Reaping the Benefits the Ramadan

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Reaping the Benefits of Ramadan
by Ali Al-Timimi
adapted from a lecture

In the month of Ramadan it is very important that we spent a few moments to understand some of the wisdoms and lessons that we can learn from this month of fasting.

Unfortunately, many Muslims come in to this month and they are as a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Let it not be that the day that you fast and the day that you break fast be equal." Meaning, one's behaviour, attitude and outlook are the same whether one fasts or not, i.e. fasting has no effect upon that person. This is why we need to reflect on some of these lessons.

LESSON 1: Gaining Taqwa

Allah legislated fasting for gaining taqwa, "O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain taqwa." [2 :183]
Taqwa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allah’s anger and Hellfire. So we should ask ourselves, when we break our fasts, ‘Has this fasting day made us fear Allah more? Has it resulted that we want to protect ourselves from the hellfire or not?

LESSON 2: Drawing closer to Allah

This is achieved by reciting and reflecting on the Qur’an during night and day, attending the taraaweeh prayers, remembering Allah, sitting in circles of knowledge and, for those who can, making `ummrah. Also for those who can, making I`tikaaf (seclusion) in the last ten nights of Ramadan, so as to leave all worldly pursuits and seclude oneself in a masjid just thinking of Allah, so as to bring oneself closer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala). When one sins, one feels distant from Allah. That is why one might find it heard to read the Qur’aan and come to the masjid. However, the obedient worshipper feels closer to Allah and wants to worship Allah more, because he is not shy from his sins.

LESSON 3: Acquiring patience and strong will

Allah has mentioned patience more than seventy times in the Qur’an and has commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in His Book. So when one fasts, and gives up one’s food and drink, and one’s marital sexual relations for those hours, one learns restraint and patience. This Ummah needs men and women that are strong willed, who can stand upon the Sunnah and the Book of Allah and not waver in front of the enemies of Allah. We do not need emotional people, who just raise slogans and shout, but when the time comes to stand upon something firm, they cannot do so, they waver.

LESSON 4: Striving for Ihsan (righteousness and sincerity) and staying away from riya’ (showing off)

Ihsan means to worship Allah as if one seeks Him, and even though one does not see Him, He sees all. Hasan al-Basri said, "By Allah, in the last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken something with my hand or refrained to take something with my hand or stepped forth or stepped back, except that I have thought before I have done any action, ‘Does Allah love this action? Is Allah pleased with this action?' So when one is fasting, one should gain this quality of watching oneself and also staying away from riya’ (showing off). That is why Allah said in a hadith qudsi, "Fasting is for Me and I reward it."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

Allah singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, "Fasting is for Me", because no one knows whether you are fasting or not, except Allah. For example, when one is praying or giving charity or making tawaf, one can be seen by the people, so one might do the action seeking the praise of the people. Sufyan ath-Thawri used to spend the nights and the days crying and the people used to ask him, "Why do you cry, is it due to the fear of Allah? He said, ‘No.’ They said, "Is it due to the fear of the Hellfire?" He said, ‘No. It is not the fear of Hellfire that makes me cry, what makes me cry is that I have been worshipping Allah all these years and doing scholarly teaching, and I am not certain that my intentions are purely for Allah.’"

LESSON 5: Refinement of manners, especially those related to truthfulness and discharging trusts.

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has no need that he should heave his food and drink."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

What we learn from this, is that we must pay attention to the purification of our manners. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "was sent to perfect good manners."
[Malik]

So we must check ourselves, are we following the behaviour of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)? For example: Do we give salaam to those we don’t know and those we do know? Do we follow the manners of Islam, by telling the truth and only telling the truth? Are we sincere? Are we merciful to the creation?

LESSON 6: Recognizing that one can change for the better

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent."
[Ibn Majah]

Allah provides many opportunities to repent to Him and seek His forgiveness. If one was disobedient they can become obedient.

LESSON 7: Being more charitable

Ibn `Abaas (ra) said, "The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadaan when Jibreel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month…"
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting person’s reward."
[at-Tirmidhi]

LESSON 8: Sensing the unity of the Muslims

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "…Those of you who will live after me will see many differences. Then you must cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khalifahs. Hold fast to it and stick to it."
[Abu Dawud]

In this month we sense that there is a possibility for unity, because we all fast together, we break fast together, we all worship Allah together, and we pray Salat al-Eid together. Therefore we sense that the unity of Muslims is possible. It is possible for Muslims to be a single body, but this will only be achieved when obedience is only to Allah and His Messenger.

LESSON 9: Learning discipline

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) made us adhere to discipline and strictness, strictness that does not lead to fanaticism or going outside the bounds that Allah has laid down. One cannot knowingly break the fast before the sunset, as this will not be accepted by Allah. Muslims should learn to be very strict in their lives, because they are people of an important message, which they mould their lives around.

LESSON 10: Teaching the young to worship Allah

It was the practice of the people of Madinah, that during the fast of Ashura (which is now a recommended fast of one day) to get their children to fast with them. When the children would cry of hunger and thirst, their parents would distract their attention by giving them some sort of toy to play with. The children would break their fast with their parents.
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

So the young should be brought to the masjid and they should pray with their parents, so that they are able to get into the habit of becoming worshippers of Allah. If one does not encourage children to fast when they are young, they will find it very difficult to fast for thirty days at the age of puberty.

LESSON 11: Caring for one’s health

Fasting has many medical benefits and it teaches Muslims to take care of their health and too build strong bodies. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "A strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone."
[Muslim]

May Allah subhanahu wata'ala accept our fasts and du'as. Ameen.

Insha'Allah, keep my family and I in your du'as,

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Leia Mais

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah,

SubhanAllah! Ramadan is going by so quickly; half of it has already passed. For the remaining 15 days, I will try to update as much as possible with Ramadan-related articles. The following is an article about the History of the month:

Ramadan in History
Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick

All praises to Allah, Lord of the worlds. He who revealed in His Glorious Qur'an,

"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who came before you that you may keep your duty to your Lord (having taqwa),"
[2: 185]

And may blessings and peace of Allah be upon His last Messenger Muhammed ibn Abdullah, forever.


O you who believe, Ramadan is a sacred month wherein Almighty Allah is constantly testing His creation and giving humanity the opportunity to achieve infinite, endless bliss. Fasting is a complete purification and a means to developing the consciousness of Allah's presence. The consciousness of Allah (taqwa) is a protection against the schemes of Shaitan, and the suffering of this world. Allah has informed us that,

"whoever keeps his duty to Allah (has taqwa), He ordains a way out for him and gives him sustenance from where he imagines not. And whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him. Surely Allah attains His purpose. Allah has appointed a measure for everything"
[65: 2].

Many Muslims today have a misconception about fasting and the activities of a fasting person. They go into a state of semi-hibernation, spending most of their daylight hours in bed. If they fear Allah, they wake up for prayer, but then return to sleep immediately. This unnatural sleep makes them become lazy, dull-witted and often cranky.

Ramadan is actually a time of increased activity wherein the believer, now lightened of the burdens of constant eating and drinking, should be more willing to strive and struggle for Allah. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) passed through approximately nine Ramadans after the Hijrah. They were filled with decisive events and left us a shining example of sacrifice and submission to Allah.

In the first year after the Hijrah, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib (radiAllahu anhu) with thirty Muslim riders to Saif al-Bahr to investigate three hundred riders from Quraish who had camped suspiciously in that area. The Muslims were about to engage the disbelievers in battle, but they were separated by Majdy ibn Umar al-Juhany.

The hypocrites of Al-Madinah, hoping to oppose the unity of the Muslims, built their own masjid (called Masjid al-Dirar). The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) ordered this masjid to be destroyed in Ramadan.

On the seventeenth of Ramadan, 3 A.H., Almighty Allah separated truth from falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and 313 of his companions set out to intercept a caravan of their own goods that had been left in Makkah. Abu Sufyan himself led it, the caravan having an estimated value of 50,000 dinars. They were met, instead, by a well-equipped army of the nobility of Quraish, intent on putting out the light of Islam. Despite being outnumbered three to one and appearing weak and unseasoned, the Muslims defended their faith with a burning desire to protect the meeting with their Lord through martyrdom. Allah gave them a decisive victory on this day of Ramadan that would never be forgotten.

