19 May 2014

- Dua e Qunoot

“Allahumma inna nastayeenuka wa nastagfiruka wa numinu bika wa natawakkalu alaika wa nusni alaikal khair wa nashkuruka walaa nakfuruka wa nakhlav wa natruku maiyyafzuruka Allahumma iyyakanabudu wa la ka nusalli wa nasjudu wa ilaya nasaa wa nah fidu wa narju rehmataka wa naqshaa azaabaka inna azaabaka bil kuffari mulhiq”.

18 May 2014

- The Six Kalimas of Islam


• THE 1ST KALIMA
[Kalima Tayyibah, meaning the Word of Purity]



» La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur RasulAllah
Meaning: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the Messenger of Allah.

• THE 2ND KALIMA
[Kalima Shahada, meaning the Word of Testimony]

» Ash-hadu Allahu ilaha illallah wah-dahu la shareeka lahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasuluhu
Meaning: I bear witness that none is worthy of worship but Allah, the One alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad,peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is His servant and Messenger.

• THE 3RD KALIMA
[Kalima Tamjeed, meaning the Word of Glorification]


» Subhanallahi walhamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar, wa la howla wa la quwwata illah billahil alliyil azeem
Meaning: Glory be to Allah, and all praise be to Allah, and there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, and there is no Power and Might except from Allah, the Most High, the Great.

• THE 4TH KALIMA
[Kalima Tawheed, meaning the Word of the Oneness of God]


» La ilaha illallahu wah-dahu la shareeka lahu lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu yuhyi wa yumeetu biyadihil khayr, wa huwa ala kulli shay’in qadeer
Meaning: There is none worthy of worship but Allah who is alone (and) He has no partner, His is the Kingdom and for Him is all praise, He gives life and causes death, in His hand is all good and He has power over everything.

• THE 5TH KALIMA
[Kalima Astaghfar, meaning the Word of Repentance]


» Astaghfirullah rabbi min kullay zambin aznabtuhu amadan aw khat'an sirran aw ala niyyataw-wa atuubu ilayhi minaz-zambil lazee a'lamu wa minaz zambil lazee la a'lamu innaka anta allamul ghuyuubi wa sattaarul uyubi wa ghaffaruz-zunuubi wala hawla wala quwwata illa billahil aliyil azeem.
Meaning: I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, from every sin I committed knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly, and I turn towards Him from the sin that I know and from the sin that I do not know. Certainly You, You (are) the Knower of the hidden things and the Concealer (of) the mistakes and the Forgiver (of) sins. And (there is) no power and no strength except from Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.


• THE 6TH KALIMA
[Kalima Radde-Kufr, meaning the Word of Refuting Unbelief]


» Allahumma inni a’uzu bika min an ushrika bika shay’a-wa ana a’lamu bihi wa astaghfiruka lima la a’lamu bihi tubtu anhu wa tabarra’tu minal kufri wash-shirki wal kizbi wal-ma’aasi kulliha assalamtu wa-amantu wa-akulu la ilaha illallah, Muhammadur RasulAllah
Meaning: O Allah! I seek protection in You from that I should not join any partner with You knowingly, I seek Your forgiveness from that which I do not know, I repent from it (ignorance), I free myself from disbelief and joining partners with You and from all sins. I submit to Your will, I believe and I declare: there is none worthy of worship besides Allah and Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is Allah's Messenger.
 

- Visiting Graves of the Saints (Awliya) & the Righteous

Visiting Graves in General

Visiting the mazaar (graves/tombs) of the beloved servants of Allah has been a common practise of the Awliya and righteous scholars for centuries, due to the fact that it is a means of great blessing and benefit.

This originates from the blessed Sunnah of the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s finest blessings and eternal greetings of peace be upon him, who would visit graves and stated, “Verily, I had restrained you from visiting the graves. Now, visit them. Certainly, it reminds one of the Hereafter.” [Tirmidhi; Vol.3]

In Sahih Muslim, Sayyidina Abu Huraira reports that the Beloved Messenger “visited his mother's grave and wept until everyone around him was in tears.”
And Sayyidina ibn Abbas narrated that the Beloved Messenger once passed by some graves of Madinah. He turned his face towards them, and said, “Peace be on you, O people of the grave! May Allah forgive us and you. You have gone before us, and we are to follow.” [Tirmidhi; Chapter 59, Hadith no. 1055]

Significance of the Graves of the Righteous

The Beloved Messenger attributed much honour and significance to Jannatul Mu’alla, the holy cemetery in Makkatul Mukarramah, and to Jannatul Baqi, the holy cemetery of Madinatul Munawwarah.
The reason for this is due to the esteemed status of those buried there i.e. noble companions and believers, thus clarifying that not all graves and cemeteries should be regarded as equal in status and sanctity. The graveyards in which the pious are buried and laid to rest are definitely sanctuaries radiating with the light of Allah’s blessings.

Several Hadiths relate that the Beloved Messenger would often visit Jannatul Baqi, implicating clearly the merits and virtues of visiting sacred graves or cemeteries where the righteous are buried.
Sayyida Aisha reported that he would go out towards the end of the night to al-Baqi and say, “Peace be upon you, abode of a people who are believers. What you were promised would come to you tomorrow, you receiving it after some delay; and God willing, we shall join you. O Allah, grant forgiveness to the inhabitants of Baqi’ al-Gharqad.” [Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith no. 2126]

Seeking Blessing at the Graves of the Righteous

Imam Mulla Ali Qari writes, “Anyone who builds a Masjid near the grave of an upright person, or prays in the tomb, or intends to ask for help through the ruh (soul) of that upright person, or intends to seek barakah (blessing) from his leftovers (tabarruk), if he does all that without the intention of giving him tazeem (esteem) or doing tawajuh (focus) towards him [in prayer], then there is nothing wrong in that.”
And he continues, “Don't you see that the grave of Sayyidina Isma’eel, upon him be peace, is inside the Masjid al-Haram, near the Hateem, and to pray at that place is superior than all else. However, to pray near the graves is only forbidden if the soil becomes dirty because of the najasat (impurities) of the deceased. In the Hateem, near Hajr al-Aswad and Mizaab, are the graves of seventy Prophets.” [Mirqat, Sharh al-Mishqaat; Vol. 2, pg. 202]

Imam al-Shafi himself states, “I swear that I seek the blessing of Abu Hanifa and come to his grave everyday (as a visitor). Whenever I have a certain need, I pray two rakah nafl (according to the Hanafi madhhab), then come to his grave and ask Allah for my need at his grave, and little time passes until it is fulfilled.”
When asked why he performed those two nafl rakah by the Hanafi method, he replied, “In respect of the person in the tomb (i.e. Imam Abu Hanifa).”
[reported by Hafiz al-Khatib in his Tarikh Baghdad (1:123); Imam ibn Hajar al-Haythami in al-Khayrat al-Hisan; Imam al-Kawthari’s Maqalat; Imam ibn Abidin in Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Dur al-Mukhtar]

In a well-known Hadith by Sayyidina Abu Hurairah, the Beloved Messenger states that “the believer is a mirror for the believer...” [Bukhari; Abu Dawud]
One interpretation of this beautiful statement can be made thus: souls of the believers are like mirrors for one another; they are seen in one another. Therefore, blessings emanated from the soul of a righteous believer or saint, are reflected into the heart of a person who visits his grave, or accompanies him during his life, or uses him as a Waseela. The weaker of the two souls gains strength, just like the reflection of light is able to eliminate darkness from the surface of a mirror.

- USING THE WASEELA OF THE PIOUS

The Qur’an itself states the fact that the righteous believers are helpers and allies:
“Your true friends are none other than Allah, His Messenger, and the (fellowship of) believers; those who establish regular prayers and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in worship).” [Qur’an 5:55]

- To Proclaim Ya Nabi, Ya RasulAllah

Concerning the issue of saying ‘Ya’ to anyone other than Almighty Allah, the Holy Qur’an itself addresses the Prophet many times using this prefix, for example Ya ayyuhan Nabi (O Prophet), Ya ayyuhal muzammil (O you wrapped in garments) or Ya ayyuhal mudathir (O you enveloped in garments). [Qur’an 33:46; 73:1; 74:1]

- Using Waseela/Tawassul

The act of praying to Allah through the Waseela (intermediary) of the pious, and proclaiming ‘Ya Nabi’, ‘Ya RasulAllah’ etc. has been accepted and even encouraged throughout the Muslim world, since the time of the Salaf (righteous predecessors of Islam).

- The Awliya (Friends) of Allah and Sainthood

Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab reported the Beloved Messenger of Allah said:
“There are people from the servants of Allah who are neither Prophets nor martyrs; the Prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection, for their rank from Allah, the Most High.”

17 May 2014

- Muslim Women

Children are a great gift from Almighty Allah to all parents. Parents must think of their children as such treasures that the all the wealth and material resources are worthless as when compared to one’s children. We, as parents, should thank Almighty Allah for blessing us with children whether they are boys or girls.

- A FEW REASONS FOR POVERTY

Wealth and poverty comes from Almighty Allah. However, the pious servants and learned scholars have given a few reasons as to why poverty comes and what to abstain from to avoid poverty:-

- Women After Islam

Islam brought a new lease of life to women. Islam elevated the status of women to great heights: so high that she stood shoulder to shoulder with man. Like men, their rights were also well defined and Islamic Courts supported them to achieve these rights. Islam granted women the right to ownership. They now owned the amount of their Mehr. They could engage in trade and have their own properties. They were also given the right to inherit the property of the deceased father and husband.

- Womens Duty towards Children

In as much as obligation towards parents has been strictly enjoined upon children, Islam has also instituted duties towards children. The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) laid down some guiding factors with regard to the upbringing and maintenance of children, especially female children.

- Husband & Wife

a.       The relationship between the husband and wife is a very tender, loving and pure relationship. They are in reality the “garb” of one another. Thus, it is the duty of each to be protective over the life, property and modesty of one another. It is necessary for them to realise and understand their mutual duties as a couple. They are two bodies joined by the soul.

- Women In Her Childhood

A girl is very dear to her parents. Before her attaining the age of puberty, she is free from any religious obligation. She is supposed to enjoy her life at her father’s house with the single motto;  eat, drink and be merry.

- Women In Her Adulthood

After attaining the age of puberty, the woman comes under the Jurisdiction of the Sharee’ah Laws. Now, she has to follow all the basic tenets of Islam including Salaah, Fasting, Zakaah and Hajj.

- Equality of Man and Woman

The religion of Islam gave women an honorable status and true dignity. Before the advent of Islam, women had no rights of any kind, or an independent identity in any form.

- A Husband Duties towards his Wife

Almighty Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta’ala has prescribed certain rights of the husband towards their wives. The Holy Qur’an says: “The women have almost the same rights over men as men have certain rights over the women in kindness.”

4 May 2014