Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Ihsan إِحْسَان (The Perfection of Faith)

 


....

Perfecting faith is accomplished when you worship Allah as if you see Him and that if you do not see Him, He sees you. This is the degree of Ihsan, which implies offering acts of worship as if one sees Allah, so that one would offer any act of worship with utmost perfection and sincerity for if he/she does not see Allah, verily, Allah sees him/her. Moreover, one should worship Allah on the basis that He sees and watches him and knows one's condition. A true Muslim fulfills Allah's Right upon him perfectly and truthfully in the best way.

Fatwas of Ibn Baz, Part No. 5; Page No. 211, alifta.gov.sa

What is the best deed?

 

Narrated Abû Hurairah رضي الله عنه : Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked, “What is the best deed? He replied, “To believe in Allâh عز و جل and His Messenger Muhammad.” The questioner then asked, “What is the next (in goodness)?” He replied, “To participate in Jihâd (holy fighting) in Allâh’s Cause.” The questioner again asked, “What is the next (in goodness)?” He replied, “To perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) Mabrûr (which is accepted by Allâh and is performed with the intention of seeking Allâh’s Pleasures only and not to show-off and without committing any sin, and in accordance with the legal ways of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .”

(Sahîh Al-Bukhârî, Vol. 1, Hadîth No. 31)

al-Hilâlî & Muhsin Khân Translation

 

Monday, December 20, 2021

Ibn Al-Qayyim: “And the heart has other sicknesses, from them: Showing off, Arrogance and Pride, and Self-amazement…

 



Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim رَحِمَهُ اللهُ :

And the heart has other sicknesses, from them: Showing off, Arrogance and Pride, and Self-amazement… and all these sicknesses are born (due) out of ignorance, and the cure for it is KNOWLEDGE.

[Miftaah Daar as-Saa’dah 1/111] 

Translation by: MarkazMuaadh.com

Does this sound like someone who doesn't care about the people of the Sunnah?!

 

Shaykh Rabee’ stated:

How can you allow yourself to relax ‘Oh sincere believer! While witnessing the people of innovation plotting; those who cause corruption and evil are plotting against your children and brothers who are upon (correct) belief and methodology!

I swear by Allah, we can not relax! I swear by Allah, sometimes we aren’t able to sleep because of grief and felt for our children and the fear of them loosing their religion and their worldly affairs.

Source: Marhaban Ya Talib ‘Elm pg. 29

Translated by Ustadh Mustafa George DeBerry

“Alhamdulillāh (all praise is for Allaah) is the statement of every grateful person.”

 

It is narrated that the noble Companion, the ocean of knowledge – ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنهما said:

Alhamdulillāh (all praise is for Allaah) is the statement of every grateful person.

[Tafseer al-Qurtubee vol. 1, pg. 206 , Resalah Publishers, Ist edition]

Translation source: Markaz Muaadh Ibn Jabal Islamic Centre, Slough UK

 

 

Three signs & conditions of the servant's happiness

 

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said:

… when blessed, give thanks; when tried, preserve; and when sinful, seek forgiveness. For these three conditions are tokens of the servant’s happiness..

[Al-Wabil Al-Sayyib pg. 1]

Shaikh Ibn Bāz said: Seeking knowledge is a kind of Jihād, and it is obligatory…

 

Shaikh Ibn Bāz said:

Seeking knowledge is a kind of Jihād, and it is obligatory… It is upon [one] to study and gain understanding in the religion, and it is better and takes precedence over Jihād, since it [seeking knowledge] is obligatory.

It is upon him to take steps to gain understanding in the religion, while Jihād [when it exists] is a commendable [act], a community obligation, [such that] if some [Muslims] stood up [to the task], everyone else would be relieved [of it].

But a person’s seeking knowledge is a matter that is obligatory upon him [as an individual] so that he gain understanding of his [own] religion…

Translated by Mikail ibn Mahboob Ariff  

Source: alifta.com, vol. 24, p. 75. http://goo.gl/Uz21MM

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

One of the children of Imām as-Sa’dī (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) narrates:

 

One of the children of Imām as-Sa’dī (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) narrates:

My father, may Allāh have mercy upon him, was once on the roof of the Masjid fixing one of the gutters. A passerby asked: Why, O Shaykh? He replied: Tomorrow we will pray al-Istisqā [the rain prayer].

(This was due to his good thought of Allāh and tawakkul and firmly believing that Allāh would answer their supplication.)

