The Heart of Our Salaat

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9r7rDumF3wWIJU4a5sUK_Eaxdii_4gKy-18CAD1siilZcS9KwVmm2W66v4IIWRjzQqegC0220gEgwMIlOh-tu-SiRL6hyphenhyphentlrcbiXaPtUqPMyFq-rBprHJ8_cO3wvXKZSO9gOlyuPbTtm/s1600/Dunya-shadow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9r7rDumF3wWIJU4a5sUK_Eaxdii_4gKy-18CAD1siilZcS9KwVmm2W66v4IIWRjzQqegC0220gEgwMIlOh-tu-SiRL6hyphenhyphentlrcbiXaPtUqPMyFq-rBprHJ8_cO3wvXKZSO9gOlyuPbTtm/s640/Dunya-shadow.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> This Khutba is about the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahada.<br /> It is about Salaat, the honor of and blessing that Allah has given us in<br /> providing us specific moments of the day wherein we have a private<br /> audience with him, wherein we have a chance to reaffirm our sillat (or<br /> attachment) with Him.<br /> <br /> The times of Salaat are an opportunity for us to reconnect our souls to our<br /> Lord and to free ourselves from the weight of this duniya and the worries<br /> of our nufoos our souls. Because of the immensity of Salaat, the way in<br /> which it was made obligatory was also given immense importance and<br /> was unique – for the Prophet received the obligation of his nation to pray<br /> 5 daily prayers after the night of the Isra and the Miraj – the Night<br /> Journey and the Heavenly Ascent.<br /> <br /> Just as the ascent of the Prophet was an ascent from the physicality of the<br /> world (Mulk) to the angelic domain (Malakut) until ultimately to the<br /> divine presence of his Lord (Jabarut), our Salaat should be an ascent that<br /> allows us to traverse these dimensions. Just as the ascent ended with the<br /> presence of God, so too should our Salaat.<br /> <br /> <b>So let us ponder on this for a moment and think about our states in Salaat.</b><br /> Do we long for it?<br /> Do we feel bliss in it?<br /> <br /> Know that if you want to know how close you are to Allah at any<br /> moment of time – then think about how close Allah is to you. If you<br /> want to know where you rank with Allah then think about where Allah<br /> ranks with you.<br /> <br /> This is why Salaat amongst being the greatest of<br /> blessings is also a test as inevitably all blessings are – it is the way by<br /> which we can test and gauge our Iman. The Khushoo, or closeness to<br /> Allah you feel in your Salaat is the barometer – the measure by which we<br /> know where we are at, at each moment in our journey to Allah.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXFMOfqy74B3PKi6LPZxT_36rPLRjJ97IpwPd6m7HbUi5o7t3_cTsqytvDmNMAdhFmyi4ak3MXHXt0i4DiQkPbOb_IasoqRD4DDDdLTdg3WNneohTXrap0VA5ZjLrYbl5QOohIj1hLvAk/s1600/0022-p-west-234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXFMOfqy74B3PKi6LPZxT_36rPLRjJ97IpwPd6m7HbUi5o7t3_cTsqytvDmNMAdhFmyi4ak3MXHXt0i4DiQkPbOb_IasoqRD4DDDdLTdg3WNneohTXrap0VA5ZjLrYbl5QOohIj1hLvAk/s1600/0022-p-west-234.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> What is Khushoo? To answer this it is worth pondering when Allah says:<br /> “Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope<br /> and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive (Khashi'een).”<br /> [Al Anbiyaa: 90]<br /> <br /> Elsewhere, Allah also describes the nature of this Khushoo:<br /> “And they fall upon their faces weeping, and the Quran increases<br /> them in humble submission.”<br /> [Al Israa: 109]<br /> <br /> Khushoo is a state of reverential awe, often the word is incorrectly<br /> translated as fear, this is an inadequate translation. Awe, unlike fear, is<br /> allied with love and respect, it comes from knowledge – knowing who<br /> Allah is and who you are. Allah says:<br /> Those who truly have reverential awe (Khushoo)of Allah, among His<br /> Servants, (are those) who have knowledge: for Allah is Exalted in<br /> Might, Oft-Forgiving.<br /> [Qu'ran: 35:28]<br /> <br /> True and beneficial knowledge has to bring about reverential awe, this is<br /> why the Prophet used to take refuge in useless knowledge of no benefit,<br /> wherein he used to say:<br /> “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the knowledge which does not<br /> benefit, from the heart that does not entertain the reverential<br /> awe/fear (of Allah), from the egotistical soul that does not feel<br /> contented.”<br /> [Sunan Al Nisai]<br /> <br /> In that sense Khushoo' is the heart of our Salaat. It is intimately tied in<br /> with Iman, in-fact it is the very indication of the state of our Iman, as<br /> Allah says:<br /> “Certainly the believers have succeeded: Those who during their<br /> prayer have reverential awe."<br /> [Al Mu'minun: 1-2]<br /> <br /> Now here is a crucial point: you can't fake Khushoo. You can go through<br /> the outward motions of the Salaat and even the recitation but you cant<br /> fake Khushoo – because it is the state of your heart. And that is ultimately<br /> what our Salaat is judged by. As the Prophet is reported to have said:<br /> “Verily, a man may return from praying and nothing is written for<br /> him except a tenth of his prayer, or a ninth, or an eighth, or a<br /> seventh, or a sixth, or a fifth, or a fourth, or a third, or a half.”<br /> <br /> The place of Khushoo' is the heart – when the heart is not stable, the body<br /> is not stable. It was narrated that Saeed Ibn al Musayeb saw a man<br /> playing with his beard during prayer and said:<br /> “If this man’s heart was filled with humility, so would his body<br /> parts.”<br /> <br /> In-fact at a deeper level, the very motions of Salaat are intended to be<br /> symbolic of our hearts. The Prophet is known to have to said in Rukoo':<br /> “I affirm my faith in You and I submit humbly before You my<br /> hearing, my eyesight, my marrow, my bone and my sinew.”<br /> Likewise, the Sajda is a deeply symbolic act.<br /> <br /> One of the most inspirational books I read in the early days of my own conversion was the<br /> autobiography of Malcolm X. It is the story of someone who goes from<br /> Malcom Little to becoming Detroit Red, to being called Satan, until he<br /> meets someone in Prison and has to face upto his biggest challenge – to<br /> make Sajda to Allah. He remembers the moment he bowed down (Sajda)<br /> and describes it as the hardest thing he had done to date. Why is that,<br /> because his psyche at a deep level was refusing to bow down, because his<br /> ego was what was controlling his life, as he lived as hustler on the street<br /> of Harlem, smoking reefers and coke as well as dealing in them - it was<br /> only when he was able to bow down that he was able to change. He went<br /> onto become Malcolm X and finally before dying he became as Al<br /> Shaheed Al Malik Al Shabbaz. A lifetime of transformation for a man of<br /> sincerity, a man of Salaat. His story is likewise echoed by many other<br /> converts who remember the first moment they made Sajda.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4cNMnzLUVV3U864tijxRYMyzEHVvvXDGDo_H0KjzetxO_NxvLzj3SGfAD7ZjOQlct5cqPyV-ukJkTSZ8hFnkCb5rZN34vZOOBAdyanSYifu2queSKP8IpK9MJHNbA0SOcxksWxAd1mWV/s1600/0022-p-asia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4cNMnzLUVV3U864tijxRYMyzEHVvvXDGDo_H0KjzetxO_NxvLzj3SGfAD7ZjOQlct5cqPyV-ukJkTSZ8hFnkCb5rZN34vZOOBAdyanSYifu2queSKP8IpK9MJHNbA0SOcxksWxAd1mWV/s1600/0022-p-asia.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The Prophet is reported to have said:<br /> "The closest a servant comes to his Lord is in Sujood; therefore make<br /> excessive du'a, for it is most likely to be answered."<br /> [Sahih Muslim]<br /> <br /> So the motions of the Prayer are reflective of how our heart should be,<br /> this is why the Prophet said:<br /> “Allah faces His servant while he is in Salaat and keeps facing him as<br /> long as he does not turn. If he [the worshipper] turns, Allah turns<br /> away from him.”