The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"The best of people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter (i.e. my Companions, the followers of my companions and the followers of the followers of my companions)."
Ahmad ibn Abee 'Aamir Al-Hoozanee related that Mu'aawiyah ibn Abee Sufyaan stood and said, "Indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood among us and said,
“Lo! Indeed those before you from the People of the Book divided into 72 sects, and indeed this religious community (i.e., this nation) will be divided into 73 (sects) - 72 in the Hellfire and one in Paradise, and they are the jamaa'ah.”
[Narrated by Abu Dawud]
In another narration, when they asked the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), about the saved group, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"That which I and my Companions are upon today."
[Narrated by Mustadrak Al-Haakim]
Source: “Book of the End: Great Trials and Tribulations” (Last volume of the series “al-Bidhaayah wannihaayah”) by Ibn Kathir
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
"Before the Hour are treacherous years; in them, the truthful person will be disbelieved, and the liar will be believed; the trustworthy one will be distrusted, and the treacherous one will be trusted. And the base, ignoble one will speak in that time (i.e., he has a voice that is heard by the people.)"
[Narrated by Ahmad]
Source: “Book of the End: Great Trials and Tribulations” (Last volume of the series “al-Bidhaayah wannihaayah") by Ibn Kathir
‘‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You lest I misguide others, or I am misguided by others, lest cause others to err or I am caused to err, lest I abuse others or be abused, and lest I behave foolishly or meet with the foolishness of others.”
[Narrated by Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i, At-Tirmidhi. See also Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmidhi 3/152]
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah does not look at the outward appearance or wealth of any one of you; rather he looks at your hearts AND DEEDS."
(Narrated by Muslim, 2564)
Some of us tend to forget the last 2 words of this Hadith. Of course Allah does not judge us according to our physical appearance because Allah made us the way we are. But the clothes we wear, the hair style and other similar things are based on our choices and are a manifestation of our deeds. So we will be held accountable for all that.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The two rak'ahs of Fajr are better than this world and everything in it.”
[Narrated by Muslim, 725]
"The two rakah's of Fajr" here refers to the sunnah (recommended) prayer before the obligatory Fajr prayer.
Now imagine the whole world and everything in it. All the money and gold in the vaults and the bank accounts around the globe. All the jewelries, valuables and advanced technological gadgets with the diverse functions. The vast areas of lands, buildings, structures and huge mansions that everyone wished they possessed…
The two units of SUNNAH prayer before Fajr are MORE PRECIOUS, higher in status and more valuable than all of these worldly possessions! Then imagine the value of the OBLIGATORY prayers. Yet most of us not only neglect the sunnah of Fajr prayer but the obligatory Fajr prayer as well!! Are not our hearts affected by the Muezzin's call in the Azaan when he says "as-Salaathu khairun minnannaum" (Prayer is better than sleep)??
Let us strive our utmost to grasp the rewards of not only the 5 obligatory prayers but the sunnah (naafil/ recommended) prayers as well in order to be amongst those who are successful in this life and in the hereafter.
‘‘I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from His anger and His punishment, from the evil of His slaves and from the taunts of devils and from their presence.”
[Narrated by Abu Dawud 4/12 & Sahih At-Tirmidhi 3/171]
"If one of you rises from his bed and then returns to it he should dust it with the edge of his garment three times for he does not know what has occurred in his absence and when he lies down he should say:
“With Your Name my Lord, I lay myself down; and with Your Name I rise. And if my soul You take, have mercy on it, and if You send it back protect it as You protect your righteous slaves.””
"20 year old boy dies a sudden death after supposedly being diagnosed with pneumonia."
"Young man commits suicide by jumping off a building."
"A 19 year old student admitted in the intensive care unit. Doctors say chances of him surviving are 50/50..."
Day in and day out we see these kind headlines in the news all over the world. It doesn't matter how young they are, how athletic or how much they seem to "enjoy and chill" in life, When their appointed time is up, the Angel of Death descends to grab their souls and thus, they are returned to their Lord for their ultimate reckoning.
Few people really do what they have to do in such cases. Most people pretend to get "freaked out" and talk uselessly about the dead person and fail to grasp the real benefits from it. The wise are those who take heed from such incidents and strive to rectify their deeds before it is finally their turn to meet their Lord and become heavily interrogated for what they used to do in the life of this world. Allah is the All-Merciful. But never forget that He is also the Most Severe in Punishment and we will be held accountable for every single sin that we do.
How many of us actually think to ourselves that "I could be next"? "It might be my turn to be enclosed in that coffin today and buried in that dark whole in the ground"? "Am I prepared for it"?
May Allah Almighty make us amongst those who realize the reality of death and prepare ourselves for it instead of closing our eyes, covering our ears and trying to flee from it. May He make us amongst those who frequently remember death - the destroyer of pleasures - as the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllah 'alaihi wasallam) advised.
Concerning the fluctuation of one’s energy and faith…..
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Everybody has his time of energy, and every time of energy is followed by a time of lethargy. But if a person tries to follow a moderate path, then I have hope for him, but if he becomes one who is pointed out (in the street), then do not think anything of him.”
