Yesterday at my Seerah blog, I posted saying “the most important historical incident that took place in the life history of our glorious Messenger – Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, IS seldom discussed in the month of Rabi al Awwal. If you wish to know about some interesting facts, you can read the post here.

And if you wish to have a glance at some bits and pieces on Rabi al Awwal, you can do so from here

Yesterday I was happy to find a fabulous e-mail from the Admin of Shaykh Dr. V. Abdur Rahim’s website conveying some wonderful news for all students, teachers, parents, organisations and institutes interested in the teaching-learning of Arabic language.

I wish to share this good news with the readers of my blog. Therefore I am reproducing the content of the e-mail with the kind permission of the Admin of the Shaykh’s blog:

Now available at the website of the Institute of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language, Islaamic University of Madinah, are the 3 Madinah Arabic Books, in a new fully-interactive format which enhances the enjoyment of learning and accelerates the rate at which material is understood and recalled.

The site presents audio files and written lessons of the entire Madinah Arabic Course (3 Volumes), along with audios and text of the entire 2-year Arabic Language and Islaamic Studies curriculum which is authored and compiled by our respected Shaykh, and comprise various lessons in Qur’aan, Hadiith, Fiqh, Siirah, Stories of the Prophets, etc.

The special feature for non-natives is that all lessons and audios are available in Arabic, along with the translation in the language you wish to have translated.

For example, an English-speaker has the translation provided (in writing) on the screen as they listen to each word and sentence from the text, dialogues, exercises, vocabulary etc from any one lesson.

One has the option to close the translation facility if one is fluent in Arabic.

The benefit of providing a written on-line translation and not a vocal one alongside the vocalised Arabic, is to enhance listening fluency of the Arabic.

Lessons are prepared with colours, carefully-coded to teach  the lexical and grammatical elements.

There are many foreign languages at this site which the Madinah Books and 2-year syllabus can be viewed in, and studied.

This is a tremendous facilitation for non-native speakers of Arabic worldwide.

Important Note: The audios and site material work best when the site is viewed through Internet Explorer (7). The site does not fully operate through some other Internet Browsers (like Mozilla Firefox) so please view the site via Internet Explorer (7).

Click this link.  And E n j o y learning the l a n g u a g e of the Qur’an!

(If you are using a web browser other than Internet Explorer, please switch to Internet Explorer at this point to have full access to material).

We hope all students, teachers, parents, institutions etc benefit greatly from this rich, interactive Arabic teaching resource which paves the way for non-natives to master Arabic, in shaa Allaah.

If you are doing the 3 Madinah Books, the above site should be your primary on-line resource to help teach you.

We all, at some point or the other in our lives, have thought of Fortune Telling, Horoscopes, Jinn, Shaytaan, Ghost, Black Magic etc.

What is the reality of the world of Jinn? Can we believe in Fortune Telling? What Allah says about the knowledge of the unseen? What is the connection between meteors and Jinn?

These questions are beautifully analysed and answered by Dr. Bilal Philips.

According to my knowledge and study, I feel this is the best explanation ever given by anyone on this topic!

Download the six-page pdf file and enjoy reading here Inshaa’Allah.

In the life of Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon him) we have an Excellent Model to emulate.

I love what Ibraheem (Alaihis salam) said, ‘I love not things that set’! This statement, uttered by the great Prophet in the beginning of his career, is of iconic nature. 

“When the night grew dark upon him he beheld a star. He said: This is my Lord. But when it set, he said: I love not things that set.” (Surah al An’aam: 6: 76)

‘Afala’ in Arabic means ‘to go down’, ‘set’.

‘Aafileen’ is the plural form of the word ‘Aafil’ which means ‘transitory, passing’.

We, as believers in Islam, look at Prophet Ibraheem (alaihis salam) with respect and reverence. We should also understand and adopt what he is said literally in our life! Our life must become a living extension of the beautiful phrase he used. We must take the golden words ‘I love not things that set’ as the song of our life.

‘I love not those that set’!

‘I love not things that go down’!

