Gems

The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, in a long hadith: “A believer should speak good or keep silent!” We all know this hadith, right? But how do we implement this hadith? What if someone does something wrong? What if they deprive us of our rights? Should we still keep silent, or give them 80 lashes with our tongues? Check this out–this incident ocurred during the life of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه), second Khalifa of Islam.

Those five categories of all actions–fard (also known as wajib), mustahab (sometimes called “sunnah”), mubah, makrooh, and haram–what do they really mean? While you can understand these from different angles, we explain these from an Usool-ul-Fiqh perspective. Here they are: Fard/Wajib (obligatory) means any action that you earn a reward for performing, and earn a punishment from abstaining from. Examples include praying, fasting, etc. Mustahab/Sunnah (recommended) means any action that you earn a reward for performing, and earn nothing from abstaining from.

Whenever Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentions the Fire, He (سبحانه وتعالى) always mentions a fire exit–usually immediately afterwards. There’s always a chance to escape. But once you die, there’s no fire exit. For example, in Surah Baqarah, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ وَلَن تَفْعَلُواْ فَاتَّقُواْ النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَار Translation: But if you cannot–and you can never do it–then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and the stones, prepared for the Unbelievers.

When you read the Qur’an, cultivate the mentality that every single surah, verse, ayah, and letter was revealed for you, personally. Verse addressed to Banu Israeel (Jews)? Maybe Ahlil Kitaab (people of the book)? Or maybe An-Naas (humankind)? Or even the obvious, to those who believed? Yes, it addresses them–but it also addresses you. Learn from their past–their triumphs and their defeats, their actions and their mistakes, their joys and their pains.

Ramadan kills all the excuses we make for ourselves throughout the year, and allows us to soar to new heights of eman! If someone said to you, “let’s go to the masjid every day,” you’d say “we can’t do it!” but, in Ramdan, you do it! If someone said “let’s play Qiyam al-Layl all night,” you’d say “we can’t do it!” but, in Ramdan, you do it! Subhanallah, in Ramdan, wishes and hopes and dreams can become reality!

Now that you know what barakah is, you might ask, how can one increase the barakah in his or her life? Aside from visiting the places with barakah, and making use of times with barakah, what else can you do? The answer is very simple. If you want Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to bless you, then do anything for the sake of Allah, upon the sunnah (methodology) of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

In Surah Ibrahim, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) gives us the metaphor of the kalimah (la ilaha ilallah) as a beautiful tree. The verse is: أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللّهُ مَثَلاً كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاء Translation: Have you not seen how Allah has given the parable of a beautiful kalimah, like a beautiful tree, whose roots are firmly established, and whose branches tower in the sky? (Surah Ibrahim, verse 24)1

Kindness to parents is pre-emptive–you fulfill their needs and wants before they can ask, before they even know it themselves. Kindness to parents is pre-emptive–it means you fulfill their needs before they ask. It’s not antagonistic, where they ask and ask and ask until you give in and do what they say. It’s not passive, where they have to tell you every little thing they need. It’s active, so take the initiative and do what needs to be done, in order to earn the pleasure of Allah.

Belief in Allah Check this out. The mushrikeen, now and in the time of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم), believed in Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Remember, these are the people who rejected Islam, and who are among the worst of people. In Surah Ankabut, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ […] وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّن نَّزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ مِن بَعْدِ مَوْتِهَا لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ Translation: If indeed thou ask them who has created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law), they will certainly reply, “Allah”.

Continuing our discussion of barakah, you might ask “so what has barakah in it?” The Qur’an: In many verses, the Qur’an itself is called “mubarak”. There is nothing but good in it–every letter, every verse, every surah, every prohibition, every command. The revelation, the recitation, the understanding, and the memorization, as well, are blessed–because they are the speech of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). The Prophets: All prophets have barakah, especially the last, Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم).