A message from our mothers to our sisters-Sheik Navaid Aziz

A message from our mothers to our sisters 

 Sheik Navaid Aziz

 *Click on the picture, to view the video :)

Story of Umm Waraka (RA)

Umm Waraka was one of the most knowledgeable female companions. She was the only woman appointed as an imam by the Prophet (SAW) over those who lived in her house. Her beautiful recitation could be heard around before salatul fajr. And during day she could be found praying in the deepest corners of her house. One day when the Prophet (SAW) was announcing to the Muslims that they would be going our for the battle of Badr, Umm Waraka went to the Prophet (SAW) and said - “Ya rasul’ullah! Why is it that the men can attain such high ranks in paradise through martyrdom in the way of Allah(SWT) but the women are left behind? Please let me come with you, even if it is just to tend to the sick and the needy.”

TO this, the Prophet (SAW) advised her  “stay in your house and you will have your martyrdom”

So,Umm Waraka stayed in her house during all of the future expeditions and told her servants and slaves that once she dies, they would all be free. Years go by, Prophet (SAW) passed away and the people wonder how the Prophet (SAW) could have been incorrect. Finally by the time of Umar (RA)’s khilafa, the servants grow anxious and impatient for their freedom and decide to kill Umm Waraka.  One night when she is in bed, they cover her head with a pillow and kill her. Thus she attains martyrdom (as being killed unjustly is being killed a martyr) and the Prophet (SAW)’s word proves true.

Umm Waraka’s story teaches the following lessons:

-          We all have aspirations in life; we all have certain goals and our own ways of attaining the goal. And, often we become so set in a particular way of achieving the goal that we begin to think there is only one way of attaining it and there is no other way.

-          The above story  also beautifully illustrates that if a person sincerely desires paradise through martyrdom, Allah (SWT) will grant it to them, even if it is in their own house

-          How amazing is Qadr, predestiny! Allah (SWT) has already predestined everything such that it cannot escape us even if it is by just sitting at home.

The beautiful dua of Asiyah (AS), the wife of Pharoah – “ Rabbi ibni li indaka baitan fi al jannathi” has been forever preserved in the Quran by Allah (SWT), as an example for us to follow. The story of Maryam (AS) has also been mentioned in the Quran by Allah (SWT) to inspire and guide us.

The Quran and Sunnah contain many such examples for people but when we abandon the Quran, we abandon these role excellent role models as well, thus not knowing the legacies they left behind. 

Today we shall take a glimpse of these legacies and advice the sisters through them.

Firstly, we need to realise the dynamics of the world are changing. Before it was enough that a woman stayed silent at home and took care of her kids and she was considered noble in the society.

But today she is not only expected to work and earn more or less like a man and still take care of her home and kids at the end of the day.

Allah expects us to change with the times but within the realms of the Shariah. Doing the best deed possible at a given time with utmost Ihsaan (perfection, excellence) is the key to success and the key to Allah’s blessings. Having said this, women today face a lot of challenges which need to be addressed :-

1) MODESTY

One of the biggest challenges faced by sisters today is that of modesty. Modesty means refraining from displeasing Allah (SWT) – this is the essence of modesty. And it applies to both men and women.

Hijab is one of the elements of modesty but a greater sign of modesty is how a woman conducts herself. Modesty does not mean a woman keeps herself to her home. Rather it means when she does interact with the world, she does so in a way that is pleasing to Allah (SWT).

Modesty is something the sisters need to be very careful about due to the two reasons:-

1. Fashion

Fashion is getting crazier these days, with clothes getting shorter and tighter. When the sisters go to school or work, they are exposed to such cultures, which show women attain success through their looks or fashion. Thus Shaitan tempts the sisters and it’s easy to fall into the trap. We sisters need to fight the temptation, continue wearing the hijab and know the true success is from Allah (SWT) alone.

2. Onslaught against muslims

Onslaught against Muslims in places like France to ban hijab have been taking place. This could soon spread to other parts of the world and even where we live, unless we take a proactive part in the media, in the law, in the legislation.

 In some communities they are trying to pass a bill against Niqab. Niqab is just the beginning, the hijab will come next. Thus it’s crucial for sisters to start speaking up and show how the hijab has empowered us, freed us, that it’s not a form of oppression. It’s important for the sisters to speak up in defence of our Deen.

