How to Pray Salaat-ul-Tasbeeh

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught this namaaz (Salaat-ul-Tasbeeh) to his uncle Hazrat Abbas (ra).

 He (saw) told his uncle that by performing this prayer, all past, present, old, new, small and big sins would be forgiven, inshallah.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) also stressed that this namaaz can be prayed everyday, once a week, once a month, once a year or even at least once in a lifetime.

Method: Firstly, make the niyyah (intention) that I am praying 4 rakaats Salaat-ul-Tasbeeh for the sake of Allah and I am facing towards the Holy Kabah, then say Allah-u-Akbar.

Then, men fold their hands on the navel whilst women fold their hands on their chest, and then say the prayers as per the following chart with this tasbeeh which will be recited 75 times in every rakaat.

For more information about Salaat-ul-Tasbeeh, click here.

Wasalaam!

Evaluation

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

He who does not work shall have no reward. 

It is reported that a man of Bani Israeel worshipped Allah the Exalted for 70 years. Allah intended to test him before the angels, so He sent him an angel to tell him that he did not merit Paradise even with this worship.

When the angel informed him of this, the worshipper replied:

We are created for worship and we can but worship Him.

The angel returned saying:

O my God, you know best what he said.

Allah, the Exalted said:

Since he did not turn away from worshipping Us, then with grace We shall not turn away from him. O my angels, bear witness that I have forgiven him.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

Evaluate your works before you are asked to account for them. Weigh your works before you are evaluated.

Ali (ra) said:

Those who think they can achieve their aims without work are dreaming, and those who think they will attain their goals through exertion alone are over-confident and consider themselves self-sufficient.

Hasan (ra) said:

Seeking and demanding Paradise without actions is a sin from amongst the sins ... The sign of attaining reality is in giving up regard for work, not in giving up the work.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

The wise man is he who judges himself and works for what is after death, and the fool is he who pursues his desires and (vainly) longs for Allah, the Exalted.

(Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali)

Wasalaam!

5 Weeks Before Ramadan: "Heart Focus" Week

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Things To Do 5 Weeks Before Ramadan:

1. Make Tawbah Nasooha - repent sincerely to Allah for all your sins.

2. Listen to Islamic lectures. Choose a scholar and topic that you feel will motivate you and get your heart into the right state.

3. Read Islamic books about self-development and purifying the heart.

4. Do your very best to pray all your Namaaz on time.

5. Ensure that you pray the sunnah-al-muakkadah rakat with your five daily fardh prayers.

6. Actively focus on improving your concentration in Namaaz by spending more time on it and focusing on what you are saying.

7. Allocate time to doing tasbeeh and istighfar especially after Namaaz.

Wasalaam!

6 Weeks Before Ramadan: "Wake Up Call" Week

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Things To Do 6 Weeks Before Ramadan Begins:

1. Recite the following dua to make it to Ramadan. Do this repeatedly throughout the day and every day leading up to Ramadan:

Allahumma baarika lana fi Rajab wa Sha'ban wa ballighna Ramadan

2. Write down specific targets, no more than five, of things that you want to achieve this Ramadan.

3. Start to read books about Ramadan. This will help you get into Ramadan mode and you will also learn about the do's and don'ts of fasting, which is important if you want to derive maximum benefit from it.

Wasalaam!

Allah's Mercy

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Be not bankrupt of good deeds, nor void of spiritual status. Know for certain that abstract knowledge alone will neither increase you in power nor strengthen your situation.

Likewise, if a brave warrior in possession of ten Indian swords and other weapons was alone in the wilderness, and a great ferocious lion attacked him, do you think the weapons could defend him if they were not used against the lion?

It is well known that weapons cannot defend people unless they are brought into use. By the same principle, if a man read a hundred thousand scientific theories, they would be of no use to him if he did not try and apply them.

Similarly, if a man suffering from fever and a kidney disorder, he should be treated with ginger and other plants. Without treatment, no recovery is achieved.

A poet once said:
Though you measure two thousand bottles of wine
Unless you drink, no thrill is thine

If you studied a hundred years and collected a thousand books, you would not be prepared for the mercy of Allah, the Exalted, except by action.

Allah says:
Man shall have nothing but what he strives for.
(53:39)

Whosoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness.
(18:110)

A recompense for what they used to do.
(9:82)

As for those who believe and do good work, they will have for them the gardens of Paradise as an abode. No change will they desire from them.
(18:107)

Except he who repents, believes and does good work.
(25:70)

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) also said:
Islam is built on five pillars: testifying that there is no deity but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; establishing the Prayer; paying the Zakat; Fasting in Ramadan and performing the Hajj at the sacred house for those able to do so.

