vol. 1, issue 2 a haadi press

8/14/2019 Vol. 1, Issue 2 a Haadi Press

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AL-HADIYAHVol. 1, Issue 2 A HAADI PRESS RELEA

10 Th i ngs

M us l i m M en

F i n d

A t t r act i v e I n

M usl i m Women

C A N S O M E

K N O W L E D G E

M A K E Y O U

U G L Y

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From The Editor- 3

W ords To Advise, Not Shame- 4-5

Tales Of As-Suffa– 6-7

10 Things Muslim Men Find Att ract ive In Muslim W omen– 8-10

Savor The Sweetness Of Divine Link- 10

Can Some Knowledge Make You Ugly– 11-12

Got Dhikr?!- 13

Poem – The Soul Cries Over The W orld– 14-15

INTERVIEW W ITH SHAYKH YASER BIRJAS– 16-17

Your Neighbor And You– 18-19

You W ill Not Believe Unt il You Love Each Other– 20-22

Amazingly Ordinary– 23

ASK HEBA– 24

Lessons From The Letter– 25-26

Call Of Duty– 27

Reality Check: Confused W ith Al l The Info Out There?- 28-29

Taqw a; True Success– 30

Not “Just For Laughs”- W hy do you need t o attend “Fiqh Of Love”- 31

C O N T E N T S



I n The N am e Of A l lah , A r -Rahm an; A r -Raheem

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Dear Readers,

Alhamdulillah, the second issue of our quarterly magazine AL-HADIYAH is out now. And I am excitedabout it! Because this issue has richer content than the first one which shows we are improving mashAllah

walhamdulillah. We have articles written by students of Shaykh Jamaal Zarabozo and still better, we have

a featured article written by Shyakh Muhammed Hussain, the Imam of our community in Santa Clara

(may Allah preserve them all). We have in this publication an interview with Shaykh Yaser Birjas, takenwhen he had come here for our previous seminar– Divine Link: Fiqh Of Salah. Read some random points

compiled by me, in this edition.

InshAllahu Ta’ala, our next class is “Fiqh Of Love” taught by Shaykh Waleed Basyouni and I would like

to invite you to attend this class so that you can taste the sweetness of beautiful knowledge presented beauti-

fully by our highly-esteemed Shaykh Waleed. This class is important for you, whether you are married,,single and looking to marry, or divorced (or think you need a divorce– may Allah protect you from all

evil). Shaykh will be educating us about Love and Marriage in Islam and you will benefit a lot if you havebeen happily married for the last 10-25 years– this is a guarantee from the Shaykh himself mashAllah. For a

taste that will tickle your intelligent brains for more, read the article compiled by one of his students, “Can

Some Knowledge Make You Ugly”

We have our “ASK HEBA” featured too, where Sr Heba Alshareef graciously answers questions relatedto personality development, time management and other personal issues. MashAllah, she is a very wise

woman who has been mentoring women all over the world. If you would like to ask her a question, please

post them as comments under “ASK HEBA” in our website and it will be answered in our next edition in-shAllah.

I would also like to thank the Co-Editor, Br Turner Schafer who manages the AL-HADIYAH website

mostly, and also happens to write well mashAllah. Flip through the pages to find“Tales of As-Suffa”.

Last but not the least, I would like to share a lesson I learnt while involved in this project as Editor. And that

is, no matter how carefully I would have scrutinized and tried to make this beautiful, it is always going to be

imperfect. It is said about a great scholar that he edited and made changes to his book atleast 40 times, andstill he was able to find mistakes afterwards. SubhanAllah, man is indeed imperfect; we need to humble our-

selves constantly. Only Allah Azza Wajal is Perfect and The Omniscient! And so are His Book, His Kalam–

The Noble Qur’an. Isn’t it the Greatest Blessing that Allah has revealed for us, His Perfect words– for theimperfect mankind?! Let’s turn to it with sincere gratitude!

“If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and coming apart from

fear of Allah . And these examples We present to the people that perhaps they will give thought.” (Surah Al-

Hashr: 21)

Jazakum Allahu khayr! I hope you will find this effort beneficial! Your continued support will not go unre-warded on the Day of Judgment. May Allah increase us in Taqwa and make us among the dwellers of Jan-

nah. Aameen.

Fathimah Zainulabideen

Chief– Editor

http://qhaadi.org/alhadiyah/

FROM THE EDITOR



AL-HADIYAH A HAADI PRESS RELEASE

4

Verily, all praise is due to Allah, we thank Him, ask Him for help and forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah

from the evils of ourselves and from the evils of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides is indeed guided, and

whomsoever Allah misguides won't find anyone to guide him.

Allah Subhanahu wata’ala says, "O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die

except as Muslims [in submission to Him]" (Surah Aal Imran: 102), "O mankind, fear your Lord, who created

you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear

Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer." (Surah An-Nisaa’: 1). Allah also said, "O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He

will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has

certainly attained a great attainment." (Surah Al-Ahzaab: 70-71).

As for what follows, this article is written for my brothers, sisters and children, in hopes that Allah Subhanahu

wata’ala benefits us with it in this world and the hereafter, and that it is a running charity (sadaqa jaariya) for us

after we have moved to the grave.

Why have I chosen this topic of research?

1. Due to the increase in divorce rates amongst Muslims.

2. To maintain and protect the Islamic identity.

3. So that the new generation can benefit from the experiences of those before them.

4. Due to many of the youth becoming addicted to drugs.5. It is an obligation upon myself and others to give advice to the Muslims.

6. Due to the need of the Muslim ummah to face its problems internally, before doing da’wah to other nations.

7. To leave no room for the innovators and secularists to attack Islam and Muslims.

8. For leadership of the world (especially with the world being driven by carnal desires, materialism, and the

spilling of innocent blood).

As thus, it is critical to have those who return mankind to the origins in terms of monotheism and character.

Shaykh Muhammad Hussein was born in 1964. He finished his undergraduate degree in Agri-cultural Engineering from Cairo University in 1986. He finished memorizing Quran in 1988

and got his Ijazah in Hafs the same year. He went to Saudi Arabia and taught Quran there forseven years in Imam Muhammed Bin Saud University of Islamic Studies (now King Khalid

University) in Abha. During his time there, he earned ijazah in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim,Imam Malik's Muwatta, Sunan An Nisai and Sunan Abi Dawud. He came to the US in 1994. He

earned his Master's degree in Islamic studies. His Master's thesis was titled "Tareeqa asshadhiliyya fee Amreeka as shimaliyya".(The Shadhili Tareeqah in North America). He is cur-

rently defending his Phd thesis in Aqeedah wa Akhlaq this summer inshAllah. He has 25 yearsof counseling experience for youth and adults alike and counsels community members all year

round.

Shaykh Muhammad has four children mashAllah. He gives regular Quran Halaqaat in MasjidAn-Nur and MCA. His students love him and pray that Allah Subhanahu wata’ala accept his

efforts.

WORDS TO ADVISE, NOT SHAME




5

I will thus discuss, in detail, some of the most important social problems and how to solve them, while asking

Allah, the most Elevated, the Exalted in Might, for His help, and while following the footsteps of our beloved

Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam and his beloved companions, especially Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali(radhiyAllahu anhum), may Allah gather us with them and make us from those who follow them, not the ones

who innovate.

It is known that if we want to begin fixing, we have to start at an individual level. An individual is a natural by-

product of a family that was established based on shared responsibilities between two spouses. As thus, I will

focus on marriage and what is related to it, along with the benefits of it and how to maintain this relationship as

long as we remain on the surface of the earth, and then we will talk about the most important problems and how

to solve them. With Allah's permission, I will give real examples of some of the most important problems I have

come across in my life and how to solve them.

First: Why should we get married?

Unfortunately, many people don't understand why they get married. Most women, Muslims or non-muslims,have a goal of wearing the white dress, receiving gifts, having parties without understanding what comes after

that. The strange thing is that this lack of understanding transfers to men, especially the Muslims, so they don't

understand the reality of marriage in the Islamic law.

As a result, I'll focus on five reasons for marriage.

1. To search for affection and mercy. Humans are created as emotional beings, and so they need a way to fill

these emotional needs or they would end up going away from the straight path. The human needs belief in Allah

as a Lord, with Islam as a religion, and with Muhammad Sallallahu alaihiwasallam as a Prophet and Messen-

ger. These are the most important things that a human needs - belief with love.

The Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam said, "None of you shall believe until I become more beloved to him thanhimself, his family, his wealth, and all the people."

Allah Subhanahu wata’ala says, "Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will

love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."" (Surah Aal Imran: 31)

So the love of Allah with monotheism and without ascribing partners with Him, and loving the Prophet Sallallahu

alaihiwasallam) by following him and not by innovating, and the love of all of the messengers, and the righteous

people, the companions, and whosoever follows them with good deeds until the Day of Judgment.

After this, the normal human needs love from a special kind between men and women, the seed of which grows

in marriage, which Allah calls, "a solemn covenant." Allah Azza Wajal said, "And of His signs is that He created

for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection andmercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought." (Surah Ar-Rum: 21)

So the successful marriage relationship is built off affection and mercy.

To Be Continued.....

J azakum A l lahu K hayr, brothers

(S haykh’s students) who translated these

wonder ful words of wisdom!




7

the Prophet’s supplication. When I arrived at the door of

the house I found it closed. Hearing my footsteps, my

mother said: “Son, do not come in yet.” I could hear the

sound of water. She washed herself and wore her robe

and head cover then she opened the door and said: “Ibear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Mu-

hammad is the servant and messenger of Allah!” I re-turned at once to the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam

weeping for joy, and said to him: “Messenger of Allah,

good news! Allah has answered your request and guided

my mother!” He glorified and praised Allah, thankingHim and saying good things. I said: “Messenger of Al-

lah! Ask Allah that He make me and my mother be-

loved to His believing servants and that He make them

beloved to us.” The Prophet said: “O Allah! Make Your

little servant here and his mother beloved to Your be-

lieving servants, and make the believers beloved to thetwo of them.”

‘O slaves of Ar-Rahman take to heart, the story of the

Sahabah; the best generation as they learnt the religion

directly from our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallal-lahu alaihiwasallam. We see our stories are without the

sacrifice of money, food and time seeking knowledge.

As reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari a Sahabi stated: “I was

raised an orphan and immigrated to Medina moneyless.

I was one of the needy people of the Suffa.” Also re-ported in Sahih Al-Bukhari, “I asked the Prophet:

“Messenger of Allah! Who is the most blessed person toobtain your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?’

He said: ‘O [Abdur Rahman]! I knew that surely no one

would precede you in asking such a question, due to the

persistency I have observed in you in obtaining hadith.The most blessed person to obtain my intercession on

the Day of Resurrection is he who said ‘la ilaha illAllah’

sincerely from his heart.”

