New Year Resolutions – Part 1

Hope everyone had a wonderful start to this new year, inshaAllah. I felt like the previous year just flew by me and I didn’t achieve much. So I’ve decided a make a few new year resolutions to help myself be a better Muslim and whether I achieve much in this dunya or not, I should prepare for my akhirah.

It is believe that in order to make anything a habit, one needs to repeat it over prolonged periods of time. Once you’ve done it 20 times or more, it will eventually come naturally. Hence, I’ve decided to spread my new years resolution over the period of next 12 months. This way, it is not overwhelming and it gives me time to practice.

The other benefit is that I have time to concentrate on perfecting this ONE thing and even if my imaan dwindles at any point, I can push myself to just do that single thing instead of trying to do a bunch of things and then feeling like I can’t go on. 

So here are my resolutions so far:

1. Praying salah at proper times. I wanted to start with salah because it’s the difference between a true Muslims and a non Muslim. It’s what makes us different. It’s also the way we connect with Allah. Unfortunately, I used to miss prayers at times because I used to get preoccupied with other things or find it difficult to wake up for fajr. 

2. Reciting Surah Kahf every Thursday after maghrib or on Friday before maghrib.

3. Reciting Surah Mulk daily. It’s the Surah that will protect us again the punishment of the grave.

4. Learning a new Surah.

5. Waking up for tahajjud. Several scholars recommend this as the best time to pray and make heartfelt dua to Allah (swt).

6. Spending at least 2 mins reciting dua after every salah. Most people might it confusing how this can be difficult. But I had never been in a habit of making regular dua after salah and there are other reasons which I won’t go into.

7. Reciting duas upon waking up and going to bed. I would love to include how beneficial some of these duas are. InshaAllah, I’ll cover them in individual posts when I get to them.

Right now this is no set order. I figure that I should probably test it out and see how it goes before fixating on what I’m going to be doing next. One thing’s for sure, salah is this month’s priority.

Now these are only 7 because at the moment as they are something I want to achieve. I may make changes as and when I see fit. If anyone would like to join me, they are most welcome. And of course, it doesn’t have to be the same set of things that you’d like to do. It can be anything you’d like to fix. Do let me know if you decide to join. It might be more motivating for us.

Death in Islam part 2

The following hadith talks about what happens after a person dies.

From Al-Baraa’ ibn Aazib (ra), who said:

“We went out with Allah’s Messenger (saws) with the funeral of a man of the Ansar and we came to the grave and the niche in the side of the grave (al-Lahd), had not been dug out yet, so Allah’s Messenger (saws) sat and we sat around him as if we had birds upon our heads, and in his hand he had a stick with which he was striking the ground. Then he raised his head and said: ‘Seek Allah’s refuge from the Punishment of the Grave,’ two or three times. Then he said: ‘When the believing servant is leaving this world and going onto the Hereafter, angels with white faces – as if their faces were in the Sun – descend upon him. With them is a shroud from the shrouds of Paradise and perfume for embalming from the perfume of Paradise, so they sit away from him at the distance the eye can see and then the Angel of Death (as) comes and sits by his head and says: “O good soul, come out to forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure.” He said: “So it comes out, just as a drop flows out from the mouth of the drinking vessel, and he takes it but does not leave it in his hand even for the blink of an eye until they take it and places it in that shroud, and that perfume, and there comes out from him a smell like that of the best musk found upon the face of the earth.” He said: “So they ascend with it, (i.e. the persons soul) and they do not pass by any group of Angels except that they say: ‘Who is this good and pure soul?’ So they reply: “So and so, the son of so and so.” with the best of his names which he used to be called by in this world, until they come to the lowest Heaven, and ask that it should be opened for him, so it is opened for him, they accompany him through every Heaven until he is taken up to the seventh Heaven, and Allah the Al-Mighty says: “Write the record of my slave in Illiyon (signifying highness) and return him to earth to his body.” Then they say: “Who is your Lord?” So he will say: “My Lord is Allah.” So they will say: “What is your Deen?” He will say: “My Deen is Islam.” So they say: “Who is the man who was sent amongst you?” So he will say: “He is Allah’s Messenger.” So they say: “How did you come to know that?” So he will say: “I read the Book of Allah, and believed in it , and attested to it.” So a caller will call from Heaven: “Indeed My servant has spoken the Truth, so spread a place for him in Paradise, and a open a door to Paradise for him, so some of its fragrances and scents come to him and his grave is extended as far as the eye can see.” He said: “A person with a Handsome face, and beautiful clothes and good smell comes to him and says. ‘Receive good news, which will please you. This is the day which you were promised.’ So he says to him: “Who are you?, since your face appears to signify good.” So he says: “I am your righteous actions.” He therefore says: “O Lord, establish the Last Hour. O Lord establish the Last Hour – so that I may return to my family and wealth.”

