Something to brighten your Jummah

This is by far my favorite nasheed ever. If you haven't seen this, you have been missing out. It truly soothes the soul, and I have broken down crying on numerous occasions while listening to this. Subhanallah.

I just want to say...

I just want to say Alhamdulillah. I love ALLAH, I love the Qur'an, I love all the Prophets (peace be upon them all), and I love Islam. I love all of you for the sake of ALLAH. Thank You, ALLAH, for everything You have given to me, and for having me follow Your Guidance. Please let me remain always on the Straight Path to You, and let us all strive to do what pleases You, and keep us always safe in Your Care. Ya ALLAH, You are the First and the Last, the One, the Loving, the Protecting Friend, the Most Merciful. Ya ALLAH, You are Peace and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Glory and Honor. Ameen!

Feel free to post any du'as or praise to ALLAH here, and let the love grow Insha'Allah!

An Answer

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

So about a month ago I sent in the question about me needing to make up the prayers I didn't do even though I hadn't officially said shahadah to SeekersGuidance.com, a reputable Sunni site that answers fiqh questions. Here is that I received (and was featured on their website, Masha'Allah!):

"Question: I converted to Islam about a year and a half ago. However, I have been studying Islam for years, and I knew I wanted to become a Muslim for a while. Since I was living with my parents earlier and they absolutely forbade me from converting, I did not pray, fast, or say the shahadah out loud, even though I believed it. This went on for a a few years until I entered college and finally had the freedom to start practicing Islam. Do I need to make up the prayers and fasts that I didn’t do during those three and a half years? I wasn’t officially Muslim yet in that I hadn’t said the shahadah, and I didn’t know how to pray properly. Some say that I have to make up these prayers and fasts, while others say that because I wasn’t really Muslim then (since I didn’t say shahadah) I don’t need to make them up since my sins have been forgiven through repentance and me taking my shahadah. Please advise.

Answer: assalamu `alaykum

I pray you are well and in the best of spirits.

May Allah bless you with your new found faith and grant you success in this life and the next. It is beautiful to hear how you persisted in your faith despite all the obstacles and difficulties.

As for your question, it would be best to make up the prayers you had missed, if you are able to do so, and to do so in the most effective of ways.

There is a difference of opinion between the scholars regarding the testimony of faith (shahada) and its relation to faith (iman). There are three major opinions:

1. It is a condition (shart) for the soundness of one’s faith (iman).
2. It is an actual part (shatr) of faith, which would render it similar to the first position, namely that faith without it is not valid.
3. It is a condition for worldly rulings to apply to a person, not for faith itself.

[Bajuri, Jawharat al-Tawhid]

According to the first two positions, an individual who believed but did not pronounce the testimony of faith to enter into Islam never entered it to begin with. According to this position, since the individual never entered Islam there would be no obligation to make up missed prayers as they were missed while the individual was still a non-Muslim.

According to the third position, having conviction and accepting Islam in one’s hearts would suffice for one to be considered a Muslim with Allah. However, the testimony of faith is a condition for worldly Islamic rulings to apply to the individual, such as issues related to marriage, burial, giving Zakat, and so forth. This is because though inward conviction suffices in the knowledge of Allah, the Muslim community requires an outward indicator of an individuals Islam before applying the laws of Islam to them.

All three of these positions are strong and have been held by great scholars throughout our tradition.

As such, the more cautious approach would be to make-up such missed prayers. You should try to do this gradually, viewing it as an opportunity that Allah has given you to draw closer to Him. There is no need to overburden yourself. Rather, the best actions in the eyes of Allah are the ones that are consistent, even if small.

May Allah facilitate you to do what is best for He is the best of facilitators.

Wassalam
Salman

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani"

So it looks like both options (either making them up or not) are strong and valid, Alhamdulillah. However, I think I am going to take his advice and try to make them up. I really like what he said about seeing it as an opportunity to get closer to ALLAH rather than a burden, and his encouragement to take it slow. I'll make a spreadsheet and check off all the made-up prayers once I do them; in order not to overburden myself, I'll maybe try and do one make-up prayer a day, or more if I'm up for it Insha'Allah. Yes, it will take a long time to complete this way, but at least this way I won't burn out and will be more likely to stick to it Insha'Allah. Also, I will definitely try and see it as a positive thing; i.e. more time to spend with the Lord of the Worlds! If that's not positive, I don't know what is. :)

Subhanallah, Islam is really so practical and moderate. ALLAH has said that He doesn't give us anything more than we can handle, and He has granted us so many mercies to make our lives easier; He doesn't want to make worship difficult for us. I believe there is a hadith that said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that prayer is supposed to be a joy and something to look forward to rather than merely a duty or a hassle. Thank You, ALLAH, for Your Great Mercy!!!

Making some changes...

Salaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

Insha'Allah I hope everyone has been doing well and is in the best of health and iman.

So I've been doing some thinking lately, and I made a realization about myself. Alhamdulillah, I love Islam, and Alhamdulillah I am pretty good about fulfilling the basic requirements (salat, sunnah prayers, fasting, trying to eat only halal meat, no drinking, khimar and jilbab-type clothes, etc.). However, I feel like I'm lacking the spirituality associated with these acts; that is, I'm doing them, but I am having trouble actually connecting to them and understanding their deeper meaning. When I'm in salah, I often get distracted. I read the Qur'an, but not nearly as often as I would like to. I also don't know much about the life of Prophet Muhammad (saw), which I think is crucial. There's so much I could be doing, but I just don't, Astaghfirullah. However, Insha'Allah, I have decided to change this. I want to become a more Islamically spiritual person, rather than a Muslim who does the requirements but doesn't have any passion for them.

Sometimes people jump into decisions like this headfirst, but I don't think this is a good idea; people may be very ambitious in the beginning, promising to read five surahs a day and praying all the sunnah and nafl prayers and practicing Arabic for an hour each day, but this zeal can burn out fast. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said that it is better to do small things consistently than big things only occasionally, and this makes perfect sense. When someone exercises, they can't just start out running five miles immediately; they need to start out slow and then gradually increase their distance until they can do it comfortably. I think this philosophy is applicable to religion, as well.
Here are my goals. They seem very insignificant, but Insha'Allah I will implement them and they'll become part of my everyday life.

-read the Qur'an for at least five minutes before bed (or more if I'm up for it, but at least five)
-recite the last three surahs after each prayer and before going to bed
-choose at least one prayer each day and recite a special du'a afterwards, either in Arabic or English (I'm thinking either after Isha or Fajr, since this is when I have the most free time)
-try and make dhikr more often, especially when I'm not doing anything (for example, as I'm walking to class I could repeat "Subhanallah" until I arrive); this is very important to me, since ALLAH said in the Qur'an that the remembrance of ALLAH ("dhikrALLAH) is the best thing
-try and say the full greeting to people, i.e. instead of "salaam alaikum", say "salaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu"; this seems a bit strange to me (Astaghfirullah) since it's so many syllables, and most people just say "salaam alaikum", but a person can receive 30 rewards in Paradise for saying the full greeting. It also has a beautiful meaning, "Peace be upon you and the Mercy of ALLAH and His Blessings".

Insha'Allah, we will all strive to get closer to ALLAH and increase our love for Him, as well as our love for the Prophets (peace be upon them all). Ameen!

Pesach and Remembrance of ALLAH

Currently, Jews all over the world are celebrating Pesach (Passover), the holiday that commemorates ALLAH leading Bani Israil out of slavery in Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh. My mother is Jewish, as is one of my best friends, and for a time before converting to Islam I studied Orthodox Judaism in depth, so I have been thinking a lot about the story of Pesach lately. Subhanallah, the Qur'an has several narratives about Prophet Musa (as) and Bani Israil, and their story is truly amazing. Bani Israil were forced into slavery by the Egyptians and suffered a "tremendous trial", according to the Qur'an. But of course, ALLAH had a Perfect Plan for them; He sent them Prophet Musa (as) to lead them during their battle for freedom, and He provided for them when they made it out of Egypt and settled in Palestine (and ALLAH is the Best of Providers!) Subhanallah, everything in the story of Musa (as) is truly a miracle. Musa (as) himself was born into a slave family and was threatened (as were all boy babies of Bani Israil) to be killed by Pharaoh, yet ALLAH saved him and had him taken into the house of Pharaoh (and Alhamdulillah, despite Musa (as) being raised by Pharaoh's people, ALLAH reunited Musa (as) with his mother (may ALLAH be pleased with her) as his caretaker). Musa (as) accidentally killed an Egyptian in an attempt to protect a slave, but ALLAH forgave him and protected him from being caught by Egyptian forces. When it came time to escape Egypt, ALLAH opened up the sea for Bani Israil to cross through, restoring it just in time to destroy Pharaoh's army that was chasing after them. Finally, after wandering in the desert and a lot of disobedient, ungrateful behavior by some members of Bani Israil, ALLAH still revealed the Taurat as a guide for Bani Israil until the Injeel (Gospel) and finally the Qur'an were revealed.

