Is It Really Allah?

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Internal poverty is the poverty of the soul. It describes the unmoved soul. The soul that has been created but has failed to realize why. It is the soul that lives a life without purpose. The heart that beats but has already died. 

Because while this body cries and bleeds and feels pain from the material world, the soul is untouched by these things. There is only one thing that can cut, stab or impoverish the soul. There is only one thing that can kill it. To deprive it of its only one true need. That is for it to be close to its originator. To be near Allah.

Spiritual deprivation is the true impoverishment. True poverty is standing poor on the Day of Judgement. Despite this reality, we continue to live this life, feeding our bodies but starving our souls.

When a body dies, we cry. But our hearts are unmoved by those bodies which are still alive but whose hearts and souls have already died. Because of the alienation from that which gives life - Allah. 

What impoverishes and kills the heart? It is allowing the heart to love anything as it should only love Allah. The heart was created by and for Allah. The heart was created to know and love Allah. The heart was created to be given to Allah and to be filled with His remembrance.

The heart that is given to or filled by any other thing suffers the most painful impoverishment and death. The heart that is owned by this life is a prisoner of the worst kind. The heart that is owned by any other master than the Master of masters, is the weakest of all slaves. 

That is true oppression, true death, true poverty. 

As human beings, we enslave ourselves to different things. Some are enslaved to money or to other people. We love them as we should only love Allah. Some of us are enslaved to our status in society or to our careers. 

What do you love most? 

Many of us will say that we love Allah the most. We say this with our tongues and in our minds. But our hearts and actions say otherwise. 

How do you know what it is that you love the most?

Ask yourself, what is your refuge? When you are most broken, where do you go? When you afraid, where do you hide? When you need, who do you ask? What do you fear most? What do you stay up at night worrying about? What makes you cry most? What do you think about most? What occupies your mind in salah? 

Is it really Allah?

Is it really Allah on our mind the most? Is it really your fear of standing before Him that makes you cry in your bed? 

No, probably not.

It's the person who left you, the money you lost, the career you couldn't have, the pay rise you didn't get. What are you afraid of most? Just the thought of losing that object causes you so much anxiety that you feel it physically? 

Is it your husband? Your wife? Your money? Your job? Is it your image? Your figure? What is it? 

When you are given a choice, what do you do? When Allah says to dress and act a certain way, and then society says the opposite, which do you choose? Who defines beauty for you? Who defines success? 

When Allah says that interest is haraam, but your financial ambitions command otherwise, which do you choose? Who defines richness? Who defines poverty? 

The storm is coming. Seek refuge in the only place that refuge exists. Seek refuge in Allah. 

You and I know what day we were born. But none of us know on which day we will die. And, many people think that we can live our lives in whichever way we like. Then at the time of death, just read the Kalimah. 

But at the time of death, the tongue cannot speak except what the heart commands. Whatever is in the heart, it will come out. 

The impoverished heart will have nothing but the love of the world to speak about on that day. If our heart is empty of Allah during our life, how can it be full of Allah during our death?

If in your life, you carried only La ilaha illallah that truly there is no refuge, no shelter but Him. Then and only then will the tongue be given permission to say the Kalimah.

May Allah make us amongst them who truly take Allah as their refuge - Ameen!

(Adapted from a speech by Yasmin Mogahed)

Wasalaam!

Virtues of Surah Al-Faatiha

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

First, let us look at the beautiful meaning of this Surah:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All praise is only for Allah, the Lord of the universe.

The Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Master of the Day of Retribution

Only You do we worship, and only You do we ask for help.

Guide us upon the straight path.

The path of those whom You have favoured, not the path of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who have gone astray.

Allah mentions Surah Al-Faatiha in Surah Hijr:

Verily, We have granted you seven verses that are often repeated, and the Glorious Quran.

(Surah Al-Hijr, Verse 87)

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said:

"Surah Al-Faatiha is the greatest Surah in the Quran".

(Bukhari - Vol. 2 - Pg. 642)

Tirmidhi reports that the Prophet (saw) said:

"By Allah! Such a Surah (Al-Faatiha) has not been revealed in the Torah, nor in the Injeel, nor in the Zaboor, nor in the Quran".

Abu Umamah (ra) reports from the Prophet (saw) that only 4 things were revealed from the treasures that lie beneath Allah's Throne. These are:

1. Surah Al-Faatiha

2. Ayatul Kursi

3. The concluding verses of Surah Al-Baqarah

4. Surah Al-Kauthar

Hadhrat Abdul Malik bin Umair (ra) narrates that the Prophet (saw) said:

"Faatihatul Kitaab (Surah Al-Faatiha) is a cure for everything".

(Durrul Manthoor)

Hadhrat Anas (ra) reports that the Prophet (saw) said:

"When any of you lies down to rest at night, he will be safe from everything besides death if he recites Faatihatul Kitaab and Surah Al-Ikhlas.

(Durrul Manthoor)

May Allah give us all the ability to recite Surah Al-Fatiha with real consideration as to its virtues and meaning - Ameen!

Wasalaam!

Make Every Day a New Beginning

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Staying away from Allah, the Exalted, only brings bitter fruit. The gifts of intelligence, strength, beauty and knowledge will all turn to calamity and loss if they are kept away from the guidance of Allah, the Exalted, and deprived of His blessings.

