Allah’s Names: Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem, 21st Muharram,1435 ( 24th November, 2013)‏

The most important thing that the Muslim should learn is about the belief in Allaah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala). It is to learn about his Creator’s names, attributes and actions and live according to it in his life.

If he lives his life knowing Allaah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala,)he will be able to answer the questions in the grave. It is very important to correct our Tawheed. Nothing will correct our Tawheed except knowledge about Allaah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala). Every Muslim should know Him.

When you know Allaah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala) very well you will taste the sweetness of faith. You will love for Allaah’s sake (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala); hate, befriend and make enmity for His sake alone.

Only the believer who has baseerah (insight) will reach this state. Insight is to see the indications of the matters that indicate Allaah’s (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala) attributes.

The people are of two categories the one who is blind and the one who sees.

The Names of Allah: Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem – Part 2 – Sunday 6th Muharram,1435 (10th November, 2013)

Allah said in Surah Baqarah verse 163 and 164:

وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ

And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God – Allah), La ilaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن مَّاءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayat (proofs, evidences, signs, etc.) for people of understanding.

Who is Ar Rahmaan, Ar Raheem?

Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzan (Hafidhahullaah) says when the rain is very heavy make the following Dua’a..

Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzan (Hafidhahullaah) says when the rain is very heavy make the following Dua’a which the Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was saying:

“Allahumma Hawaalayna wa laa ‘alaynaa. Allaahumma Alaad-diraabi wal Aakaam, wa butoonil-awdiyati wa manaabitish-shajar”

‘O Allaah, let the rain fall around us and not upon us, O Allaah, (let it fall) on the pasture, hills, valleys and roots of trees.’ [Al-Bukhari 1/224, Muslim 1/614]

Invocation for when it rains

O Allah , (bring) beneficial rain clouds. 

[Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 2/518.] 

Who are the People of Emaan? – Sunday 6th Muharram,1435 (10th November, 2013)

One of the greatest blessings Allah has bestowed upon us is Emaan. Even if the slave has nothing but Emaan, it will be enough for him to save him from the Hell fire.

For if he has Emaan, it will save him from the Hellfire and wash away his sins.

Who are the people of Emaan? Al Emaan is what is established in the heart and proved by the limbs. What is established in your heart about belief in the angels and messengers, manifests through the actions of the tongue and limbs etc.

What is the issue with most of us? We focus on the actions only. What are the conditions that will make us establish Emaan?

The Emaan about the Jinn:  Who are the jinn? They are like us humans. They have families, they eat etc., but one difference is that they are invisible.

The Names of Allah: Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem – Part 1 – Sunday 29th Dhul-Hijjah,1434 ( 3rd November, 2013)

In the Qur’aan Allah mentions His names and attributes, after the Kalimat Tawheed, to teach us that it is knowing and understanding these names that will make our Tawheed strong. For example, in Ayatul Kursi, the first verse of Surah Aal Imran and the last three verses of Surah Hashr, Allah mentions the word  Tawheed and mentions many names after that. If we want to correct our Tawheed,  we have to take special care of understanding these names of Allah.  Ar-Rahmaan is a general mercy and Ar-Raheem is specific for the believers.

Ar-Rahmaan and ar-Raheem are two of the names of Allaah which refer to Allaah’s attribute of Mercy.

Ar-Rahmaan refers to the vastness of Allaah’s mercy, and Ar-Raheem refers to its effect on His creation. So Ar-Rahmaan is the Owner of vast Mercy, and Ar-Raheem is the Owner of Mercy that encompasses His creation.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (Rahimahullaah) said: “Ar-Rahmaan is the Owner of vast mercy, because the fa’laan form in Arabic indicates vastness and abundance, as it is said rajal ghadbaan (a very angry man) when he is filled with anger.

Ar-Raheem is a name which refers to the action, as the fa’eel form refers to the doer of an action. So the phrase Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem indicates that the mercy of Allaah is vast, as is understood from the name Ar-Rahmaan, and that it encompasses His creation, as is understood from the name Ar-Raheem. This is what some of them meant when they said that Ar-Rahmaan refers to mercy in a general sense and Ar-Raheem refers to mercy that is specifically for the believers. But what we have mentioned is more accurate.” [From Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah, 1/22]

Ar-Rahman= Rahmatun Wasi’a

Ar-Raheem = Rahmatun Wasila

The Impact of Allah’s mercy:

1) The entire creation exists due to His mercy. Don’t wish for death, it is out of Allah’s mercy that you were created.

2) The creation has achieved excellence, many kinds of perfection and attained blessings because of Allah’s mercy. Every good we enjoy is out of Allah’s mercy.

3) We have been saved from all types of calamities by Allah’s mercy. When a calamity is driven away from us it is from Allah’s mercy. We live in safety because of Allah’s mercy.

4) One of His greatest mercy upon His creation is that He made His slaves know about Him. Allah chooses certain servants and teaches them about Him. Have we appreciated this blessing from Allah? This is the special mercy of Allah with us. This is the greatest mercy.

