Looking Good For Your Spouse

Have you stopped trying to look good for your spouse? It's common for people to get into a place in their relationship where they just get really comfortable and they stop caring so much and part of that is with the way they dress, and the way they look, the way they put themselves together. Especially after, like the honeymoon phase or whatever, where you get into a groove with the relationship, it's easy to kinda let go.

And subahaanAllah, one of the rights that our spouse has upon us is that we dress up and we look good for them, we look good so that we are pleasing to them, so they like looking at us and they like being around us. And subahaanAllah, one of the companions, Ibn Abbas (RA), he would actually say...

He said, 'I love to beautify myself for my wife just as I love for my wife to beautify herself for me.' 

Meaning just like you would like this from your spouse, likewise you would like it from yourself. And subahaanAllah, sometimes when people are having problems in their relationships, just making an effort to look nice, and dress well and take care of yourself, sometime that's all it takes to push the relationship in a positive direction. And subahaanAllah, the more you love someone actually, the more you should care about the way you look. The closer you are to someone, the longer the relationship goes on, the harder you should be trying to look good for your spouse. And Allah SWT knows best. 

Until next time...in sha Allahu ta'ala,

Asalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu...

- by Sheikh Saad Tasleem 

Stop Living In Your Past!

You live in a drama. We need to start living in reality. What do I mean by this? Our drama, brothers and sisters and friends, is our previous experiences, our limited perspectives, ideas, interactions with others and we take all of that and we super impose it on to reality, on to the present. We are always living in the past from that perspective because we are so attached, our egos become so attached to, 'but he did that before' and 'she's always been like that!' etc. etc... And you superimpose that onto reality. So as if we have three filing cabinets in life - the filing cabinet of the past, the filing cabinet of the present, and the filing cabinet of the future and we take the files from the past and we are always putting it into the future, so we are never living the present and our whole life and the rest of our life is just one big retake of our past. This is ridiculous! This drama and reality is not the same thing. And the reason we think it is the same thing is because of the ego. 

And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know." (Sahih International)

When we reflect upon the Quran, Sura Baqara, Chapter 2, verse 30, we can really derive this knowledge. Allah says to the angels. He announces that He is gonna send down a vicegerent on earth and the angels reply, 'are you gonna send someone down to create bloodshed, calamity while we sing Your praises?' What does Allah say, 'I know that which you do not know.' Ibn Kathir, the classical commentator, essentially says that, 'God has a totality of wisdom and knowledge, we have its particular.' God has the picture, we have the pixel. So, this should really teach us about our own lives! Are we gonna live in our own drama, our limited experiences? Just like what the angels said! 'Before Adam, before this man you are gonna send down this vicegerent on earth, there was bloodshed! So therefore, what are you going to do now, is going to be the same.' But Allah says, 'Don't think like this! Don't be like this! Don't be in a state of being that you are always living on your own ego.' Your own interpretation of the past! Your limited experiences of the past, super imposing on everybody else, on yourself, your family and the entire world! This is why you are living a circle! Your whole life is a one big circle. But Allah says, He knows that which we don't!

So if we truly rely on Allah and His wisdom and we understand that my previous experiences just like the angels, my previous understanding, my limited ideas, thoughts and perspectives are not reality and I can't super impose them on the present, or on the future all the time because they are not reality. I rely on God's wisdom and plan. Then it creates a new realm of possibility for us to do what we can to interact with others in a positive way and the past is just the past, meaningless! Absolutely meaningless from this perspective! So just by reflecting on one small verse in the Quran, it enables you to have a new realm of possibilities with other people. So divorce your drama from reality! It's meaningless! Be a black canvas and connect with people in ways that they should be connected with. Not via the lenses and prism of your limited experiences and perspectives.

I hope this helps.

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

 - Ustadh Hamza Tzortzis

If You Are Thankful : I will Increase You

I wanna tell you about a personal incident that happened to me. I was on an airplane flight and we were arriving, coming towards Jeddah, and so most of the people on the flight were actually going for hajj. Now as this airplane was flying and the food was being distributed on the plane, all of a sudden the airplane just fell out of the sky! You know, literally it just fell out of the sky and dropped. The food trays that we had in front of us had hit the ceiling and initially everybody was just a little shocked, and there was like some screams going out, but the second time that airplane did that, everybody just started shouting out on the airplane, 'AllahuAkbar - Ya Allah' and started calling to Allah subhanahu wata'ala. Everybody getting ready to die.

Now that was a very intense incident for me and when I landed, Alhamdulillah and Allah subhanahuwata'ala saved us and I'm here with you today, I opened up my journal and I learned a valuable lesson. I looked in my journal and I noticed that the last time I had opened up my journal was the last time something painful had happened to me, and then there were many blank pages and then now this incident happened and then I realized at that point that I'm only turning to Allah subhanahu wata'ala when something painful comes upon me. Hmmm...

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' (Sahih International)

Allah subhanahu wata'ala says in the Quran...'And remember, when you Lord proclaimed that if you are thankful, I will increase you.' Now see, I understood from this airplane, and realizing that I was only turning back to Allah subhanahu wata'ala during pain; that I needed to be more thankful. See there's two schools. There is the school of pain and that brings people back to Allah subhanahu wata'ala, but there is also the school of thankfulness. Meaning, when the good times come, if you are thankful to Allah subhanahu wata'ala, you can actually have more good things coming in to your life, because that is the promise of Allah subhanahu wata'ala for those who are thankful.

 - Sheikh Muhammad Alshareef 

Salah : A Personality Changer

Let me teach you what you will do to appreciate Allah...here's how you appreciate Allah. Make rukuh, make sajda, what is both of these things referring to? Salaat. First he complained about humanity, you're not doing your job appreciating me, you believers, it's your turn, you need to appreciate me. The first step in appreciating me will be...Salaat. 

