REMINDER : Fasting on 9 & 10 Muharram

Ibn Abbas (ra) said: “I never saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any other than this day, the day of Aashoraa’, and this month, meaning Ramadaan.” [al-Bukhari, 1867]

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “For fasting the day of Aashoraa’, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” [Muslim, 1976]

Mustahabb (encouraged) to fast Taasoaa’ with Aashoraa’:

Abd-Allah ibn Abbas (ra) said: “When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) fasted on Aashoraa’ and commanded the Muslims to fast as well, they said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.’ The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, ‘If I live to see the next year, Insha'Allah, we will fast on the ninth day too.’ But it so happened that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) passed away before the next year came.” [Muslim, 1916]

INSHA'ALLAH TO FURTHER READ SIMILAR PREVIOUS ARTICLES, CLICK:

• Sacred Month of Muharram
• All About MUHARRAM
• Muharram has started...
• Muharram & it's Biddah! Taasoaa’ & Aashoraa’...
• Muharram is here - FAST!!!

Why Fast Voluntary Fasts?

What is the point of fasting beyond Ramadan? Of course we have to make up the days missed and perhaps we hear the Friday Khutbah that reminds us to fast the days of Ashura or Arafat so we participate in that, but why go further than this?

Voluntary fasting has so many benefits that many are unaware of. There are benefits in all aspects of our lives, physical, spiritual and emotional. Lets now take a look at the virtues of fasting voluntarily.

Importance of Fasting in Islam
"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)." [Noble Quran 2:183]

"For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise - for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward." [Noble Quran 33:35]

Muharram has started...

Virtues of Allah’s sacred month of Muharram:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Chief of the Messengers, and upon all his family and companions.

Allah’s sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah says:
“Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein…” [at-Tawbah, v:36]

It was reported that Ibn Abbas said that this phrase (so wrong not yourselves therein…) referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward. 

The Virtue of observing more Naafil Fasts during Muharram:

7 Common Mistakes We Make In Prayers

Listed below are the 7 Common Mistakes usually we make in prayers:

Mistake 1

Reciting Surat al-Fatiha fast without pausing after each verse is recommended.

The Prophet (pbuh) used to pause after each verse of this surah. (Abu Dawood)

Mistake 2

Sticking the arms to the sides of the body, in rukoo' or sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "Let not one of you support himself on his forearms (in sujood) like the dog. Let him rest on his palms and keep his elbows away from his body." (Sahih Muslim). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to keep his arms away from his body during rukoo' and sujood that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen (Sahih Muslim).

Mistake 3

Gazing upward during prayer.
This may cause loss of concentration. We are commanded to lower our gaze, and look at the point at which the head rests during sujood. The Prophet (pbuh) warned: "Let those who raise their gaze up during prayer stop doing so, or else their sights would not return to them. i.e. lose their eyesight]." (Muslim)

 

Fear & Hope In A Haji's Heart

Some people say in the West that “when hope enters, fear flies out of the window” because they do not believe the two sentiments can exist together in a person’s heart.

Muslims, on the other hand, are taught that they must have the two emotions present at all times: the fear (al-Khauf) of Almighty Allah and of His displeasure and the hope (ar-Raja’) for His blessing.

When somebody goes on Haj or offers any acts of obedience, her or his main concern should be whether the deed has been accepted or not. That she is able to offer an act of obedience is a great blessing in itself; if Allah the Exalted accepts the good deed, then it is a far greater blessing. Pilgrims exert exhausting efforts to offer the rites of Haj – many of them risk their lives – but what a loss it would be if Allah did not accept them.

Are there ways that may render our worship, our acts of obedience including the Haj pilgrimage, acceptable to Almighty Allah?

Feeling sad, mind beset with problems? Exercise these Eight Levels of Tawakkul

EIGHT LEVELS OF RELIANCE:

FIRST LEVEL: Trust in Allah by knowing Him - His Names and Attributes and that everything in the heavens and earth is His.

SECOND LEVEL: Believe that what you ask Him for, you will receive, that Allah Has full power to grant it.

