Taaqwa Alone Is The Criterion Of Greatness In The Sight Of Allah.

Taaqwa Alone Is The Criterion Of Greatness In The Sight Of Allah.

Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ۬ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ شُعُوبً۬ا وَقَبَآٮِٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓاْ‌ۚ إِنَّ أَڪۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَٮٰكُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ۬

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has Taaqwa (God-consciousness, fearing Allah). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Surah al-Hujurat 49:13)

Allah has erased all distinctions of racism cast and colour and made all human beings equal. He has established a unique criterion for greatness and that is Taaqwa. Taaqwa is the essence of the teachings of Allah’s Messenger (SAW). Whenever Allah’s Messenger (SAW) sent his Sahabaa on a military expedition, he would advice them to have deep-rooted Taaqwa of Allah and he would also advise the rest of his military party likewise.

The Pious Predecessors continued this practice of giving mutual advice of Taaqwa after Allah’s Messenger (SAW) passed away. Umar Ibn Khattab (RA) wrote to his son, Abdullah: “To proceed: ‘Verily I advise you to have Taaqwa (fear) of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, for whoever fears Him, Allah will protect him, and whoever gives a loan to Him, Allah will reward him, and whoever thanks Him, Allah will increase Him.”

Some benefits of Taaqwa:

1) Taaqwa is a means by which a believer performs righteous deeds and Taaqwa causes the righteous deed to be accepted by Allah.

Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوۡلاً۬ سَدِيدً۬ا

“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth.” (Surah al-Ahzaab 33: 70)

2) Taqwa makes one deserving of Allah’s Pleasure and Love. Allah says:

إِنَّ أَڪۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَٮٰكُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ۬

“Verily, the most honourable of you in the Sight of Allah is that (believer) who has Taaqwa.” (Surah al-Hujurat 49: 13)

بَلَىٰ مَنۡ أَوۡفَىٰ بِعَهۡدِهِۦ وَٱتَّقَىٰ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ

“Nay―Those that keep their plighted faith and act aright―verily Allah loves those who act aright” (Surah Al-Imran 3:76)

3) Taaqwa causes sins to be forgiven and increases rewards. Allah says:

ذَٲلِكَ أَمۡرُ ٱللَّهِ أَنزَلَهُ ۥۤ إِلَيۡكُمۡ‌ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يُكَفِّرۡ عَنۡهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِۦ وَيُعۡظِمۡ لَهُ ۥۤ أَجۡرًا

“And whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him. He will remit his sins from him, and will enlarge his rewards.” (Surah at-Talaaq 65: 5)

4) Taaqwa keeps one steadfast on the Straight Path and protects him from deviation. Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِن تَتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ يَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ فُرۡقَانً۬ا وَيُكَفِّرۡ عَنڪُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلۡفَضۡلِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ

“O you who believe! Have Taaqwa of Allah. He will give you a Furqaan (criterion to judge between right and wrong).” (Surah al-Anfaal 8:29)

Ibn al-Katheer said in his Tafseer, ‘Ibn Abbas, as-Sudde, Ikrimah, adh-Dahhak, Qataadah and Muqaatil, Ibn Huyyan, all said about ‘Furqaan’ that it means a way out (from difficulty). Mujaahid added: ‘A way out from difficulty both in this world and in the Hereafter.’ In a narration from Ibn Abbas, he said: “It means, ‘Salvation’ and in another narration from him ‘being helped.” Muhammad Ishaaq said that it means: “A criterion to judge between truth and falsehood.” This explanation from Ibn Ishaaq is the most general of what has proceeded and it is a necessary consequence of it. Since whoever has Taaqwa of Allah by obeying His commands and abandoning what He has prohibited, will be given the ability to recognize truth from falsehood. This will be the cause for his salvation, his being helped; and the cause for his worldly affairs being made easier and his happiness on the Day of Judgment. It will be the cause for his sins to be expiated by Allah, and his being granted forgiveness and Allah shielding him from the people. It will likewise be the cause of him being the recipient of a great reward from Allah, as He the Most High says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَءَامِنُواْ بِرَسُولِهِۦ يُؤۡتِكُمۡ كِفۡلَيۡنِ مِن رَّحۡمَتِهِۦ وَيَجۡعَل لَّڪُمۡ نُورً۬ا تَمۡشُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬

“O ye that believe! Fear Allah and believe in His messenger, and He will bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide for you a Light by which ye shall walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your past): For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah al-Hadeed 57:28)

The question that now comes to mind is “How to achieve Taaqwa?”

Here is our answer:

Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱعۡبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمۡ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ

“O mankind! Worship your Lord, Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become al-Muttaqoon.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:21)

Thus, Taaqwa is the fruit of Ibaadah (worship) and can only be achieved by performing acts of Ibaadah. Therefore we often find Allah mentioning Taaqwa with Ibaadah, he said regarding the fasts of Ramadhaan:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become muttaqoon (those who posses Taaqwa).” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:183)

What Surah To Read Before Bed.

What Surah To Read Before Bed.

Surah al Mulk: Ibn Abbas (RA) said that one of Rasulullah (SAW)’s companions set up his tent over a grave without realizing that it was a grave and it contained a man who was reciting the Surah Tabarakallahi Biyadihil Mulk up to the end. He went and told Rasulullah (SAW) who said, “It is The Defender; it is The Protector which safeguards from Allah punishment.” (at-Tirmidhi)

3 Last Verses of Surah al Hashr: Rasulullah (SAW) said, “Whoever when he wakes in the morning says ‘I seek refuge with Allah against the accursed Shaytaan’ and then recited three verses from the last part of Surah al Hashr, will be assigned seventy thousand angels to pray for him until the evening, and should he die that day, he would have died a martyr.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Ayat al Kursi: Rasulullah (SAW) said: “If one recites Ayat ul Kursi before going to sleep, Allah will send an Angel to come and look after you and protect you till the morning.? His home, family and also neighbours will remain in safety until morning.”

