"Surely, the true religion in Allah's sight is Islam" (3:19)
We all have hearts. Our job is to keep our hearts pure. Life is about keeping your heart pure. The greatest impurity is pride. Pride is worse than cancer. Initiating salaam is one cure for pride. One point to note is that the salaam has to be a sincere salaam.
Source: An-Noor
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“Develop this habit of talking to Allah.
My shaykh Arif-billah Hadhrat Dr Abdul-Hayy Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) told this to us repeatedly.
Sit in solitude and contemplate that I am in front of Allah.
Tell Him everything that is on your mind and bothering you.
Your past mistakes, the present difficulties and future apprehensions .
Tell Him in detail and ask for guidance and help.
InshaAllah, in addition, to relieving your anxiety it will lead to the creation of a bond between you and your Lord, Allah (ta’aluq ma Allah).”
source: Ashrafiya
Hope and Fear are like the two wings of a dove
They need to be in balance in order to fly.
Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq quoting an arab poet
“The aim of Tasawwuf is to clean the heart from spiritual diseases, and to educate, or transform, the self (Nafs), and to seek Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala’s pleasure through imposing the Shariah on ourselves inwardly and outwardly, all in the way followed by our Rasulullah Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam and the righteous predecessors (Salaf).”
Extract from ‘Tasawwuf and Tazkiyah’ by Shaykh Imran ibn Adam
Sourced from Ashrafiya
Respected Sahibzada Amer (may Allah grant him a long and healthy life) a very senior murid of sayyidi wa sanadi said,
We focus on staying away from television, as most of the programming is un-Islamic. However, little if any attention is paid to the internet. Inappropriate use of internet is more rampant and morally destructive than TV. Even the most religious and pious families are suffering from its corrupt use. Homes are being destroyed by this misuse.
Watching pornographic material, chatting freely with opposite sex individuals (or even same sex but in a lewd way) and reading indecent stuff leads to loss of modesty (haya) in ones character.
Modesty (haya) is an essential ingredient for being a true Mulsim.
The beloved Prophet (may Allahs blessing and peace be on him) said :
Haya (modesty) and Iman (faith) are two (things) that go together. If one is lifted, the other is also lifted. [al-Hakim]
Al-Haya is part of Iman.
Haya does not produce but goodness.
[al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Every deen has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty. (Muwatta)
Modesty is part of faith, and faith leads to heaven; while vulgarity is part of unfaith, and unfaith leads to hell. (Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim)
Awareness regarding this issue has to be created in all Muslims.
May Allah save us from the inappropriate use of His blessings. Amin!
Jeddah, KKNGH, MC 1, 11#8
The stories of the prophets which are told to us in the Qur’an are not just tales of devout and God-fearing people. They are meant to serve as a warning to us of what happens to people who do not follow in the way of Allah.
The society in which Prophet Lut (A.S.) lived must have been very much like the society in which we live, where natural laws governing the behaviour of men and women toward each other are not any longer respected. What is naturally right has become wrong and what is naturally wrong has become right, and all types of dishonesty and wickedness abound. Somehow, people who try to live in the way of Allah, who try to be clean and pure, honest and trustworthy, who are fearful of Allah, these people are scorned and disliked and made fun of. As you read the story of Prophet Lut (A.S.), remember that Allah’s punishment for wrongdoers is never far away and that those who fear Allah are surely rewarded.
Prophet Lut (A.S.) attempted to get his people to turn from their wicked ways. He would say to them, “Won’t you fear Allah? I am a trustworthy messenger, so fear Allah and obey me. I don’t ask for any reward from you. My reward is from the Lord of the Worlds. Of all the creatures on this earth, you alone approach males, and leave the women whom Allah has created for you to be your mates. You are people who sin beyond all limits.”
The people knew that Prophet Lut (A.S.) and his followers were leading a much cleaner and purer life than their own. Deep down in their hearts they knew that what he said was true, but they didn’t like being told so. So they would say, “If you don’t stop your preaching, you will surely be driven out of town!”
He in turn would reply, “I do detest your doings. O my Lord! Deliver me and my family from such things as they do!”
Now, at about the same time that Allah sent angels as messengers to Ibrahim , to foretell the birth of Ishaq , the angels also told Ibrahim that they had been sent to destroy the people in Prophet Lut’s (A.S.) township. His immediate reaction was, “But there is Lut there!” They replied, “We well know who is there. We will certainly save him and his following, except his wife. She is among those who lag behind.”
When the same messengers came to Prophet Lut (A.S.) , he was deeply concerned for their safety at the hands of his fellow townspeople, and he felt powerless to protect them. But they said, “Don’t be afraid and don’t grieve. We are here to save you and your followers.”
Just as Prophet Lut (A.S.) had feared, the townspeople came after his guests. He even tried to offer them his daughters for them to marry, if they would only leave his guests alone. But they tried to snatch away his guests anyway, until Allah blinded their eyes and they heard, “Now taste my anger and my warning.”
Then the angels conveyed their message to Prophet Lut (A.S.) . They said, “O Lut! We are messengers from your Lord. Travel with your family while yet a part of the night remains. You bring up the rear and don’t let anyone look back. But your wife will remain behind and to her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is the appointed time and it is not far off, so go!”
And Prophet Lut (A.S.) had faith in Allah and left his home and all he had ever known, for the sake of his Lord.
When morning came the cities were turned upside down. Brimstones as hard as baked clay rained down upon the cities and spread, layer on layer. Everyone and everything in the towns were destroyed. That was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime.
You can read about Prophet Lut in the Qur’an, Sura 7, Ayat 80-84; Sura 11, Ayat 63-83; Sura 15, Ayat 57-77; Sura 25, Ayat 160-175; Sura 25, Ayat 54-58; Sura 29, Ayat 26, 28-35; Sura 37, Ayat 133-138; Sura 51, Ayat 31-37; Sura 54, Ayat 33-39; Sura 66, Ayat 10.
A wise person once said:
“Contentment is not the fulfilment of what you want, but the
realisation of how much you already have.”
When angered by someone, leave his presence or have him removed from your presence and drink cold water. If the anger is overwhelming then reflect: Allah Ta’ala too has rights over me and I frequently violate such rights. When He forgives us, we too should forgive the faults and errors of others. What will be my plight if He seeks to take vengeance?
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi
When you marry you have to divorce a part of yourself.
Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq
It is mentioned in a hadith that Nabi (sallalaahu alayhi wassallam) said, ” When a female child is born, Allah Ta’ala sends His angels to that house. They come to the dwellers of the house and pray that peace may be upon them, The angels then cover the newly born girl in the shadow of their wings and caressing the head of the baby with their hands they say that, this is a weak and frail person, whoever will bear the responsibility of cherishing her will go on having the blessing of Allah Ta’ala as long as that person remains alive.” ( Al-Mojam al – Saghir li Tabrani).
Source: Upbringing Children in Islam