Honesty and Truth

A honest and truthful girl.

One night, as per his usual practise, Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – was walking around Madina Shareef with his slave.

In fact, it was his habit to walk around the streets and pathways of Madina Shareef during the night with the intention of looking after the people in the blessed city and also to see that no harm came to them. As he walked along, at a certain stage, he felt tired and he decided to lean on the wall of a certain house to have a small rest. Morning was also fast approaching.

From this house, the voice of an old lady was also heard and she was commanding her daughter to mix some water with the milk. However, her young daughter was refusing to do this. The daughter told her mother that the Ameerul Mo’mineen had prohibited people from mixing water in the milk and he had also publicly made this announcement. However the mother said, “At this time, ‘Umar is not watching you that you should be so frightened.” However, the young girl mentioned, “Even if ‘Umar is not watching at this moment, the Creator of Umar is still watching.”

Hadrat Sayyiduna Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – who was listening to this conversation was extremely impressed by the honesty of this young girl. He then ordered his servant to keep an eye on this house.

During the day, Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – found out that this girl was the daughter of Hadrat Sayyiduna Sufyan bin Abdullah Saqafi – may Allah be pleased with him – and whose name was Umme Amaarah.

When Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – came to know about this that she was not yet married, he called all his sons and asked them which one was prepared to get married. Among his sons, Hadrat Asim – may Allah be pleased with him – replied that he was prepared to marry this girl.

Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – then approached the family and had his son Hadrat Asim marry this young girl. The first child that was born was a girl whose name was Umme Asim. This was the granddaughter of Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him. When she became mature, she married the son of Marwan bin Hakam whose name was Abdul Aziz. From this marriage, the first child born was a boy and his mother, Umme Asim, gave him the same name as her grandfather, ‘Umar. This child later on was to become known as the famous Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz – may Allah be pleased with him.

State of anger

You can’t see your reflection in boiling water.

Similarly, you can’t see the truths in your life in a state of anger.

Purification of the Heart

Living in a world full of temptations and desires, it can be very easy for us to lose track and fall for its glamour. There comes a time when we can no longer ourselves control our inner self, rather we turn our attention to Shuyookh (spiritual leaders) who have mastered this field and received guidance from their pious Ulama (scholars). This chain goes back all the way to Rasulullah (S.A.W).

They work on helping us purify our hearts and spiritual body. This undoubtedly will also have a good effect on our exterior and one will slowly but surely feel the difference!

By Mufti Ismail Menk

Purify the Heart

We look after our gadgets and phones, putting a case and screen protector on to stop it getting damaged and dirty.

Why then do we not take the necessary steps to protect our hearts, from sins, misdeeds and bad character? 

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا

He who purifies the soul, he is successful.

[Surah al Shams 91:9]

Remain Steadfast

We should not downgrade what we have, simply to follow what others are doing. Some people have a habit of adjusting their way of dressing, speaking, thinking, walking etc only because of what they have watched on the television or seen others do.

If we are already on a higher level then we should not let go of the gift we have & we should believe firmly in ourselves & the virtue we have been blessed with.

If we imitate everything we are bombarded with in the media, it would be very easy to control us or make us do what was unimaginable to us in the past. In this way the mind can easily be colonized & reduced to lower levels.

In fact when we do what is right & remain steadfast upon it, others will begin to follow us.

Mufti Ismail Menk

Remember Those Who Serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.
“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.” The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies – You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

Moral: Show kindness to all those you encounter, this is the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him).  Small acts of kindness performed regularly have a big impact, insha’Allah.

Human Kindness in Islam

Nasiruddin was the slave of a king, and very fond of hunting. One day he came across a very pretty baby deer and picked it up and rode away. The mother deer saw Nasiruddin take her baby and followed him anxiously. Nasiruddin, pleased with the baby dear, was thinking about presenting it to his children to play with. After a time, he chanced to look back and saw the mother deer following him, her expression full of grief. He noticed too that she did not seem to care about her own safety. Moved to pity, Nasiruddin set the baby deer free. The mother deer nuzzled and licked her baby fondly and the two deer leapt happily away into the forest. But many times the mother deer looked back at Nasiruddin, as if to express her thanks.

