The Takbeer Tashriq

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It is wajib (necessary) to recite the Takbeer Tashriq after every Fardh salah from the Fajr of the 9th Dhul Hijjah to the Asr of the 13th Dhul Hijjah. Men should recite loudly and women should recite softly.

Wasalaam!

The Day of Arafah

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Allah has created all the days of the year, and He favoured the best day which is the Day of Arafah - the day before Eid ul Adha.

A Jewish man came to the companion of the Prophet (saw), Umar ibn Khattab (ra), and said to him, “O leader of the believers, there is a verse in your Book which you recite. If this verse were to be revealed to us (Jews), we would take that day as a holiday and festival.” Hazrat Umar (ra) asked, “Which verse are you talking about?” 

He said, The verse where Allah says, This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. Surah Maaidah – Verse 3.

Hazrat Umar said to him, I know exactly when and where this verse was revealed. This verse, which completed the Shariah (law) of Islam, was revealed on the Day of Arafah on a Friday.

This shows the value of the Day of Arafah.

In another hadith, the Prophet (saw) said, “Allah took the covenant from the back of Prophet Adam (as) in Na’maan.” What is Na’maan? It is Arafah.

“And from his back, from his loins, He extracted his offspring”. All the human beings to ever exist were there.

Allah addressed all of us, and said, “Am I not your Lord?” and we all replied, “Yes Allah, we testify that you are our Lord”. This has been mentioned in the Quran.

Allah valued the Day of Arafah so much that he took this important covenant from us on that day. So, how should we treat this day?

The Prophet (saw) said, “The best time you can ever make dua is on the Day of Arafah”.

 Allah will accept our duas at any time and any place, but on this day it’s an extra special time. Prepare yourself and make a list of the duas you want to make, and ask Allah for the Hereafter especially. Make as much dua as you can because Allah gets angry when we don’t make dua to Him. 

When the Prophet (saw) was asked about the fast of this day, he said: “It compensates for the minor sins of the previous year and the forth coming year”. (Muslim)

 Can you imagine that? A scholar said if our sins had a smell, no one would want to sit next to us! Here, we have a guarantee from Allah that our sins of two years will be forgiven – grab hold of this opportunity, and make a good intention for it! 

The spirit of the Day of Arafah is repentance. When the Haajis in Arafah leave, they will have been forgiven by Allah.

On this day, Allah comes down to the first heaven and says, “On this day, even if you bring so many sins, as much as raindrops, as much as the sand particles and the leaves on the trees, even then today your Allah is ready to forgive you. Repent, and I am your Friend”.

The real action of Arafah is to repent to Allah. Repentance is the journey back to Allah. When we leave Arafah, we should know that we have been forgiven.

To repent, doesn’t mean that we are never going to sin again – we can’t expect that from humans. It means that if we do sin again, then we will ask Allah for forgiveness!

It was the Day of Arafah when the Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave his famous final sermon. It’s a sermon which is admired by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Wasalaam!

You Are Better Off Than Millions of Women

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Think of the world as a whole, of the hospitals filled with patients who have been stricken with disease and calamity for many years; and the prisons in which thousands of people are held behind bars, their lives and pleasures ruined; and the asylums and hospitals which accomodate people who have lost their minds and have become insane.

Are there not poor people living in tattered tents and hovels, who cannot find a bite to eat? Are there not women who have been stricken with calamities that took away all their children in a single accident? Or women who have lost their sight or hearing, or whose arms or legs have been amputated, or who have lost their minds, or who have been stricken with chronic diseases such as cancer and the like?

But you are sound in body and in good health, living a life of tranquility, security and contentment. So, give thanks to Allah, the Exalted, All-Merciful, for His blessings and do not waste your time with things that are not pleasing to Him.

Wasalaam!

It is Sufficient Honour for You that You are a Muslim

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Everything that happens to you for the sake of Allah is an expiation for you, if Allah, the Exalted, wills. Hear the glad tidings narrated in the Hadith:

"If a woman obeys her Lord, offers her five daily prayers and preserves her honour, she will enter the Paradise of her Lord".

These are easy matters for the one for whom Allah makes them easy. So, by doing these great deeds, you will meet a Merciful Lord who will give you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.

Follow His laws no matter where that leads you, and adhere to the Book of Allah (the Quran), and the Sunnah of His Messenger Muhammad (saw), for you are a Muslim woman, and this is a great honour and source of pride. Other women were born in the lands of disbelief, Christians, Jews or something other than the religion of Islam, but Allah chose you to be a Muslim woman, and He made you one of the followers of Muhammad (saw), following in the footsteps of Aisha, Khadija and Fatima - may Allah be pleased with them all.

Congratulations, for you offer the five daily prayers, you fast in Ramadan, you go on pilgrimage to the House, and you observe Islamic hijaab. 

Congratulations, for you are pleased with Allah as your Lord, Islam as your religion, and Muhammad (saw) as your prophet.

Your gold is your religion, your adornment is your moral attitude, and your wealth is your good manners.

Wasalaam!

You Have a Huge Wealth of Blessings

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

My sister, verily with every difficulty there is ease. After night comes the day. The clouds of worry will be blown away, the darkness of distress will be dispelled, and calamities will come to an end, by Allah's leave.

Remember that you will be rewarded, and if you are a mother, your children will be a great support and help for Islam, if you bring them up properly. They will make dua for you when they prostrate and at the end of the night, just before dawn. 

