For those who do good there is good reward and more besides; neither gloom nor humiliation shall cover their faces. They are the people of the Garden and in it they shall abide. Surah Yunus [10:26]

Surah Hud
Remain steadfast in following the Right Way and let those with you who have returned with you (to the fold of faith and obedience), follow the Right Way as you were commanded, and do not exceed the proper limits of (devotion to Allah). For certainly He is aware of all that you do.

And do not incline towards the wrong-doers lest the Fire seize you and then you have none to protect you against Allah; and then you will not be helped from anywhere. [11:112-113]

Allah the Most High says:

“Indeed in this there is a remembrance for those who have a living heart, listen attentively and are awake to taking heed.” [Qaaf: 37]

Therefore, if you desire to benefit from the Qur’an, gather your heart when reciting it, focus your attention to it and focus as if you are the one being directly addressed by it. For indeed it is an address from Allah via the path of the Messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam.

This is because gaining complete benefit from the Qur’an is dependent upon the object providing the benefit, the place by which it is to be received, the conditions related to attaining the benefit and the non existence of anything that may hinder the benefit from occurring. Hence the verse contains an explanation of all of these points, with the shortest and clearest of words, and those that best prove the point.

Thus the saying of Allah: {Indeed in this there is a remembrance} has an inference to what has preceded the verse from the beginning of Surah Qaaf up to this verse and this is what is causing the benefit.

Whilst the saying of Allah {who have a living heart} then this refers to the place that receives the benefit and this is the heart that has life and comprehends what Allah has sent, as Allah the Most High says:

“Indeed this is only a clear reminder and a Qur’an so as to warn those who have a living heart.” [Yaseen: 69-70]

And His saying {listen attentively} i.e. who turns his attention to it and listens mindfully to what is being said. This is the condition that is placed so that one can be benefited by it. And His saying {are awake to taking heed.} i.e. that the heart is attentive to it.

Ibn Qutaibah said: “Listen to the book of Allah whilst your heart and mind is attentive, not neglectful nor distant.”

This is an inference to the matter that prevents one from attaining benefit. That is when the heart is distant and unmindful such that it does not understand what is being said, nor comprehend it.

Therefore if the cause of the benefit – the Qur’an, is found and the place of receiving it – and that is the heart has life – and the condition is fulfilled – and that is listening attentively – and the barriers that would prevent benefit from being attained are avoided – and that is the heart being pre-occupied with something else and it being unmindful of what is said – then one attains the benefit, of being benefited by the Qur’an. [Refer to al-Fawaa’id by Ibn-ul-Qayyim]

Shaykh Muhammad Jameel Zeeno

How To Understand the Qur’aan
© 1998 Call to Islam Da`wah Centre

And keep yourself patient [by being] with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.

(Surat Al-Kahf)

Wake up for Fajr Salah …

A man woke up early to pray the Fajr Prayer in the mosque. He got dressed, made his ablution and was on his way to the mosque. On his way to the mosque, the man fell and his clothes got dirty.

He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, made his ablution, and was again on his way to the mosque.

On his way to the mosque, He fell again and at the Same Spot!. He again got up, brushed himself off and headed home. At home, he once again changed his clothes, made his ablution and was on his way to the mosque yet another time.

This time, he met a man holding a lamp. He (first person) asked the man of his identity and the man replied ‘I saw you fall twice on your way to the mosque, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way’. The first man thanked him profusely and both start walk on their way to the mosque.

When they reached mosque, the first man asked him to come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused, the first man asked him a couple more times and again the answer was the same. The first man asked him, you looks like a very nice person, helped me as well, why you did not wish to come in and pray. Then second person replied.

I am Shaytaan(devil/ evil)

The man shocked at his reply. Shaytaan went on to explain, “I saw you on your way to the mosque and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way, Allah forgave all of your sins. I made you fall second time and even that did not urge you to stay home but rather you went back on your way to the mosque and because of that, Allah forgave all the sins of the people of your household.

I was AFRAID, if I made you fall one more time, then Allah will forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached here safely.”

(Do not put off a good that you intended to do as you never know how much reward your might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good).

اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاو ;َاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa, Al-Haiyul-Qaiyum La ta’khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm, lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-‘ard Man dhal-ladhi yashfa’u ‘indahu illa bi-idhnihi Ya’lamu ma baina aidihim wa ma khalfahum, wa la yuhituna bi shai’im-min ‘ilmihi illa bima sha’a Wasi’a kursiyuhus-samawati wal ard, wa la ya’uduhu hifdhuhuma Wa Huwal ‘Aliyul-Adheem

“Allah! There is no god but He – the Living, The Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him Nor Sleep. His are all things In the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede In His presence except As he permitteth? He knoweth What (appeareth to His creatures As) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass Aught of his knowledge Except as He willeth. His throne doth extend Over the heavens And on earth, and He feeleth No fatigue in guarding And preserving them, For He is the Most High. The Supreme (in glory).”

