tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23727601095784018702024-02-07T03:19:53.337-08:00" MinD DimensioN "MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-43211297528150557402010-12-03T22:34:00.000-08:002010-12-03T22:35:44.278-08:00Bountiful Mercy and BlessingsIn the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #3d85c6; text-align: center;"><a href="http://naqvibrothers.net/pic_gallery/TawafRush.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://naqvibrothers.net/pic_gallery/TawafRush.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><i style="color: #3d85c6;">Vibrant... Makkah, a city that never sleep</i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">s</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">~pic from naqvibrothers.net</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Bountiful Mercy and Blessings </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
His Guests...</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Converge from All Over </div><div style="text-align: center;">Zikrullah in Oblivion</div><div style="text-align: center;">A Nebulous Ring from Above </div><div style="text-align: center;">Vividly Vibrant</div><div style="text-align: center;">Relentless </div><div style="text-align: center;">Circumambulating the Kaabah</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
A Single Purpose</div><div style="text-align: center;">Seeking Earnestly... </div><div style="text-align: center;">Redha from Allah AlMighty</div><div style="text-align: center;">Forgiveness, Guidance and Barakah </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Awed by His Majesty</div><div style="text-align: center;">Overwhelmed by Humility </div><div style="text-align: center;">Prostrating for Forgiveness</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Realizing.. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Bountiful Mercy and Blessings</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Gifts of Life</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahuakbar</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
---</div><div style="text-align: center;">~ AdiSufi~</div><div style="color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></i></div><div style="color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i><span class="English" id="fon34" style="font-size: small;"><span id="mspan34">"... if ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it ..."</span></span></i></div><div style="color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span class="English" id="fon34" style="font-size: small;"><span id="mspan34">[Surah Ibrahim, 14: 34]</span></span></div>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-21453392069155846442010-09-17T23:55:00.000-07:002010-12-03T22:25:49.337-08:00A Pinch of RealityIn the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q26/Synchestra_photos/Universe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q26/Synchestra_photos/Universe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Open your eyes.. your heart.. your mind..</span> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>~ pic from photobucket.com</i></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>A Pinch of Reality</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When I Was Small, I Wondered...</div><div style="text-align: center;">How Beautiful the Stars Were in the Sky</div><div style="text-align: center;">How Far They Were</div><div style="text-align: center;">Who Controlled Them</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">When I Am Big, I Realise...</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Massiveness of the Universe </div><div style="text-align: center;">The Millions of Stars in It...<br />
Each, a Sun Like Ours </div><div style="text-align: center;">The Expanse of His Dominion<br />
The Minisculity of Our Existence </div><div style="text-align: center;">The Greatness of Allah the Almighty</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Subhanallah. Alhamdulillah. Allahuakbar</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;">A Sketch From the Heart.</div><div style="text-align: center;">AdiSufi</div>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-20126397704873474522010-06-14T11:01:00.000-07:002010-06-16T04:22:05.862-07:00Solah is For Me & YouIn the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7imv_4if2Ag6g9fOehsDflvDbzRuzE0qXhh4s55ZnJWv8JgFip2QR9PCjnLicUkNXL8m6N2gA_HbFi4UQL5jxd6l2XfGLAA5u54V48P7cFim5_oJ8RVQJErdPyVX9jpPLTLNRmQwt-I4/s1600/sujud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7imv_4if2Ag6g9fOehsDflvDbzRuzE0qXhh4s55ZnJWv8JgFip2QR9PCjnLicUkNXL8m6N2gA_HbFi4UQL5jxd6l2XfGLAA5u54V48P7cFim5_oJ8RVQJErdPyVX9jpPLTLNRmQwt-I4/s400/sujud.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Solah is For Me & You</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Look at the Bees</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b>Look at the Blooming Flowers</div><div style="text-align: center;">Look at the Human Body</div><div style="text-align: center;">Look at the Mountains, Lakes and Seas.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Beautiful and Intricate as They Are</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Each, A testament of His Existence & Mercy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Solah to Allah...</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank Him for His Mercy & Blessings</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh Allah...</div><div style="text-align: center;">Solah is Food for My Soul</div><div style="text-align: center;">In It, I Attain Tranquility in My Heart</div><div style="text-align: center;">For Without It, I Will Die of Misguidance.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Solah is For Me...