~ Ramadan 2011 Official Thread ~

[Amelia]

Nice article, Romy. 


Ramadan Reruns.  - This is one cool video! 

[The Golden Girl =D]

^ Indeed , it made me laugh REAL HARD XD

Jazaki Allah for sharing it <3

[Romeesa-Chan]

Nice article, Romy. 


Ramadan Reruns.  - This is one cool video! 

Ah. I LOVED the video.

LOOOOOOOOOOOL XD Sooooooooooooo funnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyy.

It's NASTY.

[Amelia]

^ Indeed , it made me laugh REAL HARD XD

Jazaki Allah for sharing it <3

Loll! Yes, it's like a Must Watch!

Ah. I LOVED the video.

LOOOOOOOOOOOL XD Sooooooooooooo funnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyy.

It's NASTY.

Yes, those burps, esp. Ewww..   Albeit, it had good points. (Y)


Okay this video is not related to the topic at all but it sure is FUNNY!

[Malak]

^ LOOOOLLL, Funny..Haha

Thanks for sharing.

[Romeesa-Chan]

Yes, those burps, esp. Ewww..   Albeit, it had good points. (Y)


Okay this video is not related to the topic at all but it sure is FUNNY!

I know.

Hahaha. It was a good one. (Y)

Love the dude. God bless him.

[Romeesa-Chan]

Assalamu-Alaikum and Greetings  !
 
Ramadan is half over and hopefully you have been making the most of this month's blessings. One of the highlights of Ramadan is the opportunity to make more Dua to Allah. Remember, if you are not spending enough time in making Dua and presenting your case to Him through the tool of Dua, you should immediately reprioritize and get going before the opportunity passes.
 
Below you will find a couple of articles and a presentation on the topic of Dua. A few minutes of your time will help you in further understanding the blessings of making Dua and to increase the chances of your calls and requests accepted.

~ Dua (Supplication) – The Tool for Asking what you want. ~

Trials, tribulations and challenges are part of every person’s life. However, to counter that, Allah has provided us a very powerful tool – and that is the tool of du’a or asking Allah for help and his mercy when we need it. And we need it all the time…

However, to understand trials and tribulations that we face in our daily lives, we also need to understand the topic of "Sins" and how our sins may be related to our trials and tribulations.

The better we understand the ghastly nature of our sins, and the rate at which we accumulate them, along with their undesirable impact on our daily lives and the hereafter, the more it can propel us away from committing sins in general and the more it will drive us to seek forgiveness for our sins – through making the right Dua’s for us and for others.

Ibn Qayyim provided one of the great descriptions of sins and the impact of sins in this life and after. Here is a very short summary of what he compiled about how our sins impact our lives. [islam-qa.com]

Sins deprive a person of provision (rizq) in this life. In Musnad Ahmad it is narrated that Thawbaan said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said: ‘A man is deprived of provision because of the sins that he commits.’” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4022, classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah).
A sinful person experiences a sense of alienation (indifference) with his Lord, and between him and other people. One of the salaf had said that he could see the impact of disobedience to Allah (in some aspects of his daily life).
A person who commits sins sees that things become difficult for him. In any matter that he turns to, he finds the way blocked or he finds it difficult. By the same token, for the one who fears Allah, things are made easy for him.
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas said: “Good deeds make the face light, give light to the heart, and bring about ample provision, physical strength and love in people’s hearts. Bad deeds make the face dark, give darkness to the heart, and bring about physical weakness, a lack of provision and hatred in people’s hearts.”
Sin breeds sin until it dominates a person and he cannot escape from it. Sin weakens a person’s willpower. It gradually strengthens his will to commit sin and weakens his will to repent until there is no will in his heart to repent at all… so he seeks forgiveness and expresses repentance, but it is merely words on the lips, like the repentance of the liars, whose hearts are still determined to commit sin and persist in it. This is one of the most serious diseases that is likely to lead to doom. He becomes desensitized and no longer find sins abhorrent, so it becomes his habit, and he is not bothered if people see him committing the sin or talk about him.

So, we can easily see that by engaging in sins, we are not only making the prospects of our after life (integral part of Islamic faith) bleak but sins can greatly and actively contribute to the difficulties of our daily lives.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself…” [al-Nisa’ 4:79]

Whether we encounter challenges in earning a living, in our family affairs, or other matters of life, the burden of sins greatly inhibits us from seeking the ultimate blessings of Allah and to have the potential of leading a good life in this world and the hereafter.

As for making Dua and the enormous potential it holds to help us ask for forgiveness and other things, the following provides a short description.

The following are some of the prophet’s sayings about making Dua to Allah.

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The dua’ of any one of you will be answered so long as he does not seek to hasten it, and does not say, ‘I made dua’ but I had no answer.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5865; Muslim, 2735, from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah).

In the hadeeth which was narrated by al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘There is no man who prays to Allah and makes dua’ to Him, and does not receive a response. Either it will be hastened for him in this world, or it will be stored up for him in the Hereafter, so long as he does not pray for something sinful, or to cut the ties of kinship, or seek a speedy response.’ They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what does seeking a speedy response mean?’ He said, ‘Saying, “I prayed to my Lord and He did not answer me.” (Al-Tirmidhi, 3859; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 852).

Some people follow practices that are not sanctioned by the Quran or Hadith such as repeating some of Allah’s names a few times. A number of scholars have said that “The words mentioned in the question are phrases that are narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, but saying that they must be repeated [so many] number of times is an innovated matter which should not be followed. Rather we should mention them during our dua’s and address Allah by all His beautiful names, without singling out some names or stating that they should be recited a certain number of times or at certain times, making that up ourselves. We should adhere to what was narrated in sharee’ah concerning certain times, places or situations connected to a particular dua’; if no such details were narrated in sharee’ah then we should not make them up ourselves because that is encroaching upon the rights of Prophethood.

In the hadeeth it says: “One of you may be answered so long as he is not hasty and says, ‘I said dua’ but I got no response.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.

In Saheeh Muslim (2736) it says: “A man’s (dua’s) may be answered so long as it does not involve sin or severing the ties of kinship or hastening.” It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, what does hastening mean?” He said: “When he says, ‘I made dua’ and I made dua’ but I did not see any response,’ so he gets discouraged and stops making dua’.”

The dua’ should not involve sin or severing of the ties of kinship, as stated in the hadeeth quoted above: “A man’s (dua’s) may be answered so long as he does not involve sin or severing the ties of kinship …”

According to the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah: “Make dua’ to Allah when you are certain of a response.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 245.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Know that Allah does not answer a dua from a distracted heart.” [/i]Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3479; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 245.

In the hadeeth it says: [The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)] mentioned the man who undertakes a lengthy journey and is disheveled and covered with dust, and he stretches his hands towards heaven saying, ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ when his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothes are haraam. He is nourished with haraam, so how can he be granted a response?

source


~ Not losing hope in the Dua’s that we make ~

One of the common complaints of many of us Muslims is that when we make Dua, we don’t see its immediate effects. As a result, we get disheartened and lose hope in the effectiveness and powers of our Dua. The post below highlights a passage written by Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) where he discusses this topic.

For those of us who don’t know, Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (508 AH – 597 AH) is known to be one of the most prolific authors in Islamic history. According to a research conducted on the extent of his research works, the number of Ibn al-Jawzi’s books is more than 376 texts. Some even say that he is the author of more than 700 works.

About the matter of Dua’s not being answered. Ibn al-Jawzi in one of his books commented the following:

I think part of the test is when a believer supplicates and receives no response, and he repeats the dua for a long time and sees no sign of a response. He should realize that this is a test and needs patience.

