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SIX TASKS TO INHERIT AL-FIRDAUS - Part 1 (The Highest Paradise) . Jannah To-Do List . We all have our eyes on the ultimate goal, the biggest prizeAl-Firdaus, right? Its the highest level of Jannah (paradise) C in it what no eyes have seen, no ears have heard and no human has ever imagined. But what exactly do we have to do to attain this lofty and honourable level? . Jannah: a short reminder Lets refresh. What does paradise hold for Allahs believing slaves? When talking about Jannah, Allah promises, They will have whatever they wish therein, and with Us is more. [Quran: Chapter 50, Verse 53], and He says, And no soul knows what is kept hidden for them, of joy as a reward for what they used to do. [Quran: Chapter 32, Verse 17] . Imagine anything you wish for or desire multiplied by infinity! Whatever we get here in this life is temporary; everything ends, and there is always something better than what we chase after or desire. But Jannah SubhanAllah! When Allah spoke about His rewards, He says: . And whatever thing you [people] have been given C it is [only for] the enjoyment of worldly life and its adornment. And what is with Allah is better and more lasting; so will you not use reason? [Quran: Chapter 28: Verse 60] . Better and more lasting, SubhanAllah! Allah Ta'aala really knows how to penetrate the hearts that He has created, as Allah Ta'aala says, . Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted? [Quran: Chapter 67: Verse 14] Indeed. . Now, Prophet Muhammad ((&1589;&1604;&1610; &1575;&1604;&1604;&1607; &1593;&1604;&1610;&1607; &1608;&1587;&1604;&1605;) said that if we were to ask for paradise, we should ask for its highest level: Al-Firdaus Al-Ala. But, why? . He (&1589;&1604;&1610; &1575;&1604;&1604;&1607; &1593;&1604;&1610;&1607; &1608;&1587;&1604;&1605;) said: Paradise has one hundred grades, each of which is as big as the distance between heaven and earth. The highest of them is Firdaus and the best of them is Firdaus. The Throne is above Firdaus and from it spring forth the rivers of Paradise. If you ask of Allah , ask Him for Firdaus. [Sunan Ibn Majah] . And he also said: Al-Firdaus is the highest of Paradise and its most expansive, and above that is the Throne of Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful), and from it the rivers of Paradise are made to flow forth. So when you ask Allah , ask Him for Al-Firdaus. [At-Tirmidhi] . You know how we always want the best view or the best seat when were in a beautiful, exciting place? Well, Al-Firdaus is the Closest to Allah Ta'aala and Allah Ta'ala is The Source of Beauty. He is The Creator and The Fashioner of all beauty weve ever seen and experienced in this world. Imagine everything that ever impressed you: if this is a creation for a temporary worldly life, imagine its Eternal Source, its Creator. . Also, Allah is The King of all kings. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth [Quran: Chapter 2, Verse 255] (what a kingdom!) Imagine those who are the closest to The King the prestige of those first ranks the honour! Even more beautiful yet, the Prophet ((&1589;&1604;&1610; &1575;&1604;&1604;&1607; &1593;&1604;&1610;&1607; &1608;&1587;&1604;&1605;) particularly said that above Al Firdaus is the Throne of Ar-Rahman (The Continuously Merciful, The Source of Mercy), particularly highlighting this Name of Allah . . The beauty in the Prophets (&1589;&1604;&1610; &1575;&1604;&1604;&1607; &1593;&1604;&1610;&1607; &1608;&1587;&1604;&1605;) description is that he mentioned how well be the closest to The Source of Mercy and He takes care of us, He takes all the pain away, He removes any suffering or discomfort. He is Al Kareem, The Most Generous, so He knows how to generously take care of those in His protection, those under His Direct Shade. . So, not only beauty, but security, ease, peace and comfort. . In a nutshell, its the best of the best, the most honorable, the best view to The Source of Beauty and the closest to The Source of Mercy. . How do we get there? Allah Ta'ala does not discriminate between people. He extends His gifts to literally anybody who seeks. This is not limited to men or women, black or white, or the rich or poor. Al-Firdaus is open to all those who seek, if they work on the six tasks on the To-Do list required to attain it. . So, what are those six tasks? Well, Allah told us exactly that at the beginning of Surat Al Muminoon. Lets go over these six actions and discuss how to accomplish them. To be continued inshaa Allah . ZahrahITCWOL |
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@miirfan | 8 April 16 |
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SIX TASKS TO INHERIT AL-FIRDAUS - Part 2 (The Highest Paradise) . Jannah To-Do List . Now, lets start with the verses. Surah Al-Mu'minoon Allah Ta'ala says: . Most certainly those Believers have attained true success: They who are during their prayer (Salah) humbly sub . And they who turn away from ill speech. . And they who are observant of Zakah. . And they who guard their private parts. Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed C But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors C . And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive. . And they who carefully maintain their prayers C1 . Those are the inheritors. Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally. [Quran: Chapter 23: Verses 1-11] . Next, we will discuss what Allah says is required to attain Al-Firdaus in detail. &8207;In S&8207;ha Allah&8207; . Productive Muslim ZahrahITCWOL |
