An Introduction to the Lord of the Worlds – Day 1
Your Quran Journal
Seriously Short Reminder No. 31: Remember that the Fire of Hell is hotter…
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
It was 45 degrees Celsius today here in Dubai.
And we haven’t even started summer yet.
Subhan Allah, we can barely stand this heat. Shouldn’t that make us feel even more fearful of the Hell fire?
Allah says:
فَرِحَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ بِمَقْعَدِهِمْ خِلَافَ رَسُولِ اللَّـهِ وَكَرِهُوا أَن يُجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ وَقَالُوا لَا تَنفِرُوا فِي الْحَرِّ ۗ قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّا ۚ لَّوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ
فَلْيَضْحَكُوا قَلِيلًا وَلْيَبْكُوا كَثِيرًا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
“Those who stayed away (from Tabuk expedition) rejoiced in their staying behind the Messenger of Allah; they hated to strive and fight with their properties and their lives in the Cause of Allah, and they said: “March not forth in the heat.” Say: “The Fire of Hell is more intense in heat”, if only they could understand!” So let them laugh a little and (they will) cry much as a recompense of what they used to earn (by committing sins).” [Surah At-Tawbah (9) : 81-82]
The group of people mentioned in the above ayah (verse) did not take part in jihad (fighting for the sake of Allah) because it was “too hot” for them.
Sadly, we see many people doing similar things today:
- Men who don’t want to go to the masjid because it’s too hot outside.
- Women who don’t want to wear hijab because they feel too hot in it.
- People who don’t fast in Ramadan because the heat makes them tired.
Of course, it’s not the heat that’s actually the problem. It’s that we don’t want to harm ourselves in anyway. We want the easy way out.
Unfortunately, sometimes this leads many people to putting this world above the next. So for them, if they see an act of worship as being a burden, they just drop it because it’s too much trouble.
They don’t realise that the punishment in the Hereafter is much worse than anything that could happen to them in this world.
So the next time we undergo a trial or a punishment of any sort, let us remember the following:
- Hell is even worse so we need to be steadfast in our religion.
- Paradise needs to be earned. It’s not going to drop in our laps.
Good Old-Fashioned Decency is alive and well….
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
So, there I was walking towards my building (I live in an apartment), having just returned from a class.
We have two parking lots that we use – a small one right in front of the building and a large one that is beyond that. Both of the parking lots are separated by a small road.
I had parked in the large one as the small one was full. I reached the side of the small road (it has 2 lanes) and waited for it to clear (it’s usually busy) so that I could cross over to the small parking lot (which I need to then cross in order to get to my building).
Right around this time, something very horrible happened.
I use a large folder (with multiple packets) for all my class notes. It’s one of those that can be carried around like a briefcase.
In the past, I’ve had two instances where the contents poured out of it (because it’s stuffed). Alhamdulillah, that had happened in a safe place, and at a time when there was no wind, so I had no problem picking up my papers.
Today, it decided to do it again – by the side of the road.
I watched in horror as the folder opened and the contents poured out on the road – and flew to the other side of the road!
I was in complete shock. My heart sunk, my blood pressure dropped and I completely froze.
[Yeah, I know I should have done dua (supplication) but my mind went blank.]
I didn’t know what to do. Both my hands were full and I saw a car coming towards me (he was driving on my side of the road).
I quickly grabbed some of the papers that were close to me. That was about all I could do because I already had so many things in my hands.
Meanwhile, the guy in the car (actually, it turned out to be a DHL van) stopped and put on his indicator. This meant that nobody could drive over my papers from that side of the road.
He walked over and picked up all my papers for me.
Meanwhile, there was another guy, who had been riding a bicycle on the other side of the road, who started to pick up all the papers on his side (i.e. the side close to my building). I saw him checking underneath the cars (in the small parking lot) because some of the papers had flown that far.
[Alhamdulillah, from what I recall, no cars passed from his side of the road either. So my papers did not get run over.]
I was stunned and very relieved.
I took the papers from the first guy and thanked him. Then I crossed the road and took the papers from the other guy and thanked him as well.
That’s all I could do. And dua for them, of course.
I think I recovered 95%-100% of my papers, alhamdulillah.
Lessons that I learned today:
1) Truly, Allah is Most Merciful and the One who can do all things.
Subhan Allah, when I saw my papers flying away, I thought that was it.
It never occurred to me that I might recover them and that someone (let alone two people) would actually help me.