‘I love not things that disappear’!

‘I love not those that are transitory’!

Today one may be enjoying high status in the society. Tomorrow he will be thrown off. The world has witnessed many rulers who were riding the crest in their hay days. And now they are a forgotten lot! There is no sense in taking pride in fame and status. They will eventually vanish.  Say: I love not things that vanish!

Today you may be very beautiful. But you know, yesterday’s Beauty Queens are today’s Ugly Ducklings! Physical beauty disappears faster than one imagines! One of the banes of globalisation today is people spend a lot on cosmetics. Come on! It is cosmetic beauty after all!  Say: I love not the beauty that will disappear!

Today one may have wealth and abundance. Who knows what will happen tomorrow!

A simple turn of the tide can reverse the whole scenario. Many a fire accident, flood and tsunami have brought down rich people from palaces to refugee camps. Isn’t it?

So there is great truth in living the phrase: ‘I love not that which is transitory’!

I gave just three examples – status, money, physical beauty. But Allah uses the word ‘Kullu’ to make us understand that everything on the face of the earth will vanish. Only Allah is Ever-Living, the Eternal.

“Everyone and everything on earth will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will abide forever.” (Surah Ar-Rahmaan: 55: 26, 27)

May Allah guide us to the Right Path and retain us in the Right Path so that we love to love not things that set! Aameen.

Thanks to the WordPress.com that through my dashboard I am able to know the search engine terms the readers use to reach this blog.  I find that the most frequently and often searched word is ‘Sayyidul Istighfaar’.

Though I have already uploaded a very comprehensive booklet ‘The Most Excellent Manner of Seeking Forgiveness’ by Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad here, I would like to highlight on this very important du’aa, supplication.

The du’aa (supplication) which is very popular in the name of Sayyidul Istighfaar is this:

“O Allah! You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship in truth except You, You created me and I am Your slave and I abide by Your covenant and promise as best as I can.

I seek refuge in You from the evil that I have committed. I profess to you my sins and I acknowledge Your favour upon me, so forgive me. Verily no one forgives sins except You”.

This du’aa is taken from the following hadeeth:

On the authority of Shaddad bin Aws (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah, Peace be upon him, said:

“Indeed the major supplication for forgiveness is:

“O Allah! You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship in truth except You, You created me and I am Your slave and I abide by Your covenant and promise as best as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil that I have committed. I profess to you my sins and I acknowledge Your favour upon me, so forgive me. Verily no one forgives sins except You”.

“So whoever says this with certainty when the morning arrives and dies during that day before evening, then he is from the people of Paradise and whoever says it with certainty in the evening, and dies before the morning, then he is from the people of Paradise.”

(Narrated by Bukhari, an-Nisa’ee & Tirmidhi)

In`al-Majmoo’ al-`Aleeyah min Kutub wa Rasail wa Fatawa,  Shakyh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah gives the following explanation to the aforesaid hadeeth:

The slave of Allaah then says: `I am Your slave’ by which he acknowledges that servitude of worship is only for Allaah, since Allaah —Ta’ala- created the son of Adam for Himself and for His worship as is mentioned in some Athaar (narrations).

So, if a slave of Allaah leaves that for which Allaah created him, which is obedience to Allaah, knowing Him, loving Him, turning repentantly to Him and relying upon Him, then he has fled from his Master.

When the slave of Allaah repents to Allaah and returns to Him, then he has repented to that which Allaah loves from the slave and so Allaah is pleased with this return. This is why the Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sal lam-mentioned regarding Allaah Ta’ala that: `Allaah is greater in happiness with the repentance of His slave than that of a slave finding his lost ride, which had his food and his drink on it, in a perilous land after he had given up hope of recovering it.’ Allaah — Subhanahu — is The One who is capable of returning his ride and Allaah was The One who returned it to him. This is the height of excellence and beneficence, worthy of he who is in this circumstance, and there is nothing more beloved to the slave than Allaah.