@binsaadi, tweeted by one of his children, 16.10.2012

alhudabolton.com/

Remember Allah at all times

 


The Messenger said to his cousin, Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas whilst he was still a youth, “O young boy, surely I will teach you some words” and then he began to teach Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas. He said to him:

“Be mindful of Allāh and He will protect you, be mindful of Allāh and you will find Him in-front of you. If you ask than ask of Allah, and know that if all the people were to gather together to benefit you with something, they could not benefit you except with that which Allāh has already written for you – and if they were to gather to harm you with anything they would not be able to harm you except with that which Allāh has already written and decreed for you. Indeed the pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”

(At-Tirmidhee)

Masjid al- Furqan – Stoke on Trent

masjidfurqan.co.uk  

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Note: Hadith originally taken from >>https://abukhadeejah.com/advice-to-the-youth-the-future-generation-from-the-treatise-of-shaikh-al-fawzaan/

Sweetness of Worship - Al-Imaam Ahmad Harb

 

Ahmad ibn Harb (rahimahullah) said:

I worshipped Allah for 50 years and I did not experience the sweetness of worship until I abandoned three things:

I abandoned pleasing the people in order to be able to speak the truth. I abandoned the companionship of sinners until I found companionship of the righteous, and I left the sweetness of the dunya until I found the sweetness of (seeking after) the hereafter.

Siyaar Alaam an Nubulaa Vol 11 Pg 34

Translation by SalafiCentre.com

Ibn Taymiyyah: Knowledge is (one of) two things:

 

Ibn Taymiyyah:

Knowledge is (one of) two things:

1. An affirmed transmission

2. A verified research

That which is besides these two is (merely) embellished nonsense.

Ar-Radd ‘Alā Al-Bakrī 2/729

Translated by Raha Batts

Thursday, December 9, 2021

The most serious of the major sins are:

 

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) said:

أكبر الكبائر: الإشراك بالله، وقتل النفس، وعقوق الوالدين، وقول الزور

The most serious of the major sins are: Setting up partners in ones worship of Allah, murder, bad treatment of ones parents, and speech of zoor (falsehood and conspiracy)!

It was collected by al-Bukhaaree (6871) and Muslim (88). This is Muslim’s wording.

Translation by: Moosaa Richardson 

Bakkah.net

Ibn al-Qayyim stated: ...and the fitnah that results from free-mixing is immense indeed!

 


The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said in a hadith reported by Imām Muslim in his Sahih:

That I have not left a fitnah greater than the fitnah of women after me.

Taken from the khutbah of Abu Khadeejah  أبو خديجة

-------

A few excerpts

Imām ibn Qayyim (رحمه الله) continues: That there is no doubt that allowing intermingling of women with men is from the root of tribulation and evil in societies. It is from the foremost reasons for the descent of the punishment of Allāh upon the people, and it is a cause for the general corruption in society, and likewise individual corruption i.e. that general corruption in society are from the crimes that are committed as a result of that, and specific corruption with regards to the lives of individuals that marriages fall apart, that a man no longer knows how to respect the honour of his daughter, and individual corruption within homes occurs because of this. This is because we do not protect ourselves as men, and we do not protect our womenfolk from free-mixing.  Imām ibn Qayyim (رحمه الله) mentions: that the free-mixing with men results in an increase in lewd behaviour, fornication and adultery.

Read this beneficial article here:

https://abukhadeejah.com/free-mixing-between-the-sexes-in-islam-a-detailed-discussion/

The Importance of the Scholars to the Society

 

Imām Abū Bakr Muammad ibn al-usayn al-Ājurrī (d. 360 AH) - رحمه الله – said,

Many of the people do not know how to perform the obligations, nor how to avoid the unlawful matters, nor how to worship Allāh except due to the presence of the scholars amongst them. So when the scholars die, the people are left in confusion. Knowledge is lost with their deaths and ignorance becomes prevalent. We belong to Allāh to him we return. What a major calamity this is for the Muslims!

Source: Akhlāq al- Ulamā (p. 29)

 Translated by: Maaz Qureshi

Taken from: https://www.salafipubs.com/seeking-knowledge-m/9237-the-importance-of-the-scholars-to-the-society 

Note: Emphasis Added


Advice of al-’Allaamah Zayd Ibn Muhammad al-Madkhalee (رحمه الله) to One of His Sons

 

Advice of al-’Allaamah Zayd Ibn Muhammad al-Madkhalee to One of His Sons

Collected Writings of Shaykh Zayd al-Madkhalee

With the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy

To the honorable, Abee Haatim ’Alee Ibn Zayd al-Madkhalee – may Allaah guide him to that which He is pleased with.