In 6 A.H., Zaid ibn Haritha (radiAllahu anhu) was sent to Wadi al-Qura at the head of a detachment to confront Fatimah bint Rabiah, the queen of that area. Fatimah had previously attacked a caravan led by Zaid and had succeeded in plundering its wealth. She was known to be the most protected woman in Arabia, as she hung fifty swords of her close relatives in her home. Fatimah was equally infamous for showing open hostility to Islam. She was killed in a battle against these Muslims in the month of Ramadan.

By Ramadan of 8 A.H., the treaty of Hudaibiyya had been broken and the Muslim armies had engaged the Byzantines in the north. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) felt the need to strike a fatal blow to disbelief in the Arabian Peninsula and conquer the city of Mecca. Allah had declared His Sanctuary a place of peace, security and religious sanctity. Now the time had come to purify the Kaabah of nakedness and abomination. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) set out with an army having more armed men than Al-Madinah had ever seen before. People were swelling the army's ranks as it moved towards Makkah. The determination of the believers, guided by the Will of Allah, became so awesome that the city of Makkah was conquered without a battle, on the 20th of Ramadan. This was one of the most important dates in Islamic history for, after it, Islam was firmly entrenched in the Arabian Peninsula. During the same month, after smashing the idols of Makkah, detachments were sent to the other major centres of polytheism and al-Lat, Manat and Suwa, some of the greatest idols of Arabia, were destroyed.

Such was the month of Ramadan in the time of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). It was a time of purification, enjoining the good, forbidding evil, and striving hard with one's life and wealth. After the death of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), Muslims carried on this tradition and Allah used the true believers to affect the course of history. Ramadan continued to be a time of great trials and crucial events.

Ninety-two years after the Hijrah, Islam had spread across North Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Spain was under the tyrannical rule of King Roderic of the Visigoths. Roderic had forced his six million serfs and persecuted Jews to seek the aid of the Muslims of North Africa in order to be delivered. Musa ibn Nusair, the Umayyad governor of North Africa, responded by sending his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad at the head of 12,000 Berber and Arab troops. In Ramadan of that year, they were confronted with a combined Visigoth army of 90,000 Christians led by Roderic himself, who was seated on a throne of ivory, silver, and precious gems and drawn by white mules. After burning his boats, Tariq preached to the Muslims warning them that victory and paradise lay ahead of them and defeat and the sea lay to the rear. They burst forth with great enthusiasm and Allah manifested a clear victory over the forces of disbelief. Not only was Roderic killed and his forces completely annihilated, but Tariq and Musa also succeeded in liberating the whole of Spain, Sicily and parts of France. This was the beginning of the golden age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700 years. In the year 582 A.H., Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, after battling with the Crusaders for years, finally drove them out of Syria and the whole of their occupied lands in the month of Ramadan. The Muslim world was then destined to meet one of its most frightening challenges.

In the seventh century A.H. the Mongols were sweeping across Asia destroying everything that lay in their path. Genghis Khan called himself "the scourge of God sent to punish humanity for their sins". In 617 A.H., Samarkand, Ray and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H. Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, continued this destruction. Even Baghdad, the leading city of the Muslim world, was ransacked. Some estimates say that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage. The Christians were asked to eat pork and drink wine openly while the surviving Muslims were forced to participate in drinking bouts. Wine was poured in the masjids and no azan (call to prayer) was allowed. In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the threat of the whole Muslim world and then Europe being subjected to the same fate, Allah raised up from the Mamluks of Egypt, Saifuddin Qutz, who united the Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on 25th Ramadan, 458 A.H. Although they were under great pressure the Muslims, with the help of Allah, cunning strategy and unflinching bravery, crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The whole of the civilised world sighed in relief and stood in awe at the remarkable achievement of these noble sons of Islam.


This was the spirit of Ramadan that enabled our righteous forefathers to face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense activity, spending the day in the saddle and the night in prayer while calling upon Allah for His mercy and forgiveness.

Today, the Muslim world is faced with drought, military aggression, widespread corruption and tempting materialism. We are surely in need of believers who can walk in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), the illustrious Sahabah, Tariq ibn Ziyad, Qutuz, Salahuddin and the countless heroes of Islam. We are surely in need of believers who are unafraid of the threats of the disbelievers, yet kind and humble to the believing people - Muslims whose fasts are complete and not just a source of hunger and thirst.


May Allah raise up a generation of Muslims who can carry Islam to all corners of the globe in a manner that befits our age, and may He give us the strength and the success to lay the proper foundations for them. May Allah make us of those who carry out our Islam during Ramadan and after it, and may He not make us of those who say what they do not do. Surely Allah and His Angels invoke blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad. O you who believe! Send blessings and peace to him forever. Ameen.