If the men speak up against this issue, they get labelled. Thus the sisters need to start raising their voices.

2) Relationship amongst sisters

Imam Al Bukhari (RA) in his book, Sahih Al Bukhari, has an entire chapter entitled “Anger and jealousy of women”. In it he (RA) narrates a beautiful hadiths, the gist of which is as follows:-

Prophet (saw) asked softly to Aisha(RA) to sit near him. Then he told her “I know when you are angry with me and I know when you are happy with me”. So Aisha (RA) asks him“ Ya rasul’ullah! How do you know when I’m angry and how do you know when I’m happy?”

The prophet (saw) replied “ O’ Aisha, when you are angry with me you say ‘by the Lord of Ibrahim’ and when you are happy with me you say ‘by the Lord of Muhammad’” 

To this, Aisha (ra) replied “ ya rasul’ullah! Though the name may change on my tongue, the love for you always remains in my heart”

-The above hadiths shows us how a woman reacts. If the man is tender and kind towards her, a woman will react as such to him. If a man is vile and unkind towards her, she react the same.

-          However, the anger of Aisha (ra) did not turn into slander or back biting or insults. It was within the realms of permissibility. All she did was change ‘Muhammad’ to ‘Ibrahim’. And this is the advice for sisters, that its not that you do not have the right to get angry or you do not have the right to speak out. But it needs to be kept within the realms of permissibility.

-           For instance if a sister offends you, do not go rip off her hijab! Rather make Dua to Allah for her and go advice her and keep it within the limits.

    3) Islamic education for woman

      “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. If you educate a woman, you educate an entire household”

-          When the men are out at work, it’s usually the woman who interact more with the children. Thus it’s important for woman to spend at least a few minutes a day to educate themselves about the Deen.

-          Children have a right upon their mothers; they have the right to be taught proper Islam and the proper spirituality. If the sisters don’t take up that responsibility, who is going to teach our children.

-          Why is it that we always see only male speakers upon the stage? The way the world is going, we need more female speakers too who are educated enough, and who have the capability, so we can easily fill the room with sisters alone.

-So sisters, step up to the challenge, get the Islamic knowledge, and learn how to speak, so you can educate the sisters.

4) Marriage

One of the biggest challenges sisters face all across the world is marriage. It’s usually due to one of the two things:-

1. They don’t find someone who meets their expectations
2. Placing education before marriage.

There is a delusion ‘I can always get married no matter how far I go in my education’, while the reality may differ. Allah has placed it in our fitrah to need companionship and being married is a halal way of honouring it.

Don’t let your education prevent you, nor let your marriage prevent you from reaching your aspirations in life. Rather be very diligent and select a man who will support and encourage you to achieve your aspirations.

 5) The two tricks of Allah (SWT) for women

The Prophet (sas):

"Kullukum raa'in wa kullukum mas'oolun 'an ra'iyyatihi

"All of you are shepherds and all of you will be asked about your wards."

- Bukhari

-          There are two forms of leadership Allah (swt) expects from men and women. Allah has made men leaders from the front and this is their challenge. Allah has made women leaders from the back and this is their challenge.

-          This means, the man is in charge of directing the woman and a woman is in charge of suggesting and implicitly directing her man.

-          Thus a women needs to know how to use the leadership from back approach and read her man. If you need your man to do anything, Allah (swt) has given the sisters two tricks

1)      your looks

2)      the food you cook

          Use the above two wisely and rectify the situation!

Conclusion:

Fate rarely calls upon a people at a time of their choosing. In life we keep thinking later on when I have a better job, or when I have more money or when I have more free time I will make the change. But the reality is, the time for change is now. Things may be difficult in your life, things may not be ideal. But the time for change is now. It’s no longer okay to stay the same, its no longer okay to be mediocre.

Now is the time to raise the likes of Aisha, Aisyah, Khadija (RA) and all of the other great leaders through their legacies. And that is how we honour it.