<br /> [Sunan al Tirmidhi]<br /> <br /> So what is the turning above meant to indicate? Allah is beyond any<br /> direction of space and time, rather the act of turning and facing here is<br /> meant to indicate the turning and facing of the heart. It has been said that<br /> the heart is like a mirror – it can only fully encapsulate the image when it<br /> is fully focussed and facing the direction of the image. It has also been<br /> said that the heart has only one direction – so when it is busied by<br /> something else – its attachment to salaat is diminished by that portion.<br /> <br /> <b>The Salaat of the Sahaba</b><br /> In the Sunan of Abu Dawud, it is narrated with a hasan (good) chain that<br /> in one of the battles, the Prophet appointed two guards, one from the<br /> Muhajiroon and one from the Ansar. At one point, the Ansari got up to<br /> pray while the man from the Muhajiroon reclined in order to have a nap.<br /> A man from the mushrikeen (disbelievers) who was close by saw this,<br /> and fired a small arrow at the Ansari who was praying. It hit him, but the<br /> Ansari, with some difficulty, removed the arrow and continued praying as<br /> the blood seeped from him. The mushrik, upon seeing this, fired another<br /> arrow. The Ansari was able to remove it also and continued praying.<br /> However, the Ansari could not stand the pain of the third arrow and fell<br /> into rukoo’ (bowing) and sujood (prostration), and this is when the<br /> companion of the Muhajiroon woke up, seeing his friend seeping with<br /> blood. Upon seeing this, the mushrik fled. “SubhanAllah! (Glory be to<br /> Allah!) Why didn’t you alert me when he first hit you?!” the Muhajir<br /> exclaimed. The reply of the Ansari was, “I was reciting a surah (chapter<br /> of the Qur’an) that I love, and I did not like to cut it off.”<br /> <br /> Such stories abound in the lives of Sahaba. Another narration describes a<br /> Sahabi whose leg was in need of amputation and was faced with the<br /> difficulty of surgery without anesthesia. Upon being offered alcohol to<br /> help decrease the pain he would undoubtedly feel he refused it by saying:<br /> 'Cut it off while I am in prayer'. The amputation was completed while he<br /> was in Sujood.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIrm8y-Ca-1L7dY7-l-1y6JZM3_x5uTob1915Haz4_kKj_fUD1ZLfume1xjkv5gCWCFucJKPpwzDArQ283rKOCJ1zYWm82cZ2hE7fP9L8MqUR9j8oSCZoFaSNDoBDE9yi-b-cRVfIgRyK/s1600/0022-p-282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIrm8y-Ca-1L7dY7-l-1y6JZM3_x5uTob1915Haz4_kKj_fUD1ZLfume1xjkv5gCWCFucJKPpwzDArQ283rKOCJ1zYWm82cZ2hE7fP9L8MqUR9j8oSCZoFaSNDoBDE9yi-b-cRVfIgRyK/s1600/0022-p-282.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> What was the difference between the Sahaba and us, such that they could<br /> endure what would otherwise be excruciating pain in their Salaat? The<br /> difference was hearts.<br /> <br /> I was once speaking to someone who said, he came to the masjid and<br /> tried praying and didn’t find any peace – so he decided not to come again.<br /> The issue here is not the salaat – but it is our hearts – when our hearts are<br /> occupied and busied with other than Allah, we cannot experience what<br /> the salaat has to offer us, because our Salaat is not really a Silat or<br /> connection with Allah.<br /> <br /> Allah says:<br /> Verily, I am Allah. There is no god but I: So serve thou Me (only),<br /> and establish prayer for My remembrance.<br /> [Qu'ran 20:14]<br /> <br /> Prayer is for His remembrance, so when we enter in our prayers and<br /> remember everything else apart from Him, have we really prayed? The<br /> point is to make our Salaat for Him.<br /> "Say: Verily, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my<br /> death are all for Allah, Lord of the Worlds."<br /> [Qur'an 6:162]<br /> <br /> We should never give up<br /> So if we find our Salaat is about everything else other than Allah, then<br /> what do we do? There is only one things we can do – we do more dhikr,<br /> we strive to turn to Allah. We complain to Allah from the weakness of<br /> our states, but we never leave the Salaat, we never leave the dhikr –<br /> because it by the dhikr that our hearts are purified.<br /> It is important to bear in mind that it is the time you feel the dhikr is the<br /> hardest – that is when you need the dhikr the most.<br /> "Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the<br /> remembrance of Allah; for without a doubt in the remembrance of<br /> Allah do hearts find satisfaction."<br /> [Qur'an 13:28]<br /> <br /> As Allah says:<br /> "And remember Allah frequently that you may prosper."<br /> [Qur'an 62:10]<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlHgm0qnPkE59NJSm-b41nPoC_VJVieln3YrQiFN4EJ32mKSxvfM2ugjh3iU1i078OU9meBpoHL6yBQIxFBBHdXT9ssc4GfRF1z5CVwCI7fpBBSlPqEcX4ESNlG8BOLA4WgieGc9vXs_w/s1600/0022-p-dua-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlHgm0qnPkE59NJSm-b41nPoC_VJVieln3YrQiFN4EJ32mKSxvfM2ugjh3iU1i078OU9meBpoHL6yBQIxFBBHdXT9ssc4GfRF1z5CVwCI7fpBBSlPqEcX4ESNlG8BOLA4WgieGc9vXs_w/s1600/0022-p-dua-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> We never leave the dhikr, as a great scholar of Islam, Ibn Ataillah says in<br /> one of his Aphorisms:<br /> Do not adandon the dhikr because you do not feel the Presence of<br /> Allah therein. For your heedlessness of Him while doing the dhikr is<br /> better than your heedlessness of Him in the dhikr itself. For perhaps<br /> He will take you from a dhikr with forgetfulness to one with<br /> awareness (yaqadha) and from one with awareness to one with<br /> presence of Allah (Hudhur) and from the presence of Allah to one<br /> wherein everything but the invoked (al Madhkur) is absent – And<br /> that is not difficult for Allah.<br /> [Hikm Ibn Ataillah]<br /> <br /> Not giving up is essential for the nature of the heart is to turn, in-fact that<br /> is what the Qalb means, that which turns, but when it turns to Allah – it<br /> finds peace from every thing besides; this is what is known as the Sajda<br /> of the Qalb or prostration of the heart. May Allah give that to us and you.<br /> We end with the story of Fudayl Ibn Iyad, because it serves as a reminder<br /> of the capacity of the heart to change and an encouragement for us on our<br /> own journey.<br /> <br /> Fudayl was an infamous highway robber; he would prowl in the night for<br /> victims on the road from Abiward to Sarakhs. Between these two cities<br /> was a small village in which lived a girl that Fudayl was in love with.<br /> One night, out of desperation to be with her, Fudayl climbed the wall of<br /> her home. As he was climbing over it, he heard a voice recite:<br /> "Has not he time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all<br /> humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah."<br /> [Qur'an 57:16]<br /> <br /> Fudayl reflected…there and then he decided it was time to change.<br /> And he did.<br /> The same Fudayl who was known as a highway robber, would travel<br /> along all the cities whose people he had previously stolen from, telling<br /> people to take back what is their right. Having fulfilled all his dues, he<br /> then dedicated himself to a life of worship and became known as Abid al<br /> Haramayn, considered one of the foremost imams of the Salaf, the first<br /> three generations of pious muslims.<br /> <br /> And that is the nature of hearts, they can change – they change when<br /> Allah gives us the ability to turn our hearts to Him. May He give us that,<br /> may He give us our hearts in our salaat - and that is not a thing difficult<br /> for Him.<br /> Wasalaam.<br /> <br /> UAEKhutba.com<br /> Delivered on: 08-February-2013<br /> <br /></div>

The Heart of Our Salaat

This Khutba is about the most important pillar of Islam after the Shahada. It is about Salaat, the honor of and blessing that Allah has...