We will be judged by our intentions, accountable for our

own actions. Allah is the Most Merciful, best of Plan-

ners. He shows us examples so we do not have to stray

from the straight path. Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu

alaihiwasallam is the best of examples but I share with

you my love for one of the Sahabah, a convert to Islam,from Darkness to Light, from boy to man. He made

Hijra and endured extreme hardship out of love for Al-lah and His Messenger.

Allah says in Surah Yusuf: 3 “We relate unto you

(Muhammad) the best of stories through Our Revela-

tions unto you, of this Qur'an…” The meaning of this

ayah is that Allah reveals the most entertaining stories

and the stories with the most benefit and lessons and I

think if we look deep into the lives of the Sahabah this

same message transcends. May Allah be pleased with

all of the Sahabah and righteous predecessors.

Born in Baha, Yemen into the Banu Daws tribe from the

region of Tihamah on the coast of the Red Sea; he wasan orphan with only a mother and no other relatives. His

name at birth was Abd-u-Shams (Servant of the Sun).

After embracing Islam and making hijrah, the Prophet

renamed him Abdur Rahmam; from the Slave of the Sun

to the Slave of Ar-Rahman Radhiya Allahu anh.

This was the story of a great muhaddith; the quotes and

narrations were from or referring to him Radhiya Allahuanh. He was the one there that night 1400 years ago

accompanying Rasoolullah. That night when Rasoolul-lah was driven out from his home due to hunger. He was

also suffering from the hunger, but still accompanied the

Prophet out of his deep love for learning everything

from the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam. Ya Ummah,I appeal to you, who amongst you will shun this world

and be an inheritor of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasal-

lam and follow in the footsteps of the best of genera-

tions?

You people say that Abu Hurairah tells many narrationsfrom Allah's Apostle and you also wonder why the Mu-hajir and Ansar do not narrate from Allah's Apostle as

Abu Hurairah does. “My emigrant brothers were busy

in the market while I used to stick to Allah's Apostle

content with what fills my stomach; so I used to be pre-

sent when they were absent and I used to remember

when they used to forget, and my Ansari brothers usedto be busy with their properties and I was one of the

poor men of Suffa. I used to remember the narrations

when they used to forget. No doubt, Allah's Apostleonce said, "Whoever spreads his garment till I have fin-ished my present speech and then gathers it to himself,will remember whatever I will say." So, I spread my

colored garment which I was wearing till Allah's Apos-

tle had finished his saying, and then I gathered it to my

chest. So, I did not forget any of those narrations.”




8

10 Thi ngs M us l i m M en F i nd

A t t r act i v e I n M usl i m Women1. Her Obedience to the Creator:

A practicing Muslim man loves tohave a practicing Muslim wife; who

knows that the life of this world isnothing but a test from her Lord;

giving her an opportunity to come

closer and closer to Allah, doing

more and more good deeds to please

Him Azza wa jal, restricting herself

from the desires of her inner self that

go against the will of her Creator.

But as for him who feared

standing before his Lord, and re-

strained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts. Verily, Paradise

will be his abode. (Surah An- Naaziyaat: 40-41)

2. Her Haya (Modesty/Shyness):

Haya is one of the most significant

factors of a woman’s personality.

Haya according to a believer's nature

refers to a bad and uneasy feelingaccompanied by embarrassment,

caused by one's fear of being ex-

posed or censured for some unwor-thy or indecent conduct.[1]

Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam

said: "Haya comes from Eman;

Eman leads to Paradise. Obscenity

comes from antipathy; and antipathy

leads to the fire." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

A Muslim woman feels shy to do

anything that would displease her

Lord in any aspect. She has haya in

her talk, she has haya in her gaze,she has haya in her clothing, she has

haya in her walk. Her haya in her

talk is that she is not soft in her

speech but speaks honorably. Allah

subhanahu wa ta’a la says

(interpretation of the meaning):

“O wives of the Prophet!You are not like any other women.

If you keep your duty (to Allah),

then be not soft in speech , lest he in

whose heart is a disease (of hypoc-

risy, or evil desire for adultery) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honorable man-

ner” (Surah Al-Ahzaab:32)

Her haya in her gaze is that she does

not look at what Allah subhanahu wa

ta’ala has prohibited for her to look.

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says


And tell the believing

women to lower their gaze (from

looking at forbidden things), and

protect their private parts (fromillegal sexual acts)… (Verse contin-

ues) (Surah An-Nur: 31)

Her haya in her clothing is that she

does not reveal to others what Allah

subhanahu wa ta’ala has forbidden

for her to reveal. Allah subhanahu

wa ta’ala says (interpretation of the

meaning):

...And not to show off their adornment except only that which is

apparent (like both eyes for neces-

sity to see the way or outer dresslike veil, gloves, head-cover, apron,

etc.), and to draw their veils all over

Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies,

faces, necks and bosoms,) and not

to reveal their adornment except to

their husbands, or their fathers, or

their husband's fathers, or their

sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers or their brother's

sons, or their sister's sons, or their

(Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in

Islâm), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old

male servants who lack vigor, or

small children who have no sense of

the feminine sex.. (Verse Contin-

ues) (Surah An-Nur: 31)

Her haya in her walk is that shewalks modestly without attracting

others attention towards herself. Al-

lah subhanahu wa ta’ala says


...And let them not stamp

their feet so as to reveal what they

hide of their adornment. And all of

you beg Allâh to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be success-

ful. (Surah An-Nur: 31)

Abu Usayd al-Ansari narrated that he

heard Allah’s Messenger Sallallahualaihiwasallam say to the women on

his way out of the mosque when he

saw men and women mixing to-

gether on their way home: ‘Give way

(i.e., walk to the sides) as it is not

appropriate for you to walk in themiddle of the road.’ Thereafter,

women would walk so close to the

wall that their dresses would get

caught on it. (Narrated by Abu Da-

wood in "Kitab al-Adab min Su-

nanihi, Chapter: Mashyu an-NisaMa’ ar-Rijal fi at-Tariq)

A woman who has the knowledge of

Allah’s commandment to preserve

her modesty, submitting herself tothe will of her creator, even after

having the desire to be praised for

her beauty, is without doubt beloved

to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and as

well as to all good believing men.

By M ansoor A l eem




9

3. Her Beauty:

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala made women beautiful in the

sight of men. It’s just that some human beings are more

attracted towards some than others.

Aishah RadhiyAllahu anha said: “I heard the ProphetSallallahu alaihiwasallam saying: ‘Souls are like con-

scripted soldiers; those whom they recognize, they get

along with, and those whom they do not recognize, they

will not get along with.’” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Al-Qurtubi said: “Although they are all souls, they differ

in different ways, so a person will feel an affinity with

souls of one kind, and will get along with them because

of the special quality that they have in common. So we

notice that people of all types will get along with thosewith whom they share an affinity, and will keep away

from those who are of other types. [This is like the old

saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together”]

For a believing man, a Muslim woman’s beauty is not just how her nose looks or how big her eyes are, but her

modesty, purity of heart, and innocence make her look

beautiful as well. Also Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala makes

people whom He loves, pleasing to others.

“When Allah loves someone he calls to Jibreel Alaihis-salaam saying, ‘O Jibreel, I love such and such a person,

so love him.’ Then Jibreel will call to the (angels) of the

heavens, ‘Allah loves such and such a person so love

him.’ And the angels will love [that person]. And then

Allah will place the pleasure in the hearts of the people

towards this person.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

4. Her Intellect/playfulness:

Intellect and playfulness are two qualities of women

highly liked by men. Every man likes to have an intelli-

gent wife who can advise and support him in day to daymatters. Khadija bint Khuwaylid RadhiyAllahu anha

was one of the most beloved wives of Prophet (peace

and blessings of Allah be upon him). She supported Al-

lah’s messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be uponhim) at the very beginning of his Prophethood when

Jibreel alaihissalaam brought the first revelation to him.

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) al-ways admired her and remembered her even long after

her death.

A playful wife is a joy and pleasure to a man’s heart.Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam recommended Jabir

bin 'Abdullah to marry a virgin so that the two could

play with each other and amuse each other.

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: "My father died and leftseven or nine girls and I married a matron. Allah's Apos-

tle said to me, "O Jabir! Have you married?" I said,

"Yes." He said, "A virgin or a matron?" I replied, "A

matron." he said, "Why not a virgin, so that you might

play with her and she with you, and you might amuse

her and she amuse you." (Hadith continued) (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

5. Her Truthfulness:

Being truthful and honest is an essential quality of a

believer.

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood RadhiyAllahu anh said: The

Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alaihiwasallam said: “I

urge you to be truthful, for truthfulness leads to right-

eousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man

will continue to be truthful and seek to speak the truthuntil he is recorded with Allah as speaker of truth

(Siddeeq). And beware of lying, for lying leads to im-morality and immorality leads to Hell; a man will con-

tinue to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah as a

liar.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

A person who is known to lie repeatedly loses his trust.

And if that happens in case of a marital relationship the

whole relationship falls apart. A woman who is known

to be a “Siddeeqah” certainly has a higher status in a

Muslim man’s heart.

6. Her Obedience:

Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala made man protector and

maintainer of the woman and enjoined upon her to obey

him in all the matters that do not go against Quran andSunnah. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says (interpretation

of the meaning):

“Men are the protectors and maintainers of

women, because Allah has made one of them to excel

the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means” (Surah An-Nisa’: 34)

The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alaihiwasallam said,

“The best women is she who when you look at her, she

pleases you, when you command her she obeys you, and

when you are absent, she protects her honor and your

property.” (At-Tabarani, Ibn Majah)

7. Her Patience:

Patience is a characteristic that can never be praisedenough. A woman who remains patient at the times of hardship and relies on the help and mercy of Allah iswithout a doubt a beloved servant of Allah subhanahu

wa ta’ala. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And Allah loves As-Saabiroon (the pa-

tient)” (Surah Aal Imran: 146)




10

8. Her Cooking:

Delicious food is without a doubt weakness of men. It’s

an old saying that “The Way to a Man's Heart is through

his Stomach”. We also know that one of Prophet’s(Sallallahu alaihiwasallam) wives used to cook food that

he liked a lot and due to that Aishah radhiyAllahu anhawould get jealous, because she didn’t know how to cook

that.

9. Her Contentment with Rizq:

No man likes to have a woman who is always complain-

ing about how less her husband earns or how rich her

other friends are. A good Muslimah is the one who

thank Allah for what He has blessed her with and she is

thankful to her husband for what he provides her with.

