The Dirty Laundry…(motivational)

The Dirty Laundry…

By Abu Muhammad Yusuf

 

In life we often tend to be judgmental and very often look down upon others without exploring deeper as to why the person is behaving in such a way. The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said "It is enough of evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All of a Muslim is sacred to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth and his honour." (Hadith- Muslim)

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbour hanging the laundry outside. "That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap. "Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbour would hang her washing to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean laundry on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

"The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows"

Lesson: If our windows are dirty so will we see others as dirty too. What we see in others is indeed a reflection of our inner-selves! So it is with life that what we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look. It is easy for us to discuss other people, their lives & things that really doesn't even concern us and we tend to forget - our windows may not be that clean after all! If we good we will see good…

The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:
"A Muslim is a mirror to another Muslim"(Hadith_Abu Dawud)

The Virtues of the Month of Zil Hijjah

THE VIRTUES MONTH OF ZIL HIJJAH

By E ISLAM TEAM

 

• Importance of First 10 Days of Zil Hijjah
• The Takbeeraat of Tashreeq
• Fasting on the day of Arafah(9 Zil Hijjah)
• Qurbani / Udhiyya

 

IMPORTANCE OF FIRST TEN DAYS OF ZIL-HIJJAH

 

 

The first ten days of Zul Hijjah are among the most magnificent days in Islamic calendar. The Messenger of Allah, Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days."(Hadith -Bukhari)

 

 

Almighty Allah Ta'ala says, (By the dawn; by the ten nights) (Quran-Al-Fajr 89: 1-2). Ibn `Abbas, ibn az-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations are of the opinion that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/413)

 

 

The Messenger of Allah, Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, has said, "One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship of "Lailatul-Qadr".(Hadith-Tirmizi)

 

Every Muslim should avail oneself of this wonderful opportunity by performing as much Ibadah (acts of worship) as he or she can during this period.

 

 

 

THE TAKBEERAAT OF TASHREEQ

 

It is Wajib (incumbent) for every adult Muslim male to recite the Takbeeraat of Tashreeq after every Fardh Salaat-performed with Jamaat or individually from the Fajr of the 9th of Zul-Hijjah to the Asr of the 13th of Zul Hijjah. The Takbeeraat should be recited once only.

The words of the Takbeeraat of Tashreeq are as follows:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ

Transliteration: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar laa ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar. Allahu Akbar walillaahil hamd.

Translation: "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no deity besides Allah and Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest and all praises belong to Him Alone."

NB. Men should recite this Takbeer audibly whilst females should do so softly.

 

FASTING ON THE DAY OF ARAFAH (9 ZIL HIJJAH)

It was reported from Abu Qutaadah that the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of 'Arafah ( 9 Zil Hijjah). He said, "It atones for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year." (Hadith-Muslim)

 

 

 

QURBANI / UDHIYYA

 

Hazrat Zaid bin Arqam (R.A.) reports that the Companions of Rasulullah (Sallalaho alihe wassallam) asked him:

 

" Oh Prohpet of Allah (pbuh), what is this sacrifice?" He said: "It is the way of your forefather Ibrahim(AS) ." They asked:"What (reward) is for us therein?" He replied: "There is a reward for every hair (i.e. the reward for meat and useful parts of the animal's body will be very lofty in merit, but there will also be a great reward for the parts which are useless and thrown away such as the hair)." They asked: "For the wool, Ya Rasulullah?" He replied: "There is one reward for every strand of wool." (Hadith:Ahmed, Ibn Majah)

 

For an informative article on how to benefit and not miss out on these blessed days of Zil Hijjah please visit :

http://eislaminfo.blogspot.com/2012/10/dont-miss-out-on-10-blessed-days.html

 

 

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UDHIYA - QURBANI

Udhiya (Qurbani)

 

What is Udhiya? 

 

'Udhiya' is an Arabic word meaning "blood sacrifice", and 'Qurbani' is an Urdu and Persian word derived from the Arabic word "Qurban" which literally means an act performed to seek Allah Ta'ala's pleasure. It is technically used for the sacrifice of an animal slaughtered for the sake of Allah Ta'ala.

 

The sacrifice of an animal has always been a recognised form of worship in many religions, but in the 'Shariah' (Islamic sacred law) of The Last and Final Messenger of Allah Ta'ala (Peace be upon him) the sacrifice of an animal has been recognised as a form of ibadah (worship) during the three days of the month Zul Hijjah, namely the 10th, 11th, and 12th .

 

This is to commemorate the unparalleled sacrifice offered by the Prophet Sayyidna Ibrahim, Alayhi Salam, when he, in pursuance to a command of Allah Ta'ala conveyed to him in a dream, prepared himself to slaughter his beloved son, Sayyidna Isma'il, Alayhi Salam, and actually intended to do so, but Allah Ta'ala the Almighty, after testing his submission, sent down a sheep and saved his son from the logical fate of slaughter. It is from that incident that the sacrifice of an animal became an obligatory duty to be performed by every Muslim who has the means to do it.

 

On who is it obligatory?

 

Qurbani is Wajib (obligatory) on every Muslim who is

• Of sound mind - mature (has reached the age of puberty),
• Muqeem (i.e. he is not a Shari traveller)
• Possesses the amount of 612,36 grams of silver or wealth equivalent to that value which is in excess of one's basic needs and debts on any of the three days of Qurbani. It is not necessary that this amount be in one's possession for a complete lunar year. (please do consult your local Islamic Scholars for more details and exact value in your local currency)

 

What the Quran and Hadith says:

 

Allah Ta'ala Ta'ala, The Most Wise says:

 

"It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allâh, it is your piety that reaches Him. Indeed He has subjected them (animals) to you so that you may glorify Allah for guiding you, and give glad tidings to those who excel in good." (Quran-22:37)

 

The Noble Messenger of Allah Ta'ala(Peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

 

"For every hair that is on the sacrificial animal, one reward is recorded for the person making the Qurbâni."

 

"There is nothing dearer to Allâh during the days of Qurbâni than the sacrificing of animals. The sacrificed animal shall come on the Day of Qiyamah with its horns, hair and hooves (to be weighed in reward). The sacrifice is accepted by Allâh before the blood reaches the ground. Therefore sacrifice with an open and happy heart."

"Whoever has the capacity to sacrifice and does not do so, should not come to the place where the Eid prayer is offered." (Hadith-Ibn Majah).

 

Therefore if you have the means to do Qurbani, do not ignore this important part of Deen. There are many more details that relate to Qurbani which we have not covered in this brief article.

 

For a detailed article on the Laws & Virtues of Udhiya (Qurbani) please visit: http://eislaminfo.blogspot.com/2010/10/qurbaniudhiyya.html

 

If you still need more info regarding Qurbani please contact: admin@daruliftaa.net

Patience in Times of Hardships

Patience with Trials and Hardship

 

Imagine yourself in this position. Your beloved husband with whom you have grown in Islam, who has supported you through the difficulties of life, who has helped you raise your dear children and who has provided for you by Allah's permission passes away. How would you react? Would you be overcome with despair and grief? Would you fret over who will provide for you and your children? This is what happened to Umm Salamah, one of the great companions of the Prophet (saws) when her husband passed away. How did she react to this trial that befell her? We shall learn later.

Allah has promised each and every one of us that we will face difficulties and hardship in life, whether it be with the loss of a loved one, poverty or fear of something: "And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.)" Suarh Baqarah 2:155] [. The real test for us is how we deal with these trials. As Allah said in the above verse, glad tidings are for the ones that are patient with the trials that he tests us with.

Patience is a means to Allah and His love, His help, His victory, His fortification, His reward, and His company. Patience is a Command from Allah. Allah said:"And seek help in patience and As-Salah and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for humbly submissive [to Allah ]" [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:45]. Patience is the way to gaining the love of Allah. Allah said:"And Allah loves As-Sabirun (the patient ones)" [Surah Aal Imran 3:146] And the Prophet (p.b.u.h) said: "How wonderful is the case of the believer; there is good in everything and this is not the case with anyone except a believer. If good attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him he endures it patiently and that is better for him" [ Narrated by Abu Yahya Suhaib ibn Sinan and recorded in Sahih Muslim]

How should one be patient? Patience takes on importance for the Muslim at the first moment of a trial. The Prophet said: "The real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity" [Narrated by Anas and recorded in Sahih Al Bukhari vol 2 # 389]

This is the time of the true test, when the initial reaction is either patience or impatience, and this is the time when patience is needed most. Allah said in the Qur'an: "No calamity occurs, but by the permission of Allah, and whosover believes in Allah, He guides his heart. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything" [Surat at-Taghabun 64:11]

Ibn Kathir said about this Verse: Whoever suffered an affliction and he knew that it occurred by Allah's Judgement and Decree, and he patiently abides, awaiting Allah's reward, then Allah guides his heart, and will compensate him for his loss in this life by granting guidance to his heart and certainty in faith. Allah will replace whatever he lost for Him with the same or what is better. Ali ibn Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas: '… and whosever believes in Allah, He guides his heart.' Allah will guide his heart to certainty. Therefore, he will know that what reached him would not have missed him and what missed him would not have reached him" [Al Mubarakpuri, Sheikh Saifur-Rahman, tafsir ibn Kathir (Abridges) vol 10 (Riyadh, Darussalam, 2000), pp 24-25]

So the one who is patient does not wail, complain or feel despair about their loss but rather they know that they are the slave of Allah, that He knows what is best for his creation and if they are patient they will eventually be recompensed for their trial. Indeed we see this in the example of Umm Salamah dealing with the loss of her husband. She patiently bore his loss and she remembered the supplication that the Prophet (saws) taught us: "Inna-lillahi wa'inna ilayhi raji'un. Allahumma a-juri fi museebati wa akhluf ni khairan minha -To Allah we belong, and to Him is our Return. O Allah! Take me out of my plight and replace it with something which is better" [Muslim; 2:632]

She was initially reluctant to bring herself to say "and replace it with something which is better" because she thought to herself, "What could be better than Abu Salamah?" Allah soon answered her supplication by marrying her to the Prophet (p.b.u.h), the best of creation and made her from one of the Mothers of the Believers

Sometimes when we're experiencing hardships in our lives we fail to see Allah's wisdom and mercy in the hardships. We become consumed with the hardship itself. However difficult the hardships may be, Allah always helps the believers and intends good for them. Indeed, Allah has His plans.

Allah, The Most Wise says, "For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease." [Surah ash-Sharh 94: 5-6]

The Full Cup…(motivational)

The Full Cup…

 

 

 

A wise old Sheikh once lived near a Musjid in Medina. One day the Sheikh heard an impatient pounding on his door. He opened it and greeted a young student, who said, "I have studied with great and wise masters. I consider myself quite accomplished in Islamic teachings and philosophy. However, just in case there is anything more I need to know, I have come to see if you can add to my knowledge."

 

"Very well," said the wise old master. "Come and have tea with me, and we will discuss your studies." The two seated themselves opposite each other, and the old Sheikh prepared tea. When it was ready, the old Sheikh began to pour the tea carefully into the visitor's cup. When the cup was full, the old man continued pouring until the tea spilled over the side of the cup and onto the young man's lap. The startled visitor jumped back and indignantly shouted, "Some wise master you are! You are a fool who does not even know when a cup is full!"

 

The old man calmly replied, "Just like this cup, your mind is so full of ideas that there is no room for any more. Come to me with an empty-cup mind, and then you will learn something."

Fwd: Eid Mubarak

EID MUBARAK

 

 

 

Kids and Fasting

Salmaan wants to fast!

A motivational story to make kids understand why we fast...

 

"But, Mum, I do not want to eat. I am a big boy and I can fast," Salmaan told his mother.

"But you are fasting, Salmaan, 7-year-old children eat in the morning and a little in the afternoon and then they don't eat anything else till evening."

