suspicion

Bismillah waswalatu wasalam ala Rasulillah

suspicion there two ways to see it , we have the positive and the negative , often times we choose to lean on the negative side. the positive side of suspicion is what we call  pure excuses and the negative side is what we call blame .  when someone fails to do something to us we immediately draw negative conclusion about them and we fail to think that they must have an excuse as to why they did what they did .

one time i was expecting some particular news from someone and as i was waiting i became so impatient and i decided to ask them myself whats happening , but they dint reply i got so frustrated and i felt they are being so mean and i was really mad and i was thinking all the negative things i felt they were ignoring me , i considered them selfish and i actually was so upset that i did something i had no plans for .
then i realized later that what that person was trying to do was protect me , the delay of what was going on was because they dint want me to hear the bad news that could hurt me more , they delayed because they were hoping things would get better and that they will deliver good news . how i wished i dint react in a negative way , how i wish i gave them excuses , how i wished i only thought good of them .

this usually happens to most of us we are all victims of negative suspicion , and we are all guilty when we realize we were wrong at thinking ill on the other person . The prophet peace be upon him says give 70 reasons to someone before u say or think negative about them . this hadith plays a very big role , because not only do we end up getting frustrated if we don't give reasons we actually sometimes react in a way that it costs us so much . lets learn to be positive by giving people positive excuses even when they turn out otherwise at least u saved yourself from getting hurt and from so much .

what do u have to loose

We focus too much on what we think will loose and forget what ultimate gain is. We expect to be religiously independent and yet we depend on human acknowledgement . How do we get ourselves in between  whats the right thing to do and whats right , we tend to choose whats right because we fear to loose what we treasure most we act safe and we forget that to gain something,  then somethings should be lost.  we loose things everyday without gaining . We fail to set goals on what we should try to never loose and that is our creator if we loose everything in dunia we can get a replacement but if we loose Allah we are doomed till the end . Islam made people loose everything ,  that time they chose to do the right thing and that was to submit to islam they left everything with no fear cz their ultimate gain was way better than what they feared to loose .we should have that attitude,  its Allah that we should do our best to keep and He as the owner will make everything fall to place. Allah wants to know how much we claim to commit to Him by giving us test on choosing loosing and pain but this actually what keeps us strong , we loose  physical n material appearance bt we get contentment with Allah , Allah promises the contended souls His pleasure we worry about being incapable but we forget that Allah is the Most capable how much do we need to loan Allah just so less than the gain He will give us , from that believers are risk taker n smart ones as we get into deals with Allah the market is risky we have high chances to loose all our assets but the returns are massive . The beauty of loosing it all is the feeling of longingnnes  to meet with Allah and if asked to give it up those who have taste it , would give up everything to never let go of the fèeling. Happiness is not a goal its a product of life well lived . 

Noorah ( may Allah be pleased with her) see how much time you have to waste .

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

by Muhammad Alshareef

Her cheeks were worn and sunken, and her skin hugged her bones. That didn't stop her because you could never catch her not reciting Qur'an. She was always vigil in her personal prayer room that our father had set up for her. Bowing, prostrating, raising her hands in prayer, was the way she was from dawn to sunset and back again; boredom was for other people.

As for me, I craved nothing more than fashion magazines and novels. I treated myself to videos until the trips to the rental place became my trademark. It’s a saying that when something becomes habit, people tend to distinguish you by it. I was negligent in my responsibilities and my salah was characterized by laziness.

One night, after a long three hours of watching, I turned the video off. The adhan rose softly in the quiet night. I slipped peacefully into my blanket.

Her voice called me from her prayer room. "Yes? Would you like anything Noorah?" I asked.

With a sharp needle she popped my plans. "Don't sleep before you pray Fajr!"

Agghh! “There's still an hour before Fajr. That was only the first adhan,” I said.

With those loving pinches of hers, she called me closer. She was like that even before the fierce sickness shook her spirit and shut her in bed. "Hanan, can you come sit beside me."

I could never refuse any of her requests; you could touch the purity and sincerity in her. "Yes, Noorah?"

"Please sit here."

"Alright, I’m sitting. What's on your mind?"

With the sweetest mono voice she began reciting:

Every soul shall taste death and you will merely be repaid your earnings on the Day of Resurrection.

She stopped thoughtfully. Then she asked, "Do you believe in death?"

"Of course I do,” I replied.

"Do you believe that you shall be responsible for whatever you do, regardless of how small or large?"

"I do, but Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, and I’ve got a long life waiting for me."

"Stop it Hanan! Are you not afraid of death and its abruptness? Take a look at Hind. She was younger than you but she died in a car accident. Death is age-blind and your age could never be a measure of when you shall die."

The darkness of the room filled my skin with fear. "I'm scared of the dark and now you made me scared of death. How am I supposed to go to sleep now? Noorah, I thought you promised you'd go with us on vacation during the summer break."

Her voice broke and her heart quivered. "I might be going on a long trip this year Hanan, but somewhere else. All of our lives are in Allah’s hands and we all belong to Him."

My eyes welled and the tears slipped down both cheeks. I pondered my sisters grizzly sickness. The doctors had informed my father in private that there was not much hope Noorah was going to outlive the disease. She wasn't told, so I wondered who hinted to her. Or was it that she could sense the truth?

"What are you thinking about Hanan?" Her voice was sharp. "Do you think I am just saying this because I am sick? I hope not. In fact, I may live longer than people who are not sick. How long are you going to live Hanan? Perhaps twenty years? Maybe forty? Then what?" Through the dark she reached for my hand and squeezed gently. "There's no difference between us; we're all going to leave this world to live in Paradise or agonize in Hell. Listen to the words of Allah:

Anyone who is pushed away from the Fire and shown into Jannah will have triumphed.

I left my sister's room dazed, her words ringing in my ears: “May Allah guide you Hanan - don't forget your prayer.”

I heard pounding on my door at eight o'clock in the morning. I don't usually wake up at this time. There was crying and confusion. O Allah, what happened?

Noorah’s condition became critical after Fajr; they took her to the hospital immediately.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.

There wasn't going to be any trips this summer. It was written that I would spend the summer at home.

It felt like an eternity had gone by when it was one o'clock in the afternoon. Mother phoned the hospital.

"Yes. You can come and see her now." Dad's voice had changed, and mother could sense something had gone deathly wrong. We left immediately.

Where was that avenue I used to travel and thought was so short? Why was it so very long now? Where was the cherished crowd and traffic that would give me a chance to gaze left and right? Everyone, just move out of our way!

Mother was shaking her head in her hands crying as she made du'a for her Noorah. We arrived at the hospital’s main entrance. One man was moaning, while another was involved in an accident. A third man’s eyes were iced. You couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.

Noorah was in intensive care. We skipped stairs to her floor. The nurse approached us. "Let me take you to her."

As we walked down the aisles the nurse went on expressing how sweet of a girl Noorah was. She somewhat reassured Mother that Noorah’s condition had gotten better than what it was in the morning. "Sorry. No more than one visitor at a time,” the nurse said.

This was the intensive care unit. Past the flurry white robes, through the small window in the door, I caught my sister’s eyes. Mother was standing beside her. After about two minutes, mother came out unable to control her crying. "You may enter and say salaam to her on the condition that you do not speak too long," they told me. "Two minutes should be enough."

"How are you Noorah? You were fine last night sister, what happened?"

We held hands; she squeezed harmlessly. "Even now, alhamdulillah, I'm doing fine."

"Alhamdulillah...but...your hands are so cold."

I sat on her bedside and rested my fingers on her knee. She jerked it away. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No, it is just that I remembered Allah's words.”

Waltafatul saaqu bil saaq (One leg will be wrapped to the other leg [in the death shroud]).

"Hanan pray for me. I may be meeting the first day of the Hereafter very soon. It’s a long journey and I haven't prepared enough good deeds in my suitcase."

A tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek at her words. I cried and she joined me. The room blurred away and left us two sisters to cry together. Rivulets of tears splashed down on my sister’s palm, which I held with both hands. Dad was now becoming more worried about me. I've never cried like that before.

At home and upstairs in my room, I watched the sun pass away with a sorrowful day. Silence mingled in our corridors. One after another, my cousins came in my room. The visitors were many and all the voices from downstairs stirred together. Only one thing was clear at that point – Noorah had died!

I stopped distinguishing who came and who went. I couldn't remember what they said. O Allah, where was I? What was going on? I couldn't even cry anymore.

Later that week they told me what had happened. Dad had taken my hand to say goodbye to my sister for the last time. I had kissed Noorah's head.

I remember only one thing while seeing her spread on that bed – the bed that she was going to die on. I remembered the verse she recited:

One leg will be wrapped to the other leg (in the death shroud).

And I knew too well the truth of the next verse:

The drive on that day will be to your Lord (Allah)!

I tiptoed into her prayer room that night. Staring at the quiet dressers and silenced mirrors, I treasured the person that had shared my mother's stomach with me. Noorah was my twin sister.

I remembered who I had swapped sorrows with, who comforted my rainy days. I remembered who prayed for my guidance and who spent so many tears for many long nights telling me about death and accountability. May Allah save us all.

Tonight is Noorah's first night that she shall spend in her tomb. O Allah, have mercy on her and illumine her grave. This was her Qur'an and her prayer mat. And this was the spring, rose-colored dress that she told me she would hide until she got married; the dress she wanted to keep just for her husband.

I remembered my sister and cried over all the days that I had lost. I prayed to Allah to have mercy on me, accept me and forgive me. I prayed to Allah to keep her firm in her grave as she always liked to mention in her supplications.

At that moment, I stopped. I asked myself what if it was I who had died. Where would I be moving on to? Fear pressed me and the tears began all over again.

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar…” The first adhan rose softly from the masjid. It sounded so beautiful this time. I felt calm and relaxed as I repeated the mu’adhin’s call. I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders and stood to pray Fajr. I prayed as if it was my last prayer, a farewell prayer, just like Noorah had done yesterday. It had been her last Fajr.

Now, and in sha Allah for the rest of my life, if I awake in the morning I do not count on being alive by evening, and in the evening I do not count on being alive by morning. We are all going on Noorah's journey. What have we prepared for it?

Not everyone suits to be your friend

in the name of Allah the Most Gracious Most Merciful we seek forgiveness from our sins guide and protect us , peace and blessings be on prophet Muhammad messenger of Allah.

"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend..."

1 - Allah Said:
{"Ah! Woe to me! If only I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! He indeed led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me!"}

[al-Furqan; 28-29]


2 - The Messenger of Allah said:

"A person is upon the way of his friend. So, let one of you look to whom he keeps as a friend."

