A Smiling & Cheerful Face

In a hadeeth related by Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, the Prophet [sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] said:

“Do not look down upon any good deed, not even to meet your brother with a cheerful face.” [Reported by Muslim]


In another hadeeth, he [sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] said:

“To smile in the face of your brother is charity given on your behalf.” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree in ‘Al-Adab al-Mufrad’ and at-Tirmidhee with a ‘saheeh’ chain]


So cheerful was the countenance of the Prophet [sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] that one of his Companions, Jarir bin ‘Abdullaah said: “Since the day I accepted Islam, the Messenger of Allaah [sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] would never meet me without a smile in my face.” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree in ‘Al-Adab al-Mufrad’ with a ‘saheeh’ chain]


A smiling face indicates a good quality and causes blessed results - it indicates that one’s heart is free of rancour and it causes affection to grow between Muslims.




Taken from "Explanation of Important Lessons for Every Muslim" by Shaykh ‘Abdul-Aziz bin ‘Abdullaah bin Baaz, Compiled by Muhammad bin Ali bin Ibrahim al-Arfaj, Published by Darussalam

FOUR THINGS TO REMEMBER

The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w(peace be upon him) said:

1) Four things that make your body sick:

a) Excessive talking
b) Excessive sleeping
c) Excessive eating and
d) Excessive meeting other people


2) Four things that destroys the body:

a) Worrying
b) Sorrow (Sadness/Grief)
c) Hunger
d) Sleeping late in the night


3) Four things that dry the face & take away its happiness:

a) Lying
b) Being disrespectful/impudent (insisting on something wrong knowingly)
c) Arguing without adequate knowledge & Information.
d) Excessive immorality (doing something wrong without fear).


4) Four things that increases the wetness of face & its happiness:

a) Piety
b) Loyalty
c) Generosity (being kind)
d) To be helpful to others without he/she asking for that.


5) Four things that stop the Rizq (Sustenance):

a) Sleeping in the morning (from Fajr to sunrise)
b) Not Performing Namaz or Ir-regular in Prayers
c) Laziness / Idleness
d) Treachery / Dishonesty


6) Four things that bring / increase the Rizq:

a) Staying up in the night for prayers.
b) Excessive Repentance
c) Regular Charity
d) Zikr (Remembrance of Allah / God).

Take benefit from five before five

From Ibn Abbas (ra), The Prophet (salalahu alahi wa salam) said to him:

"Take benefit from five before five: your life before your death, your health before your illness, your spare time before you get busy, your youth before your old age and your wealth before your times of poverty." (Haakim 4/306)

We listen to this warning but without taking heed – days pass us by, years are spent, but many of us have not increased in good deeds except very little.

We are too busy enjoying our lives in play and amusement. We spent our youth chasing after our lusts and most hidden desires…listen to what Allah (SWT) says :

"…Before one of you comes to death and then he will say. Oh my Lord if only you would give me respite for a few more days then I will indeed give sadaqah and be of the righteous, but Allah will not delay a persons appointed time of death if its time has come. Allah is all aware of what you do."

The Messenger (salalahu alahi wa salam) advised the man to take benefit, to take heed, of his life before his death. Because life is indeed a great blessing, a huge blessing from Allah (swt). Every day of it is a blessing, every week of it is a blessing.

As the Prophet (salalahu alahi wa salam) used to say when Allah would return his soul after sleep:

" Praise be to Allah who gave me life after death and to him is the final return." (Bukhari 11/113)

This is because each day is another day possible for us to repent, do righteous deeds, worship Allah, and change our lives from the evil that we do, and get closer to our Lord.

The Prophet (salalahu alahi wa salam) said:

"The best of you is the one who lives the longest and does many good deeds." ( Tirmidi 3/387, 2432) .

So this long age with lots of righteous deeds will raise you to a very high and blessed station.


Allah(SWT) says :

"Verily Allah has the knowledge of the last hour, and he sends down the rain and he knows what is in the wombs of the women, and no soul knows what it is going to earn tomorrow, and no soul knows which land it is going to die in. Verily Allah is the knower of all things."

So take benefit from your life before your death, because Allah (SWT) has informed us that the deceased will ask to be returned to the dunya at the time of death, for he will indeed at that time see the real value of life and the great benefit of being alive.

And from that which the Prophet (salalahu alahi wa salam) ordered us to take benefit from is your health before your illness, and your spare time before you get busy.

Health is like a crown, one who wears it is like a king. Non else but an ill person will see that.

Spare time is like treasure non else can see that but one who is busy. The Prophet (salalahu alahi wa salam) also said:

"Two blessings that most people do not take heed of , health and spare time." (Bukhari 11/229,6412)

(Excerpts from tazkirah by : Shaykh Abdul Atheem Badwi from the magazine Al- Isaalah)

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The nasheed "Demi Masa" (that was inspired by the above) by Raihan, Malaysian nasheed group.

(http://www.raihan.com.my/v3/index.html)

(Translation)

By the time
Verily man is in state of loss
Except those who have Faith,
and do righteous deeds,

By the time
Verily man is in state of loss
Except (those who) give advice on the Truth,
and of Patience

Make use of the chance
That is still given
May we don't have regret (in future)

The benefit of our lives
Is not to be wasted
As it (time) cannot be repeated

(Chorus)

Remember five things, before five things :

Health before Illness
Youth before Old Age
Wealth before Poverty
Spare Time before Busy Hours
Life before Death


By the time
Verily man is in state of loss
Except those who have Faith,
and do righteous deeds,

Make use of the chance
That is still given
May we don't have regret (in future)

The benefit of our lives
Is not to be wasted
As it (time) cannot be repeated

(Repeat chorus)

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(note : one of the original members in this group, Zairee passed away in 2001..may Allah SWT bless his soul ~ Al-Fatihah)

Sunnahs of Eating and Drinking

The first duty in Islam concerning eating is ensuring that the food is both permissible (halal) and comes from a permissible source. You should also feel satisfied with what Allah has provided you and believe that these provisions are a blessing from Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once told `Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), "O Ali! There are twelve rules a Muslim must learn to adhere to before the table (of food), four of which are duties, four of which are Sunnah, and four of which are manners. Knowing what you eat and its source, mentioning Allah’s name prior to eating, being grateful for provisions, and being content with them are duties. Sitting on the left foot, eating with three fingers, eating from the food closer to you, and licking the fingers (used while eating) are Sunnah. Restricting the size of each mouthful of food, chewing very well, refraining from looking people in the face, and washing the hands (afterwards) are of manners."



