12.25.08
Posted in Islaam at 1:51 am by salafiya
Narrated ‘Aa’ishah radiAllaahu ‘anha, the wife of the Prophet sal Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that she was told that ‘Abdullaah ibn Az-Zubayr (on hearing that she was selling, or giving something as a gift) said, “By Allaah, if ‘Aa’ishah does not give up this, I will declare her incompetent to dispose of her wealth.”
I said, “Did he (’Abdullaah bin Az-Zubayr) say so?”
They (people) said, “Yes.”
‘Aa’ishah said, “I vow to Allaah that I will never speak to Ibn Az-Zubayr.” When this desertion lasted long, ‘Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr sought intercession with her, but she said, “By Allaah, I will not accept the intercession of anyone for him, and will not commit a sin by breaking my vow.”
When this state of affairs was prolonged on Ibn Az-Zubayr (he felt it hard on him), he said to Al-Miswar bin Makhrama and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Al-Aswad bin ‘Abd Yaghooth, who were from the tribe of Bani Zuhra, “I beseech you, by Allaah, to let me enter upon ‘Aa’ishah, for it is unlawful for her to vow to cut the relation with me.”
So Al-Miswar and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan, wrapping their sheets around themselves, asked ‘Aa’ishah’s permission saying, “Peace and Allaah’s Mercy and Blessings be upon you! Shall we come in?”
‘Aa’ishah said, “Come in.”
They said, “All of us?”
She said, “Yes, come in, all of you,” not knowing that Ibn Az-Zubayr was also with them. So when they entered, Ibn Az-Zubayr entered teh screened place and got hold of ‘Aa’ishah and started requesting her to excuse him, and wept. Al-Miswar and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan also started requesting her to speak to him and to accept his repentance.
They said (to her), “The Prophet sal Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam forbade what you know of deserting (not speaking to your Muslim brethern), for it is unlawful for any Muslim not to talk to his brother for more than three nights (days).”
So when they increased their reminding her (of the superiority of having good relations with kith and kin, and of excusing other’s sins), and brought her down to a critical situation, she started reminding them, and wept, saying, “I have made a vow, and (the question of) vow is a difficult one.” They Al-Miswar and ‘Abdur-Rahmaan) persisted in their appeal till she spoke with ‘Abdullaah bin Az-Zubayr and she manumitted forty slaves as an expiation for her vow. Later on, whenever she remembered her vow, she used to weep so much that her veil used to become wet with tears. [Saheeh Bukharee, Volume 8 of Abridged English version, Chapter 62, hadeeth numbers 6073, 6074, 6075]
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah….
SUBHANALLAAH! The chapter under which this hadeeth is placed under is entitled “Al-Hijra [(to desert or) cut one's relation with another Muslim (i.e., not to speak to him on meeting him)]. This hadeeth, as indicated by the chapter, shows that it is haraam to cut off ties from the Muslims (as we know through other ahadeeth). What struck me the most about this hadeeth, however, is how much ‘Aa’ishah’s vow meant to the beloved wife of RasoolAllaah.
When I first read it, I was comparing it to the modern day mentality. These days, so many of us easily make “wallaahi” promises, yet it doesn’t really bear much weight on us. I know that in the past I have been guilty of saying, “I will just fast those 3 days” when thinking about breaking that promise. Alhumdulillah, I personally have gotten rid of that evil habit as breaking promises is something that is spoken harshly against in Islaam (just so everyone knows that I do not encourage what I did).
But I know I was not the only one who would say “Eh, all I’ve gotta do is fast 3 days, it’s ok.” And this is not a good thing at all as making a “wallaahi proimse” is a big deal. Imagine, you are SWEARING BY ALLAAH on a matter. And when many people break the promise thinking that it’s not that big of a deal, they must not have read the above hadeeth because ‘Aa’ishah radiAllaahu anha was heartbroken over her broken promise (and that was a GOOD broken promise because it is haraam to forsake your brother for more than 3 days OR cut ties with kin - from what I have read, keeping the sort of promise that makes you do something haraam is haraam upon you)!!! She weeped every time she thought of the broken vow until her veil became wet with tears! Even AFTER she freed 40 slaves, thereby ‘paying’ the expiation for the broken vow. Do we care that much about our (BAD) broken promises? How much do we regret them?
SubhanAllaah, many Muslims have forgotten or are ignorant of the magnitude of swearing by Allaah. It’s NOT a small thing and your vow must be honored unless it goes against Islaam!
Here is a hadeeth that further shows that:
Abu Hurayrah narrated that Muhammad sal Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, Three things are the sign of the hypocrite: when he speaks he tells lies, when he promises he breaks it and when he is trusted he proves to be dishonest. [Bukharee (Eng. Trans. 1/31/no.32) and Muslim (Eng. Trans. 1/40/no.112)]
Anyhow, back to the initial hadeeth I posted. I also loved that hadeeth because of the love between ‘Abdullah ibn Zubayr and his aunt, ‘Aa’ishah radiAllaahu anha. That little grudge between them and the way they reconciled was so cute. SubhanAllaah. May Allaah allow us to be in their company and in even higher company on Youm al Qiyamah, Ameen.
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12.13.08
Posted in Heart Softeners, Islaam at 4:10 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever is mainly concerned about the Hereafter, Allaah will make him feel independent of others and will make him focused and content, and his worldly affairs will fall into place. But whoever is mainly concerned with this world, Allaah will make him feel in constant need of others and will make him distracted and unfocused, and he will get nothing of this world except what is decreed for him.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2389; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6510).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “When a person spends his entire day with no other concern but Allaah alone, Allaah, may He be glorified, will take care of all his needs and take care of all that is worrying him; He will empty his heart so that it will be filled only with love for Him, free his tongue so that it will speak only in remembrance of Him (dhikr) and cause all his faculties to work only in obedience to Him. But if a person spends his entire day with no other concern but this world, Allaah will make him bear its distress, anxiety and pain; He will leave him to sort himself out, and cause his heart to be distracted from the love of Allaah towards the love of some created being, cause his tongue to speak only in remembering people instead of remembering Allaah, and cause him to use his talents and energy in obeying and serving them. So he will strive hard, labouring like some work-animal, to serve something other than Allaah… Everyone who turns away from being a true slave of Allaah and obeying Him and loving Him will be burdened with servitude, love and obedience to some created being. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allaah), We appoint for him a shaytaan (devil) to be a qareen (intimate companion) to him.’ [al-Zukhruf 43:36].” Al-Fawaa’id, p. 159
InshaAllaah let us all aspire to be of the ones whom Allaah is pleased with due to our constant remembrance of Him. Wallaahil ‘adheem, I am the one needing this reminder the most, but I thought I can perhaps benefit everyone else by sharing.
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05.11.08
Posted in Heart Softeners, Islaam at 1:09 pm by salafiya
Describing Paradise, Allaah - the Most High - said:
“Indeed Allaah will enter those who believe and do righteous and correct actions into Paradise, beneath which rivers flow. Wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls and their garments will be made of silk.” [Soorah al-Hajj 24:23].
“Indeed the pious and obedient ones will be in Paradise, amongst gardens and water-springs. It will be said to them: Enter! In peace and safety. And We shall remove from their hearts any ill-feeling, so that they will be like brothers, facing each other on thrones. No sense of hardship will touch them, and they will be of those who never leave.” [Soorah al-Hijr 15:45-46].
Paradise: that precious sanctity to which, throughout the ages, the Believers run towards.
Paradise: a burning fame that was in the hearts of our Salafus-Salih (Pious Predecessors), a flame that spurred them to aim for the highest examples of valour in jihaad and sacrifice.
