Ilm Fruits

Follow the footsteps of Khalilullah

Once upon a time, on the day of Eid-ul-Adha:

Abdullah: As-Salam Alykum, Eid Mubarak..Taqabal Allah minna wa minkom! (May Allah accept it, from us and from you)

Abdur-Rahman: Wa 'Alykum As-salam. Eid Mubarak to you as well.

Abdullah: How has been your Eid day so far?

Abdur-Rahman: Man, I heard this new song today, and kept listening to it :( I know I shouldn't have been listening to music, it's haram, but I just can't give it up. I just can't. Perhaps I will give it up after I go for Hajj next year inshallah.

Abdullah: Man, seriously stop this habit now. Don't give yourself excuses. Repent now to Allah and make firm intention. You know this act is disliked by Allah. Today is a Eid day, a perfect time for you to make niyaah to leave this habit. If Prophet Ibraheem was willing to sacrifice his own son in His path, why can't you sacrifice this habit for His sake, to please Him?

Abdur-Rahman: You are right. Jazakallah Khair ........

Is there something that YOU really really like, but Allah dislikes? Perhaps some action that you have been doing all these years, disobeying Allah, and find it so hard to give up. You might have been giving yourself excuses like "I will repent later once I ..." (graduate? get married? old? .......) Make the intention right now to repent to Allah and sacrifice this habit for His sake.

Exercise: Find the verse in Qur'an that talks about spending your beloved thing in the way of Allah.

• Following vs. Obeying
• Umm Sulaym and the Death of her Son
• Why Should I Study?
• Influence Leaders, Don’t Import!
• Chain of Command

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Charity - Where to Give

"I have already donated enough to masajids. I want to help the needy, poor, orphans and widows. Its so hard to find these people here in the west. Back home, it was so easy." This is the typical problem that many of us face.

So if you are wondering, how and where should I spend my charity, follow these six steps:

1. Niyah Check:

Make sure that you are only doing it for Allah, not to please anyone else or get praised! Remember "The deeds are considered by the intentions, and a person will get the reward according to his intention" [Bhukari and Muslim]

2. Plan plan and plan:

You need to plan how much you are going to spend in charity. How frequent would your contributions be? For example you may decide that you will spend 5% of your income every month. Remember the Prophet(صلي الله عليه وسلم) was asked: "Which deed is most beloved to Allaah?" He said, "The one that is continuous, even if it is little." [Bukhari]

3. Where will you spend:

Write down the categories of organizations that you want to donate to. For example: masajid, educational institutes, orphans, poor and needy etc.

4. Plan out the proportion:

How much are you going to donate for each category. For example, you might decide that I will donate 20% to masajids, 50% to support poor and needy and the rest 30% to support educational institutes.

5. Research:

Its time to research the organizations. To make it easy, I have compiled a list of various charitable organizations. What's great about this website is that you can edit the page and contribute more websites to the list (simply click edit button in bottom right)

6. Automatic Payments:

Look into setting up automatic monthly payments. This way you will not have to worry about donations every now and then. A great way to give Shaytan a black eye!

• A Distance of One Mile
• ‘Uthman’s Caravan: Doing Business with Allah
• Inheritance That Benefits
• The Path of Goodness
• Fear Allah’s Punishment but Hope for His Mercy

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Ramadan Role Models–Got Any?

Who are your role models? Movie stars? Sports stars? Celebrities? Do we have any role models for Ramadan--people we can look on to and learn from? Let us take a glimpse at how our pious predecessors and the early generations spent their Ramadan.

Their reading of Qur'an in Ramadan:

• Salam ibn Abi Muti' informs us that Qatadah used to normally complete reading the Qur'an in 7 days, but in Ramadan, he completed it in three days. Indeed, during the last ten nights of Ramadan, he read the entire Qur'an every night.
• Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman tells us that Sa'id ibn Jubayr would complete a reading of the Qur'an every two nights in Ramadan

How much of the Qur'an have YOU planned to finish this Ramadan? How much of it will YOU read with understanding and contemplation?

Their Night Prayers:

• Al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid relates: "'Umar b. al-Khattab ordered Ubay ibn Ka'b and Tamim Ad-Dari to lead the people in prayer in Ramadan. They would each read hundreds of verses at a go, until we had to support ourselves with canes due to the length of time we had to stand. We would only finish praying close to the time of Fajr." [Recorded in Musannaf 'Abd al-Razzaq (7730) and Sunan al-Bayhaqi (4392)]
• 'Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr, relates that he heard his father say: "By the time we finished our prayers in Ramadan, the servants would have to rush to prepare food in fear of Fajr coming in." [Recorded in al-Muwatta' (254)]

How much time are YOU spending in night prayers remembering Allah with humility?

Their Charity:

• Ibn 'Umar used to never break his fast, except in the company of the poor. Whenever someone came to him while he was eating and begged him for something, Ibn 'Umar took from his food what he deemed to be his rightful share, then he stood up and left the rest of the food for that person. He would then take what was in his hand and give it to his family, so that when he woke up the next morning to resume his fast, he would not have eaten anything the night before. [Recorded in Lata'if al-Ma'arif (314)]
• Yunus ibn Yazid thells us that during the month of Ramadan, Ibn Shihab engaged in nothing besides reciting the Qur'an and providing food for the poor.

How much of the money that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has bestowed upon you are YOU spending in the path of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) feeding the needy?

What made these people so successful? It was their focus on the hereafter, and proper planning, that they achieved all these amazing goals in Ramadan! They truly knew the value and blessings of Ramadan. They were not distracted by meaningless distractions such as emails, forums, TV, surfing the internet, chatting, socialization, etc.

Subhanallah, indeed the best of deeds are those that are done on consistent basis. Go through these examples once more, and observe how these pious people were consistent in their worships. Sa'id ibn Jubayr would consistently finish reading the Qu'ran every two nights!

So if YOU haven't planned out your Ramadan, do it NOW. Plan your Qu'ran reading goals, night prayer goals, and charity goals. Make it into a consistent habit that you can continue after Ramadan Inshallah. You never know, this could be your last Ramadan! So make the best of this Ramadan inshallah!

References:

Al-Oadah, Salman. "How Our Pious Predecessors Spent Ramadan." IslamToday.Com. 2005. 23 Sept. 2007 <http://www.islamtoday.com/showme_weekly_2005.cfm?cat_id=30&sub_cat_id=845>.

• Your Amazing Ramadan: Planning
• Ramadan Mubarak!
• Six Days of Shawwal
• Ramadan Tips
• Ramadan Mubarak!

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Earn MAXIMUM Profit This Ramadan

Bismillah,

Ramadan is of a countable number of days, so we have to be smart, and think about how can we MAXIMIZE the rewards we earn! Inshallah following is a list of ibada that take less time and have big reward. We need to be smart and think like a businessman (small investment -> big profit)

Remember reward of every deed is multiplied in Ramadan.

• Get the reward of hajj and umrah every single day
• Be smart in your dhikar
• Get the reward of fasting many Ramadans
• Get the reward of performing salaah the whole night
• Earn the reward of reciting one third of Qur'an in few minutes:
  Imam Muslim (811) narrated from Abu Darda that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "Is any one of you unable to recite one-third of the Qur'an in one night?" They said, "How could anyone read one-third of the Qur'an?" He said, "Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad (i.e. Surah Ikhlaas) is equivalent to one-third of the Qur'an." [more]
• Fulfill various ibadah activities whenever you can--if you get a few minutes here or there, just pick one and do it! You can find a full checklist here.
• Create chain reaction:
  Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) as saying: He who called (people) to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.[Shaih Muslim Book 034, The Book of Knowledge]

Just pass on the hadith we just learned to 10 people, and you will get the reward of 10 hajj and umrah in a single day! Think of it as a chain reaction, every time someone learns something from you and acts upon it, you get the same reward! Fusion reaction!

May Allah(سبحانه وتعالى) give us the tawfiq to implement what was learned and to gain full benefit out of this Ramadan Inshallah.

Want to know more of these ibadas? Stay tuned!

• Your Amazing Ramadan: Planning
• Six Days of Shawwal
• Ramadan Mubarak!
• Five Categories of Everything
• Sofa Fard, Bucket-Seat Fard

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My Purity and the Qur’an

Use the following chart as a quick reference

There are differences of opinion in some of these issues. I encourage everyone to study the evidences in details.

Want to know the differences between different fluid discharges and their rulings? Inshallah in the next post, we will provide a summary of these rulings. Stay tuned!

