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The Rights Of Children On Parents

And those who say: “Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the Muttaqun (the pious).” (25:74)

Children are one of the joys of life that we ask Allah to grant us: “Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world.” (18:46)

Children are the delight of our hearts in their childhood, our companions and comfort in our old age, and the only source of du`aa’ in our graves; all in all, they are the means by which we earn the fruits of this life and the reward of the hereafter.

Muslims have responsibilities towards their children, and they stand accountable for these responsibilities so that they can truly enjoy and appreciate the blessings of having children and get rewarded by the Most Merciful Lord.

The adult of today was the child of yesterday, and the child of today is the adult of tomorrow. In order for children to fulfill their responsibilities towards their parents, they must first get their rights from them.

Muslim parents should teach their children all about Islam and show them how to worship Allah, with no compulsion or force.

They should also guide them to the stairways to Paradise, and protect them from falling into Hellfire.

It is the responsibility of parents to provide their children with the environment and tools to learn all about Islam.

Practical Tips In Preparation For Ramadan

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

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Allah Almighty says, “The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong).)” (Al-Baqarah 2: 185)

Every Muslim should prepare himself to welcome the blessed month of Ramadan by strengthening his relationship with the Qur’an, busing himself with the spirit of fasting, and recharging his spiritual battery to prepare himself to make the whole blessed month of Ramadan a real occasion of sincere obedience.

Ramadan is an event that occurs in the life of the faithful, as individuals and as an Ummah, once a year. It is intended by Allah to help us to recharge our spiritual batteries and thus prepare us for the great mission of realizing His will on earth. Therefore, in order to benefit from Ramadan, we may do well to prepare for it by opening our hearts and minds to embrace it. Let me offer a few tips:

1. We should empower ourselves by learning as much as we can about the precise laws as well as the benefits of fasting.

2. We should ensure that we gain true benefits from our fasting, let us make sure to realize the spirit of fasting: this can only be done by abstaining, not only from food, drink, and sex, but also by strictly restraining our minds, hearts as well as our eyes, ears, hands, tongue, and so on.

3.We must embrace the spirit of fasting as stressed in Hadith: to be charitable and compassionate as much as we can.

4. We should strengthen our relationship with the Qur’an; for Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an.

5. We should engage in dhikr and condition ourselves to make it second nature.

6. Last but not least, we should build up our community through acts of charity and compassion and extending help to those in need as much as we can.

Let us pray that we come out of Ramadan with our faith recharged, gaining strength in our faith and commitment and relationship with Allah.

OH ALLAH! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me!
(Aameen)

By Sheikh Ahmad Kutty

Prepare A Generation That Knows Islam

Countering the intellectual attack
We must confront the intellectual onslaught represented in the radio, books, newspapers, magazines and writings which the Muslim communities in our present time have been afflicted with.

The Muslim male and female spend most of their time with such, despite the fact that they contain deadly poison and misleading propagation most of the time. Therefore confronting this is a very important issue if we want to protect Islam and the Islamic culture from its conspiracies and evil.

The da’ees and the defenders of Islam must devote their time in writing beneficial researches, articles, periodicals and give da’wah. They should respond to different types of cultural attack and expose its defects and clarify its falseness. The enemies have gathered now and are preparing all their efforts and abilities to establish different organizations and various ways to scheme and plot against the Muslims and deceive them.

Therefore we must counter attack these enemies. We must refute and disapprove of their networks, expose them, and present Islam as a faith, belief, legal system and a social and moral system. This should be done in a way that will make the people learn it, through good methods suitable for the age, and with wisdom and good admonition, arguing in a way that is best. We should use all the methods of the media, according to the resources available and our ability.

The deen of Islam is a complete deen, which contains all good. It is the source of happiness for all mankind, and helps us in achieving righteous prosperity, sound progression, security, tranquillity and a noble life and victory in this life and in the Hereafter.

The leaders and the scholars should exert efforts to enlighten and direct the population of Muslims and combat the efforts of the enemies of Islam, by retaliating with their own efforts.

The Muslim Ummah is an Ummah that has been entrusted with this religion and has the responsibility of conveying it. If we are careful to arm our boys and girls in Islamic societies, with knowledge, understanding and comprehension of Islamic Jurisprudence and accustom them to apply these things from a small age, then we will not fear, by the permission of Allah, the Most High, as long as they continue to holding onto the deen of Allah, glorifying it, following its laws, and fighting that which contradicts it. And indeed their enemies will fear them.

Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your foothold firm.” (Qur’an, 47:7)

“If you remain patient and become pious not the least harm will their cunning to do you. Surely Allah surrounds all that they do.” (Qur’an, 3:120)

There are many verses in the Qur’an which convey this message. The most important factor for us in fighting against the efforts of our enemies is raising and preparing a generation that knows the reality of Islam.

This can be achieved through guidance, taking care of the house and family, the method of educating them, the media and improvement of the society.

In addition to this is the role of steering and guiding which needs to be taken by the Muslim leadership, persevering in beneficial work and continually reminding the people that which will benefit them and make the belief within them grow and flourish.

– Words of Advice regarding Da`wah , Al-Hidaayah Publishers

The Search For Unity

Today, whenever we Muslims discuss our problems, we touch on many topics: the situation in Palestine , Kosovo, Iraq, Algeria, Kashmir; the weakness of Muslims; the arrogance of the West; and the scheming of the Zionists. Whatever the topic of the day, the one issue we never miss, implicitly or explicitly, is the lack of Muslim unity. In the past year, I have had the good fortune of visiting India, Morocco, Canada, and South Africa. I found that Muslims everywhere still share this same common concern: If only we had!

The Ummah today comprises more than one billion Muslims. Islam is considered to be the world’s fastest growing religion. Muslims are the majority in a swath of countries from Morocco to Indonesia and from Turkey to Sudan. Muslim lands cover a strategic area of the world’s oil and mineral resources, as well as its major trade routes. There are significant Muslim minorities in most countries in the world, and there is hardly a place on this planet where Islam does not have a presence. We have no shortage of numbers. Often, our number far exceeds that of other religious minorities. But when you consider our influence on world affairs today, it is very small. At every level, Muslims are aware of this, and we are calling for unity.

Allah says in the Qur’an: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur’an) and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah’s favor on you for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace you became brethren (in Islamic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes his Ayat clear to you, that you may be guided. (3:103)

We Muslims are reasonably well aware of our history. But how much have we learned from it? The above verses remind us how our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) united the tribes of Arabia, whom the Byzantines and Persians considered to be so savage, warlike, and backward that they were unworthy of conquest. The Prophet (peace be upon him) molded the Arab tribes into a nation of supermen. When we Muslims served Allah and subdued our vanity, we became masters of the world. We swept over North Africa, across Spain and southern France, and eastwards to China. Then we argued among ourselves over who got what. As soon as we started indulging in our vanities and forgot Allah, we lost everything. This happened over many centuries. Although our numbers increased, our influence on world affairs declined.

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.”

When Hardships Fall, What Level Do You Fall In?

We all pass through difficult stages. Hardships are part and parcel of life. But the way we react to them makes us different as people. As a scholar of the past said people look the same during ease, but are different when hardships strike. Sheikh Bin Uthaymeen explained the different levels of people in a beautiful manner.

People, during afflictions and difficulties, are at four levels:

1. Becoming angry
People get angry in their heart as if they are angry with their Lord. So, they become angry with what Allah decreed for them, and this is not permissible. It’s possible that it could even lead to disbelief. Allah says:

“And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he’s content therewith, but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter.” (Qur’an, 22:11)

Others express their anger by their tongue, calling and supplicating for destruction or ruin. This is also impermissible. Some others slap cheeks, rip their clothes, and pull out their hair. None of this is allowed. It’s in contradiction to having the required patience.

2. Remaining patient
A poet once said, “Patience, like its name, is bitter in taste, yet its outcomes are sweeter than honey.”

The patient ones bear (the affliction) although they dislike it. Their faith prevents them from becoming angry. So, the period of affliction and period without hardship are not the same to him. This (level) is obligatory because Allah commanded the people to be patient, saying: “And be patient. Certainly, Allah is with the patient ones.” (Qur’an, 8:46)

3. Being pleased
Some are pleased with the affliction. Things are pretty much the same for them. There is no difficulty facing them and they don’t bear it as something heavy.

This (level) is preferred but not an obligation according to the most correct of opinions.

4. Being thankful
Being grateful is the highest level. This is the state when a person thanks Allah for the affliction that has befallen him. He knows that such a difficulty is a means of expiation for his sins and perhaps a cause for an increase in his good deeds. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“There’s no affliction that strikes a Muslim except that Allah expiates with it (his sins), even with a thorn that may prick him.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

– Fatawa Arkaan Al-Islam. Translated by Abu Az-Zubayr Harrison

Prophet Muhammad: Great People Flock To A Great Man

The early companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who accepted Islam in its early days when it was opposed by the powerful, the rich and the nobles of their community, were a group of great men.

