Virtuous Deeds

The decision to purify and develop yourself requires that you clearly define the path and consider the ways and means to achieve Paradise. This whole process will not only purify your heart, but also affect your entire life and the will of Allah will become so much easier for you to follow. Following the Divine Will is, of course, tazkiya itself. Soon all your efforts will be directed towards the ultimate goal - the pleasure of Allah and Paradise. Know that every sin can be effaced through forgiveness, and forgiveness is a sure way to Paradise. As you strive to better yourself, then, [...]

Meanings Barakah means to kneel down or to make a camel kneel down so that it is firmly in place. The words other meaning is to bless or to invoke blessing. In this latter meaning barakahand its derivatives are used 32 times in the Qur'an, either as a noun or as a verb. In the Qur'an this word is overwhelmingly used for spiritual and immaterial prosperity. The following five meanings are narrated by eminent lexicographers: Growth, increase and advancement, especially in crops and cultivation (Surah al-A’raf 7: 96) Dignity, exaltation and high status Permanence and continuity of blessings, as in Surah Hud 11: [...]

The one who laid down the divine doctrine is the creator of man, therefore there was a full consistence between the doctrine and the natural disposition which was created in man. As long as beauty has a great impact on one's soul, Allah made it part of the reward of righteous deeds and a result for straightness in this life. Thereby beauty is the prominent element in the retribution which Allah prepared for His Righteous Servants. The Glorious Qur'an drew attentions in many Ayahs to this meaning where the focus came intensive on sight more than others where it is the [...]

Praise be to Allah, the Most High, the Almighty, the Free from imperfection and fault, who is Self-Sufficient and does not need the advice of a minister or an expert. May Allah send peace and blessing upon our master, Prophet Muhammad who ruled us by the most perfect policy and guided us to high moral standards; may Allah send peace and blessings upon his family and all his Companions. The issue of consultation is one of the most important political issues to any nation that wants to progress and adopt the means of prosperity in all fields including the political aspect [...]

`A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) supplicating in my house: "O Allah! Treat harshly those who rule over my Ummah with harshness, and treat gently those who rule over my Ummah with gentleness."[Reported by Muslim].Prayer[1] An-Nawawy wrote a chapter on it entitled: Chapter on the virtue of a just ruler, the punishment of an oppressor, exhortation to gentleness with the subjects, and prohibition of placing burdens over them. He commented on it with his saying: "These are the most eloquent words in deterring rulers to place burdens over people and a great exhortation to show [...]

Regarding the significance of dhikrullah or the remembrance of God, Allah says in the Qur’an, itself the ultimate reminder (dhikr) to all the worlds [Surah Sad, 38: 87], the following: “Remember Allah for He has guided you.” [Surah al-Baqarah, 2:198.] “O you who believe! Remember Allah often with much remembrance. And glorify Him morning and evening.” [Surah Luqman, 31: 41-42.] “And men who remember God much and women who remember - God has prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward.” [Surah al-Ahzab, 33: 35.] Hadith literature is similarly replete with references to the remembrance of Allah: “The servant cannot perform a better deed which [...]

A key part of being productive, is about focusing your mind on what’s beneficial and de-cluttering it from unproductive thoughts. If we can record our inner thoughts and replay them to ourselves each day, we’ll be shocked at how much junk there is and how much brain power we waste on futile things that neither benefit or harm us. These thoughts can be in the form of replaying old “movies” in our heads of things that happened to us in our past or (going to some extreme) future dreams that are never attainable nor part of reality, or keeping thoughts which [...]

Once the believer has remembered Allah and realized his sin, he is now obliged to turn to God in repentance immediately, without any hesitation or delay if he sincerely wants to repent. The postponement of Tawbah is the result of either a deliberate desire to prolong the illicit pleasure derived from the sin, or doubt on the part of an ignorant sinner whether or not Allah would accept repentance from him. In the first case the sinner has compounded his sin and should seek forgiveness for his delay while in the second case he needs to be informed that no sin is too [...]

Abu Dharr reported: Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said to me: “Don't consider anything insignificant out of good things even if it is that you meet your brother with a cheerful countenance.” (Reported by Sahih Muslim) The Prophet of Allah said: “Smiling in front of your brother is a charity.” (directed by At-Timidhi) Smiling indicates that people love each other which make them like to deal with each other and talk with each other. This is so, we will always love each other as if we are at a heart of one man and one body as the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) describes [...]

Salman al-Farsi radhiyAllahu anhu said: “There was a man who was given many of the luxuries of this world, and then they were taken away from him. But he continued to praise and thank Allah until everything had been taken from him, even his bed. And then he still praised and thanked Allah. Another man, who had also been given many of the luxuries of this world asked him, ‘What are you praising and thanking Allah for?’ The man said, ‘I am praising and thanking Him for blessings which, if others asked me to give them to them in return for all [...]