From the Productivemuslim.com web blog, he gives a short summary from Anwar Al Awlaki’s seerah on why all Prophets were shepherds at some point in their lives.

Being a shepherd, teaches you the true meaning of Responsibility.

This is paramount in the Prophet Muhammad’s hadeeth, “Everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for his charges. The ruler who has authority over people, is a guardian and is responsible for them, a man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for them; a woman is a guardian of her husband’s house and children and is responsible for them; a slave (‘Abu) is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsiblefor it; so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your charges.”

When you’re a shepherd, you are hired by the sheep owner to take care of the flock, that’s your responsibility. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be blamed and not the sheep! Let’s take this lesson within the field you’re working in: You’ve been appointed as a manager over a group of staff. If you deal with the situation as a shepherd taking care of the flock, you should feel responsible over the outcomes of your team. Although the actions of your staff are theirs, but the consequences in the end is your responsibility. With that, you’d take extra care to make sure that you fulfill your responsibility and that nothing goes wrong, and if things do go wrong, then make sure you’ve enough evidence to show the that you did your best to sheep owner (the big boss).


Sheep are short-sighted!

Sheep are naturally short-sighted, but the shepheard standing on 2 feet can see the surrounding and much further down. He’s got a vantage point that the sheep don’t have. Similarly, at work, whilst your staff are busy with the day to day operations, you should be like the shepherd looking far into the horizon trying to predict opportunities, and anticipate dangers, and the best managers and entrepreneurs I’ve met were the ones who can see 5-10 years down the line, rather than 1-2 months vision.
The job you’re in affects you

Imam Anwar comments on why was the Prophet a sheep shepherd and he didn’t shepherd cows or camels. And one of the answer was that when working with sheep, one learns compassion and mercy, necessary characteristics of dealing with the flock, and who’s the Prophet of Mercy? Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)!

There’s an important lesson here for all of us: your job affects you! your profession will leave certain traits in you. For example, teachers are more fatherly/motherly, even amongst peers, always giving advice, always teaching. Lawyers are argumentative (most, not all, I hasten to add before I start getting hate mails from lawyers arguing that’s not true..!)..etc. Politicians are…do I need to say more?.

So as a Muslim, be aware of this, and notice any “abnormal” characteristics crossing into your personal life from your work life.

– These are some of the lessons from Prophet Muhammad’s experience as a Shepherd. SubhanaAllah, notice how nothing in the Prophet’s life (nor in ours) was random, everything happens for a reason and you might not understand it till later in your life (even taking care of sheep!!!).

Source: Productive Muslim

To add, we as muslims should not let our careers take over us, but we should let our careers be a means to improve our Deen.

Eg. In my case i’m a web & graphic guy, i spent my days on ecommerce, blogs and so on. It’s easy to get caught up in this fast paced enviroment, but I try to use my skills to better my Imaan too, helping out Islamic organisations, radiostations, setting up online solutions for them.

Even politicians, with correct aqeeda they can use their skills to influence their collegues, improve Islam & create a better life in their communities.

The Value of Words

By Khalid Baig

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say something good or keep quiet.” [Bukhari]

Famous companion, Sayyidna Muaz ibn Jabal, Radi-Allahu anhu, once asked the Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, “Tell me about an act that will cause me to enter Paradise and be protected from the Fire.” “You have indeed asked something profound,” responded the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, “But it will be easy on whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him. Establish regular Salat, pay Zakat, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj.” Then he asked “Shall I not tell you about the doors of good: fast is a shield (against sins and against Hell-fire), charity extinguishes sins like water extinguishes fire; and the midnight Salat (the voluntary Tahajjud Salat).” Then he recited this verse: “Their limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, while they call on their Lord, in Fear and Hope: and they spend (in charity) out of the sustenance which We have bestowed on them.” [As-Sajda 32:16]

Then he continued: “Shall I tell you about the beginning, the mainstay and the high point of this? The beginning is (acceptance of) Islam; It’s mainstay is Salat; it’s highest point is Jihad.”

Then the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, asked: “Shall I tell you about the thing on which all this depends?” He, then held his tongue and said “Guard this.” Sayyidna Muaz ibn Jabal, Radi-Allahu anhu, asked: “Shall we be questioned about our utterances?” On this the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, “Most people will be thrown into Hell—face down—because of the transgressions of their tongues.”

The ability to speak and express themselves separates human beings from animals. The proper use of this great gift—or its absence—separates the good and successful people from the bad and unsuccessful ones.

Sayyidna Mu’adh’s question was about eternal success. In response, the hadith mentions both mandatory and voluntary good deeds that cover a person’s entire life. But then we are reminded that the outcome of all these depends upon guarding our tongue. In other words carelessness with the tongue can poke holes in all of our good deeds.

Another hadith highlights the same issue in a different way: “Every morning all the limbs of a person plead with his tongue: ‘Fear Allah for our sake, for our fate is tied to yours. If you follow the straight path so shall we. And if you go astray so shall we.’”

Yet another hadith reminds us about the far reaching consequences of the words we utter. “Sometimes a person says something good but he does not realize how far will his words go. Yet it earns him the pleasure of Allah till the day he will meet Him. On the other hand sometimes a person says something bad, although he does not realize how far his words will go. Yet it earns him the wrath of Allah till the day he will meet Him.” [Tirmizi, Ibn Maja, Muwwata Imam Malik].

The pre-Islamic Arab society was a very vocal society. While reading and writing were not that common, people did pride themselves in their facility with words—both prose and poetry. A person commanded respect based on his command over words. Using power of words only, they could sink reputations, start wars, and impact life in a similar fashion as modern media has come to demonstrate on a much larger scale. Then, as now, it was raw power like the power of the beasts of the Jungle.

Islam tamed this beast. It reminded us that each and every word we utter is being recorded by the angels and one day we will have to stand accountable for all this record. It reminded that a person’s greatness lies not in how powerful he is with words but in how careful is he with them. It reminded that it is better to keep silent than to say something bad. And it is better to say something good than to keep quiet.

The social revolution it engendered was unprecedented. It produced a people who truly understood the value of words and who were as pious with them as they had been powerful. Their silence was the silence of quiet reflection. And they spoke only when they could improve the silence. Is it any wonder that even their extempore statements were pearls of wisdom.

Today, everywhere there are schools that can teach one how to read, write, and speak a language. But their students would never learn how to civilize this raw power; to use it only in promoting truth and spreading virtue; to never use it for promoting falsehood or spreading evil.

There is a lot of unlearning we have to do if we want to get out of this. It is a costly mistake for a believer to think that talk is cheap; that you can say whatever is expedient without any concern for any consequences beyond the immediate ones.

Such attitudes, prevalent today, lead to all kinds of sins: vain pursuits, gossip, dishonesty, insincerity, arrogance, belittling others, backbiting, spreading scandals and corruption, telling lies. Each of these has been clearly defined as a deadly sin by the Qur’an and Hadith. The treatment for each of these sins begins with learning the Islamically responsible use of the tongue. Then there are secondary problems caused in turn by these. In fact most of the problems in the family, in the society, and even between countries are either created or augmented by the irresponsible use of the tongue.

Modern communication technologies have made it possible for messages to be transmitted instantaneously all over the globe. But as the world marvels at these achievements, it continues to confuse the speed of a message with its quality and value. We pride ourselves on the ability to spread trash around the world at the speed of light. Witness the rubbish that continues to dominate the Internet alone. We are amazed by the sophisticated techniques of telling lies in a convincing manner. Witness the modern mainstream media machine and its hold on our thoughts and actions.

The “information age” is begging for the moral guidance of Islam.

What Does Islam Teach About Justice?
Neither love nor hatred can be allowed to compromise justice.

