Imagine a young man coming to the Imam of your neighboring mosque with this strange request: “Can I get a fatwa that permits me to commit Zina (fornication/adultery)?”

What kind of response he will receive? I think that shocked and angry reproach is the most likely reaction of the attendees and the Imam; you would hear yells like, “Shame on you! How dare you mention such despicable things in the mosque and, even worse, request to commit it?” Well, let’s read this story and see how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) handled a situation like this:

Abu Umama Al-Bahily (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a young man came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah, give me a permission of Zina. The Companions turned to him and started rebuking him. The Prophet said: “Come closer.” When the young man drew nearer to the Prophet and sat down, the Prophet asked him: “Would you like it for your mother?” The man answered; No, by Allah. May Allah make me a protection for you! The Prophet commented, “People also do not like it for their mothers.” The Prophet added, “Would you like it for your daughter?” Again, the young man answered negatively. So, the Prophet said, “People too would not love it for their daughters” Further, the Prophet asked, “Would you like it for your sister?” The Prophet received the same answer and made the same comment. The Prophet went on asking about the man’s paternal and maternal aunts. The young man’s answer was the same and the Prophet repeated the same comment, “People do not like that for their aunts.”

The Prophet then placed his hand on the young man and prayed for him, “O Allah, forgive his sins, purify his heart, and protect his chastity.” Abu Umamah, the narrator of the hadith, said that the young man did not pay heed to any temptation thereafter. (Authenticated by Al-Albani)

With this gentle, understanding, and convincing approach, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sought to empower the young man rather than destroy him. He aimed to strengthen and fortify him in his battle with temptations rather than alienate or undermine him. Following this Prophetic example is crucial when dealing with the youth as it does not only determine if the youth will commit Zina or not, but most importantly, if they would ever come back to the Mosque to discuss and find answers for their future problems or not.

Listening to the youth, understanding their problems and heartedly embracing and caring for them, whatever the issues they may have, are all elements of the Prophet’s art of empowerment. In the above hadith, the Companions themselves were not able to contain their shock. Perhaps this would be the natural reaction of our imams and community leaders if faced with a similar question. The Prophet, however, dealt with the situation as a great educator; he drew the young man nearer to him, discussed the problem rationally, and thus succeeded in convincing the young man to the extent that, as the hadith narrator reported, the man would pay no heed to any temptation after that. Furthermore, the Prophet did not let the incident pass without his unique spiritual touch. Placing his hand on the young man and praying for him must have left an unforgettable effect.Criticism does no benefit in such situations. It would only alienate the youth and make them think twice before looking for solutions in the Mosque. If we are not friendly enough to embrace our youth and recognize their concerns, they would look for other environments to channel their worries and needs. The young man above dared to address the Prophet with his unspeakable request; do our youth feel home and welcome in our mosques that they can open up and comfortably discuss whatever busies their minds. Unfortunately, the difference between the Prophet’s attitude and that of many of us is as great as the difference between building and destroying, empowering and undermining.

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى
وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَى
إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى

Translation: By the night when it covers, and [by] the day when it appears, and [by] He who created the male and female: Indeed, your paths are diverse. [Surah Layl, verses 1-4]

In Arabic (and in English), people talk. And when you want to really draw attention to something, you make an oath. Compare:

Child 1: I didn’t break the cookie jar.
Child 2: I swear by my mother’s grave, that I didn’t break the cookie jar.

Which would you pay more attention to? Obviously, the second child (by the way, don’t swear by other than Allah, it’s shirk).

Now imagine two people talking–your brother or sister, who you’ve known forever, and the President of America. Who would you pay more attention to?

Lillahi mathalu al-’alaa. This is Allah talking to you. And He’s making an oath–not just one, but three things! We should really pay attention here!

And what does He testify to?

Verse 4–that your paths are different.

 The struggle between good and evil will always exist. People say “Why can’t we all just get along and have one world religion, one deen?” Because Allah swears by it–that our paths will be different.

Then Allah proceeds to tell us about these two paths.

In verse 5, Allah says:

أَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى

Translation: As for he who gives and fears Allah …

We learn from this verse two things–that, again, the theme of wealth, which runs so strongly in Juz ‘Amma. And the requirement of giving–that he fears Allah. He can’t just give for humanitarian reasons, or for Jesus, or any other cause; to be accepted, it must be given for Allah alone.

