Bismillah
- A woman can complete half of good character by adornment of faith.
- Three foundations of good trait
1. character of faith
2. how we conduct ourselves with God
3. how we conduct ourselves with creations including ourselves
- Do not struck anyone on their faces as Allah created Adam min wajhihi (His face).
- A demon always desire to severe one’s outer form and inner form. The inside is faith.
- Imam Rifa’I (rahmatuLlahu ‘alayh) has a very good character. Once, a person slandered him and he wrote a nice letter to the man. He said that if what you are saying is true, may Allah forgive me and if what you are saying is not true then may Allah increase you.
- In a madrasa, a syeikh heard of a rumour about dispute between his students. Some of the students planned to beat another student at night time. The syeikh covered himself with a blanket in the student’s bed and he was jumped upon and beaten badly. When the syeikh came out, he said to the students that they can’t handle a problem unless the problems get out from them. He cured their problems and tasted sweetness in the tribulation.
- Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam has good character and everyone bore witness of his good character Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam.
- Good character:
1. pardon those who did wrong to you.
2. maintain ties with those who severed it.
3. give to those who withhold from you.
- If a child is cold towards his mother (jafa’), husband to wife, if someone is cold to you, be warm with them.
- If you have insincere intentions, make repentance to Allah.
- How many times you can try to maintain ties? Keep on trying until everything become natural to you.
- Protect your heart from being affected by
1. dealing with people who mistreated you like he is a child.
2. flip their words.
- Some good traits can only be found in women. That is why Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam held class for women only one day in a week.
1. Attribute of patience
2. fearful of God
- Women need lots of patience and she will gain the love of Allah.
Sayidatina Asma’ Binti Abu Bakar, wife of Sayidina Zubayr Ibnu Awwam (Radhiya Allahu ‘anhuma) used to get datestones from great distance (farsakh). She put it on her head and walked back, grind them and fed the camel with it. On the way, she met Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam and some companions. Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam asked her to go on the back of his camel. There were some men near Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam with sheeps. When Sayidatina Asma radhiyaAllahu ‘anha returned home, Zubayr came home later and she told him, Rasul motioned her to ride on the camel. Zubayr RadhiyaAllahu ‘anh said, ‘you carrying deadstones on your head is more difficult for me to bear.’ She is a very patient woman.
- Sayidatina Fatimah radhiyaAllahu ‘anha was related by imam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullahu ‘alayh, the one who make her happy make me happy and whenever he sallallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam saw Fatimah, he will stands up and kiss her forehead. Sayidatina Fatima used to grind datestones until she had blisters on her blessed hands. The reasons why we are hearing the hadith is because of Sayidatina Fatima ‘alayhi salam (33x subhanAllah..) has strength and vigour in remembering Allah.
- The life in Rasul sallallahu ‘alayhi wassalam’s time was not an easy life. It demands patience and great amount of faith in the heart.
- Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam will pray when he saw a great woman and he will say I love you and he will pray for them.
- We need to have a society of knowledge and piety, and we can see they are modest. ‘wa iza zahabal eeman, zahabal haya’
- Modesty was found in abundant in prophets and women surrounding the prophets.
- Sayidatina ‘Aisyah radhiyaAllahu ‘anha remembers God much and used to fast continuously.
- Once Sayidina Bilal RadhiyaAllahu ‘anhu went through the crowd until he was surrounded by women. Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam was addressing them. ‘O women! Give in charity. Give in charity. And I saw in jahannam, lots of woman.’ A woman stood up and asked Rasul sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam why is the women majority in naar? ‘They did not fulfil the rights of husbands have over them.’
Never argue with your husbands even when you are right!
Rasul sallallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam used the word Kufr ie ungrateful towards husbands.
And at the time of Rasul sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam, women did not earn wages but he still said to give in charity. Even giving something small is really a great thing.
- Every woman has a portion of mercy in them. 1) patience 2) modesty 3) zikrulLah : light for this world and the next.
- 1) We need to revive prayers before fajr, even 3 minutes before fajar.
2) Remembrance of God
3) Good character and practising the religion ( sometime practising the religion can illuminate our heart more than zikr).
- Regarding backbiting: it will result in harm for the backbiter. We have to control our tongue and seek help. We have to deal with the issues and not harming ourselves by doing backbiting.
-“Whoever sends Salawat (salutations) on me ten times in the morning and ten times in the evening, he will get my syafa’ah (intercession)".
-Whoever read Salawat 100 times after maghrib and 100 times after fajar prayer, Allah will grant him 100 of what he needs: 70 in the next world and 30 from this world.
Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayidina wa habibina Rasulillah Sallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam ‘adada kulli zarrah alfa marrah.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Why Do Women Have To?
Woman’s Reflection on Leading Prayer
© 2005 Yasmin Mogahed
—–
On March 18, 2005, Amina Wadud led the first female-led Jumuah (Friday) prayer. On that day women took a huge step towards being more like men. But, did we come closer to actualizing our God-given liberation?
I don’t think so.
What we so often forget is that God has honored the woman by giving her value in relation to God—not in relation to men. But as western feminism erases God from the scene, there is no standard left—but men. As a result the western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man—the standard.
When a man cut his hair short, she wanted to cut her hair short. When a man joined the army, she wanted to join the army. She wanted these things for no other reason than because the “standard” had it.
What she didn’t recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness–not their sameness.
And on March 18, Muslim women made the very same mistake.
For 1400 years there has been a consensus of the scholars that men are to lead prayer. As a Muslim woman, why does this matter? The one who leads prayer is not spiritually superior in any way. Something is not better just because a man does it. And leading prayer is not better, just because it’s leading. Had it been the role of women or had it been more divine, why wouldn’t the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa salam) have asked Ayesha or Khadija, or Fatima (radi Allahu anhum)—the greatest women of all time—to lead? These women were promised heaven—and yet they never lead prayer.
But now for the first time in 1400 years, we look at a man leading prayer and we think, "That’s not fair." We think so although God has given no special privilege to the one who leads. The imam is no higher in the eyes of God than the one who prays behind.
On the other hand, only a woman can be a mother. And God has given special privilege to a mother. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa salam) taught us that heaven lies at the feet of mothers. But no matter what a man does he can never be a mother. So why is that not unfair?
When asked who is most deserving of our kind treatment? The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa salam) replied 'your mother' three times before saying 'your father' only once. Isn’t that sexist? No matter what a man does he will never be able to have the status of a mother.
And yet even when God honors us with something uniquely feminine, we are too busy trying to find our worth in reference to men, to value it—or even notice. We too have accepted men as the standard; so anything uniquely feminine is, by definition, inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a mother—a degradation. In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and self-less compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigns supreme.
As soon as we accept that everything a man has and does is better, all that follows is just a knee jerk reaction: if men have it—we want it too. If men pray in the front rows, we assume this is better, so we want to pray in the front rows too. If men lead prayer, we assume the imam is closer to God, so we want to lead prayer too. Somewhere along the line we’ve accepted the notion that having a position of worldly leadership is some indication of one’s position with God.
A Muslim woman does not need to degrade herself in this way. She has God's word as a standard. She has God to give her value; she doesn’t need a man.
In fact, in our crusade to follow men, we, as women, never even stopped to examine the possibility that what we have is better for us. In some cases we even gave up what was higher only to be like men.
Fifty years ago, society told us that men were superior because they left the home to work in factories. We were mothers. And yet, we were told that it was women’s liberation to abandon the raising of another human being in order to work on a machine. We accepted that working in a factory was superior to raising the foundation of society—just because a man did it.
Then after working, we were expected to be superhuman—the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker—and have the perfect career. And while there is nothing wrong, by definition, with a woman having a career, we soon came to realize what we had sacrificed by blindly mimicking men. We watched as our children became strangers and soon recognized the privilege we’d given up.
And so only now—given the choice—women in the West are choosing to stay home to raise their children. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, only 31 percent of mothers with babies, and 18 percent of mothers with two or more children, are working full-time. And of those working mothers, a survey conducted by Parenting Magazine in 2000, found that 93% of them say they would rather be home with their kids, but are compelled to work due to ‘financial obligations.’ These ‘obligations’ are imposed on women by the gender sameness of the modern West, and removed from women by the gender distinctiveness of Islam.
It took women in the West almost a century of experimentation to realize a privilege given to Muslim women 1400 years ago.
Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade myself by trying to be something I’m not–and in all honesty–don’t want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness.
If given a choice between stoic justice and compassion, I choose compassion. And if given a choice between worldly leadership and heaven at my feet—I choose heaven.
© 2005 Yasmin Mogahed
—–
On March 18, 2005, Amina Wadud led the first female-led Jumuah (Friday) prayer. On that day women took a huge step towards being more like men. But, did we come closer to actualizing our God-given liberation?
I don’t think so.
What we so often forget is that God has honored the woman by giving her value in relation to God—not in relation to men. But as western feminism erases God from the scene, there is no standard left—but men. As a result the western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man—the standard.
When a man cut his hair short, she wanted to cut her hair short. When a man joined the army, she wanted to join the army. She wanted these things for no other reason than because the “standard” had it.
What she didn’t recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness–not their sameness.
And on March 18, Muslim women made the very same mistake.
For 1400 years there has been a consensus of the scholars that men are to lead prayer. As a Muslim woman, why does this matter? The one who leads prayer is not spiritually superior in any way. Something is not better just because a man does it. And leading prayer is not better, just because it’s leading. Had it been the role of women or had it been more divine, why wouldn’t the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa salam) have asked Ayesha or Khadija, or Fatima (radi Allahu anhum)—the greatest women of all time—to lead? These women were promised heaven—and yet they never lead prayer.
But now for the first time in 1400 years, we look at a man leading prayer and we think, "That’s not fair." We think so although God has given no special privilege to the one who leads. The imam is no higher in the eyes of God than the one who prays behind.
On the other hand, only a woman can be a mother. And God has given special privilege to a mother. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa salam) taught us that heaven lies at the feet of mothers. But no matter what a man does he can never be a mother. So why is that not unfair?
When asked who is most deserving of our kind treatment? The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa salam) replied 'your mother' three times before saying 'your father' only once. Isn’t that sexist? No matter what a man does he will never be able to have the status of a mother.
And yet even when God honors us with something uniquely feminine, we are too busy trying to find our worth in reference to men, to value it—or even notice. We too have accepted men as the standard; so anything uniquely feminine is, by definition, inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a mother—a degradation. In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and self-less compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigns supreme.