Where is your Salaat? How much we appreciate Salaat is a good indication of how much we appreciate Allah. How active, how vigilant we are in getting up out bed, how lazy we feel in making it to the masjid, how bored we are when the recitation is not entertaining enough. All of those are good indicators of where we stand before Allah (azw).

You know somebody who doesn't know about prayer, doesn't know about the Muslim prayer, a non-Muslim guy walks by and he sees people making Salaat...he's gonna notice these people are standing with their heads down, they're humble before somebody...then they put their heads like this, half way, wow they got even more humble, and when they got up, what happened next? Face on the ground, they got really humbled. In other words, he's noticing that there's a progression in their humility to Allah, to whoever they're worshipping. They're getting even more and more and more subservient. It seems like they're appreciating their master, than they appreciated him more and they appreciated him even more. The progression of Salaat itself teaches us that we're supposed to evolve, grow in our humility to Allah.

So this idea, as the more we serve, the more we're going to become humble. The most, the extreme of humility, is sujood...then from there, because these 2 things still in the end in essence refer to Salaat, they refer to Salaat. What about in between the Salawaat? 'And enslave yourself and worship your master.' In other words, now that rukuh and sajda is done, that's not the only ibadah, you understand ibadah is more than that, ibadah is an attitude, I'm a slave, I'm here to serve, ibadah is how I walk, how I talk, how I think about myself, how I think about others, your entire attitude gets transformed because of prayer....prayer is actually a very big part of a Muslims personality. Not just our behavior. 

You know, prayer we think of it as a behavior, but prayer actually, the daily Salawaat, they're supposed to have a really direct effect on how we think. Our attitudes, our thought process, our mentality between dhuhur and asr, my thoughts are gonna be impacted by the dhuhur prayer, between asr and maghrib my thoughts, my priorities are gonna be impacted by the asr prayer. It's the way a Muslim carries himself as a abd (slave), that's shaped, that's what the Salawaat do. You know how pillars hold a building together? The Salawaat hold our day together, they hold our day together and the between hours are dictated by what quality of Salaat we had. Now if the Salaat itself becomes empty, if the Salaat becomes just cardiovascular exercise, it becomes a review session for suratul ikhlas and suratul kauthar (shortest surahs), cause you don't have time for anything more...if it's just becomes that, you're not gonna see any change in your personality.

 - Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan 

The Love Business

Now, let's talk business! What business? Business with Allah Subhanahujalla feula but this business is a love business! How much would you pay man? To know somebody that you love, loves you back? How about somebody famous that people are, you know standing in the line to get an autograph or just to take a picture with? You know, that they love you. Or how much would you pay to know that the Sahaaba love you? Or even Prophet Muhammad Sallellahu Alaihe wasllam loves you or better yet, Allah Subhanu... loves you? You know what the road map is?

Allah Subhanahu ta'al told you! He says, The best of actions of these are those my slaves do, what is the obligations! You know He says, My slaves still comes to me with the voluntary acts of worship till I love him. Ya salaam! So what is exactly that?It is the other ones the best of it of course Qiamullai, not niamullai! Stay up at night to pray. Not to play or go to sleep through it. He says, those who come and do the acts of voluntary worship, that I love them. What happens is Allah if You love me, He says, I would be that vision that he sees with, the hearing he hears with, the hand that he strikes with, the feet that he walks upon. You know what that means akhi? You would not be seeing things that is unlawful! Or you get a better vision or a healthier vision! You will not hear things that you are not necessarily hear when you are with a group. Or the hands that, gives not takes. The hand that gives someone to help not the one that has taken a bribe or complains about somebody else or lies! Or the feet that takes you to masaajid, not the feet that takes you to bars. It's amazing, isn't it? The down payment is there. But the love of Allah is there! 

So how much do you want it?! How hungry are you for it?! So let's have a homework in sha Allah! Let's think that the eyes are like camera lenses. The ears and your mouth are like mp3. Your mind is your modem, your heart is your hard drive and everything you see, hear, you say is actually downloaded. Cannot run this DVD and hide it from your parents! It will be uploaded on judgement day. Everyone will see it! So ask yourself a question. Are you proud of that DVD or will you be proud of that DVD on judgment day? So let's work for the sake of Allah Subhanahu ta'ala. For the love of Allah, so we can see Him, in sha Allah in Jannah.

 - by Sheikh Alaa Elsayed 

Are You Sad & Depressed?

Ya'kub alaihissalam, we know that he was suffering in distressed because Yusuf (Joseph), his beloved son alaihissalam, Joseph (upon whom be peace), Binyamin, his other little son was also missing. And he was in distress, what he says in Chapter 12 verse 86, 'I only complain of my suffering and grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know.' So, from a perspective of a state of being, say we are depress sometime in life and we are really upset, or we don't know where we are going. And we have this kind of existential crisis. Who are we? Whose are we? What are we? Why are we? All these questions we can't really answer properly. We haven't really reflected upon those questions properly. Because we all need reminders. So we can be in a state of suffering and grief. So Yusuf alaihissalam, rather Ya'kub alaihissalam the father of Yusuf alaihissalam and Binyamin. He's saying he is suffering and he is in grief. But look at his solution or look at what he does. And he says, 'I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah.' That number one.

Now go to next verse, verse 87. He now advises his sons, cuz he had another 10 sons, to go and find out about Joseph and Binyamin (his brother). And look what Ya'kub alaihissalam says. He says, 'And despair not of the life giving mercy (roohillah, the life giving mercy of God) of Allah for indeed the one who despairs of the life giving mercy of God is the one who actively rejects the truth.'

