Muhammad (peace be upon him) - Excellent Example for Mankind

Assalamu Aleikum,

Allah says in the Holy Quran: You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and who remembers Allah much. (33:21). In this verse Allah instructs Muslims to follow Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him ) who was an embodiment of the great values and manners of the Holy Quran. He gave the best example for mankind in the human history. Many Muslim and non-Muslim writers bear witness that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him ) is the greatest man in the human history.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him ) was a good son who never forgot his parents. He lost his father before his birth. Shortly after his birth he was brought up by a foster mother in accordance with an Arabic tradition at that time. He rejoined his mother at the age of five. She passed away after one year. After so many years, he passed by her grave in his way to Makkah and stayed there for a while. Remembering the death of his mother in her way to visit the grave of his father in Madinah, when he was accompanying her, he wept and the companions wept for his weeping. He also remembered his foster mother and treated her with the utmost kindness and respect. She came to Madinah asking for help as her tribe faced difficult time. He stood up for her calling her my mother, putting his cloak on the ground and ask her to sit down on it. He gave her and her tribe whatever they need and saw them off.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) was a good and sincere husband. His greatest responsibilities did not take him away from his house and keeping good company to his wives. It was related that Aeshah (R.A.A.) said that he was always kind, smiling. He never criticized a food provided to him. If he liked it, he ate it; if he disliked it, he left it. After the death of His wife Khadeejah, he always remembered her and praised her. He was also so generous to her relatives. In many of his sayings, he instructed Muslims to deal kindly with their wives. For example, he said:The most perfect Muslim in the matter of faith is one who has an excellent behavior; and the best among you are those who behave best towards their wives.(Tirmithi)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) was a kind father. He used to pay attention to his children and listen to them. He used to play with his grandchildren AL-Hasan and Al-Husein. Abu Hurairah relates that once the Prophet (peace be upon him ) kissed his grandson Al-Hasan ibn Ali (R.A.A) when Al-Aqra ibn Habis (R.A.A), one of his companions, was sitting with him. He remarked: I have ten sons and never kissed any of them. The Prophet (peace be upon him ) looked at him and said: One who has no compassion for others is not entitled for compassion (from Allah).(Bukhari & Muslim). He was so kind to all children that he greeted them whenever he met them. Sometimes, He shortened his prayer when he heared a child crying knowing that his mother was among the congregation.

As a father, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) had the experience of losing his infant child. His son Ibrahim was born while he was at the end of his fifties. He was quite happy when his son Ibrahim was born. But his happiness did not last too long as Ibrahim died before reaching two years. Anas (R.A.A) related that the Prophet (peace be upon him ) visited his son Ibrahim when he was dying, seeing this, his eyes began to flow. Abdur Rahman ibn Auf (R.A.A) remarked: Even you Prophet of Allah.The Prophet P.B.U.H) said: Ibn Auf this is mercy.He started weeping again and said: The tears trickle from the eyes and the heart is full of sorrow but we say only that which pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim, we are indeed grieved for your passing away. (Bukhari). The Prophet (peace be upon him ) was extremely sad as much as any father might be when his son passed away, yet he did not oppose the decree of Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) was a good master. The mere historical fact that Zaid ibn Haritha preferred staying with him as a slave than going with his father and uncle as a free man is a clear proof of his kindness towards his slaves. He was also so kind and close to his servants. He lived with them their sorrow and joy. He never asked them to do something beyond their capacity. Anas (R.A.A) said: I had served the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him ) for ten years. He never said a word of contempt to me. Whatever I had done, he never asked me as to why I did that; and of anything I had not done, He never asked me as to why I failed to do that. (Bukhari & Muslim).

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) was an honest businessman. He was a merchant for so many years before prophethood. He was known among his people as the honest and the truthful. Khadeejah (radiallahu anha) chose him to go to Syria and take care of her trade because of his honesty. After his return from Syria, Maisara, a servant of Khadeejah, who accompanied him in that trip, praised him for his goodness, honesty and sincerity. The best evidence of his honesty is that even his enemies in Makkah entrusted him with their valuable items, that is why before his migration to Madinah, he asked Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiallahu anha) to stay in Makkah to give back these things to their owners.

