Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem,

The Fajr (or dawn) salah can be one of the most difficult prayers for practicing Muslims to uphold for the obvious reason that it typically falls at a time when most of us are probably in our deepest stages of sleep and comfort. While some may find it surprisingly easy to simply sleep through Fajr, it takes an understanding of the importance and virtues of Fajr, and effective “sleep-hostile” techniques, in order to build a consistent Fajr cycle and to ensure we are fulfilling the obligations that Allah (subhana wat’ala) has placed upon us.

THE VIRTUES OF FAJR

A detailed discussion on the importance of Fajr salah would require an entire discussion on its own, but here are a few sources which speak towards the importance of being consistent in our salah.

The Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said:  “The difference between a man (Muslim) and shirk and kufr is the abandoning of salaah.”
(Sahih Muslim: Kitab ul Iman: Book 001, Number 0147)

The Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam) was asked: “Which deed is dearest to Allah?” He replied “To offer the Salat (prayers) at their fixed times”
(Bukhari)

It has been narrated by Abu Hurairah that Nabi (salAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said:  “There is no Salaah that is more burdensome on a Munaafiq (hypocrite) than the Fajr and Eshaa Salaah.  If they knew the virtue of these Salaah they would perform them even if they had to come to the Masjid crawling.”
(Muslim)

In Surah al Maun, Allah says, “Woe to the people who pray, those who with their salah are sahun”

According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir:
They are those people who pray and adhere to the prayer, yet they are mindless of it. This may either be referring to its act entirely, as Ibn `Abbas said, or it may be referring to performing it in its stipulated time that has been legislated Islamically. This means that the person prays it completely outside of its time.

From the above sources alone, we can see just how imperative the salah is in Islam. But while it is evident that those of us who call ourselves Muslims must ensure that we are performing our five obligatory daily salawaat, simply praying is not enough- one must also ensure that all of their salawaat are performed at their prescribed times.  This includes, of course, the Fajr salah.

So what can be done by those of us who are finding it difficult to pray Fajr on a regular basis? Here are some techniques that you might find useful and that I would recommend you consider putting into action if you find yourself having trouble performing Fajr salah on a consistent basis:

1) START WITH THE INTENTION

Firstly, ensure that you go to bed with the clear and sincere intention to wake up that night to perform your Fajr prayer. Think about all of the times you have had to wake up early for an important occasion – be it an exam, work, or anything else. Whether or not you realize it, you have always had the intention of waking up and committing yourself to what you had to do, and the same logic can be applied here. When you buy into the sincere intention to wake up, you will be able to adhere to the next pieces of advice quite naturally.

2) SLEEP EARLY

Getting enough shut eye before Fajr is fundamental to ones ability to wake up on time. Those who are able to wake up on a consistent basis will usually tell you that this is probably the most decisive factor; sleep too close to Fajr time, and by the time you’re supposed to wake up, your body will be in such a deep state of sleep that you’ll either sleep through your alarm, or procrastinate after turning it off and fall back to sleep.

3) RELOCATE YOUR ALARM CLOCK

Have you ever had trouble trying to remember a conversation someone claims to have had with you while they were trying to wake you up? It’s an interesting phenomenon, but our minds function in bizarre ways in the state between sleep and wakefulness, which can lead to confusion and even minor amnesia. This often leads many to shut off their alarms without ever remembering it, only to wake up thinking “Why didn’t my alarm go off?!” If this sounds like you, try relocating your alarm clock to a position in your room that requires you to physically get up and turn it off. This will stop your unconscious mind from instinctively turning it off, and give you more time to reach the state of awareness needed to realize that the alarm is meant to wake you up. When it goes off, sit up in bed, say the shahadah, and in one swift motion, turn it off and head directly to make your wudu. I would also advise turning on as many lights on as possible, as light resets our biological rhythms and “turns on” our bodies, so to speak.

Disclaimer: Although this method can be effective, please do not solely rely on this approach, as I know some people who have practiced much more sophisticated methods (such as having an alarm app on their phone which forces them to do a math problem before they can turn the alarm off, or setting up multiple alarm clocks around their room, or both) only to end up shutting off their alarms off and going back to sleep.

