Ten Causes that Result in Allaah's Love For His Slave and the Slave's Love for his Lord

Author: Ibnul Qayyim al Jawziyyah, Source: Madarij as-Saalikeen (vol. 3, pp. 17-18

First, reciting the Qur'an while pondering over its meanings and what is meant by it.

Second, getting closer to Allaah by performing voluntary deeds after completing obligatory deeds. This is as is stated in a Hadith Qudsi: "My slave continues getting closer to Me by performing voluntary deeds until I love him."

Third, continual remembrance of Allaah under all circumstances, with one's tongue, heart and actions. The extent of one's love of Allaah is determined by this.

Fourth, giving precedence to what He loves over what you love when you are overtaken by your desires.

Fifth, the heart being avid of Allaah's Names, and Attributes and the heart roaming in that garden of knowledge.

Sixth, observing Allaah's kindness, goodness and bounties, both hidden and open.

Seventh, and this is the most wonderful, the heart being soft, subdued and meek before Allaah.

Eighth, being alone with Allaah during the time when the Lord descends during the last portion of the night while reading His Book and ending that by asking for forgiveness and repenting.

Ninth, sitting with the beloved and sincere, benefitting from the most fruitful of their speech. And not to speak unless speaking is more beneficial and you know that it will improve your state and be beneficial to others.

Tenth, remaining away from every cause that comes between the heart and Allaah.

A true Muslim marriage is about husband and wife helping each other attain paradise :

My husband is ill. He lies in bed, in the dark. I try to keep the children quiet. I try to keep them from disturbing him. I try to get them to sleep without too much fuss.



When all is peace, I tiptoe into the room. I feel his forehead for signs of a fever. I ask him if he needs anything. He needs to drink fluids, Vitamin C. I know this. And I also know that he won't ask.



So I go to the kitchen, put the kettle on. I mix him a drink - lemon to fight the cold germs, honey to soothe his sore throat, fresh mint leaves to lift the taste a little. I say 'Bismillah' before I pour the hot water, make a little prayer for his well being, before taking it to him. He smiles through his discomfort. I have brought him ease.



But I wave away his thanks. It is nothing.



I am his wife. That's what I'm here to do.



Some may sneer at these small acts of kindness. Some may shake their heads pityingly at this description of servitude. But they don't understand my life or my motivations. They do not know, do not understand that I married my husband for the sake of Allah.



Our goal, from the outset of a marriage arranged by mutual friends, was to help each other to attain Paradise. Nothing more, nothing less.



We went about our marriage the traditional Islamic way. We didn't date, we didn't cohabit, we didn't spend any time alone. We met a few times, in the company of my guardian, asked each other innumerable questions, discussed every issue that was important to us. My husband flew halfway across the world to obtain my parents' consent and we were married, with a marriage contract and a mahr (dowry paid to the bride) but no pomp or ceremony, in a room in Baker Street.



To be sure, an Islamic marriage is quite different from that of other faiths or of no faith at all. There are roles and responsibilities to be taken care of, rules and guidelines to be followed. These rules are in place to promote a smoother partnership and a union that is pleasing to God. Many of these rules and guidelines may seem old-fashioned, restrictive even, particularly in an age of ever-evolving morals and mores. But as guidelines set down for us in the Qur'an, the Book of Allah, we trust in their wisdom and we live by their strictures.



These teachings help us set our priorities straight. They help us to tame our ego. They show us to how to give selflessly, expecting our reward from God alone. They teach us to be patient and gentle with each other. They teach us how to be loyal and faithful in word, thought and deed. They teach us to be grateful for the small mercies, for the little kindnesses, for the barely noticeable gestures that embroider our lives together. These are lessons we are learning every day. I know that one day, maybe tomorrow, maybe fifty years from now, I will return to my Lord and then, only my good deeds will count for anything. Only my selfless deeds, performed for the sake of God, will accompany me.



Of course, some may say that I am painting an overly rosy picture. They will quote stories they've heard, articles they have read, prejudices they have formed. All these could be true. Or they could not be. I can only speak my truth. I can only tell my story.



My husband's fever has broken. I smile and praise Allah.



It is nothing. That is what we are here to do.



…..

Na'ima B. Robert is author of From my Sisters' Lips , a look at the lives of Muslim women. She is founder and editor of SISTERS , the magazine for fabulous Muslim women. Her latest children's book, Ramadan Moon, is published by Frances Lincoln

WHAT IS TAQWAH?

Taqwah is:

Khawf min Al-Jaleel (Fearing The Noble (Allaah))
Wa 'amal bi Tanzeel (and acting upon Revelation)
Wa rida bil kaleel (and being pleased with little)
Wa nastaidh li Yawmi raheel (and preparing yourself for the day you will leave this world [die; be buried])

[HowTo] Install Zekr(Qur'an Study tool) on Ubuntu Linux/WIndows & Mac OS

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS:

Forget fashion, this is freedom

The Muslim veil has become a hot political issue in France - but Stella White cannot see what the fuss is about. A Catholic from Kent, she explains the joys of the complete cover-up

To liberated Westerners, the hijab, or veil, is a stain on womankind. It symbolises the crushing of the female spirit and is the mark of slavery, transforming a woman into a passive lump who is only allowed out of the house to buy her husband's dinner.

When faced with this piece-of-cloth-on-legs, English women will often meet the eyes peeking out of the hijab with an expression of pity and sadness. For them, the veil represents a living death. This might also be the feeling of the French authorities, who have decided to ban the hijab in schools, believing that no young girl should have to carry the burden of repression on her tender head.

Yet for many, including myself, the veil is not an instrument of coercion, but a means of liberation. Personally, I have never felt so free as I do when I am wearing it.

Before you presume that I am regurgitating propaganda from a culture that has brainwashed me, I should point out that I am a Catholic, not a Muslim. I am not from the mysterious East, but am a 32-year-old woman from boring Kent. Nor am I a prude: my life has included spells as an exotic dancer, kissogram and glamour model. Three of my best friends are strippers. I have had relationships with Muslim men, but none of them ever demanded I wear the hijab; in fact, they found my behaviour slightly embarrassing.

There is nobody in my past that has coerced me to wear a veil. I do so simply because I love it.

I relish the privacy; the barrier that the hijab creates between myself and the harsh, frenetic world, especially in London. I find a great peace behind the veil: I don't feel invaded by nosy passers-by; the traffic, noise and crowds seem less overwhelming. I can retreat into my own safe world even as I walk and, on a practical level, I feel completely secure from unwanted advances.

The hijab is also a financial security system. Like most pedestrians in London, I can't afford to give money to every homeless person I see, but feel stressed and guilty when I walk past them. In my hijab, my conscience can hide. I also feel fairly safe from muggers. Thieves glance at me and probably think, "illegal immigrant; not worth the effort", presuming that my big carrier bags contain only weird, knobbly vegetables for my 16 children.

In my hijab, shopping is also cheaper. A small minority of Muslim traders operate a two-tier pricing system with the "one of us" price being considerably lower than the price for Westerners. If I want a bargain, I make sure I am "hijabbed-up".

The most amazing effect of wearing the veil is that you automatically seem to become a member of the Muslim community and are accorded all of the privileges and dignity of a Muslim woman. When I walk into a Muslim shop, a man will say to me, gently, "Salaam aleikum [peace be upon you]. How can I help you, madam?" On the bus, Muslim men from Africa, the Middle East or the Far East will move aside for me and say, "After you, sister."

The offices, bars and clubs of London are full of English girls in short skirts and strappy sandals, many of them looking for love. Women who wear the hijab, often despised by the West, actually feel sorry for these Western women who have to harm themselves with crippling high heels, skin-choking make-up and obsessive dieting in order to find a man.

My Iranian friend Mona is a successful businesswoman who goes out every day looking impeccable, with painted nails, stilettos, sharp suits and perfect make-up. "It was just so much easier when I was in Iran," she says. "You'd get up at nine, throw on your big black hooded dress and jump in the car. Now, I have to spend two or three hours getting done up every morning."

Too often, the hijab is dismissed as the preserve of Muslim fundamentalists. But in the Christian tradition, St Paul ordered women to cover their heads and, until the Sixties, no woman would be seen in an English church without a hat and gloves.

