What RasoolAllaah (saws) read or emphasized of the Qur’aan

From Way to the Qur’aan by Khurram Murad.

What the Rasoolullaah (salla Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) Particularly Read or Emphasized
There are certain Surahs or Ayahs of the Qur’an which, it is reported, the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, used to recite more often in particular Prayers or on specific occasions, or which he especially extolled by describing their excellent merits and special rewards. You should know them.

The Hadith given below are not meant to prove the superiority of one part of the Qur’an over another. Nor should you ignore the rest of the Qur’an and occupy yourself in reading and memorizing these at the expense of the rest. These selections are useful only because one cannot memorize and read everything every day and because one usually needs to habituate oneself to the reading of a definite portion regularly. What could be better than to follow the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, and hope for the rewards he has promised.

It is important to remember that the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, used to recite the whole of the Qur’an at least once in the month of Ramadan. He also recited long portions in the night-prayers, as much as Surah al-Baqarah and Al ‘Imran in one rak’ah.

What RasoolAllaah (salla Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) Recited in Various Prayers

In the Fajr Prayer

He used to recite Qaf (50) and similar Surahs, reports Jabir Ibn Samurah (Muslim).

He recited al-Waqi’ah (56) (Tirmidhi).

I heard him reciting al-Takwir (81), reports ‘Amr Ibn Hurayth (Muslim).

He recited, while in Makka, al-Mu’minun (23), until verse 45 or 50, reports Abdullah Ibn al-Sa’ib (Muslim).

He recited al-Kafirun (109) and al-Ikhlas (112), reports Abu Hurayrah (Muslim).

He recited al-Falaq (113) and al-Nas (114), reports ‘Uqbah Ibn ‘Amir (Ahmad, Abd Da’ud).

He recited verses from al-Baqarah (2: 136) and Al ‘Imran (3: 64), reports Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (Muslim).

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq is reported to have recited al-Baqarah (Muwatta’).

‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan very often used to recite Yusuf (12) (Muwatta’).

‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab recited Yusuf (12) and al-Hajj (22) (Muwatta’).

‘Umar wrote to Abu Musa to recite tiwal mufassal [from Surah Muhammad (47) to al-Buruj (85) (Tirmidhi).

The Prophet recited al-Kafirun (109) and al-Ikhlas (112) in the two rak'ahs before Fajr, reports Abu Hurayrah (Ibn Majah).

In the Fajr Prayer on Fridays

He recited al-Sajdah (32) in the first rak'ah, and al-Dahr (76) in the second, reports Abu Hurayrah (Bukhari, Muslim).

In the Zuhr and 'Asr Prayers

He used to recite al-Layl (92) and, according to another version, al-A'la (87), and similarly in 'Asr, reports Jabir Ibn Samurah (Muslim).

He used to recite al-Buruj (85) and al-Tariq (86) and similar Surahs, reports Jabir Ibn Samurah (Tirmidhi).

'Umar wrote to Abu Musa to recite awsat mufassal [from Surah al-Buruj (85) to al-Bayyinah (98)] (Tirmidhi).

In the Maghrib Prayer

I heard him reciting al-Mursalat (77), reports Umm al-Fadl (Bukhari, Muslim).

I heard him reciting al-Tur (52), reports Jubayr Ibn Mut’im (Bukhari, Muslim).

He used to recite al-Kafirun (109) and al-Ikhlas (112), reports Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (Ibn Majah), especially on Friday nights, reports Jabir Ibn Samurah (Sharh al-Sunnah).

He recited al-Dukhan (44), reports Abdullah Ibn ‘Utbah (Nasa’i).

He recited al-A’raf (7), reports Aishah (Nasa’i).

He recited al-Kafirun (109) and al-Ikhlas (112) in the two rak’ahs after Maghrib, reports Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Tirmidhi).

‘Umar wrote to Abu Musa to recite qisar mufassal [from Surah al-Bayyinah (98) to al-Nas (114)] (Tirmidhi).

In the ‘Isha’ Prayer

He instructed Mu’adh Ibn Jabal to recite al-Shams (91), al-Duha (93), al-Layl (92), and al-A’la (87); and not longer Surahs like al-Baqarah, reports Jabir (Bukhari, Muslim).

I heard him reciting al-Tin (95), reports al-Bara’ (Bukhari, Muslim).

