What a beautiful month in which we can come together and build our salat. Ramadan Mubarak! We ask Allah to accept all our deeds from this blessed month and to give us the tawfeeq to push ourselves in pleasing Him, Subhana. To begin our journey, we remind ourselves of the saying our our beloved Prophet alayhi salatu wa salam; may not be directly related to prayers, nonetheless it is important:

“Seek out that which benefits you, seek help only from Allah and never say you can’t do it…” - Saheeh Muslim

GEMS

• If you are sincere and you want to really increase the quality of your salat – seek out the means of doing so!
• Don’t forget that help comes only from Allah…so trust in Him and Him Alone
• Having trust in Allah means working, rolling up your sleeves, and grinding it out
• You can increase the quality of your prayers, know you can, regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way

A basic rule: You cannot reach your destination if you don’t know where you are! How are you going to get to Toronto if you don’t where you’re starting from? Therefore, follow the steps below to get yourself started on this journey.

Step 1: Take the time right now to give yourself a rating from 1-10 on the quality of your salat.

Step 2: Brainstorm factors (~10) which are necessary for you to attain ihsan in your prayers. For example:

• fard prayers
• sunnah prayers
• punctuality
• concentration
• praying in masjid w/ congregation

Step 3: Give your self a rating from 1-10 on each factor.

Step 4: From the list, choose 2-3 factors you want to work on for the next two weeks

Step 5: Monitor these factors and your overall quality of salat frequently until you reach your g17oal.

Don’t brush this off as nothing! If you are committed and sincere…do the exercise now…work comes with the territory.

Asalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

Truly, patience is a characteristic of the Muslim that is required on many levels:

1. Patience in worshiping Allah
2. Patience in abstaining from wrong actions
3. Patience at times of trials

These are the three levels we should constantly be monitoring, for verily it is these levels of patience that will bring us success. My dear brothers and sisters, Ramadan is only days away. Truly, it is a month full of blessings. Lets use the month to train ourselves to be patient in these three levels.

Patience in worshiping Allah

This essentially means to carry out the commands of Allah regularily with full sincerity to Him and Him Alone and to do so with the correct understanding and methodology shown to us by our beloved sallalahu alayhi wasalam.

و ما أمروا إلا ليعبدوا الله مخلصين له الدين حنفاء و يقيموا الصلاة و يؤتوا الزكاة و ذلك دين القيمة

And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to practise regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight [Surah Bayyina V.5]

Patience in abstaining from Wrong

This can be achieved in two ways: 1) fear the punishment which follows the wrong action 2) feeling of haya (shyness or shame) before Allah for using His blessings in disobeying Him

Now the question to ask is, which one is better?

Truly, both have their place, however the one who resists from the wrong due to the feeling haya in front of the Lord of the heavens and the earth is better. This is because the one who restrains himself out of fear is focused on the punishment and is scared of it, his only concern is saving himself from the punishment. Whereas, the person who restrains himself out of haya is focused on Allah Himself, the main concern is Allah and His Glory and His Majesty. This is why some of our beloved scholars have said:

“Do not look at the size of the sin you are committing. Rather, look at the greatness of the One you are sinning against”

Nonetheless, both levels are accepted and reach the level of eman (faith). However, restraining out of haya reaches the level of ihsan.

Patience at times of Trial

There are many ways one can be patient in regards to trials we face:

1. Reward – Be certain that your patience will not go in vein. Rather, with every second you walk and deal with patience, inshallah there is reward waiting. We as humans are very selfish, always thinking about the “whats in it for me?” If you think short-term, you will limit your thinking to this life, and thus may not resort to patience. However, if you think of the long-term, you will expand your thinking to the Hereafter, and thus may resort to patience. And certainly, patience is the best route for the believer.
2. Expecting a time of ease – Allah has promised that after every difficult comes relief. So be certain that the trial is only a period of time and relief is coming.
3. Recounting the blessings – When you sit back and ponder about the infinite blessings our Lord has bestowed upon us, our problems don’t seem so bad. You realize, in comparison to the blessings, the trial is like a drop of water out of the ocean.
4. Recounting previous blessing - When you are able to sit back and ponder about how Allah took care of you and brought you to light from darkness in the past, you will be able to expect the same in the current time.

يا أيها الذين آمنوا اصبروا وصابروا ورابطوا واتقوا الله لعلكم تفلحون

O you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful. {Surah ale Imran V.200]

Asalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

My dear brothers and sisters in this beautiful religion of Islam, sometimes we have to sit back and ponder about life and ponder about the purpose of it. Sometimes we know the purpose, yet we fall of track due to the play and amusement of this world. Nonetheless, we should never despair of the mercy of our Lord, for verily He is the Most Merciful and Most Forgiving.

Patience is a beautiful characteristic and with it comes victory. Some people have very strong levels of patience when it comes to doing what is good for them, but their patience is weak with regards to restraint from harmful things. This is especially true in times we are living in today; we have the utmost patience to strive and to worship Allah however we lack it when it comes to restraining ourselves from our desires. The opposite case is also very true, some people may have strong levels of patience in staying away from evil things but have a weak level of patience when it comes to worshiping Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

My dear brothers and sisters, it is only beneficial for us to examine ourselves and increase our level of patience in regards to worshiping Allah and in staying away from that which is prohibited. What great month to do this in than Ramadan? Lets make the most of it! Only a few days left so lets make the intention now to truly make this Ramadan one of patience in all that is pleasing to Allah.

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِين َالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ أُولَـئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ

And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e. blessings, etc.) from their Lord, and receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones [Surah Baqarah V.155-157]

Asalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

I start by asking a very simple question: Where does patience stand within our lives today?

SubhanAllah, what a beautiful trait it is yet we rarely see the implementation of it. Such a beautiful tree by which the sweetest of fruits cultivate and bless our lives, yet we just let it slip away as a “thing of the past”.

Sabr (patience) comes from a root word meaning to detain, refrain, and stop. Applying this to our lives as Muslims, it means to stop ourselves from despairing and panicking and to stop our tongues from complaining. O Slave of Allah! Why do you despair when you know your Lord is the Most Merciful? Why do you panic when you know Allah is your Protector? O Slave of Allah! Why do you complain to the people, when your Lord is All-Hearing and is able to do all things? O Slave of Ar-Rahman! Be like Yaqub alayhi salam when he said:

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

He said: “I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you know not.” [Surah Yusuf V.86]

Or be like Musa alayhi salam who prayed to Allah azza wa jal saying:

“O Allah! All praise is due to You, and complaint is made only to You, and You are the only One from whom we seek help and in whom we put our trust, and there is no power except by Your help”

Or be like our beloved Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam:

“O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness and helplessness”

These were the greatest of people that ever stepped foot on this earth and they were a people who only complained to the Lord of all the worlds. Why? Because complaining to Allah is of great benefit while complaining to people is of no benefit. Complaining to Allah is a form of true patience, worship, and great reward while complaining to the people is the opposite.

May we use this blessed month which is approaching us in a few days to truly come closer to Allah by practicing true patience.

Translation: Narrated ‘Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: Truthfulness (sidq) leads to righteousness (birr), and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes and is written as a truthful person (siddeeq). And Falsehood/lying (kithb) leads to Al-Fajoor (wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajoor (wickedness) leads to the Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar (kathaab). [Saheeh Bukhari, Book of Manners, #116]

Birr is from ba-ra-ra and it literally means a vast and open piece a land, with so many types of herbage and fruits. Birr means vastness of good deeds. Someone who is baarun (one who does birr) does all types of good deeds, and these people, al-abraar (plural of baarun), are those who are truly righteous. Next time you read the Qur’an, look for this word “al-abraar” (الابرار)and see which context these people are mentioned.

The hadeeth says that whoever is truthful, they will be lead to do these vast good deeds and then eventually they will be written as a “siddeeq”. Notice this word, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not say a ’saadiq’, but he said ’siddeeq’. A ’siddeeq’ is way better than a saadiq. They not only tell the truth, they always speak the truth, and they stand by it and live by it until it becomes their nature. All they do is tell the truth, again and again. Think of Abu Bakr as-siddeeq (رضي الله عنه‏) and how he earned this name.

On the other hand, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said that the man who lies will be lead to “fujoor” and then is written as a kathaab. Al-Fujoor is from fa-jeem-ra and it means to break open, cross, and deviate (significance of words beginning with fa). Fujoor is also intensified and it shows that causing corruption and wickedness is embedded in this person’s nature. Their actions are based on it and it is part of their character. Also, the word for liar used is a “kathaab”, which is not just a kaathib (a liar), but a huge liar. One who is always lying until it’s just second nature for lies to come out of his mouth. All they do is lie, again and again. Think of Musaylimah al-kathaab and how he earned this name.

So the question is, where do we stand with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)? How are you written with Him? As a siddeeq or a kathaab? This reminder is for myself first and foremost.

Allahumma ijalnaa min as-siddeeqeen, wa la tajalnaa min al-khaathibeen. O Allah, make us among those who are always truthful, and do not make us among those who are liars. Ameen!

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an,

Translation: It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom although they were before in clear error. [Suratul Jumu'ah, verse 2]

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sent Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) to do four things:

1. Recite the verses
2. Teach the Qur’an
3. Teach the Wisdom (sunnah)
4. Purify his followers.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) nurtured the sahaba and taught them in such a way that the whole of Arabia drastically changed in a matter of 23 years. He had six amazing qualities of teaching that inshaAllah we can implement and follow as teachers, parents, siblings, and any other roles we have in our communities.

Mu’awiyah ibn Al-Hakam said, “I have never seen a teacher before him (Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) or after him better in teaching than he.”

The attributes of a good teacher:

1. Desire and keen for goodness for students: In surah At-Tawbah, Allah says, in the translation of ayah 128, “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.” Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) also advised Abu Dhar (رضي الله عنه‏), “I see that you are weak, and I love for you like I love for myself, so if someone gives you a position of leadership, don’t take it”.
2. Kindness. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “Allah is Kind (Rafeeq) and He loves kindness, and confers upon kindness which He does not confer upon severity, and does not confer upon any thing besides it (kindness).” [Muslim] We see his kindness throughout his life (صلى الله عليه و سلم), when he would pass by children in the street he would play with them–unlike nowadays, where people think it is righteousness to never smile. Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه‏) narrated that whenever the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would pass by children he would smile fondly and greet them. [Bukhari and Muslim].
   Anas also narrated, “I served him for ten years, and he never said “uff” (an expression of disgust) to me. He never said, ‘why did you do that?’ for something I had done, nor did he ever say ‘why did you not do such and such’ for something I had not done.” [Bukhari and Muslim].
3. Hikmah (wisdom). Hikmah is defined as saying the right thing at the right time to the right people in the right manner. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed.” A man inquired: “O Messenger of Allah! I help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?” He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him.” [Bukhari]. Another example is the story of the bedoin who urinated in the masjid. SubhanAllah, while all of the sahaba ran to admonition him and beat him, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) simply said, “Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult.” [Bukhari]
4. Humilty and humbleness. Abu Rifa’a (رضي الله عنه‏) narrated that, “I came towards the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) while he was giving the khutba. I said ‘O Messenger of Allah, an estranged man has come asking about his religion, he does not know what his religion is.’ The Messenger of Allah came towards me and left his khutba until he reached me, and was brought a chair, I thought the legs were made of iron. The Prophet sat on it and started teaching me from what Allah had taught him. Then he returned to his khutba and completed it.” [Bukhari]
5. Saying “I don’t know” if you don’t know the answer. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would only answer a question if Qur’an had been revealed answering it, or he would wait for revelation. Once, Jaabir ibn Abdillah (رضي الله عنه‏) came and asked the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سل) about inheritance, and Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) stayed quiet until Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) revealed the ayah in Surah an-Nisaa.
6. Speaking slowly. ‘Aishah (رضي الله عنها‏) reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not summarize his speech, and he spoke in such a way that if one were to count his words, they could be counted. [Bukhari] Anas ibn Malik also reported that Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would repeat his words three times.

These are only a few of the qualities of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) as a teacher, indeed in him we have an excellent pattern–as Allah Himself says:

Translation: There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often. [Surah Ahzab, verse 21].

References

AbdulBary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib Institute. Chain of Command: Hadeeth Sciences. University of Maryland, Rockville. July 2007.

As a good reminder to the sincere heart, even if you have been blessed with guidance to the Sunnah and hold yourself to be from Ahlul-Haqq, the Shaytaan will not leave you alone. Perhaps he may destroy your deeds by wrecking your character and making you heedless and blinded by the fact that you ‘ascribe yourself to the correct way.’ We ask Allah to make us people of upright character, firstly with Allah, His Messenger, his companions, the scholars of Islam, our families, and our brothers and sisters in Islam.

1314. Narrated Ibn Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Adhere to truthfulness, indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness (editor’s note: birr) and righteousness leads to paradise, and if a man continues to speak the truth and makes truth his object, he will be recorded as truthful before Allah. Avoid falsehood, indeed falsehood leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the hellfire, and if a man continues to speak falsehood and makes falsehood his object, he will be recorded as a liar before Allah.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1315. Narrated Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Avoid suspicion, for indeed suspicion is the worst form of false speech.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1316. Narrated Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Avoid sitting by the roadside, they (the Companions) asked ‘O Allah’s Messenger, we cannot do without those meeting places in which we converse,’ so he said, “Well if you insist (on that), give the road its dues.” They asked, ‘what are the road’s due?’ He replied, “Lowering the eyes, abstaining from anything offensive, returning salutations, enjoining good, forbidding the evil.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1317. Narrated Mu’aawiyyah (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever Allah wishes good for, he gives him understanding of the Religion,” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1318. Narrated Abu ad-Dardaa (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “There isn’t anything, which will be put on the scales (on the day of resurrection), heavier than good character.” [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmidhi reported it, and the latter graded it saheeh]

1319. Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Modesty is a part of Faith.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1320. Narrated Abu Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “One of the things people have learned from the earlier prophecies is, ‘If you do not feel any shame, do whatever you like.’” [Bukhari]

1322. Narrated Iyaad Ibn Himar (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Allah, the Most High, has revaled to me that you should be humble, so that no one transgresses against another, and no one boasts to another.” [Muslim]

Note: we see hear that both transgression and pride are blameworthy characteristics, it is reported in a hadeeth that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) stated that transgression is one of the worst of the criminal acts that are punishable in this world as well as in the hereafter. Surely, a lack of humbleness fosters and breeds both transgression and pride.

1323. Narrated by Abu ad-Dardaa (رضي الله عنه‏), the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever defends his brother’s honour in his absence, Allah will protect his face from the hellfire on the day of resurrection.” [At-Tirmidhi reported it, and graded it hasan. Ahmad has something similar from the hadeeth of Asmaa', daughter of Yazeed]

Note: If someone backbites a third person before somebody, the listener must stop him on the spot; and if possible one should mention his virtuous deeds and qualities instead.

1326. Narrated Tameem ad-Daree (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said three times: “The religion is naseehah (sincerity).” We asked, ‘who is it (directed) to, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their common-folk.” [Shaeeh Muslim]

1327. Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه‏); Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “The Fear of Allah and Good Character are the major things that lead to paradise.” [At-Tirmidhee reported it, and al-Haakim graded it saheeh]

Note: Good Character here includes treating people well, refraining from causes them any harm and maintaining a cheerful appearance whilst interacting with them. The Arabic word “taqwa” stands for one’s compliance with the divine commands and avoiding the prohibitions.

1330. Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه‏); Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “The believer who mixes with the people and patiently endures their harms, is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not endure their harm.” [Ibn Majah reported it with hasan chain of narrations, and At-Tirmidhee also reported this hadeeth, but did not mention the name of the companion.]

Mistah was the cousin of As-Siddiq (رضالله عنه). He was the son of Abu Bakr’s maternal aunt, and a poor man with no wealth except whatever Abu Bakr spent on him. He was one of those who had migrated for the sake of Allah, and he invented the lies and the slander against ‘Aishah (رضالله عنها).

As-Siddiq (Abu Bakr) was known for his generosity, and he did favors for his relatives and strangers alike; but when Allah revealed the ayah to confirm ‘Aishah’s innocence (from the slander invented by Mistah), Abu Bakr (رضالله عنه) swore he would not help Mistah. In fact, he said, “By Allah, I will never spend on him,” (and in another version, “By Allah, I will never provide for Mistah anything after what he has said about ‘Aishah.”)

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) revealed:

Translation: And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give to their kinsmen, al-Masaakeen [the poor], and those who left their homes for Allah’s Cause. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Al-Ghafuwr (the Most-Forgiving), Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful). [Surah Noor, verse 22]

This is part of the patience, generosity and kindness of Allah towards His creation, despite the fact that they wrong themselves. After Allah revealed the innocence of the Mother of the believers, ‘Aishah, the believers were happy and content with the outcome of the incident. Those believers who had talked about the matter repented, and the prescribed punishment had been carried out upon those on whom it was carried out. Then, Allah softened the heart of As-Siddiq towards his relative Mistah bin Uthathah.

When Allah revealed, “Do you not love that Allah should forgive you,”–which shows that the reward fits the action, and that if you forgive others, you will be forgiven,–then As-Siddiq (Abu Bakr) said, “Of course, by Allah, we love–o our Lord–that You should forgive us.” Then he resumed his spending on Mistah and said, “By Allah I will never stop spending on him.”

SubhanAllah, after everything his family and his daughter went through as a result of the slanderous tale, all it took was one ayah and a reminder about forgiveness and the Forgiveness of Allah. May Allah grant us the wisdom and ability to be stubborn and strong when stubbornness and strength are necessary, and to be gentle and forgiving when gentleness and forgiveness are appropriate. May He grant us the status of those who love for His sake and hate for His sake. Ameen!

Source: Much of this is quoted directly from Tafsir Ibn Katheer, though sections also come from Women Around the Messenger by Muhammad ‘Ali Qutb.

Any error is my own, and all that is good and correct is from Allah.

Lessons:

1. When in the middle of a heated argument over anything, just remember: Rasoolullah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) has promised YOU a house in Paradise if you give up this argument. What’s better: winning an argument and feeling tough and strong (while in the process, maybe hurting others and maybe disrespecting the Islamic adaab), or a house in Jannah?
2. “I’m not lying, I’m only kidding, yo!” Nuh uh, a lie is a lie – even if it’s meant to be a joke. Making jokes is cool, but only if they are truthful and don’t hurt others. When making a joke that is not true, ask yourself: is picking up a big sin better just to amuse others and make myself look cool, or is a house in the middle of Jannah better?
3. Subhan Allah, I notice that with ahadith relating to adaab (etiquettes, manners), the incentive mentioned in a hadith is mostly Jannah. In this case, it’s the highest part of Jannah!! It’s almost as if good adaab are a stairway to Jannah. Why? Our adaab mostly affect those around us, and thus good adaab benefit those around us and bad adaab hurt those around us. Wallahu alim. One awesome way to improve our adaab can be found here.

May Allah give us the tawfeeq to perfect our manners and conduct, and may He enter us into the highest part of Jannah, ameen.

Source: Three Guarantees of Paradise – True and Good Words