The Greatest Delight

(Taken from MuslimMatter’s “Ramadan Duaa Series: The Greatest Delight”):

Bismillah

“The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

One of the most beautiful avenues of communication with our Creator is through the avenue of duaa. We are all aware of the technicalities of duaa but do we ever reflect over the concept itself? Duaa is a mercy, a gift given to us by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala; can you imagine anyone in a position of authority wanting to reward you for asking anything of them so that they can grant it?
It is indeed an undervalued possession and an underestimated weapon, and if ever we were to take the full advantage of this ni’mah we would realize its true essence, which is coming closer to our Rabb.

For this blessed month of Ramadan, I will be sharing an authentic duaa every week inshaAllah. These posts will include a recording of the duaa for memorization purposes, a word for word translation, brief analysis and benefits we can gain from the duaa.

The first duaa is one that pertains to our aakhirah; specifically asking for the greatest pleasure one can ever receive, the opportunity to see Allah azza wa jal.

The Prophet of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam narrated, “When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not entered us into Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (Allah) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would be dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious.” [Saheeh Muslim]

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam narrated this duaa in a hadeeth in Sunan an-Nisaa’i (authenticated by Shaykh Albaani):

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ لَذَّةَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ وَالشَّوْقَ إِلَى لِقَائِكَ

Allahumma Innī As’aluka Ladhdhata an-Naẓari ilā Wajhika wash Shawqa ilā Liqā’ik

O Allah, I ask You for the delight of gazing at Your Countenance and the eagerness of meeting You.

Word for Word Translation and Analysis

 

Allahumma: O Allah. Allahumma is a combination of: Ya and Allah. Instead of using a “ya” in the front to call upon Allah, the “meem” is added at the end. “Allahumma” is unique with the Name of Allah, it is not bound by this rule of using the “ya”. This rule does not appear anywhere or with anyone else, even in pre-Islamic poetry. When we say “Allahumma” we are affirming and emphasizing the uniqueness of our Lord;  He does not even share a duaa with His creation subhanahu wa ta’ala, as well as incorporating all of the Names and Attributes of Allah ta’ala.

Innī: indeed I. Innī is a combination of ‘inna’ (indeed, a word for emphasis) and “ni” (I)

As’aluka: I ask You.

Ladhdhaħ: Sweetness, delight, pleasure. Ladhdhaħ comes from the root which means something that pleases a person, satisfies their senses and has no harm in it.

an-Naẓri: The look. “Naẓara ilā”, such as in this duaa, means to look or gaze to something/someone. Allah ta’ala says in surah Qiyaamah ayah 23:

إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ

They (faces) will be looking to their Lord.

ilā: to/towards

Wajhika: Your Countenance. Wajh means face but also carries the meaning of the whole self/being in Arabic. For example, Allah ta’ala says in surah Baqarah ayah 112:

مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

Whoever submits His whole self (wajhahu) to Allah and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

wa: and

ash-Shawqa: Longing, eagerness. Shawq is a strong desire in one’s nafs for something.

ilā: to/towards

Liqā’ik: Your meeting. Laqiya means to meet or an occurance.

Memorize this duaa using this audio.  (May Allah ta’ala reward our brother for recording these, Ameen)

Points of Benefit

• By asking Allah azza wa jal for the opportunity to see Him, we are indirectly also asking for Jannah. The scholars state that one of the worst punishments of the people of Hell-Fire is being abandoned by Allah ta’ala and not being able to see Him.
• Many times when we think of Jannah, we think of the mansions, the rivers, the hoor, the fruits, golden goblets and cups, but we forget that having the opportunity to see Allah azza wa jal is greater than all of these bounties. Allah azza wa jal praises the believers for worshipping Him “bil ghayb”, in the unseen, and in the aakhirah Allah will reward them for this with seeing Him.The believers will enjoy seeing Allah azza wa jal and it will be the most beloved thing they will receive in Jannah. May Allah make you and I among them.
• The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam told us in many narrations that the Believers will see Allah ta’ala with their own eyes as clearly as they can see the sun and moon. Abu Hurayrah mentioned that some people said, “O Messenger of Allah! Will we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment?” The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Are you harmed by seeing the sun and the moon when there are no clouds beneath them?” They replied, “No.” The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam then said, “Then you will surely see your Lord like that.” [Bukhari and Muslim] In another hadeeth, Jabir radi Allahu anhu narrated, “The Messenger of Allah looked at the moon on a night when it was full, and he said, Verily, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon! So if you are able to avoid missing a prayer before the rising of the sun (Fajr prayer) or before its setting (Asr prayer) then do so. [Bukhari and Muslim]
• Wanting to meet Allah does not mean you don’t fear death. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah  loves to meet him and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him”. ‘Aisha, or some of the wives of the Prophet said, “But we dislike death.” He said: It is not like this, but it is meant that when the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah’s pleasure with him and His blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He therefore loves the meeting with Allah, and Allah  loves the meeting with him. But when the time of the death of a disbeliever approaches, he receives the evil news of Allah’s torment and His Requital, whereupon nothing is more hateful to him than what is before him. Therefore, he hates the meeting with Allah, and Allah too, hates the meeting with him.” [Saheeh Bukhari]

