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Supplicate And Tide Over Crisis

All of us, no matter how long we have been Muslim, have ups and downs in our Iman (faith). So we must always strive to improve and not get discouraged when we are feeling our Iman at its lowest. Some people give up trying when their Iman is low, and they may end up losing it completely. Don’t let that happen to you!

The first thing one should do, of course, is to learn how to perform Salah (the formal prayer) properly, and then get into the habit of performing the five daily prayers at their proper times. This means learning a little bit of the Qur’an — at east Surat Al-Fatihah (Chapter 1) and at least one or two short surahs — so that you can pray.

It is better, of course, if you learn more of the Qur’an. So make as much effort as you can to learn a bit each day. Also try to learn how to read the Qur’an in Arabic. Your pronunciation will be much better if you learn Qur’an from the Arabic script rather than from a transliteration into Latin letters. This advice is a “too much thing to do” at the beginning, I understand. At least have it at the back of your mind that it is recommended and a long-term goal. Yet, bear in mind that it is not a must.

Another important step in developing your Iman is to make new friends with devout Muslims and try to spend time with them. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to totally give up the friends you had before you were Muslim. Yet, if you spent your time with your old friends drinking or gambling or doing other negative and haraam (forbidden) things, you will have to avoid those activities. This may or may not mean dropping those friends also. If they are real friends, they should be willing to accept you for what you are now. You can still watch football together, for example, but substitute soft drinks for alcohol. If they’re not willing to do that, they’re not real friends.

You can also increase your knowledge of Islam by reading, attending lessons at the mosque or in homes, and listening to audio files on the Internet or to tapes. Try to find a knowledgeable person who can answer your questions. Beware of those who seem to be knowledgeable, while they are not. Search for scholars through Islamic centers and get close to them. Seek knowledge from them.

Also, try to get information from more than one source so that you get a more balanced view of what Islam is. The hardest thing for new Muslims is to figure out where they fit on the spectrum of Islam — are they liberal, moderate, or conservative? Some people have very strict views of what is right and wrong and always choose the more difficult of two Halaal (permissible) choices. Try to take the middle ground and be moderate. Usually, there is more than a black-or-white choice, with many shades of gray in between.

In learning to practice your new faith, take things slowly. Don’t be over-enthusiastic by plunging in and trying to do many extra acts of worship at once.

It was reported by Al-Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told us that Allah loves best the acts that are performed regularly, even if they were little. So choose one new action at a time and become very regular in performing it before adding another one.

Finally, the prayers that can be recommended in times of trial. The best thing to do is to pray from your heart. Ask God for what you need and expose your soul at His attendance. However, the only other prayers that are to be recommended are Prophetic supplications used by Prophet Muhammad and other great Prophets (peace be upon them all) or the great Companions.

Otherwise, it is never recommended to oblige oneself to use specific supplications that one doesn’t feel or develop personally. Supplication is a way to communicate on personal level with the Divine. We can only use the Prophetic example as a role model here, from where we start to launch a deep personal relation.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: He among you who sees something abominable should rectify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not strength enough to do it, then he should do it with his tongue; and if he has not strength enough to do it, (even) then he should (abhor it) from his heart, and that is the lowest level of faith. (Muslim)

To ensure that our supplication is answered, we must be firm in our belief that Allah is able to rectify the problem and that He will answer our prayers. If we have little hope that Allah will answer our prayers, then we have poor understanding of His power or little faith in His mercy, or both.

So supplicate and pray for the sake of your brothers and sisters in Islam, as well as for all humanity, as much as you can and have faith that Allah will help them, and help all of us to help them,In Sha Allah.

Ahadith Of The Day

Hadith – 1
Abu Huraira (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) as saying: Verily Allah likes three things for you and He disapproves three things for you. He is pleased with you that you worship Him and associate nor anything with Him, that you hold fast the rope of Allah, and be not scattered; and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning and the wasting of wealth.
Sahih Muslim : Book 018, Number 4255

Hadith – 2
Abd al-Rahman (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) reported on the authority of his mother’s sister Umm Salama (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with her) who said that Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) said: He who drank in vessels of gold or silver he in fact drank down in his belly the fire of Hell.
Sahih Muslim:Book 024, Number 5128

