Abu Barzah (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) disliked going to bed before the `Isha’ (night) prayer and indulging in conversation after it.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Narrated Humran:

I saw ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan asking (for a tumbler of water) to perform ablution (and when it was brought)
he poured water from it over his hands and washed them thrice and then put his right hand in the water container and rinsed his mouth and washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out.
Then he washed his face thrice and (then) forearms up to the elbows thrice, then passed his wet hands over his head and then washed each foot thrice.

After that ‘Uthman said,

“I saw the Prophet performing ablution like this of mine, and he said, ‘If anyone performs ablution like that of mine and offers a two-rak’at prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not related to the present prayer) then his past sins will be forgiven. ‘

[Bukhari 0165]

PHOTO CREDIT : capturethespiritoframadan.org

Do they not reflect on themselves? Allah created the heavens and the earth and whatever lies between them in Truth and for an appointed term. Yet many people deny that they will meet their Lord. [30:8]

Hasan al-Basri (rahimaullah) was an eminent scholar and pious individual of his time. He would rarely laugh due to his remembrance of death and the punishment of hell. One day he was going somewhere when he saw a young man indugled in laughter. Hasan al-Basri asked the youth, “Young man, have you already crossed the bridge of Sirath? Have you already found out whether you are going to paradise or hell?” The young man replied, “No.” Hasan al-Basri told him, “Then why are you laughing so much?” After that, no one saw this young man laughing again as he came to know the reality of this life.

Source: Story extracted from the book “Tambihul Ghafileen” by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.

Many hours or probably days have passed away from our lives in laughter and jokes. It is a sign that we have forgotten the life of the hereafter. The sahabah used to do good deeds all day but still cry during the night to Allah. On the other hand, we do sins all day and still have no concerns! It is permissible to laugh at amazing things and smile while being in company of others.

DUA AT THE TIME OF IFTAAR

A MOST BEAUTIFUL HADITH Once Moosa (Moses) (AS) asked Allah Taala: O Allah ! you have granted me the honor and privilege of talking to you directly, Have you given this privilege to any other person? Allah Taala replied, O Moosa during the last period I am going to send an ummat, who will be the Ummat of Mohammed with dry lips, parched tongues, emaciated body with eyes sunken deep into their sockets, with livers dry and stomachs suffering the pangs of hunger- will call out to me (in dua) they will be much much closer to me than you O Moosa! While you speak to me there are 70000 veils between you and me but at the time of iftaar there will not be a single veil between me and the fasting Ummati of Mohammed . Please confirm us the authenticity of this …its being spread on net.

Praise be to Allah.

This hadeeth is not part of the Prophet’s Sunnah, and it is not something that is known to the scholars and muhaddithoon in their books and Musnads. It is not narrated except in a few books whose authors filled them with fabricated reports, false reports, stories and myths, such as Nuzhat al-Majaalis wa Muntakhab al-Nafaa’is, by the historian and man of letters ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam al-Safoori (d. 894 AH) – pp. 182-183, Chapter on the virtue of Ramadaan and encouragement to do good deeds therein. It also appears in the tafseer Rooh al-Bayaan (8/112) by Ismaa’eel Haqqi al-Hanafi al-Khalooti (d. 1127 AH). They mentioned a hadeeth similar to that referred to by the questioner, in which it says: “Moosa (peace be upon him) said: ‘O Lord, You have honoured me by speaking to me directly. Will You give anyone else something like this?’ And Allaah revealed: ‘O Moosa, I have slaves whom I will bring forth at the end of time, and I will honour them with the month of Ramadaan, and I will closer to one of them than to you, because you have spoken to Me when there are seventy thousand veils between Me and you, but when the ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fasts until their lips turn white and their faces turn yellow, I will lift the veil between Me and them at the time they break their fast. O Moosa, glad tidings to the one whose liver thirsts and whose stomach hungers in Ramadaan.”

Moreover, in the matn (text) of this hadeeth there is something which indicates that it is munkar (i.e., unsound), which is the words “I will be closer to one of them than you” – referring to Moosa (peace be upon him). It is well known in Muslim belief that the Messengers and Prophets are better than all other humans, and Moosa is one of the Messengers of strong will, so how can Allaah be closer to His slaves than to His Prophet Moosa (peace be upon him), of whom He said (interpretation of the meaning): “And We called him from the right side of the Mount, and made him draw near to Us for a talk with him” [Maryam 19:52]? And Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He drew so close that he heard the scratching of the Pen – i.e., writing the Tawraat (Torah). See: Tafseer al-Qur’aan il-‘Azeem by al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (5/237).

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
When the earth is shaken with its [final] earthquake
And the earth discharges its burdens
And man says, “What is [wrong] with it?” –
That Day, it will report its news
Because your Lord has commanded it.
That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds.
So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it,
And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.(99:1-8)