How to Clean Your Heart

Notes

Islam and Ego (Online YouTube Video)

Speaker:  Br. Nouman Ali Khan

1) Remember Allah(swt)

• Don’t do thoughtless Dhikr, contemplate, don’t just say without thinking. For example say Alhamdullilah, Mashahlah and ShukarAlhamdulilah during your day when it has meaning and basis that you can appreciate.
• Learn to be Uncomfortable with Praise: If someone praises you, just bring it back to Allah(swt). Say to the other person, I don’t need your praise – I just need your dua. Don’t praise me. Put yourself down and bring light to the truth, the Creator of All things – Allah(swt) and His Will. When someone praises you, it hurts you because it boosts your EGO. So tell others to stop praising you.
• When someone is condensing towards you and is real nasty to you its a good way to put down your EGO – so they may have been doing you a favor. Think about it. This may inshallah be a gift from Allah(Swt) the gift of Humility.
• Learn to Serve people – for the Sake of Allah(swt)
• Keep things gradual – don’t burn yourself out.
• If you do things for Allah(Swt) and you seem frustrated when you don’t see results (from your work, MSA, Masjid, etc.) then change your attitude and change your intention – You won’t be frustrated because you put your expectations with Allah(Swt). Your not in charge of results – thats all up to Allah(Swt). So even if you put in a lot of work passing out flyers and no one shows up you may be frustrated…but don’t be, don’t internalize this frustration – Allah(Swt) takes care of all things. Be happy that your not the one in charge of results. Just do your part with the right attitude and intention and seriousness. And you become satisfied with yourself.

2) Find better company – find company of people better than yourself so you be surrounded with those best in character and so you may learn something

3) Keep your mouth shut – If you see something really bad, find a humble way of giving advice to a muslim. Find a loving soft way to pull people into Islam. Don’t change their behavior first, change their heart.  Most time we go after people’s behaviors. There hearts must change first and then their behavior. Its your job to just remind and make dua to Allah(swt), not to go after another persons behavior. The first person to benefit from a sincere reminder is the one who gives a sincere reminder.

• Be patient. Prophet Muhammad (saws) reminded people for over 10 years.
• You may never see benefit but it benefits.
• The words are coming from you and the effect is coming from Allah(Swt). If your words are not affecting others then theres probably something wrong with you. Look to yourself first. Don’t worry about results – just do what your suppose to do.

On Knowledge

People turn knowledge into a means to inflate their ego – because they wanted to dominate others.

This deen is for those who are humble.

On Sincerity

• If you are in a position of Leadership how do you give counsel to someone – especially if they are muslim?
• Learn to be tolerant. Do not justify wrong behavior – but remember to be nice about your speech, be SINCERE.  Sincerity shows. There is a difference – are you someone who is not nice in your speech and you put others down, or do you show sincerity – where you are humble in your actions and you bring yourself to humble level.
• How do you know if you are sincere? After an incident when someone hurt’s you by their words or actions you 1) Forgive them 2) Ask Allah(swt) to forgive them (all in private). The private dua is sincere.
• How to also be sincere: Treat everyone decently by respecting and and listening to their views – take their opinion if beneficial, just talk to them. Consult them so they feel dignified. Prophet Muhammad (saws) didn’t need to consult for decisions because he got revelation and then could make decisions, but he still consulted others to make them feel included. To make them feel dignified.

Allah(swt) is the key to success. Place your decisions in trust with Allah(swt).

When it comes to putting in effort:

Bad:

• I’m going to make the best effort possible and the results are in my hands.
• I’m going to make no effort and the results are in Allah(swt) hands.

Best:

• I’m going to make the best effort and the results are in Allah(swt) hands.

Letting GO

 

 

By Fadia Bint Ismail

I am on my knees. My face in the palms of my hands. Tears flowing from my eyes.

O Allah each drop that falls is only for you.

O Allah you made me realise that i should let go. Letting go of everything that took me away from you.

I put my head onto the ground. My head is at the lowest point to worship you. O Allah fill my heart with your love do not let me fall apart allow me to remain steadfast.

I lift my head up staring into the palms of my hands. I feel your warmth. I feel your light shining upon me.

I am letting go for the sake of you. I am letting  go for my love for you.

O Allah you have blessed me with so much. How will i ever repay you.

