How To Memorise The Quran and Why?

This is the best investment you could do for yourself and your children in this dunia and on The Day of Judgement.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhiwasallam) said, "He who does not memorize any part from the Qur'an he is like the ruined house.''

[At-Tirmidhi].

Indeed none of us wants to be like a ruined house!!

On the Day of Judgement, Allah's reward is not restricted to the people of the Qur'an. Rather, its blessings will be extended to their parents. In this connection, Buraydah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,

"Whoever reads the Qur'an and learns and acts according to it, will he adorned on the Day of Judgement with a crown of Light whose gleam is like that of the sun, and his parents will he dressed in two garments that the world can never he equal to. Thereupon, they will question, 'For what reason are we dressed in these garments?' lt will be said, 'This is by virtue of your son who memorized the Qur'an.

Let’s discuss some tips on how to memories the Quran:

1. Pray to Allah to help you memories the Quran and give you tawfeeq.

2. Plan your time and choose a quite time when you can concentrate on what you are reading.

3. Don’t rush, take your time, you can memories the Quran in a year or 5 years or even 10 years, just continue and don’t stop or give up, slowly you will get there.

4. Start from the smaller surahs of the Quran.

5. Repeat each verse 25-30 times, that is how you memories, some people repeat five times and think they have memorised but that would be in your mind for few hours then it will be gone so repetition is the key.

6. When you memories an ayah make sure to memories the aya and the first word of the second ayah, example:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ عِوَجًا (1) قَيِّمًا

You see the ayah here ends with Ewaja and the next ayah starts with Qayeman, if you do this you will never have the difficulty to remember the next ayah which is the case for most of the people.

7. Practice what you memorised during Salah, this way you will not forget and it will help you concentrate in Salah as well.

8. Finally keep making dua to Allah to help you and remember this hadith and take it as your motivation: The Prophet peace be upon him said: “It will be said to the companion of the Qur’aan after he has entered Paradise, ‘Recite, and rise!’ For every verse he recites he will rise one level (in Paradise), until he recites the last verse with him (i.e., in his memory).” (Abu Dawood).

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet peace be upon him said, “The Qur’aan will be brought on the Day of Judgement, and it will say, ‘O My Lord! Adorn him (the one who read and practised it)!’ So he will be adorned with the crown of glory and honour . It will then say, ‘O My Lord! Increase this!’ So he will be clothed with the clothes of glory and honour. Then it will say, ‘O My Lord! Be pleased with Him! So He (Allah) will be pleased with him. It will be said, ‘Recite! And rise!’ and every verse he recites will bless him with a good deed” (at-Tirmidhi)

What an honour it would be when on such a day of terror the hafidh of the Qur’an would be given such a high honour and adorned with a crown and garment of glory and honour.

Try the above tips and share with us if you have other tips which you find useful. Someone may benefit from your tip.

Abu Bakr Al Siddiq(RA)

Who are the four Kholafa'a Al Rashideen?

Today we are going to speak about the first Khalifa, that is Abu Bakr Alsiddiq(RA)

His real name was not Abu Bakr! It was Abdullah Bin Abi Quhafa. However, the most famous title that was given to him was 'Al Siddiq', which is derived from 'Al sidq'; (Truth).

Abu Bakr was soft, compassionate and very sociable. He was a season traveler and a successful businessman. He had been around and had met so many people. He knew the leaders of the tribes and was very famous, in fact people were more familiar with the face of Abu Bakr than they were with the face of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

Abu Bakr was a specialist in Genealogy, he knew the names of the tribes their origins; where they were from and their ancestry.

Here is a physical description of Abu Bakr, he was medium to short in height, very slim and slender. In fact extremely slim, you could see the bones on his cheeks and his eyes were deep in the socket. He was very fair skinned.

He was a very social person, very approachable and likable. People loved his company because of his very compassionate nature and kindness.Everything about him was good but he had a hot temper, however he would calm down very quickly and seek forgiveness and apologise.

Abu Bakr (RA) was unique, they say that most of the Sahaba hesitated before they accepted Islam, they would think about it first, research it, or ask people about it but not Abu Bakr (RA). He was the only Sahabi who accepted Islam with no hesitation. Abu Bakr was 38 years old when he became Muslim,and when he accepted Islam he gave all his money for the sake of Allah.

Rasul Allah peace be upon him and Abu Bakr had a special relationship, they were very close friends even before Islam and became even closer after Islam. Abu Bakr was not only a friend, he was a companion, an adviser, a financial supporter, a body guard and confident to Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him.

His personality was amazing and surprising, whenever you pulled out a list of good deeds, you would find the name of Abu Bakr on the top. His name would be the first name.. He was the first Muslim, he was the first Khalifa, the first and only one to be with the Prophet in Hijra -migration- , the first in'Imaan' (faith). Rasulullah peace be upon him said: “If the Eemaan of Abu Bakr was weighed against the Eemaan of the people of the earth, the Eemaan of Abu Bakr would outweigh the others.”

[ Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in ‘al-Jamia’ lashu’ab al-Eemaan’ (1:18) and its narrators are trustworthy.]