So there are some lessons here. He's teaching us how to deal with grief and distress and depression. Because Ya'kub alaihissalam, Jocob (upon whom be peace), he was the one in genuine distress and grief because he loves Joseph so much, he loved Binyamin so much, and he was really really really distressed. But look what he does. He says, 'I complain only to Allah.' So that's the first point of calling when you are distressed and when you arein grief. Complain to Allah. The second piece of advice which is quite significant is in the advice he give to his sons. And he says, 'and despair not of the life giving mercy of Allah, for whoever despair of His mercy is the one who is in a active state of disbelief, (who rejects the truth).'

So it means the one who is in grief and distress and depressed, a solution out of this grief and depression is to sincerely advice others and remind others of the mercy of Allah. Ya'kub alaihissalam was the one in distress and grief. But he adviced his sons sincerely and he told them about Allah's mercy, His compassion, His love. So the way to get out of this grief and distress is actually to do that. Advice others sincerely and remind them of the mercy of Allah. And it is no wonder many of the counselors or psychotherapists, they were actually depressed and they got into the job just to help themselves because advising others actually helps you.

So keep on reflecting upon the Quran, brothers and sisters. I hope this example were a good example that would affect your lives in some way. And if you do feel a little bit distressed, a bit in grief, rely on Allah, refer to Allah, complain to Allah alone. Because He is the only one who can change the situation. No.2, sincerely advice others. No. 3, remind others sincerely of the life giving mercy of your Lord, Allah Subhanallah Taala.

- by Ustadh Hamza Tzortzis

A Weakness That Allah Loves

Did you know that there is a type of weakness that Allah Subhanahu Ta'ala loves? You say that is impossible! There is no such thing! Allah Subhanahu ta'ala loves the strong, loves a strong believer, a strong Muslim! Absolutely! But there is a type of weakness that Allah Subhanahu ta'ala loves and this is weakness that we display with our Muslim brothers and sisters.They are the only ones technically, that it is allowed for us to be weak with. This is why Allah Subhanahu ta'ala says in the Noble Quran. He uses the word Adillah and Dhul usually means disgrace. Of course, Allah Subhannahu ta'ala is not saying that we should be disgraceful but rather that we should be low.

O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion - Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers; they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a critic. That is the favor of Allah ; He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.(Sahih International)

Allah Subhanahu ta'ala says...Lower your wing to the believers. So you should not try to be above, you should not always try to be supreme with your brothers and sisters. It is allowed for you to be somewhat weak with them. In other words, treat them kindly, treat them well, think of them highly, try not to be, you know, ostentatious or pompous with them right?

Do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [certain] categories of the disbelievers, and do not grieve over them. And lower your wing to the believers.(Sahih International)

This is the meaning of being weak not that you should be...you know, weakness in general is not something that Islam condones.But with your Muslim brothers and sisters, you should be as gentle and lenient and cordial as possible. And this is why Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam said in the authentic hadith, he said...'That Iman, (belief and faith) is a as sabr (patience) wassamaahah" 'Samaahah' has many deep meanings, a lot of deep meanings. One of them is forgiving and pardoning. Another one is leniency. So all of these beautiful meanings, we should try to implement along with our brothers and sisters. How come subhan Allah Muslims amongst each other, they don't treat each other this way? Even though the Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wasallam is telling us that it is a part of faith. It is part of your faith to treat your Muslim brother (or sister) this way!

- by Shaykh Mohamad Kotub 

The Formula Of Happiness

My dear brothers and sisters, my dear fathers and mothers, each and every one of us is looking for the formula of happiness. We all want to be happy. Nobody gets up one day and says, 'let me take the formula of depression. I've spent countless years happy, I need a change.'

Nobody says that. Everybody wants happiness. And if we look at those who spoke about happiness, we find that some of them said that happiness was in the attainment of financial standing or material wellbeing. Some of them said happiness was in the attainment of many children for example. Some of them said happiness was in having a handsome or pretty spouse. 

But if we really research those who got what they wanted and thought was happiness, we find that they never really attained the formula of happiness. They might have attained a portion of what gains happiness, but in terms of attaining happiness and its formula, in its totality, then they did not most definitely attain it. And they would testify to this themselves. Allah in his book given that Islam is the complete way of life and has taught us everything good and warned us against everything bad, has indeed taught us the formula of happiness. Allah says...

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do. (Sahih International)

Laa ilaaha Illallah

Listen to this, Allah says, 'for the one who does good deeds from both the males and the females and they are believers...then for them Allah will give a resilient life, a happy life, a fulfilling life. And the price of living a life full of good deeds is not restricted to happiness in this world, rather it follows on into that which is known as 'the perpetual life'. May Allah makes us one from amongst those happy both in this world as well as the Akhira. Ameen!

So this here, O servants of Allah is the formula of happiness.

 - by Sheikh Sajid Ahmed Umar 

The Law Of The Universe

Allah tells us in the Quran, again and again, we hear about Jahannam (hellfire). We know and we think about Jahannam as being something far away. Right? Jahannam (hell-fire), we think of it as being something far away. It's in the hereafter. Yeah. That torture and that torment is far away. But what we don't realize is that the torment and the torture of taking something other than Allah and loving it as you should only love Allah will torment you and torture you in this life, before the next life. That same thing that answers all these questions. What do I think about most? What am I most afraid of losing? What makes me angry? What's the first thing on my mind? What do I think of in my Salah? That same thing, whether it is your family, your kids, your husband, your status, your money, what's this person saying about me? What's that person saying about me? My image in front of people, what do people think? Whatever it is, that same thing will become the cause of your greatest pain, and torment. You see how it works? 

