💕ISLAMIC THINKING💕

The Purpose of Life and Knowing Our Lord The most important thing for a person is to understand the purpose of life and to truly know his Lord. The stronger a person’s Tawheed becomes, and the more he recognizes ALLAH ﷻ, the more peaceful, meaningful, and blessed his life becomes. And in the Hereafter, there are great rewards for those who truly know and worship Him sincerely. We should ask ourselves: If a non-Muslim came to us and asked, “Tell me about the Lord whom you worship,” would we be able to answer properly? Sadly, many people who call themselves Muslims cannot explain who ALLAH ﷻ is, because they have not truly learned about Him. Yet ALLAH ﷻ introduced Himself in the Qur’an, and further explained His names, attributes, and greatness through His beloved Rasool ﷺ. So we should purify our intentions, seek authentic Islamic knowledge, remove ignorance from ourselves, and then act upon that knowledge before calling others toward it. knowledge comes before action ALLAH ﷻ introduced himself in several places in the Quran ALLAH ﷻ says: “So know that there is no deity worthy of worship except ALLAH ﷻ…” — Surah Muhammad (47:19) “ALLAH ﷻ! There is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not tire Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” — Surah Al-Baqarah (2:255) “Say: He is ALLAH ﷻ the One. ALLAH ﷻ, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. And there is none comparable to Him.” — Surah Al-Ikhlas (112:1-4) “He is ALLAH ﷻ, besides whom there is no deity worthy of worship, Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful. He is ALLAH ﷻ, besides whom there is no deity worthy of worship, the King, the Most Holy, the Source of Peace, the Granter of Security, the Overseer, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Exalted is ALLAH ﷻ above whatever they associate with Him. He is ALLAH ﷻ, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner. To Him belong the most beautiful names. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him. And He is the Almighty, the Most Wise.” — Surah Al-Hashr (59:22-24) ALLAH ﷻ Controls the Affairs of the Heavens and the Earth “Say, ‘Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight? And who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living? And who arranges every matter?’ They will say, ‘Allah.’ So say, ‘Will you not then fear Him?’ For that is ALLAH ﷻ, your true Lord.” — Surah Yunus (10:31–32) “He arranges every affair from the heaven to the earth…” — Surah As-Sajdah (32:5) Honor and Authority Are in ALLAH's Hands “Say, O ALLAH ﷻ, Owner of Sovereignty, You give kingdom to whom You will and take kingdom away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your Hand is all good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.” — Surah Al-Imran (3:26) Why Were We Created? “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not seek any provision from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Indeed, Allah alone is the Supreme Provider, the Lord of all Power, the Ever Mighty.” — Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51:56–58) ALLAH ﷻ created death and life to test humanity, determining who among them is best in deeds. — Surah Al-Mulk (67:2) Give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: "Why, this is what we were fed with before," for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure (and holy); and they abide therein (for ever). — Surah Al-Baqarah (2:25)

Sālim Abū Sa'id narrated that Ibrāhīm al-Taymī said: 'There is no servant whom Allah has gifted patience (sabr) in face of harm (adhā), patience (sabr) in face of affliction (balā'), patience (sabr) during misfortunes (maṣā'ib), except he has been given the best of what anyone has been given after his faith (īmān) in Allāh.' (Patience and Perseverance Page 18 | By Al-Hafiz ibn Abi Al-Dunyä)

Wuhayb ibn Kaysan رحمه الله narrated, 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr رضي الله عنه wrote to me with an admonition: "Indeed, the people of piety (taqwā) have signs by which they are known, and they recognise (those signs) from themselves, from them are: • Patience upon afflictions, • Contentment with the decree (of Allah), • Gratitude for blessings, • Humbling oneself to the judgement of the Qur'an." Hilyat al-Awliyā', (1/336).

•• عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ الرِّفْقَ لاَ يَكُونُ فِي شَىْءٍ إِلاَّ زَانَهُ وَلاَ يُنْزَعُ مِنْ شَىْءٍ إِلاَّ شَانَهُ ‏" ‏ ‏.‏ 'A'isha, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Kindness is not to be found in anything but that it adds to its beauty and it is not withdrawn from anything but it makes it defective. Reference : Sahih Muslim 2594a

•• وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لأشج عبد القيس‏:‏ “إن فيك خصلتين يحبهما الله‏:‏ الحلم والأناة”‏.‏ ‏(‌‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‌‏)‌‏.‏ Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Ashaj Abdul-Qais (May Allah be pleased with him), "You possess two qualities that Allah loves. These are clemency and tolerance." [Muslim]. Reference : Riyad as-Salihin 631

In part of surah al-Baqarah, Allah says: [وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ]

And We will surely test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth and self and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast ones. [155]

Commenting on this, al-Shawkani wrote: [ وبنقص الثمرات : ما يصيبها من الآفات وهو من عطف الخاص على العام لشمول الأموال للثمرات وغيرها ، وقيل : المراد بنقص الثمرات : موت الأولاد . ]

Loss of fruits refers to the afflictions that happen to them. This is an example of mentioning a specific example after something more general, since "wealth" encompasses those fruits and other assets. However, some have said that loss of fruits refers to the death of one's children.

[Fath al-Qadeer 1/104]

°° الإنسان غالبًا لا يرتاح في الموضع الذي أقامه الله فيه، ولكن السعيد هو الذي يُقنّعه الله ويُرضيه بما هو فيه».

"A man is often not comfortable in the position that Allah has placed him in, but happy is the one who is content and satisfied with whatever Allah has placed him in."

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹ā𝗵? Shaykh ‘Abd Ar-Razzāq Ibn ‘Abd Al-Muhsin Al-‘Abbād Al-Badr حفظه الله said: “Remember the threat of the Prophet ﷺ to women. How would it be if he saw many of the women in this time, unveiled, making a display of herself, beautified, adorned, perfumed, making her good looks apparent in a despicable fashion. Will you not fear Allāh? Will you not fear the standing before Allāh? So what does a woman desire, whether it is her worldly affairs or her Hereafter, when she displays herself, when she reveals her beauty, when she intermingles with men, and when she purposely tries to put them to trial and get their attention. What good does she desire with these types of actions, and what type of virtue does she hope for? Certainly, it is, by Allāh, a tremendous loss, major evil, and widespread trial. As for the intelligent woman, for indeed, she is far removed from these type of actions, fearful of Allāh the Lord of the creation, the owner of majesty and completeness, diligent in the obedience of her Lord and attaining His pleasure.” [A Piece Of Advice And Admonition For The Women, pg.82]

Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān حفظه الله said:

Leave your eyebrows, they are beautiful. The Shaytaan tempts men to shave their beards and tempts women to pluck their eyebrows.

[نور على الدرب]

‘Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ūd رضي الله عنه said:

Read the Qur’ān, and let the hearts be moved by it, and do not let your concern be completing the Sūrah.

[مفتاح دار السعادة ١/٥٣٦]

ليس الخائف من بكي وعصر عينيه، “The person who fears Allāh is not the one who weeps and sheds tears, إنما الخائف من ترك ما اشتهى من الحرام إذا قدر عليه، but rather, the person who truly fears Allāh is the one who abandons what he desires of the ḥarām when he has the ability to do it. ومن هنا عظم ثواب من أطاع الله سرا بينه وبينه. Hence, the greatest reward is for those who obey Allāh in private.” [مجموع الرسائل]

Ibn al Qayyim رحمه الله:

If Allah gives you the privilege of praying at night, do not look at someone who is sleeping scornfully, because it is possible that someone who is sleeping is closer to Allah than you.

[مدارج السالكين لابن القيم صفحة ١٧٧]

“𝙎𝙤, 𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣.” Imam Ibn Al Qayyim رحمه الله narrated: It is reported that in Egypt, there was a man who would maintain the mosques, making the call to prayer etc. He was, by all outward means, an obedient person and devout worshipper. One day, as he usually would, he ascended the minaret to make the call to prayer. At the base of the minaret, there was a Christian woman standing. He saw her, and was seduced by her looks. So, he descended the minaret, went to her, and entered her home. She said to him: “Who are you and what do you want?” He replied: “I want you.” She said: “Why?” He said: “You have enslaved my eyes and you have captured my heart.” She said: “I will never answer your desire in a doubtful or suspicious manner.” He said: “Ok so I will marry you then.” She said: “You are a Muslim and I am a Christian. My father will never allow me to marry you.” He said: “So I will become a Christian.” She said: “If you wish to do so, go ahead!” So the man became a Christian in order to marry this woman, and lived with the woman's family in her house. Later on that day however, he was on the roof of the house. He fell from the roof and died without even having enjoyed his new bride. So he lost the woman and he lost his religion. [الداء والدواء لابن القيم الصفحة: 127]

Health tip | Honey & Water

The Prophet ﷺ used to drink honey mixed with water on empty stomach, and this is the secret of maintaining good health that no one can understand except one who is intelligent and blessed.

[Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله, Zaad al-Ma'aad | 34]

Question: What should I do in a gathering wherein the people are backbiting? Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Ibn Baaz (رحمة الله):

There is a sin upon you unless you criticize this evil. Otherwise, it is obligatory upon you to separate from them and not sit with them.

[Majmoo' al-Fataawa 8/283]

وَشَكَى رَجُلٌ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ كَثْرَةَ الْعِيَالِ A man complained to Ibrāhīm b. Adham about feeding the number of children he had. فَقَالَ: ابْعَثْ إِلَيَّ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَا رِزْقُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ Ibrāhīm said to him: “Send me the ones amongst them whose provision is not from Allah.” فَسَكَتَ الرَّجُلُ The man remained silent. [ابن كثير، البداية والنهاية ١٣/٥١٠]

Shaykh Sa’eed Raslaan حفظه الله:

Women are sensitive. One wrong word and she'll run away from you. One right word and she'll come sit next to you.

[Mu'asharah an-Nisaa]

‏لا يصبر عن شهوات الدُّنْيا؛ No one abstains from the desires of this world ‏إلّا مَن كان في قلبِهِ ما يشغله من الآخِرة. except the one whose heart is occupied with the Hereafter. ‏موسوعة ابن أبي الدنيا (١٣٥/٥)