Patience is half of faith; for this is a quality composed of patience and gratitude (shukr). As one of the ancestors (salaf) has said: Faith is in two halves: one half patience, one half gratitude. And the Most High said: Indeed in that there are signs for each one who is patiently persevering and truly grateful[Surah Ibrahim: 5].Patience in relation to faith is like the head in relation to the body. It is of three types:

 

• (1) patience concerning the obligations (fard) laid down by Allah, that one should not neglect them;
• (2) patience in abstaining from actions forbidden by Him, that one should not commit them;
• (3) patience concerning His judgments (qada’) and decrees (qadar), that one should not resent them.

Whoever perfectly fulfills these three degrees has perfected patience. For the pleasure of this world and the next, their blessings, and victory and conquest can only be reached over the bridge of patience, just as no-one reaches Paradise except by crossing over the Path. ‘Umar b. al-Khattab said: We attained the best of life through patience.

If you reflect on the degrees of perfection acquired in the world, you will see that they are all dependent on patience. And if you reflect on imperfection, which one is blamed for possessing, you will see it all stemming from lack of patience. Thus courage and purity, goodness and love of others, all this is the patience of an hour.

Most sicknesses of the body and heart arise simply from lack of patience. And there is naught like patience for preserving the health of hearts, bodies and spirits. For it is the great remedy, the mighty tiryaq, even if it were to contain only the company of Allah “for Allah is with the patient” [Surah Al-Baqarah:153], and His affection for them for indeed “Allah loves those who are patient“[Surah Al-Imran:146], and His giving victory to His people ‘for victory comes with patience’; and that it is a good for the people of patience, “And if you show patience, that is indeed the best course for those who are patient” [Surah An-Nahl: 126], and that it is the cause of prosperity, “O you who believe! Persevere in patience, vie in perseverance, be ever vigilant, and fear Allah, that perchance you may prosper” [Surah Al-Imran:200].

Source : http://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/gangs-ibn-al-qayyim-patience-preserves-the-health-of-hearts-and-bodies.cfm

“An hour of effective, precise, hard, disciplined and integrated thinking can be worth a month of hard work. Thinking is the very essence of, and the most difficult thing to do in, business and life. Empire builders spend hour-after-hour on mental work… while others party. If you’re not consciously aware of putting forth the effort to exert self-guided integrated thinking… if you don’t act beyond your feelings and you take the path of least resistance, then you’re giving in to laziness and no longer control your life.”   – David Kekich

What a brilliant Quote. The crazy lives that we lead these days leaves us so little time to think. Do you have thinking time marked out in your calendar? But even if you have taken your time out, what do you think about? Should you let your mind go racing behind whatever mental rabbit trail that it comes across or should you have a structured format through which you should apply your mind to? Here are some tips in random order to help you Think More and Think Effectively:

1. Take a Walk. Every once in a while, stroll alone. Be it the Mall, a Park. or just the High Street. Have no agenda, no friends, no nothing. Just you, yourself and 40 minutes of just allowing your mind to wander where ever it wants to.

2. The Write way to Think. Visit a cafe alone. It’s one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercise you can do during a stressful day. Don’t take a book with you. And for Heaven’s sake don’t lug that laptop. However do take a notebook (once again not the laptop kind, but the old fashioned one with paper in them) with you. And liberally list out, whatever thought occurs to you. It might be something that you need to do today. It might be some strong hostility that you are feeling towards someone, whatever it is just keep that pen scratching that paper. While you are scribbling stuff out, build the thoughts already put on paper. So for example if you have put down the anger you feel towards somebody, think, why is it that you feel this anger? Put that answer down. Next you may consider, what is it that you can do about the situation, well then put down your options. The Rule here is not to write all this out neatly in calligraphic style but more about the quality of the answer as well as the speed in getting those thoughts down real fast. Keep at it, and an hour later of this thinking and you will emerge a much more focused, confident, stronger You.