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Why should I study Islam?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BY9gwlOoE5o/VC133stJaFI/AAAAAAAACok/cA_kUbKU03I/s1600/111-landscape-Photographs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BY9gwlOoE5o/VC133stJaFI/AAAAAAAACok/cA_kUbKU03I/s640/111-landscape-Photographs.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Many years ago in Uzbekistan, a baby boy was born blind. His Mother, the strong Mu’minah that she was, did not lose sight of He who had the Power to cure him. She prayed and prayed for her sons sight. And within a few years the boy regained his eyes...<br /> <br /> She was widowed, the boy an orphan. She traveled with him to Makkah so that he could receive an Islamic Education. She arranged that he attend the circles of the scholars, and in those circles, he began excelling in the science of Hadith. He traveled to distant villages in search of the most authentic sayings of Rasul Allah (pbuh). He would pray two raka’at before accepting a hadith. His mother named him: Muhammad ibn Isma’il. And many of us know him today by the book he compiled, the book that stands after the Quran in authenticity: Saheeh Al-Imam Al-Bukhari!<br /> <br /> In another land, in another time, chilly Baghdad winds would wake up another boy. Much before Fajr, his mother would bundle him in warm shawls and escort him through the darkness, making sure he reached the Masjid safely. After Fajr, she would wait for him as he read Hadith to the biggest scholars of the land. Then, long after the sun had come up, she would meet him outside and together they would walk home. She was a strong mother indeed, for her son grew up to become an Imam of the Muslim Ummah, an Imam by the name of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.<br /> <br /> - (Manaaqib Ahmad, by Ibn Al-Jowzee)<br /> <br /> Imam Suyuti authored his first book, Tafseer Bismillaah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheeem, when he was in grade 2!<br /> <br /> Dear brothers and sisters,<br /> Why should we try to follow in the footsteps of these many other stars of Islam? The information that we shall in sha’ Allah learn is not like anything else. This knowledge is the law of Allah and the inheritance of the Prophets. It is our duty to preserve and protect the estate of Rasul Allah (pbuh), something that cannot happen without there being serious and sincere brothers and sisters spending long days and nights reading, reflecting, and teaching others.<br /> <br /> Every Islamic revival that takes place is built on something. Some revivals are built on emotions, others on politics. Do you know which shall remain firm when the wind of woe blows? It shall be the one that was built on sound knowledge of the words of Allah and the Sunnah of Rasul Allah.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbOJILiAa3BLv52r7ny539mJmFSB5dmreUxXmhHKcKUJPWepkhztMPu03olfjJj9b1Db1x5-t73D8U8m9DQBmSZa_pIAqdc9cGfpnO2YTW0yGTFq7qp88XGbyIaCDHUKNneExy2ZWZS89/s1600/lecture-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbOJILiAa3BLv52r7ny539mJmFSB5dmreUxXmhHKcKUJPWepkhztMPu03olfjJj9b1Db1x5-t73D8U8m9DQBmSZa_pIAqdc9cGfpnO2YTW0yGTFq7qp88XGbyIaCDHUKNneExy2ZWZS89/s1600/lecture-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> A sincere man once stood on the beach shore watching, to his dismay, the waves thrashing a fish up and down, left and right. The man concluded that he must save the fish. He thrashed into the water and grabbed the fish by the tail. He then thrashed back to shore and threw the fish on the beach, satisfied that he had saved it from the water!<br /> <br /> Dear brothers and sisters, when we work for the sake of Allah without knowledge of what the path of Allah is, many times we do as that young man did.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> We are living in an age of information. We have lights in every corner of the house when only yesterday our ancestors read by the light of the moon. We have publishing houses when only yesterday our ancestors wrote the books they owned with their own hands. We have CD’s to search the Hadith archives when our scholars spent days upon days searching for proof and evidence in their libraries. Shouldn’t the knowledge increase with all this ease? It should. But it has not.