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Your Responsibility, Spread the Message

In the Qur'an, surah Nisaa, Allah says:

Translation: Then fight in Allah’s cause - you are responsible only for yourself - and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the fury of the Unbelievers; for Allah is the strongest in might and in punishment (Surah Nisaa, 4:84)¹

What are the implications? In the end, you're responsible only for yourself. Alhamdullilah. But, spread the message. If you're going to a halaqah, a lecture, an Islamic class, or whatever--it doesn't have to be Islamic--tell others. Don't just go by yourself. If they don't come, well, you passed on the message. You did your duty. And inshaAllah you will be ready for the Day of Reckoning.

May Allah protect us all from those who have a heavy reckoning in the hereafter. Ameen.

(1) Pickthall, Muhammad M., trans. Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 28 Feb. 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/quran.html>.

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Aim for 110%

All of us, and especially those of us in educational institutes, run into tests and projects and assignments. And often--too often--we aim merely for a pass. A 60% or 50%, and we're good to go.

But, imagine if you will, an archer shooting at a target. High above his head is 100%. Somewhere level with him is 50%--a pass. And below, lesser marks.

He draws back his arrow. He aims. 50%? No problem! He fires. Woosh! It flies forward forward forward forward, then downward slightly. Not quite right. 45%.

That's right! You failed the test--you got a 45%. You need to drop the course, your parents are going to be upset, ...

What if the archer aimed a little higher? Maybe he aimed for 75%--but he missed. Where did the arrow land? Maybe 55%. Maybe 65%. Maybe 70%.

Aim high, and if you miss, you land higher then you needed to. Are you aiming for a squeaky-narrow entrance into Jannah, or will you be among those who enter without reckoning? May Allah help us all be of those who enter without reckoning.

Similarly, if you want to be the best--100% out of 100%--you need to aim higher. You need to aim for 110%. And if you miss, so what? 107% is still pretty good alhamdullilah.

Take it to heart, and implement it in your lives, and inshAllah you'll see a difference. And don't be influenced by those who just aim to pass--your goals are higher then that. Influence them, and compete for the best grade.

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Breach of Covenant. University of Toronto, Toronto. May 2005.

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Salaah: A Springboard of Eman

Salaah is the springboard of eman. Everytime you perform salaah, your eman should go up.

In Surah Baqarah, Allah says: "And seek help in patience and prayer. Indeed it is difficult, except for those with kushu".

Here are some tips inshaAllah to help you achieve awesome salaah:

• Pray as if it is your last prayer. We hear imams say this a lot. But what does it mean? How would your salaah be if you knew it was your last salaah before you returned to Allah, Lord of the Worlds? It would be pretty awesome inshaAllah. Get that feeling.
• Remember Allah's Presence. Remember, you're praying in front of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). It'll straigten out your rukuu and sujuud inshaAllah and you'll naturally slow down.
• Prepare your body
• Clothes: Wear nice, clean clothes (your best, if you can)--it helps to keep something aside near your prayer area, like a nice thobe or hijab.
• Hunger: Eat something beforehand if you're hungry.
• Bodily Functions: Attend to your body's needs--don't hold it.
• Miswak: The sunnah of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) was to use miswak before each salaah. Do it.
• wudoo: The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) performed wudoo fresh for each salaah. Do it.
• Prepare your mind.
• Hasten to Salaah: Don't delay it until only a few minutes remain. Hasten to pray as soon as the time starts. Check the prayer-times ahead of time and get ready before the salaah.
• Choose Recitation Ahead of Time: Choose the surahs and ayat you plan to recite ahead of time. If you only know long surahs, recite a few ayat of each per rakaat, if it makes it easier.
• Pray When You Have Energy: Don't pray when you're physically or mentally tired. It doesn't help your concentration.

And that's it! May Allah accept all your salaahs that you performed for His sake alone!

If you have more tips, comment them in inshaAllah. Jazakumullahu khayr.

If you can, buy the Eman Rush Zone CD. Among the traits of the sahaba and tabi'een, is that they used to weep out of fear of Allah during salaah. How did they do it? Well, buy the CD and find out! :D

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Seek Knowledge from the Best Sources

When you seek knowledge, seek from the best sources--the most authentic, and those closest to the source.

