Bismillah

“Emaan has sixty odd or seventy odd branches. The uppermost of all these is the Testimony of Faith: `La ilaha illallah’ (there is no true god except Allah) while the least of them is the removal of harmful object from the road. And shyness is a branch of Emaan.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

“…If removing harm from the path is a sign of emaan, then doing this act will increase you emaan. If you find a rock, or a glass or a sharp object in the road, removing it is a sign of emaan. Even if a car blocks the road or constricts it for the people, then they have placed harm in the road and removing it is a sign of emaan. Furthermore, if removing harm from the path is a sign of emaan, then placing harm there is a deficiency in emaan – and we seek Allah’s refuge – so it becomes incumbent on the people to have hayaa in their heart and to be empathetic towards the people.

Today, some people park their cars wherever they want for long periods of time and in the middle of the road, no matter if the area is wide or narrow, but this is not a trait of a Mu’min. A Mu’min is one who has modesty in his heart and is empathetic to the needs of the people; loving for them what he loves for himself. How can you be an example while you park your car in the center of the road and you do not think about the hardship it causes the people? Sometimes they will block the path and will park in front of the masjid’s entrance, constricting the road and bringing about difficultly for the people when they leave Jumu’ah prayer. This is incorrect.

Removing harm from the path is a sadaqah so it is upon the people to be firm on it. If a person is not able to do so – such as if the harm is a boulder or a pile of sand, or something similar, then he must inform those who are responsible in his city, because reporting it becomes a responsibility and it is from helping one another in Birr and Taqwa.”

-Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen rahimahullah, Sharh Riyad Saaliheen.

from: Tayyibaat.com

Just as our body gives us signals when we tax it too much physically or mentally, with migraine headaches, aching bones, low immunity to seasonal viruses, and muscular strains symbolizing the need for us to slow down, relax and give ourselves some stress-free time to unwind.

So too, our actions and dealings with people give us some telltale signs about the state of our spiritual well-being and health.

A healthy soul is serene when it is at the peak of faith. Imagine how it felt after spending a part of the night of “Al-Qadr” in prayer during Ramadan, or after consciously forgiving someone who had wronged you, or after sincerely repenting of and giving up a sin.

Such moments became turning points in your life that made you feel as if you were freed from shackles when you rushed back to Allah. During such times, the heart is spiritually charged, healthy, and resonating with faith. On the flip side are some warning signs in our actions that we should watch out for, because they indicate that we are gravitating towards the worst disease of the heart: Nifaq or hypocrisy. Just as a bodily disease requires immediate prescription of an appropriate remedy for timely cure, a disease of the heart also necessitates immediate diagnosis of symptoms and prescription of a remedy.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “There are four (characteristics), whoever has all of them is a complete hypocrite, and whoever has some of them, has some element of hypocrisy, unless he gives it up: When he speaks, he lies; when he makes a covenant, he betrays it; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; when he quarrels, he resorts to insults.” (Sahih Muslim, no. 53)

The Munafiq or hypocrite is someone who possesses all of the above traits. He makes an outward show of piety, but is inwardly different from his deliberately put-on, outer facade.

There are varying degrees of Nifaq, but the important thing to remember is that it is the opposite of Ikhlas – sincerity of intention towards Allah and His Deen, Islam.

If anyone wants to know how sincere his heart is towards Allah, he should analyze his behavior and actions honestly and if he detects any of these four traits:

1 Lying

Lying is a major sin that the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would stay far away from. We, however, lie regularly to save face before people. If we cannot visit someone just because we do not feel like going, we lie that we have to go somewhere else. We fear people and value their opinion about us more than we fear

Allah, His wrath, and our standing before Him. We are weak in faith and hence, we lie. Remember that each time you lie, you move further down the levels of faith, further away from Allah and righteousness, until you repent.

2 Betraying trusts

The agreements and contracts we sign with organizations, institutions, authorities or countries are covenants or trusts. We must obey the laws and rules of these contracts and not intentionally defy them. Anything belonging to someone else is also a trust that we must take care of.