Allah has designed this universe in a specific way. Allah has designed the human heart in a specific way. When you change that design, when you go against that design, you feel the pain. Because you are going against the law of the universe. What is the law of the Universe? La Ilaha Illallah (there is no Diety worthy of worship except but Allah) La Ilaha Illallah is not just a statement that we say. In fact, we say it many times a day, but it isn't just a statement. When you are saying La Ilaha Illallah, you are saying that there is nothing worthy of being put at the center of my life, except for God. There is nothing else worthy of being what occupies my mind all day long. There is nothing else worthy of being the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, the last thing I think about before I go to sleep, what occupies my mind during the Salah...there is nothing else worthy of being that important of defining me in that deep of a way except for God. That's Tawheed. That's what it means to be a Muslim. Allah has designed the world, the universe, the human being, around La Ilaha Illallah. When you go against La Ilaha Illallah, and you take your money and you make that your Ilah (God), you will suffer. Because you are going against the law of the Universe. When you take your spouse and you put your spouse in that place, you will suffer. When you take your children and you put your children in that place, you will suffer. You will feel it, because you are going against the law of the universe. This isn't how Allah designed it. Allah made our hearts in such a way, that it is only to be filled by him. And so, when you fill something with a substance that it wasn't intended to be filled with, it breaks. Our hearts are like a cup. And you can fill that cup with whatever you choose. But if you choose to fill it with this life, if you choose to fill it with Dunya (this world), if you choose to fill it with money, if you choose to fill it with status, if you choose to fill it with what people think, then that cup will break. That heart will never feel at rest. That heart will not feel peace, until it is filled with what it is designed to be filled with, and that is Allah, and the remembrance of Allah. Not the remembrance of the creation, we should not be obsessing our minds and our hearts with anything other than our creator.

- by Ustadha Yasmin Mogahed 

3 Nullifiers Of Salah : Don't Ignore!

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaathuhu

My dear brothers and sisters, on the day of judgment when we go and meet Allah Subhanahu ta'ala and we get held accountable for everything that we have done, the first thing that Allah Subhanahu ta'ala is going to ask us is going to be about Salah. Salah or prayer is one of the most important fundamental things in a Muslim's life. It is a differentiator between kufr and Islam. It is what separates us from non-Muslims.

This video particularly is about three main things that I have seen time and again, time and again, where practicing brothers, I don't know about sisters, but where practicing brothers are not aware that their Salah is being nullified. And they are totally oblivious of it! Either they know it but they are unconsciously not paying attention to it...whatever the reason is. But it's a very big concern. 

First and foremost, which is while making 'wudu, so many times I found people in a rush. They are making 'wudu, they go like this and they forget the elbows or they forget their ankles, Or they forget to wash their face completely; they have dry hairs left here and here, all of those. If you have a single hair span width left dry while making 'wudu, know that your 'wudu is incomplete and your Salah is not valid.

Another thing that you find time and again is... and this is an extremely disgusting thing by the way! Which is that when a person goes down to make sajdah or sometimes ruku, since they are wearing those slim fit tight jeans, tight shirts, you know, a good portion of their butt gets shown from the back! And this is a very common thing and people don't realize that, again, a single hair span's width gets uncovered from your satar, from a satar of a man, which is naval to knee, anything gets uncovered, then your Salah instantly gets nullified!

The third and this is the most prevalent one, which is excessive movement. Some of the fuqhahas (jurists) have listed that anything above three consecutive movements for an individual during Salah would nullify his Salah, i.e. that means if he goes like this and then he goes like this and like this, that's it! That nullifies the person's Salah. There are three consecutive movements that are not parts of Salah and these things would nullify his Salah. So be very very careful about these three things!

So, keep this in mind that when we are standing in front of Allah Subhanahu ta'ala, this is a very great Makaam, this is a very great....when we are standing it's something monumental that you are standing in front of Allah Subhanahu ta'ala. So try to dress for the occasion. Smell for the occasion. Don't be stinking. So many people come into the Masaajid, Subhan Allah you can't even pray next to them. And the same person when he goes to his office he has a totally different attitude. So, let's give Salah just a little bit more importance than what it deserves in our lives. Because that is the first thing that Allah Subhanahu ta'ala is going to ask me and He is going to ask every single one of us or one of you that's watching this video. With this we come to an end. 

This was Ahmad Saleem recording for The Daily Reminder. If you like this video, then please share it with your family, with your friends. Definitely share it with all your male friends or male relatives because this is very common for all of them and I want this message to spread as far as it can in sha Allah.

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaathuhu.

 - by Ustadh Ahmad Saleem

Is Your Child Ignoring You?

You come home from a long day of work, you sit home and all you wanted to do is nothing. Just wanna watch tv, flip the channels, watch news, watch the dow jones industrial average. You wanna check what's going on in the world, even though you won't remember any of it nor do you care, but this is your form of entertainment...and your kid comes over, your five year old comes over, 'Dad.. look what I made, look what I did, Dad...play with me, Come on. Let's do something, let's play tag.' And they are talking to you, talking to you, talking to you and what are you doing? 'Could you leave me alone? I am trying to watch the news' and you call someone, 'Can you? Eh Fathima! Can you get rid of him please, I just came home from work, I need some peace. I don't need to hear this. Don't you have toys I bought you? Go play with those!'

Same child, ten years later, he is 15 years old and you are picking him up from school and you say, 'So son, how was your day?' 'I dunno!' 'What you do?' 'I dunno!' 'Did you talk to any friends?' 'May be...' 'Where are you gonna go later?' 'Somewhere...' 'What you gonna do?' 'I dunno' They won't talk to you. And then you come tell the imam, 'You know...my kid doesn't talk to me.'

