Punishment of the Grave

8 Things you should know about Muharram

EIGHT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MUHARRAM

1. Muharram is one of four sacred months as Allah says in the Qur’an, “Verily the number of months with Allah are twelve months, so it was ordained by Allah on the day He created the heavens and earth, of them four are sacred,” (Tawbah 09:36) This t was explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a hadith, in which he said, “the year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred, three consecutive months; Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram, and Rajab of Mudar which comes between Jumada and Sha’baan.”(Bukhari and Muslim)

2. It is marked as the first month of the Muslim Calendar, however this does not merit new year celebrations. Muslims should abstain from such celebrations or greetings for they were not prescribed by the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him, nor were they done by him. Furthermore to indulge in such practices would be an imitation of the disbelieving nations.

3.. Sinning in the sacred months is worse than sinning in the regular months. On the other hand doing good deeds during these months bring a greater reward.

4. Fasting in this month, is the second best fast: Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “the best of fasting after Ramadaan, is fasting Allah’s month of Muharram.” (Muslim)  Fasting is means of attaining taqwa, and what better time to observe it than in a sacred month, where it brings even greater reward? 

5. Despite this huge reward, the Prophet is not reported to have fasted any other full month except Ramadaan, hence we can only follow in his footsteps.

6. Muharram is also special because the day of ‘Ashura, occurs in it. ‘Ashura is the day on which Allah saved Musa (May peace be upon him) and Children of Israel from Firawn (as per the various ahadith), therefore Musa would fast on this day as thanksgiving to Allah. About this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to his companions, “you have more right to Musa, so fast on that day.” Thus fasting on the day of ‘Ashura is recommended in the Sunnah. The Prophet was eager to fast on this day, in hope of earning the reward. Ibn Abbas said, “I never saw the Messenger of Allah so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any other day, than this day, the day of Ashura…” (Bukhari)

7. Fasting the Day of Ashura brings expiation of year:The Prophet peace be upon him said, “for fasting this day of Ashura, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” (Muslim) Truly Allah’s mercy exceeds His anger, for merely fasting one day, sins of one entire year are washed away. Imam An-Nawawi explained that fasting the day of Ashura expiates all minor sins, meaning all sins, errors and mistakes, except the major sins.

8. Fasting the ninth day (Tasoo’a) of Ashura to differ from the Jews and Christians: Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fasted on the day of ‘Ashura and told the people to fast, they said, “O Messenger of Allah, this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Next year, if Allah wills, we will fast on the ninth day.” But by the time the following year came, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had passed away. (Muslim)

In conclusion, the virtues of Muharram are many. Anyone who is able to, should strive to earn the extra rewards available in this sacred month. The Prophet prescribed fasting as a means of piling the rewards, so let’s take the opportunity this year to follow his wishes and fast the ninth and tenth of this auspicious month.

Shaykh Abdur Raheem

On the Radio...

I was listening to the radio this morning. There was a discussion going on about the Shia cleric killed in Saudi Arabia.

One point I noted was that there was so much sympathy with this terrorist who was a Saudi national, who had disturbed the peace of the country and who was committing treason by attempting to topple the government. He was 1 of 47 who were convicted of terrorism, the rest were Sunni. The punishment in Saudi Arabia for terrorism is death, whether one agrees with it or not.

Also, Iran is crying for this one person while it has never said a single word for the millions of Syrians killed unjustly and the interference and turmoil they have created in Iraq post Saddam.

Secondly, Iran hangs Sunnis on a regular basis. In 2015 alone, they murdered more than 1000 Sunnis by hanging them in public. Many of them were Sunni clerics. Not to mention the other forms of persecution people face in that country.

Then the discussion moved on to whether the Sunnis think Shias are Muslims or not. The Sunni brother explained that it depends on what their beliefs are. The Alavees believe that Ali was God, so they are not Muslims, but those who don't hold such beliefs are Muslims.

What they failed to discuss was the Shia's belief regarding the Sunnis. Shias believe that all Sunnis are non Muslims. They even slander the companions of the prophet peace be upon him. They claim that they were all apostates. They believe that killing Sunnies elevates the ranks of Shia in paradise. Their leaders claim that Killing Sunnies holds more reward than killing any other non Muslim.

