FEAR , RESPECT AND LOVE OF ALLAH MUST BE TOGETHER

Some people assume that love of Allah is enough for those who seek to live according to religious morals and earn Allah’s good pleasure. However, Allah informs us that His servants who possess superior morals and love Him also have a genuine fear and respect for Him. Every person who acknowledges Allah with all of His attributes and appreciates His greatness, as well as those who have intelligence and a conscience, will fear and respect Allah to the utmost degree. Allah enables such servants, who also abide by His will, to distinguish good from evil and to observe the limits that He has set for humanity. Allah informs us of the blessings He gives the believers in the following verse:

O you who believe. If you fear [and respect] Allah, He will give you discrimination, erase your bad actions, and forgive you. Allah’s favor is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal, 29)


For example, such people do not lie. Even if their self-interests suffer a loss, they will worry about not earning Allah’s good pleasure and thereby earning His retribution. Therefore, they will act in an honest manner. If they indulge in even a moment’s heedlessness and say something that is not right, they will immediately repent and undertake never to repeat that action in the future. Similarly, despite being in great need, they will not try to earn a living through unlawful means because they fear (and respect) Allah.


Every person who does not appropriately fear and respect Allah has his own private boundaries. Even if he is true and honest up to that boundary, he will act according to his own interests beyond it. Those who fear and respect Allah, on the other hand, will never stray from the straight path, regardless of how difficult their situation is. When confronted with any hardship, they immediately turn to Him in complete trust and ask Him to show them a way out.


Allah loves His servants, wills the good for them, is oft-forgiving and merciful, helps them in every instance, and bestows kindness upon His servants without seeking recompense. The idolaters and unbelievers are far away from Allah’s mercy. Our Lord, the possessor of infinite justice, provides for His pious servants who possess a genuine heart and true belief in Allah, and will reward them in this world and the Hereafter. Those who insist on unbelief will suffer the pains of Hell.


So fear [and respect] Allah as much as you are able to, and listen and obey.
(Surat at-Taghabun, 16)


Spend in the way of Allah. Do not cast yourselves into destruction. And do good: Allah loves good-doers. (Surat al-Baqara, 195)


Those who comprehend our Lord’s infinite strength and ability to punish in the Hereafter hold Allah in complete awe and respect. As a result, they are careful not to adopt an attitude that does not earn our Lord’s good pleasure. However, on the other hand, as a result of their genuine and faithful love of Allah, hoping Allah will forgive their sins and accept their repentance, they do their best to earn His good pleasure and be rewarded with Paradise for their striving in His path. The Qur’an mentions the believers’ morals, as follows:


Those who fear [and respect] their Lord in the Unseen will have forgiveness and an immense reward. (Surat al-Mulk, 12)


O you who believe. Fear [and respect] Allah the way He should be feared [and respected], and do not die except as Muslims. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 102)


But those who have fear [and respect] of their Lord will have Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever: hospitality from Allah. What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 198)


Every believer who genuinely loves Allah will feel a great awe for Allah’s punishment and, by trying not to lose His love and consent, will strive to earn His good pleasure. Allah says of those believers, who have these morals:


But as for anyone who desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the striving it deserves, being a believer, their striving will be gratefully acknowledged. (Surat al-Isra’, 19)

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Symptoms Of the Heart’s Sickness & Signs of Its Health

The Signs of a Sick Heart

A servant’s heart may be ill, and seriously deteriorating, while he remains oblivious of its condition. It may even die without him realising it. The symptoms of its sickness, or the signs of its death, are that its owner is not aware of the harm that results from the damage caused by wrong actions, and is unperturbed by his ignorance of the truth or by his false beliefs.

Since the living heart experiences pain as a result of any ugliness that it encounters and through its recognising its ignorance of the truth (to a degree that corresponds to its level of awareness), it is capable of recognising the onset of decay - and the increase in the severity of the remedy that will be needed to stop it - but then sometimes it prefers to put up with the pain rather than undergo the arduous trial of the cure!

Some of the many signs of the heart’s sickness is its turning away from good foods to harmful ones, from good remedies to shameful sickness. The healthy heart prefers what is beneficial and healing to what is harmful and damaging; the sick heart prefers the opposite. The most beneficial sustenance for the heart is faith and the best medicine is the Qur’ân.



