Whose Footsteps Are You Following?

One of the most difficult matters for most of us is to praise our peers and colleagues, and find good in them. Shaytan whispers to us to inflate our egos, and to make us feel that *we* are better than others. And so, rather than looking at other people's praiseworthy characteristics, we look at their worst characteristics, and assume that we are better than them. Of course Shaytan would do this, for was he not the one who said, when Allah created Adam, "I am better than him!"?

Yet, look at the prophets of Allah. When Allah appointed Musa to go to the Israelites, and told him that He has preferred him over everyone else, Musa in his modesty and humility felt that his brother Harun (Aaron) was more eloquent than him, and asked Allah to make him a prophet as well, and to send him alongside Musa to the Pharaoh: "And my brother Harun - he is more eloquent than me, so send him as my helper and to confirm my truthfulness" [Qasas: 34]

So examine your own character: do you always see good in others, and assume they have qualities you do not have? If so, you are following in the footsteps of the prophets. Or do you always think you are better than others, and have qualities no one else has. If so, you are following in the footsteps of the enemy of the prophets.

Our Prophet (salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) said, "Whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah, Allah will exalt him." May Allah make us of the humble.

[From: Shaykh Yasir Qadhi's FB Status]

Be Great, Anyway!

When you stand up and reach towards higher goals, those around you want you to sit back down, to lower your standards and to be average just like them. Greatness makes them uncomfortable.

But believers are not meant to be average, they are meant to stand out.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being strange as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.”

Do not fear being a “stranger” in wanting to follow the footsteps of our pious predecessors. They were never average! They were people of action, people of determination, people of lifelong commitment.

From: Brother Muhammad Alshareef's Facebook Status

Ultimate Supplication

As you go for taraweeh, as you listening to the Qur'an being recited, many people are standing there in prayer and they don't know what the Imaam is saying.

There will be days when the Imaam will cry, there will be du'as where everybody is bawling and tearing, and you might be one of the people that's just standing there saying, "Man, I wish I could understand what's being said. Coz then I could cry too".



There was an old man in our community (an old African American man) who once came to me in a hallway (it was in Islamic school back in the day) and he said, "I want you to translate everything that the Imaam was saying in Salaah". So I said to myself, "You want me to translate EVERYTHING that the Imaam says??".

And that brother, he actually had paper and pen with him. He wanted me to translate it right then and there.

So before I was about to tell him that, "You know what. I can't translate this. This is going to take like a couple of days to translate", the man started crying.

And from behind his tears, he said to me that "We're Muslim too. And if we understood the Arabic, we would cry just like you guys cry".

From: Br. Muhammad Alshareef's Taraweeh Truffle, Day 1 Video.

_________________________________________

5 days later:

(Copypasting from Br. Muhammad Alshareef's Facebook status):

Remember the opening Taraweeh Truffle video where I spoke about the older uncle who wanted to know what was said in the Witr in Ramadan that made everyone cry, and he wanted to cry too? Well, our poet brother Ammar AlShukry has put it together, spoken word style. Ma sha Allah.

Enjoy and share:

Sh. Yasir Qadhi's comment: "A beautiful Ramadan du'a, based on a number of authentic supplications from the hadeeth and commonly recited in the du'a al-witrs of these nights, by a dear student of mine, Ammar AlShukry. Enjoy!"

Sh. Waleed Basyouni's comment: "Good job by Ammar with this du'a that has a lot of supplications from the sunnah for English speakers in ‪#‎Ramadan‬."

________________________________

Sebelum mengakhiri, izinkan saya kongsi satu status FB random Sh. Waleed Basyouni:

"Before Maghrib you empathize with the poor

and after Maghrib you empathize with pregnant women.

#Ramadan"

I loled hard. #SoTrue

ORANG YANG MEMERINTAHKAN ANAK-ANAKNYA AGAR MEMBAKARNYA SETELAH DIA MATI

KISAH-KISAH YANG MENUNJUKKAN KEUTAMAAN AMAL:

ORANG YANG MEMERINTAHKAN ANAK-ANAKNYA AGAR MEMBAKARNYA SETELAH DIA MATI

PENGANTAR

Ini adalah kisah seorang laki-laki yang tenggelam di dalam dosa-dosa sepanjang hidupnya. Dia baru tersadar ketika Malaikat maut mengetuk pintunya dan mengajaknya untuk menghadap Tuhannya. Dia sangat ketakutan terhadap siksa Allah. Dia sadar bahwa dia tidak akan selamat dari Tuhannya, pada saat dia berdiri di hadapan-Nya. Dosa-dosanya menumpuk, dan kebaikan-kebaikannya nihil. Dia ingin berlari dari adzab- Nya. Satu-satunya jalan, menurutnya, adalah dengan membakar jasadnya setelah mati lalu abunya ditebar di laut dan di darat. Sebuah ide aneh yang mengisyaratkan dua perkara yang kontradiktif. Ketakutannya yang besar terhadap adzab Allah, ini termasuk ibadah besar. Dan ketidaktahuannya terhadap kodrat Allah, ini termasuk dosa besar. Allah memaklumi kebodohannya dan mengampuninya karena besarnya rasa takut yang dimilikinya.

Dream Interpretation Based on Qur'an and Sunnah

Dream interpretation (pentakwilan mimpi) doesn't have an exact science (and we will never have one, because it is of the matters of ruh; and Allah SWT said regarding the matters of ruh, "They ask you [O Prophet] about ruh; say, 'Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you [O humanity] have been given but little knowledge'" [Quran, 17:85],) however, we do have 17 general guidelines from the Qur'an and Sunnah:

1. There are 3 types of dream that we common people (non-prophets) see, baik Muslim baik non-Muslim:

i. Dreams from Allah SWT - (1) these type of dreams are generally good and positive; (2) they come true; (3) they could be visions of the future (could be of tomorrow, next year, or 10 years down the line); and (4) they never terrify you

ii. Dreams from Shaytan - (1) they terrify you (nightmares); (2) they are never true - so don't act upon them; and (3) we should not tell anybody of the dream

iii. Dreams from our own imagination; (1) the sign of this dream is that it vanishes from our memory after a short while - after a few minutes or hours or days.

Sebagaimana sabda Nabi SAW, "Mimpi itu ada tiga macam: (1) Mimpi yang baik adalah khabar gembira (glad tidings) dari Allah. (2) Mimpi yang menakutkan atau menyedihkan datangnya dari syaitan. (3) Mimpi yang timbul kerana ilusi angan-angan, atau khayal seseorang. Maka kerana itu, jika kamu bermimpi yang tidak kamu senangi, bangunlah, kemudian solat, dan jangan menceritakannya kepada orang lain." [Sahih Muslim, Jilid 4, No.2111]

Atau dalam hadith lain, baginda SAW bersabda, "Mimpi yang baik itu dari Allah, sedang mimpi yang tak tentu itu dari syaitan. Kalau seseorang bermimpi dengan mimpi yang tak tentu, hendaklah ia berlindung (kepada Allah) dari mimpi itu (dengan berta'awudz) dan hendaklah meludah (meniup) ke sebelah kirinya, kerananya mimpi buruk itu tidak akan berbahaya kepadanya." [Sahih Bukhari, Jilid 4, No.1849]

As for the prophets, of course their dreams were all wahyu from Allah SWT.

And yes, even non-Muslims see true dreams. E.g. the dream of the Egyptian King during the time of Nabi Yusuf AS, the dreams of the two prisoners, both found in Surah Yusuf [12:36 & 12:43]; the dream of Atikah, the aunt of the Prophet SAW about the after-effects of the Battle of Badr (Perang Badar); and the dream of the grandfather of the Prophet SAW about the location of the Well of Zamzam; etc. They were all non-Muslims.

That's My Brother!

Copy-pasted from my brother's Facebook (perkongsian Julai lalu):

-Begin Quote-

[TRAGEDI SAHUR]

Pagi tadi saya dan zaujah meng'up'kan selera mengada-ngada untuk bersahur di Encik Kepci di pantai terkemuka Kuantan, Teluk Chempedak.

Seperti biasa sama ada Ramadhan atau tidak, TC dipenuhi golongan pelbagai usia majoritasnya anak muda, malah ramai juga pelajar-pelajar sekolah (without parents)...

Selesai sahur, berdating ambil angin pantai sekitar 5.40 pagi (dah masuk subuh), ternampak sekumpulan anak muda masih sedang 'bersahur' maggi cup & rokok elektronik. Ada lelaki, ada perempuan.

On the way lalu kali ke-2, jam 6 pagi, mereka masih lagi 'bersahur'. Saya dan zaujah dalam senyuman memberitahu, "Dik...Dah subuh dah"
Seorang adik lelaki jawab, "Eh, ye ke kak. Dah ni yang tengah makan ni macamana?"

Kami jawab, "Habiskan yang dalam mulut tu je :D"

"Eh, bbazzir la nanti", jawab adik tu gelak-gelak dan kawan-kawan yang lain hanya senyum.
Kami pun berlalu. Tegur sekadar mungkin mereka tidak perasan waktu subuh sudah masuk. Mungkin tak seorang pun antara mereka memakai jam.

Dan sekiranya mereka tahu sekalipun, mungkin pemahaman & pendidikan mereka tidak sama dengan sebahagian kita yang, alhamdulillah, menerima pendidikan agama yang baik daripada keluarga & guru.

Kami tidak ada rasa jijik & geli dengan golongan adik-adik tadi..kerana yang bermain dalam fikiran hanyalah...

"Adakah dakwah yang kita semua sama-sama sampaikan (semua jemaah, semua golongan) sentiasa canang & uar-uarkan benar-benar tercapai matlamatnya & targetnya."

Jika golongan ibu bapa yang sudah 'besar' dan sudah banyak makan asam garam hanya mendabik dada dengan ego yang tidak berkesudahan, maka sama-samalah kita mulakan dari rebung yang insyaAllah masih ada harapan tinggi untuk dilentur :D

Sentiasa terkesan dengan tagline Tuan Muhammad Rizal M, 'Fasilitator juga dai'e'. Ya, dakwah banyak cara & cabangnya :D

Jom!

-End Quote-

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّما أَنْتَ مُذَكِّرٌ

Maka berilah peringatan, kerana sesungguhnya KAMU HANYALAH orang yang memberi peringatan. [Al-Qur'an, 88:21]



...فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا فَما أَرْسَلْناكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفيظاً إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ الْبَلاغُ
Oleh itu, jika mereka berpaling ingkar, MAKA KAMI TIDAK MENGUTUSMU (wahai Muhammad) SEBAGAI PENGAWAS TERHADAP MEREKA; tugasmu tidak lain hanyalah menyampaikan... [Al-Qur'an, 42:48]



قَدْ جاءَكُمْ بَصائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَ مَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْها وَ ما أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفيظٍ
(Katakanlah wahai Muhammad): Sesungguhnya telah datang kepada kamu keterangan-keterangan (dalil-dalil dan bukti) dari Tuhan kamu; oleh itu sesiapa melihat (kebenaran itu serta menerimanya) maka faedahnya terpulang kepada dirinya sendiri dan sesiapa buta (dan enggan menerimanya) maka bahayanya tertimpalah ke atas dirinya sendiri dan TIADALAH AKU BERKEWAJIPAN MENJAGA DAN MENGAWASI KAMU. [Al-Qur'an, 6:104]



وَ ما أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفيظٍ...
...DAN AKU BUKANLAH ORANG YANG MENJAGA DAN MENGAWAS PERBUATAN KAMU. [Al-Qur'an, 11:86]

P/S: Seperkara lagi. Dalam ayat Al-Qur'an [6:104] di atas, kalian dapat lihat bahawa: yang bertanggungjawab terhadap perbuatan dirinya adalah mereka yang TELAH DATANG KEPADANYA KETERANGAN DARI TUHAN. i.e. bukan golongan jahil.

Jadi tumpukan juga perhatian kepada ayat adik saya: "Mungkin pemahaman & pendidikan mereka tidak sama dengan sebahagian kita yang, alhamdulillah, menerima pendidikan agama yang baik". Jadi janganlah kita terlalu bersikap judgmental terhadap mereka yang jahil.

Bagi pendakwah yang judgmental, ini ayat untuk kalian:

وَ أَطيعُوا اللَّهَ وَ أَطيعُوا الرَّسُولَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَإِنَّما عَلى‏ رَسُولِنَا الْبَلاغُ الْمُبينُ

Dan ta'atlah kepada Allah dan ta'atlah kepada Rasul-Nya, jika kamu berpaling, sesungguhnya kewajiban Rasul Kami hanyalah menyampaikan (amanat Allah) DENGAN TERANG. [Qur’an. 64:12]

Emphasisnya adalah pada frasa "DENGAN TERANG", "AL-MUBEEN". Jadi sebelum kalian memarahi golongan jahil, fikirkanlah terlebih dahulu tanggungjawab kalian menyampaikan amanat Allah DENGAN TERANG.

Atau bak kata adik saya, "Adakah dakwah yang kita semua sama-sama sampaikan (semua jemaah, semua golongan) sentiasa canang & uar-uarkan benar-benar tercapai matlamatnya & targetnya."

10 FOR 20 AT 40 [TEN PIECES OF ADVICE I’D GIVE TO MY TWENTY-YEAR OLD SELF NOW THAT I’M FORTY] - by Sh. Yasir Qadhi

[Copy-pasted from MuslimMatters.org]

Forty is a special age. It's the quintessential age of mid-life. It's older than 'young', but younger than 'old'. It's an age where one has typically finished jumping all the hoops that society and education and starting a family require, and where one now looks forward to thinking about the major accomplishments of life, and the legacy that one wishes to leave.

The Qur'an mentions forty as the age of reaching full maturity: “Until, when (man) reaches his maturity (ashudd), and reaches forty years of age, he says, 'O My Lord! Allow me to thank the blessings that you have bestowed on me, and on my parents, and that I perform good deeds that are pleasing to you, and make my children righteous as well. Truly, I repent unto You, and are of those who submit totally to you” [Ahqāf; 15].

No wonder, then, that our Prophet Muhammad ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) actually began receiving inspiration and preaching his message at the age of forty. For forty years, he was merely being prepared for the real purpose of his mission: the call to Allah.

This is the year that I reach that important milestone of life. I do not know what the future holds for me, although of course I have my visions and plans. But it seems fitting for me to pause and reflect upon the last four decades of my life, and ponder over its ups and downs.

I remember vividly many of my thoughts and emotions when I was twenty. It was exactly twenty years ago that I graduated from the University of Houston, and left for the Islamic University of Madinah, beginning a new phase of my life. I began thinking, “If I could, somehow, give my younger self some advice; if I could address the young man of twenty, now that I am forty, and hope that he would listen to my advice, what would I tell him?”

These are the top ten things that came to mind. I hope those of you who are still in their twenties (and perhaps some of you who are older!) will benefit from it.

1) Don't be so certain about your opinions and views.

Arrogance and cockiness define teenage years, and a young man (or woman) at twenty really is just a teenager, plus one. Views about how to live, about interpretations of religion, about how you would do things differently than everyone else in the world – those views typically stem from a naïve and inexperienced view of the world. You will realize that over-enthusiasm and strongly held opinions are the quintessential signs of being young. Don't judge others who disagree with your views too harshly: you just might find yourself holding those same views a few years or decades down the line!

2) The most important source of practical knowledge is life itself.

Continuing from the last point, realize that the single greatest source of wisdom is learnt by living life itself. No matter how many lectures you attend, or books you read, or how deeply you contemplate or think, nothing substitutes the wisdom gained from simply experiencing the world around you. In order to be a good spouse, you need to learn to navigate the ups and down of a marriage. In order to be a good parent, you need to have your own children and learn to take care of them throughout their stages of childhood. In order to be a good human, you need to experience the good and bad of humanity.

'Facts' from books are great, but they must be shaped and seasoned and tested on the playground of life. Appreciate that you might not be in the best shape to judge everything, especially since you might not have experienced those things before. Through experience, and trial and error, one's methods for dealing with all types of problems are refined.

A corollary of this piece of advice (and if I had more than ten in this list, this would be number eleven) is: Respect and benefit from those older than you. Perhaps you know more than an elder about a certain matter (or, to phrase it more precisely: perhaps you think you know more than them about a certain matter), but no matter how knowledgeable you are about quantum mechanics, or investigating sahih hadiths, or understanding the latest psychological theories from your textbooks, you simply cannot match the wisdom of your grandmother when it comes to navigating the intricacies of human interactions and raw emotions.

Turn Your Problem Into A Blessing!

"If a calamity or affliction ends up causing you to increase your duas, and have a better and more personal relationship with Allah...

Then anything that causes you to have a better relationship with Allah is not a calamity or misfortune, but the best blessing-in-disguise possible.

It's not that we want calamities (for we are supposed to ask Allah for a calamity-free life!) but when a problem does occur, turning to Allah can turn that problem into a blessing".

-Sh. Dr. Yasir Qadhi