Following the Sunnah (Taken from the book of assistance)
-Adhere to the sunnah, outwardly and inwardly.
-Make the sunnah habitual to you so you will get rewarded for the small actions you do every day, like brushing your teeth, etc.
Some sunnahs we can adhere to in our daily life:
1) Begin everything with "bismillah"
2) Always form a good intention:
-When putting on clothes:
-intend to cover what Allah ordered you to cover.
-Put on your right sleeve first, always start with the right. When taking off clothes start with the left.
-Say: "Praised and thanked be Allah, who clothed me in this garment and granted it me without any ability or power on my part"
3) Utter only words of goodness:
- Everything that's forbidden to say is forbidden to listen to.
-Do not interrupt anyone, unless what they are speaking is a sin: backbiting, etc.
-If someone says something you already know, don't tell them you know it and let them continue their speech.
-Don't get into what doesn't concern you.
-Don't swear by Allah too much, only when necessary.
-Don't say anything ugly.
-Think before you speak. If it's good then say it, if not then stay silent.
Hadith: "Everything that the son of Adam says is against him, not for him, except if it be remembering Allah, enjoining good, or forbidding evil."
4) Walking:
-Walk only to something good or necessary.
-Walk humbly, not too fast and not too slow. The Prophet (pbuh) used to walk powerfully, as if going down hill, he walked with a purpose.
-When called, the Prophet (pbuh) would stop but he wouldn't turn around.
5) Sitting:
-Try to sit in the direction of the Qibla
-Make sure your private parts are covered
-Refrain from fidgeting, excessive scratching, or yawning in people's faces.
-If you do yawn, cover your mouth with your left hand.
-Too much laughter kills the heart, try to convert your laughter into smiles.
-Before you get up say:
"Subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdika, ash-hadu an la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk"
"Transcendent are you, O Allah, and praised by Your praises, I bear wintess that there is no God but You, I seek Your forgiveness and repent onto you"
-Whoever says so is forgiven anything sin they may have done while sitting.
6) When sleeping:
-Lay down on your right side
-Face the Qibla
-Repent from the sins of your day
-Intend to wakeup for worship
-Say: "In your name of Allah, my Lord, do I rest my side, and in Your name do I raise it, so forgive me my sin. O Allah, protect me from your chastisement on the day when you gather your servants" (3 times)
-Say: "SubhanAllah" (33 times), "Alhamdulillah" (33 times), and "Allahu Akbar" (34 times).
-Make wudu before you go to bed.
-Don't get use to comfortable beds so you don't sleep too much.
-Take a nap during the day (for 20 minutes or so).
-Avoid sleep after fajr, after asr, and before isha.
-When you see a good dream, thank Allah for it.
-When you see a bad dream: Ask Allah for His protection from evil, spit 3 times to your left side, turn over to your other side, and don't speak about it.
-Recite ayat al-kursi
7) Eating and drinking:
-Always begin with "bismillah"
-Conclude with "Alhamdulillah"
-Eat and drink with your right hand
-Wash your hands before and after eating
-Eat small bites
-Chew well
-Don't read for more food before you swallow what's in your mouth
-Eat from the sides of the bowl and not from the middle
-If you drop food, pick it up, clean it and eat it. Don't leave it for the devil.
-Use your index finger, middle finger and thumb
-Lick your fingers when you're done eating
-Eat from what's infront of you
-Don't speak while food is in your mouth.
-If you need to spit or blow your nose do somewhere else, or at least turn your head away from others.
-When you eat at someone's house praise them and make dua for them
-NEVER criticize food, no matter how bad it is
-Don't make food your prime concern
-Hadith: "The worst of my nation are those who eat luxurious food and their bodies grow on it. Their concern lies only in the different kinds of food and clothing, and they speak pretentiously"
-Sayydina Ali said: "The one whose main concern is what enters his belly is as valuable as that which comes out of it"
-Strive to only eat halal food
-Don't over eat
-Don't eat too often, only eat when you are hungry
When drinking...
-Sip water and don't gulp it down
-Always drink while sitting
-Stop to breathe 3 times while drinking
-Don't breathe into the cup
-Don't drink from a cracked cup
-Don't drink water that was uncovered overnight
8) When using the bathroom:
-Wear shoes when you enter the bathroom
-enter with your left foot, and exit with your right foot
-When entering, say: "In the name of Allah. O Allah, I seek Your protection from male and female demons"
-When exiting, say: "I seek Your forgiveness! Praised be Allah who removed harm from me and make me healthy"
-Do not say Allah's name except in your heart
-Do not take anything with you which has Allah's name
-Speak only when necessary
-Clean yourself with your left hand
Friday, October 26, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Thursday October 18th
Scrupulousness
-Somebody who is scrupulous is someone who is very concerned to avoid doing wrong.
