Bismillah
The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) had a special gift known as “jawami’ al-kalam” which means concise speech. He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was able to say something with so much meaning in only a few words. As we continue learning supplications from the sunnah, we see more and more how the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) combined so many benefits in one short supplication.
In today’s du’aa, we will see yet another example of his concise speech. In a narration recorded in Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to supplicate:
اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي
وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ
Allahumma aṣliḥ lī dīn al-lathi huwa ‘iṣmatu amrī, wa aṣliḥ lī dunya-ya al-lati fīhā ma’āshī, wa aṣlih lī ākhirati al-lati fīhā ma’ādī, wa-ja’al al-ḥayāta ziyādatan lī fī kuli khayr, wa-ja’al al-mawta rāḥatan lī min kuli sharr
O Allah, set right for me my religion which is the safeguard of my affairs. And set right for me the affairs of my world wherein is my living. And set right for me my Hereafter to which is my return. And make the life for me (a source) of abundance for every good and make my death a source of comfort for me protecting me against every evil.
Bismillah
The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said about the people of Jannah, “They will be inspired with tasbeeh (saying “subhanAllah”) and takbeer (saying “Allahu Akbar”) as they are inspired with breathing.” (Muslim)
“The analogy of breathing is used because it is something man does with no conscious effort. Their breathing will become tasbeeh, and the reason for this is that their hearts will be illuminated with the knowledge of their Lord, may He be glorified, and filled with love for Him, and whoever loves a thing remembers it frequently.” -Fathul Baari, Ibn Hajar rahimahullah
Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah stated that this tasbeeh and takbeer will be one of the pleasures enjoyed by the people of Paradise. He said, “This is not the kind of obligatory work that is done for the sake of a specific reward. It is the same as the kind of deeds that people do for pleasure and enjoyment.” Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
-Taken from “Paradise and Hell” by shaykh Umar al-Ashqar hafidhahullah, pg 304.
Bismillah
It’s reported that Abu Rayhana (radi Allahu anhu) said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Hellfire has been made forbidden for the eye which wept out of the Fear and Awe of Allah. Hellfire has been made forbidden for the eye which stayed awake and vigilant (through the night) in the Way of Allah. Hellfire has been made forbidden for the eye which looked away from that which has been forbidden by Allah.” [Narrated in Hakim, authentic according to Shaykh al-Albani]
Bismillah
Allah azza wa jal says,
ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۖ فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْكَبِيرُ
Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah . That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty. [35:32]
Various explanations of this ayah:
-They are the Ummah of Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), Allah chose them to inherit every book [i.e., the message] that He sent down. As for the one who wrongs himself, he will be forgiven, and as for the one who is moderate, he will be given an easy accounting (on the Day of Judgment), and as for those who raced to good deeds, he will enter Jannah without any reckoning.” -Ibn Abbass (radi Allahu anhuma)
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Bismillah
While watching the news with my mom the other day, a segment came on about the famine in East Africa. As we listened to the anchor share the stories of families coming to the refugee camps for aid, he highlighted one specific story of a father who walked for 30 days and 30 nights to save his three young sons. At one point in his journey, the children were too weak to walk so their father would carry them one by one – dropping one off at one point then going back for the other across the barren desert.
Then they shared another story of a mother. She was sitting quietly by the bedside of her child who just passed away. Her two other children passed away a few days before this baby. She sat there for hours, quietly, because she could not afford to bury her own child.
In the past 3 months, it is reported that nearly 30,000 children have died.
30,000.
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Bismillah
What qualities come to your mind when you think of a servant of Allah? In one of my favorite supplications, the Prophet sal ALlahu alayhi wa sallam teaches us some of the characteristics of a real worshiper of Allah. This supplication is narrated in many books of hadith, of them: Musnad Imam Ahmad, ibn Majah and Abu Dawud. Ibn Abbass (radi Allahu anhuma) narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to supplicate:
رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي لَكَ شَكَّارًا ، لَكَ ذَكَّارًا ، لَكَ رَهَّابًا ، لَكَ مِطْوَاعًا ،لَكَ مُخْبِتًا ،إِلَيْكَ أَوَّاهًا مُنِيبًا
Rabbi ja’alnī laka shakkāra, laka dhakkāra, laka rahhāba, laka miṭwā’a, laka mukhbitan, ilayka awwāhan munība
O my Lord, make me deeply grateful to You, constantly remembering You, in great fear and awe of You, devoted to Your Obedience, humble, penitent and ever-turning to You in repentance.