He sent messengers through which we came to know about Allah and revealed books upon them. Whoever learns about Allah and is aware of His mercy will worship Allah and no one else. How would our life be if we don’t know our Lord, who is forgiving and accepts repentance? We will despair and many might even commit suicide. But Allah says whatever sins we commit He will forgive.

What will be our life if we don’t know our Lord is As-Samad, the self-sufficient master who is sought for all our needs? We will be lost, going after people, humiliated and disgraced. But Allah made himself known such that we ask Him and He alone will give us. What will our state be if we don’t know that our Lord is severe in punishment? People will not be merciful to each other, they will transgress since there is no punishment. They will violate Allah’s prohibitions.

The Fruits of Eeman– Sunday 29th Dhul-Hijjah,1434 (3rd November, 2013)

We need to fulfil two conditions when performing any act of worship:

1) Sincerity

2) الإتباع Following the Sunnah of the Prophet

We have to follow the manners of attending the gatherings of knowledge. We will be accounted for the way we sit, listen, ask questions, treat others, etc. These types of gatherings are an act of worship. It is known that the Shaytaan is aware of how beloved the gatherings of knowledge are to Allah. This is why he comes and whispers in each person’s heart, distracting her. Shaytaan is our enemy, trying his best to turn our hearts away. We have to strive hard to repel these whispers from the Shaytaan by seeking refuge with Allah from the Shaytaan, make du’aa asking Allah to help you as He is able to drive away the whispers of the Shaytaan from your heart and make it easy for you to concentrate. If we are seeking the blessing in the knowledge, we have to be sincere and follow the manners of attending the gatherings of knowledge.

In Surah Hujuraat Verse 7:

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ

And know that, among you there is the Messenger of Allah (Salla-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). If he were to obey you (i.e. follow your opinions and desires) in much of the matter, you would surely be in trouble, but Allah has endeared the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wickedness and disobedience (to Allah and His Messenger Salla-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) hateful to you. These! They are the rightly guided ones,

It is not by our own effort that we become believers, Allah is the one who endeared faith in our hearts. Allah guides whomever he wills to Eeman, and His will is related to His wisdom and knowledge. He knows who deserves to be granted faith.

There are 3 actions of Allah in this verse:

1) Allah made faith endeared to our hearts.

2) He adorned it in our hearts.

3) He made Kufr, Fusooq, and ‘Isyan hateful to our hearts.

Belief in Allah is the greatest deed and it is the best of deeds. Afdhal ul A’maal, Belief in Allah, means believing in His names, attributes, actions and legislation we get to know all this from the Qur’aan.

Narrated Abu Huraira (RadhiAllaahu ‘Anhu): Allah’s Messenger (Salla-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was asked, “What is the best deed?” He replied, “To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad, Salla-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). The questioner then asked, “What is the next (in goodness)? He replied, “To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah’s Cause”. [Bukhari]

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (RadhiAllaahu ‘Anhu) said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (Salla-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) which action is most beloved to Allah? He said: ‘Establishing prayer on time, honouring one’s parents and Jihad in the cause of Allah.'” [An-Nasaai]

Your Salaat is the scale for your eeman. If it is good then it indicates that the eeman is strong in your heart, if it is not then it indicates your Eeman is weak.

The first description Allah described the believers with in Surah Mu’minoon was that they offer the Salaat with humility, concentration and submissiveness. This indicates the importance of eeman. We have to take care of the means of strengthening our Eeman; it is not enough to know that Allah is the creator and the Prophet is the Messenger. The Sahabah took care of increasing their eeman because it is the highest matter in the religion. The Sahabah asked about the deeds pleasing to Allah. They did not ask whether it was Sunnah or obligatory. They wanted to know the most beloved deed regardless if it was obligatory or Sunnah. This was their attitude.

1) It is reported that Mu`adh ibn Jabal (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu) would often say to his companions when they were walking, “Let us sit down and believe for a while.”

2)  It is also narrated that `Abdullah ibn Rawahah (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu), whenever he met one of the sahabah, used to say, “Come, let us believe in our Lord for a while.”

3) Even the rightly-guided khalifah `Umar ibn al-Khattab (radhiAllaahu ‘anhu) used to  say to his companions, “Come on, let us go and increase our faith,”

[Taken from the book of means of increasing and decreasing of Eeman by Shaikh Abdur-Razzaq Al-Badr ]

The Names of Allah: Ar-Rahmaan, Ar-Raheem – Part 3 – Sunday 14th Muharram,1435 ( 17th November, 2013)

Allaah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala), by His Mercy, had created the entire creation and didn’t leave them without guidance.

Allaah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala) said in Surah Rahman Verse 1-2:

الرَّحْمَٰنُ

The Most Beneficent (Allah)!

عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ

Has taught (you mankind) the Quran (by His Mercy).

The first thing He said after His name Ar-Rahman is that He is the One, who out of His Mercy, taught His slaves the Qur’aan.