Ramadan Reflection #2

Reported Abu Hurairah (radhiAllaahu anhu): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales, and do not count others' faults, do not spy, do not be envious of one another, do not desert (cut your relation) with one another, and do not hate one another. And be brothers (as Allaah had ordered you)." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Let's stop being judgemental of people. We never know what the other person is going through. Who are we to judge anyway. Allaah is the best judge. Why not leave it to Him?

Ramadan Reflection #1

So I haven't updates this blog in months *cries*. I've been thinking about doing so for a while now. Considering that it is Ramadan, I figured what better time to hop back on that bandwagon than now inshaAllaah? Seeing that this blessed month is the perfect time for renewal and to start afresh, here's me 'seizing the opportunity' inshaAllaah.

Ammar Ibn Yasir (radhiAllaahu anhu) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) say, 'Indeed  a man will walk away from his as-Salaah (Prayer) and there will not be anything written for him of reward except a tenth of his prayers, or an eighth, or a seventh, or a sixth, or a fifth, or fourth, or a third, or half.'"  

[Abu Dawud, An-Nasaaii, Ibn Maajah, Ahmad]

"A man will have recorded for him of his prayers only when he is mindfully focused." 

-Sufyan ath-Thawri (rahimullaah)

SubhaanAllaah. How many times do we find ourselves actually focused on either our own recitation or the Imaam's? Allaah being so Merciful has enjoined 5 daily prayers on us to worship. That's 5 down from 50. Are we so easily distracted that we cannot take a few minutes out of our day to SOLELY focus on worshipping Him? Why is it that we can focus our attention on anything else if need be, but when it comes time for Salaah, we have a million things besides the ONE that matters, racing through our minds?

May Allaah give increase our khusoo' (focus) and grant us the ability to better our Salaah. *Ameen*.

The Night of Power..

There is a night in the month of Ramadhan which is better than a thousand months (83 years, 4 months). This night is called Laylatul-Qadr. The Revelation of the Qur'aan started in the month of Ramadhan and specifically on Laylatul-Qadr. The Night of Power is a night of blessings that has been blessed by Allaah.


The Prophet (peace be upon him) described the morning after Laylatul-Qadr so that the Muslim may know which day it is. He (peace be upon him) also advised what is most appropriate to recite during this blessed night.


'Aisha (radhiAllaahu anha) reported that she asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), "O Messenger of Allaah! If I knew which night is the night of power (Laylatul-Qadr), what should I say during it?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised her to recite: Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhhibul 'afwa fa' fu 'annee."

O Allaah! You are forgiving, and You love forgiveness. So forgive me.

--Reported as Saheeh in Tirmidhi, hadith no.3513. Also recorded in Ahmad and Ibn Majah.

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Ubayy (radhiAllaahu anhu) said, that he (peace be upon him) said:

"On the morning following Laylatul-Qadr, the sun rises not having any rays as if it were a brass dish, until it rises up."

--Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah

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Ibn 'Abbas (radhiAllaahu anhu) said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Laylatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold. The sun rises on its morning being feeble and red."

--Ibn Khuzaimah and al-Bazzaar with a Hasan Isnad.

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Abu Hurairah (radhiAllaahu anhu) said:

"We were discussing Laylatul-Qadr in the presence of Allaah's Messenger (peace be upon him) so he said, 'Which of you remembers (the night) when the moon arose and was like half a plate?'."

--Muslim

Religion is Easy..

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Religion is very easy and whoever ovberburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights."

--Sahih Bukhari

Your Lord is Generous and Shy..

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

 "Verily your Lord is Generous and Shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him (in supplication), He becomes shy to return them empty."

 --Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi

Baby Steps..

Since this is the month of mercy and forgiveness, dhikr (remembrance) of Allaah should be made in abaundance. Not to say we shouldn't in the remaining months, but that we should increase in it especially during Ramadhan for its great and many rewards. Keeping that in mind, here's a nice place to start inshaaAllaah..

سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ 

SubhaanAllaahi wa Bihamdihi

(Glory be to Allaah and Praise Him)

Whoever says the above 100 times during the day, his sins are wiped away even if they are like the foam of the sea.

 --Sahih Bukhari

SubhaanAllaah. So heavy on the scales, and yet so easy to implement. It's the small steps we take, and make a habit out of that make the biggest difference in the long run. Let's make the intention to act on those baby steps starting this Ramadhan.. starting today, this second inshaaAllaah.

It's That Time of Year Again.. *Alhamdulillah*

Abu Hurairah(radhiAllaahu anhu) related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) quoted Allaah as saying, "Every act of Adam's descendants is for themselves, except fasting. It is meant for me Alone, and I alone will give the reward for it." --Sahih Muslim  

"You who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you – so that perhaps you will be godfearing."

--Qur'aan (2:183)

Abu Hurairah (radhiAllaahu Anhu) related that the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) said,"If anyone omits his fast even for one day in Ramadan without a concession or without being ill, then if he were to fast for the rest of his life he would not be able to make up for it."

--Bukhari

Abu Hurairah (radhiAllaahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever fasts during Ramadhn with faith and seeking his reward from Allaah, will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadhan with faith and seeking his reward from Allaah, will have his past sins forgiven. And he who passes Laylat al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seking his reward from Allaah, will have his past sins forgiven."

--Bukhari & Muslim

May Allaah t'Aala accept our fasting and our prayers in this beautiful month of Ramadhan. May He also shower us with His infinite blessings and mercy.

*Ameen*

Ramadhan Mubarak Everyone!

'Labbaik wa Sa'daik'

Narrated Abu Huraira (RadhiAllaahu Anhu): The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) said, "The first man to be called on the Day of Resurrection will be Adam who will be shown his offspring, and it will be said to them, 'This is your father, Adam.' Adam will say (responding to the call), 'Labbaik wa Sa'daik'. Then Allaah will say (to Adam), 'Take out of your offspring, the people of Hell.' Adam will say, 'O Lord, how many should I take out?' Allaah will say, 'Take out ninety-nine out of every hundred." They (the Prophet's companions) said, "O Allaah's Apostle! If ninety-nine out of every one hundred of us are taken away, what will remain out of us?". He said, "My followers in comparison to the other nations are like a white hair on a black ox."

--Sahih Muslim

"Allaah forgives men's sins (minor) on their account.."

 Abu Huraira (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

 The Prophet (may Allaah's blessings and peace be upon him) said, "Let anyone tell me; if a stream flows by the house of any person and he bathes in it five times a day, whether any dirt will remain on his body." The companions replied that no dirt would remain in such a case. He said, "So is the case with prescribed prayers. Allaah forgives men's sins (minor) on their account."

--Bukhari, Muslim

"My Companions are a protection for this Ummah.."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his head toward the heavens and said:

"The stars are the protection for the sky - when the stars have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to the sky. I am the protection for my Companions (radhiAllaahu 'anhu) - when I have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to my Companions. My Companions are the protection for this Ummah - when they have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to this Ummah." 

--Saheeh Muslim

The Believers as One..

The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

 "The believers, in their love, mutual kindness, and close ties, are like one body; when any part complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever."

--Sahih Muslim

The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

"The believers, in their love, mutual kindness, and close ties, are like one body; when any part complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever."

--Sahih Muslim

"The best of your days is Friday.."

It was narrated from Aws ibn Aws (radhiAllaahu 'anh) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

 "The best of your days is Friday. On that day Adam (peace be upon him) was created; on that day he died; on that day the Trumpet will be blown and on that day all of creation will swoon. So send a great deal of blessings upon me, for your blessings will be shown to me." They said, "O Messenger of Allaah, how will our blessings upon you be shown to you when you have turned to dust?" He (peace be upon him) said, "Allaah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets, peace be upon them."

 --Abu Dawood; Classed as saheeh by Ibn al-Qayyim in his comments on Sunan Abu Dawood, 4/273; and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abu Dawood, 925.

Merits for Reciting the Qur'aan

The rewards of reciting the Qur'aan are many.

Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that “Alif, Laam, Meem” is a letter, rather I am saying that “Alif” is a letter, “laam” is a letter and “meem” is a letter.” So increase your recitation of the Qur’aan to gain these merits, and to gain the following merit as well.

--Tirmidhi 

In another hadith, Aa’isha (radhiAllaahu 'anha) relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Verily the one who recites the Qur’aan beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have TWICE that reward.”

 --Bukhari and Muslim

This hadith proves that people who are not well versed in the Arabic languge or have other difficulties in reciting the Quran, get even a higher reward for reciting the Quran in Arabic for their extra effort.. SubhaanAllaah!

Friday Reminder #9

The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said: “The worst type of thief is the one who steals from his prayer.”

The people asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, how can a person steal from his prayer?”

He said: “By not doing ruku’ and sujood properly.”

--Reported by Imaam Ahmad

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“A man’s prayer is not good enough until his back is straight in ruku’ and sujood.”

--Reported by Abu Dawud, 1/533

Friday Reminder #8

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Every son of Adam makes mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent.”

[Tirmidhi No. 2499]

Al-Nifaaq

 

It is reported from Al-Hasan Al-Basrî – Allaâh have mercy on him – that he said:

It used to be said: it is part of al-nifâq (hypocrisy) to be inwardly different from what you are on the outside, to say one thing and do another and to be different in how you enter and how you leave. And the root of al-nifâq is lying.

Abû Bakr Al-Kharâ`itî, Masâwî Al-Akhlâq wa Madhmûmihâ p62.

Friday Reminder #7

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (radhiAllaahu 'anhu) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever does ghusl then comes to Jumu’ah, and prays as much as Allaah decrees for him, then listens attentively until the khutbah is over, then prays with him (the imam), will be forgiven for (his sins) between that and the next Jumu’ah and three more days.”

Narrated by Muslim

The Prophet (peace be upon him's) Love ..

The Prophet (peace be upon him) always kept his smile with his wives and he used to laugh and please them to make them laugh as well. With all the troubles around him, he used to take his wife 'Aisha (radhiAllaahu 'anha), to the desert and say, “'Aisha, lets race!” And she used to race him and win. So, he kept on feeding her meat for a whole week, so she would unassumingly gain weight, until he took her again to the desert and said, “'Aisha, let’s race!” At that time, he won and said to her, “This time I won!”.
(Recorded in Ahmad & Abu Dawood)

       Engraved on the ring of 'Umar bin al-Khattab        

  

 (radhiAllaahu anhu)were the words:

"Enough is Death as a reminder to you O 'Umar"

--Related in Kitab al-Bidayah wa al-Nihaya by Ibn Kathir.