"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.
It is the belief (‘Aqeedah) of deen that after death, mankind will enter a realm before the day of resurrection, which is known as Aalam-e-Barzakh. There are many sects in Islam who claim to be Muslims but do not believe in Aalam-e-Barzakh.’ This is a grave misunderstanding on behalf of these people. Death is the ultimate reality that no human can escape. It awes people and challenges all of their false claims of deviant beliefs. It puts an end to their hopes for prosperity and success in this life. Once there, they have no way of returning to this life.
Allah say’s in the noble Qur’aan:
“Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he say’s, “My lord! Send me back. Perhaps I may do good in that which I have left behind,” Indeed no! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is a Barzakh until the day when they are raised up.”
The discussion regarding Al-Barzakh is only based on authentic text from Allah’s book and his messengers Sunnah. It has been mentioned in the Qur’aan and has been established by numerous Ahaadeeth.
Al-Barzakh has two states. A person will either be punished in this realm, which is known, as “Azhaabul-Qabr” or he will receive the blessings and bounties of Allah due to his faith and good deeds, this is known as “Tan’eemu Ahlit-Taa’ah Fil Qabr.”
Majority of the books on six Aqeedah only mention the former state and suffice on that. This is due to the fact that the narration regarding six Azhaabul-Qabr exceeds the narrations regarding Tan’eemu Ahlit-Taa’ah Fil Qabr. Also, due to the fact that there are more people who will be punished in the grave than those who shall receive bounties. It is reported in an very lengthy Hadeeth reported by Ahmed and Abu Dawood on the authority of Al-Baraa Bin Azhib, that they (the companions) when out with Allah’s messenger to the funeral of a man from the Ansaar.
They reached the location of the grave before it was dug. The messenger of Allah sat down facing the Qibla; and they sat around him quietly, as if afraid to disturb birds standing on their heads. He held in his hand, a stick with which he was moving the earth, raising and lowering his eyes three times. He said to them (two or three times), “seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave.” Then he said (three times), “oh! Allah I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the grave.”
From this Hadeeth, we can see that the prophet himself seeked refuge from the punishment of the grave. No human being will be speared from the squeeze of the grave. However, the following Hadeeth indicates that it is not the same degree of severity for all people; some it would be Sa’ad bin Mu’az; however, he was squeezed once then released.” (Narrated by At-Tabrani in Al-Kabir).
However those who will receive the bounties and the mercy of Allah will truly be in the gardens of bliss. Although it is apparent that the best protection against punishment in the grave is to carry the truth belief in Allah and avoid the major sins. There are specific things that are mentioned in the Ahaadeeth that protect a person from the punishment of the grave. These things are as follows: Martyrdom on the battlefield (At-Tirmizhi), standing guard in the way of Allah (Muslim), death caused by abdomen disease (At-Tirmizhi), reciting suratul Mulk (Al-Hakim), Dying on Friday (Ahmed and At-Tirmizhi).
Before the two above mentioned, it states that the person will be approached by Munkar and Nakeer.
Author:(Maulana) Afikul Islam
(Arabic Year 6 – 2001), Darul Uloom London
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