By Khalid Baig

There is one word that captures the essence of all Islamic laws and all Islamic teachings; one word that describes the overriding value that permeates all Islamic values. Justice. The Qur’an says: “We sent aforetime our messengers with clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that men may stand forth in Justice.” [Al-Hadeed 57:25]

The sole purpose of sending the prophets was to establish Justice in the world and end injustice. Broadly speaking, doing justice means giving everyone his due. But this simple statement camouflages all the complexities of life in their myriad and ever-changing relations; all the temptations; all the apprehensions and concerns; all the conflicts and dilemmas. To guide the people, Allah sent down the prophets with clear signs, the Book, and the Balance. The Book contains the revelations that spell out what’s fair and unfair or right and wrong. The Balance refers to our ability to measure and calculate so we can follow the path shown by the Book and explained by the Prophets.

Together these sources taught us what are the rights of Allah, of other people, and of our own persons on us and how to balance them. A life lived in obedience to Allah, then, is a continuous balancing act, both individually and collectively.

Under normal circumstances many people can be just. But Islam commands its followers to be just even in the face of strong conflicting emotions. In dealing with other human beings, two major impediments to justice are love and hatred. See how the Qur’an teaches us to overcome the first impediment when we are dealing with our closest relatives or even ourselves. “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” [An-Nisa 4:35]

Here is the resolution from the Qur’an of the perennial conflict between self-interest and justice. Be just, even if it is against your narrowly defined self-interest or of those very close to you. Ignorant people think they are protecting their self-interest by being unjust to others. Their decision to be just or unjust may be based on a cold calculation of self-interest. But real faith in Allah elevates one beyond that narrow-mindedness. These verses remind us that the real protector of interests of all people is also Allah and He will protect us when we follow His command to be just. The justice demanded by Islam permits no favoritism.

The other equally potent impediment is hatred. Here again Qur’an commands: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” [Al-Maidah 5:8]

In other words you cannot do injustice even when you are dealing with the enemy. The natural, uneducated, and uncivilized tendency is to treat the enemy as less than a human being; one who has no rights and deserves no justice or fairness. It was as true in the pre-Islamic tribal jahilya (based on ignorance) society as it is today. See how Islam directly curbs it. It is a command to the believers, with a reminder that Allah is watching you, that enmity of others cannot be used as an excuse for committing injustices against them.

Justice does require retribution and Islam does call for, “an eye for an eye.” But it does not mean an innocent eye for an innocent eye; it means the eye of the perpetrator for the eye of the victim. It is amazing how those who call the latter as barbaric, actually rally for the former when a real crisis develops.

Fourteen hundred years ago these commands created a society where rich and poor, friend and foe, Muslim and non-Muslim, the ruler and the ruled, were all treated equally and all of them could count on receiving justice. The qazis (judges) were independent and no one, including the khalifah was above the law. If a dispute arose between the Khalifah and an ordinary person, both had to appear in court and provide their evidence. Islamic history is full of stories of this justice that filled the earth wherever Muslims ruled in their golden era.

Even during their period of decline, we find sporadic incidents that are just unparalleled. One example from recent history may suffice here. During the British Rule in India, once a dispute arose between Hindus and Muslims over a piece of land. Hindus claimed it belonged to a temple while Muslims claimed it to be mosque. Emotions were high on both sides and the possibility of a riot was real. The English judge could not find any means of ascertaining the truth. It was one group’s words against the other’s. Finally the Judge asked both groups if they could trust the testimony of any person. They could. It was a particular Muslim imam (religious leader) who was known for his piety. The person was requested to come to the court as a witness in a very charged atmosphere, with the entire community urging him to help them win the case through his testimony. His testimony was brief. “The Hindus are right,” he said. “The Muslim case is baseless.” He had not betrayed the community. He had once more affirmed its unflinching commitment to truth and justice above all else.

That is the justice the world needs today.

“Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due; and when ye judge between man and man, that ye judge with justice: verily how excellent is the teaching which He gives you! For Allah is He Who hears and sees all things.” [An-Nisa 4:58]

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]

Imam Abu Yusuf’s (Rahimahullah) last moments

Ibraaheem Ibn Jarraah says : “I came to visit Imam Abu Yusuf during his final illness. He was unconscious but he opened his eyes and looked at me.

