We need a Ramadan, a month of  Tawbaah.

We need a Ramadan, a month of  Maghfira.

We need a Ramadan to correct our behavior, to correct the differences & the difficulties and the envy / jealousies in our relationship between one another.

We need a Ramadan to understand that we have been committing injustice to one and another. And as the Prophet (pbuh) said :

‘Az-Zulm (injustice) . “Zulumaat yawmal Qiyaamah” we’ll be changed physically into darkness on the Day of Judgement.’

Ramadan is a month of Forgiveness.

Ramadan is a month of Rahmah.

Ramadan is the month of Generosity.

Ramadan, the month that Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala accepts the Tawbah of the servants, and the month that Allah blesses His servants.

We are in need of Ramadan to correct ourselves, for we have forgotten Allah tabarak wa ta’ala for the majority of the year.

To correct ourselves for we have been neglectful.

To correct ourselves for we are not upon the remembrance of Allaah.

To correct ourselves because our hearts have gotten hard, some hearts are dead, some hearts are sick , some hearts are stone-cold, some hearts are black, getting no benefit whatsoever. Some hearts are so bad, and so ill that they see a good as a Munkar, (as an evil), and they see an evil as a good. These are not as they should be.

We need a Ramadan because our connection with Allaah tabarak wa ta’ala is not correct.

We need a Ramadan because we do not have any Khushoo or devotion in our Salaah.

We need a Ramadan because our Qura’an has dust and is sitting o­n a shelf.

We need a Ramadan because we never read the books of Sunnah.

We need a Ramadan because we don’t fast, and if we fast physically without food or drink, we don’t fast with our eyes by lowering them and our tongue by not slandering and our tongue by not lying and back-biting. We need a Ramadan to get ourselves back in order, to work for the Hereafter, to connect ourselves to Allah tabarak wa ta’ala.

We need a Ramadan because relationships brother to brother and sister to sister is in a miserable condition.

We need a Ramadan because we have bad thoughts about o­ne another.

We need a Ramadan because there is backbiting, there is envy, there is jealousy, and there is slander.

We need a Ramadan because we are despicable, because we are sick.

We need a Ramadan because we don’t believe in the promise of Allah tabarak wa ta’ala, or if we do, we do not implement it.

We need a Ramadan because it is time for us to change and become something better then we are now.

We need a Ramadan because we don’t have unity, there’s no brotherhood

We need a Ramadan because there’s no respect for elders.

We need a Ramadan because there’s no real love between us.

We need a Ramadan, full of love and the Mercy of Allah tabarak wa ta’ala.

A Ramadan like we come in, like in a clinic or a hospital, trying to solve our illnesses, trying to come out of there without the disease we came with, trying to be better than we went in with.

We need a Ramadan, that we come in the Masjid and we face the Qiblah and we say “Allahu Akbar” and we stand in qiyamah a long time until those diseases, that filth, that sickness, that hardness the heart goes away.

We need a Ramadan that reminds us of the Hell-fire.

We need a Ramadan that lets us known that we are servants of Allah tabarak wa ta’ala.

We need a Ramadan and it is clear.If there is any fear of Allah left in the hearts of ours and if there is any hope of Janah left in us, and if there is any desire to change and to be better and to be righteous and to come to the level of Ihsaan, to come to the level of a Mumim, to have taqwa, to fear Allah

… we need a Ramadan.

Human body is actually a combination of systems which work in a coordinated manner to keep you in a healthy and active state. There are natural defense mechanisms included in human body by Allah Almighty which work by killing the harmful and unwanted pathogens. But humans are prone to get ill and suffer from many different diseases throughout their lives.

We all get sick and then recover and this happens very often. Sometimes illnesses are short lived and sometime they are of more serious nature, but there are many medical aids which have been devised to take care of people who are ill. When a person gets sick our first preference is always to go to a good doctor, but have you ever thought that what is concept of illness and its cure in Islam?

In Islam a disease is not normally associated with the outcomes of sin or a punishment in fact it is considered as a testing period for the diseased person and also your sins are washed away during the period in which you suffer from the consequences of an illness. Allah almighty wants to test that how you will react when subjected to physical stress and pain. Will you stay obedient and thankful or you will start being unthankful to him. It is dependent upon you that what kind of behavior you will adopt if you want you can fall into the darkness of despair or take this as an opportunity of seeking mercy from Allah Almighty.

There are prayers some of which have been described in Holy Quran while others mentioned by our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH which should be narrated by the diseased person during his illness. Let us have a look at some of the Du`a which have been dictated by Allah almighty and Prophet Muhammad PBUH and can be used for getting rid of illness.

It has been mentioned in Quran that:

“Truly distress has captured me, but You are Most kind of those that are merciful”

This is the prayer which was said by Prophet Ayub.

At the time of our beloved Prophet PBUH when Muslims used to get sick they ask for advice from the messenger of Allah Almighty. It has been stated that he used to recite the below mentioned prayer for the sick persons

Allahuma rabbi-nas adhhabal ba’sa, ashfi wa entashafi, la shifa’ illa shifa’uka shifa’ la yughadiru saqama.

It is recommended that while reciting this Du`a you should touch the region which is in pain with right hand. In this prayer a person begs to Allah almighty who is the sustainer to remove the disease and cure it. Also it is stated that no other person has the power of curing the illness other than Allah Almighty.

Another Du`a is being mentioned below

As’alu Allah al ‘azim rabbil ‘arshil azim an yashifika

In this prayer a person begs to Allah Almighty for the cure of his illness. It is recommended to do the repetition of this prayer 7 times.

Finally a person should never lose hope and never wish for death during his illness because this is not liked by Allah Almighty.

Most of us presume that success in predictable when we are constantly successful, and we forget that it was Allah who had blessed us with success. And in times of success we forget about Allah and think that the success that we achieve was bound to come. In those moments of success we should remember that Allah can turn success into failure in the blink of an eye.

And there have been many examples in the past where rulers and businessmen who were confident of their success have lost everything. In the Quran, Allah has provided an example of a person who was very wealthy that when he entered in his own built paradise and he was not even justified to himself  he said I don’t think that my this wealth and richness will ever finish.

We Attribute Our Success To Our Own Intellect And Efforts

When most of us achieve success after making many efforts, we tend to think we are solely responsible for our success and we forget about Allah. We forget that it was Allah who blessed us with success. This was exactly was Qarun used to do; he attributed his wealth and success to his intellect. Surah Al-Qasas highlights how arrogant he was.

He (Qarun) said that he claimed, “all this I have is only given to me because of my own intellectual abilities and knowledge” and he forgot how many generations Allah had destroyed in front of him and those who were stronger than him and also they had collected the people who were greater in number according to richness point of view. Allah says that such people are sinners and criminals and they will not be queried and will directly send to be punished without any accountability.

In Times Of Success And Happiness We Forget About The Poor And Needy

According to our religion Islam, we have to give a portion of our wealth to the poor. And doing this is a favor we do on the poor and needy, it is an obligation and we are bound to give a portion of our wealth to the poor. But in times of success we forget about the poor, we are so intoxicated with our success that we don’t even look towards the poor.

