Our social:

Post from category:

Nawafil Prayers (Supererogatory Prayers)

Allah says in Hadith Qudsi: ….and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary deeds) until I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My Protection, I will protect him…” [Bukhari]

A Source of Elevation for you
The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Ask (anything).” Rabi’ah said: “I ask of you to be your companion in paradise.” The Prophet said: “Anything else?” Rabi’ah said: “That is it.” The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said to him: “Then help me by making many prostrations (i.e., supererogatory prayers).” [Muslim]

Tahajjud
Allah Most High said, “Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of the night, and (the recital of) the Qur’an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur’an at dawn is ever witnessed. And some part of the night awake for its recital, as voluntary worship for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised estate.” [Qur’an, 17: 78-79]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” [Muslim]

Abu Umama al-Bahili (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “Hold fast to night prayer, for it was the way of the righteous before you, a way of drawing closer to your Lord, an expiation for wrong deeds, and a shield from sin.” [Tirmidhi, and others] In some narrations, there is an addition, “And it repels sickness from the body.”

And because night vigil time is the best of times for voluntary worship and prayer, and the closest a servant is to his Lord.

So let us make the habit of reading as many Nawafil prayers as we can for more prayers means more prostrations and one is truly the closest to Allah in prostration.

….bow down in prostration and bring yourself the closer (to Allah).” (96:19)

Fulfilling Obligatory Duties And Abstaining From Prohibited Matters

It should be the desire of every Muslim to draw nearer and closer to Almighty Allah the most compassionate and the most merciful. By drawing closer and near to Allah we gain his help in every aspect of our lives in this world and to be merciful to us so that we may gain mercy in the hereafter in order to enter Jannah in the next world.

When we call upon him he would answer our calls and when we ask of him for anything he would give it to us when we draw nearer to him then our sincerity and intentions will enable us to become closer to him.

So we should strive to draw nearer to Allah, the Glorified the Exalted, who is the majesty of honor and generosity and the giver of peace, the most high and the most honored.

The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) has guided us. And Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted has guided us how to draw near to Him. As He said According to Hadith Qudsi:

“Whoever draws near to Me among those drawn nearby fulfilling what I have made obligatory on them….

You do not draw near to Allah except by fulfilling the obligatory duties which Allah has made obligatory on you; (that is) the obligatory duties from the obligatory duties (Faraid) such as Prayers, and Zakat (obligatory charity), and Hajj, and Fasting and being good to Parents and all these obligatory duties on you draw you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted. And the faraid (obligatory duties) are the first things that draw you near to Allah. You do not reach the door of nearness nor do you reach the presence of nearness except by fulfilling the obligatory duties. This is the first thing that draws you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, and you are in His Presence.

So the first thing we need to do is fulfill ALL of our obligatory duties and abstain from that which Allah and His messenger have forbidden us from.

Wooden Bowl When You Grow Old

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s trembling hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult.

Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the son. I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.

There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather’s direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up.”

The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive.

Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that everyday building blocks are being laid for the child’s future.

Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, and those you love, today, and every day!

“And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents…” (Qur’an, 29:8)

“And your Lord has decreed (commanded) that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents…” (Qur’an, 17:23)

“The Lord is pleased with the act of giving pleasure to the parents, and the Lord is angry with him who angers the parents.” (Saheeh Al-Jamee, no. 3500)

Formation Of Milk

And verily! In the cattle, there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from between excretion and blood, pure milk; palatable for the drinkers. (Qur’an 16:66)

We often see goats, sheep, and cows eat grass, and yet it rarely occurs to any of us to establish a link between this process and the milk and the dairy products we consume. God lets them feed on this grass, its ultimate transformation into milk, one of the basic nutrients. William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood almost a millennium after the Prophet’s death. At the time of the Prophet, the fact that the blood carried the nutriments absorbed from digested food into its constituents to mammary glands for the production of milk was not known. The new material transformed from the pasture into assimilated food and blood becomes nutritious food

The Qur’an not only draws attention to truths unknown at the time but also displays facts to derive lessons. The blood collects and transports the substances formed by digested food to organs; among others, to mammary glands. This process is initiated by blood coming into contact with the contents of the intestines, on their walls. Before continuing its journey, carried by blood, part of the digested food is absorbed by the intestines. This information is the result of modern research in biology, chemistry, and the physiology of digestion.

Rich product easy to obtain
Milk is the first food of the newborn mammal. It is a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of mammalians as food for their young in the period immediately after birth. From young whales to human infants, all mammals feed on their mother’s milk. The young animals and the babies obtain their supply of excellent nourishment without any toil. Milk is the best product for infants. No other nourishment can replace what is provided by it. We can identify thousands of nutritious food items in the world. Had the universe been the outcome of happy coincidences and had there been no ingeniously designed creation, there would have been no particular reason for the mother’s milk to be the best and most carefully selected nutriment. This perfect order designed for every mammal, including man, is proof of the Creator’s inimitable forethought. Materials digested to become blood turn into milk in the mother’s breast and are offered to the newborn by its Creator. Whether ratiocinated or mathematically calculated, it is impossible to assert that this is the outcome of fortuitous events that have nothing to do with a designed purpose. The infant practices sucking its finger in the womb to be prepared for drinking milk as soon as it is delivered. The fact that mother’s milk comes exactly in the amount of the baby’s need without spurting is also carefully planned.

The milk we first taste from our mother’s breast will continue throughout our lives to be consumed by us to meet the requirements of a healthy constitution. Milk is a whitish liquid consisting of small globules of fat suspended in a watery solution containing proteins, lactose sugar, and minerals like calcium, casein, and phosphorous, plus vitamins. Cheese, butter, and yogurt are all made with milk, the basic nutriment of man. The benefits that our body derives from its contents like minerals and vitamins are more than the present book can contain. When we consume it, we should remember always its Creator.

Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny? (Qur’an 55:18)

Humility: Mark Of A True Scholar

When an ear of corn is plentifully heavy with seed, it tilts and leans over. But if it is unfilled and light, it remains standing tall and proud. Such is the state of the believing slave; the more knowledge and faith in Allah that fills his heart, the more he will lower himself in humbleness and modesty towards the believers.

In times when we observe the evil effects of pride and arrogance affecting the Muslim communities around us, it can be uplifting to turn to a simple, yet powerful example of a teacher who did not let his high position among people develop a sense of self-righteousness or conceit inside him.

Once a student of this teacher sought permission to recite a poem. The teacher consulted and gave permission. The student began to recite his poetry that began by praising the spread of Islam and the rise of the truth regardless of the efforts of falsehood.

The student then reached a line that attributed the good he described to a condition: “…As long as there is in our midst the son of Saleh, the sheikh of our awakening, with the likes of him the support and triumph is expected.”

At this the teacher interrupted. He proclaimed clearly that he does not agree with this line. He explains that Truth should not be tied with certain individuals. For every person shall pass away, and if the people tied the Truth to a certain individual, they would lose hope.

But he does not leave the student there. Instead, he asks him to replace this line with, “As long as there is in our midst the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger.”

Not only did this humble teacher correct the student, but he also led him to a better alternative, which did not put an end to the entire recitation.

The student obeyed. Indeed, when the teacher is humble, the students too are likely to be humble. Then the student continued with his poem: “Ibnul Uthaymeen, our Faqih…”

The teacher again interrupted. He now realized the entire poem was dedicated for him, so he firmly, yet very gently, objected to any further recitation of this poem. With the utmost regard for the feelings of the student, the teacher asks if there was anything else the student would like to share.

The teacher then continued in a very calm tone offering valuable advice – in three points – to his students.

First, men may go astray, he advised, so never associate the success and permanence of the Truth with men. He then quoted Ibn Mas’ud’s saying, “Whoever wants to take an example, take the example of someone who died, because the living one is not safe from Fitna.”

Second, all men will die and none shall remain forever. Allah says: “And We did not grant to any man before you eternity (on earth); so if you die – would they live forever?” (Qur’an, 21:34)

Finally, he said, the son of Adam is merely a man. He may feel proud when he is praised and begin to think highly of himself. He may assume that he is always correct, thereby leading to his own eternal loss. In a Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (peace be upon him) rebuked one who excessively praised another, saying: “You have destroyed (or cut) the back of the man.” The teacher thanked the student for his good thoughts.

Such was the example of a role model, a scholar – Sheikh Muhammad Bin Saleh Al-Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him). Although he was one of the most knowledgeable scholars of his time and held the position of being the sheikh of many, many students, he did not permit the rise of the Truth to be linked to his name. He could have let it pass as merely a student expressing his love and respect for the sheikh. But he did not.

All praise is due to Allah that Sheikh Bin Uthaymeen corrected his student so beautifully because through this he left us with a valuable lesson. A lesson for every teacher, student and believer. We will also get a glimpse, through this moving example, of the humble and modest heart of this great scholar.

It was such beautiful characteristics that raised him and instilled his love in the hearts of many towards him. Until this day, we continue to see in the students of this sheikh – whether they are in the East or West – similar humbleness, regardless of their knowledge and efforts in da’wah.

It is only when the ear of corn becomes filled that a scholar rises to the level of a true scholar.

May Allah have mercy on the Sheikh and make us amongst the humble ones. Ameen.