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2453; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi).
What is meant by “Everybody has his time of energy” is eagerness for a thing, energy and the desire to do good.
What is meant by “every time of energy is followed by a time of lethargy” is tiredness, weakness and lack of movement.
“But if a person tries to follow a moderate path” means that the one who has energy does his deeds in moderation and avoids going to extremes when he is feeling energetic and avoids being negligent when he is feeling lethargic.
“Then I have hope for him” means, I have hope that he will be successful, for he can continue following a middle course, and the most beloved deeds to Allaah are those which are continuous.
“but if he becomes one who is pointed out (in the street)” means, if he strives hard and goes to extremes in doing good deeds so that he will become famous for his worship and asceticism, and he becomes famous and people point him out to one another,
“then do not think anything of him” means, do not think that he is one of the righteous, because he is showing off. He did not say, “do not have hope for him,” as an indication that he has already fallen, and he will not be able to make up for what he has missed out on.
‘‘O Allaah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You.”
“The strong believer is better and dearer to Allah, than the weak believer and in each of them there is good. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek help from Allah and do not falter. But when you are stricken by some setback, do not say ‘ If only I had done such and such’. Rather, say:
‘It is the Decree of Allah and He does whatever He wills.’
For verily the saying ‘If‘ (i.e. if only I had) begins the work of the devil.’
All praise is due to Allah. May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon his final Messenger Muhammad and all those who follow his guidance.
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Performing Isthikhaarah & Seeking Advice
Description of Isthikhaarah
Isthikhaarah means seeking good through putting one’s complete trust in Alllah. A believer should perform Isthikhaarah before starting any important undertaking. Since marriage is one of the most important decisions that a person takes, it is important for both the man and woman to perform isthikhaarah before they give the final word that binds them together.
Jabir Bin Abdullah (radiyAllah ‘anhu) reported that Allah’s messenger (sallAllah ‘alaihi wasallam) used to teach his companions to perform isthikhaarah in all of their affairs – as though he was teaching them a surah from the Quran. He told them:
“When one of you is about to do something (important), let him pray two non-obligatory rak’at and then say:
“O Allah, I ask You to choose for me with Your knowledge and decree for me with Your might, and I ask You of Your great favor. Indeed, You decree and I do not, and You know and I do not; You surely are the Knower of all that is hidden. O Allah, if you know that this affair (and he names it) is good for me in regard to my religion, my living, and it’s outcome – both immediate and future, decree it, facilitate it, and then bless it for me. And if You know that this affair is harmful for me in regard to my religion, my living and its outcome – both immediate and future, divert it from me and divert me from it, and decree for me good wherever it may be, and then make me content by it.”
And indeed, never would he regret who asks the Creator to choose for him, and consults with the creation, and ascertains his actions.”
[Narrated by al-Bukhari and others]
From this hadith, it is obvious that the isthikhaarah is a special du’a that has the following characteristics:
1.It is said when intending to perform an important act and just before embarking on that act, with the expectation that Allah will choose the best.
2.It is preceded with a voluntary prayer consisting of two rak’at. One may raise one’s hands while saying it – as is recommended for any du’a.
3.After a person makes isthikhaarah, he should undertake what he was planning to do before it. If that is good for him, Allah would surely facilitate it, otherwise, He would bring about some circumstances to hinder it.
4.Contentment with its outcome may not be felt immediately, but will surely materialize with time.
Misconceptions about Isthikhaarah
1.A misconception concerning isthikhaarah is that it is made when a person is undetermined between two or more alternatives. It is clear from the above hadith that it should only be made after he had decided which of the alternative to undertake.
2.Some people think that one of the important requirements of isthikhaarah is to perform it just before going to sleep, and that some dreams should indicate what to do.
3.Other people think that the isthikhaarah puts in the heart an inclination toward the proper choice.
There is no basis for either of these two assumptions, and the above hadith supports neither. In fact, the hadith indicates that when, as a result of the isthikhaarah, Allah hinders an affair that a person was about to undertake, that might bring some dislike into his heart, and he therefore asks Allah to give him contentment.
Seeking Advice
We have seen from the above hadith that, in addition to isthikhaarah, it is recommended to consult with some knowledgeable people before making an important decision.
Thus it is recommended for the man and woman (or her Wali) to investigate about his or her intended partner, making sure that she or he has the required good attributes.
When a person’s advice is sought in regard to individuals that are considered for marriage, business partnership, etc. he should provide truthful and honest advice. This advice should be limited to matters relevant to the affair in question, and should not be exceeded to other areas because that may then count as a prohibited form of backbiting.
"
Quoted from “The Muslim Family 1: The Quest for Love & Mercy - Regulations for Marriage and Wedding in Islam” by Muhammad Mustafaa Al-Jibaly
One who seeks guidance from his Creator and consults his fellow believers and then remains firm in his resolve does not regret, for Allaah has said:
‘...and consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision put your trust in Allaah...’ [Surah Aal 'Imraan, 03:159]
