The Promise of Allah

The Promise of Allah By: Omar Sulieman

You can spend days talking about all the awesome things that will be granted to the people of jannah, but what have I done to deserve Jannah? Have you done anything that would stop you from getting to jannah?

To keep this dream alive in us and our actions, we have to think of jannah and never lose sight of the goal. When you’re thinking of Allah, you will find your way.

Goal-Doubt=REALITY

Quran Speaks

Quran Speaks: A Message for Humanity By: Nouman Ali Khan

Why do people do shirk?  (Surah Yunus)

People who practice shirk, don’t own up to what they do and don’t want to be responsible. Instead of facing your lord, you can just blame it on someone else, you don’t have to realize the reality that one day you will be accounted for what you have done. This is false “Shafa’a” which is creating connections or intermediaries with God, you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble or doing any good because you will not be accountable for it. As Muslims we know that one day we have to answer to Allah and we will have true “Shafa’a” because Muhammad will be able to intermediate for us, and this is a job ordained by Allah.

What is the Quran?

The Quran is heart penetrating advice. Shirk is the worse disease of the heart that someone can get. The Quran is medicine for the heart and guidance from Muhammad (sws) is to make sure we won’t get sick again. So we need to stop talking about the Quran, talk Quran. 

Discovering Your Role

Discovering your Role By: Omar Suleiman

There are three things human beings incline towards:

1)       Belief in Allah

2)       Adil, justice

3)       Compassion

When you are born you have an inclination towards all of these things, we are born with them. Naturally we want a God, we want justice and we want to show compassion.

There was a two year old Chinese girl who got hit by two vans, there were 18 bystanders and they did nothing, minutes later her mother comes to scrape her off the streets.

This is a decay of humanity, not having compassion is not human, and this is a sign of the day of judgment, people will begin to lose their inclination to justice, compassion and Allah. What does this have to do with your role? First, every human being is born with good and second, we all have the ability to do good things. Everything has something good in it, even shaitan because he strengthens the heart of a believer. Allah does not want us to be super stars and everyone is not going to be a sheikh or an imam, Allah wants us to be good Muslims, the Muslims we were born to be and within our capability. This will get you into Jannah. And a man came to the Prophet (sws) and asked him, what is the secret, like how do I get into Jannah, the Prophet (sws) answered (not exact word but in my summary): 1) give sadaqah (the man persisted, what if I am poor?) 2) enjoin what good and forbid what’s evil (he persisted, what if I am not a big shot and have the mean to do so) 3) teach the ignorant the truth (he persisted, what if I am ignorant) 4) stand with the oppressed (the man persisted, what if I am the one oppressed) 5) Don’t harm people.

The moral of this story is that there is always something for us to do, there is never a time when we can’t do anything we are always capable of doing something. 

Dua of Ibrahim

Dua of Ibrahim By: Muhammad Yunus 

“Abraham was indeed a model, devoutly obedient to Allah, true In Faith, and He joined not gods with Allah.” 16:120

"Our Lord! make us not a (test and) trial for the Unbelievers, but forgive us, Our Lord! for Thou art the Exalted In Might, the Wise." there was indeed In them an excellent example for you to follow,- for those whose hope is In Allah and In the Last Day. but if any turn away, truly Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise. 60:5-6

"O My Lord! bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous; "Grant me honourable mention on the tongue of truth among the latest (generations);"Make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss; "Forgive My father, for that He is among those astray; "And let me not be In disgrace on the Day when (men) will be raised up;- "The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, "But only He (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart;” 26:83-89

Acceptance of Prayers

Acceptance of Prayers By Allah Almighty By: Omar Suleiman

There are three things to think about when making our Duas and Allah accepting them:

1)      The answer can sometimes be “no”. We ask Allah to answer us on our terms but when you make dua you want Allah to answer you on the best terms. If Allah does not grant you something here than he will avert you from some harm that was greater or give it to you in the akhira.

2)       Allah is not unjust. Imagine there being two kids, one who was very obident and followed all of his parent orders and the other who disobeyed them. Now if they both asked for a present, who deserves it more? Allah will not give you something you have not worked for but reject others who have. And this is really important to understand. People always ask, “Where is the help of Allah?” but what are you doing in order for Allah to give you this help.

