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Hajj- lessons to apply to your daily life!

Did you perform Hajj?! Every year some blessed individuals take the sacred journey of hajj to Makkah and although it is not the best of practices, they are given the title of ‘Haji’ and ‘Hajin’ as the culture follows.

The sacred pilgrimage is one that is full of reward and even greater benefit than it would appear since a pilgrim successful in his purpose of the journey returns as sinless as a baby.

During this sacred time as a pilgrim, you are actively required to instill many traits and practices in and out of the trip that would ensure your lofty reward in paradise. Here is a list of the top nine:

Submitting: 

Certainly, the most profound benefit of hajj is the lesson of submission, which is initiated by the many lessons given by the symbolic father of the whole pilgrimage, Ibrahim AS and his son Ismail AS. You will learn that whatever is commanded by Allah ﷺ it is to be followed without deliberation. Submission is, without a doubt, dedicated to this core lesson and scattered throughout the pilgrimage of Hajj. One of those moments is at the juncture of entering into the sacred state of Ihram with the recital of the talbiyah (call to the submission of compliance):

“Here I am at Your service, O Rabb, here I am. Here I am, no partner do You have, here I am. Truly, the Praise and the Favour is Yours, and the Sovereignty. No partner do You have.” [narrated Muslim on the authority of Ibn Umar Radiyallahu ‘anhu]

Only truly an experience will translate to you the emotion attached to the proclamation of the talbiyah that gushes through the heart as it is recited. As the Quran talks of the submission of Ibrahim AS: And We ransomed him in exchange of a great sacrifice. (The sacrifice of Ibrahim and Ismail – peace be upon them – is commemorated every year) [Surah Saffaat 107]

Accepting revelation: 

Highlighted separately, but very much connected to ‘submission’ is the trait of compliance to revelation and not logic. From the theoretic bases of the Hajj to the practical implementation of it, Allah shows you that your logic and understanding is limited. You, as a human, are subjected to knowledge and experience to be able to understand anything. However, Allah all Knower, all Aware, when commanding you to action, is fully and actively paving a path for your success. In Hajj there are restrictions that are necessary for correctness of it, that resist the logical acceptance of the so-called norms of society. Maybe it’s the ‘no applying perfume’ or it’s the ‘no covering of the face’, whatever the rulings, your compliance is not an option it’s a command and when done positively it becomes an honour, one that is a very appreciated one to lead a daily attitude.

The Prophet would only speak what was commanded: He does not speak out of (his own) desire. It is but a revelation revealed (to him). [An-Najm 3-4]

Spending and Worshipping:

The jurists explain that hajj is the one major activity that requires physical endurance and ability as well as financial stability to happen, without these two strengths the hajj is not compulsory. Hence you as a person must learn that in your daily life, you are required to strike out from being complacent and lethargic and become a vigorous contender in the competition of good deeds. Tiring and costly, the hajji understands his financial and physical commitment to deen by spending that period, all you need to do is to continue throughout the year.

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to supplicate: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men.”  [Bukhari]

Preparing: 

In Hajj, if you make a major mistake in the rituals, even out of ignorance, you will have to pay a penalty or if you forget the rations of that moment you will undergo some type of amending. Learning of the hajj procedure or the planning of a month’s supply, when embarking on this sacred journey, you must prepare! Similarly, as your daily requirement, you will need to make your life a sacred journey and that demands knowledge that has no limit. This combined with the healthy provision of good inner qualities and deeds, is necessary for the perfection of a Muslim; you should not only know ‘how to pray’, but also become a passionate lover of prayer! Similarly don’t be a ‘lover of prayer’ and you don’t know how to pray!

Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There is no wisdom like planning [Ibn Majah]

Rectifying:

The pushing and shoving, the times of breaking down in servitude, the humble pieces of clothing, whatever is thrown your way, you accept it. Big as you are, popular as you are, rich as you are, if you are a King of the masses or Minister of the kings, when it comes to being a pilgrim, you are a servant coming to serve his master. It is one of the fascinating qualities that you need in order to have a successful hajj. So do not let your race, wealth, or status determine your demeanour, because we are all servants of the same phase of existence.

‘Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “No one will enter Paradise who has pride in his heart equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed [Ibn Majah]

Prioritising:

On the trip to the hajj you are subjected to different situations, your spouse who Allah has made permissible for you, now becomes impermissible to have sexual relations with, the hunting of prey is now forbidden and even the uprooting of grass is prohibited. Now you learn to decorate your life according to the needs.  A good Muslim is able to prioritize situations accordingly towards Allah, his family, friends, and work.

`Abdullah bin `Amr narrates from the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ): ….your body has a right on you, and your eye has a right on you, and your guest has a right on you, and your wife has a right on you…[Bukhari]

Striving:

Believe it or not, hajj requires struggling and striving from everyone. Sometimes sleepless nights, thirst or hunger, having been put through the test of Hajj, you will learn to sacrifice the joys and bounties of this world to gain the fruits of the everlasting paradise. If you can do it for those fixed days, certainly you can strive to stay away from the evils of society and strive for the attainment of the pleasure of Allah.

Allah says: And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. do righteous deeds of Allâh’s Obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allâh— Islâmic Monotheism), then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allâh). [Asra 19]

Patience:

A quality that is definitely required for Hajj, the hajji is forced to have patience, in fact, if he does not, then he cannot be a top scorer in the pilgrimage. Likewise, you are always required to endure patiently, whether it’s with the spouse or the kids, the siblings or the parents, etc., Allah grants many rewards to the bearer of patience.

And Allâh loves As-Sâbirun (the patient ones). [Al-Imran 146]

 

By Mufti Abraar Alli | 2018

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The neglected month – Sha’bān?

 

‏ ذَلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغْفُلُ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ بَيْنَ رَجَبٍ وَرَمَضَانَ وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِ الأَعْمَالُ إِلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ عَمَلِي وَأَنَا صَائِم‏

“I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting any month as much as Sha’bān.’ He said: ‘That is a month which people neglect, between Rajab and Ramaḍān. It is a month in which the deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds, and I like that my deeds be taken up when I am fasting.”‘ (Nasa’ī)

Overshadowed by the importance of Ramaḍān, Sha’bān has always been a neglected month. It’s importance should not be overlooked as it is filled with opportunities for good deeds that will be raised before Allah, and it was the month in which the Prophet ﷺ spent the most amount of time fasting. Additionally, it is a month in which many momentous things occurred, like the changing of the prayer direction to the Ka’bah and the revelation of the command to fast in the month of Ramaḍān.

With Ramaḍān on the horizon, let us not be among those who pay little attention to this month.

Here is an article detailing one of the auspicious occasions in the month of Sha’bān By Hadhrat Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh:

The Significance of Sha’bān

Sha’bān, the eighth Islamic month is second only to Ramadān in virtue, blessings and greatness. It is due to this virtue and greatness that the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam used to emphasise its importance not only verbally but practically too.

‘Ā’ishah radhiyallāhu ‘anhā narrates, “Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam used to fast till we would say that he would never stop fasting and he would abandon fasting till we would say that he would never fast. I never saw Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadān and did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha’bān.”(Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, Nasa’ī)

‘Ā’ishah radhiyallāhu ‘anhā narrates, “Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam used to fast the (whole) month of Sha’bān except for a few days.” (Nasa’ī)

Usāmah radhiyallāhu ‘anhu asked, “O Rasūlullāh! I do not see you fasting in any month as much as in Sha’bān.” He replied, “It is a month people are negligent of between Rajab and Ramadān. It is a month in which deeds are raised towards the Lord of the worlds. Therefore, I like my deeds to be raised whilst I am fasting.”(Nasa’ī)

Fifteenth of Sha’bān

Amongst the days and nights of Sha’bān, there is one night called Laylat-al-Barā’at orShabe Barā’at, a night noted for its great blessings and virtues. The Glorious Qur’ān describes it as the blessed night.

Lo! We revealed it on a blessed night. (44:3)

According to ‘Ikrimah radhiyallāhu ‘anhu and a group of mufassirīn, the ‘blessed night’ referred to in this verse is the fifteenth night of Sha’bān.

Fortunate indeed are those who attain the full blessings and benefits of this night by spending it in performing good and refraining from evil. One must strive his utmost to attend to ‘ibādah (worship) in this auspicious night as this night indeed is a great favour of Allāh ta’ālā for the believers. There are a number of ahādīth in regard to this night.

(1)  ‘Alī radhiyallāhu ‘anhu narrates that Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “When it is the fifteenth of Sha’bān, then stand (in worship) at night and fast during the day. Because Allāh ta’ālā descends in this night at sunset to the first heaven and says: ‘Is there any seeker of forgiveness, that I may forgive him? Is there any seeker of sustenance, that I may sustain him? Is there anyone in affliction, that I may remove his affliction? Is there anyone like this, like that (and so on)’. This continues until Fajr.” (Ibn Mājah)

(2)  Abū Mūsā Al-Ash’arī radhiyallāhu ‘anhu narrates that the Messenger of Allāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “In the fifteenth night of Sha’bān, Allāh ta’ālā manifests and forgives all His creation except for the Mushrik (idolater) and the spiteful.” (Ibn Mājah)

(3)  ‘Ā’ishah radhiyallāhu ‘anhā narrates: “The Messenger of Allāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam came to me (one night) and took off his clothes, but he had hardly sat down when he got up again, put on his clothes and left. A strong ghayrah (sense of honour and self-respect) overtook me as I thought he was going to one of his other wives. I followed him and found him in the graveyard of Baqī’ seeking forgiveness for believing men and women and the martyrs. I said (to myself), ‘May my parents be sacrificed for you. You, (the Prophet) are in want of your Lord and I am in want of the world.’

I returned to my room (quickly) and I was breathless. The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam arrived shortly and said, ‘Why are you breathless, O ‘Ā’ishah?’ I said, ‘May my parents be sacrificed for you. You came to me and took off your clothes, but you had hardly sat down when you got up and put on your clothes (and left). A strong ghayrah overtook me and I thought you were going to one of your (other) wives until I saw you in (the graveyard of) Baqī’ doing whatever you were doing.’

He said, ‘O ‘Ā’ishah! Did you fear that Allāh and His Messenger will treat you with injustice? Jibra’īl came to me and said, ‘This night is the fifteenth night of Sha’bān. Allāh sets free from Hell during this night, souls equivalent to the hair (and wool) of the goats of Banī Kalb.’ (Banī Kalb possessed the largest number of goats in the Arabian peninsula.)

‘However, Allāh will not look (with mercy) even on this (auspicious) night towards idolaters, one who harbours ill-will against his fellow beings, one who cuts himself off from his near relatives, one who dangles his clothes over his ankles, one disobedient to parents and a habitual drunkard.’”

‘Ā’ishah radhiyallāhu ‘anhā says, “He took off his clothes, then said, ‘O ‘Ā’ishah! Will you permit me to spend this night in worship.’ I replied, ‘Certainly. May my parents be sacrificed for you.’ The Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam got up and remained in sajdah(prostration) for a very long time until I thought he had passed away. I got up to inquire and placed my hand on his feet to feel that he was alive, thus I became happy. I heard him say in his prostration:

‘I take refuge of Your forgiveness from Your punishment. I take refuge of Your pleasure from Your anger. I take refuge from You. Great is Your eminence. I cannot praise You (as You are worthy of praise). Your eminence is exactly as You have praised yourself.’

In the morning I mentioned these words to him. He said, ‘O ‘Ā’ishah! Learn them and teach them (to others) because Jibra’īl taught me and ordered me to repeat them over and over again in sajdah.’”  (Al-Bayhaqī)

Note: Muftī Taqī ‘Uthmānī hafizahullāh states: “Although the chain of narrators of some of these traditions suffers with some minor technical defects, yet when all these traditions are combined together, it becomes clear that this night has some well founded merits, and observing this night as a sacred night is not a baseless concoction as envisaged by some modern scholars who, on the basis of these minor defects, have totally rejected giving any special importance to this night. In fact, some of these traditions have been held by some scholars of hadīth as authentic and the defects in the chain of some others have been treated by them as minor technical defects which, according to the science of hadīth, are curable by the variety of their ways of narration. That is why the elders of the Ummah have constantly been observing this night as a night of special merits and have been spending it in worship and prayers.”

The Fast of the Fifteenth

The fast of the 15th of Sha’bān can only be derived from a hadīth that has a weak narrator in the chain of narration, due to which it cannot be relied upon in the matter of the injunctions of Sharī’ah. Thus, the fast of the 15th of Sha’bān cannot be termed as Sunnah or Mustahab in the strict sense of the term.  Nevertheless the fast could be kept without taking it as a Sunnah or Mustahab considering other factors such as:

a)   The fasts of the first half of Sha’bān have special merits as can be seen from the practice of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam;

b)  The virtues of the fasts of Ayyām-al-Bīd (i.e. 13th, 14th and 15th of the Islamic month) have been mentioned in the ahādīth.

Recommended Deeds

The following practices are derived from the traditions of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam which have been mentioned above for Sha’bān and its virtuous  15th night.

(1) It is desirable that one fast in the month of Sha’bān as much as one can. However, if fasting in Sha’bān is going to affect the fasting of Ramadān then one should refrain from it.

(2) Although salāh should be performed in  Jamā’ah (congregation) every day, on this auspicious night, one must participate with deep and solemn care in the Maghrib, ‘Ishā and Fajr Salāh.

(3) Spend as much time of the night as possible in worship individually. No specific du’ā or method of worship has been prescribed. One may engage in dhikr, recitation of the Qur’ān, salāh, learning and teaching or any other form of ‘ibādah. However, one must refrain from worldly talk and wasting time. If ‘ibādah is not possible then at least avoid all sinful and useless acts and go to bed as soon as possible.

(4) In one hadīth it has been mentioned that Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam visited the graveyard of Baqī’. However, one may not establish the practice to be Sunnah as there is no mention of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam making it a general practice of this night. Hence, if one visits the graveyard once in a while it will be permissible.

One must refrain in particular from all those practices that are contrary to the Sunnah. Many of us deprive ourselves of the blessings of such auspicious moments and the Favours of Allāh ta’ālā by following those customary acts which have no basis in the Qur’ān and Sunnah.

May Allāh ta’ālā guide us all on the straight path and enlighten us with the blessings of this sacred month and its blessed night. Āmīn.

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Ten Out of Ten: The First Ten Days of Dhul Ḥijjah

As the warmth of Ramaḍān fades and we get back to our routine, the 10 days of Dhul Ḥijjah can come as a surprise. Ramaḍān enters loudly, but these auspicious days steal upon us so silently that by the time many of us look up, they are almost gone. While Ramaḍān is collectively welcomed with anticipation and planning, these days are marked by the quiet exertion of a slave who patiently awaited its arrival. 

“There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” The Prophet ﷺ described these days in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, without making any exception for the days of Ramaḍān and as such, scholars have concluded that they are even more magnanimous than even the month of Ramaḍān. 

For that reason alone, we should search for these days with the same fervour with which we anticipate the crescent moon of Ramaḍān. Allah has honoured these days and sworn by their nights. The reward of good deeds during this time is unlike any other. No true servant of Allah should be comfortable letting these days pass by without some sort of acknowledgement. Read more

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Tell Me About Eid?

Approaching the day of ‘Eid, there should be mixed emotions for Muslims divided between the sorrow of the departing of Ramadhan and the happiness of welcoming the Islamic celebration of ‘Eid notwithstanding the obvious “lockdown”
Ramadhan is a blessed month that brings about the best in our worship, good actions, spending and taqwa.
The celebration of Eid is due to religious achievement. Therefore, with recharged spiritual batteries, we now have the determination to optimise our performance and celebrate the blessed day in the method shown to us in the Sunnah.
Here are some Sunnah practices and guidelines that will be rewarding to us in particular to the day: Read more

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Tell me about Laylat ul-Qadr

The Mercy of the Most Merciful 

لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ خَيۡرٞ مِّنۡ أَلۡفِ شَهۡرٖ

The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months (Surah Qadr: 3)

The sweet essence of Ramaḍān encompasses the ummah, reviving and strengthening the hearts of the believers. It is filled with opportunities to gain bountiful rewards. One of its virtues is the night of power: Laylat ul-Qadr. Laylatul Qadr is a night that is highly anticipated by everyone during Ramaḍān. From the beginning to the end, we hear discussions about the night that is better than one thousand months. Sometimes it is very difficult to tell truth from speculation. 

So, here is everything you need to know about it:

What is Laylat ul-Qadr? Read more

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Appeal 2021

Be part of a noble effort and help preserve the Deen of Allah SWT at Al-Ihsaan Institute & Al-Ihsaan Private School. Keep watching to learn more about all our different programs and initiatives and how you can help and be a part of it all!
Account name: Al-Ihsaan Institute
Account no: 40725001205732 or 407251205732
Bank: Scotia bank, San Juan, Trinidad & Tobago
Type: Chequing
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The Keys to Consistency

It is the first week of Ramaḍān and you’re on a roll! You haven’t missed a Taraweeh, prayed all of the sunnah (voluntary) salāh and you’ve managed to read a portion of the Qur’ān every single day. But, as the middle of the second week draws near, you find your resolve waning. “I’m too tired, I’ve got too much to get done, tomorrow I’ll do it…” And suddenly by the middle of the month, you’ve totally fallen off the train. Well…you’re not the only one.

“Consistency is key,” they say, “a little bit every day goes a long way.” You’re made to believe that this is something so simple and easy. And yet for you, this is a hurdle you can’t get past. You see people all around you achieving their goals, seemingly effortlessly. You start to wonder if you’re just “not that type.”

I’ll tell you a secret though: consistency is not a personality trait. Like many things, it is a behaviour that can be learned. All you have to do is actively apply a few strategies and in no time you’ll develop this ability. So without further ado, let me give you the 5 ‘keys’ to consistency.

1- Plan! 

Many people make the mistake of waiting until Ramaḍān to start implementing a whole variety of Sunnah acts. This is the surest way to get burned out and give up before the month properly begins. Well before the month of Sha’bān, you should have a plan in place of how to start building habits that will last you throughout the month of Ramaḍān. The Prophet ﷺ said in a ḥadīth recorded in Shu’ab ul Īmān,

There is no intelligence like planning…

If at this point you haven’t made any preparations, don’t give up and click out of the article! Focusing on self-improvement during the month of Ramaḍān is an ‘ibādah in itself. There’s still time for you to spend the month improving so that you can reap the rewards of it during Ramaḍān and beyond. Go ahead and pick some clear goals for the month, whether it’s doing more dhikr or learning a new sūrah every week. Then start planning, making a timetable, etc. You can even research strategies and ‘hacks’ to help you on your way. There are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. You’re not on your own.

2- Moderation  

The all-or-nothing mentality has been known to kill many dreams. Human beings are not wired to accept sudden changes. No one understood this better than our beloved Rasūl ﷺ. He is recorded in Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī to have said, “…So be moderate in your religious deeds and do what is within your ability…” Rather than going from one extreme to another, instead we should apply the wisdom of this ḥadīth by slowly introducing things into our routine and increase them in increments until we reach the desired amounts. The same is to be applied to things that we want to remove from our routine. While there is a lot to be said for the cold turkey method, if we intend to stay away from something for any length of time then we must slowly cut down on it while replacing it with something more beneficial.

Your plan should involve a method of introducing different good habits at different times. This makes the goals more realistic and allows you to progress without becoming overwhelmed. Different goals also require different plans. Take, for example, you may aim to pray all 12 sunnah salāh every day. A good plan might be to start with one. At the end of every day, ensure that you have incorporated it somewhere in your routine, if not with the first salāh then at least in the last. Check your progress over time. When you can easily complete this task without skipping any days, then change your goal to two per day. If you feel you can easily complete two or three per day then start with that. However, maybe you also want to work on doing a certain amount of istighfār (utterances of seeking forgiveness) at the same time, so you’ll need to set a plan and track progress for that too. The most important thing is not to bombard yourself and then become discouraged when you can’t meet goals that were unachievable in the first place.

3- Accountability

Now that you have your plan, what’s to keep you ‘motivated’ to fulfil your daily tasks? I’m going to share another secret: Motivation is overrated. While it has been known to bring about amazing things, motivation (unfortunately) comes and goes. It needs to be constantly fed and renewed. Anyone who relies on this long-term is setting themselves up for failure.

Accountability is what gets the job done. Many times we find ourselves making feeble excuses for skipping our tasks. “It’s not a good time, I’m too tired from work, I have no inspiration…” While these could be very valid excuses, imagine explaining to a friend why you were too busy to pray 2 sunnah rak’āt (a voluntary prayer). See what I’m getting at? Find a friend who will follow up on your tasks and you can do the same for them. You’ll see how much harder it is to make excuses when someone else has to listen to them. Other options of this nature can include joining a Qurān group to ensure you complete your juz (a portion of the Qurān). If you intend to pray more of your farḍ (compulsory) salāh in the mosque, then join a group of friends who already go. If you want to learn Tafseer (explanation of the Qurān) or learn to read the Qurān then join a class. All of these things introduce an element of accountability and make it more difficult to just give up on the task. Some of these steps may seem a bit unnecessary but according to statistics, most people give up on their New Year resolutions by January 19th! Still think sticking a schedule on the wall is extreme?

4- Reward yourself! 

Rewards reinforce positive behaviour. It doesn’t have to be something grand or expensive. It can be enjoying an hour of something that you enjoy. Sleep in late a bit. Take an early break. Have your favourite meal. It can be simply keeping a list of tasks that you tick off at the end of the day. After a while, the disappointment you feel having to leave something unticked is a great motivator in itself. Be careful though! If your goal was to pray all 5 farḍ salāh, don’t reward yourself by taking a break from them! The point is to congratulate yourself on a job well done without negating the progress you’ve made.

5- Learn from your mistakes!

Self-reflection is essential for our general well-being. We should be able to look at ourselves objectively and understand who we are, and why we think and act the way we do. So, get to know your weaknesses. Identify the things that hamper your progress and start setting boundaries to keep you from these pitfalls. If you know that you get caught up checking your phone every minute, then simply leave your phone outside when you are completing a task. If your problem is forgetting to do your tasks then set alarms. If you tend to give up on your goals after a while then try to keep them in a place where you remember them and plan your day around them. Some people have trouble praying Salātul ‘Aṣr on time because that tends to be the time people are coming home from work, picking up the kids, preparing dinner, etc. Plan your tasks around that salāh rather than trying to squeeze it in somewhere. Eg: I’ll pick up the kids, pray Aṣr at home, then head back out to the grocery and I should be back home in time for Maghrib.

Bonus tip: Because you’ve stuck with me this far, I’ll throw in something practical and straightforward to implement: Skip once but don’t skip twice. After you’ve achieved these goals long-term, you’ll realise that there are genuine cases where you may need to skip a task. It is part of a healthy mindset to know when something should take priority over another. Maybe you have a habit of giving charity, but one week you have a doctor’s appointment, so you decide to cancel your weekly bank transfer to your usual charitable organisation. It’s a small donation, so it doesn’t really affect your ability to pay for your appointment, but you do it out of precaution. But how long should you withhold your contributions? Herein lies the problem: sometimes the lines can become blurred and you end up kicking a habit you’ve kept up for years, all because you couldn’t figure out how much was acceptable. A good rule of thumb is, if you have a good reason, you can skip something once but don’t skip a second time. If you leave off tahajjud one day, don’t miss it the second day. You might have to miss it the third day but make sure to pray it on the fourth day. Or let’s say you make it a habit to not speak about others in their absence and one day someone asks you if a certain person is suitable for marriage. This is an acceptable reason to discuss someone behind their back, but don’t turn one conversation into two, otherwise, you may fall back into the habit of backbiting.

I’ve now shared with you my tried and true tips for developing consistency. Armed with these strategies and the determination to make the best of this blessed month, go forth and be the best version of yourself! And if you find yourself falling short of inspiration just remember the words of the Prophet ﷺ recorded in Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, “the most beloved deed in the sight of Allah is the one most regular and constant even if it were little.”

Aalimah Noorie K. Khan

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Not cutting hair and nails for Qurbani

 

It is recommended for whoever intends performing Qurbani, to abstain from cutting ones nails and hair as was mentioned by Rasūlullah ﷺ “When the ten days (of Dhul Hijjah) commence and a person has a sacrificial animal, which he intends to slaughter, then let him not cut his hair or pare his nails.” (Muslim)

قال إذا دخل العشر وعنده أضحية يريد أن يضحي فلا يأخذن شعرا ولا يقلمن ظفرا

(مسلم رقم الحديث 1977, دار إحياء التراث العربي)

Rasūlullah ﷺ did not mention the exact reason why a person should not cut his hair or nails; therefore, any explanation for its underlying reason is mere conjecture. Read more

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Qurbani 2022

AssalamuAlykum, we hope that you are well and in the best of Iman. We are now in the blessed days of Hajj, wherein we remember the oneness of Allah and the obedience of His close friend, Sayyiduna Ibrahim ‘alayhis-salaam.
These days will eventually culminate in the great act of Qurbani (or Udhiyyah) when the believers sacrifice animals to Allah from after the Eid prayer (10th Dhul Hijjah) up until the last days of tashreeq. 

Read more here

We know especially this year there are many people who are unable to easily afford to do Qurbaani/ Udhiyyah locally. For some, it is difficult to fulfil on their own locally and they would like a service that provides everything. Hence the reason we have made this service easy for you..

This year we have:
1) Malawi, Africa $450 – We will distribute them to the poor and needy there. (will be accepted till the day before Eid).
2) Local Sheep ranges from $1700-$4000ttd – You can get the full service. That includes: Slaughtering, cut-up & distributed or you can distribute yourself, details at the bottom

We will slaughter all animals under the supervision of scholars. Thereafter, we will distribute the meat to poor families & charities accordingly.

NOTES
– A small animal counts as 1 share per person.
– Please provide a name when donating your Qurbani.
– Personal details, including a contact number, should be provided.
– Prices have been rounded up. If there is any surplus money we will also be used for charitable purposes.

Let us adhere to the traditions of this noble religion in the coming days. Let us follow the Sunnah of our father, Ibrahim ‘alayhis-salaam, for whom nothing was dearer than to please Allah.

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We do recommend if you can afford to do your Qurbani locally, you can also book below. Commemoration of the day of Eid is important, and you can distribute it to your family, friends and the needy.

To book your local animals

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