When I started my blog in 2008, I promised to describe in detail one of Allah's most beautiful names every month. Unfortunately, the last time I did was a year ago! Literally. So insha'Allah, I'll be starting again.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
This month's glorious name is Al-Rahim (The Merciful)
"There is no god but He, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate." (2:163)
Rahim is another attribute, also in the intensive form derived from rahma (mercy). Here, 'mercy' implies pity, patience and forgiveness, all which sinners need. "O My servants who have transgressed against their souls; do not despair of Allah's mercy; surely He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate." (39:53)
Allah is more merciful than vengeful. In a Hadith, he says, "My mercy surpasses my wrath." (Bukhari, Muslim). In the Hereafter, Allah is All-Compassionate to the believers only."My mercy embraces all things, and I shall prescribe it for those who are god-fearing." (7:156) Do you think this mother would throw her infant child in the fire? Allah is more merciful to His servants than she is to her child." (Bukhari, Muslim)
Indeed, to be merciful is essential for a Muslim: "The merciful ones will be given mercy by the All-Merciful. Be merciful to those who are on this earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy on you." (Bukhari)
May Allah 'azzawajal make us Muslims who deserve and earn His mercy. Ameen ya Rabb!Leia Mais
Taken from: http://iskandrani.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/being-generous-a-source-of-relaxation/
“…The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was the most generous person in giving away what he owned, and he would never look at something as being either too big or too insignificant to give up for the sake of Allah.
Nobody would ask him for anything except that he gave it to them, regardless of how big or small it was. He gave things away in a way that made it seem that he never feared poverty, and generosity and charity were the most beloved things to him. His happiness and joy in giving something away was more than that felt by those who would accept his gifts. He was the most generous person, and his generosity was like the blowing wind.
If a person in need would approach him, he would always prefer that person to himself. This was sometimes in the form of food, and was sometimes in the form of clothing.
He would have variety in terms of how he would give things away:
Concerning the Desire for Allah and the Signs of the One Who Knows Allah
As for the desire for Allah (raghbah), wanting Him (lit. His Countenance) and yearning for the meeting with Him, then it is the capital of the slave, the foundation of his affair, the basis of his life of goodness, the source of his (true) happiness, success and bliss, and it is the coolness of his eye. For this reason he was created and for it he has been commanded. The messengers have been sent and the books have been revealed also for this purpose. There is no rectification or bliss for the heart unless its desire is solely for Allah, alone, Mighty and Majestic is He. Hence, He alone should be his desire, what he seeks out and his goal. As Allah, the Exalted, has said, “So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allah’s worship. And to your Lord turn your desires and intentions” (Qur’an 94:7-8). And He, the Exalted, has also said, “Would that they were contented with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and had said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us. Allah will give us of His Bounty, and so will His Messenger. We implore Allah’” (Qur’an 9:59).
Those who desire are three types:
Those who desire Allah,
Those who desire what Allah has
And those who desire other than Allah.
So the lover is the one who desires Allah. The one who is concerned with works is the one who desires what Allah has. And the one who is satisfied with this life, in neglect to the Hereafter, is the one who desires other than Him. The person whose desire is for Allah alone, Allah with suffice him from every concern, take on all of his affairs, deflect from him what he is not capable himself to deflect, protect him like the protection of a father to his child and preserve him from all afflictions. And whoever prefers Allah to all others, Allah will prefer him to others. And whoever is for Allah, Allah will be for him where he is not even there for his own self. Whoever knows Allah, nothing will be more beloved to him than Him and no desire will remain in this type of person for anything other than Him, except that which will bring him closer to Him or assist him in his wayfaring to Him.
From among the signs of experiential knowledge (ma’rifah) of Allah is veneration and awe (haybah). As the slave’s experiential knowledge of his Lord increases, so to does his veneration and awe increase. As Allah, the Exalted, has said, “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah” (Qur’ân 35:28), meaning, those who are knowledgeable concerning Him. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I am the most knowledgeable of you concerning Allah and I am the most intense in awe and reverence of Him” (Al-Bukhârî and Muslim).
So whoever knows Allah (has ma’rifah) his livelihood will be pure, his life will be sweet, everything will revere him and all fear of created things will leave him. He will find intimacy with Allah and will have an aversion for (common) people. Knowledge of Allah (ma’rifah) will bequeath to him shyness in front of Allah, veneration and reverence of Him, vigilance (concerning His vision), love, trust in Him, turning to Him, pleasure in Him and submission to His ordinances.
It was said to Junayd, may Allah have mercy upon him, “There are a group of people here that claim that they can attain righteousness by leaving all movement.” He responded, “Such ones have spoken of the removal of all action, and this is something very immense. The one who fornicates and steals is in a better state than the one who says that (as far as I am concerned). For verily, those who have experiential knowledge of Allah (the ‘ârifûn) have taken their actions from Allah and they have returned to Allah in them. If I were to live one thousand years I would not decrease in performing righteous works.” He also said, “One who knows Allah does not really know Allah until he becomes like the earth; the feet of the righteous and the unrighteous tread upon him. And (until he becomes) like the rain that waters what it likes and what it doesn’t like.”
Yahyâ ibn Mu’âdh said, “The one who knows Allah leaves this world (at the time of death) and he has not had his fill of two things: crying over his self and yearning for his Lord.” Others have said, “One who knows Allah will not really know Allah until if he is given a dominion like the kingdom of Solomon it would not distract him from Allah for even the blink of an eye.” It has also been said, “The one who knows Allah has found intimacy with Allah and has an aversion for other than Him. He has realized his poverty in front of Allah, so Allah has enriched him from His creation. And he has humbled himself in front of Allah, so He has ennobled him amongst His creation.”
Abû Salymân Ad-Dârânî said, “While (resting) in bed, the one who has experiential knowledge of Allah has openings that do not even come to the one who is standing in prayer!”
Dhun-Nûn (Al-Misrî) said, “For everything there is a punishment. And the punishment of the one who knows Allah (the ‘ârif) is being cut off from the remembrance of Allah.”
In summary, the life of the heart is with Allah and there is no life for it without that, ever. So when the heart is in agreement with the tongue in its dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and the heart is in agreement with what the Beloved wants from it; when he (the servant) belittles the many works and statements that he has made and regards even Allah’s subtle generosity and kindness as great; when he embraces obedience and leaves off disobedience, and has left all of it for the sake of his Beloved, so that nothing of it remains; when his heart has become full with reverence, awe, preference and pleasure in Him and his patience in yearning for Him has reached its last straw; when he cannot find repose except in His remembrance, desire for Him and yearning for the meeting with Him; when he cannot find (true) intimacy except in His dhikr, while maintaining His ordinances and preferring Him to others…Then this, this is the true lover (muhibb).
Junayd said, “I heard Al-Hârith Al-Muhâsibî say: “Love (mahabbah) is your inclination to something with all of your being. Then, your preference to that thing over your own self, your soul and your possessions and wealth. Then, your being in accordance with that thing inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly. Then, realizing your shortcomings with regards to your love of it.”
It was said, “Love (mahabbah) is a fire that burns in the heart. It burns everything other than what the beloved wants from the lover.” It was also said, “Nay, it is exerting all efforts in pleasing the beloved. And that could never be so until one no longer sees the ‘love’ anymore, but only witnesses the beloved.” It is mentioned in some of the Hadith Qudsi, “My servant, I am, by your right, a lover of you. So, be you, by my right upon you, a lover of Me.”
‘Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak said, “Whomsoever is given something of love and is not given its equivalent of awe and veneration (khashyah), then he is deceived.”
Yahyâ ibn Mu’âdh said, “A muster seed’s amount of love is more beloved to me than seventy years of worship without love!”
Abu Bakr Al-Kattânî said, “An issue concerning love (mahabbah) came up in Makkah during the days of the Pilgrimage. The sheikhs spoke on the matter. Junayd was present and he was the youngest amongst them. So they said to him, ‘Give us what you have O Iraqi!’ He lowered his head in humility and his eyes shed tears, and he spoke: ‘(How great is) a slave who has left himself, connected to the dhikr of his Lord, upholding His rights, witnessing Him with his heart. The lights of His Essence have burned his heart and his drink is pure from the cup of His pure love. If such a one speaks, it is by Allah. If he utters, it is from Allah. If he moves, it is by the command of Allah. If he remains silent, he is with Allah. So he is by Allah, for Allah and with Allah.’ So the sheikhs cried and said, “There is nothing that can be added to this. May Allah rectify you, O Tâj Al-‘ârifîn (crown of those who know Allah)!”