Paradise: that noble goal which aspiring eyes are fixed towards and which yearning souls long for, in all times and in all places. They find worldly afflictions agreeable to them for the sake of achieving Paradise. Indeed, to enter into it and remain in it is considered the greatest goal for the Believers, and it is a hope which is kept in view throughout life’s journey. How often has Paradise been the incentive and a motivation for goodness and truth, despite the dangers, afflictions and thorns that lie along the path - even if it involves certain death.
This was the case in the days of the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, as Anas radhiallahu `anhu related: Once Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam and his Companions proceeded towards Badr and arrived there before the disbelievers of Makkah. When the disbelievers arrived Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: “None of you shall proceed ahead of me in anything.” The disbelievers then advanced towards us and Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: “Rise-up to enter Paradise, whose width is equal to the heavens and the earth.” `Umayr ibn al-Humaam al-Ansaaree radiallahu `anhu said: O Messenger of Allah! Is Paradise equal in width to the heavens and the earth? He said: “Yes!” `Umayr then exclaimed words of astonishment and excitement, so Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam asked him: “What made you say these words of astonishment and excitement?” He replied, “O Messenger of Allaah! Nothing but the desire to be amongst its inhabitants. Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam then said: “Indeed, you are surely from amongst its inhabitants.” So `Umayr then took some dates from his bag and began to eat them. Then he said: “If I were to live until I have eaten all the dates, then indeed this life would be too long. He threw away the remaining dates which were with him and he fought until he was killed. [Related by Muslim (no. 1901)]
This was also the stance taken in later times:
Abu Moosaa al-Ash`aree radiallahu `anhu, whilst in the presence of his enemy, narrated: Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: “Indeed, the gates of Paradise are beneath the shade of swords.” A man who was in a shabby condition got up and said: Abu Moosaa! Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allaah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam? So he said: Yes! He returned to his friend and said: I bid you salaam (a farewell greeting of peace). Then he broke the sheath of his sword, threw it away, then rushed it into the thick of the enemy and fought them until he was slain. [Muslim (no. 1902) and at-Tirmidhee (no. 1659)] (From the book: Jannah (pp.5-6) of Shaykh `Alee Hasan)
Imaam ash-Shaafi`ee (d.204H) - rahimahullaah - said:
“O my soul! It is not, except a few days of patience;
As if the extent were but a few dreams.
O my soul! Pass quickly on through this world;
And leave it, for indeed life lies ahead of it.”
[Related by Ibn Rajab in Fadl `Ilmus-Salaf (p.63)]
 http://islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=337
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04.04.08
Posted in Heart Softeners, Islaam, Lectures at 11:29 am by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Beautiful excerpt from the Paradise on Earth lecture by Murtaza Khan. Watch with your eyes, hear with your heart.
 Hm, I dont know how to embed it onto here, but I’ll just give the link then:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YrwbblKaDJ0
 oh and jazakAllaahu khairan to the person who sent this to me.
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03.20.08
Posted in Islaam, Random at 9:41 am by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
My emaan is a bit low presently. I can feel my heart hardening too. I know it’s due to my sins (of which there are many) and I know what I should do to solve it (repent sincerely & regretfully & make the resolve to never commit those sins again). I tried doing that too. However, there’s something different now.
When I usually repent, I can feel myself getting lighter. My heart and soul feel better. I can almost feel the sins being lifted off of me. SubhanAllaah but now, I feel just the same as before repenting. Ya Allaah, how bad have I become that I can’t make myself fear Allaah enough so that my repentance truly means something to me and has a better chance of being accepted?
Please advise me, what do you do when you fall into this type of rut? I desperately need to get out of it. It’s so amazing that when the emaan is down, life just doesn’t have the same meaning anymore. I need to get back to my normal self at least (even though that’s not good either, but it’s better than where I’m at right now).
I know the basics…listen to the Qur’aan and contemplate on the meaning. I would be doing that right now but I’m currently at my college and I forgot my card at home so I can’t check out headphones. Oh well, I guess I’ll just read the Qur’aan from the computer screen and contemplate it. But what else should I do besides this and increasing the remembrance of Allaah (Alhumdulillah just checked, I remembered to put Husnul Muslim in my bag)?
 I went googling and I found a poem about emaan. This pretty much describes my state right now:
 What happened to those days when my Emaan was strong?
When I wouldn’t dare think of doing anything wrong
When my yaqeen in Allah(swt) would lead me through
The good and bad .. the old and new
What happened to those days when my du’aa was sincere?
When there was absolutely nothing on earth that I would fear
When I was certain that Allah(swt) was really near
And would run to Him and leave all that is dear
What happened to those days when I could read and recite Quraan well?
When I bought al-janna and this dunya I would sell
When my heart was pure and all full of light
When my qiyam was my only source of strength and might
What’s wrong my nafs .. why did you fall?
Don’t you know that Allah(swt) knows and hears your call?
A little test like this one shouldn’t beat you so
It shouldn’t pull you down to a level so low
Don’t you know that Allah(swt) chooses what is best
And that this is all a previously planned test
Don’t you know that He(swt) hears your soul .. He(swt) hears your cry
He(swt) sees you fall… He(swt) sees you sigh
Allah(swt) is Great… Allah(swt) is Al-Hakeem
His ways are just no matter how dark it may seem
Hold on my nafs to the fireball in your palm
Hold on to it and when it burns act calm
Whenever it falls, bend down and restart
Let those tears fall and wipe that heart
Remember my nafs the beauty of the promised firdaus
You know it’s your dream to build there a house
Get back on your feet and go back to those days
I know this only a passing phase ..
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?(55:16)
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12.26.07
Posted in Islaam at 6:41 pm by salafiya
The Intelligent Questioner
It is said that a beggar went to a rich man from Khurasan and asked for help. He heard him say to his servant, “O Gold, say to Gem, to say to Jewel, to say to Sapphire, to say to this beggar that we do not have anything.” The beggar raised his hands to the sky and said, “O my Lord, say to Jibril, to say to Israfil, to say to Mikail, to say to `Izrail to take the soul of this miser.”
And He Died!
Ash`ab was about to relate a story to a ruler, and he began: “There was a man…” But at that point he noticed a tray of food being brought to them. He paused as he was staring at the tasty food. The ruler said, “Yes…and then?” Ash`ab said, “And he died!”
He Made the Ruler Laugh
Asma`i relates from his father that a prisoner was brought before `Abdul-Malik and was accused of having rebelled against the ruler. `Abdul-Malik said, “Strike his neck.” The prisoner said, “O Leader of the Believers, this should not be the reward that I receive from you. By Allah, I did not join the ranks of such and such person except because I cared about you and was looking out for your best interests. I am an unlucky man, and I have never fought side by side with a man, except that we were defeated. Throughout the years, I have been better for you than 1000 people on your side who cared about you. I was with such and such person and we were defeated, and then I was with such and such person and we were defeated…” He went on mentioning the people that were defeated by `Abdul-Malik. `Abdul-Malik laughed upon hearing this and freed the man.
