Travelling etiquettes

10 – It is Sunnah to say the following du’aa’ when leaving the house: Bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allaah, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah. Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min an adilla aw udalla aw azilla aw uzalla aw azlima aw uzlama aw ajhala aw yujhal ‘alayya (In the name of Allaah, I put my trust in Allaah and there is no power and no strength except with Allaah. O Allaah, I seek refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or do wrong or be wronged, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly).”

12 – It is mustahabb to travel with a group of people, because of the hadeeth of 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If the people knew what I know about being alone, no one would ever travel alone at night." Narrated by al-Bukhaari.

13 – It is mustahabb for the group to appoint the best and wisest of their number as their leader, and to obey him, because of the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed and Abu Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When three people set out on a journey, let them appoint one of their number as their leader." A hasan hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood with a hasan isnaad.

14 – It is mustahabb to set out at the end of the night , because of the hadeeth of Anas who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "You should travel at the end of the night (or throughout the night) because it is easier to cover a greater distance at night." This was narrated by Abu Dawood with a hasan hadeeth. It was also narrated by al-Haakim who said: it is saheeh according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

16 – It is mustahabb for the traveller to say takbeer when going up a rise in the land and to say tasbeeh when going down into valleys and the like.

18 – It is mustahabb for him to make du’aa’ most of the time when travelling, because his du’aa’ will be answered.

From: Al-Majmoo’ (4/264-287) by Imam An-Nawawi. He mentions sixty-two points on the etiquette of travelling.

Native Deen: Zammilooni Zammilooni

I'm not into anasheed, but this is nice!

Coincidentally, a friend mentioned this incident a few days ago.

Garbage | Tahajjud- Ramadan Reflections Day 6

After taraweeh last night, my mother signalled to me to pick up the garbage around her. She was already prepared with a plastic bag. I started picking up tissues and Al Ain Water cups and filling the bag with it. It seemed that everyone was oblivious to my action. I felt a bit frustrated and flustered.
On the first night of Taraweeh, my friend, the Imam's wife and I talked about the entire story of this great woman:

Abu Hurairah(ra) reported that a dark-skinned woman used to clean the Mosque and then died. The Prophet (pbuh) did not know about it. One day the Prophet (pbuh) remembered her and said: "What happened to that person?" The people replied: "Oh Allah's Apostle! She died." He said: "Why did you not inform me?" They said: The story was so and so." He said: "Show me her grave" and he offered the funeral prayer. [Sahih Bukhari]

There really is no need for us to clean the masjid after us, since there's always someone hired to do it. However, that's not what Islam teaches us. You do not leave your garbage for someone else to pick up. I remember the saying that people in the West are unclean and keep their surroundings clean, whereas people in the East are personally clean but their surroundings are very dirty. Why are we so ill-trained that we cannot keep a tissue in hand and throw it a few metres away into a garbage can?

The Prophet (pbuh) said, cleanliness is half of faith and Alhamdulillah fills the scale, and Subhanallah and Alhamdulillah fill up what is between the heavens and the earth. Salah is a light, and charity is proof (of one's faith) and endurance is a brightness and the Qur'an is a proof on your behalf or against you. All men go out early in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves." (Muslim).

Our surroundings, the environment, are as much part of us are are our belongings, and we are required to take care of them. Alhamdulillah we don't face that problem in UAE, but in places like Canada, the mosque carpets are often smelling because of wet/dirty feet/socks or the mosque not being able to shampoo the carpets as often. We have to step up and solve these problems. The Masjid belongs to us. Read page one.
Our ranks are so low... but can we not strive to be like the woman who used to clean the masjid and the Prophet (pbuh) loved her action so much that he prayed for her? Would you not want the Prophet (pbuh) to pray for you?
Too many people say that one person is not going to make a difference. It is not true. Every big change starts with one person, a group, a movement, and finally a global voice- We will never know the impact until we train ourselves to be foresighted and understand the far-reaching effects of our consequences.

I thought about how what I'm doing may not have any effect on the women around me. I don't speak Arabic, so I can't give them a general talk on cleaning up after themselves. However, I know and believe that if I clean up as much as I can every day in Taraweeh, for the next 23 days or so, someone will notice and begin to follow, and soon it will pick up... inshallah!

This is a small action, but it illustrates the importance of your personal actions. Your actions will carry through for generations, and our reward lies with Allah (swt) alone.


In Surah Ibrahim, Allah (swt) says:

(And remember that) it is God who has created the heavens and the earth, and who sends down water from the sky and thereby brings forth (all manner) of fruits for your sustenance; and who has made ships subservient to. you, so that they may sail through the sea at His behest; and has made the rivers subservient (to His laws, so that they be of use) to you; and has made the sun and the moon, both of them constant upon their courses, subservient (to His laws, so that they be of use) to you; and has made the night and the day subservient (to His laws, so that they be of use) to you. And (always) does He give you something out of what you may be asking of Him; and should you try to count God's blessings, you could never compute them. (And yet,) behold, man is indeed most persistent in wrongdoing, stubbornly ingrate! [14:32-34]

So true! Let's try to count some blessings of Allah (swt) until we exhaust ourselves, and then thank Him profusely for them. I find that the best time to do this exercise is when you're most depressed. Nothing lifts me than counting my blessings.

Another good time to do this is in tahajjud of course. Tahajjud simply is the best time to do any time of worship!
Here's a dua you can make in fajr/tahhajud from Surah Bani Isra'il:

Establish regular prayers - at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony. And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a Station of Praise and Glory!
Say: "O my Lord! Let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me)." [17:78-80]

رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَل لِّي مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَانًا نَّصِيرًا

Charity | Death | Discipline- Reflections Ramadan 1 & 2

Day 2

After we got home from taraweeh, I drove mummy to do some groceries. As I was stepping into the market, I noticed a small booth, with a big glass box on top of it. I grabbed the trolley and while fumbling with my bag to get my wallet out, I told my mother to go ahead. There was a man behind the stall and a lot of reading material as well. I wanted my action to be as fast as possible, but it was long enough to hear him say Jazakallah to me, and for me to reply to him.

I just finished reading the ayah from the Qur'an: By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love; and whatever ye give, of a truth Allah knoweth it well. [3:92]

There's reward for giving charity, but imagine the reward of the people who... organise charitable actions. So, step up to the next level, don't just be a giver.

Two days ago my friends were telling me of a few deaths in 2 different countries. Two days ago my mother's sister-in-law (brother's wife) gave birth to a child who did not survive. She went into labour knowing that there's a chance of her losing her child, chance of her own death. There are not many ocassions when we know death came very close to us... and spared us.
Inshallah Allah (swt) will bless my mami with jannah, because of the hadith.
I'm a firm believer that everyone is in my life for a reason, even if I meet them once and never see them again. It was no coincidence that this baby's death, and the incidents that 2 of my friends narrated to me were at the same time. Allah (swt) wants us to know... wants me to realise, and turn to him, and ask for forgiveness, and increase in my good deeds.

I also thought about how my mamu didn't mention a word of that when I answered the phone, how my mother didn't give me the medical details and how, I just wasn't so involved at all, as if something distant from me happened.. to someone I didn't know. True, my parents still think I'm a child who doesn't need to be involved in grown up matters.. but every death to me, is a reminder of my experiences for a year as a Muslim chaplain assistant at a hospital. I dealt with parents... somehow... funerals... children... staff... And it has had an impact.

Day 1

Discipline and organisation are so important in our lives as Muslims. Taraweeh is all about discipline. Everyone in straight rows, with utmost attention. It's a great test for mothers when their children are running around or crying. In fact, taraweeh makes you very alert. You have to be early if you want to be in the first row. Yet, if your mother requires assistance, then you have to forego your space in the first row and make your mother comfortable first. It's discipline because it doesn't happen once. It's not one set of "Allahu Akbar", but many times over, that you have to raise your hands to.

And when someone leaves a row, others are automatically conscious of the gap, and hasten to fill it. Let not there be shaitan between us...


And once you're done, it's about connecting with those on either side of you. Sometimes, it's a Philipino or a Somali maid. Other times, it's someone's feeble grandmother. Say salam to all, and spread the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).

Ramadan will help you get organised. Try Seinfield's productivity secret.

Ramadan & Exercising

Ramadan starts in a day or two!
Alhamdulillah today you can find everything you need to know about Ramadan on the internet- from dietary habits, personal development plans, charity programs to lectures, iftars, recipes, and much more!

In Ramadan, some lose weight, many others gain weight. Most people's eating habits go out of control. For those people for whom Ramadan has become a cultural practice- hosting iftars and other social engagements keep them from focussing on themselves during this blessed month.

One of the activities people leave out in Ramadan is exercising (that is, if they were exercising earlier). I did a bit of research after connecting with a few professors globally, and came up with a simple diet and exercise plan for Ramadan.

