Weekly Reminders – Page 2 – Inspired Foundation

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!

Branches of Iman: Fulfilling Trusts (Last Part)

BETRAYAL: ATONEMENT & CONSEQUENCE
▪️The atonement (kaffârah) for not fulfilling a particular oath or promise is feeding 10 needy people, clothing them or fasting 3 days. (Refer to 5:89 for full Aayah and note that only trusts with lawful conditions are obligatory to fulfil.)
▪️Regarding those that die without fulfilling their trusts, our prophet (ﷺ) said: “Every traitor (of trusts) will have a flag on the Day of Judgement to identify them according to the amount of their treachery; there is no traitor of greater treachery than the leader who betrays his own people” (Muslim/ Bukhari).

Branches of Iman: Fulfilling Trusts (Part 5)

Allah (ﷻ) says in the Qur’an (5:1), “O you who have faith, honour (all) your pledges/contracts*…” Since Islam doesn’t distinguish between religion and state, the above verse relates to *all aspects* of our lives (individual, social and political). It does not only apply to money but to *all* trusts such as repaying debts or appointing someone for a job, position or responsibility. Regarding this, Allah (ﷻ) says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا

Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due (and most deserving of it) and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.

Branches of Iman: Fulfilling Trusts (Part 4)

Amaanah at the Social level

“Everyone of you is a shepherd (leader or trustee) and each one of you is answerable to Allah with regard to the trust that was given to you. [Bukhari & Muslim] We learn from the above hadith that Amaanah is not limited to a select few; rather each and every person carries a part of the trust. A ruler is a trustee and is responsible for the people he leads, a man is responsible for his wife and offspring, a woman is a trustee and is responsible for her household and children. Even the work entrusted to us is a trust, while undoing it is betrayal. From the prophetic traditions, the trusts that is considered most worthy of fulfillment are those related to marital relationships. Secrets and trusts related to this relationship should never be revealed onto outsiders. They should also afford the same courtesy to other families by not investigating others’ livelihoods nor interrogating them about what they did, what they cooked, what they ate, whom they visited or what they wore during each gathering!

Branches of Iman: Fulfilling Trusts (Part 3)

Amaanah at the Individual level

A scholar said: ‘Amaanah (trustworthiness) is the core of our faith and its importance/position is like that of the heart to the body, in which it is found in seven limbs: the eyes, ears, tongue, hand, foot, stomach, and the private parts. Whoever betrays the trust of all of them, leaves the circle of faith.’ Another scholar said, ‘Everything that Allāh has obligated upon His servants is a trust, such as: Salah, Zakat, Siyam, and repaying debts.

Accordingly, Amaanah at an individual level is to treat every obligation and blessing that Allah ﷻ has granted us as a trust, and to perform/use them only in accordance with His Will. Thus, our eyesight is a trust, hearing is a trust, our hands and feet are a trust, our tongue is a trust, and our money is also a trust.

﴾يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لا تَخونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسولَ وَتَخونوا أَماناتِكُم وَأَنتُم تَعلَمونَ﴿

“O You who have faith! Do not betray Allāh and His Messenger and do not knowingly betray your trusts.”