Abu Hurairah RadhiyAllahu anh reported: The Prophet

Sallallahu alaihiwasallam said, "Richness is not the

abundance of wealth, rather it is self-sufficiency.'' (Sahih

Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

10. Good Manners:

A woman of good manners is a blessing from Allah sub-hanahu wa ta’ala. When she speaks, she speaks honora-

bly, why she deals with others she deals with them

kindly. She is polite with elders, loving to children, andgood to her fellow folks.

It is related by 'Abdullah bin Amr that the Prophet Sal-

lallahu alaihiwasallam said: "The best of you are those

who possess the best of manners." (Sahih Al-Bukhari

and Muslim)

[1] http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/Haya.htm

S avor T he S weetness

O f D ivine L inkB y U mm A isha

S avor the sweetness of the History of Salah:

We see from many ayaat from the Qur’an that Salah was

prescribed for Prophets and messengers before Prophet

Muhammed Sallallahu alaihiwasallam. Salah was al-

ways an act of worship that represented humility and

devotion in front of The Lord Almighty. And today wefind some orthodox Jews and Christians, who are the so-called followers of Prophet Moses and Jesus alaihumas-

salam, pray in a similar fashion as our Salah.

This is something that we, as Muslims, can take pride in.

Among all the nations, it is only we who still pray the

way we were taught by our Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwa-

sallam; while the other nations have adopted practices

that didn’t exist in the original form of prayer.

With the coming of Islam, the five prayers at their ap-

pointed times was established in stages. In the begin-ning, Qiyam-u-layl (night prayer) was mandatory for a

year till the ruling was abrogated. In Surah Al-

Muzzammil, Allah commands:

O you wrapped up! Stand (to pray) all night, except a

little. Half of it, or a little less than that. Or a little

more; and recite the Qur’an (aloud) in a slow,

(pleasant tone) and style. (73: 1-4)

And in the end of the Surah, “Verily, your Lord knows

that you do stand (to pray at night) a little less than two

-thirds of the night, or half the night, or a third of the

night, and so do a party of those with you, and Allah

measures the night and the day. He knows that you are

unable to pray the whole night, so He has turned to you (in Mercy). So, recite you of the Qur’an as much

as may be easy for you.... (73: 20)

Salah (specifically, the five times fardh) was the only act

of worship and command given to our Prophet Sallal-

lahu alaihiwasallam and to his Ummah during his night

journey (Mi’raj) to the heavens. This just shows the

status, value and importance of this Divine Link.

Savor the sweetness of different variety of Salah:

Variety like the fard, witr, qiyam-u-layl, rawatib, tahiy-

yatul masjid etc adds to the beauty and makes salah col-orful and diverse. Other than the obligatory, we can

choose from this variety and excel in one type, to startwith, and then broaden the horizon of our goal. The

Salawaat in different times, on different occasions re-

minds us to be in constant remembrance of Allah. Al-

hamdulillah, we have different ways of Salah in invok-

ing Allah for our different needs.

Qiyam-u-layl is, indeed a special retreat and the supple-

ments needed for our spiritual need. Just like we haveour main meals of the day for basic nutrition and thenextra smaller meals, we need to satisfy our spiritual

needs by adding on to our five main meals of Salah.

Salah serves the purpose of constant remembrance

throughout the day. If done sincerely, with Ihsaan- with

the thought that you are facing Allah Subhanahu wa-

ta’ala during Salah- it will put haya and shyness in our

o Continued on Pg. 26...

http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/Haya.htm

http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/Haya.htm




11

A Summary of a Talk by Shaykh Waleed BasyouniBy AbooZaidB ack in 2008, when Sheikh Waleed came to the Bay

Area for “Rays Of Faith”, we had arranged for a

“bonus” session to be held on Monday, since it was a

holiday. I remember:

I found myself feeling proud and relaxed; after all, this

was a bonus session, extra credit. Yet I had come to the

masjid on my day off to sit and review the material after

more than 16 hours of study the previous two days.

Since I felt confident that I knew most of the material

we had studied, I figured I would coast through the ses-sion and just soak in the Shaykh's unique, warm charm.

Holiday mode had overtaken my mood.

Shaykh Waleed took his seat and looked out

at us with a fairly serious look on his face,displaying a new, weighty demeanor, not

seen during the course the previous two days.

As if the doctor knew the patient's ailment

before even taking the vitals. Instead of

opening up a light review session, he pro-

ceeded to deliver a very profound advice tothe student of knowledge.

Immediately he advised us about the great

importance of seeking knowledge. As if to

tell us that knowledge is not a weekend phe-nomenon. The message resonated: Do not

think that you are absolved by a two week-

end seminar. Striving in the path of knowl-

edge should be a continuous struggle according to an

individual's capability. Most of the audience was com-

prised of people with families, full of responsibilities.Many of us might feel that serious pursuit of knowledge

is something for the youth. We feel that if our own

youth has escaped us without seeking knowledge, that's

it. We now have nothing to do with 'ilm and are content

to rely on the other avenues of doing good.

The Shaykh started with a quote from Al-Hasan Rahi-

mahUllah smashing that notion for those of us who had

fallen prey to it. Hasan AlBasri was asked, “Should an

old person seek knowledge?” The Imaam answered,

“Yes if he loves to live.”

So if we like life then seek knowledge. Righteousness

can be a means for prolonged life and its fruit is un-

matched in satisfaction compared to other achievements

in dunya. Imaam Ash-Shafi RahimahUllah said: I don't

know anything more beloved to Allah after the 5 pillars

than seeking knowledge.

The shaykh, may Allah bless him, mentioned a hadeethof the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam- the Hoot and

the ants make istighfaar for the one who seeks knowl-

edge. Interestingly Hoot has two different meanings in

the Arabic language. It can mean Whale or can also beused to describe a very small fish. Either meaning lends

itself elegantly to the illustration.

In the case of the Whale, we get the idea that

two creatures on complete opposite ends of the spectrum in their size, are making istigh-faar, possibly meaning that all of the crea-tures in between are doing the same. As for

the meaning of very small fish, this paints a

picture of two extremely minuscule, abun-

dant creatures, one from the land and one

from the sea, are seeking forgiveness for

you. Both meanings work and serve as yetanother testimony to the miraculous quality

given to Rasoolullaah Sallallahu alaihiwasal-

lam: Jawaam al Kalim (succinct speech withexpansive meaning.)

Shaykh Waleed then proceeded to articulate

a beautiful classification of the Uloom ash-Shareeah.

For me it was my first time hearing this. Understanding

these categories, I believe, would eliminate a lot of con-

fusion in our communities. This framework is especially

critical for the aspiring student of knowledge with lim-

ited time, wondering how to prioritize his study. Uloom

ash-Shareeah has been divided into three categories by

the scholars.

Certain types of knowledge are foundational knowledge,Usooliyaat. From the Usooliyaat are Creed and Fiqh, the

two main pillars of Islamic knowledge. These two are

derived from the Quran and Sunnah according to the

understanding of the first three generations of Muslims

and of the scholars that followed their footsteps. Tafseer

and Hadeeth fall under this category.

Ibn Mubarak RA

was asked: If you

were brought back

to life after death,

what act would you

do? He replied:

Seek Knowledge




12

Uloom al Alaat: Knowledge of

Tools. These sciences are named

tools because they enable you to deal

properly with textual evidences, to

access the texts and analyze themproperly. From these sciences are:

Usool ul Fiqh, Mustalah al hadeeth,Ilm ul rijaal, knowledge of the qiraat,

al lugha: grammar, and balaghah.

Uloom al Kamaaliyaat: Accesso-ries beautify you. From this type of

knowledge are: ilm of tajweed, his-

tory, biography of scholars, and po-

etry.

This categorization helps a person inpriorities and also in determining the

true status of a scholar or student of

knowledge. It is WRONG for a per-

son to have a lot of information in

tools and kamaliyaat, but very littlein fiqh or aqeedah. The Student of

Knowledge must focus on founda-

tions, and may pursue as much de-

tails as he would like to in these sci-

ences. General knowledge of Uloom

ul Alaat is needed for a student of knowledge, but he should not go

very deep in a particular tool, unless

he is dedicated to Islamic knowledge

full time.

Shaykh Waleed expanded on thislater when I asked him, that many of

the experts in the tools are not sound

in the fundamentals. And this dispro-

portion makes that knowledge ugly.

Because the fundamentals are the

most immediately applicable andhelpful in coming close to Allah, the

Alaat are useless by them-

selves. And this becomes a fitnabecause the laymen are most im-

pressed by tools. It is a dazzling type

of knowledge to possess. When these

types of scholars flex their knowl-edge, we watch their actions and

imitate them. We assume that they

must have a good reason for shaving

or skipping different sunan in theprayer. This is a logical conclusion

for a spectator to arrive at for some-

one unaware of these categories of knowledge.

The student of knowledge needs to

have some basic knowledge in the

tools, but should focus on the Usool.

Only the specialists should go very

deep in any of the tools. Conversely,the student of knowledge can learn

as much details as he wants from theUsooliyaat. The more knowledge

and details you posses from the

Usool, the more your emaan will

increase. A person will get lost and

could do serious damage to himself

by going deep into any of the Alaat,

without strong foundations.

Out of the fairness of Ahl Sunnah,

they accept sound research andscholarship, even if it might havecome from other than Ahl Sunnah.But this means someone diving into

the tools will be exposed to foreign

concepts indirectly, because a

scholar's world-view will often

manifest itself one way or another. If

someone is exposed to deviant be-

liefs without being founded upon the

correct Usool, he would be suscepti-

ble to them. The Alaat help you ac-cess the Usool in a more profoundand complete way. That is why thestudent of knowledge needs Alaat,

but he should not go too deep in

them unless he is full time and is

very sound in the Usool. Kamaali-

yaat are what beautify a person. Noone can be considered a student of

knowledge by having knowledge of

the Kamaaliyaat alone, regardless of

his expertise in any of them.Kamaaliyaat complete and beautify a

person's knowledge.

Lastly, Shaykuna briefly advised us

about some practical matters the

seeker should bear in mind.

Our intention while learning should

be to increase ourselves. ImamAhmad, was asked: what is the sin-

cerity of seeking knowledge? Heanswered, “To remove the ignorance

from your own self.” That should beour intention. We have gaping holes

that if we really put them out on dis-

play, it would be so humiliating to

us. It would prevent us from wanting

to learn knowledge for the sake of

accumulating ammunition againstothers, because our own problems

would take priority.

Also, the seeker should know that

ASKING is a very important tool.

Use it wisely and ask for the purpose

of benefitting. Ibn Abbas Radhya

Allahu anh was asked what the key

to his knowledge was. He replied: I

have a heart that can absorb theknowledge and a tongue that knows

how to ask questions.