Please remember to keep me and my family in your du'as, insha'Allah :)

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Leia Mais

The Beautiful names of Allah (swt)

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Insha’Allah this reaches you in a high state of iman and ihsan.

...

This month’s Glorious Name is Al-Mu'min (The Giver of Peace).

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُ ٱلۡمُهَيۡمِنُ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡجَبَّارُ ٱلۡمُتَڪَبِّرُ‌ۚ سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشۡرِڪُونَ
"He is the King, the All-holy, the All-peaceable, the Giver of Peace." (59:23)

Allah is the real giver of security. Only by being faithful to Him can one feel truly secure and have no fear at all. "Which of the two parties has a better title to security? Tell me if you know the truth. Those who believe, and have not confounded their belief with evil-doing, shall surely earn salvation." (6:81-82)

Security here means the peace one feels in his heart issuing from faith. Besides, Allah promised His loyal servants that their faith would be firmly established, so that they would live in peace and security instead of suffering and persecution. "Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the land, just as He made their ancestors successors, and that He will surely establish their religion for them that He has approved for them, and will give them in exchange, after their fear, security." (24:55)

Allah never fails the faith others place in Him; and His promise is genuine and never broken: "This is what Allah and His Messenger promised us, and Allah and His messenger have spoken truly." (33:22)

Thus, in this world of uncertainty and spiritual loss, there are people who lead their lives untouched by its misery and distress: "Surely those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah' and then go straight, shall have nothing to fear or regret." (46:13)

مِّنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ۬ صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـٰهَدُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيۡهِ‌ۖ فَمِنۡهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحۡبَهُ ۥ وَمِنۡہُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ‌ۖ وَمَا بَدَّلُواْ تَبۡدِيلاً۬ "This is what Allah and His messenger promised us, and Allah and His messenger have spoken truly." (33:22)

Leia Mais

Scientific Evidence on the Benefits of Fasting

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah.

Insha'Allah this reaches you all in the highest state of Iman.

I was doing some reading and came across this site that laid down some scientific proof of the benefits of fasting:

...

The material I found proves one of the recommendations of the Prophet (saw) –namely that of the BEST fast that there is – fasting one day and then not fasting the next and repeating the cycle so it’s an alternate day fast or an intermittent fast.

Here is the hadith:

He said, ‘Then fast one day and break the fast the next. That is the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him, and it is the fairest fast.’ (One variant has, ‘It is the best fast.’) I said, ‘I can do better than that.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘There is nothing better than that.’
(Riyadh-us-Saliheen, hadith 150)

And here is the scientific proof.

Dietary restriction has been shown to have several health benefits including increased insulin sensitivity, stress resistance, reduced morbidity, and increased life span. The mechanism remains unknown, but the need for a long-term reduction in caloric intake to achieve these benefits has been assumed. We report that when C57BL/6 mice are maintained on an intermittent fasting (alternate-day fasting) dietary-restriction regimen their overall food intake is not decreased and their body weight is maintained. Nevertheless, intermittent fasting resulted in beneficial effects that met or exceeded those of caloric restriction including reduced serum glucose and insulin levels and increased resistance of neurons in the brain to excitotoxic stress. Intermittent fasting therefore has beneficial effects on glucose regulation and neuronal resistance to injury in these mice that are independent of caloric intake.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=156352

But mice that were fed regularly only every other day—receiving the same average calorie intake as the dieting mice—showed “[dramatically] increased neurogenesis,” and also showed an increase in learning and memory abilities, Thuret said.

http://www.dana.org/news/brainwork/detail.aspx?id=10380

SubhanAllah...truly amazing eh?

May Allah (swt) accept our fasting and du'as during this blessed month and may He reserve for us all a spot in Paradise. Ameen.

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah.

source: muslimology.org

Leia Mais

Ramadan Mubarak!

Assalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah,

Insha'Allah this finds you all well in this blessed month :)

Here are some useful du'as for the holy month of Ramadan.

