Benefits of Reading Durood Shareef

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Ten Benefits of Reading Durood Shareef

1. Allah will send ten mercies upon the one who recites Durood Shareef once upon the Prophet (saw)

2. Allah will forgive his ten sins

3. Allah will raise his rank ten times

4. Allah will grant him ten rewards

5. The reciting of Durood Shareef before making dua brings hope of its acceptance

6. It will bring the intercession of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) on the Day of Judgement

7. It is a cause of forgiveness

8. It brings the pleasure of Allah

9. It will bring the reciter nearer to the Prophet (saw) on the Day of Judgement

10. It will remove all his worries in this world and the next.

Ubay Ibn Kaab (ra) reports that, "I asked, "O Prophet (saw) of Allah, I would like to recite a lot of salat (durood shareef) upon you, how much of the time that I have set aside for dua shall I use for it?" The Prophet (saw) replied, "As much as you wish". I said, "Then I shall use one quarter of it". The Prophet (saw) said, "It is as you wish, and if you increase beyond that, it shall be even better for you". I said, "In that case, I shall make it half of the time". The Prophet (saw) said, "It is as you wish, and if you increase beyond that, it shall be even better for you". I said, "I shall make it two-thirds of my time". The Prophet (saw) said, "It is as you wish, and if you increase beyond that, it shall be even better for you". I said, "O Prophet (saw) of Allah, I make the intention now that I shall set aside all the time of dua for salat (durood shareef) upon you". The Prophet (saw) replied, "In that case, all your worries shall be removed and your sins shall be forgiven".
(Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Haakim)




May Allah give us all the ability to recite abundant Durood Shareef everyday - Ameen.

Wasalaam!

Endurance and the Heart

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

"I endured because endurance is the best thing to rely upon.  If any advantage could be obtained by impatience, I would have adopted it. I endured many a misfortunes of such intensity that if they were to have fallen on a mountain, it would have been reduced to dust. 

I have exercised full control over my emotions and never shed a tear. Now, they are falling in my heart".

Allah says: "I have given everyone a special form of expression. From him it is praiseworthy, but from you it is blameworthy. From him it is honey, but from you it is poison. 

I do not need neither purity nor impurity, laziness in worship or eagerness in worship.

I have not made worship obligatory in order to make a profit. Rather, I do it as a kindness to My slaves.

I am not made holy by their glorifying Me, it is they who become pure and radiant.

I do not look at the tongue or speech, I look at the inward and the state.

I gaze into the heart to see whether it is humble, even though the words he uses are not humble, because it is the heart that matters".

Wasalaam!

Three Ahadith (1)

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

(1) Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (ra) has related: "I heard the Holy Prophet (saw) as having said that intentions determine the worth of a person's actions and he will attain what he intends. If by immigration, his aim is to please Allah and His Messenger (saw), then his migration is for this purpose. And, if he migrates seeking the attainment of some worldly object, or for the sake of marrying a woman, so his migration will be reckoned for that particular object".

(Bukhari and Muslim)

(2) Hazrat Aisha (ra) has related that the Holy Prophet (saw) said: "An army will advance towards the Kabah, and when it reaches the plain of Bedai Madinah, the entire army will be devoured by the earth". Whereupon she said: "Messenger of Allah (saw), why should those who were unwillingly accompanying the army, and those who do not belong to the army, suffer?" The Holy Prophet (saw) replied, "The whole army will be swallowed up by the earth, but on the Day of Judgement, they will be raised up according to their intentions".
(Bukhari and Muslim)

(3) Hazrat Aisha (ra) has related that the Holy Prophet (saw) said: "There is no emigration after the conquest of Makkah but only Jihad (striving and fighting in the cause of Allah) will continue, and good intentions. So, if you are summoned to fight, you should respond."
(Bukhari and Muslim)

Wasalaam!

Do Not Be Afraid

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The world we live in is all consuming. Night melts into day, days slip in and out of weeks, weeks blur as the months go by and, before we know it, another year has passed, and we are wondering where the time has gone.

Everything around us jostles and fights for our undivided attention. Families, friends, work, studies – the demands on our time are seemingly endless. Often, we are so immersed in the mundanity of the everyday, in the demands of our personal lives, that we become inward facing. We begin to feel distant from world events, cut off from the larger battles that are being fought all around us – religiously, socially and politically.

And we forget that we, too, have a part to play in the events that are affecting the Ummah and shaping the societies we live in.