In Quran, Allah reminds us of the people who are the righteous in Surah Adh-Dhariyat and one of their attributes is the following:

And in their properties there was the right of the beggar, and the Mahroom (the poor who does not ask the others)

Quran (Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Verse 19)

Quran says that people have a part in their properties there was the right of the beggar, and the Mahroom (the poor who do not ask the others).  It was described from Abu Hurayrah (R.A) that the Prophet (PBUH) said that without missing any day, when people get up and two angels come down and one among them says O Allah bless a person with compensation who spend in your way and punish them who withholds.

While giving from our wealth in charity is a recipe for success, withholding charity can lead us to destruction. Whether Allah destroys the wealth that one has or deprives one from other blessings is up to Him. Consider the following hadith of the prophet (s):

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which the people get up but two angels come down and one of them says, ‘O Allah, give in compensation to the one who spends (in charity),’ and the other says, ‘O Allah, destroy the one who withholds.’” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1374; Muslim, 1010.

The point to remember is that charity is quite essential and the future of our blessings and provisions can be tied to our giving or withholding. The One who has the power to grant, not only can grant more but also has the power to take it away.

Happiness And Wealth Do Not Necessarily Mean That Allah Is Happy With Us

If we have wealth in this world we should not imply that Allah is happy with us, wealth has no value in front of Allah. Today most of the corrupt people have a lot of wealth, but they will have to answer for their wrong doings on the Day of Judgment.

Wisdom is the solution to all problems in our life. Immanuel Kant, a renown philosopher has laid emphasis on wisdom by claiming it to be an organized way of life. The crucial experience one gains from life can be the key to success. It is no surprise that Quran treats wisdom as an important part of a person’s life.

There is no shortage of examples being mentioned particular emphasis on the life of prophet Muhammad (saw). However, there was one person whose wisdom was so special that an entire chapter in the holy book was named after him. There is no particular proof that says Luqman was a prophet. Historians say that he belonged to Jerusalem and was a carpenter by profession but it was due to his wisdom, that he was used to be a judge to settle people’s affairs.

His Famous Words Of Wisdoms:

According to the Quran, Luqman was offered prophethood, but he refused to believe his character was weak to become one. The Quran describes his wisdom through his words to his son which were as follows:

1. Do not associate anyone with All
2. Being respectful to parents
3. The obliging duty to parents unless they prevent from the right path
4. A person is accountable for their deeds
5. Offering prayers
6. Avoid being arrogant
7. Learn to be humble and lower your voice

Prove Of His Wisdom Other Than Quran:

Sources other than Quran have also praised the wisdom of Luqman saying he often used to cite wisdom as a reason for people calling him for judgement in their affairs. He also stressed the importance of wisdom to others by asking them to be serious about it. He regarded the heart and tongue to be the most important parts of a person’s character stressing that a pleasant heart and tongue make a better man.

Furthermore, he said it is better to be silent if words to be spoken are not pleasant. He had strong feelings for mercy kindness and charity stating that they were all part of wisdom. On friendships, he said that a person should not only love his friend but also their father. Luqman told his son to keep company with wise men and to consult scholars in religious and worldly matters.

Way Of Spending Life:

Some sources such as Abu ad-Darda stated Luqman was granted wisdom because he owned all the attributes of piousness such as kindness, mercy and he did not indulge in any foolish activities. He stated that the one who observes patience and doesn’t be unthankful when any calamity befalls him is the one who is among the best. Many of his children died but he never complained or became impatient.

He had many children and wives but he was never proud of their numbers. In case he had fought with someone, he didn’t hold any grudges and looked to make peace with them. He used to have many good habits, such as people never used to smell odor from his body nor did anyone saw his bath. He prevented mocking anyone and used to inquire in detail about the explanations of wise sayings he heard. He remained patient through poverty and thankful through wealth.

In Islam there are 3 main holidays: Eid Al-Adha, Eid Al-Fitr and Ramadan. Eid Al-Fitr is well known at the ending of Ramadan (a month of fasting), and Muslims sometimes offer charity on the occasion.

Eid Al-Adha is well known as pilgrimage (annual journey to Mecca), that is one in 5 pillars. Muslims sacrifice an animal and distribute its meat among family, friends and also the poor. All Muslim holidays follow the calendar, and so move every year depending to the calendar. The Muslim calendar has twelve months and 354 days on a year, and 355 days on an intercalary year.

Muslim’s beneficial tenth days “ASURA”

Ashura is commemorated by Muslims on the tenth days of first month of Islamic. Ashura is associate Arabic acceptation “tenth”, and in line with Sunni colleges of thought it’s each day of optional abstinence. Jews within the town of Madina fasted just one day, on High Holiday, the tenth of Tishrei, therefore it had been thought that Prophet Muhammad would quick too, to specific the continuity of Islam and brotherhood with the sooner Prophet.

By Muslim tradition, these days commemorates God saving Moses and also the Israelites from ruler in Egypt as they crossed the Red Sea (the Exodus day). In line with Judaism, the Israelites left Egypt on the primary day of Passover, and that they crossed the Red Sea seven days anon the twenty first of Jewish calendar month, each of that area unit celebrated as holidays with meals.

“Night of the Ascension and Journey”

Laylat ul Isra and Mi’raj is Arabic for the “Night of the Ascension and Journey”. It’s the night once Muhammad was, in line with Hadiths, taken to “the furthest mosque” (generally understood to be Jerusalem) on a Buraq (a beast resembling horse with wings; some individuals contemplate it a cherub) and ascended to the best level of the heavens.

It’s same that he requested God to scale back the quantity of prayers; however on his approach down he met Moses. They asked him to arouse a discount within the variety as a result of the necessity was troublesome for Muhammad’s individuals.

Muhammad came to God and several other times asked for, and were granted a discount of 5 prayers, till the quantity was reduced to 5 in total, with the blessing that if they were properly performed, the performers would be attributable with fifty prayers rather than 5. The event of at night has conjointly been represented in religious writing partially fifteen the start of Surah Isra.

“The Night of Power”

Laylat al-Qadr is Arabic for “The Night of Power”. It is observed at last 10 days of Ramadan sometimes on associate odd numbered day. It’s thought of the holiest night of the year, since it’s the night within which the Qur’an was initial disclosed. It’s conjointly thought of higher than all months [Quran 97:1–3]. It’s same that if an individual performs voluntary worship on at night, that worship is capable of about eighty years. Ramadan is that the month within which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. This is often meant to feel however the poor individual’s feelings while not food or water. Additionally, Muslims shut their bodies aloof from terrestrial demands by denying themselves food and drink. This successively permits for the nourishment of the soul.

The Qur’an goes to great lengths to stress the need and obligation of Muslim unity. For instance, it states: And hold fast, altogether, to the rope of God and be not divided.[3:102] In another passage it says:Be not like the idolaters. Those who split up their religion and become sects, each party rejoicing in what it has.

Given these verses; and given the many demands in the Sunnah for Muslim unity; and given the great virtue, rank and honour this ummah is depicted with in the Revelation; those hadiths that speak of the Muslims splitting into seventy-odd sects, all except one destined for Hell, seem to contradict that spirit of honour and unity. Understandable, then, why some scholars deem these hadiths on iftiraq or “splitting-up” as problematic; struggling to fit them into the general spirit of excellence this ummah is distinguished by. For what merit is there in a nation so riddled with divisions and schism and where, seemingly, the great bulk of its followers are heading for Hell!