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@miirfan | 14 April 16 |
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- SIX TASKS TO INHERIT AL-FIRDAUS - Part 3 (The Highest Paradise) . Jannah To-Do List . 1. Achieving khushu (concentration and humility) in our prayer . They who are during their prayer humbly sub . Having khushu means to be present in the prayer, enjoy the prayer, realise youre speaking to Allah . This is about the quality of the conversation were having with Allah . . How would we feel if we are having a conversation with someone, and theyre not listening or focusing or being attentive and are distracted? Is this conversation deepening the bond between the two of you? Of course not. Well, Allah wants us to have a quality conversation with Him. In conversations, we listen then we speak. Thats what were meant to do in the salah. We listen to the words of Allah that were reciting, then we speak to Him and make dua asking for everything and anything that we need. . How to achieve khushu? 1. Listen to and internalize the words youre uttering in prayer Be present with Allah by truly sensing and experiencing the words youre reciting in prayer. 2. Make sure you are reciting Surat Al Fatihah correctly If we recite and reflect on the Fatiha properly, it will transform the prayer experience completely. The Fatiha truly unlocks the hearts and reflects the genuine needs of every human being. It reminds us of our destination, our needs and our fears. All in the seven verses. It makes all the difference if were truly present while saying to Allah It is You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path [Quran: Chapter 1, Verses 5-6] . Were always making choices and decisions in life. Always. Everyday. In prayer, when we remember that we come from Allah , and our final destination is to Allah , and then when we tell Him to guide us to the most perfect way (which is the best choice, and the best decision), we then truly put matters in perspective and learn how to rely and bond with our Creator. . I was once going to a faraway location to attend an event. I didnt know the direction, but my brother did. So, he kept calling me every five minutes to tell me where to go, which road to take, which turn etc. At first, I thought this was really too much and unnecessary. However, when he stopped calling for 20 minutes, I got distracted in a conversation with another passenger. Hence, I completely missed the road that I was supposed to take. It wasted a lot of time, and I really then appreciated those calls that he was making. . Five times a day we do that with Allah ! Five times a day we tell Him guide us, to show us which way to go. But if were not really listening, if were not paying attention and if were distracted, then well miss the point, and well miss the destination. . 3. Always, always, always make dua during/after your prayer It is a dialogue between you and Allah . It is not a monologue. Needing Allah and asking Him for what we need truly helps with achieving concentration. If we are in a lecture or a meeting with someone important, for example, and we need to ask for a favour at the end of that meeting, we will really try to listen and be attentive to show that we are worthy of receiving that which we are about to ask for. . Now, Allah tells us to ask Him for everything. One hadith mentions: Let one of you ask his Lord for his every need, even until he asks Him for the strap of his sandal when it breaks. [At-Tirmidhi] This is also a very important hadith, where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says: Verily supplication is worship. [At-Tirmidhi] So dua itself is worship. Were supposed to ask of Allah C all the time, every day, for every thing C not only when we need something big. We never really stop needing Allah, and dua is a reminder of that. It deepens the bond and connection between us and Him. Remember the precious words of advice that the Prophet (PBUH) gave Ibn Abbas (Radheyal Laahu Anhu) : Be mindful of Allah and you shall find Him with you. When you ask (for anything), ask it from Allah , and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. [At-Tirmidhi] . 4. Diversify the surahs you use in prayer Each of the surahs is a world of its own. We need to enter into the world of the Quran. This will help us be present and enter into the mood of the prayer. The feeling that we get when we recite Surat Ad-Duhaa, is not the same feeling we get when we recite Surat At-Takwir and not the same feeling we get when we recite Surat Al-Ala, for example. . Continue. .. . |
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@miirfan | 14 April 16 |