First, a few facts:

• Studies done on physically active and sedentary Kuwaiti men indicates that during Ramadan fasting, cardiovascular adaptation to conditioning is adequate in the more physically active group. Body fluid balance was better maintained in active than in sedentary subjects.
• At the end of Ramadan, significant increases in osmolarity, sodium,and bicarbonate, and a decrease in serum iron were noted in sedentary but not in active subjects.
• The same study concluded that energy balance is well maintained during fasting both in sedentary and in active subjects. Metabolic adaptations during fasting result in lower exercise ratio due to increased lipid usage. Deficits or redistribution of specific micronutrients (iron, vitamins) may account for reductions in serum iron and platelet counts, particularly in sedentary subjects that need to limit intake to maintain body weight. ¹

Is there any reason to bother exercising, despite the benefits, when there's so much going on in Ramadan, and not enough time?
Our bodies are not designed to react or change over night, they take time. After years of bad posture a person may end up with a chronic bachache. Similarly, years of bad eating can cause low energy levels, slouchiness and dissatisfaction in life.
Ramadan is the best time to fix all these metabolical problems with your body, if you really want to. And it can be quite simple.

Here's a simple sample diet plan ²:

Iftar (as early as possible)

1. Before praying: 2 Dates (dried dates) with a half cup milk.
2. After praying: a serving of cooked vegetables (ideal is steamed cooked vegetables) and green salad with lemon juice. A vegetable soup serving can replace the cooked vegetables option.
   Poultry (half a chicken) or meat (two pieces) or fish or tuna are also recommended.
3. Drinking a cup of fresh juice.

Between iftar and suhoor

1. Fresh fruits such as oranges, gauva, dates, apples, pears etc...
   Or
   A small piece of oriental dessert with moderate amount of honey syrup and low in fat.

Suhoor: (Best 15-30 minutes before fajr prayer)

1. Four tablespoons of fava beans with lemon juice and/or olive oil.
   Or
   One boiled egg (try to avoid egg yolk if you are over 40 years old)
2. A cup of milk or yoghurt
   Or
   A bread loaf plus a slice of cheese.

Exercising

If you are not used to exercising, then working out just before taraweeh for 15 minutes will give you the energy you need for the prayers. Also focus a lot on walking and stretching. Drink lots of water.

Here's what I suggest:

• 5-9 min cardio
• 4-6 min muscular conditioning
• 2-3 min stretching/cool down

If you wish to save time, do some jumping jacks and other cardio exercises before leaving home. If you walk to the masjid, that's great. Otherwise, park your car at enough distance from the mosque so that you can get 5-10 minutes of walking. Then, enter the masjid, pray your 2 rakats for greeting the mosque and do some light stretches as you wait for the salah to begin while doing continual dhikr in your mind.

If you exercise cardio regularly, then you can try a workout 45 min-1.5 hours before eating. If you're into weight training, exercising while fasting might make you dizzy, so it's best to switch to exercising just before taraweeh.

How's that?

Recommendations/Warnings

• Do not sleep except after one and a half hours following suhoor.
• Do not forget to brush or Miswak (tender neem tree branch, Azhardicta indica or other appropriate plant in a country, about 1/4-1/2 inch diameter and 6-8 inches length, tip partially chewed and made brush like). Brush your teeth before sleep and after sahur. Brush more than two times or as many times as practical.
• You shouldn't exercise after eating unless it is approximately 2 hours later.³
• Do not eat too fast.

And here are the regular set of suggestions for what to avoid⁴

1. Intake of high sugar (table sugar, sucrose) foods through sweets or other forms.
2. Spicy foods( I know it's hard)
3. Caffeine drinks such as coke, coffee or tea. Caffeine is a diuretic. Three days to five days before Ramadan gradually reduce the intake of these drinks. A sudden decrease in caffeine prompts headaches, mood swings and irritability.
4. No smoking
   

Drop me a note if you need more ideas on diet and exercising for your schedules. Please note this advise is NOT for pregnant women.

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References

1. Jasem Ramadan PhD, Girma Telahoun, MIST, Naji S. Al-Zaid PhD and M. Barac-Nieto MD, PhD a Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
2. Dr. Tarek Rushdi, lecturer in Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine
3. Dorothea Pitt, CanFitPro PRO
4. Mohammad Zafar A. Nomani, PhD, RD, Professor of Nutrition,West Virginia University

Further reading:

• An excellent article by Dr. Nomani: Diet during Ramadan
• Fighting Ramadan kilos by Hannah Rashdan
• Exercising During Ramadan by By Mohd Shazly Khan
• The Fasting Month of Ramadhan - Keeping your Fitness Levels and Physique In Check! on The Daily Muscle

Knowledge Treasure Series- Orphans

This is an excellent read on Orphans, with suggestions @ the end on ways to help the cause: Knowledge Treasure Series- Orphans

Please read it... and make dua for orphans. They are our children.