This post looks at the hadiths on the ummah splitting-up – discussing their soundness, what this splitting means, and whether this implies that the majority of the ummah are innovators destined for Hell.

This posting is culled from a more detailed paper I wrote on the matter last year, titledThe Seventy-Three Sects: Are the Majority of Muslims Innovators? - which can be read and downloaded here. The present discussion shall be broken down into the following ten points:

1. The Qur’an insists that the Muslim nation (ummah) is the best of all nations: You are the best nation ever raised for mankind; you enjoin the good, forbid the wrong and believe in God. [3:110] The same tribute may be heard reverberating in the following hadith: ‘You are the last of seventy nations; you are the best of them and the noblest of them in the sight of God.’ [Al-Tirmidhi, no.3001] Another hadith has these glad tidings: ‘The people of Paradise are composed of one-hundred and twenty ranks; eighty of them from this nation, forty from the other nations.’ [Al-Tirmidhi, no.2546]

2. Something of the size and magnitude of this ummah can be gauged by the following hadith: ‘Nations were presented to me and I saw a prophet with one or two followers; another prophet who had a few followers; and another with no followers at all. Then I saw a huge multitude of people filling the horizon, and hoped that this was my nation. But it was said to me that this was Moses and his people. I was then told to look, and I saw another great multitude of people filling the horizon. I was told to look here, and here as well, and [again] I saw huge multitudes who filled the horizon. It was then said to me: These are your nation. Along with them, seventy-thousand shall enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment.’ [Al-Bukhari, no.5752]

3. Zooming in with a theologian’s lens, one sees a further detail to the ummah’s overall number in Paradise. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said in an addition to the above hadith: ‘I asked my Lord for increase, so He increased it. So with every thousand there would be another seventy-thousand.’ [Ahmad, Musnad, no.2:359] Thus the numbers to enter Paradise from this ummah, without reckoning, are huge; whereas those who will enter Paradise upon their deeds being weighed-up and reckoned is far far greater still.Subhana’Llah!

4. There are a number of reports in the hadith canons related about the splitting-up of the ummah. Among the are: (i) Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, told us: ‘The Jews split-up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects. The Christians split-up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects. And my ummah will split into seventy-three sects.‘ [Al-Tirmidhi, no.2640.] (ii) The hadith of Mu‘awiyah, which states: ‘… and indeed this ummah will split into seventy-three sects, seventy-two in the Fire and one in Paradise: they are the Main Body (al-jama‘ah).‘ [Abu Dawud, no.4597] (iii) The hadith of ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr has this response as to who is the one saved-sect: ‘It is that which I and my Companions are upon (ma ana ‘alayhi wa ashabi).‘ [Al-Tirmidhi, no.2641] (iv) While the hadith of Abu Umamah depicts the saved-sect as being: ‘The Great Majority (al-sawad al-a‘zam).‘ [Ibn Abi ‘Asim, Kitab al-Sunnah, no.68]

5. While it is true that some of the above hadiths are not free from having weaknesses in their chains, or isnads, they collectively strengthen each other to yield a final ruling of being either sound (hasan) or authentic (sahih). Thus after recording the first hadith, Imam al-Tirmidhi declared: ‘The hadith of Abu Hurayrah is a hasan sahih hadith.’1 Al-Hakim said of the same hadith: ‘These chains stand as a proof for the authenticity of this hadith.’2 Ibn Taymiyyah said: ‘The hadith is authentic and widely accepted (sahih mashhur).’3 Ibn Kathir mentions that they are related ‘via chains that strengthen one another.’4 While al-‘Iraqi said about the hadith of Mu‘awiyah and two similar hadiths: ‘Their chains are excellent.’5

6. To whom or what does this splitting or iftiraq refer? Al-Khattabi stated: ‘His words: “my ummah will split into seventy-three sects” is an indication that these sects are not beyond the fold of the religion; for the Prophet, peace be upon him, included them all as part of the ummah.’6 Al-Bayhaqi said something similar: ‘The report is understood to mean that they will be punished in the Fire for a while; not for eternity. The proof against their excommunication (takfirihim) is taken from the Prophet’s saying, peace be upon him: “My ummah will split-up”. Hence he made them all a part of his ummah,despite their splitting.’7 One fatwa sums the matter up, thus: ‘What is intended by the term ummah in this hadith are the Muslims who will split-up into seventy-three sects; seventy-two of them being deviant innovators whose innovations do not expel them from the fold of Islam. So they will be punished for their innovation and heresy, save those who God forgives and pardons; but will finally enter Paradise. As for the saved-sect, it is ahl al-sunnah wa’l-jama‘ah: the followers of the sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and adherents to what he and his Companions were upon.’8

7. Although it is consoling to learn that the seventy-two sects are Muslims, are we then to lament over the seemingly stark implication that the great majority of Muslims are misguided innovators? Ibn Taymiyyah wrote: ‘The saved-sect is described as being ahl al-sunnah wa’l-jama‘ah. They are the overwhelming multitude (al-jumhur al-akbar) and the great majority (al-sawad al-a‘zam). The other sects are followers of aberrant views, schism, innovations and deviant desires. None even comes near to the number of the saved-sect, let alone its calibre. Instead, each such sect is extremely small [in number] (bal qad takunu’l-firqatu minha fi ghayati’l-qillah).’9

8. That the total number of innovators in the ummah is minimal in contrast to that of the saved-sect is fleshed out in some detail by Salih al-Maqbali; a Yemeni scholar who died at the beginning of the twelfth Islamic century. He said: ‘In summary: the people consist of the masses (‘ammah) and the elite (khassah). As for the masses, then the later generations are like the earlier ones. Thus women, slaves, shepherds, farmers, traders and their like are those who have noting at all to do with the elite. There is no doubt at all that the last of them are free of being innovators, just as the first of them are.’10 He then goes on to divide the elite into four groups: (i) The true innovators who originate the innovation. (ii) Followers of such innovation, who aid and abet it. However, their aim could have been to follow the truth, but the reality of the innovation was unclear to them. (iii) Those poor in knowledge and research who, being content with learning what was handed down to them, fall into innovation. (iv) The rightly-guided, orthodox scholars.

He then goes on to say: ‘The first group of the elite are definitely innovators; the second, possibly innovators; the third, judged as if they are innovators …From the elite is a fourth group … the true Sunnis and the saved-sect, to whom the masses turn. [This group further includes] whoever your Lord wills from the aforementioned three groups of the elite, according to the extent of the innovation and their intention.’11 In conclusion, he said: ‘So if you have understood all that we have said, then the worrying question – the ruination of most of this ummah – needn’t be asked.

