Jul 24, 2008

Something to reflect upon...

Assalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Something to reflect upon...

“The year is like a tree, months are its branches, days are the branch sticks, hours are its leaves, and the breaths are its fruits. Therefore, if one’s breaths are in obedience [to Allah and His Messenger], the fruits of his tree are good. If they are in disobedience, his fruits are bitter. The harvest is on the Appointed Day, when one’s fruits are found out to be either good or bitter.” - Ibn al Qayyim




Barak Allah feek,

ma'asalaam :)

Leia Mais

Jul 16, 2008

Knowledge and Hydrocephalus

Assalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

"...Allah's way of building the human soul is to develop it gradually, just like a building. You build a building floor by floor, placing one brick over the other, etc. until the human soul is fully built.

The human soul cannot be built overnight, it cannot be built overnight. It needs a long time to be built...build it gradually, just like the body grows gradually. When a person is born, he is half a meter tall, for example. One day, he will be seven years old, and one day he will be seventy-five years old. He will grow from being a meter tall to being a meter and a quarter tall, etc. When he gets to be twenty years old, he will be between 170 to 175 centimeters tall.

The human soul is exactly like this when it comes to gradually growing in the religion. This is why the Lord of Honor would reveal the Qur'an one, two, or three verses at a time and would require them to act upon those verses. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah would take one, two, or three verses - never more than ten at a time - and then go act on them. They would then come back, learn some more, and go act on what they learned. As Ibn Mas'ud said: "We learned knowledge and action with the Qur'an."

Therefore, it is very dangerous for you to have a lot of knowledge while having only a modest level of action. The one who hears you thinks to himself 'Ma Sha' Allah!' He hears you talking about this verse from the Qur'an, this hadith, the hadith being authentic, the hadith being weak, 'Aqidah, Islamic history, the Khulafa', 'Umar said this, Abu Bakr said that - may Allah be Pleased with them all. However, you are ten centimeters when it comes to action, and when it comes to knowledge, you are over three meters. There is no balance! This is a disease. Having a lot of knowledge without action is a disease just like having a lot of action without knowledge.

There is a disease in the medical field known as hydrocephalus. It is when someone's head becomes so enlarged that his body is unable to carry it. I saw someone with his head like this, his body was thin, and his knees were unable to support his head. It could not! This is what many people look like: they learn a lot of knowledge - they memorize, they do not learn - they memorize. However, his head is poised like this while his body and limbs cannot support it. The size of a person's head must be consistent with the size of his body. Otherwise, he will be considered diseased if any part of his body grows larger while the rest of his body doesn't grow. If the medicine he takes all goes to one part of his body - for example, it all goes to his nose - his nose will become bigger than the rest of his head, and he will be deformed!

So, the Religion of Allah is a gradual divine method of developing the human soul just like this. Just like a medicine dropper administers the medicine gradually, they would take two verses or two ahadith, and they would go act upon them just like this..."

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 3/182-183] - Abdullah Yusuf Azzam.


May Allah (SWT) protect us from riyaa'. Ameen.

Ma'asalaam

Leia Mais

Jul 1, 2008

Assalamu 'alaykum,

Insha'Allah this finds you in the best state of health and Emaan.

“The example of a believer, who recites the Qur’an and acts on it, is like an orange (utrujjah) which tastes nice and smells nice.
And the example of the believer who does not recite the Qur’an but acts on it is like a date that tastes sweet but has no smell.
And the example of the hypocrite who recites the Quran is like a sweet basil which smells good but tastes bitter.
And the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like a colocynth (bitter apple) which tastes bitter and has a bad smell.”
[Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم), reported in Saheeh al-Bukhari]


SubhanAllah! If only we could all be more like the orange...



ma'asalaam :)

Leia Mais

Jun 27, 2008

Think about it...

Assalamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Here is something to think over:

Ibn `Abbas [may Allah be pleased with him] said:

‘Indeed good actions are a light in the heart,

a strengthening for the body,

a glow on the face,

a cause for extensive provisions and

love in the hearts of the creation.

Indeed bad actions are a darkness in the heart,

a blackness on the face,

a weakness for the body,

a cause for decrease in provisions and

hatred in the hearts of the creation.”

as mentioned by ibn al-Qayyim [rahimahullah] in al Jawab al Kafi.

May Allah subhanahu wata’ala increase our good deeds and decrease our bad deeds. Ameen.

Wassalamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh :)

Leia Mais

Jun 22, 2008

Pain - a blessing from the Most High

Assalamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Insha’Allah this finds you all in the best of health and Emaan.

Reflect back on the past week – how many times have we complained about pain we felt? As a matter of fact, how many times did we actually feel pain – whether it be stubbing a toe, getting a paper cut, or missing the last step on the stairs? We have all gotten grumpy when hurt and may even get mad at ourselves but have we ever taken the time to actually thank Allah subhanahu wata’ala for the pain we feel? SubhanAllah, we have so much to be grateful for.

I recently saw a video (at the end of this post) about a rare genetic disorder called CIPA (Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis). SubhanAllah, it is a very frightening disorder. “CIPA is an extremely rare inherited disorder of the nervous system which prevents the nociception, heat, and cold. A person with CIPA cannot feel pain or differentiate extreme temperatures. "Anhidrosis" means the body does not sweat, and "congenital" means that the condition is present from birth. CIPA is caused by a genetic mutation which prevents the formation of nerve cells which are responsible for transmitting signals of pain, heat, and cold to the brain. Overheating kills more than half of all children with CIPA before age 3.” SubhanAllah - isn't that scary? The video below made me realize what we are given pain for and alhamdulillah, it has made me thankful for it. Insha’Allah, with the help of Allah subhanahu wata’ala, I will try not to complain about any pain that I feel ever again because clearly, some people have got it far worse.


Discovery Health spotlight on Roberto & CIPA from Help Roberto on Vimeo.

:|

May Allah subhanahu wata’ala make it easy for any child who is born with CIPA. Ameen.

Wassalamu ‘alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh :)

Leia Mais

Jun 15, 2008

Du'a on Injustice and Oppression

Assalamu'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Insha'Allah this finds you all in the best of states.

Knowing what type of world we live in, I am sure each and every Muslim has faced some sort of injustice and/or oppression. SubhanAllah, I receive it on a day to day basis but, I'm not complaining cause it could be so much worse. Like, what I experience is nothing in comparison to what our brothers and sisters are going through in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, and Kosovo (to name a few). Anyways, I found a few du'as that one should say when they face injustice or oppression:


رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلاَنَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

Rabbana la tu·akhidhna in nasina aw akhtaana, rabbana wala tahmil alaiyna isran kama hamaltahu ala alladhina min qablina, rabbana wala tuhammilna ma la þaqata lana bihi wa'fu anna waghfir lana warhamna anta maulana fa'nsurna ala alqaumil-kafiriin

Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith
[surah al-Baqarah; 2: 286]


حَسْبِى اللَّهُ لِمَا اَهَمَّنِىْ, حَسْبِىْ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ بَغى عَلَىَّ , حَسْبِىْ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَسَدَنِىْ, حَسْبِىْ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ كَادَنِىْ بِسُؤءٍ , حَسْبِىْ اللَّهُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ

Allahumma hasbi-Allahu liman hamani, hasbi-Allahu liman bagha 'alyya, hasbi-Allahu liman hasadani, hasbi-Allahu liman kaadani bisuu'in, hasbi-Allahu liman 'indal-mauti

O Allah! Suffice me in my wishes and inclinations. O Allah! suffice me against anyone who oppresses me. O Allah! suffice me against those who envy me. O Allah! suffice me against those who wish to harm me. O Allah! suffice me in the last moments of death


اللَّهُمَّ اِنَّا نَعُوْذُبِكَ مِنْ اَنْنَّزِلَّ اَوْنُزِلَّ اَوْنُضِلَّ اَوْ نَظْلِمَ اَوْ يُظْلَمَ عَلَيْنََآ اَوْ نَجْهَلَ اَوْ يُجْهَلَ عَلَينَآ اَوْ ضِلَّ اَوْ اُضَلَّ

Allahumma inna na'udhubika min an nazillaaw nuzilla, aw nadhilla aw nadhlima, aw yudhlama 'alaina, aw najhala aw yujhala alaina, aw aDhilla aw uDhala

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from being over-powered by others, or that I would over-power others (unjustly), or that I should seduce or tyrannize others, or be oppressed by them; or that I be shown ignorance and vulgarity by others, or I be vulgar to them; or from going astray myself, or be mislead by others


And a personal favourite:

اللَّهُمَّ عَذِّبِ الْكَفَرَةَ وَ اَلْقِ فِىْ قُلُوْبِهِمُ الرُّعْبَ وَ خَالِفَ بَيْنَ كَلِمَتِهِمْ وَ اَنْزِلْ عَلَيْهِمْ رِجْزَكَ وَ عَذَ ابَكَ

Allahumma adh-dhibil-Kafarata wa alqi fi qulubihim-urr-'uba wa khalfi baina kalimatihi wa anzil 'alaiyhim rijzaka wa adhabak

O Allah! Punish the kafirs, and cause in their hearts terror (about the true believers) and cause friction among them, and send down Your wrath and punishment on them.


May Allah subhanahu wata'ala grant victory to His religion, His book, and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and His monotheist slaves. Ameen.



Insha'Allah, Keep this sister in your prayers :)

Wassalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

source: Mutmainaa

Leia Mais

Jun 10, 2008

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.

This month’s Glorious Name is Al-Quddus (The Holy).

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The All-Holy: "he is the King, the All-Holy." (59:23)

Allah is free from imperfection, shortcomings, or need, He is the One to whom are attributed all good and beautiful Names, "The son of Adam calls Me a liar, and he has no right to. He reviles me, and he has no right to. He calls Me a liar when he claims that I cannot recreate him, and he reviles Me when he says I have a son. I am exalted and I take no spouse and no son." (Al-Bukhari)

The origin of the word quddus is quds which means 'purity' and 'integrity'. Yet people confuse the attributes of God and associate other things or beings with Him, hence the need for revelation. "They underrate the might of Allah. But on the Day of Resurrection, He will hold the entire earth in his grasp and the heavens shall be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! be He exalted above any that they associate with Him! (39:67) 'Hand" here, as attributed to Allah, is not the physical hand we know. We must not try to explain or imagine what it really is. Allah is independent of our time, space and matter. "Like Him there is naught" (41:2). "His is the loftiest likeness in the heavens and on the earth" (30:27).

The angels call Allah by this name all the time: "We proclaim our praise and call Your Holy" (2:30). And the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say in his prayer: "Praise and Holiness be to Your, Lord of the angels and souls" (Muslim).

"We Proclaim our Praise and call Your Holy" (2:30).


Keep me in your du'a insha'Allah,

Was salaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaathu

Leia Mais