At · 4) Do abundance of zikr e.g. salāh alan nabi, the kalimah tayyibah, the third kalimah,...

At - Taqwā July - September 2012

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Editorial Let us imagine the extent of the desire of the Prophet s to meet Allāh S and also the great insight the Prophet s

had regarding the bounties of the Hereafter; He had already seen Jannah and was bestowed with the honour of seeing

and communicating with Allāh S. Yet, despite this great longing and desire, upon the advent of Rajab the Prophet s

would make the following duā desiring to remain in this world until Ramadhān:

اللهم بارك لنا في رجب و شعبان و بلغنا رمضان

O Allāh, make the month of Rajab and Sha’bān blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadhān. (At Tabrānī)

From this we understand the extraordinary nature of Ramadhān, for it is so great that the Prophet s would

supplicate for the prolongation of his worldly life so that he could take advantage of this great month and all its

blessings.

The great scholar and reformer Shaykh Ahmad Farūqi v (Mijaddid Alf Thāni) said,

“If we combine all the blessings of the other eleven months, they would not add up to the blessings of Ramadhān.”

Ahādith on the merits and virtues of this month are well known. For example,

“The month of Ramadhān, the month of blessing has come to you, wherein Allāh turns towards you and sends down on you His special

Mercy, forgives your faults, accepts prayers, observes your competition for doing good deeds and boasts to the angels about you. So show to

Allāh your righteousness; for verily, the most pitiable and unfortunate is he who is deprived of Allāh‘s Mercy in this month” (At Tabrānī)

Along with the possibility of a great reward, there is the risk of a terrible loss. If we let any other month pass by

carelessly, we just lost a month. If we do the same during Ramadhān we have lost a great deal. Of the three persons

the Prophet s cursed, one is the unfortunate Muslim who finds Ramadhān in good health but does not use the

opportunity to seek Allāh S‘s forgiveness. (Hākim) Those who understand this, for them Ramadhān is indeed a very

special month.

In order to fully benefit from this month, the following is recommended:

1) Abstain from every disobedience to Allāh S. Protect your eyes, ears, tongue and even the mind. We should

minimize interaction with people as this is a cause of many sins.

2) Prepare a timetable and keep yourselves occupied at all times in good activities.

3) Spend as much time as possible reciting the Qur’ān. Set a daily target for yourself.

4) Do abundance of zikr e.g. salāh alan nabi, the kalimah tayyibah, the third kalimah, istighfar etc.

5) Make lots of duā, asking Allāh for all the needs of this world and the Hereafter, after the performance of good

deeds, before iftār and at the time of tahajjud.

6) Increase charity during this moth.

7) Following the sunnah of the Prophet s spend the last ten days in I’tikāf, for these are the very cream of

Ramadhān.

Inshā’allāh, if we keep the above few points in mind, we will be able to benefit from this priceless month and benefit

from the showers of Mercy of Allāh S. May Allāh S grant us all the tawfīq. Ãmīn.

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In Shaykh’s CompanyIn Shaykh’s Company www.shaykh.org

shaykh.org is a blog maintained by the students of Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (may Allāh S

preserve him). It aspires to meticulously record the eminent Shaykh’s teachings, discourses, and advices in the

light of the Shari’ah.

Lectures of Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh to listen out for at:

www.at-tazkiyah.com

1) Urdu: Dil awr Masjid: Allāh ke do Ghar (Manchester, 13th May 2012)

2) English: Islām: Protection for Women (27th March 2012, Lesson from Al Adab Al Mufrad)

“The commands of Allāh S fall under two categories: 1) Obligations – Things we have to do 2) Prohibitions – Things we are forbidden from doing. If we analyse the category of obligations, we can conclude that they too are prohibitions. Take the example of the obligation to perform salāh

(daily prayers); it is in effect a prohibition against not performing salāh. As such, the commands of Allāh S are all about abstaining from things. A muttaqī (God-fearing person) is someone who abstains: when it comes to salāh, someone who does not neglect salāh is termed muttaqī with regards to salāh. The 29 or 30 days of Ramadān are a training ground, teaching us abstinence. From dawn to sunset, we practice abstaining from food, drink and marital relations. Sawm (Fasting) is defined as abstinence, and through fasting we become accustomed to abstaining. The month of fasting compels us to ask ourselves the following question: If after becoming accustomed to abstaining from desires during this one month, is there any reason why we cannot abstain from following

our base desires and disobeying Allāh S during the remaining 11 months?”

Duā For Ramadhān

The Prophet s has mentioned four things that we must do in the Month of Ramadhān, two for the pleasure of Allāh

S and two items we cannot do without.