</div><div style="text-align: center;">As With Other Things Which Are Obligatory</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank You for Your Mercy & Blessings</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">SubhanAllah. Alhamdulillah. Allahuakbar</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---</div><div style="text-align: center;">A Sketch From Within The Heart,</div><div style="text-align: center;">AdiSufi</div>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-54881674397700610772010-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:002010-05-25T18:11:50.261-07:00Why On Earth Am I Here?<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful~</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7yZi_fHL7lqcRFNJ9Bb9YkbyIxfeXA_w7aLDEYngDKuoMZFCgI1r0Y2DbYL2SNOFsCkp6ZUhgJHlRUnKyOvORrLpes0S6hO3TvQJFD8snOfwjVYaxactkUabLd4g24OTcPHwQ_iYbcUW/s1600/15026_412687660836_254361380836_5813875_6837537_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464796175496318994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7yZi_fHL7lqcRFNJ9Bb9YkbyIxfeXA_w7aLDEYngDKuoMZFCgI1r0Y2DbYL2SNOFsCkp6ZUhgJHlRUnKyOvORrLpes0S6hO3TvQJFD8snOfwjVYaxactkUabLd4g24OTcPHwQ_iYbcUW/s320/15026_412687660836_254361380836_5813875_6837537_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><span style="color: maroon; font-family: verdana; font-size: 180%;"><b>The Purpose of Life </b></span></div><div align="center" style="color: #009900;">By Khaled Yaseen<br />
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<tr><td><div align="left"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: cyan;">Brief</span><span style="color: cyan;"> Description :</span></span><span style="color: cyan;">Khalid Yaseen delivered this lecture in Saudi Arabia in 1994, which resulted in 43 persons accepting Islam on that very night. </span></div></div><div style="color: cyan;">Khalid Yaseen embraced Islam in 1965 and is currently the Director of the Islamic Teaching Institute in the USA. He specializes in a variety of topics and areas including: Youth, Islamic History, Culture, community development and Dawah work. He has lectured in a variety of places and locations both nationally and internationally and has been the means by which a large number of non-Muslims have reverted to Islam.</div></td> </tr>
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<div align="center" style="color: white;"><div dir="ltr"></div></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Extracts from the lecture:</span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I am honored to have this opportunity and I would like to begin by saying that all of you have an equal responsibility. That responsibility is to listen with an open he</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">art and an open mind. In a world filled with prejudice and cultural conditioning, it is very hard to be able to find people to take a moment to think about life objectively and try to arrive at the truth about this world and the real purpose of our lives. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Unfortunately, when you ask most people the question: "<b>What is the purpose of life</b>?" (such a fundamental and important question), they will not tell you what they have concluded through observation or analytical reasoning. Rather, in most cases, they will simply tell you what someone else said, or they will tell you what is "commonly presumed" by others, i.e., What my father said purpose of life is, what the minister of my churc</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">h said the purpose of life is, what my teacher in school said, what my friend said, etc. If I ask anyone about the purpose of eating or why do we eat, everyone will say [in one word or another] that it is for nutritional purposes, because nutrition sustains life. If I ask anyone why they work, they will say because it's a necessity in order to support themselves and to provide for the needs of their families. If I ask anyone why they sleep, why they wash, why they dress, etc., they will answer with appropriate answers, for these are common necessities for all human beings. We can follow this line of questioning with a hundred questions and receive the same or similar answers from anyone in any language from any place in the world. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Then I ask you the question: Why, when we ask the question</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">, "<b>What is the goal and purpose of life</b>?" that we get many different answers? It is because people are confused; they don't really know. They are stumbling in the dark, and rather than say, "I don't know"; they just offer any answer they have been programmed to give. Think about it. Is our purpose in this world simply to eat, sleep, dress, work, acquire some material things and enjoy ourselves? Is this our purpose? Why are we born? What is the object of our existence? What is the wisdom behind the creation of man and this tremendous universe? Think about those questions. </span> </span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here I would like to mention a few verses from the Holy Quran that address this subject. We seek the protection of Allah from every evil thing. Allah mentions to us in the Holy Quran, "And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allah i</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">s over all things competent. Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding-Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire." Surah 3: Ayahs 189-191 </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now here in these verses, Allah draws our attention to the creation of the heavens and earth, the alternation of the night and the day, the creation of the universe. </span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">HE calls our attention to their creation and their precision, and mentions those who contemplate the wonders of creation and realize that this was not created for any foolish purpose, [that Allah is exalted above doing such a thing] and they seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of Hell. Truly, when you see the design of all that Allah created, you realize it is very powerful and very precise. Something very powerful and very precise; something beyond your own calculation and imagination, cannot be foolish. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My dear respected brothers and sisters, we have to ask ourselves a further question. When you see a bridge, a building or an automobile, you automatically consider the person or company that constructed it. When you see a large ship, an airplane, a rocket, a satellite; you also think about how incredible it is. [You know by its design who the maker is.] When you see a super international airport, nuclear plant or an orbiting space station you have to be thoroughly impressed with the engineering dynamics that are involved. Yet, these are just things that are manufactured by human beings. So what about the human body </span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">with its massive and intricate control systems? Think about it. </span></span> </div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about the brain: how it thinks, functions, analyzes, retrieves and stores information, as well as distinguishes and categorizes information in a millionth of a second, all of this constantly. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about the brain for a moment. (And don't forget the fact that y</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">ou are using your brain to consider itself!) This is the brain that made the automobile, the rocket ships, the boats, and so on. Think about the brain and who made that! </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about the heart. Think about how it pumps continuously for sixty or seventy years [taking in and discharging blood throughout the body] maintaining steady precision throughout the life of the person. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about the kidneys and the liver and the various functions they perform. The purifying instruments of the body that perform hundreds of chemical analyses simultaneously and also controls the level of toxicity in the content of the body. All of these are </span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">done automatically. </span></span> </div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about your eyes, the human cameras, that adjust, focus, interpret, evaluate, discern color automatically, naturally receiving and adjusting to light and distance. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about it-Who created them? Who has mastered their design and function? Who plans and regulates their function? Human beings do this? No, of course not. What about this universe? </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about this. This earth is one planet in our solar system, and our solar system is one [of possible many] solar systems. Our galaxy, The Milky Way, is one of the galaxies. There are ONE HUNDRED MILLION GALAXIES in the universe. They are all in order and they are all precise. They are not colliding with each other. They are not co</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">nflicting with on another. They are swimming along in an orbit that has been set for them. Did human beings set that into motion and are human beings maintaining that precision? No, of course not. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about the oceans, the fish, the insects, the birds, the plants, bacteria, and chemical elements that have not yet been discovered and cannot be detected even with the most sophisticated instruments. Yet each of them has a la</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">w that they follow. Did all of this synchronization, balance, harmony, variation, design, maintenance, operation and infinite numeration happen all by chance? Do these things function perfectly and perpetually also by chance? No, of course not. That would be totally illogical and foolish. In the least, it indicates that however it came to exist-it exists beyond the realm of human capability. We will all agree to that. The Being, The Almighty Power, God, The Creator who has the knowledge to design and proportion created all of this and is responsible for maintaining it. HE is the only one that deserves praise and gratitude. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">If I were to give each one of you one hundred dollars for no reason, just for being here, you would at least say thank you. What about your eyes, your kidneys, your br</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">ain, your children, and your life: Who gave you all of that? Is He not worthy of praise and thanks? Is He not worthy of your worship and recognition? </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My brothers and sisters, that in a nutshell, is the goal and purpose of this life. Allah said to us in the Holy Quran: <span style="font-size: 130%;">"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." [Surah 51: Ayah 56] </span>this is what the Almighty said.</span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDvlpGyQzIyCq7JqlzbTZcj5gf4KzMYmDGtnLjk6G8NkRywjMLLENI7agCfGpJRAeqWFXfjndHCqF3-lejm11_6YOky0Nga93zhyzekjBQIy3iFPdH3O9JB3Px0RA2t1kNh9QtJq8maD_/s1600/salaat2-789611.jpg" onblur="try
{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464796924290692434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDvlpGyQzIyCq7JqlzbTZcj5gf4KzMYmDGtnLjk6G8NkRywjMLLENI7agCfGpJRAeqWFXfjndHCqF3-lejm11_6YOky0Nga93zhyzekjBQIy3iFPdH3O9JB3Px0RA2t1kNh9QtJq8maD_/s320/salaat2-789611.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 231px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 280px;" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: white;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Our purpose in this life is to recognize The Creator, to be gr</span></span><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;">ateful to Him, to worship Him, to surrender ourselves to Him and to obey the laws that He has determined for us. It means worship is our purpose in life. Whatever we do in the course of that worship, [i.e., the eating, the sleeping, the dressing, the working, the enjoying,] between birth and death is consequential and subject to His orders. But the main reason for our creation is worship. I don't think anyone who is analytical or scientific will have much of an argument with that purpose. They may have some other reason with themselves-but that is something they have to deal with between themselves and Almighty God. </span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: #3333ff;"><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: cyan;">Source:</span> <a href="http://weareabrothers.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-on-earth-am-i-here.html">http://weareabrothers.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-on-earth-am-i-here.html</a></span></span></span></div><div align="justify" dir="ltr" style="color: #3333ff;"><span dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://weareabrothers.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-on-earth-am-i-here.html"></a></span></span></span></div>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-39780296546196999722010-03-29T08:12:00.000-07:002010-03-29T08:36:08.802-07:00Poem: Hold My Hand<div style="color: white;"><i>With The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful~</i></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://angel119.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/helping-hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://angel119.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/helping-hand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hold my hand my friend, don't ever let go.</i></span></div><br />
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</div><div style="color: #6fa8dc; text-align: center;"><div><u>Hold My Hand</u></div></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Hold my hand,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Oh my true friend,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Even if I'm down,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Even when I'm falling,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Don't ever let me go.</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>You're my true friend,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Love me*,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Scowl me,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Assist me,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Punish me,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>But don't ever hate me,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>All for nothing else,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Except for the sake of God Almighty.</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Hold my hand,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>As brothers together we stand, </i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Moving forward,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Changing the ummah*,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>Shifting the world to a better land.</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232; text-align: center;"><i>When 'The Day'* comes,</i><br />
<i>Where there is no assistance,</i><br />
<i>Except from The Almighty,</i><br />
<i>May we be the chosen one,</i><br />
<i>As those who meet and be separated,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Only because of Him,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>The Creator of Love and Friendship, </i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>InshaAllah*,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>As truly you're my companion,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Forever and ever will be.</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Hold my hand, my friend,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Firmly,</i></div><div style="color: #f1c232;"><i>And never let it free.</i></div><span style="color: #783f04;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; text-align: center;">--------</div><div style="color: white; text-align: center;">Hariz Khair Ad-Deen<br />
2 Rabi'ul Akhir 1431H </div><div style="color: white; text-align: center;">International Hill</div><div style="color: white; text-align: center;">On His Earth</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*'The Day' = Judgement Day</span></div><div style="color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 'Ummah' = Society </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 'InshaAllah' = If God is willing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 'Love me' = Love as a muslim brother</span></div><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><br style="color: #6fa8dc;" /> </span></div><div style="color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="color: #6fa8dc;"><u>Reference / Source of Inspiration</u></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc;"><u><br />
</u></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc;">- Al-Qur'an</div><ul><li>'And hold fast , all of you together to the rope of Allah , and do not seperate'<br />
(Sura Ali Imran 3: 103)</li>
</ul><ul><li>'And the believers, men and women, are protecting freinds of one another, they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong'<br />
(Sura At-Tawba 9: 71)</li>
</ul><ul><li>'Te believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy'<br />
(Sura Al-Hujuraat 49: 10)<b><br />
</b><b><br />
</b></li>