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1. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) expressed dislike for over-eating and said that over-eating is ill luck and misfortune. In other words, a person who over eats will be followed by such faults and defects that he will have difficulty and hardship in every place and people will look at him in a bad way.

2. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) used to eat with three fingers, and before wiping and cleaning his hand he used to lick his blessed fingers.

3. Whenever food is very hot, it should be left covered for a while, so that the emission of steam finishes. In doing so, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) had said that this is a method in which barakah may be gained.

4. Hazrat Anas has mentioned that, “I once saw the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) sitting in a squatting posture and eating dates.”

5. The posture mentioned means that when one keeps his calves straight and sits on his feet.

6. Once in a gathering, the number of people eating increased, so the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) sat with his blessed legs folded (as in Attahiyyat position in Salaah), the reason being that there is humility in sitting like this and there is consideration for other people who are also present because sitting in this manner creates more room for them.

7. The people eating should not get up before the table cloth has been lifted.

8. When one is eating with another person then he should not stop eating as long as the other person is eating, even though the stomach has become full, this is so that the other person does not feel ashamed. If one has to stop eating, then he should make an excuse.

9. One should not drink from a water container by putting his mouth on it.

10. The same prohibition has been applied to placing the mouth on and drinking from a spouted jug, or a goblet meaning a long necked flask or a bottle etc.

11. One should not breathe into a utensil or blow into it. One should also refrain from placing his mouth on a utensil that is cracked or broken. Many people have the habit of standing up and drinking, one should also refrain from this act.

12. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) never found fault with food, if he liked it then he would eat it. If he did not prefer it, then he would just leave it without complaining.

13. Hazrat Huzaifa has mentioned that the Holy Prophet prevented us from eating and drinking in gold and silver utensils. This order is for both men and women.

May Allah Taa'la give us the ability to act upon these Sunnahs of Rasullullah .

Ameen.

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Sunnahs of our beloved prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)



Sunnahs of Eating:
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1. Sit and eat on the floor.

2. Spread out a cloth on the floor first before eating.

3. Wash both hands up to the wrists.

4. Recite "Bismillah wa'la barakatillah' aloud.

5. Eat with the right hand.

6. Eat from the side that is in front of you.

7. If a morsel of food falls down, pick it up, clean it and eat it.

8. Do not find fault with the food.

9. When eating, sit with either both knees on the ground or one knee raised or both knees raised.

10. Clean the plate and other utensils thoroughly after eating.
By doing this, the utensils make dua for one's forgiveness.

11. Recite dua after eating. ( Al hamdu lillahi lazi atamana saqana wo jaalna minal musalamin )

12. After meals wash both the hands.

13. Eat with three fingers if possible.

14. One should not eat very hot food.

15. Do not blow on the food.

16. After eating one should lick his fingers.



Sunnahs of drinking:
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1. A Muslim should drink with the right hand. Shaytaan Drinks with the left hand.

2. Sit and drink.

3. Recite "Bismillah" before drinking.

4. After drinking say " Alhamdullilah" .

5. Drink in 3 breaths removing the utensil from the mouth after each sip.

6. Do not drink directly from the jug or bottle. One should pour the contents into a glass first and then drink.

Neighbours

BEHAVIOUR WITH NEIGHBOUR

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He will not enter Paradise whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct." - Sahih Muslim, Hadith 15



BE KIND TO YOUR NEIGHBOURS

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you are kind to your neighbour, you will be a believer. If you like others to have what you like for yourself, you will be a Muslim." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1334



BE GENEROUS TO YOUR NEIGHBOUR

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should be generous to his neighbour." - Al-Muwatta, Volume 49, Hadith 22



BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone is pleased to love God and His Messenger or to have God and His Messenger love him, he should speak the truth when he says anything, fulfill his trust when he is put in a position of authority and be a good neighbor." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1289

A man once asked the Prophet: "How can I know when I do well and when I do ill?" The Prophet replied: "When you hear your neighbors say you have done well, you have done well; and when you hear them say you have done ill, you have done ill." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1288


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The Prophet (peace be upon him) and an old woman.
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One old woman made a habit of throwing rubbish on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) whenever he passed her house on the way to the mosque. However, he would pass silently by without showing any anger or annoyance.

And this was a regular, daily event.

One day when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was passing by the house, the old woman was not there as usual to throw the rubbish. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stopped and asked the neighbour about her well-being.

The neighbour then informed Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that the old woman was sick in bed.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) politely asked permission to visit the woman and when allowed, he entered the house.

The old woman thought that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had come there to take his revenge when she was unable to defend herself because of sickness.

But the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) assured her that he had come to her, not to take any revenge, but to see her and to look after her needs, as it was the command of Allah that if any one is sick, a Muslim should visit him and should help him if his help is needed.

The old woman was greatly moved by this kindness and love of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

By the example of greatness of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), she understood that he was truly the Prophet of Allah and Islam was the true religion. She accepted Islam at once.