Submitting and surrendering our intellect before the Deen:

Submitting and surrendering our intellect before the Deen:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) then asked us, "Which month is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better." He kept quiet so long that we thought he might call it by another name. Then he said, "Isn't it Dhul-Hijja?" We said, "Yes." He asked "What town is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better.' Then he kept quiet so long that we thought he might call it by another name. He then said, "Isn't it the (forbidden) town (Mecca)?" We said, "Yes." He asked, "What is the day today?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better. Then he kept quiet so long that we thought that he might call it by another name. Then he said, "Isn't it the Day of An-Nahr (slaughtering of sacrifices)?" We said, "Yes." ...- Sahih Al-Bukhari 7447

This incident is from the Hajjatul wida and has a very profound message for us. How we have to surrender ourselves totally to the teachings and the message of the Prophet ﷺ. 

The sahabah in this hadith surrender their very sense of time and place to the will of the prophet though they all knew that it was the month of ZilHaj and city of Makkah as they all had come to perform Haj! 

But none from the 120000 sahabah present there dared to answer any of the even basic questions of the prophet. Apart from their tremendous Adab for the prophet ﷺ, it shows that the Sahabah did not consider their knowledge and information as worthy of any consideration at all and they waited for the Prophet ﷺ to teach them and enlighten them in every matter. 

Unfortunately, our attitude today is of arrogance and resistance to Islamic teachings instead of willing submission. We try to judge the Shariah and Sunnah from our own limited knowledge and experience and try to raise objections, doubts and contentions when they appear to be against our ideas and desires and our understanding which is shaped by modern culture, western ideologies, media, our family and society and the dominant baatil discourse. 

The more "educated" we are, the more we show this behaviour. Instead of submitting ourselves to the Shariah, we try to submit the Shariah to our whims and fancies. How can we attain true Imaan if we continue this behaviour? May Allah guide us.

Three Ahadith on Dangers of Cursing:

Three Ahadith on Dangers of Cursing:

Hadith 1.
Sayyiduna Abu Darda narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ say, ''When a person curses anything (man or an inanimate object), the curse rises up to the heaven but the gates of heaven are locked against it, so it comes down to earth but its gates are locked against it. So, it turns to the right and the left. If it does not find any point of entry, it comes again to that which was cursed (and effects it) if it deserves the curse. If not then it reverts on him who had uttered the curse." Abu Dawud.

COMMENTARY: People take the curse very lightly but this hadith points out how serious it is and the one who curses is himself liable to fall prey to it.
Hence, no one may be cursed unless one is confident that he deserves it, but this can only be known when the Prophet ﷺ tells us who deserves it.

Hadith 2.
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas narrated that (one day) the wind blew away the cloak of a man, so he cursed it. Allah's Messenger said,
"Do not curse it, because it is under command. If any one curses something and it is not liable to it, then the curse rebounds to him." Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud.

COMMENTARY: the wind is not independent but it follows the command of Allah. Hence, it is very bad to curse it and it is contrary to servitude.
The same command applies at other occasions like when facing reverses of fortune or grief, etc. One must keep one's tongue in check. No complaint must be made. It is against Islamic teachings.

Hadith 3.
Sayyiduna Abu Darda narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ say, "those who are accustomed to curse often will not be witnesses or intercessors on the day of resurrection." (Muslim)

COMMENTARY: On the day of resurrection, the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ will be presented as witnesses over the previous peoples. They will testify that the Prophet ﷺ had conveyed to those peoples the messages of Allah and had invited them to Allah's path. But, they did not listen to them. Allah says about it:
{And thus have we made you mid-most justly balanced) community so that you may be witnesses to mankind.} (2: 143) The Prophet ﷺ said that on the day of resurrection such people who are given to cursing will not be honoured as witnesses over the past ummahs, they will also be deprived of the honour of interceding (doing Shifa'at) for anyone on the day of resurrection.

This is why the Ahl us sunnah wa al jama'ah refrain from cursing anybody, even if he deserves it. However, there is no harm in cursing the disbelievers about whom it is known for certain that they died as disbelievers.

(Taken from Mazahir e haq- sharah Mishkat English translation.)

The urgency of the Day of Judgment and our heedlessness

The urgency of the Day of Judgment:

"˹The time of˺ people’s judgment has drawn near, yet they are heedlessly turning away." (Quran 21:1)

One of the fundamental themes of the Quran is man's flight from reality. Even at the simplest every day level there is a constant avoidance of the thought of death. The worldly life makes man forget and neglect the inevitable end of his life as well as the end of the entire creation.

It is the tearing-away of all illusions of security that characterizes both the Last Judgement and its anticipation in the Qurān; and this is the background against which life is seen as a brief but immensely precious opportunity, offering a once-and-for-all choice.

Hence the sense of urgency which informs the whole Qurān, making the very thought of 'passtimes' an outrage against common sense; for to waste the little time we have seems to the Muslim like insane profligacy. 

The common plea of those described in the Quran as 'the losers' (al-khāsirūn) –

those who face damnation - is to be sent back, if only for a short while, to human life; and one understands that even a single day in which to make good use of time would be, for them, a treasure beyond anything they desired while living.

 'So warn mankind of the Day when the punishment comes to them and the wrongdoers exclaim: Our Lord! Grant us respite for a short while we will obey Your call and follow the messenger!" (Quran 14:44).

Adapted from 'Islam and the Destiny of Man' by Charles Le Gai Eaton.

Great Sunnah Dua for Love of God:

Sunnah Dua for the ULTIMATE Love of God:

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ حُبَّكَ أََحَبَّ الأَشْيَاءِ إِلِىْ ، وَاجْعَلْ خَشْيَتَكَ أَخْوَفَ الأَشْيَاءِ عِنْدِيْ وَاقْطعْ غَنِّي حَاجَاتِ الدُّنْيَا بِالشُّوْقِ إِلى لِقَائِكَ ، وَ إِذا أَقْرَرْتَ أَعْيُنَ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ دُنْيَا هُمْ ، فَاقْرِرْ عَيْنِيْ مِنْ عِبَادَتِك


Allahummaj'al hubbaka a-habbal ashyaa'i illayya, waj'al khashyataka akhwafa ashyaa'i 'indi, waq-ta 'anni haajaatid-dunya bish shawqi illa liqaa'ika, wa idha aq-rarta 'a'yuna ahlid-dunya min dunnyahum, fa aqrir 'aynee min 'ibaadatika.

O Allah! Make my love for You the most beloved thing to me, and my fear for You the most fearful thing to me, and remove from me all worldly needs and wants by instilling a passion for meeting You, and when You have given the people of the world the pleasures of their world, make the coolness of my eyes (pleasure) in worshipping You.

(Reported in Kanzul ummal, on the authority of Abi Malik)

How to add value to our Good Deeds:

Dhikrullah makes good deeds better:

The most excellent good deed is the one that is performed with fervent Dhikrullah (remembrance of God). The best person among those who observe fast, give wealth in charity or go on pilgrimage is the one who does excessive Dhikr of Allah during the performance of these good deeds.

Ibn Abi Dunya related that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked, ‘which of the visitor to the mosque is the best’?
The prophet ﷺ replied, "The one who remembered God most".
"Which warrior is the best?"
"Who remembered God most".
"Which pilgrim is the best?"
"Who remembered God most".
"Which worshipper is the best?"
"Who remembered God most".
After that the narrator Abu Bakr (R.A.) said, "Those who remembered God have taken away all the good".
-From 'al Wabil as sayyib' by Ibn AlQayyim R.A.

Signs of wretchedness- by Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani

Signs of wretchedness- by Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani rh

Among the signs of wretchedness of the servant is the hardness of the heart, dryness of his eyes, vastness of his hopes.
his niggardliness with regard to what he possesses, giving little importance to the commandments and prohibitions and his
dissatisfaction when tribulations strike.

When you see someone of this description, be aware that he is wretched. The person with a hard heart does not show mercy toward anyone and his eyes never turn moist with tears in times of happiness or in times of sadness, for the dryness of his eyes is due to the hardness of his heart.

How could his heart not be hard when it is filled with hopes, acts of disobedience, sins, wide expectations, desire to obtain things which are not destined to be his, envy toward their owners and niggardliness with regard to the obligatory alms?

Additionally, he does not pay the dues of expiations, does not fulfill his vows, does
not pay attention to the needs of his relatives, does not settle his debts despite his ability to do so and even tries to delay them in the hope of avoiding payment altogether and hates to give anything by way of charity or in payment of a debt. All these and the like are signs of wretchedness.

The Invincible One said: (Has not the time yet come for the hearts of those who belleve to submit with humility to the remembrance of Allah and to the truth which has been revealed?} [Quran 57:16].

-From Jila Al Khatir by Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani rh

Considering the sins as Major or Minor:

Considering the sins as Major or Minor:

According to the ahadeeth, sins are broadly classified as Major (kabeera) or Minor (sagheera) sins. Their numbers vary according to various accounts and narrations.
Generally, it is held that any sin for which a punishment in the dunya or aakhirat has been defined in the Quran or hadith is a major sin.

However this differentiation is not always present.
The scholars say that any minor sin that is committed habitually is counted as a major sin.

Given below are some interesting insights of the salaf on this issue:

Qadhi ‘Iyad رحمه الله  said:
“According to how small you consider  the sin, that much big will it be in the sight of Allah, and according to how great you consider the sin that much smaller will it be in the sight of Allah.” [As-Siyar, 8/428]

Imam Al- Awza’i رحمه الله  said:
“Once I heard Bilal Ibn Sa’d saying, ‘Do not look at how small the sin is but instead look at how great is the One that you have disobeyed.’ “ [Al-Hilya, 5/223]

Abu Hazim Salamah Ibn Dinar said:
“Look at every act that you would hate to die while committing, and then abandon it.” [Al-Musannaf, 7/194]

Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ عنه said:
“There cannot be a major sin along with seeking Allah's forgiveness, nor a minor sin while being persistent upon it.”
[Ash-Shu’ab, 5/7268]

Imam Al- Awza’i رحمه الله  said:
“From the major sins is for a man to do a sin and then look down upon it (considering it as minor or inconsequential)." 
[Ash-Shu’ab, p.6752]