|
Friday Talks |
 |
|
169 |
|
Friday Talks |
|
|
169 |
|
|
|
||
Being Straight Praise be to Allah
Written by:
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa.
22 Shawal 1436
08 February 2015
All thanks be to Allah, we ask His help and His forgiveness. We repent to Him and with Him we fortify ourselves against the evil of our deeds and the evil within us. This who is guided by Allah will not be led astray, and this who is misguided by Allah will find no one else to guide him. I testify that there is no other God but Allah; the one and only who has no partners, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. Allah’s prayers and peace may be upon him and all his companions and family.
All you who have faith, you slaves of Allah, fear Allah. For this that fears Allah, then Allah shields and protects him/her, and will guide him/her to the better matters in his faith and life.
You who have faith, slaves of Allah, There is a worship which is of a great importance and a high status and which is loved by Allah and is easy to do for a person, and which has a great reward from the Almighty. It weighs heavily in the scale on the day of resurrection. That worship is: praise of Allah.
Praise of Allah, dear slaves of Allah, is a glorified worship and a great deed of obedience. Much evidence is found in the messenger’s teachings to this effect. The messenger ppbu said: {the most loved of all words to Allah are four: Praise be to Him, Thanks be to Him, No other God but Him, and Allah is the Greatest}.
)ÓÈÍÇä Çááå æÇáÍãÏ ááå æáÇ Åáå ÅáÇ Çááå æÇááå ÃßÈÑ(
Praise of God was repeated over eighty times in the Quran in many varying forms and situations. This is an indication of the importance of God praising and of its high status and dignified ranking.
Praising of Allah is a worship, which is light and easy on the tong; and yet it weighs heavily on the scale. The messenger ppbu said: {There are two words, which are light on the tong, heavy on the scale, loved by the Most Gracious: Praise and thanks be to Allah, praise to the Almighty}.
People of faith, God praise is the worship of the entire creation. All creatures praise Allah may He be exalted. Allah says: {the seven heavens and the earth and all that is within them praise Him. There is not a thing but praises Him by giving thanks to Him, but you do not comprehend their praise, He is ever tolerant and Lenient and Forgiving} 17:44.
People of faith; giving praise to Allah is the worship of the people of paradise. We ask Allah to honour us by making us among those who will enter paradise. People of paradise will be inspired to praise; just as a person is inspired to breath. Allah’s praise is uttered repeatedly in such a way, which does not cause them any difficulty or effort. In fact, it will cause them pleasure. It will be more pleasing than tasting food and drink. Allah says: {their calls or prayers within it (in paradise) is: glory and praise be to You Allah, and their greeting is: peace; and the conclusion of their prayer will be: All thanks be to Allah the Lord of the worlds} 10:10
You who have faith, praise of Allah is an elevated form of worship. In fact, it is considered a solid foundation upon which the knowledge of a slave about his God is built. One of the greater bases that knowledge of God is established through placing God beyond any inviolabilities and elevating Him beyond any imperfection or giving Him any similarities to any of the creations. Allah says: {Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Majesty, from that which they attribute (unto Him) (180) And peace be unto those who were sent (to warn). (181) And thanks be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! (182)} 37:180-182.
One of the names or attributes of our God is (ÇáÓõÈñæÍ) Sobbooh that means: who is elevated beyond any imperfection, defects, or shortfalls. When praying, the messenger ppbu used to say while kneeling down prostrating (or doing Sujood): {the most Perfect, the most Holy, the Lord of all angels and Lord of the holy spirit (Gebreil)}. And the messenger ppbu used to say during bowing (Rokoo): {praise be to the Almighty Allah}
Slaves of Allah, doing praise and doing a lot of it will save you from many difficulties and many troubles. Allah says: {and if not because he used to be amongst those who praised God then he would have stayed in his stomach (stomach of the whale) up to the day they are resurrected} 37:143-144. The messenger ppbu said: {the prayer of Thee-Noon (Ðí Çáäøæä) is: “No other God but you, All praise be to You, I have transgressed”. If said by anyone who is in any sort of trouble then Allah will clear his/her trouble}.
