Eid Mubarak!!!

Remember Allah Most High always gives us:

Enough happiness to keep us sweet.

Enough trials to keep us strong.

Enough sorrow to keep us human.

Enough hope to keep us happy.

Enough failure to keep us humble.

Enough success to keep us eager.

Enough friends to give us comfort.

Enough enthusiasm to make us look forward.

Enough wealth to meet our needs.

Enough determination to make our each day a better day than the last.

What we need to do is -- to stop complaining and fill our hearts with gratitude.
Allah Most High has guaranteed "If your are grateful, I will grant you increase;" [14: 7]

The Night of Power!

Allah, Most Wise, says:

"The Night of Power is better than a thousand months." (97:3 Quran)

The Messenger of Allah Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

"Whosoever stands in "Ibaadah-Worship" on this night, with sincere faith and with genuine hopes of gaining reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

"Seek it (laylatul qadr) in Ramadan in the last ten nights. For verily, it is during the odd nights, 21st 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th or the last night of Ramadhan." (Sahih Hadith Ahmad 5:318)
From traditions we learn that among the signs of this night is that it is a serene, quiet, shining night, neither hot, nor cold but temperate as if a moon is shining clear, and no meteors are shot at the

"Shayateen" on that night; it lasts until the break of the dawn. Another sign is that at morn, the Sun rises without any radiant beams of light, appearing rather like the moon in it's fullness. On that day, Allah prohibits the "Shayateen" from rising up with the Sun.

What to do on this night?

Worship during this night can take on many forms. Here are a few suggestions to help you through Laylatul Qadr:

· Take a vacation for Allah! If possible, for the last 10 days of Ramadan.

· Plan ahead if you are working. Discuss the importance of this night with your friends and family.

· Perform Itikaaf (seclusion in a mosque for worship) –If you cannot stay at your local mosque ask family or friends to help out during your Itikaaf at home. If you cannot spend all 10 days in Itikaaf, then do as many days as you can - even if it is only one day.

· According to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam whosoever performs "I'tikaaf" for a day thereby seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah will spread three trenches between him and the fire of Hell, the width of each trench being greater than the distance between Heaven and the Earth.

· Increase the recitation of the Qur'an [reflect on the meaning of the verses, especially the verses used in Salah. This will help you concentrate.]

· Increase Salah (prayer). Read as many Nawaafil Prayers as possible.

· Make abundant Zikr [i.e remembering Allah, sending salawaat on our belove Prophet (pbuh) and making Istigfaar(seeking forgiveness from Allah]

· Dua (Asking from Allah)- Spend lots of time begging from Allah to fulfil your needs and the needs of the Ummah both in this world and the hereafter. Ramadaan is replete with moments when duas are accepted.

· Aaisha (RadhiAllaho anha) reports: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), should I find myself the "Laylatul Qadr", what shall I pray. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied: say, Allaahumma innaka afuwwun tohibbul'afwa fa'fu anna "O Allah, Thou art the One who grants pardon for sins. Thou lovest to pardon, so O pardon me." (Recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi)

· Make list of Things you need from Allah-Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready then use it in your prayers.

· Make long, sincere and deep Duas.

· One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet(pbuh) said: When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him? (Hadith-Bukhari, Muslim).

· Take regular breaks during the night to avoid getting over-exhausted. Try switching between different forms of worship.

May Allah accept our prayers and allow us to take full benefit of this Mubarak night. Ameen!

LESSON OF THE DAY 1284

Ayahs of the day:
And beware of a day when no soul can compensate for another soul, for anything; and no intercession will be accepted from one, and no ransom will be taken from one; and they will not be helped. [2: 48]

Hadith of the day:
Be in the world as though a stranger or a passerby. [Bukhari, Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
From the signs of relying in one's works is loss of hope when a downfall occurs. [Ibn Ataillah]

Guidance of the day:
The ego or self (nafs) is created and entrusted to us that we may know and declare the Creator's Existence and Unity. Therefore, we prove God's Existence with our own existence, and show God's Attributes with our own attributes. For example, our deficiencies and imperfections show God's all sufficiency and perfection; our privations show God's wealth and abundance; and our inability, weakness, and poverty show God's power, favor, and benevolence. Our proper response is to know and declare God's Existence throughout creation and to perceive His Light in all lights. [M. Fethullah Gulen]

Food for thought:
Consider how much more you suffer from your anger and grief, than from those things for which you are angry and grieved. How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it!

