God is everything.

“Whoever refrains from asking others, then Allah will make him content; and whoever would be self-sufficient, then Allah will make him self-sufficient; and whoever would be patient, then Allah will make him patient. There is no gift that is better and more comprehensive than patience.”

— The Prophet ﷺ [Sahih Bukhari]

 “If you put your whole trust in Allah, as you ought, He most certainly will satisfy your needs, as He satisfies those of the birds. They come out hungry in the morning, but return full to their nests in the evening.” (Tirmizi)

 

Types fo Ghibah

Types of Gheebah (Gossip)

Gheebah has different forms and may take all kinds of means. The worst type of Gheebah is the one that combines gossip and riyaa'. An example would be when some person is mentioned and a man would say: "Al-hamdu lillah that He didn't try us, we would have been tempted to enter the doors of the sultan, or that we don't demean ourselves in seeking the ruins of this world." Or one may say, "I seek refuge with Allah from shamelessness. I ask Allah to protect me from such." The intention here is to criticize the other person and it is done in the form of a Du'a (supplication).

One may also praise another person but the intent is to criticize, such as saying: "How good such-and-such person is, he never had a shortcoming in his worship but now he is being lazy. He was tried with something everyone of us is tried with, which is lack of patience." One would criticize oneself but his/her intention is to criticize others by doing this. At the same time he praises himself by showing that he is righteous since he criticizes himself. In this case, he is Mughtaab, Muraa'ee and praising himself. He combines three shameful deeds and because of his ignorance he thinks that he is a righteous person who would not make Gheebah.

Another form of Gheebah is that one criticizes another person, but the people don't pay attention to what has been said. So he says, "Subhaan Allah. How amazing!..." so the people may listen to him and know what he is saying. Or he may say, "I was hurt to hear about our friend and how he was humiliated. I ask Allah to relieve him." He is actually lying about his concern regarding the friend, in his pretense of making Du'a. If he meant to pray for him, he would have prayed for him while alone.

Be content..!

If you are not content with what little you have, no amount of wealth will satisfy you.”

-Arabic Proverb

Trial

“Do not hate the trials that befall you or the calamities that happen to you, for they may be something that you hate but it leads you to salvation, and there may be something that you love, but it brings to you your doom.”

-al Hasan Al-Basri

To Achieve a tranqulity of the heart

In our journey to gain tranquility of the heart, we explored what we need to know when faced with difficult situations. We need to understand that Allah has told us we will be tested, that these tests are for a reason, and that there will be relief insha’Allah (God willing). When we are worried thinking about the future, we need to work hard but have full trust in Allah that He will not leave us, and we must always think well of Allah because that is what we will find.

Yet in certain circumstances we just feel… broken. Perhaps it is the death of someone close, perhaps a hurtful word, or perhaps a reason we can not pinpoint. Yet this feeling of brokenness can be an invitation to be better acquainted with al-Jabbar.

But isn’t al-Jabbar one of the Names that indicates Majesty and Strength, not Mercy and Beauty?

The root of al-Jabbar is ja-ba-ra and has a wide variety of meanings indicating Allah’s strength and majesty, which Sr. Amatullah explained to us in this excellent article. One of the basic meanings of this name is the One who compels and restores, and demonstrates Allah’s Majesty and Strength over His servants. This is a Name for the tyrants and oppressors to be aware of, because their misdeeds will not go unpunished.

Yet this Name has another dimension: al-Jabbar is the One who is able to restore and mend what is broken. Some of the great scholars would supplicate “Ya Jaabir kul kaseer” when they were faced with overwhelming difficulty, meaning “Oh You who mends everything that is broken.” The Arabic word for a splint that is used to help an arm heal when it is broken is “jibeera” from the same root ja-ba-ra. Thus, when we feel broken, we need to go to the only One who can mend our state–al-Jabbar. Sometimes when we get this broken feeling, shaytan (satan) tells us not to go to Allah because we are being hypocritical by only going to Allah when we are down. Yet this is untrue– Allah has named Himself al-Jabbar and given Himself this attribute; you cannot go to the One whose attribute is mending what is broken, and not be healed by Him.

