As-Salaam alaikum,




 Sayyadi Hassan al-Basri, may Allah be Merciful to him, relates that a group of individuals claimed to love Allah and so Allah tested their love by revealing the Ayat: "Say, If you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you and forgive you your sins." (3:31)




Al-Junaid Baghdadi, may Allah be Merciful to him, said: "No one has reached Allah except through Allah. And the path to reaching Allah is following the Chosen One, al-Mustafa, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam."  Reaching Allah means attaining a state in which Allah is pleased with one. It is based on this perspective that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-




             "All of my community will enter paradise except those who refuse." It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who refuses?"




             He said:- "Whoever obeys me will enter Heaven. Whoever disobeys me has refused." [Bukhari, Vol. 6].

                         "The one who tries to reach Me, knows Me




                           The one who knows Me, wants Me




                           The one who wants Me, seeks Me




                          The one who seeks Me, finds Me




                          The one who finds Me, serves Me




                          The one who serves Me, remembers Me




                          The one who remembers Me, I remember him with My Mercy".




                                                                                                (Hadith Qudsi)

As-Salaam alaikum,




 In a Hadith Qudsi, Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said:-- "For Me, the most blessed of My Friends is the person of faith who is unburdened (by possessions), who takes pleasure




                                                                                          in prayer, who carries out well his devotion to his Lord and eagerly serves Him in secret. He is concealed among the




                                                                                         people; no one points him out. His sustenance is barely sufficient, and he is content with that. His death comes quickly,




                                                                                        there are few mourners, and his estate is small."




This Noble Hadith is included, with minor variations, in the canonical collections of Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ibn Hanbal.

As-Salaam alaykum,




 Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:--




      "THERE ARE 2 PHRASES THE ARE LIGHT ON THE TONGUE BUT HEAVY ON THE SCALE OF REWARDS




       AND ARE DEAR TO (ALLAH) THE GRACIOUS ONE. THESE ARE SUBHANALLAHI  WA BI-HAMDIHI




       [All Glory is to Allah and all Praise to Him]; and SUBHANALLAH AL-AZIM [Glorified is Allah, the Great]."  [Muslim, Bukhari, Tirmidhi].




In view of this, we should include the recital of these 2 Noble Phrases in good numbers DAILY in our Zikr... when we come to remember Allah Ta'ala in the mornings and evenings.




Many Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum,




In many places of the Holy Qur'an, notably Ayat 110 of Surat Ali-Imran (3:110) and Ayat 100 of Surat Tauba (9:100), Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, praised and showed His Pleasure for the Sahaba, the Companions of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. They were a people whose actions and behaviors were all in accordance with the Islamic Shari'a... their sense of Generosity, Forgiveness, Justice and Selfless service to Humanity and Worship of Allah were highly exemplary




Find hereby attached a compilation of 51 stories from a work titled: 'Companions Of The Prophet', for your perusal and use... as there are certainly lessons to draw therefrom.



  Companions of The Prophet.pdf (Size: 1.25 MB / Downloads: 1)



Best Wishes..

As-Salaam alaikum,




As a reminder, I wish to invite your attention to the following Ahadith.... all related from the Leader of Mankind and Jinn, Sayyadina Muhammad, the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, who said:--




  ( 1) "Do not drink alcohol, for it is the key to all evil".-  Ibn Majah




 (2) "The beauty of one's Islam requires his leaving what does not concern him".- Ibn Hibban




(3) "Livelihood seeks a person out in the same way that his death seeks him out"- Ibn Hibban




(4) "All the children of Adam are wrongdoers, but the best wrongdoers are those that repent"- al-Tirmidhi




(5) "Feed the hungry, visit the sick and free captives."--Bukhari




(6) "The key to Paradise is Sallah, and the key to Sallah is Wudu"- Tirmidhi.

As-Salaam alaikum,




 When his companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah, what are the most excellent of actions?"   The beloved of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, replied:--




     "To gladden the heart of human beings,




      To feed the hungry,




     To help the afflicted,




    To lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and




   To remove the sufferings of the injured."  [Sahih Bukhari ].




So, over to us all for guidance and necessary action accordingly.

The best way to learn about something unfamiliar is to experience it firsthand. If you've never been to a country with a sizable Muslim population, consider booking a trip. Here are 10 destinations that will give you a better perspective on Islam and will just generally make for an awesome trip.

Children are easily influenced by their surroundings. These days, it is extremely difficult to expose our children to an ideal Islamic environment given the influences from media, friends and even other members of the family.




With television, radio, Internet, and forms of media mostly touting un-Islamic values, it is up to parents and adults close to the children to set the correct example.




It is impossible to shield our children from all the negative forces that can shape their minds and, ultimately, their behavior.




However, by our own example and showing them better options, we can set them on the true path, which is to obey the commandments of Allah (SWT) and our Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).




Here are some tips you may want to follow in helping your children grow up with Islamic values.