4) SET UP A NETWORK

If all else fails do not despair. You are not alone. Why not set up an agreement with a group of friends to call each other for Fajr to ensure each is awake? This can be practiced for a few days or weeks until everyone in the group becomes consistent. In fact, the MSA here at York University already has a framework set up called the Fajr Network, where a local brother or sister will give you a personal wake up call everyday. Perfect!

http://www.yorkmsa.ca/blog/programs/fajr-network/

5) GIVE YOURSELF RESPONSIBILITY

I have personally found that I am much more likely to wake up if I force my parents and siblings to keep their alarms off and entrust me to act as a global alarm clock for the household. This puts the onus on me to wake everyone else up for prayer, and makes me that much more determined to wake up on time. InshaAllah practicing this method will not only lead to you being rewarded for your efforts in calling others to prayer, but you might even become motivated to ensure that you are not to blame for everyone missing their salah.

6) KNOW THIS…

And finally, know for certain that those among us who obey the commands of Allah and His messenger have been promised victory in this world and/or the next (and Allah knows best). These commands include, but are not exclusive to, praying the five daily prayers at their prescribed times. Take a minute to think about that for a moment; Allah, the All-Mighty and Most-High, has promised us victory and success in this life and the next, inshaAllah, and Allah always keeps His promises, especially to His slaves who struggle and strive in His path. For those of us hoping to attain some goal in this life, and the ultimate goal of Jannah in the next, know for certain that being consistent in salah- the first thing we will be asked about on the Day of Resurrection- will have a direct correlation to our success.

Research shows that, on average, it takes approximately 2 months to make a habit (Lilly et al. 2009), so make sure to put in a real and honest effort to wake up on a consistent basis if you haven’t yet established a routine.

Is there anything here that I missed, or are there any specific techniques that you use which you find effective in helping you wake up for Fajr? Please feel free to share them with us in the comments section below. Who knows, someone may end up using your advice for the rest of their lives!

As-Salaamu ‘alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatu,

Bismillah, Wa-alhamdulillah, wasalatu wasalam ‘ala Rasoolillah.

Islam Awareness Week is upon us again, alhamdulillah! A lot of brothers and sisters are really excited to take advantage of another opportunity to do their part and convey the beautiful message of Al-Islam. The purpose of this short post is to, insh’Allah, provide some additional and timely beneficial reminders to keep everyone charged up for da’wah for the rest of the week.

Let’s start from the top; the word da’wah (دعوة) itself refers to calling, or inviting. That’s an important thing to keep in mind, because a lot of brothers and sisters sometimes think IAW stands for Debating-People-Into-A-Corner-Week. Think about it, how do you behave when you’re inviting someone over to your house? Do you make the person feel comfortable and welcome with simple and straightforward speech, or do you try to pull out your tabulated statistical data of past invite declines paired with the mean travel distance, standard deviation (all with sample calculations in the appendix, of course) down their throats? Of course there is a time and a place to debate, but chances are if you try to debate everyone you see you’re going to get frustrated pretty fast and end up eating all of our shahadah candy.

Speaking of shahada’s, it’s easy for us to get overwhelmed when we don’t see the results we’d like. Our duty is very clear; it is only to convey the message as best as possible. Allah (subhana wat’ala) says in the Qur’an:

مَّا عَلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ إِلَّا ٱلۡبَلَـٰغُ‌ۗ
“The Messenger’s duty is but to convey the Message.”
[al-Qur’aan, al-Maai`dah 5:99]

Look at the examples of the Prophets, they went through trial after trial, hardship after hardship, but remained determined and steadfast upon their noble duty. Nuh (‘alayhi salam) spent 950 years calling to tawheed! Take that in for a second, nine-hundred and fifty years! And even after that, Allah says in the Qur’an:

وَمَآ ءَامَنَ مَعَهُ ۥۤ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ۬
And none believed with him, except a few.”
(Al-Qur’an, Hud 11:40)

This should be enough for us to seriously question why we get discouraged so fast after just a couple of minutes of dealing with a philosopher who thinks everything is a dream. Even without direct results, we are rewarded for our intentions; in fact there are countless rewards for the one striving in da’wah.