Muhammad (peace be upon him ) was a great leader. He was able to gain the love of all the people around him. He was never arrogant or haughty. He sat among his companions as one of them. One day he passed by them, seeing him, they stood up as a matter of respect. He asked them not to treat him as the people were treating their kings. Whenever his companions were engaged in a certain work he worked with them. For example, he participated with them in digging the ditch around Madinah, when a big number of the enemies of Islam prepared to launch a final attack against Madinah to put an end to Islam and Muslims. He held the dust on his shoulder in spite of the insistence of his companions to leave that hard work for them. However, he never rested while they worked.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) was the most righteous servant of Allah. He spent most of his night praying to Allah. When he was performing his prayer alone he made it too long but when he was leading Muslims in prayer he made it short knowing that some of them were old, weak or had something to attend to. He used to fast on every Monday and Thursday and also every 13, 14 and 15th of every month of the Islamic Calendar. In addition to that, he fasted on many other days in the month of Rajab and Sha¡¦ban. He was so generous to the poor and the needy. He never turned down somebody whenever he was asked for something even if he was in need of it..

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) lived the life of a poor man although he was able to live as a king. Once He slept on a mat made of date palm leaves and when he awoke the impressions of the mat were visible on his body. When his companions said that they would like to prepare a soft bedding for him, He said: I am in this world like a rider who halts in the shade of a tree for a short time and after taking some rest, resumes his journey leaving the tree behind.(Tirmithi). When one of his companions asked him to tell him about something if he would do, Allah will love him as well as the people. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) said to him: Do not love the world and Allah will love you; and do not have a longing for that which people have and they will love you. (Ibn Majah). In another occasion, he advised one of his companions saying: Live in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveller. (Bukhari)

The greatness of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) lies in being successful in both the worldly and spiritual leadership. A successful leader may not have time for his house and a righteous man may not be successful in the worldly affairs. The case of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) is unique because he was successful as a worldly leader and a spiritual one. He was a husband, a father, a businessman, a leader and the final Messenger of Allah to mankind. However, one role never influenced negatively the other

Five tips on how to control the tongue

Assalamualaikum

Here are some tips on how we can control our tongues and increase in patience both in our communication with others and within ourselves:

1. Think
The phrases “think before you speak” and “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all” seem clichéd, but hold a lot of weight in the life of Muslims. In order to combat this, think about what you are about to say before you open your mouth. It sounds simple, but we have become so accustomed to speaking without thinking that words just seem to fly out of our mouths before we know it.

Tip: Try to take a couple moments before you speak to evaluate whether what you are about to say is beneficial or necessary. Spend more time doing dhikr, or thinking, or contemplating than wasting time on unnecessary speech, which is not beneficial and potentially harmful.

2. Apologize
Hard as it may be, if we do happen to say something that is hurtful to someone, just simply apologize. Whether it was what you said or how you said it, remind yourself to apologize for your misbehavior if you feel like you stepped out of line (regardless of whether or not the other person shows that they feel hurt or upset). This can have nothing but positive effects. Many of us have trouble apologizing to people and accepting our mistakes so it will both humble us and also ensure that we are more careful next time, because it can be pretty uncomfortable to accept your mistake and verbalize it. Secondly, it can help better your relationship with the other person, because you are showing that you are aware of their feelings and that you care about them.

3. Environment
If you are going to be with people, surround yourself with good company. It takes two to gossip. Most people who engage in backbiting and slandering will not do it all the time and with all people, in fact they may have a select group of friends who share this habit. If you find that certain people make it easier for you to engage in this, steer clear of this crowd! If you tend to be the person who begins it, find new friends or keep to yourself.*!

4. Remind
Backbiting and lying are big sins, and forbidden in the Quran and as mentioned in various ahadith. Research and learn the punishment for backbiting – one of the punishments is in the grave, so you can keep away from this sin by trying to visualise and sense how that would feel. If it’s swearing or cursing you want to leave behind, it is helpful to remind ourselves of the angels who write down all that we utter. Do we really want to make the angels record profanity? Do we want such vile words to be our last if the angel of death were to take our soul in that moment?

5. Reinforce
Lastly, a means of keeping ourselves on track is the old jar trick used by parents in past generations. The idea is essentially to keep a jar in the house in which you are required to drop a certain amount of money per failure to control your tongue, for example every time you swear or gossip. The amount of money should be significant enough to make you feel bad and regret your speech – it costs more in the Hereafter! At the end of ramadan you can donate the money to charity, but the real purpose is to give you a physical representation of how serious it is and how much you need to improve. It helps to ask someone to hold you to your promise and remind you if you slip up.

