Category: Islam

Muslims and the Internet

General, Islam

Assalam alaykum,
I recently came accross this article which I posted over at http://breatheislam.blogsome.com a long time ago but the advice still holds true and beneficial for us today, so I would like to share with you here again.

When it comes to the internet, so much time is wasted, previously the TV was the time waster but now the internet has surpassed it. We need to worry about this influence a great deal more as concerned Muslims. Many many hours and hours can be spent on the net and if after this one reflects as to what they gained from that period of time, the sad reality in most cases is that it was only flicking and scrolling from screens and webpages. Yes there are benefits to be obtained but in general there is so much time wasted on the internet.

It is so sad that after Isha people can sit on the internet and stay on for so long that the Fajr Salah is missed due to being tired. Visiting some places I asked the father/ parents that your son was awake until 2am, he said ‘oh yes he was doing his homework on the computer.’ Previusly we would know the child was at the library doing his or her homework, but now they do not have to even leave their room. Only Allah really knows what is going on in the childs room whilst the parents are asleep.

Every evil is available at your finger tips now. Just a few words to type and one can have a picture of such filthy evils imprinted onto your heart, evils previously unimaginable.

All these sins have an impact on our ibaadah and our imaan. Even the kuffar and sinners/ criminals in the past would not see some of the things we can so easily view today. Then we ask ourslves why we don’t we experience pleasure and khushu in our ibadaat? This is the effect of our sins on our heart.

The Holy Prophet pbuh said: ‘A look towards the Haram is a poisoned arrow from the arrows of the Iblees.’

How strong is our imaan and how many arrows can our imaan take? Now we are having these arrows shot at us, one after the other through the internet, and Satan continues to deceive us.

May Allah SWT give us the Taufiq to stregthen and protect our imaan from such sins. Controlling our Nafs is key to save ourselves, and we need to realise that when we are in the privacy, darkness and loneliness of our room with the internet, that Allah the All Seeing, All Hearing is All Aware of what we do. If we realise that someone is watching us while we commit such harams, and that they will take us to task tomorrow then we would refrain from the Haram right away. Then how can we continue with these harams when tomorrow we will be called to account for these actions in the court of Allah? How we spent each and every second of our lives will be either for us or against us. If despite realising these points we continue with these sins we should take a serious look with regards to our connection with Allah the Almighty.

Inshallah rememberring these points will save us from the evil influences of the internet.
transcribed from a speach given by Shaykh Ibrahim Madani

May Allah SWT give the ability first of all to me, and then to you to act upon the above and save ourselves from the clutches of the Satan. Duas requested please. Wasalams

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Competition

Islam

Assalam Alaykum,

I have decided to run a competition for my UK readers, giving away some free books and CDs. All you have to do is leave a comment below saying:

1, “as-Salaamu ‘alaikum”
2, what you like most about Haq Islam
3, how we can improve

and you will automatically be entered into the competition. Do not feel you to write an essay or lengthy paragraphs about 2 & 3 above, even one sentence will do. If you are from outside the UK and would like to leave your comments, then please do so but state at the end of your message that you are not based in the UK.

Please read the terms and conditions below for more information.

Remember, you must enter your email address (only visible to you and us) in case you win, so we can email you to let you know you are a winner. You do not have to enter your real name.

Jazakallah

Terms and Conditions
1. Entries are open to participants in the UK
2. Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry
3. Competition closing date will be 8/04/2011 and winners will be emailed on 15/04/2011
4. Winners may be required to pick it up from the branch where the books are located. There will be a postage fee if winners wish for the books to be posted.
5. All comments may not be published, but all will be entered into the competition
6. Any questions should be emailed to info @ haqislam.org [remove the spaces]
7. The books will consist of dars e nizami-type books as well as general reading in Arabic, English and urdu.
8. The competition is not open to any administrator of Haq Islam.
9. Any unclaimed winning entries will automatically be handed to the runner up if not claimed within 5 days from email date.

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Getting Closer to Allah

Islam

To gain closeness to Allah taala a person should do the following things:

[1] A believer should make it his/her habit to recite a portion of the Holy Qur’an every day. Recital of the Qur’an is also a strong means in cleansing the hearts of the dirt of sins.

[2] Stay away from all sins, especially back-biting, slandering and telling tales, as the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, taught not only do these things deaden the heart, and thus lead a person to commit more sins, moreover they are the main cause for believers being punished in the Nextlife.

[3] Spend as much time as you can in the Dhikr of Allah taala. Specify an hour in the day and sit down and recite as much as you can, the Kalima; LAA ILAAHA ILALLAH, pondering over its deep meaning. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, said it is the best of Dhikrs. Start by reciting it one hundred times and then the easier it gets the more you can increase the number.

[4] One of the most important things you must do, which sadly many people neglect, is that you should avoid bad company. People you should avoid taking as friends are those who speak too freely, who miss Salah, who do not dress modestly, who backbite etc. The company of such people is poison; just even sitting and talking with them will lead one to commit sins. Just as a person who sits for a longtime with a perfume seller begins to smell nice, and a person who sits by a gutter cleaner begins to smell awful, similarly a person who spends time in the company of the wicked eventually gets affected badly by them. Rather, you should seek out pious friends who fear Allah taala and who have the qualities of humility, charity, compassion, modesty and knowledge. If you sit with them you will always benefit and they will be a means for you to get closer to Allah taala.

[5]It was the practice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, to ask Allah taala for forgiveness (by saying ASTHAGHFIRULLAH) a hundred times in a day. Our Messenger, peace and blessings upon him, was innocent and free of sin yet he did this, why? The scholars explain the reason he would ask Allah taala for forgiveness so frequently was because the act of turning to Allah taala and humbly seeking his forgiveness in itself is highly beloved to Him and thus is a means to get closer to him. We who sin day and night, are more deserving of making this a part of our daily routine.

Mufti Mohammed Sajjad

Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

Source: As-Suffa Institute

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8 Ways to Earn Even After Death

Islam

8 ways to earn even after your death.

  1. Give a copy of the Qur’an to someone. Every time they read from it, you
    gain.
  2. Donate a wheelchair to a hospital. Each time a sick person uses it, you
    gain.
  3. Teach someone to recite a Dua.
  4. Share a Qur’anic CD.
  5. Participate in building a Mosque.
  6. Place a water cooler/ well in a public place.
  7. Plant a tree. You gain whenever a person or animal sits in its shade or
    eats from it.
  8. Share this message with other people. Even if only one person applies any of the
    above, you gain.
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My Yearning

Allah, Islam

O Allah, my yearning for You is even more intense than constant thirst for cool water on a very hot day.

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Shaykh Khalid Abdul Sattar

Islam

Shaykh Khalid Abdul Sattar was born in Chicago in 1974. He completed his bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the Stern School of Business at New York University (NYU) in 1997.

After graduation, he began studying with local scholars in Chicago. In 2003, he traveled to Pakistan to further advance his knowledge of the traditional Islamic sciences. There he dedicated five years to a full-time course of studies under some of the most accomplished scholars of the sub-continent. In 2008, he formally graduated with a degree in Islamic Studies. He also received his teaching licenses in various Islamic subjects, including Classical Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh and Hadith.

In conjunction with his pursuit of traditional knowledge, he has also received spiritual guidance and training from Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad. After spending more than a decade in the company of his shaykh, he was given permission to take students in the path of Tasawwuf.

Currently, he runs Ilm Essentials.com, an online traditional learning program, and also teaches Arabic and Hanafi Fiqh with Sacred Learning, a Chicago-based learning institute. He currently resides in Maryland with his family.

Some talks delivered by the Shaykh can be heard on Traveling the Path website.

Source: www.ilmessentials.com

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The Fruits of Fear

Islam

Imam Ghazali (ra) says: “Fear rips away desires and muddens luxuries so that cherished sins become reprehensible, just as a honey lover is repelled by it when he learns that it has poison in it. This is how fear burns desires; disciplines the organs; subordinates the heart and gives it tranquility. It also enables the heart to rid itself of pride, hatred, and envy; and it leaves it absorbed in it (fear). Hence, the heart becomes preoccupied with its own worries and looks towards its best interest in the long run. It is then engaged in only matters like meditation, self-analysis and struggle. It cherishes its time and moments.”

Abdullah ibn Mubarak (ra) said about fear: When night befalls, they endure it and see it through bowing in ruku. Fear has released their sleep, so they stand and acquire security in vigilance.

Hasan ibn Hani (ra) composed the following:

Fear Allah and hope for every good thing from Him;
Don’t follow your adamant self, lest you regret it;
Remain in between hope and fear and you will
rejoice with the Pardon of Allah if you submit.

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Rights of Parents

Family, Islam

1. You should not cause them any harm even if they commit any excesses.

2. Respect and honour them in your speech and dealings with them.

3. Obey them in permissible acts.

4. If they are in need of money, assist them even if they are kafirs.

5. The following rights are due to parents after their death:

(a) Continue making duas of forgiveness and mercy for them. Continue sending rewards to them in the form of optional acts of worship and charity on their behalf.

(b) Meet their friends and relatives in a friendly way and also assist them wherever possible.

(c) If you have the finances, fulfil their unpaid debts and the permissible bequests that they have made.

(d) When they pass away, abstain from crying and wailing aloud or else their souls will be troubled.

6. According to the Shariah, the rights of the paternal and maternal grandparents are similar to those of the parents and they should be regarded as such.

7. Similarly, the rights of the maternal and paternal uncles and aunts are similar to those of the parents. This has been deduced from certain Ahadith. (Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “The maternal aunt has the status of one�s mother.” – Tirmidhi)

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