Those of you who haven’t heard of the AlMaghrib institute, you’re missing out–they give some mashallah amazing double-weekend Islamic classes. Qabeelat Majd (QMajd) is the Toronto branch. Mashallah, through the dedicated efforts of some dozen or so people, they finally published their first newsletter! It’s for the Rules of Engagement class (click to learn more about the class), so it covers the subject of akhlaaq–manners, etiquettes, dealings with Allah, with people, with yourself–and contains such fruitful topics as:

Why are we on this earth? This time, this place. People, make the use of the situation based on a cycle. The EAT-WORK-SLEEP cycle, which I believe turns out to be boring. Monday work starts, lasts till friday. Then again the same old weekend, were some claim to enjoy. Or lets look at life as a whole. A person is born, goes to school, goes to university/ college, gets a job.

Ibn `Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sa) said: “A Muslim is a brother of (another) Muslim, he neither wrongs him nor does hand him over to one who does him wrong. If anyone fulfils his brother’s needs, Allah will fulfil his needs; if one relieves a Muslim of his troubles, Allah will relieve his troubles on the Day of Resurrection…” [Bukhari and Muslim]. Subhanallah!

In a very beautiful hadith, our beloved Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: __ “There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but be says: ‘I fear Allah’; a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.

In the fast-paced world we live in, we often lose the righteousness needed to attain the closeness to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) that we desire. We go through constant struggles, fighting with ourselves to do what is good and to stay on The Straight Path. At times we prosper and succeed, but much of the time, we lose the fight, but why? Why do we succumb to the temptations of this world?

Innal-Hamdu lillah was-Salaatu was-Salaam `alaa Rasoolillah “Lucky escape … hmmm … Nah! It just wasn’t my time to go yet; Allah saved me and gave me a little longer …” Driving home from work after having a late staff meeting, it was an ordinary evening not much traffic on the road. I got onto the dual carriage, I was in the right lane doing around 60-70 miles an hour, then all of a sudden *BANG* the bonnet of my car flew open and smashed against my car windscreen, *SMASH* all the glass cracked and from the great impact, my back view mirror had completely broken off.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an: اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ~َ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُه ُُ سِنَة ٌ وَلاَ نَوْم ٌ لَه ُُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ~ُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِه ِِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْء ٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ~ِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَئُودُه ُُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ “Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal.

Attaining Jannah can be easy if we want it to be. The choice is ours to make. Just take a step towards Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and watch! To make things easy, it is reported that Abu Umamah said: The Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever recites Ayatul-Kursi immediately after each prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death.” (Reported by An-Nasa’i and Ibn Hibban)

So, do you want to enter Jannah? Think about it for a second. OK, that was an easy one. Here’s a more difficult question, how do you plan on getting there? Take your time and think about that one. That thinking in and of itself will help you get to Jannah, inshallah ta’ala. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will make the path easier for those who sincerely desire to come closer to Him and find ways to do so.

Stuck with only a chest-high sink for wudoo? Maybe you feel really tired and just want to make wudoo quickly so you can pray and sleep? Then you’re in luck! Pass this quick test, and you can just wipe over your socks for wudoo! Wudooified feet: Were you in a state of purity (post-wudoo) before you put on your socks? Permanent socks: Did you leave your socks on after losing wudoo?