The slave of Allaah then says: `and I abide by Your covenant andpromise as best as I can’. So Allaah — Subhanahu wa Ta’ala — made a contract with His slaves wherein He set out commands and prohibitions. Allaah promised them that if they fulfilled His contract, He would reward them with the highest of rewards. So the slave of Allaah continues moving between fulfilling his contract to Allaah and attesting to Allaah’s promise, meaning: I fulfil Your contract, attesting to Your promise.

This meaning was mentioned by the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- in his saying: `Whoever fasts Ramadan with Eemaan and (al-Ihtisaab) hoping for a reward, then he is forgiven for his previous sins.’

Eemaan here is the action which is: the contract Allaah contracted with His worshippers.

Al-Ihtisaab (hoping for a reward) is: hoping for Allaah’s reward by doing this action – which is not fitting except when attesting to His promise.

As for his -sallAllaahu ala~hi wa sallam- saying: ‘Eemaan and Al-Ihtisaab (hoping for a reward)’ then the slave of Allaah is driven to do this, due to his Eemaan. Allaah legislated and obligated it, was pleased with and commanded it. Al-Ihtisaab (hoping) is the reward with Allaah which means the slave of Allaah does this action sincerely for Allaah, hoping for His reward.

As for his saying: ‘as best as I can’, then this means: I fulfil this according to my ability and that which Allaah has made rightful upon me, not according to that which befits You 0 Allaah.

In this statement there is a proof which establishes that the slave of Allaah has strength and capability and that he is not compelled by destiny, rather he himself has the capability which is his being entrusted with commands and prohibitions, reward and punishment.

Also from this statement is a refutation of the Qadareeyah al-Muj birah (a sect who believe that destiny means that actions are due to compulsion); who say that the slave of Allaah has neither capability nor potential by himself and that he has no decision over actions whatsoever, but rather that Allaah will punish due to Allaah’s own action and not due to the action of Allaah’s slave.

This part of the supplication is also a refutation of the al-Majooseeyah (fire worshippers).

Then the slave of Allaah says: ‘I seek refuge in You from the evil that I have committed’ so the slave of Allaah seeks refuge, protection and fortification with Allaah, fleeing to Him from that which one seeks refuge from, just like the refugee who secures himself from the enemy in a fortress which will save him from them.

There is affirmation of the actions of the slave of Allaah and his seeking his own livelihood and also that evil is attributed to his own actions and not to his Lord in his saying: ‘I seek refuge in You from the evil that I have committed’ so evil, in itself, is indeed from the slave of Allaah.

As for our Lord (Allaah) that He has Beautiful Names, all His Attributes are attributes of perfection and all His Actions are Wise and for a just purpose. What supports this is the saying of the Messenger, peace be upon him: ‘evil is not attributed to You’ as is mentioned in the hadeeth narrated by Muslim in the supplication for beginning the prayer.

The slave of Allaah then says: ‘I acknowledge Your favour upon me’ which means I acknowledge this matter; i.e. I affirm this – that I acknowledge You with Your blessings upon me. You are The One deserving of this because You are The One who is praised and I seek forgiveness from You for my sins. This is why some of the righteous people said: ‘It is a must that every breath the slave of Allaah takes is one of two types; one breath where he praises his Lord and, in the next one, one where he seeks forgiveness from his sins.’

When the slave of Allaah testifies to these two matters then his Uboodiyah (servitude to Allaah) becomes correct, he is raised in degrees of goodness and Eemaan, his own self is diminished and he humbles himself for his Lord. This is the perfection of Uboodiyah by which he becomes free of being amazed by himself, of pride and of beautifying actions in order to show off.

Allaah is The One who gives success and He is The One Who Guides.

All praise be to Allaah Alone and may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon our leader Muhammad, his Family and his Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them all. Allaah is sufficient for us and He is The Best to protect.’

You can download the above explanation of Shaykh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah from here

May Allah give us the hidayah to seek forgiveness every morning and evening so that if we die in the mid way, as per the hadeeth quoted above, we will be accounted among the dwellers of Jannah, Insha’Allah.