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19th September, Jumuah, Harare.Pious Woman is Half of Deen
Hadith Explanation
Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever Allah blesses with a pious woman has in fact been helped by Allah with half his Deen. So he should fear Allah (struggle to achieve) regarding the other half as well.” [Majma Az-Zawa’id by Imam Al-Haythami: Kanz-ul-Ammaal]
This hadith informs us of the importance of having an Allah-fearing woman as one’s wife. Having such a wife has been equated with having half of Eeman and Islam. Such a woman is to be treasured for the benefits she brings to her husband in this world and in the next.
In this life she makes his home a peaceful sanctuary for him. Her love and obedience enables his family life to be spent pleasantly. The children are brought up lovingly to be righteous Muslims and they become Sadaqah Jaariya for their parents.
The benefit a pious wife brings to her husband’s Akhirah is that she facilitates his religious obligations. She encourages him to be a better Muslim, to pray regularly, to perform his prayers in the Masjid. If he is involved in activities to earn Allah’s pleasure she doesn’t bother him with demands. She allows him to keep his focus on earning Allah’s pleasure.
She lives contentedly with his income and doesn’t goad him to increase their standard of living by Haraam means. She doesn’t taunt him by saying things like, “Look at so-and so’s household, how comfortably they live, how well they eat!” Instead, she thanks Allah and her husband that he does not bring ill-gotten wealth into the house.
A pious wife spends her time positively and so the other members of the household also learn from her example to utilize their time to benefit their Akhirah. Since she doesn’t watch TV or movies, a lot of evil and un-Islamic influences are kept at bay.
It is thus no wonder that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) says that a pious woman is half of the Deen.
Source: http://dailyhadith.adaptivesolutionsinc.com/hadith/Pious-Woman-is-Half-of-Deen.htm
Ramadan: the month of spiritual energy
By: arabnews.com
Source: http://www.arabnews.com/
The holy month of Ramadan comes to the Islamic world every year to remind the Muslim faithful on the need to return to Allah by following His teachings in all walks of their lives in order to achieve peace in this world and the Hereafter.
The daytime fasting and nighttime prayers spiritually energize the faithful to lead a new life, benefiting the whole humanity and opening a new chapter of peace and progress.
Ramadan is not a month for shopping festivals as many people wrong believed.
It is a month for fasting, reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice observed by Muslims around the world.
While major holidays of other faiths have largely become commercialized events, Ramadan retains its intense spiritual meaning.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has cautioned Muslims 14 centuries ago that the Ramadan fasting should have a real impact on their lives. He has advised the faithful: “Let it not be that the day that you fast and the day that you break fast be equal.” Meaning, Ramadan should change one’s behavior, attitude and outlook toward life.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa or piety.” 2:183) While fasting, Muslims must ponder whether it had any effect in making them more God-fearing and pious.
Ramadan is a month-long training program for Muslims to change their lives.
During this month, they engage in prayers seeking the forgiveness of Allah, recite and reflect on the Qur’an during night and day, perform the Taraweeh night prayers, and attend special Islamic classes and meetings.
Many faithful perform itikaf or retreat at mosques during the last ten nights of Ramadan, leaving all worldly pursuits to establish closer relationship with God.
Patience is another important quality one develops during Ramadan through fasting.
Allah has mentioned the word sabr or patience more than seventy times in the Qur’an and commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in the holy book.
When one fasts from dawn to dusk, giving up food and drink and marital sexual relations for several hours, he/she learns restraint and patience.
The Islamic nation needs men and women that are strong willed, who can stand upon the Qur’an and Sunnah and not waver in front of the enemies of God.
Ramadan encourages the faithful to engage in charitable and good activities beneficial to humanity.
The fasting in the holy month develops a strong feeling among the faithful that Allah is watching all their activities.
As a result, they will ask themselves before doing anything, ‘Does God love this action? Is God pleased with this action?’ Thus they gain the quality of watching oneself and staying away from showing off. According to a Hadith of the Prophet, Allah has said: “Fasting is for Me and I reward it.” (Bukhari) God singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, “Fasting is for Me,” because no one knows whether you are fasting or not, except God. For example, when one is praying or giving charity or making tawaf or circumambulation around the Holy Kaaba, people watch him/her.
During Ramadan, Muslim faithful are trained to keep away from sins. The Prophet has advised them, “Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah has no need that he should leave his food and drink.” (Bukhari) This Hadith reminds Muslims that they should purify their manners. The Qur’an has stated that the Prophet Muhammad “was sent to perfect good manners.”
Ramadan is a month for Muslims to change their lives for the better, leaving behind un-Islamic and immoral practices, to lead an exemplary life. The Prophet has said, “Every human being sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent.” (Ibn Maajah) God provides many opportunities to repent and seek His forgiveness. Allah says in the Qur’an: ” Say, O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (39:53)
Muslims do not fast because of medical benefits, which are of a secondary nature.