['Sahih al-Jami'' (3545) and 'as-Silsilah as-Sahihah' (927)]


3 - 'Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hambal said:

"My father went out to Tarsus on foot, and he perfored two or three Hajjs on foot, and he was the most patient of people upon being alone."

['Tarjamat al-Imam Ahmad'; p. 18]


4 - Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"Know that the greatest of losses is for you to be preoccupied with one who will bring you nothing but a loss in your time with Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - and being cut off from Him, a wasting your time with the person, a weakening of your energy, and the dispersing of your resolve. So, if you are tested with this - and you must be tested with this - deal with him according to how Allah would wish, and be patient with him as much as possible. Get closer to Allah and His Pleasure by way of this person, and make your getting together with him something to benefit from, not something to incur a loss from. Be with him as if you are a man who is on a road who was stopped by another man, who then asks you to take him on your journey. Make sure that you are the one who gives him a ride, and that he is not the one giving you the ride. If he refuses, and there is nothing to gain from travelling with him, do not stop for him, bid him farewell, and do not even turn back to look at him, as he is a highway robber, regardless of who he really is.

So, save your heart, be wary of how you spend your days and nights, and do not let the Sun set before you arrive at your destination."

['al-Wabil as-Sayyib'; p. 45]


5 - Ibn Jama'ah said:

"So, it is upon the student of knowledge to abandon socialization, as abandoning it is from the most important things that the student of knowledge must do - let alone with members of the opposite gender - especially with those who spend most of their time in play, and spend little of their time in thought, as the nature of individuals can rob you.

The harms of socialization include the passing of life without any benefit, as well as the decline of wealth and religious practice, if this socialization were to occur with the wrong people.

The student of knowledge should not mix except with either those who he can benefit, or can benefit from. And if he is offered the friendship of one who will waste his time with him, will not benefit him, will not benefit from him, and will not assist him in reaching his objective, he should politely end the relationship from the start before it progresses to something deeper, as when something becomes established, it becomes more difficult to change it. There is a phrase that is constantly on the tongues of the Fuqaha': 'Repelling something is easier than removing it.'

So, if he requires someone to befriend, let that person be righteous, religious, pious, wary, intelligent, full of benefit, having little evil, good at complying, rarely conflicting, reminding him if he forgets, cooperating with him when he is reminded, helpful if he is in need, and comforting if he is in distress."

['Tadhkirat as-Sami' wal-Mutakallim'; p. 83]


6 - Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi said:

"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend. You must verify that this potential friend has the neccessary characteristics that make friendship with him something to be desired. The one you seek to befriend must have five characteristics:

• He must be intelligent, as there is no good in befriending an idiot, as he will only harm you when he wants to benefit you. By intelligent, we mean one who understands things as they are, either on his own, or if they are explained to him;

• He must have good manners, and this is a must. One who is simply intelligent might be overcome by anger or desire, and obey his desire. Thus, there would be no benefit in befriending him;

• He must not be a fasiq, as such a person would not fear Allah, and whoever does not fear Allah cannot be trusted;

• He must not be an innovator, as his abundance of innovation is feared from befriending him;

• He should not be eager for the dunya."

['Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin'; p. 126-132]

Limits

Recognizing the Bounds of Our Mannerisms

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

In 'al-Fawa'id' (p. 196-199), Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"...Manners have limits. When these limits are crossed, this is transgression. When they are fallen short of, this is deficiency and disgrace.

Anger has a limit: and it is to be bold while being above having negative and deficient traits, and this is the perfect form of anger. If this limit is exceeded, you become a transgressor. If you fall short of it, you will be a coward and will not be able to raise yourself above negative traits.

Covetousness has a limit: it is to take all you need from this world and what it has to offer you. When you fall short of this limit, it becomes disgrace and wastefulness. When you exceed this limit, you end up wanting what you shouldn't want.

Envy has a limit: and it is to compete in becoming perfect and to excel such that your rival is unable to excel over you. When this limit is exceeded, you transgress and oppress in which you wish that the good things are taken away from the one you envy and are keen to harm him. When you fall short of this limit, you become low, weak in aspiration, and you belittle yourself. The Prophet (Õáì Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said: "There should be no envy except in regards to two things: a man who was granted wealth by Allah and he was able to spend it for the sake of the truth, and a man who was granted wisdom by Allah and he takes it and teaches it to the people." So, this is an envy of competition, where the envious one pushes himself to be like the one he envies without wishing that he is deprived of the good things that are with him.

Sexual desire has a limit: and it is to relax the heart and mind from the exhaustion of worship, to maintain moral excellence, and to use the fulfillment of these desires to help you in this. When you exceed this limit, you fall into being overly lustful, and you come to resemble animals. When you fall short of this limit and don't use this time to obtain excellence and virtue, this becomes weakness, inability, and disgrace.

Relaxation has a limit: and it is to collect yourself and your strength to prepare for worship and perfection of the self, and to save this so that you don't become weak or tired. When you exceed this limit, this becomes laziness and waste, and you end up missing out on so many things that could benefit you. When you fall short of this limit, you end up hurting and weakening your energy, and it might even be cut off from you like a farmer who is unable to land to plow or crops to pick.

Generosity has a limit between two extremes: and whenever this limit is exceeded, this becomes wastefulness and extravagance. When you fall short of this limit, you become cheap and miserly.