The companion Abdullah ibn Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) was 10 years old when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) went on his farewell Hajj. Abdullah ibn Zubayr went, too, and witnessed the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)'s hajj first-hand.

After the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) passed away, Abdullah ibn Zubayr became the definitive source of the fiqh of Hajj--starting at age 10--until he passed away at 73.

Why? Because he witnessed the Hajj of the prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) first-hand. He saw it all himself.

The same thing happened to 'Aisha (رضي الله عنها), the wife of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). In matters that deal with and around family life, her statements are taken as the source. So if what she says conflicts with another companion's statement, her statement overrides.

We don't all have companions or shuyook to teach us. So seek knowledge wherever it may be--those who have learned from people of knowledge or students of knowledge can pass on what they know. And share what little you know.

And remember, it's fard for Muslims to seek knowledge about their deen, at least with the basic obligations and prohibitions.
May Allah allow us all to fulfil the obligation of seeking knowledge. Ameen.

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

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Pain Brings Change

Pain is often an instigator of change. Pain works as one method to break people out of their cycles or mindsets.

Look at the story of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. In Mecca, before he became Muslim, he was one of the toughest on the Muslims.

One of his relatives, Umm Abdullah, prepared to leave for Habasha. He asked "where are you going?" and she said "To Habasha. I'm leaving Mecca because of the tightening you've put on us." And he said "may you travel in peace."

She was shocked. Remember, he (radiallahu 'an) was one of THE TOUGHEST on the Muslims. So she told her relative "I think he'll become Muslim" and his relative said "his donkey will become Muslim before hiim". THat's how tough he was against the Muslims.
His pain reached threshold--his own relatives leaving, families broken, and he didn't want it to continue. He went to kill the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). On the way there, someone stopped him and said "your sister is Muslim, take care of your own family first."

So he went to his sisters house, and heard her reciting. He slapped her, saw her bleeding, felt bad, calmed down, and asked if he could recite. He recited from Surah Taha. He went to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

Some of the companions with the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) saw 'Umar coming--one of the toughest, bravest, and fiercest warriors--and said "If he's coming to kill you, we'll kill him with his own sword." And the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said "this is between me and him."

When 'Umar (radiallahu 'an) approached, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said "Hasn't the time come for you to become Muslim ya 'Umar." And 'Umar replied "I came for that reason. Ashudla ila ha illallah."

If you use this technique for Islamic work, be very, very careful with it. Always make sure your intentions are 100% correct, and stick to your limits. And in general, brothers respond well to being dissed--they excell. Don't try it on sisters. (In general, you can always try other techniques--like competing in good deeds.) Wallahu 'alim.

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

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‘Uthman’s Caravan: Doing Business with Allah

During a year of difficulty--during the reign of Abu Bakr as-Siddique (radiAllahu 'an), when the Muslims needed food--this HUGE caravan rolls into town. Everyone clamers around, they want to buy stuff, and it goes straight to the house of 'Uthman (radiAllahu 'an). He owned the caravans.

So they went to 'Uthman and said "We want to buy it from you, we'll give you double the price"--that is, double the cost, for food. They needed it that much. Subhanallah.

'Uthman (radiAllahu 'an) said "I can get a better deal then that."

They said "we'll give you triple the price".

'Uthman (radiAllahu 'an) said "I can get a better deal then that."

They're like ohhh man. "We'll give you quadruple the price", like 300% pure profit. For every dollar he spent, he'd get four.

'Uthman (radiAllahu 'an) said "Can you give me a better price then ten to one?"

...

And that's when they realized what he was talking about: Doing business with Allah. When you do business with Allah, the profit is ten to one.

Then 'Uthman (radiAllahu 'an) gave away the caravan as charity. He said "take the whole caravan, I've donated it for the sake of Allah."

Subhanallah. That was the generosity of 'Uthman (radiAllahu 'an). And it didn't cripple him financially to do that--he did similar things over and over and over.

How? The answer to that is coming soon inshaAllah!

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

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Six Stages of Knowledge

There are six stages of knowledge.

1. Knowledge of Facts: know the information (eg. what year did 'Umar (radiallahu 'an) become the Khalifa?)
2. Comprehension: think about the information and understand it (eg. the khalifa is in charge of the entire Muslim ummah)
3. Application: learn and apply the knowledge--it helps you remember. Apply it to your context. What does it mean for you and me, here, today?
4. Analysis: Analyze the information critically. Get a deeper understanding of the meaning.
5. Synthesis: Link the information to other information you know.
6. Evaluation: recognize more authentic information over other information.

