Iman revisited

Our precious sister, Nadia is teaching us the meaning of Iman. She has been having lessons with us on pillars of faith Alhamdulillah. Masha Allah tabarakallah her sessions are very lively and a feast to my senses.  I am a visual and kinesthetic learner so her style works for me alhamdulillah. So what is Iman?  It comes from the Arabic root letters aa mi na ( aamina) which means to give security and peace. Iman gives us a framework to think and live with alhamdulillah. 

There are 3 levels of faith... Islam, Iman and Ihsan. In sha Allah our aim is Ihsan, the highest level bi idnillahi ta'ala!

Islam is the outward actions such as the five pillars of Islam- Shahada, Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj.

Imaan is the inward actions which are based on the foundations of the five pillars of Islam .

Ihsan is intensifying our worship to gain closeness to our Rabb. I have added the Hadith which teaches us the three terms in details. It is known as Hadith Jibreel . Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent the archangel Sayyidina Jibraeel AS to teach us our beautiful religion. This is one of the core hadith to remember and follow on a daily basis in sha Allah. 

Hadith Jibreel

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, one day, a man appeared with very white clothes and very black hair. There were no signs of travel on him and we did not recognize him. He sat in front of the Prophet, rested his knees by his knees, and placed his hands on his thighs.

The man said, “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.”

The Prophet said, “Islam is to testify there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give charity, to fast the month of Ramadan, and to perform pilgrimage to the House if a way is possible.”

The man said, “You have spoken truthfully.” We were surprised that he asked him and said he was truthful.

He said, “Tell me about faith.”  (Faith is Imaan in Arabic)

The Prophet said, “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in providence, its good and its harm.”

The man said, “You have spoken truthfully. Tell me about excellence (Ihsan).”

The Prophet said, “Ihsan (Excellence ) is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.”

The man said, “Tell me about the final hour.”

The Prophet said, “The one asked does not know more than the one asking.”

The man said, “Tell me about its signs.”

The Prophet said, “The slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and you will see barefoot, naked, and dependent shepherds compete in the construction of tall buildings.”

Then, the man returned and I remained. The Prophet said to me, “O Umar, do you know who he was?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.”

The Prophet said, “Verily, he was Gabriel who came to teach you your religion.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 

Conditions of Iman:

1. Belief in the heart

2. Statements of the tongue

3. Actions of the limbs

4. Iman increases with obedience 

As you can see, I cannot say my iman is in my heart and I don't need to pray, fast etc. Sometimes we meet people who claim they have Iman in their heart but they believe they don't need to manifest their Iman through their limbs. Imagine as a mother, I tell my children that I love them but I don't express the love through my action. I neglect them. Is that really love? As believers we love our Rabb, we believe in our heart and we do our best to express the love through worshiping Him the way He wants, with every blessing He has blessed us with bi idnillahi ta'ala. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala enable us to fulfil the conditions of Iman, ameen!

Nadia reminded us the similarity between the elegant Date palm tree and a believer (Mu'min) . This was my favourite part as I am a passionate plant lover ! Alhamdulillah for the awesome nature ! 

Abdullah ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believer is that of a date palm tree. Whatever you take from it will benefit you.”

Source: al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr lil-Ṭabarānī 13514

Grade: Sahih (authentic)

Seeds of Date Palm in Jannah insha Allah

1. Date palm trees are evergreen trees. It doesn't shed leaves. Our submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never stops. Believers worship their Rabb in every season, in good days as well as in challenging days. 

2. The tree provides shade through out the year. Believer supports others in every situation. 

3. Date palms are strong, tall and lofty in nature. Believers are strong in heart and present themselves in a beautiful, lofty manner.

4. Date palms has deep network of roots. Even in stormy weather , the roots help the tree to stay intact. A strong believer doesn't break down during a difficult phase of her life. In fact, challenges make her more resilient and humble . It teaches her to have empathy. 

5. The tree yields sweet dates throughout the year. A believer always share his goodness with others. 

6. The older the date palm , the sweeter the dates. The older the believer, the more the wisdom bi idnillahi ta'ala. So old is gold! May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala enable us all to age gracefully , ameen! 

7. The tree can survive hostile environments. The date palms are native to desert climates especially in the middle eastern countries. Imagine the Ummah struggling in different parts of the world! Their Iman is keeping them firm alhamdulillah. Their faith is unwavering subhanallah! 

8. Even if the tree is uprooted, if the roots are not disconnected , it still can survive and carry on producing dates. Sometimes believers can be unwell but they can still benefit others. 

There are so many fascinating facts about the Date palm tree. I have shared two links here if you are interested to research more in sha Alllah. I cannot thanks Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for this amazing plant alhamdulillah. So much to be grateful for in sha Allah !

Natural History Museum  Date Palm: The cornerstone of civilization 

Date palm at Kew Garden 

Let us go back to the topic of this post , Iman ! 

Imaan wears off just like our clothes wear off ( paraphrasing a hadith). So how can we renew our imaan ?

1. Seek knowledge 

It is very important to actively seek knowledge . Sometimes as parents we facilitate for our children to seek knowledge but we do not seek it for ourselves! Knowledge of the Deen is crucial for every one of us. I loved Nadia's words, " Sign up and show up!"

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala increase us in knowledge and enable us to benefit from it, ameen!

2. Make du'a for gaining Iman

We must ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for Iman. O Allah ! Please revive our Iman, revive our yaqeen (certainty). She mentioned the du'a taught by beloved Rasulullah Salllallahu alaihe wa sallam which should be made after the salah . 

Mu'adh (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my hand and said, "O Mu'adh! By Allah I love you, so I advise you to never forget to recite after every prayer: "Allahumma a'inni ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika (O Allah, help me remember You, to be grateful to You, and to worship You in an excellent manner)."

[Abu Dawud].

