Seven Under the Shade of Allah

Seven Under the Shade of Allah 

Day of Judgment:

Two trumpets will be sounded. The first trumpet when all that are in in the heavens and on earth will swoon except that such will please Allah. The second trumpet will be sounded when all shall be awakened and running towards Allah. Your body parts will start to merge back together. Your brain will start thinking and your eyes will start seeing; you are basically back to life. Think when you were. Every single person that has ever touched this earth will be naked, barefooted, shaking and covered in the dirt that once surrounded you- billions and billions of people all surrounded around you.

On that day you will be selfish, worrying where your soul will go for the rest of eternity. You will  not even think of your own mother, siblings, father, best friend, spouse! Anyone that you cared about in this life will not cross your mind. All you will say is “myself, myself”, “nafsee, nafsee”. Amongst the disbelievers, some will be cuffed in chains, fire burning in their face, feelings the pain in their legs and aches in their body as they stand there for what feels like 50,000 years. As for the believers, if they had a family that was righteousness and obeyed Allah or a friend that they attended halqahs with and were obeying Allah, they will come out of their graves holding each other’s hands. Light will shine from every part of their body. The standing will not feel like 50,000 years for a believer but it will go by so fast as if they prayed two rakahs.

In order to fully internalize something, you have to have conviction of it right?

For example, the person with strong Iman is convicted completely that there is only one God and that this Deenis the truth. No matter what anyone says doesn’t matter why? Because they are convinced, 100% convicted that this is the truth. In order for us to internalize and learn who these shaded seven are, we have to understand why we are even trying to get shaded. Like, why are we even learning about this? What is the purpose? What are we trying to get shaded from? And when will all this be taking place? This immense heat, this sweating, this air conditioned space that Allah is willing to provide versus intense moldable heat with the sun a mile above our heads? This is the setting of the Day of Judgment. We’re not really going to truly strive to be amongst these seven types until we internalize the Day of Judgment. Until we are convicted that there will be a day where we will be held accountable.

There is really no point for example in talking to the atheist about the torture of the grave or the hereafter if he does not even believe in God, the first thing you’d have to do is try to make him understand that there is a Creator right? Just like that a person is not going to care about trying to get under the shade of Allah if they haven’t internalized the Day of Judgment. And an aspect of being Muslim is of course testifying to the fact that there is not God but Allah, testifying in the Last and final messenger, Muhammad (sws) and believing in Yawmul Qiyyama, the Day of Judgment, but do we really believe? Because if we really believed, wouldn’t we prepare for it? If we really believed, wouldn’t we do something for this day, this day that will determine our fate? Your wedding day will not be very important. Your graduation day was or will not be very important. Your 16th birthday was not very important. The most important day of your life is the Day that you will meet Allah.  Today, you have People who prepare for months before their weddings, and months before their graduation, getting dresses and tuxedo’s ready, but what do we prepare for that meeting with our Rab, a day that supersedes all other days, and the only Day that will truly matter. What have you and I done yet?

On that day, the sun will be mile away from our faces. The Prophet said,

“There are seven whom Allah ill shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but be says: 'I fear Allah', a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears”

Narrated by Abu Hurairah & collected in Sahih al-Bukhari (english trans.) vol.1, p.356, no.629 &Sahih Muslim english trans.) vol.2, p.493, no.2248)

Just Ruler

The first that will be amongst the shade of Allah is a just ruler. This can be

·         A President, King, Queen or Prime Minister

·         Members of congress or councils that make decisions for a population of people

·         An imam or any spiritual leader

·         A MSA leader or any club leader

·         Parents

·         An older sibling

·         Friends

·         Any person that make decisions for others or is a leader amongst a group

When we become leaders in society we must remember that Allah is Ar-Rafi, he is the only one who raises the ranks of people. If we are in any position to rule or command, it is only because of Allah, and Allah alone. We should take the example of Dhul Qarnian which is explained in Surah Kahf, the more power we get, the harder we should work, power means work. Having power is a means to blessings like wealth and should humble us like knowledge. Today we have rulers who will stay in their giant mansions ignoring their people, this is a form of oppression and Allah says that, “Oppression is worse than death”. We need to humble ourselves, because only Allah is the true kind, Al-Malik.