1. Recite in abundance the Kalimah لا إلها إلا اهلل .

2. Seek His forgiveness through Istighfār. 3. Ask for His Jannah. 4. Ask His refuge from the Fire of Jahannam. (Sahīh Ibn Khuzaimah)

The honourable Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh mentions “My late father, Hāfidh Ibrahim

Dhorat v taught me a prayer during my childhood which I suppose he instructed it to me keeping in mind the aforementioned hadīth of

the Prophet s. He taught me to recite abundantly during the month of Ramadhān:”

ناةا وا أاعوذ بكا منا الناار لكا الجا غفر اهللا أاسئ ا لا إلها إلا اهلل أاست ا

One may benefit from the lectures and teachings of Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh from the following websites:

www.idauk.org & www.liwajhillah.co.uk

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Guidelines for the month of

RamadhÃn By Shaykh Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh

1. We must wake up for suhūr as it is a sunnah of our

Rasūl s. He has informed us that the food of suhūr is full

of barakah:

“Eat suhūr, because in it lie great blessings.”

(Bukhārī, Muslim)

We should arrange our time for suhūr in such a way that we

are also able to perform at least four to eight raka‘āt of

tahajjud together with du‘ā for about fifteen minutes or

more. Rasūlullāh s has said,

“...that the du‘ā in the darkness of the night (after tahajjud) is

readily accepted by Allāh.” (Tirmidhī)

2. The ideal way to perform tahajjud with suhūr is to wake

up early and perform tahajjud and make du‘ā before suhūr.

Everyone in the house should wake up and engage in

‘ibādah in the darkness and isolation of their own rooms.

Shed tears and ask Allāh S for your needs just as a small

child cries and gets his needs fulfilled. Rasūlullāh s has

encouraged his followers to cry when making du‘ā.

Crying and weeping attracts mercy. Just as a mother who,

upon seeing her child crying for a sweet, will succumb at

the sight of the child’s crying and treat it with mercy,

similarly when one sheds tears whilst beseeching his Lord,

the Mercy of the Lord will enshroud him.

3. After tahajjud and suhūr, we must pray our Fajr salāh

with congregation. Ladies should also perform their

obligatory salāh.

4. After Fajr remain engaged in ‘ibādah till 15-20 minutes

after sunrise and perform four raka‘āt ishrāq.

5. Before zawāl, perform Salāt-ad-Duhā (chāsht).

Rasūlullāh s said,

“There is charity due upon you in lieu of every joint that exists

in your body. To say sub’hānallāh is a form of charity, to

say alhamdulillāh is also a charity, to say lā ilāha illallāh is also a charity, to command goodness and forbid evil

is also a charity, and two raka‘āt at the time of duḥā (chāsht)

is sufficient for all this charity (i.e. to compensate the favour of

every joint that Allāh S has given you).” (Muslim)

6. Perform Zuhr with congregation. If possible, engage in

‘ibādah for a while and have a short rest with the intention

of qaylūlah – a Sunnah of our beloved Prophet s.

7. Perform ‘Asr. The time between ‘Asr and Maghrib is

very valuable especially for du‘ā. We must make the effort

to perform our ‘Asr with congregation and then remain in

the masjid until Maghrib. Unfortunately, Shaytān and nafs

have deceived us so much that many of us cannot do

without food in the masjid at the time of iftār. My friends,

we should try to change our habits and keep the Ākhirah in

our minds. Shaytān and nafs will take us home for some

food, which should only take a few minutes, and will not let

us come to the masjid until just before Maghrib. This is the

best part of the day, which we do not value, only because

of our desire for food. Rasūlullāh s said,

“There are three groups of people whose du‘ā is not rejected; the

fasting person until he breaks the fast........” (Aḥmad)

When Allāh S has made a promise through His Prophet s,

there is no doubt in the acceptance of these supplications.

In spite of this, we find some people whose prayers are not

answered. This does not mean that their prayers have been

rejected. It is Allāh S’s favour upon us that should He find

that granting us what we ask from Him is in our interest,

He grants, otherwise not.

Another point to remember is that there are certain

conditions in the absence of which they may be rejected.

Among these is halāl food and making du‘ā with attention

and concentration. If our hearts and minds are not in our

du‘ās, then they may not be answered.

My friends, we must make the habit of bringing a few dates

with us at the time of ‘Asr, and after ‘Asr we must engage

in dhikr, tilāwah, tasbīh, etc. until just 10-15 minutes before

Maghrib, when we should raise our hands in du‘ā until

Adhān. In this way, everyone will be engrossed in their own

‘ibādah and we will find that if some of the individuals are

crying, others will also get the inclination to do the same.

Therefore value this time between ‘Asr and Maghrib and do

not waste it in worrying about food. The saintly people are

such that not even gold and silver will distract them from

the worship of Allāh S, let alone food. Their concentration

in their du‘ā is not affected even if heaps of treasure were

to be placed before them, whereas, we would not be able to

concentrate if only a small morsel was to be put in front of

us. I would request my sisters not to spend the time

between ‘Asr and Maghrib in the kitchen.

