Category: Interesting Topics

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Dua is a form of prayer and it could be made at any time and anywhere there is no fixed time and place of performing. It is considered as a weapon with the help of which we can change our situation by asking help from Allah. It is a form of maintenance for one’s soul.

However, even though it can be done at any time, there are times highlighted by hadith:

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me.” [2:186]

He is always listening. We must never assume that He isn’t simply because we think that our dua is not answered. Allah knows why we were not given something at a certain time and there is always good that comes from it – we must always be grateful for His blessings. We must not mistake not receiving something we asked for straight away with Allah ignoring us. He says in another ayah:

“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favour]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.’ ” [14:7]

He did not mention specifically what He will increase His believers who are grateful, he simply says “la’azinakoum” which simply means “I will increase you”. It covers all blessings and provisions – if Allah said something particular then He would have limited it but He didn’t.

So let us make dua for good, for this world and more importantly our afterlife. Let us also not be put down if we are not given what we want. Allah knows more, and Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيْم

Once upon a time in the Arabian desert, there was a man on a journey through the scorching heat. He spent days feeding and providing water for his camel that was holding all his food and drink for the long journey ahead.

A few days into his journey, the man found some shade and decided to have a nap. He unmounted, tied the camel and fell asleep. When he woke up, to his horror, the camel was nowhere to be seen.

The man called out to the camel in panic, climbed up desert slopes but could not see anything. Hours in, he had lost hope and decided to go back to the shade. Out of pure exhaustion from the heat and no sustenance, he fell unconscious.

As he opened his eyes again a while later, there stood his camel. Jumping up in the great joy he yelled “O Allah! You are my servant and I am Your Lord.” He commits this mistake out of extreme delight. [from Sahih Muslim]

The prophet referred to this story when mentioning: “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant when he turns penitently towards Him than one of you would be on finding the lost camel.” [Muslim]

Allah loves those who repent. May Allah make us of those who continuously turn back to him.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

A hadith was narrated in Sahih Bukhari, describing a dream the prophet (ﷺ) had one night. The dreams of the prophets are very significant – they all have meanings.

The prophet (ﷺ) often asked his companions if they had seen a dream and he would narrate to them what the dream meant, if it had any true meaning. One day he said to his companions that he himself had a vision, a daunting one.

Two angels came to him in the dream, woke him up and told him to proceed with them. He set out with them and came across a man lying down and another man standing over his head holding a huge rock. The man with the rock would throw the rock at the other man’s head smashing it.

When he struck him, the rock would roll away and went to retrieve it. No sooner had he returned to the man lying down, his head would be restored to its former condition and the process was repeated.

The prophet (ﷺ) was startled, he said to the two angels, “Subhan’Allah! Who are these?”. The angels would only reply, “proceed, proceed”.

So they proceeded and came across man lying down in a prone condition with another man standing over his head with an iron hook. He would put the hook in one side of the man’s mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back of the neck; then a similar tear with his nose; and a similar tear with the eyes.

He then turned to the other side of the man’s face and did the same. He had hardly completed that side and the other was restored to its former condition and the process was repeated.

The prophet (ﷺ) said to the two angels, “Subhan’Allah! Who are these?”. The angels would only reply, “proceed, proceed”.

So they proceeded and came across something similar to a Tannur (a sort of baking oven, a pit usually lined with clay for baking bread):

The prophet (ﷺ) mentioned hearing much noise and voices. He looked into it and found naked men and women whom the flame of the fire was reaching them from below and they would scream out intensely.

The prophet (ﷺ) said to the two angels, “Subhan’Allah! Who are these?”. The angels would only reply, “proceed, proceed”.

So they proceeded and came across a river red like blood. In the river they saw a man on the bank who had collected many stones and another man in the river swimming. While the other man swam and went near the man on the bank the swimmer would open his mouth and the other man threw a stone into it. He would swim away and return, then the process was repeated.

The prophet (ﷺ) said to the two angels, “Subhan’Allah! Who are these?”. The angels would only reply, “proceed, proceed”.

So they proceeded and came across a man with a repulsive appearance, the worst they have ever seen. Beside him was a fire and he was kindling it and running around it.

The prophet (ﷺ) said to the two angels, “Subhan’Allah! Who is this?”. The angels would only reply, “proceed, proceed”.

So they proceeded and reached a garden of deep green vegetation having all sorts of spring colours. In the midst of a garden there was a very tall man who’s head can hardly be seen because of his great height. Surrounding him were children in such a large number, more than the prophet (ﷺ) has ever seen.

The prophet (ﷺ) said to the two angels, “Subhan’Allah! Who is this?”. The angels would only reply, “proceed, proceed”.

So they proceeded and came to a majestic, huge garden, greater and better than any he’s ever seen. The two companions said to him, “ascend up”, and the prophet (ﷺ) ascended until they reached a city built with gold and silver bricks. They went to a gate and asked the gate keeper to open it and they entered the city.

In the city they found people with one side of their bodies as handsome as anyone has ever seen and the other side as ugly as anyone has ever seen. The two companions with the prophet (ﷺ) ordered those people to throw themselves into a river that was flowing across the city and its water was like milk.

After they came out they returned with the ugliness disappeared and in best of shape. The two companions mentioned that the place they are in is ‘Adn Jannah. They pointed up and said, “that is your place” – a palace like a white cloud.

The prophet (ﷺ) said, “may Allah bless you both, let me enter it”, they replied, “as for now, you will not enter, but you shall one day”.

The prophet (ﷺ) said, “I have seen many wonders tonight. What does it all mean?”

They explained starting with first man who’s head was being smashed. He is the symbol of a person whom the Qur’an comes to him and refuses to recite it nor act upon it. He also sleeps upon the obligatory prayers e.g. Fajr time comes and he sleeps through it until after sunrise; Asr time comes and sleeps through until Maghreb.

Why is the head being smashed we may wonder? What does it symbolise? Scholars explain that the sweetness of sleep is in the brain, thus why it is being punished.

As for the man whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of a person who tells lies that spread across the globe. In our time this could be big lies told on the internet – they can easily spread in modern times.

As for the men and women being burnt on what seems like a Tannur, those are the adulterers and adulteresses.

As for the man in the red river swallowing stones, he is a symbol of those who eat Riba (usury and interest) and the ugly man near the fire, kindling it and going around, that is the gatekeeper of hell.

As for the tall man in the garden, that was prophet (ﷺ) Ibrahim and the children around him, they were the children that died upon the Fitrah i.e. before puberty.

Some Muslims listening to this narrations asked the prophet (ﷺ) if the children of the disbelievers were also amongst the children in the garden; he clarified that indeed they were. This is because in Islam everybody is born with the Islamic faith of believing in Allah; it is only at puberty that our faith starts to be tested.

As for the people that were half beautiful and half ugly, these were the people who mixed an act of good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them.

This was the vision that the prophet (ﷺ) had. Scholars explained that what the prophet (ﷺ) was narrating is the life of the Barzakh; the life between death and the day of resurrection.

This is due to the last part of the vision explaining the people that were half beautiful and half ugly. If they were already in Jannah, they would not have the half ugliness – it is as if Allah gave them that side to remember their sins as they wait for end of time; where Allah says:

“..And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval..” [57:20]

For those who are being punished in the Barzakh, it will only be worse after the day of judgement; and those who are in bliss, it will only be better after that day.

The reason why the prophet (ﷺ) was narrating this vision to the Muslims is as a reminder. When prayer time comes, when we think about lying, when we are about to sign a contract with usury or interest, when we think about doing any sin, let us remember what awaits.

Let us also remember that our deeds are not going unnoticed. A blissful life in the Barzakh and even more bliss in the afterlife is what is waiting for those who do good.

Allah knows best.

 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Ya’eesh ibn Tihfah al-Ghifaari reported that his father said: “I stayed as a guest with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with those of the poor whom he hosted. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out in the night to check up on his guests, and saw me lying on my stomach. He prodded me with his foot and said, ‘Do not lie in this manner, for it is a way of lying that Allah hates.’” [Tirmidhi]

Not only does Allah Himself prohibit this but recent studies have proven that sleeping on the stomach can cause various physical issues too:

• It puts pressure on the spine causing a strain in the back and throughout the body as the spine holds most of the body’s nerves.
• Since one must move the head to the side in order to breath while the body is facing down, sleeping on the stomach also puts strain on the neck. Over time this can cause permanent damage such as a herniated disk.
• The organs of the abdomen will be pressurised by the weight of the body and spine thus pushing them against the heart and lungs giving the sleeper a slower heart rate. This causes fatigue making it even more difficult to get up and is also generally unhealthy for the circulatory system.
• The digestive system will not be functioning properly either due to the weight of the body sitting on the area in which digestion takes place.

The Sunnah of the prophet (ﷺ) for sleeping is as follows:

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to retire to his bed, he would lie on his right side and then say, ‘O Allah, I surrender my soul to You and I turn my face to You and I entrust my affair to You and I seek Your support with hope and fear of You. There is no refuge from You but to You. I have believed in Your Book which You sent down and Your Prophet whom You sent.'” [Bukhari]

It is also mentioned:

“When the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed at night, he would put his hand under his cheek, then say, ‘Allaahumma bismika amootu wa ahyaa (O Allah, in Your name I die and I live).’ Then when he woke up he would say, ‘Al-hamdu Lillaah alladhi ahyaanaa ba’da ma amaatanaa wa ilayhi al-nushoor (Praise be to Allah who has brought us back to life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection).’” [Bukhari]

It has been proven that sleeping on the side is the healthiest position to avoid all the issues mentioned above. Furthermore, scholars have said that switching to the left side is also permissible; the position to avoid in lying on the stomach.

Allah knows best.

The prophet (ﷺ) left us with many of his actions to follow regarding the consumption of food and drink. These actions ensure the most blessing in what we put in our stomachs.

BEFORE EATING

The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When any of you wants to eat, he should mention the Name of Allah in the begining, (i.e., say Bismillah). If he forgets to do it in the beginning, he should say Bismillah awwalahu wa akhirahu (I begin with the Name of Allah at the beginning and at the end).” [Tirmidhi]

This will push away the shaytan from eating one’s food with them. Our understanding of this is not that the shaytan will eat the way we physically eat but he eats in the unseen. The unseen cannot be explained with logic or with our limited understanding of the world.

The prophet (ﷺ) was sitting while a man was eating food. That man did not mention the Name of Allah (before commencing to eat) till only a morsel of food was left. When he raised it to his mouth, he said: “Bismillah awwalahu wa akhirahu (With the Name of Allah, in the beginning and in the end).” Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) smiled at this and said, “Satan had been eating with him but when he mentioned the Name of Allah, Satan vomited all that was in his stomach.” [Ahmad]

Mentioning the name of Allah before eating also puts His blessing in the food allowing more people to be satisfied by eating less.

The prophet (ﷺ) was eating with his six Companions when a desert Arab came and ate up the food in two mouthfuls. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Had he mentioned the Name of Allah, it would have sufficed for all of you.” [Tirmidhi]

NOT LIKING CERTAIN FOODS

The prophet (ﷺ) never found fault with food. If he had inclination to eating it, he would eat; and if he disliked it, he would leave it. [Bukhari]

We should never insult any kind of food as there are people out there who are starving and we do not know the blessing that food may have. At the same time, we should not force feed ourselves foods that we do not like as the prophet (ﷺ) did not eat what he did not enjoy.

EATING WITH THE RIGHT HAND

A man ate with his left hand in the presence of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), whereupon he said, “Eat with your right hand.” The man said: “I cannot do that.” Thereupon he the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “May you not be able to do that.” It was vanity that prevented him from doing it and he could not raise it (the right hand) up to his mouth afterwards. [Muslim]

EATING FROM ONE’S SIDE

‘Umar bin Abu Salamah reported:
I was a boy under the care of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and as my hand used to wander around in the dish, he (ﷺ) said to me once, “Mention Allah’s Name (i.e., say Bismillah), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is in front of you.” [Bukhari]

It is important that when sharing a plate with others to eat from your side of it; we should not wander our hands into other’s areas.

Related: The prophet (ﷺ) said, “Blessing descends upon food in its middle, so eat from the sides of the vessel and do not eat from its middle.” [Tirmidhi]

EATING TOGETHER

Some of the Companions of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “We eat but are not satisfied.” He (ﷺ) said, “Perhaps you eat separately.” The Companions replied in affirmative. He then said: “Eat together and mention the Name of Allah over your food. It will be blessed for you.” [Abu Dawud]

It is important to eat as a group when we can as there is more blessing in shared food. If one finds oneself not getting full, it is probably due to eating alone.

EATING RECLINED

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “I do not eat reclining (against a pillow).” [Bukhari]

This has been proven to increase pressure in the stomach which makes it more likely for the food to be pushed up the Oesophagus; it is generally unhealthy and should be avoided.

CLEANING THE DISH

The prophet (ﷺ) commanded the licking of fingers and the gleaning of the dish, saying, “You do not know in which portion the blessing lies.” [Muslim]

Blessing can be placed throughout the entire dish or merely some portions of it; to ensure this blessed morsels are consumed it is always best to consume what we have placed on the plate and also any food that may have fallen.

The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “When a morsel of any of you falls, he should pick it up and remove any of the dirt on it and then eat it, and should not leave it for Satan nor should wipe his hand with towel until he has licked his fingers, for he does not know in what portion of the food the blessing lies.” [Muslim]

EATING WITH 3 FINGERS

Ka’b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I saw Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) eating with three fingers (i.e., the thumb, the index finger and the middle finger) and licking them after having finished the food. [Muslim]

When eating with our hands we should not use more than 3 fingers to pick up the food which ensures that we do not get greedy.

SHARING FOOD

The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The food of one person suffices for two, the food of two persons suffices for four persons, and the food of four persons suffices for eight persons.” [Muslim]

We should never think that there is not enough food for someone else, we should always share the blessing when others are around.

DRINKING IN 3 GULPS

The prophet (ﷺ) said, “Do not drink in one gulp like a camel, but in two or three (gulps). Mention the Name of Allah (i.e., say Bismillah) when you start drinking and praise Him (i.e., say Al-hamdulillah) after you have finished (drinking).” [Tirmidhi]

The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to breathe three times in the course of a drink (he used to drink in three gulps). [Bukhari]

It has been proven in modern science that drinking too fast or too much at once can cause dilution of the blood which may cause faster excretion of water by the kidneys. Slow gulps ensure satisfaction without excess water and prevents putting pressure on the kidneys.

BLOWING INTO FOOD OR DRINK

The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade breathing into the vessel (of food or drink). [Bukhari]

Many of us blow at food or drink especially when it is hot; the prophet (ﷺ) did not like this act.

EATING OR DRINKING WHILE STANDING

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade us from drinking while standing. Qatadah reported: “We asked him: ‘What about eating?”‘ He said: “That is even worse, (or may be he said) more detestable.” [Muslim]

Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reprimanded us for drinking while standing. [Muslim]

It has been proven that eating and drinking when sitting is the most healthy method of consumption.

DRINKING OUT OF GOLD OR SILVER VESSELS

Hudhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited us from wearing brocade or silk and drinking out of gold or silver vessels and said, “These are meant for them (disbelievers) in this world and for you in the Hereafter.” [Bukhari]

FILLING THE STOMACH

The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The son of Adam cannot fill a vessel worse than his stomach, as it is enough for him to take a few morsels to straighten his back. If he cannot do it, then he may fill it with a third of his food, a third of his drink, and a third of his air.” [Tirmidhi]

He (ﷺ) also said: “A believer eats in one intestine (is satisfied with a little food), and a kafir (unbeliever) or a hypocrite eats in seven intestines (eats too much).” [Bukhari]

This is regarded as extremely important for one’s health. Over-eating is the cause of many diseases not only associated with obesity; there are many diseases that one does not necessarily have to be overweight to suffer from – it all roots from filling the stomach too much. It weakens the body’s metabolism and makes us lazy and is also involved in the weakening of imane making it more difficult to worship Allah according to many scholarly views, thus the main reason of this advice from the prophet (ﷺ).

This is not to say that two people are satisfied by the same amount of food; stomach sizes vary and so do food portions. It is also not to say that one should deprive oneself from food to the point of feeling lethargic and weak, it is merely the teaching of the prophet (ﷺ) that we should eat less for our own benefit.

Let us end with the word of Allah:

“O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.” 7:31

Allah knows best.