Often we do not realize how many negative things we say in a day, but this blessed month is an opportunity to improve our character which can extend into the rest of our lives.

The Excellence of Du'a...The Essence of Worship

DU'A — Definition: Supplication, Invocation, Prayer

Du‘a is the most powerful weapon of a believer. It can change fate, while no action of ours ever do. It is the essence of ‘Ibadah or worship. With it we can never fail; without it we can never succeed. With all the suffering and disasters Muslims are facing in various parts of the world, the question of Du‘a can be directed to all of us today. It is not that we have forgotten Du‘a completely; we refer to it regularly. But, our ideas and practice regarding Du‘a have become distorted. Often it is reduced to the level of a ritual. It is belittled through actions and sometimes even with words. Almighty Allah says:

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
“And your Lord proclaimed, “Pray to Me, I will accept; indeed those who stay conceited towards worshipping Me, will enter hell in disgrace.” [Surah al-Ghafir, Verse 60]

The Almighty Allah states:

فَلَوْلا إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُواْ وَلَكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ
“So why did they not humbly plead when Our punishment came to them? But their hearts were hardened and the devil made all their deeds appear good to them!” [Surah al-An'am, Verse 43]


..:: THE EXCELLENCE OF DU’A ::..

There are numerous Ahadith relating to the excellence of Du’a.

HADITH NO. 1

Sayyiduna Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam states that Almighty Allah says:

أنا عندَ ظنِّ عبدي بي
I am as My servant thinks of Me. [Recorded in Bukhari (Hadith 7239), Muslim, Tirmidi, Nisa’i and Ibn Maja on the authority of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah]

This means that as a servant imagines or has an opinion concerning Allah, the Merciful Lord accordingly reacts with him. Knowledge and Qudrat is with everything but there is a special proximity of mercy with those who make Du’a to Him. What bigger mercy can a servant ask for than being blessed with the Divine Proximity of the Sublime Lord? Thousands of acceptances and millions of desires and intentions may be sacrificed on such Divine Proximity!

HADITH NO. 2

لَيْسَ شَيءٌ أكْرَمَ عَلَى اللهِ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ
There is nothing nobler to Allah than Du‘a. [Recorded in Tirmidi, Ibn Maja, Ibn Habban and Hakim narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah. Also cited in Tahzib al-Kamil, Vol. 4, Page 309]

HADITH NO. 3

The Prophet of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam narrates from his Lord who says:

يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتَنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ فِيكَ وَلَا أُبَالِي
Oh the children of Adam! Until such time you invoke Me and have trust and hope in Me, I will continue forgiving your sins no matter what they are, and I do not care of anything (i.e. He is Independent.) [Tirmidi on the narration of Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik, Hadith 3463]

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HADITH NO. 4

The Beloved Habib SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam states:

لا تعجزوا في الدعاء ، فإنه لن يهلك مع الدعاء أحد
“Do not get fed up with Supplication, for no one will perish with (continuous) Supplication.” [Narrated by Ibn Habban and Hakim, Sahih Ibn Habban, Hadith 872]

HADITH NO. 5

Sayyiduna Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam states:

الدعاء سلاح المؤمن وعماد الدين ونور السموات والأرض
“Du‘a is a weapon of a Muslim, a Pillar of Deen and the light of the skies and earth.” [Narrated by Hakim from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah and Abu Ya’la from Sayyiduna ‘Ali al-Murtudah, Hadith 6163]

HADITH NO. 6

It is narrated that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam said:

إِنَّ الدُّعَاءَ يَنْفَعُ مِمَّا نَزَلَ وَمِمَّا لَمْ يَنْزِلْ فَعَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ بِالدُّعَاءِ
“All those calamities and misfortunes that descends and that which will descend in the future can be averted and protected from, by Du‘a. So, Oh servant of Allah! Observe Du‘a!” [Narrated by Tirmidi and Hakim from Sayyiduna ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, Sunan al-Tirmidi, Hadith 3471]


HADITH NO. 7

It is reported that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam said:

و إن البلاء لينزل فيتلقاه الدعاء فيعتلجان إلى يوم القيامة
“When some misfortune descends, the supplication intercepts it and then they both wrestle till Qiyamah.” (i.e. supplication does not allow the misfortune to descend to the earth.) [Reported by Bazar, Tabrani, and Hakim from Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah ‘A’ieshah Siddiqah, Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 1813]

HADITH NO. 8

The Habib of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam states:

الدُّعَاءُ مُخُّ العِبَادَةِ
Supplication is the essence of worship.

