Ilm Fruits

Heavy Construction Zone

Ilm Fruits is under heavy construction. (Hence the lack of posts.) Inshallah when it's finished, it'll be better then ever!In the mean-time, if you notice anything out of order--any broken links, broken images, anything like that, please drop a comment and let me know. Similarly, if you have any suggestions for improvement, drop a comment and let me know inshallah. That includes suggestions for upcoming content or awesome articles!

May Allah reward all your efforts and make the transition smooth and easy for us all. Don't forget to make du'a for us inshallah!

• Salaah: A Springboard of Eman
• Precision in Vowels
• Your Responsibility, Spread the Message
• Tafseer ibn Abbas
• The Dedication of the Sahaba

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Amplify Your Du’a With Tawassul

What is Tawassul? Linguistically, it means that which brings you closer to an object. The Arabic is tawassul (توسّل) or wasiylah (وسيلة). Islamically, it means any good deed that brings you closer to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)--so every single good deed can be called tawassul--though scholars use it specifically to mean things that increase our chances of having our du'a accepted.

The Qur'an and Sunnah only sanction four types of tawassal (with a difference of opinion on the fifth). These are the only acceptable types of tawassul. They are:

There is hardly a du'a mentioned in the Qur'an or Sunnah without mention of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), His names, or His attributes. And the most common name mentioned is ar-rabb (the Lord)--why? Because the rabb is the sustainer, the nourisher, the provider. You call out to the Rabb, and He gives you what you need.

And we should invoke Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) with His names and attributes. Because Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) himself says:

Translation: And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them [Surah Al-Araaf, verse 180]¹.

So make du'a with Allah's names and attributes. If you want forgiveness, use Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, At-Tawab, and so on. For sustance, use Ar-Razaq, Al-Kareem, etc. Make du'a with appropriate names and attributes suitable to your request. (You can always try "O Allah, you are the only one who responds to du'a ...")

(For an excellent Flash video containing Allah's Names and Attributes, see this link.)

When Prophet Zakariya makes du'a for a child, he says "O Allah, I have never been unfortunate with responding to my du'as" (i.e. that the previous ones have all been answered). That is, he makes tawassul with his present state.

Similarly, when Prophet Musa is in Midian, all alone, with no idea where he's going, and he sees the two ladies and helps them feed his flock, he says "O Allah, I am a beggar to your good". That is, he makes tawassul with his present state.

(If you know the ayat with these du'a, please post them in a comment. Jazakumullahu khayr.)

So make tawassul with your present state. It puts a very personal touch to your du'a. "O Allah, look at my pathetic state ..." Or, to make tawassul with your future state, try something like "O Allah, I will use XYZ for some good ..."

There's the hadith about the three people trapped in the cave by the boulder--"They said to each other, 'Invoke Allah with the best deed you have performed (so Allah might remove the rock)'." [Bukhari 3/34/418]²

One made du'a and referred to his kindness to parents, one mentioned zakaah, and one mentioned the wages he paid a worker in full--and after each du'a, the boulder that trapped them moved a little more, until all three made du'a and they were freed.

In our times, if you gave money to charity or a good cause, or something similar, you can use that--"O Allah, I am in need of Your rizq. That beggar I helped, if You know I did it for You, heed my request." Apply similarly to fit your situation and needs.

If you know someone who you believe, is more pious then you, ask them: "hey, make du'a for me inshallah." The sahaba did it (as did the scholars), so it's definitely valid. However, the condition is that you don't assume the du'a will be accepted for 100% sure--there's just a better chance.

And of course, you yourself don't forget to make du'a. And realize the one in distress has a better chance of having his du'a accepted.

One guy went to a scholar and said "I am in distress, make du'a for me," to which the scholar said "in that case, make it yourself -- Allah responds to the one in distress." The person in distress will have much more sincerity when they make that du'a.

And that's Tawassul. Try these methods in your du'a inshallah, and you'll feel the difference yourself, especially in your sincerity of du'a.

(1) Khan, Muhsin, trans. “Quranic Realm.” Islamic Network. 12 May 2006 <http://quran.islamicnetwork.com/>.

(2) “Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 34: Sales and Trade.” USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts. USC-MSA. 15 May 2006 <http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/034.sbt.html#003.034.418>

(3) Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.

• The Meaning of Du’a
• The Calling Ya
• You are a Witness
• The Elite 99 Names of Allah

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Increase Your Barakah

Now that you know what barakah is, you might ask, how can one increase the barakah in his or her life? Aside from visiting the places with barakah, and making use of times with barakah, what else can you do?

The answer is very simple. If you want Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to bless you, then do anything for the sake of Allah, upon the sunnah (methodology) of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

Thus every act can become a candidate for more barakah. Even things like going to work and shopping for food--properly done, with the right intention, can become something blessed. You'll be more productive at work. The food you buy feeds you for a longer time. And so on.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) increase us all in our barakah.

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.

• The Barakah of the Ka’bah
• Things that Contain Barakah
• What is Barakah?
• Places that Contain Barakah
• Times Blessed with Barakah

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Shirk, the Destroyer

Most of the ayat in the Qur'an that are directed to non-Muslims, are directed to mushrikeen--those who commit shirk. In fact, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) spells out, in painful detail, just how dangerous shirk is. Read and remember.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, in Surah Nisaa:

Translation: Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin. (Surah Nisaa, verse 48)¹

What does this means? It means if you commit an act of shirk and die on it, Allah will punish you for it. What else does it mean? Allah may forgive any sin smaller then shirk. Anything in Islam is potentially forgivable. Even murder. Subhanallah.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, in Surah Maida:

Translation: Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong­doers) there are no helpers. (Surah Maida, verse 72)¹

That's right! It's not "Oh, we'll enter the Hellfire for a few days, then we're cool" (as the Jews used to say); rather, entrance into Hellfire will be permanent, as in forever, as in an infinite number of days. May Allah protect us.

One act of shirk is so evil that it destroys a lifetime of sins. No other sin is like that. Check out what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in Surah Zumar:

Translation: And indeed it has been revealed to you [the Prophet], as it was to those [prophets] before you: "If you join others in worship with Allah, then surely all your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the khasirin." (Surah Zumar, verse 65)¹

What's more, tafseer of this verse reveals the following:

1. The verse is addressed to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). Nobody has more good deeds then he does. And if his good deeds can be waived...
2. His past and present sins were forgiven. But still, after all that, if he commits shirk...
3. Emphasis. Just like if you said to someone "look, I'm telling you", Allah uses emphasis in this verse.
4. People before you. They are mentioned here for emphasis.
5. Prophets can't commit major sins. So why was this verse revealed to him? To make us understand the gravity of shirk.

And remember, even though this verse was addressed to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), it was intended for us to understand and follow as well.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, in Surah Tawbah:

Translation: It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's Forgiveness for the Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief). (Surah Tawbah, verse 113)¹

This verse was revealed in the context of the Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib, who protected him until his death. The Prophet said: "I will ask forgiveness for you until I am forbidden to do so," and this verse came down.²

Now think about that verse. The person who commits zina loses his head, but they bring his body in, pray his janaazah, ask Allah to forgive him, and then bury him.

But not so for shirk. You die on shirk, you die a non-Muslim.

May Allah protect us all from the evils of shirk, in our intentions and our actions, ameen.

(1) Khan, Muhsin, trans. “Quranic Realm.” Islamic Network. 12 May 2006 <http://quran.islamicnetwork.com/>.

(2) Al-Mubarakpuri, Safi-Ur-Rahman. Ar-Raheeq Al-Mukhtum (the Sealed Nectar). 1st ed. Riyadh: Maktaba Dar-Us-Salam, 1995. 123-124.

(3) Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.

