Dua Sabah - Supplication showing Allah's mercy on us.

Make a Dua for Yourself and Others!

Definition of Dua:
Du'a is a supplication in Islam, an Arabic term which means to 'call out' or to 'summon'. ...

Consider this Hadeeth of the prophet (SAWS): The Prophet (saws) said:

Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is not present, an angel will say ‘and same to you.’

Dear brothers and sisters: Trials, tribulations and challenges are part of every person’s life. However, to counter that, Allah has provided us a very powerful tool – and that is the tool of du’a or asking Allah for help and his mercy when we need it. And we need it all the time…. Equally importantly, we forget at times that Allah has also provided us the opportunity to dramatically increase the effectiveness of our own Dua’s by encouraging us to make dua’s for other brothers and sisters in Islam. Consider this Hadith by the Prophet (saws):

“The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for another in his absence.”

And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, (i.e. believe in My Oneness (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation)…………..” (Quran: 40: 60)

The Prophet (saws) has said in a Hadith narrated by Abu Huraira: Make Dua and be assured of being answered, and know that Allah does not answer a Dua from a careless heart which is not concentrating.

It is mustahabb for you to ask Allaah for what you need by name, using whatever simple words and phrases Allaah enables you to say. Islam-qa.com

It is very important that you Not  just rely on others to make a Du’a for you. You must ALWAYS ask Allah for yourself and ask Him directly when praying and at other times prescribed in the Sunnah.


              Download 101 Dua's-Click Here


   Darud-e-Ibrahim- Click Here

   Dua-e-Qunoot- Click Here

   Dua-e-safar- Click Here
  
   Dua for Sickness- Click Here

   Dua for Cureness- Click Here

   Dua for Protection- Click Here

   Dua for Memorizing- Click Here

   Dua for Health- Click Here

   Dua for safeness from Black Magic- Click Here

   Dua when Entering the Toilet- Click Here

   Dua to get 7 Rewards form ALLAH- Click Here

   Best Time for Dua- Click Here

   Dua on Friday- Click Here

   Dua of Shukran- Click Here

   Learn How to perform Salah- Click Here

   Learn 40 Basic Hadiths- Click Here

Respect for Parents in Islam.

Islam has great respect to parents during their lifetime and thereafter through giving them exceptional rights, Allah ordains believers in Qura’n to be kind to their parents. [And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age (while) with you, say not to them (so much as) “uff” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up (when I was) small.] (Qura’n 17:23-24). Allah decreed good treatment towards parents during their lifetime, warned us against any dreadful treatment to them, and ordered us to make supplications for them during their life and after their death. Allah ordained us to be more kind to our parents during their old age because at this age they are weaker and they are in need of especial treatment.

Almighty Allah regarded kindness to parents just beneath worshipping Him due to its importance but he puts more emphasis on mothers in Qura’n. [And we have enjoined upon man (care) for his parents. His mother carried him, (increasing her) in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in tow years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the (final) destination] (Qura’n 31:14). A man asked the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him: [who amongst his near ones had the greatest right over him. The Prophet replied: “your mother”. He asked, “Then who is next? The Prophet replied: “your mother”. He again asked, “Then who is next? The Prophet Mohammad (SAW)replied: “your mother”. He asked, “Then who is next? The Prophet Mohammad(SAW) replied: “your father”] (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim). Kindness to the mother is the way to Paradise. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said [Paradise is at the feet of mothers] (Narrated by Al-Nisai, Ibn Majah and Ahmad). The mother has three times more rights upon her kids than that of the father for different reasons. First, she carries her baby in her womb for nine months, delivers him, and nurses him for tow years. She has to pass these phases with critical suffering at the expense of her health and beauty. Second, she is weaker than the father.

Kindness to parents is the most loved deed by Allah after the prayer. This means that Allah gives a great reward for those who respect their parents. Abdullah bin Mas’ud (a companion of the Prophet Mohammad(SAW)) asked the Prophet [which of the deeds is best loved by Allah? The Prophet answered “The prayer at the proper time.” I asked, “What is next?” The Prophet replied “Kindness to the parents”…..]. (Narrated by Al-Bukari and Muslim). Parents are the gates of Paradise and mothers are keys of its gates. The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said [A parent is the gates of Paradise; so if you wish, keep to the gate, or lose it] (Narrated by At-Termedhi and Ibn Majah). Therefore, when you please your parents you please Allah and get the biggest reward (Paradise) in the hereafter.

The loser is the person who finds his parents or one of them at old age and does not enter Paradise: The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said [May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced, who finds his parents, one or both, approaching old age and does not enter Jannah(Paradise)] (Narrated by Muslim). Respect to parents not only a way to Paradise in the hereafter but also a way to success in this life. The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said [He who desires that he be granted more provision and his life be prolonged, should join ties with his blood relatives] (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).

Allah has prohibited any word of contempt or bad treatment toward parents: [Whether one or both of them reach old age (while) with you, say not to them (so much as) “uff” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word] (Qura’n 17:23-24). In fact impiety or disobedience to a parent is one of the major sins that lead to Hell. The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said [Among the major sins are: Association of anybody with Allah (polytheism), disobedience to parents, killing a person, and taking a false oath (perjury)] (Narrated by Bukari). Also he said, [Allah forbids all of you to disobey your mothers] (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim). Therefore, the respect of parents is the second best deed after worshipping Allah and mistreatment of parents is the second major sin after polytheism.

Respect towards parents continues even after their death. A man asked the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him [Is there any thing, I can now do in benevolence towards my parents after their death? The Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him answered: “Yes, by praying for them and soliciting (Allah’s) mercy and forgiveness towards them, fulfilling their promises and undertakings, doing kindness to those who may be related to you through them, and respecting their friends.] (Narated by Abu Daoud). Sons and daughters can perform good deeds such as supplication, pilgrimage to Makkah, and charity for their parents after their death. Also the rights of parents upon their sons continue after the son’s death. Parents get a share from the inheritance of their sons depending on whether their sons have children or not. The share is higher when their sons have no children as Qura’n states [And for one’s parents, to each one of them is a sixth of his estate if he left children, but if had no children and the parents (alone) inherit from him, then for his mother is one third] (Qura’n 4:11).

The warm relations between Muslim parents and their sons and daughters are with deep respect and always amaze Westerners. People in the world celebrate the Mother Day once a year while Muslims consider all days of the year as parent’s days. Praise be to Allah the Most Merciful and with His Mercy we respect our Parents.

Best Times to make Du'a:

 



There are certain times dua (supplication) is more likely to be accepted by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) as mentioned by Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). These times are as follows:
 

1. The Last Third Of The Night

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'In the last third of every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)) descends to the lowermost heaven and says; "Who is calling Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking Me so that may I grant him? Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?."'
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Qudsi]

Amr ibn Absah narrated that the Prophet said: 'The closest any worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night, so if you can be amongst those who remember Allah at that time, then do so.'
[at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, al-Hakim - Sahih] 

2. Late at night

When people are sleeping and busy with worldly pleasures Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) gives the believers an opportunity, or an answer hour if they can fight sleep and invoke Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) for whatever they need.

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'There is at night an hour, no Muslim happens to be asking Allah any matter of this world or the Hereafter, except that he will be given it, and this (occurs) every night.'
[Muslim #757] 

3. Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'A supplication made between the Adhan and Iqama is not rejected.'
[Ahmad, abu Dawud #521, at-Tirmidhi #212, Sahih al-Jami #3408, an-Nasai and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (sound)] 

4. An Hour On Friday

Narrated Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu): Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) talked about Friday and said:
'There is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala), then Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) will definitely meet his demand.' And he (the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his hands.
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

Some have said that this hour is from the time the Imam (prayer’s leader) enters the mosque on Friday’s prayer until the prayer is over (ie between the two khutbahs), whereas others have said that it is the last hour of the day (ie after the Asr prayer until the Maghrib prayer).
(Note: when we say an hour here we do not mean the hour everyone knows (60 minutes) but an unspecified period of time because the time counters which we use today came after the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had died.  

5. While Drinking Zamzam Water

Jaber (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'Zamzam water is for what it is drunk for.'
[Ahmad 3: 357 and Ibn Majah #3062]

This means that when you drink Zamzam water you may ask Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) for anything you like to gain or benefit from this water such as healing from illness.... etc.  

6. While Prostrating

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), said:
'The nearest a slave can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke (supplicate) Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) much in it.
[Muslim, abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i and others, Sahih al-Jami #1175]

When a Muslim is in his Salat (prayer) he is facing Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and when he prostrates he is the nearest he can be to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) so it is best to invoke Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) at this time.
It is said that while in prostration, one should not ask for worldy needs (ie a nice car, a new job, etc), but for the Hereafter.  

7. When Waking Up at Night

Narrated Ubada Bin As-Samit that Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'Whomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku, wa lahul hamdu, wa huwa ala kulli shai'in qadir. Alhamdu lillahi, wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahu, wallah akbir, wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) He is the only one who has no partners. His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) All the glories are for Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) and then says, Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah! Forgive me) or invokes Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala),
he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer), his Salat (prayer) will be accepted.
[Sahih al-Bukhari] 

8. At The End Of The Obligatory Salat:

Narrated Abu Omamah (radiAllahu anhu): that Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was asked, O Messenger of Allah, which supplication is heard (by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala), he said the end of the night and at the end of the obligatory Salat (prayer)
[at-Tirmidhi]

This time is after saying 'At-tahyat' , and before making Tasleem (finishing prayer)  

9. The Night Of 'Qadr' (Decree)

This night is the greatest night of the year. This is the night which the almighty Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) said about it, "The night of Al-Qadar (Decree) is better than a thousand months."
[Surah al-Qadr, 97: 3]

The Night of Decree is one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of the blessed month of Ramadan. The angels descend down to the earth, and the earth is overwhelmed with peace and serenity until the break of dawn and when he doors of Paradise are opened, the worshipper is encouraged to turn to Allah to ask for his needs for this world and the Hereafter.  

10. During The Rain

Narrated Sahel Ibn Sa'ad (radiAllahu anhu): that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'Two will not be rejected, Supplication when the Adhan (call of prayer) is being called, and at the time of the rain'.
[Al-Hakim 2: 114, and Abu Dawud #2540, ibn Majah]

'Seek the response to your du'as when the armies meet, and the prayer is called, and when rain falls'
[reported by Imam al-Shafi' in al-Umm, al-Sahihah #1469]

The time of the rain is a time of mercy from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) so, one should take advantage of this time when Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is having mercy on His slaves.  

11. At the Adhan

'Seek the response to your du'as when the armies meet, and the prayer is called, and when rain falls'
[reported by Imam al-Shafi' in al-Umm, al-Sahihah #1469]

In another hadith; 'When the prayer is called, the doors of the skies are opened, and the du'a is answered'
[al-Tayalisi in his Musnad #2106, al-Sahihah #1413] 

12. The One Who Is Suffering Injustice and Opression

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said to Mua'ad Ibn Jabal (radiAllahu anhu), 'Beware of the supplication of the unjustly treated, because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)'
[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) declared,
'Three men whose dua is never rejected (by Allah) are: the fasting person until he breaks his fast (in another narration, when he breaks fast), the just ruler and the one who is oppressed.'
[Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan]

In another hadith; The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) declared:
'Three du'as are surely answered: The du'a of the oppressed, the du'a of the traveler, and the du'a of the father/mother (upon their child)'

The One who is suffering injustice is heard by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) when he invokes Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) to retain his rights from the unjust one or oppressor. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has sworn to help the one who is suffering from injustice sooner or later as the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said.  

13. The Traveler

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said; Three supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)), the supplication of the parent for his child, the supplication of the one who is fasting, and the supplication of the traveler.
[al-Bayhaqi, at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

During travel supplication is heard by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) if the trip is for a good reason, but if the trip is for a bad intention or to perform illegal things (making sins) this will not apply to it.  

14. The Parent's Supplication for their Child

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said; Three supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)), the supplication of the parent for his child, the supplication of the one who is fasting, and the supplication of the traveler.
[al-Bayhaqi, at-Tirmidhi - Sahih] 

15. Dua after praising Allah and giving salat on the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) in the tashahhud at the end of salat.

Narrated Faddalah ibn Ubayd (radiAllahu anhu): that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'When anyone of you makes du'a, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), then let him pray for whatever he wants'
[abu Dawud #1481, at-Tirmidhi #3477]

In another hadith; Baqiy ibn Mukhallid (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'Every du'a is not responded to until one sends blessings upon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'
[al-Bayhaqi]

In another hadith; Umar (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'Du'a is detained between the heavens and the earth and no part of it is taken up until you send blessings upon your Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'
[at-Tirmidhi #486]

After a person has finished his tashahhud and before saying the 'salam', supplication at this time is one likely to be responded to.
Ibn Mas'ud narrates: I was once praying, and the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), Abu Bakr and Umar (were all present). When I sat down (in the final tashahhud), I praised Allah, then sent salams on the Prophet, then started praying for myself. At this, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'Ask, and you shall be given it! Ask, and you shall be given it!'
[at-Tirmidhi #593 - hasan, Mishkat al-Misbah #931] 

16. The dua of a Muslim for his absent brother or sister Muslim stemming from the heart.

The prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'There is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say, 'the same be for you''
[Muslim] 

17. Dua on the Day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'The best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafat'.
[at-Tirmidhi and Malik]

The day of Arafat is the essence and pinnacle of Hajj. On this great and momentous day, millions of worshippers gather together on one plain, from every corner of the world, with only one purpose in mind - to respone to the call of their Creator. During this auspicious day, Allah does not refuse the requests of His worshippers.  

18. Dua during the month of Ramadan

Ramadan is month full of many blessings, thus the du'a of Ramadan is a blessed one. This can be inferred from the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) saying:
'When Ramadan comes, the Doors of Mercy (another narration says Paradise) are opened, and the doors of Hell are closed, and the Sahitans are locked up'
Thus, it is clear that du'a during Ramadan has a greater chance of being accepted, as the Gates of Paradise and Mercy are opened.
[Sahih al-Bukhari #1899, Muslim #1079 and others] 

19. Dua when the Armies meet

When the Muslim is facing the enemy in battle, at this critical period, the du'a of a worshipper is accepted.

Sahl ibn Sa'd (radiAllahu anhu) narrtaed the the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'Two duas are never rejected, or rarely rejected: the du'a during the call for prayer, and the du'a during the clamity when the two armies attack each other'
[abu Dawud #2540, ibn Majah, al-Hakim]

In another narration: 'Seek the response to your du'as when the armies meet, and the prayer is called, and when rain falls'
[reported by Imam al-Shafi' in al-Umm, al-Sahihah #1469] 

20. When Muslims gather for the purpose of invoking and remembering Allah (Dhikrullah).

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
If a group of people sit together remembering Allah, the angels will circle them, mercy will shroud them, peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Him.
[Muslim] 

21. First Ten days of Dhul-Hijjah

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'There are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than during these ten days'
[Sahih al-Bukhai #969 and others] 

22. Dua when the heart reaches out to Allah and is ready to be totally sincere

 

23. At Midnight

Abu Umamah (radiAllahu anhu) said, the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was questioned; 'Which du'a is heard (by Allah)?' He answered,
'At midnight and at the end of every obligatory prayer.'
[at-Tirmidhi - Hasan] 

25. Dua of people after the death of a person

In a long hadith, Umm Salamah (radiAllahu anha) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, when Abu Salamah had just passed away, and had closed his eyes,
'Do not ask for yourselves anything but good, for the angels will say 'Ameen' to all that you ask for. O Allah, forgive Abu Salamah, and raise his ranks among those who are guided.'
[Muslim, abu Dawud, Ahmad] 

26. Dua of the one fasting until he breaks his fast.

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said; Three supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)), the supplication of the parent for his child, the supplication of the one who is fasting, and the supplication of the traveler.
[al-Bayhaqi, at-Tirmidhi - Sahih] 

27. Dua of the one fasting at the time of breaking fast

The prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) declared,
'Three men whose dua is never rejected (by Allah) are: when a fasting person breaks fast (in another narration, the fasting person until he breaks his fast), the just ruler and the one who is oppressed.'
[Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan] 

29. Dua of a just Ruler

The prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) declared,
'Three men whose dua is never rejected (by Allah) are: the fasting person until he breaks his fast (in another narration, when he breaks fast), the just ruler and the one who is oppressed.'
[Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan] 

30. Dua of a son or daughter obedient to his or her parents

It is well known in the story narrated in hadith os three men who were trapped by a huge stone in a cave. One of them who was kind to kis parents asked Allah to remove the stone, and his du'a was answered.
[Sahih al-Bukhari 3:36 #472] 

31. Dua immediately after wudu

Umar ibn Al-Khattab reported that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'There is not one of you that makes wudu, and does it perfectly, then says: I testify that there is no diety worthy of worship except Allah. he is Alone, having no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger', except that the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, and he can enter into it through whichever one he pleases'
[Muslim #234, abu Dawud #162, Ahmad, an-Nasa'i]
Saying what has been mentioned in the hadith that is directly related to it (ablution)  

32. Dua after stoning the Jamarat at Hajj

The stoning of the small Shaitan (jamrat sugra), or the middle Shaitan (jamrat wusta) pillars during Hajj.
It is narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would stone the small Jamarah (one of the three pillars that is stoned in the last days of Hajj), then face the qiblah, raise his hands, and make du'a for a long time. He would then stone the middle Jamarah and do the same. When he stoned the large Jamarah, he would depart without making any du'a.
[Sahih al-Bukhari #1753 and others]  

33. At the Crowing of a Rooster

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'When you hear a rooster crowing, then ask Allah for His bounties, for it has seen an angel, and when you hear a donkey braying, then seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, for it has seen a Shaitan'
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Sahih al-Jami #611] 
34. Du'a made inside the Ka'bah

The Ka'bah is a sanctuary that has no comparison in the entire world. The du'a of one who prays inside the hijr is considered as being made inside the ka'bah, as it is part of the house (Baitullah). [This is the semicircle to the right of the Ka'bah if you face the door, opposite to the Yemeni corner and the Black stone wall.]

Usamah ibn Zayd narrated, 'When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) entered the House (Ka'bah), he made du'a in all of its corners
[Muslim 2: 968 and others] 

35. Du'a on the mount of Safa or Marwah during Umrah or Hajj

It is narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would make long du'as at Safa and Marwah.
[Muslim #1218 and others] 
37. While reciting Surah al-Fatihah

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that Allah the Exalted had said:
' I have divided the prayer into two halves between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. When the servant says: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High says: My servant has praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful, Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me. When he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of Judgment, He remarks: My servant has glorified Me, and sometimes He will say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. When he (the worshipper) says: Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help, He (Allah) says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshipper) says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou hast been Gracious -- not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those who have gone astray, He (Allah) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for.
[Muslim 4: 395] 

38. Saying 'Ameen' during prayer

After finishing the recitation of al-Fatihah, the saying of'Ameen' in congregation.
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'When the Imam says 'Ameen', then recite it behinds]   him (as well), because whoever's Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels will have all of his sins forgiven.'
[Sahih al-Bukhari #780, Muslim #410 and other

39. While visiting the sick, and dua made by the sick

Umm Salamah narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'When you visit the sick, or the dead then say good, because the angels say 'Ameen' to whatever you say
[Muslim #2126]

Ali (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
'When a Muslim visits his sick Muslim brother in the morning, seventy thousand angels make dua for his forgiveness till the evening. And when he visits him in the evening, seventy thousand angels make dua for his forgiveness till the morning, and he will be granted a garden for it in Jannah.'
[at-Tirmidhi, abu Dawud]

Everything has its polish and the polish of hearts is Dhikrullah.

                What is Dhikr?
Dhikr is mentioned in many places in the Holy Qur'an, and in most verses. It is also mentioned in numerous ahadith. Dhikr literally means Remembrance, mentioning, and recollection, to rehearse, to celebrate or commemorate, and in our context, the Remembrance of Allah. It includes tasbih (glorifying), takbir (exalting), tahmid (praising), proclaiming one’s helplessness and destitution before Him in prayer and supplication, and praising and praying upon the Prophet (SAW).

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has commanded us to remember him always.
"Remember me, I shall remember you." [surah al-Baqarah; 2:152].
Dhikr Islam is made up of Islam, Iman and Ihsan. Dhikr can encompass all these areas. Since it involves all forms of worship to our Creator. Our duty is to worship Allah (Ta'ala), and so any thought or action, even if just waking up early in the morning, can form part of the dhikrullah.

The idea behind Dhikr is the Remembrance of Allah. It is to purify our hearts and souls and uplift our spirits. All words of praise and glory to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala), whether spoken out loud, or silently in one's heart, are known as dhikr. When people do dhikr, their hearts turn to the highest ideals and are free from the temptations of sin. If one continues to keep the remembrance of Allah in one's heart day and night, the human soul is strengthened. It is food for the soul, and a polish of the heart, so invigorates it. And with an invigorated soul it becomes easy to overcome one's base instincts, overcoming the nufs, and to vanquish the Devil. Thus one is able more easily to avoid sins and the good deeds increase. Obviously this is true only if the words come from the heart and not just from the tongue.

Dhikr has the ability to awaken a peron's soul. It cleanses the heart from all else but Allah and increases His love in the heart. And so, one is able to come closer and closer to their Maker.

Dhikr, being imital or verbal remembrance of Allah is so consoling, pleasant and such an easy form of worship that one can perform it continuously at all times and with great benefit. It is known that the sahabiyaat had tongues filled with continuous dhikr, that they would have to bite their tongues while relieving themselves to stop themselves from making Dhikr!
A man once complained to the Prophet(SAW) , "The laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow," the Prophet, peace be upon him, told him, "Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of Allah."
It doesnt have any prescribed timings, such as salah, or fasting, and this only adds to easiness. From the small three year old child; reciting adhkar (pl. du'a) before going to sleep, to the Old man reciting the beautiful Names of Allah (Ta'ala) during the day. Both being dhikr.

Our weekly routines demand much time and effort. Every new day brings old challenges and the work never ends. If its not school, University, or work, then its the homework, exams, or bills. It is only too easy to become swept away with the dunya and become devoid of any upliftment for the soul, and as a result have hardened hearts.

Making dhikr is a simple act when you consider all of the ways to do it. Sitting down facing the Ka'ba, in deep contemplation, with a tasbih, is one way, however, there are an infinite number of ways. As you are walking down the street, just repeat to yourself, Subhan’Allah! Perhaps when you are going to start your automobile, as you turn the key, say Bismillah. As you are shopping, repeat Allahu Akbar, to yourself. The point is to attempt to be more conscious of Allah (Ta'ala), to bring Him to mind.

Invoking and calling upon Allah (Ta'ala) will bring forth His favors. One who remembers Him even while going about his or her daily affairs and pre-occupations will find all obstacles removed in both this world and the next. His company will always be felt, and He will befriend one left alone and in need of friendship. If one remembers and mentions Him during times of ease and comfort, His Mercy will reach one during times of trouble and pain.

The Prophet(SAW) said "Everything has a polish, which takes away rust. The polish of the heart is dhikr." A peron's heart is susceptable to becoming hard. This hardness can only be softened by the remembrance of Allah. One who is devoid of dhikr and remembrance of Allah, becomes dry and stiff and as lifeless as a dried up leaf. If you step on it, it will crumble into pieces, but if you moisten it, it will revive, and become invigorated.

May Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) make us among the Dhaakireen (those who remember him); those most fortunate servants who oft engage in His dhikr, and among those who have tranquil, peaceful hearts.
Ameen.



The meaning of Dhikr

What is the precise meaning of 'dhikr'? What is its scope and what does it entail? Does it simply involve certain utterances of the tongue, like Subhanallah (I glorify Allah's absolute perfection), Alhamdu lillah (All praise be to Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah) and the recitation of some other selected verses of the Qur'an, or is there more to it?

Of course, such utterances of the tongue and recitation of verses of the Qur'an are important. In fact they are very important forms of dhikr for, indeed, the best forms of remembrance are those that involve both the heart and the tongue. You must understand, however, that the scope of dhikr is considerably wider.

Dhikr must not only be felt by the heart and uttered with the tongue, but must also affect and effect amal salih, or good deeds. Significantly, Ibn al-Qayyim suggests that dhikr encompasses 'any and every particular moment when you are thinking, saying or doing things which Allah likes: Hence, if your conversation is filled with the words of God, this is dhikr and if all your actions are in accordance with His will, this is dhikr. Indeed Allah commends that we remember Him while standing, sitting and even while reclining. This is only possible if dhikr embraces every single aspect of life. Consider for example the following verse of the Qur'an where dhikr is emphasised in both Prayer and business activity:

O Believers, when the call to Payer is sounded on the Day of Congregation, hasten to Allah's remembrance and leave all worldly commerce. This a for your own good, if you but knew . And when the Prayer it finished then disperse through the land, and seek of the bounty of Allah; and remember Allah frequently that you may prosper.
[Surah al-Jumuah 62:9-10]

Attending the Salat al-jumuah, listening to the khutbah or sermon and performing the congregational Prayer are all well known as forms of dhikr. But in our worldly pursuits as well we are urged to remember Allah even more often.

We may thus conclude, that attending to your personal needs, earning a livelihood and spending on your family are all forms of dhikr. But of course, they can only be dhikr if, alongside with the relevant adhkar or supplications in the heart and on the tongue, they are done in obedience to Allah, for His pleasure, to attain Jannah. Otherwise, as the Qur'an warns us, far from being dhikr, they may have the opposite effect:

Let not your worldly possessions and your children make you neglectful of Allah's remembrance. But spend in the way of Allah.
[Surah al-Munafiqun 63:9-10.]

 
           Dhikr - Remembrance of Allah!

The shepherd was approached by a lone traveler in the desert. "I am hungry and have ran out of food. Could I milk one of your sheep?" The shepherd replied that he was not the owner of the sheep and could not let anyone milk them without the owner's permission. The owner would surely notice it and would not like it. The traveler had an idea. "Why don't you sell one of them to me. When the owner asks, you can tell him that a wolf killed it. Wolves attack the herds all the time. I'll satisfy my hunger. You'll get the money. We'll both profit." The shepherd strongly refused saying: "But what about Allah!" Strangely, the traveler was pleased to hear that. "As long as there are people like you in this ummah, wolves won't kill the lambs," he said.

The shepherd was, of course, not aware that he was talking to the Ameer-ul-Momineen, Umar, Radi-Allahu unhu, who kept his finger on the pulse of his ummah. It was the spontaneous, natural reaction of a believer who remembered Allah. And the comment came from the person who knew the value of that remembrance. Today we find wolves killing the lambs everywhere. Corruption has become common place in most parts of the Muslim world. Why? Because most of us have moved away from that remembrance that was the protection against sin and corruption!

The journey of life is beautifully described in the Qur'an as a constant toil, at the end of which we are going to meet our Creator.

"O mankind, Verily you are ever toiling on towards your Lord --painfully toiling-- and you shall meet Him." [Inshiqaq 84:6].

The person who remembers Allah, then, is the person who keeps his eyes on his destination. The journey is arduous. The distractions are many. Satan and our own desires are constantly trying to steer us away from our goal. But the stakes are extremely high. And a vigilant and wise person will never lose sight of his destination. Such is the person who remembers Allah all the time.

"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding-- men who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides." [Aal-e-Imran, 3:190-191].

This remembrance or dhikr is itself the source of strength for the believer. According to one hadith qudsi, Allah says: "I am with my servant as long as he remembers Me."

It is for this reason that a distinction is made between other ritual acts of worship, and dhikr. We are not required to engage in the former excessively. In fact we are cautioned against that possibility. But we are asked to perform dhikr profusely -- keeping our heart and tongue busy in that remembrance -- all the time. We simply cannot overdo it. In fact Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "Those who enter paradise will not be sorry for anything they did in this life, except the moments they spent without the remembrance of Allah."

But how can we remember Allah when we cannot see Him and cannot even visualize His Person? There are two answers. First, we look at His creations, for the creation reminds one of the Creator. The verses of Aal-e-Imran quoted above mention this, as do numerous other verses throughout the Qur'an. The more we look at the grand design of the universe, the more we are reminded of the Designer. How many forces must come together with perfect coordination before a seed can sprout? What keeps this immensely complex and constantly expanding universe work so flawlessly? From the simplest to the most complex things there are pointers to the Creator on every square inch of this universe. In fact the Arabic word for the universe (alam) comes from the root ilm or knowledge, because this universe is the means of knowing the Creator.

Unfortunately the tragedy that occurred when the Western civilization took the lead in science, was that this connection was severed. As the Qur'an mentions:

"And how many Signs in the heavens and the earth do they pass by? Yet they turn their faces away from them." [Yusuf, 12:105].

For the Muslim scientists today, a prime task must be to remove this ignorant delinking. It is a sign of wisdom that a person looks at the universe and says Subhan-Allah, Glory be to Allah.

Second, we recall Allah's blessings on us. The fact is that we cannot fully encompass the blessings of a single moment in our life. Right now somebody is reading these lines. We take the act for granted and think nothing of it. But let us pause and reflect on it. The eyes have to be working for us to recognize the printed characters. The brain has to be working for us to translate the images of characters we see on paper into meaningful statements that they stand for. We need peace of mind to reflect on it. We need available time to even begin the process. None of these is of our own making.