May Allah give us the memory and the tawfeeq to become Hafiz e Quran. Ameen

THE IMPRINT………. AND THE BLUEPRINT

I am in the same place doing the same thing………..working on the blueprint from the imprint.

From a while ago……….
It is morning, after we have been up since before fajr. There are twelve of us at this retreat, one teacher and the rest students. Each one of us is a novice in her own way. The young women and some of the older woman have never done this before.

We woke up few hours before fajr, came to the prayer area, and started our tahajjud. Even though tahajjud is such an intensely personal prayer, somehow having the silent company of friends and daughters makes it comforting and soothing despite the early hour. Sleep is far away, as we learn from each other what to say in the long sajdah, the more experienced sharing with us the etiquette of prayer and communication with our Lord.

Soon it is time for Fajr, Sister H rises, and Sister N calls the iqama. All twelve of us fall in line silently and perfectly, adjusting our dress and our focus to connect with Him (SWT). For a split moment there is that feeling of intense anticipation and nervousness that one has before an important meeting. The desire to make sure everything is in order before we make the call to Him (SWT).

The evening before, Sister H explained how salaaat is a conversation with Allah so when we call with Alhamdollillah ………..He (SWT) answers. Thus as she begins the first rakaat, I notice that she pauses after each ayah. ……awaiting His (SWT) response. The surah read in the first rakat is long and her voice gives it a soft rhythm merging with the sound of the ocean, intensifying my desire to learn Quranic Arabic so that I could flow with the meaning.

After salaam, each one of us settles down for our morning adkaars. The sky is turning pink slowly as we ask Him for everything under the sky……….I always feel a little awkward doing this, asking Him for so much after such a short prayer, nevertheless it is a Sunnah so there is a reason for it if Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did it.
Some of the girls go out to walk on the beach. The sun begins to rise and we complete our duas and stand for Ishraaq.

After being up for Tahajjud, one thing is certain those two hours of sleep after Ishraaq is sweet.
After the short nap post Ishraaq, and breakfast, we move out onto the porch, which overlooks the ocean.

She opens the pages of Surah Nahl……..who would have thought that the essential message in part of Surah Nahl would be to organize your life…..the ants one of the worlds most organized creatures are detailed in here.
The second take home message in the Surah is that when we hear some news good or bad, confirm it, thus Suleyman (AS) sends the hudhud to confirm and bring back relevant information.
Thirdly, to think before acting and act with grace, this is illustrated best in the actions of Sulayman AS and Queen Sheba.

Finally, the concept of Shuraa (consultation) and non-violent resolution of problems, which is also, mentioned elsewhere in the Quran.

I have changed from the inside out, in these past few years. I have not changed my schedules at work and have not redefined my goals as I have been drifting, going where Allah SWT is taking me. It seems now that I need to make some changes in my life both at work and otherwise so that I can grow in my Deen and make my house in Akhirah………..so I am here to brainstorm myself with the Quran, tafseer and lots of khalwah and reflection.

Please make dua that I come to the right recipe for the rest of what is left of my time in dunya. The goal being jannah.

What is your recipe for your path to jannah and a house in Firdous?

DIVERSITY

How many school functions and youth functions have I sat through at the mosque over these twenty-four years, but as I settle down to this one, I soon realize that this is a special afternoon beyond my expectations.

Tafseer has ended and there are the usual announcements. The youth have won several trophies and medals in a Regional Conference on Diversity in Islam. The trophies are in almost every area they competed in. The parents are proud, the counselors are tired though happy and the youth are ready to present a vignette of what they did at the conference.

As they begin there is a noticeable difference from all other youth functions, the program flows seamlessly without excess talk and excess praise for any one group or individual. In the participants there is a melding of purpose, unison of spirit and a lack of inflated egos.

There appears to be a definition of goals irrespective and separate from the parents. This time the youth do not represent the offspring of their parents but their own individuality which melds with each other evolving into a larger youthful Ummah. One that seems to transcend the prejudices of their parents.

It is ironic and yet so appropriate that the tables of education are turned and the young are teaching the older generation something they lack. Yet they are doing it with grace and innocence.

She is invited to present her view on diversity. Sometimes there is spirituality in a person that reaches out and fills the room, and she has it. She emanates it quietly and unknowingly like a subtle fragrance, felt, inhaled but indefinable.