Shia books state that when the hidden Mahdi will arrive, (na'oodhu billah) he will take out Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (radhiallahu anhuma) out of their graves and crucify them. These are just some of their disgusting beliefs towards the great Sahaba, whereas Sunnis love all the Sahaba including Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyida Fatima, Sayyiduna Hasan, Sayyiduna Husain and the rest of the Ahlul-Bayt.

Shias form only 10% of the world Muslim population. Yet they are causing so much corruption around the world.

May Allah have mercy on the Ahlus-sunnah and protect them throughout the world. Ameen.

Shaykh Abdul Raheem

Assalam Alaykum

Assalam Alaykum,
My apologies for not updating in almost a month. I have been busy working on a project which i nearing completion inshallah and then I shall resume with posts as per normal.
I have also not been well these past couple of days...

Please remember me n your duas.

Wasalam

Failure

Many students succumb to such drastic measures. Some students work and study extremely hard but fail. Due to failure, they sink into such depression that they feel they have to take or inject themselves with drugs, tranquilizers, etc. for sleep. Why ?…Because they failed.

If a person did not make Tadbeer, i.e. did not make a serious and concerted effort and thereafter fails, then he must blame himself. However, generally, we do make a reasonable effort but sometimes still meet with failure. For example : A person is fit and healthy when he started something but later becomes sick and is unable to complete what he undertook.

Tafweez is placing our matters before Allah Ta’ala, handing them over to Him, and trusting completely in Him, believing that there is goodness in whatever Allah Ta’ala has decided. Outwardly, it may appear as if there is some problem that we are faced with, but great wisdom lies in the decisions of Allah.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) has said : “Strive to acquire what is beneficial for you; seek the aid of Allah; do not lose courage and if a setback overtakes you, do not say : ‘If I had done this then it would have happened like this (i.e. not what had happened).’ Instead say : ‘Allah has ordained this. Whatever He has willed, has happened.’”
by Maulana Yunus Patel

Remember Allah

The great Sufi Master Dhu al-Nun al-Misri has said that the man who remembers Allah in the full sense of the term forgets everything else, and that, in reward of such a total absorption, Allah Himself takes care of all his concerns, and grants him something far more valuable for everything he loses.

Similarly, the blessed Companion Mu'adh (رضى الله تعالى عنه) has remarked that in so far as winning absolution from the divine wrath is concerned, no good deed on the part of man can compare with Dhikr. And in a hadith reported by the blessed Companion Abu Hurayrah (رضى الله تعالى عنه), Allah Himself says that so long as the servant keeps remembering Him and his lips keep moving in Dhikr, Allah is with him.
Source: Merits of Dhikr

Exams

For many of us these months will be stressful as it is the exam periods in schools and universities as well as many Madrassahs. It is during these months that we will be examined and ranked and informed as to what we have done and achieved during the year that has just past.

Read the full post on Exams here.

Chain Letters

There occurs today a very detestable practice among our muslims in particular. It is the indulgence and participation in email chain letters. For those of us not familiar with this activity, it is where someone sends an email letter with some sort of story pertaining, in most cases but not always, to something Islamic, and then they put a condition at the end of this story to distribute this email to a certain number of people. The condition usually is a severe warning against not forwarding the email to the certain number of people in which case some calamity or mishap will occur if it is not done. In other cases the condition proposes a special benefit for forwarding the email to the certain number of people. Ordinarily this is a form of shirk that I think most people would be aware of or at least should recognize. Believing that some act not from the Qur'aan or Sunnah, if done, can cause some harm and/or benefit is indeed shirk. In doing so we set up a rival to Allaah, for truly it is only Allaah who can benefit us or harm us, and only Allaah can remove such harm.

As Allaah says in Surah Al-An'am ayah 17:
"And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things."
One of the things we learn from this ayat is that any harm that afflicts us can only be removed by Allaah, so to specifically believe in bad omens, which includes bad luck and the belief that certain practices, not endorsed by Allaah or The Prophet sallAllahu 'Alayhi wa Salam, can affect the outcome of future events, is in essence the meaning of an omen. So to believe in these omens would be, belief that other than Allaah can remove such harm from us, which is setting a rival with Allaah in this removal of harm. And Allaah says in Surah al-Ma'aidah ayah 72 :
"Verily, whosoever sets up rivals in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Al-Jannah for him, and the Fire will be his abode."