We forget that we are meant to be one body, feeling each others pain, sacrificing for one another, ransoming ourselves and our wealth for the sake of Allah.

We forget that we are supposed to be the best of nations, calling to good, warning against evil, worshipping Allah with every fibre of our being, with every action, public and private.

We forget that we were tasked to be the bearers of glad tidings, that we have been given the honour of carrying this message to the four corners of the earth.

We know how important this work is; we know what is at stake, and we know the prize that awaits us.

But so many of us are afraid.

We hesitate to tell the truth, in case the people turn away from us. We bite our tongues , worrying that we will offend, fretting that our words will wound instead of heal.

Many times, we shy away from the confrontations, from the battles, from the clashes of civilisation and civility that can sometimes accompany this call, this da’wah.

Indeed, many of us feel we don’t have enough knowledge to give da’wah, thinking that this call should be reserved for the experts. It is then that we need to remember that da’wah is not only in giving talks or taking part in debates – it is in the little things we do, too. The da’wah we give with our actions, our manners and attitudes.

For every one of us is a caller. Whether it is with a surah or hadith that is learned and taught, a lesson that is attended, a cause that is supported, a good deed, a kind word, we are all callers. And our call should be a sincere call to the truth; to our families and loved ones, members of our community, to Muslims and non-Muslims.

We should not be afraid.

I invite you to reaffirm your commitment to spreading the message of Islam. Recommit to sharing the beauty of the deen, with everything at your disposal, the resources, gifts and talents that you have been with blessed with.

“If Allah guides a person through you, it is better for you than all that is on the earth” (Bukhari and Muslim)

May Allah make it easy for us to make sincere da’wah part of our regular ibadah and bless us by guiding others through us – ameen.

 (By Naima B. Robert)

Quotes of the Week: 7th June - 14th June

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa baraktuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Brothers - make a habit of offering Salah at the masjid. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to the masjid for the first time at your Janazah.

Sisters - wear hijab and cover yourselves. Don't wait for your funeral shroud to be the first time your whole body is covered.

If I have been guided by Allah to make dua, then I know that the response will come with it.

(Umar ibn Khattab ra)

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but rising every time we fall. 

Allah only puts us into a clouded state of mind in order for us to see the light. He is waiting for that cry, not the cry of words but the silent cry that finally understands, and says, "Allah, it is only You that can help me".

Everyone will pass through times of sleep and neglect following his lusts but do not sink into sleep as the morning of the Hereafter is close at hand.

(Ibn Qayyim ra)

If you take a child and you throw the child up, there's a point where they go into this state of complete panic. And then, when they come back into your arms, they are laughing. That is this world, I guarantee you. That moment, that is our life. We came from Allah, and we're going back to Allah. And there is just a moment where we are in a complete state of panic. But just relax, we're in good hands.

(Shaykh Hamza Yusuf)

Have a blessed week, inshallah.

Wasalaam!

His Signs Are Everywhere

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Alhamdulillah, everything is perfectly created and planned. When we think of this concept though, we often think of the sun that comes up every day at its appointed time, the precise alignment of the planets, or our perfect anatomy. We think of our ordained provisions, our birth, our death, or other big events as a reminder of fate and destiny. Usually, that is what we think of when we reflect on the perfection of Allah's planning and creation. It is in those big moments that we sit there and ponder and reflect on the message Allah is relaying to us.

But a huge part of our life is made up of a million little events, small moments, and subtle happenings that we let go by without an ounce of reflection. It could be a piece of advice someone gave us, a lecture we attended, something we have heard or seen, a conversation we were a part of, or even a delay or setback we witnessed.

We forget that even those not so obvious events happened by Allah's Will, and they also contain wisdom and perfection.

These moments are not random. They are not coincidences. Like the big moments and signs, these little ones also contain their own little wisdom, message and an opportunity for us to learn and grow.





 190. Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding.

191. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire. 

(Surah Ale-Imran)

May Allah make us from those described in the above verses - Ameen.

Wasalaam!  

People of Substance

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Muslims are meant to be people of reflection, and really, as an ummah today we need to reflect. Why are we in the state that we are in? Is it a lack of numbers? And the answer to that is no. One in every five people walking on the face of this earth is a Muslim. Is it because of wealth and resources? Again, the answer is no. Many of the greatest natural resources are in the hands of the Muslims. So what is the reason? A billion in number, so much wealth, and why are we in the decadence that we find ourselves in today?
 
The reason for this is that there is a lack of men and women of substance.
 
