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Ramadan Day 15

“And ˹surely˺ your Lord will give so much to you that you will be pleased.” (Qur’an 93:5)

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Ramadan Day 15: What will Allah gives us and do we actually deserve it?

*15th of Ramadan*
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*Heart Health: Contemplation*
“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the day and night there are signs for people of reason, ˹They are˺ those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth ˹and pray˺, “Our Lord! You have not created ˹all of˺ this without purpose. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire.” (Qur’an 3:190-191)

Thinking about the creation of Allah (swt) carefully is one of the greatest kinds of worship, it’s a way for the believer to rank up to the level of ‘Ihsan’; which is to worship Allah as if you see him, so if you don’t see him he sees you.

How can I contemplate?
Firstly, think about the glory of Allah and the perfection of his creation, how gems come from mountains, how some animals fly and some walk, how the sea has wonders multiple time more than land, how a sperm changes to different forms and stages in a woman’s body before becoming a strong human, how about the wonders of the heavens and earth and what is in between, do you know that your knowledge you know about the universe is like a drop in the ocean?

Then think about the hereafter, in the paradise, its trees, blessings, rivers and continuous possession, then about hell, its levels, scenes, chains, boiling water and the ugliness of the Zabaniah (hell angles)

Then contemplate you body, look at your tounge, do you use it for lying, backbiting and gossip?, look at your belly, did it eat the Haram? did it eat too much? then look at your gaze, does it look at Haram? them look at you worship, how do you perform it? how do you save it from reduction?

and so on.

*Angles*
“Whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels, His messengers, Gabriel, and Michael, then ˹let them know that˺ Allah is certainly the enemy of the disbelievers.” (Qur’an 2:98)

We believe there are angles:
They are from the creation of Allah
They are made from light
They do different tasks such as:
 Carry the throne
 Teach messengers
  Ask for forgiveness for the righteous
  Guard hell and heaven
   Write down deeds
   Fight along side with the believers
   among other things…
They are infallible, so they only worship Allah
They do not have desires, so they do not eat, drink, marry, sleep…etc
Their type is different than us, Jinns, animals, or any other creation, they are just a separate type of creation.
Do not describe them with human attributes, they are just creation of Allah which obey him!

We have no concept such as fallen angels. Their dhikr – remembrance of Allah (swt) oscillates with such intensity that nothing comes to them but the commands of Allah and to fulfill them diligently.

*Permissible things when fasting*
I will mention a list of permissible things when fasting, We will not go into details so if you have a question about some point you can ask insh’Allah:

Showering
Using perfumes
Swallowing the saliva
Tasting food (Example: you are preparing food for the fasting people you want to ensure the presentation of the food is palpable and pleasant for those going to break their fast)
Chewing food
Tooth extraction
Blood tests and blood donation
Anesthetization
Using ointment and external body creams/medicines
Cutting nails and body hair
Kissing

Half of the month have gone by with the speed of light, it’s a good time to reflect, how did I spend the first half? Did I profiteer from the mountains of increased rewards in Ramadan? did I have any shortcomings in some area? prayer? Reciting Qur’an? etc…

Finding these areas in the first half would help you spend the second half better in obedience. The second half is more bountiful in rewards, so make sure to not miss the opportunity.

May Allah accept our fasting, du’a, Salah, Qiam, Sujud, Ruku’, charity and All our good deeds

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah!

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah!

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Ramadan Day 14

“Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.” (Qur’an 61:3)

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Ramadan Day 14: Be more concerned about your own condition and by doing so it will influence those around you.

*14th of Ramadan*
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*Heart health: Making the most of your time*
The Blessed Prophet (saw) said: “seize five before five”.

1)Your youth before your old age.

Your health before your sickness.

Your wealth before your poverty.

Your free time before your busyness.

Your life before your death.

And the Blessed Prophet (saw) said: “Two blessings many people are losing in: health and free time.” As well as: “No son of Adam’s feet will go in the day of judgement before being asked about four:

a) His life what he spent it on.

b) His youth in what he used it.

c) His wealth where he got it from and where he spent it.

d) His deeds what he did with it.

In the modern time a great example of spending time in constant worship is the teacher Shaykh Humood Assawafi -may Allah bless him-, you will see him sometimes giving a lesson, sometimes giving a speech, sometimes answering Shari’a questions with his phone, sometimes doing trips, contests and lectures for his students of knowledge, and all his time is spent in worship even at the time for eating.

