WHAT IS THE PEAK OF TAQWA?

Courtesy HY:

‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz used to say:

“None can reach the state of taqwa until he possesses
neither actions nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment,
either in this World or the Hereafter.”

~~~

HOW TO TELL IF ALLAH IS IN YOUR HEART?

Whenever a naimah (a blessing) comes to me, I am reminded of Allah in my heart, that is Tawheed. (The active affirmation of the Oneness of God)

Whenever something bad happens to me and I say “Why me”” then I need to look as to where is Allah in my heart?

Excerpted from the Khutba on “Fitna” by Sister H in South Africa Jan 09

WHAT IS THE PRE REQUISITE FOR ENTERING MECCA AND THE KAABA……9:28

يَـأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا ٱلمُشرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلَا يَقرَبُواْ ٱلمَسجِدَ ٱلحَرَامَ بَعدَ عَامِهِم هَـذَا وَإِن خِفتُم عَيلَةً فَسَوفَ يُغنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضلِهِ إِن شَآءَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَيمٌ (٢٨

English translation (Quran Explorer):  O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near the Inviolable Place of Worship after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise.

9:28 translation by YUSUFALI: O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.

Tafseer by FH:Tawbah 9:28:

In these ayahs as was also noted in the declaration of “Al Barah” in the beginning of Surah Tawbah, Allah Subhanawataala states that after this Hajj and Ummrah of the 9th Hijri mushriks (those who worship other deities than God) are Najas i.e. impure, inside and outside.

Thus they were forbidden from the Kaaba, and Mecca and both these places were designated a place of worship for people who declared the Unity of God and declared Prophet Muhammad to be the Rasool and servant of Allah.

Thus people purified in mind and body were given permission to live and worship in Mecca, all Mushriqs whose who deny Tawheed and that Muhammad PBUH is God s Rassool could no longer enter the precincts of Mecca and the Kaaba.

Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Pakistan

Does this order extend to all mosques? And the answer is no.

what is the proof of this?:

The proof that non-Muslims are allowed in general mosques is evident by the Sunnah, i.e. the actions of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. He allowed non-Muslims including mushriqeen in the mosques for a purpose.

The most famous episode is about the famous chieftain of the Arabs, who had killed many sahabas and was captured and kept in the mosque for three days. He was treated well by Prophet Muhammad and each day was given the invitation to Islam and he declined, he was then released, he went to a nearby oasis, bathed, cleansed himself and came back and declared shahada and embraced Islam publicly to the chagrin of the non-believers.

Often Non Muslims would come to Rasool Allah to ask questions about the Deen and these meetings were held in the mosque.

DO YOU DO DAWAH WITH NON MUSLIMS IN THE MASJID?

Emaan Billah: ILM

What is the relationship of learning ILM and emaan?

AM I commuting in search of ILM?

Am I learning about Allah's creation without harming them?

Have I memorized the Duas from the Quran and duas of our Prophet PBUH?

Do I listen, study and reflect on the Juma Khutbas?

Do I drink from the fountain of ILM or elsewhere?

Am I in class, in mind or body?

Am I on the path of seeking ILM even if it is rough?

Am I straying from the Sunnah?

…………..and how does ILM disappear?

HADITH

Volume 1, Book 3, Number 100:

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al’ As:

I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray.”

Dua: May Allah SWT give me good memory, healthy cognition and the ability to know the difference between ILM from wasteful irrelevant knowledge.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES AND MORE EXCUSES……………6:148

(Houses of Ad courtesy HY)
6:148 Those who give partners (to Allah. will say: “If Allah had wished, we should not have given partners to Him nor would our fathers; nor should we have had any taboos.” So did their ancestors argue falsely, until they tasted of Our wrath. Say: “Have ye any (certain) knowledge? If so, produce it before us. Ye follow nothing but conjecture: ye do nothing but lie.”

Sayaqoolu allatheena ashrakoo law shaa Allahu ma ashrakna wala abaona wala harramna min shayin kathalika kaththaba allatheena min qablihim hatta thaqoo basana qul hal AAindakum min AAilmin fatukhrijoohu lana in tattabiAAoona illa alththanna wain antum illa takhrusoona

سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ لَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلاَ آبَاؤُنَا وَلاَ حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَيْءٍ كَذَلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِم حَتَّى ذَاقُواْ بَأْسَنَا قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلاَّ الظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إَلاَّ تَخْرُصُون

TAFSEER (Farhat Hashmi alhudak.com)

Soon the day will come i.e. The Day of Judgment, when those who did Shirk they will say if Allah wanted we would not have worshipped anyone other then him, we would not have committed shirk (believing that Allah has partners), nor would have our ancestors.

