Wednesday 27 July 2011

Be Pure

There was once a man who was travelling and felt really hungry. Walking past a garden he saw an apple on the walk path.It had fallen off a branch that extended beyond the garden fence. He picked it up and ate it.
Shortly thereafter, he was struck with the guilt that he had consumed a fruit that did not belong to him.
He set out to find the owner of the garden to inform him that he ate one of his appleswithout permission.
He intended to pay the monetary value of it, or be forgiven for this sinful deed.
Upon finding the owner, the traveller confessed to him. Amazed at the mans integrity, the owner responded:
“I will not forgive you unless you accept my one stipulation: that you marry my daughter. 
Who is deaf, blind, mute & paralysed.”
The man was taken aback, and juggled his thoughts in his head for a moment. He then surrendered to the stipulation, knowing that persevering with such a misfortunate wife is less horrific than the torment of Allah SWT for ‘stealing’ an apple. Having accepted the stipulation the night of the marriage came. The groom walks into the brides room with the feeling of sorrow and deep regret.
Only to find a woman of magical beauty awaiting him. She speaks, hears, sees and moves. 
Moreover she was very well learned in Islam and exceptional in piety.
She says to her husband, “I know you are surprised.”
“My father described me as blind because I have blinded my eyes from any sight which displeases Allah SWT.”
“I am mute because I have muted my tongue from all speech but that which is remembrance of Allah SWT.”
“I am paralysed because I indulge in no forbidden activity and I am deaf because I refrain from hearing all vain speech.”
“My father wanted to ensure that my husband is a very pious man, one who deserves me.”
The pious couple brought a gift to the Ummah; their child was one of the greatest scholars of Islam.
The ‘Father of the Imaams’ and who established the 1st of the 4 major schools of thought.
Imaam Abu-Haneefah (Rahimullah)
“And women of purity are for men of purity and men of purity are for women of purity” (Quran 24:26)
Be pure
Obey Allah SWT.


Tuesday 26 July 2011

Mohammed(SAWS) sunnahs



**Sunnahs of Eating: **
· Sit and eat on the floor
· Spread out a cloth on the floor first before eating
· Wash both hands up to the wrists
· Recite "Bismillah wa'la barakatillah' aloud
· Eat with the right hand
· Eat from the side that is in front of you
· If a morsel of food falls down, pick it up, clean it and eat
it
· Do not lean and eat
· Do not find fault with the food
· Remove your shoes before eating
· When eating, sit with either both knees on the ground or one
knee raised or both knees raised
· Clean the plate and other utensils thoroughly after eating.
· By doing this, the utensils make dua for one's forgiveness.
· Recite dua after eating
· First remove the food then get up
· After meals wash both the hands
· Thereafter gargle the mouth
· Whilst eating one should not remain completely silent
· Eat with three fingers if possible
· One should not eat very hot food
· Do not blow on the food
· After eating one should lick his fingers.

**Sunnahs of drinking: **
· A Muslim should drink with the right hand. Shaytaan drinks
with the left hand
· Sit and drink
· Recite "Bismillah" before drinking
· After drinking say " Alhamdullilah"
· Drink in 3 breaths removing the utensil from the mouth after
each sip
· Do not drink directly from the jug or bottle. One should pour
the contents into a glass first and then drink

**Sunnahs of Sleeping:**
· Discuss with one's family members matters pertaining to Deen
before going to sleep (whether it is in the form of reading some
Islamic Books or narrating some incidents of Sahabah etc.)
· To sleep in the state of Wuzu
· To make the bed yourself
· Dust the bed thrice before retiring to bed
· One should change into some other clothes ( e.g.pyjamas)
before going to sleep
· It is Sunnah to sleep immediately after Esha Salaah
· To apply surmah in both the eyes
· To brush the teeth with a miswaak
· To sleep on the right hand side
· To sleep with the right palm under the right cheek
· To keep the knees slightly bent when sleeping
· To refrain from sleeping on ones stomach
· To sleep on a bed or to sleep on the floor are both sunnah.
· To face Qiblah
· To recite Surah Mulk, before sleeping
· To recite Ayatul Qursi
· To recite Surah Ikhlaas, Surah Falaq and Surah Naas before
sleeping 3 times and thereafter blow over the entire body thrice
· Recite Tasbeeh-e-Fathima before sleeping.( i.e. 33 X Subhan
Allah 33 X Alhamdulillah and 34 X Allahu Akbar)
· To recite the dua before sleeping
· To wake up for Tahajjud Salaah

**Sunnahs on Awakening: **
· On awakening rub the face and the eyes with the palms of the
hands in order to remove the effects of sleep
· When the eyes open in the morning say " Alhamdullilah" thrice
and then recite Kalima Tayyibah
· Thereafter recite the dua on awakening
· On awakening cleanse the mouth with a miswaak

**Sunnahs when wearing clothes:**
· Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) loved white clothing
· When putting on any garment Rasulallah (Sallallahu alayhi
wasallam) always began with the right limb
· When removing any garment Rasullallah (Sallallahu alayhi
wasallam) always removed the left limb first
· Males must wear the pants above the ankles. Females should
ensure that their lower garment covers their ankles
· Males should wear a "topee" or turban. Females must wear
scarves at all times
· When wearing shoes, first wear the right shoe then the left
· When removing them first remove the left and then the right

