Smart tips

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

 

Forwarding as received..........Its a nice article, please go take sometime and go through it, its worth reading.

 

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Found this beautiful article, written for students and i have tailored it to be generic..

It is important to remember that today's problems are not new nor are their solutions impossible to find. While admittedly the situation of Muslims everywhere is far from ideal, all hope is not lost. Here are some quick and simple tips to help the average Muslim to survive the Western Culture:

1. Find a good social circle: The most driving influence in the life of a Muslim is his social circle, upon which he depends for fulfilling his social and recreational needs. Depending on one's group of friends, a person is likely to make strikingly different choices in life. A good friend is one who can entertain you and at the same time bring you closer to Allah. If you cannot discuss serious, personal, or religious issues with a colleague, it is likely that your relationship with him is shallow and improvident. Pick friends whose company will improve your character and provide you focus and direction in life. Do not be afraid to lose friends in pursuit of saving your iman. In the end, it is your religion that has priority.
2. Halal-ify your home: Half of a successful Muslim life involves improving the environment outside the house, while the other half depends on having a healthy and Islamically-conducive home. In order to make your home free from distractions, create a quiet and comfortable workspace for yourself. Avoid at all costs the proximity of a television and the internet. Limit your useless activities on the computer by placing it in a high-traffic room. Try to spend as less time alone as possible. Study with someone nearby who will not distract you from your work but will also prevent your mind from wandering and engaging in harmful activities.
3. Spend quality time with family: An important aspect of improving the home environment is improving one's relationship with family. Avoid domestic quarrels and familial disputes by spending quality time with parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, etc… Take out a half-hour daily to sit and converse with parents. Let them know what you do outside the home and you will gain their trust. Talk to them about your problems and personal dilemmas even if the solutions they provide seem wrong. If individuals inside the home seem unapproachable, look for counsel outside the direct family. Most importantly, if you yourself are an older sibling, make the effort to be a good adviser and counselor for your younger brothers and sisters.
4. Guard your gaze: The most common cause for loss of focus and poor memory is negligence in guarding the gaze. When a student's mind wants to concentrate on reading, lectures, or work, his evil gaze forces it to daydream about sports, movies, cars, the opposite gender, etc… Avoid these distractions by looking down in the hallways at school and spending as little time as possible in mixed settings. Free yourself from television and internet addiction by simply ridding yourself of access to them. Have a parent regulate and supervise your internet usage through parental control software. Share your passwords with family members to avoid the possibility of engaging in illicit relationships.
5. Go to the masjid at least once daily: Make it a habit to visit the masjid at least once daily. If you live near a masjid, attend as many congregational salats as your schedule allows. Sit in the daily and weekly halaqahs conducted in the masjid. Make your local masjid the centerpiece of your social activities. Do not be afraid to sit down and discuss personal issues with masjid imams, community leaders, and even just fellow musallis. Sometimes good advice comes from the least expected places.
6. Assert your identity: Youth is the time for recognizing and developing a strong sense of Muslim identity. Reading books on the Prophets, Companions, and pious predecessors will help tremendously in this respect. Read a book of sirah (prophetic biography) at least once a year. Keep the company of friends who are proud to be Muslim and do not shun their religious culture and beliefs. Be careful not to get lost in pop-culture, fashion, and in ever-changing, anti-Islamic social trends.
7. Complete your daily tilawat, dhikr, and ta'lim: Key to surviving in western culture is regularity in good actions. The habits that you develop as a youth and as a student will stick with you your entire life. Develop the habit of reciting the Qur'an daily (half a juz to a full juz is ideal). Perform the daily dhikr of (1) istighfar, (2) salat, and (3) the third kalimah at least one hundred times each before going to bed. Collectively read a book of hadith on the virtues of actions daily with the family at a time when everyone can be present.
8. Find a good adviser: Hired counselors often do not provide the help you need or the constructive advice that you seek. Do not let that prevent you from seeking good advice from knowledgeable community leaders, wise relatives, and even your parents. Make sure that the adviser has no motives other than wishing the best for you. If you find a good and trustworthy counselor/adviser, hold onto him and do not let him go.
9. Du'a! Du'a! Du'a!: In the end, your survival in western culture and in life in general depends solely upon Allah's acceptance and mercy. Always supplicate to Allah for His help and trust in Him to be sufficient for your needs. Make it a habit to spend fifteen minutes a day conversing with Allah in any language that you are comfortable with and at whatever time is convenient for you. Developing a relationship with Allah is the secret to true bliss and felicity.

 

If the Bell is the Musical Instrument of Shaytaan, What about your Melodious Ringtones?

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

 

If the Bell is the Musical Instrument of Shaytaan, What about your Melodious Ringtones?