Ya...you didn't talk to him! You didn't talk to him all this time, you didn't have time, you didn't create your relationship first, how is it just gonna come out of nowhere? It doesn't. And those are the ages, by the way, 10,11,12,13 those are the critical ages. At those ages, you know before then, children are most obsessed with making their parents proud, doesn't even matter what religion you are from, this is just pure child psychology. Young children just wanna make their parents proud. They wanna show their parents what they've done. The biggest source of influence to them is their parents. They wanna do everything their parents do. If I am sitting there, typing on a laptop, even my 2 year old, I give him a toy and leave that alone, he wants to type that on the laptop. Why? Because Abba (daddy) is doing it. They wanna be like you. But that changes, as they get to a certain age. Now they wanna be like their other friends. And more importantly, they wanna be nothing like you. They want to be the exact opposite of everything you are. They go through that phase. They are getting into a dangerous age. And that critical age, if you didn't already have a very open, friendly, clear, transparent, loving relationship, if that wasn't already there, you are in for some serious trouble, there are some serious trouble headed your way...

by - Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan 

Take Off Your Hijab!

Does it matter if somebody wears hijab if they're committing all these other sins?

A person may look at their life and see they commit all these other sins and they may say to themselves, 'Does it really matter if I wear hijab or not?' This is a trick from Shaytan. (Beware - This is a trick from Shaytan) What Shaytan wants you to do is give up on this one good deed that you are doing. There is no doubt that wearing hijab is indeed very very hard and, and this is why Shaytan will usually attack from that door. He will constantly be on your back and he will remind you of how hard hijab is. Or, if you don't wear hijab, then Shaytan will constantly remind you that it is indeed very very hard, and your life is going to change when you wear hijab and that may be true.

But remember, even just wearing hijab and you may not do any other good deeds or you may commit all these other sins, but that wearing of that hijab is still a good deed. (Don't let your sins prevent you from wearing the hijab) And, you are still in obedience of Allah subhana wa ta3la (The only one worthy of worship, most glorified and most high).

So, never give up on that hijab. And Allah knows best. 

Until next time...in sha Allah

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaathuhu

- by Sheikh Saad Tasleem 

The Essence Of Every Evil

'And mankind took on this responsibility and mankind was constantly in a state of oppression and constantly in a state of ignorance' and Sheikhul Islam ibn Taymiyah RA he comments on this ayah and he says, 'the essence of every evil in this world are these two things, oppression and ignorance.' 

Oppression and ignorance are the essence of every single form of evil in this world, every evil...you will not find an evil from the evils of the world except that it come into one of these two things. It is either a form of oppression or a form of ignorance and this is why in our prayer we seek refuge from the oppressive people i.e. those people who know the truth but they still go ahead and do the wrong so they are oppressive and those people who don't know it and so they are ignorant. And like ibn Taymiyah said all of the evil in the world comes from these two things, oppression and ignorance. 

Oppression and ignorance...so if we look at the state of mankind, the state of mankind if they don't embrace Islam, if they don't turn to Islam, if they don't correct their character by use of the...the means to correct it that are given to us in Islam, the what do they end up, they end up in a state of oppressing by when they know the truth and they don't do it or a state of ignorance where they don't know the truth at first place...and the shaitan he builds upon these two things and he builds upon them with two key things. He builds upon them with shahawaat and he builds upon them with shubuhat.

So as for the issue of zulm (of opression) the shaitan builds upon this oppression by the means of shahwat (your desires). So the shaitan tries to get you to follow your desires, to follow what your soul craves for, you know...you just you know you at the end of the day you know of you find sort of you find soul craves when your lazy you don't do anything you don't wanna go out and go to work you just wanna eat food and you just, you know you have desires from relationships, men and women and you have your desires from you know, the food that you eat and you have desires from wealth and status and power. These kinds of desires that can be at odds with Islam that can be at against Islam, the shaitan he wants you to follow them and this the zulm that the shaitan wants you to do to yourself, that oppression shaitan wants you to do to yourself. And on the other side, on the side of ignorance the shaitan he has shubuhat. He spreads false ideas and false notions, he spreads misguidance upon the people things that you hear it and you thing they are true but it's not true and shaitans uses these to make you ignorant and to make your turn away from the path of Allah azawajal.

May Allah azawajal protect us all from the oppression and ignorance ... ameen

 by Ustadh Muhammad Tim Humble 

Controlling The Gaze

How do you control your gaze in a hyper-sexualized society?

We live in a culture of voyeurism, where we're taught to look at anything, and everything, and everyone. From TV, movies, to reality shows, magazines. We're either looking at people's lives, or we're looking at people. And, in a society like this, we see the effects, the detrimental effects that have come about because of this culture that we're in where we're conditioned to never control our gaze.

For single people, it may start with nudity and things like that, in movies and TV and all of that, but it can very easily end up to a person addicted to pornography and we know all the ill effects that that has on a person's life.For someone who is married, there are many detrimental effects of not controlling one's gaze. It can lead to a person being unsatisfied with their spouse. One of the reasons is that they may begin to compare their spouse to all these other people that they're always looking at. A person's spouse will never live up to these images we see on the internet, on TV, and movies, and magazines, because that's just not reality. And so, it can cause a lot of problems in relationships.

And so it's about time that we start pushing ourselves to be patient with controlling our gaze. And it's not easy, look, let's be honest. It's not easy for a person to control their gaze in the society. But, realize that change doesn't happen overnight. We're gonna have to condition ourselves, we are gonna have to start working at it, and seeking the help of Allah and slowly, but surely, Allah will help us to control and lower our gaze.

And Allah knows best. 

Until next time, in sha Allah...

Asalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

- by Sheikh Saad Tasleem 

The Worst Container : #Obesity

Whenever we consider what Rasoolullah told us with regards to eating, we are remembering Allah. So among the basic principles or pillars of eating, the etiquette of eating in Islam, is that we eat a third, drink a third, and leave a third for breathing. Of course, those who are used to over-indulging, because when they give you on Sheikh Google what is the capacity of the stomach, they are giving you the capacity of the normal stomach, not the capacity of the people who are used to gorging themselves on a regular basis, over eating. Cuz the stomach is like a balloon, the more air you blow into it, the bigger it gets. So it's the same thing, it is an expandable organ. So if you are used to packing it in every time, every meal you are just piling it in, then your stomach gets bigger, bigger and bigger. So your capacity now is maybe double or triple of what the normal person's capacity is. But the point is that if you are able to control yourself, because your stomach again, if you stop packing it in and set a specific regime of how much you are going to eat, then the stomach starts to decrease, and it will go back down to its normal size. And then when you eat that two thirds, you will feel, not full because that's the whole point, you don't fill the stomach. And the Prophet (sallalaho alaihi wasallam) emphasized that saying, 'the worst container that a human being can fill is his stomach.' The worst container. You have containers, things which contain things, you pour things in them all the time, right?

The worst one to fill is the stomach. This is prophetic advice. So if we are able to take this on, it would make a difference for most of us. Because now we are in a generation according to WHO (world health organization) from the year 2004 onwards for the first time in recorded human history, the number of people who are obese is greater than the number of people who are starving. This is the state of the world today. And Prophet Muhammad (sallalaho alaihi wasallam) in Sahih Al Bukhari, when talking about the future, the signs of the last day, the coming of the last day, he said...

'and there would appear them (amongst the Muslims) obesity.'

Because in the Prophet (sallalaho alaihi wasallam)'s time this was very uncommon, only people who had medical problems (were obese). You know, cuze for some people it is a medical thing. You are not talking about the average person, we are talking about special people, they have some problems where they eat a little bit, they get fat. But we are talking about the norm. So, the norm amongst the Muslim ummah was for people to be of moderate build, moderate or lean. They lived, you know, lives which was active, so that obesity, and they didn't, you know, this luxury eating styles, lifestyles, etc. wasn't there. So people maintained natural states they were not obese. Obesity was rare. But Prophet (sallalaho alaihi wasallam) said, 'Among sings of coming of the last day was that obesity will appear among Muslims.' Meaning it becomes prominent, it becomes known, we see it all around us. The worst container that a human being can fill is his stomach. The worst container. This is prophetic advice.

- by Sheikh Dr. Bilal Philips 

The Evil Twins : Jealousy & Envy

Jealousy and envy is basically when you see someone has something and you want it for yourself. Islamically, there is a concept known as hasad.

Hasad is similar to jealousy and envy, expect in hasad, you not only want what they have, but you also want that they don't have it.

For example, let's say you know someone who has more friends than you on Facebook or more followers on twitter. Hasad is you wanting more followers and friends than they have and that they have less. Thus, whatever they have and they've been blessed with be taken away from them.

It's normal for people to feel jealous or envious of others when you see they've been blessed with certain things. The best possible tip I have for you, whenever you're feeling jealous or envious make a very simple du'a (supplication/prayer to Allah).

That du'a is, "Allahumma zid wa barik"

You're saying, "O Allah, increase them in what you've given them and put blessings in it."

It may seem counter intuitive. "If I'm jealous of them, why would I ask Allah to give them more?"

There's benefit in this. When you make du'a for someone else, we know the angels make the same du'a for you. When you ask Allah to increase them in what they have, you're making du'a for yourself as well.

Also, when you make du'a for someone else, you release the negative feelings you have toward them. You're realize that jealousy and envy is very poisonous for the soul. It makes an individual very uneasy.

When you make this du'a, you'll feel this release from your soul. You'll feel this positivity. And, in sha Allahu ta'la, you're on the road to get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'la.

And, Allah knows best. Until next time...

Asalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa brakatuhu

By : Sheikh Saad Tasleem

Prophets of the Quran

The Quran mentions twenty five prophets, most of whom are mentioned in the Bible as well. Who were these prophets, where did they live, who were they sent to, what are their names in the Quran and the Bible, and what are some of the miracles they performed? We will answer these simple questions.

Before we begin, we must understand two matters:

a. In Arabic two different words are used, Nabi and Rasool. A Nabi is a prophet and a Rasool is a messenger or an apostle. The two words are close in meaning for our purpose.

b. There are four men mentioned in the Quran about whom Muslim scholars are uncertain whether they were prophets or not: Dhul-Qarnain (18:83), Luqman (Chapter 31), Uzair (9:30), and Tubba (44:37, 50:14).

1. Aadam or Adam is the first prophet in Islam. He is also the first human being according to traditional Islamic belief. Adam is mentioned in 25 verses and 25 times in the Quran. God created Adam with His hands and created his wife, Hawwa or Eve from Adam’s rib. He lived in Paradise and was expelled from there to earth for disobedience. The story of his two sons is mentioned once in Chapter 5 (Al-Maidah).

2. Idrees or Enoch is mentioned twice in the Quran. Other than that little is known about him. He is said to have lived in Babylon, Iraq and migrated to Egypt and that he was the first one to write with the pen.

3. Nooh or Noah is mentioned 43 times in the Quran. He is said to be from Kirk, Iraq. Polytheism (shirk) appeared for the first time among his people who lived close to the present day city of Kufa, in the south of Iraq. His wife was an unbeliever as mentioned in Chapter 66 (At-Tahrim). His son also choose disbelief and was drowned in the flood. The story is found in Chapter 11 (Hud).

One of his great miracles was the Arc which he built on God’s command that rested on Mt. Judi which is said to be between the Syrian-Turkish border today near the city of Ayn Diwar.

4. Hud is said to be Heber in English. He is mentioned 7 times in the Quran. Hud is the first person to have spoken Arabic and was the first Arab prophet. He was definitely sent to the people of Aad in the area known as Al-Ahqaf which is around Hadramaut in Yemen and the Ar-Rub al-Khali (the Empty Quarter). God destroyed them by a fierce wind that blew for 8 days and seven nights.