For the numerical majority, past and present, are the masses; and also the [fourth group from the] elite of earlier generations; and possibly the middle two groups. Likewise, those from the first group whose innovation was unclear to them, then God’s mercy shall save them from being innovators, according to the requital of the Afterlife. For God’s mercy abounds for each Muslim. But we have been discussing the implications of the hadith and who it refers to, and that the individuals from these innovated sects, even if these sects are many, their total number does not amount to even a thousandth part of the Muslims. Thus consider this carefully and you will be saved from believing that this hadith is at odds with all those hadiths that speak of the virtues of this ummah of many mercies.’12

9. More than just a cliché; more than a claim; more than even a name, the saved-sect (al-firqat an-najiyah) is identified with what may be termed as ijma‘ theology – a set of beliefs and practices rooted in the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the consensus or ijma‘ of the Muslims scholars. Issues wherein a consensus exists constitute the fundamentals (usul) of Islamic orthodoxy, from which it is unlawful to differ. In fact, differing from the usul is considered iftiraq or splitting from orthodoxy. Ibn Taymiyyah hits the nail on the head when he observes about the innovated sects: ‘The hallmark of these sects is their splitting from the Book, the Sunnah and scholarly consensus (ijma‘). Whoever speaks with the Book, the Sunnah and scholarly consensus is from ahl al-sunnah wa’l-jama‘ah.‘13 Al-Bayhaqi stipulates: ‘We have already stated in the book al-Madkhal, and elsewhere, that the blameworthy differing (al-khilaf al-madhmum) is whatever differs from the Book, the authentic Sunnah, or a scholarly consensus.’14 As for those issues which are open to more than one legitimate reading or interpretation, or about which no consensus exists, they are not part of orthodoxy’s usul. Instead, they constitute thefuru‘ – the detailed rulings and positive law – wherein differences aren’t just tolerated; they are welcomed and celebrated.

10. Despite the above, some people are struck with an insufferable anxiety when told that the saved-sect encompasses the greater part of the ummah. Some of their mental block stems from misreading the words of certain early scholars in their explanation of who the jama‘ah is. Take, for instance, the words of the venerable Companion ‘Abd Allah b. Mas‘ud: ‘The jama‘ah are the followers of the truth, even if it be one individual (al-jama‘ah ahl al-haqq wa in kunta wahdaka).’15 Some think that reports of this nature bespeak of the saved-sect being a small clique of people, with all other Muslims being deviants. But as the above discussion shows, this is not so.

The following explanation of the jama‘ah, by Imam al-Tirmidhi, should help shed further light on the matter. He wrote: ‘The explanation of the jama‘ah with the scholars is that they are the people of jurisprudence, knowledge, and hadith (hum ahl al-fiqh wa’l-‘ilm wa’l-hadith). I heard al-Jarud b. Mu‘adh say; I heard ‘Ali b al-Husayn saying: I asked ‘Abd Allah b. al-Mubarak who the jama‘ah was, and he replied: Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. It was said to him that they have died, so he said: so-and-so and so-and-so. He was told that they too have passed away. So he said: Abu Hamzah al-Sukkari is the jama‘ah.’16

Of course, when Ibn al-Mubarak responded by saying that Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were the jama‘ah in their time, he wasn’t negating right-guidance from the other sahabah or Companions. Likewise, when he pointed to the pious Khurasani scholar Abu Hamza al-Sukkari as being the jama‘ah, he wasn’t denying the orthodox credentials of other scholars of the same era – those like Sufyan al-Thawri, al-Awza‘i, Malik, Abu Hanifah or Ibn ‘Uyaynah. Such a reading would beggar belief! Rather this report simply talks of the pivotal role of the scholars in defining right-guidance and orthodoxy. Thus the masses, by virtue of them following the scholars, are part of the jama‘ah; not separate from it. So in this sense the jama‘ah is al-sawad al-a‘zam - the Great Majority. It is the scholars, though, who are the actual leaders of the jama‘ah.

Furthermore, mentioning a specific scholar by name as being the jama‘ah was simply a way of showcasing that such scholars are those who best exemplified the jama‘ah in their respective times or locales, and were most worthy of emulation. Other scholars also epitomised the jama‘ah, but perhaps not quite to the same degree.

Nas’alul’Lah an yaj‘aluna min al-firqati’l-najiyah wa alla yuzigha qulubana

ba‘da idh hadana. wa sallal’Lahu ‘ala muhammadin

wa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallama

tasliman kathira.

Amin!

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1. Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi (Riyadh: Darussalam, 1999), 600, no.2640.

2. Al-Mustadrak ‘ala Sahihayn (Cairo: Dar al-Haramayn, 1997), 1:207, no.443.

3. Majmu‘ Fatawa (Riyadh: Dar ‘Alam al-Kutub, 1991), 3:345.

4. Tafsir Qur’an al-‘Azim (Beirut: Dar al-Ma‘rifah, 1987), 2:481-2.

5. Al-Mughni ‘an Haml al-Asfar (Riyadh: Maktabah Tabariyyah, 1995), 2:884-5, no.3240.

6. Ma‘alim al-Sunan (Alleppo: Matba‘ah al-‘Alamiyyah, 1934), 4:295.

7. Al-I‘tiqad wa’l-Hidayatu ila Sabil al-Rashad (Damascus: al-Yamamah, 2002), 357.

8. Fatawa li’l-Lajnat al-Da’imah li’l-Buhuth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta (Riyadh: Dar al-Maw‘id, 2002), 2:157-8, no.4246, then presided over by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz b. Baz.

9. Majmu‘ Fatawa, 3:345-6.

10. Maqbali, al-‘Alam al-Shamikh fi Ithar al-Haqq ‘ala’l-Aba wa’l-Mashayikh (Egypt: n.p., 1910), 417.

11. ibid., 417-18.

12. ibid., 418. Al-Albani said – having cited the above, and more, from Maqbali: ‘These words are superb, demonstrating the man’s erudition, virtue and discernment.’ See:Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma‘arif, 1995), 1:1:413.

13. Majmu‘ Fatawa, 3:345.

14. Al-I‘tiqad, 354.

15. Cited in al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Faqih wa’l-Mutafaqqih (Saudi Arabia: Dar Ibn al-Jawzi, 1996), 2:404, no.1176.

16. Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi (Riyadh: Darussalam, 1999), 498, as part of his gloss to hadith no.2167: ‘Indeed God will not unite my ummah upon misguidance, and the hand of God is over the jama‘ah.’

Source: thehumblei.com

“Do you think we’ll ever get to the end?”

“Inshaa Allah,” I respond, patting Ibrahim gently on the back, in an attempt to encourage him.

“Ammi, there are six pages between me and Ya Sin,” says Ibrahim, looking down into his mushaf.

“You are six,” pipes in Amna.

“I am not six pages,” is Ibrahim’s response.

“Yes, you are,” responds Amna, starting to put on a fighting face.

“No, I am not,” sounds out Ibrahim slowly, increasingly frustrated.

“Just a minute, both of you, please,” I say stretching out my arms to keep them from coming to blows. “You’re right Ibrahim, you are not six pages, and you are also right, Amna, he is six. So how about rather than arguing about all of this, we try to channel some of our energy into memorizing?”

“Ammi, I really don’t think I can do this,” responds Ibrahim, shaking his head. “It’s just too long. It’s like four Surah Al Nabas lined up. You never did that when you were my age; how am I supposed to now?”[1]

“You’re right. I was definitely not on Surah Ya Sin when I was six, but I do remember hearing my Daadi recite, and I vaguely remember her trying to teach me… what if we take it one ayah at a time?” I say, then continuing, “and finish when we finish.”

“What is that supposed to me?” asks Ibrahim.

“Supposed to mean?” mimics Amna, nodding her head.

