Gems

Continuing our study of the fruits of eman, here are some additional fruits that spring from the tree of eman: 13) A Good Life In Surah Nahl, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ Translation: Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.

When you give da’wah to atheists, give them five minutes of your time, then move on. If you can’t convince them in five minutes, you won’t be able to in five centuries. As proof that you should focus your da’wah on other then atheists, consider the Qur’an. How many verses did Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) reveal to the Jews and Christians (People of the Book)? Countless. To the mushrikeen, the polytheistic Arabs?

‘Ibadah. We hear the word all the time. But what does it mean? Linguistically, ‘ibadah means to show subserviance, or to be subserviant to. From a shar’ee perspective, ‘ibadah has two meanings: The spiritual conscience of the worshipper–what constitutes worship spiritually. The actions–what consitutes worship in action. And Ibn Tamiyyah says: “‘Ibadah includes all hidden and shown actions, statements, and beliefs beloved to Allah.” Of actions, there are two types: natural and religious.

Allah blessed me with the opportunity to listen to Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, who specializes in Aqeeda, speak about shirk. Here’s what he said. Question: What happens if you’re Muslim and you’ve committed shirk? Answerer: Shaykh Yasir Qadhi In the Qur’an, in many places, Allah says shirk is unforgivable. إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا Translation: Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him, and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases; and whoever associates anything with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin.

Imagine that your time is water. Every day, you get 24 liters to use as you wish. You keep it in one giant metal bucket and carry it around with you. The bucket leaks–if you don’t pour your time into buckets and use it effectively, most of it will end up spilled on the ground, lost. Each day, you pass by some plants, and you have to stop and water them, or they die–the big, thick bush of family.

All of us, and especially those of us in educational institutes, run into tests and projects and assignments. And often–too often–we aim merely for a pass. A 60% or 50%, and we’re good to go. But, imagine if you will, an archer shooting at a target. High above his head is 100%. Somewhere level with him is 50%–a pass. And below, lesser marks. He draws back his arrow. He aims. 50%?

Salaah is the springboard of eman. Everytime you perform salaah, your eman should go up. In Surah Baqarah, Allah says: “And seek help in patience and prayer. Indeed it is difficult, except for those with kushu“. Here are some tips inshaAllah to help you achieve awesome salaah: Pray as if it is your last prayer. We hear imams say this a lot. But what does it mean? How would your salaah be if you knew it was your last salaah before you returned to Allah, Lord of the Worlds?

When you seek knowledge, seek from the best sources–the most authentic, and those closest to the source. The companion Abdullah ibn Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) was 10 years old when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) went on his farewell Hajj. Abdullah ibn Zubayr went, too, and witnessed the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam)’s hajj first-hand. After the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) passed away, Abdullah ibn Zubayr became the definitive source of the fiqh of Hajj–starting at age 10–until he passed away at 73.

During a year of difficulty–during the reign of Abu Bakr as-Siddique (radiAllahu ‘an), when the Muslims needed food–this HUGE caravan rolls into town. Everyone clamers around, they want to buy stuff, and it goes straight to the house of ‘Uthman (radiAllahu ‘an). He owned the caravans. So they went to ‘Uthman and said “We want to buy it from you, we’ll give you double the price”–that is, double the cost, for food.

“Allah has sent us to deliver whomsoever chooses, from the ‘uboodiyyah of men to the ‘uboodiyyah of Allah, from the narrowness of this world to the vastness of this world and the Hereafter, and from the tyranny and oppression of (false) religions to the justice of Islam.” So said Rib’ee ibn ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) to the Persian general Rustum, before the battle of Qadisiyyah. An explaination of the core of Islam.