<br /> <br /> Dear brothers and sisters, we know that when a prize is great, the responsibility, and the work required for that prize shall also be great. And because of this, we see the enormous reward promised to those scholars and students of Islam due to the heavy work required.<br /> <br /> The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever seeks out a path to acquire knowledge (of the deen), Allah makes easy a path for them to Jannah!" – Muslim<br /> <br /> Shaykh Abdur-Rahman As-Sa’dee said, "Thus any path a person takes, whether physical or otherwise, something that will help them in acquiring knowledge of the Deen, they enter in the words of the Prophet, "Whoever seeks out a path to acquire knowledge (of the deen), Allah makes easy a path for them to Jannah."<br /> <br /> Rasul Allah told us that when a person seeks out a path to learn about Islam, this is a sign that Allah loves them and that He wants good for them in this life and the next.<br /> <br /> From Mu’aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Whoever Allah wishes good for, he grants them Fiqh (understading) of the Deen."<br /> <br /> And Rasul Allah told us that the sincere scholars have a place with Allah that no one else can reach, and that they are the inheritors of the Prophet’s estate in passing it on to the world.<br /> <br /> Rasul Allah said, "The virtue of the scholar to a worshipper (Aabid) is similar to the virtue of the moon when it is full to the rest of the stars. And verily the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. Verily the Prophets did not leave behind dirhams and deenars, but rather they left behind knowledge. Thus whoever takes it, takes it as a bountiful share." – Authentic, narrated by Abu Dawood, tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah.<br /> <br /> The position of the people of Islamic knowledge reached such a level that Allah (Jalla Thanaa’uhu wa taqaddasat Asmaa’uhu) and the Angels pray for them!<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--nEODWNXCJc/U-xE85UMyII/AAAAAAAAAx8/QEP8JV6_OFA/s1600/1965%2BYugoslavia%2C%2BSerbia%2C%2BKosovo%2B-%2BPec%2B-%2BCarsi%2BMosque%2BIslam%2BMuslim%2BShqiptar%2B-%2Bvintage%2Bold%2Bphoto%2Bpostcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--nEODWNXCJc/U-xE85UMyII/AAAAAAAAAx8/QEP8JV6_OFA/s1600/1965%2BYugoslavia%2C%2BSerbia%2C%2BKosovo%2B-%2BPec%2B-%2BCarsi%2BMosque%2BIslam%2BMuslim%2BShqiptar%2B-%2Bvintage%2Bold%2Bphoto%2Bpostcard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <h1 id="auctionTitle" style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Helvetica, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 7px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">1965 Yugoslavia, Serbia, Kosovo - Pec - Carsi Mosque Islam Muslim Shqiptar - vintage old photo postcard</span></h1> <div> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div> From Abu Umaamah: Rasul Allah said, "Verily Allah and His angels, even the ant in its hole and the fish in the sea, verily (they all) pray for he who teaches people good." – authentic, narrated by Tabraanee.<br /> <br /> Rasul Allah prayed for them also. He said, as narrated by Zayd ibn Thabit, "May Allah grant light (and happiness and beauty in the face) of someone who hears a hadith from us and memorizes it until he passes it on to others!" – authentic, narrated by Tirmidhi.<br /> <br /> One of the hadith scholars that Imam Bukhari took from, Hisham ibn Ammar narrates a story that happened to him when he was 8 years old. He says, "My father sold a house of his for 20 Deenaars so that I could go for Hajj (and study Islam). When I arrived in Madinah, I went to the circle of Imam Maalik. He was sitting amongst his students like a king. People would ask him questions and he would answer. When I entered the crowd and my turn came up I said, ‘Haddithnee (recite to me)!’ He said, ‘Rather you read.’ I said, ‘No, you haddithnee!’ Imam Maalik said, ‘No you read!’ When I talked back and argued, he got angry and said to another student, go with this boy outside and smack him 15 times!’ That student took me outside and smacked me 15 times with a stick and then brought me back to Imam Maalik. I said, ‘you have Dhulm (wronged) me! My father sold his house so that I could come to you and be honored by listening to your teaching and seek knowledge from you. And you smacked me 15 times without any crime on my part, I shall not forgive you!’ Imam Maalik then said, ‘What is the expiation for this Dhulm (wronging)?’ I said, ‘You have to recite 15 hadiths to me, that is the expiation.’ So Imam Maalik began reciting the hadith to me until he completed 15. When he ended I told him, ‘beat me more and read more hadith to me." Imam Maalik laughed and said, ‘be off.’ – From the book Ma’rifat Al-Qurraa’ al-Kibaar by Imam Adh-Dhahabi.<br /> <br /> From the beginning of time, there has been a race between the doers of good and the doers of evil. Adam and Iblees, Musa and Fir’own, Muhammad and Abu Jahl. Today that race has not ended. Think: How hard are the doers of evil working and how hard are we?<br /> <br /> Umar once said, "I seek Allah’s protection from Jalad (the strength and enthusiasm) of the sinner, and the laziness of the God-fearer." Subhaan Allah, it is as if he is contemplating the time that we are now living in.<br /> <br /> How can one of us be too lazy to pray 2 raka’at at night, when the people of the Dunya spend the entire night watching movies, some of which they have to read the translation on the bottom of the screen? How can we be too lazy to read for 2 hours, when the people of the Dunya – those who just want more money to continue their sin – spend days upon days of all-nighters studying for their exams? Why do we cringe at paying 6 dollars for an Islamic book, when the people of the Dunya spend hundreds, rather thousands in pursuit of their sin?<br /> <br /> What’s wrong? What has happened to us?<br /> <br /> Listen to those who came before us. Some Fuqahaa’ said, "For years I desired to eat Hareesah (a sweet dish) and I wasn’t able to because it was only sold during class time."<br /> <br /> Imam Su’bah said, "If I ever saw someone running in the streets of the village I would only think one of two things: He was either crazy or a student of Hadith!"<br /> <br /> And Ibn Al-Jowzee said, "I haven’t seen a flaw more sad in the community than those who stop working even though they have the ability to continue."<br /> <br /> How do we correct the situation dear brothers and sisters? Let us reflect on the following:<br /> <br /> Firstly: We must be sincere in our desire to learn Islam. We are learning this Deen to rid ourselves, firstly, of ignorance and then to help others to rid themselves of ignorance.<br /> <br /> Do you know the first Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, and in many many other Hadith books? It is not a coincidence that the first hadith is: "Verily Actions are (judged) by their intentions…" The scholars are reminding us from the very beginning of our path to learning, from page one, that it must be for the sake of Allah.<br /> <br /> Allah ordered us to be sincere to Him in what we do: [. And they have been commanded no more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith)…] Al Bayyinah, 5<br /> <br /> Rasul Allah said, "Whoever studies that which is meant for the sake of Allah, desiring only a piece of the Dunya, he shall not smell the frangrance of Jannah on the Day of Judgement." – authentic, narrated by Ahmad, and Tirmidhi.<br /> <br /> Ibn Abbas said, "Verily a man shall be protected (by Allah) in proportion to his niyyah (intention for doing what it is he is doing)."<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNZLwaBf1UA/U-xF3QO86nI/AAAAAAAAAyE/XNvtHQwo9Pw/s1600/minaret-2828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNZLwaBf1UA/U-xF3QO86nI/AAAAAAAAAyE/XNvtHQwo9Pw/s1600/minaret-2828.