3)       If you want Allah to accept your dua, you have to trust in that dua

4)       Do what Allah says, Allah loves those who obey him.

Dua and putting your trust in Allah come, hand-in-hand, you need the one to have the other, there are three levels of trusting Allah:

1)       There is trusting Allah like you trust a wakil to be your business agent. You are constantly on top of him.

2)       Trusting Allah like a child trust his mother, Allah our ultimate source of comfort. We always run back to Allah.

3)       Trusting Allah the way a dead body trusts its washer, it has no choice. 

"I seek refuge in you, from you”

“I thought about asking Allah why he lets certain things happen in the world, but I was too scared he would ask me the same thing”

Moderation: Islam

MODERATION: ISLAM

The Balanced Nation: A Universal Responsibility By: Hafiz Tauqeer Shah

A great Persian once asked a poor Arab, “Why would uncivilized Muslim Arabian come to the biggest super power?”

All the Arab said was “I am here to help you”

Allah sent us so we can liberate human beings from their slavery to other human beings and bring them closer to their Lord. Allah wants us to take them from their narrowness of this world and to its spaciousness.

“Thus, have we made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves; and we appointed the Qibla to which Thou wast used, only to test those who followed the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (from the Faith). indeed it was (A change) momentous, except to those guided by Allah. and never would Allah make your Faith of no effect. for Allah is to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful.” 2:143

“ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing In Allah. if only the people of the Book had Faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have Faith, but Most of them are perverted transgressors.” 3:110

There is No Such Thing as a Stinky Muslim

Assalamalikum
Bismillah wa Alhamdulillah

In Islam, the importance of cleanliness is heavily stressed. Take a look at Salah. Before every prayer, we are commanded to purify ourselves through wudu, wash up and then face Allah as we stand for Salah.
Allah tells us in Surah Baqarah that, "...Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves." [2:222]
The Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wasalam also told us in a Muslim Hadith (2:0432) that "Cleanliness is half of faith...".  So there really should not be such a thing as a 'stinky' Muslim. We all have an obligation to be clean and stay as much as we can.  


Our Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi waslam, did not just tell us that cleanliness is half our deen but also gave more detail as in what we need to do to stay clean, subhanAllah. Our beloved, salla Allahu alayhi wasalam, told us that “Five things are part of the fitrah: shaving the pubic hair, circumcision, trimming the moustache, plucking the armpit hairs, and cutting the nails” [Bukhari, Muslim]
So we as Muslims must do these five things that have been commanded.
1) Shaving of the Pubic Hair- Removing the hair from the private parts is extremely important for two reasons. First off, because the Prophet commanded it and it is a part of maintaining cleanliness as a Muslim and two, because it is also scientifically unhealthy and unsafe to let hair just grow in this area. As you can see, subhanAllah, everything that is commanded is logical and makes sense and we don't exactly need science to proof but Alhamdulillah, it reaffirms to us how Allah's law is the best for us. Scientifically speaking, areas such as the privates and arm pits are dark areas- meaning they are usually covered. We don't walk around with them exposed, astaghfarullah. Thus these areas which become moist and are dark, become an ideal place for bacteria to accumulate. Thus with pubic hair kept unshaven, it creates a more ideal environment for bacteria to grow which can lead to many conditions and infections including yeast infections, especially in women. 
2) Circumcision- This is an obligation for men according to the majority consensus of Muslim scholars. It involves removal of the foreskin from glans, which is the covering on the male reproductive organ. It is routinely done in hospitals in the US, usually during the first ten days of birth. About 65% of newborn boys that are born are circumcised here in the US. Circumcision also prevents against infections that can complicate as time passes on. 
3) Trimming of the mustache- This generally applies to men too because women don't exactly grow mustaches like men do. Trimming of the mustache was recommended so that the hair does not cover the mouth or the lips. 
4) Removal of Armpit hairs- This again is similar to the removal of pubic hair because when the armpit's location without removing the hair can become an ideal place for bacteria to start to accumulate and can lead to infections. Sweat accumulates here and then mixed in with hair can create that warm, moist environment that bacterium love. Thus, this hair must be removed through whichever method is easiest. 
5) Cutting of the nails- Long nails can trap alot of bacteria, dirt, and grime. Thus nails must be kept short to keep this area clean as well. Long nails that are dirty is unhygeinic. 


**Our Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi waslam, not only told us about what we should do to stay clean but also gave a maximum number of days in which these must be done. In a Saheeh Muslim hadith, our Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wasalam, tells us that all these things must be done every forty days. So keep that in mind. Usually, hair growth can be an indication that it is time to shave. For women, you can use your monthly menses cycle to keep tabs on when you need to cut your nails and shave you pubic/privates hairs. 


Along with this, there are three modes of purification: 
Allah subhana wa ta'ala tells us in the Quran that: "O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful." [5:6]


So, three types of purification:
A. Wudu (the ablution)
B. Ghusl (the full bath)
C. Tayammum 


Wudu
This is something we do everyday before we pray our daily prayers. Most of us are already familiar with the steps of wudu but here they are in a nutshell
1. Make the intention and start with Bismillah
2. Wash your hands
3. Rinse your mouth three times
4. Wash your nose three times
5. Wash your face three times
6. Wash your arms three times- right first and then left from the fingers all the way to the elbows.
7. Wipe over the hair and clean the ears.
8. Wash the feet three times, right first and then left, thoroughly. 
*It was related by Nu'aim Al-Mujmir:"Once I went up the roof of the mosque along with Abu Huraira (RA): He performed ablution and said, "I heard the Prophet (S) saying, 'On the Day of Resurrection, my followers will be called Al-Ghurr-ul-Muhajjalun from the traces of ablution and whoever can increase the area of his radiance should do so (by performing ablution in the most perfect manner.'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 1, Hadith No. 138) So inshaa'Allah may all our faces radiate on that Day from our wudu :) 


Ghusl
This is the full bath that is taken after Janabaa (sexual relations), menses, or postpartum bleeding.
Here are the steps of Ghusl: 

1.       Form the intention in the heart to purify oneself from major impurity: Janaabah (impurity following sexual discharge), menses or Nifaas (postpartum bleeding).

2.       Say Bismillah and wash the hands three times. Then, wash any dirt away from the private parts.

3.       Then do wudoo’ as for prayer, a complete wudoo’.

4.       Then pour water over the head three times, and rub the hair so that the water reaches the roots of the hair.

5.       Then wash the body, making sure that the water reaches all parts. Start with the right side of the body, then the left while rubbing it with the hands so that the water reaches the entire body. 

Tayammum 

This is a method to purify when one does not have water. It is done with dirt or leaves and such. This is not like normal wudu, so you do not have to put the dirt into your mouth or nose, all that is need is to clean the hands and the face with it. 

Allah send down the prescription for this in the case where no water is necessary in Surah Maidah, Ayah 6, "But if you are ill or on a journey or any of you comes from answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse) and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favor on you that you may be thankful.; ( 5:6)

So here you have it. The three means of purification along with the natural ways to stay clean and hygienic, inshaa'Allah. 

All good is from Allah and any mistakes are from ourselves. 

Jazakallahkhair! 

The Bare Minimum

Assalamalaikum

Bismillah wa Alhamdulillah

Discussion Question: What do you consider as the bare minimum? What does this mean? Why do think sticking to the bare minimum so common in our times? 

Introduction: Dilemma of the Youth Today- Sticking to the Bare minimum

 There is a trend that is taking place among our community of doing only what is necessary to get by. We are used to instant results from commercial on TV where taking pills for a week will make us shed our desired weight between two weeks. We are used to getting things done quick, fast, doing little, not working hard but still expecting awesome results. For this reason, today we see Muslims across the world that love to stick to 'the bare minimum'. That just praying fard salah will be okay with out any intention of doing more. That learning 5 Surahs is enough for the rest of their life. That going to Jummah once a week is a sufficient routine, that just doing enough to get you by is enough to get to Jannah. We forget our examples of the past, of the people that went out and beyond their capabilities to get a place in Jannah. By doing the bare minimum, we not only do ourselves injustice but we are cheating outselves, we risk out chances of getting into Jannah.

