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Deen (Religion)

ALHAMDULILAH FOR ISLAM #WEEK 3 CHALLENGE

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Alhamdulilah third week is already over and Ramadhan is quickly winding up. For the past week the challenge was making up a list for the things we are grateful for in Islam.

DAY 15: When you see people like Trump you really gotta thank God for Islam. There is so much fasad in the current world, so many people fighting against Islam and doing kufr. Isn’t it such a blessing that in this century to be a Muslim? Alhamdulilah ala ne3matil Islam. Alhamdulilah for being born in Islam and for growing up within a Muslim family. May Allah make us die in Islam too ya Rab.

DAY 16: I read the qur’an and I feel amazed. Subhanallah there is so much scientific knowledge, miracles and predictions that took years before modern world scientists identified. For example the formation of a baby, how each human being has their own fingerprints, the barrier between salty water and fresh water oceans they meet but never mix, the benefits we can get from cattle and many others. But one amazing miracle of the qur’an that I just learnt lately is from surat Iqra, ayah 15-16 “Nay! If he (abu Jahl) ceases not, we will catch him by the forelock. A lying, sinful forelock.” The area of the front cerebrum in the brain (forelock) is responsible for planning, motivating and initiating good and sinful behaviour and is responsible for the telling of lies and speaking of truth. Thus it is proper to describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone commits a sin. Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years yet the qur’an mentions this more than 1400 years ago. Alhamdulilah for this great knowledge. Let’s read the qur’an and understand it. There is just so much for us to learn.

DAY 17: We had a prophet true in his nature, kind in his dealings. His character was the qur’an and became a role model to us. He taught us to be kind to the poor, to cherish our wives, to grow in unity, to fight for Allah, to be humble to our parents. When we check the hadiths of the prophet and the history, there is nothing left un-turned. The prophet taught us even the smallest of details of life; how to behave in the washroom, how to eat, how to drink, how to live with our spouses, how to treat animals and our neighbours, how to behave in all situations subhanallah. Alhamdulilah for such a role model. Alhamdulilah for all that he taught us that shaped our behaviour and character.

DAY 18: There are so many Muslim scholars who discovered and made great inventions that are used to date. Philosophers like Abu Nasr Al-Farabi who wrote one hundred books whose topics ranged from ethics, politics, Music, sociology, metaphysics and natural science. His ideas influenced several other known Muslim thinkers like Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Al-Razi (Rhazes), Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Ibn Khaldun. They were geniuses great scholars that explored different subjects just like Al-Farabi. They made a remarkable history in Mathematics, medicine, physics, philosophy and many other fields. These philosophers transmitted the scientific and philosophical wealth of ancient Greece and made substantial improvements and additions to this knowledge by their own independent work. Alhamdulilah for such amazing personalities in Islam. Alhamdulilah for the Muslim geniuses that made and are still leaving a mark in the current world.

DAY 19: Islam has come with so many stories of past prophets, the pious people, the oppressive kings, the sinful societies. It has come with so many life lessons for us such that we can learn from them. But most of all, we learn from how our prophets struggled and how they were tested; prophet Ayub’s long ailment, prophet Nuh’s son drowning right in front of him, prophet Lut’s wife turning into a rock, prophet Muhammad and his sahaba’s tough journey in spreading Islam etc…we learn to be patient. We learn to accept Allah’s destiny and have faith in Him always. These stories are brought down such that our hearts can be at ease and at peace for what He has tested us with. There are so many moral lessons to learn from these stories. Alhamdulilah for the hope Allah keeps giving us from them.

DAY 20: Being a woman I am grateful to be a Muslim. I am thankful at how Islam has elevated the status of women, at how we are the queens, the daughters and the wives. At how the jannah lies under our feet when we become mothers and how we can be the reason our fathers go to jannah and our husbands too. I am thankful that Islam eliminated the jahiliyyah traditions of undermining the women and burying of girl babies. Islam has made it possible for women to inherit and to own their own wealth and to be the greatest teachers, role models and influencers of all time. Alhamdulilah for being a Muslim woman.

DAY 21: Alhamdulilah for a Merciful God for granting us such a month like this of Ramadhan. Alhamdulilah for all the chances that He gives us so that we can correct ourselves, repent with no limits, spread humanity and love each other honestly. Subhanallah. I mean, how Merciful is our Lord to give us such a flawless month where satan is locked away and gives you all the energy so that you can talk to Him and He, listens to you always? Alhamdulilah for Ramadhan. It is indeed one of the great blessings of Islam.

As we go into the final week of Ramadhan I would like to kindly ask you to remember me in your duas, I will forever be grateful for that. May Allah accept our duas, grant us guidance and the love of Islam. May He grant us the peace of the heart and love of akhirah.

Next week in shaa Allah the topic is Alhamdulilah for everything. Till next week, stay safe, keep thanking Allah and may Allah bless you. Ameen ?

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ZAKAT AND SADAQA IN QUEUES?

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Photo Courtesy: http://productivemuslim.com

It is these times that Muslims are giving in charity abundantly,humanity levels are at the peak. Kindness is probably an understatement and you could be awed at how everyone is going an extra mile to help those in need. This is one of my favourite times. It is indeed the last ten days of Ramadhan.

