In many places in the Qur’an, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) makes this statement:

Transliteration: Laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanuwn

Translation: No fear upon them and they will not grieve.

You can locate this in many ayat of the Quran, such as: Surah Baqarah verse 38, Surah al-An’aam verse 48, and Surah Yunus verse 62, and others.

We’ll break this statement into two parts inshaAllah: the first part, it deals with fear (laa khawfun `alayhim), and the second deals with grief (wa laa hum yuhzinuwn).

In Surah Ibrahim, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) gives us the metaphor of the kalimah (la ilaha ilallah) as a beautiful tree. The verse is:

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.

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:

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”. […] And if indeed thou ask them who it is that sends down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith to the earth after its death, they will certainly reply, “Allah!” (Surah Ankabut, verses 61-63)¹

Answerer: Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

A: Strive. Show interest in the deen. Come closer to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and He will come closer to you. There is a hadith on how to gain knowledge: ‘ilm is only gained by studying. It’s not gained by hiding in a cave and worshipping Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Studious study is the only way to gain knowledge. Don’t sleep with your head on a book and expect knowledge to osmosize into your brain!

Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah can be roughly translated as “Unity/Oneness of Lordship”. It pertains to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and His lordship.

Rububiyyah is from rabb (ربّ), which has three linguistic meanings:

1. Owner: The rabb is the true and complete owner. In one hadith, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “if you find a camel in the desert, leave it till it meets its rabb (owner)”.
2. Obediance: The rabb is the one who is to be obeyed. In Surah Yusuf, Yusuf (عليه سلام) said to one of the prisoners: “you’re going to give your rabb khamar (the king) …”
3. Nourisher: The rabb is the one who nourishes and takes care of everything.

We combine these to get the Islamic definition of rabb: Allah is the one who creates, sustains, and owns the entire creation. He alone is the Master, the Controller, the Nourisher, the one who creates from nothing. He has the right to each and every atom of creation.

The Qur’an and sunnah both praise knowledge. There are many blessings of knowledge–but first, we must define, “what IS knowledge?”

The Prophet said, in one hadith: “If Allah wants to do a favor to somebody, He bestows on him, the gift of understanding the deen.” [Bukhari 9/92/415]¹ From this hadith, we know that knowledge, as defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah, refers to knowledge of Islam, and not secular knowledge (such as Chemistry or Meteorology. Which is not to say secular knowledge is not important–Muslims need it to live in a halal way).

Patience is active, not passive.

What does this mean? It mains patience doesn’t just “happen”. You must strive for it. You have to actively remind yourself and make yourself patient.

Also, remember that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tests you with what you are not patient with. If He (سبحانه وتعالى) tested you with things you already succeed at, how could you ever learn and grow?

For a classic example of patience, consult Surah Yusuf. In Yusuf (عليه سلام) is an excellent, excellent example of patience. Every test becomes increasingly more intense, and yet, you see Yusuf (عليه سلام) bearing with patience, through to the end. (I suggest you read it with tafseer from tafsir.com.)

Continuing our discussion of barakah, you might ask “what times has Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) blessed with barakah?”

There are six blessed times:

1. Ramadan: The month of Ramadan, in general, is blessed. Also, the night of Laylatul-Qadr is specifically also very blessed. These are ideal times to worship Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), because the reward is greater. The last ten nights of Ramadan are the most blessed nights of the year–more then the days of Dhul Hijjah.
2. Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah: The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the most blessed days of the year–more then the days of Ramadan.
3. Sacred Months: These are the months of Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab. Allah has forbidden any kind of agressive hostilities against enemy nations in these months (this applies to Islamic state when it comes into existance inshaAllah). For details, consult tafseer of Surah Tawbah inshaAllah.
4. Friday: Friday, the day of jum’ah, is also blessed: in one hadith, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: On Friday, Adam (عليه سلام) was created; on Friday, he was expelled from Paradise; on Friday, the trumpet for the day of resurrection will be blown; and on Friday, the people will resurrect. [Muslim]¹.
5. Last Third of Each Night: In another hadith, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the heaven of this world when the last third of the night is still to come and says, ‘Who will call on Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask Me so that I may give him? Who will ask forgiveness of Me so that I may forgive him?’” [Bukhari]²
6. Early Each Morning: The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) made du’a for Allah to bless the early mornings for the Muslim ummah. (You’ll notice your productivity increases sharply in the morning. Memorizing Qur’an is also easy in the morning. Subhanallah.)

Make use of the blessed times, and perform good deeds in them. And remember, a morning lost is a morning lost (same for a month, or a Friday)–once that time has gone by, it’ll never return.

Continuing our discussion of barakah, you might ask “what places has Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) blessed with barakah?”

To start, the three blessed massajid:

1. The Ka’bah: it is the most blessed place on the Earth, more-so then the surrounding holy sites.
2. Medina: The city is blessed with barakah, and also, masjid an-nabawi has been blessed with barakah.
3. Masjid al-Aqsa: the masjid, located in Jerusalem, in blessed, as well as the surrounding area of Sham in general.

How do we know Allah put barakah in these places? Because of the hadith of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) where he said: “Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, Masjid an-Nabawi, and the Masjid of Al-Aqsa.” [Bukhari]¹