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12.12.07
Posted in Islaam at 2:38 am by salafiya
 Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
 InshaAllaah your 10 days of Dhul Hijjah are going well. Those who are on their way to perform Hajj are very blessed. May Allaah accept it from them, Ameen. It’s been 2 years since I went myself (I went Dec 2005/Jan 2006) and I desperately miss it. I know I’ve said this before, but though I was only there for a few weeks, I feel like I am homesick for Makkah & Madinah. I miss ALL of the voices that recited the Qur’aan. The ones I remember (of those who recited) are Shuraim, Saleh At-Talib @ the Haram & the imaam who recites VERY slowly @ Masjid an-Nabawi. Oh and the Adhaan callers for each of them. *sigh* Shuraim’s voice would just overpower everything else and many times, one couldn’t help but cry. I swear, it’s such an amazing feeling to weep to Allaah at these places (and if you haven’t been for Hajj, then imagine crying to Allaah in solitude while making du’aa and multiply that by 100). Ahh! Here’s a picture of Masjid al-Haraam during salaah time:
 http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a24/Aysha88/Hajj/?action=view¤t=sideview.jpg
 The date was off on the camera by a couple of days…I think it was really January 2nd or 3rd. And I apologize for the screen, I didn’t realize I could remove it at the time. Anyhow, that was the sideview from our room. Many times, even if we left 5-10 minutes early, we’d still have to pray on the street because the Masjid would be so packed. Sometimes, it was hard to get off of our hotel steps because people would even be INSIDE the hotel….now that’s what you call packed. You know, out of ALL of the people there, can you imagine even ONE person’s du’aa being accepted when they say Ameen after Surah Fatihah? That one person’s du’aa would benefit EVERYONE else. subhanAllaah. inshaAllaah there was at least 1 person whose du’aa was accepted though (if not everyone’s).
Ok sorry, I’m really really tired and I have a test tomorrow so inshaAllaah I’ll post the beneficial bit up later.
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
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10.10.07
Posted in Islaam at 7:59 pm by salafiya
Love of AllaahÂ
by Ibn al Qayyim al Jawziyyah
quoted in al-Walaa’ wal-Baraa’
The love of the Beloved
must be unconditionally returned.
If you claim love
yet oppose the Beloved,
then your love is but a pretence.
You love the enemies of your Beloved
and still seek love in return.
You fight the beloved of your Beloved.
Is this Love or the following of shaytaan?
True devotion is nothing
but total submission
of body and soul
to One Love.
We have seen humans claim to submit,
yet their loyalties are many.
They put their trust here, and their hope there,
and their love is without consequence.
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09.19.07
Posted in Islaam at 11:37 pm by salafiya
Reaping the benefits of Ramadan
Dr. Ali Al-Timimi (may Allaah hasten his release)
Adopted from a lecture
In the month of Ramadaan it is very important that we spent a few moments to understand some of the wisdoms and lessons that we can learn from this month of fasting.
Unfortunately, many Muslims come in to this month and they are as a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Let it not be that the day that you fast and the day that you break fast be equal.” Meaning, one’s behaviour, attitude and outlook are the same whether one fasts or not, i.e. fasting has no effect upon that person. This is why we need to reflect on some of these lessons.
LESSON 1: Gaining Taqwaa
Allaah legislated fasting for gaining taqwaa, “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain taqwaa.” (meaning of SoraatulBaqarah (2):183) Taqwaa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allaah’s anger and Hellfire. So we should ask ourselves, when we break our fasts, ‘Has this fasting day made us fear Allaah more? Has it resulted that we want to protect ourselves from the hellfire or not?
LESSON 2: Drawing closer to Allaah
This is achieved by reciting and reflecting on Al-Qur’aan during night and day, attending the taraaweeh prayers, remembering Allaah, sitting in circles of knowledge and, for those who can, making `umrah. Also for those who can, making I`tikaaf (seclusion) in the last ten nights of Ramadaan, so as to leave all worldly pursuits and seclude oneself in a masjid just thinking of Allaah, so as to bring oneself closer to Allaah (SWT). When one sins, one feels distant from Allaah. That is why one might find it heard to read the Qur’aan and come to the masjid. However, the obedient worshipper feels closer to Allaah and wants to worship Allaah more, because he is not shy from his sins.
LESSON 3: Acquiring patience and strong will
Allaah has mentioned patience more than seventy times in the Qur’aan and has commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in His Book. So when one fasts, and gives up one’s food and drink, and one’s marital sexual relations for those hours, one learns restraint and patience. This Ummah needs man and women that are strong willed, who can stand upon the Sunnah and the Book of Allah and not waver in front of the enemies of Allaah. We do not need emotional people, who just raise slogans and shout, but when the time comes to stand upon something firm, they cannot do so, they waver.
LESSON 4: Striving for Ihsaan (righteousness and sincerity) and staying away from riyaa’ (showing off)
Ihsaan means to worship Allaah as if one seeks Him, and even though one does not see Him, He sees all. Hasan al-Basree said, “By Allaah, in the last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken something with my hand or refrained to take something with my hand or stepped forth or stepped back, except that I have thought before I have done any action, ‘Does Allaah love this action? Is Allaah pleased with this action?’ So when one is fasting, one should gain this quality of watching oneself and also staying away from riyaa’ (showing off). That is why Allah said in a hadeeth qudsee, “Fasting is for Me and I reward it.” (al-Bukhaaree) Allaah singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, “Fasting is for Me”, because no one knows whether you are fasting or not, except Allaah. For example, when one is praying or giving charity or making tawaaaf, one can be seen by the people, so one might do the action seeking the praise of the people. Sufyaan ath-Thawree used to spend the nights and the days crying and the people used to ask him, “Why do you cry, is it due to the fear of Allaah? He said, ‘No.’ They said, “Is it due to the fear of the Hellfire?” He said, ‘No. It is not the fear of Hellfire that makes me cry, what makes me cry is that I have been worshipping Allaah all these years and doing scholarly teaching, and I am not certain that my intentions are purely for Allaah.’”
LESSON 5: Refinement of manners, especially those related totruthfulness and discharging trusts.
The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allaah (SWT) has no need that he should heave his food and drink.” (al-Bukhaaree) What we learn from this, is that we must pay attention to the purification of our manners. The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “was sent to perfect good manners.” (Maalik) So we must check ourselves, are we following the behaviour of the Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him)? For example: Do we give salaam to those we don’t know and those we do know? Do we follow the manners of Islaam, by telling the truth and only telling the truth? Are we sincere? Are we merciful to the creation?
LESSON 6: Recognizing that one can change for the better
The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those whorepent.” (Ibn Maajah) Allaah provides many opportunities to repent to Him and seek His forgiveness. If one was disobedient they can become obedient.
LESSON 7: Being more charitable
Ibn `Abaas said, “The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadaan when Jibreel used to meet him on every night of Ramadaan till the end of the month…” (al-Bukhaaree) The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting person’s reward.” (at-Tirmidhee)
LESSON 8: Sensing the unity of the Muslims
The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “…Those of you who will live after me will see many differences. Then you must cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khaleefahs. Hold fast to it and stick to it.” (Aboo Daawood) In this month we sense that there is a possibility for unity, because we all fast together, we break fast together, we all worship Allah together, and we pray Salaatul-`Eid together. Therefore we sense that the unity of Muslims is possible. It is possible for Muslims to be a single body, but this will only be achieved when obedience is only to Allaah and His Messenger.
LESSON 9: Learning discipline
The Prophet (ma Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) made us adhere to discipline and strictness, strictness that does not lead to fanaticism or going outside the bounds that Allaah has laid down. One cannot knowingly break the fast before the sunset, as this will not be accepted by Allaah. Muslims should learn to be very strict in their lives, because they are people of an important message, which they mold their lives around.
LESSON 10: Teaching the young to worship Allaah
It was the practice of the people of Madeenah, that during the fast of `Aashooraa (which is now a recommended fast of one day) to get their children to fast with them. When the children would cry of hunger and thirst, their parents would distract their attention by giving them some sort of toy to play with. The children would break their fast with their parents. (as mentioned in al-Bukhaaree).
So the young should be brought to the masjid and they should pray with their parents, so that they are able to get into the habit of becoming worshippers of Allaah. If one does not encourage children to fast when they are young, they will find it very difficult to fast for thirty days at the age of puberty. This is why the Prophet (may Allah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “Command your children to pray at the age of seven and beat them at the age of ten (if they do not pray.” (Haakim)
LESSON 11: Caring for one’s health
Fasting has many medical benefits and it teaches Muslims to take care of their health and too build strong bodies. The Prophet (may Allaah send His blessing and peace upon him) said, “A strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone.” (Muslim)
 http://islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=142
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09.14.07
Posted in Islaam at 1:02 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
 Just popped in to say Ramadhan Mubarak!
 Lets make the best of this month yall….Iblees is tied up, so we have no excuses (’Oh, Shaytaan made me do this’).
 Anyways, here’s just an email I sent out to some people and I know I’ve missed a lot of my friends so I’m just posting it here for the benefit of you guys:
 Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [al-Bukhaaree, 2014; Muslim, 760] And al-Bukhaaree (2008) and Muslim (174) also narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the nights of Ramadaan in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”Â
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For more virtues of Ramadhan, click here: http://islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=13480&ln=eng
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Fill your days with good deeds and abstain from sin inshaAllaah. Read the Qur’aan often (try to have a goal of at least 5 ayaat before salaah) and memorize Surahs that you were thinking about memorizing but never got around to!
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Jibreel used to come to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) every night in Ramadaan and reviewed the Qur’aan with him. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5) and Muslim (4268).Â
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Take care inshaAllaah & keep your tongues moist with the remembrance of Allaah.
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And don’t pig out too much on the samosas. Fruit chaat is healthier 
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Enjoy your Ramadhan!
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Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Permalink
07.08.07
Posted in Islaam at 1:54 am by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa BarakatuhuAt the pestering of my beloved friend, I will make a post bi ‘ithnillah. Even though I should be studying for my TCE exam for tomorrow, I decided to take some time out for those readers of my blogs who are disappointed when I don’t update. =P
Narrated Muhammad ibn Abi Imran, “I heard a man asking Hatim al-Asamm: ‘On what have you based your dependence on Allah?’ He said: ‘On four points: I knew that my sustenance cannot be eaten by someone else and I am assured, I knew that my duty cannot be done by anyone else, so I kept myself busy with that. I knew that death will come suddenly to me, so I prepared myself for it. I knew that wherever I go I am under Allah’s Eye, so I am always shy of Him.’
Quite a few pieces of benefit can be derived from this quote. It’s amazing how some words can have several different implications. The following comments are how I perceived the quote. If anyone has anything else, feel free to share inshaAllaah.“
I knew that my sustenance cannot be eaten by someone else and I am assured.”Â
 Know that what you have is yours. It is already been written what you have and what you will do with it. Do not worry about it excessively. What sort of falls into this concept is the following hadeeth (which I truly love…it’s so comforting during trials)
“‘No slave of Allah will truly believe until he believes in Al Qadr its good and bad from Allah, until he knows that what has befallen him was not going to miss him and that what missed him was not going to befallen him.’”(Tirmidhi)
Trust in Allaah that whatever happens is for the best. I cannot remember where I got the following statement from, so if anyone could refresh my memory that would be awesome. “If you were able to see into the future and know exactly what would happen, you would choose to happen what Allaah chose for you.” They said it way better….I think it was on IslamicAwakening.
Moving on….I knew that my duty cannot be done by anyone else, so I kept myself busy with that.
Very interesting thing to say. And what is our primary (sole) duty? Worshipping Allaah subhana wa Ta’ala. No one else can do this for us. On Yawm Al Qiyamah, we will be the ones to answer for ourselves. What kind of an excuse will we give when we are asked why we didn’t perform our salaah perfectly? “Because they wanted to go to a party and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun they were having!” or “My boss/teacher/whoever was waiting on me. I had to perform my prayer quickly in order to keep them happy!” Dear brothers and sisters, I know I have fallen into both ‘excuses’ at one time or another. In fact, I don’t think I have had a perfect prayer as there is always room for improvement. We should try to better ourselves inshaAllaah. Remember our prayers (or lack thereof) do not affect Allaah. Rather they are for US and our REAL future (the akhira). Salaah is the first thing that will be asked about.
‘Abdullah ibn Qart radiAllaahu anhu related that the RasoolAllaah sal Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “The first act that the slave will be accountable for on the Day of Judgement will be salaah. If it is good, then the rest of his acts will be good. And if it is evil, then the rest of his acts will be evil.” [at-Tabaraani]
Do not regard acts of worship (not just salaah) as dreaded chores or something to get over with. Wallaahi this advice (as well as the rest of the article) is to myself first and foremost. We should be honored that Allaah has guided us to the Deen. We should be honored that we have been privledged to do these things with full yaqeen.“
I knew that death will come suddenly to me, so I prepared myself for it.”
That’s the smartest thing to do. Let me pose a scenario to you. You know that there is a test in three months. This can make or break your future. Would you wait until the last minute (two hours before the test) to start studying, as you normally do for other tests? Or would you try to utilize the time you have been given in advance to prepare for it? I’m guessing that most of you would study a lot if it truly did benefit or harm your future in an enormous way. Allaah has given us a warning that has been with us since the moment we were born. Why then do we not take heed and prepare for this larger test that will determine where we will end up in the akhira?
I knew that wherever I go I am under Allah’s Eye, so I am always shy of Him.’
This is how the muhsin behaves. A muhsin worships Allaah as if he sees Allaah in front of him, watching. When we are doing something that would make us ashamed if someone who appears to be righteous saw us and that which we would try to hide from people, why do we not remember that Allaah is Watching us always? Why are we not ashamed to commit sins knowing that Allaah can See? Allaahul Musta’an.
I noticed as I was typing this up, I was thinking about the faults in me….so it truly is from the heart. This is naseeha for myself and I am sharing it with you. If you notice any faults in this, it is from me or shaytaan. Any good is from Allaah.Â
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Permalink
06.06.07
Posted in Islaam at 8:33 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
In addition to my lack of posts, I’ve had a lack of beneficial posts in general. Ya3nee, all my recent posts (most of which really haven’t been recent, save for the last two) have been just random, “fun” stuff. Time to get serious, folks.
So, as  I have mentioned, I went to AlMaghrib’s class, “The Code Evolved, Evolution of Fiqh” taught by Shaykh Yaser Birjas.
And the students of Qabeelah Tayybah have generously compiled “super notes” for the class. There IS one mistake that I noticed in there (there may be more, but I noticed this one). On page 86, under “Categories of Khilaaf,” fourth line down where it says “Diverse Khilaaf” - it should not be right and valid. Shaykh Yaser explicitly said that he wants to emphasize that it may be valid, but not necessarily correct/right. I say our qabeelah should show ‘em up and make even better super notes. =D Competition for the sake of Allaah, eh.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/yhx1uk
If it expires and you want it again, inshaAllaah request it here. =]
P.S. This was the price to pay: “Many brothers and sisters put some serious work into this, please make duaa’ for them and pass the notes around!”
-So, please don’t forget to make du’aa for them. Seriously, they did an awesome job mashaAllaah and it really helped me a lot. May Allaah make this a sadaqah jariyyah for them and give them the best always. Ameen.
 PS…jazakeeAllaahu khairan to http://istiqaamah.wordpress.com/ for the following, permanent link with the same notes. =D
http://www.archive.org/details/TheCodeEvolvedProfessionalNotesFromAl-maghribSeminar
Permalink
04.09.07
Posted in Islaam at 6:08 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Alhumdulillah I am SO busy with stuff so I haven’t had the time to update….sorry.
 Anyways…the lecture entitled The 25 Promises of Allaah to the Believers has been transcribed. Here you go. =D
the-25-promises-of-allaah-to-the-believers.pdf
Permalink
03.19.07
Posted in Islaam at 10:24 am by salafiya
Dispelling the Confusion Surrounding the Sunnah Prayers| Prepared by the research committee of IslamToday.net |
Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. As Muslims, we are required to pray five times a day. This, however, is the bare minimum that we have to pray. We are encouraged to pray much more than the five obligatory prayers. Among the most important of these are the Sunnah prayers that we pray on a daily basis along with each of our obligatory prayers.