Short but continuous deeds

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah dear readers,

It has been ages since I last blogged. Time flies! One of the signs of the last days before the Day of Judgement is the passing of time so quickly! May Allah subahanahu wa ta'ala enable us to do our best with our limited time on this earth. May He subhanahu wa ta'ala put baraka in our time, ameen. One of the way to get baraka i.e blessing in our time is to do our morning and evening adhkar on a daily basis, my ustadha says. Also waking up half an hour or one hour before others can make a huge difference. It can be our "me" time before the hectic day starts. 

This year things are a bit different for me. Alhamdulillah I have started driving on a daily basis.It took me three years of countless lessons, 2 theory tests, 5 practical tests to get to this stage alhamdulillah! Childcare was an issue as we had three kids under 6 during that time. Alhamdulillah my better half has been looking after the kids. He has been a great support alhamdulillah. I had to take lesson with my great instructor lady around 6/7 in the morning. I have learnt a lot from her. She is a very active lady, not just a driving instructor but a dental nurse, blind/curtain maker and last but not the least, a marathon runner! She goes to gym everyday at 6! And she is also a vegan! One of my goals I hope to achieve one day insha Allah! I feel blessed to have her as my instructor alhamdulillah. Having a good instructor is very crucial otherwise we can just literally waste our time , money and efforts. My first instructor who looked like a practicing Muslim lady almost crushed my confidence. She forced me to have my theory test when I wasn't even prepared. Her teaching technique was so rigid that I started fearing driving lessons thinking I must be just rubbish at driving. So it is very important to choose the right person to teach driving who you can trust wholeheartedly and someone who believes that you can do it. 

Trust me, if I can drive, you can too! Insha Allah with perseverance and lots of dua anything is possible. There are so many times I felt like giving up but I kept on trying. This is a great skill to have as a mum alhamdulillah. I am a very active mum and take my kids to lot of outdoor activities alhamdulillah. We walk a lot but some places are not really walking distance. Even using public transport can be a hassle to get to forests and places like that with three kids and a pushchair. 

Alhamdulillah this year for the first time I have managed to take our three kids to Hainault country park in the holiday with group of close friends. I felt very accomplished alhamdulillah. The feeling of being able to create beautiful memories with kids and the car :-) is just priceless alhamdulillah. I enjoy driving alhamdulillah. But I wish I can drive faster which is impossible in London. I hate meet and cross. Anyway, I am so grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for enabling me to drive alhamdulillah. Now I hope I don't cause any serious problem on the road for us and others insha Allah. I am learning the duas for travel. Everyday 5/6 minutes before I start driving, I am doing my duas to be a safe driver. It is a huge responsibility. I see so many people who are not aware of the basic rules on the road. Then I wonder how many rules I am not aware of or not following ! May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala save me from causing any harm to us and others, ameen!

Having said that, driving does make me feel lazy and quite unfit as it restricts exercise time for me. I used to walk a lot. That's why I only drive to certain places as I do want to have the much needed practice. I am still trying to walk to lot of places almost every single day as it keeps me fit. My next target is running for half an hour every other day insha Allah at my local park . I need a partner who can motivate me to carry on insha Allah. 

I used to fast Mondays and Thursdays. But got lazy (as usual) and finding it very hard to fast twice a week. I have recently learnt that our nafs i.e soul/ego is like an Arabian horse. If it is given a choice, it tends to run left and right instead of going straight. When we want to perform any act of worship, our soul suggests us to do the hardest acts to punish us. When we force ourselves to do the hardest acts we eventually give up the act. This is exactly what our ego/soul wants us to do. 

But, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants us to be moderate in our worship. He loves the small but regular acts of worship. When we do deeds on a regular basis just to please Him and show how much we love Him, it becomes a habit. Our soul gets a gradual training and it becomes easy to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Alhamdulillah I am glad that I have realized this truth now. To train my beastly soul, I have started fasting only three days a month alhamdulillah. I can feel that it is lot more manageable alhamdulillah. 

As Muslims, we are suppose to perform deeds only recommended by the Qur'an and the Sunnah. So I needed some evidence. There are plenty of ahadith about fasting. I have found couple of ahadith which I love to refer back to on a monthly basis to motivate myself to fast three days. I hope these ahadith helps you too insha Allah. 

Abu Hurairah (RadiAllahu anhu) reported: My friend (the Messenger of Allah) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam directed me to observe fast for three days in every month, to perform two Rak'ah (optional) Duha prayer at forenoon and to perform the Witr prayer before going to bed. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Abud-Darda reported : My friend (the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) directed me to observe Saum (fasting) for three days in every month, to perform two rak'ah (optional) Duha prayer at forenoon and to perform the Witr prayer before going to bed. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-As reported: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, " Observing Saum (fasting) on three days of every month is equivalent to a full month's fasting."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Mu'adhah Al-'Adawiyah radiAllahu anhu reported: I asked 'Aishah radiAllahu anhu "Did the Messenger of Allah, sallallu alaihi wa sallam, used to observe three days of Saum in every month? She replied, "Yes." I asked, "On which days in the month did he observed fast?" She replied that he did not mind on which days of the month he observed fast. [Muslim] In the commentary of this particular hadith, Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf wrote that this hadith makes it clear that one can observe Saum on any three days of the month and it is not necessary to fix these days. However, it is more meritorious to observe Saum on 13th, 14th and 15th of each lunar month because the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has so ordained it. He himself also used to take special care of these dates and observe Saum on them, as is evident from the forthcoming Ahadith.

Abu Dharr (RadiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, " If you want to observe saum on three days in a month, then fast on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the lunar month." [At-Tirmidhi]

Qatadah bin Milhaan radiAllahu Anhu reported: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam directed us to observe Saum on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the lunar month. {Abu Dawud]

Ibn 'Abbas reported: It was the practice of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam to not to omit fast on 'bright days' whether he was staying at a place or on a journey.[An-Nasa'i]

In the commentary of this hadith, Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf wrote, "Beed" is the plural of Abyad which means white. Three days of 13,14 and 15 of lunar month are called "Al-Ayyam-ul-Beed" for the reason that their nights are bright because of the moonlight. The moon begins to diminish gradually after these days. 

I have collected these ahadith from Riyah-us-Saliheen Volume two Chapter 230 titled The desirability of observing three days of fasting in every month page 952-954.

My Ustdaha and several shuyukh I follow have strongly recommended Imam An-Nawawi's excellent book Riyad-us-Saliheen which comes in two volumes. This book is meant to be for people who are not scholars but seekers of knowledge who want to learn the faith to practice Islam properly. Hadith collections such as Al-Bukhari is meant to be for scholars. So please do buy the Riyad-us-Saliheen and make it a habit to read and reflect on a regular basis in sha Allah.

Ramadan is due in 87/88 days insha Allah. So this habit of fasting three days a month can also help the body and mind to get into Ramadan mode in shaa Allah. Let us make the intention to fast three days a month to prepare for the great month of Ramadan just like our predecessors , the Companions of the beloved Rasulullah, who used to start preparing for Ramadan six months ahead of the sacred month! I hope this post is beneficial insha Allah. May Allah subhanahua wa ta'ala forgive our shortcomings and give us the tayseer and tawfique to perform acts on a regular basis to show how much we love Him and want to be close to Him, ameen! 

Learning surah At-Takasur

Alhamdulillah we have been memorizing the suah at-takasur. When kids are memorizing a new surah, we go through the meaning and tafseer i.e explanations (according to their level). I was listening to the tafseer today so that I can learn about the surah and pass it on to our kids.

Brother Nouman Ali Khan's story night ( final part)

I have already written the first part so this is the final part. I hope we all can benefit from the notes, bi'idnillah. Apologies for the delay. Please do keep me and my family in your precious duas. For this part, I have used Mohsin Khan's translation of the Qur'an.

 

Musa (AS) realised that he made a mistake (hitting the man) and immediately asked Allah subhana wa ta'ala to forgive him. And he moved on which teaches us that we should never let our past rule our present and future.

Brother Nouman mentioned one of the names of Allah Subhana ta'ala 'Rakib' which roughly means that He is looking after us, taking care of us. We are like dumb sheep, almost jumping out of the cliff and He is holding all of us with the back of our necks! Subhanallah!

Now the 'juicy part' of the story :-) One of the generals of Pharaoh was a Muslim and a very close friend of Musa (AS). When the news of Musa (AS) killing the man, reached the generals, they had a meeting and decided to kill Musa (AS) on the spot, without giving him any chance to get to the palace and explain the incident. As Musa (AS) was growing up at Pharaoh’s palace, the generals were worried that Musa (AS) may be forgiven for the mistake. They really hated Musa (AS) and wanted him killed as soon as possible. His friend told him to get out of the city to save his life.

At this point, Musa (AS) makes another beautiful dua:

So he escaped from there , looking about in a state of fear. He said, "My Lord! Save me from the people who are Zalimuun (plytheists and wrong-doers)." And when he went towards (the land of) Madyan, he said, "It may be that my Lord guides me to the Right Way." [The Qur'an 28:21-22] 

You can notice that Musa (AS) is always connected to Allah subhana wa ta'ala by making sincere duas to Him. The most important thing a mother can teach her child is dua, sincere supplication to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Dua is the essence of worship. It's also the weapon of believers. I personally can’t agree more. I have always been a ‘dua fan’ and subhanallah duas are so powerful! Nothing is possible without duas.

And when he arrived at the water (the well) of Madyan, he found there a group of men watering their flocks and besides them he found two women who were keeping back their flocks. He said: “What is the matter with you?" They said: "We cannot water our flocks until the shepherds take their flocks. And our father is an old shaikh." [The Qur'an 28:23]

When Musa (AS) saw the two women wrestling with their animals who wanted to drink water, he didn't understand why they were preventing their animal from drinking water. He was a very straight forward guy unlike most of the men of this time. Without changing his tone to 'impress' the women, he just said "What is wrong with you?" Here notice the answer by the women. They were righteous women. They didn't want to give water to their animal while some men were there with their animals. They were waiting. They also said that their father is a shaikh (Wa Abuuna shayhkun kabiruun). Shaykh can have couple of meanings, here is this context, it means old and of high status. So the two women mentioning this mean, we are from a good and respectable family. These women were working women. We can learn what haya really means from their behaviour. There is nothing wrong in interaction between men and women but we really need to behave in a respectful manner. Their father Shu'aib (AS) was a prophet. And to the people of Madyan, We sent their brother Shu'aib. He said: “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilaah (God) but Him." [The Qur'an 7:85]

So Musa (AS) watered their animal, then turned back to shade and said, "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow upon me!" [The Qur'an 28:24]

After helping them, here again he is asking Allah subhana wa ta'ala to help him. And Allah subhana wa ta'ala as always answers his dua...

There came to him one of the two woman, walking shyly. She said: "Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered our flocks for us." So when he came to him and narrated the story, he said, “Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are Zaalimun (polytheists, disbelievers and wrong-doers).” [The Qur'an 28:25]

Meeting Shu'aib (AS) was like a job interview for Musa (AS) but he didn't hide anything and told him everything.

Here brother Nouman talked about the concept of 'takalluf' which is an Urdu term roughly meaning help from others. Culturally in Indian sub-continent we have this belief that we should not accept peoples' offer to help us in any way as it's against our dignity. Brother Nouman argued that this is actually not an Islamic trait. When someone is offering us any service we should accept is as a favour from Allah subhana wa ta'ala.