The Art of Dawah- Preparation And Knowledge

By Fadia Bint Ismail

 

One of the highest forms of Service to Allah is to invite his creation to his oneness and that in Islam is called Dawah.

The person who is intending to invite people to Islam must make preparations because if he has not prepared the banquet he is only going to turn his guests hungry, he is also going to ruin his own reputation and lose his trust.

One of the important factors of Dawah is Quality of service and preparations. Like the quality of one’s character which is a very important factor in inviting people to the oneness of Allah. Dawah requires calmness of character and wisdom.

Dawah is a very difficult yet delicate job and it requires a lot of wisdom and quality. We cannot set an agenda to what we want and rush to bring people to the level of perfection, as a Da’ee we should take them step by step until they develop a level of maturity and strength.

One of the many qualities that will enable you to be prepared when going out and calling people to Islam is truthfulness. Truthfulness will lead you to be prepared and you will be more alert to your surroundings and this will lead one to the pillar of talking.

A Da’ee should always be prepared and the necessary knowledge is also required in order to face the difficult challenges that you will face. If you are going to speak for one minute for example you will need 30 minutes to prepare and to speak one hour you need 10 hours to prepare. That is why when you have truthfulness and you are sincere you will be more thorough in your preparation because you will know that whatever you convey is an Amanah from Allah for which you will be questioned upon.

According to some of the companions of the Prophet (SAW) he never taught them more than 3 to 5 verses per day and that he use to repeat himself in order to emphasize a point.

A successful speaker has three elements. Substance, Body Language and way of addressing oneself.

The most important quality a Da’ee should have is to study the Sunnah of Allah so you will know what to expect in certain situations and conditions and how to deal with them. This belief and knowledge will help perfect your character as well. Character as mentioned in my previous posts is linked to preparation and knowledge because the way you act or react is driven by the attributes and knowledge of Allah and the teachings of our Nabi (SAW).

When you have knowledge of the Deen you will therefore also be more prepared, for example if you are addressing someone and you speak about Hijaab or Halaal and Haraam and that is your main focus, the person you are trying to invite to Islam will be so overwhelmed that they will abandon the message. The most important thing to do when you are addressing someone, you should focus on developing the faith.

A Da’ee is open-minded and should always be on the lookout to seek new and different kinds of knowledge as it will help you to have understanding of various topics. Islam is the way of life, all topics related to life are part of Islam. A successful Da’ee has knowledge about everyday affairs as well as religious knowledge.

Our day-to-day dealings are with Muslims, but our Prophet Muhammad (saws), when he used do Dawah, kept all his day-to-day dealings with Mushrikhs.  If we are distanced from those people on whom we need to give Dawah to how can we invite people to Islam? We should maintain good relations with them with the intention of Dawah and try to understand their attitude.  Using this relationship, we have to understand the misconception they have regarding Islam.  They may have many misconceptions about Islam.  We need to first identify them and then we need to clarify them. If you don’t know how to clarify, ask those who know about it and try to clarify the misconceptions with their help.  When a misconception is cleared, a person will gain a good impression.

For example, because of a small misunderstanding between you and your friend, you stopped talking to him for more than 2 years.  After the misunderstanding was cleared, you meet and greet each other and immediately hug each other.  This strengthens the relationship.  So whenever misconceptions are cleared, the person will have a new attitude.

There are a list of things we should have in order to give Dawah

• Niyyah (intention)
• Making Dua to Allah (SWT) for His help
• Preparation and knowledge along with the correct actions and mannerism
• Establishing good relationship with Non-Muslims and Clearing their misconceptions.
• Reciting the Quran before them and To do Dua for them.

 

If you follow this strategy, Inshallah you can do this work alone. You don’t need anyone’s help, but bear in mind all guidance comes from Allah and all success comes from Allah.  The only thing you need is passion to do this work and love of Allah and Inshallah you will succeed.

I ask Allah (SWT) to give Taufeeq to all Muslims to do this work and to forgive whatever short-comings we had in the past.  Ameen.

The Art of Dawah- Niyyah (Intention)

By Fadia Bint Ismail

 

Niyyah (Intention) one of the most important aspects for the Da’ee to have.

• Actions are judged by intentions.