Many people are confused about these Sunnah prayers. They wonder how many units of prayer they are supposed to pray. Some people are unsure if their obligatory prayers are valid if they fail to make certain Sunnah prayers. This confusion is often the result of the way people think about these prayers, especially since some people fail to make a distinction between the obligatory prayers and the Sunnah prayers that are associated with them.
Therefore, the first thing that we must understand is that the Fajr prayer is only the two unit obligatory (fard) prayer. The Zuhr prayer is only the four unit fard prayer. The `Asr prayer is only the four unit fard prayer. The Maghrib prayer is only the three unit fard prayer. The `Ishâ’ prayer is only the four unit fard prayer. This is agreed upon by all Muslims of all schools of thought and is a matter of juristic consensus (ijmâ`).
Associated with each of these prayers are other prayers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray with great regularity. Scholars differ as to the recommended number of these Sunnah prayers.
In our opinion, the strongest enumeration can be derived from the following hadîth:
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever prays twelve units of prayer voluntarily in a day and night Allah will build him a house in Paradise” [Related by Muslim]. Al-Tirmidhî relates the same hadîth with a good chain of narrators, wherein these twelve units are enumerated as follows:
****There are two Sunnah units before the Fajr prayer (sunnah mu`akkadah).
There are four Sunnah units before the Zuhr prayer (preferably performed as two separate prayers of two units each) and two Sunnah rakahs after it.
There are two Sunnah unit’s after the Maghrib prayer.
There are two Sunnah unit’s after the `Ishâ’ prayer. *****
[refer to: Sunan al-Tirmidhî (380)]
There are also Sunnah prayers of lesser importance mentioned in other hadîth. There is a hadîth about praying four units of prayer before `Asr. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “May Allah bless whoever prays four units of prayer before `Asr” [Related by Ahmad, Abu Dâwûd, al-Tirmidhî and Ibn Khuzaymah who authenticated it]. Please note that these four units are preferably to be performed as two separate prayers of two units each.
There is also a two unit Sunnah prayer that may be prayed before the Maghrib prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Pray two units before the Maghrib prayer.” He said this three times. After the third time, he said: “…for whoever wishes to do so. [Bukhârî and Muslim]
****It is also Sunnah Mu`akkadah to pray Witr prayer either at night before going to sleep or after waking up for Tahajjud before the time of Fajr.**** However, the Witr prayer is a prayer in its own right and is not associated with any of the five obligatory prayers.
There are many other recommended voluntary (nafl) prayers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray, like two units before going to bed at night, but these are also completely independent of the five obligatory prayers. The most recommended of all voluntary prayers is the Tahajjud prayer at night which should be performed before the time of the Fajr prayer but after waking up from sleep.
_______
This is for any confusion that was going around. So basically it’s: 2 before Fajr, 4 before Dhur (prayed 2 x 2), 2 after Dhur, 4 (2×2) before ‘Asr, 2 before AND after Maghrib, 2 after ‘Isha, AND THEN an odd number of rakaahs for witr.
The 2 rakaahs before Fajr and the witr after ‘Isha are called Sunnah Mu’akkadah meaning that it is a confirmed sunnah that Muhammad sal Allaahu alaihi wa sallam did consistently.
Read about the status of Witr here: http://islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=208&ln=eng
Many people do not perform Witr properly, here is a link: http://islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=46544&ln=eng
Permalink
03.03.07
Posted in Islaam at 11:00 am by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah - sorry for taking such a long time to update. I have been so busy with school and such.Â
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1 - Prophet Yusuf said:
{”…cause me to die as a Muslim, and join me with the righteous.”} [Yusuf; 101]
Qatadah said, commenting on this verse:
“When his possessions were many, and his eye had been cooled, and he was engulfed in the worldly pleasures and delights, he longed to be joined with the righteous people before him.”
[at-Tabari's 'Jami' al-Bayan'; 13/48]
2 - The magicians of Fir’awn said, after Fir’awn threatened to kill them:
{”And you take vengeance on us only because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! Pour out on us patience, and cause us to die as Muslims.”} [al-A'raf; 126]
3 - Mu’adh bin Jabal said:
“One day, the Messenger of Allah did not show up for the morning prayer, to the point that we noticed the Sun was about to rise. We then saw him coming out quickly, and he called for the prayer, and quickly prayed. When he made taslim, he said to us: “Remain in your places.”
He then turned to us and said: “I will speak to you about what prevented me from showing up earlier. I got up at night, performed ablution, and prayed as much as I could. I then felt sleepiness to the extent that I was overtaken by it, so, I slept. Suddenly, I awoke to find myself in front of my Lord - the Mighty and Exalted - in the best image possible. He Said: “O Muhammad! Do you know what those of the highest ranks are busy quarrelling over?”
I said: “I do not know, my Lord.” [The Prophet repeated this three times, then said] I then saw Him laying His Palm between my shoulders until I could feel the coolness of His Fingers in my chest, and then everything was revealed to me, and I knew it. Then, He Said: “O Muhammad! Do you know what those of the highest ranks are busy quarrelling over?”
I said: “Regarding those deeds that wipe out sins.”
He Asked: “What are they?”
I replied: “Walking to the congregational prayer, remaining in the mosque after the prayer, and making your ablution lengthy and perfect in times of hardship.”
He then Asked: “And what are those deeds that increase one’s ranks?”
I replied: “Providing food to the people, speaking gently, and praying at night while the people are asleep.”
He then Said: “Ask!”
I said: “O Allah, I ask You to grant me the ability to perform good deeds and abandon the bad ones, the love of the poor, and that You Forgive me and have Mercy on me, and that if You want to test a group of people, I ask You to allow me to die without having experienced any fitnah, and I ask for Your Love and the love of those who love You, and the love of a deed that brings me closer to Your Love.”
The Prophet then said: “It is true, so, study it and learn it.”"
[Reported by Ahmad (5/243) and at-Tirmidhi (3235), and it is authentic]
4 - The Messenger of Allah said:
“None of you should wish for death because of a calamity that has befallen him. But if he has to wish for death, he should say: ‘O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me.’”
[Reported by al-Bukhari (5671) and Muslim (2680)]
Ibn Hajar said, commenting on this hadith:
“The Prophet’s saying “because of a calamity that has befallen him” is intepreted by a group of the Salaf to mean a calamity in his worldly affairs. So, if he is stricken with a calamity in the affairs of the Hereafter by way of him fearing a fitnah in regards to his religion, this does not fall under the Prophet’s prohibition…and this indicates the permissibility of longing for death if one fears fitnah in regards to his religion, and Allah Knows best.”
['Fath al-Bari'; 10/128]
an-Nawawi said what is similar to the above in his ‘Sharh Sahih Muslim’ (9/8).
5 - The Messenger of Allah said:
“There are two things that the son of Adam hates: death - and death is better for the believer than fitnah - and a lack of wealth - and a lack wealth makes the Account lighter.”
[Reported by Ahmad in his 'Musnad' (5/427), and it is authentic]
6 - The Messenger of Allah said:
“The Hour will not be established until a man passes by the grave of another man and says: ‘If only I were in his place.’”