It is for this reason that Allah has warned people of the consequences of staying away from Him.

If you are walking down the street and a car comes towards you at high speed and you feel it will hit you and kill you, you have no choice but to act quickly and try to get away.

Allah wants to warn His slaves that they face a similar kind of destruction if they turn away from Him, so He urges them to seek safety with Him alone:

So flee to Allah. Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.

And do not make (as equal) with Allah another deity. I am to you from Him a clear warner.

(Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Verses 50 and 51)

Turning to Allah requires a person to:

1. Renew herself

2. Reorganize her life

3. Develop a better relationship with her Lord

4. Do better deeds

It is the start of a new covenant and way of life that is summed up in the following dua:

O Allah, you are my Lord and there is no god but You. You created me and I am your slave. And I am trying my best to keep my oath (of faith) to You and to live in the hope of Your promise.

I seek refuge in You from my greatest evil deeds. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me and I acknowledge my sins. 

So forgive me, for none but You can forgive sins.

Allah says: "I am as My servant thinks I am".

Wasalaam!

You Will Return To Allah

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The reason why we are in this world is to return back to Allah - that is our purpose.

One of the major questions asked in this world is, "Who am I?" 

"Why am I here?"

"What am I supposed to be doing?"

"Where am I going in my life?"

All these questions should bring a person around to the conclusion that after this life, I will return back to my Creator - Allah.

Allah says in so many places in the Quran that you are all going to return back to Me. 

And, so He says if you are in doubt about the resurrection, then reflect on your creation in the first place. 

Allah says:


And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay.


Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging.


Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump (of flesh), and We made (from) the lump, bones and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators.


Then indeed, after that you are to die.


Then indeed you, on the Day of Resurrection, will be resurrected.
(Surah Al-Mu'minun, Verse 12-16)

Allah brought us into the world in this state, and made us into infants. Then, He gave us strength and made us grow, then He made us into adults, and made us reach the age of 40.

Then, there will come a time in your life when you know nothing after you had known much - meaning old age. 

Wasalaam!

O Mankind! Where Are You Going?

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Listen to the words of the Quran. These are not my words but it is the prose of the Quran. 

"So where are you going?"

(Surah At-Takwir, Verse 26)

There is such love in these words. 

It's like when a mother becomes helpless and dejected when her child goes astray, and she asks him, "What are you doing?" 

She says, "What are you doing?" but the pain of motherhood is hidden inside these four words. Because she knows that what her son is doing, it will cause him harm in the future. 

So, we can narrate the words but not the depth of emotion that comes with it. That has no translation. 

There is no translation of emotions - they are only felt. 

Because Arabic is not our mother tongue, we do not understand when Allah speaks to us and the intensity of love that comes with it. 

When Allah says:

"O Mankind ..."

(Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Verse 6)

Allah doesn't just address the Muslims but He expresses His love to the 7 billion inhabitants of the world. This seems to me that Allah has come upon the earth, and comes to each individual, shaking him, and saying:

"O Mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous".

(Surah Al-Infitar, Verse 6)

O my creation, I am your Lord, why have you left me? O my creation, why have you left your Lord? Who has deceived you? 

"Who created you, proportioned you, and balanced you".

(Surah Al-Infitar, Verse 7)

Look at appearance in the mirror, and see how Allah has created you. Allah has created us so how could He oppress and wrong us? 

If He stops us from doing something, there is wisdom behind it. If He tells us to do something, there is benefit in it. 

"So where are you going?"

(Surah At-Takwir, Verse 26)

After leaving Allah, will a person be able to find shelter elsewhere? Never.

Allah says:

"Run back to Allah". 

(Molana Tariq Jameel)

Wasalaam!

Change Has Always Come From The Youth

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Change, always in history, depends on the youth. When Allah talks about Prophet Ibrahim (as) in the Quran, when he did a monumental event in his life which was the destruction of the idols, it says in the Quran:

They said, "We heard a young man mention them who is called Ibrahim".

(Surah Al-Ambiyah, Verse 60)

So he was young at the time. And the famous story of the youth of the cave which a whole chapter of the Quran (Surah Kahf) is named after - they were youth.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his followers were all youngsters. So in history, it is always the youth that bear the burden of change.

Wasalaam!

When Things Become Unbearable, Turn To Allah

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Ibn Al-Jawzi (ra) said:

"Something was causing me a great deal of grief and distress, and I started to think long and hard about how to get out of this situation by any means, but I could not find any way out. Then I came across this verse:

".. and whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (of every difficulty)."

(Surah At-Talaq, Verse 2)

I realized that taqwa (piety and fearing Allah) is the way out of every kind of grief and distress. As soon as I followed the path of taqwa, I found the way out".

I say: for the wise men, taqwa is the way that leads to everything good, for calamity happens only as the result of sin, and it can only be lifted through repentance. 

Sadness, grief and worry are punishments for sins that you have committed, by falling short in your prayers, or backbiting about a Muslimah, or taking the matter of hijab lightly, or committing a haram action.

Whoever goes against the laws of Allah, the Almighty, has to pay the price for that shortcoming. The One Who created happiness is the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, so how can you seek happiness from anyone other than Him?

If people had control over happiness, there would be no deprived or grieving person left on earth.

Cast away all discouraging thoughts that make you feel helpless, and focus on success, then you will never fail.

Wasalaam!