Better Be the Best to Your Parents

Say “I love you Allah”

“We concern ourselves so much with expressing our love for our spouses, children, parents, friends, etc. But when was the last time we expressed our love for the One Who gave us all of those people? Say the words. Say, I love you Allaah. He is the most deserving of those words followed by actions as proof of them.

Make a habit to do this after every salaah and before going to bed. Your expression of love for Him will plant seeds of contentment and bliss in your heart. Then nurture those seeds with ‘ibaadah, gratitude and patience. And when you do that, you will be the most happiest person on earth.”

http://ummkhawla.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/i-love-you/

Reflect…

Sufyan al-Thawri: “Every deed that I have manifested to the people, I do not count it as being anything…”

Reflect…

If the only deeds you had left were those deeds that were unknown to anyone but Allah swt and yourself, what would you have left?

Love to be Unknown

February 27, 2012

 

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

Some amazing statements from Shaykh Sayyid al-‘Affani’s book on Ikhlas:

‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak: “Develop a love for obscurity, being hidden from the people, and disliking fame. Do not show that you love obscurity such that you end up raising yourself (above others). The fact that you ascribe Zuhd (asceticism) to yourself has taken you out of the realms of Zuhd because you will have drawn in the praise and admiration of people.” 1

Obscurity is not shameful for him
Who is of virtue and completeness
For the Night of Decree is left obscure
And it is the best of all nights…

“My brother, if you desire the path of sincerity, flee from the clatter and clinks of fame, and flee from the clamour that comes with being a celebrity. Be like the roots of a tree; it keeps the tree upright and gives it life, but it itself is hidden underneath the earth and eyes cannot see it. Or be like the foundations of a building; were it not for the foundation, no wall could be erected and no house could be established, but yet no-one sees the foundation.” 2

Ibrahim al-Nakha’i: “They (the pious predecessors) used to dislike showing the righteous deeds that performed in secret.” 3

Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyyadh: “The best of knowledge and righteous acts are those hidden to the people.” 4

Sufyan al-Thawri: “Every deed that I have manifested to the people, I do not count it as being anything…” 5

Wuhayb ibn al-Wird wrote to a brother of his the following: “By the external appearance of your knowledge, you have attained (high) ranks and reverence with the people! So seek with Allah higher ranks and closeness by virtue of your hidden good deeds. And know that these two ranks, one cancels out the other.” 6

Khalid ibn Durayk said about Ibn Muhayriz: “… He had two characteristics which I haven’t seen in anyone I’ve met in this Ummah; He was the furthest from remaining silent over Truth after it became clear to him, regardless of who was angered or pleased, and he was the most ardent in hiding his best deeds from himself.” 7

Imam al-Shafi’i: “The scholar/knowledgeable one should have good deeds stored in secret between him and Allah the Most High. Indeed, all that he manifests of knowledge or deeds to the people, will be of little benefit in the Hereafter.” 8

And regarding the verses:

تَتَجَافَىٰ جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend out of what We have bestowed on them.
And no person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” [al-Sajdah: 16-17]

Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “These people hid their deeds so Allah the Most High hid for them that which no eye has seen and no ear has heard.”

May Allah help us in attaining and retaining good intentions and deeds of great sincerity, ameen.
_____________________

1] Al-Atqiya’ al-Akhfiya’ by Dr. Sa’id ‘Abd al-‘Adhim
2] Al-Niyyah wal-Ikhlas by Dr. al-Qaradawi
3] Tahdhib al-Hilyah
4] Tanbih al-Mughtarin
5] See above source
6] Tahdhib al-Hilyah
7] See above source
8] Tanbih al-Mughtarin

People of Substance – Inspiring

“He (Muhammad saws) never worked on structures. He worked on the hearts and minds of people, until he created men and women who changed the landscape of history. Men and women who were heavy in the scales of Allah swt.”

“This is the sunnah of Allah. Allah never judges people by their numbers. He judges them by their quality and substance.”

As for what makes this insincerity grow and arise – this is interlocked with Emaan and the healthiness of the heart. The healthy, Eman-filled heart is conscious of Allah, and fearful of His anger, and aware of His gaze, and afraid of His threat, and vigilant of the nearness of the Last Day – so it’s sincere. The diseased heart sees things blurry, sees the Day of Judgment as far off, forgets how closely Allah watches the eyes and hearts, and prefers the enjoyment of this life (praise of people) over the next.

— Abu Abbaad

Refutation of the claim “Music is Permissible”

Shaykh Albaani refutes the claim from Yusuf Qardawi that”music is permissible”

short video:

“Glad tidings to the one who leaves the dunyah before it leaves him, prepares for his grave before he enters it, and pleases his Lord before he meets Him.”

Yahya ibn Mu’adh al-Razi

How did you gain all this knowledge?

 

source: fajr.wordpress.com

The Statement of al-Sha’bi

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah,

 

Several years ago, I stumbled across this statement of Imam al-Sha’bi and ever since then, it’s almost become my motto for life! I recently used it in a course I was delivering and thought to post it up here as well for general benefit.

Imam al-Sha’bi was a scholar known for his deep ‘ilm and having a vast coverage over various fields of knowledge.

In the book ‘Uluww al-Himmah by Shaykh Muhammad Isma’il al-Muqaddam, it states that Imam al-Sha’bi was once asked, ‘How did you attain all this knowledge?’ And this was his reply. Pay close attention to it:

بنفي الاعتماد و السير في البلاد و صبر كصبر الحمار و بكور كبكور الغراب

“By independency, by travelling through cities, by having patience like that of a donkey and by rising early like the rising of crows.”

There’s so much to take away from this, but here are a few points of benefit that we can derive:

• Be independent in your studies. Don’t rely on someone or something to always motivate you and push you to learn.
• Learn how to motivate yourself! Be free from distractions and limitations.
• Do not procrastinate.
• Travel! Keep on the move! Go from A to B, then B to C! Don’t be stagnant in your life; always have a peak that you’re reaching for.
• If knowledge is not in your immediate vicinity, seek it out and go to where it is!
• Be patient. More patient than the donkey overloaded with cargo. Bear all the hardships on this path, bear the trials and tribulations.
• Get up early! The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘My Ummah has been blessed in its early portion (of the day).’ Seek out the blessings of the morning. Tips for Time Management are in this hadith! You may not have time during the day, but you’ll always have time in the mornings.
• Give yourself no excuses, because most of the time an excuse is a barrier that you place between you and your goals.

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) says something incredibly profound and beautiful in his book – Madaarij-us-Saalikeen. He says:

Sometimes, I have a certain need (that I wish to ask) Allâh, so I ask Him earnestly. Then, I find that the door of dialogue opens up for me, and I recognize Allâh more (I become more aware of Him), and feel humbled before Him, and feel a great sense of joy & happiness, due to which I prefer that the answer to my prayer be delayed, so that this joyous state may continue.