 Reference for the hadiths used-

http://dicenter.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/fiqh-of-marriage.pdf

#ShareTheKhayr. Feel free to share it and make dua for us :)

Friendship In Islam

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The Messenger of Allah, (saw) said: "The parable of a good friend and a bad friend is that of a carrier of musk and a blacksmith. The carrier of musk will give you some, or you will buy some, or you will notice a good smell; but as for the blacksmith, he will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell." [Sahih Muslim, Book of Righteousness, Hadith #6692]

The above hadith meant that if we are in the company of good people or friends , we'll tend to follow his/her good character and are influenced by their good habits. They're able to give wise and good advises to us , and lead us to the right path. Hang out with the righteous people and you'll benefit from it
If you're hanging out with the good companion , it is equivalent to being friends with a perfume seller, you'll smell good, pleasant and naturally feel good. The righteous person will bound to influence you to do deeds and Insya'Allah you'll benefit from it.

Dear brothers and sisters , do choose your companions/friend carefully as he/she might influence you towards the good or the bad. Bad companions might tarnish your reputation or worst, changed you. May Allah (swt) save us and all the believers from fall into the Hellfire Insya'Allah

 TYPES OF FRIENDS MENTIONED IN THE HOLY QURAN

Transcribed By Wajeeha Nisar Ahmed Khan

An Educationalist and a Freelance Writer

From: http://www.nakcollection.com/transcripts.html

In the Holly Quran 10 words have been used for the Friend
 The literal meanings of a friend-be there for a friend whenever your friend needs you.

1. WALLI (The Protector, The Helper)
o A friend who cares for you, when you are in trouble and he guides you.
o Another word used for this type of friend is HAMEEM, literal  meaning extreme heat. Means a friend with whom you have  great intimacy, with her you feel warm & comfortable.

Surah Baqrah Ayah # 257.
اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُمْ مِنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُون
“Allah is the walli of those who believe. HE brings them out from darkness into light.But as for those who disbelieve, their Walis are Taghut, they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever.”
Note : We are required to be a walli and hameem with our siblings, cousins and enemies. We have to tolerate their misbehavior.

2.SADDIQUE from sidq (Truthful)
o A genuine friend, who is your friend for  your sake, not to get any kind of benefit  from you.
o The one who never gives up on you when  you start making mistakes.
o Remains in touch with you even if you establish a distance with them because of their honesty.
o Continuously feel pain for you.
o Who supports you at every moment (for the good).
o Who is your Shafa’ee.
Surah An-Nisa, Ayah # 69
ومَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقًا
“ And those who obey Allah the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!”

3. SAHIB (The person sitting next to you)
o It’s a casual acquaintance or someone who is looking out for you.
o Concerned about you.
o Tries to help you to the best of her ability.
o The more she spends time with you, the more she knows you and your emotions.
Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah # 81 & 82
بَلَى مَنْ كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةً وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“ Yes! Whosoever earns evil and his sin has surrounded him, they are
dwellers of the fire; they will dwell therein forever.”
وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“And those who believe and do righteous good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise, they will dwell therein forever.”

4.WALEJA comes from the word Walaja (To Penetrate)
o A friend who is a partner in your business.
o Involved in every matter of your life
o It’s a very close type of friendship and is rare.
o Extreme trust is  involve in this kind of friendship.
o Allah سبحانہ و تعالی  is our Waleja. HE put us in trials to see what role He has in our lives.
o The Prophetصلی اللہ علیہ و آلیہ وسلم  is our Waleja according to how much we are acting upon his sunnah. His sunnah must be followed in each and every sphere of our life.
o Finally, if you have Allah سبحانہ و تعالی  and HIS Messenger صلی اللہ علیہ و آلیہ وسلم  as Waleja in your life than Allah سبحانہ و تعالی  will let in true believers as waleja in your life.
Surah At-Taubah, Ayah # 16,
َمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تُتْرَكُوا وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلَا رَسُولِهِ وَلَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِيجَةً وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
“ Do you think that you shall be left alone while Allah has not tested those among you who have striven hard and fought and have not taken Walijah besides Allah and His Messenger, and the believers. Allah is well-Acquainted with what you do.”

5. BITA’ANA from Batan (Secret)
o A friend who keeps your secrets.
o يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِنْ دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
“ O you who believe! Take not as Bitanah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends) those outside your religion since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the verse if you understand.”
Note : According to scholars “Don’t share your secrets with every friend, make it sure that you share your secrets with the right person who can keep it and help you.”