We should keep in mind, as much as

you learn, it should affect yourakhlaaq. First the seeker should have

good manners with Allah in terms of

His Book and Shareeah. The shaykh

asked, “Do you have good mannerswith the people close to you?” How

about etiquettes with the scholars

that you read? What about mannerswith your parents, wife, son, son-in-

law, daughter-in-law, brothers and

sisters? The student of knowledge

should use hikmah in dealing withpeople, have concern of how to help

people, make people feel better, and

be a mercy to the people around him.

These are the main points the

Shaykh conveyed, inter-spliced withsome of my own reflections as a live

recipient. I hope that they add a

worthwhile personal dimension to

this summary. May Allah preserve

Shaykh Waleed, bless him and his

family with all that is good, save

them from all that is evil, and reward

them with the best.




13

Got Dhikr??!O ne of the most neglected and under-

appreciated methods of gaining the forgiveness of Allah

Azza wa jal and increasing our emaan is none other than

performing dhikr. We can do it anytime anywhere and in

different forms yet our excuses are many and effortsfew. We are reminded numerous times in the Quran to

be steadfast in the remembrance of Allah, for it strength-

ens our hearts. Allah says:

“Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth,

and in the alternation of night and day, there are in-

deed signs for men of understanding.” (Surah Aal Im-

ran: 190)

The more Dhikr we engage in, the more our surround-

ings remind us of Allah. Every time the wind blows, thesun sets, or a star glimmers in the sky, our hearts and

mind automatically think of Al Khaliq, the Creator.

Amongst the benefits of Dhikr is that it keeps off shay-

tan far from you and if this was the only benefit dhikr,

then this, in and of itself, is sufficient. When one is con-

stantly engaged in the dhikr of Allah, then it follows thatthey will be less inclined to follow the whispers of shay-

tan, for we know that the accursed has no physical

power over us rather, his influence over us is limited to

whispers.

Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Tayimiyyah RahimahUllah, one of

the greatest scholars of Islam, is reported as saying,

“dhikr for the heart is like water for fish because without

it the heart will die.” The early scholars of Islam truly

understood the value of adhkaar, it helped them reach

the heights and levels that they did.

Another Benefit of performing dhikr is that it wipes out

our sins. It is narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari 7/168 and

Muslim 4/2071, that if someone says “Subhanallahi wa

bihamdhi” a hundred times a day, his sins will be for-

given, even if they are like the foam of the sea. Manymiss out on this opportunity for forgiveness because

they assume it will take too long to do. However, con-

trary to popular belief, it takes about an average of three

minutes to say and four minutes if you say it really slow.

That’s it. In a maximum of four minutes we can poten-tially wipe all of our (minor) sins away! Only Allah

knows which deed will make it for us, which deed will

be the one which He accepts and out of His mercy ad-

mits us into Paradise and thus we should strive and take

every opportunity to draw closer to Him subhanahu wa

ta’ala and be amongst those who are enveloped by His

mercy.

In a Hadith Qudsi- “Narrated by Abu Hurairah RadhyaAllahu anh: The Prophet said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as

My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what

he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He re-members Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too,

remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a

group of people, I remember him in a group that is better

than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go

one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit

nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms

nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to

him running.’” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

All we have to do is take small yet consistent steps such

as remaining seated after our salah to finish our ad-hakaar, saying our morning and evening adhkaar or say-

ing the dua before entering the restroom, before sleeping

etc, and bi idhnillahi ta’ala with the more adhkaar we

make, we will be counted amongst the Dhakireen, those

who Remember Allah, and what can be better and

sweeter than be counted amongst them?

-Ilm Summit ’09, “Fiqh Of Adhkaar”By Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

By Umm Zubayr

Check this proportionality out:

Quran: Allah SWT:: Dhikr/ Dua’:Us

Qur’an is the Speech of Allah AzzaWajal. Qur’an is how Allah commu-

nicated tomankind. How can we communicate

withOur Lord?

Through Dhikr and Dua’!

Establish communication both ways!!



T he S oul C r ies Over T he Wor ld

T he first in a series of original translations of statements and writings by pious people of the early generations of Islam: A poem attributed to

`Ali ibn Abi Talib Radhiy Allahu anh

– T ransl ated B y A sma S aloom -

*** The soul cries over the world, although it knows

That well-being in it comes from leaving what is in it.

***There is no abode, after death, for a person to live in

Except the one he was building before death.

*** So if he built it with good, how wonderful is his abode

And if he built it with evil, then woe to its builder.

*** We amass our wealth for those who will inherit it

And we build our homes for the destruction of time.

*** Where are the kings who were entrenched in power? --

Until they were served drink from the cup of death.

*** And how many cities have been built across the horizons? --

They ended up as rubble and death annihilated their people.

*** Every soul, even when terrified of death, has hopes that strengthen it.

*** Man stretches them out, and time constricts them

The soul spreads them out, and death swallows them up.

14



***Indeed, noble traits lead to pure character:

The first of them is the deen, and intelligence is the second.

*** Knowledge is the third of them, and patience is their fourth

Generosity is the fifth of them, and grace is their sixth.

*** Devotion is the seventh of them and thankfulness is their eighth

Patience is the ninth of them and gentleness makes up the rest.

*** My soul knows that I do not entrust myself to it

And that I do not follow the right way except when I disobey it.

*** Do not rely on this world and what is in it

For death, no doubt, will destroy us and it.

15

*** So work for tomorrow’s abode, and the happiness of its owner

Where the neighbor is Ahmad () and the Most Merciful is its

founder.

*** Its palaces are gold, and its mud is musk

Its grass is saffron, sprouting within it

*** Its rivers are of pure milk and of honey

And wine flows as a nectar in its streams.

***

Birds skip along the tree branches, dwelling there,

Glorifying Allah openly in their songs.

*** So who will buy a house in the Firdaws to dwell in?

With a rak`ah in the darkness, bringing life to the night.




17

you might be more beneficial ...inshallah... for the com-

munity- the larger community in America, we’ll take itinshallah.

Q. So now that you have taught all the classes that

you teach in Qabeelat Haadi, are you planning on

developing another class?

A.I have three or four classes in my mind that I’m think-ing of right now inshallah. Right now I’m going to be

developing one of these classes and hopefully it will be

ready by 2010, it’s a secret though. (now with the ac-

quisition of Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick, he also

teaches the history of Spain right?) Na’am. (You guysare fighting over that?) No, it’s his specialty, it’s his

field and I’m just conceding. (ok mashallah jazakllah

khair)

Q. What’s the advantage of Al-Maghrib institute

over other Islamic learning institutes in northernCalifornia?A. Why don’t you ask the students this question. It

wouldn’t be fair if I talked about this subject, I’m sure

that every institution has it’s own unique style and we

are trying our best inshallah to provide ilm and knowl-

edge. That’s what we are trying to do. Our main focusis to bring ilm and knowledge to students to try to give

the students, the average person the taste of knowledge.

We don’t want them to underestimate their level of in-

tellect; we are trying to upgrade that level of intellect for

them inshallah.

Q. What is one point about the Palestinian situationthat the Muslims should know and the non-Muslims

should know?

A.It’s a great injustice. A great overlooked injustice. I

was reading today.. even in the news.. Just read the arti-cle on CNN, it’s ridiculous about Clinton’s announce-

ment -putting pressure on the Palestinians, they just as-

sume all the pressure always comes from lobbies they

have here in the country. (The Muslims know this, that

it’s an injustice, so that would be the message to the non

Muslims, because I remember in Heavenly Hues you

mentioned it’s not a religious conflict yet.) and that’s

what I’m saying if the non Muslims can see the injustice

in this conflict they would be supportive of the cause,

the just cause of the Palestinians, it’s a great injusticeand it’s completely overlooked by the masses.

So a bunch of quick questions.

Q. What is your favorite story from the Seerah?A.From the Seerah? (yeah, starting from Ibrahim

(alayhissalaam) ). Hmmm there are a lot of stories, you

start from Ibrahim alayhissalaam (you don’t have to tell

the story). Well there are a lot of stories I really love

subhanallah, from the history and the Seerah. The story

of Ibrahim in general, I love it and that’s why I named

my son Ibrahim. After the Prophet Ibrahim

(alayhissalaam), I love in the Seerah, the stories of Umar al-Kattaab (radiallahu anhu) and from the life of

the Prophet (Sallahu Alahyi Wa Salaam), his personal

human stories.

Q. Who is your favorite Sahabah -male and female?A.Umar al-Kataab (radiallahu anuhu) That’s why I

named my son Umar and from the female, ‘Aisha

(radiallahu anha) no doubt ya’ni, hands down.

Q. What’s your favorite Surah and ayah?

A. My favorite surah? I have a lot of favorite surahsbut one of my favorite surahs...One of my favorite

surahs is Surah Al-Ankabut, basically the beginning of

Surah Ankabut (that’s good enough, favorite ayah?)there is no doubt -Allahu la ilaha illa huwa alhayyu

Q. Favorite book besides the Quran?A. Besides the Quran? (yeah) Sahih Bukhari. (Not Ri-

yadah Salaheen?) Al- Bukhari.

Q. Favorite Fard Salah?

A. Fard Salah? (yeah) Fajr

Q. Favorite Sunnah Salah?

A. It’s Witr

Q. Any last words?A. Jazakallah Khair. Time to start.

Q. How was an interview with no marriage ques-tions?

A. Alhamalhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alameen!

Jazakallah Khair Shaykh. (May Allah Bless Our Be-

loved Shaykh and his family, aameen.)

Visit www.qhaadi.org/alhadiyah/ to listen to the in-

terview.




18

Y our N eighbor

A ndY ou

Compi led B y A S tudent of S haykh J amaal Zarabozo

T his article is based on a class by

Shaykh Jamaal Zarabozo on the

Commentary of the Forty Hadith of Nawawi. Shaykh Jamaal discussed

some aspects of the neighborly rela-tions that touch our everyday life.

Muslims, wherever they lived, had a

very positive impact on the societies.

There are many lands where Islam

spread by the mere observance of the

Muslims who went there as traders.

This is due to their adherence to the

principles in the Quran and the Sun-nah. As Muslim, we have certain

obligations to the people who liveclose to us. Are we fulfilling our

obligations towards them? Are we

having a positive impact on the soci-

ety? These are questions that eachone needs to ask himself.

In a hadith in Musnad Ahmad which

Al Albaani declared as saheeh, the

Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallamsaid:

The Imaan of an individual will not be sound until his heart is sound,

and his heart will not be set aright

until the tongue is set aright. No

individual will enter Jannah if his

neighbor is not saved from his af-

fairs.

