An Introduction to the Lord of the Worlds – Day 21
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
[Here’s Day 20.]
[Note#1: This series started last Ramadan so for those who missed it, here’s Day 1.
Note #2: I made a mistake in yesterday’s post (which I corrected now). The ayah (verse) mentioned after the ayah about Ramadan is the one in Surah Al-Baqarah, not the one in Surah Al-Ghafir. May Allah reward the sister who pointed this out to me.]
9. Why do we need to know about shirk (polytheism) in dua (supplication) if we’re only calling upon Allah alone?
a) A thing is known through its opposite.
We won’t truly understand what “dry” is until we know what “wet” is.
We won’t truly understand what “hot” is until we know what “cold” is.
In the same way, we won’t understand the beauty of tawheed (worshipping Allah alone) if we don’t understand the ugliness of shirk (attributing partners to Allah).
Also, knowing what shirk is, will protect us from falling into it.
An Introduction to the Lord of the Worlds – Day 8
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
Okay, I’ll pick up from where I left off yesterday.
So, the question was why a murderer who applied tawheed would eventually enter Paradise but a kind, generous disbeliever (meaning he did not apply tawheed) would never enter Paradise.
This is an issue that many people cannot understand and I’ll tell you why. It’s because they look at it from their perspective – therefore murder seems worse than shirk.
However, one needs to ask what the worst sin is, in the SIGHT OF ALLAH. Then one can get the correct perspective.
An Introduction to the Lord of the Worlds – Day 7
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum.
[Please excuse the bad editing. WordPress tends to behave like a drama queen sometimes.]
8. He is the One who has prohibited that any partners be attributed to Him in any way whatsoever and He will not forgive the one who dies attributing partners to Him.
Let’s go though this step by step:
A Pictorial Summary of what to be like and what not to be like
Assalamu Alaikum.
Allah says:
“See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? – A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high). Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord and Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that they may remember.”
“And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth having no stability.”
[Surah Ibrahim (14) : 24-26]
The “goodly word” is the word of tawheed i.e. laa ilaaha ilallah. The evil word is the word of kufr (disbelief) i.e. anything contrary to the shahaadah.
[You may read the tafsir of these ayaat here.]
What about the two trees, you ask?
Anas ibn Malik said: “The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihi wasallam) was brought a dish with unripe dates on it. He said: The parable of a goodly word is that of a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high). [[Surah Ibrahim (14) : 25] And he said: It is the date palm tree.
“And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth having no stability.” [Surah Ibrahim (14) : 26] He said: It is the colocynth tree.
[Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 3119. There seems to be some dispute as to whether this narration is a statement of the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) or not. Imams Tirmidhi, Al-Albani and Muqbil Al-Wadiee (rahimahumullah) all point out that it is more authentic as a statement of Anas ibn Malik (radiallahu anhu). You may read the comments on dorar.
Imam Ibn Kathir has also narrated it in his tafseer as a statement of Anas. Either way, the meaning is correct, as at the very least, this is a statement of a Sahabee (Companion).]
The Muslim is supposed to resemble the date palm tree.
Narrated Ibn Umar: While we were with Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihi wasallam), he said, “Tell me of a tree which resembles a Muslim man. Its leaves do not fall and it does not, and does not, and does not*, and it gives its fruits every now and then.” It came to my mind that such a tree must be the date palm, but seeing Abu Bakr and Umar saying nothing, I disliked to speak. So when they did not say anything, Allah’s Messenger said, “It is the date-palm tree.”
When we got up (from that place), I said to Umar, “O my father! By Allah, it came to my mind that it must be the date palm tree.” ‘Umar said, “What prevented you from speaking” I replied, “I did not see you speaking, so I disliked to speak or say anything.” Umar then said, “If you had said it, it would have been dearer to me than so-and-so.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 6, Hadeeth No. 220]
[*The narrator might not recall the exact words that the Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) used.]
What to be like
Yes, that’ll be us, insha-Allah: standing firm on tawheed and benefitting everyone around us.
Oh and producing magnificent fruit, of course:
So, if you’re like this tree, you are a:
And isn’t that what everyone wants to be?
What not to be like
That’s not going to be us, insha-Allah. We will not be weak in our tawheed nor be completely useless to those around us.
If you’re like this tree, you’re a:
And who on earth (no pun intended) wants to be like that?
Some common (but very dangerous) mistakes that many Muslims make – Part 1
Assalamu Alaikum.
Well, I’ve wanted to talk about some of these for a long time so I thought I’d start today.
Just a few points:
a) I’m presenting them randomly, not necessarily in the order of importance.
b) Today is a new day, insha-Allah. What that means is that my blog will (hopefully) start to resemble my course notes a lot more i.e. it will be packed with evidence (from the Quran and the authentic ahadeeth). Unfortunately, I haven’t been doing that on the blog, which goes against my own principle of “Either talk with proof, or else shut up”.
It also goes against my famous saying, “Anybody can talk but not everybody can talk with proof.”
So, I hope to rectify this starting from today, insha-Allah.
c) The proofs are there to show that the act is in fact a big sin, not to show that many Muslims commit that sin.
So, what are the common mistakes that many Muslims make today?
1) Committing one of the seven destructive sins.
[No, they’re not the same ones that the Christians keep moaning about.]
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Avoid the seven great destructive sins.” The people enquire, “O Allah’s Messenger! What are they? “He said, “To join others in worship along with Allah, to practice sorcery (magic), to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause, (according to Islamic law), to eat up Riba (usury), to eat up an orphan’s wealth, to give back to the enemy and fleeing from the battlefield at the time of fighting, and to accuse, chaste women, who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 4, Hadeeth No. 28]
Now, someone might say: “Well, none of these are common!”
I beg to differ.
Teensie-Weensie Reminder (Day 4): Remember the reason why you were created
Assalamu Alaikum.
[Please excuse me for the poor editing. WordPress was not behaving today.]
So why were you created? And why was I created?
Well, for the same reason.
Allah says:
How do we know that? Because the 2 following ayaat (verses) clarify that:
“I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures). Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong. ” [Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51) : 57-58]
Allah makes it very clear in the Quran that WE are the ones who need Him, not the other way around:
The Greatest Month 