So he smiled, amused at her speech…

Assalaamu Alaykum All!

I came across one of my most favorite  stories from the Qur’an today- Sulayman (ah) and the ants- we all know the story, but it is definitely worth retelling.

Sulayman (ah) was blessed by Allah with the ability to converse with all living things and his army was made of men, Jinn, and birds. He (ah) would march with this great army in a display of might and glory, people marching behind, Jinns following, and the birds over their heads. Subhana Allah- can you imagine such an army?

One day they approached a valley of ants and one of the ants said “O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulayman and his armies should crush you, while they perceive not.”[an-Naml:16]

Upon hearing this, he smiled, amused at her speech and said “My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your favors which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants.” [an-Naml:19]

Later in the same surah, Allah reminds us of some of the favors he blessed us with:

“Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full of beauty and delight It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any god with Allah Nay, but they are a people who ascribe equals!

Is not He Who has made the earth as a fixed abode, and has placed rivers in its midst, and has placed firm mountains therein, and has set a barrier between the two seas (of salt and sweet water) Is there any ilah (god) with Allah Nay, but most of them know not!

Is not He Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations Is there any god with Allah Little is that you remember!

Is not He Who guides you in the darkness of the land and the sea, and Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His mercy Is there any god with Allah Exalted be Allah above all that they associate as partners!

Is not He Who originates creation, and shall thereafter repeat it, and Who provides for you from heaven and earth Is there any god with Allah” [surah an-Naml : 60-64]

Can there be another god besides Allah?Why then are we so ungrateful?

Ramadan has come, and sadly it is on its way out… how often have we stopped and smiled, amused at the wonders Allah has created all around us. Allah (swt) has subjected everything around us so that it can help us in our worship of Him, so that we can join something far greater and more worthy than any of us- the ability to join the universe in the worship of Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala… The sun, the moon, the alternation of the night and day, and even the communities amongst such minute creatures as ants, these are all signs and reminders of the Majesty, the Greatness of ar-Rahman.

Take some time during these last ten blessed days and nights and contemplate the reality of your life, how blessed you really are, don’t be one of those people who only call upon Allah when they a)need something or b)have lost something… instead say Shukran Ya Allah and be grateful for the favors which He (swt) has bestowed upon you.

For anyone who is interested, Shaykhul Islam Ibn al-Qayyim discussed the linguistic power of the ant’s speech, here is a breakdown:

“O”   : A call and plea

“ants!”   : Identification and Indication

“Enter”   : Mandating and Commanding

“your dwellings,”   : Stating what to do

“lest Sulayman”   : Specifying and Labeling

“and his hosts”   : Discerning and Proving

“crush you”   : Warning

“while they perceive not”   : Excusing

SubhanAllah! An ant’s sentence contained all of that eloquence and precision. Is it any wonder when Allah (swt) said:

“There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered.” [Al-An'aam 6:38]

May Allah accept all of our efforts, may He shower us with His mercy, enter us into His forgiveness, and release us from the most severe of punishments. Ameen, ya Rabbi al-’Alamin!

Wassalaamu Alaykum

Hina

But it’s my intention that counts…

One of the most known and quoted hadeeth of the Prophet (s) is the hadeeth of Ikhlaas: Innamal a’maalu bin niyaat… “actions are judged by intentions, so each person will have what he has intended..”

Subhana Allah, we Muslims love to throw this hadeeth around when someone is questioning or trying to give us advice… so you might say “Sr, Allah (swt) commands us to wear hijab..” and our beloved sister will say, “but Allah will judge me based on my intentions”

OR, “Sr, Allah (swt) commands us to pray..” and our beloved sister will say, “but it’s my intention that counts..”

OR, “Sr, Allah (swt) commands us to do good, righteous deeds..” and our beloved sister will say, “I have good intentions in my heart..”

You can think of some better examples yourselves, but you get my point.

So what’s the big deal? Well, Allah (swt) says ACTIONS are judged by intentions… sooo…if you aren’t doing anything, what does it matter what your intention is?

If you want to get “full or partial credit”, you can’t submit a blank piece of paper! This is what we are lacking in our deen today, we don’t act, we just say “it’s our intentions that count”… Subhana Allah, we expect Allah (swt) to give us credit for doing NO work!!! We say “I love Allah in my heart” and expect that this will be a sufficient intention for all of the disobedience and transgression we commit against Allah (swt).

If we love Allah (swt) as much as we claim, then we would show it, we would be quick in adhering all of His commandments and staying away from all of His prohibitions. If we really want to apply this hadeeth, then we have to do something and intend that act to be for the sake of Allah – - THIS is the intention for which Allah (swt) will accept those deeds, bi idhnillah!

I am better than Musa (ah)!

ty·rant

- n. a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly

Fir’on (may the curse of Allah be upon him) was the worst of tyrants, his story is well known to Muslims and Non-Muslims alike.   He enslaved and shed the blood of thousands of innocent people; he inflicted pain, humiliation, and suffering for years and years amongst Bani Israel; and worst of all he proclaimed himself to be god- he said “I am your lord, most high” [an-Nazi'aat:24]

Allah (swt) sent Musa and his brother Haroun (ah) to Fir’on after he had transgressed all of these bounds.  Musa (ah) was selected and chosen by Allah; Allah (swt) made him a messenger and favored him with the  Tawrah and  spoke to him with no veil. The status of Musa in the sight of Allah is very high, he is amongst the 5 greatest prophets…

But look at what Allah (swt) says to him: “Go both of you to Fir`awn, Verily, he has transgressed. And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allah).” [Ta-Ha:43-44]

Allah (swt) commanded Musa, who was the friend of Allah, the Messenger of Allah, amongst the best of mankind to go speak to Fir’on, the most insolent, arrogant, worst tyrant of his time, with gentle, soft, easy words- like one would speak to a close friend.

Musa said to Fir’on: Would you like, or will you respond to the path and the way that will purify you and I will guide you to the worship of your Lord so that your heart will become humble, obedient, and submissive to Him after it was hard, evil, and far away from goodness. [Tafsir ibn Kathir: An-Nazi'aat:18-19]

Subhana Allah. He didn’t degrade him -”oh you tyrant”, he didn’t ask him “what’s wrong with you, why are you doing this”, he didn’t curse or threaten him “if you don’t stop…”, and he most certainly did not disrespect him. Instead, he nicely offered to help him- let me help you to find the way to your Lord, a way that will be good for you!

Today we have lost the etiquette of speech and the purpose for which we are created and sent forth – to call people to the Oneness of Allah.  We all know that the best form of da’wah is setting a good example- in the way we look, the way we act, and the way we talk.  So why is it that when we speak to one another, we talk with arrogance, insolence, and disrespect;  we think we are much better than the person next to us.  But really, are we better than Musa and Haroun (ah)? Because they were sent to a tyrant, a man far worse than any of us, and yet still commanded to speak in a humble, polite, soft way…

Next time we feel like rolling our eyes, calling someone annoying, cursing, being judgmental or simply mean to a fellow human, let’s think  “am I better than Musa? Is this person worse than Fir’on? Is what I am about to say going to help the deen of Allah?”

The Prophet (saw) said: “The Muslim does not slander, curse, speak obscenely, or rudely” [Sunan at-Tirmidhi] Let’s be Muslims.

Apples for the king

Once there was a king who told 3 of his servants “I want you to go into the forest and bring me some apples.”

The first man said to himself “ah, this is a king, he doesn’t need my apples, he just wants to test me to see if I will follow his orders.” So, he decided to pick up one apple and put it in his bag and go home.

The second man said “ah, this is a king, I just need to fill this bag to follow his order.” So, he randomly picked apples- ripe, unripe, rotten, good, bad, anything just to fill the bag and go home.

The third and last man said “ah, this is a king, he must be used to good apples.” So, he searched for only good apples and filled his bag with them and then went home.

When the three men returned, they were brought before the king. The king then told them “I am sentencing all three of you to 3 months in prison and the only food you will have is whatever is in your bag.”

The king had tested the servants to bring him apples, but the apples were not for him at all. The first man will surely starve to death because he chose to bring only 1 apple. The second man will also be very close to death, for he will eventually run out of edible apples because he chose to pick any apple- rotten or good. And the last man of course will comfortably survive because he took the time to pick and bring only good apples.

Allah (swt) is the King of kings, He is Al-Malik, and we are His servants. Allah has commanded us to worship Him and do righteous deeds in this life; but like the king in the story, our obedience (or disobedience) to Him is only for us and of no consequence to Allah in the slightest… Allah (swt) says:

“Oh my servants, if the first and the last of you, the Men of you and the Jinn of you were to be the most pious (heart of) one man then that would not increase My kingdom in anything. Oh my servants, if the first of you and the last of you, the men of you and the jinn of you were to be the worst (heart of) a man amongst you that would not decrease anything from My kingdom. Oh my servants, it is your actions that I account you for then I will show it to you so whoever finds good then let him praise Allah and whoever finds other than that then let him blame no one but himself.” [Saheeh Muslim 4/1994 related by Abi Dar].

Allah (swt) is Al-Ghaniyy, the Rich (free of all needs), neither does He need our obedience nor does our disobedience take away from His Kingdom… He created us to worship Him so that He can reward the ones that fulfill this commandment with an akhirah (hereafter) full of bliss.

So what will it be – return to Allah with a bag of good apples and be  rewarded with an eternity in Jannah… or return to Allah with a bag of bad or no apples and…

Allah says “And each person will be paid in full of what he did; and He is Best Aware of what they do.” [Az-Zumur:70]

Assalaamu ‘Alaykum

After giving my husband a hard time about “blogging”, I woke up this morning and decided it was time I gave in and started a blog of my own…

“Like unto well guarded pearls” is ayah 23  from Surah al-Waqi’ah describing the Hour-ul-’ayn in Jannah..Allah (swt) also uses the term “well guarded” to describe the servants of the believers in Jannah.

Pearls are graceful, clean, pure, and well hidden inside of the oyster shell. Just like pearls, knowledge is something that should humble, cleanse, and purify a believer from within.

My goal, bi idhnillah, with this blog is to provide tidbits or gems of knowledge that rightfully should be preserved in every believer’s heart.  I hope that this will be as beneficial for you as I know it will be for me, Insha’Allah.