A slave can achieve that Allah Himself and His angels will say prayers upon the slave if the slave does a lot of remembering and a lot of praise of Allah. Allah says: {You who have faith remember Allah a lot, and praise Him morning and evening. It is He and His angels who say prayers upon you in order to bring you out of darkness to light} 33:41-43.
Slaves of Allah; there is much evidence pointing to the great status of praising of Allah. The messenger ppbu was asked: what words are most loved by Allah? He said: {It is what Allah selected for His angels and slaves: praise and thanks be to Allah}.
The messenger ppbu said: {Whoever says: Praise and thanks be to Allah in one day a hundred times then all his/her sins will be taken away of him/her even if he had so much sin as the foam in the sea}.
The messenger ppbu also said: {whoever says: Praise and thanks be to Allah then a tree (date tree) is planted for him/her in paradise}.
The messenger ppbu one day said to his companions: {is it so difficult for one of you to earn a thousand point of good deeds (hasanas) in a day? Praise Allah a hundred times, you either get a thousand point of good deeds (hassanas), or you get a thousand sins wiped off}.
Praise is also a cause, which makes your prayers be answered. The messenger ppbu said: {if a person wakes up at night or could not sleep, then if he/she says: There is only one God, the one and only who Has no partners. All belongs to Him, and all thanks are to Him, and He is capable of all things. All thanks be to Allah, praise be to Allah, and No other God beside Allah, and Allah is the greatest. No power or might except with or through Allah. O Allah, forgive me. Then if he/she makes a duaa or a prayer then it will be answered. And if he makes a wash (or does a wudu) and makes a prayer then his/her prayer will be accepted}
Praise of God cleanses sin accumulated during chatting in a gathering. If you were in chat and there was much talk with sin, then praise Allah. The messenger ppbu said: {Whoever was in group and he did much talk, but before he/she left the group said: “Praise be to You Allah, and all thanks be to You. I testify that no other God except You, I ask Your forgiveness and I repent to You” then all that was said during the chat would be forgiven}.
Grace and benefits due to praise of God are unlimited. So let us, slaves of Allah say plenty of praise to Allah, and give much thanks to Allah, and say a lot of compliments to Allah.
We ask Allah the Almighty to make us amongst His slaves that praise Him, and those who remember Him, and those who give thanks to Him.
I say all this and I ask Allah forgiveness for me and for all Muslims from all sin. Ask Him for forgiveness, He is the most forgiving the Most Merciful.
All thanks be to Allah who is so great with His kindness, great with His grace and generosity. And I testify that there is no other God but Allah, the one and only with no partners. And I testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. Allah’s prayers and peace may be upon him and all his companions and family.
You who have faith, may Allah protect you. The good one of Allah’s slaves is this who saves for himself and works for what is to come after death. And the disabled one is that who follows the temptations of his soul, and just kept on wishing that he would find with God what will remains just as wishes. The praise of Allah that is guaranteed to have multiple returns of reward.
One day the messenger ppbu early in the morning left his wife Jowairiah ben Alharith (ÌæíÑíÉ ÈäÊ ÇáÍÇÑË) mother of the faithful may Allah be pleased with her. She was sitting at her prayer place. He came back after he did his fajr prayer, then he returned again in the mid-morning and she was still sitting where she prayed. He said: {You are still as I left you. Since I left you, I said the four words three times. If they were weighed against all that, you said since dawn today; then they would outweigh it all}.
Here are the words of the praise: “Praise and thanks be to Allah as much as the number of creatures He created, and as much as it would take to obtain His satisfaction, and as much as the weight of His thrown, and as long as His words can stretch”. This was the praise said by the messenger and he repeated three times. Try to say this praise three times on the morning and three times in the evening.
Notes:
Adhan - The call to prayer.
- The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
- is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Aya (or Ayah):
- is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)
Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh - Religious law.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.
Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman: belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.
Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."
Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.
Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.
Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.
Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.
Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam- Fasting
Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Surah - A chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.
Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor - The Psalms
Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
