Assalaamu’alaikum! There some really wonderful Islamic events coming up, so…. I’m just the messenger

Don’t miss the chance to attend them!

Understanding the life and struggle of Prophet Muhammad (s) is imperative upon every Muslim so as to develop our love for Allah’s Beloved Messenger (s). The perfection of our faith rests on our depth and sincerity of love for Prophet Muhammad (s). The “Our Beloved Mustafa” seminar aims to inspire and enhance our love for Prophet Muhammad (s) through a greater understanding of his life, struggle and sacrifice.

SimplyIslam is pleased to organise the 2nd “Our Beloved Mustafa – A Seminar on the Life of Prophet Muhammad.” It will be held on Friday 25 December 2009 (9 am to 4 pm) at SimplyIslam (152 Still Road).

Insha’Allah, the seminar will be graced by the eminent As-Sayyid As-Shaykh Afeefuddin al-Gaylani, the 19th direct descendant of the famous scholar and saint of Islam, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Gaylani (1077-1166 AD/472-561 Hijrah). Other speakers for the seminar include Dato’ Aidit Ghazali (Malaysia), Ustaz Mohammed Iqbal Abdullah (Singapore) and Bro Abdul Shukor Hadi (Singapore).

And, to enliven the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) in our hearts, there will also be a performance of Salawat and Qasidah by the Singapore Haqqani Ensemble.

Join us on this educational journey in expressing and enhancing our love for our Beloved Mustafa (salallahu alaihi wasallam). For enquiries, please call Sis Saira at Tel 65474407 or email saira@simplyislam.sg. For details visit www.simplyislam.sg

Don’t miss SimplyIslam’’s 2nd “Our Beloved Mustafa” seminar!

InshaAllah, Raudhotul Muhibbin mengundang anda bersama keluarga dan teman-teman ke Majlis Qasidah Burdah bersama Habib Hassan al Kaff murid Habib Umar bin Hafiz.

Mari hadirkan diri di dalam majlis yang menanam dan menumbuhkan benih cinta terhadap Rasulullah s.a.w. Semua dipersilakan hadir.

Sila sebarkan maklumat mengenai majlis ini kepada para pecinta yang ingin menjadi tetamu Rasulullah s.a.w.

Untuk maklumat lanjut sila lungsuri http://raudhotulmuhibbin.com

This course is an introductory course on the Prophetic healing approaches. This course will introduce to participants the medicines and treatments as practised by Prophet Muhammad,salallahu alaihi wasallam. Participants will learn about the remedies for common ailments e.g. fever, migraine, etc, and will learn the medical benefits of certain food items e.g. honey, dates, vinegar, etc. Participants will learn about ruqya and its usage, and understand the treatment of ailments caused by magic and the evil eye. Participants will also learn the theory and practical of the practice of cupping (hijamah).

Commencement Date: Saturday 2 January 2010
Time: 2 pm to 3.30 pm
Frequency: Every Saturday
Teacher: Ustaz Mohamed Salleh Abdul Aziz
Texts: Medicine of the Prophet by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Medium of Instruction: English
No. of Lessons: 10
Fee: $120 only ($40 book + $80 course fee)
Venue: SimplyIslam.sg (152 Still Road) [click here for map]

For more details, visit http://www. simplyislam.sg

Course Name: The Way of the Worshippers
Commencement Date: Friday 1 January 2010
Time: 8 pm to 9.30 pm
Frequency: Every Friday
Teacher: Ustaz Mukhtar Habib
Texts: Minhajul Abideen by Imam Al-Ghazali
Medium of Instruction: English
Duration: 10 months
Fee: $20 per month (Book: $20)
Venue: SimplyIslam.sg (152 Still Road) [click here for map]

The book Minhajul Abideen (English translation) that will be used in this class is considered a summary of Imam Ghazali’s magnum opus, Ihya’ Ulumuddin (Revival of the Sciences).  Imam Abu Hamid Bin Muhammad Bin Muhammad Al-Ghazali is a well-accomplished Islamic scholar who was born in 450 Hijrah (1058 AD), and was a professor at the then famous Nizamia University in Baghdad.  He has written several books covering the areas of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), Tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality) and Philosophy.

The topics that will be covered in this class are:

1. Knowledge and acquaintance
2. Repentance – taubah, causes, refraining, etc
3. Obstacles – abstention, satan’s deception, the self, righteousness, safeguarding glances, eyes, ears, tongue, heart, stomach, jealousy, pride, hope, wastefulness, hastiness, tawakkul, troubles, hardships, patience, entrustment, divine decree.
4. Urge and impetus – hope, fear, self-control, death, grave, paradise, hell
5. Factors ruining worship – ostentation, sincerity, hypocrisy, pride,
6. Praise and gratitude

For more details, visit http://www.simplyislam.sg

I’m aiming for… all of them. Hehe. Okay, okay, especially for Medicine of the Prophet. InsyaAllah… =)

Don’t miss this chance to attend these wonderful events!

Assalaamu’alaikum everyone! I hope you had a blessed Eid-ul-adha wherever you may be. In this festive mood, we often forget about the plight of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, in Africa… let’s include them in our du’aa and may Allah swt Shower His Mercy on them, Amin…

I’ve been in a reflective mood lately. A lot more than usual. I’ve been internalising my actions, the words I speak, the decisions I make… and have been seeking the remedy for it. One of them is this note on Facebook’s The Ideal Muslimah Page =)

Have fun internalising =) We all need it.

من ذاق حلاوةالأيمان عرف مرارة العصيان

“Whoever tasted the Sweetness of Iman, will always Recognize the bitterness of Sins”

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المؤمن أذا ما ذاق حلاوة أو نعيم في الدنيا تذكر حلاوة و نعيم الأخرة

”The sweetness and Joy of this living life, always, reminds the believer in the sweetness & the Joy of the Jannah”

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أصل كل معصيةوغفلة وشهوة الرضا عن النفس، وأصل كل طاعة ويقظة وعفة، عدم الرضا منكعنها

“Every sin, desire and in caution happens due to the self satisfaction & being pleased about yourself, and every good deed, abstinence from unlawful desires and carefulness is due to being unpleasant and dissatisfied about yourself”

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من علامات موتالقلب: عدم الحزن على مافاتك من الموافقات، وترك الندم على مافعله من وجودالزلات

”From the signs of hardened Hearts are: Not Being Sad and upset for the missed good deeds, and not regretting the bad deeds you have committed”

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لا تنظر الى صغرمعصيتك و لكن أنظر الى عظم من عصيت

”Never Look to how small is The Sin you’ve committed, but, always, Look to the Greatness of the One You Disobeyed”

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الأعمال : صورقائمة ، وأرواحها : وجود سرالإخلاص فيها

”Good deeds are nothing but abstracted cold pictures but only sincerity brings life to these deeds”

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أُطلب قلبك فيثلاثة مواطن عند قراءة القرآنوفي مجالس الذكر وفي الخلوة.

فإن وجدت قلبك وإلافاسأل الله أن يمن عليك بقلب فإنهُ لا قلبلك.

Look for the Tenderness Of Your Heart Only In Three Places:

The Time When You Recite The Quran

The Time When You Are Alone In Privacy

If You Didn’t Find Your Heart In Any Of Those Places, Then Ask Allah To Give You A Heart because You Do Not Have One!!!

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إن مثل الدنيا والآخرة كمثل المشرق والمغرب…

متى ازددت من أحدهما قرباً ازددت من الآخربعداً

“The Example Of This Life & The Hereafter Is Like The example Of The East & The West, the closer you get to one side, the farther you are away from the other side.”

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من لم يعرف قدرالنعم بواجدانها – عرفها بوجود فقدانها .

“Whoever doesn’t recognize the value of Blesses when they are obtained, He will recognize their Value when they are absent!!”

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قال أبو الدرداء : أضحكني ثلاثوأبكاني ثلاث : أضحكني مؤمل الدنيا والموت يطلبه وغافل لايغفل عنه وضاحك ملء فيه ولا يدري أساخط ربه أم راض – وأبكاني: هول المطلع وانقطاع العمل وموقفي بين يدي الله ولا أدري أيؤمر بي إلى الجنة أم النار

Abu Al-Darda’a ( رضي الله عنه ) Said:

Three things made me laugh & three things made me cry:

The Three Who Made Me Laugh Are:

(1) A person who has long high hopes In this Life while death is looking for him

(2) A person who is Unthinking while he is being watched and observed by Allah

(3) A person who Laughs while he does not know whether Allah is pleased with him or not

The Three That Made Me Cry:

(1) The hardship and the scary scene of the Day of Judgment!!!

(2) The inability to make any more good deeds after death

(3) My standing before Allah while not knowing whether I am going to heaven or to Hellfire!!!

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الدنيا كالماء المالح….كلما ازددت منها شربا ازددت عطشا

“The Example of this life is like salty water, the more you drink from, the more you get thirsty!!!”

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لا خير في لذة تعقب ندما

“Thereis no goodness and benefit in any pleasure that is followed with regret.”

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إذا نطقت فاذكر من يسمع ، و إذا نظرت فاذكر من يرى ، و إذا عزمت فاذكر من يعلم

“If you ever talk then remember the One who hears everything,

If you intended to do anything then remember the One who knows everything!!!”

http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=155894487213

By Muhammad Alshareef

When news of the Christian army that had prepared on the horizons to wipe out Islam reached him, Abu Qudaamah Ash-Shaamee moved quickly to the Mimbar of the Masjid. In a powerful and emotional speech, Abu Qudaamah ignited the desire of the community to defend their land, Jihad for the sake of Allah.

As he left the Masjid, walking down a dark and secluded alley, a women stopped him and said, “As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaah!” Abu Qudaamah stopped and did not answer. She repeated her salam again, adding “this is not how pious people should act.”

She stepped forward from the shadows. “I heard you in the Masjid encouraging the believers to go for Jihad and all I have is this…” She handed him two long braids. “It can be used for a horse rein. Perhaps Allah may write me as one of those who went for Jihaad.”
The next day as that Muslim village set out to confront the crusader army, a young boy ran through the gathering and stood at the hooves of Abu Qudaamah’s horse. “I ask you by Allah to allow me to join the army.” Some of the elder fighters laughed at the boy. “The horses will trample you,” they said.

But Abu Qudaamah looked down into his eyes as he asked again, “I ask you by Allah, let me join.” Abu Qudaamah then said, “On one condition, if you are killed you will take me with you to Jannah amongst those you will be allowed to intercede for.” That young boy smiled. “It’s a promise.”

When the two armies met and the fighting intensified, the young boy on the back of Abu Qudaamah’s horse asked, “I ask you by Allah to give me 3 arrows.” “You’ll lose them!” The boy repeated, “I ask you by Allah to give me them.”

Abu Qudaamah gave him the arrows and the boy took aim. “Bismillaah!” The arrow flew and killed a Roman. “Bismillaah!” The second arrow flew, killing a second Roman. “Bismillaah!” The third arrow flew, killing a third Roman. An arrow then struck the boy in the chest – knocking him off the horse. Abu Qudaamah jumped down to his side, reminding the boy in his final breaths, “Don’t forget the promise!”

The boy reached into his pocket, extracted a pouch and said, “Please return this to my mother.” “Who’s your mother?” asked Abu Qudaamah. “The woman that gave you the braids yesterday.”

Think about this Muslimah. How did she reach this level of Taqwa where she would sacrifice her hair when today other women do the same to imitate Kafir icons, and her son when other women would die so long as their son stayed home.

Indeed, she spent her life in the obedience of Allah, and when exam time came, she passed. Not only did she pass herself, but her children shone with that same beauty of Iman, children that she herself raised.

Very often – and perhaps in our times when we have forgotten much of the Sunnah – the lectures, khutbahs, and talks are all directed to the Muslim men. We forget that from the Hady – guidance and way – of Rasul Allah – sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam – was that he would allocate a specific day of the week to teach the women.

Women would come up to him in Hajj, in the street, even in his home and ask him questions about the Deen. At the Eid Salah, after addressing the men, he would take Bilal and go to the women section and address the women.

Allah revealed an entire Surah by the name of Surah An-Nisa – the Women. And another by the name of – Maryam. And a third by the name of al Mujaadalah– the women who pleads. It is in enlivening this Sunnah that today this speech shall be addressed to the believing women, al-Mu’minaat.
Dear Sister, Dear Mother, Dear Daughter. Everyone is looking for happiness and fun, and I am sure you are not excluded. Where is that happiness and fun though? And where and when do you want that happiness?

Do you want happiness, do you want to have `fun’ in this life at the expense of the hereafter? Or is it in the hereafter, when you meet Allah that you want to be happy?

Every where you go you shall find a swarm of people and media and culture swearing to you that happiness is the happiness of the Dunya. Is it really happiness though? On the day of Repayment, Allah shall take the most `happiest’ kafir of the Dunya and dip him in Jahannam – Hellfire. Then He shall ask him, “Have you ever seen any happiness?” The Kafir will say, “Never!”
Nay, the happiness is only the happiness of the hereafter no matter what happens in this Dunya. Allah shall bring on the Day of Repayment the most tested human and dip him in Jannah – Paradise. He shall then ask him, “Have you ever seen sadness?” And that person shall say, “Never!”

And don’t think that this happiness and fun is exclusive to the hereafter. It is very much tied to this life as well. Listen and understand the words of Allah:

“Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer verily to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter). –”

[Surah AnNahl (16/97)]

Dear Sister, you have to understand that you or anyone may enter Hellfire! By Allah, we are not better than Fatimah, the daughter of Rasul Allah – sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. And he said to her, “O Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad, Ask me whatever you wish from my wealth, for I shall avail you nothing to Allah.” Meaning that it doesn’t matter if you’re my daughter, if you don’t work for Jannah, saying to Allah that my father is so and so will not help you in anyway.

Islam is filled with many Mu’minahs that completed their Taqwa of Allah. When the other girls put up posters of kafir singers and kafir athletes and kafir actresses, you should put up posters in your heart of Fatimah and many other Mu’minahs.

Aasiyah, the wife of Fir’own. Her Eeman in Allah thrived under the shadow of someone that said, “I am your Lord, Most High!” When news reached Fir’own of his wife’s Eeman he beat her and commanded his guards to beat her.

They took her out in the scalding noon heat, tied her hands and feet and beat her perpetually. Who did she turn to? She turned to Allah! She prayed, “My lord, build for me a home with you in Paradise and save me from Fir’own and his deeds and save me from the transgressive people.”

It was narrated that when she said this, the sky opened for her and she saw her home in Paradise. She smiled. The guards watched astonished – she’s being tortured and she smiles?

Frustrated, Fir’own commanded a boulder to be brought and dropped on Aasiyah, to crush her to death. But Allah took her soul before the boulder was brought and she became an example for all the believing men and women till the end of time:

[And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe: the wife of Fir'own (Pharaoh) – when she said, "My Lord, Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir'own and his deeds, and save me from the transgressive-disbelieving people.] -

[Tahreem 66/11]

When we talk about Jihad and Shuhadaa’ – martyrs, do you know who the first Muslim in Islam to be killed in the path of Allah was? It was Summayah, the mother of Ammar. When Abu Jahl heard of her Islam and her husband Yaasir and her son Ammar, he whipped them all and beat them.

So much so, that Rasul Allah would pass by them as they went through this test of their Iman and would say to them, “Be patient O family of Yaasir, for you have a date set (when you shall enter) Jannah!”
As Abu Jahl beat Sumayyah one day, she refused to recant her Deen, something that enraged Abu Jahl. He took a spear as she lay on the burning sand, looking up to the sky, and he speared her through her midsection. She was the first of her family and the entire Ummah to meet Allah as a Martyr.

Dear Sister, our role models come from the Quran. You may have heard the story of the boy and the king. When the entire village became Muslim by the death of that young boy, the king ordered that an enormous fire be kindled and that all those who would not recant their religion be burnt alive.

A Mu’minah, stood with her baby over the fire. She looked at her baby, and seeking her child’s weakness and innocence, she considered turning her back. The baby said to her, “What are you waiting for mother. Go forward for you are on the truth!” She nodded. Then with her baby in hand she was pushed to her death.

["And they ill-treated them for no other reason than that they believed in Allah, Exalted in Power, Worthy of all Praise!- * Him to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And Allah is Witness to all things."]. -

[Surah AlBuruj, 8,9]

And dear sister, your role models come to you from today. As her son tells us, a senior women in a Muslim land decided that all the vanity that normally happens in the gatherings of women was not for her.

She turned to Salah and praying at night, and in her old age, she found herself calling to her so one night from her prayer room. He son says, “I came in and she was in Sajda saying that she was paralysed!” Her son took her to the doctors and she began a cycle of rehabilitation, but there was little hope.

She then commanded her son to take her back home, take her back to her prayer room, take her back to that Sajdah. As she prayed to Allah in her sajdah, the night came when she called to her son. “Astawdi’ukallaah alladhee laa yadee’u wa daa’i'uh – I leave you in the trust of Allah, and whenever something is left in Allah’s trust it is never lost.”

She passed away in her sajdah. Her muscles froze in that position and so they had to wash her body as she was in Sajdah. The prayed Janazah for her as her body was in sajdah. The carried her to the grave yard as her body was in Sajdah.

The buried her as she was in Sajdah. And the Prophet said that we shall all be resurrected on what we died on, she shall be resurrected on the day of judgement in Sajdah to Allah – Jalla Jalaaluhu wa taqaddasat asmaa’uhu – because that it how she lived and died.

Part II

There are many other stories that we know about of powerful believing mothers, wives and sisters and many, many that Allah only knows about. Whenever a halaqah is going on, the Muslim women outnumber the men.

At the American Open University, (www.open-university.edu) the overwhelming majority of students are Muslim women. Go to an Islamic teachers/schools conference, attend a lecture and you shall see the mismatch of sisters to brothers.

Sometimes it is sad to see all these brothers lacking the motivation that many Muslimahs have. But if there is a beautiful sign in all this, it is that – in sha’ Allah ta’ala – those sisters are going to raise an army of believing men and women in the coming generation. WAllahu akbar!
When Imam Ahmad was still young, his father died. He would tell his students of the work his mother went through in raising him, and he would pray for her. In the cold Baghdad nights, she would wake long before him to warm the water so that her son Ahmad could make wudu for Fajr.

Then she would wrap him in blankets, herself cloaked in her Jilbaab, and guide him through the dark, cold alleys to reach the main Masjid, long before Fajr so that her son could get a good seat in class.

Her son Ahmad – at that age in grade 2 or 3 – would sit all day long studying Quran and Sunnah, and she would wait for him to finish so that she could drop him home safely. At the age of 16, she prepared money and food for him and told him, “Travel for your search of knowledge.”

He left for Makkah and Madinah and many other places and et many great scholars. She raised Ahmad to become one of the four greatest Imams in Islam.

Dear sister, after all this, ask a non-Muslim what it is that he wants from you? Does he want you to be liberated? Liberated from what? From Allah and his Messenger? From the Quran and the Sunnah? From Jannah? From this deen that Allah chose for you?

And what is he going to give you in return? Happinness? By Allah, he does not own any happiness to give. Is he going to give you love and protection from punishment in the grave and from the gateke pers of hellfire and from death? Why is it that they want to liberate young beautiful women? Why don’t they liberate the seniors? Why don’t they liberate the indigenous? Why don’t they liberate the inmates? Why is their target audience a young and skinny and tall women (their definition of beauty) between the age of 13 – 28? And why is their first call for you to take off your Hijab?

Remember that friend – if you consider him so – carefully, for – without any doubt, by Allah – he shall be your bitterest enemy on the day of Repayment:

["Friends on that day will be foes, one to another - except the Righteous"] -

[Surah Zukhruf (43/67)]

One Kafirah summed up exactly what they think of women, “It’s not who you are, it’s what you wear and what you look like!” And listen to Fabian, a french `model’ (of what?), as she spit on the fashion industry. “Fashion houses made me into a mannequin, a wooden idol. The mission: to manipulate hearts and alter minds. I learnt how to be worthless, nothing on the inside, cold. We lived in a world of filth in all that filth means.”

When the Prophet – sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam – stood on the plain of Arafah and gave his farewell speech he said to the Ummah, “Treat the women kindly!” History records that in Europe in the same year, at the same time that Islam was saying this, the Christian clergy were arguing hether a women was a human or an animal! Those clergymen are the ancestors of the Kuffar that now want to `liberate’ you.

There is much more than can be said. I shall conclude with the advice of Rasul Allah – sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam – to every Muslim mother, daughter, and wife: “If the women prays her five (Salah), fasts her month (of Ramadan), protects herself (from committing Zina), and listens to her husband, it will be said to her, `from any door you wish, enter Paradise!” Sister, that is where you want to be.

["O ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calls you to that which shall give you life; and know that Allah cometh between a man and his heart, and that it is He to Whom ye shall (all) be gathered."] -

[Surah Anfal 8/24]

Source: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=315642580701&id=106746486174&ref=mf

Assalaamu’alaikum!

Masya’Allah, the khutbah for the Friday prayers today is amazing… and it really stroke a chord with me…

Do read =)

Being good neighbours in Islam

My dear brothers,

The Eidul Fitri is still being celebrated, through visits to one another, as a practice of our Singaporean Muslim community.  This act of visiting one another can help strengthen our relationship, whether as a family, or even broadly as Muslims.

Part of these visits also include visiting our neighbours, as we often meet them more than other people in our lives today. As such, Islam places importance to neighbours, and accord them rights that must be fulfilled accordingly. 

 Allah s.w.t mentions in Surah al-Nisa’ verse 36: 

“Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers (far), the companion by your side, the wayfarer (that you meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah love not the arrogant, the boastful.”

My dear brothers,

Why are our neighbours given this high status in Islam? It is clear that they are the closest people to us, in terms of dwelling. In times of difficulties or crises, they are the ones who can react fastest or those who first know about what may have happened to us. They are the earliest people who can help us when we need help.

As such, being good to neighbours is taught to us by our beloved Prophet s.a.w:

“Whoever believes in Allah and the hereafter, will do good to his neighbour.” (Narrated by Muslim)
 

This hadith clearly shows that having good relations with neighbours is an important Islamic teaching, to the extent that it reflects upon one’s faith.

Therefore, Islam strongly forbids Muslims from mistreating their neighbours, as mentioned in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah r.a where the Prophet s.a.w said:

“I swear by Allah that one does not have faith, I swear by Allah that one does not have faith, I swear by Allah that one does not have faith! The Prophet was then asked “Who is he who does not have faith? The Prophet s.a.w. replied “One whose neighbour is not safe from his ill-doings/harm.” Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

My dear brothers,

Among the things that we can do to enhance further our relationship with neighbours are as follows:

First : Be aware of, and concerned with, the conditions of our neighbours. As good Muslims, we should be close to our neighbours and know their basic conditions, such as the education of their children, their work and health conditions, so long as none of these are private matters that they do not want others to know. The point of knowing is so that we are able to offer help where relevant.

Second: Communicate with them in a respectful and warm manner, and offer them good words, and to Muslim neighbours, we should offer our “salam” to them.

It is not difficult to offer the “salam”, because we only need to express it verbally, yet, when we say it sincerely, it is immensely useful and beneficial, as noted by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w:

“By He who holds my life in His hand, you do not enter paradise until you have faith, and you do not have faith until you love each other. Would you like me to show you how you can love one another? Spread the “salam” among yourselves.” Hadith narrated by Muslim.

Third: Offer gifts and help where affordable, whether in the form of food or other household items.

The Holy Prophet s.a.w said to his companion Abu Zar: “O Abu Zar, when you prepare food, prepare more (by adding more water/ingredients) and share it with your neighbours.” Hadith narrated by Muslim.

My dear brothers,

With the presence of this month of happiness and celebrations, let us take the opportunity to visit and help one another, and let us establish good relations between us, as a sign of deeper bonds of brotherhood.

May our efforts lead to a more united community, one that helps us collectively strive to overcome all challenges, big or small.

May our good relations with neighbours lead to a harmonious community life that constantly gets the blessings, mercy and protection of Allah, Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.

Beautiful, Masya’Allah… just beautiful…

Assalaamu’alaikum everyone!

I hope it’s not too late…

SubhanAllah… Astaghfirullah, forgive me, I’ve been so preoccupied with work and Ramadhan and now Syawal =)

If you live amongst the Malay-Muslims in Southeast Asia, the coming of Syawal is huge deal. In fact, ‘Eid celebrations are stretched over the entire month of Syawal here, so by hook or by crook, no matter how tired we get, we’d go house-visiting at any free time we have, all for the sake of maintaning and strengthening the ukhwah with our family and friends.

So there’s always mountains of food to be prepared, dozens of relatives and friends to visit, another few dozen more guests to entertain… so yes, we’ve got our hands full.

So, anyway, enough about ‘Eid celebrations in Southeast Asia, in this post I’d like to share a wonderful note I stumbled across on Facebook =)

The Rose Within

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, “How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom… it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them.

This is one of the characteristic of love… to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life… all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the “rose” within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

SubhanAllah… and that is precisely why Islam does not condone monasticism =)

And why I love to say that Islam is a social religion.

I shall end off here, Insya’Allah I’ll be posting more regularly. =)

Have a blessed Syawal everyone! =D

SubhanAllah…

Look at how fast time has flown by.

Not only is it already August, it’s also another Ramadhan here in Singapore.

Doesn’t it scare us sometimes, when we reflect on how we’ve spent our time, and how fast it all went by.

Now do we realise  how temporary the dunya is?

Let’s make full use of this Ramadhan. It’s not just about fasting. If you realise just how special Ramadhan is, I assure you, you’d be chasing after every second of it, doing something meaningful that would benefit you in the hereafter.

Heh, no, I’m not going to tell you. Because all of us, including myself, must make the effort to find out. We cannot be spoon-fed with info all the time. Half the fun is in painstakingly making the effort to search for the knowledge =)

Let us make the effort to be better servants, better members of the ummah, better daughters, better sons; better sisters, better brothers; better neighbours, better friends; better cousins, better aunts,uncles, better leaders… whatever it is the different groups of people that we belong to =)

May Allah swt Give us the strength and determination to achieve all that, to attain MardhatIllah =)

Have a blessed, meaningful Ramadhan everyone!

Assalaamu’alaikum!

I’m just..

Grateful for this week’s khutbah

Do take some time to read through it =)

All khutbahs are wonderful of course, but this stroke a chord with me, especially about handling teenagers =)

Wallahu’alam =)

Humility (Tawadhu’) As An Attribute of a Leader

My dear brothers,

Allah s.w.t has ordained the main responsibility of man as a khalifah on earth. Allah s.w.t says in surah Al-Baqarah, verse 30  :

And when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place in the earth a khalifah, they said: What! Will you place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, while we celebrate Your praise and extol Your holiness? He said: Surely I know what you do not know.

Here, khalifah means one who develops the world to the mutual benefit for all. This means that the responsibility that has been thrust upon mankind is not limited only to humanity alone, but is all-encompassing.

Our beloved Prophet s.a.w. has also stated in a hadith:

“Everyone of you are leaders, and everyone of you will be accountable for those whom you lead; an Imam is the leader of his people, and is responsible for them. A husband is a leader of his family, and is responsible for them. A wife is the leader of the household and she is responsible for the people in her care.”

My dear brothers,

Even as individuals, we all have our own unique responsibilities of leadership. No matter how small that position of leadership is, we need to observe and understand the required attributes that we should have, in order to carry out our responsibilities well.

One of these important attributes is humility. Allah s.w.t. says in surah al-Hijr, verse 88:

“and lower your wings (i.e. be humble) to the believers.”

It is clear from this verse that Allah s.w.t. has told us to be humble, in all places and towards all people.

This attribute, of tawadhu’, tells us that we are not perfect; that we have weaknesses and shortcomings. Thus, by practising tawadhu’, we have to be open-minded towards any criticisms or complaints and treat them as opportunities to improve ourselves. We should not dismiss the critics as being overly critical or to think badly of them, without reflecting on the merit of their words.

When asking for feedback or in listening to criticism, we also need to be humble, and not to be obsessed with our position or status, and therefore dismissing others.

For example, in our family life, a husband has to be willing to accept a rebuke from his wife and not use his position as head of the family to ignore his wife’s opinion or dismiss her suggestion.

Likewise, at work, the supervisor has to listen to the workers if he truly wishes to improve the work environment. In addition, with an improvement to the work environment, he will find that productivity will rise, as will the quality of work, in general.

As a leader, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of the people under us, in order to feel and empathise with their needs. As our beloved Rasulullah s.a.w. has said in a hadith narrated by Ad-Dailami which means:  “The leader of a people will always serve his people.”

Saiyidina Omar r.a. has also said:

” The head of a people is their khadam (servant).”

This is also the idea of service leadership. Thus, a leader needs to feel that their role as a leader is that of service. We should serve those under our charge, in executing our leadership role. We should not lead just to feel powerful, to feel what it is like to have power over people. In the end, such leaders will only do petty things to show that they are in power, while hoping to get monetary rewards or praise, rather than helping their people. A leader who knows that he is doing a service to the people will be more humble and will not be power-hungry. This is the best of leaders.

My dear brothers,

As parents, a father who has a teenage son or daughter needs to understand the teen’s position, to listen to their problems, and not to compare his teenage son’s or daughter’s experiences with his own. Heed these words of wisdom: “Raise your children for their time, for they live in a different time from you.”

Being ready with a listening ear is also important for a humble leader. This is what is meant by the adage: “Try to understand before wanting to be understood.”

Maybe the reason why teens feel it is easier to talk to their friends rather than their parents is that they understand each other more, understand their friends’ needs and mostly, think that their friends will be more ready to listen to them, to take the time to listen, unlike their parents.

Beloved brothers,

Leadership is a duty and a responsibility upon us. This duty and responsibility has to be carried out to the best of our abilities, because the outcomes of what we do is truly great. Not only that, we will be judged on how we have carried out our responsibilities on this earth by Allah s.w.t. in the hereafter.

Let us together strive to act in humility to those we have under our care. Let us place ourselves in their position, to try to understand, to take the time to care about their problems and to spare the time to listen to them. Let us be more willing to accept criticisms or rebukes. Let us all continue to improve ourselves and carry out our duties and responsibilities to the best of our abilities, Amin.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalaamu’alaikum!

I just wanna share this with everyone =)

It is but a reminder to none other than myself first, and for all of us =))

This is an excerpt from

Chapter: Boasting & Arrogance

There are different qualities and kinds of arrogance. The first type is when a person deems himself superior to others. Imam al-Ghazali said,” People of knowledge are in greater danger of arrogance than anyone else” because the knowledge they have attained may lead them to feelings of superiority.

The second type is arrogance displayed in a person who shows contempt and scorn to others. Once a man saw an old woman calling to the Prophet s.a.w. in a boisterous manner; the Prophet s.a.w. stopped to speak with her, showing no signs of annoyance.

When the man saw the Prophet’s calm reaction, he said,”Muhammad s.a.w. is a man unlike the kings of other lands.” It is a marvel how some people act arrogantly because of their perceived piety, while the Prophet s.a.w. himself – “the best of creation” – remained humble.

The third type of arrogance is related to lineage. In some cultures, if one is aware of his “high birth”, he is obliged to behave nobly. The Arabs were that way. If a man was born into a clan known for generosity, it was mandatory for him to be generous. One of the blights of many societies is racism, when people feel and act superiorly because of their race.

The Qur’an lays waste to false claims of superiority and states that the only rank that matters relates to one’s relationship with God:

Many people are honoured by having lineage traceable to the Prophet s.a.w. and his family. While this is indeed an honour in itself, it is something to be venerated when one’s actions are likewise honourable. It is said, ” If your actions hold you back, your lineage will not speed you up.”

Imam al-Haddad once said, ” No person of any consequence should respect or praise an ignorant man, even if he is of noble birth and virtuous birth and ancestry. For to respect such a person in his presence may have an adverse effect on him.

“It may deceive him concerning God, render him neglectful of proper behaviour, and distract him from gathering provision for the Hereafter.”

…

In Islam, we have religious heroes for a reason. To study the personalities of the Companions of the Prophet (r.a.) is to study incredibly great people who were humble.

Abu Hurayrah r.a. – the illustrious repository of prophetic hadith – once sat in the company of another person who immediately moved his feet away from Abu Hurayrah r.a. out of respect for this august Companion of the Prophet.

But Abu Hurayrah r.a. objected: “Why did you move your feet?”
The man said,”Out of deference to you.”
Abu Hurayrah r.a. replied,” For someone like me? I do not see anyone in this gathering worse than me.”

A cousin of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib r.a. asked him,”Who is better, you or Abu Bakr?”
‘Ali r.a. answered,”Abu Bakr.”
And when asked the same question about ‘Umar r.a., he answered,” ‘Umar.”
He then asked him,”What rank do you have?”
‘Ali r.a. said,” I am a Muslim among many.”

It is astonishing to hear people nowadays, who do not come close to the stature, knowledge, wisdom and piety of ‘Ali, who nonetheless are so easily offended when they perceive others have slighted them. And acts that we perceive as humble today are often attempts at attaining the mere appearance of humility.

Ibn Ata’illah said,”If you’re aware of your humility, then you are arrogant.” But scholars say the following,”If you are not like the real people, at least mimic them.” It is better to simulate humility than to be an outright arrogant man. Imam al-Ghazali says,”If one wishes to master calligraphy, then he must go to a master calligrapher and repeat what he does.”

The fourth aspect is arrogance owing to beauty. The cure is to realize that beauty can be the most illusory of things. Social conditioning impacts our sense of beauty more than we would admit. But even if we were to ignore this, why should beauty ever be a cause of arrogance, that obnoxious sense of superiority for something one had nothing to do with?

First of all, God is the Fashioner, it is He who gives all things their shapes and forms. Second, beauty wanes, as the pressures of age and stress tear down flesh. And what we are left with is what we should have focused on in the first place, the content of our character, our beliefs, and our deeds.

The fifth is arrogance due to wealth. The affluent are notorious for showing contempt to those of lesser means. This is not to say that all wealthy people exhibit this. There are generous men and women who recognize the source and responsibility of wealth. But they tend to be the exception.

The sixth is arrogance based on strength. A man once came up to the Prophet s.a.w. and challenged him to wrestle. The Prophet s.a.w. agreed, and twice the Prophet s.a.w. threw him to the ground. The man was astounded that the Prophet s.a.w. was able to do that. “I’ve never been thrown to the ground,” he said. The man’s arrogance was rooted in his personal strength, which he thought none could match.

The seventh is arrogance for having a lot of something, like a teacher having many students and then seeing himself as being better than another teacher. The same is true with those who boast of having many friends, especially those in so-called high places.

The eighth is arrogance for having knowledge. This is particularly insidious, given that knowledge is an honourable matter. A knowledgeable person may believe himself to be superior to others due to the veneration shown to him.

These are the various causes that sow the seeds of arrogance. God Created humanity and Has Given what He Has Not Given to much of His Creation. The intellectual and volitional capacities of humankind are great responsibilities. Ironically, these capacities have the potential of causing people to forget that every blessing we have is a gift from God and something that we are responsible for.

The Qur’an states:

[God] Has Created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed [Al-Mulk:2];

Have We Not Given [man] two eyes, a tongue, and two lips, and shown him the two highways [of good and evil]? Yet he does not attempt the steep road [of good]. [Al-Balad:8-11]

The steep road here is spending on the orphan, relieving the distressed, and all good acts that re difficult for the arrogant ones, who feel their wealth, strength and prestige are born out of their own devices. People rejected the Prophet s.a.w’s message not because they were not convinced. they knew that what the Prophet s.a.w. brought was from God Himself. But they rejected him out of arrogance.

Many find the Muslim prayer objectionable because of its postures of humility and awe before God. What they struggle with is not merely the postures but their aversion to submit to God, being His servant. People have a problem with that, claiming that they are ‘free’. Astonishingly, these same ‘free’ people are in bondage to their whims and passions.

Imam Mawlud says that the key to avoiding or removing this disease is to know yourself, your origins and your ultimate return. The Prophet s.a.w. said,” I am the best of the children of Adam a.s. and I am not boasting.”

His honour is entirely based on his servitude to God The Exalted – not wealth, lineage, power or authority. Whoever is humbled for the sake of God, God Elevates in rank. Haughtiness and gratitude cannot coexist in one vessel. Those who are grateful, God Increases in goodness. The station of arrogance invites only humiliation.

Imam Mawlud says humility, by nature, leads to gratitude, for when one is humble before God the Exalted, only then does one see the vast mercy God Bestows upon His creation, even upon liars and disbelievers.

May Allah swt reward Imam Mawlud for his works and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf for translating and compiling a commentary for his work.

And May Allah swt Help us to continuously rectify our states and forgive our sins, both the ones that we realise and the ones that we were ignorant of.

Amin.

Assalaamu’alaikum!!!

Ok, everyone, today I present… My Dream School !!!

The relatively simple rooms, which are equipped with air conditioners and ceiling fans, are furnished with small desks for each student and small individual closets. Students typically sleep on thin mattresses or comforters. The Dar al-Mustafa campus is a multi-story structure with several hallways on each floor. Each hallway has a community bathroom with toilets, wudu, and ghusl facilities.

All students eat in a common dining hall for three meals a day. There is a convenience store on campus where students can buy refreshments, snacks, and some amenities during certain hours of the day. There is also a small bookstore where students can purchase notebooks and other learning materials as well as the books in the school curriculum. A small infirmary is available to students and is equipped to handle minor medical needs or illnesses.

Classes, which are conducted in learning circles (halaqas), are held in the main prayer hall as well as in some additional classrooms. Learning circles contain an average of 10 to 12 students, although some circles can be much larger and some much smaller.

Below is a typical schedule of a student’s day at Dar al-Mustafa (exact times may vary):

03:45am – wake up for tahajjud and adhkar

05:00am – pray Fajr

05:30am – Quran recitation and adhkar

06:00am – 1^st class: Jurisprudence (fiqh)

06:50am – 2^nd class: Arabic grammar (nahw)

07:40am – break for exercise and breakfast

09:00am – 3^rd class: Hadith or Theology (aqidah)

09:50am – 4^th class: Quranic exegesis (tafsir)

10:40am – nap time (qaylulah)

12:30pm – wake up and pray Zuhr

01:15pm – Quran recitation

01:45pm – break for lunch and daytime duties

04:00pm – pray Asr

04:45pm – 5^th class: Sciences of the Heart

06:15pm – break

06:45pm – pray Maghrib

07:15pm – 6^th class: Jurisprudence (fiqh)

08:15pm – pray `Isha

08:40pm – eat dinner

09:20pm – study time for reviewing material and homework

11:00pm – lights out

http://www.daralmustafa.org/

What a wonderfully simple life they lead there, SubhanAllah! This is Dar Al-Mustafa, for the brothers, Dar Al-Zahra is for the sisters =)

How I wish I could go there and study Islam the traditional way =))) I have a few friends who have gone there and they’re all wonderful people, Masya’Allah =)

But I have to get my basics right first before I even dream to step in there. Starting this Sunday Insya’Allah =)

I apologise for the lack of posts, I’ve been preoccupied with commitments =)

Have a blessed Rajab ahead, everyone!

Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha’ban wa ballighna Ramadan

O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings) [Narrated by at-Tabarani and Ahmad]

Al Ghazali

The Alchemy of Happiness

Chapter : Self-examination and the recollection of God

A certain saint named Amiya, sixty years of age, counted up the days of his life. He found they amounted to twenty-one thousand six hundred days.

He said to himself, ” Alas! If I have committed one sin every day, how can I escape from the load of twenty-one thousand six hundred sins?” 

He uttered a cry and fell to the ground; when they came to raise him they found him dead. But most people are heedless, and never think of calling themselves to account.

If for every sin a man committed he placed a stone in an empty house, he would soon find that house full of stones; if his recording angels demanded wages of him for writing down his sins, all his money would soon be gone.

People count on their rosaries with self-satisfaction the numbers of times they have recited the name of God, but they keep no rosary for the numberless idle words they speak.

Astaghfirullahal’adzhim.

We live in world where silence is seen as a weakness. Boring. Uninteresting. Defenceless even, if we’re engaged in some heated discussion. Not worth our time spending time with someone who doesn’t talk much.

Doesn’t matter what kind of talk it is, but as long as we just talk a lot, we’re worth something somehow.

But are the things we’ve talked about going to get us any closer to Allah swt? Will it help us get into Paradise?

Did you know?

Rasulullah s.a.w. was a man of few words. I’ve heard and read that repeatedly.

But when he does speak, everyone listens attentively. When he does speak, it’s not in long winding sentences, and he would repeat an important point three times.

I think there’s a certain psychology right there. =)

Allahumma solli ‘ala Sayidina Muhammad