Growing of the Beard is the Way of the Believers

Allaah(swt) says:

"It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path." (Qur'aan 33:36)


"Deem not the summons of the Messenger among yourselves like the summons of one of you to another. Allah doth know those of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse; then let those beware who withstand the Messenger's order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them." (Qur'aan 24:63)


One of commands of the Prophet(SAAW) is the order to grow beards. Ibn 'Umar(raa)related that: “The Messenger of Allaah(saaw) ordered us to: trim closely the mustache and to let the beard grow."

*The wording of the command came as, “let grow, spare, let go, and bring to its full extent”. All are in the command form. {Saheeh Muslim - hadeeth # 499}

Duaa'a (Invocation) for New Parents

Congratulations for new parents and how they should respond. [Fortress of a Muslim]

To congratulate new parents, say:
Baarakallaahu Laka Fil-Mawhoobi Laka, Wa Shakartal-Waahiba, Wa Balagha 'Ashuddahu, Wa Ruziqta Birrahu.
May Allah bless you with His gift to you , and may you (the new parent) give thanks, may the child reach the maturity of years , and may you be granted its righteousness .

The person being congratulated should say:
Baarakallahu Laka Wa Baaraka 'Alayka, Wa Jazaakallaahu Khayran, Wa Razaqakallaahu Mithlahu, Wa 'Ajzala Thawaabaka.
May Allah bless you, and shower His blessings upon you, and may Allah reward you well and bestow upon you its like and reward you abundantly.

{Reference: An-Nawawi, Kitdbul-'Athkarp. 349, and Sahihul-'Athkar2/7l3 by Saleem Al-Hilali}

Another Way to Help in Palestine.....

this is a note i received from a friend. please pass it along.....


Assalamu Alaykum,

I am emailing you all today in hopes that I can gather at least a handful of willing people to help me in this initiative to help a few families in Palestine. As you all know one of the most detrimental parts of their struggles is the economic crisis and flat out lack of an economy. Parents cannot provide food for their children, the poverty rates are shocking in the West Bank and even more so in Gaza.

Palestinians have just completed the Olive Harvest for this year and alhamdulliLah have an abundance of fresh zaytoon (olives) and zayt zaytoon (olive oil).A shipment of both olives and olive oil to arrive in So Cal by Dec/Jan.They have sent them in hopes of starting a market here for Palestinian foods and goods. Both are of the freshest quality and their taste is like nothing you could buy in the markets here. Palestine is known for the olives it produces, there are hills and hills of olive trees covering this beautiful land. Olive trees, for many families, are their sole source of livelihood and often, Israeli aggressors will uproot their trees as only another means to oppress the people.

Both the olives and olive oil are sold by "Tank" which translates into 16 liters/ 4.2 gallon and a weight of 16 Kilos/ 50.0 lbs.
Fresh Olives are $75 / tank
Fresh Olive Oil is $125 / tank
There is a delivery fee of $45 due to the costly method of exporting these items. They have asked that you pay for the purchase of the "tank" now and then the delivery fee will be collected once you receive your item(s).

Look at your purchase as not a stop at the grocery store, but an investment into the Palestinian economy that is so desperate for customers. The prices are very reasonable and honestly, probably much cheaper than anything you would pay here for the quality and quantity of these items. Insha'Allah we can sell everything they have sent to us and not have to return anything to them...I know many of our families are capable of helping out. Please sell this email to your parents and pass it on to family, friends, and whomever else you know who would like to help this initiative.

To place an order, you can email me (natania.a@gmail.com) or my brother, Mohamad, at mabdelfa@gmail.com.

Jazakum Allah Khair,
Natania

Duaa for when something you dislike happens

The follwing Duaa (invocation) should be said when something you dislike happens, or for when you fail to achieve what you attempt to do. [Fortress of a Muslim]

'Qadarullaahi wa maa shaa'a fa'ala.'

It is the Decree of Allah and He does whatever He wills.

Reference:
"The strong believer is better and more dear to Allah than the weak believer, and in each of them there is good. Be vigilant for what is to your benefit and seek the help of Allah and do not falter. But when you are striken by some setback, do not say: 'If only I had done such and such,' rather say: 'It is the Decree of Allah and He does whatever He wills.' For verily the saying 'if (i.e. if only I had) begins the work of the Devil." Muslim 4/2052.

Virtue of Surat Al-Fatiha

The Prophet(sallahAllaahu alayhi wasallam) said:

"Allah (The Exalted) said: "I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have whatever he has asked for.

So when the servant says: 'All perfect praise belongs to Allah the Lord of all the Worlds.'
Allah says: 'My servant has praised me.'

And when he says: 'The Most Gracious the Most Merciful'
Allah says: 'My servant has extolled Me',

And when he says: 'Master of the Day of Judgement..'
Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me.'

And when he says: 'You alone do we worship, and from You alone we seek help...'
He says: 'This is between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he has asked for.'

And when he says: 'Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom you have favoured, not of those upon whom in Your anger, nor of those who are astray.'
He says: 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for....."

[Narrated by Muslim, and Imaam Al-Albaanee authenticated it in Saheeh at-Targheeb wa tarheeb: 1455]

The Excellence of Gathering in which Allah is Remembered

Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
"When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah's) mercy envelops them, Sakinah, or tranquillity descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him.''
[Muslim]

Ways of Strengthening Patience

Strengthening the motive of reason and religion

In the battle between reason/religion and whims/desires, we have the following “weapons” at our disposal:

1. We should remember the glory and greatness of Allâh, and feel that He is too great to be sinned against as He is all-seeing and all-hearing. Whoever thinks of the greatness of Allâh will never be at ease in committing wrong actions.