As a Muslim Dawah should not be a part time job it should be a full time job. In the Prophets time they gave Dawah every single day of their lives. Our Actions and the way we live our daily lives, Our Character and the manner in which we approach people we should become an ideal character in our lives for Non-Muslims and even Muslims because by looking at us they would want to embrace Islam and even better their understanding of Islam if they are already born Muslims.

• Sincere Dua before we begin our journey:

First and foremost if our target is to give Dawah we should make sincere Dua to Allah to give us the knowledge and strength in order to succeed in our journey Inshallah. To make sincere Dua to Allah it should come from the bottom of our heart and surely it will be accepted by Allah but to do this we have to have a strong intention that this is the journey that we would want to undertake. We also need to do Thikr and Istigfaar these things are explained in the Quran and Hadith. When we are going to give Dawah to someone we should remember Allah (SWT). When we have a connection with Allah during the time of Dawah what we convey will directly enter their hearts and that is why Thikr is very important.

 

When one person becomes a Muslim because of our hard work we should not conclude that this happened because of our hard work. We can only convey the message of Islam it is Allah who will change the heart of that person that we are conveying the message to.

What should we do if someone converts to Islam? The answer lies in the life of the Prophet (SAW) who was commanded by Allah (SWT) to say:

“FASABBIH BI HAMDI RABBIK WASTAG FIRHU”

We should then do Tasbeeh to Allah (SWT) “SUBAHANNALAHI WABI AHMDIHI” and do Istigfaar “ASTAGHFIRULLAH” The Prophet (SAW) use to do this Dua daily in his prayer, he prayed Istigfaar more than 70 times a day and this is because Allah is the only one who guides an individual.

 

• Conditions of giving Dawah are connected to our Actions and our Intentions.

The first condition is to stay distant from Shaytaan.  He whispers a lot in our hearts. We are trying to bring a person towards Islam who Shaytaan was trying to divert away from it.

The second condition is, we should come closer to Allah (SWT).  When a person comes closer to Allah (SWT) then Allah (SWT) will come closer to him.  It is stated in a Hadith that whatever he does, it will be from Allah (SWT) and whatever he asks Allah (SWT), will give it to him.  So we should purify ourselves to come closer to Allah (SWT).  The third condition is, work hard and not treat this like a part time job.  We should work with our full strength, time and energy.  We should work day and night.  These are the conditions to do Dawah.

• What is the corner stone of these conditions? Well first we should make Intention because every action needs an intention.

To summarize everything if our Niyyah is corrupted then everything we will convey and everything that we say will be rendered fruitless if it is not purely for the sake of Allah (SWT). To know if your Niyyah is corrupted it will be displayed in your actions if the person is more focused on showing off his actions and has a different personality in front of people than when they are alone. When we have sincere intentions that are purely for the sake of Allah then we will succeed and Allah will enter the hearts of those people who we are addressing. Words are useless if it does not come from the heart with sincerity.

May Allah make us among those sincere ones who make it their life to invite humanity to Islam for the pleasure of Allah. Those who seek knowledge, live it and spread it purely for his sake. Inshallah.

The Art of Dawah- Actions and Mannerism

By Fadia Bint Ismail

Our Actions and the manner in which we approach Muslims and potential Muslims is very important when we are giving Dawah. Actions and mannerism display the effectiveness of what we are conveying. The eyes, ears, tongue and heart signifies the justice in all of your actions. Our actions and manner is the core of everything that we do it reflects in all of your relationships, your relationship with Allah, yourself and other Humans.

First let’s speak about our eyes. Our eyes are the reflection to our soul. Sometimes the eyes can signify exactly what we are thinking by simple movements.

Our ears reflect how well we listen and how well we respond with our tongues and our hearts, well this is the trickiest part because sometimes our hearts are so full of emotion that we cannot think rationally. When we are giving Dawah we have to elevate ourselves from the state of emotion and hastiness. If we exaggerate and look at things at an irrational point of view or dealing with them with too much love we cause major obstacles for ourselves, it makes us deny our thinking and drowns us in fantasy and fake behaviour or it generates hostility and anger which leads to hate filled actions and reactions according to our emotions. Our hastiness to produce results makes us skip many steps and generates a lot of problems. These kinds of actions are bereft of the blessing of Allah SWT. The Nabi (SAW) has told us

“Consideration is from Allah and Hastiness is from Shaytaan.