Many English women wore hats out in the street or headscarves tied under their chin. Hindu and Sikh women are still expected to cover their heads loosely for their honour, or izzat, and Orthodox Jewish women have traditionally worn wigs over their real hair to conceal it from men who are not their husbands. Yet, among all these cultural groups, only Muslim women seem to have been described as weak or oppressed on account of their headgear.

Two of the most unlikely bedfellows are the woman who wears a hijab and the militant feminist. When women in the early Seventies began cropping their hair short, and wearing dungarees and comfortable shoes, they were rejecting the idea of suffering for fashion and were refusing to take part in the desperate ritual to attract spoilt, fussy males.

Similarly, a woman in a hijab can retain her identity without being a slave to finicky Western notions of beauty.

A particularly sad article appeared in a popular women's magazine last week, entitled: "How to hate your body less." I showed it to my Arab friend Malika, who shook her head and said: "In my culture, men are so grateful when they marry a woman that they see her as a gorgeous princess, whatever shape or size she is."

Within the hijab, Muslim women know their power and their value. One Muslim man told me: "My wife is like a beautiful diamond. Would you leave a precious diamond to get scratched or stolen in the street? No, you would wrap it in velvet. And that is how the hijab protects my wife, who is more precious to me than any jewel."

Of course, if anybody tried to remove my veil or force me to wear it, I would react violently. I am privileged to live in a country in which I can wear whatever I want to. Not all women are so lucky. Personally, I have found in the hijab a kind of guardian angel. My mother, on the other hand, claims that I wear it because I can't be bothered to brush my hair. source:salafi methodology..

THE FRUITS OF TAQWA:

WHAT IS SALAFIYYAH?

FASTING: QURAAN DURING RAMADAAN:

FASTING: women issues.

fasting:invalidators

fasting:pre-dawn meal.sahoor

fasting:sincerity

fasting goals and virtues:

fasting: manners of the prophet:

fasting:its merits.

repentance..

From Among the Punishments of Sins:

- There is the weakening of the journey to Allaah and the (blessed) abode of the Hereafter.

- There is the stoppage of blessings and the lowering of punishments.

- A servant is living in a state of fear, dread and loneliness.

- The heart is turned away from a condition of healthiness and correctness to that of illness and deviation.

- The heart becomes blind and its light is extinguished.

- The removal of status, honor and respect in the sight of Allaah and His creation.

- A decrease in one's intellect.

- The blessings of long-life, provisions, knowledge, deeds and obedience are blotted out.

- The various species of creation confront the servant with injury.

- The servant forgets himself.

- The Guardian Angel withdraws from the servant and Shaytaan draws near to him.

Source: Sins and Their Punishments - by Ibnul Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah (rahimahullaah) pg. 29

ASK FOR AL-FIRDAUS:

Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu 'anhu):

The Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihiwasallam) said,

Whoever believes in Allaah and His Messenger, offers prayer perfectly and fasts the month of Ramadan, will rightfully be granted Paradise by Allaah, no matter whether he fights in Allaah's Cause or remains in the land where he is born." The people said, "O Allaah's Messenger! Shall we acquaint the people with the good news?" He said, "Paradise has one hundred grades which Allaah has reserved for the Mujahidin who fight in His Cause, and the distance between each of two grades is like the distance between the Heaven and the Earth. So, when you ask Allaah (for something), ask for Al-Firdaus which is the best and highest part of Paradise." (The sub-narrator added, "I think the Prophet also said, 'Above it (i.e. Al-Firdaus) is the Throne of Ar-Rahman (The Most Beneficent, i.e. Allaah), and from it originate the rivers of Paradise."