6.QAREEN from Qaran (Always moving together)
o A friend with whom you have a lot in common.
o Both always think alike.
o Qareen can be bad, but when she becomes bad you should be a Sadique or Sahib but no more a Qareen now.
Surah As-Saffat ,Ayah # 51
قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي كَانَ لِي قَرِينٌ
“A speaker of them will say: “Verily, I had a companion (in the world)”
Continuation
يَقُولُ أَئِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُصَدِّقِينَ
52: Who used to say : Are you among those who believe (in resurrection after death).
أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَدِينُونَ
53: “ (That) when we die and become dust and bones, shall we indeed (be raised up  to receive reward or punishment (according to our deeds)?”
قَالَ هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُطَّلِعُونَ
54: “ (The speaker) said: “Will you look down?”
فَاطَّلَعَ فَرَآهُ فِي سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ
55: “So he looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire.”
قَالَ تَاللَّهِ إِنْ كِدْتَ لَتُرْدِينِ
56: “He said : “By Allah ! You have nearly ruined me.”
TWO BEST KINDS OF FRIENDS

7. KHALEEL from Khullah (Penetrate into Your Heart)
o Always thinks about you, even when you are not with her.
o Rare category.
o Ibrahim AS was a Khaleel to Allah سبحانہ و تعالی
o Make those people your friend who has Taqwa.

Surah An-Nisa, Ayah # 125
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا
Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in Faith? For Allah did take Abraham for a friend.

8. RAFEEQ from Rafaq (with whom you feel relaxed)
o A friend with whom you feel relaxed and get comfort in her company.
o You can be yourself in her company there’s no need to be artificial in their presence.
Surah An- Nisa Ayah # 69
مَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقًا
All who obey Allah and the messenger are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah,- of the prophets (who teach), the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (who testify), and the Righteous (who do good): Ah! what a beautiful fellowship!
TWO BAD KINDS OF FRIENDS MENTIONED IN THE QURAN

9.KHAZOUL from Khazala (Deception)
o Who only acts like a friend.
o At convenient times remains with you, but when you in trouble that kind of friend disappears.
o Deceitful like Shaytan.
Surah Al- Furqan  Ayah # 29
لَقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنْسَانِ خَذُولً
He did lead me astray from the Message (of Allah) after it had come to me! Ah! the Evil One is but a traitor to man!

10.KHADAN from Akhdan (feels attracted)
o This kind of friendship is between girls and boys.
o Strongly prohibited in Islam.
Surah An-Nisa Ayah # 25
وَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنْكُمْ طَوْلًا أَنْ يَنْكِحَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ فَمِنْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ مِنْ فَتَيَاتِكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِكُمْ بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَانْكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ أَهْلِهِنَّ وَءَاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مُحْصَنَاتٍ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحَاتٍ وَلَا مُتَّخِذَاتِ أَخْدَانٍ فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ الْعَنَتَ مِنْكُمْ وَأَنْتَصْبِرُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيم

If any of you have not the means wherewith to wed free believing women, they may wed believing girls from among those whom your right hands possess: And Allah hath full knowledge about your faith. Ye are one from another: Wed them with the leave of their owners, and give them their dowers, according to what is reasonable: They should be chaste, not lustful, nor taking paramours: when they are taken in wedlock, if they fall into shame, their punishment is half that for free women. This (permission) is for those among you who fear sin; but it is better for you that to practice self-restraint. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
Final Point:
Most important thing is that try to have the best qualities of all these types of friends. Be the one with whom others can find comfort and warmth.

Looking Good For Your Spouse :)

It's common for people to get to a place in their relationship where they feel comfortable and they stop caring so much.

Part of that is the way you dress, how you look and put yourself together. Especially after the honeymoon phase where you get into a groove with the relationship, it's easy to let go.

One of the rights our spouse has upon us is that we dress up and we look good and we are pleasing to them and want to be around us.

Ibn Abbas would say, "I love to beautify myself for my wife just as I love for my wife to beautify herself for me."

Sometime when people are having problems in their relationship, sometimes all it takes is to make that extra effort to look good. The more you love someone the more you should care about the way you look.

The longer the relationship goes on the harder you should be trying to look good for your spouse.

Why My Dua Is Not Being Accepted?

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1)Your duas might not be answered by Allah because of your sins. One of the things that causes our duas to not be accepted by Allah is our sins. One of the examples that the Prophet (salAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) gave us is that of a person who's sustenance, their earnings, aren't halal and that's one of the reasons their duas aren't being answered.

2)You might be asking for something that haram, or impermissible, in Islam. For example, if you're making dua to go to Vegas to gamble, it may be that Allah is protecting you from that sin.

3) Allah know that perhaps what you're asking for isn't actually good for you. For example, let's say your making dua to get married to a particular person. And Allah knows that marrying that person wouldn't be good for you and doing so would cause a lot of pain and suffering in your life. And, for that reason Allah doesn't answer it.

4)Allah has something better in store for you in the hereafter and he wants to reward you with something better.

5)It may be that the answer is simply being delayed. It could be that by consistently making this dua you're coming closer to Him so He continues to delay the answer. It could be that Allah is testing you because He loves you. Recognize that perhaps it's a test and you'll be rewarded for your persistence.

#NoFreeTime

You Don't Have Free Time! - by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan 

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You don't have something called FREE TIME. You don't! You are members of this UMMAH. Any member of this Ummah, especially the young member of this ummah is constantly working to make his society better. To do something good for people. You don't have free time. You don't have time to play video games for 8 hours. You don't have time for Grand Theft Auto. You don't have time for Modern Warfare. You don't have time! 
You don't have time for the new movie that's coming out. You don't have time! You have time to do more important things. You're the youth of this Ummah. Hold yourself to a higher standard. Not just because the elders are telling you, because the sheikh is telling you, because somebody else is telling you. Because your own conscious should tell you! Your La Illaha Ila'Lah should tell you man! It should tell you that you have to be active people. That you will see corruption around you in society, you will see people that are getting away from Allah (swt). Who do you think will invite them? Me? No!

Those kids that don't come to the masjid, those kids that don't come to any halaqaat. I have no way of reaching them. You have to reach them! They are your friends! They hang out with you, not with me! You gotta go to them. You have to be their du'aat. You have to be an inspiration for them. So you have to make sure that you become a person of concern for those around you. You friends! Don't just complain about your friends, 'Man my friends all they do is watch movies.'

Have you ever advised them? Have you ever given to them something more positive to do instead? Have you been a good influence for them?This is what you have to do! May Allah Azzawajal make our youth the leaders of this ummah. And may Allah Azzawajal make them role models for others who have gone away from Allah (swt) to bring them closer to Allah Azzawajal.
May Allah (swt) make all of you examples, good examples, of Islam. They just see you and say, 'Man I want to be Muslim. I wanna be like that guy. I want you to be like that!' That's the character you live by. Your honesty, your integrity, the way you carry yourself, the respect you show to others. They just see that and they say, 'Man, I wanna be a Muslim. These Muslims have something special.' This is what you have to become. 

The real Dawah to Islam is the character of a Muslim. Is the character of the Muslim. You are the Du'aat of Islam without even opening your mouth. Because whatever they see you doing, they think that's Islam. Whatever you are doing no matter when you are doing it, you are ambassadors of Islam. Allah (swt) will ask you and me on Judgment Day, 'This is what you showed to those who were coming to Islam? Were you the reason why they come to Islam? Or are you the reason they went further away from Islam?'

SubahaanAllah...The responsibility that rests on our shoulders...

May Allah Azzajawal give us the ability to carry that responsibility and become responsible members of this beautiful Ummah.

Only God Can Judge Me

Only God Can Judge Me






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Introduction:
We have heard the phrase,"Only God Can Judge Me" predominantly in  Facebook & Twitter . And, there is a lot of misconceptions about it. Another, common phrase  that people like to use "Don't judge me, just because I sin differently than you ". 

SubhanAllah, it is ironic ,when you are actually saying this. It is because, now you are judging them too. The other party might not be judging you but just advising you sincerely because they care & love you. Or,they simply enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. And, we know that Allah(swt) has commanded us to do good deeds and forbid evil as we are the best of the nation. Allah (swt) put this Ayat even before mentioning about Eeman. 