Allah continues,

وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى

Translation: … and believes in the best [reward], We will ease him toward ease. [Surah Layl, verses 6-7]

Anyone who’s attended fund-raisers and donated, they can testify to this–that when you give for the sake of Allah, the sweetness of it enters your heart, and you want to give more. They might give $20 this year, and $200 the next year, and $2000 the following year.

One scholar said: I struggled with Qiyam Al-Layl for one year (like every day it was a hard test to leave his soft, warm bed and pray in the cold night). After that, I tasted the sweetness for 20 years.

Because Allah eases the easy path.

Then Allah starts talking about other path:

وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى
وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى
وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى

Translation: But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need, and denies the best [reward], We will ease him toward difficulty. And what will his wealth avail him when he falls? [Surah Layl, verses 8-11]

Allah talks about the other path. What about the one who thinks he’s self-sufficient from Allah? The hard path, the path of Hellfire, becomes easy for him.

We see today Muslims who commit zina, or they steal (corporate embezzlement, anyone?), or drink alcohol, or take drugs. How did they come to be that way? If you trace back into their past, there were some salaahs they skipped, and some fundraisers they walked out of.

So Allah made the difficult path, easy for them. And we seek Allah’s refuge from being on this path.

Even if you steal one billion dollars, and get away with it, what will happen? On the Day of Judgment, do you think you can (as some of the Quraysh thought) bribe the guardkeepers of Hell to let you off free? “Here’s $50 guys … I’m going to Paradise!” Think again!

Allah could’ve just said this … and left us. To burn. But He didn’t; in the next ayah, He says:

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى

Translation: Indeed, [wajib] upon Us is guidance.

And that is a promise from Allah. That’s why He sent the messengers with the books. To guide us, and not just leave us in misguidance and ignorance.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

There’es an interesting incident related to the last four verses? Allah says:

ذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى
وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَى
إِلَّا ابْتِغَاء وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَى
وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَى

Translation: [He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself, and not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded, but only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High. And he is going to be satisfied. [Surah Layl, verses 18-22]

The mufassireen mention an interesting point–in those days, people freed slaves, and if they ever were under attack, or needed help, those slaves would come to support them. Abu Bakr (radiallahu ‘anhu) freed Bilal (radiallahu ‘anhu) and paid quite a lot of money.

So people started to talk–that maybe Abu Bakr did this because Bilal did him some favour in the past.

But Allah denies this–and says he did it, seeking the face of his Lord.

And then Allah says: And he is going to be pleased.

Imagine if this ayah was revealed about you while you’re alive. That you are going to be pleased with what Allah will give you. That you will enter Jannah. Subhanallah, it would be worth more to you than anything in the dunya.

And that is the tafseer of Surah Layl.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

Action Items:

• Pick up a new good deed. Allah makes the path of ease, easy; so pick something up. Start praying one sunnah you didn’t pray; or learn a new dhikr (such as the one for mornings or evenings). It may be tough in the beginning, but it pays off in the long-term.
• Post the deed. Insha’Allah let’s work together to collect a list of small, easy, but profitable (in an akhirah sense) deeds we can all do.

References:

• Kitab At-Tawheed, by Imam Abdul-Wahhab; explanation by Yasir Qadhi. 2006.

Now, let us breeze through some details about the early life of this great scholar.

A Mistake in the Chain: Age 11

Imam Bukhari began to sit in circles of knowledge early — as early as eleven years of age. To sit in these circles, you need to first memorize the Qur’an; so we know he memorized it quite early in his life.

In those early days of Islam, the society and culture was still very much based out of oral tradition — people would memorize and narrate more than they would write. At that time, for a teacher to appear with written notes would be an embarrassment; teachers always taught from memory.

As Imam Bukhari sat in class, the teacher made a mistake in the name of one narrator of the chain. Imam Bukhari pointed this out. His teacher, embarrassed, consulted his notes; and sure enough, found that he made a mistake in the name of the narrator.

Even from age 11, Imam Bukhari accumulated fame; not just as a parrot memorizer of information, but as an analytical mind. We see here that he thought critically about the chain of narration (which is how he found the mistake.)