Hadith – 3
Abu Huraira (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) as saying: When one of you makes a supplication (to his Lord) one should not say: O Allah, grant me pardon, if Thou so likest, but one should beg one’s (Lord) with a will and full devotion, for there is nothing so great in the eye of Allah which He cannot grant.
Sahih Muslim:Book 035, Number 6478

Hadith – 4
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ashari (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) The Prophet (May Peace, blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) said, “None is more patient than Allah against the harmful and annoying words He hears (from the people): They ascribe children to Him, yet He bestows upon them health and provision .
Sahih Bukhari:Volume 9, Book 93, Number 475

Hadith – 5
Narrated Anas bin Malik (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) The Prophet (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) said, “Facilitate things to people (concerning religious matters), and do not make it hard for them and give them good tidings and do not make them run away (from Islam).”
Sahih Bukhari:Volume 1, Book 3, Number 69

Prophet Muhammad: Starting The Day With Prayers

Let us try to paint a picture of one day in the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) of Islam. For certain, he wakes up well before dawn, when the dark curtain of the night still covers everything. As he begins to move, he says: “Praise be to God who has returned my spirit to me, given me physical strength and permitted me to glorify Him.” Consider how he welcomes life, full of optimism: “Praise be to God who has returned my spirit to me.”

The life we are given is a blessing for which we thank God and we must use well. It offers a chance of success for whoever aims to succeed. Yet God reminds His servants of the blessing He has given them in the form of sunrise and sunset: “It is God who has made for you the night in which to rest, and the day to make you see. God is limitless in His bounty to man, but most people do not give thanks.” (40: 61) Great is life when it is coupled with good health. It is then that the body organs can function well, without trouble. A Muslim will then move about to willingly fulfill his duties well. It is for this that we praise and thank God for giving us good health.

We need to reflect on the Prophet’s early words as he praises God for “permitting me to glorify Him”. Can we imagine a more polite way in addressing the Lord? Here is an acknowledgement that a new day means permission to resume worship right at the break of dawn.

Muhammad, God’s ever grateful servant, begins his praises using words that impart certitude of faith and pure love in every letter. He says these words morning and evening: “My Lord, I pray You to grant me sound health in this life and in the life to come, to forgive me and to give me purity in faith, life, family and property. My Lord, grant me a cover of my flaws and reassurance in time of fear. Protect me from what lies ahead of me, behind me, to my right, to my left and above me. I appeal to Your greatness to protect me from any danger that lies beneath me.”

The Prophet urged every Muslim to say as he begins or ends his day: “My Lord, You know all that is beyond human perception and all that is witnessed by anyone; You are the Originator of the heavens and the earth; You are the Lord and owner of all. I bear witness that there is no deity other than You. I seek refuge with You from the evil that is within me and from the machinations of Satan.”

As they start their day, the Prophet and his companions say: “We have started this day in the original state of submission to God, with the pure word of faith, following the religion of our Prophet Muhammad and the creed of our father Abraham who followed the pure faith and never associated partners with God.”

That the Prophet’s companions should assert that they follow the religion of Prophet Muhammad is perfectly understandable. Why does the Prophet himself say the same? This occurs in many supplications the Prophet used to say, always asserting his belief in his prophethood or in the truth of his message. I feel that this serves more than one purpose. The first is that it confirms his commitment to implement what he preaches. Many are the religious leaders who appear to consider that their task is to teach others what to do. As for themselves, they consider themselves above accountability. Another purpose is to spite unbelievers by asserting that Islam is the faith of unquestionable truth. Moreover, it is an acknowledgement of the grace God has bestowed on His messenger, and an expression of gratitude and happiness for being chosen for this noble task.

-By SHEIKH MUHAMMAD AL-GHAZALI

Allah’s Command – Invoke Me

[ALLAH’S Quran – 40:6] “Invoke Me,” says Allah, your Creator, “I respond to your invocation.” “Meanwhile those who are too proud to pay reverence to Me and do not display adoration with appropriate acts and rites, shall take up their abode in Hell, plunged into infamy and humiliation.”

Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has said:
[Muslim, Book #035, Hadith #6595] “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The supplication of the servant is granted in case he does not supplicate for sin or for severing the ties of blood, or he does not become impatient. It was said: Allah’s Messenger, what does:” If he does not grow impatient” imply? He said: That he should say like this: I supplicated and I supplicated but I did not find it being responded. and then he becomes frustrated and abandons supplication.”