2) Good Old Fashioned Decency is still alive and well, alhamdulillah.
Between those horrid newspapers and the Grandmas that keep telling us about the “good old days” where everyone was noble and honest, we’ve become negative and jaded. We suspect that every person is some sort of closet criminal.
However, as I saw today and in the past as well, there is still lots of good in people.
[Note: As I've always pointed out, goodness is based on tawheed (worshipping Allah alone). Only the one who is upon tawheed (i.e. a Muslim) gets the reward for their deeds, due to the fact that they have a relationship with Allah.
This is the main reason we need to invite people to Islam and to tawheed, so that their good deeds lead to them getting the Mercy of Allah and Paradise.
If someone dies upon a religion other than Islam, there is no forgiveness for them and their good deeds are not accepted. Allah has mentioned this over and over again in the Quran. This post explains more about this issue.]
3) The “little” stuff is important too.
You know, we’re in Ramadan preparation mode now so we think of prayers, fasts, reciting the Quran, giving charity, etc. And all of these are very, very important.
However, I feel that despite all the knowledge that we have about Islam, we sometimes tend to forget about the little stuff.
We forget that prayers and all the other acts of worship should lead us to being more aware of Allah and to taking ourselves into account.
We also forget that this should lead us to doing “little” things like keeping public bathrooms (or whatever you call them) clean, helping old ladies cross the road, helping someone who is carrying a lot of bags, returning people’s pens to them (which we borrow because we forget our own pens!), thanking the cashier when we take our purchased items, not littering, etc.
We always think that the major stuff will get us into Paradise. Well, a prostitute entered Paradise because she helped a dog (here’s the full story). [Obviously she was on tawheed,]
What got her Allah’s Forgiveness? She helped a dog.
Today, if someone did this, people would say “So what?? It’s just a dog!”
Well, the Lord of the Worlds, the Owner of the Day of Judgement, was pleased with her act and that is all that matters.
So, my advice to myself and you: Let’s not forget the little things. They might seem little to us but perhaps these are the deeds that will be accepted from us.
These two men did a great favour for me today. Perhaps it was a little deed from their perspective but it certainly wasn’t from my perspective, given the fact that I have exams for that class coming up.
4) Don’t stuff files.
Oh, yeah.
So, what about you? Did you have any of these “good old-fashioned decency” stories to share? If so, please do!
The Rights of the Quran and some tips on how to fulfill them – Part 5
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
[Here are Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.]
5) To call to it
It’s not enough to just apply the Quran ourselves, rather we also need to invite others to apply the Quran as well.
After all, what was the main role of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)? He was sent to call the people to worship Allah alone. So his primary role was dawah (calling to Islam).
Sadly, in these times, we have become very lax in fulfilling this right.
How does one do dawah?
Well, I hope to discuss that in greater detail in a future post, insha-Allah. For now, the following points should suffice:
a) Start with tawheed (worshipping Allah alone).
And no, not everyone knows about tawheed. If they did, I wouldn’t have come across as many dropped jaws as I did.
Tawheed is the most important thing and everything else is based upon it. Only the people of tawheed will exit Hell and only the people of tawheed will enter Paradise.
b) Talk about what you know
This one sounds obvious but given the amount of people who talk about matters in which they have zero knowledge, I guess it’s not that obvious….
c) Talk with proof
[Yes, I know that this particular post does not have any proof. Forgive me, it's midnight at the moment.]
“I said”, ” I think”, “My shaikh said”, “My parents said” and “I heard someone say” are not counted as proofs, I’m afraid.
Proof = Allah said, Allah’s Messenger (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) said and the Companions of Allah’s Messenger said. This is what Islam is based on.
d) Be nice.
I repeat: Be nice.
I repeat yet again: BE NICE.
The above might sound like simple steps but they do make a lot of difference.
6) To do the above all the time
This is the last right and it entails fulfilling all the rights of the entire Quran consistently.
Failure to fulfill these rights would mean that we have abandoned the Quran. So we need to make sure that we try our best to do as much as we can.
May Allah make us of those who fulfill the rights of the Quran.
23 Hostages – and only 9 days to do….
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
[Note: Anyone is allowed to share my posts, obviously. However, nobody is allowed to edit or delete anything from the posts.
So, if someone were to get the posts via email and then delete something (anything, even if it's the tags or the "PS") before forwarding it to others, that would be a no-no. Sorry, but that's a form of cheating, and that should be obvious.]
