#msulim

[naderdawah]

عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، قَالَ صُمْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي رَمَضَانَ فَلَمْ يَقُمْ بِنَا حَتَّى بَقِيَ سَبْعٌ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ فَقَامَ بِنَا حَتَّى ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَقُمْ بِنَا فِي السَّادِسَةِ فَقَامَ بِنَا فِي الْخَامِسَةِ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ شَطْرُ اللَّيْلِ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ نَفَّلْتَنَا بَقِيَّةَ لَيْلَتِنَا هَذِهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّهُ مَنْ قَامَ مَعَ الإِمَامِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ قِيَامَ لَيْلَةٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ لَمْ يُصَلِّ بِنَا وَلَمْ يَقُمْ حَتَّى بَقِيَ ثَلاَثٌ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ فَقَامَ بِنَا فِي الثَّالِثَةِ وَجَمَعَ أَهْلَهُ وَنِسَاءَهُ حَتَّى تَخَوَّفْنَا أَنْ يَفُوتَنَا الْفَلاَحُ ‏.‏ قُلْتُ وَمَا الْفَلاَحُ قَالَ السُّحُورُ ‏.‏

It was narrated that Abu Dharr said:"We fasted with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Ramadan and he did not lead us in praying Qiyam until there were seven days left in the month, when he led us in praying Qiyam until one-third of the night had passed. Then he did not lead us in praying Qiyam when there were six days left. Then he led us praying Qiyam when there were five days left until one-half of the night had passed. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if we spend the rest of this night praying Nafl?" He said: "Whoever prays Qiyam with the Imam until he finishes, Allah (SWT) will record for him the Qiyam of a (whole) night." Then he did not lead us in prayer or pray Qiyam until there were three days of the month left. Then he led us in praying Qiyam when there were three days left. He gathered his family and wives (and led us in prayer) until we feared that we would miss Al-Falah. I (one of the narrators) said: "What is Al-Falah?" He said: "The suhur".

[risalei-nur]

The Words - The Thirty-third  Word - Part 42

THIRTY-FIRST WINDOW

We have created man in the best of forms. (95:4) * And in the earth there are signs for those who are certain * And in your own selves; will you not then not see? (51:20-1)

This Window is the Window of man, and it is concerned with man’s self. For more elaborate discussions of it in this respect, we refer you to the detailed books of the thousands of learned and scholarly saints, and here only point out a few principles we have received from the effulgence of the Qur’an. It is like this:

As is explained in the Eleventh Word, “Man is a missive so comprehensive that through his self, Almighty God makes perceived to him all His Names.” For the details we refer you to the other Words, and here only explain three Points.

FIRST POINT

Man is a mirror to the Divine Names in three aspects.

The First Aspect: Like the darkness of the night shows up light, so through his weakness and impotence, his poverty and need, his defects and faults, man makes known the power, strength, riches, and mercy of an All-Powerful One of Glory, and so on... he acts as a mirror to numerous Divine attributes in this way. Even, through searching for a point of support in his infinite impotence and boundless weakness in the face of his innumerable enemies, his conscience perpetually looks to the Necessarily Existent One. And since he is compelled in his utter poverty and endless need to seek for a point of assistance in the face of his innumerable aims, his conscience in that respect all the time leans on the Court of an All-Compassionate One of Riches and opens its hands in supplication to Him. That is to say, in regard to this point of support and point of assistance in the conscience, two small windows are opened onto the Court of Mercy of the All-Powerful and All-Compassionate One, which may all the time be looked through.

The Second Aspect of being mirror-like is this: through particulars like his partial knowledge, power, senses of sight and hearing, ownership and sovereignty, which are sorts of samples given to him, man acts as a mirror to the knowledge, power, sight, hearing, and sovereignty of dominicality of the Master of the Universe; he understands them and makes them known. For example, he says: “Just as I make this house and know how to make it, and I see it and own it and administer it, so the mighty palace of the universe has a Maker. Its Maker knows it, sees it, makes it, administers it.” And so on..

The Third Aspect of being mirror-like: man acts as a mirror to the Divine Names, the imprint of which are upon him. There are more than seventy Names the impresses of which are apparent in man’s comprehensive nature. These have been described to a degree at the start of the Third Stopping- Place of the Thirty-Second Word. For example, through his creation, man shows the Names of Maker and Creator; through his being on the ‘Most Excellent of Patterns,’ the Names of Most Merciful and All-Compassionate, and through the fine way he is nurtured and raised, the Names of All-Generous and Granter of Favours, and so on; he shows the differing impresses of different Names through all his members and faculties, all his organs and limbs, all his subtle senses and faculties, all his feelings and emotions. That is to say, just as among the Names there is a Greatest Name, so among the impresses of those Names there is a greatest impress, and that is man.