People differ in how they offer the sadaqa and zakat but of late, some Muslims have made it a trend to make a call-out that they will be giving zakat/sadaqa on a certain day. On these days, you would see women huddled with their children and men, old and young standing outside the premises awaiting the ‘promised package’. They would wait as long as it takes, so long as they get the flour,oil, sugar and other necessities. People are hungry, they would do anything to get that package. People are jobless, they would do anything to get something to feed their families. You see the queues of people waiting and you know how much people are desperately in need. Some would say, Kenyans just like whatever is free whatever it may cost them. Quite true but nonetheless we can never totally disagree that majority are genuinely poor. It is quite a heart breaking sight when you see them standing, seated, squatting under the scorching sun, some with crying babies and tired children waiting for the 500, 1000 shillings or the package. But have we ever kept ourselves in their shoes?

I have never really known whether what is being given is sadaqa or zakat. Whether it is announced that people should come or leakage of information that leads those crowds of people to the premises. Whatever the case, the method used in sharing this zakat or even if it is sadaqa is quite depressing. If the people responsible in giving the sadaqa/zakat are not the ones who called out for people to come over then there must be leakage of information on their plans and thus the queues of people. Because people just can’t walk miles and miles in crowds or queues if they didn’t hear the grapevine and the rumours that this person at this place will be giving out this and that. Or perhaps it is just a bad trend amongst the people to crowd themselves up? Allahu a3lam.

I’m just assuming the rich are the ones who give information on such plans or they have made the poor get accustomed to such sadaqa traditions over the years and thus the automated numbers of people appearing at the same place year in year out. If it is indeed so, then a lot has to be considered.

This woman with her child or this old man is probably coming from South Coast or Kilifi or even farther areas like Changamwe. Most probably he/she came by foot because they are not about to waste money for fare. We all know how our heat is here in Mombasa. And even if it is any other place, the distances these people walk is not a joke honestly. They come and find the ‘earlier birds’ have already arrived. It’s a huge crowd already. He thought he was early but in this case, it is first come first serve. Survival is for the fittest. He might spend the entire day roaming around the place waiting for the package. This man might have wasted a whole day of work where he would have probably earned 1500 shillings while you give them only 1000. Even if he was going to get the EXACT amount or even more from you, he wouldn’t be humiliated in such a way.

Many people take these things really for granted but please think about it. When you call out to people that you will be giving out sadaqa and people; very poor people desperately come to your place, not knowing the exact time or anything. They ‘just heard’ you will be giving out something, and ‘something’ is such a great deal for them. Have you really thought about the struggle they go through to get to your place? Waiting for hours? With all this heat and tired children on their backs?

You know, we keep saying we want jannah. We want to be in the same jannah like Umar ibn Khattab and Hamza and Fatima Azahra and Aisha Radhiya Llahu 3anhum. We want to be in the same heaven with the prophet and with people who were killed for Islam, with people who sacrificed their entire wealth Fi sabiliLlah. With people who used to take sadaqa to the doorsteps of the poor. With people who fought with the prophet peace be upon him. How by God? How do we expect to be in the same jannah with them while we humiliate people? When we make people make queues to get what is their haq from you? Even if not intentionally, aren’t you supposed to do unto others what you would prefer for yourself? How do we even dream of being in the same jannah with the sahabas and prophets??!

Let us not try to justify ourselves. If we can afford to give zakah to a random number every year then we can very well afford to actually go to South Coast, work along with the local imams in giving out to those who are really needy and just lazy beggars. And even if one is sick or unable to get there himself then he can probably afford to hire reliable people to do it on his behalf.

We keep forgetting that every single step we take towards these poor people the more the rewards for us. It is not a must that you feed 1000 people for you to feel satisfied with your sadaqa or zakat. You can as well do big projects for ten people such that they don’t have to come to you again the next year. If we REALLY want jannah then we must go out of our comfort zone. We must work hard and feel the pain of people. What we give in queues does not mean is any less valuable. No that’s not what I am saying. It does not mean that I am not aware of the bad begging habits in our Coast and Kenya in general. It does not mean I am underestimating anyone’s approach of giving sadaqa and zakat. God knows I am not being judgemental here and may He forgive me if i’m making wrong assumptions..all I meant to say is; please when giving out what you have remember that these people are human beings like you. Don’t just take their desperation to your advantage and let them struggle to get what you had in store for them. Put yourself in their shoes. Do unto them what you would have wanted if you were in their place. Not meaning to step on anyone’s toes; Allahu a3laam.

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ALHAMDULILAH FOR TIES THAT BIND #WEEK 2 CHALLENGE

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Illustrations by: www.ayeina.com

What are we without the ties that we have? What is to become of us without the people in our lives?

Week 2 challenge was to thank Allah for the ties that we have in our lives.

DAY 8: My mother is a super woman. It doesn’t matter i you believe it or not, but she is the most admirable being I ever saw, met or even heard of. She is my mother. And what more reason do I need to love her? Alhamdulilah for a creative mother; an intelligent mother, a wonderful, caring, most loving woman in the world. Her sacrifices for me and her family is beyond. Alhamdulilah for a mother that truly deserves the title of a mother.