Remember Allah Through Worship

ONE’S heart should always be filled with the remembrance of Allah. Forgetfulness and negligence are the main weaknesses of human beings. The only remedy is that the believer should develop God-consciousness and be constantly aware that Almighty Allah watches him. All acts of worship aim at drawing man closer to Allah.

The Qur’an asks us to establish prayers. (Ta-Ha 20:14). The Friday sermon, too, constitutes the commands and remembrance of Allah (Al-Jumuah 62:10). But we must be clear that the remembrance of Allah is not restricted to certain acts of formal worship. The point is that one should always remember Him standing, sitting, and lying on one’s sides. (Aal Imran 3:191). Thabit Al-Banani (may Allah have mercy on him) once exclaimed, “I know when my Lord remembers me.” Upon hearing this, those present trembled in fear and asked him how he knew this. In response he recited from verse 152 of Surat Al-Baqarah, (Therefore Remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you and be grateful to Me . . .)

It is recorded in the Hadith: I come up to the expectations of My servant. I am with him when he remembers Me. When he makes mention of Me in his heart, I make mention of him to Myself. When he mentions Me in a gathering, I mention him in a better gathering (of the angels). (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

It is the height of felicity for a human being that Allah remembers him and mentions him in the blessed gathering of the angels.

We have taken note of the important and blessed nature of the remembrance of Allah. By the same token, one’s neglect of it is fatal, bringing disgrace upon oneself. Those who forget Allah are forgotten by Him (At-Tawbah 9:67). Allah then lets them wander in the web of their own self (Al-Hashr 59:19). One’s disregard for Allah culminates in the ruin of the self.

It is worthy to note that everything in the universe is preoccupied with remembering and glorifying Allah. This point is explicitly made in the first verse of Surat Al-Hadid (Surah 57) and in many other places in the Qur’an. As one is engaged in remembering, praising and glorifying Allah, one becomes at one with the entire universe and the gate for all goodness and success is opened.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): A Unique Type Of Sociability

Some people may need seclusion to maintain their purity of heart and mind. Psychologists say that man’s thinking becomes more mundane when one is in a crowd.

This may be true in as far as ordinary leading figures are concerned. God’s messengers, however, elevate the masses and are never pulled down by the masses. Some of Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) companions used to complain that when they sat with the Prophet they felt to be at a high level of mental awareness which they could not maintain when they got home.

Because of the strength of his relation with his Lord, Muhammad could make the earth heaven and transform ordinary people into angels. His companions were always remembering God when they were with him, and they urged one another to attend to their worship and fulfill the duties assigned to them by God.

The Prophet disliked gatherings where people were oblivious of their duties. He looked unfavorably at any gathering in which God is not glorified. He said: “When a group of people break up after a meeting in which they have not remembered God or glorified him, their meeting is just like a gathering around a dead donkey. They are sure to regret it.”

Should they have a meeting in which matters relating to both this life and the life to come are mentioned, they should be keen to retain its benefit and remove its evil by concluding it with a prayer for forgiveness. The Prophet teaches us: “Whoever sits with some people when they exchange much idle conversation, let him say before leaving: ‘All glory and praise be to You, my Lord. I bear witness that there is no deity other than You. I pray for Your forgiveness, and I repent of my sins’. When a person says this supplication, he is certain to be forgiven whatever took place in that meeting.” Another hadith mentions this supplication and adds: “If that is a good gathering, the supplication becomes its identifier, and if it is a bad meeting, the supplication ensures the supplicant’s forgiveness.”

Social gatherings may lead people to compete for worldly things, and may encourage them to show off and press their own advantages. They may preoccupy people with trivialities, or cause them to transgress. Therefore, the Prophet was keen to end his meetings with people with a prayer for all who are attending. Abdullah ibn Umar reports: “The Prophet rarely left a meeting before saying this prayer for his companions: ‘Our Lord, grant us a feeling of fearing You which is strong enough to keep us away from disobeying You; grant us a level of obeying You that is enough to ensure admission into Your heaven; grant us enough certitude of faith to make all world’s catastrophes seem to us to be light. Our Lord, allow us to enjoy our senses of hearing and sight and to keep our strength throughout our lives, and make these the last of me. Make the one who is unjust to us the pursuer of revenge, and support us against our enemies. Do not make our loss a loss of faith. Our Lord, do not make this world our highest pursuit, or the limit of our knowledge. Do not give power over us to anyone who is unmerciful.”