“There’s no due date. No expiry. We just start learning, and let Allah Subhanahu wa-ta‘ala do the heavy lifting, like we did all throughout Juz Amma.”

“Ammi, I really don’t understand you. No expiry, like the milk? And what do you mean by ‘heavy lifting’?” follows up Ibrahim.

“We take our time, baita, and we hope and pray that Allah in His infinite mercy will help us. Anyway, 83 ayaat are actually not that many. Technically, it’s less than two Surah An Naziats if you think of it that way. And you remember that beautiful hadith on our bookmarks?”

“The one about running?”

“Yes,” I say smiling, and then read out from my bookmark: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.[2].

“I speed,” responds Amna. In her customary way, she starts running in between the porch pillars, which accent part of our new backyard.

“I go faster,” says Ibrahim, leaping up and starting to chase after his sister.

Continue reading… at A Qur’aanic Odyssey blog.

All admiration and glorification goes to Allah who sent Prophet Muhammad [saws] as blessing upon us to go on the right way of life until the death what is the great kindness for us by the merciful Allah. I have selected a great topic to write in this day about the great women in Islam named Aisha who has a great contribution in Islam.

There many biography or lifestyle on the great male people who have done may thing but there are only few topics as the biography or lifestyle on female characteristics and for this I am here to write something on this great woman in Islam.

I think you will not ask this question that who is Aisha [ra] because it is well known to us that she is the only Muslim wife of our Prophet Muhammad [saws] who did not convert into Islam as she was Muslim by born.

Aisha [ra] was the daughter of Abu Bakr Siddiq [ra] and she was born after 3 years of getting the power of prophet hood by Prophet Muhammad [saws]. By born she was the the daughter of the greatest sahabah and on of the most respected man after Prophet Muhammad [saws].

And from the beginning Prophet Muhammad [saws and Abu Bakr Siddiq [ra] were very best friends so luckily and fortunately Aisha [ra] started to grow up knowing Prophet Muhammad [saws]. Unfortunately we did not get introduction of her and she married with Prophet Muhammad [saws] at the early age of life which got many complexity by the non Muslim.

As an accurate summary we can say that Aisha [ra] got married with our Prophet Muhammad [saws] at the age of 6 and after many years of marriage she entered into adolescence of life. And for this at the modern system this marriage is very much problematic.

But you can not forget that the time and place I am talking about is the time in Arabia and in that time this kind of imbalance marriages was available. In this sense our Prophet Muhammad [saws] was not enemy of her but it had created a very adverse affect on her mind.

It is simple when a little girl is forced to be got married then she have to face some mental depression and she must start to dislike him with whom she got married and not only dislike but she must hate that man. But in the case of our Prophet Muhammad [saws] the overall situation was totally different because Aisha [ra] loved our Prophet Muhammad [saws] very much and for this she is the dearest wife of him.

Not only this after passing our Prophet Muhammad [saws] she became the most prominent leader of our religion. According to serial number she was the 3^rd wife of Prophet Muhammad [saws] and before her he got married with Khadija bint Khuwaylid [ra] and Saudah bint Zam’ah [ra]. After this tow woman he got married with Aisha [ra] because she got a dream presented by angel Gabriel.

Bismillah

As-Salaamu A3alakum,

Below is an email I recieved from a sister struggling with Hijab living in the west. She has asked me to post this on my social networking pages such as Twitter (@Zahraalawi) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/zalalawi) to spread awareness on the struggles some sisters face. Do you think our communities are doing enough to support and aid sisters struggling with Hijab? What leads sisters to feeling conscious of their apparance in Hijab? Ive copied and pasted the email below.

With Salaams and Duas

Zahra Al-Alawi

————————-

Forwarded Email:

Dear Zahra Al-Alawi

I have thought long and hard about sending you this message and only until yesterday i decided to sit down and write you this letter after i saw that you will be lecturing at Aston university on the topic of hajab and seeing the girls letter you posted who got attacked in Canada for her hajab. You may ask why im writing this letter to you? The reason im writing this letter to you is because i have seen your lectures and tv shows on hajab and i have seen the large followship you have on facebook and twitter and i want to get this letter out to as many people as possible. I have no way of portraying my feelings and emotions and this seems like the perfect way to do this. All i want from you Zahra is to post this on your twitter and facebook page, I want people to know what im going threw and to know there are many other girls who are going threw the same. I dont know what the answer is but i just want people to know. I hope you find the time to read this letter and post it as i have messaged you before and have received no reply.

To whoever is reading this and to the general public. I am a girl living in London struggling with hajab,  and recently i entered a illegitimate relationship with a guy which i have no idea where it will lead to. My reputation is ruined to the extent that i dont know if i will ever get married. My confidence and self esteem is so low that makeup, fashionable clothes, attention from men and being loud and bubbly is the only way to hide the hurt i am feeling inside. I am one of hundreds of girls who are currently struggling with hajab in London. I am about to tell you how i reached this stage in the hope that someone will find a solution to prevent other girls in falling in this pit hole which im currently in. It started when I was 16 and has carried on to this day, i constantly felt that i was in competition with other girls. I didnt feel attractive in my hajab and was jealous of the other girls who were receiving attention from the boys at school. In desperation i started wearing makeup, wore revealing clothing to show off my figure, began to diet and began to act like the other girls. I even started smoking just so i got more attention. Unknowingly this led me to get negative attention and the attention from men which will lead to my reputation getting ruined. My parents noticed the change in me and tried so hard to change me, but i constantly felt pressured and misunderstood. Suddenly all the “religious” girls started abandoning me and looking down on me. I started to rebel even more as i already felt like a outcast. Thats when i started entering relationships with guys (to feel the love and attention which my parents and the community were neglecting me on). Alot of things have happened in the past years which have outcasted me more. Now it seems all the shoes, handbags, makeup and nice clothes is all which makes me feel worthy or satisfied. I know what i am doing is incorrect but its the lack of confidence which leads me to this. I just want everyone to know “we” girls are not bad, and if the community look away from us we will fall into more sin in desperation. We need positive motivation and advice without feeling pressured or feeling lower than the rest. We need to be welcomed into the community and made feel apart of it. I have watched your shows on Ahlulbayt TV and the other shows and it has helped my confidence alot. I see you and others so happy and confident in hajab and think to myself why cant i be that happy and confident in mine. I dont think i knew why i wore a hajab until recently. I want to change my life round and i too want to get married and be respected rather than classed as one of the “bad girls”. I wish the community does something to change this because i can tell you there are so many girls and boys in illegitimate relationships and are falling into a sinful trap without having any support or guidance. It has taken alot of courage to write this message without revealing too much of my life to expose my identity. I just wanted to share my feelings in hope that more help and support will be given from our communities or something is organised to help us feel confident in our hajab without the c–p we hide behind.

Original Post

A person’s fulfillment of inner contentment arrives from the peaceful actions, love and care for humanity. If you believe that you are surrounded by the protective shield of Allah Subhana Wa Tallah’s blessings, all the worries regarding the norms of living would vanish at once and the only thing that would remain is going to be the peaceful environment and calm state of mind.