*Every believer will be passing through hell?*


Allah says: “Surely those for whom We have destined the finest reward will be kept far away from Hell, not even hearing the slightest hissing from it. And they will delight forever in what their souls desire.” (Qur’an 21:101-102)

Thus, the believers will never even come close to hell, let alone passing through it.

Those who use the verse:

“And there is none of you except he will come to it. This is upon your Lord an inevitability decreed.” (Qur’an 19:71)

This is obviously not for the believers as can be seen from the previous verses.

“So by your Lord, We will surely gather them and the devils; then We will bring them to be present around Hell upon their knees. Then We will surely extract from every sect those of them who were worst against the Most Merciful in insolence. Then, surely it is We who are most knowing of those most worthy of burning therein. ” (Qur’an 19:68-70)

If it’s said: but Allah says in the next verse (Then We will rescue those who were devout, leaving the wrongdoers there on their knees) meaning that the devout will be included.

The answer: In Arabic we can’t use the word rescue for who fell in the matter, but rescuing happens before that, and the word *then* in Arabic doesn’t always refer to chronological order, rather ranking order, and there are many proofs from the Qur’an.

An example is in the 70th verse of the same Surah where Allah says: (And We truly know best who is most deserving of burning in it) the word here is translated to *and* the Arabic is ثم meaning then, but of course Allah’s knowledge doesn’t change with time, so _then_ in the verse doesn’t represent chronological order.

For those who want to read more on this topic you can read the following article:

*Exceptions in Impurities*

1- The faeces of eaten animals is pure from a legal point of view. Not pure to eat (obviously).

2- Dead animal’s wool, tanned leather, hair, fur, and feather tips, this only applies to eaten animals based on the majority view of Ibadi scholars.

3- From the dead animals: locusts and fish, they can be eaten when dead.

4- Dead insects that do not have flowing blood.

5- A fetus whose mother was Islamically slaughtered.

6- Two bloods: liver and spleen.

6- The hunted prey: You should say the name of Allah before releasing the hunting animal, spear, arrow or rifle, if you found the animal dead it’s halal to eat, and if you found it alive you should slaughter it the normal way

and Allah knows best

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah!

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah!

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Ramadan Day 11

“A Book We have sent down to you so that you may bring forth mankind from the darkness into the light.” (Qur’an 14:1)

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Ramadan Day 11: Parents are Responsible for Teaching Their Children.

A gentle reminder to those of you going shopping in Ramadan or night bazaars for food.

If you have children that you bring with them I want you to give your children some notes (some money)

When you see people who are in need and they are obviously destitute encourage your children to give them the money.

This insh’Allah can teach the children several important points.

1) Not to be selfish.
2) To think of others.
3) To earn the reward of giving in Ramadan.
4) That they are part of a human family in which the poor and the destitute have rights over those whom Allah’ has favoured with more wealth
or abundance.

*Heart health contentment and love with Allah*
Factors that contribute to the servant’s love to his lord:
Knowing Allah: and this can be achieved by contemplating his creation.
Benevolence: humans by nature love those who are good to them, so knowing the blessings of Allah upon us, will increase our love for him.

True love of Allah will appear after:
Cutting attachment to the world and the love of other than Allah
Avoiding sins
Constantly and zealous remembrance of Allah
Finding joy and pleasure being in seclusion to pray to Allah and recite his book
Enjoying worship and not making it a burden
Sitting with people who love Allah and picking the fruits of their speech.

*Sirat and reckoning* (The so called bridge over hellfire)
Sirat (path) is not a bridge on top of hell as many claimed, Allah informs us to pray:

“Guide us to the straight path.” (Qur’an 1:6)

This path is the religion of Allah, and whatever is mentioned in some narrations that Sirat is a thin bridge and people contrast in crossing it is all a metaphor about the religion

See the Hadith (Ibn Mas’ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “God has propounded as a parable a straight path on the sides of which are walls with open doors over which curtains are hanging down. At the top of the path there is one who calls, ‘Go straight on the path and do not follow an irregular course.’ Above that one is another who calls out as often as anyone tries to open any of those doors, ‘Woe to you! do not open it, for if you open it you will go through it.’” He then interpreted it telling that the path is Islam, the open doors are the things God has forbidden, the curtains hanging down are the limits God has set, the crier at the top of the path is the Qur’an, and the one above him is God’s monitor in every believer’s heart.)

