Until the Heart is sealed

Explanation of the verse:

Nay, but their hearts were covered over by what (sins) they earned. [Al-Mutaffifîn: 14]

Al-Hasan (Al-Basrî) said, “It is because of doing one sin after another, until the heart becomes blind and dies.”

Qatâdah also said, “It is because of doing one sin after another, one sin after another, until the heart dies and becomes black.”

Ibn Zayd said, “Their sins overcome their hearts until no good can get through to them.”

Mujâhid explained, “They used to consider the heart like a hand: when a person sins, his heart starts to scrunch up,” and he folded his little finger, “and when he does another sin,” he folded the next finger and continued until he had his fist clenched. “Then a seal is placed over it, and they used to say that this is the ‘covering’.”

Source: http://www.sayingsofthesalaf.net/index.php/until-the-heart-is-sealed/www.sayingsofthesalaf.net#ixzz1iSypviYb

Three Laughs and Three Tears

It is reported form Abû Al-Dardâ – Allâh be pleased with him – that he said, “Three make me laugh, and three make me cry.

Those that make me laugh are a person who puts his hopes in this worldly life while death pursues him, a person who is heedless [of his Lord] while [his Lord] is not heedless of him, and a person who always laughs while he does not know whether he has pleased Allâh or angered Him.

What makes me cry is being separated from my beloved: Muhammad and his party (the Companions), the horrors of the time of death, and standing in front of Allâh ‘azza wa jall on the Day when the secrets will be revealed and I do not know will I then go to Paradise or Hell?”

Source: http://www.sayingsofthesalaf.net/index.php/three-laughs-and-three-tears/www.sayingsofthesalaf.net#ixzz1iSxEDBXk

Taking sins Lightly

It is reported that Abû Bakr Al-Siddîq – Allâh be pleased with him – said, “One of the worst sins is a person taking his sin lightly.”

Abû Bakr Al-Daynûrî, Al-Mujâlasah wa Jawâhir Al-‘Ilm article 2318.

Source: http://www.sayingsofthesalaf.net/index.php/tag/abu-bakr-al-siddiq/www.sayingsofthesalaf.net#ixzz1iJ7AAzcg

Deviation is in Leaving the Sunnah

Abû Bakr Al-Siddîq – Allâh be pleased with him – said:

I will not leave anything Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – did, except that I will also do it; for I fear that if I were to leave any of his commands and ways I would deviate.

Al-Bukhârî, Al-Sahîh 2:386 hadîth no. 3093; Ibn Battah, Al-Ibânah article 77, and others.

Notes

After recording this narration, Ibn Battah states:

This, my brothers, is the greatest Siddîq (true believer i.e. Abû Bakr), fearing that he would fall into deviation if he were to leave any of the commandments of his Prophet – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him. What then is to happen in a time in which people deride their Prophet and his commandments, and compete with each other and show off in contradicting him and mock his Sunnah? We ask Allâh to protect us from slipping and to save us from evil deeds.

Source: http://www.sayingsofthesalaf.net/index.php/tag/abu-bakr-al-siddiq/www.sayingsofthesalaf.net#ixzz1iJ3PN6SH

Why is it that we can’t attach our feet to each other’s feet in Salaah?

Author: Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhaab al ‘Aqeel
Reference: Audio tape

…and from it is the saying of Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, in a Sunnah from the Sunan of Salaat; and it is the spacing in the Salaat; that a Muslim stands beside his Muslim brother and attaches is feet, knees and shoulders to his brother without being excessive or negligent, as was legislated by the Messenger – صلى الله عليه وسلم – who said:

“You will straighten your lines or Allaah will separate between your hearts or faces.”

This is why when the hearts have become separated during this time, so did the feet.

Why is it that we can’t attach our feet to each other’s feet?

It is because our hearts are detached from one another, if our hearts were attached to one another, our feet would also be attached. This is why if a person who loves you and whom you love were to put his foot over yours, you would not get upset, you would not say; ‘why is he bothering me’, this is because your heart loves him. But because there is a detachment between you and him, you cannot stand that he attaches his foot to yours let alone that he puts his foot over yours.