Surah al Kaafiroon: Rasulullah (SAW) said, “Recite surah al Kaafiroon and then go to sleep after coming to its end, for it is a clearance from shirk.” (Abu Dawud)

Surah as Sajda: Rasulullah (SAW) would not sleep until he recited Surah as Sajda. (At-Tirmidhi)

Save The Quraan!

Save The Quraan!

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

THE CALL IS SIMPLE:

1) Preservation of the Holy Quran is Allah’s responsibility. Our responsibility is to be a united Ummah.

فَلَا تَظۡلِمُواْ فِيہِنَّ أَنفُسَڪُمۡ‌ۚ وَقَـٰتِلُواْ ٱلۡمُشۡرِڪِينَ كَآفَّةً۬ ڪَمَا يُقَـٰتِلُونَكُمۡ ڪَآفَّةً۬‌ۚ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ

“So wrong not yourselves in them. And wage war on all of the idolaters as they are waging war on all of you. And know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him)..” (Surah-Tawba: 9:36)

2) Copies of the Quran will be burnt on 11th of September 2010 from 6pm – 9pm Florida time (USA). Find out what time that will be in your country.

(It’s possible that it could be the day of Eid-ul-Fitr in some countries, note the date with regard to time zones).

E.g.: 6pm Florida time is:

11pm in London, UK (on 11th Sept)

1am in Cairo, Egypt (on 12th Sept)

6am in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia (on 12th Sept)

3) On the day, at the time the Quran is being burnt, Muslims worldwide, must stop what you are doing and join together with millions of your brothers and sisters all over the world, family and friends, and community in reciting the LAST VERSE OF SURAH BAQARAH (2:286)

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا‌ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡہَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡ‌ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرً۬ا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ‌ۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآ‌ۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَٮٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ

“Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.”

Can you imagine how the spiritual energy on the planet will rise when we do this? Join in, and let your voice be heard. May Allah reward you if you have to wake from sleep to do this. Also recite Ayat ul Kursi, Surah Yaseen, Surah Fil, and abundant Durood. Not even Shaytaan will be able to stop this. You can make a difference as an individual.

4) NO VIOLENCE / ANGER / AGGRESSION. Any of this will result in Muslims in the Middle East being persecuted further. Islam was NOT spread by the sword, but by intellect. Please discourage others from using force in retaliation. Do not damage churches / bibles / crosses / Christians, Jews or anyone else. Respect their religion, even if they can’t respect ours.

5) Spread the message to Muslims in your country, city, village, town, musjid, universities, schools, work, etc … to every Muslim you know.

Here are some ideas:

a) Stick it on community / mosque notice boards

b) Copy and paste all this and distribute it. Translate into your language if you need to. REMEMBER TO INCLUDE THE EXACT TIME OF THE PRAYER INYOUR LOCATION.

c)  *Inform your imams, and ask them to inform their congregations at the Taraweeh/Jumuah Salaah). Islamic radio stations/newspapers/media – get them involved!*

d). Send via email, text messaging, facebook, twitter, blogs etc.

Your help is needed! Remember YOU are a vital part of this Ummah – the greatest and last of Ummah’s, a universal brotherhood proudly proclaiming: “THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH, AND MUHAMMAD IS THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH.”

“May Allah guide, protect and give us strength. May all our prayers be accepted. Aameen.”

 

Improving Our Relationship With The Quraan…

Improving Our Relationship With The Quraan…

Are we one of those people who rarely touch the Qur’an? Or do we read daily, but don’t find it is having the impact on us that it should? Whatever the case may be, these are some simple tips that can help us connect with the Qur’an.

1) Before we touch it, check our heart: The key to really benefiting from the Qur’an is to check our heart first, before we even touch Allah’s book. Ask ourselves, honestly, why we are reading it. Is it to just get some information and to let it drift away from us later? Remember that the Rasulullah (SAW) was described by his wife as a “walking Qur’an”: in other words, he didn’t just read and recite the Qur’an, he lived it.

2) Do our Wudu: Doing our Wudu is good physical and mental preparation to remind us we’re not reading just another book. We are about to interact with Allah, so being clean should be a priority when communicating with Him.

3) Start by reading 5 minutes everyday: Too often, we think we should read Qur’an for at least one whole hour. If we are not in the habit of reading regularly, this is too much. Start off with just five minutes daily. If we took care of step one, Insha’Allah, we will notice that those five minutes will become ten, then half an hour, then an hour, and maybe even more!

4) Make sure we understand what we have read: Five minutes of reading the Qur’an in Arabic is good, but we need to understand what we are reading. Make sure we have a good translation of the Qur’an in the language we understand best. Always try to read the translation of what we have read that day.

5) Remember, the Qur’an is more interactive than a CD: In an age of “interactive” CD-ROMs and computer programs, a number of people think books are passive and boring. But the Qur’an is not like that. Remember that when we read Qur’an, we are interacting with Allah. He is talking to us, so pay attention.

6) Do not just read, listen too: There are now many audio cassettes and CDs of the Qur’an, a number of them with translations as well. This is great to put on our walkman or our car’s CD or stereo as we drive to and from work. We should use this in addition to our daily Qur’an reading, not as a replacement for it.

7) Make Dua: Ask Allah to guide us when we read the Qur’an. Our aim is to sincerely, for the love of Allah, interact with Him by reading, understanding and applying His blessed words. Making Dua to Allah for help and guidance will be our best tool for doing this.

The Qur’an For Busy People