As soon as we accept that everything a man has and does is better, all that follows is just a knee jerk reaction: if men have it—we want it too. If men pray in the front rows, we assume this is better, so we want to pray in the front rows too. If men lead prayer, we assume the imam is closer to God, so we want to lead prayer too. Somewhere along the line we’ve accepted the notion that having a position of worldly leadership is some indication of one’s position with God.
A Muslim woman does not need to degrade herself in this way. She has God's word as a standard. She has God to give her value; she doesn’t need a man.
In fact, in our crusade to follow men, we, as women, never even stopped to examine the possibility that what we have is better for us. In some cases we even gave up what was higher only to be like men.
Fifty years ago, society told us that men were superior because they left the home to work in factories. We were mothers. And yet, we were told that it was women’s liberation to abandon the raising of another human being in order to work on a machine. We accepted that working in a factory was superior to raising the foundation of society—just because a man did it.
Then after working, we were expected to be superhuman—the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker—and have the perfect career. And while there is nothing wrong, by definition, with a woman having a career, we soon came to realize what we had sacrificed by blindly mimicking men. We watched as our children became strangers and soon recognized the privilege we’d given up.
And so only now—given the choice—women in the West are choosing to stay home to raise their children. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, only 31 percent of mothers with babies, and 18 percent of mothers with two or more children, are working full-time. And of those working mothers, a survey conducted by Parenting Magazine in 2000, found that 93% of them say they would rather be home with their kids, but are compelled to work due to ‘financial obligations.’ These ‘obligations’ are imposed on women by the gender sameness of the modern West, and removed from women by the gender distinctiveness of Islam.
It took women in the West almost a century of experimentation to realize a privilege given to Muslim women 1400 years ago.
Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade myself by trying to be something I’m not–and in all honesty–don’t want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness.
If given a choice between stoic justice and compassion, I choose compassion. And if given a choice between worldly leadership and heaven at my feet—I choose heaven.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Zulhijjah
BismilLah
AlhamdulilLah we're approaching Zulhijjah. This is tahleel that can be read during the first ten days of Zulhijjah from the book 'Kanzul najah wassooroor' by Syeikh Abdul Hamid bin Syeikh Muhammad Ali Qudus (RahmatuLlah 'Alayhim).
Friday, November 13, 2009
Zulhijjah
BismilLah
Someone told me that the tahlil for zulhijjah is unclear. So, this was scanned again and hope it's a bit clearer.. May it benefit..
Someone told me that the tahlil for zulhijjah is unclear. So, this was scanned again and hope it's a bit clearer.. May it benefit..
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Mukhtar Al-Hadith
Mukhtār al-Hadith al-Sharif (Selection of Noble Prophetic Traditions) Al-Habib ‘Umar b. Hafiż
Hadith two:
قال رسول الله , ‘ أبغض الرجال ٳلى الله الألدالخصيم) .رواه البخاري ومسلم(
The Messenger of God Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam said, ‘The most abhorrent of men in God’s sight is an obstinate quarreller.’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Aladdul khasim: Distant from Allah. If we don’t have the habit of quarreling, then we will be nearer to Allah. No one can taste the true faith until he leaves jadal (arguing).
If we leave arguing while we are in the wrong side, a house will be built for us in the periphery of jannah. Imagine what we will get if we did not argue while we are right.
(“I guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a house in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even when joking / for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” [Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم) - reported by Imam Abu Dawud]
Sa’eed bin Musayyeb says: Once the Prophet was sitting with his Companions, and one person used insulting words against Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), causing him pain. But Abu Bakr remained silent. The person again used bitter words against Abu Bakr, and still Abu Bakr did not respond. The third time when this ignorant person hurt Abu Bakr with his tongue, Abu Bakr tried answering back.
At this point the Prophet got up. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him, “Are you displeased with me, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “No, but (when you remained silent) an angel came down from the heaven responding to this man’s talk. But the moment you started replying to that man, the angel went away and the devil sat down. And I cannot sit where the devil is sitting.” Abu Dawood 041 4878. (Copied and thanks to http://muslimology.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/arguing-manners-in-islam/)
Abghada is a superlative word meaning the most distant.
There are three types of argumentation:
1) Mira’ : owes fault in other person. We have to always remember that outward is not an indication to the inward). Mira’ is when one looked lowly on the other person. People of Quraisy used to looked down on Rasulullahi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam when he did Adamic lifestyle eg walking in marketplace. Mira’ prevents one from accepting and learning from the other person.
2) Mujadalah : debating. Imam Ghazali RahmatuLlahu ‘alayh mentioned there are 2 forms of mujadalah and both came from kibriya’ (arrogance)
a. Wanting an upper hand in debate
b. Finding faults in the other person's discourse
3) Al-Khusuma : arguing for rights that belongs to you. Habib Ibrahim bin Aqil in Yemen owned a piece of land. Another person claimed for that land in a masjid. Habib Syatri walked in at that time and said, ‘As for the matter of deen, do so but in the matter of dunya, you will be in khusuma.
Arguing can become a habit.
Problems that arises from arguing:
- start having enmity towards others.
- have satisfaction when something bad happen to other and dissatisfied when good things happen to him
- preoccupied with argumentation especially in prayers.
- It is hard to find positive things arising from argumentation.
- Missing the reward of ‘waqooloo lilnnasi husnan’ 2:83 : and speak fair to the people
- And missing the reward of ‘Yuthabbitu Allahu allatheena amanoo bialqawli alththabiti’ 14:27 : Allah will establish in strength those who believe, with the word that stands firm
Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam is also known for jawa’mi’ool kalam ie his words encompass meanings.
Sayidina Isa ‘alayhi salam walked with hawwariyoon (his companions) and they passed by a dead dog. The hawariyoon is making negative remarks on the carcass but Sayidina Isa ‘alayhi salam noticed that the dog’s teeth were well-spaced. (We always have to think good of a situation).
Once, Habib Abdul Qadir As-Saqqaf (Hafizullah) was sitting and teaching students in his gathering. A person came in and started insulting al-habib. He did not reply to the man and the next day the same person came back and apologised. He became al-Habib’s student from then on.
Hadith three:
قال رسول الله‘, اتق الله حيثما كنت, واتبع اڷسيئۃ الحسنۃ تمحھا وخالق الناس بخلق حسن ) . ’ حديث حسن رواه الترمذي(.
The Messenger of God Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wassalam said, ‘Fear God wherever you may be, and follow a bad deed with a virtuous deed, thus effacing it. And be disposed to people with beautiful character.’ (Hadith Hassan al-Tirmidhì)
Tuqya: to separate.
Taqwa is built from knowledge.
There are four levels taqwa:
1) taqwa al-kufr
2) taqwa al-muharamat : According to Syeikh Yahya, most people are in this area).
3) Taqwa al-makruhaat
4) Taqwa al-mubahat
Hadith two:
قال رسول الله , ‘ أبغض الرجال ٳلى الله الألدالخصيم) .رواه البخاري ومسلم(
The Messenger of God Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam said, ‘The most abhorrent of men in God’s sight is an obstinate quarreller.’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Aladdul khasim: Distant from Allah. If we don’t have the habit of quarreling, then we will be nearer to Allah. No one can taste the true faith until he leaves jadal (arguing).
If we leave arguing while we are in the wrong side, a house will be built for us in the periphery of jannah. Imagine what we will get if we did not argue while we are right.
(“I guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a house in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even when joking / for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” [Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم) - reported by Imam Abu Dawud]
Sa’eed bin Musayyeb says: Once the Prophet was sitting with his Companions, and one person used insulting words against Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), causing him pain. But Abu Bakr remained silent. The person again used bitter words against Abu Bakr, and still Abu Bakr did not respond. The third time when this ignorant person hurt Abu Bakr with his tongue, Abu Bakr tried answering back.
At this point the Prophet got up. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him, “Are you displeased with me, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “No, but (when you remained silent) an angel came down from the heaven responding to this man’s talk. But the moment you started replying to that man, the angel went away and the devil sat down. And I cannot sit where the devil is sitting.” Abu Dawood 041 4878. (Copied and thanks to http://muslimology.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/arguing-manners-in-islam/)
Abghada is a superlative word meaning the most distant.
There are three types of argumentation:
1) Mira’ : owes fault in other person. We have to always remember that outward is not an indication to the inward). Mira’ is when one looked lowly on the other person. People of Quraisy used to looked down on Rasulullahi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam when he did Adamic lifestyle eg walking in marketplace. Mira’ prevents one from accepting and learning from the other person.
2) Mujadalah : debating. Imam Ghazali RahmatuLlahu ‘alayh mentioned there are 2 forms of mujadalah and both came from kibriya’ (arrogance)
a. Wanting an upper hand in debate
b. Finding faults in the other person's discourse
3) Al-Khusuma : arguing for rights that belongs to you. Habib Ibrahim bin Aqil in Yemen owned a piece of land. Another person claimed for that land in a masjid. Habib Syatri walked in at that time and said, ‘As for the matter of deen, do so but in the matter of dunya, you will be in khusuma.
Arguing can become a habit.
Problems that arises from arguing:
- start having enmity towards others.
- have satisfaction when something bad happen to other and dissatisfied when good things happen to him
- preoccupied with argumentation especially in prayers.
- It is hard to find positive things arising from argumentation.
- Missing the reward of ‘waqooloo lilnnasi husnan’ 2:83 : and speak fair to the people
- And missing the reward of ‘Yuthabbitu Allahu allatheena amanoo bialqawli alththabiti’ 14:27 : Allah will establish in strength those who believe, with the word that stands firm
Rasul Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi Wassalam is also known for jawa’mi’ool kalam ie his words encompass meanings.
Sayidina Isa ‘alayhi salam walked with hawwariyoon (his companions) and they passed by a dead dog. The hawariyoon is making negative remarks on the carcass but Sayidina Isa ‘alayhi salam noticed that the dog’s teeth were well-spaced. (We always have to think good of a situation).
Once, Habib Abdul Qadir As-Saqqaf (Hafizullah) was sitting and teaching students in his gathering. A person came in and started insulting al-habib. He did not reply to the man and the next day the same person came back and apologised. He became al-Habib’s student from then on.
Hadith three:
قال رسول الله‘, اتق الله حيثما كنت, واتبع اڷسيئۃ الحسنۃ تمحھا وخالق الناس بخلق حسن ) . ’ حديث حسن رواه الترمذي(.