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I remember one particular prayer that truly affected me the most. There were certain circumstances that were happening around me, and at the beginning of the prayer, for some reason, a particular surah came to mind. As I began to recite that surah, I realised how each ayah was describing the circumstances we were living in, and it hit me so much, as if Allah was Listening, Seeing and Responding directly to whats happening. I was reciting words that explained my inner feelings as well as what I was witnessing externally. It felt so real, so heavy, yet reassuring at the same time. . So let us memorise more of the short surahs, at least, with their tafseer so we can understand fully what were saying and experience it. There are many initiatives that help with that. You can use Bayyinah podcast for tafseer of Juz Amma, for example, which is a really beneficial resource. The more we know from the Quran, the more well allow Allah to speak to us. He speaks to us through those words. We need to know them by heart, to allow Him and His presence to enter into our hearts and manifest in our prayers. . 5. Confide to Allah like we confide to our best friend I have a friend who told me that whenever anything )good or bad( happens, she rushes to prayer to tell Allah , to complain, cry, ask for help and guidance. She says Allah is the only One who was there during the entire situation and knows it fully, inside out. She says, I dont need to call a friend and explain everything from the beginning. She may or may not get me. But Allah already gets what I mean and He saw everything. . So, let us rush to prayer like we rush to tell a friend about our day and about our problems. . The Prophet (PBUH) used to say about prayer: O Bilal, call iqamah for prayer: give us comfort by it. ]Sunun Abi Dawud[ We get comfort when we pour our hearts out and tell everything to a close friend. It is like a great conversation that we dont want to end. Thats what we need to do with Allah . Allah is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darknesses into the light. ]Quran: Chapter 2, Verse 257[ Let us enter into the prayer so that Allah would bring us out of the darknesses of our lives and our problems into His Light, because Allah is The Light. . To be continued . Productive Muslim . ZahrahITCWOL |
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@miirfan | 14 April 16 |
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SIX TASKS TO INHERIT AL-FIRDAUS - Part 4 (The Highest Paradise) . Jannah To-Do List . 2. Turning away from useless speech and activities And they who turn away from ill speech . This ayah talks about staying away from ill and useless speech and activities C anything that is meaningless, unproductive and doesnt help in achieving our purpose in life, including slandering, backbiting, lying, cursing and swearing and inappropriate deeds. . Why? Because laghw is major corruption and harm to the self, others and the society at large. It is a waste of time and a huge distraction from ones ultimate goal. . Remember the example I gave earlier about getting lost from my destination after being distracted by some vain talk? This is exactly why this type of activity is harmful: we lose sight of our destination, get absorbed in useless matters C and eventually get lost. . An example of a useless scenario is this: Was the dress white and gold or black and blue? Well, who cares! Really?! How would that benefit me in my deen and dunya? (P.S: if you dont know what this is about, good for you! Dont look it up!) . The Prophet said: A sign of mans good observance of Islam (his piety) is to keep away from that which does not concern him. [At-Tirmidhi]1 . And Allah says about the believers: And when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity. [Quran: Chapter 25: Verse 72] . And about those who completely lost their way, that they: used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it], [Quran: Chapter 74: Verse 45] . Bottom line: try not to engage, dwell and get absorbed in that which is meaningless and useless. If someone is training for a high goal, a big test or a big presentation, and they dont train well and keep wasting their time here and there will they achieve their goal? Probably not. . So, how can we stay away from useless talk? . 1. Always ask: is this conversation or activity going to benefit me in my deen and dunya? . If not, simply cut it short, keep going, and stay away from it as much as you can. Remember we have a more important goal to achieve. . 2. Have the intention to make your activities more meaningful . The correct intention can make any deed (that is not a sin) into a reward! For example, if youre spending a lot of time learning about beauty and make-up, then at least have the intention that this is to beautify yourself for your husband and increase the bond between the spouses C which is a great act of worship. . If you cant help but spend time playing games (ones which are pure, not any that involve immorality or anything inappropriate) or in the gym, then at least take the niyyah that youre refreshing so you can focus on more important tasks, or that youre working on your health so you can be strong enough for your worship and your duties towards your family. . Basically, put mind into action. Put some thinking and mindfulness to be in control of what we engage in and not let it control and sw*llow us and our lives away. . Productive Muslim . ZahrahITCWOL |
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