Resolution 2 - Dua Update & Other Resolutions

Alhumdulillah, so far so good. I have been trying hard to make dua regularly and it's been going pretty well. Most days, I am making dua in sajdah after almost all prayers. I'm also trying to make dua regularly at other times like just before salaah at prayer time.

There's also a book that comes highly recommended about Dua. It's called "Dua - The weapon of the Believer" by Sh. Yasir Qasir. I haven't read much of it so far but for those who want to learn about the art of making dua, the importance of making dua and many other things, it's a really good place to start.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

12. Leaving Du'a is a Sign of Laziness
The Porphet (saw) said:
The most incapable (or lazy) person is he who does not make du'a, and the most miserly is he who does not give salam.
How true are these Prophetic words of wisdom! For what energy does it take a person to make du'a to Allah? And what greater sign of laziness and incapability is there than the one who leaves this act that does not take up any of his time or effort?

Among my resolutions was to also read Surah Kahf on Fridays and alhumdulillah I've already been doing so. For those interested in reading about the hadith on the importance of reciting Surah Kahf. Do check my previous blog post on the matter here. Since that's been going well, I'll update on it next month inshallah.

My next plan is to start praying tahajjud regularly so inshallah, from the month of March, I'll start working on it. I'll post more details and hadith on the importance of it then and why I chose this to be my next resolution to work on.

Resolution 2 - Dua

For the month of Feb, my plan was to make dua after every salah. The reasoning for this is, it is well known among Muslims that Dua is the weapon of a believer. And I remember once upon a time telling people to make dua whenever they can. But for some reason, it was never my habit to sit and make dua regularly. So I decided that in order to make it easier for me to build up to making dua after all prayers, I'll start by making dua in sajdah for at least 3 prayers in a day. And that worked much better than forcing myself to make dua after every prayer because sometimes I'm just too jumpy and have so much on my mind about what all I have to do, I don't sit down to make dua or simply forget. *blush*

It was a bad habit which is why it is my second resolution. It's past the mid month mark and although Feb is shorter than other months, it's already working. I decided that if I'm going to be making dua I should try to make it in the best way. So the 2 main things I've implemented are making dua in sajdah and starting by praising Allah followed by making dua for our Prophet (pbuh).

From Sahih Bukhari:

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication (in this state). (Book #004, Hadith #0979)

Narrated Faddalah ibn Ubayd (RA): that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'When anyone of you makes du'a, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (SAW), then let him pray for whatever he wants'
[abu Dawud #1481, at-Tirmidhi #3477]

In another hadith; Baqiy ibn Mukhallid (RA) narrated that that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'Every du'a is not responded to until one sends blessings upon the Prophet (SAW)' [al-Bayhaqi]

In another hadith; Umar (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: 'Du'a is detained between the heavens and the earth and no part of it is taken up until you send blessings upon your Prophet (SAW)' [at-Tirmidhi #486]

I've also begun making dua after the azaan. InshaAllah, I'll be updating next month on how much of a habit I've developed and how successful I've been in making duas after every salah.

Low Imaan/Faith

It's an extremely common problem that everyone of us have faced at some point or the other in our lives. Yet, it can be very dangerous because at times this can lead people out of the fold of Islam. So it's important that we recognize when our imaan is low and work on things that will help improve it.

The Prophet Muhammad (S) said: "Faith wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts” (Mustadrak al-Haakim).

How can we recognize when our faith dwindles?
- One feels irritated and moody and even depressed.
- They delay good deeds and sunnah, such as salat (prayer).
- Not remembering Allah in dua or dhikr.
- Quranic ayahs not having an effect on the person.
- Stinginess/miserliness.

What one can do to boost their imaan?
- Make dua if you feel your imaan is low.
- Reflect on ayahs of the Quran. Here are a few ayahs that one might feel at ease when reading:

93:1 By the Glorious Morning Light,
93:2 And by the Night when it is still,-
93:3 Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased.
93:4 And verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present.
93:5 And soon will thy Guardian-Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be well-pleased.

4:99 For these, there is hope that Allah will forgive: For Allah doth blot out (sins) and forgive again and again.

35:29 who rehearse the Book of Allah, establish regular Prayer, and spend (in Charity) out of what We have provided for them, secretly and openly, hope for a commerce that will never fail:

- If you are feeling low, give something in charity. It has helped me feel better.
- Do dhikr and when you suffer from bad thoughts, say "audhubillah". Some forms of dhikr:
Subhan'Allah- 'Praise be to Allah'
Al-Hamdullilah- 'Thanks be to Allah'
Allahu Akbar – 'Allah is the Greatest.'
La ila ha illallah- There is no worthy of worship except allah

Things that can help prevent imaan from decreasing:
- Avoiding sin as sin hardens the heart. This means both major and minor sins. We have to keep improving ourselves and trying to be better Muslims.
- Keeping good company and avoiding the bad. Our family and friends influence us and it is important to try and stay in the company of good people who remember Allah (swt) often and hasten to do good deeds.
- Performing good deeds.
- Praying regularly and remembering Allah (swt) often.
- Remembering death.

