By Rose Of Madinah�

There will always be an imbalance in how much we can show our appreciation to Allah and how much He gives.�

COMPARE what Allah asks from us versus what he compensates us with. He gives many time fold of the small simple gestures such as istighfar and other dhikirs.

To make up for our shortcomings and inability to ever repay Him, He only asks of us to use our tongues (from the very resource which He has given us), to say astaghfirullah. With the intention of apologising to Him for always coming short before our creator. Without this tongue, which He has given us, we would not have even been able to utter the word ‘Astaghfirullah’ in the first place.

This realisation of such generosity should eventually be translated into an overwhelming love for Allah.

When making duaas and asking from Allah, do not demand with a lack of gratitude in the first place for what you already have as if you are truly deserving. Nauzubillah.�

Rather do it in a state of neediness but not out of privilege (expecting it as if roles were reserved whereby you are the one who needs to be served, remember you as a servant are asking from Almighty Allah, our Master)

Helping others : don’t view it as I’m helping person XYZ rather I am helping the ummah, helping out a fellow brethren. So give in the forms of amal jariah because we all have a responsibility to care for this ummah which we are a part of.

Importance of istighfar: Prophet SAW does istighfar 100x in one sitting, even he SAW was purified of sins, still did so, every single day. What more us who are ridden with sins and impurities.�

Allah who loves us 70x more than our a mothers love.

Be sad not because of worldly matters, cry because you want to get close to Allah.

Our entry into this world began with us crying. Never let your heart become too hardened that we aren’t able to cry to our Creator.

In our hajats, perhaps we may feel that our duaas have yet to be answered. One possibility is, our sins comes in between of us and our rizq

Istighfar with utmost sincerity and humility helps remove this barrier. So strive to make lots of istighfar and Insha Allah, He will provide the way for our rizq to reach us.

Sayyiduna Abu Darda (radiyallahu ‘anhu) relates, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“The death of a scholar is a calamity that can not be recovered from, it is an irreparable loss, it is a star that has been destroyed. The death of an entire tribe is less severe than the demise of a scholar.”

Tabarani and Bayhaqi

Beneficial ilm gives us yaqeen certainty, not doubts and theory. It ultimately pushes us towards practice as well. A true teacher would help us attain that yaqeen and not otherwise.�

When seeking knowledge, view it as Mujahadah: it helps us in overcoming the enemy within us (nafs) through the ilm attained.

We are armouring ourselves with knowledge to fight our nafs when we put in the ilm into practice.

Passing away of an Alim is a musibah (a calamity). They are the carriers of the knowledge of Quran and Hadith and are the members of the knowledge community.�

Murshid: a spiritual mentor who doesn’t  merely give us beneficial ilm but also how to seek the ilm and therefore continuously seeking to attain Allah’s love through various practices.  Especially practices when we are alone. Not just in public.

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”

When looking for a teacher: they must push you closer to Allah. Better than how you were the day before, continuously one upping the previous day.

Therefore, don’t become like those who don’t appreciate teachers, serve them for there is much barakah in venerating teachers.

We need a teacher because the person who doesn’t find a teacher, syaitan and your nafs becomes your teacher. Especially when we aren’t purified enough to learn on our own. We need an esteemed teacher to guide us towards purification and eventually with this purification we are able to attain a greater level of closeness to Allah by seeking ilm about Him.

Do your part to share their teachings. How? First and foremost put it into practice.

We will never be able to learn and practice with perfection, but keep striving, keep sharing.

Only one life give it the best shot to serve your Lord and spread the good news to fellow brethren.

“You questioned me about sincerity. It is that all your deeds be for God the Exalted, and that your heart not be gladdened by men’s praises not that you care about their censure.”

Ayyuhal Walad P.40

Ikhlas can only be attained by a true believer

At the basic level this means that when we do any good acts, we do not ever look back at it with sentiments of self-praise and wanting the deed to be traced back to us. Rather true ikhlas is to do any deed and to never look back at it as though you have ever done anything.�

Know that in your deeds, it came from Allah in the first place. Because He is the first reality and the last.

Our ability to do those deeds came from Him and is also for Him (goes back to Him); never for ourselves (to take credit upon etc, ego boost)

Internally, our intentions differs from others as this varies by the amount of expansion of our hearts.

To expand our hearts for our love of Allah, we need to truly know Him. This in itself is part of worship. Respect is earned upon knowing who you are venerating and worshipping.

Nothing comes from us but all comes from Allah

Levels of reliance: Learn more

Tawakkul: for example in looking for jobs, we put in the effort to search for jobs then leave outcome to Him. Basically, ‘tie the camel and put trust in Allah’ (small extent of 2nd level of reliance which is Tasleem)

Tasleem: whatever happens happens, but you must be ready (through Allah’s permision, and ask yourself is it out of your own nafs or have u done istikharah?)

Don’t rock the boat too much, when it is time to move, ask Allah for a clear sign. Only look for better pastures when necessary. Don’t self-sabotage and cut off your flow of rizq, according to your own whims, without first seeking Allah’s guidance.�

Strive to hide your deeds and not showcase it to the world.

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet SAW said, “Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are: (1) a just ruler; (2) a young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood), (3) a man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque); (4) two persons who love each other only for Allah’s sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause only; (5) a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah; (6) a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity). (7) a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears.”

Hidden charity is better than public charity, unless in the event of motivating others to engage in the same goodness of giving charity.

Be the bridge of getting syafaah (intercession), guiding one person to goodness is better than what the world contains

Develop consciousness to hide and not to show

Do not let your heart be attached to man’s praise in doing good deeds

Just like how we want to do things for His sake, should we decide to stop doing something, it should also be for His sake. Don’t stop doing things out of the fear/shyness of man.�

Firstly: set the intention for Allah

Insincerity comes from overestimation of creations and mankind who is not our Lord

We are the needy recipient form Allah, not of people’s validation of us.

For disbelievers their paradise ends here, but believers believe that paradise is in the next life yet Allah swt never short changes us in this dunya. He gives and gives beyond what we can comprehend.

In reality all of us are dead, we are all indeed JENAZAHS but it is Allah who gives us life

He created us dead, then later on breathed life into us (Surah Mulk)

With who’s power are we able to comprehend and perceive things, truly it is with the divine power, from Allah swt.�

We are all moving and functioning because of the life (Hayat) given to us

Never detach Allah even in our love for humans for He is the source of love because He created love.

We are powerless in reality.

When sinning we are putting something forbidden as our lord, feeling so mesmerised by it, thinking it would please us.�

These are all short-lived, because Allah will provide satisfaction through other forms and especially a more enduring form in the hereafter.

The reality is nothing can give us ease or protection from hardship except for Allah

Act in accordance to what you know for what you don’t know will be unveiled to you: ilm that’s bestowed to you, knowledge which is closest to Allah can only be bestowed by Allah at the time He ordains.

When you practice what you know sincerely, openings will be bestowed to you.

Do not rush teachers, everything will be unveiled in due time, do not question prematurely, or asking intricate matters when basics have not been covered

Stop asking and start walking. We need to practise what we know and Allah will eventually teach us what we do not know.

Haste comes from syaitan. Importance of not rushing when seeking ilm because everything will be unfolded in due time by Allah’s will and permission. Our job, in between the waiting, is to put into practice what we already know so the opening for new knowledge which we do not know, can be facilitated by Allah.

Barakah in the ilm is seen when questions gets answered even before we are able to ask!

“He who says La ilaha ilaAllah sincerely it shall benefit him (be a means of salvation) though before that he may be afflicted by what punishment is to befall Him”

Don’t give up until the last moment. Never give up hope in the mercy of Allah because our shahadah, marks the cornerstone of salvation in this life and the next.

Ilah: worthy of worship. Therefore, within us, we find humility and humiliation to lower ourselves down to the one worthy of worship and given thanks to because He provides for us and fulfils every single need (internal and external) therefore is worthy of veneration.

Denial vs affirmation

Denying a lot of things: when something other than Allah tries to distract us, this becomes a challenger to our ilah. Don’t make ourselves a contender to our faith.

How does Allah fulfil our needs: He is the necessary existence > cup needs Allah’s wujud to exist. (Zat is the essence of Allah)

Allah is self-standing(existing)

Everything in this life is inanimate, without Allah’s existence. (Existence of things cannot exist other than being supported by Allah’s existence)

Affirmation through Ashadu : “I bear witness”. Ask yourselves, “do you see the one who is causing the existence of that inanimate?”

Do You Believe in One God
& Ready to [Re]start your Journey of Faith & Gratitude as a Muslim?