THE YOUNG BROTHERS

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself

And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.

But you prefer the worldly life,

While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.

Indeed, this is in the former scriptures,

The scriptures of Abraham and Moses.

[87:14-19]- The Nobel Quran

SubhanAllah,

 Im merely a student of knowledge, anything I say that has benefit comes directly from Allah(swt); as for whatever I say that is misleading or incorrect, solely comes from my own desires and the Shaytan (Audhu billahi mina shaytaunir rajeem)

This chapter in the Quran has always captured me the most in my younger years. I remember when I first memorized these verses.

That was the first time an unforeseen convivial flock of chills conquered my neural foramina. It was never conventional but always parallel to the exertion of my tongue. My brain and body understood. Yet, it didn’t stop at understanding. Both, my body and brain looked to my heart so first; it can engage my tongue in repetition to savor the sweets of supplication in order to purify my soul. Doing so then disconnected my soul from the temporary because the permanent is more imminent.

When the time that Allah (swt) has decided for our souls to leave our bodies and Malakul Maut appears, it is difficult for those who are still attached to this world to let go. Often times, people shake, or are in a state of struggle before passing away.

…Make the Connection.

SubhanAllah,

I’ve always been conscious of that type of struggle. The frequency of that thought has always been parallel to a vigilant flock of chills. Cognizance throbs down my spine. And now, I’m much more conscious but still not nearly at the state which I first heard Surat Al-‘A’laa.

I ask myself, What if when I…never mind. As I grew older, I noticed I tended to become more attached and involved. The check engine light appeared on the dashboard of my psyche.

I’m in need to purify my soul. By Allah’s (swt) mercy and will, I will continue struggle to be among those who are granted the hereafter that is better and more enduring than this world. I cannot forget that purifying my soul is a process. I must grow Sabr (Patience).

“And We will ease you toward ease”[87:8] -The Nobel Quran.

Be-qadr-Allah(swt),* by the will of Allah*.

May Allah bestow his mercy upon us all Inshallah.

- Mohamed Ibrahim

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The year is 2013. Obama was just re-elected into office and our economy is still in shambles. Kim Kardashian is pregnant but, come on, no one really cares about that. Ravens won the super bowl after an awkward 30 minute delay due to a power outage and Chris Brown and Rihanna might go round two (…can’t wait, just kidding)!

You might ask why I gave an update on headlines you already know? Yes, it was to grab your attention but also to show the power of our culture. A culture so fascinated with celebrities and mega sport rituals. A culture that thrives on instant gratification and not in depth or understanding. Now, it only makes sense that a culture like this has its own side effects and results but who could be the lucky recipient? No. It’s not your swag bro…it’s you, me and our entire generation of young Muslims living in America. 

Kendrick Lamar coined the term “Dying of Thirst” from his latest album GKMC and I’m not endorsing his music or any music at all but the term gives you a feeling that I want you to grasp. If you look at our generation from a critical perspective we’re constantly bombarded with messages telling us how to think, what to wear and who to believe. This dangerous phenomenon has not only crippled our foundation as young Muslims but has also put us in a psychosis of emotional and spiritual progression. 

Now, you would ask: how is this exactly crippling our spiritual progression? If you don’t contemplate what you’re allowing to enter the heart, then this is the first issue. What you allow your ears to listen to, your eyes to look at, and your tongue to say are ultimately a reflection to what is in our hearts— the central tenant of our human condition.

Our messenger, Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) says,

“Indeed there is a piece of flesh in your body that, if it be sound, then the whole body will be sound and if it be corrupt then the whole body will be corrupt. Indeed it is the heart.” — (Sahih al-Bukhari [1/49] & Sahih al-Muslim [1599])

Thus, if your heart is good then your actions will also be good, and if your heart is corrupt then your actions will also be foul and corrupt. Actions are dictated by the heart and it is the place where our intentions lie which Allah (SWT) will hold us accountable for. 

إِنَّ اللّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ

“Surely, Allah knows what is in the hearts.”

Now as a fellow member of our generation.  It is critical that we understand the importance of where our hearts lie today. Is it with the celebrities that are reckless and morally unconscious? or is it with the drug infused sexually active lifestyle that we are so attracted to? Is this the spiritual state of the youth in the community of Saydeenah Muhmammad?

Our hearts are truly in the hands of Allah, and the most beloved to Allah is the one who gives his/her heart to HIM in submission. Let’s deeply reflect on the condition of our hearts and come to realize that our hearts are empty without Allah. This includes me, you and everyone else. 

There is hope but clearly we have to strive for it; and I wouldn’t say we are a generation dying of thirst, but instead we are a generation really dying of no iman. 

Bismillah

By: Mohamed Sheikh-Mohamed

 We would like to present the topic of Istighfar. Istighfar is the act of seeking forgiveness from Allah. We would bring you a story of Ahmed ibn Hanbal, a dua which would have a major impact on all of us and a video by Abu Ahmed which basically sums up everything that has to do with this topic.

 Beginning with the story of Ahmed ibn Hanbal:

Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, may Allah Ta’ala be pleased with him, was once traveling and needed to stay somewhere overnight. When he went to the mosque, the guard (not recognizing Imam Ahmed) denied him entrance. Imam Ahmed insisted on his right, yet he was refused. Frustrated, Imam Ahmed resolved to spend the night on the mosque’s front porch/yard. The guard became furious and dragged him away, despite his old age and frailty.