This is why Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, when he describes his state at the time of the Messenger of Allaah – صلى الله عليه وسلم – and his state after that, he says; “At the time of the Messenger – صلى الله عليه وسلم – we would attach our feet to our brother’s feet, and our knees to our brother’s knees, and our shoulders to our brother’s shoulders, in obedience to the Messenger’s orders – صلى الله عليه وسلم – , but if we were to do so today, he would escape like an obstinate mule.”

By Allaah I saw with my own eyes here in Madeenah, a man wanted to attach his foot to his brother’s foot, by Allaah his brother cut his Salaat, he cut his Salaat and left the whole first line and went to the second line. He left the first line to escape this Sunnah, and the cause of this is ignorance, may Allaah preserve you. This is why we must teach the people the Sunnah of the Prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – because people are enemies to what they are ignorant of.

Source: http://salafitalk.net/

The Ruku’ of the Messenger (sallaallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)

The Ruku’ of the Messenger (sallaallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Umar Baazmool

Taken From the Book: Sharh Sifah Salatin Nabee‘ (Explanation of the Prophet’s Prayer Described) [currently being translated]

What is the description of the rukoo’?

The description of the rukoo’ is that the individual bends his back and places his hands upon his knees; his back is to be level to the point that if a person were to come with a hollow plate and place it upon his back, it would remain in its place. So this indicates that the back is level.

The author (Shaykh al-Albaanee, rahimahullaah) mentioned in that which he has cited from the ahadeeth, that the Messenger (sallaallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), when he would bow, [he] would spread his back to the point that if someone were to pour water upon it then it would remain in its place. Because then, [the] back is level and is not curved (or bent).

As for the head and the neck, then he would not droop his head, meaning he would not bend it towards the ground. Nor would he raise it, meaning he would not raise it higher that the level of his back. And he is to place his head and neck even with the level of his back. What is affirmed, as the author has mentioned, in the ahadeeth, is that the Messenger (sallaallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would place his palms upon his knees. Not upon his thighs above the knees. Nor upon the shin below the knees. He would separate his fingers and firmly grasp his knees with his hands as if he holding his knees.

Translated by: Raha Batts
Source: http://Salafitalk.net

A little girl named bara’ah

This story is of a little girl named Bar`ah who is 10 years old, her parents were doctors who moved to Saudi Arabia in search of better life.

At this age, Bar`ah memorized the whole Qur’aan with tajweed, she was very intelligent, her teacher use to tell her she should be in middle school not primary school.

Her family was small and committed to Islam and its teachings…. suddenly one day the mother started feeling sever abdominal pain, after tests and checkups she found out that she has cancer, but in its late stages.

The mother thought she should tell her daughter, specially if she wakes up one day and didn’t find her mother beside her… so she told her: “Bar`ah I will go to paradise ahead of you, but I want you to read the Quran you memorized every day since it will protect you in this life…”

The Story of Julaybib (Radhi Allaahu Anhu)

His name was unusual and incomplete. Julaybib means “small grown” being the diminutive form of the word “Jalbab.” The name is an indication that Julaybib was small and short, even of dwarf-like stature. More than that, he is described as being “damim” which means ugly, deformed, or of repulsive appearance. Even more disturbing, for the society in which he lived, Julaybib’s lineage was not known. There is no record of who his mother of his father was or to what tribe he belonged. This was a grave disability in the society in which he lived. Julaybib could not expect any compassion or help, any protection or support from a society that placed a great deal of importance on family and tribal connections. In this regard, all that was known of him was that he was an Arab and that, as far as the new community of Islam was concerned, he was one of the Ansar. Perhaps he belonged to one of the outlying tribes beyond Madinah and had drifted into the city or he could have even been from among the Ansar of the city itself.

Story of Barsisa, the worshipper.