Americans flocking to Kingdom to learn Islaam

By M. Nasir Jawed

MAKKAH – The growth and spread of Islam to every nook and corner of the world could almost be witnessed in the Umrah-cum-knowledge trip of not less than 75 men and women from America. The group, with several converts to Islam, made pilgrimage to the Two Holy Mosques between July 16-Aug. 3.
Senior scholars of Saudi Arabia, including the Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Aal-Sheikh, gave lectures and taught the aspiring learners various sciences of Islam. All seminars were translated bit-by-bit for the American audience.
The trip is organized every year by Al-Qur’an wa As-Sunnah Society of New York (www.albaseerah.org), which is engaged in inviting people to Tawheed and Sunnah. The Society has held several seminars that has featured nearly 50 prominent scholars.
The Grand Mufti made clear to the students Islam’s stance on terrorism and suicide bombing. He urged them to show respect for non-Muslims.
“Islam is a religion of peace and mercy. It denounces terrorism in all forms and shapes and those who do this do not understand Islam. Islam is free from them – both terrorism and terrorists. Those, who do this, need to fear Allah,” the Mufti said.
The three weeks of seminars covered topics on Tawheed, Sciences of Hadith, Fiqh, and spirituality. There were also special sessions for women and for learning Tajweed.
“We are here to seek knowledge and boost our faith,” says Zahid Rashid, Graduate of Umm Al-Qura University and president of Al-Qur’an wa As-Sunnah Society of New York.
The program is quite unique for the English world. No single event in the English-speaking community manages to bring senior scholars like Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ghudyan, Sheikh Saleh Al-Luhaydan, Sheikh Sa’d Nasir Ash-Shitri and Sheikh Saleh Al-Husayyan under its umbrella.
Perhaps one of the many highlights of the seminar was that the Imam of Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Ali Abdul Rahman Al-Hudhaify, sat with the students after Isha prayers till 2 A.M. giving lessons on Tajweed (proper recitation of the Qur’an) and listened to the recitation of entire delegation brothers and sisters.
The students were drawn from diverse backgrounds. While some where doctors, IT professionals and businesspeople, others were Imams and Khateebs in America. Families had also come together.
The message with which all students went home was the importance of good conduct with Muslims and non-Muslims, the dangers of terrorism, and an exhortation to continue seeking Islamic knowledge.
Imani, a 37-year-old woman who converted from Christianity to Islam at the age of 19, described how Islam brought her out from a dark past to a virtuous present. She had a three-year-old daughter from a past relationship when she embraced Islam. Now she lectures women at mosques and also looks after 13 children.
“One of the best things that has happened to my life is coming to the Two Holy cities to seek knowledge,” Imani said.
Hamza Jayinz Mckind, from Columbus, Ohio, was brought up in a religious Christian family. His father is a Christian priest and he himself was in the process of becoming a Christian minister. Things turned around when he got an opportunity to work in an Islamic school.
“I found so many things in Islam, which I had earlier learnt in the Bible, but in the Qur’an I found them to be in detail. I saw the truth and embraced Islam. My mother followed me two months later,” Mckind said.
“The whole trip was wonderful, and quite a rejuvenation for me,” said one participant.
Bidding farewell however is an emotional experience. “They are crying as they are about to leave Saudi Arabia,” said another participant.
“By such trips, we get close to Allah as we have the opportunity to not only make pilgrimage, but seek knowledge directly from the inheritors of the prophets,” he added referring to the Prophetic narration on the virtue of Islamic scholars.
One of the many Saudi Arabia’s blessings, Zahid says, is the presence of such a large number of well-learned scholars, which is missing in America.
“Scholars here have devoted their lives to teach and educate people about Islam. They have great concern for the Ummah and humanity at large,” he said.
The president of Al-Qur’an wa Sunnah Society of New York and his entire administration expressed their sincere thanks and gratefulness to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, the governors of Makkah and Madina and all scholars for their help and cooperation in making the seminar successful. – SG

salaf or khalaf?

It can not be denied (by anyone with understanding) that there is always a nexus between those of contemporary times who have the beliefs of Ahlul Hadeeth wal Athar and cling tenaciously to their minhaaj, that they will be in consonant with the people of the past who adhered to the same beliefs and methodology.

Likewise, the people today who have strayed, they also have a connection to their counterparts of days gone by. Those who have adopted the variant paths and who have disobeyed the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu'alaihe wa sallam by using their incisor or canine teeth to hold on to his Sunnah and the Sunnah of his Companions, instead of clinching on to it with their molars.

One of the traits of those who went astray is that they supported each other, defended each other, aided each other or were silent about the evil or harm that emanated from those who were in violation of injunctions or commandments. This was because they had the same goals and objectives.


As Aboo Alee ad-Daqqaaq said: “The one who is silent about the truth (doesn't speak it when he knows it) is a dumb shaytaan and the one who speaks falsehood is an eloquent shaytaan!”

