tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339198792024-03-07T14:50:07.947-08:00The Struggle to Attain Ihsaan & Remain ThereGiving Salaam is an expiator of sins. The prophet (saw) said, "You will not enter Jannah unless you love each other. Shall I tell you how to instill this love… Spread the salaam”. Even if you are separated by a wall or pillar you should say salaam again.Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-48979184431357593672008-01-04T04:55:00.000-08:002008-01-04T05:00:32.460-08:00Ten Useless MattersThey are:<br /><br />1. Knowledge that is not acted on <br /><br />2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others <br /><br />3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter <br /><br />4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him <br /><br />5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah <br /><br />6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure <br /><br />7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good <br /><br />8. A mind that thinks about useless matters <br /><br />9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life <br /><br />10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself. <br /><br />However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.<br /><br />How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.<br /><br />Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah<br />www.islaam.comIhsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-41280547971327291462007-11-21T17:52:00.000-08:002007-11-21T18:09:14.521-08:00Signs of Weak Iman and how to Increase it<strong>Signs of weak Faith:</strong> <br /><br />Committing sins and not feeling any guilt. <br /><br />Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran. <br /><br />Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat <br /><br />Neglecting the Sunnah. <br /><br />Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time. <br /><br />Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings. <br /><br />Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr. <br /><br />Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah. <br /><br />Desiring status and wealth. <br /><br />Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth. <br /><br />Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves. <br /><br />Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others. <br /><br />Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things. <br /><br />Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque. <br /><br />Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims. <br /><br />Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam. <br /><br />Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof. <br /><br />Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth. <br /><br />Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves. <br /><br /><strong>Okay, how to increase our faith then ?</strong> <br /><br />Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in. <br /><br />Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night. <br /><br />Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah's names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge. <br />Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels. <br /><br />We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts. <br />We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures. <br /><br />Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell. <br />Make dua, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don't covet material things in this life. <br /><br />Our love for Subhana Wa Ta'Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day. <br />Realize the effects of sins and disobedience- one's faith is increased with good deeds and our faith is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah. <br /><br />Contributed by: Abu BananIhsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-922312627190498052007-09-11T19:49:00.000-07:002007-09-11T19:58:26.590-07:00How to Prepare for Ramadan: Sr. Maryam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.celticharper.com/pics/MEPix2/BlueSky_MarkHarrison_MagpieDesignDotNet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.celticharper.com/pics/MEPix2/BlueSky_MarkHarrison_MagpieDesignDotNet.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I benefited from this post so I thought I'd share it with those of you who have not come across it yet insha'allah.<br /><br />www.suhaibwebb.com is looking for writers. If your interested please let them know.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A lot of us yearn to prepare for Ramadan, but we have no idea how to start. Below are a few tips to insha’Allah help prepare our minds and hearts for this upcoming Month of Mercy.</span><br /><br />1. Making the Intention<br /><br />Simple to do and has a powerful impact. Maybe you want to prepare for Ramadan, but between school, work, family, and any other activities, you just have no idea how to fit in ‘Preparing for Ramadan’ time. Instead of making ‘preparing for Ramadan’ something separate from your daily activities, MAKE your daily activities a means of preparation for Ramadan.<br /><br /> For example, perhaps your mom asked you to pick up your brother from school on the day you finally had time to read a few extra pages of Qur’an. Instead of feeling upset and feeling like you have lost a great preparation for Ramadan opportunity, make the intention that you are picking up your brother to please Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and prepare for Ramadan by obeying your mother, helping your family members, building ties of kinship… and the list continues.<br /><br />The point is that preparing for Ramadan does not have to be some magnificent, enormous, extra-special thing that needs to be done at a certain time of the day. Many of your daily actions can be turned into Ramadan preparation actions with a sincere intention, insha’Allah. <br /><br />2. Do these easy-to-reap-reward actions:<br /><br /> 1. Asking Allah to forgive your brothers and sisters. “Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing woman, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.” [at-Tabarani, classed as hasan by al-Albani]<br /><br /> 2. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (r.a) said “The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘Whoever says subhanAllah wa bi hamdih (praise and glory be to Allah) 100 times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam on the sea.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 6042; Muslim 2691<br /><br /> 3. If a person says “SubhanAllah” (glory be to Allah) 100 times, a thousand good deeds are recorded for him and a thousand bad deeds are wiped away. Narrated by Muslim 2073<br /><br /> 4. Remember Allah when you go shopping : “Whoever enters a market and says:<br /> ‘Laa ilaha illallah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu yuhyi wa yumeetu wa huwa hayyun laa yamoot, bi yadihil khair, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shayin qadeer’[there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, to Him belongs dominion and praise, He causes life and death and He is the Living and does not die. In His Hand is all the good, and He is over all things competent]Allah will write for him/her a million good deeds and erase a million bad deeds and raise him a million levels.” [at-Tirmidhi, classed as hasan by al-Albani]<br /><br />3. Up your worship<br /><br /> To help condition your heart for this blessed month, intensify your worship before Ramadan begins. Just a small, consistent amount is enough. The Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam told us:<br /><br /> “The deeds most loved by Allah are those done regularly, even if they are small.”<br /><br /> For example, if I always pray 2 rakats of sunnah after ishaa, from this day until Ramadan begins- and even through Ramadan, let me make the intention that I will now pray 2 extra rakats of sunnah after ishaa. And every time I pray these extra 2 rakats, which are more than what I normally pray, let me remember that I am doing these with the intention of asking Allah to help me be prepared to strive and exert my utmost effort during Ramadan. <br /><br />4. Make a duaa list today<br /><br /> This is THE MONTH to ask for EVERYTHING, both related to this life and the Next. Let us not wait until the last 10 nights to make special duaas, and then once Eid passes realize that we had completely forgotten about fifty other things we needed to make duaa for. Let us start making our lists now, and add to it as more things come our way. Insha’Allah this should help us remember to make constant duaa in this month where duaa is accepted, and help our hearts pour out to the One Who can make those duaas happen, subhanahu wa ta’ala.<br /><br />5. Write out your objectives for Ramadan<br /><br /> Praying all of your fard prayers? Praying all of your sunnahs? Reading the entire Qur’an? Giving $1 charity a day? Making itikaaf in the masjid? Leaving one serious sin that you’ve been trying to get away from for some time now? Sincerely turning completely back to Allah? <br /><br /> Write out a list, put them somewhere you will see them, and make duaa for your success in fulfilling these objectives.<br /><br />6. Make a plan!