He then asked : “O Ibraaheem, is it better for a person performing Haj to stone the Jamaraat while on foot or on a conveyance?”
I replied : “On foot.”
He answered : “That is incorrect.”
I then replied : “On a conveyance.”
Again he replied : “That is incorrect.”

He then proceeded to give the correct answer himself : “If after pelting one stands to make dua, then it would be better to be on foot. But, if after pelting one does not remain to make dua, then it would be better to be on a conveyance.”

I rose to leave, but I had not even reached the door of his home when I heard the women of the household cry that he had passed away. Had there been anything more beloved to him than discussing the knowledge of Islam he would surely have engaged in it at this critical time as this was a time of distress and sadness.” (Al-Bahr ur-Raaiq, Fathul Qadeer)

Lesson:
Imaam Abu Yusuf Rahimahullah was one of those illustrious scholars who sacrificed his entire life in the service of Islam. Imaam Abu Yusuf, together with his teacher Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahimahullah and others like Imaam Muhammad and Imaam Zufar Rahimahumullah carefully applied their minds to the study of the Quraan and Sunnah in order to extract the rules and regulations governing all the aspects of Muslim life. They would spend hours, days, weeks and even months debating and discussing intricate matters of fiqh (jurisprudence) in order to codify the Hanafi mazhab. The other Imaams of Fiqh like Imaam Shaafi, Imaan Maalik and Imaam Ahmed Rahimahumullah were also great men of piety, sincerity and knowledge. It is through their sacrifice and efforts that we are fortunate enough to have a simplified system of law which we can follow with regards to Salaah, Zakaah, Haj, Sawm, Islamic finance, etc. May Allah Ta’ala reward all the Imaams of Fiqh for their efforts and fill their graves with noor. Aaameen!

Over the years, i’v come across many misconceptions of 786, many heated debates on it as well. Personally I found it hard to believe that we can simply summarise an ayat of Quraan with 3 numbers.

Anyway, below is an answer to the nagging question “What is the significance of 786?”

“786″ – Does it stand for Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem’?

For those who seek the Truth or the sake of the Truth.

786 being used by people who are misguided as the numerical representation of “Bismillah-hir Rahmaan-nir Raheem” should be informed that it has no religious or Islamic significance whatsoever. The numerals 786 or any other numerals does not represents “Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem” or any other Surah of the Most Noble and Holy Qur’an and is not a Sunnah either.

CAN NUMBER 786 REPLACE THE HOLY NAME OF ALMIGHTY ALLAH AZZA WAJJAL MOST EXALTED?

Answer: Most certainly not!


Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen tells us very clearly in verse 2 of Surah Yusuf:

“Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an in order that you may learn wisdom”.

In the above verse we are told that the word Qur’an means: Something [1] to be read, or [2] recited, or [3] proclaimed. It may apply to a verse, or a Surah, or to the entire divine Book of Revelation. Again in the conclusion of verse 103 of Surah Al-Nahl, Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala tells us:

“……….while this is Arabic, pure and clear.”

Even the most eloquent Arab could not, and cannot produce anything of the eloquence, width, and depth of the Glorious Qur’anic teaching, as is evident from every verse of this Heavenly revealed Book from Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala. In part of verse 44 of Surah Fussilat we are reminded with words of wisdom:

“Had We sent this as a Qur’an (in a language) other than Arabic, they would have said: “Why are not its verses explained in detail? ”

It was most natural and reasonable that the Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam being Arab, the Message should be in his own tongue, that he might explain it in great detail, with the greatest power and eloquence. Even though it was to be for the entire world, its initial exposition was thus to be in Arabic. But if people had no faith and were spiritually deaf or blind, it would not matter in what language it came. We are instructed to recite the Most Holy and Noble Qur’an in the manner as prescribed to us in verse 106 of Surah Al Isra:

“(It is) a Qur’an which We have divided (into parts from time to time), in order that thou might recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages.”

Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala informs
us in part of verse 20 of Surah Al Muzzammil:

“..Read you, therefore, as much of the Qur’an as may be easy (for you).”

y Beloved brothers and sisters, the verses mentioned above makes things very clear to us to the extend that none of us need to be brain surgeons or rocket scientists to understand that the Most Holy and Noble Qur’an was revealed in the Arabic language over fourteen centuries ago and remains a spoken language to this day and will remain so till Kiyamah. This old game of numbers was practiced by the ancient Egyptians, as did many other civilizations. Islam came to ELIMINATE ALL such superstitions, mysteries and numerological mumbo-jumbo. However, Muslims are still enslaved to the numbers game, and think that 786 represents Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem

The innovation of writing ’786′ replacing Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem has been adopted for a very long time and there are many Muslims who inadvertently continue to indulge in this un-Islamic practice. Apart from the common folk, certain people also heed no attention towards it and to avoid disrespect to the Holy Words – they use it on their letter-heads, correspondence and documents. They adopt it as a ‘correct’ and ‘better’ way to invite Almighty Allah’s blessings. This trend has continued and there are misguided Muslims who have also started replacing the Holy Words by this number on their houses, car license plates, offices, etc., etc.,

Unfortunately, this tendency will continue until people come to their senses and extricate themselves from the tentacles of such gross ignorance. Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala has made it crystal clear that the Most Holy and Glorious Qur’an was revealed in Arabic. If we study the Most Noble Qur’an, we see that it commences with the holy words of “Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem” in a letter from Nabee Sulaiman Alayhis Salaam to the Queen of Sheeba – Bilqis – who was an infidel at that time.

O Ummatul Muslimeen! Even our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam in all of his letters to different heads of states and governments, used Bismillah-hir Rahman-nir Raheem at the very beginning. Whosoever uses 786 with the intention to obtaining Almighty Allah’s blessings, is a misguided person and any attempt to justify it, is steeped in gross ignorance and Bidah. Islam’s foundation is laid on the belief in Tawhid – the Oneness of Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen. If we associate anyone with Almighty Allah’s Exalted names orally or practically, we would be committing infidelity which is an unpardonable sin.

The Most Noble Qur’an warns us that those who find a rival against our Most Glorious Creator and Sustainer will not enter Jannah, and his or her abode is reserved in Jahannum. Calling someone by a nick name is also a sin. Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala’meen Most Exalted says: “Don’t call one another by nick names.” If Almighty Allah Tabaraka Wata’ala prohibits the use of nicknames for our fellow human beings, how can He allow the use of such numbers for His Most Holy and Glorious Qur’an?

O you who believe! When we Muslims commence eating do we say 786? Do we begin our Tawaf around the Baitullah by saying 786? Do we utter 786 before starting our Wudhu our Salaat or when we open up the Holy Qur’an? Do we utter 786 before we slaughter an animal or do we begin any work by saying 786? The answers to these questions is a resounding NO! Why then do we continue to indulge in such un-Islamic practices? Are Muslims not commanded to begin any work with the name of Almighty Allah Who is Most Exalted and Merciful?

May Almighty Allah Most Merciful guide us to those things with which He is pleased, and may He in His Infinite Mercy make us abhor the things that are totally wrong. May Almighty Allah make us mindful concerning the signs that have been made prevalent around us at this time. Signs within our very selves, signs that are within our households, signs that are all around us. These are the signs which Almighty Allah makes very clear that we can only ignore them, refuse them, as a result of the hardness of our hearts. When we can perceive what the hardness of our hearts is producing in our lives, when we recognize our errors we shall Insha’Allah most certainly see the Signs. May Almighty Allah Most Merciful and Exalted give us the strength to turn from those things which are unnatural and ungodly.

And Almighty Allah knows best.

The Truth is from Almighty Allah
The errors and mistakes are mine.

Baarak Allaahu Feekum wa-sal-Allaahu wa-Sallam ‘alaa
Nabiyyinaa Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.

by Sheikh Abdul Hamid
Courtesy: AL-ISLAAH PUBLICATIONS
email: everymuslim@gmail.com

Luqman, the sage, was employed to a rich man. Initially, his master treated Luqman with little regard but Luqman’s character had a great effect on his master. Later his master regarded him as a trusted friend and respected him greatly.

It became the practice of the master that whenever he received a special delicacy, he would first allow Luqman to taste of it. One day, the master received a melon as a gift. The master summoned Luqman and the master cut the melon into slices and gave a slice to Luqman. Luqman ate the slice with great relish. The master gave him another slice. Again Luqman ate it with full relish. The master then took a slice himself. To his great surprise he found the melon to be extremely bitter.

In astonishment he asked Luqman : “How did you manage to eat those bitter slices of the melon with such relish?”

Luqman replied : “From your hands I have received many sweet and delicious gifts. Hence, I felt ashamed to show ingratitude to the hand that had granted me so much favours. If one day some bitterness should come, how can this mouth complain of it?”

Lessons:
Luqman ate the slices with pleasure showing his gratitude to his master even though the melon was very bitter. At every given moment there are numerous bounties and favours of Allah upon man. We should be thankful to Allah for His bounties and gifts to us during times of happiness and sadness.

Man is a patient in the hospital of the world. There are times when the doctor has to give the patient sweet medicine and at other times bitter medicine. Both of these are beneficial. Similarly, Allah is All-Knowing. Hence, whether He sends easy or difficult conditions, these are for man’s benefit. Man should appreciate the good and observe patience during difficulty.

Luqman’s love for the kindness of his master allowed him to show his gratitude. Similaly, if a person loves Allah, he will not have the heart to complain during times of difficulty. Love is a powerful force that transforms.

Like Molana Rumi mentions :

“Through love, bitter things seem sweet.
Through love bits of copper are made into gold.
Through love, pains are as healing balms.
Through love, thorns become roses.
Through love, burning fire is a pleasing light.
Through love, hard stones become soft as butter.
Without love, soft wax becomes hard iron.
Through love, grief is joy.
Through love, stings are like honey.
Through love, lions are harmless as mice.
Through love, sickness is health.
Through love, puishment is like mercy.
Through love, the king becomes a slave.”

The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam used to make a number of supplications related to good character.

“O Allah, guide me to good character, none guides to good character but You…” [Muslim]

“O Allah, I seek refuge in you from bad character, deeds and desires.” [at-Tirmidhee]

“O Allah, You perfectly created me, so perfect my character.” [Ahmad]

“O Allah, I seek refuge in you from disability and laziness; from cowardice and avarice; from decrepitude and harshness; from negligence and impoverishment, from lowness and humiliation. And I seek refuge in You from poverty and disbelief; from sinfulness, disunity and hypocrisy; from notability and riyaa’ (show off)…” [Ahmad, Maalik, Bazaar, Haithami and ibn `Abd al-Barr authenticated it.

The following beneficial excerpt is from "The Magnificent Journey" by ibn ul Qayyim [published by QSS]. It explains three conditions needed to acquire good manners, meaning proper nature, controlling one’s nafs and sound knowledge.

Three Conditions to Acquire Excellent Manners:

This is one example of the excellent manners with which Allah (ta`aala) has equipped his Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam). He described him as,

“Verily, You [Muhammad] are on an exalted standard on character.” [68:4]

`Aa’ishah, radhiallaahu `anhu, described him as, “His character was just [a reflection of] the Qur’aan.” [Muslim, Aboo Daawood, Ahmad]

Such excellent character cannot be attained without three conditions:

1. The foundation must be good. Inf one has a rough and dry nature, it will be hard for him to submit to this [excellence of character] through knowledge, will, or practice. On the other hand, a mild and smooth nature will be ready and willing to receive the plowing and the seeds [to prepare it for character excellence].

2. The soul must be strong and capable of conquering calls of laziness, transgression, and desire. Those matters contradict perfection, and souls which cannot defeat them will always be defeated and conquered.

3. [One must possess] a discerning knowledge of the truth of matters, enabling one to put them in the rightful position, and to distinguish between flash and cancer – between glass and jewels.

If these three qualities are present in a man, and Allah’s facilitation helps him, then he will be among those whom the best (husnaa) has been decreed and for whom Allah’s care has been secured.

A brief transciption from Aboo Uthmaan’s blog
Originally By Dr. Saleh as-Saleh
Transcribed by Aboo Uthmaan [1] & [2]

Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said:

“Some of the people believe that the one born into Islam and does not fall into kufr is better than the one who was a disbeliever and (later on) accepted Islam, this is incorrect. The criterion is in the outcome (meaning the one who is qualified with more taqwa of Allaah regarding the outcome is better). This is because it is known that the early ones from the muhajireen and the ansaar who believed in Allaah and His Messenger (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) after they were disbelievers are better than those who were born into Islam from their children, from their offspring or other than their offspring.

The one who knew the evil and tasted it and then knew the good and tasted it, his knowledge of the good and his love of it and his knowledge of the evil and his hate for it is more perfect from the one who did not know the good and the evil, nor did he taste them as tasted by the other one (the one who was a disbeliever and accepted Islam). The one who did not know except the good, the evil may encounter him and he may not know that it is evil, he may either fall in it or he may not reject it like the one who knew it.” (Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa, Vol. 10, P.300)

Transcribers Footnotes:
[1] You can listen to the recorded audio lecture of the Shaykh’s talk at: www.understand-islam.net
[2] NB: This is not a verbatim transcription

This is a true inspiration, with the right determination & the Will of Allah, nothing is impossible. Umm Saalih is testament to this.

Below is an interview from http://ummreem.wordpress.com (via Ijtima)

MashaAllah it is truly inspiring to read how Umm Salih, the 82 year old grandmother, was motivated and how she worked hard regardless of being so old. In all honesty, after reading how she worked on her hifdh, I truly believe that everyone of us is capable of memorizing if we truly work hard and we ask Allah azzawjal to help us and open our hearts and minds to His Speech.

Just to motivate everyone, including and especially myself, just recently another grandmother finished memorizing Qur’an in Houston TX. She is not as old as Umm Salih but she also has grandchildren. She is Sister Henaa Gamal’s student and she used to drive from Clear Lake to North West Houston (which is raughly50 miles) to her teacher, mashaAllah ‘aliha. I might try to ‘interview’ her to find out how she got inspired and exactly how she memorized.

Enjoy the interview with Umm Saalih, a grandmother who became Hafidha (memorized the entire Qur’an) at Eighty-Two!

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Q1: “What was the reason that drove you to memorize the Qur’an after so many years?”
She said, “I always hoped to memorize the Qur’an from the time I was young. My father always used to invoke Allaah for me to become one of the memorizers of the Qur’an, like himself and like the elder brothers of my family who memorized it. So I memorized in the beginning about three parts and then after I completed the age of thirteen, I got married and became busy with the household and the children. After I had seven children, my husband died. They (the children) were all young so I took the time to raise them and educate them, and then after they grew up and got married, I had more time for myself. Therefore, the first thing I directed myself to focus upon was the Qur’an.

Q2: “Tell us about your journey with the Noble Qur’an.”
She said, “My younger daughter was going to high school and she was the closest of my children to me and the most beloved, because she stayed with me after her older sisters got married and got busy with their lives, and because she was a quiet girl, upright, loving, and good. In addition, she was interested in learning the Noble Qur’an, and her teachers encouraged her. Furthermore, she was very enthusiastic and always told me of many women who were driven by this great motivation to memorize the Qur’aan, and this is where I started.”

Q3: “Tell me about your way of memorization.”
She said, “We assigned ten verses (meaning her and her daughter who was going to high school). So each day after Asr, we used to sit together. She reads and I repeat after her three times. Then she explains the meaning to me, and after a while, she repeats that three times. On the next morning, she repeats them to me before she goes to school. She recorded also the recitations of Ash Shaykh al Husary, Rahimuhullaah, repeating each verse three times and thus I continued to listen most of the time. Therefore, the next day we would go to the next ten verses if my memorization was good. Otherwise, we would postpone taking additional verses until the day after. Moreover, we assigned the day of Friday to review the memorizations of the entire week. And this was the journey from the beginning.”