May Allah ta’ala bless us with the delight of gazing upon Him, make our best deeds our last, and make the best day of ours the day that we meet Him ta’ala. Ameen.

Milestones of Humanity – An Example of Disbelief: Wife of Abu Lahab

Bismillah

An Example of Disbelief: Wife of Abu Lahab

We discussed in our first post that we will cover both believing and disbelieving women in the Qur’an to learn lessons from both. Allah ta’ala discusses the ultimate end of one woman in the Qur’an: the wife of Abu Lahab.

Umm Jamil, also known as Arwa bint Harb, who was the sister of Abu Sufyan (radi Allahu anhu) was known for her staunch disbelief and persecution to the Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and the Muslims.

Allah ta’ala tells us her defining characteristic in surah Masad,

وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ
and his wife, the carrier of wood. (111:4)

Allah ta’ala uses the word “imr’aha” to describe the wife of Abu Lahab, and not the word we are more familiar with which is zawj. Br Nouman Ali Khan from Bayyinah Institute discussed with us the differences.

There are 2 main purposes for a marriage:
1)To have protection from evil and to help increase each other in good
2)To have children correctly in the halal manner.

When both of the above purposes are fulfilled, the spouse is referred to as Zawj, also meaning a pair that goes together to serve a purpose. When either one or both of the elements are missing, the spouse is referred to as Imr’ah. This is why we find in many of Prophet’s sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam duas, zawj, not imraa’ata, is mentioned to refer to spouse because zawj exemplifies a successful and complete marriage.

We find examples of this in the Qur’an:

-In Surah Yusuf, the wife of the minister is referred to as Imraa’atul Azeez because she did not fulfill either of the purposes of marriage.

-The wife of Nuh alayhi salaam is refered to as Imraa’atul Nuh because she was not pious and did not help him increase in good.

-In the example above regarding Umm Jamil. Both of them were happy with each other but they both were not pious and did not help one another to increase in good.

The word used for carrier, حَمَّالَةَ Hammaalatah, contains mubaalaghah which means intensification. Hammaalah not only means someone who carries wood but can have three intensified meanings:

1-     she carries a lot of wood
2-    she carries the wood with a lot of effort
3-    she carries the wood repeatedly

From this we learn that she was not only against Islam, but she repeatedly worked and strove to hurt the Prophet of Allah, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam.

Hammalatal hatab can refer to:

1-    The dry twigs and thorns she carried and put on the path of Rasul Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam
2-    Figurative, meaning she spreads fuel (lies and slander) to spread the fire.

The scholars say this ayah is of mockery – this woman used to carry wood (fuel) in the dunya to support her husband against this Deen and in the aakhirah she will also be helping her husband by fueling his punishment.

Allah ta’ala then tells us her fate:

فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ

“In her neck is a twisted rope of palm-fiber” (111:5)

Allah azza wa jal describes her neck as a jeed. When I think of Umm Jamil, I would think of an old hag looking woman but when I read this ayah, I was amazed.Jeed is not an old wrinkly neck, rather it is a neck that is slender, long and very beautiful. This beautiful neck of hers that wore gold and jewelry will have a twisted rope of palm fiber.

A Story of Abu Lahab’s Wife harming the Messenger of Allah (from Tafseer ibn Katheer)

Ibn Abi Hatim said that his father and Abu Zur`ah both said that `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr Al-Humaydi told them that Sufyan informed them that Al-Walid bin Kathir related from Ibn Tadrus who reported that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr said, “When

[تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍ]

(Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he)!) was revealed, the one-eyed Umm Jamil bint Harb came out wailing, and she had a stone in her hand. She was saying, `He criticizes our father, and his religion is our scorn, and his command is to disobey us.’ The Messenger of Allah was sitting in the Masjid (of the Ka`bah) and Abu Bakr was with him. When Abu Bakr saw her he said, `O Messenger of Allah! She is coming and I fear that she will see you.’ The Messenger of Allah replied,

«إِنَّهَا لَنْ تَرَانِي»