References (contain proofs for the above):
http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ln=eng&QR=10672
http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=2564&ln=eng
http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=4643&ln=eng&txt=mushaf

• The Sock-Wiping Test
• The Purification Act
• A River of Purity (Salat 101)
• The Qur’an on Battle Tactics
• Your Responsibility, Spread the Message

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The Magnificent Three

In our last post, we looked at one of the dhikars taught to us by Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) We noted that by being smart, we can earn lots of hasanats much more quickly.

The dhikhar was:

Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih, 'adada khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wazinata 'arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah, as much as the number of His creation, as much as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of His words) [Shaheeh Muslim: Book 35, Number 6575]

When I first heard this hadith, I just loved it. One of the reasons is that I love maths and logic, and I said to myself, "Subhanallah, this is amazing!" Why?

Let us look at each phrase and you will see what I mean:

• "As much as the number of His creation"
  • Think about the creation of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Think about the Earth's population (6 -7 billion!), the animals, the Jinns, the angels, the trees, the rivers, the mountains ... and much, much more.
• "As much as the weight of His Throne"
  • Ibn Jarrir narrates "Seven heavens are as small as seven Dirhams moulded in a warrior's shield in comparison to the Kursi (Allah's Footstool) of Allah," and
  • "The Kursi compared to the Throne is nothing but like a ring of iron thrown in a vast desert" [Kitab At-Tawhid chapter 67]
  • Subhanallah, just ponder about the vastness of His throne. Look up towards the sky and you would think it's so huge. Now think about how these seven heavens are in comparison to the Throne of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Nothing! What would the weight of this throne be like? Only Allah knows.
  • Assignment: Find out how many angels would be carrying the throne of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) on the Day of Judgment, and their description.
• "As much as the ink of His words"

Translation: And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Aziz and Hakim [Surah Luqmaan, verse 27]

Subhanallah, three quarters of the Earth is covered by oceans. Just think of how much water would be contained in them! As an exercise, try closing your eyes and imagine--or use your past memories of--when you were by a seaside and lake. How much water do you see? But still this is not sufficient to write the words of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Only He knows the amount of ink that would be required to write His words.

Subhanallah, only a true prophet, divinely inspired from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), could have said such beautiful words!

Now, can you glorify, praise, and declare Allah's oneness all together in one small sentence? Stay tuned for the next post in this series! And in the meantime, don't forget to recite and ponder over these beautiful words!

And don't forget the assignment:--find out how many angels (and their description) carry the throne of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) on the Day of Judgment. You must cite proof--whether an ayah of the Qur'an, or an authentic hadith of the Prophet, a statement of a scholar, or something else.

• No related posts

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Be Smart

What if you were asked to praise Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) in the best possible way, using the best possible words? What words would you pick? Subhanallah, look at the words of our beloved prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم):

Juwairiya (رضي الله عنها) reported that Allah's Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) came out from her apartment in the morning as she was busy in observing her Fajr prayer in her place of worship. He came back in the forenoon and she was still sitting there. He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said to her: You have been in the same seat since I left you. She said: Yes. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said:

I recited four kalimaat three times after I left you, and if these are to be weighed against what you have recited since morning these would outweigh them and (these words) are:

Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih, 'adada khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wazinata 'arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah, as much as the number of His creation, as much as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of His words) [Shaheeh Muslim: Book 35, Number 6575]

What are some of the lessons that we can learn from this hadith? Devotion of Juwairiya (رضي الله عنها) after converting to Islam, importance and manners of giving nasiha, how the ummah benefitted from wives of the prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). The main lesson that we want to focus on today is:

Sometimes we just have to be smart instead of working hard! You can earn lots of hasanats in a short time by just being smart. Subhanallah the ahdkars taught to us by Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) are very small, don't take much time and don't cost you anything! No matter how busy we get, we can always spare few minutes for these adkhars.

To get the maximum benefit out of these adhkars and to make it into a habith, we would Inshallah focus on one zikhar every week. While you are reciting this dikhar this week, pay close attention to the meaning of each phrase. Inshallah we will look at some of these phrases in future posts.

Do not forget to recite these beautiful words whenever you get a chance this week? Will You?

• Earn MAXIMUM Profit This Ramadan
• You Can Do It
• The Magnificent Three
• Umm Sulaym and the Death of her Son
• Signing on Behalf of Allah

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