The Signs of a Healthy Heart

For the heart to be healthy it should depart from this life and arrive in the next, and then settle there as if it were one of its people; it only came to this life as a passer-by, taking whatever provisions it needed and then returning home. As the Prophet, may Allâh bless him and grant him peace, said to Abdullâh ibn Umar, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a passer-by.”[1] The More diseased the heart is, the more it desires this world; it dwells in it until it becomes like one of its own people.

This healthy heart continues to trouble its owner until he returns to Allâh, and is at peace with Him, and joins Him, like a lover driven by compulsion who finally reaches his beloved. Besides his love for Him he needs no other, and after invoking Him no other invocations are needed. Serving Him precludes the need to serve any other.

If this heart misses its share of reciting the Qur’ân and invoking Allâh, or completing one of the prescribed acts of worship, then its owner suffers more distress than a cautious man who suffers because of the loss of money or a missed opportunity to make it. It longs to serve, just as a famished person longs for food and drink.

Yahya ibn Mu‘âdh said: “Whoever is pleased with serving Allâh, everything will be pleased to serve him; and whoever finds pleasure in contemplating Allâh, all the people will find pleasure in contemplating him.”

This heart has only one concern: that all its actions, and its inner thoughts and utterances, are obedient to Allâh. It is more careful with its time than the meanest people are with their money, so that it will not be spent wastefully. When it enters into the prayer, all its worldly worries and anxieties vanish and it finds its comfort and bliss in adoring its Lord. It does not cease to mention Allâh, nor tire of serving Him, and it finds intimate company with no-one save a person who guides it to Allâh and reminds it to Him.

Its attention to the correctness of its action is greater than its attention to the action itself. It is scrupulous in making sure that the intentions behind its actions are sincere and pure and that they result in good deeds.

As well as and in spite of all this, it not only testifies to the generosity of Allâh in giving it the opportunity to carry out such actions, but also testifies to its own imperfection and shortcomings in executing them.



The Causes of Sickness of the Heart

The temptations to which the heart is exposed are what cause its sickness. These are the temptations of desires and fancies. The formers cause intentions and the will to be corrupted, and the latter cause knowledge and belief to falter.

Hudhayfa ibn al-Yamanî, may Allâh be pleased with him, said: “The Messenger of Allâh said, ‘Temptations are presented to the heart, one by one. Any heart that accepts them will be left with a black stain, but any heart that rejects them will be left with a mark of purity, so that hearts are of two types: a dark heart that has turned away and become like an overturned vessel, and a pure heart that will never be harmed by temptation for as long as the earth and the heavens exist. The dark heart only recognises good and denounces evil when this suits its desires and whims.’ ”[2]

He, may Allâh bless him and grant him peace, placed hearts, when exposed to temptation, into two categories:

First, a heart which, when it is exposed to temptation, absorbs it like a sponge that soaks up water, leaving a black stain in it. It continues to absorb each temptation that is offered to it until it is darkened and corrupted, which is what he meant by “like an overturned vessel”. When this happens, two dangerous sicknesses take hold of it and plunge it into ruin:

The first is that of its confusing good with evil, to such an extent that it does not recognise the former and does not denounce the latter. This sickness may even gain hold of it to such an extent that it believes good to be evil and vice-versa, the sunnah to be bid‘a and vice-versa, the truth to be false and falsity to be the truth.

The second is that of its setting up its desires as its judge, over and above what the Prophet taught, so that it is enslaved and led by its whims and fancies.

Second, a pure heart which the light of faith is bright and from which its radiance shines. When temptation is presented to pure hearts such this, they oppose it and reject it, and so their light and illumination only increase.

copied from: http://www.angelfire.com/al/islamicpsychology/tazkiyah.html

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5 before 5

A saying of the last prophet Mohammad (s.a.w)

"Take benefit of five before five:

Your youth before your old age,
your health before your sickness,
your wealth before your poverty,
your free time before you are preoccupied,
and your life before your death"

(Narrated by Ibn Abbas and reported by Al Hakim)

Your youth: As worshipping in youth holds more value than in old age.
Your health: As many good deeds become hard when unhealthy.
Your wealth: As the greatness of charity can be achieved before it's too late.
Your free time: As one will make excuse when preoccupied as free time was wasted.
And your life before your death: As the doors to deeds are now closed.

