Coolness Of Eyes

"And those who say: Our Lord! Grant us from our wives and our descendents coolness of the eyes and make us an example for the people of piety."

[Noble Quran 25:74]

Explanation: This verse contains a prayer for one's spouses and children. One can draw solace from his dear ones (wife and children) if they submit to the way of Allah. That is the true bliss for a man.

What is alluded here is that the righteous servants of God do not care about correcting themselves only, but also take care of the virtuous actions of their children and spouse, and keep trying for their improvement, and it is a part of their efforts that they pray Allah to make them take the right path.

Marriage is one of the most important social relationships in society. If it goes sour, there is little hope for the overall society - especially the next generation.

The affection which Allah has created in the hearts of the two spouses is one of His great signs for the people of understanding. The relationship between husband and wife should be one of affection, compassion and mutual understanding.

If husband and wife do not find this in their marriage, then they need to look to their Islam and the completeness of their uboodiya (slavery and complete worship) to Allah Most High. By each of them focusing on the completeness of their Islam and carefully maintaining their obligations toward the other - instead of focusing on the faults of the other and attempting to use Islam as a stick with which to beat them down - the affection, compassion and great calm or peace of home life will insha'Allah be found.

The righteous slaves of Allaah also ask that, in their sayings and their actions, they should be made an example for those dutiful to Allaah, that their actions should be followed, that the people have confidence in their sayings, and that the people of good follow on behind then so that they, themselves are upon the guidance and give guidance to others.

Never Become Proud of Your Piety and Belittle Others

 

Jundub bin `Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Once someone said: `By Allah! Allah will not forgive such and such (a person).' Thereupon Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious, said: `Who is he who takes an oath in My Name that I will not grant pardon to so-and-so? I have granted pardon to so-and-so and rendered your good deeds fruitless.'''

[Muslim].

Explanation:  Some people become self-conceited as a result of their excessive worship to the point that they start disparaging and making low estimates of their fellow Muslims and their deeds, little knowing that Allah, Glorious is He, is of vast forgiveness. They do not realize that if Allah so wills, He can destroy all their deeds and consign them to Hell and send the other people who have been disparaged and underestimated to Jannah. Therefore, one should never become proud of his piety nor should one consider others of little value or good deeds, as only Allah Alone knows what is inside our hearts.

Seek Help Through Sabr & Salah

"O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient."

[Surah Baqarah 2: Verse 153]

Explanation :  This verse identifies the elixir for all the ills which are a necessary part of human existence, whether they be wants and needs, or anxiety and suffering. The Holy Qur'an itself has indicated; in a very subtle and eloquent way, the general efficacy of this remedy by employing a generalizing expression - "seek help" - without specifying the situation in which help is to be sought.

Now, the two ingredients of this remedy are patience and prayers. The Arabic term Sabr (sabr) is much more comprehensive than its usual English equivalent, "patience". Lexically, the word "Sabr" signifies "restraining oneself, or keeping oneself under control." In the terminology of the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, Sabr has three modes:-

1) Restraining oneself from what the Shari'ah has declared to be illegal or impermissible (Haram).

2) Forcing oneself to be regular in the observance of the different forms of worship and to be steadfast in obeying the commandments of Allah and the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam: Peace be upon him.

3) To endure all kinds of trouble and pain - in other words, to understand clearly and to believe that it is the will of Allah to make one suffer, and to hope that one shall receive a reward for this suffering. With regard to this point, if one cannot help uttering a word of grief or a sigh of pain, it does not go against Sabr, or nullify it.

People generally identify Sabr with the third mode alone, and ignore the first two which are, indeed, more basic and essential. We cannot insist too much on the fact that all the three are equally obligatory, and that every Muslim is required to practice all the three forms of Sabr. In the terminology of Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, Al-Sabirun is the title of those who are steadfast in observing all the three forms with equal rigour.

 As for the second ingredient of the prescription, it is Salah (Prayer). Although Sabr, as we have just explained it, covers the different forms of worship, including prayers, all of them being its branches. Salah, however, has been mentioned separately, because that is the most perfect model of Sabr. For, in the state of Salah, one binds oneself to obedience and worship, and restrains oneself not only from all that is sinful or reprehensible but even from what is otherwise permissible - e.g., from eating or drinking or talking. Hence, Salah is a visible demonstration of Sabr which signifies keeping oneself under control in shunning everything sinful and in submitting oneself totally to obedience.

The Destructive Power Of Alcohol

Abu Darda(ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Don't drink wine for it is the key to every evil.

[Al-Tirmidhi]

Explanation: Alcohol has been the scourge of human society since time immemorial. It continues to cost countless human lives, and inflicts terrible misery to millions throughout the world. Alcohol is the root cause of several problems facing society. The statistics of soaring crime rates, increasing instances of mental illnesses & millions of broken homes throughout the world bear mute testimony to the destructive power of alcohol.

