Muraqabah

Muraqabah is when a person watches over or takes care of his spiritual heart (or soul) knowing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is watching over us.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,

"...Be assured that Allah knows what is in your hearts. So, fear Him and be assured that Allah is most Forgiving, Forbearing." (Al-Baqarah(2) : 235)

"..And Allah is watchful of every thing" [Al-Ahzab(33) : 52]

"...He is with you wherever you are, and Allah is watchful of whatever you do. (Al-Hadid(57) : 4)

In the hadith of Jibreel alayhis salam when he asked the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam about ihsan (goodness and excellence), the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam replied,

 "Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, but since we do not see Him we should know that He sees us at all times."

 [Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The meaning of this hadith is the definition of muraqabah. Namely, the endurance of the servant's knowledge and his conviction and certainty that Allah is watching over his internal and external affairs. To have this knowledge and certainty at all times is called muraqabah. It is the fruit of the servant's knowledge that Allah is his Watcher, Over-seeing him, Hearing his utterances, and Observing all of his deeds at all times.

"Drown deep into yourself and find the secret of life"

The Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam said:

"Whoever possesses the following three qualities attains the sweetness of faith: To have Allah and His Messenger dearer to him than anything else, to love a person only for the sake of Allah, and to hate to return to kufr after Allah has rescued him from it like he hates to be thrown into fire."

[Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim]

"Those who believe, and whose hearts find peace in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace. (Al-Rad(13) : 28)

Eid Mubarak

Seek forgiveness frequently

Bismillahirohmanirrohiim

Luqmaan said to his son, commanding him to seek forgiveness frequently, "Make your tongue accustomed to seeking forgiveness as there are hours when Allaah The Almighty does not let down a supplicating person."

Furthermore, Al-Hasan rahimu Allaah said, "Seek forgiveness frequently in your houses, at your tables, in your roads, markets, gatherings and wherever you go for you do not know when forgiveness is granted."

In addition, Qataadah said, "The Quran guides you to your illness and your cure. Your illness is sins and your cure is seeking forgiveness." The accursed Shaytaan (Satan) said, "I destroyed people with sins, and they destroyed me with saying 'Laa ilaaha illa Allaah (I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah)’ and seeking forgiveness."

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18 sources of Barakah.

Go Easy..

One thing we got to change in ourselves strongly is to stop finding faults with others all the time. Nobody is perfect NEITHER OTHERS, NOR WE.

She/he talks like that, walks like that, uses this or that, says something and do something,

...spend a lot, shop a lot, waste a lot, eat a lot, facebooking all the time, watches movies, listens to music, do not train their kids well,

...wears this /that, too rich, too poor, too female, too male, too white, too non-white, too much status, not enough status,

...being too smart, or not smart enough, too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny….

The list goes on and is really endless.

GO EASY….On yourself too and on others too. Let’s stop wasting time always finding faults about others. We rarely say good about others.

Let’s keep a firm check on our tongue not to criticize any Muslim brother or sister of ours.

(Excerpt from an article in FB)

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The Quran has commanded believers to refrain from such utterances and statements that may sow enmity and discord among the family or society members. It says:

“Say to My servants that they should only say those things that are best, for Satan does sow dissensions among them, for Satan is to man an avowed enemy.” (Al-Quran, Sura Israa, 17:53)

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, in deed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah, verily, Allah is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Al-Quran, Surah Hujrat, 49:12)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been reported saying: "Whoever protects his tongue from unlawful utterances and guards his private parts from illegal sexual relations, I shall guarantee him entrance into the Paradise." (Sahih Bukhari: Hadith No 6109)

While, at another place the Prophet (peace be upon him) is asked: “Who is the best Muslim? The Messenger of Allah replied: “He is the one from the evils of whose tongue and hands people are safe." (Sunan Nasai: Hadith No 11726)

"Do you know what backbiting is?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He then said, "It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike." Someone asked him, "But what if what I say is true?" The Messenger of Allah said, "If what you say about him is true, you are backbiting him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him." (Sahih Muslim: Haidth No 2589).

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Posting : Surah Al-Humazah / ... Tongue...(Lisan) - Link (here)

* I am blessed *

From FB

I observe my life and my accomplishments.

I count the favors and blessings I have been given.

I measure my intelligence to other people.

I compare my physical and mental abilities to others.

I come to the conclusion that Allah has given me all the right things in perfect quantity, with measure and precision to live my purpose.

Everyone is given all they need to impact the lives of other people and to live happily and a purposeful life.

Who you are today, and what you have today is because Allah has determined your need and your purpose.

Thank Allah for everything you have. Allah is great, and HE knows what we need.

I am blessed!