When we start believing in the preaching of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and commence our lives on those enlightened rules first, we gain the infinite blessings of Allah Subhana Wa Tallah and secondly, in this world we find ourselves more peacefully stabled than others. To express our gratitude towards Allah Subhana Wa Tallah in our daily living, the only set of words and the act that can show Allah Subhana Wa Tallah’s true consideration is dhikr or prayers including the recitation and learning of Quran e Majeed and Sunnah

Whenever you perform your routine tasks always believe that there is Allah Subhana Wa Tallah constantly watching you. By having this faith, you are actually doing yourself a favor and with this set of mind would come the assuring feelings of love and affection towards Allah Subhana Wa Tallah, which would bring contentment.

Leave your every decision on Allah Subhana Wa Tallah’s will and see how your every problem would sort out quickly. You would have never imagined that so far. In order to live successfully here and here after, humans have to surpass numerous hindrances that are lying in the path of life at every stop. But with strong determination and faith on Allah Subhana Wa Tallah can ease down a person’s difficult time. It will help in choosing the best option and facing challenges of life.

Follow and go through the records or history of Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and follow Him (P.B.U.H.) in the same way, you will never fall on the ground and if you will then you will have strength to stand up again.  In Holy Quran, Allah Subhana Wa Tallah has mentioned clearly that “A person who wants to fetch my blessings must obey Muhammad (P.B.U.H) fully because he has done the duty that has been given him by me (Allah)”.

Allah Subhana Wa Tallah says that “Your feeling of love towards Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) will automatically show love toward me (Allah)”.  In short, strong implementation of Islamic values in true means can get you connected with Allah’s blessings. This is the only way to make the pathway of life here and hereafter easier. And, you can achieve all this by doing dhikr of Allah Subhana Wa Tallah or in remembrance of God.

The Prophet Abu Hurairah warned people against seven things in the world, of which magic was one of them. Whatever people consult or whomever they visit to learn these things is considered a rejection of Allah in a very bad sense, and punishment will strike these misguided people. Even the lighter forms of future-telling such as reading the stars for a person or telling their life from their palms is also forbidden. Anyone who indulges themselves with magic by visiting a witch or a soothsayer is punished by Allah by having his or her prayers ignored for forty days.

Even those who believe in it but do not practice magic are considered sinners. Magic is thought to be concerned with powers given by Satan, even though many practitioners of magic try not to bring harm to others by thoughts, deeds or other means. There is always the way down into the forbidden arts, which are considered the blackest imaginable. Many acts of absolute atrocity are committed against men, women and children and animals in the guise of magic and the lunatics who strive to make it acceptable to the world.

Magic, simple or complex, is simply seen as haraam or forbidden. It is a temptation to Man to ask of others rather than Allah for answers, future-seeing and other things, including temptation into lust, eating wrongly, consuming alcohol, all of which are forbidden in the Muslim faith. Some practitioners of the dark arts desecrate graves, eat pork and drink blood, all very wrong occupations to a Muslim and attributed to Satan, as well they should be in any country.

To a Muslim, competence in magic can only be attributed to Satan, not Allah, and, as such, it is thought the person may obtain greater powers than Allah. To a true believer this cannot be, as the only Power is Allah, and He has not given permission for this to be so. Many things are attributed to witches, warlocks and others in a Muslim country, and they will be lucky to escape with their lives if they are uncovered. Allah’s punishment is not usually very pleasant for any practitioner of the so-called dark arts.

Tasawuff exists purely to purify the heart from every lowly desire, lust, jealousy, nastiness whether by deed or speech, vanity and all the negatives that live in a Man’s heart and words. In return it wishes to clothe the heart with all things that are above these other emotions. These are fear of Allah, trust, love, truth, pure thoughts, and all that will make a Man worthy of attention in the afterlife, but most especially Allah’s mercy and love. This is its primary reason for existing and its soul.

To determine the problems of the heart in these issues is usually placed in the hands of a Shaykh or teacher. This person in turn has to be qualified according to the Shariah rulings, have had teachings by a suitably qualified Shaykh, who is respected by his followers, has no interest in worldly wealth for himself, tries very sincerely to teach his followers with education and morality, and has the needed religious knowledge, among other things. This person does not have to produce karamat or miracles, nor do they need to be able to see the future. Indeed, if they do, they may not be a Shaykh at all.

In order to follow the teachings of tasawuff it is good if you find a Shaykh whom you trust and like, for it will make your conversion easier. Once you have found this person, then there is a promise shared between you both in that he guides you and you follow him. There are several parts which the initiate vows to pursue, of  which are to start an everyday self-assessment before going to bed in order to repent the bad ones and give thanks to Allah for the good ones, make sure that your eyes, ears and tongue are watched strictly to prevent doing or saying the wrong things, develop a humbleness whereby you do not judge others for what they do or think you are better than them, remember Allah frequently and other items which are part of this ritual.

Tattoos are prohibited or forbidden in Islam. This verdict as proved by the Quran and Sunnah should be enough for the believing Muslims or believers in Islam but there is a group of people who keep on debating on this issue. They want to know why tattoos are prohibited or haraam but piercing of ears is allowed in Islam. If piercing with needle is haraam then why do the Muslim girls adorn their ears and nose by piercing to wear earrings and nose pins. There are lots of WHYs and sometimes all this becomes too confusing for new converts and people with weak faith in Islam.

Verdict of Quran & Sunnah

According to Quran and as told to Muslims through hadees or Prophet’s sayings any act that can hurt a person physically, mentally and spiritually is haraam and prohibited. More strictness and penalties are on those acts which are done intentionally to hurt fellow men, animals and including plants and non living things such as property of others which indirectly become a cause of hurt, injury or damage of other human beings. All these are categories of sins and hurting oneself, suicide and inducing pain in one way or the other is also called haraam or prohibited acts. Piercing one’s ears and body, injecting chemicals into the body in the name of art, fashion, display and fun is not at all wise as well as prohibited by Allah and His Apostle.

To Pierce or not to Pierce

The debate should be on the acts that are harmful for the body or not. Tattoo making is one of them. Piercing of ears and nose is not a part of Islamic culture but it is a part of Indian, African and many other cultures in the world. Muslims living in those parts of the world have adopted the norms and culture. They are merely following norms of the society they are living in. So, it is their own choice but they are answerable for their deeds like all the other Muslims in the court of Allah.

Why Tatttoos are Haraam

Women have been told and guided by Allah’s Apostle to dye their hands with Henna and their hair to appear beautiful for their husbands. No where it had been stated haraam the use of herbal extracts and products. Chemical based ingredients and products are not good for health and therefore, they were discouraged and prohibited. Same goes for the case of tattoo making in Islam.

Tattoo ink when injected in the skin can cause many unwanted and undesirable physical conditions including severe allergies, and may lead to the removal of lymph glands. They are teratogenic, one of the leading causes of mutations and carcinogenic problems. Do not pay the price of ignorance and learn more about this tattoo making procedure, the ingredients used for creating tattoo ink and the aftermath of having tattoos on your skin before subjecting yourself to having the procedure done.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is a great reformer, an aficionado, a devotee and a noble preacher of Islam. He has been working for the welfare of Islam for the past many years. He is renowned for his work. He has somehow succeeded in bringing to the bottom line the misconceptions about Islam in the western world. He has emerged as one of the most conscientious and diligent parson. He holds the credit for almost 1000 books. These books are available in different languages e.g. English, Arabic, Urdu, etc. Some of his distinguished and acclaimed books include The Glorious Qur’an English Translation, Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings, Mawlid al-Nabi, Beseeching for Help, Islamic Concept of Intermediation, etc.

