Shaban Kuthbah

Asalaamualikum,
Please check the link below for the audio of this kuthbah. The text was converted to voice.

Mercy Of ALLAH

URL: http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/output/0041758001556255255/47032247.mp3

Iblis and Adam - Dua and Forgiveness

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. Truly all praise is due to Allah, we praise him and seek his help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves; and our bad actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can turn him astray, and whomsoever Allah turns astray, none can guide him. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, the only one without Any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and final messenger.

Allah swt says in Surah al-Baqarah  verse 221: “Allah invites to Paradise and forgiveness with His permission.”

Imam Muslim has recorded in a hadith that the messenger of Allah (pbuh) said ‘Allah says “O my slaves indeed you commit sins by day and by night but I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness from Me and I will forgive you’.”

Thus deficiency and heedlessness is part of our nature and we commit sins and disobedience and all the while Shaitan is on our right and on our left, in front of us and behind us, enticing us and inviting us to commit sins. Therefore we become weak and succumb to his invitation and thus become disobedient. After which the ‘accursed one’ (that is Shitan) says to us, “I had no power over you except to entice you and you succumbed to me, so do not blame me and blame no one but yourselves.” (Surah Ibrahim 14, verse 22). In other words, Shitan sets us up to do the bad deeds, and commit sins, and taken take himself out completely.

 Allah the Most High: “O my slaves who have sinned against their own souls, do not despair from the mercy of Allah – indeed Allah forgives all sins and indeed it is He who is the All Forgiving, the All Merciful.”

Let us take a moment to compare how our father Adam behaved after he committed a sin and how Iblis behaved.

Allah says : "And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being), then We told the angels, "Prostrate to Adam", and they prostrated, except Iblis, he refused to be those who prostrate. Imagine, that there were rows upon rows of angels as far as the eyes can see. All the angels prostrated as once, but there was only ONE –Only one- who refused to do so, and it was Iblis. Iblis was a Jinn. He was very knowledgeable and used worship Allah in the best of manner. Because of his piety, he had very high status, and was allowed to be with the angels. Ibn Abbas said that Iblis was a jinn and that they had once been the keepers of Paradise, with Iblis the most honorable and the most learned and the most pious of them. Yet, his arrogance was so much, that he disobeyed Allah’s command. That alone is a great lesson for us. Let us not let the little knowledge, or Imaan that we have cause us to be arrogant and disobey the commands of Allah like Iblis did.

So Allah said Iblis: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate when I commanded you?" Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire and him You created from clay."

This again is a good lesson for us. Some scholars believe that this was the first case of Racism, where the physical appearance of Adam caused Iblis to reject Allah’s command. Shitan felt superior to Adam, because he was made of fire. There is no such thing as Racism in Islam. Allah only looks at our deeds and judge us.  It was narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Allah created Adam from a handful of dust taken from different lands, so the children of Adam have been created according to the composition of the land. Therefore from mankind we have white, red, black and yellow ones; we have good and evil, ease and sorrow, and what comes in between them." (Sahih al Bukhari).

Also, Iblis was a bit worried, that perhaps this new creation of Allah will end up and be a better worshiper compared to him. And then jealousy stepped in which led to arrogance on the part of Iblis.

Allah said: "O Iblis get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out for you are of those humiliated and disgraced." Iblis said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (Day of Resurrection)." Let us never be like Iblis, and be among the arrogant. One way in which we sometimes become arrogant, is when we believe that we are Muslims, so we automatically deserve Jannah. Then we don’t worship Allah, because we feel Allah owe us Paradise. Let us not be among those who have this form of thinking. Furthermore, pay attention to the reply of Iblis. He did not ask Allah for forgiveness.

Allah then said: "You are of those allowed respite."

Iblis said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (they will not be dutiful to You)."

Allah said: "Get out from Paradise, disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all."

Let us now look at what Adam did when he committed his sin.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allah Said: “ O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree otherwise you both will be of the Zalimeen (unjust and wrongdoers)."