If the Da’ee has a quick temper and hastiness, he will have poor judgement and will not be able to judge any situation with rationality and wisdom. In fact anything that i have mentioned here the inviter will not be able to implement.

As a Da’ee you should always approach things with wisdom, calmness, simplicity, realistic thinking and awareness.  If we deal with people with Raghmah and with the intention of benefiting them, As a person giving Dawah we have to respect  who we are talking to and address them according to their level. The Nabi (SAW) said

 ” Talk to people According to their level of understanding” (Bukhari)

It is very important that the Da’ee (inviter) respect the condition and situation and study it according it to the Quran and Sunnah of Allah and behave accordingly.

Every human being has certain innate manners that they are created with, but they also have a will and this will is generated from knowledge, desire and your goal.

 

• DO NOT ACT FAKE:

One of the traits of a true believer is transparency, the need to be real and not fake. Don’t try to be someone you are not. This is very important for the Da’ee someone who is not only representing Islam but is also calling others to it.

 

Nabi (SAW) said:

” The worst people in the sight of Allah on the day of resurrection will be the double faced people who appear to some with one face and to other people with another face” (Sahih Bukhari)

 

1. Manner of Speaking:

 

A Da’ee should have a polite way of speaking, neither to low, nor to high, neither slow, nor fast. Pace yourself according to your audience and topic.

What we speak about and how long we speak also plays an important role because if your speech or sentences are to long many people lose interest so always try to use simple terminology when you address people.

There are so many things that we can discuss further about your actions and the manner in which we approach Muslims and potential Muslims but we will not go into too much detail because I think that all of us who are aiming at this level in this life will make many mistakes that they will learn from. Nobody is perfect.

The last thing I would like to mention is a story about a girl who felt so lost and she finally made her way back to the right path. This girl started wearing the correct Hijab, performing her five daily prayers, reciting Quran everything that every true believer should be doing. Nevertheless as time went on she decided to speak to her family about Islam as she was learning and reading so many things, of course her family was very pleased that she was on the right path but every now and then when she spoke they would say do not preach to us remember what you use to do in the past remember this and remember that and so the remarks would go on for days and even still remains.

It is said that Dawah should first be given to those people that are closest to you. People often do not realize that they have a high ego and it clouds the way they hear and respond to things, even if you are speaking the truth they will mock you because it is natural many people cannot handle the truth. Also never tell someone they are arrogant, believe me it back fires just make Dua with the correct intentions and Inshallah you will prevail.

Carrying on with the Story……

The girl became quite disheartened yet not straying from her path, but she became so angry that she had so much emotion and that made her think irrationally and when she tried to speak to her family because her actions and her manner were not correct. This is why we should always remember that when we are faced with any situation that is very difficult we should not be hasty, we should control our emotions and speak politely else no one will listen to you.

Last but not least our intention, preparation and knowledge are very important if we are seeking to give Dawah. This is what i will discuss in my next topics Inshallah.

 

May Allah grant us the right intentions and Ilm (knowledge) to fulfil all our obligations as true Muslims. Inshallah.

Muslim Hands Volunteer Program

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This year Muslim Hands took Project Ubushushu to the streets of South Africa. On 11th June 2012 The Hoot2Warm drive commenced. It is an initiative that aims to help many South Africans keep warm this winter. Volunteers were recruited and placed at different intersections where they would hand out pamplets, collect clothes, spare blankets and Non-perishable foods from donors. The Hoot2Warm drive takes place every Monday and Wedsneday mornings from 7am till 9am.

Alhumdulilah we are in our second week of the volunteer program and i can say that it has been a great experience and each and every volunteer holds a value of their own. Their efforts and their energy is what drives this event in becoming truly successful. Every morning when we are out on the streets Allah’s protection and his blessings are with us every step of the way Alhumdulilah.

The intersections that we covered are. Corner of Klipfontein and Jan Smuts, Corner of Jan Smuts and Kromboom and Redross/Milner Road.

Here are some pictures of the work being done. Pictures are from Corner of Kromboom and Jan Smuts and Corner of Klipfontein and Jan Smuts.

Intro-Dawah

By Fadia Bint Ismail

Asalaamualaikum to all my fellow Muslim sisters and Brothers in Islam. I will be starting a series of posts about the Art of Dawah. The Art of Dawah. What is it about? Well Dawah is first and foremost calling people to the fold of Islam. It is the duty of every Muslim to give Dawah.

In the Quran Dawah means to live according to Allah’s will. Dawah is not only aimed at calling Non-Muslims to Islam it is also to help fellow Muslims understand the Deen better, for example if you see a friend or family member going astray or doing things that are not in accordance to the law of Allah then it is your duty to go out and speak to them and this is called Dawah.

The Holy Prophet (SAW) went out daily in his lifetime to give Dawah to the people and to call them to Islam.

And I think that it is incumbent on every Human being, every Muslim to go out and help those so that they can better understand Islam Inshallah.

The Art of Dawah- it seems easy to just go out and give Dawah but there are specific things that each of us require. It is not a special skill or a qualification but it is in our mannerism and how we approach potential Muslims.

We should always keep in mind that it is hard to get people to hear you. and the perfect example was in the time of the Prophets how difficult it was for them, they were mocked and were thrown with stones and this is reality you will face the same thing people are not going to want to listen to you but have Sabr (patience) like those before you and Inshallah- through Allah’s divine mercy and guidance you will overcome every difficult obstacle.Inshallah

The Sad Reality

By Fadia Bint Ismail

 

You probably are wondering why I have the title “The Sad Reality” but so many things in this Dunyah need to be addressed. It is truly a sad reality that so many of our Muslim Sisters and Brothers are corrupting themselves with so much filth, dressing inappropriately, drinking, nightclubs, pre-marital relationships and they are even sexually active, Yes in today’s society everyone is doing it, being pure being a virgin being one for Allah (SWT) is not what this generation aspires toward, being a Virgin is seen to be something that is taboo and if you say you are a virgin don’t many of you get a smug laugh from many people and that even from your own Muslim friends or even family.

What has this world come to? What has our Muslim generation come to? Ask yourself this? Where are the values that every child should have embedded within them, the faith and the true love of Allah, Many have gone astray.

To reform someone is not always easy, but Dawah (Calling one to Islam) should be given first to those family members who are close to you and even this to will be a mission. Your family will start to mock you, throw past things in your face but remember that when the prophets went out to call people to Islam they faced so much humiliation and mockery but the one quality that they possessed was Sabr (Patience) and if you find this mission difficult for you then go back and read the stories of the Prophets and trust me whatever your fears were, whatever difficulties you thought you had will seem so small because you will learn patience from those before you. Inshallah.

 

The sad reality is that even some parents allow their children to go astray. but the blame can’t be on the parents alone because it is fact that if your surround yourself with the wrong people then you will become like them. It is best that you should surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah everyday. A true friend who is on the path of Deen would never persuade you to do Haraam things that would destroy your relationship with Allah.

 

Premarital relationships…well what can i say we have all been here, falling in love believing that the person you are with is your one true love and you can not live without them, but this is the sad reality that many of today’s generation find themselves in because they seek for confirmation and comfort from the wrong source. The only one we should seek confirmation and comfort from is Allah because ALWAYS remember that when everyone leaves you and believe me when you have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship it can only end in disaster because eventually they will leave and then what do you have? you will only have Allah.

 

The Sad Reality…We are living in a Western world where fitting in is the main objective and if you have this thought in your mind then surely you will go astray. but if you are a true Muslim and your Yaqeen (certainty) lies in Allah alone then you will be successful in every endeavour Inshallah.

 

And the Sad Reality is…as the generation gets older the weaker their faith becomes.

 

But we make Dua that Inshallah Allah will guide us all and keeps us all on the straight path Inshallah.

Tribute to All Mothers

I found this story on the internet. it was so heart touching that i wanted to share it with all of you. to truly know the importance of never neglecting your parents.

A true story

A poor couple who lived in a small village in Pakistan. They had only one son. Gave him the best education. Son graduated as an Engineer in the nearby city. Eventually, got married to a rich girl. Initially, they lived with his parents in the village. Soon the wife got tired of village life and persuaded the husband to move to the city leaving the old parents in the village. As time …went the husband seen an advert in the newspaper about a vacancy in Jeddah. He was successful and lived in Jeddah for years with his wife. Regularly he used to send money to parents.

