Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Are we doing it for Allah?...


Quote: "Perhaps a great deed is belittled by an intention. And perhaps a small deed, by a sincere intention, is made great." (Abdullah Ibn Mubarak)
"Never underestimate the importance of intentions. When the Muslims of Al Andalus (Spain), desired to please Allah , they had the greatest cities on earth and when they desired materials and pleasures, they were destroyed. The choice is in front of us today. May Allah help us to choose Justice in this world and the Paradise in the Hereafter."





Monday, February 25, 2013

Follow the TRUTH!

So whatever is true, even though a minority of the people or no one is upon it – so long as it is the truth – it must be adhered to, for indeed it is salvation."

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The Majority is Not a Proof that Something is Correct – Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzan (hafidhahullaah)

 
 
 
 
 
 
6 Votes

Bismillaah Al-Hamdulillaah wa salatu wa salaamu ‘ala rasulullaah
Amma ba’d
From the characteristics of the people of the Days of Ignorance is that they would view the majority as proof that something was true and the minority as proof hat something was false. So according to them, whatever the majority of the people was upon, that was the truth. And whatever the minority was upon, that was not the truth. In their eyes, this was the balance used to determine truth from falsehood.
However, this is wrong, for Allah says: And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah’s path. They follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but lie.[Surah Al-An'aam, ayah 116]
And He says: But most of mankind doesn’t know. [Surah Al-A'raaf, ayah 187]
And He says: And most of them We found to be not true to their covenant, but most of them We found indeed to be evil sinners. [Surah Al-A'raaf, ayah 102]
So the balance is not the majority and the minority. Rather, the balance is the truth. So whoever is upon the truth – even if he is by himself – he is the one who is correct and deserves to be emulated. And if the majority of the people are upon falsehood, then it is obligatory to reject them and not be deceived by them. So consideration is given to the truth. This is why the scholars say: “Truth is not known by way of men, but rather men are known by way of the truth.” So whoever is upon the truth, then he is the one we must follow and emulate.
In Allaah’s stories about the prior nations, He informs us that it is always the minority that is upon the truth, as Allah says: And no one believed with him except for a few. [Surah Hood, ayah 40]
And in a hadeeth in which the nations were presented to the Prophet, he (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that he saw a prophet who had a small group of followers with him, and a Prophet who had a man or two men following him, and another Prophet who had no one with him. (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
So consideration is not given to which opinion or view has the most followers. Rather, consideration is given to its being either true or false. So whatever is true, even though a minority of the people or no one is upon it – so long as it is the truth – it must be adhered to, for indeed it is salvation. Falsehood is not aided by the fact that it has a majority of people following it – ever. This is a determining measure that the Muslim must always abide by.
The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Islam began strange and it will return back to being strange as it began.” (Saheeh Muslim)
This will occur at the time when evil, calamities and misguidance increase. So no one will remain upon the truth except for the strange ones amongst the people and those who extract themselves from their tribes (for the sake of their religion). They will become strangers in their society.
The Messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was sent while the whole world was submersed in disbelief and misguidance. And when he called the people, only one or two answered his call. It was only until later on that they grew to be many. The tribe of Quraish, not to mention the whole of the Arabian Peninsula and the whole world, was upon misguidance. And the Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was the only one calling the people. So those who followed him were few with respect to the entire world.
So consideration is not given to the majority. Consideration is only given to what is correct and to achieving the truth. Yes, if the majority of the people are upon correctness, then that is good. However, the way of Allaah is that the majority of the people is always upon falsehood.
And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly. [Surah Yoosuf, ayah 103]
And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah’s path. They follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but lie. [Surah Al-An'aam, ayah 116]
* [In his sharh (explanation) of Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abdul-Wahhab's (rahimahullaah) statement: From the greatest of their principles was that they would be deluded by the majority, using that to determine the correctness of a matter. They would also determine the falsehood of something if it was strange and that its adherents were few. So Allaah brought them the opposite of that, clarifying this in many places of the Qur`an.]
Source: Sharh Masaa’il-ul-Jaahiliyyah (pg. 60-62) of Shaikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhab (rahimahullaah), via al-Ibaanah.
Al Fudayl ibn ‘Iyyad (rahimahullaah) said:
Upon you is the path of guidance and don’t worry about the few people on it. And beware of the path of misguidance, and don’t be deceived by the many people [on it].

