What do you keep in your chest?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

The ending of Surah Adiyat is quite interesting because Allah says;

And that which is in the breasts (of men) shall be made known.  Verily, that Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them (as to their deeds), (and will reward them for their deeds).  (100:10-11)

 
When we see the word breast mentioned it usually denotes to the human chest and everything inside it, particularly the heart.  As we’ve mentioned in previous discourses the heart is the seat of the personality and it is from the heart where all our emotions emanates from.

So what Allah is telling us is that on the Day of Accountability everything in ones chest will be revealed; whether it is good or bad. 

When we commit any wrong doing it is not whipped out or taken out completely from our book of records.  We know that the Qur’an says good removes evil but it is not completely erased.  Instead it is covered.  This is why we pray Allahummas turrnaa bi satrikal jameel (O Allah!  Cover us (i.e. our faults) with a beautiful covering).

On the Day of Judgement Allah will look at these evil deeds and will ask the person if he/she did commit them.  In relation to this Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said;

Allah will bring the believer very close and privately and ask him “Do you know this sin?  Do you know that sin?” The believers reply will be, “Yes Oh Lord,” until he is reminded about all of his sins, and he thinks he will perish.  Then Allah will say “I covered up your sins during your life, and I will forgive your sins today”.  Then he will be given his book of good deeds.

It is only then will all your evil deeds be completely erased as you cannot go heaven with stains against you.

The higher you ascend the thinner the air becomes and the more constricted the chest will be.  This is possibly why Prophet Moses (as) prayed O My Lord! Open for me my chest (20:25).  And possibly why before he was taken up in the Mir’aj Prophet Muhammad’s (pboh) chest was opened and washed.

So to we don’t want a constricted heart and in order to safe guard against this we must prepare from now.  Satan doesn’t want this.  This is why it is recorded in Surah Naas concerning Satan’s motives: who whispers in the breasts of mankind.

And on that point a noteworthy mention is that some people argue that it is impossible for Prophet Muhammad (pboh) to be present at more than one place at one at the same time.  If Satan can whisper to the hearts of men at one at the same time; what about the greatest creature that has ever been created?  But that is a different subject.

We need to take note that all our deeds and all the secrets we hold in our chest will come to light on that Day and no one will want any impurity and evil to come out in front of the Lord and Master.  So start preparing for that great meeting from now. 

Work hard to cover the blemishes that are recorded against you.  Remember Satan doesn’t want this and he will try tirelessly to divert your focus away from Allah.  That is an individual battle.  No one else can ward off Satan from you.  You need to put your faith and trust in Allah and let him take care of your affairs.

We beg Allah to enable us to cover up our wrongs by engaging in good and beneficial deeds and may He bless us and reward us so that on the Day of Accountability when our chest is opened up it will be pleasing to Him, insha Allah.

Clothe not your beliefs with wrong

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Allah says in Surah An'am;

It is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong - that are (truly) in security, for they are on (right) Guidance.  (6:82)

Allah warns against clothing up our beliefs with dhum (wrong) as it will inevitably lead to distress.  To clothe ones belief means to cover it up with something, and in this case it is covering it with wrongful deeds and actions.  This has a greater spiritual implication as oppose to the theological.

All the varying categories of dhum will cover the qalb and will bring about grief and misery.  The Christians for example believe in the Oneness of God but worship Jesus (as).  Thus they will find themselves among the unfortunate ones.

Allah talks about the signs of the Day of Judgement.  Understand that this world is His and He allows what He wants to take place.  It is not our business to question His workings.  Our goal is to find peace and tranquillity.  How can this be achieved?  Do as Allah says in the ayat mentioned above; and confuse not their beliefs with wrong. 

On the Day of Judgement Allah, through His Divine capacity to forgive, will pardon whomever He wants, but you should not wait for that Day.  While your posses the capacity and ability wash away your blemishes with tauba.  We are taught to pray;

Allahummas turrnaa bi satrikal jameel

“O Allah!  Cover us (i.e. our faults) with a beautiful covering”

Your mission in life is to leave here with a shinning qalb.  Yes you may do wrong, but whenever you do hasten to wash it away.  This is how life is; we are not angels.  We sometimes falter along the path. 

One day, the Sahaba, Hanzalah al-Usaydi met Hazrat Abu Bakr and confessed to him that he was convinced he was a hypocrite because he felt divided between contradictory feelings.  In Prophet Muhammad’s (pboh) presence, he almost saw paradise and hell, but when he was away from him, his wife and children and his affairs caused him to forget.  Hazrat Abu Bakr in turn admitted that he experienced similar tensions.  They both went to the Prophet (pboh) to question him about the seemingly dismal state of their spirituality.  Hanzalah explained the nature of his doubts and Prophet Muhammad (pboh) answered,

“By He who holds my soul in His hands, if you were able to remain in the [spiritual] state in which you are when in my company, and remember God permanently, the angels would shake your hands in your beds and along your paths. But it is not so, Hanzalah: there is a time for this [devotion, remembrance] and a time for that [rest, amusement].”

We have entered the blessed month of Rajab, which means Ramadhan is fast approaching and the beauty of Ramadhan is that if you keep the fast and pray to your Lord all your sins will be forgiving.  So start training yourself from now so that when Ramadhan arrives you will be able to fully benefit.

Remember no amount of money can buy peace and tranquillity.  The greatest thing you can achieve in this world is peace and tranquillity.

We don’t want to clothe our beautiful bright shinning ruh with dhum.  If you can maintain this, insha Allah you will find peace, and on the Day of Accountability you will find yourself amongst those whose personality will be bright and shinning.

Being equal in the sight of Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Allah has given every physical thing a capacity.  The capacities in human beings vary.  It is not the same as some are physically stronger or, intellectually advanced.

Allah says that he made us in tribes and nations so that you can be identified;

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and Tribes, that ye may know Each other (Not that ye may despise (each other).  (49:13)

This being said we know that in Allah’s sight we are all equal.  How then are we equal if we vary in capacity?  The answer is the soul.  While physically we vary each soul has the same potential to get closer to Allah. 

Each soul is made from the same refined light so in essence each soul has the same capacity, regardless of time and place.  The difference comes in the extent each individual takes in keeping the soul bright and shinning.  Allah says;

Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you.  (49:13)

The most righteous can possible be those who made the effort to polish their souls, working hard to keep any blemishes away from it.  And this exercise extends to all of mankind regardless of physical deformities.  In so doing those who can achieve this will be equal in the sight of Allah.

Our mission is to keep your soul bright and shinning.  This will increase your capacity to get closer to Allah. 

If you should put a flammable object next to fire it will obviously burn.  So to the dirt one puts on the heart is flammable.  Allah says in Surah Humazah;

The Fire of Allah, kindled, which leaps up over the hearts.  (104:6-7)

It is the impurities one puts around the heart will burn in the fire.  However through effort of making polishing the soul all those impurities can be erased. 

The brighter the soul, the greater the possibility of getting closer to Allah; regardless of physical deformities.

The best ingredients of achieving this are sincerity and humility.  They both are of great benefit and value with regards to our ascent to our Lord.  Satan was not sincere and humble in his worship and it eventually came to light and lead to his downfall.  Allah has preserved these lessons for us to take note.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) established trustworthiness and truthfulness, and he was physically taken up in the Mi’raj.

Keep this in mind and work hard to get closer to Allah .  Use the physical capacity that He has given you to assist you in achieving this goal and not utilize it for things that will bring about unfortunate results.

Remembering Allah Frequently

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

This week we continue highlighting the stages in God consciousness. 

We started out by addressing the benefits of engaging in the remembrance of Allah.  Last week we spoke of the best time to remember Allah.  This week we address what Allah makes mention of in many places in the Qur’an;

O you who believe!  Remember Allah with much remembrance.  (33:41)

Don’t only remember Allah when you are in a tranquil state of mind.  True, these times are more optimal but remember your Lord throughout the day and night. 

How is this possible, especially when we’re preoccupied with our job, family etc?  Allah gives us the answer in the Qur’an in the story of Zachariah.  Allah records in Surah Imran;

There did Zachariah pray to His Lord, saying: “O My Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure”: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!  While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called unto him: “(Allah) doth give Thee glad tidings of Yahya, witnessing the truth of a word from Allah, and (be besides) noble, chaste, and a Prophet, - of the (goodly) company of the righteous”.  He said: “O My Lord! How shall I have a son seeing I am very old and my wife is barren?”  Thus was the answer doth Allah accomplish what He willeth”.  He said: “O My Lord! Give me a Sign!"  Thy Sign, was the answer, Shall be that Thou shalt speak to no man for three days but with signals.  Then celebrate the praises of Thy Lord again and again, and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning”.  (3:38-41)

Based on this the scholars have conclude that you don’t have to remember Allah only with your speech, but you can engage in God consciousness with your heart.  