DAY 9: Alhamdulilah for a father who loves his children sincerely. For a dad who teaches his children matters of deen. For a father who leads his children in prayer. For a father who has shown the best example by being attached to the book of Allah. Alhamdulilah for such a great great blessing. Alhamdulilah for my hero.

DAY 10: Alhamdulilah for my whole family. For having a family. Alhamdulilah for my siblings that I live with. For my sisters and brothers. For the cute children. For my cousins. For my aunties and uncles. For my dearest nephew. Alhamdulilah for siblings who are more knowledgeble. Those who teach me something new everyday. Alhamdulilah for siblings that I would never wish for others. Alhamdulilah for a large family. For the wonderful loving bond between us.
Alhamdulilah because I very well know that there are so many people out there who are homeless and without their families. It is a blessing.

DAY 11: Alhamdulilah for my other siblings and their families in Yemen. Alhamdulilah that despite the war Allah has enabled us to keep communication. Alhamdulilah that He has protected them for us. Alhamdulilah that despite not meeting in almost 20 years; despite the gap of time and distance, we still have hope to have our family re-united once again in shaa Allah.

DAY 12: Alhamdulilah for strangers who value me. Those who regard me as their mentor. Strangers who keep binding our ties. Strangers who keep reading my humble work and supporting me always. Strangers who keep believing in me more than I ever did. Alhamdulilah for such lovely people in my life.

DAY 13: ALhamdulilah for my small circle of lifetime friends. For friends who are sisters too. Alhamdulilah for friends who remind me of Allah. For friends who are always by my side through thick and thin. For friends who correct me when I go wrong. Who are honest with me. Who are loyal to me. Friends who support me and give me a shoulder when I need one. Those who give me a helping hand whenever. Friends who love me for the sake of Allah. Alhamdulilah for real friends.

DAY 14: They say everyone comes into your life for a reason. I look at my best friend and I just know she is God-sent. Alhamdulilah for her existance in my life. Alhamdulilah for a friend truer than the truth itself. Alhamdulilah for a very patient, very understanding, very honest, very supportive best friend. She is the best gift of my life after my family and I don’t know how I would survive in such a cold world without her shoulder and helping hand always. And all this is because Allah blessed me with her. So yes, alhamdulilah thumma alhamdulilah for my best friend.

My family, my friends are my world and I would be empty without them. So alhamdulilahi kathira for them. Alhamdulilah for ties that bind. May Allah protect them for me, guide them and grant them happiness in this world and the next. Ameen, ameen thumma ameen.

So what ties were you grateful for this week? I hope you had something to thank Allah for because even in the worst of situations there is still something to be grateful for.

Next week in shaa Allah the topic is: Alhamdulilah for Islam. Keep thanking Allah. Till next week in shaa Allah, stay safe and saum maqbul 🙂

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ALHAMDULILAH FOR BASIC NECESSITIES #WEEK 1 CHALLENGE

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So…we agreed to have a weekly list of the things we are grateful for this Ramadhan. This first week was on basic necessities and the following is what I came up with.

DAY 1: This year is perhaps the toughest for many people. We lost so many of our friends, colleagues, relatives. Some died from Dengu fever while others died from Hepatitis. Some died in accidents while others had sudden deaths. This is my first year where I feared my own death more than any other. It is still my first time to see so many of my age mates go to Allah all of a sudden. It scared me that I wouldn’t live to see Ramadhan or even repent properly. It scared me to have to face Allah with so many faults still inscribed in my book. Today I look at this day as a gift from Allah. So many thought they would live to today. So many wished they witnessed another Ramadhan…but unfortunately they didn’t. How then can I not say alhamdulilah for breathing? For being alive? Alhamdulilah for the gift of life. It is only by Allah’s mercy that He granted me another chance to repent and get closer to Him.May Allah shower His mercy upon all those who left us and may He grant them and us too, His highest level of jannah. May He grant us many more Ramadhans in shaa Allah ?

DAY 2: As I sat on the table during iftar, I looked at my plate full of food. Not just food; a variety of it. From the sweet stuff to the salty to the main food. I looked at it and remembered how many years now so many Muslims in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libnan and many other countries have NOTHING to break their fast. Not even a morsel of bread. Not even a drop of water or a single date. As I keep filling my stomach each and every other day, these people do not even remember the smell of food let alone of it’s taste. Yet they still fast, yet they still wake up for suhoor; not to eat but to pray to Allah. Yet they still worship Allah day and night. The old amongst them and the children too. Ya Allah, thank you for the blessing of food that you give us in abundance.

DAY 3: I read a book on fatawas on Muslim women today. It was enlightening and I learnt some notable things. Being able to get education is another blessing of it’s own. Many wish they could understand the qur’an and the deen yet they lack the basic knowledge to do so. Alhamdulilah for this ne3ma. May He make us amongst those who seek His knowledge (of deen…and dunya too).

DAY 4: Swalatul Taraweh has it’s own wonderful feeling. The tranquility, the amazing recitation of the qur’an, seeing the many people in the masjid lined up all praying to one Lord. All this I can just watch at the comfort of my own home, under a nice shelter as I am seated on a comfortable coach. Alhamdulilah for our humble homes. Alhamdulilah for a roof that doesn’t leak, for a house that is filled with furniture to make us relax better. Alhamdulilah for all that we have that others don’t.