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> And this issue of intention is not an easy matter. Sufyan ath-Thowree said, "I have never nursed something more rebellious than my intentions." – from the book, Al-Ja’mi’ li akhlaaq al-Raawee, by Al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi.<br /> <br /> Listen to the advice of Imam Ibn Jamaa’ah if you want to know what it takes to correct your intention, "A proper and sincere intention when studying Islam is to intend to win the pleasure of Allah by what you are doing. You should intend to practice what you learn, to resurrect the Shariah, hoping that this knowledge will shine light on your heart, cleanse your soul, and bring you closer to Allah on the day of Judgement…Your intention for studying Islam should not be to win any worldly commodity, like leadership or fame or riches. It should not be learnt so that you can show off to your colleagues or so that people will revere you and sit you in a chief position in their gatherings, and so on…" – from Imam Ibn Jamaa’ah’s book, Tadhkirat as-Saami’ wal Mutakallim.<br /> <br /> Secondly: We should understand that we are in a continuous war with Shaytaan, and he does not want us to succeed in this studying. Allah ta’aala says, [When thou does read the Qur-an, seek Allah's protection from Satan the Rejected One.] An-Nahl, 98<br /> <br /> The Shaytaan shall sit in the face of every good thing that you try to do. Rasul Allah told us, "The Shaytaan sits in the path (of every goodness) that the son of Aadam (may try to take). He sat in front of him when he took the path to Islam and told him, ‘how could you leave the religion of your fathers and your fore-fathers?’ But he disobeyed him and became Muslim. Then Shaytaan sat in front of him in his path to Hijrah and said, ‘How could you leave your land and your sky?’ But he disobeyed him and migrated (from Makkah). Then he sat in front of him in his path of Jihaad and said, ‘Why should you do Jihad? It will only exhaust your wealth and body. You’ll be killed, your wife will marry someone else, and your wealth will be divided (to others).’ But he disobeyed him and went for Jihad." Rasul Allah then said, "Whoever does this, it is a duty upon Allah that He shall enter him into Jannah!"<br /> <br /> How will the Shaytaan sit in your face:<br /> <br /> 1. He will tell you to study tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, study tomorrow. Procrastination is from the Shaytaan!<br /> <br /> 2. Shaytaan will tell you that you are busy now and that later in your life you shall take the time out to study Islam. After marriage, after graduation, after you get a job. Life shall pass and the ‘after’ shall live forever.<br /> <br /> 3. Shaytaan will tell you that the situation of the Ummah is lost and that you studying will not help anything, so don’t waste your time. Combat this with what you’ve seen from the Jihad of knowledge and teaching that Rasul Allah and those that came before us did.<br /> <br /> 4. Shaytaan will tell you that there are enough scholars, they don’t need you. Combat this with the fact that scholars shall die, and if the knowledge is not passed on to the next generation, it shall die in the community. There are 1.4 billion Muslims and the problem that always comes up is that there are not enough teachers and scholars. Everyone is a shepherd and everyone shall be responsible for his or her flock!<br /> <br /> Thirdly: We should never forget to pray to Allah to bless us with His Mercy in succeeding in our intentions to learn Islam for His sake.<br /> <br /> Allah ta’aala says [When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me…] Surah AlBaqarah, 186<br /> <br /> Let us pray to Allah now to make this effort we are doing to learn His Deen, to learn His Shariah, sincere for His sake. And that He blesses us by His Mercy to succeed in what we intend. Verily, he has the Power to do anything.<br /> <br /> Ameen!                   <br /> Aqeemus salaah!<br /> <br /> by Muhammad Al-Shareef<br /> Royal Holloway Khutbahs   </div>

Why should I study Islam?

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