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How To Respect Your Parents

A Muslim child should respect and appreciate his or her parents on a daily basis. Allaah mentions that human beings must recognise their parents and that this is second only to the recognition of Allaah Himself. Throughout the Quran, we notice that parents are mentioned with appreciation and respect, even if they are senile. In the Quran, there is a very beautiful description of how parents are to be treated; Allaah Says (what means): "And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as] 'uff' [i.e., an expression of irritation or disapproval] and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: 'My Lord! Have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.'" [Quran 17:23-24]

The recognition and respect of parents is mentioned in the Quran eleven times; in every instance, Allaah reminds children to recognise and to appreciate the love and care that they have received from their parents. One such example is when Allaah says what means: "And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents…" [Quran 29:8 & 46:15]

1. The demand for recognising parents is made more emphatic when Allaah Says (what means): "And [recall] when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, [enjoining upon them]: 'Do not worship except Allaah; and to parents, do good…'" [Quran 2:83]

2. Allaah again emphasises in chapter An-Nisaa' that children should be kind to their parents. He says what means: "Worship Allaah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good..." [Quran 4:36]

3. In Chapter Al-An'aam, Allaah reemphasises that people should be kind to their parents; He says what means: "Say: 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment...'" [Quran 6:151]

C. Mothers:
Although Islam recognises both parents, mothers are given particular gratitude and respect. This can be appreciated if we reflect upon the hardships and suffering that mothers experience in their lives. In this regard, there is a Hadeeth of the Prophet : It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that a man came to the Prophet and asked him: 'Who is most deserving of my close companionship?' He replied: “Your mother; your mother; your mother; then your father; then the next closest to you in kinship; then the one next closest.”

Islam has endorsed respect for parents by their children, even if the parents are non-Muslims. If parents strive to convert their children to non-Islamic beliefs, the children should not obey them, but must still maintain goodness towards them. In this regard, Allaah says what means: "And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is two years. Be grateful to Me and your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. But if they endeavour to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do." [Quran 31:14-15]

D. More Respect:
Islam teaches us that of the most beloved deeds to Allaah, having respect for one's parents is second only to that of prayer and is greater than that of Jihaad (fighting in His cause). In this respect, Abu 'Abdur-Rahmaan 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood narrated the following: "I asked the Prophet : 'Which deed is the most beloved to Allaah?' He replied: "Prayers performed on time." I then asked: 'Which one is next?' He replied: "Goodness to parents." I then asked: 'Which is next?' He replied: "Jihaad in the path of Allaah.""
In Islam, respect for parents is so great that the child and his wealth are considered to be the property of the parents: `Aa’ishah narrated that a man came to the Prophet in order to resolve a dispute that he had with his father regarding a loan he had given him. The Prophet said to the man: "You and your wealth are to (i.e., the property of) your father."

E. Final Remarks:

We hope and pray that all of us will respect our parents while they are alive and after their death. One can honour his parents after their death through the following methods:

1. Performing daily Du'aa' (supplication) for them.
2. Giving charity on their behalf.
3. Instituting a perpetual charity on their behalf, such as a mosque, an Islamic Centre, an Islamic library, an Islamic hospital, an orphanage, etc.
4. Performing Hajj on their behalf, or asking someone to do so.
5. Distributing Islamic literature on their behalf.

Let us pray to Allaah that we do our best to respect our parents, honour them, be kind to them, assist them, and please them so that we may attain the love of Allaah.
O Allaah! Accept our humble prayers and make us obedient slaves to You.
O Allaah! Help us to be respectful children to our parents. Aameen.

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Etiquette of Dua (or How To Supplicate to Allah)

As we spend more and more time reciting Dua’s during the holy months of Rajab, Shabaan, and Ramadhan, it is necessary to know the correct etiquette of Dua. Supplicating to the Almighty should be done in the appropriate manner – in the manner that Allah loves – in order to benefit fully from it. The following are some of the Etiquette of Dua

Begin with Bismillah

Praise and Glorify Allah

Send Blessings on Muhammad(SAW)

Acknowledgement of Sins

Pray emotionally

Pray for others

Whoever prays for others pleases the Almighty greatly.

Have confidence that Allah will answer your Prayers

When praying, the supplicant must have trust that Allah will answer his prayers. A Hadith says, Whenever you recite Dua, assume that what you need is at the door.

Please don’t forget us in your adiyaat (plural of dua’ – supplications), especially in the blessed month of Ramadhan, as well as throughout the year

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Best Times to make Du'a

There are certain times dua (supplication) is more likely to be accepted by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) as mentioned by Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). These times are as follows:

1. The Last Third Of The Night

2. Late at night

3. Between Adhan and Iqamah

4. An Hour On Friday

5. While Drinking Zamzam Water

6. While Prostrating



7. The Night Of 'Qadr' (Decree)

8. During The Rain

9 . At the Adhan

10. One Who Suffers from Injustice and Opression

11. Dua on the Day of Arafat


12. Dua during the month of Ramadan

13. Dua when the heart reaches out to Allah to be totally sincere

14 Dua of an obedient son/daughter .


15. Dua at midnight.

16. Dua after wudu

17. Dua after stoning the Jamarat at Hajj

18. Du'a made inside the Ka'bah

The Ka'bah is a sanctuary that has no comparison in the entire world. The du'a of one who prays inside the hijr is considered as being made inside the ka'bah, as it is part of the house (Baitullah). [This is the semicircle to the right of the Ka'bah if you face the door, opposite to the Yemeni corner and the Black stone wall.]

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Lailatul Qadr : The Night of Power

Qadr means honour and dignity. Lailatul Qadr means the night of honour and dignity. It is this night in which the first Divine Revelation came to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam, when he was in prayer in the cave of Hira. Since this night enjoys the honour of having the first revelation brought to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam, it has been named Lailatul Qadr.

This is one of the holiest and most blessed nights, which is likely to occur on one of the odd nights on the last ten days of Ramadhan and most likely to be the 27th. The reward of worship on this night is better than the worship of a thousand months of worship, equivalent to a person's lifetime. So, on this night one should pray nafil namaz, recite the Quran, do Tasbih, Zikr, Duas, etc as much as possible.

This night had already opened its gates of treasures when the angel for the first time had come with the Divine Message in the cave of Hira, but its auspiciousness has continued to be with us permanently. Every year in the month of Ramadhan, this night is given to the Ummah. Muslims engage in prayers, recitation of Quran and praying to Allah, as the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam said: "The person who offered prayers to Allah in the night of Dignity with faith and with hope of reward from Allah, all his past sins have been forgiven." (Bukhaari)


As the rainy season is suitable for farming, similarly for the attainment of nearness to Allah, specific times , specific days and specific nights are most suitable, e.g. the time of Tahajjud prayers, Friday prayers, month of Ramadhan, the Day of Arafah, etc. So also the Night of Power is the most suitable night for attaining nearness to Allah.
In the Hadeeth, we have been asked to seek it in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadhan. Hazrat Aa'ishah radhiyallahu anhaa narrates that the Messenger of Allah sallalahu alayhi wasallam has said, 'Seek the night of Dignity in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan'.(Bukhaari).


By odd nights, the reference is made to the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th night of the month of Ramadhan. No one night has been fixed so that the yearning to find it may increase and people may spend more nights in worshipping Allah. From this aspect, the importance of `Itikaaf (seclusion) during the last ten days of Ramadhan is clear.


Some special prayers and Zikr for Laitul Qadr

1. Seeking Forgiveness.

Hazrat Aa'ishah radhiyallahu anhaa asked the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam that if she happened to get the night sublime what prayer should she say. The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam replied that she should say the following prayer :

"Allahumma innaka afuwwun kareemun tuhib-bul af-wa fa-afo anni"
(O Allah, You are the One who grants pardon for sins, loves forgiving, so forgive me.)

2. Reciting Astaghfar.

The following should be recited as much as possible:

"Astaghfirullah hallazi la-ila-ha illa huwal Hayyul Qayyumo wa atu-bu ilaihe"
(I seek forgiveness from Allah, the Almighty, there is no God but He. He is self-Existent, the Eternal and I return to Him)


3. Reciting Surah `Inna anzalnahu...'

"Inna anzalnahu fee lailatul Qadr, Wa maa adraka maa lailatul Qadr.
Lailatul Qadri khairum min alfi shahr. Tanazzalul malai-katu var-roohu
fee ha bi izni Rabbihim min kulle amr. Salaamun heya hatta matla-il fajr."

4. Do Salatul Tasbih.

5. Do Afzul Zikr i.e. La ilaha illallah

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