HIJAB.

Assalam Aleikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatouh my dear sister

I am here to talk to you my dear sister who is unable to wear the Hijab or who wears it in a stylish way with lots of makeup and tight clothes.  May be you are finding it difficult because you are in a society which objectifies women and you feel you will not look beautiful with the hijaab. May be you feel if you wear it people will look at you in a strange way or will mistreat you. May be you are thinking to wear it when you get slightly older, you are still young and you want to enjoy life. May be your parent or your husband is putting pressure on you not to wear it. May be you think even if I am not wearing it right and I have so much makeup on and tight clothes, at least I am wearing it unlike others who don’t wear it completely so don’t judge me.

Before I start telling you so much which you already know, I want to ask you one question my dear sister. Are you a Muslim?
If Yes, do you know the meaning of Islam? (And I am not being sarcastic here, it is a genuine question) Many of us may not know the proper answer to this question. Being born into Islam does not mean I must know everything but it means I must educate myself and find out.

Islam means to completely submit to the will of Allah. Complete submission means you have no say and no otherwise. If Allah says you must pray then you must and if he says you must fast then you have no choice other than that. If he says you must wear the hijab and you must wear it properly then who are you to have a say in this?

Let me give you an example; when your parents say you must do so and so, you never dare say No to them, not because you fear them but because you love and respect them and you know they only want what is good for you. Even if you don’t understand you follow. You may ask why but in the end you follow. WliLLAH Al Mathalul A’la. How can you take the chance and the risk to stand up to Allah and tell him No I am not going to do what you are asking me to do? Can you really handle this statement my dear sister?  Do you have the power to do that?

Despite all the reasons you could come up with in order to justify why you are not wearing it, you will never be able to justify it believe me. ….Why?
Because Allah created us and he knows what is best for us. He knows that you will go through all those reasons and excuses in life and yet He commanded you to cover.
 So if you say I feel I am not going to look beautiful, I will tell you what will your looks do for you 20 years from now?

If you say I don’t want people to mistreat me or look at me strangely, I would tell you did you forget the words of your beloved Prophet peace be upon him when he said: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried."

Your beloved Prophet went through so much hardship to bring you this beautiful religion and you cannot take a simple sacrifice!!? Remember the meaning of Islam, Are you a true Muslim or you just don’t care? Think about it….. before it is too late.

If you say I am still young, I will tell you death does not only visit old people.

If you say at least Im wearing it even if I have makeup and tight clothes, I will tell you, fear Allah, you are taking a beautiful value from Allah and corrupting it under the name of fashion. Can you take the responsibility of this?  Can you stand up to Allah and answer when He asks you: Why you were the reason to misguide many Muslim girls? Why you were the reason to give a wrong image about Islam? Can you take this responsibility my dear sister?

Allah knows what’s in your heart and if you sincerely want to wear the Hijab, just go on sujoud cry and tell him to help you. None of us is able to do any act of obedience on their own, we can only do it if we truly want and with the blessings of Allah. Take the step my dear sister, I know you can and Allah will help you. Being a Muslim woman is a great honor, you represent your religion everywhere you go, you carry the flag of Islam on your head proudly and you tell people I am the Khalifa of Allah on this earth and I will do everything in my power to please him

Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاء الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا / الاحزاب/59

What can be translated as: O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e.screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever OftForgiving, Most Merciful. 33:59

Can you see the honor Allah is giving you when he addresses you at the same level of the mothers of the believers and the daughters of the Prophet peace be upon him when we have not done half of what they did for this deen.  Wake up my dear sister before it is too late

TAHAJJUD.

Do you want to be from Eibadul Rahmaan (the servants of the most merciful) and win the highest level of Paradise?

I am sure you are thinking “of course, is that even a question”!!

Allah Ta’alah says what can be translated as: ( And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace,
And those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer] ) 25:63-64

Those who spend part of the night prostrating to their lord means those who pray Qeyamulail.

What is Qeyamulail (or the prayer of the night)?
Qeyamulail is an honor given by Allah to those who serve His deen, do good in this dunia and worship Him with sincerity. Not just anyone gets to do Qeyamulail!!

I will give you a simple example in our daily life to help you realize what I mean: Your son or daughter, will not get to meet the president of the country unless they do exceptionally well in their studies or sports compared to the rest of the students within the area, city or country. Wa LeLLAHUL mathalul A’alah.

So Qeyamulail is like an honorary grade. This person who served Allah and their deen during the day, Allah wakes them up at night to meet and connect with Him as an honor and a reward for their hard work…… Subhana Allah, can you feel the tranquility of that!!?

If you were looking to apply for a job in one of the companies or ministries and you heard that the CEO or the Minister walks on the beach every morning at 6 AM. I am sure you will go and buy yourself some sports shoes and outfit even though you have never played sports before and may be your belly is one meter away from you!!! However, you will go walking on the beach at 6 AM just because you have a need and you are ready to do anything to achieve it. We do this with humans, what about the lord of the humans!!? Aren’t we supposed to do more with him?
I am not saying we have to be like the companions of the Prophet peace be upon him, who used to pray the whole night or half of it. We do not have to be like Ata’a ibn Rabah who used to wake up third of the night and sometimes half of it. We do not have to be like Imam Abu Hanifa who used to pray fajr with the wudu of isha for forty years. We do not have to be like all those because our iman is still weak. Let us work in conjunction with our iman.

Qeyamul Lail starts from only two Raka’ahs or four any time of the night, the beginning of the night (after Isha), the middle (before you go to bed) or the end of the night ( just before athaan of fajr). Of course you can do more than the two raka’as if you wish and if you increase the reward will also increase. But if you pray just two raka’hs and one Raka’h witr, that is considered as Qeyam also and when Allah Subhanhau wa Ta’alah calls on the day of Judgment for those who used to pray Qeyamul Lail you will be one of them in shaa Allah.

The best time for Qeyamulail is the last part of the night just before fajr, because Allah descends to the lowest heaven every night. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: 'Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?'" [Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).]
Sadly most of us are either sleeping at that time or in a wedding listening to Music and dancing or committing other sins waleyathu biLLAH . We are missing a lot of Khair.

Oh you who have problems in your life, wake up just an hour or 45 min before fajr and pray to Allah and ask Him for what you want. Tell Him your problems and cry. Do not lift your head from Sujoud and there is still something in your heart you have not said, you will see wonders and you will have so much peace in your heart.
After learning all this, let’s not waste these chances any more.

Let’s have a plan for Qeyamulail:

For my brothers, let us start praying isha in Jama’ah (congregation) and fajr in Jama’ah. The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him said: "One who performs `Isha' prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat for half of the night. And one who performs the Fajr prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat the whole night.'' [Muslim]

He (peace and blessing be upon him) also said, “If people knew the reward in praying Fajr and Isha in congregation, they would go to the mosque even if they had to crawl.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

For my brothers and sisters, let us set up our alarms half an hour before the athaan of fajr, just half an hour. What shall we do in this half an hour?
Use the first 15 minutes to read Qura’an so your heart will open up, and the next 15 minutes pray two rakahs or four raka’s plus witr.
Continue with this plan for three months or even six months then increase it to 45 minutes instead of half an hour. Use 15 min. for Quran, 15 min. for Istighfaar and 15 min. for salah. Continue like that for another year and then make it one hour. Use 15 min. for Quran, 15 min. Istighfaar, 15 min salah ala rasoul, and 15 min. for salah.

Once you get used to this, you will find yourself waking up without an alarm and you will see so much khair in your life. You will have light on your face, you will have a better concentration and you will function more efficiently in all aspects of your life and more importantly you will be from the special people of Qeyamulail.

Qeyamulail is the only form of worship which is completely away from Reya’a because you do it late at night when everyone is asleep, just you and Allah. The companions of the Prophet peace be upon him used to walk on their toes not to make anyone feel them praying Qeyamulail. Make it as your secret deed between you and Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.” Narrated by Muslim, 1163

Allah praises those who have faith and are pious for their noble characteristics and good deeds, one of the most special of which is qiyaam al-layl. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Only those believe in Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), who, when they are reminded of them, fall down prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and they are not proud. Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allaah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do” [al-Sajdah 32:15-17]

The Prophet peace be upon him said: “You should pray qiyaam al-layl, for it is the custom of the righteous who came before you and it brings you closer to your Lord, and expiates sins and prevents misdeeds.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3549; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 452.
Al-Haakim narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Jibreel came to me and said: ‘O Muhammad, live as long as you want, for you will die. Love whomever you want, for you will leave him. Do whatever you want for you will be requited for it. Remember that the believer’s honour is his praying at night, and his pride is his being independent of people.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 73.
So let’s strive to not miss Qeyamul Lail even if it’s only 2 raka’as. May Allah grant us tawfeeq and help us achieve this honor Ameen.