Once the Prophet (s.a.w.) asked the congregation right after the Fajr prayers: “Who began this day fasting?” Abu Bakr said: “I did.” The Prophet said: “Who participated in a funeral procession today?” Abu Bakr said: “I did”. The Prophet said: “Who fed a needy person today?” Abu Bakr said: “I did”. He said: “Who visited a sick person today?” Abu Bakr said: “I did”. Then the Prophet said: “These things cannot all meet in a single person but that he will enter Paradise.” [Muslim]

Umar ibn Al-Khattab reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered us to give charity and at the time I possessed some wealth. I said to myself, “If there is a day I can do better than Abu Bakr, then this is the one.” So I went with half of my wealth to the Messenger of Allah and he said, “What have you left for your family?” I said, “The same amount.” Then Abu Bakr came with everything he had. The Prophet said, “O Abu Bakr, what have you left for your family?” He said, “Allah and His messenger.” I said, “By Allah, I will never do better than Abu Bakr.”Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 3675. Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to At-Tirmidhi

The Prophet peace be upon him had once said: "Whoever has done me a favor in this 'Dunya' (life), I have repaid their favour. As for Abu Bakr; Allah will repay him on the day of judgement"

The love Abu Bakr had for the prophet was one of a kind. He would accompany the prophet in all the battles and in the narration, it was mentioned, during the battles Abu Bakr would sometimes run in front of the prophet, or to his right side, or to his left and sometimes to the back. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: "What are you doing Abu Bakr?" Abu Bakr replied: " Oh messenger of Allah when I think somebody might attack you from the front, then I look around and say maybe someone would attack you from the back so I run to the back". This was Abu Bakr's love for the Prophet peace be upon him.

In another narration it was mentioned that Abu Bakr and the Prophet were going to a cave and Abu Bakr went ahead of the Prophet to clean up the cave for before the Prophet arrived and he saw a number of holes, so he took off his garment and ripped it up into small pieces, and covered the holes with the pieces of his garment, but there was one hole that he could not cover because he ran out of pieces of cloth. He then asked the Prophet to come in and after a while the Prophet peace be upon him wanted to rest so Abu Bakr (RA) said place your head upon my thigh and with the other foot he covered the hole so that he would block any insects from coming out. However, while the prophet was resting on Abu Bakr's thigh there was a snake in the hole that Abu Bakr blocked with his foot and that snake bit the foot of Abu Bakr (RA) and he felt an excruciating pain but he did not move and did not wake Prophet Mohammad up! However, he could not bear the pain so his tears were rolling down his cheek, and they fell on the cheek of the Prophet.Prophet Muhammad then woke up and saw the pain that Abu Bakr was going through and he said to Abu Bakr: Why didn't you wake me up? and Abu Bakr replied: " O messenger of Allah I didn’t want to. Subhana Allah!

If we look at the life of Abu Bakr we do not have knowledge of his whole life, but there are five incidents that tell us who Abu Bakr was!

The first one is his Islam, as soon as the message was presented to him he said: "أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله و أشهد أن محمد رسول الله" - I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah - He did not give it a second thought.

 The second one is in Al Isra'awa Al Mi'raj:

The steadfastness of Abu Bakr’s character and faith in Islam was demonstrated when the Prophet made a night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended to Heaven and returned. People had come to Abu Bakr to mock about the Prophet’s journey, asserting that these events could not have taken place within one night.

Abu Bakr was steadfast and he understood that with Allah, anything is possible. His faith was strong and unshaken. He reaffirmed the Prophet’s statements and said that “If he (the Prophet peace be upon him) said so, then he has told the truth. I have believed him in what is more distant (to reason) that that, of divine information.”It was this incident that gave him the nickname As-Siddiq (the truthful).

The third standing point was during the death of the Prophet peace be upon him. Abu Bakr was the only one among the Companions who had the wisdom to handle this situation before it escalated into a nationwide hysteria and crisis. He spoke to no one until he went directly to Aisha’s RA room, where the lifeless body of the Messenger lay. He uncovered the face of the Prophet, leaned over, kissed him and said: “Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, (O Allah’s Apostle), you are good in life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make you taste death twice.”

He then went out, asked Umar to be seated and addressed the assembly: “Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, then Allah is alive and shall never die.” He then recited “(O Muhammad) Verily you will die, and they also will die.” (Qur’an39:30) “Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; and indeed many Apostles have passed away, before him, If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah and Allah will give reward to those Who are grateful.” (Qur’an3:144)

Ibn Abbas said: “By Allah, it was as if the people had never heard the Qur’anic verse until Abu Bakr recited it as a reminder. So the people began reciting it until there was not a person who did not recite it.”

Hence, Abu Bakr’s wise intervention calmed unease and tension, and helped people in the transition to the next phase of Islam, where they were to live the Message without their beloved leader and Messenger peace upon him at the helm.

The forth standing point:

Before the Prophet died he ordered an army to go fight with the Romans, the first confrontation with the Roman Empire the Muslim army was 2000 soldiers and they were facing an army of 200,000; In one narration it was mentioned that it was 400,000 and he gave them the following instructions: I want you to lead this army and to step with your horses over the land where your father was killed, but the messenger of Allah passed away before the army left. Then Abu Bakr (RA) became khalifah and the tribes surrounding Madina apostate so the sahaba were coming to Abu Bakr (RA) and telling him that this army that is supposed to go fight the Romans keep it in Madina to protect Madina because this is our priority, this is where the companions are and the family of Muhammad peace be upon him is, and it is our responsibility to protect them. Abu Bakr then said: " Do you want me to reverse an order that was given by the Prophet peace be upon him? It was Muhammad peace be upon him who sent this army out! and even if everyone in Madina is killed and I am the only one alive, I am still going to send this army out!"

THE CALIPHATE RULE

The Khilafa of (ruling) Abu Bakr's (RA) was very short, just little over two years.

Hence Islam entered a new era after the death of the Prophet peace be upon him. The appointment of Abu Bakr as the first Caliph was already hinted by the Prophet peace be upon him, who, on his illness prior to his death, had appointed Abu Bakr to lead the people in congregational prayer. We will not go into the political details of his appointment, but instead set out his achievements in securing the integrity and unity of the Muslim Ummah during his short rule below.

Abu Bakr first Speech

The continued humility of Abu Bakr, now the leader of a powerful people, is demonstrated in his inaugural speech:

“I’ve been appointed as ruler over you, though I’m not the best of you. If I did well (to you) then you should support me, and if I did evil (to you) then you should guide me to what is right….

Behold! The weak person amongst you would be considered as strong in my sight until I bring back to him his right (usurped by others). Behold! The strong person among you would be considered as weak in my sight until I take from him the right of others, which he usurped. You should obey me as long as I comply with (the orders and instructions of) Allah and His Messenger. But, if I deviated (from that), then you would have the right not to obey me”.

A treasury was created in his time and a stipend of food and money were given from the Treasury to the Caliph. Abu Bakr was insistent that the Treasury only give what would suffice for him and his dependants reasonably and fairly. He used to still live frugally and was very careful not to eat anything where there was suspicion and was not extravagant. He was concerned that extravagance would lead to illegal ways of living.

He once said, “Every human body which grew up from an ill-gotten property, would be more entitled to enter the fire of Hell, so I am afraid that a portion of my body might grow up from this unlawful morsel.”

So much so, that before he died he called Aisha RA, his daughter, to look at his wealth and whatever increased in his wealth after being appointed Caliph was to be returned to the Treasury.

Umar cried when he saw what was left of Abu Bakr’s assets after Aisha RA returned the wealth to the Treasury. Abu Bakr’s assets only consisted of a camel, a milking vessel and a garment. A complete change from when he first entered Islam where he was a wealthy man – at the peak of his wealth. Abu Bakr had spent everything he had for Allah.

How He Lived:

Abu Bakr was so concerned of going astray that he would continuously supplicate to Allah: “O Allah, the turner of hearts! Make my heart constantly firm in your religion” and he would say “By Allah, I would not rest assured and feel safe from Allah’s punishment even if one of my feet was in Paradise”. He lived humbly and in humility to Allah.

The end of Abu Bakr's (RA) life:

Abu Bakr (RA) bathed in a day that was very cold and he became sick and his situation was getting worse day by day. He felt that this is the end of his life! The illness of Abu Bakr (RA) carried until it was the fifteenth day! He asked his daughter Aisha (RA): "What day did Muhammad peace be upon him die?" she said: "He died on a Monday" Abu Bakr (RA) said: "And this is Monday, so I think that this would be my last day". He died on a Monday and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him died on a Monday. The Prophet at the age of 63 and Abu Bakr died at age 63, He was following Muhammad peace be upon him in his life and in his death.

His last words in Dunyahwere "My Lord take me as a Muslim and join me with the righteous. His Khilafa was 2 years, 3 months, and 10 days. His grave is in the room of his daughter Aisha (RA) right next to the grave of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and out of respect for the Prophet the head of Abu Bakr was placed at the same level of the shoulders of Muhammad peace be upon him.

In the final phases of the Prophet's life, he said: “There is no one among the people who has been more generous to me with his life and his property than Abu Bakr ibn Abi Quhaafa, and if I was to take an intimate friend, I would take Abu Bakr as my intimate friend. But, the friendship of Islam is better. Block off every door in this Masjid except the door of Abu Bakr.” [Bukhari]

Why is Ramadan Special:

What makes Ramadan so special?

1. We try to be as close as possible in our characteristics to the Angels! We all know that the angels never sin and they only worship Allah. We do not eat, we do not drink, we stay away from sins and we only worship Allah in everything we do. How beautiful is that!

2. Allah favored some times of the year than others and Ramadan compared to the rest of the months is like the sun compared to other planets. Allah specified Ramadan with many virtues and many advantages. One of them is that the Qura’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, Allah says what can be translated as: (The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion..) 2:185

3. Also the other Books of Allah like the Torah and the Enjeel were revealed in Ramadan. Wathila ibn al-Asqa’ reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The scriptures of Abraham, upon him be peace, were revealed on the first night of Ramadan. The Torah was revealed after six nights of Ramadan had passed. The Gospel was revealed after thirteen nights of Ramadan had passed. The Quran was revealed after twenty four nights of Ramadan had passed.” Source: Musnad Aḥmad 16536

Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani

4. Ramadan is the month of forgiveness and atonement for sins. According to Abu Horayra, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet said: " Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The five prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan will expiate the (minor) sins committed between them as long as major sins are avoided.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim " (Muslim).