Then she said, “Over four years and a half, I memorized twelve juz according to the way I described to you. Then this young daughter got married. When her husband knew of our task concerning the memorization, he rented a house close to me, close to my house, so that he could allow the continuation of the memorization. In addition, he, May Allah reward him used to encourage us and sometimes sit with us listening, explaining and teaching. Then after three years of her marriage, my daughter got busy with the children and the household and our schedule was interrupted, but that did not make her give up. To the contrary, she sensed that my eagerness for the memorization was still established so she looked for a special good teacher to continue the journey under her supervision. So, I completed the memorization by the success of Allaah and my daughter is still working to finish the memorization of the Glorious Qur’an. She has a little left, In Shaa Allaah Ta’ala.

Q4: “This motivation of yours, did it have an effect on other women around you?”
She said, “It really had a good strong effect. My daughters and stepdaughters were all encouraged and worked on learning and teaching the Qur’an to their children and learning it themselves.

Q5: “After finishing the Noble Qur’an, don’t you think about working on memorizing hadith?”
She said, “Now I have memorized ninety hadith and Insha’Allaah I will continue the journey. I depend, in my memorization, upon the tapes and upon the Qur’an radio station. At the end of each week, my daughter comes and checks for me the memorization of three hadith, and I am trying now to memorize more.

Q6: “Over this period of memorization of the Qur’an, did your life change? Was it affected in one way or another?”
She said, “Yes, I went through a major change and I tried always, all praise is due to Allaah, to obey Allaah before I started the memorization. However, after I started the task of memorization, I began to feel a self-comfort, a great self-comfort and all worries began to move away from me. I even reached the stage of freeing myself from all these excessive worries concerning fearing for the children and their affairs, and my morale was boosted. I had a noble objective to work for and this is a great Nia’mah (Favor) from Allaah upon me, since we know that some women, when they get old and they do not have a husband, and their children got married, may be destroyed by the empty time, thoughts, worries, and so forth. But, Al Hamdulillaah, I didn’t go through this and I made myself busy with a great task and a great objective.

Q7: “Didn’t you think at one point, to join one of the circles focusing on teaching the Noble Qur’an?”
The answer was, “Yes, some of the women suggested this to me, but I am a woman who got used to staying at home, and I don’t like to go out everyday, and Al Hamdulillaah, my daughter sufficed me from all difficulty and I was so happy while I was learning from her. My daughter had set an example in goodness and righteousness which we rarely find in our days. She started this task and journey with me while she was an adolescent and this is a critical age many people complain of. She used to pressure herself so that she could have spare time to teach me, and she used to teach me with kindness and wisdom. Her husband was a good help to her and he exerted a lot of effort. I ask Allaah to give them success and to bring their children up on uprightness.”

Q8: “What do you say to a woman of your age who wishes to learn and memorize the Qur’an yet she is worried about it and feeling unable to?”
She said, “I say to her there their shall be no despair with the firm, sincere and truthful determination. Begin with sincerity, firm determination and dependence on Allaah at each time. And remember that at this age you should have the time for yourself. However, do not use your time to only go out or to sleep and so forth. Rather, busy yourself with righteous work.

Q9: “Now what would you say to a woman who is still young? What would you advise her?”
She, may Allaah preserve her, said: “Preserve Allaah and He will preserve you. Make use of the favor of Allaah bestowed upon you from health and ways and means of comfort. Use that to memorize the Book of Allaah. This is the light which enlivens your heart, your life and your grave after you die. And if you have a mother then exert the effort to teach her, and there is no better favor upon a mother than one of her righteous children aiding her to be close to Allaah.”

As Read by Dr. Saleh as Saleh

Originally published in Ad-Da’wah Magazine, no. 1552, 17th of Rabee’ Al-Awwal 1417.