HADITH NO. 9

It is reported that the Noble Prophet of Islam SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam said:

ألا أدلكم على ما ينجيكم من عدوكم ويدر لكم أرزاقكم؟ تدعون اللّه في ليلكم ونهاركم؟ فإن الدعاء سلاح المؤمن
Must I not inform you of the thing which will protect you from your enemy and increase your sustenance? Make Supplication to Allah day and night because Supplication is a weapon of a Mu‘min. [Narrated by Abu Ya’la from Sayyiduna Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, Hadith 6164]


HADITH NO. 10

Sayyiduna Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam states:

مَنْ لَمْ يَسْأَلْ اللَّهَ يَغْضَبْ عَلَيْهِ
Allah casts His Anger on those who do not invoke Him. [Reported by Imam Ahmad, Ibn Abi Shaybah, and Al-Bukhari in Adab al Mufrad, Tirmidi, Ibn Maja and Hakim on the authority of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah, Hadith 3295]

Such concepts and meanings are also reported in the Hadith al-Qudsi as follows:

عَنِ النَّبى صَلَى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ سَلَّمَ قَالَ قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالى مَن ْ لاَ يَدعُو نِى اَغضَب ُعَلَيهِ
One who does not invoke Me, I will direct My Anger at him. (Allah save us from this!) [Reported by Al-Askari in his Mawa’iz]

Oh Beloved! Supplication is an amazing wealth that Allah I blessed His servants with, and through it gave them honour. There is nothing more effective and powerful in fulfilling needs in desperation besides Du‘as. Likewise, nothing is more potent in removing Bala than Du‘as. A person benefits from five things of a single Du‘a:

1. He is included in the category of ‘Abids (worshippers) because Supplication by nature is ‘Ibadah, in fact, the goal of ‘Ibadah.
2. In supplication one acknowledges one’s inferiority and dependency in relation to the Omnipotent Lord and His Divine mercies.
3. Obedience to the sacred Shari'ah because it has laid great stress in making supplications - and the danger of Divine Anger on those who do not supplicate.
4. It is a great Sunnah of the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam as he supplicated frequently and ordered others to do the same.
5. It is a deterrent of Bala and achiever of goals as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. If man seeks security from Allah from calamities, then the Merciful Lord will give it to him. If one seeks a desire to be fulfilled, the Sublime Creator will shower His mercies on him or else blesses him with Thawab in the Akhirah.


The Master of the Sinless, Sayyiduna Rasoollulah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam states:

“A servant’s supplication is never void of three things:

1) either his sins are forgiven,
2) or he benefits in this world,
3) or virtues are accumulated for him in the hereafter.

When the servant will observe this reward (Thawab) accumulated for him in the hereaftr in compensation for that which was not fulfilled in the Duniyah, then he will desire that none of his desires should have been fulfilled in the world, but rather be accumulated for the hereafter.”

This desire and benefit is for him who desires so in this Duniyah when supplicating. It is advised that when making Du‘a, this ethic should be considered seriously.

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— — —
Extracted from
aHsan al-Wiyah li Aadab al-Du'a by Imam Naqi Ali al-Qadiri
Translated by: Shaykh Abd al-Hadi al-Qadiri [Durban - South Africa]

A Quick Shortcut to Paradise -- Worth Memorizing

 

Assalamu Aleikum wa Rehmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

 

Sayyidul Istighfar- The Best way of asking Allah for forgiveness

On the authority of Shaddad ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Aalihi Wa Sallam, said, “The chief of prayers for forgiveness is:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْت،

خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ،

وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْت،

أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْت،

أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ

عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِر لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ

الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

Allahumma anta rabbee la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtanee wa-ana AAabduk, wa-ana AAala AAahdika wawaAAdika mas-tataAAt, aAAoothu bika min sharri ma sanaAAt, aboo-o laka biniAAmatika AAalay, wa-aboo-o bithanbee, faghfir lee fa-innahu la yaghfiruth-thunooba illa ant.

‘O Allaah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am You servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You.’

The Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Aalihi Wa Sallam, added, “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it and dies before the morning he will be from the people of Paradise.”

Regards,

Niloufer