I've tried to keep the topic short and simple. If you have had some ayahs/hadith, etc which have benefited your imaan, please feel free to share.

Self Improvement & Islam

How many of us can say that we constantly try to challenge ourselves to be better all rounded individuals? I'm not simply talking work wise as most of us have some sort of motivation or the other when it comes to work. We want to be able to get a raise, a promotion, not lose our jobs, not look bad in the eyes of other co-workers so we try to work hard. What about other aspects of our lives?

Do you look in the mirror when you've gained a few pounds and say, "Hmm, I need to start eating healthy food and keeping fit" and then try to make changes in your life that benefit your health? I don't mean checking your weight obsessively and going through fad diets & rigourous exercises until you've attained some model like figure. There's a difference in being thin and being healthy and fit. I'm talking about the latter. Even thin people need to eat healthy foods and get daily exercise.

How about learning new skills? Have you ever found yourself thinking about teaching yourself skills to be self-reliant? You may not have succeeded but the point is, did you try or did you just give up?

How about improving language skills, whether it is English or trying to learn Arabic, the language of the Holy Quran.

My point isn't that one should not be happy with themselves but to not give up learning and growing as individuals. Not to settle for being second best. And I don't mean competing with others but with yourself. Challenging yourself to be better than what you already are in every aspect of your life. The excellence of knowledge can be seen in the following verses:

"Allah will raise in rank those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge," (Quran 58:11)

"Say: 'Lord, increase me in knowledge.'" (Quran 20:114)

"Are they equal: those who know and those who do not know?" (Quran 39:9)

If you truly follow and understand Islam, you will realize that Islam is a way of life and about being a well rounded person. And if we follow Islam in it's true sense, we would be better in every respect.

"Mu'awiya was heard to say in a khutba, "I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him correct understanding in the deen. I am an even-handed distributor, but it is Allah who gives. This community will remain straight following the command of its Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and will not be harmed by those who oppose it until the command of Allah comes." " (Bukhari)

According to Islam in growing closer to Allah:

“Anas reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in what he reported from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. He said, "When the slave comes towards Me a hand-span, I go an arm-length towards him. When he comes towards Me an arm-length, I go a fathom towards him. When he comes towards Me walking, I go towards him running."” [al-Bukhari]
'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported: I said: Messenger of Allah, which of the deeds (takes one) nearer to Paradise? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Prayer at its proper time, I said: What next, Messenger of Allah? He replied: kindness to the parents. I said: What next? He replied: Jihad in the cause of Allah. (Muslim)

Being good to your family, neighbours, orphans, friends:

(Picktall) “And serve Allah. Ascribe no thing as partner unto Him. (Show) kindness unto parents, and unto near kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and into the neighbor who is of kin (unto you) and the neighbor who is not of kin and the fellow traveller and the wayfarer and (the slaves) whom your right hands possess. Lo! Allah loveth not such as are proud and boastful” (Quran 4:36)
(Picktall) "Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them to attain old age with thee, say not "Fie" unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word." (Quran 17:23)
(Picktall) The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers. And the owners of kinship are closer one to another in the ordinance of Allah than (other) believers and the fugitives (who fled from Mecca) except that ye should do kindness to your friends. This is written in the Book (of nature). (Quran 33:6)
"Abu Safwan 'Abdullah ibn Busr al-Aslami reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of people is the one who lives a long life and whose actions are good." "[at-Tirmidhi]
Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet said "Gabriel continued to recommend me about treating the neighbors Kindly and politely so much so that I thought he would order me to make them as my heirs. (Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Shuraih: The Prophet said, "By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!" It was said, "Who is that, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "That person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil." (Bukhari)

Being kind to another Muslim:

"He who relieves a hardship of this world for a believer, Allah will relieve a hardship of the Day of Resurrection for him; he who makes it easy for an indebted person, Allah will make it easy for him in this world and the Hereafter; he who covers a Muslim (his mistakes and shortcomings), Allah will cover him in the World and the Hereafter; Allah will be in a person’s need, as long as he is in his brother's need." (Tirmidhi)
"A Muslim is not a fault-finder and is not abusive, obscene or coarse." (Tirmidhi)

So don't forget to strive harder to be a good Muslim. Do not give up if you fail. Keep challenging yourself.