If you find yourself betraying other people’s trusts, such as secretly disobeying office or school rules, deceiving your spouse (with whom you have the Nikah contract), borrowing and misusing other’s belongings, or forging marriage documents for immigration to another country, you should remind yourself that treachery or treason is the trait of a hypocrite.

3 Breaking promises

The tongue of a believer is cautious and on guard. A kind of carelessness of the tongue is to say to others that you will do something, only to make them pleased with you, and then not actually do it. For example, a husband might say to his wife, “I will buy you shoes next month,” or a woman might say to her friend, “I will not tell anyone your secret” – and then not keep up the word. Breaking promises leaves the other person feeling disappointed and betrayed.

A believer never makes a promise he does not intend to fulfill, and always fulfills a promise once he makes it. Making a promise and then breaking it, is a sign of hypocrisy. A sincere believer always takes his word seriously; once he says he will do something, he considers it a binding oath that remains on his mind until he duly discharges it.

4 Insulting another person during a dispute

Disputes, disagreements and quarrels are bound to crop up in human relationships, especially with people to whom we are close. One only fights with those whom he meets regularly, or has some business with, or is biologically related to. Consequently, fights erupt most often between siblings, spouses, neighbors, parents and children, employers and subordinates, colleagues, buyers and sellers, and close friends.

How do you behave when you get angry during a quarrel? Do you start shouting, screaming, hurling profanities and dishing out insults? Do you abuse the other person verbally or physically?

If you do, you should try to control and rectify this behavior. A sincere believer leaves the scene of the quarrel or maintains his composed demeanor even when furious.

As Muslims, we must constantly check ourselves to see whether our hearts have Nifaq or not. Ponder this wise saying of Hasan Al-Basri: “It is only a believer who fears hypocrisy (for himself), and it is only a hypocrite who feels safe from it.” (Al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Iman, ch. 36)

The most effective means of ridding one’s heart of the disease of Nifaq is to adhere to the Qur’an by studying it, memorizing it, and acting upon it; fulfilling all the obligations of Islam, abstaining from its prohibitions, and constantly engaging in remembrance of Allah.

The Prophet SAW in his ascent to Jannah could smell a beautiful smell and asked Jibrael what the beautiful smell was. He SAW was told this was the smell of the hairdresser of the daughter of Firaun, and her children,.

Who may this woman and her children be, we may ask? Yet another figure in an Islamic history book? But surely, my dear sisters, this woman is more than a dormant figure in a book. This woman is the magnificent, most beautiful example for us all, on what Iman really means. What steadfastness upon the Haq really means. And what sacrifice fi sabeelilah really means.

And the hadith narrated in Ahmad and Ibn Majah is as follows:
The hairdresser of the daughter of the Firaun, a nobody, another servant in the expansive quarters of the Firaun was one day combing the hair of her master’s daughter. And as she was doing so, she accidentally dropped the comb and after picking it up to resume her combing, she subconsciously uttered Bismillah. Just as we do, my dear sisters, before we eat, before we do any action, the utterance of bismillah is alhumdulilah of second nature to us, as it alhumdulilah was to her. But this utterance in no way had the same repercussions as maybe out utterances do today. Swiftly the daughter asked her what she had said, asking her whether she was mentioning the name of her father.

But this brave and valiant woman’s reply was – No. I mention Allah, my God and the God of your father. Immediately the daughter became angry and rushed to her father to tell him what had happened. He, in his anger, at finding this out, summoned her to him.
And she came and stood, a woman, a woman, sisters, in front of this great, most tyrannical and dictatorial Pharaoh. And he said to her, ‘who is your god?’ And she said, ‘Allah is my lord.’ He said ‘who is Allah?’ She said ‘Allah is my god and yours.’ Yes, she was cornered and put in a place, when she had to answer, she answered. No compromise, no thinking about how it would affect her job, her livelihood and most of all her 5 children.
Her answer made the Firaun furious and he ordered for chains to be brought. They whipped her, punsihed her but her reply was the same ‘Allah is my lord and yours.’