The example of the Prophet ﷺ is a beautiful one. Imagine being 50 years old, having just lost both your wife of twenty-five years and your uncle who took care of you as a child. Imagine walking into a town in order to ask people for their protection, and instead have them throw stones at you until your feet bleed. How would you have felt? How exhausted, both spiritually and physically, would you have been? And yet, the Prophet ﷺ calls out to Allah in one of the most beautiful and heartfelt du`a’ (supplication):

“O Allah! To you alone I complain my weakness, my scarcity of resources, and the humiliation I have been subjected to by people. O Most Merciful of those who have mercy! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are My Lord too.

To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?

But as long as You are not angry with me, I do no care, except that Your favor is a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descend upon me.

Yours is the right to reproach until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You.”

Read those words carefully. The du`a’ of  the Prophet ﷺ was not “O Allah, please give me x and y.” It was literally the call of someone broken– complaining to Allah of his situation and expressing to Allah how he felt. What did Allah give him? A young boy by the name of Addaas saw the Prophet ﷺ, came to him with some grapes and kissed his bleeding feet. That is al-Jabbar. Imagine how the Prophet ﷺ must have felt after that, the relief he must have felt after the cruelty he was subjected to. And al-Jabbar healed the broken heart of the Prophet ﷺ  in another way – He bestowed upon him the miraculous journey of al-Israa wal Mi’raaj (when the Prophet ﷺ traveled from Makkah to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to the Heavens in one night).

If we think about the journey, it did not accomplish a great victory nor did it help to convince the Quraysh that he was a rophet. Rather, Allah honored him after all the hardship he had gone through. Think of the resolve the Prophet ﷺ must have had in his heart and the tranquility he must have felt after such an experience.

Therefore, we have to always remind ourselves of this blessed name al-Jabbar; Allah will mend your broken heart. It may be through a kind word from someone that brightens your day or it may be a talk that you attend. It may even be something greater. But call on Allah like the Prophet ﷺ did, recognizing this attribute, and know that He will manifest this Name in your life.

Highly recommend reading “How to Achieve Tranquility of the Heart Series” on Imam Suhaib Webb’s blog.

Paradise

"Jannat (paradise) is only for those who are humble. If there is any portion of pride in a man, he will firstly be thrown into Jahannam (hell fire) wherein he shall be purged and, after being purified and becoming humble, he will be sent into Jannah. In any case no man will go to Jannat with pride in him".

How to Face Problems

The Prophet of Islam started his mission in the first quarter of the seventh century in Arabia- an age of religious persecution. The Prophet’s mission was based on the oneness of God, while the people of that time were believers in idolatry. So they turned hostile to the Prophet and he and his companions became the victims of various kinds of problems. It was obviously an unfavourable situation for the Prophet and his companions. At this critical juncture, God revealed a meaningful peace of guidance. This divine guidance is as follows: So, surely with every hardship there is ease. (94:5-6) In this Quranic verse the same phrase is repeated twice. From this repetition, the Prophet drew a very meaningful inference. That is, according to the law of nature, the situation of ease is double that of the situation of difficulty. So he formulated this principle: “Two situations of ease will surely prevail over one of difficulty.” The fact is that in every situation there are problems, but at the same time there are opportunities. This is a law of nature. But it is also a law of nature that the quantum of opportunities will be more that the quantum of problems. This being so, the best course to adopt is to ignore the problems and divert one’s energy to availing of the opportunities. Complaint about or protest against problems is of no value. Problems are no created by some person: they are a part of the creation plan of God. No one has the power to change the course of nature. We have no option but to accept this natural course. So when you face a problem, don’t be negative. Be normal. Don’t be disturbed. Don’t allow to tension to develop.

 

 

Jealousy

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Keep away from jealousy, for jealousy eats up virtues in the same way that fire eats up wood.” [Abu Daud]

As wood consumes fire, good deeds are destroyed by jealousy. When a person is jealous, they don’t want to help others, they don’t wish for good things to come to fellow Muslims. They backbite about them, hold grudges against them and host all sorts of negative emotions.

The only way out of this losing situation is to lessen one’s love of the world. Jealousy arises out of competition for the things of this world – its riches, its acknowledgements, its power. Since these things are transitory why sweat over them?

How can one lessen their love of this world so that they may devote their energies to amassing the Hereafter? This is achieved by not caving in to the demands of one’s desires (Nafs). The Nafs is like a spoilt child, the more you pamper it, the worse it becomes.