In the Name of Allaah, Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem...     'O Muslims - Music Intoxicates the Intellect!!    17. Ridding your house (if you can) of any type of bells Abu Hurayrah reported Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) as saying: "The bell is the musical instrument of Shaytaan."1 If this is the case, - the bell is the musical instrument of Iblees - then how could it be that a Muslim claiming to fear Allaah, has reverberating in their cars or pounding in their homes; jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, hip-hop, gangster rap tunes or the like? Much worse than that, is the musical tune coming from the mobile/cell phones in the houses of Allaah, especially during the times of salaah!   Shaykhul Islaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said in his book 'Madaarijus Saalikeen' (1/485) said: "How astonishing! That is, what type of faith, light, insight, guidance and knowledge can be gained from listening to tuneful verse and music in which most of  what is said is prohibited and warrants that Allaah be angry with and would warrant the punishment of Allaah and His Messenger?"   He also said in his book 'Ighaathatul-Lahfaan' (1/258-259) "Singing [and music] is worse and more harmful than stories of emperors, because it directs [one] to adultery and fornication and it is the fountainhead of hypocrisy. It is the snare of the Shaytaan, and it intoxicates the intellect. Its obstructing (people) from the Qur'aan is worse than any way in which other types of phony speech blocks them, because the souls of people lean towards [sounds like this] and have the desire to listen to it". How can anyone who has the slightest amount of baseerah (keen insight) and life in his heart attempting to draw near to Allaah and increase his faith by enjoying something which is hated by Him, and He loathes the one who says it and the one who accepts it?     1 Saheeh Muslim vol.3; hadeeth #5279.

Think Of Allah: A RECENT CASE HAPPENED IN BRITAIN

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

Assalamu Alaikum...   A recent case happened in Britain . A girl went to her friends house and she ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small COMMUNITY and she lived only a few blocks away.. As she walked along under the bike trail Amina asked ALLAH to keep her safe from harm and danger. When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it.  However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to recite a dua, asking for ALLAH'S protection. Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.   The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep. Thanking ALLAH  for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station. She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him.. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed. The officer thanked AMINA for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question.  Amina was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, 'Because she wasn't alone.  She had two tall men walking on either side of her..' Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you're not alone. ( people ) will not stand up for ALLAH....... PS: ALLAH is always there in your heart and loves you no matter what 'If you deny me in front of your friends, I shall deny you on the day of Judgement STAND UP FOR HIM 93% of people wont pass this on.... Will you be one of them??       It is said that when the angel of death is taking the rooh (soul) out of the body whom passes away....it is a painful experience. They say that when the dead awake on Qayaamat, the effect of the rooh being taken out will still be there. Therefore, ALLAH has told us to recite the Ayatul Kursi after any Farz salaat and it is stated that whoever recites this, their rooh will be taken out as you would take out a strand of hair from a pile of flour. How light would that feel, MashaAllah! May Allah save us from any sort of pain and may He let us die with Imaan in our hearts and save us from the azaab. There is no word as beautiful as Allah. No example as beautiful as Rasulallah (SAW), No lesson as beautiful as Islam No song as melodious as Azan. No charity as meaningful as Zakat. No encyclopaedia as perfect as Al Quran. No prayer as perfect as Namaz. No diet as perfect as fasting. No journey as perfect as Hajj. Let's realize that Islam is for ever beautiful and perfect, please forward this message to get the sawaab of passing on knowledge. This is most common among us..... most of us talk during Azan...Read this mail.. The Holy Prophet (SAW) said, Stop doing everything during the Azaan, even reading the Quran, the person who talks during the Azaan will not be able to say the Kalima AShahada on his/her death bed.... Please pass this message to Muslims...READ THIS DUAA FOR BETTER LIFE Allahumma- inni- ala-Zikr-ika- wa Shuk-rika wa husni-ibad-atika. A very powerful Dua'a has been sent to you. What do you think you should do with it. Imagine if 1000 people read it just because of you.

AYAT AL KURSI - Interesting facts

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

 

AYAT AL KURSI - Interesting facts            Please forward this to all so that they can be benefited by this message. It is said that when the angel of death is taking the rooh (soul) out of the body who passes away.... it is a painful experience. They say that when the dead awakes on Qayaamat, the effect of the rooh being taken out will still be there. Therefore, ALLAH has told us to recite the Ayatul-Kursi after every Farz salaat and it is stated that whoever recites this, their rooh will be taken out as you would takeout a strand of hair from a pile of flour. How light would that feel, MashaAllah! May Allah save us from any sort of pain and may He let us die with Imaan in our hearts and save us from the azaab. Aameen. There is no word as beautiful as Allah. No example as beautiful as Rasulallah(SAW). No lesson as beautiful as Islam No song as melodious as Azan. No charity as meaningful as Zakat. No encyclopaedia as perfect as Al-Quran. No prayer as perfect as Namaz. No diet as perfect as fasting. No journey as perfect as Hajj... Let's realize that Islam is forever beautiful and perfect, please forward this message to get the sawaab of passing on knowledge.  This is most common among us, most of us talk during Azaan... Read this.. The Holy Prophet(SAW) said, Stop doing everything during the Azaan, even reading the Quran, the person who talks during the Azaan will not be able to say the Kalimah-e-Shahadat on his/her death bed....  Please pass this message to Muslims... READ THIS DUAA FOR BETTER LIFE Allahumma- inni-ala-Zikr-ika-wa Shuk-rika-wa-husni-ibad-atika. A very powerful Duaa has been sent to you. What do you think you should do with it. Imagine if 1000 people read it just because of you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

: Seen A Bad Dream ? What Should You Do ?

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

  

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu

 

 

 

Bad dreams

 

If a Muslim sees a bad dream (nightmare), he should do the following:

 

He should spit (dryly) to his left three times

 

He should seek refuge in Allah from Shaytaan three times

 

He should seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the dream

 

He should stand up and pray

 

He should change the side on which he was sleeping if he wants to continue to sleep, even if that means turning onto his left side

 

He should not inform anyone

 

He should neither interpret it himself nor ask anyone else to interpret it.

 

The evidence for this is the narration of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you sees a dream that he dislikes, he should spit to his left three times, seek refuge in Allah from the Shaytaan, and turn over on to his other side.'" (Saheeh Muslim, no. 2262)

 

According to another report, the wording is: "He should seek refuge in Allah from its evil, so that it does not harm him."

 

 

Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that a Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: "O Prophet of Allah, I saw a dream that my head was chopped off and rolled away, and I ran after it." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: "Do not tell people the Shaytaan is playing with you in your dreams." (Saheeh Muslim, no. 2268)

 

According to another report, the wording is:

 

"If anyone sees something he dislikes, he should get up and pray." (Jaami' al-Tirmidhi, no. 2280; Saheeh al-Jaami', no. 3533)

Fwd: Al Hajj Train Ticket Prices Services Announced for its First Hajj Season

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

AS RECEIVED..............

 

Masha Allah.

Subject: First time train service ready for Haj/Mecca Train Ticket Prices & Services Announced for its First Hajj Season

 

Assalam-u-Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu,

Mecca Train Ticket Prices & Services Announced for its First Hajj Season

 

01 November 2010

It was announced yesterday that Muslims wishing to use Mecca's first metro when they converge on the holy city next month for their annual pilgrimage will have to pay SR250 for a ticket that will serve them for seven days.

Three different types of tickets will cover all holy sites in Mecca and will allow the pilgrims to take the train into the city to perform their rites before returning to their residence inside or outside the city, Ajel online newspaper said, quoting Habib Zain Alabidin, Undersecretary at the Saudi Ministry of Municipal affairs.

"The ticket's price is set at SR250 (US$ 67) that will cover a full trip into and out of Mecca for seven days…another ticket is priced at SR100 (US$ 27) for four days," he said.

Officials said last week the train has a capacity to transport 170,000 passengers in its first stage and two million when the third and final phase is completed.

Saudi Arabia has allocated nearly SR6.7 billion (US$ 1.8 billion) for the metro, which begins continuous service next month for the first time in Mecca's history. Officials expect the project to largely contribute to easing road congestions caused by the accumulation of thousands of cars near Makkah.

Habib Zain Alabidin says the railway would operate throughout the year.

The project is part of a costly programme by Saudi Arabia to tackle massive traffic congestions in and around the city and facilitate access to all sacred sites in Mecca.

The train project, initiated three years ago, followed a series of incidents that have killed thousands of pilgrims in stampedes, building collapses and other accidents during the few days of the Haj season.

More than two million Muslims from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Co-operation Council countries and other nations descend on Mecca every year to perform the pilgrimage.

China Railway Construction Corp, part of a Saudi-French-Chinese consortium which won the contract, is carrying out the project, involving nearly 5,000 workers. The train is the Gulf's second metro system after the Dubai Metro.

Sources:

"Makkah metro ticket set at SR250" Emirates 24 October 31, 2010

"Madinah Makkah Hajj Train" Islam Newsroom October 18, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                     

Regards,

Yet another Ramadaan slips away...

Thanks : Syed Abdul Basith
http://www.deenislam4us.blogspot.com/

To:    

In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate  

"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"

 

Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

 

  

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu 

 

 

And yet another Ramadaan slips away...
(Adapted from an article on the internet)

 

Alas…..it is here…..Its the time for parting.
The countdown that marked the arrival of Ramadan, the excitement of the coming month of boundless mercy, now turns to wistfulness and grief.

All too soon, the few fleeting days of Ramadan will pass away.
The question is…..did we make an effort to gather the uncountable blessings from Allah that this month brings in?
The question is……did we do enough?