(Verily, she will not see me.) Then he recited some of the Qur’an as a protection for himself. This is as Allah says,

[وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرءَانَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا ]

(And when you recite the Qur’an, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil.) (17:45) So she advanced until she was standing in front of Abu Bakr and she did not see the Messenger of Allah . She then said, `O Abu Bakr! Verily, I have been informed that your friend is making defamatory poetry about me.’ Abu Bakr replied, `Nay! By the Lord of this House (the Ka`bah) he is not defaming you.’ So she turned away saying, `Indeed the Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their leader.”’ Al-Walid or another person said in a different version of this Hadith, “So Umm Jamil stumbled over her waist gown while she was making circuits (Tawaf) around the House (the Ka`bah) and she said, `Cursed be the reviler.’ Then Umm Hakim bint `Abdul-Muttalib said, `I am a chaste woman so I will not speak abusively and I am refined so I do not know. Both of us are children of the same uncle. And after all the Quraysh know best.’

Lessons to learn from the life of Umm Jamil:

1- Being related to a pious person does not automatically make you righteous. She was the aunt of the Prophet sal Alahu alayhi wa sallam yet that did not save her from her fate.

2- The importance of companionship. Here we see a husband and wife uniting upon disbelief and causing harm upon the people. Umm Jamil was doing these things to support her husband against the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and so in the aakhirah, she will still remain in his company.

3- Selecting a righteous spouse that will help you in khayr. Although Abu Lahab and Umm Jamil were pleased with eachother, they were not considered realspouses because they were disbelievers. When Allah ta’ala mentions the punishment of Abu Lahab, He connects his wife to him as well which shows that evil men are for evil women, as Allah says in surah Nur.

4- Wealth or children did not save her or her husband from the punishment of this life and the next.

and Allah azza wa jal is Most Knowing.

(Taken from Muslimah Source’s Milestones of Humanity series)

The Virtues of Surah Al-Fatiha

Muslim records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu anhu) who said that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

“Allah, the Glorious and Exalted said, “I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant equally and My servant shall be granted what he asked for.” Therefore when the servant says, ‘All praises and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds’, Allah says, “My servant has praised Me.” When he says, ‘The All-Merciful, the Most Merciful,’ Allah says “My servant has extolled me.” When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says, “My servant has glorified Me.” When he says, ‘You Alone we worship and Your aid Alone do we seek,’ Allah says, “This is between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he requested.” When he says, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured, not [the path] of those who have earned [Your] anger, nor of those who have gone astray,’ Allah says, “This is for My servant and My servant shall have what he asked for.” (Muslim Eng. Trans., vol. 1, pg. 215, #775)

The Likeness of Ramadan and Prophet Yusuf

(From: Ibn al-Jawzi’s ‘Bustan al-Wa’idhin wa Riyad as-Sami’in’ (p. 213-214)):

“The month of Ramadan to the other months is like Yusuf to his brothers. So, just like Yusuf was the most beloved son to Ya’qub, Ramadan is likewise the most beloved month to Allah.

A nice point for the nation of Muhammad (saw) to ponder over is that if Yusuf had the mercy and compassion to say {“There is no reproach for you today…”} [Yusuf; 92], Ramadan is likewise the month of mercy, blessing, goodness, salvation from the Fire, and Forgiveness from the King that exceeds that of all the other months and what can be gained from their days and nights.

Another nice point to think about is that Yusuf’s brothers came to rely on him to fix their mistakes after all those they had made. So, he met them with kindness and helped them out, and he fed them while they were hungry and allowed them to return, and he told his servants: “Carry their belongings with you so that they don’t lose them.” So, one person filled the gaps of eleven others, and the month of Ramadan is likewise one month that fills the gaps of our actions over the other eleven months. Imagine the gaps and shortcoming and deficiency we have in obeying Allah!

We hope that in Ramadan, we are able to make up for our shortcomings in the other months, to rectify our mistakes, and to cap it off with happiness and firmness on the Rope of the Forgiving King.

Another point is that Ya’qub had eleven sons who were living with him and whose actions he would see at all times, and his eyesight did not return because of any of their clothing. Instead, it returned due to Yusuf’s shirt. His eyesight came back strong, and he himself became strong after he was weak, and seeing after he was blind. Likewise, if the sinner smells the scents of Ramadan, sits with those who remind him of Allah, recites the Qur’an, befriends on the condition of Islam and faith, and avoids backbiting and vain talk, he will (by Allah’s Will) become forgiven after he was a sinner, he will become close after he was far, he will be able to see with his heart after it was blind, his presence will be met with happiness after it was met with repulsion, he will be met with mercy after he was met with disdain, he will be provided for without limit or effort on his part, he will be guided for his entire life, he will have his soul dragged out with ease and smoothness when he dies, he will be blessed with Forgiveness when he meets Allah, and he will be granted the best levels in the Gardens of Paradise.