 Shytan said to Adam:" Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals."

Satan swore by Allah to them both saying: "Verily I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both."So he misled them with deception. Many times, we find people come towards us, and they speak in the best of manner, yet their intentions are only to misguide us. That is exactly what Satan was doing here. He even swore by Allah. He used the best of speech.

Then when they (Adam and Eve) tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to stick together the leaves of Paradise over themselves (in order to cover their shame). Their Lord called out to them saying "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you, Verily Satan is an open enemy unto you?"

They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers."

Remember what Satan said when he did not bow down as he was commanded? Satan was arrogant and did not ask for forgiveness. He only asked to do more mischief. The end result will be hell for Satan and his followers. But here we see that as soon as Adam and Eve erred, they seek forgiveness. This is the example that us Muslims must to follow. As soon as we commit a sin, we need to turn to Allah, and seek his forgiveness.

Allah then said to Adam and Eve:

"Get down -one of you an enemy to the other (i.e. Adam, Eve, and Satan etc). On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment, for a time." "therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out (resurrected)." (Chapter 7:11-25 Qur'an).

Brothers In Islam, The main message that we get from this Kuthbah, is that whenever we do any wrong, or commit any sins, then we should not wait, but turn to Allah immediately and seek his forgiveness. Allah loves to forgive us. Allah says in the Quran “And indeed I am the Forgiver of he who repents and believes and performs righteous actions and then was guided.” (Surah Ta-Ha 20, verse 82). Let us not ever overlook any minor sins that we commit. We do not know if we will live to see tomorrow, let us ask Allah to forgive us, at least five times a day after our Salaah. Let us remember that Prophet Adam (alaihi salam) was misled by Satan into disobeying Allah. However, he regretted it considerably and repented very sincerely. This is the best example for us to follow.

May Allah grant us knowledge of what is right and wrong, May He guide us towards the path of righteousness, May He forgive us for our sins, our minor and major sins.

Muharram- Islamic New Year

The Islamic calendar was first introduced during the era of the Amir Al-Mu’mineen, or leader of the believers `Umar ibn Al-Khattaab , may Allaah be pleased with him, during the sixteenth or seventeenth year after the Hijrah, or migration of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, sought the peoples advice on when the Hijri calendar should start. Some held that it should have started from the birth of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, whilst others thought that it should have begun from the very first day that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam began his mission. Another group believed that the calendar should have started from the emigration and the last group held that the calendar should have begun from the death of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.

 ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, agreed with those who wished to start the Islamic Calendar with the Hijrah of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam due to the fact that this marked the point in history when Allaah differentiated between truth and falsehood by giving the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam real power and authority which was manifested in the form of the first Islamic State.

The companions were also consulted on which month should mark the beginning of the year; ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab and ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, may Allah be pleased with them both, chose Al-Muharram due to it being a sacred month and because it follows the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which is when the Muslims perform Hajj, or the pilgrimage, which was the last pillar of Islam that Allaah enjoined upon the Muslims. Al-Muharram also follows the month in which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam pledged allegiance to the Ansar (His Madeenan supporters) to emigrate to Madeenah and this pledge of allegiance was one of the introductory acts of emigration. Due to all these reasons, Al-Muharram was deemed the most suitable month to begin the Islamic Calendar.

The Islamic Year begins with the auspicious month of Muharram, which is the month in which the Holy Prophet of Islam (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) migrated from Makkah to Madinah, an event better known as the "Hijrah". The Hijrah was a turning point in Islamic History from whence Islam progressively strengthened its power and support base.

Prior to the Hijrah, the Muslims were few in number, were weak and were therefore placed under physical, social and economics sanctions.

After arriving in Madinatul Munawwarah, Islam and the Muslims acquired economic and political strength within a short space of time, and eventually gathered the military might to conquer their oppressors of Makkah.