[Reported by al-Bukhari (7115)]
Ibn Hajar said, commenting on this hadith:
“Ibn Battal said: “The inhabitants of the graves being envied and death being longed for at the time of the emergence of fitnah will be out of fear of the weakening of religious practice with the increase in falsehood and its people, and the emergence of disobedience and sin.” [Ibn Hajar continued] and this longing is not something general for all people. Rather, it is specific to the people of righteousness. As for the rest, then they might long for death because of a calamity that has befallen them in their health, family, and worldly affairs, without any of these things having affected his religious practice…
…and many of the Salaf did this, such as ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, ‘Isa al-Ghifari, ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz, and other than them. al-Qurtubi said: “It is as if this hadith is indicating that overwhelming trials and hardships will descend until the importance of and concern with religion becomes minimal, and there will remain for nobody except the concern with the worldly affairs and connected matters. As a result, the value of worship in the times of fitnah has been magnified greatly, as Muslim reported, from the hadith of Mu’aqqal bin Yasar: “Worship in the times of trials and tribulations is like a migration to me.”"
…and al-Hakim reported that Abu Salamah said: “I visited Abu Hurayrah and said: “O Allah! Return Abu Hurayrah’s health to him.” So, Abu Hurayrah said: “O Allah! Do not return it to me. O Abu Salamah, if you are able to die, then do so. By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, there will come a time upon the scholars in which death is more beloved to them than red gold, and one of them will pass by the grave of his brother and say: ‘If only I were in his place.’”"
And ‘Abdullah bin as-Samit reported that Abu Dharr said: “There will come a time when a funeral procession will pass through the marketplace in front of a group of people, and a man will see it and shake his head, saying: ‘If only I were in this person’s place.’” So, ‘Abdullah said: “O Abu Dharr! This must be because of something overwhelming!” Abu Dharr replied: “Yes, it certainly is.”"
['Fath al-Bari'; 13/81]
Permalink
01.19.07
Posted in Islaam at 12:45 pm by salafiya
 
The Disease Of Envy
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
Excerpted and Adapted From “Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures”
[©1998 Al-Hidaayah]
This introduction by islaam.com is intended to briefly describe envy as a disease of the heart, preceding the text below it by Ibn Taymiyyah.
- Envy is one of the major sins which is bound to destroy good deeds as fast as the fire burns the wood and dry grass to ashes. “Jealousy eats away at good deeds, just as fire eats away at firewood.†[Sunan Ibn Majah]
- Envy was described as a sickness by the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam.
- Envy is hating that good happens to others.
- Envy is displeasure with Allah’s decree and His granting blessings upon others.
- “Faith and envy do not go together in the heart of a servant.” [Ibn Hibban, saheeh]
- “The people will be fine as long as they do not envy one another.” [At-Tabarani with trustworthy narrators]
- Envy is a characteristic the Jews displayed towards the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, causing them to inflict him harm.
- Envy leads to hatred.
- The Prophet, sallallahu `alahi w sallam, described envy as a shearer of the religion.
- Muslims are commanded in Soorah al-Falaq to seek refuge from the evil of the envier when he envies.
- Envy is worse than miserliness; this is because the miser only stops himself from having good but the envier dislikes the favours of Allah bestowed upon His servants.
- No one attains true belief until one loves for one’s brother what one loves for oneself.
- It is said that the people who have the greatest degree of restlessness are the envious. Such a person has no peace and is continuously grieved.
- The greatest harm from envy comes to the envier, who with one’s displeasure with Allah’s decree attains a great loss to oneself.
Al-Mubarrad recited the following lines:
The eye of the envier always sees scandal,
bringing out faults and hiding the good.
He meets you cheerfully, with a smiling face,
while his heart conceals his true feelings.
The envier’s enmity comes without provocation,
yet he accepts no excuses while he attacks.Â
The following is excerpted and adapted from Ibn Taymiyyah’s “Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures” [©1998 Al-Hidaayah]
Strictly speaking, envy (hasad) is hatred and disliking the good condition of the envied one. This is of two types:
1) The blameworthy type of envy is unrestricted dislike of the blessings bestowed upon the envied. This is the type of jealousy that incurs blame, so when one hates something he is then hurt and grieved by the existence of what he hates, and this becomes a sickness in his heart such that he takes pleasure in the removal of the blessings from the envied even if this does not result in any benefit to him except the single benefit of having the pain that was in his soul removed. But this pain is not removed except as a result of his continuously watching the envied so that the jealous person finds relief when the blessing is removed, but then it becomes more severe as is the case of the one who is sick, for it is possible that this blessing, or one similar to it, returns to the envied. This is why the second group said: ‘It is a desire to have the blessings removed,’ for indeed the one who dislikes the blessings bestowed upon other than him desires them to see removed.
2) That he dislikes the superiority of that person over him, and he desires to be like him or better, so this is jealousy and has been called ghubta, and the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, called it hasad in the hadeeth reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim from the hadeeth of ibn Mas`ood and ibn `Umar, radiyallahu `anhumaa, that he, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said, “There is no envy except in two cases: a person to whom Allah has granted wisdom, and he rules by this and teaches it to the people, and a person to whom Allah has granted wealth and property along with this the power to spend it in the cause of Truth.”
This being the wording of Ibn Mas`ood. The wording of Ibn `Umar is, “A person to whom Allah has given the Qur’an and he recites it night and day, and a person to whom Allah has granted wealth and property from which he gives in charity night and day.”
…So the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, forbade hasad, with the exception of two cases which are referred to as al-ghubta, meaning that a person love the condition of someone else and dislikes that this person be superior in this way (without his wishing that it be removed from that person).
So if it is asked: ‘Then why is this (ghubta) called envy when he loves only that Allah bestow these blessings upon him?’ It is said, ‘The starting point of this love is his looking towards the favors Allah has bestowed upon someone else and his disliking that this person be favored over him. So if this other person were not present then he would not have desired these blessings. So because the starting point of this love is this dislike that someone else be made superior to him, then this is called envy due to the love following the dislike. As for desiring that Allah bestows favors upon him without consideration of people’s material conditions then this is not envy at all.’
This is why the generality of mankind have been tried with this second type of envy that has also been called al-munaafasah (competition) because two people compete in a single desired matter, both of them trying to attain the same good. The reason for their trying to attain it is that one of them dislikes that the other be blessed with this matter over him just as any one of two competitors dislikes that the other beat him.
Competition is not considered blameworthy in general, rather it is considered to be praiseworthy when competing for righteousness. The Exalted said,
“Indeed the pious will be in delight. On thrones, looking on. You will recognize in their faces the brightness of delight. They will be given to drink pure sealed wine. The last thereof (that wine) will be the smell of Musk, and for this let those compete who want to compete.” [Al-Mutaffifeen (83):22-26]
So one is commanded to compete for these delights and not compete for the delight of this fleeting world.
…The souls do not envy the one who is in severe hardship and this is why the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, did not mention it even though the mujaahid, fighting in the Way of Allah, is superior to the one who is spending wealth…. Similarly, the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, did not mention the one who prays, fasts and performs the pilgrimage, because there is no tangible benefit attained from the people for these actions by which the person can be exalted or disgraced, as can be attained in teaching and spending.
Fundamentally, envy occurs when someone else attains power and authority; otherwise the one who is performing these actions is not normally envied, even if this person be blessed with far more food, drink and wives than others, as opposed to these two blessings of power and authority, for they cause a great deal of envy.