 

Allah blessed us with the month of Ramadan, and bestowed His favor upon us with the fasting of its day and the praying of its night.

 

I ask Allah that He accepts from us our fasting, our standing in prayer, our recitation of the Quraan and that He makes us from the people who are saved from Hell Fire.

 

Soon, as we bid farewell to this blessed month…this beloved, noble guest, it is a good time to remind ourselves …..and to take a moment to reflect upon our actions during Ramadan, our motives and perhaps even chart a course for the continuity of our good deeds. We should ask ourselves a few questions for which we need to find some honest answers.

An answer, it is said, is only as good as the question that precedes it. For it is only when we frame a query searching enough, searing enough, that we can hope to find a reply that is comprehensive and just. It is these answers that may have a chance to awaken us from our absent-mindedness, our heedlessness and help us remain steadfast and virtuous.

 

These questions are in their utmost simplicity:
Who did you fast for??
Why did you fast??
What is to be done after Ramadan?

 

Yet, the answers are only the bare truth. Why, nothing else could be clearer! I fasted for Allah alone, to worship Him, seeking the rewards from Him alone.

 

Yes, these answers are correct and clear. But, what about those of us who fasted the month of Ramadan as a tradition and not as an act of worship?

Do we not know of someone who got used to fasting this month because they inherited it from their parents and their societies and they do not want to go against their traditions? Do we see someone fasting because everyone around them, their family, peers and colleagues are fasting, and they want to belong?
Perhaps a part of us also does the same?

Are we among those people who abstain from all sorts of permissible food and drink during the long hours of the day, only to fall upon the food and drink at iftaar, unmindful of what is unlawful during the nights and days of the rest of the year? This is because of the feeble self-control over overwhelming desires of the nafs (soul), that is not bothered to be reined-in, except for mighty efforts during the days of Ramadan.

 

Have we not observed someone we know, who fasts meticulously as if fasting is a habit that has been inherited, and yet does not pray? Have not we, at some time or the other, fasted as if a bag was tied to a camels mouth to prevent it from eating until dusk, because we have not prayed nor observed the limits set by Allaah, achieving nothing out of it except hunger or thirst?

Certainly, the obligation of fasting is one of the pillars of Islam, but the greatest pillar of Islam is the Salah. The five daily prayers are greater than fasting. Some people regularly fast the month of Ramadan, but do not regularly pray. Some do not pray at all.

 

The One who prescribed fasting is the same One who prescribed Salah. The One who said, "O you who believe, Fasting is prescribed for you…" [Al Baqara 2:183] is the same One who said, "…Perform salah. Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed time." [Nisa 4:103]

 

Does Allah deserve to be worshiped during the month of Ramadan by fasting, then He does not deserve to be worshiped in the five daily prayers?
Similarly, we see people staying away from lying, backbiting and cheating during Ramadaan, only to go right back to their evil ways, the very evening the moon is sighted for Shawwal!

 

Will we do the same??
Will we go right back to the way were before Ramadaan?? Or have we changed for the better??

Will we abandon the Quran, the Word of ar-Rahman, that we recited so whole heartedly during Ramadaan and replace it with music, the words of as-Shaytaan???

Will we forget all that we learnt from this blessed month in the blink of an eye?
Will we run straight back into the haraam that we worked so hard to stay away from during Ramadaan??

 

We all prayed Tahajjud / Fajr Salat but sadly now we will pray only when we get time.

We scarificed our daily evening routine for 1 hour of Esha and Taraweeh Salat.... and now if we are to ask to devote 1 hour for namaz , we would think twice.

Does Allah deserve from us to be worshiped only in the month of Ramadan, but not in the rest of the year?

 

Its far easy to keep fasting in Ramadhan (as everyone is fasting) but now because we have got the habbit lets first start continue fasting for next 6 days of Shawaal followed by sunnat fasting of mondays and thrusday and 13,14,15 of every month.

 

Has this month of fasting become more of a tradition for us than anything else….going from one Khatam to another, trying to catch the blessing of Khatmul-Quran, yet when it comes to our practical every day lives, this very Quran lies dusty upon our shelves, having no impact on our lives, having no change in our attitude and with no effect on our submission to Allaah.

Did we really learn nothing from this blessed month? Or did we???

Rather, this month should be a starting point for further piety because from the signs of Allah's acceptance of our fasting is that He helps us to become steadfast in the Deen after Ramadan.

Today, even with the imminent departing of Ramadan, let us be able to say, "…Verily, my Salah, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims." [Al Anaam 6:162-163]

It is a farewell, but also a renewal, a reaffirmation, a positive change, and with the Will of Allah, also our labors end and its just recompense.

 

 

 

 

  Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications.

 

 We All LOVE Islam

But SADLY we Follow Islam ONLY During Ramadaan