This excuse has been mentioned in other ayahs of the Quran

Surah Nahl: 35:
016.035: The worshippers of false gods say: “If Allah had so willed, we should not have worshipped aught but Him – neither we nor our fathers,- nor should we have prescribed prohibitions other than His.” So did those who went before them. But what is the mission of messengers but to preach the Clear Message?

043.020 
YUSUFALI: (“Ah!”) they say, “If it had been the will of (Allah) Most Gracious, we should not have worshipped such (deities)!” Of that they have no knowledge! They do nothing but lie!

Surah Al Anaam: If Allah wanted He would have had us follow al Huda. (The truth)

Surah Yunus 99: 010.099 
YUSUFALI: If it had been thy Lord’s will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! Wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!

These are all excuses that will be put forward by Mushriks on the Day of Judgment, knowing full well that Allah SWT sent His Messengers with the Message with all the proofs to them to believe in One God (Tawheed).

Example: Sometime we leave late for an appointment and there is traffic on the way, when we explain our being late we give the excuse of the traffic instead of mentioning that we set out late, thus not taking responsibility of ones actions.

The truth eventually comes out if not now then in the end.

If we post the responsibility of our mistake on someone else we can never improve our self and correct our mistake.

However if we continue to put the responsibility of our mistakes on others or Allah then we will never be able to correct our mistakes and change the course of events.

In addition since we do not acknowledge our mistake the gates of tauba cannot be opened as the first prerequisite for tauba is to acknowledge our mistakes or misbehaviors and take responsibility for it.

There is no compulsion in religion, in avoiding sin and no compulsion in following the true path of righteousness. All the pros and cons of each are given in great detail in the Al Huda (The Quran). Human beings are given the status to have freedom of choice. Use your freedom of choice and use your intellect, thus is your test to see if you can use your intellect and choose what is good for you.

Lessons that I learned from this ayah in context with the previous two and next two ayahs:
1. Stay away from those who do not believe in the Day of Judgment.
2. Be Accountable for our actions to Allah (SWT) (as this will checked on the Day of Judgment) and thus use this guideline to modify our behavior.
3. Take responsibility for our actions.
4. Acknowledge our mistakes, and ask for tauba (repentance)
5. When exercising the freedom of choice that Allah SWT has awarded us in this dunya: choose the truth and stay away from lies.
6. To actively avoid the disobedience of Allah even if we are the only one left in the middle of a majority that is being disobedient.
7. To study and remember all the proofs and daleels of Tawheed from the words of Allah (The Quran) and to share them with others.
8. To remember and understand and instill within us the assurance from Allah that He (SWT) has only forbidden those things on us that are harmful for us. He (SWT) loves us and knows what is best for us.

9. To view the ruins of the past particularly those civilizations whose destruction was from the disobedience of Allah such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Ad and Thamud and remind ourselves and others of Tawheed.

(The picture is the Temple of Bel in Palmyra)

10. To remember the outcome of those who attribute partners to Allah. Their destruction and punishment may sometimes be visible in this world and sometimes not.

What scenarios prompt you to make excuses?

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.

WHO CAN A PERSON CALL IN DISTRESS? 6:40-41

Prophet Muhammad SAW is being commanded in these ayahs to address the idolaters and defier of the faith and those who deny the message:
My note: These are instructions to our Prophet, while he is faced with his own family and friends who are well to do and argue with him about the existence of one God. However the Arabs in those days were widely traveled and had seen the destroyed nations all over the middle east and even further, and thus knew that previous nations had been destroyed by the disobedience of God and somewhere in the center of their hearts they knew that Prophet Muhammad PBUH was speaking the truth about worshipping only one God.
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN LIFESTYLE
Thus Allah SWT commands our Prophet PBUH, beginning with “Say!” and then he gives him the words to bring understanding to these people who were so well ensconced in their way of life, even if it is to their detriment, that any threat to it was met with violent force.
Allah SWT is commanding Prophet Muhammad PBUH to say…….tell them, say to them:
“Wake up! ” Think! …if Allah’s azaab (wrath) comes , in this world (personal or natural disaster) or the HOUR, (The Day of Judgment) You will not call any other than Allah if you are included in the truthful. (Sadiqueen). It is actually a statement of fact.