It was in this fashion that the Prophet ended his meetings. When people left him, they were keenly aware of God’s grace being bestowed on them

Ways To Deal With Stress And Anxiety

Stress is life. Stress is anything that causes mental, physical, or spiritual tension. There is no running away from it. All that matters is how you deal with it. This article does not deal with the factors of stress, anxiety, and depression, nor is it a clinical advice.

If you feel depressed, you are not alone. It has been estimated that 75 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians in America are for stress-related problems.

This is why it is wise to consult a doctor if you are having physical symptoms of stress. However, here are some tips that can help from a spiritual perspective.

1. Ask Him, He Listens
Turn each anxiety, each fear and each concern into a Dua’a (supplication). Look at it as another reason to submit to God and be in Sajdah (prostration), during which you are closest to Allah. God listens and already knows what is in your heart, but He wants you to ask Him for what you want. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Allah is angry with those who do not ask Him for anything. (Tirmidhi)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) once said that in prayer he would find rest and relief (Nasai). He would also regularly ask for God’s forgiveness and remain in prostration during prayer praising God and asking for His forgiveness. (Bukhari)

2. Tie your camel: Do your part
One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi)

Muslims must never become fatalistic. Although we know only Allah is in control and that He has decreed all things, we are each responsible for making the right choices and doing the right thing in all situations of our lives. We must work to alleviate the hardships we, our families and our communities face.

3. Remember that human responsibility is limited
While we need to carry out our duty to the best of our abilities, always remember that you don’t control the outcome of events. Even the Prophets did not control the outcome of their efforts. Some were successful, others were not. Once you have done your duty, leave the results to Allah.

Regardless of the results of your efforts, you will be rewarded for the part you have played.

4. Leave the world behind you five times a day
Use the five daily prayers as a means to become more Hereafter-oriented and less attached to this temporary world.

Start distancing yourself as soon as you hear Adhan, the call to prayer. When you perform Wudu (ablution), keep repeating Shahada, the declaration of faith, as water drops slip down your face, hands, arms and hair. When you stand ready to pray, mentally prepare yourself to leave this world and all of its worries and stresses behind you.

5. Seek help through Sabr (patience)
Seek help through Sabr and Salat (Qur’an 2:45). This instruction from Allah provides us with two critical tools that can ease our worries and pain. Patience and prayer are two oft-neglected stress-busters.

Patience helps us keep our mind and attitude towards our difficulties in check.

6. Excuse Me! You are Not Running the World, He is.
It is important to remind ourselves that we don’t control all the variables in the world. God does. He is the Wise, the All-Knowing. Sometimes our limited human faculties are not able to comprehend His wisdom, but knowing that He is in control and that as human beings we submit to His Will, enriches our humanity and enhances our obedience towards him.

Muslim’s Way Of Dealing With Suffering?

Suffering may be physical, like illnesses, or emotional, like frustrations or losing those whom we love or failing in any aspect of our lives. Hardly anyone escapes one or more of these aspects throughout life. Sometimes we ask ourselves why God destines us to have suffering and what benefits will He gain by watching us in pain.
According to Islamic faith, Allah (God) in His wisdom prescribed suffering for essential purposes. Only the believers know this wisdom and feel its sweetness in their hearts. In Arabic language, the word for suffering is ibtilaa , which constitutes a big philosophy in Islamic thought and is the title of a major chapter in all books of faith in this religion.

For the unjust, suffering is a punishment. This is a fact that has long been proved in scriptures when they tell about the fate of the people of Lot, the Pharaoh and his army, the people of Noah, etc. As for those who believe, even if they are sinners, ibtilaa carries a different message rather than punishment. It could be a test through which Allah may want to elevate His pious servants to higher ranks in the hereafter.

In this context Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials (Al-Bukhari). This trial could be as serious as losing one s sight or having any other weakness or sickness. Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi, If I deprive My slave of his two beloved things (his two eyes) and he remains patient, I will let him enter Paradise in compensation for them (Al-Bukhari).

I do believe that this is the reason all Allah s messengers were tried in this life: Think of Jesus (peace be upon him) when he was betrayed and driven to the threat of the cross, before he was uplifted and rescued by God. Think of Muhammad (peace be upon him) who lost five of his six children, including the only male child, during his life as a father. Think of Job and his long suffering with sickness. Think of all the rest: None of them lead a normal, cozy life; Allah made them suffer because He loved them.