3. Think about the Purpose of your Life.

This is my all-time favourite question. I just can’t get enough of it. Me and Ali are always thinking on this question.
Think on Why you are here? What’s the meaning of it all?
Think what is it that will give you the greatest fulfilment, meaning, satisfaction and happiness right now?
Then Think what is it that you need to do to today to move closer towards experiencing that fulfilment and meaning?
Think, How would you be leading your life if you had just six more months to live?

5. Think long term Goals.
Where do you see yourself 2 to 3 years from now?
Where do you see yourself in your Professional Life? In your Career. Any new skills that you feel you should add to your arsenal that would be essential a couple of years from now? Any new experience that you should go through?
What about goals for your family life? For your Children? Skills that they should be acquiring now, that they’ll thank you for a decade later? (On that note, read this post on Six Wonderful Skills that I am glad I picked up after School.)
What about any new hobbies that you’ve been thinking of acquiring but haven’t got round to? Some sport that you always wanted to play or some classes that you wanted to attend?

6. Think through your short term projects
If you are already in sync with your long term goals but it’s the out come of your Short Term Projects that are bothering you, take time to think through them. A Project is any activity that takes more than one step to complete. Projects could include getting your child to School, changing something that’s bothering you in your car, or getting a car, or getting that report out at work, all of these activities have more than one step to it. Take time to make a list of all the projects that you are currently handling and what do you next need to do about them.

7. Think of the different roles you are playing in your Life.
Think through the different roles that you play in your life. Your role as a Father or Mother, your role at work as an Executive or an Administrtor, your role as a Husband and Wife. How are you doing in these roles? What changes would you like to bring?

8. Think about habits, thoughts processes that you want to acquire and change.
This is another thing that I’m thinking about constantly. Think about how you are thinking. Are you mostly negative? Beating yourself up all the time? Regretting on how the Past should have been and Worrying how the future will turn out? You know you have complete control on your thoughts. You choose what to think all the time. A little bit of reflection and you can choose to think differently.

Similar take time to reflect on your Habits. What habits you’re proud of and like to keep. Feel good about those and pat yourself on your back. Now what are those that can be done away with or can be changed? Make a note of it, and pick any one habit to start working on.

9. Think of the wonderful creation that our world is.
A Quote from Hadith-e-Muffadal:

The sky is like a canopy; the earth is spread like a carpet, while the stars set in stratum upon stratum, appear as lamps alight in their places. The gems are treasured as if the house has lots of collections. Besides these, everything is readily available to meet individual needs. Man, in this world, is like the masterful owner of the house, having in his possession everything therein.

And there exist the different plant species available for meeting; individual needs – some as fodder for the animals, others as drugs for human beings; some merely for ornaments, some to supply fragrance to man for his recreation; some as drugs for animals, some as nutriment for man; some for birds only and others for the quadrupeds alone and so on. Different species of animals have been allotted functions for particular exigencies and interest.

10. And most importantly, Think of the Poverty, Oppression that’s there in the World today. What can you do about it? What ARE you doing about it?

We are the luckiest people that ever lived; we have abundantly and manifestly the capacity to address human problems if we care.
It is a matter of vision and courage and compassion.- RAMSEY CLARK, former United States Attorney General.

Watch your thoughts,
they become your actions,

watch your actions,
they become your habits

watch your habits,
they become your character,

watch your character,
it becomes your destiny.
~ Anonymous

Source :  http://www.vakil.org/tag/quotes/

Assalamu-Alaikum and Greetings  !

In the past, we posted an article that covered the last sermon of the prophet (S) that he delivered in Makkah. Today, you can read the first sermon that the prophet (S) delivered after he had arrived in Quba / Al-Madinah from Makkah but before he built his mosque in Al-Madinah.

You can read the sermon both in Arabic and English in the article that is posted below.

Although the sermon is not that long, to ensure that you get the most of it, read it multiple times and note the prophet’s (S) important messages that are equally valid and applicable today.