IN TIMES OF DISTRESS…….
Even the kaafirs, people who have been committing shirk in the event of a huge disaster, turn and call to Allah.
Allah SWT reminds: Think about it ……then at this time will you will continue to do the wrong things you are doing, No you will call for Allah and then He will take away the disaster and you will forget your idols
Tawheed is in the fitrah of every human, thus when a major disaster falls on them at that time his tawheed rises and he calls out to God, forgetting all the smaller Gods that he has been committing shirk with.
At times of difficulties whether minor or major, we should call for Allah and no one else, Sometimes even muslims call for saints, other messengers of Allah and relative of RasoolAllah, and that is completely forbidden and comes under shirk.
Allah also listens to the idol worshipers if he wants to, thus a dua of the oppressed has no impediment in rising to The Lord, and He listens and helps. If He wants
Allah also listens to the call of the restless, and his Rahma is more than his Ghadab.
DO NOT BE DESPONDENT OF THE MERCY OF ALLAH (this is the translation of a supplication from the Quran: La taknatu mer rahmatullah (repeat on the rosary/Tasbeeh in times of distress)
Allah has Rahmat- e- Aam, (Mercy for All) whether one is kaafir or momim, one should never say I am too sinful so Allah will not listen to my dua, when Allah listens to the dua of the oppressed even if he is a kaafir, then a muslim who has even done terrible sins should not be despondent of the mercy of Allah
The waswasa (whisperings) from Shaitan are that the sinful should remain despondent of the mercy of Allah. Thus whether one is faced with a small challenge or a huge disaster one should ‘ruju’ (call upon, get help) this to Allah. (Tafseer by FH)

6:40 Say: “Think ye to yourselves, if there come upon you the wrath of Allah, or the Hour (that ye dread), would ye then call upon other than Allah.- (reply) if ye are truthful!

Qul araaytakum in atakum AAathabu Allahi aw atatkumu alssaAAatu aghayra Allahi tadAAoona in kuntum sadiqeena

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُكُم إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ السَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ اللّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (6:40)

6:41 “Nay,- On Him would ye call, and if it be His will, He would remove (the distress) which occasioned your call upon Him, and ye would forget (the false gods) which ye join with Him!”

Bal iyyahu tadAAoona fayakshifu ma tadAAoona ilayhi in shaa watansawna ma tushrikoona

بَلْ إِيَّاهُ تَدْعُونَ فَيَكْشِفُ مَا تَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِنْ شَاء وَتَنسَوْنَ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ

(6:41)

My observation on where I live: This brings to mind the episode of 911 in the US; it was the first time that this generation of Americans had personally experienced a disaster on their own soil in which every person was affected. Two things happened: It put the fear of God in them and all the worshipping centers of every faith were full of people every day and second all the copies of the Quran were sold out from every bookstore all over the United States.

What do you do in distress? Please share your steps.

OUR TESTIMONY TO ALLAH

All the generations to come from Adam (AS) have borne witness to the following:

007.172 
 When thy Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?”- They said: “Yea! We do testify!” (This), lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment: “Of this we were never mindful”

What helps you to follow your testimony to Allah? 

EVIDENCE OF TAWHID FOR THE FINITE INTELLECT: 6:65

Introduction: Allah SWT in this ayah appeals to the intellect, understanding and deductive capabilities of the human mind. He shows evidence of the types of punishments sent as calamities by the All Powerful, both  in the past as well as in the time of our Prophet and some are illustrated in the present times.  He (SWT) refers to these calamities as examples of  punishment of a nation of people that were disobedient to Him (SWT), and  ignored the  warnings of His(SWT) messengers. He gives examples of two major categories of calamities, those without (in nature) and those within (the human society) he reminds us that these calamities from Allah.

6:65 Say: “He hath power to send calamities on you, from above and below, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, giving you a taste of mutual vengeance – each from the other.” See how We explain the signs by various (symbols); that they may understand.