2. If we claim to love Allâh, then we should not disobey Him, because of that love. A person should be obedient to the One he claims to love. Those who refrain from committing wrong action out of their love for Allâh are of the highest status in His sight, as are those who worship Him out of love for Him. There is great difference between the one who obeys Allâh and abstains from wrong action out of love, and the one who does so out of fear of punishment.

3. We should think of the blessings and favours of Allâh, as a decent and noble person would never act against the one who has been treating him kindly. Only base and ignoble people do such a thing. If we think of the blessings and favours of Allâh, we will realize that we should not respond by doing against His commands and committing wrong action.

4. We should think of the wrath and punishment of Allâh, as He will be angry with the person who persists in committing wrong action. Nothing can stand in the way of the consequences of His anger, least of all this weak slave of His.

5. We should think of what the person who commits wrong action has to lose, in this world and the next. It should be sufficient to think of the loss of îmân (faith), of which the smallest amount is worth much more than everything in this world. How can anyone be willing to lose his îmân in return for some brief moment of pleasure the consequences of which might last forever? In a sahîh hadîth, the Prophet (SAAS) said: “No adulterer is a believer at the time of when he is committing adultery.” Commenting on this hadîth, one of the Sahâbah said: “His îmân will be dragged out of him until it goes over his head like a cloud. If he repents, then his îmân will return to him.”

6. We should relish the idea of defeating the Shaytân and being victorious over him, because of overcoming him, and our whims and desires, is a thing of joy and carries a great reward. It is like taking medicine and being rewarded with restoration to good health.

7. We should bear in mind the reward and compensation which Allâh has promised to those who control their whims and desires, and abstain from that which is harâm.

8. We should think of the special companionship of Allâh, as He has told us: “Allâh is with those who patiently persevere” (al-Baqarah 2:153) “For Allâh is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good” (an-Nahl 16:128) “For verily Allâh is with those who do right.” (al-‘Ankabût 29:69)

9. We should be ever mindful of death, which could come upon us at any time, suddenly and without warning.

10. We should stop thinking of falsehood and bad ideas. Even if bad thoughts cross our minds, we should not let them stay, otherwise they may become hopes and wishes which we may act upon, and harm ourselves and others in the process.

11.We should gradually strengthen our religious motive in fighting whims and desires. Once we have tasted the joy of defeating those whims and desires, then our determination and willpower will grow stronger.

12. We should direct our thoughts towards contemplation of the signs of Allâh which He has encouraged us to think about, whether they are in the Qur’ân or in the universe around us. If such thoughts are constantly in our hearts and minds, this will help us to shun the whisperings of the Shaytân. There is no greater loser than the one who, instead of thinking of Allâh, His Book, His Prophet and his Sahâbah, dwells on Shaytân and the ideas of Shaytân.

13. We should remember how short is our stay on this earth. No-one would want to feel that all he has achieved in this life is the worst kind of deeds, except a person who has no spiritual ambition, whose heart is dead and who is careless. Such a person will ultimately regret his deeds when he realizes that, far from benefiting him, they will lead to punishment. Even the person who has many good deeds to his credit will feel that sense of regret when he realizes that he could have done even more.

14.We should know that Allâh has created us to live an eternal life with no death, a life of pride and ease with no humiliation, a life of security with no fear, a life of richness with no poverty, a life of joy with no pain, a life of perfection with no flaws. Allâh is testing us in this world with a life that will end with death, a life of pride which is accompanied by humiliation and degradation, a life that is tainted by fear, where joy and ease are mixed with sorrow and pain. So many people are mistakenly seeking an easy life of power and pleasure in this world, but most of them never manage to achieve it, and those who do, enjoy it only for a brief time before it vanishes. The Prophets called people to an eternal life of plenty, and whoever answers their call will have the best life in this world, better than the life of kings and their followers, for zuhd in this life is true richness. This is something which the Shaytân greatly envies the believers.

Merely knowing the facts that we have outlined above is not enough. We have to strive and do our utmost to achieve our aim and attain perfection. The best way to do so is to put a stop to the habits that are controlling our lives, as these are the main obstacles which prevent us from succeeding. We should avoid places of fitnah and temptation, as the Prophet (SAAS) told us, “Whoever hears of the Dajjâl should keep away from him.” The best way to protect ourselves from wrong is to keep away from anything that could lead to it. One of the favourite tricks of the Shaytân, which deceives everyone except those who are clever enough to see it, is to show a person some goodness in a wrong thing, and call him to go towards what is good; when the person gets close to it, he falls into the trap.

Patience and Gratitude. By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. An abridgement of his original work entitled, “Uddat as-Sâbireen wa Dhâkirat by TaHa Publications

Pronouncing Your Intention is an Innovation (Bid'ah)

Question: What is the ruling regarding pronouncing the intention for the salaah, the wudhoo., the tawaaf and the sa'ee?

Response: It's ruling is that it is an innovation because it has not been transmitted from the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) and nor his Companions, so it is obligatory to leave this. The place of the intention is in the heart so there is absolutely no need to pronounce the intention.

And Allaah is the Expounder of Success.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz

al-Bid'u wal-Muhdathaat wa maa laa Asla lahu - Page 635;

Kitaab ad-Daw'ah - Volume 1, Page 51

Be Patient With Your Dua'a

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The du`a' of any one of you will be answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made du`a' but it was not answered.’” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)