[Surah al-Baqarah 2: 255]

Hadiths of the benefits of Ayatul Kursi.

Ubayy bin Ka’b (radiAllahu anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Abu Mundhir! Do you know whichAyah in Allah’s Book is the greatest? I said: ‘Allah and His messenger know best.’
He (peace be upon him) again said: ‘Do you know which Ayah in Allah’s Book, according to you, is the greatest?’ I (Abu Mundhir) replied: ‘It is ‘Allah la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum’.[2:255].
Thereupon he (peace be upon him) patted me in the chest and said, ‘ Rejoice by your knowledge, O Abu Mundhir! (i.e, may this knowledge be a source of respect, honour and benefit to you)’.”
[Muslim]

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who recites it after each of the obligatory prayers, then death will be the only thing preventing him from entering Paradise.”
[Ibn Sunni, Ibn Hibban]

When you lie down in your bed, recite ayat al-Kursi, Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists… [al-Baraqah 2:255] until the end of the ayah, then you will have a protector from Allah and no shaytan (devil) will come near you until morning comes
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated; In Surah al-Baqaraah there is an ayah which is the best of all the ayahs of the Qur’an. It is never recited in a house but the Shaytan leaves: Ayat al-Kursi.

Do you know the Ayatul Kursi?” Anas (radiAllahu anhu) replied “I know”. The Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, “It is equal to a quarter of the Qur’an

Listen to Ayatul Kursi read in a beautiful Recitation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSmslURAK1Q&feature=related

“Verily this Qur’an guides to the Way that is the Straightmost. To those who believe in it, and do righteous works, it gives the good news that a great reward awaits them.”[17:9]

there is no god but Allah and Muhammed peace be upon him is his last and final messenger..

Art credit:  Andrei Georgescu

Messenger of Allah (Sallallähu alaihi wa sallam) said, “On the Day of Rising no one will bring anything better than someone who says in the morning and evening, “Subhanallahi wa bihamdhihi” (Glory be to Allah and by His praise’ a hundred times except someone who says the same as he says or more.” [Muslim]

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Allah said:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىأَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُالذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [az-Zumar : 53]

Indeed, Allah has opened the door of repentance to every sinner. The Prophet SAW said,

“Oh people, repent to Allah, for indeed, I repent to Allah 100 times every day” [Muslim : 2702]

It is truly encouraging to know that the door to repentance is always open, but what is more, Allah is actually happy when one of His slaves repents. It is important to note here that the keys to repentance are that a sinner must desert from his sin, feel regret for having perpetrated it, and then make a firm resolve not to return to it.

Who among us does not sin? And who among us does all that is required of him in the religion? It is an undeniable fact that we all have shortcomings; what distinguishes some of us from the others, what raises some of us above the others, is that the successful ones among us are those who repent their sins and ask Allah to forgive them. Sadly, some people are guilty of thinking in this manner: “Those I see around me perpetrate minor sins, while I am guilty of perpetrating major sins, so what is the use of repenting?!” True, such a person does well by finding fault with his own self, yet he makes a grave, ruinous error when he loses hope, when he underestimates Allah’s Forgiveness and Mercy. To be sure, the door of repentance is open both to the perpetrator of minor sins and to the perpetrator of major sins.

In regard to repentence, the following beautiful hadith should inspire hope in us all:

Ibn Mas’ud narrated that the Prophet said:
“Indeed, Allah is more happy with the repentance of His slave than a man who stops in a barren, desolate land; with him he has his riding animal. He then goes to sleep. When he wakes up, [he realizes that] his mount is gone. He searches for it until he is on the verge of dying. He then says, ‘I will return to the place wherein I lost it, and I will die there.’ He went to that place, and he was then overcome by sleep. When he woke up, his mount was [standing] right beside his head: on it was his food, his drink, his provisions, and the things he neded. Allah is more happy with the repentance of his believing slave than the aforementioned man when he finds his mount and his provisions.” [al-Bukhaari: 6308 ; Muslim: 2744]

This hadith clearly illustrates that no one should become so hopeless that he refrains from repenting to Allah. Glad tidings, then, to every Muslim who constantly and consistently hastens to repent to Allah and to ask for his forgiveness.
And Allah knows best.