5. Fasting this month with faith in the promises of Allah, and relying on divine retribution, obtain pardon for past sins. The Prophet said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and hoping divine retribution, will be forgiven his past sins.

6. Whoever Prays the night of Ramadan with faith hoping for reward all their sins will be forgiven  " Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

7. Ramadan is the month of freedom from Fire, Allah releases people from hell fire every night in Ramadan, and when Allah releases you from hell fire means it will never touch you. The Prophet, said in a Hadith narrated by Abu Horayra, may Allah be pleased with him: "A herald called, O thou who researches the property, approach, O thou who searches evil, go away, Allah grants freedom from Fire to servants, and this every night" (At-Tirmidhi) .

8. During this month the doors of paradise are opened and those of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. The Prophet peace be upon him said: " The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." (Imam Bukhari) "

9. Ramadan is the month of patience, because patience is manifested in any other act of devotion as well as in fasting. During this month, the Muslim renounces pleasure and what he likes, why fasting is half of patience and patience is to reward Paradise. Allah, Exalted be He, says (the meaning of the verse): "The steadfast will have their reward in full without reckoning" (Quran 39/10).

10. Ramadan is the month of invocations, Allah, Exalted be He, said immediately after the verses of fasting (meaning of the verse): "And when My servants ask thee concerning Me, then I am near I answer the call of one who asks me when he asks me" (Quran 2 / 186)

11. In Ramadan while you are fasting your dua and invocation is never turned down. The Prophet said: "the vows of three people are heard: the fasting person until he breaks his fast, Imam fair and oppressed" (Ahmad).

12. Ramadan is the month of generosity and kindness, which is why the Prophet was more generous than ever during the month of Ramadan, according to Saheehayn

13. This month contains the Night of Destiny, where the works are completed worth more than a thousand months, the frustrated person being the one who was deprived of the benefits of that night. Allah, Exalted be He, says (the meaning of the verse): "The Night of Power is better than a thousand months" (Qur'an 97 / 3)
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The month of Ramadan came and the Prophet said: "You have lived until the arrival of this month, it contains a night better than thousand months, whoever was deprived was deprived of all good, and is still private and frustrated" (Ibn Maadjah).

14. The reward of Ramadan is major surprise from Allah and when the most generous promises you can only imagine.  "Every action of the son of Adam is given manifold reward, each good deed receiving ten times it’s like, up to seven hundred times. Allah the Most High said, 'Except for fasting, for it is for Me and I will give recompense for it, he leaves off his desires and his food for Me.' for the fasting person there are two times of joy; a time when he breaks his fast and a time of joy when he meets his Lord, and the smell coming from the mouth of the fasting person is better with Allah than the smell of musk." [al-Bukhari]

15. Last but not least, fasting is your gate to Paradise in shaa Allah. Abu Umaamah r.a.a. said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action by which I may enter Paradise'. He said: 'Take to Fasting, there is nothing like it.' " [An-Nasaa'ee, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Haakim, Sahih]

So my dear sister and brother keep making a lot of dua for Allah to grant you the blessing of witnessing another Ramadan, many of our loved ones were gone just a month or a week or even a day before Ramadan.

Prepare and plan and do not waste a moment. Study the Quran instead of just reading it without understanding. It is ok not to complete the whole Quran, it is not a competition who reads more pages. Have an intention to read with understanding. Ramadan is the month of the Quran so don't waste it on other things.
Be as generous as you can be and take the example of our beloved Prophet peace be upon him. He was the most generous in Ramadan.
Renew your intention every night and remind yourself why you are fasting so you can stay focused. Remember nowadays a month is like a week so Ramadan will come and go so fast. Stay away from distructions (Social media and TV & Musalsalaat). Be smart and use this amazing bonus from the Most Generous to be able to survive the coming 11 months in shaa Allah. You and I don't know if we will witness another Ramadan.

Allahuma Bal’lighna Ramadan.

Do not Be Sad.

Assalam Aleikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatuhu

As I was sitting on my prayer matt feeling slightly down, thinking about my life and my challanges, a series of thoughts were running in my head . I could not stop my tears . I asked myself so many questions and found the answers flowing down my head one by one Subhana Allah! as if someone was talking to me. Each answer put me to shame and reminded me how small my problems were.  I am here to ask the same questions my dear sister and brother and help you find answers in shaa Allah.

Right now you might be sad or depressed or unhappy because of a certain thing or things in your life. What is it that is making you sad and depressed and is it affecting your imaan (faith)?
Let’s explore some of the problems you might be going through right now…

Are you looking for a job or suffering poverty? And maybe you feel you have tried many things find the solution but nothing is working and you are asking yourself why me?
Hold that thought my dear sister and brother and take a moment to think of your beloved Prophet peace be upon him.  He suffered extreme poverty to the limit he used to tie a rock on his stomach out of hanger.    Have you ever experienced that in your life?
If the answer is No then be sure that you are in a great blessing and if you are patient and continue to strive and make dua you will be very happy soon in shaa Allah. And if the answer is yes which I really doubt then be super happy because you have a share in the legacy of your Prophet peace be upon him.

