inspirations in your inbox

We don't really have a humungous e-mail list consisting of the entire world and their sister, but this is something really nice that I'd recommend to anyone out there looking for divine inspiration in their e-mail inbox: weekly-emails from Ustaadh Muhammad AlShareef that remind you of the words of Allaah and His Messenger.
A sample:
My number one goal in life is...

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ
"To any that desires the soil of the Hereafter, We will increase
in his soil, and to any that desires the soil of this world, We
grant somewhat thereof, but he has no share or lot in the
Hereafter.
Surah Ash-Shura 42:20
[Lessons from this Verse]
When you ask people what their number one goal in life is,
rarely do you hear the person immediately respond by saying:
"Pleasing Allah, Jannat Al-Firdows - the highest level of
Jannah, and being with Rasul Allah, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam,
in the hereafter."

But ... isn't that the correct answer? Let's make it a reality with how we live our lives!
PS: Invite 10 friends to benefit from these emails by telling themhow you yourself benefitted, and that they too can join by emailing: successinislam@getresponse.com.

Abdullaah bin Zubayr on the 8th of Thul-Hijjah

Abdullaah bin Zubayr, went out on the day of Tarwiyah (8th day of the month of Hajj) and made Talbiyyah in the best manner, then he praised and thanked Allaah and extolled Him, then he said:
'' To proceed: You have come from many different directions in groups to Allaah, the All Mighty, the All-Powerful, and Allaah has made it incumbent upon Himself that He honours His group; so whoever came to seek that which is with Allaah, if he asks Allaah, he will not be disappointed, so prove your words true by your actions, for the foundation of speech is action and the intention is the intention and the hearts are hearts, Allaah is Allaah during these days for they are the days during which sins are forgiven. You have come from many different directions, for a purpose other than trade or seeking the life of this world, hoping for what is here.''

Then he performed the Talbiyyah and none could be seen who was not weeping profusely.

(from:Child Companions of the Prophet)

...'ala aalihi wa sahbihi ajma'een

Muslims begin any public speech/talk/sermon by sending salawaat and salaam (salutations of peace and blessings) upon the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلمand his family and his companions, and those who follow them in ihsaan (excellence) until the Day of Judgment.

I've always been envious (in a wistful, non-negative kind of way) about the immediate family and companions of the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم and how fortunate they were to have been blessed by his presence among them; how they were the recipients of his affection and friendship and care and kindness...subhaanallaah...what an enormous blessing! From the way they supported and obeyed him صلىالله عليه وسلم , it's clear that they were chosen by Allaah to be his family and companions, just as he,صلىالله عليه وسلم, was chosen to be a Messenger for all of mankind.

I love reading the biographies of that blessed group of people, especially of the members of his family who are not so well known.

I was reading about 'Abdullaah bin Ja'far, in 'Child Companions of the Prophet' -- the first child who was born among the group of Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia when the persecution of Muslims had become intolerable in Makkah. He was the son of the Prophet's cousin Ja'far bin Abi Taalib and Asma' bint 'Umays, may Allaah be pleased with them.

''It is reported by Abu Daa'wood in his collection of ahadeeth (Prophetic narrations): 'When Ja'far bin Abi Taalib was martyred in battle, the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم visited his family and said: '' O Asma, where are the sons of Ja'far?''

When they were brought before him, he صلىالله عليه وسلم hugged them and smelt them and his eyes welled up with tears and he wept.''

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far himself reported: '' I recall when the Messenger of Allaah صلىالله عليه وسلم

came to my mother and brought her the news of my father's death, and I remember he was stroking my head and that of my brother, and his eyes were pouring with tears until they dripped onto his beard.

Then he صلىالله عليه وسلم prayed: ''O Allaah! Indeed Ja'far has been given the best of rewards, so bless his children with a better recompense than that with which You have blessed any of your slaves.'' (Reported by Ibn Sa'd in At-Tabaqaat).

On the day his father died, the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم kept 'Abdullaah bin Ja'far with him and made him sit on the bottom step of the pulpit which he ascended to inform people of Ja'far's death. He صلىالله عليه وسلم took him and his brother to his house and they ate lunch with him (sifted barley, cooked and seasoned with oil and pepper).

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far also said: Whenever the Messenger of Allaahصلىالله عليه وسلم returned from a journey, the children of his household would greet him. He once returned from a journey and I was brought to him first and he carried me in front of him, and then one of Fatimah's two sons was brought (either Hasan or Husayn) and he seated him behind me and we entered Al-Madeenah, three of us riding on one beast.'' (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and Muslim)

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far also narrated: ''The Messenger of Allaah came when I was bargaining over the sale of a sheep for my brother and he صلىالله عليه وسلم said:''O Allaah! Bless his dealings.'' And I never bought or sold anything, except that it was blesssed for me.''

Once, he accepted some land from 'Abdullaah bin Az-Zubayr which was harsh and salty in lieu of a debt that was owed to him by Az-Zubayr bin Awwaam. He offered two units of prayer in it and supplicated Allaah and the land became prosperous and well-irrigated. (An abbreviated version of a narration in Asad-ul-Ghaabah, vol. 3)

'Abdullaah bin Ja'far was so generous that he was called the Sea of Generosity, just like his father Ja'far bin Abi Taalib was called Abu-l Masaakeen (father of the poor). Once, when he was rebuked for being ''too generous'', he replied; ''Indeed, Allaah has made me accustomed (to receiving bounty from Him), and I have made the people accustomed (to receiving charity from me). I am afraid that if I cut it off, it (Allaah's blessings) will be cut off from me.''

revert at 11, hafith at 15, Imaam at 19

Read the amazing life story of Umugwaneza Sulaiman, a contestant for the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award:
from: ArabNews

...Even though he is only 19, this young man from Rwanda has survived a life of hardship. As a young child he survived the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. He still has horrific memories of hiding in forests from militias that were killing people. The rivers and roads they walked through were littered with bodies. Later on he lost his father and had to lead a harsh life in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Despite all his hardships, Sulaiman was determined to become a hafiz and was rewarded by becoming the first Rwandan to take part in the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award competition. Sulaiman’s quest with the sacred book started when he converted to Islam at the age of 11.

“Even though my family were Catholics I was never interested in the church. The Azan from the mosque in my neighborhood fascinated me and I started attending classes there,” he said.

When asked if he faced any resistance from his family, Sulaiman said that his family had no issues with him becoming a Muslim, as Islam is a held in high regard in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. His whole family followed him a few years later and converted to Islam.

Since the genocide, Rwandans have converted to Islam in huge numbers. Muslims now make up 14 percent of the 8.2 million people in Africa’s mostly Catholic nation, twice as many as before the killings began. The reason behind the conversions lies in the fact that Rwandan Muslims did not take part in the genocide and played a key role in the humanitarian efforts that followed.

Muslims have been honored by the national government for their roles in saving the lives regardless of their faith. Many people attribute the recent spread of Islam to these humanitarian acts.

It took years of dedicated work for Sulaiman to memorize the Qur’an. The lack of qualified teachers in Rwanda made him make up his mind to travel to Kenya as there are good Qur’anic schools there.
“I was 15 when my five friends and I decided to travel to Kenya to seek knowledge. Two of my friends were converts like me,” he said.
The six young men packed their bags and traveled to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to find the school. They enrolled themselves in a free boarding school, which accepts students from all over East Africa. There they studied under the tutelage of Qur’an scholars. It took Sulaiman two years to memorize the whole Qur’an.

Now back home in Rwanda, Sulaiman works as a part time Imam and Qur’an teacher to supplement his income while studying at the only Islamic seminar in Kigali. “Masha Allah, there are so many Muslims now in my country. We are working hard at teaching the Qur’an to the new generation of Muslim children,” he said.

After finishing his education, Sulaiman hopes to get a scholarship to study Islam. “We get Muslim scholars coming from Uganda to spread the word of Islam in Rwanda. I hope that through my knowledge of Islam I will be able to help spread peace in my country,” he said.

'Umar bin Abdul Aziz's definition of Taqwaa

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may achieve Taqwaa."
(Soorah Al-Baqarah, 183)

'Umar bin 'Abdil 'Aziz was once asked:"When does a person reach the peak of Taqwaa?"
(variously translated as self-restraint, God-consciousness, God-fear)

He, may Allaah have mercy on him, replied: “If he put all his thoughts and desires in his heart on a plate and then wandered around in the market, he should not feel ashamed of anything there.”

And another time, he said: “None can reach the station of Taqwaa until he possesses neither action nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment either in this world or the Hereafter.”

Umm Edison: a mum after my own mind

I was reading a post on the "sorry state of secular (and particularly scientific) scholarship in the Muslim world" at Austrolabe, that seemed almost telepathic to what I've been mulling over ever since I started teaching my children.

School syllabi are geared towards 'acing exams' and achieving the requisite stars/grades to get admission into a good university to get a good degree that would enable one to live the 'good life'. Very little emphasis is paid to learning, or inculcating the love of learning and a spirit of enquiry and wonder at the world within and around us.

I was recently reading about the education of Thomas Edison and how he once said: "my mother was the making of me." It's very interesting to read how the 7-year-old who was decribed as " addled" in the brain by his teacher went on to become "one of America's most prolific inventors, 1,093 patents for such wonders as the microphone, telephone receiver, stock ticker, phonograph, movies, office copiers, and incandescent electric light-despite his lack of schooling."

"In 1854, Reverend G. B. Engle belittled one of his students, seven-year-old Thomas Alva Edison, as "addled." This out-raged the youngster, and he stormed out of the Port Huron, Michigan school, the first formal school he had ever attended. His mother, Nancy Edison, brought him back the next day to discuss the situation with Reverend Engle, but she became angry at his rigid ways. Everything was forced on the kids. She withdrew her son from the school where he had been for only three months and resolved to educate him at home. Al though he seems to have briefly attended two more schools, nearly all his childhood learning took place at home.

Yet Edison probably gained a far better education than most children of his time or ours. This wasn't because his mother had official credentials. She had taught school, but only a little. Nor was it because his parents had money. They were poor and lived on the outskirts of a declining town. Nancy Edison's secret: she was more dedicated than any teacher was likely to be, and she had the flexibility to experiment with various ways of nurturing her son's love for learning.
"She avoided forcing or prodding," wrote Edison biographer Matthew Josephson, "and made an effort to engage his interest by reading him works of good literature and history that she had learned to love-and she was said to have been a fine reader. "
Thomas Edison plunged into great books. Before he was 12, he had read works by Shakespeare and Dickens, Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, David Hume's History of England, and more.
Because Nancy Edison was devoted and observant, she discovered simple ways to nurture her son's enthusiasm. She brought him a book on the physical sciences- R. G. Parker's School of Natural Philosophy, which explained how to perform chemistry experiments at home. Edison recalled this was "the first book in science I read when a boy." It made learning fun, and he performed every experiment in the book. Then Nancy Edison brought him The Dictionary of Science which further spurred his interest. He became passionate about chemistry, spending all his spare money buying chemicals from a local pharmacist, collecting bottles, wires, and other items for experiments. He built his first laboratory in the cellar of the family's Port Huron house.
"Thus," Josephson noted, "his mother had accomplished that which all truly great teachers do for their pupils, she brought him to the stage of learning things for himself, learning that which most amused and interested him, and she encouraged him to go on in that path. It was the very best thing she could have done for this singular boy."
As Edison himself put it: "My mother was the making of me. She understood me; she let me follow my bent."