Hadith -- Best of both the worlds

Sayyiduna Abu Razin (RadhiAllaho anho) narrates that
Rasul'Allah (SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

Should I not guide you
to the fundamentals of Deen
by which you will obtain
the best of this world and the Hereafter?

Make it incumbent upon yourself
to frequent the gatherings of those
who engage in Dhikr.

And when you are alone,
engage your tongue
in the remembrance of Allah
as much as you can.

{Baihaqi, Mishkat}

Pearls of wisdom 313

1. Freedom from lower qualities is an essential qualification required for spiritual progress.

2. If you wish that God should dwell in your heart, purify your heart from all save Him for the king will not enter a house filled with stores and furniture. He will only enter a heart which is empty of all save Himself.

3. Take one step out of yourself that you may arrive at God.

4. God bestows purity of self upon him who earnestly desires it and is eternally nourished by Him through His contemplation.

5. Knowledge of the Unity of God (tawhid) is revealed in the illuminated hearts of the saints.

6. The behavior of a true saint of God towards His creation always remains friendly and affectionate.

7. If men wish to draw near to God, they must seek Him in the hearts of men.

8. To bring joy to a single heart is better than to build many shrines for worship.

9. To enslave one soul by kindness is worth more than the setting free of a thousand slaves.

10. The true believer is he who is pleased with all that God does, in order that God may be pleased with all that he does.

11. The true man of God is that who sits in the midst of his fellow men, eats, drinks, sleeps, buys, sells, who gets married, has social dealings and yet is never for one moment forgetful of God. [Above quotes by Abu Sa'id ibn Abil Khayr]

Time -- the coin of your life.

Remember to keep your focus on your ultimate purpose of life -- how you define your life.

Remember to keep your focus on where you are going and what route you are going to take.

Remember each day is one step towards your dream, and each day will define your life – so take each day seriously and plan it out. 

Remember you cannot keep the time but you know how to well spend it.

 Remember you cannot own the time but you can use it to your benefit.

 Remember time is priceless but you are blessed with it – so use it wisely.

Remember when you plan your day, you are removing time wasters out of your schedule and making more time for yourself, your family, your life!

Plan your day so you don’t find yourself as a person who is always rushed through life, or a person who did not finish a project he/she always wanted to complete, did not find time to earn some bonus points on his/her Ibadah.

Plan your day, plan your life!

Plan and you will find yourself more productive and at the end of the day, you will be able to measure your success and feel accomplished, because by planning, you will earn some extra time for yourself, you can measure your success and feel more accomplished by looking at the list of things you have completed and look forward to another productive day, inshaAllah.

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.

LESSON OF THE DAY 1283

Ayahs of the day:
And seek help by patience and prayer, though that is formidable but for the humble, those who believe they are to meet their Lord, that there is where their destiny leads. [2: 45,46]

Hadith of the day:
Patience is illumination. [Muslim, Tirmidhi]

Wise quote of the day:
You must thank God for all that He has favored you with; whatever good you have, whether outward or inward, religious or worldly, but it comes from Him. [Imam al Haddad]

Guidance of the day:
We are in constant need of help, guidance, and counsel. If we pray according to the revealed method, we avoid pitfalls of excess and impropriety, and obtain advantage and blessings beyond our imagination. With every word, gesture, movement, and pattern, we may be opening hidden doors and secret locks to hidden realms and eternal bliss.

Prayer straightens all ways and opens all doors. God hears our recitals and supplications, and angels gather around us when we prostrate with sincerity. As the Creator knows what will cause us to prosper in this world and the next, we should follow what He has revealed and how His Messenger (peace and blessings upon him) practiced it in his daily life. It is we who need to worship God; not God who needs to be worshipped -- He is free of all needs. [M. Fethullah Gulen]

Food for thought:
We end up as we deserve -- in old age we must put up with the face, the friends, the health, and the children we have earned. We pay when old for the excesses of youth.

Ramadan Mubarak!!!

Ramadan: Save the Changes

Don't Press the "redo" after we "undo" and "save the changes"!!!

During the Mubarak and beautiful month of Ramadhaan many have navigated themeselves to the Deen of Allah and have brought about substantial positive deeni changes. Now is a critical time to click on the left tab- Save those changes!