And so he ordered for them to bring a large container and he spilt boiling oil in to this container, and then he said, ‘bring me all her children!’ And her first child was brought. A child who for a mother, her heart aches for, when he may graze his knee, bang his head. Yet as the Firaun asked her the same question again and her response was the same, this child was put into the boiling oil, for his flesh to melt away from his bones, leaving his mother in this dunya.
But my dear sisters, the pain of the loss of a child, in front of your very eyes, in a manner which could make the coldest of hearts weep, did in no way weaken this jewel of Allah. She continued to watch all four of her children being immersed in the boiling oil and killed in this way. And then came the fifth, a baby who was still breastfeeding. And she was about to pull back. Imagine sisters, the innocent form of a baby whose total dependence on the mother for all form of nourishment, imagine how a mother would feel to think of the fate that laid for him. And then Allah SWT, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, in his magnificence, enabled this baby to speak to his mother. ‘Be patient my mother, you are in the truth, Allah Allah has promised you with a great heaven, keep going mother.’ SubhanAllah!

And the same fate befall the innocent baby.

She knew she was next and she began to cry. The tyrant, Firaun, then asked her why she was crying. And sisters, it was not in regret of what she had done, or in anger for Allah’s test upon her. No. It was because she had a request she wanted to ask this man, but she did not know whether he would comply. And what was this request?

This request was – After she was also boiled alive, that all that remained of her and her children should be gathered together and buried in the same grave. This is so, on Yawm Ul Qiyamah, she could be raised with all the children beside her and enter Jannah with them.
Sisters, what are our tests? Comfort? Ease? The fear of what people will say to us? The sacrifice of wealth, status, career? Just think of this fragant jewel of Jannah, and remember that nothing is too big a sacrifice for the sake of our Rabb.

from: http://islamicsystem.blogspot.com/2009/09/this-is-iman.html

{“And from the people is he who worships Allah as if he were on an edge. If good befalls him, he is content with it. And if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face. He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the clear  loss.”} [al-Hajj; 11]

Commenting on this verse, Ibn Kathir said in ‘Tafsir al-Qur’an al-’Adhim’ (3/279):

“This means that he enters the religion on an edge. So, if he finds what he likes, he sticks with it. Otherwise, he retreats. al-Bukhari reported…that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “A man would come to Madinah. If his wife gave birth to a son and his mare gave birth to foals, he would say: “This is a good religion.” If his wife didn’t give birth and his mare didn’t either, he would say: “This is a terrible religion.”” And Ibn Abi Hatim reported…that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Some bedouins would come to the Prophet and become Muslims and then they’d return to their homelands. If they returned to a year of rain, produce, and good children being born, they would say: “This religion of ours is good. So, stick to it.” If they came back to a year of hunger, bad children being born, and drought, they would say: “There is no good in this religion of ours.” So, Allah revealed this verse.”

…And ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said: “This is in regards to the hypocrite. If everything is going well for him in his life, he is consistent in his worship. If things change and go bad for him, he goes back and wavers in his worship except when things are going good. So, if a trial, hardship, test, or inconvenience befalls him, he abandons his religion and returns to kufr.””

In ‘Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’ (4/2412), Sayyid Qutb commented on this verse by saying:

“Even if this addresses the Islamic call back then, it is an example that is repeated in every generation – this person who weighs his belief using the scales of profit and loss, thinking that he is engaged in some sort of business deal…

Belief is the firm backbone in the life of the believer. The world crashes around him, and he remains firm on this support column. The events going on and the pressures existing around him push down on him, and he remains holding firmly to this rock that cannot be shaken. The crutches fall from under him, and he leans on this foundation that cannot be moved from its place or swept away.