Bravery has a limit: and when you cross this limit, you become reckless. When you fall short of this limit, you become a coward. This limit is that you put yourself forth when the time is right to do so and that you hold yourself back when the time is right to do so, just like Mu'awiyah said to 'Amr bin al-'As: "I don't know whether you're brave or cowardly! You go forth to the point that I say you're the bravest person, and then you stay back to the point that I say you're the most cowardly person!" So, he replied:

I am brave if I am guaranteed the chance * If I don't have the chance, I am a coward...

Protective jealousy has a limit: and if you exceed this limit, you fall into accusation and suspicion of the innocent. If you fall short of this limit, you fall into heedlessness and lack of manhood.

Humility has a limit: and if it is crossed, this becomes humiliation and disgrace. If you fall short of it, you deviate to arrogance and false pride.

Honor has a limit: and if you exceed it, you fall into arrogance and blameworthy traits. If you fall short of it, you deviate to humiliation and disgrace.

The basic principle in all this is to choose the path of moderation between excess and negligence. This is what all of the benefits of this world and the next are built upon. In fact, you can benefit your body in no other way, because when some of your activities are done with lack of moderation and either exceed or fall short of it, your body's health and energy begins to decline accordingly. Likewise, natural activities such as sleeping, staying awake, eating, drinking, having intercourse, playing sports, spending time alone, spending time with others, etc. - if these are all done moderately between the two blameworthy extremes, this is justice. If you deviate to either extreme, this is a sign of deficiency and will lead to even more deficiency.

This knowledge of proper limits is from the best types of knowledge, especially the limits of what is commanded and prohibited. The most knowledgeable people are those who know the most about these limits, such that they don't put in them what doesn't belong and don't remove from them what does belong. Allah Said: {"The bedouins are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy, and more likely to be ignorant of the limits that Allah has revealed to His Messenger..."} [at-Tawbah; 97]

So, the people who are most just are those who recognize by way of knowledge and action the legislated limits in their manners and deeds, and Allah is the source of success..."

i love ibn Qayyim

Three Distinctions Often Confused

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Ibn al-Qayyim

There are certain things that the soul often confuses and mixes up, and only those with deep insight and wisdom are able to properly distinguish them. Ibn al-Qayyim points out some of these fine details and distinctions that should be made.

i) Self-Respect vs. Vanity

"Self-respect is to make your soul rise above the petty and insignificant things that cause people to bend their necks pursuing. So, he prevents himself from this.

This is different from arrogance, which is a characteristic that is born from two things: being impressed with oneself and belittling others. So, arrogance is born from these two things, and the first (i.e. self-respect) is born from two things: honoring oneself and making it noble...

The basis for all of this is to prepare and condition the soul, and to place preference for its Owner over it. So, if one fails in his preparation and conditioning, he has failed in everything."

ii) Protection of Self vs. Arrogance

"The one who protects himself is like the man who puts on some new clothes, pure and white, and expensive. So, he enters upon the kings and those below them in these clothes. He strives to protect these clothes from any stains or dirt that could affect its whiteness and purity. So, you see him looking noble and constantly escaping from the places where he fears could make his clothes dirty. He does not allow any stain or speck of dirt to come onto his clothes.

This is the likeness of the one who strengthens and builds his heart and religion: you see him avoiding any stains of sin, as they stain the heart and dirty it more than any blot of dirt can dirty a pure, white garment. However, the eyes are covered from seeing these stains. So, you see him running from any potential stain, being cautious around the people, seldom mixing with them out of fear that the same thing would occur to his heart that occurred to his white clothing when he was around the butchers and cooks.

This is different from the one who elevates himself, as even if he is similar to the above in his avoidance of these things, he intends with this to step over the people's necks and to put them under his feet. So, this is a color, and that is another color."

iii) Humility vs. Humiliation

"Humility is born from a) knowledge of Allah, His Names, His Attributes, and His Loftiness, as well as loving and elevating Him, and b) knowing himself and his faults well.

So, from these two comes the characteristic of humility, and it is the subduing of the heart to Allah and lowering the wing of submission and mercy to His servants. So, he does not see any virtue that he has over others, and he sees no rights of his over others. Rather, he sees the virtue of others over him, and he sees their rights before his own. This is a characteristic that Allah gives to those He Loves and wishes to make noble and close to Him.

As for humiliation, it is lowliness and exertion of the soul in acquiring what it desires, like the humility of the low ones in fulfilling their desires, the humility of the victim to his oppressor, and the humility of anyone who seeks something from someone else to that person. This is all lowliness and inferiority, and has nothing to do with true humility. Allah Loves humility, and He hates lowliness and humiliation. It is reported in the 'Sahih' that the Messenger of Allah said:"It was revealed to me that you should be humble such that none should boast over others, and none should transgress against others.""

