September 28th

Explanation of Surat al-Qadr (from the tafsir of Ibn Kathir)
Iftar & halaqah at Qudsia & Rubina's house

Surah #97

1. Verily, We have sent it down in the Night of Al-Qadr.
--(We sent it down on a blessed night.) (44:3) This is the Night of Al-Qadr and it occurs during the month of Ramadan.

2. And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr is
--Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah "When Ramadan would come, the Messenger of Allah would say, (Verily, the month of Ramadan has come to you all. It is a blessed month, which Allah has obligated you all to fast. During it the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are shackled. In it there is a night that is better than one thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good, then he has truly been deprived.)'' An-Nasa'i recorded this same Hadith.

3. The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
--Aside from the fact that worship during the Night of Al-Qadr is equivalent to worship performed for a period of one thousand months, it is also confirmed in the Two Sahihs from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said, (Whoever stands (in prayer) during the Night of Al-Qadr with faith and expecting reward (from Allah), he will be forgiven for his previous sins.)

4. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord's permission with every matter.
--meaning, the angels descend in abundance during the Night of Al-Qadr due to its abundant blessings. The angels descend with the descending of blessings and mercy, just as they descend when the Qur'an is recited, they surround the circles of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and they lower their wings with true respect for the student of knowledge. In reference to Ar-Ruh, it is said that here it means the angel Jibril.

5. There is peace until the appearance of dawn.
--"It is security in which Shaytan cannot do any evil or any harm.'' Qatadah and others have said, "The matters are determined during it, and the times of death and provisions are measured out (i.e., decided) during it.''

Specifying the Night of Decree and its Signs

This is supported by what Imam Ahmad recorded from `Ubadah bin As-Samit that the Messenger of Allah said:

(The Night of Al-Qadr occurs during the last ten (nights). Whoever stands for them (in prayer) seeking their reward, then indeed Allah will forgive his previous sins and his latter sins. It is an odd night: the ninth, or the seventh, or the fifth, or the third or the last night (of Ramadan).)

The Messenger of Allah also said:
(Verily, the sign of the Night of Al-Qadr is that it is pure and glowing as if there were a bright, tranquil, calm moon during it. It is not cold, nor is it hot, and no shooting star is permitted until morning. Its sign is that the sun appears on the morning following it smooth having no rays on it, just like the moon on a full moon night. Shaytan is not allowed to come out with it (the sun) on that day.)

The Messenger of Allah also said "It (laylatul qadr) is in every Ramadan".

Supplication during the Night of Decree

It is recommended to supplicate often during all times, especially during the month of Ramadan, in the last ten nights, and during the odd nights of it even more so. It is recommended that one say the following supplication a lot: "O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.'' This is due to what Imam Ahmad recorded from `A'ishah, that she said, "O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Al-Qadr what should I say'' He replied, (Say: "O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.'') At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah have all recorded this Hadith.

September 20th

Dunya vs. the Hereafter
Halaqah & iftar at sr. Komila's house.

We made a quick comparison between this temporal world and eternal world in jannah or the hellfire. We also spoke about the people of al-Aaraf. Here's an explanation of the verses:

Surah # 7: Al-Aaraf. Verses 46-48 (taken from tafsir of ibn Kathir)
46. And between them will be a (barrier) screen and on Al-A`raf will be men, who would recognize all, by their marks. And they will call out to the dwellers of Paradise, "Peace be on you'' and at that time they will not yet have entered it (Paradise), but they will hope to enter (it).

--(And between them will be a screen) "It is the wall, it is Al-A`raf.'' Mujahid said, "Al-A`raf is a barrier between Paradise and the Fire, a wall that has a gate.'' Ibn Jarir said, "Al-A`raf is plural for `Urf, where every elevated piece of land is known as `Urf to the Arabs.'' As-Suddi said, "Al-A`raf is so named because its residents recognize (Ya`rifun) the people. Al-A`raf's residents are those whose good and bad deeds are equal, as Hudhayfah, Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and several of the Salaf and later generations said.'' Ibn Jarir recorded that Hudhayfah was asked about the people of Al-A`raf and he said, "A people whose good and bad deeds are equal. Their evil deeds prevented them from qualifying to enter Paradise, and their good deeds qualified them to avoid the Fire. Therefore, they are stopped there on the wall until Allah judges them.''

47. And when their eyes will be turned towards the dwellers of the Fire, they will say: "Our Lord! Place us not with the people who are wrongdoers.''

--Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "When the people of Al-A`raf look at the people of the Fire and recognize them, they will supplicate, `O Lord! Do not place us with the people who are wrongdoers.''

48. And the men on Al-A`raf will call unto the men whom they would recognize by their marks, saying: "Of what benefit to you was your gathering, and your arrogance'') (49. "Are they those, of whom you swore that Allah would never show them mercy (Behold! It has been said to them): `Enter Paradise, no fear shall be on you, nor shall you grieve.'

--Allah states that the people of Al-A`raf will admonish some of the chiefs of the idolators whom they recognize by their marks in the Fire, saying, ("Of what benefit to you was your gathering...'') meaning, your great numbers.

--(Are they those, of whom you swore that Allah would never show them mercy) refers to the people of Al-A`raf who will be told when Allah decrees: "Behold! It has been said to them): "Enter Paradise, no fear shall be on you, nor shall you grieve.''


__________________________________________
The people of al-Aaraf will be eventually entered into Jannah out of Allah's mercy.

September 15th

Halaqah, iftar, & taraweeh at sr. Alema's house. If you have notes from this halaqah please send them to me and I will post them.

jazakumAllah khair!

Dana

September 6th: Ramadan

Preparation for Ramadan

Aya: 'O you who believe, prescribed for you is the Fast, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that haply you will have taqwa.' Qur`an 2:183

Hadith: 'A great month, a blessed month, a month containing a night which is better than a thousand months has approached you people. Allah has appointed the observance of fasting during it as an obligatory duty, and the passing of its nights in prayer as a voluntary practice. If someone draws near to Allah during it with some good act he will be like one who fulfills an obligatory duty in another month, and he who fulfills an obligatory duty in it will be like one who fulfills seventy obligatory duties in some other month. It is the month of endurance, and the reward of endurance is paradise. It is the month of sharing with others, and a month in which the believer's provision is increased. If someone gives one who has been fasting something with which to break his fast it will provide forgiveness of his wrong actions and save him from the Fire, and he will have a reward equal to the fasting man's reward without his reward being diminished in any way... Allah gives this reward to anyone who gives one who has been fasting some milk mixed with water, or a date, or a drink of water with which to break his fast, and anyone who gives a full meal to one who has been fasting will be given a drink by Allah and will not thirst until he enters Paradise. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, whose middle is forgiveness, and whose end is freedom from the Fire. If anyone makes things easy for his slave during it, Allah will forgive him and free him from the Fire.'

From a khutba (sermon) given by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, on the last day of Shaban. - Reported by Sayyiduna Salman al-Farsi (Mishkat al Masabih).

-The gates of the Garden are open
-The gates of the Fire are shut
-The devils are shackled
-Our soul is imprisoned by hunger and thirst. There are no distractions from worship.
-Every night a herald calls out at Allah’s command: “O you who wish for goodness, hasten (come forth)! And O you who wish for evil, halt!”
-What’s our response to this call?

-Increase your good works. The reward of a sunna/extra act of worship is equal to an obligatory act performed outside of Ramadan.

-Ramadan is a time when good deeds are easy to do and one has much more energy for them than during any other time of year.

-During this month try to dedicate all of your extra time to worship. Everything you do should be an act of worship, even your studying and your work. Refrain from worldly matters unless absolutely necessary.

-Prepare yourself in these last few days for worship.

-Try your best to pray taraweeh every night.

-Watch carefully for laylatul Qadr (the night of destiny) which is better than a thousand months.
-some scholars say it’s the night of the 27th
-others say it’s the 17th
-more commonly it’s said to be in the last 10 nights,
especially on an odd night.
-The point is to worship Allah every night of the month in hopes to find this blessed night.

Some sunnahs to observe:
-Hasten to break your fast when you are sure the sun has set
-Delay your suhur til about 15 minutes before fajr
-Feed the people who are fasting at the time they break their fast (even if it’s just a date!)
-Do not eat much because the purpose of fasting is to subdue our desires for food, not to indulge them.


Hadith: “The one who fasts has two joys, one when breaking his fast, the other when meeting his Lord”

Hadith: “The odor of the fasting man’s mouth is more fragrant to Allah than that of musk”

Six benefits of Ramadan:
1) Forgiveness of all previous sins
2) Freedom from the hellfire. The Prophet said that there are people freed from the hellfire every night in Ramadan.
3) Dua is answered.
4) The night of power (laylat al-qadr)
5) Allah’s happiness with His servants. Hadith: “All good deeds of the son of Adam are multiplied ten to seven hundredfold, except fasting, for it is Mine, and I shall reward a man for it, for he has left his appetite, his food and drink for My sake!”
6) Multiplied rewards: sunnah counts as fard. And the fard counts as 70 times.


Six ways to attain Ramadan benefits:
1) The Quran: every single letter is a reward. Ramadan is the month of the quran.
2) Sadaqah: The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wasallam) was the most generous in Ramadan.
3) Maintaining kinship ties.
4) Dua: Prepare 5-6 duas and repeat them every day.
5) Taraweeh and qiyam
6) Salah in the masjid

-Use your youth and energy to make this the best Ramadan you ever had. We never know what’s going to happen to us by next year.

August 30th: Canceled

August 23rd: Fasting

by sr. Hajira Ali

Does anyone have good notes from this halaqah? Please email them to me so I can post them inshaAllah...

salam,
Dana

August 16th: Verses from Surat Al-Furqan

Surat Al-Furqan (63-77)

The Attributes of the Servants of the Most Gracious

Verse 63:
-And the servants of the Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth Hawna, and when the foolish address them they say; "Salama.''

-Those are the beloved servants to Allah

-meaning that they walk with dignity and humility, not with arrogance and pride.

-Aya: (And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance...) (17:37)

-Hadith: (When you come to the prayer, do not come rushing in haste. Come calmly and with tranquility, and whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, make it up.)

-If the ignorant people insult them with bad words, they do not respond in kind, but they forgive and overlook, and say nothing but good words. This is what the Messenger of Allah did: the more ignorant the people, the more patient he would be.

Verse 64:
-And those who spend the night in worship of their Lord, prostrate and standing.

-Notice that prostration is mentioned before standing because it’s more superior.

-Notice that they are always in a state of worship, day and night.

-Aya: (They used to sleep but little by night. And in the hours before dawn, they were asking for forgiveness) (51:17-18).

Verse 65:
-And those who say: "Our Lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily, its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment.''

-“gharamaa” meaning, ever-present and never ending.

Verse 66:
-Evil indeed it is as an abode and as a place to rest in.

Verse 67:
-And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor stingy, but are in a just balance between them.

-They are not extravagant (in food, drink, clothing, etc), spending more than they need, nor are they miserly towards their families, not spending enough on their needs. But they follow the best and fairest way. The best of matters are those which are moderate, neither one extreme nor the other.

-Aya: (And let not your hand be tied to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach.)(17:29)

Verse 68:
-And those who invoke not any other god along with Allah

-Hadith: "The Messenger of Allah was asked which sin is the most serious'' He said: (That you appoint a rival to Allah when He has created you.) He asked, "Then what'' He said: (That you kill your child for fear that he may eat with you.) He said, "Then what'' He said: (That you commit adultery with your neighbor's wife.) Then this aya was revealed.

-nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause,

-nor commit illegal sexual intercourse -- and whoever does this shall receive Athama.

-“aathama”: could be a valley in hellfire for the punishment of adulterers, or it could just refer to punishment in general.

Verse 69:
- The torment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace

Verse 70:
- Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

-those who repent in this world to Allah from all of those deeds, for then Allah will accept their repentance. This is evidence that the repentance of the murderer is acceptable.

-Aya: (Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives except that to whom He wills) (4:48)

Verse 71:
- And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then indeed he has repented to Allah Mataba.

-Hadith: (I know the last person who will be brought forth from Hell, and the last person who will enter Paradise. A man will be brought and it will be said, "Take away his major sins and ask him about his minor sins.'' So it will be said to him: "On such and such a day, you did such and such, and on such and such a day, you did such and such.'' He will say, "Yes, and he will not be able to deny anything.'' Then it will be said to him: "For every evil deed you now have one good merit.'' He will say: "O Lord, I did things that I do not see here.'') He (Abu Dharr) said: "And the Messenger of Allah smiled so broadly that his molars could be seen.'' Muslim recorded it.

-Aya: (And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful) (4:110).


Verse 72:
- And those who do not bear witness to falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity.

- refers to giving false testimony, which means lying deliberately to someone else.

- They do not attend where falsehood occurs, and if it so happens that they pass by it, they do not let it contaminate them in the slightest.

Verse 73:
-And those who, when they are reminded of the Ayat of their Lord (when advice is given to them), fall not deaf and blind thereat.

-Aya: (Those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Ayat are recited unto them, they increase their faith; and they put their trust in their Lord.) (8:2)

-Unlike the disbelievers. When they hear the Words of Allah, they are not affected by them or moved to change their ways. They persist in their disbelief, wrongdoing, ignorance and misguidance.

Verse 74:
-And those who say: "Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of those who have Taqwa.''

-means those who ask Allah to bring forth from their loins offspring who will obey Him and worship Him and not associate anything in worship with Him. Ibn `Abbas said, "This means (offspring) who will strive to obey Allah and bring them joy in this world and the Hereafter.

-Hadith: (When a son of Adam dies, his deeds cease apart from three: a righteous child who will pray for him, knowledge from which others may benefit after him, or ongoing charity.)

Verse 75:
-Those will be rewarded with the highest place because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect.

-“Al-ghurfah”: is jannah, the high place.

-Kinds of patience:
1) with tests
2) avoiding sin
3) doing good

-This means that they will be greeted first with words of welcome and honor. Peace will be theirs and they will be wished peace. And angels shall enter unto them from every gate, saying, "Peace be upon you for that you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!''

Verse 76:
- Abiding therein -- excellent it is as an abode, and as a place to rest in.

Verse 77:
-Say O Muhammad: "My Lord pays attention to you only because of your invocation to Him. But now you have indeed denied. So the torment will be yours forever.''

-meaning, He would not care to pay attention to you if you did not worship Him, for He only created mankind to worship Him Alone and to glorify Him morning and evening.

-then Allah addresses the disbelievers: So your denial will remain with you forever, i.e., it will lead to your punishment, doom and destruction in this world and the Hereafter.