A baker, whose shop was nearby, watched this scene and took pity on Ibn Hanbal and offered the great scholar food and a place to sleep. He watched as the baker mixed and kneaded the dough, tended the fire, and pulled hot loves from the oven, all the while uttering remembrances of Allah and istighfar (asking for Allah’s forgiveness). Finally, Ibn Hanbal asked the pious baker what inspired him so. The baker responded it had become like second nature saying he did as he did in thanks to Allah who had answered all his prayers. All save one. 

When Ibn Hanbal asked what that unanswered prayer was, the baker responded: “To see the famed Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.” At this, tears came to Ibn Hanbal’s eyes and he told the baker, “I am Ahmed ibn Hanbal!”. He then went on to add, “By Allah! I was thrown from the mosque to meet you.”

Recently in Ramadan, I was sitting in a lecture by Sh. Jamel (Imam of Masjid Al-Tawba in Eden Prairie) and he brought to my attention “The Chief of Forgiveness”. If one says this Dua in the evening with firm faith and dies that night, he would enter Paradise; and if one says this upon the morning with firm faith, then dies that day, he would enter Paradise: 

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ

“O Allah You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to fogive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.”

I end this post by saying that Allah wants to forgive us. He just wants us to start the initiation. I won’t say much because everything I’m about to write is said in a better way in this video below:

By: Azhar Abdusebur

Bismillah. 

“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth..”

The problem is  that we often forget about our purpose in life and center our lives around acquiring material wealth. To work hard and be rich isn’t the problem, it’s when we obsess over it that it becomes an issue. As humans, we are attracted to and desire happiness. However, examining carefully, we’re actually addicted to the pursuit of happiness. Now, what do I mean by that? Since we think money and materials are the keys to happiness, we spend so much of our efforts trying to find ways to ‘make that dough’. And when we are constantly fed the propaganda of “livin’ the life” through T.V. shows, music, billboards, etc. it becomes engrained in our minds and hearts that “making that cheddar” is the ultimate goal. I mean how many stories have we read of famous sports players, actors, etc. committing suicide or are undergoing depression? It seems paradoxical. How could someone with such a lavish lifestyle be sad? Let’s examine how Allah sums up the above ayah. He says:

 

”..And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.”

The happiness and wealth that they seem to enjoy is that of a delusion. It’s a trick, a temporary fantasy. We don’t notice that their wealth is or was a means of them trying to fulfill a void not seen by the eyes. A void of the spirit.

 

On the flip side however, it’s always interesting to see the hardships that one goes through when he doesn’t have money as well. This ties back to what was said earlier. The one without a job or income feels helpless, desperate, and miserable due to his state and society only reinforces the idea that success and happiness are only attained through your economic status. I remember feeling this way when I was out of work for sometime. In that period, I went through some difficult moments physically, mentally, and even spiritually. Thoughts of despair started to creep on me. The thought of not having money and seeing my friends being able to do and have what they wanted really put me down. So what does one do when he is in need of answers? Turn to the Quran and Sunnah.

 

Rasul-Allah ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “A soul will not die until it gets all of the provision that has been apportioned for it” (Ibn Hibban). 

 

Subhanallah. This hadith instantly struck a cord within me. You  shouldn’t care nor worry about the ups and downs of your provision, but that it is Allah who has promised it and will give you what he’s written for you no matter what. Allah further tells us in Surah At-Talaq:

 

“And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.” Sahih International.

 

So not only does Allah give you everything he’s written, he’ll give it to you from places you don’t expect. How? By having tawakkul in him. The question that is now asked is: What is tawakkul and what does it entail? In short tawakkul is to trust in the plan Allah has set for you. People take this the wrong way and think that if they sit around and do nothing, Allah will get them right. NO! You have to do your part. You go out there, look for jobs, talk to people, do everything you possibly can and then you leave it to Him. And who could you leave your affairs to that is better than Ar-Razzaq (The Provider)?

Alhamdulilah after hard work, prayers, and of course Allah’s help, I was able to find a steady job and everything came together nicely. When people like Drake say: “N——s with no money say that money isn’t everything”, you tell them: “Hey money really isn’t everything”. What? Really? How? It’s because they also say: “mo’ money, mo’ problems!” (this is extremely apparent and it need not any discussion). Forgot about that Drake? Huh? Jokes aside, we do need to remember that this dunya will never fill that void within you. Through times of hardship and ease we need to remember Allah (swt) is the only one that can help us. It is only with the tawakkul in Allah and His remembrance does the heart find peace.

 

 

“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah . Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.”

 

Work hard, get as rich as you can but let the money stay in your hands, not in your heart. At the end of the day it’s simple: If having more money causes more problems, then having no money is no problem! Right? Alhamdulilah.

 

Sources:

- www.suhaibwebb.com/relationships/withthedivine/ar-razzaq-the-provider/

 

- http://muslimmatters.org/2012/02/08/three-rules-for-dealing-with-unemployment/

 

(Source: theyoungbros.com)

I would like to first apologize for the long wait. I’ve been busy and wanted to make this post count because this blog will be moving to a new website, which is currently under construction. I told myself that once I reached 10,000 views, I would post the inspiration behind why I started blogging. So without further ado here it is.

In a Hadith, The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (the deceased).” [Sahih Muslim]

“from Abu Hurayrah, who said, “I heard The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) say, ‘ Verily, the first to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who had died as a martyr. He will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I fought for Your Cause till I was martyred.’ Allah will say: `You have lied. You fought so that people might call you courageous; and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge and read the Qur’an will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur’an for Your sake.’ Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur’an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man whom Allah had made affluent and to whom Allah had given plenty of wealth, will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I did not neglect any of the ways You liked wealth to be spend liberally for Your sake’. Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You did it so that people might call you generous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.” [Sahih Muslim]