I am listening to her and I feel she is reaching out not only with the words that leave her lips but with her spirit. She is not appealing to me but asking Allah (SWT) to help her appeal on our behalf to Him (SWT).

We parents are wrapped up in our parochial biases and walled in by our geographical and language barriers. She puts us over these barriers, gently inviting us to glimpse for a brief moment the diversity in this world with the eyes of our Lord and Creator. She does not say it but the wordless question floats between the lines………..Would we shun diversity even though it is the Creation of our Lord?

The essence and breadth of what she is saying both in words and spirit is sinking into the audience, as there is complete silence. Her smiling face and serene eyes are not asking for our approval but conveying the message of her Lord, in a statement and a question. Diversity is God given. Can we parents override what divides us and unify under the umbrella of one Ummah?

The spell breaks as we go on to further announcements, the demonstration of the numerous trophies and medals, but the thought lingers on in the room………….Can we truly embrace diversity as a unification of the Ummah? Right here in this little congregation, which carries within it, the walls of cultural bias, language and old prejudices?

Can the colors of the Ummah mix on one palette to create the true muslim portrait as defined by Him (SWT)…..It is a gentle message, from a spiritual heart, ………….Can we?

SIRAAT –E- MUSTAQEEM: A GOAL 6:126-127

6:126 This is the way of thy Lord, leading straight: We have detailed the signs for those who receive admonition.
Wahatha siratu rabbika mustaqeeman qad fassalna alayati liqawmin yaththakkaroona
وَهَـذَا صِرَاطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِيمًا قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ (6:126)
6:127 For them will be a home of peace in the presence of their Lord: He will be their friend, because they practised (righteousness).
Lahum daru alssalami AAinda rabbihim wahuwa waliyyuhum bima kanoo yaAAmaloona
لَهُمْ دَارُ السَّلاَمِ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمْ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (6:127)

Tafseer:
This is the straight path of your Lord. What is this path? This path is the one that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has shown to all Mankind (The concept of tawheed is explained step-by-step in Surah Al Anaam and explained by personal example in the Hadith by Prophet Muhammad PBUH).

Allah SWT says, “We have shown you everything very openly and for those who follow this path there abode is Darussalam with your Rab as your friend”

Jannah has been called Darussalam; the home/ abode of peace, a sanctuary where there is no pain, no grief, no anxiety, and no tensions. It is a home provided by Allah SWT and close to Him (SWT), and with his closeness with that home comes His (SWT) friendship.

Home sweet home, home is where the heart is, but when we reach our home in dunya, there is a separate group of worries that assail us, in order to keep up the home in dunya there is more work to be done.

In Darussalam Allah makes a beautiful promise of peace, sakeena of heart and His closeness and friendship.
Following the path of Siraat e Mustaqeem takes us to Darusalaam the abode of Peace with Allah as our friend. What more can we ask for?
(Tafseer by Farhat Hashmi in Taleem ul Quran www.alhudapk.com)

I MUST BE DELIRIOUS………….

He is with me today. As I walk through the house completing my chores, settling down to Surah Kahf before Maghrib. He walks with me, his long wiry legs keeping me company by shortening their step as he used to. His expression is unfathomable but there is a feeling of patience and protectiveness in his whole demeanor.
Paul and Shireen are away and, I am remembering the evening he left us, It was quite similar, except the weather is different, and that he is with me.
At an intellectual level, I know I am hallucinating or am perhaps delirious, but at the spiritual level………I feel his presence as he walks with me emanating love and protection in his silent demeanor.
Did he not say the year before he died when were in the car going somewhere……”Mom you have me for the first twenty, I will have you for your last twenty” I guess he was not joking.

THE ONLY SIN I KNOW

If someone sits with me
And we talk about the Beloved

If I cannot give his heart comfort,
If I cannot make him feel better
About himself and this world,

Then Hafiz,
Quickly run to the mosque and pray—

For you have just committed
The only sin I know.

by Hafiz in ” I heard God laughing”

Dedicated to the readers of this blog, your comments tell me where your heart is ………so Keep the dialogue going. Who knows whose heart you may touch while passing through here.