Allah praised the Ansaar with His saying, “And they have no jealously in their breasts for that which they have been given (the muhaajiroon), and give them preference over themselves even though they were in need of that.” [Al-Hashr (59):9]
As for the jealousy that is totally blameworthy then Allah has said with regards to the Jews, “Many of the People of the Book wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their own selves even after the truth has become clear to them.” [Al-Baqarah (2):109]
‘They wish’ meaning that they hope to make you aspostisise from your religion out of jealousy. So jealousy was the deciding factor behind their wish even after the Truth had been made clear to them. This because when they saw you attain what you attained of blessings - in fact they saw you attain that which they themselves had never attained - they became jealous of you. Similarly this is mentioned in another verse, “Or do they envy men for what Allah has given them of His bounty? Then We have already given the family of Abraham the Book of Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom. Of them were (some) who believed in him (Muhammad) and of them were some who averted their faces from him and enough is Hell for burning (them)…” [An-Nisaa' (4): 54-55]
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak. From the evil of what He has created. And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness. And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots. And from the evil of the envier when he envies.” [Al-Falaq (113):1-5]
…So the one who is jealous, hating the favours bestowed by Allah upon someone else is an oppressor, going beyond bounds due to this. As for the one who dislikes that someone else be blessed and wishes to be blessed in the same way, then this is forbidden for him except in that which will bring him closer to Allah. So if he were to wish for something that has been given to someone else which would help bring him closer to Allah then there is no problem in this. However, his wishing for it in his heart, without looking to the condition of someone else is better and more excellent.
Then if this person were to act, dictated by this jealousy, he would be an oppressor going beyond bounds, deserving of punishment unless he repents…Â
Jealousy is one of the sicknesses of the soul, and it is an illness that afflicts the generality of mankind and only a few are secure from it. This is why it is said, “The body is never free from jealousy, but debasement brings it out, and nobility hides it.” It was said to Al-Hasan Al-Basree, “Can a believer be envied?” He replied, “What has made you forget Yoosuf and his brothers, have you no father? But you should keep (this envy should it occur) blinded in your heart, for you cannot be harmed by that which you did not act upon in speech or action.”
So the one who finds that he harbours jealousy in his soul towards someone else, then it is upon him to treat it with patience and taqwaa of Allah, and dislike it being in his soul… As for the one who actually takes a stance against the envied, either with words or actions then he will be punished for this, and the one who fears Allah and is patient and does not become one of the oppressors - Allah will benefit him for his taqwa.
…In the hadeeth there occurs, “There are three sins from which no one can be saved: jealousy, suspicion and omens. Shall I tell you of what will remove you from this: When you envy do not hate, when you are suspicious then do not actualise your suspicions, and when you see omens then ignore them.” Reported by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah.
In the Sunan from the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, “You have been afflicted with the illness of the nations that came before you - jealousy and hatred. They are the shearers, I do not mean the shearers of the hair, rather they are the shearers of the religion.” [At-Tirmidhi, at-Tabaranee and al-Hakim who said it was saheeh].
So he called jealousy an illness just as he called miserliness an illness in his saying, “And what illness is worse than miserliness.” [Ahmad, Hakim and others, saheeh]
…In the first hadeeth jealousy was mentioned along with hatred. This is because the envier, first of all dislikes the bounty bestowed by Allah upon the one who is envied, and then begins hating this person. This is because the hatred of the thing being bestowed leads to hatred of the one upon whom it is bestowed, for when the blessings of Allah are bestowed upon an individual, he would love that they go away, and they would not go away except by the one who is envied going away, therefore he hates him and loves that he not be there.
Jealousy necessarily leads to desire and hatred just as Allah informed us of those that came before us that they differed, “After there came to them knowledge out of mutual hatred and desire.” [Aal `Imraan (3):19]
“Do not envy one another, do note hate each other, do not oppose each other…†[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
“By the One in Whose Hands is my soul, none of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.†[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Greed is a sickness as is miserliness, and jealousy is worse than miserliness, as occurs in the hadeeth, “Jealousy eats away at good deeds, just as fire eats away at firewood.†[Sunan Ibn Majah]
This is because the miser only stops himself from having good but the envier dislikes the favours of Allah bestowed upon His servants.
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=627
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01.17.07
Posted in Islaam at 3:17 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
Many of you have seen the dreadfully biased episode of Dispatches. They did a documentary about the Muslims and so-called extremist wahabis. Needless to say, the whole show was very biased to the extent that I could not stop laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Just about everything was taken out of context – that is, in the parts they were trying to “expose†the “undercover†Muslims. Very early in the show, they introduced Abu Usaamah as an extremist and quoted bits from here and there (of course, they do not have the nerve to quote the entire thing because that would be their whole argument down the drain).
The brother – Abu Usaamah – has clarified the things that were absolutely taken out of context. Please click the following link to watch it yourself. [Note, I may or may not agree with everything the brother says, but he did do a pretty decent job on this clarification, mashaAllaah]
http://www.calltoislam.com/
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01.15.07
Posted in Islaam at 1:56 am by salafiya
 
Keeping Sins a Secret
KEEPING SINS A SECRET
Compiled by Shawana A Aziz
As-Sunnah Islamic Newsletter Issue no 16
References: Lecture by Allama Ehsan Ilahi Zaheer (rahimahullah), Qawaaid wa-Fawaaid min al-Arabeen an-Nawawi by Shaikh Nathim Sultan, Tafseer Ibn Katheer, and others.
From among the teachings of Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) is to keep sins a secret matter. If someone commits a sinful act which is against the Commandments of Allah, or is against the moral character, or is such an act that may cause harm to one’s honor, then he should keep it a secret and seek forgiveness from Allah in the darkness of night. The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: “My entire nation is safe, except al-Mujahirin (those who boast of their sins). Among the Mujaharah is that a man commits an (evil) act, and wakes up in the morning while Allah has kept his (sin) a secret, he says: “O Fulan! Last night I did this and that.” He goes to sleep while Allah has kept his (sin) a secret but he wakes up in the morning and uncovers what Allah has kept a secret!” [Saheeh al-Bukharee]
Zayd ibn Aslam narrated, ‘At the time of the Messenger of Allah(salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), a man admitted that he had committed fornication, so the Messenger of Allah asked for a whip. He was brought a broken whip, so he said: “Better than this.” Then he was brought a new whip…, he then said: “Lesser than this.’ So, he was brought a whip that was used and had thus become soft, and the Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) ordered that he be whipped with it (a hundred times). He then said: “O People! It is time for you to refrain from transgressing Allah’s limits. He who commits some of these filthy acts (such as fornication), let him hide under Allah’s cover, for whoever admits what he has committed, we will establish Allah’s Book as regards him (by applying the warranted punishment for this sin).” [Musnad Ahmad]
Abdullah Ibn Masoud (radiyallahu anhu) related, ‘A man came to the Prophet and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have mingled with a woman in the far side of al-Medina, and I fulfilled my desire short of actually having sexual intercourse with her. So, here am I, judge me according to what you decide.’ Umar Ibn al-Khattab (radiyallahu anhu) then said: ‘Allah had kept your secret, why did not you keep your secret?’ [Sharh Muslim]
Similarly, if one becomes aware of somebody else’s sin, he should keep it a secret. Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: “He, who relieves a hardship of this Dunya (word) for a believer, Allah will relieve (from him) a hardship of the Day of Resurrection; he who makes easy an indebted person, Allah will make it easy for him in the Dunya and the Hereafter; he who covers a Muslim (meaning his mistakes and shortcomings), Allah will cover him in the Dunya and the Hereafter…” [Muslim]
Abdullah Ibn Umar (radiyallahu anhu) related, “The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) once rose above the podium and then said with a loud voice, “O those who have embraced Islam only with their tongue, while Eemaan has not yet entered their hears, neither harm Muslims, nor mock them, nor try to expose their mistakes, for he who follows (searches for) the errors of his brother, Allah will follow his errors, and he whom Allah follows his errors, He will expose him even if he was in the middle of his home.” [Saheeh al-Jamee] I
mam an-Nawawi (rahimahullah) writes, ‘This Hadeeth indicates that following and then exposing people’s mistakes only occurs by the hypocrites and those whose Eemaan is so weak, that it did not yet fill their hearts…”Â
Exposing sins lead to humiliation and embarrassment, which ceases the possibility that the sinner might someday regret his mistake, seek forgiveness from Allah and purify his soul from sins because one of the things that prevent one from committing sins is the fear of humiliation. However, if the sinner knows that the people are already aware of his sins, then he does not experience the shame and distraction which he used to feel before and this might encourage him to commit sins openly!Â
Secondly, when sins are repeatedly mentioned in gatherings, etc. the fear of committing sins vanishes from the people’s hearts. First the sin will become easy on people’s tongue and gradually he, who does not feel any shame in mentioning the sin, will not find it difficult to even commit the sin. This is how, sins spread in the society!Â
So, if someone becomes aware of his brother’s sins and realizes that nobody except him has seen him committing the sin, then he should keep the sin a secret. He should not encourage people towards sins by exposing his faults. Allah, the Exalted, has not only condemned committing sins in the Qur’aan but He has also condemned those people who mention sins in public. He said: “Verily, those who like that Fahishah should be circulated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment.” [(24): 19] meaning, those who like to see evil talk about them (the believers) appear. [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
Allah says in Soorah an-Nisa (4): 148, “Allah does not like that evil should be uttered in public except by him who has been wronged.”Â
Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anhu) commented on this verse, “Allah does not like that anyone should invoke Him against anyone else, unless one was wronged. In this case, Allah allows one to invoke Him against whoever wronged him…Yet, it is better for one if he observes patience.” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
Today sins have become widespread in the society because we have forgotten the teachings of Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), who discouraged people from revealing one’s mistakes and sins as well as others. As a result, people have lost the fear of committing not only minor sins but even major sins - Moreover, we find people proudly attributing sins to themselves!!