This is the value of belief in the life of the believer. Therefore, it is a must for him to stand up straight on it, be sure of it, confident in it, not shaky in it, and not waiting for any reward for it, as it in itself is a reward. This is because it is the protective force that he turns to and the supporting column that he leans on. Yes, it is itself a reward for one opening his heart up to the light and going after guidance. As a result, Allah grants him this belief and faith for him to turn to for support and assurance. It is itself a reward whose value the believer realizes when he sees the confused, distraught people around him blown about and thrown around by the wind, engulfed in anxiety – while his belief keeps his heart tranquil, his feet firm, his mood calm, and his connection to Allah. He is confident as a result of this connection.

As for the type of person mentioned in this verse, he turns his belief into a business deal: {“…If good befalls him, he is content with it.…”} Here, he says that it is good to have faith. He is gaining some benefit, things look good, he is picking his crops, he is profiting from his deal, and he can stand up to the wind. {“… And if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face. He loses both this world and the Hereafter…”} He loses this world through the trial that he was afflicted with and was unable to exercise patience and hold himself together in the face of, and did not turn to Allah during. He loses the Hereafter due to his reversing course and his abandonment of his beliefs and the guidance that was made so easily available for him.

And the Qur’an depicts such a person as worshipping Allah “on an edge,” shaky in his beliefs, shaky in his worship. It depicts this state as the impending physical movement of one who is prone to collapse at the first hint of pressure. This person reverses course when he is simply touched with trouble, and his standing on the edge is simply a prelude to him going back from what he was upon and collapsing.

The measurement of profit and loss is something that belongs in business, not your beliefs. ‘Aqidah is a truth that should be adopted simply on account of what it is – the reaction of the heart that has opened itself up to light and guidance that has no choice but to react with whatever it encounters. So, this belief carries its reward in its nature, due to the confidence, tranquility, and pleasure it contains. So, it doesn’t look for reward from anything other than itself.

The believer worships his Lord out of gratitude for being guided, for the confidence that comes along with being close to Him. If any reward were to come, this would be from the favor of Allah due to this person’s faith and worship!

The believer doesn’t test his Lord. From the start, he accepts whatever He Decrees for him, surrenders from the start to whatever he will experience, is pleased from the start with whatever ease or hardship comes his way. It is not a business deal between a buyer and seller. Rather, it is the submission of the Creation to the Creator – the One who runs his affairs and was the reason for his existence in the first place.

The one who reverses course when he is touched with trouble endures a loss in which there is no doubt: {“…That is the clear loss…”} He loses the tranquility and confidence and calmness and pleasure, in addition to losing his money, family, health, or any of the other material possessions that Allah tests people through – He tests their confidence in Him, their patience in the face of these tests He brings, their own sincerity to Him, and their willingness to accept His Decree. This person also loses the Hereafter and the pleasures and closeness to Allah it contains…what a loss!”

He continues:

“…And Allah presents for the believers something better than whatever this life can give you, even if you lose whatever it gives you during the course of your trials and tribulations:

{“Truly, Allah will admit those who believe and do good deeds to gardens underneath which rivers flow. Indeed, Allah does what He Wills.”}

So, whoever is touched by any type of trouble or test, he should stay strong and not become shaky. He should manifest his confidence in the Mercy and help of Allah and His ability to remove all hardships and compensate and reward for them…”

Source:

http://iskandrani.wordpress.com/2009/06/20/the-backbone-that-never-breaks/

The Ummah.com forums are filled with little gems like the one below, short and easy to grasp and put into practice. These simple yet obvious steps serve as a little reminder to us all.

7 Steps to Increased Iman

1. Recognise and Repent
All humans commit sins no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Engaging in evil deeds decreases our Iman. Actions like lying, cheating and stealing, to name only a few, take a toll on the human heart which makes us more susceptible to being lead astray from the Path of Allah . It is important for us to reflect upon our deeds and weed out the ones that are contrary to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad . Allah has gifted us with an innate sense of justice and the ability to reason and make sound judgements. Our fitrah (natural disposition) necessitates that we all know when we are committing a sin. And if we don’t know, we certainly have a bevy of resources to find out from!