DAY 5: Alhamdulilah foe electricity. I consider electricity a basic necessity because the modern world depends on it a lot. I imagine how it would be like if we lived many years back; breaking the fast in total darkness or partial. Right now we have so much light everywhere alhamdulilah. On the streets, in our homes, in our neighbourhoods. We can eat peacefully and in a more comfortable way. We can pray taraweh and tahajjud using the speakers in the masjids and come back home safely. We can wake up for suhoor and eat without a problem. Alhamdulilah for this noor in our lives.

DAY 6: Mashallah as early as now, some people have already bought eid dresses and kanzus. I look into my wardrobe and I see abundance. I have what to wear today and tomorrow and the next day and the next next. Alhamdulilah. We are privileged. I am privileged and blessed for the variety of clothing for both warm and cold seasons. For eid and for weddings. For all kind of events. Alhamdulilah.

DAY 7: Alhamdulilah…it is already the end of the first week. Subhanallah how time flies. But I am grateful to have experienced the end of the first week. That I have my sight and my hearing that are guiding me to publish my #Alhamdulilah list right now. That I am healthy and all my body parts are functioning. Alhamdulilah for all my physical parts.

As we begin the second week I would like to remind you that it is not too late to write your own list. This following week in shaa Allah we are writing on: #Alhamdulilah For Family ties
I hope you will try and participate this time round. You don’t have to post it if you don’t wish to. You can as well thank Allah directly every single day for a different thing. Don’t miss out on this amazing mini-project! Till end of next week in shaa Allah, stay blessed ?

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WHY WE DESPERATELY NEED A MOON-SIGHTING SOLUTION IN KENYA

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Everything about Ramadhan in Kenya is beautiful except one thing: moon sighting. It is confusing and even more annoying how we allow it to cause divisions between us. Year in year out we have heard the SAME.ISSUES over and over again.
1. Someone sighted the moon but the kadhi’s phone was off
2. People sending pictures of the moon on their first day of fasting and saying that it is thicker than ‘yesterday’as a proof that it is indeed the first day
3. The kadhi is just following the government dates with the name ‘chief kazi’
4. The moon has been sighted in areas in Kenya but the kadhi wouldn’t agree to it.

This has been the same theory every beginning and end of Ramadhan. I am not about to take sides because I am among the people who are very saddened by these misunderstandings of sharia. I also want to eagerly learn shariah and a student of deen listens and not mocks.

My teachers in deen, majority of them follow the moon seen anywhere in the world. Yet whenever they taught about this issue they made it clear that although they follow the world, there are fatawas of different ulamaas all over the world including Ibn Uthaymeen who agreed that each country should follow their own moon. This includes the lajna (council) of Suudiya which also gave their fatwa that each country should follow their own country and not specifically follow them. As such we became a world divided thrice when it comes to moon sighting:
Those who follow the kadhi i.e. their own countries
Those who follow Suudiya
Those who follow the whole world
Of which the first and the third ideologies are the strongest since following Suudiya alone has been declared wrong by the sheikhs of there already.

Nonetheless it is very clear that this issue won’t be resolved anytime soon or ever at all. All we have to do is respect our different views but it would have been better if we had very serious moon sighting procedures. Those who claim to have called the kadhi every year and never find him, we need to really find out how that happens. How true is it? Perhaps we should have a lajna too such that other respectable people together alongside the regional kadhis and the chief kadhi can be contacted and not specifically him alone.

When it comes to sending photos of the moon after the end of the first day, when the moon was ‘seen’ the previous day where were all those smart phones and nikon cameras? Alhamdulilah Allah has blessed us with technology, if the Kadhi is not picking the phone then why not take the photos and show the proof on that same day instead of the next day?

To add on that the prophet peace be upon him never asked us to check the thickness of the moon but the sight of it. Be it here or anywhere else that you follow please do understand that the thickness of the moon can never be used as a justification that the moon has been seen. The moon is one the entire world but it is seen in some places and that is the hikma of Allah that some places the moon is covered by the clouds and unseen. Plus there are longitudinal differences for example We and Suudiya have the same time based on the longitudes but our prayer timings are different (based on lunar calendar). Even a closer example is how we in Mombasa can pray 10/15 minutes before Nairobi and when we go further on the longitude the later they pray than us. So the problem here is that we haven’t understood the lunar calendar and learnt its details and the hikmah of it. Imagine people in Europe who are fasting in summer it comes up to 18/19 hours of fasting. When Ramadhan falls on winter they fast for about 6 hours. So Ramadhan keeps rotating and they get to fast longer and shorter hours every year. That is the hikmah of Allah. Imagine if Ramadhan followed the solar calendar, it would be fixed seasons such that some fasted permanently on longer hours than others and some would not be able to fast at all. What about the North and South pole? They have 6 months of sunshine how would they be fasting continuously if it was based on solar timings? How unfair would that be?

So from that the hadith didn’t say about how big the moon is but fasting according to the sight of it.