Labayka Allahumma Labayk: Age 16

At age 16, Imam Bukhari’s mother took him and his older brother for Hajj. Upon his arrival in Mecca, Imam Bukhari loved the city — not just the ‘ibaadah, the rites of Hajj and umrah, but the knowledge.

The greatest centers of Islamic learning during his time included Mecca and Medina. Hajj is something you do once in a lifetime. The trip itself takes several months; you might never come again. Scholars normally stayed a minimum of five to six months, if not several years, before returning home. And scholars congregate from around the world, every year, to these two cities.

Halaqaat (teaching circles) of knowledge abounded everywhere, with scholars from Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, etc. and all over the world, all exchanging and trading knowledge. It was normal to spend 4-5 years there before returning home.

So what does this mean for Imam Bukhari? As a student of knowledge, Mecca became one of the best places you can visit. You don’t have to travel to seek knowledge — scholars come to you, in Mecca and Medinah. The international scholarship mesmerized Imam Bukhari.

He begged his mother to allow him to stay, and seeing his excitement, she agreed; his older brother accompanied her home. (This is how we know he has an older brother — from this incident; he has no known other siblings.)

Also, Allah blessed Imam Bukhari’s mother with wealth; she could afford to not have her son work. This enabled him to study the deen full time; he only returned home at the end of his life.

His First Book: Age 18

At age 18 (the age we normally finish high school and start university), Imam Bukhari completed his first book, entitled “Qadaayah As-Sahaba” (rulings of the sahaba). Other books followed; by age 19, he wrote At-Tareekh Al-Kabeer, one of the most important books on the science of hadith until today; he completed all nine volumes by age 19.

At-Tareekh Al-Kabeer literally translates to “The Big History.” History, to Imam Bukhari, included the names of narrators of hadith. This nine volume compendium documents the names of every single narrator of hadith from the time of rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) to Imam Bukhari’s time.

That’s a lot. And this is one of the most advanced sciences within the science of hadith, called “Ilm Al-Rijaal” (knowledge of men). In Medinah U, they study this topic in a full class. Imam Bukhari, at age 18-19, wrote a foundational book in his field; we still use that book as a reference today — even scholars in their sixties and seventies, use 18-year-old Bukhari’s book to figure out who narrators are.

Slowly but surely, his fame and aptitude spread. And no doubt, Allah blessed him with many blessings, including his aptitude in memorization; he had a very clear, strong, photographic memory — as we mentioned in the story of his test in Baghdad. He would read a page once, and memorize it, immediately.

That summarizes the early life of Imam Bukhari. He also travelled extensively during his early years; he sought knowledge in Mecca and Medinah, as well as Baghdad, Kufa, Egypt, and other major cities and major learning centres.

And that summarizes the early life of Imam Bukhari, rahimahullah.

Lessons from Imam Bukhari’s early life:

• Invest in youth development. Youth can change the world.
• Encourage youth to be creative and explore interesting ideas.
• Let youth develop in areas they find interesting and are passionate about.
• Be humble as a teacher; you are not above your students are not above rectifying you.
• As a teacher, allow students to speak with confidence, and express arguments that differ with yours
• Post your own gems and lessons in the comments!

References:

• Collector’s Edition: Sahih al-Bukhari. By Yasir Qadhi. 2012.

Ummah is an Arabic word, roughly translated to mean nation, but as with many Arabic words, it does not translate well into English. In English speaking and Western countries, the word nation usually defines the nation state, whose members live between a set of predefined borders often set by religious, racial or ethnic differences. This is not the definition of Ummah. Ummah means the community of believers bound together with a purpose — to worship God. Together they are strong, divided they are weak. Each member is united with all of the others in a spiritual way that can even have physical manifestations. When one part of the Ummah is in pain, the whole Ummah hurts. (A Hadith)

“And verily this Ummah of yours is One Ummah, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore fear Me (and no other).” (Quran 23:52)

When Umar ibn Al Khattab accepted Islam he wanted to be part of his community and wanted to proclaim his membership of this unique nation. Umar wanted to join the Ummah in their happiness and in their pain. At the time of his conversion, the weaker members of the Ummah suffered systematic abuse and oppression, often by Umar himself, but his heart now felt their pain and he wanted to experience it. Umar did not want his Islam to go unnoticed; he immediately informed the enemies of Islam that he was Muslim.