But when the unbelieving servant is leaving this world and going into the Hereafter, angels with black faces descend upon him as far as the eye can see. The Angel of Death comes and sits by his head and says: “O foul soul, come out to Allah’s displeasure and anger.” So the soul spreads throughout the body, so he (the Angel of Death) drags it out, just as a pronged roasting fork is pulled out of wool. So he takes it, but does not leave it in his hand for the blink of an eye until they put it in those coarse sack cloths. Then there comes from him an offensive stench, like that of the foulest smelling corpse rotting upon the face of the earth. So they ascend with it (i.e. the soul), and they do not pass by any group of angels except that they say: “what is that foul smell!” So they say: “So and so, son of so and so,” calling him with the ugliest names which he used to be called with in this world, until they come with him to the lowest heaven, and ask permission to enter, and it is not opened for him.” Then Allah’s Messenger (saws) recited:

“…for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of a needle (which is impossible).” (Qur’an Al-Araf 7:40)

Allah (swt) says: “write his record in Sijjeen (a name signifying constriction) within the lowest earth.” Then his soul is flung down, and he recited:

“…and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.” (Qur’an Al-Hajj 22:31)

So his soul is returned to his body and two Angels come and make him sit up. Then they say to him: “Who is your Lord?” So he will say: “Ah, ah, I don’t know.” So they will say: “Who is this man who was sent amongst you?” So he will say: Ah, ah, I don’t know.” So a caller will call from heaven: “You have lied so spread a place for him in the Fire, and open a door to the Fire for him.” So some of its heat and scorching air comes upon him, and his grave is constricted to the extent that his ribs interlace, and a man with an ugly face, unsightly clothes and smelling offensively comes to him and says: “Receive news of that which will grieve you, this is the day which you were promised.” So he will say: “Who are you?” He will answer: “I am your evil actions.” So the unbeliever will say: “O Lord, Do not establish the Last Hour.”

It is important for us to read and reflect upon the hadith and imagine ourselves in such a situation. Once we are touched by death, there is no going back. There is nothing more we can do to improve our status in the eyes of Allah (swt). We can never be sure how long we have. Would we continue to live the way we do if we knew we’d die today?

“Until when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: “O my Lord! Send me back in order that I may work righteousness in the things I have neglected…” (Qur’an Al-Mu’minun 23:99-100)

Allah accept the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy, for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now have I repented indeed’, Nor of those who die rejecting faith; for them We have prepared a punishment most grievous.” (Qur’an An-Nisa 4:17-18)

Through The Eyes of A Muslim Convert

I had typed up the post a week or so back but I’m only completing it now so here goes:

Have you ever looked at Islam from the point of view of a convert? I love learning about how they opened their hearts to Islam and what they saw in Islam and Muslims that attracted them. Many of the converts knew Muslims with amazing characters and usually it was the simple gestures that made them want to know more about Islam. That should be just one reason for us to be motivated enough to be better Muslims, inshaAllah.

Here’s one of the videos that I truly enjoyed watching:

Just some of the points that were brought up that I appreciated them talking about is:

1. Doing our work to please Allah (swt) rather than to simply please others. The benefit of that is that even though people may not appreciate you, Allah (swt) always will and He will reward us in ways no one else can.

2. How Allah is always watching us and is aware of all that we do and this knowledge prevents us from sinning and if we do sin then we constantly seek Allah (swt)’s Forgiveness.

3. Changing our purpose from wanting things from this life and material things to concentrating on pleasing Allah and being happy and thankful for with what we have.

4. Being humble and patient which most of us have difficulty with.

5. Looking at problems and difficulties as challenges and looking at it as a chance to please Allah (swt) and learn and benefit from them.

The purpose of sharing these thoughts is because often times we take our actions, our practice of Islam and Allah’s Mercy for granted and we tend to slack in aspects of how we practice Islam. By looking at other Muslims, it can inspire us to change and become better and closer to Allah, inshaAllah.