Ten useless matters - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

Ten useless matters

1. Knowledge that is not acted on.

2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others.

3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter.

4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him.

5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah.

6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure.

7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good.

8. A mind that thinks about useless matters.

9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life.

10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.

However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.

How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.

The Last Sermon

The last sermon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him)

In the name of Allah, the most merciful the most kind...

"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity.

Allah has Judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd'al Muttalib (Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived... Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people".

Prophet 4 The Ghetto

He was just not only a human beingin the darkness of this world he was the light chosen by Allah to be the final guide his memory is preserved because of the message he carried inside

the final prophet muhammad's* world was not so different to the one we face with endless volumes written about him in these times,

I ask myself why not tear out a few pages and implement something worthwhile in my life

Sometimes I cry at the thought of the young the messenger* himself was an orphan now there's over a billion muslims yet kids are still parentless within his nation

Shattered lives before they fully got to develop their mindsscarred by the thought of where their parents are gonedue to the worlds failures I wonderwhat the Prophet Muhammad* would have done

Allah knows that hearts are screaming for a changethe same one that came 1400 years ago in one man when the rich were getting richer and the poor were poorer he stood strong against the Quraysh

Now that materialism is a way of life so is depression,adultery & mass murder and suicide we all being fooled by the media machine showing the dominance of the white house along with America's riches

But the truth is a wave of anti-religion spreads in its streetsthe american satanic system got 40% living in poverty, in shanti towns next to train tracks and under bridges

So the next time you see in the streets someone sleeping on the floor remember the prophet* himself was poor but we hesitate to run towards goodness

due to our ego we're in a boxing match with shaytaan who's leaving us in stitches

In this darkness its really hard to do things rightwith guns in the streets and a war in the middle easti wonder what it would be like if the final messenger* was alive

The rising gang culture is no different to the arab tribes and yet there was room for peace to be sown

The feuding, the cursing, the war between west and east coastcould have been intellectually solved just like how the prophet* dealt with the issue of the blackstone

but about that part of his life, thats not known thats not propogated the media are trying to marry islam to terrorism portraying islam as a religion of hatred

that came in the arab landin the daybreak of what could have been a civil warhe came with the clarity of thought preaching Allah is one alongwith the brotherhood of man

thus sparing alot of bloodshed but the media are like vultures creating fictional characters like superman, batman No! the world had only had 1 outstanding hero his name was Muhammad*

* = Sallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam

Author

Surah Al Qamar

Mishary Rasheed Al Afaasi

Sunnah of eating

The Prophet, (saws) said: “A Believer eats in one intestine, whereas a non-believer eats in seven intestines,” (Narrated by Ibn Umar and collected in Saheeh Muslim)

‘When one of you eats, he should mention Allaah's name (i.e. say ‘Bismillaah); if he forgets to mention Allaah's name at the beginning, he should say (when he remembers): I begin in the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end of it ( Bismillah awwalahu wa Akhirahoo).” (Tirmidhi - Narrated by Aaisha and collected by Abu Dawood)

The Prophet, (saws) said: “Do not eat with your left hand for shaitaan eats with his left hand,” (Narrated by Jabir (RA) , Sahih Muslim)

Abu Hurairah, (RA) reported that the Prophet (saws) never found fault with food. If he liked it, he would eat it, but if he disliked it, he just left it. So we should instead be grateful as instructed by Allaah: “O You who believe! Eat of the good things that we have provided for you and be grateful to Allaah, if it is He you worship.” )Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 17)

The Prophet, (saws) commanded us never to waste food, because food that we waste is eaten by shaitaan. He (saws) said: “The shaitaan is present with everyone of you in everything he does; he is even present when he eats food, so if any on of you drops a mouthful, he should remove away anything filthy on it and eat it and not leave it for the devil; and when he finished, he should lick his fingers for he does not know in what portion of his food the blessing ties.” (Narrated by Jabir (RA), Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet, :saws: said: “A Believer eats in one intestine, whereas a non-believer eats in seven intestines,” (Narrated by Ibn Umar and collected in Saheeh Muslim)
Therefore it is not for us to eat till we are completely satiated; rather we should eat such that the hunger goes but there is still room for more.

When we have finished eating, we should always remember Allaah and be grateful to Him, for He is ar-Razzaaq, the Provider and our Sustainer. We should express this gratitude in the manner in which the Prophet (saws) taught us. He (saws) said: “One who has eaten some food and then says: ‘All praise is for Allaah, who has given me this (food to eat] and provided me without any effort or power on my part’, he will have his sins forgiven. (Alhamdulillaahil-lazee at’amanaa haadha warazaqeenee min ghairi hawlin minnee wala quwwah).” (Narrated by Mu’aadh Ibn Anas(RA), collected by at-Tirmidhee and others)

We have an excellent opportunity to transform an everyday practice of eating and drinking into an act of worship and a source of blessing for us. Every mouthful of food we take will serve as a reminder of Alaah's great favor upon us and His Mercy and this in turn will cause us to earn favor with Allaah, for the Prophet (saws) said: “Indeed Allah is pleased with His servant who, when he eats a morsel, praises Him for it, or drinks a sip and then praises Him for it.”(Narrated by Anas (RA) and collected in Saheeh Muslim)

May Allaah grant us the ability to become of His thankful servants. Ameen.
source

Ways To Strengthen One’s Memory

It is human nature to be forgetful, as the Arab poet said:
“He is only called man (insaan) because of his forgetfulness (nasiyaan), and it is only called the heart (al-qalb) because it changes so rapidly (yataqallib).”
In the past they said that the first one to forget (awwal naasin) was the first man (awwal al-naas), meaning Adam, peace be upon him. Forgetfulness is something that varies from person to person according to each individual’s nature; some may be more forgetful than others. Some of the things that may help to combat forgetfulness are the following:

1. Keeping away from sin, because the bad effects of sin result in a bad memory and the inability to retain knowledge. The darkness of sin cannot co-exist with the light of knowledge. The following words were attributed to al-Shaafi‘ee, may Allah have mercy on him:
“I complained to [my shaykh] Wakee’ about my bad memory, and he taught me that I should keep away from sin. He said that knowledge of Allah is light, and the light of Allah is not given to the sinner.”
Al-Khateeb reported in al-Jaami‘ (2/387) that Yahya ibn Yahya said: “A man asked Maalik ibn Anas, ‘O Abu ‘Abd-Allah! Is there anything that will improve my memory?’ He said, "If anything will improve it, it is giving up sin.”
When a person commits a sin, it overwhelms him and this leads to anxiety and sorrow which keeps him busy thinking about what he has done. This dulls his senses and distracts him from many beneficial things, including seeking knowledge.

2. Frequently remembering Allah, may He be glorified, by reciting dhikr, tasbeeh (saying ‘Subhan Allah’), tahmeed (‘Al-hamdu Lillaah’), tahleel (‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allah’) and takbeer (‘Allahu akbar’), etc. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…And remember your Lord when you forget…” [Qur’an al-Kahf 18:24]

3. Not eating too much, because eating too much makes one sleep too much and become lazy, and it dulls the senses, besides exposing one to the risk of physical diseases. Most of the diseases which we see result from food and drink.

4. Some of the scholars have mentioned certain foods which increase the memory, such as drinking honey and eating raisins and chewing certain kinds of gum resin.
Imaam al-Zuhree said: “You should eat honey because it is good for the memory.”
He also said: “Whoever wants to memorize hadeeth should eat raisins.” (From al-Jaami‘ by al-Khateeb, 2/394)
Ibraaheem ibn [sth. omitted] said, “You should chew resin gum, because it gives energy to the heart and gets rid of forgetfulness.” (From al-Jaami‘ by al-Khateeb, 2/397)
As they mentioned, too much acidic food is one of the causes of laziness and weak memory.

5. Another thing that can help the memory and reduce forgetfulness is cupping (hijaamah) of the head, as is well known from experience. (For more information see Al-Tibb al-Nabawi by Ibn al-Qayyim). And Allah knows best.
missionislam.com

Duas for Distress/Grief/Concern/Sorrow

At times of distress the Messenger of Allah ( – may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) would say: "Laa ilaa ha il lal laah al-a'theem al-ha' leem, laa ilaa ha il lal laah rabbul arshil-atheem, laa ilaa ha il lal laah rab bus-sa maa waa ti wa rab bul-ardi wa rab bul-arshil-kareem"(Bukhari and Muslim) The English meaning is: There is no ilah (God) except Allah the Magnificent, The Forbearing. There is no Allah except Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne. There is no ilah except Allah Lord of the Heavens, Lord of the Earth, and Lord of the Noble Throne.

It is reported of the Prophet (SAWS) that if something distressed him he would say:

"Ya hayyu ya qay yoom, bi-rah matika as tagheeth"

(At Tirmidhi)

The English meaning is: O' Ever Living, O Sustainer, in your Mercy I plead for rescue (help, aid, assistance).

Abu Bakr (RA – may Allah be pleased with him) stated that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said "The supplications of the distressed are:

"Allah humma ra'hma taka ar joo, fa laa ta kil nee ilaa naf see tar fa ta a’yn, wa as li’h lee sha nee kul lah, laa ilaa ha il laa ant"

(Abu Dawud)

The English meaning is: O' my Allah it is your Mercy that I beseech, so do not entrust me to myself for even a twinkle of an eye, and correct for me all my affairs, there is no ilah other than You.

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Asma bint Umaysin (ra): "Shall I not teach you a few words which you can say when you are distressed - or at the time of distress - "Allah Allah rab bee laa ush riku bihi shay an" (Abu Dawud) The English meaning is: Allah, Allah my Lord I associate nothing with Him.

The Messenger of Allah said: "The petition of Thin-Noon (Jonah) which he petitioned was when he was inside the whale: "Laa ilaa ha il laa an ta, sub ha’ naka in nee kun tu minath-thaa limeen"

(At-Tirmithi)

The English meaning is: There is no ilah except You, Glorified are Thee, I have been one of the unjust.

It is reported of the Prophet that he said: "No pre-occupying concern, or sadness inflicts a slave of Allah whereupon they says: "Allah humma in nee a'b duka, wabnu a'b dika, wabnu amatika, na siyatee biyadik, madhin fiyya hu'k muk, a'd lun fiyya qa dhaa uk, as aluka bikul lis min huwa lak, sam mayta bihi naf sak, aw an zal tahu fee kitabik, aw a'l lam tahu aha'dan min khal qik, aw is ta thar ta bihi fee i'l mil ghay bi in dak, an taj a'l al-qur aan rabee'a, qal bee, wa noora sad ree, wa jala'a hu'z nee, wa thahaba hammee"

(Ahmad and Ibn Hibban)

The English meaning is: O' Allah! I am your bondservant, son of your bondsman, and son of your bondwoman. My forelock is in your Hands; your judgement is continuously being carried out upon me; your sentence upon me is just. I ask You with every name that is yours, with which You have named yourself, brought down in your book, taught to one of your creation, or have preferred for Yourself in the hidden knoweldge, with You; that You make the Quran the spring of my heart, and the light of my chest, and the despellation of my sadness, and deportation of my (preoccupying) concern.