(Continued on page 5)

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(Continued from page 4)

8. After performing Maghrib, we should perform six

raka‘āt of awwābīn after the two raka‘āt sunnah and two

raka‘āt nafl of Maghrib. However; those who do not feel

inclined to do this, some ‘ulamā have said that two raka‘āt

sunnah and two raka‘āt nafl of Maghrib can also become

part of the six raka‘āt awwābīn. Hence, performing only

two raka‘āt after the sunnah and nafl of Maghrib will

suffice.

9. After food prepare for ‘Ishā salāh and go to the masjid.

Perform ‘Ishā salāh and tarāwīh. The sisters should note

that twenty raka‘āt tarāwīh is sunnah mu’akkadah for them

too. They must perform tarāwīh after ‘Ishā.

10. After tarāwīh, go straight home. Do not loiter around

outside the masjid wasting time. At home, remain in

‘ibādah until you go to sleep. Sleep with the intention of

waking up for tahajjud and suhūr.

11. Apart from the above, we know that in Ramadān

there are always various programmes taking place in the

masājid led by our ‘ulamā. These are for our own benefit.

There are many of us who are very sinful and during this

month our hearts are softened and more receptive; by

listening to the wise words of our ‘ulamā the chances of

bringing good deeds into practice are greater. Although the

month of Ramadān is solely for ‘ibādah, we should try and

attend these programmes in the masājid because by

listening to these discourses, inshā’allāh, changes will come

into our lives for the better. Our hearts are blackened by

and full of sins and by listening to these discourses and

sitting in the company of the ‘ulamā and the pious, change

will definitely occur in our hearts, inshā’allāh. NOTES:

The household should sit together daily at a specified

time and read from Virtues of Ramadān compiled by

Shaykh-al-Hadīth Muhammad Zakariyyā v for at least

fifteen minutes. This will create a good atmosphere and

environment in our homes and at the same time Ramadān

will pass joyfully with an abundance of barakah in the

home, inshā’allāh.

Whilst in the masjid engage yourself in ‘ibādah. Take

great care not to get involved in any worldly talk. It is very

upsetting and disheartening to see people wasting their time

in futile talk in the masjid, even during the month of

Ramadān. Try and restrain yourself and remain engaged in

‘ibādah.

Perform i‘tikāf of the last ten days in the masjid. Sisters

may perform i‘tikāf in their homes. Rasūlullah s used to

perform i’tikāf in the final ten days of Ramadān. (Bukhārī,

Muslim)

Recite as much Qur’ān as possible during the month of

Ramadān.

Du‘ā, istighfār and tawbah should be made in abundance

throughout the blessed month.

Intermingling with people should be decreased to a

minimum.

Everyone should try to take rest in order to conserve

energy for the compulsory ‘ibādah. There is no point in

remaining in nafl ‘ibādah and not getting rest, which will

result in tiredness and laziness at the time of compulsory

salāh, etc.

Allāh S’s Mercy is in abundance throughout the year, but

especially during this month. We should yearn in our hearts

for this Mercy because we need mercy, blessing and

forgiveness from Allāh S. We are sinful and in this month

we want to win Allāh S’s attention so that we can become

His beloved slaves. If we are eager to perform good deeds

then, inshā’allāh this month will become a month of great

blessing for us.

May Allāh S accept our efforts and make every moment of this month a means of receiving His Mercy, Blessing and Forgiveness. May we all be granted a place in Jannah. Āmīn.

© Islãmic Da‘wah Academy

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RamadhÃn of the pious By Mawlānā Muhammad Erak Miah

Ramadhān is the most important month of the year. At

the beginning of Rajab, two full months before

Ramadhān the Prophet s would supplicate “O Allāh,

bless us in the month of Rajab and Shabān and make us reach

Ramadhān.” (At Tabrāni) The reason for this was so that

the Prophet s could take maximum benefit from the

blessings of Ramadhān. It is a common nature of man

that he takes everything for granted, the value of a

blessing is only realized when it is lost or taken away

from us. In order to appreciate this month we need to

closely study the lives of those righteous servants of

Allāh S who realized the true value of this month, from

amongst these pious servants are,

Hadhrat Shāh Abdur Rahīm v: Hadhrat had extreme

love to teach the glorious Qur’ān. He was a hāfidh of the

Qur’ān and would spend the majority of his time reciting

the glorious Qur’ān. Throughout the whole day he would

not sleep more than an hour. The time between ‘Asr and

Maghrib was allocated to meet people and apart from

this time he would not meet anybody except when

someone had a dire necessity. Hadhrat would have the

door of his room closed and would spend time in

solitude and making duā.