A youth that grew up in the shade of Allah

Youth is the period in which we are leaving our childhood and stepping into maturity. At this stage of life we have emotions gushing through us, feelings of power, passion, strength and the lack of fear. We have our health, ego, time and we are full of energy but with all these qualities comes temptations, temptations of things that will lead us away of the path of Allah. These temptations are what Shaitaan uses to snatch us away from the love of Allah and a big veil is thrown over our eyes for things of luxury like branded shoes and branded clothing, we are tempted to have loads of money and to waste it that which will distract us from the worship of Allah, we get attracted to music, movies and games. There is fashion and styles that we have to pay attention to in order to look cool and seem like we fit in the crowd, there is the hijab that starts to be disliked and the effects of peer pressure is at its worse, and with our hormones all powered up comes the attraction to the opposite sex, there comes the boyfriend and girlfriend situations, we then have to pay attention to our studies and college, leaving no time of the day to please Allah. And that’s why Allah has given those of us who take time out for him, who put him before anything else and obey all his commands the honor of being of those seven people that will stand under the shade of Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (sws) advised to,

“Take benefit of five before five: Your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied, and your life before your death”

-      (Narrated by Ibn Abbas and reported by Al Hakim)

So why don’t we start now, why don’t we start adding this goal to our list that we will try to pray five times a day and read a part of the Quran a day and start pushing those temptations away to stand happily and proudly under Allah Almighty’s shade. May Allah give us the strength to get over our desires and become the best of Muslims we can. InshaAllah.

Attachment to the masjid

In the Prophet’s time, the masjid used to serve as the focal center of everyone’s lives. It was the place where major decisions took place, a part of it even served as a clinic, people would come to just take a nap and it played a major role in their lives. But today, we would rather be at mall than the masjid or the movies and people would love to spend their weekends at the club rather than come here to listen to a halaqah.SubhanAllah. It’s a sad reality. An even sadder reality is that that Prophet’s Masjid was smaller than most of our houses yet it had more people attending the masjid than we have today. We have spent millions to billions of dollars on our masjids, when has a masjid not been raising money for some expansion or beautification project? And for people who don’t even show their faces outside Ramadan? The Ramadan Muslims avoid the masjid until Ramadan comes. Parking lots remain empty until Ramadan rolls around, its really sad. But if we knew that this masjid could be that one thing that could get us under Allah’s shade, and could be a means for us to prepare for our Akhirah, then we would come here more often.

Coming to the masjid opens up lots and lots more doors to good. For example,  if you’re at the masjid, even if you just came to study, you’ll hear the adhan and most people even if they haven’t prayed for months, when the adhan rings, they’ll get up and pray. There’s a sadaqa box right there, you can get the reward of giving charity. If you clean up a little, pick up a toy here or some trash there, you get the reward of cleaning up the masjid. Little things can add to so much reward just by being there, subhanAllah. By attachment, it doesn’t mean that you have to LIVE in the masjid but it just means that you have the desire to be here, and when you are able to you simply stop by. Attachment isn’t simply financial, its being present, it’s your heart having a connection with these walls simply because it’s the house of Allah.

Some practical solutions to guaranteeing a spot under Allah’s shade and to be this type of person is to start coming once a week, if you have a giant break between classes or work, come stop by, you can even study here. Just try to attach yourself, and slowly you’ll realize that subhanAllah the peace that is inside the houses of Allah is hard to find anywhere else.

Two Friends that love each other for the sake of Allah

Friends. Friends. Friends.

If you want to get a quick idea of who you are as a person, take a look at your friends, do you like what you see? Although we are all our own person, we are influenced and shaped by our surrounding especially those who we spend time with. Our friends can lead us to the gates of Jannah or sway us to the doors of Jahanem. 

In a Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (saws) said:

“The example of a good companion and a bad companion is like that of the seller of musk, and the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows. So as for the seller of musk then either he will grant you some, or you buy some from him, or at least you enjoy a pleasant smell from him. As for the one who blows the blacksmith’s bellows then either he will burn your clothes or you will get an offensive smell from him.”

Loving someone for the sake of Allah, is loving solely for Allah’s sake and nothing else. Today we have people who are friends with others because they look good or to have someone to compete with and as we see these friendships never last. We need to look at our friends and see if these people our leading us to Jannah or taking us from the straight path. If your friends are asking you to go partying every night, how beneficial are they? If your friends are encouraging you to disrespect your parents or backbite, how great could they be?

This does not mean to be rude to people or cause some epic end of friendship battle. Sometimes if we do have a toxic friend we will pretty much stop being their friend with a big slap in the face instead of slowly reducing our time with them nicely. You do not want to become the reason why they don’t want to hang out with people who are more, for lack of better words, “religious”. If you are doing something for the sake of Allah, do it by means that are acceptable to Allah.

