myiclisocreminders

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Qurantine Reminder 13

STRIVING TOWARDS EXCELLENCE THROUGH LOVING YOUR FAMILY

One of the many reasons the Prophet SAW was successful was  because he had a strong support network from great a wife in Khadijah rA and Aisha rA to all the respected sahabas supporting him.

Success is interdependent on the people you work with. The essence of every success is in a successful family which is based of genuine interaction and love. In the seerah we can see that the Prophet's family life was very stable, there was love, mercy and affection between him and each member of his family.

Throughout the academic year we may not spend as much time with our family as we would like and we can easily become motivated by making an impact and making a change in society, through our careers or the community work we engage in. But Quarantine has given us one blessing where we are at home more. We can use this to strengthen our bond with our family and in doing so strengthen our connection with Allah swt

This links in nicely to the concept of ihsan striving towards excellence in whatever we do, as we are conscious Allah is watching us and he is pleased when we approach work with excellence.

We had an event this year going through the theory of Ihsan and where it was mentioned in the Quran but wanted to give some practical examples.

Imperial students in exam season.

Always striving towards excellence. Its in our nature. We have programmed ourselves and become obsessed in attaining a 1st through our revision(or a distinction if ur special like the medics)

That same drive for excellence we can apply in our family interactions. Go that extra mile when doing the dishes because your mum asked you. Or if your father asked you to clean the carpet make sure you spend your time as you are striving for excellence. If your siblings want to spend time with you listen to them and teach them something beneficial.

Not only will it please your family but it will please Allah swt so much more. Its easy to make excuses and say "I need to focus on revision I have an exam tomorrow" as an excuse.

You'll be surprised how Allah will make it easy for you if you do take time away from yourself to focus on family. That coveted mark you are aiming for will come easily to you inshallah.

Many have you suffered bereavements. May Allah raise the ranks of those who passed away. This should also act as a reminder that we should always strive for excellence especially when your parents have asked something from you. Only Allah knows how much time we have left with our parents.

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Quarantine Reminder 12

SHOW LOVE AND COMPASSION TO YOUR FAMILY 

Following on from the reminders that have been posted, here is one of the reflections i have had in this lockdown. Alhumdulilah I think its safe to say that one of the biggest wins from this is the time we have been given to spend with our families. Thinking back the last time i was around my family this much every day was well before uni. With holidays not far away i think it would be pragmatic to really make use of this stretch of time in which we are in their company to a) draw closer to them and b) to benefit them.

On the first point, the sincerity of an individual in his manners can be seen with how he treats his family. In an individual's house there is no flattery so how he behaves with them is a true reflection of his character and his sincerity. And verily who on this earth is more deserving of our affection, loyalty and mercy than our parents and siblings? Often we find its the opposite, we are like angels with our friends but don’t give our family a moments breathing space and jump on any chance to show frustration. How messed up is this.

The second point is one of benefit and I’m sure many of us have younger siblings who can really gain from the time we invest with them. Most of the year we are wayfarers in their lives with how busy we are but alhumdulilah now we have the chance to stamp our mark and be good role models for them. Often people in general cling to feelings rather than specific memories so wouldn't it be amazing for our close ones to look back on this time as a time where they FELT appreciated and respected by us. May Allah unite us all with our families in this life and the next.

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Quarantine Reminder 11

IMPORTANCE OF TARAWEEH

As we all know, it's the blessed month of Ramadan in which the Holy Qur'an was first revealed, and the month in which our good deeds are multiplied. However, things may be a little different now with the Coronavirus outbreak and mosques being closed. This may be demotivating as the beautiful congregations and recitations we would hear at taraweeh are no more. But I urge everyone, beginning with myself to try and increase in our night prayers now more than ever. Taraweeh became organised practice at the time when Omar ibn al khattab was the khaleefa. However, he did not always pray taraweeh in congregation, rather he would spend some nights praying alone as one would pray tahajjud. So, this Ramadan let's try and increase our night prayers and prologue them and make them of the highest quality. This Ramadan many of us have more free time, and this coronavirus outbreak may be a little demotivating, but it is giving us the potential for this Ramadan to be our best one yet. I leave you all with this beautiful hadith in bukhari: Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

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Quarantine Reminder 9

EMBODYING GRATITUDE 

Over the past few days, I've spent a lot of time thinking back to the Ramadans of the past. Growing up in a pretty small town, our mosque (a 15 minute drive away) would host one iftaar a month in the last 10 days of Ramadan - this would be a much hyped evening that would send ripples of excitement across the local ummah.