Imam Ahmad reports, on the authority of Ibn `Amr radhi Allahu anhumma, that the Prophet sallAllahu 'alayi wa Salam said:

"Whoever is turned back from his objective by a bad omen has committed Shirk." They asked: "And what is the expiation for that?" He sallAllahu 'alayhi wa salam replied: "It is to say: "Oh, Allah! There is no good except that which You bestow and there is no evil except that which You bestow and there is none has the right to be worshipped but You."

In many circumstances these chain emails threatens the reader that "if" the email is not sent to the certain number of people then "such and such" will occur. As reported in the above hadith this is Shirk! As is reported on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood radhi Allahu 'anhu in a marfoo' form, that he said: "At-tiyarah (belief in omens) is Shirk, at-tiyrah (belief in omens) is Shirk. There is none among us who is not afflicted by it, but Allah, by true dependence on Him removes it from the heart." [1] So this hadeeth / athar is a rejection of belief in omens because such beliefs necessitates negation of belief in Allah's Qadr and because it causes the heart to become attached to other than Allah, which is Shirk.

Also it is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah radhi Allaahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam said:

"There is no `adwaa [2], no tiyarah (belief in omens) and no haamah[3] and no Safar [4]" (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

Muslim, in his Saheeh, adds: ".and no naw` [5] and no ghoul [6]."

Now what is even more disturbing is that these omens are presented and beautified in the form of "harmless" conditions and mere fun. No doubt a trick for shaytaan ar rajeem, wa iyaadhu billah.

The most recent one of these chain emails, puts the condition that "if you love Allaah, then forward this letter to.."!!! This should indeed be a higher degree of disturbing for Muslims as it entails speaking about an attribute of Allaah without knowledge, namely Allaah's love. How is it that one can put a condition to Allaah's love based on doing an act that has no precedence in The Book of Allaah or The Sunnah of His Messenger sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam?!? This is indeed a form of ilhad (deviation) regarding the attribute of Allaah, and a form of shirk in this category of Tawheed (Asmaa wa Sifaat). The love of Allaah is attainable through many acts of ibaadah mentioned to us in the Quran and Sunnah, and thus to innovate in this noble venture is a disgusting type of bidah, pursued in most part by those of ahl kalam (The people of false rhetoric). Those people who chose not to be content with the established texts of Al-Islaam, but rather engage in exercising their intellect with regard to the deen.

As we should know the Beautiful, Perfect and Lofty Names and Attributes of Allaah are tawqeefiyyah, meaning they are derived from the text of The Qur'aan and The Sunnah. Speaking about Allaah's Names and/or Attributes without knowledge that which was not mentioned by Allaah or His Messenger sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam or the righteous predecessors of this Ummah constitutes a great offense against Allaah and His Deen. Allaah Subhana wa Ta'ala says in Surah Al Ar'af ayah 33:
"Say: My Lord has forbidden.. and that you say about Allaah that of which you have no knowledge".

And Allaah says in Surah al-Isra'a ayah 36:
"Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge."
So we must be extremely careful not to attribute to Allaah or place a condition on His attributes that was not mentioned in any text of The Qur'aan and Sunnah, even if it appears to agree with our intellect. This is the methodology of the Sahabah concerning the Names and Attributes of Allaah, and it is the methodology that we in turn should adopt.

In conclusion I offer this sincere advise, and brotherly warning, if you or anyone you know is in the practice of writing these emails, or forwarding them, please revere Allaah and set not rivals with Him by spreading this fitnah of belief and indulgence in omens and superstious practices. Like so many other types of hidden shirk, it is beautified and marginalized until it enters our home as something that we take to be so minute and insignificant.

May Allah Al-Wakeel rectify the affairs of the Ummah. May He, protect us from all forms of Shirk, major and minor, hidden and apparent. May Allaah support us against the plots of shaytaan ar rajeem and our nafs and desires.

By Yusuf Atiff Bin Abdel-Lateef Diab
Courtesy: AL-ISLAAH PUBLICATIONS (http://www.everymuslim.net/)
________________________________

[1] Narrated by Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhi, who said it is authentic, but considered the last part of it to be Ibn Mas'ood's own statement.
[2] Infectious or contagious disease.
[3] Interpreting omens based on the flight of a nocturnal bird.
[4] Some scholars said that it refers to parasites which infest the stomach and intestines of mankind and cattle, while others said that it refers to the pagan belief that the arrival of the month of Safar in the Muslim calendar bodes ill, while the dictionary defines safar as jaundice - and Allah knows best.
[5] belief that the positions of the stars affect the climate
[6] ghosts and ghouls

The Sunnah

A beautiful analogy which Maulana Yakub, a visiting scholar to my local Masjid, gave in the talk he delivered. Whilst these aren’t his exact words, this is what I understood from them.