• Seek Protection From Shirk
• Forgiveness for Shirk?
• THE Purpose of Creation
• Mushrikeen Believed in Allah
• Faculties in Islamic Institutes

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Sins: Tawbah and Repetition

Scholars say: there are no major sins with tawbah, and there are no minor sins with repetiton.

What does that mean? The one who commits major sins and performs tawbah is forgiven; and the one who commits minor sins repeatedly is overcome by them, and they reach the level of major sins.

Ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) said: A believer treats a sin as if it is a mountain over his head that may fall on him any moment; whereas a dissolute person looks at it as a fly that hovers around his nose and he waves it away with his hand.¹

So work hard to overcome your sins, and never despair. And remember, if you're not all that worried about your sins, you could be neck-deep and drowning without knowing it.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) protect us from all kinds of sins, ameen.

You can read an excellent concise article on sins and wiping them out here.

(1) Al-Munajjid, Muhammad Saleh. "Do Not Belittle Sins." IslamOnline.Net. 8 Mar. 2005. 11 May 2006 .

• Comfortable?
• Shirk, the Destroyer
• Sayyidul Istaghfar - The Chief of Prayers for Forgiveness
• Protect Your Dignity
• Do Not Reveal Your Sins

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No Fear Nor Grief

In many places in the Qur'an, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) makes this statement:

Transliteration: Laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanuwn

Translation: No fear upon them and they will not grieve.

You can locate this in many ayat of the Quran, such as: Surah Baqarah verse 38, Surah al-An'aam verse 48, and Surah Yunus verse 62, and others.

We'll break this statement into two parts inshaAllah: the first part, it deals with fear (laa khawfun `alayhim), and the second deals with grief (wa laa hum yuhzinuwn).

The keyword of the first part is khawf (خَوْف), which means fear--fear for the future, and fear for the akhira. In particular, in these ayat, it means fear of what horrors one will face in the hereafter--like the bridge over hell.

The keyword of the second part is huzn (حُزن), which means grief--grief for the past, and grief for the dunya. In particular, in these ayat, it means grief of the life of this world.

Reflect on that inshaAllah and you'll realize that these two statements cover everything--everything in the past, everything in the future. Everything that happened in this world, in this life, and everything that can happen in the next life.

Now that you know what it means, whenever you see it, remind yourself of what it means. You'll find it benefits your understanding, bi idhnillah.

And subhanallah, if you look at the Arabic, you find parallelism: one deals with past, one with future. One with this life, one with the next. And indeed, the Qur'an is an example of the most beautiful speech, the speech of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), Lord of the worlds.

Also interesting: if you had an exam yesterday that you utterly, totally, and completely bombed, and another one coming up tomorrow, which would you be more worried about? Most people would worry about the one coming up. And that is the aspect the ayat deal with first--future. Subhanallah.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) grant us all amazing insight and understanding into the Qur'an, ameen.

(1) Al-Mubarakpuri, Safiur-Rahman. Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged). Comp. Abu Al-Fida Ismail Ibn Kathir. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Maktaba Dar-Us-Salam, 2003. 203.

(2) Al-Mubarakpuri, Safiur-Rahman. Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged). Comp. Abu Al-Fida Ismail Ibn Kathir. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Maktaba Dar-Us-Salam, 2003. 627.

• Fear the Creator, Fear the Creation?
• Recipe for Being Worry-Free
• Gems From Hassan Al-Basri
• Fear the Fire whose Fuel is People and Stones
• Fear Allah’s Punishment but Hope for His Mercy

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The Mu’min Tree

In Surah Ibrahim, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) gives us the metaphor of the kalimah (la ilaha ilallah) as a beautiful tree. The verse is:

Translation: Have you not seen how Allah has given the parable of a beautiful kalimah, like a beautiful tree, whose roots are firmly established, and whose branches tower in the sky? (Surah Ibrahim, verse 24)¹

According to the tafseer in Ibn Kathir, the mu'min is also like a beautiful tree. The heart of the believer is firmly established with the proofs (the Qur'an and the sunnah). The branches, the sincere and correct actions of the believer, reach Allah (see also Surah Fatir, verse 10: "To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it")². The fruit in all seasons is the believer who always obeys Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) at all times.