['ar-Ruh'; p. 313-317]

dangers of narrow minded

in the name of Allah The Most Gracious Most Merciful , peace and blessing be upon Muhammad the messenger of Allah .

we are endangered by thinking of faults other than solutions , we tend to be very busy finding faults in others and we haste into pointing out faults of others we are forgeting that we are here to help each other we should not be slaves of negativity , lets not allow ourselves to fall into hasty judgments other than being positive and give advice . islam teaches us to be open minded , positive that is why we know before saying something about a person u have to give them 70 reasons as to why they may have done that . let us not mix error of humans to characters everyone whether with good or bad akhlaq is bound to make mistakes that is part of being human . when we point an error and directly interprate it as bad manners we have fall among the narrow minded , we have failed the hadith of giving excuses we have failed to be positive and its very dangerous . so let us not hast into wanting someone to be bad lets try to see the good in every bad . when we keep ourselves busy with focusing on akhera we will not have time focusing on mistakes that people are making but will be busy correcting ours . human beings will call you good but remember their views are meant to change if you get them out of their comfort zone . our beloved prophet was called the Truthful one before islam he never spoke the truth so as to get that title he spoke the truth because it was the right thing to do but people decided to give him the title of Al Ameen but when he started warning them about idol worship they gave him a new title they called him a poet and they dint even want to listen to him arent this the same people who were praising him few years back . this is because human beings thats our nature its all about comfort . so my dear brothers and sisters dont assume people call you good because of you but because of them and we should not do good because we seek them to call us that but because its the right thing to do , we are only answerble to Allah so that is where our main focus should be . as the human part we should be among the ones who we dont give people names  or titles we make dua for them to be that name and title , and we ask Allah to protect us from being the opposite and we pray we forgive if they make a mistake that might lead to us giving them other than the good name that is the attitude of believers and that is why we are strangers . 

below is an article about DANGER OF NARROW MINDED .

Narrow-mindedness is defined as lacking tolerance or not having the mental faculty to see beyond the superficial and recognize the underlying truth. Currently, this tendency appears to be widespread in all segments of Muslim communities.

The primary reason for this deplorable condition is ignorance, the inability to recognize this deficiency and to take corrective action. This situation is further aggravated if the ignorant person considers himself to be the epitome of wisdom, and if, he is in a leadership or a highly visible position, he can cause unnecessary harm to a family, a community or a an entire nation.

Absence of insight can also result in narrow-mindedness by having a negative effect on one’s thought processes. Insight is a rare virtue, and quite different from ignorance. A person who lacks insight may possess some knowledge, but derives no benefit from it due to a lack of analytical skills while someone with insight assesses his or her knowledge of a situation and then selects and uses its relevant parts. Through insight, they are able4 to see what others may not. Ibnul Qayyim, the famous Islamic scholar and author, said: "One person may read a text and learn one or two lessons from it, while another may learn one or two hundred."

A rigidly traditional individual’s perceptivity, like that of a captive frog in a deep well, is able to function only within narrow parameters. He does not realize that there are boundless vistas of knowledge beyond the scope of the well, therefore, his mental and intellectual evolution remains stunted. He is unable to take advantage of the knowledge available beyond his limited horizon.

Blind imitation creates another obstacle to one’s intellectual growth. The two world wars of the past century are the perfect examples of this disability that can allow ruthless political or religious leaders to manipulate the minds of people who are unable to form their own objective view.

Some individuals habitually look at things from one angle and accept them as actual facts without thinking that there may be a different side to the issue, or that reality may actually be quite different from appearance. In the following verse, Allah points out that the appearance of the hypocrites may not be a true indication of their reality: "And when you see them, you like their appearance, but when they speak and you listen to them, they seem worthless" … and then He goes on to give this warning: "They are the enemy, so be warned of them. The curse of Allah be upon them, how they are perverted." [63:4]

Furthermore, some people are impressed by quantity at the expense of quality. Referring to the battle of Hunain, Allah says: "On the day of Hunain, your numbers impressed you but did not benefit you." But, "If there be amongst you twenty who show fortitude, they will defeat two hundred." This does not, of course, mean that appearances are to be completely disregarded or that quantity is totally irrelevant. These fundamentals should not be valued in isolation, but should be understood through insight and common sense.

A failure to prioritize or differentiate wrong from right often leads people to lose sight of the broader picture. Often people will focus on the immediate and disregard the potential disastrous effects of an action further down the road. Along with ignorance, narrow-mindedness and, of course, a lack of insight, these gaps usually prove detrimental to that individual’s future.

Courtesy Of: Islaam.com
Source: Editor-in-chief, Al-Bayan Magazine

STRUGGLE

In the name of Allah we praise You and we worship You , non has the rights full of worth of worship except You we seek guidance and help and forgiveness from You whomever you have guided non can misguide and whomever uv left astray non can guide all praise and worship are to Him the most beloved of all Muhammad the last and final messenger .

Are you struggling to do the right thing? yes we should all struggle the right things only come through struggle we cant claim to get anywhere without struggle every success in life comes through struggle . as we are struggling we need to be aware of shaiatan and his plan to make us loose focus , our focus is jannah . when we allow shaitan to tamper with our focus thats when we fail , we fail to have strength on our struggle we start seeing difficulty . so when we tend to keep shaitan away from us that is the only time we will all be able to enjoy the sweetness of struggling . yes its a lovely feeling to throw your blanket away for fajr swalah and walk to the masjid in the cold its a beautiful feeling to walk in hijab when the sun is over head and everyone else is complaining about the heat this struggles became beautiful when your focus is jannah but they will feel bitter and you might even loose them when we allow shaiatan to make us feel hot , to make us feel tired and to tamper with us .

Guard your heart from shaiatan dont allow him to accomplish his mission on you set for him a vision and thus get him to hell alone the dude needs company so be sure not to be one of his companion .
all said its a matter of choice everything is clear so its just you to decide and remember each and every person you see in any ibadah they are struggling none can claim success unless they die, the true strugglers will only defeat shaitan if they die in kalima tawheed so as long as we are alive we are in battle with shaitan and our nafs so you choose to fight or submit thats up to us .

may Allah grant us guidance and His Mercy , His strength to help us fight and win the battle of dunia Ameen

respect

in the name of Allah the most Merciful the Most Gracious , i seek refuge in you from the evilness of my soul and evil deeds in deed those whom you have guided non can misguide and those whom uv left astray non can guide . all peace and blessings be upon you Muhammad final and beloved of all being .

we only earn respect from the other creatures if we learn to respect Allah first , when Allah subhana wattala becomes your first priority over everything else then thats the only time you will be able to earn respect from the rest of the creatures. often time we tend to focus so much on the human beings around us that we forget its Allah that we are answerable to , its Allah that we are accountable to .

lets ponder on the fact that our beloved Rasul attained so much respect in makkah even before islam because he chose to do the right things and when islam came Rasul chose Allah as the ultimate pleasure and even though he faced rejection from his own people they respected him, even abu jahl had respect for Rasul even with all the kibr that he had .

so we know that when we choose to seek Allah pleasure as the first thing it will cost us , when you choose Allah then sometimes ul have to displease human beings but thats the only time even the humans rejecting you will be able to respect you as your 1st action was to respect Allah . so when we want to obey we have to see obedience of Allah first , when it comes to pleasure we see Allah 1st when we choose love we choose the love of Allah 1st when we act we should act only to please Allah then only the rest . that is the only time we will earn respect , thats the only time we will be in worship because we tend to limit our obedience to normal stuff like swalah and hijab and lowering gaze well even decisions that we make concerning us or other people should get us closer to Allah .

lets remember when you seek anything see it first with Allah and make the decision if to Allah its fine the rest shouldn't matter because Allah will take care of everything else . develop an attitude of Allah 1st and then the rest and we will never fail . may Allah guide us to be among those whom priotize Him over everything else .

advice from ibn Qayyim

in the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful , we seek help , assistance , guidance and forgivness from You Allah whom ever you guide none can misguide and whomever you leave to go astray none can guide him , all peace and blessings be upon the Most beloved being Muhammad the last and final messenger 

ibn Qayyim says in his book al Fawaid may Allah be pleased with him, “There are ten useless matters that cannot be benefited from:


• Knowledge that is not implemented
• An action that is empty of sincerity, and is not based on the correct example
• Wealth that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life, nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
• The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allāh, and of seeking closeness to Him
• A body that does not obey and serve Allāh 
• Loving Allāh without seeking His pleasure
• Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to perform deeds of righteousness that will bring one closer to Allāh
• A mind that thinks about issues which bring about no benefit
• Serving those who neither bring you close to Allāh or benefit you in your life
• Hoping and fearing one who is under the authority of Allāh, and whose forehead is in His Hand, while he cannot bring any benefit, harm, life, death, or resurrection to himself.
However, the greatest of these matters is the wasting of the heart, and the wasting of time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hopes. All evil is in following one’s desires and having incessant hopes, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allāh, and Allāh is the source of Assistance.”Here, he summarized all evil in these two issues: wasting of the heart, and wasting of time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hopes, and incessant hopes and the following of one’s desires are the ultimate manifestation of evil. 

contemplate on this and see how much we have lost , we are all in loss until we are able to attain Allahs pleasure . we claim to want jannah and yet we sit and refuse to go for it . 

ocean of dunia

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST MERCIFUL THE MOST GRACIOUS WE SEEK ASSISTANCE , HELP, GUIDANCE AND FORGIVENESS FROM YOU NONE HAS THE RIGHTS TO BE WORSHIPED BUT YOU MAY PEACE AND BLESSING BE UPON MUHAMMAD HIS MESSENGER AND SERVANT .

amazing is the ocean , the same wave we get to appreciate from the shoe would kill us if we enter the ocean , water sustains life but could also cause death in the ocean , the same ocean that up floats the ship would shatter the ship to pieces . this life dunia is like the ocean our hearts are like the ship . we can use the ocean for our needs and as means to get to our destination as long as the water remains outside the ship then the ship will float smoothly and be in control, what happends when the water sips in , what hapends when the dunia is no longer outside us , when the water takes control thats when the ship sinks . when the ocean water enters the ship that ship is no longer in control the boat then becomes at the mercy of the ocean and like the ocean water entering the boat , the moment that we allow the dunia to enter our hearts we also sink. the ocean water  was never intended to enter the boat it was intended as the means and must remain outside of it the dunia also was never intended to enter our hearts it is only a means and must not enter us or control us .

the dunia Allah speaks about it as nothing but matta its a deception it deceives when we look at it and yet can really destroy us if we fall into it . we live in this world forgetting the qualities the dunia holds, in order for us to live without sinking we should remember the qualities of the dunia . 1st its not permanent we were all born to die , 2nd quality the dunia by definition is imperfect Allah says the here after is better than this life . so once we know how weak the dunia is we would be able to live like strangers or travelers as the way our beloved taught us peace be upon him. the problem we do is we have allowed this impermanent place enter us , so much that we forget we have a destination to get ourselves to . if we are asked how comfortable we get when we are visiting a place for two days we will all say we dont get comfortable , we dont get attached nor do we buy stuff for the place if we can understand this why do we fail to treat dunia the same .