O you who considers himself to be a true man! Read yourself! You may otherwise be either animal-like or inanimate!

[dailytafsirofquran]

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Surah Al-A’raf Ayah 182-183

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

7:182 Those who reject Our Ayat, We shall gradually seize them with punishment in ways they perceive not.

7:183 And I respite them; certainly My plan is strong.

Allah said,

Those who reject Our Ayat, We shall gradually seize them in ways they perceive not.

meaning, the doors of provisions will be opened for them and also the means of livelihood, in this life. They will be deceived by all this and think that they are on the correct path.

Allah said in another instance,

So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened for them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them (in punishment), and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrow. So the root of the people who did wrong was cut off. And all the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. (6:44-45)

Allah said here,

And I respite them, prolong what they are in,

certainly My plan is strong (and perfect).

[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 99

A Sufi disciple, called a mureed, is attached to his or her shaykh,  or master, who serves to guide the disciple along the path to spiritual fulfillment. Each Sufi order is characterized by the relationship between disciples and their shaykh, to whom they pledge an oath of allegiance called bay'a. This is standard and required for entrance into an order, but it does not imply celibacy or a monastic life. Many Sufis have families and children, and view their membership in an order as just another aspect of their lives. Once this pledge is taken, the relationship between the teacher and student is initiated.

Eventually, the disciple progresses and may become a teacher and master, initiating future generations of Sufis. Once a disciple has attained knowledge and discipline, his shaykh may permit him to instruct others. There is no formal curriculum or “graduation” to such processes, and they are determined by the members of a tariqa. It is generally held by Sufis that this type of teacher-student lineage stems all the way back to the Prophet Muhammad, who initiated his own friends and Companions along the spiritual path. Basing their disciplinary practices on interpretations of the Quran and hadith, teachers continue what they believe is an unbroken chain of devotional methods, called a silsilah, that originated with Muhammad.

The rite of initiation or bay'ais a kind of rebirth taken when a member first joins a tariqa, when sins of the past are washed away and the disciple undertakes to eradicate them from his or her behavior. It involves clasping the hands of the shaykh and pledging obedience according to whatever formulas the particular tariqa happens to use. Again, there are no universal formulas for such initiations. Dedication to the master or teacher thus involves a kind of emptying of the self, a purging of one’s past identity and the adoption of the role of mureed.

Groups of disciples perform dhikr and sama communally, usually in the presence of their shaykh, who may or may not participate. The role of the teacher is not to program the students in their worship, but to guide them to their own realizations. In some Sufi orders, the teacher, who represents a repository of generations of wisdom, conveys a message without explicit instruction as to particular practices. That is, according to one view, the only True Teacher is God Himself, and a shaykh is merely an intermediary source of guidance, not the True Teacher. The shaykh may convey a message of wisdom, but that wisdom does not originate with the teacher, it only passes through him to the student. This experience is meant merely to aid students in their own progress. The Sufi teacher Hazrat Inayat Khan articulates the relationship between a mureed and a teacher as such:

If you think of the teacher as your brother, it is true; if you think of teacher as your friend, it is true also; if you think of the teacher as your spiritual teacher, it is true; and if you think of the teacher as your servant, it is also true. Besides this, there is no place for any other discussion. Your teacher is a human being, and as such he is liable to shortcomings. You may give him your confidence and trust, and know him as a human being.

In other words, the knowledge conveyed from teacher to student is not inherent to the nature of the teacher, but is a set of data passed on from one person to another about a third party, namely God. The job of the shaykh is not to teach the disciple about God, but to guide the disciple in learning how to learn about God. In this way, Sufism’s emphasis on the inner life of each individual is not diluted by the necessity of attaching oneself to a shaykh.

[jami-attirmidhi]

JAMI’at-TIRMIDHI: The Book on Business: Hadith 1755

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"When you disagree over the road, then make it seven forearm lengths."

Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1356

In-book reference: Book 15, Hadith 36

English translation : Vol. 3, Book 13, Hadith 1356

[mouthpiecengr]

APC Muslim-Muslim ticket bad for Nigeria— Wike 

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has stated that the Muslim-msulim ticket of the all progressives Congress (APC) is bad for Nigeria, just as it is for a northerner to replace another northerner. Wike also urged the Church in Nigeria to be vigilant and not allow itself to be used by desperate politicians who desire power at all cost in the 2023 general elections. The governor stated this on…

[hadeth]

عن عبدالله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه، قال: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم:‏ "‏ الْجَنَّةُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ شِرَاكِ نَعْلِهِ، وَالنَّارُ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ ‏"‏‏.‏ صحيح البخاري حديث ٦٤٨٨

Narrated `Abdullah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Paradise is nearer to any of you than the Shirak (leather strap) of his shoe, and so is the (Hell) Fire.” Sahih al-Bukhari 6488 In-book reference : Book 81, Hadith 77 USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 8, Book 76, Hadith 495

شرح الحديث

يَحكي عبدُ الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه أنَّ النبيَّ صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم قال: الجنَّة أقربُ إلى أحدِكم إذا أطاع ربَّه من شِراك نَعلِه (وهو السَّيْرُ الذي يدخُل فيه إصبع الرِّجْل)، والنَّار إذا عصاه مِثلُ ذلك؛ فلا يزهدنَّ في قليل من الخير؛ فلعلَّه يكون سببًا لرحمة الله به، ولا في قليل من الشَّرِّ أن يجتنبه؛ فربَّما يكون فيه سخط الله تعالى. في الحديث: دليلٌ واضح على أنَّ الطَّاعات مُوصلةٌ إلى الجنَّة، والمعاصي مُقرِّبة من النَّار. وفيه: أنَّ المؤمن لا يَزهد في قليل من الخير، ولا يَستقلُّ قليلًا من الشرِّ، فيَحسَبه هيِّنًا وهو عند الله عظيم؛ فإنَّ المؤمن لا يعلَم الحسنة التي يرحَمه الله بها، والسيِّئةَ التي يسخط الله عليه بها. وفيه: أنَّ تحصيلَ الجنَّة سهلٌ بتصحيح القَصدِ وفِعل الطَّاعة، والنَّار كذلك بموافقةِ الهوى وفِعل المعصيةِ.

Hadith Explanation here

[ember-knights]

is there a way for an atheist with Islamic upbringing to criticize their society and the whole religious brainrot WITHOUT fueling Islamophobes and denying others the right to their beliefs? asking for a friend

[sunanannasai]

Sunan an Nasa’i:20 The Book of Qiyam Al-Lail (The Night Prayer) and Voluntary Prayers During the Day

It was narrated from Aishah that:

The Prophet (ﷺ) came in to her and there was a woman with her. He said: "Who is this?" She said: "So-and-so, and she does not sleep." And she told him about how she prayed a great deal. He said: "Stop praising her. You should do what you can, for by Allah (SWT), Allah never gets tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of religious actions to Him is that in which a person persists."

Sunan an Nasa’i:20 The Book of Qiyam Al-Lail (The Night Prayer) and Voluntary Prayers During the Day 1643

[naderdawah]

إِنَّا لا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلا

[cartoonmirror]

Muslim Rulers

[everyday-quote]

Seek the fellowship of those who enjoy fellowship with the Lord.

Abdul Qadir Jilani (rahimahullah)

[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 101

Hurriya (Freedom)

The realization of every lawful desire without hindrance, freedom from any pressure, confinement, or subservience, the right to elect, to be elected, and to enjoy certain basic rights in political life-these are some of the definitions of “freedom,” which has become one of the most widely concepts discussed in the recent history of thought and law.

The basic freedoms of humanity that range from personal rights to political and general ones-such as the freedom of belief, worship, thought, the freedom to have a family, to work, to own personal property, the right of freedom of expression and association, of electing, and being elected, etc.-are not among the subjects to be discussed in “Emerald Hills of the Heart”[1] However, they have always been regarded as among the most important matters in human history.

Being the most fundamental and vital dimension and the most important human faculty, namely free-will, which is considered an important pillar of conscience, freedom (hurriya) is one of the most valuable gifts of God to humanity. This great gift has been defined in Islamic literature as an individual’s assertion and enjoyment of his/her basic rights. However, in order to fully perceive freedom one must be able, to some extent, to perceive its opposite. This opposite is the individual’s dependence on others for the enjoyment of those rights, which is a form of servanthood. It is God Almighty Who grants these rights to humanity, so a person has no right to change or sell them or transfer them to others. Those who commit such a sin, that is, change or sell their fundamental rights or transfer them to another, have lost their humanity to a certain extent and will be held accountable before God for that loss. Such an action shows, first of all, disrespect for human values, and those who commit such disrespect cannot be conscious of their existence, and those who are not conscious of one’s existence have no relationship with the truth and no share in the love of and servanthood to God.