<br /><br /> Look at your objectives, and try to make a plan on how to actualize those objectives in this month. <br /><br /> For example, perhaps you are really struggling to pray your sunnah prayers. In this month, realize the enormity of the ajr of praying the sunnah prayers… think that perhaps these sunnahs will be the deeds that will be so heavy on your scale of good deeds when you are intense need of them- on yowm al qiyamah. Therefore, fight to keep doing them all throughout Ramadan. If you can’t pray your 2 rakats after dhur right away, make sure to do them as soon as you get a chance. <br /><br /> Thus, your plan might look something like this:<br /><br /> Objective: Pray all of my fard prayers. <br /><br /> Method: Envision myself on the day of judgment seeing the insha’Allah weight of praying my sunnah consistently during this month. Make sure to pray sunnah salah immediately after salah. If I cannot, do it as soon as the opportunity arises… don’t let myself put it off! <br /><br /> Another example is that of finishing the Qur’an:<br /><br /> Objective: Finishing the entire Qur’an in this month.<br /><br /> Method: Read 4 pages of the Qur’an after every salah. 5 prayers X 4 pages = 20 pages. 20 pages= about 1 juz. 1 juz X 30= the entire Qur’an. <br /><br /><br />——-<br />So many Muslims have passed away since last month. So many people have not made it to Ramadan this year. Last year was their very last Ramadan. Will you make it to this Ramadan? Will this be your last Ramadan?<br /><br />Aim to strive in this Ramadan. With a very small amount of effort, such as just making a small intention, or adding a few extra acts of worship, we pray that Allah will help our hearts soften and honor us with making it easy to turn to Him and open up to Him.<br /><br />May Allah make us of the successful in Ramadan, and make it easy for us to turn to Him completely and perpetually. Ameen.Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-76159292962107788952007-08-23T03:02:00.000-07:002007-08-23T03:07:17.574-07:00Avoiding evil thoughts<a href="http://www.jimwegryn.com/Photos/Clouds%20darkly.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.jimwegryn.com/Photos/Clouds%20darkly.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): <br /><strong>“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another…”[al-Hujuraat 49:12] </strong><br /><br />The believer should interpret what his Muslim brother says in the best possible way. One of the salaf said: <strong>Never think of something that is said by your brother as being bad when you still find room for a good interpretation.</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-74052572713497351192007-07-02T08:43:00.000-07:002007-07-02T09:03:11.840-07:00As Time passesAbdullah bin Mas'ud radiyalaahu anhu said: "Indeed I hate to see a man idle, neither working for this world nor the hereafter."<br /><br />Hassan Basri rahiimahulaah said: "O son of Adam, indeed you are only but a number of days. Whenever a day passes a part of you leaves with it."<br /><br />Hassan said: "I met pious people who are more misely with there time than they are with their wealth."<br /><br />Hassan also said in a sermon. "Do not let the temporary and little charms of this world distract you and entice you... and do not say tomorrow and tomorrow, for indeed you do not know when you will be heading to Allah."<br /><br /> Gems and Jewels by Abdul Malik MujahidIhsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-44892984671317415432007-04-01T17:58:00.000-07:002007-04-01T18:07:03.688-07:00Shirk, Parents and false witness<a href="http://kingdom3d.com/support/Downloads/Storm_Green.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://kingdom3d.com/support/Downloads/Storm_Green.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Among the major sins is disobedience to parents. Narrated by Abu Bakra (ra) Allah’s messenger (saw) said: “Shall I inform you of the greatest sins and in another variation he repeated this three times. We the companions said, “Certainly, O messenger of Allah! He (saw) said: “Associating anyone with Allah, disobedience to parents”. The prophet sat up straight after he had reclined and added, “And I warn you against false utterance and false witness, “And I warn you against false utterance and false witness”. The messenger of Allah (saw) kept saying that warning until we thought that he would not stop”.<br /> Bukhari&Muslim<br /><br />The messenger of Allah (saw) always repeated his sentences three times to make an emphasis. Shirk (associating partners with Allah) will not be forgiven.(if one dies without asking for forgiveness. And the one who is disobedient to his parents will definitely spend some time in the hellfire however this action will not take you out of the fold of Islam. Grandparents are also included however parents have more right. Before a man accuses someone else of an action he must be a 100% sure and anything less is unacceptable.<br /><br /><strong>Explained by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-20464450636922485282007-03-10T18:30:00.000-08:002007-03-10T18:34:05.902-08:00The Patience of Noble People and the Patience of Ignoble People<a href="http://www.helderdarocha.com.br/blog/partial_green_clouds.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.helderdarocha.com.br/blog/partial_green_clouds.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Every person has to exercise patience in order to face difficulties, whether he does so willingly or unwillingly. The noble person exercises patience willingly, because he realizes the benefits of patience, and he knows that he will be rewarded for his patience and will be criticized if he panics. He is aware that if he does not have patience, panicking and impatience will not help him to regain missed opportunities, and will not take away things he dislikes. Whatever is decreed and is qada' wa qadr cannot be prevented from happening, and whatever is decreed not to happen cannot be made to happen. So an attitude of impatience and panic actually causes harm. <br /><br />A wise man said: <strong>"A man with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to patience)". </strong><br />The ignoble man exercises patience only when he realizes he has no choice. After wasting a lot of time and energy and panicking and struggling, he realizes that his impatience will not help him. Then he exercises patience in the same way that a person who has been tied up to be whipped exercises patience. <br /><br />The noble person practices patience in obeying Allah, whilst the ignoble person exercises patience in obeying the Shaytan. So ignoble person have the greatest patience in following their own whims and desires, and have the least patience in obeying their Lord. They have the greatest patience in spending in the way of Shaytan and no patience when it comes to spending even a few pennies in the way of Allah. They will endure many difficulties in order to follow their own whims and desires, but cannot bear even the least difficulties in order to please their Lord. They will endure slander for the sake of committing wrong action, but cannot exercise patience in putting up with slander for the sake of Allah. Such people will avoid enjoining the good and forbidding the evil for fear of what people will say about them for doing so, but they will expose their honour to slander and bear it most patiently for the sake of following their own whims and desires. Similarly, they are not prepared to practise patience in devoting themselves to Allah, but when it comes to devoting themselves to Shaytan and their own whims and desires, they will exercise remarkable patience. Such people will never be noble in the sight of Allah, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be raised with the people of nobility and decency. <br /><br />Imam Ibn Al Qayyim<br />Patience and Gratitude - an abridged translation of `Uddat as-Sabirin wa Dhakhirat ash-Shakirin <br />© 1977 Ta-Ha PublishersIhsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-309284562969430592007-02-23T11:15:00.000-08:002007-02-23T11:35:29.868-08:00Strengthening the Motive of Reason and ReligionIn the battle between reason/religion and whims/desires, we have the following weapons at our disposal: <br /><br />1. We should remember the glory and greatness of Allah, and feel that He is too great to be sinned against as He is all-seeing and all-hearing. Whoever thinks of the greatness of Allah will never be at ease in committing wrong actions. <br /><br />2. If we claim to love Allah, then we should not disobey Him, because of that love. A person should be obedient to the One he claims to love. Those who refrain from committing wrong action out of their love for Allah are of the highest status in His sight, as are those who worship Him out of love for Him. There is a great difference between the one who obeys Allah and abstains from wrong action Out of love, and the one who does so out of fear of punishment. <br /><br />3. We should think of the blessings and favours of Allah, as a decent and noble person would never act against the one who has been treating him kindly- Only base and ignoble people do such a thing. If we think of the blessings and favours of Allah, we will realize that we should not respond by going against His commands and committing wrong action. <br /><br />4. We should think of the wrath and punishment of Allah, as He will be angry with the person who persists in committing wrong action. Nothing can stand in the way of the consequences of His anger, least of all this weak slave of His. <br /><br />5. We should think of what the person who commits wrong action has to lose, in this world and the next. It should be sufficient to think of the loss of iman (faith), of which the smallest amount is worth much more than everything in this world. How can anyone be