Happy fasting :)

When beginning the fast- Suhur

وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَّوَيْتَ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ

Wa bisawmi ghadinn nawaiytu min shahri ramadan

I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan
[abu Dawud]


When breaking the fast- Iftar

اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّى لَكَ صُمْتُ وَبِكَ امنْتُ [وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ] وَعَلَى رِزْقِكَ اَفْطَرْتُ
Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa 'ala rizq-ika aftarthu

O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You [and I put my trust in You] and I break my fast with Your sustenance
["wa 'alayka tawakkaltu" is quoted in some books of knowledge - but not all, hence it is in brackets]
[abu Dawud]


ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ وَ ابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ، وَ ثَبَتَ الأجْرُ إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ

dhahabadh-dhama'u wab-tallatil 'urūūqi, wa thabatal arju inshaAllah

The thrist is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is confirmed, if Allah [Ta'ala] Wills
[abu Dawud 2:306]


اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسأَلُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي

Allaahumma inni as’aluka birahmatika al-lati wasi'at kulli shay’in an taghfira li

O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy which envelopes all things, that You forgive me.
[a du'a that Abdullah ibn Amar (radiAllahu anhu) used to say when breaking his fast - as reported by Ibn abi Mulaykah (radiAllahu anhu)]




When someone offers you food when you are fasting and you decline



When you are invited to eat, then reply to the invitation. if you are fasting, then invoke Allah's blessings (on your host), and if you are not fasting then eat
[Muslim; 2:1054]




Upon reaching month of Rajab and Sha'ban



When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) sighted the moon of Rajab (two months before Ramadan) he used to pray to Allah in the following words:

اَللّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِى رَجَبَ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنَا رَمَضَان

Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha'ban wa ballighna Ramadan

O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings)
[Narrated by at-Tabarani and Ahmad]




When you are fasting, and someone is rude to you



اِنَّيْ صَائِمٌ ، اِنِّيْ صَائمٌ

Inni sa'iimu, inni sa'iimu

I am fasting, I am fasting
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Fath al-Bari of Al-Asqalani; 4:1-3, Muslim; 2:806]




Upon Sighting of the new Moon



اللَّهُ اَكْبَرُ ، اَللَّهُمَّ اَهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالآَمْنِ وَلاِيمَانِ ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالاِسْلَامِ ، وَالتَّوْفِيقِ لِمَا تُحِبُّ رَبَّنَا وَتَرْضَى ، رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ

Allahu Akbar. Allahumma ahillahu 'alayna bil-amni wal-imaani, was-salaamati, wal-Islami, wat-tawfeeqi lima tuhibbu Rabbana wa tardha. Rabbuna wa RabbukAllahu

Allah is the Greatest. O Allah bring us the new moon with security and faith, with peace and in Islam, and in harmony with what our Lord Loves and what pleases Him. Our Lord and your Lord is Allah
[at-Tirmidhi 5:504, ad-Darimi 1:336]




Upon seeing the first dates of the season



اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي ثَمَرِنَا ، وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي مَدِينَتِنَا وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي صَاعِنَا ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي مُدِّنَا

Allahumma barik lana fi thamarina, wa barik lana fi madinatina, wa barik lana fi saa'ina, wa barik lana fi muddina

O Allah! Bless us in our dates, and bless us in our town, bless us in our saa' and in our Mudd'
(saa' and Mudd' are dry measures used for agricultural produce by the Arabs in the Prophet's time)
[at-Tirmidhi 5:504, ad-Darimi 1:336]




Recited at intervals of taraweeh prayers



سُبْحَانَ ذِى الْمُلْكِ وَ الْمَلَكُوْتِ سُبْحَانَ ذِى الْعِذَّْْةِ وَ الْعظْمَةِ وَ، الْهَيْبَةِ وَ الْقُدُرَةِ ، وَالْكِبْرِيَآءِ وَ الْجَبْرُتِ، سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْحَىِّ الَّذِىْ لايُنَامُ وَ لا يَمُوُتُ، سُبُّوحٌ ، قُدُّوْسٌ، رَبُّ الْمَلَئِكَةِ وَ الرُّوُحِ لَآ اِلهَ اِلَّا اللَّهُ نَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ ، نَسْئَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَّ وَ نَعُوُذُ بِكَ مِنَ النّارِ


