An act of love

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim and with the permission of Allah.

An act of Love.

“On the 26^th of December, Malaysia has been surprised with the news of dreadful flood in the East Coast of Malaysia. The water level has passed warning levels. All Malaysians are reminded to be careful and take care of their belongings…”

Oh disaster, stop all your damages,

You surely shall vanish,

For now is the time,

Light will illuminate all.

For the time the soul weeps,

Caused by the damage when disaster stroked,

For surely there will be a door out,

As easy as opening a knot.

For when you think there is no way out,

Then ponder upon the promise made,

In surat  Ash-Sharh(Al-Insyirah). ¹

1.     Verily, along every hardship is relief.  Surat Ash-Sharh V.94:5

Malaysians shattered upon hearing news about the terrifying flood happening in the East Coast of Malaysia. 2014 was such a memorable year for all of us. A lot of horrifying events happened this year. I get it, to mourn over the deaths and damages the flood caused is obviously compulsory- for some of us. But to bring it to the extent of blaming our Prime Minister or any other high ranking officers for not doing their job, is just soo wrong. Besides that, some may say the flood is a punishment for all the sin Malaysians has made. On one hand, it might sound true. But, let us first ponder back to why trials occur.

Every single action we do reflects our Iman. Iman is courage. If our iman is clean, we will submit ourselves to Allah s.w.t. and follow His syariah. Even though at times they seem to be hard to follow. But little do we know that Iman is the thing that brings our normal mind to an extraordinary mind.  It is until then, we realize that Allah s.w.t will never, ever give us something useless. Everything has its perks.

This means, a clean Iman will make us understand that every single obstacle and challenge we face is a gift from our Rabb and it is impossible that Allah s.w.t gives it to us, in order to tease and play with us.

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Surat Al-Ankabut

·        {Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: “We believe,” and will not be tested? Surat Al Ankabut V29: 2

·         And we indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known(the truth of) those who are ture, and will certainly make (it) know (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test) } Surat Al Ankabut V29: 3

So, it is clear that an obstacle is obviously a filter. And in the following ayat, Allah explains that sometimes a shortcoming that we face is in fact a reflection of our sins and actions.

{ Evil (sins and disobedience to Allah) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned(by oppression and evil deeds),that He (Allah) may make them taste part of that which they have done, in order that they may return(by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon). } Surat Ar-Rum V30:41

Yes, it is already stated in the Holy Quran that sometimes the tests Allah sends to us is a reflection of our sins and actions. But La Tahzan! It is only sent so that we may return to the right path and to strive towards Jannah. It is also proven in the Quran that men are also weak and we forget Allah during our happy times and only turn back to Him during our downpour.

·         {And when harm touches men, they cry sincerely to their Lord(Allah),turning to Him in repentance: but when He gives them a taste of His Mercy, behold, a party of them associates partners in worship with their Lord. } Surat Ar Rum V30:33

·         {And when waves cover them like shades(i.e. like clouds or the mountains of sea-water), they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only. But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between (Belief and disbelief). But none denies Our Signs except every perfidious ingrate.} Surat Luqman V.31:32

Clear isn’t it? A test from Allah s.w.t is never empty, it has its mission. For it is impossible to be empty. So, now, the second thing is, some people tend to think that we had sin too much until Allah does not listen to our prayers and doas. As you all know, He listens to all of His servants wishes and there is no place to ask that is better than to Him. He is also the All-Knowing. This means, He knows when is the right time to answer our doas and prayers. He knows how much we are capable of withstanding. He knows the benefits of the obstacles He grants us with.

{Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such(trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger of and those who believed along with him said, “When(will come) the help of Allah?” Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!” } Surah Al-Baqarah V.2:214

What would it feel like when men who had spent a part of their lives being tested until they feel that they will never achieve happiness, and at that time Allah grants the Help he has been yearning for? Is it not that his strength will increase? Is it not that he will be more thankful? Is it not that his Iman will increase?

And for that, Allah is Ever- Knowing when to grant His servants prayers.

He knows the exact time and date.

Another question is I read  is, “What about the people who died during the flood?” I have to admit that I thought this was an impossible question to answer. But then, I found my answer.

It is proven in history that there some people that died before achieving their victory. For example, Nabi Yahya whom head was chopped off, Nabi Zakaria whom body was cut, Anas bin Nadhr whom died with 80 stabs to his body until his face was known to no-one except his sibling who recognized the ring on his finger, Mus’ab bin Umair whom died with both of his hands chopped off and others who died before achieving victory.

Q: Did Allah not answer their supplications?

A: No. Allah did answer their supplications. With His Heaven.

{That you believe in Allah and His Messenger(Muhammad s.a.w) and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives: that will be better for you, if you but know! (If you do so) He will forgive you and your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in ‘Adn (Eden) Paradise: that is indeed the great success.} Surat As-Saff V.61:11&12

They are proof for those who are tested and are almost losing hope in Allah.

What is left for us now is to believe in Allah’s Help. It is up to us now, before it’s too late, let us repent on go back to the straight path of Allah.

{……..And whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out from every difficulty. And He will provide him from(sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.} Surat At-Talaq V.65:2&3

As you all know, the flood victims are now all in need of help in every form; mental and physical. It would be really generous of you to drop off some staple instant food, clothes or money to legal charity organizers that will channel your help to those in need. There are many legal organizers that you can find the moment you click on the hashtag, “#prayforpantaitimur” They are also in need of volunteers to help them pack the stuffs into boxes..etc. May Allah bless each of you whom helped those in need. Ameen. But fret not if you do have enough time or money to spare to donate. We could also donate in the form of prayer and doas. Remember that Allah always listens. Remember.

Being rich is simply a bonus. Have you ever wondered why there still exists homeless people and starving countries when there are tones of rich Islamic countries, for example, Saudi Arabia and Dubai?

This is because, money is not an answer. Being rich doesn’t mean we could give help. Sometimes, being rich burdens us with all sort of doubts. We would feel that if we donate, we would lose our money. So, we would start to save. Then, we would feel that our savings is not enough. We would do all sort of things to make our money increase. We would buy stuffs we don’t even need in order to portray our wealth.

And in the end, what happens to the money we would donate?

This is a result when we strive for wealth on Dunya with the heart.

Abdurrahman bin Auf, Suhaib Ar-Rumy, Uthman Ibn Affan, they did not chase for wealth! They did not want to be rich! The wealth they had was only a bonus. What they did was work, effort and tawakkal. Their intention was sincere that they live for Islam. They did not have doubts in spending their money for Islam. It was them who paid for the army, horses and weapons in order for Islam to arise.

Akhirah was in their hearts. Dunya was only kept in their hands, so that they could manipulate and throw whenever necessary.

Money is never a limiting factor in charity. For instance, you could help your mother at home with the chores and make her happy or you could spread awareness to your friends about Islam or any possible way of charity... Money is not the only option to gain good deeds. It is left to us to use the other ways wisely, in order to achieve our ultimate goal, 

Jannah.

A.Reeza 

Information taken from The Noble Quran: English Translation

La Tahzan, Innallaha Ma'ana!

" Only Allah can turn a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, a trial into triumph and a victim into a victory" -unknown

Assalam Alayk wa Bismillah.

How many times have we been in a situation so hard, that you feel like you can't get through? Wallahi, I've been through a lot these past few days. You'd be kidding if you'd say "I have never been sad before!" Cuz believe me, no one in this world has never endure sadness, even the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself and his wives were given soo many obstacles by Allah. Yet, they managed to overcome all of them. 

The question is; how do we pass through Allah's tests? 

These past few months were horrible for me. I have been through so many situations I thought I could not pass. Sometimes I ask, " Oh Allah, why do you give such hard challenges for me? You know I am weak.." Such a fool have I been when the answer to my question has been written in the Quran many many years ago.

"Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned; against it, what it has merited. Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place on us a load like the one You placed on those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a load we have not the strength to bear! And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy on us. You are our Master , so help us against the people of unbelievers. (Surat al-Baqara, 286)"

This ayat. Yes this.
This ayat shows that Allah is The Most Merciful. Ya Rabb, thank you for being so merciful on us.

"Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned; against it, what it has merited."

And yet we still leave our five daily prayers. Have we not realise on how merciful Allah has been to us? 

Being in tough situations that had made me cry, lose my temper often(I lost a loved one because of my absurd temper). But, situations like this made me stronger. I thought of how to survive all these challenges. I thought HARD. I thought of my own answer and maybe my perception on this may change all of our mindset about challenges.

For me, anything that is given to me, whether it is good or bad; it's a challenge. 

Think about it, if we were given something bad; a musibah perhaps, we would be sad, right?
And how we react on this is a challenge. Allah gives us challenges, cuz He loves us & he misses us. Fyi, the sahabah would cry if they weren't dealing with a tough situation. They would think Allah doesn't love them anymore. Eh. Sampai camtu sekali sahabah nabi dulu. 

So, if we become patient and optimistic about the musibah, we pray to Allah, asking him for closure and happiness, won't that be considered as a reward already? Subhanallah, yes!! Allah loves us. Don't you ever forget that. 

Second condition. What if we were given happiness? Would we immediately thank Allah? To be reaaally honest, sometimes, I too would forget to say 'Alhamdulillah'. But it's alright, Allah knows that we know we have a God that's Ever Merciful and forgive us for the sins we've done. Allah will forgive us. InsyaAllah. 

Maybe that's the reason why some scholars say that syukur sometimes has a higher rank than patience. Everyone has to patient, but not everyone whom gets the nikmat says 'Alhamdulillah' to Allah.

Think about it, what do we say when we are in a tough situation? "Being patient is the only thing we can do now" Ain't that right? 


اللهم ما أصبح بي من نعمة أو بأحد من خلقفمنك وحدك لا شريك لك فلك الحمد ولك الشكر

Now remember, with every difficulty comes ease. But you should also remember, with every ease, comes a challenge too. 

We as servants of Allah in this dunya must always remember that this dunya is temporary. "Dunya is a prison for the Believers" Yes, this is true. Always think about the akhirah, cuz once you've entered Heaven, there will be no more worries for you. Allah (swt) highlights the quality of safety in Paradise by saying, “Indeed, the righteous will be in a secure place [al-maqam al-ameen],” (Qur’an, 44:51).

"We just need to trust and have faith in Allah and everything will fall in place thereafter. The best thing is to ask for his guidance and seek help from him when you have difficulties in your life. By doing so we will be thankful and grateful to Allah and lead a good life in Akhirath. And lastly,  In the Qur’an, Allah says, “Although they plan, Allah also plans. And Allah is the best of planners.” (Surah Anfal:30). " -lifeakhirah.wordpress.com

May Allah guide and be with all the believers. Amin.

Common Mistakes During Ramadhan

Bismillah Wasalaatu wasalaam A’la Rasoolillah. Ama Ba’ad

The list was taken from Sheikh Ahmad Musa Jibril’s Fiqh of Ramadhan class.

Common Mistakes During Ramadhan:

1) Focusing on food; to the extent that people begin to worry about eating more then actually fasting. This also goes along with spending tons of money on Iftaars even though a person does not need to eat that much food.

2) Making Suhr way before Fajr. Some people eat Suhr a few hours after Taraweeh or Isha Salah, this is wrong. It should be eaten closer to the time of Fajr.

3) People don’t make Niyyah (intentions) to fast for Ramadhan. This is something in the heart and does not need to be verbal. Also it only needs to be done once, at the beginning of Ramadhan and not every single day.

4) If you find out late that Ramadhan started, you should stop eating and fast for that day, making that day up after Ramadhan/Eid ends.

5) Many people don’t think you pray Taraweeh on the first night of Ramadhan. They believe you pray it after the first day you actually fast. They forget that the Islamic calender runs on the moon, maghrib is the start of the new day.

6) Many people believe if you eat or drink on accident this breaks your fast. This is false, if you do this on accident then you continue fasting and do not need to make up the day.

7) Some people take the opinion that if they see someone eating or drinking they should not remind the person that he/she is fasting. According to Sheikh Bin Baz (ra), this is incorrect and it is an order from Allah for us to ordain the good and forbid the evil. Thus we tell the person, because we are forbidding the evil this way.

8) Many sisters believe they cannot use Henna while fasting. This is incorrect, they are allowed to use it during Ramadhan.

9) Some people believe when you are cooking you cannot taste the food to see if it has the right spices/flavors. This is false, and allowed in Islam as long as the person cooking is not eating the food. Rather they can taste it to see if it needs salt, or more spices.

10) Many people think you cannot use a Miswak or toothbrush during Ramadhan. This is false, for the Prophet(saw) used to use a miswak during Ramadhan. Also you CAN use toothpaste; the reasoning by the scholars is that the Miswak has flavor, thus toothpaste is okay to use (if you are not eating it).

11) Some people make the Fajr Adhan early. They do this so people will stop eating before Fajr and not invalidate their fast. This is wrong and something we should not do.

12) Some people make the Maghrib Adhan late. They do this so people will start eating late, just incase Maghrib has not come in yet. Thsi too is wrong and we should not do this.

13) Many many people believe you cannot have intercourse with your spouse during the whole month of Ramadhan. This is false, you cannot do this only during the times when you are fasting. Between Maghrib and Fajr it is permissable to do.

14) Many women believe that if their period has just ended and they did not make ghusl, they cannot fast that day (considering their period ended at night, and they went to bed without Ghusl, waking up without having a chance to make it). This is incorrect, if a women has not made Ghusl she can still fast.

15) Many men believe that if he has had intercourse with his wife and did not make ghusl (similar to the above) then he cannot fast the next morning. This is also incorrect, for he can fast even if he has not made Ghusl.

16) Some people pray Dhur and Asr prayers together during Ramadhan. (mainly in Arab countries) This is incorrect and should be avoided.

17) Some people believe you cannot eat until the Muadthin is done calling the Maghrib Adthan. This is incorrect, as soon as he starts a person can break their fast.

18) Many people don’t take advantage of making dua before they break their fast. This is one of the three times when Allah accepts a person dua.

19) Many people make the mistake of spending the later part of Ramadhan prepairing for Eid, neglecting Ramadhan. This is incorrect and these people lose the concept of what Ramadhan is about.

20) Many parents do not let their children fast during Ramadhan (young children). This is somehting counter productive to a child. By allowing him to fast he will grow up to know he must do this act.

21) Many people think Ramadhan is just about not eating and forget about controling their tempers and watching what they say. In actuality we are supposed to control our tempers and mouthes even more during Ramadhan.

22) People often waste their time during Ramadhan. They go to sleep during the day and get nothing done. We should be taking advantage of this blessed month by doing extra Ibaadat.

23) Some people don’t go on trips or travel during Ramadhan. They think they have to break their fast when traveling. This is actually optional, if you want to break your fast while traveling you can (with making it up later), and if you don’t you can continue fasting.

24) Many people who are able don’t make Itikaaf at the masjid. We should take advantage of our good health and spend lots of time at the Masjid, expecially the last 10 days of Ramadhan.

25) Some people believe they cannot cut their hair or nails during Ramadhan. This is also false.

26) Some people say you cannot swallow your spit during Ramadhan. This too is false. However you cannot swallor mucus that has entered your mouth.

27) Some people say you cannot use scented oils or perfumes during Ramadhan. This too is false.

28) Some people believe bleeding breaks the fast. This is not true.

29) Some people believe if you throw up on accident it breaks your fast. This is not true, however if you do it intentionally it does.

30) Some people think you cannot put water in your nose and mouth during wuduh in Ramadhan. This too is incorrect.

This text is taken from invitetoislam.tumblr.com .