Ramadan Reflection #3

"Don't let this Ramadan be just a holiday of rituals. Don't finish reading the Qur'aan without it transforming you. Don't feed your body at Suhoor, but starve your heart of Qiyam. Don't reduce this downpour of mercy to just a month of sweets and lavish iftars. Seek Him, you will find. Take a sincere step towards change, transformation, redemption. If you do, you will find Him in front of you. Find Him this month. He's been there all along. Closer than your jugular vein. Look, and you'll find. Walk, and you'll arrive."

--Yasmin Mogahed

Such inspiring words subhanAllaah. InshaAllaah lets all strive to make sincere changes (be it in the tiniest possible way) this Ramadan. May Allaah give us the tawfiq and hidayah to make sincere changes in our lives and bring us closer to that which He loves.*Ameen*

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?

Surah Waqiah by Ibraheem Al-Jibreen

An amazing recitation mashaAllaah along with the translation for this powerful Surah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FrlRBx2Qew

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*.

Tackling Low Emaan..

 

 

 

 

 

Abu Huraira (radhiAllaahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

 

“Allaah (subhaanahu wa t'Aala) says I am closer to my slave than his supposition of which he keeps of me. And when he/she does dhikr of Allaah, I am with him/her. If he does dhikr in his heart, I do his dhik near MY proximity (closeness) and if he does dhikr in a gathering, I mention him in a gathering Afdhal (better) than it."

 

--Sahih Bukhari

So I've been meaning to just sit down and jot down some ideas on how to increase our emaan in times of low emaan. Of course as human beings, we do experience dips in emaan every now and then. It all depends on how we pick ourselves back up. The main thing is to realize and acknowledge that we are at a low-point. Once we acknowledge this, Insha'Allah we can take steps to recover from it. Some ways in in increasing our emaan may be:

• Increase the recitation of the Qur'aan
• Understand the tafseer behind the words in the Qur'aan
• Attend Islamic lectures or classes (This, I personally find is always a big booster)
• Fast the sunnah fasts of Monday and Thursday
• Fast the 'White days' or the 14th, 15th, and 16th of each Islamic month.
• Be sincere with your deeds (niyaah/intention)
• Must, must, must keep the waajib (obligatory) prayers going.
• Maybe read the seerah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him)
• Why not read about all the Prophets (peace be upon them all)
• Make du'a. Lot's and lot's and lot's of du'a to increase our emaan and make us better Muslims

On that note, May Allaah continue to increase our knowledge and sincerity in His deen for His sake. And may He continue to strengthen our emaan and guide us on the right path. *Ameen*




 

Dhul-Hijjah

So the following is some information about these blessed 10 days that are soon coming to an end, from a sister's halaqa (amazing halaqa btw, mashaAllaah).

It's Importance:

• It is the month of Hajj - one of the 5 pillars of Islam!

    Hajj is centered around the story of Hajar (radhiAllaahu anha), who was Ibrahim (alayhi salaam)'s second wife and the mother of Ismael (alayhi salaam). It was through her and Ismael  (alayhi salaam) that the city of Makkah was formed and the well of ZamZam discovered. Many actions performed during Hajj are re-enactments of what she did throughout her test from Allaah t'Aala.

• It is the month of Eid-ul-Adha

On this day we offer qurbani (sacrifice) in order to appreciate and understand Ibrahim (alayhi salaam)'s test from Allaah to sacrifice his son, Ismael (alayhi salaam). We are meant to develop true love for Allaah - which should be above everyone.

• Its first 10 days are the BEST DAYS of this world - even better than the days of Ramadhan!

Ibn 'Abbaas (radhiAllaahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even Jihaad for the sake of Allaah?" He (peace be upon him) said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." --Reported by al-Bukhari, 2/457)

• It's 9th day is the Day of Arafat - Day of Forgiveness

Aa'isha (radhiAllaahu anha) narrated that our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There is no day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire than on the day of Arafat. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels saying, 'What do these people (the Hajis) want?'" --Sahih Muslim

 

 

 

 

What We Should do to MAXIMIZE the Benefits:

• Perform Hajj or Umrah!
• Fast - Especially on the 9th (Day of Arafat)

When the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) was asked about the fasting on the Day of Arafat, he said: "It expiates the sins of the previous year and that of the following year." --Sahih Muslim

• Extra Salaah - Tahajjud, salaat-ul istighfar, salaat-ul shukr

• Khatm-ul-Qur'aan - Or at least read more than you normally do; Look up the english version of Surah Al-Hajj.

• Dhikr

• Sincere Du'a and Repentance

• Qurbani/Sacrifice - Share your qurbani with friends, family, and for extra bonus points give some to the poor/orphans.

• Attend the Eid Prayer! - Perform the Sunnah of  'Eid as well such as not eating anything until after the prayer.

• Good Deeds in General - Smile, give sadaqa, reconcile with family memebers and old friends, forgive others. If you can't seem to do any good deeds for some reason, make du'a to Allaah, and at least ABSTAIN FROM SINNING.

 

May Allaah accept our repentance and reward all those performing Hajj. *Ameen*

Major Sins (Al-Kaba'ir) ..

"If you avoid the major (part) of what you have been forbidden (to do), We will cancel out for you your (other) evil deeds and will admit you (to Paradise) with a noble entry."

                                                           -- al-Nisa 4:31

"Avoid the seven noxious things"- and after having said this, the Propeht (Peace be upon him) mentioned: "associating anything with Allaah; magic; killing one whom Allaah has declared inviolate without a just case, consuming the property of an orphan, devouring usury, turning back when the army advances, and slandering chaste women who are believers but indiscreet."

 --Bukhari and Muslim

There is some dispute amongst the scholars in whether it is 7 major sins or 70.

The scholars who say there are 70 major sins, do so on the basis that crimes such as those which call for a prescribed punishment (Hadd; plural, Hudud), such as theft, fornication or adultery (Zina), and murder; those prohibited acts for which a warning of a severe punishment in the hereafter is given in the Qur'aan or the tradition; and also those deeds which are cursed by our Prophet (peace be upon him), are all considered major sins.

The 70 Major Sins Are:

01. Associating anything with Allaah 
02. Murder 
03. Practising magic 
04. Not Praying 
05. Not paying Zakat 
06. Not fasting on a Day of Ramadhan without excuse 
07. Not performing Hajj, while being able to do so 
08. Disrespect to parents 
09. Abandoning relatives 
10. Fornication and Adultery 
11. Homosexuality(sodomy) 
12. Interest(Riba) 
13. Wrongfully consuming the property of an orphan 
14. Lying about Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) 
15. Running away from the battlefield 
16. A leader's deceiving his people and being unjust to them 
17. Pride and arrogance 
18. Bearing false witness 
19. Drinking Khamr (wine) 
20. Gambling 
21. Slandering chaste women 
22. Stealing from the spoils of war 
23. Stealing 
24. Highway Robbery 
25. Taking false oath 
26. Oppression 
27. Illegal gain 
28. Consuming wealth acquired unlawfully 
29. Committing suicide 
30. Frequent lying 
31. Judging unjustly 
32. Giving and Accepting bribes 
33. Woman's imitating man and man's imitating woman 
34. Being cuckold 
35. Marrying a divorced woman in order to make her lawful for the husband 
36. Not protecting oneself from urine 
37. Showing-off 
38. Learning knowledge of the religion for the sake of this world and concealing that knowledge 
39. Bertrayal of trust 
40. Recounting favours 
41. Denying Allaah's Decree 
42. Listening (to) people's private conversations 
43. Carrying tales 
44. Cursing 
45. Breaking contracts 
46. Believing in fortune-tellers and astrologers 
47. A woman's bad conduct towards her husband 
48. Making statues and pictures 
49. Lamenting, wailing, tearing the clothing, and doing other things of this sort when an affliction befalls 
50. Treating others unjustly 
51. Overbearing conduct toward the wife, the servant, the weak, and animals 
52. Offending one's neighbour 
53. Offending and abusing Muslims 
54. Offending people and having an arrogant attitude toward them 
55. Trailing one's garment in pride 
56. Men's wearing silk and gold 
57. A slave's running away from his master 
58. Slaughtering an animal which has been dedicated to anyone other than Allah 
59. To knowingly ascribe one's paternity to a father other than one's own 
60. Arguing and disputing violently 
61. Witholding excess water 
62. Giving short weight or measure 
63. Feeling secure from Allaah's Plan 
64. Offending Allaah's righteous friends 
65. Not praying in congregation but praying alone without an excuse 
66. Persistently missing Friday Prayers without any excuse 
67. Unsurping the rights of the heir through bequests 
68. Deceiving and plotting evil 
69. Spying for the enemy of the Muslims 
70. Cursing or insulting any of the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (peace be upon them all)