Sources: (https://sunnah.com/mishkat:191) & (https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2022/07/20/parable-sirat-al-mustaqeem/)

Ibn Katheer mentioned some chains of narrations and said: the chain is good and authentic, also with Tirmithi, Ahmed, Al Hakem, Nisa’i, Ibn Jareer, Ibn Al Munthir, Abi Shaykh, Ibn Mardaweih, and Baihaqi in “Shu’ab Al Iman”

I mentioned the authenticity just because Albani says there is no basis to the Hadith which is wrong, and the information is from commentary to (The poem ‘Ghayat Al Murad’ by Imam Noor Ad-Deen Assalemi May Allah have mercy on him by Shaykh Ahmed Al Khalili (h)

We also believe that reckoning is not counting like the counting of humans, but counting is Showing the deeds good and evil to people in the day of judgment.

To read more on this please see:

*Wet dreams when fasting*
Firstly we should make it clear that consciously masturbating breaks the fast and obligates a heavy atonement which is to fast two months.

But in the case if someone woke up to wet dreams, then they would have to hasten to perform Ghusl and nothing is on him. Meaning the person does not make up any days of fasting. The pen is lifted from one while in the state of dreaming.

Heart Soothing Tarwih prayer in Ramadan.

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah.

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah!

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Ramadan Day 8

“We send down the Quran as a healing and mercy for the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers in loss.” (Qur’an 17:82)

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Ramadan Day 8: The Social Benefit where people are more charitable in assisting those in need.

*Heart health Remembering Allah*
“O believers! Always remember Allah often.” (Qur’an 33:41)

It’s the worship that’s not bound by time or conditions, and from the forms of remembrance:
Reciting the Qur’an
Prayers
Seeking knowledge
Mentioning Allah (mentioning Allah in the morning أذكار الصباح, mentioning Allah at the evening أذكار المساء, mentioning Allah after every prayer, mentioning Allah before sleeping…etc)

Allah’s remembrance has many benefits, some of them are:
Alienating the devil and the forces of darkness.
Removes worries and sadness
Strengthening the heart
Planting the love of Allah in the heart
Erases sins
A reason for the descendance of mercy
Keeps the tongue busy from backbiting and gossip
Take the heart away from toughness and hypocrisy.

*Muhammed is the messenger of Allah*
“Muhammed is not the father of any of your men, but is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets. And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.” (Qur’an 33:40)

We should believe that Muhammed (saw) is the final Messenger of Allah (swt). And that he is the best of all prophets. We can believe all the prophets as a whole, but we should still believe in Muhammed (saw)by name, as this is a fundamental in the religion of Islam.

May Allahs peace and blessings be upon him.

*The Harm is Removed*
The third of the five comprehensive rules. Its explanation is that every harm or damage is eliminated or prevented in Islam.

Islam came to protect the five necessities, which are religion, life, mind, wealth and lineage, for example.

Jihad protects religion
Prohibition of unlawful killing and suicide protects life
Prohibition of Alcohol protects the mind
Prohibition of stealing protects wealth
Prohibition of fornicating protects lineage

and so are the other things that cause harm.

Proof: The hadith: (There is no harm or return of harm), and many verses from the Qur’an like:

“No mother should be harmed through her child.” (Qur’an 2:233)

Sources: ( Musnad Al Rabi’i 692- ‘Abū Ubayda narrated from Jābir ‘Ibn Zayd that the Prophet, ﷺ, said: “Let him who believes in Allah and the last day, speak only good or keep quiet and do no harm to his neighbor”)

It was narrated from ‘Ubadah bin Samit that the Messenger of Allah (saw) ruled:

“There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”

Source: (https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2340) -chain of transmission is weak but the matn is sound based upon the general principles of Islam.

Beautiful call to prayer…

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah.

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah

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Ramadan Day 5

“Indeed, ˹it is˺ We ˹Who˺ sent this ˹Quran˺ down on the Night of Glory.” (Qur’an 97:1)

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The Spiritual Benefits of Ramadan.

*5th of Ramadan*
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*Heart Health Hope and Fear*


“They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will tremble.” (Qur’an 24:37)


Fear is one of the attributes of the  righteous in the Qur’an, and it’s the pain in the heart that’s caused by expecting harm in the future.

“Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 39:53)


Hope is the comfort in the heart caused by expecting something loved by it.

If fear overwhelmed hope, the servant will lose hope in Allah (And do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah, for no one loses hope in Allah’s mercy except those with no faith).