Around 425 of his books are on paper and published while the remaining 575 books are going through the procedure of being in the hardcopy. His books are so acclaimed that they have been translated in to different languages. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri’s resurrecting, revitalizing, amending and reconstructive labours and harmony dynamics abide notable and significant connotation and embrace a consummate spot in promoting the grounds of world peace and human rights, metastasizing the factual Islamic assurance and belief and propagating portentous scrutiny exertion and discoursing the ideas of the Quran and Sunnah. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri laid the foundation of a Sufism-based establishment Minhaj-ul-Quran International and used up the next decade mounting it countrywide and globally.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has done prestigious work about the existence and the livelihood of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). His work is beautiful and alluring. The way has thrown light on the slightest events from the life of the greatest Reformer of mankind is just the exhibition of his talent and competency. He actually makes all his readers worship and adore the subject again and again. His speeches on terrorism depict a new face of Islam to the western world, the one they praise. While his lectures he quotes references from different books which makes his lectures even more effectual.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri delivered a sermon titled as “Islam on Peace, Integration and Human Rights” in Manchester. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri disagrees that terrorists and traitors have strayed and trespassed from the right, canonical wisdom of Islam and their defiant and mutinous fortitude of brutality, aggression and spiritual radicalism and fanaticism is a permanence of the Khawarij. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri portrays intimidation as an “ideological contagion “Suicide assaults are strictly prohibited in Islam, these activities and conducts are un-Islamic, the massacre and killing of innocent mankind in any creed, conviction or kingdom, and violence in all its demonstrations, are thoroughly in negation with the tradition of Islam.” Last but not the least Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has the right ability to speak to the heart and souls of his listeners, he conveys them the right and factual message and preaching of Islam.

A desperate father complained to me about his son’s extra curiculler activities.  He said: “My son prays five times and has no bad habits that can worry me. But he returns home late and does not get involved in domestic responsiblities. He is in college but rarely studies . At home he is occupied on internet chatting with unknown friends…Then the father exclaimed : He is a monk of a different type. A corporate monk.”

This type of complain may be burning in the hearts of many fathers and wives of today. Grown up men remain obsessed with the internet , news papers, watching serials and sports. They are away from the family affairs. They don’t find even talking to the family as interesting as the world affairs they chase.

A Muslim is suppose to be actively participating in multiple things. He is a father, a husband  and a son at home. He is helping his neighbour. He visits relatives instead of just messaging them, “May Allah give you a quick recovery”. He is with his children in their school. He is with his mother talking to her. Inspite of this, he finds time for dawah, deen and duniya. You will find him in  the front rows in masjid and also a very good businessman. He earns money and also he spends money. He gets up for tahajjud and also goes along with his family for an outing.

A corporate monk will not stay in a monestary far away from the society, but he is there right in the middle of the busy city. He goes home and stays there but like a paying guest who just givs the rent of his staying and remains away from the houshold activities. He is a piece of furniture at home, not responding to any need or call of domestic help. The ancient monks kept away from wealth, but the corporate monks chase careers and wealth. He is spending most of his time in either travelling or gossiping with friends or entertainment. Reports say that an average person staying in a metro city, spends only a half hour with his family. Some dont even get time to talk to their family. When they leave their homes, their kids are sleeping. When they return their kids have gone to sleep.

When Islam permits a man to marry four women it means it also expects this man to run four families. It also expects this man to give time and attention towards all the four families.  It means that a man lives in soceity and finds time for society. Being busy does not always means  ” I dont have time ” but it can also mean ” I will not give priority to this person, or work or responsiblity…..

When Islam does not allow monastisism, it also encourages its followers to be active in social life. Recall the famous Hadith: “The best among you are the one who are best to their families.”

Author : Nisaar Nadiadwala can be reached at nisaar_yusuf@yahoo.com

When you have come across with the phrase, we repent temporarily an Allah always forgives you would probably think of Allah and his great mysterious and amazing things. Today everyone has felt bad for the sins that they have done and when they want to repent for their sins all things would be finished. This would probably make them lose hope and start to live their life in its way.

Repent yourself

When you have decided to repent yourself for the sins that you have done, you would probably come to know that how you were insincere and also halfhearted in life. This is because if you are the person who has repented for your sins, you should have to do that immediately after your mistake. When you have failed to do this, it would make you get with big problems in your future.

Allah always forgives

Even though you have repented for your sins after a long time or as the temporary one, Allah always forgives you for sins. This is because Allah always says that he would probably consider you as his son and would help you in all the critical situations. Apart from that if you think to go for repent, Allah would consider that as the best one to forgive you in all means.

When you have promised to Allah as that you wouldn’t do the sins again and if you do that again and again, at that time also Allah would forgive you without making you get into trouble. From these things you would probably know that the mercy of Allah is vast one. Even though you have done with the sins continuously every day, Allah wants you to repent for the sin that you have done.

Faith on Allah

There are some people who have faith in Allah for one day, when they want to go for repent and not on the next day. Allah would also forgive those kinds of people too. If you have full faith in Allah you would probably get with all the things that you need in your life. When you have got problems in your life because of the bad deeds that you have done, in that situation also Allah would forgive you and provide you with the best guidance for the next step in your life.

Allah always provide people with the best life who wants to follow his religion in a reliable way and also still who wants to serve for the religion according to their capacity. Since he provides us with the best loving heart that would devote for him, it would be better to show all your sincerity to him in the form of faith.

If you want to get with more information on these things, you can go through the books related to Islam. Apart from that you can also get with the online websites to know about the beneficial things and also about Allah’s mercy on his people.

Allah says: “Except those who repent and believe and work righteous deeds, for them Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Sûrah al-Furqân: 70]

Have you ever thought about the fact that Almighty Allah  has a plan for you and every one alive even before conception by your parents? As a Muslim, you should know that this is definitely true whether you have thought about it or not. There is this basic teaching of Islam that states that when you do not achieve success in certain things you have worked hard for, you have to believe that Allah knows in his Omnipotence that is not the best thing for you at this time.

He has either delayed it to a better time or prepared something greater for you. This is very similar to the common saying that states “Man Proposes, God Disposes”. We will stretch this article further with examples and verses from the Quran and Hadith for better explanations

Allah’s Plan and Al-Qadar

Sit back and reflect on the fact that Almighty Allah  created the Earth, The Heavens, all that is in between them and beyond them. Therefore, he has a plan for all of his creatures and to live a fulfilled life, you have to understand how to tap into Allah’s Plan for you. As Muslims, we should believe that Allah has the best plan for us and this plan is flexible, glorious and in a way tied to Al-Qadar or individual destinies. According to Suratul Hajj, verse 70; “Know you not that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on the earth? Verily, it is (all) in the Book (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz). Verily, that is easy for Allah”.

This means that the master planner, Allah  has decreed everything that will happen. In the Hadith also, Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: Allah wrote down the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.”

