The Power of Dua

Assalamu Alaykum wR wB,

When I was younger, I used to make dua after every salaah. I used to ask for the things that every kid wants: the new video game, to go to some amusement park or place to eat, for me go to heaven, etc.  As I grew older however, I realized I focused less on making dua, and sometimes ‘skipped’ the dua part after salaah in entirety.

Part of it was me being lazy, but the other part was that as I grew older, I grew less dependent on other people, and unfortunately, without realizing it, started to feel less dependent on Allah (swt). I now had the freedom to make choices without asking my parents. If I wanted a new computer, I saved money. If I was was interested in someone, I would work hard to impress her.  By having the ability to achieve my goals myself, there was less of a reason to ask Allah (swt) for it.

This was where I was dead wrong.

We have to remember that nothing, absolutely nothing, happens without the will of Allah (swt). Thought I would do some research on why making dua is important for my and everyone else’s benefit iA.

Zakaat Al-Fitr: what, when, how much, and why?

Assalamu Alaykum members of Hadith of the Day!,

I sincerely hope everyone has had a blessed Ramadan so far, and that we can continue our worship and end off on a high note inshAllah.

As we get closer to the end of Ramadan and Eid, just wanted to write this post reminding everyone to pay Zakaat Al-Fitr before the end of Ramadan. Zakat Al-Fitr is obligatory upon every (capable) Muslim, whether male or female, old or young. The head of the household must pay this amount on behalf of his/her own self and on behalf of their spouse, children and even servants.

What it is:

Zakaat al-Fitr is an amount we give to charity and is given as food.  However, these days masjids and Islamic organizations collect money, and they buy food for poor people on your behalf.

When:

Needs to be given during Ramadan and before the Eid Prayer. There is one opinion that the food must reach the poor people before the Eid prayer. For this reason, if you are giving cash to a masjid or organization, it is in your best interest to give it as soon as possible so that they have enough time to purchase the food and distribute it.

How much:

The amount of Zakat Al-Fitr was fixed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is about 5 pounds of wheat, flour, barley, dates or raisins. To give you an idea, these days the amount is equal to approximately US $5 per person.

My advice to everyone is to contact their local masjid. I’m sure every masjid has a fund for people to donate to, and inshAllah this fund will be used to purchase the food quantities.

Divorce among American Muslims: Statistics, Challenges & Solutions By Samana Siddiqui

They were the ideal Muslim couples.

Sakina Khan and Ali Dawood from Detroit. Sarah Tayyib and Jamal Qandeel from San Jose. Both pairs appeared firmly committed to Islam on a personal level and through activism in their local Muslim communities. For family and friends, they were examples of what an Islamically successful marriage should look like.

“People would say ‘you’re our model couple’” Khan said in an interview with Sound Vision. “In the beginning, I’d say we were,” she added.

“We were best friends,” Qandeel recalled of his marriage with Tayyib. “There were no differences in values or raising the kids or disagreement in terms of lifestyle, careers or friends.”

Today, both couples have divorced. Tayyib and Qandeel after over a decade because of her affair with another man. Khan and Dawood after more than five years together primarily because of his emotional abuse. These men and women represent a seemingly growing number of Muslims in North America choosing to end their marriages for various reasons, ranging from incompatibility to infidelity.

Divorce among Muslims: the numbers

According to the Rutgers University National Marriage Project, the American divorce rate today is more than twice that of 1960, but has declined slightly since hitting the highest point in the country’s history in the early 1980s. Overall, close to 50 percent of marriages started today will end in either divorce or permanent separation. In Canada, the divorce rate is about 37 percent.

A Muslim must know how to be serious

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to shed some light on the importance of “Seriousness”. Don’t under estimate your importance, because you are the meter by which the potential of our ummah (community) is measured. What does that mean? I’ll tell you. When sociologists what to predict which country will rise in the following few decades and which country will fall, they look at the youth, they study the condition of those who will be in charge of the country in the future. Let me give you an example of how this was applied.

Having a Good Attitude and Treating Others Well

Assalamu Alaykum,

I really was amazed by just how many ahadith (sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him]) revolve around the importance of good attitude and treating other people well, and hence, decided it was an appropriate topic to write about.

As a Muslim, whenever somebody asks me about my religion, I always reply with the obvious: we believe in one god “Allah”, pray 5 times a day, fast during Ramadan, pay charity, follow the Qur’an, our belief in Prophets, and I mention all the other various worshiping rituals that “define” a Muslim. However, after reading these ahadith and ayahs (sentences from the Qur’an) about the way we should act, the definition of a Muslim goes much beyond just worship – it also includes our actions. It is imperative for Muslims, along with the acts of worship, to be humble, merciful, unselfish, pious, modest, noble, straightforward, honest, cheerful people who have good attitudes and treat other people with the utmost respect.

Next time I’m asked about my religion, I will be sure to include our behavior as one of the aspects that define Islam and Muslims, inshAllah. At the end of the post is a short dua (prayer/supplication) that I hope we all can memorize and repeat on a daily basis.

