Getting closer to ALLAH t3ala

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله تعالى و بركاته

Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi t3ala wabarakatuhu,

Many people think just praying is enough....they forget that Islam isnt about duties...its about building a relationship with ALLAH t3ala, getting close to him, and loving him, and when that happens, your life all by itself will come uponthe rules..and duties..etc..

May ALLAH t3ala fill our hearts with his love, and bring us close to him, and give us

the tawfeeq to truly know and recognize him (or give you his true marifat)! 

aameen thumma aameen

How can we get close to him, here are some points that can help: 

- One way that is absolutely helpful in getting closer to ALLAH t3ala is by praying tahajjud, and by tahajjud I dont mean 2 quick jumps which dont even take 2 minutes, by reading the shortest surah possible, with eyes half closed...

By tahajjud I mean Get up about 30 mins to an hour before fajr and revise the longest surah you know, and while then read it in your salah with qirat, and a bit loud so you can hear,and ponder in the meanings, and when you do tasbeeh in rukoo3 and sajdah, read them from your heart, like you mean it....and pray as much as you can like this...

- Another way is to make a connection with ALLAH t3ala, and make plenty and plenty of duas, share everything that goes on in your life with ALLAH t3ala, Like if your worried about something, or something hurt you, instead of going to people, and sharing it with them,

turn to ALLAH t3ala, and tell him everything...slowly as time passes, you will see the relationship thats forming between you and him, 

and will start to enjoy every second you spend talking to him..

- Loads of nawafil, and zikr!

- Theres this particular thing that always sparks his love in me...you know how you read the dua when sitting in a car, bus, ex..Well I read this dua: 

(bismillahi, alhamdulillahi, "subhanalladhi sakhhara lana......' alhamdulillahalhamdulillah alhamdulillah, then this dua "Subhanak inni qad zalamtu nafsi faghfir li fa innahu laa yaghfiru alzunooba illa ant")

so basically after reading this you look at the sky and smile, and the reason to that is because the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam used to do this

so the sahabah asked why he smiled, so he told them that when I asked this dua, ALLAH t3ala replied "Ghafartu laka ya abdi" (I have forgiven you my slave)

and that made me smile...so thats why its sunnahhhh

so every time I do this, My heart is filled with his love, because look after all the sins we do, from just one sentence, ALLAH t3ala forgives us.....

so basically I love to read ahaadeeth like these...They make my relationship with ALLAH t3ala stronger...

- The more you talk about ALLAH t3ala, his blessings, his qudrat (power), and his wonderful qualities characteristics...Your love for him will increase.

- Stay away from sins, tv, music, anything that make the heart die...

May ALLAH t3ala give us all the tawfeeq to act upon these, and may he make all of our relationships with him stronger, and bring us very

very close to him, and fill our hearts with his loveeeeeeeeee and love us backkkkkk!!! aaameeen!

How to get rid of Pride (Takabbur)!

Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi t3ala wabarakatuhu,

(I wrote this for a sister, so thought I'd share it here too):

Kibr (Self-Pride) is one of most common diseases today, and one of the most difficult things to get rid of, may ALLAH t3ala protect us, and forgive us.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa salam) said "A person who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will not enter Paradise". A person asked: "But one does like to wear good clothes and shoes!" The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa salam) replied: "Indeed Allah is beautiful and loves beauty!...." (Saheeh Muslim, Vol. 1, No. 164)

Some ways to get rid of takabbur(pride) are as following:

-Everytime you approach a muslim or pass by one try to be the first to say salam, even if you know that

person or you dont, always say salam, the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said: (البادئ بالسلام بريء من الكبر) aw kama qala alaihissalam

(The person who starts salam is free from takabbar/self pride)

- Think about what a human really is (the haqeeqat of a human), what is he made from? A piece of bloody meat..covered in filth..theres a few beautiful ayahs in

the Quran Karim concerning this, inshaALLAH t3ala I'll ask my friend where they are, and update this..then ponder in those ayahs..

- To dedicate yourself to helping others, weaker than you, younger than you, the poor, and If anyone does bad with you,

or says something rude, to think that I deserve it, and instead do good to them, and forgive them...

- Everytime you go out, think that your the worst person on this planet, you have the most sins, and that

everyone out there is better than you. if you see a non-muslim think he is better than you, because he may

accept islam and become a better muslim than you, and if you see a sinner: think I dont know whats in this persons

heart, he could be beloved to ALLAH t3ala, or he might change and become a better muslim than me...

- Do lots of khidmah, everyone you see, or meet, do their khidmah...like bring them water, or food,

or pressing their legs, if someone has not taken of her shoes properly, correct them...

- Keep your nafs in line, and keep testing it and punishing it, (you know muraqabah?) 

(you know hasibu anfusakum qabla an tuhaasabu? it basically means question yourself about its acts before you are questioned (on the day of judgment)) 

If you start to do takabbur or feel your pride, stop it right away,

read tawwudh, and then scold your nafs, and ponder about how weak and muhtaj (needy) you are,

Nothing of yours is really yours, so what is there to have pride about??? Your clothes, hands, feet, house, car, money, belongings,

all body parts everything is ALLAH t3alas, you dont own anything, and it all can be taken from you in  less than a second!

