Today I learnt... (Ramadhan)

Basically everyday you post one new thing you learnt. (or more)
It should short and simple to understand and no long copy and pastes.
If you've watched a really good vid then summarise it an post the link, if you've read an article summarise it and post the link or share a bit of it or something.
But try to put things in your own words. That should help reinforce the messages in your own mind, and not be off-putting to anyone who sees something long.

I think it's a good way to learn loads, really easily - if like 6 of us posted everyday we'd have lots of reminders and new info by the end of the month!
Also if you make it a goal to post something here, everyday, then you'll definitely make sure you try to make use of the day, and actually learn something, everyday. Right?!
Plus explaining stuff to someone else helps you remember better too.
Hope you're all in with me!
Smile

Yeah. Let's do it. When we starting? On first of Ramadan? I assume it has to be Islamic rather than general good stuff?

 

I dunno,... sounds like a lot of work.

Being told something and coming to understand it yourself are two different things.

Plus explaining it to others can help you realise how wrong you are too. Not to be negative or anything.

I learn a tea spoon of cinnamon in milk before bed is a good cure for insomnia. Its supposed to knock you right out. Who wants to be the ginnie pig and try it first Lol

Back in BLACK

The simple stuff that you do understand. And when you're wrong it will probably sound dodgy so someone will notice and you can always give the source of the info so people can double check themselves. It's not really teaching as such, more sharing info.

@NS yep Islamic stuff

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

im in inshaaAllah

 

was Seraph always like this?

Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

Day 1

I'm too tired to explain but I said I would do this so I'm just gna copy and paste my tweets from earlier on the day, which I tweeted as I was learning this stuff. 

Needy people should not turn away other needy people. And we are all needy people.

If u really want to get guidance from the , undstand *you cannot* understand everything. 

Surah baqarah mentions taqwa over and over again

The people who benefit from the guidance in the quran, are those with taqwa

Taqwa is not only fear but includes the attempt to want to protect yourself and be careful.

Taqwa, changing yourself & committing to Guidance will only take place when you're thoroughly convinced of the afterlife, everyday.

Give in the way of Allah & you shall receive more. Remember what you're giving isn't even yours in the first place.

Hypocrisy is a serious disease of the heart.

There are 2 types of hypocrisy: 1) a non- believer pretends to be a believer 2) a believer is a hypocrite and doesn't even know it.

Hadrat Umar (ra), who was promised paradise, was still worried about being a hypocrite! We should be extremely worried too!

Hyprocrites have a constant and worse punishment than non-believers

The journey into Islam is not easy.

 

-This is mainly from the lessons from surah Baqarah ayahs 1-22 talk by Nouman Ali Khan. I highly recommend this and all the other podcasts talking about other lessons, and Quran tafsir. 

If you want to know more about the points I've mentioned, ask. 

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

Jazakallah khair for the reminder, very important lessons indeed especially the ones about taqwa. 

Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH

Today i learnt about dulce de leche

Back in BLACK

This isn't a general knowledge thread. -__-

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

TPOS wrote:
This isn't a general knowledge thread. -__-

LOL... I must have gotten confused. Must be getting old.

 

Yahoo

Back in BLACK

Sura Luqman(31) 34. Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (Quran)

So basically in this sura Allah (swt) mentions 5 things that only HE knows about.

And thats how i learnt why the weather man is always wrong!

Back in BLACK

Day 2

There are quite a few qualities that a Muslim and generally every person should have and one of those is honesty and truthfulness.

'O you who believe! Fear Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)'. (Quran 9:119) Ibn Katheer, explained the meaning of this Quranic verse saying: Being truthful and adhering to truthfulness, means that you will be amongst the people of truth and be saved from calamity. It will also make a way out for you for your problems. 

So obviously, being honest and truthful is a quality that every Muslim should acquire. After all, truthfulness does lead to righteousness and righteousness eventually does lead to Paradise.

 

 

Hummus wrote:

Day 2

There are quite a few qualities that a Muslim and generally every person should have and one of those is honesty and truthfulness.

'O you who believe! Fear Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)'. (Quran 9:119) Ibn Katheer, explained the meaning of this Quranic verse saying: Being truthful and adhering to truthfulness, means that you will be amongst the people of truth and be saved from calamity. It will also make a way out for you for your problems. 

So obviously, being honest and truthful is a quality that every Muslim should acquire. After all, truthfulness does lead to righteousness and righteousness eventually does lead to Paradise.

 

This quality of honesty was taken extremely seriously by the sahaba and i came across an example today. Where Abu Bakr RA and Muhammad saw were on a secret mission and they were approached by a passer by (who did not know what muhammad/abu bark looked liked) so he asked Abu Bakr RA 'who is this man with you'? In which the response given was 'he is guiding me'.

Indeed this example shows  that Abu Bakr RA without revealing the identity of Muhammad PBUH still conveyed the truth as Muhammad pbuh was  a shining beacon of light, guiding Abu Bakr RA and this whole ummah to Jannah.

Seraphim wrote:

Sura Luqman(31) 34. Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (Quran)

So basically in this sura Allah (swt) mentions 5 things that only HE knows about.

And thats how i learnt why the weather man is always wrong!

Weatherman is not always wrong but he's not always right...

Allah has given us ways of *trying* to work out these things - another example being that ultrasounds can tell what sex the baby is 

But we are human and we can be wrong, Allah is always right and He knows best.

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

Talking about honesty, lying is a symptom of a hypocrite, no lie is a small lie.

One thing, I want to add to what I learnt yesterday is that hypocrites can start off on the right path, with the right path but then they're not committed enough and they don't carry out the responsibilities that they have as a Muslim. When it's easy, they're fine and do the easy stuff, but when the going gets tough they stop doing their duties as a Muslim and start to lose faith or lose it all. 

The parable which describes these kinda people, also highlights the stupidity/foolishness of the hypocrites; they're just standing with their hands in their ears (can't hear the guidance) instead of actually fixing the problem.

These people still have hope as they still do the easy stuff and carry on when it's easy but if they carry on they will lose all guidance from Allah (Swt), like the people in the parable before this. (the ayahs which mention the deaf, dumb and blind).

Scary stuff.

If we have weak imaan, we should ask Allah for help, and try our best to change incase we lose all help.

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

Day 2

Lessons from the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) life:

Before he was known as a prophet, everyone saw him as being accessible and trustworthy. 

Also when he got the first revelation and went back to Khadija (ra) she reasurred him that Allah (swt) would never disgrace him because he upheld kinship, cared for the poor and orphans and was generous to the needy. She didn't mention that he Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to go and worship in the caves etc but mentioned the good he Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) did for society. This shows how important good character and actions are.

During the period of silence, when the revelations stopped for months, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) missed them, and felt sad and his life was dark.

How do we feel when we haven't read the Qur'an in a while? 

Also during this time, it is said that the non-believers mocked the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) and this upset him too.

We should remember how sharp tongues can be and not make fun of people...

-

Whosoever recites Surah Waqiah after Maghrib will never fear poverty

 

This is from a webcast, I wasn't able to listen to all of it - it was 2.5-3hrs long. But there are 3 more showtimes. Check out the timings here  (New York is 5hrs behind our time)

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

i've got the links for the recordings of the webcast if anyone wants them.

Me! 

I would feel bad sharing the links...cuz it said don't :/ 

But I registered for it anyway...so its ok for u to give them to me since I would've seen it, if something didn't come up...

Actually do they still work? They might be those links which are temporary.

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

@Suhail, Jazak'Allah for the links,the Dua book is really amazing!

 

The story of Maryum (as) is truly, truly beautiful. We had a power cut after suhoor,and I was reciting the Qur'an with a torch, and stumbled into the story of Maryum (as) in Surah Ale Imran. It increases your trust and belief in Allah, as you truly understand the Allah (swt) provides for whomever he wishes. Sitting in dark made me realise that there is no point trusting the materalistic life, where the mere second electricity is off you feel lost.

Only Allah (swt) is there for us whenever we need him. He (Swt) is the one we can trust,day in, day out, and we never truly appreciate the wonders of his creation, which he provides for us without thanks.

It's times like this when I love being a part of Islam.

Death is the end of time. Not the end of Life.

Smile Biggrin

Lioness of Allah wrote:

The story of Maryum (as) is truly, truly beautiful. We had a power cut after suhoor,and I was reciting the Qur'an with a torch, and stumbled into the story of Maryum (as) in Surah Ale Imran. It increases your trust and belief in Allah, as you truly understand the Allah (swt) provides for whomever he wishes. Sitting in dark made me realise that there is no point trusting the materalistic life, where the mere second electricity is off you feel lost.

Only Allah (swt) is there for us whenever we need him. He (Swt) is the one we can trust,day in, day out, and we never truly appreciate the wonders of his creation, which he provides for us without thanks.

It's times like this when I love being a part of Islam.

Trully inspirational, and i love the story of Maryam (A). I can't even think of a life without electricity. I need to remember to always thank Allah for blessings like these which I take for granted. Im going to look into reading an English translation of the Quran so that i can understand and feel more spiritually uplifted by what i read in Arabic.

 

Day 3

Each and every one of us has a way of greeting the people we meet. We'll either say Hi, Hello, How are you? Hows your day going? We may even shake their hand, or give them a hug. But the best way to greet someone should be by saying 'Asalaamu Alaikum'. It literally means 'Peace be upon you'. However peace itself includes safety, harmlessness and protection from evil, faults and any wrong doings. This way of greeting, in my opinion, is the best way to meet someone because it is universally understand by every Muslim.

The prophet Muhammad (S) was asked: 'What is the best thing in Islam?' and he (S) replied by saying: 'Feeding others and giving the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know'. A commentary by Al-Sanoosi in Ikmaal al Mu'allim, says 'What is meant by salaam is the greeting between people, which sows seeds of love and friendship in their hearts, as does giving food. There may be some weakness in the heart of one of them, which is dispelled when he is greeted, or there may be some hostility, which is turned to friendship by the greeting'.

Here is a clear example of the importance of greeting a person with salaam and we should all take heed from this. We should never feel embarrassed to be the first to greet in this way because 'The one who initiates salaam, is free from pride' (Bayhaqi).

 

As its the month of the Qur'an, i've been trying to read the english trans alongside the arabic which is ...well more difficult to take understand and take in but inshAllah there's reward in trying to understand and seek its guidance.

Came accross this when reading the commentary in regards to Surah al-Baqarah (2:121)

Those (who embraced Islam from Bani Israel) to whom We gave the Book [the Taurat (Torah)] [or those (Muhammad's صلى الله عليه وسلم companions) to whom We have given the Book (the Qur'an)] recite it (i.e. obey its orders and follow its teachings) as it should be recited (i.e. followed), they are the ones who believe therein. And whoso disbelieve in it (the Qur'an), those are they who are the losers. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi).

The above verse talks about the Jews who were just in reciting their scriptures without distorting its original meaning and recognising its mention of a coming prophet (Muhammad pbuh) and the came to accept islam and how they should now observe the rights of the Qur'an.

Focusing more on where the verse talks about the Qur'an i.e. 'recite it as it should be recited' it may turn on the manner in which a person recites the Qur'an and the state of their heart whilst they do so. In one commentary it is expressed that one should recite as clearly as they can, keeping the fear and love of Allah swt in the hearts and mind.

One way in which the rights of the Qur'an may be observed is as follows:

The blessed second Khalifah 'Umar Radhi-Allahu Anh: Allah be pleased with him has said that reading the Holy Qur'an "observing the rights of its recitation" requires that when one comes to a description of Paradise, one should pray to Allah for granting one this abode, and when one finds a description of Hell, one should seek Allah's protection from it. (Ibn Abi Hatim)]

Day 3

Abu Dhar al-Ghafari said: “The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said: ‘Sadaqah is prescribed for every person every day the sun rises.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, from what do we give sadaqah if we do not possess property?’ He said: ‘The doors of sadaqah are takbir (Allahu Akbar), Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La-ilaha-ilAllah, Astaghfirullah, enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing thorns, bones and stones from the paths of people, guiding the blind, listening to the deaf and dumb until you understand them, guiding a person to his object of need if you know where it is, hurrying with the strength of your legs to one in sorrow who is appealing for help, and supporting the weak with the strength of your arms. These are all the doors of sadaqah.” [Ahmad]

@Suhail, what are you reading from? I mean is it a particular book? Which tafsir?

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

One of the main purposes of Ramadhan and fasting is so that we can attain Taqwah and piety. 

Alhamdulillah in my local masjid we are blessed with the company of Mufti Ebrahim Desai of South Africa every Ramadhan for the whole month. Well today in his lecture he explained one of the ways to attain this taqwah we seek in Ramadhan. 

He explained that to keep away from sins is more better than doing good deeds, that sins ruin our good deeds. When Adam AS was created he was first commanded to refrain from eating from a certain tree, it was a sin to eat from it. 