Again what one of my teachers of deen said of how he used to follow the kadhi yet he changed to following the entire world after his further studies in Shariah. And every other sheikh has their own reasons for following whichever country they do but one thing they keep saying is that we shouldn’t fight in this holy month because of that. The kadhi does not make his decisions alone. This is a huge responsibility on his shoulders and it won’t be easy to just make reckless decisions as many assume. And whatever his decisions he very well knows that he takes full responsibility of the ummah. He is someone’s parent, brother and son so let’s stop abusing him.

What we desperately need right now is the ulamaas in Kenya to have a conference and come with a serious solution on how moon sighting should take place such that the Kenyans themselves can be satisfied with the procedures. This would involve the different regional kadhis as well and the scholars amongst us. Perhaps they should have more trusted people allocated in the interior areas as informants of the moon. I really dream of something like this to happen. How wonderful would it be if fatwas were given and we are all able to fast and break it together. We should borrow a leaf from Abu dhabi who used to follow Suudiya previously yet this time they decided to form their own council consisting of sheikhs and scholars of astronomy to record the sighting of the moon in their own area including the interior parts. Yesterday it wasn’t until 8 p.m after they confirmed that it has been sighted in their area is when they announced the beginning of Ramadhan.

The prophet peace be upon him said that divisions will be among the signs of qiyamah…so yes, they were bound to happen whether we want it or not. Let us just pray that Allah guides us into making the right decisions and forgiving us for taking wrong steps. For most of us who are arguing about it are not even in the least bit knowledgeable in matters of deen or even understand geography. Follow whichever country or sheikh you want but don’t get abusive. The arguments are becoming too lame now. Nothing new to talk about; same old claims always. No one is being threatened with a gun to follow anyone. Let us start the Ramadhan peacefully and end it in the same way in shaa Allah. Moon sighting should not be moon fighting. We are one people. Such differences should not be a reason for non Muslims to laugh or mock us for it. May Allah easen for us and grant us the ability to do lots of ibadah and have the knowledge of deen. May He accept our deeds and forgive us our misdeeds. Ameen.

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POWER OF PROSTRATION

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By: Lali Suleiman Lali

Photo Courtesy: http://www.ramazannezaman.com/

Sujood – Prostration Have you ever wondered when to talk out yourself to your Lord, The Creator of The Universe?
Well, we’re about to discuss that, but before we do, you should know what makes you want to talk to Allah. Allah says in the Holy Quran; “I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Indeed Allah! He is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of Unbreakable Might.” (Surat Dhaariyat,Verse 56 – 58).

Allah created us on a purpose that we worship Him and supplicate to Him only so that He provides the necessities of the life.He has granted us. Allah (SW) also highlights that demanding us to worship Him doesn’t at any level make Him inferior or needy of any favors from His creation, in fact, He possesses undefeatable powers over everything we’ve ever and never known. We find here that we are in need of Allah’s mercy and provision of livelihood and so we ought to find a perfect way to beg for His acceptance. Prostration (Sujood) is the only perfect position to talk to Allah on several points from which we’ll outline a few herewith.

First and foremost, it’s the closest place you can ever be to Allah, wherever you are. This has been approved by a prophetic hadith; Narrated by Abu Hurayra (RA) that the Prophet (SAW) said, “The closest a slave can get to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so increase supplications”.

Secondly, considering that we all need to supplicate (beg) to Allah, Sujood is the lowest, weakest and most submissive level a slave could drop for His Master. This affirms we’ve surrendered to Allah’s power and it purifies our intentions on what we beg from Him. Allah describes the reaction of several Prophets and Messengers he earlier mentioned in Surat Maryam; “…….When the revelations of the Beneficent were recited unto them, they fell down, adoring and weeping.” (Surat Maryam, End of Verse 58).

Sujood, being the closest and most submissive point, it therefore strengthens the relationship between us and Allah hence Allah is more likely to grant guidance, forgiveness, mercy and finally Jannah (May Allah make us among people of Jannah). A hadith narrated by Thawbaan (A freed slave of the Messenger of Allah) “You frequently need to prostrate to Allah, for you’ll not make one prostration to Allah but He raises you by degrees and erases sins from you” So brothers and sisters, what makes us hasten our Sujood? We seem to prioritize our worldly affairs over our relationship with Allah. The businesses that you run after in this world are doomed if Allah doesn’t bless them for you and all that comes from the Sujood itself. For every Rakaa you make in your prayers, you have two opportunities to talk to your Lord and ask whatever it is you wish you had (Subhaanallah) yet we hasten to make the conversation between us and Allah as short as possible. There is this common act most of us are used to; we arrive at the Masjid and find the Imam on prostration and we’re like, “Oh! That Rakaa’s gone; I’ll wait for the Imam to rise again” How about the Sujood? If you prostrate with the Imam in that Rakaa that you’ve missed, you get rewarded for the Sujood you’ll make and you still get a bonus chance to make supplications to Allah. (This doesn’t certify missing rakaas so you go for bonus Sujood). Why would you miss Takbeerat-ul-Ihram after all? What I’m trying to elucidate is “Never miss a chance to get close to Allah”