You cant even blink from your own choice, everything that happens, happens with the will of ALLAH t3ala! 

- Make lots of dua, and do lots of istighfaar!

- There are some wonderful bayans for Maualan Tariq jameel sahab about takabbur..or the haqeeqat of a 

human being..you can search on google..they are really helpful.

All advice is intended for myself first, then others.

wa billahi al-tawfeeq

Please keep me in your prayers, jazakumullah t3ala ahsanal jaza!

INSAAN BHE KIYA SHAI HAI??

السلام و رحمة الله و بركاته

Shaikh Saadi farmatay hain: 

Insaan ki bhe kiya SHAI hai.....

Daulat kamanay keliyi Apni  sehat kho deta hai

aur phir sehat ko wapis paanay kelyi

apni daulat kho deta hai...

Mustaqbil ka soch ker apna haal zaaya karta hai

phir mustaqbal mai apna maazi yaad kar ke rota hai...

Jeeta esay hai jesay kabhi marna he nhe hai

aur mar jata aisey hai jesay kabhi jiya he nhe...

Translation:

Shaikh Saadi said: 

The story of a human being is suprising/wierd

He loses his health in gaining wealth...

and then to regain his health,

he looses his wealth....

He wastes the present in planning for the future

and then in the future, he thinks about his past and cries...

He lives, as if he shall never die

and dies like he never lived...

I found this picture on Google and fell in love with it:

My favorite time of the day

السلام و رحمة الله و بركاته 

Alhamdulillah t3ala I'm absolutely loving winter, except I'm not able to do as much as I had planned....The days are going by fast...and soon it'll be hot again, and won't be able to act upon the hadeeth I posted a while back...(you know one about the nights of winter are long and the days are short so the believer cans pray all night, and fast all day [mafhoom ofcourse])

Pray for me please!

and how is your winter coming along? 

Now to the actual post:

One huge blessing of living where I do live now is this:

I love the feeling of when I wake up in the dark...everyone is asleep, everything is silent...its all dark, then suddenly the sound of the beautiful azan (for fajr) fills the air, then another azan, then another, every single one is spectacular in its own way, and the wind is blowing, and this goes on for more than half an hour...mashaALLAH t3ala, its just beautiful, you have to actually hear it to know what Im talking about...

I try to imagine ALLAH t3ala calling me for prayer, so that I can stand up in front of him, and talk to him, in the dark, while the wind is blowing, It gives you such a spiritual feeling...Subhanallah t3ala

For those of you who dont live in a place where azans are called out through speakers, you can set it on your phone/computer/or buy a clock that gives the azan...

(note: azan means: the call to prayer which is called in arabic with specific words)

I absolutely love these duas! They bring you to tears!

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته 

This is one of the istighfaars you should recite...سبحان الله , the meaning is just wonderful..I mean we are such sinful ungrateful slaves, and look at ALLAH تعالى 's mercy....الله أكبر!

اللهم إني استغفرك لكل ذنب ٍ قدمت ُ إليك توبتي مِنه وواجهتك بقسمي بك واليت بنبيك محمد صلى الله علية وسلم واشهدت على نفسي بذلك أولياءك من عبادك أني غير عائد إلى معصيتك فلما قصدني إليه بكيده الشيطان ومال بي إليه الخذلان فيه ودعتني نفسي إلى العصيان أستترت حياء من عبادك جرأة مني عليك وأنا أعلم أنه لا يكنفني منك ستر ولا حجاب ولا يحجب نظرك حجاب فخالفتك إلى ما نهيتني عنه ثم ما كشفت الستر عني وساويتني بأوليائك حتى كأني لا أزال لك مطيع وإلى أمرك مسرعا ومن وعيدك فارغا فلبست على عبادك ولا يعلم سريرتي غيرك فلم تسمني بغير سمتهم بل أسبغت علي مثل نعمتهم ثم فضلتني بذلك عليهم حتى كأني عندك في درجتهم وما ذاك إلا لحلمك وفضل نعمتك علي فلك الحمد يا مولاي فأسألك يا الله كما سترته علي في الدنيا فلا تفضحني بة يوم القيامة يا أرحم الراحمين فصلى يا رب وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد واغفره لي يا خير الغافري

(Translation:

Oh ALLAH, I ask you for forgiveness from every sin I have previously repented from, and swore with your name in front of you, and made your loved ones from your slaves witnesses upon me,

that I will not return to your disobedience and shaytan tried to lead me towards sins with his tricks,

and without your help I became fascinated by them, and my conscious called me towards your disobedience, so I secretly committed that sin while hiding from your slaves due to embarrassment, while being fearless and bold in front of you, even though I know really well that nothing can hide me from you, no room, not darkness, no tricks or curtains, and not even a door, even some type of cover cannot block your eyesight from seeing me, even after knowing all this, I purposely disobeyed you by sinning even though have forbidden it,

Even after all this you did not remove my cover, but instead you made me equal to your pious loved ones like I have always been a obedient pious slave who follows your every command right away without a second thought and is scared and petrified from your warnings.

I was kept hidden/covered in front of your slaves, no one knows about my hidden acts except for you, but you still didn’t separate me from them by any sign or warning, and you kept on blessing me like how your obedient followers are bestowed upon, and then you gave me a higher status upon them due to these blessings, like I am at the same level as them to you, and all of this that you have bestowed me with due to your mercy is all because of your patience, mightiness, great kindness, I received nothing from you but blessings and greatness, so all praise is to you my lord, and I ask only you that Oh ALLAH! Like how you covered my sins and hid them please do not disgrace me in front of everyone on the day of judgment, Oh the most merciful!)

This is a dua that is recited at tahajjud time....just beautiful...no words can describe the beauty of this dua.....:

كان أحد الصالحين يُناجي ربه في سجوده في جوف الليل ويقول 

!!إلهي : أغلقت الملوك أبوابها ، وبابك مفتوح للسائلين 

!!إلهي : غارت النجوم ، ونامت العيون ، وأنت الحي القيوم ، الذي لا تأخذه سِنة ولا نوم

!!إلهي : فُرشت الفُرش ، وخلا كل حبيب بحبيبه !! وأنت حبيب المجتهدين ، وأنيس المستوحشين

!!إلهي : إن طردتني عن بابك فإلى باب من ألتجئ ؟

!!وإن قطعتني عن خدمتك فخدمة من ارتجي ؟

،إلهي : إن عذبتني فإني مستحق العذاب والنقم 

..وإن عفوت عني فأنت أهل الجودِ والكرم

...يا سيدي : لك أخلص العارفون ، وبفضلك نجا الصالحون ، وبرحمتك أناب المقصرون

،يا جميل العفو أذقني برد عفوك ، وحلاوة مغفرتك

وإن لم أكن أهلا لذلك فأنت

!!أهل التقوى وأهل المغفرة

(Translation:

One of the pious used to pray/talk to their lord with these words while prostrating in the night:

Oh rabbi (My lord): All kings have closed their doors, Your door is open for the beggars!

Oh Rabbi: The stars have gone far away, and the eyes have fallen asleep, and you are the living Self-subsisting, Eternal, the one who no slumber can seize Him nor sleep!!

Oh rabbi: The beds have been spread, every loved one has isolated with his love, and you are the loved by the hard working worshippers, and the company of the lonely ones.

Oh rabbi: If you reject/drive me from your door, whose door shall I turn to?!

And if you do not accept me for spreading (helping) your religion, then who should I except acceptance from??

Oh rabbi: If you punish me, then I deserve your punishment and wrath because of my sins, and if you forgive me then you truly are the most forgiving most magnificent/giving. 

Oh rabbi: The knowing have made good intentions for only you and with your kindness the pious have succeeded, and with your mercy the people who made mistakes have repented. 

Oh ALLAH who likes to forgive, please forgive me from my sins, and give me the coolness of your repentance, and the sweetness of your mercy. 

Even if I do not deserve that, You are definitely the one who should be feared, and you are the one who is who should be asked for forgiveness.)

(I translated this by myself, I know terrible…but I couldn't find it anywhere…and it look a long time…but if there are any mistakes, please do let me know…I’d appreciate corrections.)

Jazakumullah t3ala ahsanal jaza!

The taqwa of Imam Abu Dawood (سليمان بن الأشعث)

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته 

My mom just read this story today, so she told me, and سبحان الله تعالى , it really inspired me so thought I'd share it with you all too...

As might all know Sunanu Abi Dawood (سنن أبي داود ) Is one of the sihaah sittah, so this story is about the imam of this book:

Hadhrat Imam Abu Dawood was in a ship while he heard someone sneeze, so he immediately asked the driver of the ship to let him borrow one of the small boats for a dirham so that he could reach the person who just sneezed, and so when the driver did, he quickly went to the person who sneeze and answered him, and came back to the big ship, upon seeing this people started to question this act of his, upon which he answered: This person sneezed, so I wanted to send الله تعالى 's mercy upon him (say يرحمك الله ), because he could be مستجاب الدعوات (a person whose duas/prayers are always accepted) and when he makes dua for me with this يهديكم الله و يصلح بالكم (this is the dua that is made for the one who sends mercy upon him when sneezing), it would be accepted, so with this hope I went to him, maybe because of his dua ALLAH تعالى will guide me and make my condition a better one. After this, when everyone had fallen asleep, Imam Abu Dawood heard a voice from "Ghayb" (unseen voices/creatures), that "Oh Abu dawood you have bought yourself jannah in exchange of one dirham". 

!ما شاء الله تعالى

 This was the imaan and piety of our ancestors, for the smallest ajar, and blessing they sacrificed and worked so hard...and here we are too busy sinning to even think about gaining extra good deeds....

      اللهم أغفر لنا و أهدنا و أصلح بالنا 

!!!آمين