willing to lose his iman in return for some brief <br /><br />Moment of pleasure the consequences of which might last forever? In a sahih hadith, the Prophet (SAAS) said: "No adulterer is a believer at the time when he is committing adultery." Commenting on this hadith, one of the Sahabah said: "His iman wil be dragged out of him until it goes over his head like a cloud. If he repents, then his iman will return to him." <br /><br />6. We should relish the idea of defeating the Shaytan and being victorious over him, because overcoming him, and our whims and desires, is a thing of joy and carries a great reward. It is like taking medicine and being rewarded with restoration to good health. <br /><br />7. We should bear in mind the reward and compensation which Allah has promised to those who control their whims and desires, and abstain from that which is haram. <br /><br />8. We should think of the special companionship of Allah, as He has told us: "Allah is with those who patiently persevere." (al-Baqarah 2: 153) "For Allah is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good" (an-Nahl 16: 128) "For verily Allah is with those who do right." (al-Ankabut 29: 69) <br /><br />9. We should be ever mindful of death, which could come upon us at any time, suddenly and without warning <br /><br />10. We should stop thinking of falsehood and bad ideas. Even if bad thoughts cross our minds, we should not let them stay, otherwise they may become hopes and wishes which we may act upon, and harm ourselves and others in the process. <br /><br />11. We should gradually strengthen our religious motive in fighting whims and desires. Once we have tasted the joy of defeating those whims and desires, then our determination and willpower will grow stronger. <br /><br />12. We should direct our thoughts towards contemplation of the signs of Allah which He has encouraged us to think about, whether they are in the Quran or in the universe around us. If such thoughts are constantly in our hearts and minds, this will help us to shun the whispering of the Shaytan. There is no greater loser than the one who, instead of thinking of Allah, His Book, His Prophet and his Sahabah, dwells on Shaytan and the ideas of Shaytan. <br /><br />13. We should remember how short is our stay on this earth. No-one would want to feel that all he has achieved in this life is the worst kind of deeds, except a person who has no spiritual ambition, whose heart is dead and who is careless. Such a person will ultimately regret his deeds when he realizes that, far from benefiting him, they will lead to punishment. Even the person who has many good deeds to his credit will feel that sense of regret when he realizes that he could have done even more. <br /><br />14. We should know that Allah has created us to live an eternal life with no death, a life of pride and ease with no humiliation, a life of security with no fear, a life of richness with no poverty, a life of joy with no pain, a life of perfection with no flaws. Allah is testing us in this world with a life that will end in death, a life of pride that is accompanied by humiliation and degradation, a life that is tainted by fear, where joy and ease are mixed with sorrow and pain. So many people are mistakenly seeking an easy life of power and pleasure in this world, but most of them never manage to achieve it, and those who do, enjoy it only for a brief time before it vanishes. The Prophets called people to an eternal life of plenty, and whoever answers their call will have the best life in this world, better than the life of kings and their followers, for zuhd in this life is true richness. This is something which the Shaytan greatly envies the believers. <br /><br />Merely knowing the facts that we have outlined above is not enough. We have to strive and do our utmost to achieve our aim and attain perfection. The best way to do so is to put a stop to the habits that are controlling our lives, as these are the main obstacles which prevent us from succeeding. We should avoid places of fitnah and temptation, as the Prophet (SAAS) told us, <br /><br />"Whoever hears of the Dajjal should keep away from him." The best way to protect ourselves from wrong is to keep away from anything that could lead to it. One of the favourite tricks of the Shaytan, which deceives everyone except those who are clever enough to see it, is to show a person some goodness in a wrong thing, and call him to go towards what is good; when the person gets close to it, he falls into the trap. <br /><br />Imam Ibn ul Qayyim Al Jawziyyah rahiimahullaahIhsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-54117442958629733732007-02-14T04:43:00.000-08:002007-02-14T04:58:32.026-08:00<strong>"Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)." (50:18)</strong><br /><br /><br />Sahal bin Sa'd radiyallaahu anhu reported that the messenger of Allah salalaahu aleyhi wassalam said, "Whomever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall garantee him Jannah." (Bukhari) <br /><br />Ibn Umar radiyallaahu anhu reported: The messenger of Allah salallaahu aleyhi wassalam said, "Do not indulge in excessive talk except when remembering Allah. Excessive talking without the remembrance of Allah hardens the heart; and those who are the farthest from Allah are those whose hearts are hard." (At Tirmidi)Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-61082059094134025512007-01-23T14:28:00.000-08:002007-01-23T15:31:58.402-08:00The Station of Fear<a href="http://www.washingtonspaces.com/NR/rdonlyres/86B908E4-BDF2-4964-B4C1-45A89C9EFBF8/0/87waterfall.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 386px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="484" alt="" src="http://www.washingtonspaces.com/NR/rdonlyres/86B908E4-BDF2-4964-B4C1-45A89C9EFBF8/0/87waterfall.jpg" border="0" /></a> From among the stations of worshipping Allah and seeking His help is the station of fear.<br /><div><br /><div>Fear is one of the most important stations on the path and most beneficial for the heart. Fear is an obligation upon everyone, Allah said, <strong>"So fear them not, and fear Me alone, if you are believers." [3:175]</strong> (The actual word used for fear in this verse is 'khawf.') Another verse says, <strong>"And Me alone you all should fear," [2:40]</strong> the actual word being a derivative of 'rahba.' And, <strong>"So do not fear people, but fear Me," [5:44]</strong> the actual word in Arabic being 'khashya.' Different connotations of these various terms in Arabic for fear will be discussed shortly.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Allah has praised those who possess the attribute of fear saying, <strong>"And such (are the believers) who are humbled by the fear of their Lord..." [23:57]<br /></strong></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Fear (of Allah's displeasure or punishment) is not only for grave sinners, but also for the pious, observant believers, as in the following hadeeth: Aisha said, "O Messenger of Allah, is the verse "And those who dispense their charity while their hearts fear that to their Lord they must return" [23:60] referring to someone who commits fornication, drinks alcohol and steals and still fear Allah? The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "No, O daughter of as-Siddiq, but it refers to one who fasts, perform salah and gives charity, and fears that it may not be accepted from him." (Tirmithi) Al-Hasan, commenting on this, said, "By Allah, they (the Companions) obeyed Him and strove hard in it, yet they feared it might be rejected. A believer combines righteousness with fear in his heart, while a hypocrite combines evil with impunity."<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>The terms 'wajal,' 'khawf,' 'khashya' and 'rahba,' are used in the Qur'an to refer to what we have translated as ‘fear', but they are not synonyms. Abul-Qasim al-Junayd said, "Al-khawf is the anticipation of punishment." Another scholar said, "Al-khawf is the moving of the heart upon the cognizance of that which is feared."<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>The word khashya is more specific than khawf, for it is specific to the true knowers of Allah - as Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, said, <strong>"Truly, those who fear Allah from among His servants are the knowers." [35:28]</strong> Hence, khashya. is fear associated with the intimate knowledge (ma'rifa) of Allah-as the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "I am most mindful of Allah among you, and most intense in fearing Him." (Bukhari, Muslim) Khawf is movement in its essence, while khashya is concentration, stillness, and holding of breath. For example, someone who sees a fierce enemy or a flood or something like that has two states: first, movement in order to flee from it, and this is the state of khawf. Second, his stillness in a place safe from the danger-and this is khashya.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Ar-Rahba means the urge to run away from the danger-which is the opposite of ar-Raghba, which means the urge of the heart to journey towards that which it likes.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Al-Wajal is the trembling of the heart upon the cognition or remembrance of someone whose power or punishment one fears.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Al-Haybah is fear associated with awe and glorification, and its greatest form is that which occurs in association with love and intimate knowledge (ma'rifa).<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>Al-Khawf, then, is for the common believers, while al-kbashya is for the scholars with profound knowledge, while at-haybah is for those nearest to Allah. The extent of one's fear for Allah is proportional to one's knowledge, both formal and experiential, of Allah. As the Prophet, sallallahu alaybe wa sallam, said, "I am the most knowledgeable of Allah among you, and most intense in His khashya." In another narration of the same hadeeth, the word used is khawf instead of khashya. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, also said, "if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and would not enjoy intimacy with women, and would go out wandering in the wildernesses and praying to Allah." (Ahmad)<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>When faced with his object of fear, a man with khawf turns to fleeing and grabbing, while a man with khashya seeks the support of knowledge. For example, when a lay person is faced with an illness, he seeks to protect himself (and seeks someone who could help) while a skilled physician turns to investigating the illness and the cure.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Abu Hafs says, "Al-khawf is Allah's lash with which He straightens up those fleeing from His door." He also said, "Al-khawf is a lamp in the heart, with which the good and the evil inside of the heart can be seen-and everyone you fear from, you run away from him, except Allah-when you fear Him, you run towards Him for refuge."<br /></div><div></div><div>Hence, the one who fears Allah is a refugee towards His Lord's [mercy] from his Lord's [displeasure].<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Abu Suleiman said, "Whenever fear (of Allah) departs a heart, it is ruined." Ibraheem ibn Sufyan said, "When fear of Allah resides in hearts, it burns away the sources of lust and eradicates worldly attachments." Thun-Noon said, "People will stay on the path so long as they have (Allah's) fear when this fear leaves them, they will go astray."<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Fear, however, is not the end in itself, but a means towards an end. When that end, Allah's ultimate pleasure, is attained, there is no need for fear. As Allah says to the people of Paradise: "there is no fear upon them, nor do they grieve."<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Fear is associated with actions, while love is connected with being and attributes. When the believers enter the Realm of Allah's eternal blessings, their love will multiply, while their fear will disappear. Hence, the place of love is higher and nobler than the place of fear.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>The true and praiseworthy fear is that which stops a person from the prohibitions of Allah. But when fear exceeds this boundary, it may bring hopelessness and despair.<br /></div><div></div><div>Abu Uthman said, "Sincerity of fear is vigilance from sins, open and secret." I also heard Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah honor his soul, say, "The praiseworthy fear is that which prevented you from the prohibitions of Allah."<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>The author of al-Manazil, Shaykh al-Harawi, said, "Al-khawf, or fear, is to do away with careless sense of security by envisioning the great news (of the Last Day)."<br /></div><div></div><div>He further said, "The beginning of fear is the fear of punishment, and this kind of fear is sufficient to establish the soundness of one's faith. It is born out of one's affirmation of the warning (of Allah's punishment), recognition of one's transgressions and consideration of the punishment." Thus, fear is preceded by cognition and knowledge for a man cannot fear what he does not know.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Two more things are related to fear: the thing or occurrence that is feared, and the way that leads one to it. Lack of knowledge of either of these leads to a concomitant lack of fear. If one does not know that a certain act leads to a feared outcome or he knows so but does not know the value or might of that which he claims to fear, one does not really have true fear. Similarly, an active awareness of the punishment or loss that one fears, not just a passive and abstract knowledge of it, is an indication of the sincerity of fear and sound faith.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>Another praiseworthy category of fear is to fear returning to the state of sinfulness and heedlessness after one has attained closeness to Allah and sincere fear of His displeasure-for if one feels unduly secure in one's state, it is likely that one will go back to the state of sinfulness.<br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Balancing Fear with Hope</strong><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>The heart in its journey towards Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, is like a bird whose head is love, and hope and fear are its two wings. When the head and the two wings are sound and healthy the flight of the bird is good, but when the head is cut off, it immediately dies, and when either or both wings are deficient, the bird cannot properly fly and may become victim of any hunter or snare. The righteous predecessors preferred to strengthen the wing of fear during good times when heedlessness is feared, and to strengthen the wing of hope at times of calamity and when near death.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Some have said that it is better to strengthen fear more than hope because when vain hopes overcome a person he is ruined. Others say that the best of situations is a complete balance of hope and fear with overwhelming love, for love is composite,while hope is a sharpener and fear a driver. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.islaam.com/Scholar.aspx?id=1">Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah</a></div><div>Madarij us Salikeen AlJumuah 12/1426H </div><div>Translated by Uwaymir Anjum </div></div>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-47947784868045779892007-01-14T17:27:00.000-08:002007-01-18T16:16:18.898-08:00Concentration, devotion (kushoo) in PrayerRemembering death whilst praying<br /><br />The prophet salalaahu aleyhi wasalam said, "Remember death in your prayer, for the man who remembers death in his prayer is bound to pray properly and pray the prayer of a man who does not think that he will pray any other prayer."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Al Silsilat al Saheehah by Al-Albaani </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br />The prophet salalaahu aleyhi wasalam also advised Abu Ayyuub radiyalaahu anhu (may Allah be pleased with him), "When you stand up to pray, pray a farewell prayer."<span style="font-size:85%;"> - (reported by Ahmad)</span><br /><br /><strong>The person who is praying will no doubt die, and there is some prayer that will be his last prayer, so let him have kushoo' in the prayer that he is doing, for he does not know whether this will be his last prayer.</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-45687897614965513312007-01-08T03:46:00.000-08:002007-02-23T17:55:10.047-08:00Not a Believer Whilst ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.reiseagentur.de/Travelogs/NEUS99/jpeg/031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.reiseagentur.de/Travelogs/NEUS99/jpeg/031.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Abu Huraira (ra) narrated that the messenger of Allah (saw) said; “An adulterer, while he is committing illegal sexual intercourse is not a believer, and a person at the time of drinking alcohol is not a believer, and a thief at the time of stealing is not a believer, and when a robber robs in a variation while the people are looking he is not a believer. In another variation and repentance maybe accepted after that”. The punishment for a thief is the chopping off of a hand and he must also ask the person for forgiveness and repay what he took. This must be done in one go or in instalments.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br /><br />Khamar has a much broader meaning than just alcohol, khamar refers to anything which clouds the mind. Allah and the messenger (saw) have cursed those who consume khamar as well as all the following people;</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">-The producers</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br />-The one who it is produced for</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br />-The one who consumes it</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br />-The one who serves it</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">-The one who carries it</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br />-The one who it is carried for</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">-The one who earns a profit from the sale of it<br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">-The one who buys it</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br />-The one whom it is bought for.</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><br /><br />This hadieth was collected by Tirmidi and Ibn Maaja. </span></span><br /><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-208842506887319092007-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:002007-01-07T12:44:42.374-08:00Motto 4 life<strong>"Be Happy With What Is In Your Hand, Content With Whatever Allah Has Decreed And Give Up All Daydreams That Do Not Suit Your Efforts And Abilities."