It was said that Allah revealed to Dawûd, peace be upon him, “O Dawûd, I have made it prohbited (harâm) for the hearts to contain the love of Me and the love of others at the same time.”
Those who know Allah (the ‘ârifûn) have all agreed that love is not acceptable without compliance (with the Sacred Law), so much so that some of them said, “The reality of love is being in accordance with what beloved wants, concerning what pleases him and what makes him angry.” The People (of the Science of Purification; Al-Qawm) have also agreed that love is not acceptable without Tawhîd (belief in the Oneness of Allah).
It was related that there was a man who claimed that he was overwhelmed by the love of a certain person. So one day this certain person said to him (the lover), “How can this be, when my brother over here is much more attractive and more perfect in beauty?!” The man looked over to him and then the person pushed him and said, “Someone who claims that he loves us and then looks at other than us?!”
-Taken from Ibn al-Qayyim's "The Garden of the Lovers and the Excursion of Those Who Yearn". Translated by Khalil Abu Asma, may Allah ta'ala reward him greatly. Ameen.
“In our view, a person does not have an understanding of the religion until he thinks of a hardship as being a blessing, and a comfort and luxury as being a hardship.” - Sufyan ath-Thawri
The love of the Beloved must be unconditionally returned.
If you claim love yet oppose the Beloved, then your love is but a pretence. You love the enemies of your Beloved and still seek love in return.
You fight the beloved of your Beloved. Is this Love or the following of shaytaan? True devotion is nothing but total submission of body and soul to One Love.
We have seen humans claim to submit, yet their loyalties are many.
They put their trust here, and their hope there, and their love is without consequence.
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the most beloved to Allah.
The Prophet testified to that. He said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” (Bukhaari)
WHAT ACTIVITIES IN THESE 10 DAYS WILL BRING THE REWARD OF JANNAH?
Obviously, Hajj is one of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days. However, for those of us who were not invited to His House this year, there are still many, good deeds that one can do and earn the Pleasure of Allah.
Some of these are:
1) Fast all nine days and especially, the Day of Arafah
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Anyone who fasts for one day for Allah’s pleasure, Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance covered by a journey of) seventy years.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah and he said: “Fasting the Day of Arafah (ninth Dhul-hijjah) is an expiation for (all the sins of) the previous year and an expiation for (all the sins of) the coming year.” (Muslim)
2) Do a LOT of Dhikr and Takbeer
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “There are no days on which good deeds are greater or more beloved to Allah than on these ten days”, so recite much Tahleel (saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah), Takbeer (saying Allahu akbar) and Tahmeed (saying al-hamdu Lillaah).” (Ahmad -Saheeh)
Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer when they heard them. (Bukhaari)
Takbeer at this time is a Sunnah. So recite it in the masjid, in your home, on the street and every place where it is permitted to remember Allah.
Revive the Sunnah that have been virtually forgotten and earn great rewards for doing so.
The Prophet said: “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Tirmidhi- a hasan hadeeth)
3) Stand in Night Prayers: (Tahajjud, Qiyyam al Layl)
Remember the virtues of spending the night in prayer, and its sweetness in Ramadan?
Why not revive this beautiful act of worship during these nights as well?
Remember, how in the last third of every night, Allah Almighty calls out to us, His servants: Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him? (Bukhaari, Muslim)
Why do we miss this golden opportunity? So, seize the chance and expose yourself to His Divine Generosity and Mercy, ask Him to forgive you and guide you and set things right. He will surely listen.
4) Make Sincere Repentance.
One of the most important action during these ten days is to repent sincerely to Allah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin right away because we do not know when we will die and thus become unable to repent, and also because one evil deed leads to another.
But what does repentance mean?
It means that you come back to Allah and give up all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes…. that you regret whatever you did in the past, giving it up immediately and be determined never ever, to return to it, and resolve to adhere firmly to the Truth by doing whatever Allah loves.