**Sunnahs of the Toilet **
· Enter the toilet with your head covered
· To enter the toilet with shoes
· Recite the dua before entering the toilet
· Enter with the left foot
· To sit and urinate. One should never urinate whilst standing
· To leave the toilet with the right foot
· To recite the dua after coming out of the toilet
· One should not face Qiblah or show his back towards the Qiblah
· Do not speak in the toilet
· Be very careful of the splashes of urine (being unmindful in
this regard causes one to be punished in the grave)
· After relieving oneself, to cleanse oneself using water

**Sunnahs of the Home:**
· To recite the dua before entering the home
· To greet those that are in the house with "Assalaamu Alaykum"
· To announce ones arrival by coughing, greeting, etc. even
though it may be your own house

**Other Sunnahs of High Importance:* *
· Using a miswaak is a great Sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu
alayhi wasallam). One who makes miswaak when making wuzu and
thereafter performs salaah will receive 70 times more reward. It will
also enable one to easily recite the kalima at the time of death
· To take a Ghusl bath on a Friday
· To apply itr (applies to men only)
· To show mercy to those that are younger than you
· To respect your elders
· It is sunnah to ponder over Allah Ta'ala and His Creation
· For men to keep a beard that is one fist in length
· To visit a Muslim when he is sick
· To be good towards ones neighbour
· To meet a Muslim with a cheerful face
· To care for the poor and the needy
· To keep good relations with all your relatives
· To honour a guest even though he may not be of a very high
position
· To greet all Muslims by saying " Assalaamu alaykum wa
rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu"
· To keep the gaze on the ground whilst walking
· To speak softly and politely
· To command people to do good
· To forbid them from doing evil
· To carry ones shoes in the left hand
· To make wuzu at home before going to the Masjid
· To enter the Masjid with the right foot
· To leave the Masjid with the left foot
· To recite some portion of the Quran Shareef daily
· To be hospitable towards one's guest
· To exchange gifts with one another
· To make dua to Allah Ta'ala for the fulfillment of one's
needs in what ever language one desires
· To consult with one's parents, teachers or elders before
doing any work.
· To respect one's parents

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Happy Marriage


1. Faith:
The most basic and essential attribute of a Muslim marriage is the common faith that binds the couple.

2. Forgiving:
When the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) asked his Companions 'do you wish that Allah should forgive you' they said, of course O Prophet of Allah. He responded, 'then forgive each other'.

3. Forget:Things that happened in the past must be left there and not be used as fresh ammunition in new situations.


4. Forbearance:
Sabr (patience) is the most useful tool to have in managing a healthy lifestyle. Being patient and forbearing puts us in a pro-active frame of mind it brings us closer to Allah through Tawakul (trust) and reliance

5. Flexible:
Many couples un-necessarily make themselves miserable because they are unwilling to bend a little.

6. Friendship:

First is to develop a friendship with our spouses. The relationship based on friendship is more able to withstand outside pressures.

We honor, trust, respect, accept and care for our friends, in spite of our differences. These are the aspects of friendship we should bring to our marriages.

7. Friendly:
Second aspect of friendship is to have friendly relations with in-laws. When couples compete as to whose parents are more important it becomes a constant source of grief.

8. Friends:
The third aspect of friendship is our circle of friends. It is okay to have individual friends of the same gender but couples must also make effort to have family friends so that they can socialize together.

9. Fun:Couples that do not laugh together have to work on sharing some fun times. The Prophet (SAW) was known to play with his wives.

10. Faithful:
It is commanded by Allah that we be faithful to our spouses. Adultery is a capital crime in Islam that is punishable by death

11. Fair:Usually when we are angry or displeased the tendency is to not play fair. We try to convince ourselves that since we have been wronged it is okay to be unjust in our behavior and our statements.

10. Finance:
One of the most common points of contention in marriages is money. Experts tell us that 80 percent of marital conflicts are about money.

It is therefore highly recommended that the couple put serious time and effort in developing a financial management plan that is mutually agreeable and is reviewed every six months or so.

11. Family:
Parenting can be a stressful experience if the parents are not well informed. This in turn can put extra pressure on the marriage.

12. Feelings:
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) stated that Allah forgives all sins if we repent but not those we have committed against others i.e. hurt their feelings unless the person we have hurt forgives first.

13. Freedom:Marriage in Islam is a partnership and not bondage or slavery. To consider the wife one's property is alien to Islamic concept of husband and wife role. The team spirit is enhanced and not curtailed when members of the team are free to be themselves

14. Flirtation:
A sure way to keep romance in marriage is to flirt (only) with your spouse.

15. Frank:
Misunderstandings happen when couples are not honest with each other. Marital relationship is where the partners must feel safe to speak their mind with due consideration to the other's feeling, without compromising their own views.

16. Facilitator:
When choosing our life partner, we must, as the Prophet (SAW) advised, look for a pious Muslim. The reason is that their first and foremost goal is the pleasure of Allah.

17. Flattering:
Paying compliments and indulging in honest flattery is a very inexpensive way to win your spouse's heart. Everyone likes to be appreciated and noticed.

18. Fulfilling:
To be all one can be to one's spouse is a very fulfilling and rewarding experience. To be in love means to give one's all. The heart does not put conditions or make stipulations.

19. Fallible:
It often happens that our expectations sometimes are so high that we lose focus of the fact that we are fallible (not perfect/make mistakes) beings. When couples start to nitpick and demand the impossible they must remind themselves that only Allah is perfect.

20. Fondness:
So many times couples fail to work on developing fondness for each other by [failing] to see their spouses as people through the eyes of their respective friends. Spending quality time alone doing and sharing activities are ways in which one can develop fondness.

21. Future:
Smart couples plan for their future together. They work on their financial and retirement plans, make wills and discuss these plans with their children. This provides peace of mind and secures the relationship.