Sujood mainly comprises praising and glorifying Allah. Several body parts are involved in it including forehead, nose, both hands, knees and all toes embracing the ground. In Sujood, allow yourself to be mostly present and cognizant about what you are actually doing and what it is that you should be saying. Realize that you are at your lowest state in front of your Lord, The Most High when saying; ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻥ ﺭﺑﻲ ﺍﻷﻋﻠﻰ (preferably three 3 times or more, one time is obligatory). It has been approved by scholars that it’s best to add; ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻚ ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺭﺑﻨﺎ ﻭﺑﺤﻤﺪﻙ ، ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺍﻏﻔﺮ ﻟﻲ (Subhaanak Allahumma Wa Bihamdik, Allahumma Ghfir Liy) “Glory and Praise be to You Oh Allah, our Lord, Oh Allah forgive me. Then make as many supplications (Dua) as possible knowing that Allah listens to each one of them.

Before I end this, please don’t forget your parents in your supplications. A hadith by Abu Hurayra (RA) that the Messenger of Allah said; “A person is raised by degrees in Jannah and he asks, ‘What is this for?’ and he will be told, ‘This is from forgiveness asked for you by your child’ Authenticated by Al Albani. So whenever in Sujood, Ask Allah to forgive our parents by making this supplication; ﺍﻟﻠَّﻬُﻢَّ ﺍﻏْﻔِﺮْﻟِﻲ ﻭَﻟِﻮَﺍﻟِﺪَﻱَّ ، ﺭَﺏِّ ﺍﺭْﺣَﻤْﻬُﻤَﺎ ﻛَﻤَﺎ ﺭَﺑَّﻴَﺎﻧِﻲ ﺻَﻐِﻴﺮًﺍ (Allahumma Ghfir Liy Wa Liwaalidayya, Rabbi Irhamhuma Kamaa Rabbayaani Sagheera) -Oh Allah grant me forgiveness and to my parents, my Lord have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.) “Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they (evilly) attribute (unto Him), and peace be unto those sent (Messengers), and praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (Surat Saaffaat, Verses 180 – 182)

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TEACHING; THE BEST PROFESSION FOR MUSLIMAHS

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By: Maliha Karama

Photo Courtesy: islamic-art-and-quotes.tumblr.com

بسم الّله الرّحمان الرّحيم.

Ooh Our Ummah, Our Boat is sinking!!!
We all need to Motivate Women to learn, The Society lacks Female Muslims Teachers Its So Sad & Such A Shame??
Its very disappointing today hearing about such issues, Like out of 1000 Teachers only 10 are Muslims and less than 3 are Female, Out of 700 Students only 1 is A Female muslim, Sub’haanALLAH Its So Heartbreaking?

The Ummah The Ummah Where are we heading to??!
I.R.E being taught by Non-Muslims? Shocked ryt??! Well that’s the Bitter truth!!!

We sit and start complaining about our muslims children values Their Negative thoughts, Negative behaviour & So on…
Bt lets Face The truth The Reality, What do we expect when even Islamic Subjects are being taught by Non-Muslims Teachers?!!

Ooh Our Ummah Lets Save ourselvs!!!
In Islaam The First 5 verses which were revealed to our Beloved Prophet Muhammad 3alayhi Sswalaatu wa Ssalaam was about Learning ;
قال الّله تعالى: {اِقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ* خَلَقَ اْلإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ* اِ قْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ اْلأَكْرَمُ* الَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ* عَلَّمَ اْلإِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ}

This proves importance of Learning & if it wasn’t so then ALLAH Sub’haanahu wa Ta3aala could have started this deen with something else.
Through Learning we know our GOD, We know how To Worship ALLAH, We know about The whole Islaam & how to be Humans.

Ooh Our Ummah is in A Dangerous Position!!!?
Please Spread The Message, We must learn nd also Teach our Ummah in Madrasa nd Schools. We need Female Muslims Teachers Especially in Girls Schools!
Lets not point fingers at each other but Be United?? and think about our Ummah!!!
Spread The message all out there…

Lets Learn Teaching skills and have our own rules as Muslim Society nd have our own Islamic Programs.
Well AlhamduliLLAH We Already have our own Academic Programs of Teaching skills at Madrasatul Munawwarah (DIPLOMA & DEGREE IN TEACHER TRAINING) Don’t be late again Spread The Message and lets all benefit from each other.

Ooh Our Ummah!!! We need to Wake up now ITS NEVER TOO LATE!
Its A duty to seek knowledge upon Every Muslim Male or Female.
قال صلّى الّله عليه وسلّم: (طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ) قال الشّيخ الألباني رحمه الّله: [حديث صحيح].
Be it Ur Daughter, Sister or Wife, Plzzz let her join The AL-MUNAWWARAH COLLEGE Of Teaching Training.
The Teaching Profession is A Noble one, Infact Its The job of All Prophets including Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad 3alayhi Sswalaatu wa Ssalaam who was The Best Teacher Ever!!!
A Teacher Is A Role model whom we all look upto, A Teacher is A Person who is always Respected by The Society, Even Students Pray for you, How Sweet ❤