"But you do not fast like that, Mum," the little boy insisted.

"I am older, Salmaan. Grownups fast that way."

The young boy sat deep in thought and then asked, "Mum, why do we fast?"

"That's a good question, Salmaan." She got up and went to the kitchen cupboard. She removed something from it.

"Do you know what this is, Salmaan?"

"It's a blender."

"Do you know what it is supposed to do?"

"It blends fruit for juice." His mother laughed. "Yes, it does blend. Our body does the same thing. It grinds the food we eat; it takes what it needs and removes the rest. It does this everyday, day in day out."

"Doesn't the body get tired, Mum?"

"It does. Just like the blender. When we have blended juice for too long, it refuses to work. Then it needs fixing. So we have to give our body a rest so it can work better for us. That's why we fast in Ramadan and some other days in the year."

"Does everybody fast, Mummy?"

"Not everybody. If you are ill or expecting a baby or if you are old and weak like your grandpa or if you are 7 years old like yourself then you don't fast.

The little boy thought some more. He ate the food his mother had set before him without much fuss. "What if you don't want to fast?"

"What is your sister Laika's favorite colour?" "Pink".

"And what is the colour of her uniform for Madrassa (School)?" "Blue".

But she says she'd like to wear her pink hijab when she goes."

"And why doesn't she?"

"She is afraid Muallim (Teacher) will punish her."

"You see, she was afraid the teacher would punish her. The teacher will punish her because she has broken the rule of the madrassaby wearing pink.

You see, Salmaan, Allah knows what is good for us and so we have to do as He commands, because He sees and knows everything. We love Him and fear Him and we don't want Him to be displeased with us."

"But Salmaan the real reason fast is to please Allah.Only Allah can give us the reward and fasting creates taqwa in our hearts."

"What is taqwa" Salmaan asked?

"Umar bin al-Khattab asked Ibn Ka'ab for the meaning of Taqwa. Ibn Ka'ab asked Umar how he would travel on a road full of thorns. 'Umar said he would carefully walk, gathering his clothes so they would not get stuck on the thorns which could cause him injury. Ibn K'aab said "This is the meaning of taqwa, to protect oneself from sin during our life's dangerous journey so that one can successfully complete the journey untouched by sin."

"So Salmaan if a person is fasting and drinks water secretly when making wudhu will anybody know?"

"Nobody will no know Mum"

"But Allah will surely know as Allah sees everything and knows about all that we do! So when we fast we do it only for Allah and this will create the fear of Allah in our hearts. We will then be able to obey Allah at all times!"

"But don't you get hungry, Mum?"

"Of course we do. But we keep ourselves busy on other important things to take our mind away from the food and also do things which our dear Rasulullah told us to do.We read the Qur'an, or we visit the sick people or we go to the mosque to read of Salaah and make Zikr and also take part in taalim and dawah. You see there's plenty to do and before you know it, it's time to eat!"

"Is there another reason why Muslims fast?"

"Yes. You are fortunate, Salmaan, because you have food everyday. Not everyone has food to eat, like the poor people in the squatter camps?"

" If we go hungry like them, we will be able to understand that they need help."

The little boy Salmaan seemed satisfied with the answers, his mother had given him.

"Mum, can I go with you and Daddy to help the poor?" "By the Grace of Allah, you can."

" Mum, one more request"

"Yes Salmaan?"

"Can I fast tomorrow?" Salmaan asked

Salmaan's Mum smiled and replied " Allah has allowed 7 year old's not to fast until they grow bigger"

"But my sister Laika fasted yesterday " Salmaan pleaded to his Mum.

"Ok Salmaan I will wake you up for Sehri and then you can try. But if you do get very hungry you may eat ok!"

"Ok Mum!"

Happy with reply of his Mother Salmaan read his Salaah and went to bed praying to Allah to let him also fast tomorrow!

 

We need to explain to our children the essence and importance of Islamic practises so as they grow up they learn to appreciate and understand the wisdom of this beautiful Deen that Allah has gifted us with!