In Islam, being a good neighbor does

not simply mean that we do notharm our neighbor, but in fact we

need to take positive steps towards

our neighbor, like bringing assis-tance and help to them. Allah gives

us the general relationship of the

believers towards others:

Worship Allah and associate nothing

with Him, and to parents do good,

and to relatives, orphans, the needy,

the near neighbor, the neighbor far-ther away, the companion at your

side, the traveler, and those whom

your right hands possess. Indeed,

Allah does not like those who are

self-deluding and boastful. (Surah

An-Nisaa’: 36)

There are three interpretations for

the words:

1. Neighbor who is near of kin(relative) and neighbor who is not a

relative

2. Neighbor who is close to you (in

distance) as opposed to a neighbor

who is more distant

3. Neighbor who is a Muslim and

neighbor who is a non- Muslim

What is a neighbor?

We need to define neighbor from a

Shariah perspective, since the

Shariah gives them specific rights.

The jurists have differed concerning

the exact definition of ‘neighbor’.

1. A person’s neighborhood extends

forty houses in each direction.

2. Only those whose houses are ad-

joining, either from the front or theback

3. In most Muslim areas, there is a

local mosque. All those who pray in

the same mosque are considered your

neighbor.

4. Those who live in a particular dis-trict or a city.

Is there a contemporary definition?There is no authentic evidence back-

ing any of these opinions. Neighbors

are a culturally defined thing. That

doesn’t lessen the obligation of ful-

filling the rights of the neighbors.

One should be aware of who his

neighbors are, and treat them well. Ingeneral, those closest (in distance) to

you have more rights on you thanthose further away.

Ahadith regarding good treatment

of neighbors

There are a number of ahadeeth in

which the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi-

wasallam stressed the importance of

dealing properly with one’s

neighbors. In one hadith, the ProphetSallallahu alaihiwasallam said:

Jibreel kept advising me concerning

the neighbor to the point that I

thought he would inherit [from his

neighbor] (Sahih al Bukhari)

In another hadith, Prophet Sallallahu

alaihiwasallam said:

…Whoever believes in Allah and the

Last Day should not harm his

neighbor … (Sahih al Bukhari)

In addition to not harming our

neighbors, we should be courteous

and generous to our neighbor.

… Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be courteous and

generous to his neighbor … (Bukhari

and Muslim)

And,

The Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasal-




19

lam said, “By Allah, he is not a believer. By Allah, he is

not a believer. By Allah, he is not a believer.” It was

said to him, “Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He

said, “The one from whose affairs his neighbor is not

safe.” (Sahih al Bukhari)

One time the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam wasasked about a woman who performed lots of prayers,

fasted and gave charity but she used to harm her

neighbor by her speech. The Prophet Sallallahu alaihi-

wasallam said that she is in the Hell-fire.[1] Then the

Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam was asked about a

woman who did not fast, pray or give in charity much

[more than what was obligatory upon her] but she

would not harm her neighbors. The Prophet said that

she is in Paradise. (Ahmad, Ibn Maajah and Al-Haakim;

Ali Hasan al-Halabi states that its chain is sahih)

In another hadith, the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam

has described three people whom Allah loves:

“There are three people who Allah loves… [One of them

is] a man who is being harmed by his neighbor but he is

patient until they are separated by death or one moves

away.” (Musnad Ahmad; Shuaib al-Arnaoot says that it

contains an unknown narrator. According to AbdulHameed, it is hasan.)

This shows how important it is to be polite and behave

properly to one’s neighbors. Even if the neighbor is

causing a great deal of harm, if the person is willing tobe patient – Allah loves that individual.

Some practical aspects related to our everyday life

Much of what it means to behave properly with one’sneighbors is defined by the customs of the people. When

a person moves from one country to another andchooses to live in the new society, it is imperative on

them as a Muslim to know what it means to be a good

neighbor in that society and imperative on them to live

up to that standard. Many Muslims fail to understand

this aspect. What is acceptable in the societies they came

from is not acceptable here. One has to act according to

the standards and the conditions where he lives at the

time.

American culture is very different than other cultures.

The standards are very different with respect to children,noise and property – maintaining front yard and back

yard among other things. For example: if you are living

in an apartment and the children are running around

during the night, there is a good chance that you are

harming your neighbors. This is due to the way that the

apartments are built here. It is upon us to take the

needed precautions even if your neighbors don’t knock

at your door to complain.

It is part of our da’wah too to be good neighbors. It isvery unfortunate that many people cannot stand Muslim

neighbors. Some of the common complaints about Mus-lim neighbors are – children, noise, up late at night,leaving toys outside, leaving trash outside.

It is important to know what is the ‘urf (custom) and

standard. It is an obligation; at the very minimum, one

should not harm his neighbors. You cannot expect them

to understand the standards and customs of where you

come from. They would say – ‘Now he lives here, he

needs to know’.

If we understand the limits of being a good neighbor

here – in addition to meeting the minimum requirementsand do things which Islam tells us; then we would be

having a positive impact on our relationships with

neighbors. If we don’t meet the minimum requirement

of the customary habits of a neighbor and show good

gestures to our neighbors, the end result still will benegative. Let us make a positive impact especially upon

our Non-Muslim neighbors and become good da’ees

even through simple acts.

[1] This doesn’t mean that she is outside the fold of Islam or

that she is in Hell-fire forever. It is such a grievous action that

she has committed which causes her to enter Hell-fire to pu-

rify her of her sin.

Worship Allah and associate nothing

with Him, and to parents do good, and

to reatives, orphans, the needy , the

near neghbor, the neghbor f arther

away, the companion at your side, the

traveer, and those whom y our right

hands possess. Indeed, Al lah does not

l ike those who are sef -deuding and

boastful.(Surah An-Nisaa’: 36)




21

greater" (Bukhari, al-Adab al-

Mufrad). So compete in this noble

act of worship and 'spread the love'

for this is a concept inherent to Islam

that came long before many othermovements in the present day, and it

is of the purest and truest of loves.

In another hadith the Prophet salla

Allahu alaihiwasallam said, "Allah

will ask on the Day of Judgment,'Where are those who loved one an-

other for My Glory? Today I will

shade them in My shade[1] on the

Day when there is no shade but

Mine" (Sahih Muslim).

When we read the Qur'an and

ahadeeth, we know how desperate

we will be on that Day, how in need

of any type of relief we will be, so

such a reward is definitely worthworking for!

Do not belittle this essential deed

and recognize that on That Day, you

will desire even one hasanah. You

will wish you loved more of yourbrothers for the sake of Allah. You

will wish that you had put forth more

than what you earned.

As we have come to know of the

noble status of the one who loves forthe sake of Allah, it is necessary to

clarify some of the conditions for

this love. What constitutes love for

the sake of Allah?

1. Enjoining the Good and Forbid-ding Evil

When loving for the sake of Allah,

we must recall the statement of our

Rabb in Surah al-Asr, "Surely man isin a state of loss. Except for those

who call to the truth and call to pa-

tience."

In our dealings with those whom we

claim to love for the sake of Allah, it

should be in the interest of fulfillingthese noble duties that we love them.

This should be the Muslim's role

amongst any and all Muslims. Yet

we often find that we are shy to en- join the good and forbid evil before

those whom we claim to love, and

less shy to do so before those with

whom we are less familiar. At this

point, it is very important to check

our intentions and make the neces-

sary adjustments to make sure that

we are doing it in the manner com-

manded by Allah and His Messenger

and for the pleasure of Allah alone.

2. Loving for your friend what youlove for yourself.

When loving for the sake of Allah,

we must remember the hadith inwhich the Prophet sallallahu alaihi

wasallam informed us, "None of you

believes (perfectly) until he loves forhis brother what he loves for him-

self" (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Mus-

lim).

This is a well-known hadith, yet we

are seldom able to implement it. Asloving for the sake of Allah is free of

the interest in personal gains or de-sires, this would often require us to

prefer others over ourselves and this

is very difficult indeed, but this is the

sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alai-

hiwasallam and we must make thenecessary sacrifices to perfect our

emaan.

3. Fulfilling your friend’s rightsupon you.

The Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasal-lam said, “A Muslim has six rights

over another Muslim.” They asked,

“What are they, Messenger of Al-

lah?” He said, “When you meet him,

greet him with salaam; when he in-

vites you, accept his invitation; when

he seeks your advice, advise him;when he sneezes and then praisesAllah, invoke Allah’s mercy upon

him; when he falls ill, visit him;when he dies, follow his fu-

neral” (Sahih Muslim).

This is the least that we must do for

our brother or sister in Islam. Espe-

cially if we claim to love that person

for the sake of Allah, we should ful-fill these rights to them lest that love

become compromised or false.

4. Spreading the Salaam!Although it was mentioned in the

hadith above, it is worth mentioning

that the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwa

sallam said, "By Him in Whose

Hand is my soul! You will not enter

Jannah until you believe, and you

shall not believe until you love oneanother. May I inform you of some-

thing, if you do it, you love each

other? Spread the salaam amongstone another."

Alhamdulillah! So simple, yet nowa-

days we even find ourselves unable

to fulfill this right to other Muslims.

This is a simple ingredient to lovingone another for Allah’s sake.

5. Smiling in the face of your

friendWe can all attest to the good affects

of a smile in the face of our brotheror sister. The Prophet Sallallahu alai-

hiwasallam said, “Do not view any

good act as insignificant, even the

act of meeting your brother with a

cheerful face” (Sahih Muslim).

Do not be stingy with smiling asthere are many Sahaba who claimed

to always having seen the Prophet

sallallahu alaihiwasallam smiling.

Then isn’t it no wonder that he be-came the most beloved to them?

6. Thinking good of your friend

It is well known that a Muslim, just

like he should have “Husn adh-




22

Dhann” (good expectation/thinking) with his Lord, he

should have it with his Muslim brother as well.

Fudayl ibn Iyaadh said, “He who seeks a brother pure of

shortcomings will remain brotherless!” We must seek the good in one another and focus on the good qualities

of each other while working to correct our shortcom-ings, but in the best of ways.

7. Making du’a for your friend

If you truly want for your brother what you want foryourself, just as you make du’a for yourself, you should

supplicate for him as well.

The Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam said, “A Mus-

lim’s supplication for his brother in secret is answered.

At his head an angel is appointed, and whenever he sup-plicates for his brother with something good, the angel

appointed to him says, ‘Ameen , and likewise for

you’” (Sahih Muslim).

Make sincere du’a for another, so that you will begranted the same. This is a good protection against

hasad between friends as well.

8. Giving Gifts

Lastly, the Prophet sallallahu alaihiwasallam said, “Give

gifts, it will increase love” (Sahih al-Bukhari).This is a very special one because it has done so much

for many relationships between Muslims, even between

strangers. Surely almost everyone can attest to the love

that one feels when giving something to someone that

they love and likewise, the love that is felt when receiv-

ing a gift from someone who you know is giving out of love alone and with no expectations except reward from

Allah.

