Surely A Prison

I know it's been rough right? Constant fitnah, stress of marriage, wore out by kids, hating a job when you should be home... just same stuff different day? Well it's because we are doing time. Yes we are in prison...

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“The world is the believer’s prison..." (Saheeh Muslim)

So the hardships will come. You can't escape them. You can't prevent them. But you can prepare for them with the remember of Allah through du'a, astaghfar and Qur'an. No one is asking for hours of this, but isnt Allah worth 10 minutes a day to say subhan Allah, Alhamdulilah, or Allahu Akbar? Learn to multitask. Say it as you cook, vacuum, wash dishes, drive in your car. Whatever it takes. Set your phone to remind you... Because without the remembrance of Allah surely we are at lost and open for the Shaytan...

"He who turns away from the remembrance of His Lord He will cause him to undergo a severe Penalty." (72-17)

Whenever someone is in prison, the first thing they do it look for a coping mechanism. They try and find that one thing to keep them together. Well for the Muslim, that is Qur'an and Sunnah. We should cope with this prison by constantly utilizing these two tools. Most importantly, we need to learn Tawheed. This is something that so many of us neglect, the layman and the knowledgeable. Those are not my words. If you look in the introduction of the book Al-ʿAqīdah aṭ-Ṭaḥāwiyya, The Shaykh mentions this by making the point of why so many issues occur today. 

Without knowing Allah, how can you possible worship him correctly. Knowing Him is knowing Asmaa wa Sifaat. Knowing Asmaa wa Sifaa is how you call on Him in du'a, by the name He has mentioned in Quran and Sunnah. The name in the Arabic Language. If you are need of income you call on him by His Name Ar Razaaq. If you need mercy you call on Him by His name Ar Rahman. If you need strength, then you ask Al Qawee. 

Hadith Qudsi, "Those that remember Me in their heart, I remember them in My heart; and those that remember Me in a gathering (i.e. that make mention of Me), I remember them (i.e. make mention of them) in a gathering better than theirs."

Remember... we are in prison. We must learn to cope. Are you using Qur'an and Sunnah or Dunyyah?

Perfection of Tawheed

This is an image I made some time ago with caligraphy and PSP the
computer graphic software. It reads "Allah is the Greatest" in Arabic.

 

The perfection of Tawheed is found when there remains nothing in the heart except Allaah, the servant is left loving those He loves and What He loves, hating those He hates and what He hates, showing allegiance to those He has allegiance to, showing enmity towards those He shows enmity towards, ordering what He orders and prohibiting what He prohibits.

 

 (Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Madaarij 3/485)

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This saying of Ibn Al Qayyim, is something I try and relect on all the time. I am not sure of the Arabic, but from the transliteration, I can only assume that one would have to go through a lot of hardship to attain this level of emaan. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. Brought tears to my eyes actually. I would dare to say that you would have to study Tawheed in order to perfect it. A person can not obtain something through ignorance of that thing. Wallahu Alim. Alhamdulillah, may Allah grant all the believers this level of emaan, ameen.

 If the video dont work use the url: HERE

Subhan Allah... make the time to listen to this lecture. For those who don't understand Arabic, the English subtitles are there. This is a MUST SEE video for us women and for the men as well. But it's a reminder of our place as women in the deen. It's a beautiful place if you love Allah. Alhamdulilah lil Islam.

Love in Moderations

Muhammad ibn Sirin said: Abu Huraira reported (and I think he attributed it to the Prophet, peace be upon him), “Love your beloved easily, perhaps he will become hated to you someday; and hate whom you hate easily, perhaps he will become your beloved someday.”

 

[Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Book 25, Number 1997, Grade: Hasan]

Book of Righteousness, Chapter: What is related about moderation in love and hate

 

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أُرَاهُ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ أَحْبِبْ حَبِيبَكَ هَوْنًا مَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ بَغِيضَكَ يَوْمًا مَا وَأَبْغِضْ بَغِيضَكَ هَوْنًا مَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ حَبِيبَكَ يَوْمًا مَا

 

سنن الترمذي كتاب البر والصلة عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم باب ما جاء في الاقتصاد في الحب والبغض

 

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Reflecting on this hadeeth really makes one realize how we may put to much of either emotion into an individual, which in turn could be harmful in the long run. I have actually bare witnessed to this emotion. Allah is truly the turner of hearts. He has really made me flip out of no where for people in my life, in both ways. So we should ask Allah to put in our hearts moderation with everything in respect to our deen, be it emotions or otherwise. May Allah guide us and protect us and allow us to meet him on Siraatul Mustaqeem. Ameen...

Allah Forgives

Image made by Umm Zubayr

This ayaat reads in the translation: Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah Az-Zumr:53)

This is the ayaah that I reflect on when I know that I'm falling short on getting close to Allah through rememberance and tawbah. It gives me hope that although I know that I commit sins, if I make tawbah, My Lord forgives me. And despair is relieved from me much easier this way. Alhamdulillah... Allah is merciful.

Love of the Servant...

This is an image I created some years ago. It says:

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Kind

The more the servant loves his Master, the less he will love other objects and they will decrease in number. The less the servant loves his Master, the more he will love other objects and they will increase in number.

~Ibn Taymiyyah~

(Majmoo-ul-Fataawaa, 1/94)