 

We can see in the story that Musa (AS) has committed a big sin and he needed to move on. He immediately asked Allah subhana wa ta'ala to forgive him and was keen to do good deeds. He was looking for any opportunity to please Allah Subahana wa ta'ala. That's why he says, "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow upon me!"

This just shows that we should develop a desperate attitude to do good deeds. It can be helping others in any form possible.

Another interesting thing we can notice in this story is the relationship between the daughters and the father. After knowing about Musa's kindness, Shu'aib (AS) sent one of the daughters to get Musa AS to come to talk to him. As she was going on her own, she approached him shyly. How much confidence a father must have to send his daughter on her own to ask a man to come to visit him! More interestingly, while the father and Musa (AS) talking to each other, one of the daughters calls him and says, " O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy." [The Qur'an 28:26]

What a close relationship between daughters and the parent! Here Shu'aib (AS) shows his confidence in his daughter's judgement and he offers Musa (AS) one of his daughter as a wife and also asks him to stay with them at least for 8 years or if he wants for 10 years.

He said: “I intend to wed one of these two daughters of mine to you, on condition that you serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten years, it will be a favour from you. But I intend not to place you under a difficulty. If Allah wills, you will find me one of the righteous." He [Musa] said: "That is settled between me and you: whichever of two terms I fulfil, there will be no injustice to me and Allah is Surety over what we say."[The Qur'an 28:27-28]

Here, the father after consulting the daughter understood that the daughter was impressed by Musa AS's righteousness. She didn't need to say more than that to convince her father. Also, we can see how the father and the potential son-in-law are negotiating with each other. This is a guideline for all of us. The father who is the wali (guardian) of the bride does all the negotiation, on behalf of his daughter, with the potential son-in-law. Culturally we are so accustomed with groom's parents or elders doing the negotiation with the father of the bride. Sometimes, the groom is the last person to know what mahar has been decided or all the conditions of the marriage! We also have an issue with some men, not being man enough to approach the father of the potential bride to ask for her hand. There are guys out there who claim that they like someone and would like to get married but they don't even have the courage to tell their own parents! Then how on earth they can talk to the potential father-in-law! We are living at a time where getting married is an overly complicated process. The guidelines of Islam are very simple and straight forward. We really need to do our research and make the whole process easy and viable for our youth.

MashAllah brother Nouman said quite a lot about this issue. I cannot really do justice to his amazing talk. So please do excuse me for not being able to express it properly in writing L

He also talked about some similarities between Surah Kasas and Surah Yusuf. In Surah Yusuf, Allah subhana wa ta’ala says that the story of Yusuf (AS) is one of the best stories of the Qur’an ( Ahsanul Kasas) In Surah Kasas, as we can see it’s Musa (AS)’s story. There is a connection between these two surahs. As we know, Yusuf (AS) spent most of his adult life in Egypt where Musa (AS) was originated from. Both stories talk about relationship between parents and children, great lessons for all the parents. Surah Yusuf deals with a father-focused story while Surah Kasas deals with a mother-focused story. Even some of the terms used by the parents are exactly the same. We cannot really appreciate the identical words and their use if we are not well-versed in Qur’anic Arabic. The qualities of the both prophets are also very similar: Allah subhana wa ta’ala mentions that both of them are blessed with wisdom (hikma) and knowledge (‘ilm). They both were men of Ihsaan. The moment Allah subhana wa ta’ala said that they were muhsinuun (did good deeds) their trial started.

There are so many similarities between the surahs. They are connected to each other. Unfortunately we don’t really talk about these amazing facts. The Qur’an is such a miraculous book but we don’t really study the Book and appreciate it. He said there is a big difference between understanding the Qur’an and appreciating the Qur’an. The more we explore it, the more we will be amazed. It will definitely blow our minds, subhanllah! And this is exactly why, he told us, he did the story night. WE REALLY NEED TO STUDY AND APPRECIATE THE QUR’AN.

At the end, he talked about his projects especially the Bayyinah tv. InshAllah I hope to write about his vision and what he will be doing for next couple of years in another post. In the meantime, please do try to subscribe to Bayyinah tv inshAllah. Trust me, you won't regret, bi'idnillah. May Allah Subhana wa ta'ala reward him for his great efforts, ameen!

The great Imam : Al-Ghazali Rahimullah

Alhamdulillah I have been attending an amazing circle where we are going through the book "O my beloved son" written by Imam Al-Ghazali Rahimullah. I have been always a big fan of his book . But attending a circle to understand his work is something completely different. MashAllah the teacher is really excellent. Shaykh Abu Aaliyah is running this circle and I am honoured to be able to listen to his talk, alhamdulillah. I hope to share my notes, given I can take some holding my baby ;-) For the time being, you can listen to the talks and a great documentary below inshAllah.

Dr. Timothy Winter (Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad): The life and works of al-Ghazali (Part 1/2)

Dr. Timothy Winter(Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad) : The life and works of al-Ghazali (Part 2/2)

MashAllah I am glad to be able to watch this documentary "Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of Happiness" (2004) 

 Short interviews of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf  after the filming of the documentary:

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf - The Critical Importance of Al-Ghazali in Our Times

 

Weak (daif) hadith in Imam Ghazali's Ihya by Habib Ali Jifri 

 

Islamic New Year 1434

Alhamdulillah the new Islamic Hijri year 1434 is here . The first month of Hijri year is named Muharram. This is one of the sacred months of Islam. According to hadith, this month is named as the month of Allah Subhana wa ta'ala. I always get quite excited at the beginning of a year as I feel it's a great opportunity to renew our intention to please our Rabb and do more worship, at least plan to do more worship inshAllah. Couple of years ago, I came across a beautiful dua I read in a journal published by Zaytuna institute ( Seasons). I love doing the dua at the start of a year. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala accept the dua from us. The dua is given below:

"In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful and God bless our Master Muhammad and his family and grant them peace. O Allah, whatever actions I have committed this past year which have not pleased You, which I may have forgotten though You do not forget, while You are forbearing with me though fully capable of punishing me, while You called me to relent and atone even after my audaciousness before You - O Allah, I surely seek Your forgiveness for that, so forgive me! O Allah, and as for my actions that have pleased You and for which recompense and forgiveness has been promised, please accept them from me. And do not dash my hopes in You, O Generous, O Most Merciful of the Merciful. And Allah, the Exalted, bless our Master Muhammad and his family and companions and grant them peace."