Eventually with time he stopped and forgot about his parents ever existed. Every year he made haj and immediately after that he used to see some1 telling him in a dream that his haj is not accepted. One day he related story to a pious Aalim who advised him to go back to Pakistan to visit his parents.

The man flew to Pakistan and reached the boundary of the village. Everything had changed. He could not find his house. He asked a small boy about the whereabouts of so and so. The little boy directed the man to a house and said : “In this house lives an old blind lady who lost her husband a few months ago. She has a son who migrated to Saudi Arabia years back and never came back again. What an unfortunate man ? ” Son enters the home and finds his mother on the bed. He tip-toed as not to wake her up. He hears the mother whispering or mumbling something.

He gets closer to hear her voice. This is what the mother was saying : “Ya Allah ! I am now very old and blind. My husband just died. There is no mahram to lower me in my grave when I die. So please send my son to fullfill my last wish. “

This is the ending of a story where the DUAA of a mother is accepted. A human body can bear only 45 del (unit) of pain. But at the time of giving birth,a mother feels upto 57 del(unit) of pain… This is similar to 20 bones getting fractured, all at the same time!! This is just to tell you the extent to which a mother loves her child! ‘Love your mom till the end of your life.The lady with whom you fight almost everyday,suffered so much pain just to give you a beautiful life!

Project Ubushushu Distribution and Volunteer Program

By Fadia Bint Ismail

This year Muslim Hands has extended the hand of warmth by incorporating a volunteer program. This program is part of Project Ubushushu which helps hundreds of South Africans keep warm this winter. Blankets and food parcels are distributed to various communities among the many distributions that have already taken place are lavender hill, Delft, Macassar, Baviaanskloof, feeding Scheme and Parkwood.  Distributions that are still to take place are Steenberg, Madrassatul Mumtaz, Montague Gift, New lentegeur. Al Maamana, Balgravia. Al Waqah Institute langa, East Ridge Mitchellsplain, Khayalitcha and Ravendsmead.

Alhamdulillah thus far each distribution holds a special place in all of our hearts. As Muslims we should constantly try to help those less fortunate and to strengthen our Ummah. At Muslim Hands we are more than just a charity organisation, we are a family and we hope that each individual who comes into Muslim Hands will feel the same.

Our Volunteer program Hoot2Warm drive is aimed at getting the public to donate spare blankets, Non-perishable food items and clothes. Volunteers will be at various intersections collecting these items. We hope that this initiative will not only provide many South Africans to keep warm this winter but also to gain a long term  goal in which we are constantly seeking to help many of our fellow Muslims and even Non-Muslims get the help they need. Alhamdulillah our Hoot2Warm drive commenced on 11th June 2012. There were 4 intersections that were covered, Corner of Klipfontein and Jan Smuts, Corner of Jan Smuts and Kromboom, Corner of Klipfontein and Milner and Corner of Klipfontein and Hazel Road.

Volunteers arrived at 7am and were amped and ready to take on the busy streets of South Africa although things began at a slow pace eventually it picked up and we should always remember that nothing is possible without Allah. A plan is put into motion we go out there and do the job but all success comes from Allah. Volunteers managed to collect a few items and we even had people coming into the Muslim Hands office dropping off clothes.  The Hoot2Warm drive will extend until the 4th of July and Inshallah we hope and make Dua that we are afforded the opportunity to grow and extend our hand of warmth to greater lengths Inshallah.

A few things to ponder on about giving Sadaqah. If you are not able to give anything that is of monetary value.

Sadaqah is a voluntary charity; it helps strengthen your faith. The more you do the more you erase your bad deeds. Sadaqah is not only monetary. There are many deeds that are considered Sadaqah. If someone wishes to give Sadaqah and you assist in its delivery you are rewarded for giving Sadaqah yourself.

Aisha (RA) related that the Prophet (SAW) informed them as to who would follow him in death saying. “The one who has the longest hands amongst you would meet me most immediately” [Muslim].

The Prophet (SAW) said “Every Muslim has to give Sadaqah”. he was asked “if someone has nothing to give what should he do?” he said “He should work with his hands and benefit himself and also give in charity from what he earns” The people then asked “if he cannot find even that?” he replied “then he should perform good deeds and keep away from evil deeds and this will be regarded as charitable deeds” [Bukhari and Muslim]