Women Should know their roles nd take their part in The Society
وصدق من قال: “اَلْمَرْأَةُ قَلْبُ الْمُجْتَمَع إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْمُجْتَمَعُ كُلَّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْمُجْتَمَعُ كُلَّهُ”
A Woman plays an Important role in Ummah, She can make or break The Society So she needs to learn in order to Make, Improve & Build up The Better Ummah Bi IdhniLLAH
يقول الشّاعر الكبير حافظ إبراهيم رحمه الّله:
اَلأُمُّ مَدْرَسَةٌ إِذَا أَعْدَدتَهَا* أَعْدَدْتَ شَعْبًا طَيِّبَ الأَعْرَاقِ.
ِ

Ooh Our Ummah is losing control, Side by side lets all come together, Help one another nd Never ever discourage each other!!!
Its not always about money (High Salary) NO WAY❌ But its about Salary of Aakhera (The Reward) Its about Getting Positive Results
Its all about saving Our Ummah!!!
Just think if u teach something to someone about deen & he or she practise it does something good nd teaches someone else, nd this continues then ur Rewards will be endless cz u get rewards for all those whom will practise what u taught. The Rewards will be there even after ur dead, Its like Swadaqatul Jaariyah Sub’haanALLAH How Great is this… Jst think about it?
قال صلّى الّله عليه وسلّم: (إِذَا مَاتَ الْعَبْدُ اِنْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلاّ مِنْ ثَلاَثٍ، صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُوا لَهُ) قال الشّيخ الألباني: [حديث صحيح]. َ

Ooh Our Ummah, Our Ummah is losing Focus!!! Lets jst not sit keep watching all this doing nothing, infact Lets Save, Protect our Ummah & Guide each other through all our Lives!
Lets be Serious nd not take this issue A Lightly matter
Remember We are all RESPONSIBLE cz for Surely We will all be asked by ALLAH 1 DAY nd We will Have to Answer!!!
What Answers will we give❓
Which reasons will we bring❓❗
How will we Defend Ourselvs❓❗❗

Our Ummah Our Ummah..!!!
Nway As they say “Better Late than Never”
Lets take Action & Save Our Ummah‼‼‼
Through Learning and Practising We’ll Create A Difference!!!

May ALLAH Forgive us, Guide us all and Protect Our Ummah (Ameeen Yaa Rabb)
وصلّى الّله وسلّم على سيّدنا محمّد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدّين.

Wassalamu 3alaykum WarahmatuLLAHI Wabarakaatuh.

Shukran.
©M.K.

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NO ONE IS ACTUALLY SAFE

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Photo Courtesy: www.ayeina.com

Angel? Pious? Sheikh with the longest beard? Muslimah with the longest jilbab? Innocent? Too holy? Sweetheart, no one is actually safe from hellfire. NO ONE; not even that sheikh you really admire or that lady who is the kindest on earth. We are all to live in that kind of suspense till the end of times so the question here is, are we ready?

One thing you should keep in mind is that you are no more pious than anyone else. I’ve met people who barely know what deen really requires from them yet they have best of manners, pure souls and very kind to humanity. However still, i’ve met people with so much knowledge of deen such that if you drank from their wells of knowledge it is like a drop of the ocean subhanaAllah, you can never get their full cup yet when you look at their character, you will wish you never knew about them.

We all do mistakes and we sin and we cry to Allah for mercy and He forgives us then we sin again. The cycle of sinning goes on like that. That is why we are called ‘insaan’ for we keep forgetting that without Allah’s mercy upon us we would all perish. Imagine how life would be if we are to be punished for all our mistakes including the slip of the tongue…and the punishment comes immediately. If you look at the wrong thing Allah takes away your sight right there and then. If you go to a wrong place, you lose your legs. Just imagine if it were so…would any one of us be alive still? All of us would have lost all our body parts and at the very end lose our hearts too except the prophets that is. But Allah Subhanahu wataala is Merciful that’s why He has given us countless chances to cry and repent to Him.

We live in this world yet we don’t know what will be the reason for us to go to jannah or even hellfire. It could be the duas of that lady you helped during hardship that will make Allah to send you to jannah yet it could be that with all the deen you have, go to hellfire because of someone you wronged and never forgave you.

Who are we to be arrogant over others really? What guarantee does any of us have of where their place will be? And sadly, we have several pious men and women who think so highly of themselves such that when they see you they already judge you and stigmatize you because ‘you are not one of them’. You know them right? They consider themselves ahlul jannah…so they look at you, size you up and just decide, ‘this is a jahannam material.’ Seriously?? How does someone ever have such confidence on such issues? Haven’t we seen so pious people dying at kuffr while so evil people turning tables and being so close to Allah?? Shaitan’s example is the best whereby he used to be very pious such that they used to call him ‘abu ssajda’ due to his frequent sujuud yet he ended up being the greatest enemy of Islam because of his arrogance when he refused to make sujuud for our father Adam Aleyhi ssalam. So how do you rise your nose with arrogance yet none of us knows how our end will be? Allah S.W. says in the qur’an: ‘So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allah and keep his duty to Him (Surah An-najm: 32)

