The door of Success

Ibn ul Qayyim Al Jawziyah (Rahimahullah) mentioned in his book “Fawaa’id ul Fawaa’id” on the authority of Shaqeeq Ibn Ibrahim (Rahimahullah) ,

Who said: The door of Tawfeeq (success) has been closed on the people because of six things:

The First: Because they busy themselves with the Ni’mah (blessing) bestowed upon them and forget about the gratitude they should express to Allah, the One who bestowed the favor on them.

The Second: Because they have an ardent desire for knowledge however, they abandon acting upon it.

The Third: Because they hasten to commit sin but delay repentance for the sin.

The Fourth: Because they are deceived by the companionship of the righteous but fail to emulate their actions.

The Fifth: Because the life of this world is behind them but they are insistent on chasing after it.

The Sixth: Because the hereafter is in front of them but they turn away from it.

The source of all of this stems from a lack of Raja’a (hope in Allah’s mercy) and Khowf ( fear of Allah’s punishment and the fact that He may not accept any of your deeds). And the origin of this stems from a weakness in Yaqeen (certainty). And the origin of this stems from a weakness in Baseerah (sound legislative knowledge). And the origin of this stems from humiliation and ignobility and exchanging that which is superior for that which is mediocre.

If the individual was noble and ambitious he would not settle for mediocre. The source of every good is by the Tawfeeq of Allah as well as by His will, the nobility of the soul, its magnanimity and exaltedness. Subsequently, the source of every evil is the villainousness of the soul, its ignobility and lowliness, as Allah says:“Indeed he will be successful who purifies his soul and he who corrupts his own soul will fail…”

Meaning, the one who exalts his soul, multiplies it’s good and nurtures it upon obedience to Allah, will be successful. However, the one who disgraces his soul and humiliates it by exposing it to sin and disobedience to Allah will utterly lose. Thus the noble souls are not satisfied except with the finer things in life, those things that reap the most praiseworthy outcome. On the other hand, the ignoble souls loiter around the lowliest affairs just as the fly that only lands on feces.

Hence the noble and superior soul is not satisfied with oppression, fornication/ adultery, stealing or betrayal due to the fact that he considers himself more dignified to commit such acts. However, the ignoble soul is the total opposite. And every soul will incline towards what is in conformity with it’s desire(s) and what it deems suitable. This is consistent with the statement of Allah: “Every soul shall act according to what it inclines towards…”

Meaning, every soul will act upon what is in conformity with it’s desires. The soul will act upon what it deems suitable and appropriate for it. Thus, every soul will proceed upon the path that is natural for it. So the Fajir (i.e. criminal) soul will act according to what is natural for it, of welcoming the blessing(s) of Allah with sin while turning away from Al Mun’im.

Yet the believer acts according to what is natural for him, of gratitude to Allah, the One who grants His bounty to whomsoever He wills. Also loving Him, praising

Him, showing affection to Him and being modest before Him, while the slave is conscious of the fact that Allah is evaluating his every movement, coupled with magnification and glorification of Him.

If..

If
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Rudyard Kipling

The ignorant people complain

The ignorant people complain to people about Allaah, and this is the highest degree of ignorance, for if he had known his Lord, he would not have complained about Him, and if he had known the people he would not have complained to them.

One of the predecessors saw a man complaining to another man about his poverty and dire necessity. He said to him, ‘O you! By Allaah, you have done nothing but complain about He who has mercy for you, to the one who has no mercy for you’.

The following verses have been mentioned about the meaning of the previous statement of the predecessor.

When you complain to a son of Adam
verily you complain about the Most Merciful
to the one who does not pity.

On the contrary, the person who is profoundly knowledgeable about Allaah complains to Allaah alone. And the most knowledgeable person about Allaah is the one who complains about himself to Allaah, and never to people. He complains about the causes that make people do wrong to him, for he knows about the following Qur’anic verses,

‘And whatever of misfortune befalls you it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much’
(Ash-Shura, 42: 30)

‘Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself.’
(An-Nisa, 4: 79)

‘(What is the matter with you?). When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as great, you say: ‘From where does this come to us?’ Say (to them), ‘It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds). ‘And Allaah has power over all things.
(Al-Imran, 3: 165)

Therefore, there are three levels: the lowest one is to complain about Allaah to his creatures, the highest one is to complain about yourself to Him and the middle one is to complain about His creatures to Him. May Allaah make us from those who complain to Him alone about ourselves, He the Majestic and Most High, Ameen.

Ibn alQayyim alFawaid page 134

source: http://theclearsunn ah.wordpress. com/2009/ 10/24/the- complaint- of-the-ignorant/

Isn't it crazy how a person can live brain dead, but would die without a heart.

On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man bin Bashir, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

7th & 8th benefit

أنى رأيت كل أحد يسعى بجد ، ويجتهد بمبالغة لطلب القوت والمعاش
بحيث يقع فى شبهة وحرام ويذل نفسه وينقص قدره
فتأملت فى قوله تعالى : ( وما من دابه فى الأرض إلا على الله رزقها)
فعلمت أن رزقى على الله تعالى وقد ضمنه ، فاشتغلت بعبادته ، وقطعت طمعى عمن سواه

The seventh benefit ~ I saw everyone working very hard, exhausting themselves in obtaining food and sustenance, tempted by doubts and forbidden things. They degrade themselves and diminish their potential..
I pondered over the saying of the Exalted: وما من دابه فى الأرض إلا على الله رزقها
“There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependent on Allah.”

I knew that my livelihood is guaranteed by Allah the Exalted so I engaged myself in worship and cut off my covetousness of other than He.


الفائدة الثامنة : أنى رأيت كل واحد معتمدا على شىء مخلوق ، بعضهم على الدينار والدرهم ، وبعضهم على المال والملك ، وبعضهم على الحرفة والصناعة ، وبعضهم على مخلوق مثله، فتأملت فى قوله تعالى :
( ومن يتوكل على الله فهو حسبه إن الله بالغ أمره قد جعل الله لكل شىء قدرا)
فتوكلت على الله تعالى فهو حسبى ونعم الوكيل

The eighth benefit ~is that I saw that everyone relied on some created thing, some on the dinār and dirham, some on wealth and property, some on trade and industry and some on creatures like themselves.
I meditated upon the saying of the Exalted: ومن يتوكل على الله فهو حسبه إن الله بالغ أمره قد جعل الله لكل شىء قدرا

“And whosoever places his reliance on Allah, sufficient is [Allah] for him. For Allah will surely accomplishes His purpose. Verily for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion for everything.”

I therefore placed full reliance in Allah the Exalted. He is sufficient for me and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’


Shaqīq then said: “May Allah bless you and grant you success. I looked into the Old Testament, and Gospel, the Psalms and the Qur’an and have found that the four books revolve around these eight benefits. Whoever acts according to them is acting according to these four books.”

6th benefit

أنى رأيت الناس يعادى بعضهم بعضا لغرض وسبب
فتأملت فى قوله تعالى : ( إن الشيطان لكم عدو فاتخذوه عدوا)
فعلمت أنه لا يجوز عداوة احد غير الشيطان


The sixth benefit ~ I saw people becoming enemies of each other for various reasons. I mediated upon the saying of the Exalted: “Verily Satan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy.”

I became aware that enmity with anyone but Satan was not permissible.

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4th & 5th benefit

أنى رأيت بعض الخلق يظن أن شرفه وعزه فى كثرة الأقوام والعشائر فاعتز بهم. وزعم آخرون أنه فى ثروة الأموال وكثرة الأولاد ، فافتخروا بها. وحسب بعضهم أن العز والشرف فى غصب أموال الناس وظلمهم وسفك دمائهم. واعتقدت طائفة أنه فى اتلاف المال واسرافه وتبذيره،

فتأملت قوله تعالى : ( إن أكرمكم عند الله أتقاكم) فاخترت التقوى واعتقدت أن القرآن حق صادق، وظنهم وحسبانهم كلها باطل زائل.

The fourth benefit ~ I observed some people thought that their dignity and honor lie in the multitude of their family and large clans and they were fascinated by those things. Others considered honor and dignity to be in abundance of wealth and children and they were proud of it. Some believed honor and power abide in appropriating the wealth of others, oppressing them and killing them. Others considered dignity to consist of extravagance and spending wealth like water. I meditated upon the saying of the Exalted: إن أكرمكم عند الله أتقاكم

“The most honored of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you.”