Even more amazing, subhanallah, are some amazing parallels we can draw from the science of trees.

1. Forests: Trees grow much taller in forests then they do individually spaced-out. Why? More competition for sunlight. This is like believers.
2. Cut the Side Branches: When you cut the branches at the side of the tree, the tree doesn't stop growing--instead, it grows taller. Similarly, the believer, when pressured from all sides, he grows taller. (If you've ever seen someone put into a position of responsiblity rise up to the challenge, you know exactly what this means.)
3. Cut the Top Branches: If you cut the top branches, the tree doesn't stop growing--instead, it grows wider! Subhanallah. Similarly, if someone tries to stop a believer ("you can't do X"), he grows wider--networking and outreach.

In either case, the tree keeps growing!

And these are metaphors for people to ponder upon. And inshaAllah even your contemplation earns you some reward in the akhir.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) increase us all in our knowledge (and subsequent implementation), ameen!

(1) Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.

(2) Khan, Muhsin, trans. "Quranic Realm." Islamic Network. 7 May 2006 <http://quran.islamicnetwork.com/viewverses.php?q=35>.

(3) Light of Guidance. Cond. Mursaleen Al-Khurasani. Project Revision, Paltalk. 7 May 2006.

• Water, Soil, Plants, Fruit, Life Management
• The Fruits of Eman (8): Love
• Belief: A Beautiful Tree
• The Fruits of Eman (7): Brotherhood
• The Fruits of Eman (9): Benefit From Advice

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Pre-Emptive Parental Kindness

Kindness to parents is pre-emptive--you fulfill their needs and wants before they can ask, before they even know it themselves.

Kindness to parents is pre-emptive--it means you fulfill their needs before they ask. It's not antagonistic, where they ask and ask and ask until you give in and do what they say. It's not passive, where they have to tell you every little thing they need. It's active, so take the initiative and do what needs to be done, in order to earn the pleasure of Allah.

So if you see a big pile of dishes in the sink, or your laundry-basket bulges with fullness, act on them before they ask. Be proactive with household chores and in fulfilling the rights of your parents. (Even if they didn't ask you to do these things, how can they be anything but delighted if you do them without being asked?)
And of course, kindness to parents is fard (and therefore, punishable if one is negligant), and it's one of their rights in Islam. After all, in the Qur'an, Allah says:

Translation: We have enjoined on humankind kindness to parents: but if they (either of them) strive (to force) you to join with Me (in worship) anything of which you have no knowledge, obey them not. (Surah Ankabut, verse 8)¹

Also, a hadith from Sahih Bukhari:

A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said. "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your father. " [Bukhari 8/73/2]²

May Allah give us all the tawfiq to fulfill all the obligations placed on us in Islam, ameen!

You can also check out this awesome SoundVision article on the mothers specifically, and parents in general.

(1) Muhammad, Pickthall M., trans. “Al-Ankaboot (The Spider).” Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic Text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 4 May 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/29.htm>.

(2) “Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 73: Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab).” USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts. USC-MSA. 4 May 2006 <http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/073.sbt.html#008.073.002>

(3) "The Quran and Hadith on Mothers." Islamic Information & Products - SoundVision.Com Home! 4 May 2006 <http://www.soundvision.com/Info/mothers/inquran&hadith.asp>.

• Parental Appreciation 101
• Any Last Words?
• The Best Teacher
• The Prophet’s Sermon on the Reception of Ramadan
• Post-Mortem Parental Rights

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Mushrikeen Believed in Allah

Check this out. The mushrikeen, now and in the time of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), believed in Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Remember, these are the people who rejected Islam, and who are among the worst of people.

In Surah Ankabut, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

Translation: If indeed thou ask them who has created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law), they will certainly reply, "Allah". [...] And if indeed thou ask them who it is that sends down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith to the earth after its death, they will certainly reply, "Allah!" (Surah Ankabut, verses 61-63)¹

If they believed in Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), then what made them Mushrikeen? That they denied tawhid-al-uloohiyyah, Allah's right to be the sole entity worthy of worship.

Check out this verse from Surah Yusuf:

Translation: And most of them believe in Allah, but commit shirk. (Surah Yusuf, verse 106)²

Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه), when asked about this verse, said "their eman in Allah is that if you ask, 'who created you?' they say 'Allah'. Their shirk is that they worship other then him."

Now, pay attention, this part is vital: what was the excuse of the jahili Arabs to commit shirk? They believed in Allah, so why worship other then Him? The answer lies in Surah Yunus:

Translation: They serve, besides Allah, things that hurt them not nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah." (Surah Yunus, verse 18)³

And also, in Surah Zumar:

Translation: Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." (Surah Zumar, verse 3)⁴

Their excuse--the same excuse used to justify shirk today--is that the ones they give Allah's rights are the ones who will intercede for them. The ultimate object of their worship is Allah, indirectly!

If you've been to certain parts of this world where grave-worship is prevelant, you can hear this excuse for yourself--"We are too sinful to approach Allah directly, we need to go through middlemen." This is the same shirk that the mushrik of Arabia commited during the time of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), with the same excuse.

The Mushrikeen refused to single out Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) as the sole object of worship. Many of them already believed in Allah, in the Day of Judgement, in Heaven and Hell--fragments that remained from the religion of Ibrahim--but this halted them.

Surah Sad says:

Translation: So they wonder that a Warner has come to them from among themselves! and the Unbelievers say, "This is a sorcerer telling lies! Has he made the gods (all) into one Allah? Truly this is a wonderful thing!" (Surah Sad, verse 4-5)⁵

To them, to believe in and worship only one God, was a thing that was unbelievable. May Allah protect us from being like them.

If you truly understand tawhid ar-rububiyyah, it should lead to tawhid al-uloohiyyah. How can you acknowledge Allah as the Rabb--the Lord, the Creator, the Sustainer--and worship other then Him? And there are many verses in the Qur'an that ask exactly that. For example, surah Baqarah says:

Translation: O humankind! Worship your Lord ... And do not set up rivals to Allah when ye know (better). (Surah Baqarah, verse 20-22)⁶

In this verse (and many similar verses), Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentions rububiyyah (worship your Lord) and then connects it to Uloohiyyah (and do not worship other then Him).

Rububiyyah alone is not enough to be saved. The vast majority of people believe in one Rabb. But the vast majority are not Muslim.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) give us a proper understanding of 'aqeedah and tawhid, ameen!

(1) Muhammad, Pickthall M., trans. “Al-Ankaboot (The Spider).” Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic Text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 2 May 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/29.htm>.

(2) Muhammad, Pickthall M., trans. “Yusuf (Joseph).” Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic Text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 2 May 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/12.htm>.

(3) Muhammad, Pickthall M., trans. “Yunus (Jonah).” Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic Text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 2 May 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/10.htm>.

(4) Muhammad, Pickthall M., trans. “Az-Zumar (The Troops).” Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic Text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 2 May 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/39.htm>.

(5) Muhammad, Pickthall M., trans. “Sad (The Letter Sad).” Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic Text with English Translation. One Ummah Network. 2 May 2006 <http://www.oneummah.net/quran/38.htm>.

(6) Muhammad Pickthall M., trans. “Al-Baqarah (The Cow).” USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts. USC-MSA. 2 May 2006 <http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/002.qmt.html>.

(7) Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.

• Is not Allah Alone Worthy of our Worship?
• The People of the Ditch (15): Tests and Purification
• Da’wah to Atheists: Five Minutes
• Family Defined
• The Qur’an: It’s All For You!

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