But over the past few years, Ramadan and university have always been inseparable and close to my heart. On the most basic level, you can imagine my astonishment and delight to find an Islamic Society that provided iftaars every evening 🤯. Looking past the food though, it was the companionship and brotherhood of the ISoc that drew me in. Ramadan has regularly overlapped with exam season for a few years now, but that's never deterred the brothers from showing up. It became something of a ritual for me to wake up mid afternoon and (try to) get some revision in before heading to the PR for iftaar. There, I'd see all kinds of faces: best friends, freshers I'd never met, and the most lowkey yet excellent bros who had literally ghosted since this time last year. Crack out the cream filled dates. Crack open the biryani boxes. Cheekily swipe a second box for suhoor. Race down to Oddono's before tarawih.

Unfortunately, none of that is possible this year. If you'd told me a few months ago that these happy experiences were going to be abrubtly taken away, I wouldn't be able to hide my dissappointment. But there's a verse from Surah Ibrahim that's put this into perspective for me:

Surah Ibrahim (14:7): وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ "And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; But if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed."

This was the command given to Musa alayhi salam and his people. And now that I reflect over this current Ramadan through a new lens - one of gratefulness - it's easy to see the blessings. For the first time in years, I will (inshallah) get to break every fast with my family. I'll get to pray in congregation with them. I'll get fed by mother instead of Dawat/TKC. And as for the days themselves: I'm not bound by timetabled teaching that could leave me exhausted, I don't have to worry about chores like grocery shopping, and life is moving at slower pace which leaves more time for both work and ibaadah.

So whilst this definitely wasn't the Ramadan I could ever have expected, it might be the one I needed most. A chance to reconnect with my home and be truly grateful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I'm definitely praying that Allah gives us many more Ramadans in PR, but until then, I'm chilling - I've just introduced my parents to cream filled dates.

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Quarantine Reminder 9

INTROSPECTION 

During the past few weeks, there is been extraordinary shift in societal dynamics. As much technologically advanced our communities have become, ﷲ has demonstrated His power over creation. With Ramadan fast approaching us, I thought during this period of government legislated self-isolation, we should take the time to also introspect in an effort to make Ramadan a more fruitful opportunity for us to be drawn closer to ﷲ.

Introspection is commonly defined as “the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes”. Essentially it is when you actively take time to reflect and contemplate. This is a fundamental element of the deen.

A classical way of understanding the domains we need to pursue in the path of ﷲ  is Islam, Iman, & Ihsan. In a hadith in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have defined Ihsan as:

“That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you.” (1)

During this period, we should encourage one another to self-evaluate and examine if we are doing this. We need to ask ourselves whether we are genuinely striving for Ihsan. Or have our deeds become something that they should not, a series of mundane rituals we follow? In this day and age, there is an oversaturation of information at our fingertips and not any transformation in our character. Why is it that we have reached such a point that we have access to the classical books of hadith, tafsir, seerah, etc. so readily available, and yet Islam is so demonised by society at worst, and is considered to be “just like any average religion” at best? One may argue is that we as an ummah, have neglected Ihsan when we have been trying to learn the deen of ﷲ.

We need to lay off the accelerator for a bit and see whether there is Ihsan on the core principles of our deen. When we pray salah, do we do so with the mindset that we are in the presence of Allah? Do we engage in Ramadan to become closer to Allah? Or has it become a month-long diet plan to us? This is something we each must critically evaluate amongst ourselves. Ask yourselves, "what is our state with what we know?"

Imam al-Shafi’i has eloquently described this as “Knowledge is that which benefits, not that which is memorised.” (2).

I encourage us all to take some time to see if we truly have this. If we start developing Ihsan, then it will lead to the transformation of our inner self and we will begin to marvel at the beauty of the timeless laws Allah has given us, and to recognise His attributes in our day to day. Therefore, when we go into Ramadan, inshaAllah we can actually enjoy worshiping ﷲ.

May ﷲ make us amongst those who follow the Sunnah, the pious predecessors and the scholars who aided us in learning the deen as it was revealed. May ﷲ forgive us all for our minor and major sins and accept our deeds and what we have learnt today. May ﷲ not make us from amongst those who do not implement what they learn or those who become arrogant and hearts harden.

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Quarantine Reminder 8

DO NOT LOOK INWARDS 

I want to highlight surah insan ayah 8 and 9

وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا - 76:8

And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا - 76:9

[Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah . We wish not from you reward or gratitude.