13 tips to memorise the Qur'aan for kids

cross-post from Sisters-in-Faith


طريقة لحفظ القران
لقد رغََّبنا رسولنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بحفظ القران الكريم، وبين لنا الأجرالعظيم الذي أعده الله لمن خصص من وقته في حفظ كتاب الله وتلاوته، فعن عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنه قال:قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: (خيركم من تعلم القران وعلمه)رواه البخاريوعن سهل بن معاذ عن أبيه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:(من قرأالقران وعمل بما فيه ألبس والداه تاجاََ يوم القيامة ضوؤه أحسن من ضوء الشمس في بيوت الدنيالو كانت فيكم فما ظنكم بالذي عمل به)رواه أبو داودولكن قد تسائلين كيف أحفظ القران؟إن الحفظ في مثل عمرك هو الأفضل نظرا ًلصغر سنك وقلة نسيانك وقوة ذاكرتك...فإذابدأت الحفظ فاتبعي الاّتيإختاري المكان المناسب، وحبذا لو ذهبت إلى دار لتحفيظ القرانالكريم قريبة من منزلكم فإنه أثبت للحفظ.إختاري الوقت الذي تكونين فيه نشيطة وينصح إجتناب هذه
وقت الاستيقاظ من النوم، وقت الحاجةللنوم، وقت الحاجة للطعام، وقت الحاجة للَعب
أن يقرأ لك الاّيات الجديدة من هو أكبر منك سناً ممن يجيد القراءة، وانتبهي إلى فمهحتى تري كيفية النطق بالحرف.كرري الاّية بعده عدة مرات.كرري الاّية مع من تقرئين معه في الوقت نفسهعدة مرات.كرري الاّية بمفردك.لا تنتقلي إلى الاّية التاية حتى تحفظي الاّيةحفظاً صحيحاًانتقلي إلى الاّية التالية بالطريقة نفسها.اربطي بين الاّيات السابقة واللاحقة إقرئيها متتالية
كرري الاّيات عدة مرات حتى تصلي إلى الحفظ الجيد.إستمعي إلى شريط قراّني حتى يثبت الحفظ.اهتمي بتجويد القراّن ومراعاة أحكامه، وانتبهي إلىمعلمتك كيف تقرأ فأنت في هذه المرحلة تقرئين كما تقرأ وتقلدينها في كل ما تعلمه لك.إذا أحسست بالملل أو الضجر بعد مرور الوقت فانتقليإلى شىء اّخر مثل اللعب ثم عاودي الحفظ في وقتٍ اّخر.
taken from lateefa@basim.com
***
13 Tips for Memorising the Qur'aan

Our Prophet Muhammadصلىالله عليه وسلم wanted Muslims to be interested in learning the Qur'aan, and described the enormous 'ajr (reward) that Allaah has kept for the one who reserves/keeps their time specially for memorising and reading the Qur'aan.

It is narrated from 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophetصلىالله عليه وسلمsaid: "The best among you is the one who learns the Qur'aan and teaches it." [Al-Bukhaari]

And Sahl bin Mu'aath, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophetصلىالله عليه وسلمsaid: "The one who reads the Qur'aan and acts upon what is in it, his parents will be given a crown to wear on the Day of Qiyaamah, its brilliance/shine will be better than the brilliance of the sun in the houses of this world ...if it was (actually) among you, what would you think of the one who acted upon it and acquired it." [Abu Daawood]

But you might ask: How do I memorise the Qur'aan?

Indeed, Hifth (memorising) at your age (when one is young) is the best.
This is because of your young age and less forgetfulness and strength of memory.
So, if you begin memorising the Qur'aan, take care to follow these tips:

1. Choose a suitable place for memorising the Qur'aan and it is best to go to a (Halaqah) for it is specially a place to memorise the Qur'aan.
2. Choose the time which you will be active in, and it's better to avoid times when you are involved in other activities: eg. after waking up from sleep, when wanting to sleep, when wanting to eat, when wanting to play etc.
3. Make sure that someone older than you reads the new aayaat which you are memorising.
4. Repeat the aayah' after them several times.
5. Repeat the aayah' with the person you are reading several times.
6. Repeat the aayah' yourself.
7. Don't move to the next aayah' until you've correctly memorised the first one.
8. Move to the next aayah' using the same tips.
9. Read the aayat' attached together
10. Repeat the aayaat' several times until memorised correctly.
11. Lisen to a Qur'aan cassette several times
12. Take care of Tajweed and its Ahkaam while reading.
13. If you feel bored after a little time, do something else and finish memorising some other time.

(translated by Rida)

The story of Yusuf the Second

The Qur'aan calls the story of Yoosuf, 'alayhi salaam, "ahsan al-qasas", the most excellent of stories. It is one of the easiest soorahs of the Qur'aan to memorise and recite, and it is SO interesting because it has all kinds of details.

The story which the Shaykh told us was also about a young man, and the way he narrated it, it was as if we were seeing everything happen before our own eyes.

