A few pictures from the Facebook Eid '09 album,
just in case.
(:

more later, insyaAllah.
(:

Selamat Hari Raya Eidul Fitri kawan-kawan!
Maaf zahir dan batin.

Semoga Allah menerima segala amal ibadah yang telah kita jalankan pada bulan Ramadhan yang lalu.

Ameen!

more later, insyaAllah.
(:

In each of the daily prayers we offer, we solemnly declare to Allah, “Iyyaka na`budu” (You alone do we worship). While the intelligent and committed believer realizes that his very lifestyle spells worship, he knows, remembering the words of our Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, that “Du`a’ (supplication) is worship” [At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud]

Allah, the Most Merciful, has encouraged the believers to take advantage of certain times during the year to make Du`a’. Such an occasion presents itself annually during Ramadan — especially on the Lailat ul-Qadr, the Night of Power. On this night, the single most important event in human history unfolded as, after the Glorious Quran was preserved in the Protected Tablet, Jibril descended with the blessed book to reveal it, upon Allah’s command, to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Accentuating its significance, Allah says, {and how would you know (the value of the) Night of Qadr}. (Al-Qadr:2)

So valuable is this Night of Qadr that the Quran devotes a special surah to it. {Lailat ul-Qadr is better than a thousand months}. [Al-Qadr:3] This one night surpasses the value of 30,000 nights. The most authentic account of the occurrence of the Night indicates that it can occur on any one of the last ten, odd-numbered nights of Ramadan. The fact that the exact night is unknown reflects Allah’s will in keeping it hidden. Indeed, the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, was prevented from telling us its precise time. One day, he came out to tell the companions the exact night. On the way he saw two men arguing with each other. By the will of Allah, he, peace and blessings be upon him, forgot and subsequently remembered it.

Afterwards the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him,) was instructed not to divulge this information. “Had I been allowed,” he, peace and blessings be upon him, remarked once, “I would have told you (of its exact time).” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad]

The Almighty in His wisdom kept this hidden from us for many reasons. Perhaps He wants us to strive hard in our worship during the last ten days of Ramadan so that we don’t become lazy, worshipping hard on just that one night and denying ourselves the benefit of doing the same on the other nights. “Had people not left their Salah except for that (one) night, I would have informed you (of its exact date).” [At-Tabarani] The sincere believer who worries day and night about his sins and phases of neglect in his life patiently awaits the onset of Ramadan.

During it he hopes to be forgiven by Allah for past sins, knowing that the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, promised that all who bear down during the last ten days shall have all their sins forgiven. To achieve this, he remembers the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him, advice in different sayings wherein he used words like “seek”, “pursue”, “search”, and “look hard” for Lailat ul-Qadr.

Moreover, Allah and His Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, provided us some signs of its occurrence. Allah (swt) describes the night as {…peace until the rise of the morn}. [Al-Qadr:5] In various sayings, the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, described the night as serene, tranquil, and peaceful. The sun at sunrise would appear reddish and without its normal blazing and sharp rays. The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, added that “the angel of earth on that night of Qadr will be more numerous than all the pebbles of the earth.”

What should one do during the last ten days in pursuit of Lailat ul-Qadr?

The devoted servant of Allah makes these nights alive with prayer, reading and reflecting on Quran. He makes Du`a’ to Allah, penitently beseeching Him for His forgiveness.

He is inspired by the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him, words “Our Lord, most Exalted, Most high comes down to the lowest heaven during the last third of each night and announces (reassuringly): Whoever makes Du`a’, I shall answer it. Whoever asks (for something Halal) I shall grant it; and whoever seeks forgiveness, I shall forgive him.” [Bukhari]

The believer, conscious of Allah and their sins, will continue to beseech Allah, in and out of prayer, during his prostration. For a time, the only concern will be cleansing oneself of the forgetfulness that this life propagates in one’s heart, the sins that accumulate, darkening the heart, making it insensitive to disobeying Allah. He begs Allah to keep him away from misfortunes in this world, the punishment of the grave, and the torment of Hell. He asks Allah to make him patient and steadfast in struggling to maintain his Islam in this world and asks Him to overlook his shortcomings, periods of laziness and neglect.