</strong><br /><br /><div align="right"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Dr A'ID al-Qarni</strong></span></div>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-82242811546895397552006-12-25T15:00:00.000-08:002006-12-25T16:21:23.898-08:00I would like to repent, but!..<div>Dear brother & sister!<br /><br />O slave of Allah!<br /><br />Allah has opened the door of repentance, so why should you not enter? "Repentance has a door whose span is the distance between East and West," says a hadith; (and in another version "its span is the distance traveled in 70 years"). "It will not be closed until the sun rises from the West."<br /><br />Listen to the call of Allah: "O My slaves! You sin morning and evening and I forgive all your sins. So call on Me, I will forgive you all your sins."<br /><br />Allah extends His Hands in the night to forgive the sinner of the day and extends His Hands in the day to forgive the sinner of the night. And He loves to hear excuses. So why don't you turn to Him?<br /><br />How beautiful are the words of the repenting man who says: "I beseech You O Lord, in the name of Your honor, and (by) my ignominy that You have mercy on me. I beseech You in the name of Your Strength and my weaknesses. Your Self-sufficiency and my dependence. To you I submit my sinning, guilty forelock. You have many slaves apart from me. But I have no Master save you. There isn't any refuge but with You nor escape from You except to You. I plead You O Lord, in the manner of the pleading of a destitute, and entreat You in the manner of a broken, downtrodden man. I beseech You in the manner of a blind man in fear. This is a supplication, O Lord, from one whose head is bowed down before your Majesty, whose nose is in the dust, whose eyes are filled with tears and whose heart has submitted."<br /><br />Consider this story:<br /><br />lt is reported by a trustworthy man of the past that as he was passing through a street he saw the door of a house open. A woman came out with a child who was crying and pleading while she was pushing him out. She left him outside the house and slammed the door shut in his face. The child left the door and walked a distance. Then he stopped, looked about, began to think, and not finding any other place but his own house where he could take shelter nor anyone who would care for him as his mother would, he returned to his house dejected, sad. He found the door shut. He sat at the sill, put his cheek on the threshold and slept with tear marks on his cheeks. He was in this state when the mother opened the door. When she saw him in this state she could not control herself. She bent down, grabbed him to her bosom, began to kiss him and say in tears: "Oh my boy! My dear child! My very soul! Where were you? Didn't I tell you not to disobey me? Do my bidding, and don't force me to punish you, while I hate to do that." Then she carried the child back and closed the door behind her.<br /><br />That is the story of a mother and a child: the story of disobedience, punishment, return, forgiveness and unbound love. But the Prophet, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, has told us that: "Allah loves His creation more than a woman does her child." In fact, there is no comparison between the love of a mother for her child and that of Allah whose Mercy encompasses everything. Allah, azza wa jall, is immensely pleased with a man when he repents and turns to Him. And we shall never be deprived of anything by a Lord who is more pleased with the repenting man, than that man..<br /><br />"..who was traveling through an arid land. He dismounted and took shelter under a tree seeking some rest. He lay there with his beast, loaded with food and water, at his side. But when he awoke, lo! The beast was gone! He began to search for it frantically. He climbed a hill but couldn't see a trace of it. He climbed another hill and still no trace of it. Finally, when hunger and thirst overtook him, he said, 'Let me go back to the tree, and lay down there until death overtakes me.' So he went back to the tree, and lay there with eyes closed - in total despair. And lo! As he opened his eyes and raised his head, there the beast was, right before his very eyes, with all the food and water loaded on it intact! He rushed to it and picked up its halter. (Can you imagine his happiness) But lo! Allah is happier with a man when he turns to Him seeking His forgiveness, than the man who found his beast when he had lost all hopes."<br /><br />Know it, my dear brother & sister, that true repentance of every sin also brings with it humility and devotion to Allah, and that pleading of a penitent is very dear to Allah. So that what follows after repentance is obedience of a greater degree to the extent that sometimes Satan regrets that he enticed him into that sin at all. That is why you will see that those who repent become very much changed personalities.<br /><br />Allah does not abandon a man who comes to Him a penitent. Compare the situation with that of a father who used to look after his son with great love and care, providing him with the best of clothing, food and toys. Then one day the father sent him on an errand. But, as the boy was walking an enemy took hold of him, tied him and carried him away to the land of the enemies. There his master treated him exactly in the opposite manner. So that whenever the boy remembered his father and his treatment, his eyes swelled with tears, and the heart with pain. He was in this condition of ill-treatment at the hands of his enemies, when their caravan happened to pass by his father's place again. As he looked around he found his father standing nearby. He ran to him and threw himself at him crying "My father! My very father!". His master followed him and was trying to pull him away, but the boy clung to his father, refusing to let him go. What do you think of this father? Do you think he will abandon him to the enemy, refusing to take back the child? If not, then what is your opinion of the Lord whose love of His creation is greater than the love of a father for his child? When a slave of His runs away from his enemies, and throws himself at the threshold of His door, rolling down in dust before him, saying: "O my Lord! Have mercy upon him who has no one to show Mercy save You, no Helper save you, no refuge save You, no Savior save You, I am Your slave, in Your need, dependent on You, beggar at Your door, You are the refuge, with You is the shelter, there is refuge but with You, nor escape from You except to You" then surely the Lord is not going to turn him back empty handed.<br /><br />Come along then. On to the good deeds, to virtuous living, in the company of the righteous, steering yourself safe from deviations after the right direction, and misguidance after guidance. And Allah is with you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.islaam.com/Scholar.aspx?id=19">Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid</a><br />The Conclusion of the Book "I Would Like to Repent, But!..." Translated by Syed Iqbal Zaheer Taken From: http://www.orst.edu/groups/msa/books/repent.htm</div>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-12699484365388150582006-12-25T14:48:00.000-08:002006-12-25T16:19:43.040-08:00Repentance<a href="http://www.ezthemes.com/previews/g/greenworld.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 316px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="180" alt="" src="http://www.ezthemes.com/previews/g/greenworld.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.islaam.com/Scholar.aspx?id=25">Imam Ash-Shaafi`ee</a> (may Allah have Mercy on him)<br /><br />Al-Muzni who is Aboo lbraaheem Isma`eel ibn Yahya said:<br />"I entered upon ash-Shaafi'ee during his illness which resulted in his death, so I said to him: 'What is your condition?' He replied: "I am journeying from this world, and departing from my brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and upon Allaah - Exalted is His remembrance - arriving. And no! By Allaah, I do not know if my soul is travelling towards Paradise or the Fire!" Then he started to weep, and he said:<br /><br />'In You, the Creator, I raise my longing, And even if I am, O possessor of kindness and generosity, an evildoer, a criminal,<br /><br />When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow,<br /><br />I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape,<br /><br />My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness,<br /><br />I found Your forgiveness to be greater,<br /><br />You are and still remain the only One who can forgive sins,<br /><br />You grant and forgive out of Your benevolence and generosity,<br /><br />Perhaps the One who is the source of all goodness will forgive and overlook my mistakes,<br /><br />And will hide the sins and burden that I accumulated,<br /><br />My sins seemed very great to me, so I turned (to You) in humility,<br /><br />Were it not for my contentment in you, I wouldn't, O my Lord, have seen any comfort at all,<br /><br />So if You forgive me, You would have forgiven a sinner, A rebellious, oppressive tyrant still sinning,<br /><br />So my crime is very great, past and present, But Your forgiveness that embraces Your servant is greater and higher,<br /><br />So whomsoever holds fast to Allaah is truly saved from mankind, And whomsoever's hopes are in Him, will be far removed from any regrets.'<br /><br />In translating these lines of poetry I have exercised a certain degree of freedom in order to preserve the emotive content as well as making it readable in the English language. [Translator Note]<br /><br /><br />Diwaan ash-Shaafi`ee From "Three Forgotten Prayers" by `Adnaan Aali<br />`Uroor © Call to Islam Da`wah Center, UK 1997Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-30678317401810667832006-12-18T04:29:00.000-08:002006-12-31T14:42:38.908-08:00The Expiators of Sins<div align="center">Bismilaahi wasalaatu wasalaamu alaa rasuulilaah</div><p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e0/Sunset02.jpg/250px-Sunset02.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 221px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px" height="241" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e0/Sunset02.jpg/250px-Sunset02.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>This is the first part of a two part lecture I attended during this summer. This part was titled The Expiators of Sins and the lecture was explained by Salem Al Amry who is a prominent sheikh from the UAE. The lecture was presented in a thorough, enlightening and humorous manner, may Allah grant him and the organisers of the event Janatul Firdows. Below however you'll find the notes I made and if compared the actual volume of the lecture are but brief.<br /><br /><br /><br />-Allah has created 100 rahma’s, 99 he kept to himself and 1 part he sent to the earth. 99 Allah kept for the Day of Resurrection.<br /><br />-Allah loves us even more than our own mothers, Allah azza wa Jal should be loved above all creation.<br /><br />-The prophet (saw) said “Whoever believes that Allah will forgive all his sins, Allah will do so, as long as nothing is associated with Allah”.<br /><br />-Immediately after you sin you have to turn to Allah, again and again and again & ask for forgiveness. Our repentance should out number our sins.<br /><br />-The prophet (saw) said “Every son of Adam is a sinner, the best of those who sin are those who frequently repent”.<br /><br />-Sin is something which causes you discomfort, uneasiness and you don’t like people knowing about.<br /><br />-Do a good deed after a bad one, because one tackles out the other.<br />You won’t be held accountable for satanic doubts – Do not entertain them – Get rid of them straight away. – The rejection of the thought was the purest thought of faith, say amantu bilaah ( I believe in Allah) and read qull huwa Laah ahad.<br /><br />-Fighting against satanic whispers during prayers is a form of Jihad, as long as you struggle to close these doors rather than entertain the thoughts.<br /><br /><strong>Expiators<br /></strong><br />1. <strong>Emaan</strong> once a disbeliever, polytheist etc is blessed with emaan all their past sins are forgiven and their good deeds are carried over. Emaan wipes away everything!<br /><br />2. <strong>Following the Sunnah</strong> of our beloved prophet salawaatu Laahi wasalaamu aley and looking to the Sunnah itself is a righteous deed. No one is perfect or even close to perfection however when you see something which that you too should be doing, make dua in order for Allah to give you the ability to also do it. When the prophet salalaahu aleyhiwasalam asked for forgiveness for someone in his time, that person would be forgiven. He who obeys the messenger (saw) obeys Allah azaa wa jal.<br /><br />3. <strong>Sincere Tawbah (Repentance).</strong> Ask Allah for forgiveness so that Allah may forgive you.<br />*Steps to repentance<br />- Leave Sin<br />- Regret action<br />- Determine not to go back to it<br />- Rectify the situation by e.g. stolen money has to be given back<br />- Ask Allah’s forgiveness for that person<br /><br />*The sincere repenter is like one without sin, Ibn Maajah. The prophet salalaahu aleyhiwasalam repented 70 times a day and asked for forgiveness in order to show and teach us to mimic this example. *Be kind and tolerant (forgive and over look others faults and shortcomings, wouldn’t you like Allah to forgive you)? Allah says in the qur’an “Verily the good deeds wipe away the bad”.<br /><br />Once there was a man who after he would lend people money he would give the rich more time to pay the money back and totally allow the poor. Allah forgave him.<br /><br />After you commit ghiba-backbiting immediately ask for forgiveness, (you might forget) Due to unavoidable situations you might fall into ghiba again but Allah azaa wa jal reminds you. Allah only reminds those he loves, might bite yourself or cut yourself.<br /><br />Shaitan will make you despair, Say Allah is Most Forgiving, do you think Allah will forgive you? Every Muslim is so valuable so dear . A Muslim is a buried diamond due to his or her emaan.<br /><br />4. <strong>Giving salaam.</strong> Salaam is an expiator of sins. The prophet (saw) said you will not enter Jannah unless you love each other. The messenger of Allah said “Shall I tell you how to instil this love…Spread the salaam”. If you separated by even a wall or pillar you should say salaam again.<br /><br />5. <strong>Shaking hands</strong>. Sins will shed like trees shed their leaves. (Same sex obviously)<br /><br />6. <strong>Kindness to all</strong>. A lady locked a cat in a room until death came to the cat, Allah the Beneficent consigned her to the fire. A prostitute saw a dog panting, so thirsty that it was licking sand and she used her shoe to draw water out, Allah the Beneficent granted her paradise and forgave her sin.<br /><br />7. <strong>Tests, trails and difficulties.</strong> Allah tests those that he loves. Allah will test us with;<br />- Fear (loss of security)<br />- Hunger<br />- Wealth<br />- Death<br />- Loss of crops<br />Maybe you weren’t practising initially as soon as you started you faced difficulty. This is because it is a test, don’t go back but say Allah is testing me and there will be relief. Fa ina ma’al usri usra, ina ma’al usri usra.<br /><br />Allah will test you according to your emaan, the stronger the emaan the tougher the test and visa versa. Trails and tribulations are an opportunity to become closer to Allah azza wa jal & an opportunity be raised higher ranks in Jannah.<br /><br />Once a man travelled on a journey with his whole family. They were all in a car when they experienced a terrible crash. Everyone died except him, he prostrated on the very ground he was on and said alhamdulilaah.<br /><br />If you’re having a rough day, week, month or year just take a peak into the lives of the anbiyaa<br />(prophets) and the righteous people of the past. Insha’allah that should give some perspective.<br /><br />8. <strong>Wudu (ablution).</strong> It is recommended that you keep your wudu through out the night and day. The messenger of Allah (saw) said only the mu’minoon maintain their wudu.<br /><br />9. <strong>Athaan (call to prayer).</strong> The athaan is an expiator and chases away the shaytaan. The supplications made between athaan and iqaamah are never rejected. The messenger of Allah (saw) said ‘if people knew the blessings the fajr and isha salaah contain they would attend them even if they had to come crawling’.<br /><br />10. <strong>Walking to the masjid,</strong> every step expiates sins and elevates you in Jannah.<br /><br />11. <strong>The dhikr of Allah</strong>. Saying Subhaanallah, Walhamdulilaah, Walhaahu akbar, Astagfirullaah etc. Towards the end of time people will be in no need of food or rain they will be sustained by the dhikr of Allah.<br /><br />12. <strong>Tahajjud salaah (night prayer)</strong>. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "When any one of you sleeps, Satan ties three knots at the back of his neck. He recites this incantation at every knot: `You have a long night, so sleep.' If he awakes and remembers Allah, one knot is loosened. If he performs Wudu', the (second) knot is loosened; and if he performs prayer, (all) knots are loosened. He begins his morning in a happy and refreshed mood; otherwise, he gets up in bad spirits and sluggish state.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].<br />Commentary: "Tying knots'' can be literal, the way magicians do it in their magical exercises. With this practice Satan tries to withhold people from the worship of Allah. Some people are of the opinion that it is a metaphor for sleepiness/dozing. In any case, Satan does his level best to withhold a person from the worship of Allah. Satan experiences frustration if someone gets up at night for prayer; he also experiences happiness if he manages to keep someone asleep until dawn.<br /><br />13. <strong>Listening to quran, reading it, memorising it, giving dawah, mending & bringing together Muslims who have fallen out.<br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></strong>Jazaak allaah khair & May Allah enable us to worship Him in the Manner He deserves to be worshipped...ameen </p>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-30334561033656931682006-11-05T13:04:00.000-08:002007-02-23T17:57:33.712-08:00Love&Hate for the sake of Allah<a href="http://abstractions.tonytalkstech.com/images/yellowsky2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://abstractions.tonytalkstech.com/images/yellowsky2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#333333;">These ahadieth capture the characteristics that are necessary to attain the sweetness of Emaan as well as complete faith. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#333333;">The messenger of Allah (saw) informs us about three qualities and if one was to acquire them they will relish and taste the sweetness of emaan. The first is to love Allah and his messenger (saw) over everyone and everything. I believe that when someone loves an individual they will do anything in their power to make them happy and avoid upsetting them. If we loved Allah and his Messenger (saw) the way we are suppose to then a lot more people would fulfil their duty to Allah. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#333333;">Anas (ra) narrated that prophet (saw) said; "None of you is a believer until I am dearer to him than his father, his child and the whole of mankind". By not doing so that person will not attain complete faith and deeds won’t be accepted.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#333333;">The second is someone who loves another person only for the sake of Allah. We have to check and asses whether Allah would be pleased this person being our companion. Will this person benefit me and visa versa. One has to love solely for the sake of Allah. The last characteristic is the hate and fear of turning back to disbelieve as much as one hates being flung into the fire. After Allah saves someone purely out of His mercy one should be grateful and a believers liking and disliking isn’t his own choice but is detemined by Allah azza wa jal. After one acquires these characteristics he will definitely taste the sweetness of emaan. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#333333;">People of bid’a say emaan doesn’t increase nor decrease while Ahlul Sunnah wal Jamaa’a do.</span></div><br /><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-70246749727481320862006-11-04T16:26:00.000-08:002007-02-23T17:58:28.313-08:00Backbiting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/58/177403808_b30df4a6ee_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 272px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 205px" alt="" src="http://static.flickr.com/58/177403808_b30df4a6ee_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#663333;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">Ithban Bin Malik (ra) who informs us about his sight impediment and how it got in the way of him leading the people in prayer because of darkness and heavy rain. He gave the messenger of Allah (saw) a visit in order to invite the prophet (saw) back to his house so that he could offer salat in a place he could take as a musalla which is a place for offering salat. The prophet (saw) consented and fulfilled his promise and a great number of men turned up after finding that the prophet (saw) was present in the house. One of the men present in the house made a remark about another man being a hypocrite. The prophet (saw) told that person not to say that because whom ever testifies that there is no god but Allah (for Allah’s sake only) then Allah will save him from the hellfire.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">Backbiting is considered a great sin and it is to mention of your brother something he dislikes while he is unaware or absent. Aiysha (ra) made a remark or gesture to the prophet (saw) about Safiya (ra) and the prophet (saw) told her that if that one word she uttered were to be dipped in the ocean it would render it bitter.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">The prophet (saw) informed us that a man will sink as deep as the distance between the east and the west for saying something without thinking. If you call someone a munafiq, enemy of Allah or kafir without it being a fact, that which you uttered will bounce right back to you.</span><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#663333;"><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">The messenger of Allah (saw) said who ever protects the honour of his brother; Allah will protect this person’s face from the Hellfire.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">Suspicion is harram because its false speech and one should avoid situations which might trigger such thoughts.</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">------------------------------------</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(204,0,0)">May Allah azza wa jal guide us and make it easy for us to tread the siraad al mustaqeem</span></span><br /><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-42053241029146719112006-10-23T08:39:00.000-07:002006-10-23T08:51:31.186-07:00Eid Warning<a href="http://www.nykids.org/Multimedia/firworks.gif"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.nykids.org/Multimedia/firworks.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">In the Name of God, Most Merciful, Most Gracious<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">As the month of Ramadan closes, something strange happens. Shortly after the new moon is sighted for Shawwal, the hayah (modesty) and taqwa (God Consciousness) we spent so hard in acquiring during Ramadan gets kicked to the curb. The Shayateen are released and put in double hours of effort and blast us with their deceptive and misguiding marketing campaigns. Have we filled our tanks of taqwa enough to remain steadfast for the next 11 months?</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">QUICK PRE-EID REMINDERS:<br />All sins are still sins<br />Masjid still open<br />Doors of mercy still open<br />Still fard to pray </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">Lets not make the masjid cry for us. Though Ramadan has left us, lets keep it in our hearts. Lets continue recitation of the Quran and continue our standing in the night for Tahajjud with equal stamina after Ramadan. May Allah(swt) grant us tofeeq, Ameen.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE NIGHT BEFORE EID?</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">The Night Preceding 'Eid al Fitr<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>It had been the practice of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) that he would not sleep in the night preceding the day of 'Eid al Fitr. This night has been named in a Hadith as Laylatul Ja'izah, or the night of reward. It means that Allah the Almighty bestows His rewards to those who have spent the month of Ramadan abiding by the dictates of Shari'ah, and all their prayers in this night are accepted. Therefore, it is desirable to perform nafl prayers this night.<br /></strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>The Holy Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said:<br /></strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>"Whoever stands up (in worship) in the nights preceding the two Eids, expecting rewards from his Lord, his heart will not die when the other hearts will die." (Ibn Majah)<br /></strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">To benefit from this opportunity, one should perform as much worship in this night as he can, and should pray for all his needs and desires.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#006600;">to read more go to www.meccaone.org</span></div>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-49189980245967637982006-10-01T17:43:00.000-07:002007-02-23T17:59:00.063-08:00Seven Distructive Sins<a href="http://www.pigwar.com/images/gallery/fire.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 286px" height="240" alt="" src="http://www.pigwar.com/images/gallery/fire.jpg" border="0" /></a> Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra): Allah’s messenger (saw) said, “Avoid the seven destructive sins.” It was said (by the hearers): what are they, the messenger of Allah (saw) said “they are;<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />1. To join partners in worship with Allah<br />2. Sihr (Magic: to practice sorcery)<br />3. Killing the life which Allah has forbidden without a just cause (according to Islamic law)<br />4. To eat up Riba (usury)<br />5. To eat up the property of an orphan<br />6. To show ones back to the enemy and fleeing from the battle field at the time of fighting (i.e. when the army advances)<br />7. And to accuse chaste women who never think of anything touching their chastity and are good believers”.<br /><br />These are said to be 7 greatest of sins by many Ulamaa however Abbas (ra) said not to restrict the number of sins because the number is more along the lines of 70,000.<br /><br /><br />Prayer to prayer, Jumma prayer to Jumma prayer, Umrah to Umrah etc expiates minor sins. As far as major sins go, one has to make sincere repentance and fulfill all the criteria of sincere repentance. The messenger of Allah tells us; “Those who avoid major sins Allah will enter them into Jannah and forgive them their minor sins”.<br /><br />The worst of all these sins is to join partners with Allah. Under this umbrella also comes homosexuality, showing of (Riyaa) e.g. beautifying recitations and prayers for others. Practicing magic takes one out of the fold of Islam. The punishment for practicing magic is death with a sword unless he makes sincere tawbah (repentance). A fortune teller automatically leaves the fold of Islam and becomes a kafir (non believer), fortune telling is forbidden harram. One who goes to a fortune teller purely for entertainment purposes will not have their prayers accepted for 40 days however prayers still have to be performed. The one who goes to a fortune teller and believes what’s being said refutes the message of Muhammad (saw) and has to take their shahaada again.<br /><br />The only circumstances under which people are permitted is 1) if one does so to incur more damage to the enemy 2) flees to an Islamic land with Muslim troops and if the Muslims are less than half the enemy. Among the believers that are allowed to be killed is the adulterer, murderer and one who apostates. Among the unbelievers that are not allowed to be killed are one who has a treaty with a Muslim land, one who comes to a Muslim land for protection and one who is paying a type of tax in a Muslim country.