because you were evidently in gain!”


Author: MuhdLawal

Characteristics of a Pious Husband

On the Day of Judgment :Allah will ask men if they fulfilled their obligations towards their families. They who fear Allah will do their best to direct the way his wife and children live by educating himself and his family to living according to the Sunnah of the Prophet(Sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) and the Holy Qur’an, the final word of Allah.


The Prophet(Sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, “The best of you is the best one to his family.” [Al-Tabarani]


To share food with her, to provide her with (decent) clothes as he provides himself, to refrain from smacking her, and not ignoring her but in the house. [Ahmad]

Characteristics of a Pious Wife

A pious woman’s priority is to seek the pleasure of Allah. She tries acquiring the qualities of a good wife by following the examples of the Prophet(Sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) and obeying what is commanded in the Book of Allah. Complete obedience and adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet(Sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) and Quran is the best of a woman’s qualities.

Examples:
A woman is married for four reasons: for her wealth, for her fame, for her beauty and for her religion. So marry one for her religion and you will win. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Hellfire is real

Islam teaches that Hell is a real place prepared by God for those who do not believe in Him, rebel against His laws, and reject His messengers. Hell is an actual place, not a mere state of mind or a spiritual entity. The horrors, pain, anguish, and punishment are all real, but different in nature than their earthly counterparts. Hell is the ultimate humiliation and loss, and nothing is worse than it:

رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ

“Our Lord! Surely, whom You admit to the Fire, indeed You have disgraced him, and never will the wrongdoers find any helpers.” (Quran 3:192)

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُواْ أَنَّهُ مَن يُحَادِدِ اللّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَا ذَلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ

“Know they not that whoever opposes God and His Messenger (Muhammad), certainly for him will be the Fire of Hell to abide therein? That is the extreme disgrace.” (Quran 9:63)

Follow @MuhdLawal

Is waking up for Fajr difficult for you?

One often hears Muslims and non-Muslims saying that Islam is a hard religion with too many restrictions and commands.  I have heard people say things like ‘you have to pray so many times a day, it’s like every time I turn my head it’s time to pray again’. On the surface, Islam may seem like a difficult religion but it isn’t – it’s only hard until you have taqwa. 

That is the beauty of this religion, once you understand it and your iman soars, everything else becomes easy and things start to make sense. We all have moments when we feel our iman is strong; we develop high ambitions to memorize and recite the Qur’an, lengthen our salah and study the Qur’an. But we also have times when our iman dips and we wait till the last minute to quickly pray our fardh only to return to our worldly activities, when days and weeks may pass without us picking up the Qur’an – this is when Islam becomes hard, when our iman fluctuates.

THOSE WHO DO NOT SAY THEIR PRAYERS

We are praying that the following message would reach at least FIVE MILLION Muslims all over the world, InshaAllah. 

Please forward this message TODAY to your friends and relatives and earn abundant Rewards from Allah Subhanahu Watala. And reblogging is much appreciated. Thank you, JazakAllah.

FAJR: the glow of their face is taken away.

ZUHR: the blessing of their income is taken away.

ASR: the strength of their body is taken away.

MAGHRIB: they are not benefited by their children.

 ISHA: the peace of their sleep is taken away. 

How to protect from evil eye?

The best way to protect one from evil eye is to come closer to Allah and always remembering Him (dhikr) and reciting the Qur’an. The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam used to seek refuge with Allah for himself by reciting the Mi’wadhatayn (the last two Surahs of the Qur’an, al-Falaq and al-Naas), Soorat al-Faatihah and Aayat al-Kursiy [al-Baqarah 2:255]. 

The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wassallam used to seek refuge from evil eye by reciting these dua’s : 
“A’oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah al-taammaati min sharri maa khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah from the evil of that which He has created).” (Narrated by Muslim 4881) 

10 TIPS ON HOW TO CONCETRATE DURING SALAT (PRAYERS)

1. Before standing up for Prayer, try to deal with all the minor urgent matters which demand your attention. If you are pressed by hunger, eat first; if you are pressed to attend to the call of nature, relieve yourself; if you are the parent of an infant, feed him or her, or keep him or her busy.

2. Perform your wudu’ (ablution) well, paying due care and attention.

3. Approach the Prayer with zest and passion as if it is the last prayer in your life before dying. Actually the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we could do nothing in this world that could ever surpass Prayer in merit and excellence.

4. Visualize that in your Prayer you are going to have a special audience with Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that you are enjoying a direct communion with Him—which, in fact, is true.

5. Think of the Prayer you are performing as if it were the last Prayer of your life. In fact, it could very well be the last one, since no one is given a guarantee that he would live to perform another Prayer.

Quranic Verses about Hijab

Sahih International

O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember. (Quran 7:26)

Sahih International

And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. (Quran 24:31)

Sahih International

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (Quran 33:59)

May Allah (swt) give us the opportunity to do the right thing. Bissalam




Follow @9jaMuslima

Women in Islam – Pointers for the Western mind

Many people are both misguided and confused regarding the treatment of women in Islam. They believe the wrong media portrayal of Muslim women and they confuse Islam with male chauvinistic actions that are not supported by teachings in Islam or the example of our Prophet (saaw)*.

What I would like to ask them is: Have you ever studied Islam and seen for yourself what it teaches about the treatment of women? Most have not.

But yet some westerners speak and write as authorities based on the false propaganda broadcasted in the media and the poor examples of some Muslim men portrayed in the Islamic world. The following will help present a few facts regarding how Muslim women are viewed and treated according to the teachings of Islam:

Jesus Christ in Islam (Part 2)

REFUTATION BY JESUS TO PEOPLE’S ALLEGATION AGAINST HIS MOTHER IN HIS CHILDHOOD :

Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented.