Sincere devotion on that night will render the believer forgetful of the time, until he is surprised by the Adhan of Fajr. After Fajr, as the sun creeps above the horizon, reddish and weak in its appearance, without any rays, the effort at night will have been worthwhile. The believer rejoices, knowing that this was quite possibly Lailat ul-Qadr and “whoever stays up (in prayer and remembrance of Allah) on the Night of Qadr fully believing (in Allah’s promise of reward for that night) and hoping to seek reward (from Allah alone and not from people), he shall be forgiven for his past sins.” [Sahihs Bukhari and Muslim]

Let us seek abundant rewards & forgiveness from our Creator by performing extra actions in these last few days of the noble month of Ramadhan, as it could be very well our last.

Trust, forgiveness, respect, faith .... and love.
♥

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Maidah,

فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

"But pardon them, and forbear: verily, Allah loves the doers of good."

What’s the difference between عَفُوُ aُnd صَفَحَ?

There is a subtle difference. عَفُوُ means to forgive like you have forgotten about the incident. صَفَحَ means to not just forgive, but to treat the other with ihsaan (outstanding behavior). It’s like going the extra mile for someone who hurt you. Why?

إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ: "Truly Allah loves those who go the extra mile (muhsineen)".
In the context of the ayah, Allah is telling the Prophet and the believers that you will discover that most of the Jews will betray you. Despite all of this, Allah is asking the Prophet to practice forgiveness of the best kind.

WAllahu alam.

So forgive and forget... for you cannot have one, without the other.

more later, insyaAllah.
(:

Isteri Solehah - Nazrey Johani
Isteri cerdik yang solehah
Penyejuk mata, penawar hati, penajam fikiran
Di rumah dia isteri, di jalanan kawan
Di waktu kita buntu, dia penunjuk jalan

Isteri cerdik yang solehah
Penyejuk mata, penawar hati, penajam fikiran
Di rumah dia isteri, di jalanan kawan
Di waktu kita buntu, dia penunjuk jalan

Pandangan kita diperteguhkan
Menjadikan kita tetap pendirian
Ilmu yang diberi dapat disimpan
Kita lupa, dia mengingatkan

Nasihat kita dijadikan pakaian
Silap kita, dia betulkan
Penghibur di waktu kesunyian
Terasa ramai bila bersamanya

Dia umpama tongkat si buta
Bila tiada satu kehilangan
Dia ibarat simpanan ilmu
Semoga kekal untuk diwariskan

A beautiful song for a beautiful night.

All I really, really need right now,
is a friend.

Have you ever wondered what it means to love someone, or a group of people, because (or for the sake) of Allah?

I have.
All the time.

Anyhoos, I decided to do a little online research on the aforementioned topic, and here are 2 of the online articles I found, and liked the best.

Enjoy.
(:

(Click here if you'd like to read the first article in its original state.)

**Article #1
To Love For the Sake of Allah
by Hadhrat Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (db)

To have love for someone for the sake of Allah’s pleasure is also a grand act for which much merit and many rewards have been promised. “To love for the sake of Allah” means loving someone, not for any worldly gain, but because he is more religious and pious or he is very learned in Deen or is busy in serving the cause of Deen or because loving him or her is commanded by Allah, e.g. one’s parents.