Nearly everyone in this age of modern technology has at some stage worked with a P.C. We have used it to draft documents, amend these documents, copied and pasted onto documents, used the 'undo' icon, edited documents, just to mention a few of the time saving operations that we find on this device.

After opening a document that we have worked upon previously and made the necessary changes and improvements a little box appears on the screen asking the question: Do you want to save the changes you have made to this document? You are then given the option of selecting the YES tab or the NO tab. Selecting the YES tab will give you the desired results while selecting the NO tab literally takes you back to square one. All the effort made in editing, improving and shaping the document becomes an exercise in futility.

Don't we all find ourselves in a similar predicament when the blessed month of Ramadaan passes us? Just think of your book of deeds like a document on your P.C. During the month of Ramadaan we have done amongst other things the following-

· Increased our Ibaadah and acts of charity;

· Took control of our feelings and emotions;

· Responded with compassion and sensitivity to the needs of other;

· Multiplied our good deeds;

-Repented: we have spent many hours on the Musallah begging for Allah's forgiveness for our sins, errors and transgressions.

The vital question that needs to be asked is :

Do we want to save the changes that we have made in the month of Ramadaan? Are we going to press the YES tab or the No tab?

Pressing the YES tab will leave us with a new, improved version. A version of heightened spirituality, a version of righteousness, a version that is pleasing to our Creator. Pressing the NO tab will take us back to square one; back to our old habits before Ramadaan, back to the life of sin and immorality, back to a life of heedlessness and back to a life subjecting ourselves to the wrath of the Almighty.

How do we improve on this document; the document of our lives, the document of our deeds, the document that we are going to present to Allah the Almighty on the Day of Reckoning? Here are some hints: Copy and Paste from the life of our illustrious master Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi Wasallam.

Use the 'undo' icon by making Taubah immediately after any transgression as the Hadith states "The one who repents from sin is like one who has committed no sin at all"

There may not be a need to do a "spell check" but there is certainly a need to do a "sincerity check" and a "Shari'ah check"? Are we complying?

There may be files and folders that we want to keep while there could be some others we would not even want others to know exist. Many of us begged Allah to "delete" our sins and dark deeds .We cried before Allah, shed tears of remorse and vowed not to commit those sins in future. Going back to the sins that we have asked Allah's forgiveness for would be like making a visit to the "recycle bin".

What about viruses? P.C. users are also very wary about e-mails they receive and the sites that they visit, fearing the admission of a virus that may pollute their system and cause it to malfunction.The environment and people who we associate with could adversely infect us!Why do we then subject our minds and thoughts to immoral sites and dens of vice which would pollute our moral system and cause us to malfunction? What anti-virus software have we installed to ward off the variety of Fitnahs that confront us everyday?

We need to install the right version of the anti-viruses. There is indeed only One version. Without delay install every Commad of Allah and the Sunnah of Rasulullah ( Salallaho alaihe wassallam) onto our hardrives(lives). This will allow us to repel the attemps by shaytaan and other evil forces to infect our PC's(souls).

It s Now time to Run the Programs...

Begin By:

Connecting ourselves to the right network. When we need an I.T solution we ago to I.T specialist. We also in our lives need to consult with Ulama and pious people so that we are connected to the right network!

Delete ALL harmulful programs Permanetly! Lets Repent over our past evil deeds and make a firm niyyah (intention) NEVER to Redo those evil deeds

Ensure that the service provider provides the installation guide for the following programs to be run on your PC:

Program 1:

Dawah (Inviting ourselves, families,communities and humanity towards Allah and help Allah's Deen by striving for it)

Program 2:

Ta'alim (Learning and teaching Deen)

Program 3:

Ibaadah-Worship ( Salaah, Haj, Umrah, Quran, Zikr, Dua and all other forms of Ibadaat)

Program 4:

Khidmah- Acts of Charity ( All acts Charity including Zakaah especially helping the Ummah in whatever possible way)

Now lets connect ourselves to Deen of Islam and the Amaal (good actions) that takes place in our Musjids...as no one knows when his or her PC will crash (when we will die)! By performing Good Deeds we will have Permanently Backed Up our records in Jannah(Paradise). Be carefull not to engage ourselves in Evil lest we Back-Up our evil deeds in Jahannam (Hell)

Fortunate is the person who has "saved the changes". Extremely unfortunate is the person who has made no changes as he /she has nothing to save.!

IMPORTANT: As we dont know the time when our PC will shut down ...Make those Changes Now and more importnat.........Save it!

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