Hear what we are told of the hellfire: In a hadith (saying of the Prophet) the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said that the heat of the Hellfire is multiplied 70 times compared to the fire of this world (Saheeh Bukhari). If right now we are complaining of the sun heat and can barely touch the stove flame, aren’t we scared of this inferno? The food of the people of Hell will be from the tree of Zaqqum, which will boil the intestines like scalding water. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned that if a drop of Zaqqum would have fallen on this Earth, it would ruin every provision on earth. Now, how about those who will have to eat from it? The drink of the inhabitants of hell will be boiling water, and a disgusting boiling fluid made of pus and blood. Allah S.W. says: ”O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” (Qur’an 66:6)

The descriptions of hellfire go on and on and subhanaLlah how can we even be comfortable with our lives when all we do is point fingers at who is not as pious as we consider ourselves?? Again, NO ONE is safe dear brother and sister. Not me, not you. We are all under the mercy of Allah who has the choice of forgiving us or sending us to hellfire. May Allah guide us Ya Rab. May He guide us always and may he grant us his jannah and protect us from hellfire in shaa Allah!

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HIJABAES <3

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Photo Courtesy: Arafat Abdulrehman

If I told you the ladies above are Christians would you believe me? Do they look anything close to ‘oppressed’ or ‘denied their freedom’? Do they look unhappy or even near discomfort?? You’ve got the answer! 🙂

On Monday the 29th of February, the Muslim union of MTTI university (Mombasa Technical Training Institute) held an amazing project that involved calling non Muslims to come try out the Hijab and give their opinion of it. Mashallah around 17 ladies appeared and they seemed excited in the hijab. The project manager; Rayhan Suleiman in co-ordination with the chairman; Ahmed Abubakar, Photographer; Arafat Abdulrehman and several other Muslims appeared at the event to offer support and to tie the non Muslims the hijabs.

Don’t ask me the level of excitement. It’s all in their faces and their comments were just beautiful:

“I believe that Muslim ladies are really disciplined for most of them have beautiful hair yet they decide to wear it and cover themselves…and that, really requires discipline.”

“I really feel comfortable in the hijab and i feel beautiful”

“The hijab is a cover that Muslim ladies cover their hair with and they look decent in it which is why I admire it.”

“I feel comfy in the hijab”

“I want to take this hijab with me, is it possible??”

“The hijab makes me feel fully covered.”

“The hijab is usually worn by Muslims to show their dignity.”

If you heard all the comments then you’d really want to hug each one of them and tell them, “Sweetheart, THIS, is Islam!” All the Christians left with the hijabs and they left the Muslims with nothing than the big smiles for a job well done.

Who said to do daa’wah you have to a scholar in deen? All you have to own is the Islamic identity and have a soul that can attract others to Islam.

Mashallah for the nice performance by the Muslim Union of MTTI especially this being their very first Islamic project! May Allah bless all those who took their time and energy to be present and offer support. As for these pretty hijabaes over here, may Allah guide you to Islam and may you discover the real beauty of being in hijab. Ameen!

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WHICH OF YOUR LORD’S FAVOURS WILL YOU DENY??

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Photo Courtesy: Unknown

While some people are born in the luxury of a rich family someone else is born in the streets.
While some people are lucky enough to have been breastfed by their mothers, some don’t know their mothers’ names. While some people are born to a fancy life of bread, cheese and butter, some are born with Kwashiorkor and Marasmus.
While some are born to immediately learn the world of internet, cartoons and play station, some are born to learn the world of drought, hunger and poverty.
While some people’s biggest problem is not knowing what latest car model they should buy, some people can’t even define in words which is their biggest problem.

We tend to take so many things in our lives for granted; like how much Allah has blessed us. Not just blessed us but REALLY blessed us. We complain and whine over the small tests sent to us yet we forget about the people less advantaged than us. However hard your battle is, do know there are millions of people facing harder problems than you are. Keep reminding yourself of the people in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen; people who have never seen fireworks in their lives except the fire from bombs and grenades. Remind yourself of people in drought areas, people living in what they call a ‘house’ yet all rain pours in. Remind yourself of the homeless and the ones fighting for their lives in hospitals.

Indeed we are ungrateful beings SubhanaLlah. Who are we to even think about complaining let alone speak it out? We keep denying God’s favours and once we succeed, we walk tall forgetting by whose grace we are where we are. We forget where we came from; where we started. We forget to help those more unfortunate than we are; we forget that this world is nothing but a number of days. We forget that Allah never charged us for His air, for our hearing or our sight.

While you get really annoyed because you couldn’t get the dinner you wanted, or your payment is late do remember that many wish they could have anything to eat or even money to wait for. Do know you ARE indeed lucky; luckier than those who consider themselves lucky. And ironically, the people suffering mostly are the ones appreciating the smallest of things in their lives; treasuring the fact that they are alive, that they have their limbs or that they have their parents with them. Because for them, they very well understand that this is a test from Allah and that they will be paid for their patience. They remain strong and have faith in Allah and all their tongues utter is ‘alhamdulilah ala kul hal’. While those of us with greater blessings, we forget everything at the smallest test we get into.

May Allah guide us and grant us patient hearts and souls that help others more and more. May He easen all our troubles and for all mankind who are going through more difficult times than we are.

Parting shot: Which of your Lord’s favours will you deny??

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