At first, the men of Makkah who had not embraced Islam were shocked and did not react to Umar’s conversion, but as word spread, they came together at the House of God and attacked Umar. Eventually Umar, the strong, muscular wrestler sat in the midst of his attackers and they beat him. Umar recovered from his beating and because of him, Islam became strong. Umar’s heart was filled with love for his brothers and sisters in Islam.

Abu Bakr Siddiq, and Umar were the two companions closest to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Ali Ibn Abu Talib is reported to have said that Prophet Muhammad went out in the morning with Abu Bakr and Umar and he would return at night with Abu Bakr and Umar. The Prophet himself called Abu Bakr and Umar his eyes and ears, and said they were his advisers from the inhabitants of earth. Umar stood beside Prophet Muhammad in all of the trials and tribulations that faced the Muslim Ummah.

When the Muslims of Makkah migrated to the city of Madinah, all left in a well planned, secret migration, but not Umar. He was the only Muslim to make the migration openly, in fact, he proclaimed that he was leaving and invited any man who thought he was strong enough, to challenge him. Umar flung his sword around his neck and strode through the streets of Makkah with his head held high and his heart, which was no longer filled with hate, burning with a fierce love for God, His Prophet Muhammad and his fellow believers.

Although remembered for his strength, Umar was also known to be a pious and generous man. He would spend the nights in worship, often waking his family in the last part of the night to join him in his devotions. He was a staunch believer, confident in God’s promise of Paradise and readily spent his wealth for the sake of God to benefit the believers. One of Prophet Muhammad’s companions narrates that Umar once distributed 22,000 dirhams to the needy and had a habit of giving away bags of sugar. When Umar was asked why he distributed the sugar he said, “Because I love it and God said in the Qur’an, “By no means shall you attain piety, unless you spend (in God’s Cause) of that which you love; and whatever of good you spend, God knows it well.” (Qur’an 3:92)

Umar was one of ten men to whom Prophet Muhammad gave the joyous news that they would be admitted to Paradise. However, this did not stop him from working tirelessly, all of his life to please God. He was a man of knowledge, a man known for his generosity and tireless devotion to the worship of God and perhaps above all he was devoted to the Ummah of Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad counseled us all when he said, “A man is not a true believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” Umar wanted Paradise but he also wanted it for every man, woman or child who has ever believed that there is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger. This was Umar, who distinguished truth from falsehood; he was a man of the Ummah.

The Commander of the Faithful

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was the second Caliph of the Muslim Ummah and the first Muslim leader to be called the Commander of the Faithful. After the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his closest friend Abu Bakr became his successor and led the Muslims for around two years. When Abu Bakr felt his own death approaching, he gathered his closest friends and advisers around him and informed them that their allegiance to him was over. Abu Bakr hoped that these men would choose his successor from among themselves. However, after much discussion Abu Bakr’s companions returned to him and asked him to choose for them for they trusted his choice beyond question. Abu Bakr chose Umar.

Some of the men around Abu Bakr voiced their concern that Umar, known to be a very harsh and tough man would be too hard on the people. Abu Bakr responded by saying that he considered Umar to be the best among them. Despite these initial reservations among some men of Madinah, Umar was appointed as the second Caliph of the Muslims. He began his reign by addressing the people and immediately explaining his expectations for himself. Umar knew the people were wary of his reputation for toughness and he addressed this issue.

He said, “Oh people, know that I have been appointed to govern your affairs, so recognize that my roughness is now weakened, but I will continue to be rough and harsh on the people of oppression and transgression and will put their cheeks into the dirt. Know also that I will put my own cheek into the dirt to defend the people of piety.”

Umar went on to explain to the people that he would take nothing from what their land produced or from the spoils of war except what God ordained and that he would only spend that money in a way that was pleasing to God. Umar was acutely aware of the importance of financial justice, and that he would be held accountable for every penny or dirham that belonged to the Muslim Ummah. Umar also informed the people that he would increase their salaries and provisions and guard their borders.

The young Muslim nation that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions had worked so hard to establish was an Ummah unlike no other. Benefits were paid to every member of the Ummah from the Muslim treasury; it was not necessary to be a government employee, the wealth of the ever-expanding nation was shared equally. Umar did not institute this, he was merely following the already established way of his predecessors, but he did promise to increase the payments.

Umar also promised not to send the Muslim armies “into destruction,” meaning that he would not send the armies out unless the risks were evaluated and deemed acceptable. He promised not to keep the soldiers away from their families for an extended period and reassured the men that while they were away fighting for the Muslim Ummah, and if they did not return, he, the Caliph would be the father of their children and the caretaker of their wives. Umar believed the role of the leader was to protect the people.

This concept seems very unusual now days when we see presidents and prime ministers surrounded by bodyguards and willing to trample over anyone to protect themselves and their power. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, although he was the leader of an empire, never felt it necessary to have a bodyguard. He walked the streets of Madinah like any ordinary citizen, even at night. In fact, it was during the nights that he roamed the streets checking up on those under his protection and anonymously distributing charity.

One of the years of Umar’s reign came to be known as the Year of Ashes. This year was a great test for the Muslim Ummah. It was a time of drought and famine, when the wind was so hot it burnt the skin as if with hot ashes. Meat, butter, and milk became unavailable, and the people existed on little more then dry bread sometimes dipped in oil. Umar took an oath that he would not eat or drink anything that was not available to the people. Even when foodstuffs became available in the markets again, Umar refused to buy them for inflated prices. He was heard saying, “How can I be concerned about and understand my own subjects if I am not going through the same trials that they go through?”

Umar considered himself an ordinary Muslim but history has recorded that he was anything but ordinary. Umar was strong, physically and spiritually, he was generous, noble and lived a life of humility. Umar followed in the footsteps of his beloved Prophet Muhammad (may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him), he followed his example and upheld his traditions. Umar’s whole being was focused on pleasing God; he feared God’s punishment but hoped for Paradise. Umar was able to distinguish between the truth and falsehood, he felt pain when the Ummah or any member of it was hurting, and he felt joy when those under his care were content and happy worshipping their Lord. Umar was one of four rightly guided Caliphs. Even today, he continues to be a role model for strength, justice, love, and mercy.

Community organizers and leaders of all kinds who share and promote ideas play an important role in spreading values and bringing people together. They have the ability to leverage the collective strength of people to serve the wellbeing of humanity. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sincere and had strong, clear conviction in his message, which is why he implemented it first on himself before he took it to others. His sincerity showed on his face, attitude, and body language, lending confidence and credibility to his words and message. The essence of his message is the well-being of people, and his first words as he entered into the new community of Madinah emphasized that.

Eliminating hunger starts with everyone recognizing that we share the world’s food resources. We can start to feed the hungry by creating opportunities for people to have healthy meals through social occasions, dedicated outlets or the personal concern on the individual level. Food is a necessity of survival and a prerequisite for peace. We cannot expect communities and countries to tackle other issues until we have helped them ease the pangs of hunger among their people. Ensuring that everyone is able to find their meals for the day is an important step towards world peace.

As we meet each other on the road, while waiting in lines, in classrooms, in the workplace or in social gatherings, warmly greeting each other goes a long way in creating compassion and awareness among one another. Ignorance leads to hatred and greeting one another opens the door to learn about one another. It diffuses tension and fosters dialogue. A greeting of peace like “I wish you peace” or “May Allah’s peace be with you today” goes even a step further. In Islam, one of Allah’s names is Peace. A greeting of peace is a prayer for Allah to send His peace upon each one of us.

Family and relatives are an important unit for peace in the world. As families grow and expand, the connection and ties potentially grow weaker. Individuals may find themselves alone, unsupported and without a safety net. Small cliques and competition for power may grow inside the family, and people slowly disconnect from one another. Renewing and maintaining family ties on a regular basis, even with distant relatives, create opportunities for collaboration and appreciation for one another. It ensures that everyone belongs with someone, somewhere. In today’s world, we are fortunate that technology has provided means of communication by which we can easily stay in touch with other family members.

In an inspiring connection between our spiritual life and physical life, the Prophet lists praying at night along with feeding the hungry, greeting each other and maintaining family ties. There is something special about praying at night. When we are by ourselves in the quiet moments of the night, it is a powerful time to build our connection with Allah. The spiritual connection with Allah is the reactor that gives us the energy to sustain our relationship with others and our service toward them. By balancing our inner strength and implementing our role towards others, we chart not only a path to peace in our world, but a peaceful path to Heaven as well.