With the above and by the guidance of Allah and His

Messenger sallallahu alaihiwasallam, we can begin right

now to cultivate this love and continue to learn of newways to increase the love between Muslims. I pray that

this is of benefit to the Muslims and that its benefit will

be one noticeable and apparent to those in the communi-

ties we live in. I ask Allah the Most High, I enable us tolove one another for His sake alone so that we will be of

those loved by Him, and that we will be gathered in the

shade of His Throne on that Day, when there will be noshade except His. Ameen.

[1]Scholars have explained that this shade is from the shade

of the Throne of Allah. As mentioned in the hadeeth in Buk-

hari and Muslim of the 7 under the shade of the throne.

“I LOVE YOU

FOR THE SAKE OF

ALLAH”

“MAY HE FOR WHOSE

SAKE

YOU LOVE ME,

LOVE YOU”

OPEN YOUR HEART TO

YOUR BROTHERS/

SISTERS IN ISLAM AND

LOVE THEM!




23

T here are many times when we in

our lives will look upon a person or

group of people with envy. Ok,

maybe not envy in the purely evil

sense, but we may actually just wishto be in someone else’s shoes, or

wish to have the same wonderful

opportunities, to have some of thesame or all of the same blessings

another person may have been be-

stowed with. However, we are re-

minded in the Qur’an:

And do not wish for that by which

Allah has made some of you ex-

ceed others...... And ask Allah of his bounty. Indeed Allah is ever, of

all things, Knowing.

[Surat an-Nisaa': 32]

Instead of wishing for what others

have, and thus eventually harboring

evil feelings, we are told to instead

go to the source of these blessings

and ask Allah for His Bounty.

Along the same lines, there are many

instances in the stories of the Qur’anwhen we might ask, “Couldn’t Allah

have just done this instead and thenthe matter would have been settled in

a shorter time? Couldn’t Allah have

jus t saved Musa miraculously and put an end to

Pharoah likewise? Why the whole

hiding the baby in the basket, send-

ing him upon the Nile River, being

raised under Pharoah’s nose, etc.?

What about ‘Isa? Why not just beborn even more miraculously and

save his mother from all that hard-ship?” And many, many instances

like this.

To make it short, it is simply more

miraculous. To have gone through

the ordinary means appeals to human

nature much more powerfully. It

reveals the exquisite planning of

Allah, His Wisdom and His far-

reaching power. And along the way,

the people involved attain virtueswhich would not have been attained

had things been done differently: thepatience of the mother of Musa, thewife of Pharoah, and Maryam,

mother of ‘Isa, and many more. The

struggle of Patience and Persever-

ance, belief and absolute trust in

Allah are probably the most miracu-

lous aspects of the entire story. And

only those people who have the true

belief are blessed with such virtues,

because it is only Belief in Allahwhich makes such virtue grow, and

not belief in any other deity.

So what does this have to do with

wishing for what others have? Well,

we might wish for the opportunities

awarded to others, the blessings, and

basically the “ease” that others have,

but ultimately, however the fact that

we have reached our destinations

from sometimes ordinary means iswhat makes each of our lives so spe-

cial. None of us is given all that lifehas to offer in a silver platter–and

thus, if we have struggled to reach a

goal, it is that struggle and reward

for hard earned work which makes ita l l t h e mo re sp ec i a l an d

“miraculous.” For example, many of

young Muslims today thirst for those

once in a life time opportunities to

study Islam overseas, or to learn theArabic Language, to study under arenowned Scholar, in Makkah, at theHaram, etc. However, if a person

were to reach all of these goals with-

out these opportunities, isn’t that

much more “miraculous”?

We will also be asked about the cir-cumstances we are already in, about

the opportunities and resources that

are already available to us. Amongstthese resources is the Internet, whichhas made learning our Deen so easy,that one can study Islam or Arabic

from the comfort of home while

one's teacher is half way across the

world. Amongst the resources avail-

able to us also, and a great opportu-

nity, is the number of Institutes thathave sprouted all across the country,

offering knowledge of the Deen with just the click of a button. Indeed,

these are the blessings we will beasked about!

Then, on that Day, you shall be

asked about the delight (you

indulged in, in this world)!

[Surat at-Takathur: 8]

Success is effort. It is hard work,

taking hold of the opportunities that

come our way, and the Tawfeeq of Allah that renders our goals fulfilled.

And if anyone embodied this, it was

the Sahabah—who took hold of

opportunities and became amongst

those who were praised by Allah:

And the first forerunners [in the

faith] among the Muhajireen and

the Ansar and those who followed

them with good conduct - Allah is

pleased with them and they arepleased with Him, and He has pre-

pared for them gardens beneath

which rivers flow, wherein they

will abide forever. That is the

great attainment.

[Surat at-Tawbah: 100]

And thus, when a person is given thetidings to eat and drink on the Day of

Judgment as Allah says:

They will be told, “Eat and drink

in satisfaction for what you put

forth in the days past.”

[Surat al-Haaqqah: 24]

This has special meaning to the one

who is about to enter the gates of

Paradise. To have struggled for itand worked hard, the reward is

just…more rewarding. And Allah

says many times that He could have

just destroyed us for our evil, or Hecould have made us one nation, but

all matters are carried out in perfec-

tion, and this befits the Lord of the

Worlds.

Amazingly

OrdinaryBy Umm Umar




24

Assalamualaikum Sr Heba,I am very happy with my husband alhamdulillah,

except that he has a bad temper. And sometimes, I

fail to be patient. And if I am patient at least out-

wardly (without fighting back with him), I feel frus-

trated inside. Even though I am happy with him oth-

erwise, sometimes I fear that this one problem can

lead to unhappiness. Please advice.

Walaikum assalam,

I think that what many partners in marriages don't real-ize is that the person they are with is usually a product

of a variety of experiences and unique reactions to those

experiences - things they weren't around for, things that

they might not understand. And depending on how long

they may end up being married for, may never under-stand. Not surprisingly, because men are less likely to

"talk" about their past or their feelings, it's the woman

who may never really know what makes him tick or

what doesn't. On the other hand, because women usu-

ally do like to share their feelings with (may even need

to do so in order to feel fulfilled), the husband wouldusually have an idea of where her reactions and person-

ality traits stem from.

Regardless, if both parties take the time to open the lines

of communication, to talk without being judgmental, to

place themselves in the other's shoes, then the chance forhappiness greatly increases.

Being patient is one thing - but even the most patient

have a limited supply. What's more concerning is the

fact that the unhappiness is simmering underneath the

surface. If you're saying that your husband is otherwisea great guy and you do love him, I think it would be-

hoove the relationship (and your own happiness) to open

those lines of communication and really get to know

him and what makes him get angry and why, you're onyour way to understanding. And through understanding,

your patience reserves are refilled.

Once you start to understand what sets off his temper,

you can feel for him, maybe even match his mood

through your compassion for what he's going

through. And then once you've come to his level, youcan actually be the calmness and the coolness -

and bring him back to a good place.

Consider the example of the Prophet SAW, when he

returned to his wife Khadija after the first revela-

tion. He said to her "cover me, cover me!" and after she

met his mood, and sympathized with his feelings of the

unknown and then comforted with words of support.

And Allah knows best.

Assalamualaikum Sr Heba,

When do I know when to stop committing to things?

I always feel overwhelmed with things to do. Is it

because I am not managing time well, or is it because

I have too much to do?

Walaikum assalam,This is a dilemma I commonly hear about and to tell you

the truth, I don't know what you're doing so I can't reallyanswer for you :) But here's the thing, if you can take a

look at your ultimate life plan (or at least your goals for

this year) and then ask yourself if the projects you've

committed to are, in fact, serving that plan - then you're

on your way to finding the answer.

There are those who thrive on busy schedules, who work

better when they are doing so much and being so in-

volved in everything. And that's nice if: a) they're notavoiding dealing with some issue in their own life and b)they're not at risk of burn out and then giving up on allthe projects they're participating in.

So, in essence, to determine if you are doing too much:

1) Consider your schedule and list out all the tasks/

projects/events you are dealing with

2) Match up that schedule to your goals and question if

there is compatibility of the two3) Determine if you're running away from dealing with

some other issue4) If the answer is yes - figure out how are you going todeal with it.5) Gently drop the things that don't fit in

6) Work with ihsan (excellence) on the things that do.

Work like you mean it :) And Allah knows best.

Hope that helps.

Heba Alshareef is a teacher and author of“Release Your Inner Queen of Sheba!”

She has been mentoring women aroundthe world to discover their unique talents,act on their aspirations to achieve greatthings, and find authentic happiness.

You can send your questions forpersonal advice to “Ask Heba” at:http://www.qabeelathaadi.org/alhadiyah/




25

W e all are aware of the Hadith reported By AbuSufyan which is recorded in Sahih Al-Bukhari

[Hadith #7] - a dialogue between Abu Sufyan and

Heraclius. Perhaps, the most important part in this

hadith would be the Letter in which Prophet Sal-lallahu alaihiwasallam addresses Heraclius. This

letter is very profound as it highlights the impor-

tant principles of giving Da’wah to the non-muslims. There are a lot of lessons that can be

drawn out of this letter and this gives us the in-

sight of how Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam

gave Da’wah to the People of book. This is rele-

vant to our place and time as we live in the land

where its majority is the people of the Book.

During the period after the incident at Hudaibiyah,

when the Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam ac-cepted the treaty of peace, he sent letters to differ-

ent kings in Persia i.e. Khusroo, Heraclius- Em-

peror of Byzantine and Najashee, Emperor of Ethiopia. To mention briefly the response by the

three kings, Khusroo rejected the message and

killed the messenger who brought to him the mes-

sage and Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam made

dua’ for the destruction of the Persian Empire and,

if we look at the Emperor of Ethiopia, Najashee,

he accepted the message and protected the Mus-

lims and Islam. He died a Muslim and Prophet

Sallallahu alaihiwasallam prayed Janazah prayerfor him. And the last letter was the letter sent to

Byzantine Emperor, Heraclius.

The content of the letter was as follows

"Bismillahi Ar-Rahmani Ar-Raheem (In the Name

of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merci-

ful. (This letter is) from Muhammed, the slave of

Allah and His Messenger; to Heraclius, the ruler

of Byzantines. Peace be upon him, who follows

the Right Path. Then after I invite you to Islam,and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and

Allah will double your reward, and if you reject

this invitation of Islam you will be committing ina sin (by misguiding your) 'Arisiyin' (peasants)And (I recite to you Allah's Statement) 'O people

of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Come to a

word that is just between us and you, that we wor-

ship none but Allah and that we associate no part-

ners with Him, and that none of us shall take oth-

ers as lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away,

say: Bear witness that we are Muslims" [3:64]

If we carefully look at this letter it has instrumen-tal teaching and principles of Da’wah.