My Dua cards collection

I keep a Qur'an stand (rehal) on my prayer mat that has my Qur'an and dua cards. My mother probably has memorised all these duas, and she knows the dua for each ocassion, event, problem, need, etc.. I just refer to one of these booklets. Every now and then mummy will find some new set of duas for me to add to my collection.

So, first is my Qur'an, which was a gift from my friend Ehab.









Fortification of the Muslim: A really famous pocket dua book for all ocassions.

This book is a bit incomplete, it has selected verses from the Qur'an for medical problems such as asthma, throat infection, eyesight, etc. But the name of the Surah is not mentioned against the ayahs. However, there are no references what so ever in this book, so I can't say it's very authentic. I read it very ocassionally, just to see learn how and why they're referenced the verses to a certain problem.

Morning and Evening Prayers of the Prophet (pbuh) are a standard list of masnoon duas. Best time to read them is at fajr and maghrib. It includes some of the popular duas such as ayat-al-kursi and sayyid-istighfar.

Two very important every day supplications in the life of a Muslim- Dua for Guidance, and Dua of Need. Read it every day





My favourite: Duas from the Qur'an. It has the duas made by the Prophets, and other duas that Allah (swt) has asked us to make. I like these duas more because they are ayahs from the Qur'an; you can recite them with proper tajweed and feel the power of the words that Allah (swt) send down for us.








Duas for protection (from all types of evil). It's amazing how many different types of dua the Prophet (pbuh) taught us. Subhanallah!






Duas to protect you from depression and sadness :)








Duas to protect you from the evil eye.








Masnoon duas: A collection of beautiful Sunnah duas with Urdu translation. I have posted my favourite one here.







Al Hisnul Hasin: Again, a very popular book. Although, I'm a bit cautious with some of the duas where you have to recite them a certain number of times as references are often left out in this book. At the end there's a really nice section on what the Prophet (pbuh) has said on the excellence of reciting some of the chapters of the Qur'an.






This is the same collection of Morning and Evening invocations except it's with Urdu translation and I keep this in my bag. [It's smaller in size than the other one]







This booklet has all the duas for travelling: for the marketplace, before entering a masjid to mounting your vehicle and en route. I keep this in my bag too.




I have PDFs of these cards, so drop me a note if you need any.

Whom to give charity?

I will post the source as soon as I remember to look for the paper in Urdu where I read this hadith next time I go downstairs, but to the best of my memory:

A man came to the Prophet (pbuh), and asked - "If someone asks us for money, how do we know if they really deserve charity or not?"
The Prophet (pbuh) replied, "Give charity to the one who deserves, and also to the one who does not deserve, so that Allah (swt) may reward you for the deeds you deserve, and also reward you that which you do not deserve".

Great events in the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) I

From an old post of mine: [17/01/06]

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I spent the evening today listening to the RIS III lecture: Great moments in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), by Tareq Suwaidan

I've divided the lecture into several posts, this being the first. I had to listen to it tonight, (my first time) because I felt a sheer drop of emptiness in me. And I know this is because when you stand on a cliff, you can see vastness around you, and that's when you feel empty inside.

There's lots to be learnt- I'd appreciate detailed thoughts :) The only downside is I didn't bother editing or completing my notes, but they're still traceable.

The night of revelation
The night when Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the Cave of Hira. He had devoted his life to Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). He had no messenger, no book, didn’t no know to pray. He chose to pray according to religion of Ibrahim, and all he knew was glorifying Allah, and that’s what he did for a month. Then in a human form Gabriel appeared- white clothes, green pillow, with a book on top of the pillow.
“Iqra”
He was illiterate.
“I don’t know how to read”
Gabriel hugged him so hard, and told him to read again.
“Ma ana bi qarid”
And once again.
And the 4th time he said, “What should I read?”

Iqra, bismirabbikal ladhi khalaq….
These words were the beginning of all change. He was shaking lots, he didn’t know what this meant. He started to run, towards his home, to his wife.

The heart of this beloved wife had felt something happening to her husband.

She didn’t know and sent her servants to the mountain, but there was no one. Where was he?

Running towards Khadijah, on the way, in that small distance, one of the greatest events happened.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, I heard a sound, coming from the sky, so I looked at the most amazing scene that I have never seen (besides Mi’raj). He saw Gabriel, sitting on a throne, filling heavens, from East to West, with 600 wings, so powerful. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saw Gabriel in that form only twice. And he spoke to Muhammad, “ya Muhammad, anta rasoolullah, wa ana jibreel” thrice. And then disappeared. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) could not move. He stood there for several hours. That’s when they were looking for him. And he went home, asked to be covered.
He said to Khadijah, when she asked him to sleep, “there’s no more sleep after this”.

Great events in the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) II

The 10 year struggle and Isra & Mi'raj


He went through a struggle with a few companions of spreading the message, under the protection of his uncle. He was under the protection of his beloved wife, Khadijah, and who supported him financially. 10 years later, his uncle died, and then 3 days later, his wife died. The most beloved, the closest two to him, he lost them within 3 days. Quraish took the chance to oppress Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), there was no one to protect him.

And when he went home, there was no one to take Khadijah’s place.

He didn’t marry for 3 years. Pressure from outside, and loss of love from inside. He decided to go to Taif. He was met by 3 leaders of Taif on the outskirts, who asked him why he was there. They refused to believe him, so he asked permission to spread the message to the inhabitants, but they refused that too. The children were asked him to pelt him with stones, until his feet started to bleed, the greatest man on earth. He went back to Makkah, and the leader of Makkah sent him a message, “you are not allowed in Makkah”- so he stayed between Taif and Makkah, with no place to go. He was waiting for a leader to protect him, but no one did. While he waited for protection, he made a great dua:

“To whom do you leave me? To an enemy that is trying to hurt me? Or to my own tribe that is controlling me now? I seek refuge with the light of Your grace that enlightens darkness and enlightens the heavens and the earth and takes care of this life and the hereafter. Do not leave me, to myself, one blink of an eye”
I need You.

This was the hardest moment for the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in his entire life. From that weakness, he ends his prayers, “If you are not angry with me, I do not care”

No matter what others say, I do not care, as long as Allah is with me.

Mut’im ibn Jubair was still an unbeliever, but he gave protection to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), out of pride and shame, what will people think an Arab has been outcasted? But he told him that he could not spread his message. He was restricted, and felt humiliation. He has less than 150 followers. 83 were in Ethopia.

---

Allah wanted to calm his heart, and the great journey, Al Isra wal Mi’raaj happened.
He was taken to Jerusalem, to Masjid Al Aqsa, which was built by Sulaiman (as) and at that land, all had gathered everyone- all his messengers and prophets.
Abu Dharr asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), “How many are the messengers and the prophets?” “There are 314 messengers and 124,000 Prophets”- not ordinary people.
And all of them waited, for the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to lead in the prayer. The greatest prayer ever on earth. Imagine the crowd. Why did they gather in Aqsa? Why not in Makkah? And from there goto heaven?

Because Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) wanted to give a message.
Al Masjid Al Aqsa, how could you lose it? This sacred place, and let the worst people on earth lose it? What happened to you Muslims?
After this prayer, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went to the heavens. After he finished with the 7 heavens, he continued beyond the seven heavens. He went to a place never reached by any human or angel. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) tells us that he was Gabriel, only, and he’s the only angel Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) would talk to directly, and give revelation to the messengers. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) turned, and he saw Gabriel- At that moment, he resumed his real form (Surah Najm), near the tree, Sidrat-il-Muntaha, The Last Tree. This was the second time.
In the first scene, Gabriel was huge and powerful. Here, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I turned towards Gabriel and he was shaken and pale like an old rug.” The most powerful creature, and he was shaken, and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was stable. He stopped and turned to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). “Proceed, Muhammad, I swear by Allah, if I step one more step, I would burn.” And Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went further to a place that was never touched by a creature, and he continued. “I saw a huge tree whose leaves were like the ears of the elephant, and its fruits were like big jars. I continued towards the tree, and the light of Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) touches the tree” [Qur’an]

"I cannot describe what happened". In a hadith, “when it was covered with the light of Allah, the tree changed and it was surrounded with something like butterflies of gold". At that moment, the greatest moment in the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), which happened in the weakest point in his life, he talked directly with Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful).
Musa (as)- Kalimullah
Ibrahim (as)- Khalilullah
Muhammad (saw)- Kalimullah wa khalilullah

Muhammad saw the greatest miracle of Allah, that was enough for a sad heart.

Great events in the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) III

The Battle of Trench

He came back from the Ascension. He never felt weak after that, he had a strong heart, even when the Muslims were weak.

At the Battle of Ditch. 10,000 non-Muslim army: collected, guarded, Jews. They surrounded the Quraish. Madina was totally protected on all sides. Only the South East part, were Bani Quraidah, the Jews of the Madinah, where he had a treaty that the Jews would protect that side, and 1000 left with him. At that time, the Jews broke the treaty, during the war, and they were getting ready to attach from South East. The hypocrites ran away. Many of the believers, who had weak hearts also ran away. And Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was left with 300 men- that was a weak moment. What did he do? He prayed two prayers. He led the true believers in prayer.

Whenever you’re weak, don’t weep, go and pray.
If you’re weak, and depend on yourself, you’re very weak.
But If you’re weak, and depend on the strongest of all, you’re never weak.

After the prayer, he turned to his companions, “Thank Allah”, they said, “Alhamdulillah”. Thrice. “I swear by Allah, that there is no one on this earth willing to fight for Allah, except for you”

Are you willing to do this for the sake of Allah? To be amongst those who will not leave his faith, and continue to struggle? That is the message.

He ordered Hudhaifa, in the middle of the night to go and see what’s going on in the enemy’s army on a very cold and fearful night. Imagine the scene. A very dark and cold night. They can be attacked from any direction any moment. There was fear everywhere. They were facing 10,000 from Ahzab, and 700 Jews, and there were only 300 of them. Hudhaifa was once approached by the follower of the companions, At-Tabi’een. He was telling the people about the legacy of Muhammad (pbuh)- One of the attendees was so touched, and said, “You the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do enough for him. I swear by Allah, that if the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was amongst us, his feet would not touch the ground, we would carry him everywhere.”

Hudhaifa continued to speak, “It is easy to say. At the end of the battle, we were so cold and poor, I swear by Allah, I had nothing to wear because of poverty. The only thing I had was my wife’s dress that only reached my knees. And it was a fearful night, and we were shaking. It was so dark that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to talk and we could not see him, The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) told us ‘who among you is willing to cross the ditch?’ – Abu Bakr, Uthman, Umar, Ali, Zubair: nobdy moved. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated again, who would be willing to cross the ditch and see the enemy’s army, and I promise him Jannah?’. And he asked thrice, and he would guarantee him heavens, and no one moved.” The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

When fear touches the leader, everything is gone. He was the only fearless.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) moved. His foot touched my knee, and I drew back, fearing he would ask me to go. He asked, ‘Who is that?’ ‘I am Hudhaifa’ ‘Hudhaifa, get up, and go on the mission’

They are human. They were different. The real difference is, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) told ONE of them to stand, they had no hesitation. It is NOT that we’re not human, we will be oppressed, we will fear, we will be impoverished, endangered, but this great religion, will not be carried by those who will not obey when Muhammad says “Stand up”. The true legacy is not to talk about Muhammad. The true legacy is, despite being oppressed, sinning, desiring, bad leaders, we continue to be those who hold on to the legacy of Muhammad.

Hudhaifa left. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed unstoppably, until Hudhaifa came back and said, that the enemies were blown away by a wind so strong, only on their side, and they all ran away.

He continued to pray.
Three years later, the conquered Makkah, and spread all over Arabia.

Great events in the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) IV

The story of 'Adi

One of the Arab kings, ‘Adi, the son of Hatim-At-Taee, from the tribe of ‘Tai. The most generous person at that time, everyone used to talk about his generosity- Northern Arabia, close to the Romans. ‘Adi was very intelligent, he didn’t want to become Muslim, and instead of going into Islam, or preparing to fight, he did neither. He failed his people. He thought only about himself, and his family. Like many leaders today. He prepared for a journey- put wealth into containers, spies in the direction of Muslims, and said let me know when they come. When the Muslim armies reached, he took off with everything, and ran towards the Roman, and left his people helpless. They do nothing for their people, they care nothing for them. The Muslims took everyone prisoner, including ‘Adi’s sister. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would keep them in a camp, next to the Masjid. The Masjid was just a few pillars, covered with palm tree leaves, a very simple building. And the prisoners could see. And they saw everything for 3 days. Everytime the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the Masjid, ‘Adi’s sister would stand up, and said, ‘O Muhammad, be merciful on me’. ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am the daughter of Hatim-At-Taee’ ‘You’re the sister of ‘Adi, who ran away from the Prophet and Allah’. He didn’t say anything and went into prayer. This happened the next day as well. The third day, she had lost hope. Ali pointed at her, and she said the same thing again. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘your brother who ran away, if he had come to me, I would have treated him well. He is the son of Hatim’.

What does this mean? Because these people were dignified, the Muslims should have respect for them- we respect them, even if they’re dignified.

So he freed her, after letting her hear this.
She immediately went towards her brother. She forgave him, and told him the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He felt he had 2 choices- he could be from the Romans, who treated him as a follower. This is a message that many of our leaders do not understand. IF you put your alliances with other than your own people, then you’re a slave. The other choice is to go to Muhammad, who promised to treat him well.


‘Adi narrates
“I was not sure, is he a king? Or a Prophet? The best thing is to see him in real life, and then I can tell.’ So he went. After prayer the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) met him, treated him, and invited him over. Suddenly, there were no guards. We walked alone. He was my enemy, he took my people as prisoners. This is a Prophet, not a king’ On the way, an old lady said, ‘I wish to speak with you ya Rasulullah’ and she took him away by his hand. ‘Adi said, ‘He left me, for an old woman, powerless, me, the greatest king of Arabia’. This is not an act of a king. In front of Muhammad, they both were equal. She talked to him for a long time. I entered, there were no guards, or furniture. Only an old rug, that he used as a bed, a pillow, full of leaves, and a jar for water. That was it. So, I said to myself, this is not the house of a king. On of our leaders, sons, built a palace for $3 billion. There are people in his country are starving- That is the difference. Muhammad took the pillow and put it for me, and asked me to sit on it, and he sat on the bear floor. I tried to refuse, and he insisted. I sat down on the pillow, and Muhammad, sat on the bare floor. And I repeated the same words to myself. ‘Adi was a Christian, because of the effect of the Romans.
Muhammad asked a very strange question,

"Adi, are you not following the religion of Ar-Raqussia?" [In between Judaism and Christian, rare in those times, almost non-existent today].
I was shocked, who amongst the Arabs would know about Ar-Raqussia, and even more shocking, how could he know when my own wife and children did not know I secretly practiced it, and not Christianity?
I said, “yes”.
“Don’t you take from your people Al-Mirba’a tax?”
“yes”.
“’Adi, Isn’t it true that according to Ar-Raqussia, it is haram?”
At that moment, when I heard this question, about this strange religion, and I said the Shahadah.
Then the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked him a question that relates to him so much, that we’re going through, today.

“What delayed you from becoming a Muslim? Is it because you see Muslims as afraid, attacked from everywhere, fighting wars, oppressed?” Doesn’t it remind you of something going on today?
I was silent, because that was one of the reasons.
“’Adi, I swear by Allah, that if you long enough, you will see a woman traveling from Iraq to Makkah, without any protector.”
I said to myself: Impossible’, because the road to Makkah, from Iraq passes through Taee, and my people were criminals and thieves.
“ya ‘Adi, what delayed you from becoming a true believer? Is it because you have met Kisra, and Kaiser, the leaders of Persians and the Romans, and you say that no matter what Islam becomes, you do not want to lose that? I swear by Allah, that if you live long enough, you will see the White House, the palace of Kisra, in the hands of Muslims”
I said to myself, Impossible. How could Persia or Rome compare with Arabs?
“Is it because Muslims are poor? I swear by Allah, if you live long enough, you will see a man, with zakat not being able to find anyone to give it to”

‘Adi narrates, after the death of Muhammad (pbuh), Islam had reached Iraq. I saw a woman travel to hajj from Iraq safely, during my lifetime. I was among the army that conquered Persia, and I was among the army that entered the White House, and I’m waiting for the third sign.
But he died before that, and that third sign happened less than 100 years later, in the time of Umar bin Abdul ‘Aziz.

Great events in the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) V

Prophethood shall last among you as long as Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) wishes. And then, Allah will take it away.
Then, the Muslims will be lead by rulers, khalifah who will follow the path of the Prophet directly. And then Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) shall take it away.
Khilafa ‘ala minhaajin nubuwwa
Then, after that will come Kingdoms that will last long periods of time- Umayyads, Abbasids, Uthmani. It would last among you as long as Allah (The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) wishes. Then Allah (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) shall take it away.
Then will come leaders that will rule by force, dictatorship. We see that today.
Thumma khilafatan ‘ala minhaajin nubuwwa
Then, shall be followed by a rule that will be on the path of the Prophet.

[Mentioned in Musnad]

Dawn comes after the darkest part of the night.

Do 5 before sleeping

Once the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Ali(May Allah be pleased with him):

"Do five things before going to bed at night, that is,

1. Give 4000 dinars in charity
2. Read one entire Holy Quran
3. Fulfill the rights of Heaven
4. Reconcile between two people fighting, and
5. Perform one Hajj."

Ali said, "O Prophet of Allah, this is very difficult for me." The Prophet (pbuh) then said,

1. "Read Surah Fatiha 4 times, and you shall gain the reward of 4000 dinars in charity
2. Read Surah Ikhlaas thrice, and you will gain the reward of reciting a Quran
3. Recite Durood Shareef thrice, and you will gain the reward of Jannah
4. Recite Astaghfirullah (Rabbi min Qulli Zambin Wa Aatubu Ilaih) ten times, and you will gain the reward of making peace between two people fighting, and
5. Recite the third Kalima (Subhaanallahi Wal Humdu lillahi Wa Laa Ilaha Ilal laahi Allahu Akbar Wa Laa Hawla Wa laa Quwata Illa Bil laahil Aliyil Azeem) 4times and you will gain the reward of performing Hajj."

On hearing these words, Ali (radi Allahu anhu) said: "As from this day onwards, I will always follow this practice."

Yaqtin (Gourd)

Source: Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet, translated by Jalal Abual Rub

Yaqtin means gourd or pumpkin, although the word Yaqtin entails more meanings than these two. Yaqtin in Arabic entails every tree that does not have a stem, such as watermelon and cucumbers. Allah said:

و انبتنا عليهِ شجرةً مّن يقطين
"And We cause a plant of gourd to grow over him" [37:146]

The Yaqtin mentioned in the Qur'an is the pumpkin, which is also called Dubbaa or Qar'.

In the Sahihain it is narratedd by Anas bin Malki (ra) that a tailor once invited the Messenger of Allah (swt) to eat from some food that he made. so I (Anas) went with the Messenger of Allah (ra) and the tailor brought forth some bread made from barley and some soup that hd Dubbaa and dried meat. I saw the Messenger of Allah follow the traces of the Dubbaa all around the edge of the pot, which made me love Dubbaa ever since that day."

1. Yaqtin is a type of cold and wet plant and a light food that is easily digested. If the gourd was not spoiled in the stomach before being completely digested, it produces a good mixture in the stomach especially when one eats similar or compatible types of food with it. For example, making mustard and pumpkin produces bitter humor, while eating it with salt makes it salty and with constrictive substances makes it constipate. when it is cooked with Safarjal (quince), it will provide good nutrition for the body.
2. Gourd is light on the stomach, especially for those who do not suffer from phlegm or cold condition. The wetness contained in this plant helps ease thirst and headaches if one drinks its extract or washes his head with it. Also gourd soothes the stomach however one uses it, and is very beneficial for those who have hot temperaments.
3. Also when Yaqtin is kneaded with dough and baked in the oven and then its extract is mixed with some light drinks, it helps cool down fever, quenches the thirst and constitutes a good, nutritious food. If it as mixed with quince jam and Manna, it eliminates bile.
4. When pumpkin is cooked and its juice is mixed with some honey and Natron, it will cause phlegm and acid. If gourd was ground and then the head is bandaged with it, it will help ease the hot swellings in the cerebral.
5. When the gourd rinds are squeezed and the extract is mixed with rose oil and used as ear drops, it will help against hot tumors. Also its rind helps ease the swelling of hot eye infections and against gout.
6. When gourd finds some spoiled mixtures in the stomach, it also gets spoiled causing harmful mixtures in the stomach. In this case, one should treat this condition with vinegar and sour substances.

In general, it's one of the most lightest food and easily digested.

Memorizing the Qur'an

`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (SAW) said, "The one who was devoted to the Qur'an will be told on the Day of Resurrection: `Recite and ascend (in ranks) as you used to recite when you were in the world. Your rank will be at the last Ayah you recite.'''
[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

A Meeting With Allah...

Following death...

On the authority of Anas Bin Malik (ra) who related that the Messenger of Allah (swt) said:

"Weeping will be sent to the inhabitants of the Hellfire whereby they will be made to weep until their tears have been used up, then they will weep tears of blood until it (the blood) leaves trenches in their faces, and if ships were placed their in, they would sail."

Reported by Ibn Majah

Acting to be 'seen by men'

Abu Hurayrah records the Prophet as having exhorted his followers to seek refuge from the Pit of Grief. When asked what this Pit of Grief was, he said it was gorge in Hell from which Hell itself sought refuge four hundred times a day. The Prophet was then asked who would enter that Pit. "Those scholars who act to be seen by men", he replied.

(Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

On not neglecting one's household responsibilities

Abu Said recorded that an aggrieved woman came to the Prophet (pbuh) expecting him to support her against her husband. She said: 'Messenger of Allah (swt), my husband Safwan ibn al-Muattal beats me when I pray, and makes me break my fast when I keep fast, and he doesn't offer dawn prayer until the sun rises'.
He asked Safwan, who was present there, about what she said. He replied: 'Messenger of Allah, as for her statement 'he beats me when I pray', she recites two surahs and I have forbidden her' The Prophet (pbuh) said: If one surah is recited, that is sufficient'. Safwan continued: 'As regards her saying 'he makes me break my fast', she (will) keep fasting; I am a young man, I cannot withold myself'. The Prophet (pbuh) said on that day: 'A woman should not fast except with the permission of her husband.' Safwan said: ' As to her statement that I do not pray until the sun rises, we are a people belonging to a ( certain) class, and (our profession of supplying water) is already known about us. We do not awake until after sun-rise'. The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Offer your prayer when you awake'. (Abu Dawud 2453)
[Water carriers supplied people until almost the end of the night, and therefore found it impossible to rise for prayer before sunrise).