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Fajar! The Hidden Treasure (Task# 6)
The culture of young people in this country is that of the night. The world of young people comes alive past-10:00pm. Parties, clubs, exam cramming sessions, internet chatting, video gaming…it’s all done way after ishaa prayer, and this culture is interfering with our effectiveness as Muslim youth.
First and foremost, this night life is preventing us from waking up for fajr. And even if we are waking up for fajr, we’re so out of it that our prayers are not heartfelt.
Failing to wake up for fajr or failing to pray fajr in any meaningful manner is no small matter. My best friend gave me an analogy to crystalize just how much we lose when we miss fajr prayer. She said, “Imagine that every morning right before fajr time, someone came to your front door and left a bag of $10,000.00 on the porch. What would you do if you knew it was there? Would you lie in bed and keep pressing snooze on the alarm? Or would you fly out and grab that bag of money?”
Of course, I knew my answer. But what was even more disturbing was when I considered if the amount was less, say $100 each morning, $50, $25, $10, $1. One dollar on the porch would be an extra $365 per year. And the only thing I had to do for that extra cash was to get out of bed and go get it.
When I thought about how easily I would get out of bed for $1 each day, I became dismayed at our reticence to wake up for fajr when weknow that the reward for each of our fajr prayers far exceed $1 per day or even $10,000.00 per day. And yet, when that alarm goes off at 5:30, throwing off our sheets to grab that prize is the farthest thing from our thoughts. Even if we do get out of bed, it’s usually begrudgingly.
What would you do if you knew that, for example, your favorite football player, celebrity, or world leader was going to knock on your door at 5:00am tomorrow? Would you be lying in your bed dreading the alarm? No way! You would be up, in the lounge, getting cleaned up and looking sharp for this opportunity! You would have your house cleaned up and your bed made!
But when Allah (swt), tells us that He is going to come to meet with us each morning, we ignore Him. He’s at the front door, knocking. Allah (swt) wants to spend time with you, to listen to you, help you, spend quality time with you. But we’re sleeping through this miracle.
And even if we do wake up and go make wudu, we look beat. We’re sporting oversized sweat pants with tshirts that don’t match. We’re wearing crazy looking enormous hijabs wrapped sloppily around our heads, green and red and orange all at once. We throw our hands back, “Allahu Akbar”…yeah right. Think about that. Allahu Akbar. Allah is the greatest and yet we come to a meeting with him looking like we picked out your clothes while blindfolded. Would you open the door for LaDanian Tomlinson or Tiger Woods looking like that? Then why for Allah?
The culture of the night must be purged from our ummah. The stories of the Prophet have wisdom behind them. He accomplished more in twenty years than you or I will ever accomplish, even if we live 120 years. And yet, his sunnah was to sleep soon after ishaa. After the night prayer, he would start settling down, bringing quiet into his household and his community. He slept early and awokebefore fajr so as to catch the last 1/3 of the night and use it wisely to gain Allah’s blessings.
Fajr wasn’t the Prophet’s first event of the day. By the time fajr came in, the Prophet (pbuh) had already begun.
It’s ok to be different. It’s ok to tell people that you can’t go out late because you have to sleep and wake up early for prayers. Think of all that will improve if you reject this midnight culture. You will have a better relationship with Allah. You will get your studying done sooner and therefore, you won’t be cramming and stressing last minute. You’ll also be healthier, more rested and in much better emotional spirits. And you’ll be closer to following the Prophet’s sunnah, which has innuerable benefits.
Let HIM Remember You This Week (Task#2)
Assalam o Alikum Wa RahmatuLLAHI Wa Barakatuhu!
Imagine, just for a moment imagine, if someone comes to you and tells you that ALLAH is mentioning your name, ALLAH is remembering you,. ALLAHU AKBAR!
What feelings would you develop??? I guess we all die with pleasure if we come to know about this news. And ALLAHU AKBAR! This is going to happen this week in sha ALLAH .
ALLAH will mention your name, He will remember you.
