Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power)

The ten days of Ramadan are even more blessed than the rest of Ramadan. In it is Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) described in the Qur'an as,better than 1000 months (yes, months – not days). (Sura 97:3)

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr in Prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, will be forgiven his previous sins."
One of the best duas that can be recited on Laylat Al-Qadr is that which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). It was narrated by At-Tirmidhi, who classed it as sahih, that ‘A’ishah said:  “O Messenger of Allah, If I know which night is Laylat Al-Qadr, what should I say?” He said: "Say: Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibb al-‘afwa fa`fu ‘anni (O Allah, You are All-Forgiving and You love forgiveness so forgive me)."

May Allah forgive our sins, accept our duas and guide us on the straight path

Ramadan the blessed month

For those that have never experienced fasting during the month of Ramadan cannot understand why muslims around the world celebrate when Ramadan arrives.

Its amazing how fasting and praying during this blessed month makes me feel closer to Allah and the issues of the world fade into the background. This year, Ramadan started on 1 August, and as the days in the northern hemisphere are quite long I wondered if I would be able to do my job effectively and still fast.  (The Islamic calendar is 11 or 12 day shorter it rotates with the seasons). Alhamdullilah, Allah has given me inner strength and peace and today is already the 17th day of Ramadan.

According to hadith, The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad  (peace be upon him) said,

1. "Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for Allah sends down his Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers".
2. "Whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith, hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all of his past sins will be forgiven."
3. "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained."
4. "When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One, descends towards the lower heaven and proclaims:
   'Is there anyone supplicating to Me, so that I grant his supplication? Is there anyone begging of Me for anything so that I grant him his wish? Is there anyone who seeks My forgiveness, so that I forgive him?' "

Ramadan is such a precious gift and is transforming muslims around the world. Read this article where Kristiane Backer a host on the music channel MTV Europe, who converted to Islam in 1995, shares some personal Ramadan experiences and reflects on the meaning of this month of fasting. May Allah guide and unite us all during this blessed month

Virtues of Ahad Naama

Our Holy Prophet, Hazrat Muhammed (S.A.W.) said that

1. If anyone reads the Ahad Naama at least once in a lifetime, Jannat will be assured for that person.
2. There are 3000 diseases of which cures are known for only a thousand. Allah will protect you from the other 2000 if you have the Ahad Naama in your possession
3. If the Ahad Naama is written in musk and saffron, soaked in rain water & drunk for three mornings, it will increase wisdom, memory and comprehension.
4.  If the Ahad Naama is read for the deceased, the graves(of the deceased) will be illuminated with Heavenly Light(Nur)
5. If the Ahad Naama is left in the grave, the deceased will get the blessings of 60 prophets, the questioning of Angel Munak Nakil will be easy on him and his sins will be kept away at a distance. On the Day of Judgment the Ahad Naama will appear in the guise of an angel to lead the person, in full regalia

Print out the dua and recite often.

Proving the existence of Allah

Hajj the most desired journey for a muslim

Hajj is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and a journey that every muslim strives to perform. Ideally you should perform Hajj when you are young and fit and not old like I was. Yet, there is another way of getting the reward of Hajj every night. Interested then read on.

One day, the Prophet (sallalaho aliahe wasallam) said to Ali (radhiallaho ahno): Do these five things before going to bed at night:

1. give 4000 dinaars in sadaqa
2. read one complete Quran  
3. pay the price for jannat  
4. make two people happy with each other when they are upset   
5. do one hajj   

Hadrat Ali (radhiallaho anho) said, ya Rasulallah, this looks impossible, how will I be able to do it? Then the Prophet(sallalaho aliahe wasallam) replied, If you read:

•  4 times surah Fatiha it is equal to giving four thousand dinaars in sadaq
•  3 times surah ikhlas (qul hu allahu ahad) it is equal to reading one complete quraan.
•  3 times any durood shareef (shortest: Sallalaho alaihe wassallam) it is the price of jannat
•  10 times astaghfirullah (or any istighfar) it is equals to making two unhappy people, happy with each other.
•  4 times third kalima it is equals to performing one hajj.

After this Ali (radhiallao anho) said, ya rasulallah (sallalaho aliahe wasallam), now I will do all these before going to bed.

Another exceptional prayer is dua Jamilah which contains the names of Allah, here you can find the arabic version (page1, .page2) I always encouraged my children to pray it at the time of breaking fast on the 15th of Ramadaan.

Imagine getting the reward of performing Hajj and so much more, in just a few minutes of prayer, especialy in Ramadaan where the rewards are tenfold more.

May Allah accept all our duas

 

A journey starts with the first step

Bismillah - In the name of Allah the most beneficient, most merciful

I lived at a time when women did not have the opportunities my daughters have today - yet I lived with courage and ambition to learn new things everyday. This blog is to share what I knew and learnt so that it becomes the  legacy to my family and friends.

I have taken the first step and Inshall Allah may Allah guide my efforts one step at a time.....