Iman (faith) is confession with the tongue and belief with the heart and performance of the pillars of Islam. 

There are countless proofs on the necessity of actions; this is despite the fact that the servant shall attain Paradise only by the grace and favour of Allah the Exalted, but such (grace) follows the servant's readiness to obey and worship Him. Verily, the mercy of Allah is very close to the doers of good.

It may be said that the servant may reach that status through faith alone. We say "Yes", but when will he be able to reach it? How many obstacles will he be faced with?

The first of these obstacles is the ravine of Iman; and who is secure (enough to guarantee) that he will not lose his Iman? And if a man loses his Iman, he will be bankrupt and dismayed in the Hereafter.

Hasan al-Basri said:
Allah will say to His servants on the Day of Judgement:
"Allow My servants to enter Paradise by My mercy and divide it amongst them according to their deeds".

(Imam Ghazali ra)

Wasalaam!

Knowledge

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

To advise others is an easy matter.

 The difficulty is accepting advice, since this is a bitter thing for those who follow their own inclinations and desires. 

They love the forbidden from the depth of their hearts. 

This is more applicable to seekers of knowledge and students of learning, those of them who are busy in the grace of spirits and the benefits of this world. 

They believe that mere abstract knowledge, without proper action, will rescue them. This is the belief of the philosophers. 

Praise and glory be to Allah, the Greatest of all.

They do not know this much, that when they acquire knowledge, if they do not work according to it, the indictment against them is certain.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

The person most severely punished on the Day of Judgement is the learned one who did not follow Allah's guidance and did not benefit from his knowledge.

It has been narrated that someone saw al-Junayd (ra) after his death in a dream. Al-Junayd was asking:

What news do you have, Abul Qasim?

He replied:

Perished are the speeches and vanished are the allusions; nothing benefited us except the prostrations which we made in the middle of the night.

(Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali)

Wasalaam!

Morning and Evening Prayers

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

This morning, I came across these two videos on YouTube. One contains the Sunnah duas to pray in the morning, and the other for the evening.

Morning prayers

Evening Prayers

I hope you benefit from them and share with others, inshallah!

Wasalaam!

Tala al Badru Alayna

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's Friday today - the most blessed day of the Muslim week. The day where we should recite as much Durood Shareef upon our Prophet Muhammad (saw) as we can.

I was listening to this nasheed after such a long time and thought I'd share some of the lyrics with you. The nasheed is about Tala al Badru Alayna.

Best caller to Gods way

The word to be obeyed

The bright moon in the valley of darkness

His eyes slowly rising 

Sunrise warms the horizon

Sand dunes form in the distance

He's up and out in an instant

The crowd, they all were waiting

Watching and anticipating

A man appears from a far

Could it be the one sent by Allah?

He shouts, "Here comes the Prophet

His face is a light that drives out the darkness

Words are alive, his message is living

Joy everywhere, our voices are singing"

He steps and reaches to touch

This man who suffered so much

His own troubles could not compare

To the Prophet scorned everywhere

He was shunned away by his own kin

Ridiculed and stoned by the townsmen

His blood was shed for the truth

But he never was vengeful or rude

Then the Prophet turns, and he smiles

Radiance that spreads out for miles

Embraces his hand with kindness and care

His heart sings out for all those to hear

Wakes up, alarm clock is ringing

Moonlight, the sun hasn't risen

Faint sounds of cars on the street

But inside his heart, he feels peace

He starts recalling his dream

The Prophet's face he had seen

He remembers then the tradition

In a dream, it truly will be him

Allah, oh what a feeling

So many years he followed his teachings

And this is the greatest time in his life

He prays to Allah and sings through the night

Here is the full nasheed:

Wasalaam!

A Beautiful Dua of Prophet Musa (a.s)

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Wasalaam!

Time

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Among the many pieces of advice which the Messenger of Allah (saw) gave to the Muslims was the following:

The sign that Allah has turned away from His worshipper is his busying himself in what does not concern him; and if a man has passed an hour of his life in other than for which he was created, it is certainly fitting that his grief should be prolonged (on the Day of Judgement), and whosoever has reached (the age of) forty, and his good deed does not surpass his evil, let him prepare for the Fire.

This advice should suffice the people of knowledge.

(Imam Ghazali ra)

Wasalaam!