<br /><br />In terms of riba (usury) all the following are cursed; one who consumes it one who writes it down, one who receives it and one who witnesses it. They are consuming fire in their bellies and they will roast in the fire.<br /><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-18671418134089291812006-09-30T15:23:00.000-07:002007-02-23T18:11:04.691-08:00Al Haya (modesty, shyness,self respect, bashfulness...<a href="http://www.cumminsnortheast.com/images/red%20sky.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://www.cumminsnortheast.com/images/red%20sky.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Abu Hurraira radiyal laahu anhu narrated that the messenger of Allah salalaahu aleyhiwassalam said,"Faith is about sixty branches and modesty is part of faith". </span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Ibn Umar radiyalaahu anhu narrated that the messenger of Allah salalaahu aleyhiwassalam passed an Ansari man who was admonishing (dissaproving) his brother regarding Al Haya". On that the prophet of Allah salalaahu aleyhiwassalam said, "Leave him! as Al Haya is part of faith.<br />Bukhari&Muslim<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The word haya mentioned above doesn’t have a single meaning however carries several meanings. Among those meanings are self respect, bashfulness, modesty, shyness and honour. Haya is the opposite of being proud because the messenger of Allah tells us in The Kitaabul emaan that one who possesses an atoms weight of pride will not enter jannah. As modesty is one of the 60 branches of faith someone who lacks this characteristic does not possess complete faith.</span></div><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-1166205197701598682006-09-30T15:02:00.000-07:002007-02-23T18:10:32.999-08:00Love<a href="http://www.lvbaptist.org/pics/Winter%2005/red%20sky.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://www.lvbaptist.org/pics/Winter%2005/red%20sky.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">It is reported on the authority of Anas Radiyal laahu anhu that the messenger of Allah (saw) said; “None of you truly believes till one likes for his brother what he likes for himself”.<br />Bukhari&Muslim<br /><br />The messenger of Allah told us not to hate, oppress and humiliate one another. People are sometimes overpowered by their selfish characteristics however after reading this saying of the prophet (saw) one should behave accordingly. This hadieth tells us that it is from faith that one should like for his brother what he would like for himself. Allah is in the aid of his slave so long as his slave is in the aid of his brother. </span></div><br /><div></div></div><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-74203413634115336472006-09-25T05:09:00.000-07:002007-02-23T18:07:19.588-08:00Signs of a Munaafiq (Hypocrite)<a href="http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/images/stromimage.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand" height="220" alt="" src="http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/images/stromimage.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#000066;">Ibn Amr (ra) narrated that the messenger of Allah said; “Whomever has the following four characteristics will be a pure hypocrite and whomever has one of the following characteristics will have one characteristic of a hypocrite unless and until he gives it up”. The characteristics include: </span><br /><span style="color:#000066;">1. Telling lies constantly<br />2. The breaking of promises<br />3. When he makes an agreement he proves deceitful<br />4. Whenever he quarrels he does so in an evil and insulting manner.<br />There are two types of hypocrites; one who conceals his kufur (disbelieve) and the second is someone who might be a true believer however may possess the characteristics of a munaafik due to their upbringing or other factors. The punishment for those who lie is that their mouth, nose and eyes will be ripped continuously, from one side all the way to the other side.<br /><br />Truth leads to piety and piety leads to paradise. The messenger of Allah (saw) said; “He will keep speaking the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a truthful person and a liar will keep telling lies until he is recorded with Allah as a lair”. If you find that you carry one of these traits you try your utmost to stop and also notify your brothers and sisters if these characteristics are present in their personalities. Munaafiqs are those who claim to be Muslim however conceal their disbelieve and in terms of prayer they stand up in laziness. A munaafik is viewed even worse than a disbeliever and their final abode will be the lowest pits of hell. The punishment for those who distort ahadieth and quran is that Allah will be built a house for them in hell.<br /><br />If one lies using Allah’s name he has to feed 10 masaakiin (poor people) and if one is unable to do so then he must fast for 3 days. To lie and use Allah name is one of the major sins. When two people are conversing about goodness then Allah is there third and there is profit for those concerned and as soon as someone lies or exhibits a foul characteristic then Allah will leave and there is no profit. Every abusive, proud, violent person will taste the hellfire if they don’t repent. One must learn these characteristics not to accuse others of them but to refrain and stay away from them.</span><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-12156612969568378952006-09-25T04:35:00.000-07:002007-02-23T18:06:46.051-08:00Every Prophet had a Sign the People Believed In<a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images4/smoky-clouds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 231px; height: 213px;" alt="" src="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/images4/smoky-clouds.jpg" border="0" height="213" /></a><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurraira radiyalaahu anhu that the prophet salalaahu aleyhiwassalam said, "There has never been a prophet of the prophets who was not bestowed a sign amongst the signs which were bestowed (on earlier prophets), human beings believed in it and verily I have been confered (granted or bestowed) upon revelation (The Holy Quran) which Allah revealed to me.</span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">I hope that I will have the greatest number of followers on the Day of Resurrection".<br />-Bukhari&Muslim<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">From this hadieth we discover that every prophet received a sign appropriate to their time which reflected the things that were prevalent. Prophet Musa aleyhi salaam for example was given the ability to do the best of magic in order to overtake the magic which was already in existence at that time. Isa aleyhi salaam was given the ability to heal and resurrect people by Allah’s permission. Muhammad salalaahu aleyhi wassalam was given eloquence and the best form of poetry/speech. The quran left the people gob smacked. Unlike the other scriptures the quran has not been distorted because Allah promised to protect it. The prophet salalaahu aleyhiwassalam hopes to have the largest number of followers on the Day of Judgment and thus he says; ‘Marry those sisters who are kind and love to bear children. For I will compete on the Day of Judgment with your numbers’. </span></div><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33919879.post-38733947150745993452006-09-21T14:16:00.000-07:002007-02-23T18:06:06.526-08:00Rights of a neighbour<a href="http://static.flickr.com/24/58229253_02d69ead3e_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 237px; height: 188px;" alt="" src="http://static.flickr.com/24/58229253_02d69ead3e_b.jpg" border="0" height="199" /></a><br /><div>Abu Shuraih (ra) narrates that the messenger of Allah (saw) said, “By Allah he does not believe” three times and when he was asked who he was referring to he answered, “The one who’s neighbour feels unsafe from his evil”.<br />-Bukhari&muslim<br /><br />There are three categories a neighbour falls into, the first has one right on the believer and that is for being a neighbour, the second has two rights, one for being a neighbour and one for being a believer and last type of neighbour has three rights, one for being a neighbour, another for being a believer and the third right for being a blood relative. Sheikh of Islam Taymiya said that sins are divided into two categories, major and minor. Harming the neighbour is one of the major sins and falling into one of the major sins will most probably mean that one will enter the hellfire. Major sins are sins which Allah and the messenger (saw) have prescribed a punishment for, either in this world or hereafter. One will suffer the consequences for their sins unless they ask for tawbah (forgiveness) of Allah and then it is as though that person had never sinned to start of with.<br />However there are conditions surrounding the acceptance of tawbah.<br />1. One must be sincere<br />2. He must regret committing that sin<br />3. He must stop the sin altogether<br />4. Resolve from dong that action again<br />5. So long as death isn’t rattling at his throat and prior to the sun rising from the east.<br />An individual is not answerable for his action while he is asleep or in a coma, insane and before maturity. Signs of maturity include the intimate dream, pubic hair in the lower region and the start of the menstrual cycle for girls. </div><br /><strong>Explanation by Abu abdillah Yunus Ibn Mahmoud</strong>Ihsaan-the strugglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02128037979636135748noreply@blogger.com0