The Messenger of God Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wassalam said, ‘Fear God wherever you may be, and follow a bad deed with a virtuous deed, thus effacing it. And be disposed to people with beautiful character.’ (Hadith Hassan al-Tirmidhì)
Tuqya: to separate.
Taqwa is built from knowledge.
There are four levels taqwa:
1) taqwa al-kufr
2) taqwa al-muharamat : According to Syeikh Yahya, most people are in this area).
3) Taqwa al-makruhaat
4) Taqwa al-mubahat
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Post Ramadhan advice
1st Oct- Post Ramadan Advice, Gratitude and Reflection
Notes from Sheikh Ibrahim Osi-Efa's kalima at the Mawlid- 1st October 2009, Liverpool.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alhamdulilah for the bounties that Allah swt continuously extends upon us- Alhamdulilah we are of those that embrace and receive them, in sha Allah with hearts that are grateful to Allah.
Our hearts need to show some sort of gratitude so we may be of those that are “few”- We ask Allah to make us from the few. "Very few of my servants are truly grateful" - And we ask Allah to not take us from this temporal abode except that we are of those who show eternal and perpetual gratitude to Allah, swt for His blessings-
Amongst them we heard about Ramadan- and why did Allah single out this ummah and single out each and every one of us to be members of his ummah- and allowed us to have Ramadan- which communities before us did not have the privilege to enjoy. Allah allowed us to enjoy the great fruits of this blessed month-
Sahih hadith- in response to the great prayer of the great Archangel Gabriel "The one who reaches Ramadan and exits the month is not forgiven therein- may Allah render him distant" – the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa alih wa salam) said: Ameen..
In Ramadan Allah swt continuously extends towards us His mercy and grace, such that we may enter into the sphere of His forgiveness, and move to His grace in the world to have- [...]
Allah chose each and every one of us, and if we were to stop and ponder- and Allah summons each and every one of us to contemplate and ponder- and if we were to ponder the great signs around us, the signs that are in the web- and the spider is a great creature- it is a creature of the Quran- the spider is great because it came pre-eternally on the “tongue” of Allah sub7an wa ta3ala. From the speech of Allah- that Allah should mention such a creature-
But likewise, the things that Allah extends to us- are also from the greater signs of Allah – and Allah wants each and every one of us to ponder- From the signs that Allah forgives in Ramadan is the blessed month of Shawwal – because the sign for any sign of acceptance- Qabool- of an act by Allah- is that we become people of thabat- we become firm upon the act and we increase in it thereafter.
So when we look at the blessed month of Ramadan- and we tie the 29/30 days to the 6 days of Shawwal- and among the signs of acceptance is that a person moves into Shawwal looking forward to the continuation of the great deeds and nafa7at that Allah gave them in Ramadan. They fasted in Ramadan so likewise they fast in Shawwal. They stood in night prayer in Ramadan – their sides left their beds in the night of Ramadan- so likewise they yearn to experience the nights in Shawwal and the months that come after Shawwal- They were of those who gave charity to needy people in Ramadan and they continue and allow this to overflow into the month of Shawwal..such that Allah will allow His great bounty to overflow unto each and every one of us.
That is the purpose of Ramadan because Allah does not give us gifts in order to abase us - though He is the one who abases/ lowers - but "I am in the opinion of My servant so let him perceive me as He wants”- so therefore we see Allah in a beautiful manner and He extends Ramadan to us in order to raise us - May Allah render us in the sphere of His ennoblement- Ameen
So we ask ourselves- how are we with Allah- because it’s so easy- because of the great deeds we do in Ramadan- to rely upon our deeds- Allah will then show the one who relies upon his deeds in Ramadan, what life is like when we are not receiving this type of sustenance from the divine- when we move into Shawwal we are not of those who fast- when we move into Shawwal we are not of those who frequent the mosque- when we move into Shawwal we are not of the ones who stand by night and tears fall from their eyes- when we move into Shawwal we are not of those who seek forgiveness- when we move into Shawwal the right hand is not above the left hand (the left hand is aware of what the right gives)- When we move into Shawwal we develop a Religious amnesia and forget the great things Allah bestows upon us in this blessed month-
We must become people who are more loftier than that- we must become people who do not just sit around the camp fire and sing the praises of the Messenger of Allah- but we should be like those great companions, who did not necessarily have to sing the praises often because they lived the praises of the Messenger of Allah- and every single one of us has been given examples in Sayedina Abubakr al Siddique, given examples in Sayedina Umar bin al Khattab, given examples in Uthman bin Affan- Dhun-Nooaryn- and given examples in the great Ali bin Abi talib- and the great Ayesha al Siddiqa, or Khadija al Kubra- the great men and women who walked in the presence of that great and lofty being sallallahu alayh wa ala aalih- and we should take them as guides unto Allah – because no one reaches the Prophet except through those blessed people- and no one reaches Allah except through whom- through the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa ala alaih.
Things to ponder- when Allah extends gifts He also extends many things to each and every one of us to ponder- each and every one of us should ponder 'afiya- when we sit here in wellbeing- wellbeing in terms of Allah bringing us to a blessed gathering- wellbeing in terms of health- we all see, we all hear- if we ask people to speak, they can speak- look at what Allah gave us, but when last did we thank Allah for speech? Thank Allah for sight? Thank Allah for ‘afiya? The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam told his uncle Abbas- “When you ask Allah for anything, ask for ‘afiya”- wellbeing inwardly and outwardly.
We raise our hands to Allah for one of our dear sisters, sister Sobia- [...]
How temporal and flimsy this life is, and life in and of itself is fragile- and Allah wants us to ponder this- and when we ponder this we ponder the creator of that fragility, and that life and hearts, and intellect to ponder those things-
So a sister who was like each and every one of us- who would frequent these gatherings- blessed gatherings- and nafa7at that Allah sends and extends to us- Now she is under Grace of Allah and the subtlety of Allah- as she recovers in sha Allah with the dua’ of each and every one of us- in hospital – This could be any of us, it can happen to us-
And stepping behind the veil is inevitable- and yet why are we people who prefer this world over that which is to come- that which is temporary over that which will remain forever- were we to ponder the trees, we would understand that the trees glorify Allah- were we to ponder the vast oceans we would understand that the oceans in their vastness glorify Allah, the mountains glorify Allah- were we to move beyond the veil this thick dense existence we would see creatures that glorify Allah- so why then is it that we glorify this world? And many of us glorify with the tongue, or ponder with the mind, and yet were we to gaze at our hearts they are turned to the Qibla of this world – so when are we going to the Prophet as an example where he says to Syedatina Aisha- “If you want Allah and dar al aakhira, you must give up this world”-
Why don’t we listen to the words of Sayedina Umar bin al Khattab- “if Allah was to give anyone the dunya and the aakhira he would give it to me because I joined between harshness and gentleness- but Allah does not give the dunya and aakhira to anybody”- So which one of us is going to be of those who will prefer the other?
And Allah is the ultimate other- which one of those will be of those who prefers the Other- as what we have been given is lofty-
We see the Prophet, when he saw a man strike another in the face, said: "Don't strike him in the face as Allah created Adam in His ‘form’" – and the ‘form’ is in terms of meaning – Allah gave to Adam life, and He gave to each and every one of us life- when did we thank Allah for hayaa, for the fact that we live? Allah gave Sayedina Adam knowledge – when did we thank Allah for the knowledge He has given us? Many of us sit in this room as university students- Allah could have given you a sheep’s brain and allowed you to sit in exams and make an utter fool of yourself- but Allah gave you an intellect- but ponder, why? He gave you an intellect to become a pharmascist? A doctor? An engineer? A computer programmer? He gave you an intellect to become an 'abd- a slave to Allah – so when are we going to become slaves to Allah- When we pray we take the intellect and place it on the floor and we say “Allahu Akbar!” That’s why Allah gave us an intellect and that is from the signs of the divine- Allah who has the attributes of Knowledge and Perception. Allah gave us the ability to will and to want- Allah gave us eyes so we could see, ears so we could hear, tongues so we could speak-
Were we to ponder creation without life- in the real sense- or knowledge- like trees- they have no sight, or hearing, or intellect and yet they still ponder and glorify! We were in Spain recently with one of our teachers, Dr. Umar Abdullah- and we walked outside the mosque at 3am, pitch black, no artificial light- and we hear something like an ocean- like a roaring ocean- and he asked “What’s that sound?” and I said, “That’s the wind..” and he said “Its not ordinary wind- its wind Allah sends to the pine trees- the vocal sounds of the pine trees- and that sound is the sound of the pine trees glorifying Allah”- That’s pine trees! What about us?!
Let us become new people after Ramadan, because Ramadan is about tajdid, bringing ourselves back to life- and by Allah we need to be living creatures- Allah did not give us life in order for us to be dead. And we see the Prophet said “human beings are asleep, [and sleep is synonymous of death]- and when they die, they wake up”-
Notes from Sheikh Ibrahim Osi-Efa's kalima at the Mawlid- 1st October 2009, Liverpool.
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Alhamdulilah for the bounties that Allah swt continuously extends upon us- Alhamdulilah we are of those that embrace and receive them, in sha Allah with hearts that are grateful to Allah.
Our hearts need to show some sort of gratitude so we may be of those that are “few”- We ask Allah to make us from the few. "Very few of my servants are truly grateful" - And we ask Allah to not take us from this temporal abode except that we are of those who show eternal and perpetual gratitude to Allah, swt for His blessings-
Amongst them we heard about Ramadan- and why did Allah single out this ummah and single out each and every one of us to be members of his ummah- and allowed us to have Ramadan- which communities before us did not have the privilege to enjoy. Allah allowed us to enjoy the great fruits of this blessed month-
Sahih hadith- in response to the great prayer of the great Archangel Gabriel "The one who reaches Ramadan and exits the month is not forgiven therein- may Allah render him distant" – the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa alih wa salam) said: Ameen..
In Ramadan Allah swt continuously extends towards us His mercy and grace, such that we may enter into the sphere of His forgiveness, and move to His grace in the world to have- [...]
Allah chose each and every one of us, and if we were to stop and ponder- and Allah summons each and every one of us to contemplate and ponder- and if we were to ponder the great signs around us, the signs that are in the web- and the spider is a great creature- it is a creature of the Quran- the spider is great because it came pre-eternally on the “tongue” of Allah sub7an wa ta3ala. From the speech of Allah- that Allah should mention such a creature-
But likewise, the things that Allah extends to us- are also from the greater signs of Allah – and Allah wants each and every one of us to ponder- From the signs that Allah forgives in Ramadan is the blessed month of Shawwal – because the sign for any sign of acceptance- Qabool- of an act by Allah- is that we become people of thabat- we become firm upon the act and we increase in it thereafter.