I chose righteousness for myself, convinced that the Qur’an is right and true and those claims and opinions of people are false and temporal.”

الفائدة الخامسة : أنى رأيت الناس يذم بعضهم بعضا ، ويغتاب بعضهم بعضا
فوجدت أصل ذلك من الحسد فى المال والجاه والعلم
فتأملت فى قوله تعالى : ( نحن قسمنا بينهم معيشتهم فى الحياة الدنيا)
فعلمت أن القسمة كانت من الله تعالى فى الأزل، فما حسدت أحدا ورضيت بقسمة الله تعالى


The fifth benefit ~ I noticed the people undermining each other and speaking ill of one another and I found that was due to envy of fortune, power or knowledge. I meditated upon the saying of Allah: نحن قسمنا بينهم معيشتهم فى الحياة الدنيا

“It is We who divide their livelihood among them in the life of this world.”

I realized that the process of dividing livelihood is in the hands of Allah since the beginning of time. I therefore never envied any one anyone and was satisfied with the distribution of Allah the Exalted.

3rd benefit

أنى رأيت كل واحد من الناس يسعى فى جمع حطام الدنيا ، ثم يمسكه قابضا يده عليه
فتأملت فى قوله تعالى : ( ما عندكم ينفد وما عند الله باق )
فبذلت محصولى من الدنيا لوجه الله تعالى ففرقته بين المساكين ليكون ذخرا لى عند الله تعالى.

The third benefit ~ I noted that every human being rushes to accumulate as much as he can from the wreckage of this material world and then holding on strongly to it. I meditated on the saying of the Most High: ( ما عندكم ينفد وما عند الله باق)

“What is with you must vanish’ what is with Allah endures.”


So I gave freely my worldly possessions for the sake of the Most High by distributing them among the poor so that it would be my provision in the future with Him the Exalted.

2nd benefit

أنى رأيت الخلق يقتدون أهواءاهم، ويبادرون إلى مرادات أنفسهم،

فتأملت قوله تعالى ( واما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى ، فإن الجنه هى المأوى).

وتيقنت أن القرآن حق صادق فبادرت إلى خلاف النفس وتشمرت بمجاهدتها ، وما متعتها بهواها ، حتى ارتاضت بطاعة الله تعالى وانقادت.


The second benefit ~ I saw that creation(people) were following their lusts and hastening towards (fulfilling the demands of lowly) desires of the selves; and I meditated on the saying of the Exalted: واما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى ، فإن الجنه هى المأوى

“Whoever has feared the lofty position of his Lord and has refrained his soul from lust, truly the Garden shall be his dwelling place.” Convinced that the Qur’an was true and tight, I began to oppose the notion of yielding to the demands of the self and hastened to combat it and refuse it its lowly desires, until it enjoyed satisfaction in being obedient to Allah the Exalted.

1st benefit..

إن حاتم الأصم كان من أصحاب شقيق البلخى رحمة الله تعالى عليهما
فسأله يوما قال : صاحبتنى منذ ثلاثين سنة ما حصلت؟ قال : حصلت ثمانى فوائد من العلم ، وهى تكفينى منه لأنى أرجو خلاصى ونجاتى فيها.

Hātim Al-Asam was among the friends of Shaqīq Al – Balkhi (may Allah have mercy on them both). One day Shaqīq asked Hātim: “You have accompanied me for thirty years; what have you gained?” Hātim replied: “I have gained eight benefits from the knowledge which suffices for me as I hope my success and safety are embodied in them.”

فقال شقيق: ما هى؟ قال حاتم

Shaqīq asked; “What are they?”

Hātim replied:

الفائدة الأولى: أنى نظرت إلى الخلق فرأيت لكل منهم محبوبا ومعشوقا يحبه ويعشقه، وبعض ذلك المحبوب يصاحبه إلى مرض الموت وبعضه يصاحبه إلى شفير القبر، ثم يرجع كله ، ويتركه فريدا وحيدا، ولا يدخل معه فى قبره منهم أحد فتفكرت وقلت: أفضل محبوب المرء ما يدخل معه فى قبره، ويؤنسه فيه، فما وجدته غير الأعمال الصالحة ، فأخذتها محبوبه لى ، لتكون لى سراجا فى قبرى، وتؤنسنى فيه ، ولا تتركنى فريدا.

The first benefit ~ I observed the creation and saw that everyone had a loved one and one passionately desired whom he loved and longed for. Some of the beloved accompany the lover up to the brink of sickness and death and others to the gate of the graveyard. All of them return and leave him there alone. No one goes into the tomb with him. I reflected on that and said to myself:

أفضل محبوب المرء ما يدخل معه فى قبره، ويؤنسه فيه

“The best beloved is that which would enter the tomb with the lover to console him”; I found nothing other than good works, so I took this as my beloved where with to illuminate my grave and to comfort me in it and not leave me alone.


رسالة من الامام الغزالي لتلميذه … أيها الولد
Extract from Ayyuhal Walad by Imām Abu Hāmid Al- Ghazāli

killOWNED..

The other day, in hope of spending more time with younger brother, I sat down to play some PS3; but boy oh boy games aren’t like they used to be! Now I’m no stranger to gaming consoles, in my life time I’ve progressed from Nintendo to Sega to PlayStation to Playstation2 and now to Playstation3. Although my ‘gaming’ experience with playstion3 has been very limited, only games I have played so far have been nba2k9 and madden 09.


Yet my thumbs have been put to shame, but that shame came at the hands of a different game, fittingly titled Killzone(2). So not only do you have to keep both hands on the analog control sticks at all times, while trying to survive the onslaught of the “helghasts”, you must also attempt to keep yourself atop the leader board, and try to complete many objectives that range from locating and returning a target to protecting an assassination target. Remember when it was all about collecting rings in Sonic? Or the simple science of Duck Hunt?




Needless to say after dying about 7 times in less than 10 mins, I utterly failed at Killzone and did not gain any admiration from my 15 year old brother. I do commend him though after getting annoyed at what he called “suckiness” he took the controller away from me proceeded to move my rank from 15th (out of 16) to 1st place; after doing that he placed the controller down and made some cocky comments. I simply relied “Oh yea?! Its Ramadan why don’t you go do something useful?!” and walked away thinking “I sure showed him”

i dont understand ur hatred..

Your incessant intense hostility lead me to post this.. I don’t understand why you hate them so? Just give them a chance.

لا ضير

قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ أَلْقُوا مَا أَنتُم مُّلْقُونَ

Mûsa (Moses) said to them: "Throw what you are going to throw!" (43)

فَأَلْقَوْا حِبَالَهُمْ وَعِصِيَّهُمْ وَقَالُوا بِعِزَّةِ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْغَالِبُونَ

So they threw their ropes and their sticks, and said: "By the might of Fir'aun (Pharaoh), it is we who will certainly win!" (44)

فَأَلْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ

Then Mûsa (Moses) threw his stick, and behold, it swallowed up all that they falsely showed! (45)


فَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَةُ سَاجِدِينَ

And the sorcerers fell down prostrate. (46)

قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Saying: "We believe in the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). (47)

رَبِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ

"The Lord of Mûsa (Moses) and Hârûn (Aaron)." (48)

قَالَ آمَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ فَلَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ۚ لَأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُم مِّنْ خِلَافٍ وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

[Fir'aun (Pharaoh)] said: "You have believed in him before I give you leave. Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic! So verily, you shall come to know. Verily, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all." (49)

قَالُوا لَا ضَيْرَ ۖ إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

They said: "No harm! Surely, to our Lord (Allâh) we are to return; (50)

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا أَن كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Verily! We really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, as we are the first of the believers [in Mûsa (Moses) and in the Monotheism which he has brought from Allâh]." (51)


سُوۡرَةُ الشُّعَرَاء -- Al-Shuara 43:51

--

The magicians were touched by the glorious Light of Allah, they realized that nothing in this dunnya (world) is worthy enough to make them recant their faith. When Pharaoh said to them “I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all.” They simply said لا ضير, no harm, whatever, hakuna matata, because we will return to our Lord, Allah swt. They had firm belief in their Lord, and only when one has firm belief can they see past worldly matters. No matter what was going to be done to them, it didn’t matter because they knew that they were on the truth, they had found Islam.

Rules of tajweed..

I'm memorizing these poems to help me with the rules of tajweed. They are actually very fun to learn and recite!