As Muharram is one of the sacred months, it is recommended to fast any time during this month. There is a great post written by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani that I love reading. You can have a look to get some idea of what actions you can perform during this great month.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duties of the Month of Muharram

1. It is the best of months for general voluntary fasts, after Ramadan.

2. It is especially recommended to fast the 10^th of Muharram (known as the Day of `Ashura), with a day before it or after it. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, quoting Kasanis al-Badai`]

3. It is also virtuous to give in charity on this day.

Extracts from Ibn Rajabs Lataif al-Ma`arif, regarding the month of Muharram:

The Virtues of Fasting in the Month of Muharram and Its First Ten Days

Muslim reported from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said , "The best of fasts after the month of Ramadan are in the Month of Allah, which you call Muharram. And the best of prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer." [Muslim, 1163]

This refers to general voluntary fasts according to Imam Ibn Rajab (Allah have mercy on him): These are best in the month of Muharram, just as the best general voluntary prayer is night prayer.

The virtue and honor of this month can be attested to by the fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) called it, the Month of Allah.  (Shahr Allah) Such ascription is only made by Allah to the most special of His creation, such as the ascription of the Prophets Muhammad, Ibrahim, Ishaq, Ya`qub, and others to his slavehood (Allah's peace and blessings be on them all), and His ascription of the House (Ka`ba) and the camel to himself.

Given that Allah ascribed fasting, between all spiritual works, to Himself [saying, "It is Mine"] it was suitable that this month, which is also ascribed to Allah, be selected for this particular form of worship.

Fasting is a secret between the servant and his Lord. This is why Allah Mighty and Exalted says, [in the divine hadith (hadith qudsi)], " Every action of the son of Adam is his, except for fasting. It is Mine, and it is I who reward it." [Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Hurayra]

 

The Day of `Ashura: The Tenth of Muharram

It is mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him and his father) that he was asked about fasting the Day of `Ashura [10<sup>th</sup> of Muharram]. He said, "I did not see the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) fast a day while more avid to seek its virtue than this day,  meaning the Day of `Ashura." [Bukhari (2006), and Muslim (1132)].

The Day of `Ashura has great virtue, and tremendous sanctity (hurma). The virtue of fasting it was known among the Prophets (peace be upon them all). Both Prophet Nuh and Prophet Musa (peace be upon them both) fasted it.

The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) used to fast this day even in Mecca, though he had not yet ordered others to do so, as mentioned in both Bukhari and Muslim. [Bukhari (2002), Muslim (1125)]

When he migrated to Medina, and found the People of the Book fasting this day and venerating it, he ordered the Muslims to fast it, and encouraged it so much that even the children would fast it.

It has been reported in both Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him), that, "When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) reached Medina, he found the Jews fasting the Day of `Ashura, so he asked them, "What is this day you are fasting?" They said, "This is a tremendous day. Allah saved Musa and his people on this day and drowned Pharaoh and his people. Musa fasted it out of thanks, so we fast it too." The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, "And we are more deserving of Musa than you are." So he fasted this day, and ordered that it be fasted. [Bukhari (2004) and Muslim (1130)]

At the end of his life, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) made the determination not to fast this day alone, but with another day [either before or after it], in order to be different from the People of the Book.

It has been reported in the Sahih of Imam Muslim (Allah have mercy on him), also from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) that, "When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) fasted the Day of `Ashura and ordered his companions to fast it, they said, O Messenger of Allah! This is a day that the Jews and Christians venerate. So the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said, "When next year comes if Allah wills, we will fast the Ninth [of Muharram with it]." But the next year did not come before the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) passed away. [Muslim (1134), Abu Dawud (2445)]

And it is reported in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him), from Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "Fast the Day of `Ashura and be different from the Jews by fasting a day before it or a day after it." [Ahmad]

Giving in Charity on the Day of `Ashura

It has been reported from Abd Allah ibn `Amr ibn al-`As (Allah be pleased with him), that "Whoever fasts `Ashura, it is as if he has fasted the entire year. And whoever gives charity this day it is like the charity of an entire year."

Mourning on the 10^th of Muharram is an Innovation

As for the mourning and grieving of the Shia' on this day because of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Husayn ibn Ali (Allah be pleased with him and his father), this is of the actions of those whose actions in this life are misguided while they think that they are doing well. Neither Allah Most High nor His Messenger (Allah bless him & give him peace) commanded us to mourn on the days of the tribulations of the Prophets, or their deaths, let alone anyone else.

[ The fuqaha have mentioned that it is an innovation to consider Muharram a month of mourning. It is not disliked to marry in this month. It is a highly reprehensible innovation to participate in the rituals of the Shia' in mourning the death of Husayn (Allah be pleased with him).]
 

Some of the Virtues of the Day of `Ashura

It is a day in which Allah forgave an entire people. Tirmidhi relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to a man, "If you want to fast a month after Ramadan, then fast Muharram, for it has a day in which Allah forgave an entire people, and He turns to others in repentance in." [Tirmidhi (841)]

And Allah alone gives success.