O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.”

So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?”

[Jesus] said, “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah . He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.

And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and Charity as long as I remain alive

And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant.

And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive.”

~Surah Maryam (19:27-33)

BELIEF IN JESUS :

They say, “Be Jews or Christians [so] you will be guided.” Say, “Rather, [we follow] the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not of the polytheists.”

Say, [O believers], “We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.”

~Surah Al-Baqrah (2:135-136)

Narrated ‘Ubada:

The Prophet said, “If anyone testifies that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His Servant and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s Servant and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he had done even if those deeds were few.” (Junada, the sub-narrator said, ” ‘Ubada added, ‘Such a person can enter Paradise through any of its eight gates he likes.”)

~Bukhari :: Book 55 :: Volume 4 :: Hadith 644 

Jesus Christ in Islam (Part 1)

Jesus Christ In Islam

“Islam is the only non-christian faith which makes it an article of faith for its followers to believe in Jesus (peace be upon him) .No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (peace be upon him). We believe that He was One of the mightiest messengers of God , he was the ‘Messiah’ translated Christ , that he was born miraculously without any male intervention , that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission and hehealed those born blind and the lepers with God’s permission.”

~ Sheikh Ahmed Deedat

Qur’an refers to Jesus as Esa in Arabic which is same as his name Esau in Hebrew , classical Yeheshua which the christians have latinised as Jesus however Jesus (peace be upon him) never heard the word Jesus in his lifetime.One may wonder to know that Jesus (peace be upon him) is mentioned 25 times by name in Qur’an while Prophet Muhammad is mentioned only 5 times .

Rights of Islam

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE TREATISE OF HAZRAT MOULANA ASHRAF ALI THANWI (R.A.) TITLED “HUQOOQUL-ISLAM” (RIGHTS OF ISLAM):

In the book At-targheeb wat-Tarheeb of Imam Asfahaani, a hadith of Hazrat Ali radhiyallahu anhuis narrated wherein the following general rights to be observe mutually among all Muslims are enlisted:

• Forgive the mistakes of another Muslim.
• Show sympathy over his grief.
• Hide his faults.
• Accept his excuse.
• Remove his difficulty.
  

Meeting another Muslim with a cheerful countenance

When one Muslim meets another he should confront him with a smile and cheerful countenance and physically express his delight in meeting him. This will entail a fortification of love and affection between them. If you confront a grieved person with a cheerful countenance, you might just allay his grief or at least pacify him. A person feels unrestrained in expressing himself if he is confronted cheerfully thereby aiding him in fulfilling his needs.

Hadhrat Abu Dhar (رضى الله تعالى عنه) narrates that the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
“Don’t ever belittle any of your good deeds even though this may be meeting your brother with a cheerful countenance.” [Muslim]

The Quran was made easy to remember and understand

Tags: quran, Prophet Muhammed

I take refuge with Allaah, the Exalted, from the accursed devil.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Welcome to my blog and praise the Magnificent Lord as you enter: Allahu Akbar: Allah is the Greatest .

May the Peace and Blessings of Allah Azza wa Jal, our Lord Glorified and Praised be He, be upon our beloved  Prophet, his Family, and Companions.

The Quran was made easy to remember and understand.

كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ فَكَذَّبُواْ عَبْدَنَا وَقَالُواْ مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ

(9. The people of Nuh denied (their Messenger) before them. They rejected Our servant and said: “A madman!” Wazdujir.)

فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنُّى مَغْلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرْ

 (10. Then he invoked his Lord (saying): “I have been overcome, so help (me)!”) 

QUR’AN IS THE SEAL OF HOLY BOOKS

“Qur’an” is a  holy book.It’s a God-given gift to children of Adam and Eve to lighten up  their path full of thorns sprinkled by saitn.Prophet Muhammad blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny , is the seal of prophets and so is his miracle “Qur’an”.

Qu’ran is sent to all mankind not just  the Arabs.”O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other.  Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.  And Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted.  (The Noble Quran, 49:13)”

 

Since  it  is God’s divine words,it’s prohibited to touch ,carry ,or recite Qur’an  if  one’s  body is not pure.One  must make wudu before reading it . And when reading  Qur’an, a muslim must put it on his/her laps or on something in front of him ,not on the floor out of reverence.

- Qur’an is  Muslim ‘s intercesor.

- Your  status  in heaven is determined by the amount of Qur’an you memorize .

- There are ten rewards for one single letter you recite from Qur’an.

- Allah loves you most.

- It’s a remedy for physical and psychological illnesses as well.

Ask Your Imam: What is the ruling of Islam on suicide bombing?

Suicide is giving end to life. But is a person entitled to end his own life?  Did Allah, who granted him the life and flesh give him permission to destroy his life by committing suicide? Do you have the permission to terminate your own life let alone other’s?

The answer to these questions is NO.  The body of any being is not even his property. It was given to him as a trust and it must be kept as such. He has no right to destroy it.

Thus, this flesh and life are not our own possession but a trust granted to us in order to preserve our spirit. In this case, we cannot attempt to blow up the divine work of art entrusted on us. We cannot also destroy it by going on hunger strike; it is unacceptable in Islam.

We cannot explode our body using it as a live bomb. None of these  organs – hands, feet, eyes, were made by us; nor were they our work of arts. HE that created these work of art and then bestows it on us permits us to make use of the body as a trust (amanah).