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Showing posts from March, 2010

On spreading Salaam

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One very simple but very important virtue we can all implement in our lives is the Greeting, Islam emphasizes it as one of the most important duties amongst Muslims, it is very beneficial for improving relations, building a stronger bond of love and brotherhood with our fellow Muslims and to cultivate good manners, not to mention the psychological factors involved in greeting someone. Islam is the most civilized way of life. How many of us have walked past their Muslim brother by ignoring them as we pass them across the street, pretending to have not seen them? May Allah forgive us! All people have the custom of greeting one another, and every group has its own distinctive greeting that distinguishes them from other people. The Arabs used to greet one another with the words “An’im sabaahan” or “An’imu sabaahan” [equivalent to “Good morning” – Translator], using words derived from “al-ni’mah”, which means good living after the morning. The idea was that because the morning is the first
First off all let’s agree on the meaning of Rizq mentioned underbelow: Rizq is earnings, profit or wealth The definition of rizq includes everything whether its wealth, spouse, , CHILDREN, provisions, sustenance, which of course includes food, clothing, shelter, etc “All aspects of a person’s subsistence and livelihood fall under the definition of rizq, including but not restricted to wealth, status, business and children.” We see in this capitalist scoiety, everyone will do anything that is possible to gain their Rizq. People think they are expanding their rizq by doing haram, opening liquor shops, but they aren’t. Islam tells us the rizq is assigned at our birth and on top of that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala made five promises of Rizq. 1. TAQWA “And whoever fears Allah, for him Allah brings forth a way out, and gives him provision (rizq) from where he does not even imagine…” (Surah At-Talaq: 2/3) In reference to this Ayaat-i- Karima: “The word taqwa primarily and literally means ‘to g

The Principal Characteristics and Rules of Islamic Manners

The principal characteristics and rules of Islamic manners for various aspects of life can be summarized as follows: 1. In almost everything, deliberation (and not haste) is required. A Muslim should consider how a matter might turn out; then, if the outcome appears worthwhile and good, he should carry on, otherwise he should refrain. 2. Kindness and gentleness in a Muslim's dealings with others are essential. 3. Cleanliness and purity of body, place, clothes, etc., should be one of the most conspicuous characteristics of Muslim life. 4. Beauty, elegance, orderliness are values for the Muslim to observe, and whenever possible to attain. 5. According to Islam, a good deed done with courtesy beautifies that deed; impudence, on the other hand, destroys the good in it. 6. All a Muslim's deeds should express an attitude of humility and not arrogance. 7. A Muslim is commanded to avoid any act that might harm himself or some other person, physically, mentally or morally. 8. In the dai

Don't be sad

Do not be sad: You became despondent due to a calamity, and by doing so, created addition calamities. You became depressed because of poverty and this only increased the bitterness of your situation. You became gloomy because of what your enemies said to you; by entering into that mental state, you unwillingly helped them in their attack against you. You became sullen because you expected a particular misfortune, and yet it never came to pass. Do not be sad: Truly a large mansion will not protect you from the effects of depression; and neither will a beautiful wife, abundant wealth, a high position, or brilliant children. Do not be sad: Sadness causes you to imagine poison when you are really looking at pure water, to see a cactus when you are looking at a rose, to see a barren desert when you are looking at a lush garden, and to feel that you are in an unbearable prison when you are living on a vast and spacious earth. Do not be sad: You have two eyes, two ears, lips, two hands, t

Bad servant

Al-Hasan a1-Basri (May Allah bestow His mercy upon him)] said: “What a bad servant [of the Lord] is he! I am speaking of a servant who fits the following description: 1. He asks for forgiveness (maghfirah), while he is actively engaged in sinful disobedience (ma’siya). 2. He behaves in a humbly submissive manner, so that he may be credited with loyalty (amana), but he is only pretending, to hide his disloyalty (khiyanah). 3. He forbids what is wrong, but does not refrain from it himself. 4. He enjoins what is right, but does not act upon his own instructions. 5. If he gives, he does so very stingily, and if he withholds, he offers no apology. 6. If he is in the best of health, he feels secure, but if he falls sick, he becomes remorseful. 7. If he is impoverished, he feels sad, and if he gets rich, he is subject to temptation. 8. He hopes for salvation, but does not act accordingly. 9. He is afraid of punishment, but takes no precautions against it. 10. He wishes to receive more benef

A righteous Servant

A righteous servant and his/her sound mind agrees with the legislation, the intellect, and the Fitrah. The worshiper prefers the pleasure of Allah to his own desires. He devotes his energy and efforts to Him. The servant does whatever good he is able to do for Allah’s creation. Therefore, he shows love towards the creation in a way that he would like them to show affection towards him. He treats them the way that he would like to be treated. He calls them by the names that he likes to be called. He advises them with advice that he would give himself. He chooses for them that which he would choose for himself. He bears their harm and injury although they may not tolerate his. He refrains from defaming their honor and he does not seek retaliation when he is slandered. If he sees good in them, he spreads it and if he sees evil he conceals it. He establishes excuses for them within his ability without nullifying the Shari’aah. The obedient worshiper does not contradict the commands and pro

When scholars contradict

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As Salamu Alaikum wa rahmatullah, I asked Khalifa bhai, { a brother in Islam, who is blessed with sound knowledge and understanding of deen}, that what shud be our stand when two scholars contradict . WHom shud we take. His answer was worth sharing here, with you all. It was like this : Islam is clear path in the sense that it tell us what should be our faith clearly without leavin any ambiguity with regard to Allah and His attribute. Now, fact that there are some disputed issues in Islam does not make it ambiguous religion. Dispute arises just because Allah himself have not made something clear to us and He being all knowing did it deliberately. Intelligence is one of the great gift of Allah SW that He had given us and this is to be used in the matter of Deen as well as in acquiring worldly means. Islam encourages us to think and ponder upon issues instead of giving us complete and rigid solutions. Morever, when it comes to issues of jurisprudence, many of the issues are related to

Allah loves these qualities

All praise is for Allah; we praise Him, seek His aid and forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our souls and from the wickedness of our actions. Whosoever Allaah guides, then none can misguide him and whosoever Allah misguides, then none can guide him. We often hear that reciting some prayers or verses of the Quran bring us closer to God or brings some special blessings. In the Quran, God has expressed love and support only for those people who develop certain human qualities and not for those who only perform rituals. [1-7] Ihsan [goodness] The root word of Ihsan is "Hasana" which means to do right, to improve, to be in a desirable condition or in a proper state, to decorate or embellish, to treat with kindliness. In the Quran it is used for forgiveness, generosity, struggle for goodness and against evil and humbleness. Taqwa [moral consciousness] The root word of Taqwa is "waqy" which means to guard oneself against the negative influences of one&