Simple Life

The missing ingredient in today's people is to live a simple life. I look at life around me, actually they have more than what they need if just they follow a simple life, like the life of prophet Muhammad. Do we know that the biggest legacy of his life is simplicity, even his life is under the standar living. But he and his family could be happy. The question is " How it bould be?" the answer is simple, "Because he and his family concern more to the life after death. Paradise is waiting for him and his family. So ask ourself "Which life we concern more"?

Advice of a Wise Man

The thirty-first chapter of Quran is named after Luqman. Luqman was not a prophet, but he was a wise man. He lived before the advent of Islam. He gave some advice to his son, a part of which is as follows: “O my son! Though it be but the weight of a grain of mustard seed and though it be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, God will bring it forth… say your prayers, and enjoin good, and forbid evil, and endure patiently whatever may befall you. surely, this is something which requires firm resolve.
Do not avert your face from people out of haughtiness and do not walk with pride on the earth: for, behold, God does not love arrogant and boastful people. Walk modestly and lower your voice, for the ugliest of all voices is the braying of the ass” (31, 16-189).
This advice can be summarized thus: God knows everything, both hidden and open. This belief inculcates a strong sense of accountability. Then, prayer is not simply a set of rituals; it is rather a way of acknowledging God’s greatness. This acknowledgement makes one realistic and honest.
It is also everyone’s duty to be watchful of others and tell them about the difference between good behaviour and bad behaviour. It is an expression of well-wishing. An honest person cannot afford to live as an indifferent member of society.
Patience is a very important human quality; with out keeping one’s patience, no one can be good in his behaviour in life. It is also required that everyone be determined, for without determination, no one can unflaggingly follow the path of truth.

The greatest minus point in an individual is arrogance, while the greatest plus point is modesty. The ass has the bad habit of disturbing others. Man must refrain from this bad habit.

Gejala awal keikhlasan

Keikhlasan, sebuah kata yang mudah diucapkan namun hanya sedikit yang berjuang keras, berkorban dan berkebulatan tekad untuk mencapainya. Tidak semua orang mampu melihat secara utuh, tentang apa itu ikhlas. Sehingga banyak yang setengah-setengah dalam memperolehnya. Bagi yang mengerti baik energy yang dihasilkan dari ikhlas ini maka mereka akan berjuang keras tanpa lelah dan mau mengorabankan waktu  dan harta benda demi mendapatknya. Karena mereka tahu bahwa bermula dari keikhlasan ini pintu hati Tuhan secara sedikit demi sedikit untuk kita. Sedikit saja hati Tuhan terbuka untuk kita, kita bisa merasakan kehadiran-Nya disetiap saat. Semakin banyak keikhlasan dari setiap tindakan kita, maka akan memperlebarkan pinta hati tuhan untuk kita. Sakinah yang bersemayam dihati kita semakin menguat. Disisi lain Tuhan semakin memperlihatkan bentuk-bentuk syirik tersembunyi - yang dulunya kita tidak mengerti -  dan lalu diperlihatkan Allah kepada kita.

Hari demi hari terus kita lalui bergumul dan berjuang terus untuk meluruskan niat dalam hati. Dan ini adalah perjuangan tanpa akhir. Jika saja seseorang tidak merasakan bahwa hari-harinya merupakan pergulatan melawan keridakikhlasan, maka sesungguhnya dia tidak diberi anugerah oleh Allah mengetahui musuhnya besarnya yaitu syirik tersembunyi.

Ikhlas bukan berarti tidak mengeluh sama sekali, tidak menangis, tidak mencari jalan keluar. Tetapi terus mencari jalan keluar sembari menaruh percaya dalam Tuhan bahwa Dia menirimkan ini untuk membersihkan kita dari kotoran niat yang salah. Dari niatan yang tidak berbuah. Allah memotong ranting-ranting yang tidak berguna agar buah dari sebuah pohon lebat, matang dan punya harga tinggi. Minta kepada Allah agar diberi hati yang mudah mengikuti kehendak Allah adalah penting. Tuhan tidak pernah menyia-nyiakan permintaan hamba-Nya. Dan jika permintaan kita lebih dominant terhadap hal-hal yang bersifat spiritual, itu menunjukkan bahwa kita mulai bergerak lebih mengutamakan Allah diatas yang lainnya. Dan ini adalah gejala baik.