</ul></div><div style="color: #6fa8dc;">- Al-Hadis</div><ul><li><span style="color: white;">Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Seven types shall enjoy God's shelter on the Day when there is no shelter other than what He provides: 1) A just ruler, 2) A youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, 3) A man whose heart is attached to the mosques,</span> <span style="color: #cc0000;">4) Two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause</span><span style="color: white;">, 5) A man who refuses the call of a beautiful and rich woman for illicit relation with her and says: 'I am afraid of Allah', 6) A man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, and 7) A person who remembers Allah while he is alone and his eyes are flooded with tears.” </span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">(Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)</span></li>
</ul><ul style="color: black;"><li><span style="color: white;">The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Help your brother whether he is a wrong-doer or is wronged. A man enquired: 'O Messenger of Allah (pbuh) , I may help him when he is wronged, but how can I help him when he is a wrong-doer? '</span><br style="color: white;" /><span style="color: white;"> The Prophet (pbuh) said ' You can prevent him from wrong-doing. That will be your help to him"</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">(Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)</span></li>
</ul><ul style="color: black;"><li><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: white;">The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "A muslim is a brother to a Muslim: Neither he wrongs him, nor hands him over (to another). </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">And whoso comes in need of his brother , Allah comes in his need ;and whoso removes a calamity of a Muslim, Allah will remove a calamity from the calamities of the Resurrection Day, and whoso conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his sins on the Resurrection Day</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">"</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">(Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span></span></li>
</ul><span style="color: white;"></span><ul style="color: black;"><li><span style="color: white;">The Prophet (SAW) said 'The right of a Muslim upon a Muslim are six' It was asked what are they? He replied</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"> '</span> <span style="color: #cc0000;">When you meet him, salute him</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">when he calls you, respond to him</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">When he seeks advice , give him advice</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">When he sneezes and praises Allah, respond to him</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">When he falls ill, visit him</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">When he dies, follow him (the funeral bier)</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">'</span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;">(Narrated by Muslim)</span></li>
</ul><div style="color: #6fa8dc;">- Song</div><ul><li><span style="color: white;">Maher Zain -</span><span style="color: white;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Hold My Hand</span></li>
</ul>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-48494480426372829192010-03-07T03:17:00.000-08:002010-03-07T03:19:59.977-08:00Islam is The Way of Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_AGyeX2Z3kZfNQbkJjokaKNhrr197RA8538N8yqvZQ8yy-EpTBtpvQVO4wAASTAI8yivXyPLuXZxe-J9Qlxj3AZHY7YT2-w-VK03k-qaJTFKveFttNxem2n29U4VeEHOnwhIAA5mW457/s1600/Islam-Is-The-Way-Of-Life.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_AGyeX2Z3kZfNQbkJjokaKNhrr197RA8538N8yqvZQ8yy-EpTBtpvQVO4wAASTAI8yivXyPLuXZxe-J9Qlxj3AZHY7YT2-w-VK03k-qaJTFKveFttNxem2n29U4VeEHOnwhIAA5mW457/s400/Islam-Is-The-Way-Of-Life.gif" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful~</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> </i> </div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <u><b> <span style="color: #115b00;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2372760109578401870&postID=4849448042637282919" name="The Islamic Concept of Life"></a></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2372760109578401870&postID=4849448042637282919" name="The Islamic Concept of Life"><span style="color: #115b00;">The Islamic Concept of Life</span></a></b></u><br />
<br />
The chief characteristic of Islam is that it makes no distinction between the spiritual and the secular in life. Its aim is to shape both individual lives as well as society as a whole in ways that will ensure that the Kingdom of God may really be established on earth and that peace, contentment and well being may fill the world. The Islamic way of life is thus based on a unique concept of man’s place in the universe. That is why it is necessary that, before we discuss the moral, social, political and economic systems of Islam, we should have a clear idea of what that concept is.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