Therefore, we must understand that Allah has a good plan for us in this life and the hereafter. To key into that plan which is definitely the best for us, we should abide by the teachings of Islam and place Almighty Allah first in all of our worldly endeavours. While in search of a job, a wife or before embarking on any money making venture, we should pray to Allah in order to achieve success and be guided aright.

It must also be noted that Allah’s plan does not prevent us from exercising our free will as humans, especially as there are two types of Qadar, one which is fixed and the other flexible. To live a happy life, we should obey Allah’s commandments, pray hard, and work hard in legal ways in order to live a comfortable life. If we do this, with Allah’s help, we will definitely key into his plan for us and be among the successful ones both in this life and in the hereafter.

Ma Salam.

There lived a pious man all by himself, who spent most of his time in praying, fasting and praising Allah. Almost all his waking hours were utilised in meditation and devotions. He was very happy with his spiritual progress. No wicked thoughts came to his mind and no evil temptations entered his heart.

One night, he dreamt a rather disturbing dream. He saw that a shopkeeper in the town was far superior to him in spirituality and that he must go to him to learn the basics of true spiritual life.

In the morning, the pious man went in search of the shopkeeper. He found him busy with his customers, selling goods and collecting money with a cheerful face. He sat there in a corner of the shop and watched the shopkeeper carefully. No signs of any spiritual life at all, he said to himself. His dream could not be true. But then he saw the shopkeeper disappear to pray his Salah. When he returned, he was busy dealing with money matters again.

The shopkeeper noticed the pious man sitting in the corner and asked: “As Salamu Alaikum, would you like something, brother?”

“Wa Alaikum As Salam. Oh! No! No!” said the pious man. “I don’t want to buy anything, but I want to ask you a question.” He then related his dream.

“Well, that is very simple to explain,” said the shopkeeper, “but you will have to do something for me before I answer your question.”

“I will do anything for you,” replied the pious man.

“All right! Take this saucer; there is some mercury in it. Go to the other end of the street and come back fast within half an hour. If the mercury falls out of the saucer, you will hear nothing from me. There you go now.”

The pious man took the saucer and started running. The mercury nearly wobbled out of the saucer. He saved it just in time, and slowed down. Then he remembered he had to return within half an hour, so he started walking at a fast pace. At long last he returned puffing and panting. “Here is your mercury, safe and sound,” he told the shopkeeper. “Now tell me the true interpretation of my dream.”

The shopkeeper looked at the pious man’s weary condition and asked him: “Well, friend, how many times did you remember Allah while you were going from this end of the street to the other?”

“Remember Allah!” exclaimed the pious man. “I did not remember Him at all. I was so worried about the mercury in the saucer.”

“But I do remember Him all the time,” said the shopkeeper. “When I am doing my business, I am also carrying mercury in a saucer. I am fair, honest and kind to my customers. I never forget Allah Ta’ala in my dealings with other men.”

“Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allaah (with heart and tongue) nor from performing As‑Salaah (Iqaamat‑as‑Salaah) nor from giving the Zakaah. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection). That Allaah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace. And Allaah provides without measure to whom He wills” [Al Quran, Surah an-Noor 24:37-38]

Islam just like any other religion has its own teachings on the benefits of the purification of the hart and the soul. This act forms the major portion of building the Muslim personality. It is referred to as al Tazkiyah in the Quraan. Some of the virtues associated with it are very keys in the Islamic faith and include adorning and practicing the 99 attributes of Allah, applying the virtues of compassion and mercy, holding one’s brother and sister’s well being higher than one’s self, generosity, trustworthiness and piousness. The most high God had a great regard for this practice and this is illustrated by examples in the Quraan

This aspect is one of the spiritual goals of the Islamic faith and is very fundamental for all the Muslims across the globe. This is must be a practice in a Muslim’s daily living. Since the aspect is very critical to Allah, a believer must act intelligently to acquire it by staying very closely to Allah. This can be achieved by seeking closeness to Allah, reading and comprehending clearly of the words from the Quraan. It is very clear from Quraan that those who want love from Allah must practice this aspect. This is brought out in the verses 1-10 of Surah al Shams (91).

Thikru Allah i.e. the remembrance of Allah is one of the most important components of the aspect. This term is always used to reflect a collection of ways in which any Muslim remembers, resides and attains being close to Allah in his heart and him. The term has to do with more than just recollection of something in memory but it is a training institution that aids develop people Muslims with enlightened hearts, fully occupied with Allah and his attributes. This is brought out in verse 13:27-28 of the holy Quraan. A Muslim can find it easy to accomplish a change in the heart by practicing Thinkr Allah. The simplest way to achieve this is fast is to start out by attaching your heart to him and then connecting it to his guidance. Once the heart is cleansed all the other parts of the body become clean and pure.

The 99 attributes largely mentioned in the Quraan are heaven of spiritual enrichments. Each attribute is an institution that gives a clear communication about Allah. It is always said that a true believer loves Allah most. Having good knowledge in Allah makes him to delink himself totally from evil things. This practice is as a result of having a deep knowledge of Allah.

Thinkr uses the symbols of the most high God and his creations as a way of recollection and contemplation. These are signs that are well illustrated in the Quraan. It is fact that about 75 verses in the Quraan speaks about this fundamental teaching in Islamic religion. The verses are said to highlight on the teaching in a number of ways.

In conclusion it is very important for every Muslim believer to practice purification of the heart and soul as this will enhance their closeness to Allah and enable them do good deeds all the time as illustrated in the Quraan.

Islam is the religion of peace, which requires its followers to surrender to the word of God and abide by the rules and regulations in order to receive the best treatment in life after death. By following the religious codes, a Muslim is securing for himself the love of God, not only in the hereafter but also in his life. Even though Islam draws a clear line between the religious and the worldly affairs, it still remains a religion of moderation and asks of its followers to strike a balance between the two, to secure a place in heaven while securing a peace, success and happiness in this life.

The purpose of man’s existence, according to Islam, is to worship God, to recognize His Greatness and Oneness and to worship him in the best possible ways. However in more worldly terms, everyone has a social life and needs to work in order to make a living and keep up with the moving society. Islam as a religion of balance calls for its followers to be a part of the mainstream society, to shun evil and promote the good and institute justice in society. It calls for its followers to be involved and to struggle for a better change.

Islam expects its followers to be efficient, creative, organized but most of all, it asks for its followers to value and manage time. Success can only be found in those who do not take time for granted. It is not impossible for you to find triumph in both your worldly and religious life if you can manage your time properly. For example on your way to work you can read the Quran or seek God’s forgiveness.

It is also important to sort out your priorities and maintain the ethical code of Islam in all your actions. Islam very strictly promotes the concept of hard work and labor. So being determined and focused about work and career is not disregarded in Islam. Participation in sports, politics, science, educational conferences, learning about different cultures and religions are all allowed and promoted as long as the religious line of modesty and utterance of truth is not crossed.

While performing worship and other obligatory religious practices are important, it is also important for all Muslims to interact with each other and maintain a healthy familial and social life. Islam places great importance on being satisfied and content as a person in order to recognize and be thankful for all the goodness God has placed in the world that surrounds us. Islam, as a religion encourages its followers to leave a balanced life, to maintain a grip over the worldly and the religious affairs and to tackle life and its problems in a stable and sound manner. It is a system of balanced faith.