I was watching the opening song from "The Prince of Egypt" on Youtube called "Deliver Us". It is sung by the Hebrew slaves as they are toiling away, and they are crying out to ALLAH to save them. I actually started crying as I was listening, because I imagined the pain that Bani Israil must have felt while they were enslaved. I also cried even more remembering that ALLAH did indeed deliver them out of slavery and grant them guidance through the Taurat. I couldn't help but say "Subhanallah" while listening, and I thanked ALLAH for freeing Bani Israil from slavery, sending Musa (as) and Harun (as) as Prophets, and for sending the Taurat as a precursor to the Qur'an so pre-Qur'an generations could have Divine Guidance.

The song clip does show images of Prophet Musa (as) as a baby, as well as images of Prophet Harun (as), Musa (as)'s sister, and Musa (as)'s mother, so avert your eyes if you choose to listen to the song (since Muslims should not be looking at images of Prophets).

ALLAH's Great Love

Today was a rough day. I've been feeling very insecure lately and feel like no matter what I do it is never good enough, especially when it comes to practicing Islam. I've also been quite lonely, even though I'm surrounded by people. I am in great need of feeling and being reminded of ALLAH's Greatness and Love He has towards His creation. I found this brief article, and Subhanallah it made me feel much better, and reminded me of how much ALLAH loves us, even if we don't realize it. ALLAHu Akbar; truly, ALLAH is the Greatest.


"Actions to increase Allah's love to us

* When we pray the five obligatory prayers.
*When we pray the voluntary prayers, God's love to us increases.
*Every time we increase our voluntary (Sunnah) prayers, God will strengthen our faith and bless us with piety.

Examples of Allah's love to us

*Allah (SWT) created Adam with His own hands and granted him and his wife Paradise, and the Angels therein to look after them. This is how much He loves us.

*Allah loves us so much, that when we perform a good deed, He multiplies it by 10 for our account! And when we do one bad deed it will only be recorded as one bad deed!

*Allah has 99 names. Three names are of punishment and anger. Some of them are of Allah's Power and Might. The rest of His names are of His Mercy and Forgiveness! Doesn't this show that He makes it so easy for us to love Him and seek His Mercy? Yes! Since He is the Most Merciful The Most Kind!

*Obay Ibn Ka'b was a Jew and later converted to Islam. The Clear-Evidence chapter (Al-Bayena), had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and Allah (SWT) had told him to recite it to Obay Ibn Ka'b. Before the Prophet Muhammad began to recite it, Obay started to cry. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked Obay why he was crying; he hadn't even started reciting the chapter to him yet. Obay was overwhelmed and asked him "Allah (SWT) said my name, and told you to say the chapter to me?" The Prophet (PBUH) said, 'yes!' Obay started to cry again and said, "Allah (SWT) said my name? He (SWT) mentioned me, myself, me in person, He mentioned me to you? Allah mentioned my name?!" How overwhelmed, loved and special Obay must have felt, to be personally called out by Allah (SWT).

*As soon as people remember Allah (SWT) and talk of Him, Allah sends the Angels to surround us. This is how much He loves us, for we are in the company of the Angels!

*A Muslim brother asked "if Allah loves us, why is there so many problems everywhere?" Some people go through bad phases in life because Allah (SWT) wants them to turn to Him, so that He may answer their prayers and show them His Mercy. It is a test so that the human can say to Allah (SWT) 'I need you Allah, please help me.'

* How do you know Allah loves you?
If you become religious. If you didn't pray before and you have started praying, that means Allah loves you. If you weren't wearing the veil, and you just started to wear it, Allah loves you. If you had bad friends, and you left them, and now you have good friends, then Allah loves you. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that Allah gives the religion to those He loves.

*Allah makes obedience to Him easy for you. You will be invited to Islamic lectures, and you'll go. You will be given a leaflet to pilgrimage (Hajj or Umrah) and you will go. You will turn on the TV and find an Islamic program, so you will learn more about Islam.

*Allah will make it very difficult for you to commit sins. If you find something bad on TV, you will immediately change the channel. If you hear bad language, you will turn and walk away. If a friend invites you to do something bad, you will find it too difficult to go for your love to Allah (SWT).

*He will bless you with religious friends, and you will find yourself moving away from your bad friends until they no longer influence you to do bad things again. You will find that all your friends are pious Muslims.

Ramadan Nights: How Can Allah Love Us?

Amr Khaled

Translated by www.daralislaamlive.com"

FYI for all hijabis/modest dressers...

...Target has some awesome clothes for summer that can easily fit into a hijabi/modest dresser's wardrobe. They've got TONS of dresses, both maxi (floor length) and knee length (great for layering over pants or skirts), as well as loose trousers and jeans. Check it out, a lot of the designs are really funky. And best of all, everything is CHEAP! (I found a maxi dress there for $22!)