we can cross the ocean without sinking and we can keep the water outside our boat we can still be in control if we do the following . 1) always remember the nature of dunia 2) keep dunia outside your hearts 3) plan for Tomorrow akhera 4) be in constant remembrance of Allah 4) protect yourself from shaitan no police will help u with that its you to ask Allah for protection. 5) starve and guard your nafs dont give it everything it wants dont submit to ur desires . 6) be in constant tawbah 7) keep good company the religion of a person is with his friends 8) most of all BUILD A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY , talk to Him every time keep track of the best timings and make use of them .

the dunia is nothing but deception we should remember that we came from jannah and we should take ourselves back to Jannah as that is the eternal bliss the world is a means and not the destination so take charge today and Allah will sure get you to Him safe .

single is being alone with Allah

in the name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Gracious all praise is to Him The Lord of Whole universe mercy and blessing sbe upon his final prophet Muhammad peace be upon him .

another year has passed am still alone av watched young people getting married starting families and am still the same lone me i ask myself when will my time reach when will Allah bestow me that Mercy of me having my own life start a family and having a partner i call my own . if your single this are basically some of the thoughts that ring in your mind . we often allow this thoughts to tamper with us so much that we waste the single moment of our lives .

yes being single is a moment  a treasured one its not bad lack nor is it lack of opportunity but actually the best opportunity one could get , if u remember the hadith of Rasul peace be upon him when he says take care of five things before five things one of the things is free time before u get occupied or busy . when your single your falling under the category of having a free time . your still single because Allah subhana wataala wants you to be more close to him as once ur married obligations increase and youl not be able to perfom as much ibadah as your single so take advantage of this time and use it to get more close to Allah , wake up for as many tahajuds as you can , fast as many days as you can , recite as many pages of Quran as you can and just get yourself so much closer to your Lord and thats the only way you will enjoy the moment of being single, let it  be more of alone time with your Rabb .

so my dear ones stop being frustrated take the opportunity and use it well let you sit down one day married and sigh Alhamdulillah as you dint misuse your free time . and as for those who are not married may Allah grant us pious spouses and make them coolness of our eyes Ameen .

Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today is a gift, that's why it's called the present!

in the name of Allah the most Gracious the Most Merciful we seek refuge from Allah from the evilness of our ownself  and from the evilness of our own deeds in deed we ask only Allah fro guidance, forgiveness , assistance and mercy for HE alone can guide us may peace be upon him the last and the most beloved muhammad swlalahu alayhi wasalam .

'by time , indeed man is in loss, except the ones who have faith and do good deeds, and join to truth and patience ( surah 103)  ' 
we often hear this verses alot but we dont act upon them, they say time is gold , time is money but in islam time is more precious than those .  Allah warns us not to abuse time as he is the controller of time He decides how time should go what time the sunrises and what time it sets .
Another Year Passes By and Time Marches On
O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. Qur'an (59:18)
Another year has passed; minutes move into hours => into days => into weeks => into months => into years - seemingly faster than ever; yet every moment is a precious component of life and every moment counts.
Time - Use it, do not abuse it
Our attitude towards time indicates our attitude towards the value of the capital of life. If we want to purchase something, we require financial capital; and if we want to do something in life, we require the capital of life, time. That is why the Qur'an exhorts us to value the time we have before life is up. Qur'an (63:10)
Realize that...

• Time is the measure of life, time is an amaanah (trust), time is a gift from the Creator and its proper use will determine our outcome for eternity.
• We are born in time, live in time and die in time; time is the ambit within which we operate. What we do with time is what we do with our lives.
• Each one must realize that every moment that passes by is an opportunity gone, used or abused; never to return. Soon time will be up and we'll have to leave this physical world and give account for our lives.
• The more we remind ourselves of the responsibility of the present the better we get at living the moment and the better we live the present moment the better the consequence for the future.

Our attitude towards the future influences our mind-set towards the rest of life. Being positive about life ahead is among life's greatest motivators. Hope is the best attitude one can harbor towards the future; this realistic expectation that something good or better could/will happen if only we continue doing the best we can. Remember that today well-lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Wise are the words of the one who said ... "I expect to pass through this world but once; any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
"O Allah! Make life a means for every dimension of goodness." [Prayer of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)]
Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), quoting from the Book of Ibrahim, peace be upon him: "A sane person, unless he is mindless, should have four hours: an hour to invoke to his Lord, an hour to count his own deeds, an hour to contemplate about the creation of Allah and an hour to satisfy his worldly needs."

wake up call

in the name of Allah the most Merciful the Most gracious we seek help guidance ,protection , assistance and forgiveness from Him may peace and blessings be upon the final messenger Muhammad swalalahu alyhi wasalam

we hear everyday about the fights that are going on in muslim countries our brothers and sisters being totured by the kufar but we do nothing about it . every time we see pictures of our brothers and sisters from syria , palestine , bosnia and currently we hear central africa muslims are being totored in the own country . well we dont ask ourselves why we being the true religion of Allah be so weak that we are being steped over by the kufar . Allah subhana wataala has promised not to put the disbelievers ahead of us but we are rebuking that ayat by bowing to the kufars allowing them to defeat us because we are busy accepting there ways and we have become there slaves .

we have disputes among oursleves how do we expect to be united muslims stay years without talking to eachother we fight and we are more than brothers if we dont settle our disputes whom do we expect to come and settle for us our deen . we need to wake up we need to realise that islam stood because of unity of muslims how can 300 people defeat 1000 people because they worked together and thus they build strength . muslims fought the roman empire because they were one they had one flag of LAILLA ILA LLAH MUHAMMAD RASULULLAH that is enough bond than blood brothers .

where are umars of today khalid ibn walid qaqa and the other real men we are all asleep we need to take charge and it starts with how we treat eachother its how we behave with one another when we learn to become one will bring the world back to its true religion . the change starts from you and me lets revive our deen through akhlaq becuase the prophet be upon him was sent to spread good morales so we should stop being slaves of ourselfs and dunia and we become slaves of Al
lah . change is you start now time is UP.

Change is NOW

asalam aleikum All praise is due to Allah the Most High we Praise Him and we seek His guidance, assistance , forgiveness and protection . peace and blessings be upon His messenger Muhammad swalalahu alyhi wasalam.
i want to change but i dont know how , may be am not ready , will i look like am too much , what will people say ,il look out of place . what if am not able to handle the change we all have this moments when we feel we want to practise deen but we tend to delay and we tell ourselves may be its not yet time i dont want people to think that am pretending and all the thoughts that come along with the excuses of delaying the change .
we have to understand that no one was created bad we all were born not knowing but we learnt to be who we are whether through our parents, environmet or just ourselves . we are what we want to be and no one will make us be what we dont want to be . so my dear brothers and sisters the good people they chose to be good because they knew that they will be benefiting more and the bad ones they chose to be bad . life is so limited to postpond things the only time we are assured off is NOW thats the only time that you have control off tomorrow and later is un certain often people who died had plans for tomorrow but that moment they had they failed to realize it so they lost the tomorrow they had really planed off.
Allah subhana wataala has promised us that He is there and forever will so we should not worry about anything as He is in charge so take advantage of the fact that the only thing you should be concerned about is Allah and He will take care of the rest. my dear one worship was prescribed for every human being they are no certain people that we often feel they should be more in worship other than us ourselves . everyone came alone and will leave alone . we should all be religious dont mind people because if being religious means to obey the rules and commands of Allah then know any slave of Allah has the obligation towards Allahs obedience so next time you want to call someone religious think what makes you not that and Allah has said HE DID NOT CREATE MAN AND JINN EXCEPT FOR HIS WORSHIP if ur man and jinn the ball is in your court.
take charge of yourself today you can be anything you want to be,  your the only barrier of yourself stop caring about what people will say care what Allah will say . we are so caught up in this world that we settle for sins and feel that's the only thing we are good at and that being good is for certain people . That is  where we are wrong Allah has given all of us a chance to get close to Him , He gave us a manual to show us how to get close and know Him more . so we shouldn't loose that chance,  give up the delay and wake up today don't let hijab leave your head because its not for arabs its command from Allah don't let swalah pass you because you feel ur not religious stand up and pray obey only because its Allah and your His servant and not because you have fear of people and feeling out of place the only place you need to fit in is jannah that's our final abode and we shouldn't settle for less. may Allah grant us the highest of jannah Ameen.

moment missed

In the name of Allah the Most Merciful Most Gracious all Praise are to Him we seek His guidance , assistance, forgiveness and Mercy , peace and blessings be upon His last Prophet Muhammad swalalahu alyahi wa salam .

I sit here thinking about all the things that i want and i don't have yet, i cant understand why i don't get the things i want and yet they are not bad things . all of us have this feeling we often tend to try to figure out how destiny works . well we miss out on the factor of Qadar , our destiny its not in our control but in the Al Mighty control He is in charge of deciding when things should ha pend but due to our weakness we miss to understand that as we want things to go our ways.
remember that last time u wanted something so bad and then you dint get it at the moment you prayed so badly for but you got it later and you end up appreciating and feeling it came at the perfect time you feel if it had come during the moment you wanted it the delight wouldn't have been much yes its because Allah gave you at the right moment or sometimes you want something so badly and never get it then later your so grateful that you never got it as you see the effect of it and appreciate it being kept away from you .

the thing here is how do we handle that moment when your in the situation of waiting , that moment when your waiting for an answer to your prayer , that time where you feel you want to understand how things will end up or what Allah will decide and your shaky because you want the thing so badly and your not sure whether its good or bad for you and in the moment all of us are in the situation of STRESS / DISTRESS.
stay up all night crying we try to fast everyday hoping things go our ways n fearing if they don't go our way.

lets understand that no prayer is un answered Allah has promised to answer all prayers . the way the answer comes is different some answers will come immediately some take time some some will only find out once we meet Allah azza wajala . well the beauty of it is when you are in the moment of asking and ur desperation is getting you so much and your feeling so low and un happy your actually in a moment where you are closer to your Lord than anytime . we miss out on the point that when we are in need we are always in prayers we are always in touch with Allah . u often dont even need a reminder to remember Him as ur automatically in remembrance of Allah . Allah says remember me and il remember you so why should we despair in moment of asking when are actually in the best moment of fully connected with your Lord .
so the next time your in situation of asking Allah for something feel the beauty of it by enjoying yourself being in constant reminder of your Lord and thus increasing your steps to jannah .