The 'good' in wine is popularly known as a certain taste & a feeling of well-being, professed increase of temporary energy, and a given glow on the face. Being transient, these benefits hardly stand against the array of evils that drinking breeds.

Let's take the human body first. Drinking causes mal-function of the stomach, reduces desire to eat, affects facial contours, inflates the waistline, hurts the livers and the kidneys and becomes a contributor to all sorts of diseases. Reason does not work under the influence of hard drinks and one cannot manage things until one becomes sober after sometime. The hangover turns out to be as bad. The morning after a party is hard for a drinker who gets a splitting headache & is disoriented after his late-night bout of drinking.

Wine, a tempting stimulant and a much romanticized poison works slowly, inspite of the spirited defense put up by its users. The fact is that drinking not only harms the elders but also effects their born or yet to come children as well. So. the habit of drinking is not only evil in itself but a mother of other evils too making men ready to commit the worst possible crimes against their fellow beings.

Adopt the Sunnah

Hazrat Anas (ra) reports that Rasoolullah (saws) advised "Whoever cherishes my Sunnah, indeed he cherishes me and whoever loves me will be with me in Jannah."

[Tirmidhi]

Explanation: As Muslims, it's our belief that every Sunnah of our beloved Nabi (saws) is filled with blessings of Allah Ta'ala. It was for this reason that Allah (Swt) granted the Shaabah (rd) and Muhadditheen capabilities required to preserve the Sunnah. Alhamdulillah a large amount of authentic literature is available in which the blessed Sunnah of Rasoolullah (saws) is preserved to this day for the follower to adopt and implement in his life.

In another hadith, Rasoolullah (saws) said, "He who holds firm to my Sunnah when corruption is rampant in my Ummah will attain the reward of a hundred martyrs." [Al-Bayhaqi]

The Sunnah of Rasoolullah (saws) is not restricted to acts or places of worship only. Instead, it is comprehensive and covers all aspects and situations of life such as one's social and moral conduct, business dealings, his dressing etc. It also applies to all places whether the Masjid, business place, the home or even while one is on a journey to any far off land. In every situation, one must draw guidance from the lifestyle of Rasoolullah (saws) thereby turning everyday habits into acts of worship.

Enjoin Good and Forbid Evil

"And there has to be a group of people from among you who call towards the Good and and bid the Fair and forbid the Unfair . And it is these who are Successful "

[Qur'an , Surah Al-Imran, Verse 104]

Explanation : It is has been said here that Muslims are not to rest at the correction of what they think and do individually, but they should along with that, be affectionately concerned with the good of other brothers and sisters in faith.

By doing so, the whole community shall have the benefit of keeping its stance correct at all times, and at the same time this will guarantee closer mutual cooperation and unity.

Collective well-being of Muslims depends on two things :
1. Self-correction through Taqwa and a firm hold on the cord of Allah through Qur'an and Sunnah
2. The correction of others through Da'wah and positive propogation.

This subject appears in Surat ul-Asr "Except those who believe and do good deeds and invite each other to truth and invite each other to patience." (103: 2-3)

Hence, one must correct his or her deeds and morals in the Light of what Almighty Allah has sent as the Law and with it , one must be concerened that other Muslim brothers and sisters do the same.

In order that Muslims have a firm bond of unity, they must relate to Allah , and in order that this bond stays firm throgh the ages, it is necessary that Muslims consider their obligation to enjoin what is good and in accordance with the dictates of the Qur'an and Sunnah on their brothers and sisters in faith, and stop them from what is not good.

A Sign Of Perfection Of Worship

It is stated by Hazrat Thauban (ra) that when the Messenger of Allah (saws) finished offering his prayers, he sought forgiveness of Allah three times

[Muslim]

Explanation : This hadith tells us that after the Prophet (saws) would say "Astagfirullah" three times.  In fact, it is a sign of perfection of worship that a man having offered prayers considers his eforts imperfect and regards himself responsible for that.So, he seeks the forgiveness of Allah.

Taubah (repentance) and Istighfaar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) are among the most meritorious acts of virtue for the believers. Taubah means feeling remorse for our actions or omissions.Istighfar means expressing that remorse in words and begging Allah for forgiveness. The act for which we perform taubah and istighfar is not necessarly a sin or an act of disobedienceto Allah, it also includes our shortcomings.

As we realise Allah's immense favours to us, all our thankfulness and devotion clearly appears to be inadequate.As we realise the Grandeur of Allah, Most High, our acts of worship and obedience are clearly seen to be insufficient.

The higher a person is on the scale of piety and taqwa, the greater is this sense of inadequacy. Consequently the greater is his practice of Istighfar.