Defence of Faith

Asalaamulaikum. Here's the notes on the lecture about how we need to be doing A LOT more than we are doing now, (I alluded to it in comment on a previous post)

You are never too young to achieve, influence and make an impact

The perception that people had about life in the past motivated them and pushed them to do more with the time they had.
Today, we relax, thinking we have many years.

In the past, education didn't follow a standard, time- dependent, education system. The lack of heirachies made people believe that they are not restricted, and why should we be? Now, people believe we can't do certain things until a certain time, we are somewhat conditioned to follow the system and this leads us to limit ourselves. For example, we don't read University books until we are at that age or at that level, but why wait til that age, what is stopping us? this is one of many examples and it has a negative impact on heroism.

Roots of Greatness Come From Within You

If we look at A'isha (radiallahu anha), she learnt to read and write, she learnt medicine, through her own incentive. And look at what a great woman she became, alhamdulillah. Age was not relevant, for any of the sahabah, as long as they could achieve and survive. Their lives were short, they had no standardized cirriculum and this lead to early achievement
Even from this small example we should realize, if we want to do something, just do it. Especially nowadays, we have so many resources available to us but even still we don't make full use of them. No one but ourselves is losing out.

Be Busy

Keep yourself away from distractions and increase responsibility.

Discover your talents, your abilities and be yourself

The Prophet (salallahu 'alaihi wasallam) had a great way of talking to his companions, he would talk to them within their limits, he knew their strengths and encouraged them to fulfill their potential.
For example: Amr Ibn Al-'Aas, who converted to Islam 2 years before the Prophet's death, was asked to lead the battle (Muslim conquest of Egypt) and lead those who had been Muslim all their lives.
He asked who the Prophet loved most, and was told that even though he may not be number one to him, he is number one on the field. He realised his talent. Even if others questioned his position, the Prophet new best.
So even if others are doubtful, don't doubt yourself and do not lower the limits on yourself, everyone has great potential and if you know your potential, use it. Identify and compete, not with others but with yourself and your potential, if you are good then be better. Stick to your own abilities but draw benefits from others. And don't direct your aim to strengthening your weak points but rather spend time working on and building up on your strong points.
But remember talent is not enough, you need things alongisde it such as patience, perseverance, discpiline. With these, you will achieve. InshaAllah.

Be ambitious and set your bar high

(from lecture by Hesham Al-Awadi)

The Goodly Life

Life is either for a person or against him. Its hours and seconds, days and years pass by him. Leading him (by his actions) to the love and good pleasure of Allah until he is amongst the people of Ultimate Success and the Gardens of Paradise, or they are against him; leading him (by his actions) to the Fires of Hell. And to the anger of The One, The Just Ruler (Allah).

Life, either it will make you laugh & rejoice for an hour, over which you will cry for an eterntity (in the Hereafter). Or it will make you cry for an hour, over which you will laugh and rejoice for an eternity (in the Hereafter). Life is either a great blessing for a person, or an adverse affliction against him. This is a life that was lived by the earliest generations, by our fathers and forefathers, and by all those who preceeded us. All of them returned to Allah with what they use to do (their deeds).
‘Life’ refers to every single moment that is lived within it. And every hour spent within it. And within all of these, we live a life that is either for us or against us. Thus, the successful and happy person is one who sees life and recognizes its reality and true nature. For by Allah, it is a life that frequently causes some people to weep. Their tears never drying. And frequently makes others laugh, their laughs and joys then never to return.
Allah has made this life as a trial, a test, an exam,
in which is made apparent the true nature of His slaves. Thus, happy is the one made successful (in this exam) by the mercy of Allah. While miserable and driven away is the one upon whom the pleasure of Allah becomes forbidden (through this exam). (Know) for every hour that you live, either Allah is pleased with you in this hour (by your deeds) or the opposite, we seek refuge in Allah from that. Therefore, (by this hour) either you come closer to Allah or stray further from Him. Thus it may be, that you live a single moment of love and obedience to Allah by which are forgiven the inequities of your life and a lifetime of sins. And it may be that you live a single moment in which you deviate purposely from the path of Allah, distancing yourself from His obedience, which then becomes a cause of misery & distress for the rest of your life.
We ask Allah for His safety and pardoning.

In this life there exist two separate ‘callers’.
The first is anything that calls to the mercy, the good pleasure and the love of Allah (be they thoughts or actions).
The second type of caller is anything which invites the opposite of that. (Such as) a desire or lust that incites one to evil, or a sudden sinful whim that may result in an evil ending (dying in bad or sinful circumstances).
Thus it may be, that a person, within a moment of his life, weeps, a weeping of regret and repentance over his negligence towards his Lord and by (these tears) Allah changes his evil deeds into good deeds (on his record).
But how many a people continue to commit sins? How many a people still indulge in evil? How many a people continue to distance themselves (from Allah), frequently travelling away from their Lord (by their actions)? Thus all of them are distant from the mercy of Allah, unbeknownst to them, strangers to the good pleasure of Allah. Then comes upon them that hour, that exact moment (of penitence), which is what we are referring to by ‘the goodly life’, in order that they shed tears of regret and remorse, and that a reason for anguish in the heart may be ignited, such that a person realizes how long his alienation from Allah has been, and how long his absence from his Lord truly has been, so that he may then say “Indeed I am turning to my Lord repentant, remorseful and in hope of His mercy and good pleasure!”. This type of penitence is a person’s key to happiness and contentment, the time of regret, it is as the scholars say, “Indeed man sins a great deal, but if he is truly sincere in his regret and repentance, Allah will change his sins into good deeds”.
Thus his life too then becomes pure and goodly, by the purity and truthfulness of that regret and repentance and by the sincerity in the very distress and pain felt within himself.

We ask Allah the Most Great Lord of the Honourable Throne, to give life to this blessed caller to His mercy, within our hearts, and to the pain we should feel when we are neglectful towards Allah and His commands.


Every single one of us needs to ask themselves a question, we need to ask ourselves day and night, how many nights are spent awake in activity? And how many hours (are passed in this way)? How many have laughed in this life? And (most importantly) was Allah pleased with this laughter? How much time was sent in entertainment & enjoyment in this life? Was this enjoyment one that Allah was pleased with? How many nights were spent awake (in activity)? Was this staying awake (and what you did), pleasing to Allah? And so on and so forth, these are questions that he should be asking within himself.
But a person may wonder why he should be asking these questions (i.e. What is the point?) Yes! You must ask yourselves these questions, as passes not the instance of a blinking of an eye, nor a fleeting moment on your life, except that you are living in and experiencing the blessings of Allah! Thus it is from great respect and humility towards Allah that a person remains constantly aware of the greatness of the blessings bestowed upon him. From this humility is to truly feel and acknowledge that the food we eat belongs to, and is provided by, Allah. And that we quench our thirst with a drink created by Allah. And that we are shaded and sheltered by a roof provided by Him. And that we walk forth on a ground provided by Him. And that without doubt we are living in, and experiencing, His every bounty and mercy, so what could we possibly have to offer Him in return? So it’s important a person asks himself these questions.

For example, doctors say there exists in a person’s heart, a substance, that if it was to increase or decrease by 1° he would die instantly. So (think) in which courtesy and kindness, which mercy and compassion from Allah does mankind enjoy, experience and live in! Even if a person asks himself about the mercy of Allah alone, when he wakes up in the morning possessing his hearing and his sight and possessing his physical strength, Who is the one actually safeguarding his hearing? Who is the one safeguarding his sight? Who is the one safeguarding his intellect? Who is the one guarding his very soul? He must ask himself, who is the one protecting all these things? Who is the one who bestowed him with good health and wellbeing? Think of those who are sick, lying on white beds (in hospital), sighing and in pain.
By Allah, through these great blessings Allah conveys His love for us, the great blessings of good health, wellbeing security and safety. All of these are provided purely so we may live a goodly, wholesome life.
Allah, Praised and Exalted is He, desires two things from His slave; the first is that he carry out his obligatory duties (e.g. prayer), and the second, is the abandonment of all Allah has forbidden and held him back from. As for the one who claims the closeness to Allah entails a life of suffering or limitations, then such a person without doubt has erred greatly in how he perceives Allah. For, by Allah, if you do not purify and make good your life by closeness to your Lord you will never be able to do so by way of anything else. And if you do not purify and adorn your life by carrying out your obligatory duties to Him, and abandoning all that He has forbidden, then by Allah you will never be able to do so by way of anything else.
A person may experience every single pleasure life has to offer, but by Allah, he will never experience anything more pleasurable, more beautiful than servitude to Allah, by carrying out his obligations to Him and leaving all that He has forbid him from.

(In life) you are subjected to two choices; whenever you are faced with a matter, you have the choice to do it or not do it. If you decide to go forth and do anything in this life ask yourself, “has Allah permitted you to do this thing or not?” For anything at all you wish to do, since the human being himself is owned by Allah, and the hearts are owned by Allah, and the souls are owned by Allah. Thus, a person should, whenever he wants to do something or hold back from it, ask himself, will Allah be pleased with you (by this action)? If so, then he can proceed. Or will Allah not be pleased by this action? If not then he should hold himself back. For, by Allah, a person does not proceed with an action nor hold back from it, requesting Allah’s mercy (and counsel in the decision) except that he pleases his Lord in the process.Therefore true happiness and a goodly life are only found in closeness to Allah. Closeness to who? To the King of Kings, the Controller of the Heavens and the Earth, to whom belongs the ultimate command, all creation, and the perfect arrangement and measure of all that exists.

Thus you may find that man is always in a state of anxiety and weariness. You may find an individual who has everything he desires. But by Allah, you will find most of those who have all they desire, suffer from mental or psychological problems, from anxiety and depression, most of them are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives. Go and look for the wealthiest person, you’ll most likely find him to be from the most miserable people in life. Why? Because Allah has made the comfort and ease of the soul to be found in being close to Him, and has placed the key to a pleasurable, amiable life, in a pleasurable, amiable relationship with Him. (If we look at just) one prayer a person performs from the 5 obligatory daily prayers, at the moment of completing his bowing and prostrating and completing his servitude to his Lord, then at leaving the place of prayer, he feels a great sense of ease and peace within himself! By Allah even if he were to spend all the wealth on the Earth in attempt to buy this feeling, he would be unable to seek a way to it.

Thus the goodly life is found only in closeness to Allah. A pleasant, comfortable life will only be found by closeness to Allah.
If a person does not purify and make good his life through this close relationship, then by who (or what) will he?

By Sheikh Muhammad Mukhtar Ash-Shinqitee

Our shield, our identity

Hijab is an act of worship, and as an act of worship, it will be rewarded.

Part of our commitment to Allah SWT is to trust that He knows what is best for us and that what He has commanded is what is right. If we find ourselves disliking the way that He has set for us, our challenge is not to ignore or to try to change His command, but rather it is to seek for ourselves the wisdom in the command and to surrender to His will. If we don't like what He has commanded, we should try to change ourselves not His commands. We should try to find reasons why His command is right and will be beneficial for us, and we should try to motivate ourselves through this to obey the command.
We look to the Quran and Sunnah to find what Allah SWT has commanded. Neither one can be taken alone but they both go together.
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, [a list of relatives], or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss."
[24:31]
Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59 says:
"O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outergarments (jilbabs) close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle."
The reason why Muslim women should wear an outer garment when going out of their homes is that they may be recognised as "Believing" women and differentiated from streetwalkers for whom sexual harassment is an occupational hazard. The purpose of this verse was not to confine women to their homes, but to make it safe for them to go about their daily business without attracting unsavoury attention.
Together, these two ayat lay out seven commandments for Muslim sisters:

1. "to lower their gazes"
2. "to guard their private parts"
3. "not to display their beauty except what is apparent of it"
4. "to extend their headcoverings to cover their bosoms"
5. "not to display their beauty except to their husbands or their fathers..."
6. "not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide"
7. "to draw their outergarments close around themselves"

Lowering the gaze means not looking at what is forbidden to be seen of others. Guarding the private parts means that only the husband is allowed to see or touch them. Not giving knowledge of what is hidden means not posturing or strutting around so as to jangle hidden jewellery or make men think about hidden body parts. All of these are part of what Allah SWT has commanded in regard to hijab.

What is apparent are the hands and face, it is clearly stated that the hair should be covered and extending to cover the chest, this includes the ears and the neck, and outergarments should be drawn around, not showing the figure of the woman which could lead to unlawful gazes, and encourage male desires.
The purpose for clothes in the west is beauty, for attraction. On the subject of attraction, two sure things exists, one in a woman and one in a man. That which exists within a woman is the desire to show herself off, it is a part of her nature. That which exists in a man is an inclination towards looking, not just looking but flirting and receiving pleasure from it. By dressing in a way that Allah (swt) has asked of us, it will prevent the showing off as there will be no means for one to do so, and hence men will not be inclined in looking or behaving in an unlawful manner that would put himself and you at risk.

As you must be aware, women walk the streets virtually naked these days. But this nakedness may not be the actual revealing of skin. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) spoke about times that would come where women are clothed but naked (i.e. her clothes will be tight fitting, transparent) this is amongst the signs of the Day of Judgement.
We should not fall into this trap. Wear hijab for the sake of Allah, it is only of benefit to us in this life and the next.

We should be known as chaste and virtuous women not mere puppets of media. A statement of truth and liberation, not a means of profit and subjects of abuse. A sight of honour- a believing woman following the way of the Ummahat-al-mu'mineen, not followers of these celebrities.

Sisters who wear hijab, I'm sure you feel very safe and shielded, and at the same time you know your representing Islam and this reinforces you to observe proper Islamic etiquettes. Its wonderful to see Muslimahs who are not afraid to wear hijab :) our bodies are beautiful so only our husbands have the right to see them, not every man who walks past. Biiiggg high five to the Hijabi's :D

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)

A prayer for each new beginning

Ya Allah,
I thank you for this day.
I thank you for my being able to see and to hear this morning.

I'm blessed because you are forgiving and understanding Allah
You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought
that was not pleasing to You.
I beg now for Your forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of ggratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so
that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind so that I can accept all things.
Let me now whine and whimper over things I have no control over.
And have the best response when I am pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray you listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do your will.
Continue to bless me that i may be a blessing for others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.
I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I pray for those who do not know You intimately.
I pray for those that don't believe.

And I thank You that I believe.
Believe that You change people and change things.

I pray for all my Muslim brothers and sisters.
For each and every family member in their households.
I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes, that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance of situation greater than Allah.