💕ISLAMIC THINKING💕

Even in the darkest place, in the belly of a whale, in the depth of the sea, in the darkness of the night Allah heard him. He didn't have a plan. He just had a dua: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ And Allah said: "So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers." [21:88]

​My virtuous daughter, You will see your relative who used to wear the hijab taking it off, and your close friend taking off her hijab as well. They will try to convince you that times have changed and that there is a scholarly difference of opinion regarding the #Hijab. This is a trial and a tribulation, so remain steadfast—may Allah keep you steadfast. Do not ask about the one who fell, how she fell; rather, ask the one who remained steadfast, how she stood firm?! #Hijab_is_covering_the_face and the body ​

Do Not Let Your Night Pass Without Prayer — Allah Has Made the Night Prayer Easy! O Muslim, reflect upon the tremendous ease and mercy that Allah has placed within His legislation. How often do we tell ourselves that the night prayer is difficult—that we are too tired, that standing is too burdensome, or that we cannot manage a lengthy prayer—yet when we return to the Sunnah, we find that Allah has opened for us door after door of ease. The night prayer is not restricted to one rigid manner. If you have strength, pray standing, for this is better and carries the complete reward. Yet if you are tired and find standing difficult, you may pray sitting. And even if you have no excuse whatsoever, your voluntary prayer while sitting is still valid, though the one who sits without an excuse receives half the reward of the one who stands. Our Mother ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Prophet ﷺ would pray for a long time during the night standing, and for a long time during the night sitting. When he recited while standing, he would bow and prostrate while standing, and when he recited while sitting, he would bow and prostrate while sitting.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 730] And if you do not wish to remain standing for the entire prayer, nor sitting for the entire prayer, combine between the two. Sit and recite, then stand shortly before the rukūʿ and complete what remains of your recitation while standing. ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray while sitting, and he would recite while sitting. Then, when there remained from his recitation approximately thirty or forty verses, he would stand and recite them while standing. Then he would bow, then prostrate, and he would do the same in the second rakʿah.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 1119; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 731] And if you begin standing but become tired, sit down and continue. If you begin sitting and later find strength, stand and continue. If you pray sitting, you may sit in whichever position brings you comfort and allows you to concentrate upon your Lord, while sitting cross-legged (mutarabbiʿan) is preferable in the places mentioned. ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “I saw the Prophet ﷺ praying while sitting cross-legged.” [al-Nasāʾī, no. 1661; al-Ḥākim, no. 947; authenticated by Shaykh al-Albānī] Look at the vastness of this legislation: stand if you can; sit if you wish; combine between standing and sitting if that is easier; and if sitting, sit in a manner in which you find comfort. Allah did not make drawing near to Him during the night dependent upon possessing extraordinary strength. And if you are genuinely unable to stand due to a valid excuse, you should not imagine that your reward is diminished. As for the one capable of standing who chooses to offer a voluntary prayer sitting, the Prophet ﷺ said: “The prayer of a man sitting is half of the prayer.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, no. 735] So even the one who is healthy, but on a particular night finds himself overcome by tiredness, still has a door open before him. Rather than saying, “I am too tired to pray tonight,” sit down and pray. Rather than allowing the entire night to pass without a single voluntary rakʿah, offer what Allah has made easy for you. Two light rakʿahs are better than a night from which your share of voluntary prayer is nothing. Perhaps you return home exhausted from work or study. Pray sitting. Perhaps your body is tired but your heart still desires to stand before Allah. Begin sitting and stand when you find strength. Perhaps you begin standing with enthusiasm but fatigue overtakes you. Sit and continue. Perhaps you cannot manage lengthy recitation. Recite what is easy for you. The objective is not that every night must resemble the worship of those capable of standing for hours; the objective is that you do not abandon this tremendous door of drawing close to Allah merely because you cannot do the most complete form of it.

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله: ‎“Your heart will be ruined from feeling secure and being careless and will grow by remembering Allāh and being pious.” ‎[al-Fawā’id | Pg. 157]

Angels supplicate for you as you do for others. Abu Darda reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No Muslim servant supplicates for his brother behind his back but that the angel says: And for you the same.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2732 Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Muslim

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ

And your Lord has said, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell in humiliation. —[Surah Ghafir - 60]

الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ

Supplication is worship —[Tirmidhi - 3247] Many people forget that making du’a itself is an act of worship. They only look at whether their du'a was answered or not, and when they do not see the result they expected, they may stop making du’a. But they forget that du’a itself is an expression of belief and Tawheed. When you turn to Allah and ask Him, you are affirming Tawheed al-Rububiyyah—that Allah is the One who controls everything and that all affairs are in His hands. You are also affirming Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah—that Allah alone deserves your worship, hope, dependence, and attachment of the heart. And when you call upon Allah using His beautiful Names and Attributes, you are affirming Tawheed al-Asma' wa al-Sifat. So, when you make du’a, try to feel and understand all of this. Never stop making du’a simply because you do not see an immediate answer. Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ loves to see His servant humble himself before Him, turn to Him, hope in Him, and praise Him.

Ibn al Qayyim رحمه الله said : There is nothing that corrupts the deeds more than self amazement & looking up to one’s own self. قال الإمام ابن القيّم رحمه الله: فَــلَا شَيْء أفســد للأعمــال ‎مـن الْعجب ورؤيــة النَّفــس [الفوائد ١\١٥٢]

📖 When you feel yourself becoming distant from the Qur’ān

"الفتور الذي يُصاحب حامل القُرآن والذي يجعلهُ في حالة يأس وتخبّط في منهج سيرِه علاجُه الإستغفار بالأسحار، ومن شأنِ الإستغفار أنّه يطهّر القلب مما تعرّض عليه من ذنُوب تقعدهُ عنِ التزوّد، فتولّد لديه فتوراً وكسل، وما رأيت كأثر الإستغفار تنهمل بعدهُ الفتوحات وتتيسّر المطالب"

“The spiritual lethargy that afflicts the bearer of the Qur’ān, leaving him in a state of despair and confusion about his path, is treated through seeking forgiveness in the pre-dawn hours. Istighfār purifies the heart from the sins that prevent it from continuing to take provision from the Qur’ān, causing weakness and laziness. And I have not seen anything like the effect of istighfār: after it, openings begin to flow and what one seeks becomes easier.” Today’s action: Set a daily wird of istighfār. Choose a number you can maintain, whether 100, 300 or 1,000, and make it a fixed part of your day. If possible, give a portion of it to the last third of the night, before Fajr. Don’t wait until you feel motivated to return to the Qur’ān. Begin by asking Allah for forgiveness, and keep walking.

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا

Except for those who repent after that and correct themselves.

Saheeh International

Except for those who repent after that and do righteous deeds.

Muhsin Khan

[Surah Aal-e-Imraan, 3:89]

  {كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ}

They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope].

{وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ}

And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah) for forgiveness

[Surah adh-Dhariyaat, 51:17-18]

{وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىٰ}

But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever - repents - and believes - and does righteousness (good deeds) - and then continues in guidance. [Surah Ta-Ha, 20:82]

وإذا أبغض الله شخصًا تركه دائم التعثير، متخبطًا في كل حال، ولم يخلق له همة لطلب المعالي، وشغله بالرذائل عن الفضائل!" — ابن الجوزي رحمه الله ​"And if Allah despises a person, He leaves him constantly stumbling, floundering in every state, creates in him no resolve to seek greatness, and preoccupies him with vices over virtues!" — Ibn al-Jawzi May Allah have mercy on him

​قال الإمام ابن القيم رحمه الله: " #Imām_Ibn_Al_Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:" ​"إذا أردت أن تعرف مدى إيمانك، فراقب نفسك في الخلوات." "If you want to know the true level of your faith, observe yourself in solitude." ​"إن الإيمان لا يظهر في صلاة ركعتين أو صيام نهار." "For true faith is not merely manifested in praying two rak'ahs or fasting during the day." ​"بل يظهر في مجاهدة النفس والهوى." "Rather, it is revealed through striving against the self and one's desires." ​[مدارج السالكين - 2/ 164] [Madarij al-Salikin - 2/164]

​Hijab and its place in Islam ​"The Hijab is not an inheritance, nor a custom, nor a tradition. ​Some people say, 'With due consideration to traditions and customs...' No! The Hijab is religion. The verse of Hijab in the Quran is just like the verse of prayer. ​The first to be required to wear the Hijab were the wives of the Prophet and his daughters, before the believing women. If anyone were to be exempted from the Hijab due to pure trust/purity, the first to be exempted would have been the wives of the Prophet and his daughters, peace and blessings be upon him. ​Yet despite this, Allah began with them. Because some women say, 'Alhmdulillah, I am pure, even if I walk among crowds; the Hijab is in my heart, not on my face.' ​And Allah says to the men and the Companions: 'And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition.' Why? 'That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.' Whose hearts? The Companions! Whose hearts? The wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him! ​Is it fitting then for someone to come later and say, 'My heart is pure,' or 'Her heart is pure,' even if she doesn't wear the Hijab? By Allah, if her heart were pure, she would have responded to Allah's command. And if his heart were pure, he would have obliged his wife to wear the Hijab ordained by Allah for her."