A very powerful story

He remembered his grandmother's warning about praying on time: "My son, you shouldn't leave prayer to this late time". His grandmother's age was 70 but whenever she heard the Adhan, she got up like an arrow and performed Salah. He, however could never win over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in on time. Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib.
While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed. His grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace. He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while. He had been at school all day and was tired, so tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting. He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting. Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was. His heart was about to burst.
It was the Day of Judgement. When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgement, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this. The interrogation was still going on. He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had been called. No one could answer him.
All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him. Two people grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there. His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others. He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared. He pleaded his case, "I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did. Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not." He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah.
He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made. The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd. His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam. His name was read first. He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, How could I go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others". His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.
The two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Qur'an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him. The Jahannam angels continued to drag him. They had gotten closer to the Hellfire. He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah said, "How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins"? He began yelling, "My prayers? My prayers? My prayers." The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam. The flames of the fire were burning his face. He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him.
One of the angels pushed him in. He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames. He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard. He wiped some dust off himself and asked him, "Who are you?" The old man replied, "I am your prayers". "Why are you so late? I was almost in the Fire! You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in". The old man smiled and shook his head, "You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?" At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices coming from outside. He heard the adhan for Salat-ul Isha. He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.

Funny isn’t it?

 

"Funny how simple it is for people to trash Allah… and then wonder why the world's going to hell."
"Funny how we believe what the newspapers say ... but question what the Qur’an says."
"Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven ... provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Quran says."

"Funny how someone can say 'I believe in Allah' ... but still follow Shaitaan (who, by the way, also 'believes' in Allah)."
"Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire ... but when you start sending messages regarding Allah, people think twice about sharing."

"Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace ... but the public discussion of Allah is suppressed in the school and workplace."

Funny, isn't it?

"Funny how someone can be so fired up for Allah on Friday ... but be an invisible Muslim the rest of the week."
Are you laughing?

"Funny how when you go to forward this message ... you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them."

"Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me ... than what Allah thinks of me."

Are you thinking?
Will you share this with people you care about?

I Know You Will Respond

What if, Allah couldn't take the time to bless us today because we
couldn't
take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if Allah decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow
Him today?

What if, we never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when Allah
sent the Rain?

What if Allah didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it
as His day?

What if, Allah took away the Quran tomorrow because we would not read it
today?

What if, Allah took away His message because we failed to listen to the
messenger?

What if, the door of the Mosque was closed because we did not open the
door
of our heart?

What if, Allah stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love
and care for others?

What if, Allah would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him?

What if, Allah answered our prayers the way we answer His calls. What if, Allah met our needs the way we give Him our lives???

What if, We failed to send this message on?

THIS IS A SIMPLE TEST.......

If you love Allah, send this on!!!

Signs of weak Iman and how to increase it

A very nice article contributed by brother AbuBanan.

Signs of weak Faith: 

·         Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.

·         Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.

·         Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat

·         Neglecting the Sunnah. 

·         Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.

·         Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.

·         Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr. 

·         Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.

·         Desiring status and wealth.

·         Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.

·         Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves.

·         Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.

·         Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.

·         Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.

·         Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.

·         Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.

·         Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.

·         Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.

·         Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves. 

Okay, how to increase our faith then? 

• Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.   
• Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.   
• Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah's names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.   
• Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.  
• We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.   
• We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.   
• Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.   
• Make dua, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don't covet material things in this life.   
• Our love for Subhana Wa Ta'Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.   
• Realize the effects of sins and disobedience- one's faith is increased with good deeds and our faith is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah. 

Contributed by: Abu Banan

What can you do in one minute?

Praise be to Allaah.
Time is of the essence, it is too precious to be wasted or neglected. The wise person is the one who pays attention to his time and does not treat it as a vessel to be filled with cheap things and vain talk. Instead, he limits it to worthy efforts and righteous deeds that please Allaah and benefit other people. Every minute of a person’s life carries the potential to raise his own status and to make his people happier, little by little.

If you are keen to attain the highest position, and bring the most happiness to your people, then forget about relaxing and keep away from empty amusement.

In one minute you can do a lot of good and earn much reward. In just one minute, by giving in charity, studying, memorizing, or striving to do good deeds, you can make sure that this minute of your life is not wasted. One minute may be recorded in your book of good deeds if you know how to make the most of it and take care of it:

Strive to make the most of each minute

If you forget it, you forget the most important thing, the truth.

There follows a list of things that can be done in one minute, by the permission of Allaah:

1. In one minute you can recite Soorat al-Faatihah 3 times, reciting rapidly and silently. Some scholars said that the reward for reading al-Faatihah is more than 600 hasanahs, so if you read it 3 times you will, by the permission of Allaah, gain more than 1800 hasanahs – all of that in one minute.

2. In one minute you can recite Soorat al-Ikhlaas (Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad) 20 times, reciting rapidly and silently. Reciting it once is equivalent to one-third of the Qur’aan. If you read it 20 times it is equivalent to reading the Qur’aan 7 times. If you read it 20 times in one minute each day, you will have read it 600 times in one month, and 7200 times in one year, which will be equal in reward to reading the Qur’aan 2400 times.

3. You can read one page of the Book of Allaah in one minute.

4. You can memorize a short aayah of the Book of Allaah in one minute.

5. In one minute you can 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 except Allaah alone with no partner; to Him be dominion and praise, and He is Able to do all things) – 20 times. The reward for saying this is like freeing 8 slaves for the sake of Allaah from among the sons of Ismaa’eel.

6. In one minute you can say Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah) 100 times. Whoever says that in one day will be forgiven for his sins even if they are like the foam of the sea.

7. In one minute you can say Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan Allaah il- ‘Azeem (Glory and praise be to Allaah, glory be to Allaah the Almighty) 50 times. These are two phrases which are light on the lips, heavy in the balance and beloved to the Most Merciful, as was narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

8. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When I say ‘Subhaan Allaah, wa’l-hamdu Lillah, wa laa ilaah ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god except Allaah, and Allaah is Most Great)’, this is more beloved to me than all that the sun rises upon.” (Narrated by Muslim). In one minute, you can say all of these words more than 18 times. These words are the most beloved words to Allaah, the best of words, and they weigh heavily in the balance of good deeds, as was narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth.

9. In one minute you can say, Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (there is no strength and no power except with Allaah) more than 40 times. This is one of the treasures of Paradise , as was narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. They are a means of putting up with difficulties and of aiming to achieve great things.

10. In one minute you can say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah approximately 50 times. This is the greatest word, for it is the word of Tawheed, the good word, the word that stands firm. If these are the last words of a person, he will enter Paradise , and there are other reports which indicate how great these words are.

11. In one minute you can say Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih, ‘adada khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wazinata ‘arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah, as much as the number of His creation, as much as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of His words) more than 15 times. This words bring many more times the reward for other forms of tasbeeh and dhikr, as was reported in saheeh ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

12. In one minute you can seek the forgiveness of Allaah more than 100 times by saying “Astaghfir-Allaah (I seek the forgiveness of Allaah). The virtues of seeking forgiveness are no secret, for it is the means of attaining forgiveness and entering Paradise , and it is the means of being granted a good life, increasing one’s strength, warding off disasters, making things easier, bringing rain and increasing one’s wealth and children.

13. You can say a few brief and concise words in one minute, and Allaah may bring about some good through them that you could never imagine.

14. In one minute you can send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 50 times by saying Sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (May Allaah bless him and grant him peace). In return Allaah will send blessings upon you 500 hundred times because one blessing brings ten like it.

15. In one minute you can motivate your heart to give thanks to Allaah, to love Him, to fear Him, to put hope in Him, to long for Him, and thus travel through the stages of ‘uboodiyyah (total enslavement to Allaah). You could do this when you are lying on your bed or walking in the street.

16. In one minute you can read more than two pages of a useful book that is easy to understand.

17. In one minute you can uphold the ties of kinship by calling a relative on the phone.

18. You can raise your hands and recite any du’aa’ you wish from the books of du’aa’, in one minute.

19. You can say salaams to and shake hands with a number of people in one minute.

20. You can forbid an evil action in one minute.

21. You can enjoin something good in one minute.

22. You can offer sincere advice to a brother in one minute.

23. You can console someone who is depressed in one minute.

24. You can remove something harmful from the road in one minute.

25. Making the most of one minute motivates you to make the most of other periods that would otherwise be wasted.

Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

When people go to sleep, I let my tears flow, and I recite a verse of the most eloquent poetry

Is it not a waste that nights go by and I do not increase in knowledge, yet this time is counted as part of my life?

Finally, the more sincere you are towards Allaah and the more aware you are of Him, the greater will be your reward and the more your hasanaat will increase.

Note that most of these actions will not cost you anything; they do not require tahaarah (purity) and they will not tire you out or take much effort. On the contrary, you can do them whilst you are walking, or in your car, or lying down, or standing, or sitting, or waiting for somebody.

These actions are also among the greatest means of attaining happiness, expanding the chest (i.e., bringing relief and joy) and removing stress and anxiety. May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Source: www.islamqa.com