Most of us are lucky enough to get food everyday. Again, we just take it for granted. But let us reflect on the process of production of food materials; cooking and preparation of our meals; and its consumption and digestion by our body -- and we may begin to realize the blessings that we are receiving in one bite of the simplest food we may eat! It is a sign of wisdom that a person realizes all this and says Alhamdulillah, Praise be to Allah.

Subhan'Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, these are some of the forms of dhikr of Allah. To pronounce them is dhikr by the tongue. To understand and reflect on them is dhikr by heart. Both forms are highly desirable and they reinforce each other. Repetition by the tongue engraves the words in the heart. Understanding and reflection brings life to the spoken words. Together, they help us keep our eyes on our destination through the journey of life. They help us develop and strengthen our relationship with Allah, thereby bringing peace of mind and protecting us from the evil temptations. And we can hope that a person who always remembered that he has to meet with Allah will not be disappointed when that time comes.

The unlettered shepherd was a greater man of understanding than the "greatest great" who does not remember Allah. If only we can understand.


 
Miftah al-Falah (The Key to Success)
On Dhikr .

Dhikr is a fire which does not stay or spread – so if it enters a house saying, "Me and nothing other than me," which is one of the meanings of "la ilaha illa'llah' (There is no god but Allah), and there is firewood in the house, it burns it up and it becomes fire. If there is darkness in the house, it becomes light. If there is light in the house, it becomes 'light upon light'.

Dhikr expels from the body impure substances produced by excess in eating or from the consumption of unlawful food. As for food which is lawful, it does not touch it. So the harmful components are burned up and the good components remain.

Dhikr is heard by every part as if it were blowing on a trumpet. When dhikr first occurs in the head, the sound of trumpets and cymbals is experienced there. Dhikr is a sultan – when it descends in a place, it descends with its trumpets and cymbals because dhikr is opposed to all that is other than the Truth. When it descends in a place, it occupies itself with negating what is contrary to the Truth, as we find in the union of water and fire. After these sounds, different sounds are heard: like the ripple of water, the sound of the wind, the sound of fire when it is kindled, the sounds of galloping of horses, and the sound of leaves of the trees rustling in the wind.

This is because man is a combination of every noble and low substance: dust, water, fire, air and earth, and heaven and earth and what is between them: these sounds issue from every source and element of these substances. Whoever has heard these sounds in dhikr praises Allah and glorifies Him with his entire tongue. This is the result of the dhikr with the tongue with the force of complete absorption. Perhaps the worshipper will reach the state where, if he falls silent from dhikr, the heart will stir in his breast, like the movement of the child in the womb, seeking dhikr.

Some say that he heart is like 'Isa, the son of Mary, peace be upon him, and dhikr is its milk. When it grows and becomes strong, longing for the Truth audibly springs from it and pangs of yearning craving for dhikr and the One invoked. The dhikr of the heart is like the sound of the bee, neither a confused high noise nor a very low hidden sound. When the One invoked takes possession of the heart and the dhikr is obliterated and vanishes, and the invoker does not pay attention to the dhikr nor to the heart. If during this, he notices the dhikr or the heart, that is a distracting veil.

This is state is annihilation (fana') – and it is that man is annihilated in respect to his self (nafs), and he feels nothing in his limbs nor things outside of him or things inside of him. If, during that, it occurs to him that he is totally annihilated in respect to himself, that then is a blemish and turbidity. Perfection is that he be annihilated to himself and to annihilation, and the annihilation of annihilation is the goal of annihilation. Annihilation is the earliest of the Path (Tariq) since it is travelling towards Allah Almighty, and then guidance follows. By guidance I mean the guidance of Allah as the Prophet Ibrahim said, "I am going to my Lord, and He will guide me." (37:99)

This absorption is seldom stable and rarely continues. If the invoker continues, it becomes a fixed habit and a permanent state by which he may ascend to the celestial world. Then the purest real Being emerges and he is imprinted with nature of the invisible world (malakut) and the holiness of Divinity (lahut) is manifested to him. The first thing manifested to him from that world are the essences of the angels and the spirits of the Prophets and saints in beautiful forms through which some of the realities overflow onto him. That is the beginning. This continues until his degree is higher than forms and he encounters the Truth in everything with clarity.

This is the fruit of the core of dhikr. Its beginning is only the dhikr of the tongue; and then the dhikr of the heart is stimulated. Then the dhikr becomes natural; and then the One invoked takes possession and the invoker is obliterated. This is the inner secret of the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "Whoever wish to abide in the Garden of Paradise should invoke Allah much" and the secret of his words "Hidden dhikr is seventy times preferable to dhikr which is heard by listeners."

The sign of dhikr moving to the inner conscience (sirr) is the absence of the invoker from dhikr and the One invoked, and the dhikr of the inner conscience is frantic thirst and drowning in it.

Among its signs is that when you ceasing doing dhikr, it does not leave you, and the ascendancy of dhikr in you stirs you from absence to presence.

Among its signs is that dhikr presses against your heads and limbs so that they seem as if they were bound with shackles and chains.

Among its signs is that its fires do not abate and its light does not depart. Rather you always see its lights rising and descending while the fires around you are pure, aflame and brightly burning. When dhikr reaches the inner conscience when the invoker falls silent from dhikr, it is as if needles had been thrust through his tongue or as if his entire face were a tongue invoking, light pouring from it.

Subtle point: Know that every dhikr which you heart feels is heart by listeners, if their awareness match your awareness. There is a secret in it: when your dhikr vanishes from your awareness since you have departed to the One invoked, your dhikr vanishes altogether from the awareness of listeners.

Subtle point: The dhikr of the letters is without the presence of the dhikr of the tongue. The dhikr of the presence in the heart is the dhikr of the heart; and the dhikr of absence from presence with the One Invoked is the dhikr of the inner conscience (sirr), and it is hidden dhikr.

                   
Time for Repentance (Tawbah) 

The Prophet Muhammad once said:

"Allah extends His Hand at night so that He can forgive the sinner of the day; He extends His Hand in the day so that He can forgive the sinner of the night. He will continue to do so until the sun rises from the West (the Day of Judgment)"
[Muslim]

In another Hadith the Prophet said, "Allah accepts the Repentance (Tawbah) of His servant as long as he does not croak (on his death bed)" )"
[at-Tirmidhi]
i.e. until just before his last moment, when he knows that he has to repent any way.Once he advised his Companions: "People! Repent towards Allah and ask Him to forgive you. For I repent a hundred times a day!" [Muslim]

Imam Raghib al-Isfihani mentions the following three benefits of a sincere Tawbah (repentance) in Adh-Dhari'ah:

It patches up your faults and identifies the devil's points of entry to the human heart. This makes the repenting person more aware of evil around him or her.

You, the repenting person, become embarrassed and are thus overcome with fear. You approach the door of your Merciful Lord with humbleness and apprehension.

Since you have experienced both the good and bad aspects of this life, and have tasted its sweet and bitter fruits, you become more sympathetic towards other sinners, and do not look down upon them.

                                                              Bismillah!                                                                    
 
                 Bismil'lahirrahman'nirraheem.

بِسمَ اللَّهِ الرَّحمَن الرَّحِيم
   
Every good action or deed should be started with reciting Bismillah

Below are quoted some Authentic Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)
regarding Bismillah - In the name of Allah: 


Saying Bismillah Is Recommended Before Eating:

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Say Bismillah, eat with your right hand and eat what is in front of you."

[Bukhari 7/88, Muslim 2/207, Ahmad 17/92,
Muwatta Malik 10/32 and Ibn Majah 1/557]


When Drinking Water:

Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Do not drink in one gulp like a camel, but in two or three [Gulps]. Mention the Name of Allah when you start drinking and praise Him after you have finished [Drinking].''

[Fath al-Bari 12/197 and Al-Trimidhi]


At The Beginning Of Ablution:

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Make Wudu [Ablution] in the name of Allah"

[An-Nasai 1/11 and Ibn Khuzaimah 1/84]


Before Having S-xual Intercourse with one's wife:

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "If anyone of you, when having sexual intercourse with his wife, says: In the name of Allah. O Allah! Protect us from Satan and also protect what you grant us [i.e. Coming offspring] from Satan and if it is destined that they should have a child, then Satan willnever be able to harm him."

[Sahih Bukhari 7/94 and Sahih Muslim 2/1058]


When Entering The House:

Jabir (radiAllahu anhu) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) saying, "If a person mentions the Name of Allah upon entering his house or eating, Satan says, addressing his followers: `You will find
no where to spend the night and no dinner.' But if he enters without mentioning the Name of Allah, Satan says [To his followers]; 'You have found [A place] to spend the night in, and if he does not mention the Name of Allah at the time of eating, Satan says: `You have found [A place] to spend the night in as well as food."

[Sahih Muslim 2/206]


When Leaving The House:

The Messenger Of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "If anyone of you when leaving the house says In the name of Allah, I trust in Allah, there is no power and might except from Allah. Your needs shall be fulfilled, you shall be saved from difficulties and hardships. Shaitaan hearing these words leaves him."

[Al-Trimidhi 2/493]

 
When Slaughtering An Animal:

Anas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) sacrificed two horned rams of white color with black markings over them. He also stated: I saw him sacrificing them with his own hand and saw him placing his foot on their sides, and recited in the name of Allah and Glorified Him [Bismillah Allahu Akbar]

[Sahih al-Bukhari 7/133, Muslim 2/181, Abu Dawud 3/230, An-Nasai 7/231, Al-Trimidhi 5/76, Ibn Majah 2120]

 
When Fighting For The Cause Of Allah:

The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah"

[Sahih Muslim 2/69]


Before Entering The Toilet:

The Prophet Of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said "When you enter the toilet you should say, In the Name of Allah, I seek protection in you from unclean spirits, male and female."
[Abu Dawud 4/264, Ahmad 2/389 and Fath Al-Bari 1/254]


Recommended Because It Causes Humiliation To The Shaitan:

Abul Malih (radiAllahu anhu) said: I was riding on a mount behind the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). It stumbled. Thereupon I said: May the devil perish! He said: Do not say: May the devil perish! For if you say that, he will swell so much so that he will be like a house, and say: By my power. But say Bismillah for when you say that, he will diminish so much so that he will be like a fly.
[An-Nasai 6/142, Ahmad 5/59 and Abu Dawud 4946]


Recommended When Night Falls:

Allah's Apostle (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "When night falls stop your children from going out, for the devils spread out at that time. But when an hour of the night has passed, release them and close the doors and mention Allah's Name, for Satan does not open a closed door.
Tie the mouth of your water-skin and mention Allah's Name; cover your containers and utensils and mention Allah's Name. Cover them even by placing something across it, and extinguish your lamps. "

[Sahih al-Bukhari 7/527 and Abu Dawud 3722]


When Placing The Body Of The Deceased In The Grave:

The Prophet of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "When you are lowering the deceased in the grave you should say In the name of Allah and in accordance to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah."

[Ahmad 8/58 and Al-Hakim 1/366]


The Virtues Of Saying Bismillah:

Uthman bin Abu al-As Al-Thaqafi (radiAllahu anhu) reported that he made a complaint of pain to Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) that he felt in his body at the time he had become Muslim.
Thereupon Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: Place your hand at the place where you feel pain in your body and say in the name of Allah three times and seven times I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that I find and that I fear.

[Muslim 2/280]


When Writing A Letter Bismillah Should Also Be Written:

Abu Sufyan (radiAllahu anhu) said that the contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, [This letter is] from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your peasants."

[Bukhari 4/191, Muslim 2/91, Al-Trimidhi 7/500]


[Queen Sheba] said O chief! Surely an honorable letter has been delivered to me Surely it is from Sulaiman, and surely it is in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

[Al-Quran, Surah Al-Naml, Ayahs 29-30]
                 
                    
                    


 



 

The science in Dhikr . 

This article will examine the scientific proofs supporting the effects that dhikr has on the human brain.

What is the brain itself?   All the activity of the brain is nothing but bio-electrical activity in several distinct parts of it, amongst various sets of neurons (cellular groups) where each are assigned a specific duty, functioning as a whole. Each and everyday 14 million neurons that make up the brain, are in constant interaction with 16 billion neighbouring neurons. All our activities and our understanding, that is all the functioning of the brain is the result of countless bio-electrical flows, are brought to existence in these sets of neurons occurring as a result of these interactions.

Now, when dhikr is practised you continuously repeat a given name of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) a specific number of times and therefore reflecting a meaning that belongs to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) During the repetition of dhikr, certain regions of the brain are engaged and become active. There occurs a bio-electrical flow in those neural groups of the brain. After that task is performed repeatedly (as you repeat on the same name or a group of names) the neural activity increases, and so does the bioelectrical energy. In turn, this overflows and new sets of neurons are put to work and so, some other regions of the brain become active. Therefore the brain begins to expand. The brain starts to bring out new meanings, perspectives and commentaries which it had not previously used before the practice of dhikr. It is opening to receive the Truth. So just think what the effect that dhikr has on the heart to receive Truth!

Clearly the whole brain is a centre of interpretation. Clearly there exists no picture, no sound inside the brain. To achieve a state of consciousness (i.e. heedful to Allah's (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) commands) we must use our brains to enter reality and the more we become conscious, the more benefits we will attain, insha'Allah.


The findings of complementary laboratory tests may be found in the 'Scientific American', December 1993:

Complementary findings were described this year by investigators at Washington University and which have emerged through PET scans of humans. PET measures neural activity indirectly. In the experiments, volunteers were provided with a list of nouns. They were required to read the nouns one-by-one and to propose for each noun - a related verb. When the subjects first did this task, several distinct parts of the brain, including parts of the prefrontal and cinulate cortex, displayed increased neural activity. But if the volunteers repeated the task with the same list of words several times, the brain activity shifted to different regions. When a fresh list of nouns were given to them, the neural activity increased and shifted back to the first regions again.

PET Scans completed at Washington University show certain regions of the brain engaged as a subject reads a list of nouns and suggests related verbs. Different regions become active after the first task is performed repeatedly with the same list. The original areas of the brain re-engage when the subject is given another list.

Thus we see even Western science is waking up to the benefits of dhikr which was understood by Muslims many centuries ago without scientific evidence and research to provide proof.

The History of the Qur'an.

In this Book, the Holy Prophet's(SAW) life, the history of the Arabs and the events which occurred during the period of the revelation of the Qur'an have not been mingled with the Divine Verses, as is the case with the Bible. The Qur'an is the pure word of God. Not one word therein is not divine. Not a single word has been deleted from its text. The Book has been handed down to our age in its complete and original form since the time of Prophet Muhammad.

From the time the Book began to be revealed, the Holy Prophet had dictated its text to the scribes. Whenever some Divine Message was revealed, the Holy Prophet would call a scribe and dictate its words to him. The written text was then read out to the Holy Prophet, who, having satisfied himself that the scribe has committed no error of recording, would put the manuscript in safe custody.

The Blessed Prophet used to instruct the scribe about the sequence in which a revealed message was to be placed in a particular Surah (chapter). In this manner, the Holy Prophet continued to arrange the text of the Quran in systematic order till the end of the chain of revelations. Again, it was ordained from the beginning of Islam that a recitation of the Qur'an must be an integral part of worship. Hence the illustrious Companions would commit the Divine verses to memory as soon as they were revealed. Many of them learned the whole text and a far larger number had memorized different portions of it.



Method of preservations of the Qur'an during the Prophet's time:

 Besides, those of the Companions (radiAllahu anhum) who were literate used to keep a written record of several portions of the Holy Qur'an. In this manner, the text of the Holy Qur'an had been preserved in four different ways during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him):


• a) The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had the whole text of the Divine Messages from the beginning to the end committed to writing by the scribes of revelations.
• b) Many of the Companions learned the whole text of the Quran, every syllable of it, by heart.
• c) All the illustrious Companions, without an exception, had memorized at least some portions of the Holy Qur'an, for the simple reason that it was obligatory for them to recite it during worship. An estimate of the number of the illustrious Companions may be obtained from the fact that one hundred and forty thousands Companions had participated in the Last Pilgrimage performed by the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).
• d) A considerable number of the literate Companions kept a private record of the text of the Qur'an and satisfied themselves as to the purity of their record by reading it out to the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).

Method of preservations of the Quran after the demise of the Prophet:

 It is an incontrovertible historical truth that the text of the Holy Qur'an extant today is, syllable for syllable, exactly the same as the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had offered to the world as the Word of God.
After the demise of the Holy Prophet, the first Caliph Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) assembled all the Huffaz and the written records of the Holy Qur'an and with their help had the whole text written in Book form.

In the time of Uthman (radiAllahu anhu) copies of this original version were made and officially dispatched to the Capitals of the Islamic World. Two Of these copies exist in the world today, one in Istanbul and the other in Tashkent. Whosoever is so inclined may compare any printed text of the Holy Qur'an with those two copies, he shall find no variation. And how can one expect any discrepancy, when there have existed several million Huffaz in every generation since the time of the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and in our own time? Should anyone alter a syllable of the original text of the Qur'an, these Huffaz would at once expose the mistake.

In the last century, an Institute of Munich University in Germany collected FORTY-TWO THOUSAND copies of the Holy Qur'an including manuscripts and printed texts produced in each period in the various parts of the Islamic World.
Research work was carried out on these texts for half a century, at the end of which the researchers concluded that apart from copying mistakes, there was no discrepancy in the text of these forty-two thousand copies, even though they belonged to the period between the 1st Century Hijra to 14th Century Hijrah and had been procured from all parts of the world. This Institute, alas! perished in the bombing attacks on Germany during World War II, but the findings of its research project survived.
,br> Another point that must be kept in view is that the word in which the Qur'an was revealed is a living language in our own time. It is still current as the mother tongue of about a hundred million people from Iraq to Morocco. In the non-Arab world too, hundreds of thousands of people study and teach this language.

The grammar of the Arabic language, its lexicon, its phonetic system and its phraseology, have remained intact for fourteen hundred years.

A modern Arabic-speaking person can comprehend the Holy Qur'an with as much proficiency as did the Arabs of fourteen centuries ago. This, then, is an important attribute of Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), which is shared by no other Prophet or Leader of Religion. The Book which God revealed to Him for the guidance of mankind is today's in its original language without the slightest alteration in its vocabulary.

 

Benefits of Learning the Qur'an!

The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it.
- Muhammad
salAllahu alayhi wa salam 

 
These references are narrated in the Hadith. For reasons of brevity, only the following summary and reference of each Hadith is mentioned instead of the entire Hadith.

 
1. Whoever recites the Qur'an well and clearly is equal in rank to the Angels who record creation's deeds. These Angels are gracious, honorable and of lofty rank. He who finds difficulty in reciting the Qur'an will obtain a double reward.
[Bukhari, Muslim].

2. A person whose breast is devoid of the Qur'an (i.e. has not learnt anything of the Qur'an Majeed) is like a desolate house.
[at-Tirmidhi].

3. A person who recites one letter of the Qur'an, obtains one virtue; each virtue multiplies to ten virtues. I am not saying that (ALM) is one letter. But, Alif is one letter; Laam is one letter and Meem is one letter.
[at-Tirmidhi, Darimi].

4. On the day of Resurrection a crown of such brilliance will be placed on the heads of the parents of one who learnt the Qur'an and practiced on its laws, that its glitter will outshine the brilliance of the sun which penetrates your houses. What then do you think will be the position of the one who himself learnt the Qur'an and acted in accordance with it?  
[Ahmad, abu Dawud].

5. Whoever recites the Qur'an, memorizes it, accepts its halal (lawful things) as halal and haram (forbidden things) as haram (i.e. his beliefs in these matters are correct), Allah, the Exalted, will enter him to Paradise and accept his intercession on behalf of ten such persons of his family upon whom entry into Hell has become incumbent (i.e. Allah will forgive them because of his intercession)."
[Ahmad, Tirmidhi, ibn Majah, Darimi].

6. Continue reciting the Qur'an because on the Day of Qiyamah it will appear as an intercessor for the reciter.  
[Muslim].

 7. Whoever listens to even a single ayat (being recited by another person) obtains such a virtue which perpetually multiplies (it increases in merit continuously). The one who recited the ayat will on the Day of Resurrection find the recited ayat in the form of a Noor (which will be of greater value and significance than the virtue which accrued to the one who had listened to the recitation).
[Ahmad].

8. The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it.  
[Bukhari].

9. On the Day of Resurrection the Qur'an will petition Allah to cloak the one who had recited it with garments of honor and respect. A crown of honor will then be placed on the head of the reciter. The Qur'an will then petition Allah to shower His pleasure on the reciter. Allah will then become pleased with him. The reciter will then be asked to recite the Qur'an, thereby attaining higher ranks of elevation. In reward for each ayat a virtue will accrue to him.  
[at-Tirmidhi, ibn Khuzaimah].

10. Continue climbing (higher and higher in rank) with your recitation in the same way as you recited with care and concern on earth. Your abode (of residing) is located (at that rank attained) with the last ayat recited.  
[Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, ibn Majah, ibn Habban].

Tilawa(Recitation) of the Qur'an

The most important nourishment for the Qalb(Heart) or heart is the Qur'an. Those who lived in the time of the Prophet received their training and inspiration from the Qur'an. It was their guide, their light and their leader. Likewise, it must be your constant companion.

The Qur'an contains a treasure house of soul-stirring inspiration and wisdom. We can and should spend hours in understanding the Qur'an. There are thousands of pages of tafsir or Quranic exegesis to read. But we must know that the real test of benefiting from the Quran lies somewhere else. The Qur'an says that when people really listen to it, their faith must increase:

Believers are those who, when God is mentioned, feel a tremor in their heart, and whenever His Messages are conveyed to them their faith is strengthened.
[Surah al-Anfal 8: 2.]

Where there is a fire, there is smoke. If the 'fire' of iman has been lit inside the heart, there must be smoke, and you will see that those who truly listen to the Qur'an, their eyes begin to well up with tears which trickle down their cheeks.

Nowadays, when we listen to the Qur'an or read it, our hearts are not moved, nor do our lives change. It is as if water is felling on a rock and flowing away. Our task is to replace this hard rock with soft absorbent soil so that the Qur'an may nourish the seed that has been planted. We should always study the Qur'an as if it is being revealed to us today. One of the greatest injustices we do to the Qur'an is that we read it as if it were something of the past and of no relevance to the present.

Remember that the whole purpose of the man is to guide you and to change you by bringing you into submission to Allah. As you read it, also try to live by what it invites you to. If it does not have any impact upon your actions and if you do not observe what it enjoins and avoid what it prohibits, then you are not getting anywhere nearer the Qur'an. In fact, one who reads the Qur'an and does not try to act upon it may be more likely to be cursed and punished by Allah. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:

Many of the hypocrites in my Ummah(Humanity) will be from among the reciters.

He is not a Believer in the Qur'an who makes halal or lawful what has been made haram or prohibited. [at-Tirmidhi.]

It is also narrated that many Companions, like Uthman and Abdullah ibn Masud, once they learnt ten verses from the Prophet did not move further unless they had `learnt' it fully both in understanding and in action; that is how they sometimes spent years in learning only one surah or chapter.

If you sincerely start changing your life according to the Qur'an, Allah will certainly help you and make the path easy for you. Allah reassures us in the Quran:

Those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and continue upon the straight way, the angels descend upon them: Do not fear, nor be grieved, and receive glad tidings of the Garden which you were promised. We are your supporters in this world and in the Hereafter. And for you therein is whatever your souls desire, and for you therein is whatever you ask for.'
[Surah al-Fussilat 41:30-31.]

7 Reasons to Read the Glorious Qur'an.

1. Inimitable

It dares you to disprove it. How? It says that humans cannot write a book like this even if they pooled all their resources together and got help also from the spirits. The Qur'an said this fourteen hundred years ago and yet no one has been able to disprove it.. Billions of books have been written, but not another one like the Qur'an.


2. Incorruptible

It is the only religious sacred writing that has been in circulation for such a long time and yet remains as pure as it was in the beginning. The Qur'an was kept intact. Nothing was added to it, nothing was changed in it, and nothing was taken away from it ever since its revelation was completed 1400 hundred years ago.


3. Unsurpassable

The Qur'an is ALLAH's final revelation to humankind. ALLAH revealed the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus, and finally the Qur'an to Muhammad(SAW). Peace be upon Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad. No other book will came from ALLAH to surpass His final revelation.


4. Indisputable

The Qur'an withstands the test of time and scrutiny. No one can dispute the truth of this book. It speaks about past history and turns out right. It speaks about the future in prophecies and it turns our right. It mentions details of physical phenomena which were not known to people at the time; yet later scientific discoveries prove that the Qur'an was right all along. Every other book needs to be revised to accord with modern knowledge. The Qur'an alone is never contradicted by a newly discovered scientific fact.


5. Your Road map for Life and Afterlife

The Qur'an is the best guidebook on how to structure your life. No other bok presents such a comprehensive system involving all aspects of human life and endeavor. The Qur'an also points out the way to secure everlasting happiness in the afterlife. It is your roadmap showing how to get to Paradise.


6. Gift of Guidance

ALLAH has not left alone. You were made for a reason. ALLAH tells you why he made you, what he demands from you and what he has in store for you. If you operate a machine contrary to it's manufacturer's specification you will ruin that machine. What about you? Do you have an owner's manual for yourself? The Qur'an is from your Maker. It is a gift for you to make sure you function for success, lest you fail to function. It is a healing from ALLAH. It satisfies the soul, and cleans the heart. It removes doubts and brings peace.


7. Your Calling Card to Communicate with your Lord

Humans are social creatures. We love to communicate with other intelligent life. The Qur'an tells us how to communicate with the source of all intelligence and the source of all life, the One ALLAH. The Qur'an tell us who ALLAH is, by what name we should address Him, and the way in which to communicate with Him.

Studying the Qur'an: Tips and Pointers.

There are certain aids which you will require to help you if you intend on studying the Qur'an as fully as possible. Try to acquire as many of them as you can.

1. Have a copy of the Qur'an with a translation in your language. This is the minimum that you will require. This you should use for both general reading and study. The same can be used for memorization, if it is handy. But, take care that throughout life you stick with the same copy for memorization, otherwise revision will be difficult.
   
   Remember, too, that no translation can be perfect or accurate. Each translation contains an element of interpretation by the translator. There is not, and cannot be, an 'authorized' translation of the Qur'an.
   
   
   
   
2. The same copy may contain a short commentary, or you may have to acquire one separately. But you must have one. A translation and a reliable commentary should be enough for your initial, main objectives.
   
   
   
   
3. You may find it useful, though it is not necessary, to have more than one translation and commentary to investigate various meanings of words and text as understood by different scholars.
   
   
   
   
4. For more advanced study, you should have at least one more detailed tafsir. You may not find one in English; but, then, try to acquire whatever part-Tafsir works are available.
   
   
   
   
5. Have a good Arabic dictionary, preferably a Qur'anic dictionary, to enable you to look deeper into the meanings of words.
   
   
   
   
6. Have a concordance. (This is an alphabetical verbal index (of the Qur'an) showing the places in the Qur'an where each principal word may be found, with its immediate context in each place. - for example; the word "Hamd" can be found in various places in the Qur'an; surah al-fatihah, al-Kahf, and so on)
   
   

The Importance of Tajwid(Quranic Accent).

One of the many miracles of the Holy Qur’an is that regardless of the number of times it is recited, one never gets tired nor bored with its recitation. Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an,
"Indeed the believers are those who tremble with fear when Allah is remembered and when the verses of the Qur’an are recited before them, it increases their belief and upon Allah they have complete trust."
[surah 8:2]



What is Tajwid?



Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an, "And recite the Qur’an with Tarteel."
[surah 73:4]

When asked about the meaning of Tarteel, Ali (Radhi!llahu Anhu) replied, ‘It means that the Qur’an should be recited with Tajwid and with due observance to the rules of Waqf (pausing or stopping at the end of the verse).’

Tajwid means to recite every letter correctly, i.e. from its proper origin of pronunciation coupled with its stipulated attributes.

According to Imam Jawzi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi), the verse, ‘Verily my people have renounced the Qur’an has two interpretations. Firstly, it could mean that they had renounced the Qur’an by not believing in it and practicing upon it. And secondly, it could mean that they used to recite the Qur’an in such a disgusting manner that it sounded like senseless and meaningless jabbering. Reading the Qur’an without Tajwid could also be included in the second interpretation.


Tajwid from the Hadith

Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wasallam) has said, ‘Indeed Allah desires that the Qur’an be recited in the manner it was revealed.’ This Hadith clarified by the ayat and, ‘We revealed the Qur’an with Tartil.’ [surah 2:32]

The definition of Tartil has been explained above. Since the Qur’an emphatically commands us to recite the Qur’an with Tajwid, it is Fardh to recite the Qur’an with Tajwid.

Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) has said, ‘The Qur’an will either testify in your favour or against you.’ Hence, if we fail to observe the requirements of the Noble Qur’an during our recitation, the Qur’an will testify against us. If we are unacquainted with these prerequisites, we are compelled to acquire the laws of Tajwid.

Due to the vastness of the Arabic language, any small mistake in pronunciation of a letter or word may change the meaning of that word. For example, the word ‘Qalb’ (with q) means heart, if read ‘Kalb’ (with k), it will mean a dog’.

