We Weren’t Born Knowing, We Had to Learn

“We Weren’t Born Knowing, We Had to Learn”

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT

The Path to Learning & Teaching Qur’an
By Amal S
Bismillah (In the Name of God)
It is reported that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (radi Allahu ‘anhu) said: “Every day we are told so and so has just died. Most definitely, one day it will be said: “Umar has died.””
Let’s take that in for a second. One day, it will be said: [Insert your name] has died.
Death means time is up, opportunities are done, actions have ended. Except…              
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (the deceased).” [Sahih Muslim]
Insha’Allah (God willing) many of us are able to donate or volunteer for the first method and perhaps have offspring to cover the last method, but how then do we tap into that second goldmine of reward when most of us are not scholars? Well, there are a lot of ways one can leave behind beneficial knowledge; from organizing halaqahs (study circles) or conferences to verbally sharing the knowledge that we have with others.
There is also another way we can tap into the second gold mine of good deeds – one that can be even higher in reward than gifting a mushaf (written Qur’an)—though that is an amazing act of sadaqah jariyah!.
Learning & Teaching the Qur’an
For all the readers who read the subheading and are about to stop reading because they feel this article is no longer applicable to them – hold on, this article is exactly for you.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  said: “The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it (to others).” (Bukhari)
Perhaps when some of us read this hadith (narration), we automatically dissociate ourselves from ever possibly being included among such people and assign the promised reward to those sheikhs and sheikhas, the huffadh (those who have memorized the Qur’an), the ones born into pious, religious families – but perhaps we never thought that we could work hard and that could be us.
Are you thinking: “Me!? Become a Qur’an teacher?.. Me!?”
But then to whom is this hadith directed, if not you, O Muslim with so much potential?
A Qur’an teacher once aptly pointed out that she and other teachers of the Qur’an were not born knowing the Qur’an, they too had to learn and make mistakes. But in the end, they learned.
The Unimaginable Rewards of Teaching Qur’an
Think about it: if you teach just 1 person the Arabic alphabet and/or tajweed (rules of recitation), you could have an entire lineage and future generations of good deeds insha’Allah. This is not taking into account the good deeds accumulated through seeking knowledge and learning the Qur’an yourself.
How?
Insha’Allah you and those taught by you would at the minimum teach their future children. They would then teach their children, who would teach their children, and on and on insha’Allah. For every person in your lineage and your student’s future lineage, you could get reward for every letter of the Qur’an they recite insha’Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Allah (swt) is so Merciful (Ar-Raheem) and Generous (Al-Kareem).
Pursuing the Pleasure of Allah Ta`ala (Most High)
At this point, I would like to remind us to keep the bigger picture and goal in mind when studying the Qur’an and Islam. Here, the goal and vision is not to achieve the status of being an Ustadh (teacher) or Haafidh in and of itself. As we well know such pursuits are not for certificates, titles, or praise. It is for Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala  (exalted is He)–  to worship and please Him.
The purpose of this article is to show that learning and teaching the Qur’an is something each one of us can work towards and is thus a simple means of leaving behind knowledge that can benefit us after death. Learning the Speech of Allah is a noble way to fulfil our purpose in life and the greater end goal of drawing closer to Him (swt).
To end, learning and teaching the Qur’an is a legacy (sadaqah jaariyah, ongoing charity) of sorts that can be achieved without the resources it takes to create a charity or build an organization. It is a legacy that is accessible to many of us as it doesn’t require us to have a lot of money or rented office space. It does require sincerity, patience, and ambition, a teacher and a mushaf, some of your time, and most certainly Allah’s (swt) Bounty.
PART 2
Learning & Teaching the Qur’an
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  said: “The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it (to others).” (Bukhari)
What I recently noticed about the above hadith is that it recognizes this process and specifically says those who learn the Qur’an and teach it; it does not simply state the best of you are those who teach the Qur’an.