The Prophet sualAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam said:

من دعا إلى هدى كان له من الأجر مثل أجور من تبعه لا ينقص ذلك من أجورهم شيئاً , ومن دعا إلى ضلالة كان عليه من الإثم ، مثل آثام من تبعه لا ينقص ذلك من آثامهم  شيئاً

“Whoever calls others to guidance will have a reward like the rewards of those who follow him, without that detracting from their reward in any way. And whoever calls others to misguidance will have a burden of sin like the burden of those who follow him, without that detracting from their burden in any way.”
(Narrated by Muslim, 2674)

Allah (subhana wat’ala) has given us a very powerful incentive not only to be very hesitant in our speech, but to also be really enthusiastic in our efforts to spread haqq. Imagine if Allah guides someone to Islam through you, or one brother or sister through you to establish their salah, or to remove a serious sin from their life.  Ponder for a moment, if Allah guides someone to start praying through you, and that person then has the same effect on two other people (and so on), that’s multiplied by a factor of Σ2ⁿ for each kink in the chain, so for 10 people that’s like x2047! This is just loose-pondering and I don’t want to start some sort of reward calculator trend (so don’t try to make an iPhone app), but just reflect on the immensity of the bounties that Ar-Rahman showers us with!

Finally, we can’t forget that da’wah includes educating Muslims as well, so remember to really go the extra mile in being inviting to Muslims you haven’t seen around, or those that you see but don’t know too well.

May Allah accept from us our efforts, and make us amongst those who strive in his cause. Ameen!

Author: Adilah Abdirahman

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said (three times): “The Deen is naseehah (sincerity and sincere advice).” We said: To whom? He said: “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger and to the leaders of the Muslims and the general people.”
Sahih Muslim (no.55).



Bismillaah, wal-hamdulilaah, was-salaatu was-salaamu ‘alaa rasulillaah, to proceed.

We as Muslims, are obligated to send Allah’s Salaah and Salaam upon Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) when his name is mentioned in speech or in writing. Allah Commanded us:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Verily Allaah and His Angels send salaah on the Prophet. O you who believe! Invoke salaah upon him, as well as a complete salaam!

[Al-Ahzab 33:56]

Sending salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) means that one invokes Allaah to praise him and mention his high status to the angels.

It is found in Ibn Katheer’s tafseer of the above verse that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“For each time someone invokes salaah upon me, Allaah writes for him ten good rewards because of it.”

And the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) had described the one who does not send salaah upon him when he is mentioned as “the stingiest of people.” And he exclaimed  “Ameen!”to Jibreel’s supplication, “May Allaah repel the one who hears mention of you and does not invoke any salaah upon you!”

In this busy society that we live in, we often try to find new and innovative ways to save time and cut corners in order to save a couple of minutes. Whether it be by driving through a gas station at a red light to make a right hand turn because you are late for work (which is illegal by the way for those who don’t know) or type shorthand whenever we receive a text message or an email just to reply quickly. How many of us get:

“Aoa WRWB b, wha u sayin?”

or

“AA, da Prophet (SAW) said…”

The difference between innovatively cutting corners in worldly matters and innovatively cutting corners with regards to worship is that the later is the worst of affairs, with it’s adherence, innovated by people. Because every innovated matter in creed or worship is a prohibited innovation and an act of misguidance and leads one to the hellfire.

Many of the Shuyukh have expressed the inappropriateness to abbreviate the Salaah and Salaam on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and when giving Salaams to one another since supplication (Du’a) is worship, whether this occurs in writing or in speech. Abbreviation was not used in the first three generations either, the ones that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) testified to their goodness.

Then there are those who neglect or don’t even give the full salaams either in writing or when seeing another Muslim, this is not only rude and not showing good manners (Adab), but it fails to identify yourself as a Muslim to another and not wishing peace upon your brother or sister in Islam. In fact, it is proper adab not to reply to such a person.

On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“The salaams are before the question, so if someone begins talking to you asking a question before giving salaams, then do no answer him.”

Collected by Ibn an-Najjaar.  As-Suyootee listed it is al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer.  Al-Albaanee said “hasan” in Saheeh al-Jaami’ (#3699).

al-Munaawee (d.1031) said in explanation of the hadeeth “as-Salaam qablul-Kalaam” [The Salaams are before the question] (the hadeeth before it in al-Jaami as-Sagheer):

“…due to the great benefits found in the salaams that have been mentioned, it is incumbent that it is the first thing a person hears, and the first thing someone being addressed verbally or in writing comes across.  It will reach a person’s soul and settle into it in a great way, thus being the most effective way of conveying one’s intended message with his verbal or written address.  Thus, it has been legislated for the when people come together, when they write to each other, and other related times, like when they part from each other…”Faydh al-Qadeer (4/150)

Since we claim to love the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa salam), let us manifest this love in our actions and not be careless in sending peace and blessing upon him.

Lastly, let us also not be lazy and negligent when we give peace to one another because as Muslims we should be kind to one another and want what’s best for each other.

With that said, Asalaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Baarakatuh, my dear reader…

Summarized by Khalil al-Fanzwili with permission of the author. From bakkah.net

By: Shaykh ‘Abdul ‘Azeez Ibn Baaz (rahimahullaah)

The status of the Muslim woman in Islaam is a very noble and lofty one, and her effect is very great in the life of every Muslim. Indeed, the Muslim woman is the initial teacher in the building of a righteous society, providing she follows the guidance from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Since adherence to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah distances every Muslim male or female from being misguided in any matter. The misguidance that the various nations suffer from, the path of Allaah the Most Perfect, the Most High, and from what His Prophets and Messengers, may Allaah’s peace and prayers be upon them all, came with. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “I am leaving behind two matters, you will not go astray as long as you cling to them both, the Book of Allaah and my Sunnah.”

The great importance of the Muslim woman’s role – whether as wife, sister or daughter, and the rights that are due to her and the obligations due from her have been explained in the noble Qur’aan, and further details of this have been explained in the purified Sunnah.The secret of her importance lies in the tremendous burden and responsibility that is placed upon her, and the difficulties that she has to shoulder. In terms of responsibilities, some of which not even a man can bear. This is why from the most important obligations upon a person is to show gratitude to the mother, and kindness and good companionship with her. And in this matter, she is to be given precedence over and above the father. Allaah the Most High, says:

“And We have enjoined upon man to be dutiful and good to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness upon weakness and hardship upon hardship, and his weaning is in two years. Show gratitude and thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.” [Al-Qur'aan 31:14]

“And We have enjoined upon man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship, and she brings him forth with hardship. And the bearing and the weaning of him is thirty months.” [Al-Qur'aan 41:15].

A man came to Allaah’s Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: O Messenger of Allaah! Who from amongst mankind warrants the best companionship from me. He replied: “Your mother.” The man asked: Then who? So he replied: “Your mother.” The man asked: Then who? So the Prophet replied again: “Your mother.” The man then asked: Then who? So he replied: “Then your father.” So this necessitates that the mother is given three times the likes of kindness and good treatment than the father.

As regards the wife, then her effect in making the soul tranquil and serene, has been clearly shown in the noble aayah (verse), in His – the Most High’s – saying:

“And from amongst His Signs is this: That He created for you wives from amongst yourselves, so that you may find serenity and tranquility in them, And He has put between you love and compassion. Indeed, in this are signs for those who reflect.”[Al-Qur'aan 30:21]

Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (d.774H) – rahimahullaah – said, whilst explaining the terms mawaddah and rahmah which occur in the above verse. “Al-mawaddah means love and affection, and ar-rahmah means compassion and pity, since a man takes the hand of a woman either due to his love for her, or because of compassion and pity for her; by giving to her a child from himself…”

And the unique stance that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s wife Khadeejah – radiallaahu ‘anhaa – took, had a huge effect in calming and reassuring Allaah’s Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when the angel Jibreel – ‘alayhis-salaam – first came to him in the cave of Hiraa. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayi wa sallam returned to Khadeejah with the first Revelation and with his heart trembling and beating severely, saying to her, “Cover me! Cover me!” So she covered him until his fear was over, after which he told Khadeejah – radiallaahu ‘anhaa – everything that had happened, and said: “I fear that something may happen to me.” She said to him: “Never! By Allaah! Allaah will never disgrace you. You keep good ties with relations, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generouly and assist those who have been affected with calamities.”

And do not forget about ‘Aaishah – radiallaahu ‘anhaa – and her immense contribution. Even the eminent Sahaabah (Companions) used to take knowledge of Hadeeth from her, and many of the Sahaabiyaat (female Companions) learnt the various rulings pertaining to women’s issues from her.

And I have no doubt that my mother (may Allaah shower His mercy upon her) had a tremendous effect upon me, and has a great excellence over me, in encouraging me to study, and she assisted me in it. May Allaah greatly increase her reward and reward her with the best of rewards for what she did for me. And there is no doubt also, that the house in which there is kindness, gentleness, love and care, with the correct Islaamic tarbiyah (education and cultivation) will greatly affect the man. So he will become, if Allaah wills, successful in his affairs and in any matter whether it be seeking knowledge, trading, earning a living, etc. So it is Allaah alone that I ask to grant us all success and to guide us all to that which He loves and is pleased with. And may the prayers and peace of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Family, his Companions and his followers.

This small article was a response to a particular question concerning the position and status of Muslim women, and has been taken from his Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah (3/348-350).

Source: Al-Istiqaamah , Issue No.1 – Dhul-Hijjah 1416H / May 1996

Narrated by Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaaree: A man came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said “Oh Messenger of Allah, give me advice and summarize it”. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said (what means) “When you stand to pray, pray as if it is your last prayer, don’t speak with that which you would apologize for tomorrow, and be hopeless for that which is in the hands of the people.”
(Musnad Ahmad/Authenticated by al-Albaanee)

Shaykh Abdur-Rahmaan bin Naasir as-Sa’dee (may Allaah have mercy upon him said about this narration): “These are three pieces of advice and how beautiful they are. If the servant holds on to it, his affairs would be complete and he will be successful.

The first piece of advice consists of completing the prayer and striving to perform it in the best manner. That is by him (the servant) taking account of himself for every prayer that he prays, also that he will complete all of that which is within the prayer from that which is obligatory and recommended. He actualizes the state of Ihsaan (perfection) in it which is the highest of states. That is by him standing in the prayer bringing to mind his standing in front of his Lord, and that he is addressing Him with that which he says from his recitation, words of remembrance and supplication. He humbles himself to Him in his standing, bowing, prostration, lowering of himself and rising up in the prayer. That which will aid him upon this noble goal is settling oneself upon that (which was mentioned) without wavering and no laziness of the heart. He also brings to mind in every prayer that it is the last prayer as if he will prayer no other prayer. From that which is known that the one who is bidding farewell strives with his utmost and exerts himself in his affair with all that is at his disposal. He does not cease to carry these beneficial meanings and strong means (of attainment) until the matter becomes easy for him and he becomes accustomed to that. The prayer (being performed) in this manner prevents the one who is praying from every repugnant characteristic and encourages him to observe every beautiful characteristic. That is due to the effects of the increase of faith, the light of the heart, its happiness, and complete desire for the good within himself.

As for the second advice: It is the preserving of the tongue and closely watching over it. Indeed upon the preservation of the tongue there is the pivot (of one’s life) and it is the controlling of affair of the servant. Therefore when the servant controls his tongue he controls all of his limbs. However when his tongue controls him and doesn’t protect him from the harmful speech then indeed his affair(s) become disorderly in his religion and worldly life. Therefore he should not speak with any speech except that he knows its benefit in his religion and his worldly life. Every speech that possibly has in it something that the person will be criticized for or apologize for then let him leave it. That is because if he speaks with it his speech owns him and he becomes a prisoner of it. Or it is possible that it brings about a harm upon him and he won’t be able to fend it off.

As for the third advice: It is settling oneself upon being connected to Allaah alone in the affairs of his lively hood and hereafter. He doesn’t ask anyone except for Allaah. Nor does he desire (anything) except for His bounty. He settles within himself the despair for that which is in the hands of the people (he doesn’t hope for getting from them what they have). Indeed giving up hope (for that which is in the hands of the people) is a protection. Whoever gives up hope for having something becomes independent of it. So just as he doesn’t ask with his tongue except Allaah, likewise he doesn’t connect his heart to anyone except for Allaah. As a result of that he truly remains a servant of Allaah, free from the servitude of the creation. He certainly has freed himself from their slavery and he has earned by way of that the honor and the nobility. For indeed the one who is attached to the creation earns the disgrace and the downfall according to the degree of his attachment to them (the creation) and Allaah knows best”.

Taken from Bah-ja-tu Quloob al-Abraar by Shaykh Abdur-Rahmaan bin Naasir as-Sa’dee (he was a great scholar in Saudia Arabia and died in the year 1955) . Explanation of Hadeeth 74.

May Allaah make these words of knowledge and wisdom a benefit for us all in this life as well as in the hereafter. Aameen

Translated by: Abu Yusuf Khaleefah

“The First Principle” – The first principle is having knowledge of the Lord. Knowledge of this necessitates belief in Him, belief that He alone deserves to be worshipped and belief in His beautiful names and perfect attributes. The author started with this because it is the fundamental of all fundamentals.

“So if it is said to you: “Who is your Lord?”,” – The word ‘Lord’ can be applied to the king, the master and the one who deserves to be worshipped. Only Allaah possesses these three qualities. As for the creation, then it is possible for one of them to be a lord in the sense that he is a master, or a king and a master, but these things coupled with the right to be worshipped are exclusive to Allaah, the Most High. He is the King, Master and the One who deserves to be worshipped, to him belongs the creation, it is in His possession, sovereignty and control, and to Him belongs the command, both legislative and universal.

“then say: “My Lord is Allaah,” – Meaning, He is the one whom I worship. Ibn ‘Abbaas (May Allaah be pleased with him) explained the word ‘Allaah’ to mean: “The One who deserves to be worshipped and served by the whole of creation.” The word ‘Allaah’ and ‘al-ilaah’ come from the word ‘uloohah’ which means worship (Al-‘Ibaadah); therefore Allaah is Al-Ma’looh which means the one who is worshipped.

“who has nurtured me and all of the creation” – Allaah nurtures his creation in two ways: 1. He nurtures them by providing blessings that suffice their bodily needs or we could say a provisional and nutritional nurturing with all that is needed to live. 2. Allaah nurtures His servants with the revelation that He reveals to His Messengers. This is a religious nurturing. It is feasible for us to say that Allaah nurtures some of His servants from a religious perspective and others from a worldly perspective.

“with his favours and blessings,” – Ni’am is the plural of ni’mah (blessing or favour).

“He is the one whom I worship and there is no other whom I worship besides him.”” – This is the correct explanation of the meaning of Laa ilaah illa Allaah (None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah). “The proof is the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “All praise is for Allaah, the Lord of all creation.”” – Al-hamd is to praise Allaah. The reason for this praise is because of the apparent and hidden blessings that Allaah gives to the creation. It has to be understood that there is a difference between thanks (shukr) and praise (hamd). Praise is offered on account of a blessing or a calamity, whereas thanks are only offered on account of a blessing. Praise occurs on the tongue only whereas thanks occurs upon the tongue, in the heart and upon he limbs.

A poet said: “The favor caused thanks to manifest itself upon my limbs, tongue and heart.” A person says to someone that has done them a favour, ‘May Allaah reward you’, and this is with the tongue. He may also extend his hand in order to shake hands, and he may sense in his heart that he has been favoured. Allaah started four soorahs in the Qur’aan with ‘Al-hamdu lillah’ (All praise is for Allaah), and he mentioned after that the reason that warrants this praise. In this verse the reason for this praise is the Lordship of Allaah over His creation.

The four soorahs are:

1. Al-An’aam:

“All praise is for Allaah Who created the heavens and the earth, and originated the darkness and the light; yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.”

Here the praise is on account of the creation of the heavens and the earth, and origination of darkness and light.

2. Al-Kahf:

“All praise is for Allaah Who sent down to His slave the Book, and has not placed therein any crookedness.”

