The Hypocrites

Thursday 23rd July 2009

Zikr lesson for the week

الْمُنَافِقُونَ
The Hypocrites ___________________________________________________________________________________

In the beginning of the Holy Qur’an Allah (swt) categorized man into three (3) main groups. The believers, the rejecters of faith and those people who testify in the Oneness of God openly, but in reality they act differently.

 ••   •      
“Of the people there are some who say: "We believe In Allah and the Last Day;" but They do not (really) believe”
(Chapter 2, verse 8)

The hypocrites are a very dangerous category of people. They pose as believers. Prophet Muhammad (saw) had a lot of trouble with the hypocrites. They tried to make mischief amongst the people. This is why there is a chapter in the Holy Qur’an entitled ‘The Hypocrites’.

     •      •    •  
“When the Hypocrites come to thee, They say, "We bear witness that Thou art indeed the Messenger of Allah." yea, Allah knoweth that Thou art indeed His Messenger, and Allah beareth witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars”
(Chapter 63, verse 1)

Allah (swt) says that the believers will enter Paradise; the disbelievers will enter Hell, but what about the Hypocrites? Where will they end up? Allah (swt) gives us the answer in Surah Nisa;

•      •    •
“The Hypocrites will be In the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper wilt Thou find for them”
(Chapter 4, verse 145)

We cannot call someone a hypocrite because only Allah (swt) knows who they are. Be careful of labeling people. Never criticize or condemn anyone.

                    •      
(At-Tauba 101)
Certain of the desert Arabs round about you are Hypocrites. As well as (desert Arabs) among the Madinah folks; they are obstinate in hypocrisy; you do not know them; We know them. Twice shall We punish them. And in addition shall they be sent to a grievous penalty. (9:101)

Try your best to have clean, pure intentions and whatever you do, do it for the pleasure of Allah (swt) especially when you stand for Salaat. Salaat is the greatest blessing a Muslim has in this world. In it we have the blessed opportunity of standing in front of our Lord and speaking directly to Him, glorifying Him and praising Him. Remember one day we would have to leave this world so let us leave in an honorable and beautiful way.

A Beautiful

Thursday 25th June 2009

Zikr lesson for the week

 
A Beautiful Fellowship
___________________________________________________________________________________

We are in the month of Rajab and Prophet Muhammad (saw) has indicated that this month is one of the four (4) blessed months’.

“The year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred; the three consecutive months of Dhu’l-Qi’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab, which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.”
(Bukhari)

It is advisable that we recite lots of darood and pray as much optional salaat as possible.

Allah (swt) says in Surah Nisa;

           •        
“All who obey Allah and the Apostle are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah, - of the Prophets (Who teach), the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (Who testify), and the righteous (Who do good): Ah! What a beautiful fellowship!”
(Chapter 4, verse 69)

Allah (swt) has made 7 levels of heaven and, according to the scholars, on the Day of Judgement He will categorized the inhabitants of Paradise into these levels. For example those who give their all in the path of Allah (swt) will not be equal to those who are not serious about their salaat, fasting, zakaat, etc. Those who are prepared to utilize all their assets for Allah (swt) will be placed in a ‘higher level’ than those who are careless. On that Day when Allah (swt) will categorize us some believers will be in the companionship of the Messengers of Allah (swt) as Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said;

Amongst my followers some will have the status of the Messengers of the Bani Israel.

The ayat mention above was revealed because of a particular incident. One day a companion of Prophet (saw) came to him and said “O Prophet (saw) we love you so much, when we die and you die we will be separate”. Another companion said “O Prophet (saw) if I don’t see you for one day I begin to feel anxious, what will happen in the hereafter when we will not meet you anymore”. Thereafter the ayat was revealed.

It implies that in the hereafter it is possible to be in the companionship of the Messengers, including Prophet Muhammad (saw). Ka'ab al Aslami (ra) narrated that he used to carry water for Prophet Muhammad (saw) for ablution and for his need and one day Prophet (saw) told him to ask of him for whatever he wanted. Ka'ab al Aslami (ra) asked to be Prophet’s (saw) companion in Paradise. Prophet (saw) asked if he wished for anything else to which he replied only that. Prophet (saw) then told Ka'ab “help me fulfil this wish for you by performing many prostrations”.

On another occasion Prophet (saw) was asked what will happen on the Day of Judgement to a person who loved the people but is of a higher status from them. Prophet (saw) replied “One is with those he loves.”

What kind of status do you want to have in the next life? Make sincere dua to Allah (swt) because He hears and accepts our duas. When Prophet Muhammad (saw) was departing this physical world he supplicated to Allah (swt) by reciting “Ilah Rafeek il a'ala” – “Join me with the exalted ones”.

We should incorporate this is our supplication to Allah (swt). Keep in mind what kind of preparation you are making for the hereafter and what level of Paradise you wish to attain. If you sincerely strive in the way of your Lord it is possible to be elevated to the status of the Messengers in Paradise. Beg Allah (swt) for strength to strive to earn a place alongside the Messengers and may He forgive us and have mercy on us, and take care of our affairs in this life and the next, insha Allah.

The Hereafter

Thursday 18th June 2009

Zikr lesson for the week


Preparing for the Hereafter
___________________________________________________________________________________

Allah (swt) says in Al Qur’an;

                                          
“Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah) And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?”
(Chapter 57, verse 20)

Life in this world is only for a short period of time. Unfortunately, there are some who forget this and they focus all their energy and resources in attaining the ‘pleasures’ of this world. Allah (swt) says that it soon becomes a contest between some men to see who has more and the best worldly assets. They take pride from their accumulation of wealth, the success of their children and their physical assets. They pay no heed in preparing for the eternal life in the hereafter.

Allah (swt) goes on to compare the life of this world to a flower. A flower starts its life as an insignificant tiny seed. Through the necessary nutrients the seed slowly starts growing until it blooms into a beautiful flower. After some time the once beautiful, sweet smelling flower begins to slowly wilt and it crumbles away. So too man starts out his life in a helpless state, and through the Grace of Allah (swt) he begins to mature and gains strength and intelligence in the process. Thereafter he begins to deteriorate. He slowly loses the strength and intelligence he once had and his physical features starts diminishing.

Never forget that this moment can be your last and everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve will all be left behind. That is why, as Muslims we must do things that will be of benefit to us in the hereafter. Some people will do anything to acquire wealth and power. Concerning this Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said;

two hungry wolves, if let loose among a flock of sheep, will not do more damage than that which is caused by a man's avarice for wealth and status to his religion, (Tirmidhi).

Some people work their whole life acquiring wealth and soon after they die and leave behind everything they worked so hard to achieve. Others reach a stage of understanding where too much wealth doesn’t bring benefit, e.g. you can have all the wealth in the world but it cannot compensate you for poor health. The danger is that some people believe that because they are wealthy they can do whatever pleases them and they fail to realize that it is out of the Graciousness of Allah (swt) that they have and can benefit from it.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said

A servant says: My wealth, my wealth, but out of his wealth three things are only his: whatever he eats and makes use of, or by means of which he dresses himself and it wears out or he gives as charity, and this is what he stored for himself (as a reward for the Hereafter), and what is beyond this (it is of no use to you) because you are to depart and leave it for other people. (Sahih Muslim).

It is reported by Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) that Prophet Muhammad (saw) once took him by his shoulder and said;

“Be in this world as though you are a stranger or a traveller. When the evening come do not expect (to live till) morning and at morning do not expect (to live till) evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death”.

Logically we cannot isolate ourselves from this world. We need it in order to gain sustenance, comfort, etc. Allah (swt) is the One who provides these things however it is through the process of working and striving that we are able to access them. We also need to strive for the eternal life that awaits us in the hereafter. It can either be a life of bliss or a life of misery. We need to have the right balance of living in this world and working for the next. Take time out of your daily schedule to worship your Lord so that when you depart this world you would have sent things that would be of benefit to you in the next. Concerning this Allah (swt) say;

   •           •     
“And whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with Allah; for Allah sees Well all that ye do.”
(Chapter 2, verse 110)

Thursday 12th February 2009
Zikr Lesson for the week

Meeting with Allah (swt)
Part II
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Why is it ‘meeting’ with Allah (swt) necessary? Couldn’t Allah (swt) just enter the righteous into Jannah? In order for us to understand the importance of meeting Allah (swt), we must firstly take into consideration the following ayat from Surah A'raf;

"When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): "Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?"- They said: "Yea! We do testify!" (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: "Of this we were never mindful":
(Chapter 7, verse 172)

The ayat above deals with what took place before the progeny of Adam (as) inhabited the earth. Allah (swt) has put in the subconscious of every human being the fact that there is no god but Him. The program of life is to understand how the meeting with Allah (swt) is possible. This was realized and manifested in the Mi`raj of Prophet Muhammad (saw). He was able to return to, and meet his Lord and understand that Allah is Rab. Prophet (saw) is our model and example, and he showed us that it is possible to return to, and meet Allah (swt) with our entire personality.

Allah (swt) says in Surah An'am;

"And behold! ye come to us bare and alone as We created you for the first time: ye have left behind you all (the favours) which We bestowed on you: We see not with you your intercessors whom ye thought to be partners in your affairs: so now all relations between you have been cut off, and your (pet) fancies have left you in the lurch!"
(Chapter 6, verse 94)

‘Bare’ in this instance means nothing of this world. All that you have worked for and accumulated will be left behind. It is indeed unfortunate that there are some people who focus all of their attention only on this world and every day we see how unpredictable life can be. It can take only one (1) second for your life to change. People busy themselves with everything except preparing for the hereafter. They learn nothing from the unfortunate trials of others, as Allah (swt) mentions in Surah Yaseen;

See they not how many generations before them we destroyed? Not to them will they return:
(Chapter 36, verse 31)

Be careful and cautious in your daily activities and try to make yourself ‘qualify’ to meet your Lord and insha Allah the meeting will be a pleasant one. How is it possible? Allah (swt) gives us the formula in Surah Kahf;

“whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner”.

If you strive in this manner you’ll understand that Allah (swt) will try us and when the trails come our way we will bear it with patience because we know that Allah (swt) is our Lord, and He will never let us down.

Thursday 29th May 2009

Zikr lesson for the week

نَفَسُلْ مُطْمَعِنَّهْ
Mutual goodwill between the nafs and ruh ___________________________________________________________________________________

Man can conceptualize things that exist in the material universe; however, we cannot form a mental picture of the things that exist ‘outside’ the material universe. For example when Allah (swt) describes paradise He says that in it contains things that “our eyes haven’t seen”. So, it is difficult to form a concept of those things which we have no knowledge of. When Prophet Muhammad (saw) went on the Mi’raj he described the leaves of the Lot Tree as being as big as the ears of an elephant. How can we explain this? We can only conceptualize and describe those things that Allah (swt) has given us sure knowledge of.

The human personality comprises of two things, one that grew from the material universe and the other came from outside the material universe. Our bodies grew from the material universe and our ruh came from the “command from Allah (swt)”. The ruh is not a material creation and proof of this can be found in Surah Isra;

Allah says:

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً 
“They ask thee concerning the ruh . Say: "The Spirit (ruh) (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)”
(Chapter 17, verse 85)

We cannot explain or describe the ruh through reason and logic because it is not confined to boundaries such as space and time. We can’t ‘experiment’ on it. Even though the ruh is part of our personality there are so many things to it that we cannot understand.

While the ruh possesses immense spiritual powers it still maintains a connection with, and can benefit from the material universe. For example before the ruh came into the material universe where was it? Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between water and clay”. When was Prophet (saw) given the title of rahmatul lil alameen? When he came into the material universe and functioned. Only then his real personality emerged. The ruh needs the material universe to develop, grow and prepare for the next life.

Islam is so different from the other religions. For example the Christians view the world as evil so they must separate from it in order to win the favours of Jesus (as). So, some of them live a life of celibacy and retreat to monasteries. Their philosophy is to subdue the physical self in order to grow the spiritual self. In Islam we need the material universe, which was created by Allah (swt), in order for us to gain physical benefit. The wise person will culture both aspects of the human personality in order to benefit in the next life.

The ruh has tremendous possibilities and it can be the access for us to understand some of the things that we cannot conceive. For example Allah (swt) says in Surah Ghafir;

رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ يُلْقِي الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ لِيُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلاَقِ 
“Raised high above ranks (or degrees), (He is) the Lord of the Throne (of Authority): by His Command doth He send the Spirit (of inspiration) to any of His servants He pleases, that it may warn (men) of the Day of Mutual Meeting,”
(Chapter 40, verse 15)

In this case the ‘spirit of inspiration’ refers to Angel Jibreel.

There is no doubt that the universe is beautiful and Allah (swt) has mentioned to us that He has created the universe as a trial from man. He says is Suah Kahf

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً 
“That which is on earth We have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are best in conduct”
(Chapter 18, verse 7)

If you are taken up with material beauty and ignore the spiritual dimension what will become of you in the next life. Our goal in life is to create ‘mutual goodwill’ between the nafs and ruh. They need to work together in order for the human personality to grow. For example through your nafs you will be able to get up to perform the fajir salaat and through this effort the ruh will benefit. Strengthen your ruh through your nafs and on That Day both the ruh and nafs will become one. When Prophet Muhammad (saw) will give the believers a drink from Kawthar all the barriers between the ruh and nafs wil be removed. No longer will the nafs contradict the ruh. That drink will purify you.

Remember we will be tested by Allah (swt) and we should use these trials as a means of aligning the nafs with the ruh. Purify yourself so that your ruh and nafs can work together, hand in hand, and through this you will be able to build a strong personality, and on the Promised Day, you will achieve Hayatan Tayyiba – a life that is good and pure.

Thursday 23rd October 2008

Zikr Lesson for the week
Cultivating your focus
_______________________________________________________________________________

When Allah created Hazrat Adam, He created the entire human species in the loin’s Adam’s. Allah says:
And remember when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying), Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes; We testify, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Verily, we were unaware of this. (7:172)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

It will be said to a man from the people of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, If you owned all that is on the earth, would you pay it as ransom? He will reply, Yes Allah will say, I ordered you with what is less than that, when you were still in Adam's loins, that is, associate none with Me (in worship). You insisted that you associate with Me. (Ahmad3:127)

When Allah created Adam, He wiped Adam's back and every person that He will create from him until the Day of Resurrection fell out from his back……

This can possibly mean that we existed at that time as ‘data’ (possibly as the numerous combinations of genes and chromosomes that make up each human body) or as a ‘formula’, or in some form known to the Lord, as He is the Knower and Creator of all things.

We all started our journey with the Adam (pbuh). All this time we were in existence, coming down generation after generation. Our real journey began when the soul entered the body while we were in the womb of our mothers. Take for example oxygen and hydrogen; if both are combined with a particular proportion H2O (water) is formed. The same concept of existence as a formula is applicable to human beings.

We are not responsible for our shape, form, intellect, or vision. All these attributes of ours were coming down through the ages, since Allah (swt) created Adam (pbuh). Is it Allah (swt) Who decreed when we would appear in the dimension of space and time, in a particular way, and in a particular place.

Our conscious journey started when we were able to choose and understand. So whatever situation we may be in we must always beg Allah (swt) to help us to keep our focus. Some things we have no control over. What is important is to be grateful for what Allah (swt) has provided for us and utilize it to make the remainder of the journey beneficial.

The journey doesn’t stop when the soul leaves the body and does not return to it. It is accustomed to leave the body in our physical life any This is mentioned in Surah Az-Zumar;

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الأُخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect
(Chapter 39, verse 42)

One day our souls will leave and won’t return. However our journey still continues. Even after resurrection the journey continues. You will continue until you cross the Pul Sirat, and then your journey will come to an end.

Our program in this life is to prepare ourselves. This is why it is imperative to never lose our focus, which is Allah (swt). Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us to focus on our Creator. when he went on the Miraj he was alone with the Lord. As we are supposed to understand that we are living in the presence of the Divine, we feel so when we are in worship (Salaat).

He (saw) tells us that salaat is our Miraj. One of the benefits of salaat is that it allows us to concentrate on the existence of Allah, and that He is always in front of us.

We physically focus on the Kabaa and we know that Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that Allah (swt) comes between you and the Kaba when you stand for salaat. With this in mind it is important to draw reference to Hazrat Ali ibn Abu Talib (as).

In the Battle of Siffin an arrowhead pierced the thigh of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as). It was not possible to pull it out because of the unbearable pain it caused. When Imam Hasan (as) was consulted in the matter, he told the people to just wait till his father stands for prayer and to remove the arrow while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) was praying.
Accordingly the arrow was pulled out while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) praying and he was totally oblivious of the excruciating pain. When Hazrat Ali (as) stood for prayers, the world ceased to exist for him, his entire being was totally immersed in the contact he had established with his Creator and his relationship with Him.

If you can cultivate and culture the ability to focus and concentrate on Allah, you will find that you will be fighting a battle with the Satan, as he wants to divert you from your goal.

By concentrating on the Qalb you will be able to better focus on the Lord. As you try to do so, you will find that your minds begin to waver and all kinds of thoughts come into it. This is the working of the Satan, who is trying to divert you. You will find that it takes a lot of effort to keep your focus. You must know that this is you internal jihad. This is one reasonas why meditation is important. It allows us to develop your focus.

Allah (swt) is Al Lateef, i.e. He is the Most Loving, Most Kind and Most Tender. No one can love like Him, and know that He loves His creatures. He will never let you down. This is why the 5th stage in spirituality is called ‘realization’. When you realize that you are nothing and that Allah (swt) is everything, you will know that your importance is solely because of His Mercies on you, and that your success is because He has been gracious to you.

You will want to please Him and get closer to Him, you will begin to have overflowing love for Him. Begin this process by concentrating on your Qalb and proceed as He will allow you to do.

Thursday 23rd October 2008

Zikr Lesson for the week
Cultivating your focus
_______________________________________________________________________________

When Allah created Hazrat Adam, He created the entire human species in the loin’s Adam’s. Allah says:
And remember when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying), Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes; We testify, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Verily, we were unaware of this. (7:172)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

It will be said to a man from the people of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, If you owned all that is on the earth, would you pay it as ransom? He will reply, Yes Allah will say, I ordered you with what is less than that, when you were still in Adam's loins, that is, associate none with Me (in worship). You insisted that you associate with Me. (Ahmad3:127)

When Allah created Adam, He wiped Adam's back and every person that He will create from him until the Day of Resurrection fell out from his back……

This can possibly mean that we existed at that time as ‘data’ (possibly as the numerous combinations of genes and chromosomes that make up each human body) or as a ‘formula’, or in some form known to the Lord, as He is the Knower and Creator of all things.

We all started our journey with the Adam (pbuh). All this time we were in existence, coming down generation after generation. Our real journey began when the soul entered the body while we were in the womb of our mothers. Take for example oxygen and hydrogen; if both are combined with a particular proportion H2O (water) is formed. The same concept of existence as a formula is applicable to human beings.

We are not responsible for our shape, form, intellect, or vision. All these attributes of ours were coming down through the ages, since Allah (swt) created Adam (pbuh). Is it Allah (swt) Who decreed when we would appear in the dimension of space and time, in a particular way, and in a particular place.

Our conscious journey started when we were able to choose and understand. So whatever situation we may be in we must always beg Allah (swt) to help us to keep our focus. Some things we have no control over. What is important is to be grateful for what Allah (swt) has provided for us and utilize it to make the remainder of the journey beneficial.

The journey doesn’t stop when the soul leaves the body and does not return to it. It is accustomed to leave the body in our physical life any This is mentioned in Surah Az-Zumar;

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الأُخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect
(Chapter 39, verse 42)

One day our souls will leave and won’t return. However our journey still continues. Even after resurrection the journey continues. You will continue until you cross the Pul Sirat, and then your journey will come to an end.

Our program in this life is to prepare ourselves. This is why it is imperative to never lose our focus, which is Allah (swt). Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us to focus on our Creator. when he went on the Miraj he was alone with the Lord. As we are supposed to understand that we are living in the presence of the Divine, we feel so when we are in worship (Salaat).

He (saw) tells us that salaat is our Miraj. One of the benefits of salaat is that it allows us to concentrate on the existence of Allah, and that He is always in front of us.

We physically focus on the Kabaa and we know that Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that Allah (swt) comes between you and the Kaba when you stand for salaat. With this in mind it is important to draw reference to Hazrat Ali ibn Abu Talib (as).

In the Battle of Siffin an arrowhead pierced the thigh of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as). It was not possible to pull it out because of the unbearable pain it caused. When Imam Hasan (as) was consulted in the matter, he told the people to just wait till his father stands for prayer and to remove the arrow while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) was praying.
Accordingly the arrow was pulled out while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) praying and he was totally oblivious of the excruciating pain. When Hazrat Ali (as) stood for prayers, the world ceased to exist for him, his entire being was totally immersed in the contact he had established with his Creator and his relationship with Him.

If you can cultivate and culture the ability to focus and concentrate on Allah, you will find that you will be fighting a battle with the Satan, as he wants to divert you from your goal.

By concentrating on the Qalb you will be able to better focus on the Lord. As you try to do so, you will find that your minds begin to waver and all kinds of thoughts come into it. This is the working of the Satan, who is trying to divert you. You will find that it takes a lot of effort to keep your focus. You must know that this is you internal jihad. This is one reasonas why meditation is important. It allows us to develop your focus.

Allah (swt) is Al Lateef, i.e. He is the Most Loving, Most Kind and Most Tender. No one can love like Him, and know that He loves His creatures. He will never let you down. This is why the 5th stage in spirituality is called ‘realization’. When you realize that you are nothing and that Allah (swt) is everything, you will know that your importance is solely because of His Mercies on you, and that your success is because He has been gracious to you.

You will want to please Him and get closer to Him, you will begin to have overflowing love for Him. Begin this process by concentrating on your Qalb and proceed as He will allow you to do.

Thursday 23rd October 2008

Zikr Lesson for the week
Cultivating your focus
_______________________________________________________________________________

When Allah created Hazrat Adam, He created the entire human species in the loin’s Adam’s. Allah says:
And remember when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying), Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes; We testify, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Verily, we were unaware of this. (7:172)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

It will be said to a man from the people of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, If you owned all that is on the earth, would you pay it as ransom? He will reply, Yes Allah will say, I ordered you with what is less than that, when you were still in Adam's loins, that is, associate none with Me (in worship). You insisted that you associate with Me. (Ahmad3:127)

When Allah created Adam, He wiped Adam's back and every person that He will create from him until the Day of Resurrection fell out from his back……

This can possibly mean that we existed at that time as ‘data’ (possibly as the numerous combinations of genes and chromosomes that make up each human body) or as a ‘formula’, or in some form known to the Lord, as He is the Knower and Creator of all things.

We all started our journey with the Adam (pbuh). All this time we were in existence, coming down generation after generation. Our real journey began when the soul entered the body while we were in the womb of our mothers. Take for example oxygen and hydrogen; if both are combined with a particular proportion H2O (water) is formed. The same concept of existence as a formula is applicable to human beings.

We are not responsible for our shape, form, intellect, or vision. All these attributes of ours were coming down through the ages, since Allah (swt) created Adam (pbuh). Is it Allah (swt) Who decreed when we would appear in the dimension of space and time, in a particular way, and in a particular place.

Our conscious journey started when we were able to choose and understand. So whatever situation we may be in we must always beg Allah (swt) to help us to keep our focus. Some things we have no control over. What is important is to be grateful for what Allah (swt) has provided for us and utilize it to make the remainder of the journey beneficial.

The journey doesn’t stop when the soul leaves the body and does not return to it. It is accustomed to leave the body in our physical life any This is mentioned in Surah Az-Zumar;

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الأُخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect
(Chapter 39, verse 42)

One day our souls will leave and won’t return. However our journey still continues. Even after resurrection the journey continues. You will continue until you cross the Pul Sirat, and then your journey will come to an end.

Our program in this life is to prepare ourselves. This is why it is imperative to never lose our focus, which is Allah (swt). Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us to focus on our Creator. when he went on the Miraj he was alone with the Lord. As we are supposed to understand that we are living in the presence of the Divine, we feel so when we are in worship (Salaat).

He (saw) tells us that salaat is our Miraj. One of the benefits of salaat is that it allows us to concentrate on the existence of Allah, and that He is always in front of us.

We physically focus on the Kabaa and we know that Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that Allah (swt) comes between you and the Kaba when you stand for salaat. With this in mind it is important to draw reference to Hazrat Ali ibn Abu Talib (as).

In the Battle of Siffin an arrowhead pierced the thigh of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as). It was not possible to pull it out because of the unbearable pain it caused. When Imam Hasan (as) was consulted in the matter, he told the people to just wait till his father stands for prayer and to remove the arrow while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) was praying.
Accordingly the arrow was pulled out while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) praying and he was totally oblivious of the excruciating pain. When Hazrat Ali (as) stood for prayers, the world ceased to exist for him, his entire being was totally immersed in the contact he had established with his Creator and his relationship with Him.

If you can cultivate and culture the ability to focus and concentrate on Allah, you will find that you will be fighting a battle with the Satan, as he wants to divert you from your goal.

By concentrating on the Qalb you will be able to better focus on the Lord. As you try to do so, you will find that your minds begin to waver and all kinds of thoughts come into it. This is the working of the Satan, who is trying to divert you. You will find that it takes a lot of effort to keep your focus. You must know that this is you internal jihad. This is one reasonas why meditation is important. It allows us to develop your focus.

Allah (swt) is Al Lateef, i.e. He is the Most Loving, Most Kind and Most Tender. No one can love like Him, and know that He loves His creatures. He will never let you down. This is why the 5th stage in spirituality is called ‘realization’. When you realize that you are nothing and that Allah (swt) is everything, you will know that your importance is solely because of His Mercies on you, and that your success is because He has been gracious to you.

You will want to please Him and get closer to Him, you will begin to have overflowing love for Him. Begin this process by concentrating on your Qalb and proceed as He will allow you to do.

CULTIVATING YOUR FOCUS

Thursday 23rd October 2008

Zikr Lesson for the week
Cultivating your focus
_______________________________________________________________________________

When Allah created Hazrat Adam, He created the entire human species in the loin’s Adam’s. Allah says:
And remember when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying), Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes; We testify, lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Verily, we were unaware of this. (7:172)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

It will be said to a man from the people of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, If you owned all that is on the earth, would you pay it as ransom? He will reply, Yes Allah will say, I ordered you with what is less than that, when you were still in Adam's loins, that is, associate none with Me (in worship). You insisted that you associate with Me. (Ahmad3:127)

When Allah created Adam, He wiped Adam's back and every person that He will create from him until the Day of Resurrection fell out from his back……

This can possibly mean that we existed at that time as ‘data’ (possibly as the numerous combinations of genes and chromosomes that make up each human body) or as a ‘formula’, or in some form known to the Lord, as He is the Knower and Creator of all things.

We all started our journey with the Adam (pbuh). All this time we were in existence, coming down generation after generation. Our real journey began when the soul entered the body while we were in the womb of our mothers. Take for example oxygen and hydrogen; if both are combined with a particular proportion H2O (water) is formed. The same concept of existence as a formula is applicable to human beings.

We are not responsible for our shape, form, intellect, or vision. All these attributes of ours were coming down through the ages, since Allah (swt) created Adam (pbuh). Is it Allah (swt) Who decreed when we would appear in the dimension of space and time, in a particular way, and in a particular place.

Our conscious journey started when we were able to choose and understand. So whatever situation we may be in we must always beg Allah (swt) to help us to keep our focus. Some things we have no control over. What is important is to be grateful for what Allah (swt) has provided for us and utilize it to make the remainder of the journey beneficial.

The journey doesn’t stop when the soul leaves the body and does not return to it. It is accustomed to leave the body in our physical life any This is mentioned in Surah Az-Zumar;

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الأُخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآياتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect
(Chapter 39, verse 42)

One day our souls will leave and won’t return. However our journey still continues. Even after resurrection the journey continues. You will continue until you cross the Pul Sirat, and then your journey will come to an end.

Our program in this life is to prepare ourselves. This is why it is imperative to never lose our focus, which is Allah (swt). Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us to focus on our Creator. when he went on the Miraj he was alone with the Lord. As we are supposed to understand that we are living in the presence of the Divine, we feel so when we are in worship (Salaat).

He (saw) tells us that salaat is our Miraj. One of the benefits of salaat is that it allows us to concentrate on the existence of Allah, and that He is always in front of us.

We physically focus on the Kabaa and we know that Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that Allah (swt) comes between you and the Kaba when you stand for salaat. With this in mind it is important to draw reference to Hazrat Ali ibn Abu Talib (as).

In the Battle of Siffin an arrowhead pierced the thigh of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as). It was not possible to pull it out because of the unbearable pain it caused. When Imam Hasan (as) was consulted in the matter, he told the people to just wait till his father stands for prayer and to remove the arrow while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) was praying.
Accordingly the arrow was pulled out while Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) praying and he was totally oblivious of the excruciating pain. When Hazrat Ali (as) stood for prayers, the world ceased to exist for him, his entire being was totally immersed in the contact he had established with his Creator and his relationship with Him.

If you can cultivate and culture the ability to focus and concentrate on Allah, you will find that you will be fighting a battle with the Satan, as he wants to divert you from your goal.

By concentrating on the Qalb you will be able to better focus on the Lord. As you try to do so, you will find that your minds begin to waver and all kinds of thoughts come into it. This is the working of the Satan, who is trying to divert you. You will find that it takes a lot of effort to keep your focus. You must know that this is you internal jihad. This is one reasonas why meditation is important. It allows us to develop your focus.

Allah (swt) is Al Lateef, i.e. He is the Most Loving, Most Kind and Most Tender. No one can love like Him, and know that He loves His creatures. He will never let you down. This is why the 5th stage in spirituality is called ‘realization’. When you realize that you are nothing and that Allah (swt) is everything, you will know that your importance is solely because of His Mercies on you, and that your success is because He has been gracious to you.

You will want to please Him and get closer to Him, you will begin to have overflowing love for Him. Begin this process by concentrating on your Qalb and proceed as He will allow you to do.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

It is the concept that involves the ability, capacity and skill to manage the emotion of one self and to enhance thought. In the past traditional definitions of intelligence emphasised cognitive aspects such as memory and problem solving. Later on researchers began including aspects such as social intelligence in it.

As Psychologists continued with doing research, Howard Gardner introduced the theory of Multiple Intelligence (frames of mind: The theory of Multiple Intelligence). From his and other researches it was found that the traditional definitions of Intelligence lacked the ability to explain performance outcomes.

It was perhaps Wayne Payne in his thesis: A study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence, who introduced the term Emotional Intelligence. Later on interest in this field of research increased.

Exactly what is Emotional Intelligence, Researchers have not yet been able to give a clear definition. It was believed to be, "the ability to monitor one's own and others' feeling and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and reactions. (Emotional Intelligence; P.Salovy and J.D.Mayer). At present there are three main models of Emotional Intelligence. These models are:

• Ability,
• Mixed, and
• Trait.

Ability based model:

This model can be defined as useful sources of information that help one to make sense of and navigate the social environment. This model has four types, viz.
• perceiving,
• using,
• understanding,
• managing.

Perceiving: It is the basic of emotional intelligence, and has the ability to detect and decipher things.
Using emotions to facilitate thought. The ability to harness emotion to think and solve problems.
Understanding: the ability to comprehend emotion language.
Managing: the ability to regulate emotions in ourselves and in others.

Mixed model: The term "mixed model" stems from the fact that the model mix together the core idea of emotional intelligence and other personality traits.

Trait model: There are several reasons why emotional intelligence is connected to personality. It is part of the human personality which influences internal experience and social interaction.

There are differences among the Psychologists regarding the definition of each model and the way of measuring them.

Emotional Intelligence is composed of five dimensions:

Self awareness: how a person feels,
Self management: control on one's emotions,
Self motivation: determination to continue in spite of setbacks,
Empathy: being sensitive to others' feelings
Social skills: the capability to control the emotions of others.

Emotional Intelligence improves an individual's social effectiveness, as some people with high EI can accomplish certain tasks very easily while it may not be the same with others who have a lower EI. People who are high in EI are good in establishing positive social relationship with others, avoiding conflicts and other social altercations; such people can help others to live in harmony in a group; as EI is part of the personality and can influence thought.

According to Islamic teachings, the heart plays a major role in regulating emotions, and has a direct connection to EI. It affects the amygdale portion of the brain that plays the most important role in person's emotion.

The heart is the source of intuitive feeling. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal wrote about it the following:

The heart has a kind of inner intuition or insight which, in the beautiful words of Rumi, feeds on the rays of the sun and brings us into contact with aspects of Reality, other that those open to sense perception. It is, according to the Qur'an, something which sees, and its reports, if properly interpreted, are never false. (Reconstruction of Religious Thoughts in Islam).

Islam being the Perfect way of Life has the prescription for the development of every aspect of human life. It enjoins upon the Muslims to pursue the path of moderation thereby creating a balanced personality. It does not prohibit or inhibit the development of the different aspects of the personality but guide the believers in avoiding dealings that can result in harmful consequences, individually and socially. One such dimension is the Emotion. Some of the areas mentioned in the Qur'an are:

Intellect pursuit: Allah encourages the believers to develop their intellect by pondering on the creation in nature, by studying about the mysteries of the body and by trying to know about the wisdom contained in the verses of the Qur'an. Some of the references are:

• Pondering on the creation in nature:
Behold, in the creation of the skies and the earth; and the alternation of Night and Day, there are signs for men of understanding; men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides; and contemplate on (the wonders) of the creation in skies and the earth. (3:190-191)

• Studying about the mysteries of the body:
Soon will We show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions of the earth, and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. (41:53)

• Trying to know some of the wisdom contained in the verses of the Qur'an:
Do then not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur'an, or are their heats locked up by them. (47:24)

Make sober decisions: In times of stress, etc. one should not be carried away with emotions, and must consider carefully what is to be done. For example, one should not contemplate committing suicide. Allah says:

(O you who believe), do not kill (or destroy) yourselves; verily, Allah has been most Merciful unto you. (4:29)
And do thou be patient, for thy patience is but from Allah, nor grieve over them; and distress not thyself, because of their plots. For Allah is with those who restrain themselves; and those who do good. (16:127-8)

Emotional upset: A person should try to remain calm, and if something is disturbing or has disturbed him, that person should not let it weigh down heavy on him. Allah says:
Those who have done something wrong to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except Allah? And (those) who are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in the wrong they have done. (3:155)

Emotionally disturbed: When some one has done wrong and is worried about it, that person can take counsel from the fact that if he turns sincerely to Allah and repent, Allah will forgive. Allah says:

Ask forgiveness from your Lord, and turn unto Him in repentance, for my Lord is indeed full of mercy and loving kindness. (11:90)
Lo, good deeds annul ill deeds. (11:114)
Say, O My servants who have transgressed against their souls; despair not on the Mercy of Allah; for Allah forgive all sins. (39:53)

Controlling anger: Islam teaches that a person should control his anger. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said that a best drink is to control ones anger. Allah says:

Those who spend, whether in prosperity or in adversity; who restrain anger and pardon (all) men; for Allah loves all those who do good. (3:154)

Display Compassion: A person should try, at all times to show compassion. Allah says:
"… and to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to compassionate kindness. (90:17)

Establish restraint: A believer is supposed to restrain himself and do not be carried away with emotions. Allah says, regarding one of the purposes of fasting that it helps a person to establish restraint. He says;

O you who believe, fasting is prescribed to you, as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (practice) self-restraint. (2:183)

Islam wants that all the organs associated with the emotional dimension of a person should remain functioning normally; as a result, anything that disturbs anyone of them is not permitted. This is one of the reasons why intoxicants are prohibited.

One of the best ways prescribed by Islam for controlling and developing EI is found in the Command given by Allah in the following verse:

Do good (to others) as Allah has been good to you; and do not make mischief in the land, for Allah does not love those who make mischief. (28:77)

OUR FOCUS IN LIFE

OUR FOCUS IN LIFE
Text of a Lecture delivered by
Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

Brothers and sisters, a sober minded believer is supposed to reflect on the past activities and make resolutions for improvement in the future, as like is like snow-ball, it keeps getting less and less all the time. Each Muslim must always keep in front of him two important issues. These are:
• He has to build a good relation with his Lord.
• He has to keep good relation with his fellow human beings.

Relation with the Lord:

A believer knows that while every human being is returning to the Lord, few will ever meet with Him. In order to reach that goal one has to always keep in mind what Allah says in the Holy Qur'an in the following verse:

Whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and in the worship of his Lord, (he must) not join any partner with Him. (18:110)

Joining partners with Allah means diverting one's focus from the Straight Path, which is the only way to get to Him. Many people do good deeds in every community and religion, but along with their good deeds they worship creatures instead of the Creator alone, and as a result they will not get back to Him.

It is necessary to keep in mind the important message that:

All that is on the earth will perish, and the Face of the Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour will abide forever. (55:26-7)

So any creature that is worshipped as gods besides Allah will no longer be existing when every thing on the earth will be destroyed.

Believers are a special people, as they are accustomed to meet Allah, at least five times everyday in worship. In addition to this experience, Allah tells them to catch hold of His Hand. When this is done He will take that fortunate person along to the Garden. He says;

Whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. (2:258)

And just as Muslims greet each other with the salutation of peace, so too, Allah says:

Peace, a Word (of Salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful. (36:58)

A believer can strengthen the bond with his Lord by manifesting true and sincere love for Him.

Those who have faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. (2:168)

He can demonstrate this practically by loving Prophet Muhammad (pboh) more than anything else, as the Prophet (pboh) is the beloved of Allah. Allah says:

Relationship with fellow human beings:

The next important area of focus of the believer is his relation with fellow human beings. In this connection he has to keep the following in mind.

• Good and evil are not equal, it is not correct to fight evil with evil. Allah says:
Good and evil are not equal; repel (evil) with what is better (i.e. with good). Then will he between whom and thee was hatred (will) become as it were thy intimate friend. (41:34)
• A person must love for others what he would like for himself. Allah says:
Do good to others as Allah has been good to you. (28:77)
Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have told his companions that: A Muslim is he who likes for his brother what he would like for himself.
• A Muslim must be prepared to help his brother or sister in times of need. Allah says:
And what will explain to thee what the steep path is: it is the freeing of the bondman; or giving food in a day of privation, to the orphan with claims of relationship; or to the indigent (down) in the dust. Then will he be of those who believe; and enjoin patience (and constancy) and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion. (90:12-17)
• A true believer will never try to make mischief or be cause of mischief in the land. Allah says:
Do not spread mischief, discord or corruption in the earth; Allah does not love people who spread corruption and mischief. (28:77)

Always be aware of the fact that Allah has appointed a Satan with each human being to divert his focus from the Straight Path. He will make the evil of the world most attractive to catch those who do not have the will power to resist. Try your best to keep your focus and work towards returning to your Lord successfully, so that He will be pleased with you and you will be well pleased to meet Him.

Polishing the Heart

Thursday 9th April 2009

Zikr Lesson for the week

Polishing the heart
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said; “Behold ! there is a piece of flesh in the body. When it is sound, the whole body is sound, and when it is unsound, the whole body becomes unsound. Behold ! it is the heart.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

The main organ in our personality is our heart and the most important matter of our personality is our intention. Your intention comes from your heart. Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said; “Actions are judged by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

Allah (swt) speaks of the intentions of the true believers in Surah Al-Insan;

“And they feed, for the love of Allah, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive, - (Saying),"We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.”
(Chapter 76, verse 8-9)

As long as your intention is Allah (swt), He will reward you. Our intention comes from the heart. This is why Satan whispers to the hearts of man. He wants to change your intention because the heart will influence the other organs. This is why we must keep our heart clean and pure. Everything centers around the heart. As long as your intention is good, Allah (swt) will take care of you, even though you may sometimes perceive the outcome as being unfortunate.

Allah (swt) says in His Holy Words;

“He moves between a man’s heart and chest”. (8:24)

What does this mean? The purpose of zikir is to try and polish your heart and make it God conscious. There is a special gem in our hearts called the ruh. This is made of extremely refined light. And, if properly nurtured it will grow inside of us and become bright.

We would all want this gem to be clean and shinning. But when we do wrong, our nafs puts a dark stain on it Allah (swt) says:

By no means, but on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do. Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day will they be veiled. Further, they will enter the Fire of Hell. (83:14-16)

Let us therefore keep our hearts clean and shinning and Inshaa Allah the light that shines in our heart will penetrate the other cells of the body. By achieving this we would be able to reflect the Light of Allah (swt) in our bodies and when it is time to depart from this world the grave would not be dark and scary, instead it will become enlightened.

Rasulullah (saw) said that the heart gets rusted as iron gets rust. The Sahaabas asked him what could cleanse this and Rasulullah (saw) replied, “Frequent recitation of the Qur’an and Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah (swt).”

If we can keep our hearts bright and shining, it will have the capacity to reflect the light of Allah (swt). Then, wherever we may be, we will be reflecting something of the beauty and grandeur of Allah. We will then be a true Vicegerent of Him and will be able to be on the earth when every thing but His Nur will be on it. About this He says in Qur’an, the following:

“And He will cause the earth to shine with the glory of its Lord. The Record (of Deeds) will be placed (open), the prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward; and a just decision pronounced between them; and they will not be wronged. (39:69).

One of the missions of Prophet Muhammad (saw) is to reflect the light of Allah (swt) into the hearts of his followers. This special mission was given to him on the night of Miraj, when he was alone with his Lord, and at that time, received from the Merciful One, a true reflection of Tawheed on his heart.

What we have to do is to be a recipient of this light by cleaning and polishing our heart, so that there will be no hindrance to prevent the light from reaching it. If we can do this the light from the heart will thereafter permeate through the entire body and our intentions will become refined.

Try and make your motive solely for the pleasure of Allah (swt). Use the assets and skills He has bestowed upon you for His sake and pleasure, and insha Allah He would take care of your affairs; put you with those on whom He will favor on that Day.

Good Friday Sermon

GOOD FRIDAY SERMON
By Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

After praising Allah and sending peace and salutations on His Beloved Messenger, I wish to recite what Allah says in His Holy Words. He says:

If anyone withdraws himself from remembrance (of Allah), Most Gracious, We appoint for him an evil one; to be an intimate companion for him. Such evil ones really hinder them from the Path; but they think that they are being rightly guided. (43:36-37)

We look at past historical events and see how these verses were applicable. Take for example, Pharaoh became so intoxicated with power that he said to the people: I am your lord most high. (79:24) This is because Allah allowed Satan to decorate the material things for him and caused him to forget about the mission of submission.

Also when Lot tried to discourage the people from the evil that they were doing they said: Drive out the followers of Lot from your city; these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure. (27:56) These people were also enticed by Satan to uphold the evil, and allowed themselves to be fooled thinking that what they were doing was right.

Of special importance is the people who are the progeny of Isaac, i.e. the Israelites. Allah had been especially generous to them in many ways. For example:

• He preferred them to all other tribes and nations. (2:47)
• They were delivered from the bondage of Pharaoh. (2:48)
• He separated the sea and allowed them to get safely to the other side. (2:50)
• They were protected from the heat of the sun in the desert. (2:53)
• They were fed by the Lord. (2:57)
• They were offered luxury, comfort and sustenance in a city. (2:60)

In spite of all the favours they kept on rejecting the Message and even slew some of the Messengers. Allah kept sending reminders all the time that they should believe in His Oneness and submit humbly to Him. But they rebelled.

Finally, Allah sent Prophet Jesus as the last of the Israelite Prophets, in a very miraculous way. Jesus had:
• a virgin birth
• he spoke in the cradle
• he displayed wisdom as a youth
• he performed many miracles

The Israelites never listened to his message. This frustrated him very much. He was looked upon as a faith healer, and the people used to go to him to get physical help rather than to listen to the word from God.

All this time the Israelites wanted a king to take them out of the yoke of the Romans, and they decided to make Jesus the king. Because he refused they decided to humiliate him and planned to have him crucified. Allah revealed in the Holy Qur'an about their plot the following verse:

They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but so it was made to appear unto them. (4:159)

When you examine the Biblical recordings of the alleged crucifixion, you will find the following uncertainties:

• Jesus was not carrying the cross to the place of crucifixion
• The place became extremely dark and remained like that for many hours.
• There was a terrible earthquake, which even threw out the dead bodies from the graves.
• All the centurions died, and so there was no one to keep law and order.
• Those who remained after all the turmoil and confusion must have crucified someone.

The question is: Who was the one that was put on the cross? Some Christian scholars believe that it was Judas, who was being punished for his betrayal of his master. Others believe that it was Simon, as he was the one carrying the cross. One thing is certain, and that is, there is no evidence that Jesus was actually taken and put on the cross. Some scholars believe that he ran away and hid in a cave.

Allah made it very clear in the Holy Qur'an that he was not crucified. He says:

For a surety they did not kill him. (4:158)

So today, when you see films and other display of the crucifixion of Jesus, you must understand that it is all part of the mischief of Satan who befriended them and makes the wrong appear as the truth to them.

Islam came to clear up all doubts about such issues. In the very beginning Allah says that there is no doubt in this Book. Because the Qur'an is truth and the words are the Words of Allah, we believe it to be authentic. So when Allah says that they did not kill him that is a fact. However, because He also said and so it appeared to them, the majority of the upholders of the Bible that he was crucified. So Satan has successfully implanted in their minds that belief. May the truth come to light.

We beg Allah to bless us with wisdom and understanding and to keep us on the Straight Path.

MILAD-UN-NABI

MILAD-UN-NABI
BIRTHDAY OF THE
PROPHET (pboh)

As Muslims, and as lovers and admirers of Prophet Muhammad (pboh), we are always happy when occasions such as his birth anniversary comes about because it gives us an opportunity to recall something of his most blessed personality and to thank Allah for allowing us to be in his Ummah.

As you go through life you will encounter various problems. For example, sometimes you will experience vehicular problems as a result you will have to consult with a specialist, who in this case, will be a mechanic. Throughout the history of the coming of the Messengers of God, we see that all the Messengers experienced problems with their people and each Messenger prophesised of the coming of someone who would be able to fix those problems.

Allah makes mention of this in His Holy Words. He says:
    ••     ••   
We have not sent thee (O Muhammad) but as a universal (Messenger) to mankind, giving them Glad Tidings and warning them (against sin), but most men do not understand. (34:28)

We see that throughout history, Messengers came one after the other and each one of them left frustrated. Each nation had an arrogant attitude towards the mission of the Messengers. They were not inclined to the idea of humble submission. These Messengers were so frustrated that some of them asked Allah to ‘get rid’ of those nations.

Didn’t Prophet Muhammad (pboh) experience problems with the people? Look at what happened to him in Taif. He was beaten and stoned so much so that it is reported that his shoes were filled with his blood. He was even offered that opportunity by Allah to destroy the people of Taif but what did he do? He prayed for their forgiveness. He came to unite the people and make them realize that we are all from the progeny of Adam and as a result, we are all brothers and sisters in humanity.

Allah says in Qur’an,
          
Allah did confer a great favor on the Believers when He sent among them an apostle from among themselves. (3:164)

This is why we speak and sing of his attributes. No one can say any negative or degrading things about him. It is reported in the books of Ahadith that Prophet (pboh) is reported to have said,

“The people of older times who will never see me alive will love me more than you who are seeing me alive now; so much so that they will sell everything they own just to see me.”

Remember that as long as we are the Ummah of Rasulullah (pboh) we would not have to look for him on that day; he will be looking for you. As a matter of fact he is looking at you all the time.

There is no doubt that Prophet (pboh) is special and unique, and that he is the most blessed of all personalities. It is reported that when Allah wanted to bring creation into existence the first thing He created was the soul of Rasulullah (pboh). Imam Ghazali in his book Nurnamah said that all the souls were created from the blessed soul of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). From this we can say that every human being has a common ideology instilled in their subconscious that there is only One Creator.

Allah sent Messengers to show the people this fact and to teach them to manifest it in their thoughts and actions. Unfortunately the people never took head of the teachings of the Messengers and Allah finally sent the Seal of Prophets and the Universal Messenger, Muhammad (pboh), to rehearse the messages sent before and to perfect the way of life of the true believers.

And we can see the difference in the degree of success he had as compared to the previous Messengers. A good example of this was the acceptance of Islam by Hazrat Bilal. Bilal was an African slave and when he heard the message he began repeating ‘only one, only one’.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) removed all the class and racial barriers; and everyone became a brother or a sister in faith. It is even reported that Prophet Muhammad (pboh) dreamt that he was walking to paradise and he heard footsteps in front of him and he saw that it was Bilal.

Although the Prophet (pboh) was a special person he came as a human being on the earth. This is recorded in the Holy Qur’an in the following verse:
    
Say! Verily, I am a human like you. (18:110)

Through the Grace of Allah he was able to grow and develop as a human being with all the trials and tribulations. All the trials the past Messengers experienced, Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was also subjected to a lot of them and he even absorbed some of the trials of his Ummah, as he was "the mercy to the worlds". Through all this he was able to grow and ascend; and was like the pure milk in he cow that flows between the dung and the blood, yet remaining pure, white, wholesome and beneficial. He was able to live without being contaminated and through his example he gave the people the recipe for success.

One of the favors that Allah bestowed on the Messenger was by invite him into His Divine Presence. Prophet (pboh) was able to ascend to the height where no other creature had ever reached. It was only him and his Lord and Allah told him to “take a look”; and he remained normal while gazing at what the Lord wanted him to look at. Whatever did he looked at, only he and Allah know but look at the difference in status between Prophet Muhammad (pboh) and Prophet Moses. Moses asked to see Allah and Allah told Moses that if he could bear what was to happen to the mountain then possibly he could see Allah.

Allah caused a bit of His Divine vibration to descend on the mountain and the mountain crumbled and Moses fainted. When he regained consciousness he told Allah that he didn’t wish to see Him anymore. Look at the difference between both Messengers. Moses who is the law bringer to the Israelites couldn’t bear what had happened to the mountain and Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was, in the Divine Presence, communicating with his Lord, without feeling any difference in his personality while in the Divine presence.

The Qur’an records that the distance between Allah and our beloved leader was two bows length or even closer. Whatever that means, Allah knows best.

The point is that Rasulullah (pboh) was able to ascend to that point, were no creature had ever been, with his total personality. Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, gave Prophet (pboh) that experience as a gift to his Ummah. It is reported in Hadith that Prophet (pboh) is reported to have said:

Salaat is the Miraj of a believer.
The institution of Salaat which was the special gift to the Prophet at that meeting is the experience of standing and speaking to Allah, with nothing between the worshipper and his Lord. Prophet (pboh) is also reported to have said:

“Whenever you stand for Salaat facing the Kaba, know that Allah comes between you and the Kaba”.

Allah has also favored us by providing us with a unique connection with our leader. In that sacred setting of Salaat we remember our beloved Prophet (pboh) and we even speak to him when we recite the Tashahud; we say:

“Greetings, prayers and our good deeds are for Allah. Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be on you O Prophet”.

When we send salaams on Rasulullah (pboh); we know that he receives them and even return our greetings to us. Some people may try to project that this is not possible as he is no longer physically alive and, therefore he will not be able to hear us and respond. He, however, is reported to have said that

“The bodies of Prophets never decay”;

And he further said that:

“Whenever anyone sends salaams on me Allah causes my soul to re-enter my body and allows me to respond”.

If the Prophet (pboh) knows that we are sending salaam on him and he is responding to us; will it be difficult for him to recognise the one to whom he is knowingly responding on that day? It is even reported in Ahadith that our noble leader (pboh) visits us in the grave.

One of the highlights of the Prophet's success is the fact that he was able to bring a piece of heaven on earth. Some people argue that heaven does not yet exist, even though the Prophet (pboh) visited the seven heavens and their inmates. He has however said that between his Mimbar and tomb is a piece of Paradise. The righteous who are fortunate to visit Madinah will tell you of the special feeling of peace and tranquillity that overpowered them while they were in that portion of the Prophet's (pboh) Mosque.

In addition to the feeling in that area of the Mosque, the believer has the special blessing of reciting the words of Allah—the Holy Qur'an there. That has been for many a most memorable experience.

Allah sums up the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) in Surah Ahzab. He says:
 •       •      
“O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and Warner, - And as one who invites to Allah’s (Grace) by His leave, and as a lamp spreading light”. (33:45-46)

We see from this that Prophet (pboh) has maintained a living connection with his followers. He is that lamp which lights up the way for us to attain closeness and nearness to Allah.

May Allah through His Grace and Mercy bless us all for associating ourselves with His beloved and may we continue to learn and pattern from his blessed attributes, and may Allah allow us to continue associating with him and may He allow him to visit us in our graves.

THE NOBLE MESSENGER

Thursday 12th June 2008


Love for the Beloved

وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
(And raised high the esteem in which you are held)
________________________________________________________________________________

فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوا لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلاً صَالِحًا وَلاَ يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا

“Those who hope to meet their Lord shall work righteousness, and never worship any other god beside his Lord." (Ch 18, v 110)


The above mentioned verse of Sura Kahf outlines the purpose and mission of a believer, “those who hope to meet their Lord shall work righteousness, and never worship any other god beside his Lord”. This verse is telling us that in order to prepare ourselves to meet ALLAH (swt) we must simple do good and stay away from evil. A simple formula that epitomizes our mission in this life; which is to return to, and meet our Lord.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said “ALLAH (swt) is the embodiment of beauty and refinement.” The most beautiful and refined personality to have ever traverse the face of the earth is none other than Prophet Muhammad (saw), because his nafs and ruh were working hand in hand. ALLAH (swt) says about Prophet Muhammad (saw) in Sura Sharh, “Wa rafana laka zikrak”; “and raised high the esteem (in which) you are held”. (Ch 94, v 4)

The essence of the personality of Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the embodiment of admiration and honour, (everything that encompasses good traits). This is why people compose quaseedas, naats and poems about Prophet Muhammad (saw). Reason being his honour, personality and refinement will always be elevated and because of the unwavering love they hold for him. People never did this for the other messengers’, no matter how great they are.

With this in mind our Sheikh has composed the following poem entitled “The Noble Messenger”.
THE NOBLE MESSENGER
(Peace be upon him)

By
Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed
________________________________________________________________________________

Humility, sincerity and a clear understanding,
Were qualities of this simple man;
Whose mission was to keep reminding
Of obedience, to Allah's commands.

Although he had a humble beginning,
In poor Haleema's loving arm;
Her condition changed when she took him;
Then she led the caravan.

As an orphan he was always moving,
From one home to another;
Until he experienced Allah's Blessings,
When he married Khadijah.

He was extremely kind and loving,
Alike to friends and foe;
Generosity from him kept flowing;
He gave but not for show.

As a role model he kept showing
The way of success in life,
By appreciating Allah's blessings
And be willing to sacrifice.

He knew that health was a blessing,
Just like wealth and intellect.
That the material world was very tempting
Morality one should not neglect.

The principles of loving, sharing and caring,
Were always in his mind.
He never stopped what he was preaching
Of the brotherhood of mankind.

One day there'll be the gathering
Of all humanity
And then there'll be the judging
For a place in eternity.

He left with us a Book worth reading,
He was the best of models.
For anyone who may be seeking
A way to cross the hurdles.

O Prophet, on you be Allah's blessings
Up to eternity,
Because of you our hearts are getting
Peace and tranquillity.

Islam and Justice

ISLAM A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE

Dr. Waffie Mohammed
Tuesday 16th September, 2008
Feature Speech at the Opening of the Law Term 2008 / 2009

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Honorable Prime Minister, Ministers, The Honorable Chief Justice, Judges of the High Court, Magistrates, Honorable Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We begin in the Name of Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the worlds, and we invoke peace and salutations on His Final Messenger, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pboh) the Seal of the Prophets and Mercy to the worlds.

It is my honor and privilege to address you this morning, especially, since we both represent ideologies that commit to the perpetuation, nay, the infusion of justice for the benefit of all.

Before I elaborate, let me share with you the context in which I make this admittedly bold pronouncement. It is almost cliché to say that Islam is not a religion, but rather a way of life. We say this because Islam goes beyond the relationship of man with his Maker, and beyond man’s nurturing of his spiritual self, toward the attainment of peace or any other particular goal. It offers in addition guidelines on man’s interaction with his fellow man, as well as his recognition and value of the physical environment. And of course, for the sake of justice, my reference to man is not gender-biased, but includes our women-folk as well.

Islam is based on submission to the will of Allah through which peace is attained. This can only be achieved when it is done in the universal context. As a result, real justice will only be manifested when everyone submits fully to the source of all that is just and well ordered.

According to Islamic teachings, Allah demands justice, and although He has not prescribed a specific route, has provided general guidelines on how to achieve it. He has neither prescribed a fixed means by which it can be obtained, nor has He declared invalid any particular means or methods that can lead to justice. Therefore, all means, procedures, and methods that facilitate, refine, and advance the cause of justice, and do no violate the Islamic Law are valid.

The Qur'an views itself as a scripture devoted mainly to laying down the principles of faith and justice. It demands that justice be met for all, and that it is an inherent right of all human beings under Islamic Law.

The institution of administering justice began when Allah placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were given instructions to uphold what was permitted and stay away from the prohibited. When they violated the Command they were taken to task and the appropriate penalty was given, i.e. they were sent down to earth.

Being the last of the Revealed religions Islam teaches that to render justice is a trust conferred on human beings. It expects that, like all other trusts, fulfillment of justice must be guided by a sense of responsibility beyond mere conformity to set rules. A follower of Islam is guided by the Command of Allah contained in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an; Allah says:

O you who believe; be maintainers of your pact with Allah as witnesses to fair dealings, and let not hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is nearest to righteousness. (5:8)

Islam also constitutes codes of conduct – rights, and responsibilities, that guide man’s relationship with his fellow man, and adds to this his relationship with the physical environment, ensuring all the time that every one is given due care and attention. Allah says:

O you who believe; Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even it be against yourselves, your parents, and your relatives, or whether it is against the rich or the poor. (4:135)

It is in this context that we say Islam is a way of life, and more so, after consideration of those rights and responsibilities imposed on man by Islam, we maintain that is without doubt a way of life that is dedicated to ensuring justice permeates every level of society. This advocacy we find infused throughout the Holy Qur'an; traditions of the Holy Prophet (pboh) as well as is ordained practices and codes of conduct.

Muslims guide themselves with the saying of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). He is reported to have said that Allah said to him:

O my slave; I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you, so avoid being unjust to one another. (Muslim)

As an example, of how important it is for every person to uphold this noble principle, every Friday in almost every Mosque throughout the world, the Imam concludes his Sermon with the reminder to the congregation as follows:

Verily, Allah commands justice, the doing of good to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds and injustice and rebellion. He instructs you, that you may receive admonition. (16:90)

We interpret the term ‘Justice’ to represent that finely tuned balance between individual rights and freedoms on one part, and individual responsibility to the social good – even beyond that – to enforcing the categorical imperative that we each do onto others as we would have them do unto us.

This manifestation of the dedication to justice became refined with the coming of Muhammad (pboh) the Final Messenger, to whom Allah said:

And the Word of your lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His Words. (6:115)

Emphasis of a principle is not enough – the real challenge is to establish its practice with religious fervor, in one’s daily life, both from the moral and ethical point of view, and also as a system with the dos and don't clearly defined. Every individual has a moral duty to himself and others as well as a social responsibility to all with whom he shall come into contact.

Every individual is honorable in the sight of God, and is entitled to be treated equally in the eyes of the Law. However it happens at time that some people, because of their particular circumstances, may behave as if they are special and superior to others. Those persons may even want to use their ‘gifts’ as a means of expressing some form of superiority over others. Allah warns against such practices and says in the Holy Qur'an:

And do not eat up your property among yourselves out of vanity, nor use it as bait for judges, with intent that you may eat up wrongfully and knowingly a little of other people's property. (2:188)

The Holy Qur'an views Justice as an absolute, that is, as an imperative which is unconditionally, universally and absolutely binding—binding on everyone, under all circumstances, and in all situations; binding without considerations of socio-economic position, gender or ethnicity; binding without regard to the distinction of religion, or of power within society, or of income; binding even if it is antagonistic to one personal interest.

Islam accepts this position because Allah says that it is nearest to the virtue of Piety. (5:9)

In the process of upholding what is just, there is the dual need for prevention on one part, and correction on the other – both being goals that must be imposed across the ranges of degrees of formality from codified law, through social standards and expectations to individual choice.

But the question arises as to how these are accomplished within such a cultural diversity of Islam:

Firstly there is the fundamental belief in One God – Allah, who is both All Knowing and Ever Present – His Word is law and He alone can judge us, individually. Amongst His Names some stand out that relate specifically to justice, viz. Al Aadil, the All-Just and Muqsitu, the Dispenser of Justice.

He says: When you judge, do so with justice. (4:58)

Secondly, there is the belief in the Last Day – the day of Judgment – a day in which every single individual who ever walked the face of the earth would be held accountable for his actions as he shall be tried by Almighty Allah. So that we can run from justice and maybe even hide in this life but never shall we ultimately escape.

In the widest sense the pursuit of justice relates to two levels, viz. individual and collective.

The individual level has two dimensions, viz. justice to ones self and justice to other individuals. Then there are two aspects of the pursuit in each case, viz. positive and negative. Thus, at the individual level, four basic rules of justice emerge in the Qur'anic ethics. These are:
• Establish positive devotion to the harmonious development of your personality.
• Remain constantly on guard against all negative factors in respect of every aspect of your personality,
• Give without hesitation to others what is due to them, and
• Refrain absolutely from defrauding others in what belongs to them.

At the collective level, justice takes the following four forms, which have been projected by the Holy Qur'an:
• Justice in social relations
• Justice in respect of the process and enforcement of Law
• Economic justice
• Political justice.

The healthy growth of the society, which influences the growth of the individual, demands the enforcement of all these forms of justice. Accordingly, the Qur'anic motto emerges as follows: Always adhere to justice in respect of self as well as in the interest of others with absolute sincerity and in all comprehensiveness. As a point of note, this builds on the categorical imperative – that single common theme that unites all religions the world over.

Sometimes the administering of justice can be very challenging, as there can be attempts at interference or influence over the decisions to be taken. The repercussions can reverberate to impact on one’s social spheres, or even family life.

But when one understands that the rendering of justice is a trust that God has conferred on the human being and that it ranks as the most noble of acts of devotion next to belief in God; when we are convinced that it is one of the greatest duties entrusted to the Prophets and specially appointed individuals; and when we realize that it is one of the strongest justification for man's stewardship on earth, we shoulder our responsibilities with dignity and honor and let the Merciful Lord take care of our personal matters.

With the intention to serve Him as the basis, we would all ensure that our actions, thoughts, behaviors and very existence emulates justice as we continue on our journey to return to Him, and hopefully we would all arrive at our destination inspired and with peace.

Distinguished guests, it is indeed a great honor to be entrusted with the sacred responsibility of administering justice. As we move into this new law term I pray to the Merciful Lord to make the task easy for everyone connected to it.

I beg Him to bless all of us with wisdom and understanding, so that we shall identify truth and uphold it, and that we may recognize evil and abhor it.

May He enable us all to be just in all our dealings and our interaction, and help us to bear in mind that one day we shall be called upon to give account for all that we did in this life.

May Allah bless us all,
Thank you.

PLEASE O LORD

PLEASE O LORD

We praise Allah the Lord of Grace,
Whose Divine presence is in every place,
He is the Lord of Compassion;
This He extends to the whole creation.

He is Loving, Kind and Merciful,
Even to those who are sinful,
His Generosity is always there
To everyone He gives a share.

O Allah, I humbly bow to You,
Submitting fully I am trying to,
Hoping to have on that Day
Forgiveness for sins I pray.

Please, O Lord, let it be,
I be submissive willingly,
Fill my heart with love for good,
And be a part of the Brotherhood.

Hate and malice I detest,
Restraint from harming my guest;
Love and kindness I promote
Service to all I devote.

I know You love me dearly,
As I love the Prophet sincerely,
He's our model I've realised
To show us the way to Paradise.

My body and mind I keep clean
I wish to see him in my dream;
A blessing You gave to believers
Who think about the Hereafter.

Please O Lord, at my end,
Cause the angels to descend,
To take my life peacefully
I wish to dwell in Eternity.

Dua

Zikr Lesson for the week
Importance of Dua

Allah (swt) is Most Compassionate and He can do anything or change anything. This is because He is As Samad. One thing He says is that Allah He never changes His Word; however there is some measure of petition that He has left opened for His servants. He says:

And your Lord says: Beg from Me, and I will respond; those who are too proud to beg from Me, they will end up in Hell (40:60)

I listen to the prayers of the suppliant when he calls on Me. (2:186)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

Dua is the marrow and jewel of worship (Trimizi)

Nothing is dearer to Allah (from man) than dua. (Trimizi)

We must understand that everything is Decreed by Allah (swt). For example, it is decreed that Satan’s final abode will be the Hell fire; however he begged Allah (swt) for respite and was granted it until the Day of Judgement. The decree stood for Satan but he was given respite.

Dua is an avenue where we can beg Almighty Allah and, Insha Allah, He will respond. Zakaria (as) begged Allah (swt) to grant him a pious son. He was granted Yahya (as) who later became a Prophet. Allah has recorded this in the Holy Qur'an to show to us that when we make dua, He can respond immediately or fulfil our request at some later date.

Allah has given us another example with Abraham, how in his old age he begged the Lord for a righteous son to carry on his mission. Allah then gave him Ishmael and later Isaac. This means that you should go to your Lord for any and everything before going to other than Him.

If you go to Allah (swt), Insha Allah He will respond. He says:

(O mankind), Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret; lo: He does not love the aggressors. (7:55)

Dua is an avenue for us to approach Allah (swt) and, through His Divine Decree, He can accommodate us. He says in Surah At-Talaq;

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا

And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.
(Chapter 65, verse 3)

Allah (swt) wants us to submit humbly and beg Him. He once told Prophet Musa (as), “O Musa! Ask Me for everything, even the mending of your shoelace”. We constantly acknowledge this in our salaat whenever we recite Surah Fatiha;

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
(Chapter 1, verse 5)

Allah (swt) knows when it’s the appropriate time to bestow His favours upon you. Sometimes we may want something and it might not be beneficial to us and vice versa. He says:

It is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you; and that you love a thing that is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know. (2:216)

Remember no sincere dua is left unanswered. When will it be answered? Only Allah (swt) alone knows. It is possible that Allah may not answer the dua of that person who does make and effort to avoid the prohibited. In this connection Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, you must enjoin what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable, or Allah will certainly send punishment from Himself to you. Then you will make dua and will not receive an answer. (Tirmizi)

Humble yourself and beg Him and, Insha Allah, He will take care of your affairs. He provides sustenance for all of us, even though we may not be conscious of it. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

When making dua, feel sure that Allah will accept it and that He will grant your requests. Remember that Allah will not grant a dua of one who is begging from Him but his mind is elsewhere.

Some of the best times to make dua are:

In the plain of Arafat when the sun is about to set.
In the month of Ramadan.
In the last part of the night.
When on Jihad.
When standing in the rows for Salaat just before it begins.
At the time of rainfall
At the end of the obligatory prayer.
Between the Azan and the Iqamat
When is fasting
When one is on a journey.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

Never pray in the following manner: O Allah, if You feel, have mercy , etc. Instead, you should ask with certainty, so that Allah will accept your prayer, e.g. you should say, O Allah, fulfil my need. Surely, Allah does what He wills.