In short, it cannot be asserted that those who do not recognize God, Who is the Truth and the source of human rights, are free in the sense that they are conscious of human rights, nor can those who have not been able to free themselves from slavery to others than God be free in the real sense of the term.

What we have so far said about freedom is only by way of introduction to the freedom that is one of the emerald hills of the heart.

The freedom inherent in Islamic Sufism, being one of the most significant fruits of austerity, is that a person does not submit or bow to any power other than God, indicating thereby that the heart of that person has become a clear mirror receiving and reflecting the manifestations of God. The person who has reached this point on the way to God through austerity and by God’s special help, severs inward relation with all things and beings other than God, and with emotions pulsing with freedom, heart beating joyfully with a yearning for freedom, and having broken all the restrictions around the selfhood, that person sets for him or herself this single goal and, in the philosophy of the respected saint Harith,[2] weaves the tissue of his or her thought with the threads of the hereafter.

True freedom is attainable only by freeing one’s heart from worldly worries and anxieties about the things of this world, and so being able to turn to God with one’s whole being. In order to express this reality, the leaders of the Sufi way say: “Child, undo the bonds of servanthood and be free; how much longer will you remain enslaved to gold and silver?” The answer of Junayd al-Baghdadi[3] to those who asked him what freedom was- “You can taste freedom when you are free from all bonds other than slavery to God”-also expresses the essence of freedom.

If freedom is directly proportional to sincere devotion and servanthood to God Almighty, and it is, then it is not possible to assert that those who live their lives under the direction of others are really free. In this respect, the following anonymous couplet speaks significantly:

If you would like to beat the drum of honor, Go beyond the wheel of the stars; As this circle filled with rings is a drum of humiliation. True freedom is necessary in order to be a perfect servant of God. The measure of a person’s true freedom is servanthood to God. Those who cannot realize servanthood to God can neither be free nor attain human values in their full reach and meaning. Such people can never be saved from corporeality and sensuality so as to reach the achievable horizon of spiritual life with a “sound heart,” nor can they feel the essence of human existence in the depths particular and special to it. People who spend their life in the captivity of worldly considerations grow in arrogance in the face of the blessings granted to them. Instead of becoming more thankful to God, they attribute to themselves whatever achievement God has enabled them to realize, and are disappointed time after time when they fail, and shiver with the fear of losing whatever advantages they have accrued-such unfortunate people have no share in freedom, even if they are as kings in the world.

As long as the heart sets itself upon various goals, loved ones, and ambitions, it can never taste freedom. How can those be free who are constantly worrying about how to hold onto or pay back the goods they expect from others, who have mortgaged most of their life’s energy to others in return for worldly interests and bodily pleasures?

It is a great trial, one that leads to perdition if one wanders in the whirl of physical considerations and is confined to worldly aims with a heart attuned to worthless, fleeting objects. By contrast, it is a great favor from God upon those whose inner world He has sealed off from the many attributes of the ephemeral world that attract the carnal self; it is a great favor from God that He cuts away the relation of the heart with the world. For that relation is a form of bondage, and that cutting away is a bridge by which humanity is able to reach true freedom.

[1] Originally published in Turkish as Kalbin Zümrüt Tepeleri, “Emerald Hills of the Heart” is a series of books by Fethullah Gülen and was translated into English as Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism.

[2] Abu ‘Abdullah Harith al-Muhasibi (d. 858), was one of the leading Sufis. He was learned in the principal and derivative sciences, and his authority was rec-ognized by all the theologians of his day. He wrote a book, entitled Ri’aya li-Hu-quqillah (“The Observance of God’s Rights”) on the principles of Sufism, as well as many other works. In every branch of learning he was a man of lofty sen-timent and noble mind. He was the chief guide of Baghdad in his time.

[3] Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. 910): One of the most famous early Sufis. He enjoyed great respect and was known as “the prince of the knowers of God.”

[risalei-nur]

TAFSIR: Risale-i Nur: The Words Collection:The Twenty Fourth Word.Part 13

This is also why people of all generations, even that of the Companions’ successors, expected such end-time individuals as the Mahdi and Sufyan, and hoped to live long enough to see them. Some saints even judged that they had passed. As with the Hour, Divine Wisdom requires that the times of these individuals should remain unknown. In every age, people feel in need of the meaning of the Mahdi, of one who will come to strengthen their morale and save them from despair. The time of such matters was left vague so that people would not heedlessly follow evil leaders or let the reins of their carnal selves go free out of indifference, and so that they would fear and hold back from terrible individuals who come to lead the forces of disorder and hypocrisy. If they had been known, the purposes for guiding people would have been unrealized. 