So when we look at the blessed month of Ramadan- and we tie the 29/30 days to the 6 days of Shawwal- and among the signs of acceptance is that a person moves into Shawwal looking forward to the continuation of the great deeds and nafa7at that Allah gave them in Ramadan. They fasted in Ramadan so likewise they fast in Shawwal. They stood in night prayer in Ramadan – their sides left their beds in the night of Ramadan- so likewise they yearn to experience the nights in Shawwal and the months that come after Shawwal- They were of those who gave charity to needy people in Ramadan and they continue and allow this to overflow into the month of Shawwal..such that Allah will allow His great bounty to overflow unto each and every one of us.
That is the purpose of Ramadan because Allah does not give us gifts in order to abase us - though He is the one who abases/ lowers - but "I am in the opinion of My servant so let him perceive me as He wants”- so therefore we see Allah in a beautiful manner and He extends Ramadan to us in order to raise us - May Allah render us in the sphere of His ennoblement- Ameen
So we ask ourselves- how are we with Allah- because it’s so easy- because of the great deeds we do in Ramadan- to rely upon our deeds- Allah will then show the one who relies upon his deeds in Ramadan, what life is like when we are not receiving this type of sustenance from the divine- when we move into Shawwal we are not of those who fast- when we move into Shawwal we are not of those who frequent the mosque- when we move into Shawwal we are not of the ones who stand by night and tears fall from their eyes- when we move into Shawwal we are not of those who seek forgiveness- when we move into Shawwal the right hand is not above the left hand (the left hand is aware of what the right gives)- When we move into Shawwal we develop a Religious amnesia and forget the great things Allah bestows upon us in this blessed month-
We must become people who are more loftier than that- we must become people who do not just sit around the camp fire and sing the praises of the Messenger of Allah- but we should be like those great companions, who did not necessarily have to sing the praises often because they lived the praises of the Messenger of Allah- and every single one of us has been given examples in Sayedina Abubakr al Siddique, given examples in Sayedina Umar bin al Khattab, given examples in Uthman bin Affan- Dhun-Nooaryn- and given examples in the great Ali bin Abi talib- and the great Ayesha al Siddiqa, or Khadija al Kubra- the great men and women who walked in the presence of that great and lofty being sallallahu alayh wa ala aalih- and we should take them as guides unto Allah – because no one reaches the Prophet except through those blessed people- and no one reaches Allah except through whom- through the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa ala alaih.
Things to ponder- when Allah extends gifts He also extends many things to each and every one of us to ponder- each and every one of us should ponder 'afiya- when we sit here in wellbeing- wellbeing in terms of Allah bringing us to a blessed gathering- wellbeing in terms of health- we all see, we all hear- if we ask people to speak, they can speak- look at what Allah gave us, but when last did we thank Allah for speech? Thank Allah for sight? Thank Allah for ‘afiya? The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam told his uncle Abbas- “When you ask Allah for anything, ask for ‘afiya”- wellbeing inwardly and outwardly.
We raise our hands to Allah for one of our dear sisters, sister Sobia- [...]
How temporal and flimsy this life is, and life in and of itself is fragile- and Allah wants us to ponder this- and when we ponder this we ponder the creator of that fragility, and that life and hearts, and intellect to ponder those things-
So a sister who was like each and every one of us- who would frequent these gatherings- blessed gatherings- and nafa7at that Allah sends and extends to us- Now she is under Grace of Allah and the subtlety of Allah- as she recovers in sha Allah with the dua’ of each and every one of us- in hospital – This could be any of us, it can happen to us-
And stepping behind the veil is inevitable- and yet why are we people who prefer this world over that which is to come- that which is temporary over that which will remain forever- were we to ponder the trees, we would understand that the trees glorify Allah- were we to ponder the vast oceans we would understand that the oceans in their vastness glorify Allah, the mountains glorify Allah- were we to move beyond the veil this thick dense existence we would see creatures that glorify Allah- so why then is it that we glorify this world? And many of us glorify with the tongue, or ponder with the mind, and yet were we to gaze at our hearts they are turned to the Qibla of this world – so when are we going to the Prophet as an example where he says to Syedatina Aisha- “If you want Allah and dar al aakhira, you must give up this world”-
Why don’t we listen to the words of Sayedina Umar bin al Khattab- “if Allah was to give anyone the dunya and the aakhira he would give it to me because I joined between harshness and gentleness- but Allah does not give the dunya and aakhira to anybody”- So which one of us is going to be of those who will prefer the other?
And Allah is the ultimate other- which one of those will be of those who prefers the Other- as what we have been given is lofty-
We see the Prophet, when he saw a man strike another in the face, said: "Don't strike him in the face as Allah created Adam in His ‘form’" – and the ‘form’ is in terms of meaning – Allah gave to Adam life, and He gave to each and every one of us life- when did we thank Allah for hayaa, for the fact that we live? Allah gave Sayedina Adam knowledge – when did we thank Allah for the knowledge He has given us? Many of us sit in this room as university students- Allah could have given you a sheep’s brain and allowed you to sit in exams and make an utter fool of yourself- but Allah gave you an intellect- but ponder, why? He gave you an intellect to become a pharmascist? A doctor? An engineer? A computer programmer? He gave you an intellect to become an 'abd- a slave to Allah – so when are we going to become slaves to Allah- When we pray we take the intellect and place it on the floor and we say “Allahu Akbar!” That’s why Allah gave us an intellect and that is from the signs of the divine- Allah who has the attributes of Knowledge and Perception. Allah gave us the ability to will and to want- Allah gave us eyes so we could see, ears so we could hear, tongues so we could speak-
Were we to ponder creation without life- in the real sense- or knowledge- like trees- they have no sight, or hearing, or intellect and yet they still ponder and glorify! We were in Spain recently with one of our teachers, Dr. Umar Abdullah- and we walked outside the mosque at 3am, pitch black, no artificial light- and we hear something like an ocean- like a roaring ocean- and he asked “What’s that sound?” and I said, “That’s the wind..” and he said “Its not ordinary wind- its wind Allah sends to the pine trees- the vocal sounds of the pine trees- and that sound is the sound of the pine trees glorifying Allah”- That’s pine trees! What about us?!
Let us become new people after Ramadan, because Ramadan is about tajdid, bringing ourselves back to life- and by Allah we need to be living creatures- Allah did not give us life in order for us to be dead. And we see the Prophet said “human beings are asleep, [and sleep is synonymous of death]- and when they die, they wake up”-
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Tafseer Al-Baqara
وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ (2:50)
Faraqa = split open; split right and wrong-doers
Yawmul Badar is also known as Yawmul Furqan; on the day of Furqan Rasulullah Sallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam showed Abu Jahal to Amar bin Yasar and said ‘this is the day of furqan’. Amar bin Yasar’s family was tortured badly by him in the beginning of Islam.
According to Ar-Razi, the night of 17th of Ramadan is laylatul qadar because the angels were send down (amongst them Jibrael, Izrael) to the battlefield to split right from falsehood.
Sayidina Umar was know as Al-Farooq; he was the first to do tawaf publicly as a muslim.
For the Bani Israel, the furqaan is the opening of the Red Sea.
Bahar means sea and it also means army (something that is close and overpowering).
وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ (2:51)
Wa’ada – the third form; to promise.
Wa’aada – interactive (kataba = to write, kaataba = correspond)
Maw’eed – time of appointment
Sign: from the night we pulled the day, in Islam it’s night before day
Laylatul qadar: light from darkness when Qur’an was revealed.
Furqaan was promised after 40 nights: 30 days in Zulqaeda and 10 days of Zulhijja ie 40 days before Yawmul ‘Arafa.
We have little ‘eid after Ramadan because this month is divided into 3 parts: 1) Rahma 2) Maghfira and 3) Free from fire. In this month, it is the second most important time people were freed from fire in a year. In Yawmul ‘Arafa, more people were freed from fire than any other day. Hence, ‘eidul adha is the big ‘eid.
Sayidina Musa ‘alayhi salam went to Jabal Musa in Sinai to receive the Book. When one month passed, the next moon phase begins some people became impatient. They were patience for 30 days and the next 10 days were full of fitna. Samirii (a name / tribe) introduce syirik of worshiping calf.
One story (unverified) in the tafaseer said that when angle came to call Moses to take him to the mountain, he arrived in a beast called Haya’. A munafiq from Bani Israel (he worshipped cow secretly) put a golden cow on the footsteps of where the beast stood. The cow was put for 30 days and get power from this. He deceived lots of people in Banu Israel. This story is not authenticated story.
‘Ajala means calf and it also means to be hasty. Allah promised them the Book but they were impatience and were astray.
‘Ajila also stands for Dunya., everything pass quickly (in haste)
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُمِ مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (2:52)
‘Afwa means forgiveness before, after or even without something wrong. Maghfira is forgiveness after something was wrong.
From the word, the wind has wipe out all traces.
No matter what we did it will be as bad as worshipping calf, Allah can wipe it out when we asked for ‘afwa.
The du’a for laylatul Qadar: Allahumma Innaka ‘afuwun kareem tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘anna.
Faraqa = split open; split right and wrong-doers
Yawmul Badar is also known as Yawmul Furqan; on the day of Furqan Rasulullah Sallahu ‘alayhi Wassalam showed Abu Jahal to Amar bin Yasar and said ‘this is the day of furqan’. Amar bin Yasar’s family was tortured badly by him in the beginning of Islam.
According to Ar-Razi, the night of 17th of Ramadan is laylatul qadar because the angels were send down (amongst them Jibrael, Izrael) to the battlefield to split right from falsehood.
Sayidina Umar was know as Al-Farooq; he was the first to do tawaf publicly as a muslim.
For the Bani Israel, the furqaan is the opening of the Red Sea.
Bahar means sea and it also means army (something that is close and overpowering).
وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ (2:51)
Wa’ada – the third form; to promise.
Wa’aada – interactive (kataba = to write, kaataba = correspond)
Maw’eed – time of appointment
Sign: from the night we pulled the day, in Islam it’s night before day
Laylatul qadar: light from darkness when Qur’an was revealed.
Furqaan was promised after 40 nights: 30 days in Zulqaeda and 10 days of Zulhijja ie 40 days before Yawmul ‘Arafa.
We have little ‘eid after Ramadan because this month is divided into 3 parts: 1) Rahma 2) Maghfira and 3) Free from fire. In this month, it is the second most important time people were freed from fire in a year. In Yawmul ‘Arafa, more people were freed from fire than any other day. Hence, ‘eidul adha is the big ‘eid.
Sayidina Musa ‘alayhi salam went to Jabal Musa in Sinai to receive the Book. When one month passed, the next moon phase begins some people became impatient. They were patience for 30 days and the next 10 days were full of fitna. Samirii (a name / tribe) introduce syirik of worshiping calf.
One story (unverified) in the tafaseer said that when angle came to call Moses to take him to the mountain, he arrived in a beast called Haya’. A munafiq from Bani Israel (he worshipped cow secretly) put a golden cow on the footsteps of where the beast stood. The cow was put for 30 days and get power from this. He deceived lots of people in Banu Israel. This story is not authenticated story.
‘Ajala means calf and it also means to be hasty. Allah promised them the Book but they were impatience and were astray.
‘Ajila also stands for Dunya., everything pass quickly (in haste)
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُمِ مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (2:52)
‘Afwa means forgiveness before, after or even without something wrong. Maghfira is forgiveness after something was wrong.
From the word, the wind has wipe out all traces.
No matter what we did it will be as bad as worshipping calf, Allah can wipe it out when we asked for ‘afwa.
The du’a for laylatul Qadar: Allahumma Innaka ‘afuwun kareem tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘anna.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Habib Umar's (hafizuLlah) ramadhan advice
Habib Umars Ramadan Advice -
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah bless His chosen trustworthy servant, our liege-lord Muhammad; the one who brought to us guidance and the religion of clear truth. May Allah bless him, his pure family, his noble and blessed companions and those who follow in their footstep till the Day of recompense.
To proceed:
To our brothers (and sisters), and our beloved for the sake of Allah Most High, the people of Laa ilaaha iIlla Allah Muhammadur Rasulullah, the Muslims of Australia: Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
O Brothers and loved ones for the sake of Allah, transcendent in His Highness, those who believe in Him and His messenger, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions;
we congratulate you on the coming of the forgiveness and mercy and release from the fire; the arrival of the month of Ramadan. The noble month in which Allah began to send down the Quran; He the Exalted and Esteemed said, “The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, with clear signs containing clear signs and discrimination.”
The coming of this month is highly significant for you, O believers. Indeed your chosen Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, would endeavour and strive in Ramadan like no other month and he would strive in the last ten days of it like he would not in the rest of the days of Ramadan.
He, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, was the most generous of people and he was most generous in Ramadan. When Jibreel Alayhissalam met him in Ramadan, he was more generous than a cool breeze.
It is duty upon you to welcome the month with happiness and thankfulness to Allah most high. Indeed His caller announces in the nights of Ramadan, “O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil fail and fall short.” On the first night of this month the doors to heaven are opened so that not a door of them is closed for the duration of this month, and the doors to the fire are closed so that not a door is opened for the duration of this month; and the rebellious shayateen are chained.
O believers in the first night of the month Allah looks upon His creation and whoever Allah looks upon, He will never punish.
O believers, indeed it is a month of generosity and blessings from Allah most high. He made it obligatory upon us to fast the month, and the Messenger of Allah established the Sunnah of reviving its nights in prayer, thus whosoever fasts the month and revives its nights out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah, comes out of his sins like the day his mother gave birth to him. Whosoever fasts the month, his past sins are forgiven; whosoever stands its nights in worship his past sins are forgiven.
O believers, in welcoming this month expand your intentions, Rise to your Lord, Transcendent Most High, by following his chosen servant Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions. Show those who surround you a reality from the beauty of this Deen, it is the month of generosity, be generous to your neighbors both Muslim and non Muslims. Give them what you can, offer what you can. Present to them a meaning of excellence, whereby a reality of your great Deen and the noble way of Alllah will be made clear to them, thereby following in the footsteps of your Prophet who was most generous in Ramadan.
Be people of generosity by displaying noble character traits.
Be people of generosity by giving and spending according to your ability, and by being of benefit to those around you both Muslim and non Muslim. Show them the greatness of this religion and its generous nature (samaha). Show them the noble character traits it contains, and the uprightness of its path.
Meet the month with reverence and humility because in this month are divine manifestations and superabundant blessings and goodness; He increases in it the reward of a nafl recommended to the reward of a fardh and the reward of a fardh is multiplied by 70 times. Moreover some narrations have stated that the reward is multiplied to 1000 times. This is the favour of Allah that he grants to whom he wishes; seize the opportunity of the honourable month.
Take advantage of the fasting in it. Indeed Allah is training us with this fasting so that we may ascend in the meanings of adherence to the commandments, and to ascend in the meanings of our aspirations and resolutions.
The abstaining from the necessities of life during the day, namely eating, drinking and marital relations and everything else that nullifies the fast is a declaration that we are a people of determination, we are not imprisoned nor are we enslaved by our lower selves or desires.
For the sake of Allah we leave our desires and for His sake we leave all that He has made forbidden for us, therefore we observe Adab (etiquette) in our fast for Him by being careful with speech so that we do not utter any lie, backbiting nor any harm to anyone of His servants.
O believers!
It is a blessing, to arrive at this noble month when in it is a night better than a thousand months; no one is denied its blessing save the deprived one.
O believers!
It is most becoming for us to revise our relationship with the Quran in this month. That which we have already memorized we repeat and contemplate its meanings; if we don’t understand the meaning in Arabic then a translation of these meanings in a language that we know and understand.
O believers!
It is the month of benevolence, the month of patience and the reward for patience is paradise. It is the month of maintaining family relations, it is the month of looking out for ones neighbours’.
O believers!
The month of seeking forgiveness and asking Allah for Jannah, seeking refuge in Him from the fire, and renewing the pledge with the two testimonies of faith. Our Prophet said, “Perform 4 actions abundantly in Ramadan, 2 actions are pleasing unto your Lord and 2 you cannot do without. As for those that are pleasing unto your Lord; to testify that there is no God other than Allah and seek His forgiveness (istighfaar). As for the 2 actions that you cannot do without, ask Him for Jannah and seek refuge from the fire. Therefore it is most becoming of a believer to repeat in this month “Ash-hadu an laailaha illah Allah nastaghfirullah nas alukal jannah wa nauthu bika mina annar.”
O believer!
Break your fast on Halal and delay the suhoor so long as you don’t fall in doubt. Do not delay the Iftar as soon as you are sure of sunset. Uphold the taraweeh prayer every night, it is best 20 raka’as, surely the one who upholds it will have revived the nights of Ramadan in prayer and you have heard the authentic hadith, “Whosoever stands the nights of Ramadan in worship out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah all his past sins are forgiven.”
Allah forgives in this month and its last night everyone who does not associate partners with Allah, all the Muslims; except one who breaks family ties, the disobedient to his parents, the one who consumes intoxicants and the one who holds grudges in his heart against Muslims. So cleanse yourself and your house from that which denies you this mercy.
Be truthful to your Lord and be joyous at the flowing generosity from the presence of the All Merciful, Loving, Kind, Most High.
May Allah take by my hand and yours, O believer, may He assist you and guide you to integrity in conduct and assist you with His enabling grace to properly take advantage of the nights and days of the month so that you may attain His vast blessing and generosity, Most high.
O Allah! Bless for us Ramadan. O Allah! Make us from the emancipated, released and protected by You from the fire, in Ramadan.
O Allah! Make us from amongst those who are granted the maximum portion of its goodness. Indeed it has come to us that Your prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions, that You emancipate in every night of the month 600,000 people from the fire, and the last night You emancipate as many You emancipated in the whole month.
O Allah! Emancipate our necks from the fire and safeguard us from the humiliation of this dunya and the punishment of the Hereafter. Bless for us the nights of Ramadan and its days and make us from those who maximise their benefit from the month and grant us felicity through the recitation of the Qur’an; upholding the fast on the basis of Taqwa on the basis of Adab, scrupulousness, and an increase in faith and fear of You, love for You and Your Messenger Muhammad sallaAllahhu alaihi wa sallam and love for his family and his companions and all of the righteous of his nation and for all the people of La ilaha illaAllah. Grant us Your love and the love of everyone who is a means to achieve Your love and love of a deed that will draw us near to Your love.
O Allah! Deliver us to Ramadan and safeguard Ramadan for us and take it back from us having been accepted.
May Allah send his blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions and all who follow in his path, and praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah bless His chosen trustworthy servant, our liege-lord Muhammad; the one who brought to us guidance and the religion of clear truth. May Allah bless him, his pure family, his noble and blessed companions and those who follow in their footstep till the Day of recompense.
To proceed:
To our brothers (and sisters), and our beloved for the sake of Allah Most High, the people of Laa ilaaha iIlla Allah Muhammadur Rasulullah, the Muslims of Australia: Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
O Brothers and loved ones for the sake of Allah, transcendent in His Highness, those who believe in Him and His messenger, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions;
we congratulate you on the coming of the forgiveness and mercy and release from the fire; the arrival of the month of Ramadan. The noble month in which Allah began to send down the Quran; He the Exalted and Esteemed said, “The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, with clear signs containing clear signs and discrimination.”
The coming of this month is highly significant for you, O believers. Indeed your chosen Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, would endeavour and strive in Ramadan like no other month and he would strive in the last ten days of it like he would not in the rest of the days of Ramadan.
He, peace and blessings be upon him his family and his companions, was the most generous of people and he was most generous in Ramadan. When Jibreel Alayhissalam met him in Ramadan, he was more generous than a cool breeze.
It is duty upon you to welcome the month with happiness and thankfulness to Allah most high. Indeed His caller announces in the nights of Ramadan, “O seeker of good come forward, and O seeker of evil fail and fall short.” On the first night of this month the doors to heaven are opened so that not a door of them is closed for the duration of this month, and the doors to the fire are closed so that not a door is opened for the duration of this month; and the rebellious shayateen are chained.
O believers in the first night of the month Allah looks upon His creation and whoever Allah looks upon, He will never punish.
O believers, indeed it is a month of generosity and blessings from Allah most high. He made it obligatory upon us to fast the month, and the Messenger of Allah established the Sunnah of reviving its nights in prayer, thus whosoever fasts the month and revives its nights out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah, comes out of his sins like the day his mother gave birth to him. Whosoever fasts the month, his past sins are forgiven; whosoever stands its nights in worship his past sins are forgiven.
O believers, in welcoming this month expand your intentions, Rise to your Lord, Transcendent Most High, by following his chosen servant Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions. Show those who surround you a reality from the beauty of this Deen, it is the month of generosity, be generous to your neighbors both Muslim and non Muslims. Give them what you can, offer what you can. Present to them a meaning of excellence, whereby a reality of your great Deen and the noble way of Alllah will be made clear to them, thereby following in the footsteps of your Prophet who was most generous in Ramadan.
Be people of generosity by displaying noble character traits.
Be people of generosity by giving and spending according to your ability, and by being of benefit to those around you both Muslim and non Muslim. Show them the greatness of this religion and its generous nature (samaha). Show them the noble character traits it contains, and the uprightness of its path.
Meet the month with reverence and humility because in this month are divine manifestations and superabundant blessings and goodness; He increases in it the reward of a nafl recommended to the reward of a fardh and the reward of a fardh is multiplied by 70 times. Moreover some narrations have stated that the reward is multiplied to 1000 times. This is the favour of Allah that he grants to whom he wishes; seize the opportunity of the honourable month.
Take advantage of the fasting in it. Indeed Allah is training us with this fasting so that we may ascend in the meanings of adherence to the commandments, and to ascend in the meanings of our aspirations and resolutions.
The abstaining from the necessities of life during the day, namely eating, drinking and marital relations and everything else that nullifies the fast is a declaration that we are a people of determination, we are not imprisoned nor are we enslaved by our lower selves or desires.
For the sake of Allah we leave our desires and for His sake we leave all that He has made forbidden for us, therefore we observe Adab (etiquette) in our fast for Him by being careful with speech so that we do not utter any lie, backbiting nor any harm to anyone of His servants.
O believers!
It is a blessing, to arrive at this noble month when in it is a night better than a thousand months; no one is denied its blessing save the deprived one.
O believers!
It is most becoming for us to revise our relationship with the Quran in this month. That which we have already memorized we repeat and contemplate its meanings; if we don’t understand the meaning in Arabic then a translation of these meanings in a language that we know and understand.
O believers!
It is the month of benevolence, the month of patience and the reward for patience is paradise. It is the month of maintaining family relations, it is the month of looking out for ones neighbours’.
O believers!
The month of seeking forgiveness and asking Allah for Jannah, seeking refuge in Him from the fire, and renewing the pledge with the two testimonies of faith. Our Prophet said, “Perform 4 actions abundantly in Ramadan, 2 actions are pleasing unto your Lord and 2 you cannot do without. As for those that are pleasing unto your Lord; to testify that there is no God other than Allah and seek His forgiveness (istighfaar). As for the 2 actions that you cannot do without, ask Him for Jannah and seek refuge from the fire. Therefore it is most becoming of a believer to repeat in this month “Ash-hadu an laailaha illah Allah nastaghfirullah nas alukal jannah wa nauthu bika mina annar.”
O believer!
Break your fast on Halal and delay the suhoor so long as you don’t fall in doubt. Do not delay the Iftar as soon as you are sure of sunset. Uphold the taraweeh prayer every night, it is best 20 raka’as, surely the one who upholds it will have revived the nights of Ramadan in prayer and you have heard the authentic hadith, “Whosoever stands the nights of Ramadan in worship out of faith and anticipation of reward from Allah all his past sins are forgiven.”
Allah forgives in this month and its last night everyone who does not associate partners with Allah, all the Muslims; except one who breaks family ties, the disobedient to his parents, the one who consumes intoxicants and the one who holds grudges in his heart against Muslims. So cleanse yourself and your house from that which denies you this mercy.
Be truthful to your Lord and be joyous at the flowing generosity from the presence of the All Merciful, Loving, Kind, Most High.
May Allah take by my hand and yours, O believer, may He assist you and guide you to integrity in conduct and assist you with His enabling grace to properly take advantage of the nights and days of the month so that you may attain His vast blessing and generosity, Most high.
O Allah! Bless for us Ramadan. O Allah! Make us from the emancipated, released and protected by You from the fire, in Ramadan.
O Allah! Make us from amongst those who are granted the maximum portion of its goodness. Indeed it has come to us that Your prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and his companions, that You emancipate in every night of the month 600,000 people from the fire, and the last night You emancipate as many You emancipated in the whole month.
O Allah! Emancipate our necks from the fire and safeguard us from the humiliation of this dunya and the punishment of the Hereafter. Bless for us the nights of Ramadan and its days and make us from those who maximise their benefit from the month and grant us felicity through the recitation of the Qur’an; upholding the fast on the basis of Taqwa on the basis of Adab, scrupulousness, and an increase in faith and fear of You, love for You and Your Messenger Muhammad sallaAllahhu alaihi wa sallam and love for his family and his companions and all of the righteous of his nation and for all the people of La ilaha illaAllah. Grant us Your love and the love of everyone who is a means to achieve Your love and love of a deed that will draw us near to Your love.
O Allah! Deliver us to Ramadan and safeguard Ramadan for us and take it back from us having been accepted.
May Allah send his blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions and all who follow in his path, and praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds.
Advice for the Blessed month of Ramadhan
Advice for the Blessed month of Ramadhan
~
Al- Habib Kazim Ja‘far Muhammad al-Saqqaf
Make due preparation for the first night of the month of Ramadhan as this is the night that Allah t’ala gazes upon his slaves. Whoever Allah t’ala gazes upon, he’ll never be punished.
o Read Surah Fath on this night
o Have a ghusl (male and female)
o Intend to fast for the entire month
Some people are cognisant of the Divine gaze and are affected by it whereas others remain unaware and unaffected…
Complete the obligation of fasting but also other works to draw nearer to Allah t’ala such as strengthening the ties of sisterhood.
o The devil always attempts to cheat a human being and render him in a state of ingratitude
o A small amount of shukr will make one ascend in degrees
o We should make a firm intention to act in accordance with what we have learnt, even if it is a little.
o Consistent small works and a little thankfulness is better than a lot of inconsistent acts.
o The mercy that Allah t’ala shows you is in proportion to the mercy you show to others.
o Our Beloved said: when 2 Muslims meet 100 mercies descend – 90 are for the one with the best character and higher countenance (by the mercy of Allah t’ala 10 mercies go to the other).
Recite the noble Quran by day and by night
o To recite it by day will ensure that the Quran will bear witness for you on the day of judgement
o To recite it by night (especially in the last third of the night) will ensure that the Quran is actually embodied and will physically act as an intercessor for you on the day of judgement.
Pray 20 rakat - Salaatul-Tarawih
Breaking the fast:
o With dates – 3, 5 or 7 – this prepares you to embrace the odd night of Laylatul Qadr as you have taken on “oddities” in your acts.
o Pray to Allah t’ala as every day a dua will be accepted from you:
1st night – a good ending
2nd night – emancipation from the hell-fire
3rd night – well-being here and in the hereafter
4th night – companionship of our Beloved
Rest of the nights (26 in total) = choice of your own prayer
Make an intention for each fast on the night preceding the fast.
During the daylight hours control the tongue and don’t speak out of anger, lying, backbiting – the fast can be rendered void if you do so.
In the last 10 nights of Ramadhan say abundantly the dua of our Beloved
Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa-fu anni.
O Allah! You are the Most forgiving, You love forgiveness, so forgive me.
There are blessings in suhoor – even if you are not hungry, observe eating even if it’s a small amount.
Don’t argue/dispute with anybody – especially in the last 10 nights.
If Jummah falls on an odd night in the last 10 days – bring it to life as this is likely to be Laylatul Qadr.
If you go to the Masjid make intention for itikaaf for the duration of time that you spend in there – to increase your rewards.
If you go to the Masjid for itikaaf or salaatul-tarawih – when you enter the Masjid say that you are making an oath to Allah t’ala upon yourself – to pray 20 rakat or to sit itikaaf – as it then becomes wajib for you to complete the oath. Therefore the reward is x70 more for performing a wajib.
Habib Khazim said if we do all of the above we have good hope that we will bring to life all of the blessings of this sacred month inshallah…
~
Al- Habib Kazim Ja‘far Muhammad al-Saqqaf
Make due preparation for the first night of the month of Ramadhan as this is the night that Allah t’ala gazes upon his slaves. Whoever Allah t’ala gazes upon, he’ll never be punished.
o Read Surah Fath on this night
o Have a ghusl (male and female)
o Intend to fast for the entire month
Some people are cognisant of the Divine gaze and are affected by it whereas others remain unaware and unaffected…
Complete the obligation of fasting but also other works to draw nearer to Allah t’ala such as strengthening the ties of sisterhood.
o The devil always attempts to cheat a human being and render him in a state of ingratitude
o A small amount of shukr will make one ascend in degrees
o We should make a firm intention to act in accordance with what we have learnt, even if it is a little.
o Consistent small works and a little thankfulness is better than a lot of inconsistent acts.
o The mercy that Allah t’ala shows you is in proportion to the mercy you show to others.
o Our Beloved said: when 2 Muslims meet 100 mercies descend – 90 are for the one with the best character and higher countenance (by the mercy of Allah t’ala 10 mercies go to the other).
Recite the noble Quran by day and by night
o To recite it by day will ensure that the Quran will bear witness for you on the day of judgement
o To recite it by night (especially in the last third of the night) will ensure that the Quran is actually embodied and will physically act as an intercessor for you on the day of judgement.
Pray 20 rakat - Salaatul-Tarawih
Breaking the fast:
o With dates – 3, 5 or 7 – this prepares you to embrace the odd night of Laylatul Qadr as you have taken on “oddities” in your acts.
o Pray to Allah t’ala as every day a dua will be accepted from you:
1st night – a good ending
2nd night – emancipation from the hell-fire
3rd night – well-being here and in the hereafter
4th night – companionship of our Beloved
Rest of the nights (26 in total) = choice of your own prayer
Make an intention for each fast on the night preceding the fast.
During the daylight hours control the tongue and don’t speak out of anger, lying, backbiting – the fast can be rendered void if you do so.
In the last 10 nights of Ramadhan say abundantly the dua of our Beloved
Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa-fu anni.
O Allah! You are the Most forgiving, You love forgiveness, so forgive me.
There are blessings in suhoor – even if you are not hungry, observe eating even if it’s a small amount.
