Shahadah in Islam

My Hands An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench . He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was ok. Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking, he said in a clear strong voice. I didn't mean to disturb you ..... but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were ok I explained to him. Have you ever looked at your hands he asked. I mean really looked at your hands ? I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making. Then he smiled and related this story: Stop an...

A WIFE By getting married you are not just getting a wife, you are getting your whole world. From now until the rest of your days your wife will be your partner, your companion, and your best friend. She will share your moments, your days, and your years. She will share your joys and sorrows, your successes and failures, your dreams and your fears. When you are ill, she will take the best care of you; when you need help, she will do all she can for you; When you have a secret, she will keep it; when you need advice, she will give you the best advice. She will always be with you: when you wake up in the morning the first thing your eyes will see will be hers; during the day, she will be with you, if for a moment she is not with you by her physical body, she will be thinking of you, praying for you with all her heart, mind, and soul; when you go to sleep at night, the last thing your eyes will see will be her; and when you are asleep you will still see her in your drea...

Your Very Worst Enemy By Idris Tawfiq British Writer and Speaker ...

THE RANKING OF A PERSON WHO REPENTS Bakr ibn Abdullah al-Muzani is the narrator of this story:There was once a butcher who fell in love with the daughter of his neighbours. One day, the girl's parents sent her on an errand to the neighbouring town. Seeing that she was alone, the butcher followed her until she reached a secluded place, where he made his presence known to her. When he tried to seduce her, the girl said, "Do not do so! Indeed, I love you even more than you love me, but I fear Allah."The butcher's jaw dropped and he said in self-reproach, "You fear Allah and I don't!" He left her alone and repented for his intentions. On his way back, he became extremely thirsty. He soon came across a Prophet from the Prophets of the Children of Israel. Noticing the expression on the butcher's face, the Prophet asked, "What is the matter with you?""Extreme thirst," said the butcher."Let us go supplicate to Allah ...

The Meaning of Nafs by Muhammad 'Afifi al-'Akiti Ibn Kathir says: "The Mu'min are a people who have been prevented through the Qur'an from indulging in the pleasures of this world; it comes between them and what might destroy them. The Mu'min is like a prisoner in this world, who tries to free himself from its shackles and chains, placing his trust in nothing in it, until the day he meets his Creator. He knows full well that he is accountable for everything that he hears, sees and says, and for everything that he does with his body." (Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 9 pg. 276, Cairo 1352) There are two kinds of people, one are those whose Nafs have overcome them and led them to ruin because they yielded to them and obeyed their impulses. The other kinds are those who have overcome their Nafs and made them obey their commands. Nafs (pl. Anfus or Nufus) lexically means soul, the psyche, the ego, self, life, person, heart or mind. (Mu'jam, Kassis...

Best 3 hours in Ramadan. Brothers & Sisters seek it and benefit from it The first Hour: The first hour of the day-After Salat Al-fajr Imama Nawawi -may Allah has mercy on him- said in his book of remembrance: "Know that the most honorable times for remembrance in the day is after Fajr prayer" Termithi reported on the authority of Anas (RAA) on the Prophet (PBUH) that he said: "Who ever prayed Fajr in congregation & sit remembering Allah until the sun rises then he prays 2 rakat, he will get the reward of hajj & Omra complete, complete, complete" Narrated by Termithi and said it is a sound hadith. The Prophet (PBUH) when he prayed Fajr, he would sit in his place until the sunrises. Scholars encouraged us to seek this hour and to spend it in the remembrance of Allah until the sun rises. Another Hadith "O, Allah bless my nation with the early hours of the day" That is why it is disliked to sleep after morning prayer because it is an hour where Al...

There are as many levels of fasting as there are facets to being human. Proper fasting should encompass all dimensions of human existence for it to have the divinely intended effect. The following are some of the major levels of fasting: The Ritual Level: This level of fasting requires that the basic rules for fasting be fulfilled, which are avoiding food, drink and sexual intercourse between dawn and sunset for 29 or 30 days each year. On this level, one is basically following the letter of the laws regarding fasting without particular consideration for the spirit of fasting. It is the entrance level which must be fulfilled for the fast to be Islamically correct, but the other levels must be added for the fast to have any real impact on the fasting person. Fasting on this level alone will not benefit one spiritually, except from the perspective of submission to divine instructions, if one chooses to follow the ritual consciously and not merely according to tradition. Thus, by itself,...