Refresh Your Imaan

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "Between a man and polytheism (shirk) and unbelief (kufr) is the non-performance of the prayer." [Sahih Muslim] This hadith indicates the importance of the five daily obligatory prayers. It describes the performance of the prayer as the line of demarcation between a believer and an unbeliever.  While the importance of the obligatory prayers cannot be stressed enough, and not performing them is a major sin, nevertheless, missing the prayers does not take one out of Islam.  The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "Allah has made five prayers obligatory: whoever performs their ablution well and prays them in their time, completing the bowing, the humility, and the awe that is due in them, has entered a solemn pact with Allah to forgive him. And whoever does not, has no pact with Allah: should He want, He will forgive him, and should He want, He will torment him." [Abu Dawud] The evidence from this hadith is that ...

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “When a Muslim, or a believer, washes his face (in the course of Wudhu), every sin which he committed with his eyes, will be washed away from his face with water, or with the last drop of water; when he washes his hands, every sin which he committed by his hands will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin his feet committed will be washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water; until he finally emerges cleansed of all his sins.” [Sahih Muslim]   This hadith informs us of the fantastic blessings of Wudhu. Wudhu is a means of purification of the body as well as of the soul. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) in His mercy has made clearing ourselves of our sins as simple as washing off dirt. Wudhu removes minor sins, provided that these sins are not related to the rights of people. Sins which result from harming another person are only forgiven by e...

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said that Allah said: “I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to human heart.” [Bukhari] In other words, Jannat is better than anything you can imagine. Our human experience does not prepare us to imagine how wonderful it could be. “And no soul knows what joy for them (the inhabitants of Paradise) has been kept hidden.” [Al-Quran 32:17] Ever been to a sale where everything was 100% off? Actually you have. You bought Jannah for practically nothing. Allah insisted on buying our earthly lives from us in exchange for eternal life in Paradise. He made us and He made Jannah. He needs neither. Then why make either? Because He wanted US -- you and me! Only when you really want something do you insist on buying it despite its defects. Humans are impatient, hasty, weak, stingy and irritable, yet Allah(subhana wa ta’ala) insisted on buying our faulty earthly lives in exchange for infinite ...

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said: “When one of you looks at one who stands at a higher level than you in regard to wealth and physical structure he should also see one who stands at a lower level than you in regard to these things.” [Muslim] Comparing ourselves to people whom Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has given better looks to, more money to, nicer possessions to, better education to, higher status to, etc., is a common cause for our showing ingratitude to Allah. We then automatically discard the blessings that Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has bestowed on us and can think of only that which we are lacking and someone else has. There will always be something more that we could have. However, Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is the Originator of all Good/Khair. Nothing comes from Him that is not good. Therefore, we should not have the attitude, that when we see ourselves having the blessings of this world we say, "Rabbi akraman" (Allah has blessed/honoured me) and w...

Some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “We eat but are not satisfied.” He (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Perhaps you eat separately.” The Companions replied in the affirmative. He then said: “Eat together and mention the name of Allah over your food. It will be blessed for you.” [Abu Dawud] Islam promotes a family culture. All the members of the family should sit together to eat. Normally, each person is busy doing their share of work, men outside the house and women inside the house. Meal times are the time that they can all get together for a little while, talk to each other, exchange their thoughts and increase each other in their love of Allah and Islam. This hadith tells us some benefits of eating together. When Muslims eat together their hunger gets satisfied and Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) blesses their subsistence. If they live individualistically, and eat separately, then they can expect the opposite to happen.

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah has forgiven my followers the evil thoughts that occur to their minds, as long as such thoughts are not put into action or uttered.” [Sahih Bukhari] Sometimes evil thoughts come to us the occurring of which we have no control over. When Shaytaan or our nafs puts such thoughts in our minds, and we do not entertain them, then Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) in His Infinite Mercy and Justice does not hold us accountable for them. Not entertaining such thoughts means to not continue to think about them, not speak of them, and not act according to them.  If our mind keeps mulling the thoughts over, or God Forbid takes pleasure in such thoughts, then we will not automatically be forgiven them, for we chose then to think on such lines. In order to stop thinking about something it helps to get up and start doing some physical work.

Abu Huraira narrated from the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) that once while a man was traveling in the wilderness he heard a voice in a cloud ordering the angel of the cloud to pour its rain on a particular farm. So the man followed the cloud and saw that it poured its rain on a rocky volcanic plain. All the water gathered in a stream and poured into a farm. The man saw the owner working in that farm and asked him his name. The name was the same one that he had heard from the cloud. The man then related what he had heard and seen, and inquired from the owner of the farm what was special about him that would explain all of this. Given the reason for the inquiry, the owner explained that he would plant his farm and then split the harvest into three equal parts. One part he gave as sadaqa, the second part he kept as food for himself and his family, and the third part he replanted. [Muslim]   There are two important lessons that we obtain from this hadith: 1. The importance of...