تحفة الأطفال والغلمان في تجويد كلمات القرآن

وهذا هو متن تحفة الاطفال والغلمان في تجويد القرآن

يَقُـولُ رَاجِـي رَحْمَـةِ الْغَـفُـورِ دَوْمًـا سُلَيْمَـانُ هُـوَ الجَمْـزُوري

الْحَمْـدُ لـلَّـهِ مُصَلِّـيًـا عَـلَـى مُحَـمَّـدٍ وَآلــهِ وَمَــنْ تَــلاَ

وَبَعْـدُ هَــذَا النَّـظْـمُ لِلْمُـرِيـدِ فِـي النُّـونِ والتَّنْوِيـنِ وَالْمُـدُودِ

سَمَّيْـتُـهُ بِتُحْـفَـةِ الأَطْـفَــالِ عَنْ شَيْخِنَـا الْمِيهِـىِّ ذِي الْكَمـالِ

أَرْجُـو بِـهِ أَنْ يَنْـفَـعَ الطُّـلاَّبَـا وَالأَجْــرَ وَالْقَـبُـولَ وَالثَّـوَابَـا

أَحْكَامُ النُّونِ السَّاكِنَةِ وَالتَّنْوينِ

لِلـنُّـونِ إِنْ تَسْـكُـنْ وَلِلتَّنْـوِيـنِ أَرْبَـعُ أَحْـكَـامٍ فَـخُـذْ تَبْيِيـنِـي

فَـالأَوَّلُ الإظْهَـارُ قَبْـلَ أَحْـرُفِ لِلْحَلْـقِ سِـتٌّ رُتِّبَـتْ فَلْتَـعْـرِفِ

هَمْـزٌ فَهَـاءٌ ثُـمَّ عَـيْـنٌ حَــاءُ مُهْمَلَـتَـانِ ثُــمَّ غَـيْـنٌ خَــاءُ

والثَّـانِ إِدْغَــامٌ بِسِـتَّـةٍ أَتَــتْ فِي يَرْمَلُـونَ عِنْدَهُـمْ قَـدْ ثَبَتَـتْ

لَكِنَّهَـا قِسْمَـانِ قِـسْـمٌ يُدْغَـمَـا فِـيـهِ بِغُـنَّـةٍ بِيَنْـمُـو عُلِـمَـا

إِلاَّ إِذَا كَــانَ بِكِلْـمَـةٍ فَـــلاَ تُدْغَـمْ كَدُنْيَـا ثُـمَّ صِنْـوَانٍ تَـلاَ

وَالثَّـانِ إِدْغَـامٌ بِغَـيْـرِ غُـنَّـهْ فِـي الـلاَّمِ وَالـرَّا ثُـمَّ كَرِّرَنَّـهْ

وَالثَّالـثُ الإِقْـلاَبُ عِنْـدَ الْـبَـاءِ مِيمًـا بِغُـنَّـةٍ مَــعَ الإِخْـفَـاءِ

وَالرَّابِعُ الإِخْفَـاءُ عِنْـدَ الْفَاضِـلِ مِـنَ الحُـرُوفِ وَاجِـبٌ لِلْفَاضِـلِ

فِي خَمْسَةٍ مِنْ بَعْدِ عَشْـرٍ رَمْزُهَـا فِي كِلْمِ هَذَا البَيْـتِ قَـد ضَّمَّنْتُهَـا

صِفْ ذَا ثَنَا كَمْ جَادَ شَخْصٌ قَدْ سَمَا دُمْ طَيِّبًا زِدْ فِي تُقًى ضَـعْ ظَالِمَـا

InshAllah post the rest as I learn them

The Meadows of Heaven

Whoever wishes to dwell in the meadows of Heaven in this world should frequent the gatherings of remembrance, for these are the meadows of Heaven.

Ibn Abi l-Dunya and other relate a hadith transmitted by Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah: 'The Messenger of God [may Allah bless him and grant him peace] came out to us and said, "O people, roam the meadows of Heaven!" And we asked, "And what are the meadows of Heaven, Messenger of God?" He answered, "The gatherings of remembrance." Then he said, "So be nourished and take your rest and remember. Let anyone who wishes to know his place with God behold what place he has given God [in his sould], for verily God will give to a servant the [same] place with Him that the servant has given to God within himself." Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman,528

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya- Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyib p.92