So why is it so?

And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful. [3:104]

The nations before us, they will take right & wrong but they will only apply to themselves. And, they do not encourage others to do good things and forbid evil.This is the trait of the previous nations.
Secondly, it is a part of our Faith & Eeman . If we don't enjoin good and forbid evil , we are not completing our Deen/Eeman. Lastly, just imagine that if we do not enjoin good and forbid evil, 
our society will be chaotic,  due to a lot of murders and other crimes. It is because as the one who did the crime  might say "who are you to judge me & only God can judge me"
So, whom to start with?
The first one that we are responsible to enjoin good and forbid evil is actually OURSELVES.
Most of us give excuse to not listen to people advises because we might think they are rude, or they are not delivering it properly. But, scholars have said even if the message is not delivered to you properly, look at the message alone and don't discount it. 

There are two main reasons on why you do not want to listen to people advises:
1)It is because you don't like their delivery of the message
2)Or, you don't like the person who is advising you.

Do take note that, Allah(swt) will ask us about our actions after we have heard the advises from the people. Hence, we should always analyze on what the people are advising us. Omar Ibn Al Khattab (RA) used to thank Allah when people are advising him. And, he will be very happy when people are advising him
But ,there is another part of coin:
In Islam, we do have etiquette to put ourselves in the position to advise others.

1)Your intentions should be clear and it should only be for Allah(swt) only:

-There are some brothers/sisters will like to advise just to attract attention. This can be seen predominantly in social networking sites. they will not do anything for Deen except to criticize others as they say it is easy to be critic. 

-Anyways, before you advise others, ask yourself this question for whom you are doing it , is it solely for the sake of Allah or for other things. The key point here is to check your intentions. 
-Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to care about others and that is his reason on why he enjoined good and forbid evil . There is even a testimony from Allah for his intention.

Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow. [18:6]

 Allah is saying that you might even die because they are not accepting the message, this is how Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) truly care about others to the one whom he is making Dawah too. So, when we are making DAWAH , we should have those traits too.

2) Make advise privately:
-In Facebook , we can see that people are not advising privately. Instead, they will put the advise somewhere where the whole world can see it. And, this might not let the person to listen to what advise that you saying. You might want to give various reasons that by doing so, you are actually care about the person etc. However, if you truly want goodness for this individual,you will say to them privately. 
-The default for making Dawah is that you want to conceal the sins of your fellow Muslims and thus, they will understand that you are caring about the him/her. And,we all know in a Hadith that Allah(swt) will conceal the faults of the ones who conceal the faults of his brothers/sisters.The scary part of this Hadith is that each and everyone on of us have faults even if you are best scholar etc. So, we should make an effort to conceal the faults of others.

-Another scary hadith: One who goes to expose the faults of others, Allah will expose the faults of this person. And, this person will be ruined. 
-Let's be honest, when we are criticizing others,  we won't look at our own issues, the status of our souls etc.

Fatwa Hammer:

Have you heard that people just smash the people whom they are advising with fatwas . And , people in the past used to be very careful when they talk about Islam, they will think about themselves in the position between Jannah & Jahannam. 
-Imaam Bukhari , in his chapter have the title which is  Knowledge precedes speech & actions. So, you should have knowledge before you say it to others.
Some people when they give advises  they will say that I heard my sheikh said "This.."etc.But, we would have never researched more about. There is always a possibility of the Hadith being weak.

Personal Story:
Fiqh of chilling: some people have misconceptions about it . But you will never know about it until you have attended the seminar. 

Assumptions:
*Don't make ASSUMPTIONS before you are making Dawah. And, this is especially hard now , as we are  are hearing a lot things that's are not even proven truth in social media.So as a Muslim, who possess good moral value, we should check the facts. Then,make reasonable judgement. And, then talk to them personally. 

#Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) gave three levels when we are forbidding evil and enjoining good:
(1st level)You should either stop it with your hand, if not able to do
(2nd level) Do it with your tongue, if not able to do
(3rd level) Do it with your heart. 
*PS: Some people have misconception that the ability here is referring to physically disabled person. However, that is not only view that we should see the Hadith. The scholars in the past have also interperted ,the "ability" which mentioned in this Hadith means weighing goodness and evil while we are making Dawah. For example, a person should think whether his advise will produce more goodness or more evil, and then from there , he should evaluate which is the best level. 

Conclusion:

Allah(SWT) will question you on what you do with the message even if you don't like the person or you don't like the way the person advised you. Don't discount the message just because of the messenger or the way it delivered to you rather evaluate the message. 

Yes, its part of our Eeman. And, at the same time we should also understand the rulings and apply it.


So, we should strike a balance here while making Dawah.


And, Allah(swt) knows best.

Notes are taken from Sheikh Saad Tasleem lecture. If, there is any shortcomings on the articles,it is based on our shortcomings and Shaytaan and NOT ON THE SPEAKER. If, you have benefited from this articles, please pray for us and #SHARETHEKHAYR. 

How to wake up for Fajr ( click on the picture to view the video)

Sincerity! (*PS: Click on the picture , to go for video :)

MUSIC! (*PS: Click on the picture , to go for video :)

Dawah !(Click on the picture , to find out more :)

Assumptions- Ustad Nouman Ali Khan

Assumptions- Ustad Nouman Ali Khan

*PS: Click on the picture , to go for video :)

Surah Hujurat, 49th Surah of the Quran which has listless, timeless reminders about Muslims’ morals, principles that if we learn, we will know what to do as a Muslim, and how we should live as a society together. And , it is not only about Muslims living together, but also it deals with all the humanity. And, each one of them has own subject to address about, and can lead to one khutbah per subject.

Do, ponder about Surah Hujurat and reflect how can it applied in you as Muslim, In this Khutbah, only one segment/ayat of the Surah will be covered.

O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. [49:12]

Rough Explanation:

Those of you who claim to believe, avoid/stay away from assumptions, no doubt after assumption comes sin

Right before this ayat, it addresses about not making fun of people.

O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

Jokes

Stand up comedies, tv-shows make comedy by mocking at the ethnicity by the accent etc. And, in this ayat ,Allah say this is a NO,NO. This is not a type of comedy that we should enjoy. Though, today’s khutbah is not about about that, it is also important to take note that, ASSUMPTIONS are also result due to enjoying/or making jokes about it. This will lead to your convictions. And, this khutbah is not about ethnicity/racism issues but amaking fun of other faiths such the Pakistani making fun of the Sikhism/Hinduism etc, will lead you to make ASSUMPTIONS about a person/group. The jokes might be funny at the start, but then it will make us stereotype/being judgemental about particular faith or ethnicity.

Introduction:

In, other parts of the Quran, we were told that we will not be hold accountable for our intentions unless we are doing it (actions). But, there are exceptions for it, and this Surah, is the example for it. Allah is saying that do not even make ASSUMPTIONS , that is going through your mind . In the previous ayat, Allah says not to ridicule and the ayat after that , we were told not to spy. In both the ayats, we were discouraged only for our actions but in this ayat, Allah saying that we should only think good about others(which is actually intentions). And, if we are not correcting our intentions, Allah is saying that all we are entitles to all the punishments that are discussed in the following ayats such as RIBA, etc. It is important to understand the importance of intentions because all the SINS are started with bad intentions/thinking process .And, this is what Allah is addressing to us.

Look/Examine the Ayat More: - Ihjinat , comes from the root word, JAM. which means sitting on side. It also means to avoid something that is right next to you. So, you have to avoid Ihjinat that, is not far away but that is something that is next to you. And, it does not come naturally, but you have to do something about it. It takes effort. Even , if you are not doing it or haven’t done it , you should make effort not to do it in future. No one should think that they are pure enough not to fall in this mistake/danger because if we are not having the tendency to do it , Allah will not even have address the issue.

- Katheran mina Dhoun where Allah is stressing about assumptions , Allah is saying that we have the possibility of assuming in every of our conversation. So, we should be conscious about.

Dhoun- means making assumptions which we are not clear about but it is also means that you are making so many assumptions until you are fully convinced.

Example of the word usage:

There are people who say that they will not raise up after they have died- Allah is saying that they do not have knowledge, but they are just assuming.