Qul huwa alqadiru AAala an yabAAatha AAalaykum AAathaban min fawqikum aw min tahti arjulikum aw yalbisakum shiyaAAan wayutheeqa baAAdakum basa baAAdin onthur kayfa nusarrifu alayati laAAallahum yafqahoona

قُلْ هُوَ الْقَادِرُ عَلَى أَن يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ

شِيَعاً وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُم بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَفْقَهُونَ (6:65)

Allah mentions two types of calamities:

1. Calamities from above and below (from the sky and earth)Examples are of Human civilizations destroyed by the wind (Ad), by thunder (Thamud), by earthquake (Qaroon), and nowadays hurricanes, tsunami, volcano, drought, landslides, salinity etc.

2. Calamities from within (inside human society) oppression of people above you (your parents, bosses, rulers, etc) or those who are under you (your children, your subordinates etc)Allah can mix you up in the form of divided groups, with bad feelings about each other, or give you the taste of one groups vengeance on the other.

In this ayah Allah is providing fiqh (daleel and understanding with proof and reasons, increasing the depth of understanding) to enhance the understanding of where are these calamities coming from and who has power over them.

Allah is bringing these reasons so that people can change their behavior and actions, so as to prevent the calamity of infighting.

The second type of calamity i.e. the calamity of groups or sects fighting with each other and wreaking vengeance over each other is more insidious and can make life a model of hell on earth.Since it is insidious and sneaks into society gradually, as a muslim we are alerted and warned about it in this ayah.

These examples illustrate the supremacy of Allah, and He enhances our understanding of His power by using examples that our finite intellect can understand and thus He (SWT) prompts us to change our mode of behavior.

The ayah while reminding us of the supremacy of Allah is also a sober reminder that these calamities sent to us as a group of people, and which touch us enmasse from above, below and within are a punishment from Him. (Tafseer from Farhat Hashmi and The Retreat)

My take on this: Allah SWT is appealing to our intellect, He gives us both historical examples: the ruins of Ad, Thamud and Qaroon are in front of us, the infighting amongst the muslims sects and groups are in front of us…Are we to look at these as happenstances or as punishment being meted out to the disobedient abd.

If the infighting is not a major scale in my area does that mean that the punishment is not for me?

The Punishment is not always geographically pure as the muslim Ummah is widespread. In my humble view when a punishment in the form of infighting comes within a group, it is both from the sins of commission i.e. the infighting as well as the sins of omission i.e. not modeling our behavior on our Prophet PBUH to prevent such behavior that leads to this calamity.

The appeal is to our intellect and understanding: would we accept Him as our true Almighty and refrain from, stay away and avoid all that He forbids, and quit giving priority to the created over the Creator? (A form of shirk)

I am reminded why this is the Surah of Tawheed!

It is emotionally exhausting to review this ayah as it takes me on a roller coaster of events and outcomes, and yet as It unfolds, the reasons for conflict in the world at this time fall in place.

Despite the sobering message, on competion of the review, I feel energized to do my part however small and insignificant it may be in this huge world, and make up for my past ignorance of this ayah and surah as a whole. Perhaps I am one of the missing pieces in the global picture of Tawheed. Are you?

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his infinite gentleness and mercy to mankind made a dua for protection from the calamities of Allah over His Ummah. (1400 plus years ago he was looking out for us):

At the Masjid e Ijaba (8 miles from Jannat al Baqi) he prayed two rakat and made three duas two were accepted and one was turned away:

They are as follows and I paraphrase:

1. Don’t send a calamity that would bury my Ummah in the ground (Azaab from below) (this dua was accepted)

2. Don’t allow a ruler that would be an enemy of our deen to exterminate our deen. (Azaab from above) (This dua was accepted)

3. Don’t let my Ummah fight with each other (Azaab within) (turned away). (end tafseer).

My take on this: people are responsible for their own actions and they have to make the concerted effort to demonstrate that they are able and desirous to recognize the truth, accept it and subjugate their ego to fulfill the rights of the other, based on the truth and their obedience to Allah.

We have to respect each other’s superficial differences.We need to enhance the good in oneself and others and discourage the bad in us and cover or provide satar (hide) the bad in a fellow muslim.. Only then can the fitna of dissent and dislike be prevented from spreading.

Some people misunderstand this and think it is disallowed for muslims to organize and have groups. I think here by groups is meant groups where arrogance is the basis of the niyyah and the intent is exclusion rather than inclusion of muslims, and the purpose is agrandizement of one group over an other rather than the agrandizement of Allah SWT and His absolute power.

Tafseer: This is a severe test. Thus we need to stay away from those acts that enhance division within the muslims. Most fights between people are due to their ego raising its head or the nafs. If one ignores, hides or does not acknowledge the truth in all humility, the nafs strengthens. The stronger the nafs the more it hardens the heart and the further one gets from true tawhid.