Source: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?ID=779
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There is also great talks on the month of Muharram. Do listen inshAllah and please keep us in your precious duas. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala forgive us, shower His Mercy on us and bless us with jannatul ferdous and the amazing opportunity to see Him, ameen!
Sheikh Bilal Ismail: Month of Muharram and the day of Ashura

The Month of Muharram - By Sheikh Shady Al-Suleiman

Beautiful hadith about Allah

Hadith Qudsi 17:

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon him) is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:

"O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other that blame no one but himself."

It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).

Great Ramadan advice from Shaykh Hamza

This is talk worth listening repeatedly mashAllah. May Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala reward the shaykh, ameen!

Being Me Sisters Conference : Zohra Sarwari

Alhamdulillah this year so far has been quite a productive year for me. At the start of this month I went to Being me Sisters event in London organised by Mercy Mission UK Alhamdulillah. Last year for the first time, they organised a sisters only event at Tower Bridge. I really wanted to go but couldn’t get the chance.

Alhamdulilllah this year they invited some great speakers. I was really looking forward to sister Zohra Sarwari’s talks and workshops on home-schooling. I have always been quite fascinated by education and tarbiyyah of children so this was my opportunity to learn more. Alhamdulillah I wasn’t disappointed J she is really inspiring mashAllah. I wish she was based here in London! Her first talk was titled “Importance of Islamic Education, tarbiyah and manners in children”

No doubt, parenting is a difficult job, full of challenges. We as parent can feel sometimes quite overwhelmed with all the problems. But we should try our best to fulfil this great responsibility. Zohra told us that we need to remember three points to tackle all the challenges:

First: Acknowledging the problem: Sometimes parents don’t want to admit that they got a problem to deal with.

Second: Being proactive

Third: Waiting patiently (Sabr)

She mentioned a beautiful hadith “One who has good manners may attain the same level of merit as the one who prays all night” Narrated by Abu Hurairah (RAW) [Bukhari]

As parents our goal should be to teach children the best manners and behaviour and not just that, they grow up to have a respective profession. Unfortunately, we live in a world, where acheiving professional success is the ultimate goal. Life as a Muslim is more than that. We are here to serve Allah Subhan Ta'ala. Allah Subhana Ta'ala wants us to excel in both worlds.

In the Qur'an Allah Subhans Ta'ala teaches us an amazing dua:

Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the fire
[2:201]

Usually people tend to take these steps below in bringing up their children:

Blame game: “Oh he learns all bad stuff from that certain kid at school”

Sunday school: Unfortunately, most of the parents expect the Sunday schools ( most of the times taking place in the mosques) to teach their children about Islam. “My kid will learn everything from his mosque teacher.”

Bribery: Always telling the children that if they listen then you will give them something nice in return. “Honey, if you do your homework, I will give you a candy.”

Punishment: If they don’t listen, just punish them.

Now the tips for effective parenting according to sis Zohra:

We must stop blaming others if our children misbehave. We are the parents so who should teach our children the right behaviour. If we rely on the Sunday schools to teach our children manners and values of Islam, then shame on us! Wow! I thought it was just me who thought like that! I definitely agree with her on this point. I still don’t get it why people send their children to the mosque to learn about their faith. I strongly believe that this is our responsibility to educate our children about Islam as a way of life inshAllah. No way I would like to delegate this huge responsibility on someone else. My husband also believes that we need to teach them about our faith. Also we need to remember that our children are our investment. If we help them to be better Mislims, we will get the reward from our Rabb Insh-Allah. Why would I want somebody else to gain that reward?

She also told us to be proactive as parents. What do you want from your kids? What is your goal? I want my children to behave well and grow up in a good environment. Then I must get rid of all the bad influences i.e. TV, video games, internet, PlayStations and all the distractions.

We need to check who they befriend and advise them to befriend the right kind as bad “friends” are too easy to find. Some may think “Do we isolate the kids then?” “Yes! For a while.” She said.

When they are growing up if we as parents can isolate them from satanic tricks, deceit and means then when they are responsible young kids , they will Insh-Allah have a strong enough imaan to avoid the evil influences on their own.

“Richness does not lie in the rich goods and the person but it lies in the richness of a pious heart.”

Focus!

Focus only on bringing the kids up the best way possible insh-Allah. If they make mistakes, try to bring them back with your help and tenderness. Reward them occasionally when they do something good. Don’t get mad when they do something wrong. Explain to them what they have done wrong. Don’t hit them as they are weaker than you and helpless too.

You need to fill your home with books. Books on our faith, history, sociology, science and so on. The more books our children can read the better inshAllah. Instead of buying all the brand stuff and hi-tech gadgets to kill their time, buy them good books which will broaden their mind inshallah.

MashAllah her talk was so captivating that I really didn’t have that much time to take notes. I just kept listening. She mentioned about home schooling and how this is the best option for our children. I can't agree more with her alhamdulillah.
Below is an interview of her on the Deen show where she talks about homeschooling. Do listen if you are interested in educating your own children inshAllah.

MashAllah she is indeed a very inspiring sister. Alhamdulillah I have managed to buy some of her books. You can find more about her at http://zohrasarwari.com/

I believe that duas are the essence of good paretning. We cannot be good parents without duas. Here below are some great duas you can keep making inshAllah:

Supplication to protect children from Shaytan (dua of Maryam’s (AS) mother):

“Allahumma inni u-idhuha [hu] bika wa dhurriyyataha [hu] mina’sha-shaytani’r-rajiim(i).”

“O Allah, I put her [him], and her [his] progeny under Your protection from Satan, the accursed” - (part of Qur’an Surah 3:36).

Supplication to have children (dua of Zakariyya (AS)):

“Rabbi laa tadharnii fardaw wa Anta Kharu ‘l-waarithin(a).”

“O my Lord! Leave me not without offspring, though You are the best of inheritors” - (part of Qur’an Surah 21:89)

Supplication to have a blessed family:

“Rabbanaa hablanaa min azwaajinaa wa dhurriyyatina qurrata a’yun(iw), wa ‘j’alnaa li’l muttaqiina imaaman.”

“And who say: Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring, the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the Muttaquun (pious).” - (part of Qur’an Surah 25:74)

Welcoming the month of Shaban

Alhamdulillah the month of Shaban is here. This is the 8^th month in the Islamic calendar. It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (Salla’llahu‘alayhi wa sallam), used to fast most of the month in Shaban except the last few days of the month.

These fasts are supererogatory (nafl). Shaban is the month immediately before the month of Ramadan. The Prophet (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) mentioned in a hadith, "Rajab is the month of Allah, Shaban is my month and Ramadan is the month of the Nation".

The blessed companion Usama ibn Zaid (Radya’llahu ‘anhu), reports that he asked Prophet Muhammad (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam): "Messenger of Allah, I have seen you fasting in the month of Shaban so frequently that I have never seen you fasting in any other month." Prophet Muhammad (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), replied: "That (Shaban) is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting."

Ummul Mu'mineen 'Aishah (Radya’llahu ‘anha), says,"Prophet Muhammad (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), used to fast for most of Shaban. I said to him, 'Messenger of Allah, is Shaban your favourite month for fasting?' He said, 'In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting.' "

In another Tradition she says, "Prophet Muhammad, (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), would sometimes begin to fast continuously until we thought he would not stop fasting, and sometimes he used to stop fasting until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), fasting a complete month, except the month of Ramadan, and I have never seen him fasting in a month more frequently than he did in Sha'ban."

In another report she says, "I never saw the Messenger of Allah, (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), fasting in a month so profusely as he did in the month of Sha'ban. He used to fast in that month leaving only a few days, rather, he used to fast almost the whole of the month."

Ummul-Mu'mineen Umm Salamah, (Radya’llahu ‘anha), says: "I have never seen the Messenger of Allah fasting for two months continuously except in the months of Sha'ban and Ramadan."

The blessed companion Anas, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, was asked, "Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasts of Ramadan?" He replied, "Fasts of Shaban in honor of Ramadan."

These reports indicate that fasting in the month of Shaban, though not obligatory but are very desireble and that Prophet Muhammad (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did not like to miss it.

However, according to Mufti Taqi Usmani, it should be kept in mind that the fasts of Sha'ban are for those persons only who are capable of keeping them without causing deficiency in the obligatory fasts of Ramadan. Therefore, if one fears that after fasting in Sha'ban, he will lose strength or freshness for the fasts of Ramadan and will not be able to fast in it with freshness; he should not fast in Sha'ban, because the fasts of Ramadan, being obligatory, are more important than the optional fasts of Sha'ban. That is why Prophet Muhammad, (Salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), himself has forbidden the Muslims from fasting one or two days immediately before the commencement of Ramadan. The blessed Companion Abu Hurairah, (Radi-Allahu anhu), reports Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, to have said, "Do not fast after the first half of the month of Sha'ban is gone."

Here is a short video about preparation during the month of Shaban:

The Month of Sha'ban and Preparing for Ramadan

There is also a great talk done by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan on Ramadan preparation. Please do listen and try to take notes inshAllah.

May Allah Subhana Ta’ala give us all the the tawfique (ability) and tayseer (easiness) to fast in this great month. Do remember to do the dua below very frequently insh-Allah:

When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) sighted the moon of Rajab (two months before Ramadan) he used to pray to Allah in the following words:

اَللّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِى رَجَبَ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنَا رَمَضَان

Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha’ban wa ballighna Ramadan

O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings)

[Narrated by at-Tabarani and Ahmad]

Seeds of change : Be the best of womankind Part 2

“Seeds of change: We need a dawah revolution” by sister Fatima Barkatulla

We as human beings are very special. Allah Subhana ta’ala bestowed us with nafs. Nafs( soul) comes from the word nafees which means precious. Every year hundreds and thousands of babies are killed. Their crime is they are girls. Abortions are done in brutal way to get rid of the babies. After the abortion, the mothers are told that the pregnancy has been removed successfully. These poor souls are not even given any identity. They are just unwanted pregnancies! This is the world without Islam, where one night stand is a norm, people want to enjoy without taking responsibility.

40 million prostitutes around the world, 80,000 prostitutes in the UK. These are all daughters of Adam (AS). They were precious once upon a time. This cruel, materialistic world made their lives miserable. So many women around us are suffering. They are lost. Who will tell them that there is a God who loves them and cares about them? Who will tell them there is a purpose? Who will tell them the truth, my dear sisters?

This world is like a labyrinth. Most of the people are lost and don’t have a clue how to get out. You as a Muslim are given the map. But you are not sharing your map. What does it tell about you?

Shariah came for preservation of human life, dignity, lineage, property, sacredness of human soul. Who will convey this message?

The most important blessing in our life is our faith. We are so blessed to be Muslims, Alhamdulillah. How can we not share this beautiful faith with everyone else? We must start a dawah revolution.

There are so many people in this world; we will love to have our problems. Our problems are noting in comparison with what most of the people have to go through.

So what is dawah revolution? Every single day of our life can be a dawah day. We can make our family a beacon of change in our community. We need to think about dawah potentials. As sisters, we are significant. The most powerful change can come from a mother, who raises her children as future scholars and leaders. We all can be soldiers of Allah Subhana Ta’ala.

Think about what talent you have. Use your tool. Think about what you can offer your Creator.

Sister Fatima’s talk was really amazing, very emotional for me. I make sincere dua that Allah Subhana Ta’ala make me and my precious family do our best to serve Him, ameen! I hope we all can become good dawees InshaAllah.

I have always been a big fan of sis Fatima Barkatullah. You can have a look at her blog: http://muslimmotherhood.blogspot.co.uk/

Just a bit more info about her: “Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Fatima has had a rich Islamic education at an early age thanks to her parents. Fatima began her Arabic and Islamic studies in Egypt at prominent institutes such as Al-Fajr Center, Qortoba Institute and Al Azhar University. Currently Fatima is an instructor and lecturer for iERA.”

The next talk was by brother Hamza Tzortzis titled PhDawah on Campus (4.05 pm)

By 4 I was quite exhausted so the quality of my notes are that good, I’m afraid L Brother Hamza talked about the importance of dawah and how we Muslim women can get involved inshAllah to be good dawees. At the start he talked about knowledge. According to him, there is nothing such as secular knowledge. For us, every knowledge comes from Allah Subhana Ta’ala. Our Rabb taught us bayaan (Surah Ar-Rahman) i.e the words/ languages. Islam teaches us to think, to ponder. There is a grand design. Everything is here for a purpose. MashAllah as sisters we are especially blessed by Allah Subhana ta’ala. Muslim sisters maintain their haya (modesty) through hijab. We muslimahs are free from social pressure. Thus we can have a profound effect inshaAllah. He addressed us all the attendees to feel glad and grateful that we were able to take part at the event. We are here because we wanted to be closer to our Rabb Alhamdulillah. He recommended us to do the Call of duty course to learn about how to give dawah effectively.

A bit more about the dawah course:

As we are an ipod generation, we can do so much dawah through internet and all the technologies available to us, inshAllah. He asked us to study the lives of our great companions of our beloved prophet ( Sallallahu Alaihe wa sallam). Without their efforts and tremendous sacrifice, we wouldn’t have known about Islam. No doubt, Islam is the biggest blessing in our life Alhamdulillah. What are we doing to convey the message? He talked about how powerful and well-organised the Christian missionaries are. Subhanallah we have the truth but where is our dedication, sisters? Just imagine the world where every single Muslim takes dawah seriously!

You can find more about his work at http://www.hamzatzortzis.com/

My vision for your role in Dawah by brother AbdurRaheem Green

Most of the session was geared to fund raising for iERA. MashaAllah lots of generous sisters have donated, Alhamdulillah. May Allah subhana ta’ala put lots of baraka in iERA projects, ameen! He reminded us the importance of giving sadaqa in Islam and inviting people to our faith. Allah subhana ta’ala doesn’t ask us to convert anyone, as the guidance is only from Him. But He told us to convey the message and give them dawah. Dawah needs to become a culture, a habit, an essential part of our being. You, especially as a mother, wife, daughter, sister-in-faith can do this important job. He mentioned that if we give , then charity (sadaqa) becomes a proof that we believe in Allah subhana ta’ala. When we spend in Allah’s way, He gives us more! He subhana ta’ala increases our wealth through charity , subhanallah.

You can give your sadaqa to iERA through their website at http://www.iera.org.uk/

But just helping them financially, should never make us feel like yes we have done our duty of giving dawah. We need to actively engage in propagating the message of Islam among our neighbours, families, relatives and people in general, inshaAllah.

Climbing the corporate ladder to jannah

Sister Rahma Abulatif talked about how the Muslim working women should present themselves at workplaces. She is a policy & performance team leader. She was saying how sometimes we tend to think we need to dress and behave in certain way to fit in office environment. Unfortunately quite a lot of Muslim working women end up compromising their hijab standards. We really need to think how we carry ourselves as Muslims. Do we really need to compromise. If we are very well-organised and professional, that should be enough to get promotions. We need to learn how we can make any conversation a dawah conversation insha-Allah.

Sister Yasmin Mogahed did couple of small talks throughout the day through video link. As I was at the ‘Mother & Baby’ room, I couldn't really hear the videos very clearly. The way they made the video, she looked like a giant! Lol! I always love her beautiful talks and articles.
Do have a look at her website: http://www.yasminmogahed.com/
She also has a FB group: http://www.facebook.com/YasminMogahed
Her YouTube link is http://www.youtube.com/yasminmogahedonline

The last talk of the day was by brother Abu Hafsa AbulMalik Clare. MashAllah an amazing brother, mashAllah. I was just listening to his talk and really didn’t get the chance to take notes. The title of his talk was Womankind: The Ummah’s Engine. He addressed us sisters as “Impact players” mashAllah. During the talk he called his wife and daughter who were abroad. His family said salam to us all through the phone speaker J He is a very funny brother mashAllah. As some of you may know, he is blind. But his disability did not stop him from calling people to their Creator Allah Subhan ta’ala, mashAllah. He talked about the great ladies in Islamic history. Maryam (AS) the ultimate single mum subhanallah! She (AS) has raised an amazing son, one of the prominent prophets mashAllah, Eesa (AS) aka Jesus (AS). She was always there for him.

He talked about Musa (AS)‘s mum and how she made sacrifice for her son, subhanallah. He mentioned Khadija (RAW) ‘the engine of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam)’.

You can find more about him through his mashAllah very active FB page: http://www.facebook.com/AbuHafsahAbdulMalikClare

Abu Hafsa "Abdulmalik Clare" - Blind Hearts

Alhamdulillah I am really grateful to Allah subhana ta’ala for giving me the opportunity to be there for the whole day. At the end of the session, they gave us all a dawah box each. MashAllah it was very kind of them Alhamdulillah.

May Allah Subhana Ta’ala bless every single person who worked so hard to make this event a success, ameen! May Allah Subhana ta’ala give us all the tawfique (ability) and tayseer (easiness) to implement the lessons we have learnt at the event, ameen! Lot of sisters here in the UK and in abroad are not that lucky like us to have this sort of events. And that’s why I really wanted to share my notes feesabilillah. My apology for notes being not that well-written L After all you really cannot expect that much from a very busy mum of three kids all under 4.5 alhamdulillah J Jazakallah kahiarn for reading this post.