When a man has £50 in his pocket and he misplaces or loses that money, he will ask those around him about it, including his family, and will seek it high and low and in every place he can think of. On the other hand, the condition of the Ummah is such that we have ‘lost’ many of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) but yet so little is done to find and revive these Sunnahs.

Never mind seeking them high and low, we have left the books of Seerah, Ahadith and even the Qur’an to gather dust on our shelves at home and in the Masjid.

May Allah Almighty give us the ability to educate ourselves of the Sunnah of the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) and commence acting upon them, ameen.

Are we prepared?

Salams
I woke up this morning to see the sun was beaming in through my window. Seeing as it is also a really relaxing and refreshing walk through the park as part of my journey to work, I decided to walk it there today. A huge plus point is that I also get to have more time in the company of Shaykh Juhani’s Qur’an tilawat.

At work, about mid way through the morning the thunderstorms started. Ooops, I think to myself, ‘I don’t have my jacket, but at least I have my portable umbrella.’ I recall how only the day before I had checked the weather forecast online which predicted rain storms for the whole of the following day and beyond. I feel a little silly now that I didn’t remember this and at least bring my jacket, if not the big umbrella.

By now you’re probably thinking what a daft so and so Ahmed is, and quite rightly so as well. Put yourselves in my shoes for a minute though; see how bad it feels you came unprepared? Even though, the weather is only predicted one way or another, you still feel foolish.

Despite the Quran and ahadith reminding us of what we will all certainly have to face we do so little to get ready for it. What then to say of how we will feel on the day of judgement when we will be held to account?

We also know that ‘Every soul shall taste death’ yet we still roam the earth living in blissful ignorance of the fact that death can come to us at any moment. Instead we prepare ourselves arduously to live a dream life and one of luxury in this temporary abode of ours.

May Almighty Allah give me and you the ability to utilise our allocated time on earth for accumulating good deeds and to prepare for the hereafter before death comes to us, Ameen.
Source: Breathe Islam

Big News

Salams
2 big items dominating the news recently: Missing Madeleine and certain Chocolates going haram. In fact the chocolates issue is big, the emails are doing the rounds filling up inboxes, texts flying about, forums on fire with the subject and its the latest 'have you heard?' words on Muslim tongues.

First of all, I dont see what all the fuss about the chocolate issue is, its not like we need them like we do air to survive. We read and hear all the while how we shouldn't have love for Dunyah, material things etc. Doesn't our behaviour give us a thing or two to reflect upon and ponder over?
Two, have people actually checked with Shuyukhs, Muftis, Ulama etc as to what this actually means?

Anyway I found the following post via Ehklas blog, enjoy...

For those who have studied Usul al-Fiqh, the different ways of textual interpretation–accepted, rejected, and differed upon–are known. However, there appears to be a new mode of textual interpretation:

“Imagined Indications of Blog Entries” (dilalat al-blog al-wahmiyya)

Let it be known that such indications are mere imagination, and not an acceptable source of deriving one’s religious understanding–and not a sound means of determining one’s religious conduct.

A number of people, from what I understand, saw a recent entry on Mars bars and deduced that, (1) Mars bars are now haram; (2) rennet is haram; (3) “Shaykh Faraz says so.”

None of these are true. I don’t know Mars bars to be haram, because rennet isn’t Haram in the Hanafi school. There is some detail: Please search SunniPath Answers (http://qa.sunnipath.com) for related answers, insha’Allah.

Imam Nawawi relates in the opening chapter of his Sahih that Abd Allah ibn Mubarak said, “Verily, this matter is your deen, so look carefully as to whom you take your religion from.”

In our times, one can add: Look carefully as to how you take your religion.

source: Seekers Digest

Satellite Navigation

A few weekends back I had to travel up to Newcastle by car in order to attend a wedding. It was approximately 3 hours drive to a place unknown to myself and my friend but we had the 'sat-nav' with us to guide us along the way.

We were supposed to meet up with another car that was travelling to the same place but they were coming from further afar than we were. As it happened they were running late and so we decided to stop off at a point in our journey for a break to grab a hot drink and 'chill a little' until the other car got nearer to us. As it transpired they took a different route and road to us but eventually we did meet them on the road more closer to our destination.

As I pondered during our return journey I thought of some lessons to be drawn from using our sat nav,

1. Just as might use the sat nav to take guide us to our destination and make a certain turn or take a particular road, we have the Qur'an and sunnah as our guide and we need to refer to it all the while as to how we deal a situation. It not only tells our destination, but how to get there too and even warns us of the roadworks and traffic (Satanic tricks and deviations) we should be aware of and prepared for.
   
2. At times we may lose our connection with Allah, as the navigation equipment might do from the satellite, but do we really feel lost without this connection to our Creator? Do we feel as though we have lost direction and make attempts to ensure we come back onto the right path and away from the deviated route?
   
3. Our little break along the journey reminded me of the fact that life in this dunya is like a journey, we have to move on in a short while (experience death), to our ultimate and eternal abode in the hereafter.
   
4. The invitation to attend a wedding had been received and plans and efforts made to attend the wedding, even so that a fairly time consuming and arduous journey was encountered. What then to say of the invitation to jannah we have? Surely we should adopt and continue to strive actively to secure our attendance/ entry into it in the hereafter. Also along the way we may well have to make sacrifices and efforts, nobody will just carry us along with them.
   

May Allah give us the ability to remain steadfast upon deen islam.
Ameen

Killing Time

Killing time: the words ‘killing time’ are primarily an idiomatic expression, meaning ‘spending time in an inconsequential manner’, as in

I was just killing time.

A pertinent literalist question:

How can an attempt be made to kill a force that is solely responsible for the demise of every living creature that has ever graced (or dis-graced) the planet?*

Imam al-Ghazali:

Life is nothing but an accumulation of many breaths. So every breath is a precious diamond which cannot be purchased with anything in the world. It is a priceless jewel which has no substitute in value. So in movements and talks, and in sorrows and happiness, such a priceless breath should not be spent in vain. To destroy it is to court destruction. An intelligent man cannot lose it.

* Note: I do believe that our linguistic terms of expression, especially the more idiomatic, are so much a reflection of our intellectual, temporal, and spiritual states.

source: Ekhlas blog

Suhbat

Suhbat (Companionship) with the Auliyaa is imperative for moral reformation and spiritual elevation. Without the company of the Auliyaa this is not normally possible. Suhbat of the Auliyaa has been the Sunnah of the Ummah from the very inception of Islam.

In the first phase it was Suhbat with the Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Then followed the Suhbat of the Sahaabah and then of the Auliyaa. And, this Sunnah has been transmitted down the centuries. No man, barring rare exceptions, gained spiritual ascendency without the Suhbat of the Auliyaa. Those who had attempted the spiritual sojourn alone, ended up in deviation, some even prostrating to shaitaan. Those who seek to plod this path of reformation and spiritual elevation without the guidance of the Auliyaa, in the end formulate for themselves cults of satanism.

When the Suhbat — physical Suhbat — of the Auliyaa is not available, as is the case in the present day, the next best method is to study their lives and read in abundance the episodes, anecdotes, advices and admonition of the Mashaa-ikh.

Excerpt from ORCHARDS OF LOVE published by Majlis.net

Dentist Appointment

A few weeks ago I had an appointment with the dentist for a routine check up. The check up revealed that a tooth of mine needed extensive work doing on it or have it extracted. Faced with a tough decision, my immediate reaction was to avoid having the tooth removed in order to:
1, avoid the pain and
2, keep as many of my teeth for as long as possible.

Having had time to think about the choices before coming to a decision, I soon concluded that it was better to have the tooth removed and forego the perceived short term benefit, of keeping the tooth, in exchange for the longer term advantage of not having infections and complications develop with the passage of time.

Upon consideration of the above incident we find that our lives are somewhat reflected by the above experience. We tend to become engrossed in this dunyah which is only short term and lose sight of the long term, which is the life of the hereafter. In our conduct, actions and activities we incline to carry them out based on temporary and worldly benefits and forget to even consider the religious long term impact that they may have.

