The Quality of Our Faith

We can evaluate our love for Allah by assessing how beneficent we are to people. The extent to which we readily serve people, help them and provide for them, measures the range of our love for Allah.

The quality of our faith is reflected in our intentions, attitudes and behaviour.
The better our faith, the more profound our daily intentions, attitudes and behaviour.

How can we cleanse our heart of love and attachment of things other than Allah?
How do we free ourselves from distractions that seize our attention away from Allah?
How can become like those "who love Allah more than anything else?"
The answer is in the Qur'an and the in way of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).
The answer is, remember Allah because in the constant remembrance of Allah doe hearts find composure and develop closeness to Allah.

The Best of You

Narrated Hamzah bin Suhaib that Suhaib (r.a.), also known by the title (kuniyya) Abu Yahya said that he was from the Arabs and he generously fed others. Umar (r.a.) said to him: O Suhaib, why are you known by the title of Abu Yahya when you have no son? and you say that you are an Arab and you feed others generously. This is extravagance of wealth! Suhaib replied: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) gave me the title of Abu Yahya. As for your statement regarding my lineage, I am a man from Namar bin Qasit from the people of Mosul but I was enslaved as a small boy and I am ignorant of my family and my nation. And as for your statement about feeding others, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said: "The best of you are those who feed and respond to salam", this is what made me feed others.
عَنْ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ صُهَيْبٍ أَنَّ صُهَيْبًا رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ كَانَ يُكَنَّى أَبَا يَحْيَى وَيَقُولُ إِنَّهُ مِنْ الْعَرَبِ وَيُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ الْكَثِيرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ: يَا صُهَيْبُ مَا لَكَ تُكَنَّى أَبَا يَحْيَى وَلَيْسَ لَكَ وَلَدٌ وَتَقُولُ إِنَّكَ مِنْ الْعَرَبِ وَتُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ الْكَثِيرَ وَذَلِكَ سَرَفٌ فِي الْمَالِ فَقَالَ صُهَيْبٌ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَنَّانِي أَبَا يَحْيَى وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكَ فِي النَّسَبِ فَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ النَّمِرِ بْنِ قَاسِطٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَوْصِلِ وَلَكِنِّي سُبِيتُ غُلَامًا صَغِيرًا قَدْ غَفَلْتُ أَهْلِي وَقَوْمِي وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكَ فِي الطَّعَامِ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقُولُ: "خِيَارُكُمْ مَنْ أَطْعَمَ الطَّعَامَ وَرَدَّ السَّلَامَ" فَذَلِكَ الَّذِي يَحْمِلُنِي عَلَى أَنْ أُطْعِمَ الطَّعَامَ. أخرجه لوين في " أحاديثه " ( 25 / 2 ) ، وابن عساكر ( 8 / 194 - 195 ) ، والضياء المقدسي في " الأحاديث المختارة " ( 16 / 1 ) و الحافظ ابن حجر في " الأحاديث العاليات " ( رقم 25 ) وأخرجه أيضا: أحمد (6 / 16) وصححه الألباني في "السلسلة الصحيحة" (1 / 73

Love The Best!

"You will be safe as long as you love the best amongst you, and as long as you acknowledge just and constructive criticism when they befit you, for whatsoever recognizes what is just and true is like the one that does them." Abu-Dardaa

Friends of Allah

“Among Allah’s servants are people who are neither prophets nor martyrs, but whom the prophets and martyrs will deem fortunate because of their high status with Allah.”

The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Inform us of who they are.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told them that they are people who loved each other for Allah’s sake, even without being related to one another or being tied to one another by the exchange of wealth. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went on to describe their great reward on the Day of Resurrection:

“By Allah, their faces will be luminous and they will be upon light. They will feel no fear when the people will be feeling fear, and they will feel no grief when the people will be grieving.” Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) read the verse: [Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve] (Yunus 10:62). (Abu Dawud)

Gift from God

Once a man asked Luqman Hakim “Are you the same person who used to graze sheep?” Luqman replied, “You are right. I am the same person. But why are you asking this question?” That man continued to ask, “From where did you obtain all this wisdom and intelligence?” Luqman replied,

“This is a gift from God, which is granted by telling the truth and by refraining from useless things and by behaving honestly.