According to history, when Prophet Muhamad (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) arrived in Madina, Abdullah bin Salaam, the famous Jewish scholar was busy breaking dates in his garden. When news of Rasoolullah's (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) arrival reached him, he immediately set out to observe Rasoolullah's (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) activities. Before long he found himself in the midst of the Muslims of Madina where Rasoolullah's (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) was addressing the Muslims thus, "O people! Get into the habit of greeting one another at all times, and feed one another, and treat your relatives and friends with love and kindness. And when everyone is asleep at night, remember to pray to Almighty Allah at that time. If you keep up in practice with these things then you shall enter Jannah in peace."

This Prophetic advice bears glad tidings for Muslims throughout the ages. Alas! Had the Muslims of today only given heed to, and practised upon this advice, it would have produced the solutions to nearly all their problems. Hidden embodied in this advice is the secrets of the success of this world and the Hereafter. 

This advice had produced a deeply profound effect on Abdullah bin Salaam, so much so that he went to the house of Sayyiduna Abu Ayub Ansari (Radi Allahu Anhu) and addressed the Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam) in the following manner, "I accept your claim of Prophethood and I sincerely believe that your religion (Islam) is a true religion." Having made this announcement, he accepted Islam. The Jews came to Allah's Apostle and 'Abdullah went inside the house. Allah's Apostle asked (the Jews), "What kind of man is 'Abdullah bin Salam amongst you?" They replied, "He is the most learned person amongst us, and the best amongst us, and the son of the best amongst us." Allah's Apostle said, "What do you think if he embraces Islam (will you do as he does)?" The Jews said, "May Allah save him from it." Then 'Abdullah bin Salam came out in front of them saying, "I testify that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah." Thereupon they said, "He is the evilest among us, and the son of the evilest amongst us," and continued talking badly of him.

Miraj

Indeed, all praises and thanks are due to Allāh. We praise Him, we seek His Help and we seek His Forgiveness. And we take refuge in Allāh from the evils of ourselves and from the bad of our actions. Whomever Allāh guides, none can misguide. And whomever Allāh misguides, none can guide. And I testify that there is no god except Allāh. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger, may blessings and peace be upon him and upon his family and companions.

O Slaves of Allāh! I first and foremost advise you to fear Allāh and to remain conscious of Him at all times, for indeed he ought to be feared and obeyed at all times.

To proceed, Allah mentions in the glorious quran, the following:

“Blessed is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makka) to the farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) - whose surroundings We have blessed - that We might show him some of Our signs ¹. Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing”. (Quran 17:1)

According to Hadith scholars the journey of Israh and Miraj took place just over a year before Prophet Muhammad  migrated to from Makka to Madina, on the 27th of Rajab.

Israh is referred to as the Journey from from the holy mosque, in mecca, to Jerusalem, and Meraj is referring to the ascension to heaven.

Before the Prophet took this night journey, the ceiling of the house in which he was staying was opened, and Jibril descended. He cut open the chest of Prophet Muhammad and washed that open area with Zamzam water. Then he emptied something from a container into the chest of the Prophet to increase his wisdom as well as the strength of his belief. This was done to prepare the Messenger of Allah for that which he had yet to see in the upper world from among the wonders of the creation of Allah.

After the Prophet performed the Evening Prayer (^Isha'), Jibril came to him with a white animal, slightly larger than a donkey yet smaller than a mule. This animal was the buraq,--one of the animals of Paradise. Jibril held the buraq by his ear and told the Prophet to mount it. When the buraq was mounted, the Prophet set forth.

The buraq carried  Messenger of Allahuntil to the city  of Jerusalem. There the Prophet went to Masjid al-Aqsa. The Prophet entered the masjid where Allah assembled for him all the Prophets--from Adam to ^Isa. Prophet Muhammad moved forward and led them all in prayer. This is an indication the Prophet is higher in status than all the rest of the prophets and messengers.

After the Prophet took this night journey from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa, he ascended to the upper heavens. The Prophet ascended to the heaven on stairs, called al-mirqat, in which one step is made of gold and the next of silver, and so on. These stairs are veiled from us. The Prophet ascended these stairs until he reached the first heaven. When the Prophet and Jibril arrived at the first heaven, Jibril requested the gate to be opened. The angel assigned to that gate asked Jibril, "Who is with you?" Jibril answered, "It is Muhammad." The angel asked Jibril, "Was he dispatched? Is it time for him to ascend to the heaven?" Jibril said, "Yes." So, the gate was opened for him, and Prophet Muhammad entered the first heaven.  

There, Prophet Muhammad saw Prophet Adam. To Adam's right, the Prophet saw some bodies, and to Adam’s left, other bodies. If Adam would look to his right he would laugh, and if he would look to his left he would cry. Adam was seeing the souls of his descendants. Those on his right were his descendants who would die as believers and those on his left were his descendants who would die as non-believers. 

On the second heaven, he met Prophet Isah and Yayah, on the third heaven he met prophet Prophet Yusuf, the forth heaven, he met prophet Idris, on the fifth heaven he met prophet Harun, the brother of  Prophet Musa. On the sixth heaven he then met with Prophet Musa. Each of these Prophets received Prophet Muhammad with a warm welcome and made supplication (du^a')') for him for good things.

Then the Prophet ascended to the seventh heaven, and that is where our Messenger saw Prophet Ibrahim.

Then the Prophet ascended to what is beyond the seven skies; he entered Paradise. He saw examples of the inhabitants of Paradise and how their situation would be. He saw most of the inhabitants of Paradise are the poor people .

The Prophet saw other things on the night of his ascension. He saw Malik, the angel in charge of the Hellfire. Malik did not smile at the Prophet when he saw him, and the Prophet asked why. In answer to the Prophet's question, Jibril said, "Malik did not smile since the day Allah created him. Had he smiled for anyone, he would have smiled for you."

Then the Prophet ascended beyond Paradise. He reached a place where he heard the creaking of the pens used by the angels who are copying from the Preserved Tablet. It is at that location Prophet Muhammad heard the Kalam of Allah, which is an attribute of the Self of Allah.

The Prophet understood several things from hearing this Kalam of Allah. He understood the obligation of the five Obligatory Prayers. At first, Allah obligated fifty prayers. When Prophet Muhammad encountered Musa, Musa told him to make supplication (du^a') to his Lord to ease the obligation of fifty (50) prayers, because his nation could not handle that. Musa said, "I have experience with the people of Israel, and I know your nation cannot bear that." So the  Prophet asked his Lord to lessen these prayers for his people. Five prayers were eliminated. Once again, Musa told the Prophet to ask Allah to lessen the number of prayers. Allah did. Nine times the Prophet made supplication to Allah to lessen these prayers--until these prayers were lessened to five Obligatory Prayers. So Prophet Musa was a great benefit to us. Had we been obligated to pray fifty prayers a day, this would have been a difficult matter for us.  

From the Kalam of Allah, the Prophet also understood that a good deed would be written for the person who intends to do a good deed, even if he did not do it. Also, the good deed performed would be registered for he who performs it as at least ten good deeds--up to 700 good deeds. For some people, Allah would multiply the reward of their deeds more than that. Additionally, if one performs a bad deed, it is registered for him as one bad deed; yet for he who inclines towards committing a bad deed and then refrains from committing it, a good deed would be registered for him. Here one should note the difference between two matters. If a thought crossed a person's mind about doing something sinful, and this person wavered in this thinking, i.e., considered whether he should do it or not, then he refrained from doing this for the sake of Allah, this is written as a good deed.