Hadith:
Bukhari and Muslim relate on the authority of Ibn Bashir (r) that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear. But between the two are ambiguous matters not known to many people. Whosoever avoids these matters, has preserved his honour and his religion intact. But whosoever falls into them shall fall into the unlawful..."
The Prophet (pbuh) was the most scrupulous:
On the authority of Aba Hurayra that the Prophet said: "Sometimes when I return to my family, I find a date on my bed or elsewhere in my house, and raise it to my mouth, but then fear that it might be from someone's charity, so I put it aside." [Despite his absolute poverty, the Blessed Prophet was not permitted to accept charity.]
-The works of those who live on unlawful resources are rejected because Allah is Good and accepts only that which is good.
-Hadith:
"The prayers of a man who buys a garment for ten dirhams one of which is unlawful will not be accepted by Allah as long as he is wearing any part of it"
-If this is the case when it comes to a garment in which 10% of it is bought with unlawful money, what's the case when all of the money used is unlawful?
-And if this is a case with something that is worn, what is the case with the unlawful food we eat that becomes part of our bodies and runs through our veins?
2 categories of the prohibited:
1) Things prohibited in themselves: alcohol, pork, etc.
2) Things that are lawful but are owned by other people, they are prohibited unless given or sold to one.
Degrees of doubtful things:
1) Something you are almost convinced is prohibited but there is a slight chance that it might be lawful. (ex. a turkey sandwich that your classmate gives you. Most likely the turkey is not halal because your friend is not Muslim, but there is a slight chance that it may be halal)
-In this case one must consider the thing prohibited.
2) Something you are almost convinced is lawful but there is a slight chance that it might be prohibited. (ex. some chocolate that you are about to enjoy that has a creamy filling. Most likely the chocolate is halal, however their is a very slight chance that the filling might have alcohol in it. However, you can't check it and you are pretty sure it's safe)
-In this case you are allowed to eat the chocolate. However, it is best to avoid it out of scrupulousness.
3) Something that can be equally halal or haram (50-50 chance). About this the Prophet (pbuh) has said:
"Leave that which is suspect in favor of that which is not".
3 kinds of people we run into:
1) People we know to be good and virtuous, trust them.
-you may eat their food and deal with them without asking
2) People you know nothing about.
-When you deal with such people you should try to ask and inquire about the things they give you, yet you should do it gently. If you feel that they will get hurt by your question then you should avoid it.
3) People you know are wrongdoers.
-You should avoid dealing with such people and if they happen to give you something you should reject it.
This is a quick summary of what we spoke about. Feel free to ask any questions if anything is unclear.
-Somebody who is scrupulous is someone who is very concerned to avoid doing wrong.
Hadith:
Bukhari and Muslim relate on the authority of Ibn Bashir (r) that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "The lawful is clear, and the unlawful is clear. But between the two are ambiguous matters not known to many people. Whosoever avoids these matters, has preserved his honour and his religion intact. But whosoever falls into them shall fall into the unlawful..."
The Prophet (pbuh) was the most scrupulous:
On the authority of Aba Hurayra that the Prophet said: "Sometimes when I return to my family, I find a date on my bed or elsewhere in my house, and raise it to my mouth, but then fear that it might be from someone's charity, so I put it aside." [Despite his absolute poverty, the Blessed Prophet was not permitted to accept charity.]
-The works of those who live on unlawful resources are rejected because Allah is Good and accepts only that which is good.
-Hadith:
"The prayers of a man who buys a garment for ten dirhams one of which is unlawful will not be accepted by Allah as long as he is wearing any part of it"
-If this is the case when it comes to a garment in which 10% of it is bought with unlawful money, what's the case when all of the money used is unlawful?
-And if this is a case with something that is worn, what is the case with the unlawful food we eat that becomes part of our bodies and runs through our veins?
2 categories of the prohibited:
1) Things prohibited in themselves: alcohol, pork, etc.
2) Things that are lawful but are owned by other people, they are prohibited unless given or sold to one.
Degrees of doubtful things:
1) Something you are almost convinced is prohibited but there is a slight chance that it might be lawful. (ex. a turkey sandwich that your classmate gives you. Most likely the turkey is not halal because your friend is not Muslim, but there is a slight chance that it may be halal)
-In this case one must consider the thing prohibited.
2) Something you are almost convinced is lawful but there is a slight chance that it might be prohibited. (ex. some chocolate that you are about to enjoy that has a creamy filling. Most likely the chocolate is halal, however their is a very slight chance that the filling might have alcohol in it. However, you can't check it and you are pretty sure it's safe)
-In this case you are allowed to eat the chocolate. However, it is best to avoid it out of scrupulousness.
3) Something that can be equally halal or haram (50-50 chance). About this the Prophet (pbuh) has said:
"Leave that which is suspect in favor of that which is not".