Its amazing how the Quran emphasizes the importance of intentions when feeding the needy and the orphan. Those who would feed the poor despite their love/need of wealth. One thing i want to highlight is that this is a Makkahan chapter. It was revealed before the Hijrah (migration to Medinah). Its amazing in the context at which this surah was revealed. This surah was revealed at a time whilst the Muslims are getting shunned, persecuted and martyred for their different belief system. For simply believing in Allah swt.

What message does Allah give to the Prophet and companion at this time.

He says don't look inwards. Don't feel self-pity. You have to be the solution for the people who have no one.

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Quarantine reminder 7

TRIAL AND TRIBULATIONS 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

As we adapt to the challenges and difficulties of this affliction that has shrouded the world in distress, we should remember that Allah 'azza wajall has informed us that such afflictions will surely come to us throughout our lives, and also of their purpose. The aayaat above, in the midst of this turmoil, should come to us like soothing balm on our hearts. These aayaat say more than any of us could possibly do justice to, so we should stop to reflect on them. _

Going on, I'd like to focus on the final three aayaat here: Allah is reminding us that every difficulty we face is a trial that He has planned for us, and that what is vital to succeeding in these trials, and coming out of them with a higher rank, and a great reward, is:

1. To strive to remain upon patience, and 2. To firmly remind ourselves and those around us that whatever happens, we surely belong to Allah, and surely to him we will return.

Furthermore:

The inconveniences that have we are experiencing right now should remind us of how smooth and easy our lives really are, due to the numerous blessings of Allah subhaanahu wata'aalaa that he has bestowed upon us. It quickly becomes obvious how many of us have spent most of our lives so far in places where we are free to walk the streets, at any time and place, with little fear; where we can quickly go and buy most of the things we need, when we need them.

This should remind us that there are so many of our brothers and sisters across the world, and countless other people, who do not live with such blessings, and so we should be thankful to Allah ta'aalaa for the blessings that we receive, and strive to make use of them to please Allah.

And may Allah, al-Hafeeẓ, the Protector, protect and sustain the believers in every part of the world, and provide us all with what we need to go on, and make worshipping and patience easy for us, and forgive us and the male and female believers

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Quarantine Reminder 6

WORKING FOR THE AAKHIRAH BY WORKING IN THE DUNYA

This is a reminder for me as well as the brothers who read this. Due to the decisions of our university, a lot of us still must work hard for our upcoming exams. However, I also want to point out an important issue not to neglect while we focus on our revision which also applies to all situations. It is the idea of ‘what is our concern? The Dunya or the Aakhirah?’. Some of us may find ourselves overwhelmed with a lot of deadlines to meet, content to go over and even on top of that, inevitable non-academic duties to complete. This brings me to a Hadith;

The Prophet (SAW) said:

“Whoever makes the Aakhirah his concern, Allah SWT will gather together his affairs, place contentment in his heart and the world will come to him despite his reluctance. And whoever makes the Dunya his concern, Allah will scatter his affairs, put poverty before him and nothing of the world will come to him except what Allah has written for him.”

[Reported by At-Tirmidhee and authenticated by Al-Albani]

This Hadith shows the difference between the one who has the Aakhirah on his mind and the one who has the Dunya on his mind. A good way of making the Aakhirah your main concern is to look at your intentions and always make a link to Allah SWT. Ask yourself, ‘am I doing this for Allah?’. A lot of (halal) things we do can be done for the sake of Allah SWT but all it needs is the right intention. So it is important that during times of academic work, that we take heed of this hadith and act upon it by evaluating our intentions. Furthermore, I would also like to point out that extra ritual acts of worship are very important and something not to be neglected such as reciting and understanding the Quran, the daily adhkaar etc. Especially in times like this, where we arguably have more time, we have a great opportunity where we can slowly build up our acts of worship.

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Quarantine reminder 5

PATIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE FACE OF A CALAMITY

As of today, the coronavirus has killed over 1 200 people in the UK, and over 30 000 worldwide. Society has been stripped down to its bare essentials, and it appears we'll be stuck in this limbo for a while.

Although the world seems to be shutting down, one of the beautiful things about our Deen is that our relationship with Allah does not have to be weakened. Rather, the situation we find ourselves in calls for us to reach out to Him even more. Alhamdulilah, many of us find ourselves with more free time than we know what to do with. It's up to us to use this time wisely, engaging in acts that will please Him and staying away from that which He dislikes.

For those of us that are with our families, we should strive to strengthen our bonds with them. We have to realise that many students don't have this privilege, and we make dua for those people to be reunited with their families soon.