1) He starts the Letter with Bismillah.

2) He addresses the king in polite manner and he

shows the respect to the king by addressing him as

"’Adheem Ar-Rum" as the Romans recognized

him by that title. So it is really required by us

when we are addressing the leaders of the commu-nity, we address them in the respectful manner

that they deserve and by the title they are recog-

nized by.3) He does not greet the Emperor with “Assalamu

Alaikum” as this has got a significant meaning

and cannot be applied to everyone, ratherhe greets him with "Salamun ‘Alaa Manittaba’a-

alHuda" (Peace be upon him, who follows the

right path). This is one of the forgotten sunnah

which need much attention and revival while ad-

dressing the people of Book.4) Straight away, he invites him to Islam without

getting into any other matters. He says "if you

become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah willdouble your reward". If you look at the wording

used, it is "Aslim Taslim" Aslim is in the form of

Amr i.e command. So basically he is telling that

you have to submit and if you do so Allah Sub-

hanahu wata’ala will double his reward.5) Then he continues "and if you reject this invita-

tion of Islam you will be committing in a sin (by

misguiding your) 'Arisiyin' (peasants/servants/ farmers)". At that time it was common that if

leader of nation follows a certain religion then, his

subjects would follow him as they trusted theirleaders. Also we know that: “La thaziru

waazirathan vizra ukhra” (And no bearer of

burdens will bear the burden of another) [17:15]

and if you are the cause for someone turning

away from Islam then, not only do they bare the

burdens of their own disbelief but also the burden

of all the people who are turning away from Is-lam.6) Then Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam quotedthe verse of the Quran.

From his letter there can be important lessons that

we can relate to :

1) The primary topic of Da’wah is to call people

to Tawheed and not clear the misconceptions.

LESSONS FROM THE LETTER

ABOO MAAHI




26

Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam started his message

by inviting him to the Islam right away.

2) Book and letters are means of Da’wah. If you go to

any book store today, you will find books on Islam,

books from an academic point of view and most of themare not written by Muslims.

3) One of the category to whom we need to makeDa’wah are the Christians as they need guidance.

4) We have to make it clear that there is a difference

between them and us that we are following the correct

message and they have diverted from the message and if they do not revert and accept the straight path, they are

going astray and will not succeed.

5) Da’wah includes two aspects- good news and warn-

ing, targeeb and tarkeek. It is not only enough that we

pass on the good news so as to be politically correct

when we speak but, it is equally important that we warnthem about the consequences of not following the mes-

sage. In this letter Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam

after giving him good news that he will be rewarded

doubly, he warns him that if he rejected the message that

he would be sinning. Da’wah is not about public rela-tions or being politically correct. If we look at the exam-

ple of Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam, he used the

command form- "Aslim". If anyone had to speak diplo-

matically and politically correct, and still be kind in

speech, it would have been Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwa-

sallam. Imagine the political condition of Muslims then-it was before Makkah conquest, they were under the

treaty of Hudaybiyah and the Prophet had to be very

careful not to breech it, as breeching it would mean war.

Moreover, he was dealing with the superpower of thetime- The Romans. Yet he addressed them with the clear

and complete message with both Targeeb and Tarkeek.The concept of targeeb is also very clear in the Ayah

that the Prophet referred in this Hadith: "Then, if they

turn away, say: Bear witness that we are submitting to

Allah”.

6) We also learn that each one of us needs to set a good

example, as there will always be someone who followsyou, and you don’t want to be the one misguiding oth-

ers. You don’t have to be the Roman Emperor; even

your siblings, children will follow your example.7) As da’ees, it is a good idea to concentrate on giving

da’wah to people of authority and influence. If Allah

grants them hidaya, then the ripple effect could be

greater. People always look up to influential people.8) A very important lesson to note is: while giving

Da’wah, let the Quran speak. It is ironic that we are

afraid to talk anything which we might think the person

wouldn’t like but we happily hand over the Quran tothem which has more warning in it than what we can

speak. While speaking to the people, let the Quran be

the source of guidance for your da’wah. This is alsosunnah of Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasallam which is

clear from this Letter.

Continued from Pg. 10....hearts to commit any sin. Additionally, even though this

should not be our intention, Salah acts as a self-discipline tool and organizer.

The fard Salah is the only act of worship that has a ritual

call- the Adhan and Iqamah to let people know of itstime and call people to it. No other act of ibadah, be it

fasting or hajj, has a “call” to mark its time. And thiscall has a profound meaning and beauty that goes be-

yond the sound of it. Not to mention the amazing story

of how the adhan was established.

Savor the sweetness of the anatomy of Salah:Let me just share two amazing gems in the anatomy of

Salah. When we start Salah, we begin with “takbeerathul

ihram” or “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is The Greatest!) In the

midst of our happening day with all the happiness,

pleasures, sorrow and troubles attached with it, we stand

before Allah, in a state of ritual purity (Wudu’ and ghuslas required). Allah is the Greatest, greater than anything

in our life, greater than anyone in our life. And so, we

leave all other thoughts behind because Allah is The

Greatest and worthy of this complete submission with-

out our mind being occupied by anything else. Salah is

when we are most connected with Allah Subhanahu wa-ta’ala. And in case, we forget this, and we allow shaytan

to steal our thoughts, Salah has repeated utterance of

“Allahu Akbar” in its format.

Secondly, when we begin our Salah, we are standing. Inthis position, our brain is above our heart. Man is an

intelligent animal, and his intelligence is what distin-

guishes himself from other animals. His intelligence if often his reason of his arrogance and pride that enters

his heart ultimately. While in ruku’, we put our intelli-

gence in the same level as our hearts. And further, wesubmit with the most humility with our intelligence and

head on the ground, where it is at the lowest. If we un-

derstood and pondered upon this hikmah in the anatomy

of Salah, we would be successful in humbling ourselves

at least a degree higher bi idhnillah.

Savor the sweetness of difference of opinions:

When it comes to issues of Fiqh, we often see many

differences. Divine Link was one of the classes that

taught me it is okay to have these differences, as long as

they are based on valid evidences (daleel) and opinions.

This shows the Mercy and Wisdom of Allah in allowing

these differences to exist. Only Allah knows the absolute

right; we choose opinions with sincere intentions and

then leave the rest to Allah to judge. One is not entitled

to judge others’ actions or label another person wrong,

especially based on small issues in Fiqh. Allahu a’lam.




27

E very year, during the last 10 days of Ramadan, some

brothers sacrifice their comfort by waking up before

everybody and missing their Tahajjud prayer to prepare

and serve breakfast for about 300 people before the time

of Fajr. Every year, the same exact brothers! Theywould do the planning, shopping, cooking and serving.

Have you ever wondered why? Why are they goingthrough these hassles? Are they getting paid? Are they

hopping to get some benefit from you and me? We all

know the answer (or at least we hope we know): they

are doing it for the sake of Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala.

They want to get the ultimate rewards on the Day of Judgment.

At work, we have a special month where the employees

are encouraged to volunteer at least half a day in differ-ent organizations to make a difference in someone’s life.

Some choose to help a school, some will clean a park

and some choose to pack food for the needy. At the end

of the project, most of the participants will feel goodabout themselves, knowing that they did something no-

ble, beyond their own needs. What’s their motivation?

Most of the people don’t act for the rewards in the after-life, but to give some meaning to their life. If they con-

tribute to the society, it’s a reward by itself.

Most people believe that if everybody was doing hispart, we would live in a better world. So why aren’t

more people making it happen? Why do we see the same

people doing all the work, and the rest continue to be on

the sidelines? Let’s try to explore the different reasons

and what we can do about it:

1. I am too busy. Work? Education? Family? We all

have a life to manage. What makes our day is how we

prioritize our goals we want to achieve. If we needtraining to advance our career, we will find time. If weneed to go to the gym because we need to lose weight,we will find time. There is no such thing as time man-

agement; it’s all about goal management. Write down

your goals you want to achieve during the month, the

week, the day and prioritize them so that you can fulfill

all your responsibilities, including volunteering for the

community.

2. I want to help but don’t have any special skill. It’s

very common to find people who think they have littleor no value for the community. Allah subhanahu wa-ta’ala has given to all of us very special skills that areunique. We need to identify them and need to know our

strengths and weaknesses. I agree that it is sometime

difficult to realize what we are really good at. For that, I

would recommend talking with a life coach, or do some

self-assessments questionnaire online. However, irre-

spective of your skills, you can always volunteer for

easier tasks and later propose your help where you think

you can benefit others the most.

3. I wish I could help but… I love video games too

much. I guess that’s a first step to recognize where the

problem is. Do you enjoy playing “Call of Duty”? Well,this is the real life call of duty, so get your gears on andscore some points on how many meals you can serve tothe homeless people.

Let’s not forget that the most important is not the great-

ness of the act, but what your motivation is. Sometime,

the simplest act can lead to the greatest reward if it’s

done for the sake of Allah Azza Wajal only. So next

time, when you are asked if you would like to volunteer

to distribute some flyers, or send a few emails, don’t

think twice and do it with your best intention, this mightbe your pass to enter Jannah:

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Once, a

man saw the branch of a tree in the middle of a road.

So, he said, 'By Allah, I will remove this from the path of

the Muslims so they may not be hurt.' For this action, he

was put in Paradise." (Sahih Muslim).

By Nadim Sohail

VOLUNTEERISM IS NOT SOMETHING

TO BE OFFERED IF AND WHEN YOU

HAVE NO OTHER ACTIVITIES. IT IS

NOT A SECONDARY THING TO BE

DONE, IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THE

PRIORITIES IN A MUSLIM’S LIFE!

AND WHEN YOU DO SO, IT IS NOT

SOMETHING TO BE BRAGGED ABOUT, OR SOMETHING FOR WHICH

YOU ACCEPT SOMETHING IN RE-

TURN, AS YOU ARE DOING IT “FEE

SABEELILLA H” (FOR THE SAKE OF

ALLAH)




28

I n the currentage, humans

claim they have reached unsurpassable heights on manylevels. From iPods to satellites to architectural majesties,

the progress we seem to be living in is characterized by

much understanding of the world. With understanding, it

is assumed, one can better the world. Others may think it

is a chance to control the world and its resources. Others

want to understand and absorb this information just for

the sake of information itself. We constantly read our

twitters, facebook updates and the news all throughout

the day, sometimes overwhelmed with all this informa-tion. Does it give us a sense of peace? Doesn't it make

us feel good about ourselves that we know more thanbefore? Does it anchor us and give us a grasp on reality

when reality is changing oh-so-quickly these days?

Well...what is the true reality? So many questions come

to mind.