If you study at a university in Canada, you may notice that most of what they teach you doesn't go beyond the Comprehension stage. Some may reach the Application stage, depending on your field--or it may not.

Learn to think critically!

May Allah protect us from knowledge that does not benefit us, ameen.

Source: Someone with a Ph. D. in Education.

Project: Revision. By Al-Khurasani. Paltalk. 19 Feb. 2006.

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Islam Mission Statement - Rib’ee ibn ‘Amir

"Allah has sent us to deliver whomsoever chooses, from the 'uboodiyyah of men to the 'uboodiyyah of Allah, from the narrowness of this world to the vastness of this world and the Hereafter, and from the tyranny and oppression of (false) religions to the justice of Islam."

So said Rib'ee ibn 'Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) to the Persian general Rustum, before the battle of Qadisiyyah. An explaination of the core of Islam. And notice it doesn't take a two-hour speech to explain Islam, but a single, albeit long, sentence.

Whenever you give da'wah, no matter what angle, tie it back to tawhid--and if you can, plug this in. It's our flagship, our mission statement.

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

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“Ya Ahlil Ansar” - The Battle of Yamamah

In the battle of Yamamah (against Musaylimah. Muslims: 11k. Enemy: narrations vary, 20k-60k), Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ended up wounded and in the nursing docks. He saw this one Ansar (may Allah be pleased with him, whoever he was) critically injured--he couldn't walk--out of commission, being nursed.

To create motivation, outside on the battlefield, someone shouted "ya ahlil ansar" (o people of Ansar), like called them to group.

Abdullah ibn 'Umar (radiallahu 'an) watched this Ansari take up his sword and drag himself towards the exit.

Abdullah ibn 'Umar said "how can you fight, you can't even stand up."

The ansari replied "I will never hear the call of the Ansar and turn my back. This is not what ansar do." And he went into battle.

Subhanallah. This was the motivation of the early generations--their eman transcended their bodies. When their bodies failed, they kept working.

May Allah raise us all closer to their level of eman, ameen.

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

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Az-Zubayr and Yarmuk: The Man Worth 1000 Fighters

During the time of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), Amr ibn al-'As was in Egypt, and requested fighters. 'Umar (radiallahu 'an) sent a letter saying "I'll send you 8000 fighters." He sent 4000 fighters. 'Amr ibn al-'As (radiallahu 'an) replied and said (to the meaning of) "you said you sent 8000 and you sent 4000," and 'Umar (radiallahu 'an) said "I sent 4000, and at the head of each thousand is a man worth 1000 himself.

Az-Zubayr (radiallahu 'an) was one of those men worth 1000.

In the battle of Yarmuk, where the Muslims fought 100 000+ Roman soldiers, Az-Zubayr fought the army himself. This incident is in Sahih Bukhari.

To encourage the Muslims, he stood in front of them and said "who will pledge to go and fight to the death?" so a group stepped forward, and they'd go and fight.

They'd all be martyred, may Allah be pleased with them all. Then he'd come back and say the same thing again--"who will pledge to fight to the death?" so a smaller group stepped forward, and they'd go and fight, and only he would return.

This happened a few times. Although his goal was to uplift spirits, the Muslimeen became dejected--like "anyone who goes with him will die".

So when nobody stepped forward, he turned to his son Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) and said "Ok, if nobody's going, let's you and me go. And fight the entire army. By ourselves." (Abdullah was about 13--so this would be like his eight-grade field-trip ...)

So Abdullah (radiallahu 'an) led the horse, and they went into the Roman army and fought.

They took on the entire army themselves and cut directly into the army, like through the middle. Az-Zubayr (radiallahu 'an) fought Roman warriors in 360 degrees.

They cut through, into the middlle--the most intense part of the army--then out the back.

And then to get back to the Muslims, instead of going around, they went back through the middle again, fought the Romans 360 degrees, all the way through the army, back to where they started from.

A great deal of time had passed--so much so that the Muslims thought they were dead. But then, they returned.

One of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said "ma awwan ar-Room" (how weak the Romans). And then the Muslims fought and defeated the Roman army.

Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Conquest: History of the Khulafa. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2005.

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