It is only a person of high caliber that accepts a message that declares at the outset that it aims to change the life of individuals and society, doing so only after he examines it carefully, sets aside hostile propaganda and identifies its merits. Hence, we are not surprised that this elite group included a long line of great people. Yet they exhibited different aspects of greatness. Among them there were those who excelled as military commanders and those who were superior in moral courage. Some were distinguished by high family descent, yet were personally of high caliber. Others showed nobility of character. Some had great minds and souls, but lacked the material means to achieve the sort of distinction they deserved, while others came to Islam from a highly distinguished social position. What brought them all together was their profound faith in Islam and their love of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

When a person excels in a particular field, it will not be surprising that his closest friends would be interested in that field. An excellent sportsman will attract people who are enthusiastic about sport, whether they play a particular game or are simply viewers who enjoy watching it. A scholar will attract only those who are interested in learning and reading. Indeed, a great Prophet will be surrounded by pious people, just like Jesus had his group of disciples. In the case of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) we find that great people who excelled in a wide spectrum of areas getting very close to him. Every one found with him what responded to his own greatness. None felt out of place with him. In fact, it is very difficult to say that a particular type of greatness was closer to him. All these people felt very close. What is more is that they recognized their own differences and respected each other’s excellence. When they were called upon to provide leadership in different areas, they proved to be great indeed. With the Prophet, however, they were close friends, followers and supporters. Each one was ready to lay down his life for the Prophet’s sake.

How could he maintain such friendships with so many different types and characters? The answer is that he loved every one of them, and he was sincere in his love. He reciprocated their good feelings, giving always much more than he received. Moreover, he was always ready to point out their goodness and to acknowledge their favors. Referring to his closest companion, he said: “Abu Bakr is the one who has done me the greatest favors ever. He supported me with his life and property, and he gave me his daughter to marry.” He also said: “Abu Bakr and Umar are to me like my sight and hearing.” Mentioning some of his companions, he said: “God has commanded me to love four people telling me that He loves them. Ali is one of them. The others are Abu Dharr, Al-Miqdad and Salman.”

His love of mankind was exemplary. He never retaliated for a personal injury, physical or mental. He was always ready to pardon anyone who took a hostile attitude to him. Indeed, he pardoned someone who lifted up his sword aiming to kill him, when that person’s sword fell off. Whenever there was a chance to make peace with an enemy, he immediately took that chance. Hence, it is not surprising that even his most hardened enemies often spoke highly of his nobility and integrity.

– By Adil Salahi

3 Weeks Before Ramadan

‘Fasting & Quran’ week

  • Start making up the qada of the missed fasts from previous Ramadan (s)
  • Once you have made up all your Qada fasts, start fasting on Mondays and Thursdays
  • Involve your family and friends by encouraging them to fast as well
  • Allocate a certain amount of Quran to read every day and ensure that you read this amount regularly
  • Get an English translation and a tafsir book to help you understand the Quran and read these regularly

How To Make Tawbha
Tawbah consists of three parts: Knowledge, repentance and determination

Knowledge: If you have knowledge of Islam then you will recognize your sins and understand why they are harmful for you and know what the punishment is if you continue to do those sins. You must also have sincere faith and devotion to Allah, because if you know that something displeases/angers Him then you will feel bad about doing it.

Repentance: Once you understand that the sins you have done are harmful and that you have earned Allah’s displeasure, then you will feel bad about having sinned. You will feel deep regret and remorse, even grief at having committed those sins.

Determination: When you feel so bad about doing those sins, then you will refrain from doing them and be determined never to do them again, especially if you know what the harmful effects and punishment are for those actions.

If you have committed a sin involving taking away someone else’s rights, then you must return those rights and ask forgiveness from that person also. (Adapted from Imam al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulumuddin, translated by Maulana Fazlul Karim, Taj Company, 1982, Vol. 4)

Tips To Help You stay Away From Sins:

  • Stay away from the places of sinning
  • Keep yourself in the company of those who remember Allah
  • Keep your hands busy with useful work and your tongue busy with remembrance of Allah
  • Understand the harmful effect of sins and read about the punishment for sinning
  • Remind yourself about the rewards for doing good deeds, both in this life and in the hereafter

Night Prayers:
Any nafl (voluntary) prayers offered after Isha but before Fajr are night Prayers. If one prays ‘Isha without going to sleep, then this prayer is called Qiyam ul-Layl. If one prays after waking up from sleep, then this prayer is called Tahajjud.