Another reason for the differences in the narrations about such endtime individuals as the Mahdi is this: The texts of some Traditions have been confused or even mixed with commentaries of interpreters with their own understandings and deductions. For example, the center of powerwhen these Traditions had reached their widest circulation was Madina or Damascus. Thus they thought that events connected with the Mahdi and Sufyan would take place there or in neighboring places like Basra and Kufa, and interpreted them accordingly. Moreover, in their imaginations, they attributed to those individuals the mighty works and events belonging to the collective identity or community that they would represent, and interpreted relevant Traditions so that people could recognize them when they appeared.

But this world is an arena of trial. A door is opened to reason, but human free will is not denied, nor ignored. For this reason, when those mighty individuals, even the terrible Dajjal (Anti-Christ) appear, most people (even himself) may not realize his true identity. These end-time individuals can be known only through the light of belief.

One Tradition about the Dajjal says: “His first day is like a year, his second like a month, his third like a week, and his fourth like your normal days. When he appears, the world will hear. He will travel the world in forty days.”123 Some, saying this is impossible, deny the Tradition. However—the knowledge is with God—this Tradition must mean that an individual will appear in the north, where unbelief is strongest and at its peak. Leading a mighty current issuing from materialism, he will deny God and religion absolutely.

[wisdomrays]

Sūratu’l-Mu’min [The Believer]:(40:26).Part1

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ذَرُونِي أَقْتُلْ مُوسَىٰ وَلْيَدْعُ رَبَّهُ ۖ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يُبَدِّلَ دِينَكُمْ أَوْ أَن يُظْهِرَ فِي الْأَرْضِ الْفَسَادَ

The Pharaoh said (to his chiefs): “Let me kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord! I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.” (Al-Mu’min 40:26)

This verse exists in the chapter of the Qur’ān which is named after a “mu’min,” or “believer,” who belonged to the clan of the Pharaoh and came out at the most critical moment to support Prophet Moses, upon him be peace. 

The Pharaoh says: 

“Let me kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord! I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disor-der in the land.”

In order to fully understand the verse, it is of use to remember the incidents that finally caused the Pharaoh to utter these words. The Pharaoh had been defeated before Moses in all his attempts to falsify, invalidate, and render ineffective his Message. Finally, he felt obliged to consult with his clan to kill Moses. His words displayed his helplessness, defeat, and despair before Prophet Moses, peace be upon him. Having been defeated before Moses in thought, belief, and intellectual struggle, the Pharaoh seemed to be asking his clan in a weak and despairing voice for permission to kill Moses. 

This style and manner of speech cannot belong to a powerful, despotic king who had self-confidence. They can only belong to a despot who has lost all his sources of power and support one by one and is cruel when he is powerful but humiliated, despicable, and quasi democrat when he is powerless. This kind of a despot who used his people, and particularly the Children of Israel, as if mud, cement, and straw in the construction of pyramids can only be called withering contempt and hypocrisy. 

This means one’s drawing in one’s horns and taking refuge in the public. By doing so, he would take advantage of the customs and religion that the people had long been following and get their support. He would use for his interest the masses that he had oppressed in his powerful days. Just as the unbelievers of Makkah claimed that Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was “splitting families and trying to dissuade them from the way of their ancestors,” the Pharaoh addressed his people, saying: 

“I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.” 

That is, the Pharaoh was acting in the same way as all dictators have done and was trying to conceal his injustices and mischief.

Like all other arrogant tyrants who have recourse to force and demagogy when they are defeated before the truth, the Pharaoh attempted to present himself as powerful and appealed to the people to form a public opinion in his favor through demagogy. As if everything had been in right order in his country until then and the people had been pleased with him and as if Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, had caused disorder and confusion in the country, he said: 

“I fear lest he alter your religion (replacing it with his), or lest he provoke disorder in the land.”

At just this point, the believing man whom the Qur’ān mentioned in Sūratu’l-Mu’min (“The Believer”) came out to support Moses. He belonged to the clan of the Pharaoh and, according to some reports, was the brother-in-law of the Pharaoh and commander of his armies. He had concealed his belief until that point. However, it is not conceivable that an insightful, discerning one like Prophet Moses was unable to detect him. He must have discovered him and acted in awareness of the existence of such a secret, powerful support. When the Pharaoh felt almost powerless and appealed to his people for help and support in order to be able to kill Moses and put an end to his activities, that believer came out to support Moses and warn the people against rejecting Moses’ Message and about the plots staged against him. Prophet Moses must have made use of his support very well.