My acquaintance alerted me to the following story today. Some of her friends know this family and the story is in the newspapers. Here’s the summary:
- In November 2010, some Somali pirates hijacked a ship, which was going from here (Dubai, UAE) to Kenya, and took 23 people hostage.
[Note: Somalis are wonderful people in general, and one should not think badly about them because of what these pirates did.]
- After lots of negotiation between the pirates and the Pakistani government (the captain is from there), they finally arrived at a deadline: 15th May 2012
[Note: This is the extended deadline and the pirates have refused to give any more time beyond this date.]
- The amount that is still needed is 1.4 US Dollars (above 5 million Dirhams).
- If the pirates don’t get the money by this date, the hostages will be killed.
This story sounds dreadful and sadly, it’s true.
Please read the following article by the daughter of the Captain:
http://dawn.com/2012/05/02/as-a-daughter-waits/
Warning: The story is very, very shocking. This poor girl is asking everyone to help her father and most of the people are just turning away.
For those of you who wish to know more, please visit their official pages:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-MV-Albedo-Save-my-fathers-life-Capt-Jawaid/218541681535443
Here’s an official document from a Pakistani government official.
What you can (and should) do:
1) Loads of dua (supplication) that the 23 people are freed and reunited with their families.
2) Chip in with any amount that you can.
Here are the donation details:
http://savemvalbedo.com/donate/
3) Alert as many people as you can about this case.
I know some people might be thinking “Huh? 1.4 million? That too in 9 days??”
Look, Allah is Ar-Razzaq (the Provider) and the One who has control over all things. We just need to do our part and put our trust in Him.
If each person gives a little bit and alerted everyone they know, then believe me, the required amount will be collected, insha-Allah.
Some might think that paying the ransom is playing into the hands of the pirates.
Firstly, that’s easy to say when it’s not our own family and friends. [Sorry but that's the truth.]
Secondly, this money is actually “the costs incurred” for the pirates. The ransom was apparently $8-10 million and the Pakistani government negotiated with the pirates and brought the amount down.
So, please brothers and sisters, follow the steps above to the best of your ability and don’t delay. The hostages have only 9 days left.
Seriously Short Reminder No. 30: Remember to cover your mouth…
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
“You mean while we’re eating so that the whole world can’t see what’s in our mouths?”
Yeah, that too.
However, I was primarily referring to the following two ahadeeth:
إذا تثاوب أحدكم ، فليمسك بيده على فيه . فإن الشيطان يدخل
The son of Abu Said al-Khudri reported on the authority of his father (radiallahu anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “When one of you yawns, he should keep his mouth shut with the help of his hand, for it is the devil that enters therein.” [Sahih Muslim, Hadeeth No. 7130]
إن الله يحب العطاس ، ويكره التثاؤب ، فإذا عطس فحمد الله ، فحق على كل مسلم سمعه أن يشمته ، وأما التثاؤب : فإنما هو من الشيطان ، فليرده ما استطاع ، فإذا قال : ها ، ضحك منه الشيطان
Narrated Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu): The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Allah likes sneezing and dislikes yawning, so if someone sneezes and then praises Allah, then it is obligatory on every Muslim who heard him, to say: May Allah be merciful to you (Yarhamukallah). But as regards yawning, it is from Shaytan (the devil), so one must try one’s best to stop it, if one says ‘Ha’ when yawning, Shaytan will laugh at him.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 8, Hadeeth No. 242]
Now we all know why yawning is so contagious….
So, let’s cover our mouths whilst yawning so that Shaytan doesn’t get an opportunity to laugh at us.
PS. I probably won’t post again until next week, insha-Allah. I have lots of work to catch up on…
“That’s not going to work!”
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
You know, I really, really hate that statement.
[That's probably why I never ask most people what they think of my ideas - because I know that they'll say "That's not going to work!"
What I do instead is mention the idea as though it were the most awesome idea in the world so they have no choice but to nod their heads.]
Many times, whenever I tell people that they CAN do something (that is encouraged in the Shariah), their reply is usually “It won’t work” or something equivalent to that. They don’t even give themselves two minutes to think over it.
This awful statement basically causes us to drown in our own negativity.
It also goes against one of the basics of tawheed (worshipping Allah alone): having good thoughts about Allah.
I mean, why exactly won’t it work?
Who is the One who has power over all things?
Who is the One who created the heavens and the earth?
Who is the One that made the fire cool for Ibrahim (alaihissalam)?
Who is the One that split the sea for Musa (alaihissalam)?
Who is the One that caused Isa (alaihissalam) to be born without a father?
Who is the One that sent the angels to help our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and his companions (radiallahu anhum) defeat their enemies, despite being outnumbered, in the Battle of Badr?
So, the One who did all this, isn’t He also able to aid us in our cause? Why is that we don’t ask Him?
Rather than going on about how one cannot do something, one should do the following instead:
1) Make sure that the action is halal (lawful)
One can also to Salatul Istikhara (the prayer for guidance)
2) Dua (supplication) – Loads of it
One should ask with certainty and with humility.
3) Write down a list of possible steps to take
These are the means that one can and should take in order to achieve the required goal.
Also, one should try to take from the Sunnah as much as possible. For example, if one is trying to figure how to control one’s troublesome teenager, one should first refer to Islamic books to see if there is any Prophetic guidance in this regard. After this, one may refer to other books.
4) Put one’s trust in Allah alone
We are not allowed to put our trust in the means.
5) Have good thoughts about Allah at all times
Yes, all the time.
And no, these steps are not complicated, because contrary to many people’s perceptions, life itself is not that complicated. For some strange reason, we just don’t want to believe that!
So, I’d advise all the naysayers to try to be more positive and take things step by step.
Follow all the above steps and insha-Allah, if it’s good for you, it will work.
Ramadan 2012 Prep Tip #1: Seek Knowledge… – Part 1
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
As I mentioned in this post, the first few posts of the Ramadan 2012 Prep series will focus on seeking knowledge.
Why?
Well, we were created to worship Allah alone. We’re supposed to do this in Ramadan and outside of it. Obviously, due to the virtues of Ramadan, we increase in ibaadah (worship) during it.
However, we need to worship Allah based on the correct knowledge, not our desires. So, if we want to worship Him properly, we need to get the required knowledge first.
[Later on in this series, insha-Allah, I'll give you various examples about how correct knowledge can really improve our Ramadan.]
Which knowledge is being referred to?
As the scholars pointed out, when the word knowledge is mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah, it refers to Islamic knowledge.
Why seek knowledge?
As I mentioned above, knowledge is sought in order to worship Allah. Due to this, it (i.e. the act of seeking knowledge) is itself an act of worship.
Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) pointed out that knowledge was sought to raise ignorance from oneself and others.
So, subhan Allah, we’re supposed to be seeking this knowledge in order to worship Allah properly, to know Him, to get closer to Him and to gain His Love.
In the survey, I asked “If you seek knowledge, then what motivates you to do that?”
From the answers, it became apparent that some people did not know the real reason for seeking this knowledge. I would divide the answers into three categories:
1) The ones who got it right, alhamdulillah
They were doing it to get closer to Allah
2) The ones who were sort of in the middle
The answers varied: reminding one about Islam, reminding one about the hereafter, to improve oneself, etc.
These answers weren’t wrong but they didn’t quite hit the target.
3) The not-so-right ones
Some of them were:
[Note: To the ones who filled out the survey, I'm not discussing the answers in order to put you down but rather so that everyone can benefit.]
- Just for the sake of seeking knowledge
Variations of this included thirst/yearning/desire for more knowledge
- To know/feel the beauty of the Quran or Islam; the sadness about not knowing about Islam
- Greater understanding in order to answer other people’s questions
- To do ijtihad on day to day issues
Now, many people might be a bit confused at this point because, on the face of it, these answers sound fine.
And they sound similar to No. 2 (the group who wasn’t wrong but wasn’t that accurate).
So, what’s the difference between No. 2 and No. 3?
And what’s wrong with the answers in No. 3?
Well, I’m going to answer that in the next part, because I want everyone to ponder over this issue.
For those who may disagree with my grouping, that’s fine. I’m not infallible. However, please wait for Part 2 so that I can explain.
[I would have asked you to post your thoughts but I've come to realise that 99% of you really don't like to do that so...]
To be continued…
Step by Step – Step 2: Some suggestions for reading the translation of the Quran
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum
In Step 1, I mentioned that one of the problems that we have today is that many Muslims can’t understand the Quran and haven’t read it from cover to cover.
I then proceeded to bore you with my life story.
In this step, I’m going to suggest a practical plan as to how you can ACTUALLY do it.