Abû Hurairah (r.a.) narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, “Allah ordered (the appointed angels over you) that the good and the bad deeds be written. He then showed (the way) how (to write). If somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write for him a full good deed (in his account with Him). If he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him (in his account) with Him (its reward equal) from ten to seven hundred times to many more times. If somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write a full good deed (in his account) with Him; and if he intended to do it (a bad deed) and actually did it, then Allah will write one bad deed (in his account).” - (Bukhâri 8/498 and 9/592)

Surah Mulk (Tafseer): Introduction

Benefits of reciting Surah Mulk

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. Truly all praise is due to Allah, we praise him and seek his help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves; and our bad actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can turn him astray, and whomsoever Allah turns astray, none can guide him. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, the only one without Any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and final messenger. 

In today’s kuthbah, we will be looking at the tafseer of surah mulk.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

said: “A soorah from the Qur’aan containing thirty verses will intercede for a man so that he will be forgiven. It is the soorah Tabaarak Alathi bi yadihi’l-mulk [i.e., Soorat al-Mulk].”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2891; Abu Dawood, 1400; Ibn Maajah, 3786.

What is meant is that a person should read it every night, act in accordance with the rulings contained in it, and believe in the information mentioned in it.

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: Whoever reads Tabaarak allaahi bi yadihi’l-mulk [i.e., Soorat al-Mulk] every night, Allaah will protect him from the torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used to call it al-maani’ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allaah it is a soorah which, whoever recites it every night has done very well.

Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah that Allah's Messenger said,

(Verily, there is a chapter in the Qur'an which contains thirty Ayat that will intercede on behalf of its reciter until he is forgiven. (It is): (Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion.).

At-Tabarani and Al-Hafiz Ad-Diya' Al-Maqdisi both recorded from Anas that the Messenger of Allah said,

There is a chapter of the Qur'an that will argue on behalf of its reciter until it causes him to enter into Paradise. (It is): (Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion.)

The Surah (synopsis v.1-11)

In the first five verses man has been made to realize that the universe in which he lives is a most well organized and fortified Kingdom in which he cannot detect any fault, any weakness or flaw, however hard he may try to probe. This Kingdom has been brought from nothing into existence by Allah Almighty Himself and All the powers of controlling, administering and ruling it are also entirely in Allah's hand and His power is infinite. Besides, man has also been told that in this wise system he has not been created without a purpose, but he has been sent here for a test and in this test he can succeed only by his righteous deeds and conduct.

In vv. 6-11, dreadful consequences of disbelief which will appear in the Hereafter have been mentioned, and the people told that Allah, by sending His Prophets, has warned them of these consequences in this very world, as if to say "Now, if you do not believe in what the Prophets say and correct your attitude and behavior accordingly, in the Hereafter you will yourself have to admit that you really deserved the punishment that was being meted out to you."

Source: Tafseer Ibn Khateer, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an

Allah's Mercy- A Kuthbah

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. Truly all praise is due to Allah, we praise him and seek his help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves; and our bad actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can turn him astray, and whomsoever Allah turns astray, none can guide him. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, the only one without Any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and final messenger. 

Today’s khutbah is about Alláh’s mercy. Of all the 99 Beautiful Names of Alláh, it is Ar-Rahmán and Ar-Rahím that we use, most frequently, in our prayers and dua’s. Ar-Rahmánand Ar-Rahím, are both derived from the same Arabic root word, Rahma, meaning mercy, compassion.

Most of us, unfortunately, take Alláh’s mercy and compassion for granted. But if we stop for a moment, and just reflect on the depth and extent of Alláh’s mercy, we will be astonished beyond words.

In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down one between the jinn, mankind, the animals and the insects, by means of which they are compassionate and merciful to one another, and by means of which wild animals are kind to their offspring. And Allah has kept back ninety-nine parts of mercy with which to be merciful to His slaves of the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim, al-Tawbah, 6908) 

It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child she embraced him and put him to her breast. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to us, ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said, ‘No, by Allah, not if she is able not to.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child.’”  (Agreed upon)

One aspect of the Mercy of Allah to His slaves is that He sent the Messengers and revealed the Books and laws to organize their lives according to the ways of wisdom, far removed from hardship and difficulty. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):  Wa maa ar sal na ka illah rahmatal lil alameen

“And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the ‘alameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).” [21:107] 

The Mercy of Allah is what will admit His believing slaves to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. No one will ever enter Paradise because of his deeds alone, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No one’s deeds will ever admit him to Paradise.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No, not even me, unless Allah showers me with His Mercy. So try to be near to perfection. And no one should wish for death; he is either doing good so he will do more of that, or he is doing wrong so he may repent.” 