Iblis had done ibaadah for his whole life and the sin of pride took over him and now look at his position. 

Staying away from sins increases your awareness of Allah and in turn brings you closer to Him. In Ramadhan while we are fasting we are taught to supress our natural desires of eating and drinking and if we can do that then we can also stay away from the sins we do. This is how in Ramadhan people increase their Taqwah and insha Allah hold onto it after Ramadhan aswell. 

Allah knows best. 

Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH

Day 4

We all have neighbours, whether they are directly besides us or infront of us. How many of us spend quality time with our neighbours? How many of us know when our neighbours are in need or require our help? How many of us burden our elderly neighbours by the noise we make? How many of us only share our food with our neighbours during Ramadhan?

We should be doing so much more for our neighbours because of the rights and status that Islam has placed upon them.

Abu Hurairah (R) reported that the prophet Muhammad (S) said: 'By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer!' It was asked, 'Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?' and he replied by saying 'One whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil' (Bukhari and Muslim).

Abdullah bin Umar (R) reported that the prophet Muhammad (S) said: 'The best of companions with Allah is the one who is best to his companions, and the best of neighbours to Allah is the one who is the best of them to his neighbour' (Tirmidhi).

So, what can we do to assist our neighbours? To please our neighbours? To bring a smile on our neighbour's face? To ultimately gain Allah's pleasure?

 

 

I have an old neighbour who lives two doors up from me at number 1. Her name is Trudy and she is friends with Janet (who is almost old) who lives next door to me at number 7. When I moved into my house (three years ago) I went to see them both. Trudy took my number down and said she will call me if she ever needs a bulb changing or things that might put her in danger Janet took my number too. The only thing I've done for trudy is fix her wheelie bin and shovel snow from her drive (I offered to go shopping for her, but Janet had already beat me to it). I also asked her once if she still has my number as I hadn't had a call from her to do any chores. She said she did still have the number, but hadn't found a reason to use it yet.

 

Northen Southener wrote:

I have an old neighbour who lives two doors up from me at number 1. Her name is Trudy and she is friends with Janet (who is almost old) who lives next door to me at number 7. When I moved into my house (three years ago) I went to see them both. Trudy took my number down and said she will call me if she ever needs a bulb changing or things that might put her in danger Janet took my number too. The only thing I've done for trudy is fix her wheelie bin and shovel snow from her drive (I offered to go shopping for her, but Janet had already beat me to it). I also asked her once if she still has my number as I hadn't had a call from her to do any chores. She said she did still have the number, but hadn't found a reason to use it yet.

Thats great! Its good to know they have someone they can rely on, when they do actually need some help. You seem like a very nice neighbour! (LOL, the two names seem very familiar, Wink I still havn't got the solution to that!)

 

Day 4
Kufr means being *ungrateful* as well as disbelieving.

"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi

Our religion has 3 levels. Islam. Iman and ihsan.

Islam (linguistic meaning) to submit and subdue to someone or something.

There are 3 islamic meaning:

1-submit to Allah with tawheed (to worship and humble oneself in.frnt of Allah alone)

2- to yield oneself obediently to Allah (obey Allah by following His commandments and the sunnah and ataying away frm what Allah has prohibited)

3-to free and dissociate oneself frm shirk and its followers (shirk is making an act of worship for other than Allah or to associate something that only belongs to Allah to someone/thing else. A muslim must believe shirk is wrong and a grave crime and those who commit that sin are on the wrong path.

Islam has 5 pillars. The hadiths that mention the pillars mention them in order of importance. Shahada. Salaat. Zakaat. Sawm. Hajj.

 

Level 2- iman. Iman is made up of speech. Actions and actions of the heart. Hadiths mentionnig that imaan is made up of 70odd parts. Highest is saying laa ilaaha illallah. Lowest is moving an obstacle frm the road. Another hadith mntion that shyness is part of iman. These illustrate the 3 parts of imaan mentionned previously.

Imaan has 6 pillars. Belief in Allah. Angels. Books. Prophets. Last day and decree. Decree is written down. It is based on Allah's will and knowledge and Allah has created it and everythig related to it.

These pillars are nt easy. If we truly understood and implemented them then life wld be much different and easier. E.g: if one truly believed in Last day their conduct and behaviour toward others would be totally different.

Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

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