So just as how in any other language we learn pronunciation of letters and words, for example, in English we learn that ‘ph’ stands for ‘f’ (as in phone) and not pone. Similarly, in the Arabic language, we also have to learn pronunciation of letters and words, which we term as ‘Tajwid’. Tajwid is not like all other subjects which we are able to separate from the Qur’an but instead Tajwid and Qur’an work hand in hand. If there is no Tajwid with Qur’an, there is no Qur’an. The question may arise that, how can such a statement be made that if a person reads Qur’an without Tajwid, he is not read Qur’an? Yes, such a statement is 100% correct.

Our beloved Rasullah (salallahu alayhi wasallam) states in one Hadith, ‘There are a lot of readers that read the Qur’an but the Qur’an curses them instead of making Du’a for them.’ We get some people nowadays who spend hours and hours reciting the Qur’an thinking that they are getting and attaining great rewards. But because there pronunciation of letters is incorrect, a very big problem arise. It sounds very small when we say, ‘I am only pronouncing a letter incorrectly..’ But did this thought ever cross our minds that when a letter changes in a word, the word changes and if a word changes in a sentence then the whole sentence changes and eventually the meaning also changes. So from this, we understand the Hadith of our Rasullah (salallahu alayhi wasallam), that some people read so much of the Qur’an but because they do not know the correct pronunciation of the letters, they change the letters which then changes the words which eventually leads to the changing of the sentence and meaning of the Qur’an. So, the Qur’an in turn, instead of making Du’a for such people it curses them.


We should also remember that from the time and generation of Nabi till now, no one has ever denied this fact that Tajwid is compulsory. It is only now in our generation that people have lost respect and forgotten the status of Tajwid. Today, even logic will show us the importance of Tajwid. If we write a letter to our beloved and give it to someone to give it to him or her, but this Mr Someone takes the letter and changes a few words which eventually changes the meaning of your letter, how would we feel?

Wouldn’t we get angry and take such a person to task , so in the same way, the Qur’an is the word of Allah. If we change the word of Allah then Allah Ta’ala will definitely get angry with us and take us to task just as how we would do if someone changes our words in our letters.

So from all this, we can see that the Qur’an is not Qur’an until and unless it is read with Tajwid. Just as how if someone changes our letter addressed to our beloved, we would say that this is not our letter. We can also see from all this, the importance of reading the Qur’an with Tajwid.


May Allah give me, you and all the ability to read the Qur’an correctly so that we may earn the mercy of Allah Ta’ala and not the anger of Allah.
Ameen.

Approaching the Qur'an.

The one pre-requisite for understanding the Qur'an is to study it with an open and detached mind. Whether one believes it to be a revealed book or not, one should, as far as possible, free one's mind of bias in favour of or against it and get rid of all pre-conceived opinions and then approach it with the sole desire of understanding it. Those people who study it with preconceived notions of their own, read only their own ideas between its lines and cannot, therefore, grasp what the Qur'an wants to convey. It is obvious that this method of study can never be fruitful even with other books but it is utterly fruitless when applied to the study of the Qur'an.


There is another thing which must be kept in view. If one wants to have merely a cursory acquaintance with the contents of the Qur'an, then perhaps it might suffice for him to read it once. But, if one wishes to have a deep knowledge of it, one will have to go through it several times and each time from a different point of view.



One should also try to find out its fundamentals and the way of life it aims to build on them. During this preliminary study, if some questions occur in his mind, the reader should note them down and patiently continue his study, for he is likely to find their answers somewhere in the Qur'an itself.


After getting a general insight into the Qur'an in this way, one should begin its detailed study and take down notes of the different aspects of its teachings. For instance, one should note down what pattern of life it approves and what it disapproves. One should note down the qualities of a good man and those of a bad man, side by side, in order to bring both the patterns clearly before his mind simultaneously. Similarly, one should note down, side by side, those things which lead to the success and salvation of man and those which lead to his failure and ruin. In the same way, he should put down, under different headings, the teachings and instruction of the Qur'an about creed, morality, duties, obligations, civilization, culture, economics, politics, law, social system, peace, war and other human problems. These notes should be consolidated to form a complete sketch of each aspect of the teachings and then fitted together to form a complete system of life.



Then, if one desires to know the Qur'anic solution of a certain human problem he should first make study of the relevant literature, both ancient and modern, and note down the basic issues. He should also make use of the research so far made into the problem and note down the points at issue. He should then study the Quran with a view to finding out the answers to those issues. I can say from my own personal ,experience that when one studies the Qur'an with a view to making research into any problem, one will find an answer to it even in those verses which one had skipped over without ever imagining that it lay hidden therein.


One cannot grasp the inspiring spirit of the Qur'an, unless one begins to put its message into practice, for the Qur'an is neither a book of abstract. ideas and theories which may be studied in an easy chair nor is it a book of religious enigmas which may be unravelled in monasteries and universities. It is a Book that has been sent down to invite people to start a movement and to lead its followers and direct their activities towards the achievement of its mission. One has, therefore, to go to the battlefield of life to understand its real meaning. That was why a quiet and amiable person like Muhammad had to come out of his seclusion and start the Islamic Movement and fight against the rebellious world, It was the Qur'an that urged him to declare war against every kind of falsehood and engage in conflict with the leaders of disbelief without any consideration of the consequences. Then it attracted good souls from every home and gathered them under the banner of its leader in order to fight against the upholders of the old order who organised themselves into a gang to oppose them. During this long and bitter struggle between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, which continued for twenty-three years or so, the Qur'an went on guiding the Movement in every phase and at every stage, until it succeeded in establishing the Islamic Way of life in its perfection.


It is thus obvious that one cannot possibly grasp the truths contained in the Qur'an by the mere recitation of its words. For this purpose one must take active part in the conflict between belief and un-belief, Islam and un-Islam, truth and falsehood. One can understand it only if one takes up its Message, invites the world to accept it and moves on and on in accordance with its Guidance. Thus alone will one experience and understand all that which happened during the revelation of the Qura'n. One will meet with the same conditions that were experienced at Makkah, Taif and Habash and pass through the same kind of fire that had to be passed through at Badr, Uhd, Hunain, Tabuk etc. One will meet with Abu Jahls and Abu Lahabs and come across hypocrites, the double-faced, in short, every type of people mentioned in the Qur'an. Incidentally, this is a wonderful experience of its own kind and worth the trial.


While passing through any one of these stages of this experience, one will find some verses and some surahs of the Qur'an, which will themselves tell that they were revealed at such and such a stage and brought such and such instructions for the guidance of the Movement. In this way the Qur'an will lay bare its spirit even though one might not be able to understand all the lexical meanings of its words and solve all the intricacies of grammar and rhetoric. The same formula applies to its Commandments, its moral teachings, its instructions about economics and culture and its laws regarding different aspects of human life. These things can never be understood unless they are put into practice. It is thus obvious that those individuals and communities who discard it from practical life, cannot understand its meaning and imbibe its spirit by mere lip-service to it.

Easy Good Deeds.

1. Think of Allah before you take any action. Make dua before everything- sleeping, eating, studying, driving...

2. Read the Qur'an in Arabic and the meaning every day - take the time out of your busy schedule to listen to ALLAH.

3. Become a serious student of this Deen. Try to make it to the next Islamic class, halaqah or meeting. Shock your friends, bring a notebook.

4. Evaluate yourself daily before going bed. Thank ALLAH for good deeds, repent to Him for your mistakes and sins.

5. Avoid looking at unlawful pictures, whether they be from television, magazines, or otherwise.

6. Study the history of Islam. Learn of the great scholars and warriors who died with ALLAH on their lips and Islam in their hearts. Strive to emulate them.

7. Spend some time listening to recitation of the Quran. Find reciters that you like, try Abu Bakr ash-Shatri, al-Ghamdi, as-Sudais, al-Minshawi..

8. Encourage your non-practicing friends to come to Islamic events.
9. Hang out with other Muslims.

10. Talk to your non-Muslim friends about Islam. Have you taken the time to explain the basics to them?

11. Go to at least one convention/conference/camp a year.

12. Perform the sunnah and nawafil salahs as much as possible. Find time to pray extras, such as Salat ad-Duha, Qiyamul-layl, and Tahajjud.

13. Subscribe to a Muslim magazine.

14. Buy Islamic gear instead of the latest Tommy Hil, CK, Nike, or Adidas...

15. Take the time to understand what's going on in the Muslim world today. Do your part to get involved and help relief organizations.

16. Try to fast Mondays and Thursdays as of today.

17. Lower your gaze.

18. Start reading Qur'an after Salat-ul Fajr.

19. Go to bed early so that you can wake up far Salat-ul Fajr.

20. Keep yourself in a state of wudu' most of the time.

21. Really listen to speakers. Take their advice to heart, commit yourself to change.

22. Give yourself time alone, so that you can think about your life, your deeds, make dhikr.

23. Start giving sadaqah daily, no matter how little. Make it a habit like eating and drinking.

24. Spend more time reading Islamic books, especially the Seerah(life of prophet Mohammad(SAW), Authentic Hadiths (Sayings of Prophet), and Fiqh.

25. Associate with knowledgeable people, hafidh, qari', and other ulama. You might learn something.

26. Try to learn how to make dawah to non-muslims. It is an art requiring knowledge and diplomacy.

27. Watch as little television as possible. Seriously.

28. Go to the masjid.

29. Don't criticize if you dislike something- do your part to change it.

30. Stand up for right, forbid evil. Just say no to Gheebah(saying bad about the person when he is not present infront) .

31. Avoid eating too much. Do not eat unless you are hungry and try not to fill your stomach

32. If you like to listen to music, replace them with nasheed, music with Islamic lyrics or with Quranic recitation. (some examples: Whisper of Peace, Prayers of the Last Prophet, MYNA raps: the Next Level)

33. Buy Islamic videos, tapes, posters, books, clothes, support your Muslims brothers and sisters and make Islam a part of every aspect of your life.

34. If you meet any new Muslims, buddy up with them and make them feel like a part of your community.

35. Break out of your clique.

36. Keep three extra 'Qur'an' translations and some literature in your home at all times. You never know when you'll find someone interested who wants to know more.


BE BRAVE
PREPARE FOR STRUGGLE
PERSEVERE
HAVE CERTAINTY THAT ISLAM WILL BE VICTORIOUS

The Nafs (Soul)

Ibn Kathîr says: "The Mu'mineen are a people who have been prevented through the Qur'ân from indulging in the pleasures of this world; it comes between them and what might destroy them. The Mu'min is like a prisoner in this world, who tries to free himself from its shackles and chains, placing his trust in nothing in it, until the day he meets his Creator. He knows full well that he is accountable for everything that he hears, sees and says, and for everything that he does with his body."
[al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 9 pg. 276, Cairo 1352]


There are 2 kinds of people, one are those whose Nafs have overcome them and led them to ruin because they yielded to them and obeyed their impulses. The other kinds are those who have overcome their Nafs and made them obey their commands.


Nafs (pl. Anfus or Nufus) lexically means soul, the psyche, the ego, self, life, person, heart or mind. (Mu'jam, Kassis)


Although some scholars have classified the Nafs up to 7 stages, there is agreement among 'Ulamâ' that in the Qur'ân, Allâh (s.w.t.) has described at least 3 main types of the Nafs. And these are in rank from the worse to better: Nafs al-Ammara Bissu' (the Nafs that urges evil), Nafs al-Lawwama (the Nafs that Blames) and Nafs al-Mutma'inaa (the Nafs at Peace).
[Chapter 12 v. 53 in the Tafsîr of al-Tabari: Jami' al-Bayân fî Tafsîr al-Qur'ân, 30 vols., Bulaq 1323 & also in Imâm Baghawi's Tafsîr: Lubab al-Tâ'wil fî Ma'âlam at-Tanzîl, 8 vols. Cairo, 1308]


A summary of these states of the Nafs are given by Imam Tabari in his Tafsîr of Surah Yusuf verse 53:


1. Nafs al-Ammara Bissu'
The Soul which Commands Evil
This is the Nafs that brings punishment itself. By its very nature it directs its owner towards every wrong action. No one can get rid of its evil without the help from Allâh. As Allâh refers to this Nafs in the story of the wife of al-Azîz (Zulaikha) and Prophet Yûsuf (as): "The (human) soul is certainly prone to evil" (12:53).


Allâh also says: "And had it not been for the grace of Allâh and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure; but Allâh purifies whomever He wishes, and Allâh is Hearing, Knowing."
[24:21]


This Nafs resides in the world of the senses and is dominated by earthly desires (Shahwat) and passions….


Evil lies hidden in the Nafs and it is this that leads it on to do wrong. If Allâh were to leave the servant alone with his self, the servant would be destroyed between its evil and the evil that it craves; but if Allâh grants him success and help, then he will survive. We seek refuge in Allâh the Almighty, both from the evil in ourselves and from the evil of our actions.


2. Nafs al-Lawwama:

The Soul that Blames:

Allâh refers to this Nafs, "And I do call to witness the Nafs that blames" (75:2).

This Nafs is conscious of its own imperfections.

Hasan al-Basrî said, "You always see the believer blaming himself and saying things like 'Did I want this? Why did I do that? Was this better than that?' "

3. Nafs al-Mutma'inaa

The Soul at Peace:

Allâh refers to this Nafs, "O Self, in complete rest and satisfaction!" (89:27).

This Nafs is tranquil as it rests on the certitude of Allah.

Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) said, "It is the tranquil and believing soul".

Al-Qatâdah (radiAllahu anhu) said, "It is the soul of the believer, made calm by what Allâh has promised. Its owner is at rest and content with his knowledge of Allâh's Names and Attributes, and with what He has said about Himself and His Messenger , and with what He has said about what awaits the soul after death: about the departure of the soul, the life in the Barzakh, and the events of the Day of Qiyâmah which will follow. So much so that a believer such as this can almost see them with his own eyes.

So he submits to the will of Allah and surrenders to Him contentedly, never dissatisfied or complaining, and with his faith never wavering. He does not rejoice at his gains, nor do his afflictions make him despair - for he knows that they were decreed long before they happened to him, even before he was created…."…. (Al-Tabarî: Jami' al-Bayân fî Tafsîr al-Qur'ân, vol. 13, Bulaq 1323)


Imâm Baghawi says, "The Nafs al-Mutma'inna has an angel to help it, who assists and guides it. The angel casts good into the Nafs so that it desires what is good and is aware of the excellence of good actions. The angel also keeps the self away from wrong action and shows it the ugliness of bad deeds. All in all, whatever is for Allah and by him, always comes from the Soul which is at Peace.


The Nafs al-Ammara Bissu' has Shaytân as its ally. He promises it great rewards and gains, but casts falsehood into it. He invites it and entices the soul to do evil. He leads it on with hope after hope and presents falsehood to the soul in a form that it will accept and admire."


Ibn al-Qayyim also mentioned the states of Nafs: "The Nafs is a single entity, although its state may change: from the Nafs al-Ammâra, to the Nafs al-Lawwâma, to the Nafs al-Mutma'inna, which is the final aim of perfection….