Don’t argue/dispute with anybody – especially in the last 10 nights.
If Jummah falls on an odd night in the last 10 days – bring it to life as this is likely to be Laylatul Qadr.
If you go to the Masjid make intention for itikaaf for the duration of time that you spend in there – to increase your rewards.
If you go to the Masjid for itikaaf or salaatul-tarawih – when you enter the Masjid say that you are making an oath to Allah t’ala upon yourself – to pray 20 rakat or to sit itikaaf – as it then becomes wajib for you to complete the oath. Therefore the reward is x70 more for performing a wajib.
Habib Khazim said if we do all of the above we have good hope that we will bring to life all of the blessings of this sacred month inshallah…
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ramadhan Advice by Shaykh Syed Muhammad AnNinowy
12 August
The Holy month of Ramadan (Message From Shaykh Ninowy, Ramadan 2004)
Bismillah,
My dear respected brothers and sisters,
Assalamu Alaykum,
I hope and pray that all of you are in the best of iman and health.
The holy month of Ramadan has come, and it is a special occasion to all, but especially to the People of Tasawuff. This is the time where body, heart and mind purification occurs. But only if you expose yourself to it, with your presistant efforts, extra worship, and re-shaping yourself and your commitments.
Two things I would like you to to increase in this Holy month:
1- the numer of times you send your Salams to our Beloved Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam ( with the specific form you were given lately, it has tremendous secrets, benefits and enlightments)
2- The number of Ayahs of the Qu'ran you recite daily. As this is the month of Qur'an.
Remember, that some think this is the month to eat, when infact, this is the month not to eat a lot.
Remember that you do not only obstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during this month, but to go to a higher level by:
1- Commanding your organs and limbs ( including tongue, eyes, ears, hands) to obstain from all that's not good.
This is extremely important.
2- Commanding your thoughts that cross your mind to obstain from all that's not good. This comes with training, and perseverance, so please start.
Khutbah (Sermon) of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) about Ramadan
'O you who believe, prescribed for you is the Fast, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that haply you will have taqwa.' Qur`an 2:183
'A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand months has approached you people. Allah has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its nights in prayer as a voluntary practice. If someone draws near to Allah during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfills an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfills an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory duties in some other month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer's provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his wrong actions and save him from the Fire, and he will have a reward equal to the fasting man's reward without his reward being diminished in any way... Allah gives this reward to anyone who gives one who has been fasting some milk mixed with water, or a date, or a drink of water with which to break his fast, and anyone who gives a full meal to one who has been fasting will be given a drink by Allah and will not thirst until he enters Paradise. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from the Fire. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, Allah will forgive him and free him from the Fire.'
From a khutba (sermon) given by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, on the last day of Shaban.
Reported by Salman al-Farsi (Mishkat al Masabih).
Some Hadiths About Ramadan
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: 'Ramadan, a blessed month, has cometo you during which Allah has made it obligatory for you to fast. In it the gates of the Garden are opened, the gates of the Fire are locked, and the rebellious Shaytan is chained. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of its good indeed suffered deprivation.'Ahmad and Nasa'i transmitted it.
Every good deed will be rewarded from ten to seven hundred fold except fasting which is endured for My sake and which I shall reward.'Hadith Qudsi, Sahih al-Bukhari
'By Him Who holds my life in His hand the breath of the fasting man's mouth is more fragrant before God and better pleasing to Him than redolent musk.'Sahih Muslim
'Paradise has a gate which is called al-Rayyan through which not one shall enter except those who have observed the fast.'Sahih al-Bukhari
'Two joys are prepared for him who observes the fast, the joy of breaking the fast and that of meeting his Lord.'Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim
Excerpts from the Book of the Mysteries of Fasting from the
Ihya Ulum al-Deen of Imam al-Ghazali
'Praise be to Allah who has shown great favor to His servants, Who has frustrated the hopes and plans of Shaytan by making fasting a bulwark and a shield for His friends.'
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'The reward of the fasting man will be generous beyond imagination or estimate.' And so it should be because fasting belongs to Allah and by virtue of this relationship it has been rendered noble. The fast belongs to Allah in two respects. First because it is a form of desisting and relinquishing, in its very nature concealed from human sight, whereas all the other acts of worship are apparent and exposed to it. And secondly because it is a means of vanquishing the enemy of Allah, Shaytan, who works through the appetites and desires. These appetites and desires are increased by eating and drinking. For this reason the Prophet said, 'Shaytan affects the son of Adam by pervading his blood. Let him therefore make this difficult for Shaytan by means of hunger.' For the same reason he told A'isha, 'Persist in knocking on the door of Paradise.' When she asked what she should knock with he replied, 'With hunger.'
The excellence of fasting established, what follows is a basic description of the outward and inward conditions for fasting.
Outward conditions for fasting
The first outward duty is to watch the beginning of the month of Ramadan and announce it at the observation of the new moon (al-hilal). If clouds make the observation of the new moon impossible then the length of Shaban should be extended to thirty days. By observation we mean actual sighting of the new moon. Anyone who hears a trustworthy witness say that he has seen the new moon and believes him, fasting then becomes incumbent on him.
The second outward duty is intention (niyyah). Every night before the dawn of the following day one should specifically and deliberately entertain the intention of fasting. If he should entertain the intention to fast the month of Ramadan but fails to renew his intention every night his fast would not be valid...
The third duty is that, as long as he remembers that he is fasting, the individual should abstain from intentionally allowing any material substance such as food, drink, snuff and enema, to enter his body... Whatever enters the body unintentionally, such as dust, or water, during the rinsing of the mouth will not invalidate the fast...
The fourth duty is abstinence from sexual intercourse...
The fifth duty is abstinence from deliberate seminal emission.
The sixth outward duty is abstinence from vomiting. If one cannot help it however, his fast remains intact and valid.
Practices connected with the Fast
Delaying the time of suhur (until near the time of daybreak).
Speeding the breaking of the fast by eating dates or drinking water before performing the prayer.
Generous giving throughout the month.
Special study of the Our' an.
Retreat (i'tikaf) into the mosque, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan (in which the Night of Power, laylat ul-Qadr, falls).
Inward conditions of fasting
Fasting is of three grades:
The fasting of the general public (sawm al-umun)
The fasting of the select few (sawm al-khusus)
The fasting of the elite among the select few (sawm kusus al-khusus)
The fasting of the general public involves refraining from satisfying the appetites of the stomach and the appetites of sex and is described in the section on Outward conditions.
The fasting of the select few is to keep the ears, the eyes, the tongue, and hands, the feet and other senses free from wrong actions. It consists of:
Refraining from looking at anything disapproved, or anything which occupies the person and distracts him from remembering Allah.
Keeping the tongue free from raving, lying, backbiting, tale-bearing, obscenity, abusive speech, wrangling and hypocrisy.
Closing the ears to every reprehensible thing because everything which is unlawful to utter is also unlawful to hear.
Restraining the limbs from wrong actions as well as avoiding questionable foods at the breaking of the fast.
Not overeating when breaking the fast.
Remaining in a state of suspense between fear and hope after breaking the fast as to whether or not the fast has been accepted by Allah.
The fast of the elite among the select few is the fast of the heart from mean thoughts and worldly worries and its complete unconcern with anything but Allah and the Last Day, as well as by concern over this world, except insofar as it promotes the deen (life-transaction), which belongs to the hereafter.
Every act of worship is possessed of an outward form and an inner secret, an external husk and internal path. The husks are of different grades and each grade has different layers. It is for you to choose whether to be content with the husk or join the company of the wise and learned.
Breaking the Fast
'A human being has not filled any vessel which is worse than a belly. Enough for the son of Adam are some mouthfuls which keep his back straight, but if there is not escape he should fill it a third with food, a third with drink, and leave a third empty.'
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah
'Many a one who fasts gets nothing from his fasting but thirst and many a one who prays during the night gets nothing from his night prayers but sleeplessness.'
Tirmidhi
The mercy of the fast of Ramadan penetrates all dimensions of man's existence, providing a holistic cure for all that ails him, rejuvenating the body as well as the spirit of man. Breaking the fast by overeating renders both these beneficial effects useless. And breaking the fast with the wrong foods in any amount will debilitate the one who fasts and make his spiritual efforts more difficult.
Allah exhorts us in the Our' an to eat of the purest foods and the practitioners of modern medicine are just beginning to realize the essential wisdom of this command along with the wisdom of the fast itself. The therapeutic effect of fasting is well documented by actual clinical experience both in Europe and in the United States, leading to general acceptance of the principal that fasting is man's oldest and best healing method. And the kind and amount of food with which one breaks the fast to a large extent determines whether the fast is useful or a waste of time.
The main rule in breaking the fast is to remember why you are fasting and what you hope to obtain by it. There are several du'a [supplications] for breaking the fast which call one back to this reality, one of which is:
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate,
O Allah, for You I have fasted and I have believed in You,
And have broken my fast on Your bounty and so forgive me
my past and present wrong actions.
O Lord of the Worlds.
Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem
Allahumma laka sumtu wa bika aamantu
Wa 'alaa rizqika aftartu faghfirlee
Maa addamtu wa maa akhartu
Ya rabbil aalamen.
One of the sunnas [practices] of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, is to break the fast as soon as the Adhan [call to prayer] is heard before performing the Maghrib prayer, with a date and some water. Ramadan Food Guideline
The rule of thumb of the amount of food to be consumed at the evening meal which follows is that it should be no more than is usually eaten at that time. In fact, if it is, the fast is technically invalid. Again one has to review what one's goal in Ramadan is -- to bury his head deep into a nose-bag full of food every evening after sunset and snore his nights away or to eat a light but nutritious evening meal and use the precious nights of Ramadan for dhikr [remembrance] and fikr [reflection].
The following is a guideline to the types of food which will enhance the natural purifying effect which the fast already has on the body and which will increase the one who incorporates them into his diet in energy, clarity and awareness:
Use as much as possible pure and organic foods, uncontaminated by artificial flavorings, colors, and preservatives.
Avoid eating too much meat too frequently. The Prophet, Sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, ate meat only twice a week. Needless to say it should be halal, but it is also recommended to find a source of free-range animals and to have as close a control as possible over the actual killing.
Include lots of vegetables and raw fruits in your diet.
Avoid overdoses of starches, particularly excessive amounts of polished white rice -- use whole grains when possible and then not too much of them.
Avoid too much sugar and substances containing caffeine -- they will unbalance the delicate endocrine system of the body.