Bismillah
Alhamdulillah I’m very excited to be sharing another Ramadan supplication series this year! Each week we will be posting a new duaa, maybe two, that you can learn inshaAllah.
In a hadith recorded in Saheeh Muslim, Zaid bin Alqam
narrated that the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to supplicate:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَا يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لَا تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا
Allahumma inni a’udhu bika min ‘ilmin la yanfa’u wa min qalbin la yakhsha’u wa min nafsin la tashba’u wa min da’watin la yustajabu laha
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge which does not benefit, from a heart that does not entertain the fear(of Allah), from a soul that is not satisfied and the supplication that is not answered.”
Bismillah
(orginally written for muslimmatters.org)
Let’s go back in time. Back to Madinah, through the masjid and to the Prophet’s (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) home. We see him there, in the darkeness of the night, praying to his Lord. He is crying as he reads the ayatof the Qur’an. He has been standing for so long, and you see that his blessed feet have swelled and the skin is cracking.
Many of us would think what A’ishah, his beloved wife, (radi Allahu anha) asked him afterward. She said, “O Prophet of Allah, why do you undergo so much hardship despite the fact that Allah has pardoned for you your earlier and later sins?” He (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) responded, “Afala akuna abdan shakura? Should I not prove myself to be a thankful servant?”
We learn from this hadith that gratitude is shown through deeds. Shukr is by action. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was not commanded to worship to this degree but rather it was a complete act of devotion and thankfulness to Allah (azza wa jall).
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Bismillah
(originally written for suhaibwebb.com)
One of the pillars of imaan (belief in Allah) is to believe in the Divine Decree – the good and bad of it. This means that we as Muslims are supposed to have complete belief and unwavering certainty in the Plan of Allah and His Decrees for us, whether they may appear good or not so good.
The believer who is aware of this knows that nothing Allah plans is completely evil. There is always some good in His Plan for us. Unfortunately, when we are in a predicament or a hardship, we feel that nothing is going our way and we begin to have bad thoughts about Allah. We feel that our world is crashing down around us and we will never have relief from our pain and difficulties.
I am here to remind you that things are not always as they seem.
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Bismillah
We now have the chance to take advantage of two sunnahs of the Prophet (alayhi salaatu wa salaam):
1- Fasting in Sha’ban
It was narrated from Abu Salamah that A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not fast in any month more than Sha’ban, and he used to fast all of Sha’ban and he used to say: “Do as much of good deeds as you can, for Allah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired.” And the most beloved of prayers to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was that in which one persists even if it is little. When he offered a prayer he would persist in doing so. [Bukhari and Muslim]
The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) also said about Sha’ban: “It is a month that
people neglect, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which actions are raised to the Lord of the Worlds and I love for my actions to be raised while I am fasting.” [Tirmidhi and Al-Nasa'i]
2- Fasting in the Summer
al-Qasim bin Muhammad said that A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) would fast in the intense heat, and he was asked: “What drove her to do this?” He replied: “She would take advantage of the days before death.” And some of the righteous women would choose the hottest days and fast them, saying: “If the price is low, everyone will buy,” meaning that she wanted to do those actions that only a few were capable of due to how hard it was to do them, and this is indicative of the high aspirations these women had. [ibn Rajab hafidhahullah]
Abu ad-Darda’ (radi Allahu anhu) would say: “Fast the very hot days in anticipation of the Day of Resurrection, and pray two rak’at in the darkness of night in anticipation of the darkness of the grave.” And it’s reported in the two ‘ Sahih’s that he said: “You have seen us with the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) on some of his journeys on very hot days, and a man would hold his hand against his head due to the intensity of the heat, and none of them would be fasting except the Messenger of Allah and ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah.” [Bukhari]