Are you sad because you lost a loved one and you really miss them?
Let’s look at our beloved Prophet peace be upon him and how he lost both his parents by the age of six. Can you even comprehend how he was feeling!? If you have a young son or daughter, look at them and picture the situation. And in his adolescent age he also lost his uncle who used to defend him and protect him (who was a father to him) and his beloved wife in the same year when he needed them most as everyone was against him. Allah sometimes takes people and things away from us not to torture us but because we need to grow a thicker skin to survive what is coming.

Are you having a problem with your family or friends for any reason or are they cutting you off because of Islam?
No matter how hard it is, it will not be harder than what he went through peace be upon him. Imagine your family and community plotting and planning each day on how they are going to kill you and torture you and your loved ones!! 
Are you sad because you wish to get married and have children and that hasn’t happened yet?
The Prophet peace be upon him got married to the woman he loved but she died and left him. He had three boys but he lost them all and he had to start life all over again.  Don’t despair my dear sister and brother, anything which Allah decrees on you is what is good for you no matter how bad it looks or feels. And these are not my words but the words of Allah and the Prophet peace be upon him, so hang in there and wait for the khair (good) as it is coming soon in shaa Allah.
Allah says what can be translated as: But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. 2:216

Are you sad because you lost a child or lost someone dear to you?
The Prophet peace be upon him lost his three boys and not just that, his own family had no sympathy for him. As he was crying out of pain and sadness for his own baby, they were out making fun of him and mocking him, calling him abtar (the one who is crippled   because he did not have boys). How would you feel if you were in his situation?!
Remember the story of Musa and Al Khidr in surat Al Kahf. Allah might have taken that child to replace him with another pious child, just rest assured that Allah gives you only good and Allah gives only khair.

Are you feeling lonely or feeling unloved?
Think of him peace be upon him in his late fifties beaten up with rocks, running and trying to find a safe place to hide. His feet bleeding to the limit they were sticking to his sandals and he was the Prophet of Allah peace be upon him!! Sitting in a secluded area alone crying to Allah for what they did to him! But the question did Allah leave him?! Why are you despairing my dear sister and brother?  Go back to Allah, you will find Him. Allah never leaves a sincere caller.

If you are sad for any reason my dear sister and brother think of the following and remind yourself that it could have been worse and that your beloved Prophet peace be upon him had it worse than you and he was the messenger of Allah. He had it worse than you and he was the chosen one. He had it worse than you and he used to spend the night in prayer. He had it worse than you and he never mistreated a human being or a living thing. He had it worse than you and he never gave up. .He had it worse than you and he never stopped praying and making dua!!

But why do you think he had it worse than you?
Simply to teach you that Allah will never give you more than you can handle, Allah says what can be translated as: (Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. 2:286
He had it worse than you to teach you that these trials are to strengthen you, to give you a better status in the eyes of Allah and to grant you Jannah which you can never attain with your own deeds. So remember that promise.

When the Prophet peace be upon him was praying at the Ka’bah while his enemies were watching his every move and action, one of his uncles put on his back the intestine and filrth of a slaughtered camel during his prostration. The Prophet did not react and stayed in the position of sujoud. His daughter, Fatimah, rushed to take the filth off his back and cleaned him up while crying. The Prophet peace be upon him said to her: Don’t cry ya Fatimah your father is on the haqq (The truth)

In the battle of Uhud, when his Makkan enemies attacked the Muslims, Prophet Muhammad suffered head injury and his front teeth got smashed and blood started to seep from his head.
Despite all this and more, he prevailed. They tried to humiliate him and they still try until this day but Allah honored him and promised to honor him until the day of Judgement. Allah says what can be translated as (Indeed, We are sufficient for you against the mockers) 15:95
The door of heaven will not open to anyone before our beloved Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him as an honor to him. 
Muslim also reported from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:  "I will come to the gates of paradise and ask for it to be opened. The gatekeeper will ask, "Who are you?" I will say, "Muhammad". The gatekeeper will say, "I was ordered not to open the gate for anyone else before you"".  [Saheeh Muslim]

The result for all his struggles was for you to have this complete beautiful religion to practice it at ease. A religion of haqq (truth) which gives you peace and tranquility in this trying life and will give you eternal happiness where you will have and find everyone and everything you want and more. This deen which will bring you honor among all nations in shaa Allah.
Bukhaari, Muslim and an-Nasaa'ee report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said:  "We are the last, but we will be the first on the Day of Resurrection. We will be the first of mankind to enter Paradise".

Now my dear sister and brother ask yourself!  How bad is it compared to what your beloved Prophet peace be upon him went through?  Let’s learn from him to be better believers. Let’s always remember his sufferings and compare them to ours. Let’s have strong faith and know that if Allah tested him peace be upon him then He will for sure test us also but not because He wants us to suffer but because He wants us to be better believers and have what it takes to survive this world and attain that level in Jannah.
Remember as long as the problem is not in your deen then you are good to go. If the trial is in your deen then that is when you should be sad and depressed because that is dangerous and may lead you to hell fire but if the trial is in the matters of this dunia, then let it be as the matters of dunia are always changing and Allah will guide you through them. Just hang in there and hold tight on to your deen and you will be minal faizeen (the winners) in shaa Allah.