So, by Allah, take advantage of this greatness during these few days and you will soon see abundant blessing, high levels of reward, and a very long period of rest and relaxation by the Will of Allah.

By Allah, this is the true relaxation…”

(Taken from: http://iskandrani.wordpress.com/)

Be fragrant to Allah…

 

“And [God] enjoins upon you the fast. Verily, the similitude of that is a man carrying a sack-full of musk in a crowd of people, all of them marvelling at its fragrance—for the breath of someone fasting is more fragrant to God, Most High, than the scent of musk.” [Tirmidhi, Amthal, 2790; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 16542.]

 

And note: “True fasting is when the limbs fast from sin and the stomach fasts from food and drink. As food and drink can break the fast or spoil it, so sins can cut off its reward and spoil its fruits, as if one had not fasted at all.” - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

That which rejects the rain…

Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet sallalahu alaihi wa sallam said, “The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was:

a. fertile soil that absorbed rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance.

b. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of the land for cultivation.

c. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then that land gave no benefits).

The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah’s religion and gets benefit (from the knowledge) which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophets and learns and then teaches others. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allah’s guidance revealed through me (He is like that barren land.)”  

(Sahih Bukhari – Book #3, Hadith #79)

Oh people! A great month has come over you

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) addressed his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, saying, “Oh people! A great month has come over you; a blessed month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months; a month in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time. It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Heaven.

It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer’s sustenance is increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his reward being diminished at all.” [Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah]

It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, not all of us can find that which to provide for the fasting person’. He said: ‘Allah will give this reward for providing a fasting person with a date, or a drink of water or a drop of milk. And it is a month during which the start of it is Mercy, and the middle of it is Forgiveness and the end of it is Salvation from the Hell-Fire’. [Collected by Al-Bayhaqi.]

Mortified

 

(taken from: http://www.muslimahsource.org/, by: “Sammer Z”)

 

Mortified.

Disbelief.

Denial.

Not exactly the feelings I imagined having while I stood clutching the third pregnancy test of the week. My mother-in- law didn’t believe the first two which came up negative. Defiantly, I thought, the third one would set the record straight. You can’t possibly reject a third negative test!

Instead of a marching straight to her, or anyone else, I stood staring at the positive test results. Pregnancy tests are a funny invention, in a life changing sort of way. It’s 99.9% accurate because when its positive it is 99.9% accurate. When it says negative its highly inaccurate for several possible reasons. From when you take it, how you take it, how far along you may be to an array of other factors, it might be wrong. And for me…it was, twice.

I held the sink to keep my balance and splashed water on my face. Why was I so scared? Was it because I really didn’t want my mother-in-law to be right? Was it just denial? I didn’t look or feel pregnant, although I had been very emotional lately. I couldn’t believe it. I felt 7 years old, completely unqualified to be given this enormous task. The small room seemed to spin. I walked out to where I would pray dhuhr and hid my discovery from everyone.

Why indeed? I’m married, in love with my husband, my biological clock is right on time, I’ve finished a reasonable amount of education, and have even done some single girl fun stuff. Why am I scared of having a child at what seems to be the most perfect moment in my life ?

Even with all this rationale and even after seeing my little jelly bean bounce around inside and hearing the little heartbeat, happiness is secondary. How are most to-be parents so happy?

So, here’s why I am so mortified… I think.

I will be a mother: that which the Prophet (saw) said to value three time over a father. My child’s father is a far better person than I am, so how can I ask be worthy of that kind of respect? I will be the primary responsibility bearer of all things concerning my child . Every decision I choose to take or not, with my limited capacity and understanding will impact and shape his or her entire life and experiences. In the most profound sense I will be responsible for the spiritual, moral, physical, mental, and social development of my child and will be held to account by all critical eyes of this world and inevitably in the Hereafter. Islamic school, public school, homeschool? regular or cloth diapers? straight to hifdh at 4? soccer or basketball? organic food or regular? Arabic or English at home? Protect him in a bubble or toughen him up with the real world?

Despite all this perceived control over my child’s life I realize how helpless I ultimately am.

I’m afraid because of all that we hear about parents. Despite good intentions and sacrifices, parents are blamed, hated, shunned, and ignored by their children. In the reverse as well, children may hold unrealistic expectations of their parents believing all their actions should be the most upright and become very unforgiving or critical of mistakes they make. Maybe its the hormones but my eyes well up with tears as I think of a phrase my mother would tell me, “I’m human too.”