So , how does it start?

It is by merely saying/assuming that the guy dresses like KUFFAR, or the guy does not have beard  and I don’t even like that guy. You look at the person, and you will just don’t like the person. And, eventually, your assumptions will lead to convictions (by making stereotypes). This can be for specific ethnicity or even family matters.

Like , if you compliment your wife for her cooking, she will not believe you, this is called Dhoun. You are not teleopathic , do make or give a chance to doubt.

This can be so bad until that we cannot even greet Salam properly but with grudges.

Or, even when Uztad Nouman Ali Khan is looking at everyone randomly at the audience, some of the audience will be assuming that Uztad is addressing the topic to them.

-You cannot even acknowledge when people are advising you for good things/complimenting ,if we have immense in the Dhoun, we will not even be able to give advices to each other.

Worse Implications:

This can even be worsened when we are asking advice to our Du'aat or Ulama with ASSUMPTIONS.

*Do take note that our Ulama are not Prophets, so they might make mistakes but this will not reduce their good deeds .And, do understand if you are not having good opinion about a particular Ulama it might be because you are not agreeing with his opinion and not necessarily that they are saying wrong things.

-Just imagine, if you have said something wrong, 5 years ago, and then people are not listening to you just because of your one small mistake. And, this is what is happening now.

There are worse situations where people are not listening to lecture to get benefitted but to attack the speaker. So, instead coming to closer to Allah, they will come to make ASSUMPTIONS. What is wrong with all these people?

We are so busy finding faults of others, we have no time to advise good to each other. Is the entire Ummah is familiar with our book(Quran) to say who has done wrong? We do not have time and it is not worth our energy & effort. The message of the Quran should be spread, but we are being busy with finding faults in others. Assumptions will lead to doubts, then convictions.

Then , it will lead to , - ithn which is used in rough translation as SIN. but what it is really about? - Ithn used in ancient arabic poetry for gambling. So, you are gambling while you are making assumptions.

1)It is because you could be right or wrong when you are gambling. And, we know that gambling is forbidden

2)And, the word(ithn, sin) is also used for consuming alcohol. So, if you assume a lot, you can be in a state of person like a drunkard.

3)It also means compensation , it does not only mean that the angel will record the sin and you will see it in Judgment Day. But, it also means that you can see the evil in this world, dunya also.

The brotherhood, or family or nations can be destroyed due to ASSUMPTIONS.

We have seen how the political rumour has destroyed a lot of society and people have DIED. This is very serious, it can ruin entire nation or country.Many of the wars, are caused merely by just ASSUMPTIONS. And, how many people lives are paid off due to just mere ASSUMPTIONS.

-It is not only for the believers but also used for the whole human nations(NAS).

-Allah is saying that he made different nations, to get to know each other but not to make ASSUMPTIONS.

Before Allah addressed the whole of humanity, he addressed the Muslims, the reason is that , we Muslims should be role model in not to make stereotypes.

We should be clear in our communication, we should not pass any judgments until we are clear about it. When somebody ask any opinion about the scholar or someone, we Muslims should say “ I do not have much knowledge about it” and then just stop the conversation. But what we are doing now is totally opposite. We will say something like “ I do not have much to say about the Imaam but I think he is pretty bad”.  You just have to make full stop after you have said that you have not much to say!

Or, if not you make excuses for your brother by saying that , “ I do not have much things to say about “...”, but I think he is a good brother/sister” .If, you are saying bad things about a person without knowledge, you are just violating in what PBUH has taught us. Second tip, if you encounter a situation like that just change the subject.

Conclusion:

We people, should seek clarity before stepping forward in our family, social, work or even news issues. The news issues are always making some kind of fear in people, so we should clarify the corrupt sources.And, until we have fully understood it, then don’t make any judgments.  If, we are not looking at the flaws at the people, or don’t make assumptions/judgments, rather than sincerity toward others, we will be  a better Ummah.

Video:

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfMO5gtHdJo

DropBox: http://bit.ly/1dDv513

We hope that you have benefitted from the notes provided above. If , there is any mistakes ,it is due to our shortcomings and not on the speaker. Do pray for us if you have benefitted from it in any sort.

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