<u><b><span style="color: #115b00;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2372760109578401870&postID=4849448042637282919" name="Basic Principles"></a></span></b></u></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2372760109578401870&postID=4849448042637282919" name="Basic Principles"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><u><b></b></u></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><u><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2372760109578401870&postID=4849448042637282919" name="The Islamic Concept of Life"><span style="color: #115b00;"> Basic Principles</span></a></b></u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><u><b><span style="color: #115b00;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2372760109578401870&postID=4849448042637282919" name="Basic Principles"></a></span></b><span style="color: #115b00;"></span></u></span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">God, who is the Creator, the Ruler and the Lord of the universe, has created man and provided him with a temporary home in that part of His vast kingdom which is the earth. He has endowed man with the faculties of thinking and understanding, and has given him the power to distinguish right from wrong. Man has also been invested with free will and the power to use the resources of the world however he likes. That is, man has a measure of autonomy, while being at the same time God’s representative on earth.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Before assigning to man this vicegerency (Khilafat), God made it clear to him that He alone was the Lord, the Ruler and the Deity. As such, the entire universe and all creatures in it (including man) should submit to Him alone. Man must not think himself totally free and must realize that this earth is not his permanent abode. He has been created to live on it only for a probationary period and, in due course, he will return to his Lord, to be judged according to the way he has spent that period. The only right course for man is to acknowledge God as the only Lord, the Sustainer and the Deity, and to follow His guidance and His commands in all he does. His sole objective should be to merit the approval of Allah.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">If man follows a course of righteousness and godliness (which he is free to choose and follow) he will be rewarded in this world and the next: in this world he will live a life of peace and contentment, and in the Heareafter he will qualify for the heaven of eternal bliss, al-Jannah. If he chooses to follow the course of godlessness and evil (which he is equally free to choose and follow), his life will be one of corruption and frustration in this world, and in the life to come he will face the prospect of that abode of pain and misery which is called Hell. </span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">3.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">After making this position clear, God set man on earth and provided the very first human beings (Adam and Eve) with guidance as to how they were to live. Thus man’s life on this earth did not start in utter darkness. From the beginning a bright torch or light was provided so that humanity could fulfil its glorious destiny. The very first man received revealed knowledge from God Himself, and was told the correct way to live. This code of life was Islam, the attitude of complete submission to Allah, the Creator of man and the whole universe. It was this religion which Adam, the first man, passed down to posterity.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">But later generations gradually drifted away from the right path. Either they lost the original teachings through negligence or they deliberately adulterated and distorted them. They associated God with innumerable human beings, material objects and imaginary gods. Shirk (polytheism) became widespread. They mixed up the teachings of God with myths and strange philosophies and thus produced a jumble of religions and cults; and they discarded the God-given principles of personal and social morality, the Shari’ah.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">4.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Although man departed from the path of truth, disregarded or distorted the Shari’ah or even rejected the code of Divine guidance, God did not destroy them or force them to take the right course. Forced morality was not in keeping with the autonomy He had given to man. Instead, God appointed certain good people from among the human society itself to guide men to the right path. These men believed in God, and lived a life of obedience to Him. He honoured them by His revelations, giving them the knowledge of reality. Known as Prophets, blessings and peace be on all of them, they were assigned the task of spreading God’s message among men.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">5.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Many thousands of these prophets were raised throughout the ages, in all lands and in all nations. All of them brought the same message, all of them advocated the same way of life, (din), that is, the way which was revealed to man on the first day of his existence. All of them had the same mission: they called men to Islam- to submit to God alone, asked those who accepted the Divine guidance to live in accordance with it and organized them into a movement for the establishment of the Divine law, and for putting an end to all deviations from the true path. Many people, however, refused to accept their guidance and many of those who did accept it gradually drifted away from their initial commitment.</span></div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">6.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lastly, God raised the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, in Arabic to complete the mission of the earlier prophets. The message of Muhammed, blessings and peace be on him, was for the whole of mankind. He presented a new the teachings of Islam in their pristine form and provided humanity once again with the Divine guidance which had been largely lost. He organized all those who accepted his message into one community (Ummah), charged with living in accordance with the teachings of Islam, with calling humanity to the path of righteousness and with establishing the supremacy of the word of God on earth. This guidance is enshrined in the Holy Qur’an.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">source (full version): <a href="http://www.al-islamforall.org/litre/Englitre/Islawayoflife.htm">http://www.al-islamforall.org/litre/Englitre/Islawayoflife.htm</a></span></div></div>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2372760109578401870.post-29201709781222601932010-02-23T16:28:00.000-08:002010-02-23T16:31:05.745-08:00Want to be Closer to Allah, But Don't Know How!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu67/BellaS231/Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu67/BellaS231/Heart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">O God, please purify my heart!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>With the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful~</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
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<tr><td width="100%"><div class="Author">By <a class="Author" href="http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1239888393624&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah/LSELayout#**1">Raya Shokatfard </a> </div><div class="authorDescrption"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Editor in Chief—readingislam.com</span> </div></td> </tr>
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<tr> <td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img alt="Image" src="http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=image%2Fjpeg&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1239888398365&ssbinary=true" /></span> </td> </tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana; line-height: 115%;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">In many Islamic circles or presentations, I am asked a similar question from my brothers and sisters: "I want to get closer to Allah, but don't know how; or I don't have the power to do it. Sometimes I can succeed in getting close to Him when I spend time with pious friends who are affecting me, but when they are no longer around, I lose that closeness. I become powerless."<br />
</span></span></span></span></i></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana; line-height: 115%;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana; line-height: 115%;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">Allah, the Exalted is the Best to respond to this concern:</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>"</b><b>When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me: let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.</b>" </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">-Sura Al-Baqarah (2):186</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">As Muslims, we believe in the Word of Allah, then should we not believe in the above verse? Of course we want to believe, but what truly keeps us from believing it in our hearts and feeling it when we make supplications?</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">If we can imagine there is a beautiful scenery in front of us, but there is also a curtain or veil between us and the scene. We can have a glimpse of the beauty on the other side, but not all. We want to see it all, but we keep sitting in our place and do not get up to move the curtain aside so we can have a full view.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">Removing the veil or curtain takes the following efforts:</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><br />
<b style="color: red;">First, there must be a desire</b><span style="color: red;">;</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: red; margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>Second, the knowhow</b>;</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: red; margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>Third, keeping it open for full view at all times.</b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">Sometimes people think of wanting to be close to Allah, but the desire is not strong enough. Faith is like a seed. It must be planted in fertile soil and watered. It is a process that would take time and determination.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">To begin with, we must observe the most important duty Allah has prescribed to us,</span></span></span></span></span></div><table align="right" class="highlightBox" style="height: 177px; width: 142px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="highlight"><span class="highlight"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span style="color: green;">Actions must lead to the cleansing of the heart of all that is displeasing to Allah. This might not be easy, especially for the younger generation.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent">which is devotion and worship. This is the first step for achieving closeness to Allah.</span> </span><br />
<div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">In a Qudsi hadith the Prophet reported that Allah says,</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #666666; text-align: left;"><blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 32.55pt 12pt 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">"<b>..my servant does not come closer to Me with anything more dear to Me than that which I made obligatory upon him. My servant keeps coming closer to Me with more volunteer deeds, until I love him. When I love him, I become His ear by which he hears, his eyes by which he sees, his hand by which he holds and his foot by which he walks. If he asks Me anything I shall give him. If he seeks My protection I shall grant him My protection…</b> "(Al-Bukhari 6021)</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">While performing correct worship, one must choose the way to piety and righteousness mentioned in the hadith; a major step of getting closer to Him the Almighty. The person who has <i>taqwa</i> or piety, is the one who is foremost in doing good and wants to be ahead of others in goodness.</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>"A</b><b>nd the foremost are the foremost. These are they who are drawn nigh (to Allah). In the gardens of bliss."