From ‘Eid to ‘Eid
Monday, 14 August 2017 15:17
Ramadhaan has departed. It was a month of patience. It was a month that called for sacrifice of desires, sacrifice of time, at the same time calling for much bodily exertion and striving. Ramadhaan was followed by the joyous Day of ‘Eid. The Day of ‘Eid wasn’t a matter of taking the day off from acts of devotion and worship after a month long period of devotion, sacrifice and striving. It wasn’t just relaxation and good times – it entailed extra salaah, two khutbahs and distribution of fitrah. The theme of sacrifice and striving was clearly evident in this! After ‘Eid, the optional six Shawwaal fasts are rewarding and virtuous. They present another wonderful opportunity for sacrifice and striving.
The fasts of the first 10 days of Zul Hijjah (barring ‘Eid) and the intensive ‘ibaadah in these 10 holy nights is yet a continuation of the theme of sacrifice and striving. These days are also the days of the hajj. The hajj is one mammoth lesson in sacrifice of time, money and great physical and spiritual striving. Then ‘Eidul Adha follows. Another lesson is sacrificing of time and money and striving!
Constantly Examining One’s Intention
Monday, 14 August 2017 15:47
Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned:
When any servant of Allah Ta‘ala wishes to carry out a righteous deed, Shaitaan tries to prevent him in different ways and places numerous obstacles and difficulties in his path. However, if all the obstructions and obstacles of Shaitaan fail to prevent him, and he succeeds in commencing the righteous deed, then Shaitaan begins a second effort. The second effort of Shaitaan is to corrupt the sincerity and purity of the servant’s action, or to try and claim a share of this righteous deed by making him do it not solely for Allah Ta‘ala. In other words, Shaitaan will make an effort to include ostentation and show into his intention and at times, create flaws in his intention on account of worldly motives, thereby destroying the purity of the action. Shaitaan is sometimes successful in the effort of corrupting the servant’s good deeds. It is thus essential for all those who are involved in any Deeni khidmat to be mindful of the plots of Shaitaan, to perpetually safeguard their hearts from his whispers, and to continuously examine their intention before carrying out any deed. The reason is that if one carries out any action with an intention besides earning the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala, this action will not be accepted by Allah Ta‘ala. (Malfoozaat Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) pg.14-15)
Source: Ihyaauddeen.co.za
Maintaining the Momentum
Thursday, 06 July 2017 15:25
How many people do you know who one day looked into the mirror or stood on the scale and announced, “Enough!” The digits on the scale and the reflection in the mirror are both unbiased and don’t hesitate to tell a person that it’s time for him to shed those extra kilos.
How many people thereafter sacrificed their scrumptious snacks and exerted themselves in exercise, gradually achieving their goal weight? The answer to both questions is – quite a few actually. However, an overwhelming amount of these people are unable to maintain their ideal weight and soon thereafter slip into their old rut of unhealthy and bad eating habits, only to regain the unwanted weight even faster than they had initially lost it.
Hence, the key to a successful diet, more than losing the weight, is to maintain the weight and avoid regaining the burnt fat.
Safety in Silence
Wednesday, 21 June 2017 12:21
(Tie the Tongue Series – Part 4)
The blessed speech of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is a miracle, with his every statement brimming with wisdom and meaning. From the treasure of hadeeth, just one example of the profound speech of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is when he said, “He who is silent is safe.” (Sunan Tirmizi #2501)
If we ponder, we will realize that the majority of our quarrels, arguments, fall-outs with friends and problems in general were linked to the misuse of the tongue. Often, a statement is made in innocence and no harm is meant, yet the words are received badly, causing great offence and pain. We thus realize that ‘I did not mean to hurt’ is not enough. Rather, we should ask ourselves ‘did I mean not to hurt’?