Ali afzal / Asmeerah/ Hejab/ Komel / Mehwish / Mohammad Shoib / Momina / Noor ul Huda / Palwashay / Rizmi Tahir / Sara Fazal / Shiza Nasir / Waqas / Wendy / Zara / Zainab . . . . . . .
ALLAH mentioning you! ALLAH calling your name!
But how???
“Narrated Abu-Huraira (RadiALLAHU anhu): ‘Allah’s Messenger (Sallal lahu alahi wa aalihi wassalam) ) said:
“Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks of Me, (I am Able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I TOO REMEMBER HIM IN MYSELF , and if he remembers Me in a group of people I remember him in a group that is better than his, and if he comes one span nearer to Me I go one cubit nearer to him, and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him, and if he comes to Me walking I go to him running.’ (Bukhari)”
Yes you have guessed correctly, our next week practice is “Dhikr”.
Normally what happens is that we offer salah, and we just run away after saying ending salam of salah. , or even if we stay on the salah mat, and do some dhikr , we don’t have concentration, we just count, and wait when the count will get over.
Nah! is it remembrance ???
Have you ever seen someone thinking about his lover in loneliness ??? A smile comes on his face, and he just go deep in remembrance. so deep that he even doesn’t feel that you are noticing his actions.
This is the true remembrance, remembrance must take you deep in feelings,
just counting on the counter that how many times we have said subhana ALLAH, this isn’t the true essence of Dhikr, and this doesn’t bring the true effects of Dhikr.
Remember ALLAH deeply ,
Do you think that the laws of Islam are too much??? Okay listen!
” ‘Abdullah ibn Busr (RadiALLAHU anhu) reported a man said,
“Messenger of Allah, the laws of Islam are too much for me. Tell me something I can cling to.” He said, “Your tongue should remain moist with the REMEMBRANCE of Allah.” (at-Tirmidhi)
Let’s make a habit this week , to remember ALLAH , to do Dhikr of ALLAH after every Salah with CONCENTRATION.
How many times, or what dhikr to do ,we are not making any compulsion, its between you and your ALLAH.
But the main focus of this task is to do Dhikr with CONCENTRATION.
WaLLAHI! when you sit on the salah mat, do dhikr, and suddenly you imagine that ALLAH is making mention of you, a sudden smile really and surely comes on your lips.
Don’t waste this great great great opportunity. Remember ALLAH from the bottom of your heart. Do take out some 3-5 minutes at least after namaz and concentrate. Think that ALLAH is remembering you too, and WALLAHI He surely will.
To keep your concentration more firm, close your eyes, feel yourself before ALLAH, and do dhikr. You will yourself see the effects of Dhikr on your heart.
We thought to share some benefits of dhikr! but…. , what benefits would be above this benefit that ALLAH will remember you, He will mention your name?
No pleasure above this.
We are sharing some dhikr mentioned in Hadith. What is the power of these words. We can never imagine.
1. Jabir (RadiALLAHU anhu) reported that the Prophet said,
“The best dhikr is ‘La ilaha illa’llah,’ and the best supplication is ‘al-hamdu lillah‘.” (an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah)
2. Abu Hurayra (RadiALLAHU anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah said,
“Two words are light on the tongue, heavy in the balance, beloved to the Merciful:
“SubhanALLAHI Wa Bi Hamdihi : SubhanALLAHIL Azeem .”
3. Abu Musa (RadiALLAHU anhu) said that the Prophet said,
“Say:‘There is no power nor strength except by Allah.’ It is one of the treasures of the Garden
“Whoever says ‘There is no strength nor power except by Allah’, it is the cure for ninety-nine illnesses, the least of which is worry.”)
Have a good good week, May ALLAH accept ours and your efforts. And may He protect us from riya.
Also i would like to mention that this task is suggested by our American revert sister “guided heart” May ALLAH reward her good.
P.S If anyone of you would like to add something that we have left , and not mentioned, you are all welcome,.
Wassalam O Alikum
Daughters of Eve 