5. Salih is mentioned 9 times in the Quran. He was an Arab prophet send to the people of Thamud who lived in an area known as Al-Hijr between Hijaz and Tabuk. Al-Hijr was the ancient name. Today, the place is known as “Madain Salih” in Saudi Arabia and is a UNESCO world heritage site. They are magnificent structures literally carved into rocks. The people demanded he produce a female camel out of the rocks to prove his claim to being a prophet. He did, and warned them not to harm her, but they killed her despite the warning of Salih. A loud shriek – saihah - killed them all.

6. Ibrahim or Abraham is mentioned 69 times in 25 chapters of the Quran. His father’s name was Aazar. They lived in the city of Ur in the Chaldean kingdom. He escaped Ur to Harran, in the north of the Arabian peninsula, in today’s Syria, when Nimrod, the king tried to burn him alive. From Harran he went to Palestine with his wife Sarah and the son of his brother, Lot (Loot in Arabic) and his wife. Due to a famine, they were forced to move to Egypt. 

He later returned with Lot to the south of Palestine, Ibrahim settling in Bir Sab’a and Lot settled close to the Dead Sea. 

Abraham then moved his second wife, Hagar, to Mecca with his son Ishmael and left them there at God’s command. Mecca was a barren land and the well of zamzam was provided by God for their survival. The ancient tribe of Jurhum settled their due to zamzam. Abraham is said to be buried in Hebron, Palestine.

7, 8. Abraham had two sons: Ishaq or Issac and Ismael or Ishmael. Issac is mentioned 16 times in the Quran whereas Ishmael is mentioned 12 times. Issac lived with his father, Abraham, and died in Hebron, Palestine. God ordered Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael. He went to Mecca with his parents and was left there with his mother. Abraham visited Ishmael several times in Mecca, one of those times, God ordered Abraham and Ishmael to build the Ka’bah (the Holy House). Ishmael died in Mecca and was buried there. Issac is the fore-father of the Jews and Ishmael is the forefather of the Arabs. 

9. Lot or Loot is mentioned 17 times in the Quran. He is the nephew of Abraham, the son of Abraham’s brother. Lot lived towards the southern tip of the Dead Sea. His people were from Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot believed in Abraham and after their return from Egypt, they settled in separate locations. People of Sodom were the first to commit homosexuality. That is why homosexuals are sometimes called sodomites. His wife was not a believer. She did not commit the sin, but accepted it. Rocks were rained down on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah that crushed them.

10. Yaqub or Jacob, the son of Issac and the grandson of Abraham is mentioned 16 times in the Quran. Jacob’s other name was Israel. The “Bani Israel,” Children of Israel, or Israelites are named after him. All the Hebrew prophets came from him, the last of whom was Eesa or Jesus. Jacob is the father of the twelve tribes known as Al-Asbaat (7:160) in the Quran. He is said to have traveled to north of Iraq, returned to Palestine and then settled in Egypt and died there. He was buried in Hebron, Palestine, along with his father according to his last will. The Bible mentions that Issac married Rebecca and his son Jacob married Rachel (Rahil in Arabic).

11. Yusuf or Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel is mentioned 17 times in the Quran. He was left in a Jerusalem well by his brothers, and then taken to Egypt where he attained a high rank in the government. Later, his father, Jacob, and brothers settled in Egypt.

12. Shuaib or Jethro, mentioned 11 times in the Quran, was send to the people of Madyan, who was one of the sons of Abraham. Shuaib lived between the time of Lot and Moses and was an Arab prophet. His people worshipped a tree called Al-Aykah (15:78, 26:176, 38:13, 50:14). They were highway robbers, and cheated in business dealings. Several punishments came down upon them: an awful cry combined with an earthquake that destroyed them. 

13. Ayyub or Job is mentioned 4 times in the Quran. He is said to have lived close to either the Dead Sea or Damascus. He was an affluent prophet who was tested by God with poverty and sickness, but he was patient and was helped by his loyal wife who stayed by him in every hardship. Eventually, they are immensely rewarded by God for their patience.

14. Yunus or Jonah, also known as “Dhun-Noon,” is mentioned 4 times in the Quran. He lived in Nineveh, close to Mosul, in Iraq. He left his people before God allowed him to, headed towards modern day Tunisia, but possibly ended up in Yafa. He was swallowed by the whale, repented to God and went back to his people in Iraq where all 100,000 of them repented and believed in him. 

15. Dhul-Kifl is mentioned twice in the Quran. Some scholars say he was the son of Job, others say he is Ezekiel of the Bible. 

16. Musa or Moses is the most frequently mentioned prophet in the Quran, appearing 136 times. Before Moses, Joseph had started spreading the message of monotheism (tawhid: worship of One, true God) among the people of Egypt. His mission was strengthened when his father, Jacob, and his brothers also settled in Egypt, slowly converting all of Egypt. After Yusuf, the Egyptians turned back into polytheism (shirk) and the children of Jacob, the Israelites, multiplied and gained prominence in the society. Moses was the first prophet sent to the Israelites at a time when the Pharaoh of Egypt was enslaving them. Moses fled to Madyan to flee persecution. God made him a prophet at Mt. Toor, situated in the Sinai and he was given nine great miracles. 

17. Haroon or Aaron is the brother of Moses and is mentioned 20 times in the Quran. 

18,19. Ilyas or Elijah and Yas’a are mentioned two times each in the Quran and lived in Baalbek.

20,21. Dawud or David is mentioned in the Quran 16 times. He led the Israelites in war and won, and had many miracles. His son, Suleiman or Solomon is mentioned 17 times and was also a king with great miracles. Both are buried in Jerusalem.

22. Zakariyyah or Zechariah is mentioned 7 times. He was a carpenter. He raised Mary, the mother of Jesus.

23. Yahya or John is the son of Zechariah and is mentioned 5 times. He was killed in Jerusalem, and his head was taken to Damascus. 