The purpose of this ibtilaa could be otherwise. It could be a means to clean away the believer s sins and bring him or her back to his or her earlier purity. In this meaning our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) said, No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that (Al-Bukhari). He also said, No Muslim is afflicted with any harm but for that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of tree fall down (Al-Bukhari). It is human nature that when man is in trouble, he comes closer to Allah, running to Him in prayer and supplication, refraining from the stray path that he has led. When one is worn out with one of these tests of life, one starts to rethink and reconsiders one s course of life and may determine to change.

Two reactions are expected from the believers once they are exposed to any suffering, in order to deserve the price of either erasing their sins or elevating their rank in Paradise. The first one is to show patience, and the second is to show gratitude to God for sending them this test. God says in Qur’an what means: Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full without reckoning. (Az-Zumar 39:10)

Don t think that patience and gratitude are easy reactions. In fact, they need a lot of training till they become an inherent behavior. It is useful for the suffering ones to understand that showing intolerance or feeling annoyance or displeasure in relation to what God destines for them, may deprive them of the fruitful reward of ibtilaa . This fact may help them to discipline themselves to these noble reactions and help them overcome the natural human feelings of shock and panic to reach this super-human feeling of acceptance and contentment.

The Philosophy Of Salaah

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The importance of Salaah (obligatory 5 times prayers) in a Muslim’s life is undeniable, unquestionable, and undisputable. Every Muslim would agree that acts such as recitation of the Qur’an (qirat), giving charity to the poor (zakaat), pilgrimage (Hajj), fasting during Ramadan (fasting), respecting elders, loving the younger ones, abstaining from watching hearing and doing the haraam, and practices such as taqwa, kindness, prostrations (sajda), and supplications (dua) hold extreme importance in a Muslim’s life.

Our Beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallum commanded the Muslims to practice and teach all of the above mentioned devotions to themselves, others, and especially the children. But never has the Prophet stressed so much on any other element, as He has stressed on Salaat. The Prophet has emphasized Salaat so much that a child is to be disciplined from an early tender age and be put into the practice of offering his prayers. If the child does not recite the Qur’an, that’s ok. If he does not fast, that’s ok. But it is not ok for the child to not offer his prayers. The Prophet commanded the believers to condition their children in such a way that Salaat becomes part of his daily activity from as early of an age as 7 and 10 years.

Salaat is to be offered 5 times a day irrespective of any excuses, whether in a standing position, in a sitting posture, or even while lying down (if a person is sick), but it can not be ignored. The question arises to mind that what is it about Salaat that makes it so different from other pious activities? Why has the Salaat been emphasized so much that it

is one of the only few things that are actually commanded for even a child.Why???
Allah says in the Qur”an, “Seek help from Salaat.” Whenever the Prophet happened to face any difficulty, he would immediately resort to Salaat. When a Muslim offers his Salaat to please Allah, his sins are shed away from him just as leaves drop from trees in Autumn. Just as dirt can not remain on a person’s body who bathes five times, exactly similar is the effect of Salaat offered five times a day with the Grace of Allah it washes away all the dirt of the mind and spirit. Accountability of Salaat will be one of the only three questions asked in the grave, and will be the first and the foremost thing to be accounted for on the Day of Judgement. Salaat is the key to Paradise, the pillar of Islam, the light and mai’raaj of a Momin, and disgraces the Devil. The Mercy of Allah descends upon a person so long as he is engaged in Salaat. Of all the practices, Salaat made at fixed hours is most loved by Allah.

The place of Salaat in Islam is like the head in a body. Fire of Hell is forbidden and Paradise becomes due to a person who performs his ‘Wudhu’ properly and says his Salaat keenly and according to its regulations. Salaat encourages promptness in a person’s life and allows him to appreciate the value of time when he promptly offers his prayers 5 times everyday at their respective times.

Salaat strengthens faith and Eemaan because it makes a believer feel close to his Creator and makes him realize that even if he can not see Allah, Allah can surely see him. Salaat promotes unity and discipline for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side, and it is this subconscious indivisible unity of Islam that makes a man instinctively into a brother.

With these points in mind, one begins to understand the importance of Salaat on an individual’s life, and only now can we begin to understand why Allah and His Messenger emphasized so much on Salaat and wished to embed Salaat as part of every believer?s life, children and adults alike.