For the evil-doers, their refuge shall be the Fire. Every time they want to escape from it they shall be driven back and shall be told: “Taste the chastisement of the Fire which you used to reject as a lie.”

We shall certainly have them taste some chastisement in this world in addition to the greater chastisement (of the Hereafter); perhaps they will retract (from their transgression).
And who is more unjust than he who is given good counsel through the Signs of his Lord and yet he turns away from them?
Surely We will exact full retribution from such criminals. [32:20-22]

There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions…thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a small boy, who`s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions.The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, “I will accept your challenge”.

The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, “A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!”

But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah`s help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.

The entire city gathered around a small “hill” where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.

“What is your God doing right now?”

The small boy thought for a little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to allow him to go up in order to address the question.

The man says “What? You want me to come down?”

The boy says, “Yes. I need to reply, right?”

The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little feet made his way up.

This small child`s reply was “Oh Allah Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a Muslim be brought to a high level!”

The crowd cheered and screamed “Takbir”….”Allah-hu-akbar!!!”

The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second question… “What existed before your God?”

The small child thought and thought.

Then he asked the man to count backwards. “Count from 10 backwards.”

The man counted…”10, 9 ,8 , 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0″

The boy asked, “What comes before 0 ?”

The man: “I don`t know…nothing.”

The boy: “Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal.

and absolute.”

The crowd cheered again….”Takbir!”….”Allah-hu-akbar!!!!”

The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. “In which direction is your Allah facing?”

The boy thought and thought.

He then asked for a candle.

. A candle was brought to him. The blessed child handed it to the man and asked him to light it.

The man did so and remarked, “What is this supposed to prove?”

The young boy asked, “In which direction is light from the candle going?”

The man responded, “It is going in all directions.”

The boy: “You have answered your own question. Allah`s light (noor) goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He cannot be found.

“The crowd cheered again….”Takbir!”….”Allah-hu-akbar!!!”

The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy`s knowledge and spirituality

, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the young boy.

So ended the debate.

Who was the young boy?

The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah bless him).

(O Muhammad), when My servants ask you about Me, tell them I am quite near; I hear and answer the call of the caller whenever he calls Me. Let them listen to My call and believe in Me; perhaps they will be guided aright. Surah Al-Baqarah [2:186]

[This is Jannatul-Baqi.. Graveyard of Medina. Resting place of The Most Honoured Souls after the Prophets(as)… The Sahaba(ra) ♥ ]

A companion of the Prophet (saw) named Abdullah bin Hudhaifah Al-Sahmi (ra) was among the soldiers that Umar ibn Al Khattab despatched to the Romans, who were then captured. Abdullah was captured by the Romans who took him to the king and said, “He is from Muhammed’s companions.”

The tyrant king said to him; “Would you like to be a Christian and for me to make you a partner in my property and kingdom?”
Abdullah replied; “If you give me all that you posses to leave the Deen of Muhammad (sa) I would not do it.”
The tyrant said to him; “Then I will kill you,” He said, “It is up to you.”

The king commanded him to be crucified. At the same time he instructed his shooters to shoot Abdullah near his hands and near his legs while continuously offering him the same offer, but Abdullah refused. Then he commanded for Abdullah to be brought down and he called for a big pot, poured water into it until it was boiling and asked for two captured Muslims to be brought forth.

He then gave an order for one of the Muslims to be thrown into the bowling water unless Abdullah accepted his offer of becoming a Christian, but Abdullah refused. Finally, he commanded that Abdullah be thrown inside the boiling pot also. As Abdullah was being taken away he began to cry.
The king thinking that Abdullah’s resolve was broken instructed for him to be brought back and offered Christianity to him but once again he refused. Shocked at Abdullah’s answer, the tyrant king asked; “Why then did you cry?”

Abdullah replies; “I cried because I said to myself you will be thrown in this pot and pass away. It saddens me that I only have one life to give. I would like that I had as many souls as the number of hairs on my body so that they can all be sacrificed and then meet Allah Ta’ala.”

May Allah never afflict us with trials as such and grant us true strength on the long road to Jannah. Ameen

A Mother said once to her little child:
“Read Surah Al-Ikhlas 10 times so that Allah build for you a house in Jannah”

• The little boy started to read, and then he looked to his mother and saw her reading Surat Al-Ikhlas as well, so he told her: “no mommy! you don’t have to read it, because you are going to live with me in my house in Jannah”

Artwork : Aliya Ch