Allahum Sall’I wa sall’im Ala Sayydina Mohammad

Why Faraj (ease) is delayed?

A repeated question you always hear from people, when will faraj (ease) come?
I am tired! It’s been five years since I was diagnosed with this illness…..
I have been waiting for a child for 10 years ….
I have been wishing to get married but it is not happening, I am tired!!....
I can’t find a job and I am tired of asking people for help….
When will faraj (ease) come?!!

A question which we all have to ask ourselves, why is ease sometimes delayed?
We have to ask ourselves this question so we can understand that the believer is in khair (good) despite the situation he is in.

Before I answer the question, I want to clarify one matter for you. This matter is mentioned in an ayah in the Quran but unfortunately most of us pass this ayah without contemplating or understanding. If we understood this, we would not wonder about this question and we would know the answer. 
Allah says what can be translated as: Say: "Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us 9:51
Why did Allah say “has decreed for us” not decreed on us or against us!?  Most of the time when we experience a trial we immediately think about it as something which is against us.

Allah is telling us in this ayah that everything which happens to us is for us and not against us…This is a fixed rule with the believer.

The Prophet peace be upon him emphasis what came in this aya and says: Allah does not decree anything for the believer except what is good for him.
Source: Musnad Ahmad 12495, Grade: Hasan

The Prophet peace be upon him also says: If Allah loves a people, then he afflicts them with trials. 
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 23122, Grade: Sahih

Ponder upon these ahadeeth and you will realize why Allah says He decrees for us and not against us. If Allah loves someone He afflicts them with trials and tests, why?  In order for them to receive good….Take this as a rule from now on and I will explain to you how.

From now on when you are afflicted with a trial or difficulty, search for the blessing that is behind it.
On the other hand if you receive khair or something good then be careful from the fitnah (test) that is behind it.
Every difficulty comes with a blessing so look for it in order to enjoy it.  Let me give you an example: You become sick with a serious illness and you find yourself getting closer to Allah and doing more good deeds in your life or you find yourself learning more about your religion.

And for every good you receive search for the fitnah behind it and be careful not to fall into it. Whether it is money, or position or religion or anything else. Any blessing which made you happy, look for its fitnah and make sure to block it. And the worse fitnah in any blessing is pride, arrogance and reya’a (show off) which makes the person forget Allah.

So why is faraj delayed? A question I pose to you and to myself….

Faraj is delayed different reasons. Let’s learn about them from the Prophet himself peace be upon him

The first reason:

Zayed ibn Al Arqam had an illness in his eyes and the Prophet peace be upon him visited him. He then saw him in the market two weeks later and he asked him: What happened to you, Zayed answered: Allah healed me. The Prophet peace be upon him asked him: what if you lost your sight, what would you have done? Zayed said: I would have been patient and would have expected the reward from Allah. The Prophet peace be upon him said: then you would meet Allah without a single sin. Musnad Ahmed.

Imagine Allah says I will test you so that I can wipe all your sins and purify you and bring you to me without a single sin and you say No I don’t want, just cure me now or  just get me a husband now, I am tired! 

From now on my dear sister and brother if Faraj is delayed then rest assured that Allah wants to meet you while you have no sins in your account. It is simply the greatest blessing you could ever have.

What are you rushing for? Allah is telling you I will cleanse you and make you come to me clean from all sins because He knows you are weak and you always rush to commit those sins, a sin after a sin until they multiply.

Second reason:

The Prophet peace be upon him said: (Allah decrees a high status for His slave, he could not reach with his deeds, so Allah tests him in his body or in his money or his children. He then bestows patience on him until he reaches to the  status which He decreed for him) Narrated by Abu Dawood (3090 ) Al Albani authenticated it in "Sunan Abi Dawood."

Allah has decreed for you Jannat Al Firdous which you will not reach with your deeds because you are lazy to work for it or because of any other reason.
The Prophet peace be upon him says: Allah tests him in his body or in his money or his sons…and elevates you to that rank.

A man came to Dr. Khaled Al Jubair and said: A month ago I took my wife to the hospital and the doctor told us he is suspecting she has cancer. He took blood samples from her for further testing but he said it may take up to one month to get back the results. The man said: we left the clinic devastated and we planned to make lots of dua, give sadaqa, wake up at night for prayer and go for umrah. We continued doing all those good deeds until the month has passed. We went to see the doctor for the results and to our surprise all her tests were clear Alhamdulilah. We were very happy and relieved but unfortunately we later stopped all that we used to do (dua, sadaqa and qeyaamulail)

Subhana Allah, Allah knows that when you have it easy, you forget and you stop everything as if you will be living for good. Some people do not remember Allah until death comes.

Dr. Khaled Al Jubair said: I had a patient for surgery and before the surgery the nurse came and handed me a paper from the patient. I looked at the paper and it was a will he wrote to his wife. The will stated: “On top of the bedroom cabinet there is a red bag, you will find 100,000, give it out as sadaqa and inside the cabinet there is another black bag, it has 50,000 also give it for sadaqa and under the bed there is a blue bag…. etc. Basically, he left nothing for his children. Now he started panicking and he remembered Allah.
Many people do not remember Allah unless they fall sick or they are inflicted with a trial. Isn’t this always the case!?