Men and women were mobilized when Hazrat Ali (ra) became the khalifah, and this was at a time of great turmoil, Hazrat Uthman (ra) had just been martyred. He ascended the pulpit and his first inaugral speech, his first khutbah, was what? All he said was, "O people, you are in need of a man of actions and not a man who just speaks". And then he descended from the pulpit. And really, this was a miracle of the Prophet (saw), he created men and women of substance. Because he never worked on structures but he worked on the hearts and the minds of individuals, until he created men and women who changed the landscape of history. Men and women who were heavy in the scales of Allah.
 
Men and women like Hazrat Abdullah ibn Masood (ra). On one occasion, he was climbing a tree, and he had very thin shins, and when the Sahabah (ra) saw his thin shins, they began to laugh. And the Prophet (saw) asked the Sahabah (ra), "What is making you laugh?" They said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), the thin shins of Abdullah ibn Masood (ra)". The Prophet (saw) said, "I swear by Allah, if the thin shins of Abdullah ibn Masood (ra) were placed in one side of the scale, and the Mountain of Uhud was placed on the other side of the scale, the thin shins of Abdullah ibn Masood (ra) would be heavier than the Mountain of Uhud". Why? Because every muscle, every drop of blood which ran through these thin shins was for the sake of Allah. They weren't a large mass, but they were of quality. And this is a sunnah of Allah - Allah never judges a group of people by their numbers. He judges them by their quality, by their substance.
 
The greatest men of this ummah were who? It was the 313 who participated in the Battle of Badr. On one occasion, Hazrat Jibraeel (as) descended to the Prophet (saw) and he said, "O Messenger of Allah, who are the best from your ummah?" He said, "Those who participated in the Battle of Badr." And Jibraeel (as) said, "Similarly, out of all those angels in the heavens, the most honorable and the best are those angels who descended on the day of Badr and assisted the Muslims. These were 313 men but they were men of substance. They trusted Allah. They stood against an army of 1000, who were armed to their teeth. They hardly had any horses, they hardly had any weapons but they trusted Allah until they reached a state which was unparalleled in the history of Islam.

In the time of the Prophet (saw), there was a Sahabi called Haatib bin abi Bultah (ra). And Haatib (ra) was a Badri Sahabi, and when the Prophet (saw) decided to attack Makkah, he informed the Sahabah. And what Haatib (ra) did, and he was a man who had migrated but he wasn't a Qurayshi. He wrote a letter to the people of Makkah, informing them of the plans of the Prophet (saw), and the Prophet (saw) sent Ali (ra), Miqdaad (ra) and Zubair (ra) and he said, "Go to the Garden of Khaaq, and there you will find a lady on a camel and with her she will have a letter and bring that letter back". And they went to the Garden of Khaaq and exactly where the Prophet (saw) said they found a lady on a camel and they said, "Give us the letter." And she said, "I have no letter." But these people trusted in the words of the Prophet (saw), they knew that if the Prophet (saw) said something, it was the truth. They said, "Give us the letter otherwise we will have to search you". And from the plaits of her hair, she brought a letter forth, which was from Haatib (ra), informing the people of Makkah about the plans of the Prophet (saw). The Prophet (saw) summoned Haatib (ra) and he said, "What's this, Haatib?" And Haatib (ra) said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), do not hasten to pass judgement over me, because I am not a man who likes disbelief or I am displeased with Islam, but the reason I did this is because every other migrant Muhajir has family in Makkah who can help their direct family. I have no family, and the only reason I did this was so the people of Makkah wouldn't harm my family. And the Prophet (saw) turned to Haatib (ra) and he said, "Indeed, you have spoken the truth". And Hazrat Umar (ra) was standing there and he said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), let me strike at the neck of this Munafiq!" And the Prophet (saw) said, "O Umar, didn't Haatib participate in the Battle of Badr?" And Umar (ra) said, "Yes, he did." The Prophet (saw) said, "Maybe Allah looks favourably upon the people of Badr, and He says, "O people of Badr, do as you wish because Jannah has become wajib upon you".

Why? Because these people trusted in Allah! Numbers never scared them. Nobody aspires to be a Salahuddin (ra). Nobody tries to be an Umar ibn Khattab (ra) or Abu Dharr (ra) or Abu Bakr (ra) or a Khadijah (ra) or a Fatima (ra). Nobody aspires to be like them. We live off our legacy. We remember these people but none of us aspire to be like them. 

May Allah make us all people of substance - Ameen.

(Shaikh Zahir Mahmood)

Wasalaam!