nonchalante:

We should be conscious of how we conduct ourselves when we ask of Allah. There are a number of manners and etiquette we should take heed of.

1. We should only beseech Allah for that which is lawful and good.

We should also avoid beseeching Allah with anything that transgresses against other people. It is Allah who enjoined upon us to beseech Him in prayer, and it is Allah who says: “Do not transgress; for Allah does not love transgressors.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 190]

2. The best supplications are those which are found in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed us to offer personal supplications while sitting after tashahhud at the end of our formal prayers, saying: “Then he should choose from the supplications what seem appropriate and offer those supplications.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (835) and Sahīh Muslim (402)]

Here the Prophet (peace be upon him) is advising us to select certain supplications and offer them while seated at the end of our prayers. These are supplications from Sunnah like: “O Allah! Give us the good of this world and the good of the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of Hell.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (4522) and Sahīh Muslim (2688, 2690)]

Another is: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave. I seek refuge with You from the Antichrist. I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death. O Allah! I seek Your refuge from sin and from debt.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (833) and Sahīh Muslim (589)]

Still another is: “My Lord! I have greatly wronged my soul, and none forgives sins but You, so forgive me with Your clemency, and have mercy on me. Indeed, You are Oft-Forgiving, Merciful.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (834) and Sahīh Muslim (2705)]

We should make an effort to offer the supplications which are given to us in the Qur’ān and those which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to recommend. These are certainly the best supplications. They guarantee us that our supplications will be correct in their meaning and lofty in purpose.

It is not necessary to recite these supplications verbatim in Arabic, especially for those who have difficulty doing so. However, it is good to offer supplications that convey the same meanings as those found in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The proof for this comes from the Prophet’s example. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked a man about what he said in prayer. The man replied that he bears witness to his faith, then asks Allah for Paradise and seeks Allah’s refuge from Hell. He then added: “By Allah! I am not good at following all those murmurings of yours, nor those of Mu`adh.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then gently reassured him: “What we murmur is similar to what you are saying.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd(792) and Sunan Ibn Mājah (910)] The Prophet did not take the man to task for supplicating in his own words, since what the man was saying carried the same meaning as what is found in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s supplications, like asking for Paradise, seeking refuge from the punishment of Hell, asking for the good of this life and the Hereafter, and seeking to be spared the evils of this world and the next.

3. We should beseech Allah in full confidence.

We should never offer a supplication as a “test” to see if it will be answered. When we ask of Allah, call upon Allah, we are calling upon our Almighty Lord: “Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, ‘be’, and it is!” [Sūrah YāSīn: 82]

Allah loves it when we ask of Him and open ourselves up to His mercy and benevolence. It angers him when someone turns away from Him and disdains to ask of Him. Allah is Most-Generous, Most-Bounteous. His bounty knows no limit. Therefore, when we ask of Him, we should do so with full trust and certitude.

The more certain we are that Allah will answer us, the swifter and more certain will be the answer. It is related that prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Ask Allah being certain that He will answer, and know that Allah will not answer the supplications of a heart which is distracted and not serious.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī (3479)]

4. We should endeavor to derive our sustenance only from lawful means.

Sa`d b. Abī Waqqās once asked the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me someone whose prayers are always answered.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied to Sa`d: “Make sure that what you eat is pure and lawful. Then your prayers will be answered.” [Musnad al-Tabarānī al-Awsat (6495)]

Likewise the Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us about a man on an arduous journey, covered in dust, his hair disheveled. He stretches his hands to the heavens, crying out to his Lord. But his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful. He is a man whose whole sustenance is sinful. How then does he hope to be answered? [Sahīh Muslim (1015)]

Since we wish for Allah to answer our prayers and to be with us in times of hardship and sorrow, we should show concern for how we acquire the means for the food, drink, and clothing that we provide for ourselves and our families. We should make sure that it is lawfully earned, free form fraud, bribery, usurious dealings, and injustice. Those who earn their wealth unjustly are deserving of having their supplications ignored.

5. We should not be impatient for the answer.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) assured us: “Your supplications will be answered except for one who gets impatient and says: ‘I asked Allah but he did not answer me’.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (6340) and Sahīh Muslim (2735)]

If Allah wished, He could answer all of humanity’s supplications at the very moment that each supplication is uttered. However, Allah’s wisdom is infinite. He knows what we do not know. Therefore, He will surely answer us as long as we do not hasten on the answer. Instead, we should offer our supplications all the more, never despair, and never tire of doing so. We should know that we are upon what is good in our doing so, and that Allah knows all about our needs. He sees and hears all things, but He wants us to turn to Him in humility and devotion.