1. Start by teaching them the importance of Worshipping only Allah: The best thing any Muslim parent could ever teach their children is to emphasize, from the day they can comprehend, that Allah (SWT) is One and no one is worthy of worship except Allah (SWT). This is the fundamental message of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and it is our key to Paradise.




2. Treat them kindly: Kindness begets kindness. If we were kind to our children, they, in turn, would show kindness to others. Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was the best example of being kind to children.




3. Teach them examples of Muslim heroes: Instead of Batman or Superman, tell them about real heroes such as Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and others Muslims heroes. Tell them how Muslim leaders brought a real peaceful change in the world and won the hearts of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.




4. Let children sit with adults: It is preferable for children to be among adults, especially when listening to Islamic lectures. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) would often put children in the front row when he spoke to the people.




5. Make them feel important: Consult them in family matters. Let them feel they are important members of the family and have a part to play in the growth and well-being of the family.




6. Go out as a family: Take family trips rather than allowing your children to always go out only with their friends. Let your children be around family and friends from whom you want them to pick up their values. Always remember that your children will become who they are around with most of the time. So, watch their company and above all give them YOUR Company.




7. Praise them: Praise is a powerful tool with children, especially in front of others. Children feel a sense of pride when their parents’ praise them and will be keen to perform other good deeds. However, praise must be limited to Islamic deeds and deeds of moral value.




8.Avoid humiliation: Similarly, do not humiliate them in front of others. Children make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes occur in their efforts to please the parents. If you are unhappy with your children, tell them in private.




9. Sports: The Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged sports such as swimming, running and horse riding. Other sports that build character and physical strength are also recommended, as long as the children maintain their Islamic identity, wear appropriate clothing and do not engage in unnecessary mixing.




10.Responsibility: Have faith in their abilities to perform tasks. Give them chores to do in line with their age. Convince them that they are performing an important function and you will find them eager to help you out again.




11. Don’t spoil them: Children are easily spoiled. If they receive everything they ask for, they will expect you to oblige on every occasion. Be wise in what you buy for them. Avoid extravagance and unnecessary luxuries. Take them to an orphanage or poor area of your city once in a while so they can see how privileged they are.




12. Don’t be friends: It is common in the West for parents to consider their children as friends. In Islam, it doesn’t work that way. If you have ever heard how friends talk to each other, then you will know that this is not how a parent-child relationship should be. You are the parents, and they should respect you, and this is what you should be teaching them. The friendship part should be limited to you and them keeping an open dialog so they can share their concerns with you and ask you questions when they have any.




13.Pray with them: Involve them in acts of worship. When they are young, let them see you in act of salaah (salat). Soon, they would be trying to imitate you. Wake them up for Fajr and pray as a family. Talk to them about the rewards of salaah so that it doesn’t feel like a burden to them.




14.Emphasize halal: It is not always good to say “this is haraam that is haraam”. While you must educate them on haram things, Islam is full of halaal and tell your children to thank Allah (SWT) for the bounties He has bestowed on them- not just for food and clothes. Tell them to be thankful for having eyes that see, ears that her arms and legs and, the ultimate blessing, Islam in their hearts. Read in details here: HOW TO BE A GOOD CHILD IN ISLAM




 Set an example: As parents, you are the best example the children can have. If you talk to your parents rudely, expect your children to do the same to you. If you are disrespectful to others, your children will follow too. Islam is filled with Divine advice on the best ways to bring up your children. That makes it an obligation upon parents to be good Muslims so their children will try to emulate them. If you don’t take Islam seriously, neither will your children. It goes back to our third point, which is to give them Islamic heroes. As a parent, you should be their number one hero.

As-Salaam alaikum,




In Ayat 21 of Surat Ahzab of the Holy Qur'an (33:21), Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says:--




   "You have indeed in the Apostle of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct), for anyone




    whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah."




 




So, since our object is Allah Ta'ala and the Final Day, we are charged to follow the Prophetic guidance shown by Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam-- the guidance referred to as "a beautiful example.."   that Allah loves. Teachers of old have always taught that the Prophet's beautiful example lies primarily in the inner qualities of his soul... designated by his compassion, justice, generosity, forgiveness etc...




We should imitate him in this, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, by obeying the rules of Islamic Shari'a and overcoming everyday forgetfulness of the soul. This is closely related with the teaching in Ayat 31 of Surat Ali-Imran:--




   "Say: If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will forgive you your sins" (3:31)




In otherwords, the way to become worthy of Allah's love is to follow Prophetic guidance. The goal of following this guidance is explained by a famous Hadith Qudsi in which the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, quotes the words of Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala:--




   "When My Servant approaches Me through good works, then I love him. When I love




   him, I am the hearing with which he hears, the eye with which he sees, the hand with




  which he grasps, and the foot with which he walks." [Bukhari, Hadith No. 6502].