A man who denies a women because he fears Allah

“Love, Love, Love, Love, Love…” – in a Barry White voice

Today it is all about love and falling in love with the an axe-wearing football playing, soccer bodied, basketball playing movie star or small waist, big boob, big butt Megan Fox/Beyoncé/Jennifer Lopez look alike. Very realistic?

Everything is about having sex appeal, actually having sex or making someone think of sex when thinking of you. Haya is rapidly decreasing and its getting difficult, MEGA difficult for anyone trying to resist their lustful temptations. And its natural, although sex is not something widely talked about or discussed amongst Muslims, these temptations are natural, you should be attracted to others and want to be loved, so it is not weird to feel this, but to go with these desires is where the problem resides. Some people have turned into animals and this is not me using figurative language, there are people sleeping with different people every night like the dog who sleeps with all of the other dogs in the neighborhood. It is disgusting, and then we have some to a point to where people cannot even see themselves committed to any one because they have let this animalistic behavior take over. But one thing we should all note is that trying to feel complete of fully loved will never happen if you do not have love for your Lord. There will always be a whole in your heart where only Allah’s love resides, so not matter how many guys or girls plead that they love you, you will never feel content, because only through Allah’s remembrance do hearts find ease.

This topic is a very extensive topic, but the creator knows what best for you, he is the one who created you.

'A man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity...'

This describes the type of person who goes to great lengths to protect himself from Ar-Riyaa. Ar-Riyaa means to do deeds in order to earn the praise and recognition of people. This sin destroys all the benefits that lie in righteous deeds and brings on a serious punishment for the one who commits it. It is particularly dangerous because it is in man's nature to desire and enjoy the praise of others. Thus, great care has to be token to ensure that one's intentions begin and remain pure whenever good actions (such as charity) are being done. Not like what we see today where we have mosque notice boards announcing who gave what to whom, why and when!

Allah says,

 “O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.” 2:264

All Allah wants is sincerity

Allah wants us to try our best with pure sincerity because it is not about how much we did but the sincerity behind what we did. If we pray a million prayers and none of them are for Allah, our actions would be meaningless. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, in Islam we must do our part although we know that it will never be enough. No person on this earth can thank Allah enough for what he has given us and Allah knows that, Allah is not asking for much, Allah just wants us to try.

Remember in elementary school when you would make cheap mother’s day gifts consisting of ice cream sticks and paper, and your mother would get so happy that you made it for her? Your mother knows that it is not the “best” of gifts and may not even value the gift but she loves it because of the heart behind the gift. This is the same for Allah, Allah values our intention and sincerity. Today we have people, who work off of their good looks, today we judge people on how great they look on the outside, Allah does not do this. Allah judges us based on the heart. And when our hearts are completely submitted to Allah, everything is easy and we will find ways to demonstrate that love with sincerity.

Easiest way to give:

·         “Give and don’t think about it” and don’t give unless you are not going to think about it

·         online giving

·         giving materials

·         smiles :)

A man who is alone and sheds tears from fear of Allah. 

Our society makes crying a sissy thing to do, as if it’s a sign of a coward

However, Rasulullah (sws)

There is nothing more beloved to Allah than two drops and two marks: A tear shed due to fear of Allah, and a drop of blood spilled in the path of Allah. And as for the two marks, then a mark caused in the path of Allah, and a mark caused by fulfilling one of the duties made obligatory by Allah” [Tirmidhi]

Not being able to cry is actually a sign of a hardened heart- a heart that has become black with sin. How long has it been since we last cried in our salah or last cried in general? We laugh so much but how many times have we actually wept for forgiveness or wept for Jannah.

Islam isn’t a religion where you have to be depressed, no not at all but it is a religion of sincerity and crying is a sign of sincerity.  You never your know, your tears might just get you under the shade of Allah…

Nature of Dua

·         As we have said, when you are alone is the best time for dua because it’s just you and Allah,  no one else.

·         Many of us formalize dua, as if it just has to be a cut and dry Arabic phrase but that’s not what duais, you should know what you are saying

·         Dua is ibadah

·         Dua is a conversation that you have with Allah

·         Talk to Allah as you would talk to your best friend.

Deeds that will lighten the punishment on the Day of Judgment

·         Those who are patient and easy going with those who owe them money

·         The person who does good and always gives

·         Al-Murabit, a person in a ready state to please Allah

·         A person who is able to do harm but doesn’t

·         People who do wudu regularly

·         A person who will elevate a hardship in this dunya on another 

·         The martyr

·         If you free a Muslim slave for Allah’s sake