Will my child be God-fearing, upright, love and appreciate me and somehow remember, that I’m only human too?

Ya Mu’allim

RasulAllah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has provided an example with regards to all aspects of life.  Here are some of the examples of excellence from the teaching practice of RasulAllah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. 

1.)    Questioning:

It’s well established that any good teacher knows how to ask good questions that stimulate and elicit responses from students.  Researchers claim that this is important because it gets students actively engaged with the material, whereby they reflect on the material presented, learn the extent of their already established knowledge, and learn from the responses of other students. 

Narrated Ibn Omar (radiyAllahu anhu):

The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, “Amongst the trees, there is a tree, the leaves of which do not fall and is like a Muslim.  Tell me the name of that tree.”  Everybody started thinking about the trees of the desert areas.  And I thought of the date-palm tree but felt too shy to answer.  The others then asked, “What is that tree, O Allah’s Apostle?”  He replied, “It is the date-palm tree.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, Hadith #58)

2.)    Parables:

Teaching through parables helps students to learn new information by relating it to a concept they already easily understand.  It teaches them how to use metaphor in order to convey complex meaning, how to create connections between themes and topics, and allows for more substantial intake and memorization. 

RasulAllah sallalhu alaihi wa sallam is recorded to have said: “My parable among the Prophets is that of a man who built a house and did a good and complete job, apart from the space of one brick which he did not put in its place. The people started to walk around the building, admiring it and saying, “If only that brick were put in its place. ” Among the Prophets, I am like that brick.” (Recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said “Hasan Sahih).

3.)    Leading by example:

One of the most essential tools is to provide adequate examples within every lesson.  This can either be done indirectly through modelling or can be done explicitly through the citation of specific examples.  

3.a.)  Modelling:

The Prophet himself was the best of examples:

Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much (33:21).

 3.b.) Explicit example:

On the authority of Abu Hurairah, who said : the messenger of Allah said : “Allah the Almighty is good and accepts only that which is good. Allah has commanded the faithful to do that which he commanded the messengers, and the Almighty has said: “O ye messengers ! Eat of the good things and do right”. And Allah the Almighty has said : “O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you”
Then he mentioned [the case of] a man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky [saying] : “O Lord! O Lord!” – while his food is unlawful, his drink unlawful, his clothing unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can he be answered !” (related by Muslim).

 4. Accepting of Mistakes:

 Accepting mistakes makes for an open and comfortable atmosphere wherein students don’t feel pressured to produce perfect results.  This is important because it encourages freer participation and a stronger likelihood for creativity to emerge.

The Prophet sallallu alaihi wa sallam acknowledged: “Every son of Adam makes mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent“. (At-Tirmidhi)

 5.) Providing Feedback:

Feedback is one of the most essential tools for any person’s growth… and no student can ever truly know how they’ve progressed without being given feedback.

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said, as recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, a man entered the mosque when the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was sitting there. The man prayed two raka and then came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and offered salam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) exchanged the greeting and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”  So the man went back, offered two raka prayer like he did the first time and then came back and repeated the salam.  The Prophet (peace be upon him) exchanged the greeting and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.” So the man went back, prayed two raka like he did the first time and then came back and greeted the salam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) greeted him back and then said, “Go back and pray for you have not prayed.”  He said it three times until on the third time the man said, “By He who sent you with the truth O Messenger of Allah, I do not know any better than this. Teach me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “If you stand up for Salah say ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Then read what comes easy for you from the Quran. Then bow until you are comfortable in your ruku. Then stand up until you are standing up straight.  Then prostrate until you are comfortable in your Sujood. Then sit until you are comfortable in your Juloos.  Then prostrate until you are comfortable in your Sujood.  And do this in your entire Salah.”

Example of Akhlaq

Asalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatahu

SubhanAllah, RasulAllah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam epitomized the concept of akhlaq (the practice of manners).  Try to study the simplicity of the hadith below… and lets try to mimic the practices of al nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, habeeb Allah.

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar(Radhiallaho anho): 
Allah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu `alaihi wasallam) said :If anyone 
seeks protection in Allah’s name, grant him protection; if anyone 
begs in Allah’s name, give him something; if anyone gives you an 
invitation, accept it; and if anyone does you a kindness, recompense 
him; but if you have not the means to do so, pray for him until you 
feel that you have compensated him.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood 1668

To recieve weekly ahadith subscribe to sahih_hadith-subscribe@yahoogroups.com by sending them your email address.