Important note: I’m assuming that the reader is a native English speaker. If not, it would obviously be better for you to read the translation in your own language.
I haven’t much clue about other languages, just the following:
1) The Quran has been translated into many languages. However, some of these are by non-Muslims who hate Islam, so one needs to be careful.
2) As far as I know, a good authentic site to get the translation in different languages is : http://www.islamhouse.com/
3) Darussalam (the company, not the city in Tanzania – someone already had this misunderstanding today) has translations in many different languages.
4) I heard that there was a very nice translation in Urdu called “Ahsanul Bayan”. It’s published by Darussalam.
5) The abridgment of Tafsir in Kathir is available in French. It’s also published by Darussalam.
[And no, I'm not an Urdu or a French speaker, although I know a bit of both.]
Before I continue, I would like to point out something very, very important. There is a difference between reciting the Quran (i.e. the Arabic text) and reading its translation.
One of the rights of the Quran is to recite it so we have to fulfill this right.
Understanding the Quran is another right, so reading the translation will aid us towards fulfilling this right.
[Here's a series I wrote on the rights of the Quran (I just realised that I hadn't completed it!): Parts 1, 2 and 3.]
So, what would I suggest to an English speaker?
Basic Plan:
1) Decide whether you want to start with the Saheeh International translation or the Muhsin Khan one. I would suggest starting with the Muhsin Khan one and getting the one volume abridged version.
I wouldn’t advise starting with the word to word translation just yet.
2) Get yourself a copy of the translation of the Quran along with the Arabic text
3) Decide how many ayaat (verses) you are going to recite every day.
4) Each day, recite at least that many ayaat and then proceed to read the translation of each ayah (verse). [Start from Surah Al-Fatihah.]
If you have difficulty reciting and can’t get hold of a teacher at the moment, you can try to listen to the audio first for each ayah and then repeat after the reciter. This site has recitation as well as translation: http://tanzil.net/
5) Do this each and EVERY day until you finish reciting the Quran (i.e. you finish Surah An-Nas).
If you go to bed and remember that you forgot to recite the Quran, then my advice is to hop out, do wudhu and recite the required portion. This will train you to recite the Quran daily.
If you miss a day, then you might miss another day and so on, so you shouldn’t miss a single day.
6) Choose the other translation (e.g. if you chose Saheeh, move over to Mushin Khan) and then repeat steps 3-5 all over again.
If you wish, you may use both translations at once. It’s up to you. There are quite a few sites with the translations but they don’t have the accompanying notes, which is why it’s better to get the hard copy.
Intermediate Plan:
1) Follow Steps 1-5 of the Basic Plan.
2) In addition to this, decide if you want to finish reading the translation at a faster pace.
If so, choose one translation (preferably the Saheeh one) for using with your recitation. Depending on how easy you find it to recite, this one could take quite some time.
Choose the other one (preferable the Muhsin Khan one) and read the translation. This time you don’t have to recite it because you’re already doing that when you read the other translation so you can read through this one faster and take it with you wherever you go.
In both the above cases, I would advise you to take notes about whatever questions or thoughts you might have. [Read more about keeping a Quran Journal.]
3) If you are not a reader, and prefer to listen (apart from the translation that you are reading whilst reciting), choose a good translation and then listen to it in your car, iPod, etc as often as you can until you finish the whole thing.
This site (scroll to the bottom) contains many Quran recitations along with the translations: http://quranicaudio.com/
[The "fabulous" one that I referred to in Part 1 is the 3rd last one: Shuraim and Sudais with Aslam Athar.]
You can listen to one set and then proceed to listen to another.
Advanced Plan:
[It includes all of the above mentioned things.]
1) Recite whilst reading the translation (I recommend the Saheeh translation for this) .
2) Read the second translation (I recommend the Muhsin Khan one for this).
3) Listen to a third (I recommend the Pickthall “fabulous” one mentioned above for this.)
You’ll be doing all of the above in the same time period. This way, you’ll be really surrounded with the Quran.
4) If you want to be very brave, you can also read the word to word translation but I really don’t advise it until you’ve read the translation at least once. [I've mentioned many word to word translations in this post.]
Remember, don’t stop until you’ve finished reciting the translation until the end.
Insha-Allah, I hope that the post was clear.
What do you think? Is the plan helpful?
Perhaps you have another technique? If so, please share, baarakallahu feekum.