2. Perform Salah Regularly
Completing the five daily prayers, on time and according to the Sunnah, is an excellent way to increase our Iman. Not only are we performing an obligatory deed when praying, but by doing so we have a standing audience with the Creator of this world where we can ask for help and mercy. The effect of the salah on the human soul is cooling as Muhammad once said that it cooled his eyes. The salah connects us with our Creator and, along with obedience to Allah , helps us to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:

“The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses -this Qur’an- are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); Who perform salah and spend out of that We have provided them. It is they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their Lord, and Forgiveness and a generous provision (Paradise)” (Al-Anfal: 2-4).

3. Qur’anic Recitations
Medical studies have shown that simply listening to a recitation of the Holy Qur’an has a physiological effect on our bodies. Research has also proven that the Qur’an has healing qualities on the body, mind and spirit. What better way to increase your Iman than to listen to a recitation of the Holy Qur’an on an audio device! Listen to the melodious rhythm of the Qur’an and while doing so try to reflect upon the meanings of what you are listening to.

4. Engage in Dhikr
“…Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (13:28).
Remembering Allah much through acts of dhikr brings peace to the heart. It also gives us a sense of taqwa, a consciousness that makes us realise that Allah Almighty is ever near and that we should always strive to please Him. Some beneficial dhikr include:

Subhan’Allah – ‘Praise be to Allah’
Al-Hamdullilah – ‘Thanks be to Allah’
Allahu Akbar – ‘Allah is the Greatest.’

5. Voluntary Fasting
Fasting can be thought of as a prescription for us, which cures the maladies of the human soul. There are innumerable benefits to fasting nawafil fasts. Fasting helps us be thankful to Allah for His Bounty, control unlawful desires, have compassion for the less fortunate and it weakens the effects of waswas, the insinuating whispers from the Shaytan.

6. Carry Out Good Deeds
Doing good deeds for others can be like switching on a light bulb in a darkened room. No matter how awful we are feeling there is just something about offering a helping hand to someone in need that lifts our spirits and brightens our Iman.

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an: “For those who believe and work righteous deeds is a reward that will never fail” (Fussilat: 8).

Types of good deeds that any of us can fulfill include acts of dawah, feeding a poor person or donating something of value to charity. Not only does the deed benefit another person but it also benefits our own souls by polishing up our Iman.

7. Trust in Allah
The best way to increase your Iman is to completely submit your will to Allah by following every command in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Live your life according to them and you will find success around every corner. Turn to Allah in times of distress and be thankful to Allah in times of bounty. Have patience in Allah’s Decree and always remember that no matter what trials or tribulations we face in this World, one day we will be called to account for our deeds which were hopefully sent forth with much goodness and patience.

from MuslimWritings

The greatest treasure in the world that Allah gives to Muslims is iman. Without iman, we are not Muslim. Being Muslim is a gift from Allah that we did nothing to earn and can not be worthy of having. We can do nothing to give iman to someone else whom we love, or take it away from anyone we don’t like. Yet we are oftentimes so careless with this priceless gift of iman.

Our character as Muslims should be the best. In America, it has become a cultural pastime to publicly proclaim ourselves to be a victim or a survivor of something, so instead of nurturing the best qualities in ourselves, we frequently excuse and justify our shortcomings.

Salat is supposed to be the jewel of the day, each prayer glittering in pure, spiritual light-our closely guarded moments of connection to Allah. Yet too often we will regard salat as a inconvenience, an intrusion upon our work and play. We end up making several prayers at once or even squeezing in a prayer or two during the tv commericial breaks. We treat salat casually like an old favorite t-shirt, we won’t discard it, but it is forever stained, buried in the dirty clothes or lost under the bed.