Anyway, to cut a long story short: Once, there was a young man who did not have any family and he was virtually raised in the masjid, who lived alone in a city far from his own hometown. He attended university there. One day, he was on his way back from class, when he saw a bunch of people trying to force a young girl into a car in a deserted place. He reached there and somehow those people got scared and left the girl alone and went off in their car.

Now this person asked the girl her address and her 'phone number, but apparently she was not from that area and she was too dazed or scared to talk. So he took her to his own room and then went to notify the authorities of the missing girl.

After that, he came back to his room with food etc., and the girl was asleep.
Now, he felt an urge to talk to the girl, to wake her up ...but he knew that it was not proper. So the entire night, he kept awake, distracting himself in one way or the other...remembering Allaah and how He was watching him, in order to stop himself from doing anything wrong.

In the morning, the girl's family had been traced and she was sent back to her own family...when her father came to know that there was this young man who had saved her, he thanked him and asked him if he would like to get married ...

So, they were married, and after some time, they came to visit the Shaykh on a Friday, with their baby son. That was when he narrated the story in the khutbah...isn't it a beautiful one?!
--------------

Ed: What I liked about this story is that it actually happened in the *here and now* . It's so easy to dismiss righteous people/good deeds as being somehow *easy* to do in the past because those were different times, less fitnah etc. etc.

Truth is, the struggle with one's nafs dates back to the time of Aadam 'alayhi salaam...there have been and bi'ithnillaah will always be people who fight with their desires and emerge stronger in their faith...it's up to us to not lower our standards to whatever is the current 'acceptable level' of righteousness, and it's up to us to measure up to the best of examples set by those who passed before us...and of course, all towfeeq is from Allaah...laa quwwata illaa billaah.

just what the doctor ordered: Muslims with soft centres

All of last week, I kept reminding myself I have to catch up with three sisters -- two of whom were expecting babies any day, (one is a neighbour) and another who was recovering from an operation.

Trouble is, I'd remember this at odd hours of the day -- early mornings, in the afternoons when they were most likely having their siesta, around midnight...the rest of the week passed by in an impossible whirl, so I never did get around to calling them.
Turns out, one sister already had the baby, maa shaa Allaah, a son born on 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, whom they are going to call Ahmad.

When I called her last evening, she actually sounded happy to hear from me, instead of being cool/annoyed that I hadn't bothered to call earlier...she brushed aside my apologies and went out of the way to make me feel that it was okay, she understood.

subhaanallaah, how little we see of that and how I wish there were more Muslims in the world with soft centres -- benign, smiling creatures, at peace with themselves and the world!
How I wish Allaah makes me and my family one of them!

I don't know how/why we, as a community, have collectively transformed into a grim unsmiling unit, pragmatically seeking our own pound of flesh from life, while keeping a hawk's eye about so that others don't get an extra scoop.

Within the community, we go about demanding our rights gracelessly, imperiously; raging if others fall short of giving us what we feel is our due; while letting those without, walk all over us with impunity.

It's rare to run into a soft-centred Muslim nowadays -- perhaps out of atavistic instincts of self-preservation or as a kind of self-defence against the hurt and angst that sometimes follows 'softness' or perhaps as a survival tactic in the hard, harsh world -- most people cultivate shrewd, butter-won't melt-in-my-mouth exteriors matched by equally tough souls. With 'if I won't look out for me, who will?' as a mantra, most people today have no time for 'sentiments' and other such 'silly soppiness' -- their sole goal, it seems, is getting ahead with their goals.

While I admire people with hard-as-nails attitudes, who are all head and no heart, I just find it completely impossible to get along with them. Which is why I'm grateful for the few soft-centred people I know, they keep me from developing a permanent bitter after-taste from having tasted 'real life.'

painstaking, taking pains

I'm reading the biography of Imaam Al-Bukhaari these days and it's both humbling and inspiring.

Humbling, because of the incredible scope of his scholarship.

The book says that he began memorising ahadeeth at the age of 10 (or younger) and attended the lectures of hadeeth scholars at that age, even correcting one of them (ad-Daakhilee) on one famous occasion thanks to his amazing memory. He travelled with his mother to Makkah (for Hajj) and stayed on to learn from the scholars there -- when he was less than 18 years old!

He wrote over 25 books --which are remarkable as much for their contents as the topics that he chose to write on. It's said that the proof of his genius and his knowledge lies in the topics that he has classified ahadeeth under, in his Al-Jaami' asSaheeh alMusnaad min Hadeeth Rasoolallaah صلىالله عليه وسلم aka 'Saheeh Al-Bukhaari'.

The biography also includes the historical circumstances that led to the compilation of Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, and a section on the rationale and criteria behind choosing ahadeeth. He has been quoted as saying: " I authored Al-Jaami' asSaheeh from a choice of 600,000 ahadeeth over a span of 16 years." The book says that he would pray 2 units of prayer, not only for each hadeeth that he recorded, but even before recording the name of each chapter.

In these days of push-button publishing pundits, merely *imagining* that degree of dedication and sincerity to the deen takes some doing.

Inspiring, because he was someone who worked against odds -- he was an orphan, and had reportedly lost his eyesight as a child, and regained it after his mother's fervent supplications. During his lifetime, he endured petty jealousies and had several run-ins with the powers that be.

May Allaah have mercy upon Imaam Al-Bukhaari...how hard he worked to give us records of the Sunnah...and how easily we dismiss/diss his efforts!

How do I love thee?

I began writing these pages when I was in Madeenah, in the holy precinct, where I had the good fortune to complete some useful studies on Sunnah and the life of the Prophet...I must point out that the distance between the Muslims and their Prophet is wide indeed, no matter what love they have in their hearts and what prayers they offer for him.

I saw them visiting his grave with zeal and yearning before returning to visit their homelands those who envy them for their good fortune and long for the same chance.

No believer would dispute that love for the Prophet is compulsory and that love for him would vanish only from the heart of a stubborn hypocrite. How should one express this love and show allegiance to him: this is the question that needs clarification...I write about the life of Muhammad as soldiers would write about their general or pupils about their teacher...I am not, as I said, a neutral historian unrelated to whom I write about...

Muhammad is not a story to be read on his birthday...nor can love for him be expressed in poems of praise ...the ties to him are stronger than that..Muslims have indulged in these acts only when they neglected the essentials of faith and contented themselves with outward manifestations and formalisms...This would never occur if the Message were clearly understood and the life of the one who conveyed it, followed.

How cheap is love when it is only talk! And how dear it is when it is an ideal, safe and assured!

(Preface to Fiqh-Us-Sunnah/Muhammad al Ghazaali)

What did I see in Madeenah?

I flew towards Madeenah on the wings of eagerness. The hardships of the way seemed to be a blessing to me,and before my eyes was drawn the soul-stirring image of the earlier traveler whose camel had passed through the same route.

The first thing I did on reaching Madeenah was to offer two Rak'ats of Salah and express my sincerest gratitude to the Almighty for granting me the good fortune to be there.

After it, I betook myself into the presence of the Holy Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم .

I offered salaam and affirmed that he had conveyed the Message of the Lord of the world, proved true the trust He had placed in him, showed the straight path to the Ummah and strove till the last breath of his life in the way of Allaah.

Then, I sent salutations to both the trusted friends whose selfless devotion was without a parallel in history.

From the Prophet's mosque, I went to Jannat-ul-Baq'ee. What a priceless treasure of truth and purity, of love and dedication is buried in this plot of land! Asleep here are those who had sacrificed the life of this world for the life of the future...

Thereafter, I visited Uhud where the most spectacular scenes of love and fealty were staged...on reaching there, it seemed that I heard the words of Anas bin Nadhr: "I feel the sweet smell of Paradise coming from Uhud"...It was here that Abu Dujaana made his back serve as a shield for the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم ...Talhah had taken the arrows meant for the Prophet on his arms until they were paralysed...Hamzah was killed and his body cut to pieces and Mus'ab bin 'Umayr martyred in such a state that even a shroud could not be provided for him...

Would that Uhud gave something of its treasure to mankind! Would that the world got a small particle of the faith and steadfastness of those glorious times!

(Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi/ Fee Mahd-i-Rasool)

voicelinks

There is an imaam and khateeb in our town, may Allaah preserve him and make him a source of guidance, whose mosque is at the centre of the main souq.
When he begins the prayer, the street is quiet, because the shops here are shut for prayer, alhamdulillaah.

Each time he starts reciting, there is the invariable sting of tears..

Qira'ah (recitation) is a discipline which imparts to us the most accurate pronunciation of Qur'anic words, i.e., the manner in which the Holy Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam used to pronounce them and/or the way these words were pronounced in his presence and he acknowledged the qira'ah. Hence, a qira'ah of Qur'anic words will be correct if such a qiraah tallies with those of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, himself, or those acknowledged by him, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
Thus, precise qira'ah of the Qur'anic words is acquired through two methods: listening to the qiraah of each word as pronounced by the Prophet, himself, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam; following a qira'ah acknowledged by the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam .

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: The best among you is the one who teaches the Qur'aan and learns it..as ever, he, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said the truth

I think there is no other branch of knowledge that enables a person to feel such closeness to Allaah and His Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, as the recitation of His Words with the same inflection and enunciation that came from the mouth of His Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam..may Allaah grant us all the blessings of being included in that definition of khayr...

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: The (pursuit of) world is cursed, and cursed is everything in it, except the Thikr (remembrance) of Allaah...

At the time of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, the unbelievers would make a din, stuff their ears with their clothes or cotton or their fingers and would get up and leave in order to avoid listening to the Qur'aan...so powerful was its effect on them..

subhaanallaah, today, in spite of being believers, we distract ourselves from His remembrance by a million other distractions...these are some reciters, may Allaah preserve them and reward them, who helped us in developing an ear for the Qur'aan by the mellifluity of their voices and the sweetness of their 'eemaan that shines through ...

'Ali AbdurRahmaan al Huthayfee, Abdul Mun'im Abdul Mubdi', Sa'ad al Ghaamdi

Salaah BuKhaatir...may Allaah preserve them all..

'Umar in the Holy House at Aelia

pic: noblesanctuary.com

Inside the walls of Jerusalem, then called by its Roman name, Aelia Capitolina, the Byzantines, nearly defenseless, debated whether to surrender or fight—as they had 20 years before when the Persians were at the gates, resulting in ruthless and indiscriminate slaughter. Those arguing for surrender pointed out that when Damascus fell to the Muslim armies two years before, there had been no slaughter. Furthermore the terms of surrender had been extremely lenient, with Christians being allowed to continue praying in their churches upon the payment of a poll tax which guaranteed for them as well as Muslim citizens, the "Security of Islam."

As news of this had leaked into besieged Jerusalem, the Greek Patriarch, Sophronius, sent word out that he would surrender the city without a struggle, but only to the Caliph Omar personally. Omar, then in Damascus, agreed and in one of the great scenes of Muslim history entered Jerusalem alone, except for a servant. Because his clothes were torn and dusty from the ride from Damascus, and because his manner to his servant was so courteous, the Byzantines, arrayed in pompous splendor to meet him, assumed the servant was Omar and greeted him effusively—to the quiet amusement of the Caliph. Thus did Islam come to Jerusalem.Omar's behavior on that occasion was symbolic of his later approach to the Christians and to Jerusalem.

Once his identity was clarified, Omar asked Sophronius to show him the city's holy places, and Sophronius led him first to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As it was prayer time the Patriarch invited the Caliph to pray there with him. Omar declined, saying that to do so might later encourage his followers to convert the church into a mosque. Instead he prayed outside a little to the south, a place commemorated today by a 10th-century mosque called the Mosque of Omar and built in a small garden across the courtyard from the entrance of the Holy Sepulchre.

As the Caliph Omar was especially eager to see the site of the Prophet's ascendance to Heaven, the Patriarch led him to an ancient, crumbling platform on the eastern edge of the city. Seeing that it was piled with the debris of the Persian destruction and more recent accumulations of municipal refuge, Omar personally began the task of clearing the rocky summit so that the site could be reconsecrated. This area today is in the center of a 34-acre compound in the southeast corner of the Old City called al-Haram ash-Sharif, "the Noble Sanctuary." The whole area in Omar's time was known as al-Aqsa, "the Furthermost," a reference to Muhammad's ultimate journey. The Caliph ordered that a simple wooden mosque be built on the southwestern corner of the platform near the great wall where, tradition held, the Prophet had tethered his mare al-Buraq.

Traveling with the Muslim army was a man named Bilal, who had been the Prophet's own muezzin, or prayer caller. On the first Friday after the discovery of the sacred rock, Omar went to the enclosure to worship and there Bilal himself, for the first time since Muhammad's death six years previously, called the faithful to prayer. Al-Quds, Holy Jerusalem, was in Muslim hands.Omar's covenant with the Byzantines of Jerusalem followed the pattern of Damascus. With the payment of the poll tax and the acceptance of the "Security of Islam," Christians were given self-government under their ecclesiastical leaders and Christian pilgrimages from the West were permitted.

This is part of the text of Omar's treaty:
"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This is the covenant which Omar Ibn al-Khattab, the servant of Allah, the Commander of the Faithful, grants to the people of Aelia, the Holy House. He grants them security of their lives, their possessions, their churches and crosses . . . they shall have freedom of religion and none shall be molested unless they rise up in a body. . . They shall pay a tax instead of military service . . . and those who leave the city shall be safeguarded until they reach their destination. . ."

As John Gray, an English historian, puts it, Omar's decree was "less of a treaty imposed by a conqueror than a guarantee by a victorious faith confident in its inherent strength and conscious of its responsibilities."
In the years that followed, Omar's successors set to work on what is possibly Islam's most beautiful shrine: the Dome of the Rock, so called because it encloses the rock from which Muhammad ascended. Built during the reign of the Caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, it was finished in 691, and is one of Islam's oldest existing monuments.

Despite extensive modifications and repairs throughout the centuries it is today essentially the same: a magnificent structure with a great golden dome that, until the present government began to build high-rise apartment houses on surrounding hilltops, dominated the city's skyline.Close by the Dome of the Rock is the also famous Aqsa Mosque. Built near the site of Omar's wooden mosque in 715, al-Aqsa has a special place in Muslim affections, because by unspoken tradition it is more a house of prayer than a monument. Five thousand worshipers can pray inside. Remarkably, these two edifices, the main symbols of the Muslim presence in Jerusalem, have survived all the difficult centuries that followed
[from: To Pray in Jerusalem]

This was 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, of whom the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "O Ibn Al-Khattab! By Him in Whose Hands my life is! Never does Satan find you going on a way, but he takes another way other than yours." -Saheeh Bukhari

"What makes you cry..?"

In a while, the real post, but first: a huge alhamdulillaah for shared blessings..

while R-R and I were looking up stuff, writing notes and translating bits of Arabic books to English while working on our project, I thought about the enormous blessing that shared faith is..how many people have been tried by their families ..ostracised, discouraged, ridiculed for becoming Muslim (or trying to be a better one)

I thought of Abu Hurayrah..

Abu Hurayrah stayed in Tihamah for several years and it was only at the beginning of the seventh year of the Hijrah that he arrived in Madinah with others of his tribe. The Prophet had gone on a campaign to Khaybar.

Being destitute, Abu Hurayrah took up his place in the Masjid with other of the Ahl as-Suffah. He was single, without wife or child. With him however was his mother who was still a mushrik. He longed and prayed, for her to become a Muslim but she adamantly refused. One day, he invited her to have faith in God alone and follow His Prophet but she uttered some words about the Prophet which saddened him greatly.

With tears in his eyes, he went to the noble Prophet who said to him: "What makes you cry, O Abu Hurayrah?" "I have not let up in inviting my mother to Islam but she has always rebuffed me. Today, I invited her again and I heard words from her which I do not like. Do make supplication to God Almighty to make the heart of Abu Hurayrah's mother incline to Islam."

The Prophet responded to Abu Hurayrah's request and prayed for his mother. Abu Hurayrah said: "I went home and found the door closed. I heard the splashing of water and when I tried to enter my mother said: "Stay where you are, O Abu Hurayrah." And after putting on her clothes, she said, "Enter!" I entered and she said: "I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His Servant and His Messenger."

"I returned to the Prophet, peace be on him, weeping with joy just as an hour before I had gone weeping from sadness and said: "I have good news, O Messenger of Allah. God has responded to your prayer and guided the mother of Abu Hurayrah to Islam.

I thought of Mus'aab bin Umayr whose mother swore "by the stars" that she would never accept Islaam and had him chained in a corner of the house to prevent him from pursuing his faith...

I thought of the Qur'aysh who prevented newcomers to Makkah from hearing the Prophet's sall Allaahu 'alayhi wassallam message and charged him with practising "a magical eloquence" that could turn a man against his family and his tribe within a few minutes..

I thought of Nooh 'alayhi salaam desperately trying to convince his son to get onto the ark when the skies and earth opened forth their waters:

"O my son! embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!"

The son replied: "I will betake myself to some mountain: It will save me from the water."

Noah said: "This day nothing can save from the Command of Allaah, any but those upon whom He has mercy!"

And the waves came between them, and the son was among those who were drowned

Then the word went forth: O earth swallow up your water and O sky withhold (your rain)..and the water abated and the matter was ended, The Ark rested on Mount Judi and the Word went forth: Away with those who do wrong!"

And Noah called upon his Lord and said: O my LOrd, surely my son is of my family, and Your Promise is true, and you are the Most Just of Judges..

He said: O Noah! he is not of your family for his conduct is unrighteous, so ask not Me of that which you have no knowledge..I give you counsel lest you become of the ignorants!"

11: 42-47

I thought of the countless reverts who are literally left out in the rain ..left vulnerable and lonely without any ties just because they had a change of heart and faith..

subhaanallah, I know of reverts who said their families would have not only accepted them, but would've even supported them if they'd had a change of sexual orientation or had taken a life-changing career decision...but not this, never this...

May Allaah make our children and families the coolness of our eyes, not a source of conflict in our deeyn...may Allaah never try us with that which we cannot bear..and may He ease the suffering of all those in trials of their faith.

Aameen.

My favourite Ramadhaan story

A sister in Madeenah told me this (may Allaah grant her good in this life and the next and help me to reach the purity of heart and purpose that she has achieved, Ameen).

She'd been living in Makkah for around 13 years and each time she'd go to the Haram for iftaar, she'd notice that people were distributing food to the fasting people. She decided she'd like to do that too.
Since she couldn't afford anything else, she bought packets of buns (10 buns for a riyaal) and went to the Haram, wondering whether anyone would like to take them, when there was so much more on offer.

Around the time of iftaar, she starts distributing the buns and soon they're all over. Satisfied that she's done her good deed for the day, she waits for the adhaan.
When the mua'dhdhin completes his call, she reaches inside her handbag and takes out her iftaar : a chicken sandwich.
As soon as she took the first bite, she felt engulfed by a sense of shame, she said. What was she thinking when she bought plain buns to give away, and a delicious chicken sandwich for herself?
That was the longest night in Ramadhaan for her, she recalled. She prayed all night to Allaah to forgive her and to not take her soul in this state..not until iftaar the next day, so that she could give/share with others what she loved for herself.

8 dirhams and the fear of God

Shu’bah ibn Al-Hajjaj ibn Al-Ward Al-Azdi was known as as the ‘King of Hadith’, because he was instrumental in shaping the Hadith discipline and raising its academic standards. He is often mentioned by his first name only, because he is so well known that he could not be confused with any one else having the same name...
Shu’bah was born in 82 or 83 AH, corresponding roughly to 701 CE, in a village called Nahr Bustan, close to the city of Wasit in southern Iraq. He spent his early years in Wasit and began his studies there, before leaving for Basrah, which was a main center of learning at the time.
Shu’bah’s father was a former slave, and he died when Shu’bah was still young. Apparently his father was perhaps interested in reporting Hadith. His mother guided his upbringing and education, and she apparently had some education in Hadith. She used to direct her son to the teachers under whom he should study. Shu’bah reports: “My mother once told me: ‘Here is a woman who reports the Hadiths she heard from Aishah. Go and attend her circle to learn her Hadith.” He did as his mother told him and she was pleased with him. The woman in question was called Shumaysah Umm Salamah.
...
One of his students reports: “Shu’bah saw me wearing a new shirt. He asked me how much I paid for it. When I said that I bought it for 8 dirhams, he said: ‘Do you not fear God when you walk around with a shirt that costs so much? It would have been infinitely better for you to buy a shirt for four dirhams and to give the other four to the poor.’” But he would not have given this advice without first implementing it himself. Numerous are the reports by later scholars confirming this. In fact, young children in poor areas used to call him ‘Father,’ when they saw him, because they were used to get from him whatever money he carried...
Read the complete article here

Q.E.D

As Muslims, we have our own stories

...of bravery ...Sumayya, Nusayba Umm Ammarah, Khaula, Umm Sulaim Azda bint alHarith...

...of service ...Barakah Umm Ayman, Rubayyi bint Mewaz Shifaa bint 'Abdullaah...

...of genius ...Aishah bint Abu Bakr, Khansa ...

...of piety ...SAWDA bint Zam'a, HAFSA bint Umar , ZAYNAB bint Khuzayma , UMM SALAMA HIND bint Abi Umayya , ZAYNAB bint Jahsh , JUWAYRIYYA bint al-Harith , UMM HABIBA Ramla bint Abu Sufyan , SAFIYYA bint Huyayy , MAYMUNA bint al-Harith , MARIA al-Qibtiyya , Asmaa Bint Abu Bakr

...of sacrifice ...Fatima bint Asad, Umm Rummaan, Umm AlFadl

...of sparkling personalities...Umm Abaan, Atikah bint Amr bin Nawfil,

...of scholarship...Nufaysah bint Hasan, Rabi'ah Bint Mu'awwad, Umm 'Atiyyah, 'A'isha bint Sa'd bint ibn Abi Waqqas, Umrah Bint Abdu Rahman, Zaynab: daughter of Umm Salama, Umm Ad Darda, Fatimah bint Qays, Aisha bint Talha, Hafsah bint Sireen , Ukhtul Mazni, bint Sa'eed ibn al Musayyab

it's a pity that more of us don't know them as well as we do the others.