Some of them today have tried to get slick when caught, will quickly pull out of their smoke screen bag of tricks or suitcase of diversionary tactics statements like:

“I didn't mean that”

“I don't remember saying that”

“That was five years ago when I said that”

“I was exaggerating when I said that”

“I meant that in the linguistic sense or meaning, not in the shar’ee or legal sense of the word”

The person, who makes erroneous statements or commit acts of treachery must make a clear repentance. Stay away from the people of desires as a sign of their tawbah. Another sign of their true repentance is, realigning oneself with the people of truth and guidance, sitting with them, aiding them, supporting them, honoring them, speaking in their defense and loving them.

For there is no doubt, that the Salaf would make a judgment of an individual by his companionship. Since a man is with whom he loves as our Messenger sallallaahu ‘alaihe wa sallam informed us.

Abood Dardaa’, radiyallaahu ‘anhu said:

“ It is from the fiqh (understanding of a person) that he [chooses] those whom he walks with, whom he enters upon (visits) and whom he sits with.”

Taken from al-Ibaanah (2/477).

Imaam al-Awzaa'ee, rahimahullaah said:

”Whoever hides his innovation from us will not be able to hide his companionship from us.”

al-Ibaanah (2/476)

Muhammad ibn Ubaid al-Ghulaabee rahimahullaah said:

“Ahlul Ahwaa (People of Desires) hide everything except their intimate friendship and companionship.”


al-Ibaanah (2/482)

Allaah the Most High has said: “You will not find a people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred (people)…”

Sooratul Mujaadilah 58:22

The Messenger also warned against the people of innovation, from befriending, supporting or taking from them saying:

“Whoever innovates or accommodates an innovator then upon him is the Curse of Allaah, His Angels and the whole of mankind.”

Reported by Imaams al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.

We also find the Noble Companions and the Taabi’een after them warning from the danger of innovations upon the Ummah and its people.


Ibn Abbaas, radiyallaahu 'anhu said: “Indeed the most detestable of things to Allaah are the innovations.”

Reported by al-Bayhaqee in as-Sunan al-Kubraa (4/316)


Sufyaan ath-Thawree said:

“Innovation is more beloved to Iblees than sin, since a sin may be repented from but innovation is not repented from.”

Reported by al-Laalikaa'ee (no. 238)

Al-Fudayl bin 'Iyaad said: ”I met the best of people, all of them people of the Sunnah and they used to forbid from accompanying the people of innovation.”

Reported by al-Laalikaa'ee (no.267)

Al-Hasan al-Basree said: “Do not sit with the people of innovation and desires, nor argue with them, nor listen to them.”

Reported by ad-Daarimee in his Sunan (1/121)

Ibraaheem bin Maysarah said: “Whoever honors an innovator has aided in the destruction of Islaam.”

Reported by al-Laalikaa'ee (1/139).

Al-Fudayl bin 'Iyaad said: “Whoever sits with a person of innovation, then beware of him and whoever sits with a person of innovation has not been given wisdom. I love that there was fort of iron between me and a person of innovation. That I eat with a Jew and a Christian is more beloved to me than that I eat with a person of innovation.”

Reported by al-Laalikaa'ee (no.1149)

And again he said:

“ Whoever honors an innovator has assisted in the demolition of Islaam”

Al-Layth bin Sa'd (d. 175H) said: “If I saw a person of desires (i.e. innovations) walking upon the water I would not accept from him." So Imaam as-Shaafi'ee then said: "He (al-Layth) has fallen short. If I saw him walking in the air I would not accept from him.”
Reported by as-Suyootee in al-Amr bil 'Ittibaa wan-Nahee anil Ibtidaa'.

Shaikh Saalih Aal ash-Shaikh, may Allaah preserve him said:

“Muslims are of two groups: Salafees and Khalafees. As for the Salafees, then they are the followers of the Salafus Saalih. As for the Khalafees, then they are the followers of the understanding of the Khalaf and they are (also) called Innovators. Since everyone who is not pleased and satisfied with the path of the Salafus Saalih, in knowledge and action, understanding and fiqh, then he is a khalafee, an innovator!

BUT WE ARE LIKE SCUM!!!

unity

The camel given in charity::