It is a great blessing if you are a compassionate and kind mother. It is sufficient honour and pride for you to remember that the mother of Muhammad (saw) gave mankind a great leader, the noble Messenger (saw).

You have the potential to be a caller to Islam, calling other women to the path of Allah with kind words, good exhortation and wisdom, arguing in a manner that is better, debating and guiding others by means of your good behaviour and setting an example.

A woman may achieve, by means of her conduct and righteous deeds, things that cannot be achieved by means of religious sermons, lectures and lessons. How often has a woman gone to live in a neighbourhood, and people started to talk about her religious commitment, modesty, Islamic dress and good attitude, her kindness to her neighbours and her obedience to her husband, so she became a good example to others, that was spoken by all.

Wasalaam!

A Woman Who Challenged Tyranny

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The past is gone and the hoped for future is still unknown. All you have is the present.

Look at the texts of Islam, the Quran and Sunnah. Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, praises righteous and believing women. He says:

And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe: the wife of Fir'awn (Pharaoh), when she said: "My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir'awn (Pharaoh) and his work, and save me from the people who are wrongdoers, polytheists and disbelievers in Allah.

(Surah Tahreem - Verse 11)

Think about how Allah made this woman - Asiyah, may Allah be pleased with her - a living example for believing men and women, a clear symbol for everyone who wants to be guided and follow the ways of Allah in life. How wise this woman was, when she sought a home with the Lord and put that above her worldly interests. She freed herself from the control of the kafir (disbeliever) tyrant Pharaoh and refused to live in his palace with his servants and courtiers, and with all its luxuries.

She sought a better home that was more lasting and more beautiful, with the Lord of the Worlds, amidst gardens and rivers, in a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allah, the One, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honour).

She was a great woman whose ambition and sincerity led her to speak the word of truth and faith against her tyrant husband. She was tortured for the sake of Allah but she ultimately earned a home with the Lord of the Worlds, and Allah, the Exalted, made her an example for every believing man and woman until the Hour comes, and He praised her in His Book, recording her name and commending her deeds, and condemning her husband who deviated from the right path on earth.

There is no power and no strength except with Allah.

Wasalaam!

The First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Dhul Hijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar. Allah is so Merciful to us and He has given us so many opportunities in this year for extra reward:

·       The blessed month of Muharram

·       The night and day of the 15^th Shaban

·       The whole month of Ramadan

·       The night of Laylatul Qadr

·       The happiness of Eid ul Fitr

·       The six fasts of Shawwal

All these days and months are a blessing from Allah to help the neglectful ones to wake up to reality, and to give them more reward.

No matter how many times we forget about Allah and we love the world more than Him, Allah wants to remind us that there’s always a chance to make up for the loss of the past. There’s always a chance to get more reward.

But it is only the people who are wise that will take this chance! They are the ones who will secure a higher place in Paradise for themselves. On the other hand, if we decide to sit back and do nothing, then it’s only us that will suffer in the ultimate end.

What are the blessings of this great month of Dhul Hijjah, and how we can gain more reward in it?

·       The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are amongst the best days of the year. A hadith says, that the Prophet (saw) said, “On no day is the worship of Allah more beloved to Him than during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. The fast of each of these days is equal to the fast of the whole year, and the worship of each of these nights is equal to the worship of Laylatul Qadr”. (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

·       That means that if we fast on these 9 days before Eid day, we will be promised the reward of 9 years of fasting. Laylatul Qadr has the reward of more than a thousand months of worship! Even if we spend just a little part of these nights in worship – we will gain so much reward inshallah!

·       Look at the mercy of Allah – He offers us such a great reward for such a small sacrifice – the days are getting shorter and it will be easier to fast.

·       The Prophet (saw) said: “On no other days are good deeds more liked by Allah than on these ten days”.

·       We should increase our zikr of Allah in these days. Recite Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu akbar as much as you can. We can do this in all states – working, walking, cooking, lying down etc.

The Day of Arafah

This is one of the most special days from these ten days – Yaum al Arafah – it falls on the day before Eid. This is when the Hajis spend most of the day at Arafah, and when they leave there, they can be sure that Allah has forgiven all their sins.

When the Prophet (saw) was asked about the fast of this day, he said: “It compensates for the minor sins of the previous year and the forth coming year”. (Muslim)

The Prophet (saw) also said, “Apart from the day of the Battle of Badr, there is no day on which Shaytan is seen to be more humiliated, more rejected, more depressed and more infuriated, than on the Day of Arafah, and indeed all this is only because of witnessing the abundance of mercy descending on that day, and Allah’s forgiveness of the great sins of His servants.” (Mishkat)

The Prophet (saw) said, “There is no day in which Allah sets free more souls from the fire of Hell than on the Day of Arafah; and on that day, Allah draws near to the earth, and by way of exhibiting his pride, remarks to the angels, “What is the desire of these servants of mine?” (Muslim)

So, whether we are sat on the plains of Arafah or sat in our very own homes, if we ask, Allah will give. Ask for the goodness of this world, but more importantly, the goodness of the Hereafter.

We should keep our qadha fasts before these nafl fasts. Speak to Allah, and tell Him with a sincere heart that if you didn't have qadha fasts, you would most definitely be keeping these nafl fasts. Pray that He gives you the same reward, inshallah.

May Allah give us all the ability to make the most of these blessed days - Ameen!

Wasalaam!