[al-Bukhari, Muslim] 

So the believer must remain in a state between hoping for the Mercy of Allah and fearing His punishment, for Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.

 And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment.” [15:49-50] 

We Muslims as Believers would say, that our creation and continued existence on this planet, it is due entirely to the mercy of Alláh, subhánalláh wata-‘álá, glorified and exalted is He. The Holy Qur’án makes this point in many beautiful verses. For example, in Súra Saba [34:9] we read:

"See they not how little of the sky and the earth is open to them, and how much is hidden? If We wished We could cause the earth to swallow them up or cause a piece of the sky to fall upon them. Verily in this is a Sign for every servant that turns to Allah (in repentance)."

Sura Fátir v41 "It is Allah Who sustains the heavens and the earth lest they cease (to function): and if they should fail there is none not one can sustain them thereafter: verily He is Most Forbearing Oft-Forgiving"

and further in the same sura: verses 44 and 45:

44 "Do they not travel through the earth and see what was the end of those before them though they were superior to them in strength? Nor is Allah to be frustrated by anything whatever in the heavens or on earth: for He is All-Knowing All-Powerful.

45. If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires verily Allah has in his sight all His servants."

How do we become worthy of Alláh’s Mercy? We become worthy of His Mercy, when we begin that long journey from doing what pleases us, to doing what pleases Alláh. To someone who is not in the habit of doing good deeds, someone who instinctively does anything and everything that pleases his own self, it is very difficult to start doing things that please Alláh. This comes only by conscious effort. But remember, when you do just one good action, you can repeat it, and it can become a good habit. Like a farmer with his seed, when you sow an action, you reap a habit.

We should also remember, that part of Alláh’s mercy, is that he is very patient with our shortcomings. We all have many faults, but Alláh’s anger does not just descend on us like a bolt of lightning, as soon as we step out of line. He always gives us time, lots of time, to recognise the error of our ways, and to put things right, to ask for mercy.

In the same way, we must not be impatient with others. We must also show mercy, wherever we have power and authority. This is especially towards our Family. We must not project our fears and anxieties on them.

Taking an aggressive attitude usually does more harm than good. It is much better, to teach and to encourage, using kindness and a setting a good personal example, without arrogance or self-righteousness. Let our sisters and children take their own time, to make their own decisions. We expect Alláh’s mercy and patience for ourselves. Why then, should we not show mercy and patience for others, especially our women and children? The first Hadíth Qudsi reminds us:

"When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over my anger."

This Hadíth confirms that Mercy is more powerful than anger.

Let us pray to Alláh, subhánalláh wata-álá. May His mercy descend into our homes and in our hearts, all throughout the year, insh-Alláh. May we all show greater mercy to one another, especially to those over whom we have some authority. May Alláh guide our leaders to show mercy to their citizens, our employers to their workers, our parents to their children. And May He reward us all, according to the best of our deeds. May this small community of ours, grow and prosper in love, mercy and brotherhood, and may we all, set a good example to other communities inside and outside of Islam.

Aqoolo qawli hadha wastaghfirullaha li wa laku.

Laylat Ul-Qadr

Surah Inna Anzal na (chapter 97)

1. Verily, We have sent it down in the Night of Al-Qadr. 2. And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr is 3. The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. 4. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord's permission with every matter. 5. There is peace until the appearance of dawn

Ibn `Abbas and others have said, "Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-`Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.''

Prophet Muhammad was restless about the moral evils and idolatry that were rampant among his people. Humanity was passing through a difficult period of time. For hours, Muhammad would reflect on the state of humanity. He used to spend periods of time in retirement among the hills, in the neighborhood of Mecca in solitude. One of his favorite places was the cave of Hira in the mount Al-Nur. Here in the cave, he often remained plunged in thought deep in communion with the unseen yet all-pervading God of the universe. In his fortieth year of his life, he was in prayer during Ramadan in cave Hira, supplicating, when the light of revelation suddenly burst upon him. A glorious Angel aroused him from sleep, three times his mighty voice sounded in his ears, and three times a powerful grasp was laid upon him. He as very confused and perplexed and could not decide on what he should do. But when the Angel called on him the third time, the Holy Prophet took up the message of his lord. This important event has been described in Sahih Bukari in the following words:

“After the period of true visions, solitude became dear to him, and he would go to a cave, hira, to engage himself in devotion there for a certain number of nights before returning to his family and then he would return to them for provision for a similar stay. At length unexpectedly, the truth (angel) came to him and said “recite”. I cannot read he (Muhamad) said. “Then he took me and squeezed me vehemently and let me till I was exhausted”/

Then he said: “Recite in the name of thy lord”;  I said “I cannot recite. He squeezed me for a third time and then let me go and said: “recite in the name of thy lord, who created man from a clot of blood, for thy lord is beneficent”. The Prophet repeated these verses. He was trembling with fear. At this stage, he came to his wife Khadija, who said: “God will never bring you any disgrace. You unite uterine relations; you bear the burden of the weak, you help the poor and need, you entertain the guests, and endure hardship in the path of truthfulness”

Thus the first verses of the Quran were revealed. It took a total of 23 year for the entire quran to be revealed to the Prophet.

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who disbelieve say: Why is not the Quran revealed to him all at once? Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages.” [25:32]. 

“And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages,” means We revealed it slowly and sent it gradually. All of this indicates that Allah was taking care of His Book, the Quran, and His Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), as He sent down His Book in accordance with the situations faced by the Messenger and as needed to address unfolding issues.

And what do you know what the Night of Glory is? The Night of Glory is better than a thousand months.

The commentators in general have understood this to mean that the good acts performed in this Night are superior in value to the good acts of a thousand months in which Lailat-ul-qadr is not included. There is no doubt that this is in itself correct and the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) has described great excellencies and virtues of the good acts and devotions of this Night. Hadrat Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said: The one who remained standing in worship in the state of belief and for the sake of rewards from Allah during Lailat-ul-qadr, would have all his previous sins forgiven."( related in Bukhari and Muslim)

It is also the Night when all ordainments for the year are decreed. Allâh ta'ala said, which means:

{By the manifest Book (the Qur'ân) that makes thing clear. We sent it (this Qur'ân) down on a Blessed Night (i.e. the Night of Qadr) in the month of Ramadhân. Verily We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torments will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of Worship]. Therein (that night) is decreed every matter (amran) of ordainment}[The Smoke 44:2-5]

Signs of Lailatul Qadr

Allâh and His Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam provided us some signs of its occurrence:

Allâh subhanahu wa ta'ala describes the night as “..peace until the rise of the morn.” [97:5] In various sayings, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam described the night as serene, tranquil, and peaceful. The sun at sunrise would appear reddish and without its normal blazing and sharp rays. Ubayy radiallaahu 'anhu said : "On the morning of the night of Qadr the sun would rise without any beams; (it is like) a wash basin until it raises." [Muslim]

Abu Hurairah radiallaahu 'anhu said : "We mentioned the night of Qadr to the Messenger of Allaah (S) and he said: "Which of you remembers when the moon rises and it is like half a bowl." [Muslim]

Ibn Abbaas radiallaahu 'anhu said that the Messenger of Allaah (S) said : "The night of Qadr is a night of generosity and happiness, it is not hot and neither is it cold. The sun comes up in its morning weak, reddish." [Tabaranee, Ibn Khuzaimah and Bazzaar]

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam added that “the angel of earth on that night of Qadr will be more numerous than all the pebbles of the earth.”