THIRD LEVEL: Know that you should make full effort of your own to obtain what you want and then rely upon Him; Make du'aa and effort, i.e. your body makes effort, with reliance to seek what you want.

FOURTH LEVEL: Your heart should make efforts to obtain what you want. How?
Make your heart connected to Allah. Don't allow your heart to be connected to the things, your are going to be successful.
Be connected to Allah. So why are you afraid? Why are you afraid? You do what you have to do and you should feel that Allah will take care of the thing that you want taken care of.
 

Umm 'Amarah: The Prophet's (pbuh) Shield at Uhud

Umm 'Amarah was blessed with many honours, amongst these were her presence at Uhud, al-Hudaybiyya, Khaybar, the Fulfilled Umrah, Hunayn, and the Battle of Yamama. But her most noble role came about during the battle of Uhud.

Umm 'Amarah set out to the battle with her husband, Ghaziya, and her two sons. Her (task had) been to give water to the wounded, but Allah had planned for her a more rewarding role.

So she set out with her family with a water-skin, and arrived at the battle field during the beginning of the day. The Muslims had the upper hand, and she went to see how the Messenger of Allah (SWT) was. But then the Muslims committed a fatal error - seeing the Quraysh on the retreat, they ran towards the booty, ignoring the Prophet's command to remain on the hill. Khalid bin Walid, (who hadn't embraced Islam yet), seeing the open flank, made a charge against the Muslims and suddenly the tide had swung towards the Quraysh. The Muslims panicked and began to flee, leaving behind only the Prophet (pbuh) and a handful of his Companions. Among these was Umm 'Amarah.

Seeing the Muslims flee, Umm 'Amarah ran to the defense of the Prophet (pbuh) and took up arms, along with her husband and two sons. The Prophet (pbuh) noticed that she had no shield, and so said to one of the retreating men: "Give your shield to the one who is fighting." So he handed her the shield, and she defended the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) with it, using also the bow and arrow along with a sword. She was attacked by horsemen, but never wavered nor felt fear. She later boldly claimed, "If they had been on foot as we were, we would have trounced them, Allah willing." 

Illness Removes Misdeeds

Jabir bin Abdullah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked a woman why she was shivering. She answered it was because of fever and cursed the fever. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Do not slander fever, because it takes away many wrong actions, just as the blacksmith’s bellows remove dross and impurities from iron.” [Sahih Muslim]

It is Allah’s favour upon you to have your sins erased from your account while you are still alive. Purification becomes excessively more difficult with each step of existence after death. Everybody has sins they need to get rid of. Illness wipes out sins from a person’s account and purifies their record of deeds in the same way that a blacksmith’s furnace purifies metal from its impurities.

Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) visited a sick man of the Ansaar and when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked him how he was, he said: “O Messenger of Allah (pbuh), I have not closed my eyes for seven days.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Have patience, my brother, for if you do, you will be rid of your wrong actions as easily as you acquired them.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also said: “The time of illness cancels out the time of wrong actions. [Uddat as-Sabirin wa Dhakhirat ash-Shakirin, by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah]

The Value of Tawheed

Tawheed is the most emphasised topic in Islaam. In fact, the Qur’aan was revealed because of it and every single Aayah is linked to it in one way or another. There are many virtues and points to magnify the importance of Tawheed and we have tried to mention some of these here.

And we will start off by mentioning the Hadeeth of the Messenger Muhammad [pbuh] which talks about the conversation between Allaah [swt] and the Messenger Moosa [as]:

‘Moses [as] said: O Lord! Teach me something that I can remember You with and I can supplicate You with.

Allah said: Say La ilaaha illAllaah, O Moosa.

He [Moosa] said: All of your servants say this.

He [Allaah] said: If the seven Heavens and those who reside in them other than Me and the seven Earths are put into one pan of the scale and the statement La ilaaha illAllaah [statement of Tawheed] is put into the other, La ilaaha illAllaah would be heavier.’ [Ibn Hibbaan and Haakim]

So from this we can see how Allaah [swt] values this Tawheed. And below are thirteen other points which we can contemplate about and should help us understand the value of Tawheed furthermore Insha`Allaah.