In contrast, if hope overwhelmed fear, the servant will guarantee paradise for himself.

“Neither by your wishes nor those of the People of the Book! Whoever commits evil will be rewarded accordingly, and they will find no protector or helper besides Allah.” (Qur’an 4:123)

So the Muslim should try to keep the balance between these two forces, and if we take a look at the Salaf, they gave the best examples of this, here is Imam Abu Hamza Ashari (may Allah have mercy on him) describing the companions in his famous speech in Medina after freeing it from the injustice of Bani Umayah: (Were the companions of the prophet peace be upon him anything but youth, by Allah they were youth, perfect in their youth, their eyes are hidden from evil, their feet are slow to falsehood, weak from worship, hungry from staying late, when one of them goes through a verse that mentions paradise he cries in eagerness to it, and if he goes through a verse mentioning hell, he sobbed as if the roaring of hell is in his ears…TO THE END OF HIS SPEACH)

*The attributes of essence*
Allah’s attributes can be described as attributes of Dhat (essence) and attributes of Fi’l (action).

The attributes of essence are the attributes that Allah cannot be described by with their opposites.

Examples: Knowledge, so we can’t say Allah is ignorant. Vision so we can’t say Allah is blind. Eternal so we can’t say Allah is created ‘ and so on.

We should know that the attributes of essence are Allah him self and not something other than Allah.

How?


We say Allah is all seeing in his essence, so he doesn’t need a tool to see like humans that need eyes, if we say that Allah is all seeing with something else that would mean Allah is dependent on that thing, this will also mean that Allah has parts which contradicts the absolute oneness.

In conclusion, the attributes of essence are the essence of Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala

*Ghusl from impurity*
Ghusl is an important topic in Fiqh, it’s like Wudu’ but it should be done after ejaculation (sleeping or awake), sexual intercourse or menstruation for women.

If someone had this and didn’t perform Ghusl then he is in a state of major Hadath, and in this state no prayer or fasting is accepted, and one can not touch a Mushaf or enter a mosque.

How to perform Ghusl:
1- Intention
2- Washing the private part(s)
3- Wash between the naval and the knee, and clean any filth in the body
4- Perform normal ablution while delaying the feet
5- Wash the entire body with water (with force like rubbing or shower) starting from the top to The bottom and the right before the left
6- Wash the feet

Other notes:
From the sunna is saying Basmalah, passing urine before Ghusl, performing ablution before Ghusl, starting from the top to bottom and right to left. Water should reach every piece of hair in Ghusl.

May Allah (swt) bless this youth for his beautiful recitation of the glorious Qur’an.

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah.

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah

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Ramadan Day 2

“Ramaḍan is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority.” (Qur’an 2:185)

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The second day of Ramadan! May Allah (swt) continue to bless this Ummah and bless all of you!

Great tips by brother Hatim Abdis-Salam on what to eat and how to organize one’s day during Ramadan.

*Heart Health: Sincerity*


Sincerity is for a Muslim to seek the pleasure of Allah in their actions. It is also said to be breaking one’s self-interests, cutting off worldly desires, and dedicating oneself to the Hereafter.

The truth of sincerity is between the servant and his lord, so no creature can access one’s intentions, that’s why when a Muslim starts an action, his intention should be for the sake of Allah, so that it’s free of hypocrisy, and in the Hadith: “The intention of the believer is better than his action”

*The three sentences*
The first obligation in Islam is three sentences:
1- I bear witness there is no god except for Allah.
2- And that Muhammed is the messenger of Allah.
3- And that what Muhammed came with is the truth from Allah.
in Arabic:
أشهد الا إله إلا الله، وأن محمداً رسول الله،
وأن ما جاء به محمد هو الحق من عند الله
The third sentence is differed on, but many of our scholars include it. It is differed on the sense on rather it needs to be uttered. The first two sentences are agreed upon.

The importance of these sentences lie on the fact that they bring people to the fold of Islam, whoever pronounces them then his blood and wealth are Haram.

*Delaying fasting and breaking the fast early*
If someone eats after Adhan Al Fajr thinking that it’s still not Fajr, what is his ruling?
Answer: Nothing is on him, because the origin is the continuation of the night.

If someone eats before Maghreb thinking it’s already Maghreb, what is his ruling?
Answer: He should redo that day after Ramadan, his fasting is broken, because the origin is the continuation of the day.

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah.

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah

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