My comment: one amazing aspect of this tafseer is something that FH says in the end and that is that Iblis was a very pious creature, he never failed in his ibadah of Allah, and yet when his nafs was challenged to bow in front of a creature that he considered inferior, he refused….. even Allah!It is scary to think how often our anaa or nafs has interfered in our interpersonal relationships and how powerful and blinding the nafs can be, if allowed to run rampant

(How to control and discipline the nafs so that it is always in obedience to Allah is beautifully explained in the soothing voice of Sheikh Mokhtar Magroubi)

Dua: O Allah save me from the evil of my nafs.
Supplication:اللّهُـمَّ عالِـمَ الغَـيْبِ وَالشّـهادَةِ فاطِـرَ السّماواتِ وَالأرْضِ رَبَّ كـلِّ شَـيءٍ وَمَليـكَه، أَشْهَـدُ أَنْ لا إِلـهَ إِلاّ أَنْت، أَعـوذُ بِكَ مِن شَـرِّ نَفْسـي وَمِن شَـرِّ الشَّيْـطانِ وَشِـرْكِه، وَأَنْ أَقْتَـرِفَ عَلـى نَفْسـي سُوءاً أَوْ أَجُـرَّهُ إِلـى مُسْـلِم .

“Allaahumma ‘aalimal-ghaybi wash-shahaadah, faatiras-samaawaati wal-’ard, rabba kulli shay’iw-wa maleekah, ash-hadu allaa-ilaaha illaa ant, a‘oodhu bika min sharri nafsee wa min sharrish-shaytaani wa shirkih, wa’an aqtarifa ‘alaa nafsee soo’aa, aw ajorrahu ilaa muslim.”

“Ô Allah, Knower of the world of the unseen, and the world manifest, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Lord and sovereign of all things, I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except You. I take refuge in You from the evil of my own nafs and from the evil and shirk of the shaytaan, and from committing wrong against my nafs or bringing such upon another Muslim.”

Rasoolullaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Say, if you have entered upon the morning or have entered upon the evening…Say it when you enter upon the morning, and when you enter upon the evening, and when you have taken to your place of sleep.”

HOW DO YOU CONTROL YOUR NAFS?

Are you one of the missing pieces of the global picture of tawheed?

ALLAH (SWT) DESCRIBES HIMSELF 6:59

I am back at the retreat. It is thundering outside as if to emphasize the impact of this ayah on us. The imagery and power of this ayah is having its affect on all the women who are listening in complete silence. All I can hear is the gentle voice of Sister H reciting and explaining this ayah punctuated by the sound of thunder and rain on the roof. My head and my heart are in Mecca.

Surah Al Anaam was delivered to RasoolAllah (PBUH) by 70,000 angels, and this ayah alone was delivered by 12,000 angels. The scene is in my head and I can understand why the she -camel on which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sitting, was shaking with its weight and perhaps its magnificience.. (Tafheem ul Quran)

6:59 With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read).
WaAAindahu mafatihu alghaybi la yaAAlamuha illa huwa wayaAAlamu ma fee albarri waalbahri wama tasqutu min waraqatin illa yaAAlamuha wala habbatin fee thulumati alardi wala ratbin wala yabisin illa fee kitabin mubeenin
وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا إِلاَّ هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلاَّ يَعْلَمُهَا وَلاَ حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الأَرْضِ وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (6:59)
Tafseer from the retreat:
The picture revealed in this ayah is mind-boggling, it stretches in time and space, across the visible and invisible, across the known and the ghaib (unknown), even imagining it exhausts the human mind. It is absolute perfection!
It tells us who is the author of the Quran without a doubt. No being in the universe is capable of even one millionth of these powers.
Something as insignificant and silent, as a leaf falling somewhere is known to him! Everything moist inside or outside a cell is known to Him, everything dry, anywhere is in His knowledge!

The sovereign of the Universe has everything recorded in a clear book. He has an inventory of everything in the Universe, and knows when even one atom changes position.
My take on this: It brings me comfort to know that He (SWT) is taking care of everything, everywhere and that He (SWT) will also take care of me and that I am not an insignificant ignored member of this Universe.

What are the keys of the unseen?……….to be continued.

Supplication from my Khalaji on leaving the house: Allah day Hawalay (I send you in Allah’s protection)

Do you feel loved and protected by Allah?