One way of achieving this is through Zikirullah.  Cultivating your heart and body to engage in the glorification of Allah.  In relation to the Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said “the eyes of Allah's Apostle sleep but his heart does not sleep”.  Regardless of what activity he was engaged in his heart was glorifying Allah.

Allah loves all His servants and He wants us to love Him.  If you become overflowing in your love for your Lord it’s obvious that you will remember Him constantly.  And He will look after you and take care of your affairs.  It goes hand in hand.  

Once a man came to Prophet Muhammad (pboh) and said, “O Rasulallah, the laws and conditions of Islam have become too many for me.  Tell me something that I can always keep”.  Prophet Muhammad (pboh) said: “Keep your tongue always moist with zikirullah”.

It cannot be that you are making all this effort to remember Allah and He will let you down.  And what we are teaching you in our weekly zikir sessions is the technique to cultivate your entire personality to engage in the remembrance of Allah.

You can actually reach a stage where you can sit and listen to your heart palpitations glorifying Allah.  So no matter what you are doing you can engage in some form of Godly remembrance.  And this is what true success is; when your personality can remain in the remembrance of Allah regardless of the time and environment.

With this in mind can you imagine the personality of our Prophet Muhammad (pboh)?  He reached such a stage where his physical countenance shown with light.

May Allah enable us to cultivate our personalities to such an extent that we are capable of remembering Him constantly and continuously.

Remembering Allah with a clear mind

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Last week we spoke about the remembrance of Allah.  Today insha Allah we will look at the stages ones goes through in the process of becoming God conscious.  It cannot happen overnight.  It takes time and discipline.

As human beings we cannot have two separate entities in our mind at one and the same time.  For example we cannot remember Allah and think of the worldly acquisitions at the same time.  Allah says in Surah Ahzab;

Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: (33:4)

So human beings cannot engage into two contrasting entitles at one and the same time.  How then do we achieve pure God consciousness?  It is possible through discipline and culturing of the personality.  In relation to this Allah says;

But keep in remembrance the name of Thy Lord and devote thyself to Him whole-heartedly.  (73:8)

Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said “Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep.  On every knot he reads and exhales the following words, ‘The night is long, so stay asleep’.  When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart." (Bukhari)

Through the remembrance of Allah you can put to rest the scheme of Satan.

The best time to remember Allah is when you have finished all your worldly commitments, and any other distractions that are on your mind.  When you are free of all emotional preoccupation you can communicate properly to your Lord.

Allah makes mention of this in Surah Alam Nasyrah;

Therefore, when thou art free (from thine immediate task), still labour hard, and to Thy Lord turn (all) thy attention.  (94:7-8)

Prophet Muhammad emphasizes the importance of having a clear mind in the following ahadith:

§  “If the Iqama for prayer is proclaimed and supper is served, take your supper first”.

§  One of the three acts which are not allowed is for a person to offer prayer while needing to answer the call of nature”.

We can see the practicality of Islam.  Devote yourself to your Lord when your mind is clear and free from any preoccupations.  Nothing should distract you when you are attempting to gain closeness to Allah.  Satan is smart and he will use your emotional unrest to divert your focus away from Allah, so all you will really be achieving is the mechanical aspect of prayer.

 

Imam Ali (as) says: “Allah doesn't answer the prayer of a person whose prayer doesn't come from his heart”.  Therefore, one should pray from the depths of his heart and should have a conviction that Allah is watching and listening to him.

One of the best times to engage in the remembrance of Allah is during the night prayer (Tahajjud).  When everyone else is asleep and there is relative tranquillity.  At night there are less distractions, thus a person would be able to concentrate and focus more.  Allah says;

Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the word (of prayer and Praise).  (73:6)

Islam doesn’t want you to stay away from the world.  Instead maintain an appropriate balance.  Take time out of your daily routine to gain nearness to Allah.  Don’t keep on procrastinating and put off God consciousness.  Every day that passes means one day less in this world.  Get closer to your Lord and insha Allah He will look after all your affairs in this world and the next.

May Allah always bless the believers and enable us to gain nearness to Him and maintain it throughout our lives.

Remembering Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

 

Allah says in Surah Baqarah;

Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you.  Be grateful to me, and reject not Faith.  (2:152)

We are all living in the Divine Presence of Allah.  We know that He sees and hears everything, so then why is He telling us about His remembrance in the ayat quoted above?

It is recorded in Hadith Qudsi that Allah the Most High says, “I am with my slave when he thinks of Me and I am with him when he mentions Me.  For if he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in a gathering, I mention him in superior gathering.  If he approaches Me by a hand's width, I approach him by an arm's length, I approach him by two arms length.  And if he comes to me walking, I hasten to him swiftly".  (Bukhari)

Whenever we engage in the remembrance of Allah by ways of praising Him and glorifying Him we are getting closer and closer to Him.

What we can gather is that Allah wants us to get close to Him.  In retrospect this is easier said than done so He actually meets you along your path to Him.  Look at how merciful He is.  If you make the smallest of efforts to attain closeness to your Creator He comes down to you.  And He further says that He sends a light by which to guide you along the straight path. 

Understand that in regular remembrance of Allah, He will guide you, forgive you and reward you.  If you keep God conscious even if you make a mistake He will forgive you.  Allah wants you to thank Him and appreciate His favours.  And He promises more blessings to those who show gratefulness to Him.

One sage told his people that that he actually knows when Allah is remembering him.  Obviously curious his people asked as to when to which the sage replied whenever I am remembering Him.

So when we engage in any act of remembrance Allah focuses something of His Divine Attention on us. 

Satan on the other hand wants to continuously divert your focus away from your Lord.  Allah says;

Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?  (5:91)

Remember if you put your faith and trust in Allah He will attend to you.  This is what true faith is about; trusting Allah especially when you are faced with difficulties.  Some people say that they maintain faith in Allah but you have to tie your camel.  The Sufis say that once you put your faith in Allah your ‘camel has been tied’.

We cannot question nor understand the working of Allah.  He knows that which we don’t.  What we do know is that by constantly remembering Him He remembers us and insh Allah will take care of our affairs.

May Allah enable us to demonstrate throughout our lives true reliance and trust in Him and may He guide us and protect us from situations that divert our focus away from Him.

Hablullah: Issue #9

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

The latest issue of Hablullah is out.  Click on the image to enlarge and save.



Hablullah Issue #9_page 1 of 2



Hablullah Issue #9_page 2 of 2

Total Submission

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

 

Allah says in Surah Luqman;

Whoever submits his whole self to Allah, and is a doer of good, has grasped indeed the Most Trustworthy Hand-Hold: and with Allah rests the end and decision of (all) affairs.  (31:22)

What is total submission and how can one submit totality?  One way that total submission can be materialised is during Salaat.  In salaat when we stand we are supposed to cut-off ourselves from the world and know that Allah is in front of us.  We are supposed to pray with our heart and body; our total personality.

In connection with this Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said “the Lord doth not regard a prayer in which heart doth not accompany the body”.  Are you putting you entire personality in front of your Lord? 

 
Allah records for our understanding two Messengers who expressed total submission.  Prophet Abraham (as) and our beloved leader Muhammad (pboh).
 
Allah records Abraham (as) as saying

Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds.  (6:162)
 
He recognised that he had no say of his own.  Everything is for Allah.  His submission was so remarkable that even after he got the son he craved so much for and the command came to leave him in the wilderness he obliged even though he may have had emotional discomfort. 
 

The same is evident in the seerah of Prophet Muhammad (pboh).  Allah says;

 
‘Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) desire’.  (53:3)

Prophet (pboh)  never said anything of his own desire.  Everything was on the basis of Divine Command.  He always waited on a command/revelation from Allah and never took it on his own to give an opinion.
 
Before Islam came we never saw this sort of dedication to Allah.  The Israelites who were so blessed by Allah never submitted to Him.  They chose instead to send and rely on their Messengers.  The Christians stand before Jesus (as) not God Almighty.

This is why when Jibraeel asked Prophet Muhammad (pboh)  in the presence of his Companions “Tell me about Ihsaan”.  To which Prophet (pboh) replied “That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him then truly He sees you”.
 

If you put yourself in Allah’s care you would have submitted to the best of your ability.  Those who practice this would surely have grasped the Most Trustworthy Hand-Hold that would never break.

 
If someone is drowning naturally they will grab on to something that is strong that won’t break.  Therefore get your hand held onto by Allah.
 

Everything boils down on your intention.  And this is what Satan works on because he himself showed his true self intention when his test came.  Allah knows all of our intentions and one day it will come out.  Therefore live your life with good intention and insha Allah you will be from amongst thoe who would have held on to the Trustworthy Hand-Hold.

 
It is not easy and can be very challenging, but whoever does so will be given their just reward. 

Is it recorded in Bukhari and Muslim that Allah will say, “Send forth those who are destined for hell!  Adam (as) will say “Who are those”?  Allah will say “Out of every 1000, 999 go to hell and 1 to paradise”.

Strive to be that one regardless of the society and situation.  
 

May Allah make it easy for us all.  May He enable us to continuously work on purifying our intentions and may He allow us to grasp that Hand-Hold that will save us from His punishment and lead us to eternal bliss.

The Bee

 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

We all know that Allah is The Greatest, and He has demonstrated His Greatness through His creation and in our individual bodies. 

Today we will look at just one of the creatures of Allah that demonstrates His Greatness.  This creature is the bee, which is also the name of one of the chapters in the Holy Qur’an. 

The bee is a very starterling creature with regards to its organisation and management of its recourses.  They are so well organised that each one has a duty that contributes to the overall sustenance of the hive.  Allah says in Surah Nahl;

And thy Lord taught the bee to build its hives in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations.  (16:68)

The bees structure and divide their labour to such a remarkable extent that, for example, when they find another source of nectar in another tree, they return to their hive and fly in a particular vector to announce to the others where the alternative source of nectar is. Each member of the hive has its own duty and responsibility, and one bee does not aspire to take over management responsibilites from the others.

And through their organisation and work they produce one of the best and natural drinks available, which illustrate the greatness of Allah.  The bees digest nectar and regurgitate it to produce honey.  Such a sweet and sort after drink is produced in such a mind boggling manner.

Even though, they are such tiny creatures we can take pattern from them with regard to their management structure, unity and specialization.  Because of their unity look at what they can produce.  If we are united and work for the greater good what we can achieve.  And this is what Islam came to do; unite mankind to work together on the path of Siratul Mustaqeem. 

This is possibly one reason why Allah gave us the story of the bees.  We are to take on the responsibilities of working for this world and the next; and manage our time and resources properly and correctly in order to succeed. 

May Allah enable us to adopt the organisational and unification methods practiced by His creatures and may continuously grant us the ability to reflect and ponder over His Greatness and recognise it in our everyday lives.

Keeping your focus

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Before we begin to pray any Salaat we recite something very important.

“For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah”. (6:79)

Some do not understand the implication of this. We are actually standing in front of Allah and He is able to see the true condition of our hearts. You cannot hide anything from Him.

In meditation, when you sit in front of your Sheikh he is actually looking at your heart and when your heart wavers he will be able to tell you. If your Sheikh can see your heart, what about Allah and His Rasool (pboh)?

This is why we think of sitting in front of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) through our Sheikh. He looks at your hearts as long as you can keep your focus.

Beside those good and honourable people who can look at your hearts, Satan can also look. And this is one reason why emphasis is placed on wudu as a measure is to keep him out. If he gets a single opportunity he can divert your focus. He doesn’t want you to gain closeness to the Allah and His Rasool .

Something to remember: Before Adam (as) was sent on earth who used to pray more than Satan? He worshiped more than even the angels. But look at what happened to him in the end. His intention was not for Allah but for status and promotion. And he achieved it all until the test came and he showed his true self.

The same principle is found in spirituality. You can be progressing along well, until you get a test and Satan will use it as an opportunity to divert you. For example when you are in a bad mood how will you generally respond to others?

This is possibly why Prophet Muhammad (pboh) said “the eyes of Allah's Apostle sleep but his heart does not sleep”. Satan cannot whisper to his heart and divert him.

We are also trying to do the same. When we’re in meditation we are supposed to think that our Sheikh is in front of us, because he can help. So long as you sit and connect your heart, Allah through His Grace and the status He gave Prophet (pboh) will properly direct you. If your thought wavers Prophet and your Sheikh will know.

Our goal is to get closer to Prophet Muhammad (pboh), so blank your mind from all others things. It’s not easy. It takes patience and peace of the mind and heart.

Pay no heed to all those who talk about spirituality being haram, bida and shirk. Make dua for them because only you will know of the experience.

If you are doing it for the sake of Allah He will strengthen you and guide you. Through zikirullah your personality will become bright and shinning.

May Allah enable us to continue striving along the spiritual path and may He protect us from those who wish to divert our focus, insha Allah.

Important eye openers

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

The Holy Qur’an, as we know, contains important lessons for mankind. Insha Allah today we will look at a couple of these eye-openers’ mentioned in the last ten (10) chapters of the Holy Qur’an.

Firstly Allah says about Abu Lahab;

‘No profit to Him from all his wealth, and all his gains!’ (111:2)

Before Abu Lahab left this world he was an extremely wealthy and influential person. However, in his final days before he died and even when he died he became so repugnant that no one wanted to bury him. The people at that time dug a huge hole and forced an African slave to push Abu Lahab’s body in the hole. What was the value of his wealth and power? A man of such power was reduced to filth. Allah is showing us that all your material acquisitions’ have absolutely no value to Him. Everyone will be judged on what was sent before and whatever Sadaqah Jariyah was left behind. Material wealth can either harm you or help you. Don’t end up like Abu Lahab. Use the blessings of Allah to earn His Paradise.


Secondly, Allah says about the Quraish;

‘For the Covenants (of security and safeguard enjoyed) by the Quraish, their Covenants (covering) journeys by winter and summer, - let them adore the Lord of This house, Who provides them with food against hunger, and with security against fear (of danger)’. (106)

The Quraish were the most elite tribe in Makkah. They were so respected that they were not troubled or harassed by others. Allah mentions that He is The One Who protected them even when they went outsides the borders of Makkah for trade. So don’t ever let your position or status cloud your judgement and divert you from Allah. He is the one that takes care of our affairs. Sometimes we may have the mentality that ‘I’. Allah preserved the body of Pharaoh to teach us a lesson. Power and status is no guarantee that you will be saved from the Hell Fire. Worship and submit humble to Allah and know that whatever you have achieved in this world is on account of the blessings and mercy of Allah. And He can take it all away in a matter of seconds so submit to Him and let Him take care of your affairs.


Thirdly Allah says in Surah Nashr

‘When comes the help of Allah, and victory, and thou dost see the people enter Allah’s religion in crowds, celebrate the praises of Thy Lord, and pray for His forgiveness: for He is Oft-Returning (in Grace and mercy)’. (110)

Know your cut of point. Don’t keep running after the world and keep on procrastinating. Our time here is short and you can’t afford to keep putting off Islam for a next day. Allah is advising us that when you’ve achieve enough and your responsibilities have lessened a bit, spend more time working for the hereafter instead for this world. Unfortunately we see many who keep on ‘grabbing after the world’, not knowing when enough is truly enough. Do exhaust your life by solely seeking the pleasures of this world. Balance your time in a way that you can work for this world and also for the hereafter.


All these teaching and so much more are preserved in the Holy Qur’an for us. How often do we ponder and contemplate on them? Understand that Allah loves you and He wants us to be counted amongst the fortunate ones, so take heed of the advice He has conserved for us.

May Allah enable us to instill the advice He has given us. May He take care of our affairs in this world and the next and may He bless us with the ability to properly balance of time.

Helping Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

There may be some of you who when hearing/reading our weekly zikir lessons will be learning many new things for the very first time. But take note that it can be verified because it is taken solely from the Qur’an. Anyone who doesn’t understand or doubts anything that is said in this weekly presentation can clarify it with Dr. Waffie via his email: mwl@tstt.net.tt


Today, insha Allah, we will be looking at ayat 7 of Surah Muhammad. As with all the other chapters of the Holy Qur’an, Surah Muhammad contains important messages for us and it is very direct and straight to the point. Allah says;

‘O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly’.

Firstly we must understand that Allah does not need us. It is we who need Him. So what then does He mean when He says if ye will aid Allah?

In order to understand this let us reference the Israelites. As mentioned in the Qur’an the Israelites were given vast blessings. They didn’t have to do anything. And yet they did not help Allah. And sadly even today they are still fighting for material acquisitions. Allah did not set their feet firmly because they did not aid Him.

On the other hand Prophet Muhammad (pboh) grew up as an orphan. When he was a young man He had to take small jobs in order to take care of himself. One of the differences with him is that He helped Allah and Allah firmly planted his feet firmly and his mission started to grow and spread. Even today his mission is spreading all over the world. And his status, which is second to none, also grew astronomically.

The question is how can we help Allah? One means is by assisting in spreading His Word. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said ‘The best amongst you are those who have learnt the Qur’an and teaches it to others.’ This is because you are helping to spread the Word of Allah. And if you help Allah He will never desert you. This is why dawah is so important and incumbent on all Muslims.

The second means of helping Allah is by spreading His Light. Moses (as) wanted to see Allah and was told that he couldn’t. Why, because Moses wanted to see Allah with his physical eyes. Can you look directly at the sun at midday? And that’s the sun what about the Light of Allah. How then can we spread His Light? By polishing and keeping your heart clean.

For example if I want to brighten a dark room with the sunlight all I need to do is to take a clean mirror and angle it to reflect the sunlight into the room. So too our hearts are like mirrors. If we can keep it clean and pure it can reflect the Light of Allah as He says in Surah Ma’ida ‘Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light’.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is the best example of this. His entire personality was like a mirror. Many Companions reported that there were times when they looked at him and he was much brighter that the full moon. If we keep our heart clean we can also reflect something of the Light of Allah.

The third means by which we can aid Allah is by

‘Enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong’. (3:104)

Allah loves purity and by engaging in the halal and abstaining from the haram you will be getting closer and closer to your Lord. This is evident on the night of the Mir’aj. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) aided Allah so much that He was physically returned to Allah in this world.

We thank Allah for blessing us with His pure and unadulterated Words. We are truly blessed because we alone have it. We must therefore get close to it and try to inculcate the three points mentioned above. By helping Allah you would have attained success in both worlds and insha Allah, Allah will take care of your affairs.

A few pointers about our Beloved Prophet (pboh)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Today we’ll look at a few points pertaining to the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) that are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. These pointers allude to his uniqueness and greatness.

Firstly Allah says in Surah Israa';

Say (O Muhammad): “Glorified (and Exalted) be my Lord above all that evil they (polytheists) associate with him! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger". (17:93)

The people during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) were intrigued about the Prophet-hood of Muhammad (pboh). They were not expecting a Messenger to be so ‘ordinary’. They assumed that a Prophet would be ushered in some miraculous manner like Prophet Jesus (as). They were surprised to see Prophet Muhammad (pboh) functioning just like they would. Their concept was that someone who was different would be a Messenger of God.

Allah says in Surah Hashr;

“So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah for Allah is strict in punishment”. (59:7)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) never said anything out of his own desire. Everything thing was on the basis of Divine Guidance. Allah encourages us to listen and hold on to Prophet’s (pboh) teachings as he knows the way of successfully returning to Allah. He returned to Allah in his physical lifetime so he knows what he’s talking about and teaching us.

Allah says in Surah Saba';

“We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men.” (34:28)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is the universal model for all times. Anyone who connects and holds on to him will be upon the path of Siraatal Mustaqem. And Prophet (pboh) does not discriminate. Allah demonstrated this with the encounter Prophet had with the blind man.

(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man (Abdullah bin Umm-Maktum, who came to the Prophet while he was preaching to one or some of the Quraish chiefs). But what could tell you that per chance he might become pure (from sins)? Or that he might receive admonition, and that the admonition might profit him? (80:1-4)

Allah wanted to demonstrate that Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was the Messenger for all, a Universal Messenger.

Prophet Muhammad possesses a different capacity from all the pervious Messengers. He has the capability of brightening your soul.

“And as one who invites to Allah’s (grace) by His leave and as a Lamp spreading light”. (33:46)

“There has come to you from Allah a light (Prophet Muhammad)”. (5:15)

This is where Spirituality comes in. Through our meditation we are connecting to Prophet’s (pboh) light via our Teachers and Masha-ikhs. Some people may argue that this was only valid when Prophet (pboh) was alive but the Qur’an is applicable for all times. Even those who were not present in his physical time can still establish a connection with him.

Prophet (pboh) was special and was given a special mission. We are happy that Allah has sent a Messenger who still maintains a connection to us. What we need to do is build a relationship with him and continue strengthening it. May Allah make it easy for us and take care of our affairs.