Pay attention to the order in which you eat different foods and the combinations of foods which you eat. The medicine of the Prophet recommends limiting the number of different types of food eaten at one time as much as possible, and latest research has revealed that the reason for this is the stomach's ability to produce
And finally, please do not forget me in your daily Du'a,
May Allah bless you and make this month a success for all,
wassalam,
Muhammad bin Yahya
The Holy month of Ramadan (Message From Shaykh Ninowy, Ramadan 2004)
Bismillah,
My dear respected brothers and sisters,
Assalamu Alaykum,
I hope and pray that all of you are in the best of iman and health.
The holy month of Ramadan has come, and it is a special occasion to all, but especially to the People of Tasawuff. This is the time where body, heart and mind purification occurs. But only if you expose yourself to it, with your presistant efforts, extra worship, and re-shaping yourself and your commitments.
Two things I would like you to to increase in this Holy month:
1- the numer of times you send your Salams to our Beloved Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam ( with the specific form you were given lately, it has tremendous secrets, benefits and enlightments)
2- The number of Ayahs of the Qu'ran you recite daily. As this is the month of Qur'an.
Remember, that some think this is the month to eat, when infact, this is the month not to eat a lot.
Remember that you do not only obstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset during this month, but to go to a higher level by:
1- Commanding your organs and limbs ( including tongue, eyes, ears, hands) to obstain from all that's not good.
This is extremely important.
2- Commanding your thoughts that cross your mind to obstain from all that's not good. This comes with training, and perseverance, so please start.
Khutbah (Sermon) of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) about Ramadan
'O you who believe, prescribed for you is the Fast, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that haply you will have taqwa.' Qur`an 2:183
'A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand months has approached you people. Allah has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its nights in prayer as a voluntary practice. If someone draws near to Allah during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfills an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfills an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory duties in some other month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer's provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his wrong actions and save him from the Fire, and he will have a reward equal to the fasting man's reward without his reward being diminished in any way... Allah gives this reward to anyone who gives one who has been fasting some milk mixed with water, or a date, or a drink of water with which to break his fast, and anyone who gives a full meal to one who has been fasting will be given a drink by Allah and will not thirst until he enters Paradise. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from the Fire. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, Allah will forgive him and free him from the Fire.'
From a khutba (sermon) given by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, on the last day of Shaban.
Reported by Salman al-Farsi (Mishkat al Masabih).
Some Hadiths About Ramadan
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: 'Ramadan, a blessed month, has cometo you during which Allah has made it obligatory for you to fast. In it the gates of the Garden are opened, the gates of the Fire are locked, and the rebellious Shaytan is chained. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months. He who is deprived of its good indeed suffered deprivation.'Ahmad and Nasa'i transmitted it.
Every good deed will be rewarded from ten to seven hundred fold except fasting which is endured for My sake and which I shall reward.'Hadith Qudsi, Sahih al-Bukhari
'By Him Who holds my life in His hand the breath of the fasting man's mouth is more fragrant before God and better pleasing to Him than redolent musk.'Sahih Muslim
'Paradise has a gate which is called al-Rayyan through which not one shall enter except those who have observed the fast.'Sahih al-Bukhari
'Two joys are prepared for him who observes the fast, the joy of breaking the fast and that of meeting his Lord.'Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim
Excerpts from the Book of the Mysteries of Fasting from the
Ihya Ulum al-Deen of Imam al-Ghazali
'Praise be to Allah who has shown great favor to His servants, Who has frustrated the hopes and plans of Shaytan by making fasting a bulwark and a shield for His friends.'
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'The reward of the fasting man will be generous beyond imagination or estimate.' And so it should be because fasting belongs to Allah and by virtue of this relationship it has been rendered noble. The fast belongs to Allah in two respects. First because it is a form of desisting and relinquishing, in its very nature concealed from human sight, whereas all the other acts of worship are apparent and exposed to it. And secondly because it is a means of vanquishing the enemy of Allah, Shaytan, who works through the appetites and desires. These appetites and desires are increased by eating and drinking. For this reason the Prophet said, 'Shaytan affects the son of Adam by pervading his blood. Let him therefore make this difficult for Shaytan by means of hunger.' For the same reason he told A'isha, 'Persist in knocking on the door of Paradise.' When she asked what she should knock with he replied, 'With hunger.'
The excellence of fasting established, what follows is a basic description of the outward and inward conditions for fasting.
Outward conditions for fasting
The first outward duty is to watch the beginning of the month of Ramadan and announce it at the observation of the new moon (al-hilal). If clouds make the observation of the new moon impossible then the length of Shaban should be extended to thirty days. By observation we mean actual sighting of the new moon. Anyone who hears a trustworthy witness say that he has seen the new moon and believes him, fasting then becomes incumbent on him.
The second outward duty is intention (niyyah). Every night before the dawn of the following day one should specifically and deliberately entertain the intention of fasting. If he should entertain the intention to fast the month of Ramadan but fails to renew his intention every night his fast would not be valid...
The third duty is that, as long as he remembers that he is fasting, the individual should abstain from intentionally allowing any material substance such as food, drink, snuff and enema, to enter his body... Whatever enters the body unintentionally, such as dust, or water, during the rinsing of the mouth will not invalidate the fast...
The fourth duty is abstinence from sexual intercourse...
The fifth duty is abstinence from deliberate seminal emission.
The sixth outward duty is abstinence from vomiting. If one cannot help it however, his fast remains intact and valid.
Practices connected with the Fast
Delaying the time of suhur (until near the time of daybreak).
Speeding the breaking of the fast by eating dates or drinking water before performing the prayer.
Generous giving throughout the month.
Special study of the Our' an.
Retreat (i'tikaf) into the mosque, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan (in which the Night of Power, laylat ul-Qadr, falls).
Inward conditions of fasting
Fasting is of three grades:
The fasting of the general public (sawm al-umun)
The fasting of the select few (sawm al-khusus)
The fasting of the elite among the select few (sawm kusus al-khusus)
The fasting of the general public involves refraining from satisfying the appetites of the stomach and the appetites of sex and is described in the section on Outward conditions.
The fasting of the select few is to keep the ears, the eyes, the tongue, and hands, the feet and other senses free from wrong actions. It consists of:
Refraining from looking at anything disapproved, or anything which occupies the person and distracts him from remembering Allah.
Keeping the tongue free from raving, lying, backbiting, tale-bearing, obscenity, abusive speech, wrangling and hypocrisy.
Closing the ears to every reprehensible thing because everything which is unlawful to utter is also unlawful to hear.
Restraining the limbs from wrong actions as well as avoiding questionable foods at the breaking of the fast.
Not overeating when breaking the fast.
Remaining in a state of suspense between fear and hope after breaking the fast as to whether or not the fast has been accepted by Allah.
The fast of the elite among the select few is the fast of the heart from mean thoughts and worldly worries and its complete unconcern with anything but Allah and the Last Day, as well as by concern over this world, except insofar as it promotes the deen (life-transaction), which belongs to the hereafter.
Every act of worship is possessed of an outward form and an inner secret, an external husk and internal path. The husks are of different grades and each grade has different layers. It is for you to choose whether to be content with the husk or join the company of the wise and learned.
Breaking the Fast
'A human being has not filled any vessel which is worse than a belly. Enough for the son of Adam are some mouthfuls which keep his back straight, but if there is not escape he should fill it a third with food, a third with drink, and leave a third empty.'
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah
'Many a one who fasts gets nothing from his fasting but thirst and many a one who prays during the night gets nothing from his night prayers but sleeplessness.'
Tirmidhi
The mercy of the fast of Ramadan penetrates all dimensions of man's existence, providing a holistic cure for all that ails him, rejuvenating the body as well as the spirit of man. Breaking the fast by overeating renders both these beneficial effects useless. And breaking the fast with the wrong foods in any amount will debilitate the one who fasts and make his spiritual efforts more difficult.
Allah exhorts us in the Our' an to eat of the purest foods and the practitioners of modern medicine are just beginning to realize the essential wisdom of this command along with the wisdom of the fast itself. The therapeutic effect of fasting is well documented by actual clinical experience both in Europe and in the United States, leading to general acceptance of the principal that fasting is man's oldest and best healing method. And the kind and amount of food with which one breaks the fast to a large extent determines whether the fast is useful or a waste of time.
The main rule in breaking the fast is to remember why you are fasting and what you hope to obtain by it. There are several du'a [supplications] for breaking the fast which call one back to this reality, one of which is:
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate,
O Allah, for You I have fasted and I have believed in You,
And have broken my fast on Your bounty and so forgive me
my past and present wrong actions.
O Lord of the Worlds.
Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem
Allahumma laka sumtu wa bika aamantu
Wa 'alaa rizqika aftartu faghfirlee
Maa addamtu wa maa akhartu
Ya rabbil aalamen.
One of the sunnas [practices] of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, is to break the fast as soon as the Adhan [call to prayer] is heard before performing the Maghrib prayer, with a date and some water. Ramadan Food Guideline
The rule of thumb of the amount of food to be consumed at the evening meal which follows is that it should be no more than is usually eaten at that time. In fact, if it is, the fast is technically invalid. Again one has to review what one's goal in Ramadan is -- to bury his head deep into a nose-bag full of food every evening after sunset and snore his nights away or to eat a light but nutritious evening meal and use the precious nights of Ramadan for dhikr [remembrance] and fikr [reflection].
The following is a guideline to the types of food which will enhance the natural purifying effect which the fast already has on the body and which will increase the one who incorporates them into his diet in energy, clarity and awareness:
Use as much as possible pure and organic foods, uncontaminated by artificial flavorings, colors, and preservatives.
Avoid eating too much meat too frequently. The Prophet, Sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, ate meat only twice a week. Needless to say it should be halal, but it is also recommended to find a source of free-range animals and to have as close a control as possible over the actual killing.
Include lots of vegetables and raw fruits in your diet.
Avoid overdoses of starches, particularly excessive amounts of polished white rice -- use whole grains when possible and then not too much of them.
Avoid too much sugar and substances containing caffeine -- they will unbalance the delicate endocrine system of the body.
Pay attention to the order in which you eat different foods and the combinations of foods which you eat. The medicine of the Prophet recommends limiting the number of different types of food eaten at one time as much as possible, and latest research has revealed that the reason for this is the stomach's ability to produce
And finally, please do not forget me in your daily Du'a,
May Allah bless you and make this month a success for all,
wassalam,
Muhammad bin Yahya
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