Fasting has been used by patients for weight management, to rest the digestive tract and for lowering lipids.
There are many adverse effects of total fasting as well as of crash diets.
Islamic fasting is different from such diet plans because in Ramadan fasting, there is no malnutrition or inadequate calorie intake.
The physiological effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure.
In fact, Ramadan fasting would be an ideal recommendation for the treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity, and essential hypertension.
In 1994, the first International Congress on “Health and Ramadan,” held in Casablanca, entered 50 extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting.
Without determination, dedication and hard work, how do we expect to achieve?
Without determination, dedication and hard work, how do we expect to achieve?
Sin determinación, dedicación y trabajo duro, ¿cómo esperamos lograr?
Zonder vastberadenheid, toewijding en hard werken, hoe kunnen we verwachten te bereiken?
Sans la détermination, le dévouement et le travail acharné, comment pouvons-nous nous attendons à réaliser?
Ohne Bestimmung, Hingabe und harte Arbeit, wie können wir erwarten, zu erreichen?
Rúguǒ méiyǒu juéxīn, fèngxiàn hé xīnqín gōngzuò, wǒmen rúhé qīwàng dádào shénme mùdì?
Utan beslutsamhet, engagemang och hårt arbete, hur vi förväntar oss att uppnå?
Bez opredeleniya, samootverzhennuyu i napryazhennuyu rabotu , kak my ozhidayem dostich’ ?
Kararlılık, bağlılık ve sıkı çalışma olmadan, nasıl elde etmek için bekliyorsunuz?
Senza determinazione, dedizione e duro lavoro, come ci aspettiamo di raggiungere?
Tanpa tekad, dedikasi dan kerja keras, bagaimana kita berharap untuk mencapai?
Actions are judged by Intentions
The intention of a person is not his utterance of the words, “I intend to do so and so.” It is an overflowing from the heart which runs like conquests inspired by Allah. At times it is made easy, at other times, difficult. A person whose heart is overwhelmingly righteous finds it easy to summon good intentions at most times. Such a person has a heart generally inclined to the roots of goodness which, most of the time, blossom into the manifestation of good actions. As for those whose hearts incline towards and are overwhelmed by worldly matters, they find this difficult to accomplish and even obligatory acts of worship may become difficult and tiresome.
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Actions are only by intention, and every man shall only have what he intended. Thus he whose hijra was for Allah and was for Allah and His Messenger, his hijrawas for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose hijra was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his hijra was for that for which he made hijra.”
Imam ash-Shaf’i said: “This hadith is a third of all knowledge.” The words, “actions are only by intention”, mean that deeds which are performed in accordance with the sunnah are only acceptable and rewarded if the intentions behind them were sincere. It is like the saying of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “Actions depend upon their outcome.”
Likewise, the words, “every man shall only have what he intended”, mean that the reward for an action depends upon the intention behind it. After stating this principle, the Prophet (pbuh) gave examples of it by saying, “thus he the Prophet (pbuh) gave examples of it by saying, “Thus he whose hijra was for Allah and His Messenger, his hijra was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose hijra was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his hijra was for that for which he made hijra.” So deeds which are apparently identical may differ, because the intentions behind them are different in degrees of goodness and badness, from one person to another.
Good intentions do not change the nature of forbidden actions. The ignorant should not misconstrue the meaning of the hadith and think that good intentions could turn forbidden actions into acceptable ones. The above saying of the Prophet (pbuh) specifically relates to acts of worship and permissible actions, not to forbidden ones. Worship and permissible actions can be turned into forbidden ones because of the intentions behind them, and permissible actions can become either good or bad deeds by intention; but wrong actions cannot become acts of worship, even with good intentions.5 When bad intentions are accompanied by flaws in the actions themselves, then their gravity and punishment are multiplied.
Any praiseworthy act must be rooted in sound intentions; only then could it be deemed worthy of reward. The fundamental principle should be that the act is intended for the worship of Allah alone. If our intention is to show off, then these same acts of worship will in fact become acts of disobedience. As for permissible deeds, they all involve intentions — which can potentially turn them into excellent acts which bring a man nearer to Allah and confer on him the gift of closeness to Him.
The Excellence of Intention
Never underestimate your own strength, you were born for a purpose & are blessed with the power to achieve it.
Never underestimate your own strength, you were born for a purpose & are blessed with the power to achieve it.
Nunca subestimes tu propia fuerza, naciste para un propósito y son bendecidos con el poder para lograrlo.
Onderschat nooit je eigen kracht, je bent geboren voor een doel en zijn gezegend met de kracht om dit te bereiken.