Hadhrat would suffice on such little food that for iftār

and sehri he would only have two cups of tea and a half

or one piece of bread. In his early years Hadhrat used to

lead the tarāwīh himself, but in his later years due to

weakness of the memory he used to perform tarāwīh

behind the Imam. Apart from his own khatam

(completion of the Quran) he used to listen to three/

four khatams in the month of Ramadhān because his

whole day and night would revolve around the glorious

Qur’ān. Throughout the month of Ramadhān Hadhrat

would not read or reply to any letter.

Hadhrat Gangohi v: When Hadhrat was in his

seventies he used to engage himself in worship so much

that despite fasting the whole day he would pray twenty

raka‘āt of Awwābīn in place of six raka‘āt and he would

not recite less than two juz of the glorious Qur’ān in his

Awwābīn.

Whilst walking from the masjid to his room and waiting

for food he would recite the glorious Qur’ān. After Ishā

and Tarāwīh, which would be no shorter than one hour

and fifteen minutes, Hadhrat would go to sleep. He

would then wake up around 2:00/2:30am. There were

certain times that Hadhrat would be found performing

wudhu at 1:00am. Hadhrat would then busy himself

performing Tahajjud for three hours. After Fajr to

8:30am Hadhrat would complete his daily practices

(Ma’mūlāt) then he would perform Ishrāq after this

Hadhrat would rest for a while.

Hadhrat would then dedicate some time to answering

letters. He would dictate the answers to the letters and

have Fatawas written. After chāsht (Mid-morning prayer)

he would rest for a while (Qaylūlah (afternoon siesta – a

sunnah of the Prophet s). After Zuhr the door of his

hujrah (room) would be closed until ‘Asr in which the

whole time would be spent in reciting the Qur’ān.

All this striving used to happen in his old age when he

used to suffer from weakness and fatigue so much so

that when he would need to go to the lavatory, which

was only fifteen steps away from his room, Hadhrat

would have to rest in between. In this very condition

Hadhrat would never perform optional prayers whilst

sitting down. In Ramadhān all of Hadhrat’s ‘ibādah

would increase immensely especially the recitation of the

glorious Qur’ān. When Hadhrat used to move from one

place to another he would not speak but recite the

Qur’ān. Whether in salāh and out of salāh his everyday

routine would be to recite approximately half of the

Qur’ān. When the first day of Ramadhān used to

commence he would address the gathering and say

“…… whosoever wastes this month will face the greatest loss.”

May Allāh S grant us the ability to value this blessed

month and may he make this month a means of

receiving his mercy, blessing and forgiveness Amīn.

(Stories translated from ‘Akābirīn ka Ramadhān’ by

Shaykh ul Hadeeth, Mawlānā Muhammad Zakariyya v)

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ATAT--TaqwaTaqwa

Competition !!! Competition !!! Competition !!!

Instructions: Find twelve words relating to

Ramadhān in the word search opposite. (One has

already been done for you) Write them down on a

separate piece of paper with your name, age and

address and send it to the address below.

At-Taqwã Competition

104-106 Ley Street

Ilford

IG1 4BX

PLEASE NOTE: One winner and two runners up

will be drawn at random. Closing Date: 31st July.

Entrants must be under 12.

R E N T F Q E S R E H R

M E R C Y L F T U A I E

S S E N D N I K N F B V

P S H D S F A L T B S E

R D A Q L U T A L Y A L

D G H U U Y A E P S T A

A N D R D R S R I U A T

T I E E A S A T H H L I

E T A E I Y A N S O D O

S S E N E V I G R O F N

T A G R L G V I O R S A

K F S D L U O D W V R N

Did you thank Allāh S for your eyesight?

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a

sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them

into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He

put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind

boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things

were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who

changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different

way." What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of

course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said

the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they

were not blind. Allāh S says in the Qur’an,

"It is He, Who has created for you (the sense of) hearing (ears), sight (eyes),

and hearts (understanding). Little thanks you give." (Surah Al-Mu'minūn; 78)

IMPORTANT

ANNOUNCEMENT

INSHÃ’ALLÃH,

AT-TAQWÃ

ACADEMY’S ANNUAL

DA’WAH

CONFERENCE WILL

TAKE PLACE ON

SUNDAY 30TH

SEPTEMBER 2012.

ALL ARE REQUESTED

TO MAKE DUÃ FOR

THE SUCCESS OF THIS

CONFERENCE AND

ALSO START TO

SPREAD THE

MESSAGE. FURTHER

DETAILS WILL BE

RELEASED IN DUE

COURSE.

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At · 4) Do abundance of zikr e.g. salāh alan nabi, the kalimah tayyibah, the third kalimah,...

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