Such love has been called “love for Allah” in a hadith. One hadith says:

Allah shall ask on the Day of Judgment, “Where are those who loved for the sake of My Greatness? Today when there is no shade save Mine, I shall have them in My Shade.” [Sahih Muslim: Kitab al-Birr wa al-Silah]

Another tells us that “On the Day of Judgment. Those who had mutual love for the sake of Allah’s Greatness shall be on pulpit of light and all shall envy them.” [Jami' Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Zuhd]**


**Article #2
Loving Each Other for the sake of Allah
by Yusuf Al-Badri

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

Allah will ask on the Day of Judgment: “Where are those who loved each other for the sake of My glory? Today, on a day when there is no shade but Mine, I shall shade them with My shade.” (Muslim)

Love is among the most exalted of human feelings. When this love revolves around Almighty Allah and forms the basis for our interpersonal relationships, many problems can be weathered and great fruits can be harvested for both the individual and society as a whole. The Qur’an and Sunnah often speak about the noble status of those whom Allah graces to possess such love.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

“Among Allah’s servants are people who are neither prophets nor martyrs, but whom the prophets and martyrs will deem fortunate because of their high status with Allah.” The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Inform us of who they are.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told them that they are people who loved each other for Allah’s sake, even without being related to one another or being tied to one another by the exchange of wealth.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went on to describe their great reward on the Day of Resurrection: “By Allah, their faces will be luminous and they will be upon light. They will feel no fear when the people will be feeling fear, and they will feel no grief when the people will be grieving.” Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) read the verse: [Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve] (Yunus 10:62). (Abu Dawud)

This reminds us of another famous hadith that enumerates the seven types of people who will enjoy Allah’s shade on a day when there is no shade but His. Among those mentioned are “two men who love each other for the sake of Allah, meeting for that reason, and parting with this love (still cherished by both of them)” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Love for Allah’s sake transcends the limits of our worldly existence, enduring into the life to come. Allah says,

[Close friends on that Day will be foes to one another—except for the righteous.] (Az-Zukhruf 43:67)

Loving one another for the sake of Allah, and brotherhood in faith, are among the most excellent acts of worship. This sublime love entails some conditions and duties that must be fulfilled so that the relationship remains pure and free of base undercurrents. Upholding these duties brings a servant nearer to Allah and to His pleasure and, over time, it can bring about a greater nobility of person.

These duties include the following:

1. Both parties must truly love to extend support and assistance to each other and must love good for one another. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “None of you will attain (perfect) faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

2. They must enjoin each another to truth and patience, and give each other sincere advice. They must enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and guide each other. They must help one another in carrying out works of righteousness. Allah Almighty says,

[Surely, the human being is at loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.] (Al-`Asr 103:2-3)

[The believing men and women are protecting friends of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.] (At-Tawbah 9:71)

3. They must engage in the things that cultivate this love, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and facilitate the fulfilling of their duties to one another.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A Muslim has six rights over another Muslim.” They asked, “What are they, Messenger of Allah?” He said, “When you meet him, greet him with salam (Muslim's salutation meaning ‘peace’); when he invites you, accept his invitation; when he seeks your advice, advise him; when he sneezes and then praises Allah, invoke Allah’s mercy upon him; when he falls ill, visit him; when he dies, follow his funeral” (Muslim).

4. A Muslim has the right to kind treatment from his fellow Muslim. He should be greeted with a smile and given a pleasant reception. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do not view any good act as insignificant, even the act of meeting your brother with a cheerful face.” (Muslim).

5. They must guide each other to what is good, and help each other in acts of obedience. Likewise, they must prevent and discourage one another from falling into sin and iniquity.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “One should help his brother, whether he is an oppressor or the one being oppressed. If he is an oppressor, forbid him from his oppression. If he is being oppressed, then come to his aid.” (Muslim).

6. The love between them shines in a most wonderful and genuine manner when the two are away from each other and each of them is in secret prayers to Allah for the other. This continues for the living one even after the other has departed from the earth.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A Muslim’s supplication for his brother in secret is answered. At his head an angel is appointed, and whenever he supplicates for his brother with something good, the angel appointed to him says, ‘Ameen, and likewise for you.’” (Muslim).

7. They must excuse each other’s mistakes and defend each other’s honor, never speaking ill of, or deriding each other. They should keep each other’s secrets, advise each other sincerely, and never abuse each other. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is not permissible for one Muslim to distress another.” (Abu Dawud).

And remember the "7 types of people who will enjoy Allah’s shade on a day when there is no shade but His"?

Here's the hadith, taken off here.