Ne sous-estimez votre propre force, vous êtes né dans un but et êtes bénis avec le pouvoir pour y parvenir.
Unterschätzen Sie niemals Ihre eigene Kraft, Sie zu einem Zweck geboren wurden und sind mit der Macht, es zu erreichen gesegnet.
Yǒngyuǎn bùyào dīgū nǐ de shílì, nǐ chūshēng de mùdì jí yǒngyǒu détiāndúhòu de qù shíxiàn tā de quánlì.
Underskatta aldrig din egen styrka, är du född för ett syfte och är välsignade med makt för att uppnå det.
Nikogda ne stoit nedootsenivat’ sobstvennyye sily , vy rodilis’ s opredelennoy tsel’yu i nadeleny vlast’yu, chtoby dobit’sya yego.
Mai sottovalutare la vostra forza, siete nati per uno scopo e sono benedetti con il potere di realizzarlo.
Mai sottovalutare la vostra forza, siete nati per uno scopo e sono benedetti con il potere di realizzarlo.
Jangan pernah meremehkan kekuatan Anda sendiri, Anda dilahirkan untuk suatu tujuan & diberkati dengan kekuatan untuk mencapainya.
Understanding Self-Sabotage
What Is Self-Sabotage?
Self-sabotage is any thought, feeling, action and/or behaviour that holds you back from achieving your goals. There is usually a conflict between your conscious desires and your unconscious patterns of thinking, feeling and behaviour.
Sometimes, it seems like there is something holding you back from reaching your goals and succeeding. Sometimes, people might even think they are being affected by magic or that someone is sabotaging their success.
Manifestations of Self-Sabotage In Your Life
Self-sabotage can occur in your work or profession, i.e. you do not go for that promotion or position you know is going to make a difference in your life. It could also affect your studies or business, when you do not put yourself out there or market your products and services that you know people need and can benefit from. It could be in your health where you keep starting and stopping, again and again, that exercise schedule or meal plan, thus preventing yourself from gaining muscle or shedding those last few kilos.
Just when you are about to have a breakthrough, something happens that forces you to start all over again. It is that resistance in starting a project or typing the first paragraph. It is that sleepiness and yawning that takes over you every time you sit down and work. You keep over-eating. People keep calling you, they keep interrupting you. Things keep getting in the way.
But no, it is you who keeps getting in your own way. It is you not saying no to the distractions. It is you not saying yes to opportunities and breakthroughs. It is you not making those decisions that need to be made.
“What comes to you of good is from Allah , but what comes to you of evil, [O man], is from yourself…” [Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 79]
“And whatever strikes you of disaster – it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much.” [Qur’an: Chapter 42, Verse 30]
You are not to blame and it is not your fault, but you are responsible. Make sure you understand the distinction between blaming yourself and taking responsibility. Blame and guilt are not healthy, responsibility is.
Nobody can change things for you; it has to come from your heart and from the inside. Once you make that commitment, take on that responsibility and decide that you are not willing to settle for mediocrity anymore, Allah 
will help you change anything you want.
“… Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves…” [Qur’an: Chapter 13, Verse 11]
Are You Displaying Self-Sabotage Patterns?
The following are just a few common patterns of self-sabotage:
- All the unconscious fear (See Part 4)
- Indecision
- Procrastination
- Overwhelm
- Wanting to always be right
- Overeating
- Tolerating mediocrity and Level 3 Living (See Part 2)
- Not telling the absolute truth
- Focusing on secondary goals
- Doing things alone
- Reinventing the wheel
- Perfectionism*
- Not saying ‘No’ to distractions
- Not saying ‘Yes’ to opportunities
- Controlling people
- Critical judgement of self and others
- Creating dramas and stories
*Make sure you understand the difference between striving for perfection and striving for excellence (ihsan), which is what we have been told to strive for.
Perfection is for our Creator alone, and only He is Perfect and His Book is perfect. We are not, and will never be perfect. But we can be excellent! Our imperfection is perfection in itself because that is the way Allah created us. If He wanted us to be different, He would have made us different. That, though, is a whole other discussion in itself.
I used to be proud of being a perfectionist.That was my identity: I am a ‘perfectionist’. This changed when someone I admire said: “You’re not a perfectionist, you’re an ‘imperfectionist’ because all you ever look for are imperfections, in things, in what you do, in people and in the world.”
Perfectionists do not have high standards, they have no standard. This is because their standards are so high that things are unachievable, so they might as well not have any standard. Moreover, perfection is subjective: Perfect according to whom? What is perfect for you might not be what others want and vice versa. There are many people who do not care about the small details over which you are obsessing.