24. The name Eesa or Jesus is mentioned 25 times, Messiah 11 times, and the ‘son of Mary’ 23 times. He was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. He is said to have visited Egypt with his mother. He is the last prophet among the Children of Israel.

Five prophets were Arabs: Hud, Salih, Shuaib, Ismail, and Muhammad. Four of them were send to the Arabs, whereas Muhammad was send to all human beings.

In conclusion, prophets, biblical and non-biblical, are integral to the Islamic scripture. Muslims see themselves as the true inheritors of the mission of the prophets sent by God to humanity: worship of the One True God and obedience to Him.

Jannah: Paradise

Essential knowledge regarding the description of Jannah (Paradise) and some information regarding how to reach Jannah

Jannah (Arabic: جنّة‎ Jannah), is the Islamic conception of paradise. The Arabic word Jannah is a shortened version meaning simply "Garden". According to Islamic eschatology, after death, one will reside in the grave until the appointed resurrection on Yawm al-Qiyāmah. Muslims believe that the treatment of the individual in the life of the grave will be according to his or her deeds in the worldly life. Jannah is often compared to Christian concepts of Heaven. According to Muslim belief, everything one longs for in this world, will be there in Paradise.

Paradise itself is commonly described in the Qur'an. The highest level of Paradise is Firdaws (فردوس), which is where the prophets, the martyrs and the most truthful and pious people will dwell. In contrast to Jannah, the words Ǧahannam and Nār are used to refer to the concept of hell.

The Importance of Prayer

The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the first pillar of Islam that the Prophet, may God praise him, mentioned after mentioning the Testimony of Faith, by which one becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for all peoples. God has declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For example, when God spoke directly to Moses, He said, 

“And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am God! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance.” (Quran 20:13-14)

Similarly, the prayers were made obligatory upon the Prophet Muhammad during his ascension to heaven. Furthermore, when God praises the believers, such as in the beginning of the chapter entitled ‘al-Muminoon’ (the Believers), one of the first descriptions He states is their adherence to the prayers. 

Once a man asked the Prophet about the most virtuous deed. The Prophet stated that the most virtuous deed is the prayer. The man asked again and again and for the first three times, the Prophet answered, “The prayer,” then on the fourth occasion he stated, “Jihad in the way of God.” [1]

The importance of prayer is demonstrated in many of the Prophet’s statements. For example, the Prophet said, 

“The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is incomplete, then the rest of his deeds will be incomplete.” [2]

The importance of the prayers lies in the fact that no matter what actions one performs in his life, the most important aspect is one’s relationship to God, that is, one’s faith (imaan), God-consciousness (taqwa), sincerity (ikhlas) and worship of God (ibaadah). This relationship with God is both demonstrated and put into practice, as well as improved and increased, by the prayer. Therefore, if the prayers are sound and proper, the rest of the deeds will be sound and proper; and if the prayers are not sound and proper, then the rest of the deeds will not be sound and proper, as the Prophet himself stated. 

In reality, the prayer is performed properly – with true remembrance of God and turning to Him for forgiveness – it will have a lasting effect on the person. After he finishes the prayer, his heart will be filled with the remembrance of God. He will be fearful as well as hopeful of God. After that experience, he will not want to move from that lofty position to one wherein he disobeys God. God has mentioned this aspect of the prayer when He has said, 

“Verily, the prayer keeps one from the great sins and evil deeds” (Quran 29:45)

Nadwi has described this effect in the following eloquent way, 

Its aim is to generate within the subliminal self of man such spiritual power, light of faith and awareness of God as can enable him to strive successfully against all kinds of evils and temptations and remain steadfast at times of trial and adversity and protect himself against the weakness of the flesh and the mischief of immoderate appetites. [3]

The overall affect that the properly performed prayers should have upon humans is described in other verses in the Quran: 

“Verily, man was created impatient, irritable when evil touches him and ungenerous when good touches him. Except for those devoted to prayer those who remain constant in their prayers…” (Quran 70:19-23)

As for the Hereafter, God’s forgiveness and pleasure is closely related to the prayers. The Messenger of God said, 

“God has obligated five prayers. Whoever excellently performs their ablutions, prays them in their proper times, completes their bows, prostrations and khushu[4], has a promise from God that He will forgive him. And whoever does not do that has no promise from God. He may either forgive him or punish him.”

The prayers are a type of purification for a human being. He turns and meets with his Lord five times a day. As alluded to above, this repeated standing in front of God should keep the person from doing sinful acts during the day. Furthermore, it should also be a time of remorse and repentance, such that he earnestly asks God for forgiveness for those sins that he committed. In addition, the prayer in itself is a good deed that wipes away some of the evil deeds that he performed. These points can be noted in the following hadith of the Prophet, may God praise him: 

“If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would have any filth left on him?” The people said, “No filth would remain on him whatsoever.” The Prophet then said, “That is like the five daily prayers: God wipes away the sins by them.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

In another hadith, the Prophet said, 

“The five daily prayers and the Friday Prayer until the Friday prayer are expiation for what is between them.” (Saheeh Muslim)

[1] This is form a hadith recorded by Ahmad and ibn Hibban. According to al-Albani, the hadith is hasan. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sahih al-Targheeb wa al-Tarheeb (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1982), vol. 1, p. 150 

[2] Recorded by al-Tabarani. According to al-Albani, it is Sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503. 

[3] Nadwi, p. 24 

[4] Khushu` in the prayer is where the person’s heart is attuned to the prayer. This feeling in the heart is then reflected on the body. The person remains still and calm. His gaze is also lowered. Even his voice is affected by this feeling in the heart. For more details on this concept (as well as the difference between it and khudhu`), see Muhammad al-Shaayi, al-Furooq al-Laughawiyyah wa Atharahaa fi Tafseer al-Quran al-Kareem (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ubaikaan, 1993), pp. 249-254.