Dr. Hazem Said

 King Khalid Mosque is inviting visitors to join us after Friday Prayers (Salaatul-Jumu’a) at Maghrib time to exchange messages of peace, to celebrate local peace-building activities in our area and to enjoythe peace we have in our communities.

Also we will discuss how to revitalize our works with people from other faiths to see how our interfaith work can move forward .

We will extend an invitation to a representative of CES Inc. to make a presentation this Friday insh’Allah about peace during our Friday Night Programs.

Our community and our students for our Sunday School will be invited to observe the day by accepting our invitations to join us for this Friday Night Program insh’Allah

Cultural Enrichment Services Inc. is inviting all believers to join in and to participate by inviting visitors (or by accepting invitations) to mark the occasion at Khalid King Mosque or within your own communities.

Please contact us at info@shawuniversitymosquee.org to see how you can sponsor this evening with CES Inc. at the masjid.

For more information about this event, please visit Cultural Enrichment Services Inc. website . Click here to visit the site.

Our boys ( from 10 years up) will learn about Islam and have different activities for their youth group.

Every Thursday Evening: Girls Nights

Our daughters (from 10 years up) will learn about Islam and have different activities for their youth group

Every Friday Evening: Friday Night Programs

For this month of September and October, the emphasis is on teaching people how to properly make prayers. Many brothers and sisters do not even properly recite Al’Fatihah correctly, so lessons one on one are being used for these nights.

Note that those willing to learn quickly can still come any evening insh’Allah to learn how to pray and also many are those coming to learn how to read Qur’an on nightly basis.

Everyone is encouraged to take these opportunities to learn insh’Allah.

Some time later, Bilal Phillips gave a lecture entitled “7 Habits of Highly Successful People.” This talk was based on the following Hadith from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but be says: ‘I fear Allah’, a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.

Related by Bukhari

With this spirit, I’d like to list some of the great habits you’ll find in highly effective Muslims. These are not necessarily religious duties per se. But you’ll see that they are great habits to be found in the best Muslims with encouragement from the Quran and Sunnah.

1. They Remember Their sins

Some people fall into the habit of judging others by their sins while forgetting their own. They may not even think the sins they’ve committed are all that bad. This is a sign of weak Muslim.

A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which he is afraid may fall on him, whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this. Related in Bukhari

Of course, if you see someone doing wrong, you should advise him or her to change their behavior. But don’t become arrogant or prideful because you are not committing that sin. In fact, you should reflect on the sins you have committed and turn to Allah for repentance.

Who knows? Perhaps that person is doing something else that Allah loves. And perhaps you are doing something else that Allah hates.

By constantly remembering and being mindful of the sins you commit, you will be more inclined to repent, change your behavior, and do good deeds to make up for them, Inshallah.

2. They Mind Their Business

People like to think that only women engage in gossip. I can tell you from experience, that is not true. Muslim men can be some of the worst gossipers and backbiters around. And this is unfortunate given how many warnings there are of such horrible behavior.

How do people fall into gossiping and backbiting? By not minding their own business. These people hear a rumor or a tale, and before the next prayer comes in, they’ve spread it to a dozen other people. And then those people turn around and do the same thing.

If only we would remember what Allah says in His book:

And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer. (And) scorner going about with malicious gossip. A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful. Chapter 68 verses 10-12

These are some pretty strong words coming from our Lord condemning this behavior. So, rather than mind other folks’ business, and spread rumors, tales and gossip, how about we just tend to our own affairs?

Are they not complicated enough to keep us busy for a lifetime?

3. They Say What is Good

This goes hand in hand with the previous habit. Whereas Habit #2 was just to mind your own business and not say evil, Habit #3 is encouragement to say good.

Anyone who believes in Allah and the last day, should speak good or keep quiet. Related in Bukhari

There you have it. Advice directly from the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) telling us to say something good or shut up. I don’t mean to put it so bluntly but that’s the gist of it.

This advice doesn’t just mean speak good of people. It means to speak good about everything. Here are some examples:

• Rather than complain, be grateful and praise Allah for what you have.
• Rather than be boastful, once again, be grateful and praise Allah for what He’s given you.
• Rather than criticize, advise and compliment on the good someone does.

Have you ever noticed how a negative person, who always has negative things to say, also seems to always bring a negative feeling with them? It’s like negativity is contagious. They are always complaining, nagging, and criticizing.

Don’t be like that person.

