After the fard salahs:

• After slautation, say Allahu Akbar in loud voice
• Say “Astagfirullah” thrice in low voice
• Recite “Ayat Kursi”
• Read the morning and evening supplications after farjar and asar prayers (Another Link)
• Recite other Adhkars and Supplications
• Pray the two rakahs of ishraq after the fajar prayer (The Messenger of Allah [SAWS] said, “Whoever prays the dawn prayer (fajr) in a group and then sits and does dhikr until the sun rises, then prays two rakas, shall have the like of the reward of a hajj and an umra.”)

Tip of the Week:

Get some nice colorful cards/sticky notes. Put the relevant information and stick them in various places in the house as reminders.  For example, summarize the sunnahs about using the washroom that we have learnt in previous weeks, put it on the card and stick it on the washroom mirror or door.

Action Item:

1. Share this post with 5 other people and get the ajar. Post on facebook, twitter, email etc

Previous Post in this Series:

• Week 1 - On Waking Up
• Week2 – Entering and After Entering the Washroom
• Week3 – On Coming out of Washroom and Making Ablution

References:

Booklet: Sunnah Checklist – published by Alhuda International

Note: This is the 5th post in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

In our last post, we talked about how the human race does taghaa if they see themselves as self-sufficient. Living in western societies, we see this all around us–people racing, fighting, stealing, overworking, to make a few more dollars so that they can “make it.” They buy lottery tickets so they can “make it” and be rich, rich rich!

Did you know, the Prophet Dawud (alayhi salaam) used to make du’a:

اللهمّا أعوذُ بِكَ مِن غُنَن يُطغِي و فِقرٍ يُنسِي
Allahumma a’oothu bika min ghunan yutghee wa fiqrin yunsee

Translation: O Allah, I seek refuge in you from wealth that makes one tyrannical, and poverty that makes one forget. [Recorded in Kitaab ad Du'a by Abdullah ibn Abu Shaybah]

What does this du’a mean? Ghunan yutghee means wealth that makes one tyrannical–because if humans see themselves as self-sufficient, this is what happens!

And “poverty that makes one forget?” If you’ve ever seen people in a bad financial position, struggling to overcome debts, credit-card payments, interest loans, sometimes out of the pressure of the moment, they forget ALL of Allah’s favours on them, and it makes them into a tyrant.

Action Items:

• Memorize this du’a. It’s very short and easy; if you remember the gist of it, you just need to remember “ghunan yutghee wa faqrun yunsee.”
• Reflect. Are you falling into the trap of seeking wealth? Are you so sure it will benefit you? Is it already making you creep towards the edge of tughyaan?

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

اللّهُمَّ إنِّي أعُوذُبِكَ مِن العَجزِ وَ الكَسلٍ

Why is this du’a important? For two reasons:

• Laziness is an attribute of munafiqeen. If this wasn’t bad enough, being lazy leads to procrastination, which leads to its own set of problems.
• It’s common these days for people to say “I can’t do it.” Like “I can’t pray at work,” or “I can’t achieve X.” The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would say a’oothubillah to that kind of talk. Think about it!

Action Plan:

• Memorize this du’a and make it every day in your sujood in every salaah. You have the Arabic, transliteration, and translation–you have no excuse not to do it!
• Share your tips. What other tips and tricks do you use to overcome laziness and procrastination? Let us know in the comments!

Lazy Boy: A Khutbah by Muhammad Alshareef. Published by Eman Rush audio.

There’s a beautiful du’a that Allah mentions near the end of Surah Baqarah:

Translation: So do ‘affuw on us. And forgive us. And have mercy on us. [Surah Baqarah, verse 286]

Allah mentions three things, in order:

1. ‘Affuw ‘annaa: Affuw linguistically means to erase something; to obliterate something; to completely destroy something and leave no traces of it whatsoever. This du’a is saying: make affuw of our sins. Remove them completely.
2. Waghfir lanaa: Ghafira linguistically means to protect–that’s why a helmet is called a mighfaar. Read up about Allah’s two names: Al-Ghafuwr and Al-Ghaffaar. Here, the du’a is saying: and if you do not ‘affuw our sins, forgive us, and protect us from the consequences of them.
3. Warham naa: Rahmah is mercy; Allah has two names related to this quality–Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem. Here, the du’a is saying: and if you do not even forgive our sins, then have mercy on us! Subhanallah!

What an amazing du’a! Do affuw of our sins; and if not, forgive us and protect us from their effects; and if not, have mercy on us!

THAT’S your Lord!

Action Items:

• Memorize this verse. It’s a bit long, but it’s worth it. [link]
• Read up about the names of Allah. Read about Al-Affuw, Al-Ghafuwr, Al-Ghaffaar, Ar-Rahman, and Ar-Raheem.
• Use this du’a. Whenever you commit a sin, follow it up with istighfaar, and some good deeds, and use this du’a; recite it in your sujood, during tawarruk (sitting) after you’ve done all your other du’as, you can say ANY du’a you want (in Arabic only!). So memorize this du’a and use it!

Wallahu ‘alim.

One of the things I decided to blog about is my own personal du’a–it’s not lifted straight from the pages of the Qur’an or Sunnah, but it draws from them. My goal was to have a du’a that:

• Is short, so I can recite it in sujood every rakah or every salah
• Is encompassing–covers every aspect (in this case, of the akhirah)
• Is easy to remember, so I can remember it as needed!
• Is easy, not full of hard-to-pronounce or hard-to-remember words.

The du’a is:

اللهمَّ إجعَلنِي مِن المَقَرِّبِينَ وَ مِن المُخلِصِينَ وَ مِن الصِدِّقِينَ وَ مِن المُحسِنِين

Allahumma ij’alnee min al-muqarribeen, wa min al-mukhliseen, wa min al-muhsineen, wa min as-siddiqeen.

What does this du’a mean? It means, “O Allah, make me from among the muaqarribeen, and the mukhliseen, and the muhsineen, and the siddiqeen.” Let’s break down these four groups to see who they are:

1. Al-Muqarribeen: Linguistically, it means something like “those who are close.” Islamically, it means those closest to Allah in the hereafter. There is no reward greater than seeing Allah’s Face, and no people will see it more than the muqarribeen. (Search the Qur’an, there are lots of references to them.)
2. Al-Mukhliseen: These are the sincere ones–because your years
   of salah, or sawm, of Qur’an, mean nothing if you are insincere. Also, Shaytan promises that he will misguide every last human–except the mukhliseen.
3. Al-Muhsineen: These are the ones who do ihsaan, excellence, in every aspect. They are praised in many places of the Qur’an. It’s a great quality to have.
4. As-Siddiqeen: Of the four levels mentioned in the Qur’an (prophets, siddiqeen, and two others), this is the highest level that we, today, can theoretically reach.

Obviously, you’re free to use (or not use) this du’a, or mix it up and make your own; I find it useful because it’s concise, it covers a lot of traits, and it’s pretty easy to remember.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alim.

What is the greatest gift you could ever receive? That you could ever want? That would bring you the greatest happiness and delight?…..Think about it.

Got an idea? ….good.

Most of us will be thinking of Jannah and all of its delights. But the most pleasurable thing in Jannah is not having spouses, or servants that will serve you, or drinking milk and honey. No rather, there is something MUCH GREATER for the Dwellers of Jannah that Allah ta’ala is keeping for them…

حدثنا ‏ ‏عبيد الله بن ميسرة ‏ ‏قال حدثني ‏ ‏عبد الرحمن بن مهدي ‏ ‏حدثنا ‏ ‏حماد بن سلمة ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏ثابت البناني ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏عبد الرحمن بن أبي ليلى ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏صهيب ‏
‏عن النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏إذا دخل أهل الجنة الجنة قال يقول الله تبارك وتعالى تريدون شيئا أزيدكم فيقولون ألم تبيض وجوهنا ألم تدخلنا الجنة وتنجنا من النار قال فيكشف الحجاب فما أعطوا شيئا أحب إليهم من النظر إلى ربهم عز وجل ‏
The most pleasurable thing to the Dwellers of Jannah:
When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Hast Thou not brightened our faces? Hast Thou not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (God) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would he dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious. Muslim.

So which duaa should we make to receive this pleasure? Our Messenger alayhi salaatu wa salaam teaches us:
اللهم اني اسالك لذة النظر الى وجهك و الشوق الى لقائك
Allahumma innee asaluka lathatan-nadhari ilaa wajhika was-shawqa ilaa liqaa’ik
I ask You for the delight of gazing at Your Countenance and the eagerness of meeting You. (Narrated in Nisaa’i)

Remember: “The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient” (Bukhari and Muslim) So make this duaa in this blessed month with full conviction, full hope that Allah will answer your duaa. Allah is near to His slaves, call upon Him Alone, He is Samee’un wa Mujeebu Ad-Da’waat. (The Hearer and Responder to Prayers). Do not be hesitant in your duaas, ask Allah for the BEST.

May Allah ta’ala bless us with the delight of gazing upon Him, make our best deeds our last, and make the best day of ours the day that we meet Him ta’ala. Ameen.

The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “How can I feel comfort while the angel responsible for The Trumpet has placed The Trumpet to his mouth and lowered his forehead, awaiting when he will be commanded (by Allah to blow in it)?”

They said, “O Allah’s Messenger, what should we say?”

He said, “Say: Allah is sufficient for us, and He is Al-Wakeel (the best disposer of affairs); We have placed our trust in Allah.” (hasbunAllaha wa ni’mal Wakeel, ‘ala Allahi tawakalnaa)

The Companions repeated this invocation, saying, “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is Al-Wakeel (the best disposer of affairs); We have placed our trust in Allah.” [Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Saheeh according to Shaykh Albani]

Another example of this du’aa is the last ayah of Surah Tawbah:

Transliteration: HasbiyAllahu, la ilaha il Huwa, ‘alayhi tawakaltu, wa Huwa Rabb al-’arsh al-’atheem.

Translation: Allah is sufficient for me. I have placed my trust in Him, He is the Lord of the Majestic Throne. [Surah Tawbah, verse 129]

What is the significance of saying this du’a from surah Tawbah?

The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “Allah will grant whoever recites this seven times in the morning and evening whatever he desires from this world or the next.” [Saheeh, Sunan Abee Dawood]