And it's not all doom and gloom. A number of opportunities have presented themselves. MashaAllah tabarakAllah, a large number of online Islamic classes and pdfs have been made freely available. We can now essentially pray all 5 salat as a jama'ah at home. We have the flexibility to take up new skills and hobbies to improve ourselves. Can we guarantee that we'll have these opportunities again? Let's make the most of this situation, and instead of giving in to the panic that the media seems to want from us, be patient and have good assumptions of what Allah SWT has planned.

Patience is among the highest virtues of the believers, and has the greatest of rewards. During the Battle of Badr, the new Muslims were vastly outnumbered in size and strength. Despite the overwhelming odds, Allah SWT made them victorious. In Surah Al-Anfal He says "Obey God and His Messenger... Be steadfast: God is with the steadfast." (8:46). Indeed, a key characteristic of our Prophets and sahabah (may Allah bless them all) is their constant state of sabr despite facing tribulations we could only dream of. There are also many other instances where Allah highlights the importance of sabr in the Quran, which goes to show how essential it is to our faith.

Oftentimes we like to think in our heads that we are patient and resilient people. Now is the time for us to show it. In the way we interact with others and in the way we spend our time. I pray that all of you and your loved ones remain healthy and in a state of Iman in this turbulent period. jazakAllahu khairun.

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Quarantine Reminder 4

COMPANIONS OF THE CAVE AND SOCIAL ISOLATION

I was thinking for a while about what to talk about, and Surah Kahf is my inspiration for this. The story I want to talk about is that of the dwellers of the cave, and how they went into hiding to protect their religion. Their form of hiding mimics our current situation, where we have been confined to our homes due to the Covid-19 outbreak with minimal contact with others.

Coming back to the story, it concerns a group of youths who had originally kept their belief in Allah concealed for fear of repercussions, but within their secret assembly, they confessed their rejection of idolatry and affirmed their belief in Allah. From that day, they met regularly to worship Allah in secret. During this time, Allah strengthened their faith for the events which would unfold: We made their hearts firm and strong (with the light of Faith in Allah and bestowed upon them patience to bear the separation of their kith and kin and dwellings, etc.) (Qur’an 18:14). Eventually, word of their activities reached the palace and they were summoned before their King. When questioned by the King, they refused to succumb to him, but instead, tried to invite the King to the path of Allah. The King rejected their call to Islam, and punished them, locking them up and they were given the night to “repent” from their ways. However with Allah’s might, the youths managed to escape captivity during the course of the night. Allah guided them to the safety of a cave: (The young men said to one another): “And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair (i.e. will give you what you will need of provision, dwelling, etc.).” (Qur’an 18:16).

This story is an inspiration for us, these people before us had to struggle to keep hold of their religion, they were pursued by all kinds of evil at the time and yet their belief in Allah protected them. We have this story in the Quran as a lesson for us. Things right now seem difficult, there is so much negativity, so much pain in the world right now. It is so painful and difficult to live in a world where we are unable to pray any Salahs in the masjid, where we are unable to congregate for Jummah, where some of us are unable to see our loved ones. Yet me must know that if we are patient, if have faith in Allah SWT, He will not only make this time easy for us, He will reward us for our sabr inshaAllah, but we must be firm in our belief and know that Allah SWT is watching over us. He has stated that He will not burden us with more than we can bear so we must take this as a test and aim to pass with flying colours inshaAllah. I hope this reminder has been a small benefit to all of you, let's try and make use of this time at home to improve ourselves and to become closer to Allah SWT so we can be a source of Da'wah for all those around us when things open up. Jazakumullahu Khairan, Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

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Quarantine reminder 3

WHEN DISASTER STRIKES

No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things. (11) And obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon Our Messenger is only [the duty of] clear notification. (12) Allah - there is no deity except Him. And upon Allah let the believers rely. (13) [Surah At-Taghabun 64:11-13]

There are so many lessons to derive from these ayaat and the Surah as a whole but to briefly touch upon them. Here, Allah reminds us that whenever we are struck by calamity, it’s not except by His choice and he has targeted us specifically to go through these trials (as believers), and we can’t be asking why us, why now, it is all by his Decree. However the current situation is affecting us, if we can maintain faith in Allah, he promises to bless our hearts with guidance. Not just us but our hearts, the most fluctuating entity in us. The breadth of meaning conveyed by this ayah is beautiful - from placing in one’s heart everything from patience, gratitude, satisfaction and submission to the Divine Will.

We ask, how is it we are told to maintain faith? By following Allah and his Messenger SAW. We are told to increase in ibaadah, reflect on how we are disobeying Allah and his Messenger SAW try and improve ourselves in those regards. This is how we will earn Allah’s favour and furthermore, the ayah implies a warning if we are not doing so in that the Messenger SAW’s duty does not extend to making sure we obey the message. The ball’s in our court so the consequences if we turn away are on us.

And finally, Allah reminds us why He is the only one worthy to be worshipped, and we should solely have tawakkul in Him through these times. How this pandemic will end, how our lives will be adjusted and continue, we don’t know, but with faith, Allah will give us guidance and confidence that things will work out for the better in the end. We can see this period as an opportunity, to reflect on ourselves and strive to improve.

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Quarantine reminder 2

TESTIFICATION OF OUR SKINS AGAINST OURSELVES

And they will say to their skins, "Why have you testified against us?" They will say, "We were made to speak by Allah, who has made everything speak; and He created you the first time, and to Him you are returned [Surah Fussilat ayaat 21]

This is not really a tafseer but just something I was thinking about after a sheikh had given me a reminder on this ayaat.

Sometimes Allah (swt) says something which is supernatural or extraordinary it can sometimes be hard to grasp or imagine exactly how it will occur. In this ayaat Allah is saying how our own skins will testify against us on the Day of Judgement on what we used to do. Now for something to testify against us it must have the ability to talk and also relay information. This may seem supernatural to us but when we think about it then it is something which is easy for Allah. If modern day CD disks which are just plastic can retain information and also be a means of playing audio then why is it that sometimes we find it hard to grasp that Allah is Al Qadir (The Able) is going to perform these tasks. Things such as resurrection, the day of judgement and more are well within Allah’s capcity and means and although supernatural they will occur.

Simple things in current technology such as a DVD can be a means of us reflecting on the creation of Allah and be a means of getting closer to Allah. With all our advancements we are in reality powerless without the help of Allah. Just look at our current situation. A virus which we have pretty much known of 80%+ of its genetic coding for many years has caused so much devastation to the world.

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Quarantine reminder 1

OBEDIENCE TO ALLAH’S WILL 

Our current situation means that all of our plans for the next few months have been derailed. The number of cancelled holidays, motives and projects have made everyone feel disappointed. However, we must remember not to be ungrateful because of this. Times of stress is where your Iman is truly tested. It is a lot easier to be happy when everything is going okay than when it feels like your life has been turned upside down. Allah gives what he wills and takes what he wills. When we get something it is a blessing, and when it is taken away, it is important to remember that it is a gift which was never ours by right in the first place. Our whole life can change in an instant and we must remind ourselves not to slip into being entitled and feeling like something that we are meant to have has been taken away, because it was never ours to begin with.

“And what is that in your right hand, O Musa?” He said, “It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I bring down leaves for my sheep and I have therein other uses.” [Allah] said, “Throw it down, O Musa.” So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake, moving swiftly. [Allah] said, “Seize it and fear not; We will return it to its former condition. And draw in your hand to your side; it will come out white without disease – another sign, That We may show you [some] of Our greater signs.” [Surah Taha 20:17-23]

Allah first asked Musa (AS) to list all the things he loved about his staff , why he was attached to it, and then immediately asked him to throw it to the ground. Musa (AS)‘s response was not to question Allah, or ask why, he submitted wholly and completely to Allah’s will. He was patient and he obeyed. The same is seen with the mother of Musa (AS) when she is asked to cast her newborn child into the river, and with Ibrahim (AS) who is asked to sacrifice his child. Everytime, Allah gives them something even bigger and better as a reward. Musa (AS)’s staff became a means through which the chief magicians saw the truth of his message, and later a means through which the sea was split open to provide a way out for the believers from their oppressors. So whenever Allah takes something away from us, we must be patient and realise that he may have prepared an even greater gift for us than our limited minds could ever imagine.

We must remember to be grateful for all of the blessings for which we can never thank Allah enough. Our life is seemingly a mess now, but at least we sit here safe in our homes, secure in the knowledge that iA this will all be over soon and we can resume our daily lives. In so many places across the world, much worse, incomparable and unthinkable attrocities are talking place, to people who know their life will never again be the same, people who can never be sure whether they will live to see another day. Let’s use this as an opportunity to remind ourselves, never to take what we have for granted. To be thankful for what we have and make du’a for those who are not as fortunate.

‎‫إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ‎‬

‫Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return