“But as for him who repented, believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are successful.” [Al-Qasas 28:67]
5) Come back to the Qur’an
It is time now to dust off your copy of the Qur’an and return to its refuge. Make it a daily habit, using these 10 days the beginning of a strong and beautiful relationship with it. Read it with meaning, reflect on it, understand it, and then implement it in your daily life. Remember that reading one letter of the Qur’an earns you ten rewards.
In this way, reading Surat Al-Fatihah, which doesn’t take more than two minutes, will give you more than one thousand rewards!
This is on ordinary days, so what about these magnificent days! Certainly the reward will be far greater, Insha’Allah.
6) Increase ALL the types of good deeds.
If we are unable to go to Hajj this year, we should occupy ourselves in the worship of Allah; pray extra prayers (Nafil) recite the Qur’an. Make dhikr of Allah, send salaams on the Prophet, make du’a, give charity, honour your parents, uphold ties of kinship, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and add other good deeds and acts of worship during these days.
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it; And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it.”
[Al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]
7) Get the reward of Hajj wherever you are:
You may be unable to do Hajj this year, and you may feel sad. However, you can get the reward of it right where you are. The Prophet said: “Whoever prays Fajr Prayer in congregation, and then sits and remembers Allah until the sun rises, then (after a while) prays two rakas, he will gain a reward equal to that of making perfect Hajj and Umrah.” [He repeated the word "perfect" thrice.] (At-Tirmidhi)
8) Slaughter an animal and distribute the meat.
Ibn Umar said: The Prophet lived in Madeenah for 10 years and every year he slaughtered an animal.” (Ahmad-Saheeh by al-Albaani)
9) Attend ‘Eid prayers
But remember that ‘Eid prayer is a form of worship and we should avoid unIslamic behaviour (especially) in dress and in etiquette during these times.
10) Thank Allah.
One of the best forms of worshipping Allah subhaanahu wa taala is to thank Him, deeply, sincerely and continuously.
Alhamdulillah, there is much to be gained in these coming days. Hasten to do good deeds and striving hard in worship.
“And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (death).”
Ibn Qayyim wrote in his highly esteemed book, Al Fawa’id:
“How perfect is Allah! In the soul of man is the pride of Iblis, the jealousy of Qabil, the insolence of the people of ‘Ad, the tyranny of Thamud, the temerity of Namrud, the arrogance of Pharoah, the wrongdoing ofQarun, the trickeries of the people of Sabt, the rebelliousness of Al-Walid, the ignorance of Abu Jahl, and the impudence of Haman.
The soul of man also has many characteristics of beasts. He has the avarice of a crow, the gluttony of a dog, the display of a peacock, the filth of the hog, the malice of the camel, the predatory nature of the lion, the venom of the snake, the frivolity of the ape, the greed of the ant, and the deception of the fox.”
The rigid training of the soul exercises these conditions; however, if one allows any of these traits to linger and prevail, one then becomes akin to the ones cursed by Allah and akin to the beasts possessing lowly characteristics. A person who allows these traits to dominate his soul is not that commodity in the contract described by Allah (The Exalted).
“Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives.” (Qur’an 9:111)
Such a commodity (soul) must be refined by Faith and purified by repentance and attentiveness in worship. the commodity must also be protected from defects or from being destroyed so as to allow the buyer to accept it.
Source: Gems & Jewels by Abdul-Malik Mujahid Taken from: http://thefitrah.wordpress.com/
"He should be bold in his aspiration, firm in his resolve, and not swayed from his goal by the blame of the blamers or the discouragment of the dicouragers. He should be generally tranquil, constantly in thought, and not be moved by the sweetness of a compliment or the pain of criticism." - Ibn al-Qayyim
-I wrap myself in a badge of honor, a shield of modesty, a uniform of a mu'min, a flag of Islam. I wrap myself in love, because love for Allah is why I wrap ♥. As a muslim, I've been liberated from a silent bondage. I don't answer to the slaves of God on Earth, I answer to their King.
"Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah. And in it there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him. And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness." - Ibn al-Qayyim