It has been said that the Nafs al-Lawwâma is the one, which cannot rest in any one state. It often changes, remembers and forgets, submits and evades, loves and hates, rejoices and become sad, accepts and rejects, obeys and rebels.


Nafs al-Lawwâma is also the Nafs of the believer….It has also been mentioned that the Nafs blames itself on the Day of Qiyâmah - for every one blames himself for his actions, either his bad deeds, if he was one who had many wrong actions, or for his shortcomings, if he was one who did good deeds. All of this is accurate. (Madârij as-Sâlikîn fî Manâzili Iyyâka Na'budu wa Iyyâka Nasta'în, vol. 1 pg. 308)


Sa'id Hawwa says regarding these Nafs: "Depending upon its condition, the Nafs exist in multidimensional. When the Nafs is tranquil because of obeying Allâh, and the soul opposes its desires, this soul is known as Nafs al-Mutma'inna. Regarding this, Allâh has spoken about it in the Qur'an (89:27-28).

But if the soul does not attain peace with itself, rather being exposed to desires, then such soul is known as the Nafs al-Lawwâma because this soul reproaches its owner due to the owner's carelessness in fulfilling out Allah's wishes - Qur'an (75:2).


More so, if the soul submits to lusts and allows itself to be seduced by Shaytân, such a soul is known as Nafs al-Mutma'inna. Allâh tells the story about the wife of al-Azîz (Zulaikha) in Qur'ân (12:53).

(Tarbiyatun nar Rûhîyah, pg. 32, Cairo: Dar al- Salam, 1408)

There is a famous Arabic saying: "O soul. Watch out! Help me with your striving, in the darkness of the nights; so that on the Day of Qiyâmah, you will win a good life on those heights."


May this be of benefit.

And the last of our prayers, "Glory to your Lord, the Lord of Honour & Power! He is better from what they ascribe to Him! Peace be upon the Messengers! Praise be to Allâh, the Lord of the worlds." (37:180-182)

99 Names of ALLAH in with English Translation.

99 Names of ALLAH and Benefits in Urdu.

In Praise of the Prophet(SAW)!

Abu Hurairah(may ALLAH be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet said:
"If people sit in an assembly in which they do not remember Allah nor invoke a blessing on the Prophet, it will be a cause of grief for them on the Day of Judgment."
[at-Tirmidhi, who graded it hasan]

Sending prayers on the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasallam) is important, as the hadith above shows. Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) says, "Those that (who?) believe in him, honor him, support him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him: they are the successful" [7:157]. In a hadith narrated by Ibn Mas’ud (radiAllahu anhu), the Messenger of Allah, (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, 'Verily the nearest of people to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who recited much prayers on me'
[at-Tirmidhi].

A sad tendency in Muslims today, unfortunately is to neglect and de-emphasize the importance of our beloved Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). Perhaps this comes from a misunderstanding of the hadith: 'Do not praise me as the Christians praised the son of Mary. Indeed, I am a slave of Allah. So say, ‘the slave of Allah and His Messenger’'
[Sahih al-Bukhari].

But it is a well-known fact that devotion to the Apostle of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) is one of the essential duties of a believer. Devotion to him should actually exceed the love we have for our property, kin and kith, and progeny. Devotion to the Prophet is evidence of true faith. This devotion entails, among other things, sending blessings on him to show him gratitude and acknowledge his many favors, as befits his standing. Our Guardian Lord was the first to send His benediction on the Prophet, and He has urged His servants to follow suit.

Allah sent and continues to send His blessings on the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and the believers. His blessings are countless and they come in numerous ways. We should pray to Allah to send more and more blessings on Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).
Through our salah or prayers we try to come closer to Allah with submission and surrender. Allah also draws near to His Prophet and the believers through His blessings.

The invocation of Blessings on the Holy Prophet is styled in Arabic as "Salawat", or "salah ala al-nabi", in Persian as "Durud", and in Urdu as "Salawat-o-Salaam".


"Verily, Allah and His angels
Shower blessings on the Prophet.
O Believers!
send blessings upon him
and salute him
with a worthy salutation.."

[surah al-Ahzab; 33:56]There are also a number of Hadith-sayings which mention the rewards to be earned for sending benediction on the Prophet: for instance, he who sends blessings on the Prophet shall be blessed ten times in requital.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik (radiAllahu anhu) that Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
He who invokes one blessings upon me, Allah will shower ten blessings upon him and obliterate ten sins (of his) and elevate him by ten ranks.
[Nasa'i; Hadith No. 922 of Mishkat al-Masabih.]

Abu al-Darda (radiAllahu anhu) relates that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, 'Whoever sends blessings on me ten times in the morning and ten in the evening will have my intercession on Judgment Day'
[Tabarani].

In al-Qawl al-Badi’ fi al-salat ‘ala al-Habib al-Shafi’, Imam al-Sakhawi mentions these benefits of sending blessings on the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam): attaining the pleasure of Allah Most High and His mercy, protection from His anger, being shaded by Allah’s throne on Judgment Day, purification of the heart from hypocrisy, and seeing our Beloved Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) in one’s sleep. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), said about the last point, "The one that has seen me in one’s dream, has really seen me, for the Shaitan cannot impersonate me."

This and a number of other similar versions of salah aln Nabi are mentioned in many authentic Hadiths:

Whenever someone seeks Allah’s blessings for me, Allah returns the soul to my body until I reply to his salutation.
[Abu-Dawud]

Those who are most deserving of my intercession on the Day of Judgment are those who used to increasingly seek Allah’s Blessing for me.
[at-Tirmidhi]

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (RadiAllahu anhu); 'We said, "O Allah's Apostle! This is (i.e. we know) the greeting to you; will you tell us how to send Salat on you?" He said,
"Say: 'Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammadin 'abdika wa rasulika kama sal-laita 'ala Ibrahima wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa all Muhammadin kama barakta 'ala Ibrahima wa Ali Ibrahim.' "
[Sahih al-Bukhari; Vol 8:#369]

Narrated Abu Humaid As-Sa'idi (radiAllahu anhu); The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! How shall we (ask Allah to) send blessings on you?" Allah's Apostle (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) replied,
"Say: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on his wives and on his offspring, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham's family; and send Your Blessings on Muhammad and on his offspring, as You sent Your Blessings on Abraham's family, for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.

"Allahumma Salli 'ala- Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama sal-laita 'ala ali Ibrahim; wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kamabarakta 'ala ali Ibrahim innaka hamidun majid."
[Sahih al-Bukhari; Vol 4:#588]

Narrated Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Laila (radiAllahu anhu), that Ka'b bin Ujrah (radiAllahu anhu) met me and said, "Shall I not give you a present I got from the Prophet?" 'Abdur-Rahman said, "Yes, give it to me." I said, "We asked Allah's Apostle saying, 'O Allah's Apostle! How should one (ask Allah to) send blessings on you, the members of the family, for Allah has taught us how to salute you (in the prayer)?'
He said, 'Say: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent your Blessings on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious

'Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammad wa ala 'aali Muhammad, kama sal-laita 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala 'aali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed.
Allahumma Barik 'ala Muhammad wa ala 'aali Muhammadin, kama Barakta ala Ibrahima wa 'ala 'aali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed.
[Sahih al-Bukhari; 4:589]

Sending peace and blessings on Fridays has been especially emphasized. Narrated Abu Darda (radiAllahu anahu) that The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'Invoke blessings on me abundantly on the day of Jum‘ah (Friday) for it is witnessed. The angels attend it, and none invokes blessings on me but his supplication is presented to me till he stops.' I asked whether that applied also after his death, and he replied, 'Allah has prohibited the Earth from consuming the bodies of the prophets; so Allah's prophets are alive and given provision..'
[Ibn Majah no.1366 Mishkat al-Masabih]

There are also severe warnings for not sending prayers and blessings such as: 'Dust upon the face of the man who does not bless me when I am mentioned in his presence! Dust upon the face of the man who has Ramadan stripped away before he is forgiven! Dust upon the face of the man whose parents reach old age and they are not the cause of him entering the Garden!'
[Tirmidhi].

In Qadi ‘Iyad’s ash-Shifa, it is recorded that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, 'The angels will continue to bless anyone who blesses me, as long as he continues to do so, so do a lot or even a little' [Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Majah, and at-Tabbarani].
In another tradition, it is related, 'People will come to me that I only recognize by the abundance of their prayer on me.' And yet in another hadith it is narrated, 'The first among you to be saved from the terrors of the Day of Rising and its places will be the one who did the most prayers on me.'

Narrated Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAlahu anhu); The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
A miser is one who does not invoke blessings upon me when I am mentioned in his presence."
[at-Tirmidhi; No. 933 Mishkat al-Masabih]


Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radiAllahu anhu); Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
There is a mobile (squads) of Angels on Earth convey to me the blessings invoked upon me by my Ummah."
[Nasa'i and Darimi No. 924 Mishkat al-Masabih.]

Ubayy ibn Ka`b (radiAllahu anhu) relates: "Once told the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) ‘O Messenger of Allah, I invoke much. What portion of that should be of prayer upon you?’
The Prophet, upon him be peace, replied, ‘However much you wish.’
To this, I said, ‘A fourth?’
He said, ‘If you wish, but should you increase that number, it will be better for you.’
I then said, ‘A third?’
And he said, ‘If you wish, and if you increase it, it is still better for you.’
‘A half?’ I asked.
He replied, ‘If you wish, and if you do more, it is still better for you.’
I then said, ‘Indeed! Then I shall make all of my prayers upon you!’
To this, he responded, ‘If you do that, then you will be freed of anxiety and your wrongs pardoned!’"
[at-Tirmidhi; No. 929 Mishkat al-Masabih.]

Narrated Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Laila (radiAllahu anhu); Ka'b bin 'Ujra met me and said, "Shall I give you a present? Once the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) came to us and we said, 'O Allah's Apostle! We know how to greet you; but how to send Salat upon you? He said, 'Say: Allahumma Sallae ala Muhammadin wa 'ala Ali Muhammadin, kama sal-laita 'ala allae Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala allae Muhammadin, kama barakta 'ala allae Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majid.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari; 8:#368]

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, Allah's messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, When you hear the Mu'adhdhin, repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah: then beg from Allah al-Wasila for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah's Servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given the Wasila, he will be assured of my intercession.
[Muslim; 0747]

Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Al-'Aas is reported to have said, “For one who sends blessings upon the Prophet once, Allah and His angels will send seventy-fold blessings"

Ammar bin Yaasir (radiAllahu anhu) reported that Allah's messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, 'Allah has appointed an angel to my grave, whosoever sends salutations upon me, until the day of judgment his salutation is presented to me along with his name and his father’s name'.

None of you is considered a true believer until he loves me more than his parents and all other people.
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim]

Abu Darda (radiAllahu anhu) reports that Allah's messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, ‘Whosoever sends salutations upon me, it is presented before me as soon as he finishes.’
‘Is this also the case after death?’ Abu Darda (radiAllahu anhu) asked. Allah's messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) replied: ‘The Earth has been prohibited by Allah to eat the bodies of the Prophets,’
[Ibn Majah]

In another narration, there is an extension, ‘so the Prophets of Allah are alive and are given rizq (food).

The following ahadith are found in the well-known book on prayers and blessings on the prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam): Dalail-i Hayrat (Wa Shawarqi’l Anwar Fi dhikris Salat ala Nabiyil-Mukhtahar) (Guide of Good Deeds (and the Brilliant Burst of Light in the Rememberance of Blessings on the Chosen Prophet saw) by the great Muslim scholar, Imam Muhammad ibn abu-Bakr al-Jazuli (rahimullah):


And it is related that the messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, came to us with visible signs of good tidings upon his face. He said: "Indeed, Gabriel, peace be upon him, said to me: ‘Are you not pleased, O Muhammad, that whenever one of your nation asks Allah to praise you, Allah will praise him tenfold, and that whenever one of your nation asks Allah to grant you peace, Allah will grant peace tenfold.’"
[Dalail i Khayrat of Imam al-Jazuli]

And he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "Whosoever asks for blessings upon me, angels will praise him for long as he asks, no matter whether the time is short or long."

And he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: “For whosoever asks for blessings upon me in a Book, the angels praise him for as long as my name is in that Book.”

And it is related that he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "Whosoever asks Allah one hundred times to praise me on a Friday will be forgiven the sins of eighty years.”

And Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, said, ‘For whosoever asks for blessings upon me there is a light on the Bridge (over Hell), and the people of light on the Bridge will not be among the People of the Fire.”

And he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "Whosoever deliberately neglects to ask for blessings upon me has strayed from the path to the Garden, because the route to the Garden is barred to the neglectful, whereas it is open for whosoever asks for blessings upon me.”

It is related by Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, may Allah be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace said: "Gabriel, peace be upon be him, said, “O Muhammad, whenever anyone of your nation asks for blessings upon you, seventy thousands angels praise him, and whosoever is blessed by angels is one of the people of the Garden.”

And he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "The more you ask for the blessings upon me, the more you will have in the Garden."

It is related that he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "Whenever someone asks for blessings upon me, extolling my right, Allah, the Mighty, the Sublime creates from His Words an angel with wings that stretch from the east to the west, and with feet that are connected to the nearest part of the seventh earth and a bowed neck beneath the Throne. Allah, the Mighty, the Sublime says to him, “Bless My worshipper as he asks for blessings upon My Prophet” and thereupon the angel will praise him until the Day of Resurrection."

It is related that he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "There will come to my pool on the Day of Resurrection nations whom I will only recognize on account of their frequent asking for blessings upon me.”

It is related that he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace: "Whosoever supplicates to Allah for blessings upon me, Allah will praise him ten times, and whosoever supplicates for blessings upon me ten times, Allah will praise him one hundred times, and whosoever supplicates to Allah for blessings upon me one hundred times Allah will praise him one thousand times, and whosoever supplicates to Allah for blessings upon me one thousand times, Allah will prohibit the Fire to touch his body. His word on any matter will be made to endure in this world and the next, and he will enter the Garden on the Day of Resurrection at his request because his supplication for blessings upon me will be a light for him on the Bridge (over Hell); a light which is visible at a distance of five hundred years, and for every blessing he supplicated for me Allah will grant him a palace in the Garden, regardless of how many.”

And Prophet Muhammad, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace said: "Whenever a worshipper supplicates for blessings upon me, his request leaves him swiftly and passes over land and sea, through east and west, saying: ‘i am the blessing upon Muhammad, the chosen one, the best of the creation of Allah, supplicated for by so and so’ and everything supplicates for blessings upon me. A bird is created from these blessings with seventy thousand wings, each of which has seventy thousand feathers. Each feather has seventy thousand heads with seventy thousands faces. Each face has seventy thousands mouths and in every mouth there are seventy thousand tongues. Each tongue glorifies Allah, the Exalted in seventy thousand languages and Allah will then write for him the reward for all of that."

Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiAllahu anhu) said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, said, ‘For whosoever asks Allah to praise me one hundred times on a Friday, a light will come for him on the Day of Resurrection, a light which, if it were to be divided among them, would be enough for the whole of creation’.”

It is mentioned in the good tidings: "It is written on the leg of the Throne ‘Whosoever yearns for Me, I am merciful to him. Whosoever asks Me, I will grant him his wish. Whosoever draws near to Me, by asking for blessings upon My Beloved Muhammad, I will forgive him, even if his sins were as plentiful as the foam on the surface of the ocean’.”

And it is related by one of the companions (radiAllahu anhu) "A beautiful fragrance rises that reaches the clouds in the sky when a gathering supplicates for blessings upon Muhammad, praise and veneration be upon him, and the angels say, ‘This is a gathering in which blessings upon Muhammad, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, are being requested’.”

Other reports mention that, "The gates of the heavens are opened for a believing worshipper, male or female, who begins by asking for blessings upon Muhammad, and the pavilions are opened as far as the Throne, and all the angels praise Muhammad, may Allah praise and venerate him, and ask for forgiveness for that worshipper for as long as Allah wishes.”

And he said, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, "Whosoever is troubled by any matter should increase his asking for blessings upon me, and his anxieties, sorrows and concerns will be removed, and his provision will increase and his needs will be satisfied.”

And one of the righteous said, "A neigbor of mine who was a scribe, died. I saw him in a vision and asked him how Allah had treated him. He replied, ‘He has forgiven me’. I asked, ‘For what reason did He forgive you?’ and he replied, ‘Whenever I wrote the name of Muhammad, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, in a Book, I asked Allah to praise him and for this my Lord has given me what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and what no mortal has ever imagined’.”

And it was said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, "Who are the family of Muhammad whom we are ordered to love and honor, and treat with reverence?" He replied, “The people of purity and fidelity, who sincerely believe in me.” It was said, “What are their signs?" He answered, “The traces of my love are on every lover and their inner life is busy with remembering me and remembering Allah" (In another version the words are, “Their signs are being addicted to remembering me and constantly asking for blessings upon me.”)

It was said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, “Who is he that is strong in his love for you?" He replied, “The one who believes in me without seeing me, for he is a believer in me through yearning and is sincere in his love for me. A sign of this is that he desires a vision of me more than anything he owns (in another version it reads, “…than all the gold in the world") This is a true believer in me, whose love for me is true and sincere.”

It was said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, “Are you aware of those who ask for blessings upon you who are not present and will come after you? What is their status?" He replied, “I hear the blessings of the people who love me and I know them, as well as the blessings invoked by those who are not present.”

Durud - Salawat aln Nabi:

Around the world, Muslims recite praise and blessings upon the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam).

Books and writings on prayer, supplication, dhikr and praise make mention of some praises upon the Prophet, many of which have their origin in ahadith.

Below is a collection of some commonly recited salawat.


اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ،
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala 'aali Muhammadin, kama salaiyta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala 'aali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majeed.

O Allah! Let Your Blessings come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You Blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are the Pariseworthy Glorious.

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إئبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهَيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama sallaiyta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed.

O Allah! Confer Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You conferred blessings on Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are the Praiseworthy, Glorious

 اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَبَارِكَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إئبْرَاهِيمَ ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌٌَ
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala azwajihi wa dhuriyyatihi, kama sallaiyta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima, wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala azwajihi wa dhuriyyatihi, kama barakta 'ala Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed

O Allah! Let Your Blessings come upon Muhammad and the wives and progeny of Muhammad, as You Blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. (And) Confer Your Blessings on Muhammad and the wives and progeny of Muhammad, as You conferred blessings on Ibrahim. Verily You are the Praiseworthy, Glorious.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ صَلَوَاةً كَامِلَةً وَّ سَلِّمْ سَلاَمًا تآمًّا عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الَّذِى تَنْحَلُّ بِهِ الْعُقَدُ وَ تَنْفَرِجُ بهِ الكَرَبُ وَ تُقْضى بِهِ الْحَوَائِجُ وَ تُنَالُ بِهِ الرَّغَائِبُ وَ حُسْنُ الْخَواَتِمِ وَ يُسْتَسقَى الغَمَامُ بِوَجْهِهِ الكَرِيْمِ وَ عَلى الِه وَ صَحْبِهِ فِى كُلِّ لَمْحَةٍ وَّ نَفَسٍ بَعَدَدَ كُلِّ مَعْلُومٍ لَّكَ يَا اَللّه يَا اَللّه يَا اَللّه

Allahumma salli salawatan kamilatan, wa sallim salaman tamman 'ala sayyidina Muhammadal-ladhi tanhalu bihil-'uqad, wa tanfariju bihil-karabu, wa tuqda bihil-hawai'ju wa tunalu bihir-raghai'bu wa husnul-Khawatimi, wa yustasqal-ghamamu bi-wajihihil-karimi, wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi fi kulli lamhatin, wa nafsin bi'adada kulli ma'lumin laka, Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah.

O Allah! In every moment and in every breath bestow complete and the best blessings and perfect peace which is endless on Muhammad our Leader and on his posterity and his Companions, and may for his sake all our troubles and tortures be over, calamities ended and all our needs fulfilled all our cherished desires attained and good ends vouch sated and clouds are laden with water through the glorious countenance of the Prophet.
The perfect blessings and peace on the Prophet's house, his family and his Companions every instance in number equal to the count of all things in your knowledge, O Allah, O Allah, O Allah.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم وَ بَارِكَ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ ن الْفَاتِح لِمَا اُغْلِقَ وَ الْخَاتِمِ لِمَا سَبَقِ والنَّاصِرِ الحَقَّ بالحَقِّ وَ الهادِى إِلى صيرَاطِكَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمِ صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ غَلى اله وَ اَصْحَابِه حَقَّ قَدْرِه مِقْدَارِهِ العَظِيْمِ
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik 'ala sayyidina Muhammadinil-fatih lima ughliqa wal-khatimi lima sabaqa wal-nasiril-haqqa bil-haqqi wal-hadiu ila siratikal mustaqim sallal-lahu alayhi wa 'ala alihi wa ashabihi haqqa qadirihi miqdarihil-adhim

O Allah! May Your Grace, Peace and Blessings rest on Muhammad our Leader who opens that which is closed and closes that which is preceded, who helps truth with truth, and who guided mankind to Your Straight path; may Blessings of be on him and his family and companions as according to his exhalted position befitting his merit and his high rank.

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدِ ن النَّبِيِّ الاُمِّىِ وَ الِهِ وَ بَارِكْ وَسَلِمْ
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin kullama dhakarahul-dhdhakiruna wa kullama ghafala 'an dhikihil-ghafilun
O Allah! Shower Your Blessings on Muhammad and his children whenever he is remembered by those who remember him and shower Your Blessings on Muhammad and his family whenever he is not remembered by the negligent and Grant him peace constantly in abundance.

اَللَّهمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم عَلي سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ عَلي الِه عَدَدَ اِنعَامِ اللَّهِ وَ اِفضَالِه
Allahumma salli wa sallim 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin wa 'ala alihi 'adada in 'amil-lahi wa afdalihi

O Allah! Shower Your Blessings on Muhammad, our leader, and on his family according to the number of Your rewards and Your bounties.

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ حَتَّى تَرْضى وَ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ بَعْدَ الرِّضى وَ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَبَدًا أَبَدًا
Allahumma salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin hatta tarda wa salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin ba'dal rida wa salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin abadan abada

O Allah! Shower Your Blessings on Muhammad, in such a mesure that earns Your pleasure, and shower Your blessings on our leader Muhammad exceeding that measure which has earned Your pleasure, and shower Your blessings on our leader Muhammad forever and ever.

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اَبْلِغْهُ الْوَسِيْلَةَ الدَّرْجَةَ الرَّفِيْعَةَ الجَنَّةِ
Allahumma salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin, wa abligh-hul wasilatta ad-darajatar-rafi'atil-Jannati

O Allah! Shower peace upon our leader Muhammad and endow him with the means and high status in Paradise.

جَزَى اللَّهُ عَنَّا مُحَمَّدً مَّا هُوَ اَهْلُه
Jaza Allahu 'ana Muhammadan huwa ahluh
May Allah reward Muhammad the reward which is benefiting as he deserves.
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu), the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, “whoever recites the following (above durood) once, Allah will instruct seventy angels to keep writing good deeds for him for one thousand days”
[hadith recorded in Tabrani]

Durud - Salawat aln Nabi

Around the world, Muslims recite praise and blessings upon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).
Books and writings on prayer, supplication, dhikr and praise make mention of some praises upon the Prophet, many of which have their origin in ahadith.

Below is a collection of some commonly recited salawat.


اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ،
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala 'aali Muhammadin, kama salaiyta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala 'aali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majeed.

O Allah! Let Your Blessings come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You Blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are the Pariseworthy Glorious.

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إئبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهَيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, kama sallaiyta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed.

O Allah! Confer Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You conferred blessings on Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are the Praiseworthy, Glorious

 اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَبَارِكَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إئبْرَاهِيمَ ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌٌَ

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala azwajihi wa dhuriyyatihi, kama sallaiyta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahima, wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala azwajihi wa dhuriyyatihi, kama barakta 'ala Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed

O Allah! Let Your Blessings come upon Muhammad and the wives and progeny of Muhammad, as You Blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. (And) Confer Your Blessings on Muhammad and the wives and progeny of Muhammad, as You conferred blessings on Ibrahim. Verily You are the Praiseworthy, Glorious.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ صَلَوَاةً كَامِلَةً وَّ سَلِّمْ سَلاَمًا تآمًّا عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الَّذِى تَنْحَلُّ بِهِ الْعُقَدُ وَ تَنْفَرِجُ بهِ الكَرَبُ وَ تُقْضى بِهِ الْحَوَائِجُ وَ تُنَالُ بِهِ الرَّغَائِبُ وَ حُسْنُ الْخَواَتِمِ وَ يُسْتَسقَى الغَمَامُ بِوَجْهِهِ الكَرِيْمِ وَ عَلى الِه وَ صَحْبِهِ فِى كُلِّ لَمْحَةٍ وَّ نَفَسٍ بَعَدَدَ كُلِّ مَعْلُومٍ لَّكَ يَا اَللّه يَا اَللّه يَا اَللّه

Allahumma salli salawatan kamilatan, wa sallim salaman tamman 'ala sayyidina Muhammadal-ladhi tanhalu bihil-'uqad, wa tanfariju bihil-karabu, wa tuqda bihil-hawai'ju wa tunalu bihir-raghai'bu wa husnul-Khawatimi, wa yustasqal-ghamamu bi-wajihihil-karimi, wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi fi kulli lamhatin, wa nafsin bi'adada kulli ma'lumin laka, Ya Allah, Ya Allah, Ya Allah.

O Allah! In every moment and in every breath bestow complete and the best blessings and perfect peace which is endless on Muhammad our Leader and on his posterity and his Companions, and may for his sake all our troubles and tortures be over, calamities ended and all our needs fulfilled all our cherished desires attained and good ends vouch sated and clouds are laden with water through the glorious countenance of the Prophet.
The perfect blessings and peace on the Prophet's house, his family and his Companions every instance in number equal to the count of all things in your knowledge, O Allah, O Allah, O Allah.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم وَ بَارِكَ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ ن الْفَاتِح لِمَا اُغْلِقَ وَ الْخَاتِمِ لِمَا سَبَقِ والنَّاصِرِ الحَقَّ بالحَقِّ وَ الهادِى إِلى صيرَاطِكَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمِ صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ غَلى اله وَ اَصْحَابِه حَقَّ قَدْرِه مِقْدَارِهِ العَظِيْمِ
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik 'ala sayyidina Muhammadinil-fatih lima ughliqa wal-khatimi lima sabaqa wal-nasiril-haqqa bil-haqqi wal-hadiu ila siratikal mustaqim sallal-lahu alayhi wa 'ala alihi wa ashabihi haqqa qadirihi miqdarihil-adhim

O Allah! May Your Grace, Peace and Blessings rest on Muhammad our Leader who opens that which is closed and closes that which is preceded, who helps truth with truth, and who guided mankind to Your Straight path; may Blessings of be on him and his family and companions as according to his exhalted position befitting his merit and his high rank.

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدِ ن النَّبِيِّ الاُمِّىِ وَ الِهِ وَ بَارِكْ وَسَلِمْ
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin kullama dhakarahul-dhdhakiruna wa kullama ghafala 'an dhikihil-ghafilun
O Allah! Shower Your Blessings on Muhammad and his children whenever he is remembered by those who remember him and shower Your Blessings on Muhammad and his family whenever he is not remembered by the negligent and Grant him peace constantly in abundance.

اَللَّهمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم عَلي سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ عَلي الِه عَدَدَ اِنعَامِ اللَّهِ وَ اِفضَالِه
Allahumma salli wa sallim 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin wa 'ala alihi 'adada in 'amil-lahi wa afdalihi

O Allah! Shower Your Blessings on Muhammad, our leader, and on his family according to the number of Your rewards and Your bounties.

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ حَتَّى تَرْضى وَ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ بَعْدَ الرِّضى وَ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَبَدًا أَبَدًا
Allahumma salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin hatta tarda wa salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin ba'dal rida wa salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin abadan abada

O Allah! Shower Your Blessings on Muhammad, in such a mesure that earns Your pleasure, and shower Your blessings on our leader Muhammad exceeding that measure which has earned Your pleasure, and shower Your blessings on our leader Muhammad forever and ever.

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اَبْلِغْهُ الْوَسِيْلَةَ الدَّرْجَةَ الرَّفِيْعَةَ الجَنَّةِ
Allahumma salli 'ala sayyidina Muhammadin, wa abligh-hul wasilatta ad-darajatar-rafi'atil-Jannati

O Allah! Shower peace upon our leader Muhammad and endow him with the means and high status in Paradise.

جَزَى اللَّهُ عَنَّا مُحَمَّدً مَّا هُوَ اَهْلُه
Jaza Allahu 'ana Muhammadan huwa ahluh
May Allah reward Muhammad the reward which is benefiting as he deserves.
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu), the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, “whoever recites the following (above durood) once, Allah will instruct seventy angels to keep writing good deeds for him for one thousand days”
[hadith recorded in Tabrani]

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدً وَّ الِه وَ اصْحَابِه وَ اَوْلاَدِه وَ اَزْوَاجِه وَ ذُرِّيَّتِه وَ اهلِ بَيْتِه وَ اشْيَاعِه وَ مُحِبَّيْح وَ اُمَّتِه وَ عَلَيْنَا مَعَهُمْ اَجْمَعِيْن يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa alih, wa ashabih, wa awladih, wa azwajih, wa dhurriyyatih, wa ahli baitih, wa aShia'ih, wa muhhibih, wa ummatih, wa 'alayna ma'ahim ajma'in, Ya Arhamar-Rahimin

O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on Muhammad, his family, his companions, his progeny, his wives, his offspring, the members of his family, his followers, his friends, his nation and on all of us with them. O, The Most Merciful.

اللهُمّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنا مُحَمَّدٍ طِبِّ القُلُوبِ وَدَوائِها وَنُورِ الأَبْصَارِ وَضِيَائِهَا وَعَافِيَةِ الأَبْدَانِ وَ شِفَائِهَا وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ.
Allahumma salli 'ala Sayyidina Muhammadin, tibbil qulubi wa dawaa’iha, wa nuril absari wa diya’iha, wa `afiyatil abdaani wa shifaa’ha, wa `ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallim

O Allah! Send blessings on our leader Muhammad, the medicine of hearts and their cure, the light of eyes and their illumination, the health of bodies and their healing, and upon his family, companions, and send peace.

اَللَّهُمَّ آتِ مُحَمَّدًا الْوَسِيْلَةَ وَالْفَضِيْلَةَ وَالدَّرَجَةَ الرَّفِيْعَةَ الْعَلِيَّةَ ، وَابْعَثْهُ يَا رَبِّيَ الْمَقَامَ الْمَحْمُوْدَ الَّذِيْ وَعَدْتَّهُ وَارْزُقْنَا شَفَاعَتَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ اِنَّكَ لاَ تُخْلِفُ الْمِيْعَادَ.
Allahumma ati Muhammadan al-wasilata wal fadilata wad darajatir-rafi'ata l-'aliyya, wa b'athhu, ya Rabbi, al-maqama mahmudal-ladhi wa'adtahu, warzuqna shafa'atahu yawma l-qiyama, innaka la tukhlilu l-mi'ad.

O Allah! Grant Muhammad the means and the exellence, and the sublime and supreme rank. Raise him, O my Lord, to the Praiseworthy Station (al-Maqam al-Mahmud), which You promised him, and grant us his intercession on the Day of Judgement, for You do not fail Your promise.

                     Ayat al Kursi 
                  - آية الكرسي -
              The Verse of the Throne

Ayat al-Kursi is verse 255 of the second chapter (Surah) of the Holy Quran, Surat al-Baqarah (The Chapter of the Cow)

Below is the Arabic text, the transliteration, and the English translation and then some of the benefits of reciting this verse, the Verse of the Throne:




اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلاَ يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلاَّ بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلاَ يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

Allahu la ilaha illa huwa, Al -Haiyul-Qaiyum La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm lahu ma fi as-samawati wa ma fil-'ard Man dhal-ladhi yashfa'u 'indahu illa bi-idhnihi Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum wa la yuhituna bi shai'in min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'a Wasi'a kursiyuhus-samawati wal ard wa la ya'uduhu hifdhuhuma wa Hu wal 'Aliyul-Adheem

"Allah! There is no god but He - the Living, The Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him Nor Sleep. His are all things In the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede In His presence except As he permitteth? He knoweth What (appeareth to His creatures As) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass Aught of his knowledge Except as He willeth. His throne doth extend Over the heavens And on earth, and He feeleth No fatigue in guarding And preserving them, For He is the Most High. The Supreme (in glory)."
[Surah al-Baqarah 2: 255]

Vitrues of reciting Ayat al Kursi:

Ubayy bin Ka'b (radiAllahu anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Abu Mundhir! Do you know which Ayah in Allah's Book is the greatest? I said: 'Allah and His messenger know best.'
He (peace be upon him) again said: 'Do you know which Ayah in Allah's Book, according to you, is the greatest?' I (Abu Mundhir) replied: ‘It is 'Allah la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum'.[2:255].
Thereupon he (peace be upon him) patted me in the chest and said, ' Rejoice by your knowledge, O Abu Mundhir! (i.e, may this knowledge be a source of respect, honour and benefit to you)'."
[Muslim]


Asma' bint Yazid (radiAllahu anhu) reported, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say about these two following Ayahs, i.e, verses: "Allah! There is no god but He - the Living, The Self-subsisting, Eternal. [2:255], And, Alif Lam Mim, Allah! There is no god but He - the Living, The Self-subsisting, Eternal [3:1-2], That they contain Allah's Greatest Name."
[Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal in his Musnad]


It was narrated that Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (radiAllahu anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi immediately after each prescribed Prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death."
[an-Nasa'i, Ibn Hibban, ibn Sunni, at-Tabarani, ibn Hibban - Sahih]


Abu Dhar (radiAllahu anhu) said; O Messenger of Allah, what is the greatest thing that has been revealed to you?’ He said, Ayat al-Kursi, 'Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa'
[an-Nasa'i]


When you lie down in your bed, recite ayat al-Kursi, Allah! La ilaha illaHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists… [al-Baraqah 2:255] until the end of the ayah, then you will have a protector from Allah and no shaytan (devil) will come near you until morning comes
[Sahih al-Bukhari]


It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (RadiAllahu anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "In Surat Al-Baqarah there is a verse which is the best of all the verses of the Qur’an. It is never recited in a house but Shaitan leaves: Ayat Al-Kursi."


Everything has its pinnacle and the pinnacle of the Qur’an is Surah al-Baqarah. In it there is an ayah which is the greatest in the Qur’an: Ayat al-Kursi
[at-Tirmidhi]


It is reported by way of Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) that someone used to come upon him and take from the charity – which the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had made him guardian over – night after night, so on the third night, he said: "I will report you to the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), the man said: 'Let me teach you some phrases with which Allah will cause you benefit’ – they were very eager for good – so he said: 'When you go to, read Ayat al-kursi (Verse 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah) completely, for there is still upon you from Allah a guardian, and no shaitan can get close to you until you enter upon morning.' Then he (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "He told you the truth and he is a liar, (that was a shaitan).
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]


Ali ibn abu Talib (RadiAllahu anhu) narrates, "I cannot understand how a person, who is a Muslim, and owner of reason (intellect) can spend the night without reading Ayat al Kursi. If you knew the benefits of it, then you will never discard it under any condition".


Abdullah bin Mas'ud (radiAllahu anhu) narrates that a person said to Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam): "O Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), teach me something through which Allah I will give me benefit." He said: "Continue reciting Ayatul Kursi. This will be a means of protection for you, your children and even those houses which are near your house."


It is reported from Anas (radiAllahu anhu) that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) asked a certain companion if he was married. He replied. "I do not have so much money as to get married." RasulAllah (peace and blessings be upon him) said "Do you know Surat al-Ikhlas?" He replied: "Yes". RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) remarked: "That equals to a quarter of the Qur’an. Do you know Surat al-Kafirun?" He replied: "Yes." RasulAllah (peace and blessings be upon him) said "it equals to a quarter of the Qur'an". He further asked “do you know Surat al-Zilzal?” He replied, “yes.” RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "That equals to a quarter of the Qur’an. Do you know Surat al-Fath?" He replied: "Yes". RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "That equals to a quarter of the Qur’an.

Do you know Ayat al-Kursi?" He replied: "Yes". RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "That equals to a quarter of the Qur’an. Get married, get married, get married!"


Abu Umamah (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that the ismullahi al- a'dham (The Greatest Name of Allah), through which Allah assuredly fulfils people's needs, is contained in three surahs in the Qur'an: al-Baqarah, Al Imran and Taha. Abu Umamah (radiAllahu anhu) says that when he searched for the ismullahi al- a'dham, he found it to be in Ayat al-kursi (2:255); and in Surah Al-’Imran (3:2); and in Surah Taha (20:111).
[al-Hakim, ibn Majah, at-Tabarani, at-Tahawi, and others]


It is reported by at-Tabarani that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "The one who recites Ayat al-kursi after the conclusion of an obligatory prayer, he is under the care of Allah until the next prayer commences."
[at-Tabaraani’s At Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (2:435)]

The Qur'an: Categories for Understanding.

 We may divide the study of the Qur'an into two categories: Tadhakkurand Tadabbur, after the Qur'anic verse:


"That men may ponder over (li yaddabbaru) its revelations and ... may take them to heart (li yatadhakkara)"
[surah Sad 38: 29].
Tadhakkur, used extensively in the Qur'an, has been translated variously as receiving admonition, deriving advice, remembering, taking heed, and taking to heart. It can therefore be taken to signify the process whereby you try to grasp the general messages and teachings being conveyed by the Qur'an, to find out what they mean for you and what demands they make upon you, to take them to heart, to bring forth corresponding responses of heart and mind and attitudes, to have the will to act in accordance with whatever you find, and, finally, to determine what message you have to deliver to your fellow human beings.


Tadhakkur is a category of understanding which, in its essential nature, should not require any sophisticated tools of scholarship. You may not know the meaning of every word, you may not be competent enough to explore the full meaning of all the important and key words, and you may not understand every verse, but the general, overall message, especially the message for you-how to live-should come out clearly and radiantly.

After all, the people who understood the Qur'an most and benefited from it the greatest were its first hearers they were city merchants, farmers, shepherds, camel riders and nomads. They did not have at their elbows lexicons, tafsir books, treatises on style, diction, cadence, rhetoric nor did they possess all the knowledge of philosophy, history, geography, archaeology, anthropology, or of the social and physical sciences. Yet they were the most successful in understanding the Qur'an. For, they took the message of the Qur'an to their heart and began to live it. Hence this category of understanding ought to be and is available to every person who fulfils the necessary condition for it in this respect. The degree and intensity of what he receives will depend on his effort and capacity. Of course, tools of scholarship may add new dimensions, lend added weight, give new insights, to this process; but they are not a must.


It is in the sense of Tadhakkur that the Qur'an categorically states that it is easy to understand, it is available to every sincere inquirer if he only comprehends what he is reading and ponders over it. It is to this Tadhakkur that the Qur'an invites everyone who can hear, see and think, to be guided by it. It is in this sense that it says:

"Indeed we have made this Qur'an easy for understanding and remembering (dhikr). Is there any, then, that will take it to heart (muddakir)"
[surah al-Qamar; 54: 17].

"Indeed we have made it [the Qur'an] easy [to understand] by your tongue [O Prophet] so that men might take it to heart (yaTadhakkuran)"
[surah al-Dukhan; 44: 58].

"Indeed We have made propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Qur'an, so that they might understand (yatadhakkarun)"
[surah al-Zumar; 39: 27].

"In this there is indeed a reminder (dhikr) for everyone who has a heart, or will give ear while he is a witness [present with his mind]"
[surah Qaf; 50: 37].


Tadhakkur is not some lower category of understanding; it is the basic essential purpose of the Qur'an. You will have to strive all your life in order to gain the light and guidance and healing through Tadhakkur and through this process you, personally, must continue to gather an unlimited number of gems.


Tadabbur

Tadabburis the other category of understanding. It signifiesL that you try to find the full meaning of every word, Ayah, and, Surah, that you explore the fuller meaning behind those words, metaphors and parables, that you discover the textual cohesion and underlying unity, that you determine the central ideas, delve into lexical intricacies, tanzil, and historical background, and that you undertake a comparative study of different tafsir. Then, that you discover all the implications for the relationship between man and his God, his fellow human beings, his own self, and the world around him; that you derive laws and morals for individuals and society, rules for state and economy, principles for history and philosophy, and implications for the current level of human knowledge.


Such a study would require a greater and deeper knowledge of various 'ulum al-Qur'an (the Quranic disciplines), depending on your goals and aims.

Tadabbur and Tadhakkur are not entirely separate nor mutually exclusive categories of understanding, they overlap.

Your Aims:


What should your aims be? Obviously aims will vary from person to person and, even for a person, from time to time. Tadhakkur, in my view, is obligatory for every Muslim who is or can become capable of understanding the Qur'an.

Hence, as an average-educated Muslim, who is trying to fulfil his commitment to Allah in the light of his capabilities and limitations, Tadhakkur should be your first aim, and the most important one. You will stay with it forever; you will never reach a stage where you may dispense with it.

In Tadhakkur, remember, you essentially set out to nourish your heart and mind, to increase your faith, to discover the message that the Qur'an is giving to you, to take it to heart, to remember it. Through all your labours you should be able to hear God's voice: what He wants you to be and to do.

      99 Beautiful Names of ALLAH!

This article will examine the scientific proofs supporting the effects that dhikr has on the human brain.

What is the brain itself?   All the activity of the brain is nothing but bio-electrical activity in several distinct parts of it, amongst various sets of neurons (cellular groups) where each are assigned a specific duty, functioning as a whole. Each and everyday 14 million neurons that make up the brain, are in constant interaction with 16 billion neighbouring neurons. All our activities and our understanding, that is all the functioning of the brain is the result of countless bio-electrical flows, are brought to existence in these sets of neurons occurring as a result of these interactions.

Now, when dhikr is practised you continuously repeat a given name of Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) a specific number of times and therefore reflecting a meaning that belongs to Allah (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) During the repetition of dhikr, certain regions of the brain are engaged and become active. There occurs a bio-electrical flow in those neural groups of the brain. After that task is performed repeatedly (as you repeat on the same name or a group of names) the neural activity increases, and so does the bioelectrical energy. In turn, this overflows and new sets of neurons are put to work and so, some other regions of the brain become active. Therefore the brain begins to expand. The brain starts to bring out new meanings, perspectives and commentaries which it had not previously used before the practice of dhikr. It is opening to receive the Truth. So just think what the effect that dhikr has on the heart to receive Truth!

Clearly the whole brain is a centre of interpretation. Clearly there exists no picture, no sound inside the brain. To achieve a state of consciousness (i.e. heedful to Allah's (subhanahu wa Ta'ala) commands) we must use our brains to enter reality and the more we become conscious, the more benefits we will attain, insha'Allah.


The findings of complementary laboratory tests may be found in the 'Scientific American', December 1993:

Complementary findings were described this year by investigators at Washington University and which have emerged through PET scans of humans. PET measures neural activity indirectly. In the experiments, volunteers were provided with a list of nouns. They were required to read the nouns one-by-one and to propose for each noun - a related verb. When the subjects first did this task, several distinct parts of the brain, including parts of the prefrontal and cinulate cortex, displayed increased neural activity. But if the volunteers repeated the task with the same list of words several times, the brain activity shifted to different regions. When a fresh list of nouns were given to them, the neural activity increased and shifted back to the first regions again.

PET Scans completed at Washington University show certain regions of the brain engaged as a subject reads a list of nouns and suggests related verbs. Different regions become active after the first task is performed repeatedly with the same list. The original areas of the brain re-engage when the subject is given another list.

Thus we see even Western science is waking up to the benefits of dhikr which was understood by Muslims many centuries ago without scientific evidence and research to provide proof.