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True Story related to the Previous Post

The following true story of recent times proves that when one makes a firm resolution to keep away from all disobedience and strive courageously towards this end (Makes Mujaahadah) then Allah subhaanahu wata’ala will open doors to create ease.

A young professional man with a good, high salary position in a big company decided to refrain from shaking hands with women colleagues and having to be alone with them in meetings. He wrote a very polite letter to all the companies he had to deal with explaining that Islam had granted women a very high status whereby they were to be treated with respect. He explained that women in Islam were jewels which only the owners touched and were kept hidden from strangers. He explained that by refusing to shake hands with them he was in fact showing them respect. He also requested that if it was necessary for him to deal with female staff then in the future he would be grateful if it could be arranged for a third person to be present (and he made this request to his own company as well). He realised that there was a possibility of losing his job however he went ahead as he was determined not to disobey Allah subhaanahu wata’ala.

Due to his sincere and firm intention Allah subhaanahu wata’ala created a means through which ease was created for him to refrain from disobedience. His own company as well as the other companies took his request on board and now make arrangements for him not to be alone with a female for meetings.

Taken from a talk by Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (Hafizahullah)

» posted by ummi taalib on 3rd February 2012 - 0 comments

Do you wish to be Held by the Hand & Led on the Straight Path?

Would it not be wonderful if someone totally trustworthy held us by the hand and not just showed us the straight path, but led us to it and stayed with us all the way? Would it not be wonderful because there would be no chance of being led astray and if we did slip up we would immediately find a helping hand? Is this even possible? Read on and find out!

The answer lies in becoming the beloved of Allah subhaanahu wata’ala by attaining the quality of Ihsaan (to be constantly aware of Allah subhaanahu wata’ala) because a person with this awareness will follow every single command and refrain from all disobedience and if per chance a sin was committed he/she will immediately turn to Allah subhaanahu wata’ala in repentance. Now how does one attain this quality?

Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (Hafizahullaah) explains that the first step toward this goal is to make Mujaahadah (To strive against the base desires). To begin with one needs to make a firm resolution to make Mujaahadah and thereafter act upon it with courage.

Mujahadah is necessary when the heart inclines toward disobedience of Allah subhaanahu wata’ala i.e. when one desires to commit a sin like listening to music or when one feels disinclined to act on a command like performing the compulsory Salaah.

Once Mujaahadah against the base desires takes firm root then it will be said that one has attained the quality of Ihsaan and then it will be as if Allah subhaanahu wata’ala Himself takes the hand and leads one on the Siraatal Mustaqeem, the path leading to His closeness. He will open doors of ease on this path and the closeness will increase when after the compulsory worship is established, the optional worship is increased.

One will then become like the person mentioned in the Hadith,

“.....When a friend of Mine comes closer to Me, with a thing with which I love, out of things which I have prescribed; and when he seeks favour through optional prayers (Nawaafil) I start loving him and when I love him, I become his ear with which he hears and his eyes with which he sees and his hands with which he grasps and his foot with which he walks, and when he requests Me for anything I grant him and when he seek protection I give him protection”.

» posted by ummi taalib on 31st January 2012 - 0 comments

Caged Birds

Inda Malikin Muqtadir
From FususAlHikam's blog (very beneficial read)

We are like caged birds trapped in the cage of our senses. It is when we break these chains, break free from this prison, then we can truly be free. In order to break these chains you have to change your perspective. You have to leave behind what you think, hear, see etc. and you have to accept what Allah swt and His messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam say without any doubt and with full certainty as if you heard it and as if you saw it. I would go to the extent to say that suppose it was the middle of the day and the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam were to tell you that it is night time then you should respond by saying, "Yes it is a beautiful night, I can see the stars."

Whatever Allah swt and His messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam tell us is absolute truth regardless if it makes sense to us or not, regardless if we can see it or not, regardless if we can hear it or not, none of that matters - Allah swt and His messenger tell us something and thats it, its certainly true. So when we are in salaah and we recite the first ayah of Surah Fatiha, with certainty, from the Unseen a reply comes, "My servant has praised Me." In every rakaat in every salaah you have recited Surah Fatiha, but how many times have you heard this reply coming back to you? Every time. This should be our level of faith, our certainty in the words of the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Our ears lie to us but Allah swt and His messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam are truthful.

Many times in the discourses of Ulama we hear the various descriptions of heaven and hell that are found in the Quran and Hadith, the description of the grave and the trials of the grave and the description of the various stages of the hereafter, how should we approach them? All of those descriptions of heaven and hell, our faith should be as if we have seen them with the certainty of our eyes, as if we have smelled the fires of hell, as if we have smelled the fragrance of heaven. All of the descriptions of the grave and the various stages of the hereafter, our faith should be as if we have already seen them with the certainty of our eyesight, almost as if we can feel the touch of dirt on our body just from hearing and reading about the descriptions of the grave.

If you are going to leave from this world with anything, at least leave with this much - that Allah swt and His messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam are truthful beyond our comprehension and understanding, beyond our hearing, beyond our seeing, they are truthful beyond our senses. My understanding is deficient, my hearing is flawed, my eyesight is wrong, but what Allah swt and His messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam have told me is absolute truth - they have become my eyesight, they have become my hearing, they have become my understanding. What they told me is before me I am seeing. What they told me I am hearing. What they told me is what I understand.

» posted by ummi taalib on 18th December 2011 - 0 comments