The true Muslim has a good attitude in his dealings with others. He is humble, and is soft and gentle in his speech, following the guidance of Islam and the example of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet’s servant, Anas (ra), described the Prophet as  “the best of people in his attitude towards others.” In fact, Anas went on to say: “I served the Messenger of Allah for ten years, and he never said to me ‘Uff!’ (the mildest word of contempt in Arabic). If I did not do something, he never said, ‘Why did you not do such-and-such?” (Bukari and Muslim).

Whatever Allah does….it is for our best.

Assalamu Alaykum

“…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allaah knows but you do not know.” [Soorah Al-Baqarah, v: 216]

When my daughter was 2 years old, she loved to play with the water in the toilet.

Yes, that’s right….the toilet.

Yuck!! That’s nasty! You would say.

But to her, that was the delight of the day! Splish…splash!

To her there was nothing like it! And so when I would prevent her from it, she would scream and cry and wouldn’t want to stop. She didn’t understand how harmful that was for her. In her little mind, I took away something that she really enjoyed.

And when I would take her to the doctor to have her immunization shots, she didn’t understand either. She would howl at the top of her lungs at the first sight of the needle and would run the other way. It would take two of us just to hold her down! To her, frankly, it was plain torture! Her innocent little mind simply could not even begin to understand how, on earth, could being tortured by a needle, be good for you?!!

She didn’t realize that this ‘needle’ will InshaAllah protect her from certain illnesses and harm that is much more severe than the prick of this little needle.

So what’s the point here?

New Muslim Cool

How Should We Love Our Prophet (pbuh)?

Assalamu Alaykum,

Sometimes love is unexpressed, affection is unspoken of, especially when you can’t find sufficient words to articulate your thoughts or to precisely express your feelings. I’ve often found myself in awe when speaking about Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Whenever his name is emanated from minarets, or recited during prayers, or mentioned in hadiths, I feel delighted, my heart palpitates with deep emotion; but my tongue feels constantly bounded to repeat, fearing to slip into exaggeration, the echoing, everlasting, and spiritually-rejuvenating expression, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam.  But to further console my heart, I usually say…

Beloved Prophet, kindly accept my apology
Your love is but a belief and theology.
It has always revived my soul
But expression is beyond my control.

In an authentic hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed his companions saying,“None of you can have (real) faith until I become dearer to them than their own fathers and children and all humans. “ In another version, he added “and even more than you would love your own selves”.

The Lost and Found Nation of Qur’an: Ust. Suhaib Webb

The Qur’an’s role in developing the right mindset and attitude towards life cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately the Qur’an, for many, has become a book of mere blessings. Let there be no doubt that its blessings cannot be fathomed nor its beauty and aroma captured. However, many have left a real, daily, practical relation with the Book of Allah and, instead, have settled for a mystical relationship whose outcomes are not easily measured nor understood. This is very dangerous and the outcomes of such an attitude have had paralyzing effects:

1. A chronic negligence of the Arabic language
2. Preference is given to other sources prior to the Qur’an
3. Dark depression that one, as a layman, is not able to comprehend nor understand the message of the Creator to Humanity

I would like to address the third point as I feel it is really the cause for points one and two. Many feel that they are unable to approach the Qur’an, draw conclusions from its lessons and articulate its beautiful message in their daily lives. Thus, we have an Ummah cut from it umbilical cord, frustrated, spiritually tired and on the verge of collapse. The further we draw back from our relationship with the Qur’an our reference for life is replaced by other sources. In my eyes this is one of the major reasons for the problems we see in our communities:

1. A brother who spent the majority of his pre-pubescent and early adult life listening to DMX, 50 Cent and Biggie is going to surely have issues when he gets married. When his wife trips his mind will not revert to the statement of Allah, “And live with them (your wives) in an honorable manner.” But instead, “Girl $#$%^*!” Or perhaps he will go back to his Tommy Vercetti and try to take manners into his own hands?

An Advice for the Serious Future Student Who Wants to Go Overseas – Br. Abdul Sattar

An Advice for the Serious Future Student Who Wants to Go Overseas – Br. Abdul Sattar

Many of us have a desire or a dream to go overseas to study Islam. We have images in our heads, of basking in the glow of the minarets of Madinah, or sitting in the shade of the courtyard of Al-Azhar, or kneeling in a village in Mauritania, or sitting in the musallah at Deoband, and hearing the Heirs of the Prophet – the ‘ulama - pass their inheritance to us. Many look forward to the days that they will be able to seek knowledge and grow in their Deen.

Many of us however, while professing to love knowledge, and aiming to seek it (one day), have made a fatal mistake that may hamper us for the rest of our lives (if we believe in opportunity cost), or will at least hold us back from what we could have achieved. How?

In our dreaming about the future, our hoping about studying in the days to come, our planning about seeking this blessed life-giving water, we have completely, utterly, and carelessly neglected to seek knowledge – in the present. In the here, and now.