It's 7:04 am Saturday 19, May 2012 ET
Fajr: 3:42 am
Sunrise: 5:19 am
Dhuhr: 12:42 pmin 5hr 37 min
Asr: 4:41 pm
Maghrib: 8:04 pm
Isha: 9:41 pm

Quran Verse of The Day


    Reminders: Rules on Call for Prayer

    Tonight Sheik Abdel Monem touched on particular aspect on making the call for prayer(Adhan). He mentioned that Prophet Muhammed(PBUH)‘s companions called for prayer in different ways and Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) did not dissapprove of any of those ways when he observed their calls of prayer. Bilal (may God have mercy on him) used to raise his open hands facing outside close to his ears with his thumbs touching the earlobs. Umarul Khattab(may God have mercy on him) used to keep his hands down by both sides of him. According to the Sheik there is no consensus on this matter between scholars as Prophet Muhammed(PBUH) used to always lead the prayer.

    The Sheik adviced us to follow any of the four schools of thoughts  that we are part of and to consider this matter a less important matter in comparison to other more fundamental matters of Islam.

    We hope this is an accurate description of the Sheik’s mini Khathira.Please let us know if we have made any mistakes or any other comments you may have.

    Allah knows best.

    Jazaak Allah.

    Supplications After Obligatory Prayers

    Praise be to Allaah.

    Its Sunnah for a Muslim to say after every obligatory prayer, whether he prayed as an imam or behind an imam or on his own:

    Astaghfirullaah (I ask Allaah for forgiveness) three times, then Allaahumma anta al-salaam wa minka al-salaam tabaarakta ya dhaa’l-jalaali wa’l-ikraam (O Allaah, You are the One Who is free from all defects and deficiencies and from You is all peace, blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour).

    Then he should turn to face the people if he was the imam, then he and the other worshippers, and similarly the one who prayed on his own should say:

    Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah wa laa na’budu illaa iyyaah. Lahu’l-ni’mah wa lahu’l-fadl wa lahu’l-thanaa’ al-hasan. Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah mukhliseena lahu’l-deena wa law kariha’l-kaafiroon. Allaahumma laa maani’ lima a’tayta wa laa mu’ti lima mana’ta wa la yanfa’ dhaa’l-jadd minka al-jadd  (There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all things. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah, and we worship none but Him.  From Him (alone) come all blessings and favours, and all good praise is due to Him. There is no god but Allaah and we make our worship purely for Him (alone) however much the disbelievers may hate that. O Allaah, none can withhold what You give and none can give what You withhold, and no wealth or majesty can benefit anyone for from You is all wealth and majesty).

    After Maghrib and Fajr prayer he should say, as well as the words mentioned above:

    Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd yuhyi wa yumeet wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (there is no God but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, His is the Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and gives death, and He has power over all things)ten times.

    Then after that he should say Subhaan Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa Allaahu akbar (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah and Allaah is most great) 33 times, and to complete one hundred he should say:

    Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all things).

    Its the  Sunnah for the imam, the person who prays on his own and the person who prays behind an imam to recite these adhkaar(supplications) out loud after every obligatory prayer in a moderate voice that is not too loud, in an ordinary tone. It is proven in al-Saheehayn from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that raising the voice in dhikr when the people have finished the obligatory prayer was what was done at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him). Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I would know that they had finished when I heard that.

    It is not permissible to recite out loud in unison; rather each person should recite to himself without paying attention to the voice of anyone else, because reciting dhikr in unison is an innovation for which there is no basis in Islam.

    Then it is prescribed for the imam, the people praying behind an imam and the one who is praying alone to recite Aayat al-Kursiy silently, then for each of them to recite Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Falaq and Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Naas [i.e., the last three soorahs of the Qur’aan] silently. After Maghrib and Fajr one should repeat Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Falaq and Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Naas three times. This is the best because of the soundness of the reports that indicate all that we have stated above.

    Allah knows best.

    Reminders: Understand Your Prayer To Be Focused In Prayer

    As part of the regular tips given after prayer, Sheik Abdel Monem conveyed to us an important Hadith relating to the Surah Al Fathiha Yesterday. According to the Hadith, when we say

    1.    ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (Praise be to Allah, the lord and provider of the worlds) 

    - Allah answers “my servant has praised me”.

    2.   ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ (The Beneficent,The Merciful. Owner of the Day of Judgment) — Allah answers “ my servant has glorified me”.  

