Distinguishing Between Thoughts From Ourselves, Shaytan, and Allah

Source: seekershub.org

By: Shaykh Rami Nsour

The Spring Source of our actions

All of our actions spring forth from a thought that enters our heart and this is what makes knowing the science of thoughts (khawatir) so important [Muhammad Mawlud, The Purification of the Heart]. One of the most difficult tasks we face in our lives will be in weighing out each one of the thoughts that enters our heart and seeing which one we should follow. The scholars have given us a guideline as to how to tell the signs of the source of thoughts that enter our heart.

Ways to Build Self-Esteem

Source: productivemuslim.com

By: Anum Ali

Self-Esteem is the value that we give ourselves and the opinion we have of ourselves. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) blessed us with an all-encompassing way of life called Islam over 1400 years ago, and it advocates the rights of all creation (men, women, elderly, children, animals, and our own ‘self’).

How to Attain Humility…and Why

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Ibtihal Al-Khalifin

How do we claim to hate Iblees yet continue to follow his ways? ‘Arrogance and pride were the reasons why shaytan was expelled from paradise. Do not let it be the reason for you not gaining an entrance.’

Humility is a much-needed characteristic for all Muslims. Being modest is one of the most crucial traits of a humble person. We need to acknowledge our own defects and willingly submit to the commandments of Allah . The messenger of Allah, Mohammed , was known for his incredible humility and grace. He used to be humble with his companions, at home and with everyone he met.

Stone the Devil in ourselves before the Jamrah in Mina

By: Abdullah Hakim Quick

“In this year’s Hajj Season, Muslims need to stone evil and oppression in the Muslim world with as much emotion as we stone the devil in Mina. Let’s stone greed, tribalism, killing innocent people, leaving the true Sunnah, abusing women, being harsh to people of other faiths, supporting wicked, greedy leaders, living in a fantasy world (1400 years ago), and above all forgetting Almighty Allah in all that we do.”
“let’s end the madness among ourselves and show that Islam is a mercy and a cure for the ills of our times and for all people.”
“ALLAHU AKBAR FOREVER.”

Liberate ourselves (IMAGE)

How Shaytan Tricks Good Muslims (Video)

 A very powerful reminder on how Shaytan (Devil) tricks the good Muslims. And how we can protect ourselves from this attack.

Ten-Point Plan For What To Do On The Night Of Power

Photo of a ray-less Sunrise, a sign of Laylat’l-Qadr the night before

Source: http://almaghrib.org/

We prepare ourselves so well for Laylat’l-Qadr in terms of what it means to us andwhen it will be, but when we get there many of us don’t know what to actually do on the night itself and achieve the success being offered!

So, we came up with a plan as gleaned from the actions of the blessed early generations:

1. Prepare a list before the evening starts listing all of the specific du‘ās you want to make. This is not necessarily a Sunnah of course – this is only because the Muslims of our generation are not so great at ritual worship and making long, detailed meaningful du‘ās by ourselves; thus we need help, direction and structure.

2. Pray ‘Ishā in Jamā‘ah – that’s half the night in prayer achieved as stated by the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in Muslim, and that’s a portion of Laylat’l-Qadr achieved as stated by some of the Salaf like Ibn al-Musayyib and al-Shāfi‘ī.

3. Pray with the Imām, don’t leave him after 4 rak‘ah or 8 rak‘ah or whatever. Finish the Tarāwīḥ prayer with him and the Witr prayer as well, even if he prays it early in the night. You have now achieved the reward of praying the full night, which if it is Laylat’l-Qadr, then you’ve in sha Allah achieved the full reward of standingthe night of Laylat’l-Qadr as stated by the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

4. Avoid setting up two night prayers, calling them Tarāwīḥ and Tahajjud.Either elongate one of them to last longer in the night, or just pray one of them completely with the Imam with Witr. This is the Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in Ramaḍān: a single congregational prayer, not two separate ones, is the action of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

5. Make a HUGE amount of du‘ā during ALL the rest of the time available before Fajr starts.

6. If you feel the need to take little breaks in the night, only do the following in them:

a) Give plenty of Ṣadaqah, carefully and judiciously, to the highest-returning projects as possible, across as many fields and initiatives as possible, as varied as possible, as much as possible. Take advantage of the hugely multiplied rewards on offer. You can plan this in advance online to save time browsing on the night itself.

b) Read or reflect on something beneficial about Allah or read the Qur’ān itself. Focus on His Mercy. And then call upon that Mercy later in your du‘ā.

c) Keep your tongue busy with dhikr. Don’t waste a single second talking, watching or listening to anything from the dunya if possible. It’s just not worth it. It can wait one night.

7. If you want to bank on just one du‘ā to really focus on during this night then choose the best Prophetic one of:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

Allāhumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuḥibbul ‘afwa, fa‘fu ‘annī

(O Allah, indeed you are the One who pardons, indeed you love to pardon. So please pardon me.)

8. Reduce the amount of food and time you will spend on eating Suḥūr so that you can spend more time making du‘ā. This night is about standing in prayer, yes, but if you’ve done the above, then that standing is sufficient. Now make the night allabout du‘ā.

9. Pray the Fajr prayer in Jamā‘ah with the Imām. You have just achieved standing the entire night in prayer as stated by the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in al-Bukhāri. So that’s all of Laylat’l-Qadr in standing achieved if it was indeed that night. Doing this is like a double guarantee for the night

10. Finally, after your dhikr until Sunrise and your Shurūq prayer, get to sleep quickly so as to not to sleep too much during the day because there’s more ‘ibādah to be done on the 27th day too, to complete a successful night of al-Qadr as per the actions of the Salaf.