When you think about it, saying something good is really not all that difficult. When you’re about to say something bad or negative, try to think of something good (or at least neutral) to say.

And if you can’t, just shut up.

4. They Keep Good Company

If you want to fulfill the previous three habits, you should be around people who want the same. You’ll find yourself very ineffective if you’re always surrounded by people who think they’re better than others, are always minding other people’s business, and cannot say good.

So if you’re serious about becoming an effective Muslim, you should take a close look at the people you spend time with. If you can convince them to change their ways, that is best. But if not, maybe it’s time to find new friends.

Consider the following Hadith:

A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace. Related in Bukhari

Once again, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is giving it to us in a clear and beautiful manner. If you hang around good people, that goodness will rub off on you. If you hang around negative people, that same negativity will rub off on you, and may eventually lead you astray.

So if you don’t want to get burnt, find some good friends.

5. They Do Not Procrastinate

I’m going to have to come clean here. I am very often a big procrastinator. And the funny thing is, whenever I procrastinate, things turn out worse than if I had done it immediately in the first place.

Though I sometimes put off doing things that are important in my daily life, I rarely put off religious duties. However, this is a problem that many Muslims have.

• How many people owe days of fasting from the last Ramadan but put them off for months? Some people have to rush to get these days in just weeks or even days before the next Ramadan begins.
• How many people have money and the health to make Hajj but wait years and years to make it? Some people wait until they reach old age and have to to visit the Kaaba with multiple illnesses and difficulties.
• How many people routinely procrastinate in making their daily prayers? The best of these procrastinators rush to get their prayer in before time is out. The worst completely miss the prayers due solely to procrastination.

Procrastinating in your daily duties is bad enough. Please don’t procrastinate with the orders of Allah.

6. They Put Their Trust in Allah

There are many verses in the Quran instructing us to put our trust in Allah. But I’m going to only quote one of them:

And (Allah) will provide for him from where he does not expect. And puts their trust in Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a (decreed) measure. Chapter 65 verse 3

Well, there you got it; straight from The Creator. If you put your trust in Allah, then He is all you need.

We often fall into the trap of putting our trust in the creation. We ask help from people who cannot help us. We complain to people who have no authority. Instead, we should seek help and complain to Allah Almighty.

Of course, if you do need assistance and you know of someone who has the ability to help, it is okay to ask them for help. But understand that whatever help they can provide ultimately comes from Allah. After all, even that person may let you down. But if you put your trust in Allah, He will never let you down.

7. They Remain Mindful of Allah

This is the most important habit of them all.

• If you do not remember Allah, you will not think of your own sins and seek repentance for them.
• If you do not remember Allah, you will not try to avoid His punishment by minding your own business without falling into backbiting and slander.
• If you do not remember Allah, you will not try to seek His favor by saying what is good.
• If you do not remember Allah, you will not seek out good company who are also focused on remembering Allah.
• If you do not remember Allah, you will never be able to put your trust in Him and will always look for help from those who can do you no good.

These are not the only things we can do to become effective Muslims. I’m sure you can think of many more habits that will bring you closer to Allah and improve your daily life. But these seven habits of highly effective Muslims is a great place to start.

May Allah make it easy for you and me to implement these habits every day of our lives.

Ameen.

There were many waiting; perhaps we will be delayed by more than an hour.  I took my number and sat down in the waiting room. There were many faces, young and old, but all silent. Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting room.

Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others were looking around.. Most were bored. Once in a while the long silence was broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on the one whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.

A young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Quran continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he utilizes his time.  One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit of that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was made. We went to prayer in the hospital’s Masjid. I tried to pray close to the man who was reading the Quran earlier in the waiting room.

After the prayer I walked with him.  I informed him of how impressed I was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time. He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or regretting their waste. He said that he started carrying the pocket-sized Quran around when a friend encouraged him to make full use of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste he gets to read much more of the Quran than he gets to read either at home or in the masjid.  Moreover, besides the reward of reading the Quran, this habit saves him from boredom and stress.

He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours. Then he asked, when will you find one and a half hours to read the Quran? I reflected; How much time do we waste? How many moments of our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by? Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read the Quran? I came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for account and that time is not in my hand; so what am I waiting for?

My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number; I went to the doctor. But I want to achieve something now. After I left the hospital I quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Quran. I decided to be mindful of how I spend the time.