3 kinds of people we run into:
1) People we know to be good and virtuous, trust them.
-you may eat their food and deal with them without asking
2) People you know nothing about.
-When you deal with such people you should try to ask and inquire about the things they give you, yet you should do it gently. If you feel that they will get hurt by your question then you should avoid it.
3) People you know are wrongdoers.
-You should avoid dealing with such people and if they happen to give you something you should reject it.
This is a quick summary of what we spoke about. Feel free to ask any questions if anything is unclear.
Friday, October 19, 2007
October 10th: Iftar & halaqah at Ferozan's
Major signs of the day of judgment
-We started by briefly mentioning some of the minor signs of the day of judgment. We also mentioned how all of the minor signs have happened already and we are waiting for the major signs.
-With the start of the first major sign repentance is no longer accepted. So someone who wants to become Muslim after that point cannot do it, someone who wants to start praying, or someone who wants to start wearing hijab also cannot because the door for repentance will close.
The 6 Major Signs:
1) The sun:
-One day people will wait for the sun to rise as it does every morning but it won't.
-There will be 3 days of complete darkness and eventually the sun will rise from the west.
-This is most likely the first major sign.
-After the sun rises from the west it will remain up for 1 whole year, it will finally set and then rise again and remain for 1 month, then it will set and rise to remain for one whole week after which it will set and then rise for normal length days.
-When the Prophet (pbuh) told this to the sahabah, they asked "How will we pray when the sun remains for a year?". The Prophet told them to estimate the prayer times for each day and pray.
-HADITH: "The day of judgement will not arise until the sun rises from the west. When it rises from the west and people see it, they will all believe. Yet that is when belief will not benefit a person if they hadn't believed before then..." (paraphrased)
-This first sign will happen all of a sudden, no previous warnings.
2) The beast:
-This is an animal that walks on four, it has a lot of hair that people cannot tell its front from its back. It also speaks to people. It is large in size, one of its footsteps goes as far as its eyes can see.
-It comes carrying the stick of Prophet Musa and the ring of Prophet Sulaiman.
-It will touch the disbelievers with Prophet Sulaiman's ring and mark their foreheads with the word "Kafer/non-believer".
-It will touch the believers with Prophet Musa's stick and mark their foreheads with the word "Mu'min/Believer"
-People will refer to each other with their new names at that time. They will call each other: "O Mu'min", or "O Kafir"
3) The smoke:
-The smoke appears everywhere and it hovers over people's heads
-For the disbeliever the smoke will make their heads burn
-For the believers the effect of the smoke will be like they have slight congestion/cold
-Read Surat "Addukhan"
4) The Dajjal:
-He is a human being, said to be Jewish
-He is very tall, has long curly hair
-His right eye is wiped
-His left eye budges out like a grape
-Only the believers see the word "Kafer/non-believer" written on his forehead.
-Reciting the first 4 verses of surah al-Kahf will protect the believers from him
-He will come out during a tough time when there is no food or drink, everyone is hungry... even the believers.
-He will provide food and drink for people and ask them to worship him and they will.
-Only the firm believers will disbelieve in him
-This is a great fitna/tirbulation. Imagine being so hungry and someone comes along and tells you: "I'll give you all the food you need but you have to believe that I am your Lord"... who will stand this test?
-The true believers will refuse to believe in him and their food will be the remembrance of Allah. That's why it's important for us to remember Allah often at times of ease. We cannot all of a sudden start remembering Allah when we need him, it doesn't work that way.
-He will last on earth for 40 days. The first day will be a year long, the second day will be a month long, the third day will be a week long and the rest of the days after that will be normal days.
-He can only be killed by Prophet Isa.
5) Prophet Isa:
-Prophet Isa will descend from the sky in Syria
-He will enter the masjid while the believers are praying the fajr prayer
-He will refuse to lead the people in prayer as it may symbolize that he should be followed. He comes down as a follower of Prophet Muhammad.
-The dajjal will die from smelling Prophet Isa. Prophet Isa's pure and beautiful smell is not something that the dajjal can survive, he will melt like salt when he smells him.
-Prophet Isa will rule the earth for 40 years after the Dajjal.
6) Gog and Magog:
-Gog and Magog are two large tribes of people.
-They have been trapped beneath a wall since the time of Dhul-Qarnayn (Read the story in Surat al-Kahf)
-When they come out their number will be in the millions. They will destroy and eat everything in their way
-No one can stand in their way or fight them
-The only way to get rid of them is by Prophet Isa and the believers dua
-They will make dua on the mountain of "Tur" until Allah sends down a disease that will kill them all
-Allah will then send down birds that have necks that are as long as the necks of camels. These birds will pick up all of the bodies and throw them in the sea.
-Allah will then make the sky rain until the earth is purified from the filth of Gog and Magog
After Gog and magog, people will live peacefully on earth for a while. Children will play with snakes and they will not be harmed, sheep will graze with lions peacefully. Eventually a beautiful smell will come down that will take the souls of all of the believers. Only the non-believers will survive and that is when the day of judgment will occur.
-We started by briefly mentioning some of the minor signs of the day of judgment. We also mentioned how all of the minor signs have happened already and we are waiting for the major signs.
-With the start of the first major sign repentance is no longer accepted. So someone who wants to become Muslim after that point cannot do it, someone who wants to start praying, or someone who wants to start wearing hijab also cannot because the door for repentance will close.
The 6 Major Signs:
1) The sun:
-One day people will wait for the sun to rise as it does every morning but it won't.
-There will be 3 days of complete darkness and eventually the sun will rise from the west.
-This is most likely the first major sign.
-After the sun rises from the west it will remain up for 1 whole year, it will finally set and then rise again and remain for 1 month, then it will set and rise to remain for one whole week after which it will set and then rise for normal length days.
-When the Prophet (pbuh) told this to the sahabah, they asked "How will we pray when the sun remains for a year?". The Prophet told them to estimate the prayer times for each day and pray.
-HADITH: "The day of judgement will not arise until the sun rises from the west. When it rises from the west and people see it, they will all believe. Yet that is when belief will not benefit a person if they hadn't believed before then..." (paraphrased)
-This first sign will happen all of a sudden, no previous warnings.
2) The beast:
-This is an animal that walks on four, it has a lot of hair that people cannot tell its front from its back. It also speaks to people. It is large in size, one of its footsteps goes as far as its eyes can see.
-It comes carrying the stick of Prophet Musa and the ring of Prophet Sulaiman.
-It will touch the disbelievers with Prophet Sulaiman's ring and mark their foreheads with the word "Kafer/non-believer".
-It will touch the believers with Prophet Musa's stick and mark their foreheads with the word "Mu'min/Believer"
-People will refer to each other with their new names at that time. They will call each other: "O Mu'min", or "O Kafir"
3) The smoke:
-The smoke appears everywhere and it hovers over people's heads
-For the disbeliever the smoke will make their heads burn
-For the believers the effect of the smoke will be like they have slight congestion/cold
-Read Surat "Addukhan"
4) The Dajjal:
-He is a human being, said to be Jewish
-He is very tall, has long curly hair
-His right eye is wiped
-His left eye budges out like a grape
-Only the believers see the word "Kafer/non-believer" written on his forehead.
-Reciting the first 4 verses of surah al-Kahf will protect the believers from him
-He will come out during a tough time when there is no food or drink, everyone is hungry... even the believers.
-He will provide food and drink for people and ask them to worship him and they will.
-Only the firm believers will disbelieve in him
-This is a great fitna/tirbulation. Imagine being so hungry and someone comes along and tells you: "I'll give you all the food you need but you have to believe that I am your Lord"... who will stand this test?
-The true believers will refuse to believe in him and their food will be the remembrance of Allah. That's why it's important for us to remember Allah often at times of ease. We cannot all of a sudden start remembering Allah when we need him, it doesn't work that way.
-He will last on earth for 40 days. The first day will be a year long, the second day will be a month long, the third day will be a week long and the rest of the days after that will be normal days.
-He can only be killed by Prophet Isa.
5) Prophet Isa:
-Prophet Isa will descend from the sky in Syria
-He will enter the masjid while the believers are praying the fajr prayer
-He will refuse to lead the people in prayer as it may symbolize that he should be followed. He comes down as a follower of Prophet Muhammad.
-The dajjal will die from smelling Prophet Isa. Prophet Isa's pure and beautiful smell is not something that the dajjal can survive, he will melt like salt when he smells him.
-Prophet Isa will rule the earth for 40 years after the Dajjal.
6) Gog and Magog:
-Gog and Magog are two large tribes of people.
-They have been trapped beneath a wall since the time of Dhul-Qarnayn (Read the story in Surat al-Kahf)
-When they come out their number will be in the millions. They will destroy and eat everything in their way
-No one can stand in their way or fight them
-The only way to get rid of them is by Prophet Isa and the believers dua
-They will make dua on the mountain of "Tur" until Allah sends down a disease that will kill them all
-Allah will then send down birds that have necks that are as long as the necks of camels. These birds will pick up all of the bodies and throw them in the sea.
-Allah will then make the sky rain until the earth is purified from the filth of Gog and Magog
After Gog and magog, people will live peacefully on earth for a while. Children will play with snakes and they will not be harmed, sheep will graze with lions peacefully. Eventually a beautiful smell will come down that will take the souls of all of the believers. Only the non-believers will survive and that is when the day of judgment will occur.
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