When a test comes to you

By: Shaykh Tawfique Chowdhury

When a test comes to you:

1. Know that everything is by Qadr of Allah
2. Remember that other people have bigger problems than you
3. Remember the death of the Prophet (pbuh), the greatest calamity the Ummah faced
4. Maybe through this trial, Allah has saved you from an even bigger trial.
5. Through this trial Allah will remove some of your sins
6. Through this trial Allah has opened up a huge world of ibadah like sabr, salah, repentance etc
7. With this trial, Allah is putting you on the path of the Prophets. It is a confirmation that Allah loves you. The more Allah loves somebody, the more he tests them.”

Dua Astaghfar (Forgiveness)

Source: http://hadithoftheday.com/dua-astaghfar/

Astaghfar means seeking forgiveness of Allah for the sins so far committed and turning repentant unto Allah.

Allah has created us weak and we are likely to make mistakes and transgress. At the same time Allah has allowed us to seek forgiveness. Forgiveness is very important in Islam. By constantly turning to Allah for forgiveness of our sins, we learn humility. Our Creator time and time again tells His creation to repent so that they may be forgiven.

And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
Surat An-Nisa 4:106

And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
Surat An-Nisa 4:110

Allah is Ar-Rahman, the Most Compassionate, and Ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful. He loves that we ask Him for forgiveness and He has promised to forgive.

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.” And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.
Surat Az-Zumar 39:53-54

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle salallahu alaihi wasallam said, “Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: “Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 21 Hadith 246

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “When Allah created the creations, He wrote with Him on His Throne: ‘My Mercy has preceded My Anger.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 93 Hadith 545

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Anas heard the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam say: Allah, the Exalted, has said: “O son of Adam! Certainly I shall continue to pardon thee so long as thou supplicatest Me and hopest (for My forgiveness), whatever may be thy faults and sins, I don’t care. O son of Adam, even if thy sins pile up as high as the sky, and thou askest for My forgiveness, I will forgive thee. O son of Adam, if thou comest to Me with an earthful of defaults and meetest Me, not associating anything with Me, I will come to thee, with an earthful of forgiveness.”
Al-Tirmidhi – Hadith 442
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
The Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam said: “Allah, the Lord of honour and glory, will accept the repentance of His servant till his death-rattle begins.”
Al-Tirmidhi – Hadith 18

Prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wasallam, Allah’s beloved Messenger would constantly ask for Allah’s forgiveness.

Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying.” By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 75 Hadith 319

Narrated Abdullah bin Amr: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said to the Prophet “O Allah’s Apostle! Teach me an invocation with which I may invoke Allah in my prayers.” The Prophet said, “Say: O Allah! I have wronged my soul very much (oppressed myself), and none forgives the sins but You; so please bestow Your forgiveness upon me. No doubt, You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 93 Hadith 485

Thauban reported: When the Messenger of Allah salallahu alaihi wasallam finished his prayer, he begged forgiveness three times and said: O Allah! Thou art Peace, and peace comes from Thee; Blessed art Thou, O Possessor of Glory and Honour. Walid reported: I said to Auza’i: How is the seeking of forgiveness? He replied: You should say:, I beg forgiveness from Allah, I beg forgiveness from Allah.”
Sahih Muslim – Book 4 Hadith 1226

Narrated Shaddad bin Aus: The Prophet salallahu alahi wasallam said “The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is:

للَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَمَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ

‘Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Anta khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana ‘ala ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, A’udhu bika min Sharri ma sana’tu, abu’u Laka bini’matika ‘alaiya, wa Abu Laka bidhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta.”

(O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.

The Prophet added. “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 75 Hadith 318

Let us take time every day to reflect on ourselves and seek Allah’s forgiveness with utmost sincerity and earnestly. May Allah help us stay on the right path, forgive us and help us repent when we falter.

Ameen

Repentance: 10 Duties of Those Who Are Truly Repentant

Source: seekersguidance.org

Imam Abu Talib al-Makki mentions ten duties of those truly repentant, in his work Qut al-Qulub:

1. It is their duty not to return to disobeying Allah

2. If one falls into sin, then not to keep repeating the sin

3. To hasten to repent to Allah from any sin one falls into

4. Remorse for one’s remissness and shortcomings

5. To make the resolve to remain upright until death

6. Fear of Divine punishment

7. Hope of Divine forgiveness

8. Recognition of one’s sin

9. Conviction that Allah decreed that for them–(f: with His Will) in accordance with His Eternal Knowledge (f: through which He knew the choice the servant would make); but He did not compel the servant nor force them (f: but, rather, the servant chose it with Divinely-grant choice)

10. Following up with righteous deeds, in order that they expiate for the sin–for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has said, “Follow a bad deed with a good deed, and it will wipe it out.”

One Sin led to his Repentance

Source: Road Side 2 Islam

A righteous man was once asked to tell the story of the pivotal moment of his life, the moment in which he first began to apply the teachings of Islam, and the following was his answer:

When I was a young man, I would not hesitate to perpetrate any sin that was made available to me. Then, one day, I saw a young woman who was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Much tempted by her, I indicated to her that I wanted her to approach me. She seemed nervous, but I thought that she would probably agree to satisfy my sexual desires for money. She approached me with what seemed to be a great deal of trepidation, and when she actually stood before me, she looked extremely terrified.

After Repentance Comes… Hardship?

By: Jinan Bastaki

Source: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/

“And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.” [Qur’an, 9:118]

We are taught that no matter we do, Allah’s doors are open. No matter how big your mistake or how far you have been, just return to Allah, subhanahu wa ta`’ala (exalted is He). He is there—and because He is at-Tawwab, He wants to accept your turning back to Him. It is like when we are taught as children to own up to our mistakes: “I won’t be mad at you,” our parents might say, “just tell me if you broke the vase.” But what happens if, after we turn back, or own up to our mistake, we suffer even more hardship?

Ramadan is slipping away. There is no tomorrow…

By: Omar Suleiman

When we are vulnerable or weak, we tend to make a lot of promises to Allah. How many times do you here “Oh Allah if you give me this, then I’ll start praying”, or “I’ll stop selling haram”, or “I’ll stop committing this sin”, etc. The implication of that form of supplication Is that Allah hasn’t already given you enough of a reason for repentance.

After a thousand tears of joy at committing sin, a single tear of sincere repentance washes it all.

 After a thousand tears of joy at committing sin, a single tear of sincere repentance washes it all.
 Después de un millar de lágrimas de alegría a cometer pecado, una lágrima de arrepentimiento sincero lava todo.
 Na duizend tranen van vreugde bij het ​​plegen van de zonde, een enkele traan van oprecht berouw wast het allemaal.
 Après mille larmes de joie à commettre un péché, une larme de repentir sincère lave tout.
 Nach tausend Tränen der Freude in Sünde zu begehen, eine einzelne Träne von aufrichtiger Reue wäscht sie alle.
 Jīngguòle yīqiān xǐyuè de lèishuǐ zài fàn xià zuìniè, zhēnchéng huǐgǎi de yīdī yǎnlèi xǐle yīqiè.
 Efter tusen glädjetårar vid begå synd, en enda tår av uppriktig ånger tvättar allt.
 Posle tysyachi slezami radosti na soversheniye grekha, ni odnoy slezy iskrennego pokayaniya moyet vse eto.
 Günah işlemekten de sevinç bin gözyaşı sonra, samimi tövbe bir tek gözyaşı hepsini yıkar.
 Dopo mille lacrime di gioia a commettere il peccato, una sola lacrima di pentimento sincero lava tutto.
 Setelah seribu air mata kebahagiaan di berbuat dosa, setetes air mata pertobatan yang tulus mencuci semuanya.

Daily Reminder: Satan Speaks Out – Devils Message To Man (Video)

 In this episode you will get the core of our free project. You will discover that the evil in the world exists because of our heedlessness and impurity. Hence to solve all these problems we must wake up from heedlessness and get closer to God (Allah) through repentance, because peace lies with him.
More reminders….

Purification of the sinners

It is essential for those who will be admitted to Paradise to be cleansed of all their sins before they enter it. The sinners’ cleansing of their sins may happen in this world or in the Hereafter. In this world, Allaah has given His slaves ways of cleansing themselves thereof, by following their sins and evil deeds with prayers for forgiveness, sincere repentance and good deeds that erase sin.

With regard to the purification of the sinners in the Hereafter, this will be achieved in several ways:

1 – Prayers of the believers for the (deceased) believer, such as their offering the funeral prayer for him. It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah and Anas ibn Maalik that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no deceased person for whom a group of Muslims numbering one hundred offer the funeral prayer, all of them interceding for him, but their intercession for him will be accepted.” Narrated by Muslim, 947.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no Muslim man who dies and forty men who do not associate anything in worship with Allaah stand and pray for him, but Allaah will accept their intercession for him.” Narrated by Muslim, 948.

So it is known that this du’aa’ is one of the means of the deceased being forgiven.

2 – Acts of ongoing charity that the person did during his life will benefit him after his death.

3 – Good deeds done on behalf of the deceased, such as charity, Hajj, etc. These will benefit him, according to the texts of the saheeh Sunnah. It was proven in al-Saheehayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever dies owing fasts, let his heir fast on his behalf.” And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a man dies all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge and a righteous child who will pray for him.” Narrated by Muslim, 1638.

4 – What happens in the grave of the trial, squeezing and terror. These are things that expiate for sins.

5 – The intercession of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and others for sinners on the Day of Resurrection, as is narrated in mutawaatir reports in the ahaadeeth about intercession, such as the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the saheeh hadeeth, “My intercession will be for those among my ummah who committed major sins,” and “I was given the choice between admitting half of my ummah to Paradise and intercession, and I chose intercession because it is more general and greater. Do you think it will be only for the pious? No, it will be for the sinners who contaminated themselves with sins.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah 4311; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 3480.

6 – The terrors, difficulties and hardships of the Day of Resurrection.

7 – The mercy and forgiveness of Allaah bestowed with no action on the part of His slaves. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Allaah created mercy on the day that He created it, and divided it into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts and sent one to all of His creation. If the kaafir knew of all that is with Allaah of mercy, he would never despair of Paradise, and if the believer knew of all that is with Allaah of punishment he would never feel safe from Hell.”