How To Increase Your Blessings

Shurkr Al Nimah or Thanking Allah for His blessings is very important subject we all tend to forget or take for granted.
Majority of us think being thankful is just by saying Alhamdulilah but I am afraid we are mistaken and we need to stop for a moment and think.
Let me give you a very simple example to help you realize;
Imagine someone comes to you and asks to borrow money because they are in need and may be they even have kids and family. You give them the money and they thank you a lot by saying thank you but next day you see them gambling with that money with some friends or you see them buying alcohol with it, how will you feel!?

Did that person really appreciate what you have given them? Were they really thankful?
Will you ever give them money again?
Wa leLLAH Al mathalu Al A’alah

Allah granted us so many blessings and continues to grant us every single day but the question, are we being thankful?!!
Some will say: well, I say Alhamdulilah (Thanks to Allah) every day when I pray. I will tell you Alhamdulilah is not just words but it has to be words and actions.

Some of us have a good job which is a great blessing from Allah but unfortunately we are committing sins every day in this job! We cheat, we lie when we are late for no reason, we leave early and come late, we flirt, we don’t give sadaqa from the money we earn and the list is long.

Some of us have beautiful kids which is another blessing from Allah many don’t have but we neglect them, we beat them for no reason, we put our frustration on them, we don’t teach them right from wrong and we act as if we own them. Is this how you are thanking Allah for His blessings?

Some of us have a very understanding spouse, very loving and very kind but what do we do with them!? We take them for granted, we push them just because they take it, we neglect them and we deny them their rights. Millions are wishing to have a spouse like the one you have, so is this how you say Alhamdulilah?

Some of us got the chance to go to University or college to study but end up having haram relationship which Allah despises or end up flirting or wearing tons of makeup and having a new look everyday just to please the boys and attract their attention. Is that why you went to University?
Millions are craving for this chance and they don’t have it but you have it, so is this how you thank Allah?

You have good health, you can walk and move around and do what you please for yourself but are you treating your body the way you should? Are you eating well? Are you taking your meds so you don’t get worse and are you putting some effort to keep that healthy body which Allah granted you?
Unfortunately, many of us eat junk, smoke, neglect our meds and neglect our body and take it for granted, forgetting millions of people who are incapable. Is this how you say Alhamdulilah

Allah has blessed you with a beautiful body and beautiful hair and you use that body and that hair to disobey him Subhana Allah, you wear tight and revealing clothing and you refuse to wear the hijab!!. Is this how you thank Allah for His blessings which He bestowed upon you?
You have very understanding and trusting parents but you mistreat them, you lie to them, you answer back and argue with them while, millions are still crying for losing their parents. Is this how you are thanking Allah for His blessings?

And the list goes on……..

When Surat Al Takathur was revealed and the companions of the Prophet heard this ayah:
(Then, shall ye be questioned that Day about the joy (ye indulged in!).) 102:08

They asked the Prophet peace be upon him: what joy will we be asked about ya Rasoulu Allah and our swords are on our necks (as we are in Jihad everyday) and our food is dates and water. The Prophet peace be upon him told them, you will be asked about the dates and water !!

Jabir bin `Abdullah says: "The Holy Prophet once visited us and we served him with fresh dates and gave him cool water to drink. Thereupon he said: "These are of the blessings about which you will be questioned." (Musnad Ahmad, Nasa'i, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah, `Abd bin Humaid, Baihaqi in Ash-Shu `ab).
And today we have tables filled with food just to show off. We have all sorts of blessings much more than what the companions of the Prophet peace be upon him had and yet we take them for granted.

Remember Allah gave you all the blessings you have and He is able to take them all away from you in a blink of an eye. They are just a test and you determine the final result my dear sister and brother.
Allah says surat Ibrahim: (And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' ")14:07
So please don’t be a denier of Allah’s blessing to you by missusing it and neglecting it.WALLAHI you will be questioned.
Go back and start fixing things and start appreciating what you have. It’s never too late as long as you are alive

When Giving Sadaqa.( What not to do)

Assalam Alikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatouh
Many of us have the habit of asking the poor to pray for us after giving them our sadaqa. Do you know that our mother Aisha may Allah be pleased with her used to hate that!! Why?
Allah says in surat Al Insaan what can be translated as: And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,76:8