Our other duties that should help keep us in remberance of Allah suffer as well. The discipline of Ramadan is lost in post-sunset gluttony. Hajj comes down the list of places to go somewhere after Disney World and before the Grand Canyon. Sadaqa is given grudgingly, almost fearfully-not wanting to come in contact with the poor-as if poverty were contagious.

We hold our iman so carelessly, not thinking that if we have little regard for iman, the greatest of gifts, we are in danger of ending up in the company of those whom Allah holds in little regard-punished in the grave, thrown into the fire on the day of Judgment.

Instead we should guard our iman as the treasure it truly is, nurturing our iman daily in remembrance of Allah and as we would nurture our own precious child. We are familiar with the rewards and joys of having children. The rewards Allah offers us are even greater.

But those of them who are firm in knowledge and the believers believe in that which is revealed unto thee, and that which was revealed before thee, especially the diligent in prayer and those who pay the poor-due, the believers in Allah and the Last Day. Upon these We shall bestow immense reward. (Quran 4:162)

Easy Good Deeds!

from hadith

Read and Apply

1. Sitting after the Fajr prayer remembering Allah until sunrise: “whoever prays al-ghadaa (fajr) in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until sunrise, then prays 2 rakats of salat has a complete reward of Hajj and Umrah (the prophet s.a.w repeated the word ‘complete’ 3 times for emphasis)
[Tirmidhi]

2. Praying the 12 sunnah prayers each day: “Allah will build house in Jannah for whoever is diligent in obsering 12 sunnah rakat (as follows) 4 rakat before and 2 after Dhur, 2 after the Maghrib, 2 after Ishaa, and 2 before Fajr.”
[Tirmidhi]

3. Attending lectures in the mosque. “Whoever goes to the mosque not desiring except to learn or teach what is good has the reward of a pilgrim who completed his Hajj”
[Tabarani]

4. Visiting a sick Muslim. “There is no Muslim who visits a sick muslim early in the morning but 70 thousand angles send blessings upon him until evening comes, and if he visits him in the ev ening, 70 thousand angles send blessings upon him until morning comes, and he will have a garden in paradise.”
[Tirmidhi]

5. Providing food for breaking the fast. “Whoever provides food for breaking of the fast for a fasting person receives the reward of the fasting person, without the reward of the fasting person being reduced in any way.”
[Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

6. Standing in prayer on Laylatul Qadr. “Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months.” Quran 97:3], that is, superior to approx 83 years of worship!

7. Remember Allah when you go shopping : “Whoever enters a market and says: ‘Laa ilaha illallah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu yuhyi wa yumeetu wa huwa hayyun laa yamoot, bi yadihil khair, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shayin qadeer’
[Meaning: there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, alone without partner, to Him belongs dominion and praise, He causes life and feath and He is the Living and does not die. In His H and is all the good, and He is over all things competent] … Allah will write for him/her a million good deeds and erase a million bad deeds and raise him a million levels.” [Tirmidhi]

8. Asking Allah to forgive your brothers and sisters. “Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing woman, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.” [Tabarani]

9. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (r.a) said “The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: ‘Whoever says subhanallah wa bi hamdih (praise and glory be to Allah) 100 times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam on the sea.” [Bukhari]

10. If a person says “Subhanallah” (glory be to Allah) 100 times, a thousand good deeds are recorded for him and a thousand bad deeds are wiped away. [Muslim]

Source: An-Noor

Hakim ul Ummah, Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahimahullah) said:

In our day and age, audacity and boldness in committing sins has become widespread, which is a very dangerous thing. There are some sins which people are involved in more than others. People consider those sins as insignificant. One of those detrimental sins is lustful glances. This is such a sin, that let alone the general layperson; even the elite are involved in it. They are involved in this sin in spite of the fact that they know it is extremely detrimental and damaging to the Iman and eventually leads to obscenity and shamelessness.

