Pause before Speaking

 🌿 BE CAREFUL! A CONVERSATION TODAY COULD COST YOU YOUR GOOD DEEDS TOMORROW.

Imagine standing before Allah ﷻ on the Day of Judgement and discovering that your good deeds are being transferred to those you wronged through gheebah (backbiting). What a painful loss that would be!

🤍 We spend so much time discussing others, yet our own hearts need attention, our own shortcomings need correction, and our Aakhirah needs preparation.

✨ 5 PRACTICAL WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR AAKHIRAH

🌸 Pause before speaking: Ask yourself, “Would I say this if the person were present?”

🌸 Change the conversation: If it turns into gossip, gently redirect it.

🌸 Replace gossip with du‘a: Instead of discussing someone's faults, ask Allah to guide and bless them.

🌸 Practise self-reflection: Every night, review your own words and actions.

🌸 Make amends: If you have wronged someone, sincerely repent and seek to restore their rights where appropriate.

Remember, we cannot control what others say about us, but we can control what comes out of our own mouths.

Before discussing someone else's life, ask yourself: Am I earning reward through these words, or putting my Aakhirah at risk?

May Allah ﷻ purify our hearts, guard our tongues, and make us people who protect the honour of others. Aameen. 🤲🏻

When to be Silent

1.  Be silent - in the heat of anger.

2.  Be silent - when you don't have all the facts.

3.  Be silent - when you haven't verified the story.

4.   Be silent - if your words will offend a weaker person.

5.  Be silent - when it is time to listen.

6.  Be silent - when you are tempted to make light of holy things.

7.  Be silent - when you are tempted to joke about  sin.

8.  Be silent - if you would be ashamed of your word later.

9.  Be silent - if your words would convey the wrong impression.

10. Be silent - if the issue is none of your business.

11. Be silent - when you are tempted to tell an outright lie.

12. Be silent - if your words will damage someone  else's reputation.

13. Be silent - if your words will damage a friendship.

14. Be silent - when you are feeling critical.

15. Be silent - if you can't  say it without screaming.

16. Be silent - if your words will be a poor reflection of your friends and family.

17. Be silent - if you may have to eat your words later.

18. Be silent - if you have already said it more  than one time.

Betraying a Gathering's Trust

 ⚠️ Betraying the Trust of a Gathering

Unfortunately, a bad habit has become common among us: “Betraying the Trust of a Gathering.”

This can happen in several ways:

1️⃣ You are sitting with someone, and they secretly take your photograph or record your conversation without your knowledge or permission, even though they know that this is a betrayal of the trust of the gathering.

2️⃣ Some people speak to you over the phone and secretly record the conversation without your permission, even though they know that this too is a betrayal of trust.

3️⃣ You send someone messages on WhatsApp or Messenger, whether written or voice messages, and they forward them to others or post them on social media without your permission, even though they know that this is a betrayal of trust.

 4️⃣Some people speak to you over the phone and then secretly turn on the speakerphone, without your knowledge, so that someone sitting nearby can also hear the conversation. This is especially serious when the conversation contains confidential information, private matters, or details of situations involving you and others.

This amounts to spreading tales (Nameemah) and violating the trust of a gathering.

⛔️ Fear Allah! Be mindful of your own conduct and of the trust placed in you by those who sit and speak with you.

“And fear the Day when you will be returned to Allah.” 

— The Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:281

✍️ A Reminder to All of Us

Let us protect the secrets and privacy of our gatherings and conversations.

May Allah make us and you among those who honour and safeguard the trust placed in them. Ameen. 🤍

Choose your hard

Waking up for Fajr is hard. 

Living with the guilt of missing it is harder.

Choose your hard.

Raising righteous children is hard. 

Watching your children grow up without the deen is harder.

Choose your hard

Lowering your gaze is hard.

Protecting your heart from the consequences of what you chose to look at is harder.

Choose your hard. 

Leaving what is haram is hard.

Living with the consequences of disobeying Allah is harder.

Choose your hard.

Being consistent in salah is hard.

Standing before Allah with neglected prayers is harder.

Choose your hard.

Seeking knowledge is hard.

Remaining ignorant of the deen is harder.

Choose your hard. 

Being a good role model is hard.

Watching those who look up to you follow the wrong example is harder.

Choose your hard.

Life will always have its struggles. You don't get to choose whether life is hard. But you can choose which struggle you are willing to bear. Choose the hardship that brings you closer to Allah,  not the one that takes you further from Him.

Choose wisely. Choose for the sake of Allah ﷻ.

Eating with the Hands

Eating with the Hands – A Beautiful Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates something to this effect:

"Meat was presented to Rasulullah ﷺ. The forequarter was offered to him, as he loved this portion. Rasulullah ﷺ tore the meat with his teeth and ate it."

(Shamā'il Tirmidhī)

In an age where cutlery has become the norm, many overlook this beautiful Sunnah. Yet every Sunnah of our beloved Rasulullah ﷺ carries immense wisdom, whether we understand it or not. By eating with our hands out of love for him ﷺ, even an everyday habit becomes an act of worship and a means of earning reward.

🌿 A Sunnah with Purpose: Rasulullah ﷺ would eat with his blessed hands, teaching us simplicity, humility, and gratitude. Islam encourages us to appreciate Allah's favours rather than become attached to unnecessary luxuries.

🌿 Mindful Eating: Eating with the hands naturally encourages us to eat more slowly and with greater awareness. This helps us savour our food, recognise when we are full, and avoid overeating.

🌿 Preparing the Body for Digestion: Scientists explain that touching food activates the nerves in the fingertips, sending signals to the brain and digestive system that food is about to be eaten. This helps prepare the body for digestion.

🌿 Natural Portion Control : Taking food with the fingers generally results in smaller bites, encouraging proper chewing. Thorough chewing aids digestion and allows the body to absorb nutrients more effectively.

🌿 Following the Sunnah with Love: Whether the worldly benefits are many or few, our greatest motivation is to follow the example of Rasulullah ﷺ. Every Sunnah revived is a sign of love for him ﷺ and a means of drawing closer to Allah ﷻ.

🤍May Allah ﷻ grant us the tawfeeq to revive the Sunnah in every aspect of our lives and make our love for Rasulullah ﷺ evident through our actions. آمين

Aḥibbā an-Nabī ﷺ

Honour food... Avoid Wastage

 

🌿 A Forgotten Sunnah... A Forgotten Blessing

Sayyidatuna Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the house and saw a piece of bread lying on the floor. He picked it up, wiped it clean, ate it, and said:

«"O 'Aishah, honor your food, for when the blessing of food leaves a people, it rarely returns."»

📖 Sunan Ibn Majah 3353

Now pause... and look at our lives.

At weddings...

At buffets...

At parties...

Plates overflowing with food...

Only to be scraped into the dustbin moments later.

We take more than we need...

We leave behind what others would treasure...

We waste what millions make du'a for every single day.

While our tables bend under abundance...

There are families who sleep hungry.

There are children who don't know where their next meal will come from.

The tragedy is not that we have food...

The tragedy is that we have stopped seeing it as a blessing.

Every grain of rice...

Every crumb of bread...

Every drop of water...

...is a gift from Allah ﷻ.

The Sunnah is not merely to avoid waste—it is to honour every blessing.

Before filling your plate, ask yourself:

"Will I truly eat this?"

Before leaving your plate, ask yourself:

"Would this action make my beloved Nabi ﷺ smile?"

On the Day of Qiyamah, our wealth, our status, and our lavish feasts will not matter.

But our gratitude...

Our restraint...

And how we treated the blessings Allah entrusted to us...

will.

May Allah ﷻ fill our hearts with gratitude, make us among those who honour every blessing, revive this beautiful Sunnah in our homes and gatherings, and protect us from the loss of barakah. Āmīn.

Etiquettes of Visiting the Sick

 

Let us take a look at some of the etiquettes when visiting the sick:

1) Our intention for visiting the sick should be:

a) To please Allah Ta’aala.

b) Act upon a Sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ.

c) Gain the dua of the sick person.

d) Gain the dua of the angels.

e) Make our brother/sister feel happy.

2) When visiting the sick we should enter with salaam and a smile upon our face. Try to take a small gift for them. All of these gestures will make them feel happy Insha’Allah.

3) Ask about their health and if possible, hold their hand or place your hand on their forehead to help them feel at ease.

4) Give them words of encouragement reminding them that every illness has a cure and also how Allah Ta’aala accepts the dua of a sick person.

5) Keep the visit short and do not do anything to put the ill person in difficulty. If they wish to rest then take leave and let them rest immediately. Refrain from causing inconvenience to them by making them sit up, forcing them to eat or drink, or forcing a conversation, or staying for too long.

6) As soon the opportunity allows say the following Masnoon (sunnah) words:

  لا بَأْسَ طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ

“There is no harm! (The illness is) a purifier (from sins) If Allah wills“(Bukhari)

7) After this, read the following amazing dua seven times:

أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ

“I ask Allah who is the Magnificent and the Lord of the Magnificent Throne that He cures you” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

From the Hadeeth, we learn there is no illness apart from death that cannot be cured through this dua.

8) Request them to make dua for you, reminding them that their duas are accepted.

9) If possible, encourage them to seek treatment as this is a Sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ and something encouraged in our deen.

10) Remind them to be patient and whenever possible to rub the area of the pain and blow on oneself whilst reciting the following dua:

أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ وَاشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءٌ لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمَاً

أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ

11) When seeing a person in any difficulty or pain by reading the following we will be saved from such affliction:

الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلًا

Remember: Read this du’a without letting the afflicted person hear us.