A palace in paradise

Ed: there's a hadeeth which says that a tiny spot in jannah is better than the world and all that there is in it...so what of the women who have been promised a *palace* in paradise?

'Abdullaah ibn Abbaas rA narrated that one day the Prophet sallAllaahu 'alayhi wassallam drew 4 lines on the earth and asked the Companions if they understood what these lines stood for. They replied: Allaah and His Messenger know best.
He, sall Allaahu 'alayhi wassallam said these lines stood for the four foremost ladies of the Universe:

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

Narrated Abu Huraira: Jibreel (Gabriel) came to the Prophet and said, 'O Allaah's Apostle! This is Khadija coming to you with a dish having meat soup (or some food or drink).

When she reaches you, greet her on behalf of her Lord (i.e. Allaah) and on my behalf, and give her the glad tidings of having a Qasab (palace in Paradise) wherein there will be neither any noise nor any fatigue (trouble).'

[Saheeh al-Bukhari]

Fatimah bint Muhammad

Narrated Ali:
Fatima went to the Prophet complaining about the bad effect of the stone hand-mill on her hand. She heard that the Prophet had received a few slave girls. But (when she came there) she did not find him, so she mentioned her problem to 'Aisha. When the Prophet came, 'Aisha informed him about that. 'Ali added, "So the Prophet came to us when we had gone to bed. We wanted to get up (on his arrival) but he said, 'Stay where you are." Then he came and sat between me and her and I felt the coldness of his feet on my abdomen.

He said, "Shall I direct you to something better than what you have requested? When you go to bed say 'Subhan Allah' thirty-three times, 'Alhamdulillah' thirty three times,

and Allahu Akbar' thirty four times,

for that is better for you than a servant."

[Saheeh Bukhari]

Maryam bint Imran

16. And mention in the Book (the Qur'aan, O Muhammad , the story of) Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew in seclusion from her family to a place facing east.
17. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh [angel Jibrael (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects.
18. She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent from you, if you do fear Allâh."
19. (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son."
20. She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?"
21. He said: "So (it will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me (Allâh): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (Allâh), and it is a matter (already) decreed, (by Allâh).' "
22. So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place (i.e. Bethlehem valley about 4-6 miles from Jerusalem).
23. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said: "Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!"
24. Then [the babe 'Iesa (Jesus) or Jibrael (Gabriel)] cried unto her from below her, saying: "Grieve not! Your Lord has provided a water stream under you;
25. "And shake the trunk of date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you."
26. "So eat and drink and be glad, and if you see any human being, say: 'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Beneficent (Allâh) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.'"
27. Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said: "O Mary! Indeed you have brought a thing Fariya (an unheard mighty thing).
28. "O sister (i.e. the like) of Hârûn (Aaron) [not the brother of Mûsa (Moses), but he was another pious man at the time of Maryam (Mary)]! Your father was not a man who used to commit adultery, nor your mother was an unchaste woman."
29. Then she pointed to him. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
30. "He ['Iesa (Jesus)] said: Verily! I am a slave of Allâh, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet;"
31. "And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salât (prayer), and Zakât, as long as I live."
32. "And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest.
33. "And Salâm (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!"
[Surah Maryam]

'Asiah bint Mazaahim

And for those who believed, God gave the example of Pharaoh's wife, when she prayed:

"O Lord, put up for me a home in heaven, and save me from the Pharaoh and his practices and save me from the transgressing people".

And Mary the daughter of Imran who guarded her chastity, wherein we breathed of our Spirit. And she attested to the commandments of her Lord as well as his scriptures, and was one of the truly devout.

[Surah Tahreem, 10-12]

When I visited alMadinah...

...I went to the Prophet's sall Allaahu 'alayhi wassallam's grave. The feelings were flowing from my heart and ringing in my ears.

As I caught sight of the grave I headed for it, feeling very humble...I paid my respects in the prescribed manner and did not say anything else except one line of poetry. I did not know how it came to me because of the emotional state I was in...
I saw however, waves of people coming in and shouting long phrases. Someone was reading from a book, and another listening to someone who had memorized much; this one was disturbing that one , and everybody was disturbing the people at prayer.
Was it not the Prophet who had said:
Yaa Allaah, do not make my grave after me an idol to be worshipped?

Muhammad is not a story to be read on his birthday, nor is he to be extolled in prayers added to the words of the adhaan, nor can love for him be expressed in poems of praise...Instead of listening to the story of the Prophet's birth being recited in a pleasant voice, one should get up and reform oneself in order to draw nearer to the Prophet's practices in his spiritual and worldly , in his likes and dislikes, in his knowledge and action,in his habits and forms of habit...the Muslims in whose hearts the Prophet does not live and whose insight does not follow them in their actions and thoughts will never benefit by merely sending salaah and salaam to him a thousand times every day.

..How cheap is love when it is only talk! And how dear it is when it is an ideal, safe and assured.

[from Fiqh-us-seerah: Understanding the Life of the Prophet
by Muhammad al Ghazaali]

Walladheena aamanoo wa 'amilussalihaat
wa aamanoo be ma nuzzillaa 'alaa Muhammad
wa huwal haqqu min Rabbihim
kaffara anhum sayyi'aatehim
wa aslaha baalahum
Surah Muhammad: 2

~contributed by Rasha~