    3.    إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِينُ ( You alone we worship and you alone we ask for help) — Allah answers “my servant has asked me and he will receive whatever he requests)

    4.    ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ صِرَٲطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ

    ( Show us the straight path.  The path of those whom you have favoured. ) — Allah answers “this is between me and my servant and he will receive whatever he requests”

    The Sheik emphasised the need to have the right approach when we recite the above Surah in our prayers . He went onto explain that when we are in prayer we need to remember that we are in front of Allah(SWT) and we are communicating with him. He reminded us that the Thashahhud explain the story of Mihraj when Prophet Muhammad went to meet Allah(SWT) beyond the area that even the Angels have not permission to reach . The Sheik explain this story in brief to stress that we need to understanding what we are reciting in the prayer and feel deeply about what we are reciting. Often, we get distracted while we are in the prayer and think about worldly matters. The Sheik mentioned that its   important for all of us to not get distracted by worldly matters and focus on the prayer. Knowing the understanding of whats been recited and the importance of it will help you stay focused in your prayer.

    We hope we have conveyed the Sheik’s message accurately and welcome any directions to mistakes i may have committed in my narration above.

    Allah knows best.

     

     

     

     

     

    Reminders: Be Quick in The Race For Forgiveness From God

    Today, Sheikh Abdel Monem spoke briefly after the Isha prayer reminding the worshippers like he usually does. He said that when it comes to going after God’s blessings on this earth, which involves working, trading and crafting in order to sustain one’s life and that of his family God asks to strive and move around. God uses the Arabic word SaAAa (Sa3a) to aim, to move around; to walk calmly.

    However when it comes to going after God’s acceptance of us and pleasure with us, God asks us to be quick in the race for forgiveness from him, and for his humongous and bountiful Gardens prepared for the righteous (WasariAAoo ila maghfiratin min rabbikum wajannatin AAarduha alssamawatu waalardu oAAiddat lilmuttaqeena). The Arabic verb God chose in this context is “SariAAoo” which means run faster and faster. This is an indication that a race and competition is encouraged. This verb is stronger in action than the previous verb SaAAa. This is to emphasize that the acts and the race for God’s pleasure is far much more important than merely going for earthly pleasure.

    So while we await the blessed month of Ramadan, may God extend our life so we can benefit from it, we need to move and run faster and faster after God’s pleasure by communicating with God more through prayer and studying the Quran; by giving charity and helping others (family, co-workers, school, students, neighboors etc)

    I hope this was a correct summary and translation of the essence of the message. I hope it helps.

    Things and Ideas To Do During Ramadan

    Can you think of things and ideas to do during Ramadan and throughout the year that could bring benefit to you and others? It could be a list of good manners you plan to focus on, or a list of bad manners to avoid; it could be a personal activity to explore yourself, a learning activity to increase your knowledge and know-how, a physical activity to stay healthy and fit, a family activity, a neighborhood activity, a community activity etc.

    Share with us.

    Book Club > Purification of the Heart > Relying On Other Than God

    Bismillah Ar Rahman Nir Rahim

    Relying On Other Than God

    The above disease  refers to going against Tawakkul, an Arabic translation of total trust in and reliance of God. This is a source for the introduction of others diseases that are mentioned elsewhere in the book. If we are interested in getting benefits from mere mortals we are likely to neglect obligations we may have to God, who is the only person who can benefit us in the end. Further, reliance in other than God could stop us from performing recommended acts that could reward us unimaginable blessings and the mercy from God.  In the end, it will reduce our certainty in God(Yaqin ) , that he alone is the source of any good that happens or can happen in our lives.

    Treatment

    The Imam warns us to keep the certainty of God in our mind and that any good or trials in our lives come from God. We need to seek refuge God the Almighty from all the desires and fears of this world that divert our attention away from God and his certainty.

    Allah knows best.

    Reminders: Staying until the Imam Leaves

    Today, Sheikh Abdel Monem spoke briefly after the Isha prayer reminding the worshippers like he usually does. He said that when the Isha congregation prayer ends it is highly encouraged to stay in the prayer area until the Imam leaves it. For if we stay until the Imam leaves we get the reward as if we prayed the night (the Qiyam). If someone is in a reasonable hurry it is ok to leave.

    And briefly Sheikh Abdel Monem spoke of the importance of reviving mosques by staying oin the mosque after a prayer awaiting the next prayer especially if they are closely timed such as between Maghrib and Isha. Reviving means to dedicate oneself to obediance to God, remembering him, reciting and studying the Quran and exchanging knowledge in circles.

    He said that Prophet Mohammed told the believers of a thing if they do God will wipe out one’s sins and elevate one in statue:

    1. Go to the mosque walking (khoutouwatt)
    2. Perform Ablution while already in a state of ablution (Issbagh)
    3. Await the next prayer after a prayer completes

    He said that God told Prophet Mohamed to give good news to those who walk to the mosques (to worship and purify themselves) at night that God will provide them with complete brightness and light on the day of judgement when people are at loss in darkness and gloominess.

    I hope this was a correct summary and translation of the essence of the message. I hope it helps.




    Yusuf Mosque Brighton