Here praise is on account of Allaah revealing the Book to His Messenger (Peace be upon him), the Book that is a guide, straight and upright.

3. Saba’:

“All praise is for Allaah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. His is all praise and thanks in the hereafter, and He is that All Wise, All Aware.”

Here praise is on account of Allaah possessing everything that is in the heavens and the earth.

4. Faatir:

“All praise is for Allaah, the only creator of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, two three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily Allaah is able to do all things.”

In this soorah the praise is on account of Him creating the heavens and the earth, and making the angels messengers. The word Al-hamd is mentioned in more than forty places in the Qur’aan. “Everything besides Allaah is a created being and I am one of the creation.” – ‘Alameen is the whole of creation – the heavens, earths, angels, mankind, jinn, animals, etc. All of these are created and is subservient to Allaah and they are all under his dominion, he is their Omnipotent King, Organizer of their affairs and ilaah.

Source : A Gift For The Intellect In Explanation Of The Three Fundamental Principles Of Islaam – By Sheikh Ubaid Al-Jaabiree (Hafithullah)

I sat there watching a flask of green liquid attached to a strange looking contraption. Still amazed, despite seeing the same thing before already, I stared curiously as the solvent in the green potion bubbled and crept up into a glass tube filled with streaming water, only for the gas to liquefy again and drop slowly back into the flask. It was a pretty cool way to heat up a reaction to make it go faster without letting the solvent fly away as gas. I was basically just trying to make the green stuff turn purple, but the whole process took a few hours. I turned away and looked at the time – and remembered I had to pray ‘asr – so I went to my TA.

“Hey the stuff is over there bubbling, I have to go pray.”

“You have to go what?”

“I have to go pray.”

“Ohh okay.”

“Can I pray somewhere in here?”

“Yeah sure anywhere!”

Easy enough! I don’t know why telling people you have to pray is a hard thing for Muslims to do sometimes. If you’re mentally sane and past the age of puberty, there’s no excuse for not missing salah! I picked a spot in the lab behind the UV-VIS machine so I would be out of people’s way. I prayed near the window facing the observatory where people searched through the nearest heaven looking for answers as I stood there in remembrance of the answers I’ve already been given.

Praying in a lab-coat became a regular thing (hey it sorta looks like a thobe) and nobody really came up and asked or commented about it, but I’m sure it was an interesting sight for them to see.

That’s just my little contribution, and it’s not necessarily the most interesting place I’ve prayed (I’ll share more in the comments as I remember) – but this is an open topic, sharing is caring! Cool pictures are also welcome!

Where are some memorable places you’ve established the salah?

Author: Kulsoom Kazim

We should take everything as a blessing, and not be saddened over small things.
We need to open our eyes and see those who smile despite every reason to cry.

Take a look around and see the people who are not happy with their Blackberries,
Or at those stressed with home renovations, because of extra money on their hands.
Take a look at the upset child without his favourite meal – rather he ate at a restaurant.

Now close your eyes, and imagine those without a roof on their head.
Imagine the little boy who continues to smile despite having lost a leg.
Imagine having only one piece of bread to eat every day.
Just imagine the lives of others on the Earth.

Why? Why are we so ungrateful?

Are we ungrateful because we have extra clothes to wear?
Because we have a variety of foods to choose from?
Are we upset because we have to share a room with our siblings?
Or are we sad because we have to attend school with our friends?

Is that a reason to be ungrateful?

We often wake up day after day and go to school with big frowns on our faces.
We greet people with negativity and walk around as if we haven’t been given anything.
We think so much of ourselves that we forget about the whole planet around us.
It’s so sad, pathetic actually. The world can be such an evil and selfish place, but we don’t have to be!

Take a moment to think about others.
Put yourself in others’ shoes and walk around to understand the paths they have to tread.

“Indeed, We guided him [i.e., man] to the way, be he grateful or ungrateful”
[Quran 76: 3]

We can choose one of two paths, so why not choose the one with the better ending?
Why not choose the one that will benefit you in this world and the hereafter
Open your eyes, and look around now, you have endless blessings to be grateful for.
Open your eyes, and look around now, you have every reason to say “Alhamdulillah“