LANALLAH __Islamic BlogZine_

LANALLAH __Islamic BlogZine__

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Says who?

by Bint Abdul Khaliq

Brother,You cant grow a beard
You?ll be mocked at and jeered
You?ll be looked at as weird
You?ll be avoided and feared
Says who?

Sister,you cant wear that veil
You?ll look like a whale
Subjugated to the male
In society you will fail
Says who?

Brother, go and talk to her
She has so much to offer
How else will you find a partner?
Quick! Get her number!
Says who?

Sister, keep your gaze high
No need to be shy
You gotta find the perfect guy
With whom your heart will lie
Says who?

Brother,You don?t have to pray
The Masjid is too far away
It?s for the old guys anyway
You?ll get there one day
Says who?

Sister,ignore the azaan
You favourite program is on
So many prayers have already gone
Just forget it and carry on
Says who?

To enter hell he will be the first
Of creation he is the worst
To lead man astray is his thirst
He is shaitaan the cursed
That's who.

¶ 12:55 PM //

Monday, January 14, 2008

ABC of Parenting

ABC of Parenting

Always trust your children to Allah's care.

Bring them to the Masaajids.

Challenge them to high goals In deen.

Delight in their achievements "Masha`Allah"

Exalt Allah in their presence "Subhaan`Allah"

Frown on evil " Astaghfirullah"

Give them love and understanding

Hear their problems, be there for them.

Ignore not their childish fears, tel them Allah is Always there.

Joyfully accept their apologies, Allah is All Forgiving.

Keep their confidence.

Live a good example before them, Islamic ettiquettes.

Make them your friends.

Never ignore their endless questions!

Open your heart to their love.

Pray for them by name, ...May Allah make them the coolness of your eyes.

Quicken your interest in their spirituality, Dhikrullah (rememberance of Allah)

Remember their needs, show mercy to them

Show them the way of Our Prophet Muhammad and his companions. (peace be upon them All)

Teach them to appreciate every little in life. "Alhamdulillah"

Understand they are still young and Innocent. "Fitrah"

Verify your statements, speak clearly (Repeat it 3 times) like the way Prophet Muhammad {peace be upon him} used to.

Wean them from bad company.

X eXpect them to obey, Allah and their parents,

Yearn for Allah's best for them.

Zealously guide them in the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
Insha'Allah Ameen ya Rabbul `alameen

Courtesy: http://www.everymuslim.net/

¶ 6:00 PM //

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

A brilliant explanation of “thoughts” by Ibn Qayyim Imam Ibn Qayyim

Ibn Qayyim (May Allah have mercy upon him) has written a very fine and valuable words on “thoughts”. How correct and appropriate they are! You should ponder over these words of his, try to understand them and memorize them because of their value. I am quoting them for you - despite their lengthiness - with a good hope that you would ponder over them. In them there is good for you in your religious and worldly life.

He says: “You should repulse a thought. If you do not do so, it will develop into a desire. You should therefore wage war against it. If you do not do so, it will become a resolution and firm intention. If you do not repulse this, it will develop into a deed. If you do not make up for it by doing the opposite thereof [the opposite of that evil deed], it will become a habit. It will then be very difficult for you to give it up”

“You should know that the initial stage of every knowledge that is within your choice is your thoughts and notions. These thoughts and notions lead you into fantasies. These fantasies lead towards the will and desire to carry out [those fantasies]. These wills and desires demand the act should be committed. Repeatedly committing these acts cause them to become a habit. So the goodness of these stages lies in the goodness of thoughts and notions, and the wickedness of these thoughts lies in the wickedness of thoughts and notions.” [Al Fawaid, Ibn Qayyim]

¶ 9:41 AM //

Friday, November 30, 2007

In the Sight of ALLAH

Ml Yunus Patel Saab (D.B)

Sometimes, the poor person who lives in a hut is far superior in the sight of Allah than the one who has millions in his possession. Sometimes the person who has got millions and who possesses assets and properties to tremendous value acquires excellence by Allah.

A person can even be a King, and in the eye of Allah Ta’ala this person is also His Wali. It may well be that that poor person, who is living in a hut, is indulging in zina (adultery), stealing, gambling and other Haraam (forbidden) deeds and therefore, although poor, he is not a Wali of Allah.
The person who is fulfilling the rights of Allah Ta’ala and the rights of His creation, spending in the causes of Deen and earning his livelihood in a Halaal way has much esteem in the eye of Allah.

Allah Ta’ala states in the Qur`aan Sharief :“…Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you...” . [Surah Hujurat 49 : 13]

Allah Ta’ala does not base superiority and esteem on the number of degrees or the amount of wealth or properties a person may have. Neither does beauty, physique or gender contribute to a person’s esteem in the eye of Allah.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) had said :

“Verily Allah does not look towards your faces, or towards your riches; but He sees (the sincerity of) your hearts, and the nature of your deeds.”

The criterion which Allah Ta’ala goes by is how much of submission and obedience is to be found in a person’s life and how much of love for Allah and Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) is to be found in his heart. The discrimination is based on Taqwa.

It will only be on the Day of Qiyaamah that we will find out as to who was afdhal (most virtuous).

There will be many people, who in this world were recognized as pious and righteous but in the eye of Allah, they held no esteem. Why? Sometimes this is due to insincerity, or perhaps due to kibr (pride), ujub (vanity) and riyaa (show) or perhaps the person carried out his duties in an ignorant manner. Due to this, his actions do not find favour and acceptance with Allah Ta’ala. (May Allah Ta’ala protect us from all such weaknesses.)

Maulana Sayed Sulaiman Nadvi (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) used to say:

Whether we live like this

Or live like that,

What is left to be seen

Is how our stay there will be.

No matter what people call us in this world, we still have to await the Day of Qiyaamah to know our worth by ALLAH.

¶ 12:02 AM //

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Why would Allah forgive a big sinner like me?

Why would Allah forgive a big sinner like me?

lt is reported by a trustworthy man of the past that as he was passing through a street he saw the door of a house open. A woman came out with a child who was crying and pleading while she was pushing him out. She left him outside the house and slammed the door shut in his face. The child left the door and walked a distance. Then he stopped, looked about, began to think, and not finding any other place but his own house where he could take shelter nor anyone who would care for him as his mother would, he returned to his house dejected, sad. He found the door shut. He sat at the sill, put his cheek on the threshold and slept with tear marks on his cheeks. He was in this state when the mother opened the door. When she saw him in this state she could not control herself. She bent down, grabbed him to her bosom, began to kiss him and say in tears: "Oh my boy! My dear child! My very soul! Where were you? Didn't I tell you not to disobey me? Do my bidding, and don't force me to punish you, while I hate to do that." Then she carried the child back and closed the door behind her.

That is the story of a mother and a child: the story of disobedience, punishment, return, forgiveness and unbound love. But the Prophet, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, has told us that: "Allah loves His creation more than a woman does her child." In fact, there is no comparison between the love of a mother for her child and that of Allah whose Mercy encompasses everything. Allah, azza wa jall, is immensely pleased with a man when he repents and turns to Him. And we shall never be deprived of anything by a Lord who is more pleased with the repenting man, than that man..

"..who was traveling through an arid land. He dismounted and took shelter under a tree seeking some rest. He lay there with his beast, loaded with food and water, at his side. But when he awoke, lo! The beast was gone! He began to search for it frantically. He climbed a hill but couldn't see a trace of it. He climbed another hill and still no trace of it. Finally, when hunger and thirst overtook him, he said, 'Let me go back to the tree, and lay down there until death overtakes me.' So he went back to the tree, and lay there with eyes closed - in total despair. And lo! As he opened his eyes and raised his head, there the beast was, right before his very eyes, with all the food and water loaded on it intact! He rushed to it and picked up its halter. (Can you imagine his happiness) But lo! Allah is happier with a man when he turns to Him seeking His forgiveness, than the man who found his beast when he had lost all hopes."

Know it, my dear brother, that true repentance of every sin also brings with it humility and devotion to Allah, and that pleading of a penitent is very dear to Allah. So that what follows after repentance is obedience of a greater degree to the extent that sometimes Satan regrets that he enticed him into that sin at all. That is why you will see that those who repent become very much changed personalities.

Allah does not abandon a man who comes to Him a penitent. Compare the situation with that of a father who used to look after his son with great love and care, providing him with the best of clothing, food and toys. Then one day the father sent him on an errand. But, as the boy was walking an enemy took hold of him, tied him and carried him away to the land of the enemies. There his master treated him exactly in the opposite manner. So that whenever the boy remembered his father and his treatment, his eyes swelled with tears, and the heart with pain. He was in this condition of ill-treatment at the hands of his enemies, when their caravan happened to pass by his father's place again. As he looked around he found his father standing nearby. He ran to him and threw himself at him crying "My father! My very father!". His master followed him and was trying to pull him away, but the boy clung to his father, refusing to let him go. What do you think of this father? Do you think he will abandon him to the enemy, refusing to take back the child? If not, then what is your opinion of the Lord whose love of His creation is greater than the love of a father for his child? When a slave of His runs away from his enemies, and throws himself at the threshold of His door, rolling down in dust before him, saying: "O my Lord! Have mercy upon him who has no one to show Mercy save You, no Helper save you, no refuge save You, no Savior save You, I am Your slave, in Your need, dependent on You, beggar at Your door, You are the refuge, with You is the shelter, there is refuge but with You, nor escape from You except to You" then surely the Lord is not going to turn him back empty handed.

Come along then. On to the good deeds, to virtuous living, in the company of the righteous, steering yourself safe from deviations after the right direction, and misguidance after guidance. And Allah is with you.

¶ 6:12 PM //

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Going with the FLOW

A story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."

People's reactions to this story:

"You have to accommodate yourself to life and get used to dealing with your problems as they come. You must learn to cooperate."

"We must adapt to nature. Nature cannot change for us. If you try to fight the natural forces, they will overcome you. Because we are made primarily of water, it is easy to become a part of it."

"Because nature is so much more powerful than we are, we must become one with it in order to survive."
"Humans are not the almighty conquerors that they think they are. We can learn a lot from nature. Nature is wonderful and does not intend to harm. It is humans that are harmful."

"Work with what life gives you and you will survive." "Put your life into Allah's hands and you will be OK."

"Although you may not be able to control your destiny, you always have the ability to think and reason about your situation. This will help you come out on top."

¶ 10:26 AM //

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

11 pieces of advice to help in winning hearts

Smile:

Smiling is a virtuous action and is regarded as and alms-giving as is mentioned in a hadith “Smiling at your brother’s face is as charity (Sadaqa)”. Abdullah ibn al Harith tells us about the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying that he had never seen someone smile at the other’s face as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to do.

Be always the one who initiates greetings:

The needed skills are the hearty smile, the warm shaking of hands and the friendly welcoming to the other. Being successfully achieved, such kinds of skills are going to be rewarded, referring to the hadith: “In greetings, the better is he who initiates greeting the other”.

Umar al Nadi tells us that he went out once with Umar ibn al Khattab’s son. While walking, he found him saluting all whom he met, whether being old or young. Al Hasan al-Basri also said “Shaking hands strengthens brotherhood feelings”. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said “Do not ever waste your good deeds, even by meeting your brother with a frowning face.” He said also “Shaking hands removes hatred and exchanging presents enhances love and ends enmity”.

The Presents:

It has a strange charming affection that captivates all senses. Hence, exchanging presents and gifts in different occasions is a pleasant habit however gifts should be within one’s tolerable expenses. Ibrahim al Zahri tells us about his father saying “ My father got a sum of money as a reward , in due , he asked me to send donations to his family members and friends . As we were about to finish, he asked me “Have we missed any one?” I answered “No!” He said “I think that we did.” He continued ”We have missed someone whose welcome to me was really warm. Would you please send him this sum of money?” Look how he loved the man and wished to reward him for his warm welcome.

Be silent….speak in what benefits.

Loud voice and chattering are bad merits. You have to be sweet-worded, tender in expressing yourself. Concerning this merit, The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “The good word is a charity (is a Sadaqa).” If the good word has its own magic in winning the hearts of your enemies how powerfully it would work then with your brothers’ hearts!!

Be a good listener:

It is to listen patiently and never interrupt the speaker, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) never interrupted a speaker till he ended his speech. And he who fights for this merit gains others love and admiration, whilst on the contrary is the one who chatters and interrupts the other. Atta` tells us about how he behaves concerning this merit and says “When someone speaks to me , I listen to him as if it is the first time I have heard this subject, though I have heard it thousands of times before.

Appearance and dressing:

You have to be careful with your appearance so as to be neat, well –dressed and sweet smelling as well. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says that Allah loves beauty to be in every thing. Umar Ibn Al Khattab said also “I like the young man who is sweetly perfumed and cleanly dressed.” Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal tells us about his father saying “ I’ve never seen some one who is as caring to the cleanliness of his dress , his hair , his moustache and other undesirable body hair as Ahmad Ibn Hanbal used to do”

Being in others favor and helping them:

Good treatment classifies you as an obedient, beloved slave of Allah as the Prophet (peace be upon him) Muhammad says “The more you are in favor of others, the more you are beloved by Allah” as Allah says in the Quran “And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good” (Al-Baqarah: 195)

Being Generous:

Offering money is the key for most of the closed doors that hinder you from reaching others hearts, especially in these days. Now I will tell you a story about the magic of the merit of generosity.