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allaah be upon you…

After the greeting:

I pray that you remain upon the guidance and the right way in terms of knowledge and action throughout life and after death.  My advice to myself and to you is:

Firstly: Be from the strangers (ghurabaa‘) who remain upright when the people have become corrupt.

Secondly: Safeguard with all concern and care the congregational and Friday Prayers.

Thirdly: Leave your beard and let it grow as an establishment of the obligation (waajib) and a revival of the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and as an opposition to the enemies of the Religion of Islaam.  Keep in mind that we do not know whether our life will be long or short, so what is important is a good end with good deeds.

Fourthly: Abandon the wearing of European clothing and how the westerners wear their hair.  Wear the qamees (i.e. thawb) and keep the pants above the ankles.  You will live in righteousness and tranquility and you will die – if Allaah so wills – happy, pleased with Allaah and having attained His pleasure.

Fifthly: Take control of the tongue and imprison it, except for the remembrance of Allaah and whatever that entails and whatever is necessary to say.

Sixthly: Safeguard something from the remembrances of the morning and the evening because they are an invulnerable fortress against calamities and destruction.  It is necessary for the servant who is weak to seek recourse to His Lord who is strong.  So he seeks refuge with His Protection.

Seventhly: Safeguard the time that you are at work and observe excellent manners within the bounds of the Sharee’ah, with your superiors as well as your colleagues, you will attain the goodness of this life and the Hereafter.  Good character will bring about almost all forms of goodness.

Lastly: Take account of giving precedence to Allaah, and give precedence to that which will bring you closer to Him and cause Him to be pleased with you.

And Allaah is the best Guardian and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

And may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allaah be upon you…

Your father who fell short with regards to your right,
Zayd Ibn Muhammad al-Madkhalee
29/6/1415H [1]

Endnotes:

[1]: Taken from Majmoo’ah Rasaa‘il (p. 689-690) of Zayd Ibn Muhammad al-Madkhalee.

Translation by Maaz Qureshi

SOURCE: sunnahpublishing.net/advice-of-al-allamah-zayd-ibn-muhammad-al-madkhalee-to-one-of-his-sons/

Thursday, December 2, 2021

كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ ۚ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ “Thus it was, that We shall turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was on of Our sincere slaves.” Soorah Yusuf ayah 24

 


Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Taymeyyah رحمه الله said:

“The one whose Religion is upright and sound (inwardly and outwardly), there will not be an eagerness in him (for seeking wealth and status/position). That is because the heart, when it tastes the sweetness of servitude to Allaah and having love for Him, there is nothing more beloved to him than that, so he gives precedence to it over (than the love for wealth and fame/status). For that reason Allaah turns away the people who are sincere for the sake of Allaah from committing evil and lewd deeds:

كَذَٰلِكَ لِنَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ السُّوءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ ۚ إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُخْلَصِينَ

“Thus it was, that We shall turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was on of Our sincere slaves.”

Soorah Yusuf ayah 24

[Majmoo’ al-Fatawaa 10/214]

Translation by: Markaz Mu’aadh bin Jabal Islamic Centre

Imām Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah (died 752H) stated:

 

Imām Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah (died 752H) stated:

The two feet of a person who stands before Allāh on the Day of Resurrection will not move until he is asked regarding two matters: What was it that you worshipped? What was your response to the Messengers?The answer to the first question is by the actualisation of the words, none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh alongside knowledge, affirmation and action. The answer to the second question is by the actualisation of the words, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh alongside knowledge, affirmation, submission and obedience.

Zādul-Ma’ād (1/37), Mu’assasatur-Risālah edition.

Taken from: https://abukhadeejah.com/the-three-fundamental-principles-of-islam-and-their-proofs-ebook-pdf/

“If it were not for three things I wish not to remain in the dunya:

 

Abu Dardaa said:

If it were not for three things I wish not to remain in the dunya:

 

1. Placing my face down in prostration to my creator across the alternation of the day and the night, preparing for the (true) life to come.

2. Experiencing thirst during the hottest part of the day (due to fasting).

3. And Sitting with a people who select and choose their words (i.e. are careful with their speech) the way fruit is selected.

(Collected by As Suyooti in Ad Duril Manthoor 6/648)

Selected from: https://ah-sp.com/2012/07/20/the-salaf-and-fasting/


Friday, November 26, 2021

Allāh, the Exalted, warns the hypocrites against their conduct


فَلْيَضْحَكُواْ قَلِيلًا

So let them laugh a little…

Ibn Abi alah reported that Ibn Abbās commented, Life is short, so let them laugh as much as they like in it. But when life ends and they are returned to Allāh, the Exalted and Most Honored, they will start crying forever without end.

Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr,p. 488 (Abridged) vol. 4, Darussalam Publication

 

Three (categories) of people, Allaah will not reject their supplication:

 

The  Prophet said:

“Three (categories of) people, Allaah will not reject their supplication: The one remembers Allaah much, the supplication of the oppressed and the just leader.”

[Reported by al-Bazzaar, Al-Bayhaqee in Shua’b al-Eemaan, Silsilah al-Ahadeeth as-Saheehah no. 3374)

Translation source: MarkazMuaadh.com

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Why were we given this dunya?

 

1:48 AM · Apr 24, 2019 // @DawahTH

Why were we given this dunya?

 

‘Uthmān bin ‘Affān رضي الله عنه said: 

Verily, Allāh only gave you the dunya so that you use it to seek the hereafter, and He did not give it to you so that you would incline towards it.

 Al-Bidāyah wa-Nihāyah (241/7)

Translated by Tower Hamlets Dawah

Monday, November 15, 2021

Random Quote of the Day

 

The Imam Ibn al-Qayyim stated:

“Ahl as-Sunnah disregard the statement of people for the Sunnah and the people of bid’ah (innovation) disregard the Sunnah for the statements of people.”

SOURCE: Sawā’iq al-Mursala, pg. 1603, v. 4

Translation source: Muwahhideen Publications

Purification Through Tawheed: Mankind's Greatest Need (Excerpt)

 

Ibn Abil-'Izz (died 792 AH) - may God be pleased with him - said:

Knowledge of Usool-ud-Deen (the fundamentals of the religion) is the most noble branch of knowledge, since the excellence of a certain type of knowledge depends upon what it is concerned with, and this is the greater Fiqh (understanding) , which is why lmaam Abu Haneefah (died 150AH) - may God be pleased with him - called that which he compiled concerning Usool-ud-Deen: “al-Fiqhul- Akbar" (The Greatest Fiqh). The need of the servants for this knowledge is greater than every other need; and it is the most necessary of all things for them, since there is no life for the hearts, nor any delight, nor any tranquillity, except through knowing their Lord, the One to be worshipped, their Creator - with His Names, His Attributes and His Actions, and that He - along with all that - is more beloved to the person than anything else. So mans striving is with regards to everything that will draw him nearer to God, to the exclusion of the creation.

However, it is impossible for the minds to come to know and understand all that in detail, so the Most Merciful, the Most Majestic - from His mercy, sent Messengers to teach that and call to it; and to give good news to those who accept their Call and to warn those who reject it. The key to their Call and the essence of their message was the servants drawing closer to Almighty God - the Most Perfect - through His Names, Attributes and Actions, since all that the Messengers were ordered with is built upon this. This then is followed by two great principles: Firstly: Knowing the path that leads to Him and that is the Shareeah (Islamic Law and Way) which is comprised of His orders and prohibitions. Secondly: That those following the path know what lies in store for them, which is endless bliss. So the people who know God best are the ones who best follow the way to Him; and know best what lies at the end of the way. 1

1.Sharhul-‘Aqeedatul-Tahaawiyyah (p. 69).

SOURCE:  SalafiPublications.com

Full article here>> https://hayaa0285.blogspot.com/2018/10/purification-through-tawheed-mankinds.html

The Four Types of Earning and Spending

 

In the Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy


Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said: The Daraahim [i.e. monies] are four types:

[1] The dirham [i.e. money] that was earned in obedience to Allaah and spent to fulfil Allaah’s Rights. This is of the best Daraahim.

[2] The dirham that was earned in disobedience to Allaah and spent in disobedience to Allaah. This one is the most evil of the Daraahim.

[3] The dirham that was earned by way of harming a Muslim and spent to harm a Muslim. This one is the same as [dirham number 2].

[4] The dirham that was earned by way of permissible means and spent on permissible desires. This one is neither for nor against [you].

This is the origin of Daraahim.


[Source: Al-Fawaa-id: page: 247]

Masjid Al-Furqān - IslamStoke

Translation by masjidfurqan.co.uk