At the time of Bani Israel, there was a man in a small village, called Barsisa. He was, what you call, a monk. But he was a true Christian. He believed in Tawheed and believed Isa (peace be upon him) was a messenger of Allah. One day three brothers decided to go for Jihad. But they had a sister and they did not want to leave her alone. So they went looking for someone to take care of her. The town people suggested to leave her with Barsisa, because of his piety. So they went to him and when they asked him, he said, "I seek refuge from the cursed Shaytan" and said No! This was because he was scared of falling into sin ( due to the potential fitnah it may cause). Then Shaytan came to Barsisa in the form of Waswasah (Whisperings). Shaytan is very smart and knew Barsisa had a soft heart. So he told Barsisa, "What if they can’t find someone good and leave her with someone bad, wouldn’t that be your fault?" Now Barsisa did not realise this was Shaytan whispering in his heart, and because of his compassion for others, he decided to accept their request and help the woman.

He let her stay in a house opposite the church. He did this so that it would be easy for him to leave her her food outside the church and she could come get it herself. But after sometime, shaytan returned. This time he told Barsisa, "Why don’t you leave the food closer for her, so that people don’t see her moving back and forth alone!" Barsisa agreed and started leaving the food outside the house. But shaytan wasn’t happy with this either, so sometime later, he returned and ask Barsisa, "Why don’t you go in and leave it on the table, so that no one sees her coming out and going in alone all the time!" Again, Barsisa agreed and he started leaving the food on the table.

Drop by Drop

Drops on a Rock !!

One of the students of Hadith used to crave and yearn for seeking knowledge. He would sit in the gatherings of scholars and learn from them.

When some time passed, he felt it did not benefit him, as he could not gain any knowledge. So he thought to himself, “I am not fit for this knowledge.”

He gave it up thinking he didn’t have the capacity and that he was not qualified for seeking knowledge.

After having left the circles of knowledge, one day, he passed by a rock on which water was falling, drop by drop. The continuous dripping of water (over the years) had affected the rock to the point that it had made a hole in it. The man stood there for a while, contemplating and reflecting, and thought, “This water, in spite of its softness, had an effect on this hard rock. My mind and heart are surely not harder than this rock and neither is knowledge softer than water.”

(This left a deep impression on him and) he was determined to go back seeking knowledge, which he did and excelled at. He later became one of those referred to because of knowledge.

- Al-Jaami’ Li-Akhlaaq-ir-Raawee Wa Adaab As-Saami of Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdadi

Story of a young Girl reciting Ayat-ul-kursi

The following is a true incident happened.

It was reported in a local paper in Rochdale (A town, northeast of Manchester), of a young woman who was raped in a small dark alley (a narrow passage between buildings) one evening. On a separate evening around the same time, a young Muslim girl was walking home from college. Aware that it was getting dark fast, she wanted to get home as soon as possible, so her mother would not be worrying about her being outside alone at night.

The young Muslim girl faced a dilemma. To take the short-cut down the same alleyway to avoid getting home after dark, or to take the longer route and have her mother worrying herself sick about her daughters safety.

Conscious of the time, she takes the alleyway. While the girl is walking she sees a rather sinister and dark figure of a man walking towards her from the other end. As her pace quickens, she begins to read
Ayat-ul-kursi for her safety. the man, he makes eye contact but carries on walking. When the young Muslim girl reaches home she tells her family about this sinister looking man, they advise her to contact the police, after having read the newspaper article some time before. When she contacts the police they ask her to give a physical description of the man. It matches the description the rape victim had given. Some days later the young Muslim girl receives a phone call from the police, asking her if she would come down to the police station to identify the man in a line up. Both the rape victim and the Muslim girl pick out the same man.The police are confused; they ask the rapist why he attacked one girl and not the other. In reference to the Muslim girl, he replies ‘why would I attack her? when she was walking with two huge men on either side of her?’

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aalameen.

Things Are Not Always What They Seem…

The Personal Relationship Between a Scholar and His Student.

Imam Ahmad used to mention the virtues of his sheikh, Imam Ash Shafi’ee to his wife. He would mention to her the extensive and superb knowledge of Imam Ash Shafi’ee as well as his taqwah (i.e. piety). Imam Ahmad invited Imam Ash Shafi’ee to come visit him at his home. When the time for dinner arrived, Imam Ash Shafi’ee ate until he was full and went to the guest room for some sleep.

The wife of Imam Ahmad said to him: “O Ahmad! Is this the same Shafi’ee that you used to tell me so much about?” Imam Ahmad said: “Indeed he is!” So she said: “I noticed three things about him worthy of criticism!  Firstly, when we served him the food, he ate plenty of it! Secondly, when he went into the guest room, he went to sleep without standing up to perform the night prayer (i.e. tahujjud)! Lastly, when he prayed Salat ul Fajr with us, he did not perform ablution (i.e. wudhu)?!

So Imam Ahmad went to Imam Ash Shafi’ee to ask him about these three matters his wife noticed. Imam Ash Shafi’ee said to him, (the way a father would explain to his son): “O Ahmad! I ate plenty because I know for certain that your food is halal (i.e. permissible islamically) and you are a generous man!  And the food that comes from a generous man is a cure, while the food that comes from a stingy man is a disease!

Seeking Refuge in Allaah from the Snatching of Shaytan at Time of Death

Student of knowledge Abu Yusuf Khalifa (hafidhahullaah) relayed this du’aa the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made.

The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

Wa Aoodhubika an ya takhabaTani ash-Shaytan ‘indal Mawt

(I seek refuge in you (Allaah) from Shaytan snatching me at the time of death.)

Sunan Abu Dawud (authentic).

Source : http://www.salafitalk.net/

According to a saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Nasaa’i from Abu’l-Yusr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray: “Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika min al-taraddi wa’l-haram wa’l-gharaq wa’l-harq, wa a’oodhu bika an yatakhabatani al-shaytaan ‘ind al-mawt ( O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from being thrown from a high place, old age, drowning and burning; and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by the Shaytaan at the time of death).”

Commenting on this hadeeth in Al-Fayd (part 2, p.148), al-Manaawi said: “[The phrase] ‘and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by the Shaytaan at the time of death’ means, lest he should wrestle with me and play with me, and damage my religious commitment or mental state (at the time of death) by means of his insinuating whispers which cause people to slip or lose their minds. The Shaytaan could take control of a person when he is about to depart this world, and misguide him or stop him from repenting…”

Satan talking to Imam Ahmed on his death bed

Abdullah bin Ahmed said:

“When death approached my father, I sat with him and in my hand was a scrap of cloth with which I wanted to tie his beard and he began to drift in and out of consciousness, then he opened his eyes and said, indicating with his hand: “No, not yet. No, not yet” And he repeated it three times. After the third repetition ,I said to him: Oh, my father! What is this thing which you have said at this time? You fall into unconsciousness so that we say that you have gone,then you return (to consciousness) and say: “No, not yet. No, not yet”

He said to me : Oh, my son! Do you not know?” I said: “No”.

He said :” Satan – May Allah’s curse be upon him – stood before me, he lowered himself on his knuckles and said to me:”Oh, Ahmad! You have eluded me.” But I replied: “No, not yet, not yet until I die.”

Source:

The biography of Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal by Salahuddin Ali Abdul Mawjood
Translated by :Sameh Strauch, Publisher: Darussalam

Allaahum-maghfir lee maa qaddamatu, wa maa ‘akhkhartu ..

Seeking Allaah’ forgiveness  after the last tashahhud and before salam

Allaahum-maghfir lee maa qaddamatu, wa maa ‘akhkhartu, wa maa ‘asrartu, wa maa a’lantu, wa maa ‘asraftu, wa maa ‘Anta a’lamu bihi minnee. ‘Antal-Muqaddimu (The One Who brings forward) wa ‘Antal-Mu’akhkhiru (The One Who puts back)laa ‘ilaaha ‘illaa Anta.
[Muslim 1/534]

“O Allah, forgive me for those sins which have come to pass as well as those which shall come to pass, and those I have committed in secret as well as those I have made public, and where I have exceeded all bounds as well as those things about which You are more knowledgeable. You are Al-Muqaddim and Al-Mu-akhkhir. None has the right to be worshipped except You.”

Note : al-Muqaddim (The One Who brings forward) , al-Mu’akhkhir (The One Who puts back) are the two names of Allaah