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"THANK YOU, ALLAH"

(Nasheed by : Raihan)

The greater the test, the greater the reward

Allaah says in Surah Al-Hajj (22:11) :

"There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! (11)"

[Dan ada di antara manusia yang menyembah Allah dengan sikap dan pendirian yang tidak tetap, iaitu kalau dia beroleh kebaikan, senanglah hatinya dengan keadaan itu dan kalau pula dia ditimpa fitnah kesusahan, berbaliklah dia semula (kepada kekufurannya). (Dengan sikapnya itu) rugilah dia akan dunia dan akhirat, itulah kerugian yang terang nyata. (11)]

Walhamdulillah. The greater the test, the greater the reward, the greater the hardship the greater the reward, the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward from Allaah (tabarak wa ta'ala). And the Salaf understood this.

Urwah Ibn Zubair, a well known from the Salaf had a problem with his foot. So the doctors decided that they had to cut it off, cut the foot off. When the doctors cut it off he didn't say anything except these words: 'O Allaah, for you are Full praise. For if you have taken some, you have left some. And if you have tested, and put through difficulty you have also put in good condition. If you have tested and tried and put through difficulty you have also put good health, good circumstances and good conditions.'

The next day his son was riding a horse or mule and fell off of it and died. So they came to Urwah with the information of the death of his son, he didn't say anything except : 'O Allaah, for you is full praise. For if you have taken some, you have left some. And if you have tested and tried you have also placed us in good situations and good condition.'

So when he was asked about this he said: 'I had 4 limbs (meaning 2 arms and 2 legs) and Allaah took some and left some. 'I had 4 limbs 2 arms and 2 legs Allaah took o­ne and left me three.

I had 7 sons, Allaah (tabrak wa tala) took o­ne and left six.

And he gave me good condition, or good situation my whole life up until this time.

Then he tested me.

Should I not praise Allaah for that?

Should I not praise Allaah for that?'

ريض يالطارش Raith yattarish an Imarati nasheed

Mishary Al-Afasy ريض يالطارش Raith yattarish an Imarati nasheed

(with Eng Sub.)

Wait, O weary courier, pen a salute on a letter

Even if the darkness followed you,

you have to accomplish your mission

And if they (The ones we sent the letter to) enquired after us,

thank them and tell them:

they are the way you remember

Your defendant is absent,

and the verdict is impermissible in absence

A person must deliberate, and judge fairly

Don't mistake us to be the source of this injustice,

it's justice we give and take

Do us a favor (O courier)

and carry to them our salute and greetings

Tell them the restless sorrowful

is spending the nights raving about them

Thoughts and suspicions are playing us

A sorrow we hide in the heart

fearing some people will disgrace us

Tell that the One we thank the most (Allah)

knows all that is public or secret

He (Allah) knows what you are

but He (Allah) tests his servant with ordeals

Whoever wants his final destination to be the heaven,

he wouldn't accept a poor spirit

For some, dreams are all what they do,

and for others they make their dreams come true

And the one who says: Lord, I have faith!,

will never bare despair and suspicion

This one becomes stronger with Qur'an and Sunnah,

and when The Caller Calls (Allah) he responds

O courier when you meet them, tell them:

we still remember our promise and we will fulfill it

(Link youtube : by "3houd" here)

A STORY OF AN IMAAM

From my mail box..

Several years ago an Imaam moved to London. He often took the bus from his home to the downtown area. Some weeks after he arrived, he had the occasion to ride the same bus. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him twenty pence too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, you better give the twenty pence back. It would be wrong to keep it.

Then he thought, oh forget it, it's only twenty pence. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from Almighty Allah and keep quite.

When his stop came, the Imaam paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the twenty pence back to the driver and said "Here, you gave me too much change."

The driver with a smile replied "Aren't you the new Imaam in this area? I have been thinking lately about going to worship at your mosque. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

When the Imaam stepped off the bus, his knees became weak and soft. He had to grab the nearest light pole and held for support, and looked up to the heavens and cried,

"Oh Allah, I almost sold Islam for twenty pence!"

We may never see the impact our actions have on people.

(23/11/2009)

You are the author

“You are the author of your own book. So make sure its worth reading on the day of judgement.” (Anonymous quote)

[Soorah Al-Israa, v:13-14]

“And We have fastened every man’s deeds to his neck, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him a book which he will find wide open. (It will be said to him): “Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day”. [soorah Al-Israa, v:13-14]

Dan tiap-tiap seorang manusia Kami kalongkan bahagian nasibnya di lehernya dan pada hari kiamat kelak Kami akan keluarkan kepadanya kitab (suratan amalnya) yang akan didapatinya terbuka (untuk di tatapnya). (13) (Lalu Kami perintahkan kepadanya): Bacalah Kitab (suratan amalmu), cukuplah engkau sendiri pada hari ini menjadi penghitung terhadap dirimu (tentang segala yang telah engkau lakukan). (14)

"On the day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions". surat An-Nur, (verse 24).

Also Allah (S.W.T.) says what could be translated as, "And they will say to their skin:" Why did you bear witness against us? "They will say "Allah has caused us to speak, as He cause all things to speak." ( Surat Al-Fussillat, Verse 21)

The Messenger described the questioning in a speech reported by Imam Muslim that the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said:

"Allah (S.W.T.) will meet a person and ask him: "O person, Wasn't I generous with you, and made you with a spouse, and made the horses and camels at your disposal? The servant will reply "yes"! Allah (S.W.T.) will then ask “Did you think that you will meet Me?” He will reply: "No!" Allah (S.W.T.) will say: "I will forget you like you forgot Me"!

Then Allah (S.W.T.) will meet another person and his reply will be the same as the first person.

Then Allah (S.W.T.) will meet a third person and will ask similar questions, and the person's reply will be: "O Lord I believed in you, in your books, and in your messengers. I prayed, I fasted, and I gave charity. And he will praise Allah as much as he can.

Allah (S.W.T.) will say: "Hold on to your words, Now We will bring the witnesses. The person will ask himself “Who will testify against me?”

Then that persons mouth will be sealed, and his thighs, flesh and bones will be asked to speak. They will speak about his bad deeds. He will know that he has no excuse.

That is the hypocrite Allah (S.W.T.) will be furious with!”

We will be asked in the Day of Judgement about five things.

The prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) said:

“The son of Adam will not pass away from Allah until he is asked about five things: how he lived his life, and how he utilized his youth, with what means did he earn his wealth, how did he spend his wealth, and what did he do with his knowledge.”

{Good hadith reported by Imam At-Tirmithi}

Best companions.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم (peace be upon him) was reportedly asked:

“Which of our companions are best?”

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied:

“One whose appearance reminds you of God, and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of the hereafter.”

Salutations to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam)

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim (rahimahullaah), who wrote a book about the virtues of sending salutations on Prophet Muhammad (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) listed some benefits on salutations (salawat) :

1. Doing this act is following Allaah's order

2. Sending Salutations on the Prophet agrees with Allaah's. And if they differ then our salutations are du'aa and request. Allaah's salutation raises the Prophet's rank and is a praise for him.

3. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is an act the Angels do.

4. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) raises your rank ten levels.

5. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) removes ten bad deeds and adds ten good deeds to your record.

6. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is a means to draw you closer to the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) on the Day of Judgment.

7. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) allows him to return the same salutation to you.

8. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is a way to earn Allaah's mercy.

9. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) saves you from being stingy in giving him salutations.

10. Sending salutations on the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) with the du'aa after the Adhaan earns you the right for his intercession on the Day of Judgment.

Increase of Provision through Forgiveness

A) Hasan al Basri -Rahimullaah- mentioned:

‘That a man complained to him concerning drought so it was said seek forgiveness from Allaah, another complained about another matter so it was said seek forgiveness from Allaah, another complained about lack of rain for his land so it was said seek forgiveness from Allaah another complained of no offspring so it was said seek forgiveness from Allaah, then he (Hasan al Basri) recited.

ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا ١٠ يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارٗا ١١ وَيُمۡدِدۡكُم بِأَمۡوَٰلٖ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجۡعَل

لَّكُمۡ جَنَّٰتٖ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ أَنۡهَٰرٗا ١٢

"Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers, And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers."

[Soorah Nuh: 10-12]

[Taken from: ‘Fath al-Bari’ Chapter: the Best Method of Seeking forgiveness]

B) al-Hafidh Emaad ad-Deen Isma’eel Ibn Katheer (d. 774 A.H.) -Rahimullaah- said in his Tafseer about the previous Ayaat:

‘If you repented to Allaah and sought forgiveness from Him and showed obedience to Him your Rizq (provision) would increase and rain would fall from the blessings of the skies, and the blessings of the earth would spring forth, crops would grow for you. You will be given abundant livestock. You will be aided with wealth and offspring; meaning that offspring and wealth would be given to you. And you will be given gardens that have numerous types of fruits and through out there will be rivers that flow in these gardens. This is the way of giving Dawa’ by encouragement.’

[Taken from: ‘Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-Atheem’ 4/p.536]

C) It is narrated from Abi Saeed Al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said: ‘Whoever performs Wudu and then says:

‘ Subhanaka Allahuma wabihamdika la ilaha ila anta astaghfiruka wa atooboo ilaika’

(‘Far are You O Allaah from imperfection, and You have all praise, there is none worthy of worship in truth except You, I seek forgiveness from You and I repent to You),

then this reward is written in a parchment and it is stamped with a seal and no falsehood can break it until the day of Judgment.’

[Taken from ‘Silsilah as-Saheehah’ No. 2333 declared Hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani]