Purify yourself!

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

I was reading a beautiful hadith(saying of the Messenger of Allah PBUH) that I would like to share .

On the authority of Abu Malik al-Harith bin 'Asim al-Ash'ari, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

'Cleanliness is half of faith, and saying 'Alhamdulillah'(Praise be to God) fills the scale, Saying 'Subhanallah wa al-Hamdulillahi' (Exhalted be Allah and Praise be to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth. Salah (prayer) is a light. Sadaqah (charity) is proof(of one's faith). Sabr (patience) is a brightness. The Qur'an is a proof for or against you. All men go out early in the morning and sell themselves, some setting themselves free and others destroying themselves."

What a beautiful hadith. It shows the importance of these great deeds in Islam through which every Muslim can free him or herself from the punishment of Allah subhana wa ta'ala in the Hereafter . What a beautiful way to purify yourself as Jannah (paradise) is reserved only for the ones who are pure....those who carry out these deeds will be those who are near to the creator. May Allah SWT make us of those who will be near and dear to Him, Ameen.

The hadith also explains the importance the Holy Qur'an should have in our lives. It states that "The Qur'an is either an argument and proof for or against you".

In Surah al-Isra Ayah 82 Allah says:
"We send down the Qur'an that which is a healing and mercy for those who believe and for the unjust people it causes nothing but loss after loss."

So people who recite the Qur'an, learn it and practice its rulings are people who become the people of the Qur'an and it (the Qur'an) will be a proof for them. But those who ignore the Qur'an and never read or practice it in their lives, then the Qur'an will stand against them in the hereafter. Now thats heavy......it's not an ordinary book ....it's a book that can save us from the fire whose fuel is men and stones. Not only should we be reading it daily, we should also be implementing it in our every day life.

Life is a test!!

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Life truly is a test, we get tested in so many different ways. You get tested with your wealth, your children, fear , poverty, with loss of life and even happy times are a test just to see if we are truly grateful to Allah SWT for all the blessings we have.Allah says in the Quran "Alif/Laam/Meem..Do people think that they will be left alone because they say, "We believe," and will not be tested? Indeed We tested those who (lived) before them" Surah Al-Ankaboot (29)1-3.Why am I talking about tests...well simply because I just went through a test although every day of our life is a test ...this was out of the ordinary for me. My whole family was fast asleep and we got burgled but Subhanalllah nothing can harm you without the will of Allah SWT and praise be to Allah who saved us and no one was hurt. Allah's Messenger PBUH said " Never a believer is stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety , a grief or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but Allah WILL expiate his sins on account of his patience " Subhanallah these words bring such comfort as I did feel anxiety, grief and worry but I believe that my sins were expiated. Trials are usually there for us to take a lesson from. I remember thinking that in the Akhirah I didn't want to have these negative feelings because there it will not be just for a few days or few hours but forever.I want to have ETERNAL bliss. It was a trying time but the rememberance of Allah SWT gave me a feeling of peace & calm....Verily in the rememberance of Allah do hearts find comfort, Surah Ar-Rad (13)ayah 28.

So basically, we should keep our tongues moist with the remembrance of Allah as when we remember him in times of ease he will remember us in times of difficulty and I truly believe that is what happened with me.....

Allah SWT does not burden a soul beyond its scope (Surah Baqarah 2, Ayah 286).....so whatever comes our way , we will be able to cope with it although it may seem as if we can't.

True Love

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Today I saw true love ....Subhanallah it wasn't the love we all know between two persons but it was between a teenager and his pet cat! That teenager happens to be my boy and that cat is our precious pet. He has been so busy lately so hasn't had a chance to pay attention to her, she wasnt very happy so she attacked him just to get his attention which she never does. My boy was so upset...I explained why she did that so he spent good 10 minutes with her and Subhanallah she was all happy and purring away. But just the love that Allah SWT has instilled between them is amazing....we forget how even animals need love and care and we have a duty to provide them with that love and attention. There is a hadith from Bukhari which says"You will not have secure faith until you love one another and have mercy on those who live upon the earth." Allah SWT is very compassionate and loves for us to be compassionate even if it is to an animal.
In the Qur'an and Hadith, it is emphasized that animals be treated as humanely as any other of God's vast creation. The Qur'an goes as far to say that cruelty to animals is equivalent to cruel treatment of a human being. Kind treatment of animals is considered a good deed in the same sense that good conduct and treatment between human beings is deemed a good deed. There is another Hadith about a man who felt thirsty and went down a well, and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, 'This animal is suffering from the same problem as that of mine.' So, he climbed down the well , filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth, climbed up and gave the dog a drink. Because of this good act of his Allah SWT forgave him and granted him Paradise.'' The people asked "O Allah's Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving animals?'' He replied: `Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (living being).'' (Narrated by Abu Hurairah ). Alhamdulillah...you even get rewarded in Islam for being good to an animal so go on do a good deed and share some of your love with the living things we often neglect.