A PRAYER FOR LIFE OR A PRAYER FOR DEATH…………

I am finishing Jumma prayer, the Haram is full and the courtyard is spilling over with worshippers, it is truly Jumma, everyone that could be here is here, subhanallah.
After the salaat, the funeral salaat is called, which I always participate in and marvel at the good fortune of the person whose salaat e janaaza is being read in the holiest place in the world.
After completing the prayer for the deceased, I walk on to the parapet walkway of the second floor to look for my husband. As I look down I see the four coffins and even though I had just prayed their salaat e janaaza, seeing the four simple coffins makes me singularly aware of the fine line between the open book of my amaal (actions) now in life and the closed book on my Ammal in the finality of death and the interminable waiting period for the Hereafter.
I am paralyzed by the sobriety of my awareness of the true connotations of what is before my eyes.

Funeral prayers always remind me of my son. I alway regret that I never prayed for a long life for my son, Often a thought would pass my mind that perhaps if I had prayed for a long life for him, maybe he would have had one. Perhaps if I had not let him drive long distance that afternoon he would have lived…..
Intellectually I know that the time of death is fixed and yet I often would agonize over what possibly could I have done to have a different outcome for my child?
One morning while I am reviewing Surah Al Imran during my breakfast tafseer with Farhat Hashmi, I come to an ayah that stops me in my tracks. I read it over and over again, with bated breath and then I feel a sense of finality come over me………it is His (SWT) answer to my agonizing thoughts. He SWT is taking pity on me and thus inadvertently I open the page that begins as such:
003.145 
YUSUFALI: Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed as by writing. If any do desire a reward in this life, we shall give it to him; and if any do desire a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give it to him. And swiftly shall We reward those that (serve us with) gratitude.

003.156 
YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! Be not like the Unbelievers, who say of their brethren, when they are traveling through the Earth or engaged in fighting: “If they had stayed with us, they would not have died, or been slain.” This that Allah may make it a cause of sighs and regrets in their hearts. It is Allah that gives Life and Death, and Allah sees well all that ye do.

003.185 
YUSUFALI: Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.

I have my answer. I miss him still! I may pray for life or pray for death, they are the two sides of the same curtain.

How do you envision death?

HOW TO INTERACT WITH ADVERSARIAL PEOPLE 6:112

6:112 Likewise did We make for every Messenger an enemy, – evil ones among men and jinn, inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of deception. If thy Lord had so planned, they would not have done it: so leave them and their inventions alone.

Wakathalika jaAAalna likulli nabiyyin AAaduwwan shayateena alinsi waaljinni yoohee baAAduhum ila baAAdin zukhrufa alqawli ghurooran walaw shaa rabbuka ma faAAaloohu fatharhum wama yaftaroona

وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نِبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ (6:112)
In our life we meet people who are adversarial in their attitude towards us that is not what this ayah is about. It is talking about people, who are adversarial to Allah SWTs message of Tawheed.
Allah SWT instructs Prophet Muhammad PBUH in this ayah that those people whose hearts are hardened and are not convinced of the Tawheed of Allah despite proofs in nature within and without, Allah has sealed their hearts. These people are the human Shaytans (Evil ones among men/humankind) who oppose everyone who has a clear heart and is struggling to get close to Allah. They use elaborate plans to delude the people who are trying to turn towards Allah’s message.
Allah’s SWT instructs our Prophet to leave these people and their plans alone.
In summary
1. Make the effort to polish your heart by daily reading, understanding and reflecting on the Quran. If one meets people who are consistently adversarial to the word of Allah and make fun of it, these are human shayateen, leave them, and their shenanigans alone.
2. If you hear of these human shayateen from another source, pray two rakaat nafil to ask for Allah’s protection from these human Shayateen (Hadith)

Those people who create all kinds of plans and devious methods to critic the inner faith of Tawheed and deceive innocent people by their circuitous methods and no matter what proof is presented, the truth does not affect them, these are people whose hearts are hardened and it is best to leave them alone.
(Excerpted from Farhat Hashmi’s tafseer of Taleem ul Quran)

My take on this : Prophet Muhammad PBUH was in Mecca and was surrounded by adversarial people of a diverse mix, i.e. there were people who had honest clear hearts but were unaware of Allah’s message, there were those who heard Allah message but not only opposed it with a vengeance but also plotted in devious ways to keep away the ones who were inclined towards Allah’s guidance, and then there were people in between.
Thus the two guidelines in the summary come from Alah SWT to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as well to all those who are trying at some level to give the message of Tawheed to our friends, family and community.