http://salaf-us-saalih.com/2011/05/21/the-majority-is-not-a-proof-that-something-is-correct/

Thursday, February 21, 2013

FIRE

The army of the Shayateen are getting stronger
It's no wonder, the sins of man are getting deeper
Jinn travelling through men, like blood through veins
Penetrating the mind every time they sit like zombies; controlling their brains
Ejecting itself within the physical, when sins become typical 
It's an easy win, when man sits like waiting ducks - we're our own hypocritical
Time wasted, I'm first to admit to this
Thereafter in our laze whispers become part of our days
If we don't fight it, eventually we succumb to it
This is why controlling the mind is half the battle
The other half is using time wisely - we're being herded like cattle
The day will come when we all point fingers
The devil will deny every allegation
Saying he had no control or power over our being, except he called and we went crawling
Back to our lowly desires
Searching for ease upon ease, until neglect sinks in and we're surrounded by our fires
We're against an army who has finally gained their momentum
But victory always comes to the believers, except how many of us are truly believing?
We're weak, falling, slipping, drowning in our self contained deceit
Ya Allah SAVE US!!.. show us the path to our seat.. 
Ya Allah let us be a witness to Wahj Allah
Ya Allah strengthen us, make us firm, ya Allah Protect us, Guide us, and do not test us hard for we are weak...Ameen 


Dr. Bilal Philips via Facebook Status Update :
The evil of minor sins when gathered can destroy the perpetrator as the Prophet (saw) said: “Beware of the scorned sins for they are like a people who encamp in open land…” He will continue to make the minor sins seem trivial until he ignores them until one doing a major sin but afraid of it becomes better than him

Every human has an individual Jinn accompanying him referred to as a Qareen (i.e. companion). This is a part of man’s test in this life. The Jinn encourage his lower desires and constantly try to divert him from righteousness. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه Ùˆ سلم) referred to this relationship as follows, “Every one of you has been assigned a companion from the Jinn.” The companions asked: “Even you, O Messenger of Allaah?” And the Prophet replied: “Even me, except that Allaah has helped me against him and he has submitted. Now he only tells me to do good.”
(Muslim)


Monday, February 18, 2013

Please everyone watch this, and everyone share



Changing the Discourse on Islamic Personal Finance


There is no discourse in our communities about Islamic personal finance. None.
When we discuss Islamic finance at conferences, classes, dinner parties, and gatherings with friends, it's always the same. Which company did you use to buy your house? Is buying a car on 0% halal or not?
The problem with those discussions is that they ignore the stark reality of personal finance faced by many families and individuals. Before I get to the point of even buying a house, how much should I have saved? What percentage of my monthly income is reasonable for a house payment?
Before even that step, there should be consideration for things like how to make a budget for your household. How do you get out of debt?
As I've personally delved into reading about personal finance, I've come to realize this aspect of education is missing from our communities. We're content to discuss terms like “musharakah” and “murabahah” and “ijaara” but we have yet to figure out a way to make higher education without student loans a reality for the majority of our ummah.
What is the point of a husband and wife buying a house through a halal mortgage, if they're going to fight every month about how to spend the money they make?
While we educate ourselves on the fiqh of things such as a woman's right to her own wealth, the responsibility of a husband to provide, and so on – we overlook the nuts and bolts that are required to run a household. How do a husband and wife figure out where their money is going? How do they resolve disagreements about what to spend money on? How do they prioritize their spending? How do they make sure they have a realistic plan to save for things like hajj?
How does an individual plan ahead for expenses such as buying a car, or dealing with home repairs without having to rely on a credit card as their emergency fund?
The reality is, while we are an educated ummah – both secularly and religiously – we tend to have a false sense of confidence when it comes to finances. Many households are struggling with debts – student loans, car payments, credit card payments, furniture purchases, computer purchases, and sometimes even a mattress payment of $10 a month stretched out over a few years.
It's time we reassess our attitudes toward finance and gain control of our wealth. Changing the discourse on finance allows us to learn how to budget – which tells us both how we earn our money, and where we spend our money. We cannot account for this in the Hereafter if we have no idea where our money goes now.
Our community also needs to change the discourse when it comes to debt. We've let society make us think that debt is a tool, something we leverage. If the recession and collapse of the banking industry haven't taught us that this is playing with fire, at the least we should heed the warnings in our own sacred texts about staying away from debt. Our communities need proper financial counseling and help to get individuals and families out of debt.
Please also check out a series from our archives on debt and money management: Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
As we work to change this discourse, we'd like to hear your stories.
Have you ever been in debt? How much debt?
What did it feel like to be in debt?
Have you been in debt and gotten out of it? How much debt did you have, and how did you pay it off? 

Beautiful Reminder!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Ponder


A scholar once said: The greatest grief and the biggest calamity is finding our happiness and comfort when we sin and disobey Allah!

Saturday, February 09, 2013

"Broken Home"

I'm going re-define "broken home"
Often it's a label that comes pasted on the child that doesn't have both mother and father, side by side
I don't think that's a fair description
Call it denial but here's my definition 
A home without mom and dad together
By default doesn't result in broken forever
It just means a little more effort needs to go in
A little more love and a little less judging
My own three have both mother and father
Both loved by their own just on different levels
There is no such thing as ex-father, just ex-husband
If the man shows love to his capacity 
And the mother reinforces the concept of his love for the child's unity
Then by His Grace the young will not be "broken"
The home is not broken merely because two could not see eye to eye
The home is broken when there's neglect on either side
I make a point in raising mine to understand they are loved strong on both sides
A parent does great injustice to throw their children in the midst of their childish fights
Innocence should not be in the mix of peoples emotions, anger and the like
Leave the child out - let them grow up knowing and seeing what's right
So yes, on that note I say this with certainty....my children don't come from a  broken home
They come from love, faith, rules, play and garden of support for them to grow (Alhamdulilah)
My children don't live the ideal I grew up with, but that doesn't mean love is any less
Nor does it mean their mental state will be filled with stress
No... I refuse to accept that mentality
By the Will of the Almighty, they will grow up responsible, loving, encompassed by piety
"Broken" is forged by dysfunction, whether together or not
If there's no peace or love in the home, there's anger and hurt - that's the creation of 'broken'
Perception is our reality...
For me, I choose to see it differently

Thursday, February 07, 2013

It's Upto You

Everyone goes through their ups and down
The cycle of any relationship entails that some days walls will be hit
Doesn't mean they're locked doors, steel roofs , barred and hammered shut
No, that's only the response to the hurt at its peak and ego making you weak
It's easy to shut out, it's never easy to let in
It takes the heart to soften and the soul to understand the real 'win'
Not everything is meant to last, not everything is good for you
But somethings just take time, and somethings are a direct result of what we do or don't do
It's really a matter of priority and goals
I don't suppose it's the best situation if the one you're with is walking a different path than you
But I do say, it'll take time before that's determined
When it's clear then whatever you do becomes an easier move
But when you're battling your own insecurities, weakness and level of arrogance
You'll find no matter your move, you'll be broken in two
Every relationship goes through it's up and downs
That's how we build castles - one brick at a time
When we mess up; it takes knocking it down to start it up again
Construction needs cooperation; one lays the cement, the other places the brick
It's upto you if you want it to be made of gold and silver
Or if you're fine with rock and mud
Either way, roles will always differ
But the idea is that each job supports one another
In the end, we're designed to preserver
Eventually you'll realize wallowing in your own anger or emotional clatter, only makes you the loser...