Download audio version of lecture here.

The Question:

People (non-Muslims) usually ask why Islam has gender-specific roles (Hijab, inheritance, etc.). How are we to respond to people claming that Islam is sexist?

Traditional Answers: (i.e. the ones that don’t work)

Inheritance, Polygamy (man has more financial obligations, etc.)

Example from the past

This isn’t the first time that Muslims have had to deal with other styles of living that try to impose their ways and beliefs onto Muslims and disprove Islam.

When Muslims first encountered Greek philosophy, the philosophy was seen, at the time, as superior to religious philosophy. Quickly, when Muslims encountered this, there were three groups that arose out of this interaction:

1. “Islamic Philosophers”
   1. They took the Greek philosophy and changed the words (no Islam).
      1. They believed in no Akhirah, Allah not as creator
      2. they re-interpreted each Qur’anic Ayah to work to fit their beliefs.
      3. claimed that Prophets only spoke of Akhirah to get people to be pious.
2. “Mu’tazilites” – selectively took the best (they thought) of the Qur’an and the philosophies. They’re known as the “free thinkers of Islam”.
   1. They forced their version of Islam onto people.
   2. They died out (don’t exist today).
   3. They said Allah has no attributes because:
      1. that means Allah and His mercy are eternal – i.e. 2 Gods
      2. Allah, His mercy, and His grace are eternal – i.e. 3 Gods
      3. So therefore, they saw each attribute as a god itself. (So they believed Allah didn’t have these attributes).
   4. No Qadr (not everything is pre-destined)
3. “Muslims”, as in they stubbornly refused Greek philosophy
   1. They said that Allah sent the Qur’an and Sunnah, He didn’t say any guidance will come from other sources.
   2. Islam is already complete (no need for philosophy).
   3. When you have something divine and perfect, don’t mess with it.

Why is this relevant?

“The stakes have changed, but the game is the same.” (YQ)

“The tokens have been modified, but the board is exactly the same.” (YQ)

The times may have changed, but Muslims having to defend our beliefs against opposing societies, which feel their views are superior, is nothing new.

Why are people now interested in women’s roles?

People are now interested in the role of women due to events outside of Islam. Different cultures have changed certain aspects of gender roles. In recent times, Western women have been asking for more and more rights (rights that Muslim women already have). They want to “reach men” and go beyond. When they finally went beyond in their rights, it gave them the luxury to look down at the Muslim women (who’ve had rights for centuries).

Why are the regular answers wrong?

When someone asks why Muslim women wear the Hijab, often the answer might deal with them being judged on their “inner beauty”, and it’s supposed to cover their beauty so they can save it for their husbands (and family). It’s to eliminate the attraction from other men to that sister. However, what if a man tells you that he likes the Hijab? What if he said he finds it even more attractive?

There’s a problem here.

We only say these types of answers to appease another group. When we’re playing their game, we’ll never win.

The traditional answers we use are wrong because:

• 1. We answer questions on women, hijab, etc. and other minor issues, but we DON’T teach real (fundamental) Islam (i.e. Tawheed, the oneness of God, La ilaha ilallah)
• 2. Other people have invented this “oppression of women”, and this whole game. If we are fighting with their tools, we’ll definitely lose.

Differences between the West & Islam

(For the sake of these notes, the ‘West’ is just a general term to represent modern societies).

Morality

Islam says: there is one standard for what is right, and one standard for what is wrong (since Prophet Muhammad).

West says: what’s right and wrong fluctuates. (examples: premarital relations, before was detested, now accepted; homosexuality, before was rejected, now is more common)

Authority

Islam says: The only one that can tell me what to do is Allah!

West says: No one tells me what to do. (entered hedonism (self-pleasure) and humanism (philosophy focusing on the self))

Worthiness

Islam says: Taqwa and piety is what measures how much I’m worth

West says: my education level, degree, economic status, ability to get a job, etc. is what defines me.

Equality (this is a big one, we’ll put West first)

West says: A man and a woman are equal if they have the same job, earn the same money, have same rights, etc.

Islam says: A man and a woman are equal in terms of their Taqwa and spirituality.

______________________________________________________________________________

Let’s discuss equality further.

Islam says this:

• Men and women were created each to play different roles
  • Allah gave a role to men that they are more capable of doing
  • Allah gave a role to women that they are more capable of doing
• Men and women are different.
  • You can’t compare apples to oranges. Yes, they’re both fruit, but they’re still different.
  • in the Olympics, men and women don’t compete with each other.
  • at the beach, men and women cover differently.
• Because they are different, there can’t be equality in their roles.
  • A man can’t be a mother. He can’t provide that emotional love and nurturing that a woman can.

Another reason traditional answers don’t work

There will always be an inferiority complex between the Muslims and the West if we continue this method. We’ll feel that we have to prove ourselves to fit their criteria, despite the fact that we have the best way of living ever to have been conceived by mankind. This inferiority complex leads to things like a woman leading the Jumu’ah prayer (which actually happened). Because it shows that Muslims are conforming to their standards, the West loves that type of thing. We’ve “proven ourselves” to what they want. When we do this, we will end up changing our views and corrupting the message of Allah.

True Equality

True equality is this:

If I do a good deed, and you do that same good deed, then we will both receive the same reward!

We are judged and seen by Allah based on our knowledge and actions, NOT our gender (nor our race, color, or nationality for that matter).

So, what’s the correct way to answer misconceptions?

• Our job as Muslims is to convey Islam.
• Be proud and firm in Islam. Invite the people to the fundamental beliefs of Islam.
• Think about how the conversation might go:

Questioner: Why do your women have to wear that veil thing?

Muslim: Because Allah has told us that they must do so. If you believed that there was One who created you, talked to you (through the Qur’an), sent Prophets down to guide you, and has unmatched mercy over you, would you question Him?

Questioner: Uhhh…probably not. But why do you believe in Allah?

Muslim: *goes on to explain the concept of Tawheed and other Aqeedah*

In this scenario, the Muslim has taken the questioner out of his playground (his possible assumptions about the Hijab being oppressive), and brought him into the Muslim’s (dealing with really important issues). He’s playing by the Muslim’s rules now.

We CANNOT underestimate the power of La ilaha illallah! (There is no deity worthy of worship other than Allah!). How can someone argue with that?

When we allow them to enter our playground, we eliminate their offensive, and now they’re on defense.

Yasir Qadhi speaks in this lecture about his old college roommate, who’d questioned him regarding Hijab. Shaykh Yasir says how he spent the entire school term telling him the rationale behind Hijab, and how it really makes sense, and by the end of that term, the roommate finally understood it. One day, he said that it really does make sense. Shaykh Yasir reflects on the fact that he could’ve been stressing the message of Tawheed to his roommate, and he might’ve converted to Islam, rather than just know a minor concept in Islam.

Final Story from the Past

Salman al-Farsi was once approached by a Jew. The Jew questioned him harshly, “Has your prophet taught you every nitty-gritty aspect of life, even how to wash yourself after you defaecate? (Though, he used a much more vulgar Arabic word than just ‘defaecate’.) Modern Translation: Islam dictates everything to you, even how to clean your privates?

Salman al-Farsi confidently said strongly, “Na’am! (Yes!)”, and a continued paraphrased version is “You have a problem with it?”. It was as if he was saying, “You can’t even wash yourself cleanly, and you’re making fun of me?” His attitude was complete confidence in Islam and its every aspect. He wasn’t embarrassed, rather he was proud of the matter in Islam.

Call to Islam

(don’t call to Hijab, or to the “benefits of polygamy” or other minimal issues).

Islam lies in the complete submission to the will and order of Allah.

Contents: Track 01 | Track 02 | Track 03 | Track 04 | Track 05 | Track 06 | Track 07 | Track 08

Track 01

• Allah has told us in the Qur’an, “إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ”: “Surely, Allah will not change the state, or the condition, of a people unless and until they change that which is in themselves” (Surah Ra’d, Ayah 11). Therefore, unless the Muslims change their way according to what Allah likes, Allah will not relieve them of the trials and troubles that they are going through.

• The best place for us to begin to think of changing ourselves and in our lives is to get to know Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). As we get to know Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), we can determine our relationship with Him. Is it positive, or is it negative? Is it a relationship of devotion or one of “take it, or leave it”? Is the relationship one of commitment, or is it one of those things that “when I feel good, I’m in with Allah, and when I don’t feel good, I’m in on my own”?

• If we know Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), we will begin to respond in a different way in terms of our relationship with Him. Of course, if our relationship with Allah is strong and one of commitment, devotion, and zero tolerance when it comes to making excuses or justifying the way that we are living right now, then our situation will change very quickly by Allah’s will.

• There is no place to know Allah better than through His Names and Attributes. Allah tells us in the Qur’an, “وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا”: “Allah has many beautiful names, so call upon Him by using these names”. All of you know the famous Hadith of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) wherein he said, “Surely Allah has ninety-nine names: one hundred minus one. Whoever counts them shall enter Paradise.” Counting here, as you know, doesn’t mean to enumerate them and to just say 1,2,3,4, all the way up to 99. Rather, counting in this case means to know those names and meanings, to memorize them, and to practice them in our lives.

Track 02

• As we begin to practice the names of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) in our lives, we will become more and more beloved to Allah and we will begin to see the mercy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) evermore. There are many names of Allah; much more than 99. There are so many names that we don’t even know how many and only Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) knows how many names He has. There’s more than 99, and that’s for sure.

• In our relationship with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), let us just take one name of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and see how it influences our life, or how it should influence our lives and what type of impact it should have in our lives.

• Ar-Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says in a Hadith, “Allah is very Modest, Shy, and is one who loves to cover and conceal. He is One that loves this quality of concealment and of modesty, of shyness.” Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), as Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) told us in another Hadith, “Allah is very Shy, and is Shy in relationship to His Servant. When he or she extends his/her hands in Du’a, Allah is Shy to return them without an answer or giving them nothing back in return. Of course, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is Shy to refuse to answer your Du’a. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is very Modest when it comes to sinning; when human beings sin, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) does not like that, and therefore, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) provides a lot of opportunity for us to seek forgiveness from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). It’s part of the Love of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) for us.

• For us as Muslims, we have to emulate Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) so if Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is Shy and Modest, so we ourselves as believers, those who have submitted themselves to Allah, must also be shy. Our Hayaa’, our shyness, is, of course, different from Allah’s Shyness because we are humans while Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is our creator and as Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says, “لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيُْ”: “There is nothing like Allah (Surah Shura, Ayah 11)). However, when we’re shy as Muslims are supposed to be, emulating and following the lead Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), it means for us to be shy to refuse to do the work of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). If Allah has asked us to do something, we must go ahead and do it, and we must feel shy if we refuse to do it. We must feel that something is wrong and a sense of shame. We should feel shy to refuse Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), to do what we’re supposed to do.

Track 03

• If Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has told us not to do a particular thing, we should stay away from that particular thing, and if we begin to approach that thing, we should shy away from that particular sin. This is the idea of us having Hayaa’ as believers.

• Hayaa’ is so important for us, as Muslims, that it means the very life our faith. As a matter of fact, many scholars in the past used to say very clearly, “If a person does not have Hayaa’, they’re not alive”. If a person does not have shyness or this sense of shame of recoiling and shrinking from anything that is bad and displeasing to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), that that person is not alive; they are essentially dead and their hearts are dead. If a person is alive, they have a sense of Hayaa’. That means that it bothers them to know to no end if they do something that looks strange and weird in front of people (something bad, that is, not something good), and they know that people are not going to be happy about it.

• So if they curse, and they know that cursing is not right, and they still go ahead and curse: if they Hayaa’, first of all, they won’t do it. And if they happen to slip, then they’re going to hit themselves constantly. They’re going to be so ashamed and it’s going to bother them to such a degree that they’re going to be thinking about it over and over, telling themselves that “I shouldn’t have done it”. You see, they have that Nafsal Lawwamah. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) tells us in the Qur’an as He swears, “وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ”: “And nay, but I swear with the self-reproaching soul.” This is the state of the soul that all of us can have, in which our soul gets upset, irritated, and bothered when we do something wrong. It’ll constantly keep on telling us, “I shouldn’t have done it. That was wrong. I shouldn’t have done it.”

• That feeling only comes when you have Hayaa’. When you have Hayaa’, your soul begins to eat at you. You curse someone and you know you weren’t supposed to, then you keep on telling yourself, “I knew I shouldn’t have done it.” If you backbite, again knowing that you shouldn’t have done it (if your heart is alive, that is), if you go on the Internet and you know that you’re not supposed to be going on certain websites or that you know that you shouldn’t be putting your profile on MySpace.com: if your heart is alive, and have Hayaa’, you’re going to eat away at yourself. Your heart is going to bother you. Your soul is going to bother you. The Nafsul Lawwamah is going to keep on hitting you that, “I shouldn’t have done it. That was wrong. I should have Hayaa’ and I should be shy before Allah because Allah is watching me. Allah is noticing every little thing that I’m doing, so I should be watching every little thing I’m doing. I cannot escape Allah. I’m under Allah’s watch: ‘إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا”: “Surely Allah is Ever-Watchful and is very Vigilant” (Surah Nisa, Ayah 1). He can see anything that you are doing and everything that you are doing at any moment in time. “اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ”: “Allah, the One that nobody deserves to be worshipped but Him, and the One that is Ever-Alive” (Surah Aali Imran, Ayah 1). He doesn’t ever go to sleep, so no matter when you are doing something, Allah knows. The believer is shy and does not want to disappoint Allah. He knows that Allah is watching, so he/she has a shame of doing the wrong thing.

Track 04

• For those that are going to put their hand in the donation box to steal some money: if they have Hayaa’ and their heart is still alive, then they’re not going to be able to put their hands in there and steal some money.. If they have Hayaa’, they will not call up another brother/sister, and talk to that brother/sister, because they know they’re not supposed to since they don’t have a Wali’. If that brother or sister is not married, they know they will not meet in the back of the building, in the parking lot, or in the park, all alone without a Mahram or Wali’, that is if they have Hayaa’. If they don’t have Hayaa’, forget about Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), and their hearts are dead, they will go ahead and have a girlfriend/boyfriend and even if the girl has Hijab, they’ll keep on talking to each other without a Wali’..

• Hayaa’ is what separates us from animals. You see, animals go ahead and do stuff; they don’t have a sense of shame, of what’s right and what’s wrong. They just do whatever they want to do and follow their desires and their lusts. But we are humans, and as humans, we have Hayaa’. We’re supposed to, at least.

• Hayaa’ is one thing that you learn in an Islamic environment, in an Islamic school. You don’t learn that if the school is not Islamic. And by the way, Hayaa’ is what many refer to today in the West as your moral conscience. What they’re really talking about is Hayaa’. You can’t have a moral conscience, you can’t have Hayaa’, unless you know where it’s coming from and how to do it. You can only do it if you know the names of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

• There’s a certain way we’re supposed to behave with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), and a certain way that we’re supposed to be shy before Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). One time, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) came to the Sahabah and he’s telling them, “Have the Hayaa’ from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) in the proper manner that you’re supposed to have Hayaa’.” So the Sahabah said to Rasulullah, “Oh Messenger of Allah, we are shy in front of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), and Alhamdulillah, all praise be to Allah, that He gave us that quality to be shy in front of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).” Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) tells them, “That’s not what I mean. That’s not what is meant by having the true Hayaa’ from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). The right way to be modest from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is…” and Rasulullah mentions four things:

1. To be mindful of what is in your head, and what you understand. In other words, all the thoughts in your head should be thoughts that are pleasing to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). There should not be any thoughts like, “Well, let me choose another way outside of the Qur’an and Sunnah”. Your head should not have anything such as, “Well, this person is this and that person is that” and to have bad thoughts about another person, or to try to hurt someone, or to try to think negatively, or to always be pessimistic. Your mind should not have those types of thoughts in them. Your mind should not be, “Nobody’s watching, so let me go onto MySpace.com. Nobody is watching, so let me take a dollar out of the donation box. I might as well go to a website that I’m not supposed to if my parents were watching. Nobody’s listening in, so let me turn on the music and let me listen to my favorite group”. Your head should not have those thoughts.

Track 05

2. Your stomach and the other parts of your body, like your hands, your legs, your hearts your eyes, and so on: also watch what they do. In other words, they should Hayaa’ and not to do anything that’s displeasing to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

3. You should remember death.

4. You should also remember the trials that will come after death.

• That is having Hayaa’, the real Hayaa’: Watch what your mind has in it, watch your heart and the rest of the body has and is doing, think about death, and what will come after it. He (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says after this, “Whoever wants to make it successfully to the Hereafter, should leave pleasures of this world, the glitter and glamour of this world. Whoever does this, they are the ones who have the real Hayaa’ from Allah. They are the ones that are really shy in their relationship with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

• Hayaa’ is a quality that we must have in our lives. These days, you tell many people not to go on MySpace.com, don’t listen to music, not to talk to this certain person because they don’t have a Wali’ there. I don’t care if it’s on a bench in the parking lot, or wherever, you’re not supposed to talk to another brother/sister: that is the rule of Islam. But if you go ahead and do it anyway, that means you do not have Hayaa’. If a brother goes ahead and looks at a sister, knowing that he’s not supposed to look at a sister unless it’s for marriage and there’s a Wali’, that means that person does not have Hayaa’. Each of us knows that we’re not supposed to curse, use bad words, or any foul language, but when we get upset, we still use it and justify it by saying, “Well I had to get it off my chest” or “You know, I had to give him a piece of my mind.” Well, you just missed out on your Hayaa’.

• A lot of us ask the question, “Is it Haraam to watch television? Is the internet Haraam?” But the question is, “What are you doing with that television or what are you doing on that Internet?” If you’re doing Haraam stuff, then yes, it is Haraam. If you’re watching television that will take your Hayaa’ away, then it’s Haraam. If you’re on the Internet and doing stuff that will weaken your Hayaa’, then it’s Haraam. If you’re on the television to watch a show, or on the Internet, to increase your Iman and Hayaa, then it’s ok. But most of us know that we don’t go on the internet or watch TV to increase our Hayaa’. Most of the programs that are there destroy our Hayaa’. That why you have brothers and sisters who seem to be practicing, but they have boyfriends and girlfriends, or they’re listening to music or rap artists that have nothing to do with Islam, or sisters who are wearing the Niqaab and they’re sitting with brothers, talking to them while they know they are not supposed to. Why? Because the Hayaa’ is missing. Because they forgot that Allah is watching.

Track 06

• Brothers and sisters, if we want to change our situation, we got to know Allah. We took just one name of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and you can see its tremendous impact on our lives, if we reflect on it on our lives. So critical is this Hayaa’, this sense of shyness, that if we see that a sister sees that a brother wants to talk to her and they’re not married or related by blood, then they shouldn’t be talking to each other and if the sister lets herself get into that situation, that means she’s not being shy of Allah and is not maintaining her shyness. If the brother, doing the same thing and talking to a sister that he shouldn’t be talking to, whether on the phone, Internet, back parking lot, restaurant, or wherever, that means that brother does not have Hayaa’ and is not being shy of Allah.

• A lot of us are careful on how we appear in front of others. You know that we spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, making sure everything is in place; we wear clean clothes, and we’re very careful on the way that we talk in front of other human beings. We’re shy in front of other human beings and we don’t want anybody to know our faults and don’t want to be exposed. How about Allah? What happened to Allah? “َمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ”: “They didn’t care or value Allah the way that they were supposed to” (Surah An’aam, Ayah 91).

• Hayaa’ is so critical that it goes hand in hand with our Iman. Ar-Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says in a Hadith, “Iman and Hayaa’ go hand in hand; they go together”. In other words, if you don’t have Iman, you don/’t have Hayaa’. If you don’t have Hayaa’, then you don’t have Iman. That’s how closely linked they are. “If one of them is taken away, then the other is taken away”. So if you lose your Iman, you’re going to lose your Hayaa’. If you lose your Hayaa’, you’re going to lose your Iman. That’s how important this is. It’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s not something like, “Oh, it’s recommended, it’s something Mustahab and we’ll do it if we can and if we can’t, we can’t”. No; if you want our situation and condition to change as an Ummah, we have got to go back to Allah, and we have to follow Allah the way that he wants us to be. That’s when our situation will change, if Allah wills it to be.

• This is why Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says, “Hayaa’ comes from Iman”. It’s part of Iman. So if you see someone who does not have Hayaa’, that means that their Iman is deficient. I don’t care how much you know about the Aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah; if you’re not practicing and you don’t have Hayaa’, then your Iman is deficient. A lot of people say that we have to have the right Aqeedah – okay fine, you have to have the right Aqeedah. But part of that Aqeedah is to believe in the Names and Attributes of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala); Tawheed Al-Asmaa’ was Sifaat. So if you believe in the Names of Attributes of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), one of his Names is Al-Hayyiy: The One who is greatly Modest and Shy. Therefore, that’s what we have to practice in our lives. So if you lie to someone, that means that you’re not being shy of Allah and could care less if Allah is watching or not. If you cheat another brother and you’re selling him a car, knowing that it has problems, you’re not being shy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). You could care less if Allah is watching or not. If your parents ask you not to do something, and when they’re gone or they’re not watching, and you go ahead and do it, then you don’t care about what Allah thinks and you’re not being shy of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). You don’t have Hayaa’, and if you don’t have Hayaa’, then you don’t have Iman.

• I’m sure that many of you know the famous Hadith wherin Ar-Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) defines Iman and says that, “Iman has seventy-some or sixty-some branches. The most prestigious of all those branches is the statement of La Ilaha IllAllah, and the slightest and least of it is to remove something harmful from peoples’ paths and the road”.

Track 07

• He comes at the end of the Hadith and what does he say? “…and Hayaa’ is a branch of Iman.” Why did he mention Hayaa’ all by itself? Out of the seventy-some branches of Iman, he mentions this particular one at the end. It’s because Hayaa’ is the basis for all of those other things. If you have Hayaa’, all those seventy other things are going to fall into place because you want to serve Allah as if you see Him. So if you are aware of Allah, you want to make sure that everything is right because Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is watching and it’s all for him. This is why we say Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahman, In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, because everything we do and say is for Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) (or it’s supposed to be anyway). That’s why we say, “إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ”: “You are the only One we worship” (Surah Al-Fatiha, Ayah 4); we don’t worship ourselves. We don’t worship our desires: we worship you, Oh Allah. So Hayaa’ is the basis for all of the things that we do in Islam. This is why that’s it’s so critical because it has a relationship to whether we’re going it make it to Paradise or not.

• Ar-Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says, “Hayaa’ is part of Iman, and Iman will land you in Paradise. Lewdness, or indecency (doing shameless things), comes from the hardness of the heart (Al-Jafaa’)”. When your heart becomes hard, you become shameless and you begin to do stuff that is very shameful, and you could care less if other people are watching or not or if Allah is watching or not. You could care less about yourself and how you look in front of other people. That’s a person without Hayaa’, with a heart that’s become very hard, and very lewd. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) continues the Hadith, “Lewdness is from Al-Jafaa’ (hardness of the heart), and Al-Jafaa’ will land you in the Hell-Fire”.

• In another Hadith, Ar-Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says, “Hayaa’ will bring nothing but good in your life.” In another Hadith, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says, “Whenever lewdness is in anything, it disgraces and blemishes it. It makes it look bad. And whenever anything has Hayaa’, it beautifies, embellishes, and adorns it. It makes it look nice.” So if you have Hayaa’ in all of your affairs, you’re going to look good not only in front of Allah, but in front of other people too.

• As a matter of fact, believe it or not, this is the hallmark quality of the believer. As Muslims, one of our hallmark qualities is that we have Hayaa’. Ar-Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says, “Every way of life, every religion, has a special characteristic. And the special characteristic, the special quality, and the hallmark quality of the believer in Islam, is Hayaa’.” Hayaa’. Hayaa’.

Track 08

• Many of us today, when we tell each other, “Sister, you’re not supposed to be talking to that brother because there was no Wali’” or “Brother, you’re not supposed to be looking at that sister walking across the parking lot because you’re supposed to keep your gaze away” or “Sister, you’re not supposed to put your profile on MySpace.com without Hijaab so everybody else, Muslim or Non-Muslim, can look at your profile”, and they still come back and goes ahead and does it anyway, that means that they don’t have Hayaa’, don’t care, and will sin openly. You know what the danger of that is? If you’re told what is the right thing and you still do the wrong thing, and you could care less: you’re told not to curse, but you do it anyways. You’re told not to backbite, but you do it anyways. You’re told not to have a boyfriend/girlfriend, but you still have it and you think that your parents are not watching but Allah is watching and the angels are recording and your body will bear witness against you on the Day of Judgment: you’re told all of that but you still don’t care? That means…that you don’t have any Hayaa’. The danger of that is that Allah may never forgive you and may not accept your Tawbah. This is for those who commit their sins openly and don’t care even if you tell them and just tell you, “Leave me alone and let me lead my own life”. If that’s your attitude and you could care less if Allah is watching or not, then your repentance may not be accepted.

• Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam), “My entire nation is apt to be forgiven, except those people who are Mujaa7ideen, those people who commit sins openly. And included in those people who commit sins openly despite the fact they’re told not to, are those people such as a man, who will do something at night and then Allah concealed their sin, but they will get up in the morning and they tell someone, ‘You know, last night, I did such-and-such and such-and-such’. Allah had already concealed their sin, but they get up in the morning and they expose themselves to the people”. These are the people that know they are not supposed to do certain things, but in the morning, they brag about the fact that, “You know, I talked to this sister or I talked to that brother. You know, I smoked last night and my parents didn’t know. You know, last night I went on such-and-such website, and you should go on it also. You know, we were totally shot last night. You know, I missed my Fajr”. There are people that brag like that. “…Those are the people that Allah will not forgive.”

• How can you increase your Hayaa’? Very simple: just remember ABC:

1. Be aware of Allah’s presence at all times. Know that He watches every little thing that you do and say, so be aware.

2. Think about the blessings that Allah has blessed you with. Respond to Allah with these blessings in a way that He will be happy with you, and don’t use them in a way that will make Him displeased with you.

• • You see, Allah has blessed you with eyes so you don’t want to use your eyes to look at the opposite gender or to look on the Internet at things that you’re not supposed to.
  • Allah has blessed you with hands, so you don’t want to use them to hit someone, to steal something, or to punch a code online to go on a certain website.
  • Allah has blessed you with feet, so you don’t want to go to the mall or to the store when you know you’re supposed to be at the Masjid. You think that your parents are not watching and you may tell others that you’re just going to the store, but you know that you’re going there to meet some guys. You know that you’re going there to check out the opposite gender.
  • Who are you fooling? No one but yourself.

3. Good company: Be around those people who practice Hayaa’ and are ashamed to do those things that Allah would be unhappy with. In a Hadith of Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam), “Each person is affected by the way of the people that they keep company with. So each one of you should choose your friend carefully.

The Nation of Islam, Then and Now

As the night and speech was coming to a close, Imam Siraj shed more light on the Nation of Islam, then and now.

After the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, his son Wallace Muhammad was appointed as leader.

Wallace introduced the Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam, and the first thing he taught was that W.D. Fard was not God, and that his father Elijah Muhammad was not a messenger of Allah, and that Prophet Muhammad, sal’Allahu alahi wa salam, is the Last Messenger of Allah. Wallace brought so many people out of absolute shirk and pointed them in the direction of Allah. Wallace did that as a Sunni Muslim, and while wearing a Nation of Islam Fruit of Islam uniform.

After the death of Elijah Muhammad, from 1975 to 1977, Minister Louis Farrakhan, in fact, taught orthodox Islam. In 1977, Farrakhan again started the movement of the Nation of Islam.

During 1975, Shaykh Jafar Idris came and taught twenty-five ministers of the Nation of Islam, Imam Siraj Wahaj being one of them.

When Shaykh Jafar recited the Qur’an, that was the first time in his life that Imam Siraj had heard it. Imam Siraj even has it is on tape. In the background you can hear his voice saying, “That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard in my life, I’ve got to learn THAT!“

Shaykh Jafar also taught them to fast in Ramadan, and not during the month of December as the Nation of Islam did. He then took thousands of his followers to Mecca to make pilgrimage.

Imam Siraj said that up to that point during his time in the Nation of Islam, from 1969 to 1975, he had also never made salaat once. He had prayed, but not as the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam had prayed. And it was Imam Muhammad who taught them.

The Breakdown

Imam Siraj was actually invited to speak at the Million Man March in 1995. And even though other imams had disagreed with him and criticized him, since he had the opportunity to do dawah, Imam Siraj still refused to attend, for Allah, because he did not want to make it legitimate.

Last year, Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam had their annual Savior’s Day convention in Detroit.

For that event, Minister Farrakhan and his top staff from the Nation of Islam called Imam Siraj to come to Detriot and lead thousands of their followers in salaatul Jumuah.

Imam Siraj invited imams he respected to take shura with them, and they talked about changes that needed to be made in the Nation. They witnessed that changes were occurring, and that things were getting closer to orthodox Islam. So they made the decision that he should go and give khutbah there.

Imam Siraj said that you can be of opinion that he should not have gone there, that’s ok.  He thought about it a lot himself and waited. In this case, he decided to go, for Allah, and he thought that he could somehow help to bring them closer.

After the khutbah, many of the leaders of the Nation of Islam came to Imam Siraj and asked him to teach in their cities. In fact and already, one of the biggest ministers of the Nation of Islam has already taken his shahada and is in the Nation teaching right now. Other ministers in the Nation are also ready for Islam.

Imam Siraj said that Imam Muhammad, son of Elijah Muhammad, was the one who first brought them to Islam in massive numbers, and pointed him in the direction of the Qur’an and Sunnah. And because of that, Imam Siraj believes that some of the credit of the work he does will also be given to Imam Muhammad on the Day of Judgment.

Final Words and Advice

In closing, Imam Siraj asked Allah to bless Imam Muhammad, to continue to help him grow and help his community, and asked Allah to guide minister Farakhan to Islam.

He recalled the dua of the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam, for Allah to strengthen Islam with Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham or Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be please with him. Umar accepted Islam, and the rest is history.

He finished by saying one of the biggest lessons we learn in the Qur’an and Sunnah is that it is not how you begin the race that counts – everyone is born Muslim – but your deeds shall be judged by your last deeds.

Imam Siraj said he will continue to work with all the Muslim groups he can, and try to bring them closer to Islam, and that in that attempt he takes the position of Shafi, may Allah have mercy on him:

I believe that I’m right, with the possibility that I might be wrong. And I believe that you’re wrong, with the possibility that you might be right.

“May Allah bless you brothers and sisters, and keep on learning and keep on growing, and keep having patience with one another… Asalamu alaykum wa rahmatallah”, Imam Siraj ended.

– Special thanks to the author for allowing us to post this from the Nurayn site, and to Nihal Khan for taking these pictures for us.

Sunday night of IlmFest began with a video of Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef giving a special keynote address about Leaving a Legacy, in which he spoke about performing deeds that give on-going returns. Of them are knowledge that continues to benefit, a continuous charity which people take from, and a pious child who prays for the parents.

He ended by saying that when he was being interviewed for Madinah University and was asked who it was who had inspired him, he mentioned Imam Siraj Wahaj. Muhammad AlShareef finished by thanking Imam Siraj for being such an influence in his life, and praying that Imam Siraj gets the reward for the work AlMaghrib has done.

Next, Shaykhs Yasir Qadhi and Muhammad Ibn Faqih went up stage with Imam Siraj, and both felt it incumbent to take time before Imam Siraj’s speech to say a few words to thank him, appreciate him, and show their love and respect for the great things he has done for the Muslim American community and the American community at large, and for the positive effect he has had on so many people.

Shaykh Yasir mentioned how one day we will tell our grandchildren about how we were actually there to hear Imam Siraj speak, and that when it comes to Imam Siraj, we are reminded of the following portion of a hadith from Rasool’Allah, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam,

If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Gabriel (alay salam) and says: I love so-and-so, therefore love him. He (the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam) said: So Jibreel loves him. Then he (Jibreel) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves so-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth…. [Muslim]

It’s very difficult and perhaps impossible to describe the feeling in the audience that night. Love, care and respect oozed throughout the audience and permeated the air. And what followed was a heartfelt, emotional and remarkable speech.

Imam Siraj Bringing Down the House on Ilm Fest ‘08

Imam Siraj finally took to the podium.

He began by praising Allah and sending salams on the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam.

His shock was noted in his expression and demeanor. He explained how he had not expected such a reception, and then, the mood changed.

As he continued he sniffled, and the eyes became red and wet. The tears then rolled down his cheeks as he stood under the bright lights in front of hundreds and hundreds of people who love him so much. He couldn’t even speak a word, and the room was at a still.

In the audience that night, how many eyes welled up or shed tears, or how many hearts were captured with love and emotion, or how many heads hanged low, only Allah knows. How could they look up, as their teacher, Imam Siraj Wahaj, stood before them shedding his tears in silence.

Finally able to speak, Imam Siraj thanked Allah for allowing him to try his best to serve Him, and said that he appreciated that there are those who have recognized what was being attempted to be done.

Tears still in his eyes, Imam Siraj mentioned how 1978 he was blessed to study at Umm Al-Qura, not for 10 years – but for 4 months – and that he was blessed to have learned from true scholars.

Imam Siraj mentioned that one of his favorite teachers was Shaykh Husayn Hamid from Egypt, who began every class in the same way: [2:32]. He then added, “We ask Allah to accept our “Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.” very humble effort.”

He mentioned how he did not want to come to a conference, a meeting, or a gathering, and meet for one minute or an hour or a day without taking something of benefit home.

He mentioned how some of the George Mason students he saw on Thursday said they were coming to Ilm Fest, and the next day at University of Boston, some of the Muslims there said they were coming. And as he went around the country, various students – especially students – said they were coming to the conference.

He related how the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam sought refuge in Allah from knowledge that does not benefit, and how Mu’awiyyah had said that there is no real wisdom without experience.

A Travel through the Life of Imam Siraj

Having fully gathered himself, Imam Siraj took the audience through the story of his life. A history – as he described it- that you know, and some of it you don’t know, a history that was very intimate.

He took the audience through the days of his life as a basketball player at New York University. A basketball player would talk to him about the Nation of Islam on the bus. Things led up to his acceptance of what he thought was Islam, in 1969.

Believe it or not, Imam Siraj was in fact a very shy person.

In high school, whenever he was called to come up and read in front of the class, he would sit in the back and hide under the desk. And when he began selling the Nation of Islam’s newspaper, “Muhammad Speaks”, which Malcolm X himself started, Imam Siraj would walk up to people fired up inside, yet scared to death, and would ask, “Excuse me sir, you don’t want one of these, do you?” They said “No”, and he would say, “Ok.”

Fast forward to the 1990s, and Imam Siraj Wahaj is the first Muslim ever to open up a US congressional session with supplication. Then to India, were Imam Siraj gives a talk with John Esposito to a crowd of around three hundred thousand. Till this day, Imam Siraj has spoken around the globe.

Imam Siraj drew from his life experiences. He advised Muslims to stop talking about one another, and rather start talking to one another. He said that we seem to be good at the former, and make a lot of assumptions, while we learn from the Qur’an and hadith and the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam, to be very careful to give our brothers and sisters the benefit of the doubt.

One of the most difficult things, he said, is when someone gives so many speeches and everyone listens to everything they say, and some people listen not to get information, or naseeha, or inspiration, but to try to find something wrong.

Yet when a man came to Rasool’Allah, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam, about some offense he committed, the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi was salam, replied: maybe you just kissed. Maybe some Muslims today would ask: who, and where, and how many times? The point being that he, sal’Allah alayhi wa salam, did not dig in or try to find people’s faults.

Malcolm X: Courage and Conviction, may Allah have mercy on him

As Imam Siraj traversed through his life and things related to the Nation of Islam, he touched upon the life of Malcolm X.

Malcolm X, Imam Siraj said, knew he was going to die.

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X parked his car not right in front of the Audubon Ballroom, but ten blocks away. A follower of his saw Malcolm walking, and picked Malcolm up in his car and they drove to the ballroom.

When they were in the back of the Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm said, “I feel something’s going to happen. I shouldn’t go out there.” But, Malcolm went out.

Benjamin Kareem, who Imam Siraj said he used to visit personally in Richmond, Virginia, to learn about history from someone who knows, was the person who would open for Malcolm X.

“Imam Siraj, Malcolm X saved my life”, Benjamin said. How, Imam Siraj asked?

“Usually, when I open up for Malcolm I sit right there next to him. And that day I opened up for Malcolm, and Malcolm said, ‘Benjamin, don’t sit there.”

Benjamin was sent back, and at that moment the guns fired and Malcolm was murdered, may Allah have mercy on him.

What you don’t know, Imam Siraj explained, is that two days before that, a professor at the University of Brown invited Malcolm on Tuesday to come and give a lecture to his students. Malcolm said “I’ll be dead by Tuesday.” The professor said, “Malcolm, don’t mess around.” Malcolm said, “I won’t be alive.” “Come on, Malcolm.” Malcolm said, “Ok, I’ll be there – if I’m still alive.” Malcolm knew.

Imam Siraj said that “Malcolm had courage. So even courage is not the absence of fear, courage is to move ahead despite your fear.”

“I know sometimes, young students, you have fear. As a student in college, maybe the only one in your college, only one in your highschool, I know you have fear. But despite that fear, move foward.

“I know some of the sisters, they have fear about wearing the khimar, because nobody else in the area, in the school, on the block, in the neighborhood, wear khimar, so there’s a little bit fear. So some sisters - despite the fear – they put on the khimar, and they move ahead, because they have courage.”

• Ins: Ins is the opposite of Jinn
• Aanasa Shay’a means he saw it
• In surah Qasas, Musa tells his family, Inni aanastu Naara – meaning I have seen a fire

Facts about Jinn

• Jinn were created before the Ins – human beings.
• Allah says: We created man from clay, mud molded into stages. And the Jinn race we have created before.
• Jinn are from every religion. Just like Humans.
• The existence of Jinn is proven by the Quran, Sunnah, and Ijmaa’ of the scholars and Muslim Ummah.
• Jinn are more afraid of us than we are of them.
• They are just like Human beings. They have their own lives, they get married, and produce children.
• They eat and drink just like us.
• They like the color black.
• They like houses that have pictures of people or sculptures

Jinn can dwell in human bodies.

• A Woman came to the Prophet with her baby and said that the baby was possessed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in the baby’s ear: Come out oh enemy of Allah! For I am the Prophet of Allah!

Dwellings of Jinn:

1. Ruins
2. Filthy places
3. Toilets
4. Garbage Dumps
5. Deserted Places
6. Oceans
7. Deserts

The pious Muslim Jinn like to dwell in the houses of Muslim human beings and in the Masaajid.

We can never see Jinn in their regular form. We can only see them if they take the form of something else like (but not limited to):

• Humans
• Cats
• Dogs
• Scorpions
• Snakes

Types/Jobs/Roles of some Shayateen/Jinn:

• Khanzab/Khazrab: whispers to you during Salah
• The one that causes divorces
• The one who triggers fights in markets
• The one who beautifies lies to people
• The one who whispers at times of calamities
• The one who makes people fall into adultury

Black Magic:

• Black Magic is a contract between a witch-crafter and a Jinni
• The punishment for a magician in this life is death

Signs of Black Magic:

• Husband and wife suddenly hate each other – for no apparent reason
• The person’s spouse smells bad to them
• Sudden hatred or irritation – for no apparent reason

Signs of Possession

• Person likes to stay alone
• Person gets mad and upset for no reason
• Frequent nightmares
• Person dreams that he/she is falling off a cliff

Reasons for epilepsy (times/reasons when a Jinni can posses a person):

• Jinn falls in love with a human
• A human oppresses a Jinni – with or without knowing it
• Under extreme anger (of the person)
• Under extreme fear
• Whilst indulging in prohibited acts

Signs of Epilepsy:

• Lack of sleep
• Occurring nightmares
• Excess awakening at night
• Seeing animals in Dreams
• Excess sleepwalking
• Falling off cliff in dream
• Screaming while asleep
• Seeing oneself in graveyard

How to test for witchcraft:

• Take your right palm and read Surah Ibrahim verses 42-52, then Surah Mu’minoon verses 97-118, the Surah Alfalaq and Surah An-Naas. Then place your palm on your forehead. If you see complete darkness, or you feel dizziness or other similar signs this could mean that there is some kind of magic going on.

Continued from Part 1.

Ta’if (continued) was the third and the hardest of the three afflictions that he had faced. Aisha’ (radhi Allahu anha) once asked him if there was a worse day the Prophet more than Uhud (when the Prophet himself had gotten wounded, had a spear stuck in his cheek, had blood streaming from his face, and many of his beloved including Hamza had passed away) and the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) responded, “Yes, the day of Ta’if”. With his own testimony, he said that the day of Ta’if was the most traumatic and difficult day for him. Ta’if was ruled at that time by three brothers, who have agreed ever since their father’s death that they wouldn’t bicker and that they would rather rule the city together.

When the Prophet came to them, they rejected the religion in the utmost contempt and sarcasm. One of them said, “Has Allah not found anyone more worthy than you to be a Prophet?” A’udhobillah. Another one said, “I am never going to speak to you”. Why? H said, “Because if you’re a liar, then you are too ignoble for me to speak to. If you’re a true Prophet, then you’re too noble for me to speak to.” In other words, he was being very sarcastic and contemptuous. Not only did they reject him, but they sent their slaves and the riff-raffs of the city to physically pelt him with stones, to physically hurt and torture him. Because of all of this, the incident of Ta’if was the single most traumatic time in the whole entire life of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam).

So, in the context of Surah Yusuf, we find a number of things.

1. First and foremost, the fact that the Prophet had been calling in preaching and doesn’t find a positive response in his people and is physically and mentally tortured and ridiculed can also be found in Surah Yusuf, when Yusuf (alayhis salaam) is tempted, tortured, and rejected by his own brothers and people, and accused of crimes that he did not commit. All of these are recurrent themes in the theme and Tafseer of Surah Yusuf.
2. We notice the loss of loved ones. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam)’s uncle and wife had died, and we notice in the Tafseer of Surah Yusuf that Yusuf (alayhis salaam), even though he didn’t die, but he was separated away from his father and was not able to enjoy the love and comfort that he would have otherwise enjoyed. There is the traumatic scenario when the families are split apart.
3. There is also the rejection theme when the Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) was rejected and in the same way, verily the blood brothers of Yusuf had rejected him and had persecuted and even tried to kill him. If the Prophet suffered in Ta’if, surely Yusuf also suffered greatly in his life.

Therefore, we now understand the context behind the Surah. Now, this is just the general context. However, there are specific incidents that occurred in the Seerah that precipitated certain Ayaat from Surah Yusuf. This is what we call “Asbaab An-Nuzool”.

There are two very specific incidents that occurred that Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) had revealed verses from Surah Yusuf. The first of these are that the people of Makkah went to some Jews in Madinah (as there were none in Makkah and the Prophet never contacted any of them while living in Makkah). The Makkans considered the Jews to be learned people and considered them to be superior in terms of civilization as they had a Book and could read and write. Therefore, they used to go to the Jews countless times and asked them how they can discredit the Prophet. One of the questions that the Jews told the Makkans was to ask him about Yusuf (alayhis salaam). If he is a Prophet, he will respond and if he is not a Prophet, then he will not respond.

The second cause of revelation was because the Companions asked the Prophet, “Oh Rasulullah, why don’t you tell us stories from the Prophets of Allah in the past?” because they wanted to know their trials and tribulations. That is why Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) said about Yusuf’s story,

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ

“We relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories” (Surah Yusuf, Ayah 3).

It is human nature that we want to listen to stories; just look at children and how they love bedtime stories. It inspires them, gives them morals, and a world that existed before. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not as the children’s imagination begins to work and it begins to think of other cultures and civilizations. Even as an adult, there is an element that all of us love to hear, and that is why we love to hear stories. That is why the Qur’an has stories, and each of them are true stories that have benefits in them. That is why Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) revealed not just a story, but the best of stories.

~Tafseer Begins~

We began with A’udhobillah because it is commanded for us to say this before any time we begin to recite the Qur’an. Allah says in the Qur’an, “فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ”. So when you recite the Qur’an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy] (16:98). This means that “I turn to Allah for refuge. I turn to Him to seek help and protection. Allah is the one that is my Protector. Allah is the one whom is my Refuge and my source of all serenity and peace. I turn to Allah in refuge from the Shaytaan and that is the name, title, and description that is given to Iblis. Shaytaan means the one who has gone beyond the bounds and out and above what he should be doing. This is Shaytaan; he has transgressed the bounds. Ar-Rajeem means the accursed. He is somebody who is cursed and has been deprived of Allah’s Mercy. Before we begin understanding and reciting the Qur’an, we must seek refuge in Allah from the Shaytaan so that our minds do not get clouded and we can concentrate.

We must also say, “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem”, and this is true whenever the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) used to begin a Surah, except for Surah Tawbah. Bismillahir Rahmani Rahmeen basically means that you are beginning this recitation by mentioning Allah, the Most Merciful, the Extra-Beneficent. The point of beginning with this has many benefits.

• It reminds you of why you are doing this deed. I begin this for the sake of Allah. We should say Bismillah before doing any good deed.
• We seek Allah’s help. After I have sought refuge from the Shaytaan (protection), you want even more and you want help, which is a level higher.

Ar-Rahman means the Most Merciful and Ar-Raheem means the Most Merciful in His Actions. If you begin from the beginning of a Surah, you must say Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem but if you are starting from the middle, then you don’t have to, but it is permissible.

The first letters of the Surah are Alif, Laam, Raa. We know that many Surahs begin with letters (Qaaf, Alif Laam, Meem, etc.) What are the meanings of these letters? There are many interpretations of this, but the meaning that seems to have the most strength (and indeed, Allah Knows Best) is that Allah has used these letters as a means of indicating that the Qur’an is composed of the same letters that you have, it is used with the same words that you use, but it is not the same Speech of men. It is the Speech of Allah. If you take the letters together, it makes 14 letters. There are 28 letters of the Alphabet, so it is as if Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is saying here is half of the letters; let Us see if you can make anything similar to the Qur’an out of the other half.

Allah says, “ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ” – One phenomenon that we notice is that almost every single time that Allah begins a Surah with letters, the very next Ayah talks about the Qur’an itself. Perhaps the reason is that these letters indicate the powerful nature of the Qur’an and the miraculous aspect of the Qur’an. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says that these are the verses of the Clear Book. So Allah mentions that this Qur’an is composed of Ayahs, and in other parts, it mentions that the Qur’an is composed of Surahs, which shows that Allah Himself has differentiated from Surahs and Ayahs. Allah Himself mentions that a Surah is a Chapter in the Qur’an and that Ayahs are verses within the Chapters in the Qur’an. In Surah Noor, Allah mentions ‘Surah’, while here in Surah Yusuf for example, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) mentions letters.

To be continued…

The Qur’an is composed of 114 Surahs. Surah Yusuf is among these 114 Surahs. However, it is unique in a number of ways:

• The whole Surah was revealed entirely in one go, which is unlike other Surahs such as Surah Baqarah which was revealed over a period of two-three years.

• The theme of Surah Yusuf is a constant theme; it is the story of Surah Yusuf. If you look at other Surahs, you will see that there are a number of themes, all of which complement each other. As for Surah Yusuf itself, we see that apart from perhaps a few introductory verses and the ending of the Surah, the whole Surah is pretty much about nothing but the story of Surah Yusuf. Hence, we find that this Surah is a complete and holistic Surah of the Qur’an.

• It came at a very crucial time for the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam). The Surah was revealed at the end of the Makkan period. The life of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) can be divided into two simple perfect parts; simply the Makkan and the Madani period. The Makkan era lasted for about 13 years (ended with the Hijrah), while the Madani lasted for 10 years. The Makkan era witnessed the revelation of the Quran in a certain style, in a certain manner, in a certain eloquence which was unlike the Madani style. There is a different wording and rhetoric that were employed. They were both eloquent, but each one had a different purpose in mind. In Makkah, we notice that the Qur’an concentrated on the fundamentals of law and doesn’t deal with law (inheritance, marriage, divorce, etc.). These came in Madinah once the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) established himself in Madinah and had a state and society to run.

The Makkan period was mainly about the fundamentals of our religion and it shows the importance of our theology, which in Arabic, is called Aqeedah. It is the science which is the basis for all of the other sciences and it is the foundation of our religion. It makes a Muslim increase in his or her love of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). Hence, the first foundation that we lay is the foundation of theology. We find that Surah Yusuf doesn’t stray from this as it follows the Prophets, the methodology of the Prophets, and the trials and tribulations of the Prophets. Hence, it has a very pertinent theme in regards to the Makkan era. It came, as we said, towards the end of the Makkan era. We do not know exactly when it came down, but we have a rough idea that it came down in the last two years of the Makkan stage. This is very pertinent because when we understand the context when the Surah was revealed, we gain more appreciation for the Surah and this in Arabic is called “Asbaab An-Nuzool” or the reasons and causes why a Surah was revealed. This is very important because when you understand the context, you understand the meaning of the verse. When you understand the situation in which the verse was revealed, you will understand the meaning of the verse in a more profound manner.

So in Surah Yusuf, the context can be summarized in one sentence; it was a very depressing situation for the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam). If we were to put a low on all of the 23 years of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) and all the stresses and tribulations that he faced, it would have been at the stage right before the revelation of Surah Yusuf (around the 9^th or 10^th year of the Hijrah). Why was this time the most stressful? It was due to a few factors.

Among them, the Prophet had been preaching for about a decade now in Makkah, and instead of finding his community accepting his message, he finds that most of them, especially the elite and the rich are opposing him. He finds his own close relatives, especially the Quraysh, not only didn’t accept it, but they opposed him. They persecuted him, they tortured him, they killed many of his followers, and they did not even allow him to get public access to the pilgrims. They taunted him, they ridiculed him, and they did many things to try lowering his morale. So we don’t see for some time the fruits of the efforts of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam). He is feeling a type of despair; why are my people not accepting me?

He also felt a sense of despair over a number of incidents that had occurred and especially demoralized a lot of the early Muslims and that especially caused the Prophet much grief.

• One of these incidents was the death of Abu Talib. Abu Talib was the one who took care of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) after his mother and grandfather, and loved him more than any of his sons. Abu Talib was actually a full brother of the Prophet’s father, Abdullah, unlike other half-brothers such as Abu Lahab. When the Prophet began preaching, the Quraysh applied pressure on Abu Talib because he was the senior of the Prophet’s family and he was the leader of Banu Hashim, which the Prophet belonged to. He was of paramount importance of the Prophet because if he withheld his protection, the Prophet would find much more opposition. He had at first caved in to the Quraysh’s requests to talk to his nephew and that is when the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) made his emotional appeal to Abu Talib that, “Oh my uncle, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left (meaning if they were to give me control over the objects upon the whole world depends on by the mercy of Allah), even then I wouldn’t stop conveying the teachings of Allah until I die or Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) rules something else.

When Abu Talib saw his determination, he agreed that he would never go between the Prophet and his teachings, and gave his full support to propagate, but never became Muslim because of his pride that he was the son of Abdul-Muttalib and said that he could never give up the religion of my father. He preferred tribalism over the religion of Islam, but he was the physical support of the Prophet Muhammad and was a political supporter as opposed to a religious supporter. Nobody could harm the Prophet without incurring the wrath of Abu Talib and behind that, the whole tribe of Banu Hashim. This is a lot like getting a passport in modern times; if somebody revokes our passport, then we have no one to go back to for support. Abu Talib passed away at the 10^th year of the Hijrah, and this caused a lot of problems for the Prophet and he had to flee for his life as a result. His death was a personal loss for the Prophet as he was his uncle, but it was also a political loss.

• The second incident was even more personal, as it was the loss of his wife, Khadijah (radhi Allahu anha). She gave up everything she had for the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam). While he was married to her for 25 years, he took no other wife and she was his personal comforter in the same way Abu Talib was his political comforter. Khadijah was not only the comfort of a wife, but she was his financial supporter. Even after her death, if the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) ever received a gift, he would send it to the sister of Khadijah, the cousins of Khadijah, and even the neighbors of Khadijah. Aisha’ (radhi Allahu anha) said that even though I had never met Khadijah, but I have never been as jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as I was as jealous of Khadijah because of her status in the heart of the Prophet. She passed away six weeks right after the death of Abu Talib…

• His third loss was perhaps the most profound, and that was the rejection that he had faced in At-Taif. He had employed every type of tactic in Makkah, but they ridiculed him so much so that he decided to go to Makkah’s nearest city, Ta’if (a very old city on the top of a mountain). Sadly, they also rejected him very brutally there…

It goes without saying that no success comes without planning. The month of Ramadan is upon us and it is the month that the believer must exert his/her utmost to win the ultimate prize of being selected by Allah to be amongst the inhabitants of Jannah. This is an opportunity that might never come again in our lives, so let’s commit to Allah that we will be amongst those who race towards Him, with all the energy that we have. To plan appropriately for this blessed month, I composed a quick list of important things that all of us should strive to do for the entire month of Ramadan insha’Allah:

1. Intention… intention… intention:

Set your intention to worship Allah as best as you can this month. Be specific. Set your goals high. If you make the intention to read the Quran twice, but you couldn’t because of something outside of your control, then insha’Allah you will get the reward of reading it twice. What can beat that?

2. Salah:

• Pray All 5 prayers on time

• Brothers should strive to make all of their Fajr, Isha and Taraweeh prayers in congregation. Try your best to pray in the first row.

• Sisters should strive to attend Taraweeh prayers if they can.

• Pray all Sunnah prayers: 2 before Fajr prayer, 4 before Duhr and 2 after (or vice versa), 2 after Maghrib, and 2 after Isha.

3. Quran:

• Read the Quran at least once this month. Read a 30th of the Quran everyday if able to recite fluently, and 30th of the translation if not conversant in Arabic.

• Set a time each day for reading Quran (e.g. after Fajr, early afternoon, before Iftaar, etc.)

4. Make more dhikr (remembrance of Allah):

• Make dikhr after each obligatory prayer. After each prayer, say: “subhanallah (how perfect and exalted Allah is)” 33 times, “Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah)” 33 times, and “Allahu Akbar (Allah is greater)” 33 times. End this by saying: “There’s no God but Allah, the one without partners, to Him belongs the kingdom and praise, and He’s most capable over everything”. It is narrated that the prophet, peace be upon him, said that the sins of whoever says the above after each prayer will be forgiven even if his/her sins were like the size of the foam of the ocean.

• Make Istighfar ‘(seeking forgiveness from Allah) at least 100 times each day, by repeating the words of: “Astaghfirullah” (I see forgiveness from Allah), as the prophet, peace be upon him, did.

5. Give charity / feed people:

• Be generous to the extent of your resources, as the reward will be more during this month, even if it’s a dime each day of Ramadan. If you can’t, give away some clothes you don’t wear. Just give something for the sake of Allah.

• If you can, sponsor an iftar or invite people to eat iftar with you. The Prophet Muhammad (S) said , ” He who feeds a fasting person will gain the same reward as he will. Without decreasing from the fasting person’s rewards.”

6. Keep good relations with people:

• Do not argue, dispute, or abuse anyone around you.

• Watch your mouth and control it

• Do not backbite, gossip, or curse (one curse word can ruin your fast)

• Be easy, gentle, forgiving, and keep good manners with everyone around you.

• Seek forgiveness from everyone who may have beef with you.

• Pay extra attention to caring about your parents and demonstrate to them, by action and words, that you love them.

7. Make as much dua’ah as possible:

• Make wish list of all things you want to ask Allah for. Make dua’ah to Allah for those things everyday.

• Don’t forget to make dua’ah right before Iftaar. Allah does not turn down the dua’ah of the fasting person when he/she breaks their fast. Also make lots of dua’ah in the last 1/3 of the night.

• Make dua’ah for all Muslims around the world.

8. Make dawah:

• Teach someone something this month about Allah and Islam.

• Push those around you (gently of course) to do their utmost and remind each other about Allah.

• Help everyone who asks for help from you. Relief those who need relief, and make people around you feel good.

• If you go to the masjid, don’t forget about those around you. Make sure you take someone with you. It is narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that if Allah were to guide someone through you, it is better for you than everything that the sun has set rays upon.

9) Study hard:

• If you are a student, don’t use Ramadan an excuse to neglect your school work. Success in school is an obligation upon you and Allah will reward you immensely for each hard moment you spend to study for His sake. So try your absolute best and rely upon Allah.

10) Do not eat big meals; eat moderately even if invited to a feast.

11) Monitor your time constantly and leave off hanging around your buddies. Read the Quran as much as you can instead.

1. Knowledge
2. Understanding cause and effect
3. Tawheed
4. Dependence on Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)
5. Positive thoughts about Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)
6. Total submission
7. Putting all of our affairs in Allah’s hands
8. To be content with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)’s decree

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1. Knowledge

• We have to know who Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is if we want to put our trust in Him.
• We have to know or recognize Him as our Lord and know His names and attributes.
• We have to maintain the oneness of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) in our lives. The scholars first classified this Tawheed in two, and then later, three categories:

1. Tawheed in Allah’s Lordship – Ar-Rububiyah: Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is the only One who created us and He plans, provides, maintains and sustains the entire creation.

2. Tawheed in Allah’s names and attributes – Asmaa was Sifaat: Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is One in his names and attributes and there is nothing like Him.  For example, Allah has hands, but they are nothing like our hands.  Some of His names include al-Wakeel (the Disposer of affairs, the One who is relied upon); Al-Qadir (the All-Powerful, the Able); and Al-Qayuum (the Sustainer).

3. Tawheed in our servitude to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) – Al-Uloohiyyah: Once we recognize who Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is, then our objective should be to worship and serve Him alone.

People who don’t believe in Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) as their Lord, or who don’t believe in all of His names and attributes cannot do Tawakkul because they do not know who Allah is.  The scholars say that ‘whoever wants to embark in the world of Tawakkul, the first step is to know Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

The bottom line: get to know Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

2. Understanding that there is cause and effect that Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala has put in the universe.

• There are certain means that you have to take to achieve certain outcomes.  For example, to pass an exam you need to learn and study.  However, it is Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) who causes you to pass or not.
• Hadith: One day Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then said, “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah” (Tirmidhi).
• You have to do your best in terms of taking the appropriate means, and then leave the results up to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).  For example, take medicine when you are sick, but know that it is Allah who allows that medicine to cure you or not.
• In the Quran, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) commands us to take certain actions in order to achieve particular results:

وَقَالَ رَبُّڪُمُ ٱدۡعُونِىٓ أَسۡتَجِبۡ لَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ عَنۡ عِبَادَتِى

سَيَدۡخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ (٦٠)

And your Lord hath said: Pray unto Me and I will answer your prayer. Lo! those who scorn My service, they will enter hell, disgraced. (40:60)

We have to take the action of making dua with the proper etiquettes in order to for Allah respond.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ ذَلُولاً۬ فَٱمۡشُواْ فِى مَنَاكِبِہَا وَكُلُواْ مِن رِّزۡقِهِۦ‌ۖ وَإِلَيۡهِ ٱلنُّشُورُ (١٥)

He it is Who hath made the earth subservient unto you, so Walk in the paths thereof and eat of His providence. And unto Him will be the resurrection (of the dead). (67:15)

• We have to take action in seeking sustenance; it’s not just going to pop out of the ground.

يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوۡمِ ٱلۡجُمُعَةِ فَٱسۡعَوۡاْ إِلَىٰ ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُواْ ٱلۡبَيۡعَ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكُمۡ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (٩)

O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know. (62:9)

۞ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعۡلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدۡنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَىِ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَنِصۡفَهُ ۥ وَثُلُثَهُ ۥ وَطَآٮِٕفَةٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَعَكَ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ ٱلَّيۡلَ وَٱلنَّہَارَ‌ۚ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحۡصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ‌ۖ فَٱقۡرَءُواْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ‌ۚ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرۡضَىٰ‌ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضۡرِبُونَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ يَبۡتَغُونَ مِن فَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۙ وَءَاخَرُونَ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۖ فَٱقۡرَءُواْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنۡهُ‌ۚ وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَقۡرِضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنً۬ا‌ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُواْ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنۡ خَيۡرٍ۬ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ خَيۡرً۬ا وَأَعۡظَمَ أَجۡرً۬ا‌ۚ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ۬ رَّحِيمُۢ (٢٠)

Lo! thy Lord knoweth how thou keepest vigil sometimes nearly two-thirds of the night, or (sometimes) half or a third thereof, as do a party of those with thee. Allah measureth the night and the day. He knoweth that ye count it not, and turneth unto you in mercy. Recite, then, of the Qur’an that which is easy for you. He knoweth that there are sick folk among you, while others travel in the land in search of Allah’s bounty, and others (still) are fighting for the cause of Allah. So recite of it that which is easy (for you), and establish worship and pay the poor-due, and (so) lend unto Allah a goodly loan. Whatsoever good ye send before you for your souls, ye will surely find it with Allah, better and greater in the recompense. And seek forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (73:20)

لَيۡسَ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبۡتَغُواْ فَضۡلاً۬ مِّن رَّبِّڪُمۡ‌ۚ فَإِذَآ أَفَضۡتُم مِّنۡ عَرَفَـٰتٍ۬ فَٱذۡڪُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلۡمَشۡعَرِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ‌ۖ وَٱذۡڪُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَٮٰڪُمۡ وَإِن ڪُنتُم مِّن قَبۡلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ (١٩٨)

It is no sin for you that ye seek the bounty of your Lord (by trading). But, when ye press on in the multitude from ‘Arafat, remember Allah by the sacred monument. Remember Him as He hath guided you, although before ye were of those astray. (2:198)

• Hadith: “No one has ever eaten any food that is better than eating what his hands have earned. And indeed the Prophet of Allah, Dawud, would eat from the earnings of his hands.” (Bukhari).
• Don’t just sit around doing nothing and say, “Allah will provide.”  Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) will provide as long as you do your work.
• The Sahabah used to work very hard, they did their own work in the fields and in business radiAllahu anhum.  For example, we know that Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu gave all of his wealth for the sake of Allah several times, how do you think he got his wealth each time after giving it up – he worked hard to earn it each time!
• Taking the appropriate means doesn’t negate your Tawakkul.

3. Tawheed

• Your heart is to be firmly grounded in Tawheed.
• No matter what you do, it is sincerely for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).
• Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is most important in your life.

إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوبُہُمۡ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتۡ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتُهُ ۥ زَادَتۡہُمۡ إِيمَـٰنً۬ا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ (٢)

For, believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord. (8:2)

The believers feel a tremor because of fear for whether or not they are sincere in their actions.

قُلۡ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحۡيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (١٦٢)

Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: (6:162)

• Everything is dedicated only to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).
• The higher the degree of purity of sincerity, the more enriching the Tawakkul will be and your heart will not be affected by whether or not you have the means.

4. Depend on Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) for the results

فَإِن تَوَلَّوۡاْ فَقُلۡ حَسۡبِىَ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ‌ۖ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَڪَّلۡتُ‌ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ (١٢٩)

But if they turn away, Say : “Allah sufficeth me: There is not god but He: On Him is my trust – He the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme! (129)

كَذَٲلِكَ أَرۡسَلۡنَـٰكَ فِىٓ أُمَّةٍ۬ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِهَآ أُمَمٌ۬ لِّتَتۡلُوَاْ عَلَيۡہِمُ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ وَهُمۡ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ‌ۚ قُلۡ هُوَ رَبِّى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَڪَّلۡتُ وَإِلَيۡهِ مَتَابِ (٣٠)

Thus have We sent thee amongst a People before whom (long since) have (other) Peoples (gone and) passed away; in order that thou mightest rehearse unto them what We send down unto thee by inspiration; yet do they reject (Him), the Most Gracious! Say: “He is my Lord! There is no god but He! On Him is my trust and to Him do I turn!” (30)

• One of the signs of this dependence is that if the means are available or not, it is OK and your heart does not depend on the means.  So, you don’t get frustrated nor do you give up; rather, you keep pressing forwards depending totally on Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala for the results.

5. Have positive and good thoughts about Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)

• Hadith Qudsi: On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam said: Allah the Almighty said:“I am as My servant expects Me to be. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length; and if he draws near to me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.”
• Hadith: The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wassalam) said: “None of you should die unless you have a good opinion about Allah (the most high)” (Imam Ahmad).

• Know that whatever Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has ordained for you is the best thing for you.

6. Total submission of your heart to Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala

• Don’t ever contend or argue with the decree of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُواْ فِىٓ أَنفُسِہِمۡ حَرَجً۬ا مِّمَّا قَضَيۡتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسۡلِيمً۬ا (٦٥)

But no, by thy Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they make thee judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against thy decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction. (4:65)

• Once Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)has decided something, we have no choice in the matter.  Our response should be “we hear and we obey.”

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤۡمِنٍ۬ وَلَا مُؤۡمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ۥۤ أَمۡرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلۡخِيَرَةُ مِنۡ أَمۡرِهِمۡۗ وَمَن يَعۡصِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلاً۬ مُّبِينً۬ا (٣٦)

It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger, to have any option about their decision: if anyone disobeys Allah and His Messenger he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path. (33:36)

7. Putting all of your affairs in Allah’s hands

فَسَتَذۡكُرُونَ مَآ أَقُولُ لَڪُمۡۚ وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمۡرِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَصِيرُۢ بِٱلۡعِبَادِ (٤٤)

“Soon will ye remember what I say to you (now) My (own) affair I commit to Allah: for Allah (ever) watches over His Servants.” (40:44)

• Whatever Allah wills, we don’t complain at all.  Rather, we have confidence that this is the best thing.

وَيَرۡزُقۡهُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَحۡتَسِبُ‌ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسۡبُهُ ۥۤ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَـٰلِغُ أَمۡرِهِۦ‌ۚ قَدۡ جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ قَدۡرً۬ا (٣)

And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion. (65:3)

8. Being content with whatever Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) decrees

• This is actually a fruit of Tawakkul.  Tawakkul comes before the action/outcome, and contentment (Ridaa) comes after of the action/outcome.
• The dua of Istikhara is a prime example of Tawakkul because is contains all of the stages.  At the end of the dua you ask Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) to make you content with His decree.  Make this dua for ALL decisions and strive to memorize it Insha’Allah!

On the authority of Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah he said: The Prophet (S) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Qur’an. He (S) would say ‘if any of you intends to undertake a mater then let him pray two supererogatory units (two rak’ah naafilah) of prayer and after which he should supplicate:

‘O Allaah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.’

Symptoms of Weak Imaan

• Sinning – Sinning and commiting acts that are against the teachings of Islam is a sign of weak Imaan.
• Lack of Prayer – The more you pray, the closer you get to Allah, and lack of prayer will pull you away from Him.
• Lack of Ibaadah – Ibaadah – which includes salah – is important and the lack of it will let your iman sink.
• Laziness in Ibaadah – Laziness is from the shaitan and it will eventually cause you to discard your ibaadah all together.

Causes of Weak Imaan

• Staying away and avoiding the Iman-filled areas. (The Masaajid and circles of knowledge)
• Not learning the Deen (Seeking knowledge is mandatory on every Muslim)
• Not reading the Quran (Read the quran on a daily basis, even if for only 5 minutes)
• Not practicing the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
• Living in a sinful environment (This includes having bad companions)

Curing the Imaan

• Contemplate the Quran (Read the Quran in the language that you know best and contemplate its meanings)
• Knowing Allah (studying his names and characteristics – Asmaa’ Allah wa Sifatihi)
• Striving to do good deeds (Follow every bad deed with a good one and it will erace the former)
• Remembering Allah (Dhikr)
• Remembering death (The Prophet called it – Haadim Al-Ladhaat – The destroyer of pleasures)
• Placing your trust in Allah (Tawakkul)

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