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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.

Refuge In Allah Alone

 

SEEKING refuge with Allah against things a person fears or is cautious about is one of the aspects of worship.

Allah mentions in the Qur’an:

Say: “I seek refuge with (Allah), the Lord of the daybreak. (Qur’an, 113:1)… until the end of the Surah.

Also, (Allah said about Musa in the Qur’an):

Musa (Moses) said: “Verily, I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant who believes not in the Day of Reckoning!” (Qur’an, 40:27)

Also, in the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Whoever comes to rest at a place says this supplication – ‘I seek protection in Allah’s complete words from the evil that He has created’ – nothing shall harm him until he moves from that place where he is.”

Allah also informed us that the Mushrikeen (polytheists) who the Prophet (peace be upon him) fought against, used to seek refuge in deities other than Allah. Whoever seeks refuge in the Jinn, the dwellers of the graves, the dead, or an angel so that they may avert some harm from him or bring some benefit, then seeking refuge in the created being in this way is something which is not permissible because Isti’adhah (seeking refuge) is an act of worship and should be directed to Allah alone.

Allah said:

“And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression.” (Qur’an, 72:6)

 

Turning To Him In Du’a

EVERY one of us has some problem or the other to deal with in our lives. But who amongst us stands before Allah, cries to Him and asks Him for help? We are so ready to cry out our problems to other people, who can do nothing for us except lend a sympathetic ear.

Why should we seek comfort with people when the Best of helpers is ready to listen to us? Allah said in the Qur’an: “And call upon Me, for I will answer your prayers.” (Qur’an, 40:60).

Several verses of the Qur’an and narrations of the Prophet (peace be upon him) encourage us, in fact command us, to make du’a to Allah, and to Him alone.

“And when my servants ask you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near. I respond to the innovations of the supplicant when he calls on Me…” (Qur’an, 2:186)

Allah is close to His worshippers by His knowledge, aid and protection. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed your Lord is shy and generous. He is shy, when a man raises his hands to Him, to return them empty and rejected.” (Ahmad, 5/438, Abu Dawood, no. 1488, authenticated by Sheikh Al-Albani)

So, let’s not think twice before asking Allah. Let’s raise our hands, praise Him, send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), acknowledge our sins, cry with humility and fear, complain only to Allah, be determined in our request and expect the best from Him because He is the All-Hearing, Wise.

Let us also utilize the certain times (proved from the Sunnah) during which du’a is more likely to be answered like the third part of the night, the time when the Adhan is called, during Sajdah while praying Salah, on Fridays, while fasting and while visiting the sick. Apart from the recommended times, du’a is a great act of worship that can be done at all times.

Ask Allah in times of hardship and ease. Encourage your children to seek His help and put complete trust (tawakkul) on Him alone.

“And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him…” (Qur’an, 65:2-3)

 

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