Precious Advice

O Muslim! You believe in Allah and in the final day, its reward and its punishment. You believe in the day of reckoning and the paradise and hellfire. You know that Allah sees you, He hears you, and that He knows the core of your conscience. He loves what will benefit you and hates what will harm you. He loves that which is permissible for you and hates that which is impremissible for you.

With that said, I remind you to take account your soul and that you return to the obedience of your Lord, your Master, your Protector. The One Who created you, provides for you, gave you life, and forgives you.

* The One Who feeds you, gives you to drink, clothes you, and provides you with shelter. He strengthens you with intelligence, hearing, sight, knowledge, and understanding. He taught you what you did not know and gave you preference over many that He has created.

So praise Allah my Muslim brother and thank Him with all of your heart, tongue, and good deeds by doing what He made obligatory on you and by leaving what He forbade you.

* At the forefront of that is Tawheed of Allah and being sincere in worshipping Him only. Then focus on performing the five daily prayers on time with the congregation (for the men) in the Masjid. It is a pillar of the religion and a connection to the Lord of all of the worlds. It is from the religious rites of the Muslim that distinguishes between Islaam and Kufr. It expiates the sins and faults. It prohibits lewdness and objectionable matters. Allah has obligated it upon you and upon every Muslim who is mature and sane. He has obligated it for every situation whether in good health, illness, while resident or during travel, during times of safety and in times of fear based on one’s capacity:

{Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.}

* I remind you that the one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever whose blood is permissible to be shed. Such a one cannot marry a Muslim woman. His deeds are not accepted. He does leave inheritance to be inherited and does not inherit from others. When he dies he is not to be washed or shrouded and definitely not to be prayed over. He is not buried in the graves of the Muslims except for the one who repents (before dying). Allah will accept his repentance as He is at-Tawwaab (the One Who accepts repentance), ar-Raheem (the Merciful). Returning to the truth is better than to be persistent upon falsehood. So repent to your Lord my Muslim brother and protect the observance of your five daily prayers.

Have remorse for your pervious shortcomings in obeying Allah and resolve never to return to disobedience before you die remorseful when remorse will not benefit you and you will despair of your negligence.

O Allah guide us to Your straight path. O Allah accept our repentance for indeed You are at-Tawwaab, ar-Raheem. O Allah send peace & blessing upon our prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.

Taken from Daily Reminders
By ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullah)
-Taken from Risaalah fee al-Ghusl, wal-Wudhoo, was-Salaah pages 57 – 62
-Translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee (may Allahu guide him)