Those brothers and sisters who teach the Qur’an in masjids, schools, and homes are not only those Muslims who had a heritage of Islamic scholarship in their family or those who grew up in a village known for its amazing tajweed. (Ustadha and Haafidha) Kareema Carol Czerepinski is one such example – she is an American convert who went on to memorize the Qur’an, become an expert of tajweed, and author books on the subject! So if anything, I take this hadith as a push, an encouragement for every student, shop owner, and engineer to go out and strive to bethat person – to learn (continuously) and then teach (when qualified to do so).
The Time Issue
Some of us may feel busy already and wonder how they can think about taking on Qur’an lessons/studies on the side.
Students and teachers of the Qur’an have testified to how Allah ta`ala (Most High) can put barakah (blessings) in your time. He ta’ala can make your schoolwork be completed quicker or help you understand the content more easily. Allah ta’ala facilitates, and insha’Allah you will see your time management skills improve.  A sister who was studying one of the sciences of the Qur’an while at university was worried about her exams, yet she scored much higher than the previous year.  Allah can facilitate your time and affairs when we try to make some time for His Book.
Learning tajweed/recitation of the Qur’an to a level of accuracy where one is qualified to teach others may take years, but that cannot put us off – it is an investment in your iman (faith) and eternal abode in the Hereafter. We will have spent at least 12 years in full-time school, so part-time Qur’an lessons and study really isn’t a heavy or onerous commitment.
A Shaykh once said that even if someone doesn’t manage to memorize the Qur’an in the usual shorter spans of time, if a Muslim just memorizes 1 juz’  (portion) a year they can memorize the Qur’an in 30 years. Whether it takes 2, 5 or 20 years, a lifetime spent in learning the Qur’an consists of hours spent in one of the noblest pursuits – striving to draw closer to Allah ta’ala by learning His Kalaam (Words). We just need to make that intention in our heart and dedicate a bit of time to actualizing it, whether that is through 10 minutes or 2 hours a day. If we really want it, we will work towards our goal even if it takes our whole life.
And the time to do it is now – as many people will tell you, there isn’t a time when life seems to get ‘less busy’. We really don’t know how long we’ll be around for so let’s seize the moment.
Making the Intention
So will you do it? Make that intention now solely for the pleasure of Allah ta’ala. And believe in your heart that you can do this with the Help and Mercy of Allah!
As the old adage goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And that journey can be made blessed for Allah ta’ala draws closer to the one who sincerely strives to draw close to Him ta’ala. He (swt) can grant you opportunities you never imagined with you showing a sincere intention and commitment.
See Potential, Not Obstacles
Have ambition accompanied by tawakkul – look beyond your present state to the greater potential that can only be reached by the Help, Mercy, and Favour of Allah (swt).
It’s okay if you can barely get through the word ‘kataba’ at the moment, but it matters if we decide to give up, or try again and again. We know success and knowledge comes from Allah, so then there can come a point when we are not only able to reach the end of an ayah without being mentally exhausted, but can recite a page beautifully without stumbling, and feeling touched by the ayaat (verses) of Allah ta’ala!
And if you are already at that level, then we can maximize our knowledge by seeking to further our comprehension of the Qur’an as well as training to teach others.
So, let’s not give up –our Rabb is Al-Khabeer (The Fully Aware) and Most Appreciative (Al-Shakur).
Act upon the Intention
Enquire at your masjid about tajweed teachers or Islamic learning institutes in your locality. It is ideal to find a teacher/program/institute through which you can study long-term but even short-term options are good.
If you require extra flexibility and convenience through online study, I recommend http://www.studioarabiya.com/courses/quran, which provides one-to-one lessons with qualified Arabic and Qur’an teachers from the Middle East.
By the permission of Allah (swt), I hope this series encourages us to keep learning and insha’Allah one day teach the Qur’an (regardless of an intent to teach or not, learning as much as we can should apply to us all). At the end of the day, we ask Allah for guidance to that which pleases Him Ta’ala.
Mistakes and anything incorrect are from myself, I apologize if anything I wrote has offended, and all praise belongs to Allah (swt).

Gold, Diamonds and Cloth: Economic Decisions at the Masjid

Gold, Diamonds and Cloth: Economic Decisions at the Masjid

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT

By Dr. Jerry Hionis, Jr.
I believe that “Islamic” economics should start to focus on the day-to-day decisions we as Muslims make. For example, one can go to a Jum’ah (Friday) service at any masjid and see decisions Muslims make with little thought.
It is very common to see both men and women wearing some type of gold jewelry. Outside of making the correct zakat payments, most people do not put in long hours of deliberation over whether or not they should buy gold. In modern times, the production of gold has become very harmful both to the people who mine the gold and the environment that is all too often polluted by it.
Gold has had a controversial history from the conquistador raiding on early Latin America to the exploitive practices in the Western U.S. during the 19th century. The modern industry has grown into another monster completely. Outside of the social costs that it inflicts on West African nations like Ghana, the purifying process destroys both the environment and those who live near the destruction. Once gold ore is found in a mine¹ , chemicals such as cyanide and mercury are used to purify the gold from the rock, creating “slag”. In most developing countries with weak laws and even weaker government enforcement, this slag is improperly dumped on land and in rivers² . It should not be a huge stretch for one to conclude that years of dumping slag in these areas decimates the environment and causes health issues for the local population³ .
Beyond gold, it is very common to see many Muslim women (and some men) wearing diamond jewelry. Hopefully, the effects of the diamond market on many African nations, such as Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia, are well known to all. In summary, the consumption and selling of diamonds, whether labelled “conflict” or “non-conflict”, finances exploitive labor practices, war, rape, murder, drug trade/use and increased instability in governments – especially those with large Muslim populations. In fact, calling it the diamond market is a bit of a sham. It holds very little in common with most markets that the average consumer and producer partake in.
From both the consumption and production aspect, the industry is controlled (over 90% of all diamonds mine and sold throughout the world) by the De Beers corporation, a monopoly deemed criminal by the U.S. government. The cultural demand and preference for diamonds was manufactured by De Beers in an aggressive advertising campaign in the 1940’s. You know, “Diamonds are forever” and “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Says who? De Beers, that’s who. The supply is manufactured as well. Against the conventional wisdom, diamonds are not rare. Actually, they are more abundant than one would think. The market price for diamonds is so inflated because the demand is kept high and the supply is controlled, by De Beers, to be artificially low. In other words, De Beers intentionally hordes resources and wealth to keep prices high⁴ . I am not an Islamic scholar, but I find it hard to believe that these practices would be deemed mubah (allowable if necessary), makruh (avoid if possible) or even halal (permissible) by the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him).
Finally, even without gold and diamond jewelry being donned, there is one item that all Muslims will have with them at Jum’ah: clothing. Out of the three preverbal needs of any person – food, clothes and shelter – the consumption of clothing is rarely thought about entailing an ethical or religious component. The recent tragedy of the Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh in April has made many start to ask where and how their clothing is made. Unfortunately, the problems of “sweatshop” labor and inhumane working conditions is an industry-wide issue that has been associated with the textile industry since its industrial conception.
The garment industry has had a historical “race to the bottom” structure, where production shifts locations in order to find lower labor costs. The modern industrial textile industry has raced from England, to the rural south and industrial north of America, to Central America, to West African nations and is now located in Southeast Asia. With low standards of living, labor costs in these countries are extremely minute compared to those found in Japan and the U.S.⁵ In economics, a good such as clothing is known as a labor-intensive good; that is, the major input in production is hands-on labor. Therefore, production will always move to where the labor is cheapest. These garments are then sold in America, Europe, and parts of the Middle-East, all with high standards of living, at higher prices. Even with transportation cost and retail overhead, the profit margins are substantial.
All this makes perfect sense theoretically. Globalization and free-trade supporters claim this to be the natural mechanism of the market and all are winners in the long-run. Opponents of globalization counter by saying that there are always winners and losers in the market, especially in the short-run, and the long-term effects lead to an increasing divergence in economic growth. Leaving this argument aside, the question for the Muslim should be: is it ethical and in line with the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ?
In her book The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, Pietra Rivoli intensely examines the textile industry. As the production of clothing moves across the globe over time, one constant is that the majority of laborers in the market are women – usually, widowed or divorced – who have children to support. Rivoli shows that these women were and are⁶ preferred workers because, having dependents to support, they tend to accept lower wages, endure worse working conditions, work longer hours, take more abuse, complain less and, in general, are unaware of the country’s labor laws. In China for example, the huji, or hukou, system, where one is assigned an area that they are allowed to reside, has a direct effect on the exploitation of labor in the industry. Many leave their government assigned areas to go work in the urban textile factories. Because these workers are not designated residents where the factories are located, they must work longer hours for lower wages and no benefits and many even sleep in the factories to avoid travel costs. Of course, with a rising middle class in China, Chinese labor costs have been slowly rising and textile production has raced to other countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
People are starting to now check the tags on their clothing and ask questions. Unfortunately, checking to see if the tag says “Made in ________” does not give one the full story of their garment. Like the fallacy of diamonds labeled “non-conflict”, the production of a t-shirt, a pair of socks, a pair of pants, a thobe, has many steps in many countries in many factories with varying conditions. Just because your kameez (shirt) says “Made in Pakistan” does not mean exploitive labor practices were avoided in all stages of production.
For the most part, all this is legal and theoretically efficient, but are these practices in accord with the Prophetic tradition? Again, I unabashedly admit that I am not an Islamic scholar. Yet the seerah (biography) of the Prophet ﷺ consistently mentions his reputation as an honest and fair dealing trader. There is no shortage of hadith (narrations) that refer to trading and the importance the Prophet ﷺ put on clear, honest and transparent transactions, especially on labor.
If the Pope himself condemns the labor practices in Bangladesh and labels them “slave labor”⁷ , why has the Muslim community not been at the forefront of this issue – especially given that the majority of Bengalis are Muslims? Muslims should not be supporting the various movements and organizations that fight to change these practices. Muslims should BE those fighting for change, whether those being exploited are Muslim or not.