It has been mentioned that a person once saw a pious man in a dream after his death, so (in the dream) he asks that pious man as to how Allah Ta`ala dealt with him. He replied, Allah Ta`ala told me, ‘whatever sins you admit to, I shall forgive…’ So I started to admit to all my sins except for one (which I concealed) because it was very shameful for me to admit that to my Lord.

The reason is that sin has not been pardoned from me. That sin is: one time I glanced lustfully at a beardless young lad, and to admit such a shameful act before my Lord is extremely difficult for me. Actually, this punishment which is being meted out to me is lighter than the shame and embarrassment I would feel in admitting such an obscene thing to my Lord.”

Truly this action of lustful glances is such an evil act that the scholars have written that two sins are such that they are destroyers of the heart. In other words, they completely deprive the heart of resplendence and spirituality.

One is LUSTFUL GLANCES and the other is GHEEBAH (backbiting), which has become like “milk and sugar” amongst people nowadays.” (Malfuzaat-e-Hakimul Ummah; Vol. 4, Pg. 69-70… MALFUZ #67)

[In other words, just as when sugar mixes with milk they become inseparable from each other, similarly these two destructive diseases have become inseparable from the everyday lives of people, and or people have become so addicted to these sins, that it is as enjoyable to them as is milk and sugar. May Allah Ta`ala grant us all aafiyat from His disobedience.]

This one had me in tears,  imagine an Ummah where our mothers had this level of Imaan and where our sons were this brave & fearless.

It is mentioned that one of the righteous women in Basra was Umm Ibrahim al Hashimeeyah. The enemy attacked one of the Muslim towns so people were encouraged to join jihad. Abdul Wahid bin Zayd al Basri delivered a speech encouraging jihad and among the audience was Umm Ibrahim. Among the things Abdul Wahid talked about was al Hoor (the women of Paradise). Umm Ibrahim stood up and said to Abdul Wahid: “You know my son Ibrahim and you know that the nobility of al Basra wish to have him marry one of their daughters and I have not agreed to one of them yet. But I like this girl you described and I would be happy to marry her to my son. Can you please describe her again?”

Abdul Wahid then narrated a poem in the description of the Hoor. Umm Ibrahim said: “I want my son to marry this girl and I would pay you 10,000 dinars as her dowry and you take him with you in this army. He might die as a Shaheed and intercede for me on the Day of Judgment.” Abdul Wahid said: “If you do so, that is great success for you and your son.” She then called her son from the audience. He stood up and said: “Yes my mother!” She said: “Are you pleased to marry this girl with the condition of giving your soul to Allah?” He said: “Yes! I am very pleased!” She said: “O Allah you are my witness that I have married my son to this girl from Paradise with the condition he spends his soul in your sake” Then she went and brought back with her 10,000 dinars and gave it to Abdul Wahid and said: “This is her dowry. Take it and use it to provide for the mujahideen” She then purchased for her son a good horse and she armed him. When the army started its march Ibrahim came out with the reciters of Quran surrounding him and reciting:
“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise.”

When Umm Ibrahim was greeting her son she told him: “Be careful and don’t allow any shortcomings from yourself to be seen by Allah” She them embraced him and kissed him and said: “May Allah never bring us together except on the Day of Judgment!”

Abdul Wahid said: “When we reached the enemy’s territory and people were called to fight. Ibrahim was in the front and he killed many of the enemy but then they overwhelmed him and killed him. On our way back I told my soldiers not to tell Umm Ibrahim that her son was killed until I tell her. When we entered al Basra she met me and said: “Did Allah accept my gift so I can celebrate or was it rejected so I should cry?” I said: “Allah did accept your gift and your son died as a Shaheed” She then prostrated to thank Allah and said: “Thank you Allah for accepting my gift” The following day she came to me in the mosque and said: “Rejoice!” I said: “What good news do you have?” She said: “I saw my son Ibrahim last night in a dream. He was in a beautiful garden dressed in green clothes, sitting on a throne made of pearl and he had a crown on his head. He told me: “Rejoice my mother! I got married to my bride!”