The third reason

When Allah delays faraj for you, he delays it to grant you something even bigger and better. What is it?
Sabr (patients) Allah says: O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.2:153
Being patient puts you in the company of Allah and what better company than that!? If Allah is with you, you don’t care who is against you.  Would you say no to that!? Would you say to Allah!? No I don’t want your company, I am tired, I just want you to grant me a child or a husband or a job!!?

Allah is telling you, be patient I am with you, don’t worry … and you say no, I just want what I want right now.
Allah says what can be translated as: And be patient, for indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of (Muhsineen) those who do good. 11:115

Allah here lifted you a rank from being a Muslim to being a Muhsin (the one who does good). He has given you a special badge and elevated you and you say no, no I don’t want!! I want to be in a lower rank!!

Here is an even better status. Allah says what can be translated as: And Allah loves the patient 3:146
Allah says to you, while you are in this trial and this test and you are patient, you gain my love and If I love you, I will give you this world and the hereafter and everything in it just be patient.

An old poor woman was visited in her small hut by a TV show. The reporter asked her, are you happy? She said yes I am. He said: how can you be happy in this small hut,  you simply have nothing to achieve the happiness you are claiming. She said: I am happy because I am satisfied with what Allah has given me, because I know what He has given me is what is good for me now.
Can we think like this old woman or at least strive to remind ourselves to think like that.

Believe me my dear sister and brother if you are not satisfied and happy with what Allah has given you, you will never be happy even if you became a King or a Queen. Be content and remember Allah only gives good and Allah only gives khair.

Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu 'anhu narrates that Rasullullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam in a Hadith Qudsi said: Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says: When I inflict illness upon My believing slave and he does not complain about Me to people who visit him, I set him free (forgive his sins). Then I change his flesh with flesh better than his and blood better than his blood and he resumes his deeds afresh (as all his sins been wiped out). (Mustadrak Hakim)

Do you now understand why faraj is sometimes delayed!?

Have You Prepared Your Witnesses?

Have you prepared your witnesses?

Allah says what can be translated as: (And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord, and the record [of deeds] will be placed, and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and it will be judged between them in truth, and they will not be wronged.)39:69

On that day when we are all gathered Allah will call our Prophets and all the witnesses to testify for or against us.

Prophet Mohmmad peace be upon him will stand before us and testify that he taught us everything and left us with a complete guide and a straight path, he will testify that you and I have no excuse to not pray on time, no excuse to not read the Quran and understand it, no excuse to not wear the Hijaab, no excuse to not lowering our gaze, no excuse to eating Reba (Interest) and simply no excuse to not following the Quran and sunnah fully.  What will be our situation then!!?

And the witnesses!!!
Make sure you have lots of witnesses on that day if you really want to make it through.

But who are the witnesses?
The witnesses are not necessarily the people around you because if you work hard to have them be your witnesses you might end up in Reya’a (Show off) wal eyathu biLLAH. 

Your witness is the sa-ja’dah (prayer matt) which you have placed in a corner in your room and you wake up to it every night for qeyamulail just to ask Allah for His forgiveness and  blessings.
Your witness is a poor person you did not know but you helped with a few dollars or shillings you had.
Your witness is a dead person you knew or did not know whom you prayed for Rahma and forgivness.
Your witness is that Mus-haf (Quran) which you have up on a shelf. Is it going to say I was collecting dust or will it testify that you were reading it every single day and trying your best to understand the message?
Your witness is (Al Zahrawain) surat Al Baqarah and Aal Imran.
The Prophet peace be upon him said: Recite the Quran as it helps the reader to come on the Day of Judgement. Read Zahrawain, namely Surah al-Baqarah and Aali-Imran, because they will come on the Day of Resurrection like two clouds will overshadow its readers or as two groups of birds in flight in the goal to defend its readers. (Sahih Muslim)

Your witness is your tongue which you made say a lot of good, kind and encouraging words or maybe tortured it by forcing it to gossip and eat the flesh of dead people.

Your witness is your eyes which you safe guarded not to look at what is haram just because you know no one is there but He is indeed watching.

Your witnesses are those fingers which you use to do dhikr every single day.

Your witness is a brother or a sister who found the right path through a reminder from you, a talk or message or a video.

Your witness is your child who grows learning to pray, read Quran and love their deen.

Your witnesses are the pigeons or the cat which you fed just because they are the creatures of Allah and because you want every chance for reward.

Your witness is an orphan whom you put a smile on their face on any day not just on Eid day.

Your witness is a sick person who needed help financially and you didn’t have much but you helped them because you remembered the hadith of the Prophet peace be upon him: He who relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve his hardship on the Day of Judgment. Sahih Muslim

Your witness is a friend you helped in a difficult situation without expecting anything from them.

Your witness is a poor worker whom you gave a cold drink on a hot day.

Your witness is the adhaan which you hear and repeat every day five times.

Your witness is your spouse whom you treated with kindness and took chances to put a smile on their face just for the sake of Allah.

Your witnesses is your computer or your phone and what you do with it, your profile and what you post on it. You don’t know how many people will be affected by it in a good or a negative way. Remember it’s a chain and it continues and it will last until the Day of Judgment.

Your witness is a masjid which you donated to build or repaired for people to pray comfortably and worship Allah.

And the list goes on but above all is our main witness, our Shafee (Intervener), our beloved and our role model the Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him. Imagine this moment every time you aim to do something which is not right. What will you say to him? Why you disappointed him? He went through a lot to bring you this beautiful deen ready and complete without any effort from your side. He was abused and beaten up, he was cursed and mocked, he stayed hungry for days but he never gave up for us. Why we are giving up on yourself?

When Abdullah ibn Masoud was reading surat Al Nisa’a to the Prophet peace be upon him, he reached this ayah:
So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and we bring you, [O Muhammad] against these [people] as a witness? 4:41

The Prophet peace be upon him was crying and he asked him to stop! he could not bear the thought of him standing as a witness against us!!
Allahum Sal’I wa sal’im wa barik alah ashfraf Al Mursalieen sayyedina Mohammad

ZAKAATUL MAAL.

Today  something drew my attention to this topic….which many people either don’t know about it, or know but not taking it seriously or find it confusing and can’t be bothered.

The subject is: Zakaatul Maal
You could be doing everything right, praying, fasting Ramadan, doing so many sunnahs and you could end up in hell…why? Because you are simply not paying your zakah.

Remember it is one of the pillars of Islam so without it, your islam is incomplete.
The one who does not pay zakaah either believes that it is obligatory or he does not. If he does not believe that it is obligatory, then he is a kaafir according to the consensus of the Muslims, because he is denying something that no Muslim has any excuse for not knowing. If he believes that it is obligatory but he does not pay it because he is stingy, then he is not a kaafir according to the majority of scholars, but some of the scholars are of the view that he is a kaafir.

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (2/228): Whoever denies it out of ignorance, and he is ignorant of it because he is new in Islam or because he grew up in a remote area far from the cities, should be informed that it is obligatory and should not be regarded as a kaafir, because he is excused. But if he is a Muslim who grew up in a Muslim land where there are a lot of scholars, then he is an apostate to whom the rulings on apostates apply: he should be asked to repent three times; if he repents, all well and good, otherwise he is to be executed, because the evidence that zakaah is obligatory is clearly stated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and the consensus of the ummah, and it can hardly be unknown by someone in his situation. If he denies it, that can only be because he is denying the Qur’aan and Sunnah and does not believe in them.

If he withholds it although he believes it is obligatory, and the ruler is able to take it from him, then he should take it and punish him (ta’zeer), but he should not take any more than the zakaah that is due, according to the view of the majority of scholars, including Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and their companions.
Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh and Abu Bakr ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: He should take it and half of his wealth. …

But if the one who is withholding zakaah is beyond the ruler’s reach, he should fight him, because the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) fought those who withheld it. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: If they withhold from me a rope that they used to give to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (in zakaah), I will fight them for it. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning zakaah: It is obligatory according to the consensus of the Muslims. Whoever denies that it is obligatory is a kaafir, unless he is new in Islam or grew up in a remote area far from knowledge and scholars, in which case he is excused, but he should be told. If after he is told about it he still denies it, then he is a kaafir and an apostate. As for the one who withholds it out of stinginess and carelessness, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars. Some of them said that he is a kaafir, and this was one of the two views narrated from Imam Ahmad.

Others said that he is not a kaafir, and this is the correct opinion, but he has committed a major sin. The evidence that he is not a kaafir is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned the punishment of the one who withholds zakaah on gold and silver, then he said: “… until judgement has been passed among all people, then he will be shown his path, either to Paradise or to Hell.” If it is possible that he may be shown his path to Paradise, then he is not a kaafir, because the kaafir cannot be shown his path to Paradise. But the one who withholds it out of stinginess or carelessness is committing a great sin which Allaah mentions in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“And let not those who covetously withhold of that which Allaah has bestowed on them of His Bounty (wealth) think that it is good for them (and so they do not pay the obligatory Zakaah). Nay, it will be worse for them; the things which they covetously withheld, shall be tied to their necks like a collar on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allaah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allaah is Well‑Acquainted with all that you do”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:180]

and

“And those who hoard up gold and silver (Al‑Kanz: the money, the Zakaah of which has not been paid) and spend them not in the way of Allaah, announce unto them a painful torment.

So my dear fellow Muslims , after reading all this please make sure you take this matter so seriously. We have Gold in our cabinets and we have money in our banks and safes, all this we will be accountable for. Teach your children from now how to calculate zakah and put it on the calendar, set a certain month, this is the month that my money completed a year and I need to pay zakah and it becomes a habit just like salah. Weigh your gold once and for all and know the weight and pay zakah for it every year and repent for the years you missed. Talk to your husbands,wives, your sisters, brother and parents and make sure to explain to them the importance and the way to calculate.

Allahuma Ajirna mina Naar

35. On the Day when that (Al‑Kanz: money, gold and silver, the Zakaah of which has not been paid) will be heated in the fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it will be said unto them:) ‘This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard’”
[al-Tawbah 9:34, 35]
End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (918/14).

Those who are careless about paying zakaah should be advised and reminded of how important it is, and should be told of the texts which warn against being stingy in paying it.