Meaning even the captive who comes to kill you and you hold them captive, you must feed them.
Then Allah continues in the following ayah saying what can be translated as: "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah . We wish not from you reward or gratitude.76:9
Meaning we do not wish from you any reward (like Dua’a) or gratitude (A thank you). So when you give sadaqa do not ask the poor person to pray for you, this is a very important matter my dear sister and brother and if you have been doing it, you must stop.
Our mother Aisha may Allah be pleased with her used to send the messengers with sadaqaat (money as charity) to different locations and when the messengers come back, she used to ask them, what did they pray for me? The messengers would say, they prayed for you such and such, she will say I will pray for them the same so the reward remains with Allah!! Why is that?
Because when the poor person prays for you, they have already rewarded you for your kindness and good deed!.
So for example If I gave a poor person $20 and told them: “ pray for me to be cured, and pray for my children and my husband” this means if this person prays for me then they have already rewarded me. The question, is this the reward I was looking for?
That is why Allah said in the above ayah: "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah . We wish not from you reward or gratitude.76:9
So when you give that sadaqa, you give it for the sake of Allah and Allah will reward you for it and you and I know that no human can reward us better than the Most Generous Subhanahu wa Ta’alah
If the poor person prayed for you without you asking that is fine but you do not give a $50 and say please pray for me to get married, get a job, have children…etc.
Give the sadaqa. What do you want? Nothing, “We wish not from you reward or gratitude.76:9”
Sadly, many of us do not realize this. We give and say do not forget to pray for me.

Give the sadaqa and the reward is from Allah, if the poor person prayed for you, that’s fine and if they didn’t then the reward remains with Allah.

RIZQ (PROVISION)

Asalaam Aleikum Warahmatullahi Wabatakatuhu.

Suffering from lack of Rizq (provision)!

This is for you my sister and brother who have less rizq (provision) or money or you are struggling to survive in this world. May be you are asking yourself, why me?
May be you are thinking in your mind, what have I done wrong?
May be you look at those who have wealth and wonder, why not me?
And may be you think I am worshiping Allah more than them but why Allah is not granting me like them?

I have the answers to all your questions but before I start I want you to first read these following ahadith which are all authentic.

ʿĀʾisha (ra) said: “Verily, we, the family of Muḥammad ﷺ, would go an entire month without lighting a fire. It was only dates and water.”
Anas (ra) said: “One time the Prophet ﷺ was brought dates and I saw him eating them while leaning on something because of the severity of his hunger.”3

Ibn ʿAbbās (ra) said: “The Prophet ﷺ and his family would go to sleep while hungry for several nights because they could not find anything to eat for dinner. And most of their bread was from barley.”
Sahl ibn Sʿad (ra) was asked: “Did the Prophet ﷺ eat white flour?” Sahl said, “The Prophet ﷺ did not see white flour until he met God.”
Who is this we are talking about?

He is the best of the creation of Allah peace be upon him, he is the beloved messenger of Allah, the one whom Allah chose among all human beings to represent Him and spread His words and the one whom the door of Jannah will not open to anyone before him!!
This should answer all your questions and worries, there is no need for me to say anything more.

My dear brother and sister if your rizq is less then rest assured that Allah has chosen you like He has chosen your beloved Prophet peace be upon him. If there was khair (good) in having more rizq, Allah would have given it to Mohammad peace be upon him.
Allah has chosen you and restricted your provision not because He is angry with you or because He wants to punish you and He confirmed that clearly in surat Al Mulk….

Allah says what can be translated as: And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me."89:15
But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me." 89:16
Allah responds after these two ayat and says what can be translated as: No! 89:17

So your calculation is wrong and your thoughts are wrong!!

Allah knows each and every one of us and He knows that some of us need to be restricted to be closer to Him and be a better believer. Be happy and content my dear sister and brother and know if it was khair (good) for you to have more provision, Allah would have given it to you.
Some of us when having more rizq, we sin more and we forget Allah, we forget where we are going, we forget to thank Him, we say it by mouth but no actions. WAllahi it is a harder test if you have more but you just do not realize. The shaytaan blinds you and makes you live only the moment and worry about only what you need.

Go back to Allah and strengthen your iman and be proud that you are chosen just like your beloved Prophet peace be upon him. Use it to your benefit like he did, use it to gain Jannah be ethniLLAH and remember this is not the eternal life, this is just a test and you are passing a way.

May Allah grant us success to pass our tests and attain Jannah Ameen.