Also, if you are not regularly following IqraSense.com’s daily updates on FaceBook, you can click on a link below to read them. You will be able to see the many Duas and other messages from the Quran and hadith. As a number of them are in image format, you can save those images on your computer and E-mail them to others if you like to share them with others.

To get those regular updates, “LIKE” IqraSense on FaceBook.

Click on the links below to read the first sermon of the prophet in Al-Madinah and the many short Islamic messages posted on FaceBook. As always, please share widely and let others learn from these posts as well!

Click here to read the prophet’s (S) first sermon in

The following is a sermon that is mentioned in ibn Al-Qayyim’s famous book Zad Al-Ma’ad (Provisions of the hereafter). This book is one of the important resources of knowledge for those who seek to know the Seerah of their Prophet (S.A.W.S.) as well as, the Fiqh learned from it. This is a book that is unique in that it explains the Sunnah through the Seerah and the Seerah through the Sunnah.

This sermon was delivered when he first arrived in Quba / Al-Madinah and before he (S.A.W.S.) built his mosque in Al-Madinah.

Ibn Ishaq reported on the authority of ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn Ka’b Ibn
Malik that he said (part of the narration): “After the Messenger of Allah arrived in Al-Madinah and he stayed In Quba’ on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and he built their mosque, then he left on Friday and time for Friday prayer overtook him in the land of Banu Salim Ibn ‘Awf, and so he prayed it In the mosque which was in the middle of the valley before the building of his mosque.

Ibn Ishaq said: “It was the first sermon which he delivered; according to Abu Salamah Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahman – and we seek refuge with Allah from attributing to him anything which he did not say – he stood up among them and praised Allah and extolled Him, then he said:

Read more :Click here to read the prophet’s (S) first sermon in Al-Madinah

 
]]> http://seasonsali.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/prophet-muhammads-s-first-sermon-in-madinah/feed/ 0 seasonsali bimillah assalamuallikum http://seasonsali.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/how-caesar-examined-the-prophet/ http://seasonsali.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/how-caesar-examined-the-prophet/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:12 +0000 S.E.A.Mohamed Ali. "nidurali" http://seasonsali.com/?p=3032 ]]> The Prophet wrote to the Caesar of the Byzantine Empire, inviting him to Islam, sending a letter to him with Dihya al-Kalbi. The Prophet directed him to present the letter to the governor of Busra, who would forward it to Caesar.

When God had relieved him of the Persian armies, Caesar walked from Emesa [in central Syria] to Jerusalem, out of gratitude to God for having inured him to trial. So when the letter of the Prophet reached him, Caesar read it and said, “Look for someone from his people around here, so that I may ask about this Messenger of God.”

Now, it happened that Abu Sufyan was then in Syria with some men from the Quraish tribe who had come on business during the truce that then existed between the Prophet and the disbelievers of the Quraish.

Click  HERE to read more.

by mail from IslamiCity Bulletin

Allaah the Most High said, “…And eat and drink and be not excessive (therein)…” (al-A’raaf 7:31)

Ibn Katheer commented upon this verse:

One of the Salaf said: Allaah has combined the entirety of medicine (at-tibb) in half a verse, “And eat and drink and be not excessive…”

Al-Qurtubi commented upon this verse, after mentioning that excessive eating is makrooh (disliked), he mentions the benefits of eating little:

… In eating little there are many benefits. From them that a man becomes of sounder body, of better memory, purer in understanding, (requiring) less sleep, and lighter in (his) soul…

Then he mentioned the harms of eating excessively:

… and in eating much there is the overstuffing of the stomach and putrefaction of undigested food, and from this the variety of diseases are produced, and thus he requires treatment more than what the one who eats little requires. Some of the physicians said, “The greatest treatment (dawaa’) is (appropriate) estimation of (one’s) food (intake).” And the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has explained this meaning sufficiently and completely which does away with the speech of the physicians, so he said, “The son of Aadam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Aadam to take enough morsels of food to keep his back straight (keep him able-bodied). And if it is necessary, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath.”…

Then a little later al-Qurtubi says:

And it is mentioned that (the caliph) ar-Rasheed used to have a shrewd Christian physician who said to Alee bin Hasan, “There is not in your Book (the Qur’aan) anything of the knowledge of medicine, and knowledge of is of two types, knowledge of the religions and knowledge of the bodies.” So he said to him, “Allaah has combined all of medicine in half a verse in our Book.” So he said, “What is it?” He said, “The saying of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic: And eat and drink and be not excessive.”…

And Imaam ad-Dhahabi in his book “at-Tibb an-Nabawi” (p. 34-35) says:

The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “The son of Aadam does not fill a container worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Aadam to take enough morsels of food to keep his back straight (keep him able-bodied). And if it is necessary, then a third for his food, a third for his drink, and a third for his breath.” This was reported by an-Nasaa’ee and at-Tirmidhee, who said, “Hasan Saheeh” … and this is one from the aspects of preserving health.Alee bin Hasan said: “And Allah, the Sublime and Exalted has combined the whole of medicine in (just) half a verse, so He, the Most High said, “And eat and drink and be not excessive…”

He is Alee bin al-Hasan bin Shaqeeq bin Muhammad bin Deenar bin Mush’ab, Abu Abdur-Rahman al-’Eedee al-Marwazi (d. 215H), the Imaam, the Haafidh, the Shaykh of Khurasaan, he came to Baghdad and narrated from the likes of Ibrahim bin Tahman, Abdullaah Ibn al-Mubaarak, Sufyaan bin Uyainah and others, and Ahmad bin Hanbal, Yahya bin Ma’een and others narrated from him, and his ahaadeeth are in the Six Books. He was a haafidh of a great amount of knowledge, and a haafidh of many books, including the Tawraat and Injeel and he debated the Jews and Christians. His biography can be found in all the major books of Rijaal.

And you can refer to an earlier article on the same subject, from the words of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, as well as this article from the speech of Ibn al-Qayyim.

Source : http://www.healthymuslim.com/articles/fnkaf-allaah-has-combined-all-of-medicine-at-tibb-in-half-a-verse-of-the-quraan.cfm

Amid the confusion, the chaos and the pain
A man emerged and Muhammad was his name
And walking with nothing but Allah as his aid
And the mark of a prophet between his shoulder blades
In a cave in mount hira, the revelation came
Read o Muhammad, read in Allah’s name
May the blessings of Allah be on al-mustafaa (the selected one)
None besides him could have been al-mujtabaa (the chosen one)

Muhammad, peace be upon his soul
The greatest of prophets, Islam was his only goal
Muhammad, salla Allahu ‘ alayhi wa sallam
From among all the prophets, Muhammad was the last
As his was a mission of the greatest task
There was only moral degeneration
People clung to idol adoration
For all nations, he was al-mukhtaar (the preferred one)
So was he praised by Allah, al-ghaffaar
The bearer of glad tidings, al-basheer
Leading into light, as-seeraj-al-muneer (lamp of Radiance)

In handling the wicked, he had the best of skill
He pacified with tolerance and goodwill
The best of morals he aimed to attain
All he accomplished through suffering and pain
Reviving imaan as almuthakkir (the reminder)
He is known in the qur’aan as al-mud-dath-thir (covered up)
Only he was given the honour of miraaj
Unique was this glory to Muhammad asseeraj (the lamp)

He was ad daee ill Allah hil azheem
All hadi elaa seerauteem mustakeem
His mission complete, his held in great esteem
Allah praised him as bil-khuluqil azeem
May the blessings of Allah be on mustafaa
None besides him could have been al-mujtabaa
So perfect were his morals, so justly did he rule
Darkness had vanished and the word was full of noor

Balagha lula bikamalihi
Kashafa dduja bijamalihi
Hasunat jami u khisalihi
Sallu alayhi wa alihi

Muhammad, peace be upon his soul,
The greatest of Prophets, Islam was his only goal.

2. Dates:
The Prophet (SAW) said that a house without dates has no food. It should also be eaten at the time of childbirth.

3. Figs:
It is a fruit from paradise and a cure for piles.

4. Grapes:
The Prophet (SAW) was very fond of grapes – it purifies the blood, provides vigour and health, strengthens the kidneys and clears the bowels.

5. Honey:
Considered the best remedy for diarrhoea when mixed in hot water. It is the food of foods, drink of drinks and drug of drugs. It is used for creating appetite, strengthening the stomach, eliminating phlegm; as a meat preservative, hair conditioner, eye soother and mouthwash. It is extremely beneficial in the morning in warm water.

6. Melon:
The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon will fail to produce off spring that is good in countenance and good in character.’

7. Milk:
The Prophet (SAW) said that milk wipes away heat from the heart just as the finger wipes away sweat from the brow. It strengthens the back, improved the brain, renews vision and drives away forgetfulness.

8. Mushroom:
The Prophet (SAW) said that mushroom is a good cure for the eyes; it also serves as a form of birth control and arrests paralysis.

9. Olive Oil
Excellent treatment for skin and hair, delays old age, and treats inflammation of the stomach.

10. Pomegranate:
The Prophet (SAW) said it cleanses you of Satan and evil aspirations for 40 days.

11. Vinegar:
A food Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to eat with olive oil. [That's now a fashion in elite Italian Restaurants]

12. Water:
The Prophet (SAW) said the best drink in this world is water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps, gulping produces sickness of the liver.

Source: Pakistan Daily

http://www.whymuhammad.com/fr/contents.aspx?aid=5640

We live in societies where there is an overload of “what a woman must do for her husband”. The information in itself is Islamc but it turns harmful when it is not balanced with information about what a husband must and can do for his wife – men forget, society lets them and society consists of both men and women. Such lingo and talk need a more important and prominent place in our daily lives. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Advice to Husbands, From a Husband
By: Sherif MohammedI start my advice to the couples by talking about World War II, The British military and the Egyptian desert! One of the most decisive battles of WWII was the battle of El Alamein, which took place at El Alamein in Northern Egypt on the summer of 1942. It is well known that the Germans had occupied North Africa and advanced into Egypt. They were hoping to take control of the Suez Canal, then occupy the oil fields in Iraq and Iran, then attack the Soviet Union from the south, etc. The British were determined never to let any of that happen, so they summoned their best soldier, General Bernard Montgomery and mustered an enormous force to stop the German relentless advance. It was a big battle. The German dreams were shattered, the British won, and so many soldiers died and were buried in the desert of El Alamein.

What concerns us here is not what happened next to the British or the Germans. What concerns us now is that after the war, the families of the soldiers who died in El Alamein came to visit their graves. Some of them left few words inscribed on the tombstones of their loved ones buried there. School children in Egypt sometimes go on trips to the site of the battle of El Alamein and read the words written on the different tombstones. Among these are the words inscribed by a young English woman who came to visit her husband’s grave. She wrote: “To the world, you were just a soldier. But to me, you were the whole world”

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 her. During the day, she will be with you, if for a moment she is not with you, physically, 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 dreams. In short, she will be your whole world and you will be her whole world.

The best description that I personally have ever read describing the closeness of the spouses to each other, is the Quranic verse which says: “They are your garments and you are their garments”

Indeed, spouses are like garments to each other because they provide one another with the protection, the comfort, the cover, the support, and the adornment that garments provide to humans. Just imagine a journey in the winter of Alaska without garments! Our spouses provide us with the same level of comfort and protection, cover and support in the journey of our lives on this earth as garments would do in the Alaska journey.