Light of Wisdom

عن مالك انه بلغه ان لقمان الحكيم أوصى ابنه فقال يا بني جالس العلماء وزاحمهم بركبتيك فإن الله يحيي القلوب بنور الحكمة كما يحيي الله الأرض الميتة بوابل السماء

Malik narrated that while advising his son, Luqman Hakim said: O my son, sit in the company of the people of Knowledge (Ulama/Scholars) and draw close to them with humility. For verily Allah revives the hearts by the light of wisdom just as Allah revives the dead earth by a heavy down pour from the sky.

Salat Burns The Sins

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: "تَحْتَرِقُونَ تَحْتَرِقُونَ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُم الفَجْرَ غَسَلَتْهَا، ثُمَّ تَحْتَرِقُونَ تَحْتَرِقُونَ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُم الظُّهْرَ غَسَلَتْهَا، ثُمَّ تَحْتَرِقُونَ تَحْتَرِقُونَ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُم العَصْرَ غَسَلَتْهَا، ثُمَّ تَحْتَرِقُونَ تَحْتَرِقُونَ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُم المَغْرِبَ غَسَلَتْهَا، ثُمَّ تَحْتَرِقُونَ تَحْتَرِقُونَ فَإِذَا صَلّيْتُم العِشَاءَ غَسَلَتْهَا ُثُمَّ تَنَامُونَ فَلا يُكْتَب عَلَيْكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَيْقِظُوا". أخرجه الطبراني فى الأوسط (2/358

Narrated by Abdullah bin Masud (r.a.), the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: You are burning (due to your sins) but when you pray the Fajr prayer, it cleanses (the sins). Then again you begin to burn (due to the sins) but when you pray the Zuhr prayers, it cleanses (the sins). Then again you begin to burn (due to the sins) but when you pray the 'Asr prayers, it cleanses (the sins). Then again you begin to burn (due to the sins) but when you pray the Maghrib prayers, it cleanses (the sins). Then again you begin to burn (due to the sins) but when you pray the 'Ishaa prayers, it cleanses (the sins). Then you fall asleep and no sin is recorded against you until you wake up (and commit a sin).

Your Sins Will be Forgiven

If you make this dua after eating food your sins will be forgiven:
عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: "مَنْ أَكَلَ طَعَامًا فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنِي هَذَا وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ". أخرجه أحمد (3/439

Give All of Yourself

أعْطِ العِلْمَ كُلَّكَ تَأْخُذ بَعْضَهُ

Give knowledge all of yourself and you will take some of it.

Love of Allah

The love of the Beloved
must be unconditionally returned.

If you claim love
yet oppose the Beloved,
then your love is but a pretence.
You love the enemies of your Beloved
and still seek love in return.

You fight the beloved of your Beloved.

Is this Love or the following of shaytaan?

True devotion is nothing
but total submission
of body and soul
to One Love.

We have seen humans claim to submit,
yet their loyalties are many.

They put their trust here, and their hope there,
and their love is without consequence.

- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Repentance

“A servant will commit a sin and as a result enter Paradise and a servant will perform a righteous deed and as a result enter the Fire.” Ibn Al-Qayyim shed light on the above saying of some of the righteous scholars, He explained, “A servant commits a sin which then stays at the forefront of his mind when he stands, sits and walks – always recollecting his sin. This generates dejection, repentance, seeking forgiveness, and regret that become the source of his salvation. “Conversely, an individual performs a good deed and it then continues to be at the forefront of his mind when he stands, sits and walks, each recollection of it causes him to view himself with amazement, pride and the sense of having favored (others), which are all causes for his destruction.

I Wonder

As I look through my window Wonder, from where does this
wind blow
There must be someone who made trees
And then made them move to and fro...
Often as I look into the burning sun
I start to think of HIM, the Greatest One
HE is the creator and protector of all
I am the creator and protector of none !
HE gave me eyes to see HIS grace
HE gave me a tongue just to praise
Today, as I think of my bad deeds...
All selfish talks and my worldly greeds...
My eyes get filled with tears and shame
With pain and sorrow, my heart bleeds...
For how long in this world will I stay?
Surely, I'll hve to leave one day
With the passge of time, I've realized
I m nothing but a being of clay !

Change

Nothing in this universe remains same !
Notice the changing weather, changing colour of skies, changing of all scenery around us with seasons, changing foods along with season, changing directions of winds, change in human beings-a silent daily change in every person, change in our feelings towards our relationships, change in our desires, change in our du'as, change in our goals and targets, change in our state of heart... and more
So many changes--whether we are conscious of them or not--give us the great lesson that 'Change is good, its necessary' and we should remember to be positively welcoming to change!