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Kindness to Parents (Part 3)

BRANCHES OF FAITH

Kindness to Parents (Part 3)

The Aayah (17:23) enjoins that after Allah (‎ﷻ)’s right, the greatest of all the human rights is the right of parents. Even saying “Uff” which is the lowest form of expressing discomfort and annoyance is explicitly prohibited! Let alone rebuking, disobeying or disrespecting them.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

‎“الْعَبْدَ الْمُطِيعَ لِوَالِدَيْهِ، وَالْمُطِيعَ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ،فِي أَعَلَى عِلِّيِّينَ” (مسند الفردوس، الديلمي)

“The servant of God who is obedient to his parents and also obedient to the lord of the universe is in the highest of highs (in paradise).

The collective morality of society should make it incumbent on children to be grateful and respectful to their parents and should ensure that parents are continuously served and honoured by them throughout their lives.

Kindness to Parents (Part 2)

BRANCHES OF FAITH

Kindness to Parents (Part 2)

In in the Qur’an (15:23), Allah (swt) commands the believers to be kind with their parents immediately after commanding them with Tawheed (affirming his oneness).

‎وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوۤا۟ إِلَّاۤ إِیَّاهُ وَبِٱلۡوَ ٰ⁠لِدَیۡنِ إِحۡسَـٰنًاۚ إِمَّا یَبۡلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلۡكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَاۤ أَوۡ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَاۤ أُفࣲّ وَلَا تَنۡهَرۡهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوۡلࣰا كَرِیمࣰا

Your Lord has decreed that you should worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them as much as “uff”, and do not be harsh with them, but speak to them respectfully

Commentary on the above Verse:

When children are young, they take up all their parents’ vigour, health, effort and attention. But children soon forget all this and move ahead with life while neglecting them. This is the natural course of life. Thus parents do not need any encouragement to be kind to their children. It is the children who need to be reminded of their duty towards the generation that has become in need of tender care, after having spent most of its vitality in bringing them up.

Branches of Faith: Kindness to Parents (P1)

Birr Al-Walidain (Kindness to Parents) is obligatory upon all muslims, even concerning non-believing parents.
Linguistically, it is derived from the verb Barra which points to truthfulness, righteousness kindness and good conduct.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

‎الْبِرُّ حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ* وَالإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ

The essence of Birr is (manifested in) good morals (Akhlaq) whereas sinful conduct is that which turns in your heart (making you feel uncomfortable) and you dislike that it other people become aware of it.

Regarding parents and relatives, Birr pertains to obeying their orders (except in the disobedience of Allah ‎ﷻ), and *fulfilling their needs* and requirements. Its opposite is ‘Uquq عُقُوق’, which pertains to disrespect and neglecting/disregarding (their) rights.

Preserving Ramadan (Final Part)

◼️Even though night prayer during Ramadan might have gone, night prayer throughout the year is also highly recommended. In the beautiful Hadith narrated by At Tirmidhi where Muaadh RA asked the messenger of Allah (ﷺ): _”Inform me of an act which will cause me to enter Jannah and keep me far from Hell”, _ part of the prophet response was
_“standing in prayers by a slave of Allah during the last third part of the night.” Then he SAWS recited the 16th and 17th verses of Surah Sajda._
◼️While there are some youths, who during the noble month of Ramadan, were busy passing their time in lustful things, sins and acts of disobedience, there are others who were busy doing deeds of righteousness such as i`tikaf (spiritual retreat) in the houses of Allah. They gave preference to their Lord’s obedience over their own desires. You would see them bowing, prostrating, and reciting the Glorious Qur’an. Such youths are the hope and pride of this Ummah!
May Allah grant us righteousness and Istiqaamah. Allahumma Aameen.

Preserving Ramadan (Part 4)

◼️The person’s continuation of good deeds without restricting it to a certain period, particular month, or special place is a sign of one’s righteousness and acceptance of his good deeds.

◼️Though the Ramadan season is now gone, yet, fasting is still recommended in other months. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has recommended fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. Imam At-Tirmidhi reported that the Prophet ﷺ said,
_“Deeds are presented (to Allah) on Monday and Thursday and I would like that my deeds be presented while I am fasting.”_

◼️It is also reported that the prophet ﷺ used to command his companions to fast the white days (Al Ayyaam Al Beedh) of each lunar month i.e the 13th, 14th and 15th day.

Preserving Ramadan (Part 3)

◼️Worshipping Allah should not be restricted to Ramadan alone for there is no end to the Muslim’s worship except when he dies (refer to the last ayah of Surah Al Hijr).

◼️Certainly, there are signs for the acceptance and rejection of deeds in Ramadan. Among the signs of acceptance of good deeds is to follow them with more good deeds. Likewise, it is a sign of rejection to follow one’s good deeds with evil ones (refer to Surah Hud Ayah 114).

◼️The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: _“Fear Allah wherever you are, follow the evil deed with a good one to erase it, and treat people with good manners.” (At-Tirmidhi)_

Preserving Ramadan: (Part 2)

Allah (SWT) informs us in the Qur’an that, “Indeed the good deeds drive away the evil deeds. This is a Reminder to those who are mindful of Allah” (11:114).

The purpose of such extensive worship during Ramadan is to enable us to remain steadfast and sincere in the upcoming months. Indeed, a sign of acceptance of good deeds is for them to be succeeded by more good deeds thereafter, and one’s ability to abstain from prohibited actions & speech.

In surah Muhammad, Allah (SWT) commands us to remain obedient to Him and His messenger and warns us against doing anything that could do away with our good deeds and bring them to nothing. ⬇

يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا أَطيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطيعُوا الرَّسولَ وَلا تُبطِلوا أَعمالَكُم

Believers, obey God and obey the messenger, and do not let your deeds come to nothing”.

Some of the scholars state that this verse refers to following up good deeds with disobedience. May Allah grant us all steadfastness!

Preserving Ramadan: (Part 1)

◼️He who learnt to be steadfast during Ramadan should continue to be steadfast after it.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُون

Surely those who said: “Our Lord is Allah” and then remained steadfast shall have nothing to fear nor to grieve.

◼️Fasting and other acts such as: guarding our tongues, night prayers, daily recitals of the Qur’an, and Charity are not acts that are exclusive to one month. Indeed, Ramadān is like a training camp during which we adopt and develop such good habits in order to implement them during the next 11 months.

◼️One practical step towards preservation is by fasting 6 days during the month of Shawwaal which will result in us being rewarded for an entire year’s worth of fasting while also making up for any shortfalls in our obligatory Ramadan fasts!

Happy Eid Mubarak-عید مبارک 2023

Eid is around the corner!

We should be grateful to Allah (SWT) for completing this Ramadan, and for the coming of another Eid ul-Fitr. While we may be sad to see Ramadan go, with all its benefits and khayr, Eid is a time of celebration. May Allah accept our fasting and prayers, and we wish you a very happy Eid!

Ramadan-2023 (Day 29)

Achieving your Goals
As Ramadan comes to a close, Insha’Allah you have found it to be a beneficial month. Hopefully, you have also made some clear goals to follow in order to strengthen your relationship with Allah beyond this month. It is of the utmost importance that you stick to these goals and any improvements you have made during Ramadan. Stay away from anything that could make you lapse into error or sin and hold firmly onto anything that could keep you steadfast. This way your gains would be worthwhile and permanent, leading to long-lasting success!