Seeking Knowledge – The Way to Paradise
“Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have been granted knowledge to high ranks.” (Qur’an) “Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim (male and female).” (Hadith) THE VIRTUES OF KNOWLEDGE Allah (Most Exalted is He), Who created us and gave us sustenance, has also given us guidance. He said: “Verily We have created man into toil and struggle… Have We not made for him a pair of eyes; and a tongue, and a pair of lips;…
Two things for the one who has taqwaa
-Advice to the Muslims to have taqwaa1 when seeking provision, and during hardships and trials- Shaikh al-Albaani: “Our calamity today is that we have turned away from the main purpose for which we were created, which is: worshiping Allaah ?. So most of us don’t worship Allaah, and the few who do worship Allaah don’t know how to worship Him. And one of the things we have forgotten from the preserved Qur.aan that Allaah ? blessed upon us as He…
How to Seek Laylatul-Qadr
Laylat ul-Qadr is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has indeed missed a great amount of good. If a believing person is zealous to obey his Lord and increase the good deeds in his record, he should strive to encounter this night and to pass it in worship and obedience. If this is facilitated for him, all of his previous sins will be forgiven. Praying Qiyaam It is recommended to make a long Qiyaam prayer during…
To what degree is a Muslim to be concerned with politics today?
Question: To what degree is a Muslim to be concerned with politics today, within it’s Islaamic guidelines? Answer: If what is intended by “politics” is the administering of the ummah, then the reality is that politics is not from the acts of one individual from the people of the ummah, but rather, it is from the duties of the Muslim State. This is if the objective behind politics, as we stated before, is the administering of the ummah and the…
Loving Allāh and gaining His Love
Shaykh al-Albānī says in his introduction: “Know, O Muslim brother, that it is not possible for anyone to rise to this station of loving Allāh and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) except by tawhīd (singling out) of Allāh, the Most High, alone in His worship, and by singling out the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) alone for following from among the servants of Allāh, due to (Allāh’s) statement: ‘He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)) has…
The inheritance of Paradise
Abū Huraira said that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم)said: “Whoever fears (Allāh) sets out at nightfall,[1] and whoever sets out at nightfall will reach the goal. Indeed, the goods of Allāh are expensive; indeed, the goods of Allāh is Paradise.”[2] Shaykh al-Albānī comments: “The meaning of this is that there is a price for entering Paradise and that entering it does not happen by feeling safe (from the plan of Allāh) and at-tawākul (not taking any means…
Literacy in Islam
(part 1 of 3): Books in Baghdad Baghdad was hit by a series of explosions. The city raked by violence. Baghdad equals chaos, death, and destruction. Baghdad is a city screaming in pain and dying in the smokescreen. As we watch the tangled mess on our television screens, it is hard to imagine that Baghdad was once a great seat of learning. Baghdad and books have been synonymous for hundreds of years. Bookshelves line family homes and booksellers line the…
Nation of Islam
(part 1 of 2): When is a Muslim not a Muslim? Many of us have heard the term ‘Nation of Islam’, and may think that it is merely a different way of expressing the phrase Ummah of Muhammad, meaning those who follow the teachings of Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him. Still others may associate the words Nation of Islam with African Americans. Perhaps it seems obvious that ‘Nation of Islam’ is referring to African…
Human Rights in Islam
(part 1 of 3): Rights for all of Humankind Just what exactly are human rights? Is it just the right to life? Alternatively, is it the right to freedom, liberty, and justice? Do human rights include having the right to security, and a safe haven? Since the end of World War 2, Western international politics appears to have focused on securing human rights; however, the reality is that the line between securing such rights and maintaining state sovereignty has become…
Actions and Intentions
(part 1 of 2): Purity of Intention in the Religious Realm It is narrated on the authority of Umar ibn al-Khattab who said: I heard the Messenger of God say: “All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, he whose migration was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife…