Gems

“I have already donated enough to masajids. I want to help the needy, poor, orphans and widows. Its so hard to find these people here in the west. Back home, it was so easy.” This is the typical problem that many of us face. So if you are wondering, how and where should I spend my charity, follow these six steps: Niyah Check: Make sure that you are only doing it for Allah, not to please anyone else or get praised!

What do you make of the amazing incident when the best of the sahaba (رضالله عنه) came to the best of the Prophets (صلي الله عليه وسلم) to ask for a du’a to make in his prayers? Narrated Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (رضالله عنه) I asked Allah’s Apostle (صلي الله عليه وسلم) to teach me an invocation so that I may invoke Allah with it in my prayer. He told me to say, [Sahih Bukhari] (Hover your mouse over each line to see the translation)

“I guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a house in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even when joking / for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” [Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم) – reported by Imam Abu Dawud]

With the Facebook craze that has struck us all in the past months, we have forgotten about a very serious matter that our beloved Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسل) talked about, and that matter being exposing of ones sins. We post messages on peoples walls, we post up pictures and what not, and its all exposing our sins to the public. We should be very cautious of the environment and inshallah try our best to protect our own dignity but also the dignity and respect of our brothers and sisters.

Typ‧i‧cal: Conforming to a particular type. For someone to be “typical”, he/she would be one who conforms to his society and behaves much like his environment. Typical in the 21st century: clubbing, flirting, sex, drugs, alcohol, stealing, cheating, swearing, injustice, premarital relations, immodesty, and the list goes on and on. So who’s typical? Is it the one who refrains from all the above, or the one indulges in it? Is it the one who’s perceived weird when he speaks out against someone swearing?

Abu Hurayrah relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak a good word or remain silent. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should show hospitality to his neighbor. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim] _Speak good, or stay silent Treat your guest, and don’t be violent

Everybody wants to read the Qur’an more–and why not? The Word of Allah, no less–unfiltered, unmodified, eternal; guidance for the entire planet. Yet many of us–even Arabs, who understand and have no problems reading and reciting–procrastinate and put off reading the Qur’an. So try this inshaAllah: every day, read and recite the Qur’an for at least one minute. Try it. I mean, one minute is hardly time enough to do anything–so you have no excuse.

Death. It’s inevitable. It’s one of the certainties of life. No one denies it and no one can escape it. And once you’re dead, your good deeds stop. Except in the following ways: Abu Hurayrah (رضالله عنه) reported that Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “When a human being dies, all of his deeds are TERMINATED, except for three types: An ongoing charity (aka sadaqah jariyah) A knowledge (of Islam) from which others benefit,

Allah (سبحانه وتعال) says in the Qur’an: فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَى Translation: “So for him who gives in charity, fears Allah, and testifies to goodness, We shall facilitate for him the Path of good. As for him who is stingy and considers himself independent of Allah and rejects the goodness, We shall facilitate for him the Path to evil.

Human Nature is Insatiable Human nature is insatiable. No matter how much you get, you will never be happy with it. That is the way we have been created. The key to happiness is not to get it all, but rather, to be content with little. “O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from incapacity, from sloth, from cowardice, from miserliness, from decrepitude, and from the torment of the grave.