What a person experiences of waswaas (whispers from shaytan) when the response is delayed is a sickness which needs medicine – I have experienced this myself. A calamity befell me and I supplicated and did not see any response, and Iblees started to lay his traps. Sometimes he said: The generosity (of Allah) is abundant and He is not miserly, so why is there a delay?

I said to him: Be gone, O cursed one, for I have no need of anyone to argue my case and I do not want you as a supporter!

Then I told myself: Beware of going along with his whispers, for if there was no other reason for the delay except that Allah is testing you to see whether you will fight the enemy, that is sufficient wisdom.

My soul (nafs) said: How could you explain the delay in the response of Allah to your prayers for relief from this calamity?

I said: It is proven with evidence that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Sovereign, and the Sovereign may withhold or give, so there is no point in objecting to Him.

The wisdom behind that is proven in definitive evidence. I may think that something is good, but wisdom does not dictate it, but the reason for that may be hidden, just as a doctor may do things that appear outwardly to be harmful, intending some good purpose thereby. Perhaps this is something of that nature.

There may be an interest to be served by delay, and haste may be harmful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A person will be fine so long as he does not become impatient and says, ‘I prayed but I did not receive any answer.’”

The response may be withheld because of some fault in you. Perhaps there was something dubious in what you ate or your heart was heedless at the time when you said the dua, or your punishment is being increased by means of your need being withheld, because of some sin from which you have not repented sincerely. So look for some of these reasons, so that you might achieve your aim.

You should examine the intention behind this request, because attaining it may lead to more sin, or prevent you from doing some good, so withholding it is better.

Perhaps losing what you have missed out on will cause you to turn to Allah and getting it will distract you from Him. This is obvious, based on the fact that were it not for this calamity you would not have turned to Him, because the real calamity is what distracts you from Him, but what makes you stand before Him is good for you and is in your best interests.

If you ponder these things you will focus on what is more beneficial for you, such as correcting a mistake or seeking forgiveness or standing before Allah and beseeching Him, and forget about what you have missed out on.

End quote. Source: Sayd al-Khaatir (59-60). (This publication is in three volumes containing aphorisms and wise counsels)

About the issue of Dua’s being accepted, the following two sayings by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are also very noteworthy:

It was narrated that Faddalah ibn ‘Ubayd said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man making dua after his prayer, but he did not send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “This man is in a hurry.” Then he called him and said to him or to someone else: “When any one of you has finished praying (and makes dua), let him start by praising Allah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then after that let him ask for whatever he wants.” Al-Albani said: it is a saheeh hadeeth. (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2765.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The slave will receive a response so long as his dua does not involve sin or severing of family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.” It was said, “What does being hasty mean?” He said: “When he says, ‘I made dua and I made dua, and I have not seen any response,’ and he gets frustrated and stops making dua.” Narrated by al-Bukahari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.

— Finally, for those of us who have abandoned the practice of Dua, we may be missing something quite important. Wishing is not the same thing as making a Dua. We may keep wishing our wishes but we have a better chance of seeing them materialized when we actually make the effort to enter the state of Dua and asking Him what we want.

source

[Romeesa-Chan]

The last ten nights and days of Ramadan are at our doorsteps with greater spiritual opportunities and blessings. For those of us who believe, Quran's verse in Surah Al-Qadr (about one night during these ten nights being better than 1000 months) should be enough to make each one of us to strive harder in worship and to perform good deeds as the prophet used to do.



Checklist – The Last Ten Nights and Days of Ramadan.

[Amelia]

Laylatul-Qadr is upon us in these last ten nights of Ramadan. This special night has it's own Surah! (The Surah posted above)

"Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn." [97:1-5]


Special dua -

Things you can do on the Night of Power

[Amelia]

Adorn Yourself with Worship in the Last Nights of Ramadaan.

