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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.

Serve Islam Even If The Last Day Were To Come

One Hadith that never cease to motivate me to contribute to the cause of Islam is: “If the Hour starts to happen and in the hand of one of you is a palm shoot or seedling; then if he’s able to plant it before the Hour happens, then let him plant it.” (As-Silsilah As-Saheehah, no. 9)

No doubt, there are many lessons that we can extrapolate from this short yet super-powerful Hadith. But the first lesson that comes to my mind is that a Muslim should learn to contribute under all circumstances. Now, I don’t think any Muslim would dispute the fact that the Day of Judgment is the ultimate accumulation of the most difficult set of conditions for a human being to operate in.

Yet, the Prophet manages to draw a breathtaking picture of someone who’s fighting against the Day of Judgment, it starting to happen and the man is trying to plant a shoot before it happens!! Subhan Allah, not even the Hour is an excuse for any one of us not to contribute to society and to the benefit of humanity. But if we look at our condition today, we see some Muslims, at least subconsciously, ignoring or even opposing this prophetic message. We have come to a point where some of us have become experts at manufacturing excuses. Take for example the prayer of Fajr in congregation. In the summer, we claim that Fajr is too early. In the winter, we convince ourselves that it’s too cold.

When it comes to staffing programs and manning projects for the Muslim community, you see meager participation. Where is the rest of the community?

Give your excuses a black eye! Now is the time to recapture and revive the spirit of our Muslim ancestors who operated under much harder conditions but with a very strong and positive attitude. They contributed selflessly even if they didn’t see the results of their works in their lifetime.

Just like this man that the Prophet (peace be upon him) described. He’s planting the palm shoot, but he’s not sure if he or the plant will make it for the next hour. But that’s okay since this man has fulfilled his responsibility. The rest is on Allah.

Supreme Blessing For All Muslims

Every Muslim who has reasonable knowledge of his religion knows that being a believer in Islam represents a great blessing from God. Islam is a religion that gratifies human nature in the best way it can be gratified. It seeks to establish perfect harmony between man’s life in this world and the universe around him. Thus a Muslim does not see himself in conflict with nature, and does not feel his main task to be the conquering of nature. Indeed he looks at natural forces as friendly forces, created and set into operation by God to ensure a good balance in the universe. They serve human life, making it possible for human existence to continue and progress.

Islam also establishes a mode of human life that ensures that the best qualities of man will flourish and achieve their best results. When a Muslim compares his life under Islam and human life under other systems or religions he finds the gulf too wide to imagine. This gulf is best described by Jaafar ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin, who explained to Negus, the king of Abyssinia, the teachings of Islam and the reasons for the opposition and persecution the new Muslims had to endure from their people, the Quraysh. Jaafar said: “In our recent past we were ignorant people: we worshipped idols, ate carrion, committed all sorts of sins, attached little value to maintaining good relations with our kinsfolk and behaved badly to our neighbors. Our overruling maxim was that might was right. This continued to be our situation until God sent us, from among ourselves, a Messenger whose good name, honesty, sincerity and integrity were well known to us. He called on us to believe in God, the one and only God, and to stop worshipping all idols, which we and our forefathers used to worship alongside Him. He commanded us always to speak the truth and be honest, to be good to our relatives and neighbors, to preserve life and shed no blood, to refrain from sin, perjury, robbing the property of orphans entrusted to our care, and making false accusations against honorable women. He also commanded us to devote our worship to God alone, ascribing to Him no partners of any sort. He further commanded us to pray regularly, to give away certain purifying alms and to fast, etc. We gave him a favorable response, believed in him and gave him our full support. We followed these Divine commandments he conveyed to us. We began to worship God alone, refraining from what He forbade us and accepting what He made lawful for us. Our people, however, assaulted us and subjected us to physical torture to compel us to revert to idolatrous worship and to indulge in the sinful practices we used to indulge in. Having been overpowered, oppressed and denied the freedom to choose our faith and practice it, we sought refuge in your country, choosing you in preference to all other rulers, hoping that in your refuge we would suffer no injustice.” Negus immediately recognized the truth of Jaafar’s statement and guaranteed that the Muslims would stay in his kingdom unmolested and unharmed.

When human life is set on the basis Jaafar outlines in his superb presentation, it represents a great blessing indeed. Yet this marked difference between Islamic life and life under other systems is not the only blessing Muslims enjoy as a result of believing in Islam. Ibn Abbas quotes the Prophet as saying: “‘Anyone of my community who suffers the death of two of his children, God will admit him into heaven.’ Lady Ayesha asked: ‘What about a person of your community who suffers the death of one child?’ He said: ‘May you be granted success! This applies to them as well.’ She asked: ‘What about the ones who do not suffer the death of any children?’ He said: ‘I am the one whose death they suffer. Indeed they will never suffer the death of anyone like me.'” (Related by Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi and Al-Baghawi.)

The Prophet teaches us in this Hadith to accept whatever calamity may happen to us. Perhaps no one suffers more grief than loving parents when they lose a child. The Prophet tells such parents that they should not let their grief get the better of them. They should realize that God will reward them richly for their patience in such adversity. When they accept their loss as an act of God’s will, they will be forgiven their sins and are sure to be admitted into heaven.

We note how Ayesha continued to question the Prophet about the loss of children when she herself had no children of her own. The Prophet stated first that admission into heaven is certain for anyone who loses two of their children. She asked about the loss of one child and the Prophet confirmed that the same applies to such parents. They need, however, to accept their loss with resignation, knowing that it is God’s will. When she asks about those who do not suffer such a loss, the Prophet tells her that all Muslims suffer the death of the Prophet, as they lose the guide who always shows them the right way and the guardian who always takes good care of them. He says: “They will never suffer the death of anyone like me.” Who could be like him? Blessed be he in life and in death, and in the life to come.

This is further explained in an authentic Hadith in which Abu Musa Al-Ashari quotes the Prophet as saying: “When God wishes to bestow mercy on a community, he causes their prophet to die and they survive him. Thus He makes their prophet’s death a calamity they suffer with patience and for which they are rewarded. On the other hand, when God wants to destroy a community, He lets His punishment befall them with their Prophet alive, looking at them as they are destroyed. Thus, He will give him the satisfaction of seeing their punishment for denying his message and disobeying his instructions.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others.)

This Hadith is highly authentic, as it is related by both Al-Bukhari and Muslim, each of whom quoting narrations by a large number of the Prophet’s companions. Thus it aspires to the highest degree of authenticity. Moreover, it is confirmed by what the Qur’an states about the punishment of earlier communities who denied their messengers and refused to accept God’s guidance. The people’s of Ad, Thamud, Lot, Madyan and Pharaoh were all destroyed during the lifetimes of their prophets. By contrast, when the children of Israel accepted Moses’ message, Moses died and they prospered under other prophets, such as David and Solomon, who guided them to implement the divine message given to them. The same applied to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Muslim community. May it long prosper under the Prophet’s guidance, and may it long implement God’s final message.

Eleven Signs Of Love For The Beloved Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam

Someone who claims that he/she loves another will prefer that person to all others, he will also prefer what they like, if it were otherwise then he would be acting and his love would not be sincere. The following signs will be apparent in those who truly love the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam,

First: The first sign of love for the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, is that he/she will follow his example, apply his prophetic way in words, deeds, obedience to his commands, avoidance of whatever he prohibited and adopt his manner in times of ease, hardship, joy and disappointment. Allah says, “Say (Prophet Muhammad, ‘If you love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you.” [Aal Imran : 31]

Second: The second sign is that he/she will set aside his own desires and appetite in preference to the law established and encouraged by the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam. Allah says, “Those before them who had made their dwelling in the abode (City of Medina), and because of their belief love those who have emigrated to them; they do not find any (envy) in their chests for what they have been given and prefer them above themselves, even though they themselves have a need.” [al Hashr : 9]

Third: The third sign is that a person’s anger of others is only for the sake of seeking the pleasure of Allah. Anas, Malik’s son was told by the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, “My son, if you can refrain from holding a grudge in your heart from morning to evening, then do so.” He then added, “My son, that is part of my prophetic way. Whosoever revives my way has loved me, and whosoever loves me is with me in the Garden.” [Sunan Tirmidh, Kitab al-Ilm, Vol. 4, Page 151]

If a person possesses this fine quality, then he/she has perfect love for Allah and His Messenger. If he is found to be slightly lacking in this quality then his love is imperfect, but not devoid of it. The proof of this is found in the saying of the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, when a person faced punishment for imbibing. As the person was about to receive his punishment a man cursed the offender, whereupon the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, said, “Do not curse him. He loves Allah and His Messenger.” [Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Hudood, Vol. 3, Page 133]

Three kinds Of Hearts

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also classified people into three groups based on their response to his Message and Guidance. He said:

“An example of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is that of a rain that falls on different kinds of land:

– One land is good; it accepts water and produces vegetation and grass in plenty.

– Another land is dry with a solid bed that reserves water so that people can drink and irrigate with it.

– The third kind is a porous land that can neither retain water nor produce vegetation.

This is an example of those who acquire the knowledge of the Deen and benefit from that with which Allah sent me, and of those who do not take heed and who insist on rejecting Allah’s Guidance.” – (Bukhari and Muslim)

The Messenger (peace be upon him) likens the knowledge (with which he came) to rain, because both are causes of life. Rain is the cause of life for the body, while knowledge is the cause of life for the heart. He (peace be upon him) also likens different hearts to different valleys, as Allah said:

“He sends down water (rain) from the sky, and the valleys flow according to their measure, but the flood bears away the foam that mounts up to the surface, and (also) from that (ore) which they heat in the fire in order to make ornaments or utensils, rises a foam like unto it, thus does Allah (by parables) show forth truth and falsehood…” (Qur’an, 13:17)

Thus, just as there are three kinds of land, there are three kinds of hearts:

– The first is a good land which accepts water and is ready to produce vegetation. When rain falls on it, it absorbs the water eagerly, giving rise to all sorts of pleasant vegetation.

This is an example of one with a healthy, pure, and intelligent heart, which embraces knowledge, and is guided by its true intelligent nature, blossoming by that wisdom and true faith. Therefore, it is eager to take the knowledge, and ready to bear fruits because of its good nature.

It is also like a rich businessman who has experience in different trades and investments, which enables him to invest his wealth in that which brings the best profit.

– The second kind is a hard, solid land prepared to preserve and keep water: It benefits people who visit it to drink or irrigate.

This is an example of one whose heart preserves knowledge and safeguards it so as to convey it just as he hears it, without changing it or deriving conclusions from it. This is also described in another Hadith:

“There is often one who conveys knowledge to one who is more knowledgeable than himself; and there is often one who carries knowledge when he himself is not knowledgeable.” – (Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Ahmad and others – authenticated by Al-Albani)

It is also like a rich man who does not possess the knowledge or experience to invest his wealth, but who knows very well how to preserve it.

– The third is a barren land which is incapable of holding water or producing vegetation: no matter how much rain falls, it does not profit by it. This is an example of one whose heart does not accept any knowledge or wisdom. It is also like a poor man who neither possesses wealth nor knows how to preserve it.

The first of the above three examples applies to a learned man who imparts knowledge, and who calls people to Allah with clear guidance; such are the inheritors of the Prophets.

The second applies to one who preserves the knowledge, and who transmits what he hears precisely; he carries to other people precious goods that they can use for trade and investment.

The third applies to one who neither accepts Allah’s Guidance nor benefits from it.

Thus this Hadith covers the different types of people and their different attitudes toward the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Da’wah, which make them either happy or miserable.

Signs Of Weak Iman

1) Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.

2) Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.

3) Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat

4) Neglecting the Sunnah.

5) Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.

6) Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.

7) Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.

8) Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.

9) Desiring status and wealth.

10) Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.

11) Ordering others to do good deeds when not practicing them ourselves.

12) Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.

13) Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.

14) Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.

15) Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.

16) Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.

17) Being unable to deal with calamities, for instance crying and yelling in funerals.

18) Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.

19) Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.

20) Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.

Listed Below Are Ways To Increase Our Iman

1) Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.

2) Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.

3) Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah’s names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.

4) Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.

5) We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.

6) We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.

7) Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.

8) Make dua, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don’t covet material things in this life.

9) Our love for Subhana Wa Ta’Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.

10) Realize the effects of sins and disobedience- one’s iman is increased with good deeds and our iman is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah.