General

Ramadan Day #01


Assalamu Alaykum,

This Ramadan I would like to share a brief post with you every day asking you to do three things in the day as part of our 30 Day Ramadan challenge.

  1. The first will be a ‘Deed of the Day’ highlighting a different deed that you can do each day.
  2. The second will highlight a specific Prophetic Food that you can eat to incorporate a Sunnah Food item in your diet.
  3. The final will be a charity spotlight recommending a specific charity for you to donate a small sum to in order to support their work.

Let us begin below the actions for Day #01 bi’iznillah

Deed of the Day: Recite abundant Qur’an

“Recite the Qur’an. It will appear on the Day of Rising as an intercessor for its people.” [Muslim]

Prophetic Food of the Day: Dates

“Break your fast with a date, or with water because it is pure.” [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]

Charity Spotlight: Bangladesh Regeneration Trust (BRT UK)

Bangladesh Regeneration Trust UK (“BRTUK”) is a UK registered charity established to carry out various forms of regeneration work within Bangladesh.

BRTUK provides a platform for young second, third and fourth generation Bangladeshis to support various social development initiatives, primarily within Sylhet but extending to other parts of Bangladesh as well.

BRTUK focuses efforts on the three key areas of development:

  • Promoting education
  • Creating livelihood schemes
  • Supporting healthcare

You can support their work by donating using the link below:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1002166

Lessons from the Qu’ran: Juz 1

Articles, General

The Sermon of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the last Jumu’ah of Sha’ban


The Sermon of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the last Jumu’ah of Sha’ban

On the authority of Salman al Farsi (May Allah be pleased with him) it is narrated that during the last Jumu’ah of the month of Sha’ban the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a Khutba (sermon) in which he said:

‘O people there comes over you now a great month, a most blessed month in which lies a night more greater in virtue than a thousand months. It is a month in which Allah has made Fasting compulsory by day, and has made Sunnah the Taraweeh by night. Whosoever intends drawing near to Allah by performing any virtuous deed, for such a person shall be the reward like the one who had performed a Fardh (Obligatory act) in any other time. And whoever performs a Fardh, shall be blessed with the reward of seventy Faraa-idh in any other time.

This is indeed the month of patience, and the reward for true patience is Jannah (Paradise). It is the month of sympathy with one’s fellowmen. It is the month wherein a true believer’s rizq (sustenance) is increased. Whosoever feeds another who fasted, in order to break the fast at sunset, for the feeder there shall be forgiveness of sins and freedom from the fire of Jahannum (hellfire), and for such a feeder shall be the same reward as the one who Fasted (who he fed) without that persons reward being decreased in the least.”

Thereupon we said, “O Messenger of Allah, not all of us possess the means whereby we can give a fasting person to break his fast.” (They were at the time under the impression that Rasullulah (peace and blessings be upon him) referred to a full meal). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “Allah grants the same reward to the one who gives a fasting person to break the fast a mere date, or a drink of water, or a sip of milk (for Iftar).”

“This is a month, the first of which brings Allah’s mercy (i.e. the first 10 days), the middle of which brings His forgiveness and the last of which brings freedom from the fire of Hell.”

“Whosoever lessens the burden of his servants (or those under his authority) in this month, Allah will forgive him and free him from the fire of Hell.”

“And in this month four things you should continue to perform in great number, two of which shall be to please your Lord, while the other two shall be those without which you cannot do. Those which shall be to please your Lord, are that you should in great quantity bear witness that there is no deity to worship except Allah (i.e. recite the Kalimah Tayyibah Laa ilaha illallah) and make much Istighfaar (repentance, beg Allah’s forgiveness with Astagfirullah). And as for those without which you cannot do, you should beg of Allah, entrance into Paradise and ask refuge in Him from the Hellfire.”

“And whoever gave a person who fasted water to drink, Allah shall grant that giver to drink from My fountain, such a drink where after that a person shall never again feel thirsty until he enters Jannah.”

[Ibn Khuzaimah in his Saheeh]

Source: Adapted from the article on https://dailyreminders.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/the-sermon-of-rasullulahsaw-on-the-last-jumuah-of-shaban/

 

General

Getting the best out of Ramadan


Assalamu Alaykum,

With the advent of Ramadan just around the corner, I just wanted to remind you of some of the articles on our blog that may be of benefit to help and motivate each one of us to do better this Ramadan, insha Allah.

https://islamopedia.co.uk/2017/05/05/30-days-30-deeds-ramadan-challenge/

https://islamopedia.co.uk/2012/07/18/ten-tips-for-getting-the-best-out-of-ramadan/

https://islamopedia.co.uk/2015/07/13/ramadan-a-time-for-devotion/

https://islamopedia.co.uk/2017/01/04/diy-make-your-own-box-of-good-deeds/

https://islamopedia.co.uk/2016/02/15/%e2%80%8e25-ways-to-enter-jannah-paradise/

https://islamopedia.co.uk/2017/04/10/times-and-situations-when-dua-is-accepted/

Please do share with your contacts if you find the above posts to be of benefit.

JazakAllahu Khair

Abu Zaynah

Advice to the Youth, Articles, General

30 Days, 30 Deeds – Ramadan Challenge

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islamopedia_41.pngThis Ramadan we at Islamopedia and the Wednesday Circle challenge you to complete 30 different good deeds for each day of the holy month. The idea being to encourage and instil new deeds in our lives that we can carry forward even after Ramadan is finished. And to make it even easier, we have done the hard work for you and made a list of 30 deeds that you can complete in this month.

Are you ready to take on the challenge?

wednesday_circle_whiteThe task is simple. Each day in Ramadan, take one deed from the list below and complete it. Once complete make a note of it so you don’t forget which deed you have done. The next day take another deed and so on until the end of the month. By the end of the month you should have a list of 30 deeds that you have completed in the month that you may not have otherwise done. Keep the list to hand and carry on doing those same deeds in the months after Ramadan as well insha Allah.

Simple as that.

Feel free to share with us how you get on to encourage the goodness and also encourage others to take part by sharing this challenge with friends and family.

Feel free to add to the list of good deeds or suggest your own deeds as well. Continue reading 30 Days, 30 Deeds – Ramadan Challenge →

Confessions of a Serial Cheater, General

Confessions of a Serial Cheater VI – The Consequences II


‘and those who do not invoke any other god along with Allah, and do not kill a person whom Allah has given sanctity, except rightfully, nor do they fornicate; and whoever does it, shall face the recompense of his sin,’

[Qur’an 25:68]

The previous entry focused on the consequences in the word and the things that I lost. But it is also worth noting the spiritual consequences of such actions and the punishment reserved in the hereafter for those like me, unless of course we repent and seek the forgiveness from those that we have hurt.

It sends a shudder up my spine when I read these now, yet I should have read these then and taken heed. My only comfort is in the hope that maybe, one day, before I die I can make amends for the wrongs I have done and seek forgiveness from the loved ones that I have hurt. Continue reading Confessions of a Serial Cheater VI – The Consequences II →

Confessions of a Serial Cheater, General, Stories

Confessions of a Serial Cheater V – The Consequences


‘Yet it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you; and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you; God knows, and you know not.’

[Qur’an 2: 216]

That scene that I described in part I is no more. I no longer walk home to a loving wife. I no longer come home to the smiling gaze of my children. Instead I walk home to an empty room with just a single bed and a small wardrobe. There is a horrible stench in the room due to the previous occupant of the room being a heavy smoker. I have to share dirty cutlery and a messy kitchen. I have to share a toilet and bathing facilities with several others, some of whom lack the most basic hygiene skills.

You hear in the news stories of people who have broken up from their families and how they end up in the street with no purpose in life because they have lost everything. Although I’m not there yet, I could just as easily have been. Continue reading Confessions of a Serial Cheater V – The Consequences →

Articles, General

#25 Times and Situations when Du’a is Accepted

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We are all in need of Du’a and for our Du’as to be answered. Allah (SWT) loves it most when we call on Him and ask Him for His assistance. This is why He (SWT) places us in difficult situations where we have no choice but to seek assistance from Him. These situations are an opportunity for us to build our relationship with Allah (SWT) and to get close to Him.

Allah (SWT) tells us in the Qur’an ‘And your Lord has said, ‘Call on Me and I will respond to you.’’  [Qur’an 40:60].

The Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “When one of you makes a supplication, he should not say, ‘If you wish.’ He should be firm in asking and he should have great hope. Allah does not think that anything that He gives is too great.‘”  [Bukhari – Adab Al-Mufrad]

In order for Him to grant us our prayers, Allah (SWT) has given us specific times and situations in which Du’a is more likely to be accepted. We should all make note of these specific times and situations and endeavour to make much supplication when we find ourselves in these times.

In order to help us all, I have listed below some of these times and situations so that we can all benefit. Please make a special Du’a for those who have made the information below freely available on the internet for our benefit. Continue reading #25 Times and Situations when Du’a is Accepted →

Confessions of a Serial Cheater, General, Stories

Confessions of a Serial Cheater IIII – The Affair


‘Then he (peace be upon him) saw a people who had in front of them excellent meats disposed in pots and also putrid, foul meat, and they would eat from the foul meat and not touch the good meat. He said: “What is this, O Jibril?” He replied: “These are the men from your Community who had an excellent, lawful wife at home and who would go and see a foul woman and spend the night with her; and the women who would leave her excellent, lawful husband to go and see a foul man and spend the night with him.”’

[Hadith on the Isra’ & Miraj of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

We both stared into the distance as we sat in that restaurant about to eat. An eerie silence filled the space around us. There was a fleeting moment of guilt that was quickly superseded by the waiter bringing the drinks across. She had ordered an orange juice and I a bottle of Coke. Continue reading Confessions of a Serial Cheater IIII – The Affair →

Advice to the Youth, Confessions of a Serial Cheater, General, Stories

Confessions of a Serial Cheater III – Marriage


‘O young people! Whoever among you is able to marry, should marry, and whoever is not able to marry, is recommended to fast, as fasting diminishes his carnal desires.’

[Sahih Al Bukhari]

Our parents tried to do right by us. They married us young to avoid us falling into sin. They tried their utmost to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Her parents took her to Egypt and found her a good decent man to marry. He was well educated and had a good job back home. When he came here he studied and found himself a decent job earning a decent wage. She had everything going for her. She was being looked after and taken care of, she had her freedom and independence, she had everything a girl could want or need. Yet she still felt she this desire and need to be with ‘him’.

My parents found me a good wife. They searched and searched until the found the right one. She was young, pretty, and had good Akhlaq and character. She was from a noble family. She ticked all the right boxes. When I saw her, I fell in love instantly. It felt like a match made in heaven. We got married and instead of living in our ‘happily ever after’, I felt the need to stay in contact with ‘her’ and continue this rendezvous’ whilst being married to my wife.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged us to marry young. The main reason for this is so that we can stay away from the haram and be with the opposite gender in a way that is halal and acceptable to Allah (SWT). But in order for this to work one must start the marriage on a clean slate. One must leave behind any baggage that they carry from previous relationships and make a firm commitment to remain faithful to the one that they have married.

If you are a young man or woman embarking on this sacred bond of marriage, please make sure that anything that you have from you past life that can jeopardise your marriage remains in the past. There is no need to take the baggage with you. Leave it at the departure lounge and free yourself from it for it will bring you nothing but your downfall in the future if you take it with you. Leave the past in the past, draw a line in the sand, and make a fresh new start with the one that you chosen to make yours.

Our problem was that she didn’t let go of the baggage and neither did I. We both thought that we could remain ‘friends’.

It was a disaster waiting to happen. And disaster did strike. Not once, not twice, but many times during our 15 year marriage.

 

©Islamopdia – Written anonymously ‘Confessions of a Serial Cheater’ is a collaboration between Islamopedia and others to raise awareness of the issue of infidelity in marriage. Although the characters and the narrative are fictional, the story is based on true events and reflects the pain that many women (and men) have to suffer due to the selfish actions of one partner. The purpose of this series is to stop anyone engaged in such activity before it’s too late and deter anyone thinking of committing such a sin before they fall into it. NB: Anyone having trouble in their relationships should seek professional help from qualified scholars and counsellors.
Confessions of a Serial Cheater, General, Stories

Confessions of a Serial Cheater II – How it all Started


 

The Declining Day

In the Name of God, the Infinitely Good, the All-Merciful.

By the declining day. Verily mankind is in ruinous loss. Except they that believe and do good works, and exhort one another unto truth and unto patience.

[Surah Al Asr, Verses 1-3]

Let me transport you back to the year 1998. What were you doing back then? Who were you with? Perhaps you were still at school, or perhaps you had taken a new job? I know exactly where I was and what I was doing.

I was a fresh graduate from Uni and I had just landed my first job as a trainee in a top city accounts firm. It was a fairly mediocre administrative position, but it helped to get my foot in the door and I could use it as a leverage to work my way up the career ladder.

I was a practising Muslim and I tried to keep myself busy engaged in doing good works. I was involved with the local Masjid and local Muslim Youth Organisations. I spent time attending courses and Halaqas and tried to keep myself as occupied as I could. Continue reading Confessions of a Serial Cheater II – How it all Started →

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