During the last days of Ramadhaan, the righteous predecessors stood (in prayer) at night, awakened their families, engaged in worship more diligently, kept aloof from women, and stood day and night in prayer and in worship of their Lord, in expectation of His reward. They raised their hands towards Allah The Almighty, supplicating Him not to let them return with failure, to grant them His bounties, and to do good to them.
 At the same time, they would adorn themselves on those nights, in which the Night of Al-Qadr is expected. They got adorned outwardly and inwardly, though the internal adornment is more important. Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W), would wear new clothes on those nights. Tameem (may Allaah be pleased with him) had a new suit which he used to wear on the night of Al-Qadr, and then fold it until the coming year. In doing so, he prepared himself for the meeting of Allaah The Almighty, and entering upon the Lord, and adorned himself, waiting for the reward of Allah The Exalted.

People should be keen on such outward adornment. They should perform Ghusl(ritual bath) on the odd nights where the Night of Al-Qadr is confirmed, get adorned and decorate their mosques, in the expectation of entering upon their Lord with that outward adornment.

Nevertheless, they should keep in mind that the outward adornment is of no avail without the inward adornment. That is, one should mend the heart, turn in repentance to Allaah The Almighty, give up wrongdoings, sins and misdeeds, decide not to return to the sin once again, seek the forgiveness of Allaah The Almighty for the previous mistakes, and settle the relationship between him and his Lord, and between him and people. With that internal adornment, he should hope to enter upon Allaah The Almighty.

What is the value of his outward adornment if his inner self is in such a state of bad morals, laziness in worship, rancor, envy, resentment, severance of ties, hatred, altercation, heedlessness of Allah The Almighty, and lacking readiness for meeting Him?How could he get the reward of the Lord?
"Whoever does not give up false speech, nor refrain from acting upon it, then, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink."
[Al-Bukhaari]

Allah The Almighty did not forbid him from food and drink to reward him for that (while fasting), and then he commits what is unlawful.
During the period of I‘tikaaf (seclusion), eminent Imaams such as Imaam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy upon him) and others refrained from talking to anyone -- even for the purpose of knowledge and religious study. They did so in order to be able to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, seek to fulfill the responsibility of faith and the means of forgiveness he should strive against himself to attain.

As high as his degree might be, the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W), did all of this relentlessly throughout those days. It was narrated that it was said to him: "You continue fasting without a break."
The Hadeeth (narration) shows that he continued fasting without a break, especially throughout his last days, to dedicate his time and effort to approaching his Lord, devote his heart and mind to Allaah The Almighty, and receive the Divine revelations and pleasure, love and closeness to his Lord and be reassured by remembering Him. That was his means of sustenance.

 Hence, he said:"I am not like anyone of you, because during the night I am given food and drink by my Lord." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] Of course he did not mean real food and drink, otherwise, he would not be considered to have continued fasting without a break. He rather meant the divine revelations that he received, the remembrance of Allaah The Almighty, solace with Him, approach to Him, and those great gifts of Allaah The Almighty.

This is why the Prophet (SAW), continued fasting "without a break", and so did his Companions. They did so in order to follow his guidance, devote themselves to the worship of Allah The Almighty, and engage their mind in drawing closer to their Lord, in the expectation of His prize, and seeking that night, the Night of Al-Qadr, perchance they would witness it and receive its blessings. 

[The Golden Girl =D]

I know it's too late but this might be Useful Next Ramadan =D


http://livinghalal.com/blog/documents1213/18551942-Ramadan-Health-Guide.pdf

[Romeesa-Chan]

This can to an end Ramadan too fast.

I hope Allah bless us all to greet Ramadan again next year, Insha Allah. <3

I pray that everyone's fast, everyone's prayers and Duas are accepted by The All Mighty. Ameen. <3

[The Golden Girl =D]

Ameen ya rab <3

Allahoma Baligna Next Ramadan =D

[Amelia]

May Allah Bless us all and accept our prayers. 

Ameen.

[Romeesa-Chan]

Ameen. <3

It'll be sad to see this thread die. . .