GOAL: Thus our goal is best to learn to identify human shayateen, and leave them alone, and seek Allah’s guidance and protection against them.
TIME: We have been allotted a finite time. Thus the message in this ayah is not to waste time with the hardened individuals who are embroiling you in an argument for argument sake and have no real desire to hear what you have to say.
ASSESSMENT: This is difficult to assess on the Internet versus face to face, but I think after the third exchange of emails it becomes quite apparent and that it is the time to continue or let go.
CAUTION: A word of caution: Please do not label people human shaytaan as we are human and there is the possibility of error and if you see a change in them toward Allah’s word and softening of the heart, then revise your attitude and behavior in light of the new findings.

Allah knows best.

Supplication: May Allah protect you and me from the human shayateen and may He (SWT) award you and me a Qalb-e- Saleem.

Old Fashioned Muslim Matchmaking Reemerges

By Lalomi Atwa

In the era of technology, Muslims are finding that the new doesn’t always beat the old . Muslims are flocking to Muslim matrimonial websites by the thousands if the websites’ membership claims are to be believed. The lure of the instant gratification of thousands of potential soul mates at one’s fingertips is more than most can resist.

However, many are turning away from this resource and to personal Muslim matchmaking services such as Islamic Introductions. Muslims frequenting matrimonial websites often find a repetitive format that is little more than a dating site, with shallow details, and limited privacy.

More and more Muslim families are beginning to gravitate toward the old ways of finding a spouse for their children by contacting agencies like Islamic Introductions. These types of agencies differentiate themselves by offering very personal levels of service and discretion. Clients are interviewed and are helped to discover what qualities they seek in a mate. It is often a process of self-discovery as most Muslims do not mix the sexes in their daily lives, so knowing what they desire in a mate beyond demographic specifications often takes a measure of self analysis.

One of the more disparaging features of the Muslim matrimonial websites is that they often force a person to focus only on the superficial aspects of their preferences in a mate. A person’s attractiveness, occupation, and income are usually the primary filtering criteria.

However, as Muslims, religious ideology and application to one’s life, personality, modesty, piety, and career goals are all important factors in a spouse search.

A professional Muslim matchmaker helps families and individuals to define these needs, and then introduces them only to singles who are viable candidates. After having exhausted technological resources, Muslims singles are beginning to revisit the old school ideas of nuance and personal involvement that are all a part of selecting a spouse.

For more information on Islamic Introductions, please contact them at admin@islamicintros.com, 1-888-279-7773, or www.islamicintros.com.

Picture courtesy of: http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/islam,marriage

CLIFTON…….AND MY FATHER

I am traveling in Syria and I fall asleep in the van. A habit or is it the blanket of security from my childhood.
I am in Karachi; my father has just come home from work. I am eagerly awaiting his unspoken words. Yaaay………we are off to Clifton. It has become a daily evening ritual, after Abijan returns from work.
I am in the back of the car, as he drives with the family towards Clifton, it seems we are going out of town, the buildings turn old and made with yellow brick. The sky is a painted beauty dressing this evening in its evening gown of many hues. It is a typical gorgeous sunset of Karachi that I take for granted. I am seven.
The beach with its dark sand and its glimmering silver within it is what holds me in its spell. I run down the steps of the domed building which is supposed to be somebody’s mazaar, I at seven cannot get down fast enough. There is no marine drive, no shops, no buildings, no lights, nothing, just the park, the black beach and the moonlit sky.
Once I get down the seven levels of steps and gardens from the domed mazaar, there is the home stretch…….Rayri walaas are selling kaudis (shells) to play games with, that is not my interest either except for a fleeting moment.
I am at the waters edge the black gooey sand squelching through my toes, heaven above and heaven under my feet. I am seven, my needs and desires are simple: the soft gooey sand in my toes, my parents and my sib near by, and the watchful but uncritical eye of my father on me.
I skip around in the sand, both wet and dry, clean, and black. The night falls and the moon is now in full majesty helping me pick up the shimmer of silver in the sand……

Clifton, every evening after work…..my father and I and the others too, but on these jaunts it was he and I connecting to each other and to Him (SWT) with unsaid words. Just a feeling of security and benevolent love from him, my father and from Him (SWT) my Creator.
I never remember the journey back home as I would fall asleep in the car……and as a passenger I still do.

Supplication for my father: May Allah forgive his sins and give him his final rest in jannat al Firdous.

What do you remember about your father?

Pictures courtesy of BS ( A voice from the past)