-The Scales on Yawm ul Akhirah

The reason why sticking to the bare minimum is risky is because of our scales. Every time we do something good, no matter how small it is written as something good that will be on ours scales as something good. However, when we sin, which is something we all do, because none of us are perfect, that sin weighs on our bad side. When you stick to the bare minimum, doing just enough to get by, but still we as humans keep sinning, then at the end of the day, your good and your bad may cancel out. If you just stick to the minimum but still make mistakes, you are left with nothing. Thus, you have to go far and beyond, do more do more and do more so that we can get more and more good deeds that will weigh heavier than our bad and maybe even cancel some of our bad deeds out.
Another reason why sticking to the bare minimum is dangerous is because we are never guarenteed whether our good deeds are accepted or not. We may never know if our salah has been accepted because we might have made a mistake and didn't remember or we might have mispronounced something and forgot and thus doing more and doing extra makes up a little bit for the mistakes that you may make along the way. 

-Racing towards good Deeds like a Tortoise, not a Hare.

Instead of doing just enough, instead of getting by with a 70, we need to change our aims. We need to aim for an A and then work towards an A. One important thing when thinking and planning to do extra deeds is to start slow but consistently. For example, if you want to start praying the extra sunnah of any type of nafl' prayer, start with a small number of rak'ahs and the increase. Don't be like the hare who went too fast and ended up losing the race. Stick to small but consistent steps. Our beloved salla Allahu alayhi waslam, also told us that the best of deeds are those that are done consistently. 

The Prophet, salla Allahu Alayhi waslam, was guarenteed Jannah but still did Istighfar, he still prayed extra rakahs, he still stood up in the night and prayer to Allah. Even though he already had a secure place in Jannah, he always did more. And when asked why? He replied that should he not be a grateful slave? If the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi waslam, who was guarenteed Jannah still did more, what does that say about us? We should definitely be striving to do more and constantly keep improving to follow his footsteps in shaa' Allah. 

‘Let’s try to stop looking for loop holes, to get the most ‘liberal’ way out or to choose the ‘easiest’ path that is the most convenient to our desires. Let’s stop sticking with minimum here, avoiding anything that is extra. In order to cultivate and grow your iman, you constantly have to keep striving for more, constantly keep struggling to better yourself. At the end of the day if your bad equals your good, the cup remains empty, so stock up on the good, and keep stocking every day. Remember, Firdaws is for those that strive the hardest, so keep struggling.”

‘Oh mankind, indeed you are ever toiling towards your lord, painfully toiling…
But you shall meet Him’ (84:6)

Dawah Rejuvenation

In the Quran, Allah talks about how these people will spend their lives to disprove Islam, Allah says that people will make up things about the prophets, Allah talks about how they can see perfectly but they are blind, they have a veil over them, Allah talks about these people who will deny him, people who will be ungrateful, people who will take Jesus as their God, people who will deny the day of judgement. 

These people have eyes, but can not see and ears but can not hear….even if you gave them biggest sign, even if you showed them the angels, they would not believe…they will not listen and continue in their disbelief. 

I have always believed this BUT today changed everything. Do you know when you see something crazy like a girl with super pink hair, you have to look twice to make sure you are seeing the right thing. I always read in the Quran about these people, I have encountered some of these people, I did work at Jim’s lol, but today during an “agstafiruallah debate” I realized fully the state of this blindness is, and it is not just a sheer scarf over these people’s eyes, get a black wool blanket and place over these people eyes. Today was my second glance. 

The shiekhs are right, this guy was playing on my words, switching the topic and every time I told him to stop, he would laugh. He was playing a game, while I truly was trying to inform, forgetting the inevitable wool blanket. You come in with a good intention and leave flustered and red, I looked like a tomato. 

Honestly,I think I am going to retire on the debated and stick to my original dawah, spreading the word’s of Allah through coolio slips, and cards, and just trying my best to live by the prophet, mega mega mega super super nice :) :) :) inshallah :) 

and maybe have an intellectual discussion one-on-one…..maybe ;)