Today, there are also many novel channels through which sins are propagated in the society; like such book, magazines and television programs that mention the crimes of others, illicit acts, and immorality under the name of creating awareness among the people. These programs which are meant to help the people against the crimes are in reality, helping the crime to spread fast in the society! Crimes, which were previously unknown to people have become common offense! It is therefore necessary for the Muslims to avoid all such avenues which may lead to the destruction of our Muslim Ummah.
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Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
Today some events reminded me of this article. I am sure all of you have committed sins, since none of us are ma3soom. But if you are stupid like me, you may have revealed your sins, even after knowing about the hadeeth which tells us not to expose our past sins. Anyways, I’d like to say….if I have revealed any sins to you (or you found out about them in any way), please note that I am sincerely trying to become a better Muslimah. It very may well be that I have repented from those sins and do not do them anymore. I realized how easily a person’s honor can be destroyed, especially a sisters! So please watch your tongues (the sinner & the one who knows about the sin) and be weary of Allaah’s Punishment. Wallaahi, I regret ALL of the sins I’ve committed - whether they be big or small. I pray that Allaah blinds you all to the sins I may have committed for they are nothing to be proud of. I pray that Allaah cleanses me of any evil. jazakumAllaahu khairun….
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01.13.07
Posted in Islaam at 7:48 pm by salafiya
 
 Ibn Abd Al-Bar said: “It has been proven that the Prophet said (what translated means):‘Scholars will pass away. Afterwards, people will take leaders (or scholars) from among the ignorant. They (the ignorant) will be asked, and they will issue Fatwas without knowledge, and therefore they will fall and lead others into misguidance.’ All thiscontains rejecting and refuting Taqleed. It is plain for whoever understands and is rightly guided. There is no division between Imams of the world that Taqleed is invalid. Therefore, to speak more about this subject is not needed.†Also ibn Al-Qayyim narrated the above saying by ibn Abd Al-Bar, in his book, I’lam AI-Muwaqqi’in. Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid: “It is impermissible to issue Fatwas based on Taqleed. Taqleed is not knowledge,and issuing Fatwas without knowledge is impermissible. There is no division between people of knowledge that Taqleed is not knowledge. Therefore, A Muqallid cannot be called a scholar.†[I’lam Al-Muwaqqi’in].
And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. [3:105], and, But they (men) have broken their religion among them into Zubar (books, sects, groups), each group rejoicing in its belief. [23:53]
“O you who believe. Obey Allah, and obey His Messenger, and those in command among you. If you dispute any matter, then bring it back to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and the Day of Judgement.” [Qur'an Al-Nisa:59]
“No, by your Lord, they will not become believers until they place you as a judge among themselves, and they find no hardship in their hearts from that which you judged by and submit completely.” [Qur'an Al-Nisa:65]
Muhammad bin Hazm expressed this position beautifully is his book Al-Ihkaam fi Usoolil Ahkam, p. 18: Abu Muhammad said, “The one who says that nothing is to be accepted unless taken from a Khabar (report or divine text), we ask, ‘Tell us, are all reports correct or are they all false? Or is it that some reports are correct and some false?’ If he says all reports are false, then he will have nullified what he had just said, for he recognizes nothing but by that report. [Such a statement] nullifies his saying as well as all types of knowledge. If he said ‘[All reports] are valid,’ then opposing reports to the one he accepted would be brought up. He would be obligated to abandon his opinion and embrace the opposing one or would have to believe in his opinion and its opposite at the same time, which is impossible. Every opinion that leads to the impossible or to falsehood is necessarily invalid. The only answer that would remain is that a report maybe true and it may be false. If this is the case, then it is impossible to know the validity of a report from the report itself, because no truth or falsehood can be detected in it.Therefore, there must exist a Daleel that would differentiate between them. This cannot be done but by the intellectual Daleel that would differentiate between the Haqq and the Batil.”
He then continued on the same page by saying: Abu Muhammad ‘Ali said, “All of them should be asked, ‘How did you know the validity of what you call for, the authenticity of Tawheed and Prophethood and the Deen you follow? Did you use the intellect to know its validity or not?’”
Then, on p. 28, he says regarding the two parties (those who rejected the mind totally and those who gave it absolute power), “We do not know anybody who is further from the intellectual way than these two groups: The first nullifies the intellectual evidences completely, and the second is that who places itself as the Creator, claiming that Allah did not give things rules…. Both have lied to Allah horribly, and said things that give goose bumps to those who have intellect. We have explained that the reality of the mind is that it distinguishes the things that are sensed by the senses and understood. It only knows the attributes of things as of what they are, such as this world must have a Creator,the Creator is an ever-lasting one, the authenticity of the prophethood of the one whom the signs point to his prophethood… As for the mind making pork Haram or Halal, or the male goat Haram or Halal, or the Dhuhr Salat being four and the Maghrib being three,there is no room for the mind in it, not to mandate it or prevent it. The mind is only to understand the commands of Allah (swt).”
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al’ As: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray.” Sahih Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 3, Number 100.
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01.09.07
Posted in Islaam at 3:03 am by salafiya
Suppose you use a horse for transportation as people have done in the past. One of your friends invites you to his house and you get there by riding your horse. Now, what would happen if your friend totally ignores you and starts feeding and looking after the horse only? You will feel confused as yourself, the rider, was suppose to be the guest, not the horse that you rode on.
The above situation sounds abnormal but that is exactly what we are doing today. Allah has given us a body and a soul. The soul rides on the body to pass through this world. In other words, the body is like the horse and the soul is like the rider of the horse. Today, we are continuously busy in feeding and looking after the body but totally ignored the well being of our souls. As a result, our souls have become so weak without the spiritual food that it is not strong enough to even push us to go to the Masjid or wake up for Fajr prayer. Thus, it is essential that we strengthen our soul with the spiritual food as shown by Islam, such as keeping the company of the pious, recitation of the Holy Quran, Dhikr of Allah and contemplating over the Greatness of Allah.
(written by someone else)
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