1. Again, we will ignore here the horrific and inhumane conditions that many of the laborers must work in to produce menial wages. For those inclined, see Perlez and Bergman’s article “Tangled Strands in Fight over Peru Gold Mine” in The New York Times October 25, 2005
2. See Perlez, Jane and Johnson, Kirk. “Behind Gold Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions”. The New York Times October 24, 2005
3. See Perlez, Jane and Johnson, Kirk. “Behind Gold Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions”. The New York Times October 24, 2005
4. There is no shortage of resources on the subject from movies, books, articles and documentaries. In fact, reading any historical, economic or political account of a West African nation is bound to dedicate a substantial amount of time to the diamond industry. That being said, the most iconic book on the subject is Greg Campbell’s Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s most Precious Stones.
5. For a comparison: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/9/895/indias-textile-wet-processing5.asp
6. Al-Mahmood. “Bangladesh’s garment industry still offers women best work opportunity.” The Guardian, May 23, 2013. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/may/23/bangladesh-garment-industry-women-opportunity
7. “Pope condemns Bangladesh ‘slave labour”’. Al Jazeera, May 2, 2013.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/05/2013525185257206.html

THE TRUSTEE

The Trustee Posted: 10 Sep 2013 05:00 AM PDT Who do you trust? Who is that one person that gives you an internal tranquility, no matter what you entrust them with? For some of us it might be our mother or father, perhaps a best friend or our spouse. That trust gives us confidence, conviction and peace. In reality though, we do not trust them in a fully comprehensive sense. We might trust them to be there for us, or trust them not to judge us harshly when we make a mistake. But would we trust our best friend to be our lawyer in court if she is a fashion designer and is not particularly eloquent? So our trust is in regards to certain things. What elements would have to be there in order for someone to have our trust 100%? There are three main elements: The person is an expert in what they do: you might not trust your fashion designer best friend to be your lawyer, but you would trust the Harvard-educated lawyer who is known never to have lost a case (let’s call him “Adam”). The person is a moral person: Even if Adam is an amazing lawyer, if you weren’t sure about his moral character, you still wouldn’t be completely at ease. You might be afraid that he would cheat you out of your money for example. But if Adam is also an amazingly upright human being, you would be happier to give him a power-of-attorney. The person cares about you specifically: now imagine if Adam happens to be your close uncle who always treated you as his own child. Doesn’t that increase the trust, confidence and certainty? You absolutely know that Uncle Adam will you get you through it all. While Allah is far above any analogy, the above example just breaks down the concept of trust for us. While I can simply introduce Allah as al-Wakeel, or the Trustee, many of us don’t know what truly trusting in Him means—or what it means when He tells us that He is the Ultimate Trustee. Al-Ghazali explains that al-Wakeel “is the one to whom the matters have been entrusted. But one who has received such a trust may be either one to whom some matters have been entrusted—that one is deficient, or one to whom all matters have been entrusted—and that pertains only to God Most High.” Trusting someone in that complete sense in all circumstances can be hard. We can’t even trust ourselves that much. But that’s why Allah puts us at ease. He says: “And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.” [Qur’an, 4:132] Allah is telling us that everything in this world is His. He is reminding us of that fact. He also says: “And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt [Allah] with His praise.” [Qur’an, 25:58] As well as: “[He is] the Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him, so take Him as Disposer of [your] affairs.” [Qur’an, 73:9] In these verses, Allah is reminding us of His Power. To Allah belongs everything, and moreover, He doesn’t die. Even the human being you trust the most could pass away. Allah does not. So when you trust in Him, don’t worry, “And rely upon Allah; and sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.” [Qur’an, 33:3] In practical terms, this means two things. Firstly, that we work as hard as we can with the means given to us. This might seem like a reoccurring theme, and it is. Allah is teaching us through His Names and attributes that we need to work. But being intimately acquainted with Allah means that conviction, confidence and internal tranquility as we strive, because we have already surrendered to Allah. And this is the second element. While we work for a particular result through the avenues available to us, we have absolutely no doubt that Allah will get us through to whatever is best, because indeed He is the Trustee. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) says: “If you were to rely on Allah as He should be relied on, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning hungry and return in the evening full.” [Tirmidhi] The bird does its part. It flies out in the morning in search for food. Now the bird has no reason to believe that she will find any food. She wakes up without any food at all. But still she leaves her nest. And Allah provides. Most of us stop ourselves from doing the right thing because we are afraid that we won’t be able to follow through, or that something is too difficult. But Allah is telling us to strive and have trust. The result is on Him. Hajar, the wife of the Prophet Ibrahim `alayhi sallatu wa sallam (may God send his peace and blessings on him), is truly an epitome of what it means to have trust. When Ibrahim left her and their infant son in the desert, she was baffled. But then she asked him, “did Allah command you to do this?” and he (as) responded in the affirmative. So she accepted the decree. She knew God would not leave her or her son. She was a person who knew Allah. This didn’t stop her from striving. When baby Isma’el started crying, she ran back and forth between the mounts of Safa and Marwa seven times. Never once do we hear her bitter or resentful. She continued to search. Because she knew Allah would not leave them. And Allah rewarded that trust with the well of Zamzam, which we still drink from today. And Allah does not want us to forget that lesson, which is why when we go on Hajj [great pilgrimage] or Umrah [lesser pilgrimage], we follow in the steps of Hajar, going seven times between the mounts of Safa and Marwa. It is called the “sa`y”, which means “the striving”. A question that may be on people’s minds is that what if we work, but after the striving we are in a worse off position—does that mean that Allah has not fulfilled His trust? To answer this question, let’s go back to the example of our seasoned lawyer Uncle Adam. If Uncle Adam tells you to enter into a plea bargain instead of fight, wouldn’t you trust his advice? It might seem like a temporary failure and it definitely isn’t what you want, but in actual fact, that is actually the best way to get you to your goal. Of course, with Uncle Adam it could just be that he can’t help you, and the plea bargain is the best he can do. But you still trust that he knows what he’s doing. With Allah the concept of impossibility does not exist. So our trust in Him should be infinitely greater, because whatever happens is out of His wisdom and has nothing to do with His ability. Look at the example of the Prophet Yusuf (as). He went to jail for years. ‘Where was Allah?’ Some may ask. Allah was there all along. Allah brought to Yusuf (as) the two prisoners. It was through the prison that he then interpreted the dream of the king, everyone knew he was innocent, and then he was reunited with his family. While from the outside it seems like a punishment, it is simply one of the stops on the road. The journey hasn’t ended. Having tawakkul (trust in God) is the difference between despairing in those moments and pushing through with a tranquil soul and hopefulness. Moreover, sometimes we make mistakes in our striving. Uncle Adam can still win the case, but we also have to deal with the consequences of our mistakes and learn from them. So if we miscalculated in our striving, it does not mean that Allah will leave us. When some of the Muslims disobeyed the Prophet ﷺ in the Battle of Uhud and as a result suffered severe losses, that wasn’t the end for them. It was a setback. But they learned. So don’t let your own mistakes make you lose hope—but don’t ignore the fact that you made a mistake either. Learn from it, move on, and have trust. The Signs of Tawakkul Amr Khaled mentions some of the signs of tawakkul: The remembrance of Allah, even in difficult circumstances. A person who has tawakkul is a person who is connected to His Lord. The remembrance of Allah is a constant, whether that person is in situations of ease or hardship. Look at the Prophet Ibrahim (as). He was sixteen years old when his people were going to throw him in the fire. Ibrahim (as) was calm; he simply said, “Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the Best Trustee.” He was always with Allah. So Allah said “O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham” [Surat al-Anbiya, 21:69]. This wouldn’t have been possible if Ibrahim (as) was not a person who remembered Allah. Your hope does not decrease when your means do. Sometimes our hope is dependent to our means. If we see that we have few means, then we do not strive. We lose hope. But tawakkul means that the conviction in our