Subhana dhil Mulki wal Malakuti, Subhana dhil izzati wal aDhmati wal haybati wal Qudrati, wal kibriyaa'i wal jabaroot Subhanal Malikil hayyil ladhi, la yunaamu wa la yamūtu, Subbuhun, Quddusun, Rabbul malaa'ikati war-rooh
La ilaha illal lahu, nustugfirullahi
nas 'alukul jannati, wa na udhubika min an-naar

Glorified is the Owner of the Kingdom of the earth and the heavens; Glorified is the Possessor of Honour and Magnificence and Awe, and Power and Greatness and Omnipotence
Glorified is the Sovereign, the Living, Who does neither sleep nor die
O all Glorious, All Holy one, Our lord and the Lord of the Angels, And the soul.
There is no God but You, Forgive us, Grant us Paradise, and save us from (hell) fire.




Upon breaking the fast in someone's home



أفْطَرَ عِنْدَكُمُ الصَّائِمُونَ، وَ أَكَلَ طَعَامَكُمُ الأبْرَارُ، وَ صَلَّتْ عَلَيْكُم ُ الْمَلائِكَةُ

Aftara 'indakumus saa'imuna, wa akala ta'aamakumul-abraaru, wasallat 'alaikumul mala'ikat

May those who are fasting break their fast in your home, and may the dutiful and pious eat your food and may the angels send prayers upon you.
[abu Dawud 3:367, ibn Majah 1:556, an Nasa'i]




On Lailatul Qadr - the Night of Power


Aishah (radhiya Allahu Ta'ala anha), that she said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if I knew which night Lailatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it?" He said 'Say

اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ ، تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي


Allahumma innaka 'affuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni' "

O Allah You are The One Who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me.
[at Tirmidhi]

Ma'asalaama

Leia Mais

The Beautiful Names of Allah (swt)

Assalamu'alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

Insha’Allah you are all enjoying the blessings of Allah subhanahu wata’ala.

I haven't posted a Name for the past month or so because I was very busy. Insha'Allah I will do so from this month on.

This month’s Glorious Name is Al-Salam (The All-Peace).

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

"He is the King, the All-holy, the All-peacable." (59:23)

True peace comes in this life to those who recognize and serve Allah. "Say: 'Praise belongs to Allah, and peace be on His servants whom he has chosen.'" (27:59)

And in the next life, "their greeting, on the day when they shall meet Him, will be 'Peace!'" (33:44)

In times of fear, anxiety and hardship, a believer finds peace with Allah. "Say: 'I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak from the evil of what he has created.'" (113:1-2)

A believer, by following the will of Allah, lives in peace with himself, with other human beings, with the universe and with His Lord, "There has come to you from Allah a light and a Book Manifest whereby Allah guides to the paths of peace whoever follows His good pleasure, and brings them forth from the darkness into light." (5:15-16)

Believers spread peace amongst themselves and in the world. Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "By the One in whose hand is my soul! You do not enter Paradise until you believe, and you do not believe until you love each other. Shall I tell of something to do so that you may love each other? Spread peace amongst yourselves." (Muslim)

"Allahumma! You are the All-peaceable and peace is from You; Blessed be You, O possessor of Majesty and Nobility!" (Muslim)

"Say: 'I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak from the evil of what He has created.'" (113:1-2)

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Leia Mais

Ibn al-Qayyim: How to Give Da'wah to Those Who Love the Dunya

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Many a time, we find it difficult to give Da'wah to those who love the Dunya. The following are useful 'tips' by Ibn al Qayyim:

"...The smart one does not command people to abandon the dunya, because this is impossible for them. Rather, he has them abandon sins while they are established in their dunya. This is because abandoning the dunya is an optional virtue while abandoning sins is an obligation. So, how can he command them with something optional while they have not even fulfilled what is obligatory?

If it is difficult for them to abandon sins, he should then strive to get them to love Allah by reminding them of His signs, blessings, Kindness, perfection, and Loftiness. This is because the hearts are naturally designed to love Him, and if they become attached to loving Him, it then becomes extremely easy to abandon sins and to detach oneself from them.

Yahya bin Mu'adh said: "The intelligent one seeking the dunya is better than the ignorant one abandoning it."

The smart one calls the people to Allah from their dunya, and this makes it easier for them to respond to him. The zahid calls them to Allah by way of abandoning the dunya, and this makes it hard for them to respond, since it is very hard to pull someone away from the breast that he has developed his mind while suckling on..."

Wassalamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

Leia Mais