“There is no worse sickness for the soul, O you who are proud, than this pretence of perfection.” — Rumi
Mufti Menk: Health & Free Time (Video)
The Prophet (peace be upon him said), “There are two blessings which many people waste: health and free time.” [Bukari]
Vimeo link: https://vimeo.com/75062407
Asalaamu alaikum Quran Weekly.
MashAllah. Today we’d like to speak about something very important, something we all take for granted or a lot of us take for granted and this is why Rasool Allah salAllahu alayhi wasallam has warned about it as well. Many of us have good health, mashAllah. Thank Allah for it. And use it, use it to do what? Use it to do that which will achieve the pleasure of the Almighty. Your eyes, you can see by. There might come a day when you cannot see so read the proper books and read that which will be beneficial. Look at that which will help you. Don’t look at that which will earn the wrath of the Almighty. Don’t look at that which you are not supposed to be looking at because these are your eyes. The same applies to your hands. Today you can move them. Move them to achieve that which will earn the pleasure of the Almighty. Tomorrow you may not have that mobility. Today mashAlalh we can walk, today was can read salah. People are crying because they have not read salah until they get to an age when they cannot bend their backs anymore, they cannot go into ruku, they cannot do sujood. So, why is it that we sometimes become oblivious of the gift of health? Really, the gift of health is a gift that many of us take for granted. And this is why is it very important for us to look at the gift that Allah’s blessed us with, some people cannot eat. Some people cannot eat a lot of the food stuffs. So when we can eat it, let’s eat in moderation. Let’s remember Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala’s gift upon us. Say, the prayer before eating and perhaps after eating as well. Thank Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala for the food. And ask Him to help use the energy that is derived from that food in something good. And let’s make sure that we eat that which is permissible and which Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala will not be upset by.
What is extremely important is we also realize that our organs inside, they operate automatically, completely. They have no batteries, they have no human being sort of remote control in them, it’s the control of Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala. The heart pumps in a magical way. More than one hundred thousands heart beats in no time, subhanAllah. And whose battery is that? It is just the automatic plan of Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala. Look at the brain, how sophisticated it is. The ears, look at the mouth, look at the lips, look at the for example the tongue and how it tastes and the taste buds and look at how medicine and science is discovering new things every single day. And this is all the gift of Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala and we have it. And we do not thank Allah for it. And we do not use it in the right direction, subhanAllah. How can that be? When we are believers we know that definitely it is going to come to an end. We know definitely these eyes of mine will not see at a certain time because I have to die at one stage and I have to return to Allah Alhamdulillah. I have to go back to my Creator, my Maker. So let me use it in order to please Him and not to displease Him. And mashAllah tabarakAllah, many people are becoming more and more conscious of it. Whilst we have a voice, let us try to recite the Quran. Whilst we can, let us try inshAllah to do the best of things.
The other thing that a lot of people take for granted is the issue of time. We have free time. People use it to watch television, to sit and see this soaps mashAllah and you know the soaps they wash. What do they wash? Your brain. MashAllah. So that is why we say subhanAllah, the soap. I hope we can have a different name for something beneficial inshAllah. And we have programs of a beneficial nature. We have perhaps a weekend out, perhaps a little bit of sacrifice to go to the masjid to listen to some good lecture, to attend the lessons that the ulemah has. To be able to benefit, to sit in the halaqah and try perhaps to rectify the Quran, the understanding of the Quran, perhaps learn something that others have even if it is something that may not directly be connected to the religion. For example, a person has free time and they want to improve their handwriting. mashAllah you want to do a course in calligraphy, something that will benefit you somehow. And you can use that talent inshAllah not only to earn a little bit of money but even by the will of Allah to build your akhirah, to build your Paradise. May Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala grant that to us.
It is important for us not to waste our time because as the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam said, “The two gifts that Allah subhanhu wa ta’ala has bestowed upon us that many people take for granted. The first one is the health. And the second one is free time.” So when there is free time, use it. Use it, do not abuse it. SubhanAllah. People sometimes say, “Oh, I’ve got some free time. Let me go to bed. I can go and sleep.” Are you depressed? Well if you are maybe you might think sleeping will help you, it won’t. To be honest with you, we all need sleep and we all need a certain amount of it but sometimes we need to correct ourselves. We need to develop a link with our Maker. In order for us to be able to understand that we have a short space of time to pack in it as much goodness as we can before the time expires and our health expires. So these two things are definitely going to go because my health even if I die a healthy person but I’m dead. When I die what happens? My health is irrelevant, completely irrelevant. A few days ago I spoke about a very interesting point inshAllah, I may share it with you in one of the episodes to come. But, what I’d like to share with you right now is the fact that even time. Time, when it comes to us will definitely come to an end. May the Almighty bless us all and may He make us use our time whilst we have it in the best possible way.
– See more at: http://www.quranweekly.com/health-free-time/#sthash.kipF65TH.dpuf