hearts does not falter even when our means do. Imagine someone who was so hopeful in Egypt after the January 25th revolution, yet is now faced with another military government. Tawakkul means this person is still hopeful, despite the odds. When Allah took Khadija radi Allahu `anha (may Allah be pleased with her) and his uncle Abu Talib from the Prophet ﷺ, he didn’t give up. He went to Ta’if to seek shelter. Even after he was kicked out, he sought help from the tribes during the Hajj season. The means had to change, there was a period of waiting, but in his heart, the Prophet ﷺ still had complete trust in Allah. Ten years after having to leave Makkah, he returned to it victorious and merciful. You do not use sin as your means. Your income has to be halaal (from permissible means). If you pursue haraam livelihood (i.e. by the forbidden means), you don’t truly have trust in Allah because you do not believe that He can provide for you from halaal means. The only exception is in circumstances of dire need (a technical term that has its own conditions in Islamic jurisprudence). You are not excessive in your fear of the future. All of us worry a little, and that is natural. But some people are paralyzed by that fear, constantly in a state of worry about their future, whether it is fear for their livelihoods, children and so on. That is not healthy for us. Worry will not help us in any practical sense. If we do have a problem with our livelihoods, for instance, being in a state of agitation simply adds another problem. Why have two problems instead of one? Allah reminds that “Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” [Qur’an, 13:28] Striving with the limbs, submitting with the heart. The Prophet ﷺ planned and worked hard. He put Ali (ra) in his bed as decoy when he was going to migrate to Madina. He waited until the evening so that they could leave discreetly. They covered their tracks. This is the external effort that is required of all of us when we undertake a task. At the same time, he knew that only Allah could save them. This is where the internal component comes in. Allah shows us what happened when they were in the cave as they were hiding from Quriesh, and Abu Bakr (ra) was worried that they would see them: “Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.’ And Allah sent down his tranquility upon him and supported him with angels you did not see…” [Qur’an, 9:40] See which of these five signs you can tick off, and work on strengthening them and adding to them. The result will be a content heart and wise actions, insha’Allah. Some Du`a’ (Supplications) The Prophet ﷺ trains us to have this trust in some supplications that he used to make: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever says, when he leaves his house, بسم الله توكلنا على الله و لا حول ولا قوة الا بالله Bismillah tawakalna `ala Allah wa la hawla wala quwwata ila billah ‘In the name of Allah. I have relied on Allah and there is no power nor strength except by Allah’ will be told, ‘You have been guided, spared and protected,’ and Shaytan will be kept far from him.” [Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and others] The Prophet ﷺ said whoever says: حسبي الله لا اله الا هو عليه توكلت وهو رب العرش العظيم Hasby Allah, la ilaha ila huwa, ‘alayhi tawakalt wa huwa Rabb al-’arsh al-’adheem Sufficient is Allah for me, in Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the formidable throne seven times in the morning and evening, Allah will spare him what worries him. [Abu Dawud] Make Allah make of those who embody true trust in him, like Muhammad ﷺ, Ibrahim (as), and Hajar (as).

Four Poisons of the Heart

Four Poisons of the Heart

 1. Unnecessary Talking

Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ...

"A person who talks too much is a person who often makes mistakes, and someone who often makes mistakes, often has wrong actions. The Fire has a priority over such a frequent sinner."

2. Unrestrained Glances

It has been related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said words to the effect:
"The glance is a poisoned arrow of shaytaan. Whoever lowers his gaze for Allah, He will bestow upon him a refreshing sweetness which he will find in his heart on the day that he meets Him."

3. Too Much Food

Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'd Yakrib said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"The son of Adam fills no vessel more displeasing to Allah than his stomach. A few morsels should be enough for him to preserve his strength. If he must fill it, then he should allow a third for his food, a third for his drink and leave a third empty for easy breathing."

4. Keeping Bad Company

Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said:
"The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is I like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof."

 

 

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