A Muslim should keep his gaze fixed on the akhirah and pass by some of the luxuries of this dunyah in anticipation and hope of pleasing Allah and achieving the end reward, Jannah. Indeed there are those who have indulged in what has been forbidden for them in this dunyah and the Shariah has clearly laid out the repercussions of such behaviour and acts. Many a times these forbidden acts may even seem alluring but the Muslim will acknowledge the genuine danger this poses to him/ her and will take precautions to avoid them in order to please Allah.

May Allah Almighty grant, firstly, me and the readers to take lessons and act upon the above, ameen.

One Upmanship

Salams
It’s the Monday before I get married and I’ve been meaning to write up something on my experiences with all the weddings I’ve had through summer and before. Now seems like a good time to do it because I’ve got an insider perspective to add to it as well.

One of the root evils, in my humble opinion, connected to the subject of weddings is ‘One upmanship.’ By one upmanship, I mean one person or party trying to upstage and outdo another party. Let me delve into some examples of what I mean by the term one upmanship.

The first example of one upmanship I witnessed was the mentality that ‘my wedding has to outdo the previous one,’ and so the location, size, length of time, food etc. has to be bigger, better and more expensive. So the next wedding might have a more expensive location, more guests invited and (by introduction of unnecessary events) last up to a week and beyond. By some mysterious (probably satanic) force the false belief has firmly embedded into the minds of Muslims that bigger and more expensive means a superior wedding to all weddings that have come to pass to date. How sad this frame of mind of ours is, for we have focused to please all but the Almighty Allah when it comes to these matters.

The second case is where the Walimah has to upstage the meal and events organised by the brides party. (In some cultures the brides party organise a meal and events immediately after the nikah has been conducted, whilst the grooms party organise and host the Walimah.) So if the brides party had four dishes for guests, then the grooms party have five plus dessert, the cutlery/ crockery used has to be more 'up market' and the level of service has to be impeccable.

The third case of one upmanship is where the number and type of cars hired/ used for the wedding have to competed against the other wedding party or against past weddings. Once a wedding I attended had 5 flashy hired cars! One should seriously look into the need and motives for such extravagance on the means of transport used to drive the groom/ bride and their family a 'few miles up the road.'

A final example, more common (but not exclusive) to females is competing in the clothes and dress worn, not by just the bride but all those attending the wedding aswell. And if, god forbid, two women perchance end up with the same dress, either on the same day or sometime later then the bogus belief that they have ‘lost face’ and reputation amongst people takes root in their heart. Even worse are those who recognise such instances and then embark on a verbal campaign of humiliating one of the two women.

In all fairness though, it (one upmanship) is not always the sole work of the bride/ groom or even their immediate family, but it may come about through application of pressure from other family members and others. Of course criticism thrashed out by ‘loose tongues’ at these events and opporunities before the wedding only add to the woe.

I’m sure you yourselves can think of many more examples of one upmanship but I feel the above will suffice to illustrate my point. What we need to do is realise that through the evil of one upmanship we also become guilty of the sin of pride (takabbur), because after all the aim of one upmanship is to consider yourself superior to others, through the wedding of either yourself, offspring or your family.

There are also many other points (eg Ghibah, freemixing) which can be addressed on the subject of weddings, but Alhumdulillah there is no shortage of literature and talks given by our Ulama and so I ask you refer to them rather than me discussing them here.

May Allah swt save us from this evil. I ask that you all pray for me, my wife to be and family, that Allah swt saves us from the above and that he puts great blessings and love in our marriage and between our families.

Wasalam

Episodes of Rahmat

The similitude of these episodes is like the rain. Not only these episodes, but even Nusoos (Quranic verses and Ahadith) bear the same similitude. Rain in itself is highly beneficial and life-giving. However, its effect on different substrata varies. If the ground is fertile, the beneficial effect is manifested in the luxurious growth. If the ground is arid and barren, then the more the rainfall, the more thorn-trees, brambles and shrubbery.

Shaikh Sadi (rahmatullah alayhi) says:
'There is no doubt in the beneficial effect of rain.
If it rains in a garden, tulips grow;
if it rains in arid ground, thorns and brambles glow.'

Similar is the effect of episodes of Rahmat on different persons. People of different dispositions are affected differently by these stories of mercy.

Those of a sick disposition and unhealthy temperament interpret these incidents of mercy in a grossly distorted manner. They say if Allah Taala forgives on the basis of such trivial acts, then there is no real need for righteous deeds.

On the other hand, those of a healthy disposition and who are straight-thinking, upon hearing such incidents of Rahmat increase their acts of obedience. In fact, at times, if forgiveness is obtained without punishment, those whose hearts are imbued with Divine Recognition are smitten with shame far greater than the shame which they would have suffered if they had received some punishment. Only those who have suffered this state know its reality.

Excerpt from Zikr-e-Ilahi by Hazrat Maseehullah Khan (rahmatullahi alayhi

Avoidance of Sins

Religion consists of two parts, the leaving undone of what is forbidden and the performance of duties. Of these the setting aside of what is forbidden is the weightier, for the duties or acts of obedience are within the power of everyone, but only the upright are able to set aside their appetites. For that reason Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
'The true flight or Hijrah is the flight from evil, and the real Holy War or jihad is the warfare against one's passions.'

You disobey or sin against Allah only through the parts of your body. Yet these are a gift to you from Allah and a trust committed to you. To employ Allah's gift in order to sin against Him is the height of ingratitude; to betray the trust which Allah committed to you is the height of presumption. The parts of your body are your subjects; see to it, then, how you rule over them. 'Each of you is a ruler, and each of you is responsible for those he rules over.'

All the parts of your body will bear witness against you in the courts of resurrection, with voluble and sharp, that is, eloquent, tongue, declaring your faults before the chief of the creatures. Allah most high says:
'On a day when their tongues and hands and feet will bear witness against them for what they have been doing.'[Qur'an 24,24]

'Today we shall set a seal upon their mouths and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify what they have been piling up.' [Qur'an 36,65]

extract from The Faith and Practice of Al-Ghazali by W Montgomery Watt

Please visit the Ramadan articles site.
May Allah give us the ability to make use of the upcoming blessed month of Ramadan to avoid sins, distance ourselves from Hellfire and draw closer to attaining jannah for the hereafter, ameen.
Wasalam

Changing Sins to Virtue

Moulana Rumi (r.a.) states that Allah has kept the ability to sin as well as the ability to do good within man. He gives an example that when the sun shines on cow dung that lies in the forest, it becomes dry. Then the baker places it in the oven where it becomes completely red and makes the oven red. The baker is now able to bake roti (bread). The dung became dry and pure, then it became red in the fire. Now it was used for baking roti as well as giving light.

Who granted it this benefit? A mere creation of Allah, the sun, produced this effect that it made cow dung clean.

The Effect of the Sun on Impurities
The rays of the sun dried up the liquid part of the dung and converted it into fertilizer. This very fertilizer now produces fragrant flowers like the rose and jasmine. Moulana Rumi (r.a.) states that the sun’s rays made one part of the impure dung illuminated in the oven while the other part was converted into flowers. When this is the effect of the sun’s rays, then what will be the effect of Allah’s grace on evil character? What will happen to the urge of sinning that one has? Why will it not change into good character and the desire to worship? Then he recited this verse:
O Allah, Your sun has an effect on apparent impurities.
And Your general grace does not search for capability.

Had it searched for capability, then the sun in the sky would not have had an effect on impurities. The sun would have said that it was beyond his dignity and honour to have an effect on dung. The sun would have changed its speed.

The Sun of Mercy
When the sun in the sky can convert impurities to fragrant flowers and creating bread in the oven, then what will be the condition of Allah’s sun of grace? When the rays of Allah’s mercy shine on the evil thoughts in the heart, those thoughts are changed to the light of piety. Allah does not require capability or a certificate for giving. When Allah can grant filthy impurities such garments, then what will He be able to give his pure servants. Jalalud-din Rumi (r.a.) is at a loss of vocabulary to express what bounties Allâh grants those who tread His path.

Extract from the teachings of Maulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb

In the court of Allah

Proprietor of Nauratan Jewellers, narrates that once I visited Hazrat Arif-billah Dr Abdul Hayy Arifi ra. I was in hurry, time was running short. I requested for a brief nasiha (advise).

Hazrat ‘Arifi ra told me to always remember the fact that, in the judicial system of this world if you plead guilty you are held responsible and punished. Sometimes fined or even jailed.

Whereas, in the court of Allah SWT if you plead guilty, accept your shortcomings and sins, repent sincerely you are forgiven and set free of the humiliation of any punishment. Moreover you are rewarded in most instances for returning back to Allah SWT.
source: Ashrafiya blog