6. We should seek out the special times when our prayers are most likely to be answered.

These times include the hours of dawn before sunrise, the last daylight hour on Friday afternoon, the time when the preacher ascends the pulpit to deliver the Friday sermon, and the time at the end of each formal prayer before the taslīm when we are still sitting after the tashahhud.

Another important time during our prayers for offering personal supplications is while we are in prostration. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The nearest a worshipper comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating. So offer supplications at this time, for you are more certain to be answered.” [Sahih Muslim]

Here we see Allah’s nearness being mentioned along with His being the Answerer of Prayers. It is due to the nearness of the worshipper to the Lord at these times that they are the best times to offer supplication.

(via mendmyheart)

pearlsofislam:

“And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).”

(Surat An-Nūr, 32)

Imaan As-Sa’di (rahimahullaah) says in explanation of this verse:

“Allaah is commanding those who are in charge of the affairs of minors, and the slave-masters, to get those whom they are in charge of married, and this includes all who do not have a spouse, from men and women, virgins and widows. So it is obligatory on the close relative, and the one in charge of the orphan — all those whom he is obligated to support — to ensure that those that need to get married are married. And if they are obligated to get the people that they are in charge of married, then the obligation to get themselves married is even more apparent! And His saying, ‘if they are poor…’ meaning the husbands and the married couples, ‘…Allaah will enrich them out of His bounty…’ so do not prevented by what you might falsely assume that, once he gets married, he will become poor because of his family. And in this verse is a strong encouragement to get married, and a promise to the married one that he will become rich after poverty!”

[Tafsir As-Sa’di, page 516]

pearlsofislam:

“My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”

(Surah Taha, 20:114)

nowandthehereafter:

Author: Yoosuf ibn Abdillaah ibn Yoosuf al-Waabil 

A. The Minor Signs

1. The Prophethood of Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)
2. The death of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)
3. The conquering of Bait ul-Maqdis
4. The Plague of Amwaas (in Palestine)
5. The increase in wealth so that sadaqah is not needed
6. Trials and civil strife:
   (i) The appearance of troubles in the east
   (ii) The killing of Uthmaan (ra)
   (iii) The battle of al-Jamaal
   (iv) The battle of Siffeen
   (v) The appearance of the Khawaarij
   (vi) The happening of al-Harrah
   (vii) The appearance of the saying that the Quran is created
   (viii) The following of the ways of the previous nations
7. The appearance of claimants to Prophethood
8. Widespread safety
9. The appearance of fire in the Hijaz
10. Fighting the Turks
11. Fighting the non-Arabs
12. Dissappearance of trustworthiness
13. Dissappearance of knowledge and appearance of ignorance
14. Increase in the number of police and helpers of the oppressors
15. Spread of fornication
16. Spread of usury
17. Spread of musical instruments and their being thought to be allowed
18. Drinking of intoxicants and its being allowed
19. Adorning the mosques and rivalling therein
20. Building tall buildings
21. The slave girls giving birth to her mistress
22. Increase in killing
23. Time passing quickly
24. Coming together of markets
25. Appearance of Shirk in this Ummah
26. Appearance of wickedness, cutting off of relations and ill treatment of neighbours
27. Dying of grey hairs with black dye
28. Increase of extreme miserliness
29. Increase in trade
30. Many earthquakes
31. Appearance of sinking into the earth, transformation into animals and false-accusations
32. The passing away of the pious
33. The raising of the despicable people to positions of importance
34. That greeting is given only to those the person knows
35. That knowledge is sought from other than the scholars in truth
36. Appearance of women in clothes which do not cover them
37. The truthfulness of the dreams of the Believers
38. Spread and increase in writing
39. Laxity with regard to the Sunnah
40. Increase in size of the new moons
41. Increase in falsehood and having no concern to check reports
42. Increase in false testimony and witholding true witness
43. Large number of women and small number of men
44. Sudden death being common
45. Hatred amongst peoples hearts
46. The return of the land of the Arabs to being pastures and rivers
47. Increase in rain but decrease in produce
48. The revealing of a mountain of gold by the Euphrates river
49. The talking of wild animals and inanimate objects to people
50. Wishing for death because of the severity of trials
51. Increase in the number of ‘Romans’ and their fighting the muslims
52. Victory over Constantinople
53. The appearance of al-Qahtaanee
54. Fighting the Jews
55. The expelling by al-Madeenah of its wicked people, then its desolation at the end of time
56. The sending of a pleasant wind to take away the souls of the Believers
57. The attacking of the Sacred House and dismantling of the Ka’bah

B. The Major Signs

1. The Mahdee
2. The Anti-Christ [Maseeh ud-Dajjal]
3. The descent of Eesaa (as)
4. Yajooj and Maajooj
5. The three great sinkings of the earth
6. The appearance of smoke in the sky
7. The rising of the sun in the west
8. The beast of the earth [Daabbat ul-Ard]
9. The fire which brings the people together

(via pearlsofislam)

pearlsofislam:

Question: Is it permissible to sell things in the masjid?

Answer: Buying and selling is not permissible in the masjid because the masaajid are built for the remembrance of Allaah as He subhanahu wa ta’ala says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِي لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ

“O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salaat (prayer) on Friday (Jumu’ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allaah [Jumu’ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salaat (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing).”

(Surah Al-Jumu’ah, 62:9)

They (the Sahaabah) used to buy/sell outside the masjid and when he  heard a man crying out in the mosque about something he had lost, he  said: “May Allah not restore it to you.” [1] So all that is related to this matter should not occur in the masjid.

The Shaykh was further asked about buying and selling in the masjid if the intent behind the trade is to benefit the masjid. He replied by saying that even if it is for the benefit of the masjid it is not permissible to buy, sell and do trade in the masaajid. The exchange of money from hand to hand should be done outside the masjid.

— Shaykh Abdullaah Al-Ghudyaan (rahimahullah)

1. Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahmaan fee Tafseer Kalaamil-Manaan

[Source: From the lecture Methods to Understand & Memorize Al-Qur’aan]

pearlsofislam:

Question: What prevents a supplication from being answered? And that are the times when, if we supplicate, we will be answered?

Answer:
First, we should know that the supplication is worship — it brings us closer to Allah. This is because when we supplicate to Allah, we are admitting not only our shortcomings, but also Allah’s perfection. Furthermore, when we supplicate, we are glorifying Allah.

It has been reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said that the supplication is worship, so if this is the case, a person comes closer to Allah when he supplicates. After he has supplicated seeking closeness to Allah, either his supplication will be answered, he will be saved from an evil greater than the benefit he would have derived had his supplication been answered, or his reward will be saved for him until the Day of Judgment.

Allah Almighty never lets down a person who supplicates to him; however,supplication has certain conditions that must be met and certain manners that must be followed. The one who supplicates, for example,must believe while supplicating that he is in need of his Lord, that he himself has no ability to benefit or harm himself — except by the will of Allah. He must believe in his Lord’s perfect mercy, beneficence, generosity and will. He must not doubt that he will be answered; rather,he should be hopeful and confident about receiving some benefit.

Another condition is not to transgress in the supplication by asking Allah for what is not permissible.

Among the etiquette of supplication is that one should not supplicate for what is not lawful,so he does not supplicate for a sin nor the severance of kinship.

Likewise making sure that ones food and clothing are not from what is unlawful, because the unlawful prevents the supplication from being answered, for the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam said),

“Indeed,Allah is Tayyib (good), and he does not accept other than what is Tayyib.”[1]

Among the times in which one should be optimistic that the supplication would be answered are the last third of the night, or later,and the time between the call to the prayer and the Iqamah.

In terms of situation or posture, one is more likely to have one’s supplication answered while prostrating, since the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alaihi wa sallam said),

“The closest one is to his Lord is when he is prostrating.”[2]

— Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-Uthaymeen

Footnotes:

1. Muslim no.1015.

2. Muslim no.482.

[Source: Fatawa Islamiyah (Islamic Verdicts) Volume 7, page. 273-274]

pearlsofislam:

Muhammad bin Isa related that a young man would often go to Abdullah bin Mubarak; he studied under him, carried out certain errands for him, and would listen to him relate Hadith narrations. One day,’Abdullah went to the city where the young man was living, and when he didn’t find him he asked after him. He was told that the young man was imprisoned for a loan that he could not repay. ‘Abdullah said, “And how much does he owe?” He was told that the young man owed 10,000 dirhams, but he made the man take an oath that he wouldn’t inform anyone as long as as he (i.e.,Abdullah) was alive that he gave him the money.

When the young man was released from prison, it was said to him,

“Abdullah bin Mubarak was here and was asking after you,but he has already left.”

The young man hurried off in search for him and when he found him, ‘Abdullah asked,

“Young man,where were you?I could not find you.”

He said,

“Yes,I was imprisoned because of a debt that I could not pay.”

He said,

“Then how were you released?”

He said,

“A man came and paid my debt for me, yet I do not know who he is.”

Abdullah said,

“Young man praise Allah for the blessing of having your debt repaid.”

And the creditor never informed anyone of what really happened until after Abdullah died.

It has been related that Abu Ja’far Al-Hadhdha said, “I heard Ibn Uyainah say: ‘If your inner reality is the same as your outward appearance and deeds, then that is uprightness ;if your inner reality is better than your outward appearance, then that is superiority; and if your outward appearance is better than your inner reality, then that is wrongdoing.”

[Source: Gem and Jewels, page. 110-111]

forthesakeofallah:

Ibn al-Qayyim enumerated some of the factors that bring about tranquility:

1. Islamic Monotheism, worshipping Allah exclusively without associating any partners with him [in worship], and without associating any partners with Him in all qualities that belong to Him alone. The disbeliever and the one who associates partners with Allah, the Almighty, are, for all effective purposes, dead and not alive. 

“But whosoever turns away from My Reminder [i.e neither believes in this Quran nor acts on its orders, etc], verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.” [20:124]

“Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord [as he who is non-Muslim?” [39:22]

2. Useful knowledge, because the most happy, easy-going, and contented kind of person is the scholar. Why should scholars not be so, for they are the inheritors of Muhammad SAW?

“And [Allah] taught you that which you knew not.” [4:113]

“So know [O Muhammad] that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah..” [47:19]

3. Good deeds. A good deed brings light both to the heart and to the face. Doing good deeds results in being blessed in one’s sustenance, and the hearts of people are naturally attracted to the doer or good. 

“We should surely have bestowed on them water [rain], in abundance.” [72:16]

4. Bravery, for the courageous person in firm and strong and fears Allah alone. Difficulties and hardships neither shake nor disturb him. 

5. Avoiding sins. Sinning ruins one’s peace of mind and makes one feel lonely and in the dark:

“I saw that sins cause the heart to die

And addiction brings disgrace to the addicted.”

6. Not being extravagant in that which is lawful. In other words, one should be moderate when speaking, sleeping, and mixing with people, and likewise one should be abstemious  in one’s eating habits.

“And those who turn away from al Laghw [dirty, evil, vain talk, falsehood and all that Allah has forbidden].” [23:3]

“Not a word does he [or she] utter, but there is a watcher by him ready [to record it].” [50:18]

“And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance…” [7:31]

An Arab poet once said:

“O companion of the bed, you have slept excessively,

Don’t you know that after death is a long sleep.”

(via pearlsofislam)

pearlsofislam:

By Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah)

And mankind, with regard to their performance of prayer are in five levels.

The First: The level of the one who is negligent and wrongs his soul: He is the one who falls short in performing wudoo properly, performing the prayer upon its time and within its specified limits, and in fulfilling its essential pillars.

The Second: The one who guards his prayers upon their proper times and within their specified limits, fulfills their essential pillars and performs his wudoo with care. However, his striving (in achieving the above) is wasted due whisperings in his prayer so he is taken away by thoughts and ideas.

The Third: The one who guards his prayers within the specified limits, fulfills their essential pillars and strives with himself to repel the whisperings, thoughts and ideas. He is busy struggling against his enemy shaytan so that he does not steal from the prayer. On account of this he is engaged in (both) prayer and jihad.

The Fourth: The one who stands for the prayer, completes and perfects its due rights, its essential pillars, performs it within its specified limits and his heart becomes engrossed in safeguarding its rights and specified limits, so that nothing is wasted from it. His whole concern is directed towards its establishment, its completion and its perfection, as it should be. His heart is immersed in the prayer and in enslavement to his Lord the Exalted.

The Fifth: The one who stands for the prayer like the one mentioned above. However, on top of this, he has taken and placed his heart in front of his Lord (عز وجل), looking towards Him with his heart with anticipation, (his heart) filled with His love and His might, as if he sees and witnesses Allah. The whisperings, thoughts and ideas have vanished and the coverings which are between him and his Lord are raised. What is between this person and others with respect to the prayer, is superior and greater than what is between the heavens and the earth. This person is busy with his Lord (عز وجل), delighted with Him.

The First type will be punished, the second type will be held to account, the third will have his sins and shortcomings expiated, the fourth will be rewarded and the fifth will be close to his Lord, because he will receive the portion of the one who makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye. Whoever makes his prayer,the delight and pleasure of his eye, will have the nearness to his Lord (عز وجل) made the delight and pleasure of his eye in the hereafter. He will also be made a pleasure to the eye in this world since whoever makes Allah the pleasure of his eye in this world, every other eye will become delighted and pleased with him.

[Excerpt from Ibn al-Qayyim’s book al-Wabil al-Sayyib]

leptiir:

There are two main categories in Islam; Halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). What is halal is divided into 4 sub-divisions based on the way in which they were made allowable.

1. Wajib/Fard = obligatory: It is something that must be done, if we do it we’re rewarded for it if we don’t (on purpose) we’re punished for it, if we don’t repent. Allah has told us what is wajib Quran [59:7] and Quran [5:97]. It is wajib to worship Allah alone and follow His commands.

The purpose behind the category of wajib acts is: 1) To identify for humans the absolutely essential acts which we must do in order to help us succeed in both this life and the next. 2) To train the beliver in submission to God, which is the foundation of righteousness. 3) To provide a basic framework of righteous deeds for the believers life.

2. Mustahabb = recommended: These are acts which are encouraged by the Prophet (alaihi selam). If we do them we’re rewarded, if we don’t we’re not punished no matter what. These acts are here to help us get used to obey Allah and His Prophet(alaihi selam), and by the doing the mustahabb acts the wajib acts will be easier for us to do. Acts classified as Mustahabb are those which a) The Prophet (alaihi selam) used to do regularly, b) those he recommended, c) those who were wajib but later made mustahabb, for example ghusl on Fridays were fard but not anymore and d) thise which he prohibited and then later recommended, like visiting the graves.

The purpose behind the mustahabb acts is: 1) To identify certain beneficial acts which humans may not necessarily realize, 2) To train humans in obeying God. Each compulsory act is as equivalent as an recommended version. 3) To protect the wajib acts with a shield of other good acts. If a believer becomes weak and neglect acts, it would be from the mustahabb that he does so and not the wajib ones. 4) To provide a body of good deeds which can make up for deficiencies in the wajib acts.

3. Mubah = allowed: These are some acts that are allowed and they don’t affect our faith or relationship with God.

4. Makrooh = disliked: If we don’t do these acts we will be rewarded, but if we do them there is no punishment. But it is better to avoid them because they may be harmful for us and they can lead to haram actions.

The purpose behind makrooh acts: 1) To protect us from some harmful acts if we abstain from the makrooh to begin with, 2) Avoiding it trains man in self-control and it’s easier to avoid haram acts if you avoid the makrooh and 3) To place a barrier between the believer and the haram acts so that in times of weakness a person would only fall into the disliked rather than the forbidden.

Haram = forbidden: An act is haram if Allah or His Messenger(alaihi selam) ordered us not to do it, without making any exceptions. If we avoid these acts we are rewarded if we don’t we are punished.

The purpose behind the haram acts is: 1) To protect man from things which are extremely harmful to him and society, either physically or spiritually. 2) To test mans faith and differentiate between true believers, weak believers and disbelievers, 3) To help develop mans awareness of Allah by forcing him to refrain from certain acts even though he may not be able to perceive the harm in it.

(via pearlsofislam)

allahswtsavedme:

This is an expression that Muslims use whenever the name of Allah is pronounced or written.

The meaning of this expression is: “Allah is pure of having partners and He is exalted from having a son.” Muslims believe that Allah is the only God, the Creator of the Universe. He does not have partners or children.

Sometimes Muslims use other expressions when the name of Allah is written or pronounced.

Some of which are: “‘Azza Wa Jall“: He is the Mighty and the Majestic; “Jalla Jalaluh“: He is the exalted Majestic.

(Source: http://newtoislaam.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/subhanahu-wa-taala-its-meaning/)

(via sweetparadox)