That night Nasiruddin dreamt that the revered Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was addressing him: ‘Nasiruddin, your name has been entered in the list of Allah, and you will one day have a kingdom. But remember that when you are king you will also have many responsibilities. Just as you have shown mercy to the deer today, you should be merciful to all Allah’s creatures. You should not forget your people by falling into a life of luxury.’

This dream came true and Nasiruddin did become king, Amir Nasiruddin Subaktagin, father of Sultan Muhammad.

The moral of the story is that if we wish Allah to be merciful to us, we must be eager to show mercy to all the living creatures of the earth.

When a flower blooms, its colour and scent first touch the garden near it, and then spread. In the same way, a Muslim’s acts of human kindness should first touch those nearest to him, his family and his neighbours.

Source: Muslim Manners by Iqbal Ahmad Azami

Taqwa

Taqwa is one of those unique words in the Arabic language that cannot simply be translated into a word or two in English. As a result, many translators struggle to bring out the real meaning of the word taqwa.

Literally, taqwa means to protect and could be that one protects himself from the Wrath of Allah by protecting himself from indulging in things that Allah forbids. In the Shariah, taqwa as used in the Quran repeatedly, signifies the obedience to the Rules of Islam while avoiding Haraam, and additionally abstaining from unsuitable things in life.

Taqwa in the Qur’an

Taqwa is mentioned in the Qur’an many times over and Allah has ordered each and every Muslim to have taqwa.

A couple of verses that mention taqwa are presented below:

“It is not taqwa that you turn your faces toward East or West, but it is taqwa to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book and the Messengers, to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts you have made; to be firm and patient, in pain and adversity. Those are the truthful and those are the muttaqun.” [Qur’an 2:177]

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has Taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [Qur’an 49:13]

Taqwa in Ahadith

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The most common thing which leads people to Paradise is taqwa of Allah and good conduct, and the most common thing which leads people to the Hell Fire is the mouth and the private parts.” [Tirmidhi]

Tafseer ibn Kathir mentions that Atiyah As-Sa’di said the Propeht (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The servant will not acquire the status of those with taqwa until he abandons what is harmless out of fear of falling into that which is harmful.” [Ibn Majah, Tirmizi]

Sayyiduna Ali (R.A) defined Taqwa as being the ‘fear of Jaleel (Allah), acting upon the tanzeel (Quran), being content with qaleel (little), and preparing for the day of raheel (journeying from this world).

Hadrat Umar ibn Khattab (R.A) once asked Hadrat Ibn Ka’ab (R.A) the definition of taqwa. In reply Hadrat Ibn Ka’ab asked, “Have you ever had to traverse a thorny path?” Hadrat Umar replied in the affirmative and Hadrat Ka’ab continued, “How do you do so?”

Hadrat Umar said that he would carefully walk through after first having collected all loose and flowing clothing in his hands so nothing gets caught in the thorns hence injuring him. Hadrat Ka’ab said, “This is the definition of taqwa, to protect oneself from sin through life’s dangerous journey so that one can successfully complete the journey unscathed by sin.”

Hadrat Hasan Basri said, “Taqwa is the basis of Deen. Desire and greed destroy this basis.”

Hadrat Maulana Hafiz Ghulam Habib (r.a.) used to define taqwa as the shunning of everything and anything that causes a deficiency in one’s relationship with Allah.

May Allah give all the Muslimeen the ability to cultivate taqwa in our lives and grant us paradise, Ameen.

Taqwa

Be a Good Host/ Visitor

When visiting the homes of family members, relatives, friends or others we must never be a burden upon them.

Visiting unannounced, at awkward times, sitting too long, asking too many questions, speaking too loudly, allowing our children to run a mock if they are with us etc is all unethical.

We should also be considerate of those we visit by not allowing them to prepare snacks or meals for us when they are busy, sickly or in a rush to go somewhere.

On the other hand when people visit us although we should honour them, we do not have to prepare sophisticated meals & fries etc all the time. A simple snack or glass of water would also suffice.

Whether more or less, whatever is served must be from the depth of our hearts.

Mufti Ismail Menk

One Bad Habit

Just one bad habit can destroy EVERYTHING we have in the most unpleasant way.

Many of those on drugs have just ONE bad habit. If they cut it, they could transform into really lovely human beings.

If they do not give up their drugs, they will tear their families apart, finances will crumble, health dwindles and life is totally wasted.

Don’t ever do drugs and if u have, save your life & many others by quitting NOW!

Mufti Ismail Menk

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