</b></span></span></span></span></span> </blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">-Sura Al-Waqi`ah (56):10-12</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote></div></blockquote><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">He remembers his humility in front of Allah, and knows he can call on Him with hope and fear. He desires much closeness to Him.</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>"</b><b>Call on your Lord with humility and in private: for Allah loves not those who trespass beyond bounds. Do no mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order, but call on Him with fear and longing (in your hearts): for the Mercy of Allah is (always) near to those who do good."</b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">-Sura Al-A`raf (7):55-56</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">Naturally, this person also knows that charity is another way to bring him closer to his Creator, for Allah loves those who give to the needy from their wealth and hates the hard fisted.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">In a Qudsi hadith the Prophet reported that Allah says,</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #666666;"><div style="margin: 6pt 32.55pt 12pt 1cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;">"Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, ... O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant so and so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me."</span></b> <span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;">(HR. Muslim)</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><table align="right" style="height: 24px; width: 123px;"><tbody>
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</tbody> </table><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><br />
<span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">This person does all right deeds in order to bring himself closer to his Creator. If he does all this and still does not feel as close to Allah as he wants then he might look at his environment and those he befriends and the condition of his lifestyle. Are his/her friends neglectful of Allah and often engage in idle talk or activities which Allah dislike? Are members of his family busy spending most of their time at home in front of TV watching programs Allah dislikes and he participates with them? Are friends and family the cause of his weakness in religion? Is he/she dressed properly according to Islamic mose of dress as he/she likes?</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">The influence of a close friend is greater than one can imagine. One must take heed who he chooses as a close friend. Knowing our tendencies to incline to people and the worldly life, Allah warns us not to get side tracked.</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">"<b>O ye who believe let not your riches or your children divert you from the Remembrance of Allah if any act thus, the loss is their own."</b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">-Sura Al-Munafiqun (63):9</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">Actions must lead to the cleansing of the heart of all that is displeasing to Allah. This <span class="bodyContent">might not be easy, especially for the younger generation. Yet they must remember they are the torchbearers of Islam and they are the ones who can influence their peers better than older people. What a better blessing is it than one knowing that he is doing all he can to gain the pleasure of his Creator?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>"Thus, then, if he be of those Nearest to Allah, there is for him Rest and Satisfaction, and a Garden of Delights.</b></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">-Sura Al-Waqi`ah (56):88-89"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">To maintain closeness with Allah, besides the above recommendations, one may engage in <i>Dhikr</i> or remembrance of Allah as often as one can</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #3d85c6; text-align: center;"><blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"> <b>"O ye who believe remember Allah very often and glorify Him morning and evening.</b> "</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">-Sura Al-Ahzab (33):41-42</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><i><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;">Dhikr</span></i> <span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;">empties the heart and the mind of impurities and brings a meaningful satisfaction to one's life.</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>"</b><b>Behold in the Remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.</b>"</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">- Sura Ar-Ra`d (13): 28</span></span></span></span></span></div></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span> </div><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent">Finally, since we believe in the Word of Allah, we find the solution of closeness to our Creator is given to us by Him.</span></span></span></span></span></div><blockquote style="color: #3d85c6;"><blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="bodyContent" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><span class="bodyContent"><b>"</b><b>Therefore remember Me, I will remember you.</b>"</span></span></span></span></span> </blockquote><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Sura Al-Baqarah (2):125 </span></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote dir="ltr" style="margin-right: 0px;"></blockquote><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="margin: 6pt 0cm 12pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1239888393624&pagename=Zone-English-Living_Shariah/LSELayout#**1</span></div></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table>MFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584502288953444049noreply@blogger.com4