The relationship between the spouses is the most amazing of all human relations: the amount of love and affection, intimacy and closeness, mercy and compassion, peace and tranquility that fills the hearts of the spouses is simply inexplicable. The only rational explanation for these most amazing of all human feelings is that: it is an act of God. Only God Almighty in His infinite power, boundless mercy, and great wisdom can create and ingrain these amazing feelings in the hearts of the spouses. In fact, God is reminding those who search for His signs in the universe, that these feelings in the hearts of the spouses are among the signs that should guide humans to His existence.

As He says in the Quran: “And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquility with them and He has put love and mercy between your hearts: verily in that are signs for those who reflect.”

But the human heart is not a static entity, it is very dynamic. Feelings can and do change with time. Love may wither and fade away. The marital bond might weaken if not properly cared for. Happiness in marriage cannot be taken for granted; continuous happiness requires constant iving from both sides. For the tree of marital love to remain alive and keep growing, the soil has to be sustained, maintained, and nurtured. Therefore, here are a few tips on how to keep the tree growing:

In our world, we live a hectic life surrounded by tight schedules and bombarded by deadlines. For couples, this means that you might not find anytime to spend together, alone away from the endless work commitments. You must never allow this to happen. Try to periodically secure some time for do some special activities alone away from the rest of the world. Remember that our Prophet Muhammad (saws) had found the time to go out to the desert and race with his wife Aisha (ra). She outstripped him but later after she had gained some weight, he outstripped her.

Do go out with her regularly and frequently to do all sorts of activities: go to the mall, visit family and friends, go to the mosque, have picnics, etc. Remember that the Prophet (saws) took his wife to watch the young Ethiopians playing and dancing their folk dances.

Always keep some romance in your life. Modern life has almost transformed us into robots or high tech machines without emotions. Show of emotions is necessary to keep the marital bond away from rusting and disintegrating. Remember, that you will be rewarded by God for any emotions you show to your wife. As the Prophet (saws) said:

“One would be rewarded for anything that he does seeking the pleasure of God even the food that he puts in the mouth of his wife”. Never underestimate the importance of seemingly little things as putting food in your wife’s mouth, opening the car’s door for her, etc. Remember that the Prophet (saws) used to extend his knee to his wife to help her ride her camel…Try to always find some time for both of you to pray together.

Strengthening the bond between you and God is the best guarantee that your own marital bond would always remain strong. Having peace with God will always result in having more peace at home. Remember that the Prophet (saws) gave glad tidings for those couples who wake up at night to pray together. The Prophet (saws) even urged the spouse who rises up first to wake the other spouse up even by throwing cold water on his/her face.

Always try your best to be good to your wife by words and by deeds. Talk to her, smile to her, seek her advice, ask for her opinion, spend quality time with her and always remember that the Prophet (saws) said “the best of you are those who are best to their wives”

Finally, it is common that spouses vow to love and honor their spouses until death do them part. I do believe that this vow is good or even great, but not enough! It is not enough that you love your wife. You have to love what she loves as well. Her family, her loved ones must also become your loved ones. Don’t be like my colleague who was unhappy about his wife’s parents coming to visit for few weeks. He candidly said to her “I don’t like your parents.” Naturally she angrily looked at him straight in the eye and said ” I don’t like yours either!”

Also, it is not enough that you love her until death do you part. Love should never end and we do believe there is life after death where those who did righteousness in this world will be joined by their spouses and offspring. The best example in this regard is the Prophet (saws) whose love for Khadija (ra) his wife of 25 years, extended to include all those she loved and continued even after her death. It was many years after her death and he never forgot her and whenever a goat was slaughtered in his house he would send parts of it to Khadija’s friends and whenever he felt that the visitor on the door might be Khadija’s sister Hala, he would pray saying “O Allah let it be Hala.”

Love your wife and love what your wife loves not only until death but until you be together again in the next life Insha-Allah.

http://www.themodernreligion.com/women/w_advicehusband.html