Unfortunately knowing is such a relative term and con-

cept. Some people will know more about a subject and

others will just read the headline and think theyknow. Teachers, researchers and professors in all fieldsare hailed as role models and seen as timeless emblems

of knowledge. Similarly, shuyookh and 'ulamaa are re-

spected for their knowledge of Qur'an, hadith, fiqh, taf-sir and more. If they are sincere and dedicated and fol-

low the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahualaihiwasallam) to seek knowledge, they must be know-

ing the reality, right? But is this status of knowing lim-

ited to them only? How about those studying secular

sciences? What about us average people flipping

through San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times and

twitter daily? What is it that the average human really

needs to know to benefit themselves in this life and

Hereafter?

If we truly want to understand the condition of human

beings and what knowing actually means, who better to

turn to than our Creator, exalted is He? He has praised

those of knowledge in the Qur'an. If Allah praises some-thing, we can rest assured that this thing or person or

idea is magnificent. It is unlike other average things

because truly it is He, the One who is All-Knowing, All-

Wise and Knower of the seen and unseen who has givenit this status.

Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala says about the Ulul Albaab

(people of understanding/people of pure essence) in theQur'an :

“It is He who has sent down to you the Book; in it areverses precise-they are the foundation of the Book- and

others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts in devia-

tion, they will follow that of it which is unspecific seek-ing discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to

them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except

Allah. But those firm in knowledge say, “We believe in

it. All of it is from our Lord.” And no one will be re-

minded except those of understanding . [Who say],

“Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have

guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed,You are the Bestower.” (Surah Aal Imran: 7-8)

In the eyes of Allah, the true intellectual or one deeply

rooted in knowledge is one who knows his or her limits.They believe in the Quran fully and, they believe that all

of it is from Allah, the parts they understand and the

parts they do not fully comprehend. Their emaan and

belief in the validity of the Quran and the Messenger-

hood of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihiwasallam

gives them a deep humility when faced with the true

knowledge from their Lord- the knowledge of Hiswords.

The root ‘albaab’ comes from ‘lub’ which refers to ‘aql

as-saalih’ or ‘a sound mind.’ In other words, you cannotbecome a person of deep knowledge or thought unless

you become a person of a pure mind. In the world welive in, we are bombarded with so much information.

But did we ever make a distinction between that infor-

mation which is useful and that which is not? They are

not the same. If an individual consistently becomes de-

sensitized to information, it will all look the same to himor her. And when the truth is coming to them, they will

think, “oh, just some more ‘info’”. Not only is it infor-

mation but these venues of harm to the intellect come in

forms of senseless media, gossip and tale bearing, music

and overexposure to shamelessness, all things whichAllah has not allowed for us for our own good.

Thus, Allah lays out a simple formula to become a trueintellectual:

1. Become a person of a sound mind so you will retainthe knowledge. You cannot become a person of knowl-

edge or understanding without purity of mind. Get rid of

the clutter in there. Detoxify yourself from those influ-

ences, and you know best which ones they are.

2. Drop your ego, period. Only the humble ones will

Reality Check: Confused w ith all theInfo out ther e?

By Zahra Mur tuza




29

truly appreciate the knowledge and

intellect because they know the lim-

its of their intellect. When true

knowledge from Allah comes, they

say, “We hear and we obey” withpure submission of hearts and minds.

When they prostrate in prayer, they

put the most important part of their

body- their head, their intellect, their

mind- on the ground, humbling theirego towards He Who is the Origina-

tor of it.

Finally, Allah ends the Surah with a

reminder on Ulul Albaab once again.

Just as He starts the surah, He ends itwith their praise and mentions their

simple yet profound qualities.

“Indeed, in the creation of the heav-

ens and the earth and the alterna-

tion of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding-

Who remember Allah while stand-

ing or sitting or [lying] on their

sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth,

[saying], “Our Lord, You did not

create this aimlessly; exalted areYou; then protect us from the pun-

ishment of the Fire.” (3:190-191)

3. The people of intellect ponderover the creation of Allah. Such a

magnificent creation it is, all of it is a

sign of our Creator’s Majesty and

Perfection. Wait a second, does the

information in our time lead us to

such purified thought and pondering

over His signs? Let’s backtrack a bit

and make some time for such reflec-

tion.

4. Allah clearly says that the intellec-

tuals are those who remember Allahat all times- standing, sitting or ly-

ing. They are not praising their ownselves or their knowledge but their

praise is for the One to Whom all

praise is due. Their praise is towards

the One Whom all of creation

praises. They remember Him alone

in their supplications and prostra-

tions and prayers, because it is only

He who can answer. And it is HeWho will bring them to account on

the Day of Judgment. The intellec-

tual in the sight of Allah knows hisplace humbly before his Lord.

5. Not only do we see the character-

istic of humility but the action of

du’a is very prominent for the Ulul

Albaab. When a person knows his or

her place before their parents or

teacher or elder, they will immedi-ately run to show them their grati-

tude. More worthy of praise, love

and admiration is Allah, the Onewho has guided us despite our short-

comings, the One who gives without

asking. There are so many ayaat andahadith regarding du’a.

For example, `Ubadah bin As-Samit

RadhiyAllahu anh said: The Messen-

ger of Allah Sallallahu alaihiwasal-

lam said, "Whenever a Muslim sup-plicates Allah, He accepts his suppli-

cation or averts any similar kind of trouble from him until he prays for

something sinful or something that

may break the ties of kinship.'' Upon

this someone of the Companions

said: "Then we shall supplicateplenty.'' The Messenger of Allah

said, "Allah is more plentiful (in

responding).''[At-Tirmidhi].

It is up to us to make sure we makedu’a from our hearts with sincerity,

in our sujood, throughout our day

and more. It’s up to us to educate

ourselves on the proper etiquettes of

making du’a as well so we may at-

tain the status of Ulul Albaab in the

sight of Allah.

Overall, purifying our minds from

rubbish, controlling our egos, reflect-ing and remembering Allah are the

keys to becoming the true intellec-

tual in the sight of Allah. If an indi-

vidual studies different areas of

knowledge in life such as mathemat-

ics, history, science, psychology,

economics, Islamic sciences, law,

you name it- all of these can be re-warded, InshAllah, given the inten-

tion is to please Allah and themethod is done according to the Sun-

nah of Prophet Muhammad Sallal-

lahu alaihiwasallam. But, what’s the

bare minimum? Will everyone be-

come a haafidh-ul-Quran? Or a PhD

in Chemistry? Or a Nobel Peace

Prize winner? Maybe not. Shall we

try? Of course. But the foundationshould be strong.

If we keep in mind as our foundationthe definition of intellectual and pure

mind our Creator has set for us, we

will find nothing else more refresh-

ing for our emaan, uplifting to our

spirit and relevant to our purpose.

Sources: Saheeh International Qur'an

Translation, "Ulul Albaab" Lecture- Nou-

man Ali Khan - The Quran Conference,

2009.




30

- ...

A l i f L am M eem. T his is the B ook, wherein there is no doubt, a guidance for the

M uttaqin.... .T hey are on gui dance fr om thei r L ord, and they are the successful .

S urah A l- B aqarah

I must say if you truly want to understand “Purification

of the Soul– and its means” in the light of Qur’an and

Sunnah, you have to read Shaykh Jamaal Zarabozo’s

book on Purification of the soul. Very well written and

very detailed. On top of that I am learning from himwhen he adds his comments and anecdotes. So Alham-

dulillah for all this. Yesterday, as I was sitting and lis-

tening to the Shaykh my eyes fell on page 90 of his book

“Purification of the soul”. Here is what it had:

Sulaiman ibn Buraidah narrated from his father that

whenever the Messenger of Allah (SAW) would send a

general over an army he would advise him about himself to have fear (taqwa) of Allah and to treat those of the

Muslims with him well. Then he would say, “Fight in

the Name of Allah for the sake of Allah and fight who-

soever disbelieves in Allah.”.In the famous letter that

Umar ibn Al Khattab(R) wrote to Saa’d bin Abi Waqas,

Umar stated,

“I order you and the soldiers who are with you to be

aware of Allah under all circumstances as taqwa (fear

and awareness) of Allah is a better weapon against your

enemy and a stronger strategy in battle. And I order you

and those with you to be very much on the defensive

against any sins, more then your enemies are , for thesins of an army are more feared than their enemies. Ver-ily, Allah helps the Muslims due to the sins of their ene-

mies; if it were not for that we would not be able to

overcome them for our numbers are not like theirs and

our power is not like theirs. If we are equal in sins to

them, they will be able to overtake us due to their

(military) power. If we were not aided by our virtue we

would not be able to overcome them solely due to our

power….And ask Allah to help yourselves in the same

way that you ask Allah for help against your enemies.”

So I sat their contemplating, subhanAllah, today we

have become so ignorant of our deen that we fail to

comprehend what is expected of us as an ‘Abd (slave) of

Allah. (Just a side note I am a huge fan of Umar(RA).

The level of Iman he had is amazing!) So like Umar( R)said, if we are overcoming an enemy then it is a moment

that we should be thankful to Allah and increase our

taqwa because their sins are greater then our sins!. This

is exactly why the Muslim Ummah was so successful -they had that level of iman and fear of Allah in their

hearts plus their enemies had more sins on their hands

than the Muslims. Contrast that with present day. Today

we see that we are humiliated and very unsuccessful. So

what happened? This statement can change our perspec-

tive on how we look at things. Many times I have seen

people arguing saying that economically we should be

strong etc. These people should really stop debating thisissue. If you have put the Book of Allah aside then what

do you expect? Allah(Subhanahu wa ta’ala) is not in

need of us, we are in need of Him. So we must instillthis fear and awareness of Allah in our hearts. This will

govern our limbs which will make us successful bidinil-

lahi ta’ala. Allah has used the word muttaqueen numer-

ous times in the Quran and how they will attain salva-

tion by going to Jannah. So this taqwa is very important.

Those that dont have taqwa can just follow their desires

and live and do as they want. They are an open target for

Shaytan. He knows this person is weak and can be ma-

nipulated easily to do evil. We must compare ourselves

to the Prophet (Sallallahu aalihiwasallam) in this aspect

as he is our role model. Compare today with the time of

the our beloved Prophet and the difference stands outvery clear. Something to ponder about and keep us

awake in the remembrance of Ar-Rahman!

May Allah give increase our iman and our taqwa!

T A Q W A

R U E S U C C E S S



At the matrimonial exhibit. . .

Story and Illustration by Umm Aisha

Don’t miss “Fiqh Of Love” coming up soon in the Bay Area, California

Double Weekend Seminar Taught by Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

@ MCA, Santa Clara, CA

On Feb 12-14 & 20-21/ 2010Register at http://www.almaghrib.org/seminars.php

Harvard



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