Taken from: Mashari Al-Ashwaq Ila Masari Al-Ushaaq Wa Mutheer Al-Gharaam Ila Daar Assalaam
THE BOOK OF JIHAD
By Abi Zakaryya Al Dimashqi Al Dumyati “Ibn-Nuhaas”
(D. 814 Hijri) Translated By Noor Yamani (Abridged)
Revised –Abu Rauda

Source: MuslimWritings

This might be your story. It starts with missing Fajr (too early) or Isha (too tired). Zhur, Asr, and Magrib (too busy) also get lost. Maybe you make salat once at night and try to make all five prayers at once, but then that becomes too difficult. It’s okay, though, because you make it at least sometimes, when you’re around other Muslims. Then you find that you’re not around Muslims who pray, you’re only around Muslims who don’t pray either. Maybe you don’t really see any other Muslims at all. Your whole world has become that of the non-Muslims, and salat has become pretty much a thing of the past. Forget Ramadan.

Perhaps your life has been like this only a short while. Perhaps it’s been like this for years. Have you begun to feel it yet? That edge of fear that always hovers around you, slicing into you with it’s sharp edges from time to time—suddenly, unexpectedly? You don’t know why it’s there, but it always is, isn’t it?

Then there’s the scream. You can almost hear it. It’s the kind of scream that comes when terror sends the voice running for cover, leaving the mouth open, screaming, soundless. That scream. And it’s in your head, isn’t?

Do you know why they’re there? That fear and that scream? You will find out, if you haven’t already, that no amount of drugs, sex or alcohol—no amount of work or play or money will make that fear and that scream go away.

You know what they are now, don’t you? That fear is your soul. That scream is your soul. That terror is what your soul sees before it—the grave, the unimaginable pain it must experience there and is powerless to stop. The Day of Judgment. The hellfire. That terror is your soul pounding against its cage of your body. And despite all of your efforts to numb it—with the drugs or the sex or the work or the money–your body still feels the fear and still hears the scream.

The instinct for self-preservation is an amazing thing. It is not just your body that experiences the fight-or-flight response when faced with danger, your soul does it too. So here is your soul, incapable of fighting Allah’s wrath—now in flight for its own safety, desperate to get your attention the only way it can.

At this point, maybe, it might be ok to let a little Islam back into your life. But it’s been so long. Where to start? If you’re not ready for big changes, then start with small things. Skim a book on Islam. Try making salat again. Just sometimes. You might want to start with just one salat. One sister started with making Asr sitting on the side of her bed because she was too tired after work to stand. One sister started with a book of the 99 names of Allah. She read a few at a time, in the mornings at the beginning of her day. Maybe some Muslim songs on the iPod or the old CD player? Perhaps going to a lecture or Jumaah prayer?

It may be fear, not repentence that causes those first steps. But one small step may lead to another. There may be steps forward and steps backward. There is the Bukhari hadith about the murderer:

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:
The Prophet said, “Amongst the men of Bani Israel there was a man who had murdered ninety-nine persons. Then he set out asking (whether his repentance could be accepted or not). He came upon a monk and asked him if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative and so the man killed him. He kept on asking till a man advised to go to such and such village. (So he left for it) but death overtook him on the way. While dying, he turned his chest towards that village (where he had hoped his repentance would be accepted), and so the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment quarreled amongst themselves regarding him. Allah ordered the village (towards which he was going) to come closer to him, and ordered the village (whence he had come), to go far away, and then He ordered the angels to measure the distances between his body and the two villages. So he was found to be one span closer to the village (he was going to). So he was forgiven.”

The man never made it to where he was going (and let’s not forget he committed one more murder), yet he was forgiven because of the literal steps he had taken in that direction. We do not know, but can always have hope that the steps we take in changing our lives will meet with the same Mercy.

But seek the forgiveness of God, for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
(Quran 4:106)