In the conquest of Makkah, there was a man called “Safwan Ibn Umia”. That man ran away after making all possible means in keeping the people of Islam and after making conspiracies to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him). Later on, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forgave him and he came back asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) to give him the time of two months to think about Islam and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said “You can take four months, not just two”. In spite of being an atheist, he accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Hunain and Al Ta’if conquests.

In Al Ta`if, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was dividing the booties of the war, he noticed that man looking longingly to a vast land in which a large number of cattle were flocking. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him “Do you like it?” The man eagerly answered “Yes.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “It is for you then.” Safwan said “Only a prophet could behave as generously as you have to me. I believe that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His prophet.”

Notice how the Prophet (peace be upon him) found the missing key and succeeded in moving his heart. Some people behave stingily as if they see the ghost of poverty waiting to attack them once they think about being generous in offering money.
To have a good opinion of others andto give them an excuse :

Keeping an eye on others behavior is a bad merit that blocks your way to their hearts. On the contrary is to have a good opinion of them. So, try hard to give your brothers the excuse as much as you can. Concerning this merit, Ibn Al Mubarak says also “The believer is he who gives his brothers the excuse , and the hypocrite is he who seeks their slips.”

Express your feelings… instantly:

If you loved someone, or felt good feelings about him, don’t wait, just tell him at once. Regarding this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said “ If you felt the brotherly love of Islam towards any ,you should immediately go and tell him about your feelings.” He added “It is the way relations are to be strongly indicated”.

Such love is to be blessed by Allah if it is for Allah’s sake, not for any other personal affairs such as seeking high position, money, fame etc…. Unless this love is for Allah’s sake, it is a fruitless kind of brotherhood then. When they meet each other on the Day of Judgement, they are not brothers any more but enemies, as Allah says in the Quran “ Friends on that Day will be foes, one to another; except the Righteous.” (Az-Zukhruf: 67)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) says “A man is in the company of whom he loved.” By this he means that on the Day of Judgment, a person will be with whom he loved. So, we have to choose then between two kinds of societies, one is in enmity and the other is a kind brotherly one. Hence, we find that the Prophet (peace be upon him) associated the Makkan immigrants and the Medinan followers as brothers.

It was a rare kind of brotherhood that even two brothers were to be buried together in one grave after being martyred in the conquests. Means of brotherhood was always being indicated by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he says “You are not allowed to enter heaven till you believe in Allah and you will not be true believers unless you love each other. Shall I tell you something to do that indicates love between you? It is to spread salutation of Peace among you.”

The pity is that people are always either cruelly and harshly treating each other or extremely tender that they adore each other. Actually, it is a matter of striking a balance between heart and mind, something that differs according to the difference of characters and circumstances. It is absolutely a blessing given by Allah.

Sociability:

It is the art of being social. Here, a kind of misconception could exist between sociability and hypocrisy. Could you differentiate between the two meanings?
The Prophet (peace be upon him)’s wife, Aisha said “A man came to visit us, but to my surprise, once the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him, he said “O…that ill- mannered man”, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) changed completely once he sat with him. He welcomed the man warmly, smiling in his face. When the man left, I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about what had surprised me; how he considered this man as being bad, and how he talked to him in such warmth? The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered “Have you ever seen me behaving as a hypocrite?”

He added “In the Day of Judgement, the worst degrees are for those whom people deserted for being mistreated by them.”
Al Qurtubi differentiates between hypocrisy and sociability, regarding sociability as a desirable legal behavior, saying that sociability means sacrificing the worldly affairs for the sake of improving either life on earth or religion, or so as to improve both, while hypocrisy aims at sacrificing religion for the sake of the worldly affairs.
Hence, being sociable for ill-mannered people is aiming to achieve two purposes:
Firstly, to avoid being mistreated by them.
Secondly, being good to them could be guidance for them to step the right way. To be sociable, means to be tender, smiling, praising to the other, intending in the meantime a legal benefit. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says “Being sociable, is as alms-giving.”

Compiled edited and adapted by Khalid Latif

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.net

¶ 11:09 AM //